Lol, this chapter is far longer than planned.

Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 15

The week was one of the best of Finn's life at McKinley. Rachel and he were spending as much time together as possible despite their different schedules.

He also ate with her at lunch break although he got the feeling Mercedes wasn't so thrilled about his presence. He feared she would sometime stab him in the eye with her spoon, but she always seemed to compose herself.

For the first time since grandmother's death, his life didn't seem colorless. Finn felt that the burden had been lifted off him even if the curious glances and the whispering behind his back were annoying from time to time.

His friends, however, seemed to be more skeptical towards Rachel than before. Because of the conflict with Sam, the mood among them stayed tensed.

So Quinn and Brittany tried to pour oil on troubled water. They invited the whole clique to Brittany's place on Friday evening. Kurt decided to pass because he and Mercedes were already invited at Rachel's place for a sleepover. At least, Kurt would be distracted, and Finn wouldn't be worried about his brother cutting himself alone in his room while he was here with the others.

Even though Finn would have liked to spend the evening with his girlfriend, he knew that he still needed to talk to Sam. For one week, they didn't talk to each other and Finn wanted to end that dumb feud. He wanted to know how Sam's family was. And how Finn could help him.

Unfortunately, Brittany's cousin Bethany invited herself to their small get together and was talking non-stop to Finn.

Bethany was the twenty-two-year-old poster child of the Pierces: engaged, student at an elite-university (Princeton) and as straight as an arrow. No one in Finn's clique could stand her because she was kissing her parents and uncle's ass constantly and treating Brittany like trash.

"Is it true you and Kurt work for Hummel-Hudson's now?", she asked, sipping at her glass of Whiskey.

"Yes", Finn answered without looking at her. He retrieved his phone and saw one unread text.

Rachel: FINN! BARBRA STREISAND JUST INVITED ME OVER TO NEW YORK CITY!

Finn could feel Bethany staring at him and suppressed a grin, typing in an answer.

Finn: How did that happen?

"And how is it?", Bethany asked insistently.

"Interesting", Finn grumbled his standard answer while waiting for Rachel's text. "It's an honor."

He could hear Puck snort although he tried to hide it with his hand. Quinn, who was sitting on his lap, smacked his head.

Quinn was willing to give Puck a chance, but he needed to prove that he was a good person, first. Finn was happy for him, but he hoped Puck wouldn't mess it up.

"Talk to me, Hudson!", Bethany urged him.

Apparently, she didn't understand Finn's translated Shut up.

Finn's iPhone vibrated and he checked his new message. She had sent him the screenshot of Barbra's mail.

Dear Rachel, I enjoyed our conversation on the gala. If you are in New York in the near future, I would like to continue that conversation in my office. Greetings,
Barbra Streisand

Finn quickly typed in the next text.

Finn: When are we flying? We will take my jet ;)

Bethany next to him nudged his shoulder. Finn turned to her, cocking his eyebrows. She noticed her mistake and scooted further away. Then, she cleared her throat.

"I mean, you and I are the only ones in this room who have achieved something in life. We need to stick together."

She laughed as if she had said something funny.

Nobody joined her.

"You are only talking crap, Bethany", Santana hissed quietly.

The peroxide blonde snorted, indignant.

"Please don't say anything, San", Brittany next to her pleaded, looking sad. When Bethany was around, which luckily wasn't that often, Brittany always acted so sad and aloof – the opposite of the Brittany the clique spent time with.

"What did you even achieve?", Santana asked, and her voice was dangerously calm. Cold chills were running down Finn's spine. Like that, she was more intimidating than when she was loud and impulsive.

"You got into Princeton – congrats. And you are engaged – double congrats. But that doesn't make you a high achiever, but an useless bitch that doesn't have guts. Or tits."

"Says the one who had a boob job", Bethany hissed. Unimpressed, Santana took a sip of her Tequila without looking away from Brittany's cousin.

"If you had even one single spark of decency, you wouldn't talk like that", the blonde went on. She tried to look bored, but her eyelids were twitching nervously.

Brushing away a strand of her dark hair, Santana glared at Bethany.

Oh oh.

Finn knew that glance. It signified: Run. Run as fast as you can.

But Bethany didn't get it. Here we go.

"Don't dare to tell me about decency, cunt. I am a motherfucking princess, I could spell decency when I was in my mom's womb. And other than you, I know that people do not treat their family members like scum. That you didn't approve of the way Britt lives tells me everything I need to know about you, you dirty, little bitc…"

"Santana, be quiet!" Brittany suddenly screamed, jumping up with a pale face. Artie and Mike next to her flinched.

"You really have great friends, Brittany. Auntie and uncle have a reason to be proud of you", Bethany said sarcastically. She got up. "If you excuse me, my fiancé is calling."

They could hear how she picked up and greeted him with kisses on her display before she went out of the parlor and left the clique behind.

"Why did you do that?", Brittany asked Santana, still stiff and pale.

"She acted like an asshole.", Santana said, her face expression softened a bit.

"So? If your family says bad stuff to me, I don't get involved, either."

"That's because my family would never treat me like that. Just be happy I'm on your side"

Brittany gritted her teeth. "You only stand by me whenever it is perfect for you.", she said quietly.

Santana flinched like she had just been slapped.

Finn confusedly looked back and forth between the two girls. Was there something he didn't know? Before he could find out, Santana turned on her heel and left the parlor.

"What the…", Puck began, but then, Brittany followed her. The door was slammed behind them.

"…hell just happened?"

Quinn and the boys exchanged perplexed glances. Mike groaned. "That's not how I pictured this evening."

Sam turned the music louder to drown out the girls' loud voices.

"I hope there won't be a bitch fight. Although that would be kind of hot…", Puck thought out loud.

"Puck!" Quinn smacked him on the back of his head, shaking her head.

"So much for better person", Artie mumbled, grinning.

Finn looked over to the door. He had never seen Santana and Brittany fighting like that. When Brittany came out as bisexual, her parents needed time to process it. Because of that, she had spent more time at Santana's and the two girls were inseparable since back then.

"Something is wrong with the both of them", Sam said.

"Yeah, I also noticed that."

Sam cocked his eyebrows and for a split second, it looked like he wanted to say something, but then, he closed his mouth again and took a sip of his Whiskey-coke mix.

Finn sighed. "Sam", he began.

The blonde boy looked up.

"I hadn't been a good friend, lately", Finn said. "And I'm really sorry I only minded my own shit and hadn't been there for you."

"You had a reason", Sam answered quietly. He breathed out. "Your grandmother died. I misbehaved. I'm sorry."

"I should have noticed something was wrong in your life."

Sam shrugged.

"Now would be a good moment to tell me.", Finn said. "That's what I came for."

Sam bit his lip. "We…we are going to move."

Finn leaned forward. Did he get that right? "What?"

"My parents lost their fortune. Last week we found buyers for our estate. In March, we will move into a townhouse."

Finn stared at Sam. The words were repeating in his head, but they still didn't make sense.

"Why didn't you tell us?", Artie asked, rolling over to the blond boy. "We could have helped you."

"Artie is right", Quinn agreed. "We would have found a way so that you could keep your house."

"Yes", Puck agreed. "My parents would have bought your house and let you live there."

Sam lifted his hands. "You know exactly how proud my parents are. They would never accept it. And it would be weird if your parents would be our landlord", Sam said to Puck.

"But how did that happen?", Finn wanted to know.

Sam sighed and rubbed his head. "Dad put all eggs into one basket – and lost everything."

"Fuck", Mike said.

Finn needed to agree. He didn't know how vast the fortune of the Evans' had been, but he knew the house they were living in, and all their vacation houses as well. That they had lost all of that so fast was unimaginable to Finn.

"Is there something we can do?", he asked after a while.

Sam shrugged. "Everything is a chaos at the moment. And my dad…he is not fine."

