Stay With Me

A/U. Story title from the song "Stay With Me" by Sam Smith.

Sometimes what you want and need are one and the same. Finn wanted her. Finn needed her.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Songs are the property of the writers/singers. Glee characters are the property of Glee.

Chapter 14

Finn was laying on his back at an angle on Rachel's queen-sized bed with one of his long arms wrapped around her tiny body. He had his other arm behind his head. His eyes were closed as he enjoyed the feeling of complete contentment. They had spent the entire day in bed after they got back together last night, getting up only briefly to shower, got to the bathroom, and to raid the refrigerator for sustenance for their lovemaking marathon. The last 24 hours had been the most passionate, fulfilling hours he had ever spend. He and Rachel had agreed that they would talk to each other about any questions or concerns they had about their relationship. No more assumptions. No more unresolved misunderstandings. He was completely hers and she was his, forever. This was it for Finn. He could never love another woman like he loved her. He knew that some day, this tiny woman would be his wife.

Rachel was lying with her head on his bare chest, rubbing circles across the skin of his abdomen. She had her leg thrown across his hips so that she could be as close to him as possible. She had her ear pressed against his chest, listening to her favorite sound, his strong, steady heart beat. As they lay their, naked, with her sheet partially covering them, she had that post-sex glow, with the tingles still flowing through her body. She knew that she loved this man so completely. She wanted to give him everything, all of her. She couldn't figure out why she had been so afraid in the first place, afraid to give herself so completely to another human. But she has and it was wonderful. Finn Hudson, you big, gorgeous, adorable man, I want you, forever.

She moved her head slightly to look up at Finn. She could only see the silhouette of him in the dark room, the only light coming in from the lamppost outside her window.

"Finn?"

"Huh?" he asked, never opening his eyes.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Me? Well..." he contemplated, smiling, "I was wondering why we would pick your bed of all places, stuffing my big body on this small bed when I've got a big, roomy king-sized bed at my place."

"Finn!" she moaned, knowing he was teasing. He laughed softly. She then rose up. Straddling him, she put both her hands on his shoulders. "I meant, about us. What are you thinking about us?"

He lifted his hand and brushed her hair away from her face, leaving fresh trails of heat to her face where he touched it. "I was thinking about how much I love you and how did I go so many years without having you in my life."

"I wished I had met you earlier, too," she pouted.

"Well, you know what they say, 'to everything there is a season.' It had to be the right time in our lives, Rach. The right place. We had to be ready for each other. Although we went through some things before we were finally together, we learned from them, grown from them. Now, it's just...right, almost perfect."

Rachel then kissed him. "I love you so, so much. You are the smartest jock I have ever slept with," she said, smiling down at him.

He then turned her over so that he was on top of her. "I'd better be the only jock you sleep with, Ms. Berry." She giggled as he brought his mouth to hers again.

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The next two weeks were hectic. The football team had full contact (except the quarterbacks, they were off limits) preseason practice. It was intense and exhausting. Each evening after practice, Finn and his roommates would return to their apartment, collapsing on the couch or the bed, whichever one they could make it to.

Rachel and the other trainers were busy keeping the guys as healthy as they could. She was spending longer hours on the field as well as in the trainers' rooms after practice, carrying out their treatment plans.

It was Friday and the team didn't need to be back on the field until Tuesday. Everyone decided to take advantage of the 4-day weekend and make a quick trip home. None of the group had seen their family all summer. Now was a good time to make the trek home before classes started, along with the start of the regular football season. Matt traveled back home to Charlotte, North Carolina. Puck caught his flight back home to Houston, Texas. Kayla had conference-called everyone from her hometown of Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Finn had missed his family since last seeing them in May. He took his brother out for lunch and they caught up in a matter of 30 minutes. Funny how the older you get, the wider the gap gets between your interests, friends, and goals. Sean hated football and Finn just couldn't see himself having the patience to teach kids, and teach history of all things, his least favorite subject. He loved his brother and was glad to see him but was somewhat relieved that he left that evening to return to Madison, ending the new awkwardness he felt around him.

