Hudson Family Holidays 2011 – Chapter 10
(Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the characters. I do not own any brand names or patented names in this chapter. All personal names are fictitious and appear only by coincidence. Cartoon characters listed belong to Warner Brothers. Barney belongs to creator Sheryl Leach and HIT Entertainment. Elmo belongs to Tyco Inc. The Corvette name belongs to General Motors.)
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Winter Break began and school would be closed for two weeks. Two glorious weeks that Finn had planned on enjoying Christmas and Hanukkah with Rachel and Beth. He had wanted to go to the Pocono's snowboarding, hang out with their friends, and sleeping late. Now he was spending his winter break recovering from chicken pox. Even when he felt better he didn't want to be seen in public, so he was staying at home playing with Beth and working on make-up homework. Beth didn't care what he looked like.
Rachel scolded Finn one morning when she walked in on him playing one of his video games with Beth sitting in his lap. She was mesmerized with the mayhem on the screen.
"Finn, I can't believe that you're subjecting her to such violence!" Rachel said loudly as she pulled the power cord for the TV from the wall. "Don't you know that these are her formative years? You should be reading to her, not numbing her to outright carnage."
"Rach, I've got it muted," Finn protested.
"I don't care, she has eyes to see, and from the look on her face, your video game has her full attention."
"Mommytwo doesn't like our video game," Finn whispered to Beth."
"I heard that," Rachel scowled at Finn, "If you want to play that game, you need to take it back to your Mom's house."
"We're expecting some unannounced home visits for Beth's adoption. You and I have a child to raise now, and we have to be protective of what she's exposed to while we still can."
"Okay Rach, I agree, but I've heard the Barney song till I'm hearing it in my sleep. You won't let Beth watch Road Runner and Wiley Coyote cartoons and those are classics."
"Those cartoons are just as violent as your video games," Rachel argued while putting Finn's video game equipment into the box.
"I'll bet you watched Wiley Coyote get blown up a thousand times when you were growing up," Finn countered.
"My dads were protective of my sensibilities. But I did get to watch them when I was at Grandma Berry's house," Rachel confessed with a small laugh. "I watched Sylvester and Tweetie Bird too. I'm sorry that I was so upset. I know that you must be bored silly. What if I take Beth for the rest of the day and you do anything that you want. You can sleep; play your video games at your mom's house with Blaine and Kurt. You name it, the day's yours."
"Kurt's not into video games. Blaine would play with me, but then Kurt would pout that I took Blaine's time away from him. I would like to go upstairs and work on something that I started before the chicken pox epidemic hit us," Finn said as he placed Beth on the floor.
"You know that you and Beth are the only two people in the world that I would part with my video game stuff for. And Mom, I would part with it for her if she needed a kidney or something." Finn concluded.
"You aren't parting with it. You're just moving it back to your Mom's house, because we have an impressionable child in the house."
"I have no idea what you just said," Finn confessed.
"Impressionable? It means that Beth's brain is like a little sponge, and it's soaking up everything right now. What you expose her to is making an impression on her."
"I only wish that my brain was like a sponge again. Some days I sit in class, and I have no idea what the teacher is talking about."
"You don't give yourself enough credit, Mr. Hudson. You're smarter than you think. What were you working on before chicken pox stopped you in your tracks?" Rachel asked.
"Oh, nothing much. I was just writing another song," Finn confessed. "I have the lyrics almost right, and I was working on the melody with my guitar."
"Finn, have you thought about a career as a song writer if football doesn't work out? I know that you've talked about teaching too, but you could do both."
'No not really, I'm just fooling around with song writing for fun," Finn smiled.
"How do you think most songwriters start out? Singers like me wouldn't have anything to sing if it weren't for the song writers. I know that you don't have much background in music theory, but I could help you with that. You have an unusual gift for expressing on paper what you can't say out loud. The song that you wrote for our wedding was perfect."
"Yeah, I think there's a loose connection between my brain and my mouth," Finn apologized.
"Sort of like a Cyrano de Bergerac thing?" Rachel asked.
"Now, I really don't know what you're talking about. Rach, before I can write anything, I have to live it. I don't know if I can go through life feeling that much emotion."
"What's your new song about?" Rachel asked.
