Little warning: I thought Finn deserved a reward for his thoughtfulness and hard work... wink... wink.

I Will Shout from the Rooftops

Last Chapter...

Finn sat next to me on our picnic quilt, facing the low, white wall at the back corner of the rooftop. He flicked off the flashlight and darkness fell around us, except for straight ahead on the wall! Now there were letters glowing on what had been a plain, white surface moments before:

For Rachel Berry, Star of my heart-

I love you always,

Finn Hudson

Around the letters there were dozens of stars drawn in the same glow-in-the-dark paint.

"You said you couldn't always see the stars up here, especially the Finn Star I gave you... so I wanted to give you stars that you could see any time you wanted- at night anyway. When you come up here to look for me, like you said, at least this part of me will be here. If I could, I would give you the stars, Rachel Berry." He whispered the last before he kissed me tenderly.

A little later on the rooftop...

Finn had defaced (sort of) public property for me! The love I felt for this man. "Finn I love it! How did you do all this?"

"Well..." he smiled a crooked, little smile, looking at me from under his jet brows, "I had a little help. Even from Santana! You know, you are so right about her- definitely a good egg, and turns out a closet romantic. I had the paint idea already, but Kurt helped me make it so much better. I totally get your gay best friend thing now."

Finn leaned over and picked up the cooler nearby and began digging through it, "I have veggie sushi, that Kurt said is your favorite," Finn set the plastic tray between us. "I think I even have chopsticks in here somewhere. And strawberries covered with dark chocolate, so they're supposed to be vegan. Oh, and remember that flight attendant whose son was in the Navy? I told her I was coming to visit my fiance, if you were still even my fiance, because honestly, I thought you might chuck my ring back at me as soon as you set eyes on me..."

"Hmmm... sounds like something I'd do. Should have thought of that... " I replied teasingly.

He looked at me pensively for several seconds, "It's what I deserved, but how grateful I am you didn't! Anyway, Betsy, that was her name, insisted on giving me these," he held out two small bottles of champagne, like they have on airplanes, "She said the champagne might help my case. Who was I to tell her that I technically shouldn't have them? Oh, and best of all, she also gave me these..." with a proud flourish he pulled out a small stack of clear plastic cups, "Airplane cups like the ones you used for our first date on the stage at McKinley! I wrapped them in a clean shirt in my duffle, so they wouldn't get cracked. Now, where did I put the matches to light the candles?" He patted his pants pocket.

My gaze moved from Finn's love token, glowing on the wall in the darkness, to the wonderfully thoughtful picnic of my favorite things, and then it settled on the man himself, currently searching his pockets for matches. "Oh, Finn, this is just so …" I started crying. Where was my inner voice when I really needed her to tell me to stop my blubbering? Why was I crying- spoiling such a romantic gesture?

Finn cast me a worried look, as I struggled valiantly to stop my dramatics. "Hey..." he reached out a hand to my cheek, his thumb stroking my cheekbone to brush away a tear. "Kurt was afraid of this. He said you would love it, but it might make you sad."

Deep breaths, Rachel Berry. "How can I be sad, when I have the best fiance in the world? Finn, I do love it, but it reminds me that you will be leaving day after tomorrow. I will be on this rooftop without you, looking at this," gesturing at the wall, "Day after tomorrow."

"Don't you see? That's why I did it. You will never really be 'without me,' if I have anything to say about it. Yes, we may not be in the same city or state even, but I can only hope that someday we will be together. Here in New York or wherever, married with kids, arguing about which big part you should accept next. I don't have a crystal ball, but I would not love you so much to have this not happen someday."

This was a lot for Finn to say. I sat there on Santana's old quilt, my gaze alternating between Finn's strikingly earnest face and the wall with his love scrawled on it, flummoxed, frankly. Finn had a way of cutting through all the things that weren't really important, to what really was important.

"Then why am I even worrying about the day after tomorrow, when you are here with me now?" I finally replied, while squaring my shoulders, "Isn't this supposed to be our RRPT? Let's do this!"

Finn smiled at my determined Rachel face, "RRPT?"

"Romantic Rooftop Picnic for Two, silly. Where I do this..." I basically launched myself at him, throwing all my weight into it. I managed to knock him almost flat on his back on the quilt. I am a very determined woman when I want to be, which is most of the time. I pressed my advantage, as I basically pinned him on his back, my hands on either side of his chest. I could just make out the liquid glint of his eyes looking up at me, my hair falling in a shadowy curtain around us. I leaned over to trail my lips over his jaw to the side of his neck and up to his ear, while my fingers strayed under the collar of his shirt.

"R-rach-el..." his breathing changed, sped up, "God, that feels so good..."

"That's what I was aiming for, Mr. Hudson," my husky reply, "I just can't seem to get enough of you. I don't know what is wrong with me. It's like I need my Finn-fix right away, and I just can't wait. I mean, here we are on the roof. Anyone could see. At least it's dark."

"Not..." he paused, on a little moan from deep in his throat, while my teeth gently nibbled at his earlobe, "...that dark, sure...ly."

I didn't even look up from my task of nuzzling his neck, "Dark enough, surely." I moved my hips against his suggestively, feeling him firm against me, "And I have a little secret, Finn. You said to wear a comfortable dress, but you said nothing about underwear." I grasped his hand and moved it up my thigh, so he could feel for himself.

At that, a strangled groan came from the shadows below me. I shushed him by moving my lips to cover his, and then as his fingers moved over me, he had to shush me in turn.

All was relatively quiet save the distant murmur of traffic and the breeze rustling through the buildings. If there had been anyone else on the rooftop, and they stopped to listen, they might have heard the occasional whisper of movement or a shuddering gasp as two shadows seemed to move as one in the darkness.

Afterward, as I lay panting on his chest, our clothes in disarray, I hugged him tightly, pressing my cheek to his rapidly rising and falling chest, "Oh, I wish..." I shook my head and giggled lightly.

"You wish what, babe?" he murmured, as he stroked my hair.

Raising my head to put my chin to his chest, so our faces were very close, "That I could shout! It's so silly."

"What would you shout?" he asked, playing with a tendril of my hair.

I arched my back and raised my torso from his, "I..." began in a faltering, loud voice, "It's not so easy..." I cleared my throat and tried again, as loud as I could yell, "HELLO, NEW YORK? I AM RACHEL BERRY, AND I LOVE FINN HUDSON! HE'S GOING TO MARRY ME..."

My voice echoed around in the empty spaces among the surrounding buildings. Finn's eyes were huge as he looked up at me.

After a beat or two of silence, somewhere a disembodied voice replied in a strong Cockney accent, like from Oliver Twist, "Well, good on ya', Rachel Berry. Now shut it, so's some o' us can get a bit o' sleep!" This was punctuated by a sharp crack of a window slamming.

Finn and I rolled with laughter, crushing whatever sushi had survived into the quilt.

Ah, maybe they salvaged some of the sushi. Hope you enjoyed the rooftop picnic, because, as Bette Davis would say, "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to a bumpy night." Or maybe in this case, next day.

Thanks so much for reading! Comments always welcome.