Author's Note: Thanks for all of the amazing reviews! I'm glad that you're all enjoying this story so far. :) This chapter's title is from "Bent" by Matchbox Twenty. The song used in this chapter is Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Rachel took the sparkler that Santana offered her but didn't light it yet. Instead, she grabbed another one and made her way over to Finn. He was holding Paige, and she was giggling as he helped to clean the ice cream off of her little face.

Rachel handed the sparkler to Finn and then she lit both of them. Paige's eyes went wide with fascination and she reached out, but Finn held his sparkler away from her.

"No, Paige," he said gently. "It's hot. Just watch."

Paige did as she was told and watched as both Finn and Rachel twirled the sparklers through the air until they fizzled out. Paige clapped her hands together and squealed.

"Again! Again!"

Finn let out a chuckle and threw the used sparklers away. "No can do, sweet pea," he said. "We have to go find your daddy. The fireworks will be starting soon."

"Fireworks!" Paige repeated excitedly. She held her hand out to Rachel, who slid two fingers into her grasp. It didn't take long for them to find Will, and they passed his daughter off to him. She waved at Finn and Rachel over Will's shoulder with both hands. Rachel beamed up at Finn and slipped her hand into his.

"You're so good with her," she said.

Finn lifted his good shoulder but gave her a half-smile anyway. He lifted her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips across her knuckles. From out of nowhere, he produced a pink tulip and tucked it into the neckline of her dress.

Rachel beamed and touched the pretty bulb. Finn Hudson sure was a charmer. "Where do you keep getting these?"

Finn smirked (He actually smirked! And damn, was it sexy) and leaned down to brush his lips over her forehead. "I have my ways." He wasn't about to tell her that he was still stuck with three bouquets of the tulips, courtesy of Kurt. But he did like the idea of randomly pulling them out and giving them to Rachel when she least expected it.

Rachel stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Well thank you very much, Mr. Hudson."

Brittany broke through all of the people milling around them then, but neither Finn nor Rachel made a move to let go of each other's hands. Brittany beamed at them and twirled in a tight circle, the red, white, and blue ribbons fluttering in her hair.

"The fireworks are starting now!" she exclaimed. "We have a really good spot."

Finn tensed, his fingers tightening around Rachel's. She gave him a worried look and bit her lip, but waited to see if he would say something. It was up to Finn if he wanted to stay outside for the fireworks; she couldn't make that decision for him.

Finn took a deep breath through his nose. "I think I'm going to go inside," he finally said. "Just for a little bit."

It was another one of those times when Brittany understood and didn't need an explanation. She squeezed Finn's shoulder and smiled at them before she skipped off. Finn and Rachel walked back towards his house with their fingers intertwined. Before they could go into the house, Finn tugged Rachel to a stop.

"You don't have to stay with me," he said. "I'll understand if you want to go watch the fireworks."

Rachel stood on her tiptoes once again and snaked a hand around to the back of his neck, pulling him down to her. She kissed him lightly on the lips before she pulled back and smiled. "I want to stay with you."

"Did you find Berry and Frankenteen?" Santana asked as she greeted her girlfriend with a kiss. She tugged Brittany down until she was sitting next to her and then curled up under her arm, throwing one of her legs over the blonde's. Brittany leaned back against their cooler and nodded her head.

"Yup, I found them! But Finn decided he wanted to go inside. He doesn't like the fireworks, which is okay, because Lord Tubbington doesn't like them either."

Everyone else shared a knowing look. Quinn, who was leaning back against Puck's chest, asked, "Is Rachel coming to watch with us?"

"Nope," Brittany answered. "She stayed with Finn."

Puck let out a wolf whistle. "Way to go, Hudson."

Everyone else just smiled as the first firework was set off.

They could still clearly hear the fireworks going off above them, but the sound was muted. Finn relaxed just slightly, but he looked as if he was still trying to fight against whatever inner demons he had. Rachel desperately wanted to distract him from his surroundings, and she looked around his room in an attempt to find something to talk about.

Luckily, she didn't have to look very hard. Over in one corner, there was a large mass covered by a white sheet. Rachel's brow furrowed at the slightly familiar shape of the mass before she made her way over to it. She could feel Finn's eyes following her, but he didn't say anything to stop her as she pulled the sheet off.

Rachel gasped when she saw Finn's destroyed drum set. It had been completely ripped apart. The metal of the stands and the drums itself were all warped and bent, and Rachel could see that the drumsticks had also been broken in half.

"Finn," Rachel whispered. "What happened?"

Finn had to strain to hear Rachel's voice, taking his focus off of the fireworks. He got off his bed and slowly walked towards her. When he stopped next to her, he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and pointer finger as a quiet sigh escaped him.

"There are times when I just feel so... angry," Finn whispered. "And I don't... I don't know how to stop it. Or control it. I let it get the best of me." He gestured to the ruined drum set with the hand encased in a cast, as if he were proving his point. His voice got low and dark. "Rach, I don't know if I'll ever be able to play drums the way I did before."

Rachel's heart broke for Finn all over again. The drums had been such an important part of his life, even before he had joined the glee club. They had always been a stress reliever; beyond that, Rachel knew that Finn felt as if playing the drums was one of the only things he was actually good at (Which, of course, was not true. Finn just refused to see that).

"You don't know that," Rachel said. She reached for his hand, interlacing their fingers.

"Rachel." Finn shook his head, but he didn't let go of her hand.

Even though Rachel knew the answer to the question, she felt as if she had to ask it anyway. "How did this happen?"

