Glee 1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy, his stupid yellow hat, and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: I know I'm in the middle of _Perfect Couple_, but as long as there's a hiatus, I don't see why I can't balance two fics at the same time. Besides, I need an outlet for all this Finchel angst that has been plaguing me for weeks, so I hope you enjoy! Takes place after Special Education and the Christmas episode didn't happen.

**Escape **

**Chapter One**

It was too much effort to wake up, he thought, as he yawned widely and stretched out his long limbs on the tiny bed. The alarm was ringing, but to Finn it just blended into the background, and with a flick of his wrist he disposed of the blaring noise. With the sun peeking through his curtains, taunting him with the tortures of another day, he wondered if there was a way he could just stay home. He didn't know if he could handle another afternoon filled with sad eyes, pouty lips and longing stares from across the choir room. Going to school meant another day of facing Rachel, and he didn't know if he had the energy to do it anymore.

He'd tried to ignore her. He'd tried to pretend that she didn't exist and hadn't looked her in the eyes for days. She was always there, though, looming in his periphery, begging him for forgiveness with the eyes he used to lose himself in for hours. Whispering for forgiveness with the lips he used to kiss. The lips that tasted like love and promises and music. The lips that kissed Noah Puckerman.

He didn't know if he could forgive her anymore. Forgiveness was something one earned, and in his messed up head he couldn't decide if it was even worth it anymore.

He'd had two girlfriends and they both cheated on him with the same guy. What hurt more was the fact that Rachel knew how much it would hurt him, and she did it anyway. It was like the girl he'd loved had been taken over by spiteful aliens or something. It was unfathomable to him.

When his heart hammered painfully at the thought of her infidelity, it occurred to him that he was still very much in love with Rachel, which was making this whole experience even worse. It was so easy to fall in love with her, to hold on to the idea that she loved him as well. But how could she love him if she'd used her love against him to cause him pain? What kind of definition of love was that?

Pinching his eyes shut against the sun that had risen over the horizon, he untangled his limbs from the linens and tried to find the willpower to start his day. His cell phone was resting on the nightstand next to his desk instead of on it's charger, and he quickly plugged it in so it could have some juice for the rest of the day. He'd been up late last night talking to Kurt at Dalton, trying to get some brotherly advice in regards to Rachel. Kurt was sympathetic to the issue, as he'd been talking to Rachel as well and heard both sides of the story. When Finn found out that piece of information, he felt a tad betrayed by his step-brother, and hung up on him unceremoniously before passing out from sheer emotional exhaustion.

It wasn't fair, it felt like she was everywhere. He couldn't escape her presence; it felt like Rachel Berry permeated every square inch of his life and there was nowhere to hide from her. Not at school where they were forced to co-exist in the same space. Not at home where her perfume still sometimes lingered in his room and the memories of their make-out sessions pulled at his emotions. He couldn't even talk to his own family about her; his mother had adored Rachel and Kurt and her were now the best of buddies. How was he supposed to get over her when she was everywhere? There was no escape.

His shower lasted longer than it should have; he stood under the hot spray of the water for a long time, willing it to wash away the anger he felt at Rachel, to magically make him forget about her betrayal so he could pull her into his arms again. So he could look into her eyes and not see images of her with Puck or remember her spiteful actions.

Unfortunately, his shower wasn't magical, and he felt even worse when he realized how much he _wanted_ to love her again, but couldn't.

This was going to drive him crazy. He was going to end up in a mental institution if he didn't get away from this pressure. It felt like he was gonna snap at any second and nothing anyone could do would be able to help. When he finally tried to leave his house to make it to school, he froze at the entrance to his room not even able to make it another step.

He couldn't go through with it anymore.

He was done pretending everything was alright.

_Nothing_ was alright.

He felt broken.

At 7:42 am, the time he normally exited his house to make it to school by 8, he took his backpack and dumped out the books all over his bedroom floor, not caring about the mess that he was making at all. Ignoring the scattered sheet music and textbooks from his classes, he started to stuff the backpack full of things he thought he would need: a toothbrush, his shaving kit, his emergency money stash that he'd been saving to buy Rachel a birthday and Christmas/Hanukkah present. She'd once said that December was an expensive month to be Rachel Berry's boyfriend and he'd laughed at it then. When the bag was stuffed with essentials, he grabbed his McKinley football bag and threw in enough clothes to last him a while. Socks, underwear, sweaters, jeans; the works. He was gonna need it.

The last thing he did before leaving his house was rummaging through the kitchen for a pen and paper so he could try to explain to his mother what was going on. The blank page was quickly filled with his shaky scribble, and he tried not to cry when he thought about her reaction to this letter when she found it later tonight. He left his cell phone on top of the note so no one would be able to contact him, and hoped it was a sign to them all that he didn't want to be found. When he got into his car, he pulled onto the highway instead of driving into town to go to school, heading in whichever direction had the least traffic so he wouldn't be tempted to turn around.

At 8:00 am, while the rest of the world was getting ready to start school or work, Finn Hudson was already four towns away, heading west with no intentions of coming back.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tapping her fingernails nervously on the hard cover of her binder, Rachel kept looking around the choir room with the intensity of a hawk, waiting for Finn to show up to glee. She was already used to him trying to avoid her in the halls, but for him to miss glee rehearsal because of their issues was just plain irresponsible and unfair to the team. When Mr. Schue showed up and started their morning meeting without Finn, she knew that something wasn't right. It was a nagging feeling that stayed with her all morning, and she couldn't shake the sensation that something was wrong.

It was lonely being Rachel Berry these days. She and Finn had been broken up for a whole week now and she wondered how much longer she was going to have to beg for his forgiveness before he realized how sorry she truly was. If she could have the chance to take it all back, she would have done it in an instant. Unfortunately, there was no way to redo the past. There was no reset button that could magically erase the pain; she knew that only time could heal these kinds of wounds.

If only time moved faster, she thought bitterly as she sat through class after class of useless information that would do nothing to further her future Broadway career. Sometimes she fantasized about dropping out and moving to a Performing Arts high school somewhere. Maybe Cleavland had one, she should really look into it...

By fourth period, she decided that Finn was probably just sick, which made her mind go into overdrive at the possibilities. Should she stop by after school to check in on him? Maybe she should bake him some "get-better-soon" brownies? A million different scenarios played out in her mind, ranging from her being his savior and nursing him back to health, to him throwing the brownies right in her face and slamming the door. Sighing deeply, she knew she should just try to let go of him for a while and give him the space he needed.

Maybe it was for the best.

The rest of the day dragged on for what felt like eons. Perhaps she should call Kurt, and ask him to check up on Finn. Yeah, that was an excellent idea!

During lunch, she poked her head into the choir room to find it empty, and she sat by the piano as she pulled out her bedazzled blackberry and found Kurt's number. Hopefully he had a study period right now; she could really use someone to talk to. When no one picked up, she dejectedly left a message on his voice-mail explaining about Finn and asking him to call her back when he had the chance.

The day continued to drag on at a snail's pace and she caught herself checking the clock every five seconds, waiting for her freedom so she could escape that prison of a school. Without Finn around she was a target again for slushie attacks, and while she'd made it through the afternoon corn syrup-free, there was still enough time after school for a sneak attack.

Thankfully, she made it out of the school un-slushied, and she walked home in the bitter December cold in silence. Her birthday was coming up really soon, and she just knew that her dads were going to buy her a car for her 16th birthday. If only it were next week already. With a sigh, she wished that Finn could celebrate it with her, but she doubted he would forgive her by then. It would be another birthday spent alone, but she was used to it by now.

As she entered the empty house, a buzzing in her pocket alerted Rachel to the phone call she'd been waiting for all day, and she quickly answered her phone before it could go to voice-mail.

"Hello?"

"Rachel? It's Kurt." His voice sounded rushed. "We need to talk."

"I know we do, did you get my message?"

"Yes, I did, and that's the problem." She did not like the way his voice hitched; he was breathing heavily and he sounded worried.

"What are you talking about Kurt?"

"I got your message about Finn and called his cell to see what was up. He didn't answer. I assumed he was feeling really sick if he didn't answer his phone, so I called my dad and asked him to stop by the house and check up on him." There was a pause and Rachel's anxiety grew exponentially. "Rachel, he wasn't there."

"What do you mean he wasn't there?" She tried not to get hysterical right away but sometimes her emotions were too big to control.

"There was a letter," said Kurt, and Rachel struggled to breathe. "He said he needed time away from Lima."

"Because of me?" She asked with a small voice and heard no response. "He ran away?"

"I think so, Rachel. He left his cell phone on the kitchen counter and my dad said his room was a mess. There are things missing from his room. Clothes and stuff. His car is gone too."

Her reaction to the news was so visceral, she felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach. It was unfathomable to her, and she didn't want to believe what she was hearing. She resisted the urge to cover her ears so she couldn't listen to it any more. "Where did he go?"

"No one knows yet. There's no easy way to track him without getting the police involved." Automatically, she decided that calling the cops was out of the question. He would never forgive them if they called the police on him and hunted him down like a criminal. As a single tear leaked out of the corner of her eye, she wiped it away with determination.

"I'm coming to see you." She said as she started to pack her own bags while balancing the phone in her hands. "We have to find him, Kurt. We have to bring him home."

"Rachel, I don't think you're thinking things through rationally right now. I know you're upset, but maybe Finn just needs some time. He will come home soon."

"No! What Finn needs to do is to be a man and face his problems head on instead of running away from them. He can't just leave town and expect me to accept it. We're gonna find him." She gathered everything she thought she needed while she balanced her cell phone on her shoulders and took her father's emergency credit card from their bedroom just in case. They could always pull money out of her college fund for reimbursement. "I'm getting on the first bus to Dalton. I can be there before it gets too late."

"Rachel, you're insane! I. . ." She hung up on Kurt before he could protest any more and gathered her things together before leaving a note for her dads to find, a la Finn Hudson. Hell, if Finn could just pack up his things and try to escape, then she could too. She was going to find him and prove to him how much she loved him by chasing him around the country and bringing him home where he belonged.

_With her_.

Dragging her rolling suitcase through the dark streets of Lima, she headed for the bus station and got a one way ticket to Westerville. She wasn't coming back without Finn, and she wasn't coming home by bus either.

Arriving in Westerville, Ohio a little after 10pm, she took a nap on the bus to restore some of her energy. She was going to need it after she went through with her plan. She only hoped that Kurt wouldn't be mad at her, even though she could practically hear the argument they were going to have when this was all over.

It would be worth it though, in the end.

Seeing that Dalton was an all boys school, she knew that there was no way she would be allowed on campus, so she called Kurt and had him meet her at the bus station in town. He drove up in his familiar black SUV and they embraced tightly before he started to shake her like a crazy person.

"Rachel, what are you doing here? There's absolutely nothing we can do for Finn right now." She grabbed him by the shoulders to stop him from shaking her.

"That's not true, Kurt. We have to find him." She hesitated a bit before continuing. "_I_ have to find him."

"No one knows where he is, though. He could be three states away by now, _who knows_ what's going on in his head?"

"_I do_. I know Finn better than anyone, and I know that I can find him. I'm gonna bring him home." Kurt stared at her with something akin to sympathy and she tried to ignore it. This was her fault, _all_ her fault, and she was gonna fix it and bring Finn home. It didn't matter how long it took. She would search coast to coast for Finn if she had to. Thank Goodness he never got a passport.

"Listen, I know you feel bad about this whole thing, but you have to understand that you're only one person, and Finn could be anywhere. Come on," he started to lead her towards his car, "I'm gonna sneak you into my dorm room so you can spend the night here. In the morning, we can start to plan what we're gonna do." He gave her a small, encouraging smile that was tinged with sadness. She could see it in his eyes; he had doubts about Finn coming home.

That's when she decided that he couldn't be a part of her plan. She still needed him for a little while longer though.

"Alright," she said, defeated. "Let's go."

They drove back to Dalton campus in silence. Kurt entered the building through the front doors of his hall and opened up one of the side doors to sneak Rachel in past security. They quickly went into Kurt's room and Rachel was in awe of her surroundings. She wondered if all private school dorm rooms looked like mini-mansions and laid down on the couch in her street clothes while Kurt got ready for bed. When the lights went out for the night, they whispered their good-nights to one another and Rachel feigned sleep while waiting for Kurt's breathing to even out. When it sounded like a light snore, it was time to put her plan into action.

Her bags were still out in Kurt's SUV, so she quietly pulled on her shoes and tiptoed over to Kurt's desk where he left his car keys. He would never be fully supportive of her plan, she realized that now. He might even hinder it, which would be detrimental to her course of action. Kurt was far too rational to bring along, but she still needed the one thing he had that she didn't.

A method of transportation.

For the second time that day, she scribbled out a note of apology and left it on Kurt's desk for him to find when he woke up in the morning. She picked up the keys like they were made of glass, trying to keep them from jingling and making any noise whatsoever. As she tip-toed out of the dorm room and out the back doors of the hall, she knew she was committing a serious felony; Grand Theft Auto wasn't just Finn's favorite video game. She approached the black SUV and unlocked it, wincing at the sharp beeping sound the alarm made in the silence of the night. She entered the vehicle, moving the seat as forward as possible to help her reach the pedals, and turned the key in the ignition as the car roared to life.

Backing up as slowly as possible, she exited the parking lot and headed straight for the highway, ready to start her adventure on the road. She was going to find Finn; no matter what she had to do, she was going to bring him home. Even if he still hated her, she was going to drag him back to Lima if he had to.

She approached the highway exit and was already faced with her first challenge: turn right to go east, or turn left to head west. She pulled over as she began to contemplate her options and already wished that she'd brought Kurt along so she didn't have to make all the decisions by herself. Pulling a coin out of her pocket, she kissed it, letting her lips linger a bit before whispering to herself in the solitude of the car.

"Heads is east, tails is west. Which way will lead me back to Finn?" She flipped the coin and caught it, slapping it on the back of her palm. With a deep breath, she put the coin back in her pocket and pulled onto the road, turning left and heading west into the unknown.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Rachel is on the hunt for Finn! The chase is on!

Until next time. . .*sings*. . . Don't Stop. . . Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: Throughout this first chunk of the story, my best friend will be Google Maps.

**Chapter Two**

_I spent the same 18 hours in the same damn place  
I'm on a road shaped like a figure 8  
I'm going nowhere, but I'm guaranteed to be late_

Gripping the wheel of his mother's old station wagon, the one that had run over that mailman so long ago, he watched from the side of the highway as cars and buses passed by him in a blur of motion, heading in a certain direction with a clear purpose and destination.

He wished he had one of those.

He was barely outside of Ohio as the sun hung high overhead, beating down on his car and making the cabin feel warmer than it should. He'd pulled over hours ago and just sat idle in the driver's seat, waiting for his next move to come to him like an epiphany.

Where was he going to go?

What was he going to do when he got there?

He'd been contemplating this for what seemed like eons as car after car passed him by on the road. He had very little money in his pocket, and knew that he was going to have to find some place to stay soon. It had been less than six hours since he'd left his house and already he was hungry, tired and in need of a plan. Maybe he should just turn around and go home. Part of him had already forgotten the reason for his little solo excursion, and it hit him like a ton of bricks when he remembered why he was even going through with all of this.

Rachel. He was doing this all so he could get away from Rachel.

He let his forehead fall forward until it banged painfully against the steering wheel. Ignoring the dull ache, he wondered how Rachel would react to the news when she found out that he was gone. She would probably cry and sing a sad song about lost loves and mistakes or something like that. As much as it killed him to admit it, the thought of Rachel's reaction to his leaving was actually making him anxious. She would automatically assume it was her fault, even though it technically was. Would she make a big scene? Call the police? He shuddered at the thought of her tracking him down and hoped she wasn't _that _crazy. An image of Rachel filming a missing person's commercial popped into his head and he had to stifle a laugh. She would so plan something like that, he thought with a small smile.

The smile melted from his face in an instant. He didn't run away from home just to sit on the side of the road and contemplate the reasons why he left. He wanted a new life; a new beginning away from Rachel, glee, his step-family and the pressures of his old life. He needed to pick a place to go and stick with it. Somewhere not too far away from Lima, but far enough that his problems couldn't follow.

He laid his head back onto his seat and began to lose himself inside his own head, racking his brain for a plan when all of a sudden, he heard a knock on his car window. His eyes shot open from shock as an older man wearing a wide brimmed hat smiled at him brightly from the side of the road. Turning around, he saw a small sedan with Michigan plates that had pulled up behind him. He rolled down his window and stared at the older man with caution in his gaze.

"You need help here, son? I saw your car on the side of the road and thought you were having troubles or something." The pressure eased from Finn's chest when he realized this guy wasn't out to hurt him and he managed a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"No thank you, sir. I'm just a bit lost in thought."

"Lost in thought or lost in life? You look like you've been through the ringer, kid. Anything I can help you with?"

"Not really, unless you know a place where I can escape from my problems forever." The man started to laugh; a hearty sound that cut through the depression that Finn was currently feeling.

"Oh boy! Doesn't everyone want to find a place like that? Sorry kid, I can't help you there. I remember once I tried to run away, though. Took a bus from Cheboygan to Detroit and holed up there for a few weeks trying to dodge the draft." He pointed to a scar on the side of his neck. "Didn't work. They found me and sent me off to Nam in '69. Worst vacation of my life. Damn shrapnel got lodged in my neck and almost killed me. Good food though. Beautiful women, too." As nice as this older man was, Finn wasn't really interested in this guy's history, although something caught his attention during the story.

"You went to Detroit?" He'd never been to Detroit before but had always wanted to go. It was one of the birthplaces of Rock and Roll and barely three hours north of Lima. Plus they had some great sports teams there.

"Yeah! Great city, Detroit. A little but rowdy in some parts, but a beautiful place to be. The winters are heinous though. Damn lake effect snow." A million different ideas were swirling in Finn's head now and every single one of them centered around Detroit. It was a large city, so he would probably be able to find easy work. It was far enough away that he wasn't in Ohio, but still close enough that he could make it back home in case of an emergency. Yeah, Detroit sounded awesome.

"You know, I think I will check out Detroit. It sounds like an okay place." The older man tipped his hat to Finn and shook his hand through the open car window.

"Good Luck, son. I hope you find the peace you're looking for."

"Me too, sir." With a final wave he started his car and pulled back onto the road, heading north with a destination in mind and a new life that he couldn't wait to start.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

_I drove around for hours, I drove around for days  
I drove around for months and years and never went no place_

The road stretched out in front of her for miles; endless streaks of pavement criss-crossed and intertwined with one another across the sprawling prairie land as she put more and more distance between her stolen SUV and Ohio. Driving all night had taken it's toll, and she squinted at the road in front of her with heavy eyelids as the loss of sleep started to creep up on her. It was barely 6am, but a night out on the road all alone had been exhausting.

She'd been driving west for over eight hours straight and she didn't even know if she was heading in the right direction.

It was common sense to just pull over; to find a hotel room and rejuvenate before continuing on this insane little adventure of hers, but she couldn't will herself to stop driving. Finn had gotten a full day's head start and he could be _anywhere_ by now. She had no clues of his whereabouts, no way to track him down at all, and stopping for anything other than food or bathroom breaks seemed trivial. At least when she was driving she felt like she was being proactive. If she stopped now, all she would do was over-analyze things and start doubting herself; something she just couldn't afford.

However, the fatigue was starting to cripple her focus on the road, and if he wound up in a ditch somewhere then she would never be able to find Finn. She saw a sign for a rest stop in a few miles and readied herself to make a pit stop. Hopefully there was a Starbucks inside where she could get some good old fashioned caffeine. Maybe she could take a nap in the car for an hour or two.

She realized after she pulled over into the rest stop that driving all night long had landed her right outside of St. Louis, Missouri, and with a jolt of shock she realized that this was the farthest she'd ever been away from Lima without her dads around. Parked outside of the border of Illinois and Missouri, it was like a smack in the face when she realized how lost she truly was. She'd just been following highway signs, hoping against hope that she would spot his car on the road or run into him at a rest stop like they'd planned it all along.

Little did she realize just how big this country was, and the further she got away from Ohio, the more she realized how alone and scared she really was out on the open road.

What if she never found him? If she could make it all the way to St. Louis after one night of driving, he could be _anywhere_ after a full 24 hours on the road. What if he'd traveled east, towards New York? They'd spent countless nights dreaming about New York and being there for Nationals and experiencing that kind of life on the East Coast. Maybe he'd headed there?

No, New York had always been her dream, he just always went along with it for support. As much as she knew he would love New York, she knew he would never head there on his own. She could remember the way he acted after the whole Quinn and Puck debacle. He'd closed himself off from everyone and everything, wanting to be left alone. If he was heading to a specific place, it would have to be a smaller town, somewhere he could blend in easily.

What if he'd headed south? He'd once said that he wanted to visit Florida one day, but she quickly dismissed that option. It was almost Christmastime, and Finn loved nothing more than cold weather and snow around Christmas. His childlike innocence in regards to that holiday was endearing, and she knew that if he was heading somewhere, it had to be either north or west.

They might have been hunches, but they were all the direction she had right now.

Putting the car in park, the first thing she did was turn on her cell-phone. She'd had it turned off since she left Westerville last night so she wouldn't be contacted by Kurt or her fathers. Looking at her screen, she had four text messages, six missed calls and three voicemails. She sat in the car while she went through them all, hoping against hope that maybe one of them was from Finn.

Not a chance. All the texts were from Kurt, freaking out over his car with a matching voicemail to drive his anger home. She erased them all and moved on; he wouldn't be needing his car anyway until the holiday break and if she wasn't back by then. . .then he could wait a little longer. The rest of the phone calls were from her fathers, begging her to come home in their matching voicemails.

No word from Finn at all. It seemed like everyone at home was just accepting the fact that he'd left and moving on with their lives. Couldn't they see how important it was for him to come home? Even if he never spoke to her again, he needed to be with Carole, with his family. He needed to be the leader of glee and football.

He needed to be home.

She needed him to be home.

Placing the phone in her pocket, she grabbed her handbag and walked into the rest stop, immediately heading for the Starbucks booth and going through her blackberry until she found a picture she'd snapped of Finn over the summer. He was grinning widely, his perfect set of teeth exposed as she surprised him with the impromptu picture. They were on a picnic in the park that day. If only she could rewind time, and make it the summer again. But seeing the Christmas decorations hung from every corner of the rest stop, she knew that it was impossible. This was the only way she would be able to track him for the time being, and steeled herself for the response.

"Can I help you?" The barista might have been wearing a Santa's hat, but she looked far from jolly as the line for coffee stretched far behind Rachel at the crowded rest stop.

"I'll have a grande chai latte please." She hesitated before lifting up her phone and showing the lady her picture of Finn. "I'm sorry to bother you, but have you seen this boy around here? Very tall and broad. He would have been here yesterday or even today perhaps?" The woman squinted at the screen and shook her head no. "Sorry, haven't seen him. Is that all? The latte will be 4.75$."

Shaking her head sadly, she paid for her latte and waited on the line to pick it up, losing more and more hope by the second.

She nursed the latte slowly, feeling like every ounce of energy that she had left was slowly dissipating as the seconds went by. An overwhelming sense of fatigue fell upon her, and she started to walk around the small pit stop, looking at the novelty stores that sold souvenirs to the tourists and gave out free brochures so she wouldn't pass out from sheer exhaustion.

A few things in that little shop caught her eye. First and foremost, an atlas; a detailed map of every road in the US. She quickly bought this, as she knew she would probably need it. She'd just been following road signs, but if she wanted to travel within the state to the smaller towns, then she would be needing this map. Another brochure caught her attention, and she snatched it up from the information kiosk as she was leaving the rest stop. It was a guide to sight-seeing in the midwest, filled with everything from tourist traps like the "World's Largest Ball of Yarn" to famous landmarks and museums in capital cities. She knew she would never go to do these kinds of activities by herself, but she could totally imagine Finn pulling over on the side of the road to see "The Most Haunted Mansion in Tulsa."

She took her map, brochure and latte to the sitting area, where she stretched her legs out on a comfortable sofa and unfolded the brochure. Most of these places were for kids or families, but she made a mental note to remember some of these places, like the Hall of Fame Museum for the Motor Speeday in Indianapolis. She could picture Finn there now, looking at the car displays and reading about his favorite drivers. She began to fall into her fantasies of Finn and she didn't even realize she was falling asleep until she felt someone shake her roughly out of her slumber. It was a cleaning lady for the rest stop, and she sneered at Rachel with a deep scowl on her face.

"Move along now, missy. This ain't no motel." Feeling mortified and disorientated from her interrupted nap, she gathered her map, brochure and cold latte and exited the rest stop, checking her watch and blanching when she realized that she'd been sleeping there for almost four hours.

At least she had some energy now, and a map so she didn't feel so lost. Climbing into the car, she opened the map and realized that she was at a bit of a crossroads. She could either head north towards Chicago, south towards Memphis, or west towards Kansas City from this point. She had no leads at all, and nothing but a tourist's brochure and a US atlas to guide her. Trying to choke back her despair, she pulled onto the highway heading farther west than she'd ever been in her life, and hoping against hope that she was right.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rachel is on a wild chase in the wrong direction. Will she ever find Finn?

Lyrics from _"Interstate 8"_ by Modest Mouse.

Until next time...sings... Don't Stop, Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: I hope you all love a chase, because Rachel has no idea where she's going, and Finn doesn't want to be found.

**Chapter Three**

_Will I ever get to where I'm going?  
If I do will I know when I'm there?  
If the wind blew me in the right direction  
Would I even care?  
I would. _

Not even a full twelve hours after he left the only town he'd ever known, Finn was approaching Detroit with anxiety prickling at every nerve in his body. His car felt cramped and the air was stale from the heat that was blasting mercilessly through the vents to stave off the biting Michigan wind that threatened to seep into his car. All he wanted to do was stretch out his legs and find someplace to sleep for the night, and he wondered if he should just stop now and resume his trek to Detroit in the morning. He still had some more driving to do before he reached his destination.

Whatever _that_ was.

It was dark, and he wasn't used to the foreign highways that could take him deep into the unknown with one wrong turn. It wasn't until his stomach started to rumble painfully when he realized that he hadn't even eaten at all today, something that was just plain unheard of in the life of Finn Hudson. He needed a good meal, and he needed it quick. A highway sign informed him that he was a few miles outside of Ann Arbor, MI, and a warm, inviting light on the side of the road alerted him to the presence of a rest stop of some kind. This was probably his last chance to pull over for a few miles, and he took this opportunity to get off the road and get some food in him before he found someplace to settle for the night. He quickly pulled over and parked his car, appraising the building and realizing that it wasn't a rest stop at all.

It looked like an old mansion; three stories tall with architecture dating back much farther than anything in Lima. As he approached the building, he could tell that it was renovated and the bottom floor had been reverted into a diner with a classic "All-American" style interior. A glowing sign that read "Danny's Diner" flickered in the darkness of the parking lot, and he could clearly see that this place catered to travelers on the road and people just passing through. Very few people were inside, but it looked cozy and warm. A wooden stairway led from the outside parking lot to the second floor, where Finn assumed the owners of the diner lived.

He walked into the establishment without a second thought, tempted by the smell of fresh cooked food and hoping to find some information on where he could stay for the night. He really hoped he didn't have to sleep in his car. That would suck.

When he walked into the diner, he found himself as the center of attention when all the heads turned to look at the teenage boy with suspicion. He felt suddenly awkward, and approached the seats in front of the counter-top with hesitance. It wasn't until an older woman approached him with curly gray hair and a warm smile when he started to feel at ease.

