A/N: I am still looking for a beta if anyone is interested in the role. Thanks to all who read and review.
"Bowling?" Quinn scrunched up her nose. "Sounds awful." Quinn laid another dress on her bed for Rachel to try on for the dinner between the Hummel-Hudson and Berry family.
"It was pleasant," Rachel said diplomatically. There had been no serious talking going on, more of a casual hang out between boyfriend and girlfriend.
"Sounds fascinating," Quinn said dryly.
"Being with Finn doesn't have to be 'fascinating'. Every time with him is special," Rachel insisted. "We won't get that many more days together till maybe summer."
"This this dress on for size," Quinn suggested, presenting Rachel with a satin cranberry number.
Rachel ducked into Quinn's vanity bathroom. "What's going on with you out East? Any new guys?"
"Men, all men, and plenty of them. I am playing the field. There's a certain professor on my radar." Quinn fluffed her hair in the full-length floor mirror.
"Well we can't all be so blessed with options," Rachel pointed out, stepping onto the floor.
"You and Finn are the blessed ones," Quinn promised, taking Rachel's hands.
Rachel nodded in agreement. "There's a certain topic me and my blessed boyfriend haven't really talked about yet – from senior year."
Quinn reached in her jewelry box for a pair of sterling silver earrings. "Might as well go all out," she advised. "I'm guessing you're talking about his impromptu proposal."
"We nearly got married," Rachel laughed. "And neither one of us talks about it in our letters or when we're together."
"There's no time like the present – mention it tonight, alone of course."
"Where do I start?"
"You're asking me for advice on talking to Finn? Talking to Finn was never one of my strong points," Quinn reminded her. Her relationship with Finn was mostly physical, nothing below the waist, until she became pregnant with Puck's baby sophomore year, which ended her relationship with Finn seemingly for good. "Just talk to him like you normally would," she shrugged. "Do you want to be engaged?"
Rachel thumbed the loaned earrings. "No," she admitted. "We're both so busy with our lives, and Finn isn't planning on walking away from the Army any time soon. If we stayed engaged, it would be a long engagement – it would feel just like 'dating'."
"So mention the dating part. Do you still have the ring?"
Rachel nodded her head. "I haven't been wearing it though – don't want to send the wrong message at NYADA."
Quinn pointed for Rachel to turn and face herself in the mirror. "You have the perfect outfit, and deep down you know what you want – so just speak from the heart."
Rachel smoothed her hair once more in her bedroom. Kurt, Finn, Burt, and Carole were all expected at the house any second. Rachel reached for Finn's engagement ring. Proper form would indicate to give it back, until they were both ready to consider a formal engagement. Taking one last look at the ring, Rachel nodded her head for confidence. Both of her dads would support her decision, and she had a feeling Carole and Burt felt the same as well.
The final ring of the doorbell reminded Rachel that it was time to go and talk to Finn, alone first before they talked to anyone else.
"Blaine!" Rachel called out, spying her friend coming in with the Hudson-Hummels. "What are you doing here?"
"He came over today," Kurt said. "And I invited him to dinner – I hope that's okay."
"More than okay," Rachel said on the final step.
Kurt leaned into Rachel. "I figure you pairing off with Finn, Blaine and I can keep talking and our parents can just be on their own."
"Glad you two are talking," Rachel said, patting Kurt's arm.
"There's my girl," Finn said, pulling her from Kurt.
Rachel let out a content sigh. She would never tire of hearing him call her 'his girl'. "I thought we'd go talk upstairs," Rachel suggested.
"You two keeping the door open?" Burt laughed.
"It's nothing like that," Rachel said quickly, tugging Finn upstairs.
"I'm glad someone reminded them about doors," Hiram pointed out as Leroy shepherded the grownups into the living room area.
Finn took a seat on Rachel's bed. "You look great."
"I feel great," Rachel said.
"Burt didn't mean anything by his joke," Finn assured her. "He's cool."
Rachel tucked her hair behind her ear, reaching for the ring on her vanity. "I was hoping we could talk alone before we talk to everyone."
Finn eyed the ring out of the corner of his eye. "Rachel we don't have to do this now."
"If we don't talk about it now, I don't think we ever will. We don't talk about it in our letters or over the phone."
"I proposed and you said yes." Finn started to feel a little defensive. "Are you changing your answer? I know you haven't been wearing your ring."
"The ring would bring up too many questions at school," Rachel said slowly. "We're both barely 18."
"I am at least four months older than you," Finn reminded her.
"It's not so much that I'm changing my answer as that I'm wanting us to wait."
Finn lowered his head. "Leroy was asking me if we were still engaged, and I didn't know what to tell him."
"That's my point," Rachel insisted. "If we can't tell people that we're getting married, maybe it's good to wait, to just –"
"Date?" Finn finished.
Rachel nodded her head. "When we get engaged, I want it to be real, and full of wedding planning and friends and family, when we're both ready to set a date for our future."
"Our future is together," Finn insisted. "Even if I'm in Georgia while you're in New York. We don't have to be in the same state to have a future together."
"I want us to be together when we're engaged. Whether that means I move closer to Georgia or you move closer to New York."
"You have three years of school."
"And you have a several year commitment to the Army."
"So you want to wait?"
"Don't you? Have you told anyone on base that you're engaged?"
"I named my gun after you. And I've mentioned you before as my girlfriend."
"But not as your fiancée?"
"No," Finn said quietly. "But you did last month."
"I was overcome with the holidays. And we are nowhere near setting a date. So rather than have a seven year long engagement, we could get engaged when we're good and ready." Rachel handed Finn the ring. "I fully expect to get that back one of these days," she pointed out.
"It's made for you," Finn whispered.
"We are made for each other – that's how I know we'll find each other again."
"So we tell our folks tonight?"
Rachel nodded. "Before I go back to school and you go back to the Army."
Finn kissed Rachel's hand. "One question before we head downstairs: is that Brody guy still tutoring you in dance?"
Rachel pulled her hand away, feeling her body turn cold. "Brody Weston?"
"You're done with dance class for the semester, right?"
"I'm taking another dance and movement class next semester – with Cassandra July."
"So Brody will still be working with you one on one?"
"We haven't actually talked about that but, probably," Rachel said quickly.
"Are you two good friends outside of class?"
"We talk from time to time, and he helped me with Winter Showcase." Rachel looked at Finn. "Why are you asking?"
"Just wondering about how you spend your time in New York while I'm away."
"Brody has a girlfriend," Rachel said, knowing full well that she was lying. Brody had told her he had many women that were friends, but wasn't much of a monogamous dater.
"Well great," Finn said, feeling relieved.
"Should I be wondering about you and any of the women at the camp?" Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's mostly guys," Finn explained. "Nothing much to explain."
"As long as you're safe."
"I will let you know when I'm not," Finn promised.
"I'll do the same," Rachel agreed. "Shall we go tell our folks?"
Finn followed behind her as Rachel once again took center stage.
To Rachel's delight, no one objected or questioned their logic. Having gotten the conversation out of the way, the families began their dinner together.
"Is it too soon to plan the next family dinner?" Carole asked as everyone gathered at the table.
"I have spring break in March this year," Rachel said.
"And you're both coming home, no big spring break party plans?" Leroy asked, referring to Rachel and Kurt.
"Planning on it," Kurt said, sharing a look with Rachel.
"I don't know if I can get leave in three months," Finn said. "But I promise to try."
"Good enough for me," Burt said biting on a piece of bread.
"Good enough for everyone," Leroy seconded.