Alrighty. So I may have taken a few liberties with the medical aspect of this story (I hope the gods of healthcare forgive me for such travesties) but I tried my best. I couldn't not try and squeeze some fluff into lives of my characters and I actually cried when I tried to tie things up. But it's here and it's done and I'm sorry if I made you cry. Again, my imagination plays heavily into this story so any inaccuracies I've missed in my research, I sincerely apologize. Unbeta'd.

Disclaimer: Glee is not mine. But my love for the characters is genuine and true.

Part Two

She's still not sold on their grand gesture for the gap year, not all of them were graduating and she honestly can't ask anyone to give up high school or college for a year; it's not fair.

But everyone tells her to not worry about that right now, all she has to do is get through graduation and Kurt's tyrannical campaign for all the Glee ladies (and himself) to look absolutely beautiful for the dinner party afterwards. Finn whispers she doesn't have to try too hard to look beautiful and she's still blushing as they wait in the lobby of the doctor's office since Finn tags along to her next appointment.

He has a secure hold on her hand as they talk to the doctor. He asks a lot of questions and she can see by the look on her parents' faces that they're impressed. She knows they like him, very much so, but the scared little boy who was blubbering on her bed all those days ago isn't here now. He and her dad basically manipulate the discussion and by the time they're back in the car going home her chest is bursting with pride for the man sitting beside her.

When they get to her house, though, he's quiet. Her father fixes them something to eat and then excuses himself to go into the den. Finn just sits there staring at his sandwich with a frown on his face.

She touches his hand and he looks up at her.

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Or even me?"

Yeah, she knew this was coming but that didn't mean she knew how to answer it. Why didn't she tell anyone?

She put both hands on top of his and sighed. She at least owed him as much.

"I didn't want anyone's pity." He opened his mouth to speak. "Wait, let me finish. For as long as I've been at McKinley I was the weird girl, for so many reasons. After I found out, I figured I'd just not try so hard and just have as much fun as I could possibly have. No one in Glee really knew me or liked me and it never really bothered me. But I figured if I could at least try and be nice, get to actually know you guys, maybe wouldn't be so hard."

He turns to face her fully, their hands still entwined.

"I didn't tell anyone because as soon as I figured I'd stop being such a hard-ass, there was no need to be the best at everything again and people actually started giving me a chance. Glee became fun. You asked me out."

She blushes at that.

"And when I finally started enjoying myself, it became harder and harder to come out with the words."

"All those times you had headaches, it really had me worried Rach. Promise me, no matter what it is, you won't keep it from me. Please?"

She nods, the drops her head, closes her eyes and sighs.

"I was going to break up with you." His face is hard when she opens her eyes and looks at him.

"Why?"

"Because, Finn." She tried to pull her hands free. He won't let her.

"You're supposed to go to college, go enjoy life, get drunk at frat parties and date beautiful girls while…" the look on his faces shuts her up.

"That's a dumb reason. I can still go to college, I am still going to college, I may even get drunk at frat parties and all that but I'm already dating a beautiful girl so your point is moot. Try again."

A tiny part of her whispers that she should let him go, let him live his life without her, give him a chance to be get out Lima and be happy. Without her. But she can't. She already knows Finn is the only thing that will help her get through this.

She crawls onto his lap and doesn't argue with him.

He's asleep when his phone rings a few nights before graduation at two in the morning.

Rachel's dad tells him they're on the way to the hospital because Rachel fainted in the bathroom and hit her head on the floor. He's in his truck still wearing his pyjamas by the time her father finishes talking, with Kurt beside him, on the way to the hospital.

"Rachel."

She turns to look at him with unhappy eyes but reaches her hand out to him. He gets as close to her as he can get without lying right beside her and he stays there until the doctor comes in. He's stays there when they talk to her about the medication they're going to put her on.

He stays and listens because this is her life, and it's become his life too.

Graduation turns out to be the most fun she's had since their win from Nationals.

Santana and Mercedes do her hair and make-up (Mercedes works magic on covering up the bruise on her forehead) and Kurt already found the most perfect Barbra-approved dress (his words). Her dad's smile is broad as he snaps picture after picture until her daddy has to chase him out of the room. Her daddy's laugh is genuine as he winks at her and follows his husband out.

She's a bit giddy as they get dressed. She didn't go to junior prom and well, she was in the hospital for senior prom so they make an affair out of getting ready, their own version of prom, and one by one the boys show up in her living room to pick up their dates – even though they're all dressed in red graduation gowns and half their group isn't even graduating.

There's quite the affair on her front lawn as everyone poses for pictures with the graduates, girls only, then boys only, then Kurt and the girls, then Santana and the guys and it's loud and fantastic and she's ridiculously happy. They pile into Finn and Puck's trucks and Kurt's SUV and head towards school, still boisterous and laughing as Coach Sylvester shouts for them to line up alphabetically. Finn kisses her quickly before Mike whisks her away but they're not really sitting side by side so she doesn't really have anything to do but sit still and listen.

When they call her name she gets up and walks daintily towards the stage, only to hear catcalls and whistles and singing? She stops, one foot on stage to look behind her and all her friends are standing by their seats dancing.

"We want the funk! Go Berry!" They keep repeating this as she stands there grinning. She can see her fathers and Finn's parents and the rest of the club in the audience doing the same thing and Principal Figgins has to call her name again. She goes and collects her diploma and they're still chanting. On her way back to her seat she slaps palms with Mike and grins.

She joins in with the chanting that her team members start up every time one of them goes on stage and isn't really surprised at the deafening uproar for Quinn, Finn and Santana.

Mike breakdances across the stage, Mercedes pumps her fist in the air when Principal Figgins hands her diploma to her and Sam whistles loudly from the audience. Finn touches the side of his nose as he winks at her when he walks off stage, Kurt does his beauty queen wave and Noah does his trademark hip thrust.

