A/N- Welcome to my newest AU Finchel story. A very special thanks to Mel for putting up with my constant nagging on this one. She really is the best. Apparently I have a thing for writing AU stories based on obscure 90's country, so the title and overall story concept is from "The Swing" by James Bonamy.

Disclaimer- I do not own Glee or its characters. This is purely for fun.

The Swing

Finn Hudson watched fondly as his son Christopher methodically moved the sanding block back and forth with the grain of the wood while particles of dust fell at his feet. The old white paint was slowly fading into the light brown natural wood tone hiding under his sandpaper. The music emulating from Chris's head phones prevented him from noticing that he was being watched.

He had just moved to another portion of the project when he felt a hand on his shoulder and when he turned, he saw his father looking at him intently.

"How's it going out here?" the older man asked, handing Chris a bottle of water.

Chris took the cold bottle and twisted off the lid before taking a long drink. He replaced the lid and smiled at his father. "Good, I think? It's a lot harder than you made it look over the years." He chuckled.

"It gets easier." He promised as he clapped him on the shoulder. "Did you get the ring yet?"

Chris looked at his father and smiled a goofy half smile that his mother swore looked just like his dads. "Yeah, Uncle Kurt helped me pick it out. This is the last thing I need to do." He hesitated for a minute before adding "Were you this nervous when you proposed to mom?"

"I was." He took a look at the half finished project his adult son was working on and questioned. "Do you love Katie?"

Chris didn't have to think about it, he knew the answer "Of course. So much. I know we didn't meet when I was five or anything," He looked pointedly at his father. "But I know I want to be with her forever."

"Not everybody can be as lucky as me and your mother were." Finn walked over and lightly ran his hand over the dusty wood. "This swing has a lot of fond memories for me and your mother."

"I know dad. That's why I want to propose to Katie here. I mean, if it worked so well for you and her, maybe it will be good luck for us or something." Chris shrugged and looked sheepishly "That's lame huh?"

"It's not lame at all. I understand, but son, you and Katie will have your own story, and it will be special to the two of you, just like mine and your mom's has been to us." He once again put his hand on Chris's shoulder "This is just the beginning, Chris. Soon you're going to be engaged, then married, you'll graduate college, get your dream job, buy a house, maybe have a couple kids, but Chris, this story, this moment, will only be the first of so many happy ones. Remember them all, and don't forget to enjoy them, they go by so quickly."

"I promise dad, but can we not talk about kids just yet? I'm already freaked out as it is."

Finn chuckled at the frightened look his son was giving him. "It's fine with me if you wait, but your mother has already started making plans to bedazzle a world's best grandma shirt."

"What?! Maybe you should give her the same 'live in the moment speech' you just gave me. One thing at a time, Dad!" He stated, clearly freaked out.

"You know how she is, always a goal. I'll let you get back to it."

Chris smiled at his father and took another drink of his water before picking up the sanding block once again. "Yeah, I better get back to it if I'm going to be able to paint it today. I don't think letting my girlfriend sit in wet paint will help my chances of making her my fiancé."

"Probably not."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Is this a new swing? It looks newer than the one that was here when we visited last time. "

Chris rubbed the back of his neck nervously, another thing he had inherited from his father "I refinished it yesterday. I wanted to give it a new beginning, you know?" Chris sat on the swing and motioned for the tall blonde to sit next to him. She lowered herself onto the seat and immediately curled into his side.

She let out a contented sigh "It's a nice night. This is nice."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder "It is." He squeezed her bringing her even closer to him, both of them looking out into the horizon. "Did I ever tell you about this swing?" he asked softly.

"Just that your parents have had it forever."

"They have, my dad was sitting on this swing when they met, you know?"

Finn was sitting on the swing that hung on his parent's front porch when he heard the voice of a young girl nearby. He looked up to see the prettiest girl he had ever seen standing there in a bright pink dress, her long brown hair in pigtails.

"You wanna play?" She asked again.

Finn looked left, then right, before looking at the girl puzzled. "Are you talking to me?"

The young girl looked around before asking "Of course I'm talking to you silly, who else is here." The girl clutched her stuffed dog closer to her and continued "My name is Rachel, Rachel Berry. We just moved here and my dads said we could play. So do you wanna?"

Finn was confused at how fast the girl was talking and honestly couldn't keep up with her. "Wanna what?"

"Play." She said exasperated.

"Oh. Uh, yeah. We can play. My name is Finn Hudson. I'm five. How old are you?"

The girls face lit up and her smile became impossibly wide. "I'm five too, Finn. We are going to be friends forever, I just know it!"

It was at that moment that Finn's mother Carol came out "Finn honey, time to…" her sentence trailed off when she noticed the young girl standing on her lawn "Hello sweetie. You must be the Berry's daughter, Rachel right?"

Rachel's face once again lit up "Yep! They said I could come over and see if Finn wanted to play. He said he did."

"He can. I was just about to fix his snack. Do you want to have a snack with him?" Carol asked.

"I would love to."

Carol smiled at the two children "I'll go get your snacks, I'll be right back."

"Thanks mom. Rachel, do you want to swing with me? It's fun." Finn loved having his snacks out on the porch, especially when it was nice outside.

"Okay." The brown eyed girl walked up the steps to the porch where her new friend was swinging lightly on the porch. She lifted a leg and rested her knee on the seat and pulled herself to a seated position before smoothing her dress over her legs. "What games do you like to play Finn?"

"Um, I like to play cops and robbers and cowboys and indians and Legos and I like to build forts. Oh and color. What do you like to play?"

"I like to sing and dance, my daddies say I'm their little star, and I like to color and build forts like you do too."

The little boy smiled making his adorable dimples prominent on his cheeks "Cool. Maybe we can color after snack time?"

"I would like that."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Look Finn! I built a castle for this little army man. Isn't it neat?" Rachel held the small Lego house up for Finn to see, her smile bright.

Finn snapped a Lego on his own creation and looked up "That's cool, Rachel. I'm building star fighter, like the ones on Star Wars."

She put her castle on the ground and picked up the little army man. "Are you almost done?"

He searched through the pile of blocks spread out in front of him on the floor. "Almost. I have to find a couple more pieces." He continued to assemble the star fighter until he held it up for Rachel to see. "All done!"

"Great! Now you can play a game with me. Take an army man and fly him over to the castle. We will have to pretend that this army man" she paused, holding up the little green figure "Is the princess, since you don't have any princess toys. You can fly your army man over to rescue the princess who was locked in the castle by the mean old witch. I have already set up the bad guys." She gestured to the army men set up on the floor in front of her Lego castle.

Finn nodded and placed the little man on top of his Lego creation and began to 'fly' it around the room. He pressed his lips together and blew making a high pitched airplane noise as he moved around the room until finally landing near the castle.

"Help me, Help me." Rachel said her best princess voice.

Finn puffed out his chest and placed the army man in front of the castle "I'm going to rescue the princess!"

"Leroy, aren't they precious?" Carol asked from the doorway.

Rachel's father had come to pick up his daughter in time for dinner and had been standing in the doorway with Carol watching the two children play. "I'm so happy my little Rachela has found such a great friend. Me and Hyrum were worried there wouldn't be kids close by."

"Me too. It's nice that Finn has a friend just over at the next house. With how good they play together, I wouldn't be surprised if they were to date eventually."

Leroy gulped "They are only five; let's not arrange their marriage just yet. I don't even want to think about my little girl dating."

Carol laughed and turned her attention to the kids still playing on the floor "Rachel, sweetie, your dad is here to pick you up."

"Oh man!" both kids groaned. Rachel's eyes began to water "Can I come back and play with Finn again tomorrow, daddy? He is my favorite friend."

The adults laughed and Leroy reached out to take Rachel's hand "Sure, Rachela. Tell Finn and Ms. Hudson thank you. Your dad should have dinner ready by now."

"Thank you." She said sadly.

"You are welcome. You can come back tomorrow, okay? See you then." Carol called to the girl as she left for the day.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Finn opened the door to see his best friend of almost four years looking at him in shock.

"Finn! What happened to your arm?" she gasped.

He held out his arm, wrapped in a blue cast, to show Rachel "I broke it." He shrugged and moved out of the doorway so she could come in.

Rachel took a few steps into the Hudson house and took ahold of the cast. "Duh! I can see that. How did you break it?"

"I was playing football after school with Puck. He tackled me. They took x-rays and I got to see my bones. It was cool."

Rachel looked at around the room in disbelief "Boys are stupid." She muttered under her breath before she realized something "Has anybody signed it yet?"

Finn smiled at his friend "Nope. You get to be first."

Her smile became even wider as she went in to the other room to get a marker. When she came back, she signed her name on his forearm in the cursive writing she had been practicing at school. After her name she added the best star she could possibly make. "There." She said, capping the marker. "I guess we can't ride bikes huh?"

"I guess not. Do you want to watch a movie? My mom just rented the Lion King."

Rachel wrapped her hands together in front of her. "Okay."

"Since you are a guest, I will let you choose the song." Rachel said as she handed Finn the list of songs to choose from.

Finn groaned "Karaoke? Again?"

"You broke your arm playing football with Noah, there aren't many other things that we can do. How much longer do you have to stay in that stupid cast anyway?"

"My mom said I only have to have it on for a couple more weeks. I can't wait to ride my bike again." He looked at the piece of paper Rachel gave him and tapped on the page "This one."

Rachel rolled her eyes "You always pick Don't Stop Believin' I don't even know why I ask."

Finn shrugged "I like it." He said simply.

"I know. I put it on. Here is your microphone." She said as she handed him a microphone covered in blue rhinestones, she then picked up the other microphone; it was covered in pink stones. "You ready?"

"I guess."

The two kids finished the song and Finn handed his bedazzled microphone back to Rachel. "That was fun. You are getting good, Finn."

"Thanks, I guess. C-can I ask you something?" he asked hesitantly.

"Sure."

He lowered his head and let out a breath "Do you think it's stupid that I want to play the drums."

She gasped "Finn?! You want to learn how to play an instrument? I think that is wonderful. Did you ask your mom?"

"Not yet. I'm not sure I can do it."

"Finn Hudson! You are very talented." She smiled at him "I would know, I am talented too. It would be sad if you didn't learn how, especially if that's what you want to do."

Finn returned her smile "But do you think I can do it?"

"I think you can do whatever you want to Finn."

"Thanks Rach. I'll ask my mom later."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Rachel was walking down the hall of her middle school with her head low. At thirteen she had not grown much and most of her classmates were already taller than she was, even Finn; especially Finn. She held her math book close to her chest as she walked in silence to her next class. She was brought from her thoughts when she felt a light and deliberate shove to her shoulder. She looked up to see Finn walking beside her.

"Hey Rach. Are you okay? You look kinda sad."

Rachel took in a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh "Finn, do you think my nose is too big?"

He looked at her like she had grown an extra head "Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious." She looked back to the floor and spoke quietly "Some of the other kids said that my nose is too big and that I'm too short and that I'm a freak."

Finn stopped abruptly in the hall way and looked her "You are not a freak. You are awesome and pretty and someday you are going to be famous."

Rachel smiled at Finn playfully "You are supposed to say that, Finn. We have been friends since we were five."

"I have to say it, cause its true." He grinned at her and bumped her shoulder again. "Guess what?"

"What?" She looked up at him and noticed how happy he looked; she liked it when Finn was happy.

"I made the football team. Quarterback!" he said excitedly.

Rachel looked at him with her eyes wide "Oh my gosh, really? That is so great!"

"I'm excited. Will you come to my first game? It's in a couple weeks."

"Of course I'll come, I wouldn't miss it!"

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The voice boomed over the speakers, filling the football stadium "That's the game ladies and gentlemen. McKinley Middle School football has done it again, winning their fourth game of the season."

Rachel jumped to her feet clapping frantically. She waited for the isle to clear before making her way to the front of the stadium to wait for Finn. She stood in front of the high school stadium nervously pulling at the hem of her skirt when she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

"Rachel!"

She looked up and began to walk towards him "Finn!" She was so excited she walked just a little faster and when she reached him she threw her arms around his neck. "Finn! You played so well! You won again! I'm so proud of you." She loosened her grip on him slightly and moved back to look at his face.

"Thanks Rach." He said sheepishly. "I'm glad you came. I was kinda bummed my mom had to work, but having you here makes up for it a little." They let go of each other and started to walk the few blocks home.

Rachel sighed "I'm sorry your mom got called into work, I know she wanted to be here."

Finn gave Rachel a small smile "I know. It's just nice when she is here, you know?"

"I know." She stopped in front of her house and faced Finn "My dads are ordering pizza for dinner, do you want to come over later?"

"Sure. Pizza sounds awesome. Football makes me hungry." He chuckled.

Rachel giggled with him. "Everything makes you hungry. You are going to be the biggest fourteen year old at McKinley Middle school." She playfully swatted his chest still giggling "I'll call you when they order. See you later Finn."

Rachel placed her hand on Finn's shoulder and leaned up onto her toes to kiss his cheek. Her lips were inching closer to him when a barking dog caused Finn to turn his head slightly, inadvertently causing Rachel to kiss his lips instead of his cheek. His lips instinctively puckered against hers, and their wide eyes connected, only going wider. Rachel backed away awkwardly and quickly. Her face bright red and she dropped her hands to her side. Finn's face was just as red as he avoided looking at her.

"Well, uh, see you later."

"Bye Finn."

They turned abruptly toward their respective houses and began to take large deliberate steps to their front doors.

"Finn?"

He looked up from his spot on the swing to see Rachel looking at him curiously. "Hey Rach." He said sadly.

Rachel moved to sit next to him "What's the matter?"

"My mom is on a date with Burt Hummel." He said quietly. He was pushing his foot against the porch making the swing gently rock them forward, then back.

"Isn't that a good thing? I thought they liked each other."

"What if they get married, what if she forgets about me, or my dad? It's been just the two of us for fifteen years. I want her to be happy, but this is so…" He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "I just don't know. It's overwhelming. It's weird."

Rachel looked at him intently. "Finn, you like Burt, right?" he nodded "And your mom likes him?" he shrugged "Then you have just got to let whatever happens, happen. Did you talk to your mom about how this was affecting you?" he shook his head "That's what you need to do first. I'm sure she isn't trying to replace your dad, but she shouldn't have to be alone forever. You need to tell her how you feel."

"I'll try, thanks Rach."

"That's what friends are for right? Are we still going to go see that weird movie?"

He smiled at her "Yeah, let's go."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"You look so pretty, mom." Finn said as he adjusted his tie.

"Thank you honey. Are you ready?"

"In a minute. Mom, I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused when you first started dating Burt. He is a great guy and I know he will treat you well. I'm even happy to be getting a step brother. I just wanted you to know I was sorry and that I love you." He leaned over and kissed her cheek "Now I'm ready." He smiled widely and held out his elbow for her to take.

Her eyes shone with tears and she smiled at him "Oh Finny, I know this was a difficult adjustment for you. Thank you. I'm so proud of the young man you are growing into. How about we go get me married before I ruin my makeup completely?" she chuckled.

"Love you mom." He said as she took his arm.

"Love you too, sweetie." Her smile was wide when they rounded the corner and saw the room full of friends and family.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Rachel was sitting at the alone at the round table in the middle of the reception hall when she saw Finn move into the chair next to her. "The ceremony was beautiful." She said, playing with the cup in front of her. "You clean up well."

"Thanks Rach, you look great too. Why are you sitting over here all alone?"

She shrugged and looked at him "I don't know. I was just thinking about how things are changing. Your mom is married. You have a brother. We are in high school now. You are on the football team and I'm, well, not a part of that crowd. I'm just worried you won't have time for me anymore."

"Hey hey hey. I will always have time for you Rachel. We have been friends for, like, ever. Just because I'm on the football team, it doesn't mean that we can't still hang out. We are still going to be neighbors and stuff." He stood and held his hand out to her. "This is supposed to be a happy party. Dance with me."

Rachel laughed "Finn, you don't dance." She took his hand and stood up.

"I will for you, besides I don't like it when you all mopey. Let's go."

"Finn! I am not mopey I am nostalgic." They reached the center of the dance floor just as a new song was beginning. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he placed his hands at her sides as they began to sway.

"I love this song." He said fondly.

"Of course you do, it's Journey." She giggled.

"Do you remember when we used to sing Don't Stop Believin' in your basement?" he asked, still swaying to the music.

