Chapter 24
"Oh my gosh, Rachel hurry up!"
"I'm coming!" Rachel exclaimed, examining herself once more in the mirror. She couldn't believe that she once again allowed Santana to dress her up. She was wearing a black draped neckline one shoulder short club dress, high black pumps that she could now fully walk on thanks to her healed leg, and a silver bracelet on her left wrist, which made her engagement ring sparkle even more. Her hair flowed down her shoulders in tight curls with her bangs pinned back by two dark bobby pins. Last but not least, her makeup stood out the most. Her eyes were surrounded by a grey Smoky eye affect and her eyeliner was the darkest shade of black. Tugging down her dress, she rolled her eyes to herself and smiled in the mirror. Thank you, Santana Lopez.
Clearing her mind, she took a deep breath and looked herself eye to eye in the mirror. She had no idea why she was so nervous about a night that was supposed to be care free and fun. She just guessed separation anxiety was getting the best of her.
It had been almost nine months from the day that Rachel accepted Finn's proposal. Since then, Rachel's life had been nothing more than graceful and chaotic. She could never forget the moment after he proposed. Supposedly everyone already knew, so Finn took her to Carole and Burt's where everyone in Lima was waiting for them. She had gotten so many congratulations and wishes for a long happy marriage from everyone. Even Will and Emma were present. At first Rachel thought it would be a little awkward seeing as though her dads were also there, but everyone seemed to be accepting of Rachel and Will's new found relationship. This made her happier more than anything.
Rachel shed a lot of tears throughout the night. One time was when Carole and Burt told her to acknowledge them as mom and dad. Another time was when she caught a glimpse of her dads hugging Finn and telling him to acknowledge them as his parents as well. But the one time that made her absolutely bawl was when Carol pulled her aside and told her that she was glad that Rachel was wearing her old wedding ring.
"I just know with all of my heart that Christopher is looking down on the two of you and is just smiling away." Carole said, holding her hand to her heart as her voice broke. "From the very moment that you walked into our lives, he absolutely adored you. I remember one day the two of you were playing in the backyard and we were watching out the window. He pointed at you and said 'Carole, he's going to marry that girl out there.' I smiled and rolled my eyes. And now, here we are; my baby boy getting married to his beautiful best friend."
Rachel had no idea how to reply. All words were lost. All she could do was let Carol know how honored she was to be wearing the ring and marrying her son.
"You have no idea how much all of that means to me, Carole." Rachel sniffled. "I swear, I will love your son for the rest of my life. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me." Reaching out, Carole took Rachel into a warm and loving embrace. "I wish I could've gotten to know him better before he left. I wish he were to celebrate with all of us."
"I know, sweetheart. I do too." Carol said into Rachel's shoulder. Pulling away, Carole pushed a piece of hair behind Rachel's ear and smiled. "Welcome to the family."
The rest of the night, Rachel and Finn had an amazing night with all of the people they loved most. Once they returned to New York City, Quinn, Sam, Puck, Brittany, and Santana were all waiting for them at the airport. Rachel guessed that they were all in on the little secret too. They all basically jumped on Rachel, who was still hopping around on crutches by the way.
"Oh my gosh! Our best friend is getting married, guys." Brittany smiled, hugging her tightly.
"Poor man." Puck said wrapping his arm around Finn's shoulder.
"What're you talking about?" Finn asked laughing.
"How does it feel having the freedom sucked straight from you like a vacuum cleaner?" Puck asked.
"Noah Puckerman, you better shut your mouth." Santana warned. "You're just jealous that Finn has someone to have sex with him for the rest of his life without having to get them drunk first."
"Okay, this just got totally awkward." Rachel said, metalling into the conversation.
"Tell me about it." Finn replied, laughing with Rachel. "And Puck to answer your question, it feels amazing. Once you find the right one, you don't care about anyone else. All that matters is that I'm going to be with Rachel for the rest of my life. So, I'm actually glad to never to be able to be with another girl my whole entire life. I already have the one girl that I need for the rest of my life. She's all mine." Finn explained, pulling Rachel into an unexpected hug, placing a kiss on the top of her head.
"Thanks." She whispered looking up at him. "I love you."
"I love you too baby."
"I'm so happy for the two of you!" Quinn exclaimed holding a sleeping baby in her hand. Harper Marie Evans, Quinn and Sam's 2 month old daughter and Rachel and Finn's godchild. "Sam and I won't be the only old married couple anymore." She laughed.
