Wassup Dawgs! I can't believe I just said (typed technically) that. I've been hanging out with my cousin too much. Anyways! I spent the last three days typing this because I wanted this to be the BEST CHAPTER EVER! Sadly, there is only one more chapter after this, the epilogue, than this story is over): That's okay though, right? The past week or so, I've had a bunch of one-shot ideas bouncing around in my thinking cap, so I might write some of those when this story is over(: So, here's chapter 8! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN GLEE!

March 1, 2019

Rachel was driving. She had no clue where she was, but only where she was going. It had been 5 hours since she had packed her bags, loaded them into her car, and started driving, calling the director and telling him to tell Tanya (her understudy) that she would be performing tonight. She looked at the dashboard clock. 11:03. The wedding wasn't until 5:00, but she knew there was at least 4 and a half more hours of driving until she reached the chapel in Columbus, Ohio. Sighing, she flexed her fingers on the steering wheel, fighting the urge to honk the horn.

When the traffic started moving, but came to a stop only five feet ahead, Rachel slammed her fist on the horn.

March 1, 2019

5:00 A.M.

Rachel rushed around the apartment she shared with Kurt and Blaine. It had been about three months since Rachel had moved to New York, and it was proving to be the best decision she had ever made. The sights, the food, everything was so wonderful here. Especially Broadway, which was the reason she was rushing back and forth around the house, looking for her favorite pair of shoes. She had to go to the theater for the final rehearsal and get ready for the show.

She went back in her room to check in there again, before spotting them on the top shelf in her closet.

"What the hell?" she muttered to herself, wondering how they had got up there.

Standing on her tip-toes, she tried reaching them, when she felt a piece of thick paper. Cardstock. Curious, she grabbed it and pulled it down. A wedding invitation. Finn and Chloe's wedding invitation. She sighed. It was that night. Kurt and Blaine had left for Columbus a few days before, and Santana and Brittany had left the week before. Dropping the invitation on the bed, she tried reaching her shoes, this time succeeding.

Rachel slipped her shoes on and continued to collect her other things that were scattered around the apartment. She went back in her room to grab her coat, when the invitation caught her eye. Sitting down on the bed, she picked it up and stared at it. Her two best friends stared back at her, smiling. Sighing she realized what she had to do. Setting the invitation down, she pulled her suitcase out of her closet and started throwing random clothes into it. Once the case was filled, she grabbed the invitation, stuffed it neatly into her purse, and lugged it out of the apartment.

Once her suitcase was in the trunk of her car, she got in and called her director.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hi, Mr. Sher," she replied. "Look, you need to tell Tanya that she will be performing tonight as I am unable to."

"What? What do you mean 'unable to'? You're the star!" he said.

"I realize that, Mr. Sher, but I have some things to attend to."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"No, actually, it can't. It has to happen now."

"Why can't it wait?"

"Because my fragile, broken heart is at stake!" she shouted into the phone. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she added, "Sorry, I shouldn't have yelled. I won't be able to make the show. Tell everyone good luck for me." She ended the call before he could reply.

Starting up the car, she started driving.

Rachel remembered something her dads had told her once,

"Sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it."

That's all Rachel needed. That's all it took. Just twenty seconds of bravery to tell Finn how she really feels about him.

March 21, 2003

"I don't wanna be your friend anymore!" a ten year old Rachel shouted at a ten year old Finn.

"I'm sorry Rachie!" he said, chasing after her.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "We can't be friends anymore if you're gonna be friends with them." She pointed in the direction of Karofsky, Azimio, and the other bullies who Finn had recently made friends with.

"Good bye Finny," she said, turning around and leaving.

However, the two could barely last twelve hours away from each other."

May 30, 2009

"Shh, shh," Finn whispered into Rachel's ear, stroking her hair. "Its okay, Rach. Everything's going to be okay."

"No its not!" she sobbed into his chest. "He cheated on me, Finn! How could he do that?"

"I don't know, Rach."

"I just want this pain to go away. I don't want to feel like this," she said in between sobs. "It hurts so much."

"I wish I could make it go away, Rachel. Really, I do. I feel helpless right now," Finn said.

Rachel shook her head. "No, Finn, you've helped me a lot right now. I really needed a friend, and you were there. Thank you."

Finn smiled. "That's what best friends are for, right?"

She nodded. "Right," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

Rachel looked up at him.

"Let's go do something," she said. "Hang out like the good old days."

Finn looked at her thoughtfully.

"Let's go bowling," he suggested.

She nodded, jumping off her bed and running into the bathroom to compose herself before they went.

Finn smiled, glad he was able to help his best friend get over St. Jackass.

June 15, 2012

I can't believe we just graduated, Finn!" Rachel said excitedly in the car on the way to BreadstiX. Their families would be celebrating there.

"I know," Finn agreed. He laughed. "It feels like just yesterday you accused me of talking to you on Puck's orders."

"Finn are you ever going to drop that?"

"Nope," he said. "I'm gonna haunt you with it for the rest of your life!"

"Oh no, I'm so scared. Ahh," she said sarcastically.

"Shut up," he said, although he was smiling.

When they got to the restaurant, they made a toast.

"To Rachel," Finn said. "For helping me pass my SATs and being my best friend all these years."

"To Finn," Rachel said. "For always being there for me and learning how to deal with my craziness."

Everybody laughed.

"And to Kurt," Rachel said.

"For being the most annoying little brother ever," Finn said and Kurt glared at him.

"And for being the best singer I know," Rachel added.

"To Finn, Rachel and Kurt!" everybody said.

Finn and Rachel smiled at each other.

"Thank you for being my best friend, Rachie," Finn said.

"Thank you for being my best friend, Finny," Rachel replied, glad to have him in her life.

March 1, 2019

5:21 P.M.

Thousands of memories of Finn flashed through her mind as she pulled up in front of the wedding chapel. She had called Kurt earlier and told him what she was doing, so she wasn't surprised to see him standing outside waiting for her.

"Hey, Diva," he said as she walked up to him. "You ready?"

"What're we gonna do, Kurt?" she asked.

"Well, the first thing is sneak you in there."

Kurt was successfully able to walk back into the chapel with Rachel without anyone noticing. They were all too busy watching Finn and Chloe at the end of the aisle. Rachel made sure not to look that way, not yet.

Kurt sat down next to Blaine and Rachel sat down next to him, on the end.

"Kurt," she whispered. "What do I do now?"

"Wait for your queue," he whispered back.

"What's that?"

"When the preacher says 'speak now or forever hold your peace'," Kurt told her.

She nodded, trying to look everywhere else but at the two people at the front of the room.

A few minutes later, she felt Kurt elbowing her. She looked up at the preacher just in time to hear him say "…ever hold your peace."

"It's now or never, Rachel," Kurt whispered. "You only get one chance at this. Now or never."

She nodded and, as the preacher was about to continue, she stood up.

"Wait," she said.

She heard some people gasp, and to her left, she heard Quinn say "Rachel! What are you doing?"

Rachel looked at Chloe, who stared back, shocked. Shocked as to what Rachel was doing and why.

She looked at Mindy, Chloe's sister, who looked pissed.

She looked at Ryan, Finn's best man, who also looked shocked.

Finally, she looked at Finn. He looked…confused.

"Rachel," he said. "What are you doing?"

"I have something to tell you, Finn," she said. He nodded for her to continue.

Taking a deep breath, she said,

"I love you."

All around the room were gasps and muttering. Finn's confusion changed to shock, but he didn't say anything so Rachel continued.

"But you're my best friend. How can I be in love with my best friend? I don't know. But what I do know, is that I've probably been in love with you since we met, I just chose to ignore it. I'm sorry Finn. I'm sorry I kept this from you and I'm sorry I ruined your wedding. I just thought you should know before you said 'I do'. I love you, Finn. I'm sorry."

Rachel finished her speech with tears in her eyes. She looked at Finn once more before turning and running out of the chapel.

Finn just stood there, staring at the door that had just closed. She loved him. Rachel loved him. And not in the friend sense like she had meant when she'd said it many times before. That's when it hit him like a ton of bricks. She loved him and he loved her. He's in love with his best friend and he never realized before.

"Go," he heard a small voice say to the right of him.

Looking over, he was met with Chloe's tear-filled eyes.

"Go," she repeated. "Go after her." She smiled. "I'll be fine, Finn. Just go after her before it's too late."

"What?" he said.

"Go get her. I know you're in love with her, Finn. I've known for a while. I was just too selfish to let you go."

"You'll be okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "You'll always have a special place in my heart, Finn," she looked at Ryan who was standing behind Finn, and smiled. "Besides, there are other fish in the sea. I'll be fine."

Finn nodded, kissed her cheek, ran down the aisle and out the door.

Rachel had only been able to make it to the front steps before breaking down. She couldn't believe what she had just done. She had ruined Finn's wedding and, worst still, their friendship. He probably wouldn't want to be her friend. And Chloe. Chloe probably hated her now.

She heard the door behind her open and close, but didn't look up until she sensed somebody sit down next to her.

"Hey."

She looked up. Sitting there was Finn.

"What-What are you doing?" she asked.

"Talking to you," he replied, as if that were the most obvious thing ever.

"I mean what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be getting married?"

"No. Chloe and I are no longer getting married."

"Why?"

"Because I'm in love with you," he said with a smile.

Rachel smiled before throwing herself at him and kissing him. Kissing him was the most wonderful feeling she had ever felt. He loved her. He actually loved her. Finn Hudson was in love with Rachel Berry and that, was the best thing ever.

"Say it again," she whispered against his lips.

"Say what?" he asked.

"I love you. Say it again."

"I love you, Rachel."

"I love you too, Finn. I love you too," she said, crashing her lips onto his once again.

That's it for this chapter! There is one more chapter that's the epilogue, than this story is over! I hope you liked this chapter, it was my favorite(: The epilogue will be set like a year from now, so yeah…

And if you're wondering, by this chapter Finn and Rachel are both 26 years old.

Disclaimer: The quote "Sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it", is from the movie "We Bought A Zoo" (good movie btw) and I do not own it.

Oh, and next chapter, the promise will be mentioned(;

And with that all said, reviews are love(: