If I could give all you readers a fresh baked cookie and a giant hug, I would. You're all amazing and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for every review, favorite, and follow. You're seriously the best and you all keep me so motivated to write. Thank you, thank you, thank you!


"I'm going to die today," Finn lamented as he sat at the bar talking with Puck who was acting as bartender that Sunday afternoon.

"I thought I had it bad with Quinn's dad. You've got two that will want to kick your ass."

Finn glared at Puck's unhelpful commentary. "I hate you."

"Don't get mad at me because you and Berry fucked up fucking. This is your own damn fault."

"Yeah, I know. But as my best friend I would think you could possibly give me a pep talk or a confidence boost or something to make me feel better about this," Finn whined, dropping his head onto his folded arms on the counter.

Puck shrugged and leaned on the bar. "I could do that…but it's way more fun watching you piss yourself in fear."

"I fucking hate you."

"Love you too, man." Puck patted Finn on the shoulder only to be swatted away. "So what time is this sure to be train wreck of a dinner with the Berrys?"

"We have to leave around five to get to Newark on time. Neither of us have a car, so it's going to take about an hour."

"Well, that gives you about," Puck looked at his watch, "four and a half hours to get your last will and testament updated and I'd suggest having sex with Berry one more time because they're probably going to lob off your family jewels too. At least I would if it were my daughter. Also, I want the restaurant after you die." Finn flipped him off and Puck guffawed heavily. "Dude, you know I'm just messing with you. I'm sure it'll be cool."

"Oh really?" Finn accused, picking his head up and staring wide eyed at his friend, "were you cool when you and Quinn told her parents she was pregnant? I'm pretty sure Quinn's dad kicked her out and she had to live with you for nearly a year until her mom divorced her dad. I really don't want to be the reason Rachel's relationship with her parents is ripped to shreds."

"Russell Fabray is a fucking douchebag. Quinn is better off without that hypocritical asswipe in her life. If Rachel's dads disown her because she's a fucking adult with a sex life, then they're the ones who are messed up and Rachel's probably better off without them too. Finn, you and Rachel are grown ass adults. She's 22 and you're 26 and if her parents are shocked that she's having sex, then they're naïve and need to be schooled in reality. Rachel is a hot piece of ass and if her personality weren't so grating, she'd probably have even more dudes begging for her number than usual."

"That's not so much the part that worries me."

"Then what the fuck has you all mopey?"

"I'm worried about how they'll react to me. Rachel and I aren't dating. We weren't dating when she got pregnant. As much as I want to date her, it isn't going to happen. I'm just afraid of how they're going to take the news about Rachel having a baby with a stranger. I'm afraid that they're going to do something drastic because of this. Rachel has to get her flair for the dramatic from someone. This is life altering and I'm just scared that they are not going to be as supportive about this as my parents are."

"Going from personal experience, they may hate you for the rest of their lives, but if they love Rachel, they won't give up on her when she needs them most. Judy never wanted to give up on Quinn; she was just terrified of what Russell would do. Once she got wise and kicked his ass out, she was there for Quinn. She still hates my guts but she tolerates me because she knows Quinn loves me."

"I guess. I'm just nervous about tonight. I want her dads to like me, but I know they won't and I don't want them to blame Rachel for this either." Finn took a deep breath and looked at the time on his phone. "Well, dude, I'm heading out. Rachel wanted me to stop by to prepare for dinner. She's refusing to be caught off guard again."

"Will Cousin Blaine be home?" Puck asked with a knowing tone.

"I don't know but it doesn't matter because I'm not having sex with Rachel."

"Dude, it's pretty obvious that you and Rachel are into each other. With all the eye-fucking going on here at work I'm surprised Rachel isn't having twins."

"I think you're crazy. Rachel doesn't like me…at least not that way."

Puck made a face at him. "I think you need to get your eyes checked because even the blind could see that she's nuts about you."

"Whatever, dude. I gotta go." He put his fist out for a bump and departed the restaurant in the direction of Rachel's apartment.

When he arrived, Finn was surprised when Rachel answered the door wearing only a robe.

"Hey, you're really early," she greeted a little uneasily, gripping her robe tighter as she let Finn into the apartment and closed the door behind her.

"You said to be on time."

"I said to arrive around two. It isn't even one-thirty yet."

Finn shrugged. "I was done at the restaurant so I thought I'd just stop by now. I can just wait in the living room for you."

"Um, okay. The remote is on the table if you want to watch some television to occupy yourself. And there's iced tea in the fridge if you'd like something to drink. Just make yourself at home." Rachel smiled at him before backing down the hall to go into her room.

Finn plopped himself down on the couch and flicked on the TV. He channel surfed for a while and grabbed a glass of iced tea and when it neared an hour waiting for Rachel, Finn developed the urge to pee.

He pulled his phone out as it vibrated with a new text as he walked down the hall to the bathroom. Not paying attention as he texted Puck back telling him he was not going to be having sex with Rachel to relax them both, Finn opened the bathroom door and walked into the bathroom, bumping into a dewy solid mass.

Finn looked up from his phone and found Rachel standing in front of him with wide eyes and nothing but droplets of water coating her skin. He wanted to move, to close his eyes or turn away or walk out, do anything to end the situation, but all he was able to do was stare. Though he had seen Rachel naked before, it was through the filter of darkness and booze and the memory was hazy in his mind's eye. But now…she was displayed before him like a statue of a Greek goddess – her breasts round and dark nipples taught, beads of moisture sliding down the valley between her breasts to the gentle curve of her growing bump, the apex of her thighs where a tiny patch of dark hair rested, her long slender legs stemming down to hold her up.

Finn was fairly sure he had just died and gone to heaven.

That was until a scream tore through his rapture and the repeated slaps to his chest forced him back to reality and back into motion.

