Thanks so much for all your reviews on Chapter 15. I REALLY appreciate them. I'm sorry I took longer to update this time. Last chapter was the beginning of an arc that I've never really written something like it before and I was a bit nervous, so I was glad that it got a pretty good reception. I know this chapter is longer, but that's mostly because there's so many songs ;) Hope you enjoy and review if you want me to keep going!
Chapter 16: I Don't Like Her
"How's Kylie doing?" Finn asked as he and Rachel left the grocery store.
"I've been talking with her," Rachel said. "We're going to try to meet up again before she goes back to Ohio. She's doing as well as she can."
"That's something, right?" Finn asked. "Do her parents know?"
"Yeah, they know," Rachel said. "She told me that they really can't be upset with her for wondering. I think they're more annoyed at Shelby."
"That's no surprise," Finn said. "I'm glad you're being there for her."
"Of course I am," Rachel said. "It is important to me that she and I have a bond. I always wanted siblings."
"Finn!" Rachel turned and saw a red haired woman a few years older than them walking toward them. Rachel saw Finn make a face.
"Hi, Finn," the woman said. She looked at Rachel. "Who's this lovely lady?"
"This is Rachel, my girlfriend," Finn said, putting his arm around Rachel and tightening the grip.
"I'm Lucy," the woman said. "I work at the law firm with Finn. I'm the youngest lawyer there."
"Nice to meet you," Rachel said.
"Finn's great to have at the firm," Lucy said. "He's really efficient with his tasks."
"Well, Finn's great at everything," Rachel said with pride. "I'm really lucky to have him as my boyfriend."
"You sure are," Lucy said. "I heard you're a Funny Girl understudy. That's really impressive."
"Well, thank you," Rachel said.
"See you at work, Finn," Lucy said before going. "Nice to meet you, Rachel."
"Oh, you too," Rachel called before turning to Finn. "She seems nice."
"I don't like her," Finn said.
"Why not?" Rachel asked. "Like I said, she seems nice."
Finn paused. "She's a little too... full of herself."
"Oh," Rachel said. "Finn, people used to say that about me..."
"That was before they got to know you," Finn said.
Rachel decided to take Finn's word for it. She'd just met Lucy briefly. Finn worked with her. She was sure Finn knew her better than she did. Rachel and Finn got on the subway and quietly took the subway back to their apartment.
"Did you guys get everything we asked for?" Blaine asked as Finn and Rachel came back into the apartment.
"We did," Rachel said. "We ran into one of Finn's coworkers there."
"Oh, really?" Kurt asked. "We never hear about your coworkers. Or much about your work in general."
"Most of the people I work with could be my parents," Finn said. "And my job is pretty uneventful."
"This woman we ran into wasn't our parents' age," Rachel said. "She was probably only a few years older than us. She was really friendly, but Finn doesn't like her." She didn't understand why Finn didn't like Lucy. She'd been so friendly to them and she'd said nice things about Finn.
"Why don't you like her, Finn?" Kurt asked.
"She's a bitch," Finn said.
Finn didn't use that word very often. "She didn't seem like one."
"I hate her!" Finn snapped. "I just wish she'd quit."
"Finn, this isn't like you," Kurt said. Rachel was glad she wasn't that she was the only one who thought Finn's behavior was strange.
"If you guys knew her like I do, you'd hate her, too," Finn said.
"Okay then," Rachel said. Finn did know Lucy better than she did. Still, something about this was definitely off.
x
"Finn, are you sure everything's going okay at work?" Rachel asked in bed that night.
"Rach, you ask me that every night," Finn said. No. Things weren't okay. He wanted to tell Rachel the truth about Lucy. But he knew that if he told his boss and his boss didn't believe him, he could get fired and that could ruin his career chances.
At least Lucy hadn't bothered him at work in a few days. Mainly because he hadn't been alone with her. Still, she was always giving him those looks.
Finn pulled Rachel close to him. "I love you so, so much."
Rachel gave Finn a kiss. "I love you, too."
Finn cuddled Rachel closer to him.
"Look, Finn, if you don't like your job, you can always quit," Rachel said. "I could get you a job at the diner."
