Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee or any of the lyrics used in this story.

"Open your heart to me baby, I'll hold the lock and you hold the key. Open your heart to me darling, I'll give you love if you turn the key."

-from 'Borderline/Open your heart

"No. Absolutely not. Why do you even have this" Kurt asked, flinging things out of Rachel's suitcase as he ranted. She turned to face Blaine's patient smile, the only thing keeping her from flipping out on the other small boy so far. She had no idea why she had agreed to let him come help her pack for the trip, well she did, but that wasn't the point. He was great, and she found herself relating to him on many levels, but not so much at the moment.

"Kurt there is nothing wrong with my wardrobe. I'm not going to Tennessee to walk down a runway, I'm going to watch a billiards tournament. All I need is something to keep me warm, and comfortable" she said, attempting to reason with him.

"God you sound just like Finn. Every time you step out in public, is an opportunity to impress" he said as if he were talking to a toddler. "Hopeless fashion sense, the both of you" he muttered, walking over to her closet most likely in search of 'acceptable' clothing.

"I don't see anything wrong with the way Finn dresses" she defended before she could stop herself, glaring at Blaine's knowing nod.

"You wouldn't. I stop by that hog pin of an apartment weekly to launder his clothes and lay out the most descent things he has to wear. Who do you think dressed him for his Fraternity crossing party?"

Ah, that made sense. It felt like only yesterday she had seen Finn standing in that crowded room, dressed to the nines in black and white. He looked so fresh and made up, like someone out of a magazine. "That was all you? You did a really good job" she said, too lost in the memory to disguise the dreaminess in her tone.

"Oh sweetie, I think you have a little drool" Blaine said, exaggeratedly dabbing at the corner of Rachel's mouth with a grin.

She swatted his hand away quickly, simultaneously avoiding Kurt's amused stare. It felt like she was being tag-teamed, she really had to watch these two, they were as bad as Brittany and Santana. Ever since she had lunch with the pair of them over the weekend, both boys had been down her throat trying to get the details of she and Finn's relationship out of her. This was Finn's brother though, and she knew anything that was said was bound to return to him by way of Kurt immediately. That wasn't exactly the best thing that could happen, so she chose to keep her mouth shut, ever honoring Finn's wishes.

"Still sure there's nothing you would like to share with us" Kurt taunted, neatly folding and placing things into her suitcase.

"Not a thing."

"Fine. It is a shame though" he sighed dramatically, walking over to his partner. "Carol seems to think otherwise. She's been talking about you all weekend, and even my dad."

"Really? What, um, what did they say about me?" she asked quietly, playing with the ends of her hair. Mom's were a big deal right? Her opinion of Rachel would likely matter a lot to Finn.

"Well I would just love to share all of the juicy details with you Rachel. Under certain circumstances of course..." he paused, looking at her expectantly. Dammit, he almost reeled her in. As tempting as it was, she wouldn't fall for that though, at least not now. She would just hold onto the hope that all the acceptance and kindness Carol had shown her, and the nice things Burt had said at the hospital were genuine. Time would tell anyway.

"Are you looking for an information trade? Because I have nothing to share" she shrugged, walking over to take her suitcase from him. She quickly jotted down a note for Brittany, reminding her that she was leaving for the tournament, then linked arms with her two best gays to go meet the van.

"Okay guys, put your stuff in the back and let's hit the road" Will called, clapping his hands together in excitement before jumping in the drivers seat of the large van.

"Don't forget to call Carol, you know she worries. Hang up all of your clothes as soon as you get to your hotel, if there is an ironing board there for Barbara's sake, use it" Kurt instructed, straightening the shoulders of Finn's shirt.

"Alright, alright" Finn chuckled, brushing the smaller boy off. "We're only gone for a few days, why are you being all mom'ish?"

"Because you need it. And I'm not just doing it to you" Kurt clarified, rolling his eyes at his brother before approaching Blaine for his lecture then affectionate goodbye.

