A/N: Super sorry that this took so long! But I hope it was worth the wait. Thank you so, so much about all the positive reviews for this story and please tell me if you liked this update! The reviews motivate me to get updates out sooner. :) Oh, and if you're not familiar with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, one part may be a little confusing for you. Sorry!


"I had a great time tonight, Finn," Rachel smiled up at the tall, very handsome man before her.

"I did too," he said, playing lightly with the fingers of the hand he still gripped in his. "Can I call you tomorrow?"

"I'd like that," she said while slowly inching closer, desperate to feel his lips against hers again.

Keeping a hold of her right hand, he brought his other hand to caress her cheek and leaned down to press another kiss against her lips. They broke apart and she reluctantly let go of his hand.

"Bye, Finn," she said, inching towards the door to her apartment building.

"Bye, Rachel," he said gave her the most adorable half-smile she had ever seen and she smiled back before turning to go in.


Rachel felt like she was walking on air as she walked through the door of her apartment to see Santana curled up on the couch, watching a movie. She looked up as Rachel took off her coat off and toed off her heels.

"I'd ask you how it went, but I can see clearly from the dazed look on your face that it went well," Santana sat up now and beckoned Rachel to sit with her.

"Oh my gosh, San," Rachel gushed, laying down on the couch and putting her head on Santana's lap, "he's amazing. And perfect. And adorable." She covered her face and let out a squeal.

Santana snorted and rolled her eyes. "Where did he take you?" she asked, playing slightly with Rachel's hair.

"To this adorable little restaurant that served delicious Italian food," Rachel said. "And then we went for a walk in Central Park. It was all just so perfect." She sighed wistfully.

Santana just nodded her head. "I'm glad you had a good time, Munchkin."

"I really did, San," Rachel sighed. "Finn has to be the sweetest guy I've ever met. And he's so kind. It's like I've been waiting my whole life to meet him and now that I have, I don't even remember what it was like without him in my life. Do you think it's too soon to feel like that?" She looked up at Santana now, waiting for her answer.

Santana shrugged slightly. "I guess when you know, you know," she said simply. "I'm happy for you, Rach. And it was totally worth scaring the shit out of Frankenteen."

"What?" Rachel laughed. "San, what did you tell him?"

"Just that I grew up on the wrong side of town and I was totally prepared to hurt him if he hurt you," Santana shrugged as if it was no big deal. "I know you're all happy and stuff now, but don't think I won't do it if anything happens."

"Aww," Rachel patted Santana's leg. "You're such a big softy. And you love me sooooo much." She laughed now, as Santana flipped her off.

"Whatever," Santana said with a wave of her hand. "Now shut up and watch this movie with me."

Rachel turned her body so she was facing the TV, her head still in Santana's lap, and they watched the rest of Never Been Kissed.


The sunlight streamed in through the curtains of Rachel's bedroom the next morning as she slowly began to stir. Stretching and lazily opening her eyes, she slowly began to remember the events of last night. She had gone on a date with Finn. Finn Hudson. The amazingly sexy fireman, Finn Hudson. She tried and failed to stop the huge grin that began to spread across her face. The night before had been like no other. The rational part of her brain was telling her that she barely knew him, but her heart was telling her it had found its counterpart. Hearing her phone buzz from somewhere on the bed, she reached under the blankets before she found it and her heart skipped a beat as she saw it was a text from just the man she had been thinking about.

'Morning, Beautiful! :) Are you awake? I wanted to know if you'd like to go out to breakfast.'

She sighed happily at his term of endearment and replied, 'Morning! Just woke up and I'd love to go to breakfast.'

His reply came quickly, saying he'd be over to pick her up in about an hour. She squealed as she jumped up to get ready. She was completely head over heels for this man already and she wasn't even ashamed of it.


"You're kidding, right?" Finn asked as he and Rachel sat down sometime later, eating their breakfast.

"No, I swear! I have never, in my entire 22 years of life, been to the zoo," Rachel replied as she ate a piece of melon from her plate. "My daddies tried taking me when I was little, but I never wanted to go. I used to have this irrational fear that the cages were going to just open by themselves and a snake would come and squeeze me to death. I'm deathly afraid of snakes, you know."

Finn just stared at her with wide eyes. "I cannot believe this. Going to the zoo is like one of the best things about being a kid!"

Rachel just laughed, "I'm guessing you loved the zoo, then?"

"Love," Finn replied. "As in present tense. I am definitely taking you to the zoo soon." He looked at her with such a look of determination now that she had to bite back her laughter.

"Ok, ok," she relented. "You can take me to the zoo. As long as you promise to save me if a snake tries to get to me."

"Of course, my lady," Finn joked.

They finished eating and decided to go back to Finn's apartment. "Puck and Quinn are going to visit Puck's mom so we can go watch movies, if you want," Finn said. Rachel nodded and grabbed Finn's hand when he offered it to her and they began the walk to his apartment a few blocks away.


From her seat on Finn's couch, Rachel took the time to look around his apartment while he looked through his and Puck's DVD selection to find something to watch. The apartment definitely had masculine touches, unlike her and Santana's very feminine apartment, but it wasn't like there were posters of naked girls everywhere. They had dark furniture and a framed poster for the Knicks as well as a few pictures scattered in places. There was a pizza box on the counter and few beer bottles by the sink.

"Ok, Braveheart or The Hangover?" Finn looked at her now holding the two movies up.

"Um, I guess Braveheart," Rachel answered. "You know, since we're going to watch movies I've never seen now, next time you have to watch musicals with me." She stuck out her tongue at him and he laughed.

"I'm ok with that if we get to watch my choices today," Finn put the movie in and took a spot next to her on the couch. Rachel immediately scooted closer and he lifted his arm to wrap it around her shoulders. "When do you go back to the doctor to get this thing off?" Finn asked as he fingered the strap of her sling.

"This Tuesday, actually," Rachel replied. "I have an appointment in the afternoon." Finn just nodded and pressed a kiss to her head as the movie began.


"We are the knights who say…NI!" Rachel giggled uncontrollably as Finn got up to turn the movie off. They had just finished watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Finn laughed with her. "I'm glad you liked the movie." Although it wasn't her usual taste in movies, she really had enjoyed it; it was so funny.

"Are you hungry?" Finn asked her. It was already late in the afternoon and they hadn't eaten since this morning.

Rachel nodded and followed Finn as he searched through the fridge to find something to eat. "Err, I don't know what we have that you can eat," Finn said. "I mean I know you're a vegan but we don't exactly have a lot of stuff to begin with."

"Hmm," Rachel looked through his pantry and pulled out the peanut butter. "How about peanut butter sandwiches?"

"Yeah, sure, that sounds good, actually," Finn said as he took out plates and the bread.

"Do you have bananas?" Rachel asked as she began to spread the peanut butter on the bread.

"Uh, yeah, why?" Finn looked at her with a confused look on his face.

"I like putting pieces of banana in my peanut butter sandwiches," Rachel explained. "My daddy used to do it when I was little and I've just always liked them like that."

"Hm, food's food. I'll try anything," he said with a shrug and went to the fridge to get bananas.

As Rachel watched Finn, she couldn't help but think this was all so natural—the two of them making food together in his kitchen.

"Ok, all done," she said a few minutes later as she looked down at her one sandwich and Finn's three ("I'm a growing boy, Rach. I need a lot of food!" he had said). "But you don't get your plate until you get me a…shrubbery." She giggled at her own Monty Python reference.

"Hmm, I know what will weaken you," Finn said playfully as he slowly came closer with a sneaky look in his eyes. "It!"

"Noooo!" she yelled as she ran away from him.

He caught up with her as she reached the couch though, and he began tickling her, yelling "it!" over and over above her shrieks of laughter. They fell on the couch together in a heap and he still wouldn't let up his tickling.

"Finn! Finn, ok, I give up!" Tears streamed down her face now from her laughing and she suddenly realized the position they were in. She lay on her back while he crouched above her, his face just inches from hers. Almost as if he realized the same thing, they stared at each other and immediately the mood changed. Finn lightly brushed the tears away from her eyes and leaned down to capture her lips in an intense kiss. She let out a tiny moan and used her right hand to bring his face closer. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth as he groaned and kissed her harder. Their tongues slowly explored each other's mouths and he pushed her further into the couch.

They broke apart for air and Finn moved his kisses from her lips to her cheek and jaw, then to her neck. "Finn," she gasped as she ran her hand through his hair, grabbing it in between her fingers as he sucked on her skin. Her back arched as he found a particularly sensitive spot behind her ear.

Her insides felt like they were on fire as she pulled his face back to hers roughly. She kissed him intensely, as if she were drowning and his lips were the only things that could save her and he kissed her back just as hard. Her hand explored the hard planes of his chest and he let out a deep groan as she moved to suck lightly on his earlobe and whisper his name in his ear.

"Fuck, Rach," Finn whispered as his hand wandered down her side, lightly touching the skin of her stomach where her top had ridden up. "You're so hot."

"So are you," she whimpered and pressed her lips back against his. They continued like that, food forgotten, for some time until Rachel thought she would explode from all the heat. She could feel Finn's hard length against her as he slowly started grinding his hips into hers.

"Finn," she broke apart from his lips and he moved to press them back to her neck. "Finn, we should stop."

"But we're having so much fun," he whined and looked down at her with a pout on his already swollen lips.

"I know," she giggled, poking his nose, "but I think we're having a little bit too much fun."

He sighed, but nodded and helped her sit up, catching his breath. He looked over at her with a smirk, his hair sticking up in a bunch of different directions from her fingers, and she wanted nothing more than to jump on his lap and finish where they left off, but forced herself to calm down. She knew she was falling for him but she didn't want their physical relationship to go that fast too.

"Well," Finn said, getting up and taking their plates of previously forgotten food and bringing them back to the couch, "shall we eat and start the next movie?"

Rachel nodded and began eating her sandwich. She forced herself to behave as he bent over and she got an amazing view of the way the jeans he wore made his ass look.


Rachel sighed as she combed her fingers through Finn's hair. They were curled up on the couch, his head resting on her stomach. The credits of Batman flashed on the screen, but she concentrated on Finn and feel of his hand slowly running up and down her thigh.

"Mm, don't wanna move," he murmured, nuzzling his face further into her. She bit her lip and ran her finger along his forehead and nose. He looked up at her and the soft look in his eyes made her whole body feel warm.

Their tender moment was broken as the door swung open to reveal whom she could only assume was Puck. He stood in the doorway and stared at them in surprise before his mouth slowly morphed into a smirk.

"Puck! Why did y—oh!" A girl with blonde hair walked up beside him and her eyes took in the sight of Finn and Rachel curled up on the couch. "You must be Rachel," she said and walked over to them immediately. "I'm Quinn."

Rachel pushed Finn up, and stood up to offer Quinn her hand. "I'm Rachel Berry and it's very nice to meet you," she looked over at Puck now. "And you must be Noah."

"Call me Puck," Puck walked over, ignored Rachel's outstretched hand, and sunk down into the chair by the couch. "So what are we watching? Q, will you get me a beer from the fridge?"

"Seriously?" Quinn glared at him. "We're intruding, Puck."

"No, no!" Rachel said quickly. "It's ok. We've been watching movies all day. They've been all Finn's choice because our next movie marathon will be my turn and only musicals. We just finished watching Batman. And while it's not exactly my number one choice for a movie marathon, I must admit it was excellent. Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the joker was perfect. You're more than welcome to join us."

Rachel bit her lip nervously as she realized she had been rambling. Puck just stared at her in surprise while Finn let out a snort. Quinn shrugged and settled onto Puck's lap.

"Uh, yeah. Ok, what's next, then?" Puck looked at Finn with raised eyebrows. "Let's watch some Die Hard up in this piece."

"Eugh, no," Quinn groaned. "I've had to watch that movie with you two more times than any girl should ever be forced to."

Rachel laughed at that. "Well it's Finn's choice tonight." She looked up at Finn, who had yet to add anything to the conversation.

"Um, I was actually thinking about watching The Godfather," Finn said slowly.

"Fuck yes!" Puck said. "And I'm starving, too. Why don't we order Chinese?" He patted Quinn's leg and she stood up so he could get up. He walked over to the fridge to get the menu. "What do you like, Berry?"

"The tofu vegetable stir-fry would be great, Noah," she said politely.

"Why the fuck are you eating tofu?" Puck said with a disgusted face. "And seriously, call me Puck."

"Well you see, Noah, I'm a vegan," Rachel replied, refusing to call him by the name he asked. What kind of name was 'Puck' anyway? "So I don't eat any animal products."

"Whatever," he shrugged and took out his phone to place the order, already knowing what Quinn and Finn liked.

"I love that you're refusing to call him Puck," Quinn whispered to her. "It drives him absolutely nuts to be called Noah."

"Puck just sounds so silly to me," Rachel giggled. Finn came back to sit next to her on the couch and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He pressed a kiss against her cheek before asking Quinn how the trip to Long Island to visit Puck's mom went.


Yawning slightly, Rachel snuggled further into Finn as they once again lay curled up against each other on the couch. He was stretched out on his back while she was wedged between him and the back of the couch. The feel of his hand slowly running up and down her back mixed with the smell of him was soothing her into sleep. Last she had checked, it was nearing midnight but she couldn't bring herself to get up and leave. Puck and Quinn were still sharing an armchair beside them and she could hear them talking quietly.

Quinn had been really sweet to her so far, asking her about what she did, where she had gone to school, etc. They had been surprised to learn that they both frequently went to the same gym.

"I'm surprised I've never seen you there," Quinn had said. "I take a spinning class there on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"Oh! My best friend, Santana, and I have been wanting to take a spinning class," Rachel said excitedly.

"You should join the one I'm in," Quinn said, "I go with my friend, Brittany. It's really intense, but so worth it. We just started going last week."

Puck, on the other hand, hadn't really asked her many questions yet. He and Finn just talked about regular guy things while she and Quinn chatted as they ate their Chinese. She noticed he kept watching the way she and Finn interacted with each other, though, and she couldn't help but be a bit curious. She'd just ask Finn later.

"Do you work tomorrow?" she mumbled faintly into Finn's shirt.

"Mmhmm. I go in at three," he murmured quietly, his own voice sounding tired.

"And your shifts are 24-hours, right?" Rachel asked. She felt Finn nod his head and she sighed.

"I really hate to, but I think I should go home now," Rachel said, but still didn't even bother moving an inch.

"No, stay," Finn whined sleepily, clutching her tighter.

She tried so hard not to give into sleep, but she could feel her body starting to shut down against Finn. He was just so warm and his arms around her made her feel so safe.

"Maybe a little while longer," her words came out jumbled now and she was slowly put to sleep by the beating of Finn's heart under her ear and the soothing motions of his fingers through her hair.


She felt like she was flying. Or maybe she was floating. Whatever it was, it made her eyes fly open and attempt to take in her surroundings. Expecting to see her own comforter from her own bed, she was surprised to see a muscled chest in a red t-shirt.

"Finn?" she yawned as she realized he was carrying her. "What time is it?"

"Shh," he whispered. "It's a little after three in the morning. We fell asleep on the couch."

He brought her into a bedroom—his bedroom. Her sleepy eyes tried to take in the room around her as Finn kneeled down in front of her.

"Do you want something more comfortable to wear?" he asked, gently caressing the skin around her eyes with his thumbs.

She nodded. "Yes, please. Thank you for letting me stay over." She smiled at him shyly now as he came back with a soft t-shirt that would probably reach all the way down to her knees.

He let out a small chuckle. "I don't mind at all. Do you want to sleep with this sling on?"

She shook her head no and he helped her undo the velcro and gently pulled it off of her. He pressed tiny kisses along her arm and she stretched it out a bit. It felt fine now, albeit a little sore if she moved it around too much.

Rachel looked at him now and lifted her arms for him to help her take off her blouse. She could see him take a deep breath as his hands slowly inched the material up until she was left in a pink cotton bra and her jeans. He pressed a kiss against her lips before helping her put on the t-shirt. She stood up now to take off her jeans and noticed Finn do the same. Their eyes remained trained on each other the whole time, but the contact broke as Finn moved to bring the covers of the bed down.

Almost as if the thought of lying down reminded her of how tired she was, Rachel let out another yawn and immediately curled up between the warm blankets.

She looked up at Finn, who stood now in nothing but his boxers and t-shirt, looking down at her. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing. I just like seeing you wearing my shirt and lying in my bed," he said sheepishly.

She smiled and motioned for him to lay down with her. He got between the covers and let out a sigh as he curled himself around her, his chest against her back and his legs molding to the back of hers.

"Goodnight, baby," he whispered in her ear and placed a kiss against her hair.

"Mm, goodnight, Finn," she laced her fingers through his and brought his hand up to press her lips against his knuckles. Almost immediately, she fell back into a deep sleep, feeling happy and content.


Three blissful weeks had passed since the night Rachel spent the night at Finn's. She had loved the feeling of waking up tangled up with him. Rachel found herself falling further and further for Finn Hudson. They had been on countless dates now and talked nearly every day. She had even shown up at the firehouse one day when Finn was on duty to drop off some of the banana bread she had baked for him. Apparently he, and a few of the other fireman in his company had finished the entire thing in about fifteen minutes.

She had even seen Quinn. She and Santana had joined Quinn and her friend, Brittany for the spinning class at their gym. They had all gotten along really well—Santana and Brittany, especially. Rachel had felt happier these last few weeks than she had in a very long time.

She bit her lip nervously now as she walked with Finn down the sidewalk to the restaurant they were supposed to meet Kurt and Blaine at. She had yet to meet them and she was nervous they wouldn't like her.

