DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: Sorry this took so long, but you know I never disappoint. Enjoy!

The Dreamers

Chapter Fourteen: The Big Night

Rachel was drunk. She was so so so so drunk and her back was sore and the world was kind of spinning around her, but it was okay, because Finn was there to keep her from falling over. Finn, oh what would she be doing on this night without Finn at her side? Probably home, alone, in her childhood bedroom with her childhood fears of loneliness and solitude eating away at her fragile thirty-year-old self-esteem. Instead, Finn Hudson was at her side, unflinchingly, straddling a giant sectionals show choir trophy in between the two of them in the backseat of a taxi. Wait, when had they gotten in the taxi? Was it before or after she kissed him?

Her brain was a blurry mess of thoughts as the taxi weaved down the dark and empty streets of Lima towards his apartment. She was leaning forward, resting her weight on her knees so she didn't have to lean her back against the rough seats. Her back was throbbing, but the pain was dulled out buy the wine. She kept peeking glances at him from the backseat, watching him fiddle with his keys and adjust the tie he so haphazardly threw on after she'd run out of the bar. The silence stretched between them in the back seat; they didn't say a word to each other because they didn't want to break the spell that had been cast over them on that night. They wanted to keep this feeling alive, so they could hold onto it and let it fuel the second half of their night. They felt young, they felt free, and they knew that it wasn't just because of the alcohol, even though it helped. She hadn't felt like this in, well, ten years. And she missed it so much. Now that she had it back, she never wanted to let it go.

The taxi stopped in front of Finn's apartment, and she watched with blurry vision as Finn gave the driver some money. He pulled the giant trophy out of the back seat first, then went around to the other side of the car to help Rachel get out. She stumbled on her heels, feeling clumsy and embarrassed while trying to balance herself. Losing her balance completely, she fell forward into Finn; his long, strong arms catching her and keeping her cushioned in his broad chest. His deep chuckles reverberated around her as the taxi sped away, leaving the two of them standing outside of his apartment, alone.

She looked up into his face and could make out his smile in the dim streetlights; soft, sensual, seductive. As easy as it was to revert back into the schoolgirl of her youth, they were now adults, and they were too old to play coy with one another. There was a reason she was here and not home in bed. And all six-foot three-inches of her reason was smiling at her like he couldn't wait to get her inside. His head bent down and he placed a searing hot kiss on her lips; wild, strong, almost bruising her lips from the force. It knocked the wind out of her and left her feeling more dizzy than ever before. Finn had been an angel to her over the past few days, but now he was showing her glimpses of the devil that was waiting to be released.

"Rachel. . ." He whispered her name in the night; hard, gritty, his voice was like sandpaper, stealing her breath in-between kisses and making her nerves singe with heat. She clutched onto his dress shirt, the buttons askew, rubbing her hands up his chest and linking her fingers around his neck. "Let's go inside." He almost purred the words to her and she wanted to fan herself she felt so warm at the moment. She almost forgot is was winter. Standing out in the December chill, she nodded her head furiously against his as their lips never left the others for a second. She could hear his keys jingle in his hand as he pulled away from her, picking up the trophy and heading towards the door. She followed after him, peeking her head around the small space he called his own.

And boy, was it small. All she could see was a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room; it was even smaller than the apartment they'd shared together in NYC. At least that place had a bedroom; Finn's apartment was so small she couldn't even find a proper closet. Where did he sleep? She watched from the corner of her eye as he placed the trophy in the kitchen and came back out with another bottle of wine, and two glasses. She didn't know how much she'd already had, but she was more than happy to indulge in more. The deep red Cabernet swirled in her glass as he passed to her, and they both raised their glasses to the other before bringing them to their lips.

"To an amazing night." He said with a smile, no elaboration needed.

"Cheers." She said quietly as the glasses clinked softly. She sipped the wine, never breaking eye contact with Finn as his gaze hypnotized her with it's intensity. She knew what was going to happen, and she welcomed it more than anything. How long had it been since she'd even been with a guy? Almost a year, at least. It was a dry spell that depressed her, and as she stood in the smoldering gaze of her once lover, she was reminded of the times that they'd once shared together. The emotions that were elicited in her in that moment were enough to almost knock her over with their intensity. Sex with Finn had always been mind-blowing, and she was more than ready to feel that again.

