A/N: This chapter is a little darker. But I hope you enjoy.

Chapter Nineteen

Rachel stirred in her sleep and Finn couldn't help but hold her a little closer, he had spent his first Thanksgiving with Rachel and everything seemed to have gone okay, besides the whole huge ass fight and Mr. and Mr. Berry kinda hating his guts, but they seemed to have gotten over that.

Finn knew as soon as she opened her eyes he would have an hour of sane Rachel before she turned into the maniac he had met the night before. She was literally hyperventilating at the thought of going back to the house she shared with Jesse to clean out her stuff. He had promised he would be gone and Mercedes and Tina told Rachel they would help but she had turned everyone down. Finn had to basically make her let him come. And he knew that she would turn into that blubbering lunatic once they actually started getting ready to go there. He had no idea how much stuff she had or how long it would take, but he couldn't show Rachel how truly nervous he was.

He didn't want to see the house she shared with Jesse, but he sure as hell did not want her going alone. Finn was lost in his thoughts when Rachel's eyes fluttered open, "Finn?" She yawned out.

Finn jumped a little before looking down to meet her gaze, "Hey baby." He gave her his lope-sided grin.

Rachel sat up suddenly, "Don't 'hey baby' me. What's wrong?" Rachel was panicked. What had he done, he was trying so hard to be the supportive boyfriend.

"Whoa, crazy Rach is back so soon?" Finn teased, trying to keep the 'I've been caught' look off his face.

"Why do you look terrified?"

Finn laughed and shook his head, "I'm d-don't, and if I do it might have something to do with you just freaking out on me right now out of nowhere."

Rachel squinted her eyes focusing on Finn, "No, when you said 'hey baby' you were smiling but your eyes were all wide and scared."

Finn sat up quickly and turned towards the side, silently reprimanding himself for not having control of his facial expressions. "I don't know what you're talking about." He breathed and grabbed his shorts and slipped them on before getting up, "Come on, we've got to get you ready. Full day of house packing." He tried to sound nonchalant and avoided Rachel's gaze.

Rachel's eyes widened in realization, "Oh there it is." Rachel mused, "You're scared of going to see my house. Is this because you don't want me to move my stuff out?" Her voice started to raise an octave, "Oh my god. You're having second thoughts."

"Rache-"

"You don't want me to move to LA."

"That's no-"

"You don't want me anymore."

"RACHEL!" Finn screamed so loud that he was sure he woke up the neighbors. She looked at him, and seemed scared but seemed to be at lease breathing, "That's not it, okay? I am not having second thoughts. I'm worried because I don't want you to get there… and start having second thoughts yourself." Finn admitted finally, to himself more than just to Rachel.

Rachel stood and crossed the room to make her way into Finn's arms, "Finn…" She murmured into his chest, "I am not going to have second thoughts."

Finn shook his head and held her close, "But you had this life here and I'm ju-just, I'm taking it away from you." Finn's voice was cracking and Rachel felt her heart sink.

"Okay, we both need to get off the crazy train." She touched Finn's untrimmed face softly. "Stop acting crazy, I'll do the same. Let's get ready and get this day over with."

Finn parked on the street by the vacant townhome that Rachel directed them to. He breathing had seemed to have caught but he just kept moving. He was driving a loaner from Burt and it was older and shakier then his truck that he had in LA. He ran around to open her door and she jumped out. Rachel Berry had her hair in a loose braid and her face looked drained of color. She was wearing sweats and looked almost sick. Finn thought about the phone conversation Rachel had on the way over and how she just kept repeating, 'please Jesse, don't come over.' and 'please Jesse, you promised.'

So to say Rachel looked shaken up was an understatement. She didn't want Jesse showing up, and thought that warning him again would be best but of course now she wished she would have just come over without the courtesy call. He should be at work all day and she didn't want to worry that he would show up, but now that was all either of them could think about.

"Let's see what we can get done, huh?" Finn prompted and Rachel led him to the front door and fumbled for the key on her chain. When they walked in the house it seemed dusty, like Jesse hadn't been living there, like no one had been in the house. They walked down the narrow hall and Rachel kept her eyes on the floor.

Finn however was looking at the walls that were covered with pictures. Wedding photos, photos of friends and family. A picture of Rachel and her Dads, another of Rachel, Jesse and what must have been his family, and pictures of Rachel and Jesse when they were younger too. There was also a picture on the coffee table of Rachel, Kurt, and Carole, which Finn picked up immediately. It was didn't look like Carole was supposed to be in it, but Rachel and Kurt were making funny faces and Carole was off to the side laughing so hard she looked like she might be crying.

"Finn!" Rachel scolded, "Don't look through the pictures."

"But, my Mom… she is in this one." He showed it to her and Rachel grinned, she must have been remembering when it was taken.

"That was from this summer, I spend the fourth of July with your family, did you know that?" Rachel looked up at Finn with wide eyes and Finn just shook his head, "Yeah, Jesse and my in-laws go camping and I hate camping so I spend it with the Hummel's. That was after a riveting game of monopoly." Rachel laughs a little.