"Oh my God, Rachel, I am so sorry! I thought you were in your room!" he tried to explain, finally turning away and being shoved through the door, turning around again in time to see it slam shut in his face. "I'm sorry, Rachel!" He didn't get a reply. "I really didn't mean to walk in on you."

Seconds later, the door flew open and Finn nearly fell forward with the force. Rachel was pissed off as she held a towel around her body and glared at him. She didn't say anything as she pushed him out of the way and stomped into her room, slamming the door behind her with such force a picture fell off the wall and the glass inside the frame broke.

Knowing it was his fault, Finn cleaned up the broken glass so Rachel wouldn't accidentally step on it, then went to the bathroom before sitting back in the living room blankly staring at the TV.

"I didn't take you as a Keeping Up With the Kardashians fan," Rachel said from behind Finn, startling him about a forty-five minutes later. He hadn't even been paying attention to what was flashing on the screen. All he could see in his head was the wet naked body of the woman he had been fantasizing about for months. He turned around and saw Rachel clothed in yet another very Rachel Berry spring dress that easily concealed the tiny bump she was sporting. Just knowing what was underneath made his pulse race.

"It's uh, it's not. I was just channel surfing," he replied lamely.

Rachel moved around the side of the couch and sat herself down on the opposite end. They sat in charged silence and Finn tried not to stare but he couldn't help but notice how smooth her calves were as she brought them up to tuck under her thighs. He felt a pull to reach out and touch her but when Rachel turned to look at him he sat back and tried not to look guilty.

"Do you have any questions about my dads? We haven't really spoken much about them besides the basics."

Finn swallowed thickly. Was she just not going to acknowledge that he had seen her naked? "Um, do you wanna talk about what just happened?"

"If I did, I would have said something, so no, I do not want to talk about what happened. I want to forget about it." Rachel turned her head back to the television. "Besides, it's nothing you haven't seen before. You said that yourself."

"Still…"

"Please, just drop it. Now, any questions pertinent to our upcoming evening with my parents?"

Realizing she wouldn't talk about it further, Finn asked about her dads like she wanted. "Um, well, what do your dads do exactly? You've never really said."

"Well, my Papa, Hiram, is a lawyer and a professor at Rutgers. My Daddy runs a playhouse in Newark. I've starred in quite a few productions that have been put on there."

"That's cool."

"They do well for themselves. They always took very good care of me and gave me the best opportunities. The only fault I could find in them would be that they care too much."

"That's not exactly a bad thing."

"It is when they care more about what they want for me than what I want for myself. We've always been on the same page about my future, but now…I just know they won't take this news well."

Finn's gaze fell to the floor and he felt guilt wash over him. "Having a baby isn't the end of the world," he mumbled lowly.

"I hope my dads see it that way."

They were quiet again and Finn's heart nearly stopped as he felt something jump at the back of his head. He shot off the couch and spun around quickly, brushing at his hair where the unknown thing hit him. Dashing along the back of the couch was a cream and coppery ball of fluff. When the feline made it to Rachel, he hopped down onto the cushions and rubbed along Rachel's thigh, purring as she stroked his longer fur. The cat glared at Finn and stepped into Rachel's lap, claiming her as his.

"Snickerdoodle I take it?" Finn asked, sitting back down now that the unknown had become known.

Rachel chuckled at him. "Yes, this is Snickerdoodle. He's a flame point Himalayan that my dads bought me when I moved to the city. He's my guard cat. Or at least he would be if he wasn't lazy and didn't sit in the window all day." She scratched behind his ears and his eyes drooped lower. "He loves to sunbathe and very rarely leaves my bedroom because he hates Blaine."

"Why does he hate Blaine?"

"Doodle started licking the gel out of his hair one day when Blaine fell asleep on the couch and when he woke up, he threw Doodle across the room and ever since they've hated each other."

"I'd probably hate Blaine too if he chucked me across the room." Finn tentatively stuck his hand out for Snickerdoodle to sniff and knew he earned approval when the cat licked his knuckle. He started petting his head and the cat stood on Rachel's lap before stepping off and slinking over to Finn. The cat purred loudly as he rubbed along Finn's leg then climbed into his lap and made himself comfortable.

Rachel giggled and shook her head at the cat. "Apparently he doesn't hate you."

Finn lightly pet the cat and smiled at Rachel. "Let's hope I'm as good with babies as I am with cats."

"They say animals and children are the best judges of character and Snickerdoodle hardly ever visits with anyone. I think he can tell that you're a good person."

"What about you?"

"Well, Doodle is my cat. Of course he likes me."

Finn shook his head. "That's not what I meant…" He stared at her and Rachel could feel herself flushing under his intense eyes.

"You're growing on me," Rachel confessed quietly. She could see a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "But I'd suggest knocking on closed doors from now on if you want to keep it that way."

Finn's cheeks pinked in embarrassment and he shifted on the couch making Doodle unhappy with him. The cat dug his claws into Finn's leg and Finn hissed in pain. "Ow, dude!" He pulled his paws off and Doodle meowed loudly at him before leaping off the couch and sauntering away. "I guess he doesn't like me that much."

"He's very particular about the bodies he lays on." Rachel yawned widely then and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, excuse me. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Blaine came home late from his night out and was drunk and woke me up and he reeked which set me off. I don't know why they call it morning sickness when it happens all hours of the day."

"Sorry," Finn mumbled, guilt on his features.

Rachel shrugged indifferently. "It's not your fault."

"It kinda is." He had gotten her pregnant after all.

"I suppose it is a little."

"Well, we don't need to leave for like two hours yet. Did you want to take a nap?"

Rachel shook her head no. "I'm fine. We should really get back on topic. We need to discuss how to handle dinner tonight."

Finn nodded in agreement and quickly licked his lips. "How should we handle dinner tonight?"

"We," Rachel yawned again and her eyes began to droop as her lack of sleep really began to hit her. Sitting on the couch with Finn was the first moment she had slowed down since waking up after the few hours sleep she got and it was finally catching up with her. "We should talk about dinner." She was so tired she was repeating herself.

"Rachel, we'll be on the train for like an hour. We can talk then. If you want to take a nap, you can. I can just watch TV."

"No, I'm fine." She tried to stifle another yawn but failed as it forced her mouth open. "Let's just put on something I know I will stay awake for." Rachel climbed off the couch and went to the DVD case, pulling out a movie Finn didn't recognize. She popped it in and a moment later, the menu for Funny Girl was on the TV screen. "Have you seen Funny Girl since I told you to watch it last?"

Finn shook his head. "It's not really my kind of movie."

"Well, if we're going to be friends, you must watch it with me. At least once." Rachel settled back on the couch, but this time sat in the middle much closer to Finn. She focused her attention on the movie intently and when Finn tried to ask about her dads more, she shushed him and told him to watch the movie.

The film was barely five minutes in when Finn felt Rachel's head lean against his shoulder. He looked down at her and saw that her eyes were closed and her breathing was getting heavier. Finn chuckled to himself and lightly jostled her head to see if she would wake. Rachel just snorted in her sleep and leaned into him further, wrapping her arm around his waist. He couldn't very well wake her up when she was clearly exhausted. Not wanting to lose the close comfort, Finn wrapped his arm around Rachel and settled in to watch the movie. It may not be his thing, but it was Rachel's favorite and he knew she loved Barbra Streisand and it might earn him some brownie points to sit through the movie even when Rachel wasn't awake to enjoy it with him.

At least it would have if he hadn't fallen asleep too.

When Finn snapped awake sometime later, he realized the light streaming through the windows was now coming from a different angle and the TV was on screen saver and somehow he and Rachel had stretched out on the couch together. Rachel was asleep in his arms as she lay in front of him and it made him smile. His grin was even wider when he noticed where his hand was resting. Even in his sleep he had been drawn to Rachel's bump and was cradling it in his hand. But then he looked at the clock on the wall and noticed the time and all the good feelings he woke up with dissipated as dread took over.

"Shit!" he hissed to himself. He didn't want to wake Rachel when she looked so angelic and peaceful, but if he didn't, he knew that would end even worse. "Rachel. Rachel, wake up." He reluctantly removed his hand from her belly and lightly shook her shoulder. "Come on, Rachel. You need to wake up."

She stirred and muttered unintelligibly as she turned onto her other side and wrapped her arm around Finn's body. Her thigh was brushing dangerously along his groin and her lips were so close all he had to do was rest his head back on the couch pillow and lean forward about an inch and they would connect. If they were dating he might find it suitable to rouse her from her slumber as if she was Sleeping Beauty by giving her a delicate kiss, but he wasn't her boyfriend and they were just friends and he had already put her into a compromising position once that day. A kiss would definitely not be appropriate.

So instead, he shook her shoulder again and spoke louder. "Rachel! We overslept. We're going to be late for dinner."

Rachel's eyes flew open and she sat up quickly to glance at the time. "Crap!" she wallowed. Rachel hopped off the couch and ran down the hall to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Finn moved a little slower as he sat up and shut off Rachel's DVD player and TV and stretched. While it had been nice sharing the couch with the girl he'd been imagining sharing a lot with over the past few weeks, it had been cramped. If Rachel were any bigger they would not have fit.

As he stood up, Rachel came running back down the hall looking at her phone with frantic eyes before putting it to her ear. Seconds later she was speaking quickly. "Daddy? I am so sorry! I fell asleep and overslept and we missed our train. We'll be about an hour later now." Silence as Rachel worried at her lip. "Thank you, Daddy. I really do apologize. We'll see you in about an hour. Okay, love you." Rachel turned to Finn. "There's an L train leaving in about ten minutes. If we hurry we can make it."

Without saying anything else, Rachel grabbed her keys and motioned for Finn to exit in a rush. She quickly locked the door and started running.

Ten minutes later, the doors of the train were about to close as Finn and Rachel made it to the platform and the only thing that saved them was Finn sacrificing his leg to the closing doors. They popped back open and he ushered Rachel inside before stepping in after her and the doors closed once more before the train began moving.

The pair was sweaty and out of breath as they searched for seats and found two toward the back of the car.

"Are you alright?" Finn asked, making sure Rachel and the baby were fine. He wasn't sure if pregnant women were supposed to run or not.

Rachel nodded in affirmation and took a deep breath in through her nose. "I'm a fairly avid runner so I'm fine. I'm only panting as I didn't warm up properly and these flats aren't exactly the best for running." Rachel threw her head back and sighed dramatically. "I cannot believe I fell asleep. Why didn't you wake me when it was time to go?"

"I fell asleep too. I was gonna try to watch that movie but I guess I was tired too."

"Well, this dinner is off to a great start. My dads are going to be annoyed at being forced to wait for us an extra hour. They believe punctuality is very important and says a lot about a person's character."

"They'll probably hate me no matter what I do, so I'm gonna try not to dwell on it."

Rachel gave him a sympathetic smile and took his hand in hers. "No matter what happens tonight, I am here for you. You're here for me, right?"

"Yes. Always."

"Then let's both try not to worry so much. If we go into tonight with a pessimistic attitude, nothing will go right." She flashed a brilliant white smile at him that was infectious and actually did make him feel more optimistic.

After that, Rachel spent the rest of the ride to Newark filling Finn in on her dads and what they could possibly expect from dinner. He tried to absorb everything Rachel was telling him, but she spoke so damn fast, he was sure he was missing something. By the end of their journey, Finn was armed with a fair amount of knowledge on the Misters Berry yet was completely freaking out.

As they walked out to the street, Finn glanced around looking for Rachel's dads' Lexus RX. Instead of finding that however, two men began to approach them and he pointed them out to Rachel. When she saw them, she squealed loudly and rushed over to her fathers whose faces lit up as she greeted them.

Taking a deep breath, Finn stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked after her.

