Thanks so much for all the reviews on Chapter 12, I really appreciate them! This one was a lot of fun to write because Sectionals is my second favorite Season 1 episode. I have to admit, I wish we'd seen Rachel tell Finn the truth, so I added that in. I also added in another scene. Thanks again for all the support, and I hope you guys had a great Christmas and have a great new year! Enjoy this chapter and review if you want me to continue!

Chapter 13: Sectionals

As the New Directions ran through their numbers for Sectionals (without a leader, nonetheless), Quinn fell down. Everyone turned as Finn and Puck ran to Quinn.

"Is it the baby? Is it coming?" Finn asked.

"Think we're supposed to get hot towels," Puck added.

"Would you both just shut up?" Quinn snapped. "There's, like, sweat on the floor. I slipped, okay? I'm fine!"

Puck held out his hand and helped Quinn up. "Thanks," Quinn said to Puck.

"You know I'll be here when that day comes," Puck said.

Rachel was so confused. Why was Puck helping Quinn? And why was Quinn turning to Puck instead of Finn? Finn had told Rachel he and Quinn never did it - but Puck had a reputation for sleeping with girls with boyfriends. Could Puck be the father of the baby?

Rachel was going to find out. She hoped that Puck was the father. This could be the way to finally get Finn for herself.

x

Rachel went into the choir room the next day, where Kurt, Mercedes, Artie and Tina were talking. "Hey, guys. Did any of you think it was weird the way that Puck rushed to Quinn's aid During rehearsal yesterday?"

All four of them exchanged looks. "No," Mercedes finally said.

"I mean, he likes her. I mean, they're friends. We all know that," Artie stuttered.

Them seeming not to know what to do made Rachel even more sure they knew something she didn't know. "Yeah, but it seemed like more than that. I've never told you guys this before, but I'm a little psychic. I can't read minds or anything yet, but I do have a sixth sense. Something is definitely going on there."

Everyone looked even more confused. "Uh, we... we got to go," Mercedes said.

This was it. Finn wasn't the father. Puck was. That explained why Quinn and Puck were spending so much time together.

x

Of course, now Rachel needed to see if there was a way to get some sort of reaction from Quinn that might give her hints. She found Quinn in the hallway. "Hey. I know it's not my place, but have you had your doctor run the full genetic test panel on your unborn child? I only ask because my cousin, Leon, and his wife got pregnant, and then they found out that he was a carrier for tay-sachs."

"What's that?" Quinn asked.

"It's a genetic disorder," Rachel said. "Pretty terrible from what I understand. If one of the parents is a carrier, then there's, like, a 50% chance that the child has it Or something like that. Leon's baby was fine. It was still pretty scary, though."

"My doctor never mentioned that," Quinn said.

Rachel was about to bend the truth a little. "You know... I'm such an idiot. They would only run the test if one of the parents was Jewish. Yeah, only Jews carry the gene." That wasn't completely true, but there was a higher rate among Jews. And Puck made sure everyone knew he was Jewish.

Quinn looked terrified. "Oh."

This was it. Quinn's look had said it all. Puck was the father.

x

Glee practice went well that afternoon. Rachel had noticed Quinn and Puck talking and looking nervous. Mr. Schue had recruited Miss Pillsbury to replace him as advisor. Mercedes had performed a great ballad, and Rachel knew she'd sound great on it at Sectionals. She felt bad giving up the spotlight, but she was sure she had solos in the group numbers, and she'd get to sing with Finn in both of them. She and Finn left the choir room together, and it was the perfect opportunity for her to tell him. "Excited for Sectionals?" Rachel asked Finn.

Finn nodded. "That was pretty cool in there. I know that must have been hard for you."

"It was the right thing to do," Rachel said. "I wanted to bring the team together."

"Yeah," Finn said. "You know, I got to be honest. I'm kind of pumped about sectionals. This has been a hard couple of months, with Quinn and the baby and everything and I don't know, I really think that... winning could make everything good for while. You know? Is that stupid?"

Rachel liked this side of Finn. "It's not stupid at all."

"Is something up with you?" Finn asked.

He knew her too well. "I want you to be happy, Finn."

"Oh," Finn said.

