you heard me all along

by coffeehelps

Rachel tried to ignore the way her heartbeat sped up at the mere thought of Finn. She was twenty-three years old and a single mother to a toddler. She didn't exactly have time for romance at the moment. Finchel AU

Author's Note: It's been a while since I've done one of these one-shots, so I thought that I'd get back into it!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This story title comes from the song "Untangle Me" by The Maine.

---

one.

Rachel Berry didn't know how she ended up here. But she didn't really mind.

Watching her son play with a little toy instrument warmed her heart. Thomas Berry loved music just as much as his mother did, and she was glad that she had passed that down to him. He stopped banging on his toy drum and looked up at Rachel with wide brown eyes.

"Momma!" he exclaimed, waving the little drumsticks around. "Drum!"

"I see that, sweetie!" Rachel acknowledged. She watched him for another moment before she stood up, grabbing her apron and Tommy's diaper bag. She lifted Tommy into her arms before she left her apartment and headed down the street towards the café she worked at.

"Hello, Rachel!" the owner of the café, Emma Schuester, greeted warmly. "And you have Tommy with you!"

Rachel gave her boss an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Emma," she said. "I was hoping I could keep him in the playpen in the back. He had a slight fever yesterday and the daycare won't take him for another twenty-four hours to make sure that it clears up."

Emma waved a dismissive hand and smiled at the young mother and her son once again. "Don't worry about it, Rachel," she said. "You know that Tommy is always welcome to come here. The playpen is already all set up behind the counter. Don't worry about it."

With a grateful smile, Rachel walked behind the counter and set Tommy in his playpen. The three year old little boy looked up at his mother as she set some toys for him to play with in the pen as well. He smiled sweetly at his mother and Rachel ruffled his hair. This was hard, but she wouldn't trade it for the world.

Rachel tied her apron around her waist and grabbed her notebook. She let out a quiet sigh when the door to the café opened and a large group of high school students came in. It was going to be a busy night, but that only meant good tips.

With one last look at her son, Rachel headed out into the café. It was worth it.

---

two.

Rachel struggled to get her keys out of the pocket of her jeans while holding her sleeping son and balancing the diaper bag at the same time. She bit back a frustrated curse when the keys slipped from her grip and fell to the floor. This was so not her night. Not only had she dealt with several rude customers at the café, but Tommy had also been pretty fussy all night.

Before Rachel could even begin to figure out how she was going to bend down and get her keys without waking Tommy, a large hand appeared and scooped the keys up, offering them to Rachel. Her eyes followed the line of the arm and upwards to broad shoulders and a handsome face with amber eyes. Rachel's heart skipped a beat and she blinked, taken aback by this new person's appearance.

"Thank you," Rachel managed after a moment. She accepted the keys from him and noticed the way his lips quirked up in a half smile.

"I'm Finn Hudson, by the way. I guess I'm your new neighbor," he said. He pointed to the door across the hallway from Rachel's. It was then that she noticed that the door was open and there were several boxes piled in front of it; he must have been in the middle of moving in.

"It's nice to meet you, Finn. I'm Rachel, and this little guy is Tommy." Rachel smiled down at her son and she noticed that Finn did the same. The look on his face was warm and welcoming, allowing for Rachel to get a good vibe from him. She could just tell that Finn Hudson was a good guy. "I wish we could do more to welcome you, but we've had a long day and I need to get this little guy to bed."

Finn nodded his head. "It's no problem. Is there anything else I can help you with? Your arms look pretty full there."

"I should be okay," Rachel said. She was pretty practiced in the art of holding her son and maneuvering her key into the lock at the same time. It took her a moment, but she managed. "Thank you, though."

Finn smiled at her again. "I'll see you around, Rachel Berry."

Rachel watched him turn back towards his new apartment. She certainly did hope that she would see him around more.

---

three.

"Momma!" Tommy pouted indignantly as he watched his mother pack up some banana nut muffins in a basket. Rachel's baking was one of his favorite things, and he had been hoping for a sweet treat when he saw that she had started.

Rachel laughed and cut a warm muffin in half, handing it over to her son. He happily and quickly ate it, smiling up at her with crumbs around his mouth. Rachel couldn't handle how adorable her son was sometimes. She grabbed a cloth and cleaned his face off before she grabbed the basket full of muffins.

"How would you like to help Momma give these to our new neighbor?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah!" Tommy grabbed the basket, and Rachel couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. It was almost as big as he was, but he was determined to carry it. He walked over to the front door and waited for Rachel to open it before he toddled towards the door across the hallway. Instead of putting the basket down and knocking, Tommy just used his little feet to kick the door.

It opened only a moment later, and Finn looked straight out at Rachel. She smiled and pointed down, and Finn found himself looking at the dark-haired little boy at his feet.

"Hi!" Tommy exclaimed.

Finn knelt next to Tommy. He was still almost comically larger than the little boy, but neither seemed to mind. "Hey, little man. What have you got there?"

"Muffins!" Tommy said as he offered the basket. Finn took them and peered inside of it as Tommy continued to talk. "Momma made them. They're the best!"

"Oh yeah?" Finn looked up at Rachel and grinned before looking back towards Tommy. "What kind are they?"

"Banana nut," Tommy answered.

"Well, banana happens to be my favorite." Finn ruffled Tommy's hair, and the little boy laughed. Finn stood then, holding the basket as he looked back towards Rachel. "Thank you."

Before Rachel could respond to his kind words and charming smile, Tommy caught sight of a golden retriever dog in Finn's living room. "Puppy!" he yelled, darting past Finn's legs and into his apartment.

"Tommy!" Rachel went to try and catch him before he could get in, but Finn stopped her by holding his hands up.

"It's not a big deal," he told Rachel. "Boxer needs someone to play with, anyway."

And it was obvious that Tommy had already made himself at home with dog, finding a tennis ball to throw across the living room. He giggled when Boxer caught the ball and immediately brought it back to him. Even though Boxer was easily twice the size of Tommy, the dog was gentle with him.

"You do realize that you have a new friend now, right?" Rachel said. "Tommy isn't going to want to leave. He's been begging me to get a dog since he could talk, practically."

"I don't mind," Finn said. He stepped aside, holding the door open for her. "Do you want to come in? I can make some coffee."

Rachel didn't have anything to do today, and it was nice to get out of her apartment every once in a while. For the longest time, her life had revolved around work, classes, and taking care of her son. Since she had graduated almost a year ago, her life now consisted of spending time with her son and working at the café. She wouldn't trade it for the world, but the prospect of spending time with an adult (who wasn't one of her close friends and therefore wouldn't make fun of her the entire time) was too good to pass up.

Rachel sat at Finn's kitchen counter as he made coffee and kept her gaze on her son. Tommy seemed to be having the time of his life as he played with the dog, laughing and squealing excitedly. Finn acted as if the sudden noise in the apartment didn't faze him at all.

It wasn't long before Finn set a steaming cup of coffee in front of Rachel. "Um, I think have some coffee creamer in the fridge," he offered.

"That's perfect," Rachel said. Finn took the creamer out of the fridge and passed it to her. He poured a cup of coffee for himself and watched as Rachel added so much creamer to her drink that it turned into a light cream color. He chuckled, and Rachel looked up at him. "What is it?"

"I don't think I've ever seen someone put so much coffee creamer into their drink," he said.

Rachel blushed and shrugged her shoulders. "My fathers always did say that I needed a little coffee with my creamer."

"Momma!" Tommy came running over and tugged on the hem of Rachel's skirt. "Momma, can we get a puppy?"

Rachel laughed and smoothed her hand over her son's perpetually messy hair. "Sorry, sweetie. You know what I've said before."

Tommy pouted, but before he could protest, Finn said, "You know, Boxer is going to need someone to play with. If it's okay with your mom, you can whenever you want."

"Please, Momma? Please?"

Rachel smiled at Finn. It would make Tommy happy, and it would give her more of a chance to see her handsome, sweet new neighbor. "Sure. I don't see why not."

---

four.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Santana." Rachel rushed to shove her wallet and cell phone into her bag as she tried to search her room for her apron at the same time. "They called me into the café at the last minute, but I really do need all of the shifts I can get, and—"

Santana Lopez waved her hand and didn't look up from the heavy law book she was studying. "Don't worry about it, Berry. Me and little Tommy will be fine for the night. Right, buddy?"

"Right!" Santana was one of Tommy's favorite people, so he loved that he was getting to spend the night with her.

Rachel stopped in her hurry to leave and stood with her apron in one hand and her bag slung over her other shoulder. Tommy knew that she was leaving for work, so he ran over to her and attached himself to her leg. Rachel absently brought one hand down to his hair as she turned to her best friend.

"No sugary food after six o'clock, Santana," Rachel ordered. There was no way that she could convince Santana not to give Tommy some type of sweet treat, so the least she could do is curtail what time he got it.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Relax, Berry. I've taken care of Tommy before, remember?" Of course, all of those times included Rachel calling at least seven times. "We'll be fine. Now go get to work."

Rachel thanked Santana again and knelt down to Tommy's level, pulling her towards him in a hug. "Bye, sweetie. Be good for Aunt Santana, okay?"

"Kay, Momma," Tommy said and he hugged Rachel in return. "Love you."

Rachel smiled and kissed the top of Tommy's head. "Love you too."

Two hours into Rachel's shift at the café, she was really wishing that she was back at home. Her feet and back were aching from constantly moving between tables. Several patrons had accidentally spilled drinks on her, and she had to deal with at least two different tables with screaming children. She was glad that she was able to help a coworker out and get an extra shift, but this just so wasn't her night.

"Rachel?"

Rachel's head turned at the sound of the familiar voice. The soft, gently quality of it made her heart skip a beat, and then she saw those gorgeous amber eyes. He was sitting at a table with a man whose hair was styled as a Mohawk and a blonde woman, along with a man wearing a fashionable scarf and another curly-haired man.

Rachel came to a stop and tried to balance the tray full of plates on her one hand and brush her messy hair out of her face with the other. She smiled at Finn and attempted to catch her breath; she hadn't realized that she had been moving so fast (she was also trying not to notice how amazing that plaid shirt looked on Finn, as well).

"Finn! Hello. How are you?" Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel saw the man with the scarf nudge the one with the curly hair, and they shared a pointed look with the blonde woman and the man with the Mohawk. Finn hadn't noticed it, so Rachel chose to ignore it as well.

"Great. I didn't realize that you worked here," he said with his sweet half smile.

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "It's a job. I know the owners really well and I've worked here since I started college."

"Really? You know Will and Emma?" Finn asked, surprised. "They've lived next door to my parents for as long as I can remember!"

"Wow." Rachel was amazed that she and Finn had spent a good part of her life somehow connected, and she hadn't even noticed. There had probably been times when she had even seen him in this very café and hadn't realized that she would become so attracted to him.

Because even though it had only been a few days, Rachel had quickly come to realize that she had a pretty deep attraction to Finn Hudson. It had been a long time since she had been with a man—since her freshman year of college, really—so it wasn't like she had a whole lot of experience. But Finn was somehow different. She couldn't explain it; she just knew.

"What a coincidence," the man with the scarf said with a smile.

Finn tore his eyes away from Rachel. It seemed as if he had just remembered that he was sitting a table with four other people. With a semi-sheepish look, Finn quickly began to introduce his friends.

"Rachel, this is my brother Kurt Hummel-Anderson and his husband, Blaine. And this is my best friend Noah Puckerman and his wife, Quinn. Guys, this is my new neighbor, Rachel Berry."

"It's nice to meet you," Kurt said in a knowing voice. His husband nudged him and gave him another look, but Finn steadfastly ignored him. Meanwhile, Puck and Quinn were sniggering at Kurt and Blaine's antics. Rachel could feel her cheeks begin to heat up, but she had a feeling that Finn's friends meant well.

"Is there anything that I can get you while you're waiting for your food?" Rachel asked.

"We're good," Finn said, and he shot another smile in Rachel's direction. Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly said goodbye before she did something to embarrass herself. She hurried into the back, depositing the dirty dishes in the sink. One of the other servers, Tina Cohen-Chang, stopped Rachel before she could go back out.

"Who was that?" Tina asked with a knowing look.

Rachel tried to play dumb. "Who was who?"

"Rachel, please." Tina placed her hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes pointedly. "You and that cute tall guy with the plaid shirt were totally checking each other out. Who is he?"

Rachel blushed and bit her lip to hide her smile. "He's my new neighbor."

Tina nodded her head and bumped her hip against Rachel's. "Well, he definitely likes you."

Rachel couldn't help the giddy feelings that were coursing through her. She really didn't want to get her hopes up, but she couldn't help it.

---

five.

"Momma, can I go play with Mr. Finn's puppy?" Even as he spoke, Tommy yawned. He tried to hide it, but it didn't really succeed. Rachel laughed at her son's antics as she lifted him up into her arms.

"Sorry, Tommy. But it's nap time. Maybe after you can ask him." Rachel carried Tommy into his bedroom and set him down on his bed, settling him in for nap time. She tried to ignore the way her heartbeat sped up at the mere thought of Finn. She was twenty-three years old and a single mother to a toddler. She didn't exactly have time for romance at the moment.

Tommy curled into his bed, yawning once again before his eyes fluttered closed. Rachel smoothed his messy hair back and watched him for a moment before she left his room.

Nap time actually sounded like a really good idea. Rachel was exhausted, and she had a few hours until she had to be at work. So she lay down on the couch, turned the television down to low volume, and pulled a throw blanket over her lap. It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep.

It must have been an hour later when Rachel woke up. Her nap had been successful; Rachel felt much more energized. She sat up and stretched, noticing that the apartment was very quiet. Tommy must have still been napping, which was unusual. He didn't like to take a nap longer than forty-five minutes, given that he had so much energy.

Standing up, Rachel headed over towards her son's bedroom to check up on him. However, to her surprise, his bed was empty.

Rachel tried to keep herself from panicking right away. She quickly checked the rooms in the rest of her apartment. Upon realizing that her son was nowhere to be found, Rachel felt fear began to course through her. Running to the front door, she opened it and looked out into the hallway.

"Tommy!" she called. "Tommy, where are you?"

Across the hallway, Finn's door was open. He appeared a moment later, reaching out a hand to calm Rachel down. "Rachel, don't worry. He's over here."

Rachel pressed a hand to her chest and tried to calm her rapid heartbeat. "Oh my God," she mumbled. "How did he get over there? When?"

"He hasn't been over here for more than five minutes," Finn assured her. "He just knocked on my front door and wanted to know if he could play with Boxer. I was just about to come over and see what you were up to."

Rachel nodded her head and laid a hand on Finn's arm, squeezing briefly in thanks. Brushing past him, she walked into his apartment and saw her son sitting on Finn's living room floor, playing with his dog.

"Thomas Hiram Berry!"

Tommy looked up at his mother and gave her a smile. "Hi, Momma!" he said brightly.

Rachel knelt in front of him and took Tommy's little hands in both of hers. "Tommy, you can't leave the apartment without telling me. You know that."

Tommy's cute little face scrunched up in apology. "I'm sorry, Momma," he said. "I just wanted to see the doggy."

Rachel took a deep breath. She found her son and he was safe, so that was all that mattered. "Please don't ever do that again, Tommy," she said. "Wake me up the next time you want to play with Boxer."

Tommy nodded his head. "Okay," he said in a little voice.

Rachel gave him a reassuring smile and pulled Tommy into her arms, hugging him tightly. She kissed his forehead before she stood up. She figured that she could allow Tommy a few more moments to play with Finn's dog.

Rachel headed over to the counter, where Finn was standing. He gave her a smile when she reached him, and it made Rachel feel somehow better. She let out another relieved sigh and pressed her fingers to her temples, rubbing to get rid of her headache.

"I'm sorry that I didn't get over to you sooner," Finn said.

Rachel shook her head. "I'm just glad that he didn't wander off anywhere and you were the one that found him." Rachel felt her heart clench as she thought of everything her son had gone through. He might have been so young, and he didn't even know it yet, but Tommy Berry had been through quite a bit in his life already. "He's never wandered off like that before and I just got so scared…"

"Hey. It's okay." Finn hesitated for just a small moment before he placed a hand on Rachel's back. His large, warm hand moved in gentle, soothing circles, and Rachel took a deep breath. She had to get a grip on herself before she spilled everything about her life to Finn. The last thing she needed to do was scare him away.

Rachel took several deep breaths to calm herself down. "Thank you," she whispered after a moment.

Finn seemed to sense that there was a lot more going on in Rachel's life than she was letting on. His hand moved down to hers and he squeezed gently. "Rach, if you ever need to talk… I'm here to listen. I know that I'm just the new guy that lives across the hall but…" He trailed off and shrugged his shoulders.

Rachel smiled at him and squeezed Finn's hand in return. "I know. Thank you, Finn."

---

six.

"So you're totally going to bang him, right?" Santana looked over at Tina and another one of the café's waitresses, Mercedes Jones, for confirmation. "She's totally going to bang him."

Rachel's mouth dropped open. "Santana!"

Mercedes laughed at the look on Rachel's face. Responding to Santana's statement, she said, "I'd think that you're right."

"Definitely right." Tina nodded her head in agreement, and Rachel rolled her eyes. Her friends were too much sometimes. Resolutely deciding to ignore them, Rachel began to finish restocking the napkins in their dispensers.

"Come on, girl," Mercedes said. "Didn't you say that he was good with Tommy?"

Rachel smiled as she remembered how Finn interacted with her son. "He really is."

"Then go for it! It already seems like you have something with him."

"I don't know…" Rachel bit her lip. She didn't want to pull Finn into the complicated story that was her life. He seemed like a really wonderful guy, and Rachel would rather have him as a friend then lose him because of everything else.

Santana seemed to know what Rachel was thinking. "Oh. I know what this is about. You haven't told him yet, have you?"

A look of realization came onto both Tina and Mercedes's faces. Rachel gave her friends an incredulous look. "Of course I haven't told him yet! I've only talked with the man a few times. That's hardly enough time to explain that whole situation to him."

Even so, Rachel could imagine explaining to Finn what had happened to her and Tommy. She knew that he would be kind and comforting and so very understanding. And since he got obviously got on with Tommy so well, she knew that it wouldn't change anything with him, either.

Seeing the way that Rachel was drifting off into dreamland, Mercedes nodded her head resolutely. "She's totally going to bang him."

---

seven.

Rachel was just finishing her shift up at the café when the door opened and Finn came in. He looked mildly annoyed, but that was quickly explained when Finn was followed by Kurt. Finn immediately made his was over to the counter and sat down, giving his brother an exasperated look.

"Kurt, no offense, but I'm kind of tired of hearing about your new play."

Kurt gave his brother an affronted look. "Musical, Finn! It's my new musical! A play is entirely different."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Right. I need a cup of coffee."

Tina, having heard what Finn said, loudly called, "Rachel, I know that your shift is finished, but can you get him some coffee?"

Rachel whipped around to glare at her friend. Tina simply smirked and waved her hands towards Finn, gesturing for Rachel to get him the coffee. She knew that Tina was just meddling with her, but she still didn't have a problem with getting Finn the beverage. Setting her bag down, Rachel went back behind the counter and found a mug.

"Rachel, your shift is over," Finn repeated. "You don't have to get me coffee. I can wait."

Rachel smiled at him. "It's not a big deal, Finn," she assured. "I promise." She reached over to hand him the cup of coffee, and their fingers brushed. Her eyes connected with Finn's and they shared a smile. As always, it made Rachel's heart thump harder in her chest. With an amused voice she added, "I suppose you don't need any creamer to go with that?"

Finn laughed. "No, I think you're talking about your cup of coffee." He pointed to the pot of coffee. "If you're not too busy, why don't you join us?"

Rachel looked at the clock and saw that she still had about twenty minutes before she had to go relieve Tommy's babysitter. Pouring another cup of coffee for herself (and adding some creamer), Rachel walked around to the other side of the counter and took a seat next to Finn.

Kurt said a quick greeting to Rachel before he turned back towards his brother. "Finn, it's a disaster. The director won't let me do anything with the musical until I find someone to play the lead in advanced. How am I going to do that on such short notice?"

"I don't know, Kurt," Finn said. "It's not like I work on Broadway. I'm a teacher, remember?"

Kurt got a thoughtful look on his face. "Would one of your students—"

"They're high school students. Absolutely not."

Kurt sighed and ran a hand over his perfectly shaped hair. "I don't know what Carmen Tibadeaux is going to say. I was supposed to send her the script for this new musical."

"Carmen Tibadeaux?" Rachel asked. "I graduated from NYADA last year." She remembered how Carmen had told Rachel that she expected great things from her. She even said that with a small son, she knew that Rachel could achieve what she wanted. Rachel wanted to believe her teacher, but sometimes it was just… hard.

Kurt's eyes immediately went wide and he reached around Finn, grabbing onto Rachel's arm. "Wait a second. You went to NYADA?"

