When Things Change

Alternate Universe: Finn and Rachel are best friends, but both seem to have feelings for each other. When Rachel starts dating Jessie St. James, Finn comes to realize that he loves Rachel. When Finn starts dating Quinn Fabray, Rachel rethinks her relationship with Jessie. Rachel and Finn both realize that they need each other and they depend on each other. When Rachel is the subject of a prank gone wrong, will Finn step up and save her?

Author Note: Ok I know I still have to complete "Still Not Quite Over You" but I just had to write this! I know this type of topic has been done before, but I just had to write this! So tell me what you think of this story and YOUR REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED. And I know some of you probably want Sue to be in this, but I'm not that good of a writer to write her into the story because her lines are just too awesome and great for me. Sue Slyvester is a legend and i don't want to ruin her character by writing her in the story. So enjoy and review.

Chapter 1: Bliss

Finn lay on the grass, looking up at the moon and the stars. He doesn't remember why he thought of sneaking out in the first place, maybe there was just too much on his mind that he had to go out and get some fresh air. He sighs as he closes eyes. Suddenly his mind wanders to his favorite tiny brunette, Rachel Berry, his best friend and rock. Rachel could definitely do without him, but he can't live without her, without her words of wisdom, her voice, and her smoking hot body. Finn opens his eyes immediately as soon as the image of Rachel in a bikini floods his head.

"Finn?" he hears someone call. He sits up and turns around to see Rachel standing by the tree, their tree.

Finn smiles. "Hi, Rachel, h-how are you?" he asks.

Rachel snickers. "I'm fine, thanks for asking. I think we both had the same idea tonight," she answers as she walks to sit next to him.

Finn smiles as she plants her butt on the ground and turns her attention to him. "Well great minds think alike," he replies.

Rachel nods. "They do indeed. So what brings you here at eleven at night?" she inquires.

Finn looks away and shrugs. "I don't know, I just had a lot on my mind. I had to sneak out; my mom thinks I don't get enough sleep."

Rachel giggles. "Well your mom is right; I have to agree with her on this one. You have been tired during school. I see you falling in and out of sleep during English, Finn."

Finn scoffs and looks at her accusingly. "You've been watching me in English?"

Rachel turns away and hesitates. "I just-I just care about your record being affected by your lack of sleep."

Finn nods, still not believing her. "Well thanks for caring, Rach," he places a hand on her knee, "But I'm fine."

Rachel pauses and looks at the hand on her knee, enjoying the sensation of his fingers on her skin. Finn notices her staring at his hand and immediately pulls it away. Both frown a little at the loss of contact between them.

Finn clears his throat. "I should probably get going."

Rachel nods and they both get up. "That's a good idea, I need to go as well."

They disperse into different directions, but turn around. Finn says, "I'll pick you up tomorrow, is that ok?"

Rachel smiles and nods. "That would be perfect, Finn."

Finn smiles and walks away, Rachel follows suit and walks to her house. She couldn't help but skip up the steps to her front door, she just felt so happy. She would be seeing Finn tomorrow and they would be alone in his car for ten minutes. Ok, so maybe ten minutes seem just a little short, but to Rachel, ten minutes with Finn is ten years with Finn.

Finn climbs into his room and collapses on his bed, images of Rachel dancing in his head as he falls asleep. Rachel snuggles under her covers and sleeps soundly, dreaming of Finn. It's obvious that Finn and Rachel have feelings for each other, but neither of them wants to move a step further. Rachel has expressed to Tina Cohen-Chang that she is afraid of their friendship suffering when the relationship doesn't work out, but that's how Finn and Rachel became friends. They were about five years old and in kindergarten. Finn was the new kid and Rachel thought he was adorable the minute he walked in through the door, of course she couldn't pin point why she felt that way when she was five; maybe there was something about Finn that screamed phenomenal, different, and adorable. He was polite, unlike the other boys she had known. Noah Puckerman was the leader of the jerks in kindergarten; he even tried to persuade Finn in joining him and his friends picking on Rachel, whom they had labeled as the theater freak. Even at a young age, Rachel was precocious, using a bigger vocabulary than most five year olds do. Nonetheless, Finn chose to remain the polite little boy and he remained that way til this day. Of course, in the process of growing into a teenager, he became friends with Noah, whom he calls "Puck" and so does everyone else except for Rachel. Obviously, Rachel stands out; she has the electricity that empowers him to be a better man. Finn smiles as he thinks of Rachel, he fixes his red polo shirt collar in the mirror. Satisfied with how it looks, he grabs his jacket and Element backpack off their hooks in his room and runs downstairs.

"Finn," his mother calls from the kitchen.

Finn stops in his tracks and turns to his mom, who is coming out of the kitchen. "Yeah, ma?" he asks.

"I just want to say have a great day at school and be a gentleman, ok?" Carol Hudson says.

Finn chuckles and kisses his mom on the head. "No problem, ma, if there is a problem, Rachel will be there to keep me in line," he replies.

Carol laughs. "And that's why I love her," she responds.

Finn is out the door, but he heard what his mom said. She loves Rachel. Well why wouldn't she? If it wasn't for Rachel, Finn would be a jerk exactly like Puck. Rachel saved him from leading that type of life, she had stepped up and told Puck off in true Rachel Berry fashion in kindergarten through tenth grade. So throughout those years, Finn remained untouched by Puck's Neanderthal antics with the football team and occasionally, the hockey team. Although, Finn is the quarterback of the football team, he refuses to take part in Puck's childish games.

Finn arrives in front of Rachel's house and instead of honking his horn like an asshole; he walks up the pathway to the Berry household and rings the doorbell. He rocks back and forth on his heels as he waits for the front door to open. A few minutes later, Rachel opens the door and a huge smile is playing on her face.

"Finn, it's nice to see you," she beams.

Finn chuckles. "Same to you, Rach."

Rachel smiles and turns around to say goodbye to her fathers. She pushes Finn back as she steps out and closes the door. As she turns back to face forward, her mouth kisses his chest. She looks up and she finds him staring down at her. Rachel gulps as she feels the intensity of his stare on her. Finn removes a strand of hair out of Rachel's face and he lingers his fingers on her cheek, enjoying the feel of her skin under his fingertips. Rachel looks up, unsure of what to do because the sensation of his touch brings joy to her soul. Finally, she clears her throat throwing Finn out of his trance.

"We should get going, Finn, I don't want to be late," Rachel explains. She passes him and walks to his car.

Finn clears his throat. "Yeah, you're right," he says following after her.