A/N: Set shortly before the epilogue of "The Unexpected Effects of Reverse Psychology", which alludes to these events.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything associated with it. I'd take up a collection to fix this if I thought it would do any good.

"CONGRATULATIONS NEW DIRECTIONS 2012 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS"

The banner hung proudly over the main entrance to McKinley High that May Monday morning. Finn Hudson looked up at it with pride as he approached – it had been a long three years, starting with a small group of misfits he'd been coerced to join and finishing with the national title they'd dreamed of. Along the way he'd learned more about himself than he'd thought possible, starting with the fact that he could actually sing well enough to perform, and most especially that he had a future outside Lima and that if he pushed himself he could accomplish almost anything. Writing a performance-worthy song that expressed how he felt. Dancing, sort of. Co-leading a choir to win that championship. Improving his grades and being accepted to a college in New York. And most of all being with his phenomenal Rachel, a girl he'd known first as a terrifyingly intense school misfit and was now his fiancée, the person who'd showed him he could be so much more than the Lima loser he had thought was his limit.

He was still tired from the trip to Chicago for Nationals that weekend, but his weariness lessened with the elation of seeing that banner and disappeared entirely when he entered the school and saw the small dark-haired girl looking at something on the school's main notice board. He always felt better around Rachel.

Finn came up behind her, alerting her to his presence with a soft 'Hey babe' as he put his arm around her waist. He then saw what had grabbed her attention: the tentative graduation list had been posted. Finn scanned down the list, finding themselves and their friends.

Berry. Gold star, babe.
Chang. Mike, straight-As all the way, headed for dance school.
Evans. Sam had pulled a heavy course load to catch up after his transfer back from Kentucky, but it was working out.
Fabray. Quinn, on the other hand, right below Sam, had plenty of credits even before her accident. Her reconstructive surgeries were progressing well, and she hoped she'd be ready to go to Yale in the fall.
Hudson. Small fist pump. Yes! And immediately after...
Hummel. Like we were always meant to be brothers.
Jones. Hell to the yes, Mercedes.
Lopez. Santana, keeping it real.
Pierce. Brittany always tested well, he wasn't sure how – somehow she had the facts when she needed them.
Puckerman. Now this was a miracle; looked like Puck was going to make it after all.

But Finn looked at Rachel's expression – thoughtful? Sad? He couldn't really tell. "What's wrong, Rach?" he asked softly. "Going to miss this place after all?"

"A bit. But this -" she touched her name. "It doesn't quite seem right."

"It needs a gold star." He gave her an affectionate squeeze.

She smiled, but shook her head. "I just don't feel like Rachel Berry any more."

This statement shocked Finn, who looked more carefully at her, concerned. She didn't seem sad though, not now. More thoughtful. He stroked her back, and smiled at her until she met his eyes. "Well you look like her," he said softly. "And I'm in love with her, so I should know."

Rachel smiled back. "Oh I look like her, mostly," she said. "But the name doesn't fit any more."

"Okay, Rach, you're starting to scare me here," Finn said, getting worried. "Can you tell me where you're going with this?"

Rachel looked down, then up at him again. "You could ask me who I feel like instead," she said, and he saw a glint in her eye, a little mischievous expression.

"All right then," Finn responded, breathing more easily. "What name do you feel fits you better?"

"Rachel Hudson-Berry," Rachel said with a smile, so irresistible. He smiled back, relieved, happy, and cupped her cheek.

"I see the resemblance now," he murmured. "And I can't wait to meet her." He bent his head to her, and they kissed.

"Not here!" came the yell from behind them, and they looked back to see Santana. "You're not the only people who need to see this list, have some awareness of your surroundings for once!"

"Sorry, Santana," Finn said, and he led Rachel down the hall, his arm draped around her shoulders. "Do you know what we should do?" he asked Rachel cheerfully.

"Elope?"

"Yep."

They went to the auditorium for further discussion, standing at the edge of the otherwise empty stage to talk quietly.

"It's time that we could," Finn said. "All those things we didn't want to have to deal with at the same time as getting married – they're done. All that's really left is graduation."

"And the license is still valid, there's eight days left."

"Wow." He grinned at her happily, joy written on his face. "You still want to do this?"

"More than ever. I'm ready to be your wife, and I feel like I should be."

"And more than anything I want to be your husband." Finn nodded, determined. "So let's do it. You still have the license, so all we need is to arrange for an official to perform the ceremony."

"And a couple of witnesses."

"But we can't tell anyone we know this time, Rach," Finn said. "We've got to get rid of all this mess and just do it for ourselves."

"I know, who knows what insane thing my dads might try next if they realize we're going through with it." Rachel paused. "But what about your mom? It would break her heart not to be there, Finn. And I think ultimately yours too."

Finn exhaled slowly. "Yeah." He sat down on the edge of the stage, thinking. "But if we let her know, she'll tell the others, I can't expect her not to tell Burt at least, and once word gets out they'll try to intervene and deliberately make a mess of it to slow us down. Your dads were trying to break us up, and each of their schemes was weirder than the last." He shook his head. "I don't know." Rachel sat next to him, and put her arm around him. After a moment he brightened. "Unless we don't tell her."

"What do you mean?"

"We don't have to tell her what it's for," he said, getting excited again. "Just where to be. Or so she won't wonder what it's for, we could even just bring her with us, she wouldn't have to know until it started and then she won't be able to tell your dads."

"And we take her phone so she can't tell anyone." Rachel smiled, sharing his excitement.

"Yes." He grinned at Rachel. "All right, Operation Paperwork is on."