"Sweetheart, it is so good to see you again!" the shorter, darker skinned man Finn knew to be Leroy said as he hugged Rachel. "It's been far too long since we've done dinner. I thought you said you were bringing a friend with?" He looked around, and even past Finn, as he searched for Rachel's friend.

"Yes, I did." Rachel took a step back and motioned for Finn to step forward. "Papa, Daddy, this is my friend…Finn Hudson. Finn, these are my fathers, Hiram," Rachel motioned toward the taller bespectacled man, "and Leroy," to the man she had spoken to previously.

Finn put his hand out for the men to shake, and like Rachel advised, gripped their hands firmly as they shook. According to Rachel, her dads could tell a lot about a person based solely on a handshake. It seemed they could tell a lot about people without much of anything to go on really.

As they shook, Finn could tell they were sizing him up and neither seemed to be pleased by what they saw.

"Finn, nice to meet you," Hiram stated, peering at him through his dark rimmed glasses.

"Well, this is a surprise. When Rachel told us she was bringing a friend to dinner, we assumed the friend would be female," Leroy added.

Finn looked down at Rachel who was starting to look mortified. "Sorry to disappoint you."

Leroy waved him off. "Nonsense. It's just…Rachel doesn't bring friends from the city to dinner often and when she has, they've been female."

"Are you two dating?"

Finn started coughing at Hiram's forward question and Rachel explained. "No, Papa, we're just friends. Neither of us is dating anyone. Actually, Finn is my boss at work."

"Oh right. I thought the name Finn was familiar." Leroy clapped his hands. "Well, since we're a little late with dinner tonight, your Papa and I decided to treat to dinner at Rachel's favorite restaurant."

"Really? Dads, that's really not necessary. Seriously, a quiet dinner at home would be preferable."

"Don't be silly, Rachel! This is a special occasion and you haven't been home in months." Hiram placed his arm around his daughter and started walking the group toward the car. Rachel seemed displeased by this turn of events and Finn wondered why. Was it because she was being caught off guard again?

He found out when they arrived outside of what appeared to be a Japanese honky-tonk restaurant.

"What is this place?" Finn asked Rachel quietly as they walked behind her dads.

"It's probably the only Japanese honky-tonk bar and restaurant in existence."

"This is your favorite restaurant?" Finn was skeptical based on his knowledge of Rachel.

"They have some of the best sushi in town and karaoke. The atmosphere here is less than desirable however."

As they walked into the establishment, Finn could see what Rachel meant. It was a strange mix of feudal Japan and the wild American west. Waitresses walked around wearing cowgirl outfits while the waiters were dressed as samurai.

"The owners couldn't decide between owning a honky-tonk bar or a Japanese restaurant, so they went with both," Rachel explained to a highly confused Finn. Being a restaurateur himself, Finn had seen some wacky restaurant ideas before but this one was up there on the weirdness scale. "Hitoshi and Clara Ito own this place. Can you guess which one wanted which?" Rachel chuckled and scooted into the booth they had been led to and Finn slid in next to her.

"So Finn, being in the restaurant business yourself, what do you think of Hitoshi and Clara's Tokyo City Rodeo?" Leroy asked once comfortable next to his husband.

"It's different." Just then a tone deaf Japanese man began singing 'Somebody That I Used to Know'. "I would expect to see a place like this in New York more than Newark."

"Clara hates the city. Much too crowded for her. This place has been open for years here and Hitoshi and Clara do pretty good business. Rachel loves their sushi and they have a pretty decent veggie burger."

"But they also have great chicken sandwiches too," Hiram added.

Finn opened his menu and started searching the options. Their menu varied greatly from all kinds of Japanese fair to traditional American dishes. He was heavily leaning toward the bacon cheddar cheeseburger. The picture made it look at least as good as the one Hudson's prepared and he had to test to see if he still made the best burger he'd ever had.

"So what are you thinking, Finn?" Leroy asked, as if Finn's meal selection could tell whether or not Finn was a decent human being.

He licked his lips and looked down at Rachel who gave him a supportive smile. "I'm going to get the bacon cheddar cheeseburger. My restaurant makes the best burger in town and I always need to compare whenever I see other places have a similar burger."

"You aren't Jewish then?" Hiram asked, sharing a glance with Leroy.

Finn's eyes widened. "Uh, n-no sir."

"Papa…" Rachel warned.

"I'm just trying to learn about your friend, Rachel. I assumed he wasn't as he's going to eat a bacon cheeseburger."

"I don't feel that Finn's religion has any bearing on my relationship with him."

"On the contrary, my dear. What if one day you and he did decide to date and you got married? Would your ceremony still be held in temple? Would you even have a Jewish ceremony? How would you raise your children in a multi-faith home? What about our cemetery plot? Would you be buried there or elsewhere?"

"Hiram, I think you're getting ahead of yourself here. Rachel and Finn are just friends."

"These are important questions, Leroy."

"If Rachel and Finn were actually dating they might be. How about we leave the big questions like that for when they'll actually be important. I think you're scaring the poor man."

In fact, Hiram was scaring Finn. These questions were hitting much closer to home than Leroy or Hiram would believe. Finn honestly hadn't thought about all those things and Rachel hadn't mentioned anything either. The marriage thing wasn't that important but the kid was rather pressing. Shaking the thoughts from his head, Finn focused on the bigger problem of the moment: telling the Berrys that he had knocked up their only daughter.

"Sorry, I suppose I am getting ahead of myself here. Rachel, will you be indulging the crowd with a song tonight?"

Rachel looked toward the stage where the Japanese man was really going to town on that Gotye song. "I'm not sure if I'm in a karaoke mood tonight."

Both of her fathers gasped dramatically before Hiram leaned over the table to feel Rachel's forehead. "Are you feeling well? First you take a nap and oversleep; now you don't want to sing?" He turned to Leroy. "Perhaps we should call the Dr. Hornberger."

