Sorry for the long wait. I got caught up with lots of school work. But the chapter is finally here and they're a couple now :)

Thank you to Gillian Deverone for beta-ing as usual

Enjoy!


Rachel groggily wakes up, wondering why her alarm clock hadn't woken her up at the usual time. As her eyes adjust, she soon realizes the reason, which is that she's not at home. No, she's in Finn's parents' house, sleeping next to the man himself.

She smiles as she remembers the events of the previous night, the way that they'd been so comfortable and happy together as they lay in his bed. She remembers the way that he'd looked when he told her that he liked her, and the pure joy that it turned to when they finally became boyfriend and girlfriend.

She's somebody's girlfriend.

The very thought makes her drunk with excitement and her lips to instantly curve into a bright smile.

It's been so long that she doesn't remember this joyous feeling of belonging with someone, their presence alone making her happy.

Shifting in the bed, she begins to sit up when a strong pair of hands tug her back. She turns to him, noticing that he's still asleep, before she looks down to his arms wrapped around her waist. She doesn't even remember how they got there, holding her in a tight grip. When she tries to move again, he doesn't budge and she sighs softly. "Finn," she begins, shaking him awake, "wake up."

"Hmm, go away Kurt," he mumbles, turning on his side and pushing his face further into the pillow.

She rolls her eyes, "I'm not Kurt. Kurt can't do this, can he?" She leans over him before pressing soft kisses against his cheek, his scruff a little rough over her skin, though she quite likes it. When Finn moans softly, her lips trail over to his mouth.

He puckers up expectantly, causing her to giggle to herself. She instantly pulls away. "Good, you're up."

Finn smiles at her. "Well, when the wakeup call is that, how can I not get up?" Their hands quickly find each other, entwining slowly and remaining connected between the two. "I like this," he comments. "I've never had a proper girlfriend before. Well, not for a while anyway."

"Really?" she asks in surprise. "But you're so… you're so attractive." She blushes slightly. "I'm sure that you have all the girls chasing you."

"Er, they don't think of me as boyfriend material. More as a good lay." He smirks. "Which I am." With a roll of the eyes, she smacks him gently. "What?" He chuckles loudly, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her nearer so that their faces are inches apart.

She'll never get tired of this feeling – the closeness to Finn that causes her to be lightheaded and happy. It's only being amplified as each second progresses.

The man grins. "There are benefits to dating though."

Her eyebrow rises. "Hmm? And what would they be?"

As an answer, he closes the gap between them, smiling into the sweet kiss. It's soft, delicate and not at all like their other kisses. They move slowly, as if savoring the moment and the time that they have together.

Rachel practically melts in his arms, the feel of his lips something that she'll never get tired of. It feels so good to finally be able to do this – not to have to pretend that she doesn't feel anything. She doesn't quite understand the tug that she feels towards Finn because before all of this he definitely wasn't her type. Now it seems like he's the only man for her.

She goes to deepen the kiss, her hand moving around to his neck when she hears someone knock on the door. They fly apart in an instant, Finn looking completely bewildered at the thought of getting caught by his mom or Burt.

"Yeah?" he manages.

"There's some breakfast if you want it," Carole announces, sounding so hesitant that it breaks Rachel's heart a little. She sends a look to Finn, who appears thoughtful. She nudges him and he instantly snaps back into reality.

"We'll be right down."

They hear Carole begin to retreat down the hall, leaving Rachel staring at Finn. "What's wrong now?"

"You're going to talk to her today," she says.

"Rach," he whines.

She shakes her head stubbornly. "No complaining. Now come on, I'm sure that you're hungry. You've got the appetite of a horse." In response, his stomach growl and she finds herself smiling at his small blush.

Their hands meet once more as she pulls him toward the door. He has no choice but to follow.

By the time they're downstairs, Burt has already left for a morning shift at the tire store, leaving them with Carole. The woman keeps a smile on her face though the air is tense around them. They haven't spoken since Finn stormed off yesterday and it's clear that she isn't sure how to handle the situation.

