Hi everyone! I hope all of you had a lovely holiday! I just learned that I go back to school on the 9th ): ugh, it's too close. Lksjfsdlkfj I thought I had till the end of the month ): So sad.

Anyways, happy new year!

Hope you all enjoy!

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Chapter 26

Rachel had woken up twice since they had decided to go to sleep.

With the movie off, the lamp out, Rachel curled up against his chest, Finn concentrated on Rachel's breathing. He contemplated a few things—he could hear cars driving on the street outside (part of him wondered what people were doing up at this hour and another was if Rachel's dad had driven home from the hospital), he wondered if he had locked the front door, and he tried to figure out if his Math homework was due Monday or Wednesday.

He had managed to drift off when Rachel woke up, squirming in his grip.

She had totally forgotten he was sleeping in bed with her.

Rachel had bolted from his arms, turning the nightstand lamp on, picking up whatever her hands found first—which just happened to be a music book.

"I know tai-chi!"

Finn put his hands up in surrender, half-asleep and totally confused. "Rachel, it's me!"

She was obviously half asleep too, he could tell because her eyes were all squinty and she had an adorable sleepy expression on her face.

She lowered the book in her hands. "Finn?"

He yawned and rubbed a hand over his face, looking at the time. "Yeah, babe. It's me. Come on, get back to bed." He patted the space next to him.

She frowned softly and set the book on the nightstand before crawling back into bed, shutting the lamp off. A small yawn escaped her lips as Finn pulled her close, snuggling into her back.

"I didn't know you knew tai-chi…"

Rachel giggled softly. "I don't…I'm pretty sure I just said that because I was having dreams about ninjas at a tea party."

Finn laughed, placing kisses on the back of her neck. He fell back asleep to her laughing.

The second time Rachel had woken up she had had a nightmare. Finn had shifted in bed, moving to wrap an arm around Rachel's waist…and then realized she wasn't lying next to him.

"Rach?" Finn asked; voice thick with sleep.

He glanced up at her bathroom; there was light streaming out from under the door and Finn slowly pulled himself from bed to check on her. He gently knocked on the door, not wanting to scare her.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked, clearing his throat.

When she didn't answer, Finn bit his lip, reaching down to jostle the handle a little. He turned the knob, poking his head inside the bathroom. Rachel was seated on the closed toilet seat, cell phone in her hand. She looked up at him, tears rimming her eyes.

"F-Finn." She said softly, swiping a hand under her eyes. "I'm sorry I woke you."

He frowned and went into the bathroom, kneeling down in front of her. "What's the matter?"

She tried to smile but it just looked sad and strained. "I had a nightmare."

He licked his lips, reaching his hand up to take hers. He settled their intertwined hands on her lap. "What about?"

"I dreamt that my dad called…about my dad and…" She shook her head, looking down at their hands. Finn ran his thumb over hers.

"Bad news?"

She nodded. "The worst." A tear fell down her cheek. "I had a nightmare that he died, Finn."

Her words became choked as a sob escaped her lips and Finn leaned up, gathering her into his arms. "Shh, it was just a dream, baby." He murmured into her hair, rubbing her back. "It wasn't real…your dad is fine." Well, as fine as he could be. "Just a dream…shh."

She sniffled as she ran her cheek along his shoulder, breathing in his scent. He pulled back just enough to kiss her cheek before he stood and picked her up in one fluid motion. He carried her back to bed, laying her down on the sheets before lying down next to her. He ran a comforting hand through her hair before pulling her close, rubbing circles along her upper back.

"Think you'll be able to get back to sleep?"

Rachel managed a small nod before looking up at him. He barely saw her face in the dark room—streetlamps and the mood faintly lit her face. "I'm glad you're here."

He smiled softly and kissed her forehead. "Me too."

He waited until her breathing slowed and evened out against his chest before closing his eyes.

Finn was awake for a third time—he felt kind of creepy just lying in bed, watching Rachel sleep, but he didn't want to move or look away. She looked so peaceful, care free—no worries or tears over what could happen to her father. He liked it better that way.

He couldn't remember the last time he had saw her face without worry lines and concern in her eyes. Life was too short for so much sorrow—if he had learned anything from what Rachel was going through with her dad, it was that. But it wasn't like he could tell her that. Rachel was dealing with everything as best as she could…and yeah, she had stronger moments than others.

Finn was so proud of her—and he had at urge to tell her so every time he looked her in the eyes. She could lose her dad, but past the sadness in her eyes he saw determination, hope—

He was proud of her for being so strong when she could have just fallen apart. It was easier to fall apart.

Rachel turned in her sleep, snuggling into his chest. He looked down at her, placed a kiss on her jaw and repositioned his head on the pillow, falling asleep moments later.

Oo0o0o0o0o

Finn watched the pan in front of him like it was about to stand up and do back flips—Rachel totally didn't need burned pancakes (not to mention a burned kitchen) to wake up to this morning. He licked his lips and slid the spatula under the golden circle and carefully turned it over, nearly fist pumping at the perfect shade of brown.

He had never made pancakes before without burning them.

Awesome.

He checked his phone for any messages before putting the finished pancake on a small stack of others next to the stove. He sprayed the pan with PAM (maybe that was why they burned all the time…he forgot the PAM and they stuck when he tried to flip them) and poured more batter into a perfect circle.

His mom hadn't called him yet—which meant one of two things. She was either on her way over here to drag him home or she hadn't checked her phone yet. Finn really hoped it was the second one. He looked at the time before setting his phone down on the counter—it was still early; his mom liked to sleep in sometimes after long shifts at work.

Finn heard a small noise to his left and turned to see a sleepy looking Rachel turning into the kitchen. Her hair was messed up on the one side; random curls and frizzy ends. Her one cheek had streaks from the bunched up fabric of the pillow she had been sleeping on and her eyes were barely open against the light of the kitchen.

He smiled softly. "Hey." He said quietly.

She bit her lip and ran a hand over her face before walking over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He smiled softly as she leaned into his chest, her head tucking perfectly under his right pec. He leaned down and kissed her head before turning the pancake in the pan.

"You weren't there when I woke up; I thought you might have gone home." She murmured against his t-shirt.

He shook his head. "No, I wanted to surprise you with breakfast."

"Surprise, the kitchen isn't burned down." He chuckled and rubbed her back with his free hand.

"Are you making fun of my lack of skills, Miss Berry?"

He felt her smile. "No, course not. I'm actually rather impressed."

Yeah, in all actuality, so was he. "I looked up the ingredients and stuff on the internet. I'm pretty sure the title was 'Pancakes for Dummies' because they described everything from how many eggs to use to how not set a dish towel near the burner."

Rachel giggled. "Well, they smell delicious." She kissed his chest.

Finn grinned and pulled back to hand her the plate that held about five pancakes. "Here, take what you want and start eating. They should still be pretty warm."

"You don't want to stop and eat too?" She asked as she set the plate on the table to get out the syrup and butter from the fridge.

"Can't stop now! I'm on a roll." He winked at her, making her giggle. He turned the pancake over in the pan and listened to her bustle around the kitchen, gathering silverware and coffee mugs from the pantry.

She sat down at the island table and poured a good amount of syrup onto two pancakes on a separate plate and dug in. She moaned around the first bite she took and Finn swallowed thickly, trying not to remember how she had sounded exactly the same when his tongue had rounded around her clit.

Focus on the damn pancakes, Hudson.

"I'm taking that as a good sign?" He asked.

He turned in time to see her blush. "Yeah, very good, thank you."

He smiled and nodded, turning his attention back to the pancake in front of him. He flipped it carefully. "You want anything else? Toast is easy and I'm pretty sure I can conquer scrambled eggs."

Finn could hear the smile in her voice. "No, thank you, this is perfect." She took another bite before she spoke again. "Did your mom call?"

He shook his head, putting the final pancake on the plate in the middle of the table and turned the fire off. He put saran wrap over the remaining batch of pancake batter and set it in the fridge. He sat down next to her, stole a kiss off her syrupy sweet lips and started putting butter over his pancakes.

"I'm guessing she's not up yet."

He turned to Rachel and smiled softly, taking the mugs that were next to her plate. He filled them both up with coffee and got the sugar and cream out. He dumped in two spoonfuls of sugar before adding a bit of cream.

"You feeling better…I mean, compared to last night?" Finn poured a bit of cream in Rachel's mug. She smiled softly at him in thanks.

"Much better." She looked up at him. "Thanks to you."

Finn smiled tenderly at her words. "You give me too much credit."

She shook her head, putting her hand over his on the mug of his coffee. "Sometimes I don't think I give you enough."

Finn leaned forward and planted a long kiss on her forehead. "You give me plenty." He said against her skin. He smiled and pulled back, eating the rest of his pancakes.

He picked up her fork and fed her the last bit of pancake on her plate and kissed her nose before turning around to do the dishes.

Finn washed while Rachel dried and put the cups, plates and silverware away—and for some reason he felt an overwhelming sense of comfort in the ordinary motions. He dried his hands as he left the pan to soak.

"Mind doing that last one for me? I should get going; the sooner I get home, the better." Rachel pouted and Finn chuckled, setting the towel down. "Don't pout, it's just one pan."

"No, I…I just wish you didn't have to go so soon." She set her own dish towel down and rose up on her toes to kiss him softly.

Finn cupped her face and kissed her back, running his one arm around her waist. He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I wish I didn't have to go yet either."

Rachel trailed her hand down his shirt, stopping just above the waistline of his sweatpants. "Then don't go yet."

He smiled and shook his head, his tongue running over her lower lip as she slid a thumb past the waistband.

"I have to, I don't want to get in trou—" He broke off in a moan as Rachel slid her thumb over his boxers and top part of his cock.

His hand seized her wrist instinctively before she could go lower and he smirked against her lips, shaking his head a little. "Not fair…are you trying to seduce me, Miss Berry?"

She leaned up and kissed his lower lip, trying to move her hand lower in his grip. "Trying…"

"You know…if you go any lower you'll succeed."

She smiled against his lips, kissing him softly. "Then let go of my wrist."

Finn kissed her lower lip as he gently pulled his fingers back, releasing her wrist. She pushed her hand into his pants, gripping him softly. He groaned, his large hands grasping her waist. Before she could go any farther, he picked her up, walking over to one of the kitchen chairs. He sat down, pulling her to straddle his waist.

Rachel quickly slid her hand back in his pants and he kissed her neck, nearly asking permission to do the same. He groaned when her thumb ran over the head of his cock.

"Touch me, Finn." Rachel moaned, rocking her hips slightly. "Please?"

She barely said the last word of her plea before Finn complied. He slid her nightgown up and then his hand dipped lower, sliding past her cotton panties. He nearly came at how wet she was; his fingers running gently over her folds.

Rachel whined softly—a strangled moan sliding past her lips, as he slid two fingers into her. Finn thought for a moment that he had done too many too soon, because in the tub he had worked her up to it, and he nearly pulled back out but then Rachel started to rock her hips.

Finn smirked softly; glad he was doing something right. He was happy that it didn't take a lot of fancy moves or foreplay to turn Rachel on—Santana had been all…jumping through hoops and rings of fire and she had just been so goddamn hard to please that he had just given up, let her do everything while she called him things like 'beached whale'.

He gasped softly as Rachel started kissing his neck—now was so not the time to be thinking of Santana.

His thumb grazed her clit as Rachel's palm slid over his balls. He panted softly, passion and desire curling inside his belly. He tried to slide her nightgown over her head with one hand and she giggled softly when it kept getting stuck somewhere in the middle. She reached up under the shirt and behind her back, unhooking her bra instead of trying to take the long shirt off. She turned her wrist in his pants, squeezing and stroking him as she did so and his hips jerked on their own accord.

How the hell did she multi-task like that?

His hand moved under her shirt, gently cupping her exposed breast as he jerked his fingers inside her, finding a fast paced motion. Rachel's hand found a similar pace around his cock, her thumb swiping his balls and the tip of his cock every so often. Every time she did that, his insides felt like they were about to explode.

He could tell she was close when her free hand squeezed his shoulder, her head thrown back as she rocked against his motions. He slid a third finger into her, his thumb swiping her clit one final time. She came moments later, walls tightening around his fingers. He groaned and came hard at the sensation—the image of his cock where his fingers were bleeding into his euphorically dazed mind.

They both pulled their hands free—Finn actually thought for a moment that it had been at the same time, before Rachel leaned against his chest, the chair moaning under their combined weight. He panted, running a hand down her back, enjoying the feeling of her heaving chest against his—nipples taut against his t-shirt covered skin.

Finn lazily kissed the side of Rachel's neck, shivering when her nose ran over his shoulder. He couldn't help but think about what their first time would be like and how he couldn't wait to experience it with her.

Before he could say anything his phone started to chirp loudly near the stove. Finn swore and picked Rachel up, setting her on the ground. She stumbled; her legs a bit jello-y from her orgasm, not ready to stand up on solid ground yet.

He grabbed her arm and steadied her, reaching for his cell phone. "Shit, it's my mom. I have to go, I'm sorry."

She smiled softly at him, curling her hair around her ear. "It's okay. I didn't mean to make you late…well, later. I hope you don't get into too much trouble."

Finn smiled, letting his phone go to voicemail. He knew his mom would be calling over and over again until he answered. "It was worth it." He kissed her nose. "I probably won't be able to see you…or the rest of the outside world, tonight…or probably any night until my death." She giggled. "But I'll see you at school, Monday. Okay?"

