So, thank you to everyone who's put up with the erratic updates and many, many cliffhangers of this fic. While I love it, I have to say that I'm glad it's complete, too. And once again, thank you for all your kind reviews and support :)
Thank you to Gillian Deverone for beta'ing. I am extremely grateful for it.
Enjoy!
Despite her protests, Finn is soon taken away from her. He doesn't fight like he had before, instead a sad acceptance has taken over his face, like he's preparing himself for a terrible time ahead. It's that look which makes her stomach sick, twisting tightly together in anguish. She doesn't want him to accept this – she wants him to fight about it, fight against Jesse, with her. Once he's gone, the sickly feeling is replaced by an intense emptiness at not having Finn by her side, of not knowing where he is.
The chief officer talks to her before she leaves, and she stands with Kurt's hand held tightly in hers as he does so. Though he can't share too much with them, she suddenly realizes just how serious the situation is when he begins talking about court and the need of a lawyer for Finn. All the while she just wants to scream that Finn is innocent, but just sticks to slowly nodding her head every few minutes. Saying something might just turn her into a blubbering mess again and she's done enough crying for today.
The worst part is possibly when they question her, and she feels like a complete idiot sitting there in her wedding dress, trying to keep it together while Finn is locked up somewhere. This is supposed to be the happiest day of her life. She answers honestly, making it clear to them where she stands on this, and that she believes his innocence. They even ask her if he ever tried to give her drugs. Of course, appalled at even being questioned on that, she has to hold herself back from going full Rachel Berry rant on him.
Needless to say, it's a relief when they let her leave. Though she doesn't want to be any further from Finn, the stress of the day has worn her thin and she's glad to go home, so that she can just sleep and forget about the mess that they're in. Kurt drives her back, and he leads her back to the apartment, all the while acting like she's made of glass and is about to break at any moment. She doesn't even have the energy in her to get annoyed at him for it.
They find Quinn, Carole, Burt and her dads in the apartment, and she wishes that she could just ignore the way they stare at her, but it's all she can notice.
"The police were here," Quinn says as Rachel steps further into the room, wanting nothing more than to get into some comfortable pajamas and crawl into bed. But if people actually want to talk to her about this, then that's going to throw a wrench into her plan.
"I know," she whispers back, her eyes moving around the room. By now, it's clear that a search took place. While the apartment isn't a mess – though she suspects Carole, Quinn and Burt had cleaned up as much as they could – she can still see the differences in objects placements, and that feeling returns again. Don't cry, she wills herself.
Carole steps closer, her dads too, a look of hesitation on their faces, "Please tell me it's not true, Rachel…" So apparently news had spread and people know, which means it'll be out in the public soon. She closes her eyes, feeling a headache developing at just the thought of the public and press discovering the events of today – Finn's reputation will crumble once more. After all that time he spent trying to make his public image more positive, to be a good role model to all of his fans, it just doesn't seem fair for this to happen now.
She looks into Carole's eyes, sees the tears lingering there, and shakes her head. "No, it's not true."
"But," Quinn starts, her features scrunched up in confusion. "The police – they said there was evidence?"
Rachel sighs, for once wishing that she weren't the center of attention. "It's a long story," she says, wondering whether to share her encounter with Jesse. Quinn would understand, but the others don't know entirely of their past and the reasons behind him doing this. But then again, these are Finn's family, and they deserve to know everything, no matter how much it will pain her to relive the past few hours, the talk with Jesse. They need to know, but first, she has to get out of this dress. "Can I just – I'd really like to get changed and shower…"
They all nod, and she turns to leave, not before Carole gently brings her in for a hug, the comfort allowing Rachel to smile for a moment. When Rachel pulls back, she realizes that she's crying again, and quickly wipes at her eyes, "I'm sorry, I just – "
"It's okay," Kurt's hand falls upon her shoulder, softly squeezing it. No, it's not okay at all, she thinks.
But she doesn't say anything, instead just thanking him quietly and beginning to walk to her room. The minute the door closes behind her, she lets all her walls drop, bottom lip instantly starting to wobble as more tears threaten. She wishes that she could stop, but the sobs take over, and she trembles while she begins to rid herself of her wedding gown. Once free of it, she slowly drops onto the bed, holding the dress in her hands, fingers gently running over the material. She remembers how excited she'd been when she first tried it on, and when she'd changed into it that morning, but now it just reminds her of what could have been.
She soon gathers the strength to stand herself up and move into the bathroom, getting in the shower. The second she steps into the hot water, she sighs, closing her eyes as a few more tears roll down her cheeks. There just seems to be an endless count of them, though she's glad that no one has to see her cry, and she stays under the hot water an extra few minutes to ensure each and every tear is gone. It feels as though the shower rejuvenated her strength once more, and she now feels like she can face hers – and Finn's – friends and family.
When in the bedroom again, she puts on the first thing she can find, which includes some yoga pants and one of Finn's shirts. The material engulfs her body, almost as though Finn's large form is hugging her, and the overwhelming, musky smell of Finn overcomes her. She's gets goosebumps, for a moment a small smile creeping onto her lips.
Her chin held up a little higher, she steps out of the room, ready to tell them everything.
She doesn't know how long it's silent for.
After Rachel had told them about Jesse, and his plan, and then what happened to Finn, they'd first thought that there was no way he could get away with it. But nothing has deterred his plan yet, and she doesn't know of anything that will.
"Surely the police have to question him about what you said," Hiram had said, his arm around her shoulder.
Rachel let out a long, slow sigh, her head falling against him. "It would be my word against his," she told them, the hopelessly clear in her voice. "They'll question him, and then they'll let him go – they've got no reason to keep him. To them, he has nothing to do with all of this."
That was what sent them into the bleak silence, the group spread across the room, and now the air around them seems too tense, and she's almost too scared to break it.
But when she shifts from where she's wedged between her two fathers, everyone's heads snap her way, as though they're expecting her to burst into tears again. Leroy tightens his grip on her hand, and she squeezes back, trying to make it known that she's handling this all better than they think she is.
It's Kurt who speaks first, "I never thought that we'd end up in this mess again."
Carole's face drops, the frown persistent, and Rachel feels a pang of hurt for her – just as she was getting her son back, the relationship blossoming once more, this had to happen. "At least," she says, "at least we know that Finn isn't using drugs again. This is… this isn't his fault." Burt gently soothes his hand up and down her back, while Carole holds back the tears. Rachel's feels anger spur in her, knowing that it's Jesse's selfish actions that caused this. Did he give no though to the extended effects that doing this would have on things? On Finn's family? He just wanted to ruin Finn – and her – because he couldn't get what he wanted, like a child throws his toys out of the stroller when he's denied something.
And Rachel can barely face looking at Carole anymore, not when she feels that she could have done something to stop Jesse from going through with this idea. He'd called her before the wedding, warning her, and she didn't tell anyone – not even Finn. Maybe things would be different if she had.
She stands, once again everyone's eyes falling on her, but she just needs an excuse to be out of the room, to be by herself for a little longer. It's not late, so going to sleep would only worry them further, so she says, "I'm going to make some dinner. I haven't eaten since – since this morning."
"I'll help you," Quinn moves to get up.
"No," she responds a little too hastily, but she just wants some time to reflect on the day, time where she doesn't have to worry about keeping up this pretence in front of others. "It's fine, I can do it myself." Her eyes almost plead with Quinn, who seems to realize exactly what she needs and nods. Rachel quickly steps out of the room, entering the coolness of the kitchen.
She leans herself against the counter, mind deep in thought. There are too many questions and not enough answers, leaving her confused and frustrated, and wanting so much for this to be a dream and to wake up on the morning of her wedding day, with nothing going wrong.
But she knows that this isn't some dream, and she knows that life can be cruel sometimes. Right now, it's living up to that mantra.
She's taken in for questioning again, this time the preparation prior to it allows her not to get worked up, and she remains calm and collected. And though she explains about Jesse, it's clear that her claim isn't as believed as she'd hoped. They'll question Jesse, of course, but what's the use if he can just lie his way out of it? There's no evidence holding him down, no suspicions.
It's Quinn who picks her up from the station, and they manage to avoid a few of the press lingering about the area, most likely having been tipped off about her whereabouts and wanting to get the scoop on this huge news story. It takes all her effort not to snap at them as she gets in the car, and the flash of cameras sets her dizzy for a few seconds.
"You alright?" Quinn asks her once she's sat down and the car is in motion, thankfully taking them away from the hounding paparazzi.
She lets out a low sigh, "I'm fine." She isn't. Quinn knows that, she knows that. Everyone knows it.
It's just that her small visits with Finn aren't enough – she needs to be by his side, especially in such a time like this. And seeing him in there, physically kept away from each other, is killing her. Each time she sees him it's like there's a little less hope in his eyes, and they're just so sad. Rachel hates that.
All the way through the ride home, Rachel maintains a very unlike her silence. Her gaze is trained ahead, though her eyes are unfocused as she loses herself in thought: of Finn, of the future, of just how they're going to get through this. The uncertainty of the situation is almost suffocating; she wants more than anything to be free of it.
She can hear Quinn talking to her, about a recording that's coming up, or she thinks so anyway. It seems that it just goes straight in one ear and out the other.
"Rachel!"
She blinks, "What?"
Quinn frowns at her, worry lines appearing, "…I asked if you wanted to go home or go and get some lunch?"
Her shoulders shrug gently, "I'm not really hungry." The words are said in a low mumble, increasing her friend's worries, but she doesn't say anything. Every time she's tried to get Rachel to talk about how she feels, the woman seems to close off and not want to talk about it. And in doing so, becomes even further introverted. She's just lost, and Quinn hates seeing her like this.
"Did you see Finn?" she questions curiously.
Rachel nods, a little sadly, dropping her gaze to the dashboard in front of her. "I don't want to talk about it though," she says, though her voice is barely audible.
She frowns, though doesn't know what to say which could help to comfort Rachel. It looks like they're just going to have to wait it out and pray that someone – anything – happens to help Finn.
"Rachel's still acting distant," Kurt says as he pours out the wine for him and Blaine, before joining the other on the couch.
Blaine's face scrunches up in thought. "Well, you can't blame her. Her wedding day got ruined because her ex-boyfriend framed her fiancé to make it look as though he was dealing drugs and taking them, too. It sounds like something out of Days of our lives, or some other show like that."
He sighs, knowing that Blaine's right. "Still, I've never seen her like this…" Kurt sips at his wine as he thinks. "Finn's the same though. All they talk about is each other – it's like the separation is hurting them the most."
"You did say that they were inseparable once," Blaine says, relaying a conversation weeks earlier.
A small frown appears on Kurt's lips, "I was joking when I said that. I never literally expected them to become borderline depressed when not with the other person." He shakes his head. "Finn's my brother – they're both my friends. I just don't like seeing them like this."
Blaine nods in understanding, a hand gently patting at Kurt's knee. He wishes that there were something he could do, but there's just no way to help. All they can do is watch helplessly as Finn and Rachel struggle with this, offering their support in kind words and offering to be a shoulder to cry on. Other than that, they feel pretty much useless.
He leans his head against Kurt's shoulder, a tiny smile tugging at his lips, and his whole face seemingly bright. "It's really sad," he says. "It would have been a beautiful wedding, if it hadn't been ruined. I mean, I was looking through my videos before, and," he pauses, "I just can't imagine how heart breaking it must be for them, when they only thought that the day would end with them in marriage."
"You and your videos," Kurt rolls his eyes.
"I wanted to put together like, a wedding montage for them," he admits, "but I hardly think I can do that now…"
Kurt looks down in sympathy, seeing how disheartened Blaine is at the fact he couldn't do it – he laughs when he thinks that he looks like a sad puppy.
"You know, you shouldn't let all your filming go to waste. You've got all the way up to seeing Rachel in the dress, haven't you?" he questions, and Blaine nods, reaching for the camera which is placed on the coffee table amongst magazines and their wine glasses.
He fast forwards to the part with Rachel in her dress, both smiling at the sight of her. "She really did look beautiful."
"Well, of course, I helped to pick out the dress."
"No, I mean, just Rachel. She's so happy – it's beautiful." A smile slowly grows on his lips as he says that, and Kurt feels a pang of sadness as he knows that Rachel always looks at her most beautiful with Finn; the way that her face lights up, or her smile seems to glow around the room.
He gently traces patterns along Blaine's hand as they watch further, Kurt cringing as his face appears in the video. Kurt feels his stomach sink as he watches himself, and Blaine, leaving the room, the sound of Finn's voice calling out loudly above everything else. Blaine's thick eyebrows dip in confusion. "It should stop there… I turned it off."
"Shh, there's more," he says, intrigued.
Rachel starts moving toward the door, until she's stopped by something that can't be seen on the camera, but they can see the look of fear pass her eyes, before she says, "Jesse."
Kurt and Blaine share a look, a mix of shock and curiosity on their faces. Is this the conversation that Rachel had talked about? The voice of the man himself calls out, "Don't you make a beautiful bride?"
"Blaine…" Kurt whispers out, "we need to call Rachel. Like, right now."
Finn sits idle and bored out of his mind. He knows that he shouldn't think of Rachel, because it only makes their separation even harder, but he's just unable to do that, and so finds her constantly on his mind. Is she okay? Does she miss him, too? Well, he knows that that's true, since she tells him practically every time she sees him. Yet the short visitor hours do nothing to make up for the time spent apart. It's excruciating to deal with, and it makes him feel sick to his stomach at the thought of it proceeding for years, if he does lose his court battle and go to prison.
His whole body slumps; he's practically given up fighting now. There's just no possible way that this can turn in his favor. Jesse did it – he finally beat him.
The sound of approaching footsteps can be heard, yet Finn remains still in the same position, just not being able to find it in him to care about what they're going to do now. Everything is messed up, and there's no way things could get any worse for them.
Next there's the rattling of keys, and then his door opens, revealing one of the officers. Finn rolls his eyes, having had his fair share of encounters with officers in the years – none of them good encounters either.
"Mr Hudson," his name is called out, and Finn tilts his head in that direction, a bored expression on his face. "If you'll come with me."
Though he doesn't exactly want to, for not knowing what's going to happen, he can't say that he isn't curious, and he's already on his feet before he thinks about it. He begins on the tail of the officer, his long making it easy to keep up in large strides.
He hears someone struggling ahead, and raises his gaze, shock filling his system upon seeing… Jesse?! What is going on?
"I haven't done anything!" he cries out, trying to break free of the officers around him, but between them and the handcuffs, it's proving fruitless. "Let go of me!" As he passes Finn, a killer glare is sent his way, while Finn just stares, completely at a loss of words, his head spinning dizzily.
And it gets even worse when he's taken into a room, only to find Kurt and Rachel there. While he's happy to see them, he'd like someone to explain what the hell is going on. What was Jesse being taken in? Rachel is on him in a matter of seconds, littering his face with kisses, like she hasn't done so in years. "Rach – I don't… What's going on?"
She smiles up at him, fingers clutching at his chest. "It was all Kurt and Blaine – they saved you. Oh, I'm so happy!" Rachel hugs him tightly, so much that he can barely breathe.
But Finn is still lost.
He peers at Kurt, who is staring at his clothes with disgust. "They're hideous," he comments when he notices him looking.
"Thanks man," Finn laughs in agreement, before adding, "Now can someone explain to me what's happening? And why is Jesse here?"
Kurt steps forward now, while Rachel remains clinging to his side, and the man speaks. "It's all thanks to Blaine, really. You remember how he had that camera at the wedding?" Finn nods. "Well, before the police came, we were with Rachel, and he left the camera in there while we went to find out what was happening. Only, he didn't turn it off, and we've got the whole conversation between Jesse and Rachel recorded – including the part where he admits that he did this, that he framed you."
He can hardly believe his ears. This isn't some dream, is it? His mind could be being cruel to him, making him feel that everything's okay. But it feels real. Rachel is solid in his arms, and she feels like Rachel, smells like her. This has to be real.
"Everything's okay?" he hears himself ask, "I'm officially innocent?"
"The police watched the tape, and then they called in all of Jesse's 'witnesses' for questioning. Once they realized that their lies were caught, they spilled everything. How Jesse threatened them to lie for him, where he got the drugs from." Kurt tells him, the relief evident in his voice at knowing that his brother isn't going to be stuck in jail. "All charges against you were dropped; you're a free man."
"Are you serious?"
Rachel nods along happily, before she hugs him again.
He smiles down at her, finally embracing her in return, his chin resting over her head.
Kurt's eyes squint together as he stares at him. "Are you crying?"
"I'm just," he starts," I'm really happy. And God, I missed you so much." Now he stares down toward Rachel, their eyes locking together, and he's relieved that he's not the only one crying. "I couldn't go through this again, especially not when I've got so much to lose this time." His hand gently reaches up, cupping her thin, while his thumb brushes across her cheek to catch some stray tears. "I love you so much Rachel."
"I love you, too," she gives him a teary smile, before standing on her toes to kiss him sweetly.
"So can I leave now?" Finn asks once the kiss breaks, and then he looks up at Kurt. He smiles, "I just want to go home." He didn't think he'd be going home for a long time, and he's totally gonna have to thank Blaine when he gets back, seeing as him accidentally leaving the camera on pretty much saved his ass.
"Like I said before," he begins, "you're a free man."
Finn smiles once more, for once the looming cloud of all his worries gone, and he can just be happy, with his brother and his fiancé. He doesn't know what's going to become of Jesse, but after everything that he's done to him and Rachel, he hopes that he pays for what he's done. Right now though, he's not going to think about Jesse. He has more important things in his life.
Like finally getting to marry Rachel, his Rachel.
And finally getting that happily ever after that everyone dreams of.
With a huge smile to his face, he pulls both Kurt and Rachel in for the tightest of hugs.
Anddd there is an epilogue which is ready to post. I just don't know when exactly to post it. Maybe tomorrow?
Please review :)
