Hello fellow glee fans! :)

This is a one-shot I've been messing around with for a while now and I finally got it finished!

I do not own glee, nor do I claim to anything associated with it.

The New York air was colder than usual as Rachel walked home from the theatre. She was currently starring as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, which had only been her dream role since before she even knew how to walk. She had her Broadway debut about a year ago, and since then, all the directors were dying to get her as their leading lady.

She would go to the theatre every day at 11AM, have rehearsal until 5PM, and then she would go home to eat dinner and snuggle up to the couch with a Broadway classic playing on the TV. For Rachel, Broadway was her whole life. Constant auditions and jobs left her no extra time for friends or a potential love interest. For the time being, she was content. She didn't mind being alone.

Rachel certainly did have practice at being alone. When she was in high school she didn't have many friends either. She was so focused on her future career, she never spent any time trying to develop friendships. Her dads often encouraged her to make some friends, but she always let every opportunity brush past her.

Yes, sometimes she would be lonely, but she learned to cope. Honestly, she never learned how to make a friend. In college, her closest friends were those she was going up against for the leading role for a production. Perhaps one day she'd have a companion, but for now, it was Rachel Berry against the world.

...

Finn angrily slammed his car door shut, and he let out a long forceful breath. He already had a terrible day at work, and his car not starting was only the icing on top of the cake. He locked the door and headed to the sidewalk so he could walk to his friend's house who could tow his car back to his apartment complex.

He owned and ran a successful music store, which sold anything from instruments to sheet music. Majoring in business was never part of his life plan, but he actually really enjoyed his job, at least he did most of the time. A good majority of his employees were high school students, happily working for minimum wage. Most were excellent workers, and Finn loved getting to work with them. Today, however, all of his workers but one refused to show, and the store got busy.

Finn and Jeremy, the worker who showed up, could hardly manage all the customers swarming around them all day, and Finn couldn't stand the lack of work ethic in his employees who didn't show.

He huffed as he quickly turned the corner, and accidentally run into another girl, nearly knocking her off her feet. He caught her arm before she fell to the ground and helped her regain her balance. "I am so sorry! I did not see you coming!"

The girl in front of him smiled up at him, "It's okay, I ran into you too. No need to apologize."

He let out a sigh of relief, having a girl mad at him would not have made his mood any better. "Okay, good. I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see you around," the girl replied, smiling at him again before she walked off again.

Finn watched her momentarily as she walked off with a smile on his face. He couldn't help but notice how the girl was breathtakingly gorgeous, and how meeting her brightened his day just a little bit. He chuckled lightly to himself before continuing his journey to his friend's house, feeling better than he did before.

...

Rachel quickened her pace even more as the wind started to pick up more. She scolded herself for not wearing a heavier jacket to the theatre.

When she realized that the entrance to her apartment building was right around the corner, her fast walk turned into a sprint. She practically ran around the corner, excited to enter the warmness of her building, when she accidentally ran face first into the body of a much larger man. After the impact of their collision, Rachel lost her balance and started to fall backwards. However, before she hit the pavement, the man managed to grab her arm and pulled her back up.

"I am so sorry! I did not see you coming!" The man said quickly, looking terrified as if she would be extremely angry with him.

Rachel smiled to try to calm his nerves, "It's okay, I ran into you too. No need to apologize." Her words were truthful, in her perspective, the collision was much more her fault than his.

The man let out a long sigh of relief, "Okay, good. I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see you around," Rachel replied, smiling again. She walked past him, making sure her speed was at a reasonable level. She walked the remaining distance to the doors to her apartment building. Before she walked inside, she looked back to see if the man was still at the corner, but he had already left.

Rachel wanted to scream because of her careless behavior. The night before, she was so tired that she fell asleep on the couch while watching Hair, and forgot to set her alarm. She must have been super tired because she slept all the way until 10:40, and her rehearsal was at 11!

She had taken the fastest shower of her life and practically inhaled her muffin before she race out the door and ran to work. The theatre wasn't that far of a walking distance, and running was much faster than trying to hail a cab in New York City.

Rachel turned onto the street that housed the theatre. All she had to do was pass a hotel, a nail salon, a coffee shop, and a fashion boutique before she would reach the theatre. She was able to pass the hotel and nail salon with ease, but just as she reached the coffee shop another person was exiting the shop at the same time.

Rachel accidentally ran right into the person as they stepped out the door of the coffee shop, causing the man to drop the small box of doughnuts he was carrying.

She gasped and quickly turned back to help the man pick up the box. "I'm so sorry!" She grabbed the box into her hands, and held it out to the stranger. However, when she realized who she had run into, she knew he wasn't much of a stranger after all. It was actually then man she ran into on her way home from the theatre the night before.

"You know," he started, "when I said I'd see you around yesterday, I wasn't being serious! Who would have known we'd run into each other again in such a big city?"

"I certainly never would have guessed," she said quickly, really wishing that she had the time to stand and chat. "Look, I really would like to stay here and talk, but I am so late for work!"

"Oh, no worries, I understand," the man replied. "Who knows, we might end up running into each other again tomorrow."

Rachel smiled before she turned towards the theatre again, and ran off to work before she was too late.

Rachel entered the theatre and quickly shed her coat before walking up to all the people who were gathered on the stage. She approached her friends, Mercedes and Tina, as she continued to breathe heavily from the sprint in.

"Hey, girl," Tina greeted, "Is everything okay? You look a little flushed."

Rachel nodded her head, "Yeah, I was just running really late this morning and I had to practically run to get here on time." She grabbed a water bottle form the refreshment table and took a big gulp. "I forgot to set my alarm last night and then on my way here I ran into this guy, who for some reason I've been running into a lot lately."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up," Mercedes spoke up, holding her hand in the air to pause Rachel's rant. "What do you mean you've been running into him a lot lately?"

Rachel shrugged her shoulders, not understanding what the big deal was. "I just keep literally running into him out on the streets. We must have similar schedules or something."

"I'd be careful with that," Mercedes warned. "My friend, Quinn, had a similar situation with some guy. He turned out to be a stalker. If she hadn't busted him when she did it could have turned out to be a pretty bad situation."

Rachel gave Mercedes her full attention, becoming alarmed by her words. "Wait, you mean the guy was a legitimate stalker? Do you think I'm in any kind of danger?"

Mercedes shrugged her shoulders, "I mean, it could just be a coincidence, but I'd be careful out there."

"Do you want one of us to walk home with you tonight? Just in case?" Tina offered.

"Yes, if you wouldn't mind," Rachel replied. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all."

Finn sat slumped over his desk at work as he filed through a stack of papers. The sound of his cell phone ringing captured his attention and he swiveled around in his chair to grab the phone.

"Hey, Kurt," he said into the phone after he read the caller ID. "What's up?" Usually his brother didn't call him during work, so he knew that Kurt probably had an actual reason for calling.

"Hello, Finn. I'm sorry to be bothering you while you're at work, but I need you to stop by my place once you get off tonight," Kurt replied. "The shower head in my bathroom is too tight and I can't adjust it. I figured you wouldn't mind fixing it?"

"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem. I should have it fixed in just a few minutes," Finn said through the phone. "I get off at five tonight so I'll stop by directly afterwards."

"Thank you so much, Finn," Kurt said. "I'll see you then."

"So what does this guy look like anyway?" Tina asked as she, Rachel, and Mercedes strolled down the street together towards Rachel's apartment building.

"Striped shirt? Creepy pedophile mustache?" Mercedes suggested jokingly.

"No," Rachel replied with a small laugh. "It's not like that. He's actually really cute, and really, really tall. Like at least a whole foot taller than me." Rachel stared off into space as she thought about the handsome stranger, completely forgetting that he could potentially be her stalker.

"Oh?" Tina said. "How did you guys keep running into each other?"

"It was kind of like one of those things where we would both turn a corner at the same time," Rachel told her friends. "It's not like I ever saw him coming."

"I'm telling you, Rachel. You've got to be careful. This story sounds very familiar to Quinn's," Mercedes said. "One minute he's a cute stranger on the streets, and the next he's got you cornered in a small empty room, ready to kill you."

Rachel nervously wrapped her arms around her body, and quickly looked around her, seeing no sign of the man. "But what would he want with me? I've never even met him! What would give him a reason to want to hurt me?"

"It could be anything," Mercedes replied. "You've seen the news, these guys can be so crazy and dangerous. Who knows what goes through their minds!"

Tina placed a comforting hand on Rachel's back, "Don't worry, girl, we won't let anyone hurt you. I did take that self-defense class summer."

"Thank you, Tina," Rachel said, smiling to herself as she thought of Tina trying to take on someone as huge as the man. The three girls rounded the corner and stopped as they stood in from of the apartment building. Rachel looked between her two friends, "Thanks for walking me here, but I think I'll be fine now."

"Are you sure?" Mercedes asked her. "We could walk you to your door."

"No, it's fine. There's always people inside. I'll be fine," Rachel replied. "I'll see you tomorrow at rehearsal."

"Okay," Tina said. "Be careful, Rachel."

"I will," she said. She watched them walk away before turning and heading into the building. She walked through the lobby and said hi to the receptionist at the front desk. "Good evening, Linda."

"Hey, Rachel!" Linda replied cheerfully. "How was rehearsal?"

"Amazing," Rachel called back as she made her way towards the elevator near the back of the lobby. Rachel hit the up button next to the elevator door and waited patiently for the elevator to return to the main level. She heard the gears working to lower the box, and a loud "ding" sounded just before the doors slid open. She stepped inside and pulled out her cell phone to distract herself on the ride up.

Just as the doors were beginning to close, she heard someone shouting to hold the elevator from the lobby. Rachel pressed the button to open the doors again and looked back into her phone as she heard someone step into the elevator with her.

As the doors finally closed the person next to her spoke up, distracting Rachel from her cell phone.

"Hey, I guess we can't stay away from each other, can we?"

Rachel froze as she heard the familiar voice, all of Mercedes' words coming back to mind. She looked up at the other elevator occupant, and realized it was in fact the tall man who could possibly be a dangerous stalker. She cursed at herself for needing to live on the fourteenth floor, and felt even worse when he realized he hadn't pressed a button yet, so he must have had the same destination in mind.

"What? You can't talk to me now?" he asked with a small chuckle, and Rachel knew that he was looking in her direction.

She smiled slightly at him and shrugged her shoulders, wishing the elevator would go just a little faster.

The man shifted around a little before speaking again, "Did I do something to make you mad? Cause if I did, I'm really sorry."

Rachel only stared forward, and she felt her heart pounding out of her chest from her heightened nerves. Just when the elevator reached the eleventh floor and she was almost to freedom, she heard a loud screech and suddenly the elevator came to a halt.

Rachel looked around, fear rapidly flooding her system. She couldn't take it anymore. "Did you do this?" She practically screamed it at him, and she could see him jump slightly in surprise.

"Whoa, no," he said, reaching out to try and comfort her.

"Don't touch me," she yelled again, backing up to the back corner of the elevator. "I carry a rape whistle!"

The man backed up, "Calm down, please! I swear I had nothing to do with this."

"Really?" She was practically shaking now. "My friend warned me about this when I told her about this. A few casual run ins and then suddenly I'm trapped in a small room with some creepy stalker!" She was already starting to cry out of fear.