"Just because I'm okay with it doesn't mean I want to see it" Finn groaned, being met with a wave from his brother's hand. The two boys had revealed their relationship to Finn over the weekend. "You better be glad I like Blaine. Isn't it in the big brother handbook that I'm supposed to kick his ass for keeping this a secret?"

"You're not my big brother Finn. You only have me by a few months" Kurt scowled, turning to push Finn's shoulder, then re-smoothing the fabric with his hand.

"Still counts" he smirked.

Rachel said her goodbyes to Kurt before finally boarding the van. Puck was sitting in the front row, patting the seat beside him in invitation with a grin. She smiled up at him, it felt like it had been forever since she had hung out with her dear friend.

"Hey stranger" he said, pulling her in for a hug when she settled beside him. "You miss me?"

"Oh, I was going through withdrawals" she said playfully, pinching his knee.

"Good because this is going to be a long ride" Puck said, as she watched Finn climb into the passenger seat, shutting the door. They immediately pulled out of the lot.

"It will be. And how do you plan on entertaining me on this long, strenuous ride" she asked, placing a hand on her hip even though she was sitting.

"First off, I'm challenging your ass to some Flappy Birds, then I'm going to tell you all about the facial I gave this girl over the weekend."

"A facial? That's different, I wouldn't have taken you to be interested in cosmetics."

"Obviously you're not thinking the right kind of facial" he said with a devilish grin. That paired with the loud laugh Finn released from in front of her alerted her to just what he had meant.

"Oh God. Do you ever stop" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Never" he laughed, pulling out his phone. "And don't worry I have plenty stories to share, but for now let's play. My high score is 120, let's see if you can beat it" he challenged opening up the app. She died on level two eight times in a row, and almost threw his droid through the windshield.

"Let me try" Finn said, reaching back to take the phone from her. He easily made it to level fifteen before winking at her and handing the phone back. "Must just be you" he chuckled.

She growled low in her throat as she snatched the phone from him. This was definitely going to be a long ride.

They had been on the road forever, and she had eventually fallen asleep against Puck's shoulder for a short period when they finally arrived at an Outback Steakhouse. Thank goodness too, her stomach woke up right along with her. The team walked inside the semi-crowded restaurant, and were seated immediately. She walked to the end of the rectangular table to take her seat and smiled when Finn sat down right beside her, Tina taking the other side.

"I'm starving" he said, picking up the menu once the waitress set it down.

"Me too" she agreed before giving the waitress her drink order.

"What are you gonna get?"

"I don't know, I usually get their bacon cheese fries, but their coconut shrimp are really good too" she said, debating between the two in her mind. Both were junk foods, and she knew she would feel guilty about eating either, but what the heck? She was on vacation, and she wanted to splurge.

"Well get both, and I'll pay for it" he suggested casually, making her freeze.

"What?"

"I'll pay for your food." He didn't even look up from his menu, he said it like it was the most normal thing in the world for him to do.

"Why would you do that Finn?"

"It's the least I can do. You've really had my back lately, and I wanna thank you for it. Just, let me be a gentleman and buy your meal" he finished in a rushed breath, his cheeks pinking adorably.

"Gentleman, huh? Fine, I'll let you buy me a salad" she decided, folding her menu and pushing it away.

"What? You just said you wanted-"

"And your proposal has changed my mind. Both of those dishes are expensive, I won't have you over spending on me."

"Rachel, I wouldn't have offered if I didn't have the money to spend, or if I didn't want to."

"I'm ordering a salad" she said stubbornly, trying to level him with her gaze.

"That's not what you really want Rach" he argued, placing his menu down on the table.

"Besides the point" she dismissed, turning away from him as the waitress approached them.

She watched silently as Finn gave his order to the older lady, his charming smile perfectly intact, showing no signs of their little spat. When the woman turned to her, before she could even open her mouth to place her dull order, Finn continued.

"And she'll have an order of your bacon cheese fries, along with an order of coconut shrimp. Put it on my ticket. You're welcome" he added with a breathtakingly sweet smile, taking the argument right off of her tongue. "Seriously, don't worry about it Rach. Enjoy your food." She nodded mutely, losing herself in the deep brown pools before her attention was grabbed away.