"Can we take it?" Finn asks with a grin and Rachel nods. "When is Kurt leaving? We should probably hurry and get this done to say goodbye to him."

Rachel just nods, "We have a couple hours." She tells him. "Come upstairs and I'll show you what is mine. You can pack any pictures that are of my family or friends, just don't take any of Jesse."

Finn nods and they walk up stairs she opens the door to what must be the guest room, there is a desk with a computer on it and a chest of drawers, "All the clothes in there are mine, but the chest is Jesse's. That's my computer too." Rachel tells him. "I'll take care of my room if you can do this." Rachel tells him and he just nods and she makes her way out.

Finn finds lots of cool trinkets while he's cleaning out the chest, including a bunch of necklaces, she packs they in a bin that they brought with them and puts the computer in a box and packs and pink blanket around it.

He can hear quite sobs so he follows them into her room, the room is dark and the bed is messy, but he can't see Rachel. He follows the cries to her closet. She is sitting in the corner with her cats petting their ears and crying into their fur, "Rach?" Finn can feel his throat closing from the fur in the air but tries to ignore it.

"I've just missed my cats so much." She admits when she looks up, face wet with fresh tears and all Finn can do is nod. "What's wrong with your face?"

Finn touches his face and notices how hot it is, "Oh, uh.."

"It's bright red."

"I'm allergic to cats." Finn says awkwardly.

Rachel nods, remembering he had told her that before and stand and the cats scatter. She goes to the bathroom and throws him a bottle of allergy medicine, "That's good stuff. Jesse is allergic to garlic and I cook with it a lot so he always took that."

"That is a weird thing to be a allergic to." Finn muses and he takes two pills.

"You say that as if he can help it." Rachel notes and points to a box, "Those are my shoes." She points to a chair, "That's mine too. The bed is also mine and so is the futon in the other room, but I don't think we should take either."

"You don't want to futon?" Finn looks in the room and notices it's pretty nice and would go well in his guest room at his house.

"I don't want any furniture from here." She snaps, "It is all oozing with memories and cat furr."

Finn half laughs and nods, "You're damn right about the cat fur."

"Okay, I think I got everything from here. I have a bunch of dishes and stuff in the kitchen though." Rachel tells Finn, "Start taking this out to the truck?"

Finn nods and Rachel walks down the stairs, picking up pictures as she does, ignoring the twinge in her stomach every time she sees a picture of herself and Jesse and trying to stop herself from watching the door. She thinks she talked Jesse out of showing his face, but she can't be too sure. She drops the pictures by the door, ignoring the sound of breaking glass and goes to the kitchen, when she opens the cabinet with all of her favorite baking supplies she cringes.

Everything is broke, broken glass, her mixer looks like it was torn in two. She turns the counter to see a hammer, Jesse had taken a hammer to all her favorite items. He knew that she loved baking when she was stressed and he loved to watch her bake, and eat all over her goodies. There was a note in the back of the cabinet and as she reached for it she cut her hand. She grabbed the note and pulled it out before grabbing the first rag she could find and covering her would to stop the bleeding. She turned her attention back to the note.

"You took this from me, so I'm taking it from you."

Rachel knew what he meant, that was something Jesse always thought of as their thing. Her baking and him watching, she would hum a tune and he would sing along as they did. It was a different world for a couple hours and Jesse didn't want Rachel to experience that world without him. Rachel nodded to herself.

"That seems fair." She murmured and felt a tear fall down her face and tried her hardest to ignore it.

"Okay, Rach. All that is out in the car, I took that pile of pictures by the door, bu-" Finn stops himself when he sees Rachel's tears, "What's going on?" He walks to her and wraps his arms around her, "Is this too much?"

"We should go." Is all Rachel can manage to get out and Finn nods.

"What about the kitchen stuff?" Finn looks up and notices the smashed bakeware, "Oh no, that is not okay." He growls and Rachel shakes her head.

"Stop, Finn." Rachel looks up at Finn with tears flooding her eyes, "Can we just go?"

All Finn can do is nod and so he does, directing her out of the house to Finn a smug Jesse St. Jackass waiting for them, leaning against Finn's loaner truck.

"Hey guys, need any help?" Jesse grinned.

Rachel wiped her face and crumbled the note in her hand and threw it at Jesse, "Get away from me." She whispered and stopped dead in her tracks.

Finn looked between the two, "I think you've done enough today, Jesse. Why don't you move to the side and we'll just forget this ever happened." Finn said in as calm a voice as he could muster.

"You know what? I just came to bring the divorce papers back to you, Rach." Jesse grinned and handed Rachel a folder, not moving, forcing her to make her way to him.

She grabbed the folder opening it to find the papers were covered in a red sharpee, "Fuck you?"

"Excuse me?" Finn asked in surprise.

She held up the papers to show Finn and without hesitation he lunged at Jesse. His fist coming in contact with the truck because Jesse ducked. "FUCK!" Finn yelled and shook his hand out.

