A/N- Seems that you guys like furniture kicking Finn. Thanks for all the love. This chapter is a little short, but it's important! Special thanks, as always, to my twitter posse, Erica especially.

Disclaimer- I still don't own the characters, the music, Glee, or Because I Said So. The mistakes, however, are all mine.


Rachel felt the thin layer of fresh snow crunch below her feet as she made her way to Finn's house; the more she thought about what Blaine had told her, the more she found herself needing to find out about Finn's involvement, if there was any. After Blaine left, she went inside and began to dissect the last month that she had been dating Blaine and Finn. Both meetings appeared to be random, but they were both places her fathers knew she would be. Whenever Finn was mentioned to them, though, they would try to bring the conversation back to Blaine; giving her the idea that they were team Blaine. However, she couldn't figure out where Finn fit into the equation. Was he a part of this to; was he part of her dad's plan?

As angry as she was, she probably should have stayed home to cool off a bit before confronting anyone. Instead, she found herself standing on Finn's doorstep and lifting her shaking hand to knock. She took a step back and crossed her arms in front of her while she waited for him to answer.

Finn sat on his couch with his head in his hands, commiserating about the turn his day had taken. He had hoped to be making out with his girlfriend right now; instead he was hurt and angry that he had been played. A knock sounded at the door and he begrudging stood from his seat of misery and looked through the peep hole. Rachel was standing on the other side, looking less than pleased with her arms folded in front of her. He set aside his shock and placed his hand on the door knob, taking a deep breath before opening it. Normally, he would invite her inside, especially since it was cold outside, but this time, he stood in the open doorway mimicking her defensive posture. "Rachel."

"Finn. I need you to tell me the truth. Do you know anything about the personal ad my fathers published?" His hesitation and the guilty look on his face told her everything she needed to know. "So you did know. Why didn't you tell me?"

Of all the reasons Finn thought she might be here, this was not one of them. Even though he was angry, he knew she noticed the flash of guilt that passed over his features. He had reasons to be angry, too. "You mean like you told me about your other boyfriend?" Finn kept his arms crossed and leaned his shoulder on the door jamb, waiting for her response. When her mouth opened and closed a few times, he knew he had her cornered. He smirked, leaning down slightly while his anger bubbled inside of him. "Yeah. I know all about the pretty boy you've been seeing."

"For your information, there is nothing going on between me and Blaine."

Finn leaned down a little further; he wanted to make sure she knew that he saw. "That's not how it looked this morning. What kind of a name is Blaine anyway?"

She stood taller, placing her hands on her hips as her anger grew. She could tell him about her and Blaine's relationship and that she broke it off with him so she could be with Finn; not that it mattered because he was gay. Right now, he didn't deserve an explanation. "How dare you, Finn Hudson! You know nothing of my relationship with Blaine. Whatever you think you saw, you didn't. What were you even doing at my house anyway?"

"I trusted you Rachel. I trusted you with my heart and my daughter." Finn pulled at his hair, his frustration getting the best of him. "Do you know how hard that is for me? Do you know how long it took for me to start dating again? I wanted to be with you because I thought you were different."

Rachel's heart broke a little at the mention of Katie. Part of having Finn in her life, was having Katie as well; Rachel had not only fallen for him, she had fallen for Katie too. Maybe it was best that this ended before the little girl was really hurt. "How do you think I feel? My fathers interviewed men for me to date, Finn. They humiliated me and you were a part of it."

"I was going to tell you."

The anger had turned to hurt and her eyes welled with tears. "When?" A tear rolled down her cheek and she sniffled while wiping it away. "You know what? It doesn't matter." She shook her head in hopes of holding off the onslaught of tears she knew was coming long enough for her to get away. "Goodbye, Finn."

Finn stayed silent as he watched her turn and walk away. He thought about stopping her, about talking to her and finding out what had gone wrong, but he knew he needed to let her go. Her frame became smaller as she walked down the snow covered sidewalk and Finn waited till she disappeared from his view completely.

By the time their conversation had ended, Finn's anger had turned to sadness. Only a couple hours ago, he was ready to ask Rachel to become a more prominent part of his life, and now she was gone. Probably forever.

