DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GLEE OR ITS CHARACTERS
Author's Note: Thank you all for reviewing! PLEASE REVIEW ONCE YOU'RE DONE READING THIS CHAPTER! Now on with 'The One Where There's A Band'!
**Rachel's POV**
"I'm so excited!" I squeak, trying not to jump out of the moving rental car.
Right now we are on our way to Lima, Ohio, which is Finn's and Puck's hometown. I begged them to let me see their high school and Finn's mom wants us to stop by so she can meet me. I'm so pumped up.
We're driving through town and it seems so old fashioned compared to what I've grown up with and what I live with currently. But when I see the people walking about the sidewalks, everyone is smiling happily with one another. I can see that it's a friendly town. Soon Finn pulls up to a fairly small school.
In large, red paint, WMHS is spelt out above the entrance with windows bordering it.
"Shit, I haven't been here since I graduated," Finn says quietly. "Looks the same."
After parking I bound out of the car and the boys follow behind me as I run ahead to the school. I slow down because a sea of students in red and white flash before me and I don't want to get lost. Grabbing Finn's hand, I hold onto it loosely as we enter the school.
The kids are buzzing around and they stare at us.
"Where are we going?" I ask Finn.
He's staring at our hands when I look over to him. Blushing slightly, he quickly looks up and clears his throat.
"Um," He scratches the back of his head with his free hand. "I want to go see Mr. Schuester."
"Oh yeah, the teacher who inspired you!" I exclaim. "That's such a lovely story."
"Yeah, it's such a lovely story," Noah says in a high pitch voice, mimicking me.
In return, he gets slapped on the back of his head.
"Whatevs, I'm going to check out Coach Beiste," He nods to Finn. "Sammy boy, come along and try not to drool too much at the jail bait."
"Those skirts," Sam groans.
"Are like crunchy toast. When I was back in high school here, I swear I could see the girls' ovaries when they bent over in them. Let's get going."
I roll my eyes at them and have Finn lead the way to a classroom. When we enter it appears to be a choir room, an old black grand piano towards the front with piles of music sheets on it. I see a few students already in here, but other than that it's already empty.
As I stare at the white board that has the word "Hello" written on it, an older man approaches.
"My god, if it isn't Finn Hudson," He states whole heartedly.
"Mr. Schue!" Finn excitedly says, dropping my hand and embracing the teacher.
When Finn pulls away I get a real good look at him. He has really curly hair that's starting to grey. He wears glasses on the bridge of his nose and his fairly muscular body is clad in a dress shirt and vest. I notice a shiny gold wedding band on his left hand's ring finger.
"Please, call me Will, Finn. We're both adults now. And who is this lovely lady you brought with you?"
"I'm Rachel," I say with a bright smile. "Rachel Berry."
"Pleasure to meet you, Rachel," He holds his hand out.
I shake it firmly and I reciprocate with, "Nice to meet you, too, Will."
"What brings you back to Ohio? I thought I'd never see you again," Will directs to Finn.
**Finn's POV**
"The band I'm in, we're on tour. Rachel is the singer and I'm the drummer," I answer happily.
"Oh, so you're still drumming," He smiles proudly at me and my heart just swells. It's so good to see him. He was my father figure before Burt and Mr. Schue… I mean Will… will always be my friend.
"Are you still going to school?"
"Yeah, music theory. Graduating this year… I'm thinking about getting my teaching license," I rub the back of my neck bashfully.
Will lets out a chuckle, "That's fantastic, Finn! Really, you'll be great."
"Thanks, I sort of was inspired by you," I admit.
"Thanks, kid," Will sighs with a proud smile, patting my shoulder as the bell rings.
"Well, I better get going. You have a class to tend to," I say.
"Yeah, I suppose. It was great seeing you again Finn. And it was nice meeting you Rachel. Finn's a lucky guy to have a pretty girl like you in his life," Will winks.
Rachel giggles, "Oh, no, Finn and I aren't a couple."
Wow, that realization hurt more than I thought it would. Will glances at me and gives me a discreet sympathetic look before turning back to Rachel.
"I see, my mistake. Well, I hope to be seeing you in the near future. That's to you too, Finn," He looks at me sternly before a small grin appears on his face.
"Bye!" Rachel says excitedly.
"See ya," I nod and smile.
We exit the room and Rachel has this warm smile on her face.
"He was nice. He's a good guy," She says slowly, her words echoing off the red lockers.
