Just got back from a football game and I remembered I finished this last night, so I decided to post the new chapter! Significantly longer then the last one, this chapter is lighter on the Finn/Quinn angst, as requested. The story will be concluding soon, so read and review, you beautiful little pancakes!
Finn pushed open the door to the hallway, anxiety creasing his face. A bell sounded, signaling the beginning of lunch, to his relief. There were far too many things whizzing around in his head. Football, a girlfriend, and glee club were all so complicated. It just didn't make any sense.
He stepped into the hallway, and was greeted by the appearance of Quinn, who looked upset. And his heart broke once again, as he remembered the awful thing he needed to tell her.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi," came her breathless reply. Finn managed a half-smile, as he tried to steel himself into saying what needed to be said.
"Can we be in love again?" asked Quinn, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, her barely-pregnant belly vaguely outlined by a delicate and lacey white shirt.
"I have to tell you something first," he said, in a mixture of emotion. "I want us to be honest with each other no matter what."
"You can tell me anything," she said, a look of horror slowly seeping onto her face.
Finn managed another weak smile, and said, "Cool, uh, it's not really even that big a deal. I mean, I didn't actually do anything. But, the other night when you were babysitting, I kinda went over to Rachel's house".
A slight gasp escaped Quinn's mouth, and he was sharply reminded why he loved her so much, and why this was so hard.
"But nothing happened," he continued. "I was worked up about us fighting, and she put on this really weird cat-woman suit and so I think something could've happened, but, it didn't. Because I only want to be with you."
Emotion flitted across Quinn's face, but then she replied in the same tone, "It's alright. Thank you for being honest with me."
"I love you Quinn."
Finn pulled Quinn into a deep hug, as she whispered back, "I love you too."
Their embrace was deep and meaningful, as Finn tried to clear his tears. Eventually, Lucy loosened her grasp on his torso, as did he, and she stepped back a little to survey the man in front of her.
The man behind Finn scowled at her, to which she narrowed her eyes, and gave him the glare she had perfected during her days as a cheerleader that had made so many cringe in fear and move out of her way. This man was no different.
Lucy brushed Finn's shoulder, and he moved to the side a little, wiping his eyes of the tears.
"Are you okay?" she asked gently, stepping a little closer to him. "When did it happen?"
His voice was deep with emotion as he replied, "A couple hours ago."
And Lucy too felt a deep pang of regret and grief. Burt had always been so kind, the few times they had spoken. She had prayed for him when he had had his first heart attack, and she would pray for his soul again, despite having given up most of her faith long ago.
"Is there anything I can do?" she asked gently.
Finn shook his head, sniffling once, and wiping away the last of his tears from his eyes, but the grief remained visible in his face.
"I uh, I think I'll should probably go now," he said. "We're kinda making a scene, and I think I should be with my family. And I haven't gotten any coffee."
Lucy let out an exasperated breath, and said, "We've always been good at having emotional moments in public, Finn." She tried to offer a half-smile, but soon shut herself down. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, impatiently reminding her of the work she was soon to be late too. She collected her coffee from the counter, and promptly hesitated before leaving the coffee shop.
Making up her mind, Lucy scribbled her phone number onto a napkin, and placed it in Finn's rough hands, and said, "If you or Kurt or your mom need anything, just call me, okay?"
He nodded at her, and Lucy turned to leave, just barely catching his voice.
"Thank you, Quinn."
Lucy was inevitably late to set.
She hurriedly parked her car in the spot reserved for her, and made sure to grab her bag that contained the shooting script she had previously written, as well as all of her notes.
Assistants milled about the set, running errands for the producers, actors, set designers, and all the people who had more authority then they did. Lucy's personal assistant, Ruth, appeared at her side moments after Lucy made her way through the busy set, to where the cameras were still set up from the previous day's filming.
She reclaimed her perch in director's chair, and accepted the megaphone that Ruth offered her. "Thanks, Ruth," she said wearily. The encounter at the coffee shop had had a considerable effect on her. "Can you double-check the flight arrangements for me today?" Ruth nodded, and disappeared just as quickly as she had arrived. She was an invaluable asset to the production.
Lucy brought the megaphone to her mouth, and then straightened up, before pressing the button, and calling into the speaker, her voice amplified all around the set, "All crew please return to the soundstage for shooting. Shooting has resumed for the day, thank you."
Clicking off the speaker button, she gently placed the megaphone onto the ground, while the camera crew became to appear, taking their positions at their cameras. Soon the designated actors arrived, and it was time to begin the day's filming.
But try as she might to distance herself from the morning's encounter, the rattling image of a weeping Finn Hudson remained glued to Lucy's conscience throughout the day.
It took Finn some time to make his way back to the hospital, first collecting the coffee he had ordered, and then shuffling about the streets for a long while, trying to lose himself. But when his phone rang, a worried Kurt asking him to come back to the hospital, Finn tossed his empty coffee cup into a trash bin, and started walking in the general direction of the hospital, wiping his nose and eyes of the sadness that had permeated his face.
He met with his stepbrother and mother outside the hospital, and they walked back to the hotel together, Carole sniffling and trying to keep herself together with every step.
Twelve hours later, Finn sat in the large office chair that resided next to the desk in his hotel room. He had Rubix cube in hand, and was absently playing with it as he gently pushed himself to the left, and then the right. Kurt was out, picking up some take-out, while Carole was sleeping in the other room the family had paid for.
The door rattled, and then was opened with a beep as the key card was pulled out. Kurt pushed open the door with his back, his arms full with two bags of takeout Chinese.
Finn stood up; tossing both the Rubix cube and the jacket he had been wearing onto one of the two beds, a little piece of paper fluttering out and down to the floor. He took the bags from his brother, and put them onto the little foot table, and opened one, relishing in the smell of the warm food.
Kurt sighed deeply, and opened the other bag, before looking down to the ground. "You dropped something," he said, leaning down to pick up the paper. For a moment, his eyes scanned the paper, and a deep scowl developed on his tired face.
Finn looked to him, confused, and tried to reach for the paper, but Kurt kept it out of his grasp with startling speed.
"You scumbag. What is wrong with you?! What kind of person are you to be getting some girl's phone number after what happened today?" he shouted, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he flipped the paper over, revealing what Lucy had written to Finn earlier that day.
1-310-332-8884
-Call Me
Putting up his hands defensively, Finn said, "No, I swear, it's not that! I went to get coffee this morning and I just ran into Quinn, and uh, I was really upset, and crying and stuff and she saw me and I told her what happened and she hugged me and told me to call her if any of needed anything."
Kurt frowned at him, and replied, "Don't you dare try to play this off by using Quinn. You have been such an awful person to that girl, you really messed up. And, dammit, you managed to completely destroy my friendship with her! Do you know what its like to have one of your best friends suddenly pretend you don't exist? You've always done this! And frankly, I believe a word of your shit."
"Kurt," Finn started, but Kurt cut him off.
"Fuck you, Finn. My dad is gone, and all you can do is make excuses for being a scumbag. I'm sick of this shit," Kurt said, angrily. He turned, and left the hotel room, slamming the door behind him. Finn only looked on in despair.
Sometime later, Kurt found himself in a lovely little park, with the setting sun framing the scene nicely over the pond. It did little to calm his mood, as he sat down on a bench, and pulled out the piece of paper he had found earlier, and dialed the number on his phone.
The phone rang, once, then twice, and three times, and then someone picked up.
"Fray Productions, Mrs. Fray's assistant speaking, how can I help you?"
