CHAPTER 15: SNOWED IN - PART2

While she awaits Finn's return from the shower, Rachel clears away their dinner, tucking the leftover Chinese food back into their cartons and away in the fridge, discarding the empty beer bottles and other trash in the proper receptacles. She sends off a text to Tina and another to Noah, just to let them know she's still perfectly ok, safely at Finn's place for the night due to weather and asking for them NOT to worry. She also found a new email from her theater's admin indicating tomorrow's rehearsals would be canceled due to weather - which was welcomed news to Rachel. It's just a little after 1AM and she eyes the sofa and blanket draped across the back of it which seemed way too inviting. She decides while waiting for Finn to just lay back and relax – as best as she could anyways, considering the blouse she's wearing has buttons up the back that weren't ideal for lounging purposes.

Sporting silky black athletic pants and a white NYU t-shirt with still damp hair, Finn pads barefoot down the hardwood hallway toward the living room about 20 minutes later. There he finds Rachel curled under the blanket on his sofa, her head resting on a pillow that's propped up on the arm of it with her eyes closed. He pauses, motionless for a few moments taking in the sight of her. She's so peaceful looking and so breathtakingly beautiful, he just wants to burn her image into his memory and doesn't want to disturb this picturesque scene. He thinks she's just about the most perfect thing he's ever laid eyes on, and he's still wondering how the hell he got so lucky – not just to find her, but to meet her and to have her here in HIS apartment and for her to be so, just.. EVERYTHING. Everything he'd ever imagined she could be, everything he'd hoped to feel, everything so full of possibility. It feels like a dream and he feels like the luckiest bastard alive right now.

She let out a deep contented sigh and, without opening her eyes, a tiny smile curls on her lips as she whispers "Are you just gonna stand way over there, or are you gonna join me over here."

Not needing to be asked twice, he chuckles softly and nods as he quickly moves to slide onto the sofa next to her. "Hey there. Sorry if I woke you… Or are you psychic or something?"

"Mmm.. wasn't sleeping, and well, I told you I can sense your presence, didn't I?" she coos with a sardonic smirk as she shifts her position over to tuck herself into his side, resting her head on his shoulder.

He wraps an arm around her then grins into the top of her hair, intoxicated by her scent and murmurs "Yeah, you did," he laughs softly. "Are you sleepy? You can take my bed and I'll crash out here… "

"Finn you're so sweet, but firstly, I would feel terrible putting you out of your own bed. And second, no, I'm not ready to sleep yet. I was just resting my eyes for a moment while I waited. It's really peaceful here. I only just sort of wish I had an overnight bag, change of clothes at least. I love this blouse but it doesn't make for very comfortable sleeping attire."

Finn quickly processes her not-a-request musings and realizes she'd of course be more comfortable out of that outfit. Then the thought of her undressing out of that outfit starts to make him a little uncomfortable in his own pants; Baby steps Hudson, let her set the pace, he reminds himself. That doesn't mean he can't help her feel more comfortable and at home here, even as a sudden memory of a conversation with her cousin involving acid and a toilet flashes in his mind. He winces internally before shaking that thought away too.

"Um, YEAH you will be taking my bed because no way would I subject you to that pullout or this sofa, and that's non-negotiable." His crooked grin flashes at her and lightly presses his index finger to her lips even as she begins to open her mouth in protest. "You're my guest and I insist. As for clothes.. uhh, Kurt left a few of his things here, which might fit you better than my stuff - except, being KURT, it may not be the comfortable change of clothes you're looking for. C'mon, let's see what we can find." She giggles as he takes her hand. She allows him to pull her up from the warmth of the sofa and leads her down the hall to his room.

She enters his bedroom slowly, taking in the surroundings. The color palette in this room is very calming, not unlike the main living spaces, only this room is darker shades of gray and eggplant. A huge king sized bed sits on a platform and the charcoal color dobby striped comforter overtop of it looks very cozy and inviting. She takes a seat at the foot of the impressively well-made bed while he rummages through a tall chest of drawers.

"Uhh, I think this will work," He fishes out a faded gray well-worn McKinley High sweatshirt and red basketball shorts. He turns to hand the clothes to her and sort of freezes in place at the sight of her sitting on his bed; a sudden vision of her in his clothes sleeping in his bed flashes in his mind and… Did he mention the many months of dreaming and wishing that he'd done about this girl? He kinda feels like he just literally stepped into one of those fantasies right about now. She extends a hand to him and he abruptly takes the 3 steps necessary to close the distance between them. She reaches for his free hand and pulls him down to sit next to her on the bed.

"Let's see whatcha found here," she says as she holds up the sweatshirt and drapes it across the front of herself. It's pretty apparent it's going to hang down nearly to her knees and she giggles. "I'm not so sure these shorts are gonna matter, maybe a belt to go with this dress you just handed me would be more helpful?"

He smiles and says "I'll keep that in mind next time I need to accessorize your overnight wardrobe. I might have to call Kurt in though, since he's the professional." He thinks to himself how AMAZING she's gonna look in his clothes and the embers of desire that have been smoldering within him all night have just been stoked again.

She reaches a hand up to touch his cheek wearing the sweetest grin. "I was just teasing, but thank you Finn, I'm sure this'll be just fine."

He places his hand over hers and turns his head slightly to nuzzle his lips into her palm, kissing her hand softly as the feel of his bristly stubble against her skin sends a chill through her. "You can use my bathroom to change there… And uhh, there's some fresh towels and things in the linen closet in there too, if you wanted to wash up or whatever. Oh! I set out a new toothbrush for you too - turns out Kurt was right when he stocked my bathrooms with extra stuff." He laughs softly.

She's staring deep into his amber eyes and trying to make a decision. It would be so easy to just slide back into this big bed of his and let those next steps happen with him. Her body has been pulling her in that direction since they first walked in the door.. Or well, if she's totally honest, since she first laid eyes on him at Callbacks. Or maybe even since that night on the bus. But is she ready for that yet, already? Her mind isn't entirely sure. She's only just met him tonight after all, and it's so unlike her to even consider moving so fast after such a short period of time, but she's certainly been thinking about it all night. She's never been the girl that lets things go that far on a first date.

However, this wasn't really a true date in the traditional sense, and Finn? He's certainly unlike any guy she's ever met before. There's a lot of firsts and uncharted territory here and she's really wishing she wasn't navigating it through post-Brody tainted waters. A couple of months ago if she'd met Finn and ended up here like this, she wouldn't have an ounce of hesitation on how the rest of this night would play out. She's sure of that. Parts of her are completely ready for everything NOW. But the thing with Brody DID happen, and while she still feels confident and in control, being with Finn is sort of making her want to lose control, at least a little. Ok, maybe more than a little. She's not really certain that's a good idea yet. Some things she IS certain about - she KNOWS she likes kissing him, and she loves the feel of his hands on her. And she trusts him. Above everything else, she trusts him, and she feels safe being with him.

Finn's been reveling at the sight of her sitting on his bed and the feel of her hand against his skin and this general sense of wholeness that seems to be washing over him just with her presence. So in the middle of this peaceful and quiet interlude, he's suddenly a little surprised when she twists around and throws a leg over his lap to straddle him. She's sitting on her knees and got her hands on his shoulders and leans down into a soft, languid kiss. He finds his hands automatically resting on her tiny waist and he's just enjoying the feel of her smooth full lips sliding against his, and the sensation of her tongue as it glides over his.

She's feeling the butterflies taking control again and a warmth is pooling in her center. She suddenly breaks the kiss and pulls back just enough to look him in the eye. "I.. I know I said no funny business. And I also said I wanted to be fair to you - and I do," she clears her throat and bites her bottom lip then continues, "but you see, you're having quite the affect on me too." She pauses, her next words almost a whisper, "This… this is kind of a big deal, for me to be here with you right now, you know?"

He knows. He's instantly feeling like he needs to be protective of her because yeah, she IS still going through something and he needs to not be the guy who takes advantage of this potentially highly advantageous circumstance he finds himself in at the moment.

"Hey… it's ok. Rachel, we don't have to, um… I mean, I - I'm just enjoying the fact that you're actually here right now, but I'm not expecting anything, y'know? But uh, don't get me wrong – YEAH you're totally beautiful and sexy and I love kissing you, like A LOT. Like a really really lot.." she snickers and blushes a little as he continues, "but.. Whatever you're ok with is all that matters. And if there's anything at all making you hesitate or doubt yourself even a little, well, that should be your answer." Finn feels a little awkward saying all of that, but since he KNOWS now about Brody, he also knows this is what she's talking about, maybe in a roundabout manner.

She's thinking through his words and feeling like all her instincts about him are SO right; he is a true, perfect gentleman. She breathes out with a smile, "I appreciate that Finn, so so much. That really means everything to me, to hear you say that. Thing is, I'm having this problem, where I want to maybe do more than kiss you, but I'm not sure… and, if I'm being honest I think I'd be fine about it, but then, I'm afraid there's a chance I might change my mind." She's scraping her fingers around the base of his neck and pinching the fabric of his shirt collar a little with her fingertips. "I - I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say except, I am glad I'm here with you. You make me feel so safe and comfortable, and I like that I feel as if I can say anything to you because you'll understand me… which, you can't possibly know what that means to me."

He reaches a hand up to brush her bangs to the side. "I think I get what you're saying, Rach. You don't have to explain it. You already said enough earlier that tells me what I need to know. I... I just want you to be comfortable. We don't need to be in any hurry… and I'm a super patient guy, just so you know. There's absolutely no rush for anything babe, I'm not going anywhere. Does that help?"

She hugs him tightly, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders and burying her face in the crook of his neck. "Thank you Finn. It does.. I think it does help."

He wraps his arms around her pulling her closer and just breathes in her scent. He's completely satisfied just holding her like this. "I'm glad. Whatever you want, whatever you need… you just say the word."

She leans into another slow, deep kiss, then breaks away and rests her forehead against his. "Can I ask you a favor?"

He smiles at her and breathes out "Anything."

"WIll you undo these buttons in back for me so I can get changed?"

She's basically just asked him to help undress her. He figures this is still in her comfort zone so why should he deny her? He smiles wide as he says "Ah, yeah no problem."

She doesn't make a move to leave his lap, she just wraps her arms tighter around his neck and pulls herself in closer to him. He slides his hands slowly from her waist up her back to the nape of her neck where he finds the top of the buttons that run half way down her blouse. As he begins to slowly undo each button, she begins to nibble on the side of his neck. She's pressing soft sweet kisses up toward his ear, and he feels her hot breath brushing across his skin, which is causing all the blood in his body to travel south.

He swallows hard and clears his throat after the 4th button is undone "Rach, uhh… I think you're gonna kill me here tonight."

She stops and looks deeply into his eyes. "Sorry. I.. just can't seem to get enough of you."

He chuckles and shifts his weight back on the bed just an inch or so, which causes her to lean forward just enough to feel his arousal pressing into her. She feels like a switch flipped and a decision made as she leans her full weight into his shoulders pushing him back to lie on the mattress. Her hands pressed into the soft fabric of his comforter on either side of his head and hovering above him as she holds his gaze. "You can make love to me, if you want to."

In hearing those words, Finn's lips crash onto hers with a sudden fiery passion, his hands running frantically up and down her body. He rolls them over without breaking the kiss and plunges his tongue deep in her mouth as she wraps her legs around his waist. He moves to her jaw placing soft sweet kisses and trailing down her neck, then works his way to her earlobe, sucking and lingering there. He whispers in her ear "I want to," then he pulls back to look her in the eye. "But I think we should wait. I.. I don't think you're really ready, and I want this to be right.. for both of us. I told you, you're not getting rid of me now, and there's no rush for anything." He winks at her, kisses her forehead and stands up from the bed. "Go ahead and get changed, I'll be waiting out in the living room."

As she sits up and watches him walk out of the bedroom she immediately misses the warmth of his touch and the feel of his tongue and hands still burn on her body… but she knows he's right. She reluctantly grabs the sweatshirt and heads for the bathroom.

. . . . .

When Rachel emerges from the bedroom, she comes out to the living room to find Finn grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and singing to the Van Morrison song currently playing on the iPod. He immediately springs up to face her when he realizes she's standing there watching. Using the water bottle as a microphone, he sings his way over to her while doing the silliest dancing she's ever seen.

