Here's the second and final part to this one.
Special thanks to SleepE_Kitty and SaraFinchel for all the football help and inspiration.
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.
Rachel Berry learned at a very young age to never underestimate the importance of halftime.
Not only did it provide valuable time for resting, it was - more crucially - a time to evaluate all the mistakes made during the first half. And Rachel knew very well what she had done wrong.
She was unprepared.
Unprepared for Finn Hudson, and all his moves, and all his looks, and all his charms.
She couldn't stand a chance against his tender, glowing eyes that were constantly gazed upon her, eyes that matched his smile. And coupled with his hush, whispering voice that soothed her late at night, well she wasn't to blame. No one couple resist the touch of Finn Hudson's hand, softly grazing her arm before pulling her in to a hug that made her insides flutter and rejoice. And the conversations he had brought up just to her and only her, so honest, so sincere...
It wasn't her fault that she was losing the game.
Yet, Rachel knew she had to make up the points somehow. She would have to try to prove that she could make Finn as defenseless as she was in the first half. In other words, Rachel had to show to Finn that she was as great as a girlfriend as he was a boyfriend.
Because after reviewing her actions, trying to fight her love for Finn Hudson had made Rachel seem like a terrible match.
For example, Finn Hudson always did things first. He always opened the door for her, he always paid the check. Not to mention, he always did things she wanted to do. They went to her favorite restaurants. They watched her favorite movies. Finn, being Finn, always let her choose, letting him score in the long run (in more ways than one). Most of all, he always praised football. Never had he said anything against the world's greatest sport - her sport. She on the other hand… well she always tried to say terrible things about his sport.
That would be her approach in the second half, she decided. Her main strategy to score points would be to use the same techniques he had used in the first half, but with her own Rachel Berry style. And by the time the weeks were up, she would be clear cut winner - the only winner for Finn.
But just because the clock stopped during halftime didn't mean that their dates would too.
For their first date as boyfriend-girlfriend, they went to a baseball game.
It was her idea: a mutual, peaceful outing between their sports.
"I've never been to a baseball game before," Finn shouted as she led them up to their seats to the outfield, their hands intertwined. Rachel smiled at the giddy smile on his face.
"Neither have I," Rachel shouted back over the opening ceremonies. They were just a little bit late, only because Rachel had begged Finn to stop by a sporting store on their way to the game. She just thought it would be funny to have two football players wearing baseball jerseys. And she may have secretly bought a baseball glove too. It would be great, she knew, for Finn to catch a home run ball at their first baseball game. So, before buying tickets, Rachel did her research. She had looked up the players' statistics online, and bought their tickets accordingly. It cost her a little bit more, but oh well.
She couldn't score any points during halftime, she knew, but seeing the smile on Finn's face when caught the ball would mean so much to her.
"I'm excited," Finn said in her ear as soon as they sat down. "Thank you," he kissed her cheek, making her blush. She was excited too.
"Now will everyone please stand for the National Anthem sung by rising Los Angeles artist, Mercedes Jones."
Rachel stood and watched as the woman on the center of the field, who didn't look too much older than the two of them, sang a song she had heard a thousand times prior in a way she could have never expected.
"She was really good," Finn said to her as soon as they sat down.
"She looked like she's our age," Rachel replied. For some strange reason, the competitive side of her started to stir. She didn't know why she was suddenly jealous of the singer's success at such a young age, and the feeling that Mercedes Jones' voice could leave a crowd in awe made her want to do the same, but better.
But as soon as they came, Rachel shook the random thoughts out of her head. How strange.
"Look!" Finn turned to her, tapping her leg with the hand that wasn't holding hers. Rachel looked to see the first batter step up to the plate. She smiled when Finn squeezed her hand when the pitcher threw the ball, only for Finn to release it after the player missed.
"Strike One."
"Come on!" Finn yelled in support. Rachel, on the other hand, was bored. When she suggested going out to a baseball game, she had imagined it to be much more... intense. She pictured baseballs flying left and right, catchers sprinting for their life trying to catch them. So she was quite disappointed at all the fouls and balls called.
And by the end of the fifth inning, the score was still 0-0. This wasn't how she wanted their first game to go.
"Come on," she told Finn. "Let's go walk around the stadium." She was glad that there were food stands and gift shops all around the stadium to provide some type of entertainment.
"But what about the game?" Finn asked, shoving popcorn into his mouth.
"Nothing is happening," she shrugged. "So come on," she stood up, tugging his hand for him to do the same. He didn't budge. Instead, he swallowed his popcorn before he spoke. "But what if something exciting happens? We should stay here," he tugged her back down.
"Fine. You want to stay here and watch this boring game? Then we'll stay here," she crossed her arms.
