DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. . . nor the actors who portray the characters. The characters are property of Ryan Murphy, and the actors are real people who have the best job in the world. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: The secret love affair has begun! So has dance rehearsals! I have a feeling that this is going to be a very long story. I think you're in for quite a ride.

Casting Call

Chapter Six: Let's Dance

When Finn opened his eyes the next morning, he had to shake off the disconcerting feeling of not recognizing his surroundings. When he tried to sit up, he realized that a naked, lithe body was draped over him, and the events of last night came back to him in a flash of memory.

I slept with her. I slept with Rachel.

He stroked the naked skin on her back, and remembered the way it felt to hold her body under him. He reveled in the memories of her breathy sighs and the call of his name on her lips. She had been his last night.

And if he kept it a secret, she could be his forever.

He looked outside the hotel window, and barely noticed the sun peeking over the horizon. It was still dreadfully early, but he was going to take advantage of a shower as long as he had one. Trying to move Rachel's sleeping form off of his body, he cursed under his breath when she started to stir.

"Finn?" She called out his name sleepily and she tried to hold onto him tighter, not wanting him to get out of bed. "What time is it?"

He turned to the little clock next to the bed. "It's a little after six. Go back to sleep, I was going to take a shower."

"Mm-hmm." Was her tired reply, and he got up and showered. While standing under the hot water, he replayed the events of last night over in his head, and knew that he had to keep it a secret at all costs. Rachel had said that they could ruin everything with their relationship, but he didn't want to stop. She had this power over him that he couldn't control, and he couldn't get enough of her. When he got out of the shower, Rachel was already up and getting ready. He walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her from behind, placing soft kisses down the expanse of her exposed neck.

"Good Morning." His voice was still gravelly with sleep, and she giggled as his lips tickled her sensitive skin.

"Good Morning, Ohio." She turned around in her arms and immediately molded her body to his. She was still naked, and he only had a towel wrapped around his hips. He so desperately wanted to bring her back to bed. He wanted to repeat what they had done last night over and over again. . .

But a loud phone call interrupted their kiss, and Rachel ran to the nightstand to answer it.

"It was my wake-up call. You need to get out of here soon." He couldn't deny the sharp sting of disappointment he felt at her dismissal, but he knew this was how it was going to be from now on. He had promised to play by her rules. She had the power in this relationship.

"What should I do?"

She gathered her things for a shower and kissed him softly on the lips. "I will call the valet and tell him to drive your car around to the basement entrance. Make sure you give him this tip." She went to her purse and handed him a 50$ bill. He looked at her incredulously. 50 dollars was almost as much money as he had in his pocket, and she was giving it away as a tip? His quasi-girlfriend was loaded! He needed to cash his stipend check right away!

"Okay." He hesitated for a second when he saw that she was rushing to get ready, but he had to ask her. He had to know. "Can we meet up again, tonight?" She looked at him with hesitation in her eyes. He knew he was pushing his luck, but he had to know if he could see her again. "I mean, we both know I still won't be able to find an apartment by tonight, and I can call the valet myself in the morning, you don't have to worry about it. . ." He started to ramble nervously, hoping he wasn't being a complete dork and ruining the fun time they had the night before by trying to make plans with her two nights in a row.

But she just allowed a slow smile to creep onto her face until she revealed a perfect set of shiny, white teeth. He could see the beginnings of a blush, and she nodded her head softly while their eyes stayed locked together. "Yeah, I would like that. You're going to be exhausted after today, you'll need a good bed to sleep on."

Amazed that she'd agreed, he just grinned like a fool and replied, "Okay." He threw on his clothes from the night before and headed for the door while Rachel ordered the valet to bring his car around to the back. He was about to head out of the door, when Rachel called him back, abruptly.

"Finn, wait!" She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck to bring his face down to her level. She kissed him greedily, trying to get as much of him as she could from one little kiss. "I won't be able to do that all day." She said with a sexy pout. "Remember, no flirting today. AT ALL. We have to be professionals, and this dance rehearsal is crucial. We have to treat each other like we'd treat any other cast-mate. Deal?"

He nodded his head furiously. "Deal. I promise. No flirting."

She smiled and poked him on the nose, affectionately. "Good. Now don't forget to tip the guy. And try to be smooth about it, like you do it all the time. People will think you're as famous as you act, Finn. You've got to act the part of a celebrity in order to project the image to others." She straightened out his collar and placed a final kiss on his willing lips. "Have a good day, Ohio."

"See you later, Broadway." He walked out of her hotel room and went down to the basement to meet the valet. When he saw the guy, he shook his hand and slipped the fifty into the guys fist. He took one look at the tip, then at Finn, who was standing there with his arms crossed and his head held high.

The valet squeaked out "Thank you, sir!" and opened the door for Finn. When he was pulling away, he dropped the act, and laughed at the advice Rachel had given him. It'd worked! He could get used to a life like this.

He pulled into a Starbucks and changed his clothes in the parking lot behind the store. Checking his watch, he still had over an hour before he had to be at dance rehearsals. He went inside the coffee shop, and ordered the drink with the most caffeine in it. He was going to need it today. He bought a newspaper and sat in the back of the shop, drinking his coffee and searching for apartments in the LA area. He almost spit out the drink when he saw the prices on some of the listings.

If this Glee thing didn't work out, he was going to end up a bum on the streets, stipend or no stipend.

"AND FIVE-SIX-SEVEN-EIGHT!" Their choreographer, Zach, clapped his hands in time to the beat as Finn walked forward and reached out to grab Rachel's waist in a twirl.

He missed her waist and grabbed her boob instead. Then he tripped over his feet and fell flat on his face, almost bringing Rachel down with him.

"Finn!" Rachel yelled, annoyed. They had been in the dance studio for almost a full eight hours and to say Rachel was tired was an understatement. She guessed that Finn hadn't done this much physical exertion in a while, and a guy with his body type was definitely not made for dance. He was trying, but it was starting to grate her nerves. She wanted to be sympathetic, but she had to treat him like she would treat any other cast-mate. Plus, her diva rage was flaring. "What is the matter with you? We have been doing these steps all day long and you can barely walk across the stage without tripping!" Standing across from him with her hands crossed over her chest and a severe frown on her face, she wouldn't allow the group to continue. "You need to step up! This is the big leagues now, Ohio." He looked at her, offended, and she reminded herself that she was supposed to treat him like everyone else.

Zach and the rest of the cast were staring at Finn sympathetically while Rachel continued to chew her secret lover out. She started to rant on and on about professionalism and dedication, forgetting who she was talking to. When she looked over at him again, his normally soft features were hardened in anger, and she realized she had gone too far.

"Excuse me, Rachel. I'm sorry if you think I'm not trying hard enough, but you're wrong. I have never danced a day in my life before today, and I have been spending the past eight hours trying to get my feet to move where I want it. It's a little hard when you have a right knee that's so busted, it pops and aches like an old man's!" Gasping in shock, she immediately felt like a bitch for chewing him out over something he obviously couldn't control. She hadn't known he had a busted knee.

In fact, she didn't know a lot about him. She had to keep reminding herself that she didn't even know him before yesterday. How come it felt like they had known each other for so much longer?

The anger melted away from Rachel's face, and Zach walked up to Finn and felt the knee. "Is it bad, man? I'll have to get you a brace." Zach pulled Finn away from the dance floor and Rachel crossed her hands over her chest in a huff. Finn sat down on a chair while Zach called someone for a gauze wrap and a knee brace. Rachel went to the other corner to sulk quietly. Feeling the burn of regret pulse through her at her outburst, she stole glances of Finn with Zach in the corner. He was getting his knee wrapped, and when he caught her eye he turned away quickly. She felt her heart seize in her chest.

He was mad at her.

Feeling tears welling up in her eyes, she felt foolish for acting like a diva in front of him. Would he still see her as his Broadway? Would he still come over tonight and kiss her like she was the most precious thing in the world? Had she ruined the best relationship of her life before it had even started?

Finn stood up and walked around the dance floor with his knee brace on. He nodded his head to Zach and waited for Rachel to come back on the dance floor. She tried to talk to him, but he walked to his position to start the dance over again. She frowned and took her place.

"FIVE-SIX-SEVEN-EIGHT!" The clapping commenced and Finn and Rachel walked forward until their right arms hooked around the other's waists. They moved their bodies around the other in a tight twirl, and the rest of the cast walked forward on the beat to meet them in the middle of the dance floor. "Perfect!" Rachel heard Zach yelling from the sides, but she didn't turn to look at him. Her eyes were glued to Finn's face, who still hadn't made eye contact with her yet.

Zach had kept them for another two hours, making their first dance rehearsal a whopping ten hours long. Finn had really stepped up despite the pain in his knee, which made Rachel feel like a stuck-up fool. After Zach had dismissed them, Rachel gathered her things together to leave. When she turned to look for Finn, he was already gone. Alone in the dance studio, she allowed the tears that she'd been holding in to fall. She just wasn't good with people, even the ones she liked.

She wiped away her tears and walked out of the dance studio, not looking forward to a night alone.

Luckily, she saw a busted up Honda Civic still in the parking lot, and a tall figure moving around in the front seat. Wiping away all the moisture from her face, she knew she had some apologizing to do.

Finn was in agony. Every part of his body hurt, especially his knee, and all he wanted was a hot shower and a nice bed.

He cursed when his right arm hit into his gear shift. Sleeping in his car was going to suck.

Trying to get comfortable, he had to squash down the pain he felt from his throbbing knee. He knew this dancing thing was going to be a problem, and Zach had requested physical therapy for a few weeks to get the knee back into shape. Just another thing he needed his stipend money for.

He curled onto his side and wished that he was with Rachel, in her posh, luxurious hotel suite. But she'd really damaged his pride during the rehearsal today. He couldn't believe that she'd said half the things she did to him. Mercedes and Kurt had been right. She was a diva.

But she was my diva. He sighed. He couldn't deny the fact that she looked adorable while reading him the riot act. And he had to admit she'd been right about what she'd said in regards to professionalism; but she didn't know about his knee! He was in actual pain, and she'd treated him like he was being a slacker on purpose. He knew that they were supposed to treat the other like they weren't dating, but she had to learn to drop the attitude.

He already felt like he was her lap-dog. She was not going to make him her bitch.

A knock on his window snapped him out of his thoughts and he prayed it wasn't a cop giving it a ticket for loitering. Instead, he locked eyes with the petite brunette woman of his thoughts, who was smiling at him timidly.

"Can I hop in?" Her voice was soft, and he could see her hang her head in the dim moonlight. He fixed his seat so he was sitting up, and he opened the side door for her to get in.

"What are you doing here?"

She twisted her fingers around in a nervous gesture and her voice was very low. She didn't look up at him. "I'm really sorry about what I said to you today. I didn't know about your knee." He could hear the sadness in her tone, and she started to get choked up a bit. "I know I said for us to treat the other like we weren't hooking up, but I got carried away. I know I need to work on my social skills, and I'm trying. I really am. Are you still mad at me?" In the dim glow of the moonlight, he could see a tear falling down her cheek. He leaned over his center console and gathered her into his arms.

"I'm not mad, Rachel. I'm disappointed. You hurt my feelings, but that wasn't the issue." He saw another tear fall, and he sighed deeply. "When I first met Mercedes and Kurt they told me that you had a bit of a reputation for being a diva. I didn't believe them because you had been so nice to me when we'd met. But then today at the rehearsal, I saw the validation of their claims, and it made me upset that people think of you that way. I want them to look at you and see what I see."

She sniffled loudly and tried in vain to wipe the flowing tears away. "What do you see?"

"I see a beautiful, talented girl who knows what she wants in life. . .who desperately needs friends." Her face crumpled in on itself and she collapsed into his embrace, crying into his shoulder and soaking his shirt with tears. He stroked her silky hair and placed a soft kiss on her head.

"You can have that, Rachel. You need to open up to people. Let them see what I see."

She nodded her head and lifted it off of his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Finn. I promise, I won't be a diva anymore." He brushed his thumb across her cheekbone to wipe away the errant tears that still escaped her eyes. Her lower lip trembled, and he leaned forward to capture it in a shaky kiss. "Can we go back to the hotel?"

He started the car and pulled out of the lot without hesitating for a second.

He had to work on that lap-dog thing.

Salut mes amis!

Finn has had a taste of Diva Rachel. Will she change for him?

Until Next Time. . .*sings* Don't Stop. . . Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk