I love my son with all my heart and I thank whatever gods or fairies of the universe for providing all the special magical life dust I made him with. I am his mother and he is truly the best thing I ever did – but just sometimes even I can admit he's a complete and total IMBECILE.

I say that with nothing but a mother's love and affection, of course. You might find that a harsh statement, but when I explain the events that happened next, I think you might agree with my assessment...

. . . . .

For several weeks after their epic Notebook-style kitchen kiss, life was sublime. It's a period I now look back on as the calm before the storm.

Oh wait, you thought that perfect rom-com scene in my kitchen between Finn and Rachel was the happily ever after part of their story? Oh my darlings, if only that were the case! No no, that was still only just the BEGINNING of the domino chain! (Rube Goldberg Machine of Life, remember?)

But at least at the time, my son had a new girlfriend, and considering the girl, I couldn't have been happier about it!

During this time Finn and Rachel were INSEPARABLE. One of them was at the other's house every night until curfew (sometimes beyond) unless he was at football, in which case, she usually went to watch his practices, and of course we both went to his games. (On a side note, I particularly enjoyed going to Finn's games with Rachel since for once, I didn't feel like the most confused person in the bleachers... until I met Rachel, I thought everyone else in America understood that sport better than I... it was nice to be proven wrong!)

When she had dance classes or voice lessons, he usually drove her back and forth. Occasionally there were rare nights when their schedules overlapped too much, but even then they found time on the phone in between, even if it was only a few quick text exchanges. He never had to tell me it was her he was chatting with; his lovestruck doofy smile always gave him away. You could almost see little pink and red hearts floating over his head like in cartoons.

And me? I was certainly enjoying having another girl around, someone who actually enjoyed being around me as well and was fast becoming another surrogate child. Yes, I too was smitten with Rachel Berry. Once you get to know her it's too easy to fall under her spell.

Between Rachel and Kurt, I was also fast becoming an expert in all things Broadway and vegetarian cooking, which turned out to be a good thing, since Burt and Kurt started coming to our house for dinner more often (and would turn out to be an EXTRA good thing in the future for the sake of Burt's health, but I don't want to get ahead of myself).

See, Kurt and Rachel were extremely healthy eaters, so it became a thing we three did together sometimes, preparing our big family night meals. On those nights when it was the five of us, Finn and Burt took cleanup duty and Rachel was sure to have a sweet dessert for us every time.

I actually found it very endearing that, as much as Rachel would push Finn to eat healthier (and he often did without argument when she was around), she also knew him well enough to know that catering to his sweet tooth made him so so happy and earned her major points. But the best part was how clever she was about it, often using those sweet treats as some sort of reward. (Another sidenote, I've always wished I had my son's metabolism. If I ate even half the sweets he packs away those calories go straight to my thighs!)

Anyway, between school, glee, extra dance and voice classes and her other extracurriculars plus time spent in between with my son, I honestly don't know where Rachel found her stamina! Maybe it was all those vegetables, but you would think she'd run out of energy or completely burn out at some point, however that was never the case. It was another one of the stark contrasts between them, since Finn had always been relatively laid back and lethargic (I'd even say sloth like). He'd normally be sleeping or lazing around on most weekends, early mornings, and basically any time he didn't have a sporting event, video game marathon, or date with Rachel to plan ahead for.

On paper they seemed so opposite, and yet somehow they worked; they complimented one another perfectly and they just fit. They were living proof why opposites attract and often stay stuck together for so long.

During this time, Finn was always in search of creative ways to spend time with Rachel doing things she liked (another something NEW for my son, since he never went out of his way like that with Quinn). Rachel loved to bake and Finn loved to EAT, so naturally he had a sudden interest in being in the kitchen.

I had to laugh at the time Rachel allowed Finn to help her make dutch apple pie. Rachel wasn't used to my oven, and neither of them realized how quickly streusel topping can torch up. Oh god, what a mess! In the end, we had (flambé) apple CRISP instead of apple PIE for dessert, but once we scraped the burnt parts off it was still very good – especially a la mode. Of course, at the time I was a little panic stricken about the FLAMES in my oven, but no harm was done to my sturdy old Whirlpool and they did a good job of cleaning up afterward.