Rachel rolled her eyes and picked up her menu. "Calling Dr. Hornberger would be mild overkill seeing as I'm fine and he's a pediatrician and I am twenty-two. I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Rachel, you know how important it is to get at least eight hours of sleep per night. If you want to maintain your health-"

"Papa! I know. Please calm down. I am healthy as ever."

He put his hands up in defense. "I'm sorry. It's just we love your voice and it's been months since we heard it. Has Finn even heard you sing before?" Hiram looked at Finn who was busy eating some of the peanuts on the table.

He looked up, startled, when he realized they were waiting for him to speak. "Oh, um, a little. I haven't heard her without a door between us though."

"You've heard me sing?" Rachel seemed surprised.

"Yeah. That day Blaine let me in."

Rachel nodded in understanding.

"Do you sing Finn?" Leroy asked.

Finn shook his head no. "Not really. I mean, I guess I can carry a bit of a tune in the shower, but I'm no pro like Rachel." She blushed at his compliment.

"You should give it a shot. Hiram and I do a rousing rendition of 'Ebony and Ivory' and Rachel always ruins the original of any song she ever sings…in the best way of course. Honestly, we're surprised she hasn't won a Tony yet."

"She needs to be in a show eligible for one first," Hiram commented a little bitterly.

Just then a perky cowgirl stopped by their table to get their order. "Howdy, y'all! My name is Jen and I'll be your server this fine and dandy evening. Can I get you some drinks and maybe an appetizer to start off with? Right now we're in Hitoshi's Happy Hour so all drinks and appetizers are half-off."

Jen took Hiram and Leroy's orders first and when she turned to Finn, her demeanor changed completely. Instead of a giddy cowgirl, Jen became flirty and tried to act seductive. It made Rachel's blood boil in frustration.

"Well, hello cowboy. What can I get for you this evening?" She leaned on the table and gave Finn a pretty clear view down her tight shirt.

"Uh, just a Pepsi and the bacon cheddar cheeseburger." He kept his eyes focused on the table in front of him and sought out Rachel's hand underneath, giving it a squeeze.

"And how about you?" Jen said to Rachel, barely giving her a glance as she continued to eye Finn like he was a gazelle and she was a lioness on the prowl.

"I would like the Very Veggie Sushi Platter and a water please." Her voice was tense and she squeezed Finn's hand back.

Jen stood back up and looked at the group as a whole. "I'll put those orders in right away for y'all. Your drinks will be out in a minute." She winked at Finn and shook her hips as she walked back toward the kitchen to put in their order.

Hiram shook his finger at Finn as his lips spread into a grin. "You…you're a real ladies' man, aren't you? I bet the girls just throw themselves at you all the time."

Finn gulped thickly and entwined his fingers with Rachel's. "I do alright, but I'm…" he looked at Rachel, "I'm trying to be more serious about my relationships now."

Leroy and Hiram shared a knowing glance. "Are you sure you two are not dating?"

"We're sure."

Jen came back with their drinks then, putting out little napkins to put the glasses on. Finn noticed as she put one down for him, a number was scrawled in Sharpie with 'call me' written underneath. Jen licked her lips as she stared at him with dark eyes before looking back at the group. "Your food should be out shortly."

Leroy took a sip of his lemonade and noticed Rachel's choice of beverage. "I'm surprised you didn't get your usual white sangria. That's your drink of choice here."

"I'm not in the mood to drink tonight."

Her father looked at her like he knew something was up, but didn't say anything as he drank his lemonade.

Their food arrived shortly after that and the conversation turned to Rachel's career.

"So sweetheart, how have your auditions been going? Any callbacks?" Hiram asked before biting into his chicken sandwich.

Rachel shook her head. "No, not lately."

"How is that possible? You're the most talented woman we know. Surely some casting directors have to have taken some interest in you."

She shrugged, not quite ready to tell her dads the reason she hadn't been to an audition in weeks.

"I'm sure it will happen eventually. Rachel's too talented and too deserving not to get everything she goes for," Finn agreed, grinning at her.

Rachel grinned back and popped a piece of sushi in her mouth. As she chewed, she realized it tasted different than usual. It wasn't bad but different. "This tastes different."

"Let me try," Hiram offered. Rachel placed a piece on his plate and when he ate it, he automatically knew the difference. "There's fish in this. I think our waitress brought you the wrong platter."

Rachel further examined her platter and their waitress had indeed brought the wrong platter. She had brought her Clara's Crab Platter instead of the Very Veggie. "Honestly, it tastes really good." She popped another piece into her mouth and chewed with abandon.

Her fathers stared at her in awe as she ate the fish filled concoction before turning to each other in shock. "Uh, honey, don't you want to send it back? You don't eat meat. Not even eggs or fish." Hiram was wholly concerned now. Rachel's behavior had been strange all day and it was worrying him.

"No, this is fine. All of this is cooked so it's fine."

"Rachel, I'm really worried about you. You never take naps or oversleep. You're always punctual and you always get the sangria when we come here. You don't want to sing tonight, which worries me more than anything, and now you're eating fish? What is going on with you?"

"It's nothing, Papa. I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Clearly it is something because this isn't like you."

"Can we please just talk about this later?"

Hiram stared at her sternly. "I'd prefer to talk about this now. If something is wrong we want to know."

Rachel looked at Finn who had gone pale as a sheet, stopping mid-chew, before swallowing hard. Her eyes began to well with tears as she turned back to her Papa. "Papa, please, can we talk about this later. I don't want to talk about it here."

"So something is going on?" Leroy put his hand out over Rachel's, rubbing his thumb over her skin soothingly. "Rachel, we love you and if you're in trouble, we're here to help."

She grit her teeth and turned hard eyes on them. "I don't want to talk about it now," she replied harshly. Rachel pushed at Finn to move out of the booth and followed him out to storm off to the bathroom. Finn plopped back down in the booth and sat in silence, staring at the remains of his burger with his hands in his lap.

