Carry Me Home Tonight

Chapter Five

Finn could hardly sleep, he was too excited. He woke up well before dawn and got Rachel's clothes ready and took Max to the porch and played fetch for a while until the sun began to come up, "Want to go see, Rach? Do you Max?" He said with excitement lining his voice, "Then we'll come back and take a little nap." He laughed at his shaggy dog who looked more tired than he did, but trekked along anyway.

When Finn got to the spot he first met Rachel he sat on the rock and waited for her to appear as he half watched the sun rise and half watched the ocean.

"Finn." Finn heard Rachel say softly and he looked out to the water and saw her waving and he put her clothes down and walked towards her with a smile on his face, feeling the waves crash on his feet, "Come in more. I won't have legs for a little bit." She explained, "Come swim with me."

Finn pulled off his shirt and walked in more, "Okay, but I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up." He joked as he made his way to her, greeting her first with a kiss, as promised.

"You know what I really love about you?" Rachel asked after the sweet kiss, "You always keep your promises."

Finn laughed, "Well, I guess that's something I'm good at. Was your Dad mad?"

"I just told him I swam to Figi and got lost. He didn't really believe me, but I told him I would be gone for a little longer because I was going to take my friend to Japan." She pointed behind her, "This is my friend, Kurt."

The half man, half fish swam up to the side of Rachel and put out him hand, "Hello."

Finn took his hand, giving him a firm shake, "Careful." Kurt squealed.

Rachel giggled, "Kurt is delicate." She explained, "Anyway, he's going to cover for us and he'll be here at night when I come home."

"No more tub sleep overs?" Finn frowned.

Rachel shook her head, "Not right now." She frowned back, "But he's looking to talk to the sea witch and see if she knows about this. No one has ever heard of this happening before, at least not for years. The current sea witch, Terri, she is the niece of a real mean lady and rumor has it that she helped my Aunt get legs, but she had them for always."

"Your aunt?"

"I've never met her. She is my Daddy's brother, Triton's daughter. He is the king of the Alantic. Her name was Ariel. No one has seen her in years." Rachel explained.

Kurt nodded, "I'm going to look for her too, or at least someone who knows where she disappeared to."

Finn nodded, "Well, thank you. I appreciate."

"You're just lucky I'm a hopeless romantic." Kurt spat back with a raised eyebrow.

Rachel gripped Finn's arm tighter, "It's happening." She said softly and everyone's eyes fell to her fin that split in front of their eyes and turned to legs, she wobbled for a moment and Finn picked her up in his arms.

"I've got you." He grinned and Kurt smiled at the two.

"And the wedding?" Finn asked softly.

Rachel nodded, "I told Daddy to cancel it, and he won't until he meets you. I told him you were a merman."

"How are we going to pull that off?" Finn asked with a gulp.

"It was just to hold him off, he passed on the word to Jesse's family that the wedding was on hold until further notice." Rachel told him, putting her hands through his hair, "Don't worry, Finn."

Finn nodded softly and she turned back to Kurt, "Thank you, Kurt. We'll see you tonight."

"Be here before dusk." Kurt said with his finger pointed at her, "Take care of her, Finn."

Finn nodded obediently, "Of course I will." He and Rachel ran up to the shore and Max barked with excitement as Rachel dried off and threw on her new dress and did a spin.

"What now?"

"Can we take a nap?" Finn laughed, "I could barely sleep last night."

Rachel nodded, "I know what you mean, it's weird without you." She laughed, "Is that weird?"

Finn nodded, "It's extremely weird, but I feel the exact same way."

Finn and Rachel collapsed to the bed in a fit of laughter as Max chased his tail, "Why does he do that?" Rachel squealed, "Doesn't he know he'll never get it?" She giggled more.

Finn shook his head, "No he really thinks if he keeps trying he'll get it."

"It's endearing how persistent he is." She smiled, "Should we nap while Max wears himself out?"

Finn nodded and put his fingers through her hair, "Good plan, babe."

"Babe?" Rachel echoed, "Why do you call me that?"

Finn scrunched his face up trying to figure out how he can explain, "Well, when you are close to someone or dating them you give them nicknames, like how I call you 'babe', 'baby' or 'Rach'." Finn explained softly as his fingers tangled in her hair, "It shows affection."

Rachel grinned, "I like affection. You need a nickname." She beamed.

Finn laughed, "Well, think of one and just start using it."

"What if I called you syrup?"

Finn shook his head swiftly, "No, don't call me syrup." He chuckled out.

"Pancake?"

Finn laughed again, a little more loudly, "No."

"Then what?" Rachel pouted, "Omelet?"

"Why are you trying to name me a food?"

"Cause my mouth likes you most." She said proudly and Finn smirk with a light shake of his head.

"You, Rachel, are naughty and you don't even know it."

After a week of short days spent with Rachel and long nights Rachel finally came up with the nickname of 'love' and he in turn loved it. Rachel alternated between 'Finn', 'Baby' and 'Love'. And Finn would call her 'Babe' and 'Baby' when he wasn't calling her 'Rach'. One night as they kissed in the ocean before they parted he ran his hand over her smooth back down to the top of her fin and called her beautiful and she demand that be her new nickname.

The next morning he met her and she was crying, Finn tried to kiss away her tears and calm her down but it was not use, he couldn't even get her to walk to the shore to put on her clothes, they sat in the water, her cuddled in his lap and she cried.

"What's wrong, beautiful?"

"My Daddy's birthday party is tomorrow." She wailed, "I won't be able to be there."

"Doesn't he think you're still in Japan?" Rachel nodded, "Well then why does it matter?"

"Because I'm his youngest daughter, I mean the most to him. No matter what my sisters say, I know it's true." Finn tried not to chuckle at her confidence, there was no doubt in his mind that it was in fact the case. She looked up at him with tear filled eyes, "Why am I always leaking on earth?"

"Those are tears, baby. They mean you're sad." Finn frowned and wiped her tears, "Have we heard anything from the sea witch."

Rachel nodded slowly, "But, I don't want to tell you."

"Why?" Finn frowned sadly.

"Because you'll make me choose."

"What?" Finn's voice came out a little more harsh then he meant it to, sending Rachel into another wave of sobs, Finn rubbed her back again and whispered sweet nothings as she cried, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"She said I couldn't be both forever. I have to be a mermaid or a human." Rachel cried into his chest, "I don't want to choose, Finn. Don't make me choose."

"How long can you go on like this?" Finn asked softly.

Rachel shrugged, "Kurt said Terri didn't know but the magic had to be strong that was keeping me this way, but it would burn out eventually. She said she could help me but I would have to pay."

"I thought you didn't use money down there."

"We don't." Rachel frowned up at him, "She wants my voice."

"You're voice?"

"It's the most beautiful voice in the ocean, ever since Ariel's voice. She said she would give me legs forever if I gave it to her."

Finn shook his head, "You can't do that, baby."

Rachel cried again, "Can we go home?"

Finn felt his heart swell when he heard her call his place 'home', "Of course we can, Rach."

Rachel and Finn snacked on raspberries as they watched a movie that afternoon, "I want you to meet my friends." Finn exclaimed, "I've told them all about you, but I want to show them."

Rachel beamed at Finn, "Really?"

Finn laughed at her excitement, "Of course, but there is one issue."

"What is that?" Rachel asked confused.

"You need a back story, and a last name." Finn told her, "I obviously can't say you're from the sea."

Rachel pouted, "Why not?"

"Because I promised I would protect you and telling them the truth is going to get you hurt or me sent to an insane asylum." Finn laughed.

Rachel nodded, "Okay, I guess. Well…" She looked down at the berries in her hands, "Is Raspberry a last name?"

"Rachel Raspberry? That sounds like a stripper name." Finn chuckled, "What is your obsession with naming things after food."

"I like your food." She told him, "Ours all tastes like salt and fishy." She scrunched up her nose.

"That is because all you eat is fish." Finn chuckled, "How about Berry?"

"Rachel Berry." Rachel said softly, "I like it, it has a nice ring. Why can't I just be Rachel Hudson?" Rachel asked with a tilted head.

Finn looked at his sweet girl and smiled, "Maybe one day, baby. But for now, I think Berry will do just fine."

Rachel agreed, "And let's say I used to live in Japan with my Dad and he taught me stuff at home and that's why I don't know a lot. I assume Japan is different than here?"

"You would assume right." Finn kissed her berry stained lips, "Okay, then Rachel Berry for Japan it is. And it's called home-schooled. You were home-schooled."

Rachel nodded curtly, "I have so much to learn, love. When will I ever catch up?"

Finn smiled and kissed her again, "You'll get there." He assured her.

"So Santana is dating Brittany?" Rachel asked with eyes furrowed together, "And Blaine also likes boys, not girls."

Finn nodded, and smiled, "Yeah, do people not like the same sex down there?"

Rachel thought for a moment, "I don't know, I think they might like them but they don't marry them or anything. Marriages are arranged and always between a merman and mermaid. But Kurt has said many comments about merman before. He also commented on your bone structure and said how handsome you are." Rachel giggled as she walked hand in hand down the beach, "I had to agree."

Finn nodded, "Sounds like your friend Kurt is gay." Finn noted with a raised eyebrow.

"How do they have babies?" Rachel asked with her head tilted, "Do they steal other peoples?"

Finn kissed her cheek quickly, "Remember, not so many questions when they show up. And it's not stealing, it's called adopting. When someone gives their baby to someone else to raise. It's called adoption."

Rachel nodded, "Okay, I think I get it. And you have two other friends?"

"Yeah, Sam and Mercedes. They are a couple as well. They are married and have a daughter. I have been friends with Sam for years and we moved down here together and as soon as he met Mercedes he kind of left me for dead." Finn chuckled.

"Well that was rude, have you not dated anyone?" Rachel frowned, "You haven't been married before, have you?"

Finn shook his head, "No, I haven't. I proposed to my girlfriend and she ran screaming." Finn laughed, "That was about six months before I met you. I never thought I would find someone else, you know? I just thought that I terrified all women for some unknown reason."

"Quite the opposite." Rachel argued, "You are the most inviting guy I have ever met. You're so handsome and nice and just warm. Everything about you is warm." Rachel told him, almost dotting over him. "Whoever she was is stupid. She obviously wouldn't know a good guy if it kicked her in the face."

Finn shook his head, "You're always so close." Finn commented on her use of the phrase, "Well, I'm glad she ran. I'd rather have your hand in mine rather than hers any day." Finn promised her and spotted the diner they were headed to and pointed, "There it is."

Rachel smiled up at him, "I'm shaky and feel sick." Rachel said between gritted teeth and an almost awkward smile.

"You're nervous." Finn laughed.

"Nonsense." Rachel frowned, "I couldn't be… I've never been nervous."

Finn poked her stomach a little, "You want to make a good impression. You are totally nervous."

Rachel laughed a little, "I guess I am. Will they be able to tell? What if they hate me?"

Finn shook his head, "They will love you." He promised.

"You mean, like you do?" Rachel asked softly and Finn's mouth dropped open due to being taken off guard. His face softened as he looked at her and he bent down to kiss her lips.

"Yeah." He whispered as he broke the kiss, "Like I do."


A/N: Hope you liked this chapter, a little more story line was added. There is more excitement to come. I just love writing Rachel like this, so innocent and sweet.

Reviews are love.