"How are you doing tonight, son? What can I get for you?" He read the woman's name tag and tried to smile at _Marion_ as politely as he could.

"Um," he picked up the menu in front of him but wasn't really absorbing what he was reading. "I guess I'll just have a coke and a cheeseburger deluxe, please. With onion rings instead of fries." The woman took down his order while Finn remembered how Rachel would always get upset when he ordered onion rings instead of fries because she didn't eat them, and how they'd loved to pick food off of each other's plates. A deep sigh escaped his lips when he looked around and tried to picture Rachel in a place like this. She would call it kitschy or some other word he wouldn't understand, but she would have liked it. As long as they had soy milkshakes and veggie burgers.

"Something troubling you, honey?" The nice old waitress placed his coke in front of him and gave him a sympathetic look. It was then when he noticed that most of the other patrons had left, and he was sitting alone in a diner on the side of the highway with no direction, no plan, and no place to stay.

"Yeah, something is troubling me, actually," he could see a man poke his head out from the food pick-up counter, and he realized that the three of them were the only people left in the diner. Part of him just wanted to get all of this heartache off of his chest, so he took a deep breath and the dam of emotions burst in an explosion he couldn't control. "I ran away from home."

The man came out from behind the kitchen doors and Finn could tell that he was an older man, but nowhere near the same age as Marion. He was shorter than Finn was but he had the build of a wrestler, and his stubbly face held a deep grimace. He ran a hand through his greasy black hair. "What do you mean, you "ran away from home," kid? I have band t-shirts that are older than you."

"Quiet Rich, and let the boy speak. Can't you see he's a bit traumatized." She turned back to Finn with an encouraging smile. "Go on, dear. Tell us your name."

It took him a second to gather his thoughts before he tried to speak so he didn't sound like a child who hadn't gotten his way. "I'm Finn, Finn Hudson, and I needed to get away from the pressure of my old life. I've had a lot of things go wrong for me over the past year and I couldn't deal with it anymore. I had to get away. So I'm heading to Detroit and I'm gonna get a job and find a new place to live. I'm gonna have a fresh start." Even to him his words sounded hollow, and he looked up to find the two adults staring at him with a mix of sympathy and doubt.

"Of all the places you could have gone you chose Detroit? Good luck trying to find a job there, kid." The man, Rich, said with sarcasm. "Don't you even watch the news?"

"What do you mean?" Finn asked softly and Marion turned around and threw her order book at Rich in anger.

"You ass! Why don't you just close down the kitchen if you don't want to be productive! Can't you see this boy needs some help!" Rich just scoffed at Marion and returned into the kitchen where Finn could hear a sink running and grumbles floating into the eating area.

"I'm sorry about him, he's a never-ending pessimist." Marion smiled warmly at Finn and he was reminded of his grandmother, who'd passed away while he was still a boy. He felt like he could trust this lady, and he felt himself open up to her kind smile and wise eyes. "But he was a bit right about finding a job in Detroit. After the economy went bust a few years ago, they had to shut down a lot of the automobile factories in the region, like Ford, which employed thousands of people in the Detroit area. Now that they're closed, jobs in Detroit are almost impossible to find." His hopes sunk lower and lower as Marion explained the problems in Detroit, and Finn wondered if he should just head home in the morning after he crashed somewhere. Obviously, he was in over his head and he had no clue as to what he would even do when he got to Detroit. Maybe he should try Chicago instead. . .

"Where are you sleeping tonight, son?" Snapping out of his thoughts, he saw his burger in front of him and started to stuff the food in his mouth like a man possessed with hunger, looking up at Marion with worry etched into his features. He chewed hastily and swallowed before trying to answer.

"I don't know. Probably my car. I can't afford a hotel," he sighed. "I don't even know what I'm doing anymore."

Marion nodded her head solemnly, and a determined look crossed her elderly features. "How would you like to be my new dishwasher?"

He almost choked on his onion ring. "Excuse me?"

"Well, in case you didn't realize it, I am the owner of this diner; have been since 1975. My husband Danny and I ran this place for years; he was the cook and I was the waitress. We were fine with sharing all the responsibilities ourselves. When he got sick about five years ago, I hired Rich to take over the cook position, but he also serves as the dishwasher and does nothing but complain about it. He doesn't share Danny's work-ethic, you see."

"I heard that!" Came a voice from behind the wall.

"I know you did! I wanted you to!" She called back into the kitchen and Finn could hear water splashing and curses flying. He stifled a laugh while Marion continued her pitch. "Anyway, you can work here if you like as the dishwasher; the hours are long but I can pay you more than minimum wage since I only have one other employee."

He rubbed the back of his neck in deep thought. "I would love to, but I have nowhere to stay around here."

"No worries. I live upstairs, above the diner. My son Brandon lives in Grand Rapids with his girlfriend, but I still keep his room nice for when he comes to visit me. If you give me 50 dollars a week from your paycheck for the bedroom, I think we have ourselves a deal."

Finn couldn't believe his ears; mere minutes ago he was ready to crawl back to Lima with his tail between his legs, and now he was being offered a job and a place to stay. "But what about your husband, Danny? Won't he be upset to know you're letting a runaway stay in his son's room?"

A look of deep anguish settled in her eyes as he continued to shove his burger down his throat like he'd never been fed before. "He passed away last year from cancer. Besides, I'm sure he wouldn't have minded. You remind me a lot of my Brandon, and if _my_ son had run away from home, I would have wanted someone to take care of him too." Suddenly he thought of his mother, sitting in the dining room with his letter and realizing that her son had given up on the life that she had tried to provide for him. It was enough to make him put down his burger; he suddenly felt very sick. "Anyway, I've been alone for a while, it will be nice to have someone else around besides Rich."

"I heard that!"

"I know!" She called into the kitchen and Finn genuinely smiled for the first time in what seemed like ages. "So what do you say, Finn? Do we have a deal?" She stuck out her hand and he took it immediately, shaking it and sharing a smile with the nicest old lady he'd ever met.

"Deal."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_I take a look around, it's evident the scene has changed.  
And there are times when I feel improved, improved upon the past.  
And there are times when I can't seem to understand at all.  
And yes it seems as though I'm going nowhere really fucking fast. _

The road was endless. Mile after mile of nothing but road and asphalt and the bitter realization that she was headed nowhere fast. She had been on the road for two whole days, headed in a direction she didn't even know was right, and with every mile she put behind her came the nagging sensation that she was never going to find Finn.

He could be anywhere by now, she thought, as she realized it had been a full 48-hours since he'd left Lima. Besides her little nap earlier at the rest stop she had been driving for almost a whole day, and now as she stared into the darkness that was Interstate 70, she wondered what would happen if she just followed this road forever. Her map had informed her that it led straight to Denver, Colorado, and maybe Finn had headed there where the snow would be perfect for snowboarding. He loved to snowboard. Yeah, that could be a clue or something.

Who was she trying to fool? She had no clues whatsoever, only hunches and feelings that didn't amount to _anything_.

It was getting late, and Rachel knew she couldn't go another night on the road, so she considered her options. She could pull over at the next exit and try to find a motel to crash for the night, or she could save money by sleeping in the car. She had her father's credit card for emergencies, but she didn't want to use it unless she had no other choice. So she pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park, keeping the engine on to provide her with the heat she so desperately needed. The doors were locked, but she still felt unsafe in the darkness and solitude of the night. She kept the interior light off, but turned on her blackberry again to check her messages.

They were the same as this morning; messages from Kurt begging to bring his car back and texts from her dads wanting her to give up her "wild goose chase of love" and see reason. However, there was another message, this time from Mr. Schuester, asking her why she and Finn had missed their Captain's meeting that afternoon. A pang of guilt hit her in the chest when she realized how easily she had forgotten about glee after Finn's disappearance and wondered what Mr. Schue was gonna do without them. It was hard enough getting Lauren to cover for Kurt when he'd left, who was Mr. Schue going to find to replace her and Finn if they never came home?

She quickly shoved that thought out of her head as she erased Mr. Schue's message. She made a promise to herself that she wouldn't let something like that happen to the glee club. No one was going to need a replacement because she was going to find Finn and bring him home.

It was lonely in the spacious SUV all by herself. She climbed into the backseat where she kept her bags and wished there was a bathroom nearby where she could take a hot shower and scrub all the grime from her body. Rummaging through her bags, she put on two pairs of socks along with her pajamas, hoping to keep as warm as possible because she knew she couldn't keep the heat running all night long. If she did, it would burn out the battery, and she couldn't afford the time and money it took to have one of those replaced. In the trunk of the SUV she found a thick blanket that Kurt had used for the glee picnics they'd had over the summer, and even though it wasn't washed and still smelled like grass, it was a blanket and it would keep her warm.

Shutting down the engine of the car, she knew that she was in for a long and cold night. Climbing into the back seat of the vehicle, she let her legs stretch out as far as they could as she tried to fight against the cold that was seeping into the car. Now that she didn't have to focus on driving or her plan to find Finn, the weight of what she had done over the past two days suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks.

She had stolen her best friend's car.

She had run away from home to find the boy who was trying to run away from her.

She was hurting her family at home and jeopardizing her glee family as well with her pursuit of the boy who's heart she had broken.

"It's worth it, it's worth it, it's worth it." She chanted to herself. Looking at her phone in the darkness of the car, she realized that it was only two days until her birthday; tomorrow was the 17th and her birthday was the 18th of December. She made a promise to herself that she would be able to find Finn before then; the perfect birthday present. An image of them going out for cake and ice cream popped into her head and she let the illusion lull her into a light slumber. She was about to fall asleep fully when a strong knock came from outside of the car.

A sharp, jagged scream escaped her lips when she heard the noise and a million different scenarios popped into her head, ranging from a psycho killer rapist to a murdering hitchhiker. Turning around, she saw the flashing blue and red lights of a police cruiser out of her back windows and let out a sigh of releif. Feeling gracious that it was a policeman instead of a criminal, she hopped back into the front seat of the car and opened the window, smiling timidly at the officer.

"Is there a problem here, miss?" The officer was wearing a thick coat and the night wind instantly sucked all the semi-warm air out of the car. On his uniform she saw a badge that said "Kansas State Trooper" on it, and she tried to explain herself as best as she could.

"No, officer, I've just been driving for hours and I stopped here to take a small nap before I continue my travels." The officer gave her a hard look and she hoped he didn't ask for her license and registration. She had the license but had no clue where Kurt kept his registration, and if the car had been reported missing by Burt then she was headed straight for jail.

"Well, miss, I can't let you stay here to sleep on the side of the interstate. You could freeze to death out here and I couldn't have that on my conscience. If you follow my cruiser, I can lead you to a motel not too far from here where you can sleep for the night." As much as she wanted to protest, she couldn't say no to the offer. It was very generous for him to try to help her, and to be honest she was afraid of freezing to death on the road. She could already feel a deep shiver spasm through her body as the cold Kansas wind swept through the car.

"Alright sir, thank you." The officer got back into his cruiser and pulled out onto the highway with Rachel following close behind. She could see signs for Manhattan, Kansas, locally known as the "Little Apple" and laughed at the irony. She'd always wanted to make it to Manhattan on her own, but not like this. The cop pulled into a parking lot and she followed, seeing the signs for the _Manhattan Motel_. It wasn't the Ritz-Carlton, but it would do. The cop led her into the area where she made her reservations for the night using her father's credit card, and said goodnight to the officer.

"You take care of yourself, miss. You don't want to get yourself sick during this time of the year. It's almost the holidays."

"Thank you, sir." The cop left the motel's reservation area and Rachel got the key for her room. She quickly headed inside and turned up the heat as far as it would go, suddenly feeling very cold even though she was already inside. The motel was generic in style; there was a single bed and an adjacent bathroom, with a dresser and a TV set up in the corner. She would take full advantage of that bathroom in the morning; she was too tired to even move now that her massive fatigue had caught up with her. At least she could get a decent night's sleep where she would be safe. As she curled up into a ball under the covers, she knew deep down that trying to sleep in her car was a bad idea. She could have frozen to death, and then she never would have found Finn.

But a nagging voice in her head knew that her money was severely limited, and she wouldn't be able to afford a motel every night no matter how cheap and shoddy they were. Her dads were gonna find out she had taken their card sooner or later, and when that happened, she was screwed. Besides, she had also stolen Kurt's car as well, and she knew Burt well enough to know that he was going to report the car missing soon. Next time she saw a cop, she might not be so lucky. On top of all of this, she still had no idea where to find Finn, and no clues to help her find her way.

She was running out of time.

She was running out of hope.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Finn is getting settled, but how will Rachel find him?

Song lyrics from "_Nowhere Fast_" by Incubus

Until next time... sings... Don't Stop, Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters/ They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!

A/N: I am ever so sorry about the delay in updates; the holidays really kicked my ass this year! Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait!

**Chapter Four**

_There is love in your body but you can't get it out  
It gets stuck in your head, won't come out of your mouth  
Sticks to your tongue and shows on your face  
That the sweetest of words have the bitterest taste_

Wash. Rinse. Dry. Stack.

Wash. Rinse. Dry. Stack.

For two whole days, Finn had done nothing but repeat the monotonous actions of dish-washing in order to make himself some money to fund his runaway excursion. Hours dragged on like centuries in the small diner on the side of the road, and Finn wondered when his job was going to get as glamorous as he imagined it would be.

A large pot slipped out of his soapy hands and hit the sink water hard, splashing an obscene amount of the disgusting soap-sludge onto Finn, soaking him through his thin apron. He cursed loudly while Rich did nothing to help besides snicker rudely at Finn's misfortune. Marion was right; Rich was a jerk sometimes.

He had to suck it up though; he was trying to prove to himself that he could make it on his own, and complaining to his elderly boss wasn't going to make him feel any better about himself. He just had to get through this first week and then it would be easier to cope with his new life. This was a huge transition, and he just had to figure out his next move.

As he stared down into the sink full of dirty water, the ache in his chest that had been present since he'd left Lima started to throb harder. There was something that he was _forgetting_. He couldn't figure out what it was and it was driving him crazy; it was like a little voice in the back of his head was trying to remind him of something and he just couldn't remember what it was. It was starting to get annoying, and Finn wished he could just lose himself in his mindless job and shake the nagging feeling away. However, no matter how hard he tried to distract himself in his work, the feeling that he was forgetting something would not leave him alone.

"Finn, dear! Would you like to take your break now?" Marion called to Finn through the order window and Finn perked up immediately at the thought of a break. He quickly discarded his wet apron and thick rubber gloves and exited the back area to sit down at one of the booths. Marion came by and gave Finn a cup of hot cocoa and a muffin so he could have a snack, and he stared into the mug like it held the answers to all of his problems.

He'd been gone for _days_. He wondered what everyone back in Lima was doing without him; probably moving on and forgetting he ever existed. It was so much better this way, he thought to himself; now Finn was his own man and he was working for his own money. Being an adult wasn't _so_ bad.

Who was he trying to fool? Being an adult was so monotonous it was depressing. It was a Saturday morning and normally he wouldn't even be up out of bed this early. He probably would have spent all day inside, playing video games or making some kind of plans with Rachel. Just thinking about Rachel was enough to make that dull ache grow into a steady throb, and he wondered if maybe he was forgetting something that had to do with Rachel. Had they made plans for something that was supposed to be today? He tried his hardest to remember and realized that it was a mistake right away; now all he could think about was his ex-girlfriend when he had tried so hard to get away from her. He picked at his muffin without really eating it, lost in his tumultuous thoughts.

"Hey kid, break's over. Get your ass back here!" Rich called rudely to Finn from across the diner and Finn felt his face grow hot in embarrassment. Patrons turned around to stare at him while he picked up his own plates and returned them to the back of the kitchen. A wave of indignation hit him like a wall of bricks in that very moment as he dumped his dishes in the sink and put back on his apron and gloves.

He should be one of the people in the diner right now; eating a Saturday brunch and enjoying himself with friends and family. He shouldn't be the one cleaning after people and wasting away his youth in the back of a smelly, greasy kitchen.

This was his choice, though. To go back to Lima would be admitting defeat, and Finn refused to go back home a bigger loser than when he left. He would have to toughen up and be a real man with responsibilities and goals. He wasn't going to be a dishwasher forever, but it was the first step to something better. He let that idea try to console him as he returned to his backbreaking labor and tried to lose himself in the work so time moved just a bit faster. The dull ache was a constant reminder that he was forgetting something important, but he ignored it and continued on with his work, trying desperately to ignore the empty feeling inside his chest.

A sharp ringing of a cell phone broke his concentration, and he snapped back to reality when he heard Rich behind him, yelling at whomever had called him. Rich's face was as red as a tomato when he hung up the phone, and he looked seriously pissed off.

"Fucking asshole! What a friend!" He scoffed harshly and started to complain loudly about the person who had just called him. "We've had these plans for weeks and he calls me three hours before we have to leave to cancel on me. Douchebag. I've had these tickets for ages." More grumbles could be heard echoing throughout the kitchen and Marion eventually poked her head in the order window to give Rich an annoyed glare.

"Will you shut up! You're bothering the customers!" She hissed.

"I've had these Red Wings tickets for almost a whole month and he cancels on me three hours before the game!" Rich screamed.

"So shut up and take the kid with you! My joints are aching too badly tonight, I'm closing the diner early." Rich turned around and gave Finn a hard look of appraisal, as if Finn wasn't worthy enough to go see the Detroit Red Wings play. There was a silent moment before Rich addressed Finn.

"You like hockey, boy?" He asked, but it sounded more like a grunt.

"Um, sure."

"You wanna go into Detroit with me for the game tonight?" The last thing he wanted to do was spend any extra time with this rude asshole, but they were hockey tickets and Finn was never one to turn down a sporting event. Besides, it would be something fun to do that would take his mind off of his problems. He didn't see the harm in one night out on the town.

"Sure. That would be cool." Rich nodded, happy that he had found someone to go with last minute, even if it was a sixteen year old kid. Marion clapped enthusiastically.

"Then it's settled. Finn, you go upstairs and clean yourself off. Rich can close down the kitchen by himself."

"Hey!" Rich protested immediately but Finn was already out the door; climbing up the outside stairs to get to Marion's house above the diner. It was a spacious apartment for someone who lived all by herself, but Finn could tell that it held the most precious memories of Marion's life. She had lived here with her husband their whole lives, and raised her family here. Finn was glad that he could stay with such a nice lady, who obviously appreciated having someone else to share her space with. He would have to find a way to thank her one day.

He passed by the framed photos of Marion's life in the living room as he walked down the hall to his bedroom. The name _Brandon_ was spelled out in block letters on the door, and old posters of Nirvana and Stone Temple Pilots still hung on the walls. Finn refused to renovate the room in any way; in his opinion he was just a squatter and had no right to move anything out of place. He was still living out of his football bag because he refused to unpack his clothes in the drawers. He quickly whipped out a clean sweater and jeans while he took a shower at a record pace. Scrubbing the grease and dirt off of his body was almost cathartic, and when he stepped out of the shower he felt like he was wearing a new skin. He was determined to have fun tonight.

He got dressed quickly and made it back downstairs in record time. Marion took one look at him and smiled widely.

"Well don't you look handsome! Rich, you take good care of this boy and bring him back in one piece."

"Don't worry, Marion, Finn and I are gonna have a great night." Rich tried to smile at Finn but it looked more like a grimace as they headed out to Rich's car. Finn was glad when Rich turned on the radio loudly in order to avoid conversation. Rich wasn't the greatest conversationalist ever but he sure had good taste in music. Mostly 80's hair metal, but it was still Finn's taste.

When they got to Detroit, Finn felt like a tourist as Rich drove through the streets trying to find parking. He stared out at the busy streets and marveled at the grand lake that stretched out in front of them for miles. When he finally got out of the car, the harsh wind ripped across his face and stung his sensitive skin, and he wished he would have brought his scarf. It was seriously cold in this town!

They wound up having pretty decent seats, and Finn was actually having fun with his co-worker, which he previously thought was impossible. Rich seemed to be having fun too, but only because he was downing beer after beer at a record pace. He had never seen anyone drink so much so fast, and by the second period, Rich was already pretty wasted. At least he wasn't one of those loud drunks who screamed at the players.

"Cover the goal, you asshole! Where did you learn to skate?"

Nevermind.

Even though he was in the midst of an energetic sports event, Finn could still feel the ache in his chest grow steadily more prominent as time went on. The later it got in the evening, the more pronounced it felt. He was definitely forgetting something important about today. If only he knew what it was.

Detroit lost to New Jersey, which was a bit disappointing to all the die-hard Red Wings fans, but Finn was pretty unaffected by the loss. Rich on the other hand, was _devastated _at his team's defeat. Finn had to practically carry him out of the arena, and before they'd reached his car, Rich pulled away from Finn and stumbled into a bar not too far away. Finn tried to follow him in so he could lead him back to the car, but the bouncer at the door refused to let him in because he was under age.

"But that's my co-worker! We have to get back to Ann Arbor!" Finn tried to plead with the bouncer, but he refused to let in a minor, and Finn saw Rich get lost in the crowd of people inside. It was cold and it was getting late, but Finn didn't have the keys to the car and the wind decided then to pick up it's speed and ferocity. He decided to hop into an Applebee's across the street from the crowded sports bar and he sat down at a booth by himself.

It was lonely to sit there alone in the crowded restaurant. Families and friends were sitting down to have a nice meal together and he was here all alone without anyone to join him. A piece of chocolate lava cake with a candle poking out of it passed by his table, and he could hear the waitresses clapping and singing "Happy Birthday" to one of the patrons.

The realization was like a punch to the gut.

It was Rachel's birthday.

That was the event that he'd been trying to remember all day long. It was December 18th: Rachel's birthday. They were supposed to go to Breadstix with her dads. He was going to buy her these pretty pink tights from the mall.

They were supposed to be together because she'd always been alone.

He shot up out of his seat and ran towards the bathrooms in the back, trying to figure out what to do and how to make these feelings go away. He noticed a pay phone in his periphery and let his head fall forward until it hit the receiver.

What he did next was a shock even to him.

He picked up the phone.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Darling heart, I loved you from the start  
But you'll never know what a fool I've been  
Darling heart, I loved you from the start  
But that's no excuse for the state I'm in_

It was almost torture to wake up that morning, after she had unsuccessfully tried to sleep on the road and got caught. Everything felt ridiculously heavy, and it took way too much energy for her to open her eyes. Something was wrong as she fought against a dizzying wave of fatigue. What time was it? Where was she again?

She looked at the nightstand next to her bed and saw the brochure for the _Manhattan Motel_. As the events of last night came back to her, she tried to blink away her blurry vision and was assaulted with pain from all sides. Her head hurt, her limbs ached and her throat was as parched as the desert.

She was getting sick.

Normally, Rachel Berry had a strict diet regimen that consisted of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and dietary supplements to keep her in the best of health. Since she'd left Lima, she hadn't taken a single vitamin and she was barely eating on the road to save time. Plus, the exposure to the elements and the lack of sleep was also wearing her down. She would have to take it easy from now on or else she would never find Finn.

She tried to get dressed and almost fell on the floor, tripping over her own weight. Her equilibrium was way off-balance, something that only happened when she was terribly ill. Maybe she had gotten too much sleep? She checked the clock next to the bed and almost screamed when she realized what time it was. It was past noon! Most motels make you check out way before then! Quickly, she put on the rest of her clothes and ran to the motel office, where the attendant gave her a withering look.

"Can I help you?"

She tried to talk and realized her voice was hoarse and raspy. Her throat felt raw and scratchy and she tried her hardest to speak clearly. "It seems that I have overslept and I was wondering if I can still check out?"

The woman began to type on her keyboard and read the results back to Rachel in a detached voice. "I'm sorry miss, but check-out is at eleven. We've already booked you in the same room for another night. Enjoy your stay."

She wanted to scream at the unfeeling woman. She wanted to yell and throw the biggest diva tantrum in the history of diva tantrums, but she barely had the energy to nod. All of a sudden, the pain in her head, throat and body felt even stronger than before and the tears started to well up in her eyes when she thought about the delay in her travels.

"Thanks." Was all she could spit out before dragging herself back into her room. She let herself fall forward onto the bed and buried her head in the covers, crying into the pillow as she slowly fell back asleep.

She woke up many times throughout the day; harsh coughs would rip through her and wake her up from her naps while she was surrounded by used tissues and empty glasses of water. She ordered in chinese food from a take-out menu she found in one of the drawers but could barely make it to the door and back to collect it. She left the food out for her to eat later, and set her alarm so she could wake up before checkout tomorrow. If her dads knew that she had charged two nights at a motel on their card, they were going to be furious. No more motels after this one; she couldn't afford them anymore.

Tonight, though, she was going to take advantage of the warm bed and the amenities she needed. Maybe it was better that she stayed the extra day so she could rest. If she drove while she felt like this she might end up in a ditch somewhere.

The day passed in a bit of a blur as Rachel continued to slip in and out of consciousness. Her throat was still raw, but her head wasn't hurting as much after all the sleep she got in the comfy motel bed.

When she woke up the next morning, it was with a strange sense of melancholy that she couldn't quite place. She woke up early enough to take full advantage of the shower, and the steam felt good for her aching throat. She knew she was still a bit sick, but she couldn't delay her excursion any longer. Finn was still her number one priority, and she began to pack her bags quickly in order to make up for lost time.

She checked out of the motel promptly at eleven am, and started to drive out of the city limits. Right before she hit the highway, she got a phone call and startled at the name on the caller ID.

It was her father.

She had been avoiding talking to them since the day she left, but now that she was all the way in Kansas, the threat of their involvement had diminished. She pulled over to the side of the road and answered the call.

"Hello?" She asked with her still-raspy voice.

"Honey? Darling? Rachel?" Her dad sounded panicked and with a sting of guilt she realized that it was all her fault.

"Yes, Daddy, it's me." There was a slight pause and sniffles could be heard.

"Oh, my baby girl," he cried, "Thank God you're alright."

"I'm fine Daddy." A few more sobs could be heard in the background and she realized it was her other father fussing in the background, making her heart swell in her already aching chest.

"Happy Birthday, angel." He choked out and Rachel was shocked to realize that she had forgotten all about it.

"Thanks, Daddy," she said softly.

"Dad and I wanted to know if there was any way you could spend your birthday with us and come home? Where are you?" The guilt was becoming so strong, she thought she might buckle under the pressure and just give up; Return to Lima for a meager birthday celebration and a life without Finn.

"I don't think so, Daddy. I'm in Kansas. I doubt I can make it back today."

"Kansas? Rachel, this has got to stop. We don't even care about the card you took from us, we just want you to come home." Her father's voice grew more firm and she knew that she would've eventually had this conversation.

"Daddy, you don't understand. I _need_ to find him." She pleaded, trying to convey all of her despair to her father.

"Rachel, you _need_ to be at home. You just turned sixteen and you should be here with your family, not on the dangerous roads where anything could happen to you."

"I won't stop until I find him." Her voice was serious because she was serious.

"Rachel, Kurt's father called me this morning." In that one instant, her blood turned to ice. "Kurt was supposed to drive home from Westerville yesterday for Christmas break but couldn't because his car had been taken." There was a slight pause and Rachel could hear her heart pounding like a jackhammer. "Rachel, he's going to report the car as being stolen."

"Daddy, no! Didn't you explain to him what was going on? I need this car!"

