DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!
Chapter Twelve: Regionals
"This is a nightmare," Kurt moaned from Blaine's shoulder as the four friends sat in Finn's bedroom and contemplated their choices. The atmosphere was tense as Finn tried to figure out their limited options.
"No way, not even my nightmares are this scary," Blaine admitted. "This is a disaster just waiting to happen." Finn let his head fall forward into his hands as he sighed and rubbed his temples.
"I do not understand 'ze problem," Rachel said politely as she sat cross-legged on Finn's computer chair. He lifted up his head and tried to give her the simplest answer.
"Rachel, if we get up on stage next week and Kurt and Blaine don't have a solo, then Burt is going to know that Blaine was here without adult supervision for things other than glee club practice."
"Santana has the other solo, and if we can talk her into giving it to us then we might just get away with it." Blaine said.
"Yeah, but when would Santana ever give up a solo? For us no less?" Kurt shook his head sadly.
"We talk to her," Rachel suggested. "She must understand!"
"Rachel, this is Santana-freaking-Lopez. There's no way in hell that she would ever agree to help us out," Blaine explained.
"We must try!" She said emphatically, slamming her fist into her free palm as anger clouded her features. Finn went over to her and rubbed her shoulders gently, trying to ease the stress from her body.
"Don't worry, Rachel, we'll try." He looked over at his brother and Kurt's expression was doubtful. "The worst she could do is say no, right?"
Oh, how wrong he'd been.
"Oh shit, Britts, hold my books because I think I'mma pass out from laughing." Finn felt his face grow red from embarrassment as Santana stood in the middle of the hallway, laughing hysterically in their faces as she clutched her stomach in pain. The bright laughter bubbled out of her as Finn, Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine all stood and waited for her response.
"Are you done yet?" Kurt asked bitterly.
"I'm crying!" She howled as more laughter pealed out of her. "There are actual tears leaking from my eyes." Finn tapped his feet impatiently as Santana continued to guffaw at their expense. Rachel looked upset and he squeezed her hand at his side.
Finn was exasperated. "We're coming to you for actual help. You don't have to treat us like crap."
Her laughter stopped immediately as her eyes became hard and angry. Brows narrowing, she glared at the four of them like they were flies in her food. "Escucha me," she said, staring directly at Rachel. "If you think I'm just going to hand over my solo for Regionals to Tweedledum and Tweedledee over here, then tu eres loca," her voice had a bitter edge to it. "I'm not the one who fucked up royally, and I don't have to clean up your messes. I'm not giving up my solo for Regionals, and there's nothing you could say that will change my mind, so don't waste your breath."
"Santana," Kurt pleaded. "I'm begging you to please reconsider. If we don't find a way to sing during Regionals then my father will kill us all for lying to him."
"Not my problem, Porcelain," she shrugged, looking over at Brittany and nodding. Before the two cheerleaders left, however, Santana turned around and gave them once last glare before strutting away. "And if you ask me again, or find a way to weasel yourself into my song, I'll release the wrath of Snixx all over this school. Y'all will be drowning in Snixx juice before this competition is over."
Kurt shivered visibly as she walked away, his lips pulled up in a sneer. "Like I want anything to do with her juice," he said distastefully.
"What is this 'Snixx juice?'" Rachel asked out loud as Blaine rolled his eyes.
"It's the wrath of Santana Lopez. You don't want to know."
"Guys, we are screwed," Finn said mournfully. "Burt is going to know that we lied to him and he'll never trust us again."
Kurt reached for Blaine's hand and squeezed it, a look of longing in his eyes. "We might as well make the most out of this week, since we're probably never going to see each other again after Regionals."
"Why don't we just say that Santana took the solo from us?" Blaine suggested as Finn and Kurt shook their heads.
"Have you met my father? He'll just march up to the school and demand that the solo be returned to us. Since it was never ours to begin with, he'll know that we were lying."
Finn nodded his head in agreement as Rachel stood silent at his side, lost in thought. He held onto her waist tightly as he struggled with their limited options. He was all out of ideas and was beginning to lose hope.
"I know what we will do," Rachel announced suddenly from his side, a hint of a smile on her lips as they waited for her to elaborate. "We make our duet a quartet!" She stated brightly. "Santana can get her song, and we will all sing together. Comme une famille!" Finn couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed; he'd been hoping to sing with Rachel by himself, but it seemed like the only option they had left.
"Rachel are you sure?" Kurt asked. "I know how much you want this solo."
She shrugged her shoulders, and Finn could see the conflict pass over her features before she smiled once more. "I want us all to be happy. You are my family, Kurt, and I want to help." Finn couldn't believe her selflessness as Kurt and Blaine pulled her out of his embrace and in for a tight hug. Finn stood around awkwardly while Kurt gave Rachel a kiss on each cheek.
"Merci, Rachel. Merci mille fois," he whispered to her while Rachel nodded her head. Blaine and Kurt walked off after that, leaving Finn and Rachel by themselves in the hallway as he walked her to class.
"Rachel, I can't believe you're willing to give up our duet," he said, squeezing her hand lightly as she tried not to make eye contact with him.
"Well, we will still sing. Kurt and Blaine can have a verse and 'ze harmonies, but we will still be 'ze stars," she tried to sound nonchalant, but he could tell that she was truly upset.
"But you've been dreaming about this your whole life," he stressed.
"Oui, but Kurt and Blaine are in love. If they are caught, they cannot be together," she looked up at him with sadness in her gaze and his heart clenched in his chest. "I know how that feels. I do not want that to happen."
Wait, did she just say. . .? "Rachel. . .," they paused outside of her classroom and a fierce emotion coursed through him as he contemplated her words and her selfless sacrifice. He had never loved her more, and he was ready to tell her, hoping that she felt the same. French, English, it didn't matter the language. "Je-"
His impromptu confession was interrupted by the bell, and she smiled brightly before kissing him on the cheek and entering the classroom, completely oblivious of his intentions. "A bientôt!" With a wave she was gone, and Finn felt foolish for almost confessing his love to her in the middle of the hallways at school.
Maybe he can get them a hotel this weekend, after Regionals? Then he could confess his feelings and make their first time as special as possible.
Yeah, he thought to himself as he made his way to class. That definitely sounded like a plan.
The week had passed them by in a blur of practice as Kurt and Blaine pushed themselves harder than ever to prepare themselves for their solos. Finn and Rachel had discussed the idea of a quartet with Mr. Schuester, who was hesitant at first but eventually allowed the last-minute change in the arrangement of their song. Rachel and Finn had changed the choreography to include a second couple and by Saturday they were confident and excited for their chance to sing at Regionals.
Rachel was practically floating on air.
He had never seen her smile so brightly before and her energy was infectious as they all sat on the bus together during their early morning excursion to the competition. Finn was planning the surprise of the century for that night and the reservations had already been made at the Marriott for their special evening together. He was going to tell her that he loved her and possibly make the sex with her and he was so nervous that he had to sit on his shaking hands as they made their way across the state.
His nerves were at an all-time high as they waited in the green room for the competition to begin. Rachel looked so beautiful in her costume, with her makeup done up so pretty and her eyes twinkling with excitement as they got ready to go on stage. She was bouncing around with Kurt and Blaine right before they took their places and she ran up to him with a grin on her face as her makeup glittered in the lights.
"Feen, Feen!" Her accent was thick as she yelled, out of breath as she approached him. "I learn a new expression!" She gazed up at him with her lovely brown eyes and all the control he had over his emotions had snapped. "Break a leg!"
"Je t'aime," he blurted, confessing his love for her, finally, after weeks of keeping it all to himself. He had been waiting until tonight to say it but he couldn't keep it in anymore, she had to know.
Her reaction was a simple smile; soft, serene and aimed solely at him as he turned around and got back into his position. She raced into her spot right before the curtain rose, and he joined his girlfriend on stage for a competition that they would never forget.
She was quiet. Too quiet. So quiet that Finn was starting to get paranoid as they all waited backstage, getting ready for the awards ceremony to begin. His anxiety could not be contained; after they performed Rachel practically ran off of the stage, so fast that Finn had to do a double take as Kurt chased after her. She refused to leave the green room during the other performances and hadn't said a word to him since his confession.
It felt like rocks had plummeted into his stomach.
This was all his fault. She was mad at him, she had to be. That was the only reason why she could be acting so upset. Finn began to pace around backstage, his fists clenched as they waited for their cue to go back on and hear the results. He wanted to talk to Rachel so badly, but she wasn't even looking at him.
He knew he should have just kept his mouth shut.
