DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!

A/N: I know this chapter is really angsty and sad, and Finn goes to a kind of dark place at the end of it, but there are still a few more left after this one. It's not over yet! Thank you for your patience while I partied it up in Paris for the week.

Chapter Seventeen: Au Revoir, Mon Amour

He could hear her heart beating like a drum next to his ear as he sat with his head on her lap, looking up at her. A halo of artificial light from backstage wrapped around her as she ran her fingers through his hair playfully, and he nuzzled his cheek into her lap softly as her soft giggles echoed around them.

It was a simple chuckle, but it sounded more like music to him as he continued to stare up at her. His angel. His Rachel. They were sitting on the stage, watching Mr. Schue plan out the layout for Mercedes solo at Nationals. Rachel was their own personal cheerleader now that she wasn't exactly on the team anymore, and still came to practice to give her support and advice when needed.

"Mais non, Monsieur Schuester!" She called from their spot at the edge of the stage. "If she enters from that angle 'zen her back will be facing half the audience!" She nudged him softly and he lifted up his head, staring after her as she went over to Mercedes and showed her the exact spot to enter from. "From here your voice will echo out beautifully and everyone will be able to see your face." Mercedes nodded with a smile and Rachel helped her walk through her cues carefully while he looked on with pride.

"Girl, what are we going to do without you when you leave?" Mercedes joked as Finn's heart sunk to the bottom of his chest. This was her last rehearsal ever, and after this week she would be gone for good. Every day he tried to spend as much time with her as possible but it just wasn't enough as time continued to move forward at lightning speed.

Now, in less than 24 hours, Rachel would be gone.

And there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Mesdames et Messieurs!" Kurt yelled with a flourish as he and Blaine suddenly walked onto center stage, hand in hand. "As we all know, today is Rachel's last day of school, and her last rehearsal with New Directions. I think we speak for everyone here that we couldn't have made it to Nationals without you." Finn saw Santana glaring at Kurt from across the auditorium, but thankfully she stayed silent throughout Kurt's speech.

"We love you, Rachel, and we're going to miss you so much," Blaine continued. "In your honor, there will be a farewell party at my house, tonight. Thankfully, my parents are going away for the weekend so we'll have some privacy. Everyone is invited."

The rest of the group whooped and hollered at the prospect of an unsupervised house party while Rachel clapped her hands and beamed at her friends. Finn got up from his spot on the edge of the stage and walked over to Blaine and Kurt, giving them high fives as Rachel ran to his side.

"Thanks a lot for this, Blaine," Finn said amicably as Kurt and Rachel gushed over the prospect of a party in her honor. "I wanted to do something nice for her too, but my parents haven't gone out in weeks." Things between him and his parents were getting better, but there was no way that they trusted him enough to leave him home alone with Rachel again.

"It's no big deal," he shrugged. "The opportunity arose and I seized the moment. I think we all deserve a nice party where we can unwind together for the last time."

"Yeah," Finn agreed, wrapping an arm around Rachel's shoulders and wanting to keep her by his side forever. "One last hurrah."

"Let's party!" Rachel screamed in the middle of Blaine's living room, a wine cooler in one hand and a microphone in the other as her voice echoed throughout the house. Blaine had set up a karaoke machine and Rachel had hijacked the microphone, dancing around the house happily while the rest of the club partied around her. She was the center of attention and loved every second of it while Finn watched from the sidelines, nursing his one beer.

Despite her happy mood, Finn could barely even summon a smile as he took small sips from his bottle. Rachel's flight was tomorrow afternoon and nothing in the world was going to change that. It felt like his heart was being squeezed in a vice and every second that passed made it clench tighter and tighter.

"Feen!" He heard her yell. "Finny!" She was by his side in a flash, clutching him around the waist and staring up at him with a wide, lopsided grin. She wasn't drunk, but she wasn't sober, either. She nuzzled her cheek against his chest as he rubbed her shoulders from an awkward angle. "Tu me manqueras beaucoup. . ."

"English, Rachel," he scolded gently. "Anglais."

"I'm going to miss you so much," she said shakily, her eyes becoming glossy. "I can't believe I have to leave tomorrow."

"I know," he said, choking through the emotion that suddenly clogged his throat. "I'm going to miss you, too."

"We will talk every day," she said, her voice emphatic. "Even if it is over the computer."

"Of course, Rachel," he agreed. "Artie is helping me set up an IP address so I can call you at a discount rate. International calls are really expensive."

"Not as expensive as a plane ticket," she said. "I will save up all my money this summer so I can afford to come back." She grabbed the engagement ring that hung from a gold chain around her neck and rolled the piece of jewelry in-between her fingers. "I hope I can get into school here. I will start applying as soon as I get home."

"What if it's too late?" He said, voicing his fears out loud. "What if you can't come back to the states in the fall?"

She shook her head. "I don't care. I am coming back." She buried her head in his embrace and he could faintly hear her muffled speech. "I have to come back. The United States is a big country, you know. . ." Her voice trailed off as she gazed at him dreamily. "You and I can just disappear."

He closed his eyes for a moment, reveling in the fantasy. Him and Rachel, out there exploring the country and simply fading into the background. She had once said that it was her dream to see all 50 states; he could practically see himself guiding her through the unknown and running away with her and escaping the inevitable end that hung over them like a death sentence.

"We could do it, you know," his voice was deep and thick with emotion. "Run away. If anyone from immigration finds us then we can elope and you can stay for good."

She sighed airily, her eyelashes fluttering. "If only I didn't have to finish high school." Her smile did little to alleviate the pain in his heart. He reached for her hand, so soft and dainty inside of his, rubbing her third finger where his engagement ring should be.

"Come upstairs with me," he whispered to her, watching as her pupils dilated in pleasure. The party raged on around them, but even though it was being held in Rachel's honor, no one seemed to notice when the guest of honor slipped upstairs, tangled up in Finn's arms and attacking his mouth with kisses.

The two young lovers were swept up in a moment of unbridled passion as Finn lifted her up into his arms, feeling her body press up against his. She arched up against him as he held her steady by her ass, squeezing it with more force than he was used to. A deep moan slipped from her mouth and he reciprocated in earnest, groaning as his tongue caressed hers.

He didn't know where he was leading them but Finn hoped that the bed they landed on was in the guest room, where Blaine had given them permission to make love for the last time. There was no way that they could have gotten away with this at home, and Finn would always be grateful to Blaine for providing them with this opportunity. The bedsheets were soft underneath them as they rolled around on the covers, their hands caressing everything they could reach.

Words were whispered in the darkness of the room, English and French mixed together, forming deep sentiments and promises of forever and dedications of everlasting love. Their clothing was shed in a flurry of fabric, hands everywhere, caressing and touching and loving like it was their last night on earth. The party continued downstairs, the music bleeding through the walls, but all that mattered was lying across from Finn in the bed, staring up at him like he was a mirage about to disappear. He crushed her body to him then, feeling her skin under his fingertips, knowing that everything they experienced in that moment was real.

When their bodies joined together as one, her body open and willing and blissfully perfect, he grabbed onto the sheets of the bed like he was holding onto his sanity. Her nails dug into his back, making an angry pain shoot up his side, but he allowed that to shift his focus away from the inevitable and focus on helping her make more of those sounds. A sharp hiss, a deep moan, a guttural grunt that signaled her release.

He threw his head back and basically howled as he reached his own completion, her body still spasming around his as he joined her in their momentary bliss. He collapsed against her side, the sweat trickling down his brow, his heart pounding and breaking at the same time. A wave of emotion crested over him as he curled into her body, and before he realized what was happening he was crying. Deep, heaving sobs escaped his throat as she stroked his hair, and he used her naked breast as his pillow as she held him gently.

After a while she began to hum a tune he didn't know, something that was probably French, but soothing enough to calm his uneven breathing. Her voice was like a soothing balm to his aching soul, stitching together all the rips and tears in his heart at her departure. How was he going to get through this without her?

As he drifted off into a restless sleep, filled with Rachel's voice humming to him in his dreams, he realized that he was going to find out soon enough.

He woke up to someone screaming, and while the voice sounded distinctly feminine, he knew it wasn't coming from the sleeping girl next to him, whose naked chest still rose steadily with every breath. He was still using her as his own personal pillow, and he rubbed the gunk from his eyes sleepily as he tried to remember where he was. Squinting in the darkness, the room around them looked extremely familiar, but he couldn't place his surroundings as the yelling became louder and more shrill.

"Finn!" The familiar voice yelled. "Rachel! I can't believe you two fucked on my boyfriends' bed!" That woke Finn up faster than a double shot of espresso, and Finn finally realized why the room seemed so familiar. In the midsts of their passionate haze, Finn had accidentally led them into Blaine's room instead of the spare, and Finn burned with embarrassment as he tried to nudge Rachel awake. Glancing at the clock, he knew they hadn't been sleeping long, but they had definitely overstayed their welcome.

"Rachel," he cooed to her softly, his voice hiding the panic he felt at getting caught in Blaine's bed. "Babe, we gotta go."

"Cinq minutes," she slurred in her sleep and he started to shake her a bit more roughly. Kurt's pounding was a much more efficient way of rousing her as his shrill cries bled through the walls. "Qu'est qui se passe?" She mumbled, still half asleep.

"We have to go home," he urged. "My parents are probably furious already for being out this late." Falling asleep was a mistake and his relationship with his parents was still shaky at best. "And we also just made love in Blaine's bed."

"What?" She shrieked, sitting up and finally snapping out of her slumber. Leaping out of bed, she scrambled to find her clothes and threw them on haphazardly. Kurt's pounding continued.

"We'll be out in a minute!" Finn yelled, effectively shutting Kurt up for the moment. He knew it wouldn't last long, however, as he rushed to put on his clothes as well. Rachel looked horrified at getting caught in Blaine's room but it was truly an accident, and he explained that to Blaine as soon as the two exited the room, fully dressed.

"I'm sorry about this, man. We were tipsy and didn't realize we were in the wrong room."

"Ah, it's not that big of a deal," Blaine shrugged off, the epitome of kindness. "Kurt was just annoyed because you two did what we couldn't do tonight. He had a few too many wine coolers." He whispered and Kurt glared daggers at them before stomping off.

The party was over, but the majority of the guests had hung around until Rachel woke up so they could say goodbye, even though it was well past midnight. Bouncing between her friends, Rachel gave them all four kisses on the cheek instead of her normal two, explaining that the gesture was reserved only for the people that one loves the most. If that were true, he would probably wind up giving her kisses on the cheek all night long.

Finn was no longer tipsy, so he drove Kurt and Rachel home in silence as time continued to tick. She had mere hours left in the country and Finn was tempted to just drop Kurt off at home, kidnap Rachel and escape with her into the night, disappearing into the west with nothing but their love to keep them going.

Instead he drove them home, said goodnight to a still surly Kurt, and walked Rachel to her bedroom, pausing outside of her door to give her a kiss goodnight. In the morning, he ate breakfast with his family, faking smiles for her benefit and pretending that his heart wasn't being shredded into bits. He helped her carry her luggage downstairs at noon, taking as much weight off of her as possible and losing himself in the physical aspects of the task. Her luggage was heavier than when she had arrived; during her stay she had collected books, magazines, and newspapers that she could bring back to France to remind her of the States. He was trying hid hardest to be emotionally numb as his parents went over a checklist of things she needed before her voyage began.

"Do you have your passport?" His mother asked sweetly.

"Oui," she said, patting the side of her handbag. "It is with my wallet."

"Do you write down your address and phone number in France, so we can call you and send you anything you might have forgotten?"

"Bien sur! I will call you the second I arrive back in Paris. It will be six hours ahead though, so you might be asleep."

"It doesn't matter," Burt said plainly. "Call us anyway so we know you're safe."

"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you to the airport?" His mother asked for the millionth time. Rachel shook her head kindly, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Non, merci," she said politely. "I want to be with Kurt and Finn. They have been with me since the beginning, and I want them there with me before I go." It took every ounce of strength he had not to start crying right then and there, but thankfully his mother started crying instead and it distracted him long enough to swallow the pain.

"We love you, Rachel. You will always be welcome in this home, no matter what happens in the future." She pulled the girl in for a tight hug and Finn could hear Rachel sniffle lightly. He wasn't going to last long if the women didn't stop being so emotional. He watched as his mother kissed her hair and straightened out the white beret that was perched on her head.

"Good luck with everything," Burt said warmly, patting her gently on the shoulder. Burt looked shocked when she grasped onto him in a fierce hug, but eventually wrapped his arms around her as well. "Bon voyage, Rachel. Adieu."

"Non!" She said suddenly, jumping back from his embrace like he had burned her. "Do not say that! Never say that!" The tears were leaking from the corners of her eyes and she continued shakily. "You only say 'adieu' when you know that you will never see someone again. Ever." She looked into the eyes of everyone in the family, lingering on Finn's the longest. "And I will see you all again, I promise. For now, it is simply 'au revoir.'"

"Au revoir, Rachel," his parents said before Rachel left the house for the final time. They took Kurt's SUV, since it had more room for her luggage, and drove an hour and a half south towards Dayton's international Airport. The car ride was quiet and tense as Finn held Rachel's hand in the backseat. The closer they got to the airport, the more anxious he became.

The inevitable happened. They arrived at the airport and Finn found Rachel a cart so she could push her luggage around the terminal. By the time he came back with it she was hugging Kurt fiercely and whispering in his ear in her native tongue. When she pulled away from him, her face was already streaked with tears and he realized that this was it.

It was time to say goodbye.

Kurt got in the car and told Finn to meet him in the parking lot; it was too congested with traffic for Kurt's giant SUV to sit idle in the middle of the road. Besides, his brother knew that Finn wanted to be alone with Rachel for their final moments, but the look in Rachel's eyes made him feel like he couldn't do this alone.

"Finn," she said, sniffling lightly. "You have no idea how much you mean to me." He opened his arms for her, collecting her in his embrace for the final time. Kissing her hair, he breathed in the smell of her; of expensive perfumes and spring flowers and a little bit of his own musk mixed in as well. Committing the scent to memory, he tried to say something profound or special, but knew he was never a whiz with words. Instead, he allowed her to speak. "I will never forget the time we spent together, or the promises we made. I will be back as soon as I can, and we can be together for good."

He nodded sadly, closing his eyes and feeling the tears fall from them without warning. There was nothing he could possibly say to her now that hadn't already been said a hundred-fold, but he managed to squeeze out a hoarse "Je t'aime," from somewhere deep in his throat. The past few weeks had already felt like a long and arduous goodbye, now it just felt like sealing the final nail on the coffin.

They kissed for the final time, her lips lingering on his for a long moment where the only thing he felt was his the pounding of his broken heart. The only thing he could taste was the liquid salt on her lips. The only thing on his mind was how much he wanted to keep her.

But she wasn't his to keep, and their kiss couldn't last forever. She pulled away eventually, her eyes swimming with tears as he tried to memorize this moment forever. The way she looked at him like he could still conquer the world and win, even though he could barely conquer his own emotions. The way she looked in her pristine white beret, the Eiffel Tower earrings dangling from each ear, like the day she had arrived. Had it really been eight weeks ago? It felt like another lifetime.

"Au revoir, mon amour," she said softly before pushing her luggage cart through the mechanized doors. He watched as she disappeared into the crowd, her white beret blending in with the haze of the other passengers as he watched her go.

He stood there until she vanished into the busy airport terminal. He stood there until an angry cabbie started to beep his horn at him for getting in the way of the other pedestrians. He stood there until every salty tear in his body dripped down his chin, each one mourning the love that he feared he might never get back. How long until he next saw her? A half a year, maybe more? How was he going to handle the torture of life without her when everything was a reminder of what he had just lost?

By the time he made it back to Kurt's truck, he curled up into a ball in the backseat and kept his eyes closed on the way home, shutting out all the pain and the loss and the regret that threatened to consume him whole. If he allowed himself to feel all this pain for the next few months he would surely go insane, so the only other option was to let it all go. Forget about the tattered shreds of his heart and try to move on as best as he could. He would still talk to her and send her letters and try to be in contact with her as much as possible, but he couldn't allow himself to become crippled by pain, the way he was feeling now. Each mile that Kurt drove, leading him further and further away from her, was another chance to clear his heart of the torture he was sure to endure. He pushed aside the memories, both good and bad, storing them deep inside of his mind while sealing his heart against any future breaks.

When he arrived home and disappeared into the room he hadn't slept in for weeks, he was empty of everything that reminded him of Rachel Beri. He picked up a controller from his abandoned XBox and lost himself in a game.

Ignorance was truly bliss.

Aww, so sad! Poor Finny sans Rachel!

Merci mille fois, mes amis!

Don't stop reviewin'!