Disclaimer: I do NOT own any songs that are sung in this chapter. They belong to Journey, Wicked: Soundtrack, Leann Rimes, Lady Antebellum, Blacked Eyed Peas. I do NOT own them, I'm not trying to steal them, and… that's it, I guess.
Author's Notes: AH HA! I am back with a bit of an update. This chapter is dedicated to all my FINCHEL people out there… at least the first part of the chapter. I know, I know, I said there will be PuckleBerry, and there will be, in the next chapter, which THAT chapter will have the DRAMA. And YES Quinn is up to something. I will also try to incorporate some more Tina/Mercedes/Rachel friendship story lines. I did good with an actual GLEE scene story line, so, yay for me. AGAIN… FINCHEL chapter. Oh and to Ms. Camilla Monet, You seriously made my whole damn day on Friday! This chapter is esp. for you ma'am! (And for Donna Tyler because you too have been awesome with the FINCHEL responses). And I swear there will be PUCKLBERRY in the next chapter to all the AMAZING PuckleBerry people out there. Oh, how it is hard to support both couples.
Happy Readings! And thank you so very much for the amazing reviews and Alerts, and favorites!
(GLEE!)
March 20th, 2010, Saturday
"Don't stop believing', hold on to that feelin'! Streetlight people!"
Finn smiled as Santana and Quinn sung their hearts out to their Glee Club's anthem. They were up on the stage laughing and giggling, the rest of the karaoke lounge singing along with them.
"Here you go, two cherries and one root beer." Finn turned to look at Tyke, the lounge owner/bartender.
"Thanks man." Finn gave him a smile, grabbing the necks of the bottles.
"I've missed you guys, it's been a while since I've seen you or Puck around." Tyke leaned against the counter, eyes flitting over to the 'Cheerio' table in the corner of the lounge.
"Busy." Finn shrugged. "Life just kind of got the best of us."
"I heard that you two aren't with the Princess or the Duchess anymore." The older man pointed with his head. Finn looked up on the stage, his head shaking.
"Uh, no man. I'm with someone else."
"She as hot as Princess?" Tyke sounded astounded. Finn chuckled.
"Hotter in my opinion. But keep that to yourself. I'd rather not see the claws come out tonight."
Tyke laughed. "No problem. What about Puck?"
"He's after the same girl as me." Finn began walking backwards, smirking as Tyke's mouth fell open.
"You're gonna have to bring this girl by Hudson! Any girl who can get two guys to give up the Princess and the Duchess, needs a drink on the house!" Tyke shook his head, hitting the bar counter with his towel.
Finn laughed, turning to walk to his table with little to no interference. He popped the two cherry sodas on the table and then made his way to flop next to Puck with his root beer.
"They're really rocking out up there." Finn smiled, crossing his arms. "This wasn't such a bad idea."
"Those girls really know how to lay it down. I mean, they're not as good as Mercedes or Rachel, by any means, but they're pretty awesome." Puck commented, his smirk increasing as Quinn and Santana scrambled to pick another song to sing.
The two of them had ended up at Quinn's house to rehearse with each of their partners. After almost two hours of mediocre rehearsing, Santana had suggested a bite to eat. Puck and Finn, being, well, Puck and Finn, had brightened up considerably upon hearing 'food'.
The Mosaic Lounge was just less than an hour outside of Lima. It was big, spacey, bright, and had a karaoke station. Santana's brother had been working there for years, way back in the day, so the Lounge had become a favorite hang out for Santana, Quinn, Brittany, and a few other Cheerios. Puck and Finn only had the privilege of hanging out there around eighth grade when Santana started flirting heavily with Puck and Finn tagged along.
Tyke was awesome, being a ladies man himself, he had always given the guys awesome advice and didn't charge them for the brunt of the drinks they usually bought (even though the guy was a stickler for not serving alcohol to minors).
It had been a home away from home, because it was far enough so the parents couldn't harass them, but grown-up enough so that they (Finn, Puck, Quinn, etc) didn't have to acknowledge the fact they still needed their parents.
Finn took a swig of his root-beer, his eyes leaving the stage to check his watch.
"Did you check on Rachel?" Puck asked, humor in his voice.
"Pf, why do I need to check on Rachel?" Finn rolled his eyes, focusing on the stage. He felt Puck's eyes on him. "She's fine, she's out with Kurt."
"Whipped." Puck mumbled.
"Yeah, I'm whipped, she told me that you've been texting her all afternoon." Finn shot a look to Puck, who groaned.
"That girl doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Finn laughed, raising the bottle again. "How long have we even been here? I forget how time flies right by us at this place."
"A couple of hours, tops." Puck shrugged, a smile lit his face. "Remember when we came here last August, so we could catch Santana and Brittany making out?"
"We got stranded here for four hours!" Finn chuckled. "Thank God Tyke's nephew was in town."
"Some pretty awesome times have gone down here." Puck ran his hand along the wood surface. "Do you know how many times me and Santana made out on this table alone?"
Finn gently took his bottle off the table. "Actually, I probably do. Me and Quinn had the back booth." He gestured behind them, past the bar.
"Oh, memories."
"Puck, Santana wants you to go sing with her!" Quinn was smiling from ear to ear, her voice breathy. "Thank you so much!" She giggled, leaning to hug Finn and then grabbing her soda from the table. She took the seat next to Finn, smacking her lips together as she placed the bottle back onto the table.
"I swear if she makes me rehearse that damn song one more time." Meet Me Halfway began to blast through the speakers. "Oh sweet baby Moses."
Finn laughed, watching as Puck, begrudgingly, made his way to the stage where Santana was bouncing up and down in her jeans and t-shirt.
"Isn't this better than being in my stuffy house?" Quinn was lit on adrenaline, her face literally glowing.
"I would hardly call your house stuffy Quinn." He chuckled, finishing off his root beer. "I almost forgot about this place."
"Oh, we come all the time. It's so much nicer than any place in Lima." Quinn looked back to Santana and Puck. "Better atmosphere, you know."
"I think that's just because we used to live out of here. Especially after Laurie got her driver's license and we weren't depending on Santana's brother to bring us up here and back."
"I miss Laurie, she was an awesome Cheerios' captain. Not as brilliant as me, but," Quinn laughed, nudging Finn. "I think you had a crush on her!"
"She was hot, but a total mess. Especially when it came to her and that guy's relationship. Tragic!" Finn shook his head. "Besides, I've seen hotter."
Quinn laughed. "I doubt that. Laurie was smoking hot, I wish I had her body!"
"I think you do." Finn stated, his eyes moving quickly over her. He shook his head, his fingers toying with the neck of his empty soda. "We're done practicing, right?"
"I think we have it down." Quinn gave him a huge smile, leaning closer towards him. "You smell good."
"Uh, yeah, it's Rachel's favorite. She says it helps her relax or whatever." Actually it drove Rachel crazy. Every time he wore it she would cozy up to him, her face always close to his neck.
"Oh." Quinn leaned back to her space. "You really like her, don't you? It's not just about the baby."
Finn looked at Quinn and then back to the neck of the bottle. "Um, yeah, I really like her." He cleared his throat. "I've liked her even before the baby."
He looked back up, meeting with Quinn's eyes. There was no anger or threatening stares. She was simply looking at him.
"What about Puck?" Her voice was slightly strained.
"Uh, I don't know." Finn shrugged. He inwardly sighed, leaning over and placing a chaste kiss on Quinn's cheek. He felt guilty for bringing Rachel up to begin with. At the end of the day Quinn was his friend, and he really didn't want to hurt her. "I don't want to talk about Rachel, ok? Not now. Not with you. Let's just enjoy this, ok?"
Quinn took a deep breath, downed a bit of her soda, and then smiled brightly. "We really do need to enjoy this! It took forever to get you and Puck to come out and enjoy life!"
Finn laughed. "Oh, really?"
"I bet I can beat your top score at the pinball machine." Quinn gave him a cheeky smile before jumping up. "It'll be like old times." She placed her hand out. "Come on."
Finn eyed the pinball machine that sat at the very back of the lounge, along with two other old fashioned game machines. He nodded his head, taking her hand.
"As if you could beat the reigning pinball master!"
(GLEE!)
Rachel walked into the Hudson household, yawning loudly. She smiled sheepishly to Carol who had begun laughing from the living room.
"Long day?" The older woman folded her arms, her head shifted to take in the petite pregnant teen.
There had been a day or two of awkwardness between them, but it had disappeared all too quickly for Carol to keep up. The perks of hormones and teenage pregnancy, obviously.
"Kurt had us running around the mall like we were running a three K or something." Rachel laughed, shifting to look into the house. "Is Finn home?"
"Yep, he got in about ten minutes before you, I think he's in the shower." Carol smirked. "How's junior doing?"
"He has been kicking like crazy! Every time Kurt or me talked really loudly, he was slamming away."
"You probably woke him up." Carol joked. "Finn used to throw the biggest tantrums when you woke him up."
Rachel shook her head, a giggle spilling from her lips. "He's going to be a real force to be reckoned with."
The ring-tone of the houseline shot out into the living room. Carol rolled her eyes, leaning to grab it off the table.
"He definitely will be a force." She brought the phone up to her ear, her finger on the talk button. She threw a wink to Rachel. "Good luck to you two."
Rachel laughed, moving so that Carol could have her privacy. She made it down the hall and to the left, pausing as she heard Finn singing at the top of his lungs in the shower.
"Maybe I'm brainless, maybe I'm wise. But you've got me seeing though different eyes. Somehow I've fallen, under your spell and somehow I'm feeling it's up that I fell."
Rachel shifted, leaning against the door. The smile on her face could not be helped as she folded her arms over her belly. Her head hit the door as Finn's voice went an octave higher.
"Every moment, as long as you're mine. I'll wake up my body and make up for lost time."
She winced as a strong kick hit her stomach. Oh, how she couldn't wait for this kid to come out. Another swift kick was received, causing Rachel to glare down at her stomach. Or, well, she started to glare before turning around and staring at the bathroom door.
Christopher was kicking intensely hard, hard enough where the dead could feel it. She threw open the door, causing Finn to stop singing, his head popping from the curtain. He never locked the door just in case she had to use the bathroom or whatever. They did only have the one bathroom to share.
"What happened? Are you ok? What's wrong?" Rachel was smiling brightly, ignoring the panic look on Finn's face. She practically dove into the shower, lifting her shirt above her belly, and grabbing Finn's hand. "What the hell-"
Finn was cut off as Christopher delivered yet another swift kick to his mother's insides. Rachel looked up beaming.
"WHOA! Is that him?" Finn's voice was high, excitement being delivered in every word.
"I don't know what his problem is, but I guess he heard you or sensed my reaction to you or something!" Rachel moved Finn's hand along her stomach, ignoring the fact that she was fully clothed in the shower with a not so fully clothed Finn. She was also ignoring the fact that she was getting soaked.
"He's like, whoa!" Finn looked up from Rachel's stomach, his other hand going under her chin. "Rach, this is, whoa."
Rachel nodded her head, dropping her hands from her shirt and throwing herself at the sopping boy.
"You got to feel him!" Finn wasn't sure if she was crying or it was just the water from the shower, but he shifted his head, burying it in her hair.
"I got to feel him!" He held her tighter, his eyes moving to stare at the tile of his shower.
Right. They were in his shower. While he was naked.
"Um, Rach, baby, I need to, you know, finish." He felt Rachel freeze in his arms. Apparently she had forgotten bathroom etiquette herself.
"Uh, yeah, I, yeah." Rachel let go of him, a blush filling out her face. "I'll, just, you know, and I'll see you, yeah."
Finn laughed, helping her from the shower. He shook his head before circling around to the shower knob and swinging it to the cold side. The water was instantly chilled, spraying over him as he thrusted his head directly under the nozzle.
It was so totally worth it.
(GLEE!)
"Finn, seriously, I just want to go to sleep." Rachel smiled in spite of the fact that she was dead tired and Finn was keeping her up.
"I want to feel him again. Chris, come on baby, move for daddy." Finn stated, his face directly over her stomach.
Rachel laughed, allowing her head to drop into the comfort of her pillow. They were lying in his bed, both on the verge of falling asleep. It had only been about an hour from their shower moment, but Finn was still feeding off the excitement. So when Christopher started moving around (again), Finn had jumped up and moved to her stomach. He pushed her shirt up to just above her swollen bulge, his hands immediately moving up, down, left, and right.