"I did," Rachel affirmed. She couldn't help but add, "And I graduated at the top of my class with honors." She was very proud of everything that she had accomplished while in school; and it had all been while having a son at the age of twenty. Sometimes, she was still amazed that she had achieved all of that. But Rachel is nothing if not ambitious. She had been determined to make it through school while taking care of her son, and she didn't regret a single moment of that.

Kurt and Finn both looked very impressed by that revelation. "Wow, really?" Kurt said. He tightened his grip on Rachel's arm. "You absolutely have to try out for the role!"

Rachel had tried out for a few different roles here and there since graduating, but she hadn't heard back from anyone. She was busy with taking care of Tommy, work, and her friends, so she was kept pretty occupied. Still, she couldn't deny that auditioning for the part in Kurt's musical was very tempting.

However, the prospect was also sort of freighting. This was a lead part in a brand new musical that was going to be on Broadway, after all. Should she manage to get the part, she would be skipping over every other aspect of the typical Broadway career. It was scary and exciting all at the same time.

"I don't know, Kurt," Rachel finally said. "There's so much to consider…"

Kurt waved his hand dismissively. "If you graduated at the top of your class from NYADA, then that's all I need to know that you're very talented."

Rachel bit her lip as she contemplated Kurt's offer. She happened to look towards Finn, and he smiled encouragingly at her. Rachel returned his smile before she said, "Can I think about it for a little?"

"Of course," Kurt said. But there was a knowing look on his face. He had a feeling that Rachel was going to show up for that audition.

---

eight.

"Come on, Berry," Santana said. She poked Rachel in the side, hindering Rachel's ability to unlock the door to her apartment. "You have to go to that audition!"

"I don't know," Rachel said. "There's just so much to think about." She couldn't help but look down at her son, who was smiling up at her. Rachel smiled back at him and then looked up at her best friend, who was giving her an exasperated look.

"If it's Tommy that you're worried about, I can watch him while you audition. Right, Tommy? Would you like to hang out with me?"

"Yeah!" Tommy exclaimed, even though he really had no idea what his mother and aunt were talking about.

"There you go," Santana said with a resolute nod of her head. "Now you have no reason not to audition for the musical."

Leaving her keys in the front door, Rachel turned towards Santana with one hand propped her on hip. She made quite the amusing sight as she tried to be angry and hold her son at the same time. "Santana, it's not that simple. What if I get the part? Who would I have to watch Tommy then? I can't ask you to do that, since you're so busy with law school. There are just too many things to consider in this situation."

Santana gave an exasperated sigh and shook her head. Her best friend had been through so much already in her life, and she just wanted her to go after her dreams as well. But when she saw who was coming down the hallway, however, a knowing smirk formed on Santana's face.

"You think that Rachel should audition for this musical, don't you Jolly Green Giant?"

Turning around to see who Santana was talking to, Rachel's heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was Finn. He smiled in greeting at Rachel, and she was impressed that Santana's new nickname for Finn didn't faze him at all.

"I do think you should try out," Finn said sincerely. "You'd be perfect for the part."

"That's sweet, Finn, but you haven't even heard me sing," Rachel pointed out.

Finn gave her a sheepish smile. "Actually, that's not true. I can kind of hear you sing when you're getting ready in the morning."

Rachel's cheeks turned bright red and Santana started laughing. "Shit, you can hear her all the way across the hallway? That's hilarious!"

"Language, Santana!" Rachel scolded as she attempted to cover Tommy's ears.

The little boy just grinned and waved at Finn. "Hi Mr. Finn!"

Finn chuckled and waved in return. "Hey, little man."

Cutting into the conversation, Santana said, "There you have it. Even Finn thinks you should audition. When you get the part, then we'll figure out what to do with Tommy. But you'll never know until you try."

Rachel took a deep breath. She really did want to try out for the part, but she still didn't know how to solve her dilemma. As if Finn could read her mind, he reached out to give Tommy a high five.

"When you get the part—" Finn began.

"If," Rachel interrupted. It had been so long since she had auditioned for anything, after all. She didn't want to get her hopes up right away.

"When you get the part," Finn repeated, "I'll watch Tommy if you need someone to babysit."

"Yeah!" Tommy exclaimed. The prospect of hanging out with Finn and playing with his dog was too exciting for the three year old.

"Okay," Rachel finally said. "I'll audition."

---

nine.

Rachel's grin was bright and excited as she came out of the theater where the auditions for Kurt's musical were being held. She didn't want to sound too high on herself, but she was pretty sure that it had been a successful audition. She was sure to get a callback, and Rachel couldn't have been more excited for it.

"Momma!" Tommy ran towards Rachel with some flowers clutched in his little fist. Rachel scooped him up into her arms and he held the flowers out towards her, blinking up at her with his big brown eyes. "These are for you."

"Why thank you, Tommy!" Rachel said. She kissed her son's cheek and accepted the flowers from him. "Where did you get these?"

"The park!" Tommy replied brightly.

Rachel gave Santana a pointed look—the flowers weren't supposed to be picked in the park. Santana just shrugged her shoulders and inspected her nails, and Rachel couldn't do much more than laugh and shake her head.

"So how did it go?" Santana asked.

Rachel grinned. "Great! It was great."

"Told you so," Santana said. "Now let's head back to the apartment. Tina is already there with the take out and wine. We're so celebrating tonight!"

"Party!" Tommy added excitedly.

Santana and Rachel laughed at the little boy's antics. Twenty minutes later, they were back at Rachel's apartment. Tina passed out the food and wine, and they set Tommy up with a movie and his dinner. The three women gathered by the island in the kitchen so that Rachel could keep an eye on her son as they chatted.

"I can't believe that you're going to leave me alone at the café," Tina lamented. "But I'm so happy for you, Rachel."

"I don't have the part yet," Rachel said, even though she was pretty sure that she was going to get it.

Santana waved her hand dismissively. "Please. We all know that you're going to get the part."

"And you better come visit the café when you're a big Broadway star," Tina added.

Before Rachel could respond to that, there was a knock at her front door. Setting her glass down, Rachel headed over to the front door and was surprised to find Finn was on the other side.

"Finn!" Rachel gave him a megawatt smile. "Hello!"

Finn gave her that sweet half smile. "Hey, Rach. I just wanted to stop by and see how your audition went."

"Kurt didn't call you?"

Finn chuckled. "He might have. But I wanted to actually hear from you."

Rachel couldn't help but clap her hands together excitedly. "I think it went really great! I can't wait to hear back from them. It should happen as early as next week!"

Finn suddenly seemed to grow a little nervous. "I was actually wondering if you were busy. Puck owns the bar down the street and if you wanted to, I was thinking that I could take you out to celebrate."

Rachel was about to say yes when she remembered that her friends were in her kitchen. She knew that she could leave Tommy with either one of them, but she couldn't just ditch on their night. Just as Rachel was about to say that she couldn't, Santana and Tina appeared on either side of her.

"She'd be more than happy to go out with you," Tina said.

"Give her maybe ten minutes and she'll be right out!" Santana added.

Before either Finn or Rachel could say anything, Santana shut the door and Tina steered Rachel towards her bedroom. Tina sat Rachel on the bed and then began to go through her closet, trying to find something suitable for her to go out in.

"What are you two doing?" Rachel demanded. "I can't just go out!"

"Yes you can," Tina said. "And don't even try to use Tommy as an excuse, because Santana and I are here to watch him."

Rachel sighed. She loved her friends, she really did. But sometimes, they could be a bit much. "Do you know how long it's been since I've gone on a date?"

"Since before you had Tommy," Santana answered. "And God knows that you haven't had sex since then, either."

"Santana!"

"What? It's true."

Tina tried to stifle her laugh. "What I think Santana is trying to say is that you don't have to think of this as a date if you want to. Finn is a handsome guy, and you both seem to like each other. Go out and have some fun with the guy. Don't overthink it, Rachel."

Rachel caught her reflection in the mirror. It had been a long time since she had gone out. And if she was going to do it, Finn was the person that she wanted to do it with. Accepting the dress that Tina offered her, Rachel nodded her head and began to get ready.

---

ten.

"Come on, Finn. You can't even give me a little hint?"

Finn took a sip of his water before answering. "No way. Kurt would kill me if I spilled the secret."

"Not even just a little clue?" Rachel slid her hand over Finn's arm and made her eyes go as wide as they could possibly go. "For me? Please?"

Finn looked down at Rachel's hand on his arm and then back up into her eyes. He swallowed hard and took a moment before he slowly said, "Nope. Can't do it. You'll just have to wait to find out."

With a little huff, Rachel pulled her hands back from Finn's arm, and he chuckled. "Fine. Be that way, Finn."

"Come on, Rach." Finn nudged Rachel's shoulder with his own. "I didn't mean it like that. Are you really that concerned with what's going to happen? Personally, I can't imagine you not getting the part."

"Do you really mean that?"

Finn nodded his head, his amber eyes shining with sincerity. "I've heard you sing before, remember? You really do have an amazing voice."

Blushing at the thought of Finn hearing her sing in the morning, Rachel gave him an apologetic smile. "I apologize for that, by the way. Sometimes I forget how loud my voice is. I think Tommy has gotten so used to it that it never bothers him anymore."

Finn chuckled. "I don't mind it," he assured her. "And I doubt that Tommy minds it, either. He worships you, Rachel. You're a wonderful mother."

Rachel couldn't even begin to explain how much it meant to hear Finn say that. Her heart filled with warmth and she actually kind of felt like she was going to cry. She took a deep, slow breath to get control of her sudden emotions and managed a bright smile for Finn.

"Thank you, Finn," she murmured. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

Finn studied her for a moment. "A lot has happened with you and Tommy, hasn't it?"

Rachel pressed her lips together and nodded her head. "A lot," she emphasized.

Finn reached out and covered one of Rachel's hands with his. She felt so much better with the weight of his strong, warm hand over hers. "You have so much to be proud of, Rachel. You got through school, you worked, and now you're about to get this big part in a musical—all while raising a son. And he's such a great kid."

"He really likes you," Rachel said to Finn. It was true. Rachel had never seen her son take to a man so well before. Tommy really looked up to Finn and was always asking about him, and Rachel thought it was the sweetest thing.

Finn's cheeks turned red, and then he grinned widely at her. He squeezed her hand and Rachel flipped hers over, allowing her fingers to slide between his.

Twenty minutes later, Finn was walking Rachel back to her apartment. Their hands were loosely linked between them, and Rachel couldn't keep the constant smile off of her face. This wasn't the excitement of a school girl's crush. This was more like the warm, steady happiness of feeling like she finally found home.

Stopping in front of her door, Finn squeezed Rachel's hand. "Thanks for tonight," Finn said.