"You think I'm a stalker?" he asked her. "Just because we ran into each other on the street a few times?"

"What else am I supposed to think?" She asked him.

"That I was just some guy that happened to be in the same place at the same time as you," the guy said, sounding really offended by Rachel's accusations.

Rachel sniffled a bit, nervously looking up and into his eyes. She saw sincerity in his eyes, and she was immediately filled with regret. She folded her arms across her chest and slouched over. "I'm sorry. I feel so stupid for thinking that of you." She refused to look him in the eye, but still continued on. "I guess hearing the story of the friend of my friend made me a little nervous and extra cautious."

The man shrugged his shoulders, "I guess everything was a little strange, how we kept bumping into one another like that. I can see where you might have gotten the wrong impression." He slowly took a step forward, "But I can promise you that hurting you is the very last thing I want to do."

Rachel gradually lifted her gaze until her eyes met his. "Maybe we can just start over and pretend like this whole mess never even happened?"

He smiled and held out his right hand in front of Rachel's, requesting a hand shake. "Hello, I don't believe we have met before. My name is Finn Hudson."

Rachel smiled, catching on quickly. She shook his extended hand, "It is lovely to meet you, Mr. Hudson, my name is Rachel Berry." She pulled her hand back and stepped forward so she wasn't stuffed in the back corner anymore. "What brings you to this apartment complex?"

"I am here to see my brother. Apparently he is having some problems with his shower head, and he needed my assistance to fix it," he replied.

"Oh? Your brother lives here?" Rachel asked, receiving a nod from Finn. "On the fourteenth floor? Maybe we're neighbors!"

"Maybe. He lives in room 14B," Finn replied.

"I'm 14F! I live just down the hall from him," Rachel responded enthusiastically. "What a small world this is after all."

"Yeah. I wonder if we've ever passed one another in the lobby before," Finn wondered. "I'm here all the time so we must've seen each other before."

Before Rachel could reply, the phone on the wall below the floor number buttons began to ring. Finn reached over and pulled it off the hook. "Hello?" he said into the machine. "Okay," he said again after a moment, "Yes. Thank you, sir." He hung up the phone and faced Rachel again. "That was the maintenance man. They should have the elevator running again any minute now."

"Okay," Rachel replied, slightly sad that her time there with Finn was almost over. "That's good."

"Yeah," Finn replied, grabbing onto the hand railing as he felt the elevator begin to move again. The box raised a few more floors before coming to a stop and opening up on the fourteenth floor. "I guess this is us." The pair stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hallway together.

Rachel stopped with Finn just in front of his brother's apartment. She looked sadly up at him and let out a long breath of air. "Well, it was nice to finally meet you, Finn. I'm sorry for everything I said to you in there."

"It's okay," Finn replied. "I'm glad I got to finally got to meet you too."

Rachel shifted her weight between her feet before she finally spoke up again. "Well, I suppose I'll be seeing you again around town, knowing our luck." She lightly smiled up at him, "Goodbye Finn."

As he watched her start to walk away, Finn leaped in her direction and grabbed her hand to stop her. "Maybe instead of letting luck control the next time we see each other, we could take matters into our own hands?" He reached out and took her hand in his, both feeling a spark as their skin touched. "Meet me tomorrow morning for coffee? 10 AM at the place on 6th street?"

Rachel's eyes widened slightly and her heard rate sped up at the thought of seeing him again. "That sounds perfect."

"Great. I'll see you there," Finn said. Just before Rachel turned around to leave, Finn stopped her. "Oh, and Rachel? One more thing." He stepped forward, closing the small distance between them, and kissed her firmly on the lips.

Rachel was a little caught off guard at first, but she kissed him back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and threaded her fingers into his hair, pulling him even closer to her.

They only pulled apart when oxygen became a complete necessity, but still stood close as they breathed deeply after their actions. Rachel placed her hand on his cheek and gently moved her thumb in circles. "Goodbye, Finn. I'll see you tomorrow morning." She reached up and kissed him once more, before finally turning away and heading down to her apartment. She unlocked her door and stepped inside, running a finger across her swollen lips. She leaned back against the closed door and sighed contently. She couldn't be happier to say that her friends were wrong.

...

"Finn?"

Finn heard the voice of his brother calling as he entered the building. He gently touched his lower lip with a finger as he thought about how soft Rachel's touch had been. It was the most amazing kiss of his entire life, and he was still even going to see her again in the morning.

Kurt came out from the hallway and entered the front room, "Finn! Where on earth have you been?"

"Oh, sorry, dude, the elevator was stuck for a while," Finn replied, walking further into the apartment. "Where do you keep the toolset Burt got you for Christmas last year? I'm going to need it for the shower."

"It's in the closet at the end of the hall," Kurt said, following his brother through the apartment. "If you've been stuck in the elevator, why do you have that grin on your face? I haven't seen you this happy in a while."

Finn opened the tool box and pulled out a wrench. "I don't know what you're talking about." He walked into the bathroom and pulled back the curtain so he could inspect the shower head.

"Finn Hudson," Kurt said, knowing his brother all too well. "Did you meet a girl?" When he saw a blush appear on his brother's face, he knew it was true. "You did! Oh, my gaga! Carole's going to be so pleased when she finds out!"

Finn turned around, "Kurt, please don't tell mom yet. I only just met her, and I don't want mom to get her hopes up in case it doesn't work out."

Kurt put his hands on his hips, "Fine. I'll keep quiet as long as you fix my shower head. I can't stand to shower with so much pressure, and need to loosen it a bit."

"Give me a minute," Finn said, twisting the wrench. He loosened the head until he was able to twist it without needing any tools. "There you go, all better." He walked back out into the hall and put all the tools away. "Okay, I should probably get going. Don't want to get stuck in all that New York traffic."

Kurt gave Finn a skeptical look and folded his arms across his chest. "Really? Come on, Finn. Tell me about her."

Finn sighed and sat down on the couch once he and Kurt were in the living room of the apartment. "I don't know what to say. I just met her, but… I can already tell that she's definitely someone special."

A small smile came across Kurt's face. "That's good to hear, Finn. Maybe I'll get to meet her someday."

Finn smiled in return, "I'm sure you will."

Rachel stepped into the small coffee shop the next morning and allowed her eyes to scan the building for her coffee date. She had stayed up all night thinking about him, and how excited to see where her relationship with him would go. She liked Finn more than she ever had any of the guys she had dated in the past, and she had only just met him. There constant run ins obviously proved that they were drawn to each other, and she had a feeling Finn would be around in her life for a long time.

After coming to the conclusion that Finn had not arrived yet, she walked up to the counter and ordered a large vanilla latte for herself. As she was paying the cashier for her drink she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist, and she smiled up at Finn, who was towering above her as he stood next to her. He ordered a black coffee for himself and paid the cashier before he walked with Rachel over to a table in the corner.

Rachel sat down across from Finn and smiled at him as she stirred her coffee. "Good morning," she said, taking a small sip.

"Good morning," he replied. "You look beautiful today."

Rachel felt a blush creeping onto her cheeks, "Thank you, Finn, you're very kind." She took another sip of her beverage as a comfortable silence fell over the pair. She took the time to let her eyes roam around his face, and oh my, he really was handsome.

"So, I ended up telling my brother a little bit about you yesterday," Finn said, placing his drink on the table. "Turns out he's quite the fan. He didn't even know you were his neighbor."

Rachel beamed up at him, always loving when she got the chance to meet a new fan. "Really? That's great to hear."

"He said he saw you in the revival of Beauty and the Beast a couple years ago. He said you blew him away," Finn told her, earning another smile from Rachel. "He actually invited me to go with him to that show, but I had declined because I had to work that evening. I would have called off had I known what I would have been missing out on."

Rachel shifted around in her seat, wondering what she did to deserve such a sweet man like Finn. "Maybe we could have met. I always try to see as many fans as I can after a show."

Finn shrugged his shoulders, "Still, I'm sorry I missed out on the opportunity to see you perform. Maybe you could sing for me sometime, if you don't mind doing so."

Rachel's smile widened even further, "Of course I'd sing for you sometime. Unfortunately, Funny Girl doesn't premier for another month."

"I guess I could come over then. To your apartment?" Finn suggested, and Rachel could almost faint at the thought of him over in her apartment with her.

She just nodded her head, "I'd like that." The clock on the wall behind Finn captured her attention, and she realized it was about time to head down to the theatre if she wanted to actually make it on time. "I should probably get going. Rehearsals start at 11."

"Could I walk you?" Finn asked Rachel as they stood up from their table.

"Yeah, sure," Rachel replied, walking over the trash can with him to throw away her empty Styrofoam coffee cup. She stepped outside of the coffee shop with Finn, and took the initiative to grab a hold of his hand as they walked. As her skin brushed against his, she felt sparks run up her arm and straight to her core. "Finn?" her words were soft as they started to approach the theatre.

"Yeah, Rach?" he responded, stopping a few feet from the doors to the large building. He turned to face her, his eyes peering down into hers.

"I'm really glad I ran into you," she said.

A smile came across his lips, and he reached up to caress her cheek softly. "Me too, Rachel. Me too." He closed the distance between them and pulled her up towards him for a kiss. This one was different from yesterdays. This one was filled with much more passion and confidence, and Rachel could feel it all the way down to her toes. She knew it was crazy, because they still had only just met, but she was without a doubt falling in love with him.

They pulled apart after a few long minutes, smiling and out of breath. "Call me? Tonight?" she asked him, her face still only inches away from his.

"Sure thing," he said, pecking the tip of her nose. "Have fun at rehearsal."

"I'll try," she smiled, backing away from him and walking into the theatre. Butterflies filled her stomach as she walked towards the back of the building and to her dressing room. She dropped her purse on the vanity table and stretched out on the sofa in her room as she attempted to gather her thoughts.

"Knock, knock!" Mercedes sang as she entered Rachel's dressing room, Tina not too far behind her. "How is our little diva this morning?"

"Fantastic," Rachel breathed, not moving from her position on the couch.

"I take it that you didn't have a run in with Mr. Stalker yesterday after we left then?" Tina asked, nudging Rachel over until there was enough room for her and Mercedes to take a seat.

Rachel sat up and let out a content sigh. "He's not a stalker. He's incredible, he's handsome, he's sweet, and he also happened to be my coffee date this morning."

"Okay, hold up," Mercedes said, "You went out on a date with your stalker? Do you have any idea how dangerous that could be?"

Rachel groaned, "He's not a stalker! It was what I had originally thought, just someone who happened to be in the same place at the same time as me more than once." She stood up and grabbed one of the water bottles sitting on the desk on the opposite end of the room. "I ran into him in the elevator and we talked the whole thing out. And, no, he wasn't there stalking me, his brother lives in my building." She returned to her seat again with her water bottle before finishing her story. "We talked for a while, and he kissed me, and then he asked me to meet him for coffee."

Tina had her hands placed over her heart, "That's so sweet! When do we get to meet him?"

Rachel shrugged her shoulders, "I mean, he'll most likely be here for opening night, but I'm sure we can all plan something before then. Maybe we could triple date? Tina and Mike, Mercedes and Sam, me and Finn?"

