Thanks for all your support. Hope you guys enjoy Chapter 10. Finchel is having a great season and lots of the spoilers are making me so excited! Still, don't give up on fanfic!

DISCLAIMER: Over 30000 views and seven months later, I still don't own Glee. I just own the ideas for my stories and my computer. And the original characters.

Chapter 10: Engaged

Rachel, I die without you.... No that wasn't right, especially because Rachel had nearly died this year.

My life is incomplete without your gold stars... No, he couldn't say that, Rachel now thought her gold star phase was dumb.

Finn banged his head on the table. Who knew trying to write a proposal speech would be THIS difficult? His friends told him a speech wasn't necessary. Just get down on one knee and give her a ring. "She'll say yes, she's wanted to marry you since we started Glee," Puck had said. "She admitted to me that she pictured you while making out with me when I dated her!"

Finn would picture Rachel while making out with Quinn while they were dating. Maybe begin his speech with telling her that? No, that wouldn't be right. Quinn would be there and while he never wanted to date her again, he wouldn't want to hurt her. They WERE friends after all, and Quinn was dating one of his best friends.

Everything had to be perfect. Finn had gone all out with planning the proposal. He'd surprise her with the ring at the end of opening gifts at the surprise birthday party he was planning for her. He'd gotten the guys to agree to serenade them as he had in NYC on their date.

He opened the box with the ring and looked at it. It would look beautiful on Rachel's finger. He sighed and decided to start his speech fresh, just saying what came from his heart.

x

On the 18th of December, the New Directions alumni were decorating Rachel's basement for the surprise party Finn had planned. The boys were hanging streamers and balloons while the girls were setting up tables with food and presents. It was so great to see everyone again: Kurt, Blaine, Sam, Quinn, Puck, Artie, Brittany, Santana, Mike, Tina, Mercedes, even Matt who had been in Glee with them sophomore year, moved, and was now going to OU and dating Mercedes, had come back. Puck's girlfriend from BG was there as well.

"Thank you guys so much for doing this with me," Finn said, hanging streamers.

"We all need to be here to hear your proposal to the hot little Jewish American princess," Puck said.

Finn felt nerve creeping in. Now that the day he'd planned to do it was actually here, he didn't know if he was ready. "I don't know if that's going to happen today. Maybe I'll wait for Christmas. Or New Year's Eve."

"You're doing it today," Kurt said. "I can't wait any longer."

"Yeah Finn, I think you and I went over that speech about 100 times," Sam said. "And I read about ten versions of it."
"I think I can," Finn sighed.

"She's going to say yes, you know," Santana said.

Finn stared at the floor. "I wouldn't be so sure."

"Finn Christopher Hudson, she's been pursuing you since you and I were together... before I found the perfect guy," Quinn said, kissing Sam. "She'll say yes."

Finn slipped the box into his pocket as his phone vibrated. "It's Rachel's mom. Rachel's on her way down. Hide, everyone!"

Everyone ran and hid behind the furniture. Finn heard as Rachel came downstairs and heard her call out to see if anyone was there. At that, everyone jumped out. Finn watched as Rachel started to fall backwards, but knew she couldn't because it could further injure her back. He ran up to her and gave her a big hug.

"You did this for me?" Rachel whispered to Finn as they sat down.

Finn nodded. "I wanted to."

Rachel threw her arms around him. "You're the best boyfriend ever."

Finn returned the hug. "You're the best girlfriend ever." Maybe later tonight she'd be his fiancee though.

Dinner, present opening and talking went by too quickly. Eventually the time came when everyone was giving Finn looks telling him they wanted him to get out the ring. When she opened her last present, Finn worked through his nerves to say, "Okay, Rach, I have one more thing."

Everyone looked at Finn, knowing what that one thing was. The attention made him more nervous, but he worked through his nerves. What he wanted, after all, was to marry Rachel. He took her hands as he began to talk.

"Rachel, almost losing you was SO hard. The week you were unconscious in the hospital was the worst week of my life. I was living in fear that I was going to lose you. It was awful. It took almost losing you to help me realize I can NEVER lose you again and my life is incomplete without you." Finn gulped and looked at the floor. Maybe she didn't know where he was going.

"Well, I don't plan on doing anything that would make me lose you ever again," Rachel said.

That was a good thing. "The first time we danced together in Glee club, I knew you were the girl for me," Finn said, putting his arm around Rachel. "I dreamed of finding the right girl to marry forever and when I met you, I knew that girl was you. I love you so much. I want to be the guy for you. I wonder what I did to deserve you, but every time I'm with you, you make me feel like you still love me, despite all my faults." He was doing fine so far, but the biggest part was still to come.

"I'm the one who doesn't deserve you," Rachel said. "I love you so much."

"I love you," Finn said. "I want to see you walking down the aisle on my wedding day. I want to raise children together. I want you to wake up every morning for the rest of your life and know how loved you are. I want to spend forever with you. I want you to spend forever with me." Well, now it was time. He got down on one knee and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small velvet box and opened it, revealing a gold ring with a sapphire. "Rachel, will you marry me?"

"Oh my God!" Rachel gasped. "Yes! Yes!"

Finn smiled and slid the ring on to Rachel's finger. She'd said yes. He'd done it. Rachel WANTED to marry him. Completely forgetting about her recent spinal surgery, he lifted her up off the ground and spun her around in the air, feeling elated and overjoyed. Now he wondered why he'd held back from proposing!

He barely noticed, but the music was beginning and his friends were beginning to sing to him, as he'd requested.

Puck: There's a calm surrender to the rush of day
When the heat of a rolling world can be turned away
Blaine: An enchanted moment, and it sees me through
It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you

Sam: And can you feel the love tonight
It is where we are
Mike: It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer
That we got this far
Boys: And can you feel the love tonight
How it's laid to rest
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds
Believe the very best

Kurt: There's a time for everyone if they only learn
That the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn
Matt: There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
Mike: When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours

Boys: And can you feel the love tonight
It is where we are
It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer
That we got this far
And can you feel the love tonight
How it's laid to rest
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds
Believe the very best

Finn looked into Rachel's smiling face and then looked at the ring on her finger. Like Kurt had said, it looked beautiful on her finger. The blue in the sapphire matched the dark blue dress she was wearing and the silver color of the white gold matched her silver tights. The diamonds even matched those on Rachel's dress.

Already, wedding planning was beginning. Kurt appointed himself as the wedding planner and Rachel declared that she wanted all the girls from the glee club to be bridesmaids, with Quinn as the maid of honor. Finn knew he wanted all the glee boys to be ushers or groomsmen or - whatever Kurt wanted them to be called this time, with Sam as the best man. While it was great to see everyone again, Finn was glad when everyone left so he and his beautiful new fiancee could have some time to themselves. He helped her clean up the basement and then cuddled her on the couch, admiring her ring.

They'd been through everything together over the past four years. Against all odds, they'd come together. On the surface, they appeared to be different but really weren't different. People expected him to be popular because he was quarterback, but he really didn't have many friends. She didn't have many friends either, but the difference was it was obvious. They'd both been searching to find their niche - him by playing as many sports as he could, her by joining as many clubs as she could. It turned out they both had the same niche - Glee. Glee truly was the best thing that had ever happened to Finn. He'd made real friends and found the girl he wanted to spend his life with.

Eventually Rachel told Finn that she was tired and wanted to go to bed. He knew that since her attack and then the surgery, she was getting wiped out more easily. He carried her to her room, helped her into her pajamas and tucked her into bed. Then he lay next to her in the bed until she appeared to be asleep. He kissed her goodnight, said goodbye to her mom and drove to his house, feeling over the moon.

Finn went in the living room to see Kurt, Blaine, Burt, Carole and Ally sitting in the living room. "We heard the news Finn," Carole said. "I'm finally getting Rachel as my daughter."

Finn looked at Kurt and Blaine. "You HAD to tell them?"

"I didn't want to, I wanted to save it for you!" Blaine shouted. "But Kurt just couldn't wait!"

"He's filling us in on all the wedding plans," Burt said.

"Rach and I haven't even picked a date yet, Kurt," Finn said. "She just accepted the ring a few hours ago. Oh, you should have seen the look on her face when I gave it to her! It was the happiest moment of my life."

"Well, now we don't have to listen to you stress out about whether not she'll say yes anymore," Kurt said.

"Who'll do it for you guys?" Finn asked.

"I'm guessing it'll be me, because I'm the masculine one," Blaine said.

Finn picked up Ally. "Rachel's going to be your sister, Ally!"

Ally smiled at Finn. Finn looked at his family. "She smiled at me! She's happy!"

"We're all happy, Finn," Carole said. "Rachel's a beautiful, sweet, talented girl. You couldn't have made a better choice. I know she'll treat you well. She'll be a great wife and a great mother to your beautiful babies."

"Don't make us into parents just yet!" Finn laughed.

"Finn, you're engaged," Burt said. "That's big."

Finn smiled. "I know it's going to be amazing." He moonwalked up to his room and began looking at the pictures of him with Rachel around the room. It was official - he and Rachel were going to spend their lives together.

"You're pretty happy, aren't you?" Finn turned to see Burt standing in the door.

Finn nodded. "I am. I really am."

"I remember that feeling, when I proposed to your mom and she said yes," Burt said. "It felt like healing for all the hurt that had happened, losing Kurt's mom and all."

"That's how it felt for me," Finn said, realizing that after all the breakups, love triangles, separation and Rachel's accident, having the ring on Rachel's finger made everything seem so - right.

"She's a very lucky girl," Burt said.

"Thanks Dad - I mean Burt," Finn quickly corrected himself.

"Finn, you know, if you want to call me Dad you can," Burt said. "Kurt's called your mother Mom since we got married."

Finn had never been able to call someone Dad before. "Okay Dad."

Tonight, despite all the hard times over the past few months, all was right in the world of Finn Hudson. He had his friends, he had a family who loved him and he had Rachel. He would never lose her again.