Her fathers rounded on him for some answers. "What the hell is going on? You know something and that has to be why you're here. What happened to our daughter?"

"It's not…I think Rachel should tell you." While Finn was deeply involved in why Rachel was upset, he wasn't sure he was in the right place to be divulging their mutual secret. They were Rachel's dads and it would probably be easier coming from her. "I'm, uh, I'll check on her." Finn hopped out of the booth and hustled over to the bathrooms.

Searching around, Finn noticed no one wandering by and slipped into the women's bathroom. He heard crying coming from the stall furthest from the door. Finn slowly walked along to the stall and knocked on the door.

"Rachel? It's Finn."

She sniffled loudly. "Finn? What are you doing in here? It's the women's room."

"I know. I just needed to check on you. Can I come in?"

There was silence then the sound of the lock opening. The door swung open a miniscule amount and Finn stepped inside. Rachel was sitting on the toilet, her eyes puffy and her nose red. Finn knelt down to Rachel's level and put his hands on her knees.

"Hey, it's okay, Rachel."

"They're going to hate me."

"They will not hate you, Rachel. They're your dads and they love you. Can't you see how concerned they are about you right now? They just want you to be okay."

"I don't think they'll see this as okay."

Finn stood up and pulled Rachel to his body, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "Rachel, I promise you, everything will be alright." He looked down at her and held her face in his hands, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Do you believe me?"

She licked her lips. "I don't know."

"If you're ever going to trust me on anything, trust me on this. I will do anything in my power to make sure you and our kid will be alright." Finn watched as a tear slipped down to her lips and rested there. He lightly ran his thumb over her soft pink flesh and felt her breath shudder. His own breath came out heavily and he could feel Rachel's fingers on his stomach, sliding up to his chest to grip his shirt.

Finn's head dipped closer and he could feel Rachel's breath on his skin and her eyes fell closed. He tilted her head back and closed the shortening distance between them, pressing his lips to Rachel's.

The same spark he felt the first time he kissed her ignited inside him and he pressed her back against the wall. Rachel smoothed her hands up his shirt to his neck, pulling him closer and kissing him harder as Finn's hands trailed down her body to her thighs. He began pushing the hem of her dress up and Rachel slipped her hands down to Finn's pants, beginning to unbutton them. Finn's hands had just made it to the elastic of her panties when the sounds of a group of women entering the bathroom brought the amorous pair back to reality.

Rachel pushed Finn off of her and brushed her skirt back down to cover her thighs, brushing out her hair, and trying to control her heart. She put her finger to her lips to signal him to keep quiet and opened the door to leave the stall.

Finn stood in wonder as he waited for the group of women to leave, buttoning his pants up and plopping down on the toilet. He brushed his fingertips over his lips and replayed the kiss over and over.

It was apparent that he was making a huge mistake trying to be her friend. They could be so much more, so much better if they just tried, but they were deluding themselves into believing that being friends was the best option for everyone. He wanted Rachel and he was fairly certain she wanted him too. There had to be a way to convince her that they could be good together.

Once the gaggle of girls left the bathroom, Finn made his escape from the ladies' room to find the Berrys packing up. All their food was in to go boxes and Hiram was rubbing Rachel's back as she tried to act natural. It was obvious she had been crying and it was clear she was avoiding Finn. She didn't look at him and when he tried to grab her hand on the way out, Rachel folded her arms over her stomach. In the car, she turned away from him and stared out of the window.

When they made it back to the Berrys, they all congregated in the living room, Hiram and Leroy in separate chairs across from Finn and Rachel on opposite ends of the couch.

"Now will someone please explain to me why Rachel is so emotional and acting so strangely?" Leroy started. "I want to know why my daughter is so upset."

Rachel took a deep breath and looked at her father. She scooted to the edge of the couch and gripped the arm so tight her knuckles were white. "I have some startling news for you and I know you won't be happy with me but you have to know."

Hiram and Leroy exchanged puzzled glances. "What is it Rachel?"

She looked over at Finn and he nodded at her. "Finn and I are not dating. That is true. We have no interest in dating each other. But about two months ago, Finn asked if I could pretend to be his girlfriend for his friend's wedding. I was just trying to help out a friend, but things went further and…dads, I'm pregnant." She looked down in shame and started wringing her hands together, trying to keep herself from breaking down again.

The room went silent as a tomb and Rachel closed her eyes as she waited for the inevitable explosion while Finn's vision went fuzzy as he stared at the wall behind Hiram's head.

"I knew there was a reason I didn't like you when I first met you," Hiram began quietly. "Now I know why."

"Papa…"

"Did he force you?"

"What?! No, Papa, it was consensual. I wouldn't be here with him if it weren't."

Leroy leaned forward in his chair and held his head in his hands. "I don't – I don't understand, Rachel. We taught you about all forms of birth control. We were even willing to pay for the pill for you because we aren't stupid. You're twenty-two, we were young once so we understand your urges. How did this happen?"

"Inebriation and a momentary lapse in judgment. It was a complete accident and I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." Rachel started crying again, harder this time and Leroy went to her and held her close, softly stroking her hair to calm her.

Hiram stood up and began pacing furiously. "Rachel, how could you let this happen? What about your future? Broadway? How do you expect to make that happen as a single mother?"

"Hiram, this is not what she needs right now."

"No, no, you're right. This is what she needed before she decided to have unprotected sex with him!" He angrily pointed at Finn. "You are twenty-two, Rachel. You aren't a child anymore and to make such a juvenile decision…"

Leroy stood up and moved to his husband, pushing him out of the room to talk quietly.

Finn turned to Rachel who was still crying heavily, taking the seat next to her and wrapping his arm around her. She put up minor resistance to his comfort, but didn't have the energy or the will to fight allowing him to take care of her.

"It's okay, Rachel, it's going to be okay."

