Sorry about the delay in releasing this part; it was my older brother's birthday this weekend, and the party took up a lot of time! Thank you so much to everyone who has favorited and alerted my story, and an extra-special THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed me!
D-DAY!
March 7
Finn was yawning as they drove away at 6AM, with Carole and Kurt waving them off before heading back to bed. Rachel was going through the backpack she'd given Kurt two days ago and asked to keep for her, in case Terri ambushed her for being in public.
"Alright. There's the copy of my application form and all the paperwork in the pink folder. Check. In the gold star folder, my sheet music for the singing review, including alternates in case someone has the same pieces, check. Copies of my monologues for the drama review, check. My yoga pants and tank top for the dance review, check. My wallet, check. Airline tickets, check." Rachel gasped in horror, "Oh no!"
"What?" exclaimed Finn, almost running over the curb.
Rachel looked at him, aghast. "You're allowed to wear whatever you wish for the acting and singing reviews, but I need a proper costume to be comfortable, and I couldn't bring a real dress with me – I could only fit the dance review outfit in my bag. Finn, I'm in a denim mini and a sweater for traveling; I'll be okay for the interview, but I can't audition like this! I'd spend the entire time distracted by how unprofessional I looked. Is there any chance we could find something in the airport stores? They're bound to have something at JFK-"
"Rachel, it's cool." Finn grinned and nodded to the back of the car. "Back seat."
Ignoring the traffic laws for possibly the first time in her life, Rachel unfastened her seatbelt and scrambled into the backseat, almost falling onto the garment bag that was spread across it. Hastily, she unzipped it, only to freeze in horror at the first glimpse of cerise.
"Finn, this is my maid of honor dress! I'll be laughed off the stage!"
"Have a look at the whole thing - Kurt told me that he performed an emergency surgery on it. He'll do the same thing for Santana and Brittany at the final dress fitting this morning, he said, as a public service."
Well, if Kurt said he'd taken care of it... Rachel unzipped it all the way, and found... no ruffles whatsoever. Not a single oversized bow. No thick bands of sequins, and the floor-length empire-waisted sash was now only a couple of fingers wide, tying in a cute bow beneath her bust. With the ruffles gone, the sleeves came halfway down the bicep, and Kurt had used some of the excess material from the satin sash to make them into lantern sleeves to match Quinn's. The satin also edged a much lower-cut neckline, which now bordered on racy without crossing over it. It looked like Kurt had cut the skirt to above-knee-length, too, so at least she wouldn't trip over it, and used more of the satin for a narrow trim on the new hem.
"Okay, well, this is much better. I'm not sure how good I'll actually look, but at least I won't make anyone else faint." Rachel sighed in relief, and climbed back into the front passenger seat.
As they left Lima city limits, Journey's 'Don't Stop Believing' came on, and Rachel laughed. "Brings back memories, huh?"
Finn laughed back. "This was the first song we ever sang together."
"Thank you so much for picking me up from ballet, Finn," Rachel told him politely. "I really appreciate it. I don't mind the walk at all, but after a long class it can be very tiring."
"It's okay, Rachel. It's pretty much on the way to my house, anyway."
Only if he came straight from school, though. Finn had actually been home already, when Quinn called him up and demanded he pick Rachel up, because there was no way she could let the Cheerios leave the field after the pathetic practice they'd had.
He didn't save his game, drag on his sneakers and do it because of Quinn. He did it because his heart twisted in his chest at the thought of tiny Rachel anxiously waiting outside her dance studio for a ride that would never come (and knowing Rachel, she'd spend twenty minutes dreading that Quinn had been in an accident, before it ever occurred to her that maybe Quinn had just been thoughtless enough to stand her up), before sadly walking home, dragging her feet the whole way.
Little did they know, between ballet, voice, and rehearsals, this would be only the first of many car trips they'd take together. Quinn didn't like rearranging her life to accommodate her sister's activities, and saw no reason to when she had an obliging boyfriend to do it for her.
As they turned onto the main road, Rick Springfield's 'Jesse's Girl' came on the radio.
"Oh, I love this song!" Finn exclaimed, turning up the volume. Four bars later, Finn started singing along.
Rachel watched him in utter fascination the whole time, admiring his natural performance. Yes, his technique was fairly raw, but there was something appealing in his unaffected delivery that seemed to bring out the emotions behind the song even more.
At the end of the song, Finn ended with an imitation drum-noise, and only then seemed to remember his passenger.
"Oh, Rachel! Man, I didn't annoy you, did I? I bet someone as talented as you must get really annoyed at having to listen to amateurs."
"Not at all," Rachel reassured him. "I really enjoyed your performance, Finn. You're very talented. I should know; I'm very talented too!"
"Okay, then, next song playing that you like is your turn!"
That started the tradition, each of them taking turns to perform for the other. Finn sang REO Speedwagon, Van Halen, KISS, Bruce Springsteen, and - for a more modern mood – Dashboard Confessional. Rachel preferred Pat Benatar, Patty Smyth, 20th century Madonna, and surprised Finn by finding a couple of CD's by The Runaways, although she refused to sing the more provocative lyrics. She tried introducing him to some of her Broadway soundtracks too, but had no luck until she stumbled on a recording for a current Off-Broadway production called 'Rock of Ages'.
Two more ballet class round trips, three voice lessons, and four rehearsals playing young Cosette in the community theatre's production of 'Les Miserables', and Finn introduced Rachel to Journey. Unable to hold back in the face of his enthusiasm any more, Rachel joined him in improvising a duet arrangement to 'Don't Stop Believing'.
Almost a year later, Rachel would realize that was when she fell in love with Finn Hudson.
"I think it's a good omen," Finn declared.
Rachel smiled, nodded, and resisted the urge to lunge across the seat and kiss him senseless. "I think so too."
"Hey Rach? I get why we're going to Toledo instead of Columbus; it's almost half an hour less to drive. But why aren't we just going to Fort Wayne or Dayton International? They're even closer."
Rachel shrugged. "They also don't have direct flights to JFK today. I don't know for sure how late in the afternoon my audition is going to be – it's feasible that the world doesn't actually revolve around Quinn's wedding, and we won't be getting home until after midnight. Worst case scenario, your Mom promised she'd back up Dad and Emma in supporting my cause."
Finn smirked. "Y'know, part of me almost wishes she has to. I think Artie's going to have his video camera on him tonight, and if not Kurt would totally record the video on his phone for us later."
* MOH *
TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
New York City
3pm
Rachel took a deep breath as she quickly paced the corridor, walking off her buzz – it was a tricky business, using up nervous energy in order to remain composed on stage, while leaving enough to fuel your performance.
She was sure that she'd made a good impression in the interview – at the very least, she'd impressed the committee enough to get called back for the auditions. There had been several people in the dance review who'd been better than her, but she'd expected that, and she still felt that she'd done well. Her drama review had gone off without a hitch, and she made a mental note to stop by the Godiva boutique nearest JFK to get Tina and Mercedes a Gold Ballotin box each to thank them for all their help running lines for her.
But the singing review was the one she felt would be the deciding factor. She was a talented actress and dancer, yes, but it was in singing that she was truly gifted.
Turning back, she checked the time and decided to head for the auditorium. She badly wished that Finn was with her, but the rules forbade anyone but the people auditioning from being present. Also, Finn had her phone, and part of her was paranoid about whether they'd been missed yet. Even after explaining the situation to one of the proctors, this was the earliest time she'd been able to get for her final review. If she and Finn couldn't get to JFK by four PM and missed their flight, they wouldn't make it to the party until after nine PM, and that would lead to problems.
Slipping through the doors, she discreetly made her way over to the wall, intent on using the furthest aisle to make her way to the front rows, where the aspiring students had to wait. Just as she reached the corner, she heard a voice.
"Psst, Rachel!"
Almost jumping out of her skin, Rachel looked wildly towards the corner. She hadn't noticed it earlier, but there was an opening to a set of stairs, hidden by the darkness. Service stairs for ushers or stage techs, maybe? There was only one person in New York City right now who knew her name, but moving to the stairs, she was still astonished to find Finn lurking in the stairwell.
"How did you get in?" she asked in disbelief.
"I'm a student here, remember? I showed the sleepiest-looking proctor my student I.D., told him I was the alternate accompanist. It says right on the card I'm a music major."
"But the accompanist is for piano only! You play drums and guitar!"
"It doesn't mention that on my student I.D." Finn smiled and shrugged. "I really needed to be here for this part, Rachel, to watch you."
Rachel smiled, and threw herself into his arms for a hug.
After they pulled apart, Finn nodded to the front. "I think they're calling you next. Break a leg."
Rachel smiled, and couldn't hold back any longer. As the words spilled from her lips, it felt almost as if she'd been born for this moment; born to say these words to this man. "I love you."
Then she turned and strolled down to the stage, feeling like she was walking on air.
Nothing could bring her down. Nothing could stop her.
* MOH *
Finn sat down hard on the step, his head whirling. It didn't cross his mind for a second that Rachel had meant that she loved him like a friend or brother. No, Rachel meant that in an 'I'm in love with you, my heart is yours forever' kind of way.
Holy shit. When had this happened?
Almost as if he was answering himself, a torrent of memories ran through his mind, of countless split-second moments, words and images and even of the way Rachel looked at him at least once every time she sang a love song. Even things that Kurt had said, hinting at something he wished Finn would understand because he couldn't say it himself.
Holy shit. How had he not seen this before?
The piano spilled a waterfall of notes, and Finn stood, descending the stairs to stand at the base and see the stage clearly. He knew this song.
The spotlight suited Rachel Berry, and as she sang 'On My Own', Finn realized for the first time why she had always given it such a heartbreakingly hopeful quality. It was because of him, the way she felt about him; she'd used her love for him – love that she had no idea if it would ever be returned – as fuel in her interpretation of the song.
A single tear ran down his cheek, and as he wiped it away, the piano rang out again.
This time he grinned. Their first true competition in Glee Club, Coach Sylvester had leaked their set list, and they'd sat in horror as they watched their competition perform the songs they'd worked so hard on. Rachel and Finn's connection had kicked into high gear, and they'd rallied the club to put together an alternative set list. Rachel had been thrust into the opening solo with no rehearsal, only a song by her idol that she'd been working on since before her fathers had died.
Rachel was belting the song out now; the lyrics that said no one could hold her back, that she was going to pursue her dream come what may, that she would make her own destiny come true.
Finn smiled. It was so simple, really, the answer to every question.
It was Rachel. It had always been Rachel.
Rachel had left the stage, and was walking up the sloping theatre floor towards him. When she was halfway up, Finn held out his arms. Rachel gave him a two-million-watt smile and ran to him.
When she reached him, she flung her arms around his neck at the same time she jumped up, and Finn caught her just in time to balance her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Before he could congratulate himself on not dropping her, Rachel's lips were on his.
It was even better than in the bowling alley all those years ago. Except this time? Finn was prepared to swear on Keith Moon's drumsticks that the world really did stop.
When they finally broke for air, Finn couldn't help but smile.
Why hadn't he realized it before? It was so obvious! It was the easiest thing to say in the world.
"I love you too, Rachel. I have from the first time I heard you sing."
"Finn, I was thirteen years old!" she giggled.
"Why do you think I've been in denial about it for so long?"
* MOH *
Hudson-Hummel Residence (aka Hudmel Manor)
8pm
"How do I look?"
"Devastatingly handsome," Rachel said, lovingly smoothing the lapels of his suit coat.
Given the early-morning start, Finn had completely forgotten to bring his clothes for the party, and there was no way he could go to the cocktail party in jeans and a polo shirt. Luckily, Hudmel Manor (as Artie had dubbed it years ago) was on the way to the Lima Grand.
Finn blushed, before he told her, "I called Puck while I was changing. No one's missed us yet, but Mr. Schue's already asked Kurt once if you came with our family. Kurt said that they'd dropped you off at home to change. I asked Puck to create a distraction if necessary. God knows there's nothing he likes better than creating chaos."
Finn offered her one end of the black tie slung around his neck with a pleading look, and Rachel quickly tied it perfectly. Still holding its length, she used it to pull his head down to hers.
Finn tried not to moan as his drowned in sensations; the scent of vanilla perfume, the warmth of Rachel's skin, and most of all the sweet, tangy taste he'd already privately dubbed 'rachel-berry'.
They'd been constantly sneaking kisses ever since the auditorium; in the taxi to JFK, in the waiting area at the gate, at every stoplight on the way back from Toledo. They'd had to refrain on the flight, after the sour-looking man who'd been seated across from them in the waiting area had walked past them upon boarding and made a loud comment about the Mile High Club, causing the flight attendant to look at them suspiciously. That hadn't stopped them from holding hands the entire flight though, nor did it give Rachel a moment's worry when she fell asleep with her head on Finn's shoulder.
A quick drive later, they arrived at the Lima Grand Hotel. The ballroom was down a short hallway from the main reception area, and the heavy doors were shut. If they approached that way, the effort of opening the doors would probably attract the attention of everyone near the doorway; no possibility of a discreet entrance.
Thankful once again that she'd scouted out the area so carefully, Rachel took Finn's hand and towed him along to the hallway that held the bathrooms, and an entrance to the kitchens. Nodding politely to the busy staff as they walked through, she looked at Finn, put a finger to her lips, and carefully led him through the service entrance to the ballroom.
Their super-stealth entrance was a wasted effort, because the entire place was in an uproar. Terri was having flamboyant hysterics, and Will was staring off into space in shock, almost literally tearing his hair out while Emma rubbed his back soothingly and tried to offer him a glass of ice water. Sam's mother was screeching so loudly that it was impossible to make out what she was actually saying, and Sandy Ryerson (why had he even been invited to this, anyway?) was waving his hands in the air and crying out something about... Cleopatra?
"Holy shit, I asked Puck to cause a distraction, not start a riot!"
Rachel looked around for the man in question, finding him tucked into a corner... with Quinn nestled in his arms, looking like it would take dynamite to pry them apart. Sam, on the other hand, rather than appearing distraught, was instead calmly leaning against the bar with a drink in hand, talking quietly with Matt, while Kurt, Mike and Artie leaned close with astonished expressions on their faces.
"I don't know what's going on here," Rachel said hurriedly. "But I think that if my mother sees me, she's immediately going to make this my fault for not being here to stop it."
With the agility of a solider avoiding border guards, Rachel ducked down behind the buffet table, her grip on Finn's hand pulling him down with her.
Finn nearly toppled over, catching himself on the floor with his free hand, before asking quietly, "So now what? We sneak out again?"
Rachel bit her lip and shook her head. "We just need to hide out until the dust settles. I want to be here for my father; dealing with this whole disaster has been making him slowly unravel for weeks now."
Rachel looked up and down the expanse of floor-length, baby-blue tablecloth, before reaching out to touch it a foot or so away. "Look, the tablecloth overlaps here, so we can slide through. The food is down that way, so you sneak us something to snack on, I'll grab a bottle from the drinks, and we'll wait out the commotion."
"Under the buffet table?"
"No one's going to look for us there. If someone – like my mother – asks later, I can say with all truthfulness that we were here, but she must have missed seeing me. Besides, I don't think I should let her see Kurt's emergency surgery on this dress while I can possibly avoid it."
Finn crawled down to the end of the table, and cautiously popped his head above the table to find himself facing stacks of side dishes and desserts. Dismissing the salads as too hard to carry and just plain boring, he filled a plate with buttered slices of bread, cocktail franks for him, mini quiches for her, and a whole bunch of those cheese cube things, and another plate with an assortment of pastries. Gently pushing them along the carpet in front of him, Finn reached the split in the tablecloth just in time to see Rachel disappearing underneath. Her heart-shaped backside waved enticingly right in front of his face, and Finn had to clench his teeth to hold back a groan.
Crawling underneath the table, Finn found it was actually fairly well lit, if slightly blue from filtering through the tablecloth. Trying to sit up, he bumped his head on the underside of the table.
"Oww..."
Rachel cooed softly as she grabbed his head in both hands and pulled it down to inspect the damage. Which gave Finn an excellent view of her cleavage, shown off by Kurt's improvement of the neckline. Finn swallowed hard as his pants tightened, and awkwardly half-fell back and onto his side to stretch out full length instead, balancing on his elbow, and making sure his suit jacket fell across his groin.
Rachel could sit up, albeit with her head slightly ducked, and curled her legs underneath her to lean on one hand. "You have your phone, don't you? I think we can risk a call to Kurt to find out the situation if we talk quietly."
Finn nodded, and struggled to pull out his phone. Beckoning Rachel closer, he settled the plates between them, while speed-dialing his brother.
"Kurt? What the hell's going on?"
"Finn? Where's Rachel – wait, are you here?"
Rachel leaned down to speak into the phone, giving Finn another excellent look down her cleavage – and a flash of white lace that made him catch his breath – and said, "Right here, Kurt. We took one look at the chaos and decided discretion was the better part of valor. We're in a strategic holding pattern – otherwise known as hiding."
"Dude, what the hell's going on? What's Quinn doing with Puck in public?"
"Marrying him, apparently." While Finn and Rachel's jaws dropped, Kurt continued. "It turns out that diamond Quinn's been sporting was from Puck all along! She and Sam broke up over a year ago, because he realized he was bisexual and wanted to explore dating another man. They've basically been faking a relationship to everyone in Lima to keep their respective mothers happy, even after she agreed to marry Puck. Quinn just wanted to get married with proper ceremony, and knew Terri wouldn't stop sabotaging the preparations if she knew it was with Puck, and Sam knew his mother didn't really care if he married, she just wanted a wedding, and thought this would get it out of her system until he or one of his siblings were ready to get married for real. Either that, or Terri would drive her so insane she'd decide that it wasn't worth it."
Rachel gasped. "That's why there's a celebrant, not a priest! There's no way Noah would agree to a solely Christian ceremony, and if they'd planned a bi-religious wedding it would be a dead giveaway!"
Kurt sounded like he was shrugging even over the phone. "The celebrant thought Sam was simply one of the groomsmen all along."
Rachel added, "That's why you're the Best Man, Finn, even though Quinn's your ex. Yes, you're friends with Sam, but no one else could be Noah's Best Man but you."
"I think you've hit the nail on the head, sweetie," Kurt remarked. "Ooh, gotta go. Terri's finally stopped screaming and Sam's mother is stalking towards her with murder in her eyes. No way am I going to miss this, bye!"
The line promptly went dead.
Finn balanced awkwardly on one elbow to put his phone back into his pocket, only to nearly drop it when he finally saw the bottle Rachel had purloined. "Holy shit, Rach, you stole champagne? I figured you'd go straight for the water."
"Well, everything non-alcoholic was in carafes, and I couldn't bring those without spilling something. Besides," Rachel gave him a shy half-smile, and shrugged, "This is supposed to be a celebration, isn't it?"
Finn grinned back. "Well, let's toast to you and your amazing audition."
He popped the cork the champagne, grateful that Rachel had remembered flutes also.
She held them up as he poured awkwardly, still balanced mostly on one elbow and knee for stability. Each pointedly ignored the screaming that was occurring outside their private sanctuary.
"How dare you insinuate that my daughter is a cheap tramp?"
"She's as cheap as these table linens you claim came straight from Egypt!"
"Then it's just as well that you didn't put any actual effort into this wedding, then!"
An audible gasp was heard just as Finn finished pouring the champagne. Their champagne flutes clinked together, drowning out the sound of a bare hand forcibly striking a face.
"To Rachel."
Neither of them noticed the commotion outside, too wrapped up in each other. Unlike their counterparts outside, their own arms intertwined, making them connected as they took their first sips, gazing into each other's eyes.
Rachel lowered her glass. "I liked your toast, Finn, but it wasn't accurate."
"How so?"
She smiled, picking up her glass again and held it up. "You said 'To Rachel'. But it really should have been something else."
"What?"
Rachel linked her arm through his again, waiting until Finn was ready. "To us."
Finn managed to let Rachel take a small sip of her champagne before he took hold of her flute, replacing the glass with his own lips.
Rachel broke off with a soft giggle. "Y'know, one of these days we should really share a kiss in a place where we're not surrounded by witnesses. The bowling alley, here, even the auditorium, we had people around us!"
"That's true. If we were in public, I'd have to kiss you here," he leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. "Or maybe here," he kissed her cheek. "But we're pretty much hidden now, you know."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that I could kiss you here," he leaned over to kiss and nip at her shoulder. "Or here." His lips found their way to her neck, leaving a hot open-mouthed kiss in their wake.
Rachel smothered her giggle. "Where else?"
He pretended to think about it. "Well, if we were in public, I'd do this," he kissed her lips softly. "But since we're alone, I want to do this." Tenderly, his lips ghosted across the cleavage peeking out from her neckline.
Rachel moaned quietly, and breathlessly asked, "Where else?"
Finn gently moved his hand up her thigh, pushing up her skirt. The thought of Rachel, her soft skin and her tantalizing taste pushed all other coherent thoughts from his mind as he agilely bent around to place a kiss on her kneecap, and another just above in on the front of her thigh.
Rachel gasped as her body arched, and Finn marveled at just how responsive she was to him. His hand still on her knee, Rachel tugged on his lapels as she fell backwards onto the carpet, pulling him on top of her, with only his bent right arm to keep himself up high enough so that his body didn't squash hers.
Rachel melted against him, a soft moan echoing from her lips to his own mouth. Her legs parted, and Finn slipped between them, automatically settling into the cradle of her thighs. He knew Rachel could feel his arousal, and couldn't keep his hips from pressing forward, rubbing against hers. Rachel let out another moan, this one with a sharper, needy edge, and her tongue pushed into his mouth aggressively to twine with his. He could feel the soft, smooth skin of her outer thigh underneath his fingertips, and wanted to touch more. Wanted to touch more, touch further up, until he could feel how ready she was for him.
All he had to do was move his hand to push up her dress a little further, and unfasten his pants, and he could take her right now. The very thought of her virginity staining the expensive carpet, with all her family members and his brother less than twenty feet away, somehow made him even harder than before.
Finn never would have guessed he was so kinky. But then, he loved Rachel, wanted Rachel, in ways he'd never loved or wanted anyone else. He was already certain that he never would.
Finn broke off the kiss to bury his face in Rachel's sweet-smelling hair, swallowing his groan as his entire body throbbed, reverberating with desire for the young woman beneath him.
This was why he'd brought Kurt along on all their bowling nights, and why he'd made sure he was never completely alone with Rachel for more than a few minutes since that first not-a-date-but-it-really-was. He'd always sensed how dangerous their connection could be. Even when he hadn't known how he really felt about Rachel, he knew that he had no limits or limitations when it came to her - all his usual uncertainty and embarrassment over his stupid, awkward body disappearing in a haze of instinct and need – and he knew that Rachel would never refuse him anything. Even the things they both knew she should.
Rachel arched under him, and the pressure against the side of his hips shifted as she wrapped her legs around his hips. Finn gasped in surprise, his hips slamming against hers, and if this had been happening back in high school he would have been long gone.
Rachel whisper-moaned his name, and Finn nearly exploded on the spot. Instead, he eased his body away, his lips pressing against hers again to muffle any noises she made. He reached back to unwrap her legs from around him, taking a slender ankle in hand to move her leg back on the floor. Moving off her body, his own painfully hard with need, he slumped back to the carpet beside her and tried to work out how he could get to the damn bathroom and get some relief, because this wasn't going to go away on its own.
He certainly wasn't going to be able to take much more of this. If he didn't get inside Rachel very, very, soon he was going to explode for real.
Rachel was breathing hard beside him, and he finally opened his eyes to see her lovely face only a centimeter or so away from his. Her eyes were glazed with desire, her mouth slack, and he nearly surged forward to kiss her again before sanity crept back into her eyes.
"Oh, right, no witnesses," she sighed. Then her eyes hardened with determination. "But soon. Very soon."
Finn nodded frantically in agreement, because he wasn't sure he could speak without moaning.
