Chapter 54

"Do you want to take Fluffy with you?" She asked quietly, looking up at him from where she sat on his bed. It was Sunday afternoon and they were packing his suitcase full of the stuff that he'd need when he was home in Oregon. It wasn't going to be for long, and he still had most of his clothes there but they were organizing some of his possessions to decide what he wanted.

They'd meant to pack it on the night before, but the Glee club decided that Saturday would be the perfect time for them all to go bowling together and have a meal together at a pizza place afterwards. It was a fun experience for them, competing against one another but also just enjoying their time together. Sugar was probably the biggest surprise of the evening, being the only girl who could remotely close to combat the boys.

Rachel whose bowling experience extended to about ten trips to an alley in her entire life enjoyed watching the competitive nature of the boys; Blaine, Finn, Sam, Noah and, much to her pride, James were all amazing at it and she cheered every one of her boyfriends strikes and spares. She was very aware of the fact that it seemed to be giving James an edge, every time he got a good score she'd give him a kiss on the lips but they were all having too much fun to really care. In the end, Noah had ended up winning; scoring a crucial strike with his final bowl when Blaine and James had only managed to score spares. James didn't seem to care very much as Noah flaunted his win in the other boy's faces; her boyfriend was very much wrapped up in kissing her as she sat in his lap.

Quinn, James, Tina, Sam and Rory were all going out of state for a short period, so it really was going to be the last time they were all together until they went back to school after the winter break. They spent several hours sat together in the restaurant just generally laughing and talking about the year and their favourite moments.

"I gave it you Rach" James replied as gazes at her. "You're gonna need to cuddle him while I'm gone"

"I'm stealing a couple of your shirts to sleep in" She says, smiling at him feeling a blush coming to her cheeks. "What happens when you miss me and don't have anything to cuddle with"

He chuckles at her and climbs onto his bed next to her, kneeling in front of her as his hand comes up and pushes her bangs out of her face. "I'm going to call you every day and every night; just like when we started dating and we lived in different states"

Rachel nods her head, smiling at the thought. She loved his voice being the last thing she heard before she went to bed every night, how intimate the action was even when they hadn't admitted their love for one another.

"You need to take care of him for me" James says smirking "Fluffies gonna miss me too so you'll just have to cuddle him"

Rachel giggles, leaning into his hand as it rests on her cheek "I can do that"

"Good" He replies, leaning forward to kiss her softly on the lips several short times.

"I love you" She says as he pulls away.

"Love you too Rach" He winks at her, squeezing her thigh before he climbs of his bed again. "What shirts of mine do you want?"

"It's no fun if you let me pick" She says, grinning at him as he rolls his eyes at her. She ends up setting aside his aerosmith t-shirt; she knows that he likes that one and just the idea of sleeping in his favourite shirt is appealing to her as well as his superman t-shirt; mostly because it's the baggiest one and it goes down to her knees. They spent a further twenty minutes organizing his suitcase before he zips it up and places it near the door.

Rachel smiles at him as he makes his way over to her and climbs up on his bed, the two of them laying down next to each other. She feels him turn to gaze at her and her eyes move to meet his, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Everything okay?" She asks softly, gazing into his eyes as they flick up to meet hers.

"You're okay with me spending time with Heather right?" He asks quietly

Rachel bites her lip as she thinks about it. At first she was upset when they'd had the issue with his friend in Oregon, but when James had apologized and said that he believed her; and then finally confronted Heather about her commens to Rachel, she knew that James was hers and would never do anything to hurt her. She didn't trust the red head one bit, but she was James' friend and she knew she didn't want to stop him from seeing her, not after he hadn't seen all his friends in over two months.

