Christmas in Lima
AN: I promise that I haven't deserted this story. I've just been busy being a mom and trying to get things ready for Christmas. Much love and thanks to my twitter support group, love your support and friendships. Flashbacks are in italics.
Disclaimer: The only things that I own are the plot and the errors and a few people along the way. Anyway here we go, I hope that you enjoy.
"Hey mom." Finn answers his cell phone.
"Hi baby, are you too busy to talk?" Carole asks her son.
"No, I'm working from home today; I need a break anyway, what's up?" He asks as he walks out of his office and into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.
"Well, as you know congress has closed its session, so we're going to spend the holidays in Lima and we would for our boys to come home." She chirps.
"Well, uhm…" Finn says before being cut off by his mom.
"And, of course Rachel and Blaine are welcome to come also, it may do her some good to get out of LA for awhile." Carole tells her son.
"I'll let you know in a few days, I need to see if Sam can handle the office since Puck has already made plans to take Quinn to Lima to meet his mom and Sarah." He tells her.
"Oh, I hope that you all can come, invite Santana and Brittney too; I'm sure Brittney's parents would love to see her." Carole adds
"Well if I can get Sam and Kitty to show Rach's house if anyone wants to tour it; we need to get it sold." Finn says bitterly.
Finn and Rachel were heading back home from a relaxing weekend in Malibu; when Finn was pulling up to the guard shack and notices several media vans surrounding Rachel's house.
"What the hell? Why are all of those parasites parked in front of her home? Have you been sleeping again?" Finn sneers at the guard on duty.
"No…No sir, they are signed in as Mr. Master's guest. ..thought that he was having a party with the media." The guard stutters.
"And you didn't notice that they aren't at Master's house?" Finn growls at the frightened guard.
"Baby, let's just go to your house and we'll call the police to get rid of them." Rachel tells Finn, placing her hand on his arm to try to calm him down.
"Fine." He tells her as he pulls through the gate. Finn pulls into his garage as the cameras start flashing; they figured out real quick that the handsome lawyer that had stolen Rachel's heart lived next door. Finally secure in his garage Finn looks at his visibly nervous girlfriend and tells her "We need to move; please move in with me and sell your house and we'll find one together."
"What about Blaine? Quinn? Tana?" Rachel, who is very excited at the thought of living with Finn full time asks, since you know they did all pick up and move across the country with her.
"Quinn is pretty much living with Puck; Blaine's at my house more than yours anyway; and as far as Santana, she has been staying with Britt." He honestly answers.
"I know, but what if…"she isn't able to finish her sentence.
"Ain't happening, you and I are going to be together for the rest of our lives." He sincerely whispers.
"I believe you, but what if something happens between our friends? Where would they go?" Rachel asks with a hanging head. She must make sure that her friends were protected.
"I promise you baby, we will find a home large enough for everyone if that's what you want…we're have our own commune." He smirks.
"Okay, but no switching partners." She beams.
"But first let's get into our house and call LAPD to get the rodents removed from your property; then I'm calling Master and giving him a piece of my mind." He tells her before he places a kiss on her forehead.
After finding out that Mr. Master, who is on the board of most of the tabloids, gave the paparazzi permission into the community to snap pictures of Rachel, it was decided that a real estate agent would be contacted the next morning.
"Hey there beautiful, how was your day?" Finn greets Rachel at the door with a cup of tea with lemon.
"Hey there yourself; did you get any work done today?" she asks before standing on her tiptoes to kiss him.
"A little; my mom called so I talked to her for a while." He shrugs.
"How's your mom and Burt?" she questions as she kicks off her flip flops by the door.
"They're good; they're going to Lima and invited us to come visit." He tells her as he tries to read her facial expression.
"I'd love to go to Lima and see where you grew up. When did they want us to come?" she wonders.
"For Christmas, she wants her 'boys' home for the holidays." He tells his petite girlfriend.
"It sounds like an awesome idea; dad's going on a cruise, so I won't be seeing him anyway; but what about the house?" Rachel replies.
"I've already asked Sam if he and Kitty could show it for us if need be." He tells her while wrapping his arms around her.
"Poor Kitty, I hate that she can't travel because of her pregnancy." Rachel tells Finn as she cuddles into his side, "I assume everyone else is going to Lima with us." She adds with a smirk.
"Of course, mom wants everyone there; but I've already told her that we're staying at the Lima Inn except for Christmas Eve." He says with a wink.
"When do we leave?" she's so excited to get away.
"This is your last week of filming, right? Blaine finishes next week so why don't we have Thanksgiving here then leave on December first?" he wonders.
"And stay until after New Year's Day?" she giddily asks.
"Sure, sounds good to me, let me go make reservations for a few rooms; why don't you go take a nice long bath and I'll take you out for dinner tonight?" he says before walking into his office.
They walk into the airport in Columbus, immediately greeted by all of the parents. Finn had suggested that they could rent two SUVs and drive in since they'd need vehicles to drive anyway. Of course Carole had shut that idea down, insisting that there were enough vehicles for them to use. After the parents decides that they would take the 'kids' to the hotel to check in and then meet back at the Hudmel home afterwards; Finn, Rachel, Kurt and Blaine gets into Burt's Explorer, Puck and Quinn gets into Puck's mother's car and Britt and Santana crawl into her mom's little Prius.
Deciding that paying for their hotel rooms for a month would be perfect Christmas gifts from Rachel and him; Finn checks the group in and leads them to the top floor of the tiny Inn. Of course, he has reserved the largest room for him and Rachel; but they all had beautiful rooms. They all barely had time to place their luggage down before Finn's cell phone starts to ring, "We're heading back down now mom!" he sighs.
Rachel, unable to control her laughter tells him that his mom is just excited to have her boys in the same state for a change. He thanks her for reminding him of that before grabbing her hand and walking down the hallway banging on each of their friends doors yelling, "Come on, they are waiting on us; no time for any hanky panky."
"Dude, did you just say hanky panky?" Puck smirks.
"Yes I did and I have no shame in it." Finn says with a laugh.
"Oh dear Chanel, he has reverted back to high school Finn." Kurt deadpans.
"Leave him alone; I think it's sexy." Rachel smirks before sticking her tongue out at Kurt.
