Rachel made her way back to Finn and he opened his arms so she could sit between his legs, pulling her back to his chest. "Did you fix it?" he asked her.
"Of course not. Mercedes is the most stubborn, relentless, frustrating-" Rachel said.
"I'm sitting right here, Little Diva!" Mercedes called from a few spots over.
Finn laughed. "Want a marshmallow?"
"I can't believe you guys haven't eaten them all," Rachel said, eyeing Sam.
"I didn't even eat that many!" he cried, throwing his hands up.
"I should write a new song," Santana said, sitting beside Sam. "Ode to the Marshmallow Man."
"Yeah, I'm fine without another one of your songs, thanks," Sam said, making a face at her.
Santana shrugged, smiling. "The offer stands."
Lauren came back outside and sat down beside Santana. To everyone's surprise, she began singing "Stand by Me." Though they were all shocked by actually hearing Lauren sing, the whole group joined in, singing to each other.
When they were finished, they sat quietly for a while, staring at the fire. Finn broke the silence. "I'm really happy," he told them. "For the first time in my life, I feel like I can handle anything that's thrown at me." He smiled at his friends. "And it's because of you guys." He kissed the top of Rachel's head. "I'm going to go back to school with my head held high. I'm not going to let any of those jerks from the football team or the hockey team get me down."
"I'm not even a Cheerio anymore," Quinn said quietly. She shook her head. "For so long, that was all that mattered to me. I thought that if I wasn't a Cheerio, I wasn't anything." She looked around at her friends. "I know now that's not true."
"I'm going to be a Cheerio again," Santana said, matter-of-factly. "I'm good at it. I've got good grades, and I'm going to keep them up. I'm going to work hard in school and on the field. Because of those things, I'm getting out of Lima." She looked at Brittany. "But being a Cheerio isn't going to turn me back into the zombie I was. I know who I am now, and I'm not afraid of it." She looked at Rachel, who nodded slightly. "I am a lesbian," she admitted to the group. She had expected surprise and cries of shock. Instead they all just nodded and smiled. "Wait a minute; you guys already knew?"
"I think everyone knows, Satan," Puck told her.
"Shut it, Puckerman!" Santana said, glaring at him. She sat for a moment, thinking. "Okay then," she said, squaring her shoulders. "Maybe this will be easier than I thought."
Blaine put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "You have us," he told her.
"All of us," Brittany said, smiling.
"This is sort of sickening," Puck complained.
"Do you guys want to brainstorm about songs we may sing at Sectionals?" Rachel asked hopefully. Everyone threw marshmallows at her. She could feel Finn chuckling at her back. "Fine," she said, pouting.
The group sat together, talking and laughing for another hour. Finn noticed that Rachel's head kept falling forward. "I think it's time for us to turn in, guys," he told his friends. He stood up, pulling Rachel up with him. "Quinn, thank your mom again for letting us all stay here. This is awesome."
Quinn nodded and smiled at him, then went back to her conversation with Artie. Finn took Rachel's hand and they walked the path to the large lake house. "Can we talk about it now?" Rachel asked him as they started up the steps to the room they were sharing.
Finn sighed. "Let's get into the room first," he told her. Rachel nodded, thinking about the different ways she could try to convince him she was ready. Ready. Soooo ready. To her surprise (and utter disappointment), Finn had been the one to hold off on letting their relationship become physical. Though she was confident in their love for each other, Rachel harbored a fear that he really wasn't that attracted to her physically.
Stepping into their room, Rachel turned around to once again let Finn know what she wanted. She gasped when he caught her and spun her around so that her back was against the door. His mouth found hers, hot and insistent. His body pressed hers into the door as his tongue delved into her mouth.
Rachel felt like her body had caught fire. Every inch of her body was touching Finn. Heart racing, she ran her hands under the back of his shirt, her fingernails lightly scraping his skin. When Finn moved his leg between hers she moaned into their kiss and moved against it.
Finn put his hands under her arms and lifted her off the floor. She wrapped her legs around his waist, putting her arms around his neck and curling her fingers into his hair. Finn lifted his lips from hers and looked down into her face. Rachel's lips were parted and swollen from his kisses, her heavy lidded eyes almost closed. She smiled dreamily up at him and Finn found himself smiling back. "I love you," he whispered against her lips.