"Yeah" She says nodding her head "She's your friend and I'm sure you've missed her"

"I have" He replies honestly "Heather's one of my best friends…I want to see her, talk to her; I've missed her. But I love you and I would never do anything to ruin us"

"I know baby" She says, smiling at him as she moves her hand links her fingers with one of his. "I love you too and I trust you"

"Just as I trust you" He grins, leaning over to meet their lips in a tender kiss. They stay locked for a few minutes before they separate and she hears him murmur quietly as they pull away; "I'm gonna miss kissing you"

"I'm going to miss those lips as well" She giggles, moving her thumb over his slightly swollen lips "I expect a very long make out session when you get back"

"I am more than happy to oblige with that" He laughs.

….

A couple of hours later and they are all sat in the Berry house around the table eating dinner together. Hiram and Andrea had cooked a delicious vegan meal for the five of them; full of Rachel's favorites as well as Andrea's from her restaurants.

Her Dads had insisted that they dress up for it, giving Rachel the chance to really "pretty" herself up. She had picked out a figure hugging purple dress with a beautiful lace back, loving the look she had gotten from James when he walked into her house with his mom and saw her standing in the kitchen with her Dads. He had stood there silent, completely taken in by her appearance before a playful shove from his mom had enabled him to be able to speak again.

James had walked over and kissed her tenderly before telling her that he'd never seen anyone so beautiful. While her cheeks had blushed, she felt incredible stood there with his hand resting in the small of her back, ever so slightly touching her bum, and fiddled with the collar of his tie as she said how handsome he looked. He had worn a dinner shirt and a black tie, his hair gelled to try and tame the curls but he looked amazing and she couldn't be any prouder than to sit next to him as they ate.

Andrea and her fathers were very strict when it came to alcohol, aware of the fact that their daughter and son had drunk before at parties, but they had allowed the two of them to drink a glass of wine.

The family vibe was something that she enjoyed immensely, her dads got on so well with Andrea and of course they both loved James. The smile didn't leave her face throughout the starter and main course as she listened to her boyfriend joking around with her Daddy while she happily talked away with Andrea.

"I'm not sure how I'm going to live without your bean soup" James said seriously as he was speaking with her Dad.

Hiram patted James on the shoulder "I'll miss having my food appreciated so highly. Rachel or Leroy never ask for seconds when I make it"

"It's two weeks sweetheart" Andrea said shaking her head, a slight smile on her face. "Mamia is going to spoil you with cakes and treats so you won't be hungry"

"Ah the grandmother trying to fatten her favourite grandchild up?" Leroy laughed

"She thinks that I don't eat enough because I don't have any puppy fat" James rolls his eyes.

"Mamia just wants her little piggy back" Andrea laughs

"Is that what she used to call you?" Rachel giggles and he smirks at her, nodding his head.

"I was a little chubby when I was five and I don't get to live it down" James shakes his head slightly

"Don't eat too much" Rachel teases "I like my boyfriend just as he is now"

"You wouldn't love me if I was chubby?" James laughs

"I would" Rachel replies, biting her lip. "But I happen to really like your abs"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Rachel felt her cheeks instantly blush as she realised she was surrounded by her Dads and his mom. Raising her glass to her mouth, she avoided meeting their gaze and focused solely on James, seeing his eyes widen and a definite red tinge to his cheeks.

"So…" Hiram spoke up after a few seconds, "Will you be having a New Year's party or anything?

"Yes, a friend of mine and Robert's hosts it at their house, its always so…" As Andrea starts telling Hiram and Leroy about her friends beautiful, Rachel feels James nudge her leg under the table and give her a wink as reassurance.

Andrea had brought a vegan cheesecake for them and as they were sat eating it, Rachel was giggling as James was feeding her off his spoon. When she swallowed a mouthful, James pressed his lips against hers, prying her mouth open with his tongue and Rachel grinned against him as she touched her tongue against his.

"Come on you two" Leroy voice broke them apart, Rachel blushing as she bit her lip glancing at her Daddy smiling at them.

"Sorry Daddy" She said softly, feeling James kiss her cheek; a smirk on his face. "This is really nice cake Andrea"

"I'm glad you like it sweetie" Andrea replies, smiling. "As I was saying, Hiram, you're are both invited to the opening of the restaurant in January"

"That sounds great" Hiram said, "We'll definitely be there"

"Absolutely" Leroy agreed, smiling at James' mom "When's your flight?"