Things only got worse as the day progressed. New Directions had won Regionals and while the rest of the club was screaming and yelling in excitement, Rachel had burst into tears and could not be consoled by anyone. When Finn tried she only cried harder, practically gasping for breath as she closed herself off to everyone around her. Kurt even tried talking to her in French and she still refused to answer.
No one knew what to do. Burt and Carole were worried about her and Finn was about to start pulling out his hair, he was so anxious. She was miserable and it was all his fault and he never should have confessed his feelings to her.
She cried throughout the entire bus ride back to Lima. Finn didn't even sit next to her because every time he tried to talk to her, she would only get more upset. It was killing him to see her in such anguish, and it was killing him even more to know that he was the cause of it.
When they arrived back in the McKinely parking lot, the rest of the team was ready to go out and celebrate their victory at Breadsticks with an after-party at Santana's house. That was supposed to be their cover for tonight, so they could sneak out and stay at the Marriott instead.
Now he just wanted Rachel to talk to him again. He was in no mood to celebrate anything.
He was about to follow Kurt's SUV to the party when he felt a small tug on his letterman's jacket. He looked down into the watery, red, puffy eyes of Rachel and wished he could kiss away her tears.
"I want to go home," she said softly, her voice weak from crying.
"Home?" He repeated, his mind going into dark places.
"Oui," she said. "I have pains in my head."
"A headache?"
"Oui," she moaned. "I can barely speak English."
"Okay," he replied, searching for Burt and his mom in the crowd. Burt was busy talking to Mr. Schuester, who was holding their impressive trophy in his arms as he approached the adults. "Burt, I'm going to take Rachel home. She doesn't feel well."
"Are you sure, Finn?" Mr. Schue asked. "You're going to miss the party."
Finn shrugged. "Yeah, I'm sure."
Burt nodded, clapping Finn on the shoulder. "You take good care of her, son, we'll see you after the celebration. We're worried about her."
"Me too," he said genuinely before loading her into his truck and heading home. She still wasn't saying anything to him, and his anxiety only increased more now that they were alone together. Normally she was bright and exuberant when they were alone and now she could barely look him in the eye. He burned with shame as they pulled up into his driveway and they entered the house in silence.
She said nothing to him until they were locked away behind closed doors. He immediately found her in his arms, her breath heaving as she collapsed into sobs once more. Wrapping his arms around her, he let out a soft whine in desperation.
"Rachel, please, baby, talk to me. I'm so sorry I made you this upset but if you'll let me explain. . ." She cut him off with a demanding kiss, laced with tears as he reciprocated in earnest, crushing her lips to his in desperation. Her sobs were still heavy and they made her body shake.
"Do not apologize," she whispered against his lips before kissing him once more. "You are not the reason why I cry." With that her face crumpled once more into tears as he held her and waited patiently for her to continue. "I cry because today was the day my dreams came true."
"What?" He asked, not understanding her torment. "I thought that was a good thing."
"In America, I have everything, Finn. A chance to be on the stage, a boy who actually loves me," she trailed off, looking away from him as her throat clogged with emotion once more. "But it will not last forever. I have four weeks left and then I will be gone." His stomach felt like it was filled with shattered glass. "And everything I love will be here."
He closed his eyes, dropping his head against her forehead as her words battered down every defense he had built around his heart. The sharp sting of tears filled his eyes and he didn't even care if she saw them.
"Je t'aime, Rachel," he repeated it again, needing to say it aloud once more. "I love you so damn much."
"I don't want to go home," she wailed in his embrace as the two lovers held onto one another like a life-line. "I love you too, Finn. Je t'aime aussi."
"I thought you were mad at me, for telling you how I felt."
"Never," she said. "I am so happy I could burst."
"I got us a hotel room for tonight," he said urgently, forcing her to look up into his eyes. "If you want to, if you think you're ready, we can go." His heart was pounding as he waited for her answer, and it felt like it was being crushed as she shook her head.
"Non," she replied as he tried to shake off his overwhelming disappointment. "I want to stay here."
"What?"
"I want us to make the sex right now," she said, pulling him towards the stairs as his brain struggled to catch up. He tripped over his own feet as they made their way upstairs.
"Are you sure about this, Rachel?" He said, once his bedroom door was closed and locked. "We don't have to do this tonight if you're not ready."
