A/N: I was writing a response to a review the other day, and I was freaked out that I sounded bitchy after I wrote the response. So I apologize if my review responses have pissed anyone off. I'm seriously naturally sarcastic, and I respond to every little part of the review, including when people correct me on spelling. Also, I'm Canadian, so my spelling is probs going to be a bit different than those Americans out there, so I apologize.
I want to thank my reviewers and the people who favourite my story. I've had a record amount of views in the past two weeks and I'm loving it! So thanks everyone
There's Not a Thing You Can Say to Make This Right
"Rachel Berry, I know you're in there, now get out here and tell us your news!" Kurt yelled through the door, pounding at it with his fist.
"In a minute Kurt! Besides, you haven't told me what your surprise is yet. Go sit with the others in the living room," The brunette yelled through the door. Rachel stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her hair was in loose curls, framing her face, her eyes lined lightly with brown liner, and she was wearing a purple strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline and an empire waist. A tiny star pendant hung from a silver chain around her neck. The only thing that looked less than beautiful was the frown that was settled across the woman's features. She leaned against the wall and sank to the floor, burying her face in her knees. She missed the way things used to be, when Finn wasn't being an idiot, but at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more with Noah than simply friendship. Another loud knock sounded at her bedroom door.
"Kurt, what did I say? I'll be out when I'm done getting ready," She yelled back, rolling her eyes.
"It's not Kurt, Diva," Puck's low voice sounded through the door.
"Well I stand by my word, I'll be out when I'm done getting ready," She snapped.
"Look, Berry, I'm coming in, I don't care if you're naked or not," Puck retorted as he shoved the door open, closing it behind him.
"I'm in the bathroom," Rachel said flatly. Puck entered the doorway and leaned against the frame, his hands in his pockets. He settled his gaze on the small brunette.
"You look plenty ready to me," He said. Rachel gave him a weak smile
"Come on Berry, what's wrong?" Puck asked, pushing himself off the frame and going to sit beside the woman.
"It's Finn," She said, tilting her head back against the wall, and turning her face to look at Puck. The man rolled his eyes, of course it was Finn, the man had constantly made Rachel miserable, now would be no different.
"Of course it is," Puck said, raising his eyebrow.
"I don't mean it like that. I mean…I don't think I was in love with him," Rachel said, her hand flying to cover her mouth when she realized what she said. Puck's shoulders stiffened.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Well he proposed to me, and I said yes, but only because he was so familiar to me," Rachel said, thinking back to the day when he had asked her to marry him.
"Hey Finn," Rachel said, holding her phone to her ear with her shoulder while she packed up her dance bag.
"Hey babe, happy Valentine's day, we should go out for dinner tonight, dress nice. I'll pick you up," the man said awkwardly from the other end of the phone.
"Can I know where we're going?" Rachel said playfully, smiling as she slung the bag over her shoulder and walking out of the dance studio, flagging a taxi.
"No. I'm keeping it a surprise," Finn said.
"Finn, you know I hate surprises, just tell me," Rachel said, narrowing her eyes.
"Nice try babe. I'll be by your place at seven," Finn said, hanging up the phone. Rachel rolled her eyes and jammed the phone in her pocket. She'd be damned if he didn't tell her. Where would Finn be taking her that was so secretive? She asked herself, staring out the window. She hurried up to her apartment when her cab stopped, dropping her bag on the floor and making a beeline for her closet. She flipped through her clothes, the hangars screeching against the metal rack. Rachel pulled out a red dress. Strapless and short, with ruching across the front, it was perfect. She tried it on, tossing her hair over her shoulder and pulling a cropped leather jacket over top of it. She slipped her feet into a pair of black Louboutins and looked in a mirror. She smiled, the dress looked incredible, it was the first time she had ever worn it, and she didn't know why. A knock at the door interrupted her preening. She let out a little squeal and walked to the door, pulling it open.
"Hey Finn," She said, a smile spreading across her lips. Her eyes ran up and down her boyfriends form. He was wearing a black suit, a white shirt, and a red tie, and was holding a bouquet of red roses in his hands.
"These are for you," He said, thrusting the roses towards her. Rachel buried her face in the flowers and smiled.
"Thanks Finn," she said, standing on her tiptoes and pressing a kiss to his lips.
"Come in," Rachel said, grabbing her boyfriend by the tie and pulling him into her apartment, kicking the door shut behind him. She placed the flowers on the counter and turned to Finn, her hands on her hips.
"Aren't you supposed to put those in water?" Finn asked, gesturing towards the flowers. Rachel pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you supposed to tell your girlfriend where you're taking her for Valentine's Day dinner?" She asked coyly. Finn shook his head.
"Not happening, Rach," He said, moving clumsily into the kitchen to try and find a vase. Rachel watched with him amusement, her lips quirking up at the corners.
"Finn, I'll put them in water," She said, opening the cabinet under the sink and pulling out a heavy crystal vase. She set the vase on the counter, and pulled out a pair of scissors. Picking up the roses and holding them over the sink, she lifted the scissors to the stems.
"No! You're going to kill them!" Finn cried. Rachel laughed,
"Finn, this will help them live, and it will help them actually fit in the vase," She said as she cut the stems on an angle. Rachel filled the vase with water and placed the flowers in it gently, arranging them nicely and placing them on the table by the door.
"See Finn, they look beautiful," She said, holding her arms out. Finn gravitated towards her, wrapping his arms around her body in a tight hug.
"Thank you," She whispered into his suit.
"You're welcome," He said in response.
"But we have to go now," Finn released his girlfriend and grabbed her wrist.
"And you ruined the moment," Rachel said, tipping her head back to look at the man. Finn shrugged, and the two made their way down the stairs. Rachel gasped when she saw the limousine idling by the curb.
"You didn't?" she said, looking up at her boyfriend, her brown eyes shining. Finn nodded, though dumb, he wasn't incompetent. He did know what his girlfriend liked.
"Happy Valentine's Day," he said as he opened the door, offering Rachel his hand and helping her into the limo. When he sat down beside her, Rachel snuggled into his side.
"Thanks Finn," She said. But her mind was still wandering elsewhere. The next day was her opening on Broadway. She didn't have a leading role, but she hadn't expected one either, it was her first time on Broadway.
"Finn, I audition tomorrow for Wicked," She said, a smile spreading across her face.
"I'm so proud of you Rach," the man said, smiling down at her.
"How's school going?" Rachel asked Finn, turning to look up at him.
"Good, practicum has started again. I'm teaching a bunch of little monsters how to sing and play instruments. I really want to teach high school music," Finn said with a laugh.
"Don't call them monsters, that makes them sound abhorrent. Children are absolutely adorable," Rachel said. She wanted kids. Three of them to be exact. She wanted to have a bigger family, and she wanted the chance to be a mother even though she was afraid of being a bad mother. Finn rubbed his forehead,
"I don't know, I just don't think of kids the same way that you do," He said. Rachel nodded.
"Do you think you'll ever want kids?" She asked. Finn shook his head,
"I don't know," He said defensively. Rachel jerked away from him.
"Don't get like that," She said indignantly.
"I just wanted to know," She looked at her boyfriend, her brow furrowed. Finn's shoulders were stiff and he was leaning away from her. She knew he had been burned by the Babygate incident in high school, but that was no reason for him to resent her for bringing up kids.
"Look, Finn, let's just forget about this. We can talk about this when it's not Valentine's Day," She said. Rachel was always compromising, whenever Finn didn't want to talk about something, she didn't talk about it. Finn turned back to her with a smile, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"Thanks, babe," He said, leaning down and kissing her lightly on the lips. Rachel smiled uneasily and turned away. The limousine slowed to a stop and Rachel looked out the window. She had heard of the restaurant they were parked in front of. Supposedly the food was fantastic, and according to Santana, they offered a Valentine's Day menu.
"Finn, you're taking me to Alouette?" Rachel crooned. Finn smiled and nodded, and his girlfriend launched herself into his arms, squeezing him tightly. Finn laughed and patted her back,
"It's not that big of a deal," he said
"Yes it is! I've wanted to go here for a while!" She squealed. Finn laughed as he opened the door, stepping out before offering his girlfriend his hand and helping her out of the cab. The two walked hand in hand to the restaurant, and Finn held the door open. Rachel giggled as she walked by into the restaurant. Finn followed her, his hand on the small of her back as they approached the Maitre-de.
"Hi, I have reservations under the name Hudson," He said, gracing the woman with a smile. She beamed back and grabbed two menus.
"Would you like our special Valentine's Day menu?" She chirped. Finn nodded, and she put the regular menus back, grabbing two garishly pink ones instead.
"Right this way please Mr and Mrs. Hudson," She said.
