As Rachel stared at herself in the mirror she thought back on the past two weeks of her life. It had been a whirlwind of romance, happiness, terror, worry, heartache, and most importantly, love.
To say everyone was a little surprised when Finn arrived back at the castle with a completely unscathed and living Rachel was a huge understatement. Kurt fainted as he thought he was seeing a ghost, Puck went a little crazy and drew his sword on her thinking she was a zombie and Carole bawled her eyes out and scolded Finn for disobeying Puck's orders to stay behind but then attacked his cheeks with kisses because he ended up stopping Sue then hugged Rachel so tight she was afraid her eyeballs might pop out. Everyone was thoroughly confused as to how and why Rachel was still alive so they consulted the Witch.
Rachel rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "What did you do with the Witch?"
"Why do you need to know? Are you two working together?" Puck was sure Rachel was a zombie that had been brought back to life just to kill everyone.
Finn intervened. "Get the Witch."
Puck stared at Finn and wondered if Rachel had him under some weird spell or something. What could they possibly want or need from the Witch? Cautiously, he sent Mike to bring her from dungeon where she was being held until they could find a more secure location for her. Twenty minutes later, Finn, Rachel, Puck, Queen Carole, and Kurt were all in the small antechamber off the main hall waiting for Mike to bring in the Witch.
"What does the King need me fo – you're alive!" Terri crowed as she saw Rachel standing next to Finn when Mike brought her into the room. "I was right!"
"Right about what exactly? That your spell to bring her back to life to kill the King worked?" Puck snarled at her.
Rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes as she looked from Finn to Puck. "Don't you think if I were brought back to life to kill Finn I'd have done it at Sue's castle when we were completely alone and everyone thought I was dead?" Rachel asked blowing a giant hole through his logic. Puck wanted to protest but then stopped himself when he realized that made sense.
"That's an appropriate hairstyle for you since it makes you look just as stupid as you are," Terri responded to Puck's anger. He wanted to say to hell with it and toss her back in the dungeon but Finn got them back on track.
"Why don't you just explain to us why exactly Rachel is still alive? What were you right about?"
Terri motioned to the chair to ask if she could sit and did so. "I'll assume Rachel explained to you that she's pregnant by now…" The room went into an uproar at her words and it took Finn's shouting to get Puck to stop muttering about zombie spawn, Kurt to calm down about decorating the nursery, and get his mother to stop crying and hugging Rachel and kissing his cheek. Once the commotion died, Terri continued. "Anyway, what did she tell you about your future little bundle of joy?"
Finn looked down at Rachel. "Rachel said that the baby's magical because of the Crystal Lake."
"Precisely. Children from the Crystal Lake aren't exactly a dime a dozen. They're special and generally quite powerful. I assumed the magic inside Rachel would have protected her but she was losing so much blood I wasn't sure it would. It appears I was wrong however." She smiled at Rachel and folded her hands together. "Your baby saved Rachel from death. It just took a little longer due to the massive blood loss she suffered. Judging by this event, I'd say you're pretty much invincible, at least until you give birth, since his or her magic will only grow with time."
"So, wait…Rachel isn't a zombie?" Puck asked like an idiot.
"No. She is not. Rachel is perfectly fine…even more so actually, unlike your hair. What in the world makes you think it's appropriate to keep a weasel on your head?"
"That's it! Back to the dungeon with you!" Puck picked Terri up out of the chair and he and Mike took her back down to her cell while Finn, Rachel, Carole and Kurt remained in the room.
"My baby is finally having a baby!" Carole exclaimed giddily before pulling Finn and Rachel both into a giant hug. "Oh my goodness, this means there is so much to do! We have to set up the nursery and oh goodness! You two aren't even married yet! We must get you married immediately! Kurt!"
"I'm already on it your Majesty." He whipped a tape measure out from inside his coat pocket and began taking Rachel's measurements for the wedding dress he'd need to oversee the designing and making of.
"Um, Mom, Rachel was just kidnapped, held prisoner and nearly died. Can we maybe start worrying about measurements and place settings tomorrow? She needs to rest."
"Of course. Of course, I'm sorry. I'm just so excited!" She kissed Finn's cheek again and hugged Rachel once more before beginning to cry again. "Go rest and take care of yourself. Kurt and I will take care of making sure you and Finn have the wedding of the century." Carole shooed them out of the room and began babbling about color schemes and flower arrangements that would be nice with Kurt.
After it was settled that Rachel was not a monster back from the dead, Finn and Rachel were left to themselves and ventured back to Finn's wing of the castle.
Finally alone and uninterrupted, Finn picked Rachel up once more and carried her upstairs. He took care of drawing a bath for her and helped her in before remembering he forgot something. Finn came back in a few minutes later and joined her in the tub.
"What did you forget?" Rachel asked when he was comfortably behind her, holding her.
