Thanks as always for all the reviews on the last chapter. They meant a lot to me! I did receive a PM about this story having more Finn than Rachel, but don't worry, there is a pretty big Rachel arc planned as well. This chapter also contains another one of the duets I wanted Finchel to sing, so I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to review if you want me to keep going :)

Chapter 20: Just Forget The World

Rachel sat alone at a counter at a coffee shop in New York. Finn had told her that she needed some time to herself since she'd been so worried about him lately. He was with his parents and with Kurt, but Rachel wanted to be with him. She wanted to scream in Lucy's face and make her feel horrible for what she'd done to Finn. Every time Finn grabbed Rachel when the doorbell rang or someone came down the hall, Rachel felt her anger toward Lucy boiling up.

Rachel hadn't told very many people about what had happened with Lucy. She'd told her dads, but that was it. She was tempted to tell Quinn, Mercedes and Tina when they talked, but she thought it should be up to Finn whether not people were told.

Rachel felt a tap on her shoulder and thought about how nervous that would have made Finn. She turned and saw Shelby. "Hi," Shelby said.

"Hi," Rachel said.

Shelby pointed at the spot next to Rachel at the counter. "Can I sit there?"

Rachel nodded. "Sure." She thought about what she should say. "How are you?" She was trying to be as polite as possible. Her last encounter with Shelby hadn't gone so well, and with everything that was going on with Finn, she wasn't in the best mood.

"I haven't stopped thinking about you, or about Kylie, ever since..." Shelby began. "I'm so sorry for what I said to you two."

"Well, it hurt me, and it hurt her, and my dads and her adoptive parents aren't happy," Rachel said.

"Does she talk about me?" Shelby asked.

"She asks me if I saw you often," Rachel said. "Now that she knows, it definitely makes things more complicated. I do think she's doing pretty well. She's been hanging out with Marley, Unique and Kitty a lot this summer."

"The other girl with the long brown hair, the blond one and the one who was in Vocal Adrenaline last year?" Shelby asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said.

"Do you think her parents would let me see her again?" Shelby asked.

"I don't know, Shelby," Rachel said. "Her dad and my dad both said they didn't want you being around us. Since I'm a legal adult, it's up to me if I see you or not, but Kylie is under the age of 18. Even though you gave birth to her, and you two feel some sort of connection, Derek and Meredith Nichols have legal rights to her."

"I know that, Rachel," Shelby said. "It hurts me to see that you two have become the women you are today and I had nothing to do with it. I wanted you two."

"What about us?" Rachel asked. "Don't you think it hurts us at all to see that the woman who gave birth to us gave us up and is getting the moments we didn't get with her with another child?"

"It's having Beth that makes me realize how much I want you and Kylie in my life," Shelby said. "My parents are gone and I'm an only child. Neither of my parents had siblings either. The only other family Beth has is you two, and I want her to have her big sisters in her life."

Rachel knew that wasn't the only family. There was also Puck and Quinn. "What about her birth parents?"

"Puck knows he's always welcome to see her," Shelby said.

"What about Quinn?" Rachel asked. "I told you earlier, Quinn's really grown since what happened when you came to Lima. She really wants to be in Beth's life."

"I'll consider it," Shelby said. "Are you enjoying rehearsals for Funny Girl?"

"Well, I'm not exactly on the best terms with my director right now," Rachel admitted.

"What do you mean?" Shelby asked.

Rachel sighed. "Finn had issues with a co-worker and he called me at rehearsal, asking me to come help out with things. My director and producer got really annoyed."

"Is Finn okay?" Shelby asked.

"He will be," Rachel said. She didn't want to go into detail. Not in a public place anyway.

"Rachel, I really feel bad for how I acted, and I hope that you will let me into your life," Shelby said. "I know I haven't been much of a mother to you, but even if I can't be that, I want to be a friend. The same goes for Kylie."

"I'll talk to her," Rachel said. "Nice to see you, Shelby."

"You too," Shelby said, leaving. When Shelby was gone, Rachel sent Kylie a text. "I just ran into our birth mother."

