Assurance by asesina

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee!

a/n: Inspired by preview clips of "Journey". Mild Finchel. Enjoy!

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Rachel Berry took a deep breath.

This was it.

Here they were at Regionals, at long last.

There would be no more practice sessions in the auditorium, no more perfecting their choreography, no more psyching themselves out about the big night.

Rachel felt a tremor work its way up her spine. It lodged in her throat and escaped as a tiny, sharp exhalation as she licked her lips and straightened her dress one last time.

This really was it.

She glanced over at Finn and smiled weakly at him. He was either completely calm or he was doing a wonderful job of hiding his nervousness, Rachel reasoned.

Finn returned her gaze and gave her a lopsided grin that made something in her heart flutter.

It quelled her anxiety and filled her with a bubbly buoyancy that she hadn't felt in ages.

After falling for Jesse, Rachel didn't notice Finn as much, but something about him now made her smile.

She took a moment to really consider Finn, to study him and try and decipher his effect on her.

There was something naive and almost silly about the smile that lit up his face, but something about it melted her heart.

Finn didn't have the sultry stare of Jesse St. James or the perfectly choreographed moves of Vocal Adrenaline, but he had something else.

There was something simple and pure in the way that he was looking at her, and it was refreshing and reassuring.

He believed in her, and he truly wanted to be here singing with her.

Rachel forced herself to fight the blush that threatened to creep over her face as she basked in Finn's gaze.

"Rachel?" Finn suddenly asked.

"H-huh?" she replied, not realizing that he was motioning towards the stage.

"Are you ready?" he asked her with a soft smile.

"Yes," she said with an imperceptible nod.

She took his hand briefly and let her fingers curl around his as the opening strains of Journey's "Faithfully" filled the auditorium.