"This," he revealed her engagement ring and held it up for her. "I thought it was time to finally put it right where it belonged on your very pretty little hand."
Rachel turned in his arms and leaned up to kiss him before allowing him to slip the beautiful starburst diamond onto her finger. She lifted her hand and admired it before snuggling back against Finn again. "It's beautiful. I love it and I love you and I'm so sorry for how I reacted before."
"It's okay. You're here now, safe and beautiful and mine."
"No, it's not okay, Finn. You were right when you said I was scared. I've never been as happy as I am with you and it terrified me because everything was happening so fast and it wasn't what I had planned for myself." She paused and turned to look at Finn again. "But then I talked to Rocco and he made me realize that sometimes dreams change and that isn't a bad thing and that just because we haven't known each other that long doesn't mean we aren't meant to be together." She paused again and suddenly a thought hit her. "Oh my God! Rocco!" Rachel was about to jump out of the tub to go make sure he was alright until Finn held her back.
"Rocco is fine, Rachel. I went to New York to find you and found him and he's alright. Just a little bit of a headache." Rachel visibly relaxed at his reassurances. "If you go back though he may still be unconscious on the floor; just grab some ice for him and he'll be fine."
"Oh yeah, time goes back to where you left. I suppose I should go back soon though. I need to tell my dads that I'm getting married and moving and that they probably won't see me again." Her face fell a little and an idea popped in Finn's head.
"They could always visit here. Just because you can't go back to New York without weird time stuff happening doesn't mean they can't come here."
"You think that would be okay?"
"Yeah, how else would they get to see their only daughter get married?"
Rachel kissed him again and from then on the talking ceased save for the occasional moan of 'Finn' and 'Rachel'.
They spent a few exceptional hours reacquainting themselves with each other mentally, emotionally and physically until Rachel couldn't keep her eyes open anymore and succumbed to the exhaustion she felt from the past 24 or so hours.
After that everything moved quickly and they learned the fate of everyone affected by Sue's nefarious plot.
Baby Beth had been reunited with both her parents and there didn't seem to be any lasting trauma on her part. Shelby may have become the most protective mother ever but Puck would work with her on that.
Brittany had found Artie and after getting him some fluids, food and a bath he was perfectly fine. Based on the fact Brittany hadn't shown up to the stables for two days and when Puck went by to visit loud moans and whines could be heard through the door, they figured Artie was more than fine and proving it to his wife.
They learned that Sue had survived her stab to the back but was paralyzed from the armpits down. She was placed in a special wing of the prison to serve out her time for all her crimes and as always, was bitter about everything and tormented everyone around her, including Jesse who as punishment for his part had to help care for Sue until she finally kicked the bucket.
As for Quinn, she had survived her stab wound as well and would make a full recovery. Rachel felt that she should have been thrown in prison right along with Sue and Jesse for her part in Sue's plot but Finn had promised her a fresh start. Quinn was given a small cottage in a small town just outside of McKinley where she could peacefully live without worrying about Jesse or Sue or having to live up to anyone's expectations. Finn insisted his men would keep an eye on her but he really didn't believe Quinn would be a threat to anyone anymore. She seemed pleased and quite thankful for what she had been given and finally happy.
Then Rachel had to face reality and deal with tying up the loose ends of her life back in her world. She and Finn went to New York and once they made sure Rocco was okay Rachel quit her job on the spot and invited him to their pending nuptials. After that she broke Jacob's heart by packing up all her things and moving out. He glared at Finn the entire time he moved things from her studio out to the truck Rachel had rented to move her boxes to Rocco's and begged her to reconsider before dropping to his knees and proposing to her himself. She said goodbye and left him banging his head against the wall, never even glancing back at her old life.
The most nerve wracking part was breaking all this news to her fathers. They met her in Manhattan at her request to find out she was getting married and leaving. Both were rather stunned and extremely confused and kind of wanted to check her into a mental hospital when she explained everything that happened between when she accidentally found McKinley up to that moment at her favorite vegan restaurant.
"Rachel, don't take this the wrong way, but I think you may be losing it," her father Hiram said to her as gently as he could. "Sweetheart, there's no such thing as McKinley…unless we're talking about President McKinley who was assassinated. He was real."
Rachel rolled her eyes and huffed. She wasn't crazy and it would just be easier if her fathers would believe her. "Daddy, I'm not losing anything. McKinley is real. It's where Finn is from." She took Finn's hand in hers and smiled at him. "We can prove it."
Leroy snorted. "Are you gonna show us Rocco's cabinet?"
Rachel shook her head. "Yes. How else do you expect to be able to attend my wedding?" Both of them shared a glance before protesting her speedy marriage again.
"Rachel, you're still so young and you've only known Finn for a few days. Don't you think you're rushing things just a little bit? You've never been one to do something so reckless."
