A Tempo

Chapter Ten: The Good News

*Citrus Alert*

Finn winced as the bed creaked ominously and threw a worried glance at the open bedroom door, just waiting for Michael or Andrew (or worse, both) to burst into the room. He heard nothing but silence, save for Rachel's soft laughter as she placed a hand at his neck and pulled his face down to hers.

"They're very deep sleepers," she assured him just before crushing her lips against his in a mind numbing kiss.

So far they'd been very good about him not being around when the boys woke up in the morning, but now that they were sharing a cabin in the middle of the woods – an impromptu trip Finn had planned so that Rachel could enjoy a little time off with the boys – it seemed like all bets were off. Oh, he'd behaved himself the night before, sleeping uncomfortably on the lumpy sofa in the living room, but tonight Rachel had practically attacked him on his way out of the shower and dragged him into her room. Before he knew it, his girlfriend was standing before him completely naked, having spared only a moment to shimmy her little nightgown down her body.

Somehow they'd made it to the bed (how he'd lost his pajamas bottoms, he'd never know) and things were getting pretty hot and heavy, aside from the squeaking mattress. He hadn't to perform under this kind of pressure since he and Jer had lived together, and for some reason, the thought of Rachel's kids catching him going out it with their mom was a little more unnerving than having a roommate bang on the wall to the rhythm of his squeaking mattress and shout words of encouragement. But here he was, still going at it like a damn monkey with Rachel while the boys and Tank slept soundly in the room next door.

She threw him a sexy smile in dim light and forced him onto his back, her hand gripping him tightly and causing his eyes to nearly bulge out of his head. Slowly she kissed her way down his chest and stomach, lingering at his lower abdomen, and then planted a light kiss on his straining erection. And then she was doing that thing with her tongue that she did so well and then, oh God, he had never been more thankful for her lack of a gag reflex than right there at that moment. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from crying out.

Maybe it was the thrill of being caught or the fact Rachel was so incredibly hot (or it could have just been that other thing that she was doing with her finger), but he knew that he wasn't going to last very long at this rate, so he buried his hands in her hair and pulled her back up so that he could take control. She always liked it when he got all assertive and stuff, he just hoped that she could keep herself from yelling at the top of her lungs.

He'd just gotten her on her back and after a few perfunctory kisses, he lowered his head to her breast and began worrying a pouty nipple between his teeth. Damn he loved her boobs. Sure they weren't double Ds or anything, but who needed those when they had Rachel Berry – damn it, Kutner – underneath him? She started making those little noises that he loved so much and, hoping that she wouldn't get too loud, he dropped a hand between her legs.

Satisfied that she was definitely good to go, he buried himself deep within her, nearly groaning out loud when he felt her muscles tighten around him. He pulled out nearly all the way and hovered at her entrance just long enough to make her squirm before slowly pushing back into her. He repeated the action, smiling when she moaned lowly in her throat. Gradually he quickened his pace, reveling in the small whining sounds she was making, her heated gaze boring into his, her hands squeezing his ass, her heels digging into his back, and she was so, so close, he could tell by the way she was biting her lip, and then she coming, taking him with her, and he was just about to give in when in the back of his mind, he registered a soft padding in the hallway.

He froze and placed a hand over her mouth to quiet her harsh panting. Together they turned their heads and watched as Michael walked past the bedroom door and into the restroom. They stayed like that as the boy shuffled around in the bathroom, Finn hoping that the pounding in his chest wasn't really as loud as it was in his ears. The toilet flushed and the bathroom door opened again, the light shining briefly on them until Michael turned it off, scratched his face sleepily, and made his way back to his bedroom.

Finn allowed himself to relax and buried his face in the pillow Rachel had her head on, groaning loudly as he came, joining her at the tail end of her own orgasm. He felt her shoulders shaking and thinking that she was going to let him have it, he braced himself. Instead he heard her gasp and pulled back weakly to look down into her laughing face.