"Oh, I'm not his wife," Rachel chimed in hurriedly. The woman looked over her shoulder and smirked at the petite brunette.
"Right," the woman said. Rachel looked at Finn in confusion, and the man shrugged his shoulder, evidently as confused as his girlfriend was. They were seated at a small table, a tea light flickering in a beautiful candleholder, and a single rose sitting in a tiny vase of water.
"Here's where you're sitting. Your waiter for the evening will be Michelle. Here are your menus. It's sixty dollars per person, and complimentary champagne and strawberries are included, enjoy," she said with a smile, setting down the menus in front of the couple, spinning on her heel and walking away. Finn reached his hand across the table and placed his hand on top of Rachel's tiny one.
"Happy Valentine's Day, babe," he said with a smile. Rachel stared at her boyfriend, a fake smile on her lips. Suddenly she didn't feel happy, she didn't want to be here. For some reason, Rachel Berry suddenly felt the urge to be at home, in her apartment, singing along to the Wicked soundtrack.
"Thanks Finn," She whispered, looking down at her menu to avoid what could turn into an awkward conversation.
"I think I'll have the grilled Portobello appetizer, it's nice to see that they have vegetarian friendly food on their Valentine's menu. A lot of people don't have that," Rachel said with tight smile, looking up at Finn. The man had a flash of uncertainty in his eyes before brushing it off with a wide smile.
"Of course that's what you'd think about Rach. I think I'll have the lobster bisque," He said. Rachel raised an eyebrow,
"Expanding your horizons? No burger for you tonight?" She said. Finn looked taken aback for a moment, recovering quickly.
"Well I want to do the Valentine's Day menu, and there's no burger on it," He said, running his thumb along Rachel's knuckles.
"I know Finn," She said with a smile. It was surprising that Finn ate so much meat in front of her. Though Rachel had incorporated meat into her diet on an irregular basis, she preferred to stick with a vegetarian diet unless it was necessary to eat meat. Finn most definitely ate meat on a regular basis. When they went out for dinner, he normally ordered a burger or a steak, and frequently, Rachel would have to cook two separate meals when they dined together. Finn shook his head,
"You're the one who always eats vegetarian food, speaking of expanding horizons," he laughed shortly. Rachel bit her lip and stared at him,
"So, I don't eat a lot of meat, because the idea of eating meat bothers me, and all of the sudden, I'm not expanding my horizons?" Rachel asked, her voice taking on a hysterical edge. Finn realized his mistake and grimaced.
"I didn't mean it like that," He said gently and Rachel rolled her eyes. The waitress interrupted the discussion.
"Hi, I'm Michelle. Happy Valentine's Day. What can I get for your appetizer today?" She asked cheerily.
"I'll have the grilled Portobello mushroom appetizer. And can we get some of that complimentary champagne?" Rachel asked with a gracious smile.
"For sure, and what can I get for you?" She asked, turning to Finn.
"I'll have the lobster bisque please," He asked. Michelle nodded,
"I'll be right back out with your champagne," she said, hurrying off in the direction of the kitchen.
"You can try some of mine if I can try some of yours," Finn said to Rachel. The woman nodded, before staring down at her menu, deciding what she wanted for a salad and an entrée.
"Rachel, babe, what's wrong?" he asked.
"It's nothing Finn, I'm just feeling kind of tired," She told him. The man squeezed her hand, and for some reason she felt miles away. She didn't want to be here with Finn. She felt lonely in the relationship she was in.
Though touching her chest over top of her shirt had once been Finn's forbidden pleasure, his teen days were over. He no longer just wanted to touch her over her clothes. He had begun to pressure her increasingly about having sex, and the more pressured she felt, the more she pulled herself away from Finn. She hadn't actually seen him in days, using the excuse of practising for her audition for Wicked. It was somewhat true, it was Wicked, the only musical she dreamed of being in aside from being in The West Side Story; her audition had to be damn good in order for her to get the role. The audition process wasn't fun, it was long, and lists wouldn't be posted for months. There were call-backs to go through, new songs to sing, and dances to learn. After the first audition, it turned into a competition, and Rachel enjoyed the idea. It made more time for her, and less time for Finn, less time for his pressures, his forceful personality when they did anything more that kiss chastely.
"Rachel?" Finn asked sharply. The woman jumped and fixed her boyfriend with a loving smile.
"Yes Finn?" She asked angelically, pouting her lips.