"I'll be fine," Finn said. The law firm paid well and he had benefits there. Working at the diner was definitely a tempting idea though.
x
The next morning, Finn arrived at work, hoping he would be successful with not ending up with any one-on-one time with Lucy. Finn had been managing to avoid Lucy at work, but he and Rachel had just had to run into her at the grocery store. When Finn delivered mail to her office over the past few days, he dropped it on her desk and made a quick escape. He knew there was no way she'd touch him again in the lobby where people could see. Even though what Lucy was doing was wrong, she was clearly smart. And she was probably smart enough to know not to touch Finn in front of their boss.
As Finn got in the elevator on his way to work, Lucy got in just as the elevator door was closing.
"Your girlfriend is ugly," Lucy said to Finn in the elevator.
Finn ignored that comment.
"She's so short," Lucy said.
Finn turned to Lucy. "Don't talk that way about my girlfriend."
"I know you've been avoiding me," Lucy said, moving closer to Finn and starting to rub his chest. "You know Finn, you can do so much better than that Broadway wannabe."
Finn didn't know what to say to this. He was resisting the urge to throw up. "I love her."
The elevator got to the floor the law firm was located on, and Finn couldn't be more relieved. "You leave me alone," he said to Lucy as they walked down the hall. Had she been waiting for him to get in the elevator?
x
"Rachel, are you okay?" Kurt asked as Rachel came into the living room the next morning. "You look exhausted."
"I'm worried about Finn," Rachel told Kurt and Blaine.
"We were just talking about Finn," Blaine said. "He's been acting un Finnish lately."
"Yeah," Rachel said. "That co-worker of his seemed perfectly nice, but he was so hardcore about how much he dislikes her. And last night, he was tossing and turning a lot and he kept looking out the door."
"That's odd," Blaine said.
"I just hope he's okay," Rachel said. "He seems okay lots of the time, but at the same time, he seems nervous a lot."
"Maybe you should try talking to him?" Kurt said.
"I've tried, but he insists everything is okay," Rachel said. "I just hope he's doing okay in New York. I know it's a new city, and a big new city can be overwhelming. What if he wants to leave?"
"I doubt that," Kurt said. "We would miss you two if you left."
"I hope we don't leave," Rachel said. She didn't want to leave New York, but if Finn wanted to, she'd do it.
Santana and Dani came into the room. "Hey guys," Dani said.
"Oh, Santana, I've been meaning to tell you, guess who's coming to visit in a few weeks?" Blaine asked.
"Who?" Santana asked.
"Brittany," Blaine said. "She got into a college here, so she's visiting some schools before she decides where she's going."
"Brittany?" Dani asked. "That would be great, I'd love to meet her."
"I don't know if that's a good idea, Blaine," Santana said.
"And why not?" Kurt asked.
"I don't want any drama," Santana said.
"You two are friends, right?" Dani asked.
"Yeah," Santana said.
"Then I'm sure there won't be," Dani assured Santana.
"It will be nice to see Brittany again," Rachel said. She always had liked Brittany. She just hoped that there wouldn't be trouble for Santana, Dani and Brittany.
x
A few days later, Rachel was getting ready for her dads' visit. She was definitely excited to see her dads, especially since she hadn't seen them in a while. Finn, Kurt, Blaine, Santana and Kylie were helping Rachel get the apartment ready. Since Kylie's parents got held up in Ohio and couldn't get a plane in time for the dismissal date from her camp, she spent the night at Rachel's apartment and her parents would pick her up in the morning.
"So, are you sure you don't want Brittany to come visit?" Rachel asked Santana as they sat in the living room.
"Will you guys stop asking about it?" Santana asked.
"Is this Brittany who was in glee right before I joined?" Kylie asked.
"Yeah, she and Santana dated our senior year," Finn said. "There've been so many different dating combinations in our generation of glee kids it would take forever to list them all."
"Well, in the current glee club, there aren't many," Kylie said. "Kitty's dating Artie. Jake and Marley were dating, but they just broke up."
"What happened?" Blaine asked. "They seemed pretty happy."