Tina clapped her hands, obviously excited by the idea, and Mercedes' eyes widened once Rachel spoke. "His name is Finn? As in Finn Hudson?" Rachel nodded her head yes in response to Mercedes' question. "Sam's always telling me about his old college roommate named Finn Hudson. He's been trying to plan a time for me to meet him."

"Wow, really?" Rachel said. "I guess this really is a small world."

Finn was sitting at his desk in the back office when he heard a knock at the door. "Yeah, come in," he called through the closed door.

"Hey, man!" His good friend Sam came into the office. "What goes on?"

Finn stood up from his chair and ran over to Sam, "Hey! Sam! What are you doing here?" They exchanged their usual 'bro hug' before walking over and sitting on the couch in the corner of the office.

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by," Sam said. "I've heard your business here is really doing well."

"Yeah," Finn replied, nodding his head. "That other music shop downtown closed down a few months ago, and ever since business has been booming." He shifted back on the couch to get more comfortable, "How are things going with Mercedes?"

Sam's eyes scanned the room as if he were making sure no one else could hear him, "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Finn asked his friend, leaning forward on the couch.

Sam dug into his pocket and pulled out a little velvet box. He opened it up and revealed a diamond ring. "I'm taking her out tonight, and I'm going to ask her to marry me."

Finn's eyes widened, "Seriously? Congratulations, man."

Sam stuffed the box back into his pocket, "You think she'll say yes?"

"Hell yeah she'll say yes," Finn exclaimed. "You two have been dating since college and haven't even hit one snag. She's got to say yes."

Sam exhaled, "Thanks. I'm just so freaking nervous that I might mess it up. I've never really been that good with all that romantic stuff, and I know that Mercedes likes the whole nine yards."

"Just relax and take it easy," Finn told him. "Mercedes is crazy about you, and won't care how you do it."

Sam nodded his head, "Hopefully." He shook off the nerves a little bit and quickly thought of a way to change the conversation. "I ran into Kurt yesterday."

Finn groaned, "What did he say?" He cursed at himself for not making his 'don't tell mom' warning a 'don't tell anyone' warning after he told him about Rachel.

"He mentioned that you had started seeing someone," Sam said. "Is it true?"

Finn nodded his head, "Yeah, I just met her recently, and I wasn't planning on telling anyone until things got a little more serious between us. Her name's Rachel."

"Rachel Berry?" Sam asked, receiving a nod from Finn. "She and Mercedes are working together on Funny Girl down at the theatre!"

"Wait, you know Rachel?" Finn asked, wondering why everyone he knew seemed to know all about Rachel and he was just now figuring out who she was.

"Yeah, her, Mercedes, and another girl named Tina have been good friends for quite some time now," Sam explained. "Mercedes has them over like once a week for some 'girl time' or whatever the hell it is that they do."

Finn sat back against the couch and processed all the new information. "Huh. What a small world."

Rachel was running around her apartment like a chicken with its head cut off that evening, trying to make the place look perfect for Finn when he came over. They had talked for a while on the phone after rehearsal, and she ended up inviting him over to her place for dinner. She was cooking him some Fettuccini Alfredo, one of her personal favorite dishes.

Just as she finished fluffing a pillow on the couch, there was a knock at the door, and she nearly jumped out of her own skin. She walked to the door and gently opened it, revealing Finn on the other side, a bouquet of lilies in his hands.

His eyes widened and he opened his mouth a few times before speaking, "Wow, Rachel, you look incredible."

Rachel blushed and looked down at the small black dress she was wearing. "Thank you, Finn. You look very handsome, and those flowers… they're gorgeous." She took them from him and invited him inside, quickly excusing herself so she could go and put the flowers in some water. "I hope you like pasta," she said as she reentered the room, smiling as she saw him sitting on the couch.

"Pasta sounds great," he replied, patting the spot next to him for her to sit down. She quickly sat down in the spot next to him and leaned back with him, feeling him drape an arm across his shoulders. "So, I hear you're good friends with Mercedes Jones?"

"Yes, we were just talking about you this morning actually," Rachel said. "She also informed me that you and Sam were roommates in college."

Finn nodded his head, "Yeah. With our friends and my brother being such a fan, it's no wonder that we had never met before."

"Yeah," Rachel's voice trailed off, and she licked her bottom lip. "What a shame." She had never felt so strongly attracted to a man before, and she wanted to just pin him down onto the couch right then and there and rip off all his clothes. She had never had an urge like that this early on in a relationship, and she wasn't even sure where all these new feelings were coming from.

She could tell he was inching closer to her as well, and just as their lips were about to meet, the oven timer beeped. Finn simply chuckled, but made no move to pull away. "I take that as a dinner's ready signal?"

Rachel nodded her head, still flustered, and she had no clue how he still seemed to be so self-composed. She stood up from the couch and pulled him out into the kitchen/dining area with her. She pulled the pasta from the oven and set the pan on top of the stove to cool. "There's no chicken since I don't eat meat. I hope that's okay with you."

He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and nuzzled his face into her neck, placing a few soft kisses there. "That's fine."

She leaned back into his embrace, turning her head enough so that his lips could reach hers. They kissed heavily and deeply, and Rachel felt herself going weak at the knees. Finn was the first one to pull away and he whispered with a deep voice, "We should probably eat before it gets cold."

Rachel nodded her head and pulled a large serving spoon from the drawer before getting out some places and silverware. She scooped out some for herself and then handed the spoon to Finn, telling him to help himself. After they had gotten their food Rachel led him to the table in the back of the room, and they sat down to eat their food.

Finn took a bite, and made a low 'mmmm' sound effect, "God, Rachel, this tastes so good."

Rachel smiled widely, "Thank you. This is one of my favorite dishes. It's actually the first one I ever leaned to cook."

"I take it that you like to cook?" Finn asked, taking another large bite.

