NEVER STOP BELIEVIN'

A/N - WELCOME TO A NEW CHAPTERED STORY! Yeah, you might ask 'why start a new one with 2 others in progress?' To that I can only respond, why ask why? The muse wants what the muse wants my friends! :) But I have also been working on Memoirs of a Simp, and a new chapter sb coming very soon for that one too… I'm battling what the muse wants and what RL requires (which still includes those pesky health concerns) meanwhile, hope you likey this new JOURNEY THEMED fic!

PS – REVIEWS ARE LOVE DONCHA KNOW? – Finchel 4ever – xoxo

I don't own glee, and glee doesn't own me.. Err.. Ok, that 2nd part might be a lie. I possibly have a slightly unhealthy addiction, so there's that…

ESCAPE.

Just a small town boy, living in a lonely world in Lima Ohio. He'd thought of taking a midnight train going anywhere… And so once he graduated from McKinley High, he did just that.

During a drunken night of graduation celebrations with his best friend Puck and some other friends from the football team and cheer squad, Finn agreed to play Puck's ridiculous version of a blindfolded pin the tail on the donkey, only with darts and a map. The guys already had their little garage band thing going on since 6th grade and were both a little directionless about the next steps on the path leading them to adulthood following high school. Neither young man was particularly scholarly, both having just eked out passing grades that had sustained their respective slots on the football team, but both had a shared love of music, and were determined that now was the time to man up and make a solid plan for a future.

Well actually, sophomore year might've been a better time to actually start planning. Instead, three years of parties and game nights and girls later, well, here they were, throwing darts at a map in the dark and deciding with confidence that their futures would begin in the nearest city by the next dart that stabbed through the paper and stayed stuck.

Chicago, Illinois. That was going to be the new plan for their future. And if that failed, they'd try their luck at the next dart toss.

Finn was the popular golden boy at school: All-American boy next door good looks and charm, coupled with athletic prowess and excellent leadership abilities (when he chose to exercise them), he'd been the star quarterback for the McKinley Titans for three years. His lifelong friend Noah Puckerman was the wide receiver and yin to his yang on the field and off. The two young men had been nearly inseparable since grade school and had dreamed for years of growing up and becoming famous someday… except someday has finally arrived, and the growing up part seemed against their religion - well, Puck's anyway. That is, not against his actual religion - he was Jewish but not in the way where he attended temple with any regularity other than when his mother forced him to.

"Hey Hudson, how're we gonna haul that big ass drum kit of yours all the way to Chi-Town? Maybe you should sell the kit you have and buy a new one when we get there," Puck hiccupped then belched to punctuate the thought.

Finn furrowed his brow and looked at his friend like he just kicked his dog or something. "Hell no man, you crazy? That's my lucky kit! Ain't no way I'm giving that baby up, she taught me everything I know! We've been through too much together, I can't just sell her. Besides, there should be enough room in ol' blue if we drive there instead of flying or taking the train - plus that way we'd have our own transportation in the city."

The 1982 model Ford pickup might not be a fully restored classic, but it was at least pretty reliable and mechanically sound. Finn was really proud of it and took great care to keep it in top running shape - that and his drums were the only things about which he showed any real passion. It frustrated his mother more than a little bit sometimes, but she relented that he was growing into a man and needed to choose his own path.

The two young men decided to scour the job boards to find some kind of work to sustain themselves before leaving for their move to the big city. They also scoured real estate listings to locate the cheapest three room apartment they could afford. Puck happened to have a cousin who was familiar with the city, and after a little advice and research, they landed on Pilsen as a great place to establish themselves.

Puck found a dishwashing gig at a popular diner in the busy bar and grille district. Meanwhile, Finn was able to land a day job at a nearby tire shop, his last five years spent working at his stepdad's shop in Lima, certainly helping him in securing the position. The pair hoped they might eventually supplement their income by also finding some paid gigs playing music in this booming college student rich part of town – assuming they could put a new band together once they arrived. Even if they couldn't, they insisted they would work on getting separate solo gigs or help fill in with other bands as needed if the occasion arose, but they'd preferred to keep playing together as a band as much as possible.

. . . . .

Just a city girl, born and raised in South Detroit. She wouldn't need to take a midnight train just anywhere, she knew exactly where she was headed: BROADWAY. Well, someday that is.

It'd been her dream ever since she could remember, to be the star on a big legendary stage, adored by millions and earning the respect of her peers by eventually winning her leading actress Tony Award. If she truly got everything her heart desired she'd be choosing between her most beloved roles like Elphaba, Fanny, Maria and so many others.

But before the big lights and bigger dreams of one of the biggest cities in the world beckoned her to come hither and make it rain Tonys, she decided to get her feet wet closer to home for a while, paying her dues and such. She was already enrolled at a prestigious school majoring in musical arts at CCPA - Chicago College of Performing Arts and set to attend in the fall. Her father Hiram Berry was a well respected and recently tenured professor at the college and had basically reserved her spot there from the day he began teaching.

Rachel's astonishing vocal abilities became apparent by her first recital in kindergarten. She'd played the lead of Alice in the small private school's production of 'Alice in Wonderland' and her music teacher had cornered Hiram to proclaim that Rachel was 'musically gifted,' encouraging him to foster her talents since the vocal range and acting ability she already displayed was a rare combination of skills indeed, particularly at such a tender age.

She, however, did not simply want to ride her father's coattails straight into college right away. She instead wanted to spread her wings and perhaps begin networking, taking in the city and its rich culture, and truly finally experiencing life as a single young adult for a while before locking in her intense laser focus on her studies. Rachel felt it was necessary to learn to live independently from her father in order to fully grow as an artist and young starlet on the rise. She'd also hoped to cut loose and live a little before surrendering to her massive ambition and all the training and preparation that would entail.

Rachel was always hyper-driven with lofty goals, high expectations and extreme conviction driving her to succeed on Broadway as a singer/dancer/actress - otherwise known in the biz as a 'triple threat'. She'd taken this dream very seriously and spent most of her life planning and preparing for the eventuality of being on that big stage with her name in lights one day. It seemed an absolute inevitability and the question was WHEN and not IF.

It went against the grain entirely for Rachel to ask for a summer to herself, not off at another acting camp or dance class, but as simply a high school graduate living on her own in the city. It contradicted Hiram Berry's better judgment when he agreed to allow his only child to spend her summer before the fall semester began living in a small apartment building in the college town of Pilsen. It helped that it was a culturally rich environment, full of college students and starving artists, with an eclectic music scene and nightlife. Rachel knew this would be the perfect environment to begin really living her grown up life, fostering her creativity and sparking inspiration at every turn. At just over a four hour drive away, she was close enough to home to have a safety net, but not so close that she still felt like daddy's sheltered little girl.

As if she were preparing for an award winning role, she studiously scrubbed through the help wanted ads seeking employment as well as the real estate listings for an affordable studio apartment which she'd hoped wouldn't rely too much on daddy's bank account to pay the rent. She'd managed to secure a job as a hostess in a popular diner, but was also afforded the opportunity to perform there regularly since the establishment boasted a small stage with a piano, drums and guitars available for any patrons use. It was an ideal circumstance for the musically inclined. This particular diner was renowned for being open 24 hours and the stage was open to any up and coming performers willing to showcase their abilities at open mic nights. There were occasional paid performers brought in, but open mic nights were the diner's true bread and butter and served as a main attraction to the hordes of college students in the surrounding area.

. . . . .

A/N2 - MUSIC CREDITS: The subheading 'Escape' refers to an album title by Journey, released July 17, 1981; the same album contains the song/hit single "Don't Stop Believin'"