"Just tell us if you need something, man", Puck said, and the others nodded in agreement.

"There is so much happening, lately and the school stuff is too much as well. Now, I also need to worry about scholarships for my future college. I…I have no idea how to deal with all that."

Sam buried his head in his hands. The others all exchanged worried glances, thinking the same. They were all ready to give Sam a credit for college. Every single person in this room would just give the money to him without claiming it back, but they knew Sam well enough to know he would never accept it.

"You will get through that. And we will help you", Finn said, patting his shoulder.

He looked up again. "Finn, what I said on the gala…"

"It's okay, man", Finn cut him off.

Their fight didn't matter anymore. Everything that counted was that he wanted to help Sam.

Even though he had no idea how.

When she opened the door, Rachel's heart was beating way too fast. Andy was standing in front of her, smiling.

"Ms. Berry, nice to see you again."

"Likewise, Andy", she answered and followed him to the car, clutching her clutch bag.

Finn didn't want to say anything about their date that's why she was unsure what to wear.

With Mercedes' and Kurt's help, she decided on a simple, black dress, black pumps and a silver, small purse, she wore her hair in curls.

"We will meet Mr. Hudson on location.", Andy explained when he opened the door of the limousine for her. Smiling, she looked up to Andy to thank him- but was surprised when she inspected him closer.

Andy had dark circles under his eyes, his skin was pale and colorless. And he looked as if he was elsewhere with his thoughts.

"How are you, by the way?", Rachel asked.

"I'm fine, Miss, nice of you to ask.", he said mechanically. With a polite smile, Andy closed the door and went to the driver's seat. The divider wasn't raised, and she looked at the back of his head. Could it be that his white strands of hair became more since Elaine Hummel's death?

"How long are you even working for the Hummel-Hudsons?", she asked, interested.

"For over twenty years, Miss."

Rachel nodded compassionately. "That's really long."

"I have been driving Mrs. Hummel since she had been in her thirties."

"How was she?"

For a while, Andy searched for the right words. "Fearless and courageous. She had turned the firm upside down even while she studied, much to the disdain of her parents. But it was worth it."

He took a deep breath.

"She always wanted to do something for the firm. Even when she was advanced in pregnancy she went to work." Andy cleared his raspy voice. "She had been a great woman."

A wave of empathy was hitting Rachel. Andy gave the impression that Mrs. Hummel had been really important to him. When she interpreted the glance, it could have been more than that.

"Are you really fine, Andy?", she whispered.

The chauffeur cleared his throat again. "After some time, I will be fine again, Miss. I just need time."

"Of course. If there is something I can do for you…" Rachel didn't know how she could help Andy, but it just felt right to offer him help.

"Actually, there would be something you could do for me." Rachel looked up. "Please take care of Finn."

She gulped.

"I will", she said after a while. "I promise."

…

After twenty minutes, they arrived at the destination. While Andy parked the car, Rachel looked out of the window to the façade of the restaurant in front of them. She had never been there.

Andy opened the door and helped her get out. She looked up to the plaque. The Diamond Cuisine.

Rachel's heart was beating faster.

"Mr. Hudson is waiting for you inside. Have fun, Ms. Berry."

Rachel said a quick thank you and nervously entered the restaurant. Finn was already waiting for her. He started smiling widely.

He was wearing a white shirt and a black, perfect suit, she could see the HH initials on his chest.

"You look beautiful", Finn said after having looked at Rachel closely.

She blushed. "Thanks. You do too."

They linked arms and Finn lead them further into the restaurant. It was crowded and she couldn't see a free table.

However, Finn went to the staircase which lead to the next level. When they arrived there, Rachel's breath caught.

They were in a winter garden with walls made out of glass. In the center of the room was a tree were bright lanterns were hanging.

Chains of lights were on the ceiling, giving the room an enchanted atmosphere. There was a small table next to the tree.

Finn lead her to the table. He acted like a gentleman, pulling back the chair for her so that she could sit down.

While he sat down on the opposite of her, she looked out of the window. The view was breath taking. She could see the picturesque landscape of Lima even though it was already dark.

A waiter suddenly showed up, putting a carafe of water on the table before he gave the menus to them. Rachel wondered whether she was so nervous because it was her official date with a boy – or because it was Finn who was sitting on her opposite and was smiling at her.

"It's wonderful here."

"Yes. Mom and Burt went to this place with me and Kurt sometimes. I have a lot of good memories of that place.", he answered.

When he was saying those words, Rachel was loving him a bit more and she felt warm. That he wanted to share that place with her, moved her – now that she knew how complicated his family situation was.

"Thanks you invited me to that place."

She took his hand, stroking it softly. Finn's glance darkened.

"I just wanted to show you it's not only a burden to spend time with me. It could be more than that."

"Finn - ", Rachel started, but then, the waiter came back to their table to take their orders. Rachel decided on the truffle pasta with shrimps and vegetables while Finn took the chicken filet with mashed potatoes and red chili pesto.

"By the way, I started playing the drums again", Finn told her before she could say anything.

"Really?", Rachel said.

He nodded. "I want to do what we wrote on the list. The list we…we made at Harvard." He cleared his throat. "And music seems to be a good, first step."

"That's great!", Rachel answered. "What do you play?"

Finn' corners of his mouth twitched, and he retrieved his phone.

"Okay, I tried playing some songs of musicals like Grease or something, but I think I need more practice."

"My offer still stands. We really should make music together sometime", Rachel winked. When she pictured Finn and her singing a duet, she needed to smile. "I'm sure you have a great singing voice."

Finn cocked his head to the side. "Well, I think I only want to sing under the shower."

Rachel needed to laugh, and she needed to wipe away some tears.

"What? I'm serious", Finn told her, surprised.

When the waiter brought their food, Rachel realized they were sitting there and talking for one hour and it never got awkward because they ran out of topics or something.

It was the opposite: They were talking to each other so relaxed. It had been a long time since it was like that with Finn. And she had missed it.

…

The time in the winter garden was beautiful – and it was over way too fast. Finn said he wanted to impress her dads and bring her home before midnight, something Rachel accepted begrudgingly. She could have stayed there with Finn forever.

Rachel retrieved her phone to take a photo before they left. She wanted to capture that moment. She went over to Finn.

"May I take a photo?", she asked him quietly. He nodded and wrapped his arms against her waist. Rachel turned her phone around, telling Finn to smile while she took a photo.

Contended, she looked at it. They were both standing in the winter garden behind the tree, the lights were sparkling. This photo was going to replace the one she had stolen from his Facebook account.

But she pushed that thought aside when Finn started kissing her relentlessly. She pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his body.

Now, kisses weren't enough to her anymore. For Finn neither, she could feel it. Rachel's hands slid down his back, her knees were weaker now. She moaned into his lips, kissing him fiercer, more desperate for…more.

Suddenly, Finn pulled away. Rachel was still in a rush so that she felt dizzy. Finn pressed his forehead against hers, panting. His hands disappeared from her hips.

"We need to stop."

Rachel needed a moment until she understood what he was saying. "Why?", she whispered.

He just shook his head.

"Mr. Hudson?", the waiter suddenly said.

Finn didn't let go of Rachel but grumbled something instead.

"I just wanted to tell you that your chauffeur arrived here.", he went on, embarrassed.

Begrudgingly, Finn let go of her, but their hands found each other. As if it was the most normal thing in the world, they left the restaurant with linked hands and red faces, saying goodbye to the waiter who didn't dare looking at them again.

Andy was already waiting in front of the Rolls-Royce, holding open the door for them. Rachel thanked him and got in, Finn followed suit, sitting down next to her.

His eyes were dark, his lips were swollen and red. Rachel was sure her lips looked like his.

She felt like she had been electrified or something. She wanted to continue were they had stopped. Rachel looked around. The divider was raised, the light bulb was turned off.

