Back to Lima

by FaithfullyGleeForever

Grown up and living in New York, there are certain times when the New Directions must go back to Lima. From births to weddings to funerals and everything in between, they experience what it really means to be an adult. Finchel and other pairings too.

Chapter One

May 2016

It was on May 17th, 2016, that twenty one year old Rachel Berry received the invitation. She had been sorting through her mail, mostly bills and letters from fans who had seen her play Elphaba in Wicked recently, but Rachel also saw there was a heavy, cream envelope. She opened it carefully, trying not to rip any of the many ribbons on the card.

Together with their families

Emma Pillsbury

and

William Schuester

invite you to join them to celebrate their marriage

Saturday, the tenth of June,

two thousand and sixteen

at five o' clock in the evening

Black Lake Country Club

Lima, Ohio

Reception to follow in The White Room

Please reply before the third of June

Rachel smiled. She had hoped that everything would work out for Mr. Schue and Miss Pillsbury. Surely all of her friends from New Directions, who also lived in New York, had received invitations as well. It would be very nice to go back to Lima for the summer, take some time off from work and catch up with people she hadn't seen in ages. Rachel's dads had missed her terribly, and Rachel actually kind of wanted to see Shelby again. It had been years since the entire McKinley High gang had been together again. Their family was in desperately in need of a reunion.

Rachel reached over for the phone to call Finn at work, but then the door opened abruptly, startling her.

"Sorry," Kurt said as he strode in Rachel and Finn's apartment.

"How'd you get in here?" Rachel demanded, sounding rather cross.

"Finn gave me a key, for emergencies. And this is definitely an emergency."

"Of course he did." Rachel rolled her eyes. "So, what's so dire you needed to interrupt me in the privacy of my own home?"

"Nothing is wrong, really. And I figured since Finn wasn't home yet you wouldn't be doing anything really private. You only make that mistake once!"

Rachel blushed, trying not to think of the time Kurt had walked into Rachel's dorm room in college, finding her and Finn…in let's say, a compromising position.

Kurt held up an invitation, identical to the one Rachel had received except addressed to "Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel", instead of "Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry". "Mr. Schue and Miss P are getting married!"

Rachel held up her own card, grinning. "I know!"

"This is so exciting!" Kurt gushed, pacing back and forth around Rachel's living room. "I can just picture it in my mind, beautiful summer flowers, white decorations, the light reflecting off the pond, Miss Pillsbury's in a dress almost as extravagant as Princess Diana's, Mr. Schue in a tux, all of us as the bridal party…It will be the wedding of the century!"

Rachel giggled. "It will be quite an event. I'd assume most of McKinley High students and faculty would be attending, and the entire glee club. Maybe we should make a trip of this, spend the summer in Lima."

"Yes! It would be great to see everyone again and spend some time away from the city. I'm sure Blaine would be all for it."

As the two continued to gush about their new plans for the summer, both of were off and Finn and Blaine were both teachers, so they didn't have to work either, when the door opened and Finn came home.

"Hi honey!" Rachel cheered, leaning up to kiss her boyfriend.

"Hey babe." replied Finn, just noticing the presence of his step brother. "Kurt, what are you doing here?"

Rachel pulled out the invitation, handing it to Finn. He read it and grinned. "So, we're going?"

"Of course we're going! We wouldn't miss it for the world." Kurt said. "Look, I gotta go, but I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye Kurt."

"See you."

When he was gone, Finn and Rachel settled onto their couch, watching Rachel's favorite movie, Funny Girl, for the third time that week. Shortly after Barbra Streisand finished "My Man", Rachel spoke.

"Do you think we'll ever get married?"

Finn was a little surprised by her question, Rachel had never talked about marriage with him before, it had never come up once. "I don't know. I hope so."

She leaned in to kiss him again, kissing deeper and more passionate this time and dragging him off to their bedroom. Rachel hoped things would work out for them, just like they had for Mr. Schue and Miss Pillsbury. Someday, she wanted to marry Finn Hudson.