"And when you care about someone, You can't sit around and watch them suffer when you know you can do something about it," Rachel continued.

"What are you talking about?" Finn asked.

"I have to tell you something," Rachel said. "I'm sorry, this isn't going to be easy to hear, but you'll need to hear it."

Finn looked nervous. "What's going on?"

"You're not the father of Quinn's baby," Rachel said. "Puck is."

Finn looked shocked. "What? Who told you that? That's got to be a rumor!"

"I've had my suspicions," Rachel said. "I mean, how they've been spending so much time together, how he's been so concerned about her... they've been whispering and talking alone... and I heard Mercedes and Tina say I couldn't find out..."

"What?" Finn said again.

"You told me you and Quinn never did it, right?" Rachel asked.

"Right," Finn said. "She came up with some elaborate story about my sperm getting loose in a hot tub... but I wasn't sure if I believed her..."

"Puck sleeps with everyone," Rachel said.

"Thank you for telling me," Finn said. "I need to find out the truth."

Finn ran ahead of Rachel and back to the choir room. Rachel ran after him. He'd thanked her. That was something, right?

x

Finn pushed Puck over as soon as he got to the choir room. He couldn't stand the sight of him. He knew Puck slept with married women, but he thought there would be boundaries somewhere. Sleeping with his closest friend's girlfriend? That seemed like a new low, even for Puck.

"What the hell?" Puck shouted.

"You're the father, aren't you?" Finn shouted as he slapped Puck again.

"What made you think that?" Puck asked with a guilty look. That said it. Puck was the father.

"Hey, come on, come on," Finn heard Mr. Schue say as Mr. Schue, Mike and Matt pulled Finn and Puck off each other. "Get off him! Knock it off!"

"Tell the truth!" Finn shouted.

"Punk just walked in and sucker punched me," Puck said.

"Don't play dumb!" Finn said. "You're too freaking dumb to play dumb."

"Who told you this, Finn?" Quinn asked.

"Obviously, it was Rachel," Kurt said.

"What? I didn't do anything," Rachel protested.

Finn didn't want Rachel to lie, too. "Yeah, it was Rachel, but I want to hear it from you. I want to hear it from both of you."

"Finn, just calm down," Mr. Schue said.

"No! They're both lying to me! Is it true?" Finn shouted. He looked at Quinn. "Just tell me: is it true?"

Quinn started crying. "Yes. Puck is the father."

So it was true! "So, all... all that stuff in the hot tub..." Finn managed to say. "You just made that up?" He couldn't believe what a low opinion the girl he was supposed to love had of him. She'd lied to him, tried to place an unfair burden on him... what type of person was she?

"You were stupid enough to buy it," Puck said. Finn couldn't stand the sight of Puck. He was just as bad as Quinn was in this. Why hadn't he told Finn?

"I am so sorry," Quinn sobbed.

"Screw this," Finn shouted. "I'm done with you. I'm done with... I'm done with all of you!" He couldn't stand the sight of the people who'd kept such a big secret from him and kept such a big lie going for so long. He just wanted to sort his thoughts out. He'd never felt more tricked or betrayed in his life.

x

This hadn't gone how Rachel hoped. Yes, her intentions weren't the best, but she didn't think she'd make the situation even worse. Now they'd lost their best singer, other than herself. And he didn't seem to want to be with her. Maybe she should have waited things out. The truth probably would have come out eventually. Now he was probably mad at her, too. And if Quinn did end up giving the baby, it wasn't like he would have duties to it.

All Rachel wanted to do was be there for Finn, but maybe that wasn't her place right now. She passed Quinn in the hall, looking upset, and realized she should apologize to Quinn, too. "I'm so sorry. I fully understand if you want to beat me up. If you can, just try to avoid my nose."

"I'm not mad at you," Quinn said. "All you did was what I wasn't brave enough to do: tell the truth."

That was a relief, but maybe Rachel should tell the truth, too. "I was selfish when I told him. I wanted to break you two up, so he would want to be with me."

"And now neither of us have him," Quinn said. "I have hurt so many people. Can you go now? I just really want to be alone."

