AN: Eek. So sorry this took so long. Real life just caught up with me. Thanks to Sam for being the best beta ever :).

The past few weeks had been going better than he's ever expected. Rachel got along fabulously with his mom, and he had a feeling that Carole was doing a hell of a lot to help him win Rachel over. Just because this entire arrangement was merely that, didn't mean that Finn didn't have an ultimate goal in mind, and that goal was to finally understand and capture the love of one Rachel Berry.

He'd gotten so embarrassed when his mom started talking about how smitten he'd been with her for years because it really was embarrassing. Finn really thought that he loved Rachel, and after she'd dumped him so rudely and coldly on his ass, it had taken a few months to get over her. Not that he ever really had as his mother liked to so helpfully point out all the fucking time.

Still, Rachel wouldn't let him inside of her ironclad walls. Her true feelings and emotions were kept well hidden from him, and she still wouldn't let him kiss her. Finn planned to remedy that after the date he was planning for Valentine's Day. He'd gotten tickets to see Wicked on Broadway and a reservation at one of the nicest vegan restaurants he could. It was official. He was trying to woo Rachel Berry. Again.

Watching her chew on her pen during history class was mesmerizing. She had a zeal for learning that he had simply never possessed. It was the same zeal that made her such a good singer and actress and permeated every aspect of her life. Sometimes Finn wished that he could be as driven as the fiery brunette, but he realized that the kind of passion she clung too was rare and beautiful and so very Rachel. He was never really meant to have that kind of drive, but Finn was perfectly content to watch, captivated, as it propelled Rachel.

Finn was the kind of person who could waste an entire opportunity to learn by staring at a girl whose lips were too plump to ignore as she chewed on her fucking pen. Fuck he was going to fail this class. When the professor finally dismissed them, he followed the routine that had become second nature slinging Rachel's bag over his shoulder and walking her to the class that she had next while listening to her talk about something inane. He liked Rachel, he really did, but even Finn had his limits about what he could truly listen to. He cut her off just before they got to the building that her class was in, "That's great, Rachel—listen—I hope you're free this weekend. It's Valentine's weekend, and I was hoping you'd like to come with me to see Wicked and go to Terra for dinner."

"Well… yes. Of course, I would love to do that, Finn. Oh, what a good surprise!" She hugged him tightly around the middle before pressing her lips softly against his cheek. Always on the cheek. It was better than nothing, he supposed.

:.:.:

Rachel woke up at six as usual brimming with excitement for their Valentine's date, and then promptly rushed to the bathroom to get violently ill. That was where Santana found her a few hours later curled up on the floor with her pillow trying to catch some sleep where she could sit up and empty the contents of her stomach when nature called.

"Berry, what's wrong with you," The Latina said shaking her friend awake.

Rachel looked up groggily before shaking her head to try and clear away the headache that was forming. "Flu—I think. I'm all achy and sick." Rachel put her head back down on her pillow trying to push away the feeling of imminent nausea. It was funny how these things worked. She hadn't felt like this since… she'd thought it was the flu then too. This time she was sure of it though. She hadn't had sex with anyone in months. There was no way it could be that this time. Still her mind kept putting the pieces together.

"So no date with lover boy tonight? Want me to call him?" Santana started to rub her back pulling her hair away as Rachel bolted upright and started to dry-heave. Her stomach had been empty since about seven, and it hadn't had much in it to begin with. Still, out of reflex, Rachel wiped her mouth when she finally stopped gagging.

"I can call him, 'Tana. I feel so bad about this. He had the perfect night planned, and I was really looking forward to— don't give me that look Santana. He had reservations for Terra and seats to Wicked. I was excited about it!"

Santana hummed skeptically, "Rachel, it's not smart for you to get attached to him like this. I know he's being all sweet and nice but… you can't do this with him if you're not going to tell him about the miscarriage. And I know you're not. It's not fair to either of you to—"

"What isn't fair is that my fathers are making me date him. What isn't fair is he makes me so happy, and I just know that the moment he found out that he would hate me. Sometimes I still hate me 'Tana!" Rachel exploded pulling away from her best friend.

She's so excited. They have a date tonight. A real, live, actual date. He's taking her to this little street fair carnival thing that the school is having. The only problem is she feels so bad. Rachel's been throwing up most mornings all week. She'd caught a whiff of cream cheese in the dining hall the other morning and had to hightail it back to the bathroom before she threw-up all over her tray.

There really isn't any rhyme or reason to why she's feeling so off. Rachel should probably go to the doctor, but she's pushing it off because most days she feels better by eleven o'clock. Finn has been great getting her a ginger ale every morning when he comes to walk her to class.

She's not sure if they're dating. She's planning on asking him to make it official tonight at the carnival—that is if she can stop making her stomach churn. This time it was the smell of Santana's waffles. They were just too sweet and doughy for Rachel's senses to handle. She's brushing her teeth when Finn knocks on the door. She's sure that it's Finn because after being together for a few weeks she recognizes his knock. Two quick taps and a final, more thudding, rap. Mumbling around her toothbrush for him to come in, Rachel runs a quick hand through her hair trying to look like she hasn't just been vomiting.

Of course, Finn seems to know anyway. "Babe, were you sick again?" She spits into the sink swilling some water in her mouth and nodding. "Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the doctor? Maybe you should have it checked out. I mean it's been a week now…"

"I'm fine. I swear—I'm starting to feel better already. I can't get sick anyway—I have the show coming up soon!" Her tone is too bright, even for her.

:.:.:

It may be a Saturday, but that didn't stop Burt from making him come in. Kurt had decided that his passion in life lay in fashion, and so, by default, Finn was going to take over Hummel Industries when the time came. Since he was graduating in the spring, Burt was doing more and more to integrate Finn into the company, and that included coming in on Saturday morning to help do some filing.

He drudged through the menial paperwork looking forward to his date with Rachel the entire time. Finn knew that he wouldn't win her over instantly with a nice vegan dinner and a Broadway musical, but he also knew that it couldn't hurt. Of course, his plans came tumbling down when she called him. His phone started to vibrate in his pocket, and Finn looked down to see that Rachel was calling him. Excitedly he picked up—he was usually the one calling her. "Rachel, hey," he said with a smile in his voice.

Her voice sounded weak and raspy coming through the speaker, "Finn, look I am so sorry about this. I think I have the flu or something. I have to cancel for tonight—I can't stop dry heaving, and I just feel so awful about cancelling on you but—"

"Whoa there, Rachel. Calm down. I totally get it. You're—you're sick," his mind was racing with thoughts of when they were together. She had been sick for a few weeks before she'd broken up with him. If you could call suddenly ignoring him "breaking up." She started to say goodbye, but he interrupted her, "Can I come over anyway? Like would you be ok with it? I can cook you dinner, and we can watch Funny Girl. I don't want you to be locked all alone with Santana. I know she's not the most sympathetic person." And to his surprise she actually agreed to let him come over.

Finn showed up at her apartment around six—the same time he had originally planned on picking her up. Santana was running around between her bedroom and the bathroom clearly getting ready for her own date, and Rachel was nestled into a cocoon of blanket and pillows on the couch. She looked tired and a little drawn, but her face still lit up when she saw him. "Finn!" She practically beamed. He put the groceries he had gotten into the kitchen before walking back and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead much to her displeasure because, "I'm sick, Finn. I don't want you to get sick too." Finn sat down next to her on the couch his arm naturally reaching across to go over her shoulders and pull her closer to him. She was watching some kind of horrible reality television about little girls who competed in beauty pageants.

After realizing that he just couldn't watch it, Finn decided to start making dinner. Santana glared at him standing in the kitchen as he filled his pot with water while she leaned down to hug Rachel goodbye. As much as Rachel had hated him during the period of shunning, Santana had always seemed to hate him more.

Finn made spaghetti with red sauce and vegetables—nothing compared to what they would have gotten at Terra, but it was vegan and about the most complicated thing that he could make without the risk of hurting himself or her kitchen. Rachel thanked him quietly as he put the movie in and sat back down beside her. They toasted glasses of red Gatorade because Rachel was in no state to be drinking and started to watch Funny Girl.

Halfway through her bowl of pasta, Rachel bolted up running most of the way to the bathroom before he could hear the telltale sounds of retching. Now he'd done it. He'd made her sick. Finn got up, remembering to pause the movie, and walked back to the bathroom. Rachel was hunched over the toilet her body still convulsing with the need to empty itself.

He didn't do too well with vomit, but Finn still leaned down pulling her hair away from her face and rubbing a large palm in circles around her back. When she was finally done, Rachel pulled back pressing down the plunger to flush away the evidence of her sickness and stood on shaky legs to grab her toothbrush. "I'm so sorry you have to see me like this." She said before she hastily started to brush her teeth.

"You're sick, Rachel—I get it. I'm sorry that my food was so bad though," he tried to joke.

:.:.:

"The food was wonderful, Finn—is wonderful. I mean for chopping some carrots and squash and warming them up in tomato sauce it's a really good meal," she joked around with him. It felt so strange to have Finn taking care of her. Something about it felt good. Probably too good.

She and Finn just went together so well. It was effortless to spend time with him. To be exactly who she was. Santana was right—it wasn't fair to either of them for her to have this secret looming overhead, but right now Rachel didn't care. She wanted to be happy for once even at the cost of the truth. At least for now.

AN: And the secrets out! Not that most of you didn't guess :). Hopefully the next update comes sooner!