But all of that was a part of the special, magical force of nature that drew my son to this little girl, as I was fast learning. She was unlike anything either of us had ever experienced. Yes, she talked - A LOT - and seemed incredibly intelligent and opinionated (maybe even a little self-obsessed), but she also had a softer side and was very much a girly-girl. I don't think I saw her in anything other than skirts and dresses those first few months since I'd met her (oh, but that would change over winter – and NOT due to the weather... but again, I don't want to get ahead of myself).

For as adorable as she was and the best kind of influence on him, I could absolutely see her appeal to my son – which is why my heart was about to break (for both of them) when he sort of LOST HIS DAMN MIND for a minute and the bottom fell out!

Oh dear friends, I STILL don't understand what he was thinking at the time!

. . . . .

Despite all that saccharine sweet bliss and romance gushing all over the place during their 'honeymoon phase', my son still refused to go back to Glee club yet.

I was also still walking on eggshells, wondering when Noah was going to talk to Finn and fill him in on the baby news. I had sincerely hoped Finn being with Rachel would soften that blow, but my son was becoming more and more complicated to understand during these months and well, it was hard to predict how he'd react.

I remember spending a great deal of time debating with myself whether to tell Rachel about the baby situation in advance, just so she wouldn't be blindsided either (in case Finn learned about it while she was around and he reacted badly), but in the end I reasoned it really wasn't my news to share with anyone, so I'd decided against it.

Maybe I should've reconsidered...

Glee club continued on for a few weeks without Finn, but that didn't stop him from participating in 'glee adjacent' activities.

He helped Rachel with some sort of wheelchair project (which I completely did NOT understand the point of at all, although I had met Artie and assumed it was somehow related to his situation).

Then there was a bake sale for the club that Finn again helped Rachel with, as batch after batch of cookies churned out of my kitchen one night (though I'm honestly not sure how many cookies got sold compared to how many Finn ate – which might've been the only reason he agreed to help her in the first place, the 'taste-testing' benefits).

Despite all his time orbiting around Glee helping Rachel, he still wouldn't rejoin the club. I think part of that was because he was happy working at Burt's tire shop and claimed he didn't have time for it anymore, but the bigger reason (and I agreed with Rachel on this) was more likely because things with Noah were still unresolved. The betrayal of his best friend still weighed heavy on him even if he never talked about it.

The two boys hadn't spoken since that day in the choir room when Finn learned the truth about Quinn's infidelity and cleaned Noah's clock. I was so tempted to just tell Finn about the baby myself hoping it would play on his better conscience and help him realize his friend needed him, but I knew I needed to take a step back and let the boys work this out amongst themselves.

Of course, I was also fully prepared and on standby waiting for the fallout when he finally did learn the truth, I just didn't expect Rachel to become collateral damage as a result.

Objectively, it's easy to sit back and wonder WHY he would still be so upset about something that set him on the path that led him to where I felt certain he was destined to end up anyway – the path to Rachel. But that's the easy outsider's view of things. The inside view of a teenage boy's sense of pride and dignity I suppose is an entirely different thing (or more like a plate of spaghetti).

The deepest cut for Finn was the betrayal of a best friend, a brother. Add to that the sting of lies from his first girlfriend and the public humiliation he'd suffered when all his friends and teammates witnessed his embarrassment, and apparently you've got the recipe for one solidly bolted steel door that wasn't going to reopen any time soon (per the inner workings of the Stubborn Hudson gene).

I've mentioned how Finn sometimes had a difficult time with change, and that stubborn Hudson gene allows him to hold grudges like an Olympic champion. Most of the time those grudges had always been against Noah anyway for some ridiculous reason – even if they were normally short lived – so I guess it was inevitable they'd end up at odds like this at some point over a girl.

Still, it just seemed laughable at this point that Finn couldn't just let himself be all the way happy, that he was hanging onto any pain that his last girlfriend caused. Yet any mention of Noah or Quinn would still set him on edge. I guess his bruised pride wasn't fully recovered yet and if I knew my Hudson boy well enough, his stubborn gene was just going to prolong his recovery time. (I also couldn't have predicted the impact of certain outside forces on his judgment affecting things the way they did. More specifically, I never saw the influence of William Schuester coming. But I'll get to that in a bit...)

Despite all his mostly hidden angst, I could tell Finn was still waging a mental tug of war over rejoining the Glee club. Rachel didn't quite understand the Hudson Stubborn Gene as well as I did yet, but she was certainly getting schooled on it at that time.

Rachel spent countless hours pleading for his return to the club. Do it for her. Do it for himself. Do it for McKinley. You're my co-captain, I need you. Be the leader that I know you are. I was actually impressed with (if not a little scared by) her tenacity. That girl is nothing if not persistent, and it eventually paid off – well, sort of.

"Mom, I think... I think maybe I'm gonna help Glee at sectionals."

"Oh? What does that mean?"

"I um... I think I'm gonna sing at the competition. Y'know, the 12 member rule and all?"

I raised an eyebrow, curious about this turn of developments. "Just for sectionals? Can you do that? Is it allowed in the Show Choir rule book?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, the rule only applies for competitions, and without me they're thinking of putting Jewfro in there—"

"Finn, 'Jewfro' is kind of an offensive nickname, isn't it? Especially since your girlfriend is Jewish."

A very disinterested shrug was raised in response. "Everyone calls him that, even himself. Anyway, it's just a bad idea. For one thing, he can NOT sing, Mom! Rachel wants to win so bad, and she needs glee to look good for her college applications. But also, I don't want him bugging Rach. He just creeps her out, and I don't like it. You should see how he ogles her in school. And when they were both in the celibacy club with me and Qu– well, y'know, HER, he really had Rach freaked out."

I smiled at my son, feeling so proud at how much he cared for Rachel's happiness and supported her dreams, but also how protective of her he was becoming. "Well in that case, I guess Rachel would find your concerns for her well being very endearing and 'chivalrous'. I'm sure she'd be very pleased with you helping the club out on her behalf."

He beamed a glowing smile and I didn't miss the slight blush that painted his cheeks. "I s'pose. Anyway, before they got stuck with Jewfro, I guess Mr Schue tried bringing back some really old chick to the club. I guess she's like your age or whatever."

"Hey! I'm not THAT old you know, mister!"

He flashed those dimples at me and once again, all was forgiven. "Sorry. Anyway. Her name was like, a month... um, August? No, wait... uh. April. But I guess she was some kinda troublemaker or bad influence or something, at least that's what Rachel said. Tina and Mercedes said she taught them some cool tricks that helped them both get some cool clothes and stuff for free, and a couple of the guys on the football team said they REALLY enjoyed her um, performance... But Rach was freaking out. She thought she was gonna steal all the solos. But I guess when this chick got Kurt drunk and he puked on the guidance counselor in the hallway that was the end of that and Mr Schue kicked her out. So see, Rach needs my help or–"

"WAIT. What do you mean she got Kurt DRUNK?! When did that happen?"

He rubbed the back of neck nervously. "Oh, um... like a couple days ago, maybe? I dunno, Rach would know. You haven't talked to Burt? I thought he woulda told you by now."

"Oh, well I'm sure he would have, but we've been on opposite shifts this week, so no, it hasn't come up yet. I'm supposed to see them this weekend though. But my goodness, was Kurt okay, did he get into trouble for drinking in school?"

"I mean I guess he's okay? No, I don't think he's in any real trouble... Mr Schue defended him and Miss P seemed to be more upset with that April chick – and her ruined shoes. Kurt was pretty embarrassed about the whole thing though and swore to never touch the stuff again."

"Well I should certainly hope not! What on earth was Mr Schuester thinking, bringing someone like this April person into the school in the first place?!"

This was lunacy. What the hell kind of school allows a grown woman to join a bunch of high school children like that? Especially one who feeds alcohol to minors! That principal is on my hit list now – and I think so is Mr Schuester. How could he let someone like her near these kids?

"Mom... you okay? You've been buttering that same piece of bread forever and you like, tore a hole through it."

"Oh! Ah, yes, sorry honey. I was just thinking about some calls I need to make soon." Like to the school board! "Anyway... so you're going to help them get through sectionals? Well honey, I think it's wonderful that you're willing to do that for the club."

His eyes shifted a little – another of his Hudson traits is his bashfulness. "I'm not doing it for them."

"Right... for Rachel."

"Well yeah, mostly for her, but maybe it's for me too. I kinda miss it, y'know?"

"I know. . . Sweetie, I still don't understand why you don't just rejoin the club yet. You've been helping Rachel with all sorts of things and rehearsing with her, too. I've overheard you two talking about song choices and choreography and, well I can tell you miss it. Do you think you'll ever go back, permanently?"

"I dunno. I want to, just... I'm not sure if I'm ready to face ALL of them all the time yet. Especially two of them. It's bad enough I gotta see HIM at football practice. Coach Tanaka's been cool enough to keep him as far away from me as possible. Coach overheard the talk in the locker room I guess, so he knows what happened and thankfully, seems to get it. But in Glee, it's kinda harder to avoid him and everyone knows too much. It's... it's like too much of a reminder of how stupid I was. Like, how did I miss the fact that my best friend and my girlfriend were stabbing me in the back, or that all my so-called friends were flat out lying to my face and hiding the truth? I know I'm not the smartest guy, but that seems like something I shoulda picked up on sooner. Now they probably all think I'm an idiot loser and a big joke."

I worried that all the special treatment he received for so long for being the popular jock had clouded my son's judgment too much. I understand teenage egos are already filled with built-in insecurities and doubts, but I've always tried to raise Finn to be more self-aware and accepting of others, and to not let the opinions of others have so much influence over him.

Maybe I let my guard down or lost focus along the way and missed the fact that his reputation had become such an important consideration to him – or maybe I'd just failed to teach him how to be that accepting of HIMSELF. Either way, I couldn't help but feel like I must've done something wrong if he could stand idly by as his peers were slinging frozen drinks at their classmates – or worse yet, participate in those actions himself – or that he would take their opinions of him so much to heart that he would deny his own happiness like this. I couldn't abide by his ever diminishing self-esteem and didn't understand where it was coming from.

Those were the times when I felt like a complete failure as a parent – the times when Finn didn't react the way I expected he would when put to the test. Your child is a reflection of YOU and how well you parent them, after all. Yes, they do grow up to become their own individuals, but there is supposed to be a base foundation, a core set of values that we as parents were supposed to have instilled in them. It might take time and maturity before they can fully understand and USE those life skills on their own, but if I did my job right, I'd at least know he had the tools and could figure out how to use them eventually. Sometimes I doubted if I did my job well enough.

"Okay baby, I guess I see your point, and I imagine it's harder to avoid the hurt when you're in an enclosed space working together on such a small team as that Glee club. I'm sure the whole club does NOT think you're a loser or a joke! And I really wish you'd quit calling yourself those things. But Noah? He's practically family, Finn; he's like your brother. Sometimes brothers fight. Sometimes families have a falling out, but because they are family, you eventually forgive them."

The expression on his face told me he was in no mood to forgive or forget yet. The red cheeks, pursed lips and creased brow line said it all. "Maybe, I guess... but I just can't do that yet, Mom. I don't know how, and I'm just not ready! Like what, I'm supposed to just TRUST HIM again after what he did? After what both of them did?"

"Honey, no, that's not what I'm suggesting at all. You and Noah both need to work at fixing things, and that starts with having the grace to accept an apology."

He scoffed at me. "Yeah RIGHT! Like he'll ever apologize!"

"Okay, I know why you think that, but I believe he will, and when he does I hope you'll hear him out. But I also think what Rachel said was pretty accurate: you can't help who your heart chooses. That was true for you and Rachel, so maybe it's true for Quinn and Noah. It's true for your friendship with Noah as well. Oh sweetheart... I really don't think Noah wanted to hurt you, Finn. Intentions matter, too sometimes. I know that doesn't take away the pain you feel and certainly doesn't excuse his behavior, but given enough time, I promise those wounds will heal."

He nodded softly and I could tell he was thinking about everything I said. "Mom I know what you're saying, I just can't get past how he could betray me the way he did. He's supposed to have my back the way I've always had his. I just never thought he could lie to me that way and hurt me like that, y'know? And I still can't see him without wanting to punch his stupid face in. I don't know how to stop feeling like that, so until then, I just feel like I can't be around him."

"And in the meantime, you're suffering over the loss of your best friend."

"I have Rachel. She's my best friend... the only person I can really trust – besides you, of course."

As long as he was going to take this position on Noah's betrayal, things were never going to improve, and it was NOT going to make learning about that baby an easy pill for him to swallow. I could see how learning about Quinn's pregnancy would become salt in an open festering wound... so I hoped to try to do SOMETHING to soften that blow before it hit; Noah was going to tell him eventually, and Finn needed to be in a better state of mind if he was ever going to get past all of this nonsense. But part of me worried for Noah, too. As much as I knew Finn was suffering the loss of his brother, I knew Noah was feeling the same.

"I can see how much you care about Rachel, honey, but you can't just hide behind that one relationship and let everything else fester and rot. You know, you and Noah have always been each other's 'ride or die', isn't that how you put it? I know you aren't ready to forgive him and just be friends again – and I don't blame you for feeling so hurt and betrayed, but maybe you could try baby steps. Maybe football and Glee could both be places to start.

"You know baby, in life, sometimes you can't choose who you have to spend time with. There've been lots of people I've had to work with or work FOR whom I really couldn't stand, but you have to learn to work together for the benefit of the team as well as yourself. You and Noah have sort of been the magic combination on the football field together, and I'm sure that teamwork matters in Glee, too."

"I know you're probably right, Mom, and I'll think about it. Maybe if I can get through sectionals without rearranging his face I'll know if I'm ready."

As Finn and Rachel spent time practicing their sectionals songs in my garage for the next week, that's when things took a strange turn for a few days...

One evening when I took a fresh basket of clean laundry to his room, I walked in and found Finn thrashing his head around in the mirror while wearing the most ridiculous, ugly long haired wig I'd ever seen. He was so engrossed in whatever music was plugged into his earbuds that he didn't notice me standing there with my jaw hanging open. I just assumed it was a Halloween costume or something.

Then he and Rachel started using American Sign Language with each other at the dinner table (I don't know ASL myself, but I DO know the sign for I love you) and wondered what that was about... but the most unexpected thing was him telling me he needed me to buy him some very specific blue pajamas in a hurry.

Just a week or two before the competition, it seemed Rachel managed to get the entire glee club signed on as the stars of a TV commercial for a local mattress store! Rachel INSISTED Finn participate, and for whatever reason (or well, maybe for the obvious one) he agreed. Yes, my son got to appear on TELEVISION! Isn't that exciting? Oh I was so proud of all of them!

But then right after the commercial, there was some big fallout involving Mr Schuester and a mattress. Finn explained that Mr Schuester's wife went 'extra chick-batty' and somehow this led to Mr Schuester being barred from attending their sectionals competition. Now, I don't know what could've possibly happened involving a teacher's personal life and payment for a mattress commercial that trumped the man bringing an alcoholic middle aged woman to participate in (and corrupt) a high school glee club, but whatever it was must have been pretty bad since Mr Schuester was not going to be allowed to attend sectionals or even act as their choir director for a period of time.

Miss Pillsbury ended up attending sectionals as their director and chaperone. I wanted to go, especially since this was possibly my son's comeback performance to Glee and his first time ever competing in a singing competition, but we had three girls down with the bird flu at work and I had double shifts for the better part of that week. Rachel's dads were there though and they sent me a video of my son and Rachel WOWING the audience just like I knew they would, so it's no wonder they WON their first sectionals competition! I couldn't have been any more proud of them. Rachel happily recreated her performance of Don't Rain on My Parade just for me in the garage the next day and I was simply blown away. That girl is seriously going to be a superstar someday.

. . . . .

A few days after the competition was when Noah finally decided to tell Finn about the baby (IMPECCABLE TIMING NOAH!). I only found out NOT because my son told me, but because Mr Schuester called me to ask how Finn was holding up. I had to ask what on earth the man was talking about, and he filled me in on the state of shock Finn had been in at school that day.

Apparently, Finn had been walking past the home ec room and heard a commotion which he thought was someone in trouble. He looked in the room on;y to find Quinn and Noah alone together in the middle of a food fight, chasing each other around the room and kissing.

When Finn decided to simply walk away from the uncomfortable scene, THAT was when Noah cornered him and explained that he loved Quinn and that she was pregnant. Noah said she'd been having cravings all morning, so he'd taken her to the home ec classroom during a free period to bake for her.

Seeing them together like that had been upsetting enough for Finn, but once he learned about the baby, he pieced together the timing of when Quinn got pregnant and started to panic. He sought counsel from the only father figure he trusted – Mr Schuester.

Mr Schuester said Finn cried on his shoulder about it, talking about how Quinn had cheated on him with Noah but also wondering if her baby might really be his. Apparently there'd been concern on Finn's part as to this possibility because of an incident in a hot tub – which was another reason Mr Schue was calling me. (Believe me when I tell you, I had a very VERY LONG talk with my son that night!)

What I learned long after the fact was that Mr Schuester also gave Finn some really biased advice during that fatherly moment. He told my son NOT to trust women because they all lie and manipulate! It would be years before I learned about his ex-wife's hysterical pregnancy and her ruse to try and keep him in a marriage that had long been on the rocks, but on that day, the man poisoned my son with his own jaded opinions which led to the most unthinkable thing my easily confused son did next: he broke up with Rachel!

Yes, the man whom I'd once heralded as a divine presence in Finn's life contributed to one of the most ill-conceived half-assed decisions my son had ever made thanks to that toxic advice. He'd told Finn that they were young men in their prime who needed space and freedom to be themselves and to not let women run their lives or trap them. (Okay, maybe if Quinn was still in Finn's life at the time I might've even agreed with the man's distorted worldview, but that advice was not what he needed while he was dating his SOULMATE, for god's sake!)

And I didn't even find out from Finn about the breakup. I should have known something was extraordinarily wrong when I got a worried call from Burt saying that Finn blew off his shift at the shop that night. By the time I saw him the next morning he was pretending to be fine. Later that afternoon while Finn was at football practice, I called Rachel to confirm our plans for family dinner that weekend and SHE was the one to tell me about the breakup!

I will never forget the argument I had with Finn that night when he got home from practice...

"Finn, help me out here, because I don't understand what Mr Schuester's lying wife and Quinn's infidelity with Noah has to do with Rachel! You love her, honey, I'm sure of it, and Rachel has been nothing but good and kind and honest, hasn't she?"

"I know Mom, but–"

"Well then, did Rachel do anything to break your trust or your heart that I'm not aware of?"

"No, but that's not–"

"Then you really need to explain this to me! Imagine my surprise when I called her to confirm our next family dinner night plans and the girl was hysterical, Finn! HYSTERICAL! Sobbing and so upset it took a solid fifteen minutes for me to understand what had happened. I almost drove over there to check on her since her fathers weren't home, I didn't want her home alone in that state!"

He looked SO guilt-ridden and I swear I saw tears forming in his eyes. "She was crying that bad?"

"YES! What in the hell were you thinking, honey? If she didn't do anything wrong, then why would you do that to her?"

He started pacing around the room and balling his fists and I cringed every time he passed by the kitchen chairs. (Hey it was a brand new set I'd just bought with my last tax return – and I only needed to replace them because they'd been kicked once too many times in the past!)