"Marley said that Jake was pressuring her a lot," Kylie said. "I guess he really wanted to have sex and she isn't ready yet."
"That's too bad," Rachel said. She was glad Finn had never really pressured her.
Rachel heard a knock on the door and then went to answer and she smiled when she saw her dads there. "I missed you guys!" Rachel said, hugging her dads.
"We missed you too!" Hiram said.
"I'm so glad you could come visit," Rachel said.
"We're glad to see you guys, too," Finn said.
"Finn, it's so nice that you and Rachel are back together," Hiram said. "We always hoped that it would be you two."
"We liked Finn better than Puck, Jesse and Brody," LeRoy added.
"Well, that's good, because I only want to be with Finn," Rachel told her dads.
"It's nice to see you, Mr. and Mr. Berry," Blaine said.
"Nice to see you too," LeRoy said. "How do you like New York?"
"I love it," Blaine said.
"It's nice to see you, all three of you," Hiram said to Blaine, Kurt and Santana.
"And Dad, Daddy, this is Kylie, my sister," Rachel said. "And this is Dani, Santana's girlfriend."
"Hi," Kylie said. "Rachel let me spend the night here since my parents can't get in until later today."
"Oh, we're glad to meet you, we heard about you from Rachel," Hiram said.
"Yeah, Rachel always has wanted a sister," LeRoy said. "We were thinking we'd take all of you guys out to lunch. Kylie, when your parents get in, they can meet us at the restaurant if they'd like."
The youth all thought lunch was a good idea, so Rachel's dads took them to Callbacks for lunch. Kylie's parents had arrived from Ohio and joined them for lunch, and shortly after they finished eating, Rachel, Kurt and Santana decided to sing a song together on the stage. They'd done several together throughout their time in New York, but they hadn't done one in a while.
Santana: The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation,
And it looks like I'm the queen.
Kurt: The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried
Rachel: Don't let them in, don't let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know
Well, now they know
Kurt, Santana and Rachel: Let it go, let it go
Can't hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door
I don't care
What they're going to say
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway
Kurt: It's funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can't get to me at all
Santana: It's time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I'm free
Kurt, Santana and Rachel: Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You'll never see me cry
Here I stand
And here I'll stay
Let the storm rage on
Kurt: My power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I'm never going back,
The past is in the past
Santana and Rachel: Let it go, let it go
And I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone
Kurt: Here I stand
In the light of day
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway
"The three of you sound really good together," Blaine said after the song.
"You think so?" Kurt asked.
"Yeah," Blaine said.
"Would you like to do one together?" Kurt asked Blaine. "You deserve to sing a happier song at Callbacks."
"Well, as long as you still want to sing with me here," Kurt said. They headed to the karaoke stand and performed a duet.
Blaine: There's nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing you can say, but you can learn
How to play the game,
It's easy
Kurt: Nothing you can make that can't be made
No one you can save that can't be saved
Nothing you can do, but you can learn
How to be you in time
It's easy
Kurt and Blaine: All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
All you need is love,
All you need is love,
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
Blaine: Nothing you can know that isn't known
Nothing you can see that isn't shown
Kurt: There's nowhere you can be that isn't where
You're meant to be
It's easy
Kurt and Blaine: All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
Love is all you need
All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Blaine: Love is all you need (Kurt: Love is all you need)
Blaine: Love is all you need (Kurt: Love is all you need)
At the end of Kurt and Blaine's duet, Finn turned to Rachel. "Rach, would you like to sing a duet with me?"
Of course Rachel had wanted to sing a duet with Finn. She'd been worried before they came that maybe he wouldn't want to. "Of course I do."
"I have one picked out," Finn said. "I was looking through the song book earlier."
"I'd love to sing with you, Finn," Rachel said.
Finn took Rachel's hand and led her up to the karaoke stand. He showed her the duet he'd picked out and then the music began.
