Title: The Selfless Gift

Author: Debra

Summary: Artie is offered a chance to bring Finn back to them but must be willing to sacrifice his heart's desire to accomplish it. What will he decide to do and how will that choice affect his own life? Artie/Finn friendship, Finchel

Rating: Teen

Disclaimer: The characters in this story, except for Gabrielle, belong to FOX Television and any use of them is strictly for the use of this story.

Artie was sitting in the living room of Kurt and Rachel's loft during the weekly dinner all of the former members of New Directions that lived in New York, watching the latter as she laughed at something Blaine had said to her but he could see that it didn't reach her eyes. Even after her success as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, everybody could see that she was still missing Finn. He just wished there was something he could do to fix his friend and make her happy again.

The next thing he knew a white light surrounded him and he was facing a very beautiful woman wearing a white robe. She had long red curly hair and striking emerald eyes. There was something otherworldly and ethereal about her that made Artie speechless at the sight of her.

"I read your thoughts, Artie and there is a way to help your friend but it requires putting her before the one dream you have had since you were eight years old."

"Who are you," he quietly asked, still in awe of her.

"My name is Gabrielle and I am a guardian angel. I was assigned to Finn Hudson on the day of his birth and I failed to protect him. I need your help to make things right for him, he wasn't meant to be taken as soon as he was. He was meant to do such wonderful things, including marrying Rachel and having a life with her along with teaching future generations to love performing. He had a gift."

"If he was meant for all of these things, why did he die?"

Tears filled Gabrielle's eyes as she started to explain what had gone so wrong for Finn and why he had died the way he had.

"He made the wrong person mad at him who then went after him with their car. He wasn't supposed to die that day but I was prevented from protecting him by another guardian angel, the one of the person who hit his car."

"What do I have to do?"

Artie was determined to make things right for Finn and everybody that loved him although he was curious as to what he would have to sacrifice in order for that to happen.

"You have to understand what you would be losing if you do this. The dreams that you have wanted since you were eight years old and first became paralyzed will never happen; you have to be willing to sacrifice something that means everything to you."

"I have already accepted that I will never walk again so why are you saying I have to sacrifice it to help Finn."

"Artie, a new surgical procedure that is being worked out to see if it will help repair spinal injuries just like yours and you are at the top of the list. If you decide to save Finn, you have to give up that chance. I will give you twenty four hours to make up your mind because this isn't an easy decision to make."

Before Artie could respond, the white room was gone and he was back in the living room with his friends. It was as if he had imagined his encounter with Gabrielle until he saw her appear behind Rachel along with Finn, who was watching Rachel with sadness and tears in his eyes.

The next day, Artie came into the loft and heard the sound of heartbroken sobbing coming from Rachel's room. He rolled his wheelchair up to the curtain and saw her holding a picture frame against her chest, tears falling down her cheeks. At that moment, his decision was made and in an instant, he was back in the white room with Gabrielle and Finn.

"Are you sure that you want to do this, Artie?"

Finn sounded hopeful but still full of doubt that his friend would give up everything he had ever wanted for him and Rachel.

"Everybody misses you and is lost without you, Finn. We need you and I am willing to sacrifice never walking again to fix what happened."

Artie felt himself losing consciousness and when he woke up, he was back in the choir room, watching as Mr. Schue talked about Nationals and Finn was sitting on the stool facing Artie and the rest of New Direction.

He quickly glanced at his cell phone and saw that it was the same day that Finn had been involved in a hit and run, the day that he had died. He waited for class to be over and followed Finn out to his truck.

"Finn, the van my mom brings me to school in was giving her problems this morning. Do you mind taking me home and checking it out for me?"

"No problem."

Finn helped Artie into his truck before folding up the wheelchair and putting it into the back. He knew that Finn had been killed only thirty minutes from now on the road between McKinley and the University of Lima. Maybe the person who had done it the first time would give up.

As the truck pulled out of the parking lot, Artie noticed a car following them and got a glimpse of who it was behind the wheel. It was Rachel's ex, Brody. He had seen a picture of him with Rachel on Facebook and had a feeling that this was about the fight that Santana had told Brittany about, who then told the rest of New Directions.

