A/N: I am completely BLOWN away by your response to this story! And you guys are the sweetest people ever for the comments you've left. I appreciate every single one of you :) And now, here's chapter three for you. Please continue to read and review!
Chapter Three: Unconventional Moving Day
Previously in Chapter Two….
Then they both jumped as they heard the shrill ringtone of the phone in Finn's pocket. Rachel sat up while Finn dug around, looking for the phone. He finally pulled it out and hit the green button during the third ring.
"Hello?" Finn said, sounding confused. This was the first the precinct had actually called the phone; usually, they just sent messages. "What? Are you sure?" Finn practically yelled into the phone. Rachel looked at him with worry and confusion clouding her features. "Yeah, I got it," Finn said before hanging up the phone with anger apparent on his face.
"What is it?" Rachel asked apprehensively. She grew even more worried when Finn jumped up and practically jogged over to the closet.
"We gotta go. Now. Nick's been spotted in the area," Finn said in a commanding tone. Rachel's stomach dropped, but she jumped off the bed almost quicker than humanly possible before helping Finn throw their belongings into a large duffel bag.
The sound of a gunshot made them both jump before they stared at each other in horror.
-glee-glee-glee-
"Is the door locked?" Rachel asked in a panic as she threw her and Finn's belongings into the duffel bag.
"Yes. It's always locked," Finn responded quickly, trying to keep his emotions in control. He could see Rachel's hands shaking as she stuffed his underwear into the bag. Any other time, he would have been embarrassed, but he had more pressing things on his mind.
Finn zipped up the bag and put it over Rachel's shoulder before he ran over to the bedside table. He opened the top drawer and pulled his gun out.
Rachel stood there in shock as he fiddled with the gun. She wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but she knew he was planning on using it if necessary.
"I didn't know you had that," she said in a small voice.
"I didn't want to worry you," Finn said in a detached voice. He walked over to her and grabbed her by the elbow, pulling her toward the bathroom.
"What are you doing?" Rachel asked. Once they were in the bathroom, Finn closed and locked the door.
"You're going out the window. Let's go," Finn said impatiently.
"What?" Rachel asked, sounding surprised.
"Climb out the window, Rach," Finn demanded. "We don't have time."
He reached behind her and opened the tiny window. He knew she'd fit.
"We're only on the first floor, Rach. It won't hurt," Finn promised. He grabbed the bag off of her shoulder and threw it out the window. They heard it land on the ground with a soft thud. "Come on," he said. He crouched down and linked his hands together. "Put your foot here and I'll help you."
Rachel still looked confused and surprised, but she did as she was told. Once Finn had her foot, she grabbed onto the window.
"On three. One, two, three," Finn said. At three, he pushed her foot upwards. Rachel went through the window with ease. He heard a low "Ouch!" when she landed. If he wasn't so terrified, he would have laughed.
"How are you going to get out?" Rachel asked while getting up. She stood on her tippy toes and tried to look through the window.
They both then heard a loud thudding noise, almost like someone was trying to break down the door. Finn looked in the direction of the door.
"I can't fit, Rach," Finn said after a moment. "You go run back to the bar and wait there for me behind the dumpster or something."
"No!" Rachel protested. "I'm not leaving you! Just… dislocate your shoulder or something and climb out!" she suggested desperately.
"Rachel. That won't work. You have to go," Finn said. "Just run and I'll meet you there."
They both heard the door to the apartment crash open. Rachel flinched. "Do you promise you'll come for me?" she asked quietly.
"I promise," she heard Finn say quietly yet firmly. "Run, Rach."
Rachel swallowed deeply before turning and picking the bag up.
Then she ran.
Finn watched as Rachel ran away. He felt like crying, but he knew he had to keep it together. If he didn't, he'd never see Rachel again.
Finn looked down at the gun again and checked to make sure it was ready to be fired before shutting the light off. He then put his ear to the door and listened. He heard what sounded like people throwing things around; it definitely sounded like more than one person was in the room. As he stood there, he started forming a plan in his mind.
He knew they would come and check the bathroom. He just had to wait…
Less than a minute later, Finn heard someone walking up to the bathroom door. He stepped away quietly and waited. The door opened and the light flickered on. The person stepped in the bathroom and Finn acted quickly. He raised his hand that was holding the gun and slammed the butt of the gun it into the guy's temple before he could even utter a word.
Finn watched as the large man fell, unconscious, into the bathroom.
"Morris?" a voice yelled. Finn jumped over the man and ran into the room. Before the second guy could even raise his gun, Finn lifted his hand and fired a shot.