With the way he was eye-fucking her, she was sure he wanted to feel it too.

They drank some more, killing off another half of a bottle before he reached over and tried to pull her onto the couch. She realized that it was a futon, and that Finn lived in the tiniest studio apartment she'd ever been in. While that might not have been the most romantic or charming bed ever, she was still more than happy to be here with him; the alcohol swirling inside of her and making her feel warm and fuzzy. In fact, she didn't know what was making her fuzzier: the alcohol, or the way Finn was staring at her. As he was pulling at her, trying to press their bodies as close as possible and soaking up every drop of the other, her wine slipped out of her hands and fell all over her cream colored blouse.

"Oh no!" She screamed, placing the glass down on the small table by the TV. She knew the shirt was a goner: there was no way she was ever going to get red wine out of a cream colored silk blouse. Finn had run to get towels to clean up the wine that had fallen on the floor, and Rachel started to unbutton her blouse.

"Finn, do you have something I can wear for the time being?" Her speech was a bit slurred, and she was unfamiliar with the layout of the tiny apartment. She knew she wouldn't be wearing clothes for too much longer, but she wanted to get out of the formal clothes she'd been wearing all day and into something comfortable. She unbuttoned her blouse, hoping the wine wouldn't soak through to her bra. He was preoccupied with cleaning the wine off of the floor, and he pointed at a dresser in the far corner of the room.

"Yeah, there should be t-shirts and stuff in there if you want." She made her way over to the dresser, drunkenly stumbling over her own two feet as her stained shirt hung haphazardly off her shoulders. She opened the drawers and started to search through his clothes, his scent practically punching her in the face. She'd always loved the way he smelled. Part of her kind of wanted to bury her head in there and never come out.

She searched through the shirts, her fingers brushing across something smooth and glossy at the bottom of the drawer. It was paper, she realized, and she dug through his shirts, feeling curious. What would Finn be keeping in his drawers? She realized too late that it might be porn or something, but when she looked at the papers in her hands, she almost dropped them in shock.

Playbills. Dozens of dozens of playbills were scattered along the bottom of his drawer, and she could recognize every single one of them, the titles jumping out at her in the dim light of the room.

She had found his ancient collection of her old playbills, her signature standing out on the glossy covers of each book. After all these years, after everything they had been through, he had kept them. And she knew, deep down, that it wasn't just so he could sell them on eBay one day.

"Rachel, did you find what you were looking for?" His words sunk into her brain slowly, as she processed the playbills in front of her. She turned around to him, her blouse still hanging off of her with the playbills in her hands and questions in her eyes. He saw the booklets in her hands and he froze, staring at them like it actually had been porn that she'd found.

"Finn, what are you doing with these?" Her voice sounded so small; her bubbly confidence from before had flown out of the window the moment she realized that he had kept them. She felt vulnerable, now, like any word he said could break her.

"I, uh," Rubbing the back of his neck with his hands, he looked at her guiltily. "I kept them."

"I can see that, but why?"

"Because, I've always been your biggest fan. And I always will be." His voice was low as he stared at her from across the room, the heat gathering in the pit of her stomach and making her feel warmer than ever. Dropping the playbill collection back into the drawer, she walked right up to him with her shirt half off and pulled his face down to hers so she could kiss him; so she could show him how much this had meant to her. After all this time, even though he'd been hundreds of miles away from her and bitter from their rocky past, he had never stopped believing in her. Even when she'd stopped believing in herself. His hands slipped under her open shirt and he pulled the stained blouse off of her shoulders in one fluid motion. Finn had unfolded his futon while he was cleaning the wine, so Rachel felt herself being pulled towards the bed, and she let him. The skin-on-skin contact set her blood on fire, and she wanted more, needed more. It wasn't enough.