His Dad drove him up to Green Bay to see the Packers' in training camp. He was amazed to finally see his old favorite team up close. But, he also knew what his Dad was up to. He was trying to renew Finn's passion for playing with for the Packers. But Finn had been away from Wisconsin for so long, he just didn't want to return to this part of the country.

He loved North Carolina. It had been his home for 3 years now. And, the person he loved more than anything in this world was there, also. He missed Rachel so much. Although they would only be separated 3 days, he couldn't wait to see her, kiss her, and hold her again. Oh Finn! How had you become such a sap!

His last day at home, his mother got him alone in his old room on the premise of helping him pack some of his fall things to take back to school. She had already fixed his favorite meal. "Finn, Stephanie called me several times, crying about your being with another girl. What's up with that?"

"Mom, you've heard me mention Rachel Berry. Rachel is the one that Stephanie is talking about."

"Yeah," his mother said, "but I thought Rachel was just a friend of Puck's new girlfriend." She shook her head in disbelief. "I'm telling you Finn, you and Puck have played musical chairs with so many girls through the years, I just don't know who you are with most of the time. Now, are you still with this Rachel girl?"

"Oh, yeah, Mom. I love her," Finn said, looking over at her.

His mother's eyes got wider. She had never heard Finn say that about a girl before. She knew that Finn had been quite fond of Stephanie. But love? She had never heard that word come out of his mouth until now.

"Love?" She questioned, with her eyebrows raised. Finn looked at her, eyes twinkling, and nodded. His mother knew then that it was true.

"Well, I'm happy for you, Finn. But please, baby, go slow. I don't want to see you hurt. And her either." He gave his Mom a side hug and then finished packing.

She stood up to leave the room as Finn's cell started playing 'Kiss Me.' He smiled. That was Rachel's ringtone. His Mom smiled back at him saying,"Tell her I said hey and I hope to meet her when we come down for Parents' Day." She turned and left the room.

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Finn threw his bags onto his bed, grabbed a towel and headed for the shower. Matt had met him at the airport and then he had called Rachel on the way back to his apartment. Everyone was back, with him being the last one. He was going over to her place in an hour and he couldn't get there fast enough.

As he showered and got dressed, he couldn't help but think back over the last few times he had talked to Rachel. She sounded kind of down, like something was off. She had started to say something but then changed the subject, trying to sound cheerful but he still picked up on it. Well, he would see her in a few minutes and they would talk about it.

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"Oh, Finn!" Rachel said as she pulled him in the door and jumped in his arms. 'Well,' Finn thought, 'whatever it was that was bothering her certainly hadn't affected her feelings for him.'

She stood on her tiptoes and started planting kisses to his face, neck, ear, wherever she could reach. "I missed you so much, baby."

"Wow! Rach. I missed you too, babe, but let me shut the door." He did, then Rachel grabbed his hand and started leading him towards her bedroom.

"Thank god you finally made it, man." Puck groaned from the direction of the couch. It was then that Finn noticed That Puck and Kayla were in the room. "Your girl has been driving us fucking crazy! 'I need Finn. I miss Finn. I love Finn. Yada, yada, yada."

He then threw his hands up in the air. Finn just smiled wider and then gathered Rachel in his arms. "Then," continued Puck, "she made us listen to that weepy-ass song you sang to her, twice! Twice!"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Oh shut it, Puckerman!" She then looked up at Finn, "Come on baby, let's get started on some reunion sex." Rachel then grabbed Finn's hand again, pulling him toward her room.

"Oh, good grief!" yelled Puck. "Let's go, Kay. I don't want to sit out here and listen to Berry get her freak on." Finn threw Puck the middle finger before entering Rachel's room, closing the door.

Round one of their 'reunion sex' session was fast, needy but passionate. They weren't quite as gentle with each other as other times.

As they lay there, trying to catch their breath, Finn decided to bring up what had been in the back of his mind since he left Wisconsin. "Rachel, is everything alright at home?"

She looked up at him while lying on his arm. "What?" She then looked down, playing with the hem of the sheet that covered them.

"Well," said Finn, carefully, "the last few times we talked, you seem...well, kinda down, sad even. Are we okay?"

