Disclaimer: Glee is not mine

We plan our lives according to a dream that came to us in our childhood, and we find that life alters our plans. And yet, at the end, from a rare height, we also see that our dream was our fate. It's just that providence had other ideas as to how we would get there. Destiny plans a different route, or turns the dream around, as if it were a riddle, and fulfills the dream in ways we couldn't have expected.

-Ben Okri

Exactly one year later…

The sunlight streaming into the room lured Rachel from her deep slumber. Sleepily she stretched, not quite ready to open to her eyes. Automatically, her hands patted the bed searching for the whereabouts of Finn, wondering why he wasn't pressed up against her with his arms around her like usual. Not finding him, she cracked open one eye to see where he could be, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings and the empty other side of the bed. Frowning, she sat up, trying to orientate herself to her surroundings. It took Rachel a second, but once sleep left her body, a wide smile replaced her frown as she realized what day it was.

Her wedding day.

Happily, she bounded out of bed and ran out onto the balcony to check the weather. The warm sun and clear blue sky greeted her as Rachel stared out at the beautiful Amalfi coast, hardly believing that the day she'd been waiting the past year for, well really the past twenty years, was finally here. She smiled, knowing that Finn was down there somewhere waiting for her. She hadn't seen him since yesterday evening and it was far too long to go without seeing him.

They hadn't been separated like this since the early days of their relationship, when Finn would make the drive from Ohio every Friday night, only to have to do the same thing in reverse on Sunday. Since Broadway is dark on Mondays, she'd drive back with him after her Sunday performance and take a flight Tuesday afternoon, just to give them more time to spend together.

Tuesday nights until Finn arrived on Friday night were easily the worst part of the week for them and they'd driven up insane phone bills spending hours on the phone until their phones died or Rachel had to go on stage, whichever came first. Even then, she'd hand the phone to a crew member while she was on stage, letting Finn hear the show and simply resume their conversation as soon as she came off stage. Once the show was over, he'd stay on the phone with her while she made her way home so they could get ready for bed together.

Fortunately, this had only lasted until Carole took pity on her son and offered Finn her credit card mileage points to use for plane tickets, which gave them much more time to spend together. That had only lasted until Finn resigned his teaching position and moved with Vincent to New York.

Right into her apartment.

She twisted the antique ring on her left hand, a smile on her face at the thought of how she'd acquired it.

"Finn?" she called out into the apartment, greeting Vincent who'd ambled out into the hallway, a stuffed monkey in his mouth. She placed her bag on the hall table and hung up her coat, crouching down to give Vincent an affectionate head rub, pleased to see that he was still wearing the polka dotted bow tie she'd put on him that morning.

"In here, babe!"

She followed his voice to find him in the living room, sketching in one of his many sketch books. He glanced up at her as she came in, smiling that special smile he reserved for her, his hand sketching furiously as he glanced between her and the paper.

"What are you doing, Finny?" she asked suspiciously as she came over to get her welcome home kiss. Vincent followed behind her, heading for his dog bed next to Finn's chair.

"Just working on something." He closed the book before she could see anything, letting her settle into his lap before he placed his lips against hers in a tender kiss. "How was rehearsal?"

"Amazing. I still can't believe I'm in a starring role now." She snuggled into him, temporarily distracted from wanting to know what he was doing.

She'd spent the three weeks Jesse had blocked off for the wedding and honeymoon with Finn in Ohio, and not long after she'd gotten back to New York, Rachel had auditioned for the musical Showboat, earning a position as the understudy for the role of Julie. Once the contract for the actress playing Julie had expired, Rachel had been promoted to the main cast, stepping into the role of Julie full time. Her entire family, along with Burt, Carole, Kurt and Blaine, had been there for her first performance and as she sang Julie's famous "Can't Help Loving Dat Man," her mind kept wandering back to the enormous bouquet of Stargazer Lilies that had arrived in her dressing room before the show, accompanied by a large stuffed Smurf. She knew the source of the flowers was sitting out in the audience and the thought made her pour more emotion into the song, particularly when she got to the line "home without him ain't no home to me."

"I got us dinner. It's in the kitchen. Why don't you get it and bring it in here?" he asked, wanting to get back to his sketch.

Rachel quirked an eyebrow at him as she climbed off of his lap. "Are you trying to get rid of me? I won't look at whatever you're working on, I promise. I know how you hate that."

"Thank you, baby." He watched her go into the kitchen before he pulled the book back out, filling in the last key parts of the sketch with his colored pencils. Once he was satisfied, he placed the book in the special box he'd gift wrapped, dropping the present onto the floor next to Vincent. She returned a few minutes later food in hand, handing him his food before settling onto the couch opposite Finn. He waited until she was just about done with her dinner before he cleared his throat. "Babe? You know what today is?"

She beamed at him. "Of course I do! It's our eight month anniversary. Why do you think Vincent has a bowtie on?"

"And here I thought Vince was just channeling his inner Kurt with that bowtie on," Finn joked nervously, coming over to sit on the couch next to her, his hands behind his back.

"What are you doing?" Rachel asked curiously as he held out the box, wanting to get it over with. "Did you buy me something pretty?"

"Not exactly."

She pulled the cover off the box, looking up at Finn. "The Story of Us?"

"Mmm-hmm. Open it up."

She did as requested, laughing when she saw the inscription. "For Rachel, who took a chance on me, even if my mom didn't name me Sam."

He laughed along, watching as she examined the picture he'd drawn underneath of a fortune cookie, the name Sam Evans sticking out of it. "Turn the page."

She turned the page to find a sketch of her younger self sitting on Nana's lap, a young Noah hanging onto the arm of the couch, matchbox car in one hand. "Finn! This is amazing!"

He blushed. If she thought that was amazing, he could hardly wait till she got further into the book. "Read it aloud."

"Serendipity: Look for something, find something else and realize what you've found is better than what you thought you were looking for," she read aloud. "I can't believe you did this!"

Finn ran a hand through his hair, beginning to get more nervous with each page. "You can't have the story of us without going back to where it all started right?"

Rachel stared at him for a moment, biting her lip as she turned the page and took in the next sketch of her eight year old self resplendent in her party dress and curls. An eight year old Brittany was next to her, both paying rapt attention to Madame Serena who had a thought bubble coming out of her mouth announcing that Sam Evans was Rachel's soul mate. He'd even drawn in an eight year old Noah peeking through the tent flap, a scowl on his face. "Those are the exact dresses Brits and I wore! How did you know?"

"Your dad showed me pictures last time we were at their house."

Speechless, she leaned over to kiss him in that way which he knew meant she was seriously getting in the mood. Ordinarily, he'd be halfway to the bedroom with her in his arms after that kiss, but this time he was on a mission. He pulled away from her, directing her to finish looking through the book.

She obeyed, sitting cross legged as she turned the page to see the sketch of the fateful Chinese restaurant lunch, followed by her, Brittany and Noah reading their fortunes. The two pages after that showed her and Brittany in college, looking for Sam. Each page was accompanied by either a song quote or a lyric that represented the sketch.

"Oh, that's you!" she exclaimed when she saw the next sketch, labeled 'Meanwhile, over in Ohio…'. He'd drawn in the fateful family dinner where he'd been tricked into coming to Italy with Kurt. Her finger traced over the image of him sitting at the table, surrounded by his favorite foods, a fork poised halfway between his mouth and plate, his face an expression of shock. "Was that the dinner?"

"Yeah. I think that's about what my face looked like. I was so pissed, but Blaine falling down the stairs was the best thing that ever happened to me."

She beamed at him, flashing that smile he loved so much. "I think so too."