"I love to cook," she beamed. "My fathers travelled a lot for work during my teenage years so I kind of learned to take care of myself. That included cooking, and cleaning, and doing the yard work. I didn't mind though. My fathers love me, so I was more than happy to help out."

Finn nodded his head, "I know what you mean. My dad died when I was only a few months old, so it was just my mom and I for most of my childhood. I liked to help her out with some things around the house, not because I had to or felt obligated to, but because I knew how hard she worked and I wanted to do the same for her."

"I think it's really sweet that you have such a good relationship with your mother," Rachel said, "but I'm sorry to hear about your father."

"It's okay. Really," Finn assured her. "I think about him from time to time, of course, but now I have Burt who has always been like a father to me anyway."

"Am I right to assume that Burt is Kurt's father, and your stepfather?" Rachel asked, requesting some clarification.

"Yeah. He and my mom met at a parent teacher conference when Kurt and I were in high school. They've been together ever since."

Rachel smiled, "It's nice to hear about things working out like that."

...

They finished cleaning the dishes, Finn scrubbing and Rachel drying and putting away. Rachel loved what a good team they made, and it only put more confidence in her that they had something really special between them.

She put away the last plate and turned to Finn, "So, what do you want to do now?"

Finn smiled and stepped towards her, "Well, Miss Berry, I believe I was promised a performance from New York's finest."

Rachel jumped in excitement, remembering her promise to sing for him. She grabbed his hand and pulled her into the living room, quickly instructing him to take a seat on the couch. She cleared her throat and practiced a quick scale to warm her voice up. They hadn't done any singing at rehearsal that day, so she never had the chance to warm up her vocal chords.

Once she was satisfied that she was ready to sing, she opened her mouth and began to sing "How Deep Is Your Love" from Saturday Night Fever. It was one of her favorite songs, and she just knew that Finn would love every word of it.

I know your eyes in the morning sun

I feel you touch me in the pouring rain

And the moment that you wander far from me

I wanna feel you in my arms again

And you come to me on a summer breeze

Keep me warm in your love and then softly leave

And it's me you need to show

How Deep Is Your Love

How deep is your love, How deep is your love

I really need to learn

'Cause we're living in a world of fools

Breaking us down

When they all should let us be

We belong to you and me

I believe in you

You know the door to my very soul

You're the light in my deepest darkest hour

You're my saviour when I fall

And you may not think

I care for you

When you know down inside

That I really do

And it's me you need to show

How Deep Is Your Love

How deep is your love, How deep is your love

I really need to learn

'Cause we're living in a world of fools

Breaking us down

When they all should let us be

We belong to you and me

And you come to me on a summer breeze

Keep me warm in your love and then softly leave

And it's me you need to show

How Deep Is Your Love

How deep is your love, How deep is your love

I really need to learn

'Cause we're living in a world of fools

Breaking us down

When they all should let us be

We belong to you and me

As last note came from her mouth she watched as Finn stood up from the couch and rushed over to kiss her. She gladly accepted his kiss, and pulled him closer to her.

"That was amazing, Rachel," he said between kisses. He ran his fingers through her hair and pulled his face away from hers so he could look into her eyes. He felt it too, that he was falling in love with a girl he had only known for a few days now. She was incredible, a perfect fit for him, and he never wanted to let her go. He looked into her big, brown eyes and whispered, "Where have you been all my life?"

Rachel looked up at him, his words making her eyes water. He was staring right through her and into her soul, and the intimacy of the moment made her anxious… a good anxious. She took in some air, and whispered back to him as softly as possible, "Waiting."

He pulled her back against him, and kissed her with all the passion he could muster up. Without really thinking, letting his legs go into autopilot, he pushed her back into her bedroom. He knew his exact way throughout the apartment considering Kurt's had the same layout. He pushed her down onto the mattress and pulled back, admiring how beautiful she looked with her hair fanned out behind her head. They kissed and made love slowly, passionately, late into the night until they couldn't fight off sleep anymore. It was the perfect night for both of them, and they knew there would be plenty more to come.

After that first night, things between Finn and Rachel fell right into place. Neither of them had ever felt so stable and comfortable in their life before, and they wouldn't give it up for anything. It was only a few days after their dinner date at Rachel's that Finn asked Rachel to be his girlfriend, she happily accepted of course, and was glad to finally call him hers.

A week after becoming an actual couple, Finn couldn't fight Kurt off anymore, so he invited Kurt and Rachel both out for dinner for the official meeting. Naturally, they got along wonderfully, and spent the entire night chatting about their favorite musicals.

Then came the group outing, or triple date as Rachel called it. Rachel, Finn, Tina, Mike, Mercedes, and Sam (who's proposal to Mercedes went perfectly) all went out to a local pub in the city. The group of friends immediately hit it off, and even planned to get together several more times.

Finally, after a whole month of being an actual, couple, it was finally the opening night of Funny Girl. Rachel was sitting in her dressing room, preparing herself for the stage, when there was a small knock on the door. She got up to answer it, and smiled when she saw it was Finn with a bouquet of beautiful red roses.

"Oh, Finn, thank you!" she said cheerfully, taking the flowers and reaching up to give him a kiss.

"There's a note attached, if you want to take a look," Finn said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rachel noticed the little white envelope that was sticking out, and she pulled it out. She set the flowers down on her vanity and pulled the card from the envelop to read it. Not that you need any luck from me, because I know you'll do great, but break a leg. I love you. –F.

Her eyes scanned over the last phrase several times before she looked up at Finn.

"I mean it," he said nervously. "That I love you."

She smiled, loving how cute he was whenever he was nervous. "Oh, Finn," she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I love you too. More than you know." She kissed him deeply, and she smiled against his lips. He loved her and she loved him. They were in love. She wanted to run over and scream it out the window, but that would require leaving his embrace, and she did not want to do that.

When another knock came from the door, Rachel reluctantly pulled away from Finn and told him she'd be right back. She walked over to the door and pulled it open, smiling when she saw who was on the other side. "Dads! I wasn't expecting to see you until after the show!"

"We thought we'd come and surprise you before you went on," her papa mused, wrapping her in a hug.

"Leroy," Hiram spoke up, "It looks like someone else already beat us to it." Both of the men looked in Finn's direction, and then in Rachel's as they waited for an introduction.

"Dads," Rachel said, walking into the room with them towards Finn. She stood next to Finn and wrapped an arm around his side and smiled when he did the same to her. "This is Finn, my boyfriend."

"It is very nice to meet you both," Finn said, shaking their hands.

"Ahh, so this is the boyfriend we've been hearing about over the phone," Hiram said. "It's nice to meet you as well."

In that moment, another man stepped into the room, but this time it was Bill, one of the crew members. "Rachel?" he spoke up, "They need you on stage. The show will be starting soon."

"Thank you, Bill," Rachel said. She looked at the three gentlemen in front of her. "Okay, I guess this is it. I'll see you all afterwards?"

"Of course," Leroy said. "Good luck, darling."

She smiled at all of them, and winked at Finn before leaving the room and making her way towards the stage. This was it. Her time to finally portray Fanny Brice, and the three men she cared more about than anyone else in the whole world would be in the audience to watch.

The show went wonderfully, just as rehearsed. The crowd cheered louder than Rachel had ever heard before, and she soaked it all in, loving every single moment. Knowing that Finn was somewhere out in the crowd, cheering her on, just made the moment that much better.

Rachel woke up from the sunlight pouring into the room from the window, and she wondered why no one had thought to close the blinds when they went to bed last night. Oh, right. She took in her own appearance, wearing only Finn's T-shirt and her messy hair and remember they had been a little too distracted last night to shut blinds.

She glanced at Finn's sleeping body next to her, in his giant king sized bed, and she smiled as she watched his chest slowly rise and fall. She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his cheek before getting out of bed and heading into his kitchen to make some breakfast.

Today they had been dating for two months, and she wanted to start the day off right, with breakfast in bed. She knew that Finn liked his eggs over easy, with extra crispy bacon as a side. Though she didn't eat meat, she didn't mind cooking it for Finn. She knew he appreciated it, and she liked making him happy. Once the bacon was done cooking, she cooked the eggs in the bacon grease. She remembered Tina mentioning once that eggs cooked in bacon grease was like heaven, so she figured Finn would like it too.

Once his meal was finished being cooked, she put it all onto a plate and carried it back into the bedroom. He was still asleep, now rolled onto his stomach and snoring softly. She smiled and placed the plate on top of the dresser so she could wake him up. She approached him, and sat next to him on the back, gently rubbing circles over his back. He slowly stirred and his eyes fluttered open, trying to adjust to the light.

"Good morning," she said sweetly, kissing his cheek as he woke.

"Morning," he said with a smile, flipping back over onto his back. "Happy two months."

Rachel smiled that he remember the occasion, and kissed him. "Happy two months! I have a surprise for you." She stood up and picks up his breakfast plate, handing it to him.

"Oh, thanks, babe, my favorite!" he exclaimed, taking the plate from her and smelling the food.

"You eat up, and I'm going to start getting ready," she said. She waltzed over to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She turned on the shower and combed out her hair before stepping in. What a wonderful life.

"Do I look okay?" Rachel asked him, her breath speeding up again.

"You look beautiful, Rachel, now will you please calm down?" Finn asked her. They were riding in the back of a taxi, on their way to meet Burt and Carole for dinner. This was the first time Rachel would be meeting Finn's mother and stepfather, and she was beyond nervous. Carole was one of the most important women in Finn's life, and Rachel had to make a good impression on the woman. It was vital to her relationship with Finn.

"I'm sorry Finn, I just don't want to screw this up," she said, looking up into his eyes.

"Rachel, you cannot screw this up. My mom's going to love you, and Burt will too," Finn said. "When I'm not calling mom and telling her how amazing you are, it's Kurt calling her and telling her all about you. She already loves you, and she hasn't even met you yet."

His words made her feel better, and she regained a little of the confidence she usually had. However, as the taxi pulled up to the restaurant that confidence ran away like she never even had it in the first place. Finn took her hand after he paid the driver, and ran his thumb across her knuckles, calming her down in an instant. She smiled at him and climbed out of the car, her hand still wrapped firmly in his.

They walked inside and Finn walked up to the hostess stand, "Reservations for Hummel?"

The hostess smiled, "Yes, your party has already arrived. Let me show you to them."

They followed the girl through the restaurant, to the back, when Rachel saw a friendly middle-aged couple sitting at a four seating table. The woman saw Finn and stood up immediately, smiling at him.

"Finny!" she exclaimed, "come here and give your momma a kiss!"

"Hey, mom," Finn said excitedly. He gave her a hug and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He then gave the man a hug, and finally turned to Rachel. "Mom, Burt, I'd like you to meet Rachel Berry."

The woman ran up to Rachel and pulled her into a hug, "Rachel, it is so nice to finally meet you!"

Rachel hugged her back, "It is nice to meet you too! Finn has told me wonderful things about you."

Burt approached the women, and held out his hand for Rachel to shake, "Hi, Rachel, I'm Burt Hummel. Nice to meet you." Rachel accepted his hand shake, and then the four of them sat down at the table.

"So, Rachel," Carole began, "Finn told me that you star on Broadway?"

"Yes," Rachel replied. "I got my degree from NYADA, and started my career straight out of college. Finn also told me that Kurt has been to a few of my shows."

