Disclaimer: Glee is not mine.

Wait for the boy who pursues you, the one who will make an ordinary moment seem magical, the kind of boy who brings out the best in you and makes you want to be a better person. Wait for the boy who will be your best friend, the person who will drop everything to be with you at anytime of the day no matter what the circumstances. Wait for the boy who makes you smile like no other and when he smiles you know he needs you. Wait for the boy who wants to show you off to the world when you're wearing sweats and no makeup. Most of all wait for the boy who will put you at the center of his universe, because obviously he's at the center of yours.

-Unknown

Wednesday

"What do you think buddy, should we call Mommy?" Finn looked at Vlad, who was perched on top of his desk. The little Chihuahua thumped his tail on the desk, which Finn took as an affirmative.

"Ah, so you do think we should. Well, if you insist." Giving Vlad's head a rub and reaching for the phone, he quickly dialed Rachel's extension. He couldn't help the smile that formed when he heard Rachel pick up.

"Rachel Berry speaking."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was looking for Bachel Rerry," Finn teased, thinking back to their first phone conversation.

"Finn! I can't believe you brought that up!" At her embarrassed tone, Finn's grin got bigger and he chuckled.

"Sorry Ray. Vlad and I were just sitting here at work and he wanted me to call you," Finn told her, wincing as Vlad jumped from the desk into his lap.

"He did, huh? And what does Vlad want?" Rachel's playful tone easily carried through the phone, sounding like music to Finn's ears.

"Well Vlad missed you last night, since you went from the party right to your apartment. He feels you should come over and hang out tonight."

"Oh really?" Hearing Rachel laugh, he continued the playful banter, scratching Vlad behind his ears.

"Yeah, he was so upset, he went into his castle and wouldn't come out until I went to bed, which was when he got into bed with me. He's a bed hog by the way." That part was actually true. Vlad really had climbed into bed with Finn and somehow managed to stretch out in the exact center of the bed, pushing Finn to the side.

"Well in that case, I better come over tonight. How's 6?"

"Vlad says better make it 5:30 because he wants to watch the Mets and needs to eat before the game starts." At the mention of his name, Vlad stood up on his hind legs, sniffing the phone before licking Finn's face and jumping back on to the desk.

"Alright. Tell Vlad I'll be there at 5:30. I've got to go; I need to speak to Emma about something."

"Bye, baby."

"Bye Finny, have a good day at work. Give Vlad a belly rub for me."

As he hung up the phone, Finn looked at Vlad, who had stretched out on his desk, head resting on his paws. Rubbing his head, he commented, "Man Vlad, you sure have a way with the ladies."

Still on a high from her Finn's call, Rachel marched into Emma's office determined to really talk to her about the article. After discussing the situation with Tina and Mercedes, this was the only solution they could come up with.

"Emma?" Determinedly, Rachel knocked on the door.

"Oh, Rachel, come in. I've been meaning to talk to you." Emma looked up, shuffling some papers on her desk.

"Emma, I can't write this article. I've gotten to know Finn, and I don't feel right about deceiving him like this." Rachel wrung her hands nervously, waiting to see what Emma said.

"Rachel. You are going to write this article. I'm your boss and you are a professional. Don't let your feelings get in the way of your job." Emma paused, noticing a smudge on her computer screen. Immediately, she got out her cleaning supplies and pulled on her rubber gloves. She looked at Rachel before continuing, working on the smudge at the same time.

"I know it's hard, but if you pull this off, I'll be promoting you. Think about it." She looked at Rachel, as she pulled a small toothbrush out of her cleaning supplies box, ready to clean the keys of her keyboard. "Who knows, maybe he'll think it's funny."

Rachel stood there, looking more miserable with every word that came out of Emma's mouth. In a misguided attempt to help Rachel, Emma had a sudden inspiration.

"As a matter of fact, a friend of mine told me about something that I want you to do for the article." Emma expertly removed her cleaning gloves to pick up a pamphlet sitting on her desk. Holding it up by the corner, she passed it to Rachel.

Rachel examined the cover before looking up. "Is this for real?"

Emma, having returned to her keyboard scrubbing, looked up. "Not only is it for real, but you will be there tonight. And remember, if you pull this article off, you'll be getting a promotion."

Rachel sighed.

She didn't want a promotion. She wanted Finn.

Rachel took a deep breath before opening the door to Finn's apartment. Knocking lightly, she walked in. "Finn?"

Getting no response, she walked into the living room. She could see Vlad's rear sticking out of his castle dog house, but there was no sign of Finn.

