From Chapter 1:

"Mr. Schuester?" He asked, looking up at his attacker. "What the hell?"

Note from the Author:

I just want to thank everyone who reviewed, I love you all! I will probably be updating every day seeing as I am addicted to your feedback (it actually makes me so happy, I have a problem :P) so check often! Oh, and you are all smart people so I am positive you figured this out, but just in case, the block sections in italics are memories. Hope you enjoy chapter 2!

xxx

"Will," she said as she entered his office.

"Rachel, sweetheart what is it?" She was clearly about to cry.

"I don't think we can do this anymore." She stated plainly, avoiding eye contact. He closed the door behind her and sat beside her on the desk, ready to listen. "Finn came up to me again today. He's ready to be with me."

"If that's what you want." Those words had been so painful to say. In his mind, it was like proof that he loved her more. Not that it mattered. He couldn't picture anyone feeling more strongly than he did about Rachel.

"It's not what I want." She said.

"Then I don't understand..."

"You and me, we're never going to last. At least with Finn I will have a chance. At a relationship that won't end in total heartbreak. Or with someone getting fired. Or worse."

"I would never do anything to hurt you," he assured her. "Rachel, I love you."

The tears broke through, finally, as he'd just made her decision much more difficult.

"I have been waiting for Finn for so long. How can I just walk away from this?"

"Whatever you choose, I'll be happy for you," he lied. Deep down, Rachel knew she wanted Will to fight for her. But maybe the fact that he didn't was a sign. Finn would be better for her. More normal.

"I'll miss you," she said, hugging him goodbye. And she walked out of his office.

She tried to stop herself from crying as she slowly approached the front doors.

"Rachel, wait!" He yelled after her. She turned around to see Will, standing in the doorway of his office and tears stinging his eyes. That was all it took. She sprinted down the hall and into his arms, her legs around his waist, whispering "I love you, too" and planting kisses across his face.

xxx

Rachel and Will exchanged a worried glance, which went unnoticed by Finn as he tried and failed to tend to his aching jaw.

"Finn, I'm so sorry, I-"

"He didn't know it was you!" Rachel exclaimed, nervously. She bit her lip as she could practically read Will's mind: The jig is up. We're screwed. She knew she should have felt the same way; the number one rule in the situation of a student-teacher relationship was to never get caught. But she interpreted what she had with Will as more than just an affair. Unfortunately, the fact that they hadn't told anyone made it feel less like love and more like shameless sex. She wanted desperately to tell Finn the truth, but was afraid of the consequences.

Finn glanced at Rachel, then at Will, as he got up from the floor. "Yeah but, did you have to, like, punch me?"

"Yes, Mr. Schuester," Rachel asked sarcastically, "Did you really have to punch him?" The look on Will's face indicated that he was worried, but his fists were still clenched from what had just occurred. He and Rachel maintained eye contact as his expression silently asked her what they would do next. They stared at each other intently for longer than either had planned.

"What the hell is going on here?" Finn asked as he observed the exchange.

"Nothing," Will assured him as indifferently as possible while trying to think of an excuse, but couldn't help but allow his eyes dart longingly back to Rachel.

"Oh my God." Finn said. When neither of them responded, he continued, "Mr. Schue? And you? Together?" He turned to Rachel. "He's the other guy? Holy shit!"

"Mouth, Finn," Will warned out of habit.

"You're worried about my language when you've been breaking, like, the biggest rule ever? This is too weird," he said, awkwardly scratching his head.

Rachel was still speechless and Will decided that he'd have to do most of the talking.

"Wait...have you guys, like... done it?" Finn asked.

This was enough to break Rachel out of her silence. "Finn Hudson, that is none of your business! Why would you even ask that?"

"Rachel," Will warned, before she was able to go off on a rampage. "Let's get down to business. Finn, no one can find out about this. Okay?"

"Okay." He said. Will sighed out of relief. "Under one condition," Finn continued.

"Let's hear it," Will said, unsure whether he really wanted to.

"Have you guys done it?" he asked.

Rachel let out an "ugh" followed by: "You're disgusting. You are starting to sound more and more like Noah every day."

Finn ignored Rachel and interpreted Mr. Schuester's silence as a 'yes'. "Ew," he said to no one in particular.

"Oh, real mature, Finn! You know, if-"

"Rachel," Will interrupted. "Don't make things worse."

Finn laughed awkwardly at the surreal couple before him. "Well, it looks like I can't compete."

"Certainly not," Rachel stated angrily.

"Jeez, Rach. You don't have to be so mean about it."

"You don't have to be so immature."

"Okay, you're right. Truce?" He suggested, holding out his hand. She reached to shake it when he jerked it backwards. "Right after you guys kiss."

"Finn, don't push it!" Will warned.

"Fine," he surrendered and shook her hand. "Sorry for kissing your girl, Mr. Schue."

"Well, I guess I'm sorry for punching you. Call it even?"

"Yeah, sure. But I don't think I can look at you as a dad anymore. Cuz that would make Rachel my mom and that's kinda gross."

Rachel punched his arm playfully, glad to have him back.

"So... are you guys, like, leaving together?" He asked Will.

"No, that would be a little conspicuous, don't you think?"

"So, can I walk Rachel home?"

