A/N: I apologize for anyone who picked on the error I posted. In the very first chapter I put that Rachel and Finn had attended school together for 13 years. And in the last chapter I put that she moved to McKinnley in high school. Was a typo but it still doesn't really change where the story is headed, so bare with me. Thanks. Hope everyone is enjoying this story, especial Sheila... the one that this story is being written for. Here we go...

What If - Chapter 14

Finn was busy at work. Well maybe not that busy but it felt like he had been moving non stop and unable to catch up. He knew it was because he had been getting only 4-6 hours of sleep each night ever since the night he and Rachel had reignited their sex life. And although he was beyond tired, he had absolutely nothing to complain about. Their sex life had gotten even hotter and Rachel's pregnancy hormones were making her unable to get enough of Finn. This was something he was more than willing to help her with. Except for the lack of sleep, he had been feeling like he was on top of the world.

Finn was lying on a creeper, removing a muffler when his boss Randy opened his office door and called out for him. "Finn! Can you come in here for a minute?" Finn slid out from under the truck and wiped off his hands before walking towards the office. Once he stepped inside, Randy shut the door and Finn couldn't help but think to himself that he must be in deep shit about something. He took a seat as Randy walked around and sat down at his desk. "Finn, I wanted to talk to you about something. Here." He said, handing Finn a paper across the desk. Finn looked it over, and at first was confused. It was a sheet, breaking down his hours and the amount he was paid for each of those hours. But then at the end of the page he saw where it said, 'Hourly Rate Change' and then his eyes went wide with the changed pay rate. "What's this? Randy..." Finn said, unable to form words. He couldn't believe what he was looking at. Was this even real? "I was on the phone with Burt last night, catching up and he filled me in on something about you." Randy began and Finn wondered what in the world he could be talking about. He told everyone that he and Rachel were engaged, and they all know she is pregnant. Even if he hadn't told them, they would know simply by her appearance. She was such a tiny woman and her baby bump stuck out plain as day. "What's what?" he asked nervously. "He told me that the reason you and Rachel haven't tied the knot yet is because of financial reasons. And I know that being a proud man, it's not something you exactly talk about. And Burt made sure to stress to me how much pride you carry around, and that was something I already could tell. He also told me about how you busted your ass in his shop learning everything you could as fast as you could so you would be more of a help. And when he got sick, you stepped up and practically ran that place without even being asked. That says a lot about a man." Randy said.

Finn sat there, not proud of the fact that he and Rachel had been struggling financially. Sure, they were making it, but by the skin on their teeth. "Since Rachel had the scare with the hospital, she hasn't been working. And that doesn't matter to me. I would rather she and our baby is healthy instead of me having to work extra hours. But yeah, it made the wedding part a little more complicated. We talked about going down to the courthouse and getting married because being married before the baby comes is super important to her. Well to me too, but I know that Rachel deserves the dress, the reception. And I'm more than willing to work my fingers to the bone to make that happen. But this? Randy this is beyond generous. You have no idea what this means, and I don't even know where to start with thanking you. With this pay raise Rachel I know that I will be able to take even more stress off of Rachel. Thank you so, so much. You won't regret this. You will always be able to count on me." Finn said, his shoulders squared and looking Randy straight in the eye. Another reason Randy knew this kid was the real deal.

"I know you won't. I have already seen your potential. And I know that being a mechanic isn't exactly all fame and glamour like most people dream of, and even if life takes you in another direction, you will always have this to fall back on. You're damn good kid. I haven't seen a mechanic like you... well, since your dad.. or step dad I meant." Finn smiled, "You were right the first time. He's my dad. And thanks again." Finn stood up and walked towards the door, but before he could pull it open, Randy spoke up once more. "Hey, Finn you forgot something. And handed something else to him. Finn took it and looked down, his face going white and unable to form words. "Consider it an early wedding present. Once upon a time, I was you kiddo. I don't know if Burt told you or not, but I wouldn't be where I am today without him. He taught me everything I know. And when the day came that I too followed my now wife, Sheila here to New York, he is the one that loaned me the money to get here and get set up. Even thought he was fighting to make ends meet, he believed in me that much. When I got on my feet and tried to pay him back, he wouldn't accept it. He said for me to just repay the favor to someone else who needed it sometime. And the fact that I get to help his kid, well that makes it 10 times better in my book. Now, take that and go marry your girl. Make an honest woman out of her. You're finished up for the day, get outta here. It's Friday and you have some news for your girl."