"Apparently, it's contagious because I've not seen Rachel stick her tongue out of her mouth since junior high school." Quinn laughs.
"I don't know about you, my darling cousin; but I have ever intention of having a good time while we are here!" Rachel beams her famous Rachel Berry smile at Quinn.
"Oh believe me, y'all are gonna have the time of your lives; if we can keep you and Blaine incognito." Puck smirks while Finn laughs along.
"What are you two up to?" Rachel asks Finn.
"You'll find out; but if we don't hurry up mom's going to flip out." He tells her as he pulls her down the hall toward the elevator.
"Oh Carole, your home is beautiful." Rachel tells Carole; she was told quickly when she first met her in Malibu that she was not to call her Mrs. Hummel.
"Thank you Rachel, it's a shame that this house just sits here empty most of the year any more." Carole replies.
"Mom don't start; you knew that we were staying in California once we finished college." Finn tells her.
"Yes I know, I knew that with Kurt's profession that he'd have to live out there or in New York; but you can't blame me for wishing that you would come back home and open a practice here." Carole pouts.
"Well considering that Rachel's career is also either LA or New York based; I too have to stay out in LA." He honestly tells her, completely missing the happy look on Rachel's face.
"Good to know; I'm happy that she has came into your life." Carole smiles before walking into the kitchen.
Kurt burst out in laughter along with Burt, puzzled Finn questions what they are laughing at.
"You fell for her trap, Finn. She was trying to see how solid your relationship with Rachel is." Burt whispers so no one else could hear what he is saying.
"There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that where ever she goes that I will be following her." He quietly answers as he stares at Rachel on the other side of the room, secretly saying a little prayer to grilled cheesus that he hears yes on Christmas morning.
Rachel excuses herself and walks into the kitchen to offer Carole a hand with the drinks and appetizers. "Do you need some help?" she asks as she starts putting glasses of ice tea on the serving tray.
"Sure, and I just want to thank you for coming Rachel; because I don't think my son would have came without you." She tells the young woman who has taught her son to love again.
"Thank you for inviting me, there was no doubt that I was going to come with him when he asked me. Carole, I love Finn more than I have ever loved anyone else in my life." She honestly answers.
Tears filling up her eyes, Carole replies "I can tell just by the way that you look at him how much that you love him, and I know that he loves you more than anything on the earth."
"You have no idea how hearing that makes me feel. I promise that I will never intentionally hurt him. He is my world." Rachel tells Carole before giving her a hug.
"Come on, we better get these out there before the boys attack the kitchen." Carole says as she pulls away from Rachel's embrace and wipes the fallen tears from her face.
"Oh I know, that's a disaster waiting to happen; believe me it's happened to me once." Rachel laughs as she pushes the kitchen door open and heads out to the living room.
After everyone has a drink in their hand Carole proposes a toast, "Here's to having our children home for Christmas. I'm so grateful for each one of you."
"Cheers." Everyone replies before they all click their glasses together in the toast.
The evening is enjoyed by all, as they all just sat around catching up. Okay, to be fair maybe not enjoyed by all as the parents told stories of mischief of the Lima crew growing up.
Rachel was interested in hearing more about the glee club years since Finn has still refused to sing for her, aside from that night of karaoke . Carole tells her all about the year that the New Directions went to and won Nationals; she told Rachel about each and every song that Finn had sung. She tells her about the female lead having a passionate crush on Finn but he wasn't interested in her because she thought that she was the best of everything.
"Last I heard; Rhonda was still in Lima working at Breadstix. I wonder if she's still working there." Puck smirks.
"Yeah, she's still there; matter of fact the last time I was there with some of my friends she asked about you and Uncle Finn." Sarah tells her older brother.
"I wonder if she's the best waitress that there ever has been?" Rachel grumbles, not liking that a female has been asking about her man.
"No, actually she sucked. She messed up most of our order and never came back to ask us if we wanted any refills. I'll need to take you girls over to Breadstix when we go shopping." Sarah smirks.
"Oh boy, that should be interesting with the looks that Rachel and Quinn are sporting right now." Kurt states.
"I can't wait to go shopping." Quinn tells Sarah even though her eyes never left Puck.
"Me either, why not go tomorrow?" Rachel inquires.
"Tomorrow works for me after school; I will be home by four." Sarah tells Rachel; she can't wait for Rhonda to find out that Rachel is with Finn and that Puck has found Quinn.
"Alright, we'll swing by and pick you up at four then." Rachel tells her.
"Babe, you need to watch where you go if you don't want people to recognize you." Finn tells her as he wraps one of his arms around her shoulders.
"I'll be careful; we're just going to do a little shopping and grab a bite to eat at Breadstix. You guys can meet us at the restaurant if you want to." Rachel tells her boyfriend.
"Yeah, I think that would be a good idea." Puck chimes in because he knows that Rhonda can be a bitch, and if she says anything to Rachel; they will certainly be bailing both Rachel and Quinn out of jail.
"I want to get my shop on too; can I come with you ladies?" Kurt asks Sarah.
"Of course Uncle Kurt, you know shopping isn't shopping without you along for the ride." Sarah tells him because she knows that he will spend lots of money on her.
"Yippie! Satan, Brittney would either of you like to come with?" Kurt asks already knowing the answer.
"Uhmmm, no thanks; I hate to shop. Britt is going to take me to the high school to meet your old glee club advisor. What's his name, Mr. Shooter?" She replies looking at Brittney for help with the teacher's name.
"It's Schuester, but we always called him Mr. Schue." Kurt deadpans.
"Oh I want to meet him too." Rachel pouts at Finn.
"We can go and just pick Sarah up after school." Puck shrugs.
"Then you all can just drop us off back here before you go shopping." Finn adds.
"That sounds excellent! I can't wait to meet someone who had such an influence on you growing up." Rachel squeals as she reaches up and hugs Finn.
"Alright, enough of that; are any of you kids going to stay here tonight?" Burt questions.
"Naw, we are going to head back to the Inn and we'll be back early in the morning." Finn answers because let's face it, he hasn't spent many nights without Rachel beside of him in bed and there is no way in hell that they both can fit in his twin bed in his old bedroom.
"Early, really Finn you've never gotten up early." Burt jokes.