"Yes, you may," she answered for herself. Before they left, Rachel ran up to Will and onto her tiptoes. Finn tried not to make it obvious that he was watching as she whispered in his ear, "I'll see you at seven," and kissed him on the cheek. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he wondered what questions Finn would be asking her on the way home.

xxx

"I'm really glad we got that out in the open," Rachel said as they walked out the doors of William McKinley together.

"Yeah, um... me too," Finn replied. "I mean, it sucks. For me. But I'll move on."

"I wanted to tell you. I even asked him if I could. But I'm sure you understand-"

"Yeah, I get it. I just... still can't believe it. How did this even happen?"

"I don't know. It was an accumulation of small things during the year, even during the summer. Of course, I remember the important moments clearly. Like our first date, if you can even call it that. The first time he told me he loved me," she smiled at the memory.

"You guys are in love?" He asked, apparently shocked.

"Yeah," she blushed.

"Wow, Rach. That's awesome. Really. I'm happy for you. It's super weird. But I'm happy for you."

Rachel laughed happily. Her whole world had been turned upside down. She didn't mind when the cheerleaders called her 'man-hands'. She embraced slushie facials. She didn't even argue when Tina got solos she wanted. All because she knew that while they were all off getting pregnant or wasted or throwing their lives away, not only was she going to be a Broadway star; no, she would get to see Will later, and everything would be okay. Better than okay. Perfect.

"We can still hang out sometimes, right?" He asked as they approached her house.

"Yeah, of course."

"Actually, Rach, before you go there's something I want to tell you. And I can't really think of a better time to do it than now, while you're still, you know. Glowing." She felt the blood rush to her cheeks once again, but urged him to go on when she saw the serious look on his face.

"It was during that whole period of time after we broke up last year, and even after I'd apologized and you forgave me, you still wouldn't, you know, date me. Again. Did you and Mr. Schue, like..."

"Yes, that's when things first started between us."

"Well I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I was trying to make you jealous or something. But I slept with Santana." When Rachel was silent, he continued, "You know, had sex..."

"Yes, I understand."

"And then when I saw you at school the next day I just couldn't bring myself to tell you. I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's okay Finn. We weren't together, so I don't see any reason why it should bother me."

"Are you sure?" He asked, eying her suspiciously.

"Of course!" She said, a little too cheerfully. "Thank you, for walking me home. And for being so understanding." She hugged him goodbye and ran inside, unsure why her heart was beating so fast.

xxx

Will buzzed Rachel up at 7:06.

"What's for dinner?" She asked as he took her coat.

"Salad, and burgers. A veggie burger for my little vegan," he said placing a quick kiss on her lips. He was about to head back to the kitchen when she took his face in her hands and pulled him in for a longer one. The two were separated only when he escaped her grasp long enough to ask if she liked her food burnt. She reluctantly let him go and sat down as he saved the food and placed it on the table.

"So, this afternoon could have gone a lot worse," he said as he joined her. Of course he'd want to talk about this.

"I am not going to lie, I am happy we finally told...him," she said, practically talking into her plate.

"I knew you would be," he responded, noticing the expression on her face. "I am too."
"Really?" She asked, looking up.

"Makes it feel more-"

"Real," she cut in.

"Exactly. What did you two talk about on the way home?" Rachel's mind immediately wandered back to how her conversation with Finn had ended. She scolded herself for letting his confession bother her. She was in love with Will. Why should it matter? Even as she prepared for their date tonight, images of Finn and Santana together had crossed her mind more than a few times.

"Rachel?"

"Can we talk about something else?" She asked. She knew it would come up again, but she didn't yet know what she would tell him when he asked.

"Yeah, of course."

The rest of dinner was filled with casual conversation, though both parties noticed that Rachel wasn't nearly as engaged as usual. It wasn't until they were on his couch together watching "Singin' in the Rain" – she'd been holding on to him tightly during the first half of the movie, almost as though she was afraid she was going to lose him – and she refused to sing along that he turned down the volume and finally asked her what was wrong.

She sighed and avoided eye contact as she spoke. "On the walk home today Finn told me something that shouldn't bother me, but it does. And the thing is, the thing that's been bugging me all evening isn't even the thing he said, it just really worries me that what he said is bothering me so much!"

"Rachel, you're babbling," he laughed as he stroked her hair.

"Finn had sex with Santana." His hands went still as he took in what she'd just said.

"And you wish you'd been his first?"

"No!" She exclaimed, sitting up to face him. "That's the thing, I don't. I have no feelings for Finn anymore. I just, I don't know why I am so fazed by this one little piece of information!"

"Rachel, it's okay to worry about him as a friend. That isn't something to be ashamed of."

"As a friend?" she asked.

"Maybe you're just sad for him because of who he slept with. Sex with Santana can't be very meaningful," he said, recalling all the McKinley gossip Rachel had filled him in on. "Maybe you just wanted him to do...better."

She smiled as his idea clicked in her head. Sure, there had been something between them once. But she wanted Finn to be happy.

"I thought, maybe, it meant something more..." she stuttered. He kissed her passionately and without warning, grabbed the backs of her knees and yanked her onto her back. Rachel let a loud giggle escape her lips, (not having to stay quiet like the time he'd climbed through her bedroom window while her dads were in the next room).

"And if that didn't make you forget about Finn," he said, "this certainly will."

He rolled her panties off under her dress, kissing the inside of her thighs as he did so, and Rachel braced herself for what she knew would call for something much louder than a giggle.

xxx

Comments? Suggestions? It's all good :) Now let's see if I can actually figure out how to add a second chapter...