"You, but mostly about Beth this time," Finn smiled.
"You wrote a song for Beth? Go get your guitar, I want to hear it."
Finn and Rachel spent the rest of the morning working the kinks out of his song and setting it to music. Beth played in the floor around them and occasionally would pound on the piano keys with them.
"She likes music," Finn said to Rachel as they watched Beth plink random notes on the treble end of the piano.
"She'll have to if she going to grow up in this house, especially when her daddy writes songs for her," Rachel smiled.
"All I want to do is kiss you right now," Finn said pressing his forehead against Rachel's.
"Me too, but you'll be well soon. Then you can kiss me all you want. I've been saving all of my kisses just for you."
"Who else would you save them for?" Finn asked.
"Just you," Rachel smiled while giving him a quick peck on the lips. "There that should hold you over until you're all better."
"Woman, don't start something that you can't finish," Finn smiled seductively.
"Oh I just finished it," she smirked back. "I have to fix lunch and then get Beth ready for her nap. Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, and I have to get the last of the preparations ready before Dad and Daddy get home. Tonight we bring out our best linens, silver, crystal, and china. Will you help me?" Rachel asked.
"You know I will," Finn answered, "What's for lunch?"
At sundown Rachel lit the first candle of the menorah that sat in the front window. Being the only woman in the house she then recited the prayers and blessing for the first night of Hanukkah before their meal.
When the gifts were handed out, Rachel sat down on the floor and pulled Beth into her lap. Her gift to Beth was a small framed picture of Shelby.
"Baby girl, this is your mom, our mom," Rachel said feeling her eyes getting misty. "I'm glad that you named me Mommytwo. I want to be your mommy, but I don't want you to ever forget your first mommy. Finn couldn't be happier that you're calling him daddy, but we want you to always remember Shelby. When Finn and I adopt you, your last name will be Hudson, but Shelby Corcoran will always be your first mommy, I'm just filling in for her."
"She loves her Mommytwo," Finn smiled as his two girls.
Beth looked at the picture and then turned to Rachel.
"Mommietwo?" Beth asked.
"I'm Mommietwo," Rachel answered giving the little girl a kiss on her head.
Finn crawled over to where his two girls were sitting on the floor. "Look what Mommietwo and Daddy have for Beth."
Beth said "Daddy," before she took the package and started tearing the paper.
Finn scooted over to Rachel's side as the two of them watched Beth work on her wrapped Tickle-Me-Elmo.
"Rachel, I'm really sorry about your mother, but I'm so happy to be married to you, and we're adopting Beth."
"It's tragic that Shelby is gone, but Beth is here with us and not languishing in a foster home."
"Rachel, Shelby is here in spirit, I can feel her, can you?" Finn asked.
"Yeah, I can feel her presence. I know that she's watching over Beth."
"She's watching over both of you," Finn smiled as he kissed Rachel's hair.
"Rach, I'm going to do my best to take care of you and Beth. I love the both of you so much," Finn said squeezing Rachel's hand.
"And we love you too," Rachel smiled back at her new husband of just over a month.
Hiram and Leroy cleared the dining table and washed the dishes. The crystal, silver and china had come over from the old country, and Finn was happy to let them wash all of the delicate pieces.
Early on Sunday, Finn, Rachel, and Beth went over to the Hummel house for Christmas morning. Blaine had gone home to be with his family, so it was just Carole, Burt, and Kurt.
Burt reached for Beth as the three came through the door.
"Come to Pops," Burt smiled as he kissed Beth on the cheek.
"Urt?" Beth asked.
"No, Kurt is Urt, If I going to be your granddad then I'm going to be called Pops." Burt announced with pride. "Carole has already taught her to say Nana, so I'm Pops."
"Poor little Beth," Kurt said as he reached for the little girl from Burt. "So little and so many name changes. When this adoption goes through, is she going to be a Corcoran or a Hudson?"
Rachel and Finn answered "Hudson" in unison.
"Your dad would have been so proud," Carole whispered to Finn.
Finn just smiled his one sided smile and nodded his head.
"I've waited long enough to get this party started," Burt announced. "Look what's hiding over behind the Christmas tree. It's a pink wagon and a pink doll house. I wonder what little girl they could be for?"