"Dad, I actually get up every morning at four, I'm not a high school jock anymore I have responsibilities." He tells the only father that he has every known.
"It's true; he wakes me up every morning, because Finn is not quiet." Rachel chirps in before realizing that she just told her boyfriends parents that she is living with him.
"Oh have you been spending a lot of time at Finn and Kurt's house?" Burt asks a red faced Rachel.
"Dad, I told mom that Rachel is living with me since the paps have been hanging outside of her house and that once her house is sold, we are going to find a larger house somewhere else then we are selling mine." Finn tells his stepfather angrily.
"Burt, Finn and Kurt are grown men; and I told you that Rachel is living with him." Carole sternly tells her husband effectively ending the conversation about their living arrangements.
"Well, we'll see you two early in the morning, goodnight." Finn tells his parents before hugging both of them.
"Brittney, are you and Santana going to come over to the house and spend some time with us?" Mitsy Pierce, Brittney's mom asks.
"No mom, not tonight; I've had a long day and with the time change, my body is acting all funny inside." Brittney tells her mom.
"Alright sweetie, I'll see all of you tomorrow then." Mitsy tells her daughter before hugging her and Santana.
At seven o'clock the next morning, Finn and the crew walks in the kitchen door where Carole is cooking breakfast for everyone.
"Morning mom, WOW it smells good in here." Finn tells his mom before placing a kiss on his mom's forehead.
"Thank you baby, I love cooking for a full house. I'm happy everyone is home; it's like old times, of course it's better now with the new additions to the group." Carole beams at her son.
"Carole, is there anything we can do to help?" Rachel asks as she pours Finn and herself a cup of coffee.
"No sweetie, I'm finished and there's fruit in the fridge for you, Finn told me that you only ate fruit for breakfast." Carole answers the beautiful brunette.
"Well normally that is true, but I'm on vacation so I want some of that delicious looking gravy." Rachel tells Carole.
"WOW, I can't remember the last time that you've ate anything else for breakfast. That has been your breakfast of choice since middle school." Quinn quips at her cousin.
"I've decided that change can be good." Rachel shrugs as she ladles some gravy over her biscuit.
After everyone finishes eating their breakfast, Rachel insisted that she and Quinn clean the kitchen so Carole can spend some time with her sons.
"What are you kids going to do today besides going to the school this afternoon?" Carole asks the men who are currently sprawled out all over her living room.
"We're just going to hang out here for awhile; my mom is on her way here too." Puck tells his second mom.
"Yeah, we're hanging here while the girls and Kurt goes shopping this afternoon too." Blaine says.
"Let's just hope that we don't have to break up any fights at lunch today." Puck smirks.
"Oh, Rachel and Quinn will behave themselves. They aren't the violent type." Blaine says with a laugh.
"Really, obviously you've never had a hairbrush thrown at you!" Kurt grumbles.
"You frightened her Kurt; she wasn't expecting you to walk in on her in the bathroom." Finn tells his brother.
"Besides Blaine, you haven't met Rhonda; she has a way of pushing buttons." Puck replies.
"Yeah, she is a sneaky winch. I wouldn't trust her as far as I can throw her; and from what I've been told that will be impossible since she's gained so much weight." Kurt adds.
After spending a relaxing day with all of the parents, Finn and the gang all are getting ready to go to McKinley to see Mr. Schue and pick up Sarah. Finn drives Burt's SUV with Rachel, Kurt and Blaine while Brittney takes her mom's car with Santana, Quinn and Puck.
"Yo, Finn I'm riding back to your mom's with you, Britt scares the shit out of me!" Puck hollers at Finn as he jumps out of the car before Brittney could even fully park it.
"I second that!" Quinn pipes in as she climbs out of the parked car and grabbing on to Puck's arm.
"What Puck, did you forget how fast she drives?" Finn chuckles at his best friend.
"Yeah, I kinda did. Come on let's go see Schue before he starts practice." He answers as he walks towards the door of the school.
Walking into the Glee classroom, Finn sees Mr. Schue looking over sheet music. "Hi Mr. Schue, long time no see." Finn says startling his former teacher.
"Finn, Puck, Kurt and Brittney; I didn't know that you were in town!" he says as he pulls all of his former students into a group hug. He notices the people with them before pulling away. "Hi there, I'm Will Schuester and you are?"
Before any one could answer him, Finn answers while pulling Rachel into his side. "This is my girlfriend Rachel and that's Quinn, Santana and Blaine." He says as he points to each of the others.
"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Schuester; we've heard a lot about you." Rachel tells him as she extends her hand out to the teacher.
"Call me Will, Rachel Berry, where have I heard that name before?" he asks as he brushes her hand away and pulls her into a hug as his students start piling in to the classroom.
"OMG Mr. Schue, I didn't know that you knew the Rachel Berry!" Casey, one of Mr. Schue's current students says.
"That's where I've heard your name." Will says with a laugh.
"Yes, I'm Rachel, what's your name sweetie?" Rachel asks the awestruck teenager.
"Casey, and one day I plan on having your career." Casey tells her idol.
"Can I hear you sing?" Rachel asks the girl.
"Sure." She answers before belting out 'Cue the Rain' for the group.
"You are awesome; I have no doubt that if you work hard that you will be recording your own hits." Rachel tells the young girl after she finishes singing.
"Hey guys, are you ready to go shopping?" Sarah asks as she walks into the glee room.
"Sure are; but how about we go grab something to eat first?" Quinn replies because she can't wait to meet Rhonda.
"We'll be here until after New Year's Mr. eh, Will; we'll see you again soon." Finn tells his former teacher.
As soon as they walk into Breadstix; they hear a nasally "Finn Hudson, is that you?"
Finn flinches as Rachel tightens her grip on his arm.
Quinn turns towards the direction that the voice is coming from and burst out laughing at the sight that she sees. "We need a table for seven please."
"Right this way." Rhonda answers as she leads them to a table in her section because she is hell bent on getting a date with either Finn or Puck; who are those girls anyway.
"Finn, Puck long time no see; I didn't know that you two were back in town." She purrs.
"Actually, we are home to spend the holidays with our parents; allow me to introduce you to our significant others Rachel, Quinn and my sweetie Blaine." Kurt tells the bottled blonde.
"Significant others huh; I don't see any rings on any of your fingers; you know the old saying you're single until you have a ring on it!" she sneers.
"Where we grew up you dated before you put a ring on it; Finn and I have been dating for six months." Rachel smirks at the waitress.
"Six months, that's got to be some record for Finn; in high school he never stayed with anyone longer than two weeks." She sneers back down at the tiny brunette.
"I'm not in high school anymore; and believe me when I say that this is going to last!" he says as he motions between Rachel and himself.
"I'm sorry, but I'm kind of starving here and I want to go shopping with my Aunts Rachel and Quinn and Uncle Kurt, so can you do your job and take our order instead of standing there drooling over my Uncle Finn and brother?" Sarah questions the crazy waitress.
"Oh how cute, you're not even related to them, you're just a Puckerman." Rhonda sneers.
"Do you make it a habit of fighting with teenagers? It's an honor to me that she thinks of me as her aunt so if you don't mind I would like a diet coke to drink." Rachel almost growls.
"Oh honey, this ain't LA; here in Lima people don't speak to people that way." Rhonda growls back at Rachel.
"Well if you must know, I didn't grow up in LA; but we were always taught to treat people the way that they treat us." Rachel answers before the rest of the table starts ordering their drinks.
"Oh and Rhonda, we are requesting another waitress and the manager please." Kurt adds at the end of their order.
After a few of hours of retail therapy, Kurt drops Sarah off at her house and heads towards the Casa La Hudmel to their men.
"I love this little town; except for Rhonda, everyone here is so friendly." Rachel thinks out loud.
"Don't forget that no one's in a hurry either. It reminds me of home during the winter." Quinn tells her cousin.
"Trust me; after this next month, you will be so bored that you will be begging to get back to LA." Kurt quips.
"I can live in the middle of nowhere as long as I have Finn with me." Rachel tells Kurt honestly.
"Good to know, but please don't drag my brother away from LA." Kurt tells her. He is so happy knowing how much Rachel loves his brother.
"I promise that I won't take him away from you; if we go anywhere, you are more than welcome to visit." She giggles.
"Hey Finn, how about coming over here and sit down, you've about worn a spot in the carpet over there." Burt tells his son who has been pacing the floor in front of the window for the last hour.
"She's with Kurt dude, she's fine." Puck joins in the conversation.
"I know that she's fine, I just miss her." Finn answers as he sits in the recliner so he can still look out the window.
"You've got it bad this time, don't you?" Burt quizzes Finn.
"She makes me feel things that I have never felt before; not even with Lucy. She makes me wonder if I've ever loved anyone else before." He honestly answers.
"Papa Burt, she's awesome; they all are. I've thanked my lucky stars for allowing them to move in to our neighborhood." Puck adds.
"WOW is Puck the shark in love?" Burt asks amused at the way his boys are acting about these women.
"No doubt about it, I love her." Puck tells Burt.
"And I can guarantee you that they feel the same way about these guys." Blaine tells Burt.
"God, I hope so." Finn whispers just as Kurt pulls into the driveway.
"Let's go see if they need any help." Puck tells them as he stands up.
"I'm sure anything that they bought will go to the hotel guys." Blaine chuckles as Rachel walks into the house.
"Hi guys! Gosh I haven't had that much fun shopping in a long time." Rachel beams as she collapses into Finn's awaiting arms.
"I can't believe that you enjoyed the Lima Mall that much; there aren't many stores like we have out in LA." Puck tells the tiny brunette as he tries to grab the bags that Quinn is carrying before she snatches them away from him.
"Oh, no you don't, mister; these bags have some presents for you in them. Carole is it okay if we leave these here so Puck and Finn won't be tempted to look?" Quinn asks before bursting out laughing at the matching looks on Puck's and Finn's faces.
"Of course dear; here I'll take them into my bedroom; the boys know that they aren't allowed in there." Carole smirks as she takes the bags from Quinn.
"And Puck, you're right there aren't many stores like I'm used to in LA but, there are a bunch of quaint stores that reminds me of home; hey Blaine will you help me carry in my bags?" Rachel asks her best guy friend.
"I'll get them baby." Finn tells her putting on his coat.
"Oh no buster, Kurt told me that you are a big snoop. What Quinn said to Puck goes for you too." Rachel tells him before placing a chaste kiss on his lips.
Kurt burst out laughing so hard that he almost drops his bags, "I'm going to go give these to mom so she can hide them too and I'll be out there to help you Blaine with Rachel's purchases."
"What did you do babe, did you buy out the whole mall?" Finn chuckles at the look on his girlfriends face.
"No I did not," she pouts "I just found a lot of quaint things that I thought that my wonderful friends would absolutely love." She tells him with a wink.
"Maybe they will love their gifts half as much as I do you." He tells her before planting a steamy kiss on her lips.
Burt clears his throat loudly; the rest of the gang busts out laughing at the embarrassed couple. "Sorry dad, I keep forgetting that we aren't at our home." Finn sheepishly tells him.
Carole walks back into the room and tells the 'children' that she is planning a Christmas party at the Lima Country Club on December seventeenth and that it is a black tie affair.
"Yay, another shopping trip; we will need to go into Columbus to find the perfect clothing." Kurt cheers.
Early the next morning all eight bodies wedges into Burt's SUV to take the almost two hour trip into Columbus. Finn isn't happy that Puck is sitting in the passenger seat instead of Rachel; but because she is so tiny she is stuck in the middle of the second seat between Quinn and Kurt. He had been secretly wishing that Tana and Brittney wouldn't be going since you know, she made it known that she hadn't planned on shopping on her vacation considering that was pretty much part of her job as Rachel's personal assistant.
"Even though I'm not happy about the seating arrangements; I can't wait to get to a real mall and get my shop on!" Kurt chimes in breaking the silence in the vehicle.
"I can't believe that we didn't think about packing party clothes." Rachel tells Kurt.
"I didn't know that our parents were having a Christmas party at the country club; we always just had a small party at home every year." Kurt huffs because he knows that Rachel blames him because she had asked him when she was packing.
"Oh, really it's okay; I love to shop when I can shop in peace; don't get me wrong I love my fans but I like being able to shop with my man and my friends without having flashbulbs flashing in my face." Rachel tells Kurt as she stares at Finn through the rearview mirror.
After deciding to split up and to go separate ways deciding to meet up at the food court in a couple of hours, Finn, Rachel, Puck and Quinn found themselves in Neiman Marcus. Rachel gasps when she finds the perfect Kurt Hummel Original mini dress; Kurt always names his designs and this particular one is called Rachel. It is the perfect party dress, the strapless, sweetheart top is made out of black silk with a black lace overlay while the full skirt is red silk. It is the most beautiful dress that she has every laid her eyes on; and just the thought that it may be named after her adds to her attraction. "I found my dress for the party, Quinn. Have you had any luck?" Rachel asks her friend who is currently looking at the same rack in which Rachel just finished looking at.
"Look Rachel, here is the mirror image of your dress! I love this dress too. Would you mind if I got this one? The colors are flipped." Quinn questions her cousin.
"Of course I don't mind, I think that we will look good walking up in the country club wearing these dresses; and the best part of it is if we need them altered we have the master at our disposal." Rachel chuckles as she tells the guys that they now need to find shoes.
They are currently looking in the shoe department trying to find the perfect shoe to go with their dresses; you know the guys just picked out a pair of black Prada cap-toe oxfords. The girls decides on a pair of black Michael Kors strappy stilettos; but Finn notices Rachel looking at a pair of black and red Christian Louboutin's and decides that he is going to buy them without her knowing for her. Oh come on he knows that his mom's Christmas party actually falls on the first day of Hanukah and he has every intention of given her a gift for each night of the holiday. He tells the salesperson that he wants to buy those shoes in a size five and paid for them promising to be right back to pick them up.
After they meet up with the rest of their group surrounded by way too many bags, of course everyone knew that half of them belonged to Kurt; Finn excuses himself saying that he needs to go back and buy a pair of socks; which is just a lame ass excuse so he can go pick up Rachel's shoes.
They've been in Lima for two weeks already. Brittney and Santana are at Mitzy's house spending the evening with her and Brittney's dad Tony.
Carole, Kurt and the girls are decorating the home while Burt and the guys are out looking for the 'perfect' Christmas tree. As to hold to the tradition that was started after Burt and Carole got married; Puck, who like Rachel grew up in a Jewish home, always goes with Burt and Finn. Blaine, who learned real quickly about Kurt's 'diva mode' that he turns into when decorating, opted to tag along with the men.
"Rachel, honey will you hang the stockings on the mantle?" Carole asks Rachel while she hands her one of the stocking hanger to place on the mantle.
Rachel notices that they have their names painted on them, when she sees hers; she feels a flutter in her heart. Carole notices Rachel's facial expression and smiles at the tiny beauty, "There is no doubt in my heart that this hanger will be hanging from my mantle for years to come."
"They're beautiful Carole; and I look forward to spending many Christmases in your home." Rachel tells her as she sets out to hang the stocking.
Kurt's busy creating a masterpiece on the front picture window as Quinn finishes decorating the banisters on the stairs. Rachel and Quinn finishes up their jobs when Carole walks back into the room with a box containing a Manger scene and a Christmas Village, telling the girls the story behind each one. She explains how she and Finn would buy a new piece each year after buying the 'starter kit' which held four pieces; Santa's workshop, the North Pole Post Office, Santa's house and a Church. The collection now has twenty four pieces. She picks up the last piece before looking at the young ladies and tells them "This is the Candy Shop; this piece has always been Finn's favorite; until now I didn't know why but, I think I do now. Look inside the window and tell me what you see."
Rachel looks in the window and sees a little brunette girl and boy holding hands. Confused she asks Carole, "Are you talking about the children?"
"Yes, I know it's silly, but I think Finn was destined to find his own little brunette." She softly answers while wiping her tears.
"Mom, why are you crying?" Kurt asks as he hurries over to her side.
"Happy tears, I promise; because both of my boys are finally happily in love." She answers with a smile. She looks over at Quinn before adding, "Puck is like my third son, and there's no doubt that he has found his true love too. I thank God everyday for sending you to LA and my boys."
"I'm happy that our journey took us to them too." Rachel whispers, pulling Carole into a hug. The final decorations are being placed when the garage door is heard opening. "Oh good, the tree's here." Kurt exclaims as he claps and jumps up and down like a silly school girl.
Finn is the first to walk in the door, making a beeline for Rachel. "Hey babe, we finally found the perfect tree.", before he places a kiss on her forehead.
"Wow look at this place, you all did a wonderful job, Carole." Burt tells his wife.
"Damn dude, where's the fire?" Puck asks Finn as he takes his coat off.
"Noah Puckerman!" Carole scolds Puck.
"Sorry mama Carole." Puck mumbles with his head hung.
With a chuckle, Finn points at Rachel and tells Puck, "And right here's the fire."
Totally beyond antsy, Kurt pipes up, "Where is this perfect tree?" he huffs.
"Oh Lord diva Kurt has arrived." Puck sneers.
"Kurt it's standing outside in the garage so it can settle." Finn tells his annoying brother.
"Let us get something warm to drink, and then we'll go shake it out and bring it in." Burt says as the men head to the kitchen.
Carole catches the way that Rachel is staring at Finn's retreating form; willing herself not to burst out in tears questions Rachel, "You really do love him, don't you?"
"More than anything." She whispers.
"Come on let's go grab some hot chocolate." Kurt tells the group as he leads Rachel toward the kitchen door.
"This is so much fun" Rachel beams as she hangs another ornament on the tree.
"That's right; you haven't ever done this have you?" Kurt asks as he hands her a bow to tie on the tree.
"Well my daddy, Hiram is Jewish, but my other dad grew up in a Christian home with Quinn's mom; we celebrated Hanukah at home but we did go to Quinn's on Christmas morning." She answers before grabbing another bow.
"If we actually got to go home for Christmas, we usually had to stay at school because of the Christmas pageants." Quinn chirps in.
"Then we'd have our own celebration, which usually included large credit card bills for our parents" Rachel says with a laugh.
"I was sixteen the first time that I got to do all of this Christmas stuff." Puck tells the group.
"Yeah, my dad marries Carole and I gain a Finn and a Puck." Kurt replies.