"He knows what's going on, Kurt explained everything to him. Burt is Finn's step-father now, of course he wants him to come home, but not like this. He cares about you too, Rachel. He wants you to be safe and come home where you belong. Burt and Carole will take care of the rest in regards to Finn." The tears started to pour down her face, uncontrollably. "Sweetie, this is for your own good. Come home now and Burt won't press charges at all. Then we can all work together to find Finn. I promise."

"Daddy, _please_, I have to find him." She begged, starting to lose all hope.

"No, Rachel, you don't. It's time to come home. If you're not home by Christmas, Burt is going to take drastic measures to get the car back. You'll be in big trouble and we don't want to see that happen. Come home. Try to have a safe birthday. We love you." Her father hung up the phone then, and she stared at the road in front of her like it was the one who had broken her resolve. Everyone at home was telling her to give up and come home. They were all so willing to just give up on Finn and let him roam around the country as if he knew what he was doing. Why couldn't she be the one to give up her life and try to escape all the pressures she faced on a daily basis? Why was everyone giving Finn the free pass?

_Because you're the one who did this to him. You're the one who broke his heart and made him snap. This is all your fault._

The nagging voice in her head wouldn't stop assaulting her with the truth as the road ahead of her began to taunt her silently. Should she continue with her journey to find Finn, or retreat back home defeated?

Wiping a stray tear off of her cheek, she pulled back onto the road, heading east towards Ohio and back where she belonged. She should have never tried to chase after him at all, it was nothing but an impossible fantasy.

It was harder to drive back down the interstate knowing that she had covered all these miles already. She felt like she was betraying herself in some way by admitting defeat and giving up hope, but she couldn't see another way to fix this problem. She was sick, she had no money of her own, and she was driving around in her friends car that she had stolen. Maybe it was better to just go home and start a search party with the rest of the glee clubbers. It would be a grass roots effort, but she was sure she could reach her contacts at the ACLU.

As she drove on straight into the night, she knew she couldn't risk staying at another motel. She felt like she was being tracked, and she felt oddly paranoid about leaving paper trails and being discovered. She would drive straight through the night and take a nap in the morning. At this rate, she would be home by dinnertime tomorrow and even sleep in her own bed.

Somewhere along Interstate 70 in Missouri, her cell phone started to ring again. She assumed it was her fathers again, but the foreign area code threw her off. It wasn't an area code she had seen before, and she picked up the call figuring it was a telemarketer or something.

"Hello?" Her voice was still a bit raspy from her cold, but she cleared it out with a strong cough and spoke again. "Hello?"

There was no answer. She was tempted to hang up the call, but something kept her on the line. Heavy breathing could be heard and she hoped it wasn't some psycho freak. In fact, there was only one person she hoped it would be and she voiced it aloud.

"Finn?" She dared to ask the unknown caller and a sharp inhale could be heard.

It was _him_.

"Finn? Is that you?" She asked softly, not wanting to scare him off of the phone as her heart started to race uncontrollably. She had to remember to breathe as she pulled over to the side of the road so she could focus on the call. She was as still as a statue when his soft voice filled up her senses.

"Yeah. It's me."

Just the sound of his voice was like a salve for her battered soul and ached to hear more of it. She didn't want to attack him with questions right away, so she refrained from asking him where he was, even though that's what she wanted to know the most. She doubted he would answer her anyway. There were so many things she wanted to say to him but she knew he wouldn't stay on the phone for long. He'd called her for a reason, and she wanted to know why.

"Are you safe?" It was the most neutral question she could think of.

"Yeah. I'm fine." There was a hesitant pause, as if he really didn't want to share. "I got a job."

"Good," she choked out through her tears. "That's great." She knew this conversation wasn't going to last much longer, so she blurted out the one thing that weighed heaviest on her mind. "I miss you."

She knew it was a mistake the second it left her lips but it was out there now, and she couldn't take it back. There was silence on the other end and she gripped the phone in her hands so hard she was afraid it might break. Another beat of silence passed before Finn spoke one more time.

"Happy Birthday." With that, the call was severed, and she lost the only connection she'd had with Finn for weeks. That simple conversation that barely lasted two minutes broke down whatever defenses she was able to build up over the last few days, as she succumbed to the tremors and tears that threatened to swallow her whole. She sat on the side of the road for a while crying about Finn, her lonely birthday and the situations she always put herself in. During that hysterical moment, however, she got a desperate idea. She knew it was crazy, but this was her last chance.

Picking up her phone, she looked at the number that Finn had dialed from. She tried to call it, but an electronic voice picked up and said it was a public line. He'd called her from a pay phone. He said he had a job, so he was probably staying in one area for the time being. The area code was 313, so she did something she'd never done before in the age of technology.

She dialed "0" and called the operator.

"Hello, operator."

"Hello, can you tell me where I can find area code 313? What state is it in?" She could hear typing and clicks as the operator processed her request.

"It's an area code in Wayne County, Michigan. Specifically the Detroit Metropolitan Area."

"Thank you." She hung up the phone and placed both of her hands on the steering wheel in determination. Detroit. Finn was in Detroit.

She made a pact with herself in that very moment, sitting on the side of the road and holding onto the last tendrils of hope she had left. If she couldn't find Finn by Christmas then that was it; she would give up looking for him and go home.

Until then, she was heading north to Detroit.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Finally, a clue!

Song lyrics from "Hardest of Hearts" by Florence + the Machine

Until next time, _sings_, Don't Stop _Reviewing_!

Merci Mille Fois


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!

A/N: Happy New Year Gleeks! Here's hoping Finchel makes a comeback in 2011!

**Chapter Five**

_And did they get you to trade  
Your heroes for ghosts?  
Hot ashes for trees?  
Hot air for a cool breeze?  
Cold comfort for change?  
And did you exchange  
A walk on part in the war  
For a lead role in a cage? _

It was as if his fingers were moving of their own accord as he pushed the numbers that he had once memorized in case of emergencies. He didn't think this countered as an emergency; in fact, it felt like a death sentence. However, the phone was already pressed up against his ear and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead when he realized just exactly what he was doing.

He was a man possessed. He couldn't hang up, even though he really, really wanted to.

_Maybe she won't pick up the phone_, he thought desperately to himself.

His thoughts were in vain. Someone picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" The voice was thick and raspy and for a split second, Finn thought that maybe he had dialed the wrong number. After an awkward second of silence, he heard the person clear out their throat and speak again.

He was sure it was her. She'd really picked up the phone.

Now what was he going to do?

Nothing it seemed. His body was completely frozen in the little hallway that lead to the bathroom in the back of the Applebees, and he couldn't think of anything to say to her. In fact, part of him was hoping that if he stayed quiet enough, she would think he was a creeper and hang up the phone, thus solving his problem for him.

He'd forgotten who he was dealing with. Rachel had always seemed just a little bit psychic. "Finn?" By saying his name she had crumbled his defenses, and now he was officially terrified. Part of him just wanted to hang up the phone and save him the stress. "Finn, is that you?"

As much as he wanted to, though, he couldn't. He had called her for a reason.

"Yeah, it's me." Even though they were miles away from each other, the tension between them was so thick it was palpable, and he struggled with what to say next. _Just wish her a Happy Birthday and hang up the phone!_

"Are you safe?" Her question penetrated the silence between them and he couldn't ignore the throbbing pain he got in his chest whenever he thought of her now. Even though he had run away from home with the explicit goal to remove himself from these feelings, they were still able to follow him all the way to Detroit.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He struggled with what to say next. He wanted to let her know that this wasn't a call of forgiveness; that his decision to leave was permanent. "I got a job."

"Good, that's great." She didn't sound very enthused, in fact, it sounded like she was crying. He could just picture her at home right now; sitting on her bed, probably wearing some fancy dress to celebrate her birthday, her face crumpled up with tears. It was enough to make the pain in his chest throb just a little bit more. She would have already cut her cake with her dads as well. He could feel himself getting lost in the imagery, he almost missed the quiet confession that finally knocked some sense into him. "I miss you."

The confession made his heart drop into his stomach and he knew deep down that this had been a mistake. If she had interpreted this call as him forgiving her, then she was sorely mistaken. Her simple words did more damage than he realized and he knew that he shouldn't have ever called her in the first place. This phone call was over. He'd called her for a reason and that was it.

"Happy Birthday." Before she could respond, he hung up the phone as quickly as possible, not wanting to hear her voice again. He collapsed against the wall and let his head fall into his hands in despair. Why had he even bothered to call her? Any contact he had with her would be interpreted as forgiveness and he just wasn't ready to do that yet.

But he couldn't ignore just how much it hurt to hear her say the words. _I miss you_. It was pointless to deny that he missed her too, but he missed the old Rachel. The girl he'd loved before she'd decided to cheat on him. He missed the girl who he'd trusted more than anything, and he didn't know if he would ever have her back.

This was ridiculous. He didn't run away from home just so he could sit around and wallow over his ex-girlfriend. He needed to collect Rich and get back to Marion's and continue on with his new life.

She did sound a bit raspy, though. Maybe she was getting sick? He knew from experience just how much she hated being sick, especially when her throat was involved, and hoped that she was at least taking care of herself.

Trying desperately to shake the image of Rachel sick in bed out of his mind, Finn exited the Applebees just in time to see Rich being tossed out of the bar by the large bouncer who had refused to let Finn inside. He caught up with the inebriated man and took his car keys, resolved to drive them both home. When they got all the way back to the little spot out on Interstate 94, Rich let himself into the diner and fell asleep in one of the booths while Finn went upstairs into the house. It was dark and quiet, so Finn tiptoed towards the back of the house until he saw the familiar block letters that distinguished his room and passed out almost immediately.

The next few days were spent doing nothing but working; Finn realized that if you worked hard enough then you could ignore things easier, and he had a lot he needed to ignore these days. Ever since his phone call to Rachel on Saturday night he had been thinking about her non-stop, and all of the progress he had made in regards to getting over her had flown right out of the window. He had regressed back into the pathetic lovesick fool who had run away from Lima screaming, and hated the fact that she still had such an influence on his life, even though she was in Ohio and he was in Michigan. It just wasn't fair.

It was already Wednesday, only a few days before Christmas, and Finn was not looking forward to spending the holidays by himself. Marion told him that the diner was officially closed from the 23rd to the 25th because she visited her son in Grand Rapids, so Finn would be stuck outside of Ann Arbor all by himself without anyone to spend the holidays with. Marion mentioned that he could always spend the holiday's with his mother in Lima, but there was no way he was going back home so soon. He didn't want to be within 50 miles of Rachel Berry on Christmas or else he might have a psychotic episode.

No, it was best to stay alone this Christmas. No one could get hurt that way.

However, he did miss his family. His mother was probably tearing her hair out; he'd been gone for a full week and he hadn't called her once. In fact, he should call her now and wish her a Merry Christmas, so he wouldn't have to feel guilty calling her on Christmas Day when he knew he couldn't be there.

"Rich, I'm taking a break. I'll be right back." The greasy cook grumbled in response. Their night out in Detroit did nothing to enhance their co-worker relationship and Finn found himself disliking Rich more and more as days went by. Finn went into the back room that Marion used as an office and sat down by the phone. He dialed his mother's number and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" It wasn't the voice he'd been looking towards hearing, but it was good enough.

"Kurt!" It was so good to hear a familiar voice that didn't make his heart ache.

"Finn?" He asked incredulously. "Is that really you?"

"Yup, it's me. Merry Christmas, buddy. Is my mom home?"

"No, she went out to the store to do some last minute shopping. You know, she's been hoping against hope that you were gonna be home by Saturday." Finn's throat felt suddenly parched. "Will that be at all possible?"

He had to choke out his answer, hating the resolve in his voice. "No, Kurt. I wont be home by then."

"Finn, this is getting ridiculous. How could you do this to Carole?"

"I'm not doing this to hurt _anyone_! I'm doing this to get away from _her_!" He didn't have to say her name; Kurt knew who he was talking about.

Kurt let out a huge breath and Finn was starting to get riled up. Maybe this had been a mistake. Maybe he should just cut out all contact with Lima, Ohio for the time being until he was emotionally stable enough to handle this stress. "Finn, there's something you need to know about Rachel."

"No!" He refused to let him continue. "Kurt, I'm serious, I don't want to talk about her."

"But Finn. . ." Kurt had much more to say, but Finn cut him off with a loud sigh.

"I don't care, Kurt! I don't care about what Rachel is doing, and I don't want to know what it is. Don't mention her to me again."

"Fine, _whatever_." The infection was sharp and Finn felt bad for calling up his step-brother only to yell at him. "Could you at least tell me where you're staying so your mother can sleep easier? No one has any idea where you are." He felt guilty for keeping his location a secret, but he didn't want to provide them with the knowledge of his whereabouts so they could chase after him and bring him back to Ohio.

"I'm in Chicago," he lied smoothly. "I got a job in a diner and I have a place to stay. That's all I'm gonna say." Well, it was almost the truth. No one in their right minds would go all the way to Chicago and track him down diner by diner. "Just tell my Mom I called and I'll try to call her back later this week, okay?"

"Okay, Finn. Please take care of yourself. Be safe."

"Thanks, Kurt. Bye." He hung up the phone and felt a little bit better after talking to his step-brother. Sure, they had mentioned Rachel for a second, but he had stopped Kurt from talking about her with him which felt like a small victory.

"Finn!" He could hear Marion calling him from the front of the diner and he went out to say his goodbyes to her. She was leaving tonight to get to Grand Rapids and spend the weekend with her son, and he couldn't deny that he was going to miss her. She was like the grandmother he had always wanted and she was the only person he trusted for miles. When he approached her, she opened her arms and gave the tall boy a strong hug.

"Listen up now, boy. For the next few days you are in charge of my property, you hear? There is plenty of food in the fridge and freezer, so if you're hungry at all you can just come downstairs and take what you want. Are you sure there's no way you could go home and be with your momma for the holiday?" The look on Marion's face was filling him with so much guilt he thought he might choke on it. He shook his head sadly.

"No, that wouldn't be the best idea."

She tsked softly to herself and shook her head sadly. "If I couldn't spend Christmas with my Brandon I don't know what I would do." The guilt tasted bitter in his mouth. "That's why I'm leaving now instead of tomorrow. They said a huge storm should be coming in tonight and I wanted to get to Grand Rapids before it hit us too hard. You take care of yourself, Finn. You and Rich can close down the diner tonight and open it early Sunday. I should be home by Sunday afternoon. I'll see you then."

"Goodbye, Marion. Drive safe."

For the next couple of hours the customers became less and less frequent as the snow began to lightly fall around them, creating a blanket of white outside. As the night progressed, the snow became steadily heavier until there were blizzard-like conditions. Finn served as the waiter to the patrons as Rich took care of the kitchen duties by himself. It was a slow night, and by closing time the diner was completely empty. He and Rich closed down the diner in silence, and by 9pm Rich was ready to leave.

"Hey kid, you think you can help me dig out my truck? The snow is up to my knees already." Finn balked when he saw just how much snow had buried Rich's car. Was he even going to be able to drive it home? The roads looked completely unplowed and there wasn't a soul on the adjacent highway. He voiced his concerns aloud and Rich answered them with a scoff.

"Boy, I have been navigating these harsh Michigan roads since before you were born. I'm no novice when it comes to severe winter driving conditions. Make sure _you_ stay off the road kid, or else you might end up in a ditch somewhere."

"You got it, Rich. Merry Christmas."

"Yeah, yeah." Was his final response before he pulled out of his spot and started driving along the snowy road. The wicked winter wind whipped against his skin and he squinted against the snowy blur that filled his vision. The night was eerily quiet as he made his way back towards the diner, and before he could put away the shovel and retreat back into the warmth of Marion's house, a piercing sound filled the night.

Then, all hell broke loose.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_How I wish, how I wish you were here.  
We're just two lost souls  
Swimming in a fish bowl,  
Year after year,  
Running over the same old ground.  
What have we found?  
The same old fears.  
Wish you were here. _

She was shivering as she stepped out of her stolen car and onto the busy streets of Detroit, barely three days before Christmas. She'd been in Detroit for what seemed like eons, even though it had only been a few days since her birthday and the phone call from Finn. She had arrived in Michigan early the next morning and hadn't left it since, searching wildly for Finn like her life depended on it.

She tried in vain to stifle the sharp, stinging cough that ripped apart her throat, and quickly took a chug from a bottle of DayQuil that she had bought from a pharmacy the other day before returning it to her bag. No little cold was going to keep her down, even though it didn't really feel like a little cold anymore, more like the beginnings of the flu. However, she could ignore it until Saturday. She still had a few days left with the car before it was reported stolen, and she had every intention of keeping up the search for Finn until then.

She pulled her scarf around her neck even tighter as she started to head out on foot, going into stores and shops of all kinds and asking people if they had seen Finn. All she had to aid her in her search was a tiny pixilated picture of Finn on her Blackberry and her steadfast determination to find him. Finn was here, she could feel it. He _had_ to be here.

She didn't want to think about what would happen if he _wasn't_ there.

After about four hours of walking on the cold streets of Detroit, she settled into a cafe to take a small rest and warm up before she started the second half of her search. For three whole days she had done nothing but look for Finn and she was more tired than she ever thought was possible. Last night she had sprung for a motel room with her father's card, but the night before was spent sleeping in a dressing room in Target for four hours before they'd closed. She'd spent the rest of the night alone in her car.

Her body ached and shivered while she was getting adjusted to the heat, and she tried to breathe through her stuffy nose in vain while the waitress brought her some herbal tea. A generic radio station was pouring easy listening music into the comfortable space and Rachel wanted nothing more than to melt into the comfy seats and stay there forever. She took a deep sip of tea as the DJ's voice informed his listeners about a Winter Storm Advisory in the area, which she ignored in her preoccupation. The hot liquid felt so good against her sore throat it was almost blissful, and she poured a liberal amount of honey in the tea to help ease her pain as well. For a second, she had to fight against a sudden wave of dizziness that came out of nowhere, and she held onto the table to steady her as her stomach rolled around in tense knots of pain.

Something was wrong with her. She was more sick than she realized.

She placed a hand to her forehead and was surprised to feel how warm her head was. All hope started to seep out of her when she realized that she wouldn't be able to keep up with the search much longer. Christmas was barely days away and her health was deteriorating fast. She was about to take another sip of her tea when her phone began to ring. She quickly picked up, hoping against hope that it was Finn calling her again.

Alas, she wasn't so lucky. "Hello?"

"Rachel!" Kurt's soft soprano voice tinkled around her in the small cafe. "I have something you need to know. Where are you?"

She erupted in a fit of coughs and it took her a minute to speak again. "I'm sitting in a cafe in Detroit."

"Rachel, are you okay? You sound_ terrible_."

"I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just a small cold. What's going on?"

"We found Finn!" Suddenly, the wave of dizziness came back even stronger than before, and Rachel had to fight to keep control of herself.

"What did you just say?"

"He just called home to check up on his mother. He said he had a job now in Chicago and he had a place to stay. You don't have to keep going with your chase. You're obviously sick, and you can come home now that we know where he is." As ideal as that sounded, something just didn't feel right.

"Chicago?" The name of the town weighed heavily on her lips. The operator had said that his phone call to her had been made in Detroit, not Chicago. It was only a few hours away from here, but still. . .

"Yes, Rachel. Now you can come home and let your dads take of you. You sound like you need a bowl of thick soup and a warm bed."

She didn't say anything after that because her mind had started moving at a mile a minute. If he was in Chicago, then why did he call her from Detroit? Could she make it all the way to Illinois and back to Ohio before Saturday? If so, then maybe she could make a detour there and check out a few diners. She still had time left with the car, and she wasn't going to let an opportunity like this lip through her fingers. Sick or not, she needed to find Finn. It wasn't just because he was missing anymore, it meant more than that. This was a kind of closure that Rachel needed to have or else she would never get over Finn and what she did to him. Once she made up her mind about something, nothing was going to stop her.

"Rachel? Rachel are you still there?" Kurt's voice snapped her out of her Finn-induced reverie and she made her decision right then and there. She wasn't going to give up on finding Finn until she ran out of time.

"I'll see you by Saturday, Kurt. You have my word that your car will be home by Christmas."

"Rachel, no, wait. . ." She didn't have the time to wait, she thought, as she hung up on him unceremoniously. She had to get back on the road as soon as possible; there was so little time and so much area to cover.

She made her way back to the car and immediately pulled out her atlas, mapping out her route to Chicago. All she had to do was hop on Interstate 94 and take it all the way west into Chicago. She could even be there by tonight if the traffic wasn't so bad. She drove out of Detroit heading west just as a blanket of flurries started to fall. The thought of spending a White Christmas all alone without Finn made her foot feel heavier, and she lost all respect for state speed limits as she tried to make it to Chicago as fast as she could.

The snow started to pick up more and more as she traveled further west, and she was forced to slow down once a thick layer of snow started to accumulate on the roads. The fatigue and stress of the past week weighed heavily on her, and she had to struggle to keep her eyes open once the sun had set and darkness blanketed the land. A harsh coughing fit erupted out of her, and she struggled to keep control of the wheel on the slippery roads while her body seized uncontrollably.

A road sign for Ann Arbor, Michigan caught her eye and she was truly tempted to get off the roads and spend the night somewhere warm. The more she thought about it though, the more she tried to rationalize staying on the road. If it kept snowing like this all night then she might not make it to Chicago at all, so she stayed on the highway and refused to get off of it until she was closer to Illinois. She was going to make it.

She _had _to make it.

It was getting harder and harder to navigate the snowy road ahead of her, so she slowed down to a snail's pace and put on her brights so she could try to see better on the dark roads. The brights only highlighted the snow even more, so she kept her regular lights on and drove as slow as she could on the winding highway. She was lucky that this part of the Interstate didn't have a divider, and she tried to stay in the very center of the road so she didn't swerve off the edge. Thankfully the roads were empty besides her, so she didn't have to worry about people switching lanes and driving around her. She had never driven in snow like this before, and to say she was scared was an understatement. She was terrified, but she let that fuel her resolve as she kept on going down the lonely, snowy road.

Another coughing fit bubbled out of her, and a huge wave of dizziness, much more potent than the one from the cafe, almost paralyzed her completely. Her vision went blurry as the coughs ripped out of her and she couldn't keep control of the car as it started to swerve dangerously on the slippery road. No matter how hard she pressed down on the brakes the car continued to swerve, and she found herself in a full-on tail-spin as her head began to throb painfully.

The last thing she remembered before passing out was her car spinning off the road into a snowy ditch, and as the displaced snow cascaded around the stuck SUV, she let her head fall forward and hit the steering wheel with a thud before everything went black.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Rachel was a lot more ill than she realized. Poor baby!

Song lyrics from "_Wish You Were Here_" by Pink Floyd

Until Next Time... _sings_... Don't Stop, Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and Fox. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!

A/N: I apologize now for the lack of Rachel's POV in this chapter, but this is just the calm before the storm. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I think you're gonna like it.

**Chapter Six**

_There's a gap in between  
There's a gap where we meet  
Where I end and you begin  
And I'm sorry for us_

He should have just gone inside right away. As soon as Rich's car had pulled out of the lot he should have run inside the warm house and locked himself away from the world for the next few days. There he would have stayed completely oblivious.

Unfortunately for him, he found some sick pleasure in staring at the falling snow as it blanketed around him in a sheet of pristine whiteness that was too beautiful to ignore. It fell from the sky so silently, it was almost abnormal to experience such silence in the middle of what normally was a busy highway. When a chill started to seep through his thick coat, he started to walk back towards the work shed so he could return the shovel and retreat into the comfort of Marion's house. That's when he heard it; the distinct screeching of tires against slippery pavement and the roar of a car that was spinning so out-of-control that nothing could stop it's momentum.

He watched, completely helpless, as the large black SUV came into view, spinning wildly down the road, past the parking lot of the diner and continuing on down the deserted Interstate. One of the things that Marion boasted about her diner was the fact that it was one of the only rest stops on this wide stretch of highway, and Finn knew that there was nothing surrounding the diner for miles. As it swerved out of view, he made up his mind.

He was that car's only hope.

The snow was halfway up his shins as he tried his hardest to run through the deep banks of snow that had accumulated along the side of the roads. When he made it onto the level snow on the road he had to try his hardest not to slip on the slick terrain. His boots were water tight, but the snow was already finding ways to seep into his clothes as a numbing chill settled into his bones, solidifying his resolve to save whomever was in that car. They were gonna freeze if they didn't get some help.

He watched, horrified, as the large vehicle continued to swerve right off the road, colliding with a snow-filled ditch on the border of the highway. His blood was as cold as the ground he was walking on as he tried to catch up with it, and help the reckless driver who had attempted to travel in such conditions. He hoped he wouldn't have to call an ambulance; he doubted anyone would be able to make it out on these roads tonight.

As he approached the car, the first thing he noticed were the Ohio plates. He felt a sharp sting of sympathy for his fellow Ohian who wasn't used to the harsh Michigan weather and thus, fell victim to it. He prayed to Cheesus that whoever was inside this car was alright, and approached the driver's side door with caution, due to the tilted angle of the vehicle, it's trunk still jutting out into the road. He peeked inside the window and saw nothing but a dark head of long hair, resting against the steering wheel. Someone was in there and they were obviously hurt; Finn tried knocking on the window but the girl inside didn't rouse.

He reached for the door handle and it opened immediately; the roll-censors on the car must have been activated, thus unlocking all the doors. He balanced his weight against the door frame and tried his best to ground himself steadily in the snow as he reached in and tried to shake the girl until she woke up. Her body slumped backwards against the seat, still unconscious, and Finn could finally get a look at the unconscious girl's face. As he absorbed what he was seeing, the shock that hit him then was so intense that he lost his balance, slipped, and landed butt first in the snow.

_It couldn't be. . . _

He was sure that his mind was paying tricks on him. Maybe he had some snow in his eye? Anything, any other explanation in the world would be better than what he was seeing in front of him right now.

Because what he was seeing was his ex-girlfriend, passed out in a car that definitely wasn't hers, in the middle of a Michigan highway. On second thought, that car did look terribly familiar. . .

Kurt. Hadn't he wanted to tell him something about Rachel earlier that day? The pieces were slowly starting to come together in his mind as he tried to absorb the situation fully and let it all sink in.

Rachel was here, in Michigan, unconscious and driving his step-brothers car that she'd crashed into a ditch.

Now what was he going to do?

He couldn't just leave her there, that was for certain. He might still be furiously angry over their history, and looking at her beautiful face was making his heart palpitate in his chest, but he wasn't going to let her freeze to death on the side of the road. She still hadn't woken up yet; maybe something serious had happened to her! The shock of her sudden appearance was almost too much to handle as he continued to sit awestruck in the snow, waiting for his brain to start working properly again. Feeling like his body was made of lead, he slowly pulled himself off of the ground and leaned against the door frame again for stability as he tried to balance on the slippery and uneven terrain.

He ducked his head inside the cabin of the car and the unforgettable scent of her perfume assaulted his nostrils as he unbuckled her seatbelt, making it perfectly clear that this was no illusion or trick of the mind. She was really here, unconscious in his arms.

He didn't want to think about what was going to happen when she woke up. What the hell was she even doing here, all the way up in Michigan, alone, driving Kurt's car?

As curious as he was at her sudden arrival, there were more important things to worry about. He needed to get Rachel inside and out of the merciless wintry weather that had caused this accident. Finn gathered Rachel's body into his arms and pulled her out of the stuck vehicle, slipping again and almost dropping them both into the snow. He regained his balance as he shut the car door with his foot, resigned to leave the car until the morning. There was little he could do for his step-brother's car now, and he knew a tow-truck would be needed to get the SUV out of the snowy ditch.