With the accuracy of a police officer who has won tons of awards at the firing range, Finn hit the man in the kneecap, making him drop his gun and fall to the ground with a rather girly scream. Finn jogged over to him and kicked the gun away from him before running out the door.
As Finn ran toward the bar, he kept looking over his shoulder. But he totally had a right to be paranoid! He passed the main office to the motel; the door was wide open. Finn had a feeling that the motel owner was the victim of the gunshot he and Rachel heard earlier.
Finn was pretty sure that Nick would send other people to his dirty work, but he was really glad that Nick sent idiots. But Finn was a little nervous about having to find a new place to stay. It only took Nick a couple of days to find them, so how far away would they have to go to stay safe?
Finn wasn't very winded when he finally made it to the bar. He looked behind him to make sure no one was following and then he ducked into the alley behind the bar. He was walking quietly, not wanting to startle Rachel. When he didn't hear anything – no sobbing, no accelerated breathing – he started to panic. Did they have a third guy that grabbed Rachel?
Before he could totally freak out, Finn stopped and took a deep breath. He wouldn't start losing his mind until he had to.
He continued walking down the long, dark alley. On his left was a dumpster. His steps quickened a bit as he walked toward it. Then, he saw her.
Rachel was sitting on the ground next to dumpster with her head in her hands. Finn reached down and placed a hand gently on her arm. What he wasn't expecting was for her fist to come flying at his face.
Her tiny fist felt like a wrecking ball as it came into contact with his nose. "Shit!" Finn yelled before covering his nose with his hands. His eyes had immediately started watering.
"Finn!" Rachel practically shouted. "I'm sorry!" she said while getting up. Finn paced back and forth a little, trying not to cry like a little girl. Rachel followed him back and forth, repeating "I'm so sorry!" over and over again.
He finally stopped pacing and stood still. "Are you okay?" Rachel asked worriedly.
He lowered his hands away from his face and looked to see that she had tears falling down her face as well. But hers weren't from being socked in the nose.
"I'll be okay," Finn said, trying to sound stoic. Rachel jumped toward him and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
"I'm glad you're okay," she said in a small voice. Finn hugged her back tightly before kissing her on top of the head.
"I told you I'd come for you," he said back with a tiny smile. "But since when do people throw punches when they're glad to see you?" he asked jokingly.
Rachel let go of him and slapped his chest lightly. "You scared the crap out of me!" she complained. "You could have at least said my name first or something. How was I supposed to know that you weren't grabbing me to kidnap me or something?"
"I didn't know you could punch so hard," Finn said, rubbing his nose delicately.
"I told you I've had self defense training, Finn. I wasn't joking," Rachel informed him seriously.
Finn chuckled. "I believe you," he said.
A sudden low crash from down the street made them both alert again.
"Okay, we gotta go now," Finn said. Rachel nodded before walking quickly back toward the dumpster and grabbing their bag of belongings. Finn grabbed it from her and slung it over his shoulder before grabbing her hand.
"Where are we going?" Rachel asked quickly.
"Just run for now and I'll answer your question later," Finn said.
Rachel laughed. "I knew you didn't have a plan," she said snootily. Finn rolled his eyes before he started running with Rachel at his side.
They ran from alley to alley, trying to put as much distance between him and those two assholes as possible. Well, he knew that the one guy would have a little trouble following them with that nice gunshot wound in his kneecap.
"Finn!" Rachel panted. They had been running for a good five minutes. "We've… got to stop!" she said breathlessly.
"We can't," Finn said shortly. The running was starting to get to him, too, but only a little. Finn was jerked backwards a little when Rachel came to a complete and total standstill. Finn turned to face her. Her cheeks were totally flushed and her chest was heaving.
"I can't… run… anymore," she panted.
Finn looked at her and realized that he couldn't convince her to run; she was too stubborn for that.
"Fine," he relented. "Let's take a break."
"Thank God!" Rachel huffed. She walked over to where some stairs were leading into a building and plopped down. "How are you… not even tired?" she questioned breathily.
Finn shrugged. "I run a lot. I kinda have to stay in shape for my job," he said.
"Well, my legs… are shorter than yours… so I had to move… them faster… to keep up," she said while taking deep breaths, trying to slow her frantic heart rate.
Finn smirked and sat next to her on the stair. Rachel leaned on Finn, placing her head on his shoulder. They sat there for a few minutes as Rachel's breathing slowed.