Leroy and Hiram walked back into the living room and Hiram sat back down, trying not to fume. "What is your plan? Have you thought about this at all?"

Rachel nodded against Finn's shoulder, but Finn answered. "We're keeping him and we're going to raise him together as friends."

"Oh that's a great plan," Hiram mocked. "And how do you plan on doing that? One week at mom's, one week at dad's, living in a single room with each of you while Rachel completely gives up on her dream to raise your unwanted child."

"Hiram!"

"You are so out of line right now!" Finn hollered, standing up and trying to look as imposing as possible. "We messed up, we get that, but your daughter needs you right now and all you can do is blame her for the one mistake she's made?"

"Maybe I should be blaming you instead."

"If that will make you feel better. You can hate me all you want, I wasn't really expecting you to like me once you found out, but do not turn your back on your daughter or your grandchild because of this. She did nothing wrong and she needs you so how about you stop judging her and actually try to help her." Finn said his piece and sat back down next to Rachel.

"Do you really think you're both ready to handle caring for a child? What about your career? What about marriage? I just want what's best for you and I don't think having this child is what's best for you, Rachel."

"Are you suggesting she abort it?" Leroy asked in shock.

"No, of course not. I'm just saying maybe everyone would be better off if the child were put up for adoption. It would go to a good home that could love it and care for it, and you both could go on with your lives. Finn, you can go back to your bachelor ways, doing whatever you did before this whole debacle, and Rachel can get back on track to stardom."

"What if I don't want that?" Rachel spoke up.

"What do you mean, 'what if I don't want that'? Of course you do. Do you know how many people make it in the business after having kids? Not many, if any. Do you want to be a bartender for the rest of your life? Living paycheck to paycheck and watching other people take your parts, living your dreams, while you sit around cleaning spit-up and changing dirty diapers alone?"

"Do you really believe in me that little? I can still have this baby and have my dream. I don't see why I have to choose. I know it will be hard, but I'm not alone. Finn will be here with me."

"Is he going to marry you? Take care of you? He has no long term commitment to you."

"No. We aren't going to get married. We don't need to be together to raise our child. We can do this together as friends."

Leroy interceded and stepped between Hiram and Rachel. "Okay, Hiram, you need to go upstairs and relax. When you've calmed down, we can talk about this rationally. Finn, this is a family matter and seeing as you are not family, I think you should head back to the city. Rachel, you should stay here with us tonight so we can discuss this calmly tomorrow. We'll take the day off to spend together."

"With all due respect, Mr. Berry, seeing as I'm the father of Rachel's baby, I think this matter does concern me. I'm half responsible for this and I'm going to be in Rachel's life for a very long time whether you want me to be or not. It doesn't matter if we get married or just stay friends or end up hating each other sometime down the line, I'm not giving my kid up and I'm not giving up on Rachel. We aren't putting our baby up for adoption and I'm not going home without Rachel."

"Don't you think you've done enough damage? Go home, Finn."

"No, Daddy, Finn's right. He's family now. Either he stays to talk with us, or I go back to the city with him."

Leroy sighed and rubbed his face. He looked tired and suddenly much older as he looked down at his daughter. "Okay. Why don't we just call it a night? You both can spend the night here and we'll discuss this in the morning after everyone has had a good night's sleep. Does that work for everyone?"

Hiram didn't look happy as he stood up. He didn't say anything as he shook his head and walked out of the living room. They could hear his footsteps as he ascended the stairs and the slamming of a door on the second floor.

Leroy turned back to Finn and Rachel and tried to smile for their benefit. "So, Finn, you can stay in the guest room, Rachel, your bedroom is still just as you left it. I think Hiram might have some pajamas if you want to borrow some…"

"No, that's fine. I'm good in this." It would be weird to wear Rachel's dad's pajamas, especially when he hated him.

"Okay. I'll show you upstairs."

They followed Leroy up to the guest room and he said goodnight to Rachel. "I'm really sorry about all of this Rachel."

"Finn, I'm tired of hearing you apologize. I'm really starting to hate the word 'sorry'. Can we just move on?"

He nodded and pulled Rachel in for a hug. "We'll get through this. Get some sleep." He kissed the side of her head and she pulled away.

"Goodnight, Finn."

Finn watched her walk to her bedroom down the hall, Leroy behind her, and closed the door. Feeling out of place in the guest room of the house of two people who hated him, Finn sat on the bed in the dark and thought about his night.

While things hadn't gone exactly as planned with his family dinner, at least his family came around in the end. He just wasn't so sure that would happen here. Hiram seemed to hate his very existence and really didn't seem to want anything to do with Rachel's child. He was so callous toward her about all of this, angry and cold. It killed him inside to see the pain Rachel was going through because of him. She just wanted her fathers' love and acceptance and they weren't giving it unconditionally like parents are supposed to.

Suddenly feeling exhausted, Finn undressed down to his boxers and climbed under the covers. He closed his eyes and let uneasy sleep overtake him.

Sometime later, Finn was dreaming of Rachel, being with her, running his hands over her body, kissing her soft skin, burying himself between her legs. It was so vivid he could almost feel her in bed with him. He moaned out in his sleep and could swear there was a body next to him, touching his bare chest.

His groggy eyes opened and he could see light from outside pouring in through the curtains and a figure with long dark hair looming over him. "Rachel?" he asked through his sleepy haze. "What are you doing in here?"

"Shh," she whispered, leaning over him to place a finger against his lips. "Don't speak." She removed her finger and replaced it with her lips.

Finn's eyes closed as he lost himself in the feel of her mouth on his, her body pressing against his body, her hands trailing down his chest to the waist of his boxers. His hands landed on her waist and he slid them up her sides, pushing the material of her tank top up. Rachel sat up and allowed him to pull it off completely, leaning back down to reattach her mouth to his and rubbing her thigh over his hips.

