"Are you nervous?" Rachel asked, brushing aside a stray lock of hair so that it fell into place before fixing the veil atop Sugar's head. "It's kind of a big day."

"Not really," she shrugged, though the excitement was written all over her features. She had barely stopped talking about this day since Cooper finally proposed, over Memorial Day weekend almost a year ago, a month before Rachel gave in to what she should have nearly a year prior to that and started to date Blaine.

"There's going to be a lot of paparazzi after we leave the church," Rachel reminded her-the wedding had somehow gotten the media's attention, probably due to the grooms latest successful album, not to mention that the best man and maid of honor were fast approaching their last days on a Broadway stage together. But Sugar, for once, didn't seem to care about all the attention she had garnered. She was happy, completely in love and Rachel had never seen her so calm about something. It was almost unsettling.

"I heard," Sugar replied as she fixed her lip stick. "But contrary to popular belief and the two page spread about my wedding in People this week, I'm still just an average girl getting married."

Rachel let out a small laugh, shaking her head and helping Sugar stand in her giant white gown. "Sugar Motta, I don't think you've ever been anything less than extraordinary."

Sugar grinned, throwing her arms around Rachel and they swayed back and forth as they tried not to cry, the nuptials meaning such a huge change for them. Cooper and Sugar had bought their own apartment, twenty blocks away from the one Sugar and Rachel had been living in for what felt like a lifetime, while Rachel had accepted Blaine's offer to move in with him in the apartment she spent most of her free time in anyways. With the musical coming to a close, and Rachel already lining up a new role-the title role in Evita in its revival-they'd rarely get to see each other.

"It won't be long until we're doing this for you," Sugar sang quietly as she pulled away from Rachel, blinking so no tears would fall and ruin her make up that had taken an excessive amount of time to perfect.

"Don't be ridiculous," Rachel smiled, "Blaine and I aren't even discussing marriage yet. We haven't even been dating a year, we're not in any rush."

"Cooper barely waited a year before he proposed to me," Sugar pointed out. "And you know he had wanted to for like, ever by that point."

Rachel just shrugged; she was content with where they were. It had taken what felt like a lifetime to get to a point where she was truly over Jesse, ridden of any vestige of him and while Blaine had waited patiently for her to be ready for him, there was a slight sorrow that she had taken too long to figure it out in the first place. She was in no rush for them to take anything further, Blaine still trying to figure out what his next step in his career was while Rachel was just happy to be moving in with him, she felt they had all the time in the world to figure out the rest of their lives.

Still, as she headed down the aisle just before Sugar, Blaine smiling from his spot as best man, she could feel the flutter in her heart that insisted she wanted this more than she'd acknowledge, to be wearing a flowing white dress of her own and headed for the man she had fallen in love with. Her eyes watered during the vows, the look of pure adoration on Cooper's face only eclipsed by the grin Blaine shot her from behind his brother, the one she had seen thousands of times before performances, over dinners and first thing in the morning or last thing at night.

The transition between the ceremony and the reception was hectic, filled with photographs and helping Sugar with her giant dress get into the limo, barely a moment for more than a peck on the cheek in passing. She didn't get to actually see Blaine until they arrived at the hall, cornering him before they could head inside with a quick kiss, a quiet "I love you," exchanged and soon they returned to the hall hand in hand as they made their way to the table designated for the bridal party.

"For the first time ever, I would like to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Cooper Anderson!" was announced by the DJ they had hired as they walked in, everyone cheering and Rachel didn't think she'd ever seen two people look more in love, not until Blaine's hand was reaching for her own and she leaned against his shoulder, a smile on her face.

"You know," she told him once they were on the dance floor, Sugar and Cooper swaying nearby, completely wrapped up in their own world, "Sugar said it wasn't long before this would be us."

"Ms. Berry," Blaine gasped, feigning shock as he brought his hand dramatically to his chest, "are you trying to propose to me?"

She rolled her eyes and swatted his hand away, her smirk still in place even as he replaced his hand on her waist, dragging her a little closer to himself. "Of course not," she told him, her arms locked firmly around his neck and she leaned into him. "I was just making light conversation."

He snorted, shaking his head. "'Light'," he repeated, but he had a smile on his face and the familiar glint in his eye that she knew much better than to trust by now. "I didn't know potentially discussing marriage counted as a little light conversation nowadays."

"Ah, well then I guess you're pretty lucky to have me then," she teased, laughing as he dipped her dramatically, placing his lips tenderly on her neck before standing her back upright.

"I guess I am," he murmured quietly into her hair, Rachel's grip around him tightening.

The night flashed by in a whisk of champagne, toasting, laughter and it was with a proud smile that Blaine and Rachel eventually saw Cooper and Sugar off, the two headed to Europe for their honeymoon the next morning.

Blaine held tight to Rachel's hand, the warm spring breeze blowing lightly against them as they walked across the deserted park. He had wanted to take a cab, said it would be safer and looked pointedly at her heels when she insisted on walking, but he caved after a few minutes and made sure his grip on her was unwavering.

They were passing through the pond when he stopped her, Rachel turning to look at him with surprise. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice hushed in the darkness of the night and he just smiled at her, nodding.

"I just-I was going to wait, but I don't think I can anymore," he replied with a voice as quiet as hers was. She looked at him in confusion, not knowing what he was going on about until he took both her hands in his own, his gaze unwavering. "I actually had this really elaborate plan, for the last night of Phantom-during curtain call-but," he halted, slipping a hand into his coat pocket and holding out a simple black box as he kneeled down in front of her, Rachel covering her own gasp of surprise with a hand.

"Blaine, what are you-"

"I love you, Rachel. I've been in love with you probably since you yelled at me the first time we met, one of the few people to ever even attempt to put me in my place before we even knew one another. I can imagine no other woman I want to wake up to every day, to sing trashy music with while we make dinner, to have on my side anytime I need someone. I want you, forever." She could feel her heart beating in her chest, her eyes wide and even as he finally opened the box, a simple diamond ring nestled in black velvet, the words "Rachel Berry, will you marry me?" were completely unnecessary, her "Yes!" in response far too loud for the quiet night as she laughed, a tear gathering at the corner of her eye as he jumped up to kiss her, the ring in his hands still between them as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Yes, Blaine, a thousand times yes," she breathed, finally allowing him space to place the dainty ring on her finger, her eyes unable to choose between staring at it and Blaine's happy expression.

"Now," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist as they continued their way home, "if you end up spending the day with someone else tomorrow, I'm going to get a little worried." She slapped him on the chest, shaking her head as she laughed, Blaine feigning pain but he kissed the side of her head regardless, his lips moving to find her ear so he could whisper nearly silently in it. "Let's get you home, Mrs. Blaine Anderson."

"Let's."

a/n: okay well, that's-that's the end. i hope that it was good and that you all enjoyed it and i have to say thank you again to all the wonderful people who have read/reviewed/etc because you all make me :3 every time you do. and a super awesome mega love full of thanks to kira (claddaugh ring) for the 9,000th time for helping me with this every step i go, and of course to nikki for helping me whenever i got stuck on sugar-my sugar is only half as wonderful as she is because of nikki's help.