"Where are you kids from" the waitress asked when she had taken all of their orders. "You don't sound like you're from around here."

"We're actually from Ohio, we're here for a pool tournament this week" Will announced, clapping a hand on Puck's shoulder. "This is our team."

"Oh, well that's exciting! Are you all excited?" The group all cheered together, giving a flurry of answers at one time. "Oh, I see you are! It's a little bit cold this time of year for swimming though isn't it?" Everyone at the table froze, and it took everything in Rachel not to laugh at the conflicted expression on her teammates faces. "I wrecken you all would know more about it than I would though" she chuckled. "There's a community center with an industrial pool not too far from here if y'all need to get in some practice, let me know if you need directions" she offered brightly before walking off to place the orders. As soon as she was gone, the whole table burst into laughter and just like that their lovely night began.

"Okay guys, here are the keys. Girls, you two stick together, alright? Guys, split the rooms up however. We have an early morning, so get some sleep" Will instructed, handing out the room keys just before he disappeared down the hall into his own room. All heads watched his depart, and as soon as the door closed the frenzy began. She pulled the key in her hand tightly to her as her friends fought over and sorted out the others. She knew that Tina and Mike would end up together, so she quietly walked away from the group to her room.

Rachel unlocked the door and walked into the decently spaced room, eying the full sized bed, the television in the front of the room, the tiny bathroom, and the heating and cooling unit in the corner. She set her bags down beside the bed, and started to pull out her toiletries for the night. She quickly showered, dressed for bed and was flipping through the channels on the television when the knock sounded on her door.

"Finn" she asked, her eyes immediately traveling down his pajama clad body to the suitcase in his hands. "What are you doing here?"

"I can't stay in Puck's room, two straight dudes shouldn't share a bed, and he called dibs. Mike and Tina are in one, Blaine got the only other room, and that would just be weird so...Do you mind, if I um, if I crash in here with you" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as his cheeks reddened again. It was cute how often she was seeing him blush lately, something she could definitely get used to. "I could even make a pad on the floor if you would be more comfortable with that" he rambled. "I did boy scouts and did a lot of camping when I was younger so I've slept in worse conditions. One time in high school I even-"

"Finn, it's fine. I would think we're comfortable enough to handle sharing a bed" she said coolly, stepping back to allow him inside the room. Her heart flipped inside her chest when he crossed the threshold, and she did a small victory dance behind him as he moved to place his bag down on the opposite side of the bed.

"Aren't you supposed to be hanging some clothing up" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. "I'm pretty sure Kurt gave specific orders" she teased, sitting down on the edge of the bed and scooting backward.

"Yeah well he's not here is he" Finn retorted, grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste out of his bag.

"I don't know, this is Kurt we're talking about. He could very likely pop out of that closet any second to lecture us on not listening to him" she smiled, eyes darting over near the closet even though she had said it jokingly. Kurt really was something serious. "I could see it happening" she added with a fond smile.

"He likes you" Finn said simply, in way of response. "My mom does too." She stopped breathing at the small admission, offering him a small smile before he disappeared into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

She tousled her hair in his absence, checking her own breath even though she had just brushed her own teeth, and stretched out under the covers as attractively as she could without looking slutty.

"What are you watching" he asked upon return, immediately giving her deja vu of their night together so long ago. It didn't help at all when he lifted the covers and lowered himself onto the bed next to her. She could feel the heat coming from his body in their close proximity; he was pretty huge and it was only a full sized bed. Given, it was bigger than her dorm room bed had been, but still. It had been a while since they were this intimately close. It was intoxicating.

"Um, nothing really. I was just flipping through channels and such. I'll probably fall asleep before long, so you can pick whatever you want" she suggested, leaning her head against the fluffy pillow. He leaned back as well, propping his head up on his arm as he started to flip. In spite of her words she released a small squeal when he reached a channel playing 'Pretty Woman' and she tried to hide her guilty look when he looked over at her with a chuckle. He wordlessly laid the remote control on the bedside table, and settled back to watch the movie.