Her tears continued to fall against her wishes while she made her way to her father's house. With only a few days before Christmas, the streets were crowded and instead of wading through the crowds on the subway, she hailed a cab. When the yellow car pulled up, she gave the man the address and sat quietly, hoping to regain her composure so that she could yell at her fathers properly. Still, the hurt from her fight with Finn was weighing heavy on her heart when the cab pulled up in front of the brownstone. She paid the driver and stood in front of the building trying to figure out what to say. When her anger had returned to a sufficient level, she rang the doorbell.

"Hey Pumpkin, come in." Hiram moved to the side, allowing a steadfast Rachel to breeze past him and enter the house.

"Who was at the door?" Leroy entered the room, a book in his hand. "Oh, hey Peanut. What brings you by?"

Rachel was now on the other side of the room, leaving her fathers standing by the door. She crossed her arms and turned, facing her fathers with a look that held little room for argument. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

The men shared a worried look and then looked at their daughter. "Wh-what do you mean, Pumpkin?

"Don't 'Pumpkin' me. I know about the ad." She paced the elegant living room while her anger continued to bubble to the surface. "What were the two of you thinking?"

Hiram gave his husband a look and took a step towards Rachel, it was obvious she was angry and he could understand why. "We just wanted to see you settle down with someone who deserved you." He reached out and rubbed her shoulder, hoping the action would calm her down. "Did something happen with Blaine? Did he hurt you?"

"No. You did." She took a step back so he was no longer touching him. "You two humiliated me. Do you know how embarrassing it is to find out that the guy you have been dating was hand-picked after an interview with your dads?"

Leroy stepped forward, hoping he could defuse the situation. "Peanut, it wasn't like that…"

"Are you saying you didn't interview potential boyfriends for me?" She squared her shoulders, standing tall and showing them that she wasn't going to back down.

His eyes went wide and it was then that he truly saw how mad Rachel was. Her cheeks were red and her lips help a tight line while her eyes were filled with hurt and rage and he knew they were going to have to tread carefully. "We did, that's true. But our intention was not for you to get hurt." He reached out to her and gently ushered her to the sofa so they could sit. Rachel reluctantly sat between the men, who were desperately trying to calm her while also trying to get out of trouble.

"We have seen you hurt too many times before." Hiram added.

Rachel stood abruptly and resumed her pacing in front of the sofa where her fathers still sat. "I am not a child. I do not need my parents putting ads in the newspaper for me."

"It was an online ad." Leroy supplied, his voice quiet and weak, earning a stern look from Hiram.

Rachel stopped her pacing and folded her arms again. "That is not better." She yelled. She began to move again, stopping after a few steps to remove her coat. Her anger was keeping her plenty warm in the heated house; the thick winter coat and her angry pacing were causing her to sweat. "I am a grown woman who is perfectly capable of finding my own dates."

"We know that." Hiram reached out, pulling her arm gently in hopes she would sit. She pulled back, clearly still extremely upset. "We thought things were going well with you and Blaine?"

"Oh, things were going great with me and Blaine." Rachel stepped back, further distancing herself from the men so she could vent completely before they calmed her. She knows they have a way of getting her calm before she is able to fully release her anger and this time, she wouldn't give them the satisfaction. "We went out on dates, he paid for everything, and he treated me really well."

The men looked at each other, confused as to why, if they got along so well, she was so mad at them. Their plan worked! "I don't understand, Peanut." Leroy said timidly.

"Blaine was the perfect gentleman, you should be proud. We had a lot in common; including our taste in men." Rachel didn't know for sure if that last part was true, but she said it anyway. She stood up straight and folded her arms tightly in front of her, waiting for them to connect the dots. She knew when their eyes went wide and their jaws dropped that they had picked up on what she was saying.

They sat in silence for a few moments; the men silently wondering why Blaine would answer their ad and how they didn't notice before that he was gay. They also felt bad for their daughter. "How… How did you find out?"

"Blaine told me." She resumed her pacing, her anger returning as her mind wandered to Finn. "I understand Blaine. On paper, we are perfect, and at this level of meddling, your insanity helps me to understand why you chose him." She stopped and turned to the men and placed her hands on her hips. "What I don't understand is why Finn? If you already chose Blaine, why send Finn, too? Were you hoping for one of us to get hurt?"

The men shook their heads, adamantly and silently denying their connection to Finn. "What do you mean? We didn't send Finn. We have never met him."

"He already told me everything, Papa." She turned away, her anger increasing at their denial. "What I don't understand is why you would choose someone who already has a daughter for me. It's one thing to play with me and my emotions, but when an innocent child is part of it, it's different. Katie is a great kid; she doesn't deserve any of this."

Leroy stood, followed by Hiram, and they moved to stand next to her. "Katie? Who is Katie? Peanut, we didn't set you up with him."

"Wait?" Hiram said, looking first at Rachel and them to Leroy. "You don't suppose the tattooed guy in the coffeehouse eavesdropped do you?" Leroy looked puzzled, so Hiram elaborated. "Remember? The guy who sat behind us in the coffee shop that day…" He turned his attention to Rachel when he saw the flash of recognition on Leroy's face, but Rachel was still confused. "When we were interviewing potential suitors…" He paused, giving Rachel an apologetic look before continuing on. "There was a man sitting behind us. He told us that he had a daughter and that he was single, I wonder if it's the same guy?"

Rachel looked between them, hardly believing what she was hearing. "So what you are saying is that, Finn overheard you and then tried to get you to set me up with him? He did even know me?"

"And he hadn't seen the ad, either." Hiram added.

"You should know that he tried to tell us to stop. He though we were arranging your marriage."

Leroy and Hiram started to chuckle at the memory when Rachel gave them both a look. "Isn't that exactly what you were doing?"

"Not really. We were only trying to get you to meet a nice man. We weren't forcing marriage on you; that decision was and is solely yours." Hiram hoped that she believed him. He could tell that, more so than the ad, Rachel was upset with losing Finn; assuming that's what happened.

Rachel put on her coat, her fathers only confused more. She believed them, but she wondered why Finn came looking for her. "The choice was mine; it is too bad that you ruined my chance to make it." She slipped her arms through the sleeves and made her way to the door, both of the men not far behind. "Don't think I have forgiven either of you. I'm going home; I'll call you when I no longer want to yell at you."

Considering how angry she was when she arrived, Hiram and Leroy considered themselves lucky. Knowing her that way they do, she was second guessing whatever fight she and Finn had had because of the information they had given her. They didn't know what had happened specifically, but they hoped she realized how much she liked Finn before it was too late.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

When Carole had arrived with Katie, she noticed Finn's obvious change in demeanor from when she had left him earlier in the day. Carole asked if he was okay and when Finn told her he was fine, she pretended to believe him, leaving him and Katie to their day. Finn knew that she didn't believe him, but she appreciated her leaving him be. He needed to process all that had happened and figure out where to go from here.

"Me and grandma went to the cookie store."

Finn sat beside Katie on the couch while she watched the ridiculous talking Santa dog movie for what had to be the fiftieth time. Katie asked if she could watch it and since Finn was still lost in his own thoughts, he agreed without hesitation. "Oh yeah?" His response was less than enthusiastic, he knew it was.

When Rachel left, Finn couldn't help the sadness that he felt. He tried to push it aside and tell himself that it had only been a month but his mind kept reminding him how great that month had been. They had some great times together. She was good with Katie and Katie liked her too. Until this morning it had seemed that his romantic life had taken a turn; the turn he had been hoping for ever since Quinn left.

"They had cookies in all kinds of shapes. Mine was a Christmas tree."

Finn nodded, blankly looking at the TV screen. "Uh huh."

"Grandma had the candy cane kind." Katie kept telling him about her day, though her eyes never left the screen. She loved spending time with her grandma and grandpa, especially since they weren't in town that often. And with only a couple more days until Christmas, her enthusiasm was increasing by the minute.

Finn looked over at the tree, the lights mesmerizing holding his attention for a moment. "Yep."

Katie turned, leaving the space where she was cuddled up with her dad. She sat up on her knees next to him, temporarily forgetting about her movie. "Daddy? Are you sad?"

That got Finn's attention. He turned his eyes away from the tree and looked at his little girl. "Just a little."

"Why?"

Finn sighed. He knew she wasn't dumb, but he hoped she wouldn't notice his change in demeanor. This was exactly why he had kept out of his dating life. This time though, he had failed. "It's complicated, Booger."

"Are you gonna cry? Sometimes I cry when I'm sad."

Finn smiled and shook his head. "I don't think so."

"That's good; Uncle Puck says that you're a sissy if you cry." Katie sat back in her seat, ready to resume her movie as if it was the only thing she could say. "He says I can, cause I'm a girl."

Finn shook his head and kissed Katie's head, chuckling slightly as he lay back. "Thanks Booger."

"You're welcome, Daddy." She said, smiling proudly. Finn chuckled again and the room fell silent, except for the sounds of the movie, while Katie settled back into her spot so she could watch the movie. Finn watched the screen as the dogs in the movie talked (yes, talked) about saving Christmas. For a few moments, he was thinking about how dumb the movie was instead of his failed almost relationship. It wasn't long before Katie sat up and broke the silence again. "Are you sad cause of Rachel?"

"What?" It was always surprising how much the five year old knew. Adults often acted like kids were out of touch, but he never though that about Katie. She was innocent and lacked a filter, but she was very observant. He held his arms out to her, inviting her into his lap; an invitation that she gladly accepted. "Booger…" He started, unsure exactly what he was going to say. "Why do you think I'm sad because of Rachel?"

"Because, Daddy. You and her are friends. You said you was gonna go talk to her."

Once again, Katie proved to Finn how smart she was. "Oh."

"Do you think she will take me to get cake again? Uncle Puck says that we can have cake anytime, it doesn't has to be someone's birthday." She shifted in his lap, smiling from ear to ear. "Can she?"

The room was suddenly hot as Finn shifted, hoping he could ease the uncomfortable situation with the gentle movement. "I don't think she will be able to take you for cake anymore."

"Did you two get in a fight?" She asked quietly.

"Ya." Finn was trying to give Katie as few details as possible in hopes that she would lose interest and go back to the movie. She was not backing down though. He wanted to be honest, so he didn't back down from her questions. It was important to him to that she trusted him, even in matters like this. One day, they might be her own relationship troubles.

Katie smiled innocently. "You can say sorry. That always helps. When Emily butted in line at school, I was mad at her. Then she said sorry and we was best friends again."

"That's good advice, Booger." Finn hugged the girl tightly, thankful for the chance to talk with her. "When do you think we went bowling last time?"

Katie's eyes went wide. "It was a long time ago. Maybe even ten years."

"I bet we could go tomorrow." Katie nodded her obvious enthusiasm showing. "Maybe we could see if Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Kurt, and uncle Puck can come with us, too?"

She jumped off of his lap, making flinch when she stepped on his inner thigh. "Yes!"

It was surprising how much Katie's words had gotten to him. It was hours later and her words were still rolling around in his head: 'say sorry.' As he lay in bed that night he found himself wondering if it was that easy. She told him that there was nothing going on between her and Blaine and that he was mistaken in what he had seen. What if she was telling him the truth and the whole thing was a misunderstanding?

He had set out in the beginning to find her and tell her what her parents were up to. He knew it was wrong not to tell her, but he found himself falling for her and chose to keep it from her. She had every right to be upset with him and if she was telling him the truth before, it was only him who was in the wrong. He rolled to his side and silently cursed the alarm clock resting on his bedside table. It was two am and if he was going to take his family bowling tomorrow, he was going to need some sleep.

Rachel rolled over and looked at the clock by her bed. She sighed when she realized that it was now two am and she was no closer to figuring out how to move forward. She had been home from the theater for a while now, lying in bed and thinking about the events from the day; the day that started off with so much promise had quickly gotten away from her. Even though she was sure that her day had garnered her a good friend, she had lost Finn in the process, and on top of all of that she was still so mad at her fathers. She believed that they didn't send Finn and she understood her dads; they were just sticking with what they know. What she didn't know was: what was Finn's motivation, why did he go to the trouble?

She tried to force herself to sleep, knowing she wouldn't have the answers tonight.


A/N- There you have it; everybody is wondering what to do next. I can vouch for the suckiness of that Santa dog movie. My kid has been making me watch it (and the sequels) since June. I want to thank the guest reviewer who was constructive and NOT hateful; gives me hope. I do so love some non-hateful reviews. Much love.