Wow, we are completely overwhelmed by the wonderful response to All the Wrong Things on Fire. It is a blast to write something so different. Thank you all for the fabulous feedback. With that being said, here is chapter 1. Chapter 2 will be posted sometime next week (assume closer to the end). Happy reading and until then...ducking and hiding.

Thank you to Ali and Laura for beta'ing. You both are awesome!

Rated: M (for content)

Disclaimer: No we do not own Glee

Chapter 1

She sat blindly starting at the itinerary that he had faxed over to the hotel for what must have been the past hour. He had everything scheduled down to water breaks and she wondered when he became so organized and meticulous, that used to be her role. Nowadays her life was anything but organized. She was lucky if she could get even get a load of laundry done in between doctor appointments and impromptu hospital stays. Yes, her life had become nothing more than chaos; however, she knew she wouldn't have traded a moment of the insanity if it had meant giving up a precious moment with her son.

She fell back on her plush bed and was suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. Here she was in a lavish hotel, much to Finn's insistence that she upgrade to something he deemed worthy of their weekend, while her baby was probably dealing with another round of horrible after-effects of his treatment. She rolled over and pulled out her cell phone. She had to check on him, make sure he…make sure he was okay. She wiped away a few stray tears as she waited for an answer.

"How's he doing?"

"He's okay; been asking for ya. Guess my story telling ain't the same as his mommy's."

"It isn't and I miss him, too. Has he been holding down his medicine?"

"Yea, but I had to take him in last night."

"Wait, what? I…Oh, God…" She asked frantically, terrified and guilt-stricken she wasn't home for her baby.

"No, just chill. He seemed kinda puny, so I decided to take him in. They gave him fluids. Ya know, the usual drill. His favorite nurse was there. Flashed his dimples and got extra Jell-O." She sighed and slumped back on the bed. At least it wasn't a new complication.

"You are teaching him such bad habits, you know that?"

"Whatcha mean? He's gonna be a ladies man just like his..." He said, his voice trailing off, the words hanging in the air. She hated when he brought this up. It never ended well, but this time he continued without actually saying the forbidden name, "Speaking of you know who…has he given you an answer?"

"Yes, yes he has." She said begrudgingly. She didn't want to go into the details of his sordid arrangement.

"And? The insurance company has said they will cover us up to the cap, but we are still majorly short," he replied, and she could hear the desperation in his voice. It was the same fear that always present when she thought about their son's future. She needed to alleviate some of his fear. He was always the one there for her.

"I know and, well, he agreed to give me the money," she said in a breathy whoosh.

"Really? Did you tell him about Caleb?" She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath.

"NO… no I didn't tell him anything. What would be the point? You know how things were left."

"Yea, but things are different now. His son may be dying. We need to tell him." She knew on some level he was right, but at the same time she had tried telling him. She spent months begging him to listen, begging him to give her a chance to explain what he so grossly over reacted to and misinterpreted, but it did nothing. He either ignored her or insulted her, so no; he didn't have a right to know.

"You…you are his father." She heard him draw in a sharp breath. He was Caleb's father.

"No, babe, I am his Dad, but Finn…he is his father and well I would hate it if…"

"That was his choice! If you hadn't had stepped in and put your name on Caleb's birth certificate I don't know what we would have done. He is alive because of you and so am I. You have been the best friend to me and really to Finn. You took me in when I was pregnant and alone. You took on a sick baby without any hesitation. You stepped up to the plate when you had absolutely no obligation to," she argued, now pacing the oversized suite.

"No obligation? He thought we were having some long term affair and wouldn't listen or believe either of us! He knew that long time ago before you two got involved that the idea of us as a couple had crossed my mind, so if it was anyone's fault that things worked out the way they did, it was 'cause of me!" She wanted to bang her head against the wall. She deplored his line of reasoning.

"Please stop. There is no reason to rehash any of this. Finn and I are in the past."

"No, you two are still hitched, so I think you are very much in the present," he replied, and she could hear the sadness in his voice. Granted, they weren't a 'couple,' and while they weren't sexually involved in any respect, they definitely were emotionally tied. She loved him, but not in the way that either one of them deserved. And while she knew he had developed feelings for her, most of them were directly linked to the fact that he had taken on the role of father and 'husband' almost overnight.

"Actually, after this weekend everything will be settled. He finally agreed to the divorce, so please, let's not discuss this any further."

"Wait, he agreed to the divorce? Why? Why after all these years? What aren't you telling me?" He asked pointedly. He knew when she was lying, and lying by omission was still a lie.

"Nothing, I guess just seeing me after all these years made him realize how much he hates me and wants to be rid of me, so…"

"I don't think he ever hated you," he answered softly.

"Trust me, he hates me. He made that very clear," she replied quickly, of course leaving out how he openly admitted to wanting her sexually.

"Well, if that is the case, why do you need to stay the weekend? Why not just come home to me and Caleb and let the lawyers get it all dealt with?" She knew she should have done just that. Said, no way in hell to Finn's proposition, but she didn't have any other options.

"You know I would if I could, but apparently he wants to go over all of the details in person." God, now Finn had made her a liar. "You know, to make sure we haven't overlooked anything. I promise everything will work out and I will be home Sunday night to tuck Caleb in."

"I just don't wantcha getting hurt again."

"I won't, trust me. Finn Hudson has absolutely no power over me. There is far too much at stake to get sucked back into any drama. He is giving me the money along with the divorce and then I can officially move on," she said, hoping that her words truly rang true, but the fact that not only had she welcomed, but returned his kiss, made her wonder, which was definitely not a good thing.

"I…we haven't talked about what happens to our family if…" She couldn't think about their future. There were far too many variables and heightened emotions in play, so she cut him off.

"I know, and right now isn't the time to get into it. I need to get ready. Finn and I have a…" She swallowed the giant knot that threatened to cut off her air supply as she tried to choose the best term to describe their impending 'relations'.

"A what?" He asked nervously. Again she swallowed, unable to clear the blockage.

"…a meeting to start the process."

"Okay, well my Ma is gonna come visit Caleb. She made him some of that soup he loves and my sister is gonna take him to a movie if he is up for it." She blinked back the tears and fought the urge to hyperventilate.

"Please give them my love and I will call you when I am headed home. Text me if anything happens. Promise?" She pleaded, hoping he wouldn't bring up the fact she hadn't said she would call.

"Yeah, yeah I promise. I just have a bad feeling about all this." He didn't, but knew something was wrong.

"Trust me, I am not thrilled either, but remember we tried telling him for years, but he just returned all my letters, wouldn't take your calls. This situation is just as much his doing as it is ours." She knew she was rationalizing, but the fact she was not only lying, but cheating as well, was killing her. The question that hung over her head like a stormy filled cloud was who was she truly cheating on?

"I know what you are sayin', but…" No, regardless of what she was doing, he was an amazing man, who had been there for her on numerous levels and she wasn't going to let him rethink his relationship with Caleb. Her little boy loved him, depended on him…that was the most important thing; not who's DNA coursed through his little weak veins.

"No, no buts. He is our son…Caleb Frederick Puckerman in every way that matters."

An hour and several panic attacks later Rachel finally heard the dreaded sound of an electric key lock and a turning handle. She swallowed back her fear and sucked back her tears. She could do this. After all, she had shared her bed and her body with this man for nearly 3 years, so surely she could handle a weekend. Yes, one weekend and then she would be free. Free to save her son and free to move on from the hold he apparently still had on her.

"You're here." She said as flatly, trying to appear as impervious to him as possible, despite the painful pounding of her heart against her ribs.

"You didn't think I would be? We had an agreement," he said just as coldly, but she couldn't mistake the flecks of anger masked behind his impassive gaze.

"Right, an agreement." she said, nearly choking on the words. Even though they were no longer in love she thought he might have had an inkling of respect for her. But if he could do this, so could she. She cleared her throat and added, "So where do you want me? On the bed, wall, shower, desk or will any hard surface do?" She rattled, he winced and even she grimaced at the venomous tone in her voice.

"Stop!" He barked, his calm demeanor cracking slightly, making her wonder if he was having the same myriad of emotions as she was and not just anger, so she pushed.

"Stop what? You said this weekend was about sex in exchange for money, basically turning me, your wife…" When he scoffed and turned she grabbed his arm to force him to look at her, "...no, these are your rules not mine. I came to you because I needed your help, and you in turn spun that to your advantage and now what? You don't want to hear how vile and offensive your proposition actually is? Because if you do, that is fine with me, just please give me the money and the divorce and you never have to see me again."

"Right, so you can live happily ever after with my former best friend?" Even when she turned away he continued talking, "Oh, you don't think I know?" he said coldly, and her stomach clenched painfully. Had he been playing her the whole time?

"How…how much do you know?" She asked softly.

"Oh, so it's true. You two are still involved!" he growled, and she shook her head sadly.

"You were fishing."

"And it seems like I caught you hook, line and sinker, huh?" he spat back, tossing the bag which he had been gripping onto the chair. She glanced over confused and he added, "Oh, you didn't think that little piece of information was going to cause me to end our little arrangement, did you?" When she stared up at him he smirked and laughed, "You did? No, see that is the beauty of all of this. You cheated on me with him and destroyed our marriage and now…"

"Now what?" she asked when he paused and pulled her by her wrist towards him, lowering his lips to her ear.

"Now, I get to be the one who destroys your relationship with him." She didn't move. She didn't even breathe, because she felt like every ounce of air had been completely sucked out of the room like a vacuum. "Nothing to say?"

He suddenly released her and stepped back and she gasped. The air that had been sucked out seemed to painfully rush back into her as if she was the center of a vortex. She stumbled back in shock.

"This…this is…revenge for you?" She finally whispered then looked up, daring him to look her in the eyes. For just an instant she thought she saw a flash of hurt and guilt in his eyes, but as quickly as it appeared it vanished behind the cloud of lifelessness.

"Yes, part revenge and part closure. I figure it really is the best of both worlds."

"I…I don't understand what you mean by closure? You ended things with me. Not the other way around."

"Please, you ended things the minute you took my best friend, our best friend to bed. Our bed."

"I…I didn't. I tried to explain it to you…"

"ENOUGH!" he shouted, and she saw all the hurt, anger, fear and betrayal shining brightly in those once warm and loving eyes. Eyes that she could get lost in, eyes that always revealed his true emotions before he learned to guard himself so well and instead of wanting to run or fight, all she found herself wanting to do was to hold him and never let go, but he was too upset to notice.

"I was there! I saw you…both of you, half-naked in each other's arms. I may be slow, but I know what I saw!" The pain in his voice was so raw and fresh. She wondered if he relived it every day the same way she did.

"No, I swear to you, nothing ever happened. It was innocent and…"

"Still spewing the same garbage, are you? It didn't work then and it sure as hell won't now." She wrapped her arms around her waist when he stormed towards the bathroom and cringed when he growled over his shoulder, "Oh, and any damned hard surface will do just fine."

When she heard the shower start running Rachel debated running. It wasn't as if they had a truly binding legal contract. Actually, whatever they were doing she was sure would get them both arrested, so it was unlikely he would ever try and force her to comply. No, she could go home and never have to think about any of this again, except she would have to watch her son waste away knowing she gave up the money he needed because of her pride. She sat on the edge of the bed knowing that as vile as this was going to be, she had to go through with it, but how many times? How many times was she going to have to endure him making love to her while despising her? She glanced towards the shut door when the water turned off and shivered at the thought. What if it were bad? Would he want to continue? Maybe, if she just lay there, completely unresponsive, he wouldn't want it again? She could do that, couldn't she? She had control over her body and its reactions. Yes, she could and would.

She pulled her shirt over her head, followed by her skirt, underwear and bra then climbed onto the bed. As she slipped under the covers she sighed sadly realizing that there was no need to foreplay or gentle touches and caresses. They wouldn't share any of those moments when they would look into one another's eyes as they made love, proving how they were not only physically connected but emotionally as well. This was just sex, not love, and she wasn't sure which made her sadder.

Even though the shower had ended Finn hadn't emerged from the bathroom and Rachel debated knocking to see if he was okay, but decided it would have sent signals that she was actually looking forward to this and she wasn't. So, she instead she pulled her cell phone out of the night stand drawer and scanned the text messages for anything new. She felt her knees weaken, grateful she was already in bed when she saw Noah's latest text.

Took C back to the hospital. I'll call u when I know something

She felt the tears sting her eyes and knew that there wasn't a lot of time left, furthering her resolve to follow through with this insane plan. Her son needed the medical treatment and she'd do anything to make sure he got it.

"Finn? Are you ever coming out?" She yelled angrily before tossing her phone back in the drawer.

"What's the hurry?" he drawled as he stepped out of the foggy bathroom clad in nothing but a towel.

"I just want to get it over with," she said coldly, and sat up with the covers pulled tightly to her neck. He shook his head and she turned her head away so she wouldn't be tempted to see how his body had changed over the past 5 years.

"Well, then we have a problem," he replied, and she felt the bed dip slightly under his weight.

"What problem is that?" she replied tightly, still not turning towards him until she felt the back of his hand slide along her cheek, down the side of her neck and along the rim of the blanket.

"See, you want it to be over with and I plan on taking things very, very slowly." She knew by the tone in his voice that nothing she did was going to dissuade him, so she let out a ragged breath, closed her eyes tightly and lowered herself onto the bed, her limbs feeling like heavy lead on the soft mattress.

"Fine." she whispered and waited for his assault, which didn't come. She opened her eyes to find him hovering over her, just watching. "What? Just take me, do what you want…it means nothing to either of us, so just use me," she added in a broken sob, turning so he had an obstructed view of her tear drenched face.

"You know, if you would just let yourself, you might actually enjoy this." Her head snapped back so she was staring at him.

"Enjoy this? You…you think I want this? Because…"

"No, you made your reasons for this clear. A million dollars clear, but why not try and enjoy it? If I remember correctly we were pretty good at this part of our relationship." She couldn't help but cry. This is what all he thought their marriage was good for? Sex?

"Just, please. If you are going to insist on this, don't talk to me about our past or what it felt like. I…like to keep those memories tucked away in a safe loving place and I don't want it to be tainted by this. You may not have any good memories, but…but I do and…"

The rest of her words were lost somewhere in her throat when his lips descended onto her neck. He slowly explored the soft skin as if he were retracing his steps, trying to see if he remembered where each of her sensitive spots was. She fought it. Every time her body instinctually wanted to react, to reciprocate to enjoy, she fought it. She closed her eyes tightly, clenched her fists and jaw wanting desperately to ignore how much her body missed his touch. He languidly moved down her body murmuring half-phrases and single words as he went. She figured he was just lost momentarily in memories, the same ones she kept wanting to forget.

His hands slid up her thighs as his mouth moved from her breasts to her abdomen and she slowly lost the resolve to fight her body's intense reactions. It had been so long since she had been touched and it just felt so good and she could simply imagine it was someone else. Someone else's hands, mouth and…and that is when she gave in. Her fingers went into his hair as he slowly kissed his way from her knee to her inner thigh before paring her sensitive flesh with his finger. She didn't stop this half whimper half moan that past her lips nor did she stop her hips from arching up to meet his mouth which had followed the path his fingers had made. She didn't fight the intense feeling that began in the depths of her stomach nor did she stop him when he put her knees over his shoulders. She couldn't stop any of it because her body welcomed it. When she finally allowed herself to give in completely she felt the pulse course through her, leaving tremors in its wake. She felt his lips lightly kiss her inner thigh and this time she listened as he whispered against her skin.

"I remember everything." Her breath hitched and she felt her heartbeat wildly throughout every part of her body. Her fingers gently massaged his scalp before he lowered her legs and raised his body so it aligned with hers. She no longer ignored how he felt cradled between her thighs or how his skin felt under her fingers; it was too difficult not to. The one thing she fought, for her own sanity, was not to look into his eyes because he could always read her as she never learned to guard herself, but that battle too was lost when he pressed the palm of his hand to her cheek and she was accidentally caught his gaze.

"Do…do you really?" She asked still breathless from the unplanned euphoria.

"Yea, I do." He whispered brushing his lips gently against hers. She didn't want to hope, to feel that maybe…maybe what he didn't believe through her words he believed through her body, so she wrapped her arms around his back drawing him to her as her lips parted against his. As his tongue moved in her mouth slowly, teasingly, she felt him at her entrance and she knew it would have been so easy, so normal to just take him deep inside of her, but she reminded herself that even though this was so familiar and it felt like home, it wasn't…it was an illusion and she couldn't take the risk of being so lost in it that she would never be able to make it back to reality, so she pushed at his shoulders and broke the kiss.

"You…you need a condom." He looked at her curiously and she saw the storm pass blocking out the warmth that had shown in his eyes. She knew he was going back to that dark suspicious place in his mind. The one that had brought them to the end in the first place.

"I'm clean. Take tests regularly and I would assume given your regular partner you'd be tested too." She bit her lip and turned away.

"God, how you can be such an ass. We were about to…"

"To what?" He asked as he pushed off of her. She turned to her side refusing to let him see her break down.

"Nothing. I just asked you to wear a condom and you…"

"I didn't say no…I just said…" She buried her face in the pillow.

"Please go. I can't…not now." She felt his hand brush her shoulder, but then retreat.

"Fine, but we aren't done." She nodded and waited until the bathroom door slammed shut before the tears freely flowed down her face.