She smiled widely "You would always pick that song. That's when you told me that you wanted to play the drums."

"Oh yeah! I'm glad I told you that, even if you ratted me out to my mom. I got a set for Christmas that year." He moved his arms behind her back and linked his hands, bringing her closer to him "It's one of my favorite things to do now."

"I know. You are really good at it too." She rested her head on his chest and continued to sway "Thanks for dancing with me."

"Anytime, Rach."

The song continued on and soon Finn was singing along softly. Rachel joined in too and when the song was over they let go of the hold they had on each other and took a step back. "Thanks again." She said shyly.

"You're welcome. I'm glad I didn't step on your toes." He chuckled, hoping to break the awkwardness.

She smiled "Me too."

"Hello Finn, Rachel. Sorry, but I have to steal my new step-brother away it's time for our speeches." Kurt interrupted.

"Yeah ok." Finn said. He smiled and bent down and kissed Rachel on the cheek. "Duty calls. Thanks for the dance. See ya later."

"See you."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

I was dark when Finn arrived home from his date; he parked his truck in the driveway and walked up his front porch stairs. As he approached the front door, he saw movement off to the side. Even though the porch was dimly lit, he could easily tell that Rachel was sitting on the swing, hugging her knees to her chest. "Rachel? What are you doing here, it's like eleven o'clock? Didn't you have a date with Jesse?"

Rachel looked up at him with her red, puffy eyes "J-Jesse br-broke up with m-me." She choked out before crying harder.

Finn moved quickly, sitting next to her and placing his arm around her shoulder. He stoked her hair softly for a minute while she cried. "Shhhh. Shhh. What happened? I thought things were going good." He asked.

Rachel lifted her head from his chest and looked at him sadly, she tried to compose herself before speaking "I th-thought so too. He picked me up and we went to dinner, just like we planned. When we were eating he told me that he thought that I was overshadowing his talent in the community center musical. H-he said that he was the one that should be getting all the praise and that he was better than me. Can you believe that? Him better than me?" She scoffed.

"Not possible, Rach." He rubbed his hand on her back "Then what happened?"

Her expression turned sad again "He said that he was the one in this relationship that deserved the spotlight and I wasn't respecting his talent like I should. He said he couldn't let me outshine him anymore and that we," she paused and looked at the ground "That we were done." She began crying again and Finn pulled her back into his chest.

"Jesse is a tool. You are better than him, you always have been. You shouldn't have to hide or change who you are for anybody. You are amazing; don't let anybody tell you different. And you will find a new guy, one who appreciates you and your talent."

"You have to say that, you're my best friend." Her light laughter broke through her tears and she sniffled. She sat up and looked at Finn. "Thank you for making me feel better. Who needs Jesse anyway?"

"That's right. Who needs him?"

Rachel pushed Jesse out of her head and took in a deep breath. She sat up straight and turned to face Finn "That's enough of my drama for one night. How was your date with Quinn?"

Finn shrugged "It was ok. I took her bowling. I don't think she had much fun, she complained the whole time."

"What? Bowling is fun. Who doesn't like bowling?"

"I know, that's what I told her. Me and you need to go again; maybe next weekend." Finn suggested.

"That sounds lovely, Finn."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Hey Rach."

Rachel opened her front door to reveal Finn standing there. His hands were in his pockets and he had a sheepish look on his face. "Hey Finn. How's it going?"

"It's fine, I was just wondering if we could talk."

She moved to the side and allowed him in "Sure, um, is everything alright?" They moved into the living area and sat on the couch.

His lips curled into a half smile "Yeah, I-I think it is." He drew in a long breath and then let it out slowly. His hands were resting on his knees and he rubbed his palms on his jeans. "Senior Prom is coming up."

She looked at him confused "Yes, Finn, I know. Do you need help picking out corsage for Quinn?"

He shook his head "I'm not going with Quinn."

She gasped "What?"

He shrugged "I'm not going with Quinn. We broke up."

"What? What happened? Are you ok?"

He smiled again "I'm fine, it was for the best, I think." He turned on the couch to face her "I-I was wondering if you would be my date for prom? It's too close to ask anybody else and honestly," he shrugged "I would rather go with you anyway. So I thought that maybe we could go with each other. To prom." His look was hopeful as he waited for her answer.

Rachel's mouth was hanging open in shock "Finn. Are you sure you want to go with me? You just broke up with Quinn and…"

"And what? I think it is better this way. We can dress up and have fun and not worry about our dates ruining our senior proms for us, because it will be me and you just like it should be." He put his arm around her shoulder and smiled widely. "Besides, you know you are the only one that can get me to dance." They laughed together and Finn squeezed her lightly "What do you say, will you go to prom with me?"

"You know what, Finn; I would love to go to prom with you."

"Awesome."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Wow. Rachel, you- you look- Wow."

She held her hands in front of her and looked at the ground sheepishly "Thank you Finn. You look handsome too."

They stood in the doorway of Rachel's house awkwardly for a moment before Finn held a clear plastic box in between them and blurted out "I got you this."

"Finn, it's beautiful, you didn't have to get me a corsage."

"I wanted to." He opened the box and carefully slid the corsage onto her wrist. The single white orchid had a pink center and was surrounded with pink and white ribbon, it complimented her dress perfectly.

"Thank you, Finn."

The couple stayed at Rachel's house so her fathers could take some pictures then went to Finns for more pictures. Eventually, they made their way to the McKinley High School gym. The sat with friends, talking and dancing through the night and generally enjoyed each other's company, and when the DJ called for the last dance Finn held his hand out to Rachel "Can I have this dance?"

She giggled and let him lead her onto the dance floor where she wrapped her hand around his neck. He intertwined his fingers behind her back and pulled her closer to him. She rested her head against his chest and sighed "Thank you for tonight, Finn. I had a wonderful time."

"Me too, Rach. Thank you for coming with me."

Her insecurities got to her and she couldn't help her next question "Do you wish you would have come with Quinn?"

He moved her back and looked at her confused "What? No. Rachel, I wanted to go with you." He breathed deeply "She wanted me to come with you." He confessed.

"What? Why? I don't understand."

He took a deep breath "Me and Quinn broke up because of you, sort of."

Rachel's eyes went wide at Finns admission "Me? What did I do?"

"She thought that we spent too much time together." He took in another deep breath and closed his eyes "She thinks I have a crush on you." His hands were on her hips still and he didn't dare look at her, afraid of her reaction.

"Do you?" her heart was beating wildly and she had stopped swaying.

"Of course I do, Rachel, why wouldn't I? You're smart, sexy, beautiful, and you are my best friend. I didn't realize I liked you in that way until Quinn mentioned it. At first I tried to deny it, but then, I don't know, it's like a light bulb went off in my head. I knew that she was right and that I do like you. So much."

"Finn, I-I don't know what to say."

"Take a chance on me Rach." He slowly leaned down close the distance between them and just as he could feel her warm breath against his, he licked his lips. They were just about to connect when the principal came over the sound system and announced that the dance was over. They pulled back and the lights in the gym were turned on. The students were making their way past them as they stood in the middle of the dance floor. Neither of them moved until someone accidentally bumped into Rachel, sending her stumbling into Finn's chest. He caught her and helped her catch her balance "Come on. Let's go."

She walked with Finn silently out to the gym, stopping a few times to say goodnight to some of their friends. Her mind was reeling after Finn's confession. She climbed into the passenger seat of Finn's truck as he held the door; he closed it and moved around the truck to drive them home. The cab of the truck was filled with only the sounds of the classic rock radio station during the short drive. He pulled into his driveway and again went around the truck to open the door for his date. He held out a hand and helped her out. She slid out of the truck and when they began to walk towards her house, she didn't let go of his hand. They were crossing his yard when she led him on to the porch and sat on the swing hanging there.

They sat and Finn looked at their intertwined hands and smiled. He was about to ask her what it meant when she spoke

"Did you mean it?" she asked.

"Mean what? That I have feelings for you?" He smiled "Yeah. Yeah I meant it."

"Finn, I'm scared. We have been friends for so long and if this doesn't work out, we could- I'm just not sure I want to risk what we already have."

"I'm scared too, but, Rachel, I feel like our whole lives have brought us to this point, and it's up to us to go forward, to take the next step. I'm scared, but I don't see this –us- as a risk; it's the reward." His hand moved to her face and he moved his thumb across her cheek bone. Once again, he found the distance between them lessening, this time however, there were no interruptions and when their lips made contact he felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. Their lips moved together in sync and when the kiss was deepened, Rachel moved a hand to his chest and fisted the lapel of his tux.

Their kiss had become frantic and needy and when they broke apart, breathless, Rachel took her bottom lip between her teeth as she gathered her thoughts. She opened her mouth and let out a calming breath before speaking "We should have done that a long time ago."

"We definitely shouldn't wait before we do it again."

Rachel smiled and moved closer to Finn "Agreed." She pressed her lips to his once again.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Rachel, Finn. Please, have a seat." Hyrum gestured to the love seat in front of him.

"What's all this about Daddy?" Rachel asked while settling next to a suddenly very nervous Finn on the sofa. He is sitting at the edge, his butt barely on the cushion, rubbing his sweaty palms against his jean clad thighs. She moved to the edge too and weaved her hand under his and gently rubbed his bicep.

Rachel's fathers sat next to each other on the opposite sofa. The room was quite while the two older men tried to decide how to start what was sure to be an awkward conversation. Leroy spoke first "You two have been dating a couple months now, you have known each other since you were five." The young couple shared a look of confusion then turned their attention back to the parents "You both just graduated High School last week, and soon you will be attending college in New York." Again, Finn and Rachel shared a look; none of this was new information. Leroy took in a deep breath "Are you two having sex?"

"What?!" They said in unison. Finn looked like he was about to puke and Rachel couldn't believe that her dad would ask her that outright, especially in front of Finn. "Dad, we have not been intimate in that way, Finn and I have only been dating a few months. Someday, though, we might, and when we do it really won't be any of your business." Finn swallowed thickly next to her and when she looked at him, his eyes were wide and he was pale. She turned her attention to her dads once again. "Is that why you wanted to talk to us?"

Her dad's both let out the breath they were holding "Princess, we are concerned with your living arrangements when you are away at school." Hyrum tried to stay calm "It was hard enough excepting that you would be living to two men, but now that you two are dating, well, it concerns us." Finn's eyes went wide at her father's admission. "Kurt and Finn are wonderful young men. We know that. But, pumpkin, what happens when the two of you are living together?"

Rachel took in a deep breath, ready to defend her choices, but she was cut off by Finn, who, until now has been silent "Sirs, when we made the decision to go to school in New York, we had decided that living of campus would be best, that way Kurt could live with us, since he will be going to FIT. We decided to live together before we started dating. We will still have our own rooms, and really, it won't be much different than it has been recently, I can still just go next door if I want to see her. It's just that now next door will be a lot closer."

"Son," Leroy hesitated "We know this has been the plan since you were both accepted in NYU, but what happens if you fight? Or break up? We are worried that you two may be going a little fast here."

