From the Top

[2x16 Original Song. The auditorium. It's Rachel vs Quinn and the battle for Finn's heart: WHAT IF the scene didn't end there? What if there was much more to it than what we saw? Quinn's at the piano and Rachel is on a mission for the truth. Let's join the epic battle already in progress...]

. . . . .

"Are you and Finn together?"

"Yes. It's been a couple of weeks. UGH it's like Groundhog's Day with you, Rachel! How many times do you have to make the same mistake to realize it's not going to work out?"

"Thank you for being honest with me, Quinn, and– and I'm happy for you and Finn. But don't go and try to rewrite history, okay? It was real between us. He chose me over you."

"And how long did that last for?"

"Why are you being so mean?"

"Do you want to know how this story plays out? I get Finn, you get heartbroken. And then Finn and I stay here and start a family. I'll become a successful real estate agent, and Finn will take over Kurt's dad's tire shop." Seeing the argument and the anguish building in the brunette, the blonde tries to maintain the upper hand and explain her reasoning in a more finite, logical way. "You don't belong here, Rachel, and you can't hate me for helping to send you on your way."

"Send me on my way? What do you mean?"

"I mean you're New York bound Rachel, and EVERYONE knows it. And Finn is not. Everyone knows THAT too. I've known it from the start... he's not made that way."

Rachel shook her head defiantly. "No. No, I'm not giving up on Finn. It's not over between us."

"Yes, it is! GAH you're so frustrating! And that is why you can't write a good song! Because you live in this little schoolgirl fantasy of life. Rachel. If you keep looking for that happy ending then you are never going to get it right."

"You think it's a fantasy to believe that Finn still loves me? That he's meant for bigger things? In that case, I think it is YOU who is dreaming now Quinn, because I KNOW that he does and that he is. He's meant for so much more than being your house husband! He's just still hurt and angry over what I did. But you think I'm imagining him choosing me over you? Because he DID. He chose me last year."

"Yes yes, I know. He ran to you after the rather cunning way you managed to TRICK ME and suss out the truth about the baby's father, but–"

"That wasn't the start of it, Quinn. He chose me long before then."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know. You have to know. You at least suspected it, I'm sure. What else could have prompted you to even join Glee in the first place? After all your diatribes over what a group of LOSERS we were and how Finn's participation in it was ruining YOUR status as a power couple. Long before you learned you were pregnant. You suspected you were losing him back then, Quinn, and your instincts were correct."

Quinn clicks her tongue dismissively. "You're insane."

"Am I? Didn't he ever tell you? If you know him so well, if you're so CLOSE and so sure you're 'destined' to be in his future forever, and if he truly feels the same and loves you as much as you think, I would assume he's disclosed all his secrets to you by now."

"Finn and I don't have any secrets anymore."

"Well, you surely don't have the BIG ONE anymore, because I made sure of that before sectionals last year. But if that's really true then you must know. Surely after what he and I just went through, he's learned the importance of coming clean and being HONEST with his girlfriend; no secrets, no lies... That's what he'd promised me right before I admitted my sins and we broke up. So I assume you know about our date early last year. And our kiss. BOTH of them, actually."

"Date?...Kisses? What are you talking about? I think you're confused and desperately trying to bring your delusions to life now."

"No. They happened, Quinn. I think maybe FINN is still confused though, and I'll take the blame for much of that since it's MY recent transgressions and irresponsible actions that led him on this downward spiral that he seems to be on right now."

"He's not on any downward spir–"

"Yes he is. He CLEARLY is, because I KNOW how he feels about cheating, and yet he seems to have gone all-in with you in cheating on Sam."

"Whatever happened with Sam is none of your business."

"Oh I think it is though. I think it's every bit my business, because I love Finn. I'll always love him, and because the way he's behaving right now is so NOT him. I can see how you've been manipulating him again. Just like you did last year. At least this time it's less to do with the false paternity over a baby and more to do with restoring your popularity status... and maybe winning a crown."

"Shut up, Rachel, you don't know what you're talking about!"

"You really think I don't? I saw you two here the other day, you know. I heard you. I was in the back looking for sheet music I'd left behind the day before. I didn't mean to spy or eavesdrop, but leaving then would have revealed my presence, and I thought it would be entirely too uncomfortable for all of us..."

"Oh sure, I'm just SURE that's what it was. You didn't mean to spy...right."

"I know he brought you in here and I heard what you talked about. You talked about cheating. And you asked him if it's possible to love two people at once, and he told you no, that you'd have to choose eventually. Maybe you thought he was talking about himself and Sam, but I know better, even if he didn't even realize it, but he was talking about himself again. Finn thought he loved two people last year... you and me. But eventually, he chose Quinn. He just didn't choose you."

"And this time he chooses ME."

"You don't believe that Quinn. In your heart, in places you secretly fear and hate to admit, you KNOW deep down he'll never choose you forever... The very fact that you're resorting to manipulate him like this again is proof. That you'd put him through yet another round of cheating and heartbreak, and for what? The thrill of the conquest? Another W on your scorecard? Some kind of revenge plot or vindication since he DIDN'T choose you last time? Maybe it's just the pursuit of some deeper sense of self-worth to make up for the things you lost last year? I just—"

"Back off, little girl! You don't know me or what the hell you're talking about. I loved Finn long before YOU came along, and he loved me! He was MINE first before he ever met you and I'm NOT manipulating him into feeling ANYTHING! He's just finally able to remember who he really is now that he's free from your witchy troll spells."

"Really? So, you DIDN'T kiss him after he won the championship game while you were still wearing another boy's promise ring? A boy who'd just LOST the top spot on the football team – to FINN. A boy who was also worried about his popularity, which appears to have been what drew you to HIM in the first place; the idea of being part of a power couple again. So you're denying the fact that you seem to have kicked off Finn's sudden fascination with stealing you away from Sam?"

Quinn scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Finn's single now and free to make his own choices – just like he was when he slept with Santana last year. So you CAN all your holier than thou judgment and quit pretending like he can't do as he pleases."

"You're only fooling yourself if you can't see how your interference is messing with his head. I can see right through you though Quinn. And yes, Finn's a free agent now, which yes, I recognize is my own fault. I accept responsibility for what happened and have owned up to my mistakes which contributed to our downfall. But I don't think you have ever done the same. And now history seems to be repeating itself. You cheated on Finn last year, and now you've cheated on Sam the same way."

"I said it's none of your–"

"Look Quinn, I get it okay? I don't understand what it's like to give up a child, especially not at such a young age, but I get the kind of pain you've been dealing with for a long time. The feeling of being an outcast. The whispers behind your back. The rumors. The loneliness and the feeling of being a social pariah. It hurts. I'm sure it hurts even more when you once were on top and suffered a fall from grace... but I know it all FAR too well what it feels like to be so neglected and feel so alone. I even empathize with you. Having had a parent of my own reject me in such a cruel, cold way—"

"–You don't know anything, you don't know me!–"

"–I understand how one might be driven to such extremes. Your father and my mother have some things in common, don't they? Both are so cold-hearted. So I COMPLETELY understand how you can be pushed to doing irrational things in pursuit of love and acceptance..."

"Screw you Rachel. You don't know anything."

"...Like kissing your ex-boyfriend in a moment of desperation, seeking some form of comfort, some inner means of gratification, proof that you're still powerful and worthy of love. But you did it while you were still committed to someone else. Maybe it was a moment of weakness you ended up regretting, but you did it just the same. You did that to Sam, just like I did to Finn. Just like you already did to Finn with Noah last year. So I get your efforts right now and the reasons behind them. But if you think just because Finn kissed you back that it means anything in the long run, you're mistaken. And if he's still hiding the truth from you, then maybe he hasn't learned anything at all yet... maybe HE still needs some time to grow up and get it right. And I'll give that to him, because that's how much I believe in him. That's how much I love him."

Quinn's eyes narrowed as she searched for a rebuttal to the facts the tiny diva was laying before her. "You're grasping at straws and living in this ridiculous fantasy world. And I have no idea what secrets you think Finn is keeping from me when I KNOW him... He was drawn in by your talent. He liked feeling SPECIAL because of the way you followed him around like a lovesick homeless puppy dog. But secret dates and kisses? With you? He's NOT that creative and has never put that kind of effort into anything, so I doubt it very much."

"Don't. You can think a lot of things about me, and you've even posted MANY of those thoughts on my social media and the restroom walls over the past couple years, but have you EVER known me to be a liar? Ask him. Go ahead. If you really think I'm lying."

The blonde studied the brunette unsure of what to say, searching her memory for the truth in Rachel's words. Rachel continued staring down the blonde confidently until the former head Cheerio finally sighed.

"Fine. You need proof? Yes. He told me he took you bowling to get you to come back to Glee, for the sake of Glee succeeding. Something about getting a scholarship. So you see? No secrets: just Finn USING YOU to get something he needed in order to be with and to provide for a life with ME."

Rachel nodded, but smirked when she realized only part of the story was being relayed. "Yes, he did do that – although I think it was more about providing for a CHILD that he thought was his. But I guess he didn't tell you how he kissed me that night, or did he? And also, how he kissed me, right here on this stage even BEFORE that bowling date. Did he confess that too?"

"You lie. When?"