Rachel's lips lightly kissed his. "I love you too," she told him, looking into his eyes.
"Are you sure this is what you want, Rachel?" he asked, searching her face for any signs of doubt.
Rachel bit her lower lip and nodded. "What is it?" he asked, bending his head to kiss her jaw.
"Do you want me?" she asked shyly, embarrassed.
Finn's eyes quickly shot back to hers. "Of course I want you," he said, confused.
Rachel held his gaze. "Then why haven't you wanted to be with me?' she asked.
Finn closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. "I know you love me," Rachel continued, panicked. "I had thought that when I told you about the birth control you'd be excited. If you're not attracted to me, I'm sure we can work something out…"
Finn opened his eyes and stared at her. "I have never wanted anything more in my life than I want you, Rachel," he said steadily, his eyes never moving from hers. "I'm sorry if I ever let you doubt that."
"Oh," Rachel said softly.
"Oh," Finn repeated. He slowly lowered his head to hers, kissing her sweetly. Rachel sighed and smiled, pulling back to look at him.
"What do you feel when you kiss me?" Finn asked her.
Rachel thought about it for a moment. "I feel like I'm on fire," she admitted.
Finn sucked in a breath, his hands tightening on her hips. He kissed her again, deepening the kiss when she moaned. Pulling away and breathing hard, Finn smiled at her. "Do you know what I feel?"
"I know it's not fireworks," Rachel said quietly.
"You're right," he said. She lowered her head and he touched his finger to her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Fireworks are nothing compared to what I feel when I kiss you, Rachel," he whispered. "The first time I kissed you, when we were in the auditorium, I felt like my entire life was changing. Just from a kiss." He shook his head. "You terrified me and enticed me at the same time." She licked her lips. "Every time I kiss you, I feel something different. But every single time I've kissed you, love is what I've felt. The kind of love that changes you. The kind of love that can move mountains or let you fly. I feel like my heart is going to explode out of my chest and the only thing that matters to me…" he made sure she was looking at him, "the only thing that will ever matter to me, is you."
Rachel's eyes glistened with tears. "I feel the same way about you," she told him, feeling a tear escape and roll down her face.
Finn used his thumb to wipe away her tear, and then cupping her face with his hands, leaned down to kiss her. What he'd said was true; Rachel was the only person who had ever touched every part of his life. "I'm scared," he mumbled against her lips.
Rachel pulled her head back. "What?"
Finn grimaced. "I'm scared."
"Of what?"
"I'm not really sure what I'm doing, and I don't want it to be awful for you."
Rachel leaned her head back against the door and looked at him. "It's not possible," she told him. "If I'm with you, Finn, there's no way it could be awful."
Finn smiled slightly and backed away from the door, carrying her to the large bed. Rachel kissed his chin, his jaw, his neck. Her tongue lightly traced his ear and he pulled her hips to his, grinding them together. Rachel gasped and hugged him tighter.
Sitting her on the edge of the bed, Finn kneeled down between her legs, running his hands up her bare thighs. Rachel was wearing a tiny white skirt, her legs remarkably tan and smooth against it. Finn had always loved Rachel's legs. She was so small, but her legs seemed to go on forever. He bent his head to kiss the inside of her leg, above her knee. Rachel sighed and let her head drop backwards, her hands in his hair.
He trailed kisses upward, spreading her legs farther as he went. He raised his head and looked at her as his fingers touched the white panties she was wearing. Realizing how wet they were, he almost lost control. He closed his eyes for a moment, but he didn't think about the mailman; instead he thought about Rachel and how important this was for her. Opening his eyes, he slipped his fingers inside the cloth, running them along her wet center. Rachel's head shot up and she shrieked.
"Shh," Finn whispered, smiling at her. He'd known Rachel would be loud.
"Finn," she moaned, moving with his hand. His thumb found her clit and he put a finger inside her as his thumb made slow circles against her. "Finn!" she cried, rocking her body with his hand.
"Let go Rachel," he said lowly, watching her face.
Biting her lip, she shook her head, breathing heavily. Finn removed his hand and she whimpered. Pulling the panties down her legs, Finn looked at her. Rachel moved her hands to cover herself, but Finn moved them away. "You're beautiful," he breathed. Lowering his head, his tongue traced the path his fingers had taken. Rachel's body shuddered and she fell back on the bed, arching her back as his tongue found her clit. Her breathing became more ragged and her entire body tensed before she completely let go. Her moans echoed in the room as Finn pulled her skirt down off of her legs. He ran his tongue over her belly, lifting her shirt as he went.
Rachel lay back on the bed, her eyes closed. Finn's large hands moved up, under her shirt, and found her breasts. Rachel moaned again, sitting up. "Help me," she whispered, struggling to get the rest of her clothes off. Finn stilled her hands with his and slowly raised her shirt over her head. Reaching behind her, Finn unsnapped her bra and removed it. Rachel sat before him, completely naked.
"Rachel," he whispered, running his hands over her breasts, loving the feel of them in his hands. Rachel scooted closer to the end of the bed until every part of her body was touching him. She pulled his shirt off, laughing slightly when it got stuck on his head. He quickly unbuttoned the top button and then took it off. He unbuttoned his jeans and paused, looking at her. "Are you sure?" he asked, praying that she hadn't changed her mind.
In response, Rachel lowered his zipper and pulled his jeans down, keeping her eyes on his face. He stepped out of them, stumbling slightly before closing his eyes and taking a breath, steadying himself. Rachel was running her hands over his chest and down his stomach. He heard her gasp and opened his eyes to see that she'd finally looked below his waist.
Rachel's hands hesitated a moment before lightly touching him. Finn clenched his jaw, wanting nothing more than to throw her back on the bed and bury himself in her. When her thumb ran across his tip, he grabbed both of her hands and held them. "Rach, I can't…I can't take much more of that," he told her.
Rachel smiled when she realized exactly how much she affected Finn. Scooting back on the bed, she motioned for him to join her. Finn did, situating himself between her legs. He lowered his head and kissed her, groaning when she moved her mouth to his neck and chest. Putting his hand between them, his thumb moved in the same circles it had earlier. Rachel stopped kissing him and laid back on the bed, clutching his shoulders with her hands, digging her fingernails into his skin.
Finn rubbed himself against her, lubricating himself in her wetness. Rachel kept moving her hips, unsure of what she was searching for. A slow burn had started again in the pit of her stomach and she knew that she was ready. "Now, Finn, please," she pleaded.
Finn leaned down and kissed her gently, his tip stretching her. "I'm sorry, Rachel," he whispered, plunging into her. Rachel gasped and tensed, surprised at the pain. Finn held completely still, terrified to move. His entire body shook with need, but he wouldn't move until she let him know it was okay.
Rachel rose up and kissed him tenderly, her lips barely brushing his. Finn's body jerked in reaction, causing them both to moan. "I'm ready," she told him softly.
Finn moved out of her slowly, his thumb once again driving her wild. With each thrust, the feel of her squeezing him was almost too much for him to take. Looking down at Rachel's face, Finn's chest tightened. He had never loved anyone as much as he loved her. Nothing had ever felt so right.
Rachel opened her eyes and gasped, so close to the edge. She moved up to meet each thrust, feeling like she was going to explode. She looked into Finn's eyes and pulled his head down to hers, kissing him deeply. Finn nipped at her bottom lip and it was enough. Rachel screamed as waves of heat rolled through her body, the entire world crashing around her.
The feel of Rachel tightening around him sent Finn over the edge too. He pumped into her a few more times, dropping his head down beside hers. He rested on his elbows, careful to keep his weight off of her.
Rachel turned her head to face the wall, tears falling freely down her face. "Rach?' he said quietly. "Rachel, look at me."
Rachel rolled her head over and looked at Finn, surprised to find that he had tears in his eyes as well. "I love you," she told him, brushing her lips across his.
"I love you too," he told her, smiling crookedly. "So much."
Rachel wrapped her arms around him and turned to her side when he moved to his. Finn pulled the blanket over them, making sure Rachel was covered. He then brushed the hair from Rachel's face, kissing her on the forehead. They fell asleep holding each other.