"Finn?" she called louder.

She walked toward the bathroom, the sound of running water providing a clue to Finn's whereabouts. "Finn?"

"I'm in the shower! Be right out!"

Once she was back in the living room, Rachel walked over to the castle dog house. Vlad peeked his head out at the sound of footsteps and seeeing Rachel, he came out, tail wagging a hundred miles an hour. Rachel picked him up, greeting him with a big kiss on his head.

"Do I get one of those too?"

Rachel turned at Finn's voice, and her mouth instantly went dry. Finn, on his way to the bedroom to change, was standing in the doorway, clad only in a towel.

"I…I…" Rachel was temporarily unable to find her voice. Her eyes roamed over every part of his body, from his broad shoulders to his muscular legs, taking note of the few glistening drops of water still on his skin.

Unconsciously, she licked her lips several times.

"Uh, of course, Finny!" she eventually managed to squeak out before she walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss on his lips.

"Hmm. I'll take it, but I think Vlad got more action." He pulled his face into a pout.

Rachel laughed. "Well we can't have that can we?" Pulling Finn down, she gave him a tender kiss. "Better?"

"Much."

Remembering that he was practically naked, she turned him towards the bedroom. "Good. Go get changed."

Once Finn was in his bedroom changing, Rachel pulled a little outfit for Vlad out of her bag. Dressing him quickly, she sat on the couch to wait for Finn, while Vlad returned to his castle.

At the thought of where she had to do tonight, she wished she could crawl and hide into that castle too.

Finn changed into sweats and came back into the living room to find Rachel deep in thought with a frown marring her beautiful face.

Crossing the room swiftly, he sat next to her. "Ray? Is something wrong?"

She looked at him and he could see she was fighting back tears. "Rachel? What's the matter? Tell me."

Rachel didn't say anything; she just threw her arms around his neck, burying her face against him. Finn started rubbing soothing circles on her back, not saying anything but knowing instinctively that at this moment, Rachel just wanted to be held.

After a few minutes, he tried again. "Is it work? Is it whatever you talked to Emma about?" If the fact that Rachel gripped his neck harder when he asked this was any indication, he'd hit the nail on the head.

Rachel lifted her head from his neck, her eyes still threatening to spill over. A random tear escaped from her left eye and Finn reached out to wipe it away with his thumb.

Watching Finn wipe the tear from her eye, she spoke. "Yes."

"What's the problem?" He shifted until he was in a laying position, assuming Rachel would curl into his side. She surprised him by choosing to lie on top of him, laying her head on his shoulder, her face facing Vlad's castle. Automatically, he started playing with her hair; the coconut scent of her shampoo invading his nostrils.

"It's my boss. She had an idea for an article and she wants me to write it. I've been having trouble with it and I went to discuss it with her today." Still not looking at him, she spoke in a low voice, her eyes focused on Vlad's castle.

"So what did she say?" Finn asked, continuing to play with her hair.

"She told me that I'm a professional and that I don't have a choice. I have to write the article. If I do it well, I'll get a promotion." Picking up her head, she looked at Finn. "What would do if you were being forced to do something your boss told you to do, but you really didn't want to? What if it costs you something else?"

As she waited for his answer, she propped her elbows on his shoulders, tangling her fingers in the hair at the back of his neck and staring at his face.

He locked eyes with her before responding. "Rachel, nobody can force you to do something you don't want to do. Even if Emma is forcing you to write this article, you can still put your own Rachel Berry spin on it. Find a way to make it your own and Emma will be floored."

Still maintaining eye contact, Rachel asked in a small voice, "You really think I can do it?"

Finn smiled. "I know you can."

Rachel looked thoughtful. "You're right." A small smile crept onto her face as she climbed off of Finn.

She offered a hand to help Finn up, surprised when he pulled her back down on top of him. "Finn!" she cried laughing.

"Feel better?" he whispered in her ear. Feeling her nod against his chest, he kissed the top of her head.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until Rachel once again stood up. For the first time, Finn noticed that she was dress in yoga pants and a zipped up hoodie. His eyes roamed her long shapely legs, admiring the way they were showcased by the pants. "Did you just come from working out?"

Biting her lip, Rachel got ready to introduce Emma's idea. "Actually, I thought it would be fun if we worked out together. Just for a little bit, then we can watch the Mets."

Finn stood up, enveloping Rachel in a hug. "Sounds good, but Vlad's going to be lonely again."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Vlad's coming with us. Vladdie! Come here Baby Dog!" Rachel called, snapping her fingers.

