Chapter 34 - The Shipwreck

Meanwhile, back in L.A, Quinn was feeling pretty depressed. Unlike Finn, she hadn't found friends in her new city, so was a little bit lonely. Mercedes was also in L.A, so Quinn spent a lot of time with her. She had gotten a job as a Celebrity Journalist, which basically meant gossiping on the up and coming celebrities. It was her dream job, and she should have been happy, but deep down, Quinn knew that she wasn't. She was sitting in her miniscule cubicle at 11 pm on New Years Eve, trying to meet a deadline for an article that was about her crazy successful ex-boyfriend. Although her and Finn were on the verge of getting back together, Quinn knew that it wouldn't be permanent. She had a secret that she was keeping from him, a secret she knew would be uncovered eventually. She just didn't yet realise how soon…

A few days later, Finn and his friends had arrived back in New York and were starting to work on their new albums. It had been an absolutely perfect week at the ski resort, and both Ella and Dalton were both a lot better skier than when they first came. But more importantly, they had had sooooo much fun and became even more tight-knit as a group. Finn had just received his first paycheck as a music artist. He now had earned more money than most people earn in a year, in just three weeks. He was still adjusting to life as a singer. His first single was such a huge hit, and fans all over the world were waiting eagerly for his next one. Finn was now a massive celebrity, and was spotted by fans whenever he left their apartment, especially when he was with Taylor. Ella and Dalton were recognised by a few people because of their performances on the X Factor, but neither of them had hit songs like Taylor and Finn. A weird rumour was started by paparazzi that Finn and Taylor were dating, as they were seen in public a lot together. Finn and Taylor quickly put a stop to it, explaining their actual relationship, and that rumour quickly died. On the 6th of January, Finn was about to head home from the recording studio after his third day of work. It wasn't really work, as he genuinely loved what he was doing. His producers were really nice, and also were very competent. He had started working on his latest single, Perfect, and it would also be part of his latest album. The producers were very happy about having an album consisting of mostly love and heartbreak songs. They believed that Perfect was the perfect contrast to his debut single - Impossible - and it would hopefully be released in just under two weeks time. If Perfect was also a hit which was pretty likely based on the still rising sales of Impossible, he would pick the more successful song and hire a director to film a music video. His phone rang when he was just about to walk out of the recording studio. It was Sarah, Quinn's old roommate.

"Hello?" Finn answered the phone.

"Finn, how's it going?" Sarah asked in French. Finn switched to speaking in French.

"Pretty good! What about you?"

"I'm good. How's life as a singer?"

"It's incredible. Like every day is something new, and I get to spend all my time doing what I love."

"I'm glad you're happy, Finn. How are you and Quinn doing?"

"We broke up a while ago. And I think you know that!" Finn laughed.

"No, I mean I was talking to Quinn earlier. She said that you two might get back together."

"Honestly, I don't know. My love-life's pretty non-existent right now. I'm trying to just focus on my career."

"That's a good idea. Look Finn, I say this from a place of caring: be careful about getting back together with Quinn. I mean someone who can cheat on their military boyfriend multiple times with the same guy. Who's to say if you go on an Album Tour, she won't just do the same thing?"

Finn's heart dropped. Multiple times? Quinn said it only happened once. He forced his voice to remain calm.

"Thanks for looking out, Sarah. Just so that I know she told me the truth, how many times did she cheat on me?"

"5 times, with a guy from one of the frat houses. But you knew that though, didn't you?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just double checking. Well I should go. I need to get back to my apartment. It's my turn to cook dinner for me and my friends."

"OK. I'm still waiting for you to come to Montreal so we can go to that hockey game."

Finn laughed. "I'll make sure to call you when I come. OK gotta go bye." Finn hung up the phone and took a deep breath. So, Quinn had cheated on him more than once. When he had calmed down enough, he called Quinn.

"Finn?" she answered the phone.

"Hey Quinn, you busy?"

"Never too busy for you," she said. What a lying bitch, Finn thought.

"Quinn, can I ask you something, and I want you to be completely honest with me. How many times did you cheat on me?"

He heard her take a sharp intake of breath and pause. It was then he knew that Sarah was telling the truth. "It was just one guy. Finn I swear. You have to believe me!"

"That's not what I asked, Quinn. I didn't ask how many guys. I asked how many times." She stopped and Finn sighed.

"How many times, Quinn?" he growled.

"5," she murmured. "I'm so sorry. He meant nothing to me."

"Don't you see how that's worse. If you actually had feelings for the guy, I would have gladly stepped aside and let you be happy. But if what you're saying is true, and he was just a random fuck buddy, that is so much worse. And to think I was actually considering getting back together with you! We're NEVER getting back together."

Finn hung up the phone and put his face in his hands. He had been lied to, so many damn times. He was starting to think that the problem was with him. Everywhere he went, hurt, anger and in some cases death, followed. He drove home and didn't say much that night. He briefly told his friends what had happened and they were really supportive of him. He went to sleep early that night and woke up early the next morning. He did what virtually everyone who had gotten out of a relationship did: focus on career and fitness and ignore romance completely. He would wake up at 4 am every day, and would go to the gym for 3 hours. He would be back by 8 am, when Ella, Taylor and Dalton would wake up. They would all eat breakfast together, and then would be at work for 10 am. Finn tried so hard to ignore anything to do with dating or a romantic life, but, despite his efforts, he was unsuccessful. He started to have feelings for someone. Someone who wasn't Quinn. Someone he saw literally everyday. It was getting harder and harder for him to hide it, so he was grateful that he was going on an overnight trip. He needed to get away from her for a bit. All he wanted was to be with her, but he didn't want to do something that would jeopardise their friendship.

It was Friday night and Finn and Dalton were drinking beers and watching an Oilers vs Maple Leafs game on TV. Finn had gotten Dalton hooked on hockey - it was their favourite sport to watch together. The girls both had to work late that day, so Finn and Dalton were the only ones there. Finn's mind wasn't on the game though. Of course, he was thinking about her. He was thinking about her most of the time. Dalton noticed that his friend's mind was somewhere else.

"Are you OK Finn?" he asked. Finn turned to his friend.

"Yeah, fine. Sorry, my mind's somewhere else."

"You mean, like with a certain blonde who lives across the hall?" Finn's eyes widened.

"How did you…"

"Finnegan Christopher Hudson…"

"Don't call me Finnegan!" Finn muttered.

"Finnegan Christopher Hudson," Dalton continued, ignoring his friend. "You're my best friend in the world. I know when something's up with you."

Finn slumped his shoulders in defeat and sat deeper into his barcalounger.

"Yeah, it's like you said. My mind's on her. It's been that way a lot lately."

"Why don't you go for it. You're a nice guy. And funny. And I guess you're decently attractive."

Finn laughed. "Gee thanks, bud. And I'm not going to go for it. Ella's like one of my best friends and I don't want to ruin our friendship in any way. The best I can do is try and get her out of my mind."

"Hence the overnight trip." Dalton said, nodding. Finn was going on his first live performance as a hit singer. He was driving to Montauk early the next morning and was getting on a cruise ship that would set sail on the Atlantic on Saturday and come back on Monday evening. Finn would be performing on two shows that would be both televised and played live on the radio. He was excited, but at the same time, he knew that the only reason he agreed to it was to help take his mind off Ella. Finn and Dalton watched till the end of the hockey game - which to Finn's joy was 4-2 to the Oilers - Finn went to sleep. All he had packed was a few sets of clothing in a duffel, and his guitar. The cruise company was providing the mics, amps, etc. There were going to be a lot of camera men and radio presenters there, and it was the first time he had performed since Impossible on the X Factor, so he wanted it to go well. When Finn fell asleep, he had no idea how crazy the next day would be.

He woke up at 6 am and prepared to leave by 7. The ship was departing from Montauk at 10 am, and was already sold-out. His New York fans were desperate to hear him sing in public. He grabbed his duffel and guitar and hurried out the door, before Dalton, Taylor and Ella had even woken up. He drove down to Montauk, singing along to the radio. Both Impossible and Perfect were played during the 2 and a half hour drive. He knew that the more times the songs were played, the more money he would earn - especially for Perfect as he had written the song himself. He arrived in Montauk at around 9:30 am. There was a crowd by the docks - a bunch of fans waiting to see Finn. As he walked towards the vessel, Finn signed a few autographs and took a few photos with people. He didn't want to be one of those celebrities who were completely isolated from fans. He even took the Subway sometimes. It wasn't like someone was going to try and mug him. Finn was an Ex-Navy SEAL who was close to 250 lbs and 6'4. When Finn entered the ship, he was shown to his suite by a stewardess and he put his bag and guitar on the bed. Finn had brought his phone with him, but didn't plan on using it for the whole trip - if possible. He was going to spend his time performing, thinking of new song ideas and relaxing on deck. Finn was trying to cathart - forget all about Ella. He spent the next two hours on deck, hanging out with the piano and drums accompanists. Majority of the people of the fish came for an autograph or photo. After a few hours, he went into the performance lounge and did a sound check with his crew. Finally, at around 3:30 pm, the radio and television crew were allowed in, to keep in time with a 4 pm start to the performance. He began the performance with Perfect, then sang The Power of Love, then Sweet Dreams, then Chandelier by Sia, then Rewrite the Stars. He sang a couple more covers, before singing a spine-tingling acoustic version of Feeling Good, and finally, a heart-wrenching version of Impossible. Somewhere towards the end of the song, he felt a lurching jolt. Everyone just played it down to rough waters. Nobody knew what it really was.

Finn had just finished performing and was giving a quick interview for various TV and radio stations when the captain made an announcement via the P.A system.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. There is an emergency announcement. Unfortunately, the ship has had too much corrosion in the metal of the hull of the ship and is now flooding with water. We will be sinking in the next 1-2 hours. For some reason, we don't have enough life rafts for everyone. For those who don't get a life raft, will receive a life jacket and all they can do is wait for a nearby ship to save us. This is an emergency. All women and children please come above deck, where you will be put on a lifeboat."

Immediately, the crowd started to panic. Television crew turned on their cameras and started broadcasting Breaking News. Most of the passengers were currently in the lounge, watching Finn's performance. They started to cry and scream in panic. Finn wanted to calm them down, but didn't know how. Suddenly, he realised. His mic was still on, and connected to the speakers.

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" He bellowed, effectively muting everyone. "Look, if you want to get out of this OK, then you're going to have to listen. Stop panicking. That will not help anyone, least of all the children on board. All of you have gotta be strong right now, if not for yourself, then for the person next to you. Now, please can the women and children get to the life rafts. Thank you. And don't worry. You're all going to be OK. You just need to stay calm."

Finn put down the mic and nodded at the stunned crew member. She nodded back and helped gather all of the women and children on board. Everyone was standing on the main deck, watching the events unfold. The women and children were herded into a seperate area, to receive life jackets and life rafts. As Finn watched them, he realised something. There wouldn't be enough life jackets for most of the passengers and crew, let alone life rafts. The Captain walked over and handed Finn a life jacket. Finn was a huge celebrity, so was offered a place on one of the life rafts. He politely declined it. He would much rather someone else get one of the coveted spots as it could potentially save their life. Finn couldn't see any other ships in every direction, so those who didn't get a life raft, would probably die - if not by drowning, then by hypothermia. It was the end of January and they were in the middle of the frigid Atlantic. Finn was about to put on the life jacket he was given, when he noticed a small girl - no older than 8 - who wasn't wearing one. She was standing next to her mom, who also wasn't wearing one. Finn walked over to them and helped secure the jacket onto the tiny girl. He nodded to the thankful mom and walked away. Finn didn't really like his options right now. He could embrace his death, try and pirate a life raft, or bob up and down in the freezing Atlantic for possibly hours, before succumbing to hypothermia. Well, there was one more option. Swim. He walked towards the bow of the ship and, taking a run-up, dived right off the edge.

Meanwhile, back home, Dalton and Taylor were watching the TV in horror. They were watching the televised version of Finn's performance and saw as the TV switched to Breaking News. Because there were a few TV and Radio channels already on the boat for the concert, the whole situation was televised. Taylor and Dalton watched as Finn managed to calm the people down, they watched as he gave his life jacket to the little girl. They lost him after. Suddenly, Dalton noticed something.

"Taylor, rewind it a few seconds," he said, slowly. She obliged. They watch the last few seconds.

"Stop it now! Dalton cried. He pointed to the corner of the screen and they both looked at it closely. It was definitely Finn diving off the side of the both. Taylor put her head in her hands.

"What does he expect to do? It's not like he can make it to land. He can't swim for like 20 hours." She started to cry and tears streamed down her face. She had just found her brother less than a year ago and she wasn't prepared to lose him. Dalton gave his friend a hug. Just then, Ella walked into the room and Taylor's heart dropped. However sad Taylor was, she knew her friend would be feeling ten times worse. Ella loved Finn after all.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" she asked. Taylor's face dropped further. She didn't even know yet. Suddenly, Ella read the block headlines on the screen's breaking news.

CELEBRITY SINGER FINN HUDSON MISSING AND PRESUMED DEAD IN CRUISE SHIPWRECK

She slowly walked towards the TV and her eyes filled with tears.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" She screamed, tears pouring down her face.

"There was a shipwreck on Finn's ship. There weren't enough life rafts for everyone." Dalton said quietly. Ella started to sob and Taylor put her arm around her friend.

"I'm so sorry, honey. I know how much Finn meant to you."

Ella sniffed and nodded. "I never got to tell him how I feel about him."

Dalton looked at them, confused. Then, something dawned on him.

"Ella, did you have a thing for my boy Finn?" She nodded through her tears.

"Yeah. I was in love with him. I wanted more than anything to be with him, but now I'll never get the chance to tell him how I feel."

"I don't mean to pry, Ella, but why didn't you?"

"I didn't want it to mess with our friendship, in case he said no. After all, you, Taylor and Finn are my only and best friend. I couldn't afford to lose one of you. And I knew that if something happened and we didn't work out, it would make things really awkward. Anyways, it's too late now."

Dalton had to stifle a laugh. He covered it with a cough but Ella noticed. She scowled at him.

"Something funny, Dalton? I didn't realise your best friend dying was a comedic occasion." she spat.

"Sorry, it's not. It's just ironic. It's just that Finn used almost the exact words you just did last night. He had feelings for you for a while."

Ella's breath hitched in her throat. "Finn had feelings for me?"

"Well it was a bit more than that. Part of the reason he went on the trip was to get you out of his mind."

Ella's heart rose, but quickly plummeted. Finn had feelings for her! But he was gone now, so it wouldn't make a difference. Taylor noticed the solemn mood in the room.

"Look guys, we don't know Finn's dead for sure. The most we can do is to sit in front of the TV for the rest of the night as they collect people from the water." Taylor said. Ella and Dalton nodded and walked over to the couch. Taylor brought a bunch of blankets from the cupboard and draped them over her friends. They sat in front of the TV for the next 12 hours, hoping and praying for news.

Kick… Kick… Kick… Finn forced himself to carry on swimming. He had no idea how far away he was from shore. Right before he had jumped, he checked his phone's compass so he was pretty sure he was going the right way, but it had been 10 hours and he couldn't see any land. He must have close to 15 miles so far. But he didn't dare give up yet. He had pretty much acclimated to the cold at this point - SEAL Training in Alaska had helped with that - but he could tell his muscles were about to spasm and give up. He had faced so much terrible in the water so far, between stormy climate and ferocious sharks, so he wasn't about to give up now. He kept on going, mindlessly kicking and gliding. He thought about Taylor, Dalton and Ella. They had probably received news by now about the shipwreck. They probably thought he was dead. After all, it had been almost half a day. Finn jumped into the water at around 6 pm and it was, according to his water-proof Navy watch, 4:15 am. At around 10:00 am, almost 16 hours after he had started swimming, he started to land. He began to swim harder and faster. A large part of being a SEAL was the superhuman stamina that they obtained from training in such harsh conditions and methods. When he saw land, his body was rejuvenated, and he had a newfound energy. He swam faster and faster, and just under two hours later, he had made it. He was still wearing a soaking-wet hoodie and he covered his face with it to avoid being recognised. He really didn't want to be photographed or interviewed right now. He instantly identified the area as Montauk, and 5 minutes later, he was in his car, and speeding towards Manhattan. When he arrived home, he realised how bad he looked and smelt. He had been swimming in dirty ocean salt-water for almost 24 hours, so he decided to take a shower. Dalton wasn't home, so Finn assumed that he was either across the hall or at work. Finn took a shower for almost 30 minutes, rinsing all of the grime off his body, his muscles relishing in being under warm water rather than the bitter-cold Atlantic. After he had showered, he put on a pair of Adidas sweatpants, an old Oilers hoodie and wore a pair of comfy slippers. His hair was still wet so he had a towel around his shoulders. Finn walked out of the apartment and walked into Taylor and Ella's place.

