Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. Something happens in this chapter that might upset some people - but I want you to remember that this is Finchel we're talking about, and things will always be okay for them in the end. Enjoy the chapter and review if you want me to keep writing!
Chapter 18: Fired
"Finn!"
Finn looked up from the table where he was preparing a setlist for Regionals and saw Ariana coming in. What was she doing here? She hadn't come to glee rehearsals in weeks, and he was sure that she'd quit. "Hi," Finn said. "What are you doing here?"
"You didn't think I was gone, did you?" Ariana asked.
"Well, yes," Finn admitted. "You haven't been to a meeting in a while... I just thought you quit."
"I only wasn't coming to meetings because you weren't giving me solos," Ariana shot back. "If you start giving me solos, I'll come back."
Finn sighed. "Well..." What was he supposed to say? That this girl couldn't sing? That she wasn't willing to put in the effort to improve? "I'd be happy to work with you to improve..."
"No, I want a solo now," Ariana demanded.
"What's going on?" Finn turned and saw Collette coming in.
"Oh, you're the director from last year, aren't you?" Ariana asked.
"Yes I am," Collette said. "So, what's going on with Mr. Hudson?"
"Well, he won't give me a solo at Regionals," Ariana told Collette.
Collette looked at Finn. "Mr. Hudson, why won't you give this young lady a solo?"
Finn didn't want to say to a student's face that he didn't think she wasn't good. Even though he didn't really like her, he couldn't do that. "I don't think she's ready."
"Really?" Collette asked.
"Yes, really," Finn said. "Is there anything I can help you with, Ms. Goulde?"
"I just was seeing how things are going with the glee club," Collette said. "And if you aren't letting a student sing, then I don't think you should be the director of this club."
Finn groaned. "What is your angle here?"
Ariana looked at Collette. "Are you saying that if you were director that you'd give me a solo?"
"You said you're a good singer," Collette said. "So if you're good, you should probably have a solo at Regionals."
"Ariana, you haven't been at rehearsals in weeks," Finn said. "Our setlist is finalized, and I already submitted it to the committee at Regionals..."
"Changes can be made, Mr. Hudson," Collette said. "Those classic rock songs aren't going to get you any points."
"I'm getting ready for today's practice," Finn said. "Ariana, you're welcome to stay because I'd love to work with you to get you ready for a solo, but if you're going to continue to act this way, you should think about whether you want to stay in the club."
"He kicked me out once," Ariana told Collette. "Luckily, the principal made him let me back in."
Collette looked at Finn. "Is that true?"
"Yes," Finn admitted. "That was wrong of me, but I did let her back in."
"You are not a good person, Mr. Hudson," Collette said. "This school has a policy that students can't be cut from extracurricular activities."
"I didn't know at the time," Finn said. "The point is that I let her back in, and that I am willing to work with her to become a soloist..."
"I don't know how he got into Columbia," Ariana mumbled.
Finn sighed. "Ariana, will you be staying for rehearsal today?"
"Yeah," Ariana said.
"All right then," Finn said. "Well, we have Regionals to get ready for. Please cooperate."
As some of the other students began arriving, Finn noticed them exchanging looks when they saw Ariana. "What's she doing here?" Miranda asked.
"Yeah, I thought she quit," Bridget added.
"She didn't," Finn said, not wanting to start a discussion. He wished she had quit though.
x
"Rachel, can I borrow you for a minute?" Sidney asked as Rachel arrived at rehearsal.
Rachel nodded. "Sure." She had a bad feeling she knew what this was about.
Rachel followed Sidney into his office. This was it. They knew. She couldn't hide it very much longer. Wearing clothes that were too big hid it now, but they couldn't forever, and they certainly wouldn't when she got fitted for costumes... "Is it true?" Sidney asked Rachel.
"Is what true?" Rachel asked.
"Cut the crap," Sidney said. "At NYADA, and on Broadway blogs, there's rumors circulating that you're pregnant."
Rachel looked down.
"So it's true then?" Sidney asked.
Rachel couldn't lie. "Yes."
"Rachel!" Sidney snapped. "We trusted you. We gave you this role because you were great on the nights that we had you perform. And then you go around and get pregnant?"
"I wasn't trying to get pregnant," Rachel said. "And I'll still be able to perform even when I'm showing."
"Fanny Brice isn't supposed to be pregnant!" Sidney shouted.
Rachel tried to think of something to say. "I can just wear costumes that are too big. No one will be able to tell."
"Of course they will!" Sidney said. "You need to get an abortion."
An abortion? That was the one thing Rachel knew was off the table from the beginning. "I'm not getting an abortion. I don't want to kill my child."
"Well, how are you supposed to play Fanny Brice when you have a baby?" Sidney asked.
"We might be giving the baby up for adoption," Rachel said.
"Might?" Sidney asked.
