TDAD Book 4: Star Light, Star Bright

by TheSojournReader

I wish I may, I wish I might...make it through the darkest night. Rachel has to fight; for her dreams and for her health. But no one said she can't have a little fun along the way. This is the fourth book of my To Dream a Dream series.

22. Chapter 22

A/N: Weddings bore me. Going to weddings, watching weddings on tv, or, even worse, reading about them. Boring. So I fully intended to gloss over Rachel and Finn's wedding. The irony is, I had a lot of fun writing out their wedding in far more detail than I intended to. Since I don't care for weddings, I don't fully know the order everything goes in, so I just wrote an order of events that made sense to me. That being said, if you're not a huge finchel fan (odd, but I'll not judge, I'll forgive you lol) and want to just skim over the wedding stuff (which is like 80% of the chapter), I get it. Just please don't skim over their vows or Kurt's "speech". Those took a long time to get right. Thanks. Enjoy!

Chapter 22:

Rachel lounges in the comfy chair in Sue's office as she chats with the woman. The benefit is always a success, but it was even bigger this year. They raised a lot of money and Rachel's not stupid. She's knows it's because a) they contacted so many AA survivors and families of those who didn't survive and they were all willing to donate and b) her fellow cast and crew members of Funny Girl donated a chunk of change, which was very touching. And helpful.

"I told you it was a good idea." Sue says.

"Yeah, but it wouldn't have been possible without your help. So thank you."

The woman nods, then looks at her speculatively. "I know the point was to raise more money, which worked, and to help connect people who have and had AA to build a community of support, which is also well underway. But did you have another reason for your idea?"

Rachel eyes her. "What do you mean?"

Sue sits back with a sigh and folds her arms over her chest. "Most of the people on those lists were dead, Rachel." Rachel looks down. "Many did not survive more than around twenty years after going into remission. Not all. But enough to see a trend." There's a long pause where neither woman speaks. "You knew."

"Yeah." Rachel finally admits. "I knew. Dr. McCann spelled it out for me. There's a chance, but not a big one. He's watching my numbers closely, and you know everything I've been doing to stay healthy, and I'm young. Before I had AA, I had a great immune system and rarely got sick. There's a better chance that I'll survive longer than that. I know you didn't have access to patient ages, but if you had, you'd have seen that most of those not surviving long after remission were older than me. By a lot. My age alone is enough to give me better odds of surviving longer. But Dr. McCann wanted me to understand that it's still within the realm of expectations. At least until they find a cure."

"You are the queen of surpassing expectations, Berry. You'll be fine and live a long life."

"I will." Rachel grins. "You can't call me that for much longer, you know."

The woman smiles back at her. "I know. But I can't really keep calling you 'mini-Streisand' either, since you're reprising what is arguably her most famous role and putting your own spin on it. You're making your own name for yourself."

"So call me Rachel. Or Mrs. Hudson."

"Or Fanny?"

She laughs. "I'd rather not be called that off stage."

"Fanny it is then." Sue states decisively.

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Early on in their wedding planning, one of the first topics to come up was choosing their maid of honor and best man. They hadn't expected to argue over it, even minimally.

"Well Kurt is my stepbrother, so he'll be my best man." Finn had stated confidently at the time.

Rachel set her fork down and frowned at him. "I know he's your stepbrother, but he's my brother and best friend. I was going to ask him to be my maid of honor."

Finn frowned back. "But he's a dude."

"A very gay dude. He won't mind being on my side instead of yours. I'll change the title to 'man of honor'."

"Rachel, just choose one of the girls. There are five of them."

"And you have five other guys to choose from. Let me have my brother. He's been in my life longer than he's been in yours."

"Are you gonna have him wear a dress?"

"Of course not! I figured he'd wear a suit with a shirt the same color as the bridesmaid dresses."

"Oh. I didn't think of that." Finn mumbled.

Rachel's brow was furrowed. "Would you really be upset if Kurt wasn't your best man?"

Finn thought it over carefully and she waited patiently. They each assumed they'd have Kurt as their special support. She knew that would please Kurt. As much as she wanted and expected him, if it truly upset Finn then she'd back off and let him have Kurt. She's not sure how to choose one of the others, though. Thinking it over, she supposed she'd pick Santana. And maybe assign Brittany or Quinn as assistant maid of honor to keep San on the straight and narrow.

"A little. But not overly. I'd ask Puck instead."

"Will you be happy with Puck as your best man?"

Having already warmed to the idea, Finn smiled. "Yeah. I think that'd be awesome. No offense to Kurt, but I was gonna have Puck be responsible for a lot of stuff anyway, like my bachelor party. I don't think I'd like whatever Kurt chose."

They'd shared a laugh at that. When Rachel asked Kurt to be her "man of honor" the next day, he'd burst into happy tears. The siblings hugged for a long time until he calmed down.

"Finn and I fought over who would get you. I won."

Kurt beamed at that.

"But this means you're gonna have to walk down the aisle with Puck."

The smile dropped. Then, after thinking it over, the siblings burst into laughter at the image that created.

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Her mom squeezes her shoulder supportively and leaves to meet up with her friends for coffee. Rachel swallows hard and takes a breath. Once they're alone, she grabs his attention.

"Scott?"

"Yeah, hun?"

"Can we talk?"

Scott shuts off the tv and faces her. "Of course. What about?"

"My wedding." He nods but stays quiet. The look on his face tells her he knows exactly what this is about. She swallows again. "You know I love you. You're my stepdad and you've really taken on the dad role well."

He smiles warmly and nods. "I am your dad. And I always will be. But at the same time, I'm not and I understand that. Burt is."

Rachel nods. She hates herself for asking this of him. "Would—would you be offended if I asked Burt to walk me down the aisle and not you?"

Scott moves to sit next to her and takes her hand. "No. I would not be offended at all. I expected it. I'll admit I'm a little disappointed, but I'm not upset or even surprised. I'm your stepfather. I will always love you and be there for you. But Burt is your Dad. He raised you. He's been there for you through everything. He took you in, he protected you, he made you family, he supported you, he loved you, he fought for you, he held you, he carried you, and he helped you through every challenge in your life. Big and small."

Her smile is wobbly. "He always came through with the big things but he kind of sucked at some of the small things. He always tried his best, though. And that's what really mattered to me. He was there and he tried. I'll never forget him trying to sew a costume for me and failing and resorting to glueing it and it falling apart. I laughed so hard I cried and he thought I was crying at how bad it was and apologized and hugged me and took me out for ice cream."

Scott laughs. "That sounds like Burt. Look, I'm happy just to be there at your wedding. I do expect to dance with you at the reception."

"Of course! There will be two father of the bride dances. One for Burt and one for you. I already planned for that."

"Good. Then it's all settled."

She hugs him tight, relieved but still feeling a little bad.

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Rachel doesn't want to put it off. She hates interrupting Uncle Burt at work, but she wants to talk to him privately and won't get a chance any time soon. She needs to get back to New York for rehearsals. On Sunday's, the shop is only open if they have to finish up any work for frequent customers who have left their cars there. It figures that's the situation today, when she needs to speak to him privately. She is greeted warmly by his employees who know all of Burt's kids. They point out where he is and she stands back, watching him talk to a customer. Once the customer leaves, she approaches.

"Do you have a minute, Dad?"

He does a slight double take. She doesn't often call him that; and less often in public. "For you? Always."

He nods to an employee and passes off some task to him. He leads her to his office and shuts the door behind them.

"What is it, princess?"

She looks around the office at the certificates indicating the shop passed inspections and others designating high ratings. There are also advertisements for car stuff and diagrams of car parts. She grins slightly. If he had to work late, she and Kurt would sit in here to do homework. Uncle Burt would order pizza or sandwiches to be delivered and they'd eat together in the office before he'd go back to work and they'd return to homework. And playing with the stuff in his drawers and singing loud enough to be yelled at to quiet down.

"This is not where I imagined asking you this, but it's somehow fitting."

"Ask me what?"

She stares at the man who has been more of a dad to her than any other in her life and a smile slowly spreads across her face. "Will you walk me down the aisle at my wedding?"

Uncle Burt blinks and sits back. He blinks a bunch of times and clears his throat. "Me? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"But Scott—"

"Is a wonderful stepdad that I've been close to for a couple years. But he didn't raise me. You did. He's not my Dad. You are."

He releases a shaky breath and his eyes are glistening with tears. "I'd be honored to walk you down the aisle, Rachel."

He stands and pulls her up out of her chair and into his arms. She revels in the embrace, feeling the same warmth and love she did when she was a little girl. Her Daddy is walking her down the aisle, after all. She lets a tear slip out.

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When she got back to her mom's house, she'd been surprised with a bridal shower, thrown by her mother and grandmother. That "coffee" trip with her friends this morning was really her mom going to grab the last of the supplies. Rachel hadn't expected a bridal shower, considering her time constraints and living in different states, so it truly was a surprise. All female friends and family members (including Carole and Sue) and Kurt came. They made it a murder mystery with a wedding theme that was a lot of fun.

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Back in New York, Rachel makes sure to bring her cast mates and crew doughnuts and coffee. She insists it's very minor in comparison to their generous donation at the benefit, but she wanted a way to thank them. She hugged them all and she was surprised how warmly she was hugged back. Then she realized that if they saw the benefit, they probably heard her talking about her suffering and nearly dying. That tends to soften people towards her. Just like going through that battle with her friends drew them in and made them closer, watching the benefit and learning more about her battle made her a little closer to her cast mates. While she isn't thrilled about everyone knowing just how sick she was, she is happy with the closeness it's bringing. In return, they've started sharing more about their personal lives with her. It makes work more enjoyable when you get along with (and feel close to) your coworkers.

On the last day of rehearsals before going back to Ohio to get married, Finn picks her up from work. He was going to be nearby anyway, having a second interview for a teaching position, so it made sense for him to pick her up after his interview wrapped up. It is his first time meeting her cast mates. They all shook his hand and introduced themselves. They talked in a friendly manner for a few minutes before Rachel gathered her stuff to leave. Rupert Campion stopped Finn, shaking his hand as well.

"Bring her back safe, you hear? We need her."

"So do I." Finn replied seriously, but with a smile.

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The boys drag Finn out for a bachelor party. They did a little one in New York before leaving, with just the NYC-based guys. They went bar hopping and got drunk and had fun. They also got so drunk that they made outrageous bets. Puck lost and had to shave off his Mohawk. The girls had to convince him that he actually looks better without it. More mature, definitely. But now, with all the guys together, they decide to have a fun two days doing more adventurous stuff. They camp out, they do go-kart racing, they do that thing again where they drive around on ATVs and shoot each other with paintball guns, they go axe throwing, and they go swimming. They still drink, but less than they did in NYC.

The girls briefly interrupted their guy only party to join their paintball game, just like they did last time. They stayed for less than an hour, but they all had fun. Rachel rode on the back of Finn's ATV while he drove and she used the paintball gun to shoot the others. They're shocked by what a great shot she is. She still hasn't revealed that her grandfather taught her how to shoot real guns. This is both harder, because they're moving targets, and easier, because paintball guns don't have the recoil that real guns do. She got Puck twice in the face mask and once in the crotch. When their round was over, Puck jumped off his ATV and stormed over to them. He looked ridiculous with purple paint on his mask and crotch. Finn was laughing, knowing Puck would never hurt Rachel. The guy yanked off his helmet and pointed a finger fiercely at Rachel, but spoke to Finn.

"Marry her."

"I am, dude."

Rachel held up her engagement ring and pointed to it.

"Marry her faster."

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The girls had also done a bachelorette party for Rachel in NYC (with all the NYC-based girls, Quinn, and Kurt of course). They saw a Broadway show, then went to a few bars (and got free drinks thanks to Rachel's tiara and sash declaring her the bride-to-be) and yes, got drunk. It was fun. This time, it's with all the girls in Ohio. They book a morning at a spa where they all get massages and facials, then had lunch at a fancy restaurant (as fancy as small town Ohio gets, at least). It's very tame in comparison, but Rachel insists it was very fun and very needed.

Fair is fair. The boys crashed the end of their bachelorette party. They snuck into the restaurant, explained the situation to the highly amused manager, donned waiter uniforms, and brought the food out to the girls. The girls giggled the whole time but pretended not to know them. Finn cut up Rachel's steak for her, acted like he was going to feed her a bite, then ate it himself. She grabbed his tie and tugged him down to kiss him. The guys then proceeded to eat some of the food off the other ladies' plates and the girls pretended to be mad about it but were laughing.

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The day before the wedding, all of the women go get manicures and pedicures. All final preparations were complete. Carole gave Rachel her something blue to wear. Her grandparents gave her the special glass to break at the ceremony. Being of two different faiths, with neither being overly devout, they discussed at length who should marry them; a rabbi or a priest. They agreed that they'll raise their children under no specific religion. They'll teach them both religions and take them to church and to synagogue. They'll celebrate most of both religion's holidays as they've already sort of been doing, and let the kids choose what they believe in when they're old enough and support their choice. With that in mind, they eventually found an officiant who he himself was brought up a mix of both religions. He had no problem mixing traditions of both into a ceremony to honor both of them. When it comes down to it, their wedding is going to be a little less about religion and more about marrying one another before God and family.

They go to the barn for the rehearsal. There is a large, beautiful chandelier dead center, with smaller complimentary chandeliers throughout the rest of the barn. There are also lights that are realistic looking candles hanging on the sides. Sheer white lace mixed with some gray lace is artistically and beautifully hanging all around. The final touch is the many, many flowers positioned all around. White and coral are the dominant colors, many with white or gray ribbon around them. Kurt walks them through most of it.

"As you can see, the seats are currently set up in rows with an aisle in the middle. It'll stay like this until after the ceremony. Then the wedding party will go out the front for a photo shoot. The guests will be guided out the back where caterers will be waiting with drinks and hors d'oeuvres."

Brittany leans into Rachel and whispers. "Why would Kurt hire whores for your wedding?"

Those around them who heard stifle laughter. Rachel turns to Brittany and sees a sparkle in her eye. Realizing that her friend is just messing with her makes her burst into giggles, with Brittany quickly joining in. Kurt whips around and the girls reign in their giggles at the sight of his glare.

He goes on. "While we're getting pictures taken and they're snacking, caterers will be bringing in the tables stored in the back and setting up the chairs around them for the reception. They'll set up their cooking stations outside and bring the food in when it's ready. A bar will be set up over there and the DJ and the dance floor over there. Once our photo shoot is done, guests can go out on that side where there's lighting and seating and places to walk."

Then they practice walking in the correct order. Finn is pleased that all he has to do is stand at the end of the aisle and wait for Rachel to come to him. All Rachel has to do is let Burt walk her down the aisle to Finn. The others have to remember who to walk with, when to go, and where to stand and sit after. They practice until they're sure everyone knows their parts. Once the rehearsal is over, they go to a nice restaurant for dinner. Rachel and Finn move amongst everyone to talk, but focus on the people they don't get to see as often. In a weird way, it kind of reminds her of her sixteenth birthday party. Weird because then, she stayed seated and everyone came to her so she didn't have to move. But that brings up bad memories, so she shakes them away and focuses on her happy day.

"I know it's not normal for the mother of the bride to give a speech, but I did want to publicly welcome Finn to the family." Rachel is surprised but not too worried. While she had a list of rules for Noah's speech, her only rule for anyone else who wanted to make a speech was to either not talk about her time being sick at all, or if they had to, at least only lightly touch on it. She doesn't want sad, depressing speeches. She wants sweet and/or funny. That's it. And everyone agreed. "As everyone here knows, the first time I met my daughter, she was fourteen years old…..and she was in bed with two boys."

The room breaks out into hearty laughter as Rachel flushes. "I was in the hospital! They were two close friends who were comforting me!"

Grinning, her mom waves her off. Rachel groans and buries her red face in her hands. Finn is laughing and rubbing her back. It figures her mom would find a way to make Rachel herself bring it up. On the bright side, everyone here knows the truth already. Hell, most of them were in the room at the time.

"That was also the night I found out that Finn had a crush on her. It was only a little later that she admitted to having a crush on him, too. And she didn't even have to say it for me to know. Her shiny eyes and dreamy smile told me she had a crush on him. And now, six years later, they're getting married. So it may not have been the best way to meet my future son-in-law" there are more chuckles "but at least I've always known he'd be there to comfort and support her through everything life could toss at them. And he has proven that over and over again. So Finn, I am so happy you are marrying my daughter and becoming my son-in-law. I love you very much. Welcome to the family, son."

Finn stands and hugs her. Rachel watches as her mom whispers something to him that makes him laugh heartily and nod. Next is Uncle Burt.

"If we're talking origin stories, I suppose I should tell mine. I met Rachel when she was ten years old. She was a tiny wisp of a thing, hiding behind Kurt, peeking around him to see me. If you can believe it, she barely spoke."

There's laughter at that. Rachel rolls her eyes, Yes, she knows she's a chatterbox and if no one else is talking, she'll happily fill the silence with her own talking. She focuses on his speech and ignores the weird feeling that there is no one on earth who has known her her whole life. No one alive knew her for the first nine years of her life. It's weird to think about, so she tries not to.

"I remember Kurt trying to convince her that it was okay to talk loudly and laugh in our house. We finally convinced her it was okay, but we had to put on a show for her first."

Rachel sits up straighter. "Wait, what? What are you talking about?"

Kurt starts laughing. "You never knew!"

Uncle Burt looks between them with a smile. "Kurt and I talked it out one day when she wasn't visiting us. He convinced me that the only way to get her to loosen up in our house was to sing. So, the next time she came over, Kurt and I sang as loud as we could and convinced her to join in."

Kurt interjects here. "We actually had to convince Rachel to join us. She didn't just butt in like she does now, can you believe it?"

Rachel scrunches up her nose and throws a napkin at him while everyone laughs. Uncle Burt goes on with his story.

"She joined in singing the song with us and when it was over the kids giggled and giggled and talked about it nonstop through dinner. That was the first time I was treated to a Rachel Berry rapid fire music rant. It was like the chains had been snapped and the words just poured out of her."

That was the case, Rachel thinks a little sadly. She often had to be quiet at home when her dad was home. And she didn't like talking out loud in an empty house just to have her echo be her only reply. So her words stayed bottled up inside until she found a safe place to let them loose. That safe place became Kurt's house.

"And she hasn't stopped talking since!" Kurt calls out. Rachel reaches over and hits his arm.

Uncle Burt shakes his head gently. "Rachel became a member of my family only months after meeting her. I told Kurt early on that he never had to ask permission for Rachel to come over. He just had to let me know." Of course, that was because he didn't want Rachel home alone. Or worse; home with a drunk Leroy. "Eventually, I told her she was family so she didn't have to call me Mr. Hummel. She could call me Burt. She pointed out that if we were family I'd be Uncle Burt. So that's who I became."

