Chapter 29 - The Live Shows

The next morning, they all slept in until 12 pm, as for those who were through to the live shows, their flight was at 8pm. They ordered pizza for lunch, and they left for the airport at 6 pm. They got business class tickets. It obviously wasn't as fancy as the private jet Finn had been on, but it was still a big step up from Coach. They landed in New York at 2 am, and went straight to their hotel. They didn't end up sleeping in their respective rooms: they all stayed in one room, and had a Fast & Furious marathon until they all passed out. The next morning, Louis shook them all awake. They all groaned.

"Boys, we gotta start preparing for live week 1."

They all jumped out of bed and quickly brushed their teeth. They grabbed BLT sandwiches from the breakfast buffet and then they took the subway to the recording studio where they were practising. By now, a few of the New Yorkers had recognised them from the show, or in Finn's case, the many news reports from his mission as a SEAL. When they arrived at the studio, Louis was already there, waiting for them.

"OK, guys. The theme for the first live week is Heroes Night. I want you guys to think about the song you would like to perform and let me know ASAP. I can't choose a song for you, and I can't stop you from choosing a bad choice. But I can advise you against some choices."

Finn thought for a moment then decided on his song. "Louis? I got mine."

"Sure FInn, what is it?"

"OK, before you guys laugh and call me a girl, here me out. I think I can do a good job covering this song."

"What song is it?" Dalton asked.

"Stronger by Kelly Clarkson."

The others guys snickered lightly. "Hey, I may sing some girly songs, but I'm still more man than any of you. I was a goddamn Navy SEAL. I can kick any of your puny asses."

"We don't doubt that," Louis said, laughing. "And I think you could do a good job with that song."

They spent the next 3 weeks on their songs. Finally, on 6th October, it was time for the first live show. There were 4 guys, 4 girls, 4 groups, and 4 over 28s. Finn was the second performer up.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, for the first time in the live shows, Mr. Finn Hudson!"

The host announced Finn's name and Finn walked towards the large X on the stage. The judges clapped for him and Louis gave him an encouraging, reassuring smile. The crowd cheered wildly as Finn stopped before the mic. This was his moment, and he was not going to screw things up. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He started strumming his guitar, and the music started shortly after.

*Sings Stronger (What doesn't kill you) - James Arthur Cover*

The Crowd absolutely loved him. They were stomping their feet, clapping, cheering and whistling wildly. He could also see his parents, Kurt and Santana in the audience, cheering for him. Santana was also living in New York and was sharing an apartment with Kurt. They had gotten pretty close as they were the only ones living in New York - other than Finn. However, if Finn somehow won the competition, he wouldn't be in one place for too long. There would be album creating, touring and many other things that were a part of a singer's life. However, there was a large chance that Finn wouldn't even make it halfway, let alone win the competition. When Finn made it to the Live Shows, they had forced him to get them tickets for every show that he was in. He had been given 4 tickets by the X Factor for free so they were happy. Finn got exceptional feedback from the judges. He had chosen a slightly girly song, but he had made it completely his own and it had paid off. He made it through to the second live week. James, however, did not. He did his own rendition of Hall of Fame, by the Script. It was great and unique, but not quite at the level of the other competitors. They said their goodbyes to him that night, and James left back to Missouri the next morning. However, the next morning, Finn was in for the surprise of his life.

He had gone to sleep relatively early that night. Kurt and Santana had taken him out to celebrate him making it through Round 1. In fact, he had the most votes out of all the contestants. They went to a karaoke bar, and they proceeded to get hammered. Finn only had one drink though. Kurt and Santana had just finished an awful rendition of We are the Champions, by Queen, when Santana looked like she was about to pass out. Finn decided to walk Kurt and Santana back to their apartment, and it was a good thing he did. Santana passed out and started snoring halfway back to their apartment. Finn had to literally carry her for 10 blocks. After Kurt and Santana were home safe, Finn walked to his hotel and went to sleep at around midnight. The next morning, he woke up pretty early. It was 8 am, and they had the day off. Finn was planning to look for some ideas for the next live week. The theme was Love and Heartbreak. He had so many options, so he spent a lot of time listening to the songs. Suddenly, someone knocked on his door. Yawning and rubbing his eyes, he walked over and opened the door. His jaw dropped. It was Taylor Swift, in the flesh. She smiled at him.

"I'm sorry, you've gotta have the wrong room." He said, still not believing who he was looking at.

"Is that right, Finn Hudson? Or should I say Tyler Rake?" Finn's eyes widened and he felt like someone had just doused him in cold water.

"How do you know that name?"

"May I come in?" She asked. Finn stepped aside and led her into the hotel room. She sat on the armchair at the side of the room and he sat opposite her on his bed. She took a deep breath and started talking.

"Look, I don't know how to tell you this, but I think you're my brother. My dad impregnated my mom and she never saw him again. I grew up without a dad, and my mom refused to tell me who it was. She would always get so hurt whenever I asked. She passed away when I was 6 and I was put in foster-care."

Finn put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry. I'm not a stranger to that experience. I know how much it hurts. But I still don't know how I tie into all of this."

"Well, I got the Final Will and Testament 6 years ago, when I turned 18. It told me that I had a half-brother called Tyler Rake. I was also given a picture of you. I searched everywhere for a Tyler Rake but I couldn't find anyone with that name. I guess you changed it." Finn nodded. "Yeah, I changed mine to my mom's surname as well. Anyways, when you made the news for your SEAL mission, I noticed that the photos matched. But I still had no way of knowing where in the world you were. Then I saw you on the X Factor, right in the city I live in."

"Look, Ms. Swift…"

"Taylor. Call me Taylor," she smiled.

"Look, Taylor. I'm really sorry about everything you've been through. Trust me, my life hasn't been a picnic either. But, I have no proof other than your word. And I'm afraid I need more than that. So I'll make you a proposition. Today, we can go to a doctor's clinic and take a paternity test. They cost like 500 bucks. I'll pay for it, but if the result turns out that we aren't related, you will refund me in full. How does that sound?"

She beamed widely at him. "Thank you so much for hearing me out. I swear I'm telling the truth. Would you like to go now and take the paternity test?"

"Sure. Let me just text Louis and tell him I'll be gone." She nodded. Finn took out his phone and texted Louis. Taylor had risen to fame two years ago, and was currently one of the hottest singers in the world. They walked out of the hotel and into Taylor's car. They drove all the way to Brooklyn DNA Testing, the most reliable paternity testing place in the city. Finn and Taylor both had their cheeks swabbed and had to pee in a cup. After they had done this, they went out for lunch as there would be two hours before they got the result. A great thing about Taylor Swift was that she was out in public so often that paparazzi rarely mobbed her. One journalist came up to them and asked them if they were on a date. They laughed and lied in their response. They said that they were practising a duet together. Towards the end of the meal, Finn got a call from the clinic. He showed Taylor his phone.

"It's them. You ready to see if we're actually somehow related?"

"Yup. Ready to see that I wasn't lying?"

"Honestly, talking to you for the past few hours has shown me that we're quite a bit alike, actually. I wouldn't be surprised if we are related."

"I know. Well, answer the phone before it hangs up!"

"Crap," Finn laughed and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Mr. Finn Hudson?"

"Speaking. Do you have the result?"

"Yup, it turns out you have the same biological father. You're half-siblings! Congratulations!"

"OK, thank you so much." Finn hung up the phone. "Well?" she said with a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Well, I'm very sorry for doubting you. It's just I had to check. It's not every day a huge singer approaches me and tells me that we're related."

"I don't blame you, Finn. I would have been suspicious if I were you." Finn paid the tab and they drove back to the hotel. They walked into Finn's room again. There was a note on the desk that was clearly from Louis.

Finn - you've got the day off. Starting thinking of what song you want to perform. We'll meet at 10 pm tonight. Good luck. Louis.

Finn crumbled the note up into a ball and threw it into the bin. Finn and Taylor spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on each other's lives. Finn was fascinated to learn about Taylor's rise to fame and she was amazed at what he had been through in the SEALs. They also talked about foster care for a while. Nobody really knows how difficult it is, other than those who had actually been through it. In the evening, something just dawned on him.

"Can I please call my family and tell them? Like my brother, mom, and step-dad?"

"You have a brother? Is he related to you, so would that make him my brother too?"

"Nah, he's my step-brother. My step-dad married my adopted mom when I was about 16."

"You're lucky. I was in foster-care all the way until age 18. I got into college after. It was really lonely. I never had a family Thanksgiving, Christmas, or anything." A tear ran down her cheek. Despite the fact that they had known each other for less than a day, Finn gave her a hug and comforted her like they had known each other their whole lives.

"Hey, I'm sure, if you want, you'd be welcomed into my family."

"Really? I haven't had a family since I was 6. Dad walked out, as you know, before I was born."

"Trust me, you didn't miss anything. He was an abusive asshole. He burned me, hit me, beat me, stabbed me and eventually shot me. That's how I got out of his custody. The authorities eventually stepped in. I was put in foster-care. I'm guessing that, at some point, my dad cheated on my mom with your mom."

Taylor nodded. "Guessing I dodged a bullet there. Sorry, bad pun," she said with a faint smile. Finn laughed.

"Actually, my parents are in New York right now to watch me during the live show and my brother is trying to make it on broadway, so I can take you to meet them if you want."

Taylor's face filled with joy. "Really? You'd do that?"

"Sure. We're family now. We gotta stick together." She gave him a massive hug.

"Thank you so much, Finn. This really was the best day of my adult life. I mean, I have a brother! A Navy hero, future Grammy winning brother, at that!"

"You're too kind. Hold on, I'm just going to call my family. I feel like this kind of news should be revealed in person, not over the phone." She nodded and Finn quickly called his family.

"Mom, Burt, could we meet at your hotel lobby in half an hour. It's an emergency. You too, Kurt?"

"Sure, is everything OK?" they asked.

"Yeah, great. I just have big news."

"OK, see you soon," they said and hung up. Him and Taylor left the hotel once again and took a cab to Carole and Burt's hotel. They were staying at a Holiday Inn on 6th Street. Finn and Taylor arrived in 20 minutes and they walked into the hotel. Carole, Burt and Kurt were already there, with worried expressions on their faces. They saw Finn and their eyes widened when they saw who was with him. Finn walked over to his parents and brother and gave them hugs.

"Finn," Kurt started. "Why is a Grammy winning singer with you?"

"Yeah, is this a new girlfriend or something? It's about time!" Carole said.

"Yeah, your dating life always has been pretty pathetic. You dated like two different girls in 10 years." Taylor sniggered under her breath.

"When you guys are done bashing me about my dating life!" Finn declared. "This is Taylor. She's my half-sister."

They looked incredibly confused. Taylor recounted her whole story. At the end, Burt started to talk.

"Look, Taylor, the story fills in all of the gaps. But do you have any hard proof?"

Finn took up the story. "Burt, we took a paternity test this morning. It came back a couple hours ago. We definitely have the same biological father. Mom, I was wondering if you would welcome Taylor into our family, like the way you welcomed me. I was incredibly lucky to be adopted out of foster-care at age 14. Taylor wasn't as lucky. She was in foster-care until she was 18, when she moved for college. She hasn't had a family Christmas, thanksgiving or anything."

Nobody spoke for a minute, as they were all still processing the information Finn and Taylor had just laid on them. Then, Carole walked over and gave Taylor a crushing hug. "Welcome to the family, sweetie." Kurt also gave her a hug, and Burt shook her hand. By this point, she had tears running down her face. She also gave Finn a huge hug and cried into his shirt.

"Thank you so much." she said to all of them and sniffled. "I've never had any kind of family since my mom died."

"Well you're part of ours now." Carole said. "And when you're in, you're in for life." she gave her new daughter another hug.

"Look guys, I hate to break up this family reunion, but I gotta go meet Louis. I was meant to figure out what song I'm performing but I don't really know yet." Finn said and he grabbed his jacket.

"Yeah, I have to go home too. I start working on my new album tomorrow. I can't thank you guys enough, for everything."

"Honey, any family of Finn's, is family of ours too. Frankly, other than Burt and Kurt, nobody in this family is related to one another biologically."

Taylor gave everyone a hug and her and Finn walked out the door. Burt, Carole and Kurt sat back down.

"Well, that was interesting," Burt said.

"She's a really nice person, to be fair." Carole said.

"And if they took a paternity test, then she's definitely not lying." Kurt piped in.

"Yeah, it's not like Finn was about to take her word for it. Of course, he was going to get proof." Burt said.

"I've accepted Finn into my family. If this girl is Finn's half-sister, then I'm going to welcome her too. She had an even harsher childhood than Finn."

They all nodded. Meanwhile, Taylor had just driven to Finn's hotel and dropped him off. She got out of the car and gave him a crushing hug. "Thank you, Finn. You've already done more for me than anyone. And I swear, one day I'll repay your kindness."

"You don't have to do anything in return. That's what family's about. You stuff for each other, no questions asked."

She gave him another hug. "Thanks, Finn."

"No problem. See you soo… wait! What's your phone number?"

She laughed. "Wow that would have been interesting! After everything that happened, we forget to get each other's phone number. My number's +1 212 630 0320."

Finn typed it into his phone and gave Taylor a missed call. They then waved at each other and Finn walked into the hotel. He went up to his room, where the 4 guys, and Louis, were waiting.

"Hey Finn! You're half an hour late. That's not like you. Is everything OK?" Louis asked.

"I'm so sorry. Everything's great. I've just had a very weird and interesting day. Turns out I have a half-sister."

"Oooookay. Who is she?" said Jahmene.

"Ya'll aren't gonna believe me."

"Who is it? Is she famous or something?" Dalton asked.

"Yeah, little bit. It's Taylor Swift. We took a paternity test. She's not lying." Their mouths dropped open.

"Wow, ok. Finn coming in with the famous family. Step-dad's a congressman and half-sister's a platinum level singer." Jahmene laughed.

"Well Finn, have you decided on a song yet?" Louis asked.

"Yeah, actually. The theme was Love and Heartbreak so I'm yet again going to pick a kind of girly song. I'm gonna do Mary J Bilge's No More Drama." Nobody laughed this time and that made Finn chuckle. "I love how nobody's laughing this time."

"Well you made us eat our words last time." Dalton said.

"And I think that's a great choice," Louis smiled. The next week of rehearsals and touring N.Y flew by in a flash, and it was suddenly time for the second Live Show. Finn was even more nervous. Louis said that the nerves would eventually pass, but Finn wasn't so sure. He thought that he would get more and more nervous as the rounds went on. Finn was waiting to be announced by the host. He had drawn the last spot, which was Finn's least favourite spot. He had to watch everyone else blow their songs right out of the water, and had to somehow be able to top them. He paced around backstage, rubbing his hands together in apprehension. Suddenly, someone placed a hand on his shoulder and he jumped. He turned around, to see a smiling Taylor.

"Taylor! Hi! What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to come watch you. And tell you to calm down. You're going to do great."

"Is it sad that I'm more scared about three minutes of singing, than I was about a suicide mission in the Navy?"

"Little bit," she laughed. "Especially given that you and I both know that you are going to crush it."

"No pressure or anything," he chuckled. Taylor gave him a hug. Suddenly, a producer walked up to them.

"Mr. Hudson? We're ready for you. Taylor stayed backstage to watch him, but Finn went to the corner of the stage, waiting to be announced. He was called moments later and he walked onto the stage. The crowd cheered as Finn walked to the center of the stage. He stood before the mic and started to channel his emotions into the song, just like he did in his audition. He thought about how much Quinn had hurt him.

*Sings No More Drama by Mary J. Bilge*

He received uproarious applause from the audience and, sure enough, he qualified for Round 3. All the guys did. He walked off-stage after his performance and was immediately embraced by Taylor. He met with his parents, Kurt and Santana a few minutes later and he introduced Taylor to Santana. Santana looked pretty shell-shocked. They spent the rest of the night celebrating.

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