I smile and nod, "Yeah. He is."
**Rachel's POV**
We're going to his parent's house. It's just Finn and I. Noah took Sam out to his mom's house and plan on going to the old bars that he used to sneak in as a kid. They had offered to take me, but I know that Finn's mother wants to meet me, the new singer of Trip to Ohio. She knows Noah, obviously, and Sam she had met when the band first started up.
Now it's just me.
And I'm extremely nervous.
Finn doesn't even knock on the front door when we get to the large tan shingled house, its white windows placed evenly throughout. There are three cars parked out front, excluding the rental we have.
I follow his tall, strong figure through the foyer and I bite back a smile when I see pictures of Finn when he was younger. I'm guessing he's only ten in these football pictures. He's really small and that makes a giggle escape from my lips because now he's just so… so big.
"You laughing at my childhood photos, Rach?" Finn asks with an amused smile on his face.
"No! Of course not! You were very adorable, Finn," I defend.
"Mom!" Finn calls out and I start to hear animated conversations.
We reach a kitchen with lemon yellow walls and sitting around at random are four complete strangers. Well, I mean, I know that the woman must be Finn's mother, and the older man is his step father. However, I have no idea who his step brother is.
Once my eyes land upon the shorter woman I can see how much Finn is a copy of her. She has the same perfect shaped nose and that amber eye color. Her hair is grey, but I assume she was dark haired like Finn is. She wears a nice black sweater and a grey dress pants with black slightly heeled boots.
The older man wears a work shirt that says Burt on the oval embroidering. He has these light colored blue eyes and a smooth face, a shiny head that is bald. I notice that one of the younger boys has the same eye color and smooth baby face and I immediately know that this is Finn's step brother, Kurt.
The other young boy has black, curly hair and thick eyebrows. He's short and muscly and he has this friendly smile always on his face. He gazes happily at Kurt constantly.
"Finny bear, my baby!" His mother wails.
I watch as her arms wrap around Finn and he just melts into her embrace, making me feel really warm inside. His step dad, step brother, and the other boy all stand up and take turns giving Finn big hugs.
"And who is this?" The mom questions with a bright smile.
I muster the softest smile I can manage because I'm so nervous right now. I really want these people to except me.
Which is silly. It's not like I'm marrying Finn or anything…
"Hi, I'm Rachel Berry, the new singer for the band," I introduce in a clear voice.
"Hi, Rachel," They say in unison.
I hold my hand out to shake with the step dad, who is the closest to me, but he shakes his head.
"In this family, we don't shake hands," He says seriously.
I nod my head and blush brightly, pulling my hand back quickly.
"We hug!" He adds cheerfully, pulling me in and embracing me tightly in a large bear hug that almost suffocates me.
But I don't mind because it feels good and… loving.
After hugging everyone and getting to know their names (Carole, Burt, Kurt, and Blaine), we go to the living room to talk.
I find it so easy to talk with these people. Everyone is at so much ease with one another that the stress and nervousness I had once felt has not dissipated.
"He was obsessed with westerns. I remember when our parents first started dating when we were twelve and I came over here to meet him, I was completely appalled by his country apparel and horse printed everything," Kurt gushes, laughing loudly while Finn blushes furiously.
"Hey, cowboys are extremely awesome. You're just jealous that Chanel No. 5 isn't as cool as the west is," Finn fires back.
Kurt gasps in horror.
"Uh-oh," Blaine warns, poking my arm. "Brace yourself for world war 3."
Giggling, Carole, Burt, Blaine, and I ignore the fight between the brothers as we talk more about our lives. It's so easy to connect with these people.
They ask about my dreams and what I had wanted to be and Kurt and Finn are now silent, listening closely.
"I-I had dreams of becoming a Broadway star," I admitted. "And I tried and tried but no one would ever cast me. I kind of let that die down and now I'm with the band."
No one replies for a long time, and finally Burt clears his throat.
"Don't give up on those dreams, Rachel. Finn talks about you all the time. Says you're pretty talented," He says slowly.
"Finn, I'm flattered," I giggle.
"It's not like I just talk about you with ev-."
"Yes you do," Kurt interrupts.
The night goes on with this pitter patter conversation.
"Oh, let me help you with those, Carole," I offer after we eat her amazing peach cobbler.
"No, you're the guest!" She exclaims.
"It's still polite to help the host," I remind with a smile and follow her into the kitchen where she washes and I dry.