"Daddy, we have known each other since kindergarten." She reasoned.

Finn wanted them to know that his and Rachel's friendship was the most important thing to them and without it, they would be lost. "No matter what happens, me and Rachel will always be friends first. We will still go on dates, but instead of going to different front doors, we will go to different bedroom doors."

"We have no intention of stopping you from living together; we only want to make sure you understand how difficult it may be to live together, especially in this new phase of your relationship."

Rachel smiled warmly at her dads "We know that living together –with Kurt- will be a challenge. We all decided that living with people that we knew would be better for all of us than living in the dorms with strangers."

Hyrum took his husbands hand "Our little girl is all grown up."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Finn lifted his arm to allow his fiancé to curl further into his side on the couch. "This is nice."

Rachel sighed "Can you believe we are graduating college soon?"

"I know, I'm practically a teacher. Who would have thought?" He leaned slightly to kiss the top of her head.

"You are going to make an amazing teacher, Finn. I love you and I'm so proud of you."

Finn hugged her tightly and kissed her head again. "For what? You are the one who is about to star in a Broadway play."

"It's only a call back; they haven't given me the part yet." She reminds him.

"They will." He says simply, and he believes it.

They sat nestled up with each other on the couch; Finn watching a basketball game, and Rachel reading one of her text books. Kurt had moved in with his boyfriend shortly after Finn and Rachel got engaged a couple years ago. They decided that they no longer needed the three bedroom apartment and moved into a one bedroom closer to the school and central to a few of the high schools Finn was hoping to work at after graduation. It worked out and they were now situated a short subway ride from the high school where Finn was tentatively offered a job after his upcoming graduation. The theater that Rachel was currently waiting to hear back from wasn't too far from their apartment either, that was just luck.

"Did Kurt get a hold of you today? He called and left me a message saying that you didn't pick up."

Rachel sighed "Yes, I talked to him. He is driving me crazy with all the wedding stuff. I thought having his help would make it easier."

Finn chuckled lightly and rubbed on her side gently "You know how he is."

"Only forty-seven days."

He smiled at her countdown "Only forty-seven days, then you get to be Mrs. Hudson."

She put her book down and stretched up to kiss his lips and whispered "Say it again."

"Mrs. Hudson." Finn stood and swooped her up bridal style and Rachel let a squeal of delight as he quickly took her to their bedroom. He gently tossed her onto the bed and climbed over top of her and captured her lips in a passionate, hungry kiss. He broke apart and in a low husky tone, he said it again "Mrs. Hudson."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Oh man, I'm so full."

Rachel giggled "I told you not to eat that second piece of pie."

"But it's Thanksgiving babe. It's, like, a rule or something to eat until your super full." Finn stretched his legs in front of him causing the swing to squeak and wiggle a little. He placed his arm around his small wife and pulled her close to him. "It's nice coming home once in a while. We never see this many stars in the city."

"Our parents were pretty happy we came." She leaned up and kissed his cheek "I'm glad I let my understudy take over for the week. Thanksgiving in Lima was a great idea, Finn. I love you."

"I love you, too."

They sat in silence, watching the stars twinkle in the distance as the swing slowly rocked forward then back. Carol was thrilled that she was able to get everybody home for Thanksgiving this year, it was the first time the whole family (the Berry's included) were able to celebrate together since Finn and Rachel's wedding two and a half years ago. Everybody had been so busy with real life and busy schedules that, even though they had seen each other, it hadn't been everybody at the same time.

After dinner and dessert Rachel told Finn that she wanted to go out onto the swing for a while, and despite his insistence that it was too cold, he obliged anyway and Rachel grabbed a blanket and snuggled into his side.

Rachel took in a calming breath and broke the comfortable silence "Finn, I think I want to take some time off from the play."

"What? Why? I thought you loved it? Do you want to do a different play?" He knew she loved working on Broadway; it has always been her dream. What would make her want to give up that?

She sat up on her knees, careful to not let the blanket fall on the ground, so that she could face him completely. "I do love it Finn, but, I think I want a new role."

"But, Fanny was your dream role, what could possibly be better?" He questioned, knowing that he was going to support her in whatever she whatever she wanted to do.

She reached over a grabbed his hand "Mom." She said simply, his eyebrows quirked up in confusion.

"Mom? I've never heard of that one is it new or something?"

She drew in a deep breath and rubbed his hand gently "Finn, baby, I'm pregnant. We are going to have a baby."

Finn's eyes went wide as the news he was just given sunk in. "Y-you are, w-we are, pregnant? Me and you? A baby?" She was nodding her head and her eyes were shining with tears as he pulled her into a tight hug. "I love you so much, Rach. So much."

"I love you too, Finn." The tears were now falling down her cheek and onto Finn's shoulder and she very timidly asked him "Are you happy?"

His own eyes had tears in them when he pulled back and held her shoulders "Are you kidding? I'm the happiest man on the planet right now! I love you so much! We are going to have a baby!" He yelled.

She wrapped her arm around his neck and began kissing him frantically as the swing wobbled erratically. The mood was ruined only moments later when Carol came out onto the porch "Is everything alright out here, I heard shouting?" The couple broke apart and looked at her with tears in their eyes and smiles on their lips. "Rachel? Finn? Why are you crying? Is everything ok? Do I need to call an ambulance?" Her panic was increasing with each question, but it quickly turned to joy, when Finn spoke his next words.

"Rachel's pregnant! We are going to have a baby!"

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Rachel, I'm home!" Finn called to his wife as he entered their apartment "Rachel?"

"We are in Chris's room!" he heard her call from the back.