"No." Rachel interrupts. "You became my Dad. I was just too shy to say it."

There are aawwws from everyone. Uncle Burt smiles warmly at her. "True. But we went with Uncle Burt and that was good. Rachel has been like a daughter to me for about a decade. And now, thanks to Finn, she really is my daughter. I don't care if it's 'in-law' or whatever, the world now recognizes her as my daughter, the way I have for years."

Getting teary eyed, Rachel goes over to him for a hug. They embrace for several long moments to much applause. When they pull back, Uncle Burt looks at her gently. "I think we can drop the 'Uncle' now, right? I can be just be 'Dad' now?"

A single tear makes it down her cheek. She nods. "Yes, Dad."

They hug again briefly before she retakes her seat. Then Un—Dad turns and gestures to Finn. "Oh, and the first time I met Finn, he was eating."

They all laugh and Finn scrunches up his face and tosses his hands up, like what the fuck, dude? Her dad waves him off.

"Well he was," he defends himself. "It wasn't the first time I saw him, but it was the first time I met him. I saw him and all the others at their first Glee performance freshman year. That's a whole different story." The Glee kids and the adults who saw the performance all laugh and nod knowingly. Rachel can tell her mom is disappointed she never got to see it. "Anyway, Kurt dragged me over to introduce Finn and his mom at some school event and Finn was bent over a bowl of chips munching away. Thankfully he wiped his hand on a napkin before offering it to shake. First I was blown away by how tall this kid was when he stood at his full height. He was tall then. Not as tall as now, but taller than any other freshman. Then I was blown away by his beautiful mother, but that's yet another story. I got to know him and what a good kid he was. And now, what a wonderful man he is. I am proud to call him my stepson. My second son. Rachel and Finn, I love you both and I wish nothing but the best for your future."

A toast is raised.

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"Hey"

"Hey"

"Whatcha doin tomorrow?"

Rachel grins down at her phone. "Nothing. You?"

"Sam" This is very quickly followed by "SAME….damn autocorrect"

"Should I give Sam a call to verify that?"

"Plz dont"

She laughs and waits. Finn texts again.

"Anyway….wanna get married tomorrow? If u got nothin better to do?"

"Sure. I might have a white dress somewhere in my closet"

"Cool. I think I got a suit I could wear. We could just do a quickie courthouse wedding. meet you there?"

"How about we go that old barn instead?"

"I'll meet you there."

"Sounds perfect"

"Love u"

"Love you more"

"If u say so"

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The ladies head to a cafe for brunch before going to the salon to get their hair done. Then they're back to her mom's house to get dressed, where Kurt meets them. The photographer follows them, snapping pictures. The bridal dresses Rachel chose are pretty summery dresses that fall just above the knee in a lovely coral color. Their shoes are nude colored heels. Rachel surprised each bridesmaid with a goodie bag that included a pair of nude colored slippers to put on at the reception so their feet don't hurt. The older ladies get ready first, stating they won't take as long as the younger women. Rachel, Santana, Brittany, Quinn, Tina, and Mercedes are wearing robes and squished on the couch and loveseat together while waiting their turn. They drink coffee and talk. Since Kurt is already dressed and afraid of spilling something on himself, he remains standing and doesn't have any coffee. The photographer snaps a picture of Santana sneaking a little rum into their coffees while trying not to let the older ladies notice. When they're done, they take their turns getting ready. They help each other get dressed and do their make up. Rachel's mom starts tearing up while doing Rachel's makeup for her.

"I never thought I'd get to see this day. For so many reasons." Her mom whispers to her, choking up.

Tearing up herself, Rachel leans into her for a hug, careful not to mess up their hair or makeup. The others give mother and daughter a quiet moment to enjoy their embrace. Hair, makeup, and jewelry done, Rachel steps into her wedding dress with help from her mom and brother. When she turns to face the other women, her Nana stifles a cry, then waves her hand over her face.

"I'm gonna have to redo my makeup already, damnit."

The others laugh, but are equally teary. Rachel looks absolutely stunning in her floor length white designer wedding dress. As her mom said, many did not expect to get to see this day. Five years ago, they'd have said there was no chance of this day coming to pass. Four years ago they would have said it was unlikely. Three years ago, they said it was uncertain. Now, it's happening. Not only did Rachel surprise her doctors by surviving Aplastic Anemia despite how close she came to dying, but she has thrived since going into remission a second time. And Finn has thrived just by being at her side. Adding to that, Finn and Rachel's relationship survived the trials and tribulations it was put through and has thrived ever since.

"I love you all so much." Rachel tells them tearfully. "This wouldn't be possible without your love and support."

"Stop making us cry, bitch!" Santana says with a watery chuckle, dabbing her eyes.

They all laugh and a new round of hugs begins before they go back to getting ready. Over at the Hummel-Hudson house, another photographer is getting pictures of the guys getting ready together. The men are wearing gray suits and vests with white shirts and coral ties, but no jackets (more for summer and less for style, though it looks good). To stand out, Finn will be wearing a full gray suit, jacket and all, but also with a coral tie. Kurt, as man of honor, is in the same gray suit pants and vest as the other guys, but he's wearing a coral shirt and a gray tie.

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The limo ride takes about twenty minutes. In both the bride's limo and the groom's, unbeknownst to them, the same event is occurring. Their friends are singing the same song.

"Going to the chapel and we're
Gonna get married
Going to the chapel and we're
Gonna get married

Gee, I really love you
And we're gonna get married
Going to the chapel of love"

The bride and groom, in their respective limos, are laughing and singing along. However, things start going a little differently in the groom's limo.

"But we're not going to a chapel, we're going to a barn." Sam laughs.

"Getting married in a barn 'cause Finn's a horse's ass!" Puck laughs.

Finn punches him on the arm.

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A timing error caused the two limos carrying the bride and groom to arrive at the barn at the same time. They all groan. Tina pokes Kurt.

"You're the man of honor, fix this."

Kurt stands so his upper torso is through the sunroof of the limo. In the limo facing them, Noah does the same. The two men start yelling back and forth.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kurt calls.

"Us? What are you doing?"

"You were supposed to get here first and be out of the way before the bride arrived!" Kurt snaps.

"We got a little delayed, so what?"

"So what?! It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding! You were supposed to get here first!"

"Just go around front or something!" Noah calls back.

"You want the bride to go around the front where everyone can see her before the ceremony starts? Are you mad?"

"It's not a big deal!"

"I planned this to the minute, Puckerman! Stop screwing it up!"

"Then you planned poorly!"

"You already admitted to being late!"

There's a pause. "—No I didn't!"

"Yes you did!"

The men continue to argue and Rachel has to remind herself not to rub her eyes and risk messing up her makeup. Her interjections of how it's not a big deal go unheard. Everyone is chiming in with their suggestions of what to do. The groom's limo driver is claiming he can't go around their limo, and their limo driver is saying he can't back up. The longer they sit here arguing, the more aggravated she's getting. This is supposed to be her perfect day with her husband. She huffs and mutters a soft "fuck it". She opens the door next to her and climbs out.

"Rachel?"

"What are you doing?"

"Get back here!"

"You can't leave!"

She ignores their continued arguing and marches up to the back of the other limo and knocks on the window. Finn lowers the window, looking concerned.

"Wha—"

"I can't stand all the arguing and negativity. Wanna get out of here?"

He smiles brightly. "Hell yes."

He opens his door and grabs her hand. Everyone else is climbing out of the two limos and calling out to them, asking what they're doing. Still holding hands, they take off running away from the barn.

"The bride and groom are running away? Together?"

They look back at the same moment with matching grins, but don't stop. By the time they lose the others, they're breathless from running and laughing. Finn gently fixes a strand of hair that fell out of place in their run. They smile at one another happily.

"Care to dance, my bride?" He gallantly holds out his hand.

"I would love to."

She takes his offered hand and steps closer to him. They dance to music only they can hear, alone in the middle of the woods. They don't know how long they dance for and they don't care. This is their wedding day. They stare at one another with shining eyes and soft smiles. Then Finn lowers his forehead to hers and they close their eyes, swaying gently together. Sunlight filters through the trees around them and birds chirp merrily and Rachel knows what peace is. What the couple doesn't know is that one of the photographers caught up to them quickly and has been snapping pictures of them dancing alone in the woods with sunlight streaming all around them. They also don't yet know that these will be their favorite wedding pictures.

"Uh, guys?" They turn to find Blaine standing a couple yards away. "As sweet as this scene is, everyone's freaking out and Kurt is having a conniption. Please come back?" When the couple doesn't immediately react, Blaine looks nervous. "C'mon, please? I'm seriously worried that Kurt's head is going to explode."

They sigh and nod. "I suppose we should."

"If you still plan to get married, then yeah." Blaine says with an amused smile.

They follow Blaine back to the barn. Rachel glances at Finn.

"Are you upset that you already saw me in my dress? I kind of ruined the surprise of you seeing me at the end of the aisle walking towards you."

Finn is already shaking his head. "Nah. I could be wrong, but I think this was already one of the best parts of the wedding. And I didn't really get a good look at the dress while running or dancing. I was looking at your face." She smiles. "Besides, it'll be different in there. Here, it was us escaping together for a couple minutes of peace. It was perfect. When I see you again in there, it'll be moments before you become my wife. I'll be so excited I'll be in awe all over again. It'll be perfect."