Finn looked at Rachel, but he didn't' say anything. Instead, the answer was clear in his eyes; he had done it. He had torn his drum set apart, and he couldn't even say the words out loud. Rachel tugged on Finn's hand until he followed her back to his bed. She sat next to him, folding her legs underneath her. Taking the hand still grasped in hers, she pressed it to her chest, over her heart. She flattened his palm until he could feel her heart beating. Finn stared at his hand over her heart before he looked up at her.

"You still play this drum," Rachel said. "And I'm certain that no one can play it better than you can."

That charming half smile came onto Finn's face and he pulled Rachel towards him, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Rachel combed her fingers through his hair. After several long moments, Rachel laid down on the bed. Finn tensed as a particularly loud firework was set off, but Rachel guided him down so that he was lying next to her with his ear pressed over her heart. Once he was comfortable, Rachel started to softly sing.

I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord.
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this:
The fourth, the fifth,
The minor fall, the major lift,
The baffled king composing Hallelujah.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Your faith was strong but you needed proof.
You saw her bathing on the roof.
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.
She tied you to a kitchen chair,
She broke your throne, she cut your hair,
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Maybe I've been here before.
I know this room, I've walked this floor.
I used to live alone before I knew you.
I've seen your flag on the marble arch.
Love is not a victory march,
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah.

Finn slung an arm around Rachel's waist and pressed closer to her. As she sang, a few tears rolled down her cheeks, and Rachel closed her eyes as her fingers began to stroke through Finn's hair once again.

Finn closed his eyes as well. One ear was attuned to the steady beat of Rachel's heart; the other to her beautiful voice. He had heard it over the past five years, but only through recordings. Hearing it live, right in his ear, was another thing all together. Like it always had, Rachel's voice moved through Finn until it was all he could feel.

Singing for Finn was something that Rachel had always enjoyed. He always looked at her like she had hung the moon whenever she sang. And when she couldn't see his face, like now, she could practically feel how in awe he was of her. She had always loved watching Finn watching her perform, and not just because she was the center of attention. It was because the way Finn's eyes were on her made her feel amazing.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

There was a time you'd let me know
What's real and going on below.
But now you never show it to me do you?
And remember when I moved in you?
The holy dove was moving too,
And every breath we drew was hallelujah.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Well maybe there's a God above.
And all I ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you.
It's not a cry you can hear at night,
It's not somebody who's seen the light,
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Finn lifted his head just enough to look into Rachel's eyes. His brow furrowed in concern when he saw her tears, and he levered himself up so that he could lean over her. Finn pressed a slow kiss to Rachel's forehead as his thumb caressed her cheeks, wiping away her tears. When he pulled back, Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back down to her lips.

Somewhere above them, the finale of the fireworks was happening. But neither Finn nor Rachel noticed. They were too caught up in each other as their lips moved against one another's with deep, passionate kisses. Rachel felt it all the way to her toes. She felt as if it was everything all at once and the most simple, right thing in the world all at the same time.

Their fingers laced together as they broke apart for air. But Finn's lips continued down Rachel's neck, gently nipping and sucking at the column of her throat. Rachel tilted her head back against the pillows, her fingers still locked in his hair.

Finn's kisses suddenly slowed, and he trailed his lips back up to Rachel's and gave her a gentle kiss. His forehead pressed against hers as they both closed their eyes and tried to catch their breath. Finn rolled onto his back and took Rachel with him. She curled against his chest, her hand moving to rest over his heart.

They lay like that, cuddled up on the bed for a few quiet minutes. Rachel fiddled with the tulip tucked into her dress before Finn ran his hands down her back and then guided them up into a sitting position. He smoothed his hand down her hair and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I think the fireworks are over," Rachel said.

"Sounds like it," Finn agreed. He climbed off of his bed and then held his hand out to Rachel. Taking it, she smoothed out her dress and then smoothed her fingers over Finn's t-shirt. "Ready to go back outside?"

Rachel sighed dramatically. "I guess." Her teasing had the desired effect, and Finn smiled. Hand-in-hand, they walked up the stairs and out the house. They quickly found the spot that their friends had claimed.

"Good God, it's about time you two got here!" Kurt exclaimed as he stood up. He was brandishing a camera in the air, and Puck had to duck in order to avoid being hit with it.

He glared at Kurt. "Watch where you're swinging that thing, Petunia."

Kurt rolled his eyes in return. "Can it, Puckerman. Anyway, I want to take a picture to commemorate this wonderful moment. While not all of members of the original New Directions are back in Lima yet, half of us are here now. And I need a new profile picture for my Facebook page, anyway."

Carole took the camera from Kurt as the group of eight shuffled together. Puck wrapped an arm around Quinn's waist, but at the very last second he blew a raspberry onto her neck, causing her to laugh loudly. Brittany and Santana were making kissy faces at the camera, their arms wrapped around each other. Kurt was sitting on one of Blaine's knees from where they were kneeling in the front of the group, smiling brightly at the camera as they cupped each other's faces.

As for Finn and Rachel, he had pulled her close while everyone hadn't been paying attention. He bent to press his lips to her cheek, his good hand coming up to cup her opposite cheek. Rachel had a pleasantly surprised look on her face, along with a beaming smile.

Carole took a few more pictures, but she flipped back to the first one. She smiled at all of them and held it out so that they could see. "This one is my favorite."

Author's Note: So I thought that I would have a lot of Finchel fluff for a couple of chapters before we get back into the angst. And don't worry, there will be Finchel smut in this story. Thanks for reading!