A/N- Here we go again. This story insisted that it be written, so I gave into it. This one, like my others, is AU and generally fluffy. I honestly couldn't thank Mel enough for her help with this. She put up with way more of my crazy than normal. So, extra special thank you to Mel! Also, a special thank you for all the encouragement from all my Twitter friends, too. You know who you are. As always, I do not own Glee or its characters nor do I own the music used. This is purely for fun.

"Hey Rachel!"

Rachel stopped and turned when she heard her name being called from behind her. "Hey, Mer." She smiled and waited for the girl to catch up to her in the hall.

Mercedes Jones and Rachel Berry had both joined the glee club when Mr. Schuester had taken over during their sophomore year and despite both girls being extremely competitive, they became fast friends. They were both very talented singers and as co-captains and have lead the club in many local and state competitions. In the show choir world, they were respected but at William McKinley High School they were still considered to be at the bottom of the social ladder.

Winter break had just ended and their senior year of high school was winding down. It was the first week of the new year and the regional show choir competition was coming up next month. "I was thinking that maybe we could practice in the auditorium after school today." Mercedes told her while wrapping an arm around Rachel's shoulder.

"Sure. With regionals coming up, we should get all the practice time in that we can." Rachel lifted the paper she had in her hand to look at it. "This semester is going to be so easy. I only have one class that's required."

Mercedes let go of Rachel and looked at her own schedule "Yeah, me too. Just English, the rest are all cake courses. I have Brooks for English, sixth period, how about you?"

Rachel clapped enthusiastically "We have the same English class. I've had Brooks before, it shouldn't be too bad." She assured with a smile "It's even better that we are in the same class."

"Much better, Shorty. I've got to get to class; I'll see you at lunch?"

"Definitely." Rachel said.

The first half of the day flew by. Rachel was loving her classes so far, being a senior was fantastic. She and Mercedes had just finished lunch and Rachel was heading to her study period, not that she needed it, she only had one class that would be giving homework and it wasn't till later. She walked steadily and didn't notice the group of boys that turned the corner in front of her. They were all wearing letterman jackets and the two in front of the group were holding large cups in front of them. Before she knew what had hit her, her face was hit with a stinging, icy, wetness. She sputtered as the small shards of ice melted and dripped off her face, she heard laughter as one of the boys called back to her "Happy New Year, Berry." As the laughter moved further away from her, the ice made its way down the front of her sweater; she couldn't wait to get out of this school.

Rachel dragged a hand down her face and tried to open her eyes enough to locate the nearest restroom. She took a step and slipped slightly on the sugary liquid that was pooling at her feet. Suddenly a large hand took hand of her elbow and she heard an unfamiliar voice. "Whoa. What the heck happened? Who did this? Are you ok?" The deep voice questioned rapidly.

Rachel sighed "I'm fine, this isn't the first time I've been slushied and I'm sure it won't be the last. Can you point me in the direction of the nearest restroom?"

The man led her cautiously out of the puddle and led her down the hall. He stopped "Uhh, here's one. Do you want me to get someone to help you in there?"

"No thank you. It was quite chivalrous of you to help me get this far, unfortunately I have plenty of experience doing this on my own." She pushed the door open, only opening her eyes enough to find her way into the restroom, and spoke again "I've got it from here. Thank you again."

The stranger stepped back "If you're sure."

Rachel entered the restroom and the door closed behind her. For the last three years, she and the rest of the glee club had been slushied two to three times a week. She always carried an extra set of clothes and an empty plastic bag to keep the slushy covered clothes separate from the rest of the items in her backpack. She cleaned herself up and changed into the spare set of clothes and combed out her hair, styling it as best she could. She only had a few months left of high school and then she was going to New York. Someday she was going to show those meat heads that she was not the loser they believe her to be. She left the restroom grateful to the stranger who had helped her; she would have to be sure to thank him when she found out who he was.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Finn Hudson was finally finishing college. He only had one semester left and most of it would be spent student teaching at McKinley High School, the same high school he had graduated from only four years ago. He would be spending his mornings with Mr. Thomas teaching history and his afternoons teaching English with Mrs. Brooks. Finn was hoping that if this goes well, he would be teaching at McKinley full-time in the fall after he officially graduated college.

His first day so far had been generally uneventful. He had been introduced to three different groups of history students and one group of English students so far. The teachers weren't having him do much on his first day, he was mostly just observing. He would smile and wave from the side of the room when the teacher would introduce him and that was it for today. It was all pretty boring over all.

The only thing of merit that had happened today was after lunch. He was making his way through the halls, on his way to his afternoon English classes when he turned the corner and saw a girl, probably a student, standing in a puddle of purple liquid. He saw the girl swipe a hand down her face to remove some of the liquid and just as she had taken a step, her foot slid slightly. Finn rushed to her side and placed a hand on her elbow to steady her. He had asked what had happened, but the girl acted like it was not a big deal. He wasn't sure why anybody would throw a slushy at somebody. The girl seemed pretty and nice and he wondered why her classmates felt like she deserved that. He didn't think she did. He hoped he would be able to see her again sometime today and make sure she was okay.

Right now, however, he had to be ready to smile and wave for the next group of English students.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Rachel had made it through her study period and was now entering her sixth period English class. Her eyes immediately began scanning the desks in the classroom looking for her friend. She spotted Mercedes sitting on the second row and quickly took the seat next to hers.

Mercedes noticed right away that Rachel had changed clothes "Damn girl, did they get you already? I thought maybe they would give us one day."

"No such luck." Rachel pulled her notebook and pen out of her backpack.

"Do you still want to meet in the auditorium after school?"

Rachel looked at her quizzically, "Why wouldn't I? They will not beat me. We will go about our day as if those Neanderthals did not exist."

"Whatever you say, Shorty." Mercedes chuckled lightly and both girls turned their attention to Mrs. Brooks at the front of the room.

The older woman cleared her throat to alert the rest of the class that it was time to begin "Welcome to senior English. I see a lot of familiar faces in here. This semester we are fortunate enough to be joined by Mr. Hudson, he is joining us from Lima State, where he is finishing his studies to be a teacher." She gestured to the corner of the room at a tall man wearing dark jeans and a grey sweater vest over top a blue collared shirt. He waved timidly at the class and Mrs. Brooks began to explain the syllabus.

Rachel knew she should be listening to the teacher, but she was busy staring at Mr. Hudson. Why does he have to be so attractive? She was lost in her thoughts about how cute he was, when she felt a hard jab into her upper arm. She looked to see Mercedes looking at her with a raised eyebrow and just like that, her mind was back where it should be.

The hour or so that they were in sixth period flew by. Rachel and Mercedes packed up the items they had on their desks and left the classroom. As soon as they were in the hall, Mercedes began her questioning "Geez, could you be more obvious?"

"What?" Rachel asked. She really had no idea what her friend was talking about.

She scoffed "You were staring at the student teacher guy so hard I thought you were going to burn a hole through him."

Rachel's cheeks immediate turned red "He's cute." She shrugged.

"He's a teacher."

"I know that! He is just incredibly attractive. Am I not allowed to notice cute boys? I'm not a nun."

Mercedes countered "Boy's, yes. But he is not a boy."

"You act like I just tried to seduce him. I assure you my leering was purely innocent." She adjusted her backpack "I've got to go to ceramics; I'll catch you after school, the auditorium?"

Mercedes nodded and the girls parted ways in the hallway.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Rachel had finished her classes for the day; she was on her way to the auditorium when she heard a familiar voice "I see that you are okay."

Her head whipped around to see Mr. Hudson walking next to her, his hands tucked into his front pockets. "Mr. Hudson? You were the one who helped me earlier?" She ignored the way her heart sped up as he spoke.

He shrugged "Yeah. You were in one of my classes today, Rachel, right?"

"Yes. Rachel Berry. Thank you again for helping me to find the restroom. If too much of that gets in your eye it burns longer."

He looked at her sympathetically "Does that happen often?"

"A couple times a week. You get used to it." She sighed.

"Geez, that never happened when I went here. That's brutal."

She stopped in front of the large double doors "You went here?"

"Yeah. It's weird to be here as a teacher though." He smiled and a dimple appeared on his cheek.

"I bet." She turned and looked at the closed doors behind here "Well, I have to get going. Thank you again for helping. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

He took a step away as she pulled open one of the doors. "No problem. See you around."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Who names their show choir Tongue Lashing anyway?" Tina said.

Rachel, Mercedes, Artie, and Sam had been spending their lunch hour discussing the past weekend's regionals competition. They were all in high spirits since they had won.

"I'm just glad we beat them." Sam chimed in "All thanks to our top divas!" He raised his milk to the center of the table and the others at the table did the same with their own beverages. "To Rachel and Mercedes," he said.

"To Rachel and Mercedes!" The table repeated.

Rachel interrupted the laughter "While I think that we helped, we definitely couldn't have done it without all of you."

"It's true," Mercedes added.

A new voice soon joined in the celebration, "Hey guys. I heard about your regionals win this weekend. Congratulations."

The table all turned towards the voice and Rachel greeted him "Oh hey, Mr. Hudson." Her face turned a shade redder when he smiled at her warmly.

"Hey Rachel, everybody. I just wanted to say congrats. I heard you guys killed it. Nationals next right?" he asked casually.

"Nationals is our next competition, but we were thinking of having a pre-nationals show in the auditorium a couple weeks before. You know, flush out the bugs before the big show." Artie answered for the rest of the table.

Mr. Hudson smiled at the group "That would be awesome. It might be cool to see."

"You should come. You know if we decide to do it." Rachel blurted out. Her face immediately turned bright red and she awkwardly took a drink of her water.

Finn noticed how the occupants of the table smirked at Rachel's invitation "Be sure to let me know if you decide to do it. And good luck at Nationals. I'll let you guys finish your lunch; you don't need some teacher cramping your style. See you in class." They all waved and he walked away from the table.

"Geez Rachel, could you be more obvious?" Tina teased.

Rachel's cheeks turned bright red "What do you mean, Tina?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes "You know what she means. I told you that you were obvious."

"I am not."

Sam and Artie both interjected "You are."

"Everybody has a crush on their teacher at some point. It's no big deal. Mine was Mr. Bateman 4th grade." Mercedes said.

"Mr. Cruise 7th grade." Tina added.

"Mrs. Romero 2nd grade." Artie said dreamily.

Sam looked around the table sheepishly "Mrs. Owen."

"What?!" they all asked and Artie continued "Isn't she the school nurse?"

Sam's cheeks turned red and he smiled, "Yeah she is."

They all laughed and shook their heads. "See you aren't the only one who has ever had a crush on a teacher." Mercedes looked between Sam and Rachel "Just behave."

Rachel rolled her eyes "Nothing is going to happen. He is a teacher and I am student, which would break so many rules."

Sam smiled "I'm not making any promises."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Punch?"

Rachel looked up from the refreshment table to see Mr. Hudson looking at her expectantly.

He raised an eyebrow at her and repeated his question, "Punch?" he asked.

Rachel snapped out of her state of shock "That would be lovely Mr. Hudson. Thank you." She took the clear plastic cup from him and took a small sip. "What are you doing here? Is it normal for a student teacher to have to chaperone prom?"

His eyes lit up and his smile was wide causing dimples to appear in his cheeks when he responded "Uhh, not usually. They offered me extra credit if I would help chaperone, so," He shrugged and filled another clear plastic cup with punch "I figured why not. It's not like I have anything better to do." He took a sip from the cup as his eyes darted around the room.

"Your girlfriend didn't mind you hanging out with high school students on a Saturday night?" she asked casually.

Finn took another drink from his cup "Nah, she is on spring break with her cousins."

"Oh." Rachel frowned slightly. She had no intention of dating Mr. Hudson, but knowing he had a girlfriend kind of deflated her fantasy. She held her cup out to him and he refilled it. Her mood was instantly lifted again when one of her favorite party songs started to play "Oh my gosh! I love this song." She looked onto the dance floor and saw some of her friends smiling and dancing. She turned back to her teacher "Come on Mr. Hudson. It's practically a law that everybody dance when this song comes on."

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly "Uhh, I don't really know how to dance."

Her mouth dropped open and she set her cup on the table before taking his from him and setting it down next to hers. "Mr. Hudson, there is nothing to learn, it is the YMCA. You just make the letters with your arms. Come on. Join us." She turned and took a step away from him then looked back to see he still hadn't moved. "It's easy, I promise. Come on."

Finn took a deep breath and reluctantly followed her to where Artie, Tina, Mercedes, and Sam were all dancing. "I guess, but it's on you if I hurt somebody." He chuckled, only half joking.

She looked over her shoulder and laughed "I'll take my chances."

They hopped in place, each person dancing in their own way until the chorus when everybody would throw their hands up and make the letters along with the song. Finn caught on quickly and was soon dancing along with the group. He was glad he joined in, despite his clumsiness. The song was ending and he had managed to make it through without hurting anybody.

The fast song faded away and was replaced by a slower song and he noticed the couples pairing off. The teens were wrapping their arms around each other and starting to sway to David Guetta's Without You when he noticed that Rachel wasn't dancing with anybody. He moved to stand next to her and asked, "Where's your date?"

"I didn't come with one."

Finn looked at her "Really? Well then." He held out his hand "May I have this dance?" He couldn't let her stand there looking sad and he could manage one dance.

Rachel was shocked. Did Mr. Hudson really just ask her to dance? "O-Okay." She took his hand and he led her to the edge of the crowd.

He held her right hand in his and held it off to the side while his left rested on her waist. Rachel placed her left hand on his shoulder and they began to rock with the beat of the music. Finn broke the silence first "I saw the glee club showcase last night."

She looked up at him with wide eyes "You did?"

His lip quirked up in a small half smile "Yeah. You guys are really good. You especially. You blew me away with your solo."

"Thank you Mr. Hudson." She said shyly.

"I mean it. I bet you could be on Broadway or something if you wanted to."

She smiled brightly. For some reason, it meant a lot that he believed in her "I hope so. I will be attending NYADA, that's in New York, in the fall; many students that have graduated from there have gone on to star in plays on Broadway. It is my dream to be one of them."

"Then I have no doubt that you will."

"Thank you. What about you? What are you going to do when you get your teaching degree?"

"I'm hoping to get a permanent position at McKinley in the fall. A couple teachers may be retiring and they are always looking for help with the football team."

Rachel looked surprised "You play football?"

"Yeah. Well, I did until the season ended." He shrugged slightly. "I would love to coach someday, but right now my focus is finishing my student teaching so I can get my degree and hopefully get hired here."

"I'm sure you would make a wonderful coach, just like I know you will make a wonderful teacher." She stated firmly. They swayed in silence for a moment before she decided she wanted to know more "How come you didn't go on spring break with your girlfriend?"

He shrugged "It's not really my thing. It's not a big deal though, we haven't been dating long." He answered in a casual tone.

"Oh." The song began to fade out and Finn and Rachel stopped swaying "Thank you for the dance Mr. Hudson."

He stepped back and released her hand "Thank you. It's pretty awesome that one day I will be able to say that I danced with Rachel Berry; famous Broadway actress."

Rachel beamed up at him "That you will, Mr. Hudson."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Ladies and gentlemen I give you McKinley High class of 2012!"

The sky was filled with red caps as the graduating students threw them in the air in celebration. Rachel hugged her –former- classmates as she made her way out of the crowd. She stopped to congratulate person after person until she was finally outside of the main group of people.

She saw Mr. Hudson standing several feet away, watching the crowd with purpose. He was shifting his weight between his feet as he watched, his left hand clutching a small gift bag. She took a step towards him and his eyes met hers before he walked to meet her.

"Mr. Hudson! You sat through that whole thing? Didn't you finish student teaching last week?"

He rubbed the back of his neck a little awkwardly and looked at the ground "Yeah, well, I kinda work here now, so I thought I should come to graduation. You know, show my support."

Rachel gasped and smiled widely before launching herself at him, her arms wrapping him up in a big hug "You work here? You got offered a job? That's wonderful Mr. Hudson."

He tentatively moved his arms around her and returned her hug before separating himself from her. "Well, it's not official yet, I have to actually get my certificate first."

"Which you will do." She interjected.

His lips quirked up in a half smile showing off the dimple in his left cheek. "I should. I may even have an assistant coaching position with the football team."

"That's fantastic!"

He shifted almost uncomfortably before he held out the hand holding the gift bag to her "I, uhh, got this for you. Congratulations on graduating."

Her eyes went wide as she took the bag from him shyly "For me?"

He nodded "Open it."

She peeked inside the bag and moved the tissue paper aside to see a black, round disk looking up at her. Her hand clamped around the object and she pulled it out of the bag so she could examine it more closely.

Finn was watching her examine the gift and before he knew it, he was rambling. "When I started college, I found that I needed to drink lots of coffee to be able to keep up. I don't really like the taste of it, but it helps." He looked her hand; her thumb was rubbing the writing on the side of the travel mug and he could swear there were tears in her eyes. "I saw it when I went to visit my brother in New York. You said that you wanted to be on Broadway, and, well, the mug just screamed Rachel Berry. Not just cause your name is on it." She smiled soflty and he continued, "You know, cause it looks like one of the doors on famous dressing rooms." The silence was starting to freak him out a little and he shifted again, unsure what to say next.

"It's… it's perfect. Thank you." She sniffled and placed the mug back into the gift bag "Nobody has ever given me a gift this nice before."

He shrugged "It's only a coffee mug, Rach."

"Still. It is a very thoughtful gift. Thank you. Thank you for the mug, thank you for being a great teacher, just, thank you. I know you will do great things here at McKinley." She took a step towards him and once again wrapped her arms around him in a hug, which he returned.

"I know you will do great, Rachel. Just don't forget about all of us here in Lima when you get famous." He chuckled.

She wiped the moisture gathering in the corner of her eye and sniffled again "There are many people here I could never forget." She told him honestly. "I better go find my dads, they are probably looking all over for me." She reached out and squeezed his forearm. "Thank you again."

"You are welcome." He watched her until she blended into a sea of red gowns and he turned to go home.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Finn walked out of the hardware store and lumbered down Main Street. Christmas was in a week and the streets were lined with wreaths and the store front windows were painted with fake snow. His hands were in his pockets, a plastic sack hanging from his wrist, as he took in all the decorations of the small town.

His eyes were scanning the town and when he looked across the street, he saw a small brunette woman leaving the Lima Bean. She was wearing a red coat and both her hands were wrapped around a cup of coffee, steam rising from the lid. His eyes travelled up to see the face of the woman. She looked so much like Rachel, an older more grown up Rachel, but still her. Could it be? He hadn't seen here since her high school graduation almost four years ago. Last he heard she was kickin' ass at NYADA and on track to make all her dreams come true. Maybe she was here visiting her fathers, it is the holiday after all.

Finn stepped to the curb and checked for traffic before making his way across the street to the woman. His steps were large and deliberate as he fell in step behind her.

Rachel held the mug tightly, hoping the hot liquid would warm her hands as she made her way to her father's office. She had decided that since her Dads had visited her in the city for the three and a half years she had been in college, she could suck it up and visit them this year. She had flown into Ohio and had to borrow her dad's car while he was at work, the only cost would be that she would have to pick him up after. When she arrived at his office, he had been pulled into a meeting and she decided she would walk down to the Lima Bean and get coffee. Rachel had gotten her drink and was making her way back to the office, taking in all the decorations as the sun began to set. Despite not celebrating Christmas, she really did love the decorations. She felt someone coming up behind her, but before she had a chance to decide whether the person was harmful or not, she heard him speak.

"Rachel?"

She turned around quickly to see the still handsome face of her former teacher looking at her happily. "Mr. Hudson." She said, her tone a mixture of shock and happiness. She extended her arm and gave him a one arm hug, careful not to spill her coffee. He wrapped his large hands around her and squeezed her tight.

"Please, I'm not your teacher anymore, just call me Finn." He smiled and stepped back to look at her. "Wow. Uh, New York agrees with you. You look great."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at the lid of her cup. "Thank you Mr. Hud- Finn. You look great too. Are you still at McKinley?"

"Yeah, I'm teaching history and coaching football. I took over when The Bieste retired last year."

She placed her hand on his forearm and squeezed "That's wonderful, I knew you could do it." She gestured to the bag he was holding "Hardware store?"

He looked at the bag in his hand; honestly he had forgotten he had it. "Oh, yeah, I needed some light bulbs. What about you, are you in town for the holidays?"

"Yes. While, I'm not normally one to visit Lima, my dads and I decided that since they have spent every Christmas in New York since I moved there, that it was my turn. I have a few weeks off school and the town is always so pretty. Not as pretty as New York, but you understand." She explained.

"I guess. I've never been to New York at Christmas time. My brother always comes here."

"Finn! You simply must visit during the holidays. It is magical." She boasted and he laughed. She lifted her now cooled coffee to her lips for a sip.

Finns eyes went wide, "Is that…" he took the cup from her and examined it closer, "You still have this?"

At that moment she was glad her face was so cold since it was hiding the blush on her cheeks "Of course I do. It was a gift, a very thoughtful gift. I use it all the time."

He examined the faded lettering and star on the mug and handed it back to her "I just never figured you would still have it, let alone ever use it." he said softly "I mean it has been almost four years."

"It has." She took another sip. "It is still the best gift I have ever received."

"So, uh, what are you doing right now? Do you maybe wanna grab dinner, catch up?"

She looked over her shoulder at her dad's office "Well, I was here to pick up Daddy from work, but if you don't mind driving, dinner sounds lovely."

"Awesome."

Rachel walked up the block to tell her father that she had a ride and was going out to dinner while Finn walked to his truck. Finn pulled in front of the Architecture firm and got out of the truck, meeting her on the side walk where he opened the door, and offered his hand to help her get in.

She took the hand he was offering and climbed into the passenger side of his blue Ford. "Thank you." She said with a smile as he nodded and closed her door.

Rachel couldn't believe she was about to go to dinner with Mr. Hudson, in his truck. She thought that a crush she had 4 years ago would have gone away by now, but seeing him again just brought it all back. Her crush was not only back, it seemed stronger. She felt a connection to him, she always had.

He slid into the driver's seat and started the truck. "So, is Breadstix ok?"

She looked over at him as the truck began moving. "It's fine Mr…" she giggled, "Finn. It's so weird to call you that."

He looked at her briefly; his expression amused "I understand. I still have a hard time not calling Mr. Schue, Mr. Schue. But please, it wierds me out enough being called that at school."