"Sir," Finn interjected, "my parents knew each other for about a day before they got married and they spent nearly 20 years happily married before my father died. I know that if he were still alive they would still be just as happy today. They loved each other more than anything. That's how I feel about Rachel and how she feels about me."
"Dad, Daddy, I know how it may look, but I love Finn and whether you like it or not I'm marrying him. Going though all we did…it made me realize what I really want and I want him and a life with him. So please, I'm just asking you to trust me and to support me." She begged them with her eyes and they shared another glance before relenting.
"So, McKinley, huh? And you're the king of it?" Leroy asked, still highly skeptical but trying to be supportive. "Mind if we see this kingdom of yours before we let Rachel live there?"
Finn smiled at his future fathers-in-law. "Not at all. And you're both welcome to visit whenever you want…well, whenever Rocco will let you into his house."
Even after they were in McKinley they still didn't entirely believe what was going on. They thought it was some kind of trick Rachel was pulling but as they spent more time there they realized she and Finn were telling the truth. They spent most of the week leading up to the wedding with her, fighting with Kurt and Carole on what they thought would be the better type of cake to have while Rachel and Finn spent most of their time holed up in bed when Finn didn't have some kingly duties to work on or fittings for her wedding dress.
All of which led Rachel to that moment in front of her mirror, staring at herself in her one of a kind white and pearlescent alabaster wedding gown that made her both look and feel like a princess. She was covered in satin and crystals and the corset bodice showed off her curves nicely before the skirt fanned out widely. According to Kurt, most brides would have opted for something more traditional and that covered their shoulders, but Rachel had a clear idea of what she wanted. She was honestly amazed that everything had been put together in only a week, especially her custom made gown. When you're the king and getting married she figured that meant you moved fast and spared no expense to make things happen quickly.
Rachel smoothed her hands over her stomach and smiled at her reflection. Her life was turning out better than she could have hoped. It may not have been the plan she had made for herself upon exiting high school but it was perfect nonetheless. A knock on the door drew her from her thoughts and she turned to see her fathers entering the room.
"Ready to get married?" her dad asked her with a smile on his face.
"Very." She giggled and took his hand, allowing him to lead her out of the room and to her very soon-to-be husband.
She took a deep breath as the music started and was in awe of how nicely the garden came together. Through all the arguing and whining and throwing of swatches at walls, Kurt, Carole and her dads had made everything so perfect. There was no way she could have done better herself. Once she saw Finn though she couldn't be bothered with the rest. His eyes widened and his lips spread into a huge grin as she smiled and blushed back at him.
Everything went so quickly up until they got to their vows. Finn looked super nervous and Rachel could swear he was sweating. She rubbed her thumb over his hand soothingly and smiled bigger at him as he looked into her eyes.
"Wow, this is scarier than meetings with my advisors and the Lords," he muttered under his breath making Rachel chuckle. "Okay," he took a deep breath and looked at Rachel like she was the only person in the world. "I love you, Rachel. From the moment you appeared in my cabinet I found myself drawn to you and I know I did some stupid stuff during our time together and I'll probably do more over the years, but the one thing I did that wasn't stupid at all was fall in love with you." He squeezed Rachel's hand more as he continued. "I promise you that anytime you need saving, I will be there to rescue you…but I really hope that never happens again because it was terrifying and I was so afraid I was going to lose you and I did lose you for a minute and it was the worst moment of my life and I don't ever want to feel like that again, but I'm getting off my point. My point is, I love you and I want to be your Prince Charming and to sweep you off your feet. I want to wake up every day next to you and make you happy and have a bunch of babies with you and be with you forever. So I promise to always be there for you and to always love you and make you feel like the queen you will be."
Rachel was getting misty eyed but refused to let the tears fall. She choked them down and cleared her throat to begin her own vows. "Finn, I know I'm stubborn and hardheaded but I am so thankful that you didn't let that deter you. The best thing you ever did was follow me to New York because it made me realize that I love you. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you because I know now that this is where I am supposed to be. I was supposed to find that door and you and I am so happy I did. I love you and I can't imagine ever finding a better Prince Charming to come in on his trusty steed to save me…not only when I was in actual danger, but from everything. You saved me from myself and became my new dream when my old ones were broken. I promise that I will never leave you again and that I will always love you, even when I may want to strangle you, I will still love you."
Her closing line earned a few chuckles and when they were told to kiss, boy did they. Finn lifted Rachel off her feet earning a squeal and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They kissed deeply and smiled against each other's lips before Finn put Rachel back on her feet. They looked around at the cheering crowd of hundreds before walking back up the aisle to start their new lives together.
As she stared up into the happy, smiling face of her husband – she had a husband! – Rachel couldn't help but feel like she had finally found her happily ever after.
And then there was only the epilogue...
If anyone cares to see Rachel's dress it's on my tumblr. :)