So hard to find my way, Now that I'm all on my own
I saw you just the other day, My, how you have grown

He reaches for her hand and swings her around the living room, dancing and swaying and singing as she laughs hysterically, but then she joins in the song.

Cast my memory back there, Lord
Sometimes I'm overcome thinking 'bout it
Making love in the green grass, Behind the stadium with you
My brown-eyed girl

He spins her again, then dips her far back in his arms and gets lost in her eyes as he continues singing

You're my brown-eyed girl
Do you remember when we used to sing?
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da

. . . . .

"So tell me about Broadway."

Following an encore dance and brief make-out session to Ed Sheeran (now that it's officially their song and all), they'd returned to the sofa and are curled up together under the blanket, iPod still playing in the background. "Oh, well what do you want to know?"

"Everything. I want to know everything about you, your life, your dreams, your career… Blaine says you're close to your big break."

"Hmmm.. well I'd like to think I am, but one can never be so sure. Right now I'm just happy to be part of this play I'm doing - although, I am very excited because it's the highest profile show I've been part of so far, and it does have potential for advancement closer to my goals. I want to be in that leading role and I want to win a Tony Award. Or more than one.. But at least one. It's the ultimate validation of achievement in my profession, you know?"

Finn hung on every word she spoke, and all he saw as her face lit up the whole time was passion. Passion and drive and a conviction for something like he'd never known in his life. She went on for another 20 minutes talking about Broadway. He was simply amazed by this tiny little brunette's aspirations and by how big she dreams and her plans to make those dreams come true. He knew he could never stand in her way, but he was also feeling like he'd never want to, that more than anything he was already hoping to be there as a part of her journey on her way to realizing her dreams.

"Well that's enough about me… tell me about you. I want to know more about high school Finn."

He rolled his eyes a little, not really wanting to relive some of his less impressive and more embarrassing moments in history, but this is what new couples did right? They talk about their past to bring the other person up to speed on who they are, where they've been, what makes them tick.

"Ok but I'm afraid most of it was pretty boring. I already told you about Glee and football. I was also in baseball and basketball. I've been drumming since I was a kid so there was a short period when I considered joining the jazz ensemble, but I was already in football and the jazz band was a conflict in schedule, so I never went that route. But I was able to drum in Glee sometimes, during rehearsals. I even sang and drummed during a few school performances for holidays and stuff - like, non-competition type performances."

"You started telling me about Artie and how he helped you come to NY. Tell me about that."

"Artie Abrams. Yeah he's a great guy, a great friend. He helped me see some of the stupid things I was doing in my sophomore and junior years at school. I was more concerned with popularity and stuff back then, being a jock and the top of the social food chain so to speak. But here's this kid, stuck in a wheelchair from a fluke car accident he and his mom were in.. life wasn't fair for him, but he was making the best out of the fact he was still like, ALIVE. He put a lot of things into perspective for me. And when my grades were starting to slip, he helped tutor me and got my grades back up - I even made the honor roll a couple times."

"Wow impressive.. Artie sounds like really good people."

"He's the very BEST kinda people. Especially after… after the whole Quinn thing happened."

Rachel sees the change in his expression, it's that same look that flashed over his face when they talked about glee club earlier. Quinn… she must be a big part of this 'Finn is bruised' and 'Finn is not the dating kind, he's the marrying kind' remarks that Josh made earlier. She suspects Quinn also plays a role in why Finn doesn't feel good enough about his singing to take the lead vocals, even though it's pretty obvious to anyone with ears that he SHOULD be taking the lead vocals.

She wraps both her arms around his waist and cuddles into his chest. She looks up at him and asks "Do you want to tell me about Quinn? If you don't, it's ok."

"No it's okay, I mean, you told me maybe the worst possible EX story anyone can ever tell, right? And you got through that, so I can tell you about Quinn. She was my girlfriend through most of high school, on and off. I thought I loved her - like I really thought I big-time loved her. In the earlier part of dating her, it was probably more about the cliche of head cheerleader and captain of the football team, y'know, status and popularity and all that. Then we had a pregnancy scare in the middle of sophomore year." Rachel gasped softly but didn't interrupt him. "Turned out she wasn't and I was SO RELIEVED! But then she amped up her spiel about staying on top. She'd been SO obsessed with winning prom queen… Our junior prom we did win king and queen, and that just fueled her fire for senior prom. I swear she spent the entire time between those two proms planning for senior prom. It kinda got old real fast for me. I wasn't so concerned about prom royalty and status anymore. I'd been in Glee almost from the day the club was formed, and Quinn had eventually joined too, but only to keep an eye on me. See, there was this girl in our club who was such an amazing singer that I guess I talked about alot, and Quinn thought I had feelings for her, so she just wanted to keep tabs I guess?"

He paused for a sip of water as Rachel eyed him curiously. "Well anyway, I was never interested in anyone else like that and I'd never cheat on Quinn - or anyone for that matter. That's not how I was raised. But then after all the months of prom talk and being run into the ground by her all the time because I wasn't as concerned about it as she was, I finally had enough. I broke up with her right around Christmas time, like, in a tree lot. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that, but UGH I just couldn't listen anymore!"

Rachel rubs a hand over his knee and says "Well it sounds like a very frustrating situation. I'm sure whatever she was saying at the time pushed you to the edge."

"It really did at the time… but that wasn't even the worst of it. Not long after we broke up she started dating the guy who was th male lead in an opposing team's choir - like, our main competition and sworn enemies. She brought him to OUR senior prom. I wasn't going to go at all, but the awesome singer from our choir - Michelle was her name - she didn't have a date either so we decided to go as friends, and also since we were co-captains of Glee it just made sense to go with her. Anyway. It didn't seem to matter that Q and I were split up, and that I wasn't even running, we were both STILL voted king and queen. Well I refused the dance with her, y'know the traditional king & queen dance? And then JUSTIN - that was the jerk's name - he picks a fight with me. Quinn had apparently filled his head with all sorts of lies about how I mistreated her. It was a big mess, we both got kicked out which was totally fine with me, I really hadn't wanted to be there to begin with but I did feel bad for ruining Michelle's night. Anyway. Once I had some real distance from Quinn I realized she never actually had a kind word to say to me about anything, never asked my opinions, certainly never cared how I felt about anything. All she ever did was tell me I was gonna end up a Lima Loser. She said I'd be stuck working at my step-dad's tire shop and raising babies with her one day, living off her success - but only if I was lucky enough for her to accept my marriage proposal, which I guess somehow had something to do with winning prom queen? I don't know, she was sort of crazy I think."

Rachel's eyes grew wide as she heard that last part. "Oh my gosh Finn that's terrible! I could never imagine being in a long term relationship with someone I didn't believe in or who didn't believe in me. She sounds very narcissistic and controlling. And coming from a drama queen such as myself, that's saying something."

Finn laughed out loud HARD at that statement. "Rach you have no idea.. She was this.. Unstoppable force of sheer will over me throughout my entire high school life. My mom never warmed up to her, that's for sure. Mom was usually pretty disappointed every time we got back together. But she didn't understand - I DID have real feelings for Quinn. She wasn't always so horrible to me either, just when we were around other people usually. But that was the thing right there - she never seemed proud of who she was dating, but she made me feel like I should think it was a privilege to be dating her."

"Mmm - yeah, I know those types of girls. I had a few bully me in high school too."

"Someone BULLIED you? That's insane! Don't they know how incredibly talented and gorgeous you are? Or well, maybe they were just jealous and felt threatened by your sheer awesomeness." he said with a wink and kiss to the top of her head.

Now it's Rachel who was laughing loudly. "OH NO Finn, I was a bit of a nightmare in high school! I can admit that now. I was so career and Broadway focused, and had grown up as an only child with two gay dads, so I always had a point to prove that I was the most talented, the most driven, the best at everything I set my sights on.. I didn't have friends in school. Except Tina. She was my only and best friend. She helped defend me sometimes, but she didn't have things any easier than I did really. We were sort of the outcasts at our school. But we had each other, so we didn't care."

"I'm so sorry people were mean to you, Rach. WIsh I'd known you back then, I'd have defended you and protected you from anyone who tried to bully you."

"Somehow I believe that Finn.. you know, maybe in another universe, like an alternate world or a past life, maybe we DID know each other in high school? Maybe that's why we have this unexplainable strong connection today?"

Finn thinks about that for a long beat and then they look at each other and simultaneously say "Nahhh!" and begin laughing.

"Hell Rach, I guess anything's possible, but whatever it is that's drawn us together now, fate, the universe, good fortune, whatever… I'm not gonna question it."

She burrows deeper into his side and yawns. "Me neither. I feel like the luckiest girl on earth right now, and I don't want to jinx anything."

Finn sniffs out a laugh then glances at the clock and sees it's nearly 3am. "Hey it's pretty late - or uh, early, I guess it depends how you look at it. Anyway, you seem pretty sleepy so why don't you go on back to bed. Since your day tomorrow was canceled and apparently the city is gonna be shut down from the looks of the snow piled up out there, I think we have the better part of tomorrow to continue this… date? Or well.. I don't know if this is really a date, but um, we can pick up where we left off tomorrow."

She yawns again and says "I think it's sort of a date, even if it didn't really start out like that," she stretches a little. "Will you come cuddle with me until I fall asleep?"

He responds by simply scooping her up in his arms, blanket and all, and carrying her back to his room, setting her down on the end of the bed. She stands up and folds the sofa blanket then drapes it at the foot of the bed and he waits for her to settle in under the covers first. He thinks it's kind of interesting that she picked the opposite side of the bed from the one he normally sleeps on. Then he considers how seeing her in his sweatshirt was really like every dream come true, and whether it's a good idea for him to crawl under the covers with her. He can definitely handle laying next to her for a little while, but being so close under the blankets together… it might be tempting fate a little too much. He decides to use the blanket from the sofa and lays on top of the comforter she's already nestled under. She's out like a light within minutes, softly snoring up against his chest. He finds that sound utterly charming and he'd love to just stay here forever, but after a little while nature called, and besides, he's not entirely sure he can prevent his sleeping self from copping a feel. So he waits as long as his bladder allows before quietly slipping out of the bed and tiptoeing out of the room.

About two hours later he's awakened from his slumber on the sofa to the sound of screaming. It takes him a minute to realize where the sound is coming from, since it's not the television. He runs as fast as his feet will take him back to his bedroom and finds Rachel screaming things like 'no don't touch me' and 'please stop' and thrashing around the bed.

He's not sure how to wake a sleeping person without giving them a heart attack so he follows his own instincts and does what feels right in this moment. He climbs into bed and wraps his arms around her. After a few seconds she's awake and alert enough to recognize who she's with and where she is. She immediately breaks into sobs and begins apologizing.

"I'm so embarrassed Finn, I'm so sorry for waking you."

"Shh.. Rach stop. There's nothing to be embarrassed about, you had a bad dream."

"Yeah well… I thought those were pretty much over with though. And I really hoped being here with you would actually maybe guarantee that I wouldn't have another nightmare. Guess I was wrong though," she sighs as the tears continue to stream from the corners of her eyes.

"Do you want to talk about your dream? You don't have to tell me, I just thought—"

"It's the same dream all the time," she sniffs and wipes her eyes on the sleeve of the sweatshirt. "I was trapped. He had me trapped, pinned to the floor. He was choking me again. I couldn't breathe and I couldn't break free." Her soft weeping starts to become full on sobbing.

He presses a kiss to the back of her head as they now lay in a spooning position. "It's ok Rach, you're safe. You're here with me and you're safe, everything's ok. Nobody's gonna hurt you here."

He holds her a little tighter trying to reassure her, hoping that doesn't cause another outburst from her. The more he thinks about it, the angrier he's becoming. Finn's really hoping he never comes face to face with this guy since he's pretty sure his fist might just be the last thing the guy ever lays eyes on for the rest of life if they did.

After a few minutes he feels her body relax in his arms and the room fills with the sound of her quiet breathing. He's only sure she's fallen back to sleep when he starts to hear the soft snores again, lulling him as he drifts back to sleep himself to the sweet slumbering sounds of Rachel Berry.

. . . . .

Her eyes pop open around 8:30 am. She's at first a little panicked at the feel of something heavy draped across her torso pinning her to the bed, but she turns her head to the left to see the most wonderful sight she's ever awakened to - Finn. He's sleeping mostly on his stomach, his head turned toward her, mouth slack-jawed and drooling a little onto the pillow. She thinks he's absolutely adorable.

She decides she wants to get up and make him breakfast to repay his hospitality and to make up for the inconvenience of waking him last night. However, just as she considers making a move to slide out of the bed, his grip on her tightens and he pulls himself closer to her. His smell completely invades her senses and the warm feel of his strong arm holding her makes her decide it's better to stay right where she is.

As she lays there motionless, she studies his face and the spattering of freckles on his cheek. She just can't resist and tentatively raises her slender index finger to lightly feather over them, when his eyelids begin to flutter. As one lid cracks open, a slow beautiful smile begins to transform his face and the gleam in his eyes is pronounced.

"G'morning gorgeous," he whispers as he presses a kiss to her temple.

She feels the heat pulse through her like a dam broken wide open, and her own pearly grin cannot be contained. "Hey there yourself handsome. Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Mmm.. you can wake me any time any place any way you want babe… If I get to see this view when I open my eyes, I'll never complain."

She scoots closer to him as he rolls onto his back while she drapes herself across his chest and hugs herself tight to his torso. He begins playing with the ends of her hair with one hand while the other folds around her hand on his chest.

"Thank you," she whispers quietly into his shirt.

"For what?"

"For handling my unscheduled disruption to your sleep last night. For making me feel better. For letting me stay…" she sits up to look him in the eye "For being you."

His hand automatically snakes up her back and his fingers tangle in her hair as he reaches the back of her neck and pulls her lips to his in a long, warm, relaxed kiss.

"A girl could get used to waking up to a greeting like that."

"Just any girl?" he asks coyly with a quirked brow.

"Well I hope not… I'm usually opposed to violence, but I think I'd have to make an exception to fight off any competition."

He chuckles. "Trust me babe, s'not necessary. No other girl can compete with you… especially not when you're the only one I can see. They'd be wastin' their time." With that Finn wraps both arms around her and rolls her over onto her back then begins a hungry attack on her neck. She's running her hands up and down the muscles of his strong back and enjoying being feasted upon as her cell phone begins to buzz from inside her purse. "Ignore it," she hears him mumble against her pulse point. She's not arguing. Instead, she slides her hands under his shirt and enjoys the warm feel of his smooth skin against hers.

Finn takes a cue from this and drags his hand gently down her side, following the soft fabric of the sweatshirt just beyond the bottom hem until it finds what it seeks - her bare thigh. His touch against her skin immediately causes a small moan to escape her lips and a sharp intake of air to her lungs. She exhales against the crook of his neck and he feels the hairs on his head stand at attention - not unlike other body parts.

He breathes into her ear "God Rach.. you feel so good.. I wanna make you feel so good. Would that be ok?" Her answer is a searing kiss and a leg hitched up around his hip to tangle behind his thigh muscle. Finn slowly ghosts his hand upward, sliding under the sweatshirt until he feels the elastic edge of her panties at the top of her thigh. With a single fingertip, he gently traces the seam like a pathway towards the promised land. Rachel purrs and begins nibbling his neck, tracing her tongue down his pulse point while clutching at the hairs at the back of his head.

The next thing she feels is a slow steady pressure working its way across the short expanse of fabric covering her increasingly hot center. Finn is trying to play this slow and safe. His eyes meet hers and she nods. He traces the soft material from her clit to her entrance and back again, barely applying pressure but enjoying the feel of the smooth warm fabric under his touch. Rachel automatically arches her back, seeking more relief for the inferno that is now burning within her. He gently splays his other hand across her tiny waist, and presses soft kisses to the side of her neck. He reaches her ear and breathes "just relax and enjoy. I want you to relax baby." She sighs heavily but resigns to follow his commands. His thumb reaches her soft bundle of nerves and gently begins tracing circles, while his fingertips are brushing gently across her now very wet folds. Her breathing becomes ragged and she gathers the material of his shirt into her fists. "Mmmm more Finn… more…" she whines. He obllges, adding pressure with his thumb, feeling her urgency build. There's a palpable tension as he feels her muscles hardening under his large left hand. He drifts his hand up over the shirt toward her breast, gently kneading and occasionally dragging a thumb over her stiff nipple through the thick fabric. She begins to writhe beneath his sensual touch and digs her heel into the back of his thigh. He murmurs to her "Come on baby, you can relax… I know you wanna feel good… you're so close…" She moans loudly as he slides the knuckle of his index finger to her opening and presses against her thru her now soaked panties, then returns his thumb to her clit and contrasts his movements from fast to slow, circles to strokes, with varying amounts of pressure. Like a stick of dynamite whose lit fuse has just reached its endpoint her climax finally explodes. He feels her clench her leg around his as her eyes squeeze shut and she arches off the bed. A broad smile stretches across his face; the sheer bliss he feels in watching Rachel Berry come undone at his touch in his bed is simply divine.