Rachel nodded as she walked away. Life had a weird way of working. She thought this would make everything better, but instead it made everything worse.

x

Finn couldn't stop thinking about Sectionals as he cleaned out his football locker. He wanted to be there so badly, but he was still so mad at everyone. Why hadn't someone just told him? Well, Rachel had told him... but she was the last to find out. Why hadn't Puck told him? Why hadn't Quinn told him? He'd been so excited for Sectionals and now he was missing it.

Mr. Schue came into the locker room. "Hey, Finn. I just called your mom. She told me you'd be here."

"Yeah, you know, football season ended, so I'm just cleaning out my things," Finn said.

"Sounds like something that could've waited till Monday," Mr. Schue said.

Finn noticed Mr. Schue looked worried. Had something gone wrong at Sectionals? "You heard anything?"

"Yeah. It's pretty bad. I can't be there," Mr. Schue said.

"And I can?" Finn askd. "I can't even be in the same room as her without crying like a girl. I can't look at him without wanting to punch his face off." He wanted so badly to be there, but he was so mad at Quinn and Puck.

"I don't have any more pep talks, Finn," Mr. Schue said. "You know I know how you feel. All I know is that, between you and me, I don't think that they can win without you."

Finn knew he was the best besides Rachel and that he and Rachel were the leaders. "But that's not fair. Why does it always have to come down to me? Why do I always have to be the bigger man?"

"Because sometimes being special... sucks," Mr. Schue said.

"I just want everything to be like it never happened, you know?" Finn said. Life would be so much easier. He could have broken up with Quinn before she had a chance to hurt him and gotten with Rachel.

Mr. Schue put his keys down and began to leave. "Well, Finn, you can't always get what you want. Listen, I'll be in the choir room."

"Oh, Mr. Schue, you forgot your keys," Finn called.

"No, I didn't," Mr. Schue called back. "They need a song. Think you can help them find one?"

Finn had an idea. The Rolling Stones had a song whose title was what Mr. Schue had just said to him. He thought they'd sound good on it. He had to get there.

x

Sectionals was a disaster, and Rachel just wanted to get out.

The other glee clubs were performing their planned songs. They'd had some songs they'd performed in practice that they could do, but they'd spent the past week practicing only their planned setlist. Rachel summoned the group to the green room, having a feeling she knew what was going on. Luckily, Kurt seemed to know, too. "You leaked the set list, you don't want to be here," Kurt snapped at the cheerleaders. "You were just Sue Sylvester's little moles."

"I know for a fact that's true. Sue asked us to spy for her," Quinn confirmed.

So it was true. "Look, we may still be cheerios, but neither of us ever gave Sue the set list," Santana protested.

"Well, I did, but I didn't know what she was going to do with it," Brittany admitted.

"Okay, look, believe what you want, but no one's forcing me to be here," Santana rambled. "And if you ever tell anyone this I'll deny it but I like being in glee club. It's the best part of my day, okay? I wasn't going to go and mess it up."

Rachel knew this all had to stop. "I believe you. Okay, look, guys, there's no point in us arguing anymore. We have go on in an hour."

"And we have no songs," Tina said.

Rachel decided to continue taking charge. "Look, we're going to do this the right way. Let's start with the ballad. Mercedes, do you have anything else in your repertoire?"

"Yeah, but it's not as good as anything you're going to sing," Mercedes said.

Rachel worried that if she sang, it would create more drama. "No, we agreed..."

"We agreed that I would sing and I'm telling you, and that ain't happening. Look, Rachel, the truth is you're the best singer that we've got," Mercedes said.

"As much as it hurts me to admit it, and it does, Mercedes is right. Rachel's our star. If anyone is going to go belt it on the fly, it should be her," Kurt agreed.

Rachel looked around, and everyone looked like they agreed with Kurt and Mercedes. They wanted her to sing? "Well, I do have something That I've been working on since I was four."

"Then I guess we have our ballad, and we can close with Somebody to Love," Quinn suggested. "It's a real crowd-pleaser."

Rachel smiled. That was probably their best number, other than Don't Stop Believing. Her happy thoughts were interrupted. "Yeah, that and a can of soup will guarantee us third place," Puck snapped. "We still need another song we can all sing together."