"That… was... exhilarating!" she giggled, placing kisses all over his face.

"For you, maybe." He pulled out of her and flopped onto his back, the mattress groaning beneath him. "Do you know what I just did? You're lucky I didn't explode."

This only added to her amusement, the bed shuddering as she laughed silently. "I'm sorry," she murmured once she had gotten a hold of herself. She scooted over so that she was lying partially on top of him. Lazily, she planted kisses a long his jaw and neck, her hand moving slowly up and down his abdomen. "You just had your shirt off nearly all day today and I got a little worked up. Then you went all hunter and gatherer… it was very primal."

He grinned smugly knowing that just taking his shirt off could get her all hot and bothered. He'd have to keep that in mind for future use. "What do you mean 'hunter and gatherer'?" he teased, pulling her tightly against him. "It was just catch and release."

They'd spent nearly all day on this pontoon boat he rented and he'd taught the boys to fish. After a whole lot of protesting, he'd even got Rachel to join after he promised that they would throw all their catches back. She did refuse to bait her own hook, but he took what he could get. In the end, she ended up with the biggest catch of the day, and rubbed it in their faces in true Rachel fashion.

"And you cooked," she added.

"I grilled soy patties. I think that kinda kills the manliness of it."

"Finn?"

"Hm?"

"Shut up and take the compliment," she demanded. "I thought it was sexy." Her hand trailed lower. "Very sexy."

He drew in a sharp intake of breath as she reached beneath the sheets and fondled him expertly. She fluttered her eyes up at him innocently as she stroked, and sooner than he thought possible, he felt himself grow hard in her hand. "Is it alright if I just take a moment to show my boyfriend just how much I appreciate everything he's done lately?"

His mouth went dry and he nodded dumbly. He let his head fall back against the pillows, letting Rachel take over, closing his eyes at the onslaught of the sensations she was stirring within him. He stayed in the bedroom with her for most of the night and they screwed around a couple more times, quietly but always explosive, until he finally forced himself to return to the sofa just before six.

He crossed his arms under his head and stayed away for a few minutes, going over the past few weeks in his mind. Lately, he had been walking around with a skip is his step that hadn't been there in a very long time. Everyone could tell the difference in his demeanor; his co-workers, Jer and Kurt, his mom could even tell over the phone. The past month with Rachel had been great. More than great, even, it had been idyllic. At least, that's how Rachel had put it. He had to look up the definition, of course, but he couldn't have put it any better than that.

If he wasn't sure that this was the life for him, then this weekend had confirmed it. Sure, he didn't want to take things too fast, but he could picture more weekends like this, a whole life with Rachel, Michael, and Andrew at his side. He always knew he loved Rachel, but he was surprised by quickly her sons were becoming an essential part of his life as well. Even when they were being farts.

Michael could still get a little moody sometimes, but it was quick to pass, and he was confiding in Finn more and more. And Andrew liked him immensely. They weren't his kids, he was reminded of that every time there was a mention of David, but that didn't lessen his affection for them and he knew, just as he had known in high school with Quinn's baby, that he would do anything for those boys.

He finally allowed himself to drift off to sleep, only to be awoken a little while later by the boys running out of their room squealing and ready for breakfast.

Later that week, he stood backstage, listening through his headset as Sam interviewed this big-time movie director. They were getting more and more influential guests on the show, meaning word was getting out. The latest reviews he had seen on the show hailed her as the new Ellen but with "the depth and keen intuition of Oprah." Not that he'd ever really watched Ellen or Oprah, but he knew that those were huge compliments and by his estimation, it was only a matter of time before they were syndicated.

Everything was going smoothly, but he stayed by the monitors just in case one of the cameramen decided to get lazy. He allowed his mind to wander, just for a moment, to Rachel and what she had planned for them that evening. It was Friday and she'd finally allowed Maura to take the boys for the weekend the night before. She'd come over to his place shortly after, slightly down, but he cheered her up with some good food and a massage (okay, maybe the massage was totally selfish on his part, but it was a win-win situation for them both). They'd both gotten up early that morning, him to go to work and her to head to the school she taught at in order to arrange her classroom.