"Finn, I don't know how to tell you this but Rachel's ex-boyfriend has been following us ever since we left McKinley."

Finn glanced through the rear view mirror and then proceeded to drive the rest of the way to Artie's, watching Brody the whole time to see what he would do. He pulled into the driveway and got out of the truck, watching as the car slowed down too.

"Call 911, dude. I am about to kick this fucker's ass again."

Finn got out of the truck and while Artie was on the phone, he heard a gunshot and Finn groan in pain. Artie saw Finn holding his shoulder as blood poured around his fingers and onto the pavement. Before Brody could fire another shot, Artie's mom rushed out of the house, causing him to get into his car and drive away.

Artie appeared in front of Gabrielle and the angel in front of him smiled in gratitude. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, Artie. He will have the future he was meant to have because you were willing to help me change things and put yourself in danger to accomplish it. You will be rewarded for your selfless gift that you gave to him and Rachel."

Artie found himself in the waiting room of the hospital's ER, waiting with Mr. Schue and other members of New Directions. He could see that Puck was also there, pacing the waiting room for news of his best friend.

Artie realized how much time had passed when the door to the front entrance opened as a frantic Rachel Berry rushed into the room; Kurt was right behind her, equally as frantic. They both rushed over to Carol, who had stepped into the waiting room from the exam rooms, tears falling down her cheeks.

"He lost a lot of blood from where the bullet hit an artery but he will be okay. Mrs. Abrams putting a tourniquet on saved him from bleeding to death. He will be moved to a recovery room in about thirty minutes and only family can see him for right now."

Rachel sobbed in relief as Carol hugged her, both women drawing comfort from each other at Finn being okay.

Artie watched all of this with his mom before they went to follow the others out of the hospital to go home and get some rest before coming back to check on Finn the next day. As they were leaving, a woman wearing scrubs walked up to them. It was Artie's orthopedist, Dr. McCall.

"I have been trying to call the both of you all evening. I have some good news for the both of you and I was going to stop by your house on my way home so it is a good thing that you are here."

"What is going on, Audrey," Mrs. Abrams asked, curious as to what had the normally calm and collected woman so happy.

"I just received a phone call from a doctor in Switzerland that is working on a new surgical procedure that would repair severe spinal damage. He has succeeded in several cases similar to Artie's and he has agreed to come here to Lima to perform the procedure on Artie."

Artie was shocked because of what Gabrielle had said to him and glanced over and saw the angel standing close by, grinning mischievously at him.

'I never said you wouldn't receive the surgery just that you had to be willing to sacrifice your chance to have it, in order to save Finn.'

Artie grinned at her words before joining the conversation that his mother and doctor were having. Hopefully he would walk again and the most important thing was that he and his friends had Finn back.

Nine months later

Kurt, Rachel and Finn's loft

Artie was sitting on the couch beside Mercedes and Sam as the three of them enjoyed their weekly dinner with Kurt, Blaine, Rachel and Finn.

After Finn was shot, he and Rachel had quickly gotten back together and he had moved to New York to be with Rachel. Kurt and Blaine were having significant problems to the point that Blaine had moved out of the loft to live with Sam and Mercedes.

After his surgery and recovery, his former teammates and friends were all at his side, encouraging him and cheering for him after he took his first steps since he was eight years old. He was enjoying his new life but using his knowledge of what had previously happened to do things right this time.

Artie had been pulled from his thoughts at the sound of Mercedes and Kurt squealing as they both surrounded Rachel and Finn. He then noticed her engagement ring back on her finger and smiled at the happiness on both of his friend's faces and glanced over to see Gabrielle behind Finn, smiling gently at Artie, who winked at her before getting up and walking over to congratulate his friends, they deserved all of the happiness they were feeling right now and more.

AN: The idea for this came rather quickly and I wrote this in about twelve hours. I have never tried Artie's point of view and I'm not sure how well I captured him.