DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. . . nor the actors who portray the characters. The characters are property of Ryan Murphy, and the actors are real people who have the best job in the world. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: I got so drunk while watching Hell-O last night, that after the show and Vogue was over, I curled up into the fetal position on my bedroom floor and cried tears of joy. Literally. I cried drunken tears of happiness. The Minsk needs to get a life.

**CITRUS ALERT** I know you've been missing this!

Casting Call

Chapter Ten: Relationship Insurance

Finn felt Rachel squeezing his hand for dear life as they followed Ryan back into the dressing room. His palms were sweaty, and he knew that Rachel could feel them, but he didn't care. His career was on the line. This had the potential for catastrophe.

The three of them walked into the empty dressing room, and Ryan closed the door behind them. He turned to the couple with both arms crossed in front of his chest. They stood in tense silence for an excruciatingly long minute, before Ryan took a deep breath.

"So, how long has this been going on?"

Finn had to swallow a lump of nervousness in his throat before answering, and he couldn't control the tremor in his voice. "Since day one."

"Ah. I see." Ryan nodded grimly, and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "You were pretty good at hiding it, I must admit." Neither Finn nor Rachel knew how to respond to that, so they let him continue. "You're not the first co-stars I've come across who've started dating, so don't think you two are anything special; I've had to deal with this before. So, I am going to tell you the same thing I tell all my cast members who date. Keep your private lives away from my set. Whatever you want to do outside of work is your business, but if you bring any drama to work, I will not be happy. Are we clear?"

The young couple nodded furiously at their boss, responding with "Yes, sir."

Finally a small smile broke out on his face. "Good. That part is settled. There is something else. While I might be okay with you two, there are people in the cast and crew who might let this information slip. Not viciously, but it could come up in interviews and things of that nature. So, we in the business have protocols for this kind of thing. You have two options. You can either come out as a couple, and embrace your relationship in the public eye, or you can have the cast and crew sign a confidentiality agreement. Then, by law, no one would be allowed to tell your secret, and you can keep the relationship hush-hush. It's up to you."

All the pressures that Finn felt about hiding their relationship melted away in that instant. Finn was elated that they could finally come out as a couple. Ryan didn't mind, and they weren't going to lose their jobs, so he saw no need for sneaking around anymore. Now he and Rachel can finally be a real couple!

He was about to tell Ryan that there would be no need for such a document, when he heard Rachel address Ryan in her bossiest tone. "I will have my lawyers contact yours for the terms of the confidentiality agreement. Does it cover us if we break up as well. . ." She started to shoot off more legal jargon than an episode of Law and Order, and Finn stood dumbstruck as Rachel talked more and more about keeping the secrecy of their relationship. He was stunned. He thought this would be their chance to finally embrace their relationship, and here she was trying harder and harder to cover it up.

He didn't know what to do or say in order to express his opinion at the moment, so he just stood there as Rachel and Ryan worked out the details of the paperwork. He felt like he had just been punched in the gut. Today had been such an emotional roller-coaster of a day, he couldn't even think straight.

Ryan smiled at the pair and turned to leave the dressing room. "Okay Rachel, the paperwork will be drafted and we can have the cast and crew sign it by tomorrow. Have a great night. Our flight back to LA is tomorrow morning, so get some rest." He left the room and Rachel looked up at Finn, wiping her forehead in an exasperated gesture that was meant to be funny.

He was not laughing.

"Whew. That was close." Her nonchalant tone was pissing Finn off to no end. What the hell was going on in that gorgeous head of hers?

"Rachel, what the fuck was that?" She was startled a little at his severe tone, and she searched his face and realized how angry he was.

"What do you mean?"

"Why the hell are we making the cast and crew, our friends, sign a confidentiality agreement about our relationship? It's ludicrous!" He was so exasperated he could barely explain how fucked up the situation actually was. How could she not seize this opportunity? "We're not going to get fired. Ryan is cool with it. This is all unnecessary."

"I disagree. Think of it as relationship insurance. We'll never have to worry about people talking about us; whether or not we break up, or if the show ends."

"But this was our chance, Rachel. I don't want to hide anymore. I want us to be a real couple."

Her answer was sharp, and it stabbed him in the chest with it's implication. "No."

