A/N - Hi guys, I know there has been a little wait with this update, but I had to write the next few chapters together and work on breaking them down into sizeable chapters. Hope you enjoy this update, the last chapter was a bit of a filler to this chapter. I really hope you enjoy as things appear to be progressing for Rachel (I know she has had it a bit rough for a few chapters there).

Wrapping her small cold hands around her cup of coffee, Rachel sat down on hotel room floor searching for where she had tossed her notebook. It was just after dusk, however after her fourth 2am start on set, it was beginning to take its toll on her, fatigue taking over every bone in her body. She couldn't even get up the motivation to join the rest of the crew who had made plans for dinner at TGIF's, instead she had talked herself into room service and a pay by demand movie from the comfort of her bed.

"Success" she cried triumphantly finding her book hidden under a pile of discarded tops. Pushing herself up off the floor she walked over to her window which overlooked the centre of Times Square and the hundreds of thousand people who meandered through. It had been five very long days that she had been in New York for, yet her sight-seeing was only available from the confines of one of New York's iconic taxis. Every morning on cue she would huddle into a taxi that awaited her in the dimly lit, yet still oddly busy street. The driver would talk at her whilst driving, pointing out popular tourist attractions that Rachel was never able to catch a glimpse of. Today's ride consisted of her driver pointing out the base of a building with a placard which he informed her was the empire state building. Rachel had such grand idea's on what this holiday was going to be, yet it hadn't come even close.

Sipping the last few drops of coffee out of her cup, she threw the empty container in the bin and sat down on her bed, legs crossed and opened her notebook to the last page she had worked on. Re-reading her words, she sought to finish what she had begun last night. Closing her eyes, she once again began to drown out all the thoughts & ideas that she had clung to helping to distract her from Finn. Instead now she wanted to channel those feelings and translate them into words, her words, her hurt, her pain, her questions. She wanted to know what love was. Was it what she and Finn Shared? This was the question she continued to torture herself over - the words began flowing right out of her like a waterfall.

A quiet rap on her door, broke her concentration. As silly as she thought it would seem, she stealthy leapt off her bed, tip toeing to the door and peering out the peep-hole. She had seen many movies where the unwitting victim would open the door and get killed. She was Rachel Berry and there was no way that she would ever be that stupid. Movie or not.

"Well that's unexpected" Rachel mumbled to herself as she unlatched her door.

"Hey Rach." Finn greeted her, his choice of clothes indicated he had just arrived back at the hotel from the set.

"Hey." she greeted him back. Rachel pursed her lips realising that those three words were the most that they had exchanged their entire time in New York. While she knew how busy both their schedules were and that if she were honest neither of them had much of a gap in their schedules that allowed for much more than a few hours to sleep.

"I'll be back in thirty minutes, that's plenty of time to get ready." before Rachel could utter a single word, Finn had already rounded the corner of the hallway disappearing towards his room.

"Ready for what?" she yelled pointlessly out her door. Shit. She wanted to march down to his room and demand some answers, but she was going to need every second of those thirty minutes to attempt to make herself somewhat presentable. The bags under her eyes alone was going to take a miracle to cover.

Tapping the concealer at the bottom of her eyes, blending outwards Rachel was applying the last touches of her make up when she heard the light sound of a knock. Excited and anxious Rachel once again peered out the door, the butterflies in her stomach kicking into overdrive when she saw Finn outside her door.

"Come in. I've just got to put my shoes on." Rachel said opening the door and inviting Finn in. On her way towards her suitcase she picked up the clothes that littered her floor, slightly embarrassed that she had not thought to clean up before he arrived. Seated on the edge of her bed Rachel kicked off her ballet flats, digging out her heels.

"Sorry about the mess. I wasn't expecting company." Rachel rambled, trying to fill the silence as she strapped her foot into her shoe.

"So where are we going?" Rachel asked looking up and seeing for the first time Finn with her notebook in hand, opened at the page she had been working on.

"Finn?" she asked, afraid of his reaction.

"What's this?" he looked up at her with those big brown eyes, the eyes that could see straight through her.

"Nothing." she desperately tried to avoid giving him the answers she wasn't ready to give yet. She moved to grab it back out of his hands, however he maneuvered himself out-of-the-way so that he still held possession.

"This isn't nothing. Did you write this Rach?" she was unsure, she thought he would have been angry, surely he knew those words were for him, for them.

"It's just a stupid poem I wrote." there she said it, now if he would only drop the issue.

"This.." he paused "This is amazing Rachel, I had no idea." his words so soft and sincere. Rachel shocked how he wasn't furious with her right now.

"No it's not. It's just me being silly." Rachel was never secure in her writing, she had written poems for years. It was really the only thing she ever secretly thought she was alright at, but never would she share anything she wrote. They were all too personal. They were her soul put into words and not meant to be out in the open.

"I have an idea." he tucked her notebook into the pocket of his jacket. "C'mon we're going to be late if we don't leave now." he reached forward taking her hand in his.

"Where are we going?" she asked again, desperate to leave the topic of her writing behind.

"If I tell you then it won't be a surprise." he smiled down at her, knowing that not knowing was killing her. He didn't want to ruin the fun of the wait and her reaction when they got to their destination.

They stepped out the hotel and straight out into Times Square, the heart of New York City.

"Here we are!" Finn turned to her, laughing at the confused look on Rachel's face.

"C'mon follow me." Finn gripped her hand tighter as they walked down the promenade, tourists and locals filling the streets, street vendors on every corner trying to make a living, billboards lighting up the night sky. Rachel had never seen so many people in one place before, it was a little overwhelming people literally bumping into each other on the streets. Leaving the bright lights behind the further they walked, Rachel noticed the number of people thinning out. She allowed Finn to guide their way as they turned down west 51st street off the Broadway strip, then he paused turning to face her.