After everyone said their goodbyes; the young adults goes back to the hotel after promising Carole that she would indeed see them the next day.
"Hello?" Rachel answers her phone just as they are walking into the Inn.
"Hey Berry pie," Santana giggles before continuing, "I've had too much eggnog so Britt and I are just going to stay here at Mitzy's house tonight."
"That's fine Tana, we'll see you tomorrow at Carole's so we can get our spa day on before the party." Rachel tells her intoxicated friend.
"I love you Rachel Berry; tell the T-Rex that he better not hurt you." Santana slurs, once Santana has had too much to drink she has the tendency to become clingy and threatening to anyone who she thinks could hurt her friends.
"I trust that he won't; I love you too Santana now take care of Brittney and be at Carole's at nine o'clock sharp." The tiny diva tells her friend before saying goodbye.
By the time that she had been able to get off of the phone with Santana, she found herself standing outside of her and Finn's room. She finds herself giddy because this is really the only true significant amount of alone time they've had since arriving in Ohio.
Finn must of read her mind because as soon as he closed the door behind them he turns and asks her what she wants to do with all of their free time; giving her that sexy half smirk that causes her to soak her panties every single time.
"You know, I am planning to take advantage of that huge shower, I want to feel every one of them jets. We've been rushed every morning so I haven't been able to really enjoy it; you know I think that is one thing that is a must have in our new home. Would you like to come and enjoy it with me?" she purrs.
"Well, I don't know; I mean you hid my presents at my mom's house?" he jokes as he rubs his chin.
As she slowly pulls her shirt off and unfastens her bra and let's them both fall into the floor, "It's your lost, baby." She purrs as she turns to walk into the bathroom as she walks out of her skirt just as she reaches the bathroom door.
"You don't play fair!" Finn moans while his pants get extremely tight thanks to the beautiful sight in front of him.
Rachel sticks her hand out of the bathroom door, dangling her lacy panties out before dropping them on top of her discarded skirt. "All's fair in love and war, sweetheart! The offer still stands, I'll just be in here." She tells him as she points back into the bathroom.
"Yeah, because I could say no to that." He whispers as he too starts stripping his clothes off as he walks toward the bathroom.
After finding the perfect temperature, Finn helps his beautiful girlfriend into the shower before following in behind her. He turns her toward him and lowers his head to kiss her telling her that he feels like the luckiest guy in the world to be able to call her his before placing the most passionate kiss he can give.
Feeling weak in her knees, Rachel stands on her tiptoes and whispers, "I keep telling you that I am the lucky one." Before she starts kissing and nibbling on his neck. "I love you and I have thought about getting you back here and making love to you all day." She adds as she reaches for his manhood.
Unable to hold back a moan; wanting her as much as she wants him, he reaches down and grabs her legs and wraps them around his hips. Feeling her breast pressing against his chest, he bends his knees just enough to align his manhood with her sweet center; he whispers that he loves her before he slowly enters her.
"Oh Gooodddd, Finn baby; right there! So good, don't stop, it won't take long." She moans as he pounds his body into hers.
Finn swears that each time that they make love that he falls even deeper in love with her. "Rachel, you're so tight. You are amazing." He tells her as he lifts her head up so he can look into her eyes before adding, "I can't imagine my life without you in it; I plan on being with you for the rest of my life."
"Good, because baby I know for a fact that I couldn't live without you in my life." She tells him as she starts rolling her hips in tiny circles; aching for her sweet release.
Finn can read her body's actions so well; he knows that she is getting close to her explosion so he speeds up his thrusts as he tightens his grip on her ass. "Come on baby, cum for me. I love you more than anything in this world."
Finn's words along with his consistent hard thrust sends her over her edge; and as always as soon as he feels her sweet release around his cock, he follows.
Holding onto her waiting on her breath to even out, he constantly keeps telling her how much that he loves her, and telling her just how happy that she has made him."
Finn finally helps her down onto her feet and grabs her loofah and body wash and starts washing her body off.
In between her purrs of appreciation, Rachel stumbles that she is capable of washing her body, but she has to admit that she loves feeling his hands all over her body. She decides to join him as she reaches for his body wash and lathering in up in her hands. She starts with his chest, down his arms and over his torso before he moans in appreciation of her work. "You know that if you keep this up, we may never get out of the shower." He whispers before catching her lips with his.
After they spent another forty-five minutes in the shower (of course they also had another round of lovemaking) the couple begrudgingly steps out of the shower. Finn grabs one of the fluffy bath towels and wraps it around her delicate body before grabbing one to dry himself off.
Rachel, who is still amazed at the way that Finn treats her; places a kiss on his chest before walking back into their luxurious suite.
Much later that night the couple finds their bodies wrapped up with each other talking about the plans for the next day. Since it's the day before Carole's Christmas party the ladies where going to go have a spa day, complements of Puck and Finn. The guys were going to go hang out at the school with Will for a little while and go see their old football coach Shannon Bieste before heading over to a new bar in town called Dalton's.
Finn wakes up on the morning of the seventeenth a little nervous. He has purchased eight special gifts that he plans on giving Rachel each day of Hanukah with the last gift being the one that he has carried around with him since leaving Los Angeles. He feels his tiny diva stirring in bed beside him and his mind starts racing about what her answer will be. He has even convinced himself that she is going to say no.
"Good morning baby; how did you sleep?" Rachel asks bringing him out of his thoughts.
"Amazing; we have a busy day ahead of us today, but before we get our day started I have something for you." He tells her as he rises out of the bed.
Rachel admiring the view of her naked man's backside jokes, "I was hoping what you were going to give me didn't require either one of us getting out of bed."
"We have plenty of time for that; hopefully the rest of our lives. Anyway happy first day of Hanukah baby." He tells her as he produces the wrapped Louboutins to her.
"Oh Finn, you didn't have to do this; I told you that I was perfectly happy celebrating Christmas with you and your family." Rachel tells him as she takes the package that he is handing to her.
"I know, but I wanted you to have at least the gifts of Hanukah. Besides; I think these will look super hot on you." He smirks as he sits down beside her on the bed. When she opens the gift she gasps at the gorgeous shoes.
"Finn, these are too much, I don't know what to say." She whispers with tears in her eyes because she knows for a fact that no other man has ever spent so much money on her before.
"Just say thank you and promise me that you will wear them tonight to mom's party. I love you." He tells her before placing a peck on the top of her head.
"I promise that I will; we better get busy though so we can meet everyone at your mom's house. We are supposed to be there in thirty minutes." Rachel smirks, so much for going to bed early last night.
"I guess that means that we'll have to shower together then, doesn't it?" he smirks.
"Yes, but showering only, no other activities will be going on in the shower." She giggles as Finn pouts.
Later that night, as the guest starts arriving at the Lima Country Club; Finn loops his arm through Rachel's as he leads her to meet some of his old friends from high school. "Mike and Tina Chang, I'd like to introduce my girlfriend, Rachel Berry; Rachel this is Mike and Tina Chang. We were in the Glee club together."
"Nice to meet you Mike and Tina, Finn has told me a lot about you. I'm hoping to hear some New Directions tonight." She says as she beams up at Finn.
"Rachel, I went and seen you in 'West Side Story' and I have listened to your album on repeat since I've bought it." Tina tells her idol in awe.
"Yeah, Finn how did you luck up and find a Broadway diva?" Mike jokes.
"I'm thinking that she was sent to me." Finn shrugs, really not caring if he sounds like a whipped man; because let's face it, he is.
"Finn, this is a wonderful party. I was hoping that you were still in town. I have been looking for you at Breadstix." Rhonda interrupts the conversation.
"We are here through the new year. I've been busy with my wonderful girlfriend, family and friends. Why are you here anyway?" Finn growls as he pulls Rachel into his side.
"Your mom invited me, she told me that she wanted the whole New Directions here tonight." She purrs.
"I'm sorry but did you just lie to my son?" Carole asks Rhonda, "because I most certainly did not invite you here, and I am going to give you the opportunity to walk out of here on your own or I can get someone to escort you out."
"Fine, I'm leaving but Finn you know that we are meant to be together. Once you lose the hobbit, you know where to find me." She sneers before looking at Rachel and telling her to enjoy it why she can because she knows that Finn will grow restless with her soon.
"I hate that bitch! If she thinks for one minute that she has a chance in Hell with you, then she's crazier than I thought." Rachel tells Finn before pulling him away from Mike, Tina and Carole.
Rachel is visibly upset and its Finn's job to calm her down, "Baby, you know that I have no desire to be with her, right? Haven't I showed you how I feel about you?" He questions her.
"Finn you are perfect; you make me feel like the queen of the world but it doesn't change the fact that SHE is standing in the wings just waiting on you to dump me." Rachel tells him while she leans into his awaiting arms.
"I'm not going anywhere; I promise you that you will always know how I feel about you. I love you Rachel. You are all that I need." Finn reassures her.
"May I have everyone's attention please?" Carole asks the room. "First of all, Burt and I would like to thank you all for coming tonight. I also must gush about the fact that we all have our children home for the holidays for the first time in years. I'd like to introduce the wonderful people who have found their way into our children's hearts; Rachel, Quinn, Blaine and Santana. This is the first time that I can remember that all of our children are happy. Anyway, enjoy the evening." She says as she wipes tears of joy from under her eyes.
Rachel wakes up with a massive hangover, after Rhonda showed up to the party last night Rachel drank five drinks too many. "Oh My God, I'm dying." She moans as she reaches for Finn only to discover that he isn't in bed with her. She slowly opens her eyes and peeks around the room, finally spotting him at the desk working on his laptop. "Finn Hudson, you better not be working; this is a vacation." She says as loud as she can, which isn't very loud thanks to the jackhammers in her head.
"Well sleeping beauty has finally awakened. How do you feel this morning?" He asks softly as he gets up and walks back over to the bed.
"I need some Advil and about five gallons of water please." She whispers as she grabs her head.
"I'll be right back babe; don't move." He tells her as he disappears into the bathroom to grab the Advil out of the medicine cabinet before grabbing her bottle of water out of the mini fridge. "Here you go baby girl." He tells her as he hands her the remedy. "I have something else for you." He tells her as he hands her a small wrapped rectangle box.
"What is this?" she asks as she unwraps the box, she opens it and gasps. "Finn, this is beautiful. Thank you." She tells him before placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
"When I saw it I knew that I had to get it for my shining star" he tells her as he unclasps the two carat star shaped diamond necklace and placing it around her neck.
"You are spoiling me Finn; but thank you again." She whispers as she leans up against his chest.
About an hour later Rachel is finally able to get out of bed and jumps in the shower. Carole has already called asking when they would be at the house because she wants to take Rachel, Quinn and most likely Kurt out for a girl's day. Ever since Carole has called Finn has been pouting because he really was looking forward to spending the day with Rachel and the rest of his family.
Finn grumbles when Rachel walks out of the bathroom, "We have run every day that we've been here. I was looking forward to spending time at home today."
"Baby, we shouldn't be gone too long, I think that we are just going to lunch." She tells her pouting man.
"Obviously you've already forgotten what it's like going to lunch with Kurt; and I really hope that you and Quinn are ready to answer twenty questions from my mom." He tells her as he helps her put on her coat.
"I promise you that I'll be fine. I'm not afraid of your mom's questions." She chuckles before pulling him down into a steamy kiss. "Now come on, we don't want to keep your mom waiting."
Sure enough, as soon as they pulled into the Hudmel driveway. Carole comes out of the house telling Finn that he moves like molasses before telling him that she has prepared all of the men lunch.
"Thanks mom, you all have fun at lunch." He tells her before leaning down and placing a kiss on her head before he turns toward Rachel and whispers in her ear good luck before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. He grabs Puck and Blaine by their arms and starts walking into the house as Carole's driver pulls out of the driveway.
"Yes sir, I'll be there on the twenty third but my boys and their families are here for Christmas, so I want to be back here in Lima on Christmas Eve. See you then, goodbye" Burt hangs up the phone and is startled when he turns around and sees the boys standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
"What was that all about dad? I thought that you were out of session until after the first of the year." Finn questions his step-father.
"Congress is; but I have to travel to Columbus for a state budget meeting. Why in the hell they scheduled it two days before Christmas is beyond me, your mom's going to be upset." Burt huffs.
"Mom knows what your job requirements are, she will understand. I think that she should go with you to Columbus so you don't have to take the trip by yourself." Finn tells Burt as he starts making himself a bowl of Carole's famous Vegetable Beef soup.
"Are you morphing into your brother?" Burt chuckles.
"Hey, I worry about your health too." A hurt Finn replies.
"I know that you worry about me son, but your brother is the one who usually insists that I not travel alone." Burt tells him as he ladles his own soup into his bowl.
"So what all do you guys have planned to do while you are here? I know that your mom has kept you all busy but I'm sure that you would like to take your ladies out on the town." Burt asks his son.
"We were talking about taking them to Dalton's tonight for dinner than staying for the music." Puck tells Burt as he sits down at the bar with Finn.
"They sure would enjoy that, it seems to me like Rachel and Blaine both are enjoying being able to do normal things without being harassed by the paparazzi." Burt tells the guys with a nod of his head.
"Believe me, we are. It's been a while since we've been able to walk down the street in peace." Blaine tells Burt as he joins the other men in the kitchen.
"I'm kind of surprised that more people haven't figured out that Rachel's here considering that every time we walk into the Glee club all of the members flip out." Puck says before taking another bite of his soup.
"Mr. Schue told them that if they spread it around town that she was here that she wouldn't be able to come visit them anymore." Finn pipes in before taking a drink of his lemonade.
After a three hour lunch; Carole, Rachel, Quinn and Kurt busts into the house, all of them in a fit of laughter.
Finn and Puck both immediately turns towards the door, "SHHHH, Dad's sleeping." They both told the giggling group.
"What did you all do during your three hour lunch?" Puck asks Quinn before sweeping her up into his arms.
"Oh you know mom stories about the crazy stuff that you two got into when you were in high school." Quinn tells Puck which causes Rachel to start giggling again.
"Hey Puck, have you entered into any more beauty pageants?" Rachel asks as seriously as she can.
"Momma Carole, why did you tell them about that?" Puck asks as he hides his face behind his arm.
"Because it was sweet, and for a good cause; and let's not forget that you won it." Carole boasts before heading into the kitchen.
Finn follows her into the kitchen to tell her that they have plans to take their loves to Dalton's for dinner and plans of staying there late to enjoy the music before she starts preparing a feast for all of them. She tells him okay and thanks him for letting her know and decides since it would only be her and Burt at home, she pulls a small pack of chicken breast out of the refrigerator. "You keep those precious girls safe." She tells him before hugging her son and wishing them a good time tonight.
After they all promise that if they drink that they would call for Carole's driver; they all give her a kiss and hug bye before heading back to their hotel room to get ready.
Once everyone is ready to go, they meet in their hallway and heads toward the elevator. "Damn ladies, you all look hot as hell; we will be beating the guys off with a stick." Puck tells the beautiful women that are standing around the elevator door.
"Puck baby, I only have eyes for you and you know that, so as long as you don't leave my side all night than we shouldn't have any trouble." Quinn tells her adoring boyfriend before wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Are you ready to let loose tonight, Rach?" Finn whispers into her ear.
"Absolutely, as long as I don't have to fight all of your exes off of you, we will have a lovely night." She tells her boyfriend as he grabs her hand when the elevator door finally reaches their floor.
When they arrive at Dalton's and are seated at their table a younger woman walks up to their table. "Excuse me, but where have I seen you before? You look so familiar to me." She asks Rachel.
"Well, I've been here for a couple of weeks." Rachel politely answers hoping that the intruding woman would accept her answer and leave them be. (No such luck.)
"Oh, I know where I've seen you before; you are in that movie that is getting ready to be released, what's the name? Half Moon?" she tells the brunette.
"It's called 'Full Moon' and yes I am staring in it; but we aren't even finished filming it so how do you know about it?" Rachel questions.
"Oh, I saw the previews for it when I went to the movies last night, may I have your autograph?" the irritating woman asks.
Santana turns into security guard mode pipes up, "If Ms. Berry gives you her autograph do you promise not to tell anyone that she is here and go on back to your table?"
"Ye..ess ma'am, I promise not to tell a soul." The frightened woman answers. And true to her word, once Rachel gives her an autograph she went back to her own table.
The transformation of Dalton's the restaurant and Dalton's the dance club is one that is fascinating to watch; as the dining area clears out, the tables are pulled up and the large curtains are drawn back showing an impressive stage and DJ booth. After dancing and drinking their night away the group finds themselves in the back of Carole's car heading toward their hotel.
As soon as they all tell each other goodnight Finn and Rachel are finally alone. As soon as the door is closed and locked, Finn picks Rachel up bridal style and places her on the bed before he retreats to his closet to pull out her third gift.
"Since it is three o'clock now, I want to go ahead and give you your third gift because I have a suspicious feeling that we won't be waken up real early tomorrow morning." He tells the beautiful woman that is currently lying on the bed in just a pair of red lace panties with a matching bra. Deciding to stop telling him that he is doing too much Rachel just takes the package out of Finn's hand. She opens it and tears feels her eyes as she looks at the engraved silver picture frames, the first one has the word "Family" on it with a picture of them surrounded by all of their friends that had been taken the first day that they arrived in Lima; the second frame is engraved with the word "Love" with a picture of them that was taken on the beach at Malibu; and the third one has the word "Forever Ever After" with a note inside of it saying 'picture to come soon'. With tear filled eyes Rachel looks over at Finn and whispers, "This is the most thoughtful gift. I love them all. You'll have to explain to me about the 'picture to come' eventually."
"In due time my sweetness, I promise that you will know exactly what that picture frame is meant to be used for before we leave Lima." He whispers before placing a tender kiss on her lips as she starts to slip off to sleep.
Okay I really didn't intend for this chapter to be so long, it is so long that I have decided to break it up into two chapters. I will try my hardest to get the next chapter up before Christmas. Just in case that I'm not able to I'd like to wish each one of you a Merry Christmas. Please Read and Review and let me know what you think. I love reviews; they make me want to get my chapters out faster. As always this chapter is for our favorite quarterback/drummer. Next Chapter will be the conclusion of Christmas in Lima. Much Love, Melanie