When it's finally over, she throws her mortar board high and practically leaps into Finn's arms as he comes over to her.

"I made it, Finn. I'm still here. And I graduated high school!" Her arms are tight around his neck, feet off the ground and he hugs her tight.

"You did baby. I'm proud of you."

She pulls her head back. "You're proud of me? You're going to college Finn! You graduated high school and you're going to play college football! Babe, that is amazing!" she laughs.

He bends to kiss her quickly and grins at her. "Yes. And you're still fighting. Still happy."

She hugs him again and squeaks when someone pulls her away from his arms. "Oh god, can you stop mauling each other for five minutes? Come Berry, we're making a quick stop somewhere."

She looks back helplessly towards Finn and then back to Santana who's dragging her away past the graduates, Mercedes and Quinn behind them.

"Where are we going?"

"It's our version of senior prank."

She falters. She's never gotten in trouble before. "Which is?"

Santana turns to her with a wicked smirk. "Mess up Figgins office.

She digs her heel into the floor to stop her teammates. "I will do no such thing! We could get in trouble for that."

"Rachel. We've graduated. What could he possibly do to us? Besides, we'll be long gone before he comes back and I know where the security cameras are."

She opens her mouth to ask Santana how she knows where the cameras are but thinks better of it. It's her last day of high school. So why not live a little.

She'll try the bad girl hat on just this one time.

Honestly, the day was going pretty well so when it morphs into their first big fight ever, he's genuinely surprised.

They're at the community pool with Puck, Quinn, Sam and Santana and the girls flit away to one side and he's sitting with Puck and Sam at the shallow end of the pool laughing and spraying people around them. He has an eye on Rachel as usual until he can't see her anymore.

He sees Quinn and Santana on the other side, but no Rachel. Suddenly there's a splash and she surfaces not far from the two girls who are clapping and cheering her on. He looks up and figures that she just dived from one of the platforms above.

What the hell?

She looks over at him and he waves her over. Did she really jump from a frickin' diving board?

"Hi!"

"Um, Rachel? Did you just dive from up there?" he pointed towards one of the platforms behind her.

She furrows her brows and then nods. "Yes. Why?"

"Are you crazy? Supposed something happened to you when you were doing that?" Rachel purses her lips then looks over at Puck and Sam. She looks back at him then lets out a breath. She pulls herself out of the water and stands beside him in a one piece one-shoulder pink and black swimsuit and that bare shoulder keeps distracting him.

"Finn. I've dived from that board before. What's so different in me diving again?" Her narrowed eyes should have been a dead giveaway for him to think before he speaks but he doesn't.

"Because everything is different now. You're not supposed to be going around doing anything that may worsen your condition. What if you'd fainted on the board? What if you'd had a headache that only got worse when you went underwater? What if you'd had a seizure in the water? You can't keep pretending like you're fine and dandy Rachel."

Her eyes bored into him and he should probably stop talking now but he knows he has a point. He stands up, towering over her. She steps to him.

"It's my life Finn. I'll live it however I see fit."

"Yes, Rachel. It is your life but you're not the only one hurting here. You have to know there are some things you have to be careful with. This being one of them." He points to the pool.

"You won't even consider chemotherapy even though you know it'll help with your headaches!"

He's yelling now and drawing a crowd and he's getting pissed the longer this conversation goes on.

Her eyes are like slits of fire as she draws herself up to her full height and speaks, ice dripping from each word. "You are taking me home right now."

"Fine." He sneers and walks off towards his truck, not bothering to look if she was following him. She's sniffing as he drives towards her house but her whole body is turned away from him. They could talk about this instead of fighting but she refuses to answer him when he calls her name, choosing to sit there and cry.

He drops her off then drives home angry as hell but stops at his front door. He can see his parents and Kurt inside sitting around the TV and for the first in a long time his shoulders slump and he just feels like a little boy. As he steps in he can feel Kurt's glare on him so he knows he's already spoken to Rachel. He ignores his brother.

He's in the kitchen when his mother comes in but he doesn't turn around because he's not in the mood for an argument right now. Everything is just too much. She touches his arm and calls his name.

"Finn, sweetie. Look at me."

He isn't expecting to see his mother crying and now he feels like a dick because first Rachel and now his mom and he's not good with women crying around him at all. So he just pulls her into his arms because that's what he should've done with his girlfriend. He lets her cry for a little but then she's pulling him back towards the family room and the TV's off and Burt and Kurt give him matching heartbroken looks, though Kurt seems to be warring between being mad at him and sorry for him and he just wants to catch one break.

One good thing must can come from this whole shitpile of drama.

"Listen, son. I know. I know what you must be feeling right now. You can't go on doing this to yourself." Burt's eyes are gentle as he stares at the man and that feeling of helplessness just takes over him again and he collapses into the chair beside his mother, his face in his hands.

He tells them everything that Kurt doesn't already know and when he chokes out the end of the story his face is wet, his nose is running and he's just scared. His mother sits on one side, Burt on the next and Kurt in front of him on the coffee table.

"Oh baby." His mother buries her head into his shoulder. He knows what she can't say. There's nothing a mother can do or say to ease her child's heartbreak. His girlfriend was dying and there was literally nothing anyone could do about it.

"You can't pretend Finn. You can't pretend that something big isn't looming ahead, something you know is coming and is just a matter of when." Burt's hand grips his shoulder.

"Now, I'm not saying I know how you feel, but it was the same thing for me and Kurt's mom. Cancer took her from us too soon and she fought until the very end. The chemo was terrible, Kurt probably doesn't remember it, but it took too much out of her. Sure, it gave her more time, but the woman lying in the hospital wasn't the Elizabeth I married. I loved her then, even more so during chemo and I still love her now. But she made her choice and all I could do was support her."

Kurt sniffles and he looks up at his stepbrother who just shrugs at him with wet eyes. "Rachel doesn't want to be treated differently Finn. She wants you to look at her the same way you looked at her in Glee, at Nationals, the way you looked at her before she had that first seizure."