"Tomorrow night at 7" Andrea says, placing her glass back down on the table. "You are sure you don't mind checking on the house for me?"

"Of course not" Leroy shook his head "We're practically family of course we'll check"

"Speaking of which" Hiram said with a smile. "We have something for the two of you"

Rachel grinned as she watched James frown slightly when Hiram and Leroy stood up and made their way out of the room. Her dads had told her of their intention to buy Andrea and James a Christmas present a couple of weeks ago and she couldn't believe how warm and fuzzy it made her feel; resulting in her giving her Dads a massive hug.

"What are they doing" James asked her and she just winked at him as her Dads walked in the room carrying two beautifully wrapped Christmas presents that they gave to James and his mom.

"We wanted to give you both a present because of how you've both treated our daughter and everything that you've done for us over the past couple of months" Hiram said with a smile.

"That's so sweet" Andrea replied laughing.

James rose from his seat and made his way to hug her Dads. Rachel grinned feeling a tear in her eye as she watched the display. "Thank you Mr Berry's, that's really awesome"

"Go on, open it and tell us if you like it" Leroy laughed, patting her boyfriend on the back.

He nodded, making his way back to sit next to her and started carefully removing the wrapping paper. Rachel giggled as she watched him, propping her head up on her hand, unwrap his present; revealing a Seahawk's scarf and hat.

"For when it gets cold in Portland" Leroy said with a smile.

Laughing, he grinned at her and her Dads. "That's really awesome"

"At least while your team is losing you can wear their colours" Rachel teased, nudging his shoulder and he rolled his eyes at her. James leaned over and kissed her sweetly on the lips, smirking as he pulled back.

"Love you munchkin" He said softly and she grinned back at him, squeezing his arm affectionately. They had bought Andrea a bottle of champagne, which she insisted they open; even allowing her and James a glass of it as they sat together toasting to many more happy times.

As great as the evening had been, Rachel was looking forward to getting James alone even more; cuddling with him on her bed as they talked, a musical playing ignored in the background.

The next morning, after their workouts, the two of them made breakfast together in her kitchen. James had been showing her over the course of the last few weeks, some of the recipes that his mom had taught him and Rachel was getting proud of the fact she was able to make those omelettes and pancakes almost as well as he could.

James gave her Dads each a hug and wished them a merry Christmas before they left for school; a smile on her face despite the fact that it was their last day together for a few weeks.

"You must be looking forward to seeing Matt and Lucy again?" Kurt asked as they set together at the end of the day outside school. Andrea was picking him from school and the two of them were going for a meal before their flight. Rachel kind of wished that she was able to go the airport with them but James had been insistent that he didn't want her to cry and have to drive alone afterwards. Instead, despite how much she wanted to be the last thing he saw of Ohio, she was going to Kurt's with Mercedes and they were having a movie marathon.

James grinned back "Yeah buddy, I am. I'm gonna miss you guys but its strange not having seen my best friends in two months"

"I bet" Mercedes agrees. Rachel nods her head, wrapping her arm tighter around James as they sit on the steps outside school. "Make sure you come back though, I'm not sure Rachel could handle it"

James laughed along with them, and even she had to giggle a little bit. "Nothing can stop me from coming back for my girl"

"Good answer" She smiles back at him as he winks at her.

They sit for another ten minutes before Andrea pulls up outside school in her volvo that Rachel and James both recognize instantly. Sighing, Rachel stands up as James hugs Blaine, Kurt and Mercedes before turning to her. She smiles, stepping into his arms as soon as he opens them and buries her head in his neck; her arms wrapping tightly around his body.

"I don't want you to go" She murmurs, nuzzling his neck with her nose.

"I know Rach" He says softly in her ear, pressing a kiss against the skin below it before he speaks again; "Two weeks will fly by and then we'll be together again"

Rachel nods against his neck, holding him tightly for another few seconds before pulling away and gazing up at him with tears in her eyes, smiling sadly as she sees his own watering. His hand comes up to rest on her cheek and he gently guides her face to his, pressing his lips against hers in a tender kiss. Rachel moans at the contact, tightening her grip on his waist as their mouths move against one another; neither of them daring to deepen it past that because it would be so hard to pull away. After around thirty seconds, James kisses her once more before he pulls back and rests his forehead against hers.

"I love you angel"

"I love you too James" She replies quietly, leaning up to kiss him chastely before releasing her hold on him and moving to stand next to Kurt; putting her head against his shoulder as her best friends arm wraps around her shoulder supportively.

"Be good you guys" James says with a sad smile

"See you in a couple of weeks" Blaine replies, waving as James winks at her before grabbing his bag and walking towards his moms car. Rachel sniffs to hold back her tears as he opens the door and with one last look, blowing her a kiss, he climbs in.

….

A few hours later, and after shedding some tears as she hugged Kurt, Rachel is actually feeling better as she's led on Kurt's bed next to him and Mercedes. They went to get some dinner together with Blaine, before the three of them headed back to Kurt's house.

They'd already watched the princess diaries and were working on the second one. She was twirling the pendant on the neck lace, the one James had gotten her for her birthday, subconsciously as she watched the film. He was on his flight home by now, having text her about a half hour before they went through to the terminal and was just waiting to know when they'd arrived home.

"There's a holiday market on Thursday" Kurt said as he was talking to Mercedes, making plans for their winter break. "We could go down and see what little trinkets and things there are"

"Sounds good to me" Mercedes replied "What do you think Rachel?"

"I think it's a great idea" She says with a smile. "My Dads are working all the way up to Christmas eve so count me in"

"Have you got Blaine's Christmas present yet?" Mercedes asked

"Please" Kurt said smiling "I've had Blaine's present for weeks already"

Rachel giggled at that, she'd been exactly the same; caught up the excitement of buying her boyfriend a Christmas present for the first time.

"What did you get him?" Rachel said with a wide smile

"A new bowtie" Kurt replied grinning "And just a cute scarf and glove set"

"I bet he's going to love that" Rachel says

"Are you and James doing Christmas presents?" Kurt asked as he reaches for some popcorn

"Yea, we are" Rachel nods her head. "We're not exchanging them until he comes back though, we're having our own little Christmas day when my Dada go back to work; you know, staying in bed in our pyjamas cuddling all day watching movies"

"Sounds perfect" Mercedes said with a kind smile

Rachel nods her head, grinning widely "But I got him this really cute shirt and this scrapbook full of pictures of us. I think he'll really love it"

"That sounds so amazing" Mercedes replies smiling. "Any idea what he's got you?"

"Not a clue" She giggles "I tried getting it out of him but no luck on that front"

"He managed to resist you for once?" Kurt teased

"I know!" Rachel exclaims and then laughs "But he's promised me that I'll love it and he's never let me down before"

"That really just sounds perfect" Kurt replies "I can't wait to see what he buys you. Speaking of boys buying us presents; a little curly haired birdie told me that Sam has got something for you Mercedes"

"He does?" Mercedes asked, a smile coming on her face. "That boy needs to stop trying to woo me; I'm with Shane"

"Don't pretend like you don't enjoy it" Rachel laughed

"It's nice…" Mercedes admits "But I don't want to get into anything with Sam while I'm still with Shane"

Rachel nods smiling as Kurt reaches across and squeezes her hand as he opens his mouth; "Anyway, what we need to talk about is…"

The rest of the evening is enjoyable and Rachel giggles as they joke around. It's nice to spend some alone time with her two best friends and to enjoy their company. She gets a nice boost when a couple of hours later she gets to hear James' voice as he calls her from the airport in Portland after is flight lands. He tells her that he misses her like crazy but he'll speak to her in the morning and after exchanging "I love you's" she snuggles into bed with Kurt and Mercedes, a content smile on her face as she dozes off.