Chapter 26

"Sweetheart?" She heard Leroy's voice call from further within the house as Rachel closed the front door behind her. Closing her eyes, Rachel lent her forehead against the door, letting out a large sigh as she tried to calm herself and put a smile on her face before she faced her dads. She stood there for a few seconds before she heard her dads voice again; "Rachel, is that you sweetie?"

"Yeah Dad, it's me" Rachel replied, opening her eyes as she stepped away from the door. After finding out about the Maria call back; she, Blaine and Kurt had been slushied by three of the Neanderthal jocks. It hadn't been the first time, nor would it be the last time that it happened to her; but with the day and week that she'd had, it made her feel like absolute crap. She had practically broken down in tears in the girls toilets with Blaine and Kurt as they helped her wash the stuff from her hair. Luckily, she had a spare change of clothes in her locker that Blaine was kind enough to go and collect for her as she hugged Kurt tightly. Ever the amazing friend, he tried to cheer her up; whispering soothing things in her ear and reminding her that she was going to be able see James in a few hours' time. That had cheered her up, but a niggling thought in the back of her mind was that she wished he was there right then. The two of them had both hugged her as they dropped her off at her house, informing her they were excited for her birthday party the next day.

"We're in the kitchen baby girl" Hiram's voice came a few seconds later and Rachel smiled knowing that both her Dads had finished work for the weekend and wouldn't be going back until Tuesday. As their only child, they had always made sure to spend several days spoiling their little girl before and after her birthday. If they hadn't been picking up James and Matt tonight; the three of them would have gone out to dinner, but she knew that instead they were more than happy to include her boyfriend and his best friend in their dinner plans at home.

Taking a final deep breath, Rachel put a smile on her face before picking up the plastic bag that she had put her wet slushie covered clothes in and walked through her house towards the kitchen. As she entered the living room, the smell of her Dads cooking wafted through her nostrils, the smile on her face grew and became a natural one. Hiram was making his famous bean soup that they all knew James absolutely loved, the care that they were taking for her boyfriend truly making her heart swell with happiness.

Turning the corner, she entered the kitchen to the sight of both of her Dads stood around the stove talking to one another; and when her shoes made a clapping noise on the laminate flooring they turned around and smiled at her. The smiles didn't last long on their faces when they saw the sadness in their daughter's eyes. Rachel watched as Leroy frowned and followed his gaze as it moved from her face to the bag in her hand; when she looked at her Dad's face again he saw a questioning look and her eyes fell from his as she moved towards the washing room.

Her Dad touched her arm softly as she tried to walk past him, and she bit her lip as she turned to face her father trying to stop herself from crying because she knew he was going to be angry and upset at how she had been treated. In the past, he had been seething at seeing his daughter submitted to this abuse.

"What happened sweetheart?" Leroy asked with a frown on his face as she looked at him and tried to give him a weak smile.

"Nothing, I'm okay" Rachel replied, a smile on her face as her Dads expression softened.

"Baby girl, did you get slushied again?" Hiram asked, stepping away from the stove and touching his daughter's cheek with his hand. Wordlessly, Rachel nodded at her Dads before looking down embarrassedly, hating the fact that she had to admit to them the sort of abuse she suffered at school.

"I am absolutely sick of this" Leroy spoke angrily to her admission, the decibel's in his voice rising. Rachel flinched at the sound of his voice, looking up with a sad look on his face as he took the bag out of her hand and headed towards the laundry room to empty her clothes in the washer. She looked at her daddy who returned her sad smile and pulled her closer to him, cuddling into his side as her Dad's voice continued to ring out. "How many times have I called that school and complained about this? It is disgusting that they still allow those things on campus!"

"Darling, remember your blood pressure; calm down" Hiram pleaded with his husband as Leroy walked back into the room and threw the plastic bag in the bin.

"No, I won't calm down; I am going down to that school on Monday to force that school to stop people from bullying my little girl!" Leroy fumed, stomping his way back over to them and sitting down on the stools by the breakfast counter.

"Daddy" Rachel whined softly, stepping out from under her Dad's arm and moved towards her father. When she approached, he lifted his hands and pushed her bangs out of her face. "Please don't make a big deal out of this"

"Rachel, how can I sit back and let you get bullied like this" Leroy asked, raising his eyebrows to emphasise his question to her.