Finn: I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away and dreaming
Rachel: I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure
Finn and Rachel: Don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream would never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Finn: Lying close to you feeling your heart beating
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming,
Wondering if it's me you're seeing
Rachel: Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together
And I just wanna stay with you
In this moment forever, forever and ever
Finn and Rachel: I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream would never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Finn: I don't wanna miss one smile
I don't wanna miss one kiss
Rachel: Well, I just wanna be with you
Right here with you, just like this
Finn: I just wanna hold you close
I feel your heart so close to mine
Rachel: And just stay here in this moment
For the rest of time, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Finn and Rachel: Don't wanna close my eyes
Don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream would never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream would never do
and I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep, yeah
I don't wanna miss a thing
I don't wanna miss a thing
Rachel was reminded of their glee days when the people at Callbacks began applauding for her and Finn. She gave Finn a hug before she went back to their table, another idea coming to her mind. When she sat down, she turned to Kylie. "While we're here, maybe could we sing together?"
"You want to do a duet with me?" Kylie asked.
"Of course I do," Rachel said. She almost told Kylie about how the one thing she wanted to do with Shelby before Shelby left. But maybe that wasn't a good idea. Rachel and Kylie went up to the karaoke stand and Kylie picked out a song for them to sing together.
Rachel: I can almost see it.
That dream I'm dreaming, but
There's a voice inside my head saying
You'll never reach it
Every step I'm takin'
Every move I make
Feels lost with no direction,
My faith is shakin'
But I, I gotta keep tryin'
Gotta keep my head held high
Kylie: There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb
Rachel: The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down, but
No I'm not breaking
Kylie: I may not know it, but
These are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep goin',
And I, I gotta be strong
Just keep pushing on, 'cause
Rachel and Kylie: There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb
There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb
"You two are really, really good," a voice said. Rachel and Kylie both turned and saw Shelby.
"Thank you," Kylie said, looking at Rachel.
"Girls, about the other day..." Shelby began.
"Can we maybe have this conversation in a private place?" Rachel asked. What was Shelby doing here? How had she known that Rachel and Kylie were here? But then, she saw her dads and Kylie's parents coming over.
"Ms. Corcoran, I'm Derek Nichols, and this is my wife Meredith," Kylie's dad said. "We're Kylie's parents."
"It's nice to meet you," Shelby said.
"How could you do that to her?" Meredith asked. "She called us up in tears after what happened at your place."
"They called us and told us about what happened," LeRoy said. "We really would have thought you would have learned something from what happened with Rachel. We had a feeling she would get hurt if she met you."
"I'm sorry," Shelby said. "I didn't mean to hurt Rachel or Kylie.
"I don't want you around Rachel anymore," LeRoy said.
"I don't feel comfortable with you around Kylie either," Derek added.
Rachel and Kylie exchanged a look. It definitely didn't feel good to see their parents arguing in such a public place.
"You can't do that!" Shelby said.
"You gave us the impression you didn't want to see us," Kylie said.
"It's not that!" Shelby protested.
The Callbacks manager came over. "What is going on here?"
"Nothing," Rachel said.
"I was about to go anyway," Shelby said before leaving.
When Shelby was gone, Rachel's dads turned to Kylie's parents. "I'm sorry about that. We chose her to carry Rachel because we got a good impression of her at the interview, but over the past few years we've gotten a feeling of what she's really like," Hiram said.
"We had a feeling when we met Shelby that she wasn't a good person," Derek said. "That's why we had the adoption closed."
"I don't like her," LeRoy said.
"Neither do I," Meredith said. "But at least the girls still found each other and they're both in homes where they can get what they need."
Kylie leaned over to Rachel and whispered, "She sounded like she was interested in giving us another chance, but do you think our parents would let her?"
Rachel wasn't sure. Her dads didn't even know that she and Shelby had spent some time together in New York. "We'll figure something out," Rachel whispered.
SONGS: Let It Go from Frozen (performed by Kurt Hummel, Santana Lopez and Rachel Berry), All You Need Is Love by the Beatles (sung by Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson), I Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith (performed by Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry) and The Climb by Miley Cyrus (performed by Rachel Berry and Kylie Nichols)
Chapter 17 preview: Brittany comes to New York and so do Puck and Quinn. What does this mean for Brittany, Santana and Dani, and for Rachel, Quinn and Puck? Someone in the apartment becomes suspicious of Lucy.
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