Takes place after Theatricality.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

Rachel Berry walked the halls of McKinley high school. She was on her way to the choir room for Glee rehearsal. She wasn't in the best of moods. She had received several slushie facials and also been harassed by Jacob yet again. She was hoping to go to Glee and calm down through singing. As she was about to turn a corner she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see the boy she was smitten with. Finn Hudson looked down at her, which was normal considering how much shorter she was then him. He had that dopey grin on his face that made her heart flutter.

"Hey Rach. Ready for rehearsal?

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I can't wait. I have a new song I was thinking of running by Mr. Shue." Finn laughed at this. "Same old Rachel. Do you ever taker a break from trying to find ways to improve Glee?"

She shrugged. "I just want us to be the best we can. I don't know what I'd do without Glee," she said. He nodded in understanding.

As they reached the choir room he opened the door for her. She entered as did he. She inwardly cursed him for making her want him. She sat down and he sat next to her. He started talking to her but she zoned out. When Mr. Shue came in to the room he instantly called the group to order.

"Alright guys, let's get started. What makes you feel better when you're upset?" He asked.

"Ice cream," Quinn said.

"Beating the crap out of somebody," Puck piped up.

One by one everybody said what made them feel better. Mr. Shue nodded. "Exactly! So many ways to get rid of that one thing that drives you crazy with grief, pain, sorrow, you get the point. Now, one way that you didn't mention is through singing. People sing in an attempt to get that frustration out. Now you're assignment is to find a song that was written to get out those frustrations. I'll let you all get started on that. I'll expect these done by Thursday." With that said turned and left.

Rachel smiled. She already had her song all picked out. With a spring in her step she left the room.

-The Next Day-

Rachel walked the halls in school she didn't know why but she had a bad feeling about today. Like something would happen. She was about to get her things before heading off to rehearsal when she felt her back collide with the locker next to her. She gasped at the shock of the pain. She looked up to see Karofsky smirking down at her, his loyal hockey team at his side. "Hey there, Berry. What do you think about going and finding your friend, Hudson? We really don't like the way he talked to us earlier," He said that smirk in his voice.

Rachel was terrified. She looked down the halls and saw that it was empty. She was about to scream for help when she was turned around and slammed back into the lockers. She felt her hands being bound together. Karofsky took a piece of tape and stretched it over her mouth. He slapped it on without a care and she flinched. She shook her head and she made a few attempts at speech before she realized it was pointless.

The hockey team gave high fives as they had rendered her completely helpless. Her eyes traveled around widely. She made a quick break for it when they were distracted. Karofsky was too quick for her though and began to drag her back over by her hair. She gave a muffled scream. Tears began to leak from her eyes.

"Come on, Berry. Let's go show your boy Hudson what happens when he messes with the hockey boys." This made a roar of cheers come from the hockey players. Karofsky raised his hand for quiet before he began speaking again. "But what do you say we rough her up a bit, boys?" Again this raised a cheer of approval. They began to drag her small form over towards the auditorium.

Rachel fought and kicked but they were stronger. She couldn't shake them off of her. She screamed non-stopped. She squirmed and kicked but the boys continued to drag her. She felt one of them grab her butt and the tears came down heavier. She was pushed through the door of the auditorium and she was forced up onto the stage. She was pushed down and soon a boy was on top of her and she felt his teeth sink down into her neck. She kicked up and managed to hit him in the groin. He groaned before slapping her. "You little bitch!"

Karofsky growled before smirking. He knelt down and spoke, "you know, Berry, you're pretty hot for a loser. Your body looks rockin', but you're wearing too many layers. Let's see what you look like out of them." With that he began to rip her shirt in several places. She screamed louder, just wanting to die. They went back and forth between biting at her neck to ripping her clothes to beating her. They kicked and punched at her stomach. After what felt like hours, Karofsky called them off.

"I think that Hudson would just love to see her like this," he said and that raised a roar of laughter. He sent one of the boys to go fetch Finn. He looked down at Rachel before kneeling next to her head. "Aw don't cry. You had this coming. All you freaks dressing like that after we warned you. We even warned your boy Hudson that we would bring our friends," the boy said. She shook her head, praying for help.

