ELOPE

[sorry if you're all getting sick of this one - and maybe this'll finally get it all out of my system now, but I hadn't addressed this scene from s1x05 THE RHODES NOT TAKEN here yet. and really, i've always hated that canon finn didnt tell rachel about the baby HIMSELF sooner. it prob would have saved us all a WHOLE LOT of nausea watching stupid Fuinn 1.0! although i admit, the entire babygate arc was one of the best of the series and made for fab A+++ teen drama... but this is fanfiction and a fixit fic. In my world, i dont have to wanna slap finn for screwing with rachel's emotions to manipulate her back to glee for the sake of a scholarship for a baby Q isnt even planning to keep... UGHHHHH! BRING ON THE FIX!]

"I'm sleeping with him."

"So am I... This play's weird."

She giggles. "That's Mr. Ryerson's favorite line. You're a really good actor, Finn. Maybe you should consider joining the musical."

"I don't know about that. Besides, I'm pretty devoted to Glee... anyway... You seem really tense lately, what with all this play rehearsal and quitting glee and stuff. I know sometimes I get really tense when I have too much on my mind like, basketball and how to beat level four on Halo... Hey I've got an idea... you know what we should do?"

"Elope?"

"What?"

"Um, nothing. What were you saying?"

"Uh... I was gonna say go bowling, but hang on, back up... you said we should elope."

She giggles nervously, flipping through her script and plopping down on the piano bench. "Don't be silly Finn, of course I didn't."

He takes a few steps around the piano toward her, a small teasing grin pulling up at the corner of his mouth. "No, I heard you, you totally did...Rachel Berry, are you flirting with me?"

"No! I mean, I certainly did NOT say what you think you heard me say. Your ears might need a proper examination by an otolaryngologist because you must be hearing things."

"An auto WHAT?"

"An ear nose and throat doctor."

"Oh," He steps a little closer still, hands casually in his front pockets and leans down a bit to try and see her face that she's burying in her script. "No, no I don't think need my ears checked and you're changing the subject. You were flirting. Rach, it's alright... I mean, I know, okay?"

"I was not... and you know what exactly?"

"I know that you like me."

"Well... we- we're friends Finn, of course I do–"

"Not just as friends. As more."

Rachel squirms on the piano bench uncomfortably not knowing how to respond. She'd in a million trillion years never expected him to call her out on her crush. "I - I - I don't though. Besides... You have a girlfriend."

He sits on the bench next to her and places a hand on her knee. "Rachel. We never talked about what happened last week."

She's mentally squealing with glee over the feeling of his hand on her leg and summons her amazing acting ability to play it off like everything is normal on the outside, even though she's completely turning to goo on the inside. "I'm sure I don't know what you–"

"Last week Rach. You went all chick batty over Mr Schue's choreography and the whole Dakota dorkface dude thing happened and then you pretended like that kiss in the auditorium never did. Then you flaked out over Tina getting that solo and quit glee, which totally sucks by the way... I've been meaning to tell you that."

"It does?"

"Yeah... I miss seeing you there, and I miss singing with you. A lot. But it feels like.. Since that kiss, it's like this whole weird thing between us that you wanna just run away from. But you made me that cool picnic and said I could kiss you and you kissed me back, Rachel. So I know."

Her eyes stay fixed on his hand as she hurriedly shoots back "Well, so what if I did? Or even if I do – which I'm not saying I do – but it wouldn't matter. You've still got Quinn... and a reputation to uphold."

He cradles her chin with his free hand, tilts her face toward his and stares into her eyes intensely for a beat. "Rach...you wanna know something?"

She looks down at his hand still perched on her knee and tries her best not to melt into a puddle from the shockwaves of pleasure his touch is radiating throughout her body. Instead, she nods shyly and her words come out as a soft exhale. "I'm your friend Finn, of course I'll always listen to anything you want to share."

He leans over to her ear, nuzzling his nose into her hair and whispers "I like you too. Way more than I probably should. I think about that kiss all the time."

She feels his warm breath in little puffs against her neck with each softly spoken word and her entire thigh feels engulfed in flames under his palm now. If she turned her face just a little her lips would be on his... again. He likes her. He said the words – he REALLY likes her!

But he has a girlfriend... And she's not big on the idea of being the other woman or anyone's second choice.

Still, when he leans back and looks into her eyes again, she can't help herself. Her heart does a backflip and the butterflies start doing the riverdance in her belly. "Finn... yes. You're right. I do like you. So much. But... that doesn't change anything, does it?"

"You like me and I like you... I don't know. I kinda think that changes a lot of stuff."

"But what about Quinn? I won't be played a fool, Finn. I let you kiss me once, hoping something would change because I thought you felt it too, this, this strong chemistry between us. But then nothing changed. You just, you walked away from me and went right back to Quinn."

