Chapter 2
Finn opens his eyes and stretches his arms up and smiles as he remembers something. He rolls over and reaches his arm out wrapping it around her sleeping body pulling her towards him. She makes a soft sighing sound as her tiny body settles in against his. Not wanting to wake up he snuggles his face into her neck and falls back asleep. In his sleep he hears singing, "that sounds like Rachel" he mumbles to himself as the voice keeps singing softly.
I know you have a little life in you yet.
I know you have a lot of strength left.
I know you have a little life in you yet.
I know you have a lot of strength left.
I should be crying, but I just can't let it show.
I should be hoping, but I can't stop thinking
Of all the things I should've said,
That I never said.
All the things we should've done,
That we never did.
He checks but sees Rachel is still sleeping. "It must have been a dream…" he scoots closer to his girlfriend before he begins to drift off to sleep again he hears her voice again, "im so sorry, please wake up"
Give me these moments back.
Give them back to me.
Give me that little kiss.
Give me your hand.
Rachel watches him as she sings and wonders if he can hear her. "Im so sorry, please wake up." She starts to cry as a familiar voice breaks the silence of the room, "It isn't your fault." The unexpected voice makes her jump and she turns to see who is there with her. In the doorway she sees Quinn standing with her arms crossed as if she were cold. "How long have you been there?"
"Just a few minutes, I mean it though, it isn't your fault."
"How do you know?" she says as she turns back to Finn still as a statue in his bed.
"What happened Rach?"
She let the question hang in the air as her mind drifted away back to a happier time.
"I don't know why everyone is so worried I mean I have the turtle and he is still alive!" Finn laughs as Rachel rambles on about how their friends all think she can't handle adopting a puppy.
"Baby, I think that you will do fine with a puppy they just don't see you the way I do. I see your caring, nurturing and gentle side they see the passionate, talented, ambitious and motivated side that's all." She smiles and slides her little hand into his giant one as they look at puppies in the only pet store in Lima, Ohio. While she flips through a book on the proper feeding and care of a puppy Finn slips away to ask an employee about a fluffy little Chihuahua Pomeranian mix puppy he saw.
As she takes mental notes from the book about what kind of puppy would be right for her, a familiar scent hits her nose. It smells like cologne but not her boyfriend's cologne, someone else.
"Hello Berry." The two simple words snap her back to reality after a quick memory of sophomore year flashes through her brain. "Jesse." She whispers to herself as she feels his breath on her neck. "Jesse what are you doing here?"
As she turns around he gives her a soft laugh, "I'm thinking about getting a puppy and I heard this was the best place to find one." He walks around to stand next to her and grabs her book from her, idly flipping pages pretending to be interested. "Im serious Jesse, I thought you went off to NYU to live your dream."
"I did and I had a great time auditioning and getting parts on Broadway. I was living the dream, hell I even won a Tony!" she scoffs at his arrogant bragging, "But I realized something out there Berry. I realized something was missing."
"So you came all the way back to Lima to get you a puppy? Congratulations on the Tony Jesse but I have to go find Finn and leave. You remember my boyfriend Finn don't you?" He ignores her comment about Finn and continues on with his monologue that is so obviously rehearsed to the point of accurate emotional depth, "No no Rachel, I could have gotten a dog in New York. What is missing is you. I miss you Rachel. I was a fool all those years ago. Ive come to woo you back and take you to New York with me to be the star we always knew you would be." Finn walks up looking down at his surprise not noticing Jesse, "Baby look what your amazing boyfriend found and got for his perfect girlfriend" he looks up to see Rachel next to Jesse and freaks out a bit as all the possibilities run through his mind. Why is he here? Did she tell him we were here? Does she still talk to him? What is going on? "Rachel what is going on?"
Jesse answers before she can, "Hello Finn it's been a long time. Im here to find a pet, but I'll be going." He turns to Rachel and places his hand on her arm visibly disgusting her, "I'll be in town for a while, you should call me. Ive missed you." He fixes a devilish stare at Finn as a nonverbal warning that he's there for trouble. He walks out of the pet store blowing Rachel a kiss with a wink as he passes the window.
"Finn before you freak out I had no idea he was in town, I haven't been talking to him."
"It's ok, I believe you Rach."
She finally notices the fluffy little thing in his hands and the cart full of puppy supplies next to him. "Finn… what is all this?"
"Well I thought that you deserve a puppy and the only way to prove to everyone that you can take care of a dog is to have one." He grins as she excitedly yet gently, picks the tiny animal up out of his hands and starts to coo at it. "Finn are you serious? Is it really mine?" laughing he answers her, "yes baby, she is all yours." She looks at it adoringly as she softly tells him, "No Finn, she is ours." He puts his arms around her tilting her head up to place the softest of kisses on her lips. "Im glad you like her, all she needs is a name." she links her arm in his as they walk out to the car with their new puppy and all of the things she needs including a tiny pink sweater just like the one Rachel is wearing.
Quinn sits next to her confused, "Rachel…I don't understand…" Rachel looks at her with tear filled eyes, "that was two months ago, and it's only the beginning."