Chapter 26

An orange-yellowish shade of the sun setting shone through the church's beautiful stained glass windows as the opening wedding theme was beginning to play by a woman on the harp. Thinking to herself, Rachel looked through the crack leading to the aisle. The church was packed. Every familiar face that Finn and she loved dearly were sitting in the long rows of pews, looking around; looking for her she assumed. The setting was beautiful. She'd have to remember to thank Santana for her impeccable taste in wedding planning.

Taking a deep breath, she turned around to her dad, Leroy, who had the biggest smile a father could project on his baby girl's wedding day.

"Are you ready?" he asked, handing her the beautiful bouquet of flowers that she was assigned before wrapping his right arm around her left.

"Do I really have a choice?" she replied, letting a chuckle escape to attempt at hiding her somewhat obvious nervousness.

"Of course you do. You know, it's never too late to back out." Leroy pushed.

"No. I've made my choice long ago, daddy. Finn is my choice." She smiled to herself.

"Well then, let's let my baby girl get married." He grinned.

"Let's." she replied, facing forward as the two doors leading to a long aisle opened. The minute they were opened, a bunch of eyes were on her, making her maybe even more nervous than she had been the night before. Her heart was pounding like a running rabbit. And then a certain pair of eyes was looking at her and her heart stopped completely. There he was, standing at the altar with his million dollar smile and his tux, making him look like James Bond.

Becoming impatient, Rachel took a deep breath, straightened out her dress, and tried to hold back the joyous tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. Slowly, she held onto her father's arm and began slowly walking forward to the sound of the beautiful music playing through the church. This was it. The moment she had been dreaming about ever since she was a little girl. It was her wedding day; her wedding to the one and only Finn Hudson.

Once she got to the end of the altar, her father gave her a kiss on the cheek, placed her hand in Finn's, and stepped to the side. The weirdest thing to her, though, was that he didn't sit down next to Hiram like a normal parent should. He just stood on the other side of her, watching Finn walk her up to the pastor. Another thing that caught her attention was that Finn was wearing the cologne that she loathed. She decided to just let it all go. All that mattered was that she was standing in front of the love of her life.

As the pastor began his opening speech, Rachel couldn't help but stare at Finn. She was so happy in this moment. But that's when everything changed. She caught Finn's eyes, and they weren't the same as they were before. They were widened, like he was shocked or scared. She turned to the audience to see the same look from all of their loved ones. They were all looking at her dress. Looking down, Rachel's heart dropped when the perfectly white dress had a dark red substance all over the waist area. Placing her hand to her stomach, she raised it to see what it was; Blood.

She was so confused. Why did she have blood on her dress? Was she hurt? Had it been there the whole time? If it was, someone probably would have told her something before humiliation at her own wedding. Horrifyingly, the blood started spreading at a faster pace, and before she realized it, she was covered. Looking up at Finn, she was startled to find him smiling.

"I do." He said, low, but loud enough for her to hear it.

Before she could ask him what he was doing, a way too familiar voice came from behind her. "I do, too."

Turning around, she came face to face with her worst nightmare. The blonde was wearing the exact same wedding dress as Rachel. She even had her hair styled in the same decorative bun that Rachel was sporting. She had a small smear of blood on her right hand, right where she was holding a large kitchen knife. The blood on my dress, Rachel thought. Mandy.

"Finn, what's going on?" she asked, alarmingly. No answer. Instead, Mandy stepped forward to where Rachel was standing before. Dropping the knife on the ground, Mandy grabbed Finn's hands as they both smiled brightly at each other.

"Finn…" Rachel called out, attempting to get his attention once again. It was like she wasn't there anymore.

"I love you, my Finny." Mandy whispered to him.

"I love you, Man-Man…" Finn grinned an ear to ear grin. He looked at Rachel that way when the doors opened to reveal her a few minutes ago.

"Finn, please…" she begged, noticing how weak her voice was getting. It was because of all the blood. Mandy must have stabbed her in the back. Tears built in her eyes as the pastor resumed the ceremony without her. Falling back, she felt her father's arms holding her up. He was leading her somewhere, but where? Looking to her side, it was the side door of the church, away from the alter.

"No!" she screamed. "Finn! Please, Finn! I love you!"

"Finn!" she screamed as loud as she could, as she tried to fight against her dad's strong grip on her as he dragged her out the church. Becoming weary, her eyes began to droop and her breath was becoming slurred. As she blinked one last time, she watched as Finn kissed the blonde and all of the people stood up and cheered.

"Finn…" she whispered weakly before both of her eyes closed.

Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep…

As she flew up in bed, Rachel had to take a moment to remember where she was. After she processed that she was in her bed with Quinn on the side of her and the two other girls on the floor, she quickly leaned over and turned off her alarm clock. Knowing it must've been really early seeing as though it was still dark outside, Rachel checked the clock to confirm her theory. The bright red numbers read 5:30 am.

Getting up slowly, she tiptoed out of the bedroom and into the bathroom in the hallway upstairs. Turning on the light, it took her a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the light. Taking a towel from the closet, she ran it under cold water and began to pat her face. Raising her hands up, she watched them shake hysterically.

Once she looked at her sleep-swollen eyes in the mirror, she placed her head in her hands and began to cry. She had never had a dream that felt so real, besides that one dream she had when she was in the hospital. It just wouldn't leave her head. It was like she actually lived it. Like the screams that she made carried out into her real life. Maybe they had. She was hyperventilating.

Her breathing and hands finally calmed down after a few laps of deep inhalations, but the terrible memory and image of that dream would be stuck in the back of her head for the rest of the day. Unfortunate for her, seeing as though today was her actual wedding day.

Getting a grip on herself, she wiped her eyes again and walked into the dark room once again to make sure all of the other girls were up. She knew they would thank her for allowing them an extra few minutes to sleep. Besides, they all deserved it for being the best bridesmaids. Especially Santana, who Rachel couldn't even begin to thank for all of the help and support for the planning leading up to this day.

It took Brittany an extra few shakes, but once Rachel woke up the three girls, she went downstairs to make them coffee. She knew they were all extra exhausted, especially since they had to wake up at 5:30 in the morning after the night they've all had last night. But, Santana said it was a must in order for everything to be perfectly done before the wedding which took place at 5:30 pm.

Looking back on their rehearsal dinner last night, she smiled. Seeing Finn after that whole entire night without being in his arms was like seeing the ship coming after being stranded on an island for years. He upheld every promise that he made on the phone that night. They reunited, didn't leave each other's side, and by the end of the night, Rachel laughed at how relieved she was to be getting at least a little separation from him. But even saying that to herself, she knew it wasn't true. Especially after that horrifying dream she was just abruptly awoken by. She always felt her best when he was by her side.

"Good morning, Mrs. Hudson…" Quinn entered the kitchen, ending Rachel's train of thought.

"Well, technically that's not until twelve hours from right now. But it still sounds nice." Rachel smiled while watching her coffee twirl around in the mug.

"How does it feel?" Quinn asked. "I remember waking up on my wedding day and totally freaking out." She laughed.

"Yeah, I remember that too." Rachel laughed with her before becoming serious. "But, I don't know. I think I'm just ready to start our lives together all in all."

"That makes sense. Especially after everything that the two of you have went through these past two years." Quinn smiled before they both greeted Santana and Brittany as they made their way into the kitchen. Santana was fully dressed in Nike shorts and a t-shirt with Brittany still in her pajamas from the night before.

"Going for a jog?" Quinn joked with Santana.

"Real funny, Q. No, I have to go to the church and the reception hall to make sure that everything is ready and in place." Santana explained. "Plus, I need to give the photographer directions to the church." Santana went on.

"Santana, breathe." Rachel instructed, holding out her hands. "You're more stressed than me, and I'm the one getting married."

"I better get to work before I go absolutely crazy." She laughed as she placed her coffee into one of Rachel's thermos cups and gave Brittany a quick kiss on the cheek before she grabbed the car keys and her wallet from the counter. "By the way, you have an appointment at 10:30 to get your nails and eyebrows done. Also, Quinn and Britt, you guys are on Hudson look out. He does not get anywhere near our bride to be before the ceremony, understand?" she asked, pointing her finger at the girls.

"Got it," Quinn and Brittany said simultaneously while Rachel rolled her eyes. She opened the door and then she was gone.

"Y'all future kids will be so organized, Britt." Rachel chuckled.

"Tell me about it." She replied.

"Hey Rach, can I ask you something?" Quinn asked, looking down at her phone.

"Sure. What's up?" she answered, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Is it okay if Beth comes to the wedding?" she asked with a look of desperation. "I know it's last minute and all, but her mom needs to be somewhere and it's the first time she asks Puck and I to babysit her. I wouldn't ask you if this wasn't that important to me, but I haven't seen her since we gave her up." She explained. "I already talked to Finn considering everything that happened back then and he was okay with it. Now I just wanted to make sure you would be okay with it. You don't have to. Just say the word and I'll text her mom." She added.

"Of course she can come, Quinn." Rachel assured her smiling. "Wow, today's a big day for you too then." She chuckled.

"Yes, but not as big as yours." She joked.

"I'm so excited for you Quinn. Gosh, how old is she now?" Rachel asked.

"Eleven." Quinn replied with a smile to herself.

"Wow, she's so old. What about Sam?" Rachel asked.

"He's excited, surprisingly. He said that he was proud of me, stepping up and getting to know her. I mean, the last time I tried to get to know her, I tried to sabotage her mother's chances of having her." She explained. "I'm just scared of how she will act around me. I have no idea if she even knows that Puck and I are her parents." Quinn admitted.

"Aww Quinn, don't worry about that. I'm sure that she'll love you. Who doesn't?" Rachel smiled, giving her best friend a hug. "This is my wedding day. No tears until I'm balling on the altar!" Rachel laughed, as Quinn joined her.

"Only 12 more hours…Are you ready?" Quinn asked.

"I hope so." Rachel said to herself, thinking about that terrible dream she had last night.

After every bit of business that needed to be completed by Rachel, such as her appointment for her nails and eyebrows, the clock read 11:15. This left Rachel six and a half hours before she was to be on that altar, professing her love for Finn Hudson in front of all of her family and friends.

Her nerves were beginning to fire up again. The bare thought of getting up there in front of everyone caused her to cringe inside. Especially, when she thought of herself being dragged out of the church by her father's strong grip. She constantly reminded herself that it was just a dream she had last night; that the whole scenario was just her conscience telling her a story while she slept. And truly, that really was all that it was. But, it's the impact that it had on her while she was awake that bothered her. She absolutely hated that she couldn't stop thinking about it.

Maybe her mind was trying to tell her something. Or, maybe it was one of those kind of dreams that you get about something or someone you've been thinking of right before you went to sleep the previous night. Although, she hadn't been thinking of Mandy at all last night; she had been thinking of how excited she was to be married. It might've been her inner fears coming out to play in her mind. She'd never know, but she wished with all of her heart that she did.

Proving the further thought useless and time-consuming, Rachel dropped the subject the best she could from her mind. Instead, she decided to take quick nap to try to get in all of the beauty sleep that she could get at the moment. She was a little nervous to, considering her previous thoughts, but she was extremely exhausted and this was probably the only free time that she was going to have before her big moment. So, she decided to use it to her advantage. Grabbing the remote from the coffee table in the living room, Rachel laid back on the couch, turned on the TV to a low volume, and rested her head on the small pillow at the end. It only took a few minutes after that for Rachel to doze off into a well needed slumber.

After what felt like a matter of minutes, Rachel was stirring to the sound of someone calling her name. After the voice repeated her name for the fifth time, she slowly began to open her eyes to the sight of Santana kneeling in front of her and the sound of the theme song to 'Barney and Friends'. Raising her droopy eyes to where the TV was, she took in Jeremy, Quinn's son, sitting on the floor, munching on a small bowl of cheerios, and paying close attention to the figures on the TV.

"Oh my gosh, I over slept didn't I? What time is it?"

"Rachel, honey, the tone in my voice would be way different if you had overslept. It's only 11:30. We don't have to be at the reception hall for another two hours from now." Santana answered her as Rachel began to sit up from the couch and face her. Rachel then became confused because an unfamiliar woman was standing behind Santana. She didn't pay any mind to it though, assuming that she was the photographer.

"Oh wow, those people did an awesome job with your eyebrows." Santana commented.

"Thanks." Rachel replied, looking at the other woman with a questioning look.

"Oh right, Rachel do you remember Suzy Pepper from high school?" She asked, looking at the woman who walked up to stand on the side of Santana. The woman had long light brown hair wrapped up into a ponytail and she was wearing a pink t-shirt, black Nike shorts, and a pair of tennis shoes. In her hand was a large black box-looking bag.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I do." Rachel said, getting up to greet the woman.

"That's okay. I remember you." The woman said, her voice being a little too pitchy for Rachel's liking. "We competed for the heart of Will Schuster for a while in high school."

Now thinking about it, she did remember fighting with a girl over the guy who she now saw as her dad, but that particular girl looked nothing the one standing in front of her.