He held onto Rachel's body tightly as he carried her through the snow and back to the diner. She still hadn't woken up, but as far as he could see on her face, she didn't have any bumps or bruises. Why wasn't she waking up though? Maybe she had hit her head?

Why did he have to care so much?

Part of him just wanted to drop her in the snow and leave her there; the bitterness that had seeped into his heart over the past few weeks was still raw and desperately needed and outlet. However, that angry impulse was nothing, _nothing_, compared to his overwhelming instinct to protect her and take care of her. She might have broken his heart into pieces but there was a large part of him that still cared about her, even though it killed him to admit it out loud. No matter what had happened to them in the past, a love like theirs didn't just melt away.

He should know. He'd had to relocate to another state just to get away from it.

Finn hadn't realized just how far the car had skidded until he finally made it back to Marion's property, sweating under his thick coat while his face froze in the whipping wind. Carrying Rachel up the stairs to the house wasn't easy, but he was lucky he was a big guy and Rachel was so tiny. She was still unconscious as he placed her down on the couch, and he removed all of his snow gear before approaching her, slipping her coat off her shoulders and staring dumbstruck at the vision in front of him. Her cell phone fell out of her coat pocket and he slipped it back in as he hung the coat up to dry.

It was definitely her, alright; Rachel Berry was here, in the flesh, unconscious on his couch and he had no idea what to do with her. He reached over to feel if there was a bump on her head and pulled his hand away like it had been burned. She had one hell of a fever! Now that they were out of the cold, Finn could feel just how hot her skin was, and remembered their conversation from the other day. She had sounded sick, but he hadn't worried about her because he'd assumed she was home in bed.

Little did he know she had been on the road, getting more and more sick and not taking care of herself.

He continued to do nothing but stare at her like an idiot, waiting to come up with some sort of epiphany in regards to his awkward situation. When she finally woke up they were going to have one hell of a conversation, and a million different scenarios flew through his mind.

But before she woke up, she had to get better. A sharp gust of wind from the storm outside snapped him out of his Rachel-induced trance and he knew he had to help break Rachel's fever, but how? His mother had always been there for him with a bowl of warm soup and he'd always considered Halo marathons to be the best medicine ever, but he doubted that would work with her. She didn't have any bumps or bruises on her head, and a light moan started to issue out of her mouth as the minutes ticked by. Finn went into the kitchen and found some leftover vegetable soup in the fridge, so he started to warm that up while maneuvering Rachel's body to lay down on the couch so she could get some rest. When he placed her head down on one of the small couch cushions, her eyes fluttered open and Finn could do nothing but stare. She was awake already? He was hoping he would have more time before the inevitable.

"Finn?" Her voice was weak and her eyes were unfocused, but she was talking and Finn was frozen. Her lips pulled up in the smallest of smiles as her eyes closed once more. "I found you." She whispered, before falling asleep once more. His eyes never left her face as he watched her pass out again from exhaustion, and a fierce feeling, a strange mix of anger and guilt, passed through him at her simple words. Had she really been out on the roads with the sole purpose of finding him? How dare she make him feel guilty about her when _she_ was the one who had caused all of this to happen!

She was in a lethargic, sleepy trance as he fed her some soup, hoping it would help her get better and break through her fever. While she was asleep and helpless like this it was so hard to remember why he was ever mad at her in the first place. She looked so small and out of place on Marion's aged and fraying couch as she snuggled into the blankets he had draped over her to keep her warm. Cracking through the well-placed veneer over his heart, he reached over to pull some hair out of her face in a tender caress so he could feed her easier, his skin lingering on hers for the smallest of moments while he remembered what was like when they had been together. He'd been able to do much more than brush hair out of her face, he'd been able to hold her, and kiss her without feeling anything but the deepest love.

Now it hurt him so much to touch her he had to pull away, instead trying to focus on getting her better so she could get out of his life again. He had run away from Lima for a reason, and not even the sudden appearance of said reason was going to change his mind. He had to steel his heart and his mind for the conversation they were eventually going to have when she finally woke up.

But for now he could stare, and touch, and remember what he'd had before it had all been ruined.

He was able to feed her half of the soup in her conscious-yet-unconscious state and she slipped back into a deep slumber for the majority of the night. Every now and then she would moan his name or open her eyes to appear awake, only to close them once more, succumbing to the illness that had stranded her here. He slept awkwardly on the lumpy armchair next to the sofa, not wanting to leave her alone in case she finally woke up in a strange place. The two parts of his heart were clashing mercilessly as he continued to stare at her sleeping form: one half was still bitter and hurt over what she'd done, and the other half wanted nothing more than to hold her again, and forget about the anguish that had settled into him so deeply.

The sun rose the next morning and Rachel still hadn't woken up from her coma-like slumber. He stood from the armchair and stretched his cramped extremities until he was limber enough to hobble over to the window and check out the conditions outside.

He blinked against the bright snow glare as he peeked through the thin curtains. It was a veritable winter wonderland out there; snow covered everything in his view, creating a vision as picturesque as a Christmas card. The adjacent highway was completely empty, save for a giant plow that was trying to salvage whatever road it could, and Finn was reminded that he had to find some way to get Kurt's car off the side of the road.

But first he had to call his step-brother and tell him the truth about his car. He was not going to be happy.

He hadn't memorized Kurt's number like he had with Rachel's, so he borrowed the bedazzled blackberry from her coat pocket and frowned when he turned it on and saw his picture as her background. Ignoring the picture of him during much happier times, he scrolled through the phone until he saw Kurt's name and called his step brother from the kitchen so Rachel could continue to sleep undisturbed.

Kurt picked up on the third ring. "Rachel, you better be calling me to let me know you're getting off the I-75 right now, because if I don't get my car back tonight then I'm gonna miss Blaine's family party. He wants me to meet his parents!" He said in a huge rush, forgoing breathing altogether. Finn took a deep breath before answering.

"It's not Rachel, dude. It's Finn." His shocked gasp was loud and disbelieving.

"Oh my Gaga, she actually found you?"

"No. In fact I kind of found her," he said as he rubbed his face in exhaustion.

"What are you talking about?"

"We have a bit of a problem." He told Kurt everything, explaining how he went to go help a swerving car in need only to find his ex-girlfriend behind the wheel. Kurt was furious that his car was currently sitting in a snow bank, but he was glad that Rachel wasn't seriously hurt.

"I'll let my dad know about the accident so he can call the insurance company. It should take care of the damage, but my dad is gonna kill me."

"Kill you? If I ever go back to Lima, he's gonna kill _me_." He sighed deeply and knew that he should start calling tow trucks. "Don't worry, I'll take care of this and I promise Rachel will bring back your car."

"I just hope she's okay. I could tell she was getting sick, but that girl is crazy in the worst way. Once she starts something, nothing can stop her." Finn peeked into the living room from the kitchen nook towards her sleeping form and had a heart attack from what he saw.

She was no longer sleeping. In fact, she wasn't even there. The couch was completely empty and the blankets were scattered across the vacant sofa.

"Kurt, I gotta go." He hung up the phone immediately and turned around, coming face-to-face with the one thing that had driven him away from his old life and into this unsatifying new "beginning."

She smiled at him shyly and his stomach felt like he had swallowed glass.

"I found you."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_I am up in the clouds  
And I can't and I can't come down  
I can watch and cant take part  
Where I end and where you start  
Where you, you left me alone  
You left me alone_

She was dead, she was sure of it. She had driven off the road, landed in a ditch somewhere and froze to death in the merciless Michigan winter. For someone who had frozen to death, she sure felt warm as she struggled to pull out of the haze that kept her from being fully conscious. She was so tired it felt like she could sleep forever, but if she was already dead then that wouldn't be a problem.

What convinced her even more of her snowy demise were the visions she had of Finn, her personal angel, hovering over her as she struggled against the weight that kept her under. She had never found him in her pointless journey, so his presence had to be imagined as his fingertips grazed her skin softly. Finn hadn't touched her in weeks and would probably never touch her again. This had to be a dream.

When she finally woke up and was convinced she wasn't dead, a strong part of her was cognizant of what had happened on the road. So when she didn't wake up in a hospital, she was immediately disoriented and wanted answers.

Where was she?

How did she get here?

Who had found her?

What if some crazy hick had found her and now wanted to make her his bride? What had happened to Kurt's car, his beloved baby? He was going to kill her if she ever got back to Ohio, she was sure of it. Her limbs felt heavy as she tried to get up from the couch she was laying on and tried her best to absorb her new surroundings.

The house she was in looked like it belonged in a Country Cottage catalog; little knick-knacks lined the walls in every direction, and the sunlight that peeked into the curtains bounced off the pretty peach interior to give the space a palpable warmth she could feel. The house itself seemed harmless, but Rachel was more worried about the inhabitants of said house and how she got here.

However, all those worries flew out of the window when she heard a voice. It belonged to a man, but she wasn't as worried as she should have been, because it sounded so familiar to her it was almost painful. She didn't want to believe the impossible as her body started to move of it's own accord, carrying her closer to the voice she'd been aching to hear again for so long. Her ears must have been playing tricks on her, there was no way this was really happening. But as she stood in the doorway leading into the modest sized kitchen and stared at the broad frame of the boy she loved more than anything, for the first time in her life she entertained the possibility of miracles.

When he finally turned around and looked at her with wide, shocked eyes, she could think of only one thing to say.

"I found you."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

The search is over but the drama isn't!

Song lyrics from "Where I End and You Begin" by Radiohead. Cory LOVES Radiohead!

Until next time.._.sings._.. Don't Stop... _Reviewing_!

Merci Mille Fois


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: I consider the next few chapters to be "beautiful angst" if theres such a thing. It will be hard to see them fight, I know, but there will be some really poignant moments scattered throughout the next few chapters that will help bring them back together in the end.

**Chapter Seven**

_Tired out,  
Not a miracle in days.  
Always.  
Sad is for the lonely.  
Whispering tears._

Finn stood as still as possible in Marion's kitchen as the silence between him and his ex-girlfriend was slowly becoming thicker and more uncomfortable with each passing second. Finn shuffled from one foot to the other in awkwardness while she continued to stare straight at him, a small smile pulling up the corners of her lips. She had been sleeping since he found her, but now she was wide awake and ready to talk to him.

Unfortunately for him, he didn't know what to say. There was a reason he'd run away in the first place, and now his reason was standing across from him waiting for answers when he had nothing to say to her. He wasn't good with words, especially when they got mixed up with feelings, and right now there weren't enough words that existed to express how much her betrayal had hurt him.

"I found you." Her words hung in the air and only made the awkward feelings increase tenfold. It felt like the air he was breathing was suddenly choking him, and he knew he could no longer delay the inevitable.

"Rachel," he said, breathless. "What are you doing here?" He hated how pathetic he sounded and blamed it all on her presence; her unwelcome intrusion into the new life he'd been trying to build away from her.

The smile melted away in an instant and she started to weave her fingers together in anxiety. "You left." She said simply, as if those two simple words explained why she had put her life in danger by searching for him in the snow.

"Yeah, Rachel, I left. We both know _why_ I left. You didn't answer my question, though. What are you doing here?" If she thought she was going to chase him down only to have him accept her back with open arms, then maybe she was still delirious.

She shrugged and he could tell she was trying not to get upset and failing miserably. _Don't let it get to you Hudson, she doesn't deserve your sympathy._ "You _left_, Finn. You didn't even say goodbye to anyone, you were just gone. What was I supposed to do?"

"Take a hint, maybe." He said severely and she backed up away from him, intimidated by his bitter tone.

"You really left because of me?" Her voice was soft and he could hear the fragility in her tone. He didn't care though, he'd been aching to get these feelings off of his chest and this was the perfect outlet.

"Yes," he said firmly, noticing her wince. "I left because of you."

"I see," she said quietly, and her head fell forward. "I thought so."

"So why did you try to chase after me if you knew it was your fault?" _Why did she even bother?_

"I had to try, Finn! I had to make the effort to try and find you and fix this."

"Well, you can't fix everything Rachel!" He was losing control of his temper, fast. She was looking at him with large, wounded eyes and she looked so small, so tiny in Marion's kitchen. He tried his hardest not to care. "You can't always get what you want!"

"I can try." She said in defiance and they stared at each other in the eyes for a long, stressful minute, daring the other to break eye contact first. Rachel spoke first, her eyes still staring right through him, and he hoped she couldn't see the emotions that he was trying desperately to control. "Even if I couldn't bring you home, I knew that I had to at least talk to you again, so we can work this out for ourselves. You don't get to just run away and try to forget me when I know in my heart that I could never forget you, no matter how far I tried to run."

"Well _you_ don't get to tell me what I can and can't do anymore, Rachel. Those days are over."

"You know what, Finn?" She said as they finally broke their intense eye contact with the other; Rachel took a step backwards and Finn felt all the pent-up energy in his body bubbling to the surface, knowing this conversation was heading for the worst. "You're still the same _scared little boy _you've always been. You didn't know how to deal with me, so you picked the most juvenile option available and ran away from home without even trying!" She was screaming now, and even though he'd always been fearful of Rachel's tantrums, he stood his ground against the shrieking chanteuse.

"Well, if I'm a scared little boy, then you're nothing but a _selfish little girl_! When you don't get your way, you just force people into these uncomfortable situations until you're satisfied and you don't care about the consequences!"

"At least I stand up for what I want."

"Whatever, Rachel!" She was right, but then again, they were both right in their analysis of the other. As much as Finn hated to admit it, Rachel had always been able to see right through him, but he'd always had the same power over her, and their character flaws were just too obvious to ignore. "So I'm a little boy and you're a little girl and we hate each other. Can I call the tow truck so you can go home now?"

She didn't respond to his question and when he turned to face her again, she looked smaller than ever before as she tried to hold in a sniffle. It didn't work. "I never said anything about _hating_ you, Finn." She reached a hand out towards him tentatively, but pulled it back immediately. "Do you really hate me?"

He gave her a hard look and shrugged. "I'll be right back." He said, flatly.

He grabbed the phone book and walked down the hall towards his room, shutting it with a slam and closing Rachel out of the one space he could truly call his, even though it wasn't _really_ his. Now that she was out of view, he collapsed onto his bed with his hands over his face, trying to massage his temples and relieve the throbbing pressure in his head. He still couldn't believe she was really here, but their argument was brutal enough to know it wasn't a dream. Getting those things off his chest was really keeping his head clear, and he was proud of himself for finally standing up to Rachel and her own childish behavior. Now all he had to do was get her home and things would go back to the way they were before he found her car on the side of the road.

_"Do you really hate me?" _Her words echoed in his head as he started to search for a tow truck in the area and he had to seriously contemplate the question. Did he really_ hate_ Rachel? Hate was such a strong word. . .

He tried to push the question out of his mind while he was calling for a tow truck, dialing every number to see if anyone was even open the morning after such a terrible storm. He finally got in contact with a towing company and gave him the location of the diner and where to find the car. He would have to go outside now and shovel his way out to the road before the truck got here.

At this rate, Rachel will be gone by lunch.

He hesitated for a few more minutes before finally getting dressed for the snow, slipping on his big boots over an extra layer of pants and grabbing his thick winter coat against the harsh Michigan wind. He took a deep breath to steel himself before exiting the bedroom and facing Rachel again. She had to be positive that he had every intention of staying here or else she would try to talk him into coming back home, which he refused to do. No, he was going to get Kurt's car out of the ditch and send her back home to Lima where she belonged.

However, as he walked down the hall into the living room, Rachel was no where to be seen. Her boots and coat were gone from the places where he left them, and when he poked his head outside, someone had shoveled the steps and a path leading out of the parking lot.

"Rachel!" He yelled and no one answered. Did she have a death wish or something? As much as he wanted her gone, he also wanted her to leave in one piece, with all limbs attached. Trying his hardest not to slip, he staggered down the steep stairs and ran towards the highway, noticing her small footsteps on the snow covered pavement. When he looked down the highway, her cranberry coat was a shocking contrast to the brilliant white snow, and he chased after her, trying to catch up. She wasn't even walking in the right direction of the car.

"Rachel!" He finally yelled loud enough for her to hear and she turned around to face him with her hands over her chest, giving him a dirty look. "The car is this way!" He could see her stomp her feet in frustration and he had to stifle down a small laugh that almost bubbled from his lips. He had to admit, she really looked adorable, all bundled up and lost in the snow. . .

Shaking that thought from his mind, he couldn't afford to think she was cute right now. His emotions were a mess and as angry as he was at her, he still couldn't deny how nervous he'd been when she wouldn't wake up last night, or how cute she looked shuffling in the snow. Being around her was like a constant war between his heart and his brain, and for once his brain was holding ground. If only his heart wouldn't try so hard.

She walked towards him until they met in the middle of the road and Finn began to lead them towards the car. The roads had been plowed the tiniest bit so the ground was even enough to walk on, even though the snow was slippery and there were some uneven patches. Rachel was wearing her fashionable fleece boots, which would have kept her feet warm if they weren't already soaked with snow. He wanted to say something to her, but couldn't find the words, so he just kept his mouth shut. She hadn't said a thing to him since their argument, and he welcomed the silence.

They made it to the car and Rachel's eyes grew wide when she took in the state of the SUV. It's rear was still poking into the road and the plows had pushed about a foot of snow against it, making the tow truck a vital tool in it's recovery. Rachel unlocked the back door and took out her pink rolling luggage, stuck it upright in the snow against a tree, and sat on it. When she looked at him with questions dancing in her eyes, he leaned against the truck, shrugged, and closed his eyes.

"Now, we wait."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Well, you're far from home,  
I'm with you now.  
I'm warning you,  
I'm lonely too.  
Boy, the miracles still give fortune tears._

It didn't take long for the tow truck to arrive as Rachel used her luggage as a cushion in the snow. She couldn't sit inside the car because of the tilted angle of the vehicle, and she didn't want to stand anywhere near Finn as he tried to talk to the tow truck guy and figure out how to get the car out of the ditch. She was shocked and horrified when she took in the shape of the car; she couldn't believe that this had happened while she was driving, and cursed her own stupidity for putting herself in that kind of danger.

_But Finn had found me. . .I left Lima trying to look for him, and he found me instead. . ._

She didn't know the specifics yet of how he'd found her, but she did know that she was here, and finally reunited with Finn. However, their conversation was nowhere near the blissful reunion she'd imagined. In fact, it was all of her worst fears coming true, right in front of her eyes. Finn was still mad at her, scratch that, Finn _hated_ her, and it was all her fault.

_I still found him though. I made a goal, I executed it to the best of my ability and I succeeded. At least I can go home with some sense of closure. _

The sound of raised voices snapped her out of her reverie, and she looked up to see Finn arguing with the tow-man.

"I don't know what you want me to tell you, kid. The damage to the front needs to be fixed; you can't drive with a busted light like that and the fender is bent in really deep."

"But my girl-, I mean, my friend, needs to get back to Ohio _today_." She felt her hopes sink lower and lower by the second. He wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible and she couldn't even blame him.

"No can do, kid. You can pick up your car on Sunday morning, the day after Christmas."

_"Sunday morning!"_ Finn and Rachel shared look filled with anger and anxiety as they both answered at the same time. Rachel stepped forward to break her silence.

"With all due respect, sir, I need to get this car back to Ohio _before_ Christmas or else the one friend I have in the world will disown me from his life forever. Please, I can pay you anything to have this done by today." As much as she wished she had more time to get back on Finn's good side, she wanted to keep the promise she made to Kurt, who she was relying on to be her personal shoulder to cry on when she finally returned to Lima and a life without Finn.

"Listen, missy. I'm sorry I can't help you, but tomorrow is Christmas Eve and the shop is closed until Sunday. I can do what I can tonight, but I have other cars in the shop as well and I know it won't be finished by 5. You'll have to stay here until Sunday. I'm sure your friend will understand." With that, the tow-man made sure the truck was properly attached to the back of his truck before towing it away, leaving Finn and Rachel in the road together alone.

For a moment she just stood in the street and watched the car being towed away as all of her deepest fears were coming true right in front of her eyes. First she lost Finn as her boyfriend, now she was going to lose Kurt as her best friend and there was nothing she could do about either issue. Stubborn tears refused to fall as she traipsed over to her luggage, picked it out of the snow, and started to retreat back to Finn's place in silence. She didn't even wait to see if he was following her; her feet were soaking wet and almost frozen and all of her hopes had been shattered in the span of an hour.

He caught up to her as they started to approach where he was staying; she didn't even know what part of the state she was in or what this establishment was, but she could make out the words "Diner" on the facade of the building, and tried her best to hold her luggage over her head while she tried to walk in the little path she'd made in the snow. Finn didn't even ask to help her with the heavy luggage. Chivalry truly was dead.

When she made it back inside the upstairs apartment, she realized that neither she nor Finn had spoken a word to one another since the tow truck left. Part of her didn't care; she was stuck here until Sunday with no way to escape the awkwardness and palpable tension that existed between the two of them. She had so many questions she still wanted to ask him, but kept them to herself in order to preserve the silence that had settled between them. She watched as he went straight into the room where he'd retreated before without a word, and resolved herself to her fate for the next few days.

Removing her soaked boots and socks, she headed straight for the shower with a clean change of clothes. She let herself stand under the hot spray and finally cried, releasing all the pent up tears she'd been holding in since she discovered that Finn missing. Nothing was going to change what had happened between them, she knew that now, and the next few days were going to be nothing short of torture.

She should have never left Lima.

When she stepped out of the shower a few minutes later, she was met with a heavenly smell as her stomach rumbled painfully. When was the last time she had truly eaten? Her stomach cramped even more when she couldn't come up with an answer. She exited the bathroom in her robe and almost ran straight into Finn, who looked as if he was just about to knock on the door.

"Oh!" She said, shocked, as he took a few steps back from her. She twisted her hair around her fingers anxiously. "Can I help you with something, Finn?"

"Um, no. Um," he looked flustered and wouldn't stop staring at her in the oddest way. It wasn't until she looked down and saw that her robe was partially open, exposing her cleavage, when she covered herself up hastily. "I made us lunch, if you're hungry. You can change in my room if you want, it's the one that says _Brandon_ on the door."

"Brandon?" She asked softly.

"Yeah." He didn't elaborate. Who's house was this anyway?

"Okay." She maneuvered herself around him and grabbed her clothes, heading toward the hall and feeling Finn's eyes on her the entire time. He might still hate her, but at least he still thought she was sexy. Who was she kidding, boobs were boobs, he was just being a guy.

When she exited the foreign bedroom in her clean clothes she felt a lot better, even though she didn't know how to act around Finn anymore. Their relationship had always been effortless, and the tension that now existed between them was almost too much to bear. She joined him at the table, where he had set up a giant casserole full of baked macaroni and cheese. He was already eating, but when she sat down, he looked up at her and nodded once before returning to his food. She took one bite and was pleasantly surprised.

"Mmm." She said in appreciation as the food filled her empty stomach. He looked up from the plate and they made eye contact for a moment before she tried to make conversation. "Where did you learn how to cook like this?"

"I didn't," he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand shyly. "I found it in the fridge downstairs and heated it up for you. I work in the diner downstairs, I have the key."

"Oh." Well at least one of her questions was answered. "Well, it's good." With that small statement the suffocating tension returned and the two ex-lovers tried to focus on their meals instead of the other.

It wasn't working. There was something on Rachel's mind that she needed to voice, even if it ruined the strained kind of peace that had settled between them. "If you want me to go home sooner, why don't you just drive me back to Ohio in your own car? I can still be gone by tonight."

She had interrupted him mid-chew and she thought for a second that the food was going to fall right out of his mouth. He swallowed his bite before speaking. "My car could never get through the snow that's still on the roads and I would have to dig it out first. I also don't want to have to go back to Lima, because then I'll just be tempted to stay."

Maybe she should try to push this idea. . . "Well, for someone who hates me you're sure trying hard to keep me around." She was hoping her statement would incite another argument so he would resolve himself into driving her back to Lima, but it had the opposite affect. A contrite look flashed across his face as he pushed his food around on his plate with his fork.

"I don't hate you," he said it so low, she was sure she was hearing things.

"What?" The hope she thought she had lost returned to her in full at his low confession.

"I said I don't hate you, Rachel." He finally looked up at her and the expression on his face made her heart clench painfully in her chest. He looked so lost. So broken. "I just can't forgive you."

With that, he stood up from the table and picked up his plates, dropping them into the sink with a clang and retreating to Brandon's bedroom in silence. She pushed the food away from her, no longer feeling hungry.

He didn't come out of the room for the rest of the night.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Song lyrics from "Girlfriend" by Phoenix

More angst is coming your way! Get ready for it!

Until next time. . . _sings_. . . Don't stop... _Reviewing_!

Merci Mille Fois!


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. This is the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!

A/N: I'm very sorry for the delay in this chapter. I've been going through a lot of personal problems at home and I doubt there will be another update of any of my fics for quite some time. Please forgive me, and enjoy this chapter until I can turn out another one.

**Chapter Eight**

_So this is odd,  
the painful realization that has all gone wrong.  
And nobody cares at all,  
and nobody cares at all. _

It was quiet in the small bedroom as Finn sat cross-legged on the bed, his head in his hands as the sun dipped below the horizon and started to cast dark shadows in the bedroom that wasn't really his. He'd locked himself in the room since lunch and he had no intention of coming back out again. Maybe he could stay here until after Christmas and pretend that Rachel being here forced him into some kind of coping mechanism or nervous breakdown.

Who was he trying to fool? He might have retreated to the privacy of Brandon's room, but he could still feel her overwhelming presence in the house. He could hear the low sounds of a TV seep through the walls and whenever she walked down the hall to use the bathroom, he could hear her footsteps pattering outside of the door. Whenever those footsteps returned he froze until he was sure she was gone, and felt foolish about it for hours after the fact.

After a whole afternoon of hiding away from her, he realized something about himself.

He was a straight-up coward.

For such a tiny girl, she sure was intimidating, and Finn couldn't let himself fall back into old patterns around her. He definitely didn't want to spend the next two days fighting with her, but he didn't want to spend them locked away in his room either.

The more he stayed in the room, the more he wondered what exactly she was doing out there. There had been a few occasions throughout the afternoon when he'd heard noises coming from the living room, and he almost retreated from his emotional fort to go and check up on her and see if she was okay. When he heard her humming a tune he assumed everything was fine, but he was still curious. What was going on out there? What could she possibly be doing in there that required so much noise?

This was ridiculous. Wasn't he supposed to be the quarterback? The leader? The go-to guy? This girl had chased him out of everything he'd once called his and now he was the one hiding from her? He got up from the bed and reached for the door handle before stopping as still as a statue in front of the door. His hand was on the knob, but he couldn't turn it as their last conversation played out in his head all over again. _"I don't hate you Rachel, I just can't forgive you."_ When the words left his mouth at the time he knew that they were true; as much as she hurt him, he didn't hate her. He _couldn't_ hate her, but he couldn't just forgive her for what she did either.

He flipped the light switch on as the last rays of light disappeared outside; he was already alone and he didn't want to sit in the dark. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and he didn't know how he was going to last until the day after Christmas with Rachel sharing his already-limited space. He had told Kurt that he didn't want to be within fifty feet of Rachel this Christmas, now he was lucky if he could stay fifteen feet away from her over the next two days.