"I dunno, Mom! Mr Schue said I should take time to find my inner rockstar because like, I'm a young studly dude and we'd both been letting these crazy chicks screw with us for too long and – CRAP – I dunno, it just seemed like the right thing at that moment! Right after I talked to him, Rach was like, yammering about all these planned dates for us for like the next month in advance and she made this nutty calendar with my face on a cat's body – and you know I don't like cats – and like, Santana and Brittany were trying to get me to go out with them, and then I was thinking of how Quinn always used to talk me into doing stuff I didn't wanna do and for just a second I thought maybe Mr Schue was right, maybe I needed to live a little on my own... then Rachel was talking about us always being honest with each other and before I knew what was happening the words just fell outta my mouth!"

"Excuse me but WHAT?! Are you saying you broke up with Rachel because you wanted to date not one but TWO other girls instead of the one whom I KNOW you care so deeply about and was already fully committed to you? Because Finn Colin Hudson I raised you better than that and–"

"No no NO I didn't like, WANT to date them, or anyone else really, I'm just saying the opportunity presented itself and it just made me think Mr Schue maybe had a point. Because y'know, I'd been tied to Quinn for so long, and then right after her I got straight into things with Rachel, so I never really had a chance to just be a single dude in high school and see what life was like on my own...

"But like, right after I said the words to Rachel, I watched Santana throw a slushie at a freshman girl from the AV club and I just knew I couldn't ever date someone like her! Or anyone else for that matter, because Rachel is nothing like any of those other batty chicks. Rachel's the best person I know. And then I thought about what I'd just done and wanted to swallow my words back up. I realized I messed up big time, because she's the most special girl in the whole school and you're right, I DO care about her, more than anything.

"So I went looking for her to fix it but she'd already stormed off and I couldn't find her and she wouldn't answer my calls or texts. I guess she found another way home too, 'cause I didn't see her the rest of the day. I was even late for practice 'cause I waited in the parking lot for her for like twenty minutes after school was out but I never saw her come out."

"Well Finn, you need to fix this. You needlessly broke that little girl's heart, and that's just not like you to be so hurtful."

"I know I know I know... I messed up super bad, but now I don't know how to make it right, especially when she won't answer my phone calls!"

I sighed, knowing he kind of deserved Rachel's cold shoulder at that point. I wanted to suggest he just drive to her house and try to confront her in person, but then I thought maybe it would do him some good to sit in the hot seat for a while and really think about the pain he inflicted. It was one of those tough love sneaky mom teaching moments (one I'd later regret). "Well maybe she just needs a day or two to calm down. Maybe tomorrow things will be better and you can apologize to her then. Flowers are usually a big help in situations like this, too."

He peeked at me with red-rimmed eyes and I was again reminded of that charming little boy adorableness that almost always gets him back in my good graces, especially the sad faced half-smile. "Yeah? Do you really think she'll take me back?"

I pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek. "Rachel's a rational, intelligent girl. I know she's a tad dramatic and emotional sometimes, but I'm sure when she's cooled off and hears you out, she will forgive you. She cares about you so much, sweetheart... but if she does forgive you, I expect you to do better and NEVER hurt her like that again!"

I thought I'd given my son some incredibly sound motherly advice. I was so sure of what I knew about him and about Rachel and I was POSITIVE that they would work this out within the next 48 hours and the whole thing would blow over quickly. I was in fact SO sure of my theory, that I'd forgotten one important little facet about teenage girls: hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Especially a hormonal teenage woman. But when the scorned party is Rachel Berry, I was about to have my first lesson on how you simply cannot predict what might happen next.

And in a million years I couldn't have predicted Jesse St James.

tbc...

. . . . .

A/N - sorry it's been a long hot minute for this update. The moose is currently floating between this and RGAHOM for now... so we'll see which update hits next. ;)

Oh, and for the record, the burnt dutch apple pie story is real, and unfortunately, MY OWN. Yeah, that was my learning curve to browning a crumb topping... oops!