"But, I can't. She can't keep doing the same things she's been doing if she wants to live longer." His voice is thick with tears but he doesn't care.

"Being Rachel Berry is why she's going to live longer, Finn. If you treat her like some kind of porcelain doll she's going to resent you for it. If you baby her and refuse to let her be herself she'll hate you for that. And the chemo thing, she won't do it. You and I both know it, and if you keep bringing that up you'll just break her heart even more."

He drops his head back into his hands and cries some more. "So what am I supposed to do? Someone please tell me! Because I'm afraid to fall asleep every night because I'm afraid I'll fall asleep and she won't be alive when I wake up."

His mother pulls his head to her chest and she rocks him slowly and pats his back. He doesn't care that he's sitting in his living room crying like a baby, he just had a stupid fight with his girlfriend because he was scared and she was acting like some superhero.

He stays like that with his family until the doorbell rings and Kurt comes back into the room with someone wearing black ballerina flats. He looks up to see Rachel standing there twisting her hands.

"Baby, are you alright?" he's beside her in two strides grabbing her hands into his. She shakes her head with tears in her eyes.

Behind him he notices everyone else leave.

"I am scared Finn. Every day. But I will not do chemotherapy. I've tried radiation therapy before, and I hated it. I didn't feel like me. And I want to still be me when this is all over. But I'm better at being me if you're with me."

"I'm not going anywhere Rach."

She watches his eyes for beat then steps closer to him. "Please don't treat me any differently Finn. I know you want to protect me, but this is something you can't protect me from."

He nods and presses his forehead to hers, very much aware that he was crying again. "I'm sorry baby, I'm so sorry."

"It's OK, Finn. You know I'll love you forever right?" her fingers flitter over his jaw and he nods. "And it's OK to be scared."

"I love you and I'm scared. I'm so scared, Rachel." He falls to the floor and she sinks down in front him and amidst his tears he realizes the irony that she's the one comforting him.

To her credit, she's actually speechless when Santana works with her fathers in order to settle arrangements for their trip abroad. She takes point on getting information on all the graduates, making sure they've gotten in contact with their chosen schools and have confirmation on the security on their places for the following school year.

She, Kurt and the Berrys talk to the parents of the incoming McKinley seniors, giving them itineraries on where and when they'll be travelling, addresses and contact information of the motels and hotels on their trip. She answers all the questions put forward and reassures them the club members will be chaperoned by the Berrys, Mr. Shuester and Ms. Pillsbury and that there will be days set aside for studying and what have you. Mr. Shue and Principal Figgins work out some distance education arrangement and before she knows it, she's sitting at the Dayton International on a Thursday evening with a carry-on and a ticket to London-Heathrow in her hands.

Everyone is at the airport, parents, sisters and brothers and even her father Hiram's youngest sister. She sits between her dads as the rest of the Glee club say their goodbyes to their families until Carole calls her over.

The woman envelops her into a bone-crushing hug, peppering kisses onto her hair. She lets her hold her like that, because she's never had this before, the love of a mother, her aunt doesn't really count, so she's really happy that Finn, and Kurt, are willing to share.

"You have fun sweetheart. Let loose, just not too much. And take care of yourself, you hear?" Carole pats her shoulder affectionately, wiping away her tears. She turns to both her sons. "You take absolutely immaculate care of her."

They nod. She giggles at the frightened looks on their faces.

She turns to Burt and holds her hand out for him to shake. He looks at her and pulls her into a hug, patting her back awkwardly before releasing her.

"Have fun kiddo. Make every day count." He grins broadly at her. She nods and returns his grin.

Her fathers come over to talk to the Hummels again and Kurt and Mercedes pull her aside, snapping more pictures even though they'll be together for the next eleven months. Artie pulls her onto his lap for a group picture and when Kurt snaps a picture of the irritated look on Finn's face, they laugh at him until he kisses her to stop.

When Mr. Shuester and Ms. Pillsbury walk over to them tells them it's time to go, she grips Finn's hands tight in hers, following behind her fathers as they follow the group towards check-in.

She turns one last time to look at Carole and Burt, not sure why, but the woman kisses her fingers and then waves at her, Burt giving her a short nod. Finn glances back and waves at his parents again, pulling her closer into him.

She's actually looking forward to this trip now, and she plans on taking Burt's advice to heart.

Rachel's fathers are cruel.

He knows they trust him, and he has never been untoward to their daughter but actually sitting right beside Rachel and him on the plane, not cool. Kurt, Mercedes, Blaine and Artie are sitting in the row two seats to the front of the plane, and everyone else is paired off behind them.

And five minutes into a ten hour flight, he gets bored. And well, his girlfriend is right beside him, and so are her fathers.

Rachel's fathers are cruel.

Eventually, she hands him one of her iPod headphones and leans her head on his shoulder, their hands entwined on his lap. She dozes off to sleep to the soundtrack to Les Mis and he really doesn't mind it because it's putting him to sleep too.

A flash from his right wakes him from semi-sleep and Kurt is kneeling on his chair, camera in his hands. He growls at his brother who smirks and sits back down.

He huffs and settles back into his seat, movement to his right catches his eye and Hiram rubs his hand over his face."

He's crying as he looks over at them.

"Sorry." He mutters.

"No problem."

"She's really happy." He says, looking down at his sleeping daughter.

"She should be."

The older man nods.

"You make her happy and she deserves as much happiness as she can get. You're good for her. So, thank you."

He looks back down at the girl nestled into his side, dark hair spilling over her shoulders, her fingers threaded through his. She looks as peaceful and perfect as a sleeping baby and he wants to keep her like this forever. She must have heard his thoughts because a small smile spreads across her face, and she turns more fully into his shoulder. He lifts his hand to wrap around her shoulder and she sighs sleepily onto his chest.

"She deserves the world." He murmurs, kissing her head.

Her father nods.