Finn Hudson sat in the choir room. The group was hanging around but Finn was a bit nervous. Rachel was nowhere to be found. He thought that she would walk in the room when he heard it open but instead saw a hockey player make his way into the room. The boy gestured for him to come over and when he did he spoke, "the hockey team wants to give you a little… present." With that he started walking away.

Finn began to follow. He followed and soon the two reached the auditorium. Upon entrance, Finn heard a muffled, strange noise. "What is that?" He asked fearing the worst. "She's a bit feisty." Finn's heart skipped a beat. He was beginning to dread this. As he walked on stage he gasped. There before him lay Rachel Berry, hands tied behind her back, mouth taped shut, clothes in shreds, and bite marks littering her neck. She was screaming at a pitch she had never reached in song.

Finn rounded on Karofsky. "You bastard!" He yelled before taking a lunge at him but Karofsky just held up a hand and quickly spoke, "Do that and she gets it." Finn stopped in his tracks. Finn was heartbroken watching her scream. "You wanna see how you get her to shut up?" Karofsky didn't wait for an answer before he walked over to where Rachel was laying. He kneeled down next to her and placed his hand around her neck. Rachel began kicking at nothing as his hand began to tighten around her throat. She began to desperately try to pull air in but found it impossible. Finn watched in terror as he saw her get quiet as she tried to preserve air. Karofsky laughed and tighten it. Rachel let out an odd noise that was pitiful. It sounded weak, pathetic. That's when Finn had, had enough.

"Stop! She can't breathe. You're killing her." Karofsky let go of her laughing. "Finn, face it. She's a bit hard to handle. Sometimes you have to rough a girl up to control her. Make her respect you," Karofsky said. Finn stared at him for a second before saying, "You're one twisted, sick man if you like to hurt a girl." "You can do one of two things. 1) You can try to take me or 2) you can take the girl and go.

Finn thought about it then looked at Rachel who was once again screaming her head off. He took a step in her direction before Karofsky spoke again.

"That's it Finny boy. Just take her and go." Finn turned towards Rachel who was beginning to shake. He stooped down and slid an arm under her knees and back. Her eyes went wide open and she began to shake her head violently, a series of muffled 'no's coming from her mouth.

Finn quickly carried her out of the auditorium and into the nearest bathroom. He set her down on a sink and she started to cry once again. He reached out to stroke her hair but that just seemed to upset her more.

"Rach! Come on, calm down. It's me, Finn. I'm your friend. I'm not going to hurt you!" He whispered to her quietly. She sobbed and shook her head. "At least let me get that tape off your mouth," he said with slight irritation. Why couldn't she see he wasn't going to hurt her? As he raised his hand, she flinched away from it.

"Shhhh. It's okay. I'm just going to take this tape off you now. It might hurt a bit but I promise you'll feel better," he tried to reason. She only shook her head. He thought for a second before he pulled out his phone.

He called the person he thought would be able to help. Within minutes Quinn Fabray walked into the room. She took one look at Rachel before gesturing Finn to step out of the room.

Once they were out in the hall, leaving a sobbing Rachel in the bathroom, she looked at him.

"What happened, Finn?" She asked.

"The hockey jerks did that to her. I don't know what happened. She hasn't stopped crying. She won't even let me take the tape off her mouth. It's like she's scared of me or something," he tried to explain. "Look, Quinn, I really need your help. She needs your help."

Quinn was quiet for a moment before saying, "I'll help, but I won't like it." Finn broke into a grin before pushing open the door. As they entered Rachel's head snapped up. Quinn stepped over and hopped on the counter next to her. She awkwardly wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulder. As she continued to shake with sobs, Quinn tried to soothe her. "Rachel, I know we haven't always gotten along but I need you to trust me here. Finn is a good guy. He is your friend. Now, he's going to help you. Whatever happened is over now and you need to get helped," Quinn tried to explain in what she thought was a motherly tone.

Rachel was quiet for a minute before she looked at Finn as if seeing him for the first time. She tried to say Finn but it was muffled. He nodded his head. "Yes Rach. It's just me. Now will you let me take that tape off?

She nodded her head and Finn cautiously peeled the tape away from her skin. She winced but allowed him to. Finn stepped back once he had the tape off. He also took a good look at her neck. The bites ranged in size but all were terrible. He hissed when he saw one that had drawn a bit of blood.

