Battle: New York
Epilogue
The citizens of New York and the other cities that were attacked would probably never be the same. Once the dead were buried, it was time for everyone to move on and heal. It was a slow journey, but Finn and Rachel were just happy that they survived.
They buried Noah Puckerman in a Jewish cemetery where the rest of his family was located. They even found his mom and sister and told them that Puck died a hero. Finn and Rachel visited his grave at least once a week.
Rachel always brought fresh flowers that she grew in their yard.
Finn's mom had survived the alien attack while at her sister's house in Toledo. It took her six weeks to get back to New York, but her homecoming was full of happy tears. Their house had survived the onslaught, along with most of the houses on their street. Most days, Finn and Rachel helped their friends and neighbors that weren't as fortunate rebuild their homes.
Finn even installed a bay window in their house, as he promised Rachel he would.
They sat there together most nights, just holding one another.
That was the spot where Finn proposed to Rachel with the wedding ring that his dad gave his mom.
That was also the spot where Rachel told Finn that she was pregnant.
That also happened to be the spot where Rachel was sitting when her water broke when she was eight weeks and three and a half weeks along.
Noah Christopher Hudson, who was named after the man who saved Rachel and Finn's lives, was born in the rebuilt hospital in the middle of the city.
It was the same hospital that Rachel, Finn, and Puck had broken into.
They just happened to ignore that little detail.
The baby had his father's dimples and his mother's lungs. He could probably wake up the entire neighborhood when he cried. But Rachel and Finn never let him cry that long. As soon as they heard him whimpering on the monitor, they both offered to get up and comfort the baby.
ONE YEAR, SIX MONTHS AFTER THE ATTACK
"Noah's awake," Rachel said right before jumping out of bed. They could hear him starting to whine as he lay in his crib in the room right next to theirs. Finn got up and followed her out of the room with a smile.
He really loved his son. Finn figured that he was probably the coolest kid that had ever been born.
But he wasn't really a fan of the dirty diapers.
"There's mommy's little boy," Rachel cooed as she grabbed Noah out of his crib. "Are you ready for another bottle?"
"I don't think he's gonna answer, Rach," Finn laughed from the doorway.
"You never know, Finn," Rachel replied. "Our son's very intelligent. I wouldn't be surprised if he starts talking before the baby book says he should."
"Babe, he's four months old," Finn said. "The only thing he does is almost put his foot in his mouth."
"And according to the baby book, that's ahead of schedule," Rachel said with a broad smile. Finn laughed and raised his hands up in surrender.
"I'll go get the bottle," he said before turning and walking down the hallway.
"Thanks, honey," Rachel called behind him.
Finn came back with the bottle minutes later. He was tempted to try it when Chris was first born since it kind of looked like milk, but then Rachel explained that breast milk wasn't really that close to milk.
He walked in on Rachel using the breast pump to make bottles once, too. He thought it looked painful. He was glad he was a guy.
He leaned against the doorjamb of his son's room as Rachel sang to him softly while feeding him his bottle. He ate it quickly – a trait he inherited from Finn – before Rachel burped him and set him in his crib. She sang softly to him again as he fell asleep.
Finn found it weird that Rachel sang him Broadway songs instead of those little nursery rhyme songs. But then Rachel explained to him that "Rock a Bye Baby" was about a child falling of a tree. Finn then banned the song from the house.
Once Noah was asleep, Rachel walked over to Finn. He put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her on top of the head.
"Do you think we baby him too much?" Rachel asked, sounding worried. "I mean, we don't even let him cry before we race out of our room to make sure he's okay."
"I don't think so," Finn said. "I mean, that's just us loving him. And I don't think you can love your kid too much… We could always walk in here slowly when he cries, you know"
Rachel smiled up at him. "You're right," she said with a small laugh. "Let's get back to bed." Finn grabbed her hand and followed her into their bedroom.
Once they were snuggled closer together, Finn broached the marriage topic again.
"How are you and mom doing with the wedding plans?" he asked.
"They're coming along great," Rachel said with a smile. "As soon as they rebuild the church, we'll book it for the wedding. And we're even in talks with people about having the wedding reception in Central Park. Not all of it was destroyed, you know…"
"Are you still sure about getting married in a church?" Finn asked after a moment. "I mean, you're Jewish and all that…"
"Of course I'm sure," Rachel said. "It's the same place your mother and father were married and I know how much he means to you. I haven't been to the synagogue in a while anyway… And I just want to marry you. The time and the place don't matter just as long as I'm yours at the end of it all."
Finn kissed her on the top of the head. "You've always been mine, Rach. And I've always been yours," he said softly.
"Oh, I know," Rachel replied just as softly. "I love you."
"Love you, too," Finn said in a whisper. He tightened his arms around her as they drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Then, about three hours later, at five in the morning, Rachel's eyes snapped open as she heard her son fussing on the baby monitor. She threw the blankets off of herself, which woke up Finn. He heard Noah on the monitor and climbed out of bed right behind Rachel.
"It's my turn to check on him," Finn complained as they walked down the hallway. Rachel was ahead of him. "And you're not walking slow!"
Rachel laughed before entering the baby's room. She picked up Noah with the expertise a mother possesses. "But just look at this little face," she cooed to the baby. "I can't just lay there while I know he's awake."
"Well, neither can I," Finn said with a smile. He held his hands out and Rachel handed the baby over gently.
"Just so you know, he pooped," Rachel said, giggling.
"Noah," Finn chastised, looking down at his son that was too cute for words. "Why do you always poop when it's daddy's turn?"
"I told you he was intelligent," Rachel said with a smirk.
THE END
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