The hours passed by and Finn continued to hide from Rachel in his room, feeling more and more foolish in the lonely bedroom. The more time he spent away from her, the more aggravated he got about their situation. It wasn't fair that she was allowed to show up and chase him away once again, and he was tired of giving her so much power over him. Also, he'd been expecting her to come and knock on his door sometime during the day to get him to come out, but she hadn't made any effort at all to do so. Was she trying to play mind games with him or something? Psych him out? Well, he was going to go out there and prove to her that she had no affect over him whatsoever anymore! Those days were long over! This was his house now, and he wasn't going to allow her to chase him away anymore.

He unlocked the door and entered the hallway as the sounds of random commercials floated down the hall. He could see the glow of colored lights as he approached the hallway, and popped into the kitchen so Rachel couldn't see him right away. As his eyes gazed over the state of the living area, his mouth dropped open in shock.

She had decorated the house for Christmas while he had shut himself up in his room all day. The noise must have been her digging through Marion's possessions, and he smiled at the colorful glow that warmed the décor of the house. He'd always loved Christmas, and this year was no exception, even though his situation was less than stellar. As his eyes trailed over the living room he saw Rachel curled into a ball on the couch, tissues surrounding her as she slept quietly, her chest rising and falling underneath the thick blankets he had laid out for her last night.

He walked over to the couch and knelt on the floor next to it so Rachel's body was eye-level with him as he stared at her. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, and it was hard to remember why he was so mad at her sometimes. It was hard to stay mad at her when she looked so angelic, and he let his mind wander into more pleasant memories of Rachel. The image of her exiting the bathroom in her robe had been burned into his brain all afternoon, and he blushed scarlet as the memory returned in full. The sight of her exposed cleavage had turned his mouth into dust; they had barely gotten past second base during their relationship and finally seeing a part of her that he'd been dying to see for months had shaken his equilibrium to the core. Her skin had a sun-kissed glow even though it was December, and he could see the droplets of water drip into the small valley in-between her breasts.

He snapped out of his fantasy as soon as it started to affect him in more physical ways. He wasn't trying to be a creep who got off on watching girls sleep, but he couldn't get himself to move from his spot. The Christmas lights were highlighting the shadows on her face, and he could see from his spot on the floor that she'd been crying. Her face looked a bit puffy, and he could see the blotchy patches of skin on her cheeks. A pang of sympathy hit him in the chest and he struggled to ignore it as he reached over and brushed the bangs away from her face. Sometimes he forgot that she was hurting too; it was so easy to focus on his own problems and blame it all on her when she was going through the same thing.

He just didn't want to admit it. Admitting it would mean that he was giving her power again in his life, and he couldn't allow it. He had to take control of this situation for himself and prove to Rachel that he was above all the drama that existed between them. Tomorrow he wouldn't allow her to chase him away again, he was going to stand up to her and show her that he could make it without her. Nodding his head in agreement with his own plan, he allowed his hand to rest on hers for a moment before getting up and retreating back into his room for the night.

Tomorrow, he was going to prove that he wasn't in love with her anymore.

Even if he didn't believe it himself.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Well, you like to think you were invincible_

_Yeah, well weren't we all once?_

_Before we felt loss for the first time._

_This is the last time._

Rachel woke up early the next morning; probably because she'd passed out embarrassingly early from her strenuous effort to decorate the little house where Finn now resided. She still had no idea how he'd gotten permission to stay here, or who this house belonged too, but they had some really cute Christmas decorations that she'd enjoyed putting up. After Finn had left her alone for the whole afternoon, she'd needed to find something to do to help her pass the time. Rachel was never one to just sit around and be idle; she needed to have something to do in order to keep herself active and alert at all times. Besides, Rachel was a naturally curious individual, and when left to her own devices she had to find something to keep her occupied. It was nice having an activity to keep her mind off of Finn for the afternoon, that immature jerk. . .

She'd been tempted many times yesterday to knock on his door and try to pull him out of his room, but she'd stopped herself every time. She was tired of being the one to always chase after him and beg for his forgiveness. Yesterday was solid proof that things between them were pretty much over, and she was sick of putting herself in these situations where she allowed herself to get even more hurt.

If Finn wasn't going to forgive her then she was going to stop trying to force it. She'd done enough damage already.

Glancing at the clock by the couch where she'd slept, she knew that she had ample time before Finn even woke up. There was one thing that she'd forgotten to do yesterday, and she figured she might as well get it over with now while Finn was still asleep.

She pulled out her Blackberry and hit Kurt's number on her speed dial, tapping her fingers nervously against her legs while she waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" Kurt picked up on the third ring and Rachel was fearing the worst.

"Hey Kurt, it's me."

"Rachel! How are you feeling?"

"A lot better actually," she paused for a second. How did he know. . .? "Wait, how did you know I was sick?"

"Well, Finn called me the night he found you," he said hesitantly.

"Finn told you?" She'd been worrying about Kurt's reaction for days and he already knew about it?

"Yeah, he called me right away." That jerk, making her worry for no reason! "So, break it to me easy, Rachel. How bad does my baby look?" _Uh-oh, here comes the explosion._

"Kurt, I am so sorry, I promise I will find a way to pay your Dad back for all of the damages and the insurance. . ." He cut her off mid-apology.

"What was the damage?" He repeated, this time a bit more severe.

"Um, a broken head-light and a slightly dented bumper. I am so sorry." She could hear him sighing deeply and dramatically on the other end and she was waiting for him to snap at her and tell her he was never going to speak with her again. "Can you please just wait to hate me until after I come home on Sunday and cry hysterically on your shoulder? Then you can banish me from your life forever."

"Wait, you're not coming home until _Sunday_?" His voice was incredulous and she cold detect the horror in his tone.

"_I'm sorry_, I know I promised I'd be home before Christmas, but. . ." Kurt cut her off again, a little more angrily this time.

"Listen to me, because I'm only going to say this once," She held onto the phone for dear life, knowing that Kurt was gonna have her killed when she finally returned to Lima. "_Stop apologizing._ We are not going to talk about this over the phone right now, you have enough to deal with right now. When you get back to Lima, we're going to have _one hell_ of a conversation. See you Sunday." He didn't wait for her to say goodbye before he hung up on her, and the sting of his rejection shook her to the core. He was mad at her, she could tell. Just add him to the list. First Finn, now Kurt; what was she going to do?

Apparently nothing. There was nothing she could do. Kurt wouldn't talk to her over the phone, Finn wouldn't talk to her at all, she was just going to have to wait out the next few days before she could go home and try to pick up the pieces of her old life.

She wiped away the stubborn tears that refused to fall just as the sound of a soft click echoed down the dark hallway. She stared at the shadowy figure of Finn walking down the hall slowly, hesitantly, and the palpable awkwardness from yesterday returned in full. He nodded to her almost imperceptibly before heading into the kitchen without a word. She still had two full days left with him in the frozen Michigan tundra and she didn't know how to break through the stifling tension that existed between them.

So she decided right then and there to stop trying. That was her new motto for the next 48 hours. _Stop trying._ She wasn't going to apologize or beg for his attention anymore. All she wanted to do was survive the next two days and return to Lima with some form of her dignity in tact.

She went into the bathroom to change and wash up, wishing she would wash away all the hurt and tension she'd felt yesterday. When she exited the bathroom, she went into the kitchen and searched through the fridge for some breakfast. Finn had already planted himself in front of the TV with a bowl of cereal, and she found herself doing the same thing.

They ate together in the living room surrounded by a strained silence. Every now and then she would catch Finn staring at her while she ate, and she got caught doing the same thing as well. They were sitting at opposites ends of the couch, but it felt like they were sitting at opposite ends of the earth.

She couldn't believe it had come to this. After everything they'd been through, after sharing the most intense and encompassing love she'd ever felt, they were now playing the ignorance game. How simple it was to pretend that the other person wasn't even there! It was enough to make her feel ill as she put her bowl down and attempted to break the silence between them.

"So, whose house is this?" She finally asked the question she'd been dying to know since she woke up on his couch yesterday, and he startled at the sound of her voice breaking through the silence.

"Um," his voice cracked the slightest bit. "My boss, Marian, lives here. She owns the house, the diner, everything."

"How did you find this place?" So far, so good.

"I was driving towards Detroit when I stopped here to get something to eat. Marian was nice enough to offer me a job and a place to stay." His voice held a tinge of sadness that she couldn't understand.

"Where is she now?" She asked softly.

"Visiting her son in Grand Rapids," he replied evenly.

"Brandon?"

"Brandon." the silence returned now, more stifling than ever.

"You called me from Detroit. On my birthday." She said simply. "I never thanked you for calling me. You were the only one who did." She looked up at him and his face was a mask of shock.

"How did you know I called you from Detroit?" He asked, incredulous.

"I traced the area code. I was on the road getting desperate. I was about to head back to Ohio when I got your call and it refilled my dwindling hope. That's how I ended up around here when the storm hit." She sighed deeply. "At the time, I thought it was a miracle."

"And now?" He asked, curious.

"Now, I'm not so sure," she sighed.

"You shouldn't have some after me," he said suddenly, and Rachel bristled at the sharpness in his tone. This conversation was taking a swift 180 and she couldn't tell where it was going.

"Well I know that now, don't I?" She spat at him, the venom practically dripping from her tone.

"I mean, you were the one who cheated on me. Just saying." How dare he speak of this so casually! With such nonchalance!

"So what? I know I've made mistakes, Finn, and I've apologized for them all already, but it doesn't mean that I don't deserve my closure!"

"Closure!" When had this become a screaming match? "You broke my heart, Rachel!"

"You broke mine, too!" They had never yelled at one another like this, not even during their epic green room argument at Sectionals. "You slept with that _trash_ and didn't even have the courage to tell me the truth!"

"Well, you hooked up with Puck when you _knew_ how much it would hurt me."

"Yeah, Finn. I did, but it was only a kiss and at least I was honest about it."

"Cheating is cheating," he said firmly, as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Oh yeah? Was it cheating when you were with Quinn but making out with me in the auditorium and the bowling alley? Stop pretending to be so innocent when you know you've done it too." She must have cornered him with her argument, because his next reaction was to throw his hands in the air and start pacing around the small living room.

"Ugh! I can't take this!" He rubbed his temples with his fingers and started to retreat down the hall again when Rachel finally snapped.

"Go ahead, Finn! Keep running away from me. It's what you're best at!" She taunted him bitterly while he froze in his tracks down the hallway. Turning around slowly, he gave Rachel an icy glare that chilled her to the bone as he walked back into the living room.

"You know, I am sick and tired of you making me feel guilty for something I didn't even do. You were the one who cheated on me. I don't owe you anything."

He was right, but she just wanted to get this all off of her chest. She was tired of carrying around her grief and this argument was exactly what she'd needed. "Why her, Finn? Why did it have to be _her_?"

"I'm not apologizing for Santana anymore. We weren't together at the time. I thought you were sleeping with Jesse. You lied to me too. End of story."

"I wanted to make you jealous." She moaned in her defense.

"Yeah, that's kind of a theme with you," he said bitterly.

"I just wanted you to want me!"

"I _did_ want you Rachel!" His eyes grew dark and his gaze turned predatory. "I wanted you in more ways than one." Her body started to burn under the intensity of his gaze and it started reacting to his words in ways she'd never experienced before. She shuddered as chills spasmed down her back and their eyes were locked together as she continued.

"I was saving myself for you," she said softly. "I never wanted Jesse or Puck. Only you." The energy between them kept shifting drastically. One second it was awkward, the next it was sensual and almost stifling in it's intensity.

"You had me, Rachel. We were together all summer and all fall. You had me and we never even got close to third base!"

She shook her head sadly as she felt her heart clench painfully in her chest at his insensitive words. "You don't get it, do you? Was that all that mattered to you? Sex?" She let the question hang in the air but he didn't answer as he broke eye contact with her. "I thought that what we had was special. I thought I meant more to you than that."

"_You do_!" He quickly caught his mistake and backpedaled. "I-I mean,_ you did_!" He was stammering so she continued.

"I was saving myself, Finn. Not only for the right person, but for the right _moment_. When I knew I was ready to share myself with you fully. I wanted it to be like a _gift_." She shuddered through her next breath as hot tears filled her eyes. "A gift of my love for you. I thought you understood that." What had happened to the sweet, sensitive boy she'd fallen in love with? She thought he understood and respected her, but apparently he was just like every other guy out there. Maybe he'd always been that guy, and she just built up this infallible image of him in her head until she learned about his true nature.

She slumped backwards onto the couch with her head in her hands, not wanting him to see the tears that refused to stop falling. Normally she would indulge in one of her famous "storm-outs" but there was nowhere to dramatically exit in the tiny apartment. She was stuck in this place with no way to embellish her emotional grief. She was just going to have to wait for Finn to retreat back to his room and leave her in peace.

The last thing she expected was for Finn to sit down next to her on the couch with clear hesitance written all over his face. He tried to place a hand on her shoulder but pulled it away at the last second. It was a tense moment before he spoke.

"I. . .," his mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally gathered his words. "I never thought of it that way." She looked up at him with disappointment dripping out of every pore in her body. She always thought he was different, better, than everyone else out there, but she'd been wrong.

Shaking her head sadly, she was finally coming to terms with the truth about their relationship. She and Finn were really over; things had changed between them forever. There were just some parts of their relationship that they were never going to get back.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" He asked softly, snapping her out of her depressing thoughts.

"I didn't think I needed to. I thought you respected me."

"I do respect you." He made no attempt to change it to the past tense. "I never pushed you into doing anything you weren't ready for."

She could tell he wanted to continue, but she put up a hand to silence him. It was no use trying to dissect their relationship even further; things were over between them and she had to deal with that fact and move on. "It doesn't matter anymore, Finn. You said it yourself; we're over. None of that stuff matters anymore." Her voice was monotone as she resolved herself to reality.

He stared at her with a strange look in his eye for a good minute before he finally nodded firmly. His voice was soft as he spoke. "If it makes any difference at all, I would have waited until you were ready." Her head whipped around in shock. "I would have waited for you to give me your gift."

It was bad enough that her heart already felt like a perpetual punching bag; now Finn's words were pummeling her like a heavyweight boxer. Surviving the next two days was not going to be easy, but she had to try. They still had the whole day ahead of them along with Christmas day and Sunday morning, and she needed to prepare herself for the worst. From this moment on, she had to protect her heart against any damage that might happen within the next two days. She was on emotional survival mode. She struggled to be casual as she answered his confession and the energy between them shifted again. It settled into a neutral kind of energy, but the awkwardness was still there and she doubted it would go away any time soon.

"Thank you, Finn. It actually does matter," she said as she put up industrial strength barriers around her heart. "It matters a lot."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Lyrics from "This Brilliant Dance" by Dashboard Confessional.

Sorry about the mega angst but they needed to get it all off their chests! This chapter was very Rachel-centric but in next chapter we'll see how this fight affected Finn. I hope i can write it soon.

Until Next Time. . . _sings_. . .Don't Stop... _Reviewing!_

Merci Mille Fois


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: I am so sorry this took me so long to write but I hope you enjoy. Thank you all for your support and patience during this difficult time. Things have only gotten worse, but your support and love have been helping me throughout this ordeal.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

_Close enough to start a war_  
_ All that I have is on the floor_  
_ God only knows what we're fighting for_  
_ All that I say, you always say more_

_ I can't keep up with your turning tables_  
_ Under your thumb, I can't breathe_

"None of that stuff matters anymore." Rachel's voice echoed in Finn's head like he was standing in a tunnel instead of the cozy living room of his boss's house. Never in a million years did he ever think she would say something so finite about their relationship, and it left him feeling uneasy as she tried to hide her face away from him. It was in vain, of course; he didn't have to see her face to know she was upset, the sadness was practically radiating off of her in waves. What made him more uneasy was how her words were making him feel. Isn't this what he'd been waiting for all along?

He tried to imagine the scenario she'd just presented in his head: Rachel had been trying to save herself for him this entire time while he just thought she was being a prude. He'd never pushed her into doing anything she wasn't ready for, but he was still expecting her to _eventually_ give it up to him. Little did he know that she'd been trying to save it for an epic moment while he assumed that she was being a giant tease. No wonder she was so pissed off.

He wanted to console her in some way. He wanted to assure her that his intentions had been nothing but pure, and that the love they'd shared was real. He wanted to let her know that the love was _still_ real, which was why it was so hard to get over it all and move on.

However, those were the actions of a boyfriend, not an ex. She'd just made it perfectly clear that they were over, and it felt like they were breaking up all over again. Sure, he was the one who had broken them up in the first place, but this was Rachel Berry. The girl who had followed him across an entire country just to make sure he was okay. He'd been positive that she was still holding out on some hope for them, but now she seemed as resolute as he'd been.

She'd finally given up on their relationship. Shouldn't he be a lot more happy about this?

His head was becoming crowded with all of these thoughts and feelings that he really didn't want to sift through right now, so he tried to block out all of the clashing emotions that battled mercilessly in his mind. He was relieved that she had finally let go of the idea of them being together again, so why did he suddenly feel so disappointed? Part of him felt justified to see Rachel hurting as much as she hurt him, but the other part was angry to know that he had reduced her to this. He wanted to blame and console her at the same time. Not a great combination.

He tried to keep his mouth shut so they could both suffer in silence, but the part of his heart that would always belong to Rachel was screaming at him to do _something_.

The words left his mouth without filter, and he couldn't believe what was spewing from his mouth. "If it makes any difference at all, I would have waited until you were ready." He paused to absorb the look of shock on her face. "I would have waited for you to give me your gift." Their gazes met and he was transfixed as he witnessed some of the pain melt away from her features with his own two eyes. He'd always had the power to make her feel better, at least he knew he hadn't lost his touch.

"Thank you, Finn. It actually does matter," she said as she sighed deeply. "It matters a lot." A shaky smile was sent his way as he tried to sort out what had just happened between them. They were officially broken up now; after weeks of feeling angry and bitter and betrayed, now he just felt numb. He should be feeling a lot more relieved now, right? This is what he'd wanted ever since he left Lima; for Rachel to move on and stop obsessing over him so he could move on too. He'd been waiting for the moment when he felt the sense of relief that the drama between them was finally over, and that they could put it all behind them and start fresh. Rachel had obviously gotten over it quickly, so he had to feel better about it too, right?

Not exactly. She dried her tears and quieted her sniffles, but he still felt just as terrible as he did before. Probably worse than he felt before, if that was at all possible. What was wrong with him? This was what he'd been waiting for since he crossed the border to Indiana and now that it had happened, he didn't know what do do with himself around her. He should be feeling relieved, satisfied and happy; instead he felt awkward, uncomfortable and sad.

They sat next to each other on the small couch in Marion's living room, trying to look at anything besides the other person as time ticked away slowly. They still had all day today and tomorrow to spend together, but right now they could barely look at one another. In the year and a half he'd known Rachel, he'd never felt so awkward around her. It was a disconcerting feeling he did not like at all.

As he was trying to avoid eye contact with his ex-girlfriend, he took the opportunity to look around the living room and stare at the decorations she'd put up last night. For a girl who had never celebrated Christmas before, she sure knew how to decorate for it; there were lights that were framing the windows and stockings were hung over the small hearth in the foyer. Sure, the stockings said "Marion" "Danny" and "Brandon," but she had still put the effort into it. There was one thing that was missing, though.

"There's no tree." He shocked himself when he'd said it out loud by accident, along with Rachel who had jumped a little after the sudden outburst of noise in the quiet room. She shot him a confused look as he pointed at the decorations around the room. "It looks nice in here, but there's no tree. You gotta have a tree for Christmas." Finn had always been a huge fan of the holidays, and he couldn't help but have that same childlike innocence that all kids had around Christmas. Some things were just better when traditions were followed. Rachel sat herself up as straight as a rod and stuck her nose in the air.

"I am sorry to disappoint you, Finn, but it was difficult enough trying to decorate this house all by myself while you were holed up in your room. I'm sorry I couldn't swing by the tree lot and pick you up an elegant Spruce to brighten up your day." He frowned at her attitude; she was speaking to him like she did with everyone else at school and he wasn't used to this side of Rachel. Even at their worst she had never spoken to him like that before. "Besides, there's a fake tree in the closet, I just couldn't reach it."

Without saying another word to her, he got up from the couch and walked towards the storage closet by the kitchen. He went inside and immediately saw the fake tree in the back corner, but realized why Rachel couldn't get to it. The tree was blocked off by some really heavy boxes and when he tried to grab it and pull it out of the mess, he realized how heavy it was and released it with a loud grunt.

No wonder she was making so much noise yesterday. Rachel was a lot stronger than she looked if she'd been able to move all these boxes by herself.

With another loud grunt, he started moving boxes around the closet so he could reach the elusive tree in the corner. He wasn't going to stop until this tree was up and decorated, and when he heard a loud noise coming from the living room instead of the closet, he poked his head out to see Rachel moving furniture to make a space for the tree. He ignored the sudden urge he had to go hug her, or show her some form of gratitude for her actions. No matter what had happened between them, she still knew exactly what to do around him, like she had a special link to his brain. They'd always worked best as a team, and part of him hoped that the connection they'd always shared wouldn't go away. At least there would always be someone who understood him completely, even if she was leaving in two days.

He was glad he had something to do right now to preoccupy him from his thoughts of Rachel, and what exactly he was feeling towards her after their giant argument that morning. He'd finally gotten what he wanted when she said that they were officially over, so why couldn't he stop thinking about their conversation, and the way his heart wanted to burst when she admitted that she'd been saving herself for only him? Why couldn't he just magically wake up and be over her, and not get lost in her dark eyes or fall back into old habits around her? It was too easy to want to be the Finn he was before she had cheated on him, and to be honest, she'd been right on many points during their argument this morning anyway. Hadn't he cheated before in the past as well? He'd kissed Rachel while he was with Quinn, twice, even when he thought she was pregnant. He wanted to stay mad at her, but all of his anger and tension towards her had been released during their argument. Now he was just left with the aftershocks of his emotions and a brain that wouldn't shut up. He decided to just stay focused on his work for now and deal with the emotional stuff later.

They didn't say a word as they continued to clean out the closet and move around furniture to make room for the tree. When he finally pulled out the massive fake tree, he set it up in the corner by the couch while Rachel watched him balance it in the stand. He took a few steps back and frowned at the tree. He hated fake trees, but this was the best he could get. He wasn't going to have Christmas without a tree, even if there weren't any presents under it.

"This sucks." He said out loud as Rachel huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, I'm sorry I can't decorate like Martha Stewart but I think I did just fine."

"No, not you, Rachel, the tree. The branches are all bent and uneven. They green has faded in some spots. I think they sprayed fake pine scent all over it, too." He thought putting up the tree would give him some focus and distract him from his problems, but it just reminded him how much better things were at home. His mom and him would have decorated every square inch of the house in the decorations that they'd had forever. He would have picked out a gorgeous, _live_, tree and set it up with the same ornaments he'd made in elementary school and boy scouts. Then, tonight, they would have had a huge dinner with the Hummels, and he would have woken up tomorrow to new X-Box games and maybe an extra snare for his drum kit.

Instead, he was stuck in this crappy place, with crappy decorations, a crappy tree, no dinner, no presents, and his ex-girlfriend who wouldn't even look him in the eye. It was literally the worst Christmas imaginable. Just as he was about to give up on the ugly tree, Rachel clapped her hands and rubbed them together like a mad scientist. She went straight to the box labeled "tree," and started to pull out ornaments to decorate the fake plastic branches. He stared in wonder as she started to string the lights around the branches by herself, and watched dumbstruck as she got tangled in the wires and caught up against the tree.

He stared at her trapped frame as she tried in vain to untangle herself from the string of lights. He had to admit that she looked ridiculously adorable in her precarious situation, and a small laugh escaped from his mouth before he had the chance to catch it.

Her head whipped around swiftly to face him, and her eyes were hard as she shot him a death glare that stopped his laughter immediately.

"Would you mind helping me a little bit instead of mocking me so openly?" She sneered, and he approached her hesitantly, like she was a snake coiled to strike. She could be so damn scary when she was angry.

"I wasn't mocking you," he said softly as he started to pull the wires away from her trapped body. "I wouldn't do something like that." She scoffed at him and he couldn't believe how cold she was acting towards him. He expected her to act this way around Santana or Jacob, but never him.

It was seriously pissing him off. What right did she have to feel so offended when all of this was her fault anyway? He should be the one who was still angry; instead he found himself caring about Rachel and her feelings way more than he should have been. It just didn't feel right to see Rachel acting this way towards him. They were never going to last until Sunday if they kept up this behavior, and he shouldn't be goading her in any way.

But she just looked _so damn cute_ right now.

"You know, seeing as I am of the Jewish faith, I don't need to finish these decorations. I choose to do this from th kindness of my own heart because I respect your traditions, and I don't appreciate you laughing at my efforts."

"I told you, I wasn't!"

"So why were you laughing?" She kept on pushing the issue and Finn was about to snap. Why, oh _why_ did she have to come and find him in the first place? Why couldn't she have just left him alone? He would still be angry and bitter instead of feeling. . .whatever he was feeling right now. He couldn't even tell anymore. Just how hard was it to fall out of love with a person? It was a lot harder than falling _in_ love, that was for sure. Falling in love with Rachel was about as easy as level two of Halo.

So instead of answering her question, he just leaned forward, closed his eyes, kissed her pouting lips, and waited for the explosion.

* * *

_So, I won't let you close enough to hurt me_  
_ No, I won't ask you, you to just desert me_  
_ I cant give you, what you think you gave me_  
_ It's time to say goodbye to turning tables_  
_ To turning tables_

She was getting better at standing up to Finn, she could tell. She was so proud of herself for finally standing up to him that she felt her inner feminist soaring in her soul.

So why did he have to go and kiss her? This was not part of the plan she had made up in her head. Her plan had consisted of ignoring him for the next two days so she could make it out of Michigan alive. She had put up industrial strength walls around her heart to protect herself from him, and now he was coming up against them with battering rams disguised as kisses. After spending the whole morning fighting, what right did he have to just kiss her out of nowhere?

Unfortunately for her, she was the one stuck up against the tree, so he had her trapped against his body as she tried to struggle against the tangled wires. His lips were still on hers and she couldn't_ not_ reciprocate, that would just be rude. As he pulled away she tried to feel angry and indignant, but the part of her heart that was still holding onto the futile hope that they would somehow reunite was practically singing in joy.

He pulled away from her but his body was still close and it felt like his skin was radiating heat all around her. She felt light-headed, and the kiss had made her lose her focus on what they had been doing before all this had happened. She looked up into his eyes and saw nothing but sadness and regret there.

"Finn," her voice cracked on his name and she was in shock of what had just happened. "What are you doing?"

He leaned in as close to her as he could manage and his words were whispers on her skin. "Don't you see now? Do you realize why I had to run away?" He sighed against her skin and Rachel felt nothing but chills roll down her spine. "I can't just be around you, Rachel, without feeling this way. I'm never going to get over you like this. I can't."

"Well you have to," she said softly, but with a slight cut in her tone. "We just spent the whole morning talking about how we can't be with each other anymore and now you're kissing me like we're backstage at glee practice." She shook her head in shame as realization struck her like lightning. "It's the same thing, all over again, isn't it?" She asked bitterly.

"What?"

"We break up, I try to move on, and you suddenly want me back." She laughed but there was no humor in her tone. "It's like Jesse St. James all over again. The second you see that I'm somewhat over you, you try to pull me back to square one."

"I don't have to win you back, Rachel. I felt you lean into the kiss. You wanted it as much as I did."