"Might," Rachel said. "We're considering all our options. But this is my personal life. It has nothing to do with the show."
"That's where you're wrong," Sidney said. "This has everything to do with the show. We can't have a girl with a baby bump playing Fanny."
"So you want to fire me?" Rachel asked, not wanting to believe it.
"Get an abortion, or you're fired," Sidney said.
"I am not getting an abortion," Rachel said. "Why can't we work around this? Women go to their jobs pregnant all the time..." She felt horrible. Were they really firing her?
"Well, then you're fired," Sidney said.
Rachel felt ready to cry. They really were firing her. "Okay..."
"You are a disappointment," Sidney snapped. "We put all this trust in you, and then you go behind our backs. Can you imagine the bad press this show would have gotten if we'd had a pregnant woman playing Fanny? The tabloids would lose it. Get your things and get out of here. I will never hire you to act in one of my shows again or even to clean the theatre. And I'll make sure all my connections don't hire you either."
That was taking it too far. Rachel went to her locker and got her things, then started to leave the theatre. She knew that Finn had glee rehearsal now, so she picked up her phone and dialed her dads' number.
Her dads. She just hoped that they wouldn't be disappointed. She knew that they'd been dreaming about her being on Broadway since they found out she had talent. And now she'd gotten the part and been fired. LeRoy picked up the phone. "Hi baby."
"Hi," Rachel said. "Is Dad home?"
"Yeah, I can put him on one of the other phones," LeRoy said. "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"
"I just need to talk to you guys," Rachel said, feeling like crying. "
Okay," LeRoy said.
Hiram picked up a phone. "Hi Rachel."
"Hi Dad," Rachel said. "I'm so sorry, you two, but I got fired from Funny Girl."
"What?" Hiram asked.
"Word got to the staff about my pregnancy," Rachel said. "They don't want a pregnant woman playing Fanny."
"That's ridiculous," Hiram said.
"I agree," Rachel sighed. "But I can't do anything about it. I'm so upset, and humiliated... this is going to be in the Broadway news..."
"They shouldn't have done that," Hiram said.
"They told me that either I had to get an abortion or I was fired," Rachel told her dads.
"Do we need to call the ACLU?" LeRoy asked.
"No," Rachel sighed. "Sidney's a psycho. He told me that he'll never hire me to be in a show again or even to clean the theatre..."
"That man shouldn't be allowed to work in the Broadway industry!" LeRoy said.
"It's my personal life," Rachel said. "I don't think it's any of his business."
"It isn't," Hiram said. "I'm so sorry baby."
"I finally had my dream role and he ripped it away from me," Rachel said. "I can't believe it..." She knew once she got back to NYADA, she'd get looks and have people whispering about her in the hall.
"Are you sure you don't want us to call him?" Hiram asked.
"I just wanted to tell you guys," Rachel sighed. "I just... I hate this. I'm just glad you aren't mad at me."
"Mad?" Hiram asked. "We aren't mad at you. We're mad at them."
"I am too, trust me," Rachel said. "I really wanted to play this part."
"We know you did," Hiram said. "Ever since we showed you the movie for the first time, you had a special connection with Barbra and that movie... are you sure you don't want us to do something?"
"There's nothing we can do," Rachel admitted. She went back to her apartment and saw Kurt, Santana, Mercedes and Tina watching TV in the living room.
"Hey, it's Fanny Brice!" Tina said.
Rachel sighed. "I'm not Fanny Brice. I got fired."
Santana jumped up. "What? Do I need to go all Lima Heights on that fat producer's ass?"
"I wish you could," Rachel sighed.
"No, I will if I have to," Santana said.
"They don't want a woman with a baby bump playing Fanny," Rachel said.
"This is ridiculous," Kurt snapped. "That's none of their business. No one could play that part better than you."
"I just really don't think there's anything I can do," Rachel sighed.
"There are things you can do," Mercedes said. "You can fight this."
Rachel didn't want to think about it right now. She wanted to avoid this before it undoubtedly became the talk at NYADA.
"I'm just going to go lie down."
Kurt followed Rachel to her bedroom. "Rachel, why aren't you trying to fight this?"
Rachel looked at her best friend. "What am I supposed to do, Kurt? I don't like that they took the part away from me. I was really looking forward to playing the part. But Sidney has the say in this. It's his production, not mine."
"It's unfair though," Kurt said.
Rachel started crying. "I know it is." She snuggled up to Kurt as he hugged her.
Rachel heard the door open and looked up to see Finn. "What's going on?" Finn asked.
"Sidney fired Rachel," Kurt said. "He doesn't want her playing Fanny because she's pregnant."
"What?" Finn gasped. He went to sit next to Rachel on the bed and put his arm around Rachel. "I'm so sorry, babe."
