Hi everyone! Thank you for all your reviews and birthday wishes. I appreciate it. Here it is - the chapter where Finchel get engaged. It's no secret that I wish they'd not only stayed engaged, but Rachel had just dropped the whole Broadway/NYADA/being a star thing. As in this chapter, I HATE it when people act like Finn's not good enough for her. Anyway, enjoy and review if I should keep going!
Chapter 58: Michael
Rachel couldn't believe what Finn had just said. Would she marry him? Of course she would, one day. But when she'd lay awake at night fantasizing about the day he asked her to marry him, it usually involved them being legal adults, with solid jobs (though she still wasn't sure what those solid jobs would be). Not now, when they didn't even know what colleges they'd gotten into, or not gotten into.
She loved Finn. Of course she did. And she didn't ever want to be with anyone else. She knew that no one could love her like he did. She'd been with other guys and it had pretty much been a nightmare. Puck only really cared about sex and couldn't have a conversation with her that didn't revolve around them both being Jewish. Jesse was self-centered, encouraged all her worst qualities, isolated her from the group and thought life was all about performing...
"Well..." Rachel began. What was she supposed to say? Would "some day, but I think this is so soon" be an appropriate answer? If she said no - what if he took that as downright rejection of him and broke up with her, and began dating someone else?
"I'm sorry," Finn said. "This might have caught you off guard."
That was an understatement. "Yeah, it did."
Finn stood up. "Maybe I shouldn't have done this."
That didn't sound good. Rachel really hoped Finn wasn't second guessing her. "Finn, I love you. You know that, right? It's just that everything's so uncertain."
"I know it is," Finn said. "The one thing I'm sure about is that we're going to be together."
"I know that too," Rachel said. "And we don't need to make any official statements about that just yet." She knew, without him downright asking her, that he was the only boy she wanted to marry. She would say no to anyone else.
"Do you need some time to think about it?" Finn asked.
"Three days maybe?" Rachel suggested.
"All right, that sounds good," Finn said. He got up and left the room, leaving Rachel there to think.
x
The three days went by slower than Rachel thought they would. She did a lot of thinking. But her thoughts kept going the same way. She knew she wanted to marry Finn, but she wasn't sure if now was the right time to get married. She wished she could talk to someone, but Finn didn't tell her if he wanted people to know. And she had a feeling if she told Kurt, he'd tell Burt and Carole. She knew her dads wanted her to have won a few Tonys before she got married, but she wasn't even sure if she'd ever even win one. NYADA finalist letters were coming out and she hadn't gotten one. Plus, she could end up doing something else with her life. Performing wasn't the only career option...
Then Finn came up to her. "Okay, it's been exactly three days to the minute since I proposed to you, which is the amount of time you said you needed before you'd give me an answer."
Rachel sighed. "Look, this isn't the kind of decision you can make on a deadline."
"Look, I understand, you said you needed some time, but not hearing a decision's kind of bumming me out," Finn admitted.
Rachel felt horrible. "No. Look, I love you, okay? And I want to marry you someday, and really, I'm open to anything. This is all just happening so fast, and I don't understand it. I mean, I need you to help me understand."
"Okay, well, even if you don't get into NYADA, you're still gonna go to New York," Finn pointed out.
"Yes, and I want you to come with me," Rachel said.
"And I will, but we're crazy if we think that it's gonna be easier to be a couple there than it is here," Finn continued. "My point is that those rings will always be a reminder of exactly how we feel right now. They're gonna let us bring a piece of our world into the big city."
Rachel had to smile. "Look, that's really romantic, but I have to be honest... really crazy to me, okay? I don't need to marry you to know you're the only guy for me. Okay, I guess... my answer for now is..."
"No, no, don't say anything," Finn interrupted. "You're right, we shouldn't decision on a deadline. Just, uh... take a couple more days, okay?"
"Okay," Rachel said. She just wished "some day, but not quite yet" could be an okay answer.
x
To take her mind off things, Rachel went to the Lima Bean with Kurt, Blaine, Artie and Santana after school. Mr. Schue had decided to do Michael Jackson for Regionals as well, since the former Troubletones were upset they hadn't gotten to at Sectionals. Rachel didn't get why everyone else was so excited, but this was a distraction. "Okay, favorite Michael Jackson memory. Go," Blaine said.