"Finn, stop doing this to me!" She screamed, and she pulled against the wires so hard that she was able to free herself from her pine-scented prison. "You're staying in Michigan. I'm going home on Sunday. You're right, we will always feel something for one another, but you can't hold that against me for the next 36 hours. I want to leave here on Sunday with part of my heart in tact and that can't happen if you spend the next couple of days breaking it over and over again."

"You're the one who came all this way just to mess with my feelings! I feel like a freaking chick with all the mood swings I've had this morning!"

"As a strong, powerful female, I resent that."

"And I resent having to feel this way about you when all I want is to stay angry and pissed off."

"You know what Finn? You are a walking oxymoron!" She screamed loudly and watched as his face suddenly fell flat. He looked up at her with wounded eyes and she saw the offense written clearly on his face.

"You know, I expect that kind of talk from Quinn and Santana, but not you. Never from you."

"What?" She was confused. Did she miss something here?

"I could go around calling you a selfish diva, but I'm not, so I don't appreciate being called a moron for no reason. . ." He wanted to continue, but Rachel interrupted him by waving her hands wildly in front of her.

"No, Finn, no. I'm not calling you stupid, I'm calling you an oxymoron."

"Same difference," he said sadly.

"No, an oxymoron is like a contradiction."

"Huh?"

"You go around saying that you want to get over me, but you kiss me barely an hour later. You ran away from home to try to get away from me, but now that we're in the same room, you say that you're never going to stop caring about me." She ran a hand over her face from stress. "I don't know what you want or expect me to do, but I can't keep up with your mixed signals and your mood swings."

"Oh." He stood there, thinking about what she'd just said with a pensive look on his face. "Well I can't help it. That's just the way you make me feel."

"Listen Finn," she sighed deeply and didn't know how to continue. She had left Lima in the hopes that she and Finn would reunite in bliss, but that couldn't be further from reality. She'd always been the one with the romantic, fantastical imagery of being in love with Finn, and now she was the one who had to be the realist. She felt like the walking oxymoron now. "I think we should try to just be friends for the next 36 hours, okay? We can't just ignore each other, and we can't fall back into old feelings again, so we should try to keep it as neutral as possible."

He nodded his head slowly. "I think that would be the best, actually. It's only for the next two days."

"Exactly. Then once we go our separate ways, it won't be as difficult to let go. We can have a clean break."

"Yeah. A clean break." His voice was a bit hollow, but she felt hollow inside right now, so she could understand the sentiment. It was becoming increasingly difficult to resist her feelings for him, but she had to. If she gave into her emotions and did something with Finn then Sunday would be torture, and she would never want to leave.

"So, we're friends?"

His eyes were sad, but he nodded his head softly. "Of course, Rachel. We've always been friends." They stood in amiable silence for a moment before Finn clapped his hands, startling her out of her reverie. "Now, let's finish decorating this tree!"

She couldn't help but smile.

Damn Finn and his infectious holiday joy.

* * *

Salut mes amis!

Song lyrics from "Turning Tables" by Adele.

Sorry about the mega-angst but they have to rebuild their relationship from scratch if they have any chance at all to get back together!

Until next time. . . _sings_. . . Don't Stop _Reviewing!_

Merci Mille Fois


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: It's been a rough week for us Finchel fans. Here's some more angst for you, in case you haven't had enough already.

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

_If it makes you less sad_

_I'll move out of the state_

_You can keep to yourself _

_I'll keep out of your way_

It wasn't easy spending Christmas Eve with your ex-girlfriend, and unfortunately for Finn, he had to find that out the hard way. He tried to think of things to do to preoccupy himself throughout the afternoon, but the temptation was still there to escape back into the solitude of his bedroom and wait the rest of this holiday out. However, that wouldn't be _friendly_ behavior, and he was struggling enough with keeping things platonic between them without having it feel weird, forced or awkward. It didn't matter anyway; weird and awkward were the only emotions he could identify with right now, and he didn't even have the luxury of video games or decent TV to keep him distracted.

They finished decorating the tree in relative silence; he was trying to keep things normal after his impromptu kiss and he wanted to punch himself for being so weak around her. His lips still tingled, his heart still ached, and he hated being so vulnerable. Being alone with her was enough of a challenge, keeping things neutral was proving to be downright impossible. He over-analyzed every movement, every sigh, every pull of her lips until he was convinced that his kiss had no effect on her at all. This was the girl who had practically chased him around the country, and now she could barely look him in the eye.

He spent a lot of time that afternoon thinking about the word she had used before: oxymoron. He knew that she wasn't trying to call him stupid, but he couldn't help but feel offended still. How could she possibly understand how he was feeling right now? She had no idea how torn and upset he'd been since the moment he pulled her unconscious body out of that snow bank and carried her back through the storm. One minute he wanted to yell and blame and ignore her, the next minute he wanted to see her smile genuinely, and kiss away all of the tension and sadness that had been plaguing them since they broke up. If he was acting oxymoronic in any way, then it was definitely her fault.

All he had to do was keep his thoughts (and lips) to himself for the next 36 hours and then he was free of Rachel and the way she made him feel. He refused to get into another pointless argument about the past; things had to stay neutral and light between them or else they were going to spend the most awkward Christmas ever.

They went downstairs to the diner after they had finished decorating the tree; Finn had mentioned Christmas dinner and Rachel wanted to make something special for them to eat tomorrow. If they had to spend the holidays together, they might as well make the most of it, and Rachel was the one to offer making the meal. He didn't know how much he would be able to help with cooking, seeing as he could barely cook grilled cheese properly, but he promised he would try.

He unlocked the diner and let her into his place of work, suddenly very conscious of her opinions of his job. He knew it wasn't glamorous, nor was it very clean, but he watched her like a hawk as she rummaged through the diner's pantry and walk-in refrigerator.

"I think I found enough stuff here to make a vegetarian lasagna. Would that be sufficient for a holiday dinner?" She called out from inside the walk-in fridge. "Ooh, there's enough fruit here to make a tart or a pastry or something." He smiled at her enthusiasm. Normally he had a huge turkey dinner with loads of sides and plenty of different cakes and pies, but he was willing to eat whatever she was willing to prepare.

"Sure, sounds great." She came out of the fridge with her arms fill of goods and dumped them into Finn's arms while she went to get some more. She came out again with some puff pastry sheets, a few more cans of goods, and a glowing smile.

"Ready to go?"

He knew he was ready to return upstairs, but something kept him in his place as he tried to juggle the fruits and veggies in his arms. "What do you think of the diner?" The question came spilling out of his mouth without preamble and he regretted it instantly. She looked surprised at his question and didn't answer it right away.

"It has a certain charm to it, that's for sure," she said eventually. She took a deep breath while she looked around. "But are you really planning on staying here, Finn?" He could hear the disappointment in her tone as some zucchini threatened to tumble from his grip. "I mean, you have your whole life ahead of you. Do you really want to spend your important formative years working in a place like this?" As calm and even as her tone was, he couldn't help but feel criticized for his choices.

"I'm getting paid really well and I'm practically living here for free. What else do I need?"

"Family," she said simply. "Friends. Football. Glee club."

"I don't need those tings anymore," he said bitterly.

"Well, have you ever stopped to think how much we need you?"

"Stop it, Rachel. You know I've made my decision. I'm staying in Michigan and that's it!" He expected her to start crying, or launch them into another epic argument.

Instead she just shrugged, smiled, and headed for the door. "Oh well. Can't blame me for trying." She exited the diner without him and he scrambled to chase after her while still trying to balance the food in his arms. He might have lost a carrot or a pepper on the way upstairs, but he knew they would survive.

When he entered the house Rachel was already in the kitchen, putting away their "groceries" and setting up the supplies they would need to cook. He just dumped the produce in the sink and stood there while she moved around the kitchen at lightening speed.

"So I figure we can split the veggies in half and make a big salad for us to eat tonight. The rest we can save for the lasagna tomorrow, we won't need that many. I have to make it half with cheese, you know, in order to follow my strict diet regimen." She was talking a mile a minute and he could barely keep up with her. "I was able to find some cooked chicken, so I'm gonna dice them up and throw them in your salad. I got you some bacon bits, croûtons and ranch dressing as well, Finn, because I know you think most salads taste like grass. Does that sound okay?"

That sounded freaking delicious, actually. "Um, yeah, perfect."

She was standing right in front of him with an expectant look in her eyes, and eventually pointed towards the vegetables in the sink. "So, are you going to help me, or not?" That snapped him back to reality, and he nodded slowly while walking over to the sink to start washing the produce. He didn't recognize some of the vegetables he was washing, but then again, he'd always been a meat and potatoes kind of guy. He would try them in Rachel's recipe though. It wouldn't kill him to taste it.

They fell into a manageable silence while preparing their simple Christmas Eve dinner. They out away the food that they were saving for tomorrow and started cutting up the vegetables for dinner, and Rachel even started humming a light tune under her breath. It was actually nice, and Finn thought that maybe they would be able to survive this holiday after all.

"So what are you going to do about school?" Her simple question broke the silence between them and Finn thought for a moment that he might have just jinxed himself. He shot a glare at her from his position across the kitchen and she backpedaled. "I mean, I know you're planning on staying here, but what are you planning to do about your education?"

He shrugged to himself, trying to focus on not chopping off his fingers while contemplating Rachel's question. "Well, I hadn't really thought of that before now." He'd been trying just to survive this weekend, he had no idea what was going to happen after the new year. "School was never my strong point, maybe I should just drop out." A loud bang resonated in the background and for a moment he thought that Rachel had hurt herself. He swung around to face her, only to stare into her furious, chocolate brown eyes. He looked down at her cutting board and her perfectly quartered tomato slices were now uneven and dripping everywhere.

"You cannot be serious."

"About what?"

She threw her hands in the air in frustration. "You're not seriously considering dropping out of school at age sixteen!"

"Why not? I could make so much money if I worked instead of going to school. Maybe it would be better that way."

She hadn't broke eye contact with him yet, and he thought he could see the sheen of tears glaze over her eyes. "Please don't."

"Huh?"

"Please don't drop out of school, Finn." She sounded like she was begging. "I can handle you dumping me, I'll move on. I can handle you staying in Michigan because I know you will be safe." She took a deep breath as her voice cracked. "But I couldn't stand knowing that you gave up on yourself. You're so much better than that." No matter what had happened between them she still believed in him, even more than he believed in himself. "Even if you found a decent night school program so you could still work in the day, that would be better than throwing away your education."

"Rachel. . ." He was speechless as he watched a tear fall from her eyes and he reached over to wipe it away softly.

"You could be so amazing if you stopped being so scared all of the time." She sniffled lightly as her words cut him in half, making him feel raw inside. "What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid." He could barely convince himself of this fact, so Rachel definitely wasn't swayed.

"Then why do you keep running away? Why do you keep giving up on yourself?"

"Because it's better than failing all the time!" The answer exploded from him and their peaceful evening atmosphere was now tainted with his pain. Why did she have to care so much? Why did she always have to push him to his breaking point? Why couldn't she just leave him alone so he could fuck up his life without witnesses? "I'm not the leader anymore, Rachel. I can't lead shit. Not glee, not football, not even my own life."

"You're wrong," she said firmly as her lips settled into a straight line. "You might think that about yourself, but I know you, and I know you don't give up that easily." Her eyes softened as they stepped closer to one another unconsciously. "I know I messed up our relationship and I could never apologize enough for it, but don't use that as an excuse to mess up the rest of your life." He moved closer to her still, like she was a magnet and he couldn't resist her pull. How could she still be so inspirational and compassionate after everything that had happened between them?

"Promise me you won't drop out of school. Please, Finn."

"I promise." He couldn't just say no to her while she was practically begging him to stay on the right track. She was right, and he knew it, but that didn't mean he had to admit it. She inspired him though, in a way. If Rachel Berry thought he was capable of doing it, than he probably could. "You really think I can do it?"

She smiled at him then, so brightly that he was convinced that he could do anything in that moment. Rachel still believed in him, so that had to mean something.

"Of course I do." He couldn't resist the pull of her any longer, and he crushed her body towards him for a hug that managed to melt away all the remaining tension and doubt.

He could do this.

Rachel believed in him.

* * *

_You are so fragile and thin_

_Standing trial for your sins_

_Holding onto yourself the best you can_

_You are the smell before rain_

_You are the blood in my veins_

As she tried to even out the mistakes she'd made cutting the tomatoes, Rachel could feel Finn's eyes on her from across the kitchen. To be honest, she was still upset with Finn for even mentioning the possibility of dropping out of school, and just the idea of it made her heart ache in her chest. There was no way she was just going to stand idle while he ruined his life, which was one of the main reasons why she had chased after him in the first place.

Hopefully, she had set him straight during their little conversation. It wasn't the first time she had used tears to get her way, but this scenario was much different than before. This time her tears and concerns were genuine, and the sentiment behind it all was real. But he'd promised her that he wasn't going to give up on school after she left, so all she could do was hope that he followed through with it. She would be leaving in little over a day, and she had no way to keep in contact with him once she left.

But what would she do once she got home? Without Finn, what did she really have in Lima to look forward to? Glee club was perfectly capable of going on without her, and Kurt was the only person she could call a true friend and he didn't even go to her school anymore. She contemplated this while she put the finishing touches on their meager Christmas Eve dinner. Finn offered to set the table, and the two ex-lovers sat in the small dining room and ate their meal in silence.

She caught Finn staring at her throughout dinner, and she got caught doing the same as well. She thought about their hug, and how much she missed being close to Finn, and feeling that special connection that they had always shared. They used to be so comfortable with one another, and it was a harsh contrast to how volatile their time together had been for the past two days. She was convinced that she was never going to get that feeling back and deep down she knew she should just get used to it. She had one day left and she could practically feel the clock ticking away.

They cleaned up their mess from dinner, and Rachel decided to start making the sauce for their lasagna now so she didn't have to spend all day cooking tomorrow. She took out the cans of tomatoes and some dry herbs and started to prepare the sauce. Finn just stood there in silence, staring at her while she tried to focus on anything but him.

"Do you need anything, Finn?"

"Um, no. Not really." He shuffled awkwardly from one foot to the other. "Do you want help with that?"

She smiled softly at his offer but kind of wanted to be alone for a little while. She needed time to decompress and she didn't really need the help anyway. "That's very sweet of you to ask, but no. Why don't you go watch TV or something?"

She was positive that her dismissal was clear, but he still didn't leave. "Couldn't you have just bought that from a can?"

She sighed as she tried to open up a stubborn can of tomatoes. "Well, yes, but I prefer making my own sauces because I try to stay away from preservatives or anything that isn't natural." She struggled with the ancient can opener and passed it over to Finn who was able to open it the rest of the way. "If I were at home I would have used only pure, organic products, but I'm sure this will be just as healthy." He stared at her with innocent curiosity in his gaze.

"Why are you doing all of this?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Rachel. The dinner? The decorations? I don't get it."

"What's not to get, Finn? It's Christmas." She said simply.

"Yeah, and you're Jewish!"

"So? I know how much Christmas means to you and I respect that. I'm trying to give you the best holiday possible; we don't even have any presents, so this is the least I could do." She continued preparing the sauce and Finn eventually nodded his head and backed out of the kitchen, leaving her alone. She had to admit that he'd been acting weird all day, and she was getting whiplash from all of his mood swings. First he was fighting with her, then he was kissing her, then he was barely speaking to her. Now things between them were supposed to be friendly, but she couldn't help but still feel awkward.

He disappeared for a while after that; she didn't hear the TV in the living room and part of her was afraid that he had disappeared into his room again for the night. The clock ticked past 8pm and to her, it felt like her day had lasted a lifetime. She didn't want to imagine what else could go wrong for their last day tomorrow, or if they were actually going to share their final day in peace. The thought of leaving on Sunday was making her anxious; as much as she wanted to escape the roller coaster of emotions she faced while being stuck with Finn, part of her was convinced that she would never see him again. Sure, he might come home eventually for holidays and vacations, but they would have no roles in each other's lives anymore. Just the thought of being a stranger to Finn was enough to make her eyes sting and her vision go blurry. Instead of thinking about Sunday, she focused on packing away the finished sauce in containers for tomorrow.

By the time she popped the lid on the last Tupperware container, Finn had finally emerged from his bedroom, and he stood in the kitchen staring at her softly while she washed her hands.

"There you are. I thought you were hiding from me again."

"Naw, you're not that scary anymore. I figure If I can survive a fight with you then I could survive anything." He laughed and she smiled in return. When was the last time he'd genuinely laughed around her? She'd missed this feeling more than anything.

He walked forward with his trademark crooked smile and all of her defenses were on high alert. That was a dangerous smile to be flashing around, and she felt the familiar fluttering of butterflies as she walked forward to meet him. She noticed that he was holding both of his hands behind his back like he was hiding something, and her interest was officially piqued.

"You hiding something from me, Finn?" She asked as a joke but was stunned when he passed her a small box wrapped in green Santa Claus paper. The box was light but it had a familiar shape to it as her heart started pounding uncontrollably. She almost couldn't hear him over the blood pounding in her ears.

"It has to be fate or something. The day I left, I dumped out my backpack because I wanted to get rid of everything that reminded me of Lima and, well, you basically." She tried not to let that sting too much. "But your present was hidden in the side pocket, zipped away, as if it knew I would see you again." She opened up the box and her breath caught as she stared at the shining gold star necklace. The light sparkled off of the floating diamond and the tears blurred her vision once more.

"You're a real star, Rachel. You're better than everyone in Lima and you don't need anything or anyone to hold you back. Just because I can't be with you, doesn't mean I don't believe in you. Just like you believe in me." His words were filling up all the holes in her heart that he had left behind. They might have had their differences, but Finn still believed in her. The knowledge was enough to give her the final closure she needed for their relationship. She was ready to face a life without Finn, because she knew he would always be in her heart.

He would always be her biggest fan.

"Finn. . ." He was the only person on the entire planet who had the ability to render her speechless and she struggled to find the words to express what his present meant to her. Unfortunately, she wasn't feeling very eloquent, so she settled for something less emotional. "I don't have anything to give to you."

"Yes you do." His hands were holding hers, grasping onto hers like a lifeline and she never wanted him to let go. His hands were warm, and large, and engulfed both of her hands and the box at the same time. "You made me dinner. You gave me focus, and a new goal to work for."He smiled brightly and the tears wouldn't stop flowing. "You gave me a reason to celebrate Christmas this year." He let go of her hands and she automatically missed the comfort of his touch. He put the necklace around her neck and her heart threatened to explode from her chest. But as soon as the clasp was secure, she held the pendant between her fingers and drew strength from his necklace. She grew resolved as her future path suddenly became clear to her.

"Thank you, Finn. You gave me something else as well."

His face scrunched in confusion as she retreated into the living room to get ready for bed.

"You gave me the strength to move on."

* * *

Salut mes amis!

Their time together is running out!

Song lyrics from "The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot" by Brand New

Until next time. . .sings. . . Don't stop. . .reviewing!

Merci mille fois!


	11. Chapter 11

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: Sorry about the delay my loves, but I hope you enjoy this chapter! We're getting down to the home stretch with this one!

_Warning_: There will some citrus-y stuff at the end of this chapter, but there will** not** be smut.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

_Touch your thighs, I'm the lonely one_

_Remember that last sweat, cause that was the right one_

_Oh, your mysteries are moving in the sun_

_I show some love and respect_

_Want to get some love and respect_

It was bright in Finn's bedroom when he opened his eyes against the sunlight that leaked through his blinds, and he covered his face with his pillow to block out the torturous rays of light that made his eyes ache. As much as he wanted to just fall back into the blissful oblivion of sleep, something else registered in the back of his head that made going back to sleep almost impossible, and he sat up and rubbed his eyes against the light.

It was Christmas morning.

Sure, he didn't have any presents under the tree, and maybe he wouldn't be stuffing his face full of his mom's french toast and cinnamon rolls, but it was still Christmas! That had to mean something, right?

He tried to drag himself out of bed but fell right back down again, already feeling exhausted before he even slipped out of the covers. Yeah, Christmas meant something, all right. It meant that in less than 24 hours, Rachel would be gone; on her way back to Lima and out of his life for good. As much as he'd been looking forward to her departure, the idea of her leaving was hanging over his head like the blades of a guillotine. He wanted her to leave, of course, so why was the thought making him so anxious?

_We've settled our differences, we're ready to move on. By this time tomorrow, it will seem like it was all a dream. Like she was never even here._

He stepped out of his bedroom and walked into the living room, where Rachel was sitting in front of the TV, watching a Christmas morning parade, already wide awake and dressed in her signature reindeer sweater. He'd always secretly loved that sweater, and it didn't help that it made her look adorable.

"Good morning." She said softly, not making eye contact.

"Merry Christmas." Finn corrected, and she finally turned around and shot him a small smile.

"Ah, yes, you're right. Merry Christmas." He noticed her fiddling with the necklace he had given her last night, and he watched as she held onto the star pendant tightly, like she couldn't let go of it even if she wanted to. There was nothing else to do but stand around awkwardly, so he went over to the couch and sat down next to her, trying to make himself look comfortable and relaxed instead of awkward and forced. He didn't really feel comfortable or relaxed, but Rachel seemed to be enjoying the parade.

"So, what are our plans for today?" He looked at the clock and it was already past ten; they had to find something to do to pass the time on Christmas Day or else he was going to go stir crazy. He had already been stuck inside this house for what felt like eons, and he was starting to get restless. At least he had something to do tomorrow when the diner opened back up. Rachel would be gone and things would go back to whatever kind of normal was possible here in Michigan. For some reason, the idea didn't console him as much as it should have.

"Well, I wanted to have dinner ready early, seeing as we have a big morning ahead of us tomorrow and I wanted to have ample time to clean and pack and get ready for my trip." She was purposefully avoiding eye contact with him, he could tell. Her voice sounded neutral enough, but she was clutching onto his necklace like her life depended on it. "So we can eat dinner by six and then spend the rest of the evening watching Christmas movies on TV. The tow truck guy said he would be here early, so we should get to bed at a reasonable hour."

"Rachel. . ." She was starting to babble, and Finn knew that something was wrong.

"And your boss is going to be back tomorrow as well, so you need as much rest as possible. . ."

"Rachel. . ."

"I hope there isn't a lot of traffic, seeing as it's the day after Christmas. . ."

"Rachel!" He was able to stop her rambling but she still wouldn't make eye contact with him. He watched as two twin trails of tears started to fall and she ducked her head to hide them, which made his heart lurch in his chest painfully. This was not how he wanted to spend his Christmas, but where Rachel was concerned, he barely ever got what he wanted.

"What do you want me to say, Finn?" She finally met his gaze and part of him wished she hadn't. Nothing was worse than watching Rachel cry, especially when there was nothing he could do about it. "I'm going to miss you, okay? I know I messed up, and I know we've said and done some things to each other that we can't ever take back, but that doesn't mean I still don't care about you."

He tried to cough and clear out his throat to speak, but nothing came out of his mouth except a hoarse, "I know." There were so many other things he wanted to say, but his mouth wouldn't form the words and his throat was suddenly parched. He had to practically choke out his response, and saying the words aloud made his stomach clench. "I still care about you too, Rachel." Admitting it was like a wrecking ball to his emotional defenses and he was feeling too vulnerable to be around her.

He still didn't move, though.

"But you know what, Finn? You've inspired me, in a way." She added while she wiped the tears from her cheeks with her sleeve, trying to change to a lighter topic. "When I get home to Lima, I'm going to make a big change." An ambitious glint entered her eyes and Finn got a flashback to the Rachel he had met so long ago, the one who wouldn't let anyone or anything get in the way of her stardom. He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

"Oh really? What kind of change?"

"I don't know yet!" She squeaked, enthusiastically. "Something huge, though. Something life changing." She waved her hands in the air for emphasis and her enthusiasm was infectious. "You're not the only person who can flip their life around and start fresh. I think that's the perfect New Year's resolution for us both, don't you think?"

"What is?" Her bouncing around on the couch was a tad distracting.

"A fresh start, silly. You're going to try to make it on your own here, and I'm going to focus all of my energies on becoming a star." She looked him dead in the eye with a determination that was almost scary, and he wished that there was some way that he he could bottle her ambition and sell it to the highest bidder. "You believe I can do it, right Finn?"

He didn't even have to hesitate in his answer. "Of course I do, Rachel. You know I'll always be your biggest fan."

She stared at him for a while without saying anything, and for a moment he thought he might have had something on his face that he tried in vain to wipe off. She chuckled softly at his actions and shook her head. "You don't know how much that means to me, Finn. Thank you." She reached over and grabbed one of his hands in hers and squeezed softly while Finn's skin tingled at the contact. When she let go, she stood up from the couch and walked towards the kitchen, humming a tune while he stared down at his hands, deep in thought.

She was ready to find some kind of future for herself that didn't involve him, just like he had been trying to do here in Michigan. He should be happy for her. He knew she was more than capable of succeeding as well; no one had the drive or the ambition that Rachel had, and he was happy that he was serving as some kind of inspiration for her progress.

Something just wasn't sitting right with him, though.

He couldn't explain it; the feelings that were conflicting in his head were too confusing to sort out. He'd been so messed up over her for so long. He'd done so many things to try to get away from her; to try to escape her presence and the way she made him feel. Now she was finally leaving, and saying things like "fresh start" and "life-changing" and to be honest, he was a bit jealous. She made it look so easy, when he was still struggling with whether or not he was making the right choice. She was always so confident no matter what she did, and he was always a few steps behind, always doubting himself, never knowing what was going to happen and just hoping that things turned out right.

Not anymore. He was going to take this "fresh start" thing seriously and take control of his life from now on. After today he had no more distractions to worry about, and he was going to focus on making 2011 the best year ever.

When he finally snapped out of his daze he noticed that Rachel had retreated into the kitchen, and he got up to check if she needed any help. He leaned on the door-frame to the dining room and saw her prepare their lasagna with the sauce she had made the night before. She caught him staring at her and her cheeks erupted into a soft blush that made her skin glow. The words bubbled out of his lips before he had the chance to filter them.

"I'm going to miss you too, you know?" She stopped piling the pasta and vegetables and gave Finn a disbelieving look from across the kitchen.

"I highly doubt it." She murmured with a scoff. "You can't wait to get rid of me."

"That's not true." He said quickly, and her right eyebrow perked up in surprise. "I mean, yeah we've been stuck together fighting for the past few days and you did cheat on me and I ran away from home and stuff. . ." He was suffering from a severe case of verbal diarrhea and he could tell she was losing patience. "But that doesn't mean I don't care. I gave you your Christmas present when I didn't have to, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did." Agreeing softly with him, she ducked her head down and tried to focus on her work while he just stood there, feeling like an idiot. He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, drinking deeply to cover the awkwardness he felt in the small kitchen. "You know, seeing as it's Christmas and all, I was contemplating on what I could give to you as a present, seeing as you gave me this lovely necklace and I have nothing for you in return."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Rachel. You're making dinner and you tried to put together a nice holiday for me. That's more than enough." He said as he took another sip of water an she stared at him nervously before speaking.

"I think we should have sex tonight."

The water came spitting out of his mouth as he coughed wildly, almost choking as he gasped for air. In his peripheral vision he saw her wince and shuffle around nervously as he tried to control his breathing.

"_What did you just say?_" He practically roared.

"Just, here me out, because I've thought about this a lot over the past few days and I can explain myself perfectly if you just let me."

"Oh, believe me, I cannot _wait_ to hear this."

