1x13: To Love You More
Episode Synopsis: New Directions old and new help comfort an emotionally and physically drained Finn after his encounter with his father, all while Finn battles whether or not to tell his mother about the encounter or not.
"I can't believe it!" Marley exclaimed, staring at the Sectionals trophy in the middle of the choir room. New Directions had taken the top spot at Sectionals; they were on their way to Regionals! The other clamored around the trophy, looking over at Marley who was busy staring at her reflection. She had never seen Sectionals trophy so up close before—and Rachel, Kurt and Santana had to admit that they were amused by the sophomore's reactions. Rachel had a smile on her face, just gazing over at Marley with interest.
"Is it just me, or does Marley remind us of someone rhymed with 'Lachel Terry'?" Santana smirked, looking at Marley gazing at the trophy.
"She does remind me of Rachel, except when Rachel was a sophomore, she wanted all the solos." Kurt agreed. "I mean, you had to fight tooth and nail to get a solo from Rachel. It was one of the most craziest experiences of my life."
"Okay, Kurt…" Rachel kept her smile on her face, but her voice hinted annoyance. Rachel looked down at her phone, her smile fading as she started to become worried.
"What's wrong, Rachel?" Kurt asked, looking at his friend.
"It's Finn…" Rachel admitted, turning to her friends. "I mean, we should have heard something from him by now. What if something's wrong with him?"
"You think something's wrong with Finn?" Santana asked, letting out a smirk. "When isn't there something wrong with Finn?"
"Santana, I'm serious." Rachel became stern. "I mean, what if something's really wrong with him? He hasn't answered any of my text messages or phone calls."
"How many did you send him?" Kurt noticed Rachel scanning through her phone.
"I called him about…thirty times and sent him fifty text messages." Rachel said as if it was nothing. "It helps I have the unlimited plan."
"Rachel, maybe Finn's phone died." Kurt reasoned. "He usually answers after the first couple of phone calls."
"Yeah, maybe there's nothing to worry about." Santana added. "I mean, unless he made a mistake and spoke to someone he wasn't supposed to talk to. I'm sure that Finn is fine, Rachel…he's probably on his way here to apologize that he was late and then we can go back to New York." As Santana spoke those words, they heard footsteps coming down the hall. Everyone focused their attention to the door, where Finn entered looking a bit disheveled, his right eye a sickly colored purple. Mr. Schuester walked over to Finn as Rachel gripped her phone close to her. Something did happen to Finn. "Finn, what happened? Did you hit your big head on a light pole on the way here?" Santana quipped. Everyone stared at Finn in interest as Mr. Schuester put a hand on Finn's shoulder.
"Finn, what the hell happened?" Mr. Schuester asked as Rachel walked over to them. Finn looked to both Mr. Schuester and Rachel, not sure if he should answer. Finn held his hand to his right eye, grimacing in pain. "Finn, we need to get you to a hospital."
"I'll take him." Rachel quickly said, looking into Finn's eyes. "Whatever happened, it looks really bad."
Finn and Rachel sat in one of the rooms in the doctor's office as Finn held ice to his eye, Rachel sitting in the chair across from him. They were waiting for the doctor to return with Finn's x-rays, just to make sure any bone in his face wasn't broken. That was the last thing Finn wanted, something broken for the kids at NYADA (especially Cassandra July) to make fun of. Rachel looked at Finn, unsure if she could keep her silence for much longer. She got up from her seat to make her way to him, standing before him as he held the ice pack to his face.
"Finn, what happened?" Rachel questioned. "Something had to have happened when you left the house this morning because I called you over 30 times. You didn't pick up the phone and then you didn't answer any of my text messages."
"You mean the fifty text messages you sent me?" Finn asked, grimacing when he tried to smile. "I know, my phone got them all…my phone wouldn't stop dinging."
"Finn, this is no time for you to make any jokes." Rachel became serious, looking into Finn's eyes. "What happened Finn? Where did you go and why didn't you show up at Sectionals?" Finn looked at Rachel, feeling his bottom lip quiver. Finn vowed he wasn't going to cry, but he lost it when he put his free hand to his face, Rachel hearing him sniffle. Rachel wrapped her arms around him, letting out a deep breath. "Hey, it's okay…" Rachel soothingly and softly said. "Finn, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on. So can you please tell me what happened?" Rachel put her hand underneath Finn's chin, causing him to look into her eyes. Rachel smiled at him, circling her thumb on his cheek. Finn gazed at Rachel, letting out a deep breath.
"I went to go see my dad…" Finn softly said, feeling a lump in his throat. "I wanted to talk to him and ask him why he abandoned me…I just wanted some answers…."
"Finn…" Rachel's smile softly went away, her face becoming serious as she stared at his bruise. "Did your dad do this to you? Did he hurt you? Because if he did…" Finn stared at Rachel, realizing he couldn't lie to her.
"Yeah…" Finn felt embarrassed, looking away from Rachel. "He punched me right in the face outside the Lima Bean. He got mad because I didn't call him 'dad'. I called him by his first name. The problem is…he's not a real dad."
"That son of a gun…" Rachel felt anger coarse through her body. "How dare he put a hand on you?!" Rachel felt like shouting. Finn stared at Rachel again, shaking his head. "Finn, we have to tell your mother about this."