He was so shocked he could have been knocked over by the wind. He had to lean up against a make-up chair for support. "What?"

"I'm not ready for that, yet."

"Well, when the hell are you going to be ready? We've been doing this for months and I've given you everything you've ever asked from me. Without question. I thought we were hiding because you were afraid we were going to lose our jobs. If that's not it, then what are you afraid of?"

She stood there, in front of him, for what seemed like an eternity. She wouldn't make eye contact with him, and she had a hard, stubborn set to her jaw. When she finally looked him in the eyes, her gaze held a coldness he'd never witnessed before. "Not everything in life plays out like the daydreams in your head, Ohio. I don't think you truly realize what going public would do to our relationship. It could ruin it. It could tear us apart."

"So you're afraid of what exactly? I don't understand!" He was frustrated with her logic and couldn't figure out what was keeping her from embracing their relationship in public.

She dropped the coldness from her expression, and walked up to him with a pleading expression on her face. She was looking for comfort, but he was too upset to provide it. He felt like she was kicking him in the emotional nads over and over again. But she reached out for his hand, and he entwined his fingers with hers; caving in, needing the comfort of her touch.

"Please, Finn. I know you don't understand, but I'm trying to protect our relationship. I need it to stay secret for a little while longer. I'm not ready for the backlash."

"What backlash? I don't get it." All he wanted was to take her out to restaurants and dates!

"The press! The paparazzi! The fan's reactions! It's more than you realize, Ohio! They'll follow us, and ask about our personal business. They'll stalk us when we go out and take pictures of us all the time. I don't want that, yet." He didn't see the big deal about any if this, but he just sighed deeply and nodded his head. He had to admit reluctant defeat. He'd admitted to himself on many occasions, that she was the one who made the rules in their relationship. If she thought it would protect them, then he would have to swallow a pill as monumental as a confidentiality agreement.

"Okay. Fine. They'll sign the agreement-thingy. But how much more longer will we have to hide, Rachel? When will it end?"

She leaned into him and placed her lips onto his, making his previous anger melt out of him with her gentle caress. "Soon, love, soon." She deepened the kiss and all the tension from the day was obliterated by the power she had over his heart. He didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her, and he pushed their argument out of his mind.

"Let's get out of here, Broadway."

Rachel straddled Finn's lap in the backseat of their private car the entire way back to their hotel, their lips entwined in a delicate dance for dominance as their hands caressed evrything in reach. Finn's hands had slipped up her short dress, and she felt a thrill when he grabbed hold of her ass and grinded up against her. She was afraid all day long that it would be the end of their relationship once Ryan knew about it. Thankfully he'd been okay with the idea, but she knew that from now on, she had to protect their relationship at all costs. She wouldn't let anything come in-between them and their love, and the only way for that to be possible was to stay hidden. Stay under the radar.

She was terrified of losing Finn. If the public found out about them, they could tear their relationship apart. The tabloids would post rumors about them and exploit their weaknesses. It could bring drama onto the set, which was Ryan's one cardinal rule about relationships in the cast. She knew that keeping them a secret was a good call. With the confidentiality agreement, they at least knew that no one involved with the show would be spilling anything.

She knew this was in their best interest. She was making the right choice.

When the car pulled up to the hotel, they entered through the back so no one could see them. They headed straight for Rachel's hotel room, barely able to keep their hands off of each other. When they got into her room, she was immediately swept up into his arms, and carried over to the large bed. She giggled when he ploppd her onto the covers, then jumped on top of her to pin her down.

"Someone's feisty tonight."

Amused, he leaned over to place an affectionate kiss on her forehead. "I feel kind of good, having the cast know about us. I was upset that you didn't want to go public yet, but this is kind of okay. Baby steps, right?"

She smiled. She didn't realize how hurt he'd been when she decided to move ahead with the confidentiality stuff. Her heart ached when she thought about their argument. He needed to understand how important it was to keep their relationship a secret. "Exactly, Ohio. Baby steps. Then we can tell people. I promise."