"Me," Beth giggled as she wiggled from Kurt's arms and into the pile of pastel colored toys.
Everyone was watching Beth play with her toys when Finn asked his mother, "Did you invite the Evans family to eat with us? I noticed that you only have the dining table set up for six and not eleven."
"I asked them like you wanted, but they had already been invited to spend Christmas with Mercedes' family," Carole replied.
"Oh Finn, I forgot to tell you, Mercedes' family is having the Evans family over today, and the Glee club took up money to buy Stevie and Stacey some toys and new clothes. You were home sick so I contributed for both of us," Rachel said.
"Thanks Rach, let me know how much I owe you." Finn said as he kissed Rachel on the side of the head. "I'll be so glad when I can kiss you for real."
"It won't be long now. Your temperature has been gone, and most of your chicken pox places have healed nicely."
"It's all of those oatmeal baths that Beth and I have been taking. "I'll be glad when that's over. Cleaning oatmeal gunk out of that bathtub is a chore."
"I know, I did it for the first few days when you were the sickest," Rachel told him.
"Thanks Babe, I appreciate your taking care of me and Beth," Finn replied.
Christmas afternoon found Finn and Rachel sitting by the fire in the fireplace and the Christmas tree. Beth was asleep in Rachel's lap. Everyone else had conveniently disappeared to other parts of the house. Finn was tinkering with the webcams that Burt and Carole had given them for Christmas. They were going to use them for their nightly live chats when Rachel was in for New York.
"Rach, I know that we're young, and we've probably bit off more than we can chew, but this has been the best Christmas ever. If we can stick it out for the next four years, anything is possible."
"What do you mean IF we can stick it out? We're going to stick it out, and some day we'll be sitting by this fireplace rocking our grandchildren while their parents are off doing who knows what," Rachel smiled as she leaned into Finn's shoulder.
"It's just going to be so hard to say goodbye to you this fall. In one week it will be 2012. We're going to graduate this year, and you'll be leaving in the fall. Are you sure you don't want Beth and I to go with you to New York? Since we're married, the freshman living on campus rule doesn't apply to you. We could get a small apartment. I could get a part time job and take care of Beth too."
"Finn, nothing would please me more than to have you and Beth with me in New York, and you will be in four years. But for now Beth will be better off if we stick to our original plan. Here in Lima we have two sets of grandparents and Sharon Evans to help us out. You'll be able to work for Burt part-time and go to community college at night. By the time I graduate you should have all of your core classes complete. Then you and Beth can join me in New York. I'll be coming home at least one weekend a month."
"I know, you're the sensible one. It's just going to be hard on a cold night like tonight going to bed without you," Finn whispered in her ear.
"Well it's going to be even colder in New York," Rachel said as she snuggled into him.
"But what if some handsome Broadway tycoon sweeps you off your feet?" Finn asked.
"Finn, no one is going to sweep me off of my feet, because you already have. I haven't taken this wedding ring off since the day you put it on my finger, and I'm not going to take it off. We Jews take our commitments very seriously."
"I haven't taken mine off either, but I may have to when I become a grease monkey over at Burt's. I don't want to mess it up," Finn said looking at his wedding ring.
"And have some teenybopper come by in her dad's Corvette convertible and think that you're available?" I don't think so," Rachel smiled smugly. "You're taken and you're all mine and Beth's."
"You're right, I'm all yours. Did I hear your dads say earlier that they're going to First Night in Columbus for New Years? If they are, would you like to get Nana and Pops to keep the Munchkin over night? We could have that big ole house all to ourselves. My chicken pox should be totally gone by then. We could make our own fireworks if you're interested?" Finn asked with his famous smile.
"I like the way that you think, Mr. Hudson. You ask your mom to keep Beth, and we'll have our own New Years celebration. It's been lonely in that king size bed without you."
"I could come back tonight if you don't mind the last of my chicken pox. I'm only have a few gross places left."
"I'll take a rain check until New Years. Then we can get reacquainted. How about that?" Rachel asked.
"You realize the longer that we're apart, the more getting reacquainted its going to take don't you?" Finn teased.
"You know what they say? Absence makes the heart grow fonder?" Rachel teased back.