"Think of a plan yet?" she asked. She was no longer panting, but really didn't want to run anymore.
"I'm working on it," Finn said, nodding his head. Rachel rolled her eyes and sat up straight.
"I think we should cross the river again and get back into the city. Maybe we can stay somewhere near Times Square where there's tons of people. It'll be harder for him to find us," she suggested.
Finn looked down at her with a smile. "You're a genius," he said admirably. Rachel beamed at him before they both moved toward each other for a kiss. Finn felt all of his worry disappear when Rachel's lips were attached to his. She made him feel like everything would be okay. The more rational part of him was remembering that they still had someone wanting to kill them, so they couldn't really waste time making out.
Finn was the first to pull away. "I need to call the precinct. I'll ask them to call us a cab. I think I know where we are…" Finn reached into his pocket and pulled the phone out. Rachel covered his hand that was holding the phone, gaining his attention again. He looked up at her with confusion.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"I just need to ask you something…" Rachel said, sounding slightly nervous.
"Okay…?" Finn said confusedly.
Rachel took a deep breath before letting the question fall from her lips. "Are we boyfriend and girlfriend?" she asked, looking down in embarrassment.
She looked back up when she heard Finn chuckle. "What's so funny?" she demanded.
"I wasn't expecting you to ask that," he said with a shrug.
"Just answer the question," Rachel said impatiently.
Finn sat there for a moment. "If you want to be, we can be," he said simply.
Rachel smiled a little. "But do you want to be?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said with a grin.
"Perfect," Rachel answered with a wide smile before pulling him forward by his shirt for another kiss.
Finn pulled away with a chuckle. "I could literally spend the rest of my life just kissing you, but there is still someone trying to kill us, babe," Finn informed her.
"Way to ruin the mood," Rachel said with a frown. Finn laughed once more before calling the precinct.
"Come on," Finn said minutes later after hanging up the phone. He got up and held his hand out toward Rachel.
"Where are we going?" she asked before grabbing his hand and standing up.
"The cab's picking us up two blocks from here," Finn said.
"Please tell me we're not running," Rachel groaned.
Finn smiled. "We can walk," he said, making Rachel smile up at him.
As they walked down the street, passersby couldn't have guessed that Finn and Rachel were trying to get away from people that wanted them dead. Finn and Rachel just looked like a boyfriend and girlfriend (which they were!) just taking a nighttime stroll.
When they got to the place where the cab was supposed to arrive, Rachel noticed a drug store right behind them.
"You stay here and wait for the cab. I have to grab some things from the store," Rachel said, pointing behind her.
"I'll come with you," Finn offered quickly.
"It's fine," Rachel said. "Just wait for the cab." Finn could tell that something was up with Rachel, but he just did as he was told.
Rachel walked into the store, remembering that she had plenty of money still in the pocket of her dress. She had recalled that they left most of their bathroom necessities back at the motel, so she grabbed some shampoo and conditioner (the same brand that her and Finn had agreed on before) and two packs of razors. She would have totally been fine with sharing some of Finn's, but he was adamant that sharing razors was gross. She also grabbed some more face wash and other things she and Finn would need in the days to come.
Rachel then walked down an aisle that she wasn't very comfortable with. On both sides of her were condoms. She was a little nervous at taking this step with Finn, but she couldn't deny her feelings for him anymore. And after tonight, she was worried that they might not have as much time together as they thought. She usually didn't move this quickly in realtionships, but she wanted to make love with him while they still had the chance. You never know what can happen tomorrow, after all.
She wasn't quite sure of the size of Finn's… you know… so she just grabbed one box of every size, remembering that she had enough money for it. And they kind of needed them since she really shouldn't get pregnant at this point in time.
When she went to pay for the items, a teenage boy was working at the register. She put her items down and waited for them to be scanned. She watched as he scanned the condoms; he had a very crude smile on his face, which made Rachel feel like getting sick.
He told her the total and Rachel handed the money over quickly, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. He gave Rachel back her change. She grabbed the two bags and went back outside in a hurry.
When she walked out, the cab was there and Finn was leaning on the door with a smile.
"Got everything?" he asked.
"I think so," Rachel said with a nod.
"Let's go then," Finn said, opening the door for Rachel. She smiled at him before climbing into the cab.
"What did you buy?" Finn asked, trying to peek in the bags.
"Nothing," Rachel said quickly. "Just some shampoo and stuff we need."
"Oh," Finn said. "Good thinking."
Rachel blushed a little. "Thanks," she said quietly.
She was suddenly nervous and starting questioning if she was doing the right thing or not. But literally a second later, Finn grabbed her hand in intertwined their fingers. The butterflies that Rachel got from this simple gesture convinced her that making love with Finn would definitely be the right thing to do.
-glee-glee-glee-
Finn directed the taxi cab driver to a hotel that was exactly a block away from Times Square. Rachel handed the money over while Finn got out and grabbed their duffel bag out of the trunk. Then Rachel got out of the cab with the bags from the store.
"This seems better than the last one," Finn said, looking up at the hotel.
"Definitely," Rachel agreed with a smile.
They walked in the room and were happy to see that it was remarkably nicer than the motel they previously stayed in. Rachel walked in first and Finn was close behind her. After closing the door, he immediately locked it.
"Do you think we should unpack?" Rachel asked, setting her bags down on the bed.
Finn thought for a moment. "Maybe just hang up your dresses. We can keep everything else in the bag in case we have to leave quickly again…" he said quietly. Him and Rachel coming close to being killed tonight was still deeply bothering him.
"Good thinking," Rachel said just as quietly.
"What do you want to do for dinner?" Finn asked. "I was thinking we could just order pizza. I can get half with just sauce since you're a vegan."
Rachel smiled up at him for remembering. "That would be great," she said. Finn set the duffel bag down on the bed before walking over to the side of the bed where a phone was sitting on the table.
"We've got our own phone this time," Finn said with a smirk, making Rachel giggle. Rachel hung her dresses up in the closet while Finn was ordering the pizza; she was slightly preoccupied with thoughts about how exactly she should approach Finn and ask if he wants to have sex with her. Things like sexual intimacy weren't very common for Rachel Berry and she was pretty darn sure that she didn't know how to be sexy.
Rachel had only ever had one boyfriend before Finn. Sure, they had sex, but it wasn't quite like she imagined it. Her boyfriend at the time made sure he was satisfied and Rachel just kind of… laid there. Sure, it felt good, but her boyfriend didn't go out of his way to make sure Rachel was actually enjoying herself. That being said, Rachel wasn't quite sure what sex with Finn would be like. For her, that was slightly terrifying.
Before Finn could see what she purchased, Rachel took the bags into the bathroom after telling Finn that she was just putting the things away. He was lying on the bed, watching some television show on basic cable. Their last motel didn't have a television, so Finn was pretty excited. And he was distracted, so Rachel could sit in the bathroom and psych herself up for having sex.
Should she just walk up to him with the condoms and ask to have sex? Should she hide them somewhere and send him on a scavenger hunt? Should she just forget about the whole thing before she made a fool out of herself?
Rachel decided against the last option. She had a feeling that Finn wouldn't make fun of her for anything. After all, he was one of the few people she had ever met that could actually tolerate her for an extended period of time. And he liked her. He was her boyfriend now. And she liked him, too.
She took a seat on the edge of the bathtub as she realized that saying she "liked" him didn't feel like enough. But was it love already? She didn't really have any friends around that she could talk to about this, but she had never felt this way about anyone before. Not even her first boyfriend. When Rachel left Finn in that motel room, she was physically in pain thinking that this could be the last time she ever saw him. And when he touched her, she felt all giggly and bubbly. And even thought they got on each other's nerves the majority of the time, she always wanted to be around him.
Rachel was starting to think that Finn running into her car may have been a blessing in disguise.
Well, the part with the homicidal maniac chasing them wasn't really part of that blessing, but Rachel would take what she could get. And she knew if it came down to it, he would fight for her and she would fight for him. Knowing that she would fight for him helped her make up her mind.
She loved him.
Now, she just had to see if he felt the same.
But should she tell him she loved him? That might put him under pressure to say it back and he might say it but not mean it. And Rachel didn't want him to say that he loved her if he didn't really feel it. So, she would just go with the flow and see how things went. But she was positive about her feelings.
And she totally had a plan to show him that she was ready for sex. She left the condoms in the bag and put it in the cabinet under the sink before walking back out into the main room.
"Does it stink in there?" Finn asked nonchalantly from the bed.
"What?" Rachel asked in confusion. And then it clicked. "Ew! No, Finn! That's not what I was doing!"
"You were in there for like fifteen minutes. What were you doing then?" Finn asked.
"Thinking," Rachel answered simply. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to Finn.
"What were you thinking about?" Finn asked.
"Nothing important, really," Rachel said, shrugging her shoulders.
Finn smiled a little. "Well, if you want to tell me anything, I'm listening," he said.