"Oh my gosh, yes, I remember! We used to hate each other." Rachel laughed.

"Yeah, well that was a very long time ago. I don't even know where Mr. Schuster even is." She laughed as well.

"I do." Rachel lowly admitted. "This is going to sound so embarrassing; especially on my part. Mr. Schuster actually turned out to be my biological father." She laughed when Suzy's eyes widened.

"Wow" she replied.

"Yeah..." Rachel said. "I hardly recognized you when you walked in the door. You look so different." Rachel complimented, changing the subject.

"Yeah, thank God, right?" she laughed.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"Great. I'm actually married with two kids; a boy and a girl." She announced proudly.

"That's amazing." Rachel smiled.

"What about you? You're the one with big wedding day ahead of you." She pointed out. "I'm actually quite jealous."

"Really? How so?" Rachel asked out of curiosity.

"You're marrying Finn Hudson," she said. "He was actually the guy who I started to like after Mr. Schuster. I knew that I needed to get over Mr. Schuster and that he was too old for me, so I wanted to start liking someone my own age. Then, I saw him walking in the hallway with his letterman jacket and I just fell for him; especially with that little half-smile thing that he did." Suzy explained.

"Really…" Rachel asked, with her teeth clenched and a forced smile flashing across her face.

"Yeah, but that's all in the past now. My husband is the hottest guy on the planet." She chuckled.

"That's nice to hear." She told her. "Santana, can I talk to you for a quick second?" she asked, turning to the other brunette sitting on the couch typing things on her phone.

"Sure."

"This will only take a second." Rachel assured Suzy, who smiled and nodded. Grabbing Santana's arm, Rachel led Santana to the other room in a quick pace. Once they were out of a hearing distance, Rachel turned to her friend.

"What the hell is going on?" Rachel asked.

"What are you talking about?" Santana asked.

"What the hell is Suzy Pepper doing in my house?" Rachel asked again.

"She's going to do your hair and makeup. She's like really good at it, and she doesn't even ask for that much. It was a last minute thing Rachel. What's the problem? The two of you seemed to be getting along back there. I thought you liked her by the way you were talking to her." Santana explained.

"I was being polite. There's a difference." Rachel said. "She cornered me into a bathroom once. There was a period in high school where I thought she was plotting my death. I can't trust her with my hair and makeup. She's going to turn me into a clown."

"Well I guess this is a bad time to tell you that I invited her and her husband to the wedding this evening." Santana stated.

"You did what? Santana…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. Besides, it doesn't even look like she's holding a grudge. She seems genuinely nice. Plus, all of us girls are going to be in the room with you. So, if she does try something like that, I'll kick her ass. Quit being so paranoid, Rachel. That's my job right now." Santana assured her.

"I'm sorry; it's just that last thing she said, about Finn." Rachel remembered.

"That's what you're worried about? Rachel, believe it or not, Finn was the quarterback of the football team and he didn't exactly have an ugly face. I'm pretty sure she's not the only girl in this town who had or still has a crush on him." Santana told her.

"I know. It just makes me a little uncomfortable that other girls have eyes for my fiancé." Rachel admitted.

"You're territorial. That's totally normal. You just can't let that bother you Rachel; just like Finn can't be bothered when other guys look at you. As long as the two of you don't act on it. Look at it this way; what is today?"

"My wedding day?" Rachel answered unsure of Santana's point.

"Yes, and who asked you to marry him?"

"Finn," Rachel answered with more confidence, now understanding Santana's point.

"Great. Are we done here? I really don't want you to be late on getting ready. Plus, I think Suzy is getting itsy." Santana said.

"Yeah, I guess I was just being a little too paranoid. I mean, the last girl who expressed her feelings for Finn kidnapped me and tried to kill me." Rachel stated, trying to make a joke out of it.

"Yeah, well, not every girl is a psycho like her." Santana said as they began walking back into Rachel's living room. Once they got back, they found Suzy sitting next to Jeremy, watching the episode of Barney and Friends. The moment she noticed them, she smiled politely and walked towards them.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, sounding a little concerned.

"Yes, everything's fine. I just had to go over a few things with Santana before the actual wedding comes. Everything has to be perfect." Rachel lied.

"That's understandable." Suzy smiled.

"Okay, I just texted Puck; he said that they were on their way to the reception hall." She told the girls.

"What? I thought we didn't have to be there until one-thirty." Rachel asked.