She nodded. "Don't forget to grab your suit upstairs."

"Bring it to school, Monday? I have to go." Finn hurriedly located his shoes, not having time to gather all the rest of his stuff before heading towards the front door.

Rachel hurried to keep up and he turned so fast that she nearly ran into his chest. He smiled and kissed her softly. "I love you."

"Love you more!"

He chuckled. "Not possible." He tapped her nose with his finger and swiftly headed out the front door to his truck.

His phone rang again. It was only Saturday.

Monday seemed so far away.

0o0o0o0o0

Finn was sick of being sick. And he'd only felt like this since Sunday night.

It was Monday, nine in the morning. His first goddamn class and he was already miserable.

Why couldn't anyone explain to him why time seemed to move slower when he had a head cold?

This was all his mom's fault (which technically rounded back to being his fault, but whatever). He had woken up Sunday with a sore throat and itchy eyes. He thought it might have been allergies or something so he ignored it.

He swore at himself.

If he ever woke up feeling like that again he was going to head straight to the kitchen to take Vitamin C—because even if it ended up being just allergies, it was, like, a backup plan so he wouldn't have to walk around feeling like this. This had to of been the Satan of all head colds.

His mom had noticed him feeling a bit sick and when he had woken up this morning, sneezing his head off—his mom had taken his temperature. With no fever, she merely shrugged and made him go to school. He bit his lip as a tickle moved in the back of his nose. He shook his head. Fuck sneezing—he sounded like a friggin woodland giant anytime he sneezed and he refused to do that in class.

If he hadn't of missed curfew on Saturday and slept over Rachel's house, his mom would have probably been a bit easier on him. He would give anything to be home; in his bed, blankets up to his chin, hot coffee helping his stuffed up sinuses and the TV on in the background.

He glanced at the clock through bleary eyes, rubbing them. He sniffled and reached for a tissue in his right pocket, dabbing his red nose. He groaned softly, digging his thumbs into his temples as a headache brewed in the back of his skull.

Couldn't this goddamn class just end?

The shrill bell sound that signaled the end of class was like small explosions in his head. He groaned softly and stood, gathering his books as fast as he could. He needed to blow his nose and see if he had any Advil in his locker—he could not sit through English with this headache.

By the time he made it to his locker, Finn's head felt like it was full of cotton. He coughed harshly into his arm, sniffling softly. He couldn't find his English notebook or the Advil. Finn sighed softly, running a hand over his face. Of fucking course. Couldn't just one thing go right today?

He slowly walked into English. He wasn't one to be early but at least there was a bright side to that…because he knew one person that was always early.

"Finn!"

He actually smiled as he heard Rachel's voice. "Hey, baby." He said as she walked over to him.

She frowned, touching his arm. "Oh, Finn. You sound awful."

He sniffled. "Yeah, I don't feel great either."

"I didn't know you were sick, I would have baked you something to warm you up." She rubbed his arm and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

He shook his head and gently pushed her back. "No, Rach, don't. I don't want you to get sick—" He trailed off; an intense itching filling his nose. He rubbed the bridge of it with the back of his hand but a sneeze snuck up on him before he could even grab a tissue.

Finn quickly turned away from her. "Heh-shhh!" He managed to catch it in his elbow and sniffled wetly.

He groaned and rubbed his forehead as he heard Rachel move across the room to her bookbag. She approached him again moments later with a few tissues.

"Here, hun." She gently rubbed his arm as he took the tissues from her. God, he was so gross. How was Rachel even touching him right now?

He blew his nose and threw away the tissues, trying to manage a small smile in her direction. "I thought you hated being around sick people. You're always worried you're going to get brachiosaurus in the winter."

She giggled. "Bronchitis, Finn, and you're right. Bronchitis would ruin my voice until I got better but…" She gently bit her lip as she touched his hand. "You're sick and you seem so miserable. I love you and I want to help you feel better as best as I can."

Finn smiled softly and shook his head. She was too good for him. "Are you sure? I'll feel even worse if I get you sick."

She smirked softly and gently touched the tip of his nose with her finger. He scrunched it and playfully swatted her hand away. "Don't worry about me. Now, come on." She took his hand as students started piling into the room. "Let's get through English."

O00o0o00o0

Finn felt even worse by lunch. He didn't feel like doing anything—all he wanted to do was sit and put his head down on the table. But of course Rachel wasn't having any of that. He sighed softly as he watched his tiny girlfriend move through the lunch line, piling a tray full of food for him.

He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. He couldn't even imagine what he looked like—eyes tired, probably had long purple bags under them, a red nose, dry lips, and slightly pink skin with a clammy forehead.