"Maybe later," Rachel replied.
Ten minutes later, the pizza had arrived. She wasn't very hungry, so she only ate one piece, but Finn finished off his entire half.
"How in the world do you eat so much?" Rachel asked exasperatedly.
"I'm a healthy, growing boy," Finn said with a shrug.
"You should stop growing," Rachel said with a giggle. "You're already overgrown. You make me feel like a munchkin." Finn chuckled at her before turning his attention back to the television.
"Do you mind if I use one of your t-shirts for pajamas?" she asked moments later.
"Help yourself," Finn said with his eyes still on the television. Rachel got up and went over to their duffel bag to pull out a t-shirt. She walked into the bathroom barefoot, suddenly feeling nervous. I don't know how to be sexy, she thought to herself.
Rachel ignored that depressing thought and put Finn's t-shirt on. She left her bra off. She then went under the sink and grabbed the bag with the three boxes of condoms. She was almost positive that Finn would laugh over her needing to buy three boxes.
Rachel looked at herself in the mirror. "You love him," she said quietly. "You can do this." She smiled at herself before walking back out of the bathroom with the bag behind her back. Finn was still watching television and he didn't look up when she walked back in the room.
"Finn," Rachel said, trying to get his attention.
"Yeah, babe?" Finn said, still looking at the TV.
"Can we talk about something?" Rachel asked, sounding nervous. "It's important." Finn looked up at her, wondering what she wanted to talk about.
"Is everything okay?" Finn asked, sitting up.
Rachel smiled. "Yes," she said. "I just wanted to talk about what happened tonight…"
"Oh," Finn said, his face falling. "Pretty intense, huh?" he asked.
"That's definitely an understatement," Rachel said, nodding.
"Are you upset?" Finn asked, sounding a little worried. "I'm sure we're safe here. For a while at least. And I won't let anything happen to you. You know that."
Rachel looked up at him and smiled again. "I know. I trust you," she said firmly. "I was just… terrified when I left you earlier. I didn't know if I would ever see you again and it just hurt so much. The force of that pain surprised me. And it just made me realize how much I care about you."
Finn smiled. "I care about you too, Rach," he said.
"I know you do. But I was just thinking that I should give you something to show you how much I care," Rachel said. She started walking toward him. "Tonight also showed me that you're never sure of how much time you have left. And I just want to live while I have the chance."
Finn swallowed hard. "W-What are you talking about, Rach?" he asked. By the time she stopped walking, she was standing right in front of him. With a small smile, she pulled the bag out from behind her back and held it out in front of him.
"What's this?" Finn asked.
"Just look," Rachel said impatiently. Finn grabbed the bag from her and looked inside. His head snapped up so quickly that Rachel would have thought he got whiplash.
"Are you sure?" he asked nervously. Rachel nodded.
"Like I said, I just want to show you how much I care about you," Rachel said. Finn's blank face turned into a wide smile before he grabbed Rachel around the waist and pulled her onto the bed, making her giggle.
Seconds later, his lips were on hers. He kissed her frantically, like they only had seconds left to live. Sometimes, it sure felt that way.
They undressed each other so quickly that they almost didn't remember doing it. Finn looked down at a naked Rachel with awe.
"You are so damn beautiful," he said. Rachel smiled sweetly before cupping his cheek and kissing him tenderly. He pulled away from her moments later to grab one of the boxes of condoms. "And for future reference, always get the biggest ones," he said with a wink.
Rachel giggled again, loving the way he was making her feel.
With the condom on, Finn hovered over Rachel and just looked at her for a few moments.
"I love you," he said abruptly, catching both him and her off guard. But he knew that he totally meant it.
"Are-are you sure?" Rachel asked, looking into his eyes. "I mean, it hasn't been very long that we've known each other, you know..."
Finn smiled widely. "Absolutely," he announced proudly.
"That's strange," Rachel said with a smile.
"Why?" Finn asked with confusion written all over his face.
"Because I love you, too. But I was going to say it first," Rachel said.
"Looks like I beat you to it," Finn said with a grin. Before Rachel could respond, Finn pressed his lips to hers again. They kissed while he pushed into her for the first time. Warmth spread throughout both of their bodies at this physical connection. They weren't just having sex. They were making love.
TBC
-glee-glee-glee-
A/N: And there it is! But we've still got a little while to go before this story is over, so stay tuned! I have classes and homework, but I'll update as soon as I can :) Thanks so much for reading and reviewing so far, but please continue doing it! You're all amazing.