Don't do it, Rachel thought.

She turned back to Finn who had followed her glance. He took deep breaths; his lips were open slightly. Obviously, the kiss also affected him like it affected her.

"Finn", she whispered.

He held his breath.

The attraction to him was overwhelming, she couldn't just sit like that for the next twenty minutes.

She came closer to him.

"Kiss me, Finn", she whispered.

Finn just shook his head, but then, he grabbed her face, pressing his lips against hers. They both needed to sigh, the world around Rachel disappeared. There was only her and Finn, no past, no future.

"I missed you so much", Rachel said quietly.

He made an almost desperate noise with his mouth and deepened the kiss. She was not prepared for what he was doing. The longing was getting more intense, there was this insatiable craving for his closeness which wouldn't disappear that fast.

Rachel pulled him closer to herself. It was happening too fast, but she couldn't help it. She needed Finn more than she needed breathing.

Finn pulled away a bit. He caressed her cheek softly. "I also missed you", he whispered, sucking on her skin. "Whenever I saw you in school, I wanted to do this."

Rachel closed her eyes, sighing. "Next time, you may do this.", she said breathlessly.

He laughed roughly. "Good to know."

Before he could add something, Rachel kissed him again. With her hands, she discovered his body. His clothes were an annoying obstacle, no matter how hot he looked in his darned suit. She opened the first button of his shirt.

"Rachel", he interrupted her.

She continued. On the fourth button, Finn took her wrist, holding it. Panting, he looked at her.

"Normally, you could always undress me. Really. Or everywhere. But…" He paused and looked around in the car. "I wanted our next time to be special. And if we don't stop now, then…I don't know…"

Rachel felt her cheeks warming up. "You are right. I didn't think about it."

Her cheeks were hot while she closed his buttons.

"Rachel", Finn whispered. "Please look at me."

She took a deep breath and looked up. She noticed that Finn's cheeks were as red as hers. And his glance was so…affectionate.

"I'm not ready either. I think we should take it slow."

"Because we have time", Rachel said.

"All time in the world.", Finn agreed.

She nodded, taking a deep breath. Finn took her hand. "Thanks you said yes. Yes to this date", he murmured.

Rachel squeezed his hand. "It was a nice date."

"Yes, it was."

Two weeks ago, Rachel never would have thought he would look at her like that or that they could have moments like these again.

"What are you thinking about?", Finn pulled her out of her thoughts, stroking her skin.

About her love for him.

About the fact that he was the only one for her.

That it scared her.

"I just thought that in the future, we need to talk more about our problems.", she answered hesitantly.

Finn looked at her, determined. "We will carry it off, Rachel."

She gulped. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Yes. Yes, I am."

Rachel was more than relieved. Hearing Finn saying it made it easier to believe it.

For a while, they were sitting with linked hands, saying nothing. Finn leaned back, grinning at her.

"Best date ever", he said and lifted her hand to kiss it.

Rachel nodded. "Yes, that's right."

His eyes lit up. "Come visit us tomorrow evening.", he said. "Me and Kurt. I know he would be happy to see you."

She hesitated. "Your grandfather…"

"He is in Washington this weekend. We could order sushi."

Finn seemed so nervous and excited all of a sudden and his excitement was contagious. Rachel had been at his home once, and she only had sad memories about it. She was ready to replace them with newer – and nicer ones.

"Alright. Tomorrow evening. I'm gonna bring Ben & Jerry's."

"Perfect. Andy is going to pick you up." Suddenly, Finn frowned. "Speaking of which…" He turned on the intercom. "Shouldn't we be at Rachel's, now, Andy?"

For a while, he didn't answer. Then…

"I thought you needed a bit more…privacy, Sir"

With widened eyes, Rachel looked at Finn. He looked at her, equally perplexed.

Then, she snorted with laughter.

Finn also needed to laugh and buried his face into her neck.

A/N: Next time, Rachel visits the Hummel-Hudson bros. But the visit doesn't go as planned...

Stay tuned!