He knew it wasn't her ideal job; it was just a music class for a small private school, but he just couldn't bear to ask if she had considered taking Sam up on her offer to hook Rachel up with some Broadway people. He figured it was a big step; she barely got to see Michael and Andrew as it was and being in a show would require her to be out six nights a week. But if anybody could do it, Rachel could.

He sighed, focusing back on the monitors, and was about to switch frequencies in order to tell one of the camera guys to watch his angle when he felt a firm tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Brent, the executive producers, smiling up at him.

Finn switched off his headset and smiled uncertainly. "Hey, Brent, what's up?" he asked, his tone hushed.

"Do you have a minute, Hudson?"

Finn looked around nervously. "Um... we're kind of filming right now."

"That's fine; this place runs like a well-oiled machine." He placed a hand on Finn's shoulder and led him out of the studio. "Let's have a little talk, hm?"

He nodded and followed Brent to his office. He tried to hide his anxiety as they walked, but couldn't help the streak of fear that shot through him. He had heard somewhere that people usually got fired on Fridays so they wouldn't flip out or something like that. Yeah, okay maybe he missed that one day a few weeks ago and he left a little early last week so that he and Rachel could get out of town, but other than that he worked his butt off in this place. Surely he couldn't get sacked because of that, could he?

"Go on and have a seat," Brent said jovially. Finn sat, feeling like he was back in Principal Figgins' office. "So, how have things been going Finn? I've heard around the jail block that you've gotten yourself a girlfriend."

Small talk, great. Why couldn't people just get to the point? If he was going to get fired, was there any real reason for Brent to drag it out? "Um… yeah. For a few weeks now."

"Good to hear! It's easy to make the job your life in this business."

Finn nodded his head and noticed he was nervously twiddling his thumbs. He flushed at the realization and placed his hands on his knees. He couldn't stop his bouncing leg though.

"You're probably wondering why I've called you in here," Brent said after inspecting him for a moment. "I'll tell you right now, you don't have anything to worry about. You've by far met our expectations of you; above and beyond the call of duty and all that."

"Th-thank you, sir."

"With that being said, I've got some news for you." Brent smiled like he could hardly contain himself. "The network's approved us for national syndication."

Finn felt the tension drain out of his body and allowed himself a satisfied grin. "That's great, Brent! When do we start airing?"

Brent heaved a deep breath and shook his head. "They're actually aiming for the end of next month. Meaning we've got to start marketing, marketing, marketing. We plan to tell the rest of the crew later on this afternoon, but that's beside the point. We need to talk about you."

He shrugged his shoulders and gave the older man a confused look. "Me? I'm not going anywhere."

"That's what I was hoping to hear. I'm going to tell you now though; the network execs were impressed with you, Hudson. Very impressed. The word is they want you for a new project and since you're not under contract with us… well, that puts us in a spot."

"What do you mean?" He couldn't quite tell where this was going, but a he suddenly felt a surge of pride in himself. Someone had noticed him. It was like when Mr. Schuester told him he was doing a good job, or like when Rachel would look up at him like he was the whole world. He was successful and, furthermore, he had done it on his own.

"The fact of the matter is we can't afford to lose you. You're a vital member to this team, Hudson, and we can go national without you. We'd like to lock you in for at least two years to help get Sam in the City off the ground. Then it's your call from there. Here's what we have to offer." He scooted a small sheet of paper across his desk and Finn took it. He cast a glance at it and nearly balked at the number written down. It wasn't millions of dollars, but it definitely had a couple more zeroes in the total that weren't usually there. "You'll take over as Senior Producer. It will require more responsibility, of course, but Sam and I have every confidence that you can do it."

Finn nodded mutely, still trying to find his voice as Brent continued, "You'll sit in on all executive meetings and will be involved in the entire creative process. So… what do you think?"