After a long beat she exhales in a loud gasp. Her whole body is tingling and she stretches her arms and legs to enjoy the aftershocks. He continues trailing soft kisses along her jawline and finally lays a languid deep kiss on her mouth. Her arms wrap around his neck and she feels his arousal against her thigh. She whispers in his ear "that was amazing Mr. Hudson. Now I simply must return the favor."

She pushes him onto his back and pushes his shirt up to expose his torso, where she slowly drags her nails with the slightest pressure across his abdomen. She begins pressing sweet soft kisses from his stomach up to his chest, swirling a tongue around his nipple. As her mouth is pleasuring his chest, her hand is drifting toward the waistband of his pants. He tightens an arm around her and raises her chin to look up and meet his eyes "Rach.. you don't need to return anythi—" she cut him off with a hot deep kiss. "Finn, I said I wanted to be fair. Now just lay back and let me." She flashed a devilish smile and continued lavishing her attention upon him, rubbing the palm of her hand over his pants across his growing erection. She can hear his breath hitch as she reaches inside his waistband, slightly surprised to find no other barriers between his pants and himself. She traces her fingers feather soft along his length and begins stroking from top to bottom and back again, enjoying the changes in his breathing. She takes him full into her hand and strokes with intermittent amounts of pressure, faster and faster, rubbing her thumb over his tip occasionally. It doesn't take long before he stutters "Holy..fffff—rr-rra-aaa–Rach…" as he throws his head back forcefully into the pillow, eyes rolling back in his head. He lays still a moment to catch his breath then grabs a tissue box from his nightstand, sharing with her. Once they're both cleaned up he immediately grabs her, pulling her on top of him in a tight embrace and kisses her senseless, then abruptly stops to say "We need more sleepovers. Lots and lots of sleepovers from now on."

She giggles loudly at his eagerness. "Well, I was gonna get up and make you breakfast a little earlier… especially now, since this seems to have worked up our appetites…"

He's still working his way down the side of her neck and between kisses mutters "No food. Just bed. I'm good."

As if on queue, his stomach growls and she bursts out laughing. "Umm.. I think your belly tends to disagree, sir. Besides, I need to use the little girls room… and you probably want to.. um, go change or something too.. so. Up and at'em, mister!" she sing-songs gleefully to him and giggles as she jumps up out of bed and slips into the bathroom. Finn makes a pouty face as he watches the door close behind her and reluctantly gets up, grabs a fresh pair of boxers and pants and heads to the guest bath down the hall.

The master bedroom now sits empty and silent, until broken by the buzzing sound of her cell phone again.

. . . . .

*****gleegleeglee*****

A/N - Sorry for the extended break in updates here… aside from Memoirs of a Simp being more my muse lately, life has thrown the curveball of a major health issue that I'm dealing with the past couple months - and it's gonna get worse before it gets better. So I'm gonna do my best to keep my writing going while I can. I'm gonna try to balance updating the 2 stories a little better here, but I've been stuck in 'high school Finn brain' a little bit lately which is making it harder to pull 'adult Finn' back to the forefront.. Haha. But he's back for now!

I hope this chapter isn't too boring.. while i had other story lines intended for this chapter, I found myself stuck in Finchel World and not wanting to leave it just yet.. but I have a feeling there won't be many complaints about that! LOL - ENJOY!

And much love and gratitude as always to Scarlett88 for doing a bang-up job helping to beta this!

*****gleegleeglee*****

REVIEWS ARE LOVE BABY, REVIEWS ARE LOVE

FAITHFULLY FINCHEL FOREVER! XOXO