"I don't know. He said that Finn was freaking out about something going wrong or whatever and he wanted to be there early to make sure that everything was going okay." Santana explained looking down at her phone. Rachel smiled to herself to find out that she wasn't the only one freaking out now.

"Okay, Rachel, I need you to go upstairs and get everything that I'm about to tell you done. explained looking down at her phone. Rachel smiled to herself to find out that she wasn't the only one freaking out now.

"Okay, Rachel, I need you to go upstairs and get everything that I'm about to tell you done. You need to go upstairs, take a shower, shave, place the robe hanging on the door on, and wrap your hair up in a towel. Then, we'll get everything we need and we'll head out." Santana instructed. "Don't take too long."

Following Santana's instructions, Rachel went upstairs and did as she was told. By the time she was out, the fogged up clock read 12:04. Before wrapping herself in the robe, Rachel quickly rolled on deodorant and pulled her damp hair up in a towel. After she had on her light purple robe, she grabbed her shoes and then left. Making her way downstairs, she found everyone waiting for her. Including Quinn, who had Jeremy in her arms and an unfamiliar blonde girl at her side. They were all holding bags to carry with them, and their dresses that were on hangers and covered with plastic. Walking into the room, Santana was the first to notice her.

"Good, you're finally out." She smiled, walking towards her with a big, covered dress in her arms. "I am granting you the duty of carrying your wedding dress. Just, please, protect it with your life."

"I got it." Rachel smiled; reaching out her arms as Santana gently laid the surprisingly heavy dress on them.

"Okay, then. Let's go have a wedding!" Santana exclaimed as all of the other girls cheered, making the situation more real than it already was. Her heart started pounding rapidly as her breathing started to alter.

Once they got to the parking lot, Santana instructed the driver to drive around the back. She had her mind set strictly on the fact that Rachel could not, under any circumstances, see Finn before standing on the altar in front of him. Rachel knew the traditional myth and had her whole life, but she thought Santana was being too dramatic. Either way, she obeyed Santana anyways, knowing that there was no way around her.

Once they got to the small room in the back of the reception hall, where she was supposed to be getting ready, Rachel noticed another door on the other side of the long hall that led to this one. She wondered if that was where Finn was. Getting lost in her thoughts, she hardly noticed when Santana opened the door and told all of them to go in. As all of the girls piled into the room, Rachel was left standing mindlessly in the hallway, looking towards the other room.

"You're wondering if he's in there, aren't you?" Santana asked, pulling Rachel back to reality.

"Maybe…" she whispered.

Chuckling at her response, Santana rolled her eyes and pulled Rachel into the room. "The time build-up is the best part of the wedding, Rachel. You haven't seen him since last night, so the two of you are anxious to see each other. What's going to make it even better is that the next time you seen him and vice-versa, the two of you are going to look amazing. Especially you, Rachel. We're going to make you look like a princess." She explained, sitting her down on the bench in front of the vanity set that sat in the corner of the room.

"Only a few more hours," Rachel said, smiling to herself in the mirror. Becoming more relaxed, she took a deep breath and let Suzy work her magic.

"I'm sorry." Suzy said as a loud beeping played through the room halfway through fixing Rachel's hair. Digging into her shirt pocket, she grabbed her phone and looked at the caller id. "It's my husband." She smiled as she slid the phone open, placed it between her ear and her shoulder and continued working on Rachel's hair, which Rachel was starting to love. Her makeup still wasn't on yet.

"I'll be home in an hour to get ready. I'm doing the bride's hair and makeup. Just get ready and make sure the kids are packed for tonight." She instructed before she hung up and sighed.

"Is everything okay?" Rachel asked, glancing at the woman working on her hair through the mirror.

"Yes, it's just that my husband gets a little too paranoid sometimes. But, nothing to worry about." She assured her.

"So, Suzy, who did you end up marrying? I mean, if you don't mind me asking. Anyone from high school?" Rachel asked.

"Actually, yes. You might know him. His name is Jacob Ben Israel." The minute she said his name, Rachel felt nauseous as she heard muffled laughter from her three friends who were working on their own hair and makeup.

Rachel did remember Jacob Ben Israel from school. In fact, it took her a long time to forget him. It was kind of hard to forget the guy who stalked you every second of your high school career. He used to follow her around school and do creepy things, like make her give him pairs of her undergarments just so that he wouldn't spill secrets that she had no idea how he found out on his school blog. She wasn't rude to him about it. She just asked him nicely to leave her alone. The first time he refused, she asked Finn to tell him something. Then he refused again, causing her to get Mr. Schuster involved. When he continued again, it almost got to the point where she had to file a restraining order. Things weren't as bad when Finn was still at school, but they got worse when he went to college and wasn't there to protect her. And now he was coming to her wedding. Gosh, this wasn't happening. She hoped to God that the years apart changed him.