"It doesn't really bother me anymore" Rachel said in attempt to reassure him. Alright, she might have been lying to him about how much it got to her; but really, there was no point in her Dad getting worked up about it. At the end of the day she was feeling so down, not because of the slushie attack, but with the week as a whole; and she knew when it came to her birthday the next day everything would be better surrounded by her friends and her boyfriend. "Please, Daddy; I'm fine really"

Leroy stared at her for a few moments before he sighed and nodded at her, before leaning forward and pressing a tender kiss against her forehead. She smiled at him as he pulled back and moved his hand away from her cheek. "Alright sweetheart, did you have a good day at school?"

"Yeah" Rachel replied, licking her bottom lip as she thought back to horrible to her day at been. "I found about the Maria audition today"

"Did you get the role?" Hiram asked, touching her shoulder softly before he moved back towards the stove to finish cooking dinner.

"Not yet" Rachel shrugged, sitting down on another stool at the breakfast counter; resting her head on her palm. "There's a call back next week and we're both singing "Out here on my own""

"Ooooh a Fame song. My favourite " Hiram replied, and Rachel couldn't help but giggle at her dad while her Daddy rolled his eyes. "You'll be amazing on it baby girl"

"Thanks Dad" Rachel said as she smiled widely at them; feeling a lot better since she had gotten home from school, her Dads knowing how to cheer her up as they continued to talk about her call back for a few minutes before they started talking about the weekend. The three of them laughed and talked as they sat around in the Berry household together for a further couple of hours; Rachel just glad to be able to sit around and enjoy herself without worrying about someone slushieing her at school or calling her mean names behind her back.

A couple hours later, at around about 7:30; the Berry family sat down to eat dinner before they would head to the airport to pick up James and Matt. At Rachel's insistent, and much to her father's laughter, they had agreed to head to the airport for just after nine to wait for their flight to land before they came home with James and Matt. Her Dad had made enough of his bean soup for the two boys to enjoy when they came home; knowing that the food on the air plane would be awful. After they ate, the three of them stood together in the kitchen cleaning up as they always did as a family. Rachel's mind was drifting off, as she stood with a happy smile on her face, thinking towards when she would be reunited with James; how it would feel to be able to hold him and kiss him as well as the amazing feeling of his arms around her when she would be sharing her bed with him.

"Sweetie?" Leroy asked and Rachel's attention snapped back the room, blushing at the amused looks on her Dads faces.

"Sorry, did you say something?" Rachel asked, returning to scrubbing the plate that she had in her hand.

"We were just asking you if you were going to get ready to go the airport" Hiram replied, chuckling lightly. "And to point out that you've been cleaning that dish for about ten minutes now"

All three of them laughed loudly, before Rachel put the dish on the rack to dry, her cheeks blushing furiously as she leaned up and kissed both of her dads on the cheek before turning and leaving the room; shouting over her shoulder before she left "I won't be long! Just going to make sure my room is tidy and grab my purse"

"Alright sweetheart" Was the last thing she heard before she disappeared up the stairs and headed towards her bedroom. Opening the door; she stepped inside, a small smile on her face as she made her way into the bathroom and saw the gap she had made on her counter for his night bag. After a few minutes making sure that it was clean, she headed and sat on the edge of her bed, gazing with a relaxed smile at the picture of the two of them on her bedside cabinet. She sat there for around a quarter of an hour, as the happy memories of the time they had spent together so far in their relationship; glad that he was going to be here for her birthday and for the weekend before he had to go back home.

"You ready baby girl?" Rachel looked up and saw Leroy standing in her doorway and she smiled at him having already put his black leather coat on. Letting out a sigh, she stood up and nodded at him; grabbing her coat from her desk chair before heading over and cuddling into her Dad's side as the two of them walked out of her room, down the hall and steps before the three of them settled into her Dad's car.

….

Around half an hour later, the three of them had arrived at the airport nearby to Lima and had tried to pass the last hour by standing around in the terminal foyer as they waited for James and Matt's flight to arrive in Ohio. The first thing that Rachel had done was to drag her Dad over to the arrivals board, as Leroy parked the car in the lot, and check when the flight was due to arrive. Much to her disappointment, despite her complete and utter happiness at being so close to being reunited with her boyfriend, and it wasn't really a disappointing thing; their flight hadn't run into any unscheduled changes and would be arriving at the scheduled time of around 9:55pm in Ohio.