"I didn't say that we actually had to watch the game," Finn wiggled his eyebrows, and oh… now she understood.
Immediately, she tilted her head to kiss him first. Instantly, Finn smiled and kissed her back. She brought her hand to his cheek, and kissed him deeper.
She didn't even realize that they were on the Jumbotron until she heard the people around them cheering.
Rachel quickly pulled back, and saw her own blushing self on the giant screen before it flashed to another couple who kissed.
"I think we've got them beat," Finn winked at her. She couldn't help but agree.
-O-O-O-
The sixth inning started with a bang. Literally.
The player hit the ball straight into the outfields, right toward them.
She mentally patted herself on the back before shoving the baseball glove to Finn. "Catch it!"
Finn frowned. "Me?"
"Yes you," Rachel rolled her eyes.
"I don't think I can."
"Please, if you can catch a ball shaped like a weird egg, you can catch that tiny thing."
"That's different. I-"
The ball hit him right in the eye.
"Finn!" Rachel shrieked, while Finn kept his eye covered.
"I told you it was different," Finn laughed.
The crowd cheered as the player who hit the ball passed home plate.
"Let's go home," Rachel stood up, feeling awful.
"But the game was just starting to get good!"
"Finn, you got hit by a ball that was traveling at over 90 miles-per-hour," Rachel placed her hands on her hips.
"So?"
"Do you really want to be watching out of one eye?" Rachel argued back.
"No, I just don't want to ruin our date," Finn pouted.
"Finn," Rachel laughed. "You're not going to ruin our date. And besides, I'm not just going to drop you off," she placed her hand on his head.
"So our date's not over when we go back home," Finn looked up at her.
"No, silly," she squeezed his cheeks. "Someone's got to make sure you ice that eye."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Finn stood up, grabbing her hand. "Let's go."
Rachel giggled as he nearly tripped on someone's legs in his effort to leave. "Maybe I should go first."
After their experience today, Rachel would definitely rank baseball last out of all the sports. Even behind Finn's sport.
Rachel didn't know how to tell Finn she was grounded for two weeks, mainly because she didn't want to believe it herself.
To make it worse, she didn't even do anything wrong.
Rachel had gotten away with a lot of things in her life: leaving her muddy shoes on in the house, getting grass stains on her white clothing, intentionally throwing a football at her teammate's face, so one could only imagine her shock when her dads grounded her for spending the night at Finn's.
So maybe she should of called, and sure it probably did look bad that Carole and Burt were out of town. But once they got home after Finn got hit with a baseball, she had to make sure he was taken care of. And that was tiring work. So logically, after such an eventful day, she got a little tired and fell asleep… on his bed...in his arms.
Yes, it sounded bad, but she was just taking care of someone in need, but shouldn't her parents be proud of her that for once she was being selfless?
Apparently not.
When she first told her side of the story, she had only gotten a week worth of punishment, which at the time, was unacceptable to her. So when she argued that she was an adult - an adult leaving for college in five weeks- they told her that if she was really an adult, she would have been responsible and at least text them and yada yada yada. So long story short, she was grounded for two weeks. Two weeks of valuable play time during the second half.
"It sucks," Rachel said to Finn over the phone when she finally wrapped her head around the situation and called him.
"And are you sure I can't come over during that time," Finn replied. Rachel sighed.
"Definitely not. They said I was lucky they didn't take my phone away," Rachel frowned.
"I thought they liked me," Rachel could hear a bit of sadness in Finn's words.
"Oh, they love you. It's just me they're mad at," Rachel said bitterly.
"Whew."
"Finn!"
"What? I don't want to get on their bad side. At least it's just two weeks."
"Two long weeks."
"It won't be too bad."
"I know. I'm just… I'm just really going to miss you." She really would. They've only had one date so far as boyfriend and girlfriend and she was already looking forward to their next date.
Plus, scoring points was going to be a lot more difficult now that she was grounded. After those two weeks, she'd only have three more weeks left. Two left in the second half, one week for extra time. She would have to try harder than ever to win.
"I'll miss you too. But I promise, between our phone calls, texts, and skype chats, you're going to be sick of me."
Rachel scoffed. "Like that would ever happen."
It had only been a week since she was grounded and Rachel almost couldn't stand it.
Sure, she was still able to communicate through technology, which she was grateful for, but Rachel needed to get out of the house, kick a football around (yup, her dads had taken that away too), give Finn a hug, kiss him like never before, and score points even quicker than Germany did against Brazil.
During the past couple of weeks, Finn had always watched the World Cup with her. And while Finn always called her during a game to 'watch it her', it still felt extremely lonely when had to watch the final game without someone cuddled up against her now that she was grounded.
Being the universal football fan she was, Rachel never rooted for a team. Instead, she watched to learn. And she had learn a lot from the World Cup - tactics she was more than ready to utilize in her own match.
But the days couldn't go faster enough.
As if he knew of her boredom, Rachel smiled as she felt her phone buzz, instantly knowing it was a text from Finn.
Are your dads home?
Rachel bit her lip. She was wondering if Finn would sneak up and visit her. She may have even been praying that he would.
Yes… but they'll be gone tomorrow from 8 to 5.
Rachel hoped he got the hint, but after ten minutes with no response, Rachel was a bit concerned.
Until she heard the doorbell ring.
"Finn," Rachel heard her Dad say. She pressed her ears against the door so she could hear more.
"Hello Dr. Berry, Mr. Berry," she heard Finn say nervously, and Rachel knew Finn was planning something with the way he addressed them.
"What brings you here, Finn," Rachel's Papa said.
"Well, I know Rachel's grounded, which I totally respect and all, but I wanted to argue for her case… if that was okay with you."
"Interesting. Why don't you come inside and then we can negotiate."
"Thank you, Dr. Berry, Mr. Berry."
Rachel frowned as she heard their footsteps fade away. She desperately needed to hear their conversation, and there was no way she could hear it in her bedroom. Yet, she couldn't just walk downstairs, for the chances of interrupting their conversation made it too risky.
She would have to be stealthy.
The guest bedroom was directly above the dining room, which she knew was where they were talking.
But still, it would be too hard. She needed something to help her hear through the walls...
Aha. She could use Papa's stethoscope… which was in his office… which she was never allowed to go into unless it was an emergency.
But perhaps it was an emergency. What was she thinking, of course it was an emergency. Her boyfriend was talking to her dads alone about her.
Quickly, she ran into his office, grabbed the stethoscope, and entered the guest bedroom. Putting the ear buds into her ears, she placed the end of the medical instrument on the floor.
"I see," her Dad said.
"I really do have her best interest at hand."
Damn it, she missed the juice of the conversation. But still, anything was better than nothing.
"Okay," her Papa said.
"Really?"
"You had us convinced," her Dad laughed.
"Cool."
"It's settled then," her Papa said.
That puzzled Rachel. What was settled?
"Thank you Hiram, LeRoy."
Rachel smiled, the fact that Finn had addressed them by their first names had to mean something good.
"Well what are you waiting for? Go tell her the good news?"
And that was her cue to leave. Using her running skills, she dashed over to return to stethoscope before returning to her room. She dived into her bed, and quickly patted her hair to fix it.
There was a knock at her door.
"Come in!" she called out, trying not to hide her smile. She was doing a good job at it too, if she should say so herself.
Still, her heart thudded as the door opened and -
It was her Dad.
"Hello Daddy."
"Hey Princess, dinner's ready."
"Oh," Rachel took a deep breath. "Thank you. What is it tonight?"
"Soup and salad," her Dad turned to leave, and disappointment filled her to new levels. "Oh," he turned back to her with a knowing smile. "By the way, Finn stopped by, he's in the office with your Papa."
"Thank you Daddy," Rachel stood up in delight. She gave her Dad a kiss on the cheek before running to the office.
"And that is the heart, and all it's wonders," she watched her Papa say to Finn as they stared at a heart poster, their backs turned to her. She stood by the open door, smiling at the sight of Finn and her Papa before carefully checking over the stethoscope hanging over the wall. It appeared that they had no idea she was listening with it earlier. She was in the clear.
"Hello," she said slowly, watching them turn around at her voice. She took extra notice at the way Finn beamed when he saw her.
"Rachel, I was just showing Finn around," her Papa said. "I'm going to head down for dinner now, actually, so I'll just leave you two to… talk."
With that, her Papa walked away, leaving the two of them alone in his office.
"Finn," she leaped into his arms. "What are you doing here?"
"I really wanted to see your Papa's office. Seeing you was a bonus," he smiled at her.
"You liar," she playfully slapped his arm. "What did my dads say?"
"You're not grounded anymore," he smiled her.
"Really?" Rachel squealed in delight.
"Yeah, but instead you have a curfew for the next two weeks," Finn shrugged.
"From what times?" she sighed.
"You can't be out of the house from 8 pm to 8 am."
"For two weeks?!"
"Yes, but on the bright side," he moved closer to her. "I don't have a curfew," he whispered so devilishly into her ear before kissing her just as teasingly. Rachel arched her eyebrow.
"Thank you though," she said to him, looking straight into his beautiful eyes.
"Well, I can't say I didn't do for me too," he smiled that smile of his.
Standing on her tip toes, she moved to kiss him again, her lips making up for one week worth of kisses.
"I can't believe we're making out in my Papa's office," she said between kisses before Finn pulled apart.
"Right in front of his heart poster, too," he nodded in amusement. "I think we wanted to talk to me about hearts, maybe teach me a thing or two."
"Really now," she said, breathless. She took a step back, and moved her hair away from her chest. Taking his hand, she placed it on the left side of chest, right on top of her heart. "Care to analyze?" she said so softly, so vulnerably, but she dare not take them back.
"It's beating really fast," he said just as softly, his other hand reaching for hers, intertwining them.
And more than ever, she wanted to tell him. She wanted to finally confess to him how he made her feel. He deserved to know how much meant to her. The words "I love you," were at the tip of her tongue, ready to announce to the world.
And yet she couldn't say it. Not yet. Not after he had just saved her yet again. If she were to tell him right there and then, he might think that she only loved him because he got her ungrounded. And yes, she did love him so much because of that, but her love for him extended beyond comprehension. She loved him so much, for all that he was. And she would tell him through actions, first, just like he had with her. Then, when she did tell him the depths of her love for him, he would believe it.
"It's beating fast because I was worried I would get caught eavesdropping," she replied, safely.
"Wait, you were eavesdropping?"
"I learned from the best," she laughed, squeezing his hand.
"What exactly did you hear?" Finn asked, looking nervous.
"Not much. Just the end," Rachel arched her eyebrows. "Why?"
"Nothing. I just didn't want you to be heartbroken that your dads admitted they loved me more than you," Finn said, jokingly.
Rachel laughed. "I could say the same for Carole."
"I'm hungry," Finn said, giving her another kiss, changing the topic abruptly. "Let's go eat."
She wondered what it was they actually did talk about.
Rachel had gotten close to Kurt over the past couple of weeks.
Whenever Finn had to go to work, Kurt was always willing to spent time with her, and the company was very much appreciated.
Not only was Kurt probably the most interesting, non-athlete she had ever met, but he had exposed her to so many new things she would have never have ventured into on her own.
Such as musicals.
She had no idea that musicals and plays could be so fascinating. The synchronization of the acting, music, and movement made it truly an art to admire. Every movie music Kurt made her watch left Rachel in awe.
Beside that, Kurt helped her with her game plan.
A good player always knew his or her own weaknesses, and Rachel knew that one of hers included cooking. She could bake with ease, but the minute she tried to make a meal that wasn't considered dessert, she would nearly blow the place up.
So that's where Kurt came in. Kurt was an excellent cook, and he shared her taste for the use of healthier alternatives.
And with the combination of his cooking skills and her determination, they could make Finn lunch that could give her a lot of valuable points.
That being said, within the past week, Rachel was there every working day to bring Finn lunch and spend an extra 30 minutes with him, and today was no exception.
Sitting on the hood of a car, she watched curiously as Finn finished inspecting a car. "How do you even know what to do?"
"It's easy once you get used to it. It gets pretty repetitive to be honest," Finn shrugged, standing up to approach. Sitting on the hood of a car sort of gave her a height boost, making her forehead align with nose. It was only a few inches, but they certainly helped.
When Finn was close enough, Rachel reached out to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug.
"So, what's for lunch today?" he asked, still holding her.
Ah, Finn was looking forward to eating lunch. Extra points for her.
"Casserole," she said. "With a secret ingredient."
"Oooo," Finn raised an eyebrow. "A secret, huh?"
"Yes, and I'm the only one in the whole wide world who no knows what it is. But, since you are my boyfriend, I guess I can let you in on it," Rachel teased.
"Really now?" Finn pulled her close. "Don't I feel special."
"You better believe it. Now the secret ingredient is…" Rachel paused for dramatic affect, "agave."
"Aga-what."
"Agave, I added it myself," Rachel laughed at his scrunched up face. "Why the face?"
"I don't know. I guess I was expecting something like, a piece of your soul or something," Finn chuckled, before Rachel placed her hands on his cheeks. Her next words just blurt out.
"Well, that much is obvious. Me giving my all and more for you, well that isn't a secret," Rachel bit her lip.
Finn only smiled, and moved an inch to close the distance between them, his mouth capturing hers for a delicate kiss.
"I guess that's why these lunches always taste good," he smiled, helping her down so they could head to the lunchroom.
"You know it. And don't forget about the agave," she giggled, as they entered the room. Letting Finn have a seat, she placed the casserole she brought into the microwave before pouring Finn a glass of water. Serving her working man earned her triple the points, she figured, judging by the grateful smile on Finn's face when she placed the warm food in front of him.
"You're the best," Finn said sincerely before his eyes grew wide in excitement as he inhaled the food.
Perhaps she should quadruple the points.
"This agave stuff really makes a difference," Finn tasted the food, nodding his head. Rachel was delighted. Kurt's recipe didn't include agave, but being familiar with it from baking, she made the executive decision to include it (without Kurt's knowledge though), so she was truly ecstatic Finn was enjoying it.
"You ate that fast," Rachel giggled when Finn swallowed the last bite. "I should have brought more," she realized before frowning. What if he was still hungry? Then he would spend the rest of his shift starving because she didn't bring him enough food.
"Nah, it was perfect. Hit the spot," Finn patted his stomach, making Rachel exhale in relief. "Good news though," Finn continued. "Burt's coming back tomorrow, which means I have more days off."
"Really?" Rachel clapped her hands in delight before jumping up to give him a hug. "This is great."
"Yeah, it means I won't have to keep sneaking up to your room past your curfew to spent time with you anymore," Finn joked, tucking a stray piece of her hair behind her ear that had gone wild from her excitement.
That was true. Ever since her curfew was in place, Finn had begun to sneak up to her room at night, which made her very happy. While she cherished the thirty minutes lunch breaks she had with Finn, having him over while she was in her pajamas brought an odd, calming feeling to her heart, and she treasured the extra hours.
"You don't have to stop," Rachel suggested. "I mean, who else is going tickle me at night?"
"You're right," Finn nodded, before moving to tickle her, making her laugh. "We both know how you love being tickled."
"Among other things."
Rachel was racking up points fast.
Now that Finn didn't have work, there was a lot more time for them to spend together - valuable playing time.
Following her strategy, she took time to do things Finn wanted to do. And she was glad too, for personal reasons. Not only did she learn more about him, but it was great seeing how invested he could be in some things. She took special note of the way his eyes were fixed when they watched Braveheart, and the way he laughed when they were watching funny videos on the internet. It all only made her love him more. It also helped that the more she learned about Finn, it easier it was to win points, and if she were being honest, enjoyed the role. Trying to be the best girlfriend ever was amazing. Seeing Finn smile because of her made her feel like she was flying. By the time the remaining three weeks were up, she was bound to be a winner, his winner.
But she was still behind.
She needed a least one huge stunt to secure the win. One great act. But she didn't know what.
"Psst, Rachel," Rachel heard Finn tap on her bedroom window. Her smile widening and her heart jumping, Rachel quickly opened the window to let him in.
"Finn!" she exclaimed, greeting him with a quick kiss. Pulling away, Rachel knew there was something that was troubling him. "What's wrong?" she asked. It was her last night of having a curfew, and since Finn had been over nearly every night since it was in tact, she doubted his worries were because he was afraid of her dads catching him.
"I found an egg," Finn said, slowly.
"You found an egg," Rachel repeated, finding discovery a bit absurd.
"On my way over here, I passed through the back - you know where the pond is - I figured I was less likely to get caught, you know? Anyway, I was walking, and it was pretty dark, and I… well I may have almost accidentally stepped on a duck and scared it away. A mother duck."
"A mother duck?" she was still trying to string the pieces together.
"She was sitting on her egg, Rach! And when I scared her away, she abandoned her egg. So…" Finn pulled out an egg from his pocket. "I took it."
Rachel just stared at him in disbelief.
"I know, it's weird, but I just couldn't leave it there. And well, I was hoping you could help me take care of it," Finn murmured, looking down at his feet.
It was silent for a few moments.
"We have to keep it warm," Rachel finally spoke. Finn's eyes brightened.
"You're the best, Rachel," Finn exclaimed, and Rachel knew that deep down, she would do anything Finn asked, including caring for a duck's egg, apparently.
Finding a empty shoebox, Rachel placed a hand towel in it before placing it right underneath her desk lamp. "There we go, a nice brooder," she nodded to Finn. Taking the egg from his hand, she placed it gently inside the box. "And now we wait."
Finn wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You know, you were right. The balls I use in my sport do kind of look like eggs," Finn laughed.
Rachel bit her lips. It was still a struggle for her to talk highly of Finn's sport, but she knew she had no choice. "Well, you know, the fo-fo-football's unique shape makes it easier to catch," she began, stuttering when it came to calling it football.
"Hmm, we do catch it a lot, don't we. We don't really kick it, at least not compared to you guys. I don't understand why we call it football here. It's more of a… of a… egghands. Yeah, egghands! Get it? Because the ball looks like an egg, and we use our hands more than our foot," Finn laughed, nudging her in the ribs.
Rachel didn't find it funny. She had converted Finn into a (real) football lover, and had him looking down at his own sport in the process.
"Football isn't too bad," she argued, the words coming out quickly. Finn didn't seem to digest her statement.