Rachel approached the table and set down a plate full of pancakes in front of him. She smiled. "Eat."

He groaned softly. "I'm not hungry, Rach." He said, voice scratchy. He coughed to try and soothe his aching throat.

She sat down next to him and moved a plate of waffles for her and two cups of hot water off the blue tray, pushing it aside. "I don't think I've ever heard you say that."

He rolled his eyes. "What's the point of eating anything when I can't taste it anyways?"

Rachel giggled. "You need to have food in your stomach to take Advil."

"I don't have any; I checked my locker and nothing." He sighed.

"No, but I do." She pulled out a little bottle from her bookbag, it had pink glitter on it along with star stickers.

He wanted to laugh but he was afraid he'd set off a coughing fit. "Alright, fine. I'll eat." He sniffled, picking up his fork to dig into his pancakes.

Finn ate as much as he could tolerate and sipped back the Advil with some orange juice. He sniffled and rubbed his forehead, waiting for the pills to take effect.

Rachel rubbed his arm soothingly. "You should go home, get some sleep."

"You think I'd still be here if that was an option?" He asked, trying to keep irritation out of his voice.

She bit her lip. "I just mean…you look like death."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a small pink pouch. She unzipped it and dumped two teabags out, pulling them free of their wrappers and dunking them into the two cups of hot water in front of her.

He tried really hard not to be an asshole with this. "That is the nicest compliment anyone has ever given me, thank you." He said sarcastically. "My mom thinks this is some brilliant form of punishment for sleeping over your h-house." He shook his head and turned away from her, putting his arm up over his face. "Aheh-shoo!"

"Bless you?" Rachel offered, dipping the teabags in and out of the cups.

He sighed, reaching into his letterman jacket for some tissues. He hadn't meant to be such an asshole to her but…he was just not the greatest person while sick. But seriously, who was? Being miserable and grouchy went right along with the coughing, sneezing and sore throat.

Finn rubbed the bridge of his nose as he felt Rachel run a tender hand over his thigh. He stole a glance at her as she took one of the teabags out of the cup and squeezed the water from it with her fingers. She winced softly as the hot water burned the pads of her skin and set the teabag down on a napkin.

"Are you sure you want to be spending so much time with me when I'm like this?" He asked, a hint of joking to his tone. "I'm obviously not the greatest of company and I'm really worried about getting you sick."

She turned and stuck her tongue out at him. "I have a great immune system." She challenged. She set a cup of hot tea in front of him. "Drink this; it'll make you feel better."

He eyed up the cup and gave her a look. "Oh, really?"

Rachel smiled. "Yes! It's got some essential herbs and such and honey!" He smiled softly at her. "It'll soothe your throat and help boost your immune system."

Finn took the cup and tried to breathe in a bit of the steam, hoping it would clear his sinuses. "And if I don't drink it?"

She smirked. "I'll kiss you, opening up all my chances to get sick!"

He shook his head. "Why do you have to play so dirty?"

Rachel giggled as Finn leaned forward and placed a kiss on her hairline, curling hair around her ear.

Finn stroked the side of her face before pulling back and sipping from the cup. The hot liquid soothed his throat as he swallowed. He watched Rachel sip from her cup and finish her waffles, smiling softly at him as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

The steam from the cup loosened up his sinuses a little, relieving some of the pressure. He sniffled softly, picking up the scent of the tea. It smelled like cinnamon and honey.

"Think your mom will let me come over and bring you soup tonight?"

Finn sniffled, blowing his nose to prevent another sneeze. "Maybe…as long as you bring enough to give her a bowl too."

She laughed. "Like a peace offering?"

Finn smirked. "Yeah, exactly. Maybe then she'll even let you stay to watch a movie or something."

"Well, in that case I will make a large batch of my chicken noodle soup. The perfect cure for pesky colds."

Finn chuckled and took Rachel's hand under the table. "Thanks for taking care of me, Rach." He said softly when the bell rang, making everyone in the cafeteria groan as they stood with their lunch trays and bookbags.

Rachel sipped the rest of her tea and put her backpack over her shoulders. "You'd do the same thing for me."

"I'd totally make you soup." He smiled, putting an arm over her shoulder as they started to walk through the cafeteria to head to class. "Course, I'd probably burn it on the stove or something."

She laughed, pulling on his jacket. He knew that could only mean one thing.

Finn leaned down just enough so she could raise herself up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

Oo0o0o0o0

:) hope everyone enjoyed the update! I will update as soon as I can, possibly before I start school next week :/ love you guys!