Pulling at his clothes, she was able to slip his shirt off, breaking their kiss for a nanosecond so he could undress himself. Staring down her ex with appraising eyes, he was still just as toned and broad as he was in his twenties. If she was being honest with herself, she would have to admit that he looked better now than he ever did. His rough, five-o-clock shadow scratched against her face as he kissed her like it was the air he breathed. She ran her fingers through his hair as his hands roamed everywhere, making he skin blaze with heat from the simplest touches. They needed to get more clothes off, now.

"Finn. . ." She cried out as his lips left hers and attached themselves to the sensitive skin of her neck. She rolled her head back as he softly sucked and bit the skin of her throat, making her shiver under his hands. She reached for her skirt and started to unzip it, leaving her in nothing but her bra and panties. His hands reached around her to pull her closer, while his fingers accidentally grazed the gauze on her back, covering the tattoo. The pain was sharp and instantaneous, and even though it went away just as quick as it came, Finn still looked upset that he'd forgotten about it.

"It's okay, it's not your fault you forgot." She said it with a soft smile, trying to ease the tension away from him and return to what they were doing. "We just have to be careful." With this, Finn got a devilish look in his eyes and lifted Rachel clear off the floor and into his arms, her legs wrapping around his chest while his hands supported her on her ass. She got a thrill out of being eye level with him, and loved the way his hands felt on her, both holding her steady and groping the hell out of her. She loved it. The kissing continued, and even though Finn was still wearing too much, he leaned back until he was sitting on the corner of the futon, Rachel straddling his lap and pressing up against him as much as she could. His hands roamed her lower back, trying to stay away from the tattoo, and she wanted Finn more and more by the second. He finally broke the kiss when he felt her reaching for the fly of his pants, ready to get the party started.

"Are you sure about this Rachel? We're both pretty drunk." Yeah, there was a slur to his voice and she felt like she drank her own weight in wine, but she wanted this. She needed this.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She was drunk, but at least she was still rational. "Do you have protection?" She had gone off the pill years ago, after she'd stopped dating for a while. New York was a shitty town to find guys. Finn shot off the futon while Rachel waited patiently for him to find something. When he came back with a smile, she wouldn't even give him a second to be comfortable before she reached for his pants.

It was a flurry of hands and fabric and moans and sighs as they pulled each other's clothes off, reveling in the feeling of skin on skin and practically buzzing from their proximity. It had been so long, so fucking long. . .

She was amazed at how much had stayed the same. His hand still fit perfectly over her breasts as his hands trailed over her body, igniting a fire inside of her with his touches. His kisses were so passionate, so pure, she almost started to cry. How could she have given up a lover like Finn Hudson? He made her feel beautiful in an ugly world, and he gave her light in the darkness. If only she had known that ten years ago, she never would have let him go.

For a second, they didn't know what to do next. Rachel's back was sore from the tattoo, so she couldn't lay down on her back at all. So she crawled forward until he was leaning back, and crawled on top of him, using his shoulders as leverage. Pressing up against him, their bodies flushed and searing with heat, she knew that this was it. There was no turning back after this. Kissing him softly, trying to pour all the love that had been dormant inside of her for ten years, she moved her hips around until she could feel him gliding into her, the fluttering pressure building into something beautiful. She watched as his eyes rolled into the back of his head as she slowly slipped onto him, her body almost singing from the pleasure. His grip on her tightened, and she felt his hands move to her hips so he could guide her to the rhythm. Before either of them started to move, they made eye contact with each other, blatantly sharing the need they felt with the other. Finn's pupils were dilated, and the lust in his eyes was melting her from the inside-out.

"I love you, Rachel." He whispered it into the semi-darkness of the room, giving her chills all the way up her back and down her arms. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or the sex that was making him say it, but she could tell that he meant it.

"I love you too, Finn." Had she ever stopped loving Finn Hudson? All those years of blaming him and being bitter about their relationship was just a front to forget about how much she'd loved him. The emotion had been dormant inside of her for so long, now it was just aching to be released. And now that she had him back, she would rather be dead then let go of him again.