Rachel's cries for Finn to stop were masked by Jesse's laughter, "Listen buddy, I own a dance studio that also teaches karate, I'm like a cat when it comes to reflexes." Jesse chuckles at Finn and then turns his attention to Rachel.

"Why can't you just sign the papers?" Rachel bellowed.

"I'll sign them if you agree to pay for my discomfort." Jesse snaps.

"It wasn't a car accident, you douchebag." Finn spouts back at Jesse and he rolls his eyes, keeping his eyes locked on Rachel.

"How much?" Rachel's small voice echos through the empty street.

Finn's jaw drops, "Don't let him push you around like this, Rachel."

"Ten thousand." Jesse says as if it's chump change.

Rachel shakes her head, "You know I don't have that type of money."

Jesse grins, "You might not, but I looked up what your little boy toy was worth here, and I think he could do it easily. Not to mention, when we sell the house, I want the entire profit."

"Jesse…" Rachel whispers and her voice sounds like she's in pain.

"NO!" Finn shouts, "I'm not going to let you push her around like this."

Jesse glares at Finn now, his eyes shooting daggers into Finn's skull, "I'm not pushing her around here, Finn. I'm seeing how much you're willing to give for her. You were so quick to jump in her pants, well prove it to me. Fight for her, give me what I want and I'll sign your precious divorce papers." He hands her another paper. "Also that is your court summons, saying that since we are in the middle of a court battle you are not allowed to leave the state of Ohio until we get it all worked out, I hope that doesn't mess with any plans."

"You can't do this!" Finn shouts at Jesse, his face red with frustration and anger. Rachel is looking hopeless as ever.

"Well you can't sleep with other people's wives, but you sure did, didn't you?" Jesse spits back.

Rachel begins to whimper, "Please Jesse, Please don't do this. You're killing me, can't you see what you're doing to me?"

"Don't you see what you did to me?" Jesse shoots back immediately.

"You claim to love this girl?" Finn points at Jesse in an accusing manner, "You claim to love her more than anything?"

"Exactly why I can't let her go." Jesse nods and begins to walk away.

"No!" Finn shouts after him, making him turn towards Finn who is walking towards him at full force, "No, if you loved her, seeing her like this would end you. Seeing her turn into a fraction of herself every time you're around would kill you, like it's killing me. You wouldn't be doing this if you loved her."

"Revenge is a bitch." Jesse spits up at Finn. They are inches apart and Finn is towering over Jesse, his hands balled into fists.

"Just stop doing this, you're putting her through hell, and for what? This is really satisfying you?" Finn shouts.

"Yes actually, it is." Jesse gives Finn a smug grin and he's tempted to slap it off his face.

Finn shakes his head, "Then you never really loved her, did you?" Finn spits and turns around and to walk to the truck, opening up Rachel's door and letting her in. She gets in and Finn turns back to Jesse who seems a little dumbfounded. "I'll get you a check with next Fridays date, if Rachel doesn't get the papers back by Thursday I'll cancel the check, you hear me?"

"Maybe my price was too low." Jesse muses and Finn rolls his eyes.

"I would do anything, anything to free Rachel from you." Finn notes before getting in the truck and driving off.

"Today sucks." Rachel cries and Finn grips the wheel tighter.

"It sure does."

When they got to Finn's parents Kurt was already on his front porch saying goodbye to Carole and Burt. Rachel rushed up to him, "I'm so glad we didn't miss you."

"Of course you didn't, diva. I wouldn't have let you live that down." Kurt smiles and they hug, his arms tighten around her and she feels like she's going to cry for what seems like the 80th time that day. "Come see me, huh?" Kurt whispers and Rachel just nods. There are no tears because she eyes are dry. She's cried too much and no more will form. So she just whimpers into his neck.

Kurt releases his grip and grins at the small girl, "Blaine is going to take me to the airport," Kurt exclaims, "You've got a good band member there." He shoves Finn a little and Finn pulls him into a quick hug.

Kurt says his final goodbyes and skips off to the car, Blaine waves and Carole reminds Blaine that he can come back and stay for his last night if he wants and he agrees and they are off.

"Today sucks." Rachel whines and Carole pulls her into an embrace.

"How about you come inside and I'll cut you a slice of leftover pie, huh?" Carole asks and Rachel grins and they walk inside.

"I'm going to go drop this stuff off at your storage unit, Rach." Rachel turned and grinned at Finn who walked towards her putting his hands on her waist, "Are you okay?"

Rachel nodded, "I'll be fine." She lied and feigned a light smile and Finn leaned down and kissed her cheek softly before giving her an eskimo kiss.

"I'm going to take care of this for you." Finn promised and Rachel nodded slowly.

"You don't have to." She sighed.

Finn lifted her chin to look at her again, "I'm going to, just stop it. I love you."

"I love you too." She whispered back before turning to part ways, "And Finn, thank you… for always being here."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else." Finn admitted and watched her walk back inside his mother's house, turning to the truck to head on his way.

Today fucking sucks.

Don't forget to review. Only about three more chapters left before the end of the story. Let me know if you have any requests! :)