"I was worried for a minute there, you weren't responding. Our champagne is here," He said, holding out the flute to her. The pale amber liquid sparkled in the light. Rachel took the flute, the stem resting delicately in her fingers.
"Cheers. To us, to Valentine's Day, and to a successful relationship since high school," Finn said with a smile.
"Agreed," Rachel whispered softly, and their glasses clinked gently together. Rachel threw back the liquid in her glass in one swallow, smiling at the bubbly liquid slipped down her throat. Finn looked at her oddly as he sipped from his glass.
"Rachel, honestly, is everything alright?" he asked as the brunette woman poured herself another glass of champagne and dropping in a strawberry from the little bowl placed beside the chilled bottle.
"Oh, just fine," She said with a smile as she lifted the glass to her lips and took a small sip. She stared at her boyfriend across the table, her dark eyes narrowed, daring him to tell her otherwise. He held up his hands in mock innocence,
"Okay, okay, no need to bite my head off," He said with a grin. Rachel rolled her eyes and set her champagne flute on the table. Her leg began to jiggle beneath the table. The faster the food got here, the faster they had a reason to be involved in an awkward silence.
"I bought candles for my apartment. Those vanilla cupcake flavoured ones you love," He said with a lecherous grin. Rachel rolled her eyes, the smile dropping off her face. Sure she loved the candles, but he should know better to do that, buy something she loved just to attempt to seduce her.
"Finn, it's not going to happen," She said, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice.
"Come on Rach, it's Valentine's Day," He smirked, thinking the simple mention of the holiday, which Rachel didn't even believe should be considered a holiday, would get her into his bed.
"Whatever, I should probably go home and get some sleep. I need to have plenty of sleep in order for my vocal cords to be up to standard in the morning," Rachel said, grabbing her black clutch and moving to stand up.
"Wait, Rach I'm sorry, I'm being an ass, just sit down and we'll enjoy dinner," Finn said, the look on his face pleading. Rachel rolled her eyes and sat down.
"Okay. Not one single mention of it Finn, or I'm gone," Rachel said, brushing her dark hair out of her eyes. Finn nodded solemnly.
The couple ate in silence, stealing glances at one another. Rachel bit her lips as she took slow bites of her entrée.
"Rach, I really am sorry," Finn said, as Rachel set down her fork.
"I know. Drop it," she snapped.
"Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" The couple's head whipped around to focus on the waitress.
"Actually—"
"Oh, not at all," Rachel said with a smile, placing her hands demurely in her lap.
"Alright, what would you like for desert?" the waitress asked.
"We'll both have the chocolate torte, now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the washroom," Rachel said, standing up. The waitress moved out of the way and Rachel swept past her.
"Are you sure everything is okay, sir" the waitress asked. Finn nodded and pulled out a velvet box.
"Can you get the kitchen to place this on the cake?" he asked, a grin slipping across his features.
"Proposing?" The waitress asked.
"Of course," Finn responded with a firm nod.
"Alright, I'll see what we can do," She said, taking the box and turning towards the kitchen. Finn propped his chin on his fist and watched for his girlfriend.
Rachel stared in the mirror, tousling her hair and applying some lip balm. She didn't want to make eye contact with herself. She knew no one else would see it, but her eyes were haunted and lonely. She looked down at the porcelain sink and let out a deep breath before sticking her lip balm back in her purse. She supposed her and Finn's relationship would either go backwards or forwards from here, she just wasn't sure which way she wanted it to go. Shaking her head she looked in the mirror, smiled, and strode out of the bathroom and back to the table. Finn was waiting for her, desert in front of him. He saw her coming and stood up to pull the chair out for her.
"Thank you Finn," She said dismissively, sitting down and looking at the cake. She wasn't prepared for the solitaire diamond winking at her in the light. She turned to her boyfriend.
"Finn, what is the meaning of this?" She asked, pulling the ring out of the cake. Finn took it out of her hand and knelt down.
"Rachel Barbra Berry, will you marry me?" He asked, smiling at her. She hesitated, weighing the pros and cons in her mind. Her life would only get busier from here. If she broke up with Finn, she probably wouldn't have the chance to meet another man for a very long time. If she wanted to get married, now was the time to do it, even if she wasn't sure about the man she was marrying.
"Yes Finn Hudson, I will marry you," She said with a smile, offering her hand to her fiancé. He slipped the ring on and stood up, pulling her close to him and giving her a deep kiss.
