Chapter 13

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She looked at the door the moment she heard his voice. Then, she slowly stood up and unlocked the door. She didn't even want to fight it or overthink it. He was there, and he was looking for her.

When the door opened and she saw him, fresh tears spilled over, and she wrapped her arms around her neck, crying into his shoulder. She couldn't stop. Nor did she want to. When he wrapped his arms around her waist, she suddenly felt safe. At home. She felt as though her spirit was finally reentering her body, and all would be well again. She felt loved, and cared for, and just about every other sappy thing a romantic could think of.

"Hey...it's okay. Shh..." he softly spoke, rubbing her back gently. It only made her want to cry even more, and she wasn't even sure if they were tears of relief, of joy, or just because she needed to cry.

"You're...you're...h-here, and...and..." But she couldn't speak. She couldn't. She was feeling so much in such little time that she was actually afraid she might get sick. It was so overwhelming, yet it was so right. He was there with her. He wasn't backing away. Instead, he was holding her and comforting her.

When she finally managed to take a few deep breaths to calm her hysterical sobs down, she pulled away, but only to look at him. Her arms stayed locked around his neck. Just in case this was a dream.

It was really all they needed. Just to stare into each other's eyes, and all was right with the world. His beautiful eyes were full of love for her. She could see it. She could see how much he loved her, and needed her in his life. Well, good, because she was communicating the same exact thing with her eyes. In fact, she refused to ever be parted from him again.

"My makeup..." was all she could say, knowing she probably looked awful.

"You look beautiful."

With just three words, he was able to take her breath away. She was so lost in his eyes, and in his words, that she forgot to open her mouth to reply to him.

"I love...love myself, but...I love you more than anything...in this whole entire world." She winced slightly, not sure what his next words would be. Or if he would be disappointed in her or not. But all she could see in his face was that adoration he showed before. Like she was the most amazing human being on earth.

He placed his hands on her cheeks, cradling her face gently. "That's okay. Because I love you more than anything in this whole entire world."

That only caused more tears to fall, and he interrupted them by kissing her soundly and passionately. It wasn't a makeout kiss, nor did she want it to be. It was the kind of kiss that sealed something. Like he was telling her that the past was going to remain in the past now. That she was all forgiven, and that he wanted to move on with her.

Their foreheads rested against each other, and all Rachel could do was shut her eyes and cherish this moment. She was praying that this was indeed real, and that she wasn't about to wake up from it. Because there was no way she would survive being away from him. No for a moment longer.

"The-the song. I wrote it, and...it's about...us," was all she could pathetically let him know. She had written more songs, actually. Apparently, songwriting was easy when she had the right kind of motivation. Her hurt and her pain was more than enough motivation for a few lines of lyrics. But she didn't want to write those songs anymore. She wanted to make her motivation be joy and happiness.

He nodded. "I know. I loved it. It was...it was beautiful. Your voice, and just...everything. I'm so incredibly proud of you."

"You are?"

"Very much so. You...embraced it. You embraced that you are more than just...what people made you to be. What you thought you were. You are so much more, and by writing that song, by performing it with so much emotion...you accepted yourself. And that makes me happy beyond words."

He didn't hate her. He loved her. He loved the song. He loved everything about her and what she did. He was so wonderful, and this time, Rachel knew she deserved him.

"Can we be...us, again? I can't...spend another second without you."

"Neither can I. I want you to be mine again."

She looked at him seriously. "I was never anyone else's."

Her reply was rewarded with another kiss.

It was two months, two weeks, and five days since they got back together, and there hasn't been a single moment when either of them got upset with the other, or didn't feel worthy enough. Finn couldn't ask for anything more than she was already giving him, and Rachel knew how genuinely happy he was with her.

Rachel was busy with her new album, and Finn was still in the filming business, but this time, he was filming short films. His Grammy's filming had been a success, and he was moving on to bigger and better things. And Rachel? She had a record deal, and signed a contract with one of the hottest labels in Hollywood.

Finn was her biggest fan, and he was the inspiration to all of her songs. There wasn't a single one that he hadn't listened to and approved, and he often offered her suggestions on certain lyrics and even the melodies. They were a team, and there was absolutely no resentment whatsoever.

But it all started when Rachel began getting sick more often than she should. Sometimes, she would run from the dinner table, or wake up in the middle of the night. She insisted that it was just a virus, but it was weird, because Finn never caught that virus, despite always being so physically close to her.

He insisted she go to the doctor. Maybe it was more than just a virus. But she was stubborn, as she always was. He couldn't do anything about it.

"Hey, babe, what rhymes with 'say'?" she called out from the kitchen table. She was munching on a few crackers. They made her feel better.

"Day? Or way? Pray?" Finn offered, his eyes never once leaving the computer screen. He needed to get the movie edited as quickly as he could.

"Way. Thank you!" And she went back to scribbling down her lyrics.

They were a very relaxed couple, no high expectations from each other, but a lot of love was involved. They went out a often as they could, and Rachel even insisted on getting him new, fashionable men's clothes (much to Finn's protest). She always dolled herself up for him, hoping to please him, and Finn would always make sure to never be one of those lazy boyfriends who took a shower only once a week. He made sure she loved to be around him.

There were some days when they didn't see each other for the entire day, and those days were difficult. Neither of them wanted to spend a minute apart, but their work kept them busy.

Rachel had come home early from recording a couple of her songs, but Finn was still in the editing room up in Beverly Hills. He never rushed his work, and always did a flawless job on everything.

That evening when he came home, he stopped to pick up flowers for Rachel. Lilies were her favorites, and he made a habit of bringing them home every so often. He loved seeing her face light up when she saw the flowers, and that he'd thought of her in that way. How could he not? She was his lifeline.

"Rachel?" She was nowhere to be seen. Which was odd. He put the keys and the flowers down, removed his jacket and his shoes, then moved the lilies into the kitchen. "Babe, are you here?" The light had been on. She had to be home.

Oh, and there goes that scuffling in the bathroom. Finn walked over and knocked. "Rach, are you okay?" It was normal for her to be in the bathroom at this time. She was normally emptying the contents of her stomach from that day. "I don't care what you say, I'm making an appointment at the doctor's tomorrow, Rachel. I'm worrying sick about you, and I just-"

The door swung open, and her bright and gleaming eyes were looking back at him. It almost made him uncomfortable.

"Uh, babe?"

There was a huge grin on her face. "I'm pregnant."

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