Rachel then rolled closer to Finn, putting her chin on his chest to look him in the eyes. "We are perfect, Finn. I love you so, so much. It not us, per se. It's just..." She paused, turning her head to the side so her ear was pressed against his chest. She needed to hear the comforting sound of his heart beat in her ear. She had missed this over the last few days. "My Dad wasn't too happy about my choices lately."

"Ooooh. You mean me." Finn said, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, not just that." She turned her head back to look at him again. "After I broke things off with John, he flew to Ann Arbor and cried on my parents' shoulders. He told them this wild tale about how I slipped around on him with this quote 'dumb, cocky jock', who is just using me. He said you had changed me into someone he didn't recognize and now I just ran around partying, hanging out with jocks and expected him to be waiting in the background, waiting to take me back when you got tired of me."

"Rachel. I..." Finn was trying to find the words to reassure her.

"Ssssh, Finn. No. I know that's not what this is. We both know those were just lies." She then wiped her eyes, trying to catch the tears that were starting. Finn reached down, using his thumbs to wipe them from her cheeks.

"I was hurt by what John said," she continued, "but what hurt the most was what my father said."

"What did he say, Rach?" Finn questioned, feeling the pain that was in her eyes. She then turned onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. Finn could see the tears starting to run out of the corners of her eyes, sliding down her face.

"He said he hadn't paid my tuition for me to turn into some slut, sleeping around with the football team. He couldn't believe that I would give up a future with 'a promising future with a Duke doctor to chase some stupid football player with no future.' He said he was so disappointed in me. Finn, you don't know how much that hurt me. For him to believe what John said about me. To say he was disappointed in me."

She reached up and wiped at her eyes. Finn pulled her into him and starting rubbing her arms, trying to comfort her, trying to think of some comforting words.

"Then, all that hurt turned into anger." Rachel said, taking a deep, shaky breath. "We started having a shouting match until Mom came in. She put a stop to it. That's when I called you because I needed to hear your voice. I needed reinforcement to deal with my parents, my Dad especially."

"Later," Rachel went on, " after things had cooled down, my Mom made us both sit down with her and talk things out calmly. Dad started up again with what John had told him and my Mom quieted him. She told him that John was just talking out of anger and hurt. She reiterated what I had been trying to tell Dad. She said he knew me. He knew the type of girl he had raised and that I was a woman now and capable of making my own decisions about my life."

"Oh, Rachel. I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you." Finn finally came up with something to say.

"No, Finn. You didn't know." She turned and kissed him lightly on the lips."I should have known my mother would see things my way. Finn, I may be a Daddy's girl but I have my mother's looks and her candor."

So, anyway," she continued, taking in another calming breath of air and letting it out slowly. "I told them both, 'yes, I had cheated on John. That was totally wrong'. But I also told them that did not make me a slut, a loose woman. I told them that I loved you, very much and that you were not some 'dumb jock' that was using me. I told them you were a football player, yes, but you were also a Communications major, a gentleman, that you were sweet and kind and treated me so gently and that you were it for me. And John just needed time to get over the hurt and eventually he could move on. But, just because he was hurt did not give him the right to fly up there and tell vicious lies about me and you."

She paused to take a breath. Finn was still amazed how she could talk so long and say so many words without taking a breath earlier. "Finn," she said, turning to face him, "I was hurt and upset by what my father said to me, about me but none of that changes anything, you hear me, anything. I love you, more and more each day." She then kissed him passionately.

"Same here, Rach," Finn finally said. "I'll always love you." He kissed her hair and she laid down on his chest again. "So, is that how you left it with your parents?"

"Oh, no Finn. You do know that I had to have the last word." Finn laughed, knowing his girlfriend would always get in the last words.

She continued. "My parents finally settled down and listened. And they promised me they wouldn't judge me or you or our relationship until they met you."

"Oh, really? asked Finn, surprised. "Oh my, can you say 'pressure' Rach?"

"Oh, silly." She tapped him on his chest. "They are coming next month for Parents' Day and then they will see what I see. A beautiful, kind, handsome man that I love totally." She then kissed him deeply as they started in on round two.