"Oh Rachel I'm so sorry," he said. "Will you let me clean them?" He asked still cautious towards her feelings towards men. She looked at Quinn, who gave a nod, before she quickly nodded her consent. Finn reached over and said, "I'm just going to tear a little piece of this shirt off. Are you okay with that?" He said. She nodded once again and he grabbed a section that was pretty torn already and tore it off. She began to shiver as the memory of the hockey team doing the same thing to her came to her head. Finn ran the piece of cloth under water before he began to run it over the bites. She winced but Quinn was right next to her.

Once Finn was done he looked at Rachel. She was still shaking but was calm. She looked up at him and spoke, "my hands." Finn cursed under his breath before turning her and untying her hands. She rubbed her sore wrists that now had indentations where her binds had been. She refused to look at him, embarrassed by her state.

He put a hand under her chin and lifted it so her gaze was brought to his eyes. "Where else did they hurt you?" She ignored him and hung her head. "Rachel come on. Tell me," he coaxed gently. She looked up with sad eyes and said, "My stomach."

Finn lifted her shirt to get a good look at her stomach. He saw big bruises covering her stomach area. He shook his head. "We need to show Mr. Shue," he said. Quinn nodded her head before she hopped down. She started to walk out the door. Finn went once again to pick up Rachel but she shook her head violently. "No Finn! Please don't make me! I'll do anything but that! They can't see me like this! Please!" She begged shaking her head as he carried her down the hall. "Mr. Shue is just going to want to help," Finn tried to reason.

He entered the choir room quickly and whatever activity had been happening stopped. Mr. Shue turned and looked and gasped when he saw Rachel. "Finn what happened?" He asked concern washing over him.

"The hockey team decided to get back at us for standing up for Kurt. She hasn't told me any details. I did see him choke her," Finn explained.

Mr. Shue groaned before instructing Finn to set her down on a chair. Rachel was placed on a chair and Mr. Shue came up to her. He asked Puck for his letterman jacket and covered her with it. "Rachel what happened?" He asked, concerned for his student. She shook her head before muttering, "I don't want to talk about it." Mr. Shue looked around before he sighed. "Rachel, you are going to have to tell us sometime." She simply shook her head. "Mr. Shuster I can't. I just can't."

Will Shuster was terribly disturbed. He hated seeing his top student like that. She looked vulnerable.

"Rachel, we're your friends. We want to help you and you know that you can trust us. We're here for you," Will tried to reason with her. He watched her fidget with that information for a while before nodding her consent. "Okay. I'll walk." That got a smile to form on Mr. Shuster's face.

He sat down next to her and waited for her to tell her story. He watched as the last shred of confidence in her disappeared. She fidgeted with her hands before she start to tell them her tale. "Well, I was at my lockers and they grabbed me. They told me that they didn't the way Finn talked to them. They put tape on my mouth and tied my hands behind my back. They dragged me to the auditorium and told me that… that I was hot but wearing to many layers. They ripped at my shirt and beat me. They kicked me and bit me and… I just wanted to die."

"They sent somebody to get Finn then. When he got there Finn tried to get at Karofsky but Karofsky just said he would hurt me. Then Karofsky choked me and told Finn to take me and leave. Finn did and here we are," she finished.

Will went to wrap a comforting arm around Rachel but then thought better and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright Rachel. They won't hurt you again. Let's see your injuries." She shook her head and said 'no'. He sighed at his star singer's stubbornness.

"Rachel, come on. We need you to show us so we can figure out how to help you," Mr. Shue tried reasoning with her.

She thought about it for a moment before she began to move the jacket off of herself. She then pulled off her shirt and the boys in the club turned their gaze. They felt awkward looking at her in her most vulnerable state. Mr. Shue took one look at her stomach before he gasped. "Oh Rachel, I'm so sorry."

Her stomach was littered with considerably large bruises. She whispered, "It's not as bad as it looks, Mr. Shuster." He looked at her with wide eyes. "Rachel, I can't let this go unnoticed. I'm going to talk to Principal Figgins about this tomorrow," he said. She gasped.

"No! You can't! They'll just get madder!" She exclaimed fear clear in her voice. "If I may, Mr. Shuster, Miss Diva has a good point. They will only come back stronger and with more numbers. Who knows? They may actually go as far as raping her next time," Kurt piped up.

