Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! The flashback is in italics.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.


Well, she had officially scarred every child there for life.

Rachel had laid there on the stage, frozen from mortification for several long moments. Amid cries of, "Mommy, Daddy! Betty Beaver is dead!" Rachel finally forced herself to move. Finn helped her get to her feet, but she couldn't even look at him as she ran off the stage.

For the time being, Rachel had locked herself in her dressing room. She had shed the beaver costume and refused to look at it. All of her friends had already knocked on the door, but she had only briefly talked to Kurt and Santana before sending them away.

There was yet another knock on the door. Before Rachel could tell that person to leave, she heard Jesse say, "Rachel, it's me. Why don't you just save us both some trouble and open up?"

Rachel stared at the door, internally debating. She could either face Jesse now or later. At this point, she was already feeling so embarrassed that it was just better to deal with the situation now. There was no use in putting it off only to have that humiliation come up again.

So with a sigh, Rachel stood and opened the door, allowing Jesse to come in. He gave her an amused look as he entered, glancing between Rachel and the beaver costume. A moment of silence passed before Jesse suddenly started laughing.

Rachel sent a dark glare his way and launched a tissue box at him. "It's not funny, Jesse!"

Jesse dodged the tissues and continued to chuckle. "It actually kind of is, if you think about it."

Rachel scowled at him. "Well, I'm glad that you find this so amusing."

"I only find it amusing because you lied about the whole thing in the first place. Rachel, why did you tell me that you were a mermaid? I don't care if you're playing a beaver at some amusement park."

"Right. Because you just had a guest spot on some soap opera," Rachel retorted.

Jesse did look quite pleased with himself. "I know that it's very impressive, but I fail to see what that has to do with you having a summer job playing a beaver."

"Because, whether I like it or not, you have gotten much more experience on that television show," Rachel grumbled. She hated admitting that she was wrong, but there was really no hiding it now. Jesse had beaten her on this one.

Realization came to Jesse's face. "Oh, I see. This is like the time I got the lead in the summer play, so you had to win that talent show. Am I right?"

"Or like the time I won the freshman showcase when you hadn't even been invited to yours, and then you complained about it for several months afterward," Rachel retorted.

"Alright, fine." Jesse made a face. "So we have a bit of history trying to outdo one another. I guess I see where you were coming from, then."

Rachel sighed and nodded her head. What had she been doing? She didn't need to prove to anyone that she was talented. She knew that she was. And, whether people wanted to acknowledge it or not, it took plenty of talent to dress up in a beaver costume and dance all day every day. This competition thing with Jesse had been going on since high school, and it had been long enough.

"Let's call a truce," Rachel finally said. "I'm extremely talented, and you might be almost as talented as I am, so why don't we put this competition thing to rest?"

Jesse ignored Rachel's barb about his talent and he nodded his head. "I agree. Don't be embarrassed about playing the role of Betty Beaver," he said. "My first television role involved me playing a teenager that still wet his bed in a commercial. Yet my performance is worthy of a daytime Emmy, I'm sure of it."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I'm not embarrassed about playing Betty Beaver," she said. And she really wasn't. Everything she had told Finn only hours before was still true, despite the incident during the performance.

"Good. Oh, and Rachel?"

Rachel turned to look up at him only to find Jesse with a smile on his face. He looked at the beaver head one more time before he chuckled and pointed towards the door.

"That Finn guy really likes you. You should probably give him a chance," Jesse said.

Rachel smiled. "Oh, don't worry. I plan on it."


Rachel made it to the fountain just minutes before the fireworks were supposed to go off. She didn't even know if Finn was still going to be there. When she saw his tall, strong form next to the fountain, Rachel let out a sigh of relief.

She approached him slowly and reached out, taking his hand in hers. Finn turned immediately to face her, a relieved smile of his own coming onto his face. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"I didn't know if you were still going to come," Finn mumbled against her hair.

"I didn't know that you were," Rachel said in response as she returned his embrace. Being in his arms instantly made her feel better. But she forced herself to pull back enough to look up at him. "I'm sorry that I've been so crazy lately."

Finn smiled at her and kissed her forehead. His lips lingered against her skin and Rachel closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling of being so close to him. "Nah, it's okay," Finn said. He looked down into her eyes, his own amber orbs twinkling. "I like your crazy."

That was pretty much the most perfect thing that Rachel could imagine coming from Finn's mouth. She didn't let another second pass when she surged up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Finn's.

He hauled her against him, returning her kiss with just as much passion. His tongue traced along her bottom lip and Rachel's own parted, allowing him in. This kiss was everything that Rachel dreamed it would be and more. She hadn't realized that it was possible to feel so much all at once.

Finn gently tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth, and a breathy moan escaped Rachel's lips. She clutched at his shirt and kept their foreheads pressed together as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Finn…" she whispered.

He cupped her cheek and stroked his thumb over her soft skin. "I know, baby," he murmured. The affectionate name went straight to Rachel's heart, and she smiled. "I know." He took her hand then and they sat on the edge of the fountain as the fireworks began to go off over their heads.

Rachel rested her head on Finn's shoulder and looped her arm through his. Their hands found each other's, their fingers twining together. Finn pressed a kiss to Rachel's temple, and she knew that this was how it was going to be from now. Every time he so much as touched her, Rachel's entire body felt as if it was on fire.

The finale of the fireworks began and Finn kissed her again. She locked her fingers in his hair, holding him closer. They only broke apart when the air around them was silent once again.

"Let's get out of here," Rachel suggested. "We can have our first official date and watch a move back at my apartment."

"Are you asking me out, Rachel Berry?" Finn said teasingly as he stood up and offered her his hand.

Rachel took it. "Why yes, Finn Hudson. I am. What do you say?"

"I say yes." He gave her a playful smile. "But let me tell you, I can't be persuaded to do anything unbecoming of a proper young man like myself."

"Are you saying that I'm a bad influence?"

"Maybe. But I don't mind."

Rachel smiled up at him with twinkling eyes. "You might be the one who's a bad influence on me, Finn Hudson. But I don't really mind it, either."


When Rachel woke up, it took her a few moments to remember where she was. She wasn't really used to falling asleep on the couch in her living room, but there she was. And she was using Finn Hudson's chest as a pillow.

Rachel smiled as she looked up into Finn's sleeping face. Lifting her hand, she ran her fingers along the strong line of his jaw. Her touch was feather light, but Finn still turned into her hand anyway. It didn't take long for Rachel to realize that Finn was actually awake.

He turned his head further and pressed a kiss into her palm. Finn's eyes slowly opened, and Rachel beamed at him. That half smile appeared on his face, and he reached up to stroke her cheek.

"Good morning," he greeted.

Rachel bit her lip and Finn groaned at the action. He tugged it from her teeth with his thumb before he captured her lips with his and tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth. Rachel moaned and pressed her body closer to his. She was nestled against him, and one his large hands stroked down her back until it was resting on her behind.

"Mmm, Finn," Rachel murmured as he pulled his lips from hers and attached them to her neck. He quickly found the spot that made Rachel gasp and nipped and sucked at it. His kisses slowed and he gently pressed his lips to hers again.

"Let me take you out to breakfast," Finn muttered as they struggled to catch their breath.

Rachel pouted at him. "I asked you for the date first."

Finn chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. "Well, I'm beating you to it."

Rachel beamed at Finn and kissed him quickly before she got up to get changed. She let Finn into her bedroom, and he settled on the bed as he watched her apply some light makeup. Finn smiled as his eyes drifted over the pictures Rachel had placed around the room. He caught sight of the one tucked by the corner of her mirror, and he stood up and approached her. He put his hands on Rachel's hips and pulled her against him.

"I like that picture," he murmured. Rachel turned to look at the picture he was studying and found that it was the one from the picture day. She had been sitting on Finn's lap and they both just looked so happy.

Rachel leaned back against his chest and smiled. "That's my favorite," she revealed.

Finn kissed her cheek and hugged her against him. "Can I have a copy?"

"You really want one?" Rachel asked as she turned in his arms.

"Yeah, I want one," Finn said with a grin.

Rachel beamed at him, her heart filling at the fact that Finn wanted a picture of them together. She nodded her head and stretched on her tiptoes to kiss him.

Fifteen minutes later, Finn and Rachel were walking down the street hand in hand. They were headed towards Rachel's favorite bagel place. It actually wasn't very far from campus, and she often stopped there for breakfast before her classes.

A smile came on to Finn's lips when he caught sight of NYU's campus. "So I have something to tell you."

"Oh yeah?" Rachel asked. "What's that?"

Finn squeezed her hand. "Do you remember your freshman year, when you and Kurt had those solos in the spring musical? My parents came up to see the show and they made me go with them. I remember being completely bored… and then you came on stage."

Rachel looked up at Finn with wide eyes. He smiled down at her, stroking his thumb over her knuckles.

"When you sang, it was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard," Finn said softly. "And I know that we didn't meet again until you started working at McKinley, but I just wanted you to know that I never forgot about you."

Rachel's breath caught in her throat and she felt her heart fill. She remembered that musical. She had been so lucky to get a solo, since it was practically unheard of for a freshman to procure one. The more she thought about that night, the more she realized that she had seen Finn Hudson before she started working at McKinley Amusement Park. Of course, she had heard of him before since she was one of Kurt's closet friends. But she had never actually met him before this point. Still, she remembered that night well.

Rachel was flying high from her success on stage. She had received a standing ovation for her solo, and now her fathers were waiting for her backstage. They were all going out to a celebratory dinner, and Rachel had to change out of her costume before they left.

Rachel passed by many different student workers, and they all congratulated her. She had a bright smile on her face as she thanked each person for their praise. She had worked hard for this, and she was so happy to see that it was paying off.

Rachel was so excited that she didn't really see where she was going. So when she slammed into someone, she gasped and immediately apologized.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Rachel exclaimed. "I didn't see where I was going!"

The man she had bumped into gave her an adorable half smile as his amber eyes twinkled. "It's okay," he said.

Rachel could feel her heart flutter in her chest as she gave him a smile. Someone called her name, and she looked at the man one last time before she turned and went to find her parents once again.

But she couldn't stop herself from looking over her shoulder and seeing the man she had bumped into once again. And he had turned to look back at her, as well.

"I remember you!" Rachel exclaimed. "I can't believe that was you, Finn!"

"And look where we are now," Finn pointed out with a smile. "It's like it was fate, or something."

Rachel stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "You are so cheesy, Mr. Hudson."

Finn pulled her against him. "Don't act like you don't like it."

Rachel didn't have a problem admitting that she did.


Author's Note: So we have about two chapters after this. Yay for Finchel! Thanks for reading!