A/N: What can I say ? I'm ashamed I took so long to update. I won't get into details as to why, I just want to say that I will finish this story, I will not give up on it, so you don't have to worry about that. Here is another chapter. We're getting really close. Santana is coming up on the next chapter and then finally Quinn with the first news on Rachel's condition.

Hope you guys are still with me and again, I would like to apologize for this long delay in updating. ;D

Finn couldn't believe what was happening. He had tried to block everything, but looking at all his teammates helped the reality of the situation finally settle in. His best friend had been shot and he had been nowhere near her, unable to protect her. In fact, she had done the protecting and she had protected none other that David Karofsky. Finn wanted to laugh at this, but it was a bitter laugh. Rachel Berry standing up for David Karofsky, how messed up was this ? Finn didn't know what to do, was he supposed to be strong, was he supposed to cry, was he supposed to comfort his teammates as co-captain of the Glee Club, was he supposed to comfort Quinn. At this, he looked up at the blonde, his ex-girlfriend, the girl that managed to steal Rachel's heart, something that he had never managed to do despite their history. Rachel had never been his. Seeing her with Quinn for the past year had been an eye opener. She had never been in love with him. Only one person had managed to make her fall in love and that was the blonde sitting in front of him. His heart clenched a little, because while Quinn had stolen Rachel's heart, Rachel had made Quinn fall extremely hard as well. The blonde had changed so much in the past year. Gone was the mask, gone were the scowls and frowns, gone was the bitchy cheerleader. Instead, she had been replaced by the real Quinn Fabray, the girl that Finn had never even met when they were together. Finn had dated both girls, but none of them had been in love with him. But if he was honest with himself, he had never really been in love with either of them. Dating Quinn had been convenient, helped him rise to most popular boy of the school and dating Rachel had been to make up for past mistakes, because she was his best friend and he had dropped her in seconds when Quinn had demanded it. Yes, both were extremely easy on the eyes, but there

were never any sparks. And he had never been able to find a reason why, until Rachel broke up with him for good and explained her reason. They loved each other, but it had been friends love.

The first time they met, they had been 6 years old, they were in the same First Grade class. She was friends with the boy with the mohawk and they seemed cool. They hit it off immediately and had become best friends quickly. He was a little slow and Rachel spoke to him with such big words that it was always a little difficult to keep up with her. Even today, he still had some difficulties to keep up but he was used to her way of speaking. She had helped him in class all throughout elementary school. She had been patient with him. She had been there for him and what did he do ? He threw her personality back in her face when he let his hormones get the best of him. He had never really forgiven himself for the way he had treated his best friend. Even if she had forgiven him, he still hadn't forgiven himself completely.

Quinn was beautiful, no one could deny that. She had always been beautiful and when puberty hit, Finn's brain had been replaced by hormones. And he let himself be dragged into Quinn's world. For whatever reason, she disliked Rachel and managed to convince him that hanging out with her was a big No. People would see him as a loser, just like her, and they would never be able to date. Because she was a Cheerleader and she couldn't date losers. One of Finn's flaws is that had always been weak when it came to popularity and how others viewed him. In the past, when they had been kids, it was not a problem, but he didn't know why it was suddenly this huge issue for him. One week, that's all it took. One week and Quinn had managed to weave her way into his life and convinced him to drop Rachel. Another week and Quinn had managed to make Rachel the most hated girl in school to prove her point. Endless taunting, humiliation and Finn had witnessed all of it without lifting a finger. The only thing that helped him ease his guilt a little was that Puck hadn't done anything either. If hormones had clouded his judgment, these same hormones had hit Puck twice as hard. And having a girl like Santana Lopez after him hadn't helped. So they both stood on the side lines watching Rachel get hurt again and again. Until one of them had done the irreparable. Until Puck betrayed everything when he took part in the bullying by throwing the slushie.

Finn knew that this time, it was over. His friendship with Rachel was over and done with. So Finn threw himself into his relationship with Quinn. And they entered High School. And everything went from difficult to extremely complicated. Quinn, Finn, Santana and Puck along with Brittany knew that while the 5 of them ruled the hallways of Kennedy middle school, they would start back at the bottom again once they reached High School. Indeed they would be freshmen, and knew that if they did not react quickly enough, they would become targets for the Juniors and Seniors of McKinley High.

And react, they did. Before everyone knew what was happening, Quinn became the youngest Head Cheerio ever and pulled Santana along with her. Santana had become even bitchier that she was, scaring everyone into doing her bidding. The two, in a matter of weeks, became once again the most popular girls in school. And with being Captain of the best Cheerleading team in the country came power. And while Finn didn't excel in school, he was good at football and within a few weeks, he was named Quaterback. Puck had long forgotten who Noah was and was sleeping with more girls than he could count establishing himself as the stud of McKinley. Brittany, as always, had stuck by Santana. And once again, those 5 now ruled McKinley High.