"Thank god you said yes," Finn said with a sigh. Rachel through her head back and laughed. She may not have agreed to his proposal for all the right reasons, but at least she would have someone who would love her. Finn sat down across from her again and picked up his fork, digging into his slice of cake. Rachel watched him curiously, before picking up her own fork and taking a bite of the cake.
"Wait, so you married him more out of convenience than the fact that you loved him?" Puck said, shaking his head and trying to wrap his mind around the concept.
"Don't EVER doubt my feelings for Finn. I loved him, I was just concerned about the future. I may have rashly agreed to a marriage that I wasn't fully invested in, but I loved him." She snapped, shoving her hair back from her face and violently tugging on a strand of it. Puck's hand settled on hers, stopping her. Rachel gasped softly; the feel of his skin on hers was surprising. It was warm and calloused, but quite gentle.
"Stop worrying, Berry," Puck's voice was low, and his eyes fixed on Rachel's. He looked entirely serious.
"I can't help it," she said, her voice laced in frustration. She ran her hands through her hair and tugged.
"I just don't know what to do anymore. It's just so insane! I was supposed to be married and now I'm not even engaged anymore. I'm rooming with an old somewhat friend from high school, and I've got the lead role in a Broadway musical. I'm already losing more sleep!" She said. Puck grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. His hazel eyes were narrowed and his mouth set in a thin line.
"Rachel Berry, listen to me! You are talented; you don't need a man who will cheat on you to get you by. You can get by on raw talent and a stage smile on your face. What you're going through right now may not be ideal, but you'll get through it. You always do," He said. Rachel smiled at him.
"You're right," She said, releasing her fingers from her hair, and dropping them to her side.
"Damn right I am," he said, pushing himself up onto his feet and offering his hand to Rachel. The girl accepted his hand and he pulled her up and into a hug.
"Berry, we may not always get along, but I do know you better than you think," he said with a grin. Rachel nodded against his shoulder and he released her.
"Now come on, Kurt brought along a surprise for you," Puck said. The two walked hand in hand out of Rachel's room.
"AHAH!" Santana yelled when the two were within view.
"I knew you'd get some of the Puckerman loving," she said.
"Santana, shut up!" Puck snapped. The Latina just laughed.
"Hey Kurt, where's this surprise you brought for me?"
"Girl, turn around," Rachel recognized the voice of a certain diva.
"Mercedes," She squealed as she turned around, her arms open. The two girls embraced.
"What are you doing here Mercedes?" Rachel asked with a smile.
"And it's good to see you too, Miss Broadway," the girl said.
"It's great to see you, I'm just so confused to see you here again!" Rachel said, a huge smile spreading across her face.
"Well actually, I'm here for the release of my C.D." Mercedes said. Rachel's eyes widened.
"You got a recording contract?" Rachel asked. The other girl nodded.
"Okay, so that's enough catching up. Mercedes has now told you her news. What's yours Broadway?" Kurt asked, pushing between the two girls. Puck chuckled at the other mans response.
"Yeah Broadway, what's your news?" Santana interjected, tossing her hair over her shoulder and leaning forward, her elbows on her knees, her chin propped up in her hands.
"Okay, is everyone listening?" Rachel asked, planting her hands on her hips and looking at the four other people in the room.
"Yes Berry, we're standing here in complete suspense," Puck said with, rolling his eyes.
"Okay. Everyone, I have been graced with the role of Elphaba in Wicked," She said, smiling brilliantly.
"Oh my gosh, Broadway, I can't believe it!" Mercedes exclaimed, pulling the girl into a hug.
"I know," Rachel squealed.
"Geez Rach, you could've told me earlier," Santana said,
"I am your best friend.
"Oh shut up. There were a lot of things on my mind over the last few days," Rachel said as she bounced on her toes.
"Well, this calls for a celebration. Stat." Kurt said, slipping an arm around Rachel's shoulders.
"We're going out! Cabs are waiting outside!" Santana exclaimed, linking her arm through Rachel's.
The crew skipped down the hallway to the elevator, laughing and chattering all the way down to the main floor.
A/N: I need to stop writing two of these. Anyhow, I thought we needed a bit more of a tender chapter, more to learn about what happened with Rachel and Finn. It didn't take the direction I wanted it to, but there's some fun coming up. And then some more hilarious Santana. I hope…if the darn story decides to cooperate.
Love you all
BelladonnaFlames