The apartment was a mess. Pizza boxes, tissues and empty ice cream tubs were strewn across the floor. Dalton, Taylor and Ella were all lying on the sofas. They had clearly been crying. Then, Finn saw why. On the TV screen read…

SINGER FINN HUDSON, AMONG OTHERS, PRESUMED DEAD AND STILL MISSING AFTER NEARLY 18 HOURS

Nobody had noticed Finn enter the apartment yet. They were still fixated on the screen. He walked up behind them.

"Wow, I missed quite a party, huh?" he remarked. Ella, Taylor and Dalton all swivelled around in shock. Joy and relief flooded through their faces. However, Taylor and Dalton's reactions paled in comparison to Ella's. She screamed so loudly and high-pitched that only dogs could hear her. She leapt off the sofa and flew into Finn's arms. She started kissing him fiercely. Finn was extremely astonished, but wasn't about to complain. The girl of his dreams was in his arms - literally. Her legs had completely given out so Finn had to gently carry her and set her down on the couch. He gave his sister and his best friend a hug and then sat down on the other sofa. Ella immediately latched onto his side and was crying tears of joy.

"I thought you were…" she started, but Finn cut her off.

"Hey, I'm not. I'm here now. That's all that matters."

Ella nodded and a few stray tears leaked out of her eyes. "Finn, I… I love you. I was too scared to tell you before. But after everything that just happened, I learnt not to chicken out anymore. You don't have to say anything…"

"I love you too." He replied without even hesitating, She beamed and they kissed again When they finally pulled away due to lack of oxygen, Finn turned to the others. "You don't know how great it is to see you guys."

"Dude, where the hell were you? How did you get back? Your ship sank 26 miles into the Atlantic. You weren't on any of the life rafts that made it." Dalton asked.

"I swam."

"You… you swam? You're telling me you for 16 hours non-stop. For 26 miles." Taylor said.

"Yeah, and I'm exhausted. I almost fell asleep standing in the shower earlier." Finn responded.

"Wait, when did you arrive?" Taylor asked.

"About half an hour ago. I took a shower and came straight here." he replied.

"You mean you were here, and you didn't tell us for half an hour?" Ella stared at him in disbelief.

"Yeah, I felt, smelt and looked like crap. I had been swimming in the filthy, frigid ocean for 16 hours straight. I was even chased by a shark at one point. I was an absolute mess. Trust me, you would not have wanted to kiss that guy."

"Finn, I would kiss you anytime, anypla… wait, did you say chased by a shark? Are you OK? Were you hurt?" She started to spiral. Finn cut her off from her spiral by kissing her.

"Don't worry. I wasn't hurt. Still got the ten fingers and nine toes." Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

"I'll take this one," Taylor said. "Finn, nine toes?"

"Right, training injury from SEAL training."

"What, did you shoot yourself in the foot - pun intended?" Dalton suggested.

"Not quite, hypothermia. We spent quite a bit of time in Alaska for training, and I had to have a toe amputated after getting frostbite. It's no big deal. I can still walk fine."

Taylor got up and gave her brother a crushing hug. She started to cry as well. "I'm so glad you're OK, Finn. I don't think I could have survived someone else dying." Finn hugged her back and kissed her forehead gently.

"Hey, I wasn't about to die. I couldn't do that to you guys. Family always comes through for each other. And you guys are my family."

When Taylor finally let go, Finn felt like she had cracked a few of his ribs.

"Finn, you've got to be starving. Can I make you something to eat?" Taylor asked, concerned. Finn hadn't eaten or slept in almost 24 hours, and had done physical exercise for 16 straight hours.

"I'm right behind you," Finn said, starting to get up, but immediately sat back down. "Nope, I'm not going anywhere. My legs are dead. Can I please nap on your sofa?"

"Sure," Ella laughed. "I'm going to sleep too. I'm really tired. I didn't sleep at all last night." They both moved so that they were lying horizontally on the sofa. Ella's head was on Finn's chest, and he wrapped an arm around her protectively. They both fell asleep almost immediately. Ella had been extremely stressed and depressed about what had happened to Finn,and it had taken a huge toll on her. She was more tired than she had ever been. Taylor covered them with blankets and she and Dalton left to the other apartment. Ella and Finn slept for the whole day and the whole night. Finn hadn't done that much physical exercise and been under that much stress since his SEAL days.

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