Puck and Finn stopped by the Hummel household before they headed off to their destination. There was no way that Gracie's dress would go without grass stains where they were headed, and Jack had been impatiently scratching at his legs for the past five minutes. Besides, Finn kept shifting back and forth as if his feet were aching, and Puck could really do with a pair of jeans himself. The four of them were quiet as they went into the silent house, individually glad for the momentary break in crowds. There had been a lot of people around and Finn knew that it had to be overwhelming for the kids; he was still trying to quiet the mental chatter going on inside his own head.

"Alright, guys, go put on play clothes," Puck said as he nodded toward the staircase. They had already laid them out before they'd headed over to the high school for the memorial dedication. "Jack, make sure that your sister puts on tennis shoes, okay? Just tie them up like we practiced last time."

"Okay, Dad," he said obediently before scampering up the stairs after his sister. Puck could hear him bossily telling Gracie to hurry up as they disappeared out of earshot.

"I never get tired of hearing that," Puck admitted as he followed Finn down the stairs toward the basement. Finn smiled over his shoulder as if to say, Tell me about it. He hung back for a moment to watch Finn carefully start to change out of his suit. He slung his silk tie over the back of his old desk chair and then worked silently to hang up his button-up shirt. Puck took a few steps toward the taller man and slid his arms around his waist. Pressing his face into the flat planes of Finn's back, Puck allowed his hands to rest comfortably on Finn's stomach and his lips to just barely tease the back of his neck. "Hey, if I didn't tell you earlier, you looked pretty incredible in that suit."

Finn turned around in the circle of Puck's arms and beamed happily. "Yeah? Mom said that the tie would match my eyes," he murmured before allowing Puck to kiss him chastely. "Speaking of my family, Kurt asked earlier if he and Blaine could take the kids out tonight. He made up some excuse about not seeing them enough, but I think he just wanted to give us some time alone."

"I vote for anything that gives us alone time," Puck smirked. It was the grin that Finn knew meant that very good (very dirty) things were to come, and he shivered in eager anticipation. "Not that I won't miss the kids, but we don't really get to spend too much time by ourselves. What do you want to do?"

"I want to get a room at that hotel where we had prom junior year and order room service after I get you very, very liquored up," Finn said seductively. It wasn't really all that sensual, but Puck had to credit his boyfriend for trying. He was usually the one to paint the picture when it came to this part of their relationship, so it was sweet of Finn to try. "And I want to sleep in very, very late tomorrow because that's something else we don't get to do much either."

Puck grinned at Finn again, the familiar pitter-patter of all the things he adoed about Finn beating proudly in his cheset. "You."

"What?" Finn asked, his eyes wide and innocent but his smile deep and knowing.

"Everything," Puck answered before sliding his fingers into Finn's hair. He cradled his head in his strong hands as he led Finn's mouth to his. It was a less than chaste kiss this time, the right mix of tongue and desire and lips and love. "I love you, Finn Hudson."

Finn didn't reply as he started to redress in an old McKinley hoodie and jeans. He just smiled the happiest little smile that Puck could imagine, one that promised they'd have tonight and thousands of other nights after this one. It wasn't too long before the kids were ambling loudly down the stairs, Jack frustrated because Gracie wouldn't let her tie his shoes and her whining because she swore that only Puck could do it without it being too tight. Finn convinced Gracie to let Jack try while Puck watched on with patient direction. Once her little pink shoes were tied just tight enough and Jack had ran back upstairs to find his Indians windbreaker, the four of them piled back into the car to head where they were going.

"Daddy, what is this place?"

"It's a cemetery, Gracie," Jack answered as Finn parked Kurt's old SUV. "This is where Mommy is, I think. Is that right, Dad?"

"Yeah," Finn answered quietly for Puck. The other man reached across the console and squeezed his hand. Finn hadn't brought the kids back here since the brief burial after the funeral. Puck hadn't been there either. He had always come out here by himself. "This is where Mommy is buried."