Rachel giggled at how adorable he was as they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. He got out and once again opened her door for her and when she got out; he placed his hand on the small of her back to lead her into Breadstix. They sat at a booth in the back and the waitress brought them each a glass of water and a menu.

"So, Rachel, how is New York?" he asked as they looked over their menus.

"It's wonderful! I'm about to finish school, as I'm sure you know. The final semester has the seniors putting on an original musical. Each major has to play a part in putting it together. I'm hoping to get the lead, of course."

"Of course." He agreed with a smile. The waitress came back to the table them and they ordered their meals. As the waitress walked away, Finn looked at Rachel "What?"

"What?" Rachel's face turned bright red at his question. She had a feeling she knew what he was asking.

He elaborated "You, I don't know, have a look."

She blushed a deeper red and took a sip of her water. "It's just, when I was in high school, I had a major crush on you." She looked down at the table completely mortified she had just told him that. "My friends used to tease me about it all the time."

His face wore a decidedly Finn half smile "Me? Really?"

"Oh come on Finn, you are a nice, attractive teacher; half the girls at McKinley probably have crushes on you." She teased.

He leaned closer to her from his spot across the table as if he what he was about to say was a secret, "That's too bad for them because I already have my eye on someone else." He said in a soft tone.

Rachel looked at him as her heart pounded in her chest, there was no way he was talking about her. No way.

"Can I tell you something, Rachel?"

By now, she was sure her heart was going to leap out of her chest and land on the table between them. The look he was giving her was so piercing, so honest. She tried to bring herself under control before she spoke. "Of course, Finn. You can tell me anything."

"I don't know what it is about you, but ever since I've met you, I have felt this… this connection to you. I can't explain it. It's like I can feel when you are near me. I know you have been in New York for years now, but I never really got you out of my head, not completely. When I thought I saw you leaving the coffee shop today, I had to find out if it was you. I had to know." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, slightly freaking out over his own admission. He released a long breath and continued on. "Four years ago, it was wrong of me to act on anything, but seeing you today, I couldn't let you go without talking to you, spending time with you." He moved his hands so that they were resting on the table and he took in another deep breath.

Rachel listened as Finn confessed how his feelings. She wanted to tell him that she never really got him out of her head either, she wanted to tell him that she was so glad he stopped her on the sidewalk today, she wanted to tell him that she felt the connection too. She moved closer to him, leaning slightly over the table, ready to tell him all of those things, but her lips betrayed her. "You know, you can kiss me if you want to."

Finn smiled and exhaled "I want to." He was barely able to finish his sentence before his lips pressed to hers.

Their lips never separating, Finn moved his hand to her cheek as his thumb caressed her cheek bone. Rachel parted her lips and moved her hand to the back of his neck where her fingers tangled in his hair. His hand moved so that he was able to pull her closer to him and deepen the kiss. Neither knew how long they were lost in each other, they only knew that this felt right, it felt real.

"Ahem."

The couple broke apart and sat back in their chairs. Rachel looked up at the waitress as she gently moved her napkin to her lap. "Sorry." She said sheepishly.

"It's okay." The waitress placed their plates on the table with a smile. "Does everything look alright? Can I get you anything else right now?" she asked.

Finn looked at Rachel then to the waitress "I think we are okay right now, thank you." The waitress nodded and smiled before leaving the table and he turned his attention back to Rachel, who was looking back at him guiltily. He reached across the table and took her hand, squeezing it lightly. "Well, that was a first." He chuckled.

Rachel giggled and her eyes met his and she turned her hand so that their palms were touching "I feel it too, you know." She laced her fingers between his, staring at the way they seemed to fit together perfectly and looked back at him, "We should eat, don't want it to get cold."

They both released the grip they had and ate their meals, the conversation between them flowed as thought they had been friends forever. Having long finished their meals, Finn paid the bill and led Rachel out of the restaurant to his truck. He drove her to her dads' house and parked in the driveway. "Wait here." He said before jumping out of the truck and almost running around the truck so he could open the door for her.

She took his offered hand and climbed out of the cab. "Thank you for dinner, Finn. I had a wonderful time tonight."

Their hands were still linked together when he closed the door and he turned to face her. "Can I see you again? I mean, I know you are here for family time, but I had a great time tonight too; it was really awesome getting to know you better."

She stood in front of him, her back to his truck. "I would like that very much," she said shyly.

He took a small step forward, his gaze piercing, and she placed her hand lightly on his chest. Her focus was split between his eyes and his lips as he slowly began closing the gap between them. He placed his hands on her hips and their lips were close enough he could feel her hot breath as she let out a barely audible "Finn" before their lips were once again fused together. His hands wrapped around her waist and he pulled her closer. Rachel moved her arms around his neck, as she felt herself being pinned between Finn and his truck.

Neither of them had ever felt so much in a kiss before. So much passion, need, and contentment passed between them in those moments, and neither wanted to let it go.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Daddy, I'm going out."

Rachel's father closed the book he was reading and looked at her while she stood in the doorway, purse in hand. "Are you going out with Finn again?" she nodded "That's the fourth time this week, doesn't his family have plans? It is Christmas Eve."

She clasped her hands in front of her and looked at the floor "I really like him daddy." She admitted quietly.

"I can see that, but sweetie, what happens when you go back to school next week?" the older man asked.

Rachel took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't know. This is still really new. I don't know what will happen with me and Finn next week, but right now, we are really enjoying each other's company." She looked out the window where she saw Finn pulling into her driveway and moved to kiss her father on the cheek. "I'll be back later Daddy. Enjoy your book."

"I will. You two have fun."

Rachel smiled at him as she walked outside to meet Finn in her driveway. He had seen her walk out the door and was waiting near the passenger door ready to assist her into the truck. "Hey." He said, kissing her lips as she climbed in.

"Hi Finn."

Now in the driver's seat, Finn took Rachel's hand and brought it to his lips before pulling out of the driveway and driving down the street. "I have a surprise for you."

His playful tone caused her face to lite up "What is it?" she asked excitedly.

He chuckled "Well, as you know, it's Christmas Eve and my family has a tradition, one I think you might be interested in." He raised an eyebrow and glanced quickly at her. "First we decorate cookies and have hot chocolate and then we go around our neighborhood singing Christmas carols."

She turned in her seat so her whole body was facing him "You want me to join you and for a family tradition?" She blinked a couple times "That means your brother will be there, Burt will be there, and your mom will be there."

Finn laughed "Well, yeah. That's kinda what I meant when I said family. A couple of my uncles and a few cousins will be there too." He pulled into the driveway of his parents' house and parked the truck. He got concerned when he saw the look on Rachel's face. "Rach, are you okay? I mean, we don't have to go if you don't want to, I know you don't really celebrate Christmas, but-"

"That's not it Finn." She reached over and placed her hand on his forearm, moving her thumb lightly as she spoke, she wasn't sure who she was trying to comfort. "It's just, it's your family, what if they don't like me?"

Her voice was so quiet; Finn almost didn't hear the last few words. He reached up and rested his hand on her cheek "They will like you, I promise." He leaned over and kissed her nose, "There is no reason why they won't, do you know why?" She shook her head, his hand still resting on her cheek, "Because I like you and that's all they need to know." He kissed her lips softly.

"Are you sure they won't mind that I'm here? It is your family tradition, I don't want to intrude." She needed to ask; even though she had a feeling she knew his answer.

He kissed her lips again, "I'm sure and they won't mind. It's really just a fun evening making cookies and singing. Can we go in now?" She nodded and Finn hurried around the truck and let her out. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her temple as they walked in the front door.

The house smelled like cookies and there were a few people milling about the family room. Rachel tightened the grip she had around Finn's waist as he made his way through the room introducing her to a couple cousins and an uncle on his way to the kitchen.

A woman whom Rachel assumed was Finn's mother turned away from the mixing bowl she had been using and immediately looked up and met his eyes "Hey honey." She paused when she noticed he wasn't alone, "Oh hello, you must be Rachel." The woman wiped her hands off on the hand towel pulled Rachel into a hug.

"Oh!" Rachel was caught off guard by the hug, though it wasn't unwelcome. She brought her own hands to the woman's back, resting them on her shoulder blades.

Pulling back the woman looked at her and smiled warmly "I'm Carol, Finn's mother. It's nice that you were able to join us this evening."

"I really appreciate you having me."

Carol turned her attention back to her son and gave him a hug as well "Burt and Kurt went down to the market, they should be back any minute, if you want, you can get started on some cookies. Rachel? Make yourself at home."

"Thank you, Carol."

"Thanks mom." Finn led Rachel to an empty spot at one of the tables that were set up "Well, which one do you want to do first?" he asked her.

"I think I'll start with the snowman." Finn grabbed one of the cookies shaped like a snowman and set it on a plate for her and then took one shaped like Santa for himself. "Santa?" She asked, slightly amused.

He shrugged, "He's my favorite." He leaned in till their foreheads were touching and smiled mischievously "He's also the biggest." He confided.

They both laughed then got to work decorating their cookies. The laughter and conversation flowed between them easily while they made use of the many decorating options Carol had put on the table. Neither Finn nor Rachel noticed the meaningful looks Carol had whenever she would look over at them. She had never seen her son so smitten.

When they were finished, they held them up proudly for the other to see. "Finn he looks great!"

Finn looked at his Santa cookie and took a bite "Tastes great too." He smiled and Rachel laughed. "Yours looks awesome, he looks… friendly."

She looked at her cookie "He does, doesn't he? I think I'll call him Walter."

"Walter?"

"Yes, Walter. That seems like the perfect name for a friendly snow man cookie."

"If you say so." He chuckled. "Do you wa-"

"Hey Finn, who's your friend?"

Finn turned to see his step father looking between him and Rachel and stood, holding his hand out for Rachel and pulling her up when she took it. "Hey Burt. This is Rachel. Rachel, this is Burt."

Rachel looked shyly at him, never letting go of Finn's hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Burt."

"You too, Rachel. Are you going to join us caroling?" He asked.

Rachel smiled and glanced at Finn "Yes, if that's okay." She asked, slightly unsure.

Burt chuckled "Of course it's ok. We are happy to have you." Burt looked around the room before focusing his attention back to Finn and Rachel "So, how did the two of you meet?"

The pair shared a look and Rachel squeezed Finn's hand, "At school." She said coolly. It was the truth.

"Oh. What do you teach?" He questioned.

Rachel's eyes widened, "I'm not a teacher. I am actually in my senior year at NYADA in New York."

"She is going to be on Broadway someday, you now." Finn cut in, hoping to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Oh yeah?" Burt looked to Rachel, obviously impressed. "You should meet Kurt, he loves that stuff."

Rachel tucked a piece of errant hair behind her ear "I have heard lots of great things about him, I can't wait."

"Well, Rachel, It was great meeting you. We will be heading out soon and I better go get my hot chocolate before we head out. I'll see you guys in a few minutes."

Rachel smiled warmly "It was lovely meeting you." Burt clapped Finn on the shoulder walked into the other room.

"Told you." Finn said, kissing her temple.

She squeezed his hand "Your family is wonderful, although, I'm not quite sure I'm ready for them to know I was your student when we met." She gave him a meaningful look "Thank you for inviting me today."

"Thank you for coming." He kissed her lips quickly "Maybe we should get hot chocolate too; we will be heading out soon."

"Lead the way."

Finn took Rachel's hand and they walked into the kitchen. Rachel stood close behind Finn as he poured her drink, and when he turned to hand it to her, he saw Kurt enter the room. "Hey Kurt." He greeted.

"Hello Finn." Kurt had specifically addressed Finn, but his eyes were focused on Rachel. "And who might this be?" he asked.

Finn rolled his eyes and placed his hand on Rachel's back. "This is my, uh… Rachel. This is Rachel Berry." Slightly embarrassed, Finn continued, "This is my brother Kurt." Kurt quickly held out his hand to her.

"It's great to finally meet you, Kurt." She took his hand and he shook it, enthusiastically shaking it.

"And I, you Miss. Berry. When Finn said he was bringing someone, I didn't realize he would be bringing a date."

"I don't tell you everything." Finn teased.

"Ok everybody, let's get going. Don't forget gloves and hats."

Finn wrapped his arm around Rachel's waist, "Looks like it's time to go. You ready babe?"

"Yeah."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Mom?"

"In here, sweetie."

Finn followed the sound of his mother's voice, finding her reading the newspaper at the dining room table. He leaned down and rubbed her shoulder while simultaneously kissing the top of her head as he walked past her into the kitchen. "Hey mom. I brought back your container thing. Thanks for leftovers."

Carol put down the paper and turned to watch him put away the plastic container. "No problem, you know we could never eat all those leftovers ourselves."

Finn pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and sat at the table with his mother. "Where is everybody?"

"Burt is at the shop, and Kurt went to the spa. What do you have planned today?"

Finn smiled "This is all I have planned this morning and I have a lunch date with Rachel in about an hour."

Carol reached her hand out and rested it on Finn's forearm. "Rachel is special, isn't she?"

"She is." He knew there was no reason to keep his feelings toward Rachel a secret, his mom always seemed to know before he did anyway.

"She seems like a sweet girl. How long have you known her?"

Finn took in a deep breath "About four years." It sounded more like a question "But we have only been dating since she came into town for the holiday." He added quickly.

Carol looked at him knowingly "Wasn't she still in high school four years ago… Oh Finn. You didn't?"

"No! No. Nothing like that." He held his hands up in defense. "I mean, yeah, that's when I met her; but nothing happened. Rachel was in one of the English classes I was student teaching. She graduated and moved to New York and I didn't see her again until she came to visit her fathers last week."

Carol looked visibly relieved "Well that's good to know. The two of you go well together."

"Thanks mom. I really like her. I'm kind of dreading when she goes back next week." He confided.

She tilted her head slightly and looked at her adult son thoughtfully "Finn, if you two are meant to be, you will both find a way to make this work. In the meantime, you have another week until she has to go, make the most of it."

"I will mom. Thanks again for the leftovers, and the pep talk." He stood and pulled his mother in for a hug.

"Anytime honey"

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"I can't believe it's New Year's Eve already. I feel like break just started." Rachel sighed and leaned into Finn's chest.

Finn and Rachel were standing outside the crowd of people who were celebrating the New Year at the lake. It was a long standing Lima tradition that there would be a party at the lake. There wasn't really anybody in charge, and everybody was invited. The party just came together every year. They had been standing together looking out over the lake in a peaceful contentment. It was nice to be here together, even though they both knew that Rachel would have to go back to New York soon.

His arms wrapped around her shoulders and he rested his chin lightly on her head. "I know." He kissed the top of her head "Rachel?"

"Yes?"

"What happens when you go back to New York in a couple days?" He subconsciously tightened his grip as the question rolled off his tongue.

Rachel turned in his embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist, and looked into his eyes "I don't know Finn. I have had a wonderful time these past couple weeks. I'm really not ready for it to end."

He rested his hands on her shoulders "Who says it has to, Rach? I mean, yeah, you'll be in New York and I'll be here, but that doesn't mean we can't still make time for each other." His eyes were hopeful and he spoke again, "It might be hard, but if anyone can do it, I think it's us."

"Are you sure, Finn? We have only been going out for a couple weeks and long distance relationships can be difficult."

He kissed her lips gently "I'm sure. I can't just let you go without even trying. We can Skype and visit whenever we can. We can do it. I know we can."

Rachel threw her arms around Finn's neck and buried her face in his neck, while Finn wrapped his around her waist. They shared a long embrace. When they pulled back Rachel looked at Finn in awe. "I'm so glad you said that. I didn't want to be that clingy girl and drive you away."

"You couldn't if you tried." He said. His lips lowered to hers and they kissed passionately in the moonlight. When they broke apart, Finn spoke breathlessly "Would it be okay if I called you my girlfriend?"

Rachel smiled widely at how adorable he sounded "I would like that very much."

She leaned onto her toes and they kissed once again. They were both so lost in the kiss that neither of them heard the crowd around them countdown to the New Year. The sound of fireworks exploding overhead caused them to part and they both looked to the sky.

Rachel turned so her back was pressed to Finn's front and he once again had wrapped his arms around her shoulders. As the fireworks lit up the sky in an amazing display of color, Finn placed a kiss to the top of Rachel's head and leaned to whisper in her ear "This is going to be an amazing year, Rach."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"So, you and my brother, huh?" Kurt looked at the small brunette who only smiled in return.

As Burt had predicted, Rachel and Kurt had a lot of things in common. The two of them had made fast friends and had decided that they would fly out of Ohio together. Finn had driven them both to the airport and after a reluctant farewell (more so to Rachel) at the security gate, he had left them to find their way to where their plane would be boarding.

Rachel sighed as they stood in line at the airport coffee shop "I know it seems crazy, we have only been dating two weeks."

"It's not crazy, Rachel, I see the way he looks at you."

She turned her head suddenly, surprised at Kurt's revelation. "You think so?" Kurt nodded, "I hope this long distance thing will work out." She pulled her coffee mug from her purse ready to hand it to the guy behind the counter when Kurt suddenly snagged it from her hand. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Finn got one just like this forever ago when he was visiting me in the city." Rachel's cheeks turned a bright pink. "He said he was getting it for one of his students… you… were…h-his student?" he questioned, eyes wide.

Rachel snagged the mug back from him and handed it to the barista while she recited her order, Kurt recovering from his discovery momentarily to do the same. They paid and moved to the side; Rachel could practically see the wheels in Kurt's mind turning furiously. "Relax Kurt. It's not like that. Nothing happened. Yes, he was my teacher –student teacher actually- but nothing happened. I actually had a huge crush on him back then, it wasn't until I saw him a couple weeks ago that either of us acted on it. It didn't shock anyone more than me, I assure you. " Rachel scoffed lightheartedly and took the mug the barista was now offering her.

Kurt took his own drink at looked thoughtfully at his new friend. "So, even though you had a crush on him back then, and I can practically see the electricity between you two, nothing happened back then?" He didn't sound like he believed his own words.

"Correct." She took a sip of her drink. "Although, we did share a dance at my senior prom. He was very chivalrous." She smiled at the memory.

"You got him to dance? He didn't hurt you did he?"

Rachel laughed "No. He did mention that was a possibility though."

Kurt laughed alongside Rachel as they drank their coffees and when the voice come over the loud speaker announcing that their flight was now boarding, they walked to their gate. "I am glad he met you. I think you are good for him."

Rachel was happy she had the approval of Kurt. Despite the distance, she was feeling pretty good about her new relationship status.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Rachel was pacing in front of the mirror in her dressing room. This was it. He entire college career was culminating in tonight's performance. The senior class was ready to showcase their respective majors and come together in this one night only event. The play had been written, directed, scored, promoted, and performed by students and she had managed to land a lead role and it was almost show time. Normally, performing came with a certain ease for Rachel. She knew the stage was where she belonged, but tonight, it had the added pressure of a diploma.

She was waiting at the side of the stage, when a wave of calm came over her. She wasn't sure where her sudden confidence was coming from, but she knew she had this. She was ready, she knew it.

She stood on the stage, reciting her lines and singing her songs, and when it was over she took her bow and exited the stage knowing she had just completed the last requirement to graduating college.

Her smile was wide as she exited the schools theatre and made her way to the spot where she and Kurt had agreed to meet up after the show. She was surprised, however, to see that he was not alone. She saw the tall figure standing next to him with his hands in his pockets and she quickened her pace. The closer she was, the more sure she had become that it was Finn standing with Kurt. She was almost in a dead run when she leaped into his arms.

"I thought you couldn't come." She whispered into his neck.

Finn tightened his grip around her waist and kissed the side of her head. "I wanted to surprise you, I couldn't miss this."

His grip loosened slightly and Rachel slid down his body. Her feet made contact with the ground and she suddenly remembered that Kurt was there too. She gripped Finn's hand and turned away slightly, "Did you know about this?"

Kurt took a step towards her and hugged her tightly. "Don't be silly Rachel, of course I did. You were amazing up there." He kissed her on the cheek and stepped back "I'm sure you knew that already. I'm going to leave you guys to.." He trailed off looking between the couple "Well, whatever. I'll see you guys tomorrow for lunch."

"Thanks Kurt." they said in unison. Kurt lifted a hand and waved delicately as he walked away.

Rachel placed her hands on Finn's chest "I can't believe you are here."

He leaned down and kissed her deeply, when they pulled away he rested his forehead on hers "I'm here all weekend."

"Really?" She squealed.

He kissed her softly and the corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile. "Really."

"It's only Thursday, don't you have school tomorrow?"

"I got a substitute. I told you I couldn't miss this. It was important to you and I wanted to be here. I missed you so much." He took her into a big bear hug lifting her off the ground.

She giggled, "You saw me yesterday."

"Through Skype doesn't count." He kissed her again and placed her back on the ground.

"This is definitely better." She agreed "Come on." Her fingers intertwined with his and she lead him through campus.

They talked with ease as Rachel led them to her apartment. She placed her key in the door and when they were both inside, she dropped her purse and leaped into his arms, kissing him frantically as she wrapped her legs around his waist. "I missed you so much." She murmured between kisses.

"Me too Rach, me too." His hands cupped her butt as he held her close to him. He fused his lips to hers as he gently pressed her back against the nearest wall.

Her hands tangled in his hair as the air in their lungs ran out. When they pulled apart so they could take in air, she hastily pointed down her hallway. "Bedroom." She managed to get out before attempting to kiss him again. He looked so sexy with his hair all messed up and his lips swollen.

He searched her eyes for any indications that he shouldn't follow her instructions. Although they had been dating for five months, they had spent very little of that time in the same state. There was the two weeks at Christmas when they had started dating, she had visited him in Lima during her spring break- he still had school- and then this. Other than that, they had been spending all their time together in phone calls, texting, or on Skype. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know, she wanted this as much as he did.

He supported her as their kissing resumed and he backed away from the wall, carrying her to her bedroom where he placed her on her bed. She scooted herself further up the bed on her elbows and Finn followed, hovering over her. The kissing once again resumed, only pausing to remove clothing. Later, as they lay there naked and content, neither of them could deny the emotions swirling within them.

Rachel was on her side and Finn was snuggled behind her rubbing small soft circles on her upper arm. He leaned over, softly brushing the hair away from her face and kissed her cheek. His voice was full of emotion as he whispered in her ear, "I love you."

Shocked by his admission, she turned to face him. Her eyes locked on his and she knew he was sincere, not that she had any reason to doubt it. "I love you, too." She affirmed. She had felt this way for a while. She was just too afraid to say it out loud.

The kiss that followed her words made her question why she was ever afraid at all.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Hey Baby."

Rachel adjusted the screen on her laptop so that she was centered in the camera's view "Hi Finn! How was practice today?"

"It was okay, I think we will have a pretty good team this season. Let's not talk about football though, how did your audition go?" He moved so his face was slightly closer to the screen as he waited for her reply.

She clasped her hands in her lap and smiled widely at him. "I think it went really well, but I won't know anything for a couple days."

"They would be crazy not to give you the part, Rach. Nobody has worked harder for it." He told her honestly.

She worriedly bit her bottom lip. "I don't know Finn; I've been auditioning all summer. So far all I've gotten is that Shakespeare in the park thing, and that was only for the Fourth of July. I know it will happen eventually, I'm just running out of patience."

Finn sat up tall in his desk chair noticing the slight pout on her lips. "Hey now. It's going to happen. This might turn out to be your big break or, you know, it might not be. But, it's coming. I know it." He noticed how her smile returned. "That's better."

"You always know what to say to make me feel better. I love you."

"I love you too."

Her smile now wider than ever, "Are you excited for next month?"

"Very. I can't wait. Have you set up your flight yet? I'm planning on picking you up at the airport."

She shook her head "Not yet. I'm going to do it this weekend. I can't believe we are going to homecoming when neither of us is even in high school."

"I have to be there anyway, I may as well bring my sexy girlfriend to keep me occupied." Finn wagged his eyebrows suggestively at his computer screen.

Rachel gasped and did her best to sound serious, "Finn Hudson, you will be working, there will be no funny business."

He poked out his bottom lip. "Oh come on. There will be lots of other chaperones there, I'm sure we can find a few minutes alone." He teased.

Rachel giggled at her boyfriend's antics as she leaned closer to the screen and relented. "Maybe we can find a few minutes."

"Can't wait." Finn leaned back in his chair and turned serious. "Ugh, I miss you so much. I can't wait until we are in the same room together."

"Only a month." She stated.

Finn ran his hands through his hair and quietly repeated, "Only a month."

"I've already made sure that I will have that weekend off at the music store."

Rachel knew how Finn was feeling, she felt the same way. They knew that sustaining a long distance relationship was going to be a challenge, they didn't realize how much of one. She cherished their Skype dates, phone calls, and text conversations, but nothing could compare to being held in Finn's arms.

"You'll call me when you hear from the casting director?" Finn questioned, effectively bring Rachel out of her thoughts.

Rachel smiled brightly at her boyfriend. "Of course I will. I'll call you on my way home from work?"

"Yeah. Love you."

Rachel kissed her index and middle finger and pressed them to the computer screen "Love you too. I'll call you later."

"Can't wait. Bye Rach."

"Bye." Rachel reluctantly ended the call and closed her computer, time to get ready for work.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Make yourself at home. I'll be right back, I'm just going to go put your bag away." Finn leaned down to place a soft kiss on Rachel's lips before making his way down the hallway of his two bedroom apartment. When he came back to the main area he sat on his sofa and pulled Rachel into his lap. "It's so good to have you here."

"It is good to be here." She giggled before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. When they broke apart, her eyes remained closed, "We do not get to do that enough."

Finn smiled and tightened his grip around her waist. "We definitely do not. We better make up for lost time." In one fluid motion he moved Rachel onto her back, causing her to squeal. He kissed her deeply as he hovered over her small frame. Her hands instinctively moved to the back of his head and her fingers immediately began to tangle in his hair. Finn moved one hand to her hip and began to glide it under her shirt. Just as he was about to reach a hand around to unclasp her bra, the sound of a cell phone startled them both. "So close." He whispered, kissing her neck.

"We are in the middle of something, I'll call them back."

Finn smiled and unhooked her bra as they continued kissing, ignoring the phone. "Yeah we are." He teased. He adjusted slightly so he could lift Rachel's shirt over her head. He wasn't able to remove her shirt before her phone once again began to ring causing Finn to groan. "Uggg."

Rachel giggled as she squirmed beneath him reaching for the purse that was on the floor next to the couch "It is my daddy, he probably wants to make sure I made it into town alright. I'll just be a minute." She pecked his lips and he began to lift himself off her "Where do you think you're going?" She tugged his shirt to bring him closer while her other hand answered the phone and put it to her ear "Hi daddy… Yes we just got here… It starts at one… Finn has reserved tickets for us… Yes Daddy we are coming to dinner… Alright. Bye daddy… I love you too." She hung up the phone and tossed it onto the floor then placed her hands on Finn's cheeks. "Where were we?"

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Do you want to dance?"

Rachel felt the large hands resting on her hips only a second before she felt the warm breath at her ear. She turned around to see Finn looking at her expectantly, his wonderful half smile making her knees weak. "Of course."

Finn took her hand and led her out to where the students of McKinley were swaying with the music. He lifted his hand a twirled her under his arm once before bringing her close to him, wrapping his right hand around her waist. He brought their still intertwined hands to his lips so he could place a soft kiss her knuckles and then rested them on his chest as they started to sway.

"Are you trying to woo me Mr. Hudson?"

His lips turned up slightly, "How am I doing?"

She lifted onto her toes and pressed her lips to his with a smile. "I'd say you're doing pretty well. I might even go home with you tonight." She joked.

Finn let go of Rachel's hand and encircled her waist, pulling her closer. "Awesome." They continued to sway to the slow song currently playing in the gym "Did you have fun at the game today?"

"Yes we did. You have done a great job with the team. Dad said you guys might even make the championships this year."

He shrugged, "We could. I can't take all the credit; the kids have been doing all the work."

"Finn, you do so much for the team, you deserve credit too."

He kissed her softly. "Thanks, but it's not like I'm starting rehearsals for a Broadway play soon, or anything."

"It's only a supporting role-"

"This time." Finn interjected.

Rachel let out a breath and smiled, "This time." Her smile suddenly turned to a pout. "I'm not going to be able to visit you as much though."

"Don't worry about that. We will work it out. We have so far right?" She nodded. "We can work all that stuff out later, tonight it's just you and me."

Rachel giggled "And a room full of high school students."

"Yeah, them too. Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight? If not, meant to; and if I did, I'll say it again. You look absolutely beautiful tonight, Rach."

Rachel tightened her arms around Finn's neck. "Thank you, you are pretty handsome yourself, you know."

"Thanks, does that mean my chances are good for taking you back to my place tonight." He said suggestively.

She kissed his lips then moved to whisper in his ear, "I'd say the chances are good."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Tada."

Rachel insisted that Finn enter her apartment with his eyes closed; she had a surprise for him. He opened his eyes and looked around Rachel's apartment, where his eyes fell on a small Christmas tree set up in the corner of the room. "Rach? You got a Christmas tree? You don't even celebrate."

Rachel stepped in front of him and put her hands on his chest. "No, but you do."

"You didn't have to."

Rachel rose onto her toes and placed a small kiss on his lips. "I wanted to. You gave up Christmas with your family to spend it with me, the least I could do is put up a tree."

"I didn't give up anything. I wanted to be here with you." Rachel launched herself at Finn, wrapping her arms around his neck as his arms encircled her waist. "Baby, I can't breathe."

Rachel loosened her grip on Finn's neck just enough that she could look at him. "Sorry, I'm so glad you are here, I missed you."

"I missed you too."

After a celebratory dinner to celebrate Finn's arrival in the city, the couple was watching a movie in Rachel's apartment, the small tree lighting up the corner of the room. "Are you upset that you're missing your mom's cookie making and caroling?" Rachel turned from where she was snuggled in Finn's side on her couch to look at him.

Finn looked at her in amusement. "Rachel, I told you, there is nowhere else I'd rather be today. Besides," he pulled her in for a quick kiss, "I'm not missing mom's cookies."

"I thought you loved your mom's cookies." She questioned.

He smiled, "I'm not missing them, because I brought some with me." Finn stood and made his way to the bedroom where his suitcase was and then came back to where Rachel was waiting for him. "I thought that maybe, even though we are here, we could still decorate cookies; so I asked my mom to make some ahead of time for me to bring along. I even brought a friendly snow man."

"How can I resist that?"

He placed the box on the table and wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her close to him. "You can't."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

A few days before New Years, Rachel and Finn were walking hand in hand through Central Park. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground, and Rachel wanted him to see how beautiful the city was this time of year. She had led him to a small bridge in the park where they were currently stopped.

Rachel sighed as she felt Finn's strong arm wrap around her shoulders from behind. "It has been really nice having you here the last week. I really don't want you to go."

Finn leaned down slightly so that his cheek was pressed to the side of her face. "I've been thinking about that, actually. My contract at McKinley is up at the end of the year-"

"Finn, you can't quit your job for me."

"I'm not going to. I'm doing it for me. This long distance thing sucks; I just want to be able to see you, to touch you, every day. You know, if that's ok with you."

"I would love nothing more, but coaching is something you've always wanted to do, and-"

"I know and I can do that anywhere. I have already started to look at schools here that have possible coaching options."

Rachel's turned in his arms to face him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears "You have?" He nodded, his look hopeful. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure. I love you. I think we have been doing pretty well with this whole long distance thing, but I think it's time we closed the gap a little bit. What do you say?"

"On one condition."

"Anything."

"When you move here, to New York, you move in with me."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Wow. Rachel, you look beautiful."

Rachel tucked a loose curl behind her ear as she looked up at him through her lashes. "Thank you, Finn. Can you tell me where we are going now?"

Finn closed the gap between them in a couple large steps and took Rachel's hand, immediately bringing it to his lips. "Sorry baby, I can't do that. I will tell you that it is not far." He said cryptically. "Are you ready to go?"

"I am." Finn led her out of the apartment and into the buildings elevator. When he pushed the 'up' button she looked at him quizzically "Finn?"

Finn smiled but did not say anything as the elevator stopped and the doors opened up. He led her silently to the stairwell and when they began climbing the stairs Rachel could no longer handle the suspense. "Finn, where are we going? I thought we were going to dinner."

Now at the top of the stairs, Finn pushed open the heavy door and Rachel gasped in surprise. The roof of their building has been decorated with strands of white lights; a small table was elegantly set up in the middle, a candle flickering in the middle of it. "We are." He held out his arm and she took hold of his elbow "Shall we?"

"Finn, this is gorgeous."

"I wanted to do something special for you."

Rachel stropped and placed her hands on his chest before stretching on her toes to his him tenderly. "I love it."

Finn pulled out a chair and Rachel delicately tucked her skirt under her legs as she sat. He took the chilled bottle of wine from the bucket and poured them each a glass then lifted his glass for a toast. "To us."

Rachel lifted her own glass to his, clinking them together lightly, "To us." She took a small sip and put her glass down as Finn began removing the food from the picnic basket he had prepared ahead of time.

Rachel noticed that as her and Finn ate and talked their way through their meal, he was becoming increasingly fidgety. "Finn, is everything alright? You seem… nervous."

He stilled his hands and gave her a lopsided grin. "I'm fine, Rach. I just want tonight to go well. That's all."

"It's been perfect." She reached across the table and took his hand, hoping to put his mind at ease. They had been out to dinner many times since he had moved to the city a couple months ago; she didn't understand why he was nervous now.

He squeezed her hand and released a deep breath before he spoke. "It's not perfect yet, but I was hoping you could change that." He released her hand and quickly removed the small velvet box he had hidden in the picnic basket before moving to the side of her chair. He dropped down on one knee beside her.

Rachel watched in silence as Finn dug in the basket and moved to her side. She turned to face him just as he knelt in front of her. "Finn?"

He smiled nervously and took her left hand in his. "Rachel, Five years ago I felt an instant connection to you. Circumstances forced us apart and you went to college in another state and I was worried I would never see you again. Fortunately, for me, fate had other plans and three and a half years later, you came back into my life." Rachel eyes glistened with unshed tears as Finn continued. "Now, five years later, we are living together in this great city and I couldn't imagine my life without you. So, I was hoping…" Finn paused as opened the ring box, revealing a simple solitaire diamond ring. "Rachel Berry, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Rachel nodded her head as the sobs erupted from her throat.

Finn noticed her nodding as the tears flowed freely from her eyes, his own threatening to fall. "Yes? Was that a yes?"

"Yes! Finn, Yes!"

Finn quickly removed the ring from the box and placed it on her shaking hand before placing both of his hands on either side of her face and bringing her lips to his. He pulled back, his eyes locked on hers as his thumbs gently wiped away her tears. "Are these happy tears?"

"The happiest." She wrapped her arms around his neck and closed the distance between them. She wanted this kiss to show him just how happy he had made her in that moment.

The kiss escalated quickly and before she knew it, she was being lifted into Finn's arms and down the stairs.

They could clean up later, they were celebrating.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Rachel made her way through the decorated gymnasium of the McKinley High School. Tonight was her ten year reunion and though she had remained in touch with Mercedes over the years, she had not kept in touch with most of her other former classmates. Rachel was happy to be seeing so many of her high school friends again.

"Rachel?"

"Tina?" The two girls hugged tightly "Oh my goodness, I haven't seen you since college. How are you?"

"I'm doing well." Tina held up her left hand "I'm married to a great guy; his name is Mike, he's right over there." She pointed to the refreshment table "We have two kids; Jaime is six and Natalie is three; we live in Columbus. What about you? I heard you were doing well on Broadway."

Rachel smiled warmly "I have done well. I just finished my run in West Side Story, actually. My husband and I live in Manhattan with our two and a half year old son, Christopher, and we have one more peanut on the way." Rachel rubbed her barely showing baby belly proudly.

"Oh! Congratulations! I hadn't heard you got married."

"I did. He's around here somewhere. You know him, actually."

Tina's face lit up as she thought about who Rachel could be talking about. "I do? Who is the luck-" Tina trailed off when she saw a tall man who looked vaguely familiar came up behind Rachel and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey baby." Finn said kissing her on the cheek.

Rachel leaned back into her husband's arms "Hello handsome. Do you remember Tina?" Finn extended his hand out to the other girl "Tina, this is my husband Finn Hudson."

Tina's eyes went wide as she shook his hand. "It's nice to see you again."

"You too. I hate to interrupt, but I promised my beautiful wife a dance and I can't pass up this song; mind if I take her away for a few minutes?"

Tina shook herself out of her thoughts "Sure, yeah, go ahead. We'll catch up some more later."

"Thanks"

Both Finn and Rachel managed to say as they made their way to the dance floor.

"This was the song that was playing the first time I asked you to dance, at your prom." He said as they began swaying to the music.

"I remember. I was in shock that you had asked me at all."

Finn chuckled "When you have an opportunity to dance with a pretty girl, you take it."

"It worked out well for us."

"It did." Finn leaned down and kissed his wife. "I love you."

"I love you too."

A/N- There you have it! Thank you for reading and please remember that reviews are always welcome.