"Did she reject us again?" Kylie texted back.

"No, now she's saying she wants us in her life," Rachel texted.

"Well, I don't think my parents are going to let her anywhere near me," Kylie texted. "They got pretty annoyed about what happened in New York."

"Well, what do you want?" Rachel texted.

"I'm not sure," Kylie texted. "I thought I wanted her in my life, but after what happened..."

"I understand," Rachel texted.

x

"There has to be something we can do!" Burt said as the Hudson-Hummel family sat in the living room of the loft. Finn had sent Rachel out, feeling she needed some time to herself, and Blaine and Santana were both at work, so right now it was just Finn, Kurt, Burt and Carole at the loft.

"It's not like I'm going to have to see her anymore," Finn said. "I don't work there anymore."

"Finn, she knows where you live," Carole said.

Finn had been trying not to get Burt and Carole worried, but he knew they'd always find a way to worry. "Well, what can we do? You two already told me you filed with another attorney. There's not much we can do while we wait for the trial."

"Finn, you're the one who's always talking about all the advantages Lucy has," Kurt said. "We need to find something to use against her."

Again, Kurt said something that Finn had hoped he wouldn't say in front of their parents. "Well, it's probably been too long for her fingerprints to show up on our door knob or stuff like that."

"Finn, did she ever hurt you or anything?" Carole asked, looking concerned. "Any bruises or scars?"

Finn realized things could definitely be worse. "No, Mom. She didn't."

"It's a law firm," Burt said. "You'd think they'd have cameras or something."

"I guess we could have them look into that," Finn said. "But the building isn't just a law firm. Would they have cameras in the bathrooms and the elevators? There's all sorts of offices in that building."

"There just has to be something," Kurt said.

"Finn, part of what we do want to talk about is..." Carole began.

Now Finn was getting worried. What if his mom wanted him to go back to Ohio? He didn't want to leave Rachel, Kurt and his friends. And he did have a school schedule planned for the fall. "Mom, I don't want to leave New York," Finn said.

"That's not what I was going to say," Carole said. "However, Burt and I have been talking, and we think some therapy would be good for you."

"Therapy?" Finn asked. He'd never been to a therapist before.

"It would help, Finn," Kurt said. "I went to therapy after Karofsky bullied me, and after my mom died."

Finn sighed. He didn't want to seem completely helpless. "I'll think about that."

"You should think about that," Carole paraphrased what Finn had just said. "I just... I don't like the thought of you being alone during all this."

"Finn's not alone," Kurt said, as Finn shot Kurt a grateful look. "He has me, and Rachel, and Blaine, and Santana, and in the fall he'll have Sam, Artie and Tina, plus Puck and Quinn aren't too far away."

"I knew that there were going to be new challenges for you in New York, Finn, but I didn't expect this," Carole said.

"Finn's tough," Kurt said. "He'll get through it."

"I hope I will," Finn said.

"You will," Burt said. "It just might take time."

Finn's phone went off, and he looked at the Caller ID. It was Puck. "It's Puck," he told his parents and Kurt.

"You can talk to him, sweetheart," Carole said. "You two have been friends since preschool. Talking to him might make you feel a little better."

Finn went into his room and picked up the phone. "Hey man."

"Hey Frankenteen," Puck said. "What's up?"

Finn sighed. He hadn't told anyone other than his parents, Kurt, Rachel, Blaine and Santana, but he felt like he should tell Puck. "Is it okay if I tell you what's up?"

"Of course," Puck said. "I just asked you, didn't I?"

Finn took a deep breath. "Shortly after I moved to New York I got a job at a law firm. I thought it was a great job at first, but there was this one girl there who was always... sexually harassing me."

"Sexually harassing you?" Puck asked. "What do you mean?"

"She would touch me, mostly my chest and my legs," Finn said. "I tried to avoid her while at the office, but she'd come into the elevator when I was leaving or arriving, and she even showed up at my apartment."

"Finn, you've told people, right?" Puck asked.