Finn walked back to his two year old son's room to find his wife sitting on the floor in the middle of the room. Chris was sitting in her lap while she read him a book. The little boy scrambled out of his mother's lap as soon as he saw him and ran to latch onto Finn's leg. "Hey buddy. Were you good for momma today?" he picked up the brown eyed boy and ruffled his hair.

"Momma read book" he said.

Rachel stood from the floor and made her way to greet her husband by kissing him on the cheek. "Hello Love." Her hand rubbed Chris's back as she took a step towards the hallway "I'm going to go start dinner. How was your day?"

Finn followed her, still carrying Chris "Uh, it was good. I got an interesting phone call today."

"Oh?" she started pulling pans and various food items out of cupboards and preparing dinner and he put down Chris so he could play with his trains in the living room.

Finn rubbed his neck nervously "I kind of got a call from McKinley High today."

"In Lima?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess Bieste is retiring at the end of this year and they are looking for a new football coach. They sorta offered me a job."

"Oh Finn! That's wonderful!"

Finn looked confused and stole a quick glance at his son to make sure he was still playing nicely "You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? It might actually be a good thing; there is something I wanted to talk to you about anyway." She placed the pan in the oven, wiped her hands on the towel and wrapped her arms around his middle. "I was thinking," she paused and looked up at him, "That it would be a good thing for Chris to be around family more. The city is great, but we don't have a yard and he doesn't get to see his grandparents very often." She kissed him lightly "It might be nice to be closer to them, especially with two kids." She bit her lip and waited for his response.

Finn's eyes lit up and he looked between his wife and son "Are you serious? We're going to have another baby?"

Rachel smiled, and tried to fight the tears that were threatening to fall "Yes. I'm pregnant."

His lips met hers immediately and they hugged, whispering 'I love you's' in each other's ears while his own tears threatening to fall. After a few moments he pulled back "You really want to move back to Lima?"

"I did what I came to New York to do; I went to college, married you, and starred in a Broadway play. I can leave my show in a few months and we can move in the summer after you finish your school year here, if you want to. I have new dreams now. You, Chris, this new baby, you guys are my number one priority. If we move back home, I could give music lessons, and maybe even teach at the school eventually. The question is, Finn: Do you want to teach in Lima?"

"God, I love you so much." He kissed her again. "The truth is they offered me a pretty decent salary and I would be teaching history in addition to coaching. You know that I have always wanted to coach football." He chuckled lightly. "I kind of prepared myself for you having a really great reason why I shouldn't take the job. I wasn't really prepared for you to want to move."

"I'm full of surprises." She joked and kissed him. "I think it could be a good move for our growing family."

"As long as I got you and Chris and this little one," He rubbed her still flat belly gently "That's all I'll ever need, but it might be nice to have our parents close by and a yard for Chris."

"I love you."

"I love you too." They kissed one last time and Rachel went to get finish getting dinner ready while Finn played trains with his son.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Thanks for bringing the brushes by Burt. I just finished the sanding." Finn took the brushes from his step-father and set them aside.

Burt adjusted the baseball hat on his head "Then I got here just in time. When are Rachel and Chris coming?"

"Oh, uh, her dads are flying to New York tomorrow and then they will drive the moving truck back with Rach and Chris the next day. I wanted to finish some things here before they got here." He explained. "Thanks again for letting me have the swing."

The older man clapped him on the shoulder "Ah, your mom and I wanted you kids to have it. You used it more than we ever did."

"Lots of good memories. I hope Rach likes it."

"She will."

When Finn, Rachel and Chris had visited Lima in the spring they found the perfect house for their family. The two story, four bedroom house was pale yellow and had a porch that extended across the front of the house. It had a swing set in the back yard and was only a couple blocks from their parents' house.

Finn knew he wanted to surprise his pregnant wife by hanging a swing on the porch of their new home, and he was elated when his own parents offered him their old one. It held so many memories for him and his wife, he was happy to be able to refinish and hang it before they arrived in a few days.

"How many times have you refinished this thing over the years, Burt?" Finn asked while he continued to prep the swing.

Burt smiled "Enough, I'm glad it's your job now." He chuckled.

"You definitely made it look easier than this."

"It gets easier. Are you and Rachel ready for the new baby? Only a month left right?"

Finn's lips quirked up into an easy half smile "Yeah. Mom's pretty excited for a girl, so is Rachel. I'm terrified. I have no idea what I will do with a girl." He admitted while opening a can of paint.

"You'll figure it out and Chris is going to be an excellent big brother. Between him and you, that little girl will be safe from all the boys when she is sixteen."

Finn laughed "I don't even want to think about her dating yet." He shivered.

Burt chuckled "Fair enough. Hand me a brush, I'll help you paint it this time."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"I still can't believe they let us have the swing." Rachel sat next to her husband and looked up into the stars.

Finn leaned over and rubbed Rachel's swollen belly "They wanted us to have it." He leaned over and kissed her lips softly "I missed you this week." He then placed a gentle kiss to her belly "I missed you too." He whispered.

"We missed you too. Christopher was pretty excited to ride in the big truck all the way here." She said.

Finn chuckled "Yeah, he told me. He was so pumped up when you guys got here; I thought he was never going to get to sleep."

"I wasn't sure either. I was worried he would be scared the first night here. He went to sleep pretty quickly."

"He was pretty tuckered out. How are you feeling? I was worried about you on that long drive."

She shifted so her feet were resting on Finn's lap "My back is a little sore, but I'll be okay. Your daughter insists on constantly kicking me in the ribs though." She placed her hand on her belly and felt around for the tiny feet digging into her. She pressed her fingers into them hoping the baby would move from her current position.