"I'm sorry, that name doesn't ring a bell." Rachel lied to make it less obvious that she was afraid. The laughter from the other girls continued, until Rachel glared at them through the mirror.

"Well, he's such a sweetheart. I can't wait for you to meet him." Suzy smiled as she continued working on her hair.

"Me neither." Rachel smiled, her hands slowly beginning to shake. Her wedding day was already starting to show its cracks. She just hoped the glue would be durable enough to hold it up until she was on her way to her honeymoon. However long from now that would be.

As all of the girls cleared out of the room, Rachel got up from the vanity to get a fuller look at herself in the mirror in the corner of the room. Taking in her full appearance, Rachel straightened out the long dress with her hands and smiled at her face in the mirror. Chuckling to herself, she lifted her violently shaking hand and wiped away a tear that trickled down her rosy cheek. She made sure not to mess up the beautiful job that Suzy did with her makeup.

She didn't recognize herself at all. But, it wasn't like those times before when Santana dressed her up and she didn't recognize herself. This form of unrecognition was totally different. She never felt this way before. She felt like a princess in a fairytale. She felt like Belle or Cinderella when she went to the ball. She felt absolutely beautiful.

Feeling more tears build up, she had to take a deep breath and move away from the mirror. She knew that if she paid more attention to her appearance, she'd think about forever and how real and amazing this day actually was. She knew those thoughts would come eventually, but she wanted to save them for the right moment; for the moment when she would see the love of her life standing at the altar, waiting for her to meet him.

She missed him; a lot. This damn separation thing was getting its toll on her again. The last time she saw him last night was close to 10:30 last night. It was getting late and everyone was starting to go home, so he took her in for one last dance before Santana basically had to drag her away. That last kiss they shared before she got into the car; that was a kiss that she knew she'd dream about. Well, she did dream about Finn that night, but it was not at all the kind of dream she wanted to carry with her into her wedding day.

But, she was going over the boundaries that she had set earlier. Today was a happy day for her, and it wasn't worth a single thought of that terrible dream that she had last night. Finn loved her, she loved him, and Mandy was locked away in bars, probably never going to get out. She would be damned if this day would be ruined because she couldn't stop thinking about it. So, the first thing she did whenever it came up her mind was thought of those boundaries and pictured herself once they had both said I do. She pictured Finn tipping her over and giving her an even better kiss than the night before. A kiss that would say, 'we're each other's for the rest of our lives, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you'.

Taking in the silence while sitting at the window, she heard something move. Looking around, she knew it had to be outside of her door, in the room on the side of her. Then she thought about the other door that she saw before she got into this one. Going over to where the noise was coming from, she leaned her ear against the wall and listened with all of her might. It sounded like footsteps to her, but she was unsure. That was until she heard the footsteps stop, and the voice of a man take its place.

"Look dude, this is too weird." It sounded like Puck.

"How the hell am I supposed to learn?" it was Finn. "Kurt isn't here to teach me."

"Get Santana or Quinn, or something." Puck suggested.

"Dude, the wedding is in an hour or two from now. Plus, I'm not preparing for my first dance with my ex-girlfriend and the girl who took my virginity." Finn protested.

"You don't think dancing with me a little less weird?" Puck asked.

"Dude, if we don't do this, I'm going to step all over her feet and everyone's going to laugh at me. I want to impress her. I want her to know that I've spent a lot of time on this." Finn begged.

"Fine, but you owe me big time." He gave in.

"Thank you."

Pulling away, Rachel sat down on the small couch by the window and smiled to herself, knowing that Finn was working so hard just to make her even happier on their wedding day. The only thing she regretted was ruining his surprise by eavesdropping. She'd play it cool when the time came, and she'd probably not have to fake her surprise. Today was going to be perfect, no matter what anyone did to them or said to them. No matter what happened today, Rachel was marrying the love of her life, and nothing could ruin that.

Rachel's thoughts were interrupted by a quick knock on the door, followed by her three friends making their way into the room at a quick pace. The look on Santana's face stood out to Rachel.

"Okay, Rach, don't freak out." She started. " We have a small problem."