Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

"Remind me why we're doing this again?"

Rachel hurried to keep up with Puck as he walked across the parking lot. "You're the one who wanted to come," Puck reminded his little cousin.

"But… but…" Rachel bit her lip, unsure. "I…"

"Look." Puck came to a stop and turned to face his cousin. "You don't even like haunted houses. So I don't know why you came anyway."

Rachel opened her mouth to retort, but she faltered when she caught sight of the group of their friends waiting for them. Standing in the front was Finn, and he was laughing at something Kurt was saying.

That was why Rachel came.

Puck was right; Rachel hated haunted houses. But when she heard that all of their friends were going—namely, Finn—she decided that being a little scared was worth getting to spend time with him.

Of course, Puck noticed the way Rachel's gaze went. He smirked and nodded his head. "Oh, that's right. You have a thing for my best friend."

Rachel's cheeks turned bright red. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Right." Puck snorted and pushed Rachel towards their friends. Santana, good best friend that she was, laughed when Rachel tripped. Finn, on the other hand, reached out and placed a steadying hand on Rachel's shoulder.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Rachel assured quickly. She glared at Puck over her shoulder and then looked up at the haunted house they were standing in front of. "So… this haunted house. What's it called?"

"The Asylum," Santana said gleefully. "We're going to have so much fun."

Rachel made a face and swallowed hard. "I don't know why you enjoy being scared so much."

Santana shrugged her shoulders and shoved Puck towards the entrance to the haunted house. "Puck is going to my haunted house buddy. I'll let Hummel and the hobbit run through the house together. Looks like you're stuck with Rachel, Finn."

Rachel made a face at Santana, but she knew that she was just doing her duty as best friend. She was giving Rachel an in with Finn, and Rachel did appreciate that. It seemed as though her cousin and her best friend were doing their best to play matchmaker.

Finn gave Rachel that gorgeous half smile. "I don't mind," he said. Rachel returned his smile and felt her heart stutter in her chest. She had admitted to herself long ago that she had a crush on Finn Hudson, but Rachel also had a feeling she was well past that point now.

The closer they got to the haunted house, the more apprehensive Rachel grew. She didn't like scary movies or haunted houses or ghost stories. She couldn't even handle the haunted hayride at the local park. Still, she figured that at twenty years old she should probably get over this fear.

Finn noticed her slowing pace and he offered her his arm. "Don't worry Rachel. I'll protect you."

Playfully, Rachel lifted her chin in the air. "I am a modern, independent woman, Finn Hudson. I don't always need someone to protect me." Even as she teased him, however, she slipped her small hand in the crook of his strong arm. Oh, wow. His forearm really was nicely defined.

"And yet you took my arm."

Rachel tried to press her lips together to hide her smile, but she didn't quite succeed. "You can be my knight in shining armor whenever you want."

"Knights in shining armor are overrated," Finn said. He nudged his hip with hers, his amber eyes twinkling. "I'd rather be your superhero."

Rachel giggled and squeezed Finn's arm. She had been reduced to giggling because she was so nervous and excited all at the same time. Her heart started pounding, but it was mostly because they were just about to step into the haunted house.

Rachel immediately moved closer to Finn as they stepped over the threshold. The screams of the other attendees in the haunted house could be heard, and Rachel's fingers tightened around Finn's forearm. He paused in moving forward, looking down at her with eyes that were half-concerned, half-amused.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Rachel could only detect a hint of humor in his voice, she was grateful. She knew that she was being ridiculous, but she really didn't like haunted houses. While she did pride herself on being able to do things on her own as a mature woman, she did appreciate how Finn was there to help her.

Rachel nodded her head and straightened her shoulders, planting a firm hand on her hip. "Let's go," she declared, moving forward before she could convince herself not to.

It wasn't long before Rachel was clutching tightly to Finn's arm with both hands once again. Finn took his free hand and gently pried Rachel's fingers from his jacket as they walked. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side.

A big hairy spider dropped down from the ceiling, its legs brushing the top of their heads. Rachel shrieked and shoved herself against Finn, causing them to stumble slightly. The lights flashed brightly around them, and workers dressed as clowns and zombies ran around them. They would pretend swipe at the people who walked by, and Rachel couldn't stop herself from screaming.

Santana and Puck had probably already finished with going through The Asylum. Every now and then, Rachel could see the brightly-colored scarf that Kurt was wearing as he navigated the house with Blaine. When she couldn't see them anymore, she knew that they were almost finished.

At this point, Rachel had one of her hands wrapped around Finn's and she was gripping it so tightly he was almost sure that his circulation was being cut off. He wiggled his fingers enough to make sure he could still move them before he squeezed her hand comfortingly.

And then they were out.

Rachel heaved a huge sigh of relief and allowed her body to completely relax. Even so, she didn't try and move away from Finn, nor did he remove his arms from around her. Together, they made their way towards their group of friends. Naturally, they all noticed the way Finn and Rachel were attached to one another, but did nothing more than exchange knowing looks.

"Let's go out for ice cream," Blaine suggested. He hadn't been very affected by the haunted house, but he was taking pity on Rachel. She gave him a thankful smile, because ice cream was definitely what they needed.

Santana rubbed her stomach and nodded her head vigorously in agreement. "All of that screaming made me hungry," she agreed. Pumping her fist in the air, she planted her hand in the middle of Blaine and Kurt's back and began to shove them forward. "Let's go!"

Puck ran ahead of them, calling shotgun as he went. Rachel moved to follow, but Finn's hand tightening around hers caused her to pause. She turned to face him, a smile on her lips, and then she saw the warmth in his amber eyes.

"Tomorrow night… would you like to go out to dinner?" Finn asked.

"Yes!" The word burst from Rachel's mouth before she could even think about it, and her cheeks turned bright pink. Her hands flew up to her mouth and her eyes went almost comically wide. Finn chuckled and reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Awesome," he said. Still holding onto Rachel's hand, Finn began to tug her back towards the car.

Naturally, all of their friends had been blatantly watching them. As Finn and Rachel approached the car, Puck rolled down the window and stuck his head out.

"It's about freaking time!"

There will be some more chapters featuring the Hudson kids soon!