"It was right around the time of our first Glee performance at the homecoming pep rally. And you know, I find it a little ironic that he brought you here for yet another adulterous kissing interlude... Maybe he was trying to recapture the magic he and I shared that day? Maybe he's still harboring some guilt for us having gone behind your back and thinks that kissing you here in a similar way cancels that out somehow, or maybe he's just testing himself to see if what he thinks he feels for you can stand up against the powerful chemistry he shares with me."

"What the hell are you on about, Berry? Even if he did kiss you here when you say he did it was probably some silly glee choreography thing, or- or some friendly pity peck on the cheek or–"

"No. No, it was after he'd already admitted some extremely vulnerable feelings to me about how much he liked me. About how I make him feel. I've thought back on his words that day many times, and the way he looked at me. I think he was coming to terms with falling in love with me at the time but was too overwhelmed to understand what his feelings meant, or maybe he was trying to accept that much change so quickly. After all, the drama of the social implications and fallout from walking away from someone like you in favor of someone like me, well. I realize it's a lot to bear. But he confessed some truly honest, lovely things to me, and then he laid me down, laid right on top of me and held me close and kissed me. Passionately. Right in that spot right next to you there on the floor."

"He said... he said he liked you, had real feelings for you? And he... On the floor?"

"Yes. It was the most romantic and profound moment of my life, Quinn, and I felt his love for me then – not just through his kiss or in the way his eyes bored into my very soul, but also against my thigh."

Quinn threw her hands in the air dismissively, shaking her head. "Oh that's what you're on about?! Th-that's just called LUST and hormones, not LOVE! Delusional as ever."

"Think what you want Quinn, but it was real. Finn and I share this magnetic inexplicable connection, and we have from the start. I know he was being honest with me then, even if he wasn't fully being honest with you or even with himself. His body couldn't lie. But I also know he was cheating on you then – not just physically but emotionally. Which I DO still owe you an apology for my part in that. I admit I was being a bit shameless in my pursuit of him last year, but it's only because I knew he had reciprocal feelings then, and because I knew then what I still know now; we're meant to be together."

"As if... I have no idea what he ever saw in you Rachel Berry, because you're clearly CRAZY if you really believe ANY of that to be true."

"I admit I'm a bit crazy in many ways, but I'm NOT imagining what we had then and what I know we can have again someday. Finn and I make sense in a way that you two do not. I appreciate him and can see his full untapped potential – unlike you, who seems to only appreciate him as some arm candy, as a step up on your social climb. You just want to hold him down under your heel and doom him to a life that I know deep down he doesn't want."

Quinn's eyes were fierce at the accusation. "I'm not DOOMING him to anything, Treasure Trail! You sure don't seem to know him at all, the real Finn, not the way I DO. I was his girlfriend first for a long time before you came along and RUINED everything! Filling his head with your crazy ideas... Finn is just a simple guy, Rachel. God knows he doesn't have many goals or aspirations – or ANY really, not beyond high school accolades at least. He's a homespun, small-town guy who will end up living a quiet, simple, small-town life, and he'll be comfortable that way. And that's okay for him, because he's not YOU. He doesn't know how to dream like you do, and even if he did, he doesn't know how to DO anything about those dreams; he isn't motivated that way. His main ambitions in life have only been to get laid or throw a winning touchdown. And now his ambition is to be back on top here again with me and–"

"You're so FULL OF IT Quinn! How dare you?! How dare you LIMIT him that way? How can you possibly claim to love him or know the REAL him but not see what I see? How amazingly talented he is? Finn is a natural leader when he isn't being told what a LOSER he is or believing the garbage people feed him. He CAN be anything he wants to be, if he's pulled out from under the dark cloud of FAILURE everyone seems to be so sure he's destined to live under forever. He's a gifted singer and musician. He is hardworking and earnest and–"

"And what? What other delusional rose-colored lenses have you painted him through? And NOTHING! He's just a run of the mill teenage boy trying to get passing grades so he can keep playing football and hopefully get a diploma. But he's also a good-looking boy, who seems to understand what I do – our looks can carry us far while we're here, and together we make an unbeatable force."

"Unbeatable? AGAINST WHO? Who is this dastardly invisible enemy you seem to think you're fighting anyway?"

"Society, Rachel! What other people think of us matters you know. Or well, maybe you don't know. When they see us having it all, they envy us, and they realize that we're worthy of it. I won't apologize for wanting that kind of recognition and the RESPECT I deserve!"

Rachel shook her head in disbelief. "Maybe I am crazy for trying to reason with you at all, Quinn. Or maybe you're right, maybe he's just caught in some time warp that has him convinced that being the popular jock is all that he'll ever amount to, all that matters once again... but there's a version of Finn buried underneath that shroud of inadequacy you've cloaked him in, one who wants to get out of Ohio and DO something important and meaningful with his life. Who yearns for something more than being relinquished to the small-town lifestyle you seem to think is his only worth.

"You can reduce him to whatever stereotype you want Quinn, but I never will. He has MANY admirable qualities – some which I'm sure even HE hasn't discovered yet, but the one I love the best is his huge heart. Did you know he gave me a necklace on Valentine's Day? The same day you were sneaking around behind Sam's back. Even though we were broken up, he gave me a beautiful symbol of his love and told me how much he believes in me... his heart might be damaged now and may still be healing, but I know it's still the same as it ever was. And I know it's still mine."

"I think you're right," a voice cut in from the darkness. A very familiar baritone voice drifted up from the shadows of the audience seats.

"Finn?!" Rachel gasped, as the color drained from Quinn's face. "Why are you– h-how long have you been there?"

The tall boy climbed the stairs to join them on the stage, his hands shoved deep in his front pockets and a stern look on his face. "Long enough. Maybe my small-town lack of ambition isn't that smart or motivated, but I'm pretty sure I heard more than enough to understand what's happening here."

Quinn sucked a breath, realizing by the words he spoke and the piercing, slightly angered gaze he had fixed upon her that she'd lost this battle.

"I... Finn I–" she began.

"Don't bother, Quinn. Save us both the frustration and time wasted on another round of bullshit. There's nothing you can say," he stated simply, folding his arms across his chest. "I totally see the truth now. You don't need to say another thing."

Rachel cut in nervously. "I should go so you two can–"

Finn reached for her hand, snagging it gently in his. "No Rach, not you. Stay. Please?"

Quinn, seeing the gesture and hearing the change in Finn's voice to a softer, almost begging tone, knew this was her defeat.

Sighing, the blonde looked at her feet, then glanced at Rachel before bringing her gaze back to his. "I'm sorry, Finn," she said softly then turned to walk away.

Once the echo of the auditorium door clicking closed behind her dissipated, Rachel cleared her throat. "I'm sorry too."

"I know you are, Rach. It's okay... you don't need to apologize anymore."

"So I guess you heard all of that?"

"Yeah. Well, most of it anyway, I think. Enough to be able to say that you know I don't wanna work for Burt forever."

Rachel smiled a tiny knowing grin. "I know."

"Enough to know how hard you were fighting for me... for us. You just won't give up, will you?" he smiled crookedly.

"No I won't. I'll always fight for you. And for us."

"So uh... y- you really meant everything you said about me to Quinn?"

"Every word."

"And you still love me?"

"Every bit as much as I ever have. Maybe more now, given how distance makes the heart grow fonder. There's truth to that saying you kno–"

She was cut off by two large hands sliding onto her cheeks and two warm lips pressed firmly against hers. Rachel stood stiff, shocked by his sudden actions, but then her small hands wrapped around his forearms, and she melted into his kiss.

"If you really believe all those things... If any of it is really true, what you think about me and my potential, then it's only because of you, Rach. YOU make me wanna dream bigger and be something better. Maybe Quinn's right. Maybe I don't have that much motivation or know how to accomplish anything, but I wanna learn. I WANT to be something bigger than Lima Ohio. And... I really want that to feel like I deserve another chance with you."

"Finn..?"

"I'm sorry Rach. And I miss you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I miss you too. So much."

He nodded and tugged her closer, loosely gripping her hips as her hands rested softly against his chest. "You were right about a lot of the stuff you said though. I think I have been kinda confused and screwed up and letting myself believe the crap Quinn was feeding me… or the crap I was feeding myself. I thought... I guess I thought if you cheated on me, then you didn't really love me, at least not the way I loved you."

"That's not true at all, I-"

"I know. And I let her make me think the best I could do was be back on top with her again. But Rach, I've been to the top already. I've seen the view from there, and unless you're next to me, it's nothing special."

"But I'll never be a prom queen or the most popular girl, Finn, so I–"

"The top I'm talking about is the one where we stood on a stage, singing and dancing together. Making music together. SOARING together. You... you give my heart wings, Rachel. You make me wanna fly, make me think I that CAN."

Her eyes flooded with unshed tears. "Because you can, Finn, You can do anything you set your mind to."

"Yeah? You really think I can?"

"Yes. I believe in you, and I KNOW you can."

"So that means I can do this then?" he asked with a sly smile as he leaned in for another kiss. She smiled against his lips and nodded, breaking their kiss and nuzzling her nose against his chin.

"Yes," she sighed contentedly. "In fact I'm looking forward to you doing that more often. That is, i-if you still want to."

"Oh baby, I still want to."

"Good. I'm glad... I think we need to talk about some things, but–"

His arms wrapped tighter around her waist and he pulled her flush against him. "We can talk later, there'll be plenty of time for that. Right now I wanna stretch my wings a little and enjoy the view from the top some more. Go with me?"

She smiled and nodded silently as his lips found hers once again.

. . . . .

~F️❤️R~