"Is this – what – I mean, are you serious?"

Brent sat back in his chair and smiled. "As a heart attack. That number isn't locked in, either. There will be a nice bonus once you've officially signed, as well as a salary review in six months."

His mind was reeling. A promotion, an insane raise, and employers fighting for him? He was living the freakin' dream! And all before the age of thirty. This was awesome.

"Do you need some time to think about it?"

"No!" he answered, perhaps a little too quickly. He knew he probably should have waited to talk the guys from the network, but the truth was, he was where he was at in his life because of Sam in the City. He owed them a lot and already the offer surpassed any of his expectations. Besides, it was only for two years, he had the rest of his life to rub elbows with big wigs. "I'm happy here and I'd like to stay."

Brent smiled widely and stood, reaching across his desk to shake Finn's hand. "I'm glad to hear it, Hudson! I'll get our people working on your new contract."

He called his mom as soon as got back to his office and he was pretty sure she jumped up and down for a good five minutes after he told her. He could only hope that Burt wasn't around so that he wouldn't think she was crazy. "Oh, baby," Carole gushed, her voice thick. "I am so, so proud of you."

He couldn't stop the big smile on his face and he even got a little bit choked up when she told him that. Of course, that was before she started in on him. "See, sweetie. You've got the job, now you've just got to find yourself a nice girl and give me some grandbabies!"

Finn laughed uncomfortably. He hadn't told her about Rachel yet, and Kurt had kept his mouth shut. Although, he'd been keeping kind of quiet about it around his step-brother as well. Not that he was ashamed of their relationship or anything; it just wasn't something he was ready to advertise just yet. That and he didn't know exactly how Carole would react to his dating Rachel; he had been pretty torn up about it the summer that she got married. She never had a harsh word to say about Rachel, but she would often look over at their prom picture, sigh, and shake her head in disappointment. So, for the time being, he decided it would be wise to keep it to himself and fill her in later.

He thought about calling Rachel once he got off of the phone with his mother, but he changed his mind, deciding to surprise her with the news that night. Maybe they could do a nice celebratory dinner or something. He grinned at the prospect. He knew she would be just as excited as Carole had been for him.

The rest of the afternoon flew by in blur from there. It was complete chaos once Sam and Brent made the announcement with lots of champagne and cheering and people congratulating him on his promotion. He had a couple of glasses and mingled with his co-workers for an hour or so before ducking out early.

It was like the whole of New York was smiling down on him as he strutted down the sidewalk. People moved out of his way and cast him sidelong glances as he walked. He idly wondered why it was that he and everyone he came across didn't just stop and break out into dance right there in the street like they did in movies.

For once, Finn Hudson's life was going exactly as it should have been. He had great job, an amazing girlfriend, people were looking at him with respect – he could respect himself. It was like high school but better since he didn't have to throw anyone in the dumpsters or get slushied when people didn't agree with what he wanted to do.

He stopped at a flower shop on his way home and bought an exotic, overpriced bouquet and walked whistled as he walked. He high-fived the doorman on his way to the elevator, stopped and held the door for a very slow-moving elderly woman and helped her off at her floor, and nearly skipped down the hall to his door.

He ruffled Tank's head upon entering and grinned even more widely when he saw Rachel already waiting for him on the couch, curled up into a little ball.

Yup, today was definitely the best day ever.

Author's Note: So sorry about the lack of updates lately everyone; we've had family in town, so my room (i.e. my quiet place) hasn't really been at my disposal. This chapter is a lot shorter than what I usually write, but that's because this and the next one were actually supposed to be combined. I just wanted to get this half out so that you all will have something to read! So, the duh-RAMA I promised won't be coming up until the next chapter. I will try, try, try to get it out in the next couple of days. Fingers crossed!

Disclaimer: Glee is the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. I'm just manipulating it for my own nefarious (and strictly nonprofit) purposes.