Keep in mind that season three did not happen in this little universe I've created. I may pick and choose some things that did happen that I enjoyed, but overall they're different. Having said that, if anyone wonders what Finn and Rachel's senior prom was like in my world, that will be answered in the next chapter.
May 22nd, 2038
"Mom, could you please stop taking pictures of me?" Roxanne grumbled, putting her hand out as the flash went off for the hundredth time that day.
"It's your first prom. I want to be sure to document every moment. I have entire albums dedicated to my proms…although I prefer the second one," Rachel insisted.
Roxy sighed and grimaced as her mother's stylist Lynn pulled too hard on her hair again. "So I've heard."
"Have I told you about my junior and senior proms?" Before Roxy could even begin to formulate an answer, Rachel was off. "My first prom was while your daddy and I were broken up. I went with this guy Jesse that your father still can't stand and they ended up getting kicked out because your father was jealous and threw a punch at Jesse after he told him to beat it. Well, at first I was horrified that your father got my date kicked out but my friends stepped in to fill the void and I ended up having a pretty great time…even if Quinn did slap me. She blamed me for losing her stupid prom queen crown because your father was in love with me and not her.
"After it was over, Jesse found me and took me home. He had some very choice words about your father's actions but I actually found him rather hot for fighting over me albeit confusing and misplaced as he was dating Quinn. But then next year…" Roxanne groaned. She wouldn't get her mother to shut up until she was finished even though Roxy had heard the story dozens of times. "…was a thousand times better, despite the theme being dinosaurs. I wore a gorgeous pink mermaid dress and your father looked so handsome in his suit and tie. Of course he looked good junior year but your father really wears a tie better than a bowtie.
"He ended up winning prom king and Quinn won prom queen and it was entirely aggravating having to watch them dance together but your father made it up to me that night with the most romantic…"
"You're all set!" Lynn crowed, seemingly overjoyed at not having to listen to Rachel talk anymore. Roxy envied her as she would still be stuck with her mother until Isaac picked her up later.
The woman handed her a mirror and spun her around to see the loose French braids on either side of her head lead into a large rose shaped bun on the back of her head. It was perfect.
"Thank you, Lynn! It's beautiful."
"You're absolutely welcome, my dear. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to use your bathroom then head out. I have two girls of my own to get ready for prom. I put enough bobby pins and product in your hair that a hurricane shouldn't mess it up, so don't worry too much about your hair tonight, okay?" She hugged Roxanne and ran to the bathroom.
As Roxy turned back to her mother she was blinded by yet another flash. "God, Mom! Are you trying to make me go blind? Because you're really succeeding."
"I'm just getting pictures of the finished look. Now turn so I can get some of your entire head."
Roxy reluctantly allowed her mother to photograph her head when her father knocked on her bedroom door frame. "Kurt's here with your dress."
"Has Daniel arrived yet? Roxy has yet to get her make-up done," Rachel fussed.
"If he had showed up I would have mentioned it," Finn replied, his tone rather tense.
Finn had been grumbly all day as his wife and daughter planned out the day precisely for Roxanne's first prom. It wasn't the first big dance she had ever attended but it was the first one she ever attended with a boyfriend and Finn wasn't dumb, he knew what happened on prom night. Granted nothing happened on junior prom night as the girl he wanted to be with went home with St. Jackass and the girl he was with was still pissed at him when he took her home. But senior prom night was a totally different story. He had hickeys all over his neck and chest and brush burns on his ass and knees for a week after that night.
Things would not be good for anyone with the last name Puckerman if his daughter returned home that way.
"I shortened it just a tad so people would be less likely to step all over the bottom and ruin my delicate creation but it's still long like you wanted it," Kurt announced as he entered the bedroom carrying a garment bag and hanging it on her closet door.
"Thank you, Uncle Kurt!" Roxy beamed as she walked over to the bag and unzipped it. She smiled as she viewed the fiery red and white lace bodice. "It looks perfect."
"Allô, allô," a voice called from downstairs. "Is the prom girl here?"
Finn turned to his wife and said dryly, "Daniel is here."
Rachel glared at him. "I got that, thanks." She moved to the railing in the hall to call down to Daniel. "We're up here."
Daniel ran up the stairs and gave Rachel a kiss on each cheek as they greeted each other before following her into Roxy's bedroom.
"Let me see that beautiful canvas," Daniel cried as he walked over to Roxy and gripped her chin to examine her face. "You're so gorgeous you don't even need make-up if you ask me, but if you insist, I am here to serve." He took a little bow and turned around to face the adults in the room. "Everyone out, even Rachel. I need some time alone with Miss Roxanne." He clapped his hands together then made shooing motions.
"Daniel, I'm making Roxanne a scrapbook all about her prom so I need pictures of her getting ready."
Daniel looked back at Roxy for confirmation but she silently plead with her eyes to make him get her mother out of the room and off her back. He seemed to get the hint. "I'm sorry, Rachel, but I think we should save the rest of the pictures for Roxanne's big reveal."
"But-"
"Rach, we got three other kids you can over mother downstairs. Let's let Roxy get ready in peace." Finn put his arm around Rachel and started leading her out of the room but not before she was able to get one last picture of Daniel digging around his big bag of make-up.
As Kurt followed behind them he turned around. "When you're ready to get your dress on call me and I'll help you in case there are any problems." He closed the door behind him and Roxy breathed a giant sight of relief.
"Thank you for kicking her out. I love my mother but she was being a bit of a smother today."
"She's just excited for you. You've heard her prom stories." Daniel chuckled and pulled out face wash. "We're going to start from the beginning. Go wash and moisturize your face then we'll really get started."
Nearly an hour later when Isaac was due to pick her up, Daniel and Kurt were finished making Roxanne look prom queen ready. She twirled in her full length mirror and gushed over how amazing she looked.
"Isaac is going to drool," Kurt commented as he viewed his handy work. "I'm surprised you didn't want to keep it the original length. You have your mother's legs."
"Dad would never have let me out of the house. At least this way I stand a chance."
"That's true. Although I'm not sure how he'll feel about the all the skin poking through."
A knock on the door called their attention. "Roxy, Isaac is here."
Roxy smiled brightly and did a little dance as she grabbed her clutch and turned to her helpers. "Thank you both so much for helping me get ready tonight. I feel like a million bucks."
"Well you look like even more, sweetie. Go have fun," Daniel kissed her cheek and Kurt gave her a squeeze before they walked out of the bedroom. Then to her minor embarrassment, Kurt announced her entrance as she walked down the stairs.
As soon as she hit the bottom stair her mother started with the camera again. Temporarily blinded, she couldn't see the pride on her mother's face, the wow on Isaac's mouth, or the anger in her dad's eyes. "Mother!"
"What?"
"You look amazing, Roxy. Red is really your color." Both of their cheeks turned crimson. Red was a rather significant color for them both.
"Thank you. You look really great too." Isaac of course matched Roxy, with the help of Kurt, and wore a satin red tie and vest with a white tuxedo jacket and black trousers. His hair was even styled for once.
"Hold on, Kurt…" Finn cut in, turning to his brother. "Since you were the one designing this, what in the hell were you thinking? She can't go out of the house in that!"
Roxy rolled her eyes. "Dad…"
"Don't 'dad' me. That's way too revealing. You have to wear something else."
Roxy looked at her mother to intervene. Now was when she really needed her help. "Finn, everything is covered. There is nothing wrong with her dress. I showed more skin at our prom."
"Her dress is see-through and that slit goes up to her hip."
"Mom wore one similar to the Golden Globes!" Roxy protested.
Finn rounded on her. "Your mother is also not a 16 year old in high school." He turned back to Rachel. "I'm not letting her leave this house looking like Jessica Rabbit."
Rachel sighed and patted her flustered husband's chest. "Finn, you're being a little ridiculous right now. Her dress is not see-through, it has white lining underneath the red lace, and you are not going to ruin her night, understand?"
"I can see her skin."
"That's only in a few spots. She shows more skin in a bathing suit." Rachel huffed as she grew impatient with him. "Finn, you are not making Roxanne change her dress and you are going to let her have fun tonight. Now stop acting like a baby." She turned back to her daughter with a smile. "You look beautiful, Roxy. Can I take some pictures that you won't protest now? It's my right as your mother to take pictures of you before prom."
"If you must," she finally conceded.
They spent the next twenty minutes taking dozens of photos and the entire time Finn's expression bounced between worry and anger. He knew he was going to have to let Roxy grow up eventually but he wasn't ready for that yet. She was his little girl and he didn't like that she was turning into a woman. Pretty soon she would be graduating high school and going to college and leaving his house and acting like a woman. He hated that she was changing right before his eyes.
He also hated how Isaac looked at his baby like he couldn't wait to get at what was hidden beneath her dress. Ever since he caught them in that closet he had fully understood why Rachel's dads would always hate him just a little bit. It didn't matter how old she got, Finn would never think any guy was perfect for his little girl or deserving of her.
"Okay, Mom, I think we've got plenty of pictures. If we don't get going now we'll miss our reservation," Roxy explained, growing tired of holding the same pose over and over.
"I'll have her back by two, I promise." Isaac said mostly to her father.
"You better." Finn stared him down and Isaac cleared his throat as he looked anywhere but at his girlfriend's father.
"Right, so…let's go." As Roxy walked past her father she shot him a glare and yanked her boyfriend along behind her.
He followed behind them to close the door and scare Isaac just a little more before he disappeared into the elevator and once his child was gone, Finn turned around to find his wife behind him.
"You need to lay off of Isaac and let Roxy be. They're good kids. Don't you remember what it was like being their age?"
"That's what worries me. When we were their age…" He took a deep breath and slowly released it. "Come on, let's get ready."
"Roxanne is going to kill us…mostly you."
"I won't stop her from enjoying her prom. I'm just going to monitor and be there in the event something should happen." Finn shrugged and headed for the stairs leaving Rachel, Kurt and Daniel in the living room. Then the boys joined them.
"Since Roxy's gone now can we watch TV?" Zach asked his mother.
"I suppose. And since your father and I are going out and Kurt isn't prepared to feed you all, I'll let you get pizza tonight as long as you clean up after yourselves and do not give your uncle a hard time."
"Is Bartie here?" Ian inquired, looking around for his cousin.
Kurt shook his head. "No, Bartie is grounded for destroying his sister's shadow box for her art class, but you have me all night."
Ian's expression soured until he realized the advantage. "Can we get cannolis when we go to get pizza?"
Unfortunately, his mother squashed that thought. "You had ice cream earlier and I told you if you had it after lunch you had to have fruit for your dessert. Kurt, do not buy him a cannoli." She backed toward the stairs. "I'm going to get ready. Daniel, I'll need some assistance, please."
"It's why I'm here." He was right behind her on the stairs.
Kurt looked at his pouting nephew and leaned down to speak to him. "Maybe we can get a mini cannoli for you if you behave." Ian smiled at him before joining his brothers on the couch to watch Cartoon Network.
An hour and a half later, after meeting Addy and her date Martin for pre-prom dinner, Roxy and Isaac were entering the finely decorated gymnasium and getting in line to have their pictures taken in what appeared to be a shimmery grotto reminiscent of something that could be seen in The Little Mermaid. The theme was Under the Sea, not entirely original, but the school had gone nearly all out. Light up jellyfish hung amongst streamers from the ceiling while motorized sharks swam through the air above and other colorful fish covered the walls and shined as the changing colors of light reflected off them. A giant sunken ship, where voting for the prom king and queen was taking place, was set up in the corner while a sitting area opposite the stage appeared to be made of seashells. It looked like a giant fish tank and even had underclassmen volunteers wandering around dressed as various aquatic life taking care of cleaning up and manning the snacks and drinks.
If they had done such a professional job with junior prom, Roxy couldn't wait to see what senior prom would look like next year.
"So…how long do you think we'll be here?" Isaac asked with concern. He didn't know anyone besides Roxy and was eager to get to the next phase of their night.
"We just got here, Isaac. I want to get my pictures in the grotto and not vote for Annette Blonski because if I have to deal with her rubbing her win in my face during math for the rest of the year, I will commit. Plus, I want to show off my hot boyfriend."
His mouth curved into a pleased smirk. "Am I your trophy boyfriend?"
She pressed a light kiss to his lips. "You are tonight."
Once through the dreadfully slow moving line, Roxy attempted to drag Isaac right to the seashell seats but he stopped her. "Don't you want to dance? That's kinda the point of prom."
"Really? I always thought the point was to dress up in a fancy gown and pretend to care who wins king and queen?"
"Well, that too. Do you really just want to sit here all night though? That's really boring and we could easily do that anywhere."
Roxy looked around the gymnasium at her peers and nibbled on her lip in worry. She was a horrid dancer and feared being ridiculed for it. Her father might have been okay looking goofy in high school, but she wasn't.
"Rox, you don't need to freestyle in a dance circle or anything. Just come here." He tugged her closer and walked out to the dance floor, putting her hands around his neck and his hands on her sides as he swayed them to the beat. "See, not that scary."
"That's because it's a slow song. What happens when a fast one comes on? My destruction radius is about six feet and I can easily see a few of these girls going down."
Isaac just chuckled and kissed Roxy's forehead as his hands smoothly slid lower to her hips. Roxy didn't miss the motion but she didn't really mind. She closed her eyes and listened to the music reverberating in her boyfriend's chest until he began to hum along. Her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck and she was beginning to lose herself in their dance…until a familiar voice brought her happy night to a screeching halt.
"You move those hands any lower and I'll remove them from your body," Finn stated as he danced up next to his daughter with his wife in his arms, eyeing Isaac's hands dangerously close to being below the waist.
All the blood drained from Roxy's face as her worst nightmare came to pass. Her parents were at her prom.
"Dad….Mom…what are you doing here?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"We're chaperoning and trying to avoid that new teacher, Miss Thompson. She keeps tracking us down and asking your father for a dance. The PTA asked for volunteers and your father signed us up."
Roxy stepped away from Isaac who discreetly hid behind her, silently watching the interaction. "You did this to spy on me," she discerned easily. "Oh, God! You are unbelievable, Dad! This is a total invasion of my privacy and right to a parent free night."
"Chill out, Roxy. We're not spying. We're here to keep order if necessary and prevent any underage drinking or public indecency. I didn't even notice you were dancing until I twirled your mother and a couple left the floor. I just thought we'd come over and say hello."
"And scare Isaac further?"
"I'm not scared," he mumbled behind her.
"Yeah, and I'm not pissed as hell right now," Roxy replied with biting sarcasm.
"I cannot believe you would let him do this, Mom! This is my prom and he is ruining it!"
Rachel looked a little guilty but tried her best to make her daughter calm down. "It's really not that big of a deal, sweetie. Once this conversation is over we will leave you alone to enjoy your night. It will be like we aren't even here. I promise."
"You can't promise that. Everyone knows who you are and that you're my mom and a lot of these kids had dad in elementary school. You aren't exactly inconspicuous." She could already see some kids looking at her. "You're embarrassing me and I'd really appreciate it if you could leave."
"We can't leave. We're here through the end to help with clean-up," Finn informed her rather smugly. There was no way Roxy and Isaac could sneak off if they knew they were being watched and Isaac had to have her back by two. It had been the perfect plan to foil any potential attempts at his little girl becoming a woman. He didn't want her to be a prom night cliché.
Roxanne glared at her father, clearly pleased with himself at spoiling her junior prom, and didn't say anything as she walked toward the sunken ship, towing Isaac along behind her. He nearly bowled her over when they came to an abrupt stop at the end of the line to vote for prom king and queen.
"Can you believe him?" she asked as she spun around to face him, a note of hysteria in her voice. "He didn't volunteer because he wanted to help the PTA, he volunteered because then he could continue to lord over us like he always does. When is he going to get it through his head that I'm not a child anymore?"
"He's just looking out for you. You're the only daughter he has."
"Well, it isn't fair. He never acts this way with the Stooges. I can guarantee you he won't crash their proms."
"Roxanne. It's going to be okay. It isn't the end of the world."
"But now we can't skip out early. He's going to be following my every move."
He cupped her face in his hands and gave her a calming kiss. Her tense body relaxed and when they broke apart she took a deep breath.
"There's always my prom next month. Your dad can't reach us there and my parents couldn't give a crap about the PTA. Hell, we can completely skip my prom and just go straight to our private party." He waggled his eyebrows at her and she giggled.