"We don't really have to watch this Finn, pick what you want."

"Nah, it's cool. I actually really like this movie. Kurt forced it on me a long time ago, and it turned out to not be so bad."

"Kurt has good opinions" she said purposefully, he liked her after all, and she couldn't argue with his taste in film.

"Plus Julia Roberts is super hot in this movie" he added with a smirk, earning an eye roll from her.

"In spite of your objectification, I must agree with you that this is a wonderful movie. I've loved it since I was just a small girl. Julia Roberts in an incredible actress overall, but she really does an amazing job in this particular movie" she said, before looking up at him with a grin. "And yeah, she is hot."

Finn laughed loudly at her, making the bed vibrate slightly with the shake of his body. It was actually a comforting feeling. "Right?"

"I've always been fascinated with acting, and movies, and plays and such. I've been obsessed with the musical Wicked since my dads took me to see it at the age of twelve. I didn't know it at the time, but I think it was because of my mom." She wasn't sure why she was sharing this with Finn, maybe it was the intimate setting, or the air of comfortableness engulfing them, but once she started she couldn't stop. She didn't think she wanted to. "She was a theater teacher, as I told you, and according to my dads she was involved from the arts at a very young age; it was her passion. I guess that's why I've always been so drawn to it, that was her coming out in me you know? I wasn't completely sure until I started college though, and I took my first acting class. There's something so freeing about performing, capturing peoples attention and being whoever you want to be. It's like, some sort of therapy, but maybe that's just me" she sighed, feeling the burn of his deep brown gaze on her cheek. "It makes me feel really connected to her, like I'm letting some part of her shine through me even though she's not around to see it. It's like proof that she really is my mom, that there really is a bond there. Is that weird" she asked, turning to meet his gentle stare.

"It's not weird at all Rachel, it makes a lot of sense. My biological dad died when I was just a baby, so I never had any kind of relationship with him either, not that I could remember at least" he whispered, looking straight at the t.v. "When I got big enough, I really missed that feeling of connection to, even though I'd never really consciously had it. I used to sit in his old chair and pretend he was rocking me and I'd talk to him, or I'd go stare at his picture on the wall and try to find myself in his face. I had convinced myself that we were twins, any time I looked in the mirror it was like he was there with me, like I was carrying him around" he smiled, turning to face her again. "So no I don't think it's weird, I get it." He reached down beside the bed, digging around in his bag before producing his wallet. After some more flipping he pulled out a photo, boring a man with very familiar brown eyes dressed in a military uniform. She immediately realized who it was, and she fought the tears that sprang to her eyes when she realized how deep this was for him to share.

"Ah, I definitely see the resemblance" she whispered, reaching over to squeeze his hand. He stroked a finger over the face of the picture, and gave her a small but genuine smile before replacing it in his wallet and putting it back in his bag. In a strange way, she felt like he had just introduced her to his father, and she was honored to have something so precious shared with her.

"Yeah, I told you so. We're some attractive Hudson men" he said smugly, turning to her with his trademark lopsided smile.

"Eh, maybe more him than you" she shot back.

"Pssh. We both know I'm a prime example of an attractive young man" he said, lifting his chin to look down his nose at her.

"Maybe when Kurt dresses you" she grinned, laughing at his surprised expression before he composed himself. "I hear he does your laundry too" she teased.

"Don't judge me, that's for women...and Kurt. And if I'm not mistaken he was dying to make some adjustments to your wardrobe too midget." Dangitt, he had her there.

Deciding to deflect the insult, she rolled her eyes and gave him a weak push. "Would you quit yapping, I'm trying to watch a movie" she stage whispered, sticking her tongue out at him and earning a chuckle.

She didn't stay awake much longer however, her eyes drooped lower and lower, the long drive and the change in location taking their toll on her body. She rolled over onto her side as the sleep weighed down on her. She could hear the steady hum of the air unit, the famous words 'Cinder-fucking-rella' and felt what certainly seemed like the gentle pressure of lips on her temple before she was lost to the darkness.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!