She blinks and swallows down tears. "I really love you."

Finn doesn't get a chance to respond. Kurt is pulling her away. He's flushed and frantic. "How could you just run away? Where'd you even go? This wasn't part of the plan!"

"Relax, Kurt. It's all good."

"All good?! Finn saw you before the wedding! In your dress! That's bad luck!"

She stops walking and looks at her brother seriously. "Kurt, look at my life. My luck. Not of late, but overall." He softens and backs down. "The universe or God or whatever already screwed with me enough, don't you think? I doubt I'll be punished for wanting a few minutes alone with my soon to be husband." When he still looks a little uncertain, she rolls her eyes. "And if I am…it was worth it. It was perfect."

Kurt grumbles and pulls her to the back door they're supposed to enter through. "I didn't plan for you to run away with your groom before the ceremony."

"I'm sorry for not following your plan, Kurt. I know how hard you worked on it. But this is my day."

He softens even more. "I know. I'm sorry. I just want it to go perfectly for you. You deserve a perfect day. So if you're happy, I'm happy."

She kisses his cheek. "Thank you. I love you."

He looks her over carefully. "Dare I point out that you dirtied your gorgeous and very expensive wedding dress before the ceremony?"

Rachel looks down. There's some dirt on the hem of her dress. Despite the stress of trying to find the perfect dress, she finds she suddenly does not care. She smiles. "I'll brush it off."

"You'll do no such thing." Brittany insists, coming over to join them. "Don't bend over. I'll get it."

She crouches down and brushes off the dirt and twigs. It falls off easily. Rachel smiles even more. "See, Kurt? You can barely tell! You'd have to be looking pretty damn closely at the hem of my dress to notice any hint of dirt."

He stares at her. "How are you not upset about this?"

"For starters, I'm getting married in a freaking barn in the middle of the woods. I figured a little dirt was likely. More importantly, I'm marrying the love of my life. I got to spend a wonderful morning with you and the women I love. I'm going to marry Finn and spend the rest of the day celebrating. I even got a romantic moment alone with him before things get crazy. A minor timing mistake is not a big deal. A little barely obvious dirt on the hem of my dress is not a big deal. Big picture, Kurt. Look at the big picture."

He slowly smiles. "You're kind of amazing. You know, everyone thought you'd be kind of like bridezilla and freak out over every little thing. Thanks for not."

She shakes her head. "I didn't because I was distracted by classes and auditions and rehearsals. And because you took over most of the wedding planning so I had little to stress over."

"Other than finding the perfect wedding dress that you have already sullied."

"No, the sullying comes later." Santana smirks.

"Girls, seriously?" Her mom asks, walking into the room. She hugs Rachel. "Everything okay?"

She smiles brightly. "Everything is perfect."

"Good."

They set up two rooms in the back of the barn for them to wait in. Finn's room is smaller and he'll walk out the back, then come in the side door and stand at the front to wait for Rachel's arrival. Rachel's waiting room is larger and has more seating, since she'll be in there longer. In heels. She sits primly. The girls are talking until Mercedes turns to Rachel with a smile.

"It's funny that you were raised by two dads who playfully argued over who would get to walk you down the aisle on your wedding day. And now you have two different dads who want to walk you down the aisle." She laughs.

It's said warmly and playfully. Mercedes means nothing by it, she knows this. But the words are a punch in the gut regardless. Her breathing stutters for a moment and pinpricks pierce the backs of her eyes. She blinks.

"Hey, uh, we should probably start lining up for the procession." Santana suddenly says, grabbing Mercedes' arm and guiding her out.

"What, already?" The woman asks.

"Yup. Let's go."

Rachel doesn't notice the room emptying out sans her and Kurt. Breathing back to normal, she looks around and sees her bother looking at her with understanding.

"You okay?"

She nods slowly. "Sorry. I wasn't expecting that." He nods and takes a seat beside her. "I miss them, Kurt. Both of them. They should be walking me down the aisle. After everything that happened, is it stupid to wish they were here?"

"No," he swipes under her eye, catching a tear "not at all. I wish my mom could be at my wedding. Hell, I wish she were here for yours. And I barely remember her. I hate admitting that, but it's true. I miss her anyway."

They sit in silence for a minute. Rachel's face shifts with new, though similar, thoughts. Two more tears leak out. Kurt silently hands her a tissue. She dabs the tears away. He looks at her critically before scoffing softly.

"You're thinking about walking down the aisle alone, aren't you?"

She jerks in shock. "How'd you-"

"I know you." His expression is sympathetic. "Rachel, you don't have to. You don't have to honor the fathers you lost by walking down the aisle at your wedding alone. You already set aside two chairs for them at the reception, remember? And you won't offend either Dad or Scott by choosing the other to walk with you now. Didn't Scott say he expected Dad to walk you down the aisle? And that he wasn't upset about it?"

"Yeah, but—"

"No buts. Except the one you're sitting on." They share a smile at Kurt using their Dad's frequently used phrase. "Let Dad walk you down the aisle. It's planned. It's done. It's good."

She tilts her head, thinking hard. "What if—what if Scott walks me around to the front of the barn, then hands me off to Dad?"

Kurt smiles widely. "I think that's perfect and I can't believe none of us thought of that sooner. I'll go get him."

Alone in the room now, she takes several breaths to center herself. These are her final moments as Rachel Berry. These are her final moments unmarried. Scott walks in looking curious. She stands. He comes to a halt upon seeing her.

"Wow. Sweetheart, you look gorgeous."

"Thank you."

He shakes his head, clearing it. "Um, Kurt said I could do something for you?"

"Yes. Will you walk me around to the front of the barn? And hand me off to Uncle Burt?" This isn't a moment to call another man Dad.

Scott's face softens and he swallows. "I'd be honored."

He holds out his arm with a warm smile. She takes it with a smile of her own. Her smile grows when she realizes how proud and happy he looks now. He leads her out back and walks her around to the front of the barn. She's glad one of the photographers snaps a picture of them. When they get to the front where the wedding party is already lined up and ready to go, Scott leads her over to her dad. The two men share a look and nod before Scott hands Rachel's arm over to the other man. He kisses her cheek and walks inside to join her mom. Her dad pulls her closer and she sees tears swimming in his eyes.

"You make a beautiful bride, princess."

Her own eyes well up. "Thanks, Dad."

The music starts and the front of the line enters the barn. In front of her, Noah and Kurt and arm in arm and arguing over whose arm should be on top. She and her dad share a grin and chuckle. Within moments, it's just her and her dad.

"I'm so proud of you." He whispers. "You've come so far and I've never been happier for you. I love you, Rachel."

Once again, tears well up in her eyes and she squeezes his arm. "I love you, too."

"And I know you love Finn. But this is your last chance to remain a Berry. Say the word and we can be on the road in under two minutes."

Even as she laughs, the memory hits her. The memory of her father Leroy talking to Burt about how he and Hiram used to argue over walking her down the aisle and how, with Hiram gone, it was left to Leroy. And that he'd already planned out what he'd say to her before walking her down the aisle. That. That was what he'd planned to say. She smiles, the tears in her eyes a mix of joy and grief. Somehow, she feels like her dads, all four of them, have the honor of walking her down the aisle. She blinks them away and smiles up at her dad. She focuses on just him and their relationship. In her heart, she knows she'd want no one else with her in this moment. They begin their walk down the aisle together. Her smile is from ear to ear and while she's not crying, she knows her eyes are shining. She doesn't see the people standing in front of their seats watching her and taking pictures. No. Her eyes lock on the man at the end of the aisle. Finn has never looked more handsome. She sucks in a breath, her heart fluttering. Her almost husband is waiting for her with a look of awe. Noah is laughing and slaps Finn on the back, knocking the stunned look from his face. The man finally blinks and smiles from ear to ear. He looks so handsome and so thrilled that now Rachel can't stop tears from spilling over. She's so lucky to be in this moment, with these people, marrying him…..she is blessed. Her dad's grip is the only thing keeping her from running the rest of the way. They don't stop staring at one another.

"Breathe, Rachel." Her dad whispers softly in her ear.

Realizing she hadn't in a moment, she takes in a shuddering breath. The juxtaposition of the times she has been told to breathe in the past to being told it now has her releasing a soft, breathy laugh. Her dad's grip tightens in comfort. Finally, they're face to face. Finn's face is so bright and happy and eager. Or maybe his face is reflecting her own feelings back at her. Her dad shakes Finn's hand, then takes his hand and places Rachel's in it. He stands there for a moment, holding both of their hands, his lips pressed tight together for a second before he pulls himself together and smiles at them. He kisses Rachel's cheek and heads to his seat. Finn guides Rachel the final few steps to stand before the sort-of-rabbi-sort-of-priest and they turn to face him, standing side by side. Rachel can't focus on the ceremony. She barely hears the words being said. The backs of her fingers brush against the backs of his and a tingle goes through her. They keep taking sidelong glances at one another and grinning.

"I only met Finn and Rachel recently, so I had to sit and speak with both of them and their nearest and dearest to learn more about them." The officiant begins. "You see, I was a little hesitant at first to marry two such young adults, especially from different religious backgrounds. However, after speaking with them and hearing about them from those who know them best, I realized how perfect they are for one another. Despite their differences and young ages, they have supported one another through many dark days. They have comforted and encouraged and lifted one another up. They bring hope, joy, and love to one another. Hearing of how they faced challenges together and how they kept their love alive through it all was honestly very moving. And all of my reservations melted away. I've honestly never met a couple as young as them who are as prepared for marriage as they are. Now, I am honored and blessed to get the opportunity to join them in marriage."

He looks at the couple, then the congregation. "Finn and Rachel have decided to recite traditional wedding vows. However, they didn't feel they were quite right, so they rewrote them slightly to better fit them as a couple. So now, the vows."

He gestures to Finn, who turns and takes both of Rachel's hands. Her heart is thudding wildly in her chest and she grips his hands.

"Rachel, I take you to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, not until death parts us, but until every star in the sky has faded from existence and Earth is nothing but dust. Even then, my love for you will be as strong as it is today. From now until then, I will love, honor, and support you. I will be your anchor in stormy seas and your kite string on windy days. I will be your partner in everything we do. This is my solemn vow."

"Finn, I take you to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, not until death parts us, but until every star in the sky has faded from existence and Earth is nothing but dust. Even then, my love for you will be as strong as it is today. From now until then, I will love, honor, and support you. I will be your guiding star on dark nights and your kite on windy days. I will be your partner in everything we do. This is my solemn vow."

The conviction and passion they said their vows with has nearly everyone in tears. The officiant asks for the rings. At the back of the barn, Dylan and Oliver release Yero from where they'd been keeping an eye on him. The golden retriever is eager to get to Rachel, so the moment the boys release his leash, he starts down the aisle towards her. Rachel uses a hand gesture to slow him down a little and he obeys. He's wearing his own grey suit, much to everyone's delight. Yero is using his mouth to gently hold the handle of a small basket. Inside, tied to a tiny satin pillow, are the rings. He makes it to Rachel and Finn and stands with his tail wagging until Rachel signals for him to sit. She pets him while Finn takes the basket. He removes the rings and hands the basket off to Noah. Finn pets Yero and Rachel crouches down to kiss his head before signaling for him to return to her younger cousins.

"Do you, Finn Christopher Hudson, take Rachel Barbra Berry to be your lawfully wedded wife from this day forward; will you love, honor, and cherish her? Hold her up in good times and in bad and love her as you love yourself as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Do you, Rachel Barbra Berry, take Finn Christopher Hudson to be your lawfully wedded husband from this day forward; will you love, honor, and cherish him? Hold him up in good times and in bad and love him as you love yourself as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

When he finally slides her wedding ring onto her finger and it nestles against her engagement ring, tears of absolute joy roll down her cheeks. Rachel hears his breath catch when she slides his wedding ring onto his left ring finger. Noah steps forward and places the wrapped glass her grandparents gave them on the floor near Finn. With a grin, Finn stomps on it, smashing it to pieces. There's an uproar of "Mazel Tov" from the Jewish portion of the congregation. The officiant smiles widely.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Moving as one, the newly wed couple come together in their first embrace as husband and wife. The kiss is the sweetest Rachel has ever experienced. She swears it gives her new life. They only break apart when they finally realize everyone is cheering loudly. Jubilant, they turn to their loved ones and hold up their joined hands. With huge smiles, they walk down the aisle together and out the front of the barn.

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They pose for many, many pictures. Formal, casual, romantic, serious, and funny photos are taken. Rachel is starving. She gets Dylan to go steal some food for her and the now teenager is happy to do it. He comes back with a plate of snack foods and water for her. Rachel happily shares it with her new husband. They even snapped a picture of Rachel sitting on Finn's lap and feeding him a bite of food while laughing. At one point during the photoshoot, Yero slipped under Rachel's dress and popped his head out with her dress over his head. Everyone burst out laughing and the photographer managed to snap a picture before Yero took off. At one point, they have all the kids under 18 come for a photo; they surround the newlyweds and cover their eyes or pretend to be grossed out while husband and wife kiss. The funniest picture by far is of the best man and man of honor. Kurt stands with his back to Noah's chest. Noah wraps his arms around his torso and pulls him close. Kurt lays his hands over Noah's. They both look off in the distance dramatically. Rachel and Finn were crying laughing while they posed for it.

"I heard you want a photo to represent that you're stronger together?"

"Yes."

"I've got an idea." The photographer grins. "Finn, how muscular are you?"

The photographer directs Rachel to stand on a small wooden box so that she and Finn are the same height. He has Finn take his shirt off and stand behind Rachel, right up against her back. Rachel holds her arms tight behind her back and Finn holds his arms out in a muscle pose, making it look like Rachel is the one with muscular arms. Once photos are finally done, they allow the guests to go back into the barn to find their tables. The DJ calls in the wedding party and they go in dancing.

"And now, for the first time, please give a hand for Mr. and Mrs. Hudson!"

Rachel and Finn are welcomed with plenty of loud cheering. They take their seats and the food is served. They enjoy the food and reminisce over how fun it was taste testing the food before deciding what to choose for the menu. As the food wraps up, the speeches begin. Noah's speech is surprisingly short and sweet. Rachel is just happy that he followed her rules for it. Then Kurt stands and takes the microphone.

"Instead of giving an emotional speech, I'm going to tell you a story. The story of how Finn and Rachel first met."

There are teasing groans from the rest of the wedding party. Noah stands up and addresses their guests. "I'll pass around the alcohol, don't worry."

Santana stands as well. "I'll go see if there are any pillows so you can take naps as his story continues into the night."

Kurt glowers. "I hate you both."

Chuckling, the duo high fives and retakes their seats. Kurt shakes his head.

"I'm not just going to tell you the story of how they met; we're going to reenact it."

Finn chokes on his wine. Rachel laughs and covers her face. Kurt dramatically clears his throat. The rest of the wedding party stands from the table and joins Kurt in front of it.

"Once upon a time, despite only being a freshman," Kurt grabs Finn's hand and drags him around the front of the table with him while Santana does the same to Rachel. "Finn Hudson was quarterback of the football team. And he was dating only the most beautiful and popular girl in school…." He turns away from Rachel and points to Quinn. "….head cheerleader Quinn Fabray."

Quinn spins and poses next to Finn. She whispers something in his ear and he nods. She jumps, he catches her, and she's able to sit on his left shoulder, with his arm out and up so she can hold his hand to stay steady.

"They were the iconic IT couple of high school. Attractive, popular, and talented. Meanwhile, down at the bottom of the totem pole, Miss Rachel Berry was ignored or bullied by the rest of the students because she kept talking about how she'd be on Broadway one day."

Santana rolls her eyes. "She wouldn't shut up about it."

Rachel shrugs unapologetically while their guests chuckle. Mr. Greene, one of the producers of Funny Girl who is there on behalf of the whole crew, laughs heartily and raises a glass to her with a wink. She grins back.

Kurt goes on. "Instead, Rachel and her beloved brother insisted on starting a Glee club."

Mercedes and Kurt sidle over to Rachel and start doing the first dance they ever learned to do together in Glee. Recalling it, Rachel grins and joins in.

"And then one day, fate intervened. Finn was walking down the hall with his best friends after football practice."

Finn carefully lets Quinn down, who spins out of the way. Noah and Mike stand on either side of Finn.

"As they walked through the school to the parking lot, Finn suddenly stopped. You see, a beautiful voice was calling to him."

Mercedes steps back so Rachel is alone. Knowing what Kurt expects, Rachel poses like she is singing.

"Rachel was alone in the auditorium practicing singing. Her voice floated out of the theater and into the surrounding halls. And like a sailor of old being lured by a siren, Finn left his friends to find the source of the voice."

Finn is smiling but not moving. Kurt gives a slight stomp of his foot and jerks his head towards Rachel. "Oh." He slowly walks over to his new wife.

"He found Rachel singing on the stage and stood there in the dark listening to her incredible voice. Because even at 14, her voice was impressive. When her song was over, he praised her voice and introduced himself in his usual suave manner."

Finn bows slightly and offers his hand to Rachel, who gently lays her hand on his.

"Just kidding," Kurt grins, "this is Finn we're talking about. He awkwardly stammered and stumbled over his words as he attempted to compliment her and introduce himself."

Finn grins shyly and uses his free hand to awkwardly rub the back of his neck. He shifts on his feet like he's nervous. "Uh, you….sing….pretty." Their guests are loving this and chuckling. Rachel raises an eyebrow and carefully pulls her hand out of his grasp.

"Somehow, his awkward manner charmed her. They left the auditorium together. In the hallway, they said their goodbyes and Rachel went home. Finn remained standing in the hallway with his friends staring after her." Mike and Noah rejoin Finn, all three men staring after Rachel who, picking up on her cue, slowly walks away. "He then said these words."

Kurt turns expectantly to Finn. Grinning, Finn goes back to staring at Rachel. "I'm gonna marry that girl."

"And Finn's friends nodded and agreed. Kidding. They laughed their butts off and told him he was being ridiculous."

Mike and Noah throw their heads back, grab their stomachs, and pretend to laugh really hard. Their guests laugh along with them.

"Let's face it, they were fourteen and had just met. I don't blame the guys for reacting like that. But clearly, Finn was right. Finn joined Glee club largely because he wanted to hear Rachel sing again and be near her. His friends joined him. And Finn's then girlfriend joined, along with her friends."

The original Glee members stand together and do the steps of the first dance they learned as a whole group. Finn doesn't remember them as well (dancing was never his strong point), but does his best to follow along while chuckling.

"We didn't have enough members to perform in competition, and it was too late in the year, but somehow, we ended up having fun singing and dancing together anyway. We all become good friends. Anyway, this is about Finn and Rachel, not us friends. So let's fast forward to late summer. Finn and Quinn continued to date despite Finn and Rachel giving one another moon eyes across the choir room." Quinn reaches over and gently grasps Finn's chin. She turns his head so he's looking at her instead of Rachel and gives a pretend glare. "They never acted on their feelings, however. They both stayed respectful of Finn and Quinn's relationship. Unfortunately, or fortunately for Finn and Rachel, the same couldn't be said for young Quinn."

Despite looking a mix of annoyed and ashamed, Quinn grabs a wine bottle off the table and pretends to chug it.

"Late summer just before our sophomore year, Quinn went to a party without Finn. She drank one too many wine coolers and got a little too, uh….adventurous. Puck, Finn's best friend, swept in and smooth talked her into dancing with him." Noah swaggers up to Quinn with a confident grin and takes her hand. The two sway together. "They dance and danced and….." Quinn jumps up, wrapping her legs around Noah's waist. He holds her tight as he spins her, then carries her away. "….yeah. Finn found out and was equal parts hurt and relieved. Still, it was the excuse he needed to break up with her. Which he did immediately. That left him free to pursue Rachel." Finn wraps an arm around Rachel's shoulders in a companionable way. "However, they remained 'just friends' for a few more months because Dad insisted she wasn't allowed to date until she turned 15."

Their dad raises his glass and nods. "No kid of mine was going to be dating before 15. I wanted 16, but she turned on the waterworks and talked me down to 15."

There's plenty of laughter at that, and a scattering of agreeing applause from other parents.

"Since some other stuff was going on that I've been forbidden from discussing, Finn waited another almost two months after she turned 15 to ask her on a date. However, despite a few little break ups here and there, they've been together ever since."

Finn slides his arm down so it's around Rachel's waist and pulls her closer. She smiles up at him, highly amused and a little touched by this reenactment of their beginnings. Rachel wraps her own arm around his waist and leans into him.

"Finn married his second ever girlfriend. Rachel married her first and only boyfriend. I think it's beautiful that they've shared every first together and will continue to do so for the rest of their lives. Finn, Rachel, I love you both. Separately and together, you deserve the best and you've found it in one another. Your relationship is an amazing thing and I know it'll continue to be amazing." Kurt raises a glass. "To Finn and Rachel!"

The guests follow suit.

"To Finn and Rachel!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The newlyweds dance their first dance together to open the festivities. As they move together, they quietly admit that as wonderful as this is, their dance earlier, alone in the woods, was even better. As promised, there are two father-daughter dances so that Rachel can dance with both Burt and Scott. Finn dances with his mother the first time and Shelby the second time. There are so many family members and close friends that the couple spends a lot of time on the dance floor dancing, constantly switching dance partners until they've had a chance to dance with everyone close to them. Most of Rachel's dance with Will was spent reminiscing about high school (specifically her and Finn's relationship) and her upcoming Broadway show. Finn dancing with Sue was both sweet and hysterical, since both kept trying to lead. Rachel danced with Mr. Greene and thanked him for coming to her wedding. He swore to her that more of them wanted to go and would have if she had gotten married in New York. She promised she understood.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rachel is directed to sit in a chair so that the best man can remove her garter. Noah saunters up to Finn, claps him on the back with a grin, then walks over to Rachel.

"Oh, no, hold on." Quinn walks up to Noah holding a tie. "You thought we'd make it easy on you? You're doing it blindfolded."

Noah laughs. "Fine by me."

He kneels down and lets Quinn tie the blindfold around his eyes so he can't see anything. After confirming that he is blind, Rachel quickly and quietly vacates her seat and disappears into the crowd. Scott quietly tiptoes up to the vacant chair and sits. When people start laughing, he playfully glares and signals for quiet. They muffle their chuckles. Scott pulls up his pant legs and waits eagerly.

"Alright, Noah," The MC announces, "go ahead and get the garter."

Smirking, Noah reaches for "Rachel's" leg. When his hand touches a larger and hairier calf than expected, he jerks his hand back with a shout of shock. At the resulting laughter, Noah yanks off the blindfold. Seeing Scott sitting there laughing, Noah scrambles away.

"Dude! Not cool!"

"But funny." He winks.

Grinning, Rachel retakes her seat. "I had to."

"You really didn't."

When Noah starts reaching for her leg, Rachel leans close and whispers. "I may or may not have put a mousetrap on my thigh. Go any higher than necessary and you'll find out."

Noah laughs, his eyes sparkling. "Don't worry, Jew babe. I know Finn would kick my ass. And this is your special day. I won't ruin it by being an ass."

As promised, Noah doesn't go any higher than the garter. She thanks him with a kiss on his cheek. He does, however, pause to tickle the back of her knee, making her shriek with laughter and lightly kick his chest. He stands, holding up the garter victoriously. Then he flings it into a crowd of unmarried men. Finn's cousin tosses his hand out and nearly has it when Yero leaps into the air out of nowhere and snatches it at the last second. Laughing, the guys (and Dylan and Oliver) chase Yero around. Yero finds it a fun game and runs away with his tail wagging.

When it's time for Rachel to toss her bouquet, the guys put a leash on Yero and hold onto him. The dog watches closely and whines, clearly wishing to chase the thing being thrown. Santana caught it, making Brittany kiss her and whisper something to her that makes San do a double-take. Feeling bad for Yero, Rachel lets Dylan and Oliver take him outside to play fetch.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Finn and Rachel only stay as long as they do at the reception because Rachel wants to see the barn, area around it, and decorations in the dark, after the sun goes down. This was done intentionally, which is why their ceremony was so late in the day. They stay long enough to see the twinkling stars and the outdoor lights to be lit. They mingle for a short while outside before heading back inside to say their final goodbyes to everyone. Their guests follow them outside to see them off. Because it's now nighttime, their guests hold small coral or white candles to light a path for them to their limo. The newly weds wave their goodbye's out the back of the limo. They are being taken to a very nice hotel in Columbus, where they'll spend the night in the honeymoon suit. In the morning, after a leisurely brunch, they'll be off to their honeymoon. Their family made sure their suitcases were delivered to their hotel room before the wedding. And apparently left a very nice surprise on the bed; an expensive bottle of champagne. Shortly after arriving, room service also brought them a bowl of fresh strawberries unprompted.

Rachel stares at her husband. Husband. She feels giddy just thinking the word. Her husband. The longer they stare at one another, the faster their hearts beat in anticipation. They move as one, closing the distance between them and kissing passionately. They fight their instincts to rush and purposely slow down, wanting to savor every moment. They take their time removing one another's clothing. Finn unzips her dress at a snails pace, letting his fingers graze the exposed skin as it is revealed, inch by delicious inch. Rachel shivers, goosebumps popping up along her skin, and bites her tongue to keep herself from telling him to hurry up. Husband and wife stand before one another naked, with only moonlight streaming in through the window to light their bodies.

"You're glowing." Finn whispers huskily.

"Because I'm your wife." She responds in kind.

She wonders how long it'll be before he stops looking awed every time someone points out that she's his wife now. Finn kneels down and kisses the tops of her feet, then her ankles. He moves his way up slowly, kissing and caressing every inch of her. Every inch of her. By the time he gets to her lips, they're both breathing hard and Finn is at full mast. They crawl onto the bed, where Rachel pushes him down and climbs on top. The moment she slides onto him, they both gasp and have to fight to not finish right then and there. Once they breathe deeply and get control of themselves, Finn flips them over so he's on top.

"I have another vow to make to you." Rachel manages to say between pants.

Finn slows his thrusts and looks into her eyes curiously. "What do you mean?"

She lifts her hips and twists from side to side. She watches him fight to remain in control and grins. Rachel stops moving so he can focus and her hands frame his face. "I promise to satisfy you every way I can. I promise to hold our sex life to the same esteem as every other aspect of our marriage. I promise to listen if you come to me with ideas of new things to try or if you tell me you need more attention in this area. I'm a very tactile person, so I doubt it'll be an issue, but you can tell me. No shame. No resentment. No fear. No worry. No anger. Just open and honest conversation…..followed by mind blowing sex. This is my solemn vow."

His mouth turns up. "God, I love you. You are the best wife ever. I promise the same. And if I had more blood flowing to my brain, I'd recite it back to you. Just know I promise the exact same thing. This is my solemn vow."

Finn resumes thrusting and Rachel's fingers dig into his back. It's not long before she's crying out, with Finn following suit moments later. He flops onto the bed next to her. After she catches her breath, she climbs on top of him again.

"Ready for round two, husband?"

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Their honeymoon to tropical islands is amazing. They lounge on the beach, have sex, swim in the ocean, have sex, swim in the pool, have sex, loosen up in the hot tub, have sex, eat at nice restaurants, have sex, book a couple's massage, etc. To make sure they get to do something more memorable than have lots of sex, despite it being incredible, they go on little adventures; see ancient ruins, ride on speedboats, ride on wave runners, go parasailing, go snorkeling, swim with dolphins, basically every fun thing they can do, they do. The most adventurous thing they do is go sky diving. It helped Rachel cross off one of the final things on her bucket list and was an awesome experience. Thinking of her bucket list, Rachel realizes she's almost finished her new one, too. The only thing left on her old bucket list is to record her own songs. Of her new bucket list, she has already graduated NYADA, married Finn, and landed a role on Broadway. Frankly, there are only a few things left and none of them are things she's interested in rushing to do. Knowing she has all the time in the world to complete them brings her a lot of happiness.

