I was disappointed that there wasn't a scene in 6X08, the wedding episode, between Rachel and Carole, and I am suffering from a wicked case of insomnia so here we go. Enjoy!

The wedding had brought up some mixed emotions for Rachel. The ceremony had been gorgeous, and she was so incredibly happy for Santana, Britney, Kurt and Blaine. They were her best friends, and she couldn't think of any other four people in the world who deserved to be happy than them.

But she couldn't help it when her mind wandered to a time that could have been. She kept getting flashbacks of the day that she and Finn had almost gotten married at the courthouse. He looked so handsome in his suit, and it took her breath away that someone as amazing as Finn had chosen to spend the rest of their life with someone like her. However, she was almost glad that they didn't get married then. Almost. Looking back on it now, she knew that if they had gotten married at the tender age of 18, her selfishness and his need to prove himself would have left them in ruins. But she also knew that if she had known back then what her life had become 3 years later, she would have married Finn the next chance she had. She knew that she would have rather spend their last few years together fighting than them being apart.

Rachel was also desperately trying to avoid Carole. She loved the woman dearly, and she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it if the woman who had been the closest thing she had to a mother for the past couple of years was hurt or offended that Rachel was now with Sam. Rachel really liked Sam, and was excited to see where their relationship could go, but she knew that if Carole didn't approve then she would break it off with him. Finn was Carole's child. She had raised him all his life, and Rachel knew that as much as she had been hurting about his sudden death, Carole's pain was worse. Rachel was going to be Carole's daughter-in-law someday, the woman who gave her grandkids. The least she could do was respect Carole's feelings about her moving on with her love life.

Rachel was on the dance floor with her friends, trying to dance away all of the different feelings running through her body. She really was happy for her friends, and was trying not to let her own emotions ruin their happy day. A slow song came on, and Sam pulled her into his arms. She laid her head on his chest as they swayed back and forth, listening to his heart and relaxing for a moment. She really did like Sam, and the scent of his cologne, along with the soft music playing and the gentle sway of their dance put her into a trance. The song ended, and Rachel smiled up at Sam and gave him a sweet kiss, before looking over his shoulder and seeing Carole watching them with a smile on her face. Their eyes met, and Rachel new that she couldn't avoid the woman any longer. She took a deep breath, excused herself, and made her way to where Carole was standing.

When she finally stood in front of Carole, the woman pulled her in for a hug, which Rachel gladly accepted.

"I know that you have been avoiding me, Rachel. Want to tell me why?" Carole said into Rachel's ear, before pulling back from the hug and giving the young girl an encouraging smile.

Rachel smiled sadly at the woman. She had spent a lot of time with her when she and Finn were dating and Carole always knew when something was wrong with her. "I'm sorry, I just…" Rachel looked at the floor sheepishly. "I came here with my boyfriend, Sam, and… I don't know… I didn't want you to be disappointed with me or think that I had forgotten about Finn. I swear, I haven't. I think about him every day-"

"Rachel," Carole cut off the girl before she could ramble on further. "I'm not disappointed with you, and I know that you haven't forgotten about my son. I'm happy that you're moving on with your life, it's what he would have wanted. And I was watching you two dance just now. I can tell that you two are smitten with each other and I would never want to hold you back from that."

"Really? Are you sure?" Rachel asked.

"Of course I'm sure. It would be unfair of me to expect you to only love Finn for the rest of your life. You two weren't married, but I still think of you as the daughter I never had and I want you to be happy. The only way for you to be happy is for you to move on. I would never dream of stepping in the way of that." Carole gave a reassuring smile and all at once Rachel's earlier apprehension around the woman standing in front of her fell way.

"Thank you so much," Rachel pulled Carole into another hug. "You have been the closest thing I've had to a mother these past few years and I don't think I would have been able to handle your disapproval." Both women pulled out of the embrace and smiled at each other.

"The only thing that I disprove of is that you don't call me anymore. I meant what I said about you being like the daughter I never had. You're always welcome at our house and you need to call me more often. I miss you now that you aren't around as much. Burt does too."

Rachel laughed a little. "I'm sorry, I'll call and come around to your place more often. I'm sure that even though Kurt is married now he'll still love to put on Wednesday night family dinners."

Carole laughed a little too. "I'm sure he will, and you are always invited. Now, go on back to your friends and your boyfriend. Today is a day for celebrating, and I don't want to hold you hostage for too long."

With one last smile at Carole, Rachel headed back towards the dance floor where everyone was still dancing the night away. She found Sam, and wrapped her arms around him from behind before swinging with him to the beat of the fast-tempo song that was playing.

"Is everything all right?" Sam asked, concerned. "I saw you talking over there with Carole."

Rachel just smiled and looked over to where Carole was now dancing with Blaine, and the older woman winked at her. "Yeah," she responded. "Everything is really, really good."