Chapter 30

3 years later

Once the light ahead turned green, the gas pedal was pressed down and the car was set into motion. The bright orange glow from the setting sun was lighting up the atmosphere around and the leaves on the road were flying past as the wind from the car hit them. However present these surroundings were to her at this time, none of them could get to the whirlwind that was in her mind. None of these details entered her overcrowded mind; not even once. Her mind was in a world of its own and was screaming at her as if she weren't listening. If anything, she felt like she was listening too closely.

A certain silence filled the inside of her car. It wasn't a bad type of silence. It was comfortable and welcoming. The silence was like an aid to her clear thought and she really needed it. She appreciated this quietness.

The small clock on the radio read 5:38 pm and she knew that if she'd estimate correctly, she'd be home for at least 5:45. She was glad that she'd finally be able to return to her bed and her warm house, but, she wanted to spend more time in here. She knew that she was being silly, it was just that this atmosphere allowed her to clearly process everything and face it as she wanted. She desired just a couple of minutes to process this sentimental moment to herself; to feel the absolute joy in knowing that her life was about to change.

Her eyes remained forward and her hands stayed on the leather steering wheel with a tight grip that she didn't realize had until now. The old yellow t-shirt and black sweat pants that she wore was now starting to become soaked as her tears coated it; one after the other. She had attempted to wipe them away at first, but then her mind became louder and she couldn't concentrate on the road. So now, she was in her own little rain storm as she let them fall. She just secretly hoped that her face wasn't as flushed as it was from all the coughing that she had been previously doing.

Once she got closer to the point where she had to turn to enter into her driveway, she glanced at the clock and proved her time estimate somewhat accurate. The house was absolutely hard to miss. In fact, she could see it from all the way down the highway. It had been even easier to spot since it had been renovated 2 years ago. She hated to brag about it to all of their friends in town, but it wasn't like no one noticed their big beautiful home. Finn and Rachel received compliments from neighbors, friends, and acquaintances from town. And, all of those compliments made her feel like the proud home owner that she was. She'd never be able to thank her best friend enough for buying it for her wedding present.

It was 5:47 once she put her car into park and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She took a few more minutes to relish in this alone time and happiness that she had before she'd have to share it. She also took that time to appreciate the last moments she'd have of this silence that acted as her backbone to thinking for the past 20 minutes that she had spent driving home. In the process, she pulled down the car mirror and made a quick examination. She laughed to herself when her face presented itself to her, bright as a tomato. Flushed, she absolutely was; not even to the best of her abilities in the acting department was ever going to hide the fact that she had been crying. Closing the mirror above her head, she retrieved a tissue from the glove compartment and did the best she could to wipe away the remaining wetness present on her eyes, cheeks, and neck. Her seatbelt then became unbuckled, the door opened, and her aching legs were now holding all of her weight as she stepped on the ground. She was finally ready to take the steps to the conversation that she'd always dreamed of having with her husband. She just hoped that he would feel the same way.

A wave of relief hit Rachel as she opened the front door and felt the rush of warm air. As she stepped in and placed her keys in the bowl, she heard the faint sound of a television pause and footsteps heading in her direction. Before she could get any further after closing the door, she was face-to-face with Finn. The happiness that was painted on his face to see her instantly replaced itself with concern when he saw her face.

"How did everything go?" he asked, "You look like you've been crying.. Rach, talk to me. What's going on?"

It was now her turn to speak. She knew that. She had imagined this moment and conversation for most of her childhood and had played it out by herself in her room with right just the right words to say. How was it that now that it was actually happening she couldn't even process one English word in her head? She figured she'd better decide soon; especially by the way he was looking at her.

That's when old childhood habits came to the surface and Rachel started crying at the feeling of being under pressure. The same thing had been done when her parents would yell at her or put her on the spot. She felt like a toilet by how flushed her face had become. Before she could speak, she felt the scratchiness in the back of her throat and re-entered one of her many coughing attacks of the day. Taking a deep breath to catch it, she cleared her throat and spoke.

"We have to talk about something…" she got out through the hoarseness she had been sporting for days. This was a start, she thought to herself.

The seriousness and excitement of this situation completely erased the memory in her brain that she felt like absolute crap. She left earlier to go to the doctor because of the flu-like symptoms she had contracted at the beginning of the week. She'd decided to wait it out until the end of the week due to the importance of exam week for her students. There was a ton of information that she needed all of them to get in such a short amount of time. So, she pushed it off until today. She decided that OTC drugs weren't going to be able to hold her up and that she needed to visit her doctor. So, that's exactly what she did.

Helping her over to the couch in their living room, Finn sat down and watched as Rachel sighed in pain as she slowly sat down across from him.

"Rach, you're really starting to scare me… What's going on? What did the doctor say, baby?" He asked one question after the other in a frantic tone.

"Well, it's definitely the flu." She told him. Relief seemed to slowly place itself over his expression.

"Please tell me that that's all they told you, because your face says a lot more, Rach. Especially with the fact that you've been crying…"

"They swabbed me and everything, but when I told them that I had symptoms of nausea they looked at me a little funny. They came back and gave me the results that I had the flu." She remembered every little detail and word spoken from that moment and she went on explaining.

In the doctor's office

Rachel sat patiently as she looked around at all of the tools and machines in the tiny room. Not a day went by that she didn't miss this atmosphere. Especially at the children's hospital in New York City that she basically called her second home for so many years. But never mind that, she loved where she was now. She loved being in the big house with her husband, and nothing made her happier than greeting her many students as they walked into her class room in the morning and seeing the look of pure interest as she explained all of her experiences in the medical field.

Every time she felt the paper under her crinkle, she cringed at the absolutely uncomfortable noise and feeling. She just wished she could hurry up and get her diagnosis and prescription and be on her merry way to her comfortable and warm bed. Maybe Finn would be able to make some of that soup that he made the last time she got this sick, she thought to herself. Right before she could further her thoughts, she heard the doorknob turn and nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Okay, Mrs. Hudson, we have gotten your results of the flu." He informed her of information she already knew. Walking towards her, Dr. Hetcher took the metal stool and sat down in front of her and examined his clipboard.

"Is there any chance that I would happen to have a touch of the virus as well, or am I dying an unexplainable, nausea-inflicted death?" she joked.

Dr. Hetcher laughed. "Well, as pleasing as those two theories sound, I'm going to have to say neither. It's just a case of the regular influenza, Mrs. Hudson."

"Just the flu?" she asked out of confusion. "I mean, are you sure? I have been puking my guts out for the past few day… I mean, this morning I couldn't even keep down my husband's blueberry pancakes and whenever he cooks them I have a full plate without getting full."

A long pause fell over him right before he started going over his clipboard again. After a few minutes of completely uncomfortable silence and day dreaming of her bed waiting for her at her home and hot tea that she wanted, the doctor finally returned to her.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do."

"He reduced my prescription…" she told Finn, who looked confused, not picking up on what she was trying to get him to understand. "I was just assuming that they were going to put me on 'Theraflu' before, but after I found out what they were assuming from me, I understood. The signs were all there and I laughed at myself for not noticing before. The doctor put me on 'Tylenol' instead." She went on.

"Is there something else wrong with you?" he asked out of concern. Moving over to her, he grabbed her hands and knelt in front of her. Rachel chuckled through the voice that still remained with her hoarseness. He still was catching on, but she didn't mind. She had tutored him in mathematics and knew that it took him a while to leave confusion and finally catch on.

Her faced turned cherry red and more flushed as ever, as another chuckle escaped her mouth and more tears escaped from her. Just as she thought her voice was absolutely gone, she fought for just a few more words.

"Finn, he reduced my prescriptions because all of the other flu medicines are too harmful for the baby…"she slowly said, heavily emphasizing the last word.

It took him a second to catch on, but once he did he looked directly at her with wide eyes before his hand few to his mouth. Not a moment passed when his eyes weren't on hers. She smiled and chuckled when she noticed the tears building up in his eyes.

"Y-y-you're pr-, w-w-we're pr-, w-w-we're having a baby?" he could seem to process the words. Even to Rachel hearing those words from his mouth sounded unreal to her.

"The doctor confirmed it. I hope you're okay with it…" she hesitantly replied.

"Okay with it? Rachel, you're having my baby. We're having a baby!" He exclaimed becoming choked up. Then he let everything go and full sobs broke out as he reached forward and wrapped his arms around her. Placing his hand on the back of her heard for support, he kissed trails up the back of her neck and held her closely to him. The love was so strong that it could almost be seen.

"Say it…" he whispered in her ear. "You didn't say it and I really want you to. Make all of this official and make me even happier than I already am. Say it, Rach." She grinned with tears rolling down his eyes.

"I'm pregnant." She said after a long pause. Right then and there, she said it. Tears became heavier as she realized that she was finally able to say it. That all of those moments that she spent practicing it in her mirror, carrying around the baby dolls with Santana and Quinn, and pretending to be a mother, was finally going to be able to come true. She was finally going to be a mother and those two words had finally made her realize the actual meaning to that.

"You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now, Princess." Finn whispered, resting his head against her neck, he placed a soft kiss right below her ear and held her close to him.

"I know, but you're not allowed to. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I get you sick too." She laughed.

"You're going to pay for that when you get better, Rachel Berry…" Noticing the look she gave him, he corrected himself. "…Hudson."

"I can't wait." She grinned as more tears resurfaced.

"Me neither." He admitted as realization dawned on his face. "I'm going to be a father."

"You're going to be amazing." She told him.

"My achingly beautiful wife is having my child. Does it really get any better than that?" he asked, holding her hands in his.

"I love you." She smiled.

"I guess it does… I love you too, my love." he pulled her close for what seemed like the millionth time in the few minutes they'd been here. In that moment everything else around them had been forgotten. The paused TV in the back of them on mute didn't matter; Finn's hot pocket sitting in the microwave probably becoming cold didn't matter. Nothing mattered except this moment that the two of them were sharing right now.

Noticing how she was starting to drift off at the comfort of his shoulder, he pulled back and looked into her drooping eyes.

"Are you tired?" he asked, brushing her hair behind her ears.

"Yes." She replied through the hoarse and slowly fading voice that she had. Shaking her head, there was no bone in her body that would deny that question.

"Okay, then let's get you to bed and when you wake up, you're favorite soup will be waiting for you." He smiled.

She returned it and allowed him to lift her into his arms and lead her to the stairs. Once her head hit the pillow she was out like a light.

When Rachel's eyes finally decided to open, her nose immediately picked up the scent in the air and she knew that her husband stood on his promise. Getting from the sleep that she so desperately needed, she followed the smell to the kitchen downstairs. When the delicious smell of soup was at its strongest, Rachel found Finn in his pajamas with wet hair from a shower she assumed, stirring a wooden spoon in a large metal pot while closely watching a football game on the TV in the kitchen. She slowly moved her way into the kitchen without making her presence known. Propping herself onto one of the stools at the counter, she laughed when she noticed the garbage can that overflowed with Campbell's vegetable soup cans. Smiling to herself, she remembered that one time when she had just gotten back from the hospital and he did the same thing. It was funny at how far he went to impress her.

"My chef…" she tried to get out loud enough.

Pulling out of his football trance, he grinned and walked to where she was at the counter. "I thought you would have been down for at least another two hours." "You were out like a rock the last time I checked on you." He chuckled. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"If you can get me some medicine, I'll be fine." She replied. The minute she finished speaking, he was on it.

After she was finished taking the medicine, Finn was approaching her with a bowl of the soup. Finally, she thought; the deep and dark hunger that she didn't even know she possessed was going to be fulfilled.

"Just be really careful, it's very hot."

Taking the spoon in her hand, she began scooping away and before she knew it she was pushing the bowl forward for Finn to refill it. He laughed in surprise and returned with another bowl. By the time she was full, she got up and hugged her tall husband, thanking him for making her feel like a princess and for trying to look like he could cook, when he really couldn't. Disappointment filled his face when she told him she saw the empty cans in the garbage.

"You're really sweet, you know that?" she asked, brushing away some of the wet hair from his face. "You have no idea how much I appreciate all that you've been doing for me. I know you can't cook to save your life, and the fact that you went to all of this trouble to impress me makes me completely adore you."

"I swear if you don't get better soon, I might die. I really need to kiss you, love." He smiled at the strawberry smile coming from her hair as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I don't think I've ever went this long without it."

"Well no, there's that time we had to stay in the same room with Burt and Carol when we took that trip to Alaska last year." She laughed at the memory, gaining his as well in the process.

"That was miserable." He laughed. "Especially with all of the s-"

"Snoring." She beat him to it.

"I never even noticed that they were that loud and my room was right across from theirs my whole teenage life." He laughed.

"Do you remember how tired we were the next morning?" Rachel asked.

If I remember correctly, between the two of us, at least ten cups of coffee were consumed. Especially from all that late night talking we were doing." He laughed. "Did we even go to sleep that night?"

Her grin was from ear to ear as she shook her head. "The sunrise was beautiful that morning."

"And so were you." He replied, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her so closer if it were even possible.

"Hey, let's do something we haven't done in a while." Rachel looked up at him.

"You won't let me kiss you; but you'll agree to do that? Your pregnancy brain isn't sinking in yet, is it?" he joked.

"Not that, you pervert. Let's watch a movie." She suggested chuckling.

"I like the sound of that. What do you have in mind?" he asked.

"What do you think?" she asked rhetorically.

"Funny Girl it is." He smiled, scooping her up as she laughed and bringing her over to the living room. As the movie came on, Rachel snuggled closer to Finn and smiled at how amazing her life was. She'd never want it to change from this happiness she was feeling right now.

"Finn…" she nudged him as he stayed peacefully under the covers. "Finn…" she tried again. This time he stirred but remained asleep. She sighed at how hard it was to wake him up. Taking a deep breath and holding her hand to her stomach, she began shaking him to make sure that he'd be up this time.

"I'm up!" he exclaimed. "What's wrong?" he asked, placing his hand to her stomach.

"We have to go… To the hospital; we have to go…" she explained with a shaky voice. "Like, right now."

"Right now?" he asked, still half asleep.

"It's time." She said, slowly getting up from the bed. "My water broke and I kind of want to be at the hospital before all of the contractions begin." She told him getting a new pair of clothes to quickly change into. Getting up from the bed as well, Finn rushed to the closet to grab clothes as well and the emergency bags that they had prepared in advance.

Once Finn was all dressed and ready, he went into the bathroom to check on his wife. Placing the bags on the counter, he found his wife sitting on the closed toilet, staring at the wall.

"Hey, we've got to hurry and get you to the hospital. What are you doing?"

Turning to him, he could see the expression on her face and then he walked over to kneel in front of her.

"I don't know what I'm doing." She said. "I'm completely unexperienced and I've never even had a mother. How is all of this going to work? How am I going to do this? Finn, I've seen all of those girls in the movies and TV shows, okay? They're always screaming and in so much pain. I don't think that I can do that." She cried, holding her hands over her stomach. "I'm scared."

"Hey, look at me. If there is anyone on this planet that is capable of being a good mother, it's most definitely you. I know that with all of my heart, and I've never doubted for a second. I've known that ever since I've seen you with Jeremy that one time. And as for the not having a mother, so what? You've had two amazing fathers who did an amazing job at raising my favorite person in the world. Plus, you have Shelby now and my mom and Burt, Brittany and Santana, Quinn and Sam, Kurt and Blaine, and even Puck." He smiled as she chuckled. "But most importantly, never forget that you have me. I'm not going to let you go through this alone. And as for the birth part, you are more than capable of it, Rachel Hudson. You're so ambitious and inspiring and you're going to be having our little girl and you're, once again, going to make me the happiest man in the world. Also, those girls in those movies are just actors and I'm pretty sure they exaggerate the pain to make the scene more dramatic. It's only going to be for a little while and then our daughter is going to be here and all else will be forgotten. Don't be scared, Rach. I believe in you." He said, smiling when he noticed the grin on her face. Pressing his lips to her bulging stomach, he stood up and held out his hand for her to take.

"Thank you." She whispered before taking his hands. "Thank you for everything."

"I would say every single word over again if I had to." He admitted. "Now, let's go have a baby, my princess."

Nodding, he helped her up and led her to the car, helping her in it as well. Once they were a little ways to the hospital, that's when Rachel's contractions began to become stronger than small cramp-like ones she was pushing off in her sleep before her water broke. Pushing up the speed of the car by 5 miles per hour, Finn held out his right hand for Rachel to hold on to. She gripped it so tight that Finn thought that it was going to break. But, he didn't care. He hated the fact that he couldn't do anything about his wife's pain. So if this is what it would take to give her a sense of comfort, he didn't have a problem with it.

Once they got to the hospital, a nurse with a wheel chair was waiting for them at the door. Finn had called the hospital in advance once they got into the car. The blonde informed them that they were going to place Rachel into an examination room before she can be admitted to a delivery room. This was to make sure that she was in active labor. She wasn't dilated close enough to perform labor yet, but they informed Finn that she should be getting there within the next few hours.

They were now alone in the small room and Rachel was pacing back and forth while rolling the IV that was hooked onto her as she went along. Her eyes were squeezed shut and pain was painted on her face like an art exhibit. There was no mistaking that she was absolutely ready for all of this to be over with. Finn had suggested earlier that it maybe would be better if she weren't moving around so much, but she immediately dismissed it and stated that this made her feel better. So now, he sat and closely watched her up and down the room as he started to crack his knuckles; a nervous habit.

It only took one sigh of pain from Rachel before he was on his feet and at her side. Holding her stomach, she was slightly bent over and biting her lip with all of the strength she could. Placing his hands on her arms, he offered his support to his wife.

"Rach, I really think that you should sit down or something. You're really starting to worry me. I don't want you to fall or something." His voice was shaky due to his nervousness.

"Finn, I'm fine." She replied. The contraction seemed to have passed.

"I know sweetie and I'm glad that you are, but I just really think that you will feel better if you're not on your feet." He replied, watching her pace once more.

"This is okay. The doctors in the books said that walking was a great method during labor." She assured him.

"I know, Rach. You're just really starting to worry me. Especially when you bend over in pain…" he was cut off, she held her stomach with her right hand and the metal pole on the IV for support as she bent over once again in agony. Closing her eyes, she tried to take deep breaths through it.

"Like you're doing right now." He continued before he got up and supported her again. Once it passed, he tried to lead Rachel over to the bed in the middle of the room so she could sit down. She stopped and started to shake her head.

"Finn, I'm not sitting down." She told him.

"Rach, can't you at least try it out for a minute? You might actually like it." He suggested before she started pacing again.

"I'm not sitting." She told him again. Sighing, he placed his hands in the pockets of his jeans and began to follow her as she paced.

"Well, at least let me get you something. How about some ice chips? Crunching them in your mouth might help with the pain."

"No thanks, I'm fine. I'm pretty sure we're almost done with this." She tried to assure herself.

"Okay, well I just really hate feeling that I can't do anything for you." He told her. "Gosh, I wish these damn nurses would hurry up! What's taking them so long? It's 3:30 in the morning. The hospital is practically empty." He went on. Rachel could really tell that he was nervous and she felt kind of bad that she was snapping at him. She guessed the pain she was feeling was blocking her from realizing it.

"You know what? Now that I think about it, we really haven't told anyone that we were here and I promised I would let everyone know the minute I went into labor, especially everyone in New York so they could hurry up and book flights. Could you possibly go and try to call everyone? You'd be doing me a huge favor."

"Yeah, of course." He smiled as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

By the time he finished calling everyone, all of whom was mad at him for waking them up, Rachel's contractions had become closer and they were now ready to bring her into the delivery room. As they followed the nurse down the hall, Rachel looked up to Finn with an expression that he couldn't exactly read. Reaching forward, she grabbed his hand and held it tight.

"Let's have a baby, Rachel Hudson." He whispered.

"Let's have a baby, Finn Hudson." She repeated.

Rachel's screams were the only sounds being heard through the room as Finn closed his eyes and held on tight to his wife's hand. Then, he could hear the encouraging words coming from the doctor as she asked for a few more pushes.

"I can't. I can't do this anymore." Rachel cried.

Opening his eyes, he looked at Rachel. She was drenched in sweat and her face was bright red. He couldn't figure out how she still looked like an angel in this moment. Her breathing was rapid and she looked like she could throw in the towel at any moment. And, he wanted that for her, but she was doing so great and their little girl was about to be here with them. He wanted her to understand that. He just didn't know how to get it across to her in this situation. She was in too much pain to actually pay attention to words of encouragement.

"Rach, you're doing so well." He started, getting her attention. "We just need you to push a little more and then we're going be able to see our little girl." He started to choke up as realization dawned on him instead. "We're going to be able to hold our little girl in our arms." He grinned as the tears made their way down his cheeks. He noticed that he got through to her as she kissed his hand in hers and turned to the doctor to restart.

"I love you." She mouthed.

"I love you too." He mouthed back.

"Okay, are you ready? Just two more strong pushes and should be here." The doctor predicted.

Rachel's screams filled the air once more and Finn's hand was gripped to the point of no return. Once Rachel's screams finally ended, the air was filled with a different sound; a sound that he had never heard before this day. Opening his eyes, he watched as the doctor got up with something in her hands. The source of the noise was in her arms.

"Dad, do you want to come see?" the doctor asked as the nurse wiped down the tiny human. Finn looked to Rachel for approval. She smiled and nodded. Walking forward, Finn reached his hands forward to hold his newborn daughter in his arms. Once the nurse placed the delicate infant in his arms, his expression changed. A loud laugh of joy filled the air and tears streamed down his cheeks as he looked down at the baby.

"Rach, you'll never believe it…" he began, choked up almost to the point where he couldn't speak.

She looked worried. "Finn, what's wrong? Is she okay?" she asked frantically.

"Oh Rach, everything's more than fine. I just think that the ultrasound technician may have made a tiny little mishap." He smiled looking down at the now sleeping child.

"Finn what are you talking about? Bring her over here." She pleaded.

"I can't do that." He told her.

"What? Why not? Finn, are you feeling okay?" she asked, sitting up.

"You asked me to bring her to you. Well, I can't bring her to you. There is no her." he said, grinning and ear to ear grin at her. "It's a boy."

Her eyes widened and her laughter and cries of joy filled the air as she motioned for him to bring him to her. Placing the little baby boy into his mother's arms, Finn watched the moment he had been waiting for, for nine months. Once he put that baby boy into Rachel's arms, he knew that all of her worries from before were pointless.

Placing his hands over his mouth, he began to sob as his happiness got the best of him. Finn could not believe that he now had a little son. He loved the idea of a little girl just like her mother, but from the beginning he was secretly wishing for a boy. This was going to be the best day of his life; on side of the moment when Rachel promised to love him for the rest of their lives at their mess of a wedding.

Sobbing, Rachel gently brushed back a small strand of dark brown hair on the child's tiny head with her thumb. "This would happen to us…" she stated, looking up to Finn who nodded in agreement.

"Are you okay with it?" he asked her.

"I'm more than okay with it. I have the most beautiful baby boy in my arms and I wouldn't trade anything about this moment." She smiled, as the sleeping baby was curled into her arms. He looked so peaceful to her with his tiny toes and fingers. "He's going to be a momma's boy." She whispered before she placed a kiss on his forehead.

"We have a boy; a little boy." He told her, laughing and he got closer and sat on the small free space on the side of her. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he placed a kiss on the top of her head and looked down at their son. "You did so good, baby. Thank you so much for not giving up and for bringing our son into the world. I love you so much."

Resting her head against his chest, she smiled and closed her eyes. "We need to give him a name."

"I don't suppose we can still name him Ellie Marie Hudson?" he asked, laughing.

"Do you want him to get bullied his whole life?" she asked. "We can pull up one of those name websites that we were looking at earlier in the pregnancy. They probably have some good names." She suggested.

"No. I think I have an idea." Finn smiled and then continued. "When my mom found out that she was pregnant with me, she and my father decided that they would name me Aiden. My dad wanted it for me because it was his middle name, so my mother went along with it because she couldn't think of anything else. Then, right before I was born my mother came across the name Finnegan and she decided that that was what she wanted to name me." He explained, trying to remember the story that his mother had told him once when he asked about his father.

"Once my father found out she had changed her mind on the decision they made, he became so angry and they got into a huge fight. My mother said that this fight was almost strong enough to end their marriage. But, my father finally tried to make amends with her because he knew he was about to leave for his tour in the Somali Civil War. They did, and once I was born, my mom named me Finnegan and my father went along with it because he knew how happy it made my mom." Rachel listened closely to Finn as she held the newborn close to her in her arms.

"Once my dad died, my mom told me that that decision that she had made was one of the biggest mistakes that she had ever made. She said not a day went by that she didn't regret it and if she could go back, she would. So, you know, I was thinking that maybe we could pay tribute to my dad and take away my mom's pain at the same time. I don't know; it's just a suggestion. We can always go with those websites that you wanted. I just thought that this name would possibly be a little more personal to us with the story that is behind it." He smiled as he played with one of the small toes that were poking out from underneath the small blanket that covered the sleeping baby. "Middle name rights will totally go to you." He added.

Rachel stayed silent a moment as she watched the way that Finn looked at their child. It amazed her by how much emotion this moment had brought to her. So much love filled this room between Finn and herself. She absolutely adored her little bundle of joy that turned out to completely surprise her when he came out a male. There were absolutely no words to describe how she felt. All she knew was that this little boy that held on to her hospital gown with one of his tiny hands was going to be the most loved little boy in the entire planet; she'd make sure of that. So much trust and love was present in the way that he leaned into her side as his little hand held onto her gown.

When small kids would come into the children's hospital in New York in the past, she never really understood how the mothers could put up with their screaming children. Or, in the small amount of cases where the children were extremely ill, she was never able to even consider the mother's pain and terror. But now, she did. She was now a mother. It sounded so weird to actually hear it in her mind. It made it all so real.

Suddenly, she wasn't that girl sitting on the couch next to Finn going on and on about how she'd never be able to have a happy family because of her job. She was the girl with the guy and the baby. And she'd have the boy sitting next to her to thank for all of that; even if she would have to spend the rest of her life doing it.

Before she could speak again, a brunette nurse walked in as well as Rachel's OB/GYN. Trying as hard as she could, she turned her attention away from her son and greeted the two. Finn, as well, did the same thing.

"Hello," smiled Dr. Mariana. "Mom and Dad, we got a name yet to put on the certificate?" she asked, looking at the small family in front of her.

"Actually, we were just talking about it. Is it possible that we could have a few more minutes to de-"

"Aiden," Rachel said smiling down at the little boy. "His name is Aiden Finnegan Hudson. Welcome to the world, my beautiful boy." She laughed as her tears trickled.

4 years later

"Finnegan Christopher Hudson, get your ass down here right now!" Rachel screamed from the foot of the steps. She was in a relatively great mood when she first stepped into her home after a long day at work on this beautiful fall Friday; that was until she saw her living room.

"What's all the fuss about?" he asked, hopping down each step as he looked at her.

"All the fuss is that my 4 year old son looks like a chocolate bar by all of the mud he is covered in." He began to speak, but she cut him off.

"And before you say 'he can have a bath, it's no big deal', my living room looks like the aftermath of a bowl of chocolate ice cream." She exclaimed, trying to wipe off a bit of mud away from her son's forehead.

"Daddy and I made mud cakes," the four year old began. "Do you want one mommy?"

"I-" she was going to keep her current aggravated tone, but once she saw the small little boy offering her a pile of mud that he'd stuck to the floor in a corner by the kitchen, she realized how cute he was. He was her little mess and pain in the butt; that applied for Finn as well. Dropping her serious face, a wide grin flashed on Finn at first and made its way to the little brunette who looked exactly like Finn.

"You know, I don't think I ate lunch at work today and i do seem pretty hungry right now…" she turned to Finn "Are they good?"

"Totally. We've got ourselves a naturally born chef, Rach." He replied.

"Well, if that's true, I guess I better try it out for myself." She smiled, taking the little clump of mud in her hands. Bringing it as close to her mouth as she would allow, she pretended to take a bite and started chewing.

"Wow, you better start working on your recipes, little munchkin." She chuckled as she watched Finn retrieve Aiden from the ground and hold him in his arms.

"Thanks mommy, I knew you would like it." He said, as Finn took him upstairs to give him a bath.

"Finally" she thought to herself before she turned to the big mess that awaited her mop. It was Halloween and she told Finn this morning that her PTA meeting would run a little late and that by the time she would get home she'd wanted Aiden to be all dressed up and ready to go.

Carol and Burt were coming over to take Aiden trick-or-treating since all of the New York gang was down for the weekend and they were all attending a Halloween party of their own. She couldn't wait to see everyone and get to be reunited with her long-lost friends. She could also tell that Finn was just as thrilled to see Puck and Sam.

The only thing that bothered her was the fact that she'd be missing out on a year of Aiden's trick-or-treating experiences. She knew she wouldn't be missing his first time, but there was a weight in her heart that almost felt like guilt. She felt that she was being a little selfish to her son; abandoning him for her own needs to party and see her friends.

With that being said, Rachel had already instructed Burt and Carol to take as many pictures as their cameras would allow. She also asked them to give her hourly updates on how everything was going for him. She could already tell by the look on his face when she got home, even if it was covered with patches of mud.

Interrupting her thoughts, a knock of the front door took her by surprise. Checking the peep hole, she found Burt and Carol standing at the front door with a little bag of candy. She immediately knew that Aiden would be a happy camper. Turning the knob, she greeted her in-laws with warm hugs and welcoming smiles. Asking them to come in, Carol went into the kitchen to place everything on the counter while Rachel guided Burt to the living room to help him work their TV. Or, as Burt said, "Operate the foreign alien device". Since their TV was so big, Burt was amazed by the comparison to his small box set that they've had their whole lives.

Making her way over to the supply closet in their expanded kitchen as she watched the large TV in the living room, Rachel grabbed her mopping supplies. Watching the TV in the living room from where she was standing, she laughed as Burt had a basketball game playing. One of the many things that she loved about her kitchen was this feature. In building the house, Rachel and Finn had the wall that separated the living room and kitchen knocked down to connect the two rooms. Now, she always allowed Aiden to sit at the bar stools in the morning to watch his favorite cartoons as he ate. This also allowed her to watch her crazy little toddler make his various truck noises while she made dinner and worked in the kitchen. If she had to say so, this was the best feature of the house; if you didn't count her favorite place, the roof.

Returning to where Carol was at the bar stools, she flashed an apologetic smile and began cleaning up the mess of mud her son left behind from his earlier span of imagination. She smiled as Carole laughed and watched as Rachel scrubbed away the little footsteps on the hardwood floors.

"I was going to ask what all of this was about." Carol smiled, gaining a chuckle from Rachel as she scrubbed the dirty parts of the floor.

"Aiden decided today was the day to cook mud cakes." Rachel replied.

"Ah, Finn had those days. He'd come in with mud all over his face and clothes." Carol remembered.

"You just described Aiden before Finn took him upstairs for a bath a few minutes ago." She laughed, finishing up. Making her way over to the sink, she rinsed off and drained everything before replacing everything back in the supply closet. "You should've seen how bright his face lit up when I took a bite out of it and said it was amazing."

"Oh, he lets you eat them? Finn used to throw them at me." Carol laughed, gaining Rachel's as well.

"That gives me hope. That means that maybe there is a chance that he's taking after me too." Rachel told her. "But, I swear that boy is trying to stay in his father's footsteps. Finn is the sun in his eyes. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't jealous at times."

"Welcome to my world, Rachel Berry Hudson." Carol smiled, "How do you think I felt around Finn and Christopher. Those two were inseparable. I'm so happy that I get to see that through the two of them. Christopher would be so proud." Carol smiled.

"You should've seen him the other day." Rachel smiled, "He has been asking a lot of questions about Finn's high school days, so we brought out his old football jersey…" Rachel smiled, gaining a smile from Carol as well. "It draped him like a curtain, but he was so happy and his face was so ecstatic. He said, 'When I get older, I'm gonna be just like you'. It literally almost made me cry by how cute he was."

Before Carol could respond, big steps down the wooden stairs could be heard through the hallway, and before long a wet-haired little boy ran to the kitchen and jumped into his mother's arms. Smiling wide at the lady sitting in front of Carol, he reached forward and went in for a hug.

"There's my beautiful grandbaby!" Carol exclaimed. "Mommy was just telling me about how I missed out on all of those delicious mud pies." Carol grinned, looking at her grandson with a strong resemblance of her son.

"Do you want one, Gammy?" he asked in a light voice.

"That would be great, but if I get one, we'll be late for you trick-or-treating tonight." She told him and watched as his face lit up with excitement. "Are you ready for all of that candy that you're gonna be feeling your bag up with tonight?" she asked enthusiastically.

Aiden nodded his head, getting down from Carol's lap, as he watched all of the people around him. Ever since he was born, he'd always been on the shy side. He knew when there were too many people in his presence and when that occurred, he became really quiet. Rachel definitely didn't know where he developed this trait from, because she knew for a fact that she wasn't shy. Maybe, she thought, it was from Finn. But she didn't think so. Finn had never really been the shy type either.

"Hey buddy," Rachel began as Finn and she knelt down before him to try and get him to interact with his grandparents. "Why don't you show Gammy and Pappy you're totally rad Halloween costume that you and daddy picked out?" Rachel asked, fixing a loose strand of wet hair on his head.

The 4 year old then proceeded to run to the utility room, where he knew his costume was. She had already caught him trying to put it on one afternoon to go play outside in. She was sad when she saw the disappointment he expressed when she told him he had to wait until Halloween to wear it. But, the excitement on his face now as he ran to his grandparents with it in his hands made up for it.

"Mommy, can I wear it now?" he asked, waiting for Rachel's approval.

"Of course, buddy!" Rachel smiled. "You want mommy to help you put it on?" she asked.

"Daddy can." He replied mindlessly, causing a crowd of laughter from the grownups.

"I think Finn slips something in his drink every morning to make him love him that much." Rachel chuckled.

"I used to be like that when I was his age. Dad and I did everything together." Finn smiled at the memories. "He's probably taking after me. God, help him if it's true."

"I couldn't disagree more." Rachel answered. She gained a loving smile from Finn before he knelt before Aiden to help him with his costume. When they were finished, Aiden sported around like he a model showing off a new design. She could tell just how much he loved his costume.

"You're looking mighty fresh, my little superman…" Rachel commented.

"Picture time!" Carol exclaimed once Finn retrieved Aiden's bucket for him.

Everyone took at least 50 pictures of the little boy in the superman costume that moment. They were now all at the front porch, walking towards Burt and Carol's car. Rachel was busy giving them instructions while she handed them Aiden's overnight bag. Finn and Rachel gave their son was last hug, before he was placed into his car seat and the car had been turned on. Stepping back, Finn and Rachel waved as the car backed out and headed towards the beginning of their road.

Once they got back into their house, Rachel was overtaken with a silence that she hadn't experienced since they'd first moved over here. Aiden's absence was definitely noticeable. She smiled when they both realized what that meant. They had the whole night all to themselves. A realization that they hadn't had ever since before Aiden was born.

Wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, he began kissing down her neck. "You know what that silence means?" he whispered in her ears. Shivers shot up Rachel's spine when she felt his breath on the back of her neck.

"Well, we don't have to be ready until 7." Rachel added.

He didn't reply. He swooped his arms below her and scooped her up. Bridal style, Finn carried Rachel up the stairs as her loud and obnoxious laughter came out to play. Once they were in the doorway to their room, he put her down and she looked up at him with the love that she had ever since that first night that they expressed their love for each other. The wanting was still very present after all of these years.

Reaching up, Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's neck and pulled him closer to her. Placing her head between his neck and shoulders, she began to do the same as he was doing before they came up here. Her hands made their way to his hair as she began making trails with her fingers. Stopping her in action, he took control once again and met their lips together. Picking her up in his arms, Rachel wrapped her legs around his waist and allowed him to lead her further into the room. Once the door was closed behind them, they both endured on a moment of love and passion they hadn't shared since their wedding night.

"We're going to be so late!" Finn exclaimed at foot of the stairs. It was an hour later and they both had their share at a shower and time to get ready. They were now supposed to be leaving in a few minutes and Rachel was still in the upstairs bathroom putting her costume on.

"I'm coming!" she exclaimed, her voice still containing distance indicating that she was still upstairs. Becoming aggravated, Finn decided to distract himself. He took a moment to go over his costume once more. Going to the mirror, he took out his comb from his leather jacket pocket and began going over his gelled-down hair. He laughed at how ridiculous he looked. He had always hated Halloween; beginning from when he was 7. First, it was getting the crap scared out of him when one of the adults down his street, dressed as a clown, thought it would be funny to chase the kids away with a fake chainsaw.

That was the worst experience he had. He remembered having nightmares about it for at least a few months after. His mother was incredibly mad about it, and from the reactions of the other parents in his memory, he knew they were too. He then vowed himself that if someone would ever do that to Aiden, or any of their future children, while they were trick-or-treating, he'd kick their ass.

Now, he had to deal with his goofy wife who loved Halloween. It gave her a day to get to dress up as someone else and she personally loved that. She'd always come home a week or two in advance with couple's costumes in her hands. He loved how enthusiastic she became when it came time for holidays. Their house was the most talked about in the entire town during these times. Rachel went all out for Holidays.

Right now, their entire front lawn was covered. She had a blow up witch and a blow up ghost. Graves were set up in various parts of their yard. She even took the time to hang "spider webs" in their front oak tree. She had also taken the time yesterday to set up a candy station by the sidewalk that lined their white picket fence. She had a Happy Halloween sign and before it, she had placed one of her DIY creations that she was so proud of. She had taken a few cardboard boxes and found a way to construct them into one big witch's stirring pot. She then spray painted it black, then placed smoke machines in it and this afternoon filled it with candy. Although they weren't going to be home to hand it out, she knew the kids would love it.

He also noticed that she was starting to rub off on Aiden. There were various times when he'd pick him from daycare over the years and he'd be struggling to remember the lyrics to the many Halloween songs that Rachel tried to teach him. He only recently caught Rachel teaching him Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me". He still could never forget the time when he came home from football practice and found Rachel and Aiden doing the dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller". He laughed and sat down as they continued dancing for him.

But, he guessed tonight he would different about it. This was a night that they had both been talking about for months. He knew that Rachel, as well as himself, was excited to see all of their friends that they hadn't seen since the last time they took a trip up to New York for the week. Aiden was about a year old and everyone was excited to see the "new parents" as they called them. Since then, Puck had finally thrown himself in a committed relationship, Quinn and Sam had kid number three, Tysa Michelle, and Santana and Brittany were planning a June wedding. They both discussed various times that they were extremely ecstatic to be able to catch up with all of them.

Getting caught up in his mind, he forgot that he had already let another 5 minutes go by without any sign of Rachel. Straightening out the leather jacket with "T" Birds written on the back, he returned to the foot of the stairs and called for her again.

"Okay, it's been five minutes, babe."

"I know." She called back. "Babe, why don't you just go ahead and go? I'll catch up with you later. My hair is not cooperating with this damn costume and I need a few more minutes to make touch-ups and look perfect." She suggested.

"Rach, are you sure? I thought you wanted everyone to freak out over how great our costumes are this year. We can't exactly do that if we walk in at two different times." Finn replied.

"I know, but I was talking more along the lines of the gang freaking out about how great we look even though we have a four year old. Plus, we'll be able to show them once we're both there." Rachel answered. "Just go ahead. I'll be right behind you; I promise."

"Okay. If that's what you want…" he said, moving to get the keys to his truck and to take one final look into the mirror. "I love you!" He called, heading for the door.

"I love you too!" she called back. "I can't wait to see you in your costume!"

"Me neither!" he chuckled before heading out the door.

Heading over the window that overlooked their driveway and front yard, Rachel watched the truck move to the beginning of the driveway and all the way until he turned right and headed down the street. As soon as she made sure he was gone, she grabbed her black handback with her phone and wer wallet, and she grabbed her car keys that were sitting on her night stand.

With her costume, Rachel had to slowly make her way down the stairs. She loved the way she looked, but not the way the costume felt on her skin. Especially since the fabric grabbed her skin. If Santana wouldn't be impressed with her using the knowledge she taught her in dressing up, she'd throw a fit.

Making sure that she had everything she needed, she turned everything off in the house and set the security system before she walked out the side door to her car. Once she pulled out of the driveway, she smiled when she saw a small group of children becoming excited when they approached her little candy setup. She now knew that hard work really did pay off.

Pulling into the 24 hour Walgreens at the end of their town, Rachel took a breath and turned off her car. She tried to push the guilt back from her conscience for lying to Finn earlier, but she couldn't. Walking into the electrical sliding doors, she sighed when it was packed. She guessed parents or homeowners were doing last minute candy shopping. She laughed, because that was her last week.

Once she got what she needed, she made her to the front counter and relief struck her when one of the two registers were completely empty. She didn't know why, but she felt completely embarrassed by what she was buying. Placing the item on the counter, the guy scanned it and looked at her with a smile.

"Can I say something?" he asked. She decided just to nod her head because she knew she was going to have to hear it anyways from all of the other people in line staring at her. She was just glad that the huge wedding ring on her hand allowed some of them to quite passing judgement.

"Go ahead." She threw her hands up as she slightly chuckled.

"I think that Rizzo would have been a better choice over Sandy this year." He joked.

"That's actually a really good one. I didn't even think of it." She laughed. She wasn't going to be rude about it, because the joke actually was hilarious. What made it even more funny was that the joke was so accurate towards her right now. She loved people who had a sense of humor.

"I've been making jokes with the different people coming in and their items that I check out. I had a laugh at a person dressed up as Ariel buying a bottle of water. I told her she would need a lot more than that." He laughed. "It's sort of my way of getting over the fact that I have to work rather than spending the holiday with my friends and family."

"Aww, that sucks. I know how that feels from past experience with my old job. But, may I say, you have an awesome sense of humor." Rachel complimented as he handed her the receipt.

"Thanks." He smiled.

"No problem. Hey, do you know where the bathrooms are?" she asked. "I have a party to get to and I kind of just want to get it out of the way."

"Sure. They're towards the back, all the way to the right." He pointed out. "Goodluck!" he exclaimed, turning to his next customer before she headed in the instructed path to the back. She smiled a little to herself at how much the guy reminded her of Kurt. She'd have to tell him at the party.

Walking into the club that it was discussed they would meet up at; Finn was immediately pulled into the memory of his past life. Hearing the loud blaring music and seeing the people grinding on one another took him back to the days where he'd be in the center of it all with a drink in his hands and a blonde and brunette dancing on him at once. He laughed at how long ago that seemed. Now he had the life of his dreams and he was glad that he didn't stay in that lifestyle.

It took him a few minutes before he examined the familiarity of one of the faces of a woman across from him. He then examined around her to see that it was Santana dressed as a cheetah, surrounded by Quinn and Sam, who looked to be dressed as Bonnie and Clyde, Brittany who he assumed was dressed as animal control, and Puck and an unfamiliar blonde standing beside him dressed as Batman and Cat woman.

Putting his hands in his pockets, Finn made his way to the small circle of his old and close friends that he had missed so much. He wished Rachel was by his side, but he also couldn't wait to see what she looked like in her costume. She had spent days talking about it and he was excited to see her once she walked down the stairs. But, when he found out that he had to wait until she got here to see her, he felt a little disappointed. But, he knew that the mystery would add up to the suspense and he couldn't wait.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Daddy Zuko in the house tonight?" Puck called out causing everyone's eyes to fly on Finn. Noticing they were all pretty impressed, he started doing his impressions that Rachel had taught him. He took out his comb from his pocket and began swiping his hair back "That's my name. Don't wear it out…" he smirked.

"Finn Hudson, I swear you are too full of yourself!" Quinn exclaimed. "Come over here and give me a hug!"

"I swear, Hudson, you have not aged day since I last saw you!" Santana smiled, "Get your tall ass over here!" By the time they were all finished greeting each other and giving hugs, they were now sharing small talk on what they all missed over the years. Finn had forgotten just how much he missed all of them. So much had changed. At one time, it made him sad to know that the past was long and gone. But, at the same time, it made him happy to see how everyone was moving forward with their lives and making new memories that they all mentioned when they'd sit in a circle and talk long ago.

He smiled when he remembered listening to Rachel talk about how she wanted to have a big house with two kids, a boy and a girl, and an amazing husband who made her feel like a princess on the inside and out. Nowhere in his mind at that time ever thought that he'd be able to put himself in that position and give her all of those things. But, life always turned in weird and strange directions, and he was lucky enough to be able to marry his best friend. He just hoped that he had succeeded in her mind when it came to her expectations at the life she wanted.

"Where's Rachel?" Santana asked.

"She's going to be right behind me." Finn assured them. "We ended up getting all caught up with getting Aiden ready and pictures and stuff, so we were sort of last minute in the getting ready department." Finn lied, his mind playing over the moment they shared after their son had left. "Rach wanted a few more minutes to fix her hair and make sure that everything is perfect. You know, girly things." He laughed.

"Oh, gotcha…" Santana replied, gaining a nodding of understanding from the three girls. "Well, how about you go get yourself a drink and then when you come back, you can show us pics of that stud of a son you have?"

"And then you can meet Charlie…" Quinn added, mentioning the girl standing next to his best friend.

"Sounds like a plan." He smiled at them before he turned around and headed for the surprisingly empty bar. He guessed everyone was too busy dancing to get another drink right now.

Sitting down, he told the bartender he wanted a glass of bourbon. Nodding at his request, he got on it. Waiting for his drink, he was surprised when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Thinking of Rachel, the biggest smile placed itself on his lips. He turned around expecting to see her standing before him. The smiled slightly dropped off of his face when he saw a group of girls before him. He couldn't really tell, but they seemed to be his age, maybe a year or two younger; at least Rachel's age. Two or three of the girls standing before him had faces that he had seen before them.

"Finn Hudson?" the girl in the front asked.

"That's me." He smiled, as the bartender handed him his drink.

"Oh my gosh, I knew it was you!" the girl behind her exclaimed. "It's me, Katy Hunter." The girl in the front smiled as recognition shot across Finn's face.

Katy Hunter, he thought; the same Katy Hunter that Finn picked Rachel over when they were in the backyard playing princesses, he remembered. Things had definitely just become a whole lot more interesting.

"Right, wow, it's been so long!" Finn chuckled.

"Same goes here." She replied, taking the seat next to him. "You remember my friends?" she asked, turning to the three other girls standing behind them.

"This is Terry Mitchell." She said pointing to the brunette standing beside her. He smiled as he made eye contact with the girl. She seemed shy, but the name did sound familiar.. Then, it hit him.

Terry Mitchell, the same girl whose virginity he took right before he went off to college. Did he say interesting? He meant awkward. He didn't even remember if he called her back like he said he would before they parted that time. He shyly smiled and offered his hand for her to shake.

"It's nice to see you again." She smiled.

"You too." He replied.

"And do you remember Claire Ramirez and Ashley Cortez?" she asked, bringing up names from his past that he faintly remembered.

He had made out with Ashley at the after prom party in his junior year of high school and almost had sex with Claire as well if it weren't for her mom calling her to come home after one of their winning football games with him as the quarterback. All four of the girls before him were on the cheerleading team at the time. Politely smiling, he took a huge swig of the drink in front of him and pushed it forward to get a refill.

"It's nice to see you guys again." He told the blonde and the redhead. "What are y'all doing here?" he asked.

"We were just having a single lady's night." Katy answered him. "Claire's boyfriend just broke up with her so we're all taking the opportunity to give her a fun time and show her how fun it is to be single."

"I'm sorry." Finn told her. "But, that sounds like fun."

"Yeah…" Claire said. "Now, enough with the chit chat, let's get our drinks and go dance!" she exclaimed.

"I second that." Terry laughed, while Ashley nodded. "Nice to see you again, Finn" Claire smiled, holding her hand up for the bartender. The three girls then told the bartender what they wanted. Before they could leave with their drinks, Claire turned back to Finn and smiled… "It's nice seeing that you're still the hottie you were in high school!" she chuckled, drunkenly.

"Claire!" Ashley exclaimed, as she pulled her to the dance floor.

"Katy, are you coming?" Terry stopped and asked while following the two girls.

"Um, I think I'm going to stay here and talk with Finn if he'll have me?" she asked, turning to Finn.

This was one of those moments where he was being tested, he thought. It was like his past was coming back to bite him in the ass. Remembering and seeing all of those girls, he was reminded by how much of a man-whore he was back then. What made him feel even worse was that this was only the set of girls he remembered from high school. In reality, he had been with many more when he went to college and during his first years of working. In reality, he never became serious until Rachel told him that she loved him.

Rachel. Once she crossed his mind, he began to feel the guilt pulling on his chest. He should say no. But, at the same time, he didn't want to be rude and give off the wrong impression. What would be the harm in talking to this girl he never even had or has any romantic feeling towards? He would just be catching up with a girl he knew from childhood. If it was so harmless, why did he have to keep proving it to himself?

"Sure, that's fine. I was supposed to be getting back to my friends soon, but they can wait." He smiled, as the girls nodded and turned to go dance.

"Good." She smiled, waving the bartender to give her a white wine. "So, who are you supposed to be? Danny Zuko?" she asked.

"That's my name, don't wear it out." He replied.

Laughing, she shook her head and took a sip of her drink. "Someone did their research."

"What about you?" he asked, examining her costume. "A rabbit?" he asked, gaining a round of laughter from her.

"A playboy bunny." She corrected him.

"Oh yeah." He laughed.

"Gosh, I can't get over how you haven't changed at all." She said. "You look exactly like you did at graduation day." She giggled.

"You remember how I looked at graduation day?" he asked, chuckling with surprise.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I do." she smiled. "I kept up with you after high school." She admitted shyly.

"Really?" he asked. "Then tell me, Katy Hunter. What have I been up to?" he smiled.

"Okay." She played along making Finn feel guilty for leading her on. He thought about Rachel and his friends who are probably still waiting on him. But, it's not like she was making a move on him. They were just talking and catching up. She said she caught up with him since high school, so she probably knew about Rachel and Aiden.

"Well, in college you became this total playboy and then you got your degree in business and took over your stepfather's tire business and became a total millionaire with branches expanding nation-wide. And just recently, you were voted New York's most eligible bachelor." She told him. Crap, he thought, so she didn't know about his recent life changes.

"Wow. I never knew I had a stalker." He told her. Laughing, she shook her head.

"No, it wasn't like that." She giggled. "Can I tell you a secret?" she asked, becoming serious.

"Sure." He said, before he took another sip from his drink, thinking of the mess he was getting himself into. He then promised he wouldn't let it go any further from where they were now.

"I kind of always had a little crush on you." Katy went on, opening the door of opportunity for Finn to step in and close it. "And I still do."

Before he could say something to her, the previous slow song playing in the background had ended, leaving the sound of distant chatter, thankfully gaining his attention from the awkward situation. As he moved his eyes to the dance floor, the door to the club beyond it opened and his eyes remained trained on the woman as she politely smiled at the bouncer before she walked in with her hands in buried in her leather jacket.

In that moment, Finn felt like he was a part of one of those sappy romantic comedies. Just as she began walking further into the crowd, Madcon's "Beggin" fell over the speakers and the hot air from the club began throwing itself through her perfectly curled up-do as she walked further in slow motion. In Finn's head, she was the only girl in this club and from what he was previously going through, he was glad that she finally arrived. He was glad that his wife had finally arrived.

"I mean, I know it's crazy and totally comes out of the blue… Hey, it might even be coming from the drinks I had tonight… I know I sound totally insane by telling you this by not having seen you since high school, But Finn Hudson, you have no idea how long I've kept this in.." she continued to struggle on her words as Finn continue to gaze at the woman who completely stole his heart. "I used to get crazy goosebumps when I'd see you out on the football field leading the titans to victory or when you'd walk past me in the halls with that big letterman jacket and your bright smile… I'm sorry for being as open as a book, but I thought since we were both here right now, why not?"

"Huh?" he asked, turning back to the girl before him. A look of disappointment fell over her face when she realized that he hadn't heard a thing she said. "Look, I've got to go Katy. My wife just got here. It was nice talking to you." He said before getting up and walking toward the short petite brunette who smiled politely as she passed different people as she walked further into the club, looking around for him. Katy sat in her chair flabbergasted as she watched Finn walk away.

Once Rachel noticed where Finn was standing, she caught his attention and began to mimic Sandy's motions from Grease. Pretending to throw a burning cigarette on the floor, she smashed it with her red heel and placed her hands on her hips as she walked towards Finn.

"Tell me about it, stud." She whispered seductively through her bright red lips.

"Good thing I didn't know what you looked like before I walked out the door." Finn smiled, wrapping his arms around her and leaning forward to place a kiss on the crook of her neck. He could smell her perfume which made him want her even more. "We would have never been able to leave the bedroom."

"So you have chills?" she asked playfully.

"They're multiplying." He whispered into her ear, giving her the chills in the process. After all of this time, Finn still was the popular guy too good for her in her mind… Even if she was wearing the wedding ring he gave her and sharing a house with him and their very own child… He gave her the goosebumps and heart flutters.

Playfully pushing him away, she laughed and straightened out his leather jacket as she looked around and turned back to him.

"Okay, Greased Lightning, how about you show me to where our friends are sitting?"

"Right this way, baby doll." He smiled, offering her his arm for her to grab onto. As they were walking towards the table with the familiar looking faces, Rachel found a very familiar brunette staring her down as they passed the bar. She'd have to ask later if Finn noticed as well.

"Oh snap! There's our little mamacita!" Santana exclaimed getting up as she placed her drink on the table and made her way for Rachel as they both arrived.

"Rachel!" Quinn exclaimed, following her with Sam in tow.

"It's so good to see you guys!" Rachel smiled, hugging all of her long lost friends who were so excited to see her and vice versa.

Once everyone got in their greetings and welcomes, Rachel noticed the short blonde who shyly smiled at her as she sipped on her glass of white wine and stayed at Puck's hip.

"Hi," Rachel stepped forward, holding out her hand to the girl who looked about the same age as her; maybe a few years younger. "I'm Rachel."

The blonde smiled a wide perfectly pearly smile and extended her own to grasp Rachel's. "I'm Charlie; Noah's girlfriend. It's nice to finally put a face to the name." she giggled. "I've heard so much about you."

"I did as well." Rachel replied. "It's nice to finally meet the woman who somehow got Noah Puckerman to consider settling down. You have no idea how much trouble he used to put Finn and I through." Rachel chuckled. "I guess it's finally our turn to make the jokes, right babe?" she asked turning towards Finn who was smiling down at her. "By the way, this is my husband, Finn." Rachel added, introducing them.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Finn smiled, shaking her hand as well.

"Oh, I feel like I already know you, Finn Hudson." She surprised everyone by replying. "Puck has told me all of these stories about you, dating all the way back to when you guys were little." She laughed. "He even told me about that time you guys danced before your wedding."

"I thought we weren't going to speak about that, Puck?" Finn looked frantically to his best friend.

"Wait, what are y'all talking about?" Rachel asked, amused.

"I love this girl already and we've only known her for 4 months…" Santana told the girls sitting at the table before she took another sip of her drink.

"How about we go get drinks, Rach?" Finn asked, pulling out of the subject he did not want to get caught on.

Smiling, she nodded and grabbed his hand as she followed him to the crowded bar stools as they both sat down and waited for the bartender to approach them so they could put in their requests. Before Rachel could turn to Finn, the same brunette that she caught eying her from before was now sitting across the bar looking directly at her.

"Finn, do you know that girl over there?" Rachel asked, pointing to who she assumed was dressed as a playboy bunny. Following Rachel's gaze, Finn's eyes were met with Katy's. "She just keeps looking at me and she looks so familiar. I wonder if she knows me and she's waiting for me to recognize her or something. I feel bad."

"Okay, so don't be mad. It's Katy Hunter from high school" He hurried up and explained before the brunette made her way towards them. "We sort of talked earlier, she revealed she had a crush on me since we were kids, and I let her down when you got here, even though I was totally going to do it anyways even if you weren't here. This only has to be awkward if we make it…" he added in.

"I am not finished with you, Finn Hu-"; she was cut off by the brunette.

"Hey Finn." She smiled, turning to Rachel. "Is this your wife?" she asked.

"Hey Katy," Rachel greeted. "It's nice to see you again."

"Wait, Rachel?" she asked, familiarity falling over face. "Rachel Berry? Wow, I haven't seen you since high school." She exclaimed. "Gosh, I'm so embarrassed. I think I sort of knew you guys would end up together. I'm sorry."

"Are you kidding me? It's fine. If I'd be single right now, I would've probably hit on guys like him too. Nowadays it's so hard to tell; especially when they forget to flash out their wedding bands." Rachel emphasized, kicking Finn in the leg.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about. Your man definitely only has eyes for you. Plus, I think I found someone. He's sitting over there." She smiled and pointed to a man with blue eyes and jet black hair. He sat with a glass of dark yellow liquid as he smiled a crooked smile in her direction. Waving towards her, she returned it and got up from where she had propped herself before. "Well, it was nice to see you guys again, and I'm really sorry that this night didn't start off with the best of intentions."

"It's fine." Rachel smiled.

"Yeah, it's all good." Finn added.

"Have fun and good luck." Rachel winked, referring to the guy at the other side of the bar. As she walked away, Finn clapped his hands together and turned toward Rachel.

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about it, Rach. I just didn't find it important because I know that you know I could never look at another the way that my eyes look at you. I'm not a cheating slug. I can't even imagine myself doing that. I love you too much. This subject has never come up for us because it shouldn't have to, but I just wanted to assure you that that's not me." He said, grabbing her left hand in his as he played with her diamond ring.

"I know, Finn Hudson." She smiled, playing with his silver band. "I know because I feel the exact same way." After they rubbed their noses together, Rachel smiled to herself at Finn's crooked smile that she loved so much. "Okay! Enough with all of this cheesiness… How about we go out on that dance floor and act like the two crazy teenagers we once were?" she suggested, getting up and pulling him up with her.

"You know that I can't, and never could dance, right?" he asked, chuckling as she pulled him into the loudness and crowd.

"Don't worry. I'll do all of the work." She winked, twirling around and pulling him closer to her as their bodies touched under the lime light. The sound of Outkast's "Miss Jackson" was blaring and before they knew it, their heads were hot and their bodies were sweating.

"Are you thirsty?" He yelled over the music.

"For you?" she winked, "Always."

Blushing, Finn chuckled to himself. "Come on, miss flirty. Let's go get more drinks. How do we feel about shots? I'm sort of craving them right now."

"Okay." She jumped, grabbing his hand and intertwining it with hers.

As the night began to come to a close and everyone said their goodbyes, Rachel was feeling the younger version of herself. She looked at the watch on her wrist, smiling to herself. It was 2:30 am and memories of when the gang and she roamed around the streets of New York at this time rushed back in. She remembered a specific time when she was 23 years old and had just arrived to the city a couple of years earlier. She felt like that girl at this moment. She missed her.

With Aiden, it was a miracle to Rachel if she stayed up past 11. She found it funny how much time could change things. But, in a way, she liked the change. Aiden was the best part of her day; every day. She wouldn't change that for anything that this world had to offer.

Holding Finn's hand, she allowed him to walk her to her car. Well, he insisted and she wasn't going to fight it. The parking lot was dark and empty and it was 2:30 am. Saying goodbye to the group of friends, Finn started swing her arm back and forth as they walked and then, taking her off guard, he twirled her around. She got the goosebumps as she felt like they were on their first date.

"Are you tired?" Finn asked, looking down at her as they continued walking towards the parking lot behind the club.

"In a weird way, no." she replied. "I thought I'd be ready to crash by 9, but I feel like I could keep going for the rest of the night." She chuckled, "You?"

"I could run a marathon," he told her, causing the both of them to laugh into the early morning air.

"We should pull an all-nighter like we used to." She suggested, "Remember that time we watched the sun rise on the roof of that convenience store in town?"

"New Year's Eve? Are you kidding me? That was like our annual tradition. We used to get so wasted up there. Mom and Burt still don't know anything about that." He laughed as they reminisced.

"I think that bottle of whiskey that you brought was the first drink I ever had. It was disgusting!" she exclaimed, pulling him closer to her when they hit the curb of the sidewalk. The air from the other side had hit them and sent a small breeze which made Rachel shiver.

Taking off his leather jacket, Finn wrapped it around Rachel's shoulders and rested his arm around her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his abdomen. It was moments like these that made Rachel really appreciate the gentleman that was her Finny.

"If I'm not mistaken, you didn't really think it was so gross when you emptied half of the bottle that night." He joked, " I thought you were speaking a different language from all of the slurs in your speech that night."

"Oh please!" Rachel giggled. "I was honestly trying to impress you, I guess." She caught Finn's eyes as he looked down at her with confusion. "You were always going to all of those parties and by that time, you weren't a virgin and you had already had a drink or two, so I wanted you to think that I was as cool as I thought you were. So I drank all of the disgusting hardcore liquor that you brought from you parents' house and made a complete fool of myself to show you that I was just as fun." She explained.

"Oh, I thought you were something, alright…I thought you were nuts; Especially when I'd have to sneak your drunken ass up that tree and into your window without getting caught by your parents." He laughed, gaining hers as well. "You got wasted for me?" he asked, a tone in his voice revealing that he was touched.

"Of course I did." She told him as they approached her car. "I used to over here stories about you from the cheerleaders that were around my locker. So, I knew that you were more experienced than me and I wanted to make a good impression. Plus, there was always that excitement that I felt for being able to do something grown-up for once. It made me feel good to know that I was doing something that made me feel independent and free from childhood; even if it was totally wrong and went against every moral I had."

"I remember feeling that way too the first time I drank." He agreed.

"You know, out of all of the stories that we have shared in our lifetime, you never told me that one. When did you have your first drink?" she asked as she unlocked the driver's side.

"I never told it to you because it leads to the story of how I lost my virginity to your best friend." Finn said, opening the door for her. "I'll tell you what… How about you meet me at the house, and I'll tell you about it there?"

"I like the sound of that. Are you sure you're okay to drive?" she asked, a bit of concern in her expression.

"Designated driver of the group, remember?" he chuckled, referring to a promise the seven of them made in New York when they had all recently moved there.

"Except for that one time in Queens," Rachel reminded him.

"That was a very tough night for me." He defended himself.

"Yeah, I guess it is tough when you get turned down by a boozy bar waitress who couldn't even remember your name." Rachel laughed, earning a glare from Finn. "I'm sorry, baby; but, I thought that all was really funny and good for you! Who knows what STDs you would have come up with if she would have said yes?"

"You're right." He smiled, watching her get into the car seat. "What about you? Are you okay to drive home? Those were a lot of shots that you threw back."

"Trust me, I'm fine." She assured him.

"If you say so." He replied. "I love you, princess. Please be careful." He told her as she turned on her car.

"I will be. Be careful too, Finn. It's dark outside and anyone can come around the corner and mug you or worse. Call me when you safely get inside your car, okay?" she warned him.

"That's the first thing that I will do." He promised. "I'll see you at the house, okay?"

"Okay." She smiled, before backing out and pulling out of the parking lot. Once Rachel got to the red light right down the street from the parking lot, her phone started buzzing. Hitting the button on her car, the speaker system began to play Finn's voice through the car, filling her with relief that he made it safely to his car. She knew that it was just Lima, but you could never be too careful at this time. Like her father always told her, nothing good ever happens after 2 am.

"Look in your rearview mirror, Rach." He replied, after she asked him where he was. Smiling as the person in the truck behind her started to wave, she drove forward as the light turned green.

"There are so many kinky things that can come from this situation… Stranger following me to my house to get some…" she said seductively.

"Rachel Berry, are you trying to sex talk me while I'm trying to concentrate on the road?" he asked, with a light chuckle in his voice.

"My hormones have been weird lately." She laughed. "Plus, I'm trying to distract you from judging my driving. I know if I don't, I'll hear it from you when I get home." She admitted.

"I appreciate the effort." He laughed.

"What do you think Aiden's doing right now?" Rachel asked.

"Sleeping," Finn replied without thinking. It was 2:30 in the morning after all.

"Do you think he misses us?" Rachel asked, thinking of her insanely cute little brunette that she missed so terribly; even if it was just tonight that they'd be apart. "I wonder if he had fun tonight. Carol didn't send any pictures yet."

"Rach, I think he had a great time and that he's sleeping off the exhausting night he probably put on himself from all of the excitement he got from his pumpkin bucket that will probably be stuffed with candy." Finn estimated. "…and when we see him tomorrow, that little face of his is going to have the biggest smile in the world to see his mother."

"And his daddy," Rachel added. "You guys are inseparable. I'm jealous. I barely get to hang out with you anymore." She laughed.

"Well, I'm about to fix that…" he answered in a low voice as the two automobiles pulled into the long gravel driveway that led to their large house. Once they both got out of their cars, Rachel grabbed her purse and skipped the best she could in her high red heels. Her feet were swollen and hurting like hell, but she wasn't complaining because Finn had her floating in the love bubble.

Making her way to her husband who was locking his truck, she smiled and jumped knowing he would catch her. In his arms, she rested bridal style as he carried her up the steps to their front porch and into their dark and empty house. The warmth in the crook of his neck heated up her cheek as she rested her head. The only thing that she could smell was his cologne and it made her feel at home. It always had.

As they furthered into the house, Finn turned on all of the lights except for the living room. Placing Rachel down on of their couches, Finn gently settled himself above her and placed a small kiss against the crook of her neck. As chills were sent up her spine, she closed her eyes in longing and pleasure as she held him close to her.

"Can you think of the last time we made love in the complete darkness?" Finn whispered against her neck. Goosebumps rose on Rachel's arms as she felt the heat from Finn's breath against her skin.

"It was that night after you got stung by that jellyfish in Hawaii. I remember it took a little convincing, but we went back to the beach and once we got into the water, there was no stopping us." She chuckled. "That was one of my favorite times for us. The way the stars and moon shone down on us made it the most beautiful moment. But now that I think about it, I guess since Aiden, we never really had time to all of that like we used to."

"Then what are we waiting for?" he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as he went in for her lips.

After about an hour, they were nestled into each other's side and covered in nothing but the blanket that Rachel kept on the couch for decoration. Rachel traced her fingers up and down Finn's arm as he did the same with her shoulders. They both rested their eyes and remained calm and rested through the silence that filled the air. Everything was perfect.

"I have an idea." Rachel smiled, breaking the silence in the dark.

"What's that, angel?" Finn asked, tucking her hair on the other side of her head while going in for a kiss to the back of her neck.

"How about we go upstairs to the widow's peak and you can tell me the story of your first drink like you promised before. It'll be like our new place to go and hang out. I know I really miss our New York rooftop, so maybe the widow's peak could be our new safe haven."

"That sounds like a brilliant idea." He smiled, getting up as he placed he boxers on, followed by his black pants. Following him in the action of getting dressed, they both intertwined hands as they made their way to the roof of the house.

Running out to the empty space on the roof, Finn twirled Rachel around and dipped her just like he had all of those years ago in the pouring rain of New York City. As they placed two of the chairs up there in one spot, Rachel and Finn sat and looked over the location of their pool. Everything had been arranged just as Finn had promised, and Rachel couldn't even begin to describe how thankful she was for it all.

"Now, as for that story, mister…" Rachel began.

"Right," Finn remembered looking at his curious wife. "Well, I was 16 years old and I was going through those rebellious years. Remember them?" He asked.

"If anything, the poster of Justin Timberlake in my room remembers the most. It was one of the things that you took your anger out on." Rachel joked.

"I remember that. I should've bought you a new one. I knew how much you loved it." He apologized.

"It was okay. I was too obsessed with him in the first place. Anyways, back to the story…" she begged.

"Well, I was just starting to get up to the quarterback position so a lot of the older players began to notice me and stuff. One day I got invited to a party that Santana's older brother was throwing and since I had nothing better to do, I decided that I wanted to go. Only, when my mother found out, she made it her mission to make sure that I didn't go. She said that I was too young to go to one of those parties because she remembered hearing from her friends what went on at all of those high school parties."

"Anyways, I got so mad at her because she was keeping me from high school memories that I thought would important at the time. So, when Burt and her went to bed that night, I snuck out through the front door paying off Kurt with a 50 dollar bill later when he caught me. When I got there, I was so angry at my mom that I wanted to do everything that she was afraid I would do. Call it stupidity, because at that time, that's exactly what it was; even if I didn't know it."

"Terrance McCall walked up to me with a full red solo cup of clear liquid and when I asked what it was, he told me that if I drank enough of it, I wouldn't care. So, I took it and gulped it down, experiencing the nastiness of the first sip and the burning as it went down my throat. But, after that I just wanted more and more, until the next morning I woke up next to Santana Lopez in a dark red room that smelled like perfume and alcohol." He told her, wrapping up the story. "And, when I got home my mom was waiting for me and you know the rest…"

"Was that the time when your mother refused to let me come to your house for a whole two weeks?" Rachel asked, laughing.

"Yes. She didn't want you to find out why, because she was scared I'd influence you and cause you to do the same things. Too bad she doesn't know that that's exactly what we did on that rooftop all of those different New Year's Eves."

"Can I tell you a secret?" she asked.

"Always." He replied.

"When we went up there the second year after we made it a tradition, it was before Jessie and I knew that you were experienced and that you had already done a lot of the things that I was curious about…"

"What do you mean?" Finn asked, sitting up as she leaned against him holding the cover tightly to her. They were now in the same chair looking out to the land on their property as Rachel was sitting between Finn's legs and her head was rested against his bare chest.

"I wanted you to be my first…" she let out, taking a deep breath and a moment to let her words sink in as she watched Finn expression turn into surprise. "I wanted to ask you, but I knew it'd be too weird for us because we were just friends at the time and I didn't want to ruin anything." She explained.

"I would've said yes in a heartbeat," Finn replied. "It's totally obvious of the regret that I have no that it wasn't with you, but here's what I think… We both had two different firsts, but you will be my last and I know that with all of my heart." He assured her, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm pregnant." She blurted out.

"What?" he jolted up, looking at her with complete shock this time. He had no idea that those were the words that would come out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry; I should've told you sooner. I just didn't want to say anything until I assured myself that I was. That's why I asked for you to leave without me earlier. I stopped at Walgreen's and bought a test and took it in their bathroom. I was going to find a way to tell you at the club, but I got distracted since we were in a large crowd of people, and I wanted this moment to be more intimate. And now, you said all of those beautiful words to me and I couldn't think of a better time."

"We're pregnant again?" he asked, the moon light revealing the glow of tears building up in his eyes.

"I'm going to have to schedule a doctor's appointment to make sure, but yeah. We're pregnant again. And this time, I think it's going to be a little girl." She laughed as her own tears began to fall down her cheeks. Turning around, she jumped on him as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"You have no idea how happy you just made me, baby. "He struggled through his words as he choked up.

"You've given me this wonderful, and happy life after all of the heartbreak I previously had, so just consider it my way of saying thank you." She chuckled, wiping the tears that had already trailed themselves down his cheeks.

"How did we even get here?" Finn asked, joining Rachel with the chuckling in the process.

"I honestly have no idea. I don't think anyone does." She replied. "I can honestly remember that time in my life when the near thought of you kissing me made me want to vomit." She joked.

"Well, then I guess you're just going to have to get a barf bag." He whispered, turning his head to press his lips to her.

"Mm." she closed her eyes to savor the feeling. "Magical."

"Every day with you is magical, my love." Finn added, as he placed his head in the crook of her neck as she rested back against him.

"That's exactly what I was thinking." She giggled. "Get out of my thought, Finn Hudson."

Once the north wind hit her skin, a sudden chill fell over her body. Wrapping the blanket around her body, she turned around and rested her head against Finn's chest.

"Are you cold?" he asked, wrapping her up in his embrace.

"Just a little chilly." She admitted. "But I have my teddy bear now, so I should be all good."

"Good." He smiled, closing his eyes and enjoying the warmth that had engulfed the both of them.

"Look!" Rachel called, abruptly opening Finn's eyes. "The sun's coming up."

Looking past Rachel's pointing index finger, Finn noticed the small glow of orange in a portion of the remaining dark sky; the same little glow of orange that he had cursed in the city of New York all of those years ago when Rachel was gone. Now, instead of another day without Rachel by his side and another day of lost hope that he thought would come, this sunrise symbolled something entirely different.

This little glow of orange that was becoming to strengthen, lighting a little more of the sky at a time, symbolled a new day with his beautiful pregnant wife and their son that they would get to see when he returned from his grandparents' house. This sunlight was going to symbol the hope that he had for their future together, as a couple, as a family, and most importantly, as best friends.

"Remember Ronald's diner?" Finn asked.

"Oh my gosh, yes. They had the best pancakes; especially after all of that drinking we did on that roof." Rachel reminisced. "I still remember the look on their faces when our drunk asses rolled into their at 6 in the morning after pulling an all-nighter." She laughed.

"Want to go?" Finn asked, sitting up. "They're definitely open and I'm pretty sure we're both starving; especially you, preggo." He laughed, as Rachel punched him in the side. "What do you say, Rachel Hudson? Wanna take a ride down memory lane?"

Smiling, she sat up and held on her hand for Finn to grab. "Let's go."

And with that, they both got up and walked towards their future, as the louder glow of hope shown on them from the sky. They'd always have the past with them, but at the same time, they'd have the future to make brand new memories with the ones they loved, and most importantly, with each other.

As they walked along the sidewalk to Finn's truck, Rachel held onto his hand and smiled up at him. She finally realized the importance of her previous actions. She was so scared to tell Finn that she wanted to be more than friend. She was terrified that he wouldn't feel the same way about her and their friendship would end. But, what she didn't know was that, all of that time, she was letting her conscience get the best of her.

Now, her life was an amazing one, because she told him how she felt, despite the fear that she held deeply. Because of that, her life was like a fairytale every time she opened her eyes in the morning. All thanks to the man that she called her best friend.

In life, the best thing to do is speak up. Never let your words be buried underneath you, or let fear of what may happen get in the way of what you want to say. Despite possible consequences, take those words that you have and let them out. For all anyone knows, those words could change your life, or more importantly, the world.

~The End~

Yes,I have finally finished Just Friends after almost two years. Thank you for all of your support and for the patience, which i know must've been very questionable, especially by how long it took me to upload some of these chapters. This chapter has taken me forever to finish because I had absolutely no idea how to end this story. I'd like to apologize for that, and hopefully the ending satisfies all of you. I'm going to miss this story so much, but i thought it was time for the ending. I'm sorry if i disappointed any of you. But, worry not! I already have a new idea in the back of my head that i'm ready to put down on paper! So stay tuned for that, because it's going to be awesome! Thanks for all of the awesome reviews and the constructive criticism. Hope to see you all pretty soon on the next adventure our beloved Finchel will embark on. Until then, XOXO -Katherine