"I'm so happy you finally felt him. Now it's only Mr. Schue. At least one of you will stop looking like you just want to start bawling because you still haven't felt him."
"I did not look like I want to start crying." Finn argued, a pout on his lips. Rachel rolled her eyes.
"Uh-huh. Not at all." She squealed as Finn, in one swift move, playful threw himself over her.
His arms circled around her, his body twisting so that she was on top of him, his head braced against the pillow. A smile was spread across his face, his eyes lit playfully.
"Finn!" Rachel couldn't help but giggle, her hands on his chest, her face dangerously close to his. "What are you doing?"
"I did not look like I want to start crying!" He laughed, his fingers moving over her sides, causing her to once again squeal. "Take it back!"
"You always looked like you want to start crying! Or beating the crap out of whoever was touching my stomach." Her giggles increased as his fingers moved with grace along her sides. "Stop it! Stop it!"
And he did. His fingers paused completely, his head lifting and capturing her lips. Rachel froze for precisely one second, before a wave of emotion flooded her body.
Her hands dipped under his head, her body moving so that she could steady herself over him without toppling over (let's be honest, she really didn't have any kind of balance to her name at this point). She instantly opened up to him, his tongue darting between her lips, causing her to moan.
In yet another swift move, Rachel was once again under Finn, his arms supporting him as he dipped his head closer to her's.
Everything from his body heat, to his lips, to his tongue, to the way he was breathing, made her skin tingle with warmth. She moaned again as he lowered his body to her, his fingers moving down her sides.
Her hands left his hair, moving down to his neck, and over his shoulders. She took a deep breath as his lips left hers, moving across her cheek down to the nape of her neck. Her hands gliding with ease down his thin tee-shirt, creeping underneath the hem. A tingling sensation spread through her fingertips as they came in contact with the smooth skin of his stomach.
"Are you ok?" She shifted her head, her eyes meeting his in a frenzy of fireworks. She smiled, nodding her head, her voice lost to the waves of emotion. "Are you sure, I don't want to pressure-"
Rachel cut him off, her hands between them, underneath his shirt, and her lips tugging on his.
She wouldn't be able to tell you how it happened, but in a flash of the eye, Finn's shirt had been discarded somewhere in the room. Her hands roamed his chest as the familiar heat coursed through her body. She arched her back, groaning in defeat, realizing that her round stomach was creating a space between them.
"Ugh." Rachel sighed, allowing her head to drop, her eyes staring at her stomach and his stomach.
"Am I hurting you?" There was a scared tremor in his voice, his arms instantly moving from around her to brace himself above her.
"No, no, that's not it." Rachel sighed again, a small laugh escaping her lips. "I just, this is weird, and awkward, and it's not exactly like it was in September." She shook her head. "Honestly."
Finn gave her a small smile, rolling off of her. He laid next to her, nudging her on to her side, away from him.
"What are you doing?" She asked, moving so that she was facing the window. A heat blanketed her back, his arms moving so that he was holding her tightly to him. One arm wrapped under her neck and over her chest, as his other hand sat over her clothed belly.
"You want closeness, I'm giving you closeness." His tone was husky and low. He kissed the back of her head, allowing his hand to move down to the hem of her shirt and under. Rachel took a deep breath as his palm came in contact with her skin.
"How did you know I wanted closeness?" She turned her head, catching his bright eyes. A smile graced her lips, her head moving to stare at the curtained window, and pressing close to him.
"I don't know." He answered honestly, tightening his hold. "It doesn't matter." He cleared his throat, his hand pressing over her stomach. "Rachel, I wanted to tell you," he paused.
A thin veil of silence spread over them. Several minutes pasted, the only thing sounding was their breaths in the air.
"What?" She shifted her head again.
Finn shook his head. "Nothing, never mind. Go to sleep." He gave her a smile, kissing her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Rach."
She nodded, her eyes closing as her head returned to it's original position.
"Sweet dreams."
(GLEE!)
March 22nd, 2010, Monday
Puck was leaning back into his chair, staring at Mike Chang. The boy was trying to fix some cardboard, shoebox, pathetic attempted science project. He shook his head, looking over to the doors of the choir room.
"Mr. Mackey is so unfair!" Mike whined, smacking his shoe box to the ground. "This was a stupid assignment!"