"Well, thank you for taking me out, Finn," Rachel said. "I really enjoyed it. Maybe… maybe we could do it again sometime?"

Finn gave her that crooked smile that made Rachel's stomach flip. "I'd really like that," he said.

Rachel couldn't help herself. She stretched up onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Finn's cheek. And even though she tried not to, she couldn't stop her lips from lingering against his slight stubble.

When Rachel pulled back, she squeezed Finn's hand one more time before she returned to her apartment.

---

eleven.

Rachel passed a small cup of flour to Tommy. "Okay, sweetie. Now be very careful when you pour this into the bowl, okay?"

"Kay Momma!" Tommy said. He used both of his hands to take the cup of flour from Rachel and then poured it into the bowl. He let out a laugh when the white powder puffed up and into his face. "Momma, look!"

"I see!" Rachel took a wet cloth and wiped at his nose. Tommy reached up and patted Rachel's cheeks with his little hands, only succeeding in getting more flour on her. She laughed and tried to brush it off while Tommy patiently waited for what to do next.

She and Tommy were spending the day in making some banana bread. It was something that Rachel liked to do at least once a month for her neighbors and coworkers, and Tommy was old enough to help out now. It was day like these that Rachel loved the most, where she didn't have to worry about anything else other than spending time with her son.

Before Rachel could grab the next set of ingredients, her cell phone started ringing. She dropped a kiss to the top of her son's head and then reached for her phone. She frowned when she saw the name flashing on the screen.

"Papa," Rachel said curtly into the phone. "Hello."

"Hello, Rachel." Leroy Berry's voice sounded a little unsure, which was so unlike him. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Rachel said shortly.

"And how is my… grandson?"

Rachel quickly walked into the living room so that Tommy was no longer in hearing range. "You don't get to call him that," she snapped. "And you don't get to ask about him, either. But for your information, Tommy is doing just fine."

Leroy sighed. "Rachel, please don't act like that. I'm just calling to check in on my daughter and grandson—"

"It's a little too late for that, isn't it?" Rachel took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. There was no use in getting all worked up over something that happened three years ago. Figuring that Leroy must have been calling for some sort of reason, Rachel pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes in order to calm herself down. "Is there a reason that you're calling, Papa?"

"Your Daddy and I just wanted to check in," Leroy said earnestly.

"We're just fine," Rachel said. "Thanks for asking."

There was a long pause before Leroy said, "We're in town for a little bit. We were wondering if it was alright for us to come see you and Tommy for a little bit?"

Rachel felt panic course through her at the thought of seeing her fathers again after three years. More than that, she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to expose her son to them. So that's the reasoning she came up with for the way she responded. "No. No you can't."

And with that, Rachel hung the phone up and took a deep breath to calm herself down. The last thing she needed was for Tommy to see her like this. So she decided to forget her problems and focus on spending some quality time with her son.

---

twelve.

"Rachel! Rachel, your phone is ringing!"

Rachel barely had enough time to spare the table she was serving an apologetic glance before she set her tray down and hurried over to the counter. Emma passed Rachel her cellphone, and she did a little dance before she answered. This was it; this was the call she was going to get that could very well decide her future.

Rachel swiped her finger across the touchscreen to answer her phone and took a deep breath before pressing the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Rachel? It's Kurt. I'm calling about the lead part in the musical that I just wrote."

"Yes?" Rachel could barely contain her excitement. She was absolutely sure that she was going to get a callback. How could she not? Rachel knew that she was talented, and she had been absolutely perfect for the part.

"They wanted to give you a callback, but your audition was perfect, Rachel, I swear. You didn't need a callback. I want you for the main part of my musical and I won't take no for an answer."

Rachel began jumping up and down, and she couldn't keep the bright grin off of her lips. "Yes! Oh my gosh, yes! I'll take the part."

Kurt let out an excited whoop. "Fabulous! I'll get everything set up, and then I'll call you when we start rehearsals. I'll send you the script in the next day or so. I can even come over and we can go over it together, if you want!"

"That would be great!" Rachel could barely keep herself from squealing into her phone. She managed to hold back until she said her goodbyes before she hung up and started jumping up and down once again, squealing loudly. The noise she was making was attracting the attention of the rest of the patrons in the café, but Rachel didn't care. She was too excited to worry about what other people thought at the moment.

Tina, of course, knew exactly what Rachel was making so much ruckus about. "You got the part?" she demanded.

Rachel nodded her head, and Tina started jumping up and down and squealing with her. Emma laughed and let them go on for as long as they wanted; when the bell above the door to the café jingled, she smiled at the newcomers.

"As you can see, we're celebrating," Emma explained to Will, Finn, Puck, and Quinn. "Rachel just got the part in Kurt's musical!"

Finn grinned and held his arms out for a hug, and Rachel didn't hesitate to run into them. He lifted her up, spinning her around as she giggled and held on to his broad shoulders.

"I knew you could do it, Rach," Finn murmured into her ear as he set her down.

Rachel beamed up at him. "Thank you, Finn."

"For what?"

For encouraging her to go after what she wanted. For being such a wonderful man. For having such a great connection with her son. Rachel could think of a million things she wanted to thank him for, but she couldn't quite get the words out.

"Just… thank you," Rachel repeated as she hugged Finn again.

---

thirteen.

"Momma." Tommy let out a sad little cry and threw up again. Rachel patted the little boy's back soothingly and tried not to freak out about how much he was vomiting. This couldn't have been good for his little body.

"I know, sweetie," Rachel said. "I know. It'll be okay, I promise."

Rachel smoothed his hair back and made sure that he was finished getting sick before she lifted him up and carried him back into his bedroom. She tucked him into bed and covered him with a light sheet since he was having the sweats but was cold at the same time. Tommy gave his mother a sleepy little smile before he drifted off to sleep.

Rachel stepped back and ran a hand through her messy hair and tried to take a deep breath to calm herself down. She hated it when her little boy got sick, because she couldn't do anything to help him feel better.

There was a knock at her front door and Rachel groaned. She knew who that was and she had completely forgotten about it. She had been so busy taking care of Tommy that she hadn't remembered the first read-through for the musical was today. Finn was coming over to babysit Tommy, but Rachel couldn't see how she could go now.

When Rachel opened the door, Finn could immediately tell that something was wrong. He reached out for her hand, giving her a look full of concern.

"Rachel? What's wrong? Is Tommy okay? Are you?"

Rachel couldn't imagine how she looked right now. Tommy had started getting sick as soon as Rachel had woken up, so she was still in her sleeping shirt and an old pair of shorts. Her hair was a mess, she was tired, and she was pretty sure that she smelled like throw up. Yet there was Finn, concerned for Rachel and Tommy and not running away. Rachel's heart filled with warmth for him, and all she really wanted to do was curl up in Finn's arms.

Rachel pushed her messy hair back with her hand. "I know that you're here to take care of Tommy, and I appreciate that so much. But he's really sick and I just don't think that I can go to the read through while he's like this and I can't just leave with him and…" Rachel trailed off and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down once again.

"Rachel, look at me." Finn reached out and put both of his hands on Rachel's shoulders, ducking his head so that it was easier to look into Rachel's eyes. "Take a deep breath."

Rachel shook her head. "Finn, I don't have time—"

He pressed a finger to her lips, abruptly stopping her from speaking. "Just take a deep breath."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Finn, but she eventually relented and took in a deep, slow breath. Admittedly, she did feel a little bit better. Finn pulled his hand back from her lips and replaced it on her shoulder, squeezing them both comfortingly.

"Okay now," Finn said. "You're going to go back into your room, you're going to get dressed, and you're going to go to the reading."

Rachel scowled at him. "Finn—"

"And," Finn continued, "You're going to let me watch Tommy."

Rachel stopped her protests and watched Finn carefully for several long moments. He watched her in return, and his eyes remained completely sincere and open. Rachel entertained the idea for a brief moment, but then she shook her head.

"Finn, I can't ask you to do that. Tommy is so sick and you—"

Once again, Finn interrupted Rachel. "I've taken care of my niece Beth when she was sick, if that's what you're worried about." When Rachel still looked unsure, Finn tucked his fingers under her chin and turned his eyes towards hers. "You got this role because you worked so hard for it. You deserve it, Rachel. Go to the reading. I promise that Tommy will be in good hands."

Rachel somehow knew that she could trust Finn completely. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. She felt him chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her waist and embraced her in return.

"You have to call me if he gets worse," Rachel implored.

"I know, Rach," Finn said. "We'll be fine."

Despite her stress from a few moments ago, Rachel smiled and stretched up onto her tiptoes to kiss Finn's cheek. As she went into her bedroom to get ready, she completely missed the way his cheeks turned bright red.

---

fourteen.

The reading for the play had been completely successful. Even though Rachel was extremely pleased with how it turned out, she still rushed back to the apartment. She needed to make sure that Tommy was okay, and she didn't want to wait any longer than she had to.

Rachel entered the apartment, expecting to find that Tommy was still in bed and Finn would be watching television or something. Instead, she could only stop and smile as she took in the scene before her.

Finn was lying on his back on the couch, fast asleep. Little Tommy was stretched out on his chest, slumbering away. There was a bucket and a whole thing of cold medicine situated next to the coffee table. There was a cold compress hanging from Finn's hand and a thermometer tucked next to him, as well.

Rachel felt her heart swell and she was pretty sure that she was well on her way to falling in love with Finn Hudson.

Unable to help herself, Rachel slipped her phone out of her purse and snapped a quick picture. It was then that Finn began to wake up. Lifting his head, he put one hand on Tommy's back to make sure that he wasn't disturbed. A sleepy half smile formed on Finn's face when he caught sight of Rachel.

"Hey, Rach," he said quietly so as not to wake Tommy up. "How did the reading go?"

"It was great," Rachel said in response. She approached the pair on the couch and smoothed her hand over Tommy's forehead. She was pleased to see that his fever had gone down a little bit and some of his color had returned. "How is Tommy doing?"

"Pretty well," Finn said. He sat up, carefully supporting Tommy. He didn't wake up at all as Finn stood up. "He conked out about an hour or so ago and hasn't woken up since. I think the worst of it might be over."

Rachel followed Finn into Tommy's room as he put him to bed. "Thank you so much for doing this, Finn."

"It really wasn't any problem at all," Finn said. He took her hand and squeezed it as they walked out of Tommy's room so he could get some rest. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"Finn, I couldn't ask you to stay. You've already done so much…"

Finn squeezed Rachel's hand again. "Rachel, really. I don't mind at all."

"If you're sure." Rachel couldn't ask Finn to stay with her while she took care of her sick son, but she definitely wanted to spend more time with him. When Finn nodded his head, Rachel said, "Well at least let me make you dinner."

Finn smiled and nodded his head. They spent the next few hours making dinner and checking on Tommy together. It wasn't long before Rachel and Finn were curled on the couch, watching a movie. And then Rachel was the one who fell asleep with her head resting against Finn's chest.

---

fifteen.

"Momma."

Rachel could feel something poking her in the arm, but she was enjoying her sleep too much to move. She snuggled further into her warm pillow, burying her face into it.

"Momma."

There was that poke on the arm again. Eventually, Rachel came out of dreamland and realized that she was hearing the voice of her son. Opening her eyes, Rachel saw Tommy standing next the couch wearing a bright smile on his little face.

It was then that Rachel realized she had actually fallen asleep on the couch. Furthermore, Finn's arms were wrapped around her and her head was pillowed against his chest. Finn hadn't exactly woken up yet, so Rachel was trying to figure out how she could explain this situation to her young son and not have an embarrassing moment with Finn.

Tommy seemed to solve this problem, however. He climbed up onto Rachel's lap and curled up. "Hi Momma," he said sleepily.

"How are you feeling, Tommy?" Rachel asked.

"Better. Me and Mr. Finn watched movies. Can we have breakfast?"

Rachel slipped out of Finn's arms and lifted Tommy up, heading into the kitchen. She set her son on the counter and went about pulling the ingredients out for pancakes and scrambled eggs. It wasn't long before the smell of breakfast caused Finn to stir on the couch.

"You're just in time," Rachel said with a smile. "The coffee is ready."

Finn gave Rachel that heart-stopping smile. "Thank you, Rachel." Turning towards Tommy, he ruffled his hair. "What's up, little man? Are you feeling better?"

Tommy nodded his head. "Momma made breakfast!" Clearly, there was only one thing that Tommy wanted at the moment. Finn laughed and helped Rachel set up some plates and silverware before they all took a seat at the counter.

As they ate, Rachel snuck a look at Finn. He happened to look up at the same time. Between the sound of Tommy's laughter, Rachel and Finn shared a smile.

---

sixteen.

From then on, Rachel trusted Finn completely with Tommy. They fell into a pattern after that. When Rachel started rehearsals, Finn would take care of Tommy. They even started having bi-weekly dinners together. Rachel didn't think she had ever seen Tommy get so attached to someone so quickly. The little boy couldn't help but to seek out a father-figure, and Finn seemed more than willing to fill in that role.

Rachel had even begun to connect with Finn more. She had moved well past just falling in love with him—she was pretty much in love with him at this point. Finn was so sweet and good to her and her son. Even so, Rachel didn't know if she could put herself out there and see if she could take their relationship to the next level. There was so much at stake, and Rachel was honestly a little scared.

"Why don't you just date him already?" Rachel and Santana were sitting in Rachel's apartment, sharing half a bottle of their favorite wine. Tommy was already in bed, and the two friends always got together at least once a week to talk.

Rachel bit her lip. Honestly, it was almost as if she and Finn were in a relationship already. He had bonded with her son, they had dinners together like a real family, and he had often spent the night at Rachel's apartment. They would stay up late talking and fall asleep on the couch together, frequently with their arms wrapped around one another. Rachel loved waking up in Finn's arms, and Tommy absolutely adored him.

"I don't know, Santana. Maybe I'm just… scared," Rachel admitted. Back in high school and the beginning of college, Rachel had never been one to be afraid to jump headfirst into things. But having a son changed all of that. She had a whole other life to consider once Tommy became a part of hers. "I mean, he doesn't know everything yet—"

Santana didn't have a problem interrupting her friend. "So tell him," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's not like it's going to change anything."

"But… I… It's an odd situation."

"So what? Just go for it. You'll never know until you try. Right?"

Santana was right. Rachel needed to take a chance and be happy. But she had her young son to consider. And if Finn was going to commit to Rachel, then he was going to commit to Tommy as well. It was a big decision, and it was one that Rachel knew she shouldn't take lightly.

"Tommy adores Finn," Rachel said. "And I'm just scared that if it doesn't work out…" She trailed off and shrugged her shoulders. "Tommy has already been uprooted enough in his life."

"I doubt Finn is the kind of person to uproot anyone," Santana said. "He's a really good guy."

Rachel began to smile. "You like him, don't you?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but don't let him know. I still want to mess with him."

---

seventeen.

Tommy had already been put to bed, and Rachel and Finn were cleaning the dirty dishes from dinner. Finn had insisted on washing them, so Rachel did her part by wiping the dishes down and putting them away. They worked with what could almost be described as a rhythm ,and the silence between them was easy and comfortable.

"Thank you for doing this, Finn," Rachel said quietly. She really didn't know how she would ever be able to repay Finn. He was looking out for her son and helping her to go after her dreams at the same time. Finn Hudson was doing an amazing thing, and it made Rachel fall in love with him that much more.

Finn smiled warmly at her. "You don't need to keep thanking me, Rachel," he said. "I want to do this."

Rachel bit her lip and nodded her head. "But still. You have no idea how much this means to me. There has to be something that I can do for you."

"You can let me take you out to dinner."

Rachel blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

Finn took Rachel's hand and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. "I've wanted to take you out since I first met you, Rachel," he admitted.

"I…" Rachel couldn't deny the happiness coursing through her. This was her time—her time with Finn, her time to welcome him into her family with Tommy. So she squeezed Finn's hand and smiled at him. "Alright."

Finn had it all planned out. The next night, Kurt and his boyfriend Blaine Anderson had offered to watch Tommy for the night. Rachel had no problem entrusting her son to Kurt and Blaine, as she had grown close to both of them through working in the musical.

Finn had shown up in a suit and Rachel had worn a pretty dress. Tommy had kissed his mother's cheek goodbye and had even hugged Finn. The new couple went to a nearby restaurant that happened to have one of Rachel's favorite dishes.

Finn and Rachel talked about nearly anything and everything while at dinner. They laughed over each other's embarrassing stories, argued good-naturedly over different topics, and shared comfortable silences when they were eating. Once they were finished at the restaurant, they went for a walk through Central Park.

Rachel's absolute favorite spot in Central Park was Rainbow Bridge, and that was where their walk took them. Rachel placed her hands on the edge of the bridge as she looked out over the park. Twilight was falling, and the sky was a beautiful mixture of indigo blue and purple. Rachel was so caught up in the calm stillness of the night that she hadn't realized Finn was directly next to her until he wrapped his gentle fingers around her wrist.

Rachel smiled up at Finn and his slid his hand up to cup her cheek. Rachel leaned into his touch and wrapped her small fingers around his hand as well. Finn smiled at her in return before he leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to hers.

The kiss was tender and lingering. Finn stroked her cheek as he pulled away. Rachel's eyes slowly opened and she took in the sweet smile on his face before she surged up on her tiptoes and kissed Finn again.

He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer, his tongue sliding into her mouth. Rachel let out a breathy little moan and curled her fingers into Finn's shirt, pressing herself even closer to him.

When the kiss ended, Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She rested her head against his chest and smiled, taking a moment to just revel in how happy she was.

---

eighteen.

When they returned to Rachel's apartment, she squeezed Finn's hand and didn't let him pull away. He smiled at her and pulled her close to kiss her again.

"Do you want to come in?" Rachel asked. "Maybe you could say goodnight to Tommy."

Finn's eyes were warm and sincere as he grinned down at her. "I'd really like that," he said as he tightened his arms around her.

They entered Rachel's apartment together. Santana was sitting on the couch studying from a large law textbook. She looked up and nodded her head at Rachel and Finn before she gathered her things up and left the apartment. Rachel had to remember to thank her best friend later—Santana seemed to know that Rachel and Finn were going to have a moment.

With their fingers intertwined, Finn and Rachel made their way into Tommy's room. The little boy was fast asleep, and Rachel took a seat on the side of his bed and tried to smooth down his perpetually messy hair.

Finn smiled as he watched the interaction between the mother and son. "You're an amazing mother, you know," he said.

Rachel looked up at him. "Really?" she whispered. When she first had Tommy, that had been one of the things she had been most afraid of. Tommy was innocent in all of this, and Rachel had been so young. She had been terrified that she would somehow ruin all of this, but she had done the best she could.

Finn nodded his head. "He's such a good kid, Rach. And you should be proud of everything that you've done."

Rachel kissed Tommy's head before she stood up. Finn bent and made sure that the blankets were tucked around Tommy, and Rachel could almost cry from the display. She didn't want to scare Finn away, but it seemed like he wasn't going anywhere. He would probably be an amazing father and Rachel just knew, deep down, that he could be that for Tommy.

Finn took Rachel's hand again and they headed back out into the living room. Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist and pulled her against him. He kissed her gently, his lips lingering tenderly against hers.

"I'm not going anywhere, Rachel," Finn murmured when he pulled away. He rested his forehead against hers and Rachel could only stare at him in wide-eyed amazement. Finn seemed to know exactly what Rachel was thinking and knew what to say to make her feel better.

Rachel stretched up onto her tiptoes and kissed Finn again, smiling against his lips.

---

nineteen.

Rachel slammed the door behind her and tried to hang her jacket and purse on the hook next to the door with as much violence as possible. She huffed and proceeded to stomp into the kitchen, where Finn was getting dinner ready. Tommy, who was sitting at the kitchen counter, exchanged a look with Finn.

"Momma looks mad," the little boy said in a loud whisper.

Finn chuckled and nodded his head. "She does look mad, little man." Turning towards Rachel, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "What's up, baby?"

Rachel let out another loud huff. "It's your brother, Finn! He's absolutely insane!"

Finn laughed and stirred the pasta on the stove. "I already knew that, Rach. But I'm glad you've finally caught up with the rest of us."

"Still!" Rachel let out an annoyed noise. When Kurt had found out that Finn and Rachel had begun dating about three weeks ago, he had been absolutely ecstatic. He and Rachel got along very well, and they had already planned several shopping dates and lunch outings. But Kurt had also stipulated that just because she was dating his brother, he wasn't going to treat Rachel any differently from the rest of the performers in the musical.

"Are you really mad at Mr. Kurt, Momma?" Tommy asked.

Rachel took a deep breath to calm herself and smiled for her son. "Friends get like this sometimes, sweetie."

Finn snorted. "Everyone gets like that with Kurt."

Tommy wrinkled his nose and nodded his head in agreement. "I like Mr. Kurt, but he kind of scares me sometimes."

Finn laughed outright at that and dished some of the pasta into a bowl for Tommy. He passed it towards him and ruffled the little boy's messy hair. "You're a smart kid, Tommy."

"I know." Tommy said with a bright smile. "Momma tells me that all the time."

Rachel smiled at that and then ran her hand through her hair. She leaned against the counter in exhaustion, and Finn reached over to rub her back and he pressed another kiss to her temple.

"Tell me what Kurt did," Finn said.

Rachel leaned into his touch and let out a little sigh. "There was one scene in the musical that Kurt made us do over and over because he didn't like how we were doing it. Blaine is his boyfriend, and he was still yelling at both of us. I understand that he wants it to be perfect. I strive for perfection also. But there is a line!"

"Oh, baby." Finn tucked his fingers under Rachel's chin and pressed his lips gently to hers. "I know that you love this musical and all, but there is no way that I'm getting in the middle of this."

Rachel playfully pushed on Finn's chest. "Haha, very funny."

"Kurt is insane, Rach," Finn said. "But I know what will make it better."

"Oh yeah?" Rachel returned Finn's adorable smile. "And what did you have in mind?"

"Well…" Finn split the remaining pasta into two more bowls and handed one to Rachel. "First, I thought we could have dinner. And then I was thinking that the three of us could watch a movie. How does that sound?"

Rachel smiled at both of her boys. "That sounds perfect."

---

twenty.

"Finn! Can we have waffles for breakfast?"

Finn grinned at Tommy's enthusiasm. "Well, it is your birthday, little man. You can have whatever you want."

Tommy grinned. "Waffles with chocolate chips!"

"You got it, buddy." Finn went about mixing the ingredients for the waffles as Rachel sat at the counter sipping from her cup of coffee. It had been two months since Finn and Rachel had started dating, and they had fallen into a routine that resembled a family. Not only that, Tommy absolutely adored Finn.

"I can't believe that you're four years old, Tommy," Rachel said. "It seemed like it was just yesterday that you were a little baby with the chubbiest cheeks!"

"Momma!" Tommy gave his mother and embarrassed look, and Rachel and Finn shared a laugh. "It's my birthday!"

"You are right about that, Tommy. Today is your day," Rachel said. "So what do you want to do?"

Tommy was quiet for a long moment, his little brow furrowed in thought. "I want to go to the zoo!" he exclaimed. "And then I want cake Aunt Tana and Aunt Tina and Aunt Cedes and Mr. Kurt and Mr. Blaine."

Rachel laughed and nodded her head. "I think we can make that happen, sweetie."

There was a knock at the front door, and Finn gestured for Rachel to sit down so that he could get it. Rachel and Tommy began to plan out their day at the zoo and Finn went to open the door. He was mildly surprised to find two older men standing on the other side this early in the morning.

"Hi," Finn said pleasantly. "Can I help you?"

The man with the glasses gave him a confused look. "Leroy, this is Rachel's apartment, correct?"

Before the taller man—Leroy, Finn assumed—could answer, Finn said, "This is Rachel's apartment. What can I do for you?"

"Well, we were hoping that we could see her. I'm Hiram Berry, one of Rachel's father. And this is Leroy."

Finn stepped aside and allowed both men to step into the apartment. While Rachel had never said too much about her fathers, Finn did know that she had been adopted and didn't have a great relationship with her biological mother.

"Rach? Your fathers are here!" Finn called.

Finn heard a loud crash from the kitchen, and then Rachel appeared. He was completely taken aback by the look on her face. With his brow furrowed in concern, Finn reached out for Rachel's hand.

"Rach? What's wrong?"

But Rachel wasn't looking at Finn. Instead, she kept her gaze on her two fathers. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Leroy's voice was firm as he spoke. "We're here to see you and Tommy. You wouldn't come to us, so we came to you."

"Well, you can't see Tommy. And frankly, I don't want you to see me either." Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin defiantly. "So if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to ask you to leave my home."

Finn looked between his girlfriend and her parents, thoroughly confused with what was going on. The feeling in the room was tense, and he didn't think that Rachel ever looked so upset before.

Hiram stepped forward, his hands held out in front of him in a pleading manner. "Rachel, please. We realize that what we did was wrong, but we want to try and fix that—"

"Yeah, well maybe it's too late for that." Rachel pointed to the door. She was so thankful that Tommy was distracted in the kitchen, because the last thing Rachel wanted was for him to see her like this. "Please leave."

Hiram and Leroy shared a look before they silently left the apartment. Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and watched them go, her eyes shining. Part of her wanted to forgive her fathers for what they did three years ago so badly, but then she thought about her little boy and she wondered if she ever could. Tommy was the one who had been wronged in this situation, and Rachel didn't know if she could ever forgive her fathers for taking it out their frustrations with her on an innocent little boy.

Finn looked like he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself. Instead, he simply held out his arms. Rachel ran into them and buried her face in his chest. She had never been so thankful for someone in her entire life.

---

twenty-one.

Despite the somewhat rough start to the day, Rachel, Finn, and Tommy had a great day at the zoo. And they had a wonderful time with their friends when they had dinner and cake. Still, by the end of the night, Finn could tell that Rachel was feeling upset. After Tommy had been put to bed, Finn found Rachel curled up on the bed in her room.

"Talk to me." Finn slid his warm, strong hand along Rachel's back in an effort to relieve some of her tension. Rachel let out a tired sigh and sank back against her boyfriend.

Things had been kind of bad tonight. With the arrival of Rachel's fathers, she had turned tense, defensive, and extremely protective of Tommy whenever Leroy and Hiram were brought up. She knew that Finn could also sense what she tried so hard to hide: fear.

Rachel also knew that it was time to tell Finn the truth. He deserved to know—especially since he had become such an important part of both her and Tommy's life.

"My fathers never really approved of my decision to keep Tommy while I was so young," Rachel began. "They were afraid that it would ruin my chances of making it on Broadway—and it was largely in part because they did so much to make sure I got there. I went to so many theater camps and I attended the most prestigious private performing arts high school. When I got my full scholarship to NYADA, they couldn't have been more proud."

Rachel took a deep breath, and Finn pressed an encouraging kiss to her temple. Rachel smiled at him before continuing.

And then I was twenty years old and Tommy came along. They wanted me to give him up. They told me that they wouldn't support me anymore if I decided to keep him."

Finn pulled Rachel closer. "Did they try to get you to have an abortion? And what happened with Tommy's father during all of this?" He hated thinking of her having to go through all of this alone.

Rachel grew uneasy then and stared down at her hands, clasping them tightly in her lap. "That's where my story gets a little confusing," Rachel admitted. "You see, Tommy technically isn't… mine."

Finn's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Rachel released a heavy sigh. "I have a cousin that's a few years older than me. Her name was Layla, and we were really close growing up. I looked up to her and she kind of was like a mother figure to me. When she suddenly became pregnant right out of college, we spent even more time together. She talked to me and I tried to help her as much as I could."

Rachel moved her hands then, pressing her palms to her eyes. This was where the story got even more difficult. "Layla had the baby and she seemed okay. She took care of him and tried to settle into a routine. She had already graduated from college and had a job lined up and everything. But a week later, there was a knock at my apartment door. I opened it and… it was Tommy. He had been left alone in his carrier by my front door."

Finn's jaw dropped open in shock. He could only stare at Rachel with wide eyes, and Rachel began babbling to fill the silence. She couldn't stop herself from talking, and all of the details just poured out.

"There was a letter. Layla explained that as much as she wanted to, she couldn't take care of Tommy. She said that there was no one else she could imagine being his mother, and that she knew I was the best person for it. I think the most surprising thing was that I realized she was right. The moment I held Tommy for the first time, I just knew that I could be a mother. I had never imagined it happening in the way that it did, but… I guess it's just the way that it worked out."

"Wow, Rachel I… Wow." Finn rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn't really think of anything to say, so he just asked, "What happened after that?"

"Like I said before, my fathers didn't want me to keep him. They wanted me to put Tommy up for adoption and just pretend like the whole thing didn't happen. But I couldn't. I was determined to raise Tommy as my own and have a career at the same time. My daddy and papa didn't agree. So I told them that I didn't need their help anymore and did it all on my own."

"Rachel…" Finn reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Why didn't you tell me everything?"

Rachel hadn't realized that her eyes were burning with tears until one rolled down her cheek. "I've been so afraid that they would try and take him away. My fathers know that Tommy isn't biologically mine. I haven't officially adopted him or anything. It's Layla's name on the birth certificate. If she wanted to, she could come back and take him."

Finn began rubbing Rachel's back again and wrapped his other arm around her, holding her even closer. "Do you think so would?"

Rachel sniffled. "Honestly, I don't think so. But there's always that possibility…"

Finn touched Rachel's cheek and turned her face towards his. "Rachel, listen to me. I don't think you need to worry about that. You have done a wonderful job with Tommy, and now you have your dream career. You did it all, and you did it without any help. You have so much to be proud of. Don't ever doubt that."

Rachel kissed Finn's fingertips. "You're not mad that I didn't tell you?" she whispered.

Finn chuckled. "I understand why you didn't," he said. "But I'm thinking we shouldn't keep stuff like that to ourselves anymore, right?"

Rachel finally smiled. She honestly did think that she loved this man. "Right."

---

twenty-two.

"First overnight date. This is a big deal, right?"

Rachel rolled her eyes as she tried to pick out what dress to wear for her date with Finn. "Please stop, Tina. You're almost as bad as Santana."

Mercedes laughed. "Tina is right, though. This is a big deal."

"This is monumental," Santana added. "When was the last time you got laid, anyway?"

Rachel finally selected a dress and hung it up so that it wouldn't get wrinkled while she finished getting ready. "Stop it, please. You guys are making me so nervous."

"But you don't have a reason to be," Mercedes pointed out. "Finn loves you."

Rachel sat down on the bed. "But he hasn't… said it.

"Have you?" Tina asked.

"Well, no," Rachel admitted. "I think he knows, though."

"Just like everyone else knows that he loves you." Mercedes took a seat next to Rachel and Tina took one on the other side while Santana sat at the end of the bed. It reminded Rachel of when they were in college—they used to have nights in like this all the time, especially after Tommy had been born. "So don't worry about it, okay? Everything will be fine."

Rachel couldn't help the smile that formed on her face as she thought about Finn. In everything that they had done together, he had been gentle, tender, and caring. Rachel knew that she was so lucky to find someone like Finn, and she had no doubt that he would be an absolute gentleman about tonight.

Santana smirked. "It looks like we lost her," she teased.

"Oh, stop it." Rachel laughed and pushed her friends playfully, but it was true. She had gone from nervous to excited, and she couldn't wait to spend her night with Finn.

---

twenty-three.

Finn stroked Rachel's arm as she lay curled against him. She lifted her head and smiled at him before pressing her lips to his. It wasn't long before the kiss heated up, her fingers tangling in his hair and his hands sliding down to her hips.

Rachel moved so that she was straddling Finn's lap and moved her lips down his strong jaw. Finn's hands moved down so that they were resting on her behind. Rachel pulled back to smile at Finn before she leaned forward to kiss him again, her hips rolling against his.

Eventually, Finn's hands moved lower, to her thighs. He stroked her soft skin before he slid them up under her dress. A moan escaped Rachel's throat and Finn gripped Rachel's thighs, holding her to him.

"Aren't you going to take me to bed, Finn Hudson?" Rachel murmured against his lips.

Finn pulled back slightly and searched Rachel's eyes to see if she truly wanted this. He saw nothing but certainty, trust, and what he thought might be love in her eyes. He gave her a half smile before he slid one hand under her behind and one hand into her hair, pulling her lips down to his to kiss her as he stood up.

Finn carried Rachel into her bedroom and set her on the bed. He kissed her tenderly and then Rachel allowed him to pull her dress from her body. He took a moment to simply stare at her, his amber eyes dark.

"You're beautiful, Rachel," Finn breathed. He reached out a hand to cup her cheek. "Absolutely beautiful."

Rachel beamed at Finn and reached for him, pulling him closer by his shirt. Finn smiled in return as he wrapped his arms around her and lowered her to the bed, placing some open-mouthed kisses down Rachel's neck. She let out a moan and tilted her head back, allowing him to have more access to her skin.

They slowly pulled the rest of their clothes from each other's bodies until it was just skin against skin. Rachel stroked her fingers up and down Finn's strong back as his lips moved all over her body. He left a mark over her heart that made Rachel gasp in pleasure.

When Finn entered her for the first time, he laced their fingers together and Rachel squeezed his tightly. Finn held still to allow Rachel to get used to him, and he placed feather light kisses all over her face. When Rachel opened her eyes again and nodded her head, Finn began to move slowly.

Rachel was soon wrapped up in the pleasure once again, moving her hips to meet with Finn's. She clutched at his shoulders and cried his name out, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. His hand slid between their bodies, helping her along, and it wasn't long before Rachel was falling over the edge. Finn thrust into her a few more times before he joined her in bliss, his face dropping into her shoulder.

"Amazing," Finn breathed.

Rachel felt amazing. And in Finn's arms, she felt completely safe and as if she had truly found her home.

---

twenty-four.

It was only a month before the opening of Kurt's new musical, and Rachel, Finn, and all of their friends were having a dinner to celebrate. Rachel, Santana, and Quinn were in the living room playing with Tommy and Puck and Quinn's daughter, Beth. Puck, Mercedes, Blaine, and Tina's boyfriend Mike were all sitting on the couch watching some type of game on television. That left Kurt and Finn in the kitchen, preparing the food to bring out for dinner.

Kurt noticed that Finn kept looking at Tommy and Rachel. Whenever he did, a broad grin would form on his face. Kurt didn't think that he had ever seen his brother this happy before, and it was all because of a petite woman and her young son.

It wasn't long before Finn realized that his brother was watching him. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," Kurt said with a smile. "I just don't think I've ever seen you this happy before."

Finn shrugged his shoulders. "I love her," he said. He spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And I love Tommy, too."

"Have you told her?"

Finn shook his head. "Not yet. She's just had a pretty rough time for the past couple of years and I don't want to scare her off…"

Kurt chuckled and patted his brother reassuringly on the back. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, big brother. All of us know that you and Rachel love each other. We're just waiting for the two of you to realize it."

Finn's eyes moved towards Rachel once again, and he smiled. "I want to marry her, Kurt," Finn said. "I want to marry her and adopt Tommy."

"I'm thinking you should probably start off by telling Rachel that you love her," Kurt said with a chuckle.

Just then, Rachel looked up and caught Finn's eye. She smiled and Finn smiled in return, the words on the tip of his tongue. Tommy demanded his attention, however, when he waved a picture around and told Finn to look at it.

Finn chuckled and went into the living room. The happiness coursing through him was undeniable when he saw that Tommy had drawn of picture of him, Finn, and Rachel and labeled it "family."

---

twenty-five.

Finn slid his arms around Rachel's waist kissed the back of her neck. He immediately noticed the tense look on her face and the scowl she was sending towards her phone. She relaxed back in Finn's arms, her hands coming up to rest over his.

"Hey baby," Finn murmured in her ear. "How are you?"

"Mad," Rachel said.

Finn looked down at the phone again and watched as it buzzed, signaling a voice mail. "Your fathers?" he guessed.

Rachel made a noise of affirmation and closed her eyes. "I just don't know what to do about it. Ever since I made the decision to raise Tommy, they have made it clear that they didn't want to be a part of our lives. Why are they suddenly trying now?"

"Maybe they're sorry," Finn said. "Maybe they feel bad for what they've done and want to fix it. They want to see the amazing woman you've become and get to know the great little boy that you've raised."

"I wish they didn't have to feel sorry," Rachel admitted. "I want them to know Tommy, and I want to have them back in our lives, but it's just… hard."

"I know, baby. But maybe it will make you feel better, too."

"Then I guess I'll call them and invite them over for lunch tomorrow." Rachel finally opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder at Finn with a smile playing on her lips. "How do you always know what to say to make me feel better?" she asked.

"It's just a gift, I guess," Finn teased.

Rachel rested her head against Finn's chest. "I love that."

The words slipped out of Finn's mouth. As soon as he said them, he knew that they were right—this was the right moment to say it. "I love you."

Rachel froze before she spun around in Finn's arms. She looked up at him with wide eyes, her hands squeezing his forearms. "I love you, too," she blurted.

Finn grinned and tugged her up towards him, pressing his lips to hers. She laughed as he lifted her up and carried her towards the bedroom. Once again, Rachel could only be amazed that was lucky enough to find someone like Finn.

And she was thinking about that the next day at lunch, when she had both of her fathers over. Finn pressed a supportive hand to her lower back when Tommy was once again introduced to Leroy and Hiram for the first time in four years.

Despite their fight four years earlier, Rachel actually did have a nice afternoon with her fathers. Having her son and boyfriend there definitely helped, and Rachel was so glad that they were there.

Tommy had gone off to play in the living room, leaving the adults to their coffee in the kitchen. Finn passed Rachel her cup, and she smiled when she saw that it had the correct amount of creamer. Leroy and Hiram noticed and shared a smile as well.

"I see that you still take your coffee the same way, Rachela," Hiram said.

Rachel managed a smile for her father but didn't say anything. Finn reached for Rachel's hand and squeezed, and her smile turned grateful as she looked up at him. Leroy noticed the exchange and sighed.

"We're trying, Rachel," he said. "We want to make this work."

"I know you do," Rachel responded. "And I want things to be better, as well. But one lunch can't erase four years." Rachel knew that it was going to take a long time to forget the way her fathers declared that they wouldn't have anything to do with her should she decide to raise Tommy. But Tommy deserved to grow up with two grandfathers that loved him, and Rachel didn't want to stand in the way of that.

Hiram held out his hands pleadingly to his daughter. "We were wrong," he said. "We were wrong and we know it and we want to do everything we can to fix it. Obviously, you have managed to create a wonderful life for yourself and your son."

"We couldn't be more proud of you," Leroy added. "You have your dreams and you raised your son so amazingly and without any help at all. We're sorry to say that it's our fault."

This is what Rachel had dreamed of ever since she had the fight with her fathers. So she thought of her son and how much she would hate it if she didn't get to talk to him for four years. On some level, she was able to relate to how her fathers were feeling.

And then for the first time in four years, Rachel hugged Leroy and Hiram.

---

twenty-six.

Rachel was pacing back and forth in the dressing room and twisting her hands together. She was less than ten minutes from making her debut on a real Broadway stage, and she was kind of freaking out a little bit.

There was a knock on her dressing room door, and Rachel opened it to find Finn on the other side. He smiled at her and offered her a bouquet of pink tulips. Instantly, Rachel felt a million times better knowing that Finn was there.

"How are you doing?" Finn asked.

Rachel fingered the petals on one of the tulips. "I'm a little nervous," she admitted.

"Why?" Finn smiled at her reassuringly and pulled her close to press a kiss to her forehead. "You're amazing, Rachel. You're going to be great up there. Trust me when I say you don't have anything to worry about."

Rachel took a deep breath before she rested her head on Finn's chest. His large hands spread over her back, rubbing in soothing circles. Rachel could feel all of her worries melt away as she listened to Finn's reassuring heartbeat.

"Marry me?"

Rachel lifted her head, unsure if she had actually heard Finn correctly. She wasn't entirely unsure that she hadn't just imagined the last thirty seconds.

"I'm sorry, what?" Rachel blurted.

Finn gave her that adorable half-smile and repeated his statement without hesitation. "Marry me."

When Rachel realized that Finn had actually proposed to her, it wasn't hard to decide. She knew what the right answer was and didn't have to spend a single moment thinking about it.

"Yes." A full-blown beam grew on Rachel's face and she threw her arms around Finn, laughing as he lifted her up to spin her around. "Yes!"

Finn kissed her deeply, holding her against him. She giggled and locked her fingers in his hair. She was engaged to Finn Hudson, the man she knew she was going to spend the rest of her life with. He was an amazing man and an even more amazing father to her son, and Rachel couldn't believe that she got to be so lucky to have it all.

Another knock on the dressing room signaled that the musical was only a few minutes from beginning. Finn set Rachel down, but she stretched up onto her tiptoes to kiss him again. When Finn pulled back, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.

"Oh my God," Rachel breathed. There was a gorgeous, vintage diamond ring sitting on a bed of blue satin. "You have a ring?"

"My mom gave it to me," Finn said. "I think she knew." He took Rachel's hand and slid the ring onto her finger. She stared down at it before she looked up at Finn, her eyes shining.

"I love you," Rachel said. "I love you so much."

Finn kissed Rachel again. "I love you too, Rachel."

And then, with her engagement ring on her left hand and Finn and the rest of her friends and family sitting in the front row, Rachel made her Broadway debut.

---

twenty-seven.

Kurt had totally taken it upon himself to plan Finn and Rachel's wedding. As he put it, it was his way of thanking Rachel since he was positive this new musical was going to get a Tony Award. He put all of the success on Rachel—while the critics though the story of the musical was great, they had been raving over Rachel's performance since opening night.

"Momma, do I have to wear this?" Tommy complained. He tugged at the bowtie around his neck and made a face, causing Rachel to laugh.

She smoothed her hand over her little boy's messy hair. "That's what Kurt wants you to wear, sweetie. Apparently this is going to be the black tie event of the year."

Tommy looked confused by the last statement, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he yanked the jacket off and held it out towards Finn, who was walking into the room. "Daddy, do you have to wear one of these, too?"

Both Finn and Rachel froze when the word "Daddy" left Tommy's mouth. While they both knew that Finn had been acting as a father figure towards Tommy since day one, they had never specifically discussed it. Rachel bit her lip and looked at her fiancé, and was further surprised to find that Finn's eyes were shining.

He swallowed hard and smiled broadly before he said, "Yeah, buddy. I have to wear one too."

Unaware of what was going on, Tommy shrugged his shoulders. "Okay!" he exclaimed before he ran off to change back into his play clothes. Rachel stood up and moved in front of Finn, taking his hands in both of hers.

"Are you alright?" Rachel asked.

Finn nodded his head and grinned at Rachel. "I just… I never knew that he would call me Dad. I've thought about it before, sure, but—"

"You have?" Rachel interrupted. "Really?"

"Of course I have, Rach. I love you and I love Tommy as if he were my own. I didn't have a dad, so I know what it's like. But it's still early for Tommy and… I wanted to talk to you about this, actually."

Rachel squeezed Finn's hands. "Talk to me about what?"

"I was thinking… and if you're not ready for this, I completely understand. But maybe, if you and Tommy wanted it… I could adopt him."

Tears instantly came to Rachel's eyes, and she surged up onto her tiptoes to kiss Finn. "I would love that," Rachel whispered when she pulled away. "I think that would be absolutely perfect."

Rachel, Tommy, and Finn were already a family. But now they would legally be a family, and there would be nothing that could tear them apart. But that thought made Rachel think of something else, and she bit her lip.

"But I haven't officially adopted Tommy yet, Finn. I don't know how we would proceed with this. If we did take this to a court, they would find out that Tommy isn't actually my son and…" Rachel trailed off and shook her head. "I don't really know what to do."

Finn rubbed the back of his neck and gave Rachel a sheepish smile. "I actually talked about this with Santana a little bit," he told Rachel. "And she had a suggestion."

Rachel could tell that she probably wasn't going to be too fond of this idea. "And what suggestion would that be?"

"You need to find Layla. And you need to ask her to give Tommy up officially."

---

twenty-eight.

Rachel paced back and forth and stared nervously up at the clock. Santana had used her connections through her internship and had called Layla. She had succeeded in getting a hold of her and told Layla that Rachel wanted to meet with her. So Finn had taken Tommy out for the day and now Rachel was anxiously awaiting the arrival of her cousin.

Finally, there was a knock at the door. Rachel ran towards it and opened it. She took a moment to just stare at her cousin, taking in her appearance. Layla looked good—it was as if she had spent the past four years running away from her family.

"Rachel." Layla smiled warmly at her cousin. "I wasn't expecting to get a call from you. Or from your friend, actually."

"Yes, well…" Rachel stepped aside to allow Layla to come in. "I had a few questions to ask you."

Layla nodded her head knowingly. "You want to ask about Tommy."

Rachel stopped, completely taken aback by Layla's statement and the calm way that she said it. "You know why I called you?"

"Of course I know," Layla said with a laugh. "I've been waiting for a call like this for several years. Let me guess: you want to adopt Tommy."

Well, there certainly was no beating around the bush. "I do," Rachel affirmed.

Layla nodded her head and walked through the living room, inspecting the pictures of Tommy and the rest of her friends and family that Rachel had put up. The newest addition was one of Rachel, Tommy, and Finn at the zoo during Tommy's fourth birthday. Finn was holding Tommy and had one arm wrapped around Rachel so that she was tucked against his side. It was such a sweet picture, and it was probably one of Rachel's favorites.

Layla turned to dig around in her purse and extracted a folder full of papers. "Everything is here," she said when she handed it over to Rachel. "You can have your lawyer friend go over it too, if you want. But I promise that it's all there."

Rachel opened the folder and briefly flipped through its contents. She would have Santana go through it later, but it really did seem as if everything was there. Layla nodded her head and smiled as she moved towards the door to leave. Rachel, however, couldn't help herself from letting her curiosity get the better of her.

"Why did you do it, Layla?" Rachel asked, causing Layla to stop. "Everything is here, so how did you know?"

"How is it so easy for me to give up Tommy, you mean?" Layla asked.

Rachel bit her lip but didn't confirm or deny that that was what she had really wanted to ask. Instead, she just waited for Layla to continue talking.

"I wasn't ready to be a mother. I looked at Tommy and I knew that I just couldn't do it. When I saw you holding him, however…" Layla shrugged her shoulders. "I knew that you were the one that was meant to be his mother. And I didn't mean to just up and leave like that, but I knew that it was what was best for you and for Tommy. You're his mother, Rachel. I'm not going to stand in the way of that."

Rachel was truly touched by Layla's words. Still, she had to ask. "How are you doing, Layla? What have you been doing for the past four years? Are you okay? Are you happy?"

Layla laughed and shook your head. "I see that you haven't changed very much, Rachel. And you should know that this is probably the last time that you're going to see me." When she saw Rachel open her mouth to speak, Layla laughed once again and held her hand up. "But since I know that you're not going to let go until I answer, yes, I am happy. We'll just leave it at that."

Rachel nodded her head and smiled at her cousin. Layla nodded her head before she turned to leave the apartment. Layla was right; it was better this way. All that mattered now was that Tommy was officially going to be recognized as Rachel's son—and then the same would happen with Finn.

Not that they needed a piece of paper for that, anyway. Rachel and Finn were already Tommy's parents, and nothing was going to change that.

---

twenty-nine.

"We have so many things to celebrate today. Not only are Finn and Rachel married, but the adoption has gone through. Tommy is now officially recognized as Finn and Rachel's son."

The guests at the reception of Finn and Rachel's wedding all applauded. Tommy, absolutely loving the attention, waved from his spot on Finn's lap, causing the guests to laugh as well. Rachel squeezed Finn's hand and he leaned over to press a quick and tender kiss to her lips.

Hiram smiled at the couple before continuing with his toast. "Rachela, your father and I are so proud of you. We know that things have been difficult between us, but your father and I are happy to say that we can put all of that behind us. And now we can celebrate and move forward."

The guests at the reception applauded again, and Kurt stepped forward with the microphone. "And now it's time for Mr. and Mrs. Hudson's first dance as husband and wife."

Finn passed Tommy off to his mother and then took Rachel's hand, leading her on to the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, spreading his hands across her back.

"I guess I should apologize in advance if I step on your feet or something," Finn murmured.

Rachel giggled at Finn's statement, and she remembered the first time they had danced together. He had accidentally stepped on her foot, causing her to trip. In his attempt to catch her, they had both somehow ended up falling over one another.

The opening notes of Journey's "Faithfully" began to play, causing Finn and Rachel to grin. This was the first song they had ever danced to together, as well—it had been a pretty big moment for both of them.

"I have complete faith in you, Finn," Rachel said. She rested her head against his chest as they swayed back and forth in a small circle. "Thank you."

Finn looked down at her before he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "For what?"

"For being an amazing man. For being the best father that Tommy could have ever had. For loving me. For all of it." Rachel beamed at him. "Just… thank you."

Finn grinned and pulled his wife closer, leaning down to kiss her once again. "I love you, Rachel Hudson."

Rachel let out a happy noise at her new name and turned to find her son attempting to dance at the edge of the dance floor. He was definitely Finn's son, because the little boy had two left feet. Finn chuckled as well before he called their son over. Tommy ran over and Finn lifted him up into his arms, including him in their dance.

And that was just another reason that Rachel loved Finn Hudson.

---

thirty.

"Thomas Hudson! What are you doing to your sister?"

The seven year old little boy looked up at his mother and gave her an apologetic look. "Nothing, Mom. I wasn't doing anything."

"Pretty!" Two year old Lucy Hudson skipped around in the alien costume that her big brother had dressed her up in. "Momma, look!"

"I see," Rachel said. She looked towards Tommy with a raised eyebrow. "Well?"

"Mom, we were just going to include her in our game. You know, like you told us to!" Tommy said.

"Thomas Hudson!" Rachel repeated. "You were not going to make your little sister the target in your game with you friends!"

"Um…" Tommy looked around and then pointed to the living room. "I have to go check on my friends!" he exclaimed before he ran off.

"Tommy, come back here!" Rachel called after him. But he was already gone, and that left Lucy spinning around in her little alien costume. Rachel couldn't help but laugh as she watched her daughter. At least Tommy and Lucy got along, for the most part—even if he was dressing his little sister up as an alien so he could use her for a target.

A moment later, Lucy's face lit up. "Daddy!" she yelled as she ran towards the front door. She threw her little arms around Finn's legs and hugged him tightly.

Finn chuckled and lifted his daughter up into his arms, raising an eyebrow at her costume. "Hey, little princess! Or should I say little alien?"

"Tommy wanted to play a game with me!" Lucy exclaimed.

Rachel took it upon herself to explain the costume to her husband. "They were going to use her as a target."

Finn couldn't help but laugh at that. "Better run fast, princess," he advised Lucy as he set her down.

"Finn!" Rachel scolded. "I can't believe that you're going to let our son use our daughter as a target for his friends to chase."

Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel and pulled her close, kissing her in greeting. "They're just having fun, Rach. I figured if nothing gets broken, we're good." He slid his hand between them and over the growing bump on Rachel's stomach. "How are you and the little one doing?"

Rachel rested her hand over his. "We're doing great. We missed you, though." Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck. "I missed you."

"Hmmm, really?" Finn kissed Rachel again. "Well, that's good, then. I guess it's a good thing that my mom offered to watch the kids for the night so I can take you out to dinner."

"Really? You're taking me out to dinner?" Finn was always doing things like this for her. He would surprise her with flowers or take her out for no reason at all other than he wanted to. Finn would never get tired of doing that and Rachel loved him all the more because of it.

"I love you, Rachel Hudson," Finn said.

She beamed at her husband and kissed him. "I love you too, Finn."

Just then, little Lucy came running back into the living room, squealing in victory. "I'm so good at this game!" she declared before running off.

Tommy and his friends came through, looking decidedly exasperated. "She's running too fast!" Tommy said before they chased after Lucy.

Finn and Rachel looked at each other before they burst out in laughter. Taking Finn's hand, she decided that they might as well go and supervise just in case anything was accidentally broken. Finn kissed her again before he went to play referee with their children.

Rachel Hudson sometimes couldn't believe that she had ended up here. But it was the best thing that could have ever happened to her.

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Author's Note: Thanks for reading! :)