He groaned as Rachel's hand slipped beneath the waist of his boxers to fondle his growing erection. He bucked against her and Rachel wrapped her fingers around his cock, stroking him as she began to kiss along his jaw. Finn slipped his hand below the waist of Rachel's panties and gripped her ass, pushing her body against his to create some friction. She whined against his throat before helping Finn to remove her panties and pushing his boxers down his body.

Rachel sat up and threw her leg over Finn's body to straddle him, grinding her core against his body, tossing her head back and moaning at the feeling. Finn could see the silhouette of Rachel's body outlined by the lamplight coming through the window and could see her nipples pebbled in arousal. As Rachel shifted back, taking his length in her hand and teased her entrance with his head, Finn spread his fingers out and ran his hands up Rachel's torso to gently cup her breasts. Rachel moaned as he lightly massaged them, relieving the ache she had felt for weeks on end. Needing to feel the same relief below, Rachel smoothed her hand down Finn's hard yet soft shaft and sank down on him slowly, enjoying the feeling of being stretched and filled by Finn.

Finn pushed his hips up to meet Rachel's and his breath became harsh as she squeezed tightly around him. He ran his hands back down her body, placing one on her hip and one over her bump. She rocked back and forth on him, her body writhing over top of him, her long tendrils of hair flowing back and forth over her breasts as she moved. She looked ethereal as the soft glow of light surrounded her like an aura.

"Rachel," Finn breathed out, thrusting into her and rolling his head back into his pillow. He lifted himself into a sitting position and held her back in his hands, kissing her neck as her head tilted back. She snapped her hips into his, taking him in deep and sending waves of electricity through his body each time. Her fingers raked down his back and dug in as Finn's lips assaulted her neck, sucking hard and surely leaving a mark.

"Finn…oh God, Finn." She bounced in his lap and pressed her forehead against his, kissing his lips until they were swollen.

He could tell she was close, her motions were getting jerkier and less rhythmic, her body tightening, preparing to snap. Finn ran his hands over her body, slipping between them to stroke between her thighs, teasing the silky little nub that made her legs quake on either side of him. He rubbed circles around her clit, biting on her lower lip, thrusting his hips up to graze against her spot, feeling the friction on his own heated flesh. It was tantalizing and erotic and Finn felt like he was about to bust from the sheer unadulterated pleasure coursing through his body.

Finn had had plenty of sex in his life, but never had it been like this. It was even better than he remembered it being the first time with Rachel and he knew it was something special. No one could compare and he never wanted to try to recreate the experience with another woman. He only wanted Rachel and no one else would do.

"Let go, baby," Finn said in a breathy moan into Rachel's ear, pumping into her harder and faster, rubbing her clit with more purpose until she finally cried out. Her walls pulsed around his cock and she shuddered violently in his arms. She mumbled unintelligibly as she rode out her orgasm, rocking her hips back and forth to make it last.

Finn followed shortly after, spilling into Rachel, his cock swelling and twitching as his orgasm ripped through him. He grunted as he pushed into her before finally succumbing to the exhaustion. Finn fell back onto the bed and stared up at Rachel through heavy lidded eyes. She slipped off him and he could feel himself going soft as her heat left his hips. Rachel laid next to him, nestling her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arm around his chest and hitching her leg over his body.

"Thank you," she whispered against his chest, kissing him softly and making patters on his skin with her fingertips.

"…welcome," he mumbled in reply, not really knowing what she was thanking him for but being too tired to care. Sleep descended upon him once more, this time with less foreboding and more content coloring his emotional state.

Hours later as the sun streamed through the blinds, Finn startled awake and was instantly confused as to his surroundings. The room looked completely unfamiliar and Finn was having a tough time getting his bearings. He sat up in bed and rubbed his face and suddenly recalled the day prior. He and Rachel had told her dads that she was pregnant and they had taken the news poorly. Then he spent the night at their house.

And he had that amazing dream about Rachel coming into his room. He threw himself back into bed and remembered the vivid dream clearly in his mind. His eyes closed and he let the feelings he had experienced during the dream wash over him again. The heady feeling as Rachel's tight sex engulfed his cock, the lust he felt as he saw her breasts bounce in the moonlight, the tingles as he felt the weight of them in his hands, the love he felt as they connected so intimately.

"Fuck," he whispered, rubbing his face.

Love. Was that really what he felt in a dream? Was that really what he felt in general?

The answer was yes. It had been a very short amount of time, but Finn knew it was true. He loved Rachel and not just because she was carrying his baby, he loved her. Everything about her. Her passion for everything, her stubbornness, her laugh, her work ethic, how deeply she cared about people, even the way she got angry at him.

A knock on the door broke him from his thoughts. "Finn?" She opened the door a crack and poked her head in. Finn sat up again and looked at her as she timidly spoke. "My dads are making breakfast if you'd like some. You probably need some fuel after our activities last night." She bit her lip in the cutest way and it went straight to Finn's groin.

"Uh, yeah, last night with your dads was pretty draining. I'll be down in a minute." He nodded his head and smiled at her, not sure what she meant exactly. They hadn't really done any activities. She looked like she wanted to say something to him, but couldn't get the words out. "Are you alright?"

She smiled weakly at him. "I'm fine. How did you sleep?"

"Great, actually."

Rachel's eyes seemed to grow watery and her smile faded from her face. "Okay. I'll see you downstairs." She closed the door and let Finn get dressed.

He threw the blankets off of him and was surprised when he was completely naked underneath. Finn distinctly remembered wearing his boxers to bed. He would never sleep in a guest bed nude.

That's when it hit him. The vivid dream…it hadn't been a dream.

Rachel had come to him in the night and they had made love and he had messed up again by not remembering. That was what she meant by activities and why tears had been forming in her eyes. "Fuck," he shouted to the room. He didn't know what provoked Rachel to come to him but it had been his in and he had completely fucked it up.

Why couldn't he ever do anything right?


And the drama continues...