A/N: I had an insatiable craving to write about Finchel babies. As usual I tried to be as factually accurate and realistic as possible, but took a fair bit of creative license just the same. Hope you like it – your reviews make me squee. (I just enabled anonymous reviews for my stories so feel free to have at me even if you're lurking without an account. ) Oh, and this chapter is rated T, but don't worry, I have a nice M-rated installment waiting on deck.
"Uncle Ry!" Eight-year-old Billy and six-year-old Celine burst through the doors of the Italian/American bistro in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood, making a beeline for the bar and their father's business partner.
"Hey you two," Ryan remarked as the children situated themselves, each hanging a small knapsack on the back of a stool and climbing up onto the seat. "How was school today?"
"The best! We had recess outside and I played on the monkey bars with Kevin and it's Friday so we don't have any homework!" The little boy was so excited he could barely contain himself, and Ryan chuckled at the display of youthful enthusiasm.
"And what about you Celine? How's first grade these days?" he asked while drying a wine glass.
"It's okay." Her reply was quiet and sullen as she looked off into a corner of the bar. Ryan took note of the expression and reminded himself to tell Finn about it later. For now, though, he knew what his job was.
"Okay guys," he placed the last of the dried glasses in the rack above the bar and turned back to them, "what'll it be today?"
"Mozzarella sticks! And chicken fingers!" Celine exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.
"We had both of those yesterday," her brother protested. "I want a panini and french onion soup and calamari-"
"What does this look like, a restaurant?" a voiced behind them boomed playfully in mock dismay.
"Hey Dad!" Billy leaned off of his stool and hugged Finn, who had emerged from the kitchen and snuck up behind them. As soon as he'd heard the high-pitched squeals of his offspring he quickly finished preparing a sauce that was now simmering on the stove tended to by sous chef Marie.
"It is, a restaurant, Daddy," Celine said pointedly as Finn kissed the top of her head and affectionately mussed Billy's hair.
"My baby girl turns six and all the sudden she's too cool for jokes from her dear ol' Dad, huh?" He looked up at Ryan, who had 18-month-old twin girls at home. "Don't let yours out of the playpen, man." Glancing at the clock on the back wall, he returned to the task at hand. "All right kids, what'll it be? Remember we only have an hour to eat dinner before we need to start getting ready for Mommy's show."
The kids finalized their orders and Finn returned to the kitchen to prepare their food. He also made a small plate for himself, to hold him over until the late dinner that he and Rachel would eat together after they returned from the theater and put the kids to bed. While those items were cooking he prepared a few other aspects of the night's special dishes, and made sure that Marie and the three line cooks were equipped to handle the evening's patrons in his absence.
"Make sure not to overcook the veal! It's sliced thinner than I usually like it for the scaloppini."
"We'll be fine, boss," Marie insisted, as forcefully as was possible in her delicate French accent. "Go eat with the children and enjoy your wife's show!" She smacked his side with a dishtowel.
"I'm going, I'm going!" Finn retorted as he left the kitchen. He and Ryan were lucky to find Marie. Their first few sous chefs were ambitious and talented but couldn't really manage a kitchen on their own. In the five years since the gray-haired European had joined their staff, though, Finn needed to spend far less time preparing dishes and instructing the line cooks. That allowed him to devote more energy to the management side of things, which freed up more time for he and Ryan to spend with their families. So his warnings about meat notwithstanding, Finn felt comfortable taking the children to the theater even though it would be a busy night.
He stood behind the bar with Ryan while the kids ate and talked about their day at school. It was a beautiful springtime afternoon, and a few neighbors and regular patrons stopped in to say hello amidst their errands and walks home from the subway. Ever concerned with drumming up business, Ryan made them all promise to come back for a meal sometime soon.
"I'm done eating Dad!" Billy proudly displayed his empty plate. "Can I go upstairs now?"
"I'm done too!" Celine insisted despite the few pieces of chicken finger still on her plate. She followed her brother's lead and slipped off her stool, and they diligently brought their dirty plates to the kitchen. Meanwhile Finn brandished his spare housekey.
"I'll be up in a few minutes and one of you better be in the shower by then. No goofing around!" He handed Billy the key and shouted after them when they ran off.
When he turned back to Ryan, the red-haired man was laughing quietly.
