It's Never Over

Finn and I will stay here to start a family. I'll become a successful real estate agent and Finn will take over Kurt's dad's tire shop. You don't belong here, Rachel; you can't hate me for sending you on your way.

Those words echoed through the walls as she wondered into the garage. She hadn't been in this town for so long, she never knew how much she missed it, the people, her friends, her family, him.

The day before Nationals they'd broken their silence, the defeat thickened the air between the team and kept the mood ever so gloomy as they all wondered back to their rooms to head home back from New York. She felt somebody tug on her arms and pull her away from the gang.

'Finn!' He put one lanky finger on her plump lips to silence here.

'Just come with me, we need to talk.'

She was hoping to avoid him so the process of saying goodbye would be less painful but it seemed he had other plans.

He pulled her towards him, his face breaking into an adoring crooked grin once he had her against the passage wall. They stared at each other, just taking their appearances in, still in costume.

His hands ran along her bare shoulder down to her arm, finally entangling their fingers together, raising her hands to his lips to kiss it tenderly.

'Rach...'

She sighed heavily, pressed up against him as his touch sent tingles down her spine.

'I've missed you...so much. And everything with Quinn and prom. It didn't matter, I realised we wasted so much time being mad at each other then trying to be friends when we were really just friends, you know? You're Rachel; you're so much more to me.'

His eyes glistened and she smiled shyly as he cupped her face, the pad of his thumb feeling the curve of her lips. There was barely an inch of space between them as he built a human cage around her, making sure she wouldn't walk out before he said everything he'd been yarning to say for the last few months.

He gulped at the sight of her, the lighting of the hallway illuminating her beauty further.

'I'm still in love you; I...want us to make it work. For real this time. The worse it over. Quinn, Santana and Puck. We made our mistakes and we can quit denying what this is.'

She tried to speak, after 3 days of vocal runs and a hour long performance, it seemed she was mute.

'I love you...so much. We can make this work.'

Then she said the one thing she never thought she could utter to Finn Hudson.

'No.'

His face broke out in a startled expression.

'I'm coming back here.'

He grinned, rubbing her cheek with the back of his hand.

'I think everybody knows that, Rachel,' he chuckled. 'You're a born star'.

She shook her head, trying to get him to understand.

'I'm coming back here for the summer theatre program. With Jesse'.

His eyes darkened at the sound of his name, his face questioning her.

'I got into NYU, an early acceptance and this program is run by mother's theatre company friends and it's going to get me settled into my first role. It's a small role but it will take up the duration of my senior year. Which means I won't have much time to spend with you guys, with Glee and we can't...we can't be together. It just...won't work. I'm sorry.'

She wiggled out from under him, looking over her shoulder once more before starting to walk away.

He fought back tears, trying to make sense of everything she'd just said.

'So does that mean you and Jesse...?'

'Yes. I slept with him. 2 month ago. When we were broken up and we caught up, we just clicked again. He explained everything to me. about helping me find my mother and I di love him Finn. I know you don't want to hear that, but I did. He was my first real boyfriend, just like Quinn was yours. I'm sorry'.

Tears spilled from her doe brown eyes, her cheeked coated in salty mascara coated tears as she uttered the final words. '

It's over, it's been over for a long time between us and it's best we move on from this and stay friends.'

'It's never over between us, Rach. You know that.'

His jaw tightened as he walked towards her in haste, grabbing his waist and pulling her to the wall, ravishing her with a passionate kiss, his tongue battling hers as his hands framed her face, bruising her lips until they were swollen and red. He finally broke away for air. They locked eyes in an intense gaze. 'You need to let me go', she pleaded as she wiped her cheeks and walked away leaving him behind for good.

That was almost 6 years ago, she left this town to pursue her dreams. She was coming home to break the big news to her dads about her engagement to none other than Jesse St James, Broadway veteran to her small t.v starlet. She'd shined liked the star he said she was, he watched from a distance as she lit up the world with her presence. There were no goodbyes and no last words, she was the void in his life and he was empty without her.

Quinn was right, they would never leave Lima but she'd be a star. He took over the auto shop two summers' after graduating high school, he got into college on a football scholarship thanks to three consecutive championship wins he lead. He dropped out before graduating to start his inevitable career as a mechanic after Kurt left for college in New York.

The rest was history, as they say.

She'd driven all the way from New York to Lima, for some reason she was itching for a road trip, she took in the green landscape and the country sighting as she made her way back into this strange place again. This was her home and she'd missed it, breathing in the fresh air and the cool wind blowing her hair away as she blasted the music. The car had broken down, the yellow lights flashing with the low gas alert so she dropped into the old tire shop of Kurt's dad to get it fixed.

Finn was greasing an engine of an old 65 Chevy when he heard the clicking of heels. It had been a while since they'd had a lady customer. Puck usually dealt with the selling of parts while Finn was the practical one, fixing and working with the machines. He'd been out for the day of state to get parts, leaving him all alone in this second home of his. The lady cleared her throat and when she spoke, he thought he'd heard an angel sing. Her voice was so melodic.

'Hello?'

His head was dug under a car, his hands all greased up with oil from working with cars all morning, sporting overalls.

'I'll be with you in a bit, miss.'

The sounds of clicking heels drew closer while he twisted the screw driver around the engine. He rolled out from under the car, wiping him hands on his dirty jeans to peek out.

He couldn't believe it. She looked so different now. Her hair all grown up and dressed all proper like the city people. Rachel Berry looked like a New Yorker and she looked fine. Her curve were delicate, her skin still honey-like and smooth, her hair wavy brown and tossed along her broad shoulders.

'Rachel?'

'Finn? Is that you?'