"So, how do you even take care of a duck," Finn scrunched his face together, like he always did whenever he was thinking too hard.
"I'll do the research," she laughed, stepping away from him to get her laptop.
"Hey Rach," Finn said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think we can a teach duck how to play sports?"
Rachel burst out into laughter, struggling to keep it down so her dads wouldn't hear. "Maybe."
"Good, because I think she'd be a great football player, just like her Mommy."
Rachel instantly blushed at the word 'mom'. "How do you know it's a girl?"
"Call it Daddy's intuition."
-O-O-O-
Finn shook her awake a couple of hours later.
"Hmm, Finn," she mumbled.
"Umm… Rach," Finn began, before she heard a sound that was most definitely not from Finn. At first, she thought it was from birds chirping outside as night turned into day, until she heard it again.
Queek.
"She hatched," Finn exclaimed silently, his smile undeniable.
Queek. Queek. Queek.
"And she likes to talk a lot, kind of like her Mom," Finn joked, but Rachel wasn't too pleased.
"Well, she needs to stop before my dads wake up and find you and our duckling," Rachel climbed out of bed, walking over to the source of the high-pitched beeping sound. "I'm surprised. I'd thought we would have to wait a couple of more days."
Rachel couldn't help the smile that formed on her face at the sight of her, not being able to help the smile growing on her face. "She's adorable, Finn."
"We did good," Finn said as he went to stand next to her. As soon as the duckling saw Finn, she began to bounce, yes, bounce, rapidly, in excitement.
It felt so surreal, staring at this duckling, who had gone from an egg to a bouncing baby duck in just hours, with the man she loved more than anything. But she knew, deep down, that they couldn't stay in their happy bubble for long.
"You know we have to take her back to the pond to live with the other ducks, right?" she said sadly.
"Yeah," Finn admitted. "But let's just try something first." He looked around her desk, before finding a post-it pad. Taking one off, he crumpled it up into a little ball, and placed it inside the box.
Rachel watched in awe as their duck observed the paper ball carefully, placing it's beak right on top. The duck waddled back, before going forward to crush the side of the paper ball with her foot, causing it to roll half an inch.
"She kicked it!" Rachel exclaimed proudly. "Or at least she tried to."
"See?" Finn chuckled. "She's a football player, just like Mommy."
-O-O-O-
It's silent when they go to the pond. It's roughly 6 am in the morning, and technically she could get into a lot of trouble for being out during her curfew, but she's it's not like she's sneaking out to a club or a party, she's at a pond a block from her house. Besides, it's only proper that she made sure her and Finn's baby duckling found a new, duck family.
They haven't said a word since they snuck out of her house. It's a peaceful, bittersweet silence. With Finn holding the duck, she held his hand, wishing that the pond wasn't so close to her house.
She didn't think she would get so attached to a duck - a duck that had only been in her life for a grand total of 8 hours. But it wasn't just a duck. It was their duck, something they both cared for. That duck united them in a way that sports couldn't.
Both of them hesitated when they arrived at the pond, with neither of them knowing what to do first.
"Should we…" Finn began.
"Yeah, yeah," Rachel said, seeming to understand. She moved closer to the pond, smiling when she heard similar queeks. "Finn! Looks there are other ducklings here!" Rachel smiled, both in sadness and relief.
"Do you think she's ready?" Finn said, and Rachel could see the worry in his eyes.
"Finn, we talked about this," Rachel sighed, coming up close to him before placing her hand on his forearm. "It's better that she goes to live with them now before she fully imprints on us."
Finn sighed. "What if they're mean to her?" he whispered.
"Finn, she's our baby. She's a tough one," Rachel laughed, stroking the duck with her fingers.
"Dawn," Finn finally said.
"What was that?" Rachel tiled her head, confused.
"She's ours, we should get to name her. And I think she should be named Dawn. Because, you know, she hatched at dawn."
"Dawn," Rachel repeated. "I like that."
Dawn queeked, obviously getting antsy in Finn's hands. Finn looked at Rachel, and she once again nodded in understanding. Taking the duck from his hand, she walked back toward the pond.
"Goodbye Dawn. Be a good ducky. Make Mommy and Daddy proud." Rachel squatted down, setting Dawn down into the pond. She watched as the duck adjusted to the water, before swimming over to the other ducks.
Standing up, Rachel walked over to where Finn was sitting and joined him. She looked out into the pond where Dawn was further and further away from them. Looking at Finn, she watched as he wiped a single tear away from his eye. "Are you crying?"
"Yeah, I guess I am," Finn laughed before looking at her. "But don't tell anyone. I'd only ever admit that to you," he stood up, helping her up as well.
Dawn: the start of a new day. A beginning.