Her fathers love her.

Her dads disappear the next morning after kissing her on the cheek. Originally, this leg of their trip is for business, so they'll do that before the fun stuff.

"We'll try and get everything tied up here soon. We'll go as far as Italy, hang around until you get back from Greece?" Hiram says to his husband.

LeRoy nods. They're having breakfast in the hotel, just the three of them. It's nice, just like when she was younger.

"So you guys can go out and paint the town red, sightsee the sights of London, give trouble like all Americans tend to do. Oh, you absolutely have to check out Madame Tussaud's." he grins.

"I wonder if there's a wax figure of Barbra Streisand?" She wonders.

He shrugs. "Not sure. They do rotate them between the museums. But you already saw her in New York."

She gives her a father a look. "Right. Sorry."

They kiss her goodbye and she rushes back to the room Finn shares with Kurt and Blaine, and they're still sleeping. In the room adjoining theirs, the girls are still sleeping too so she goes back to her room that shares with Tina and Mercedes. Everybody is asleep.

So she does what she does best. She plans, she pulls out her black and gold binder, and plans the next eleven months of her life.

She writes some letters while she's at it.

London is loud. And fun.

Mr. Shuester and Ms. Pillsbury basically disappear after telling them to have fun, and be safe.

"Noah, no drinking." Mr. Shuester warns before slipping away with Ms. Pillsbury.

They go everywhere, do everything and more. London Eye, the National Gallery and the Tower of London. Even Puck is amazed. They linger on the London Eye before Mike and Sam start getting queasy and when Artie suggests the Natural History Museum, even the non-nerds are all excited.

Everyone is a chatterbox as they walk through Madame Tussaud's. They get their pictures taken with royalty and superstars and people from history and Artie and Mike practically tear up beside the statue of Michael Jackson, its hell prying them away. He has to put some muscle into it.

"He's a legend, Finn! A masterpiece!" Mercedes keeps a firm hold on Artie's chair, turning his head back around forcibly as he tries to lean around her.

"Look around or I'll break your neck spinning it around white boy." She snaps.

Tina chuckles as she pulls Mike away too and the boy scowls the further he's pulled away. Hey, he can understand, it's almost the same reaction he had to seeing Angelina Jolie and Helen Mirren, that woman got more beautiful with age.

The look on Rachel's face is pure awe when she sees the wax replica of Barbra Streisand. He walks up behind her as she touches the hand.

"Hey."

She turns to him and smiles.

"Want me to take your picture with the greatest singer of all time?" he grins, nudging her with his hip. Her smile falls a little when she looks back at the statue and shakes her head.

"No. I already have one from when we went to New York." Her smile when she turns back to face him is forced. "I'm good."

Well, wow. Rachel passing up a photo-op with Barbra Streisand? Even when it's not the real thing? Doesn't seem like her. But she takes his hand and tugs him away to follow the rest of their friends on the tour.

The brochure says you can get your own picture drawn and then superimposed with a celebrity and scene of your choice. It costs a pretty penny, but it'd be worth it.

"C'mon Rach, please?" she pouts and finally relents when he tells her, he's already paid for the drawing, all she needs to do is pose.

When it's done, he points out the picture he wants matched then agrees to come back in half hour to pick it up.

"It's a surprise, you'll have to wait." He murmurs to her when she asks. She sticks her bottom lip out and turns away from him.

Rachel hates surprises, he knows. But he hates that look on her face, so he'll deal with her wrath later if it comes to it. He picks it up just before they leave for dinner and grins at the finished product.

After dinner, when everyone is just hanging out in the yard of the hotel, loud and happy, he slips away with her hand in his, handing her the drawing.

Her eyes sparkle with tears in the darkness and he's pretty sure they're happy tears because she wraps her arms around him and presses her lips to his. Her barely whispered thank you feels like a caress.

They go to Trafalgar square with her fathers and their teachers the next afternoon. The boys stand beside the guards outside Buckingham palace and Finn is the taller than the tallest man, hat and all.

Rachel hasn't complained of a headache once since they got to London. And her smile was in full effect the entire time.

Kurt finds her throwing up in the bathroom about two weeks into their trip. Its 4am and Kurt fell asleep in their room after a day of shopping.

She looks up at him and he stares at her, getting down onto the ground beside her and brushing her hair away from her face.

"You need anything?" he asks quietly. She wants Finn, she always wants Finn, but he spent the day with the guys doing some bumper car thing and he was dog tired, she knew as much. She shakes her head.

"Stay with me?"

Kurt pulls her against his chest, stroking her hair as he sings quietly to her, holding her hair back when she throws up again, handing her the mouthwash after.

He stays with her, after she throws up again twice, and that's where Mercedes and Tina find them in the morning.

He takes her to see Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre with Kurt and Blaine. There are stars in her eyes throughout the entire performance and she talks nonstop as they walk back towards the hotel.

He knows she didn't sleep much the other day, no one told him, really, but he knew her well enough when she was trying too hard to act like there was nothing wrong. Still, he lets her talk animatedly, her hand tight in his as they follow Blaine and Kurt. He won't take away tonight from her.

They go swimming the next afternoon. Her fathers and Mr. Shuester tag along. Ms. Pillsbury opts to stay in; she's not a fan of public pools.

They play chicken with the rest of the club. She's referee, with Mr. Shuester, one look at his face when the game is suggested and she doesn't even protest. He's glad when she decides to sit this one out, dragging Mercedes to sit down beside her.

It's him and Brittany against Hiram and Tina in the end. Everyone is cheering in from the side-lines and Rachel is screaming out nonsense to her dad.

"You're supposed to be on my side Rachel!" he laughs, regaining his balance after Tina gets a good shove in. Brittany retaliates but Mr. Berry compensates and spins around in the turn.

"Gooey macaroni Dad!"

"What the hell is she screaming?" He asks Brittany.

"I don't know!" she squeals. Mr. Berry slinks to his right, then his left and just spins around again and Tina just shoves at Brittany's thighs, toppling both of them over in the water.

They surface to cheers and Rachel's high laugher as she jumps into her father's arms. She grins over at him. "We're still undefeated at Dad's company picnics."

She winks at him and he reaches for her, pulling her into the water with everyone else. "Finn!" She squeals.

Right now is almost enough that they all forget the real reason they're here. The smile on her face and the laughter bubbling from her throat as he spins her around in the water is enough to make him dream of waking up those eyes every day for the rest of his life.

Almost.

She spends her 18th birthday in bed with Finn for the first time.

She celebrates by having breakfast with her fathers in the morning, lunch with the girls (and Kurt) and dinner at a restaurant in London with the entire club, Mr. Shue, Ms. Pillsbury and her fathers. Finn gives her a red tulip before they leave that night, kisses her cheek and holds his hand out to escort her to dinner. Her smile is wide for the rest of the evening.

She wakes up with his kisses on her cheek and another red tulip in his hands.

"I love you. And I wish for you many more birthdays."

She touches her lips gently to his and he covers her body with his. She spends the rest of the day after her birthday in his arms too.

Kurt, Mercedes and Quinn disappear the second they check in at the motel in Paris. Out of the whole club, they, besides Rachel were the only one fluent enough to actually talk to anyone they met on the road. Her fathers are holed up in their motel room working. Mr. Shuester and Ms. Pillsbury don't really hang with them much, Ms. Pillsbury loves art. So once they check in, they leave. They did the same thing in London. And no one really does any schoolwork.

They just lounge around the motel the first day, playing cards and relaxing.

"So, the Eiffel Tower tour, I don't think Finn should come with." Santana says, tapping her pencil against her cheek. He doesn't bother looking at her because he knows she's just being a bitch. Rachel though asks why.

"Because Finnocence here might lean over too far and become a splattered mancake on Paris' beautiful grounds."

"Don't be a bitch, Santana." He glares at her.

"I'm just saying. Have you seen you? Put you too close to the edge and ka-blooey!"

Really, he knows she's just lashing out because Brittany opted to stay behind with Artie at their motel. But Santana isn't Santana if she's not being cold and heartless so he says nothing.

Santana gripping onto Rachel scared out of her wits? Priceless. He and Puck snap picture after picture of the look on her face, even as Rachel holds her hand in hers, Santana refuses to open her eyes. As soon as they get to the ground floor, she chases after them and Mike and Mercedes take videos of that, teasing Santana the entire time. Weren't cheerleaders supposed to be OK with being on top of the pyramid? He smirks at the furious look on Santana's face.

They're eating lunch at some café near the tower, Rachel and Kurt conversing in nearly fluent French with each other much to the chagrin of everyone around. So he ignores them, her feet on his lap as he talks to Puck and Mike.

The conversation stalls and Kurt calls his name. He turns his to his brother and Kurt's eyes are wide as he stares over at Rachel. She has both hands to her head, pressing her fingers against her temple.

"Rachel?"

"It's my eyes." She whispers.

He scoops her up in his arms, shouts at Kurt to settle the bill and walks quickly to a tour bus.

"Hospital." He snaps. He figures the word should be easy to understand in any language and is relieved when the driver nods. He cradles his girlfriend to his chest as she moans and as soon as everyone is piled into the bus they drive off towards the hospital at near breakneck speed. Santana has a hand on Rachel's calf and Kurt and Mercedes are hugging each other. He presses his lips to her forehead, murmuring comfort to her as she moans.

She spends the night in the hospital. She seizes in his arms as they walked through the hospital doors and Kurt had to step in as translator to explain what had happened and what was wrong.

He figures the word tumour is fairly easy to understand when Kurt says it, his voice high and hands waving wildly. He's grateful when they lead him to a room and indicates he should put her on the bed. They say something in French and he looks at Kurt and then the doctor.

"I'm not leaving her." Kurt translates. He ignores whatever else the man says, just holds Rachel's hand in his as her body arches on the bed in front of him.

Her fathers arrive not soon after and he reluctantly steps away, nodding at LeRoy Berry when the man thanks him.

He walks out into the hallway and slides onto the ground beside the door of her room and drops his head in his hands. He barely notices when Kurt sits on one side and Mercedes on the other. And he doesn't really care that everyone can see him cry.

He really hates the bad days.

Their trip to Madrid is postponed because of her stay in the hospital but she makes her fathers promise that they will go soon. Finn and her fathers look at each other and then nod slowly.

She spends the train ride there curled up beside Tina as they look through a magazine, ignoring Kurt and Finn as they watch her. She knows she won't get away with much as long as they keep up the bodyguard behaviour.

Quinn, Mike, Sam and Artie are sitting with Mr. Shuester, Spanish flowing easily between them. She looks over at them when Quinn says cantante de ojo castano and smirks. Puck looks over at her and raises an eyebrow.

"You know what they just said, right?"

"You don't?" She asks. She knows his mother loves those Spanish soap operas, she hears the woman talking about it often at temple.

"'Brown-eyed singer'? Pretty sure they aren't talking about Tina."

Tina looks up when she hears her name. "What about me?"

She laughs lightly and shakes her head. She nods over at Mr. Shue and the others. "They're saying I should take it easy the next couple of days. Not try and exert myself. And no bull-riding."

Kurt snorts.

"Seriously, Berry. You need to chill. No badass behaviour from you. You almost gave Finn a heart attack." Noah says quietly.

Finn has his eyes closed now, his head leaning against his seat.

"I know, Noah. It's not like I can predict my days. And I thought this was about having fun? Sitting around and worrying when next is as far from the definition of fun."

He glares at her.

"True. But you could take it easy. None of us really want to go through that day again anytime soon. As soon as you keep it simple, you should be fine, right?"

She's tired, so she doesn't argue. She closes her eyes and pretends to drift away. She's not sleeping when Tina shifts and Finn takes her place but she says nothing. Her dreams are always better when he's around.

The New Year in Spain was beautiful, not that Rachel got to spend most of it outside or having fun. Her fathers practically had her on bedrest while they worked from their motel room. When Rachel complained enough they allowed her to hang out with the others, with explicit instructions to keep off her feet.

She was still tired and breathing heavier since the episode in Paris, so while he and the other graduates went out and had fun, Mr. Shue kept her inside with the seniors for some well neglected distant learning.

She helped mark assignments, helped them while they worked and slept when they didn't need her around. She'd wake up with him beside her most of the time, or Kurt or Mercedes, sometimes Tina, Puck or Santana. He liked that they all took the time to spend time with her. Except Quinn, they hadn't warmed to each other yet. He really didn't care.

"Are you going to be this much of a hardass for the rest of the trip?" Rachel was relaxing with him in a hammock one cool evening behind their motel. Her fathers were sitting inside after dinner, talking to Mr. Shue and Ms. Pillsbury.

"If it comes to it."

"Finn."

"Rachel. I'm not arguing with you. You remember what your doctors said. And the dudes from the French hospital. You need to take it easy, tone down on the excitement."

"I know all that, but you can't keep me cooped up inside the motel with everyone else. I'll go crazy. I promise I'll behave and not get too overexcited and stay out of the sun and whatever silly promise I need to make. I want to go to the beach."

He chuckles. "Tomorrow's some bull-fighting thing."

She scowls. "You know my fathers won't allow me to go to that."

"I know. Everyone is going."

She curses.

"I don't have to."

She twists in his arms with a wicked smirk on her face and buries her nose in his shirt. His heart beats a little too fast when she looks up at him again.

He volunteers to stay behind with her while Mr. Shue takes everyone, Ms. Pillsbury and her fathers on an excursion, to explore Spanish history and culture. Her fathers kiss her on the cheek and tell them to behave. He nods politely, fingers crossed behind his back.

He takes her to the beach on a moped, and they walk along the sand. He buys her tacos from a stand and teases her when she nibbles on a chicken taco. They drink lemonade and stroll back slowly towards the motel.

"It's too hot." She moans. She's dressed in cotton shorts and a tank top with flip flops. Her skin looks almost golden and he reaches out a cold finger to trail over her shoulder. He can feel the goosebumps as they raise over her skin.

He tosses ice from his lemonade at her.

"Finn!"

"You said you were hot. I was trying to cool you down." He says innocently.

"Yea, well, throwing ice at me isn't helping."

"Oh." He empties the rest of his drink over her head then bends to suck at her neck.

"Did that help?"

They make love in the shower, slowly, quickly and again before they get dressed. He marks her neck and her thighs then begs her to get dressed before her fathers come back and kill him.

They wake up around dinnertime and he lifts her in his arms and brings her to the café they're having dinner at, depositing her in a chair between her fathers. He smirks at her the entire time through dinner.

Every time he takes a sip of his lemonade her cheeks colour. It looks beautiful against her tanned skin.

She falls asleep beside Santana this time on the train back to Paris, their time in Spain the shortest they've spent yet. They're only spending one night in Paris before they head to Florence and after Kurt and Puck disappear, he takes her back to the Eiffel Tower.

There, he kisses her for every day they've spent in Europe so far, his lips lingering on hers when a nearby clock strikes midnight.

"I love you." He kisses her.

"Je t'aime." He kisses her again.

"Ti amo."

"We aren't in Italy yet." She breathes against his lips.

He smiles. "I'm getting a headstart."

She laughs and throws her hands around his neck. He adds another good day to his mental tally.

They split up for dates on Valentines' Day and Finn and Sam fall off a gondola their third day in Italy. She and Mercedes try hard not to laugh at them, but it's next to impossible. Finn actually squeals when a frog hops off his back and swims away.

Back at their motel, the others laugh at them once they relay the story and the two men walk away sulking.

She knows Finn's not really mad at her but she goes after him anyway once the rest have them have calmed down. He's sitting on a chair in their room pulling clothes from his bag. He looks up at her then cuts his eyes away from her back to his bags.

"You're not talking to me?"

He doesn't answer. She tries not to laugh.

"You've kissed me more times in a day in Paris than we've been here in Florence. Unfair." She crosses her arm and looks at him. He shakes his head and tries to fight a smile.

He gets up and kisses her quickly. "That's one more to the tally. I'll kiss you, but I'm not talking to you. You're mean." He wags a finger in front of her and kisses her again before going into the bathroom.

He kisses her cheek again when he comes out for dinner but doesn't speak to her, choosing only to address his brother and everyone else.

"Mercedes, do you think you want to room with me for the rest of this trip? Since those two are giving us the silent treatment?"

"Not happening." Sam says curtly looking at Mercedes, she covers her smile with her hand and looks over at her.

"Good idea Rach. Let them sulk together." she grins.

"Rachel isn't going anywhere and you're staying in your room with him tonight." Finn points at Mercedes and Sam in turn. Then he points to her. "Don't be a smartass."

She snickers. "Now you're talking to me?"

He tries to not smile but has to. "If I must."

"Wuss." Noah calls out. Quinn smacks him.

"I'm guessing we shouldn't tell them that you ate so much you threw up twice before dinner? Drinking so much wine in France and again as soon as you get here. No offense to you Rachel, but he spent more time over the toilet than you have since you've been on the trip."

"Babe, shut up."

"I will not. At least Rachel's a trooper. You cry like a baby."

She should be offended, but she's learned that Santana and Quinn express their fondness in odd ways so she'll take this as a win.

Finn and Sam guffaw at Noah's embarrassment.

"Yea, well, at least I didn't have actual frogs in my pants." He waggles his eyebrows at Finn.

She can't help it, she bursts out laughing, even as Finn's glaring at her. He holds her hand under the table, rubbing his thumb over her fingers. Her heart flips when he pulls one of the flowers from the vase from the table and tucks it behind her ear.