He pulled at her hips while she started to ride him slowly, almost torturous, his straining muscles and low moans the only indication that he was enjoying this as much as she was. Rachel had to resist screaming out loud as she picked up the pace and got comfortable with being on top. Finn purposely avoided her tattoo as he held onto her body, burying his face in her shoulder while she continued to grind and roll her hips around in delicious pleasure.

The fire inside of her was intense, burning slowly until it got hotter and hotter, threatening to singe her whole. His lips met hers in a kiss that almost bruised her as he held her by the waist, lifting her up while he got on his knees to brace himself. She wrapped her legs around him and thrilled at the strength he possessed. Holding her in his arms with nothing she could brace herself against, it was Finn who started to push and pull her hips, over and over again, and this time it was she who had to now keep up. She met his thrusts, deeper and deeper as the fire began to blaze uncontrollably, her body feeling like it was burning to cinder. She could feel it building inside her, a soft yet pleasant heat started to build in her until it spread from her fingers to her toes, engulfing her in pleasure as Finn continued to thrust and pound into her, trying to find his own release. Her orgasm hit her like a mack truck, powerful and strong, as her body seized in pleasure in Finn's arms. As the stars in her eyes began to fade, she could feel him thrust once more into her before he slumped onto her shoulders, a light sweat dripping onto her skin. He began to kiss the skin on her shoulder, pulling out of her but still holding onto her like she was his last lifeline. When he finally lifted up his head, the look on his face was pure bliss.

"Wow, Rach. . .that was. . .whoa." She wanted to pat herself on the back. Sure, she hadn't gotten laid in almost a year, but she still had the power to drive Finn Hudson wild. And with the way he was sweating and panting, she had never felt so powerful.

Or drunk.

She was exhausted after such a long day. First sectionals, then a night out drinking with Finn, then all the hot sex; she was more than a little tired. But she wanted more. It was still her birthday, after all, and even if she didn't remember this in the morning from all the alcohol, she wanted to live in the moment.

"Let's do it again." She practically purred into his ear as she felt him stiffen underneath her again. He probably wanted it just as much as she did, and she was not going to pass up a night of sex with Finn Hudson.

"Okay." He went to the bathroom quickly and returned, practically pouncing on her as he gathered her up into his arms again. Sighing blissfully, she closed her eyes and lost herself in the feeling of Finn Hudson and his love.

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There wasn't much light peeking into the small apartment, but Rachel had to cover her entire head with her pillow to block out the brightness as her sensitive eyes adjusted to the morning sun. Her head pounded like there were jackhammers inside of her brain, a steady pounding throb that almost made her nauseous. What the hell did she do last night? And how much had she drunk?

Rolling over, all she wanted to do was hide away from the bright lights again, but when she rolled onto her back, she almost screamed from the pain. When she shot up in bed only to find herself in the bed of another man, she literally screamed from the shock.

"Hey, hey." The large body that was sleeping next to her rolled over and she realized in an instant that it was Finn. Feeling relieved that it wasn't a stranger, she covered her heart with her hands, trying to get it to stop pounding. What the hell had happened last night? She covered her naked chest with the sheet as Finn sat up in bed, pulling her to him groggily. "What's the matter, baby?" Her heart would not stop pounding as she took a second to try to remember the events of last night. They had won Sectionals, that she remembered. She could remember the kids on stage, jumping around like they'd won the lottery. She could remember the hidden kiss between Sam and Andy that she'd witnessed backstage after they'd been awarded their trophy. She could remember Mitchell teasing them as they left together from the school to go out to their dinner.

Dinner. That's where things started to get fuzzy. She could remember drinking liberally, killing off bottle after bottle of wine. She could remember his dessert of chocolate covered strawberries, but after that, things got jumbled. "What happened last night, Finn?" She turned to him and the look on his face almost broke her heart, he looked so sad.

"You don't remember? I mean, my memory is a bit fuzzy in some spots too. . ."

"No, I do, just not everything." The pain in her back increased steadily the more she talked. "Why does my back hurt so much?"