He'd thoughtfully left out the Jesse times, since the next sketch was of a now adult Rachel and Brittany at the airport hearing the name Sam Evans, accompanied by lyrics from "Haven't Met You Yet." A turn of the page revealed a sketch of her, Brittany and Quinn on the plane, thought bubbles discussing Sam. The sketch started bringing back a flood of memories, but it wasn't until she got to the sketch of her sleeping on the plane, dreaming of what Sam looked like, that she read the next song lyrics aloud.

"I knew I loved you before I met you. I think I dreamed you into life," she read aloud, staring up at him and his amber eyes. She'd told him all about that silly dream of meeting him at the baggage claim and he'd obviously remembered it.

Her eyes starting to mist over as she turned the page, gasping as she took in the moment they first saw each other, letting the tears really start forming. He'd done side by side views, his view of her on the left and her view of him on the right, each showing how intently they were staring at each other. Underneath, he'd written the lyrics to the song "Two is Better than One."

"I remember what you wore the first day/You came into my life and I thought "Hey"/ You know, this could be something." She read the words aloud, running a finger over the picture. "That's a very apt quote."

"I know, but keep going." He was anxious for her to keep moving through the book, wanting her to get to the good part.

Rachel glanced at him curiously, but did as requested, oohing and ahhing over each picture as it told the story of their time in Italy and subsequently, Ohio and New York.

His anxiety grew when she finally turned the last page. His eyes watched her intently as he quietly got down on one knee, waiting until she made the connection. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at the picture and then up at him.

He'd drawn himself proposing to her, down on one knee in front of the couch as the book lay forgotten in her lap. Wanting the picture to be as accurate as possible, he'd waited until she'd come home today to sketch and color in the clothing she was wearing. His own clothing, as well as Vincent's bowtie, he'd drawn in at work earlier that day.

Rachel's eyes continued to flicker between the picture and Finn, her mouth forming a perfect O. Grinning nervously, he took one of her hands in his. "Um. I've never done this before, so I apologize in advance if it totally sucks. I told you once that I'd do it privately, and well now I'm really really glad I did because this is super nerve-racking," he rambled, nerves getting the better of him.

"Finn," Rachel prompted, her smile growing wider.

"Right. So eight months ago, I was stuck on a gay tour of Italy, furious at my mom for tricking me into going as Blaine's substitute. Other than avoiding the girls the men on the tour found for me, the trip was uneventful…until I got to Rome. I stepped out of an elevator and my life changed for the better because I saw this incredibly sexy woman staring at me and I knew. I knew that she'd be an important part of my life, a feeling that only grew stronger with each passing moment and I knew that I'd found everything I was looking for."

He fumbled in his pocket for a moment as Rachel watched, her eyes growing teary. Shyly, he held out a ring box, opening it to show her. His clumsiness chose to make an appearance at that moment, since his shaking fingers dropped the ring box. Horrified, he leaned forward to pick it up just as Rachel did, causing their foreheads to crash into each other. Rachel yelped in pain, her free hand coming up to grab her head while Finn scrambled to get the ring box from off the floor, ignoring his own pain.

Sheepishly, he held out the box to her once again. "Umm…that little act of clumsiness aside, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" she cried without hesitation, leaning forward to kiss him as hard as she could. She separated from him long enough to let him slide the ring onto her finger. Unlike the last ring she'd worn on that finger, this one felt right. It reminded her of Nana's ring, the way the single Asscher cut stone was set on an art deco band of platinum. Rather than be a plain band, the band got wider and thinner creating a repeated football shape, adding an artistic element that she was sure must have appealed to Finn.

He sighed in relief as he hugged her, placing a gentle kiss where she'd hit her head. He joined her on the couch, smiling as she admired her ring. "I thought about doing it in a rowboat, but considering that I dropped the ring here, we would've totally ended up in the water."

She laughed, giving him another kiss as she climbed into his lap. "Well, we've already done the whole falling out of a rowboat thing, so I think this was the perfect proposal from the perfect guy."

"I'd hardly call giving you a concussion as I proposed perfect," he observed, his eyes noticing the bruise already forming on her forehead.

She leaned her forehead against his. "Baby, trust me. It was perfect because it came from you."

Smiling at the memory, she walked back into her hotel room. It had taken them all of about two seconds to decide that the wedding should be where it all began, and this time around, wedding planning was an absolute joy. Every decision had been made together and unlike last time, the wedding was going to be a small, intimate affair, with people she actually knew attending.

The cell phone on her bed beeped and she dove for it, eagerly opening the message from Finn that had just come through.

Hope you like them.

She was rereading the text again, trying to figure out what she missed when a knock sounded on her door. "Rachel! Time to get up!"

Still puzzling over the message, she opened the door slightly and walked back over to bed, more concerned with the meaning of the message than with whatever Kurt wanted.

"Ahem."

Startled, she looked up and the meaning of Finn's message immediately became clear. In Kurt's hands was an enormous bouquet of Stargazer Lilies, along with a small box. "Are those for me?"

"Of course. Is Finn marrying anyone else?" he asked as he handed her the bouquet.

"He better not be." She inhaled deeply, loving the smell of the fresh flowers. "What's that?"

"I've been sent to deliver this." He held out the box enticingly.

Her eyes lit up as she took the box, trying to guess what Finn might have gotten her as a wedding gift. She made quick work of the wrapping paper (which she was sure either Kurt or Carole had done for him) and tore off the lid, revealing a small jewelry box resting on top of something covered in tissue paper. She placed the box down on the bed, deciding to open the jewelry box first and gasping when she realized the box contained a pair of simple diamond drop earrings.

"Aren't they fabulous?" Kurt chirped. "They'll go perfectly with your dress."

"I love them," she declared, running a finger over one and trying not to cry.

"Open the other thing; I want to see what it is. Finn was very secretive about it, he wouldn't let me see it," Kurt directed.

She nodded, turning her attention to the item covered in tissue paper, noticing an envelope on top of it for the first time. She opened the envelope to reveal a card with a hand drawn sketch of Amalfi on it. Smiling, she opened the card to see Finn's familiar scratchy handwriting.

To my Broadway babe: When I saw these I thought of you and how they'd be your perfect something new (Kurt approved, too), although I still like my other idea ;). I'm so excited to see you walk down the aisle. Until then you can look at my other present and think of me.

-Finn

She reread the words a few times before excitement got the better of her and she lunged for the tissue paper. Speechless, she pulled out an 8 x 10 canvas, holding it up to show Kurt. Finn had painstakingly created an oil painting of Rachel's favorite picture of them, the one by the waterfall. She never failed to marvel at his talent but this left her truly without words. Immediately, she propped the painting up on the bureau so she could see it all day while she was getting ready.

Satisfied at its placement, she turned to Kurt. She pointed to a large flat package on a nearby table. "I need you to bring something to Finn."

Kurt eyed the package. "Is that a bag of gummi worms attached to that package?"

"Yup." She nodded proudly. "Actually, those are gummi Smurfs."

She'd thought long and hard about what to get him for a wedding gift and while she wanted him to have something to wear on his wedding day that would serve as a reminder every day after, she also wanted something that would have sentimental meaning to only the two of them. She'd finally settled on a watch for him to wear and after a tedious online search and several visits to art galleries, she'd managed to get her hands on an original production cel from The Little Mermaid, depicting Ariel and Eric holding hands in the row boat. It had cost her a lot of money, but she felt it was symbolic of their relationship, since like Ariel and Eric, they'd started to fall in love in a row boat. "Give him that, along with this."

She thrust a gift bag containing his watch and his card into Kurt's hand and smiled, knowing that hidden all the way at the bottom of the bag underneath all the tissue paper were a few bottles of edible body paint, something she knew the artist in Finn would appreciate using later tonight.

"Fine. I'll be back after I get Finn dressed. Brittany and Quinn are on their way and they're bringing breakfast for you," Kurt announced, picking the package up off the table.

"I don't want to eat, I want to get married," Rachel replied, practically dancing in place at the thought. She sent off a text to Finn telling him how much she loved her presents and telling him as cryptically as she could to look underneath the tissue paper.

"Well you can't just yet, since you insisted on getting married at exactly 4:15 for some reason," Kurt answered, still not quite sure about the reasoning for that. "And it's only 10:00."

"I'll have you know that exactly one year ago today, at approximately 4:15, give or take a few minutes, Finn and I shared our moment. It was the first time I ever saw him."

"Aww!" The romantic in Kurt overrode his practical side for a second. "Nevertheless, you'll have to wait until 4:15 to see him again. The photographer will be here at 11, so once I get Finn dressed; one photographer will start taking pictures down by the rocks and the other places you wanted of the groom, groomsman and family, while the other will be with you. Then, when you're ready, we'll switch and do the same for you, ok?"

"Aye aye, Captain." She threw him a salute. "How's Finn doing?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I caught him trying to sneak out of the room twice last night to come find you."

"Really?" She bit her lip in amusement, knowing that his sneaking out probably had something to do with the fact that she'd cut him off to make their wedding night more special. They'd arrived in Italy one week ago and he'd been trying every night since to get her to break her rule and recreate their first time on the beach. She had every intention of recreating that night, but not until after the wedding.

"He came up with the stupidest excuses too, like the fact that he wanted to see if you had better water pressure in your room than he did." He rolled his eyes at Finn's lame reasons for needing to see Rachel just as Brittany and Quinn, holding Beth, came into the room, followed by Carole, Nana and Noah's sister Sarah, Rachel's third bridesmaid.

"Rachel, I just saw Kayla. She said they're going to start with Carole, since she's going to be needed for pictures with Finn first. That way you can eat," Quinn announced, placing Beth on the ground. The toddler immediately walked confidently over to Nana, who picked her up.

Rachel squealed at the sight of all of them, knowing that it was time for hair and makeup. Thanks to Jesse's insistence on that Vera Wang wedding dress, Rachel had had more than enough money from the sale of the gown to fly Kayla and Monique, the two women who normally handled her hair and makeup for special events like the Tonys that her new role as Julie required her to go to, over to Italy for what would easily be the most important event she'd ever go to.

Carole started pushing Kurt towards the door. "Kurt, you're the Best Man, so go round up Finn and make sure he and Burt and the boys shower and dress correctly."

She managed to push him out the door, despite his protests just as Kayla and Monique arrived. They got to work on Carole immediately, while Rachel, Nana, Quinn, Beth and Brittany settled on the bed, chatting and eating the breakfast Brittany had brought.

"Can you believe it's finally here?" Rachel squealed, too excited to eat. "These past four months have just gone so slow!"

"I can't believe that a year ago today we were on a plane to Italy because you were unhappy and didn't want to admit it," Brittany replied, taking a bite of her pastry.

"Don't remind me." She rolled her eyes. "It was bad enough having to see Jesse at the Tonys a few weeks ago. I was surprised that he was even invited since The Music Man closed already and he hasn't been cast in anything new, but it turns out he was there with his new girlfriend, an understudy in Mary Poppins. He was trying to talk up my director for a role in Showboat."

"Did you talk to him?"

"No. I felt my performance of Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man on the Tony stage for Best Revival spoke for itself. Finn told me that Jesse was seeing red," Rachel said smugly. "He was sitting near us unfortunately."

"Rachel, hurry up and shower because I want to get started on you," Kayla directed, sweeping some eye shadow onto Carole's closed eyes.

Rachel nodded excitedly as she climbed off the bed, practically doing a dance.

"Excited much?" Quinn teased, bouncing Beth on her lap.

"Not even the fact that Sue Sylvester is here could put a damper on my mood," Rachel called over her shoulder as she went into the bathroom.

"I still can't believe Aunt Sue is here," Quinn muttered. "She's unbelievable."

Rachel laughed to herself as she turned on the shower. Sue showing up had thrown them for a loop, but in a way, it was really only fitting that she was here.

"See, Rachel?" Finn asked as they strode out onto the pool deck. Quinn, Beth and Puck were already in the pool, while Brittany, Artie and Luca were over by the bar. "Nobody even noticed we weren't here."

"As far as we know, Finn. Do you not remember what happened last year?" Rachel demanded as she led him over to a beach chair.

"How could I forget? I actually got this insanely sexy girl to have sex on the beach," he teased, sitting on the chair and pulling her down with him. "Maybe I should find her, since you won't have sex with me."

"Did I or did I not let you make out with me just now and make us late for the pool?" Rachel questioned, rummaging through her bag for her sun block.

"Yeah, but over the shirt, no biting or nipping, no marking of any kind," he pouted, reciting her rules.

"Come Saturday night, I promise you an all access pass," Rachel assured him. "Here Finn. Let me put the sun screen on you."

"I'm fine Rach. I'm just going in the pool," Finn insisted. "Look Puck's already in the pool with Quinn."

"Finn. I am not marrying a lobster on Saturday. Sit still so I can put this on you," she directed. Obediently, he pulled off his shirt. Despite his initial reluctance, he enjoyed every second of Rachel running her hands over his chest as she covered him with the sun block and it just made him more eager for their wedding night. "All done."

He turned just in time to see his bride to be shimmying out of her cover up. He didn't know if she did it on purpose, but she had put on one of his favorite bikinis of hers, even if it didn't have ties on the side that he could pull.

Rachel was also staring down at her bikini, a frown on her face. The triangle top and ruffled bottom was patterned in pink and purple flowers, accented by black straps covered with white polka dots that tied around her neck and back while one of the ruffles was done in the same polka dotted pattern. She frowned again as she handed him the bottle and sat in front of him on the chair. "I probably shouldn't have worn this top. I'm going to have lines."

"Yeah? You going topless again?" he asked hopefully as he began spreading sun block on her back. If she was going to deny him sex, at least if she went topless he could ogle her. Forgetting about the sun block, he placed a few kisses on her neck, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Need me to untie?"

Rachel giggled, tilting her head as he hugged her close and continued kissing her neck. "Finn! No!"

"Come on babe, one little mark," he murmured against her neck as his hand moved up to discreetly slide a finger under her bikini top. "It could be your something new."

"Finn! No!" Rachel cried with significantly less conviction than before since the finger was now stroking her breast lightly. "Stop!"

Finn ignored her, continuing to kiss her neck. "Stop what? I'm not doing anything. I'm just kissing my fiancée's neck."

She squealed a little, turning her head to look at him and capturing his lips in a kiss. She gave a small mewl when she felt him reciprocate by trying to slip his tongue in her mouth. Forgetting temporarily about her surroundings, she turned in his arms, still kissing him as she maneuvered her body to face his. Her arms wrapped around his neck, while his own moved to grip her butt.

"Well if it isn't Porno Patty and her boyfriend Sir Moons-a-lot."

The unwelcomed voice stopped them in their tracks. Breaking apart, they turned to see Sue Sylvester, arms crossed as she glared at them.

"Hello, Sue. How nice to see you here," Rachel said pleasantly, determined to put the past behind her.

"Wish I could say the same, Deep Throat. Imagine my surprise when I show up for a well deserved rest, only to find out that the entire hotel is booked with a wedding," Sue replied, gagging a little at the thought.

"That would be our wedding," Finn announced proudly, giving Rachel's temple a kiss. "We're getting married on-"

"Let me stop you right there, Seymour Butts," Sue retorted, holding up a hand. "Does this look like the face of someone who cares?"

"Well…"

"Because it's not. There's only one thing Sue Sylvester cares about and that's Sue Sylvester. But you two sex fiends better take a good look at this face anyway," she replied, making a circling motion around her face.

"And why is that, Sue?" Rachel asked in spite of herself.

"Glad you asked, Lady Loose Legs. The second I found out that you two were here, I took the liberty of calling my friends in the surveillance dept of the local precinct. As of 0500 hours, the area below my balcony is now equipped with the latest high tech alarm equipment, so you two so much as remove a sock and the electrical wires running under the sand will give you a better charge than he ever could. Consider yourselves warned." She stormed off, screaming about the wedding decorations being put up.

"We are so testing her surveillance equipment," Finn whispered in Rachel's ear.

She grinned at him, placing a kiss on his lips. "You know it."

She was just stepping out of the shower when a knock sounded on her door. "Rachel are you ready? I want to get started on your makeup, since Carole's is done," Kayla called through the door.

"I'm coming now!" she called back, quickly putting on the special lingerie she needed for under her dress as well as her bathrobe. She flung the door open in her excitement and looked at Carole, who was now getting the finishing touches put on her hair. "Oh, Carole! You look wonderful!"

Carole stood up. "Rachel, I'm going to go put on my dress and find Finny to take pictures but is there anything you'd like me to tell him?"

"Just that I love him and can't wait to see him waiting for me at the end of the aisle." She grinned at the thought, hugging herself in happiness as she sat in the chair Kayla gestured to. Beside her, Monique was getting to work on Brittany's hair.

"I'll be sure to pass on the message," Carole promised. "Let me go get dressed before Kurt has a fit that we're not running on schedule."

Rachel nodded as she left, unable to do anything else since Kayla was currently applying her foundation. Her eyes followed Nana, who'd gotten off the bed and was now fingering Rachel's dress, which was hanging from one of the balcony doors. She waited until Kayla had put down the foundation to rummage through her train case before she called out to Nana. "Do you like it?"

"Oh, Rachel, it looks amazing," Nana breathed. "I can't believe that's my dress."

"I know! It came out fantastic," Rachel replied, beaming. "I still can't believe you gave it to me."

"Nana? We're here!" Rachel called out, letting herself and Finn into the house.

Nana popped her head out of the kitchen. "Oh, Rachel you're here! Joe! Finn's here!"

She hugged each of them tightly just as Grandpa came out of the family room and made a beeline for Finn. "I've been waiting for you, Finn. Noah's already here and he's trying to tell me that the only way the Rangers will make the playoffs is if they trade for a power forward and get rid of Avery. I need someone else to point out how insane that is."

Finn laughed. "No problem."

"Have fun, baby." Rachel pulled his face down to hers for a quick kiss before he was led away by Grandpa.

"I'm so glad you came early, Rachel. I have something I want to show you."

Mystified, Rachel followed Nana up to the spare room. "What do you have to show me?"

"This."

Rachel gasped as Nana lifted the lid off of a box, revealing the wedding dress she'd worn over 60 years earlier. "That's your wedding dress!"

Nana nodded, fingering the satin lovingly. "I want you to have it."

"What? I can't wear your dress! It contains your memories!" Rachel exclaimed, watching as Nana pulled the dress out of the box. The simple long-sleeved satin gown was fitted on top with a V-shaped neckline before flowing out from the waist. She eyed the puffed sleeves curiously, wondering what Kurt would say if he saw them.

Nana nodded firmly. "It's just a dress, Rachel. I have my memories in my head. I want you to take the dress and make it into what you want, something I'm sure Kurt could help you with."

"Really?" she asked. "You wouldn't mind if we cut it up?"

"Not at all. The material can be your something old."

"Well, if you sure." Rachel's eyes were shining at the thought of wearing something so steeped in family history.

"Absolutely." She placed the dress back in the box. "I married my soul mate in that dress. It's only fitting that you marry yours in it."

The dress had come out beyond anything Rachel had ever dreamed. Kurt had been ecstatic about creating a wedding dress, working on sketch after sketch of potential designs with her. Once they'd settled on a design, Rachel had taken the dress and the sketch to a seamstress who'd taken Nana's dress and made it into Rachel's dream dress.

Gone were the long puffy sleeves and simple waist, for Nana's dress had been transformed into an slim A-line gown. The V-neck had shoulder straps that grew thinner as they met the low cut back which now had a corset. Influenced by the Greeks, Kurt had designed the dress so that the material pulled asymmetrically to one side of the gown, anchored by a large jeweled brooch on the side hip while Nana's long cathedral train had been cut down to a modern semi cathedral train. In honor of Nana, Rachel had chosen to leave Nana's cathedral length veil as is, excited to see Nana's face when she realized it.

"How are you doing your hair, Rachel?" Brittany asked, pulling Rachel out of her thoughts as Monique began using the curling iron on her long blonde hair.

"Well even though Finn loves my hair down, it's going to be up to showcase the dress," she replied, her eyes closed as Kayla applied her eye shadow. "I'll just make it up to Finn tonight."

"Going to test out the toilet seat in the Honeymoon Suite?" Brittany commented slyly.

"Brits!" Rachel hissed, horrified at the thought that Nana might've heard that. She snuck a quick peek at Nana, but fortunately she was busy reading a board book to Beth. "That was a secret!"

Brittany laughed. "Rachel, everyone knows about it. In fact, once Artie heard about it, he wanted to try it. And well, here we are." She placed a hand on the baby bump just beginning to show.

"Speaking of sex, what do you think Giulia is going to be wearing?" Quinn asked, laughing at the thought.

"As long as it's not white and halfway decent, I'm ok with it," Rachel replied, shuddering at the idea. "I almost died when she showed up at the rehearsal dinner with Sam last night."

Rachel beamed looking around as she looked around the outdoor restaurant. Antonia had really done an amazing job decorating, with little twinkle lights strung up everywhere, adding even more romance to the already romantic setting.

"Rachel, this place is amazing! I'm so glad you and Finny decided to get married here!" Carole gushed as she accepted a drink from a passing waiter, Burt doing the same beside her.

"Isn't it? This is really the only place that Finn and I could see ourselves getting married in. After all, it's where it really all began." She smiled at her future in-laws. "I hope you liked Capri today. We tried to hit all the spots on this trip that we went to last time."

"It was lovely. That boat ride was amazing."

Just like last time, they'd hired a boat to take them around the island, but unlike last time, there was no one Rachel despised crashing the trip. It had simply been a great way for the families to mingle and relax before the big day, although to Finn's disappointment, Rachel had kept her top on the entire time. Rachel had watched from the comfort of Finn's arms as her daddy danced with Carole, who couldn't stop laughing. The whole thing seemed so natural and she marveled at how she could have ever settled for anything else.

Rachel smiled, about to agree when she noticed Burt staring at something near the door, his eyes wide.

"Who's that talking to Finn?" he asked, not moving his eyes from the door.

Rachel followed his gaze, immediately rolling her eyes. "That is Giulia, the woman who was after Finn."

Burt whistled softly, earning the ire of Carole. "That girl puts it all out there, doesn't she?"

"That she does. The man next to her is Sam Evans." She took in Giulia's short navy blue sequined mini dress with a black belt situated just under her ample chest and she frowned as Giulia hugged Finn, pressing her chest against him. He broke away from her quickly, pointing in Rachel's direction before turning to Sam. "Uh oh. Here she comes."

"Rachele!" Giulia called out, heading towards her.

"Hello, Giulia." She waited until Giulia was in front of her before introducing Burt and Carole. "Giulia, I'd like you to meet Finn's mother Carole and-"

"You are la madre of Finn?" Giulia asked immediately. "The face of Finn is very handsome, I think."

"Why thank you." Carole exchanged looks of amusement with Rachel.

Giulia meanwhile, had turned her attention to Burt. Rachel eyed her warily, recognizing the fact that Giulia had morphed into maneater mode. "Rachele, chi è questo?"

"This is Burt, Finn's step-father." She watched with annoyance as Giulia's hand automatically came up to rest on Burt's arm.

"Burt," she purred as she turned back to Carole. "The hands of Burt are very large, I like. Is very good for the sex. You have the s-"

"Right. Giulia have you seen Kurt? He's been looking for you and he's right over there," Rachel cut in, knowing that Giulia was about to ask her future mother-in-law about having "the sex" with Burt.

Giulia nodded and bounced over to Kurt just as Finn came over with Sam. Finn's hand automatically slipped around Rachel's waist as he gave her a light kiss. "Look who I found, babe."

"Sam!" Rachel cried happily, breaking away from Finn to hug him. "I'm so glad you could make it. How's Nashville?"

"Like I would miss this?" he teased. "And Nashville is good, no one is impressed by my name though."

Rachel laughed, smacking his chest lightly. "Are you the one who brought Giulia?"

"Of course. Finn won't have the sex with her, so someone has to."

"Well, you may have some competition," Rachel announced, wrapping her arms around Finn. "She was just inquiring about the sex with Burt."

"Seriously?" Finn asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Hey, I'm quite the stud. Your mom was lucky to get me," Burt retorted, laughing.

Carole laughed also, lightly smacking Burt's arm. "Keep it up and I'll let Giulia have you."

"That reminds me. Someone has to be on Giulia duty, make sure that she doesn't do anything inappropriate and stays away from Burt while someone else needs to be on Sue Sylvester duty. She's already threatened to object when the officiant asks, on the grounds that public fornicators should not be allowed to marry each other." She blushed, remembering too late that Nana was still in the room.

"Puck's already on it. He stole her branding iron yesterday and since she's been on the warpath looking for it, he's arranged for her to 'interrogate' a few men down at the precinct during the ceremony. She'll be thrilled," Quinn assured her, handing Beth her juice.

"Oh thank God," Rachel replied as Kayla finished her makeup. "I was having nightmares about it."

"Don't worry Rachel. We've got it covered. You just concentrate on getting married," Brittany assured her as Monique handed her a mirror to check out her hair. She examined herself critically, pronouncing herself satisfied with the elegant side ponytail. Kayla and Monique simply switched places, beginning to work on the hair of Rachel and the makeup of Brittany, while the girls chatted happily.

Kurt texted Rachel's cell phone frequently, demanding status updates and photos to be sent for approval. Rachel ignored his texts, only caring about one particular text which informed her that the sender of the text was looking forward to creating a new masterpiece tonight entitled The Wedding Night. She grinned at the text. Finn had obviously done as instructed and looked under the tissue paper to find the edible body paint and she couldn't wait to see what he did with them.

The stylists worked tirelessly and eventually Rachel, Nana and the entire bridal party were resplendent in Kurt approved hair and makeup. Even baby Beth had gotten her hair done, Monique having gathered Beth's blonde hair into a high pony tail and curled it, adding a large bow for effect. The photographer had started coming in and taking pictures of the preparations, as well as Rachel's dress and each click of the camera caused Rachel's excitement to grow.

"Rachel, I think it's time for you to get in your dress," Brittany announced, her own short aqua chiffon dress already on. Beside her, Quinn and Sarah, wearing the same dress as Brittany, each nodded. Kayla and Monique left to go get themselves ready, leaving Rachel and the girls to get her dress on.

Rachel squealed in excitement, dropping her bathrobe in preparation. Carefully, Brittany took the dress off the hanger, loosening the corset. Quinn helped Brittany lower the dress over Rachel's head and fitted in in place as Brittany tightened the corset back up.

Rachel ran over to the full length mirror, gasping when she saw herself as a bride for the first time. "My veil. Get my veil."

Quinn brought out Nana's veil, sticking it onto the back of Rachel's hair. "There. You're officially ready to get married."

Nana, already in her own silver gown with the lace bolero jacket, looked up from trying to wrestle Beth into her Flower Girl dress at Quinn's words. She placed a hand on her chest. "Oh, Rachel! Is that...?"

Rachel nodded happily as she looked at her reflection. The cathedral veil flowed down Rachel's back and past her dress, stopping about a foot after the train of her dress. "It's your veil, Nana."

Nana came to stand behind her, gazing at her reflection, tears in her eyes. "Rachel, you look gorgeous. Finn's not going to know what hit him."

The photographer, who'd been taking pictures of the bouquets looked up. "If we're ready, I'd like to start taking pictures. The groom has been hidden away so you don't have worry about being spotted."

Rachel nodded, following the photographer down to the rocks where Finn and his groomsmen had already taken their pictures. Finally after taking what felt like thousands of pictures with her family and bridal party, the photographer pronounced them done and almost before she knew it, she was lined up behind Sarah, Quinn and Brittany in the hallway outside the garden, a father on each arm. The familiar music started playing and one by one her bridesmaids disappeared, leaving her with her fathers.

"Walk me down the aisle, Daddy? It's just about time," she asked, quoting the song she'd be dancing to with her fathers later.

"You sure, Princess?" Hiram asked. "You don't need a moment or anything?"

"I've never been more ready, Daddy." She took a deep breath. "Let's go."

Finn adjusted his tie nervously as he watched his mom and Burt walk down aisle and take their seats. He'd never been more nervous in his life yet he was also strangely calm at the same time. He adjusted the white tie for the umpteenth time.

"If you touch that tie one more time, I will personally ruin your wedding night by having a camp out in the honeymoon suite," Kurt hissed from his position next to Finn. Like Finn, he was dressed in a dark grey Prada suit, although his tie was the same color as the bridesmaid's dresses.

Finn gulped, knowing Kurt was serious. He glanced at his other groomsmen, Artie, Puck and Blaine, wondering if they'd been this nervous on their own wedding days. Figuring now wasn't the time to ask, he let his eyes roam over the intimate garden area that overlooked the sea far below. They'd been given the choice of where to hold the ceremony and Rachel had been adamant about using this garden, even though he secretly liked the restaurant better. Rachel had been right to insist, since the gazebo he was currently standing in front of was decorated with white tulle and flowers, a nice contrast to brilliant blue sky and the darker sea behind him.

The aisle was strewn with rose petals and the forty-five guests were sitting on wicker chairs decorated with aqua colored bows that Luca and his girlfriend Bianca had put on as a surprise for Rachel. He smiled nervously as he saw Sam and Giulia sitting near the front and taking his picture, but it was the person sitting just behind Sam that really caught his attention.

"Are you ready to go, baby? We have to meet everyone in thirty minutes," Rachel asked, examining her outfit in the mirror. She twirled around, letting Finn get the full effect of her black dress. "What do you think? It's our first night in Rome, so I wanted to dress up a little. Feel free to tell me I look amazing."

Finn stared at her from his position on the bed, his back propped up against the headboard. He sat up quickly. "Do you have a green dress?"

The question caught Rachel off guard and she stared at him in surprise. "I do, actually. Why?"

"I want you to wear it tonight," Finn said determinedly.

"But I'm already dressed in this! Kurt picked out all my outfits for the trip and he'll be-" Rachel protested, her words cut off by Finn.

"Please baby?" He turned his best puppy dog eyes loose on her, knowing she'd cave.

"Fine," Rachel said crossly. "Can you unzip me?"

He unzipped her dress, his eyes following her every move as she let the black dress fall off her body and rummaged through her suitcase for the green one in nothing but her lingerie, a sight very much enjoyed by Finn. She pulled out the green dress, stepped into it and turned her back to Finn. "Zip."

Sadly, he zipped the dress up, the lingerie he liked so much disappearing from his view. He placed a kiss on Rachel's neck, careful not to leave a mark of any kind, Rachel's threat to castrate him if he marked her in any way before the wedding still fresh in his mind.

"Better?" she asked, twirling around again. The full skirt flared out around her, making Finn tempted to reach over and unzip the dress again.

"Much." He led her out of the room by her hand, leading her past the lobby and into a waiting cab.

"Finn, what are you doing? The restaurant is right down the block!"

"We have to make a stop first," he announced as the cab sped through the streets of Rome.

"Eccola," the cabbie announced. "La Fontana di Trevi."

Excitedly, Finn got out, leading a bewildered Rachel down the street towards the fountain.

"Finn! What's going on?"

"There's someone I want you to meet." He paused, looking around the crowded fountain. His eyes fell on a familiar bench and he eagerly dragged Rachel over to it.

Rachel followed along, not quite sure why Finn was dragging her towards the bench, especially since it was occupied by an old man which meant that there wasn't enough room for both of them to sit.

To her surprise, the old man's face lit up when he recognized Finn. "È Finn!"

Finn hugged him tightly. "Enrico! I was hoping you'd be here!"

Rachel watched this exchange, momentarily confused until she remembered what Finn had told her about escaping to Rome. He'd spoken of a man at the Trevi Fountain almost reverently, regretting every day that he never got to tell Enrico that it had all worked out and they were back together.

Enrico turned his attention to Rachel. "Questa è Rachel, sì?"

"This is the girl I told you about. Rachel," Finn announced proudly, placing a hand on the small of her back and pushing her forward.

"È bellissima!" Enrico declared as he swept her into a hug. "I hear all about you from Finn."

"Well, I've heard all about you too," Rachel replied with a smile as Finn's hand found its rightful place in hers. "I can't thank you enough for helping Finn and sending him back to me."

"It wasn't me. It was the fountain. He throw the coins," Enrico said firmly.

"The coins?" Rachel asked curiously, looking from Finn to Enrico.

"Yeah, throw one coin you come back to Rome, throw two coins you find true love," Finn explained. "It's totally true, since that's what happened. Although I threw three coins not two so maybe that's why."

"No, three coins is very special," Enrico insisted. "I tell you the last time."

"Yeah, but you never said what it's for, only that you use it when you've met your match," he insisted.

"Why you come back to Italy? You throw the coin, you come back, but for what?" Enrico asked; smiling at Rachel as his eyes traveled down to her hand.

Finn smiled proudly, picking up Rachel's hand to show Enrico the engagement ring residing there. "We're getting married."

Enrico beamed. "Meraviglioso! I tell you the third coin, è molto importante."

Rachel smiled, catching on, but Finn still looked confused. "What am I missing?"

"Baby, if one coin brings you back to Rome and two coins means you find true love, three coins must mean you'll marry your soul mate," Rachel explained, squeezing his hand. She turned to Enrico. "Am I right?"

"Sì, è vero. Is true." He smiled at them. "When is wedding?"

Finn grinned. "Well that's why we're here. We're getting married this Saturday, down in Amalfi and we'd be honored if you could join us."

"Please bring whoever you want," Rachel added. "But we'd love for you to be there."

Enrico stared at them in shock. "You want me to come?"

"Of course. You helped me more than you know," Finn replied. "And I don't just mean the coins." He pulled a small package out from Rachel's bag and handed it to him. "Here. I made this for you."

Enrico opened it, revealing a picture Finn had created of a young man and a young woman sitting on the bench eating lunch. The woman, clad in a green dress was wearing a look of adoration her expression mirrored in her boyfriend's face as they talked. He stared in shock at the painting, running his finger over the young woman, his voice hardly more than a whisper. "Va bene."

"Does that mean you'll come?" Finn asked, elated at the thought.

"I wouldn't miss it."

He still couldn't believe that Enrico was at his wedding, accompanied by his daughter. He'd spent the last year telling Rachel all about him, but even she didn't fully understand the impact Enrico's words had had on him. Until they'd found him, he'd secretly feared that Enrico had died and he'd never get to know that he and Rachel got back together.

The music changed at that moment and he watched Puck's sister Sarah slowly start to walk down the aisle, followed by Quinn. Brittany followed a minute after and he chuckled at the sight of Beth toddling down the aisle next, making a beeline for her father and forgetting about the flowers she was supposed to be dropping, since she left the basket in the middle of the aisle.

The music ended and the guests all stood up, looking back to the closed doors. His heart sped up as the familiar Here Comes the Bride started playing, knowing that the moment he'd been waiting for was finally here.

After what felt like forever, the doors opened and Rachel appeared, a father on each arm. Looking like a goddess, she slowly began walking towards him and his eyes locked with hers, forgetting about every single person other than Rachel. His eyes teared up as she came closer and he got that feeling he often got when Rachel stared at him, that feeling that he still couldn't believe that she chose him. Each step she took her smile grew wider and he had to resist the urge to run down the aisle and get her. She gave him that blinding smile once she was at the head of the aisle and he could feel her eyes boring into him as he shook each of her father's hands. Her own hand quickly slipped into his as she gave her bouquet to Brittany and they turned to face the officiant but not before he whispered how gorgeous she looked.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of two very special people…." the officiant began and almost immediately, Finn zoned out, concentrating on the feel of Rachel's hand in his and trying to sneak glances at her out of the corner of his eye. Almost as if she knew he wasn't paying attention, Rachel gave his hand a squeeze and he forced himself to tune back in.

"….have elected to recite their own vows. These vows represent your solemn promise to each other." The Officiant turned to Finn. "Finn, please join hands with Rachel as you exchange your vows."

Finn adjusted his tie nervously with one hand, his other hand still holding Rachel's. He cleared his throat before speaking, his eyes never breaking contact with hers as he took her free hand in his. "You always hear people talk about the moment they fell in love. The truth is; I fell for you the second I saw you. I couldn't believe that there was this insanely gorgeous woman staring at me. I was mesmerized by your beautiful eyes and for the first time in a long time, I found myself wanting to get to know a girl. Fortunately for me, Fate was on my side since it decreed that we'd be thrown together on this insane adventure across Italy to find your soul mate, but what we really ended up finding was each other. I don't know what made you change your mind about me and actually, I still wonder about that, but whatever the reason was, you took a chance, and since then, I've never looked back. I knew as soon as I saw you that we had a connection and I thank God every morning that you came into my life. I am totally one hundred percent in love with every part of you; even the part that makes me put my dirty clothes in the hamper and not on the floor. I love your big brown eyes that light up when they see me, and I love the fact that you were so passionate about making your childhood dreams of finding your soul mate come true that you were willing to fly halfway around the world." He smiled wryly. "Just don't go hunting down a soul mate again."

Rachel laughed as she listened, reaching up to wipe a tear from his eye as he continued. "I love the way you fit perfectly in my arms when we watch TV. I even secretly love watching those awful romantic comedies you love so much with you because it means I'll get to hold you. But you know what I love most of all? I love the fact that I knew the second you took my stupid little superhero question seriously and announced that you'd like to be Mr. Fantastic, that at some point in the future, I'd be down on one knee in front of you."

He paused, choking up slightly when he saw Rachel's eyes get watery. "Ever since I met you, my life hasn't been my own. I may have went to Italy with Kurt, but I was alone in every sense of the word, until I found this small brunette who instantly took hold of my heart and refused to give it back. Despite her claims that she hated me, she refused to relinquish my heart, driving me insane in a way that I knew I wanted to be driven insane for the rest of my life and now I can't ever imagine my heart being whole without her again." He gripped her hands tighter, his thumbs running over the tops of her hands. "Rachel, you've made me want to be a better man and you've never stopped believing in me, even when I don't believe in myself. If you let me, I intend to spend the rest of my life by your side, showing you that your belief in me was justified and also making sure that the only tears you cry are tears of joy."

He squeezed her hands as he finished, hoping he'd conveyed the depth of his love. The officiant took it to mean he was done and turned to Rachel expectantly. She smiled at him before turning her full attention to Finn, flashing him his favorite blinding smile.

"Finn, I look at you and I see my best friend and confidante, my lover and my soul mate. You are everything I never knew I wanted and I marvel at how one person could ever have gotten so lucky every time I see you smile that smile you save just for me. I think I fell in love with you on the beach when there was nothing and nobody between us, but I can say with absolute certainty that my heart ceased to be my own the moment you stepped out of that elevator because that's the moment I gave my heart over to you, even if I didn't want to admit it." She squeezed his hands, her eyes full of mirth for a moment. "I should have known you were the one for me since you stubbornly refused to go away, no matter how many times I told you to."

He laughed, one hand gently coming up to caress her cheek, his eyes still fixated on her as she continued.

"Someone once told me that meeting my soul mate would be like meeting an old friend, like coming home. I look at you and I know that I'm home. This feeling washes over me and I know that there's no other place I'm meant to be and no one else I'm meant to be with. Everything about you was made for me, just like everything about me was made for you, and I can only thank my eight year old self for annoying Noah so much that he set me onto the path that would lead me to you. For you are my soul mate. There's no one else on this planet who can read me like a book and your honesty, compassion and generosity help me find my way when I'm being spoiled, selfish or stubborn. You inspire me to be a better person and I vow to be the wife, lover and woman you deserve."

His eyes teared at her words and he had to strongly resist the urge to grab her and kiss her senseless. She seemed to understand, taking his hands in hers and running her thumbs over the backs of his hands just as he'd done to her. Her eyes never left his and he forced himself to concentrate on the feeling of her hands in his.

The officiant smiled as Finn squeezed Rachel's hands, looking past Finn to Kurt. "May we have the rings?"

Kurt pulled the ring box from his coat pocket, taking them out of the box and placing them on the plate the officiant was holding out.

He held the rings over their entwined hands. "I have in my hand the rings Finn and Rachel have chosen as symbols of their bond. The unbroken circle represents the endlessness of your love and may it forever be a symbol of the enduring trust and affection that you bring to one another. I'm told our couple has chosen to personalize the rings even further by inscribing them with the word "destiny" on the inside of each ring as an everlasting symbol of their love story. Finn, I'd like you to take the ring and slide it onto Rachel's finger. Please repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed." He took the ring, sliding it easily onto Rachel's finger, admiring how perfect his ring looked on her finger, his thumb rubbing gently over her fingers as the officiant turned to Rachel, holding out the plate with Finn's ring on it.

"With this ring, I thee wed," Rachel repeated after the officiant. Unlike Rachel's ring, Finn's ring didn't slide on quite so easily and she struggled to push it on amid the laughter of the crowd. She gave him a mock glare as she teased him. "If you don't want to sleep alone tonight, you better let me put this ring on you."

He grinned, sucking in his stomach as if that would help. "Try it now."

Determined to get that ring on Finn, Rachel began twisting it until it was all the way down his finger. She smiled up at him. "There. You're mine now."

"I've always been yours," he replied, his eyes never leaving hers.

The officiant looked at both of them. "Finn, Rachel, you have declared your intentions to each other through solemn vows and by the giving and receiving of rings in front of your friends and family. By the authority invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He turned to Finn, a smile on his face. "You may now kiss the bride."

Not needing to be told twice, Finn pulled Rachel towards him as he placed a soft lingering kiss on her lips. Her hand came up to rest on his neck, trying to pull him even closer. Just like with their first kiss, the rest of the world melted away once their lips met and they gave into the realization that there was no one else in the world who could ever make them feel like this. They kissed several more times, each time feeling the kiss reverberate through their bodies. Only their guests clapping brought them back to Earth and they grinned at each other as they heard the officiant's next words.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Finn Hudson."

Still grinning, Finn and Rachel turned to face their family and friends. Rachel accepted her bouquet from Brittany before running down the aisle with Finn hand in hand.

They'd done it.

"….And now the reason we're all here, for the first time as husband and wife, Finn and Rachel Hudson!" the DJ announced, leading the cheers as Finn and Rachel walked onto the terrace hands in the air. "Finn, why don't you lead your wife onto the dance floor for the first dance?"

Liking those words, Finn pulled Rachel close to him, giving her a kiss as the opening notes to their song started playing. They'd considered many songs over the course of many arguments and they'd stumbled upon this song almost by accident as they drove back to Ohio to visit Burt and Carole. Rachel's iPod had died and Finn had forgotten his, so knowing how much Finn hated the radio, Rachel had dug around the car and found Kurt's CD, the one that proven prophetic twice before. Rachel had set it to shuffle and once again her shuffle theory proved correct because the song that came on proved eerily true for them and instantly became their song.

Rachel rested her head against his chest, letting the words and music wash over them. Finn lowered his head to her ear murmuring declarations of love as they swayed to the music.

What if I never knew
What if I never found you
I'd never have this feeling in my heart

How did this come to be
I don't know how you found me
But from the moment I saw you
Deep inside my heart I knew

Baby you're my destiny
You and I were meant to be
With all my heart and soul
I give my love to have and hold
And as far as I can see
You were always meant to be
My destiny

I wanted someone like you
Someone that I could hold on to
And give my love until the end of time

But forever was just a word
Something I'd only heard about
But now you're always there for me
When you say forever I believe

Baby you're my destiny
You and I were meant to be
With all my heart and soul
I give my love to have and hold
And as far as I can see
From now until eternity
You were always meant to be

My destiny

The song ended all too soon for their liking. Rachel looked up at Finn, her eyes full of love. "I love you, Mr. Hudson."

"I love you, Mrs. Hudson," he whispered back, leaning down to place a kiss on her lips. She smiled against his lips as she felt someone tug on her arm.

"You know, as Grandmother of the Bride, I believe I'm entitled to a dance with the groom," Nana commented.

Finn smiled. "Of course Connie, as long as Joe doesn't mind."

"Don't you have a soul mate of your own to dance with? Why do you need mine?" Grandpa teased, earning a laugh from Finn and a smack on the chest from Nana.

"Tell you what, Joe. How about I lend you mine?" Finn offered with a smile, using the hand he had on the small of Rachel's back to push her forward. "But you can't keep her."

"Sounds like a deal to me," Grandpa decided, whisking Rachel further away on the dance floor. "Come on, Strawberry."

Finn watched them go, a look of pure adulation on his face. Rachel smiled at him over her grandfather's shoulder, watching as he began dancing with Nana.

"Don't worry, he'll give her back," Nana teased, her eyes watching Finn staring at his new wife. "I knew from the moment Rachel first mentioned you, you know."

"Knew what?" he asked, tearing his eyes from Rachel to look down at his new Nana-in-law.

"That you were the one for Rachel. I knew it from that phone call, but I was positive after I met you. Do you remember that day?"

Finn laughed. "How could I forget? It was a Berry family invasion on my mom's house."

"Oh, they're here!" Rachel squealed, opening the front door and stepping onto the porch. She managed to wait until the car doors opened before she ran to the car, arms outstretched. "Daddy!"

"Princess!" A tall man with closely cropped grey hair and thick glasses held out his arms to receive Rachel, enveloping her in a big hug as the other car doors began to open.

Finn, Carole, Burt, Kurt and Blaine all stepped onto the porch watching the reunion just as another car pulled up to the curb. Finn gulped as he watched a light skinned African American man wearing a stern expression climb out of the passengers side of the first car, knowing that had to be one of Rachel's fathers. Sure enough, Rachel ran around to the other side of the car, squealing. "Dad!"

"There's my Princess!" Like the taller man, he swept Rachel into a hug. "Where's this young man?"

Carole pushed Finn foward, who nervously stepped off the porch. Rachel smiled as she saw him coming, running over to take his hand. Happily, she pulled him to her fathers introducing him and grinning when she saw how nervous he was.

Trying to comfort him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face to his chest. The simple move made him relax instantly and she allowed her eyes to notice the other occupants of the car now climbing out of the back. "Aunt Rebecca? Sarah?"