"She's claiming she didn't do it," Finn said. "And the supervisor seemed to believe her. My parents are suing the law firm, but I don't know what else there is to do. I'm worried no one else will offer me a job after all this."

"Aren't you forgetting I know people in law enforcement?" Puck asked. "And that when I dated Lauren Zizes, she taught me all sorts of technical skills? We can get to the bottom of this and destroy her."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

"I can probably find stuff about her online," Puck said. "Stuff that she doesn't think people can find. And I bet I could get the people I know in law enforcement to help me out."

"You really know people in law enforcement?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Puck said. "Finn, you should have told me about this."

"I was so afraid to tell people," Finn admitted.

"I'm going to contact the people I know in law enforcement," Puck said. "You're going to have another job before long, and that slut is going to be punished for what she did to you."

Finn hoped that Puck's contacts could help them out. He went back to the living room. "Puck thinks he has some contacts who can help us out," Finn told his family.

"Good," Burt said. "We need all the help we can get."

"Everything's going to be okay, Finn," Carole said, putting her arm around her son.

Rachel came back in and Finn looked up and smiled at her. "Did you enjoy your time to yourself?" Finn asked.

"I did, but I missed you," Rachel said, kissing Finn. "I was thinking, how about tonight, you and I go out?"

"Go out?" Finn asked. "Go out where?"

"A romantic night out," Rachel said. "Dinner and a walk around New York. We're in the most romantic city in the country, and we haven't gotten to have enough romantic nights out with just the two of us."

"Rachel's right, Finn," Kurt said. "You need a night off. A night to forget about Lucy and everything. Just have fun together."

"All right," Finn said. He had to admit, nothing could cheer him up like a night out with Rachel.

x

Finn and Rachel decided to go out that night. Finn knew that Rachel was right. He needed a break from everything that was going on. Arm in arm, Finn and Rachel walked through Times Square, and Finn was feeling relaxed for the first time in a while. As they passed Broadway, Finn pointed at the theatre where Funny Girl would be performing. "That's where you'll be performing eight times a week very soon."

Rachel gave Finn a nervous look. "I don't know."

"Rachel, you may just be the understudy now, but you're going to be Fanny before you know it," Finn said.

Rachel gave Finn a small smile. "You'll be in the front row my first night, right?"

"Of course I will," Finn said. He felt bad that he hadn't asked Rachel much about rehearsals. "Have you been enjoying rehearsals? I haven't heard much about how they've been going."

"Yeah, it's just - I am disappointed that I didn't get the lead role," Rachel said.

"It's like I said, you'll have it eventually," Finn said, giving Rachel a kiss on her head. "I'm glad that you decided to take me out tonight."

"You know how much I love going out with you," Rachel said as she led Finn into a little restaurant at the corner of Times Square. "I'll be treating you tonight."

"Are you sure about that?" Finn asked.

"I'm a million percent sure," Rachel said. She took a seat at a table. "So whatever you want tonight, it's one me."

"You're the best," Finn said as he took a seat and began looking at the menu. "Sometime we should go back to Sardi's."

"How did you manage to pay for Sardi's when we went our junior year?" Rachel asked. "That place is not cheap!"

"I had a regular job that spring babysitting my mom's friend's kids," Finn explained. "I knew I wanted us to do something special together when we went to New York."

Rachel smiled at Finn. "Even though we weren't together?"

"I knew we were going to be back together again," Finn said. No matter what life threw at him, he knew one thing: he and Rachel were going to be together, and it was going to be forever.

The waiter came over and took Finn and Rachel's orders, and then Rachel turned back to Finn. "I knew that, too."

"While we wait for our food, do you want to sing a duet?" Finn asked. This restaurant had a karaoke bar as well, and Finn would take any excuse to sing a duet with Rachel.

"Do you really need to ask?" Rachel asked.

"I didn't think so," Finn said, taking Rachel's hand and leading her to the karaoke bar. Together, they picked out a duet, and the music began on the machine.

Finn: We'll do it all
Everything
On our own
Rachel: We don't need
Anything
Or anyone
Both: If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Finn: I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel
Rachel: Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough
Both: If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
Finn: Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads
Rachel: I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own
Both: If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see
I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

At the end of the duet, the people at the restaurant applauded, and as Finn and Rachel headed back to their table, someone stopped them. "Your voices sound amazing together."

"Thank you," Finn said. "We've been singing together for a while."

"Well, keep singing together," the patron told them as Finn and Rachel took their seats.

After dinner, Finn and Rachel took a walk around Times Square. "Just think, on New Year's Eve this year, we might get to kiss when the ball drops," Rachel said.

"I like that idea," Finn said.

"Me too," Rachel said. "Are you glad you came to New York?"

"Despite everything, I am," Finn said. "This is where I always pictured our life together."

"Are you excited for Sam, Artie and Tina to get here?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "It'll be great to have more people we know here."

"I'm sure you'll make friends at Columbia, but when you're in a new city, it's nice to have people you already know with you," Rachel said.

"It is," Finn agreed. "Have you made any friends at NYADA?"

"Not really," Rachel admitted. "It's so competitive there. People don't look at you as potential friends, they look at you as competition."

"I'm sorry," Finn said.

"It's okay," Rachel said. "I have you guys, and I've made friends at the diner, like Dani and Kurt's friend Elliott."

"That's right," Finn said. As they walked through Times Square, they passed a flower stand. Finn went up to the flower stand, bought some flowers and handed them to Rachel. "These are for you."

Rachel smiled. "How sweet and unexpected!"

"Well, you've been giving me a great night," Finn said. "I have to admit, once school starts up, I will miss getting to spend so much time with you."

"Summers in New York are pretty amazing," Rachel said. "Last year I didn't have a very fun summer because I was alone, but this year... I get to have you with me, and Kurt and Santana are already here, and Blaine came, and Kylie was here for a little, and then in a few weeks Sam, Artie and Tina will get here."

"How do you think New Directions will do this year?" Finn asked.

"Well, they do have a disadvantage since they don't have you to help anymore," Rachel laughed. "But I'm sure they'll do great. Ryder and Marley will be great leads and captains. Kylie said she and the other girls are going to tell Mr. Schue to do Wicked for the musical this year."

"Maybe sometime if we go visit we could help out," Finn said.

"I'd like that," Rachel said.

Finn and Rachel spent the rest of the evening walking around New York, just enjoying time together. Rachel had been right: this evening had been just what Finn needed, and he felt the happiest he'd felt in a while.

x

Finn and Rachel got back to the apartment later that night, where Burt, Carole, Kurt, Blaine and Santana were gathered around the computer. "What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"Someone's going to be behind bars very soon," Santana said.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

"Look what we found," Blaine said, holding up the computer, which was open to Lucy's Twitter page.

Rachel sighed. Going out for the night had helped take Finn's mind off Lucy, and she really didn't want him to get upset again.

Finn read a tweet out loud. "I'm going to be in his pants before long. He can't get rid of me?!"

Rachel wanted to throw up. What was wrong with that woman? She didn't even know what to say. "How did you guys find her Twitter page.

"Oh, we had some help from some of our glee friends," Kurt said. "Puck told you he has some contacts in law enforcement, and Artie's pretty much a professional when it comes to technology. With their help, we managed to find Lucy's Twitter page and this tweet..."

"We sent photos of the tweet to the police," Blaine said.

"She's a sneak," Santana said. "She doesn't even have her last name on her Twitter page, so she probably thought the law firm would never find it."

"We can't let her get away with this!" Rachel snapped.

"Rachel, she's not going to get away with it," Burt said. "We're one step closer to getting all of this fixed."

Rachel just hoped Finn would be okay. Tonight had been the happiest she'd seen him in a while, but she had a feeling it would take lots of time (and possibly therapy) for him to get completely back to normal.

Chapter 21 preview: Finn gets another job. The law firm Finn worked for is officially sued by Finn's family. When Puck and Quinn come to New York so Puck can help out, they run into Shelby.

SONG: Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

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