"Next," a high pitched whine called from behind Roxanne in line. She turned around and found Amelia Saunders manning the voting booth. She wasn't exactly the person Roxanne had expected to be running prom committee as most people couldn't stand her, but really, she didn't care.
"Hi Roxy." Her eyes flickered over to Isaac. "Who is this?" She sat up straighter and a little smirk popped on her face.
"This," she wrapped her arms around him to demonstrate, "is my boyfriend…Isaac."
"Isaac…very nice to meet you. I'm Amelia. Are you new here?" Her voice was sickly sweet and grating on Roxy's nerves.
"No. I don't go to school here. I go to a regular old public school in Queens."
Amelia laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world. "Well, there is absolutely nothing wrong with public school. I'm here on academic scholarship myself…unlike most of the student body." She eyed Roxy.
Roxy rolled her eyes. It wasn't her fault her parents could afford to send their kids to a really great private school. She didn't pick it, they did, and she actually did have great grades and could get her own scholarship if she needed one.
"I never said there was." Isaac looked at Roxy and they shared an awkward smile.
"So, could I please cast my vote? I'd like to get back to dancing with my boyfriend."
"Sure." She handed her a ballot and a pen and Roxy checked the boxes of those she disliked least. She dropped it in the box and shot Amelia a forced smile before wrapping her arm around Isaac's waist again and walking toward the snacks.
Unfortunately, her father had the same idea as he stuffed a cucumber sandwich into his mouth, Miss Thompson trying in vain to earn his attention on the opposite side as she manned the punch bowl.
"What did I do to deserve this hell?" she exclaimed to the ceiling, hoping God could hear her and maybe give her dad something non-life threatening but enough to get him to go away.
Isaac held her back momentarily and whispered in her ear. "Your dad doesn't know about…" he trailed off hoping she'd understand.
"Trust, if and when he finds out, you will know it." She turned back around and angrily threw some chocolate covered strawberries and caramel popcorn on her plate.
"Rossy, 'ou got-a try te 'inger san'wiches," Finn said through a mouthful of mini sandwiches, holding the plate he'd made out for her.
Roxy ignored him and stormed away with her plate to sit in the seashell area.
Rachel walked up next to her husband and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched her husband stuff his face. "These snacks are for the students, Finn. We ate dinner earlier." She slapped his hand away from taking another five chicken salad finger sandwiches. "And you have to leave Roxy alone. She isn't having fun at all because she's so worried about you embarrassing her or constantly interfering in her night out with her boyfriend. Don't you remember how annoying it was when Quinn kept pestering you about making the rounds for last minute prom votes? I certainly do. She made it very difficult for us to just have fun and that is what you're doing now."
Finn swallowed the food in his mouth. "It's not like I'm following her around. I said hello and offered her a sandwich."
"But your reasoning for being here is very clear. You're trying to keep her on a leash, Finn. I know you don't care about keeping kids from spiking the punch bowl or getting into fights. You're here only to watch Roxy and I do not approve."
"If you feel that way, why did you come with me then?"
"To keep you in check. I know you would have followed her around all night if I weren't here to monitor you."
Finn wanted to protest but knew better than to argue when she was absolutely right. He just wanted to be sure she was being safe and responsible and that Isaac wasn't pressuring her into anything she didn't want to do. Despite having a vastly different approach with women, he was still Puckerman's son and that automatically gave Finn cause to worry.
"You know, every so often, I think what would have happened if we had gone to junior prom together instead of you with Quinn and me with Jesse."
"It probably would have been a lot like senior prom."
"Would you like to test that theory?"
Rachel stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist as he rested his hands on her neck. "Are we going to be a prom night cliché?" he flirted, rubbing his thumbs over the apples of her cheeks.
"That would only work if we were virgins," she lowered her voice and gripped his jacket, "but we can pretend we're horny teenagers." Rachel chuckled and pushed up to softly kiss Finn on the lips.
"After I make sure our daughter doesn't turn herself into a walking cliché, I'm totally open to that idea." He glanced over in the direction she had walked but couldn't see anything through the throng of dancing teenagers.