She sealed her promise with a kiss and he balanced his weight on top of her, still pinning her down. He flipped them over so she was on top of him, and they started to peel off the expensive dress clothes they'd worn for the premiere. He helped her lift her frilly dress over her head, and brought her body forward to place wet, open kisses down the expanse of her chest. She mewled with pleasure as his mouth closed over her breast, and she ran her hands through his thick, dark hair. She could hear him groaning in lust, and she felt his erection against her body, throbbing and ready for her. He pulled away from her momentarily to slip on a condom, and then they were back in the other's arms, ready and waiting.

She straddled his lap again, like she'd done in the car, and sighed blissfully as she eased him into her. She felt the delicious tingles of pleasure shoot up her spine when he filled her up and stretched her with his love. She stayed in that position for a moment, savoring the feel of him inside her, and they way she felt so completely connected to him. Slowly gyrating her hips in circles, she laughed as he fell backwards on to the bed, and moaned loudly. He placed his hands on her hips and started to move her up and down his length, desperately craving more. She couldn't contain her excitement when she rode his length, feeling him moaning and writhing underneath her. It turned her on to no end, knowing that she was bringing him the pleasure he craved.

She could feel her own pleasure building slowly, growing stronger and stronger with each move of her hips. When he grabbed her ass to forcefully slam her down onto his desperate body, she felt the pressure explode inside of her, and she was seeing stars when she heard him reaching his own completion. She collapsed on top of Finn's chest in complete exhaustion; from both the stress of the day and their passionate lovemaking.

"Jesus Christ Broadway, you wear me out."

"Same here, Ohio. Same here."

They were so tired, they skipped their mandatory post-coital snuggling and passed out on top of each other without another word.

The next morning, the entire cast and crew were waiting at the airport for their flight back to LA. Rachel and Finn looked on in a bit of embarrassment as Ryan went around and made everyone sign the confidentiality agreement for their relationship. Luckily, Finn just held her hand and squeezed. She knew she was making the right choice for them. It would all pay off in the end.

Besides, they couldn't worry about their relationship anymore. The show had just premiered, and it was time to promote the hell out of Glee in any and every way possible.

The entire summer passed by Finn and Rachel in a blur of interviews, photo shoots and filming pick-up shots for the first thirteen episodes. After the show had premiered in May, Finn and Rachel were hopping from state to state and even country to country to promote the show. It had garnered rave reviews, and Ryan was more than happy with the reception it had received in the Hollywood community. Finn was more than a little overwhelmed with the intensity of it all. But as long as he had Rachel, he endured very interview and every snap of the camera. They had little time to be truly alone, but at least they were always together. Their relationship was still being kept under wraps, and they were comfortable with the cast knowing about them. No one gave them any drama, and they all kept their promise to keep it hush-hush.

They were getting better with answering questions about their personal lives. If they were asked about their relationship they always responded with "I'm single." or "We're best friends." It had worked. No one suspected anything more.

This made them feel more and more bold with the idea of being out in public together. Finn was finally able to take Rachel out to the expensive restaurant he'd always wanted to take her to, even if the appetizers were 35 bucks. It was probably the most expensive meal he would ever pay for, but she enjoyed it, which was all that mattered. No one snapped their picture, and they were barely noticed at all.

Finally, at the end of the summer, the promotional tour for the show was complete. Finn and the cast returned to LA for good, and they didn't have to show up to any more photo shoots or autograph signings. He thought he would keel over in exhaustion if he had to board one more plane. The only good thing about the tour was the fans. He never thought in a million years that he would ever have fans, and he'd spent the whole summer with people who screamed his name and wanted nothing more than a picture of him or his name on a piece of paper. It was unreal.

The build-up to the fall premiere was intense. He saw commercials and ads for the show wherever he went, and he couldn't pass a magazine without seeing his and Rachel's faces on the cover. He bought every one of them, and mailed them all to his mom in Ohio so she could see that her son had made it in Hollywood.

The night of the fall premiere, the entire cast and crew met up at Ryan Murphy's house to watch it all together. He sat in the large, luxurious house in the Hollywood Hills and watched in awe as the final product of their hard work and dedication played out on screen. When it was over, he knew that this show was going to be big.

He just didn't realize how big it was going to get.

Salut mes amis!

The show is about to blow up! Will their relationship survive the blast?

Until Next Time. . .*sings* Don't Stop Reviewing

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk