Author's Note: This turned out unintentionally slightly Finnternal, but I think it works. For my Finchel Secret Santa, Lea. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from me to you!
i.
She was their miracle, and if anyone asked him, Finn would say that next to Rachel she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. After the accident, the doctors weren't sure they'd be able to have children, and for three years they'd tried and tried with no success. And then one morning she woke up feeling sick, and by that afternoon he was going to be a father. It hadn't been an easy pregnancy, but it was so worth it. Three months before Christmas, they'd added a beautiful little girl to their family, Lily Caroline Hudson, and he couldn't imagine being happier. He was very lucky man, and his family was a miracle he'd never stop being grateful for. Lily was the third Glee club baby, if you didn't count Beth and counted Maggie, Mr. Schuester's daughter, and the hospital room had been so crammed full of people that the nurses made everyone who wasn't immediate family leave. Finn was completely convinced that Lily was the most special little girl in the entire world, and nothing would have him believe otherwise.
It was two in the morning, and thirty minutes ago they'd been awakened by a very hungry Lily; Rachel insisted that she would get up, and she'd quickly left the bed take care of feeding the baby. Concerned that perhaps something was wrong, Finn rolled out of bed and went searching for his wife, and when he found her she was settled in the rocking chair Burt had bought her right after Lily arrived, slowly rocking; she was snoring softly, and wrapped in a pink blanket covered in yellow stars, Lily slept too. He was pretty sure it wasn't just the lights of Christmas tree that made her glow, and he gently pressed a kiss to Rachel's forehead. She stirred in her sleep, letting out a soft sigh, and he debated on whether or not to even wake her. Neither of them had slept much, and Rachel often insisted on getting out of bed or staying up when necessary. After all, she kept saying, she was taking time off from the stage, and he still had to go to school. Music teachers did not get paternity leave simply because their wives had babies.
"Rach, baby why don't you come back to bed?" He murmured when she sleepily opened her eyes. "Lily's sleeping, and you're exhausted."
She nodded slowly, and he gently took Lily into his arms, with Rachel whispering to mind her head; he always felt like he was too big and clumsy to handle Rachel, but it was worse with their daughter. When he held her for the first time she was so small that he could hold her in both hands, and it was terrifying. He'd grown more confident, but he still felt like one wrong move would have him dropping her or something; Rachel got up slowly, stretching a bit and pulling the oversized t-shirt she wore down slightly, and he wished he could carry her to bed too. A few minutes later he'd tucked Lily into her crib and turned the baby monitor back on; leaning down he gently kissed her forehead before turning to pull Rachel into his arms.
"Come here, babe." In a single smooth motion, he lifted her up, and despite her soft protests, he carried her to bed. "You should've let me feed her; you need the rest."
ii.
He knew she'd be upset that he let her sleep in with both sets of parents and several of their friends coming, but she looked so peaceful; they'd decided that they didn't feel comfortable putting Lily through a great deal of traveling at only three months, and everyone had been completely understanding. So when Lily began crying again at eight, Finn threw himself out of bed and raced to the nursery before Rachel had a chance to turn over and offer to handle it. Gently he lifted her from the crib, humming softly as he carried her to the kitchen to warm a bottle.
"Shh, daddy's got you, Lilypad." He murmured, rocking her gently as he opened the refrigerator and retrieved a bottle before quickly starting to work warming it. "I know, baby. You've got mommy's voice and daddy's appetite; I'm working on it!"
It didn't take long for him to settle into a chair with Lily in his arms and bottle in his hand; Rachel often laughed and remarked that there could be no doubt that she was Finn's daughter the way she ate, and through most of the pregnancy she'd craved very un-Rachel like foods, including meat and dairy. He began to hum softly, carefully cradling her in his arms as he fed her, and he was so wrapped up in what he was doing that he didn't notice Rachel appearing in the kitchen. She smiled softly, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek and murmuring a Merry Christmas as she walked by him to turn on the coffee maker.
"Thank you, Finn." She murmured, gently rubbing his shoulders and smiling down at Lily. "I really appreciate it, but you shouldn't have let me sleep in; there's so much to do before people get here."
"You needed the rest, and I don't mind feeding Lily; besides, she likes spending time with her daddy. Don't you, Lilypad?" He set the bottle aside and let his finger stroke her cheek before lifting her up against his shoulder to burp her, but as usual it just wasn't happening.
"Alright, Lily, looks like you need mommy, huh?" Rachel chuckled, reaching out to take Lily in her arms; adjusting her blankets, she gently lifted Lily up to her shoulder, rubbing her back in slow circles and softly patting until she heard a soft burp. "That's my girl. Now, let's go get a bath while Daddy does some breakfast."
She pressed another kiss to his lips before heading back to the master bathroom to give Lily a bath and then take a shower; an hour later she returned to the kitchen, the smell of warm waffles greeting her. Lily was settled in her glider on a chair between them, and Rachel moved to pour two cups of coffee; it didn't take long for them to settle into their usual morning routine for breakfast, with Finn muttering baby talk to Lily between bites.
iii.
They were seated on the floor by the Christmas tree, and Rachel was gently rocking Lily in her arms; he couldn't help but smile at the way some things never changed. She had put their daughter in a little red onesie with plaid reindeer stitched on the front; it was nice to see that there would always be a little bit of the Rachel Berry in animal sweaters he'd fallen in love with, even if the more mature woman he called his wife now wore things that were more Kurt Hummel approved, like the elegant off the shoulder crimson sweater she wore now. His eyes flickered to the strand of pearls around her neck, a proud smile on his face. Rachel settled Lily in her glider, reaching for one of the boxes under the tree. Finn had opened one of his gifts on Christmas Eve, a Hudson family tradition he'd insisted on keeping, and two hours after it was opened Rachel found him on the couch in the living room, Lily sleeping on his chest while he played some football game on his brand new game system; she'd taken a picture immediately and planned to frame it.
"You have to open your other present now, baby; I'm afraid we'll be too busy when everyone gets here."
"I told you, Rach, you didn't have to get me anything; this is the best gift I could ever ask for." He gestured to her and then to Lily, who stretched out her arms toward him for a moment, and he lightly stroked her cheek.
"But I wanted to, and I don't want to hear any complaints; you got me that lovely new string of pearls and that beautiful faux shearling coat for Hanukkah." She smiled brightly, handing him a box wrapped in shiny gold foil paper, and she clapped happily as he removed a black leather jacket.
"This is that jacket I've had my eye on for months. Rachel, you shouldn't have." He leaned forward to kiss her.
"You needed a nice jacket, and I saw the way you looked at it every time we were in Macy's." She laughed, kissing him back. "Besides, what good is being a successful Broadway actress if I can't buy the man I love a nice gift for Christmas; I told you putting back some money while I was performing would be a good idea."
"I know, I know; you are always right." He chuckled, offering Lily his finger to grip. "Mommy knows everything, doesn't she Lilypad. She's always got it figured out. I can't wait until you're old enough to understand all this, and old enough for me to buy presents for you."
They'd only purchased a few little things, like a stuffed rabbit and a new convertible rocker/glider that was more portable, as gifts for Lily, although it had taken all the restraint in the world to prevent themselves from buying out all of Babies R Us and then the baby section of Toys R Us; according to Quinn, who had called to confirm that she and Puck were coming to visit, Puck had attempted to buy half the store when they went shopping, and Santana had mentioned a similar incident when she and Brittany were doing their last minute Christmas run. It seemed that Lily would be spoiled no matter what with four grandparents and her glee 'aunts and uncles'.
"Rachel, baby, I hate to say it, but I think we are going to have to finish getting ready. I still need to get dressed, and you said something about icing the cakes." She let out a soft sigh, perfectly willing to settle in for a private Christmas day with her family.
"And you're sure it would be rude to cancel?" He knew she was kidding, but the idea was extremely tempting.
"Nope, not with your dads, my mom, and Burt coming; we wouldn't want to disappoint them since they flew out just to see us." She nodded. "Plus, we have friends coming."
"I know," Rachel leaned forward to grant him one more kiss before reaching for Lily's glider. "Come on, Lily, why don't we go play in the frosting while daddy gets dressed."
As he watched her pick up the glider he shook his head; while it was mildly humorous to watch his tiny wife attempt to carry their daughter in a glider that was half her size, he knew it would be easier if he did it for her. Dropping a kiss on her cheek, he carefully took the glider from her, murmuring something to Lily about how tiny her mommy was and how he hoped she was just as tiny and adorable. Once she was safely in the chair and comfortable, he let his lips brush Lily's forehead and hurried off to finish getting ready; he glanced over his shoulder to see Rachel bent over the glider, talking to Lily and doing what she called 'tiny dancers' with her fingers, and a broad smile crossed his lips. He was a lucky man because he had the most beautiful girls in the world in his kitchen; he had his star and their Christmas miracle.