"What?"
"Nothing, Dad," he scoffed.
"Ohhh, you just wait and see, friend. One day you'll wake up and your babies won't be babies anymore, they'll be going to school, asking for a new toy every day, leaving those toys allaround the house-"
Ryan put his hand up in Finn's face. "Maybe so, but until then I'm remaining in denial and making fun of you."
"Fair enough," Finn conceded and shrugged. The conversation then turned to a few details of the night's menu and the next day's wait staff schedule. Finn returned his own plate to the kitchen and was about to leave for the night when Ryan stopped him again.
"Hey I almost forgot to mention," he began, "Celine seemed a little bummed about something today. Not sure if you noticed anything."
"Yeah, I think I know what's up. Thanks for pointing it out, though." Finn held out a fist and Ryan bumped it with his own as they said their goodbyes.
Finn walked out the front entrance of the bistro and turned right, unlocking the door to the rest of the building, which he and Rachel purchased a few years after they opened the restaurant. The top two floors comprised a duplex that they felt was perfect for housing a family, and the floor immediately above the restaurant was another apartment that they rented out. The purchase had been risky, considering that the restaurant was just starting to turn a profit. But between the rental income, their savings, Rachel's earnings, and their frugal lifestyle, they made it work.
He climbed the narrow staircase two steps at a time and entered their apartment on the third floor. Immediately he felt assaulted by the sounds of NBA2K30 emanating from the living room TV. Sure enough, Billy sat on the couch mesmerized by the game, dressed in the clothes Rachel must have laid out for him, his hair still wet from the shower.
"Nice shot, buddy!" Finn said encouragingly as he walked by. "Can you kill the volume a little bit, though?"
"Okayyy," the boy said, sparing no ounce of resignation in his tone.
Finn stepped into the master bedroom, where he shed his chef's coat and threw it into the laundry bin. Opening his side of the large closet, he picked out his own clothes for the night. He heard the upstairs shower turn off, but waited a minute or so before he ascended the internal stairs to the second floor of the apartment. Turning left, he knocked on the yellow door covered in sparkly butterfly stickers.
"Come in." Celine's voice carried softly into the hallway.
Finn opened the door slowly, and found his daughter standing in front of her open closet. In her fuzzy pink bathrobe with a towel-turban on her head she looked just like a mini Rachel. The sight made his heart swell.
"Need any help?" he offered as he approached her.
She sighed dramatically as she reached for a purple and black striped dress. "No thanks, Daddy."
Finn pulled out her small desk chair and sat down as she took the hanger off the rack. "Is something bothering you sweetie?"
She shrugged, opening a drawer and removing a pair of black leggings.
"Hey," Finn said, reaching for the little girl and pulling her onto his lap. "You always tell me when something's wrong. Why so quiet now?"
Celine sighed again, and finally looked up into her father's eyes. "It's about Mommy."
Finn had suspected as much. "What about her?"
"She's never here at night." The little girl pouted slightly. "I wish she could be here to eat dinner with us and tuck me in." Rachel was always reading parent magazines and she had said something to him recently about how Celine was getting to the age where she'd notice that other kids' moms were around in the evenings whereas hers wasn't.
So, Finn was somewhat prepared with a little speech. "Oh, I wish she were here more too, kiddo. Your mom's job is very special and very important to her. You certainly know by now that Mommy has wanted to perform on Broadway since she was your age. Probably even before that, actually."
Celine nodded, rolling her eyes a little bit to emphasize just how much she'd heard about her mother's career aspirations.
"What you might not know is that for a long time she thought that singing and acting on Broadway was the only thing that would make her happy. But, she grew up a little bit, we got married and had your brother and then you. And I've never seen Mommy happier than when she's with you. Even when she's at rehearsal or performing, I'm positive that she's thinking about you and looking forward to the next time she gets to see you."
A hopeful half-smile appeared on Celine's face.
"During the show tonight, look up at Mommy and you'll see how happy she is. She won't look for you because she has to stay 'in character' the whole time. But, when it's over and she comes out for the curtain call and looks down at you and Bill, I promise she'll look a billion times happier than that." Finn was a little nervous about making such a guarantee, but he wasn't sure what else to do.