"You got a tattoo last night, Rachel. You don't remember?" In a rush of memory, she could remember Puck describing his tattoos and Finn showing her his own at the bar. She remembered entering the small shop with Finn and having him at her side, holding her hand. She remembered it, but she wasn't very proud of her decision.

"Oh, right. OK. I remember now." The quote that she'd always loved was now written on her back permanently. It was okay, she just wished that it didn't hurt so much. "We slept together." It was a statement, and not a question.

"Yeah, we did." He said it with a grin on his face as he pulled her as close to him as the space would allow. "And it was pretty amazing. I hope you remembered that part."

A blush erupted on her face as the hazy memories from the night before returned. "We used protection, right?"

He looked like he wasn't sure. "Um, I think so. . ." He got out of bed and went into the bathroom. He came back out with a smile on his face. "No worries, there was a used condom in the garbage. We're good." Well, that was a weight off of her shoulders, she wouldn't have to stop by planned parenthood on the way home. "You know, if your memory is a bit fuzzy, we can recreate what happened last night, this time with less wine." She had to smile as she let the blankets slip away from her, exposing her body to him while lust burned in his eyes.

"I would love to catch up on ten years of missed out sex, but I should go. The next few days are going to be hell for me."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm finally moving out of my father's house! I saved up enough money since September for the deposit and first months rent. I have to pack up my stuff, the move is in two days." She got off the bed to gather her things, noticing that her shirt was stained and her other clothes were spread around the room. It was only after she saw the old playbills on the floor when she remembered what she'd seen from the night before. The fact that he'd kept them after all this time still warmed her heart. He had always believed in her, so from now on, she would always believe in him. Looking around at his small apartment, she got an instant idea. An idea she shouldn't really be thinking of because she knew it would be disastrous, but she couldn't keep it out of her head. She got dressed in one of his old tshirts and shorts that practically swam on her while he made them coffee. Before she could even take a sip, the words blurted out of her mouth so quickly there was no time for her to even process them.

"Move in with me."

He spit out his mouthful of coffee, some of it dripping off of his chin as he coughed uncontrollably. Rachel had to stifle a laugh while he looked like he was about to choke.

"What?"

"I'm serious. Move in with me. This apartment is a closet, and I know you wish you had more space. We can share the rent, thus saving money, and we can spend time together without having to pencil it in."

"But Rachel. . ." He looked like he didn't want to, which was understandable, even though it stung like a bitch. "I don't think that's what's best for us right now. I don't want us to fall back into old patterns, you know?" She nodded her head slowly, whipping out her cell phone to call herself a taxi. She gave them the address while Finn looked at her nervously. She tried to ignore the sting of tears at his rejection, and gathered up as much of her pride as she could muster.

"Well, thanks for an amazing night, Finn. It was one of the best birthdays I've ever had." Her voice was detached, but as much as she was hurting now from his rejection, she still had to admit that last night had been a blast. But she'd thought that they'd reconnected in the best way possible last night, and that he would want to go back to the way things were. A hazy memory of them whispering "I love you" to each other was there in her mind, and she thought it meant that things were back to the way it used to be. Apparently not.

Before she could make it out of the door with the rest of her dignity, she felt a hand on her shoulder, pulling her towards the man who continued to make her life a roller coaster after all this time. "Can I call you over the break?" Today was the first official day of vacation until after New Year's, and she knew she wouldn't see him for weeks if they didn't keep in touch. She smiled timidly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah. Call me." He leaned over to place a lingering kiss on her cheek and all she could think about was how it just wasn't enough.

"Happy Birthday."

"Thanks, Finn." And as the taxi driver beeped his horn, she leaned forward to place the smallest of kisses on his lips, wishing that it was somehow enough for her. But it wasn't and she had to pull herself away, grabbing the sectionals trophy on her way out. "I'm taking this!" She yelled behind her as she dragged the trophy to her car.

It would look much nicer in her new apartment anyway.

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Salut mes amis!

Where do they go from here?

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

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk

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