Finn was smiling so hard his face was hurting. He was holding a check in his hands for $8,000. He knew that he and Rachel would be able to move into another place before the baby came, AND have a wedding. Sure it wouldn't be some over the top production, but it would be more than enough to have a small ceremony and reception with their family and friends. Finn thanked him yet again, and practically ran to his toolbox, locking it up and sprinting towards his truck. The drive home seemed to take forever. Of course he would get stuck in traffic, today of all days.

Back at the apartment Rachel was putting the finishing touches on dinner. She had managed to throw together a small candlelight dinner for Finn and she was excited to surprise him. He was always the one doing these amazingly sweet surprises and sweeping off her feet both literally and metaphorically. She made spaghetti with vegan meat balls, garlic bread and salad. She made a fresh picture of tea, something Finn could never seem to drink enough, and set the table. She was dressed in one of her new maternity summer dresses, and she was touching up her make up in the mirror when her phone rang. Looking down she smiled to see it was Carole. She had made a habit of calling Rachel once a day to say "hi" but Rachel knew it was to check in on her and her future grandbaby. But Rachel enjoyed the talks, and hearing stories about little Finn when he was young. Their daily chats meant just as much to Rachel as they did to her future mother in law. "Hello?" Rachel said into the phone. "Well how is my favorite girl?" Carole asked, and Rachel beamed. She had been calling Rachel that for a while now and considering the fact that Rachel never had a mom to talk to about girl things or cooking tips she absolutely loved it. "I'm doing great. Just finished making a little candlelight dinner for our guy. He has been working so hard lately, I wanted to surprise him. Just a small thank you for all he does for me." Rachel beamed. Carole could hear Rachel's smile through the phone. She was so happy that her son had found someone that treated him the way she had always dreamed of him being treated. And it didn't hurt that she loved Rachel as well. "That sounds wonderful dear, I am sure Finn will love it. Next question, how are you and my grandbaby feeling?" That was her traditional question each day. And like every other day, Rachel answered the same. "We are doing great. Your son takes great care of us."

Carole and Rachel talked for a few more minutes while Rachel finished up her make up. But when Rachel glanced at the clock she quickly told Carole, "Oh goodness, Carole I better let you go. Finn will be walking in any second and I have a couple more things to do before then. I will talk to you tomorrow though, right?" Carole assured her that they would talk the next day and they said their goodbyes before Rachel threw her phone back on the charger, and walked over and hit play on her iPod that sat on the dock before lighting the candles on the table. She finished just in time because Finn pulled the door open as she turned around from the table. "Hey beautiful. How was your day?" Finn asked as he came walking in, a huge smile on his face. "It was ok, but it's getting better by the second." She said, standing on her tip toes to place a soft kiss on his lips. He looked over her the top of her head and saw the table, all set up. "Rach? What's all this? Oh my God, did I forget something? It's not our anniversary, or your birthday. I don't-" He was clearly panicking, worried that he had let her down somehow and Rachel couldn't get over how cute it was. She took him by the hand and smiled, "I just wanted to do something for you, just because. Is that ok?" She said. "That is more than ok. Thank you babe. You're the best! Let me jump in the shower and then I have something I want to talk to you about." Finn said, placing a kiss on the top of her head and jogging over to the dresser to pull out some clean clothes. "I'll be quick" he said, and then disappeared into the restroom, leaving the door open.

Rachel thought about joining him, but she knew that if she did that, then the dinner would become a distant memory. Once she was wrapped up in Finn, anything and everything else disappeared. She walked into the kitchen and started to dish out the food. She poured two glasses of fresh tea, something Finn had become addicted to and couldn't seem to get enough of when she felt two arms wrap around her body from behind. His hands came to rest on her baby bump and she leaned her head back against Finn's chest. "This is my favorite place to be, you know that?" She asked him softly "Well that's great news, because it's my favorite place to be too." He said, leaning his head down to kiss the side of her neck. "You smell so good." She said, breathing in the smell of his body wash. "So do you, and you look beautiful in this dress. Pregnant you is incredibly sexy." He whispered against her ear. She felt his breath against her and it sent chills down every inch of her body.

Rachel had to force herself to pull away, knowing that it was far too easy to get lost in him. "You ready to eat and tell me whatever it was that made you come walking in so happy?" Rachel asked playfully. "I always come home happy. And that's because you are here. But yes, I am ready to tell you about something you will NEVER believe." Finn carried the plates over to the table and sat them down before pulling out the chair for Rachel to sit and then scooted her up to the table. "This looks great babe. I'm starving." Finn took a bite and then a drink of his tea, and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "I have been trying to figure out how to tell you what happened today, but I can't even let the words come out. Because I still can't believe it myself. So I have something to show you." Finn said, walking over to their dresser and picking up his wallet to pull the check Randy gave him out. He walked back and sat down, handing it across to Rachel. "Here." he said, handing it across to her. Rachel unfolded the paper and her eyes went wide. "What? Where did you... how did... Finn tell me you didn't get a loan from Randy! We cannot afford to pay him back babe. We can't-" Finn shook his head, "No, No Rach. Randy called me into his office, and he told me that he used to work for Burt and how he helped him get on his feet and all this stuff. Anyway, he told me that he knew we had to put off the wedding due to financial reason and he gave me a raise Rachel. A BIG raise. And I mean big enough for us to get another place like we talked about. One with a nursery that you and my mom can go crazy decorating. And you won't have to worry about working with school. You can focus on NYADA and our family. Nothing else." Rachel felt like she was dreaming. This was too good to be true. "That is incredible. I can't believe it! But if you got a raise, why did he give you this?" She asked, holding the check up. "The raise wasn't even the best part. When I was walking out he handed me that and said it was an early wedding present. He said, and I quote Go make and honest woman out of that girl, kid. And that is exactly what I want to do. I want us to get married. I know we both wanted to do this before the baby came, and I know why we decided to wait, but now we don't have to babe. We can... I mean unless you changed your mind and want to wait, then we could if-" Rachel watched as he nervously rambled and she stood up, rounding the table quickly and sat on his lap. She put her hands on his face and pulled him in for a scorching kiss. "I want to be Mrs. Hudson more than anything in the world. Do you know how many times I wrote Mrs. Finn Hudson on my notebook or doodled Rachel Hudson on a paper in high school? It was quite scary when I think about it now, because I was probably borderline obsessed with you." Rachel said and both she and Finn laughed. "So the fact that I really get to do that makes me happier than you can imagine. So yes. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Let's call our parents tomorrow and set a date. I want you to be officially mine as soon as possible." Rachel tangled her fingers into the hair on the back of his head and pulled him back into another kiss.

Both Rachel and Finn talked non-stop about the wedding and about looking for a place. Finn said he would talk to Randy about taking a few days off once they found a place so they could get settled in and Rachel felt so much excitement building up inside. Once they finished dinner and talked a bit more, before Finn went into the restroom and started a bath. He found Rachel sitting on the couch, her iPad in hand looking up houses for rent. Finn smiled knowing she was so excited about the nursery. She had mentioned how much she wished the baby would have had a room of its own on several occasions only to follow the comments with, 'but as long as we are happy, then this place is perfect for us'. Finn didn't care how hard he had to work, or what he had to do in the future as long as he could keep the smile that was on Rachel's face right now, there permanently.

"Hey you", he whispered taking a seat next to her on the couch. "So, you made an incredible dinner and now I want to do something for you. I ran you a bath with the bubbles you like. I want you to go in there and soak and relax. I will take care of the dishes and get things turned off for bed." He said. "That is music to my ears Mr. Hudson." Rachel stood up and sat her iPad on the coffee table. Before she walked away, she stopped and reached her hand out towards Finn. "I would enjoy the bath a lot more if you would join me." She said, wiggling her eyebrows and in two seconds he was on his feet, being pulled towards the restroom.

Inside the restroom Finn pulled his shirt over his head and unbuttoned his shorts, letting them fall to the floor. His eyes locked on Rachel as she reached behind her, unzipping her dress and it falling down around her ankles. She stood in her white lacy bra and matching underwear causing Finn's mouth to go dry. As she unhooked her bra and let the straps fall down her arms he blinked quickly, not wanting to miss a second of this. She tossed her bra to the side, and the sight of her bare chest made Finn tingle in his lower parts. "God, you're beautiful." He said, stepping towards her and running his hands down the sides of her arms. Rachel looked down shyly. Finn knew how to make her feel sexy, beautiful, and desired in ways she never knew possible. The fact that he was her first made her bond to him that much stronger. "You're beautiful too, in a sexy, manly way of course." She said and he laughed. They stood there, just looking into each other's eyes before Rachel slipped her fingers into the sides of his boxers, pulling them down. Around his feet, Finn kicked them off to the side and helped Rachel take off her underwear and step into the tub. She sat down and scooted all the way forward, allowing him to slide in behind her. The water was the perfect temperature and Finn let his body sink in and rested his head back against the wall. Wrapping his arms around Rachel, he pulled her into his chest. His hands began to rub her shoulders, massaging them until she let out a small moan. "God that feels good." She said through an exhaled breath. Finn kissed the top of her shoulder and closed his eyes when he felt her hands on his thighs.

They sat in silence, simply enjoying their closeness and no words were needed. Both of their minds thinking about their future. Finn was the one to break their silence first. "Do you still have those little pink heart earrings?" He asked and Rachel made a face in confusion. "What?" She asked, leaning her head back and to the side so she could see him. "What pink earrings are you talking about? I think you're losing it babe." She said with a laugh before returning to her previous position, enjoying her massage. Then he said something that made her eyes open, her heart pound and tears to fill her eyes. "That day in the hall... when you and I ran into each other. Your papers went flying everywhere and I picked them up. I handed them to you, and it was the first time I REALLY looked at you. It was the first time I had been close enough to see how truly breathtaking you were. You had on a white sweater with a collar, a black skirt that had a matching belt and knee high white socks. But ribbon in your hair was pink and you had on these little heart earrings that were pink." He said simply. "They were really cute. And for some reason I think about us having this little girl who looks just like you, wearing these little pink earrings and I like the idea of that." He said. Rachel hadn't said a word, and Finn leaned forward to see if she was asleep. When he saw the tears running down her cheek he went into freak out mode. "Rachel? Babe are you hurting? Is the baby..." He began but she started shaking her head quickly. "I'm fine. I'm fine and the baby is fine. I just... I just can't believe you remember that. And that you remember it SO clearly. I didn't think you really noticed me. No the way I noticed you."

"Babe, I noticed you all the time. I was just too scared to approach you. Then when I heard you had joined the glee club, I went to talk to Mr. Schue as quick as I could. I wanted to be in the club even though my singing wasn't that great and we all know how bad my dancing was. But I didn't care. I joined because I knew that I would get to spend time with you. Looking back now, that was the smartest thing I ever did." Finn said and Rachel couldn't believe that she was hearing all of this. Sure he said he liked her all those years, but she had no idea that he felt the way she had and as deeply. "You joined glee for me?" She asked, and he shook his head 'yes'. "Every time we had to perform a duet, and your hand would touch mine, or we would get close, all I could think about was what it felt like to kiss you. What it would feel like to have your lips touch mine. I went to bed so many nights just dreaming about you." Rachel admitted, looking down at the water, avoiding his eyes. Remembering how sad she was, thinking how she would never find out those things made her heart ache. "I always wondered too. But now... now these lips will never kiss another. These lips were meant to kiss yours and only yours. Forever and ever." Finn pulled her into his arms, turning their bodies to face each other and their eyes were locked. "When I kiss you, I feel all of that pain from then go away. And every time you tell me you love me I feel myself fall more and more in love with you. I've been yours even before you know I was." Finn said and then he leaned in, closing the gap and claiming her lips.

They lost track of time and spent the time in the bath kissing and making out, all the memories of high school crushes and lonely nights disappearing with each kiss. Sure the road they took to get here was long, but the road they had ahead of them was endless. "I love you girl." Finn said. "I love you more." Rachel added. Finn smiled and said, "If you say so."