"Dude, I told you to just do the report, but no, you wanted to do something hands-on."
"You get better marks when you do things hands on, Puck, duh!" Mike looked up at his friend.
"I am not Rutherford, do not upset me." Mike rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out.
"What are you two doing? You're like five year olds." Mercedes stated, walking up to Puck and sitting next to him. "What's that?"
"Chang's failed attempt at science." Puck answered, eyes darting back to the choir doors.
"Ah." Mercedes nodded her head, staring down at the ground. "Mike, what song did you and Matt pick?"
Mike turned from the chaos on the floor and gave a wide smile to Mercedes. "We're doing an amazing rendition of Cupid's Chokehold, by the Gym Class Heroes."
Mercedes let out a laugh. "That's awesome."
"What is it with Mr. Schue and the love songs lately? He's starting to bug me." Puck crossed his arms, ignoring that Mike and Mercedes were now looking at him.
"Looks like someone is all loved out." Mike mumbled.
"Chang!"
"Sorry, sorry, you've been super pissy all day. What is your problem?" Mike gave a heated look to Puck.
At that moment the choir doors opened to reveal a brightly lit Rachel, who was smiling at an equally bright Finn. Mercedes and Mike looked at the couple and then to Puck who had an unreadable expression across his face. Mercedes and Mike looked at each other.
"Oh."
"Hey you guys, you ready for our songs?"
"Whatever." Puck stated. Rachel's smile lowered, her eyes flashing dangerously towards Puck. He ignored this warning sign.
"Dude, come off it." Finn stated, giving Puck a look, but not furthering the issue. The taller boy took a seat in front of Mercedes.
"I am perfectly fine." Puck stated coolly.
"What did we miss?" Mike asked, looking at Finn.
"I felt the baby on Saturday." Finn looked forward.
"So?" Mercedes gave Puck a look like 'WTF?'.
"Look, it's nothing, get over it." Puck stated. He stood up abruptly, moving to the other side of the choir room. Mike watched him for a hard minute before turning back to Finn and Rachel.
"Finn was in the shower at the time he felt the baby move." Rachel gave a disapproving look to Finn.
"Do not make me feel guilty. He told me about the make-out session you two had when he felt the baby." Finn gave Rachel an annoyed look, quickly removing it as Rachel's eyes moved angrily together.
Mike let out a low whistle. "You guys are better than my mom's soap operas!" His hands went up defensively upon seeing the look on Rachel and Finn's faces. "I felt him kick at school, in our science class. I wasn't kissing no-one or washing myself!"
"Oh lord." Rachel mumbled, covering her face. Mercedes gently patted her shoulder.
"It's ok Rachel, I still like you."
Within five minutes the choir room was filled with it's members, Mr. Schue smiling to his class.
"So, before we start singing, what's our view points on love?"
"It's stupid!" Puck mouthed off, earning a few laughs and some heated looks. Mr. Schue nodded.
"Ok, that's one point," he gestured for someone else to speak up.
"It's perpetual." Quinn looked over to Finn. Kurt looked over to Rachel, moving and nudging her. He leaned back into his seat when Rachel turned and gave him a look. Artie snickered.
"I like that, any one else?" Mr. Schue nodded his head in approval.
"It's worth singing about!" Mercedes called out, laughing as the girls giggled and applauded.
"Thank You Mercedes!" Mr. Schue clapped his hands together. "Love has been the focal point of song after song. How to find it, where to find it, how to keep it, what happens when you've lost it; every love song is someone's anthem. So, I gave you guys a week and I would like to know your anthems." He look around the room. "Who's first?"
Kurt jumped up. "Brittany and I would love to start this little show down off."
"Kurt it's not a competiti-" Mr. Schue was caught off by Kurt making a noise and moving to grab Brittany's hand. "Ok, well, you guys have center stage."
Kurt and Brittany rushed up to the center of the choir room, their backs against each other and their arms folded. Music began to filter across the room. Mr. Schue's eyes rolling just slightly.
"You sucked me in and played my mind. Just like a toy you would crank and wind. Baby, I would give til you wore it out, you left me lying in a pool of doubt. If you're still thinkin' you're the daddy mac, you should've known better but you didn't and I can't go back." Brittany's voice floated evenly over the choir room. Her fellow peers were bopping around in their seats. She turned her head and look at Kurt who gave a devilish smile. Their voices humming together.
