CHAPTER 1

Finn's junior year sucked. Simple as that. First of all, his relationship with Rachel crumbled after she falsely accused him of cheating. Santana told her that he was cheating and Rachel believed her! Like seriously? Santana? The slut that wanted to get Finn into bed since freshman year! When Rachel thought he was cheating, she decided to try and cheat on him with Puck. To be fair to Puck, when she tried to kiss him, Puck ran away and told Finn immediately. When Finn heard about this, he dumped her.

Then came Football, which was even worse. Because of the feud between the football team and the Glee club, half the team dropped out right before the championship game. The Glee club girls volunteered to play football during the championship game and It went horrifically. They got destroyed 49-14. The sad fact is that they were actually winning 14-7 at the end of the first half, but Finn got injured right after the half and everything went downhill from there. Finn was taken down by a 350 pound Defensive Tackle and dislocated his shoulder.

To make an already shitty year even worse, when he got back together with Quinn, she cheated on him, AGAIN! With Sam this time. Every single relationship he had been in had ended with them cheating, and he was sick of it. On the first day of the summer, Finn walked over to the tire shop and began a long, tiring day of work. The hours blended into one, and it was only during his lunch break that he stopped early. During his break, he walked into the break room and grabbed his sub and drink from the fridge and sat at the table. He then grabbed his backpack and took out a bunch of pamphlets. They were his ticket out of Lima. He wasn't smart enough, or good enough at sports or music to get a scholarship, so he had one option left, and luckily, they were hiring for a summer job…

Finn was reading through the brochure of the branch, when Kurt walked into the room. Finn quickly covered the brochure with a random newspaper, but Kurt noticed.

"Hey, Finn. What are you reading?" He asked.

"Newspaper," Finn replied gruffly. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"No, I mean under the newspaper," He said, tugging it free. Finn sat back and sighed. His secret was finally out. And if Kurt knew, that probably meant that everyone would find out in the next 24 hours. Kurt's face paled as he read through the brochure.

"Finn, is this serious? I mean the National Guard? That's incredibly dangerous!"

"First of all, it's the Air National Guard, and yeah I'm serious. I'm talking to mom and Burt tonight, and hopefully I leave for training early next week."

Kurt was speechless. One on hand, he thought it was an incredibly risky and dangerous decision. But on the other, he had never seen his brother so determined about anything. Not Glee, not Football, not even any of his relationships. Kurt felt so bad about everything that had happened to his brother in the past year. Finn couldn't seem to catch a break in any aspect of his life.

"Finn, I know you haven't had the easiest year, but the Air Force? You could very possibly die?"

Finn nodded. "I'm well aware of the consequences. But I also know that I'm doing this."

"Isn't there an age requirement? Like 18 or 21 or something?"

Finn nodded. "It usually is 18, but you can be 17, provided you have parental consent. So I need to talk to Carole and Burt tonight. So please, I would appreciate it, even if you don't want to support the plan, don't argue against it in front of my mom. I want as little reason as possible for her to say no." Finn pleaded with his brother and Kurt reluctantly agreed.

"Fine, and I'm only agreeing to that because I know that Carole would never let you join."

"Ummmm…. Thanks, I guess. And anyways, I'm not asking for permission. More like just giving them a heads up. And if they say no, trust me I'll find a way to do it anyways."

Kurt laughed mirthlessly. "Good luck with that." He remarked.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! And did I mention NO? And also NO!" Carole shouted.

"Come on, mom! I've been thinking about this for a while."

"That doesn't make it right! I lost your dad that way, I'm not about to lose you too! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND?"

"No, I'm not. This is my chance to get out of Lima. And I'm almost an adult now, so I can make my own decisions, and trust me, this is what I want to do. And anyways, a lot of people come and go without a scratch. And this summer, you and Burt will be in DC for a while with Congress."

Carole had tears in her eyes, and she sighed. She knew that there was no changing her son's mind, but she couldn't concede defeat. She stayed silent. Finn nodded.

"OK, fine, mom you disapprove. Burt?"

Burt looked at his step-son.

"Well, even though I'm probably about to live in the doghouse for the rest of my life,I think that if you're sure this is what you want, you should do it. You're at a great age for it, and when you're old, you'll look back and regret not doing it. I know that the tire store will be in good hands with you while we're gone, but the military is an option if you don't want to stay in Lima. I pulled a four year hitch in the Navy," Burt offered.

"You pulled a four year hitch in the Navy in Hawaii during peacetime. You never saw a battle or dodged a single bullet," Carole fumed at Burt.

"I was just trying to say that Finn doesn't have to stay in Lima and run the tire store as a family obligation if he doesn't want to. He's almost eighteen and his own man now. If Finn wants to join the Air Force then he's old enough to make that decision for himself."

The high school quarterback spoke quickly. "Mom, it wouldn't even really be joining the army, alright? Not full time. It's the Air National Guard. The guy at the office told me they're, like, part-time military. I could go do basic training this summer, come back, finish high school, and then do my trade training next summer; that's two summers of full employment. And there are a ton of scholarships and pay benefits to help for college, too. I'd have a job to go to while in my last year of high school, and a job during college, but because it's only one weekend a month, I'd have lots of time for everything else too. It's...it's like a perfect fit for me, Mom."