The four of them held hands in a straight line as they walked through the grass toward the shaded corner plot that Finn had chosen especially for Rachel. He had purchased a few of the other adjoining plots for himself and the kids. He wandered briefly where they would put Puck and made a mental note to discuss it with him later. They actually had a lot of legal issues to clear up; Finn needed to make some things official.

"Mommy loved those big white flowers," Jack said as he spotted the tombstone. Finn knew that her fathers had been there recently, and he felt guilty that they hadn't thought to bring flowers of their own.

"They're gardenias," Puck explained as he squeezed Finn's hand. He had originally planned to put the kids between them but knew that Finn could probably use his proximity right now. "My mom really likes gardenias too. They smell pretty good."

The kids took off running ahead so that they could smell the fragrant white blooms. Finn stopped and watched them for a moment, enjoying the way the slightest breeze wrapped around him in the quiet moment. He smiled to himself and then in the general direction of Rachel's grave, feeling her there with him. It had been awhile since he had been so distinctly aware of her presence. When Puck smiled softly over at him, he knew that the other man could feel it too.

"Hey, Berry," Puck murmured as they knelt down in front of the dark marble slab. Puck reached up and absently wiped away some old grass clippings with his hand, stopping to idly trace the outline of her name with his index finger. "Sorry I haven't been by since, you know, but I was never really good at being reliable and punctual, was I?"

The kids looked up at their dad and chuckled then. They really didn't know what he was talking about but could tell that he was smiling sadly and knew that the only way to fix it was with a laugh of their own. Okay, so Puck wasn't sure if they really knew all that but it worked and that was all that mattered. He settled back to sit down and pulled Gracie into his lap. Jack sat down next to him, leaning his head on Puck's bicep.

"Look how much the kids have grown, Berry," Puck said proudly. "You guys are getting bigger, aren't you?"

"The new doctor in California said I grew almost a whole inch since we went there, Mommy!" Jack said into the air proudly. "And I met a new boy in my class, William, and Daddy said that he would take us into the city to see the Indians play the Giants next month. Oh and our class has a new hamster named Hank! He's brown with white spots."

It was funny the news that was important to a five-year-old.

"My birthday is coming up. Dad and Daddy said that I could have a princess party," Gracie added. "We're going to invite all the kids in my new dance class and my friends from the park. I'm learning to ride my new purple bike with my training wheels. Dad always runs beside me and holds onto the handlebars. I think Daddy gets scared sometimes because he always holds his breath, but Dad makes sure to hold on tight and never let go."

Finn covered his mouth as he watched his partner talk to his dead wife with his kids. It was harsh to put it in those terms but that's what was happening just a few feet away, right there in front of him.

"Jack's grades are really good at his new school. The teacher said that he is at the top of his class in both math and reading. He's already even starting to spell. You'd be so proud," Puck told her. "And he's doing well with his music lessons. Finn made sure that we found a new piano teacher when we moved to Berkeley, and we're thinking about finding a voice teacher from the college to give him some lessons. He really likes being able to play outside all the time without having to worry about snow or the cold. Finn's been teaching him football. Don't worry, I'll make sure they both wear a helmet when it starts getting rough."

"And Gracie, Rach, she's just dancing up a little storm. You like ballet the best, don't you, Gracie? But we have her in a tap class and jazz too," Puck went on. "We spend a lot of afternoons at the pool while Jack and Finn are still at school. We're thinking lessons might be a good idea when it gets closer to summer. For now, we're just working on floating and blowing bubbles. She's really good at paddling around like a little motor boat."

"I make the best bubbles, Mommy!" Gracie exclaimed proudly before blowing out a raspberry to demonstrate. "It works better with water though."

Puck chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Finn is doing pretty well too. He's even starting to get a tan, can you believe it? I think he likes his new school. It's nice that he can walk with Jack on days where it's really nice. We're all going to hear his choir do a performance in a few weeks after we get home. They're no New Directions but with Finn as their director, I have no doubt they'll get there."

"Well, I think we've been talking long enough, and honestly, I don't really have much else to say," Puck said as he lifted Gracie easily out of his lap. He reached over and pressed his hand to the flat part of the grave. "I just wanted to give you a little update. I know we talk all the time, but it's been awhile since I did it out loud. I'm going to take the kids to go play now so Finn can talk to you. Try not to keep him too long though, okay? He's my man now." Finn smiled wryly at the joke. It was lame but it helped. "Guys, tell Mommy bye."

Gracie came over and threw her arms around the tombstone. It wasn't as sad as it could have been. "Bye, Mommy, I'll see you tonight in my dreams like always, okay?" she whispered loudly enough that Finn and Puck could hear her. "I love you."

"Love you, Mommy," Jack whispered a little more softly than his sister before he pressed his lips to the top of the marble in the smallest of kisses. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

Puck took each of the kid's hands in his and nodded toward a little pasture clearing where they would be able to run off some energy. "We're going to head over there," he told Finn. "Come find us when you're ready."

Finn didn't turn back to the grave immediately. He just watched the kids walk and then run with Puck toward the field. They started some elaborate game of freeze tag with elaborate rules that Finn remembered from his own childhood. He appreciated the sound of their laughter going up into the air, hoping that it drifted high enough to reach Rachel. He laughed a little himself when he realized that Puck's laughter was the loudest of all.

"Hey, Rach," Finn said finally once he had settled on the grass in front of the stone. He pressed his hand over her name just as Puck had a few minutes earlier. "Listen to them, will you? I swear, they're both so happy. I hope you know that, that you see it all the time. I've tried my very best, and I think they're doing alright."

"Noah already told you pretty much everything that we've been up to. Is it weird to hear me call him that now too? I know you used to always call him by his first name, and I guess that's who he is to me now. He's been amazing, Rach, I don't know how I could have gotten through this without him," he admitted to her. "So you visit Gracie in her dreams? I hope you check in on Jack too. I know you still come see me sometimes. I'm glad that you seem happier now. I don't want you to think that we've all just moved on, but it helps knowing that you're at peace."

Finn twirled a piece of dry grass between his index finger and his thumb. "The house sold a few weeks ago. I'm going to save most of the money for the kids' college fund. We put a little bit into the scholarship fund at the school too. I think you'd like that," he continued. "God, honey, I still miss you."

He was quiet for a few minutes, eyes closed as he listened to the distant sound of his family's laughter. "Everyone is doing okay at home. I'll try to be better about your fathers; I know that you'd probably be a little disappointed. Our friends are doing well too, though I think they were a little surprised about Noah and me. Puck is doing better too since he started seeing the military doc. Neither of us have nightmares any more. I think sharing a bed with someone again helped us both."

"And I guess that's the biggest part of why I'm here today, Rach," he told her. He looked over his shoulder at where Puck was frozen still and the kids were running in a circle around him. "I still haven't taken off my ring but I think maybe it's time, you know? He hasn't said anything but I know he thinks about it. I've given him everything else, Rach, he has my heart. I think that I need to give him this too, okay? I hope you understand. Please don't be mad. It's just time, honey."

Finn leaned over then and kissed the same place on the rock where Jack had kissed earlier. "I will always love you, Rachel Hudson," he promised before tapping the marble once more for emphasis. He winked, smiled and then left without looking back to go back to his family. "C'mon, guys, let's go home."

Later, when Finn and Puck are alone in their hotel room, Finn pressed the ring into Puck's palm. They never talked about it. Puck just put it into his wallet for safe keeping and then into the safe with Rachel's when they got home. Finn might not need it anymore, but they wanted the kids to be able to have them someday when they were older. In the meantime, Puck had the intention of replacing it with a ring of his own.