A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate it so much! And I decided that I can't stay away from writing because this is one of the ways Cory's legacy and memory lives :). And it's really comforting to know that there are people who truly care as much as I do. Thank you for the love and the reviews and everything! I hope this chapter doesn't let you down.

And like Lea said, we can all get through it together :).

P.S. Happy birthday to Lea Michele and Michael Jackson!

Rachel's newly cut bangs bounced in sync with her ponytail as she towards the net. Her baggy basketball shorts swayed as she dove for the ball, successfully bumping it over the net and onto the ground. It landed just on the inside of the line and the girls on her side of the net cheered. As much as she loved the thrill of taking chances (which were usually running different plays or going for the ball or something), Rachel had to admit it felt so good to be in the comfort of her large clothes and haven of a gym.

Coach Shelby Corcoran blew her whistle to let the girls know that volleyball practice was over. With sweat glistening on her face, she walked over to Shelby with the rest of her teammates for their post practice huddle.

"Alright ladies!" Shelby yelled as she clapped everyone over to the center of the court, "Good practice today. I'll see you guys out on the field tomorrow for our laps. And Sue's finally letting us use the weight room after so if you're late, you know the consequences."

They all nodded, still a little tired from their scrimmage, and walked towards the women's locker room.

"Oh and Rachel," Shelby called and waited for Rachel to turn back around before continuing. "I want you to wear the appropriate clothes from now on."

Rachel glanced at her over-sized t-shirt and loose basketball shorts before looking back at her volleyball coach.

"But you always let me wear these to practice," Rachel said with creased eyebrows. She never wears the spandex unless it's for games and Shelby knows that. Rachel just started wearing skinny jeans today, she should give her a break from all the tight clothes. She can't have her life being sucked out by her clothes all the time.

Shelby didn't see the problem and just nodded, "I know, but I want you to start getting used to the clothes earlier in the season. It'll help set a good example for the new girls. After all, you are the team's captain."

Rachel's eyes widened, "I-I'm captain?" She matched her coach's growing smile, "I promise I'll start wearing it tomorrow! Thanks, coach!"

Shelby had decided that she wanted the girls to vote on who their captain would be this year so Rachel was more than honored and surprised to have been chosen. She quickly went to the locker room and freshened up with a quick shower and changed back into her clothes. She put Finn's letterman jacket on to cover up and headed out towards the football field.

She sat down at her spot on the bleachers, the seat she usually went to when her practices ended before his did, and watched as Finn faked the pass to Mike and threw the football into the air. It spiraled perfectly into Puck's hands and he ran towards the end zone. A smile played on her lips as she watched her boys in action. She thought about the first official game she got to play with them and the smile on her face grew wider. Playing with the girls on her teams was fun, but having the boys by her side was always better.

Coach Bieste blew the whistle and they all hustled to circle around her. As Finn, Puck, and Mike headed towards their team, they faced Rachel and greeted her as they normally did after practice. Puck gave her a nod, Mike gave her a little wave, and Finn gave her his signature lopsided grin. She flashed her pearly whites at them with a small wave before they turned their attention to their coach.

While the team finished talking, she noticed that Karofsky kept looking at her. Before she could question his gazes, her boys were already walking towards her.

"I see you're still wearing that lame jacket," Puck joked as they walked towards the bleachers. She rolled her eyes as she stood up and followed them to the locker room.

Mike took his helmet off and asked her about her practice. She quickly told them that she was captain and they clapped her on the back as their way of saying they were proud.

Finn smiled, "Two captains in our group huh?"

She smiled back at him as her thank and Mike and Puck said their goodbyes since they weren't riding with them home.

Rachel watched the three of them walk into the locker room. Fortunately for her, Finn didn't take too long in the shower (at least not at school) so she didn't have to wait that long. She adjusted the backpack and swung it over one of her shoulders before resting on the rail near the locker room.

After a few minutes, she felt a tap on her shoulder and laughed. "That was quicker than usual."

She turned around and opened her mouth but a gasp came out instead, "Oh, sorry Karofsky. I thought you were Finn."

Dave pressed his lips together with a squint of his eyes before shaking his head 'no.' He was still in his practice jersey and some of the beads of sweat were still on his forehead. "You're not dating him are you?"

"What?" Rachel almost laughed, "No."

He just nodded and a brief, awkward silence surrounded them. He shifted on his feet before speaking again, "Do you need a ride home?"

She looked up at him, surprise evident in her eyes and voice, "What?"

Dave shrugged, "I can take you home if you don't wanna wait for Hudson anymore."

Rachel hid her hands inside the long sleeves of Finn's letterman jacket as she struggled to reply. It was weird having Dave talk to her like this. She already cleared things up with him earlier when he assumed she was a new student, so why was there still interest?

She bit her lip, "Thanks, but you know that I always go home with Finn."

Dave simply nodded and looked around, "Well, I could wait with you… If you'd like."

He kept surprising her with every sentence he said. She could definitely get used to the new soft tone of his voice.