Sensing her nerves, Finn squeezed her hand. "Relax, baby." He looked down at her with his half-smile and Rachel couldn't stop the smile she gave in return.

"I just really want them to like me," she sighed and leaned her head against his arm.

"They will, I promise," Finn said as they reached the restaurant. Holding the door open for her, he guided her to the front with a reassuring hand on the small of her back.


"Oh my gosh, you just have to join us for our parents' anniversary dinner this weekend!" Kurt exclaimed excitedly. To say that she and Kurt had gotten along would be a very huge understatement. Once the awkwardness of first introductions had settled, they learned that they were almost the exact same person in different bodies. They had talked the entire time about old movies and Broadway. Blaine was happy to add in things every now and then, while Finn kept quiet, letting them get to know each other.

"Oh, I don't know," Rachel looked up at Finn now, a little nervous. "I wouldn't want to impose."

To be honest, she was slightly terrified at the idea of meeting Burt and Carole. She had heard so many wonderful things about them, but she and Finn had only been together for about a month. Wasn't that a little too soon?

"Don't be silly," Kurt said with a wave of his hand. "You'd be more than welcome. I just know you'll get along with them perfectly." He gave a hard look to Finn, silently begging him to say something.

"Kurt, if she doesn't want to you can't force her," Finn said. He turned to look at her now with a gleam in his eyes that made her heart melt. "I'd really like you to come, though, Rach. That way I don't have to feel like a fifth wheel." He chuckled.

Rachel's eyes moved from Finn's hopeful eyes to Kurt's and then to Blaine. He gave her a little nod and a smile.

"Well, I suppose it would be nice," she smiled. Maybe meeting his parents wouldn't be so bad…

"Great! Carole will be so thrilled that there is finally a nice girl in Finn's life," Kurt said happily, putting extra emphasis on the word 'nice' and glaring at Finn.

Surprised, Rachel looked over at Finn to see him turning a little red and grabbing his neck nervously. They hadn't really discussed their past relationships too much. Sure, they told each other how many there had been and things like that, and Rachel had told him about Jesse. Finn had told her briefly about his last girlfriend, Anna, but hadn't been very anxious to give details.

"Anyway!" Blaine interjected, trying to change the subject. "Halloween is coming up soon. Do you guys have any ideas on what you're going to be? Kurt and I were thinking about having a party at our place."


Hours after their dinner with Kurt and Blaine, Rachel and Finn were lying in her bed trying to catch their breath after a particularly intense make-out session. Their physical relationship was progressing slowly right now—Rachel told Finn she didn't want to rush into anything but the more they saw each other, the hotter their alone time became and Rachel had to force herself to break her lips away from Finn's. It was almost to the point where she wanted to jump on him the second she saw him and from the way his eyes practically devoured her when they saw each other, she guessed he felt the same.

"Finn?" she raised herself onto her elbow to look at his face.

"Hmm?"

"What happened between you and Anna that you aren't telling me?" she asked.

Finn sighed. "Well, to be honest, she was just…a bitch," he began. "Like when she was with me, she was this really sweet girl at first and behind my back she was really mean and rude to everyone else. Kurt hated her with an intense passion. And she even tried to come onto Puck behind my back. That, and the fact that she looked down on me for being a fireman really just cemented the fact that she had no place in my life."

She moved closer to him and rested her head against his chest. "Well, I'll be forever grateful that you decided to become a fireman," she murmured and pressed a kiss against his chest through his shirt. "I think you're so brave for wanting to put your own life at risk to save others. And who knows what would have happened to me if you hadn't been my hero." She smiled up at him now and reached up to press her lips against his.

"You're amazing, you know that?" he whispered and smoothed his hand against her cheek.

"I've been told," she giggled.

"No, really," he said. "I've never met a girl like you, Rach. The past year, I've been just going through life like I was on autopilot. Then you came in and just brightened everything." He looked at her so earnestly.

"Finn," she whispered, at a loss for words. "You've brightened up my life, too, you know. I was about ready to swear off men because I was having horrible luck with finding anybody even halfway decent. But then you came in. And Finn, you really are the sweetest, most amazing guy I've ever met. This last month with you has made me happier than I've ever been. You make me feel on top of the world."

She smiled shyly at him and squealed when he rolled them over so he was hovering over her.

"You make me feel like I'm on top of the world too, Rachel Berry," he bumped his nose lightly against hers and kissed her. She could feel his grin against her lips and giggled as he moved to press kisses all across her face.

She could definitely get used to this feeling of happiness—was it too soon to call it love?