"I wasn't kidding when I said I was saving myself for you. I am thoroughly convinced, right down to the depths of my heart, that you are the only person who I feel comfortable with and trust enough to have sex with for my first time." His head was practically spinning with every syllable that was coming from her mouth and he had to hold onto the counter-tops to steady himself. "I want it to be you, Finn. I've always wanted it to be you. After tomorrow we might never have another chance, and I want it to be the most special gift I could ever give you. I want it to be the last thing we share together before we go our separate ways."

"Rachel, that is one of the craziest things I have ever heard you say, and you once tried to put on a production of _Cats_ with _only cats_." She could not be serious about this!

"Finn, _please_." There was something desperate in her voice that made him pause, and he stopped thinking about how crazy the idea was and started to think about her rationale behind it. Hadn't he been trying to get into her pants for the better part of a year? Now she was practically begging him to have sex with her and he thought _she_ was the crazy one? "I just want to share this one last thing with you, and then I won't have any regrets. You can move on, and I can move on, and we'll always have these few days in Michigan." She walked up to him and her presence was wreaking havoc on his defenses as her eyes were begging him to understand. Her eyes were liquid with tears and his desire to finally do the deed with her was too overwhelming to ignore. His body was already burning up just thinking about it, and he nodded his head softly while he choked out a reply.

"Alright." Gritty like gravel, he could barely recognize his own voice as she gasped softly.

"Really?" She asked with a small voice and he cursed how vulnerable and weak she made him feel.

"Yeah, but let's get through with dinner first before we start planning dessert." It was a weak attempt at making a joke or trying to be flirty whatsoever, but she smiled anyway and tried in vain to contain the excitement that was practically bursting from the seams. She went back to work while he stood there in awe, trying to busy himself with anything that would distract him from the promise he'd just made.

Because he'd just promised to fuck his ex-girlfriend and that definitely _did not_ sound like moving on.

* * *

_Cause baby you can see _

_that the gazing eye won't lie_

_Don't give up your lover tonight_

_Cause it's just you, me and this wire, alright_

_Let's tend to the engine tonight_

_Look out_

The rest of the afternoon passed by very slowly; Rachel must have looked at the clock about a hundred times that afternoon and time just did not want to hurry up for her at all whatsoever. Didn't the fates understand that she was finally going to have sex tonight? She wished time would move faster already.

She smiled into her casserole dish as she served up the food she had been preparing since yesterday. All of her bags were packed for the morning and she had already laid out the outfit she was going to be wearing tomorrow so she could focus on tonight. She called Finn into the kitchen so he could help her set up the table, and he purposefully avoided eye contact with her as he took the casserole plate from her hands. She frowned softly but refused to let it bother her. Finn had been acting like this all afternoon; ever since he'd made the promise to sleep with her, she could tell that something was wrong.

Maybe he was regretting his promise? Maybe he didn't want to go through with it? She didn't want to distract herself with those kinds of thoughts, but if he was having doubts then she knew that he would never go through with it. They would have to figure out that stuff later though. Right now they had to eat the dinner she had been planning since yesterday and then they could focus on what Finn had referred to as _dessert_.

She blushed deeply just thinking about it, and sat down at the table trying to cover up the excitement and anxiousness she was currently feeling. She looked up at Finn and he was trying to look anywhere but up as he served himself some food. When it was finally time to start eating, she lifted up her glass of water for a toast and Finn finally looked her in the eyes for the first time all day. The emotions she saw there were too complex to try to figure out, and she felt her face grow hotter as his gaze turned more and more predatory.

Maybe he _wasn't_ having second guesses about tonight.

She cleared her throat and made a simple toast. "To us. I hope we both kick 2011 in the proverbial tush." He smiled softly and clinked her glass.

"Cheers." He said simply, before she turned her attention to the food. She could still feel his heavy gaze on her and she tried to calm her racing heartbeat. If that was how he made her feel before dinner, she wondered what things would be like _after_ dinner.

They ate their meal in amicable silence but there was an undeniable energy hovering around them that couldn't be ignored. They both stole glances at one another throughout dinner, and Rachel couldn't keep her mind off of what they were going to do as the clock decided then to speed up and push time forward.

Dinner was over a lot quicker than she'd imagined it, and the energy became much heavier now that they both knew that there was nothing holding them back. Rachel took the dishes into the kitchen to clean up, and Finn followed behind her, helping her put away the utensils and staring holes into her back. When the cleaning was finished they stood in the kitchen for an awkward minute, just waiting for the other persona to make a move. Her heart started to pound in her chest as he took a few steps closer to her, and as he tried to reach out an arm towards her she freaked out and took two steps backwards.

"I'll be right back!" She squeaked before she escaped into the bathroom to calm down. She didn't even wait to see his reaction as she bailed.

She stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection like it could give her all the answers she wanted. Why was she freaking out? Hadn't this been her idea? She might have been a virgin, but Finn had sex with Santana last year. . .Santana-freaking-Lopez of all people! Santana has had sex with almost every boy in school, and there was no way that she was going to compare to her as far as sex was concerned. She tried to shake the frightening idea that she was bad in bed out of her mind and focus on the now.

It was just sex. No strings attached, I-trust-you-so-help-me-lose-my-virginity, sex. She knew this wasn't going to solve all their problems, and she wasn't trying to sleep with him so he would fall back in love with her or anything, she just wanted it to be with him. It was the reason why she couldn't do it with Jesse or Puck or anyone else she might be able to move on with in the future. It had to be Finn, and this was her last chance.

So she took a deep breath, fluffed up her hair to make it look voluminous and sexy, and took off her reindeer sweater and skirt folding them up and putting them to the side. Standing in the bathroom in just a camisole and panties, she knew that this was it.

She was ready.

She exited the bathroom and Finn was no longer in the kitchen, but the lights had been turned off except for the decorations, leaving the living area bathed in a colorful glow. The colors danced along her skin as she walked down the hallway to Finn's bedroom, and the door was left slightly ajar as soft light poured into the hallway. Her heart was pounding in her chest like a bass drum, and she was sure Finn could hear it as she pushed the door open and entered the foreign room.

He turned around when he heard her enter, and she stood by the door in awe as she took in the sight of him in only a pair of jeans; the lip of his boxers were poking out from the waist and she had never seen him without a shirt on. The one time they had gone swimming over the summer he had worn a t-shirt into the water, now he was standing in front of her bare chested and she couldn't stop staring. And she thought only women could be objectified.

He didn't say a thing as he walked up to her, and she could feel his eyes on every inch of her body. His normally soft brown eyes were practically glowing as he looked her up and down, and she could feel her body grow hot under his stare. He hadn't even touched her yet and she was already feeling lightheaded.

He closed the distance between them and placed one of his hands on her bare shoulders while her skin sizzled at the contact. In return, she placed a hand on his naked torso and enjoyed the hitch of breath she'd heard, feeling powerful. Feeling more bold than she ever thought possible, she let the hand trail lower, until it was almost resting on his belly-button and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his skull.

"Rachel," he choked out in a low tone. "Are you sure about this?"

"I've never been more positive in my life." She knew it was true as the words came out of her mouth, but Finn looked like he needed more convincing. "It's just sex, Finn. It's not going to change anything between us, but it has to be with you. I know what I'm doing. I want this."

He didn't look convinced but he nodded his head solemnly while Rachel took his hand and led him to the bed. They kind of just sat there for a minute, not moving or saying anything. In fact, they could barely look one another in the eye, they were both so nervous. It's not like Rachel really knew what to do, and she finally turned to him to place an awkward kiss on his lips.

She could tell that he was surprised when she finally kissed him, but they had to start somewhere, and after a tense moment they both melted into the kiss and a heady feeling washed over her as they laid down on the bed. She was nervous, but the more he kissed her, the less she worried about it. Their bodies pressed together on the bed and the feeling of skin on skin was making every part of her body tingle uncontrollably, and she gasped when she felt his hand caress the side of her breast. Sure, he had touched her there before, but this just felt so different. Every touch, every feeling he elicited in her was infinitely more intense than when they'd been fooling around in their bedrooms in Lima. She became more confident with every sigh and moan that escaped his lips as she let her hands brush over the skin of his torso, too nervous to go anywhere lower. When her leg brushed up against something hot and hard through his jeans, she realized just exactly what she had gotten herself into, and almost chickened out completely.

"Are you okay?" He asked her softly after she'd stopped kissing him, and she could feel her face grow hot with embarrassment. If she could barely brush her leg against his crotch without getting uptight about it, how was she going to go through with this?

"Um, yeah. I think so." The uncertainty was clear in her voice and he removed his hands from her breast. She missed the contact instantly as her body burned for more.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea." He started to sit up and she knew she was losing him. She sat up quickly and held onto his arm, keeping him where she wanted him to be.

"No, Finn. Please, I'm just nervous. I don't really know what to do next."

He looked at her softly in the dim light of the room and he reached over to shut off the remaining light, leaving them both in the dark. She couldn't see where he was, but she could feel him all around her, and the lack of light was making her feel less conscious of what was going on and more conscious of how she was feeling inside.

She could feel his body moving closer to her, until their sides were molded against one another and she breathed in his scent as she tried to relax.

"Just relax, Rachel." He whispered into her ear as his hand started to trail down her midriff and even lower towards her legs. Her body felt like it was melting and all she could do was trust Finn to treat her right. "I'll take care of everything." His hands rested in-between her legs and he cut-off her gasp with a deep kiss as she rescinded all control and lost herself in Finn Hudson.

* * *

It couldn't yet be morning, she thought, as she opened her eyes to the blackness of the room. It was completely quiet as she rolled over onto her side and exposed a naked breast in the chilly air, reminding her of her state of undress. She grabbed the comforter and wrapped it around her tightly as she tried to figure out what time it was, and she tried her hardest not to wake up her sleeping lover, who was currently snoring like a beast next to her, undisturbed.

She couldn't help but smile as she go flashbacks to the night before. Finn had been so gentle and patient with her last night that it almost brought a tear to her eye just thinking about it. She never knew that anyone could feel as good as Finn had made her feel, and she was drowning in the memories of last night as she tried to search for her clothes in the dark. It had been so mind-blowing that she had fallen asleep almost immediately after, so she knew it had to be extremely early, seeing as the sun hadn't even risen yet.

She searched around the dark room for her panties and camisole, and slipped them on before stepping out of the room to use the bathroom. She was a tad achy, but she thought the pain had definitely been worth it. It was so much more than she had ever imagined and she replayed the most memorable events with a deep blush as she used the bathroom and tidied herself up. The clock in the hallway informed her that it was 5:45 am, and she knew that Finn probably wouldn't be up for hours, even though she was already wide awake.

It wasn't until she stepped out of the bathroom and saw her luggage waiting for her by the front door when she snapped back into the present, and her blissful morning was now ruined once she was faced with the reality of her situation.

She had to leave today. In mere hours, she would be gone and Finn would be out of her life forever.

How could she forget about that little detail? Last night had been so amazing, so mind-blowing, that it was hard to face the fact that it was a one-time deal. She had gone into it knowing that it was supposed to be completely platonic, but somewhere along the way it became very personal. They were supposed to be having sex, but to Rachel she couldn't help but think that they had made love. The way he'd held her, the kisses they'd shared, the patience he'd demonstrated. Whatever feelings she had been able to tamper down before last night were now multiplied a hundred-fold.

She'd screwed this up, big time.

What was going to happen when he woke up? She couldn't bear to see him dismiss last night like it was nothing when to her it had changed _everything_. How was she going to be able to say goodbye and agree to a fresh start when she was just reminded of everything she had lost?

How could she pretend to move on when she now knew how much she still loved him?

A loud noise coming from outside startled her out of her trance and she looked out of the window to see a giant truck pulling into the parking lot. Attached to the back of it was the outline of a familiar SUV, and Rachel rushed to get her coat and shoes on to meet the tow-man. She carefully descended the stairs and met the man by the front entrance of the diner.

"Good morning, miss. I wanted to personally get this to you first thing in the morning, seeing as you were all torn up about it the other day. Just write down your billing information and we'll send you the invoice." Rachel gave the man her father's address and phone number and signed for the release of the car. He handed over the keys to her and they felt like bricks in her hand. She stared at the keys with a deep frown while the serviceman returned to his truck, and she gripped them tightly in her fist while she returned back to the apartment.

Upon entering the house she immediately grabbed her suitcase and dragged it downstairs to put it in the SUV. She went over every single inch of the apartment, making sure she didn't leave any of her possessions lying around anywhere, and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen to scribble a note for Finn to find.

She had been campaigning for them to both have a fresh start, but last night had undone any progress she had made in getting over him. How stupid she was to think that sex with Finn would be platonic at all whatsoever! She probably wasn't even any good at it, and she couldn't face Finn knowing how badly she'd messed things up between them. A clean break was the only option she had left, and she wrote out a note that was filled with nothing but apologies. Apologies for chasing him away. Apologies for coming after him. Apologies for pushing them to have sex.

She couldn't even keep track of what she had to be sorry for anymore.

She left the note on the counter and said a silent goodbye to Finn before she left the house. As she drove back to Lima on the empty highway, her only companions were the sun rising above the horizon, and the emptiness she felt now that Finn was out of her life forever.

She didn't start crying until she hit the Ohio border.

* * *

Salut mes amis!

Only a few more chapters in this one, kiddos! What will Finn do when he wakes up to find Rachel gone?

Song lyrics from NARC, by Interpol (my favorite song from my favorite band)

Until next time, _sings_ . . .Don't Stop. . ._Reviewing_!

Merci Mille Fois


	12. Chapter 12

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!

A/N: We're down to the home stretch kids! Only one more chapter to go after this one!

**Chapter Twelve**

**

* * *

**_To see you when I wake up, is a gift I didn't think could be real  
To know that you feel the same, as I do, is a three-fold Utopian dream  
You do something to me  
That I can't explain  
So would I be out of line, _

_If I said I miss you. _

The first thing he noticed when he woke up that morning was that he was cold; he flipped over onto his side and clutched the blanket in his fists, pulling them clear over his head to keep out the chill. He sunk back into the warmth of the sheets and let his mind drift back int a sea of unconsciousness, where he could just fall back into the blissful dreams he'd been having all night.

It didn't hurt that they had all been about Rachel.

He smiled into his pillows while the memories flashed through his mind, and he reached over across the span of the bed to pull his lover into his arms. He couldn't wait for them to finally wake up for good so they could talk about last night. His body was still flooded with pleasure as he thought about what had happened the night before, and his heart started to pound wildly when he thought about what he wanted to say to her.

_I still care about you._

_Last night was really special._

_I don't want you to go._

He definitely needed to get some things off of his chest.

He reached out for her, hoping to come in contact with her silky skin, but his hands found only crumpled sheets that had lost their warmth. He lifted his heavy head off of the pillow and could barely believe what he saw.

There was no one there.

Maybe she had gone into the bathroom or something? That had to be it, he thought to himself as he turned back over and tried to get some more sleep. She was probably doing some last minute packing and would be back any minute. He sat up in bed to wait for her, now wide awake, and buzzing with things he needed to say to her.

Last night had pretty much changed everything.

They had gone into it thinking that things between them would stay completely neutral. Rachel wanted it to be his gift, but it was as much for her as it was for him, and he knew that deep down when he'd agreed. What he hadn't expected was for it to be so. . .emotional. When he had done it with Santana he'd felt detached from the world; there was no passion, no connection that they'd felt whatsoever. It was just plain fucking and Finn had thought things would be the same with Rachel, seeing as she'd wanted pretty much the same thing.

He'd thought wrong. Everything about last night was more intimate and more personal than he could have ever expected, and now he was here wondering how they were going to go their separate ways when all he wanted to do was hold her again. Was it as mind-blowing for her as well? Did she feel the same? It felt like he was buzzing from all the pent up energy in his system and he needed to talk to Rachel before she left.

What was taking her so long in the bathroom? The sun was rising over the horizon and Finn knew he should be getting up soon anyway; he had to open up the diner for the first time since Rachel arrived and she still had to leave for Ohio. The thought of saying goodbye to her after what they'd done last night pained him, and he was anxious to see her go. He got out of bed and pulled on his boxers to go out and see if she was still in the bathroom or the kitchen. He entered the hallway only to find it completely dark.

An uneasy feeling set into his bones as he called out her name in the silent apartment.

"Rachel?" He knocked on the bathroom door and it opened with a slow creak, revealing the emptiness inside. Panic started to bubble under the surface when he walked into the kitchen to find it in the same untouched state. "Rachel?" He couldn't deny the twinge of hysteria he could hear in his voice as he imagined the worst. He ran around the apartment trying to find some signs that she was still here and he came up empty. Her pink rolling suitcase was gone. Her toiletries were missing from the bathroom. Her boots were no longer by the door.

She was _gone_.

A loud pounding on the door shocked Finn out of his stupor, and he tried to stave down the anxiety that threatened to cripple him as reality sunk in. Rachel had just up-and-left him, the night after they'd had sex. Why would she do something like that? Was it just to spite him? Was it part of her evil plan all along?

As much as he wanted to bury himself back in bed and lick his wounds all day long, he answered the door while his mind was racing uncontrollably with thoughts of Rachel, and why she would just leave him after what they had shared the night before. There had to be an explanation, right? He'd been so busy looking for signs of her departure, he didn't even check to see if she had left a note or anything.

He didn't have time for that now, seeing as Rich had arrived to open up the diner downstairs. Finn opened the door to find his coworker standing on the steps with a disgruntled look on his face and Finn felt his spirits fall like bricks. How easy it was to forget about your responsibilities when your ex-girlfriend gets stranded and flips your world upside down! Finn invited Rich in while he went to go change, and Finn searched every square inch of the bedroom to see if she had left him a note. He got dressed dejectedly after the search came up empty, and he entered the kitchen to see Rich fiddling with something in his wallet. He took a minute to look on the counter-tops and appliances to see if she'd left him any message at all. He couldn't find a thing.

He didn't know what to feel first: the aching disappointment that last night meant nothing to her, or the anger towards himself that he'd opened up his heart, only to have her trample all over it again.

"You coming, boy?" Rick grunted from the living room with a devious smirk on his face and Finn nodded solemnly while he grabbed his apron and jacket. He went downstairs with Rich feeling worse than he'd ever felt before. Worse than the day he'd left Lima in the first place.

He went back into the kitchens and started running the water for the sinks, trying his hardest to not think of anything to do with Rachel or Ohio or whatever had transpired between them over the last few days. In fact, he was more than willing to pretend that it was all a dream. Maybe she had never crashed her car in the ditch! Maybe she had never left her house and he'd been hallucinating it the whole time!

Who was he trying to fool? She'd been here all right. She'd traveled across a dozen states just to track him down. She'd cooked him dinner and decorated his apartment. She'd fought with him and exchanged words like a married couple. They had slept together and touched one another in ways that no one else had.

She went through all of that trouble, just to leave the next morning without even saying goodbye.

But isn't that what he'd wanted? This entire time, he'd just been waiting for her to go home, and she did exactly that; she finally left him alone. He was free to do whatever he wanted with his life now. He had no responsibilities or expectations; just a blank slate. A fresh start, like Rachel had said.

So why wasn't he as excited about this as he should have been?

Marion returned to the diner a little bit after noon, and Finn had never been more happy to see his elderly benefactress. She looked a bit tired from her drive from Grand Rapids, but pulled Finn into a big hug when she came down to the diner to start working.

"The apartment looks amazing, Finn! I haven't pulled out those decorations in years, it's enough to make me all choked up and nostalgic!"

"I'm sorry!" He rushed to apologize. "I didn't know if it would be okay and I just wanted to have at least the tree. . ." She cut him off as she pulled him down by the collar to lay a big kiss on the side of his cheek.

"Don't worry about it, Finny boy. I want to know how you spent your Christmas!" She wrapped her apron around her waist and Finn tried to figure out what to say to her about the past few days. He didn't want to get in trouble with her for having Rachel over, and his mind was still racing from the events of that morning. Just thinking about Rachel was making his heart ache painfully, and he choked through it to give a half-assed answer.

"It was okay. I had a lot of time to think about things." He sighed. "The reasons why I left home."

"Oh really?" She looked intrigued, and he could even see Rich's head poking out of the kitchen to eavesdrop.

"Yeah. It felt like no matter what I did to run away from my problems, they wound up finding me anyway." He shook his head sadly. "And now it feels like everything I did to escape those problems meant nothing, because I'm right back to where I started." It was true. He was more torn up about Rachel now than he'd ever felt. Sure, he was still angry about what had happened with her and Puck, but it seemed almost trivial in comparison to what had happened between them over the past few days. Trapped alone in the Michigan winter, all they did was fight and scream and find more powerful ways to get under each other's skin until it didn't matter anymore. She had found some way to worm herself back into his heart and he was the one who was powerless, even though she was miles away by now.

No matter what he did, he would never be able to escape Rachel Berry. He knew that now.

But they had made a promise to one another that they were going to start fresh. This would be their second chance at being happy, and they couldn't get in one another's way. Sure, he could call her, but it would only lead to more drama and heartbreak for the both of them, and Finn was sure that he'd done enough fighting with Rachel over the past few days to last him a lifetime.

"Is there any chance that you've contemplated returning home?" Marion asked softly, snapping him out of his Rachel-induced haze. "Don't get me wrong, I enjoy your company immensely and I appreciate the work you do for me, but I can't help but think about your family. Your friends? Is there any reason at all for you to go home?" _Rachel_, his brain screamed at him. _Rachel is home, she's there, you can go and see her and make things right between you two for good._

He shook his head while he returned back into the kitchens to wash the load of plates that had been piling up. If there had been a reason to go home, then Rachel wouldn't have left him like that. At least he had left everyone a note before he'd walked out of their lives. No, she was finally ready to move on without him, like he had been trying to do, and he had to respect that and carve out a fresh start of his own.

"No, Marion. There's nothing left for me in Lima, Ohio." He plunged his hands into the soapy, sludgy water and tried to wipe his head clean of thoughts of Rachel and the overwhelming urge he had to go home. "Nothing."

* * *

_I see your picture_

_I smell your skin on the empty pillow next to mine  
You have only been gone ten days, _

_but already I am wasting away  
I know I'll see you again  
Whether far or soon  
But I need you to know, that I care  
And I miss you_

She was sure she looked hideous as she pulled off of the highway and entered the Lima town border, reveling in the familiarity of it all after almost two whole weeks of being away from home. She had been crying ever since she left Michigan, and she pulled over at the local Starbucks for a quick bathroom break and coffee order. She balanced her chai latte and Kurt's medium drip that she would offer him as her first round of penance as she made her way back to his car. She didn't even go home first to drop off her things and check in with her fathers, she drove straight to Kurt's house and prayed that Carole and Burt weren't home. She didn't know how she would ever be able to face them again, seeing as she stole Burt's son's car and broke Carole's son's heart.

She knocked on the door, not even realizing that it was before 10AM until Kurt answered the door, still in his bathrobe. "Rachel!" He exclaimed in surprise and she was so nervous that he was going to be mad at her still. She'd been imagining different scenarios between them during the drive home; she was afraid he would slam the door in her face or refuse to talk to her after she handed over the keys. However, Kurt took one look at Rachel and her state of duress and pulled her into the house immediately, taking her into his bedroom and immediately pressing some cucumber slices on her eyes to reduce the puffiness.

"Lay back, Rachel, so the blood can drain from your sinuses." She relaxed against the headboard of Kurt's bed while he placed the coffees to the side, instead focusing on Rachel and her obvious state of hysteria.

"Are you m-mad at me?" She sniffled lightly and could see Kurt's expression out of the corner of her cucumbers. He looked a tad annoyed, but lifted up her right hand to start filing away at her nails.

"Well, I must admit that I was a bit furious when I woke up to find you and my car gone, but I was more worried about you once I found out you had actually found Finn. I didn't want you to talk to me about it while you were still there, because I felt like it would only cause more tension and drama if I was dragged in the middle of it. He is my step-brother after all, and I was trying my hardest to be neutral so I could be there for the both of you. But now here you are, and by the look of it, you're making my nightmare a reality. Was it really that bad?"

"It was worse, Kurt. The past few days have been the worst days of my life." Finally, she had an outlet to all the frustrations that had been building up over the past few days and she unleashed it all on Kurt like a tidal wave of ennui and angst and sex. She told him how she wound up stranded by Finn's diner, and how much they'd fought for days over the intricacies of their relationship. She told him how they had tried to be civil and neutral to one another, but still wound up either fighting or kissing or trying to ignore one another. She told him about the necklace he had given her for Christmas, and how he said he would still support her when she became a star. Then, she finally explained what had happened last night, and how the sex was supposed to be a parting gift but turned out to be so much more. She ended it with her dramatic re-enactment of this morning because it was still fresh in her memory, and how she had left him a note just like he'd done in order to avoid saying goodbye.

When she was finally finished, she lifted up her cucumber slices to stare at what Kurt had done to her. He had manicured all of her fingers, painted them, and was now mixing up a concoction for her face to reduce blotchiness. Why hadn't she become friends with Kurt sooner?

"So let me get this straight. You spend the entire time fighting with one another, or trying to avoid one another, and you two _still_ had sex?"

"Yup."

"How was it?" He asked, and Rachel turned crimson.

"I said it before, Kurt. It was so much more. . ._intense_ than I had ever imagined. Being with Finn made it infinitely better." Just like she always knew it would be.

"And you didn't even wake him up before saying goodbye?"

"I left him a note!" She said in her defense. "I left it right on top of the kitchen counter, so he would see it on his way out of the house. It explained everything that I was feeling this morning, and I even asked him to call me if last night changed anything at all." She looked at the clock and she had already been at Kurt's house for over an hour; he definitely would have seen the note by now and she still hadn't heard from him. Maybe he didn't feel what she'd felt after all; she was probably just another notch in his bedpost and part of her was relieved that she didn't stick around just to have her heart crushed even more. She didn't want to imagine what could have happened if she'd stayed, just to hear him dismiss last night like it was nothing. It would have been too painful.

"I don't know Rachel, he _is_ a boy. To them, sex is just sex."

"Well, then it's better that I didn't stay." She whispered under her breath.

She had to shake that idea out of her head, and tried to focus on her new future in a life without Finn. They had made a promise to one another that they were going to have a fresh start, and to Rachel it sounded like the perfect plan. She knew immediately that she wouldn't be able to stay in Lima; this town had too many memories of her and Finn and their old lives together. She needed a new beginning. She contemplated her options while Kurt gave her a facial, and when he was finished she was sure she had come up with a good enough idea.

"Kurt, do you know if Dalton has a sister school?"

He stopped applying his own daily skin care regimen to turn to Rachel with a confused look. "What?"

"Well, Dalton is an all-boys school, and most of the time schools like that would have an affiliation with an all-girls school in the area."

He contemplated this as he continued moisturizing. "I'll have to ask Blaine, but I'm pretty sure we have one." He reached over to grab his cell phone and he texted Blaine while Rachel rocked herself on Kurt's bed nervously. After a few minutes, Blaine texted him back, and Rachel waited patiently for the news.

"Ah yes, Bernadette's School for Girls, in Dayton. I knew I had heard that name before at an assembly or two."

"Do you know if they take transfers mid-year?" She asked and Kurt fixed her with a suspicious look.

"Rachel, you're not seriously considering transferring schools!" Her silence was enough of an answer. "What about the glee club?"

"The glee club will be fine without me. They've probably already found Finn's replacement, and they can replace me too." It was a hard pill to swallow, but she would have to sacrifice New Directions if she ever wanted to go out there in the world and achieve her dreams. "Does Bernadette's have a show choir?"

"No. But they do have a women's choir that travels around the state. They sang at Dalton last month. They were really quite good."