"That's true!" Rachel laughed, placing down her luggage. "Where's Jer?" Rachel asked as she got near Quinn, reaching out for her godchild.
"He's home with the sitter. He has a little cold. We didn't want to get him out of the apartment. He'd be extremely cranky." Quinn explained, gently placing the sleeping baby in Rachel's arms.
Smiling, Rachel looked down as she held Harper in her arms. She loved her godchild with all of her heart. She remembered the day that she was born. A month before Rachel was kidnapped.
"Congrats,babe." Santana smiled, walking up to her, looking at her engagement ring. "Not bad, Frankenteen."
"Thanks." Finn and Rachel said in unison.
After that, they all went over to Quinn and Sam's celebrate just among the seven friends. Rachel couldn't believe how much love and support they had both received. She also couldn't believe that the same people who were just two best friends last year were getting married.
Looking back on those times, Rachel couldn't be more happier. The only thing bothering her then was the unbelievable stress that came along with planning the wedding of your dreams. But, she had survived it, thanks to her amazing friends and family. And most of all, she had to thank the most amazing fiancé, because she had no idea where she'd be without him.
Taking another deep breath, she finally turned around to leave. Her nerves were getting the best of her and she was sort of embarrassed about that. Again, she didn't know what there was to be nervous about. Tonight was supposed to be the last night that she would let everything go and have an amazing time. Her separation anxiety was getting the best of her.
Tonight was the night of her Bachelorette party. Tonight would also be first night that Rachel would sleep without Finn before their rehearsal dinner, which was exactly two days from now. Maybe that's why her nerves were getting the best of her. She didn't exactly love the idea that she wouldn't see him for two nights straight, but she knew that this separation was needed. It would make her wedding day and night one hundred percent more special.
After her bachelorette party, they were going to fly to Ohiofor the rehearsal dinner and then the wedding would be held the day after. And then, Rachel and Finn would be married. She didn't really know what to think of that. She guessed she'd find out once she was standing at the alter.
Grabbing her packed bag, she said goodbye to her room and tugged down her dress once more. Closing the door, she made her way to the living room where everyone was waiting, including an anxious Santana.
"Ok, I'm ready!" Rachel exclaimed with enthusiasm as she walked over in her tall heels.
"Took you long enough…" Santana muttered with her hands on her hips waiting by the door with Puck and Brittany.
"It was totally worth it though." Puck winked, eying her up and down.
"Puckerman, quit being a pervert." Santana said, smacking him in the back of his head.
"Just saying…" He smirked, throwing up his hands in defense.
"You do look really hot though." Santana smiled. Quinn and Brittany nodded in agreement.
"Thanks guys." She smiled as she awkwardly tugged at her dress again.
"Stop tugging on your dress Rachel! You look hot! Don't ruin it!" Santana scolded.
"But it's so short, Santana." Rachel whined, which cause Quinn, Brittany, and Puck to laugh.
"It's supposed to be that way. Tonight is your last night of freedom." Santana explained.
"Technically my last night of freedom is two days from now." Rachel told her.
"Oh my gosh, Rachel. Just leave the freaking dress alone." Santana rolled her eyes.
"Okay, Fine!" Rachel exclaimed as she grabbed her clutch and placed her wallet and cell phone in.
"What's all of the ruckus?" Finn asked walking out of the kitchen with Sam in tow. He was wearing a black suit, a navy shirt underneath, with no tie, and dark black shoes to match the suit. They both had beers in their hands.
"Rachel's being stubborn as always.." Santana said before walking over to Rachel to fix her dress.
"Oh grilled cheesus…" was all that could be heard from Finn's mouth. He nearly dropped his beer.
"Look everyone, custard nipples is drooling." Santana laughed.
" Hey, sexy." Rachel smiled as he walked over to her.
"My girl is looking hot as hell tonight." Finn whispered.
"Thanks." She smiled as he leaned in for a kiss.
"Okay, lovebirds." Puck interrupted. "Finn, dude, if we don't leave now, we're going to be late for the stripper." Rachel raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Finn asked, nervously looking at Rachel.
"It's okay." Rachel chuckled. "Go, have fun on your last night of freedom." Rachel smiled as she took him into her embrace once again.
"I'm going to be thinking about you the whole entire night." Finn assured her.
"Me too." She smiled. "I'll see you at the rehearsal dinner." They pulled apart and Sam and Puck were basically trying to drag him out the door.
"I'll miss you, my love." He smiled. "Bye, Rach." Then he was gone and the door to their house was shut.
"Bye Finny." She whispered, looking at the floor.
"Oh my gosh, you're starting to make the most amazing night of your life depressing. Let's go before she starts singing 'All by Myself'." Santana said, as she headed for the door with Brittany and Quinn in tow.
"Come on, Ray. Chipper up. Tonight's going to be amazing. We were finally able to leave the kids at my mom's for the weekend. So tonight is the only night that I can get completely wasted and not have to feel guilty about it. Let's have an amazing time. You'll look back on this night and remember it as the last real partying of your life before you actually begin your real life. Trust me, I've been there." Quinn smiled as she held out her arm for her. Nodding, Rachel grabbed her packed bag and took her arm before they headed out the door as well. The beginning to a very long two day was finally here.
On their way to whatever bar and clubs that Santana had in mind, they stopped at San and Britt's to drop off Rachel and Quinn's bags that they had packed. They'd have a sleepover after they came in from partying and then Rachel and the girls would board a plane to Lima at six o'clock the next evening. She thanked her maid of honor for scheduling the flight so late, so they could have time to recuperate after the crazy night that Santana planned on giving Rachel.
Speaking of maid of honor, Rachel thought it was hilarious how the three girls fought over the position. In order to make the decision, Rachel thought she would do the same thing that Monica Geller did on "Friends". Monica told Rachel and Pheobe to decide the person to be maid of honor between the two of them instead of having to choose for herself. Then she told them that the person who wasn't chosen could serve as the other's maid of honor so everyone could get to be a maid of honor. Rachel knew it would sound confusing to the girls, but she thought it would be a fair way.
Since she was already Quinn's maid of honor, Rachel was out of the run. Brittany also wanted nothing to do with it, explaining that being a maid of honor was too much responsibility to handle for her; which left the decision between Quinn and Santana. After many weeks of bickering and disagreeing, the two girls came up with a decision. Quinn would be the maid of honor at Santana's wedding and Santana would be Rachel's maid of honor. Rachel couldn't have been happier.
Having Santana as a maid of honor was the best thing in the world for Rachel. Not only did she play a big part in helping Rachel through the stress of planning her wedding, she also gave her insight and opinion on every plan that Rachel and Finn discussed. Finn was pretty much indifferent on everything that Rachel came up with and told her that he was fine with any idea that she chose. So, it was great to have Santana to tell Rachel her honest opinion on everything. Without her help, Rachel had no idea what her wedding would look like. The main point was that, Santana was the best maid of honor ever.
After they dropped their bags off at San and Britt's apartment, they were on their way to some club that Santana swore was the "most amazing" club in New York City. Once they got there, Santana gestured them to follow her past a long line of people.
"Are you going to flash them again?" Quinn asked, laughing. Rachel giggled.
"No." Santana smiled, rolling her eyes.
Walking up to the bouncer, Rachel watched as Santana said her name to the tall man. Surprise fell through her once the man unhooked the long satin rope and let her through. They all followed her into the loud and dark room.
The moment she got in, she remembered that one night last year in which they all went into a club similar to this one. All for a different reason. "Rachel's angels" flew to her mind, which made her laugh. But then, old bad memories of a certain blonde woman resurfaced, causing Rachel to feel nauseas. Her palms began to sweat as she held on tight to Quinn's arm as they made their way through the crowded and loud room. Looking around, Rachel thought the walls were closing in on her.
"I need to get out of here!" Rachel shouted to Quinn over the blaring music.
"I know. It's so loud!" Quinn replied as she followed Brittany who was following Santana.
"Yeah!" Rachel shouted back, but she had an entirely different reason for wanting to get out of there.
As they followed Santana, she took them to a separate room in the back, which Rachel was thankful for, because it blocked out the loud blare of the music.
"Wow, Santana, how'd you get this room?" Quinn asked.
"Well, it took a whole lot of waiting and yelling. But, two months ago, I booked it and voila, here we are." She smiled at Rachel.
"This is amazing Santana." Rachel smiled back gratefully. "Especially since it blocks out all of that loud noise. This is more me."
"Don't thank me yet." She smiled, reaching under her seat and grabbing a large red gift bag with pink wrapping tissue sticking out of it. "Here you go, doll."
Going through the bag, Rachel laughed once she saw what was inside. First she pulled out a dark red lingerie set.
"Oh my gosh, Santana." She laughed, placing her hand over her face to try and cover up the blush.
"You'll be thanking me when you come home from that honeymoon." Santana replied, making all of the girls laugh.
Reaching into the bag again, Rachel pulled out a bottle of champagne. Smiling, she silently thanked Santana for getting it for her. Reaching deeper into the bag, she pulled out three things. A tooth brush, trident gum, and bottle of Alieve.
Laughing, she looked at Santana with a confused look.
"This is for you to use tomorrow morning." Santana smiled.
"Now I gotcha." She laughed, rolling her eyes.
In the bag there was also, four small bags of valentine's day heart candies, a champagne glass, small bottles of vodka, a pick of condoms, a large hot pink boa with colorful lighted flashing big tacky pastic wedding rings on it, bead necklaces with bride written on it, and a big metal tiara with fake diamonds on it and in the center bride to be written.
Smiling, she reached over to hug Santana. "Thanks babe."
"You're welcome. Now, how about we get our drink and party on?" she asked.
All of the girls instantly nodded their heads. Calling in one of the bartenders, they gave him their orders and waited for him to return with their drinks. Santana said that they should all start off with shots of tequila, which they agreed to. After about three rounds, Santana told them that she had a drink specially made and it was called the "Rachel". As the bartender carried four small shout glasses of light pink liquid, they all took a shot glass and threw it back. Rachel found the taste horrifying. She had no idea what the liquid consisted of, but didn't care. She drank about five more rounds before she was completely and utterly wasted, unlike the other girls. She must've had a lower tolerance level than the other three girls. Taking another shot, she slammed the shot glass against the table in the middle of the room and clumsily stood up.
"Let's party!"
"Come on, let's go dance." Santana chuckled. She agreed long ago to be the chaperone at her party. She was totally okay with not getting wasted. It saved her a large hangover that she knew Rachel would have the next morning.
"Wait. I want to wear my stuff." Rachel said, her voice slurred.
"Okay." Santana said before she wrapped the pink boa around Rachel's neck and placed the tiara on top of her head. "All set!"
"Yay! Let's go dance now!" Rachel exclaimed, follow by a loud giggle.
As they went out into the loud music and crowded room, Rachel lost herself in the crowd, dancing with some random girl. They bobbed their heads to the dance music as they laughed. The other girl was clearly drunk as well. By the time the third song started playing, Rachel was hot in the face and dripping with sweat. But, that didn't stop her. She continued to move to the music, swaying her hips and feeling the beat. Realizing that she was beginning to get a little bored, she decided to get another drink.
Making her way to the bar, she told asked the bartender for a vodka tonic and waited for her drink. She noticed a few guys sitting opposite of her at the bar checking her out. Rolling her eyes, she smiled and waved politely before she grabbed her drink and walked further into the club. Gulping down the drink, she winced when it stung her throat. Once she was finished, she decided to join the group of people on the stage who were dancing to the loud pop song.
After about what seemed like five hours of dancing to every song that came on with the people standing on the stage, she decided to get down and go find the girls. Looking for about a few minutes she found Santana and Brittany who were grinding on the dance floor. Tapping Santana on the shoulder, she waited for her to turn around.
"Having fun, Rachel?" Santana yelled over the music.
"Can we go to the next place? I'm kind of getting bored with these people. I want to dance with new people!" she replied.
"Okay! Let's just find Quinn and get all of our stuff from the back room!" Santana answered as she began to walk past multiple people to look for Quinn. After minutes of searching, they finally found her sitting at a booth talking to some brunette stranger.
"Q, Rachel's ready to head out. You coming?" Santana asked.
"Yeah, sure, let's just go get the rest of our stuff." Quinn smiled, getting up.
After all of their stuff was retrieved from the back room, they walked out into the night which seemed so fresh after having been in that dark club for a while. Rachel was the drunkest one out of all four of them; Brittany following behind at a close second.
Santana watched as Rachel took off her shoes and walked along the side way, admiring her tiara and boa. Rachel was singing to herself as Quinn linked her arm to Rachel's for support in walking. Rachel watched her feet as she took each step, feeling nothing but excitement to see what the next place had in store for them.
"Ooo ooo, Santana, after all of this can we please go get some ice cream. I want chocolate ice cream." Rachel exclaimed before bursting into complete laughter at nothing. "Since when did the ground have cracks in it?" she asked looking at her feet. Then, she suddenly stopped. "Wait, is there an earthquake going on? Guys, we need to take shelter!" she exclaimed, pulling Quinn's arm.
Quinn being pretty sober began laughing at her as she was being pulled towards a random building. She, along with Santana, found drunk Rachel hilarious.
"Rachel there's no earthquake. Those cracks have been there." Quinn giggled, causing Rachel to join in on her laughter. Rachel took the laughter a little further and snorted which caused Santana and Quinn to laugh a little more.
"She's so wasted." Santana whispered to Quinn, which made her nod and laugh.
As they began walking again, it took then five minutes to get to their destination. Once they did, Santana told the bouncer her name and one again, they were in.
Checking the clock, it was getting close to 12:30 pm and Finn was having the time of his life. They had been playing pool at this one bar since 8:30. The three men had been accompanied by Blaine, Kurt, Artie, and Mike upon arrival. About halfway through Kurt left top accompany the girls.
Other than that, Finn and the guys were still drinking beer, talking, and playing pool in the now crowded bar. Every now and then, Finn travel back over the bar to grab a beer for himself and anyone who asked. They'd also get a kick out of watching Puck fail with a pick-up. But, after his fourth turn down, he finally scored and Finn watched with amusement as he walked out of the bar with a tall blonde who was wearing a very short tacky gold dress and a million dollar smile on his face.
The only thing that bothered him was the fact that no matter how much fun he was having, he couldn't get Rachel out of his head. He wondered where she was and what she was doing at this moment. If he had to guess, she was probably sitting with Brittany, Quinn, and Santana drinking and talking like they usually do. Then his mind wondered off to her dancing against another guy, and his heart dropped to his toes.
Shaking his head, he cleared his mind of that image. He trusted her. He knew that she would never do that and that he was just assuming the worst. He needed to regain focus on what he was doing to keep himself from going crazy. He wanted to see her, even if it was just for one second.
Focusing on the game of pool he was playing against Sam, he took another swig of beer and tried to get back into the conversation that was going on around him. This might help him clear his head of the thoughts that were consuming him.
After beating Sam, Finn took on the next opponent, Mike. As they played on, Puck returned into the room with his tie loose and a smirk on his face. Finn rolled his eyes, as he got back into the game. Puck walked over and began proudly explaining every specific detail.
"Well, that's not disturbing at all…" Finn muttered as all of the guys around laughed.
"Dude, you should've been there, it was amazing." Puck exclaimed.
"Thanks, but I don't think that would've been a good idea." Finn replied.
"Oh yeah, I ran into your bride by the way…" Finn instantly turned his attention to Puck. "You would not believe what she was doing." Finn's heart began to pound.
"What was she doing?" Finn asked, trying to hide the anticipation in his voice.
"She was making out with some random dude in one of the clubs by Miranda's apartment. It was unbelievable. They were going at it like bunnies. I'm sorry man..." Puck explained, his face was straighter than it's ever been for the whole entire time Finn's known Puck.
Finn froze and dropped his pool stick on the table. Everything inside him fell to the floor. He could not believe what he just heard. She couldn't have done that to him. His Rachel could never do that to him. His heart fell along with his ability to speak. Snapping out of the shock, he grabbed his coat and began towards the door before he was stopped by Puck.
"Dude, you're so gullible. That's why you've been so distant all night, huh? Stop worrying man. Do you really think that Rachel Berry would ever cheat on you?" Puck asked with a chuckle as the other guys watched the shaken up Finn in amusement.
"So wait, you didn't see her making out with a you're so gullible. That's why you've been so distant all night, huh? Stop worrying man. Do you really think that Rachel Berry would ever cheat on you?" Puck asked with a chuckle as the other guys watched the shaken up Finn in amusement.
"So wait, you didn't see her making out with a guy?" Finn asked.
"Hell no, man. It was a test that us guys put together before we got here and you just passed." Puck said.
"What test?" Finn asked, picking up the pool stick again.
"We wanted to see if you actually really crazy about Berry and you are. You should've seen how white your face turned when I told you that." Puck laughed, causing laughter from the other guys.
"Screw you, dude." Finn said, going back into the game.
"You didn't let me finish." Puck said, grabbing the pool stick out of his hands.
"What else is there?" Finn asked, beginning to get annoyed at how his best friend crowding him, especially after the joke he just pulled which Finn didn't think was too funny.
"I remember you telling me that you wanted me to take it easy on you tonight. So, as the best man, I decided to abide by your wishes and give you an unforgettable night. Starting now…"
"What're you up to?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You remember that tall blonde with the gold dress and the big heels that I took home a few hours ago?" Puck asked.
"Yeah." Finn began, confused. "Your point?"
"She was supposed to be your stripper." Puck smiled.
"You slept with the stripper?" Finn asked.
"You bet your ass I did." Puck smirked. "But that's not the point. The point is that I saw how disappointed you've been all night, no matter how hard you've tried to hide it. And as your best friend, I want you to have a good time. So, I tipped off the stripper and came up with a different plan for you to have the night of your life."
"What's the plan?" he asked.
"Santana let me in on the route they were traveling tonight. First the were going to stop at two different dance clubs, and then they were going to take her to some strip club. Santana told me that she got a male stripper for her. Do you see where I'm going with this?" Puck explained.
"Maybe.."
"Then let's get to it." He said as all of the guys paid for their drinks and left the bar.
Rachel had been dancing for what seemed like forever. She'd every now and then take a break to shoot back a shot or two of tequila, and then she'd go back on the dance floor. She was wasted to the point where she had no idea where she was. All she knew was people were dancing around her and that she was dancing with them. Every time a new song came on, she'd find another dancing partner.
By the end of the hour, she'd danced with too many people to count on her fingers. This is how she spent the time until now. She was interrupted by Santana who was holding up Brittany who seemed to be a little drunk as well.
"Come on, Rachel. We're going to our final destination!" She shouted over the music. As soon as Rachel heard "Final Destination" her eyes shot open wide.
"No, you guys can't go. You're gonna die. I've seen those movies. You'll die."
"No, Rachel. We're going to the last place I have planned for you. We have a surprise for you." Santana exclaimed as Quinn came behind her to help her with Brittany.
"Surprise? Oh my gosh, Ryan Gosling's waiting for me, isn't he?!" Rachel exclaimed as she allowed Santana her out of the club.
"Yeah. Something like that.." Santana muttered.
"Wait, I forgot. I told that nice man I would talk with him in the bathroom." Rachel said, stopping as she just remembered.
"What?' Santana asked as she saw a tall man looking at them with a drink in his hand. "Rachel, why would you do that?"
"He seemed sad and lonely." Rachel pouted in his direction.
"Rachel, that look that he has on his face says that he will slip something in your drink. There's nothing about that look that says sad and lonely. That look says lonely and horny. Come on, let's get out of here before we have to call the cops." She said, leading Rachel out of the club.
Once they were out, Rachel wrapped her arm around Santana's neck and looked at the ring on her left finger.
"Mm, my ring is so sparkly." She smiled as she moved her fingers to make it sparkle. "Do you have a ring this sparkly?"
"No, not yet." Santana smiled.
"Holy cheese crackers, I'm getting married in three days!" Rachel exclaimed, realization finally coming to her.
"Well, actually Rachel, two days. It's one in the morning." Santana corrected her.
Rachel stopped and started clumsily jumping up and down. Santana swiftly caught her before she fell face forward on the concrete side walk. They began walking with Quinn and Brittany right behind them.
"Q!" Rachel shouted to Quinn who was right behind her.
"What?" She asked amused after she flinched from the loudness of Rachel's shout.
"I'm getting married in two days! I'm going to marry my Finny." She squealed before she buried her face into Santana's shoulder.
"Yes you are!" Santana chuckled, "And we are so excited for you."
"We're all going to be there." Quinn added as she helped Brittany along the side walk.
"Do you guys know what we should do?" Rachel asked, her voice slurred more than ever.
"What?" Santana and Quinn asked in unison.
"We should throw a party!" she exclaimed, throwing both hands in the air.
"That's what we're doing right now, Rachel." Quinn and Santana laughed.
"Where are we going? I want donuts." Rachel told them as they arrived at their final party site.
"We're here!" Santana exclaimed.
"What the heck is a pouncing panther?" Rachel asked as she read a sign in the window.
"You'll see." Quinn smirked at Santana.
"How much will it be to do what I just explained to you?" Puck asked the manager.
"300 should do it." The woman replied.
Writing the check, he handed it to her and turned to Finn, who was staring at the floor.
"Okay, are you ready?" Puck asked, on the verge of laughter.
"I can't do this." Finn said.
"Yes you can, and you will. Come on, she'll love it." Puck assured him.
"Okay, for her. Only for her." He said, and was then led to the back by the manager to prepare for the craziness he was about to embark on, sober.
As they walked in, Rachel immediately started to blush once she saw all of the half-naked men dancing on stages in front of large groups of women.
"Welcome to the Pouncing Panther, can we get you guys a table?" A lady asked.
"Actually, we have a room reserved in the back for our friend." Santana smiled pointing to Rachel. "It's her bachelorette party." She whispered to the blonde woman.
"Oh, nothing more fun than those!" The woman exclaimed with enthusiasm. "Follow me." The woman said before turning and walking towards the back. They followed closely behind. Halfway there, Rachel burst into hysteric laughter, causing everyone to look at her.
"What's so funny?" Santana asked, a little embarrassed as everyone looked at them.
"I can see his balls!" Rachel exclaimed as Santana's eyes flew wide.
"Rachel!" Santana exclaimed as her hand flew to her cover her mouth. Quinn's hand covered her mouth and she silently giggled to herself.
"Okay. Right in here. Your special guest will be right with you." She winked at Rachel as they entered the small red room.
"Yay! Ryan Gosling!" Rachel exclaimed as Santana led her into the room followed by Quinn and Brittany and the woman.
"So, who's the special girl here tonight?" The lady asked.
"Me!" Rachel jumped.
"That's awesome! Can I ask you to come sit up here on this chair?" In the small room, there was a stage, a small chair on the stage, and sofas around the stage.
"Okay." She smiled and got up by herself. Wobbling, Santana got up and helped her up to the stage, and placed her in the chair.
"Okay. Just wait here for a few minutes. He'll be coming in shortly." The lady smiled as she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.
"This is going to be hilarious." Quinn whispered to Santana.
"Oh, I know. I cannot wait." Santana replied.
After about another five minutes of waiting, the door flew open and a man walked in. But it wasn't anyone that they were expecting.
"Puck, what the hell are you doing here?" Santana exclaimed through her teeth.
"I'm just preparing you ladies for what is about to come. Y'all don't even know what y'all are about to witness. Are y'all ready for the best damn strip show that y'all will ever see?" he asked, looking at Rachel who had the widest smile on her face while the other two girls looked confused. Brittany, on the other hand, was fast asleep against the arm rest on the other sofa.
"Oh my gosh, guys, Puck is Ryan Gosling!" Rachel exclaimed clapping her hands.
"What?" he asked, looking at her confused.
"She's wasted." Quinn answered Puck's questioning look.
"No way. This is awesome!" Puck exclaimed, chuckling and gaining laughter from Rachel. "Okay cue the music!" Puck exclaimed.
"Puck, what is going o-" Santana was cut off by the loud music radiating through the room. Before any of them could speak again, the door flew open once more. This time another man came through the door. This time the man in front of them was wearing nothing but a pair of jogging pants.
Finn.
Once Rachel saw him, she squealed very loudly and began clapping rapidly. Her laughter broke out and she couldn't contain herself, even though she had no idea what she was laughing at.
"Santana, Ryan Gosling looks exactly like my Finny!" she exclaimed with slurred words.
"That's because it is your Finny, Rachel." Santana called back, trying to contain her laughter as Finn made his way over to the stage.
"I didn't know you were a male stripper. How long have you been hiding this from me, Mister!" she exclaimed as he got in front of her.
With a questioning look, Finn turned around to face Santana.
"She's drunk." She told him, gaining a nod of understanding.
Turning back around to face Rachel, he smiled and began to spoke. "Hello, ma'am, my name is Finny D and I will be your stripper tonight." After that, he ripped the jogging pants off revealing a tight pair of gold shorts. Taking the jogging pants, he wrapped them right above Rachel's boa and used them to pull her in closer.
Smiling, she reached out and ran her hands over his abs. "You can be my stripper anytime you want, baby." She replied in a seductive voice.
With that, Quinn, Santana, and Brittany all stood up from the sofas. "Okay, that's our cue to leave. Come on, Puck." Quinn said, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the exit of the room. Closing the door behind them, they left Rachel alone to enjoy her stripper for the night.
About an hour later, Finn emerged from the room, wearing the Velcro jogging pants that he ripped off earlier, carrying a hysteric Rachel bridal style. As they approached the four friends waiting outside in the cold, Finn placed Rachel on the ground. They both soon knew it was a mistake once Rachel fell back and Finn swiftly caught her.
"How much did she drink tonight?" Finn asked, chuckling.
"A lot." Santana replied, laughing with Quinn. The other guys were now caught up to them, so Quinn was wrapped in Sam's arms and Santana was holding Brittany up as she rested her head on her shoulder.
"I only had this much." Rachel mumbled holding up her thumb and index finger at a close distance.
"Gosh, do we have some funny stories to tell her when she's all pooped out and hung over tomorrow morning." Santana laughed.
"I can't wait." Quinn laughed.
"Looks like she won't be the only one." Puck said pointing Brittany.
"What stories?" Finn asked as he held Rachel in his arms.
"let's go get ice cream!" Rachel said as she wrapped her arms around Finn's neck and placed her head against his shoulder. "I want chocolate!" she said, her voice evident that she was drifting off into a deep asleep.
"How about we get you to bed, Ms. Bride-to-Be?" Finn said as they all waited for a taxi.
"Mm, sounds good." She whispered, and then she was out.
"Finn, how about you bring her to our place? Here, take the keys." Santana said, handing Finn her apartment keys. Quinn go with him. Britt and I will get the next cab, and then you guys can get one after us." Santana explained holding up a drowsy Brittany.
"Okay." Finn said as he hailed a cab. Getting in, he gently place Rachel in the middle and fastened her seatbelt. Quinn came in quickly after she gave Sam a small kiss and hug goodbye.
Once they got back to Santana and Brittany's apartment, Finn placed a sleeping Rachel in the guest bed, took off her heels, tucked her under the covers, and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"And to think, this woman is going to be the mother of my kids…" he whispered to himself before he chuckled. "I can't wait."
As he headed towards the door, he turned one last time to take in the sight of her figure. He smiled to himself and turned back around.
"Finn.." he stopped.
"What's up?" he asked.
"I'm getting married in two days. I'm marrying my Finny in two days…" she mumbled before she drifted off into her deep slumber.
Smiling at the peaceful figure, he gently closed the door behind him and made his way towards the living room where Quinn was setting up the couch to go to sleep.
"Do you need help?" he asked.
"No, I'm fine." She smiled as placed her pillow down on the couch. "So, how does it feel?"
"What?" he asked, confused.
"How does it feel knowing that in two days, you're going to be able to call her your wife?" she asked smiling at his expression.
"It makes me happier than I've ever been in my whole entire life. And at the same time, it scares the crap out of me." He said, sitting down next to her.
"I remember feeling the exact way that you're feeling right now. Walking down that isle was the scariest thing that I've ever done in my entire life. Let me give you some advice that my mom gave me right before the wedding. When you're up there, waiting for her, don't think of the things that scare you. Think of the amazing memories that you had with that person in the past and think of all of the amazing moments that you'll have with them in the future. That's what got me through my pre-wedding jitters. It works wonders, I promise you." She smiled.
"Thanks, Quinn. I really appreciate it." He smiled as he got up and headed towards the door.
"Oh and one more thing…" she started, as she got up and walked towards him. "This is going to be kind of awkward, but as one of Rachel's best friends, I sort of feel obligated to say this. So here goes nothing… If you ever hurt Rachel in any way, shape or form, I don't care if it's mentally or physically, I will hunt you down and I will kick your ass." She said, keeping her voice calm.
"Thanks." He chuckled. "You really don't have to worry about any of that, but I'll keep it in mind." He started laughing. " Real smooth, Q."
"Get home and get to bed, before I kick your ass right here and now." She laughed. " Night, Finn."
"Goodnight." He was out the door.
When Rachel woke the next morning, she wished with all her might that she hadn't. she felt like absolute crap. She didn't even know where to begin. Her head felt like it was going to explode. It felt like someone was sitting inside of her mind and was pounding on a drum as loud as they could. She was then distracted by the numbing nausea that made its way to Rachel's attention.
Flying up and out of the bed, she printed to the bathroom. She was instantly greeted by Brittany who was coming from the bathroom.
"Good luck." Was all she heard from her before Rachel was on her knees in front of the toilet. Five minutes later, once she had emptied out all of the contents in her sore stomach, she leaned against the wall, regretting the drinking decisions she made the previous night. Before she knew it, Quinn and Santana were in the doorway, smiling down at her.
"Boy, do we have some hilarious stories to tell you from last night?" Quinn smiled, as her and Santana kneeled in front of Rachel.
"You're going to love them." Santana added.
Looking at the both of them with droopy eyes, Rachel let out a agitated moan and rested the back of her head against the wall.
"I'm making a vow. Right here and right now." She began looking at the both of Quinn and Santana's amused expressions.
"Never, will I ever, drink that much again in my whole entire life."