A Tempo

Chapter Thirteen: Just One More Moment

"Oh dear baby Jesus," Kurt said stopping short when he found his step-brother hunched over his dining table amongst several empty beer bottles and a nearly empty bottle of Crown. Jer was sitting across from him, sipping on a beer of his own, with a pitying look on his face. "Is he dead?"

Jer sighed deeply. "Not yet."

"Well, what the hell is wrong with him? Why is he here?"

"I don't know. He showed up like this. I had to give him the rest of my whiskey just to calm him down."

"Don't just sit there! Make some coffee!" he ordered, nudging Jer to the kitchen. Then he stalked over to Finn and pulled him up by the shoulders.

"Finn!" Kurt called, slapping him lightly on each cheek. "Snap out of it. What's wrong?"

"Rachel," he groaned as he slumped over.

Kurt stood up straight and placed his hands on his hips. "Of course. Anything else would be a surprise." He walked himself over to the bar and mixed himself a Disaronno Sour while Jer prepared the coffee. This was not what he needed after an evening of dealing with diva Broadway actresses.

Jer plopped a cup of coffee in front of Finn and took a seat next to him. "What's going on man?" he asked, clapping Finn on the shoulder.

Finn grimaced as he took a sip of the coffee without cooling it first. Kurt looked on dully as he huffed and puffed in a drunken effort to relieve his stinging tongue. "If nothing else, this is going to be entertaining," he commented, stirring his drink with a decorative swizzle stick.

"We got into a fight," Finn finally managed to sputter.

"Well then say you're sorry, buy her some flowers, that's it, the end, get out of my house."

He groaned and fell back onto the table. "I don't think it's going to be that easy."

"Okay fine, I'll take the bait, what did you do?" Kurt said. He blinked innocently at Jer when he threw him a dirty glance, obviously not approving of his tone.

"I may have called her husband a dead bastard," he grumbled, his voice muffled.

"Oo," Jer and Kurt exclaimed in unison, complete with matching winces of sympathy.

"Were you already like… this… when you said that?" Jer asked.

"No…"

They both winced again.

"That's not all. I may have called her a Lima Loser." He was met with silence, save for the sound of Kurt's palm hitting his forehead. "Well, actually," Finn clarified, "she called herself that. I think I just agreed."

"What the hell is a Lima Loser?" Jer asked, but Kurt held up a hand.

"Why don't we back it up to the beginning? How did the argument start, Finn?"

He took a deep breath and put his head in his hands as if he was about to start sobbing. "She's moving back to Lima," he said brokenly. "She's leaving me… again!"

Kurt actually looked shocked. "Why on earth does she want to move back there for?"

"She lost her job or she quit – I don't know. She said it's to build a better life for her kids."

"Well, maybe this is a good thing," Jer offered.

"How is this a good thing?" Kurt scoffed.

Jer threw up his hands. "I don't know! That's just what my mom said when I told her I was gay."

Finn blinked a few times before grumbling, "What did your dad say?"

"'Get the hell out of my house.'"

"Oh, that's the direction we're really going for here," Kurt said sarcastically.

"Ugh, I just don't know what to do," Finn said a little frantically. "I can't lose her again!"

Kurt threw Finn a knowing look. "Well, you do know what this means, right?"

"What?"

"You're just going to have to ask her to marry you."

"What?" he blurted, looking at Kurt blearily. "I just can't do that! We've barely been together for a month. I mean, what if she says no?"

"So?"

"So… I don't know!"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "She's a single mom, Finn, a widow. You can't just screw around with a widow, you should know of all people."

"Um, excuse me! You're the one who suggested I hook up with her to 'get a little action' in the first place!"

"Yes, but that's because I thought you and Rachel would reconnect, fall madly in love, get married, and make lots of babies. Really, do I have to spell everything out for you?"

Finn gaped at Kurt. He had no doubt in his mind that that was exactly what Kurt had hoped to happen.

"Listen to me, Finn. This thing with you and Rachel, it never really ended. You know that. It doesn't matter who's right or wrong in this whole mess, and it's time for you to make your grand gesture."

Jer nodded in agreement. "He's right. I mean, do you love her or not?"

Finn set his jaw and stared down at his hands. "I… do." Then he smiled. "I really do."

"And do you think you could live without her?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't think I could. Her or Michael and Andrew."

"Well then," Kurt laughed, placing his hands Finn's shoulders, "that settles it. We need to sober you up and tomorrow we're going to Tiffany's!"

"Who's Tiffany?" he asked and Kurt jumped back as if something had burned him.