"I have one." Rachel turned and saw Finn coming in. He was back? She could barely hold in her excitement. Maybe now that both the best singers were there, they really did have a shot. "I found the sheet music online," Finn continued as he passed out the sheets, complete with who he thought should sing each part. Rachel smiled when she saw that Finn thought they should sing part of it together. "I used the cheerios' copier to make copies and then I trashed the thing. Mike, Matt, Brittany, Santana, you're our best dancers. Figure something out and we'll all follow your lead."

"It's going to be choppy," Mike said.

"Good," Finn said. "We're best when we're loose. Look, all we have going for us is that we believe in ourselves and what we're singing about. If we can show the judges that... we might have a shot at this thing."

"It's good to have you back, Finn," Rachel said. She began looking at the song but noticed Puck and Quinn talking to Finn. Then Finn came over to Rachel. "You okay?" Rachel asked.

"Don't worry about me," Finn said. "Okay, this is all up to you now. You wanted the solo, you wanted the chance to be the star. This is your chance. Don't screw it up." He gave Rachel one of those adorable lopsided grins.

x

Rachel was standing to enter the stage, feeling more nervous than she expected. Yes, she'd been singing this song since she was in preschool, but this was the first time it really counted. As the music began, she stepped out to open their performance.

Rachel: don't tell me not to live
just sit and putter
life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter
don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade
don't tell me not to fly, I've simply got to
if someone takes a spill, it's me and not you
who told you you're allowed to rain on my parade
I'm marching my band out
I'm beating my drum
and if I'm fanned out
your turn at bat, sir
at least I didn't fake it
hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it
but whether I'm the rose of sheer perfection
a freckle on the nose of life's complexion
the cinder or the shiny apple
of its eye
I gotta fly once, I gotta try once
only can die once
right, sir?
oh, life is juicy, juicy, and you see
I gotta have my bite, sir
get ready for me, love, 'cause I'm a comer
I simply gotta March, my heart's a drummer
don't bring around a cloud
To rain on my parade
I'm gonna live and live now
get what I want, I know how
one roll for the whole shebang
one throw, that bell will go clang
eye on the target and wham!
one shot, one gunshot, and bam!
hey, Mr. Arnstein, here I am...
I'll March my band out
I'll beat my drum
and if I'm fanned out
your turn at bat, sir
at least I didn't fake it, hat, sir
I guess I didn't make it
get ready for me, love
'cause I'm a comer
I simply gotta March, my heart's a drummer
nobody, no, nobody is gonna rain on my parade!

The rest of the Glee club joined Rachel on the stage as the number they put together earlier today.

New Directions: You can't always get what you want
you can't always get what you want
but if you try sometimes
you'll find you get what you need
Finn: I saw her today at the reception
a glass of wine in her hand
I knew she was gonna meet her connection
at her feet was her footloose man
New Directions: no, you can't
you can't always get what you want
Finn: oh, no, no, you can't
New Directions: you can't always get what you want
Finn: what you want
New Directions: you can't always get what you want
Finn: you can't always get what you want
New Directions: but if you try sometimes
well, you just might find
you get what you need
Mercedes: hey, hey, yeah
Rachel: and I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Finn and Rachel: singin' we're
gonna vent our frustration
if we don't, we're gonna blow a 50-amp fuse
sing it to me now
New Directions: you can't always get what you want
you can't always get what you want
you can't always get what you want
but if you try sometimes
well, you just might find
you get what you need
get what you need
Rachel: you can't always get what you want
New Directions: get what you need
oh, yeah, what you need
what you need, yeah
yeah!
what you need!

Rachel felt so proud of Finn for finding this song for them. She had to admit, it had sounded amazing, especially the part she and Finn sang together. Now it was time for their last number. This was the first number Finn and Rachel had performed together publicly and she was excited to do it again.

Finn: Can
New Directions: Anybody find me somebody to love?
Rachel Berry: Oh-oh, oh... ho!
Each morning I get up, I die a little
Can barely stand on my feet
Finn: Take a look in the mirror
And cry, "Lord, what you doing to me?"
Rachel: I spent all my years believing you
But I just can't get no relief
Lord
Finn and Rachel: Somebody, oh, somebody
Can anybody find me
Rachel: Somebody to love?
New Directions: Someone to love
Finn: Got no feel, I got no rhythm
I just keep losing my beat
New Directions: You just keep losing
Rachel: I'm okay, I'm all right
New Directions: It's all right
Rachel: I ain't gonna face no defeat
Finn and Rachel: I just got to get out of this prison cell
Someday I'm gonna be free
Lord
New Directions: Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Rachel: Me... oh, oh, oh
New Directions: Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Finn: Oh
New Directions: Find me somebody to love
Rachel: Oh
New Directions: Somebody, somebody
Somebody, somebody
Find me, find me
Find me somebody to love
Can anybody find me
Mercedes: Somebody to love?
Oh, oh...
New Directions: Find me somebody to love
Rachel: Somebody find me
Finn: Find me
New Directions: Somebody find me
Somebody to love
Somebody find me
Somebody to love

x

"We sounded good, don't you think?" Finn asked Rachel as they stood on the stage waiting to hear the results.

Rachel smiled at Finn. "We did a great job. Thanks for coming back."

"I'm sorry I left in the first place," Finn said.

The judges came on stage and announced that the New Directions had won. Rachel couldn't believe it. Despite all the non-Glee drama, the fact that their numbers had just been decided on - they'd won. As the Glee club cheered, Miss Pillsbury passed the trophy on to Finn and Rachel as the captains. As they left the stage, Finn stopped Rachel. "Hey, want to go to Breadstix to celebrate?"

Rachel couldn't believe this. "Just you and me?"

"Yeah," Finn said.

Was this a date? "I'd love to," Rachel said.

x

That evening, Finn and Rachel were sitting at Breadstix enjoying their dinner. "Thanks so much for coming back," Rachel said. "You saved the day."

"You did as much as I did," Finn said. "You're a real leader."

He thought she was a leader? "Maybe we both did," Rachel said.

"Yeah, I think so," Finn said. "Rachel... I just wanted to say, thank you for telling me the truth."

"I'm sorry," Rachel said. "I know it probably hurt to know, but I just couldn't stand seeing your girlfriend and your best friend lie to you like that..."

"It's for the better that I know," Finn said.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked.

"I'm still recovering, to be honest," Finn said. "It hurts that Puck and Quinn had such a low opinion of me."

"You're better than both of them," Rachel said.

Finn gave Rachel one of those lopsided grins as they continued eating. Rachel wasn't sure if this was a date, but it definitely felt like it.

x

Back at school, no one had congratulated the New Directions on winning Sectionals, but there was some good news. Mr. Schue was back on as the advisor, so the glee club decided to put together a special number to tell him about their victory. They'd gathered in the choir room. "Well, we have a few things we'd like to show you, Mr. Schue," Finn said. "The first..."

The glee club broke apart as Artie wheeled forward with the trophy. Finn smiled looking at the trophy, feeling so proud to have been a part of this.

"I am so proud of you guys," Mr. Schue said. "You won fair and square. The result was unanimous, and the judges didn't even know about all the shenanigans That were going on behind the scenes. So... congratulations. You earned this. But, now we have regionals to worry about. And you can bet that Vocal Adrenaline is hard at work, so we should be, too. So, let's get started."

"Uh, wait, Mr. Schue. There's one more thing," Puck said.

"Since you weren't able to be there to see us perform, we put together a special number just for you," Rachel said. "Take a seat!"

Mr. Schue sat down as the New Directions performed the number Finn and Rachel had put together.

New Directions: la, la-la, la, la, la
la, la-la, la, la
la, la-la, la, la, la
la, la-la, la, la
Rachel: guess this means you're sorry, you're standing at my door
guess this means you take back all you said before
like how much you wanted anyone but me
said you'd never come back, but here you are again
New Directions: 'cause we belong together now, yeah
forever united here somehow, yeah
you got a piece of me
and honestly
my life would suck without you
Finn and Rachel: you know that I've got issues
but you're pretty messed up, too
either way, I found out I'm nothing without you
New Directions: 'cause we belong together now, yeah
forever united here somehow, yeah
you got a piece of me
and honestly
my life would suck without you
'cause we belong together now
forever united here somehow, yeah
you got a piece of me
and honestly
my life would suck without you!

Finn knew this was a fitting song. His life would suck without glee and without Rachel.

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