Rachel had a feeling that because of Dawn, her and Finn had crossed over into the beginning of something else completely. It was a new era, the next step, and she was excited.
She was going to tell him.
She was going to tell him everything.
It was almost time. She had exhausted her mind contemplating her last grand move - her ultimate play - and she had finally figured it out.
She was going to tell Finn she loved him while they were playing football. Finn's football.
"Hey you're pretty good at this," Finn called out to her, throwing to ball to her once more.
"Don't sound so surprised," Rachel laughed, catching the ball. She gestured for Finn to come over, and he quickly came to her call.
"This is actually pretty fun," Rachel admitted as they walked over to the bleachers to sit down.
"Wow, I'd never thought I'd see the day when Rachel Berry played American football much less call it fun," Finn laughed, taking a seat on the very top of the bleachers.
Rachel sat in level below his, right in between his legs. "You know I'd do it for you, Finn."
Rachel felt her heart beat faster. It was the right time, she knew it. There was no backing out.
"Hey, Rach, you know you don't have to. I don't want you to pretend to like something for my sake. You should be yourself," Finn said, his hands rubbing up and down her arm. The simple action comforted her. She wasn't going to be nervous when she told him. In fact, just the feeling of him touching her made her excited to confess what her heart has been screaming for weeks. Closing her eyes, she leaned back toward him. "It's important to you, so it's important to me."
She was going to say it right then and there.
"I love you."
The words didn't come out of her mouth. She opened her eyes widely. The three words came out of Finn's mouth.
No. She was supposed to say it first. It was supposed to be her grand gesture, her last great play, and Finn was stealing her thunder. Leave it to Finn Hudson to tell her he loved her a nanosecond before she did the same to him.
"Dammit Finn, you just couldn't give me this one!" she slapped her leg in frustration. Rachel stood up from where she was standing on the bleachers. She turned around to face him, her standing body towering over his seated one.
With the adrenaline flowing through her, she didn't even noticed Finn's shocked and broken expression.
"I was supposed to say 'I love you' first," she pointed his finger at him. " I was just about to tell you."
"You love me?" Finn looked at her with wide eyes.
"Of course I do. I've have for weeks, Finn, weeks," she shouted at him. "And I've spent that entire time trying to prove it to you."
"Well you have a funny way of showing it," Finn stood up so he was taller than her. She wasn't intimidated, she had to argue her case. "Excuse me?" she crossed her arms.
"You think everything is a competition, Rachel." She was stunned at his words, and how painfully accurate they were. Right then, she couldn't bear to look at him.
"You always have to make sure you win, don't you? And I knew that." She heard him exhale, his voice getting caught in his throat. "I liked that about you. I loved how you stood up to football. I loved how you passionate you could be. And I knew when I asked you out eight weeks ago that I would have to fight to prove to you that I was worthy. But I thought that all changed, especially when I asked you to be my girlfriend," Finn's voice began to fade, and Rachel hated she was the reason why.
"It did, Finn," she looked at him again. "And that's what I'm trying to tell you. These last four weeks I've done everything I could to prove to you that I could be as great as a girlfriend as you are a boyfriend." She hoped her begging eyes could convince that her words were coming from the most honest intentions.
"This isn't a game, Rachel. At least not for me. We're not supposed to be competitors. We're supposed to work together." Finn took a hold of her hands in hers, and brought them to his chest. "That's what love is all about."
Rachel frowned. "But Puck said-"
"Puck? Never, ever take advice from Puck of all people."
"Well he had a point. Look, the only reason why I was keeping score was because-"
Finn dropped her hands, and she missed them instantly. "You were keeping score?"
"Finn-" she tried to take his hands again, but he turned away.
"Look, this all got really confusing, really fast, and I just, I can't do this right now."
Rachel did nothing as he walked away, out of sight.
It's only when she heard his car drive away that she allowed herself to cry.
Her grand gesture had just turned into her worst play. And she didn't know how to recover.
The thing about football is that the clock never stopped ticking.
Whether it was a sprained knee or a broken heart, time went on.
Rachel knew this when got home hours later. She also knew that in two weeks, their time would officially be up. College would start, and who knew what would happen then? She certainly didn't.
There was a knock at her door.
She ignored it.
There was another knock, with more hesitance to it.
Her dads didn't know a thing, and she didn't even know how to begin to explain it to them. She couldn't just say, 'hey dads, you know the thousands of dollars you've invested to enhance my football skills? Well, they're the reason why I unintentionally broke Finn's heart. But hey, at least I can still kick a ball into a net.'
Sometimes being talented sucked.
There was another knock on her door.
And she was not in the mood.
"I'm not hungry!" she yelled kicking her feet in anger.
