Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
"The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday," Finn said eagerly. He went around to the other side of the car and took Scott's baby carrier out of it, smiling when he saw that the six-month old baby was asleep.
Rachel got climbed out of the car, looking as though she wanted to sleep as well. Still, she gave her husband a tender, amused smile. "Every holiday is your favorite, Finn."
Okay, so that was completely true. Finn Hudson loved holidays. "But who doesn't love a holiday, Rach? Christmas you get presents and you can spend time with your family. Thanksgiving has a ton of fantastic food. Halloween you get to dress up and get free candy. And Fourth of July has cookouts and fireworks!"
At the mention of said fireworks, Rachel's brow furrowed and she looked down at their sleeping son. "Do you think Scott will be okay with the fireworks?" she asked, her voice full of concern. "Will he be afraid of them?"
"I think Scott will be just fine," Finn said as he wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. He pressed a kiss to Rachel's forehead, and she gave him a sweet smile. "Besides, it's not like my mother will let anything happen to Scott. As soon as she sees him, neither of us will exist anymore and it'll be all about Scott."
Finn and Rachel were at Finn's parents' house outside the city, spending the Fourth of July at the picnic they were having. And it was true about Carole; once she saw her grandson, it was like no one else even existed. Scott was probably Carole's favorite person in the whole world, not that either Finn or Rachel minded. They both loved that Scott had such doting grandparents.
Rachel smiled adoringly down at her tiny son, who was just waking up. He blinked up at Rachel with eyes identical to hers, keeping them trained on his mother. "That's definitely true," Rachel said with a laugh.
They entered the Hudson-Hummel house, and Finn set the baby carrier down. As he began to expertly unclip his son from the seat, he called out, "Mom? Burt? We're here!"
"Finn!" Carole came out from the kitchen, an apron wrapped around her waist and a dishtowel in her hands. She hugged Rachel and then Finn, kissing both of their cheeks. "Rachel! We're so glad that you could come. How are you?"
"We're doing just fine," Rachel said. It was at that point that Carole caught sight of Scott, so she had pretty much lost the older woman's attention. She had already taken little Scott from Finn's arms, much to the amusement of his parents. Still, Rachel asked, "Carole, is there anything that we can help you with?"
Even as she spoke, a big yawn escaped Rachel's mouth. She blushed and pressed a hand to her mouth, giving her mother-in-law an apologetic look. Finn chuckled and pressed a kiss to Rachel's temple, smoothing his hand over her back soothingly. Rachel bit back a noise of appreciation as she sank further into Finn's embrace.
"Oh no," Carole said dismissively. "We don't need any help at all." Noticing how tired both her daughter-in-law and son looked, Carole smiled. "Why don't the two of you head up to your room and relax? I'll take care of Scott and Burt, Kurt, and Blaine will help me finish getting ready for the party. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sure?" Rachel asked. "We couldn't ask you to—"
"Go," Carole said firmly. "The two of you are new parents and you need all the rest that you can get. I'll be just fine bonding with my grandson."
Finn knew that Rachel needed some rest, and honestly, a nap sounded amazing right now. Without giving Rachel more time to protest, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, grabbed their bags, and began to steer her towards the stairs.
Rachel tried to tell Finn that they should go back downstairs and set up, but he led her towards the bed and gently pushed her down onto it. Even though she kept telling Finn that they should at least go say hello to everyone else, she curled up on the bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin.
Looking at Finn with sleepy eyes, Rachel patted the spot next to her. "Come cuddle," she said.
Well, Finn couldn't exactly say no to that, could he? He could never say no to Rachel. He crawled into the bed next to her and she curled up in his arms, her head on his chest. Finn slung an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him and placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Love you," Rachel mumbled before her eyes drifted shut.
Finn smiled and brushed her hair back from her face. "Love you too, Rachel."
It was an hour later and the party was in full swing. Carole hadn't seen her son and daughter-in-law since she had sent them upstairs. With Scott tucked in her arms, Carole headed up the stairs and to the guest room down at the end of the hall. She knocked on the door, pushing it open when she didn't get a response right away.
What Carole saw made her smile. She took a moment to just watch them and then looked down at her grandson, her smiling widening even more when she saw how Scott was watching his parents.
Finn was sprawled out on his back on the bed with Rachel curled up on his chest, and his arms were wrapped around her. They were completely out of it in a deep, restful sleep, and Carole knew that she couldn't wake them up.
"It looks like it's Mommy and Daddy's nap time," Carole whispered to Scott as she shut the door quietly behind her. "We'll leave them alone for a little while."
Author's Note: Thanks for reading!