"I am ready," she said, trapping him in her gaze as they stood in his bedroom. "I want this." Reaching onto her tiptoes, she pulled his face down to meet hers and captured his lips as he wrapped his arms around her tiny frame. Moaning into her mouth, he parted her lips with his tongue and deepened the kiss even further, her tongue gliding against his as he shivered with need.
"I have protection," he whispered against her lips and she nodded.
"Good," she said, breaking away from him and reaching behind her to unzip her dress. It fell to the floor in a flurry of fabric as he reached towards his bedside dresser and grabbed a condom from the top drawer. Quickly unbuttoning his pants, he let them fall to the floor as he ripped off his t-shirt and joined her on the bed.
She was sitting on the sheets in her bra and panties, looking up at him with those deep, soulful eyes that he still swore could see right through him. Could she tell how nervous he was as he fumbled with the condom wrapper? If she did, she didn't seem to mind as he reached out for her, grabbing her body and trailing kisses over every inch of skin he could reach.
His hands traced the curves of her body and landed on her back, and he unclasped her bra with a flick of his fingers as his boxers tightened painfully. She shivered lightly as more skin was exposed, and her rosy pink nipples were hardened into nubs as she lied down underneath him.
Reaching for his boxers, he watched as she hooked her fingers around the elastic and yanked them down, freeing his erection as he readied the condom. She took it from his shaking hands and rolled it onto his length, hissing as the sensations became unbearable. He kissed her once more before reaching for her panties as well, removing the final barrier of clothing.
He stared at her like an idiot virgin for a few moments, soaking in the sight below him and reveling in what he was about to do. He hadn't been ready before tonight, but his confession had solidified something powerful inside of him. Something he needed to share with her, before she exited his life forever.
"I love you," he whispered as he shifted his weight over her, so she wouldn't get crushed under his body. Her legs parted as he nestled between them, and she looked up at him with love shining from her eyes.
"Je t'aime, Finn," she whispered, her voice urgent, almost begging. "Please. . ."
He groaned as he slipped inside of her, her entrance slick and warm as their bodies became one. The sensation was dulled by the condom, but the feeling that coursed through him was so powerful that he had to struggle to remain in control of his body. Rachel gasped beneath him and he studied her face for any sign of pain or discomfort. All he saw there was love and the purest bliss as he shifted his hips and filled her to the hilt.
He started out gentle, trying his hardest not to lose control or hurt her in any was as his focus was entirely on her. Eyes pinched shut, her gasps were the only sounds in the empty house as he pumped into her slowly. It had been so long since he'd had sex but this was nothing like losing his virginity to Santana in a cheap motel. This was something special.
This was lovemaking, not sex.
"More," she cried softly, her head thrashing back and forth. "Harder."
Picking up speed, he held onto her hips as she arched her back, allowing him to push himself deeper and thrust faster. His eyes rolled back into his head as he felt her body tightening beneath him, her gasps of pleasure becoming more frequent and increasing in volume. He could feel his release coming as Rachel tangled her hands in Finn's pillows, calling out his name in her adorable thick accent.
"Feen!" she gasped, her eyes shooting open. "Je viens!" With a buck of her hips he felt her go boneless underneath him, and he joined her in the ecstatic heights mere moments later as he allowed his own release. The two lovers cried out together as their bodies remained as one, and Finn had never felt so close to anyone, ever. How he had lived so long without her in his life would forever be a mystery.
Pulling out of her gently, he collapsed to the side of her as their breathing evened out and they relaxed into each other's embrace. For a few blissful moments, Finn was at peace. He didn't worry about his brother or his parents or his future; nothing mattered at all except for the girl in his arms. The girl he was in love with.
The girl he never wanted to let go.
"You're mine," he said softly to her as they cuddled close in one another's arms. "You're not going anywhere," he couldn't tell if he was joking or serious, but he sure as hell felt serious as she gazed up at him with a soft smile.
"I want to stay forever," she said dreamily. "I never want to leave you."
"I'll find a way to get you to stay, Rachel. There has to be some way that you can stay here with us." He was starting to panic as he thought about her departure. It was only four weeks away. . .
"Shh," she said blissfully, kissing him on the lips and making his previous anxiety disappear. "We focus on the present, not the future," she said, trying to hide the pain in her voice. "The future is too scary."
"Yeah," he replied bitterly, losing himself in the darker recesses of his mind. The future seemed like nothing but an inevitable torture and he never wanted this night to end as his grip on her tightened. "Now you know how I feel."
Merci mille fois, mes amis!
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