"I don't think you'll have to worry about her ever being a prom night cliché."
"Yeah." Finn was about to kiss Rachel again when what she said really struck him. He pulled away, his eyebrows scrunched in thought. "What do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean by what?"
"That I don't need to worry about her ever being a prom night cliché?"
Rachel's eyes widened and Finn could see her swallow as she looked away from him. "I simply meant that she has a good head on her shoulders and wouldn't do something as frivolous as losing her virginity on prom night. Now come on, let's go dance again." She tried pulling Finn away but he remained rooted in place.
"Rachel."
"Yes?" she replied.
"You're hiding something from me."
Rachel laughed and waved that notion off. "Of course not."
"Have Roxanne and Isaac…" he was growing so enraged at the idea that he couldn't finish the sentence.
Sensing that he was going to do something drastic whether she told the truth or not, Rachel finally let the cat out of the bag.
"Finn, don't do anything stupid. Remember what happened last time. You nearly killed Isaac."
"How long have you known?" he growled out.
"It happened in February. I caught her that day and she begged me not to tell you because she knew how you would react." Rachel could hear the plea in her voice.
"So you two have been lying to me since February?!"
"Really Finn, it wasn't something Roxy felt comfortable discussing with you. It's not really our bus-"
"Not our business?! Rachel! We're her parents, she's a child!"
"No, Finn, she is not!" Rachel took a deep breath and a tight grip on Finn's hand. "Roxy is not a baby anymore and you refuse to accept that. She's growing up and whether it was with Isaac or some other boy, this was going to happen eventually. At least we know she is being smart and safe about it with someone she loves."
"No, you know. You've had me in the dark for months about this. What happened to no lying? Why didn't you tell me?"
"To be honest, Finn, I didn't tell you because it broke my heart to see how scared Roxanne was when I found out. She loves you, but after how you reacted when you found out about her relationship with Isaac, I can't blame her for not wanting you to know. You have a temper and tend to resort to violence fairly quickly. I don't think she wanted to watch her father go to jail for beating her boyfriend to death."
"You know I wouldn't do that."
"You nearly collapsed his trachea."
He scoffed. "Hardly. I didn't even use full force."
"It's rather moot how much force you did or didn't use because it still managed to scare your daughter and best friend's son so badly that they're afraid to even be in the same room together when you're around."
"Your dads did the same thing to me."
Rachel stared at him with judgment in her eyes. "I thought you wanted to be better than my dads? More understanding and less 'punch first, ask questions later'?"
Now Finn felt guilty. He was acting like that. Finn started walking away and Rachel jogged along behind him.
"Where are you going?"
"I need to have a few words with Isaac."
Panic spread through Rachel and she pulled hard on his arm to make him stop moving. "Finn, please think about what you're doing. We were them once and it would be extremely hypocritical of you to pulverize Isaac to dust."
"I'm just going to talk to him," he declared. At least he hoped that was all he was going to do.
Finn took deep breaths trying to keep his temper in check but as he got closer to the seashells where he could see Roxy and her friends sitting and laughing, his resolve to stay calm was slipping away. Isaac's arm was around Roxy's shoulders and her hand was creeping dangerously close to the area Finn wanted to rip off. He walked right up to Isaac.
"Come with me…NOW!" he barked at him, making the kid jump.
"Dad, what are you doing?!" Roxy cried as he ripped her boyfriend to his feet.
Finn could hear his girls shouting after him as he dragged Isaac toward the gymnasium doors and feel their hands on his arms trying to hold him back, but he had to deal with this. Once out in the empty hallway, Finn slammed Isaac against the wall.
The boy was petrified and the fear in his eyes suddenly reminded Finn of his own youth. He had been on the opposite side of this. Besides, he had already raged against him once and swore never to do it again. Finn released Isaac's lapels and let him relax but didn't let him move. As much as Finn wanted to keep his little girl little forever, he couldn't. She loved Isaac and he couldn't stand in the way of that, just like the Berrys couldn't come between him and Rachel. So he offered him an olive branch.
"Do you love my daughter?"
Isaac's eyebrow cocked and his glance swept over to Roxy's who appeared just as confused by the question. He nodded his head a miniscule amount. "Yes sir…?"