"Oh, Rachel, everyone was so excited to meet Finn that they all wanted to come," Hiram explained, gesturing to the other car, which Puck and Quinn were currently climbing out of. Rachel laughed but her laughter turned into a gasp when she realized who Puck was helping out of the back of the car. "Nana? Nana's here?"

"Of course! Like we'd leave Nana and Grandpa home!" Leroy boomed, his eyes watching Finn's hands stroking Rachel's back softly.

She waited until Puck, Quinn and her grandparents walked up the driveway before she separated from Finn and dragged him to Nana. "Nana, this is Finn," she announced proudly, resuming her previous position against his chest.

Nana beamed, her eyes taking in Rachel's position. "So you're the young man my grandaughter can't stop talking about."

Finn laughed, looking down at Rachel. "You couldn't stop talking about me, huh?"

"I may have mentioned you once or twice," Rachel huffed, separating from Finn and placing a hand on her hip. Her eyes were twinkling, unable to hide the mirth in them. "It was purely for story purposes."

Still laughing, he pulled her to him, placing an arm around her shoulders as he kissed her head. "I bet."

Hand in hand they turned and walked towards the house, leading the little group towards Finn's family. Nana trailed behind, a wide grin on her face as her eyes teared, unable to stop her brain from flashing back to that rainy day when she'd first told Rachel about soul mates.

"I guess we did invade Burt and Carole's," Nana mused. "Once we heard that Rachel was back in the country and that Noah was going to visit her, we knew we had to give this young man of hers the Berry seal of approval." They laughed together as the song ended and he led her back to Rachel. "You got it before we even got out of the car, just from watching your interactions with her."

"Well thank God for that." He smiled down at her, before resuming his staring at Rachel, whose own eyes had never left his.

"Ready to trade, Finn?" Grandpa asked, gesturing to Rachel, who grinned.

"Do I have to?" He laughed at Rachel's indignant huff and pulled her towards him, smiling down at her. "Relax, babe. Like I'd ever let anyone else have you."

Much later that night, long after the guests had gone to sleep, Rachel found herself in the private infinity pool of the honeymoon suite, lounging against Finn's naked body on the sloped stone entrance to the shallow end of the pool. The water pooled around their legs, reminding Rachel of that night on the beach when he'd cleaned her off.

His arms wrapped around her equally naked body and she idly began stroking them. He pressed a kiss to her temple. "What are you thinking about? More places in this suite for us to do it?"

She laughed. "I don't think there's any place we missed."

"True." He kissed her shoulder. "I can't help it if you looked so insanely hot in that dress that I had to have you as soon as I could."

She leaned her head back on his shoulder as she stared out at the dark sea. "Which resulted in us consummating our marriage on the floor, something I'll be proud to tell Brits."

The sarcasm in her voice wasn't lost on him and he pressed another kiss to her shoulder, adding a little bite. "I can't help it if the bed was all the way on the second floor of the suite but I think we made up for it on the couch after the floor." He kissed a little closer to her neck. "And the table." He kissed even closer. "And that lounge chair over there." He kissed her neck. "And don't forget this pool just now."

She giggled. "How could I forget all that?" She paused, staring back out at the sea. "Baby, did you notice the moon?"

"I did." He wrapped his arms tighter around her. "It's only fitting that we have a full moon on our wedding night."

"It's funny isn't? I spent a lifetime looking for what I thought I wanted, only to find out that it was a mistake." She stared out at the dark sea as she spoke. "But it wasn't. You were the plan all along, I just took a roundabout way to find you. But I did find you, so that's all that matters, right?"

"Yup. I couldn't escape you even if I wanted to."

She turned around in his arms, maneuvering herself so that she was straddling his lap. "You know, I've just thought of someplace we missed. And I believe I was promised a masterpiece entitled The Wedding Night, Mr. Big Artist."

He grinned, understanding dawning across his face. "That's funny because some girl sent me some paints this morning. If only I had a new spot to use them in."

"Would you like me to show you where it is?" she asked, kissing his lips lightly.

"It would probably be a good idea," he decided, playing along as he gripped her butt and stood up, holding her body to his."I might get lost and then what would my wife do?"

"She wouldn't like that at all," Rachel agreed. "I heard she really loves you."

"Yeah, I'm a lucky guy, since she's totally out of my league," he added as he carried her inside. "Now where in this suite could we have possibly missed?"

She giggled, placing another kiss on his lips. "The bed. We missed the bed."

He laughed as he walked up the stairs still carrying her. Carefully, he laid her on the bed, admiring her fine form for a moment. She stared back at him and a sudden fear gripped him. "You don't regret it, do you?"

"Never." The conviction in her voice assuaged him somewhat. "There hasn't been a day since I've met you that I've regretted the direction my life has taken. It may not be what I thought I wanted, but deep down inside, it's what I always knew I wanted and needed."

He teared a little at her answer as he climbed over her, kissing up her body and saving her lips for last. He kissed them repeatedly, idly thanking Fate for deciding she was it for him.

He totally owed them.

Nine Months Later...

"There he is! Finn! We're here!" Carole called down the hospital hallway where Finn was leaning against the wall, talking on his cell phone. He grinned when he saw them, waving at them. Barely able to contain her excitement, Carole led Burt, Blaine and Kurt towards Finn. "Where are they? Can we see them?"

"They're right in here," Finn announced, gesturing towards the door as he hung up his cell phone. "And of course you can see them. Rachel's been waiting for you."

He pushed open the door slowly, letting them file into the room and immediately standing in front of the incubator. "Babe? My parents and brother are here."

A tired looking Rachel was lying in the bed, singing to a small bundle in her arms. Her eyes lit up when she saw them and she beckoned them over to the bed.

"Look who's here," she cooed to the baby in her arms. "It's your Grandma, Grandpa and Uncles." She moved the blanket away from the baby's face, letting them see. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Samantha Giulia Hudson."

She exchanged proud looks with Finn as they ooohed and ahhed over the baby. She'd just passed the baby to Carole when Finn cleared his throat in an attempt to get their attention. "Um...Rachel and I have a surprise for you."

"Yes, Finn?" Carole asked, not looking up from Samantha.

"There's someone else you need to meet. You've already met Samantha, but now you need to meet Evan Christopher Hudson." Proudly, he picked the baby up out of the incubator, noting the stunned looks on all their faces.

"Twins? You had twins?" Burt asked, dumbstruck. He held his arms out for Evan, cuddling him to his body.

"My baby has two babies?" Carole exclaimed, looking from one baby to the other for confirmation.

Finn nodded proudly as he squeezed onto the bed next to Rachel. "We've known for a while, but we thought it would be fun to surprise you."

He was convinced they'd conceived the babies the night of their honeymoon when they'd recreated their first time under Sue's balcony. Despite Sue's supposed state of the art surveillance equipment, they'd managed to recreate that memory several times that night with Sue being none the wiser until they'd informed her the next morning. She'd been furious, threatening to spay and neuter them herself since her branding iron was still missing. Rachel had loved the idea of the babies being conceived on the beach although she hadn't found it funny when he suggested they name the twins Sue and Sylvester.

Carole shook her head as she passed the baby off to Kurt. "I really can't believe you had twins."

Rachel laughed. "I can't believe it either, Carole, and I gave birth to them."

Finn wrapped an arm around his wife. "I don't know why you're so surprised, Rachel. It's totally fitting."

"How so?"

"Well we set out to have the one awesome baby we wanted and ended up with two totally awesome babies, which is so much better," he explained, placing a kiss on her head. "I believe it's called Serendipity."

A/N: I hope I covered everything I wanted to in this epilogue! It's been a long time coming, but hope it was worth the wait. Thanks to all who read, reviewed and alerted, and special thanks to my Crazies who took the Coupe off my hands so i could get this done ;)

Song used is "Destiny" by Jim Brickman.