A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who reads and reviews, and to my beta luvtheheaven.

Rachel craned her neck out of Burt's pick-up truck in an effort to catch Finn coming out the airport exit. Carole had been elected to meet Finn at the baggage claim, while the others waited in their 15 minute parking spot on the street.

"Do you think he got detained?" Rachel asked.

"Finn, detained," Burt held back a laugh. "He's the last person someone would suspect of anything illegal – he looks too honest."

"Then he'd be the perfect decoy," Kurt smirked, soliciting a shove from Rachel.

Rachel's eyes lit up as she spied a familiar tall gentleman walking down the runway. "Finn!" Rachel screamed, pushing past people in front of her and jumping into his arms. "Oh Finn."

"Hey," Finn grinned, smelling her long hair. "I have missed you so much." Finn twirled her around.

"Sometimes I thought this day would never come," Rachel sighed, her feet touching the ground.

"I promised you that we'd see each other again," Finn assured her, taking her hand and walking to his mother. "Missed you," he said as Carole held him in a hug.

Burt grabbed Finn's luggage, with Rachel and Carole taking one of Finn's arms. Kurt walked beside Burt, wondering if his reunion with Blaine would be like. "It'd better be worth it," he thought to himself, stepping in line with Burt.

Rachel Berry slipped into her favorite little black dress, a mix of sexy and formal for Thanksgiving dinner. Hiram and Leroy joined forces to keep Rachel out of the kitchen, telling her that Thanksgiving was not the time to try cooking for the first time; cooking at the loft in Bushwick involved a phone, take out menus, and the occasional microwave.

A quick knock at the door made Rachel turn her head. "You're back," she said, running to Finn.

"Mom let me come here an hour early since I brought dessert – two kinds of pie, and low-fat pumpkin cookies for Burt." Rachel gratefully took the desserts and moved them to the kitchen for Leroy and Hiram to dispense after dinner. Rachel walked back to Finn and greeted him with a kiss. "You know how much I have missed doing this?" she asked.

"Not as much as I have," Finn countered, admiring Rachel's sleek appearance. "You look amazing."

"Do I?" Rachel's cheeks blushed at the compliment; she still wasn't used to people praising her physical appearance.

Finn nodded his head. "Especially after months of seeing nothing but Army uniforms," he joked, pulling her to the bed next to him. Finn slowly leaned in to inhale her flowery scent. "Do you know how much I've missed just looking at you?"

Rachel rubbed the back of Finn's neck. "You could probably change that if you wanted to," she said softly. "Come to New York with Kurt and me."

Finn slowly pulled away. "Leave the Army?"

Rachel touched Finn's arm. "Were you really planning on staying in Georgia for two years?"

"I signed on for two years –I need to honor that commitment."

Rachel started to stand, but Finn pulled her back onto the bed. "Hey-"

"Hey nothing!" Rachel said, holding her hand up in front of him. "Two years. When you put me on that train to New York, you didn't tell me two years. When you said to surrender, you didn't say two years."

"Rach," Finn shook his head in confusion. "You're going to be in school for four years. The time is going to go by really quick. And we'll still see each other on holidays; we can plan vacation days together…"

"What if I want more than just a few stray days together?" Rachel demanded, crossing her arms.

"I want that to," Finn said slowly, searching for words. "But right now it's important for both us to be able to do our own thing."

"Even if we aren't doing those things together?" Rachel asked.

Finn lifted her chin with his fingers. "I love you for wanting to pursue your dream of being on Broadway. Don't you love me for trying to clear my dad's name – for wanting to do something important with myself?"

"I love you for that and so much more," Rachel shivered under Finn's touch. "That's why this is so hard for me – being away from you, not knowing if you're going to be deployed or…"

Finn cut Rachel off with a deep kiss, causing her to lose balance. Bracing her back with his left arm, Finn held Rachel steady, slowly pulling away. "We're not at war anymore," he whispered. "The chances of me leaving the country are slim. The Army prepares and trains people year round for the worst case scenario – but we aren't there yet."

Rachel closed her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too," Finn breathed, guiding her back to the bed. "Why don't we put the rest of our alone time to good use?"

"Sounds perfect," Rachel agreed, unbuttoning Finn's shirt.