"Is that a question? Do you love her or not?"
"Yes, sir," he replied with more conviction this time. He swallowed thickly and seeing Roxy smile at him made him feel braver. "I've been in love with her since I was like five years old."
"Good. If you ever break her heart…I will break you." Finn turned to walk away, before adding a piece of wisdom. "And always use a condom. Your family doesn't have the greatest track record with unplanned pregnancies and I'd prefer if my daughter didn't add to that." Every ounce of blood drained from Isaac's face and Roxy's mouth fell open. Finn turned around to look at his daughter. "Next time, don't make your mother lie for you. I think I'm going to head home now. I expect to see you back there by two and no later."
All Roxy could do was gape at her father. "You…you know?" she asked meekly.
"Just because I do doesn't mean I want to talk about it, but that doesn't mean I want to be lied to either. You aren't a little girl anymore and I guess I need to accept that."
Roxy threw herself into his arms and hugged him tight. "I love you, Daddy."
He hugged her back and kissed her forehead. "I love you too, Roxy doll. Go have fun with your friends. But not too much fun. I'll still ground you if you come home drunk or high." She rolled her eyes and pulled away. Finn looked at his wife. "Are you joining me?"
"I still need to stick around to chaperone and inform Miss Thompson of your departure. I'm sure she'll be sad to hear you left," Rachel replied smugly. She really couldn't stand that woman's infatuation with her husband.
"Alright. I'll see you all at home then." He pulled Rachel in for a hug and kiss before turning to Isaac. He put his hand out for a shake. "Please be safe and take care of my daughter. She's all yours tonight."
Isaac nodded once. "I will, Uncle Finn."
Finn hugged Roxy one again and told her to have fun before making his way to the nearest exit. When he arrived home he was surprised to see the house in total chaos.
A pillow fort had been constructed in the corner, Nerf darts were stuck to all surfaces and littering the floor, while his children were running around half naked with camo paint all over their bodies. As he assessed the rest of the mess he would have to clean up, a dart hit him square in the eye.
"Fuck!" he screamed as he clutched at his watering eye. With his other good eye he looked up to see his brother in sniper position on the floor of the walkway outside of Roxy's room. "Kurt!"
"Sorry, I was aiming for your big forehead. Apparently it isn't as big as it looks." He stood up and was immediately assaulted by darts from under the dining room table where Finn had failed to notice the secondary fort. Kurt played up his death, finally succumbing to his demise at the bottom of the stairs, collapsing to the ground.
Ian came roaring out from under the table in triumph, placing his foot on Kurt's chest and raising his Nerf gun over his head as he roared. He looked like Rambo if Rambo were a chubby 10 year old with his hair glued into spikes.
"Have you been borrowing hair gel from Blaine?" Finn asked as Ian let Kurt back up and danced in celebration of his victory over Uncle Kurt and Liam. Zach joined him in his celebration as he came out from his hiding spot in the small space between the stairs and entertainment center.
"We used some of Rachel's mousse. He insisted spikes would be better to strike fear into those who opposed him." Kurt rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of the statement. "What are you doing home so early? I thought you wanted to spy on Roxy?"
"I did…until Rachel told me that Isaac and Roxy have been…intimate." Kurt stiffened and tried to take a step away. "Would you relax? I'm not going to explode."
"Is Isaac lying dead in a storm drain right now? Do I need to call the cops? I love you and you're my brother but I will not lie about murder for you."
"Isaac is in one piece enjoying prom with Roxanne." Finn pulled away the front couch cushion of the fort and found his eldest son underneath playing a game on his phone. He stepped away from the fort to place the cushion back on the couch and sat down. "I wanted to kick his ass but…I don't want to make Roxy resent me. I don't want her too scared of how I'll react to never tell me anything. If she's going to be with anyone, at least it's with someone she loves and is being safe with."
"That was a sudden change of heart considering you nearly ripped his throat out a few months ago and pee himself a few hours ago."