"Oooh, life goes on, and it's only gonna make me strong, its a fact, once you get on board say goodbye cuz you can't go back. Oooh, it's a fight, and I really wanna get it right, where I'm at, is my life before me, got this feeling that I can't go back. Life goes on, life goes on, life goes on…"
Brittany giggled. The two turned and faced each other, Kurt twirling her around and throwing a wink to the crowd.
"Wish I knew then what I know now. You held all the cards and sold me out. Baby, shame on you if you fooled me once, shame on me if you fooled me twice. You've been a pretty hard case to crack. I should've known better but I didn't and I can't go back." Kurt threw his arms in the air, smiling brightly, before turning back to Brittany as she nodded and winked over to him.
"Oooh, life goes on, and it's only gonna make me strong, its a fact, once you get on board say goodbye cuz you can't go back. Oooh, it's a fight, and I really wanna get it right, where I'm at, is my life before me, got this feeling that I can't go back. Life goes on, life goes on, life goes on."
Applause started before the music had even faded out. Kurt took Brittany's hand and they bowed to their team mates.
"Oh, Leann Rimes, how she has taught us well." Kurt stated, moving back to his seat. Mr. Schue gave them a smile and a nod of the head.
"Great song choice. What were you two conveying about love?"
"That, no matter what, life goes on and you have to do what's best for you." Brittany stated, her voice high and happy.
"Awesome job." Mr. Schue gave them one more clap. "Who's next?"
"Finn and I will go!" Quinn volunteered. Puck gave her a look, turning his head in the direction of Finn. The taller boy was giving her a bit of a look as well but stood up none-the-less.
Tina, who was sitting in-between Rachel and Artie huffed. "Prince Charming and the Wicked step sister."
Rachel laughed loudly, earning a look from everyone in the choir room. She coughed and covered her mouth. "Hormone surge."
Quinn narrowed her eyes a bit, but grabbed Finn's hands to start the song.
"Don't you think everyone is going to stop believing that 'hormone surge' excuse at some point?" Artie asked.
"No." Tina, Rachel, and Mercedes answered in unison.
Quinn stood in front of Finn, grabbing his hand in hers. The music filtered in slowly. Finn twirled Quinn around, stopping as she faced the audience his hand still in hers.
"Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor. Reachin' for the phone 'cause I can't fight it anymore. And I wonder if I ever cross your mind. For me it happens all the time. It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now. Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now. And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now."
She twirled around again to face Finn, a smile appearing over her face as they began to do some waltz looking dance. Rachel had raised an eyebrow, as Kurt's mouth hung open, and Puck simply folded his arms.
Finn was looking down at Quinn, his eyes closing as he opened his mouth.
"Another shot of whiskey can't stop looking at the door, wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before. And I wonder if I ever cross your mind. For me it happens all the time. It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now. Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now. And I don't know how I can do without. I just need you now."
He once again spun her, bringing her so that his arm could go around her collar bone. Quinn looked up at him, their mouths opening once again.
"Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothin' at all. It's a quarter after one I'm all alone and I need you now."
Applause once again broke out before the music had faded. Even though, unlike Kurt and Brittany's applause, some of the members were only half heartedly moving their hands together.
"Thank you, thank you. Lady Antebellum" Quinn stated, curtseying. Finn nodded his head, looking over to his section of the choir room. He had a feeling that they didn't appreciate the song as much as some of the others.
"That was amazing you two! Great job!" Mr. Schue was laughing and smiling. "Tell us what you guys were singing about."
"Love is perpetual, Mr. Schue, and sometimes you end up realizing what you need and what you need to do to get it back what you want." Quinn grabbed Finn's hand once again. "It's a beautiful song."
"Uh, yeah." Finn took his other hand and moved it up to rub his neck.
"Well, you two certainly conveyed a very sweet aspect of the emotion. Bravo!" Mr. Schue clapped again, only to slow it down as his eyes met with Rachel's. He cleared his throat. "Uh, who would lik-"
"We would." Santana stated confidently, standing up, dragging Puck up with her.
"Sure." Puck stated, maneuvering himself out of Santana's grasp. "We're doing Black Eyed Peas, Meet Me Halfway. Artie."