"What? No!" Finn immediately sounded as frightened as a little kid who didn't want their parents to know the truth about something bad they had done. Rachel sensed the fear in Finn's voice, engulfing him into a tight hug. "We can't, Rachel…then he'll hurt me again!"
"He's not going to hurt you…" Rachel firmly said, gazing into his eyes. "Finn, he's not going to hurt you. I…Finn, why did you go and see him."
"I was just taking your advice in mending things with my parents!" Finn argued. Rachel let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head.
"I know, but I didn't think he was going to do this to you." Rachel argued back. "If I had known, I never would have told you to talk to him. I would never put you in danger on purpose."
"I know you wouldn't, Rachel…" Finn looked at her with sincerity. "You would never do that. This isn't your fault. I kind of lost my temper with my dad. I called him a 'jackass'."
"And that's exactly what he is!" Rachel retorted. "He is a jackass!"
"Rachel." Finn seemed surprised by Rachel's language. Rachel seemed a little too fired up, and Finn was beginning to worry.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound so…vulgar." Rachel realized that she had used improper language but Finn shook his head.
"It's all right, you're just…worried." Finn shrugged his shoulders. Finn felt his heart sink, realizing that the whole time, he had Rachel doting over him. "Rachel, I'm sorry about what happened."
"Finn…what happened was not your fault." Rachel assured him, putting a hand on Finn's arm. "None of what happened was your fault, baby. I promise you. I'm worried about you though."
"Why are you worried?" Finn wondered, cocking his head to the side.
"Because you haven't been yourself ever since your father came into your life again." Rachel grabbed Finn's free hand, intertwining her fingers with his. "I realized that you aren't really your happiest…and the last thing I want is to see you really frustrated and depressed. I care about you, Finn." Finn continued to stare at Rachel, seeing she was getting closer to Finn's face. "I think that we should stay in Lima, just for a couple of days."
"But Sectionals is over with…" Finn pointed out.
"I know, but I wanted to just stay here a little while longer. Besides, would you rather be here with your friends or back at NYADA?" Rachel wondered.
"I'd rather be in New York, hiding in the loft from the rest of the world." Finn didn't hesitate with his answer. Rachel put her forehead on Finn's, gazing into his eye with interest.
"Finnegan Hudson…" Rachel softly whispered. "You can't hide from the world…there's no reason to be scared. I'm going to be there every step of the way and so are all of your friends…of course Mike and Mercedes had to go back to Chicago and L.A. to continue working towards their goals but…you have everyone else who is still here. All right? We're not going to let anything bad happen to you."
"You promise?" Finn murmured after a moment, still looking at Rachel. "Because seeing how my dad gets, there's nothing stopping him."
"I promise I won't let anything happen to you…I love you, Finn…" Rachel pressed her lips to Finn's, Finn turning the kiss passionate. Finn and Rachel parted, Rachel running a hand through Finn's hair. "I love you…"
"I love you, too…"Finn said, a small smile tugging his lips. Finn and Rachel turned their heads to the doctor entering the room, holding Finn's x-rays close to her. She put the x-rays on the table, giving Finn and Rachel a smile.
"So I see your girlfriend escorted you to the hospital." The doctor grinned, still staring at Finn.
"Actually, she's my fiancée." Finn politely corrected. "We're going to get married."
"Oh, congratulations then." The doctor gave a quick smile, putting her eyes on the x-rays. "All right, so I did an x-ray on your face, and the good news is, nothing is broken."
"Thank god." Finn breathed out a sigh of relief, Rachel chuckling at Finn's reprieve.
"You just have a lot of bruising, but you should be fine if you put some ice on your bruise." The doctor further instructed. "I'm just wondering Finn, how did you get that bruise?" Finn considered telling the doctor the truth, but eventually decided against it.
"I hit my face on a pole as I was heading to my old high school." Finn lied. The doctor seemed to have bought it, nodding her head slowly.
"All right, just wanted to make sure. Now, make sure you keep some ice on that, and…watch where you're walking. We don't need you to come here with a concussion."
Finn and Rachel left the hospital a half-hour later, Finn looking down at Rachel with a small smile. Rachel looked at her phone, checking the text messages that were there while her other hand was intertwined with Finn's. As they walked along the parking lot, Finn considered saying something to Rachel, almost anything. He wasn't quite sure but even with Rachel walking beside him, Finn felt alone. Rachel noticed Finn deep in his thoughts, giving his hand a loving squeeze.
"Hey, are you okay?" Rachel asked, getting Finn's attention. "You're a little quiet."
"Me? Quiet?" Finn pointed to himself. "I'm not quiet. I think I'm the opposite of quiet."
"Finn…" Rachel giggled slightly, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Everything's going to be okay…" Rachel decided that Finn needed some sort of distraction, leading him towards her car. "Finn, I need you to take a look at my engine. I think it's almost time for me to replace it? Would you mind taking this car to the mechanic and checking it out for me?"
"Oh, sure…" Finn shrugged his shoulders as Rachel got into the driver seat and Finn getting in the passenger's seat. "I guess it couldn't hurt." Rachel put the key in the ignition, starting the car as they drove to the mechanic. What was Rachel's main reason to go to the mechanic? The answer was simple; she had to talk to Burt.
"Burt!" Rachel yelled as she drove the car inside the mechanic shop. Burt came out from under a car he was fixing, staring at Finn and Rachel with a smile.