"He has," Burt said. "He's always been quite the Broadway fanatic." He chuckled a little as a thought from Kurt's childhood came to mind. "I remember him always acting out scenes of Peter Pan in the basement when he was little. He had all his toys lined up as the other characters."

Everyone shared a laugh and Rachel spoke up, "Kurt is so very wonderful. I haven't known him very long but he's already been a very good friend to me."

"Thank you, Rachel. You're a very sweet girl," Burt said to her, taking a sip from the complimentary glass of water already placed on the table.

Much to Rachel's delight, the dinner went better than planned. Carole and Burt loved Rachel, and it was the same for Rachel towards them. Rachel and Carole bonded over their love of cooking, as well as their admiration for Finn. They all talked all the way through dinner, and the time passed by very quickly. When 9PM finally came around the corner, they all said their goodbyes. They made plans to get together again, and Rachel truly was looking forward to the occasion. It was nice for her to finally have a potential motherly figure in her life, and she thought Carole was a perfect candidate. Later that night, as she and Finn got ready for bed, he teased her about being right that his parent s would love her. She shushed him, refusing that she had been a little too overdramatic about the occasion, but she knew Finn was right. He had a wonderful family, and it would be a pleasure if he were to someday ask her to be a part of it. Someday.

Rachel reviewed the piece of paper in front of her for the millionth time. Finn was definitely up to something. They had been dating for a year and two months now, and Finn had been living in her apartment with her for the past 4 months. She just came home from her appointment at the nail salon, but instead of being greeted by her boyfriend, she found an empty apartment. There was a single red rose resting on the counter with a note attached to it, saying Go to the coffee shop, the one where we had our first date. Give the cashier your name, and she'll know what to do. Xx. –F

Rachel took a deep breath and left the apartment, her flower in hand. She made her way down the street to the coffee shop, her eyes constantly scanning the streets for any sign of Finn.

The coffee shop wasn't very busy, leaving no line by the cash register. Rachel smiled at the girl behind the register. "Hi, my name is Rachel Berry. I was supposed to talk to you?"

The girl offered Rachel a friendly smile before reaching under the counter and pulling out a red rose. She handed it to Rachel, "This is for you. And I believe the lady sitting in the back corner has been waiting for you."

Rachel accepted the rose and turned, immediately noticing Mercedes sitting in the back corner. She ran over to her friend, who had been recently married to Sam. "Mercedes! What are you doing here? Is Finn here?"

Mercedes laughed, "Calm down girl, and follow me." Mercedes stood up and pulled Rachel out of the shop. "Oh," she said once they were walking down the street, "I think this is for you." Mercedes reached into her purse, and gave Rachel another red rose.

"Seriously, Mercedes, what is going on?" Rachel asked, holding the rose with the others. "Where is Finn?"

Before Mercedes could reply, Tina popped up, a red rose in her hands. "Rachel!" She ran over and gave her the rose. Tina wrapped Rachel up in a hug after handing her the rose.

Rachel looked forward, seeing Kurt, Sam, and Mike all standing in the background, roses in each of their hands. She accepted their roses, and continued walking forward, realizing that now Kurt was the only one walked forward with her.

"Kurt? What is happening?" she pleaded, looking at the building they were walking towards. It looked old and run down, like no one had visited it for years. Oh my god. Were they all plotting to kill her?

Kurt stopped walking, "Good luck, Rachel. Your surprise is at the end of the path." He gave her a tight hug before she walked into the building, her roses all in her hand.

The inside of the building was dimly lit, a path of roses placed gently on the floor. The path led further into the building, and around a corner, out of Rachel's view. She followed the roses, and as she turned the corner, Finn stood in the middle of the room, a bouquet of roses in his hands. He wore a suit, and he was surrounded by tons of twinkling lights that hung from the walls.

Rachel smiled brightly and walked towards him, "Finn? What is going on?" Despite her confusion, she kissed him, and accepted the roses he was offering to her.

"Rachel, we met through a series of random run ins, and I wanted to incorporate that into this day. I figured some run ins with our closest friends would be the best way to do that," he said, wiping his palms across his pants. "From the minute we first spoke, I knew you were special, and I knew you would someday play a very important part of my life. And here I am today, hoping that you will remain to be in my life for many more years to come." He took Rachel's hands in his, and he took a deep breath, his eyes beginning to water. Rachel let out a small laugh to calm herself, for she thought she knew exactly where this was going. "Rachel, you are the love of my life, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up next to you every morning for the rest of forever. I want to have babies with you, and I want to grow old with you." He paused for a second, breathing steadily, and his eyes never left Rachel's. He dropped down onto one knee, and pulled out a small velvet box, revealing a gorgeous diamond ring. "Rachel Barbra Berry, would you do me the extreme pleasure of becoming my wife?"

Rachel had tears streaming down her face, and she could only find the ability to nod her head. She held out a shaky left hand and watched as he slipped the ring onto her finger. He stood up, and she pulled him in for a long, deep kiss. "I'm going to love you forever, Finn Hudson," she said, looking straight into his eyes.

"I love you so much, baby," he said, resting his hands on her hips. "I promise, Rachel, I'm going to make you the happiest girl alive."

"I know you are," she replied. She kissed him again. "Let's go home and celebrate." He smiled at her words, knowing exactly what she was talking about. He scooped her up into his arms and carried his fiancé out to the door. He meant every word of it. He was going cherish her for the rest of his life. As they rode in the taxi that night, neither spoke a word. They just sat hand in hand, enjoying one another. They were engaged. They were in love. And no one was ever going to take that away from them.

I hope you enjoyed this fanfiction :) I am really happy with the way it turned out! Please leave a review and tell me what you think.