"If it involves a uniform and a weapon, Finn, it is not a perfect fit for you. You'd be at the government's beck and call; it's a job you can't just say no to. If they order you into some God-forsaken country in the Middle-East and tell you to kill people, do you think you'll be able to just walk away?" She shook her head disgustedly and turned towards her husband. "And I cannot believe you're encouraging him to think this way!"

"MOM! This is something I could be good at...really good at. I already meet the fitness portion of it, and the recruiter said if I'm passing most or all of my high school courses then I shouldn't have any problems with how the army teaches." Finn ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Mom, I...I sucked this year, okay? Sucked bad. I got hurt a LOT and as a result, distanced myself from everyone. I let a lot of people push and pull me without me giving any thought to anything, and I hate feeling that way! I need something else than just what everyone tells me I should do. I need to...just know I can do something else; that I'm not just another high school Quarterback who turned around and wasted his years as a Lima loser."

"You know I hate that phrase," Carole spoke dangerously as she crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry mom, I'm doing this. Burt supports my decision and it would mean so much to me if you did too. Thank you SO much, Burt by the way. So would you please sign my form?" Finn asked. Burt looked at Carole, who was crying freely now.

"Only if your mom agrees."

Finn looked at his mom again. "Fine, I know that there is no way I'll be able to change your mind. You have to write to us often. And if you get deployed, you have to promise to come back in one piece."

Finn looked at his mom and had a sympathetic look in his eye. "Mom, you know I don't lie so I can't make that promise. But I promise I'll try my best to stay safe."

Carole stormed out of the room, and Finn took out the enlistment papers from his backpack. He had already filled out all of the necessary information and he just needed a parent signature. Burt quickly signed the papers.

"I'm gonna go talk to your mom now. Just, Finn, please stay safe."

Finn sighed. "Look, Burt, I'm gonna be honest with you. I'm gonna try and come back alive, but if there's a decision that comes down to me, or one of my fellow men, I know without a doubt which one I'm gonna pick."

Burt nodded and went to go and find his wife. For a man who was normally very stoic, his face was actually filled with emotion. Meanwhile, Kurt was watching this whole exchange from the top of the stairs and tears filled his eyes. Finn was an amazing brother, and there was a chance he wouldn't be coming home at all. Finn left shortly after to go and hand the papers to his recruiter, leaving three devastated people in the house.

Burt knocked on the master bedroom door, and he entered moments later. Carole was sitting on their bed, sobbing. Burt felt so bad for his wife, as he knew how close she was with her son.

"He's seventeen, honey." Burt started.

Carole shook her head. "He's just a kid."

"No, he's seventeen." Burt emphasized the word, causing Carole to look at him again. "He's becoming an adult now, whether you want to admit it to yourself or not. You can't protect him all his life. At some point he's going to want to take flight and try something you're not sure he's ready for."

"I know he's not ready for something like this, Burt. Honestly, you saw the mess he was in after he and Rachel broke up and then him and Quinn. And then football. And he pretty much gave up by the end of the year, even with Glee. Kurt said that Finn didn't challenge for any solos for the last term."

"That's kinda why I think this would be good for him," Burt continued. "He needs to know the world is more than just this high school; more than just the friends he has now and more than just his hobbies" He again emphasized his word. "He needs something to focus on and honestly I think this would make him use that head of his in a way McKinley never really does. The Air Guard will take care of him, too. He'll have his clothes provided, be given three square meals a day, and have shelter over his head. He'll be learning stuff he can use the rest of his life; teamwork, discipline, self reliance... And really, how many part-time jobs around Lima can offer this kind of experience?"

Carole sighed and cast her eyes to the floor and Burt could see her struggling with the decision. A lone tear escaped and trailed down her cheek as she breathed in deeply and turned back to Burt. "He's the only son I have, Burt. Kurt is a wonderful step-son and I love him with all my heart, but Finn's my baby. And he's...he's all I have left of Chris."

Burt hugged her quickly, letting her sob into his shirt. "I know, Carole. I know. But Finn is also becoming a man, and he needs to be his own man, honey. He can't and won't stay with us forever. How often has he said that his biggest dream is to get out of Lima? Even through all the problems he's had this year, he's always said that. He needs to know that, if he wants to, he can leave. And he needs to know we're there for him no matter what he chooses."

"But all summer?" Carole asked him, looking into his eyes as she rubbed more tears away. "Why all summer?"

"We'll miss him, I know." Burt nodded at her. "But that's how the military does things, Carole. They aren't going to use kid gloves on him. And he needs to know he'll be okay when they start throwing serious...well...serious shit at him."

Carole nodded and she cried for the rest of the night, even though she knew, deep down, Finn's decision to join the Air Force was actually a good one. Finn was her last reminder of Chris, and she didn't want to let him go.