Finn leaned over and placed his lips close "Elizabeth Carol, you be nice to your mother." He teased.

Rachel shifted slightly "Who are you kidding? You don't scare her; she already has you wrapped around her little finger."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Mom, Dad? I'm home!" the voice of the young man filled the main level of the house. He moved through the living area until he found his parents in the kitchen standing over the sink. His mother was leaning over the sink washing dishes while his father stood behind her, trying to distract her from the dishes. When he was younger it would always gross him out to find his parents this way, but now that he was an adult, he thought it was sweet that they were still so obviously in love with each other, even after all these years.

Rachel's face lit up when she heard the voice of her grown son entering their home. "Hey Honey!" She moved from her place between Finn and the sink and greeted her oldest son in a hug. "I'm glad you could make it."

Finn hugged him soon after "Hey, Chris. How was the trip?"

The younger man shrugged "It was okay, nothing too exciting."

"Tell us about school. Are you still getting good grades?"

Chris rolled his eyes "Yes, mom. I can't play on the team if my grades are bad, you know that."

"How is the team shaping up this season? Summer camp starts next month right? I'm planning on bringing Alex to your first home game in the fall." Finn interjected.

Rachel let her boys talk while she went back to washing dishes, this time without the distraction of her husband and Finn and Chris moved to sit at the table on the other side of the room.

"The teams looking good, we still have most of our offensive line from last year and I heard they are trying to recruit some great players for the fall. Is Alex going to play for you on the team this year?"

Finn smiled "Yeah, he wants to play. I should thank you actually, all those years you spent chasing your little brother around the yard sure did make him fast." He chuckled lightly.

Chris laughed "Oh well, that was entirely my pleasure." He looked around "Where are Alex and Liz anyway?"

Rachel answered over her shoulder "Elizabeth is a graduation practice and Alexander is still at his driver's ed class; they should both be home in about an hour." She stepped away from the sink and dried her hands on a kitchen towel before sitting on her husband's lap at the kitchen table. "Until then, how about you tell us about school life?"

"Mom."

"What? We don't get to see you that often. Fill us in. Have you been dating?" She asked and immediately noticed the blush that suddenly appeared on Chris's face "So you have been dating. What is her name? Does she go to school with you?"

Chris sighed. He knew how persistent his mother could be and knew that there was no way she was going to let it go; he may as well get this over with. "Yes, I'm seeing someone. Her name is Katie, she is a nursing student. We met a few months ago in the library."

Rachel clapped her hands together a few times. "Is it serious?"

"Mom." He groaned. He looked at Finn practically begging him with his eyes to save him from his mother's interrogation.

Finn lifted his hands from where they were resting on Rachel's thighs and held them up "Don't look at me. You better just answer her questions."

Rachel smiled and turned her head to kiss his cheek. "Thank you baby." She focused her attention back to her son "So, is it serious?" She asked again.

Again Chris sighed in defeat "We have only been dating a few months, but I really like her and I think she likes me just as much. If things keep going well, you might be able to meet her over the summer. That's it. That's all the information I'm giving you." He teased.

Rachel glanced at the clock hanging over the back door "I hope we do get to meet her soon, you know I just want you to be happy. I better get dinner started; we are having lasagna, your favorite."

Both Finn and Chris smiled widely "Awesome." They said at the same time. Sometimes they were so much alike.

Katie looked at Chris from her spot beside him on the swing "You really told them that back then? That was like two years ago."

He smiled and kissed her softly "I did."

"I'm glad you invited me here this weekend. It's been fun. I forgot how boring high school graduations are though."

He tightened his grip around her as the swing rocked them gently "They are so long! I kind of hope ours is that boring just so Liz and Alex will have to suffer through it."

Katie swatted his shoulder playfully "Not me, I just want to be done with college already. This weekend was a nice break though. Thank you for inviting me."

"I'm glad you came. I know my family can be a little crazy sometimes, it works for us though." He teased.

She laughed "It does. Your family is pretty great."

Chris turned serious and moved to face her "You think so?"

She rested her hand on his chest and placed a kiss to his lips. "Of course."

He took in a deep breath "I was hoping you would say that." He paused and "How would you fell about joining it?"

Katie's eyes went wide as Chris dropped onto his knee in front of her on the swing. Somehow, he produced a velvet box and took her hand.

"My parents taught me a lot of things in my life, but the most important thing, I think, is how to love and be loved. They showed me how awesome love can be, especially when you have the right person. A person who makes you feel better just by being in the room, a person who believes in you, a person who doesn't get mad when you watch football on Thanksgiving," her blue eyes were shining with tears as she giggled "a person who loves you for you. Katie, we have been together for a little more than two years, and I know beyond a doubt that you are that person for me. You make me a better. I love you so much and it would make me the happiest man ever if," he swallowed thickly and took in another breath "If you would be my wife. Will you marry m-"

"Yes!" she shouted, lunging for him before he could finish. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she kissed him frantically as she straddled his lap on the deck of his parents' house. "Yes!" she said again between kisses. "I love you." She sat up slightly, allowing Chris to do the same so he could remove the ring from the box and slide it on her trembling finger. She held her left hand out to admire the ring for only a second "I love you" she said again before she resumed the frantic kissing all over his face.

Chris lay under his new fiancé accepting her kisses and returning her declarations of love. He couldn't help but hope that maybe one day his own children could make memories on a similar front porch swing; he was unaware that, from the window, his parents were watching them and sharing the same sentiment.

AN- There you have it! Thanks for reading. Reviews are always welcome.

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