Hey guys! I know that this chapter is different from the original plans, but I promise, the next one will be the Thanksgiving one! These were just some ideas that came to me that I thought would be nice to use in the story. Even though it's not what I originally planned, I hope you enjoy it and review if you want me to continue!
Chapter 28: Playoffs and Halloween
Being a dad and being a full time student was harder than Finn had thought it would be, but this semester had been the best time period of his life so far. College classes were more interesting than high school ones, and he liked the people at NYU a lot. Living in an apartment with Rachel, Allie, Kurt, Blaine Brittany and Santana had been a nice experience, too. When Allie was napping, a lot of time was spent planning Finn and Rachel's wedding. Finn couldn't believe that this December, Rachel would really be his wife.
Still, he felt bad that he hadn't been able to devote as much to his daughter as he should during the past week. He had midterms, and had been spending long days at school studying. He'd just finished his last midterm, and it had been a difficult one. He just wanted to get home to Rachel and Allie.
"Finn!" Finn turned and saw Blake coming up to him.
"Oh hey," Finn said. "How were your midterms?"
"They were midterms," Blake said. "How were yours?"
"Like you said, they were midterms," Finn said. "Hey, I was going to ask you, my girlfriend from high school is coming in to town next week, and she got four tickets to see the Mets in the playoffs. I haven't met Rachel yet, so I was wondering if you and Rachel would like to come with us."
Finn stopped to think. "That sounds like fun." It did sound like fun. But if he and Rachel went to the game, it would be the first time Allie would be home alone without either of them.
"Are you sure?" Blake asked. "Something sounded a little off."
"It's just - Rachel and I have never left Allie home without either of us before," Finn thought out loud. "But she is almost two months old, and we live with my brother and his boyfriend and two of our other friends. I trust them to watch her, so I'll need to talk to Rachel."
"I understand, man," Blake told Finn. "I remember you told me Rachel was nervous about being away from Allie when she went to that Broadway show with her friends a few weeks ago."
"Yeah," Finn said. "I'll talk to her when I get home."
"Where does your girlfriend go to school?" Finn asked.
"She goes to Penn," Blake said. "She isn't too far away, but I really miss her."
"I know what that's like," Finn said. "I really missed Rachel first semester last year before I moved to New York."
"Are you two getting excited for the wedding?" Blake asked.
"So excited," Finn said. The wedding would be in Lima to make it easier for their high school friends to come, but they'd invited some of their college friends too. "You're coming, right?"
"Yeah, of course I am," Blake said. "I talked to some of our other friends, and we're thinking we might all go together."
"I'd like that," Finn said. "I should probably go home now. I'll ask Rachel if she'd like to come with you and me."
"And Chloe," Blake added.
"And Chloe," Finn said, saying goodbye to his friend.
x
Finn walked into the apartment, where Allie was in her playpen and Rachel was working on a sewing project.
"What are you doing?" Finn asked, kissing the top of his girlfriend and daughter's heads.
"Halloween's coming up, so I'm making Allie a costume," Rachel said, smiling.
Finn smiled back, looking at the orange fabric. "I'm guessing you're having her be a pumpkin?"
Rachel nodded. "I thought that would be cute."
"It will," Finn said. "So, do you want to take her trick-or-treating around the apartment building?"
"Yeah," Rachel said. "Of course, I have a feeling we'll eat the candy."
"That's true," Finn said. "Hey Rach, I was talking to Blake at school today, and he got tickets to a Mets playoff game. He was wondering if you and I would like to go with him and his girlfriend."
"What would happen to Allie?" Rachel asked. Finn saw how worried Rachel looked.
"I'm sure Kurt and Blaine and Brittany and Santana would be willing to watch her," Finn said.
"It's just - the last time I left her home without me, she came down with a fever," Rachel said.
Finn took Rachel's hand. She always blamed herself for things. "That had nothing to do with you."
"I'm not sure if I want to leave her without me," Rachel said.
Finn sighed. He knew that leaving Allie in the care of others was easier for him than it was for Rachel because he left the apartment every day when he went to school. "Rach, I know it's hard for you. But our roommates are really good with her. I'm sure they'll take great care of her."
Rachel squeezed Finn's hand. "I love her so much."
"So do I," Finn said. "But we have to remember, in a few years she'll be going to preschool. We can't be with her every minute of every day."
Rachel gave Finn a hug. "I know."
"So you'll go?" Finn asked.
"Yeah, I'd like to meet Blake anyway," Rachel said.
Finn smiled and gave Rachel a kiss. He knew they could trust their roommates to watch their daughter when they were out. He then looked in Allie's playpen and picked her up. Allie smiled when she saw Finn.
"She missed her daddy," Rachel said.
Finn began cradling his daughter. "I've missed her, too. I'm sorry I haven't been here much this week."
"I know midterms are hard," Rachel said. "At least you're here now."