"So how is Finn really doing? Does he have a girlfriend? Are you his girlfriend?" She asks suddenly.
"Oh," I squeak. "Um, he's good I think. We're not together, no not at all. Just close friends. He's not dating anyone for that matter. Of course he hangs around with girls, but he's a young man and I suppose."
"Wow… I just feel like he's holding back with me, which he's never done. Ever since Christopher- wait, you don't know who that is, do you?"
"Finn's father, right?" I look at her and watch her drop the dish she had been holding, causing the water to spill out of the sink and onto the marble top counter.
"He talked to you about his dad?" She whispers quietly, her mouth wide open in shock.
"Yeah, it's been a hot topic. Why?" I ask her back.
Her mouth closes and she picks the dish up again, "He never talks about Christopher. Ever. Not even with me."
I bite my lip, my heart swelling. He shared that with me. He chose me to talk about his father he had never gotten to know.
That's got to mean something, right?
**Finn's POV**
"I'm gonna show Rach my old bedroom before we leave," I tell mom who was now giving Rachel a Tupperware container full of cookies before we left.
I glance at Rachel who smiles slightly, biting her lip in the most adorable way ever. I wish my teeth could catch that thick lip and nibble on it…
Wow that was really inappropriate to think about a friend.
"Alright, well Burt and I are retiring for the night," She says. "It was great meeting you Rachel and I can't wait to see you again."
"It was so nice meeting you guys too. The night was wonderful; the peach cobbler, the family interaction, the funny and embarrassing stories of Finn as a child," She nudges me with her elbow and I shake my head as my mom and Burt laugh loudly.
"Bye, goodnight," Rachel sweetly says after they hug her.
She turns to me and smile really big. "Alright, Finnegan, let's see this room!"
I lead her up the wooden staircase and down the hall to the last room. I reach my hand in the door and turn the light on, stepping in. It looks exactly the same. My cowboy wallpaper, plaid comforter on my twin bed, a small bedside table, a little TV with old movies, and trophies littered around.
It even smells the same; like the old cologne I used to wear. It's faint, but I notice it. I also see post-it notes on the bedframe. They're random notes that I used to get from friends or girls back in high school.
"This is adorable," Rachel coos. "I bet you were such a cute kid, Finn. I could imagine myself having the biggest crush on you if I went to your high school."
I blush slightly, thinking 'why can't that be the case now?'
"Yeah, I'd totally be all crazy for you if I went to your high school," I blurt out.
She looks over her shoulder and smiles gently before shaking her head.
"Nah, I was nothing hot," She shrugs.
Before I can argue with that, she's bending over and picking something up.
She comes back up with an old pair of green drumsticks that I had gotten years ago. They're all crappy now, scratched and indented. She starts to click them together with her game face and I laugh loudly.
"You'd make a good drummer," I tell her.
"Oh really? Thanks," She smiles as she inspects the trophies.
An audible gasp escapes her lips.
"Finn Hudson was awarded as the #1 performance at William McKinley's talent show for winter carnival week?"
"Yeah," I bashfully speak. "I guess they liked my singing."
"Finn! I've never heard you sing!" She exclaims.
"You don't need to. I'm not good," I tell her.
She pouts and widens her eyes, "No fair. Obviously you were good enough. You have three of these trophies!"
I shake my head tightly, "No. I'm not singing for you."
"Please, Finn," She says so softly and gazes into my eyes.
I can't help it. I melt completely.
"Fine. Let's get back to the bus thought."
OoO
There's a new chapter!
Oh yeah, and someone had commented about how Rachel's friends didn't disagree with her 'I'm not beautiful' statement. That was a mistake on my part. I had meant to integrate that in there, but I guess I skipped it by accident. I had planned Artie to say that she was pretty.
Also I wanted to explain the reason I had the little Will/Carole situation. I wanted them both to assume Finn and Rachel were together. It's sort of a foreshadow…
ANYWAYS, next chapter is going to be the introduction of Finn singing! Exciting! Will he impress Rachel? Hmm… ;)
Spoiler for my one-shot fic: Finn and Rachel will not be married until they are done with college. They also won't be living together during their three or four years of college. There will be a fallout between the two the last year of college and Finn will do something very romantic to get her back. I can't wait to release this new fic! I hope you guys will enjoy it!
PLEASE REVIEW! I REALLY NEED SOME MORE FEEDBACK! TELL ME IF YOU LIKE IT! SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME!