Author's Note: I own nothing related to 'Glee'…any other characters not recognized are of my own creation. Hopefully, there aren't too many mistakes; did my best to catch and fix those. Also, this is my first story for 'Glee' and it's somewhat AU. I hope I covered enough through this disclaimer because I'm tired of rambling as I'm sure you're tired of reading my rambling. Hope you guys enjoy this; it was a lot of fun to write! Thank you, in advance, for giving this a chance.
"Hi, my name is Finn Hudson and I'd like to set up a flashmob to propose to my girlfriend," Finn said into the phone. He maneuvered his way through the tourists crowding the sidewalk as he listened to the guy on the other end. "We live in Manhattan and I was thinking of proposing in Central Park, over by the Bethesda Fountain." He entered his office building and moved through the line to swipe his badge to gain entrance into the employees-only area. "Can we get this ready by the weekend, maybe Saturday?" Stepping into the elevator, he used his badge once more to access the executive suite. "Great! Professional dancers would be best since I want it to be ready so quickly. Yes, I'll have you guys provide the music. Okay, sounds good. I already gave you my office number, right? Good, we'll be in touch." He wrapped up the phone call then slid his iPhone into his pocket.
"Good morning, Susan," Finn greeted his secretary once the doors opened. "Any messages?"
Susan Caldwell smiled up at her boss. "Yep," she handed him the small stack of notes. "And Rachel wanted to make sure you were picking up the cake for your brother's party."
Finn nodded as he sifted through the various messages. "I'll give her a call, thanks!" He gave her a smile as he headed into his office, shutting the door behind him. He organized some papers on his desk, answered a few emails, and returned the most important calls from his pile of messages. Once that was complete, he took a few minutes to dial Rachel's number and waited for her to answer.
"Hello?" a breathless Rachel answered on the fifth ring.
"Hey beautiful, what are you up to?" Finn asked, turning his chair to face the large, expansive windows.
"Hi you," she grinned into the phone. "Just got back from a run. You'll remember the cake on your way home, right?"
"Of course," Finn chuckled. "If I don't, you'll have my ass."
Rachel laughed carefully around a mouthful of water, quickly swallowing before she replied. "You're right; I would. How's the morning been?"
"Busy," Finn answered, standing up to peer down the 40-something stories to the world below. "But that just means I'll get to leave on time."
"Great," Rachel sighed contentedly. "I miss you."
"We just saw each other two hours ago," Finn smirked.
"Doesn't matter," Rachel whined playfully.
At the knock on his door, Finn turned to find his secretary holding up a legal pad with a note scribbled on it: board meeting in five. He nodded his acknowledgment and told Rachel he had to go. "Love you, my gorgeous songbird. See you soon!"
Rachel repeated her love and hung up the phone. Glancing around, she decided to start cleaning before showering so she didn't get all sweaty again. Pulling out the necessary supplies, she started in the kitchen and within an hour and a half, she was standing in the master bedroom, completely finished. Satisfied with her work, she put everything away and hurried to shower. She had a callback audition in 45 minutes and didn't want to be late, knowing this could finally be her big break.
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"I'm calling it quits and heading home," Finn said, sending a quick text to his car service while heading for the elevator.
"Bye Mr. Hudson!" Susan called out from her desk.
Once in the elevator, Finn pocketed his phone and pressed the button for the lobby. Waving to security on the main floor, he whistled as he exited the building and joined the throngs of people on the sidewalk. His usual car pulled up just as he stepped to the curb. Sliding in and shutting the door, he gave the driver the address of the bakery and watched the scenery pass him by.
While Finn was heading for the bakery, Rachel was finishing up the last of the decorations in their spacious brownstone and stepped back to admire the work. There were two things to celebrate this evening: Kurt's birthday and her role as Mimi in Rent. Giddy with nerves, she hurried into the bedroom to get dressed, texting Kurt that the party was ready when he was.
"Babe!" Finn called out, shutting the front door behind him. "I'm home!"
"Upstairs!" Rachel yelled back.
Glancing around the living room, Finn smiled at the decorations. His girlfriend had done a wonderful job without the help of a party planner. On his way to the staircase, he tossed his briefcase into the office and shut the door behind him.
"Hey, everything looks...great..." he trailed off as he entered the bedroom and caught sight of Rachel. "Wow, you look amazing," he breathed.
Rachel giggled and gave a quick turn, causing the skirt of the dress to flare out slightly. "Think so? You get the pleasure of taking it off after the party," she purred, running a hand down his backside.
Finn gulped as he attempted to keep his hormones in check. "G-glad to hear," he stuttered, tugging at his tie. "No one else should ever be doing that job."
Grinning, she leaned up on her tiptoes for a kiss. "Get changed and I'll see you downstairs. I have some great news to share tonight as well."
Finn watched as she flounced out of the room, disappearing from sight. He sighed as he peeled his clothes off and jumped into the shower.
Downstairs, Rachel was greeting Kurt, Blaine, and their three-year old son, Spencer, as well as some other guests who had arrived just after them. "Come on in!" Rachel smiled as she held the door open.
"You look fantastic!" Kurt praised, kissing his best friend on the cheek.
"Well, I should; it's only from your collection!" Rachel teased. "Hi sweetie!" she greeted her nephew.
Spencer grinned from Blaine's arms and immediately reached out for her. "Auntie Rachie!" he squealed.
Rachel took him in her arms, gave him a quick squeeze, and settled him against her left hip. "Make yourselves comfortable," she waved everyone into the living room. "I'll be right back!"
"Where Uncle Finny?" Spencer asked, placing a tiny hand against Rachel's cheek.
"That's where we're going," Rachel laughed, turning her head to kiss his hand.
"I'm right here," Finn announced, meeting them halfway on the stairs. "It's my favorite little guy!" he grinned, snatching a giggling Spencer from Rachel's arms. After they had a good tickle session, Spencer eagerly reached out for Rachel again, who returned him to his place on her hip.
They entered the living room to discover that all of the guests had finally arrived, so Rachel decided it was time to serve the appetizers. "Want to go play with your toys?" she asked, carrying the toddler into the kitchen with her.
Spencer shook his head. "I help!" he declared as Rachel set him down.
"Sounds fair," she agreed, kissing his curly hair. Since Kurt and Blaine had decided to go with the surrogate route, their kid was the perfect mixture of them. "Be very careful with these. You are in charge of this platter, okay?" she said, pretending to be very serious, as she handed him a small, plastic serving dish filled with hors d'oeuvres. While he was a very good little boy, she couldn't risk letting him walk around with fine china.
Spencer nodded, his eyes solemn. "Yes, Auntie Rachie." He waited for Rachel to grab her own serving dish and followed her out into the crowd. The guests loved seeing Spencer help his aunt and cooed over him at every opportunity.
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As the party began to wind down, Rachel got everyone's attention as she stood in the doorway of the living room and entryway. "I wanted to share some exciting news once the party had wound down somewhat. Kurt, I hope you've had an amazing birthday, and hope you don't mind me sharing this exciting news on your day."
Kurt motioned with his champagne glass for her to continue, grinning at the possible things she could be announcing.
"I had a call-back today and I've gotten the role as Mimi in Rent!" she announced.
The crowd erupted into cheers as all of their friends rushed forward to congratulate her with hugs. Finn pushed through their friends and snatched his tiny girlfriend up, twirling her around and kissing her senseless. When he set her down, both of them slightly out of breath, he whispered, "I'm so proud of you, babe."
Rachel beamed as she tucked herself under his chin, glancing around at all the joyous faces.
"This is easily one of the best birthdays I've ever celebrated!" Kurt announced.
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During the week, Finn had to claim he had several appointments and meetings to attend so he could attend the dance rehearsals with the professional mob dancers. He wanted to participate in the whole thing and since high school, his dance moves had improved only slightly. By the time Saturday rolled around, Finn was jittery with nerves and praying he could successfully pull this off. Thankfully, he had included Blaine in the ring decision and had Kurt ask Rachel to watch Spencer on Saturday.
Saturday morning dawned bright and clear, providing a beautiful, crisp fall day for a dance proposal in the park. The weather was still warm as the remainder of the hot summer lingered. The plan: Rachel would babysit Spencer and since he loved the fountain so much, it was easily determined that Rachel would entertain the little boy there. Kurt and Blaine would be waiting on the bridge above the fountain, waiting to send a text to Finn. The mob dancers would be the majority of people lingering around the area, while the DJ was set up several feet away from everyone.
"Are you ready for an adventure in the park?" Rachel asked excitedly, helping Spencer tie his shoes.
"Yeah!" Spencer cheered, thrusting a fist into the air.
The action had Rachel bursting into laughter. "I think you've been hanging out with Uncle Finn too much."
Spencer giggled with her as he hopped down from the bench and grabbed her hand. "Fountain time!"
"You really love that thing, don't you?" Rachel mused, locking the front door behind her. She tucked her house key into the pocket of her skinny jeans and double-checked that she had her phone. "Lead the way, oh handsome one!"
"You look pretty," Spencer said shyly, looking up at his aunt.
"Aww, thanks sweetie!" Rachel grinned as she glanced down at the little boy. She squeezed his hand lovingly, chuckling slightly when he attempted to return the gesture.
Once they arrived at the fountain, Spencer dropped her hand and raced towards the enclosed display of water. Rachel followed closely and squatted next to him, keeping her hands around his waist for balance. "Shall we make a wish?" she asked softly.
Spencer nodded and held his hand out for a penny. Once it had been dropped into his hand, he waited for Rachel to find one for herself. As per their tradition, they grasped each other's hands, turned their backs to the fountain, made a wish, and tossed their pennies in over their shoulders.
Laughing, they turned to try and spot their coins, knowing they had sunk quickly the second they broke the water's surface. Suddenly, music - a very familiar song to Rachel - started playing from the speakers that were set up around the perimeter. Michael Jackson's "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" had become their song when it was done as a duet in glee club all those years ago.
Rachel and Spencer watched curiously as two people started dancing to the song, perfectly choreographed moves to flow with the lyrics. Half a beat later, ten people joined in and then another ten; soon there was a whole group dancing. Spencer looked at Rachel, delighted, and grinned, clapping his hands together excitedly. When Rachel glanced back up to watch, she saw the very last person she expected to see dancing in public: Finn Hudson.
Rachel gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth as Spencer leaned against her legs, grasping her knees. "Ohmigod," she mumbled.
Finn, grinning like a fool, continued going through the practiced moves and feeling extremely proud of himself for surprising his girlfriend. When the song ended, the dancers froze as they watched Finn approach Rachel. Kurt silently got Spencer's attention and motioned him over.
"Rachel Barbra Berry," Finn began. "I made a fool of myself today because I wanted something as extraordinary as you are, but then I realized...you are one of a kind."
Rachel chuckled slightly as a few tears trickled down her cheeks. "What's going on?"
Finn knelt in front of her, causing Rachel to squeal briefly in excitement as he held onto her hands. "Rachel, you are my other half, my best friend, and my soul mate. I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you make me. When we first sang together, I knew that we had a special connection...a special kind of love. Will you do me the very special honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?"
Rachel squealed as she jumped into Finn's arms. "YES! YES! YES!"
Finn laughed as he spun them around a few times before setting her back on the ground. He fished around in his pocket, producing a little blue box. He pulled the ring from the cushion it was safely resting in and slipped the ring onto Rachel's ring finger. The dancers burst into loud applause, cheering enthusiastically, before scattering away in different directions.
Together, they stared at her ring in awe before she launched herself into his arms again, kissing him senseless.
"Okay! Okay!" Kurt interrupted after several minutes of PDA. "There's a child present!"
Laughing, they pulled apart to embrace their family. "I still can't believe you were dancing!" Rachel giggled, holding her fiancé's hand tightly. "You were actually pretty amazing out there."
"All for you," Finn said, kissing the top of her head.
"Let's go celebrate at the Plaza!" Blain suggested, swinging Spencer up into his arms.
"Ooooooh, yes!" Rachel said, dropping Finn's hand and clapping excitedly.
The five of them headed through the park, in the direction of the Plaza Hotel. Each of them exclaiming how excited they were and who was going to call which family members.
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~ Five Years Later ~
"Mommy," a little voice whispered, cutting through the darkness of the bedroom. Little feet carried child closer to his parents. "Mommy?"
Rachel stirred and groaned a little as she rolled over, trying to wake up enough to comprehend what her three-year old was going to say.
"Had a bad dream," Lucas Christopher Hudson whimpered as he leaned against the bed, searching for his mommy's eyes in the dark.
"What's goin' on?" Finn mumbled sleepily, rolling over to face them.
"Lucas said he had a bad dream," Rachel answered, her hand stroking Lucas' hair away from his forehead. This gesture reminded her that he needed a haircut. "Will you go check on Zoe, while I tuck our little man back into bed?"
"Sure," Finn answered, already sliding out of bed. He followed his wife and son down the hall, but stopped in the bedroom next door. Quietly, he moved over to the crib that held their eight-month old baby girl, Zoe Madison Hudson. Smiling proudly as he always did when watching his children, he reached out and gently ran his fingers across her adorable, chubby cheeks.
"Still sleeping?" Rachel asked quietly from the doorway.
"Yeah," Finn answered, staring just a little longer. "She's so beautiful...just like you."
Rachel chuckled softly as Finn finally pulled himself away from the crib. "Well, I try."
Finn leaned down to capture her lips. "You never have to try."
"After all these years, you still make me blush," Rachel said, leading them back to their room.
"As your husband, it's my job," he teased, climbing back into bed.
Rachel joined him, snuggling into his side. "I'm so sure."
Finn hummed in reply, already succumbing to the sweet surrender of sleep. He gently stroked his wife's hair as they joined their children in the land of dreams. Yep, Finn Hudson definitely had the good life.
END.