Finn couldn't help laughing when he saw Vlad come out of his castle decked out in a doggie velour track suit. "He looks like Paulie Walnuts!"

Smiling at the look on Finn's face, Rachel picked up Vlad and started walking towards the door, calling out over her shoulder. "Come on, Finny. We can't be late. Can you grab my bag and Vlad's leash?"

Grabbing the bag and leash, he hurried after her, admiring the view from behind.

When Rachel said Vlad was coming, Finn assumed she meant that Vlad would stay in his carrier while he and Rachel worked out.

He should have known better.

They'd arrived at the gym, only to be directed upstairs to an empty classroom. After a few minutes, other dogs and their owners started filing in. A large lady about the size of Finn came in and settled down behind Rachel, accompanied by a St. Bernard.

"Watch Vlad. That St. Bernard looks like he could crush him with one step," Rachel murmured to Finn, looking down at Vlad as he sat contentedly on Finn's stretched out legs.

Finn glanced at the woman, who not only looked like she could kick his ass, but could easily play linebacker for the New York Jets. He protectively put his hands on Vlad.

"Ok class it looks like everyone is here! Let's get started!" The instructor, Andrea, had everyone form a circle. "Wecome to Doga! For those of you who don't know, Doga is the art of sharing your yoga practices with your pet. I thought it would be good for everyone to introduce themselves and their furry friend before we get started. Why don't we start here?" she asked pointing to someone on the other side of the room.

"Doga? Is this for real?" Finn whispered to Rachel. "I've never done any yoga."

"I know, it's a new program. I heard it's really great. It's ok if you've never done yoga before. Actually, it'll help you be more flexible for softball," Rachel whispered back. She could hear a loud "shhhhh" coming from the direction of the St. Bernard and its owner.

The introductions continued, eventually making its way around the circle to the St. Bernard. Finn stared at the woman as she introduced herself in an incredibly deep voice, almost like a man. "I'm Shannon Beiste and this here is Marv," she said, indicating the St. Bernard.

"Let's welcome Shannon and Marv! And finally, who do we have here?" Smiling, Andrea turned to Finn, Rachel and Vlad.

"Hi everyone! I'm Rachel Berry, and this is my boyfriend Finn Hudson. And this little guy is our pride and joy, Vladimir I. Hudson, but we call him Vlad for short." Rachel picked up Vlad from Finn's lap, holding him up so everyone could see him, quickly putting him back on Finn's lap when she noticed Marv the St. Bernard growl and take a step towards Vlad.

"Welcome Finn, Rachel and Vlad! Ok, let's get started. I'd like you to begin by just sitting and starting to breathe, and let your pet find a comfortable seat on you or near you, just like Finn and Vlad are doing." She pointed to them, showing the class how Vlad was once again sitting up on Finn's outstretched legs.

"Once you've found a comfortable position, I'd like you to start to connect to each other. Try to get your breathing in sync. If you need to, you can rest your hands on your dog, but sit up straight and relax. We're going to do this for 2 minutes. I know it can be hard to be that still, but really try to connect with your dog."

Finn was bored already. His dog was so awesome, they'd already mastered the first move without even trying. He turned to look at Rachel, who was sitting next to him, doing some simple stretching exercises, her eyes closed in concentration.

Smiling at how cute she looked, his eyes roamed over the rest of the class. Some of the dogs were small enough that they were sitting on their owner's laps, like Vlad. Others were laying on floor in front of their owners. Marv the St. Bernard was sitting at attention next to his owner, drool coming out of the corner of his mouth.

"Ok everyone! I know we have pets of all sizes in here, but remember, this is about you and your dog. Adjust the exercise to fit your dog. Let's move on to the next exercise. I'd like you to get into a seated position with your feet touching. Put your dog in the open area between your legs. Begin massaging your dog, stretching his legs gently." Modeling what to do with her own dog, Andrea began walking around the room, assisting people.

Finn tried to hand Vlad to Rachel, assuming that since she had just been stretching, she'd want to do the exercises with Vlad.

"Oh no, Finny, you do it. You and Vlad need male bonding time." Getting into the same position as everyone else, minus the dog, Rachel bent her head until it was almost touching her feet.

Finn, forgetting about the position and the fact that he was supposed to be massaging Vlad, simply watched Rachel, marveling at how flexible she was.

The thought crossed his mind that he'd really like to find out just how flexible she was.