Rachel and Tina both turned as Artie smiled at Puck and maneuvered himself over to a microphone that was placed off to the side. Mr. Schue watched as well, eyeing Rachel and Tina who both were frowning.
Santana took her pony tail out, flipping it around a bit. She threw a kiss and wink over to Puck who simply smirked.
"I can't go any further then this. I want you so badly, it's my biggest wish." She once again blew a kiss as Puck plucked his shirt a bit and rolled his shoulder, strutting over to her.
"Cool." He chuckled. "I spent my time just thinkin, thinkin, thinkin bout you. Every single day yes, I'm really missing, missing you. And all those things we use to use to use to do. Hey girl, wuz up, it use to be just me and you."
Artie's voice came on to the microphone as the backdrop. "I spent my time just thinkin, thinkin, thinkin bout you. Every single day, yes I'm really missin, missin you. And all those things we use to use to use to do. Hey girl wuz up, wuz up, wuz up, wuz up."
Santana had placed her arms around Puck, twisting and dance against him (not too racy, of course). "Meet me halfway, right at the borderline, that's where I'm gonna wait, for you. I'll be lookin out, night n'day. Took my heart to the limit, and this is where I'll stay. I can't go any further then this, I want you so bad it's my only wish."
"Girl, I travel round the world and even sail the seven seas, across the universe i go to other galaxies. Just tell me where you want, just tell me where you wanna to meet. I navigate myself, myself to take me where you be. Cause girl I want, I, I, I want you right now. I travel uptown (town) I travel downtown. I wanna to have you around, like every single day. I love you always…way." Puck grabbed her and spun her out and then back into him. Santana dipped back and then forward, her hair mussing from the dancing.
"Meet me halfway, right at the borderline, that's where I'm gonna wait, for you. I'll be lookin out, night n'day. Took my heart to the limit, and this is where I'll stay. I can't go any further then this, I want you so bad it's my only wish."
The choir room was filled with cat-calls and applause. Mr. Schue moving from his seat to the duet on the floor.
"Guys, that was energetic and lively! I'm very impressed!"
"Our song conveys the part about love where it's not one person doing everything, but rather a compromise of two people wanting to be together." Santana winked over to Puck who raised an eyebrow but smirked.
"Well you guys did an awesome job." Mr. Schue gestured for the two to go back to their seats. "Well, I think we'll leave our other three performances for tomorrow, that way we can talk about a few things for Nationals and a little assignment for next week."
Their teacher smiled and made his way to the dry-erase board.
Finn looked over to Puck, who was looking over at Rachel. Finn turned his head to see Rachel sitting perfectly poised and put together.
"Uh, Rach, what did you think of our songs?"
"They were great." She gave him a small smile. "Great singing and choreography."
"Yeah, the choreography was Quinn's doing." Finn paused as a hand found his shoulder. He turned to see Kurt shaking his head.
"Stop while you're ahead Finn." Stated the soprano, before going back to paying attention to Mr. Schue. Finn sighed, mimicking Puck's folded arms.
(GLEE!)
March 24th, 2010, Thursday
"Are they stupid?" Kurt asked.
"She is being a bit distant with them. Why they always run off to them, I'll never know." Mercedes commented back.
"I told you all of this was going to eventually be too much." Artie added his two cents.
"It'll all work out when everything is said and done. Especially after she has the baby and her head is cleared."
"I am laying right next to you guys, you know this, right." The four friends shifted to look down/over to Rachel who was laying on the picnic blanket, on her side. Her eyes were closed and she was facing away from Finn, Puck, Brittany, Santana, Mike, Matt, and Quinn who were a good twenty feet from the original five.
It was the first beautiful day in months and Mr. Schue had decided that the team should hang out and just relax. He was sitting with Ms. Pillsbury on a bench, right by the jogging trail. They had clicked off upon setting up at the park. Finn and Puck moving to sit with their popular peers.
"We know you're there chicka-dee." Kurt waved at her dismissively. "It's more fun this way."
"Why aren't you more angry? Or crazy? Or something?" Artie asked, his chin resting in his hand.
"Because I don't care. Finn swears up and down that he and Quinn are just friends and Puck, well Puck is being a jackass right now." Rachel shrugged.