"When I caught them at your party, I felt like I had become like Leroy and it scared me, but I still didn't like the idea of my daughter being old enough for a boyfriend. And today, I was getting that feeling again, but when I saw the genuine fear in Isaac, it hit me that he was me. He just wants to be with his girlfriend because he loves her. He isn't using her or playing her, he loves her, and I can't stop either of them from feeling that way anymore than Leroy and Hiram could stop me and Rachel. But if he does hurt her, I'm going to be the first one to make sure he pays for it."
"Wow, look at you finally growing up."
Finn shoved him and he chuckled.
Back at prom, Roxy was still stunned over the entire situation as she and Isaac slow danced amongst their peers. "Do you think he's on drugs? That could explain erratic behavior."
"I'm not questioning it. I'm just glad to have my all body parts attached and in their correct places."
"Maybe he had a brain aneurysm!"
"Rox," Isaac grabbed her cheeks and made her look at him, "let's just drop it. I thought you wanted to have fun tonight?"
"Of course I do. I just don't understand how my father remained so calm after learning about us. It's freaky."
Isaac shrugged and put his hands back on her hips. "Maybe he just trusts you enough to know you'll make smart decisions. Whatever it is, I'm happy about it and think we should just have a good time tonight. At least now we can skip out early as planned."
Roxy grinned at him. "This is true."
From near the snack table, Rachel watched her daughter smiling as she danced with her first love. She was honestly amazed that Finn had backed down instead of going with his first impulse to kill. It had been a huge step for him and one she hoped he would keep up. Whether they liked it or not, all their children were going to grow up and go out into the world and meet boys and girls and there was nothing they could do to stop it. They could only hope that someday they might find a love as special as what she had with Finn.
When the dancing had ceased, prom titles had been announced, and Roxy and Isaac spent a few quiet hours alone together, they found themselves outside Roxy's building.
"Thank you for escorting me to prom. I hope you had fun despite that first rather tense hour with my father around."
"I had a great time. I hope you aren't disappointed with mine next month since I only go to lowly public school."
"As long as I'm with you, I'm sure it will be splendid." Roxy took his hands in hers and tilted her head back to allow him to kiss her. "I need to get upstairs before my father has a conniption." They kissed again. "I'll text you later."
"I love you, Roxanne."
"I love you too, Isaac." She hugged him tightly and gave him one last lingering kiss before stepping inside and waving through the doors as he climbed back into the waiting cab.
When she made it upstairs, Roxy found her parents cuddling on the couch watching a movie.
"I thought you would be in bed by now."
Her father tilted his head back to look at her upside down. "And let you possibly get away with missing your curfew? Fat chance." He and Rachel sat up to see her better. "How was prom? D'jya win?"
"I wasn't even nominated."
"Neither was Uncle Kurt but he still won prom queen in a cruel twist of fate," Rachel stated.
"Annette Blonski won, unfortunately. Now I have to listen to her go on and on about how everyone loves her even more now. I can't wait for college."
"I can," Finn grumbled.
"Well, I'm beat so I'm going to bed. I will see you both in the morning." Roxy waved as she made for the stairs but halfway up she turned back to her parents. "Hey Dad…"
"Yeah?"
Her expression softened. "Thanks. I know I lied and-"
"Roxy, it's okay. I can't say I'm happy about any of this, but I'm going to be okay with it. I just want you to be safe and happy."
"Well I am." She gave him a soft smile. "Goodnight Mom, Dad." She continued up the stairs and into her room, closing the door behind her.
Finn sighed as he watched her go.
"I'm proud of you, Finn. You're dealing with this a lot better than I expected."
"I'm still not pleased with you." He arched his eyebrow and peered down at her from the side.
"Me?! What did I do?" Rachel exclaimed, taking offense.
"Well, you did keep this from me for months."
"For good reason."
"It's still going to take a while for me to get over the betrayal," he responded somewhat dramatically. "My own wife!"
Rachel giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I'm very sorry for betraying you. How can I possibly begin to make it up to you?"
"Groveling…lots of groveling." Rachel stood up and pulled Finn off the couch as well. "And no more making fun of my distinguished grey hair, more groveling, not making me run errands when the game is on…"
Finn listed off more ways Rachel could apologize for covering for Roxy as she led him into their bedroom and closed the door, ready to make prom night special for them once more. She had a good feeling it wouldn't take much else to earn his forgiveness.