Special thanks to my regular reviewers. I appreciate all of your comments. And a warm welcome to all my new readers. I've been super busy at work, so my apology for the delay, plus it's really hard to write during a hiatus. As usual, I don't own the characters, just the story idea. Enjoy!

"We weren't expecting to be out here until next month, but Burt has a meeting with Senator Schumer tomorrow." Carole smiled before putting a fork full of salad in her mouth.

"Well it's a pleasant surprise." Rachel raised her eyebrows in Finn's direction. He seemed oblivious to the conversation, instead twirling the lettuce on his plate with a fork. She could tell that Finn was less than thrilled with his parent's surprise visit and subsequent dinner invitation.

"How are your classes coming along, Rachel?" Carole asked, taking a quick sip of her water.

"Great." Rachel cut her eyes to Finn, watching him play with his salad. She adverted her eyes back to Carole, smiling broadly as she did. "I'm planning on auditioning for the role of Nina in Black Swan for our spring recital."

"Fantastic." Carole smiled. Her gaze fell on Finn, who was now twisting the cloth napkin in his lap. "How about you, son? How are the job prospects coming along?"

"Great. Fantastic. Couldn't be better." Finn mumbled. He set the napkin on the table, pushing his almost empty salad plate forward a bit.

"So you've got something lined up?" Carole's eyes lit up in anticipation. Finn's right leg shook nervously as he exhaled loudly. Rachel furrowed her brows as she watched him lean back slightly in his chair.

"Well, I talked to this guy." Finn's voice dropped a few octaves as he spoke. "It's just a music store and only part time…"

"It's a great opportunity for growth." Rachel blurted out, her teeth grinding together as she forced a smile. It was a lie. There was no music store, there was no guy, and there wasn't even a job. She watched Finn from the corner of her eye as his shoulders fell, his eyes darting to the floor. Rachel felt nauseous. She had never out right lied to Carole before.

"A music store?" Burt shook his head slowly. "Do you really think that's an advisable career path, Finn?"

Finn felt his mother and step father's eyes boring through him as they waited for a response. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to admit to them that finding a job in the vast areas of New York City was harder than it seemed. His mother had not been overly excited about the thought of him moving to the city to begin with, sans a college education. She had warned him that finding a job with no experience, no education and an injury would prove to be tough. Turns out she was right.

"I'm a hard worker and there is potential to move up to management." Finn swallowed the large lump that had formed in his throat.

"I guess so when you have a bunch of sixteen year olds working there." Burt scoffed. Carole patted his arm, shushing him quietly.

"Have you given any thought to taking some classes?" Carole asked, a look of worry painted across her face.

"Sure, but how is that going to support Rachel and I? It's bad enough her fathers are paying for our apartment. How do you think that makes me feel?" Finn hadn't noticed his voice had risen and other patrons were starting to stare.

"You know they don't mind helping us while I'm in school." Rachel whispered to Finn. Finn ignored the fact that she was trying to be tactful, instead pushing his chair away from the table loudly.

"Well maybe I mind." Rachel shuddered as the words came from his mouth. Out of the corner of her eye she could see several people looking towards their table. Carole's mouth dropped open ever so slightly as she watched Finn stand up. He took a quick sip of water, swishing it carefully in his mouth without swallowing and stalked towards the exit.

Rachel quickly wiped her mouth with her napkin, apologizing profusely to Burt and Carole before following Finn out of the restaurant. She was too far behind to see him slip three white pills, followed by a green pill in between his clenched lips and swallow the water he had in his mouth.

"You wanna tell me what's going on?" Rachel let the restaurant door close slowly behind her, taking cautious steps as she approached Finn. He was leaning against the building, his head touching the cool bricks.

"Sorry." He lifted his head, squinting his eyes as he looked at her.

"You just lied to your parents." Rachel's face was expressionless. "I even lied to them."

"I'm tired of them being disappointed in me." Finn frowned. Rachel moved even closer to him, linking her right arm through his left.

"They're not disappointed in you. They just want the best for you, like all parents do." Rachel said.

"You heard Burt." Finn sighed. "I'm not successful and driven like Kurt. I'm not as ambitious as you. Face it Rach, I'm a failure."

"Finn Hudson!" Rachel scolded. "I don't want to ever hear you say that again. You are not a failure."

Rachel leaned her head against his arm, watching closely as a young family exited the restaurant. A small tow-headed boy giggled loudly as he skipped down the sidewalk. His mother scolded him, reminding him to walk as she took her husband's hand. Rachel smiled as her gaze followed them hand in hand.

"You're the strongest man I know." Turning to him, she planted a firm kiss on his lips. Her lips lingered on his as a smile crept across his mouth.

"You really know how to boost a guy's ego." Finn laughed.

"Yeah, well now you need to go back in and apologize to your parents." She could see Finn's smile fading. "And maybe even to all the other people in the restaurant too."

Rachel slowly released her hold on Finn, but he pulled her back in quickly. His eyes searched her face before looking deep into her eyes.

"Thank you." He gave her a half-crooked smile.

"For what?" Her cheeks began to turn a rosy pink color and she wasn't even sure why.

"For being the greatest girlfriend ever." He leaned forward, kissing her on her forehead. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Finn let go of her, limping just slightly as he walked toward the door of the restaurant. He opened the door and waited for Rachel to enter first. She took his hand as she walked inside, guiding him back to the table where Burt and Carole still sat.

I know, I know…poor Finn. So much is going wrong for him, but cheer up, some good stuff will happen too. I promise!