For Finn, everything was how it was supposed to be. He was extremely popular, he was the Quaterback of the football team and like every good cliche he was dating the head Cheerleader. The only thing that was missing is that Quinn still refused to sleep with him and that bothered him because the guys in the locker rooms tended to make fun of him for that. Those 2 had been dating seriously for quite some time and he still had to reach second base. But Finn was patient, and his time would come.

3 things happened that turned Finn's world around. The first thing was Rachel Berry in freshman year. Finn and Puck had managed to forget their guilt about treating Rachel like she was yesterday's garbage and the girl had made herself practically invisible over the past few years. Well, mainly because they weren't existing the same stratosphere and they didn't cross paths that often. The only time they would see her is when Quinn and Santana decided they were bored and went after her. But the boys had learned to ignore all of these shenanigans. But freshman year, back from the summer break, Finn had seen Rachel and noticed how the girl had changed. Puberty had been good to the girl. The legs that went on for miles were toned and tanned. The silky black hair longer than Finn remembered seemed so soft that Finn wondered what it would feel like to run his fingers through it. Sure the animal sweaters were still there but the skirts were shorter. In other words, Rachel had grown and Finn's eyes had started to wander and Quinn had noticed. Hence, the now daily slushie facial, the insults becoming vicious and more and more personal. Quinn had always been tormenting Rachel one way or another, but this time, jealousy fueling her, she was taking things to a whole new level.

The second thing that happened was Will Schuester in sophomore year, the spanish teacher. Schuester, newly appointed director of the Glee Club had seen something in Finn and had taken upon himself to recruit the young Quaterback. And Finn, in his 16-year old mind had been convinced. And the fact that he could hang with Rachel without Quinn being on his back was a plus. For Finn, it was like starting over. They had been out of touch for so long and Finn saw it as his chance to reconnect. And the fact that Rachel seemed more than receptive to his advances was working for him. Finn didn't know if it was because she was into him or just happy to have her friend back but nevertheless he was going along with it. His relationship with Quinn was still going nowhere, the girls still refusing to let him touch her. In retrospect, he should have known the girl was as gay as they come. But then, Quinn had to join and the tension was at an all times high. Cheating on Quinn by kissing Rachel had been a mistake, but Finn was a 16-old boy, and he was thinking with the brain in his pants not the one in his head and what Quinn didn't know couldn't hurt her.

And finally, Babygate happened. Despite their history, despite Finn's patience, Quinn had slept with Puck and gotten pregnant. And everything changed. After joining the Glee Club, Finn, Puck, Quinn and Santana, were starting to be made fun of. But then the pregnancy had been the last straw. For the first time ever, Finn, Quinn and Puck had been slushied, one after the other. Quinn was not a Cheerio anymore, Santana and Brittany had distanced themselves from Quinn not wanting to go down along with her. Their whole world had been turned around on its axis and sometimes Finn wondered if it wasn't fate's way of saying "you deserve it".

So, here they were in sophomore year, Quinn pregnant with Puck's child. Finn and Puck's friendship was over and the boy had broken up with Quinn and gotten together with Rachel. And dating Rachel was like being on a roller coaster, so many highs and lows. Sometimes, the boy felt she was not really into it and other times, way too much (t-shirts, calendars and so on...) like she was trying too hard. And that was confusing Finn too much so after a while, he broke up with her deciding that he wanted to explore his options, aka hook up with other girls. The fact that Rachel was reminding him of Quinn with her no touching rule was also way too hard for Finn. He wanted sex and he knew Rachel, just like Quinn, wouldn't go for it. So, he went to look for sex the only place he knew for sure he would find it: Santana Lopez. Rachel was busy with Jesse St James, who turned out to be a backstabbing jerk to Rachel, and Finn finally got what he wanted. It had been over quite quickly and the lack of emotions made the whole thing kind of cold, but nevertheless, Finn was no longer a virgin. He had no desire to date Santana and after having slept with her a couple more times, the desire to be in a relationship again bubbled back to the surface and he had begged Rachel to be his girlfriend again. Rachel was getting over Jesse's betrayal and she was vulnerable. So, by the end of the year, Rachel and Finn were once again a couple and seemed happy. Well, at least that's what Finn thought until Rachel turned his world around once again.

The tall boy made his way up Rachel's room dreading what was coming. The way she had told him they needed to talk did not sound good. Hell, the words "We need to talk" never sounded good, no matter what. So here he was, climbing up the stairs trying to figure out what he did wrong that made Rachel angry. But he couldn't think of a single thing. He had tried hard to please her lately. It had started with his declaration of love, which she still hadn't returned. Finn was still waiting her "I love you, too." But no matter what, she wouldn't say it. But Finn didn't push her. After what they had been through over the years, he knew she needed time. So time he would give her.

Arriving at the door, he put a smile on his face and pushed the door opened. She was sitting at her desk, going through her music library on her computer. Finn had always been impressed with the sheer number of songs on that computer. He knew that she loved music, he just never knew how much until one day when he opened the music library. There was a little bit of everything and anything, every genre, foreign songs. You name it, chances are it's in there.

"Hey Rach." He sais smiling.

She turned around and greeted him with a smile of her own, but Finn couldn't help but notice that something was definitely off.

"Hey Finn. How are you ?" she asked.

"Ok I guess. Just wondering why you wanted to see me. It sounded urgent on the phone." He said, straight to the point, staring at her. He could tell she was nervous and it didn't comfort him at all because Rachel Berry rarely got nervous. "You're ok, right."

"Yes, I am. Well, no, not really, I'm not. "she said. "ok, I mean. I'm not ok. That's why I think we need to talk."

"Talk about what, Rach." He asked. He knew deep inside what it was about. He wasn't dumb. He had told her he loved months ago, and she still hadn't reciprocated. And over the past few days, he had noticed her behavior, she seemed distant and would avoid getting alone time with him, always making excuses of being too busy. Finn wasn't a bright guy when it came to school, but he knew when a girl was about to dump him. He just couldn't understand why.

"Talk about us Finn." she answered and he could see the sadness in her eyes. Rachel always had expressive eyes, every emotion she was feeling was reflected in them. And right now, he could see sadness. "There's no easy way to say it, so I'm just going to say it" she continued. "I don't think it's working, Finn."

"What are you talking about, Rach. You and me, we're good together." he said, a little desperately. He really didn't understand where this was coming from.

"As cliche as that sounds and I really hate to say it like that but, it's not you Finn. It's coming from me. I really thought I could make it work, but something is missing. A spark. You have to feel it, Finn. You and I, we make excellent friends, but as a couple, we just don't work. You know I am right, Finn."

"I don't understand, Rach. I thought you liked me." He said.

"I do like you, Finn. So much, you have no idea. Ever since we were six. You're one of my best friends and I wouldn't change that for the world. But, there is a reason, I never said I love you back, Finn." She said, hesitating a little to keep going. Finn braced himself for the next words because he knew they were going to hurt. "I just don't like you like that." she finally said. "You and I, we are not romantically compatible and it would be a mistake for both of us and extremely unfair to you to keep this charade going."

"I really thought..." he trailed off.

"I know, I tried, I really tried. But I just can't feel it, Finn. And there is a reason for that and it's in no way your fault". She explained

"What reason?" he asked.

"You have to promise to keep this to yourself." she asked, vulnerability suddenly reflected in her eyes, clear as day. How could he refuse her ?

"of course, Rach. Just because we're breaking up doesn't mean I stop being your friends. We were friends long before we got together and we'll be friends long after." He said honestly, as he flashed back to a young 6 year old Rachel shaking his hand and promising him they would be friends forever.

She took a deep breath and Finn could feel her nervousness. "I'm gay, Finn."

"Oh!" is all he said. He really wasn't expecting that.

"Yes." she just said, barely looking at him, tears in her eyes. "I am so sorry, Finn. I really didn't mean to hurt you like that."

He felt his heart clench at the display of vulnerability and fear. "Hey, hey Rach. Don't cry. It's going to be okay. Yes, I'm hurt because I really thought you and me were meant to be, but you can't help it if you're gay." he said envelopping her into his arms. "You're my best friend and I will be there for you no matter what."

She was openly crying in his arms now. "I am really sorry, I ruined your Christmas, Finn." she cried.

And suddenly, he laughed. Leave it to Rachel to focus on other things. "You didn't ruin my Christmas, Rach. I'm glad you told me the truth. You could have let this go on and on and it would have hurt even more. But instead, you told me the truth. I will get over it, Rach. I'm a big boy. Don't worry."

"Thank you, Finn. So much."

"You're welcome, short stack!" he smiled, calling her by her old nickname.

"Hey!" she said, slapping him playfully on the chest.

"So who else knows ?" he asked, a little more seriously.

"You and Noah." she answered. "That's it."

"Just like old time, eh!" he smiled "You, me and Puck. I would call us the Unholy Trinity, but the name is already taken." he laughed.

"Yes, just like old times." he could see the relief on her face and the spark in her eyes. Now that the burden had been lifted off her shoulders, she looked happy.

"So, do you have a girl in mind ?" he asked. Was it too soon ? he thought to himself.

"Just like I told Noah, for now my lips will remain sealed."

He just nodded. Maybe, it wasn't such a bad thing. He was losing a girlfriend, but he was getting his best friend back.

And Finn had been right, getting Rachel back as his best friends had been even better. The tension that he never knew existed between them when they were a couple was gone. Rachel was completely relaxed around him because she now knew he had no expectations. They had talked about what happened between them when they were younger. He apologized profusely for his behavior towards her and she forgave him without hesitation. Noah, Finn and Rachel were now hanging out all the time, just like they used to. Sometimes, he caught odd looks from the Glee Club members but they took it in stride. The only people he was worried about were Quinn and Santana because everything had started because of them. But weirdly, Quinn seemed happy about it. He caught her smiling once when Puck and Rachel were messing around the piano in the Choir room once. Even, Santana was oddly quiet about it. And then he understood. When Quinn and Rachel finally announced they were together, it took him by surprise. Of all the girls, his two ex-girlfriends had to fall in love with each other. But after a while, it made sense to him. The fact that they both seemed so distant when they were with him finally made sense. And Finn finally stopped wondering once and for all what was wrong with him. Just as Rachel said, it wasn't his fault. It was no one's. And after almost a year together, he had watched them grow even more in love. And he had seen the spark between them. The one that Rachel had claimed was missing when he was with her. And she was right. Seeing that spark between the cheerleader and the diva was really something to witness.

Finn dared taking another look in Quinn's direction. The spark was definitely gone, replaced by lifeless eyes. Quinn didn't even seem to register what was going on around her. Finn hurt. He hurt deeply at the thought of losing Rachel forever. He hurt so much that he felt the pain was unbearable. But he knew deep down that Quinn was feeling a thousand times worse and he understood why she had shut down. To protect herself.

Everything had been perfect over the last year. But now, it was all messed up. Rachel was his rock. After their breakup, he was pretty sure they had developped a stronger friendship than the one they had when they were kids. And he knew that no matter what, Rachel would be in his life forever, but he didn't want forever to stop today. No, this wasn't happening, Rachel had to survive this. She was a strong girl, she had proven that over the years of bullying she went through. Finn was suddenly feeling angry, rage was about to consume him. Jacob had shot Rachel, taking the most precious thing to Finn and treated it like it was nothing. If Jacob hadn't killed himself, Finn would have finished him off. Finn couldn't control the rage, he had never felt like this before, he was scared. And he lost control, here in the middle of the waiting room. He violently kicked a chair, sending it to the other side of the room, making Quinn and Santana jump. Kurt looked at him, with frightened eyes. Then Finn punched a wall, hurting his hand in the process. The scream he let out scared the hell out of everyone. Puck was by his side in one second as the 6'3 teen collapsed in tears on the floor.

« I can't lose her, Puck. She can't die. » Finn was muttering in Puck's shoulder.

« Come on, man. » whispered Puck « Get it together. Rachel's strong. She 's a little fighter. She'll pull through. »

« How do you know that ? » suddenly asked Mercedes. « There was so much blood . » she kept going crying.

And as a snowball effect, all the teens started to freak out. Santana and Quinn had remained silent. Santana was looking at the others, tears in her eyes. But suddenly, her voice strong and never wavering she answered Mercedes's question.

« Because she's Rachel Berry. She never gives up. She fights and fights and fights. And when the fight seems lost, she fights even more. That's just who she is. »

Everyone turned to Santana who had a small smile on her face. « And let's face it, there is no way the girl is going to die without realizing her Broadway dream before. That's just not acceptable. »

Finn looked into Santana's eyes and her trust in Rachel changed the mood suddenly. Finn smiled and whispered. « Yeah, you're right. »

« And I would hate to be God, if he dared take her now. » laughed Kurt. « He would receive an earful the likes he had never seen before. »

« Yeah. Rachel Berry is a force to be reckoned with. » said Artie.

Everyone smiled at these comments. Marcus and Eli Berry watched the group in front of them, who obviously deeply cared about their daughter. They knew that it had not been an easy road for their Rachel, but she finally broke the walls that all the teenagers had put up, and one by one destroyed all these walls and finally made her way into their hearts. That was the Rachel way. It was never easy with her, but it certainly was worth it.

Marcus Berry got up and made his way to Finn. « Come on, Finn. Let's take a look at your hand. You're lucky you did not punch a bearing wall. » he finished looking at the hole in the wall.

As Marcus led Finn to the nearest doctor, everyone's eyes turned to Quinn who still hadn't uttered a word, still lost in her mind and everyone's heart broke a little more for her.