"Finn, Rachel!" Burt got up from the floor, heading over to Rachel's car. Rachel got out of the car along with Finn, Finn going over to the table to get some equipment to look inside Rachel's car. Burt raised an eyebrow, noticing Rachel nodded her head quickly. This was only a distraction to keep Finn busy.
"Finn, I'm going to help Burt over to his table and with the bit of paperwork he has." Rachel called over her shoulder. "Just double check that everything is fine with the car."
"All right, babe!" Finn yelled, opening the front of the car to look at the wires. As Finn kept his eyes inside the car, Rachel led Burt over to Burt's desk, Burt continuing to stare at his stepson.
"Rachel, what the hell happened to Finn?" Burt harshly whispered. "He has a black and blue that's more purple than Barney the Dinosaur. And Barney is pretty purple."
"If I tell you what happened, you have to promise that you're not going to freak out." Rachel matched Burt's tone, staring into his eyes. "Finn really is frightened right now and he doesn't know where he can turn to."
"All right, try me. How did he get the black and blue?" Burt asked, looking back to his stepson.
"Finn went to go and see his father, Christopher." Rachel explained softly. "When he went to go see him, Christopher punched Finn."
"Christopher…punched Finn?!" Burt looked outraged, yet kept his soft voice in order to prevent Finn from becoming suspicious. "I'm calling the police on his ass."
"Wait, you can't." Rachel shook her head.
"And why the hell not?" Burt questioned. "If Carole walked through that door right now and saw Finn with that bruise, she'd go through hell. If she found out it was Christopher, she would pretty much destroy him."
"And if you tell Carole that Christopher punched Finn, that will only give Christopher leverage in order to come and hurt Finn again." Rachel said. "Finn is terrified right now, Burt and he needs to feel like he's in a comfort zone. I came here to talk to you because I don't know how to protect him. If Finn makes one false move, then that's not going to stop Christopher from beating up Finn, possibly worse than this time."
"Do you think that Christopher was drunk when he attacked Finn?" Burt tried to deduct to reasoning.
"I don't think so." Rachel kept her eyes fixated on Finn who was still working on her car. "Finn said that Christopher was pretty sober. I think Christopher has an anger management problem."
"Rachel, someone has to call the police on Christopher." Burt focused his awareness to Rachel.
"Look, I know what Christopher did was wrong…" Rachel started to explain until Burt cut her off.
"What Christopher did was child abuse."
"But Finn's 18." Rachel didn't see how Finn could be a child in the law's hands.
"Finn's not 21 yet, so whatever Christopher did to Finn, it's still considered child abuse. Finn's not an adult in the legal system's eyes." Burt explained. "Rachel, Finn has a black and blue and I'm pretty sure his jaw is sore. You can't tell me that Christopher didn't put Finn through some emotional pain right now. Like you said, Finn is scared out of his mind. He needs to be protected."
"And you think I don't agree?" Rachel asked, shaking her head. "I agree. But I'm afraid about how Christopher will hurt Finn."
"Christopher can't hurt Finn if Christopher is behind bars." Burt said. "Look, I'm going to tell you what I think you should do. I think you should tell Carole about this. Christopher was Carole's ex-husband and Carole would be heartbroken to find out somewhere else that Finn is being attacked by his father. Finn knows he can't fight back because Christopher is going to have him arrested. You have to nip this in the bud before this gets any worse."
"But remember, Burt…Finn doesn't know that you know." Rachel reminded him. "So what is there to do? If I call the police on Christopher, Finn is going to think that I'm the one that went back on my word."
"Rachel, Finn could get hurt or even worse killed because of Christopher." Burt attempted to reason. "If something happens to Finn, it could end badly for everyone…" Rachel saw Finn made his way over to Burt and Rachel, causing them to cease the conversation.
"Yeah I didn't find anything in the engine, Rach." Finn explained. "I checked and double checked."
"Did you do the discount double check?" Burt cracked a joke, causing Finn to pat his stepfather on his shoulder.
"Oh I don't think so." Finn chuckled. Burt's face turned serious, staring at his stepson.
"Finn, what happened to your eye? Did someone deck you or something?" Burt questioned. Finn looked to Rachel who shrugged her shoulders, pretending to not know what Burt was talking about. Finn played it off, shaking his head and letting out a small smile.
"No, no one punched me." Finn lied. "I hit myself on a pole."
"You hit yourself on a pole?" Burt repeated Finn's lie, pretending to buy it. "Just be careful…we don't need you hitting your head on anything else." Burt walked past Finn and Rachel getting back to work on a car. Finn turned to Rachel, looking a bit hopeful.
"Do you think Burt bought it?" Finn asked. Rachel shrugged her shoulders, giving Finn a meek thumb up.
"Probably." Rachel forced a smile. Finn walked over to Rachel, engulfing her in a hug as they walked over to Rachel's truck. "Hey, why don't we go to the school? Right now I think you need to be with your friends."
"I'm fine." Finn shrugged his shoulders. The truth was, Finn said he was fine—but he didn't feel fine.
"Regardless, we can't leave Kurt and Santana here." Rachel smiled. "If we did, then they'd meet us at home and they'd probably kill us."
"Good idea." Finn nodded his head, grabbing Rachel's hand and leading her to the car so they could go to McKinley.
Finn and Rachel walked along the hallway, finding themselves in front of the choir room. Finn noticed there was a banner with his name on it, hanging above the door, turning to face Rachel in confusion. Finn didn't know what was going on here, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't curious. Finn opened the choir room door, spotting his friends, old and new from New Directions, Mr. Schuester…and Emma Pillsbury. Finn looked to Rachel, seeing that she had a coy smile on her face. What was Rachel planning?
"Finn, glad to see that you could make it." Artie rolled over to his friends, leading Finn to a chair that was reserved for him in the choir room. Finn sat down in the chair, staring at his friends.
"What's going on here?" Finn questioned. "What's all this for?"
"Look, Finn…" Ms. Pillsbury walked over to Finn, handing him one of her famous pamphlets. Finn took the pamphlet, looking down to read the cover. 'So You Were Hit By Your Father'. "We know that you're going through a rough time—and we don't want you to worry about that, we're going to be there for you every step of the way."
"Wait a minute, I wasn't hit by my father." Finn handed back the pamphlet, staring at Ms. Pillsbury. "What gave you an idea like that?"
"The fact that you went to go meet him at the Lima Bean this morning and had a black and blue when you came back." Kurt explained. "You really shouldn't leave your phone where people can read your text messages."
"You went through my phone?" Finn sounded almost outraged.
"No I went through your phone." Kitty put a hand up, giving a proud smile. "When you were having a moment with Mr. Schuester in which I swore there was some romantic tension between the two of you, especially since Mr. Schuester doesn't have adult friends his own age, I went into your back pocket, read your text messages, then put the phone back before you noticed."
"You went into my pocket?!" Finn got up from his chair, but Rachel held onto his hand. "That's invasion of privacy."
"Well you weren't going to tell us what actually happened." Santana argued to him. "You were going to tell the entire world that you hit your head. The doctor called Mr. Schuester."
"Why did the doctor call Mr. Schue?!" Finn focused his gaze on Mr. Schuester.
"Because unless you are married, you are a minor and an adult has to know of your condition. Since you aren't speaking to your mother, I figured why not." Mr. Schuester shot back.
"Look, just admit that you're dad hit you so we can all move on because we all know that you're a terrible liar." Kitty crossed her arms, looking to Finn. Finn felt the anger boiling throughout his body, getting his hand out of Rachel's and kicking the chair right behind him. The room fell silent, seeing Finn was having a slight mental breakdown. Mr. Schuester started to go to Finn until Puck got in the way.
"Let me do it, Mr. Schue." Puck whispered to his former teacher. Mr. Schuester gave a nod, letting Puck make his way to his best friend. Puck put a hand on Finn's shoulder, and stared at his best friend, who was on the verge of tears. "Finn…dude…it's okay."
"NO IT'S NOT!" Finn shouted at Puck. "It's not okay! It's not okay! And do you know why it's not okay?! Because I'm terrified of him! I'm terrified of my own father! Every time I close my eyes even for a second I see his face, the way he looked at me when he punched me in my eye! I can't get that face out of my head! I just can't! I keep thinking he's behind one of the doors or he's in the back of Rachel's car, just waiting to attack me! This is going to drive me insane! I can't…I…" Puck pulled Finn into a man hug and that was when Finn fell apart, crying into Puck's shoulder. All Rachel could do was watch how torn and messed up Finn was about it. No wonder he didn't want his mother to know—it was because he didn't want her to go as insane as he was. Rachel did consider telling Carole about it. Burt already knew…
"Finn, no one is going to hurt you…" Quinn walked up to her friend, staring at him. "We're not going to let that happen. We all love you and the last thing we want to see is someone hurt you."
"Come here, Finnocence." Santana softly said, her voice flickering with worry. Finn wiped his tears from his face, making his way to Santana who sat him in the chair in front of her. Brittany, Quinn and Puck joined Santana's side as she sat in the chair in front of him. "Remember during our senior year and I was in the closet and you were the one that taught me how to embrace myself? You sat me in this choir room, you sang to me—and I had to admit that it was one of the most amazing things you've ever done. It's because of you that I could be myself. Never in my life did I think that the roles would be reversed, you'd be all messed up and I'd have to stand front and center in order to comfort you. Look, if I was there when your father hit you, he would be in the hospital with worse injuries than you can imagine. I care about you, and…I don't want to see you go through something like this on your own. You're my friend and I love you, even when you hog all the hot water and continuously take my cookies from the fridge and even in the middle of my novellas you change the channel to watch some sport, knowing that it annoys me…but you're like a brother to me. You defend me when I need you and now it's my turn to do the same. Brittany, Quinn, Puck and I want to sing you something because even though you may feel alone right now Finn, you aren't. You have us, you have Mr. Schue and you have Rachel." Santana, Quinn and Brittany sat on the stools in the choir room, Puck grabbing his guitar and sitting in the stool next to Quinn. The New Directions members and the alumni that were there stared at Santana, Quinn and Brittany, then focused their attention to Finn, trying to read his emotions during the entire performance.