Rachel squeezed Finn's hand. "He told me that I either have to get an abortion or I was fired. And even though we're considering all our options, I knew there was no way that I was going to get an abortion." She looked down at her baby bump. "I love our baby too much."
"Baby... I'm so, so sorry," Finn said softly.
"We have to do something about this," Kurt said. "Rachel deserves this part. What they did just isn't right."
"Why do you guys think we can do something?" Rachel asked. "We can't."
"I'm pretty sure we can figure something out," Finn said. "You're my wife. I'm not letting them get away with doing this to you."
x
After hearing about Rachel being fired, Finn had a lot on his mind, but he tried to put his thoughts aside when he arrived at the school for glee practice. With Regionals only a few weeks away and Collette challenging his authority, it was even more important that Finn do well.
"Mind if I join you?" Finn heard a voice say from the door.
Finn looked up and saw Rachel. "Hey babe. What are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd come help out today," Rachel said. "I know things have been a bit crazy here lately."
"Thanks babe," Finn said. "I'm glad that you came here. I think it'll be good for you to get your mind off things."
Rachel managed to smile. "Yeah, me too."
"Anyone at NYADA know?" Finn asked.
"Luckily, not yet," Rachel admitted. "I'm just enjoying the calm before the storm."
"The kids will be glad to have you here today," Finn said. "And you can also enjoy seeing our plans for Regionals."
"I look forward to that," Rachel said with a smile.
The principal came into the classroom. "Mr. Hudson, can I borrow you for a minute?"
Finn held in concern that he was about to be replaced. After all, Rachel had just been fired from something she would have been great at, and Collette had been going after him, so he knew that anything could happen. "Yeah, of course." He turned to Rachel. "Do you think you can do warmups with the kids while I'm with him?"
Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I can do that."
Finn smiled at Rachel. "Thanks." He followed the principal into the office, worried about what might be coming.
"Now Finn, what's this I hear about you denying a student a solo at Regionals?" the principal asked.
Great. Ariana had complained to the principal. "Well, said student hasn't even been at rehearsals in weeks. I thought she'd quit the club. I already submitted our setlist to the committee at Regionals."
"You can make changes though," the principal said. "When Ms. Goulde came to talk to me, she said that she would almost always just give them the Sectional setlist the day before."
Finn clenched his fists. Of course Collette had something to do with this, too. It was clear - the two of them had teamed up against him. "She hasn't been at rehearsals in eeks. I want the club to be as competitive as possible at Regionals, and it would be most competitive if I feature the students who've regularly been coming to rehearsals and putting in the effort."
"Well, it's my understanding that this girl feels like she's been singled out, and that's why she hasn't been coming to rehearsals," the principal told Finn. "Do you think maybe you could make room for her in one of the group numbers?"
Was the principal just going to make Finn say it? "She's not very good at singing... I've offered to work with her, but she just won't."
"Finn, we appreciate what you do for the glee club, but we need all the kids to feel special," the principal said. "You have some talent in that club. It won't hurt to give her a little moment."
Finn sighed. "Okay I guess I can move the group numbers around a little."
"I know you can," the principal said. "Thanks, Finn. This is going to mean a lot to her."
Finn held in his annoyance as he walked back to the classroom. He figured a few lines might not be bad, but at the same time, what would the judges think of him for putting a girl who couldn't sing in the spotlight? He knew how Collette felt about a college student leading a high school glee club, and he was sure there were other people out there who felt that way too. But he feared that if he didn't give some lines to Ariana, Collette would use it against him.
Finn arrived back at the classroom. "Hey guys," he told the glee club. "So, how have you guys liked working with Rachel?"
"We love her, you know that!" Caitlin said.
Rachel smiled at Finn. "This has really cheered me up," she whispered to Finn before turning back to the glee club. "I can't wait to hear your songs for Regionals."
"That's actually something I'm going to talk to you guys about," Finn said. "I'm going to actually be moving the lines around a little in the group numbers. I should have the new arrangements ready tomorrow."
"What?" Josh asked. "Finn, we've been working on it this way for weeks."
"I know," Finn said. "But it's been brought to my attention that not everyone is given a real opportunity to shine, and I really want to showcase all the talent we have in this club."
The kids looked at Ariana. Finn knew that they weren't seeing through this. Just like when he was in high school, he always knew what the real reasons behind things were. "Guys, don't point fingers."
"For now, let's just work on the numbers as they are," Rachel said. "I do want to hear them, and I'm sure the parts everyone will sing will stay the same."
"Yeah," Finn said. "That sounds good." It could give him ideas of how to rearrange the numbers anyway. He thought they sounded good as they were. But he loved his job, and with someone else after it, he didn't want to risk anything.
Chapter 19 preview: Rachel's friends from McKinley, New York and Funny Girl protest the decision to fire her. Both glee clubs prepare for Regionals, and the couples celebrate Valentine's Day.
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