Rachel glares at Finn until he says something – she's determined for him to patch things up with his mother. Not only does he deserve to have a relationship with her, but she knows what it's like to live without a mom, and she'd never wish that upon anybody.

"I'm... errrr," he clears his throat, "sorry for storming off so quickly yesterday." He can barely look her in the eye, "I just, you know..."

With a sad smile, Rachel places her hand over his, squeezing it in a comforting manner. He peers up at her, seemingly grateful for the gesture.

Carole smiles. "It's okay Finn. I understand." She nods slowly. Something tells Rachel that it isn't a rare occurrence for Finn to storm off like that. He looks down to their joined hands, smiling, and she wonders what he's thinking at that moment.

She turns to Carole, offering a soft smile which the woman returns.

"So," Finn begins out of nowhere, a newfound confidence lacing his voice, "I'm going to take Rachel out for a bit, if that's okay."

His mom nods her head, as if expecting so. "And where do you plan on taking her?"

Rachel gazes at him curiously, waiting for the answer. He can feel her eyes on him and he smiles teasingly, "I just want to show her something."

She pouts. "You're not even going to tell me one thing?"

"Nope," he shakes his head, "I want to keep you guessing." Before he realizes, he leans down for a quick peck on the lips. It feels nice being able to do it whenever he wants and he really likes having a girlfriend, especially one like Rachel. Why he hadn't done it for so long is beyond him. And he'll definitely be doing it whenever he can.

As he pulls back, he returns to stuffing his mouth full of waffles and chewing sloppily on them.

"Finn," her nose scrunches up, "at least try to be charming."

He swallows the food thickly. "What? You're not attracted to that?"

Rachel only rolls her eyes, turning away from him and eating her own breakfast. She catches him smirking at her, though remains quiet. She wonders where he plans on taking her, and whether it's just a ploy to avoid his mother for the morning or to actually show her something important. She wants it to be the latter, obviously, but if wouldn't surprise her if it's actually the first thought.


He keeps hold of her hand, leading her down the small pathway in the back yard, his eyes set on the path ahead.

"Where're we going?" she asks for the hundredth time, her voice almost childlike. Her dress gets caught on some plants yet again and she tugs it back

Finn only smiles. "You'll see."

She doesn't look convinced. "Is this just a way to spend the whole day down here away from your mom bec –"

"No," he winces. That thought hadn't even crossed his mind, surprisingly. He just really wants to share his past memories with her. Is there anything wrong with that? He instantly pushes a smile onto his face."It's a surprise."

Her face falls. "I hate surprises. I want to know."

"Well tough thing, Dollface."

"Why do you call me that?"

He peers down at her, watching as she stares back with a bit of annoyance, though there's some hidden curiosity behind her expression. Finn's face scrunches up in thought before he shrugs. "I don't know."

"How can you not know?" she questions in exasperation.

"Like this," he says, shrugging once more.

Her jaw locks together tightly while she glares at him, clearly not amused. A grin instantly breaks over his face, apparently contagious as the next minute she isn't able to keep a straight face. "Oh, you're so mean," she complains. If anything, she moves closer to him. Finn ignores the flutter than he feels in his heart when she does so, as if they've never been in such close proximity before. But they have and she still shouldn't affect him this much.

Glancing down, he smiles when she leans against him, her head brushing up against his shoulder. It's a natural reaction when his arm comes around to wrap itself around her shoulder, but he can't help thinking how right it feels.

"I highly dislike you sometimes," she mumbles to him, yet it's clear that she's not serious.

He laughs loudly. "Yeah, well you're a pain in the ass too."

"Hmm, sure."

Finn smiles, finally having reached what he wanted to show her. He turns to Rachel enthusiastically, finding her staring with confusion. "Well…?"

Her frown deepens. "It's a shed…"

Looking from Rachel to the small building and back again, he shakes his head. "No, it's not a shed! Come one." Taking hold of her arm, he takes out his key and lets them in. The room looks larger from the inside, the white walls giving it more space, while a set of windows in the back let light flood inside.

There's a TV in the corner, along with a cabinet of DVDs, video games and such. There's even a couch against the wall. But her eyes are drawn to the large drum kit in the middle of the room. She's seen the one in his apartment, though it somehow doesn't live up to the one before her.

She peers at Finn curiously, noticing him watching her with interest. "Okay," she smiles, "so what, this is your secret hide out?"

"Pretty much," he grins, "only it's not so secret. People just know not to come here."

"Why's that?" she questions, finding herself attracted to the drum kit, her fingers tracing over the cold metal.

His voice startles her – she'd been sure that he was further away a few seconds ago – and she jumps slightly. "This is where I used to come as a teenager." He smiles sadly. "It was like my own little escape. Away from everything and anything that hurt me." His gaze sticks to the floor. "Whenever I was in here, I just kind of forgot about all the bad things, you know?"

Rachel finds herself nodding and reaches out for his hand so that she can take it in her smaller one. Finn seems grateful for the gesture, offering her a tiny smile.

"And no doubt this is where you learned to play the drums," she guesses.

Finn's bright smile confirms the answer and he suddenly becomes more enthusiastic. "I had lessons when I was about eight, but stopped at twelve. After that, I just played for myself and I got better. Hence why I'm in the band now."

She smiles. "And though I may have denied it initially, I actually think that you're a good drummer."

He raises his eyebrow in surprise. "You think so?"

The woman nods. "Oh, yes. I would know. I have an eye for talent."

"Coming from you," he says, "that's an honor."

Rachel smiles brightly. "Care to give a show?" she gestures to the drums.

"What? Right now?"

She nods, moving to sit herself down on one of the small seats in the room and staring at him expectantly. Finn clears his throat, wondering why he's feeling nervous all of a sudden. He perches himself on the seat, searching for the drumsticks which should be around there somewhere. When he final finds them, he sends her a winning smile, not noticing the way her face flushes slightly.

For a moment, he becomes familiar with the drum kit once more, playing small beats to warm up.

When he does begin to play, he notices her let out a small gasp when she recognises the song. It's not one of his – no, it's one of hers.

It's a simple enough song and it's one that he's heard more than enough times from Kurt playing it every chance he gets. Not only that, but a few weeks ago it'd been the only song that radio stations seemed to own.

Now, as he plays it, he sees Rachel glow with happiness and something that looks similar to pride. He feels himself smiling back at her, his tongue darting out of his lips as he concentrates more on getting everything right. She'd kill him if he messed up her song, and he really doesn't want that.

But she just watches, for once silent and content. Her expression is soft, her eyes gazing at him with something that he doesn't quite know.

One the other side of the room, Rachel is struggling to keep control of herself. She should be listening to Finn, admiring that fact that he actually knows how to play one of her songs and, not only that, but he's really good at it. But the only thing that she can do is stare at his toned arms as he plays expertly. Her eyes are drawn to each movement, glued to his body as it entices her. Does he actually have any idea what he's doing to her right now?

The muscles in his arms are a particular interest to her at that moment, flexing back and forth. She bites her lip, a hot flush running along her skin, and she hopes that Finn doesn't notice.

He gets more and more into his performance, his passion for the drums radiating and only doing more to get her feeling hotter. In his haste, his shirt lifts up and she sees his hard abs again. She remembers the last time it'd happened and how, even then, she'd felt attracted to him on a physical level too.

Now it only feels amplified by the fact that they're dating.

And, you know, she's allowed to feel this way about him, right?

When he finishes, leaving her in a daze, she claps happily for him. "I'm impressed," she says a little breathily. She hopes that Finn doesn't pick up on it as it would only boost his ego further.

He smiles. "Nice to know. You looked a little flustered."

"It's warm in here," she begins.

Finn smirks to himself, loving that way that she's still trying to deny her body's basic needs of, well… him. He starts toward her, his body swaying back and forth as he does. Rachel's brows furrow in confusion, though when his lips meet her, it's pretty obvious what he wants.

Her hand comes to hold his cheek gently and instantly, feeling his stubble beneath her fingers. His tongue runs along her bottom lip, demanding entrance and she allows it quickly, seemingly too shocked to do anything else. But she's not going to deny that she enjoys this because, really, who wouldn't like kissing Finn?

She finds herself kissing him back, her lips just as eager. She can't stop herself – it's like she's addicted to it.

His hands grasp onto her waist tightly, trying to get as much contact with her as possible. "Mhmm, Rach," he moans into her mouth, Rachel swallowing the grunt that follows.

"Finn," she says back, her voice airy and light.

They somehow end up on the couch, writhing against each other. "I knew you couldn't resist me," he smirks while Rachel wonders whether to tell him that his face is covered with her smudged lipstick.

She decides against it, the need to feel his lips on her too much, and she drags him down by his collar before they're kissing frantically once more. His hand brushes against her leg, sending shivers through her whole body and leaving her aching for more, desperate for any touch at all. As his fingers delicately begin to trail up her thigh, in stark contrast to the speed and passion of their kisses, she suddenly feels sick.

Rachel bolts up, her eyes wide and insides feeling like they're being churned at a hundred miles an hour.

"Rach?" he questions in confusion, kind of disappointed to have the show stop before it even began. But right now there's something wrong with Rachel and he's determined to find out what it is. No one just shoots up like that, even if they are as dramatic as Rachel.

She shakes her head, "I'm so sorry. I didn't – Finn, don't think that I'm not…" she trails off, unable to look him in the eye, which sort of freaks him out even more. Why is she struggling for words? That isn't very like Rachel.

His hands gently take hold of her shoulders. "Shh," he tries because he honestly doesn't know what else to say, "it's okay."

With a surprised expression, her head snaps up to look at him. Most guys would probably just want to carry on despite the slightly mishap, but here Finn is trying to comfort her. Rachel's heart warms at the simple action.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes again, "it's just…" She bites her lip, eyes worried and unsure.

"You can tell me."

And she can, because he's sure that being her boyfriend means more than just getting awesome make-outs and the privilege of staring at her ass whenever he wants. Girls, especially Rachel, are emotional and that's part of this relationship now. The only problem is that he doesn't really know how to deal with that – hell, he even ignores his own feelings most of the time as it's too confusing to try and understand them.

Rachel peers up at him, an unsettling feeling in her stomach. "You'll get upset," she says.

He frowns deeply. "And why would I do that?" He doesn't think that he'd ever be upset, not with her anyway. They've grown to understand each other over these past few weeks.

"Because," she sighs, "I need to tell you something – something that I promised I would, in return for you telling me about the problems with your mom."

He nods, remembering the conversation. "You said you'd tell me what happened to you that night…"

Biting her lip nervously, she turns so that she's facing him straight on. "I want to tell you," she explains, "I just don't know how to... well, without you getting annoyed at me."

"Rach," he takes hold of her hands gently, "I promise that I won't get annoyed." He smiles at her, making it known that it's the truth, because he's actually beyond curious as to the reason why she'd been so shaken up.

Her eyes move over him, clearly debating whether it's the right time to tell him and he finds himself clinging onto her fingers tighter.

A pout forms on her lips, face downcast. She shakes her head lightly as she doesn't believe him – she knows that he isn't going to be happy about this. Maybe it's why she's been putting off telling him for so long. But he needs to know the truth and she isn't going to keep it from him, not anymore.

"I was at the bar," she begins, "with…Jesse."

His whole body tenses, anger flashing through his eyes instantly. "Jesse," he growls lowly, not bothering to hide the borderline hate in his voice.

Rachel sighs. "Please let me finish before you get angry."

"I – " he goes to deny, already knowing that it's a futile point. His dislike of Jesse isn't exactly a secret, is it?

"We went out together," she continues the story, her voice suddenly urgent, like she just needs to tell him the story already. "As friends," she adds when Finn grits his teeth. "And it was fine. Jesse bought us a few drinks and we were having fun." She swallows thickly. "Until… well, Jesse started holding me close and then he began to kiss my neck." Her hand subconsciously rubs at the skin of her neck, in the precise points where Finn remembers the hickeys being.

"And then," she says, "he was kissing me on the lips. I-I told him to stop, that I had a boyfriend, but he didn't." Her voice shakes with fear as she remembers the night vividly. "And then he took me somewhere quieter, but he still wouldn't let go. He kept saying that I should sleep with him." She looks down, unable to glance in Finn's direction. "And I hate that I let him do those things. He was touching me and I wasn't doing enough to stop him. Eventually I-I hit him and ran away. That's when I called you." She wipes at her eyes, feeling a fresh spring of tears flooding them.

Finn stares at her, unable to believe what he's just heard. Jesse… he forced himself on her? No. He's not going to stand for that crap, especially not from Jesse

He shoots up from his seat. "That bastard!"

She gasps loudly, wrapping her hands around his arm and trying to pull him down, "Finn. Please, just stay."

"I'm going to find that punk," he says with determination, "and show him exactly what I think of guys like that." He shakes his head angrily, "I can't believe that you didn't tell me."

"He was drunk."

Finn's face scrunches up in confusion and slight hurt. "You're defending him? Really? After all of this, you're making us excuses for his pathetic ass?"

She's stunned silent by his words. He's right – why is she trying to make it seem as though Jesse hadn't done something wrong? Not only had he violated her, but she'd been so scared in that moment.

"I…" she closes her mouth shut when she realizes that no other words are going to come out.

And Finn looks like he's just about ready to punch a wall or something.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asks once more.

"I don't know," she answers honestly. "We weren't exactly that close then, were we?"

"But I lik – " he cuts himself short, a lump rising in his throat. Rachel was right, this was going to upset him. Sure, he still feels the urge to go all Braveheart on Jesse, but first he wants to make sure that Rachel is okay.

He cares more about that than scrambling Jesse's face with his fist, which does also sound incredibly tempting at the moment.

Rachel peers at him through watery eyes. "I didn't want to worry you. I mean, it's not like it's the first…" She trails off when she realizes what she's just told him, and how she'd just ruined something that she swore she'd never tell anybody.

His eyes widen. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing," she squeaks.

"You said…" he frowns deeply. "That it wasn't the first time." His voice becomes beyond quiet, and she strains to hear him. "He's done this before?"

She doesn't answer, glued to the spot and frozen in fear and shame. No one was ever supposed to know about this. It was easier that way, where she didn't have to confront the emotions that accompanied the memories, or to see the look in other people's faces, much like the one that Finn's giving her right now.

His eyes are filled with sympathy, his expression sad and upset.

"N-no, I didn't mean," she quickly tries to salvage the conversation, to stop Finn from doing something that he'll regret.

"But you just said that he did," he replies.

"I didn't mean it," she lies terribly, more tears ready to fall. She's panicking now, wondering what will happen if anyone else finds out. For months and months she's managed to keep this a secret, but now it's ruined because she felt the need to tell Finn. This doesn't feel as relieving as she thought it would – it's supposed to be good to get something off your chest, isn't it?

If anything, looking at his conflicted face is making her heart clench.

"Finn," she starts quietly, reaching out a hesitant hand to him. He steps backward instantly, as if he can't even touch her. Her face falls, eyes flooded with worry.

Finn's expression is pained. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asks, his voice low yet he sounds like he's trying to hold onto his anger with all of his might. She struggles to find any words, all of them seeming to disappear from her mind.

But he keeps looking at her and she's sure that there are tears in his eyes. "Finn," she repeats because, right now, that seems to be the only thing that she can say.

"Who else knows?" he demands the answer.

She frowns deeply before whispering. "No one." She's not lying. It's clear in the way she says it, and by how she conducts herself too. She turns her head away, ashamed. He really doesn't know what to think. How could she keep letting this go on? For all he knows, Jesse has been doing this to her whenever he wants, which is just not okay.

But he's still annoyed at her too, as she'd kept this from him – she'd kept it from everyone. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" He can't understand the reason behind it. Surely she'd want to get Jesse away from her as soon as possible. But then he remembers that day that she'd spoken to Kurt, mentioned that she didn't know what she felt for Jesse.

Does she… still love him?

Apparently he voices that thought because Rachel gasps loudly. "No!" she insists. "With Jesse it's…it's complicated."

He stares at her with disbelief. "Why haven't you told the police about this? Why didn't you tell anyone? Quinn? Your parents?"

"I've told you!" she shouts back

"Jesse deserves to be punished," he growls because she just isn't getting it. There's nothing special about Jesse, so why is she protecting him so much?

Rachel surprises him yet again, "I can't do it."

His face scrunches up in confusion. "Why not? He shouldn't be allowed anywhere near you!"

"Jesse – "

"Is a complete douche. Not only that, but he's a douche who takes advantage of women!" He doesn't mean to shout at her, but he can't help it. The thought of Jesse touching her and hurting her against her will is upsetting, and he'd do anything to be able to reverse time and make it never happen. Unfortunately, the world doesn't work that way.

She shakes her head, "I know that Jesse can be awful and controlling, but you don't understand."

"What is there to understand?"

Rachel can't answer him as her emotions get the better of her, tears threating to fall once again. She looks down, trying to hold them back, though the attempt is pointless.

"I don't want to talk about this," she says, beginning to walk away.

In the heat of the moment, he stupidly decides to say. "That's it. Just run away again." She does exactly that, promptly bursting into tears, accompanied with loud sobs. He realizes what he'd just done, instantly going after her.

She's quick on her feet, reaching the house and rushing up to his bedroom. He arrives at the door just in time for it to be slammed into his face. "Rach!" he bangs on it. "I'm sorry. Please let me in."

"No!" she says stubbornly.

He leans against the door, forehead pressed to the cold wood. "Please," he closes his eyes, "please, Rach."

There's silence on the other side of the door. Maybe she's giving him the silent treatment which maybe he kind of deserves. He knocks on the door a few more times, desperate to show her just how sorry he is.

He's not sorry for what he said about Jesse, because that was true. Jesse deserves to be put behind bars for what he did, what he might have done again if given the chance. And Finn is never going to let him hurt her again.

Only problem is that now it's him that hurting her, though he's not exactly sure why. Like she said, he doesn't understand. Finn doesn't really know what he's supposed to understand, but apparently it's important to Rachel.

He stands up, staring at the door sadly for a few minutes before deciding to leave. He'll try again in a little bit, hopefully when she's less upset and they can talk about this. Finn feels pretty down himself, having just experienced his first couple fight in years. His feet are on autopilot, leading him to the living room where he drops onto the couch, rubbing his sore head.

This sucks.

What is he supposed to do now?

His lack of experience really isn't helping here, and he doesn't know anyone to guide him through this either. Well, not without telling them about the reason why they argued, which he's sure Rachel wants to keep quiet right now.

"Finn?"

The sound of his mom's voice startles him at first but, for once, he doesn't feel terrible when he hears it. In fact, he feels relieved. "Mom," he replies softly.

Carole takes careful steps into the room, surprised to see Finn there by himself. "Where's Rachel?" At the mention on her name, his face falls and she immediately picks up on the reaction. "Did something happen with you?"

He shouldn't feel the need to tell her, after all that they've been through. He's still upset with her, isn't he? Although Rachel says that he should try, he should try for her. He can do that, for Rachel.

It's just difficult, isn't it? Reconciling with someone doesn't happen overnight. It takes years and years sometimes, though today he doesn't have that long.

"We… we had a fight."

Sympathy spreads over her face before she tentatively sits down beside him. He tenses a little, eyeing her cautiously.

"Do you need to talk about it?" she asks.

He looks to her, seeing the hope in her eyes. It breaks his heart a little, thinking about how he's acted over the years. Of course, it's not like there wasn't any reason behind it, but he never thought about how it was affecting his mom. She's had to deal with his dad dying too, and then she brought him up on what little money she had.

Shouldn't he be at least thankful for that?

Now, seeing how scared she is that he'll be leaving the following day and that she'll never see him again, it gets him thinking. Rachel is right, it's not his mom's fault. He would've done the same thing, to protect his kid.

"Finn?" she frowns a little. He then realise that he's been staring for a good few minutes.

Shaking his head lightly, "I…"

The words get caught in his throat, refusing to leave.

"What is it?" Carole eyes him with concern. "Is everything okay with you and Rachel?"

"It's fine," he finds himself saying, more to put himself at ease than anything else. Or it will be fine anyway, once he's apologized and talked to her properly. He's still upset about the whole Jesse debacle though, but he supposes that he'll just have to wait and see how that turns out.

Carole looks at him oddly. "But did you say that you'd had a fight?"

"It'll work out," he tells her.

And then she says something that he isn't expecting. "I think that she's a wonderful girl, Finn. I'm – I'm really proud of you."

He stares in her direction, mouth slightly agape. It feels good to have someone proud of him, especially his mother. He's aware that he's caused her more than enough trouble in his years, with the drinking and drugs. What mother wouldn't be worried? "Really?" he questions quietly.

She nods, "I think that you complement each other. I saw the picture of the two of you leaving your friend's party."

"Yeah," he smiles as he remembers, "she was helping me home because I was drunk."

Carole shifts uncomfortably at the mention of him being drunk. She hates it, he knows. It's just… an easy way to forget things.

"I don't do it as much as I used to," he hears himself say to her. "All that stuff. I mean, I was in a pretty bad place, wasn't I?"

"Finn," she says, her voice laced with sadness, "I never meant for all of this to happen. I thought… I couldn't let you grow up thinking that your dad didn't love you." He feels a lump rising in his throat at the mention of his father, especially since it's his mom talking about him. "Because he was a good man."

He turns away, "I – "

"No," she insists, "he loved you Finn. He tried to get off of the drugs, mainly for you. So that he could see you grow up. He wanted to be a good father."

It's silent as he absorbs the words. It feels strange, to talk about his father. It doesn't happen often. But some things just need to be spoken about, and this is one of them. He can't keep suppressing his feelings any longer.

"I believe you."

And he does.

As her stares into her eyes, he knows that there's no way that she's lying to him now. Why would she? There's nothing to keep from him anymore.

Her lips curve into a smile, like she's unsure of whether she should be smiling, but she can't help it. He feels a little happier seeing it – a smile tugging at his own lips.

"I'm so sorry," he finally says, Carole looking up to lock eyes with him as he carries in, "I just… acted out. And you, you got the worst of it. And then I just left for New York." He remembers that day and how terrible he'd felt. "I've kind of been a bad son, haven't I?"

"Oh, Finn."

"I have," he insists. "I mean, there was a reason, but right now, I understand why you did it. And, I'm still hurt. I think that I'll always be hurt. I just can't blame you anymore."

She stares at him, eyes wide. She probably thinks that it's a dream or something.

"I'm sorry," he repeats, dropping his gaze to the floor.

Before he can say anything else, Carole pulls him in for a tight hug, her death grip almost suffocating him. "Mom," he smiles tenderly. And then he hears her crying – deep cries that make him feel beyond guilty. He'd deprived her of so much over the years and she's so happy to be doing something so simple as hugging. "Please don't cry."

"I love you, Finn," she says.

"Yeah," he replies. "I love you too, Mom." It's the first time he's said it, genuinely, in years. It feels good, he thinks, and it only makes her cry harder.

It takes fifteen minutes or so to calm his mom, or just to get her to stop crying. He hasn't seen her so happy for a long time.

Then she asks something that catches him by surprise. "What made you say this? What changed your mind?"

And Finn really has to think about it. Maybe he was just sick of it being so awkward between them, not that it's magically going to change overnight. They've still got things to work out, but they'll get better with time, right?

"It was Rachel," he finally says, after thinking about their talk the day prior. "She gave me some really good advice. Told me to think of it from your perspective." He nods slowly. "It helped me to understand."

Carole wells up again. "Don't let that girl go," she says. "She's good for you Finn."

Too good, he thinks. He doesn't know what he'd do if he ever lost her – the very thought is just too much right now. If his feelings are this strong after this minimal amount of weeks, think about how they'll grow over the next few months.

He finds himself glancing upwards, his mind shouting at him to go and talk to Rachel.

He's on his feet before he realizes.

"Finn?" Carole questions.

"I have to go talk to her!" he announces, rushing upstairs and taking them two at a time to get to Rachel faster.

There's silence in the room, but he knocks once more. Instead of shouting at him to go away, he hears it slowly unlock. Tentatively, he pushes it open, his heart breaking at the sight of her with tears still in her eyes, face red and worn from the crying.

He hurries to her, glad that she doesn't move away, and sweeps her into his arms. She hugs back because, though she's still upset with him, nothing makes her feel better than to be in his strong arms, to feel reassuring by him. It's a job that only Finn can do.

"I should have told you," she says, finally agreeing with him. "But I was so scared. A-and ashamed. Finn, you don't understand how hard it was for me to tell you, especially you." She wipes back the tears. "What Jesse did was horrible, but seeing your face was even worse."

"Shhh," he insists, "you're getting yourself worked up."

Her fingers cling onto his shirt. At that minute, Finn is her support, and he likes it that way.

Rachel shakes her head, fresh tears falling. "Please understand. I can't tell anyone else. Not yet."

He frowns deeply. "But Jesse…"

"I'll be able to," she sniffles, "one day. Just not today."

Finn sighs, gripping her tighter, "I suppose that I can live with that. I mean, I don't agree with it because I think that he deserves to face the consequences of what he's done, but if you're not comfortable, then I can't make you do this."

Her eyes stare at the floor. "Thank you," she whispers.

With gentle fingers, he takes hold of her chin and lifts it up so that their eyes lock. Before he can do anything, she rushes forward and places her lips on his. At first he's a little shocked, though soon melts into the kiss, the feel of her lips against his. He becomes lightheaded, his hands moving to cup her face, still slightly wet from crying.

Rachel's kiss becomes more needing, her teeth tugging on his bottom lip. Their eyes meet again, and he can see the light speckles in her otherwise chocolate brown eyes. He smiles, and she does too. He doesn't realize when his finger begin to trail down her side, travelling southwards.

But Rachel does.

He thinks that she's going to freak out for a minute, though all she says is. "Not today. I feel pretty worn out." He nods, yet can't help feeling a little disappointed. "Tomorrow," she tells him, with a tiny hint of a smile and suddenly brighter face. "Tomorrow when we get back. It'll happen then."

She kisses him once more, this time the action short and sweet.

Finn shakes his head. Did she just say what he thought she said?

By her expression, he'd like to say yes. This causes him to smile wildly.

Today has been a roller-coaster ride of emotions for both of them, and not to mention his mom too. He takes her hand, making it known that she's not alone – she's got him. And that's all she needs, right?


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