{Puck starts playing the guitar and Santana, Quinn and Brittany start singing to him, looking Finn in his eyes as Finn looked to them with a blank face expression}
[Santana]
I remember tears streaming down your face
When I said 'I'll never let you go'
And all those shadows almost killed your light
I remember you said, 'don't leave me here alone'
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight
[Santana, Quinn and Brittany]
Just close your eyes
[Santana]
The sun is going down
[Santana, Quinn and Brittany]
You'll be all right
[Santana]
No one can hurt you now
[Santana, Quinn and Brittany]
Come morning light
You and I will be safe and sound
[Brittany]
Don't you dare look out your window
Darling everything's on fire
The war outside our door keeps raging on
[Brittany and Quinn]
Hold on to this lullaby
Even when the music's gone, gone
[Brittany, Santana and Quinn]
Just close your eyes
[Quinn]
The sun is going down
[Brittany, Santana and Quinn]
You'll be all right
[Quinn]
No one can hurt you now
[Brittany, Santana and Quinn]
Come morning light
You and I will be safe and sound
[Santana]
Ooooooooh (Brittany and Quinn: Ooooooooh)
Ooooooooh (Brittany and Quinn: Ooooooooh)
Ahhhhh oh (Brittany and Quinn: Ahhhh oh)
Ahhhhh oh (Brittany and Quinn: Ahhh oh)
Ooooooooh (Brittany and Quinn: Ooooooooh)
Ooooooooh (Brittany and Quinn: Ooooooooh)
Ahhhhh oh (Brittany and Quinn: Ahhhh oh)
Ahhhhh oh (Brittany and Quinn: Ahhh oh)
[Santana]
Just close your eyes
[Brittany]
You'll be all right
[Quinn]
Come morning light
[Santana, Quinn and Brittany]
You and I will be safe and sound
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh, Ahhhhh oh
Finn continued to stare at them as soon as the music finished, Quinn being the first one to get out of her seat in order to give Finn a hug. Finn embraced Quinn, keeping his eyes open while looking at Santana and Brittany. Santana and Brittany joined in the hug, finally all of them letting go after what seemed to be an eternity. Finn nodded his head slowly, cracking a small smile, although Santana was sure Finn didn't really mean his smile.
"Thank you, that was really, really beautiful." Finn then walked out of the choir room, strolling down the hallway as the other New Directions members gazed out the door.
"I don't think that song worked." Brittany said after a moment, looking out the door.
"I don't think it worked either." Puck added, following Finn out the door. Puck walked down the halls, noticing that Finn was staring at the bulletin boards. "Finn?" Finn turned his attention to Puck, then back to the boards. "Dude, they poured their heart out to do and all you can do is leave the classroom and stare at some colorful bulletin boards?"
"What did you want me to say?" Finn smirked at his friend before teasingly adding, "Did you want me to say that I thought you were hot?"
"I don't know…was I hot on the guitar?" Puck joked. Finn shook his head, letting out a low chuckle. "Should I have flexed some muscle during the chorus?" Finn's chuckle turned into a laugh, putting a hand on Puck's shoulder.
"Puck, are you asking me out?" Finn couldn't help but jest. "Because you know that I'm with Rachel."
"I don't know, maybe I am." Puck shrugged his shoulders. After that remark both Puck and Finn burst out laughing, Finn wiping his tears from laughing so much.
"God, dude..." Finn continued to laugh as Puck slowly stopped his laughing.
"Yeah…" Puck walked over to his friend, embracing him in a man-hug. "Listen to me, Finn…if that psycho-dad of yours ever shows up again, then I will make sure that I will beat him up so hard. Your my brother from another mother, dude…I don't like when people treat you like dirt. I love you, man." Finn grinned from ear to ear at Puck, processing all of Puck's words. Finn patted Puck's back with a grin, nodding his head.
"I love you too, man." Finn answered back. Finn then let a thought go through his head, giving Puck a smirk. "But if you really want to get the girls to fawn over you, you gotta show your muscles when playing guitar. It's hot." Puck and Finn laughed, heading back to the choir room and although Finn felt slightly better, there was still his father in the back of his mind.
Rachel sat down on her bed that evening, watching the nightly news when Finn came into the room with some makeup supplies that Rachel asked for. Finn figured the makeup was because Rachel wanted to do her makeup—but realized it was almost ten in the evening. Rachel walked over to get the supplies, pressing a small kiss to Finn's cheek, then moved him over to the bed. Finn wasn't sure what was going on, but he was almost certain he wasn't going to like it.
"All right, thanks for bringing me the concealer and the foundation." Rachel looked at Finn's black and blue, realizing that it wasn't as bad as earlier today.
"Great, so what are you going to use it for?" Finn asked. Rachel dabbed some on her finger, looking into Finn's eyes. Finn got the message, immediately backing away from her. "Oh no! I am not going to wear makeup!"
"Finn, it's not that bad." Rachel sighed. "Besides, people are giving you scary looks because of your eye. This is just until the black and blue goes away." Finn relented, sitting back down on the bed as Rachel started dabbing the foundation on his eye.
"Wait, but if it's late, then why are we doing this now?" Finn wondered.
"This is a test run just to see if it all goes to plan." Rachel explained. "Now stay still so I can put it on." Finn nodded his head, watching Rachel put the makeup on his face.
"So, what do you think Burt thought of my black eye?" Finn wondered. "I mean, it had to have scared him a bit."
"Oh yeah, it did scare him." Rachel nodded her head, dabbing the concealer on his face. "He's just worried about you. Also, it wouldn't have hurt if you were honest with him."
"Why should I have to be honest with him?" Finn asked, staring at Rachel. "I mean, then he's just going to tell my mom."