Artie looked fanstruck. "When I was one, my mom showed me his Motown special, and when he did the moonwalk across the stage for the first time in history, I uttered my first words: hot damn."
Kurt looked fanstruck as well. "I owe the King of Pop a deep debt of gratitude. He was the first one to pull off the sequined military jacket, long before one Kurt Hummel made it iconic."
"I have to be honest, I never really got him," Rachel admitted.
"And we are no longer on speaking terms," Artie said.
"No, I think he's an amazing performer, but I've never really just got what he was about," Rachel said.
"Rachel, he was best friends with Liza Minnelli and Liz Taylor," Kurt said.
"No, all I'm saying is that I just haven't connected with him the way that I have with the likes of Barbra or either of the Stephens. Sondheim. Schwartz," Rachel explained.
Santana looked annoyed. "I'd throw this mocha in your face, but it's not nearly scalding enough."
"Okay, but just, since you guys are so jazzed about him, I think it's a good idea," Rachel said.
"Well, that might not be the best idea." The group turned and saw Sebastian. "Hey, Blaine. Hello, everyone else," Sebastian continued.
"Does he live here or something? Seriously, you are always here," Kurt snapped.
"Why don't you think that's a good idea?" Artie asked.
"Because we're doing MJ for Regionals," Sebastian announced. "You see, Warblers drew first position, so as soon as I heard what your plan was, I changed our set list accordingly."
How did he know? "I'm sorry, how did you hear?" Rachel asked.
"Blaine told me this morning," Sebastian continued. "I just called for a tip on how to get red wine out of my blazer piping, and he would not stop going on about it."
Blaine looked embarrassed. "I may have mentioned it."
"How often do you talk?" Kurt asked.
"Oh, my God, hey, Kurt," Sebastian sneered. "I didn't recognize you. You are wearing boy clothes for once."
Santana stood up. "All right, twink, I think it's time that I show you a little Lima Heights hospitality."
Sebastian didn't look intimidated. "Unless you want to join your relatives in prison, that's probably not the best idea. You see, my dad is what you call a state attorney. But if you had a piñata you wanted delivered, I bet he could make sure that got to them. All right, so here's what you guys should know. I am captain of the Warblers now, and I'm tired of playing nice."
So the Warblers had stolen their Regionals setlist? Maybe they could do something else... no. Everyone else wanted to do Michael Jackson.
x
New Directions and the Warblers had organized a sing-off to determine who would do Michael Jackson at Regionals, but things didn't go as anyone had hoped. At the end of the song, Sebastian had tossed a slushie in Blaine's face, and Blaine had begun wailing in pain. Everyone knew by Blaine's cries of pain that this wasn't one of the slushies the jocks had thrown at them. Those were uncomfortable, yes, but not really painful.
Kurt had accompanied Blaine to the hospital, and everyone else was waiting in the choir room to hear some news. Finn couldn't believe that the other Warblers had let Sebastian do this. They'd all been friends with Blaine last year. After what seemed like forever, Kurt came in. "How is he? Is he okay?" Rachel asked.
"It's his right eye," Kurt informed the group. "The doctor says that his cornea is deeply scratched and he has to have surgery."
Finn couldn't believe it. He knew he hoped that the Smythe family would get the medical bills. "In all my years as a teacher and a student, I have never known a slushie to do that kind of damage," Mr. Schue said.
"That's 'cause it wasn't a normal slushie, Mr. Schue," Finn told his teacher. "There was... stuff in it, rocks or something. He wanted to do that damage."
"Well, unless you have proof that he tampered with the slushie the police aren't interested in getting involved," Mr. Schue said.
Kurt looked appalled. "Sebastian is evil. He needs to be expelled."
"Look, Figgins and I spoke to Dalton's headmaster," Mr. Schue continued. "They're opening up an investigation. So, guys, I'm telling you, please let the system handle this one."