He exhales heavily, his lips pursing into a thin line and he releases both hands from Rachel, turning to face forward on the piano bench, his hands now resting on his thighs drumming anxiously. Rachel reads his body language and knows she struck a nerve.

"Finn? I'm sorry, I just mean I can't–"

"You know what happened after I walked away from you that day Rach? I went to the locker room to change my shorts... because you totally made me so I hot I sorta...um. I lost control."

She feels her cheeks flush and gasps "You mean... Oh!"

"Then the next thing I did was go home and spend like three hours trying to figure out the right way to tell Quinn I wanted to break up."

"Y-you.. You did?"

He looks at her solemnly. "Yeah. I wasn't sure if I should tell her about kissing you, because technically I cheated on her and maybe she had a right to know, but then again if I was just ending things with her anyway, maybe it's none of her business and it'd just be like, adding insult to injury or whatever. So I figured I'd just not tell her about the kiss."

"Okay. I suppose I agree with that logic... But, it seems you didn't have this conversation with her after all, so...?"

"Because when I finally saw her again and got the balls to say the words, she pulled out a doctor's paper thing that proves she's pregnant. And she was crying her face off and claiming it's mine..."

"Oh my gosh! I had no idea... I mean she's the president of the celibacy club, so I didn't think she was... or th-that you two were–"

"But see, we're NOT though."

"What?"

"I mean we never DID... she...she said it happened one night when I, y'know, lost it in the hot tub with her. I mean that's just MY LUCK, isn't it? I meet this incredible girl who sings like an angel and, okay, maybe she talks a lot and confuses me and she's a little crazy sometimes... but I kinda dig it and... and I wanna be with her so bad, but then my stupid GUYS just had to go swimming through the water and wreck my life! I just–"

"FINN! Finn slow down! Wait... just wait, just wait a second... Y-y-you're saying you two never had... intercourse?" she whispers the last word and he blushes a deep shade of crimson, shaking his head, looking at her curiously. "And she told you that your sperm survived long enough to move through the water and impregnate her?" He looks like he's about to cry as he wordlessly nods in the affirmative. "Finn.. I'm sorry but... that is just scientifically IMPOSSIBLE for a girl to get pregnant like that."

"It is?" His eyes were wide as eggs.

"It is. Between the extreme temperature change and the chemicals likely used in the water, it's just not possible. Spermatozoa cannot survive outside a host body for more than a few seconds in the best of conditions, and–"

"Whoa! Hold on then...if that's true, why'd she tell me that story?"

"I think... I think maybe you need to ask her that question, Finn."

He blankly stares at the wall as it dawns on him. "She cheated on me."

Rachel watches a range of emotions pass over his expression, nods silently and places a hand over his on his knee. "It would seem so, yes. I'm sorry, Finn."

After a beat, he turns to face her, flips his palm right side up to lace his fingers with hers and smiles the most glorious face splitting smile she's ever seen. "She cheated on me. So... I'm not gonna be a dad at 16... my life isn't over... and I can do this any time I want now," then leans in and takes Rachel's face in both his hands and plants a scorching kiss on her lips.

When they finally pull apart she returns his face splitting smile with one of her own. "Any time you want huh?"

"Well yeah.. I didn't suppose you'd object. You don't do you?"

She kisses his cheek sweetly. "No, not at all. But... You know what we should do?"

"Elope?" he jokes as he tickles her side lightly.

She giggles and squirms. "We should go on that date. Just as soon as you have that conversation with your soon to be ex-girlfriend."

He nods in agreement, a more serious expression on his face now. "Yeah... We totally should. And we are, tomorrow. Because tonight I'm talking to Quinn. Then tomorrow I'm gonna take you bowling."

"I've never been bowling before. I'd love for you teach me."

"Yeah sure, you'll love it, I promise! And... and Rach, I really want you to come back to glee."

"I don't know, Finn," she sighs and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear "the club already hates me and I think it's only going to get worse once you talk to Quinn."

He holds both her shoulders in his large hands and squeezes gently. "But you miss Glee, Rach, I know you do... and I miss you. If you won't come back for me, come back for yourself. You know you want to. We can be co-captains again, and I'll have your back and you'll have mine. To hell with what everyone else thinks."

She presents him with a toothless grin. "The two of us against the world, huh?"

"Yeah, exactly. I like the sound of that," he says softly as he toys with the ends of her long silky hair.

"Me too. I think I'll use that in our vows."

He crunches his brows together. "Our vows?"

"Yeah, you know, when we elope."

He smiles and kisses her again. "Cool... I'm gonna hold you to that someday."

. . . . .

~F️❤️R~