He also wanted to remind her that there were certain perks to each of their work schedules. "Besides, isn't it nice that Mommy and I are both here in the mornings to help you get ready and walk you to school?"
Celine nodded, snuggling into his chest. The morning had never been Finn's favorite time of day, but Rachel was seemingly always full of energy and eager to spend time with their kids then.
"And we always eat dinner downstairs together on Sundays. And, what about Mondays, when the restaurant is closed and Mommy and I are home for you after school?" He tightened his grip on her slightly. "Don't you enjoy our special family nights?"
"Of course I do!" the little girl exclaimed. Surely she was referring to after dinner on Mondays, when she and Rachel watched TV in the master bedroom while Finn and Billy played video games in the living room.
"Also, isn't it kinda cool that after ballet, or art class, or whatever else you're doing after school, you get to come to the restaurant and hang out with Uncle Ryan while I make you whatever you want for dinner?"
Celine laughed. "Yes, Daddy, it's very cool," she said almost snarkily. (Who knew a 6-year-old could be snarky?) But at least she seemed to be in a better mood.
"All right then." Their bonding pep-talk session having concluded, Finn left Celine to get dressed and went to get himself ready for their evening out.
He meant what he said, about Rachel being happiest when she's with the kids. Obviously he simplified and shortened the story a little bit, but the point was the same. After college Rachel was definitely discouraged when her only roles came in lesser-known off-Broadway productions or in the company of larger shows. Luckily she also enjoyed substitute-teaching, giving voice lessons, and directing youth music activities around the city, which she was able to do even when the kids were little. Finn worried that she'd feel like a failure for putting her performing career on hold at such a young age, but once the restaurant started to do well she insisted that it was the right time to have kids.
And Rachel was a trooper, maintaining her voice lesson and choir-direction duties up until her third trimester pregnant with Billy. As far as the nursery and other aspects of the house, she prepared for the baby's arrival almost entirely on her own while Finn worked long hours at the bistro. He'd never been happier than when their son was born, but he was nonetheless nervous about his untested parenting abilities. Rachel, on the other hand, looked so natural and calm with a baby in her arms, and took to her maternal role without hesitation. Finn knew she'd never admit it, but Rachel was decidedly over the moon two years later when they found out their second child would be a girl. She constantly told him how happy she was with their kids and their family and their life, but she didn't even need to say anything. Her contentment was plainly obvious to all observers. Finn was especially glad (and maybe a little relieved, even) to see Rachel happy in a job that came without notoriety or public acclaim.
Eventually though, their babies were no longer babies and Rachel was able to resume auditioning. At first it was the same-old, same-old types of roles, but last September, when Celine started school full-time, Rachel scored a few major-production auditions. She landed one of the lead roles in Lucky Guy, a small-scale musical about country singers. During her run, she garnered enough attention and critical approval to snag a lead role in Wicked, the long-running Wizard of Oz-based musical.
After Finn showered he got dressed in one of his pre-designated, Rachel-approved theater outfits. (At this point he was definitely capable of picking out a pair of khakis and matching button-down shirt, but he let his wife have her illusions about his level of self-sufficiency.) Then he helped Celine put her hair, now just slightly damp, in pigtails. After that he tore Billy away from his game, and they set off for the subway station a few blocks north of their home. It was only about a 30-minute ride on the Q train from Brooklyn's 7th Avenue to Times Square in the center of Manhattan.
"I can't wait to see Mommy as Elphaba!" Celine exclaimed as they rode the escalator up to street level. Rachel joined the cast a few weeks ago and Finn had already seen the show twice, but this would be the kids' first time.
"You're gonna to love it," he assured their daughter, taking her hand as they left the subway station and stepped out onto 42nd Street. Billy was a little harder to reign in with a hand-hold when they reached the corner and prepared to cross the street, but Finn suspected that their son's hyper demeanor had more to do with the soda he drank earlier than excitement over seeing Rachel's show for the first time. (Not that Bill didn't appreciate Rachel's talent; he just didn't usually bounce down the street because of it.)
They arrived at the theater a few minutes later, and Finn made sure they all used the restroom before finding their seats. The routine was fairly familiar, although this was the first time bringing them to an evening performance as opposed to a matinee.
The curtain went up and the show began. Finn wanted to see his wife at work, of course, but he was more excited to observe the kids' reactions. They were finally at the age where they could not only sit through entire performances, but also understand the story enough to truly enjoy it. Sure enough, Billy was entranced by the action-based scenes, especially the flying monkeys, and Celine loved all the musical numbers. Needless to say, they both stared, wide-eyed and grinning, whenever their mother was on stage.
"Daddy!" Celine whisper-yelled while tugging his sleeve during "One Short Day".
"What is it, Celly?" Finn leaned down closer to her level.
The little girl cupped her hands around his left ear and whispered, "Mommy does look really happy! Are you sure she'll be happier later when she sees us?"
"Uh, yeah, kiddo. But shh, just watch the show for now." Finn gently tugged one of her pigtails playfully as she turned back toward the stage. He felt a little bit of panic set in at the thought that Rachel may not even see them during the curtain call. Or what if Celine remembered that he said Rachel would look a billion times happier. How can you even numerically quantify how happy someone looks? Their little girl was going to be the death of him if he kept making these ridiculous promises that he had no way of keeping.
As the first act concluded, though, he reminded himself that this was Rachel. She knew exactly where they were sitting, she would wave to them during the curtain call, and she would probably cry at the sight of their children watching her.
During the intermission Billy wanted a snack so they made an excursion to the concession stand. Finn was definitely the pushover parent when it came to little goodies like that, but luckily he was also in the food business and didn't necessarily like the idea of the kids indulging in processed garbage junk food. Still, this was a special occasion, and if his kid wanted Twizzlers, so be it. (Also Billy was sufficiently big that Finn would much rather deal with a slightly-hyper child than carry two sleeping kids home, so that was a benefit of the sugar intake as well.)
They sat through the second act, and he was pleased that the show held the attention of both children for its entirety. Then came the moment of truth. The whole cast emerged for the curtain call, with Rachel in the very center next to the actress playing Glinda. When she stepped out for her bow, to a standing ovation of course, Finn hoisted Celine into his arms so she could see over the audience members standing in front of them.
Rachel waved, first to the entire crowd. Then, she looked down to their seats in the third row and her smile widened as she waved in their direction. "Mommy loves you," she mouthed to the children before winking at Finn. They were a little too far away for him to be certain, but he thought he saw the shimmer of joyful tears in her eyes.
"I love you too Mommy!" Celine yelled as loudly as she could, waving up at Rachel and bouncing in Finn's arms. Once the curtain fell again he placed the girl back on her feet. "You were right, Daddy! She saw us! And she looked so happy!" She hugged his side momentarily before releasing it, and Finn breathed a sigh of relief.
Following the instructions Rachel had given him, Finn waited for the crowd to recede before he sought out a security guard named Phil, who brought them around backstage.
When she saw them approaching, Rachel gasped and displayed a shocked expression. "Who are these gigantic children? Certainly not my babies!" she joked as they approached her and engulfed her in a warm, congratulatory hug. In the meantime Finn leaned down to give Rachel a quick peck on the lips. She glowed as she introduced the kids to her castmates and members of the crew, and gave them a close-up look at some of the props.
By the time Rachel emerged from her dressing room after changing into street clothes and removing her green makeup, Celine was already asleep in Finn's arms. They stepped outside and hailed a cab home; as soon as they were situated in the backseat Billy nodded off, leaning against Rachel's shoulder.
"Long day for them, huh?" Rachel said quietly, smoothing their son's shaggy dark hair.
"I guess so," Finn whispered back.
"She mentioned it, didn't she?" Rachel asked, motioning towards Celine.
It's insane how she always just knows these things, Finn thought to himself as he nodded.
"But Daddy made everything okay?"
Finn chuckled as softly as he could manage. "I think it was mostly Mommy who did that, but Daddy played a pivotal role."
"Ah, well," Rachel reached up to stroke the side of Finn's face, "Mommy will have to give Daddy a special thank-you when we get home."
Finn raised his eyebrows and smiled, watching Manhattan pass by behind them as they drove over the Brooklyn Bridge.
He loved being Daddy.
A/N: So there ya have it. I couldn't resist writing Finn as a scrumptious and understanding father. Hope you find him as tasty as I do. :-P And I've never actually seen Wicked, so I hope I did it justice.