"Ugh, you are going to need so much help," Kurt grumbled. "Now, do you want to finish your coffee or do you want to go to bed?"

Finn stared blankly down at the mug in front of him. "Um… bed?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and together he and Jer were able to stand Finn up and lead him to their guest bedroom. He turned down the covers and grunted as they shoved his step-brother onto the bed. Finn was out before his head even hit the pillow. He shook his head and pulled the covers up to his chin and turned to follow Jer out of the room.

"Makes you want to have three more just like him, doesn't it?" Jer joked, putting his arm around Kurt's waist and planting a kiss on his forehead.

"Hardly. We'll have to talk to him again in the morning. I doubt he'll remember anything that was said tonight."

Jer nodded somberly as he followed Kurt throughout the apartment, turning out lights. "Do you think it's really a good idea to put that idea into his head?" he asked. "I mean, if he wants to marry her, shouldn't he come to that conclusion on his own?"

Kurt shrugged. "Finn's always been a little slow on the uptake, you know that. He's just a little slower than usual when it comes to Rachel. Believe me, as dysfunctional as they are separately, they actually function better when they're together."

"I believe it." He shook his head in wonderment at the predicament that his friend was in. "So, how was your day, baby?" he asked, changing the subject.

Kurt groaned as they walked into their bedroom together. "Sweetie, this fiasco was just icing on the cake."

Finn's head was swimming with information about karats and clarity and metal colors and settings, but Kurt seemed to have it under control as he talked to the saleswoman at Tiffany's. He was still severely hung over from the night before, but thankfully he was in full control of his faculties. He woke up that morning – or afternoon, he'd slept well past noon – with his mind going a million miles an hour.

Had it really been only 24 hours ago that he thought his life was going perfectly? Had it really been just a mere day since all of his hopes and dreams had been smashed against the rocks? After Rachel left, he threw a glorified tantrum and made a mess out of his apartment. He hadn't destroyed the TV or anything, but he did knock over a few chairs and his DVD shelf and scare the crap out his dog. He then proceeded to drink everything he had in his apartment, which included some beer and a whole lot of whiskey. He kind of freaked out when he woke up in a bed that wasn't his own, but he calmed down when he saw Pablo humping a throw pillow that had fallen to the floor.

When he stumbled out into the living room, Jer and Kurt just looked at him wordlessly and then turned back to the television. No one said anything for a while until Kurt broke the silence. "So, what are you going to do?"

Slowly, the conversation that they had the night before came back to him and he sat down to slowly process his thoughts. "I want to be with Rachel," he finally said. "No, I don't just want to be with her. I want to start a family with her. And the boys."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Jer asked.

Finn nodded. "There was something missing with Audra, you know? I loved her, but it just wasn't it. That's because I had already found it. Rachel's always been the one for me. I've known that for years, but I had to force myself to try and get over her. Now I don't have to and I can't let the chance pass me by."

"Well, now that that's settled," Kurt said. "You need to go home and bathe. You reek. And then we'll go ring shopping."

"But I don't know her ring size or anything."

"Lucky for you, it's my job to know that kind of thing," Kurt admonished.

And that's how they'd ended up at Tiffany's. Idly he wondered if they actually served food or if they would have to go to dinner someplace else afterwards.

"Finn," Kurt called, snapping him out of his reverie. "Which cut do you prefer? I've narrowed it down to round, princess, and the Lucida."

Finn shrugged and leaned over to look at the diamonds assorted on a little piece of silk. "Something classy," he said, inspecting them carefully. He couldn't half-ass this decision; he only had one chance to buy Rachel the perfect ring. A simple platinum ring with a solitary square shaped diamond caught his eye. He kind of liked it. It wasn't too flashy, but the cut was still unique and he could easily imagine it adorning Rachel's ring finger. She'd stopped wearing that gaudy ring shortly after they became serious, and this one looked like a great alternative.

"What's that one?" he asked, nudging it gently with his finger.

"That's our Princess Cut," the saleswoman said. "A very elegant selection. That particular diamond is 1.5 karats."

He lifted it up and inspected it carefully, smiling triumphantly. Not too big, not too small, not too flashy… in short, it was perfect. It said something about him as much as it did her, and he was thrilled to have found exactly what he was looking for in such short a time. Sure, it was crazy expensive, but he was making good money now, he could afford it.

He exchanged a look with Kurt, who quirked his lips slightly in approval. "I mean, if that's the style you're looking for," he allowed.

"This is it," he told the anxious saleswoman, who heaved a sigh of relief.

