Authors Note: How are you Finchel shippers holding up? I'm fine myself, I'm sad that they're not back together yet, but that is why we have fanfic right? Anyway, I hope you enjoy the hell out of this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own glee, blah blah blah

Rachel stood in front of the mirror, trying to force away the sad look on her face that threatened to ruin her extremely well thought out prom look. Everything was perfect, the pale pink tea length vintage dress, the white satin gloves, her make-up, her hair. She couldn't have looked prettier that night, and she couldn't have felt more miserable. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop thinking about that day, the day that ruined everything. She hadn't meant for it to happen, she was just so excited about getting into Julliard she just had to tell the world, and for some reason she couldn't fathom, the world started with Finn. The same Finn who broke up with her two years earlier and promptly rekindled things with his ex, the same Finn who never looked at her the same way after that, the same Finn that she wasn't going to prom with that night.

48 hours earlier

Rachel couldn't believe it, it was finally here, the thick envelope she'd been waiting for for four months, well more like 17 years. She knew that she had gotten in without even opening it, still her dads sat there, anxiously goading her on.

"Come on, open it already!" Hiram said, barely containing his rabid enthusiasm.

"The tension is making my hairline recede," Leroy added.

"Okay okay" Rachel said trying to keep it together and failing pathetically. She ripped it open with one smooth motion and pulled out the first sheet of paper. "Ms. Rachel Berry we are proud to inform you that you have been accepted..." Rachel couldn't finish, the happy tears in her throat blocked any further words, she simply threw her arms around both of her fathers and held them close.

"We are so proud of you honey" Leroy said, trying his best not to cry.

"We always knew you could do it," Hiram said.

Rachel released her fathers and wiped her tears, finally able to talk again. "Finally my years of dedication and hard work have paid off, Rachel Berry is officially on her way. Oh my god where's my phone? I have to tell everyone, no one can remain untold." She said looking around for her phone. "Oh, never mind, there's no time."

Rachel grabbed her cardigan and threw it on, bolting through the door without awaiting protest from her fathers.

She hopped into her car anxiously and put it in drive, speeding towards the first place she could think of. She told herself that Kurt should be the first to know. After all, he was practically her best friend now and he would be attending Parsons design school which meant he would be the only other person she'd know in New York. That was what she kept telling herself, but she knew deep down that it wasn't true. The second thing that popped into her mind after the vision of her accepting her first Tony was Finn, and only Finn. She didn't understand why, she had been over him for quite some time. They retained an easy friendship, they both dated other people and they had gotten so good at ignoring the awkward tension between them that it was like it didn't exist anymore, yet he was the first person she wanted to tell about her acceptance letter. She didn't even think it counted unless he knew.

She arrived at Kurt and Finn's house faster than she had anticipated and tried to keep her hand from shaking as she exited the car. Her composure threatened to fall away at any moment as she made her way towards their front door and knocked tentatively.

It didn't take long for Burt to answer the door, "Hey kiddo," he said brightly upon sight of her, Burt had become quite fond of Rachel over time and had always secretly thought that Finn was a dope for letting her go, even if he kept that opinion to himself.

"Hello Mr. Hummel, you're looking well."

"Are you here to see Kurt?"

"Um, yes," Rachel lied.

"Well he's out shopping with Mercedes but he should be home soon if you wanted to wait."

"Okay," She shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant as she entered the house. "Hey, Just a shot in the dark, would Finn happen to be with them?"

"No, Finn's in his room, he's been sulking even more than usual this week."

"He's still upset about his knee?"

"Wouldn't you be?" Burt said.

Rachel's smile fell, she was so excited about her own future that she had completely forgotten how Finn's had fallen apart. She hadn't stopped to think that Finn might not be so excited about her news after all. He was already depressed about everyone moving on without him. His full ride to Notre Dame had been taken away almost as quickly as it had been granted when a car accident took out his right knee two months earlier. With Prom and graduation fast approaching it must have just started to sink in.

"If you wanted to talk to him I'm sure he'd appreciate the company," Burt said.

"Well, since I'm already here," Rachel said. "I'll just show show myself upstairs."

Rachel climbed the stairs briskly and hesitated for just a second before knocking on the door at the end of the hallway.

"It's open," Finn said.

Rachel slowly opened the door and peeked her head in. "Finn?" she said, finding him sprawled out on his bed, playing XBOX with a dour look on his face. He pressed pause on the controller and looked up at her. It was the first time she'd been in his room since they had stopped dating and it was obvious that he was surprised, but from the slight smile that reached his lips she could tell that it was a good surprise.

"Hey Rachel," he said, sitting up and reaching for his crutches.

"It's okay, don't get up," she said, electing instead to sit next to him.

"You know I still can right?" He said, trying not to sound bitter and not entirely succeeding.

"I just came by to see Kurt, I thought I'd say hello while I waited. I hope I'm not interrupting anything"

"No, I was just getting my ass kicked at Call of Duty."

"So is it true you're not going to prom?" Rachel said, trying to make some form of small talk.

"Is that why you came? To try to talk me into it?"

"No, I mean just because it's a beloved school tradition that you'd almost certainly remember fondly for the rest of your life doesn't mean staying home isn't a decision you're completely entitled to," she said. "I'm actually here because I had some news."

"Oh yeah, what kind of news?"

"Well um." Rachel glanced at Finn's crutches, immediately losing her nerve. "You know what, it's not important," she said, starting to get up.

"Rachel, it's me," Finn said, gently grabbing her arm. "You can tell me anything, you know that."

"Okay," she said "Well, you know how I had that audition four months ago in New York?"

"You got into Julliard," Finn said as a statement rather then a question.

"How did you know that?"

"Come on Rachel, it's you. They'd have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to accept you. I knew the second you told everyone you were applying," Finn said. "What I don't understand is how you could suddenly not think that it was important."

"Well I was really excited to tell you, but then I remembered..." She trailed off, glancing at his knee.

Finn looked down where she was looking. His face was still tinged with sadness but he smiled through it. "Rachel, don't make this about me," He said. "This is about you."

"So you're not upset?"

"Of course not, I'm so proud of you Rachel. I've always been proud of you," Finn hugged his friend tight and allowed her to hug him back.

"Good, because you were the first person I thought of when I found out," she said as he released her.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Of course."

"That actually means a lot to me," he said. "And don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm just kind of in a weird place right now. It's just hard to believe that it's all going to be over soon."

"Finn you make it sound like you're dying in two months. You're just graduating that's all. It's an accomplishment," Rachel said optimistically.

"I know it should feel that way but for some reason I just can't shake the feeling that high school is as good as it's going to get for me you know?"

"That's not true," Rachel said, placing her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look at her. "You're going to go to college and you're going to have a career and you're going to be the great man I always knew you could be."

He gave her a weak smile, "you really believe in me that much?" He said.

"More," She said, smiling. Just then, without knowing exactly why, she pulled him forward and kissed him right on the lips. It wasn't meant to be romantic, she just wanted to make him feel better, to show him that she cared. But for some reason that friendly, platonic kiss turned into another, slightly longer one before it turned into Finn Running his fingers through her hair and exploring her eager mouth with his tongue.

"Whoa, what the hell was that?" Finn said confusingly as he quickly pushed her away.

"It was a kiss, it was just a friendly kiss between friends," Rachel said smoothing her hair nervously.

"Really because it kind of felt like I had my tongue in your mouth and you were sort of okay with it."

"Mm hmm, Friends do that," Rachel said awkwardly.

"Okay, just so were clear," Finn said before pulling her into him once more and kissing her with abandon. He had forgotten how good kissing Rachel had felt, he had forgotten how perfectly she fit into his arms and how sweet her lips tasted. But in one moment all of those memories were flooding back as he lowered her down on his bed.

"Finn what are we doing?" Rachel said, her voice muffled by his kisses.

"Friend stuff," Finn replied as he began to unbutton her shirt and she got to work on his pants.

"This is really stupid isn't it?" Rachel said as they continued to remove each others clothes.

"Well if I were smart I wouldn't be going to Community College," Finn said closing the distance between them once more.

"Wait Finn," Rachel said, gently pushing him away. "Are we really going to do this?"

He gave her a soft look and smiled, he wasn't sure why being with Rachel could feel so right after all of that time apart, but it did and there was no way he was stopping.

"Are you scared?" Finn said.

Rachel simply nodded. "But I'm not scared because I don't want to, I'm scared because I do."

"Me too," Finn said. "And also a little because Burt's downstairs."

"Do you think we can be quiet?" Rachel said as Finn continued to softly kiss her.

"I love you Rachel," he said breathlessly, just as surprised by the declaration as she was.

"You do?" She said.

"Yeah, I just realized that I never really stopped."

She said nothing, instead she began to cry.

"Hey, hey what's the matter?" he said softly, kissing her mouth and her tear stained cheeks. "Why are you crying?"

"Because," She said tearfully. "Because, I love you too."

Sorry to any community college students out there who may have been offended by that crack. I actually attended a community college myself :)