"Puck has been a little angry recently." Mercedes stated.
"I think it's because he feels like he's loosing in this silent competition. You know? He was doing really good, but Finn has a home team advantage." Tina moved from the picnic table to the blanket with Kurt and Rachel.
"There is no competition. I am not dating anyone until Christopher is three." Rachel mumbled, eyes still shut and her body molding to the ground.
"Oh, please." Kurt shook his head. "You have been running around between those two in some twisted ring around the rosies game." Tina looked at Kurt and then Mercedes for translation. The black haired diva could only shrug. "I like Puck, I like Finn, I like Puck, I like Finn. I hate Puck, I hate Finn. I want to sleep with Puck, I want to sleep with Finn. I don't think you know if you're coming or going! Get it together!"
Tina, Mercedes, and Artie stared at Kurt in reprimanding.
And then, the sobs came.
"I don't know if I'm coming or going! My dads don't want me! I'm going to be living in a basement! My baby is a bastard! I don't want to sing or dance or anything! And my brand new maternity pants, that I just bought, don't fit!" Rachel began crying hysterically. She had sat up at some point and her hands were to the sides of her, gesturing wildly as sobs poured from her lips.
"Great going Kurt!" Tina stated, throwing her arms around Rachel.
"You're all going to leave me! And I was the stupid one! I didn't use protection! I'm going to stay in Lima forever and become fat and poor and ugly!" Rachel was besides herself, inconsolable.
"What happened?" Mr. Schue asked, he and Ms. Pillsbury rushing over to the original five.
"Oh, sweetie, what's wrong?" Ms. Pillsbury leaned far down, her hand coming to rest on Rachel's shoulder.
"I'm a whale! And I don't want to be a whale! And all he does is kick, and kick, and kick! I don't want a baby! I don't want anyone! I want to now if I'm coming or going!" Tina was trying to soothe the brunette, but nothing was working. Rachel was in a full, hysterical, emotional throw down.
"What's going on?" Finn asked, his tone authoritative. Kurt looked at the standing giant, gesturing weakly to Rachel.
"This is your fault!" Kurt, Finn, and Mr. Schue all took a step back as Rachel turned, face red and tearful, to Finn. "If I hadn't been so stupid to think I could make you like me! UGH!" She turned her head back to Tina's shoulder, allowing herself to be taken over by the sobs, and the tears, and raw emotion.
"Rach, I did like you. I do like you." He moved so that he was kneeling next to her. He almost lost his balance as Rachel turned from Tina and threw herself at Finn to be comforted. His arms wrapped around her, patting her back, and whispering soothing words to her.
"What triggered this?" Puck questioned, looking at Kurt, Tina, Mercedes, and Artie. "These kinds of breakdowns are triggered by shit."
Tina, Artie, and Mercedes all looked at Kurt. This caused Puck, Mr. Schue, Ms. Pillsbury, and Finn to look at Kurt.
"I may have said some things, a little harshly." He coughed weakly. "She didn't take it well."
Puck threw his arms in the air, turning and facing away from the train wreck happening. Finn rolled his eyes, tightening his hold on Rachel.
"It's not his fault!" Came a muffled sob from Finn's chest. "It's my fault. I should have known! I should have never told anyone! I should have seen a counselor or fallen down stairs or went to live with Aunt Sophie! And now I'm going to be alone!" Rachel was shaking, her sobs were increasing, and Finn could feel her body temperature raising dramatically.
"Rachel, you are not alone. You will never be alone." Finn sighed as his words fell on deaf ears.
"Come on Rach, you have us." Puck had moved, squatting down close to Rachel and Finn. "And you have Finn's mom, and Kurt's dad, and my sister. You have a whole support system." Puck's words, too, fell on deaf ears.
Rachel maneuvered herself from Finn's arms. Her breathing was completely uncontrolled and her face was a brilliant red. She looked at the concerned faces of her friends and her teachers.
And then another sob fell from her lips and she threw herself at Mr. Schue's unexpected arms. Puck and Finn looked at their teacher who was looking confused.
Ms. Pillsbury gave a look to the rest of the teenagers before helping Mr. Schue from his position on the ground, Rachel still crying into his arms.
"I think it's time to go home."