"Okay now we're really here." looking around her Rachel noticed people were filtering into a building, looking up she now could see exactly where it was that Finn was taking her.

"How did you?" she stopped already answering her own question. "Puck." Finn nodded.

"Kinda. I wanted to do something special for you, your first time in New York." he looked away, Rachel was always amazed at sweet and thoughtful he could be.

"Thank you Finn." she smiled at him. "This is perfect." Finn pulled out two tickets, handing one over to Rachel as they joined the small queue that had formed and headed into Gershwin Theatre.

Finn and Rachel once again found themselves walking the streets of New York hand in hand, the program had finished and Rachel had not stopped raving about the show. Finn had enjoyed the show, but what made him happy was to see just how much Rachel had enjoyed herself. The smile that crossed her face, the way she lit up every time she recalled details in the show.

"Did you hear what I said?" she asked him, eyebrows arched in frustration that he had not answered despite him looking right at her.

"I'm sorry. Your smile is just so...distracting." Rachel rolled her eyes, receiving compliments was so awkward, let alone compliments from him at the moment.

"Seriously Finn. How did you get those tickets? I'm not a total idiot I know that Wicked sells out months in advance and that there is no chance in hell that you winged getting those tickets?" Finn shrugged his shoulders, brushing off her question.

"I just called in a few favours. Nothing to worry your pretty little face over." Rachel winced at his words, he had been very generous all night with his compliments and she was beginning to become uncomfortable with it.

"Here take my jacket." he confused her discomfort with the evening chill, placing it around her shoulders, rubbing her arms to warm her up.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening Finn." Rachel began feeling it was about time to wrap up the night.

"I'm not finished with you yet." he looked at her, a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous smile staring back at her. "In-fact we are almost here." Rachel for the first time since she left the theatre, surveyed her surroundings, she had no idea where they were but there were a lot of apartment buildings surrounding them mixed in with small restaurants.

"Finn, we shouldn't be out late, you are due on set early tomorrow. You have the last scenes to shoot before the flight home tomorrow." Finn's laugh in response to her concern angered her.

"Finn." she snatched her hand out from within his, finally gaining his attention.

"Please Rachel, it's just a block over and we'll be there. I promise it'll be worth it." as hard as she wanted to push him away and leave, she couldn't. He was her weakness. Keeping her hands to herself now she began walking, Finn's pace quickened to match hers.

"Here we are. I told you it wasn't far." Rachel looked up at the apartment building, it looked like the past twenty or so she had already passed down the block. Outwardly though there was nothing special about this particular building, there must have been something she missed as Finn led them into the building.

"I want you to meet someone." Finn stopped in-front of the door for the second apartment on the first level.

"Okay." Rachel tried to recall if he had any family that she had known of out here but was drawing a blank. Finn knocked and a tall blonde stocky man answered the door, his accent thick but still understandable. He must have been a friend of Finn's as they embraced each other in a hug.

"Alex this is Rachel. Rachel this is Alex."

"Ohhh this is the one you were telling me about. Come in, come in. Lets not waste time in the doorway. We've magic to create." walking into the apartment, Rachel was blown away. The exterior of the building gave no sign of the size of the apartments within.

"Drink?" Alex asked opening his fridge, pulling out a few bottles of water.

"No thanks." Rachel replied, her eyes roaming the room. It was exquisite, the styling impeccable it was as if she just walked into a show room. But the pièce de résistance was the grand piano located in the middle of the room. The midnight black piano had been positioned in the middle of the room, as if everything else revolved around it. Rachel had to get a closer look, it was as if it were calling to her.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Alex now stood beside Rachel as she admired the piano, running her fingers along the edge.

"Yes. She is beautiful." Rachel nodded.

"So you write music?" Alex asked as he pulled out the bench, taking a seat.

"Uh no. No." Rachel stammered and immediately retreated, not missing the confused look that Alex threw to Finn.

"What am I missing here?" she turned on Finn, who looked like a deer caught in head lights.

"Rachel calm down. This is Alex he is the music producer for Glee." this did nothing but increase her anxiety.

"So why are we here?"

"When I read your work tonight. I meant what I said - it was amazing. I thought it would be a great opportunity with Alex in town to catch up and work together on your music."

"It's not a song. I'm not a song writer. It was just some stupid poem I wrote Jesus Finn." nausea rising in Rachel's stomach.

"You and I both know it's not just some stupid poem Rachel. There was truth and emotion behind those words." Finn placing his hand reassuringly on her shoulders. "You're talented Rachel, and this is a one in a lifetime opportunity to work with the best in the industry." Rachel bit her lip, conflicted with what to do.

"You know Rachel" Alex had now joined their conversation "When I first met Finn, he was beyond nervous. It was his first time in a recording studio." Rachel looked to Finn, who sheepishly nodded.

"It's true. But Alex was great, he put me at ease and before I knew it he had me in that studio feeling like I had done this for years." This time Rachel looked to Alex who nodded.

"Look. Here take this." Finn handed Rachel back her notebook. "I'm going to go for a small walk and I'll be back soon. Just let Alex have a look when you're ready. You won't regret it." Kissing her on her check, and giving her hand a reassuring squeeze Finn let himself out of the apartment.

"Alright so Rachel what do you say?" this was her defining moment - she knew it was time to let down those walls and see what she could really do.

"Okay let's do this."

Thanks for reading :)

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