Hey everyone! So, as you may know, today is my three year anniversary on fanfic. It was on this day three years ago that I posted the first chapter of "The Future," not sure if I'd finish it or where things would go. Now look where I am! It's been an amazing journey, and I'd like to thank each and every one of you for being part of it. Despite the fact that since the end of Season 3, it hasn't been easy to be a Finchel fan, I'm glad that we always have fanfiction, and I feel so lucky to have met so many amazing Finchel fans.

So, hope you guys enjoy the last chapter of this story! I'll probably update my other story before I post the first chapter of my new story, which will be my version of Season 5. Don't forget to review if you want me to keep writing! Thanks everyone for the past three years!

Chapter 20: Full Circle

The summer was going by a lot faster than Rachel thought it would go. She was so glad her friends had talked her into working at this camp because this had probably been the best summer of her life so far. Rachel had been in the same cabin with Sasha, Jessica, Natalie, Lauren and Zoey each at least once, and the six of them had plenty of time to hang out during their time off. She'd also loved working at camp with Finn and it had helped her to get to know Quinn and Puck better.

Working at camp had its challenges, sure. There were campers who cried all week about wanting to go home, despite how hard Rachel tried to get them to enjoy the camp experience. There will be the nights where she would fall asleep after two in the morning and wake up before six (maybe even getting woken up at some point). Being outside all the time, there will be 100 degree weather that made her feel ready to pass out. They were alternating between two menus all summer.

That's not what would stick out about this summer for Rachel though. Her relationship with her boyfriend had grown stronger than ever, she'd grown closer to the first real gal pals she'd had, and she'd formed bonds with two people she thought she'd never want anything to do with. Maybe it was the fact that it was something new for all of them and that there was no past here.

She'd had good times with the campers as well. This summer had taught her that yes, she could be a leader without being bossy. The campers she had loved her. And she loved watching them grow throughout the week. There were kids who would protest about going to camp on the first day and protest about going home the last day. There were kids who didn't pass their swim tests on the first day and were swimming on their own in the deep end by the end of the week. There were kids who were afraid to get on the horses the first time they went riding and would be riding without lead ropes at the end of the week. There were kids who were afraid to light matches when they made the first campfire and were keeping the fires going at the end of the week.

Rachel liked to think that she'd been a part of helping these kids grow. She herself had definitely grown, and she knew she wanted to come back next year.

As the staff began packing up their bags, Puck and Quinn came over to Finn and Rachel. "Hey, Shelby called," Puck said. "She's wondering if we can come visit Beth this weekend."

"You should go," Rachel said. She thought about how important it was for her to meet Shelby.

"Would you like to come with us?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "That would be nice."

x

The day after camp ended for the season, Rachel, Finn, Puck, and Quinn went to Shelby's house to see Beth. "Are you excited?" Rachel asked. "You're going to meet Beth."

"Yeah," Quinn said as they rang the bell and Shelby came to the door.

"Hi guys," Shelby said. "Come on in."

"Thanks for letting us come over, Shelby," Quinn said.

"It's no problem," Shelby said. "I wanted you guys to get to know Beth from the beginning. I missed too much with Rachel."

"Thank you," Puck said.

Shelby escorted the four teens in. "So, you guys are done at the camp for the summer?"

"Yeah," Rachel said.

"Did you all have fun?" Shelby asked.

"Yeah, I definitely want to go back again next summer," Finn said.

"That's great," Shelby said. "I'm glad you guys had a good summer. When does school start up again?"

"Finn and I start in two weeks," Rachel said.

"Yeah, we start in three," Puck said.

"I'm guessing you two want to see her?" Shelby asked Quinn and Puck.

"Yeah," Quinn said.

"I'll go get her," Shelby said. She went upstairs and came back with Beth. Rachel noticed how happy both Quinn and Puck looked at the sight of Beth.

"Can I hold her?" Quinn asked.

"Of course you can," Shelby said, handing Beth to Quinn. "Look Beth, your other mommy's here."

Quinn smiled as she held Beth and Puck moved closer to them. Finn and Rachel looked on as they watched their friends with their daughter.

"What's her full name?" Puck asked.

"Bethany Barbra Corcoran," Shelby said.

"Barbra?" Rachel asked. "That's my middle name, too."

"Really?" Shelby asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said.

"Barbra's always been my favorite Broadway star," Rachel said.

"She's mine, too," Rachel said.

"When I was pregnant with you I listened to her music a lot," Shelby told Rachel. "Maybe that's where you got it."

"I never knew that," Rachel said.

"We have more in common than you think, Rachel," Shelby said.

"I guess so," Rachel said.

"Rachel and I were both noticing how much she looks like both of you," Finn said to Puck and Quinn.

"Yeah, she does," Puck said, now holding Beth.

"You two are really good with her," Rachel commented.

"So were you two the last time you came over," Shelby said.

"If you ever need babysitters, just let us know," Quinn told Shelby.

"Oh, I will," Shelby said.

x

"Hey, thanks so much for coming with us today," Quinn said to Finn and Rachel after they left Shelby's.

"It's no problem," Rachel said.

"Hey, thanks for... well, not hating us anymore," Puck said.

"We just needed some time to recover from everything," Finn said. It was like Rachel had told him, it was never a good idea to hold grudges for too long, and this summer, he'd rebuilt his friendships.

"Do you think maybe if it doesn't conflict with the groups at Dalton and Crawford, you guys could maybe come see New Directions perform sometime?" Quinn asked, hesitating a bit between a few words.

Finn thought for a minute. "Yeah, we'll be there." It was after all because of the New Directions that he and Rachel were together now.

"I'm sure you guys will find two amazing people to fill the two open spots," Rachel said.

"We'll try," Puck said.

"The four of us can all hang out sometime, too," Quinn said. "Maybe we could go on a double date?"

"That would be fun," Rachel said. "Well, you guys enjoy the last few weeks of summer."

"You guys too," Puck said.

x

"I can't believe in a few weeks we're officially going to be upperclassmen," Finn said to Rachel. They'd gone home from Shelby's house and were now hanging out at Finn's.

"I know," Finn said.

"Last year was quite a year, wasn't it?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "I just hope there's a lot less drama this year." Even though the baby drama and the love triangle drama was behind him, it was stuff he definitely didn't want to go through again.

"Do you regret any of it?" Rachel asked.

Finn thought for a minute. "Yes and no. I do regret not being there for you when people were mean to you at McKinley, and I regret not finding out about the baby sooner. But other than that, I'm happy with how everything turned out."

"Do you regret leaving McKinley?" Rachel asked.

"I think we ultimately made the right choice," Finn said. "At times I do miss New Directions and our friends there, but I think in a way it was leaving McKinley that made me feel better about everything."

"I think so too," Rachel said.

"Are you happy?" Finn asked Rachel.

"Yeah, I'm happy," Rachel said. "I have friends, I'm getting to know my mother, and I'm in a relationship with the most amazing guy in the world."

Finn gave Rachel a kiss. "What do you think will happen competitively next year? Chances are we'll be up against each other at some point."

"I don't know," Rachel said. "It doesn't mean as much to me as it used to. Even if my group doesn't make it past Sectionals, there will be other opportunities to perform."

"And for us to sing together," Finn said proudly.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I know this might sound a little corny, but I've actually been trying to write some songs lately."

"Really?" Finn asked. He'd actually written a song about him and Rachel while she was gone and he was still in the middle of the baby lie.

"Yeah, it's just something I thought would be nice to try," Rachel said.

"I'd love to hear some of them sometime," Finn said.

"When I have them ready I'll share them with you," Rachel said sweetly.

Maybe now Finn could share his song with Rachel. "Actually, I wrote a song."

Rachel looked interested. "You did?"

"Yeah," Finn said. He reached into his desk and got out the notebook with the song. "It's a little rough. It was my first time attempting to compose, but I am happy with how it turned out. Will you sing it with me?"

Rachel smiled at Finn. "Of course." She looked at the composition as they began singing together.

Finn and Rachel: Face to face and heart to heart
We're so close yet so far apart
I close my eyes I look away
That's just because I'm not OK
Rachel: But I hold on
Finn and Rachel: I stay strong
Wondering if we still belong
Will we ever say the words we're feeling?
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls
Will we ever have a happy ending?
Or will we forever only be pretending?
Will we al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always be pretending?
How long do I fantasize?
Make believe that it's still alive
Imagine that I am good enough
And we can choose the ones we love
Finn: But I hold on
Finn and Rachel: I stay strong
Wondering if we still belong
Will we ever say the words we're feeling?
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls
Will we ever have a happy ending?
Or will we forever only be pretending?
Will we al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always be
Keeping secrets safe
Every move we make
Seems like no one's letting go
And it's such a shame
'Cause if you feel the same
How am I supposed to know?
Will we ever say the words we're feeling? (Rachel: Oh, oh!)
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls (Rachel: Tear down all the walls)
Will we ever have a happy ending?
Or will we forever only be pretending? (Finn: Only be pretending)
Finn and Rachel: Will we al-al-al-al (-ways), (al-al-al-al) -ways, (Finn: al-al) al-al-al-always be
Rachel: Pretending? oh! (Finn: Pretending?)
Finn and Rachel: Will we al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always, al-al-al-al (-ways be) (Finn: al-al)
Rachel: Pretending? (Finn: Pretending?)
Finn and Rachel: Will we al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always be pretending?

"Finn, that was amazing," Rachel said at the end.

"You think so?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "Maybe we could sing it publicly together sometime."

"I'd love that," Finn said.

"What inspired you to write that song?" Rachel asked.

"You," Finn admitted.

Rachel looked surprised. "Me?"

"Yeah," Finn rambled. "You were gone, and I missed you so much. But since I thought Quinn was pregnant with my baby, I didn't think there was any hope for us. But I couldn't stop thinking about you, and I missed singing with you and being with you, so I wrote this song about my feelings for you. I just wished I didn't have to pretend."

Rachel looked touched as she gave Finn a hug. "We don't have to pretend anymore, Finn. You're not going to lose me again."

"I don't ever want to lose you again," Finn told Rachel.

"You won't," Rachel said. "We're going to see each other a lot over the next two years, and then we can find a college to go to together."

"You want to go to college together?" Finn asked. He was sure Rachel would want to go to a performing arts school in New York.

"Yeah," Rachel said, seeming to read Finn's mind. "I know I want to go to New York, but there's dozens of schools there, and if you didn't like any of them, we could go to school here."

"You would give that up for me?" Finn asked.

"Are you just realizing that?" Rachel asked. "Before I met you, I thought Broadway and being a star was all there was to this world. Then I met you and I realized everything I was missing. I love you, Finn. You make me feel like the most special, most interesting and most loved person in the world."

"That's how you make me feel, too," Finn told Rachel. "No matter what life throws at us, we're going to go through it together." No matter what happened, he knew that if he and Rachel were by each other's sides, everything would be okay.