"Well my heart couldn't be any fonder of you than it is right now. Let's see if we can get Beth out to the truck without waking her up and get her home. If we leave now we still have time to make it for the fifth night of Hanukkah. I hate that Hiram and Leroy have been alone all day while we've been over here."
"What about all of her toys?" Rachel asked.
"Leave them for now; she's going to need some new toys to play with when she's over here. And the Hanukkah supply of toys at your house keeps growing. I'll go find the folks and say our goodbyes, and then I'll be back to help you get her coat on."
It was December 26th and Rachel wanted to get in on some of the after Christmas sales. Finn still didn't want to be seen in public so Rachel and Beth went to the mall shopping. People were accustomed to seeing little kids who were getting over the chicken pox but not grown men.
Rachel had found a few items on sale and was eating lunch at the food court while trying to get some baby food in Beth. She was giving Beth a sip of her juice when Quinn Fabray walked up.
"Mind if I join you?" Quinn asked a startled Rachel.
"No, no go right ahead, we're just finishing up before we head home for Beth's nap," Rachel explained.
"I heard that you had the chicken pox Baby Girl," Quinn said to Beth. "You look like you're healing nicely."
"Did she have a very hard time with them?" Quinn asked Rachel.
"Not so bad, but Finn was the one who suffered. I've heard that childhood diseases are harder on adults and it's true."
"Where is Finn?" Quinn asked.
"He at home because he still doesn't want to be seen in public. He says he looks like he belongs in a leper colony."
"Did Beth have a good Christmas?" Quinn asked.
"She did have a good Christmas with Finn's family; she has three more nights of Hanukkah with my parents."
Quinn looked down at Beth and asked her who gave her the Tickle-Me-Elmo that she was hugging tightly.
Beth looked up at Quinn and said "Daddy and Mommietwo."
Quinn looked puzzled at Rachel and then asked, "Are you Mommietwo? If my math is correct, you're Mommiethree. I'm number one, Shelby was number two, and you're number three."
"Beth named me Mommietwo one night when I told her that I hoped that she would one day call me Mommy - too after she started calling Finn, Daddy. I should have said Mommy also, but it's been Mommietwo ever since. Please don't feel left out. You'll always be her birth mother. Let's not talk about this in front of her right now. Finn and I are going to tell her who you are when she's old enough to understand," Rachel whispered.
Quinn sat quietly watching Rachel feed and take care of Beth before she said, "Rachel, I'm sitting here watching you with Beth. I hate to admit it, but you're living the life I should have had."
"What do you mean?" Rachel questioned in surprise.
"You've got my baby. You've got my guy. It should have been me wearing Carole's ring not you, but I ruined it all." Quinn confessed.
"Quinn, you could have kept Beth when she was born. You could have contested the adoption when Shelby was killed," Rachel reminded Quinn.
"I know; but I was thinking only of my self at the time. I didn't feel like I was in a position to raise her, but you and Finn are doing okay with a baby. I might have kept her if Finn had been the father. I just couldn't do it with Puck."
"Were you going to stand by your pack of lies? Were you going let Finn believe that Beth was his flesh and blood forever?" Rachel asked indignantly.
"I was so in love with Finn, and I didn't want to lose him. I only slept with Puck because I felt fat, unwanted, and undesirable that day. I could already feel Finn slipping away from me to you Adoption was the first thing on my mind when I found out that I was pregnant. I knew she was Puck's baby, but then Finn wanted to keep her. He was in love with her from the minute he saw the sonogram. Finn and I could have married, had the baby, and be living at my house right now. She looks so much like me, Finn would've never known."
"Where you going to lie to Finn indefinitely? What about Puck? Doesn't he have the right to claim his own child?" Rachel asked growing annoyed.
"Puck thinks that he wanted her, but he's too busy being a badass to take care of a child. Couldn't you see him this past week taking care of a child with chicken pox? I think I could have raised a child with Finn, but not with Puck," Quinn admitted.
"Finn has been very good with Beth; he loves her like she is his own. He asked me to marry him to keep her out of foster care."
"Is that the only reason why he asked you to marry him?" Quinn questioned. "I hear that you're going off to New York this fall and leaving Finn here to raise her on his own."
"He wants to come to New York with us, but here in Lima he has help. Two sets of grandparents and Sam's mother is our nanny and housekeeper. In New York we wouldn't have the backup that we have here. I'm going to graduate as fast as I can and then they're going to join me there."
"What about Finn's education? Doesn't he deserve a chance too?" Quinn asked taking the offense.
"Finn is going to work for Burt part-time during the day while Sharon takes care of Beth and the house. He's going to night classes at the community college while the grandparents take care of her. He'll have his core class completed when he and Beth come to New York."
"Rachel do you think that it's a good idea to be bouncing her around so much as such an early age? She going to bond with you, and then you're going to take off. She bonded with Shelby and then she lost her. Beth needs consistency," Quinn stated.
"We're trying to give her some consistency in her life. No one planned on Shelby dying in a plane crash. Do you think I want to be in New York all by myself while Finn and Beth are back here? Of course not, but we're doing what's best for Beth, not us," Rachel said holding her ground.
"When is the adoption final?" Quinn asked.
"We're in the home visits stage now. My dads and Carole and Burt have all already agreed to be Beth's successor guardians. Why are you asking this? You have a full ride to Kent State and a burden free ticket out of Lima," Rachel asked.
"I really don't know. I still miss Beth so much, and a part of me will always love Finn. I guess that I just wanted the whole package, Beth and Finn. You and Finn make it seem easy." Quinn confessed.
"Quinn, if it looks easy its because we have a lot of support from the people who love us. Believe me it isn't easy. Please don't start any trouble. Beth is happy with us, and Finn and I are married. You had Finn but you ruined your chance with him when you slept with Puck and became pregnant. You've proven that you're willing to lie and ruin the guy's life in order to get what you want. You've had two chances to have Beth, but you've walked away both times. Beth is still getting over losing Shelby. Please don't contest this adoption. Beth is happy, we're happy." Rachel countered.
Beth was getting cranky in her stroller, and Quinn and Rachel's conversation was getting loud enough to be overheard.
Rachel stood to leave but before she left she said to Quinn, "I've got to go; my husband is expecting us at home any minute. Quinn think about what I said. If you care anything at all about Beth you'll leave this adoption alone. If you contest it, Beth will go straight to a foster home until family court figures this out. You have a full scholarship to Kent State and your whole life ahead of you, take it."
That night at bedtime Rachel told Finn that his chicken pox was healed up enough and for him to join her in their king size bed. She was worried that Quinn might contest the adoption, and she had to talk to Finn alone.
"Hello again," Finn said seductively as he crawled between the sheets of their over size bed.
He was snuggling up to Rachel eager for some long awaited making out when Rachel stopped him.
"Finn we've got to talk. I ran into Quinn at the mall today, and I'm afraid that she might be considering contesting the adoption before its final." Rachel said pulling back from his embrace.
"But I thought that she was okay with the adoption. She was on the day that we all met with the lawyer. The day after Shelby was killed. She came to our wedding and seemed fine then." Finn said in confusion.
"I think she has had a change of heart since she found out that I'm leaving you here with Beth for four years to go to New York. She also told me that she might have kept Beth when she was born if she could have had the whole package."
"What's the whole package?" Finn asked.
"You and Beth. She apparently still hasn't gotten over you."
"Rach it's been so long. What does she hope to accomplish by contesting the adoption?"
"Maybe she hopes if the judge gives Beth back to her, you might leave me for her and Beth. Especially since I'll be gone, and you know we wouldn't be married at all if it weren't for Beth."
"That's not the truth! Rachel, I was going to ask you to marry me before you left for New York. I had already talked to my mom about the ring before Shelby was killed. We just moved everything up so Beth could stay with us. If Quinn contests the adoption and wins, I still would never leave you for her. That's not going to happen. I love Beth, but I love you more," Finn pleaded with Rachel.
"Finn, if I have to give up New York and stay here in Lima to avoid this mess I will." Rachel offered.
"That's not necessary, we've got it all figured out if she will just stay out of it. Let me talk to Quinn and set her straight. She living in a fantasy about me and Beth, but I'll let her know the facts. I'm yours and you're mine. Nothing's going to change that," Finn whispered leaning in for that long awaited kiss.
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Thank you for all of the reviews and adding my story to your alerts lists. This story is set in the future and is not following the canon perse. Until the next chapter, thank you for reading, Whistler Nights