Her Daddy had found them a few minutes later and after giving her a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder after Rachel told him that James and Matt's flight wasn't going to arrive earlier; the three of them headed to the Starbuck's and got something hot to drink as they sat down to pass the time. Rachel was barely listening to the conversations were having about Leroy's work while she gazed out into the terminal foyer as she nervously bit her lip waiting for the flight to be announced.

As the clocked ticked closer to ten o'clock, her phone buzzed with a message; snapping her attention from watching the arrivals screen and she was a little disappointed when she saw that it was Kurt who had sent her a message asking whether or not she had picked James and Matt up from the airport.

Hey! Have you picked lover boy and Matt up yet? Xx

Rachel giggled softly, before smiling at the kindness of her best friend as she typed her response;

No! Waiting for them right now, text you later xx

"Sweetheart" Rachel ears perked up as she heard her Dad address her, and she looked at him with a smile on her face.

"Yeah Dad?" She asked sweetly, creasing her eyebrows at him as he indicated back to the arrivals screen with his head.

"They just announced the boys flight has landed" Was what she heard as she saw the message on the arrivals screen confirming what he had said; that James and Matt's flight had just arrived followed by laughter from her Dad's as she jumped up and headed towards the hallway where the flights passengers would be coming through in a few minutes. Leroy and Hiram walked together, hanging a few steps behind her as they wanted to give their Daughter the opportunity to greet James without them.

Rachel paused by a barrier and leaned on it as she took her bottom lip in between her teeth, chewing on it softly as she stared out looking for James and Matt. After around ten minutes of standing, rising onto the tips of her toes every few minutes to try and get a look over the tops of heads, as she watched people exit the terminal into the foyer through the arrivals corridor. Rachel was getting frustrated at not being able to spot either of the boys from Oregon as more and more people filed through; except for the two she wanted.

A few more minutes passed before she checked her phone again to make sure that both of them had gotten on their flight okay, and she felt her heart drop a little bit when the only one she had from James was the one that he had sent earlier in the day telling her that him and Matt were getting on the plane. Rachel felt someone touch her shoulder and she turned to look at her Dad, who gestured towards the hallway and she quickly jerked her head forwards and saw what he wanted her to see.

A large smile crossed her face as she spotted the two people that she had been waiting to see for the entire week; with one of them looking particularly handsome. James and Matt were walking side by side down the corridor towards the foyer laughing at something they were talking about, and as they came closer she saw them each carrying a small bag over their shoulders. The first thing that she noticed was how perfect her boyfriend look. James' hair had been cut since she had talked to him on Skype on Wednesday evening; it was now back to the short length that it had been when she met him on that first day in New York over the summer. Just as it had done then, the sight of him made her legs turn to jelly and she felt incredibly attracted to him. Her eyes couldn't help but roam down his body and saw him wearing a pair of his trademark black skinny jeans as well as a thin red woolly jumper thrown over a collared t-shirt she could see peeking out of the top of it.

Next to him was Matt in his usual smart looking appearance; in a casual shirt and a pair of baggier blue jeans. His were the first pair of eyes that meant hers, and she smiled at him as he shot her a wink and she giggled as he saluted her. Biting her lip, Rachel moved her gaze from Matt, and to her boyfriend next to him. If her she had been smiling before, then as she looked at James her face erupted into an even large one, the largest, widest grin possible. He had stopped walking a few metres behind Matt who paused and laughed back at him. She and James' eyes remained locked for several moments, which across the foyer felt like an eternity, as they both grinned at one another with complete love in their eyes.

His eyes drifted away from hers for a moment as Matt made a comment to him, and she giggled as he rolled his eyes at Matt before he started walking towards her again. Rachel raised her hand and waved at him as he returned it with a huge smirk on his face as he came closer to her, every one of the steps he took caused her heart to beat faster and louder until he arrived in front of her. Ducking under the barrier, Rachel stepped towards him quickly as he dropped his bag on the ground next to him as she jumped into his arms, his strong arms scooping her up in his embrace as they met. Overwhelmed with happiness, she buried her head into the curve of his neck, smiling widely against his skin, as Rachel felt a feeling of calm and serenity come across her in the arms of the man she loved. The pain of the past week washed away by the simple ability of being able to hold James close.

Rachel laughed as after a few seconds of the two of them stood there settled in each other's arms, James picked her up and spun her around on the spot as he smirked against her skin as she she let out a happy yelp. Rachel held onto him tighter as he returned her to the ground again, pressing a soft kiss against his neck before she pulled away from him when she felt him pull away slightly. Rachel pressed a kiss against his lips, remembering the same enjoyable tingle the contact left before looking up and meeting his gaze again as she saw him lick his lips to taste hers. She grinned at him as she saw the sparkle in his eyes, full of love for her and happiness at being reunited with her; Rachel felt as though she was at home here in his arms, that nothing else would ever be better than seeing him again.

"Hi" James gentle voice was music to her ears, and she couldn't have helped her face splitting into an even bigger smile at hearing him speak in person even if she wanted to. The times they had spoken down the phone and also on Skype coming nowhere close to doing the beauty and truthfulness of his voice enough justice. "I love you"

"Baby" She replied, giggling softly as she felt her eyes well with tears and she moved her hands to his cupping his face gently in her palms, to assure herself he was actually there. After taking a breath to stop herself from crying, she returned her gaze to his and saw that his tears had started to roll down his cheeks as they hit her thumbs which were rubbing gentle circles on his skin. "I love you too"

James grinned at her before stepping closer to her as he lowered his head towards her to join their lips, and Rachel felt a uncontrollable force tilt her head upwards to meet him as her hands fell to his neck as his squeezed her waist gently.

Rachel moaned into his mouth, her body reacting to his as she pulled his body closer to her as their lips moved against each other's. After a few chaste, tender kisses Rachel smiled against James as she felt him run his tongue across her bottom lip, opening her mouth as he slipped his tongue in; and when it met hers, she felt the heat bloom in her loins as they explored each other's mouth, finally able to taste the person she loved with all her heart. The intimacy of their embraces had increased the last few times they had kissed, and she wasn't surprised when she felt his hands move and grip her bottom gently, and she groaned against his lips as she linked her hands behind his neck keeping him closer as they continued to kiss and show each other how much they loved and how much they had missed each other.

After a couple of minutes of the two of them just stood there with their lips joined together, Rachel pulled back and placed a tender kiss against her lips before resting her forehead against his. She opened her eyes and gazed into his as she stroked his neck gently with her thumbs; his hands gently moving around her waist and even through the clothes she was wearing she could feel the relaxing sensation his touch was providing.

"You look beautiful" Rachel smiled as she heard the words leave his mouth, and she giggled at him before pressing a kiss against his lips before the two of them stepped away from each other. James lent down and picked up his bag, putting it over his shoulder before she stepped and cuddled into his side as his other arm wrapped around her shoulders as they walked towards where her Dad's were stood talking with Matt. Rachel blushed as she wondered how long the two of them had been kissing and how oblivious she had been to her surroundings as they were kissing.

"About time you two came up for air" Matt said with a smirk on his face as she and James approached her Dads. Rachel giggled nervously and bowed her head for a moment as she felt James squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. Looking up into his handsome face again, she smiled at him as he winked at her before removing himself from her hold as they reached her parents.

"Mr Berry's" James said confidently, just as he always sounded talking to her dads; so completely calm and collected when talking with her admittedly scary parents. Rachel bit her lip at the slight red tinge to his cheeks as he offered his hand to Leroy first.

Leroy chuckled at the boy before stepping forward and embracing James tightly, winking at her as peered over her boyfriends shoulder. After a couple of seconds, the two pulled away and Leroy moved his hands to James' shoulders and she saw him squeeze them. "How many times have I told you, you can call me Leroy"

"I'm sorry" James smirked, glancing at her before moving to hug Hiram. As he pulled away, he spoke again "Force of habit"

"Don't apologize son. We love how polite and respectful you are" Hiram replied seriously as they separated.

"No hug for me Berry?" Matt teased as she turned to him, rolling her eyes at him as James laughed to her side before stepping forward and hugging him. "I missed you too midget"

"I'm glad you could make it" She replied, pulling back and smiling at him before stepping back over to her boyfriend and cuddling into his side. "Both of you"

"Wouldn't have dreamt of staying away" James said softly, and she smiled at him as she tilted her head up asking for a kiss. As always, he was powerless to refuse and their lips met briefly before he hugged her again; nuzzling her neck with his nose as he whispered; "I love you baby"

...

A/N : Just a short chapter to get James in Ohio ready for Rachel's birthday :-)