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They fly back to Ohio, visit with family where they're complimented on their tans, and spend two more days with the family and friends who live there. Then, they both need to get back to New York. Rachel has to get back to her job and Finn has more job interviews lined up. They fly back to New York and, as per their friend's instructions, head straight to the apartment that the guys shared. Sam and Noah promised they'd move their stuff out and just leave it for them while they were on their honeymoon. When they open the door to the apartment, they stumble in shock.

"We're in the wrong apartment!" Rachel whispers. Then she calls out a louder "Sorry!" to whomever may be home. Finn nods vigorously and starts to shut the door. Rachel stops him. "Wait. Your key unlocked the door. This is the right apartment."

"But it looks so different."

They reopen the door and cautiously step inside. Looking around, they realize what changed. Someone decorated it and made it better fit for a young married couple instead of a man cave for three men. The main walls are still brick, but there are paintings and pictures on the previously barren walls. The windows have light curtains. There are flowers on the center of the kitchen table. There are throw pillows on the couch and a lovely area rug filling the living room. There are still curtains diving the space for bedrooms, but now there are two instead of three. They go inspect it. It's obvious which one is supposed to be theirs. It's bigger. The queen sized bed has a new, more mature and neutral comforter. There's a large area rug under the bed and filling most of the space, making it warmer and more homey. There are two new nightstands, his and hers. Rachel's alarm clock is on one, Finn's on the other. Their clothes and personal items have already been moved over. The second "bedroom" is smaller and a little more bland but still nice. It is clearly a guest room. The bathroom has been cleaned and new towels are stacked on the metal shelves. Hanging on the towel bar are two hand towels. One says "Mr." and the other says "Mrs." in fancy print. Heading back into the kitchen, they realize they missed an envelope leaning against the flower vase. Finn grabs it and pulls out a card.

"Congratulations on your wedding," he reads aloud, "and welcome to your new home. Until you find somewhere you like better, anyway. This is our wedding gift to you; a home waiting for you upon your return, fit for a newly married couple. We love you and miss you. After you 'christen' every room, come on over to the house so we can all hang out again. Don't be strangers just because you're married and boring now. Love, The Framily"

"Oh my God, I love them so much! They're amazing!" Rachel says happily, touched by their actions. "We should go over and see them!"

"Yeah. Definitely." Finn agrees, before biting his lip.

"What?"

"Well….they did say to christen every room first."

Rachel looks around. "We have five rooms, or at least 'spaces'. Think we can do them all today? Or are you too tired?"

He looks at her in shock. "Are you questioning my ability to uphold my husbandly duties to my wife?"

"I seem to recall one of us getting tired after round four on the final night of our honeymoon and it wasn't me."

Finn glares at her and starts taking off his shirt. "Those were extenuating circumstances and you know it. I'm up for it."

Rachel grins and unbuckles his belt. "Then we'd better get started. It's getting late and I'd like to eat at some point before the sun rises tomorrow."

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Finn chats with his nearest and dearest around the dinner table at the townhouse. They'd been welcomed with hugs and teasing. The newlyweds thanked them for the wonderful wedding gift. He sits beside his wife and they chat about the adventures they went on on their honeymoon and what the others have been up to lately. During a lull in the conversation, Santana clears her throat. From the way the corner of her mouth turns up, Finn has a bad feeling.

"So…..when you two consummated your wedding vows, who was on top first?"

"San, that's highly inappropriate." Rachel chides.

The woman shrugs. "Just asking. Apparently, whoever was on top first when consummating your vows is who is in charge in the relationship."

Finn's stomach sinks and he turns to Rachel. His wife is looking back at him with glittering eyes. She hides a smirk behind her water glass and takes a sip. Finn gives her a small glare.

"We're partners. This is an equal partnership. No one is in charge." He declares firmly.

Their friends look between the two of them with grins and chuckle knowingly.

"Sure."

"Whatever you say."

Finn sighs in defeat. However, after thinking it over, he decides he's quite happy to have his wife in charge. She's the go-getter, not him. After all, he already often defers to her wishes and that's fine with him. He's easy going and she's decisive. They balance one another well.

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"I got it!" Finn bursts into their apartment.

Rachel comes running out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. "You got the job?"

"Yeah! At Roosevelt High!"

"Congratulations! I'm so proud of you!" She kisses him firmly.

He eyes her up and down. "How proud?"

She grins and drops the towel. "Care to celebrate, hubby?"

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The crowd around her chatters excitedly, each of them clutching a program or photo or shirt. Rachel is holding her own and eagerly waiting for the door to open and the cast to come out. Blaine is the only one who could and would come with her. Her best friend is standing beside her and reading through the program.

"You're seriously not going to tell me what your bio is going to say in the program for your own show?" He asks.

"Seriously, Blaine. You'll read it yourself in about a week."

"Well….am I gonna start crying while reading it?"

Rachel rolls her eyes. "No. I didn't include anything about my health battle. Are you telling me you're not going to start crying while I'm singing on stage?"

"Oh, I'm going to be bawling my eyes out. I'm well aware of this. And prepared. I bought a whole new package of pocket sized tissue packs just for the occasion." Blaine says seriously but with twitching lips. "I'm just trying to minimize how frequently I'll be crying. I don't want any surprises."

"It's just a boring bio that says I'm from Ohio, graduated NYADA, recently married, and that this is my first show."

"Fine. I hope—"

"Shhh! The door is opening!"

Sure enough, the stage door opens and the cast comes trickling out. Rachel watches how they greet fans with a critical eye, taking mental notes. She frowns slightly, realizing she might have to come up with a shorter, faster autograph. Then April Rhodes walks out and the noise level increases as people clamber to get her attention and autograph. Blaine helps out by blocking an overzealous fan who is sobbing so that Rachel can slip through an opening and get closer to the front. She holds out her program. April takes it and looks up with practiced smile.

"Thanks for—oh sweet baby Jesus, Rachel! Get over here!" Her eyes are wide and excited. Laughing, Rachel lets the short blonde woman guide her under the rope and pull her into a hug. "I haven't seen you in a long time! I talk to Cassie, of course, but—hot damn you're looking good, girl!"

April turns to the fans and waves a hand to get their attention. "Hi, y'all! I'm really really grateful you came to the show and liked it enough to stay to get autographs. I promise we'll get right back to that in a jiffy. First, I want to introduce all y'all to Rachel Berry." Rachel clears her throat and wiggles the fingers of her left hand. April gasps. "Oh, that's right! I'm sorry! This is Rachel Hudson! She just got married! This incredible young woman has her Broadway debut next week! She is playing Fanny Brice in the upcoming production of Funny Girl."

There's applause and Rachel smiles before focusing on April. "You're gonna come see the show, right?"

"Honey, I bought tickets to opening night as soon as they went on sale."

Rachel's mouth opens, then closes. She can't speak. The fact that April specified that she bought the tickets means they weren't gifted, they weren't offered, they weren't handed out, nor did she request tickets using her fame. No. This means she sought out when tickets were going on sale and purchased them with her own money, all of her own volition. Which means it is important to her, at least to some extent. Rachel is honored. April smiles warmly.

"Let me finish signing autographs and we'll talk."

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April, Rachel, and Blaine sit at a table at the diner Santana works at. Their friend brings them coffee and pie.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come to your wedding. The timing just didn't work out well for me." April apologizes.

"It's fine. I got your gift. Thank you."

"I'm glad you liked it." April looks at her with a knowing smile. "You're nervous."

"Is that so surprising?"

"Not at all." The older woman says softly. "I was terrified before my first show."

"How'd you overcome it?"

"By remembering why I was there in the first place."

Rachel looks away, thinking it over. "I feel like I'm ready. But at the same time—"

"You forget to breathe when you think about opening night."

"Yeah. What if I blow it?"

"Then you blow it." She gives a careless, one shoulder shrug. "And you get it out of the way and move on. You learn from it and do better."

Blaine's eyes are wide. He turns to Rachel. "But you're not gonna blow it."

"She's not." April agrees.

"How do you know that?" Rachel asks, her fears getting the better of her.

April leans across the able and takes her hand. "Because the first time I heard you sing, I forgot to breathe."

"Wooow." Blaine whispers. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. And she was 15 and….not at her best. Now she's 21, she's had more training, and she's healthy. She's ready."

"Is that why you put in a good word for me?" Rachel asks.

April nods. "Rachel, I always knew you'd end up on the stage one day. And I wanted to help that along. I did not exaggerate when I told them that you were better then than some of the understudies I've had. You've always had the talent, the stage presence, and the drive. You're still lacking the experience, but that'll come with time. Now, you have the health and the opportunity. Are you going to let it slip away over some nerves?"

"No." Rachel responds firmly, a smile forming on her face. "I won't."

"I didn't think you would. And that is why I bet on you."

"Thank you, April. For everything."

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Rachel Hudson sits in her dressing room staring at her reflection. She's wearing her wig, she's in costume, and her makeup is done. Now she just needs to work up the courage to leave her dressing room. Her heart is thudding so wildly in her chest that she can hear it. Kurt, Finn, and the others have been working so hard to keep her calm this past week. While April's words seriously helped, there's been a lot of criticism online about her. Despite it not being from anyone who has heard her sing, it's still upsetting and stressful. It's mostly about her inexperience and age. Eventually, the fact that she won NYADA's Winter Showcase three years in a row got leaked and some of the criticism lightened. Still, to help alleviate her nerves, Kurt ordered her to stay off the internet until after her opening night. Finn helped distract and encourage her in other ways. Weirdly, it was Santana who helped her deal with the criticism best. The woman simply asked if Barbara Streisand ever received criticism. Realizing she did, that was enough to pacify Rachel and let her accept the encouragement from the others.