"That's right," Finn said.
x
"She should be in bed by about 7:30," Rachel told Kurt and Blaine. She and Finn were going to meet Blake and Chloe in the lobby at six to go to the game. Kurt, Blaine, Brittany and Santana would all be home tonight with Allie. "She usually sleeps for about four to six hours at a time."
"When should we have her bottles ready?" Brittany asked.
"I got them ready," Rachel said. "When she seems hungry, just heat them up. And I'll apologize right now, her diapers smell really bad."
"You're really prepared," Blaine said.
Finn smiled with pride. "She's a great mom." He gave Rachel a quick kiss. "You ready to go?"
"I guess so," Rachel said. She smiled and handed Allie to Kurt. "Mommy and Daddy love you. Be good for Uncle Kurt, Uncle Blaine, Aunt Santana and Aunt Brittany."
Finn and Rachel both quickly kissed their daughter before going downstairs to meet up with Blake and Chloe. Finn introduced Rachel to Blake, and Blake introduced both of them to Chloe. They then got on the train to the baseball stadium.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Rachel whispered to Finn.
"Are you okay?" Blake asked, turning around.
"Yeah," Rachel said.
"Are you worried about your daughter?" Chloe asked. "Blake told me you two have a daughter. I hope that's okay."
"Of course it is," Rachel said. "Yeah, this is just the first time she's been without one of her parents."
"I can understand why you'd be nervous," Chloe said. "Actually... my older cousin had a baby when we were in high school. It was really hard on her when she left her baby without her for the first time."
"I remember when that happened," Blake said. "Her cousin's boyfriend left her after she got pregnant. After a year, she had to give the baby up for adoption."
"Yeah," Chloe said. "It's really good that you two have stuck together."
"I'm not leaving her," Finn said. "I don't know if Blake told you, but we're getting married in December."
"Yeah, he was thinking he'd bring me," Chloe said.
"I'd like that," Finn said. He turned to Rachel to see she was looking at her phone. "That was from Santana. They just gave Allie her bottle."
"Do you have a photo of Allie on your phone?" Chloe asked Rachel.
"Yeah, you should see her, she's adorable," Blake told Chloe.
Rachel handed Chloe the phone. "Awww, she's adorable!" Chloe said.
"Doesn't she look just like both of them?" Blake asked.
"Yes!" Chloe said, handing Rachel the phone back.
x
"Did everything go okay?" Rachel asked as she, Finn, Blake and Chloe walked back into the apartment. Kurt, Blaine, Santana and Brittany were watching a movie in the living room. Once she got to the game, her anxiety about leaving Allie had calmed down.
"Everything went great, she's sleeping now," Blaine said. "How was the game?"
"They won," Finn said. "Blake and I kept having to explain things to Rachel though."
"Do we warrant introductions?" Kurt asked.
Finn nodded. "Silly me! This is my friend Blake from NYU and his girlfriend Chloe. This is my brother Kurt and our friends Blaine, Santana and Brittany."
"Do we get to meet Allie?" Blake asked.
Rachel thought for a minute. "Well, she is asleep right now, but you guys can come to our room."
"Sounds good," Chloe said, following Finn and Rachel into the bedroom. As if Allie knew visitors were there, she opened her eyes and began looking around when she saw them.
Finn picked Allie up out of the crib. "Hey honey. We missed you. Were you good for your aunts and uncles?"
Rachel smiled as she watched her boyfriend with their daughter. Finn was such a good dad. He then turned to his friend. "Here she is."
"Awww, she's so cute," Blake said. "Hi Allie. I'm Blake. This is Chloe."
Allie looked up at Finn's friend. Rachel was happy that Finn had found a nice friend at NYU.
x
"Is Allie almost ready?" Kurt called from the living room.
"Almost," Rachel called from the bedroom. She was getting Allie dressed in the Halloween costume she'd made, while Finn, Santana, Brittany, Kurt and Blaine were all waiting in the living room. The six of them would then take Allie trick-or-treating around New York.
Rachel carried her daughter into the living room. "It's her first Halloween," Finn said as he kissed Rachel.
"It's so exciting," Rachel said. "All these small things are so exciting."
"I know, right?" Finn said.
"Let's go trick-or-treating!" Brittany said.
The group left the apartment and went walking through the streets. New York was all decked out for Halloween, and there were kids from all over the city going to various stores. People passing out candy kept commenting on how cute Allie was.
Allie got tired after about an hour, so the group brought her home and put her to bed, but still, Rachel was thrilled that her daughter had gone trick-or-treating for the first time. Her mom hadn't gotten to see her milestones, but she was getting to see her daughter's. She was so glad they hadn't given Allie up.
Chapter 29: Thanksgiving arrives and the New Yorkers return to Lima. The past and present members of New Directions meet Allie. Moments for the Berry and Hudson-Hummel families.