"Let me put that in a box for you and then we can discuss payment options."

He leaned back on the counter and smiled over at Kurt. "Thanks for all of the help. I couldn't do it without you, you know?"

"Of course not." Kurt shrugged as he continued to inspect the rings in the case in front him. "We both know you're helpless."

"Either way, I appreciate it."

"Oh, stop with the theatrics. You're making me blush," Kurt said, waving a hand at Finn dismissively. "Now, we need to discuss your technique…"

He was nervous and jittery as he made his way over to Rachel's the following day. As soon as he had made up his mind, he had wanted to run back to her and tell her how sorry he was, but Kurt talked him into taking one more day in order to let her calm down. So, one sleepless night later, Finn was on his way to Rachel's house to apologize and propose. It was too late to take back what he said, and while he meant every word, he knew his delivery wasn't the most tactful. He'd really have to mind his temper now, especially once they were all living together.

He was still getting used to the idea that what he was doing meant, like, forever, but he knew he had never been more sure of anything in his life. It was a lasting relationship he was building with Rachel and it seemed pointless to delay the inevitable any longer. He and Rachel were meant for each other, and he was going to make her see it too, even it if was the last thing he did.

He took the subway instead of driving or hailing a cab; he needed a chance to get his thoughts together and he liked to take the trains every now and then since Puck had told him Edward Norton took them too. He hadn't seen him yet, but he figured he'd have something to rub in Puck's face when he went back home.

He rehearsed what he was going to say in his head over and over. Kurt told him to keep it simple and not to be too corny and he should be golden. So far he had gotten: "Rachel, I love you and I want us to be a family. Will you marry me?"

He considered saying something about how he had always loved her and he always would, but he didn't know if that was too much or too corny or both. A million other questions raced through his head as well. Should he mention the boys? What if they were there? Should he get on his knee?

Ugh, why did proposing have to be so difficult?

He was still mulling over his options as he exited at his stop and made his way back up to street level. He stuck his hand into his jacket pocket to make sure the ring was still in there. Reassured that the little blue box was still there, he walked the few blocks to Rachel's apartment, his stomach doing flip flops the entire way.

Finally, her building was in sight and he nearly ran the rest of the way. But instead Finn waited patiently for the traffic to clear, absently watching as a black Town Car and then an SUV pulling a U-Haul trailer pulled away from the curb. Then, taking a deep breath, he jogged across the street and up the stairs as quickly as he could.

He stood outside her door, willing his hands to stop shaking, before knocking smartly on her door a couple of times. He waited a minute and listened carefully. When he didn't hear any sounds from within, he knocked once more before trying the doorknob. Rachel never left the door unlocked, but the door bounced hollowly like it did when the deadbolt wasn't locked, and sure enough, it came right open.

He choked on a strangled cry when he saw that everything, except for the worn furniture she rented with the apartment, was gone.

"Rachel?" he called, hurrying to her bedroom only to find a bare mattress. It was the same in the boys' room, devoid of their toys with two empty twin beds sitting dejectedly in the room.

"Rachel?" he called again, even though he knew she was no longer there. He felt dizzy, his mind swimming from the shock and he plopped down on the sofa, holding his head in his hands. He should have known that when Rachel put her mind to something, nothing could stop her. But how could she just leave like that? How could she go without saying goodbye? Didn't he mean more to her than that?

"Hello?" a voice said from the doorway, and his head snapped up. He nearly groaned out loud when he saw it was just Mrs. Nedry, cradling a cat to her chest.

"Why, hello, dear," she said again once she recognized him.

"Mrs. Nedry," he responded, his voice hoarse and devoid of any emotion.

She looked at him sympathetically. "You know, they just left."

"What?"

"Yes, not even five minutes ago."

"Five…?" he stopped. The SUV pulling the trailer! He hopped up and ran past her. "Thanks, Mrs. Nedry!" he shouted as he hurried back down the stairs, skipping three steps at a time.

When he reached the street, he ran off in the direction he saw the vehicle going, hoping against hope that maybe they would become caught in traffic or get stuck at a light. He ran for what seemed like miles, weaving throughout the crowd and bumping into people. He ran until his legs grew weak and his lungs burned with the exertion.

Suddenly he stopped, realizing he had no idea where he was going. He took out his phone and dialed her number, gasping for breath as he listened to it ring only once before going straight to voicemail. He quickly hung up, knowing that he would probably say something he didn't mean if he left a message. He fought to clear his mind and calm down before turning around and walking in the direction he had come from.

Okay, so Rachel was on her way back to Lima. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment. He allowed himself a small, barely perceptible smile. That was alright.

Finn Hudson had a few more tricks up his sleeve yet.

Kurt groaned loudly and dropped the groceries at his feet when he walked back into his apartment to find Jer and Finn sitting at his dining room table again. Instead of empty bottles of alcohol though, they were surrounded by papers and Jer had his laptop open in front of him.

"What is it now?" he moaned. "She said no, didn't she? Now Finn's suicidal and you're helping him with his will."

"No," Finn said somberly. "She didn't say no."

"Well, what happened then?"

"She's already gone. She left a few minutes before I got there."

Kurt looked down at his step-brother patted his shoulder consolingly. "Well, maybe it's not meant to be."

"No," Finn insisted stubbornly. "That's bull and you know it. Rachel's being stubborn and I've just to show her that I mean business."

"And how do you plan to do that?" he asked, throwing Jer a worried glance.

"Finn wants to buy them a place to live."

Kurt nodded slowly. "Okay… that makes… sense."

"I can't bring her and the boys back to a one bedroom apartment. I've gotta do something big. Rachel needs a grown up not a – a frat boy," Finn said bitterly.

"Finn," Kurt said, taking a seat next to him, "I understand the sentiment, I really do. But can you afford this? I mean, I know you have a good job but this is a huge step you're taking. Would Rachel do the same for you?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I love her and I've gotta do what I've gotta do to provide a good life for her and the boys."

Jer looked up from his laptop. "Well, I really don't think you can afford anything in Manhattan, but the good news you've got lots of options in the boroughs. If push comes to shove, we can look in Jersey."

"Jersey?" Kurt hissed. "You're crazy if you think Rachel's going to live in New Jersey."

"Don't be a Ted Mosby," Jer admonished. "There's nothing wrong with New Jersey. Besides, Finn's more like Marshall Eriksen anyway, and Marshall loved it."

"Okay," Finn muttered, looking back and forth between Kurt and Jer, "who's Marshall Eriksen?"

"Never mind," Jer grunted, turning back to the computer screen.

Kurt laughed dryly. "You think that's bad, he actually thought we could eat breakfast at Tiffany's."

Jer shook his head in disbelief. "Finn, my friend, I think you're going to need more help than we can give you."

"So, what do you plan on doing about Rachel while you look for a place to live?" Kurt asked, standing up to gather the groceries. "Are you going to try and get in touch with her to let her know it's not over?"

"Yeah… I will," Finn grumbled, turning back to the numbers he and Jer had been crunching. "I'm just going to give her a little time to herself, let her sort some things out. Let me get my head on straight. Then I'll give her a call."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Well, don't wait too long. We all know it Rachel won't waste her time finding someone new. And Lima is just crawling with potential suitors."

"I'm not worried about that. I've already called somebody to keep an eye on her."

"Oh, that's good," Kurt commented absently, opening the refrigerator to put away the milk. Suddenly he stopped and turned on his heel to throw a pointed glance at him. "Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"Who exactly did you call?"

Author's Note: This chapter's for all the reviewers and people on Tumblr and Twitter who are speculating on A Tempo – it seriously makes me blush when I see AT mentioned. (Okay, so maybe I'm a little bit of a creeper, but my RL friends don't know about my fanfiction addiction, so I'm not exactly 'out of the closet' yet.) Sorry this chapter doesn't resolve anything, I just had to twist the knife in there a little more.

Oh, for anyone who doesn't watch How I Met Your Mother and doesn't get Kurt and Jer's exchange, here's what Marshall has to say about New Jersey in the episode "I Heart NJ":

"I hate New York! I'm sorry, but it's true! Today, I was walking around PriceCo. Have you been there? It's huge! All the stores in New York are so cramped! Every time I turn around I knock something over. I'm like some huge monster that came out of the oceans to destroy bodegas! [...] I'm too big for New York, okay! I'm always trying to fit into cramped little subway seats, or duck under doorways that were built a hundred and fifty years ago. Hey, people are bigger now! Build bigger doorways! What the hell is wrong with you? [...] And it's so loud. All the time. Yes, I know it's the city that never sleeps, but guess what? I like to sleep! I've been tired for eight years! Tired and scared, with black and blue marks on my elbows from trying to fit into all these tiny elf doorways! New Jersey's great! It's got huge stores, and lawns, and you never have to carry a cup again! For the rest of your life! I'm not afraid to say it: I love New Jersey!"

Finn called Ghostbusters, BTW.

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