The idea solaced her a little bit, and she knew she would have to find a new niche if she was going to change her life around completely. She nodded to herself, determined. "Email me the link to their website. As soon as we get back to school, I am going right to Miss Pillsbury and getting a copy of my transcript."

"Rachel, are you sure that this is what you want to do? Trade in New Directions for a bunch of catty rich girls?"

"I'm positive, Kurt. Without the distraction of boys or the threat of bullying, I will be able to focus on one thing, and one thing only: my career. Nothing will be able to tempt me or lure me away from my goals, and getting out of Lima is my first step."

"But what about Finn?" Kurt asked and she had to ignore the numbness that crippled her every time Kurt mentioned his name. Maybe this transferring thing was exactly what she needed.

"Finn and I are over." She said thickly. "There's nothing left for me here. It's time to move on." She sighed deeply as Kurt saw right through her act. "He has my number if he wants to call me, but it's not going to happen. It's time for me to move on for good." She turned to Kurt, her best friend, and reached out for his hand for support. "You'll help me, right?"

"Of course, Rachel."

"And if Finn calls you, please don't tell him what I'm doing. It's best if we stay out of each other's business." Kurt looked hesitant, and Rachel squeezed his hand. "Promise me."

He sighed dramatically and pulled her in for a hug. "Fine, Fine. I promise I won't tell Finn what's going on with you. You know, it's crazy girls like you that make me happy I like boys." She laughed wholeheartedly at his statement and had never been more grateful to have a true friend in her life. He tugged at her playfully and pulled her off the bed. "Now c'mon, let's go bake some cookies or sing some show tunes, or do something that's so gay that we forget who Finn Hudson even is."

She smiled once more and followed her best friend into the kitchen, grateful that she even had one to help lift her out of this fog. "To empty calories and Broadway careers!"

* * *

Salut mes amis!

One more chapter to go!

Lyrics from "I Miss You" by Incubus

Until next time, _sings_. . . Don't Stop. . ._Reviewing_!

Merci Mille Fois


	13. Chapter 13

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: Voila! The final chapter of _Escape _(besides the epilogue)! I hope you guys enjoyed the angsty ride, and make sure you check out my other fics in progress as well!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

_Weep for yourself, my man,  
You'll never be what is in your heart  
Weep Little Lion Man,  
You're not as brave as you were at the start  
Rate yourself and rake yourself,  
Take all the courage you have left  
Wasted on fixing all the problems  
That you made in your own head_

Wash. Rinse. Dry. Stack.

Wash. Rinse. Dry. Stack.

Finn stood at the sink in the back of the kitchen, elbow deep in soapy dingy water, as the dinner rush created a mess that only he could clean up. Seeing as it was New Years Eve, the diner had been packed with people all day who were in transit to get to their parties for the night. It was barely 6 pm and it already felt like he'd washed every dish in the place at least twice.

And the work just kept on coming.

"Table Twelve, order up!" He heard Rich calling out the orders to Marion behind him and struggled to keep up with the mess that threatened to swallow the little kitchen whole. He saw Rich give him a strange look out of the corner of his eye and tried to ignore it and focus on the task at hand. Rich had been acting really weird around Finn for the past few days and he couldn't figure out what it was all about, but frankly, he didn't really care. Instead of trying to figure out the machinations of his greasy, rude, co-worker, he chose to ignore him completely and focus on work.

Work. Work. Work.

A heavy pot slipped out of his hands and landed right in the middle of the sink, splashing a tidal wave of soapwater sludge all over Finn and his thin apron. He cursed loudly and pulled his rubber gloves off with a snap, tossing them to the side and storming out of the back door like a certain ex-girlfriend of his that he really didn't want to think about. "Hey, where the hell do you think you're going?" He heard Rich call from behind him but he just ignored the grouchy older man and exited the diner through the back door. It was frigid when he hit the icy Michigan air, and he was standing in nothing but his wet, filthy clothes, but he didn't care. He rubbed his arms in vain as his breath fogged in the air, and he looked up at the crystal clear night to see the moon shining down on him, and little stars pinpricking the sky. It would have been a beautiful view, if he cared.

Right now,he couldn't muster up the energy to care about anything. It had been days since Rachel had left. _Days_. He had accomplished everything that he had set out to achieve: he'd found a place to stay and had a job that paid him good money. He was far away from Lima and didn't have to deal with anything in his past anymore.

But he was miserable. Absolutely miserable.

He missed her. It was something he would never say out loud, but after Rachel had left, all he could do was rip apart every second of their time together, and over-analyze every word that they had said to one another. He thought about their final night together and tried to discern anything that would warrant her leaving without even a goodbye. All he could remember, though, was whispers in the dark, smooth skin under his fingertips, and the long shuddering cry of release that would be forever burned into his brain. Everything had seemed so perfect as they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, and he thought that something had changed. Somehow his anger towards her had melted into something beautiful, and now he was right back to where he'd started in the very beginning of this mess: heartbroken over Rachel Berry.

Wasn't that what got him into this situation in the first place? When was his life going to stop revolving around her? No matter how hard he tried, or how far he ran away, she would always be there, trying to find different ways to inch herself back into his heart. He'd even tried calling Kurt the other day, under the guise of catching up, but Kurt wouldn't tell him anything about Rachel. He would get shut down every time her name was even mentioned, and he was too chicken to try and call her himself. He was lost in thought as the wind picked up, making his teeth chatter in the cold.

"Finn? Is that you, son?" He heard Marion's soft voice call out to him and he wished he didn't have to go back to work. He wished he was at his own New Year's party, with his mom and Burt and unlimited pigs-in-a-blanket and cheesecake bites. He wished he was curled up in front of the TV watching football, or playing his Xbox until it was time to watch the ball drop.

He wished he was anywhere but here.

Being an adult really sucked.

"Yeah, I'm here Marion." He called out through his shivers. Marion came to the back door and saw him in his t-shirt, which elicited a very motherly reaction.

"Boy, you get in here right this minute before you catch your death from cold!" She pulled Finn in the back door by his bicep and he idly thought that she was abnormally strong for an old lady. She fixed him with a serious look and stood with her hands on her hips in the narrow doorway. "What's the matter with you tonight Finn? Rich said you just stormed out of the kitchen for no good reason and we have tons of work to do."

"It's nothing." He lied, staring at the tile of the floor instead of Marion's kind eyes. "I'm just a little homesick, I guess."

"You miss Rachel?" She asked with a suspicious look in her eyes.

"Yeah, I do." He answered reflexively and paused while her face erupted in a glowing smile. How did she know about Rachel? He had never told her a thing about his life back in Lima. "Wait, how did you know about her?"

She was about to open her mouth when Rich called out to the two of them from his spot by the ovens. "You know, we kind of have some customers out here that need their grub if you two are done with the coffee talk!"

Marion turned around angrily with fire in her eyes. "Do it yourself, you fat bastard! This is all your fault anyway!" Finn could hear Rich grumbling as he took out his orders himself, and Finn was waiting patiently for some kind of elaboration. He watched as Marion pulled a small note out of her pocket, and when she handed it over to him, he could plainly see Rachel's modest scrawl across the front.

He stared at the piece of paper in awe as he opened it and read it to himself in the dim light of the foyer. His heart was beating like a booming bass drum as he held the paper in his hands. He didn't even care how Marion got it, he just needed to know what had happened to her. He ran his fingers over her handwriting before he allowed himself to read it, feeling almost apprehensive of what it was going to say.

_My Dearest Finn,_

_I know that when you find this letter I'll be gone, and I hope you're not too mad at me for leaving without saying goodbye. I was afraid to face you after everything that happened between us and took the easy way out._

_First and foremost, I want to say I'm sorry, but in truth there are still so many things I have to apologize to you for that I can barely keep track of them all anymore. I left Lima wanting to find you and make things better between us, but all I did was make things infinitely more complicated, and I can't begin to express how sorry I am for even attempting my idiotic trek. I can't help but think that things would be better if I had never come at all, but at the same time, last night would have never happened, and that is something I wouldn't want to trade in for anything. _

_I realized something this morning when I woke up. Last night changed me in more ways than I could possibly imagine, and I was so scared to face you, only to discover that you still wanted me out of your life forever. I thought this would be less painful for the both of us, a fresh start just like we agreed on. If last night changed things for you as well, then please call me and let me know. If I don't hear from you, then I can only hope that you're moving on like we promised one another, and I will keep my promise to move on as well._

_Please take care of yourself, Finn. _

_I will always love you,_

_Rachel_

"How," he stopped to clear the thickness out of his throat. "How did you find this?"

"Rich took it from the apartment when you weren't looking the other day. We had a bit of a bet going, you see, when you first showed up here. We weren't going to push you to tell us what had happened, but we kind of had our own ideas about it." She chuckled to herself while he re-read the letter over and over again, committing every word to memory. "Rich thought you had run away from home because of a drunk step-dad or something, but I knew from the second you stepped foot in this diner that it was a girl. He found the letter and showed it to me today to prove me right. I near beat him to death with his spatula for swiping it."

Finn had never been one for words, but right now he was completely speechless as he stared at the note like it had the answers to all of his problems.

"Finn," Marion called his name softly, but he couldn't bear to lift his eyes from the paper. He nodded his head softly to prove that he was listening and Marion continued. "You're a good boy, and I think we both know what has to happen." Finn finally pried his eyes away from Rachel's letter and nodded. He wasn't going to mess things up again by staying in Michigan. This was his last chance to make things right.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, at a loss for words. "You've done so much for me, Marion. How could I ever repay you?"

She smiled at him and fixed the collar on his shirt, reminding him of his mother who he wanted to see _so_ badly. "You go home and you give your Momma the biggest hug ever. Then you go right up to this Rachel girl and you lay a big one on her. She won't know what hit her." She embellished with a wink and Finn couldn't help but smile.

"But what about you and Rich? It's New Year's Eve!" She dismissed him with a wave of her arms and practically pushed him out of the kitchens so he could get his stuff.

"Don't worry about us, Rich will take care of everything."

"Hey!" Finn could hear Rich protesting and he had to resist the urge to go back to the kitchens and dunk his head in the sink for stealing his letter. Lucky for Rich, Finn was in a hurry as he ran up the stairs and packed up his belongings. He scribbled out a final thank you note to Marion before saying goodbye to her once more, hugging the woman tightly and promising to get in touch with her soon. He practically ran to the parking lot to start his car, thankful that he had taken the time earlier this week to dig it out of the snow. Rachel's note was tucked safely in his back pocket and for the first time since he left Ohio he wished he'd had a cell phone, so he could call her on the road and tell her that he was on his way home. He should have called her the second he realized she was gone. . . .

It was barely 7pm when he left Michigan, and the roads were crowded and full of crazy holiday drivers whose goal was to make Finn's life a living hell. He didn't even cross the border to Ohio until 9pm and when he finally made it back to Lima, he went against what he'd promised Marion and drove straight to Rachel's house instead of his mom's. He was still planning on giving her the hug of the century, but he had to see Rachel first.

He knew something wasn't right the second he pulled up to the house. All of the lights were off, and Finn knew for a fact that her fathers normally hosted a party for the neighbors every year. No cars were in the driveway, and Finn felt the prickle of uneasiness spread through him as he drove home. Where could she be on New Year's Eve?

Kurt! If she was with anyone, she had to be with Kurt! He got back into his car and drove over to his house, where his mom's party was in full swing. He burst through the doors, ready to find Kurt and track down Rachel, no matter how far he had to search. He didn't care that he was dirty, or still wearing his grimy work clothes, he needed to find her, just like she had found him.

Lucky for him, he didn't have to go too far.

* * *

_But it was not your fault but mine  
And it was your heart on the line  
I really fucked it up this time  
Didn't I, my dear?_

The party was at full swing in the Hummel-Hudson house as Rachel picked idly at some spinach puffs and cheese sticks that she had helped Carole make for the party. Her father's decided against their annual party this year, seeing as Rachel had been so depressed and most of her guests were attending the Hummel-Hudson party instead. They had driven her over and were now chatting with Burt over the damage to the SUV, and how it had affected their insurance. She ignored the pang of guilt and focused on the party. She didn't want to be stuck in her house tonight anyway, she wanted to be with Kurt so he could stop her from licking her wounds and actually have a good time.

It wasn't working.

It was a bit awkward at first, trying to help Carole set up for the party. She was afraid that Carole would try to hold a grudge against her because of what had happened between her and Finn. However, Carole was actually grateful that Rachel had found Finn, and that she finally knew that her son was safe out there in the world. In fact, Burt was the angrier of the two parents, and now she was being forced to go to weekly auto shop lessons for her penance. So far, the only thing she had learned was that cars were greasy, dirty things.

There were plenty of her gleeks in attendance, but she avoided them and slipped into Finn's fathers chair, taking a deep breath and smelling nothing but Finn. Part of her wanted to close her eyes and lose herself in scent, and the other part wanted New Years to be over already so she could hand in her application to Bernadette's and escape from every last reminder of Finn Hudson. She had barely been home a week and already it felt like too much.

She was lost in thought when she heard the sound of a door opening, and a strange silence washed over the crowded party that snapped Rachel out of her trance. She looked up towards the door and thought she was hallucinating when she saw Finn standing there in the entrance, looking straight at her with something clutched in his hand.

No one moved or made a sound.

He walked up to her and the first thing she noticed was that he looked filthy. His clothes were dirty and his hair was disheveled but he had never looked more perfect. He was breathing heavily as he walked up to her sitting on his armchair, and she shot out of the seat like a bullet from a gun.

It was so silent that the sound of the armchair scuffing against the floor startled her as he approached her. She could feel every eye on her right now, and part of her couldn't believe this was real. What was he doing here? Why did he leave Michigan? And why was he looking at her like that?

"We need to talk." His voice was like gravel and she couldn't decipher the myriad of emotions that were being expressed on his face. Was he angry? Upset? Was he here for the night, or was there the possibility that he was home for good?

_Don't get your hopes up_, she thought to herself while he led her outside onto the front porch. It was chilly, but he grabbed a jacket from the foyer and wrapped it around her shoulders while she waited for him to close the front door so the explosion could commence.

He didn't say a word; he just kept staring at her until she felt so uncomfortable that she had to break the ice. "Finn," she said slowly. "What are you doing here?"

He shook his head and held out his hand, uncurling his fingers and revealing her letter. "Rich, my coworker, took this from the apartment the day you left. I never even saw it until a few hours ago." She could hear his voice growing thick as he continued, and her vision turned blurry from the tears that suddenly threatened to fall. "I thought. . ." He trailed off and shook his head sadly. "Remember the first day you showed up in Michigan, and you said that you didn't know if finding me had been a miracle or not because we'd been fighting so much?" She nodded her head and he continued. "It was a miracle, Rachel. I know that now."

"How can you say that, Finn?" She asked as the cold bit at her skin. "All we did was fight and yell at one another. We said things that we can never take back."

"We also shared something that we can't take back either, Rachel. You said that it changed you, and guess what, it changed me too. I felt it just like you did."

"I thought we had promised to move on Finn? I was getting ready to move on." She moaned.

"Well I can't move on." He stood in front of her with his arms crossed, more confident than she had seen him in ages. "Don't you get it, Rachel? It always comes back to you and me. I had to run away from home to realize that I can't escape you no matter how hard I try, and I know you feel the same."

She didn't want the bubble of hope in her chest to grow any larger, lest he burst it with bad news and she was left with nothing all over again. "Well, what about the diner? Marion and Rich?"

"I quit. I'm too young to be an adult. That shit sucks." She shot him a reproachful look for the curse and didn't want to believe him. She _couldn't_ believe him when it all sounded to good to be true.

"Finn, I was going to apply to Bernadette's." She watched as his face slowly morphed from elation to despair. "It's an all-girls academy in Dayton. I'll finally be able to focus on my career and get out of Lima. . ."

"Rachel, you can't," he interrupted. "You can't transfer. You have to stay."

"Why? So we can just get back together and break up in a few more months? You really want to go through all of this again?" Why couldn't he just make up his mind and stick with it? "What happened to our fresh start?"

"That's exactly what I want!" He leaned forward until their foreheads were touching and his lips were mere inches away from hers. She inhaled deeply and breathed in his scent; a little greasy but he just needed a shower. "You know what tonight is? New Year's Eve. Tonight is the night we leave everything behind us and start fresh." She felt a tear fall from her eye and she sniffled lightly as he continued. "This year has been insane in so many ways, it's hard to keep track of all the craziness. We can't ever forget what happened between us over this past year, but that doesn't mean that we can't move on _together_. 2010 treated us like crap, and I want 2011 to be our year, Rachel. I don't want anyone or anything else to get in our way."

She couldn't control the flood of tears now, even if she wanted to. "You know Finn, just because we had sex, it doesn't magically erase everything we said and did to one another."

He nodded his head. "You're right, it doesn't. But now that I know what life is like without you, I never want to go back." He held her to him as close as the space would allow. "I'm home now, and I'm not leaving again."

She couldn't deny the anxious ache in her chest that things would never be the same. "We're going to wind up hating each other all over again."

"I never hated you, Rachel." He said softly as he kissed her on the forehead. "I loved you too much."

She couldn't control the flood of emotions any longer as she launched herself into his arms, pulling him down by the neck of the shirt and kissing him like none of this drama had ever happened. Like they were the only people in the world that mattered. She fell into the kiss when he reciprocated in earnest and could feel the love bursting out of every pore. No longer were they plagued by tension and anxiety, as he kissed her under the soft moonlight they only felt the deepest love. The emotion that they had been trying so hard to ignore was free to flourish once more as they held each other close and whispered apologies against the other's lips. There was so much to make up for, but now they had all the time in the world to make things right.

They would have their fresh start, and they would do things right this time.

They were lost in each other's embrace when Kurt suddenly opened the front door, catching them in the middle of their kiss with a thousand watt grin on his face. He raised his glass of sparkling cider in the air with a loud yell of excitement, and pulled them both inside so they could join the party.

Finn was passed around from person to person for a good chunk of the night, and she almost started crying when he lifted up his mother in a huge hug and started to spin her around the living room. He immediately fell back into old patterns with his friends, and it was like he was never even gone. She didn't know what was going to happen between them, but he was home and he wanted them to start over, which was more than she could have ever asked for. She smiled as they watched the ball drop, and she squeezed Finn's hand tightly in her own as they shared their New Year's kiss. He lifted up his glass of cider for a toast and clinked her own.

"To fresh starts." He said, and she couldn't help but think to herself, _Mission Accomplished_. Weeks ago, she had set out to find Finn and bring him home, and she had actually done so, even if it was in the most backwards way imaginable.

Nothing had gone as planned, but he was_ home, _and she wasn't going to mess it up this time.

"Cheers."

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Salut mes amis!

Epilogue should be up soon!

Lyrics from "Little Lion Man" by Mumford and Sons

Until next time, _sings_. . .Don't Stop _Reviewing_!

Merci Mille Fois!


	14. Epilogue

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters, They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/U: Welcome, my loves, to the epilogue of Escape. I am so thankful to have such amazing readers who support my writing, and I hope you enjoy the final installment!

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**Epilogue**

In the back office of a little diner on the side of a Michigan highway, an apron-clad woman with puffy gray hair ran her fingers along the outside of a crisp white envelope that was addressed directly to her. She sat down at the ancient desk that her husband had once built her and ripped open the paper, smoothing out her letter and smiling when she noticed the return address on the front. With a shaky smile, she unfolded the pink stationary (pink stationary?) and a small photo fell out of the paper. She put the photo to the side and started to read.

_Dear Marion,_

_I know it's been a while since the last time I wrote to you, but things back in Ohio have been crazy! My glee club is on their way to New York to compete nationally and we're all so stoked! I know I was never able to sing for you while I was there a few months ago, but maybe I can have my step-dad send you a copy of the recording he made of us at Regionals. I'm sure you would enjoy it._

_Rachel is poking me in the back, bugging me to say hi, so, Hello from Rachel. This is her paper, if you couldn't tell. I ran out of looseleaf after my Spanish essay today and her pink paper was the only one I could find. Things between us have been really good since I got home, and we haven't had to go to a single couple's therapy session, which I am super happy about. Those things are useless, but please don't tell her I said that. When we do fight, everyone always says we sound like a married couple, and I can't tell if that's a good thing or not. Rachel always gets smiley and happy after someone says it though, so I guess she thinks it's a good thing. Me, I'd rather not fight at all. I feel like we've fought enough to last a lifetime already! But it's never really serious stuff, mostly about glee club and other drama that's going on in the school. We've been really tight since I got home, and we're still going strong._

_I know you never had a chance to meet her, so I sent you a picture of the two of us at Regionals. I know she's really short, but I love her anyways. In the background of the pic you can see my mom, step-dad and step-brother too. We're all planning on coming up to Detroit this summer, with a special rest stop at Danny's of course, so you can meet everyone in the family! My mom is dying to meet you; she wanted me to tell you this:"From one mother to another, thank you." I guess that's super secret mom-code for something, but I'm sure you get it. Rachel wants to meet you too, and she's planning on doing all the cooking when she gets there. _

_So I guess we'll be seeing you soon! Tell Rich I said hi, if he cares._

_Sincerely,_

_Finn Hudson_

Putting the letter down, she picked up the photo in her hands and pushed her reading glasses as close to her face as she could so she could make out the shapes in the picture. She could see Finn's mother, smiling brightly while she held onto her husband's hand in the background. She could see a thin, lithe boy standing off to the side with a smirk on his face and a deep blue blazer draped over his shoulder.

Then she looked right at Finn and his girl, Rachel, and couldn't help but smile.

They were holding one another around the waist, and looking at each other instead of the person taking the camera. Marion couldn't believe how tiny the girl was in comparison to Finn, but she could see the glowing smile on her face as she gazed up at Finn lovingly in the photo. She had never seen Finn look so dapper, or happy, and she knew deep down in her gut that he was back where he belonged.

She took the photo and put it in an old frame, dusting off the glass and placing it on the wall next to the other pictures that had accumulated there over the years. There was a black-and white photo of Marion and her beloved Danny standing on the side of the highway on the day the diner opened. Underneath that was a picture of her darling Brandon with his fiancée Jessica in Grand Rapids on the night of their Engagement party.

She placed the picture of Finn and Rachel directly under her son's picture, making him the newest addition to the family. She stared at the picture with a soft smile when she thought about meeting the young couple and tried to ignore Rich yelling at her from across the diner. She _really_ needed to find some new staff for this place.

"Shut up, you greasy bum!" She yelled as she threw her order book at him, whacking him right in the face with a loud slap. Feeling satisfied, she returned to her work, humming a tune along the way.

She couldn't wait for the summer.

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Barely two-hundred miles away from the little diner on the side of the Michigan highway, Rachel was cuddled with Finn on her bed while they tried to do some reading for English class together. Shakespeare was never an easy read for anyone, but Finn was particularly struggling with the material and she had offered to help. It was a lazy afternoon where they didn't have glee rehearsal, and Rachel was enjoying the alone time they were able to spend while her parents weren't home. Burt had this rule where Rachel wasn't allowed in Finn's bedroom alone, but at least she could have Finn over as long as her dad's were aware that he was in the house.

She _loved_ that her dad's trusted her so much.

"I hate this." Finn said angrily as he tossed the book to the side in frustration. "I can't understand a damn thing."

She placed her book down softly and tried to be as compassionate and understanding as possible. Shakespeare wasn't the easiest topic to read about, but at least it was just _Romeo and Juliet_ and not something more complicated like _The Tempest_ or _Othello_. "Well, what part are you up to?"

"I don't know! The priest guy. . ."

"Friar Laurence. . ." She interrupted.

"Yeah, him. He killed Juliet, well, not really, but everyone thinks she's dead and he wanted to send Romeo a letter but he never got it and I don't understand why." He fell back against her pillows with a huff and she crawled over to him to playfully poke his side.

"Well, they're trying to trick everyone into thinking she's dead so she could run away with Romeo."

"Why?" He asked as he lifted up his head.

"Because their families hated each other and wouldn't allow them to marry."

"So what about this letter thing?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, Friar Laurence sends him the letter so Romeo knows that Juliet isn't really dead. But Romeo finds out from a friend who doesn't know the plan that she 'died', and Romeo flips out and goes on a rampage."

He looked as if he was deep in thought. "So he never finds out that Juliet was just faking?"

"Nope. And he kills himself before she wakes up to join her in death. Therein lies the tragedy."

He was quiet for a long time, deep in thought. He sat up straight after a minute or two and faced Rachel on the bed. "It's like us."

Her face scrunched up in confusion at the comparison. She hoped Finn would never kill himself over her! "What do you mean?"

"The letter." He said softly, and the pieces started to fit together in Rachel's head. "If Rich had never given Marion the letter you left me, I might still be in Michigan and you would be at Bernadette's."

"Finn. . ." They rarely brought up their painful past these days, almost as if it had never even happened. His correspondence with Marion was the only reminder of his time in Michigan. "You're right. That would have been a tragedy."

"You know I loved you, right? Every second that we were trapped together and we were fighting and angry, it was because I loved you _so much_ and I was _so angry_."

"Me too, Finn." Why was he getting so upset about this?

"And it wasn't the sex that changed how I felt about you. It was never like that."

She placed a soft kiss on his temple and hugged him tightly. "I know that, Finn. What's gotten into you?"

"I don't know. I'm just thinking about that letter and how different things would have been if I had never read it." He looked her straight in the eyes and it was almost as if she could feel his pain radiating off of him in waves. "I was willing to throw away everything I had ever loved for no reason. We almost missed our second chance."

"But we didn't. Marion gave you the letter the day she took it from Rich. You made it back just in time. I had barely filled out the application."

He still wasn't consoled. "But Rachel. . ."

"But nothing, Finn. Everything worked out the way it was supposed to. We shared something really special together during our time alone, and it wasn't just the sex. We allowed ourselves to trust one another again, and stop resisting what we knew was natural. We opened our hearts to one another and shared something passionate and beautiful. It wasn't the sex that changed us, Finn. It was the love that we'd been bottling up and hoping would go away. Once we had succumbed to the pure feelings and the deep emotions, we realized that it would be impossible to go back. Well, that's what I felt about it, at least." Her face burned from embarrassment at her rambling confession of love and she peeked up at Finn to gauge his reaction. He was staring at her softly, with a smile on his face and a glint in his eye.

"You really felt that way?" He whispered softly and she could feel her body burning up under his steady gaze.

Her fathers _really_ shouldn't trust her so much.

"I still do." She whispered in the quiet room. They had done the deed a few more times since Finn had returned home, but it wasn't like they were humping like bunnies all of the time. That only made it more special, though, and Rachel knew by the look in his eye that tonight would be another precious memory for them to share. He closed the distance between them with a kiss and held her close for a quiet moment where she sunk into his embrace, and let the steady beat of his heart lull her into a trance.

"I never said I was sorry, you know, for running away from home." He murmured into her hair softly while she smiled against his chest. "I'll never do it again."

"You better not!" She poked him twice in the side for emphasis and he laughed as he pulled her down onto the bed. She flipped herself over to straddle him playfully as his eyes dilated from the mix of shock and excitement. She ran her fingers down his chest to tease him as his smile became glowing. "Because, seriously, you can run, and you can hide, but there is _no_ _escape_ from Rachel Berry." She kissed his nose playfully and he flipped them over again so he was the one towering over her.

"Oh, believe me, I know." He said, and he sealed the statement with a kiss.

**THE END**

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Salut mes amis!

It's been one hell of a ride! Thanks for sticking with it!

Until next time, my loves, sings, Don't Stop. . . Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois


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