"Burt's not going to tell Carole unless he feels Christopher is going to put you through a lot of harm." Rachel said. "But Finn, honestly I feel that Christopher is putting you through harm. You need to protect yourself, babe…"
"Why do you keep pushing me to tell my mother and Burt?" Finn snapped, his mouth turning into a frown. "Why do you think that I have to tell them? What if this was something I wanted to keep to myself!"
"Because Finn, I love you!" Rachel answered in the same tone. "I love you so much, and I don't want to see something bad happen to you because you continue to be stubborn. This is something that is out of our control! You need to tell someone about this and not just New Directions and Mr. Schue."
"So what, you think I need a shrink or something like Ms. Pillsbury?" Finn wondered. "You think I need to pour my soul into someone."
"No…especially not Ms. Pillsbury with her pamphlets." Rachel shuddered at the thought. "I need you let me take care of you, Finn. You're my heart…and the fact that you're so upset about this makes me upset because there's nothing I can do to help…at least that's how I feel right now." Rachel grabbed Finn's hand, forcing him to look her in the eye. "I love you, Finn…and there's nothing I want to do more than to be there to help you. I need you to at least consider telling your mother what's going on…at least just consider it. I know you're mad at your mom. I know, but if this gets any crazier then you need to tell your mother." Finn considered Rachel's words, finally relenting as he nodded his head.
"All right, I'll consider it." Finn agreed. Rachel's smile returned, placing the makeup on Finn's eye. After a few moments she backed away, admiring her work.
"Look at that, now you look like you've never had a black eye." Rachel smiled, handing Finn a portable mirror. Finn looked into it, seeing that makeup really did work it's magic. Sure, Finn's face was still sore as hell, but at least he didn't look like he came out of a boxing match. "Now…I believe that there's a form of payment that you have to give me…" Rachel slyly said, leaning closer to Finn's face.
"And what kind if payment should that be?" Finn chuckled. Rachel put her lips to Finn's, passionately kissing him as he held her tightly. They both fell back on the bed, making out, until their making out turned into something much more.
{Scene changes to the next day in the Glee Choir room, Rachel standing in the front as she sings to the New Directions and the alumni that are there, but her eyes are fixated on Finn. Rachel notices Finn's smile turning wider and tears forming in his eyes as she continues to sing to him. Rachel feels tears in her eyes while singing to him, singing with love and passion}
[Rachel]
Take me back into the arms I love
Need me like you did before
Touch me once again
And remember when
There was no one that you wanted more
Don't go, you know you'll break my heart
She won't love you like I will
I'm the one who'll stay
When she walks away
And you know I'll be standing here still
I'll be waiting for you
Here inside my heart
I'm the one who wants to love you more
You will see I can give you
Everything you need
Let me be the one to love you more
See me as if you never knew
Hold me so you can't let go
Just believe in me
I will make you see
All the things that your heart needs to know
I'll be waiting for you
Here inside my heart
I'm the one who wants to love you more
You will see I can give you
Everything you need
Let me be the one to love you more
And some way, all the love that we have can be saved
Whatever it takes, we'll find a way
Believe me, I will make you see
All the things that your heart needs to know
I'll be waiting
Here inside my heart
I'm the one who wants to love you more
Cause you see I can give you
Everything you need
Let me be the one to love you more
Oh-oh-oh
Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh!
New Directions got on their feet, clapping excitedly for Rachel as she bowed her head towards them. Rachel then saw Finn just sitting there, wondering if there was something he wanted to say. Rachel noticed Finn getting up from his seat, sprinting over to her and crashing his lips on hers, engulfing her in the most hungriest kiss she had ever experienced. Everyone started hollering and whooping, and moments later Rachel lost herself in the kiss as well. Finn finally parted, tears streaming down his face while Rachel had tears herself. She wiped a few from his face, but Finn didn't say much. Instead he kissed her again, this time the kiss was delicate. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Finn nodded his head to her, releasing the widest grin he possibly could.
"Thank you…" Finn softly whispered. Finn put a thumb to Rachel's cheek, stroking it softly as Rachel nodded her head slowly towards him.
"You're welcome." Rachel nuzzled her nose to Finn's while the other members of New Directions smiled at them. A couple more days in Lima was just what Finn needed, he needed help, and help was what he got.
Finn and Rachel walked hand and hand back to Rachel's dads house so that they could start packing back for New York, and Finn couldn't wait to go home. He was rather excited about heading to New York. It was home to him. For the first time in a while, Finn gave out an honest smile, feeling as chipper as chipper could be.
"Someone looks happy." Rachel grinned, staring at Finn's happiness.
"Finally, we're going home!" Finn said back to Rachel, unable to wipe the smile off his face. "I mean, we're going to New York so we can continue making something of ourselves! Besides, I still have some homework I have to finish."
"You mean we've been here for a couple days and you still haven't done your homework?" Rachel gave Finn an amused chuckle, shaking her head. "Bad, Finn."
"I'm not bad." Finn shrugged his shoulders, still smiling at her. "I'm just lazy." Finn looked out to the street, his smile faltering, something Rachel noticed. Rachel looked out to see someone walking down the street as Finn began to tense up. "Rachel, when I say three, I want you to run."
"What?" Rachel shook her head. "No, I'm not going to leave you."
"Rachel! I want you to run when I tell you! It's for your own good!" Finn hissed, glaring at her. Rachel had never seen Finn so tense before, or maybe Finn was just scared.
"Finn, I'm not leaving you." Rachel firmly stated, glaring Finn into his eyes. "Do you understand me?" Finn didn't argue as the person came closer to them. Finn held onto Rachel's hand tightly, seeing none other than his father make his way towards them. Finn's lips curled into a snarl, looking at the man that had the nerve to lay a hand on him.
"Well, well, well…" Christopher crossed his arms, still looking at his son. "I would have thought that you were going to leave town. What happened to the mark on your face? I didn't hit you hard enough."
"Excuse me?" Rachel spoke out, Finn's eyes widening towards her. "What did you just say to my fiancé?"
"I said I didn't hit him hard enough." Christopher smirked. "You're going to tell me that I can't put my hands on my child?"
"Finn is not a child!" Rachel screamed, letting go of Finn's hand and making her way over to Christopher. "And what you did to him emotionally scarred him! I just hope you know that!"
"I don't know why you're with him." Christopher shrugged his shoulders, as Rachel looked taken aback. "He's nothing special. He's a Lima Loser."
"No, you're a Lima Loser!" Rachel pointed at Christopher's chest, her eye contact not faltering. "Finn is a man that is able to make something of himself in New York City!"
"Please, you really think this…this thing you two have is going to last? You'll be done in a minute." Christopher sneered. "Finn's going to be a good for nothing. It's in his bones. Besides, he's weak. He thinks actually singing is going to do anything? Singing only means that he's not a man, and that he doesn't have the balls to fight. Why do you think he was kicked out of the army?"
"Wait, who told you about that?" Finn spoke, still staring at his father with hurt in his eyes. "Who told you that I was discharged from the army?"
"I have ways of figuring things out, but if you must know…your mother." Christopher started to make his way towards Finn—until Rachel got into Christopher's way. "Get out of my face Mary Sue before I make you get out of my face!" Christopher shoved Rachel, and that was enough to make Finn lose it. Finn charged his father, pushing him to the ground and staring over him.
"Don't you EVER put your hands on my fiancée ever AGAIN!" Finn screamed, not realizing that he was attracting attention. "Put your hands on her and I will KILL YOU!"
"Oh you wouldn't do that…" Christopher used his legs and tripped Finn onto the floor, Rachel watching in horror. Christopher got over Finn, placing both his hands around Finn's neck, attempting to choke him. "Because I'd kill you first!" Rachel took her purse off her shoulder, and in an instinct, she smacked the purse against Christopher's head, causing him to fall to the floor, and Finn to breathe for air. Rachel held her purse like a weapon, walking over to Christopher in anger.
"Touch Finn again and I will call the police on you." Rachel's voice was deathly calm, glaring into Christopher's eyes. Rachel used her purse once more to smack Christopher, Christopher letting out a groan. Finn got up from the floor, still trying to catch his breath, not noticing that tears were streaming down his face.
"HEY! What's going on here?" Rachel and Finn whiplashed their heads over to see Burt walking over with two police officers, noticing Christopher on the ground. Burt immediately knew what was going on, and after one of the police officers noticed Finn's slight black and blue, he had a feeling what had happened. The officers grabbed Christopher, Finn still trying to catch his breath while Rachel crossed her arms, staring at the man that abused her fiancé. Burt saw Finn in shock, pulling his stepson into a hug while Finn held onto Burt tightly, not letting go. "It's okay, it's okay…" Burt soothed Finn, turning his attention over to Christopher who was being placed in metal handcuffs.
"I was in the army! I should have some pride here!" Christopher screamed. Burt smirked, shaking his head towards Christopher.
"What pride?" Burt let out a hollow chuckle. "A girl just kicked your ass. I say the pride ship has long sailed. Get him out of here." The officers escorted Christopher away from Finn and Rachel as Finn still gripped onto Burt. Burt went back to comforting his stepson as Rachel walked slowly towards Finn. Finn noticed Rachel letting out a slight sigh, still looking into his eyes. "Finn, are you okay?" Burt finally looked at his stepson, noticing the pain he was in. Finn continued to observe his stepfather, nodding his head while his bottom lip quivered.
"Thanks Burt…" Finn softly spoke, feeling tears come to his eyes. "You really are the 'world's greatest dad'." Finn hugged Burt once more, Burt letting out a warm smile.
"I know you think that. You gave me an apron with those words on it for 'Father's Day' last year." Burt said. "Look, you don't need that good for nothing deadbeat…he's…nothing but trouble, and it seemed that a trip back home turned into nothing but hell for you. I'm very sorry, Finn…"
"You didn't do anything wrong…" Finn looked down at his feet, feeling immense guilt.
"I should have stepped in and done something when I saw the black and blue on your face, that's what I should have done." Burt stared into Finn's eyes, putting both his hands on Finn's cheeks. "Finn, I know I'm not your real dad, but I'm always going to look out for you. I mean, there are just something's that I can't do with Kurt that I can do with you. Kurt's all about and fashion, and you know I love Kurt no matter what. But it feels like you're also my son, and you're very special to me and to your mother. I'm sorry, Finn."
"No, I'm sorry." Finn said. "I'm the one that should have said something as soon as something was wrong. Rachel wanted me to tell the truth but…I was so scared about what Christopher was going to do to my mom. I know why she kept him a secret from me—she didn't want this. She didn't want me to get abused by him because he has so much anger. I…I should have said something as soon as it happened. I never should have went to see him and now I feel like such an ass because I was rude and mean to mom. I'm just hoping she can forgive me."
"Finn, all your mom wants is for you to talk to her…" Burt explained. "She's not mad at you, heck she would be mad if someone kept a secret from her too, but sometimes there are things that people just shouldn't know. I know it's hard to hear son…but sometimes it's fine to be lied to, just so things like this don't happen. I know that you're doing well for yourself in New York, you're in school, you have Rachel caring about you and I am so proud of you. You have to know occasionally, it's okay to call mommy and cry into her arms. Just because you're an adult, it doesn't mean you have to bottle your feelings or hide what's going on. Your mom is going to be there for you and so am I. That's one thing that will never change." Finn hugged Burt tightly once more, feeling his troubles just slip away. Finn looked over to Rachel, giving her a wide smile as he broke the hug from his…his father. "Go ahead…" Burt nudged over to Rachel. "Go kiss your girl." Finn didn't have to hesitate, walking over to Rachel and embracing her in a passionate kiss. Rachel held on to him as tightly as she could, the both of them parting after a moment.
"I gotta be careful with you…" Finn whispered, nuzzling his nose with hers. "I didn't know you could kick serious ass…"
"I'd fight for you in a heartbeat, Finn…" Rachel looked into her fiancé's eyes. "You're always looking out for everyone…it's time someone looked out for you." Rachel gave Finn one more kiss, running her hands through his hair as Burt watched in silence. Burt may have been silenced, but he had the widest grin a person could have on their face. Watching Finn grow up before his eyes was something truly magical, it was special, it…it was paradise.
{Scene changes to Finn walking, wearing a white collared shirt and jeans on the McKinley stage as he looked out at the empty seats. As the music intensifies, members of New Directions, Mr. Schuester, Rachel, Kurt, Santana, Puck and Quinn show up on the stage, all of them wearing white outfits to match Finn's, gazing out at the empty audience that's not so empty as Burt watches from the balcony with a smile on his face}
[Finn]
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
So she ran away in her sleep
And dreamed of para, para, paradise
Para, para, paradise
Para, para, paradise
Every time she closed her eyes
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
[Mr. Schuester]
When she was just a girl
She expected the world
[Puck and Quinn]
But it flew away from her reach
And the bullets catch in her teeth
[Blaine, Jake, Marley and Santana]
Life goes on it gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
[Finn]
Every tear a waterfall
In the night, the stormy night (with Rachel and Kurt: She closed her eyes)
In the night, the stormy night (with Rachel and Kurt: Away she'd fly)
And dreamed of
[Finn, Mr. Schuester and Rachel with New Directions and New Directions Alumni]
Para, para, paradise
Para, para, paradise
Para, para, paradise
[Artie with New Directions]
Oh, whoa, oh, oh
[Finn, Mr. Schuester and Rachel with New Directions and New Directions Alumni]
She dreamed of para, para, paradise
Para, para, paradise
Para, para, paradise
[Artie with New Directions]
Oh, whoa, oh, oh
{During the music break, the scene changes to Finn, Rachel, Kurt and Santana entering the loft in New York City and Finn sitting down on the couch as he thinks to himself. The scene changes back to the McKinley High auditorium when the group sings once again}
[Finn]
So lying underneath (with Rachel: The stormy sky)
She said, oh, whoa (with Rachel: I know the sun is set to rise)
This could be
[Finn, Mr. Schuester and Rachel with New Directions and New Directions Alumni]
Para, para, paradise
Para, para, paradise
This could be para, para, paradise
[Artie with New Directions]
Oh, whoa, oh, oh
[Finn, Mr. Schuester and Rachel with New Directions and New Directions Alumni]
This could be para, para, paradise
Para, para, paradise
This could be para, para, paradise
[Artie with New Directions]
Oh, whoa, oh, oh
{Scene changes to New York as Finn works on his homework. Finn hears a knock at the door and gets up to open it, seeing his mother standing at the doorway when Finn slides the door. They just stand there as Finn looks at her. The scene changes back to the McKinley High auditorium}
[Finn, Mr. Schuester and Rachel with New Directions and New Directions Alumni]
This could be para, para, paradise
Para, para, paradise
This could be para, para, paradise
[Finn and Artie with New Directions]
Oh, whoa, oh, oh
{Scene changes back to New York where Finn continues to look at his mother, then follows Burt's advice as he walks over to her, engulfing her in a hug as he starts to cry. Carole holds Finn tightly as Finn cries into her arms}
[Finn]
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
{The scene fades to black as Finn and his mother stand in the hallway, Finn holding his mother as he cries into her arms}
GUEST STARRING
Melissa Benoist as Marley Rose
Jacob Artist as Jake Puckerman
Becca Tobin as Kitty Wilde
Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray
Mark Salling as Noah "Puck" Puckerman
Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester
Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury
Mike O'Malley as Burt Hummel
Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson
Heather Morris as Brittany Pierce
Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams
Remy Rosemont as Carole Hudson
Sebastian Cuk as Christopher Hudson
Lisa Endelstein as "Doctor"
SONG(S):
Safe and Sound (Originally by Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars): Performed by Santana Lopez, Brittany Pierce and Quinn Fabray with Noah "Puck" Puckerman
To Love You More (Originally by Celine Dion): Performed by Rachel Berry
Paradise (Originally by Coldplay): Performed by Finn Hudson, Will Schuester, Noah "Puck" Puckerman, Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez, Rachel Berry, Kurt Hummel and New Directions