"Well then you will all have to travel in groups from now on. This is ridiculous. You know what, rehearsal is canceled. I will take care of this tomorrow. Rachel, go get some rest. Try not to do too much. 'Kay?" Rachel nodded in response and with that he went into his office.

Finn turned to Rachel. "Do you want me to take you home?" She shook her head but then paused. She nodded after a second though. "My dads aren't home. They have a conference in New Jersey this weekend and… I'm scared. Please Finn. I need you more than ever right now." She looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. He sighed before nodding his consent. He took her hand and pulled the remains of her shirt back over her head. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and began to lead her out and to his car.

He opened the passenger side door for her and once she was buckled up he closed it. Walking quickly around to the other side he too strapped himself in before pulling out of the lot. He drove her to her house and pulled up the drive. He led her inside and then realized that his mother would be worried sick if he didn't come home.

So he brought Rachel into the house and told her he had to make a quick call. He walked down the hall and dialed his home number. His mother picked up and he quickly explained the situation. When he finished she was quick to understand and told Finn to stay as long as she needed him.

He went back to the entrance hall to see if Rachel were still there, only to see she wasn't. He called her name and he heard her voice come from up the stairs. She said, "In my room." He made his way quickly up the stairs and into her room. He saw that she had changed into a pair of pajamas and was now covered by her quilt. She was curled up into a ball and staring at the wall. Finn sat on the bed next to her and placed his big hand on her leg and she looked at him.

"How you holdin' up?" He asked. She shrugged before answering. "I've been better but it's over now," she answered.

He smiled. "You need rest. Go to sleep. I'll be right here." She nodded and closed her eyes. He heard her breathing even out. He smiled. Lying down next to her, he watched her sleep until he to drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

-The Next morning-

Finn woke up to see that Rachel was no where to be found. He looked around her room to see that her closet door was open and her alarm clock read 6:30. He groaned and realized he didn't have a change of clothes.

He got up from the bed and walked down the stairs to the kitchen. He saw Rachel standing there, dressed and showered, making an energy shake. She turned her head when she heard him walk down the stairs. She gave him a shy smile before asking if he wanted one also.

He accepted the offer and she poured him one. Handing him the glass she refused to make eye contact with him. "What's wrong, Rach?" He asked as he noticed her abnormal behavior. She stopped what she was doing and then slowly turned her back to him. "It doesn't seem to matter how many showers I take. This morning I've taken three. I still feel their filthy hands on me. I feel so… gross."

He gave her an apologetic smile. "I wish I knew what to tell you. I wish I knew how to make you feel better… but I don't."

She dropped her head, ashamed at herself. She had never felt so disgusted by herself. She could still remember the feeling of their hands against her skin, their hot breathe on her neck. She shivered at the thought.

Finn awkwardly shifted his weight. He had to stop himself from grabbing her and making out with her. The shy girl surprisingly made her look irresistible. He sighed and hugged her. He put a finger under her chin and lifted it so that her gaze was forced to meet his eyes.

"Rachel, I know this isn't the best time for you considering you were just… treated like dirt, but that's beside the point. Rach… I really want to give us another try. I know you're with Jesse but where is he now? Where is he when you need him? He's with Vocal Adrenaline. You deserve better than that jerk. I could make you the happiest girl alive. I can't guarantee that I will never make you cry, but I'll always be faithful that it a guarantee. Please," he said as he got down on his knees in front of her and, after interlocking his fingers, put his hands up for her to see. "I'm begging you, Rachel. Take me back. Give me another chance. I won't blow it! I swear." He looked at her with big pleading eyes and that dopey, lopsided grin of his.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times. She then looked him in the eyes and nodded her head. "Okay," she said in a shy voice, "I'll give you another chance."

He smiled widely before he got off his knees. He grabbed her around the waist and picked her up. He swung her around quickly before setting her down. She giggled for the first time in what felt like decades.

It didn't matter what happened. No matter how badly she was bruised or broken, Finn would be there for her to pick up the pieces.

Author's Note:

Hey guys. This was my first shot at a Glee fic. I love Finchel so I thought I'd take a whack at one. Hope you enjoyed it. Please Review.