Still, she heard the door begin to open, and she grabbed her pillow to throw at whichever dad thought it was okay to disturb her. So what if they grounded her again? It's not like she had any plans for the rest of the summer. Anymore.
When the door opened she threw the pillow. Only neither her Papa nor her Dad were there. It was Finn, and he had caught the pillow that she had thrown at him.
"Finn," she said out of her breath. She couldn't believe it. Finn Hudson was really there in the flesh.
"I guess you really did learn a thing or two about football," Finn said sheepishly, yet his voice was nervous.
"Oh Finn," she leapt out of her bed and straight into his arms. She smiled when he wrapped his arms around her. "I am so, so sorry," she said into his chest.
"No," he lifted her chin so that their eyes could meet. "I'm sorry. I should have listened to you. I should have heard you out."
"But you were right," Rachel placed her hands on his head. "You were right about everything. And I was wrong to treat this - our relationship - like it was a match. Because it isn't, Finn. That couldn't be further from the truth."
"Rachel, you may be football player, but so am I. I get it, okay? I didn't then, but I do now. You're Rachel Berry, football star, and that's how you see yourself. That's how your mind works. And I love that about you. I do. But that's not how I see you. That's not who you are. You're Rachel Berry, the most beautiful, heartwarming person I've ever met, who just happens to kickass at football. You're the one who made me see that I was more than just a football player. And I can only hope that I can one day show you that you're more than a football player, too."
She kissed him then, because she had never been more happy. She was happy he was there, happy he still loved her, and happy he knew her better than she knew herself. She poured everything a girl could ever feel about a boy in her kiss, and more.
"I love you, Finn."
"I love you too."
Rachel pulled Finn closer and reveled in his embrace.
"So what was the final score?" Finn asked.
"1,374 to 1,402," Rachel mumbled against his shirt.
"So I got kicked off the football team."
"What?"
Rachel sank down on Finn's tiny bed, oh how she hated that bed, and his tiny blanket, and pretty much everything about his dorm.
"I got kicked off the team," Rachel shrugged, opening her arms so that Finn could lay down next to her.
"Why?" Finn asked, deeply concerned.
"Coach was upset that I refused to call football soccer so he kicked me out."
"That's harsh," Finn sat up. "We should complain!"
"Shhh, it's okay Finn," Rachel pulled him back down to her. Finn looked at her in disbelief, and she laughed. "Honestly. It's fine. It wasn't even that much fun anyways." Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn, pulling him closer than he already was on that tiny bed. Finn raised an eyebrow at her.
"I'm being serious Finn. It's for the best. Now I can help Kurt with his audition for Tony."
Heeding Carole's advice, Rachel had signed up for classes she had never imagined she would ever take. She decided to take a theater class, merely because she wanted to have a class with Kurt, and to her surprise, she was loving it. That and her music class she was taking with Finn. They had signed up thinking it would be an easy class to take together, but they too ended up deeply enjoying it so far. She had even discovered that two of them were really, really good at singing.
"Are you going to audition yourself?" Finn asked.
Rachel fumbled with the bottom of her shirt. "Well, I was actually considering auditioning for Anita." That was her first time admitting that she wanted to audition, and she knew she could confide in Finn.
"That's great Rachel! But isn't Anita the friend of the main girl…" Rachel giggled. Finn had watched West Side Story with her and Kurt right when auditions were first announced.
"Yes, she's Maria's friend."
"You should audition for Maria."
Rachel was taken aback. She hadn't even considered auditioning for Maria. "No," she pulled Finn's blanket over her head.
"Yes," Finn climbed on top her under the blanket, making her giggle uncontrollably.
"Get off," she laughed, yet she didn't really want him to, which she knew he was fully aware of.
"No!" he said back, blowing her neck.
"Fine, I'll audition," she gave in, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But with one condition."
"What is that?" Finn rested his forehead against hers.
"You take the solo for next week."
Finn was speechless, but she knew that there was no one more deserving than Finn to sing the solo in their music class.
"Fine," Finn finally said, and Rachel beamed at before kissing him. As their kisses intensified, Rachel rolled the two of them over and -
They landed on the floor.
"This bed is way too small for the both of us," Rachel laughed, her body still on top of his.
"Maybe we should buy a bigger bed," Finn looked at her pointedly.
"It's against the rules."
"I wasn't talking about a bed for the dorm," Finn smirked at her, and Rachel only blushed before resting her head on Finn's chest.
Lying with the man she loved and who loved her back was better than any trophy, any plaque, any callback, any physical or mental reward. Whenever she was with Finn, she felt like she could conquer the world. And that was victory in itself. So, indeed, she had done it. She had won after all.
Thank you for reading!