She smiled and joked, "You're a lot nicer than I remember, Karofsky."

He shrugged his broad shoulders, "Maybe we just need to hang out more."

"Maybe," She repeated softly then went back to her normal attitude. "Are you just talking to me because you need tips on how to pass?"

He laughed mockingly at her joke and teased back, "If I did, I wouldn't be asking you."

Rachel rolled her eyes with a grin. She's never spoken to Dave like this before. It was nice and she realized that he wasn't that bad. Sure during practice he was a bit of a douche and in the hallways he was a bit of a bully, but right now he was showing a side that she's never seen before.

"Really?" She asked, still grinning. "You know as well as I do that I threw a better pass than you at the last practice I was at."

Dave offered her what seemed to be a smile, "Fine, Berry. I'll give you that, but that's the only time you were decent."

She tucked some hair behind her ear and looked up at him through her mascara covered lashes, "You don't need to wait with me you know. I'm used to waiting for Finn by myself."

Dave shook his head and placed his helmet in his other hand, "It's fine."

Rachel simply nodded so he continued, "I was wondering-"

"Hey Rach," Finn said at the same time. "Sorry if I took too long…"

His voice trailed off when he noticed Dave standing next to her. His wet hair dripped a little as he stared at the two.

Rachel glanced at him with her eyes chocolate eyes, "You were fine, Dave was keeping me company…" She turned back to Dave, "What were you going to say before Finn rudely interrupted?"

Dave shook his head and waved it off, "Uh, nothing. I'll see you tomorrow, Berry."

She smiled and waved a little, "See you tomorrow."

Rachel and Finn walked to the end of the hallway and out to the parking without a word. He opened the door of his truck for her before walking to the driver's seat. Once they had their seat belts buckled, Finn put the key in the ignition and drove to their apartments.

"Is something wrong?" Rachel asked suddenly, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"No," Finn mumbled as he switched lanes.

They continued to sit there in silence as he drove them home. His eyebrows were wrinkled and his grip on the steering wheel was tight.

"Was it something that happened at practice?" She asked, playing with her now soft hair. "You had a really good pass at the end. I should know, I throw really good passes, too."

Her smile faded when she noticed that he wasn't really listening. "Finn?"

He glanced at her and turned back to the road, "What?"

"Did something happen in the locker room?"

He just grumbled about how he didn't wanna talk about anything and kept his eyes on the road. They pulled up to the stop sign. One more turn and they'd be entering the parking garage for their complex. She didn't want to have to resort to saying their 'promise' so soon, but she knew she would never be able to help him once they got inside. She sighed and reminded him, "I hold the lock and you hold the key."

Flashback

Finn walked back from his kitchen in his baseball uniform. He had a tub of cookie dough ice cream in one hand and a spoon in the other. He sat down on the couch next to Rachel and pulled the lid off.

"I would've grabbed you a spoon, but you're not talking so I guess this is all mine."

Rachel was slumped in the corner, still in her softball uniform and a scowl on her face.

"I'm older now, Finn. That dessert thing isn't going to work." She crossed her arms as she stared at the ice cream.

This deal of theirs started when they were younger. They didn't want to tell their parents why they were fighting so their parents offered to take them out to the candy store down the street but only if they told them what was going on. They couldn't get anything until they sorted things out.

They kept this up for most of the time. If one had a problem or needed help, no matter how small or ridiculous it may have seemed, they had to talk it out. If they didn't, their dessert wouldn't have to be shared. It still seemed to (eventually) work on Finn and Rachel, but they could be very stubborn when they wanted to be and it only seemed to get worse with age.

"We're not even that old, Rach. We're just freshmen." He shrugged and spoke with a full mouth of ice cream, "Besides, it's delicious."

She sighed, "You already know what's wrong. Just give me some-"

"Nope," He said and scooped some more into his mouth. He moaned and exaggerated how good the ice cream tasted.

"Finn…" She whined and then crossed her arms tighter around her chest, "Fine. I don't care. I don't even want any."

Finn taunted, his dimples showing, "You know you do so tell me what's wrong and you can have some."

She crossed her arms again and avoided staring at the ice cream. She grabbed a couch pillow and hugged it.

Finn put his ice cream down on the table in front of them and turned to her. His voice was gentle and his eyes were understanding, "I just want you to talk to me about it."

She looked down at the carpet with glistening eyes. She refused to look up until she knew she wouldn't cry. She was frustrated and embarrassed and she didn't want to be reminded of it.

He spoke again. "You're right… We're older now and dessert probably isn't the best way to fix anything, but. I just, I really want to help you Rach." He sighed, "Remember that day we went to the Candy Cove with my mom and your dad? The first time we ever had our dessert deal? Your dad kept singing that Madonna song to us, and he acted like I held the lock and you held the key."

"Open Your Heart," She said the title of the song and then looked up at him, "You remember that?"

He nodded with a smile, "I secretly really like that song. It's awesome, but don't tell any of the guys because I won't hear the end of it."

She rolled her eyes playfully and Finn continued, "I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I want you to open your heart to me, Rach. I'm here for you."

Rachel took a deep breath and decided to start talking, "Santana is just… She's such a… a bitch!" Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink at the mention of the work and her eyebrows creased, "Cheerios shouldn't even be at our games! Girls cheering for girls? It's- it's ridiculous!"

Finn stayed quiet, not sure what was going on since he had his game around the same time.

"I was fantastic the whole game, running as fast as I was able to and catching everything that came my way, but then she started throwing her insults at me instead of cheering. It was so distracting! I finally got fed up and I turned to her and gave her a piece of my mind. When I did, the ball flew right passed me and the other team ended up having two runs instead of us getting a double play."

He frowned, "And they won?"

She nodded sadly, "Coach yelled at me and the cheerios made fun of me more."

Finn played with the corner of the pillow she was hugging, "You can't let her get to you like that anymore. Santana is going to keep being a bitch but you can't let that mess you up. It was just one game, you can redeem yourself next time. You're better than any of the insults and names she calls you, Rach."

A smile slowly appeared on her face, "Why do I give in to you so easily?"

"You're welcome," He smirked and reached for the ice cream but Rachel grabbed it with the spoon.

"That's my spoon!" He said reaching for it unsuccessfully.

She simply laughed and scooped away. She handed him the spoon after another bite.

"I hold the lock and you hold the key," He reminded her with an easy smile.

And from then on, they finished it with that. No matter who was feeling down or upset, they always had those as their last lines.

End of flashback.

He pulled up into the parking spot and set the car in 'park'. Rachel watched him step on the emergency brake and groaned.

"Finn, please. What's wrong? Just turn the key and open it up!" She stopped begging, "Wait, is it something I did?"

He wanted to say no, of course not. Well, I mean. It was related to her so maybe he should tell her. But he didn't want to tell her that he didn't like the looks guys were giving her. He didn't want to tell her that Puck's face is starting to really give him the urge to kick a chair. He didn't want her to know how much he was starting to like the way she looked in his jacket. He didn't want to remember the way her voice sounded when she was laughing and talking to Karofsky. And he definitely didn't want to mention what the guys were saying in the locker room about her.

She looked genuinely worried and Finn couldn't take it. He shook his head, "Locker room talk was just too much for me today I guess."

Her features relaxed a little as she waited for him to continue. He unbuckled his seatbelt and watched as she followed suit, "The guys were talking about how good you look. They said they wished they knew you looked like that before because they would've "definitely" played tackle football with you. Was that supposed to be clever?" He shook his head. "And they just said all these things that made me wanna break their necks."

He glared, "It's- It's just, wrong. And they think they'll be able to have you, Rachel! Have you! Like you're a piece of meat or something."

Rachel's never heard of anything like this before. No one's ever wanted her that way and she wasn't sure how she should react. One part surprised and even flattered that there were actually people who considered her as more than just a good teammate, but the other part of her wanted to beat the guys up herself. They should know she's not like that.

"Finn-"

"And I couldn't beat the shit out of their faces because I can't risk losing my position…"

She smiled at him, "You're a great friend, Finn. I appreciate that you care so much, but there's nothing to waste your energy over. Boys just get excited and turn into dogs when they see girls, and unfortunately my new look ignited those feelings for them. Don't stress yourself out because they don't know how to keep their mouths shut."

He sighed and looked away, trying to process what she was saying.

"And while this is the first and only time boys are speaking about me or looking at me this way, I know it's just a silly phase for them. Tomorrow, they'll remember I'm just Rachel Berry and everything will be back to normal."

Finn shook his head, "But you've never been 'just' Rachel Berry. You're more than what they say about you." He groaned as a new thought came to his mind, "What if someone actually tries something? Or worse, what if you actually like what they say and do? What if it gets to your head and you stop being you? What if you turn into a Cheerio or something?"

Rachel bursted into laughter, "Seriously Finn? Enough with the 'what ifs' please. You're going insane."

He joked, "Maybe you should just lay off the new clothes for a while and frizz your hair back to normal. It'll give me some piece of mind and the boys will have time to cool off."

She rolled her eyes, "My own father isn't as bothered by the idea of boys going after me as you are. Really Finn," She assured him. "I'm sure the shock of my new look will wear off tomorrow."

Rachel turned away from him and grabbed her backpack. She unzipped the small zipper and pulled out a granola bar and handed it to him, "Here, closest thing to dessert."

He nodded and unwrapped it, quickly taking a bite. He smiled sheepishly, "I'm sorry… I know it's only the first day of your makeover thing, and I'm already freaking out."

"No need for apologies, Finn," She said with a shake of her head. "It's incredibly sweet that you're so concerned but there's no reason to be."

They got out of his truck and walked to the elevator. When they entered he continued their conversation, "Tina said I'm just being an over-protective brother or whatever."

She looked a bit confused, matching Finn's expression, "Oh. Well, thanks I suppose… Whatever you are, I'll hold the lock and you hold the key."