He leans over and kisses her again. "We need to beat the Paris score."

Puck proposes to Quinn. In Italian. In public.

She says yes.

In Italian.

This in and of itself isn't surprising. Much. They all knew they'd get together one day. It's just the one day isn't supposed to be at 19. Still. Puck as a married man?

Puck's sitting across from him with a beer in his hand and a smug look on his face. The women are sitting at a separate table all ogling Quinn's ring. Even Rachel is in awe. She's pressed beside Quinn into the booth with a dreamy look on her face as she listens to them talk around her. He's glad for her good days.

"You're welcome by the way you know." Kurt says.

"Why's he thanking you?" Blaine asks in confusion.

"I helped him buy the ring in Paris. He knows absolutely nothing about jewellery." Kurt drawls.

"Dude, she's not pregnant, is she?" Artie asks.

"What? No!"

"Puck, you can't get married. You can't even stay in a relationship longer than a month." Sam says.

"I've been with Quinn almost three years!" Puck fumes.

"No. She cheated on me with you. We broke up. You hooked up with Santana, Brittany, Mercedes and even Rachel -,"

"Hold up, you dated Mercedes? When?" Sam interrupts.

"Dude. It was two days and you weren't even at McKinley yet. Chill." Puck pointed to him.

"I only dated Rachel for 10 days because my mother was on my case about dating a nice Jewish girl. Besides, your girl is nutty in the head, no pun intended." He holds his hands up placating.

"Whatever. Point is. You can't settle for one woman." He points his beer at Puck. "Wait, is this because she's going to Yale?"

Puck shrugs. "Sorta. She's been there every time man. She doesn't think I'm a loser or anything and I really love her. Have since freshman year. I was too much of an asshole back then, so she chose the better man."

He nods, there are no hard feelings there because even though he'd stayed with Quinn when she cheated, he only did it to maintain her image, he couldn't trust her afterwards. Senior year brought many a change. And he and Puck were better friends because of it.

"Alright. So what are you going to do about school? And Quinn isn't going to get married to you right now or tomorrow. You know she's gonna wait at least until she's graduated for that."

"Santana, man. That girl will be money in the future. I'm going to community college there, keep up my pool cleaning business, I might add painting and landscaping to it as well. New Haven had a lot of pools and yards. Santana helped me find a school and register my business in the state. After Quinn graduates, we'll figure out the next step."

"Hmm. Wow." Mike says.

Well, congrats man." They all tilt their drinks toward Puck and he nods in acknowledgement.

"You do know that's the last woman you're ever going to sleep with, right?" Artie says again.

"Ever." He reiterates.

"Whatever. Don't act like you've never thought about it too Finn." He narrows his eyes at his best friend. "I know that look."

Puck looks over back at the girls and if he wasn't there to see it, the playboy had officially hung up his shoes.

"Good to know you're good with your tongue too. Bet Quinn had fun teaching you Italian." He snickers.

"I taught the fool how to say it." Kurt mutters.

They all laugh at the look of horror on Puck's face. "Pretty sure his tongue will be getting lots of action tonight though, all night long." Sam smirks.

"Dick." Pucks curses, but he smiles into his beer.

Puck was right, he had thought about what it'd be like to be married to Rachel. Before everything else… he knows they say you aren't supposed to find your true love so young and even though he's only dated three women, he knows Rachel is it for him, for as long as she wants him. He thinks back to the pouch he got from his father's safe deposit box and the idea takes root in his head.

When in Rome…

She stays with Finn the entire ferry ride from Bari to Corfu. He handles flights and trains just fine, but the green tinge to his face as the boat moves through the water – she knows he can't feel it but he complains that just seeing the water makes him uncomfortable, so she'll play nurse. He falls asleep four hours into a five hour trip and is cranky when she wakes him. He's just lucky she loves him.

After he's thrown up the millionth time on the taxi ride towards their motel she sends him to bed.

"Honestly, he's like a big baby." She laughs with Kurt as they watch him slink away.

"Just give Finny D some sex and he'll right as rain in five minutes." Noah smirks.

"Noah!"

"What?" he responds mimicking her.

"Don't be rude."

"Don't tell me you're not thinking about it now." He grins. She should tell him to stay out of her business but the tiny little part of her screaming that he's right won't shut up and her face is beet red as she hurries after Finn.

Noah is known to give sound advice at times.

There are only three weeks left in their year of travel. They've stayed in Greece the longest and she absolutely loves it here; she and Kurt joke that if they could choose just one place to live out the rest of their lives Corfu would be it.

He actually considers staying there when he hears her say that. He exchanges a look with Kurt before turning away.

They're having dinner on the beach, like they've done almost every night there and he watches her as she talks to her fathers, sitting on the sand. It's been three years to the day since she's found out about the tumour. She's managed three years and he keeps his fingers crossed that maybe they can fight for three more years together.

She's looks stronger today, although the days vary. From those where she can barely get out of bed, to when she can actually swim for a little. Her hair is shorter too, no more bangs and it barely touches her shoulders. Her skin is more tanned even though her body is slimmer and she hasn't had a headache in two weeks. She's eating better too and buys yet another recipe book so she, Quinn, Brittany and Mercedes can try out a new dish every night. He fishes with the men, spending long hours outside in the sun without her, Kurt's better at it than he is, but his skin doesn't really get as dark as hers, still he's not so pale.

He doesn't look at the differences anymore while his body covers hers, skin hot and wet as she moves atop him. He tries to ignore the pale bruises on her arms or legs that appear for no reason. He kisses them while she sleeps and cradles her gently in his arms so he doesn't cause anymore. The mornings where he wakes up to hearing her throwing up in the bathroom are happening more frequently, and all he can do is sit behind her and hold her hair back, let her fall back asleep on top of him. He never falls back asleep after, he's afraid if he does she will never wake up.