"Need some help?" Finn was brought out of his musings to see Andrea bending down next to him, petting Vlad.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Help. I need help." Embarrassed at having been caught staring and thinking dirty things, he stammered out his response.

"Well that's what I'm here for." Moving Finn's legs into the correct position, she placed Vlad in between his legs, showing Finn how to massage the little dog. Vlad closed his eyes in contentment. Rachel had stopped her own yoga exercise to watch Finn and Andrea, a strange expression on her face.

Andrea stood up and moved on, beginning to announce the next pose.

"I supposed you enjoyed that?" Rachel whispered to Finn.

"Vlad certainly did," he whispered back. "Did you see his eyes close immediately?"

"I'm not asking about him, I'm asking about you," she whispered, slightly louder, earning a glare, a "Shhh" and a growl from Shannon Beiste and Marv.

"What are you talking about?" Finn asked, his attention focused on Andrea, who was now lying on her back, one knee bent, the other leg straight up in the air pointing towards her face, with her little dog attached to her ankle and her hands supporting him on either side.

Lying on his back, he mimicked Andrea, holding Vlad in place with his own hands before turning to look at Rachel. "Hey check out Vlad! He's a flying Chihuahua!"

"Can't hear!"

Finn turned his head at the interruption to see Shannon Beiste once again glaring in their direction, punctuated by Marv giving a low growl for Vlad's benefit. Vlad, still perched high in the air on Finn's leg, let out a yip in return.

Rachel, letting whatever was bothering her drop for now, threw her own glare in the direction of Shannon Beiste and Marv. Watching Andrea, who was now explaining the next pose, she looked at Finn and said, "Why don't you let me do this one Finn? I do this one in my own yoga class."

Standing up, Rachel removed her hoodie, revealing her yoga top. Expertly, she went into a back bend, her toned stomach exposed. Finn sat there, staring, mesmerized by her flexibility once again.

"Need some more help?"

Embarrassed at being caught staring once again, Finn managed to smile at Andrea and get out, "Uh. Vlad. Help. Yeah." He could feel the blush creeping all the way to his ears.

"Well Finn, you have it easy for this one. Rachel's doing all the work. All you need to do is place Vlad on her stomach while she's in a backbend and make sure he doesn't fall off." Offering a hand, she helped Finn and Vlad up. Finn placed Vlad on Rachel's stomach, placing his hands nearby. Vlad must have felt tough being that high in the air, because he sent out another yip in Marv's direction.

Smiling at Finn, Andrea placed a hand on his arm. "You're both doing fantastic."

"Thanks, but I'm not really doing anything." Finn smiled back as Andrea walked over to Marv.

"Finn can you take Vlad off me please?" Finn looked down at Rachel, wondering how on earth she was able to stay in that backbend for so long.

"Sure Ray." Scooping Vlad up, he sat back down as Rachel collapsed to the floor.

"Ok, seriously, what was that?" she whispered, her voice getting slightly louder with each word.

"What was what?" Finn asked, playing with Vlad, the little Chihuahua trying to nip his hands each time Finn touched one of his paws.

"The hand on your arm, the helping you up?" Rachel asked, her voice again getting louder.

"What? That's just Andrea being nice." Finn stopped playing with Vlad and looked at Rachel, who had a look of disgust on her face.

"Still can't hear!" The words again came floating from behind Rachel, along with another growl.

Rachel sat up on her knees. "No, that's her flirting with you. And what's more, you're flirting back! You are hitting on Vlad's Doga Instructor!" she accused, her tone getting slightly hysterical. "How can you do that to Vlad? You know he needs this time to relax!"

"Can't hear and now can't see! Getting mad!"

Rachel turned towards Shannon and Marv, who continued to growl at Rachel. "Seriously, what is your problem? Maybe I am being loud, but I'm having a crisis here, so both of you better shut up before my boyfriend comes back there and gives you a real reason to complain!"

"Hey man, next time have her take her pills for bitchiness before she comes to class," Shannon directed at Finn.

"What!" Rachel exclaimed angrily, turning to Finn expectantly.

Finn, who had been watching this exchange with dread from the moment Rachel volunteered him to give Shannon and Marv a reason to complain, now stepped into the ring.

"I think you owe Rachel an apology. There's no reason to talk like that."

"You. Outside now." Pointing to Finn, Shannon grabbed Marv and stood up. It was only when Shannon stood up that Rachel fully realized what she'd gotten Finn into. Horrified, she saw that the woman was easily as tall as Finn, possibly even taller, with a strong, muscular build, more like a man than a woman.

Sighing, Finn handed Vlad to Rachel and stood up, following Marv and Shannon out the door. Rachel quickly jumped up and grabbed their stuff, running to catch up with them.

"Finn! Don't bother, come back to the class!" Rachel begged, grabbing on to his hand and attempting to pull him back inside.

"Rachel, relax. I'm not going to get into a fight with a girl. She just owes you an apology," Finn promised, turning to look at Rachel. He started to turn back to face Shannon and Marv again.

"Like I was saying, you owe Ra-" That was as far as he got before Shannon's fist connected with his eye, knocking him to the ground.

"Finn!" Rachel screeched dropping to the ground next to him, placing Vlad on the ground.

"Now I'm going to go back inside and finish my Doga to relax. Don't mess with me." Shannon walked past Finn and Rachel without another glance, Marv in tow. As Marv passed Vlad, he gave one final growl. Vlad nipped at Marv's passing feet before running to the safety of Finn's stomach. From his perch on top of Finn's stomach, Vlad continued yipping until Marv was out of sight.

"Finn! Are you ok? Look at me and tell me you're not dead!" Rachel grabbed his head, holding it to her chest. Vlad jumped off Finn's stomach, turning in circles before placing two paws on his leg.

Finn himself sat up, resting his head where Rachel had placed it on her chest. He didn't know if it was intentional that she'd pressed his head against her breasts, but he certainly wasn't going to complain. Rubbing the side of his face against her breasts, he murmured, "I'm fine now, Ray."

"Let me see." Not realizing what Finn was doing, Rachel tried to lift his head. She could see a nice size bruise already forming around his eye and she softly placed her lips against it, trying to ease his pain.

And her guilt.

"Come on Mike Tyson. Let's get you and Sugar Ray Leonard home and get some ice on that eye," she said, helping him stand up, while he scooped up Vlad.

Grabbing Rachel's hand with his free hand, he playfully asked, "Doga always this exciting?"

Laughing, Rachel started walking out of the gym. "It was certainly an experience."

Once they were back in Finn's apartment, Rachel immediately started fussing over Finn and Vlad. Leading Finn to the couch, she forced Finn to sit on the couch, turned on the pregame show for him, and stripped Vlad of his velour track suit, all within a minute. She caressed Finn's face as she looked at his eye, which was now swelling. "Hmm. I better get you some ice to keep on this, it's starting to swell."

She disappeared into the kitchen, quickly returning with a bag of frozen peas, two beers, a bag of popcorn, and a bowl of dog food for Vlad. Placing the dog food on the floor near Vlad's castle and the popcorn and one beer on the table, she settled down next to Finn.

She handed him the other beer, simultaneously applying the bag of frozen peas to his eye. Finn hissed at the contact, but Rachel continued to hold the bag there. "How are you feeling? Is the bag of peas helping? Maybe we should take you to the hospital."

"Like I got punched in the face. Yes. No." Finn answered the questions in order, laughing when Rachel gave him smack on the shoulder. He smiled at Rachel, shifting his body until his head was in her lap, her hand holding the bag of peas in place. "Keep taking care of me like this and I'll be fine."

Rachel smiled down at him, adjusting the bag of peas to find a cold spot. "I better take care of my men. Between you getting punched in the face and Vlad taking on that St. Bernard, it looks like I'll be busy." She laughed, watching Vlad as he jumped up onto the couch, walking up Finn's body to settle on his stomach.

"So does the fact that we got into a fight count as mine and Vlad's male bonding time?" Finn asked playfully. "Did you see him barking at Marv?"

"Yeah, from the safety of your stomach. He's a real tough guy." She rolled her eyes. "Vlad seems to really like being on your stomach," she commented.

Finn picked up his head slightly to see Vlad curled in a ball on his stomach, eyes tightly closed. He shrugged. "It's comfortable, I guess."

The three of them remained in that position for most of the game, until Rachel had to get up for a new ice pack for Finn's eye. This time, Finn laid back on the couch, one arm holding the ice pack while Rachel snuggled into him and Vlad laid on the couch, resting his head on Finn's leg.

Being like this, with his arm around Rachel and Vlad on his leg, Finn decided that being punched in the face really sucks, but the being taken care of part is awesome.

A/N: Happy President's Day to my American Readers! I had to stick Coach Beiste in there, because I think she's great. Vlad's Castle dog house is a real thing and Doga is also a real yoga class. I'm not sure how a St. Bernard could do the class though. Although if anyone could lift a St. Bernard with their leg, it would be Coach Beiste.