Ok. So.

This is the PREQUEL to "Promises Broken." A prequel means that although it came first chronologically, the parts of a series were released out of order. It also means that most would recommend reading/watching the part of a series in the order they were released. (As do I. This fic doesn't really stand on it's own. It is so much more interesting in my opinion if you read "Promises Broken" first. JMO.

…

And now a bit about how this prequel came to be… well first of all, who doesn't want to write a fic of pure romantic fluffy Finchel?

Secondly, I know I've never ventured off into M before. (If you aren't comfortable with that, don't read on!) But it began with about four days of intensive comfort zone-pushing in terms of my writing. In the end, it was really fun to write! I used a lot of the material here because I was so proud of myself!

I hope you enjoy this change of pace. :)

"Mmm…" Rachel sighed. She and Finn lay together on his bed, kissing each other softly over and over again. "I could do this all day."

His hand, buried in her rich chocolate colored hair, held the back of her head as once again she pressed her full lips against his and reveled in that warm, fuzzy feeling she always got when they were together. Their eyes slid closed as emotion overtook them.

"Rach…" Finn whispered tenderly as she slid away from him. She looked into his burnt caramel eyes with her mahogany ones, knowing, conveying the things that words couldn't express. The perfection of this moment just got his heart beating faster. He subtly felt his front pocket for the small object; he could feel its outline against his index finger. He just wanted to know it was there, something about it was comforting.

Rachel, clearly seeking to continue the romantic cuddles they had been enjoying, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him yet again, not fiercely, but with a passion behind her softest touches. Finn's hands shook as he let her, wondering when he was going to grow a pair and finally break the silence to do what he knew had been coming for 2 ½ years.

"Finn?" Rachel asked with a hint of concern apparent in her voice.

"Umm… yeah?" he responded, somewhat aware of where this was going, but focusing most of his energy on trying not to look like he was about to do the hardest and most important thing he might ever do in his life.

The brunette sighed, sitting up and combing through the ends of her hair with her fingers.

"I just… you don't seem that into it."

"I am!" he laughed nervously.

Rachel shot him the look with her eyebrows raised, her mouth turned into an almost sarcastic smile, quite skeptical. She could sense his uptightness; she could read his mind like a book.

Finn shut his eyes, taking in a deep breath. He didn't have much of a choice at this point. She knew something was on his mind and it wasn't like he could just shrug off and go back to cuddling with her.

"Rachel, this is something I've been meaning to tell you for a while, and I just feel like right now is when it needs to be said." Finn could feel his palms becoming instantly sweatier as he realized that he had made this announcement sound like it was a negative thing. She looked like she was preparing herself for some sort of disastrous heartbreak, her body unmoving as she kneeled on his bed and her eyes glazed over.

"So remember when I told you that I joined a book club at the community center?" he began.

Rachel giggled.

"I know that was just your cover up for hanging out with Puck, Finn."

"I thought you might have thought that, but actually, that was a lie too. I was… I was being tutored, getting some extra practice on stuff." He took another deep breath, and he could feel Rachel's nervous vibes. "I wanted to work extra hard this year, and… long story short, I applied to some schools in New York, and I got three acceptance letters last week."

Rachel threw her arms around his neck energetically, holding him tightly and rocking back and forth.

"I'm so happy for you Finn!" she squealed, pecking his lips lightly. "But… you know, I'm going off on my own this summer, all by myself, and-"

"Don't tell me that you honestly wanted for us to just break up at graduation and leave each other's lives like that," he interrupted. Truth was, he had played along all this time whenever she brought it up, but he didn't know what he would do with himself if they were seriously going to just break up.

"Ok, fine," Rachel admitted, rolling her eyes.

"That wasn't ever really the plan."

Finn beamed at her as he released nearly a year's worth of tension. She returned the smile briefly before pulling him back down to her side by his shirt and began peppering his neck with kisses, the feel of her lips softly brushing against his skin sending blood rushing south.

"Baby… I wasn't done…" he said, though he didn't think he had the willpower to pull her arms from his chest. Luckily she moved off of him herself and sent him an almost embarrassed look.

He exhaled nervously as he tried to slip his hand in his pocket, but he just couldn't get his arm to move. A part of him wanted to more than anything in the world, but there was another part of him freaking out and sending waves of panic washing over him. Finn felt paralyzed, yet he could sense that his hand was shaking and his breathing was stilted and uneven.

"Finn… what is it you wanted to say?" Rachel asked, her voice tinted with confusion. Her boyfriend's eyes met hers again; he looked like he was almost begging, somewhat helpless, but mostly just… intensely mysterious.

"Yeah?" she said again, as if another queue for him to continue.

"I'm not sure how to do this, Rach," he said in a rushed, breathy voice. He knew that it was something he would regret not going forward with for the rest of his life, but he just had this mental block making it harder to simply reach into his pocket and pull out the ring.

Taking a deep breath, and looking back at the young woman sitting on his bed to gather some strength, he got down on one knee.

Rachel's face changed from anticipating to confusion to utmost overwhelming.

"S-So… I know that I am probably not supposed to be telling more of the story when I'm already down on one knee, but… when my mom married Kurt's dad, she gave me the engagement ring my dad gave her. She said it would be special to give it to whoever I propose to, so I had it and um…. Well, I think she was really giving it to me for you, because she knew it was only going to be a matter of time…."

He looked down at the ground as his words were swallowed up by nervousness. He didn't even know what to say next; his chest ached for Rachel, whose eyes were wide, tears streaming down her face.

"F-F-Finn…" she stuttered, unable to even speak in a full sentence.

He knew what came next, he had planned it in his head for a week now. He had practiced it in front of a mirror when he was home alone. But he couldn't even remember what he had prepared. Her reaction was so emotional, yet so unreadable. Was she happy? Was she angry? Was she an explosive mix of every palpable emotion, just like he was?

"R-Rachel Barbra Berry," he began, his voice shaking, but he wasn't going to back down now.

"Not now, but some day, years from now, whenever we're ready…"

He saw her clasp her hands to her face as she anticipated his next words.

"…will you marry me?"

He held out the diamond ring in front of Rachel, his heart practically stopping altogether as he analyzed her every move, every tear that made its way down her cheeks. After a good several seconds of trying to wrap her head around what was happening, and staring at the sparkling gem, she nodded.

"Yes," She choked out as she threw her arms, trembling, around his neck. "Yes, yes, yes."

She jumped into his arms and he twirled her around before dropping her playfully onto the bed and taking her lips into his, all memory of the previous cuddling absent. As if sealing the deal, each one tried harder than the other to use their kiss as means on conveying their emotions. Losing balance, Rachel's arms moved out to hold her body at a somewhat awkward angle while Finn grabbed her waist with one hand, his other tangled in her hair.

Before she could give into her instinct to free her arms from holding her up as she kissed Finn with everything she had, he brought her closer to him and smiled, pulling away. Their noses were touching, and while it was such a tender, lovey-dovey move, neither one knew if they should resume or if they should talk more.

After several seconds, and intense thought, Rachel broke the silence.

"Finn," she began, and he sensed that she was going to say something important. He held his breath, just by force of habit, as butterflies fluttered nervously in his stomach.

"Make love to me. Right now."

Her words were rushed; he didn't quite know what that meant. His first instinct was that she wasn't sure of herself. Then it occurred to him that she might have been kidding, but… no, Rachel wouldn't do that, right? He found himself caught completely off-guard.

Rachel inhaled deeply, she too jumping to all sorts of wrong conclusions as her eyes studied his facial expression.

"Well?"

Finn quickly decided that he wasn't going to miss out. Rachel made her decisions very carefully, spent lots of time on them, he knew that. And he wanted her more than her ever had before, so what was holding him back?

He chuckled and kissed her softly, smiling knowingly.

"Of course I will."

He kissed her once more, this time holding it for several seconds longer.

"You're… you're sure though, right? Because I don't want you to regret it, or push yourself or anything…"

The brunette giggled and shot him a lighthearted grin.

"Yes, Finn, I am absolutely 110% positive."

That was all the confirmation he needed before they resumed their heated make-out session, Finn quickly letting Rachel's tongue into his mouth as they kissed deeper and deeper. He didn't want to rush; he knew from Puck's many stories that girls enjoy sex so much more if you take your time building up to it. But he couldn't take the suspense. They were going to have sex. The thought was enough to get his hands shaking uncontrollably with excitement and nervousness as he tried but failed to unbutton her navy blue dress.

Without breaking the kiss, she speedily unbuttoned his shirt in turn, then ran her index finger down his chest, feeling Finn's breath hitch a little when she reached the area below his belly button He finally managed to undo each hook of her dress, and pulled it off her shoulders, cupping her breasts lightly over her bra. She paused to pull the rest of her dress down, revealing her endlessly long legs. Finn only grew harder at the sight of her nearly naked body. She pressed her lips against his once again, but he quickly threw her legs into his arms and carried her, bridal style. She smiled, with a small giggle, as he tossed her playfully onto the mattress.

Finn climbed on top of her, staring at her full lips with a needy fire burning in his eyes. His hands found her waist, and his mouth found hers, kissing her over and over again. Her breathing sped up as he stroked her thighs, and he made note of that one spot.

His fingers found her bra clasp as his hand roamed her back.

"Go ahead," she whispered.

He fiddled with it for a good ten seconds before, giggling, she sat him back, and undid it herself.

"There," she sighed, tossing the bra onto the floor.

His hand found her naked breasts, and rubbed her nipples tenderly with his thumb as she let out a breathy moan.

"Wait." She pulled away from his lips, met with a confused and concerned looking Finn.

"You changed your mind?" he asked nervously.

"No. Not at all," she assured him. "You're just… quite over-dressed compared to myself…"

Smiling at her, he undid the fly of his pants and threw them off the bed, landing next to her bra. The moment she saw the tenting in his underwear, she felt excitement bubble up from her chest, and wetness continue to pool between her legs. She did this to him. It made her very proud of herself.

They continued to kiss fiercely, Finn eventually folding into a sitting position as Rachel straddled him. He could feel her heated core against his erection, even through the fabric, and it made his toes curl with pleasure, just the thought of it.

"Rachel…" he whispered, placing his hands around her waist and pushing her back onto the pillows at the front of the bed. His fingers hooked around the sides of her panties, sliding them off in one swift movement.

She felt some butterflies in her stomach; they had seen each other naked before, but each time that same wave of insecurity washed over her. Still, her excitement and trust for Finn overshadowed it all; every time his fingers graced another part of her, it felt even more intimate than the last. As he slid his index finger down her opening, it was no exception. She could feel her heartbeat speeding up dramatically.

Finn's finger explored her folds, stroking her clit when he found it. He wasn't really sure what he was doing, but judging by her facial expression, her eyes closed and her breathing heavy, he was doing something right. When he found her core, he stroked around it a bit before sliding a finger in. Rachel's breath hitched.

"Oh God… Finn…" she moaned as he quickened the pace. He smiled, knowing all he wanted to do was make her feel like this. He inserted another finger, moving them together rapidly in and out of her. With his other hand, he found her clit once again, stroking it tenderly. Rachel could feel pleasure building up inside of her, just moments from sending her over the edge.

Just before she knew she'd lose it, he slid his hands away from between her legs. At first she was shaken from his sudden stop, but she really wanted her first climax tonight to be with other parts of him inside of her.

Rachel's hand found the back of his neck, and she pulled herself up to reach his lips. She captured his mouth in a passionate kiss, his hand finding her back and gripping her tightly as together they fell back onto the bed.

"Rachel…" he said out of the blue, detaching himself from her and wondering how he could put this. He looked into those big mahogany eyes full of lust and he wanted to keep pouring everything he had into their kiss, and feel her body close to him, but… he had to get this off his chest.

"What?" Rachel asked, sitting up and pulling her hair to one side of her head.

"I just feel like I should warn you that… I'm probably terrible in bed, ok? I'm barely a non-virgin, I didn't do any of the work with Santana and I don't want you to be disappointed afterwards." He sighed, feeling like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"Why would I be disappointed?" she asked again, releasing a nervous laugh.

"Rach, I know you, and you have all these ideas and fantasies about your first time," he continued. "You want it to be special, more than anything, and I just doubt that what I have to offer is what you imagined all these years."

The small brunette reached up to run her fingers through his dark hair, smiling. Her eyes were full with sympathy.

"Finn… it's not about that. All I need for my first time to be special is you. That's it."

A goofy grin quickly spread across his face. God he loved this girl. She knew exactly how to make him feel more extraordinary than anything or anyone else, just with the little things she said.

Finn took the pause as an opportunity to finally open that box of condoms he had hidden in his closet for a while. He fumbled with the packaging as Rachel giggled at his lack of coordination until he could finally pull of his boxers and slide it onto his length. He was just so nervous and excited and in love with the girl he was about to do this with, a combination of every palpable emotion, and he could barely think straight.

Rachel glanced at his erection as he climbed back onto the bed, and the butterflies came back.

Finn position himself between her legs, lowering his head to kiss her one more time, softly, caressing her bottom lip and sucking lightly.

"You ready?" he asked softly.

"Yes."

As gently as he possibly could, he slid into her. He saw Rachel scrunch up her face in pain, her breathing becoming stilted. He already hated himself.

"Is it bad?"

"Not really… but… just take it slow… ok?" she whimpered.

He nodded. Moving back a little, he thrust into her, carefully trying not to cause her too much pain. Again, he did the same. Rachel slowly began bucking her hips to the rhythm he set, grabbing onto his back. The familiar sensation began to overtake the discomfort; she closed her eyes, feeling it building up.

"Faster," she whispered, as he responded with quickened thrusts. He knew he wasn't going to last long, but he wanted her to climax with him. She began moaning again, and it didn't help him stay in control. She had never been sexier.

"Finn… please…" Rachel didn't know what she was begging for, but she had long forgotten how sore she was. All she could see were shooting stars when she closed her eyes, and all she felt was Finn, inside her and all around her. She wanted more.

His thrusts became faster and faster, his arms pressed into the mattress as Rachel clung to him. He was almost there, and he could tell that she was too. Instinctively, he reached down and began rubbing her clit again with his thumb. Her nails dug into his back as the intensity of the sensations already overtaking her grew.

With a breathy "Finn!" she hit her climax, her hips bucking wildly. Waves of pure pleasure rippled through her whole body. It was all Finn needed to be sent over the edge himself, squeezing his eyes shut as he rode the wave of pure ecstasy with her.

As the sensations faded, he found himself panting, still holding on to Rachel tightly. Together they rolled over, onto the pillows, as Finn pulled the sheet of the bed over them. She buried her nose into the crook of his neck, kissing it softly, then closing her eyes and resting there.

"I love you," she whispered, unwilling to move from his embrace. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her sweet scent. All he wanted to do was lie there, with her, holding each other close and feeling more in love than ever before.

"I love you too," he whispered back.

"It's really nice knowing that we don't have to leave each other," she said, relieved.

"Nice?" he laughed. "Rach, I don't know what I would do without you."

She sighed, and succumbed even deeper into his chest as his arms held her shoulders.

"Me either."

The next ten or so minutes were spent like that, lovers feeling safe and comfortable holding each other as if their lives depended on it. Every so often a small, whispered "I love you," escaped his lips, and she would just smile to herself.

Before long though, Rachel shifted, and began brushing her lips against his neck once again, peppering soft kisses up until she reached his jaw, and planted several along the rim of the bone. Though he never verbally responded, she assumed that he didn't mind another sudden change of pace; it figured though, she switched pretty quickly.

"I thought you wanted to cuddle more," he chuckled.

She pushed off of him with the signature skeptical smirk on her face. He wasn't remotely sure what to make of it this time.

"You thought we were just going to make love a then fall asleep?" she asked, rhetorically, though he found himself mentally admitting that yes, he had.

"Not likely." She answered her own question.

So the kisses escalated again, until he was thrusting into her for a second time, but backed up against a wall. He began to wonder why he had ever doubted his love-making abilities in the first place, as this angle was really driving her wild.

Yeah, they were perfect in more ways than one.

So? What did you think? This was my first time writing M stuff, so I would really love to hear what you guys thought.

Reviews are love.