She looks beautiful against the sunset, small and child-like and he just want to go to her and run away, maybe find out if any of those Greek myths are true. He'd give anything to freeze time with her right now. He's dreamed it that often. He has so many dreams of her and doesn't like that he can only get some of them with her before it's all gone. Sometimes, he just wishes he could do more.

He creeps up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and she squeals, nearly dropping her phone.

"Sorry Dad. Finn felt like he could frighten the life out of me just now. Yea. OK. We'll talk tomorrow. I love you, and kiss Daddy for me. Ew, not like that! Goodbye Dad!"

He loves how her fathers tease her. She takes pictures of the water, of them and of the sunset on her phone, and he knows Artie will have it as part of their scrapbook soon.

He's glad today is one of her good days.

He remembers her conversation with Kurt and turns her in his arms. She smiles at him, rubbing his jaw with one hand and he just gives in.

"Marry me?"

She does the freezing thing again, not even blinking. It's quiet for a breath or two before she shakes her head and peers up at him seriously.

"Finn. I'm sorry if I've gave you the impression where you feel like you have to-,"

He cuts her off because really? How could she think that? "I'm not asking you because you think I'm obligated to. I'm asking you because I want you to be my wife."

She takes a step back from him and he feels colder when she does.

"Finn. You know this won't last forever. Soon my entire body will just give up. I'm ridiculously lucky enough that I've made it this far without forgetting my name or losing the use of my legs or my memories or even my sanity. That is going to happen. That is what you have to look forward to if we get married. I do not want to put you through that."

Will she ever stop doing that? Not because it's bound to happen means she has to discuss it so callously. He'd rather look forward to anything else besides this cruel picture she always paints.

He bites back his anger. "Rachel. You're not putting me through anything. I'm here, aren't I? I want to be here, with you. I want to hold you and support you through this. Like I've been doing. So I can't have you forever, but why can't you let me love you for the rest of your life?"

He's not ashamed of his tears. He doesn't care who hears them, he just needs her to hear him.

"I've been in love with you for the past two years, and I won't have you for very much longer. Why won't you let me help you with one more memory? One more good thing to remember when the days get too bad? One more part of me that you and only you will ever have? I didn't just come up with this idea on the fly. When I told you I loved you that first time, before knowing everything else, I saw all of that, the future, us together, happy. Years down the line with babies and a lease and a crappy job and more of your smiles. If I'm selfish enough to want that, however brief it is, I really don't care."

He watches the tears falling down her face and he pulls her into him, letting her cry into his shirt because everything he said to her was true. Yes, it may sound selfish, and he may be a widow at 19 but it'd be worth it. So much. And it it'll make her happier a bit longer, why not? He's already married to her in every sense of the term, all it would take now are two rings and piece of paper.

She already has his heart. She is his heart. If somehow tomorrow they figured how to do a brain transplant he wouldn't hesitate to let them use his. If he needed to die so she could live, even a little while longer, he would.

He doesn't even realize he's saying this all out loud until he feels her shaking in his arms, her words sharp as she glares at him with fire in her eyes and smacks his chest hard. "Don't you dare. I've told you having you already makes me more happier than I've ever been. This night, today, this trip, everything the past eleven months, has been the best time of my life. If I were to die tonight," he can't help his wince at those words but she rests both her hands on his face and makes him look at her, "if I were to die tonight, I would have no regrets. None. Because I have you, Finn. Why can't that be enough?"

He hates himself for doing it, really. But the words are out before he can take them back. "Because if you really love me, you would do this one thing for me."

He watches the tears fall from her eyes, sees the hurt swirling in her chocolate depths and she just rests her forehead against his chest and sighs.

"Finn. I love you. You know I love you. That's not fair."

"Rachel. When you do leave, the one thing that will help me heal is knowing that I was your husband. Even if it's only for five minutes." He knows that's true too.

He's surprised when she snorts into his shirt. "In some strange way, I'm kind of glad that I won't be able to go forever with you because I'm pretty sure you'll drive me crazy before then."

He chuckles in spite of himself. He's already crazy about her, and he just wants to do this one more thing to make her the happiest woman in the world.

She tells him yes on their last night in Greece.

Really, it's because the little girl fantasy she's had of marrying her Prince Charming is staring her right in the face. She tries not to think about everything that will happen when she's gone before they really have a marriage but the look on his face is enough to push her worries away.

He's crying again and she's pretty sure everyone else know what's going on, she knows they all heard and saw them on the beach that night. Somehow she can't bring herself to care. Finn slips a dainty ring onto her finger and again, he manages to steal her breath.

"Finn. Please tell me you didn't buy this." She manages to breathe out. It's beautiful and if she were to have chosen her ring, this would be it. It sits on her finger like it belongs and she hurriedly brushes the tears away when they blur her hand in front of her.

"No. My father gave it to my mother when he proposed." He says quietly. She looks up at him and she knows he's thinking about how strange their situations and his parents are mirrored, except she knows it's inevitable, just not when.

"Is it weird that I'm kinda freaking out that it fits this perfectly? Wait, did you get it sized and I didn't know?"

He shakes his head. "I took it out of my safe deposit box before I left. My father had savings, part of my college fund saved away for when I turned eighteen, papers and stuff. It was just there and I just threw everything in my bag."

He rubs his thumb over her finger and she can't help the shiver that passes over her skin.

"The fact that it's there, and it's perfect, means that it belongs to you."

So, okay, you really can't blame her for getting him naked right then and there. Because this? This man that loves her? This loveable dork who can't dance to save his life but sings like a dream? She loves his broken verbal filter. He never really thinks of what he says before he talks and she'll never hold that against him.

Finn: 3, Rachel: 0. He gets extra points for his proposal and the fact that she can forever hang on to this fantasy-turned-reality and finds herself fighting hard to get more years out of her life.

A/N: So, I had to cut it again. It's getting harder to just tie this all up.. But I have.