But Finn had a feeling that Sebastian would go unpunished.
x
With everything that had happened to Blaine, Rachel hadn't had much time to think about what was going on with her and Finn. Like she'd come to conclude earlier, she couldn't talk to her dads. Kurt was distracted with what had happened with Blaine, and Mercedes had love dilemmas of her own. As Rachel passed the bathroom, she saw that Quinn was in there. Quinn said at Sectionals that she considered Rachel a friend. Maybe she could work. Rachel went into the bathroom. "Hey. Look, I need your advice, about an adult problem."
"Holy crap, are you pregnant?" Quinn gasped.
"No," Rachel said. "Look, I'm coming to you as a friend and, oddly, because I also think that you're the only person that'll give me just a straightforward and a thoughtful answer about this."
"You're right, I'm sorry. Yes, I can keep a secret," Quinn said.
"Okay... well... Finn asked me to marry him," Rachel said.
"What did you say?" Quinn asked.
"I said I needed to think about it," Rachel admitted.
Quinn sounded like the answer was obvious. "Well, you can't."
"Why? I mean, plenty of people get married at our age, and, I mean, I know that he and I haven't lived together or anything, but, you know, I love him and he's the one, I know it." Maybe Rachel should have told Quinn what she was thinking first. Then Quinn handed her a letter. "What's this?"
"My ticket out of here," Quinn declared. "I got into Yale, early admissions. Turns out my essay about overcoming adversity while maintaining a straight-A average during a teen pregnancy really turned on the admissions boards."
Rachel gave Quinn a quick hug. "Quinn, that's amazing. That's great."
"I'm sure you'll get your NYADA one soon," Quinn said.
Rachel wasn't so sure. "Oh, yeah, I mean, New York mail is notoriously slow..."
"My point being is that I've dated Finn, Puck, Sam," Quinn continued. "Even thought I loved some of them, but by the time the snow falls in New Haven next winter, I won't know why."
Rachel had a feeling she knew what Quinn was saying. "So are, are you saying that Finn and I should break up?"
"I'm all for making the most of the next few months, but I'd hate the idea of dragging an anchor from my past into the bright lights of my future," Quinn said. "Rachel, you have an amazing life ahead of you. As hard as it may be, if you want everything that you've ever dreamed of, you're going to have to break up with him."
So Quinn thought that Finn was holding Rachel back? That he'd get in the way? "That's an awful thing to say."
"Look, you wanted straight and thoughtful," Quinn snapped. "I guess at one point it made sense to love somebody for your whole life, but it doesn't anymore. Women are finding themselves in their 30s now. Every magazine says it. We hardly know what we're going to want in 15 years."
Rachel knew that Quinn hadn't had much luck in the romance department. Maybe that's why she seemed so opposed to it. She thought that Quinn and Puck were good together, but Quinn didn't seem to be into him. Finn had chosen Rachel over Quinn, and Sam had chosen Mercedes. "I mean, Finn and I... we can grow together."
"Look, Rachel, you and Finn are a lovely couple. But if you really want to be happy, you're going to have to say goodbye." With that, Quinn left the bathroom, leaving Rachel to think.
She had gone to the wrong person. Quinn made it sound like Finn wasn't good enough for Rachel. That had been something Jesse had always said, too. Why did people act like Rachel only had to be with another star performer? She'd been with Jesse twice and she was unhappy both times. Her NYADA letter hadn't even come. Maybe she wouldn't get in. Maybe she was going to end up doing something else with her life.
x
The next day, Kurt came running up to Rachel at her locker. "Rachel! Rachel! I got it; I got my NYADA letter. I got in the finals."
Rachel gave Kurt a big hug. "You did? That's so great." She felt so happy for her best friend. She knew he deserved this.
"What did yours say?" Kurt asked.
Rachel's happiness for Kurt turned to disappointment for herself. She'd forgotten that she, too, was waiting for one. "I didn't get one."
"Oh, that doesn't mean anything. That just means they haven't sent it yet," Kurt said.
Rachel felt tears coming to her eyes. "I didn't even make it to the finals. I knew it, I had this weird feeling in my stomach all week long."
"Rachel, don't be stupid," Kurt said.
Rachel was full out crying now. "Stupid? Stupid is watching all of your friends make plans for their future and realizing that you have none at all." Quinn had gotten into Yale. Kurt had gotten into NYADA's finals. "No plans, no college, nowhere to go. All I have here is my boyfriend, and... And I have no idea what I'm doing."
Kurt pulled Rachel in for a hug. "Can I go tell Finn?" Rachel asked.
"Of course," Kurt said.
Rachel went up to Finn at his locker. "Finn, I didn't get in."
Finn dropped his books. "What?"
"Well, I don't know for sure, but Kurt's letter came," Rachel said. "If I was going to get one, it probably would have come when his did."
"It still might come," Finn said.
"I doubt it," Rachel admitted.
"Well, even if it doesn't, we'll figure something out for you," Finn said. "And I'll help you."
"You will?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah," Finn said. "We're going to find something to do with ourselves, together."
Rachel gave Finn a hug. If only Quinn could have seen this. This was why Rachel knew Finn was the one.
"How about we go visit Blaine after school?" Finn said.
"Yeah, that sounds good," Rachel said.
x
After school that day, Finn and Rachel went to Blaine's house to visit. "We brought you chicken noodle soup," Rachel said as they came in. "I know it's not used to typically help eye injuries, but we figured it couldn't hurt."
"And I brought you a couple of eye-patch-featuring flicks from my collection. I got Pirates of the Caribbean, On Stranger Tides, Valkyrie, and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," Finn added.
"Aw, thank you guys," Blaine said. "It's so amazing; It really means a lot to me that you'd come by to check up on me. However, I cannot let a single moment pass without first... raising a zero-calorie toast to one Mr. Kurt Hummel, aka... NYADA finalist."
Rachel and Finn exchanged a look as Blaine poured them each a glass. Maybe Kurt hadn't told Blaine about Rachel. "Yay. Cheers," Blaine added.
"So, Blaine, uh, when's the surgery?" Finn asked.
"This week. Honestly, I'm terrified," Blaine admitted.
"Don't sweat it, dude. You'll heal up good as new," Finn said.
"Yeah, and there are tons of legendary performers who've only had one eye: Sammy Davis, Jr., Columbo," Rachel said.
"And Stevie Wonder, he did pretty good with no eyes at all," Finn added.
"You guys, I'm really upset that I'm missing Michael Week. It just totally sucks," Blaine said.
The three of them had prepared a song for Blaine, and Finn thought now would be a good time for it. "Well, that's why we figured we'd bring a little bit of Michael to you."
Kurt (Finn and Rachel): Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With a friend to call my own
I'll never be alone
And you, my friend will see
You've got a friend in me
(You've got a friend in me)
Rachel (Finn and Kurt): Ben, you're always running here and there
(Here and there)
You feel you're not wanted anywhere
(Anywhere)
If you ever look behind
And don't like what you find
There's something you should know
You've got a place to go
(You've got a place to go)
Kurt: I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us," now it's "we"
Finn and Rachel: I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us," now it's "we"
Finn: Ben, most people would turn you away
(Kurt and Rachel: Turn you away)
I don't listen to a word they say
(Kurt and Rachel: A word they say)
They don't see you as I do
I wish they would try to
I'm sure they'd think again
If they had a friend like Ben
Finn and Rachel: A friend
Kurt: Like Ben
Finn and Rachel: A friend
Kurt: Like Ben
x
The next day, Santana revealed something to the glee club: she'd gotten Sebastian on tape to admit that he'd put rock salt in the slushie. When she showed them the tape, the rest of the glee club decided not to do Michael Jackson for Regionals, to rather just tell the Warblers that they knew what Sebastian was really like.
As everyone else headed to the auditorium, Finn came up to Rachel. "Rachel, can I borrow you for a second?"
"Yeah," Rachel said. "So, are we gonna practice or something?" Then she remembered. "Look, I know that you're waiting for an answer, and trust me, you deserve it..."
"No, no, I get it," Finn interrupted. "It's a big decision. It's just, the way I asked you, I kind of left out the most important part."
"About how much rent we would save if we went twosies?" Rachel joked.
"Just listen, okay? I always feel like you hear me better when I'm not talking," Finn said. He handed some sheet music to Brad, and as the music began, Rachel knew what this was. This was the song she'd hoped she and Finn could do as a duet if they ended up doing Michael Jackson for Regionals.
Finn: Each time the wind blows
I hear your voice so
I call your name...
Whispers at morning
Our love is dawning
Heaven's glad you came...
You know how I feel
This thing can't go wrong
I'm so proud to say
I love you
Your love's got me high
I long to get by
This time is forever
Love is the answer
Rachel: I hear your voice now
You are my choice
Now the love you bring
Heaven's in my heart
At your call
I hear harps,
And angels sing
You know how I feel
This thing can't go wrong
I can't live my life
Without you
Finn: I just can't hold on
Rachel: I feel we belong
Finn: My life ain't worth living
If I can't be with you
Finn and Rachel: I just can't stop loving you
I just can't stop loving you
And if I stop... then tell me just what
Will I do
'Cause I just can't stop
Loving you
Finn: At night when the
Stars shine
I pray in you I'll find
A love so true...
Rachel: When morning awakes me
Will you come and take me
I'll wait for you
Finn: You know how I feel
I won't stop until
I hear your voice saying
"I do"
Rachel: "I do"
This thing can't go wrong
Finn: This feeling's so strong
Rachel: Well, my life ain't
Worth livin
Finn and Rachel: If I can't be with you
I just can't stop loving you
I just can't stop loving you
And if I stop...
Then tell me, just what
Will I do
I just can't stop loving you
Rachel: We can change all the world tomorrow
Finn: We can sing songs of yesterday
Rachel: I can say, Hey... Farewell
To sorrow
Finn: This is my life and I,
Finn and Rachel: Want to see you for always
I just can't stop loving you
Rachel: No, baby,
Oh!
Finn and Rachel: I just can't stop loving you
Rachel: If I can't stop!
Finn: And if I stop...
Finn and Rachel: No
Finn: Tell me just What will I do?
(Rachel: what Will I do)
Rachel: I just can't stop loving you
Finn: Hee! Hee! Hee!
Know I Do Girl!
Finn and Rachel: I just can't stop loving you
Finn: You know I do
Finn and Rachel: And if I stop...
Then tell me, just what
Will I do
I just can't stop loving you
At the end of the song, Finn looked at Rachel. "Felt an awful lot like a..."
Rachel now knew that she was just afraid to make this step. She knew Finn was the one. She'd just been holding back. "You're the love of my life. And... I may not get to have it all, but... at least I'll have what matters if we're together."
Finn looked thrilled. "Is that a..."
"Yes," Rachel said.
"Yes?" Finn asked.
"Yes, I will marry you," Rachel said.
Finn pulled the ring out of his pocket and slipped it on Rachel's finger. As she gave Finn a hug Rachel couldn't imagine herself being happier than she was now.
x
When Rachel got home from school that day, her NYADA letter was there. She was a bit nervous as she opened it, but then when she looked, it said that she'd made it into the finals. She was engaged to the boy she loved, and she'd made it to the NYADA finals, as had her best friend. Things couldn't get much better.
Rachel brought the letter to school with her the next day and went up to Kurt at his locker. Kurt looked at the envelope. "Is that the..."
Rachel nodded. "My NYADA letter finally came in the mail, and, uh... and I'm a finalist. I'm a finalist! I'm a finalist! I'm so happy."
Kurt gave Rachel a hug. "Oh, congrats!"
"Thank you!" Rachel said.
"Have you told Finn yet?" Kurt asked.
Rachel saw Finn walking by. She ran up to him and showed him the letter. "Finn, I made it to the finals!"
"You did?" Finn asked.
"Yeah!" Rachel said.
"I'm so proud of you!" Finn said, giving Rachel a hug.
"Thank you," Rachel said. Quinn was wrong. Maybe there was a way to have it all. And even if Rachel didn't make it past the finals, she had what mattered most.
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