Her dressing room is filled with flowers from everyone. Even Carmen Tibideaux sent flowers. Tonight, her opening night, her immediate family (and framily) is attending. Her husband, her parents (all four), Kurt, Blaine, Santana, Brittany, Quinn, Noah, and Sam are all here. The others, meaning the rest of her framily, extended family, NYADA friends, Sue, Will, and the parents of her framily, will be coming to performances within the next week or two. She also knows that April Rhodes is here and brought Cassandra July with her. There's a knock on her door, making her jump.

"Ten minutes, Mrs. Hudson!"

She smiles, still getting a thrill out of being called that. The smile fades. Her director had had to kindly point out that she has to remove her wedding ring for each performance. That'd been surprisingly hard for her to hear. She's not sure how that hadn't occurred to her. She'd sworn to Finn she'd never take it off. That day, she'd gone home and cried into his shoulder. He'd comforted her, then gently explained that this was different and he understood that. She hasn't taken her rings off since the wedding. There's a pang in her heart when she pulls them off now, but she reminds herself it's temporary. And necessary. She needs to become her character for the next two hours. Rachel places her rings in the special box set aside just for that purpose and closes it. She turns back to the mirror.

"This is what you were born to do." She whispers to her reflection. "You literally fought death to be here, doing this. Finn is right. This is your chance to show everyone that you're a star."

Rachel lifts her head and, with a smile firmly in place, heads to the stage.

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Finn Hudson watches his wife on the Broadway stage and can't take his eyes off of her. She's always been incredible, but this is different. Here, on this stage, with a packed theater, she is nothing short of amazing. He wishes he could stand up and tell everyone that that is his wife. He gives a quick glance to his left when he hears a quick intake of breath. Kurt is in tears watching his sister perform. Same with Shelby to his right. Everyone is riveted. He smiles proudly.

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It's over. There's a buzzing in her head so loud that Rachel can barely hear the cheering from the crowd as she takes her bow. The audience is on their feet. She can't keep the smile off her face. She leaves the stage and goes to get out of her costume. On the way, she is stopped by Mr. Campion, who tells her she did a great job.

"Get plenty of rest tonight! We're doing it all again tomorrow." He says with a grin.

She walks out the stage door with the others and is shocked by how many people are waiting to ask for her autograph. She laughs when Brittany is the first one to push through and shove her program to Rachel to sign. Her face hurts from smiling so much and her hand aches from signing so many programs. When the crowd finally dissipates and only her loved ones remain, she is pulled into hug after hug. The group goes out to dinner together and spend most of it complimenting her and praising both her and the show itself. They spend all of it talking about all aspects of the show. After dinner, her parents hug her goodbye and head to their hotel. They'll be heading back to Ohio tomorrow. The rest of them head back to the townhouse. Rachel, and Finn by extension, is invited to the cast after-party. Despite being nervous, she accepts. With her husband's hand on the small of her back, she sips champagne and chats with her co-stars and the crew. Everyone is confident it was a resounding success, and yet they're all at least curious, if not nervous, about The New York Times review. Rachel appreciates having a chance to mingle with her cast mates and hear their opinions of how it went, since all of them have more experience than her. However, she finds herself getting more anxious as the night goes on, not less. The couple says their goodbyes and head to the townhouse to let the others distract them. Blaine doesn't let them stay long. He insists he found the best way to show her that she did an amazing job. He orders cabs for all of them and they head to a gay bar, of all places.

They're walking around the bar, taking in the sights and atmosphere when suddenly a guy goes "Oh my God! Rachel Hudson? Here?!"

Rachel is stunned. She's an unknown. New to the scene. She literally just had her first Broadway performance ever a few hours ago. "Wait, you recognize me?"

Another guy waves his arm and the music comes to a stop. The first guy walks up to her. "Are you kidding? We've been tracking Funny Girl for weeks! How was tonight?"

He's so eager, Rachel is charmed. Before she can respond, Kurt does. "She was incredible."

"Wow. Then this is historic. You have to sing something. It's Broadway tradition."

"I'm not sure." She hedges. She should really be resting her voice.

Her brother grabs her arm. "Whatever the review says tomorrow, let's just love and celebrate you tonight."

"That was my plan." Finn mutters. He'd wanted to take her home immediately to celebrate privately.

Rachel kisses his cheek before turning to the first guy. "Alright then."

A cheer goes up around her and she laughs in delight. Kurt is right. Even if the review tomorrow is bad, she can live up tonight and have a blast being treated like a star by complete strangers. She thinks of a song, laughs, and tells the DJ. He starts the music. Everyone immediately starts dancing, the dance floor packed. Rachel dances amongst them and sings.

"Hey heart, on the road again
Movin' on,
Forward
Sticks and stones won't break our bones
We're in the car,
On the highway

It's so magical feeling,
That no one's got a hold
You're a catalyst to your
Happiness, you know

'Cause it's your heart
It's alive
It's pumpin' blood
And it's your heart
It's alive
It's pumpin' blood
And the whole wide world is whistling"

Her heart is pumping. It's alive. She's alive. She's living her best life and the only thing that could make it better is a good review in the paper tomorrow. For now, she'll content herself with a fun night. In the final chorus, she encourages her friends to join in. They need no further prompting. They stumble home hours later, drunk or tipsy and laughing. Finn takes Rachel to their apartment and makes love to his wife. Then they pass out until morning.

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They meet up early in the morning at the cafe around the corner (which conveniently falls between their homes). They all order coffee and something greasy for breakfast to help with their stomachs. They stand outside on the sidewalk until the nearest vendor takes out the newest edition of The New York Times. Rachel takes a copy and Finn pays. She holds the paper and freezes.

"Open it already!" Kurt encourages.

Panicking, Rachel's words tumble out of her mouth in a rush. "No, I can't, I can't, I can't, Kurt. You're gonna have to read it!"

"No way! I'm too nervous." Her brother argues.

Santana snatches it from her hands. "You know what? Give me this. I don't mind being the bearer of bad news." She starts reading it aloud. It begins by asking why they'd bother reviving Funny Girl in the first place. Rachel cringes. Finn takes her hand and squeezes. "Frankly, I can only come up with a single reason and it's Rachel Hudson."

"Oh my God!" Noah utters with a grin.

Kurt takes the paper from Santana and continues reading. "It takes hutzpah to be willing to step into the great one's lace ups and make Fanny your own and Rachel has plenty of that, clearly. But she also has something else in spades; talent. And mountains of it. And I'm not talking about the Appalachians, Hudson is the Alps."

Blaine steals the paper from his boyfriend. "I'm sure I could find fault in this green actress's performance, but shame on anyone who would have the audacity to criticize the bold mistakes of a supernova exploding before our eyes."

Rachel is tearing up and frankly struggling to remember how to breathe normally. Her emotions are pulling her between laughing and crying. Finn wraps an arm around her and pulls her against him. Sam takes the paper next and keeps reading.

"I just pray to God that no one saw me secretly wiping my tears during her show stopping 'Who Are You Now'. I don't know where inside that small frame Hudson went to find the emotion she delivered with that song, but she melted the icy heart of this reviewer."

Finn takes the paper from Sam and reads. "I hope this show runs for a long time. Not because anyone needs to see 'Don't Rain on My Parade' again, but because I want to have some time to enjoy the amazing performance of Rachel Hudson. I know I'll be going back for a second viewing of this new and bright star."

Rachel is overwhelmed. Finn holding her is keeping her grounded. She sits in a seat at a cafe table on the sidewalk, surrounded by people she loves and listening to them rave about the review and her performance the night before. She looks up at her husband's proud smile as he talks with the others and feels another wave of emotion hit her. Looking at each of them in turn, she knows without a doubt that she wouldn't be sitting here today, married to the man she loves and celebrating a successful opening night on Broadway where she was the star, without each of them. Without their love and support. She makes a silent vow to herself to always put them first and be there for them. She thinks she's done a pretty good job of that so far, but she vows to continue it, no matter what. And Finn. Her beloved husband. She silently vows to always put him first and make sure he is as happy and loved as he makes her feel.

After everything she has been through in her life, and she's been through a lot, she has finally come out on top. Happy. Jubilant. Healthy. Successful. This is her place in life and these are her people. Her family. And nothing matters more to her than them. Not even the fact that she has officially made it on Broadway. Everyone always told her she was a bright star and one day the world would see it. She fought through everything in her life to meet her goals and be here, in this wonderful moment, today. And she's never letting any of this go.

If there's one thing her life has taught her, it's that you have to fight for your dreams. And she fought like hell. Now, she gets to enjoy her heaven on earth. Best of all, she gets to enjoy it with the people she loves.

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End of Book 4

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A/N 2: I wrote a speech for Burt to give at the wedding reception, but it was far too emotional and I had to cut it. Sorry. As much as I loved his speech, after rereading it, it seemed like something that should be said privately. I'm hoping to rework it to fit a scene in book 5 instead. I know it's stupid, but my goal is to pass 100 reviews. Care to help out? But mostly I want to know what you thought of this chapter (or even the book as a whole). Thank you for reading (and hopefully enjoying) this series.

Book 5 will be...at some future point. I've already started writing two short stories. Book 5 will come after them. And I hope to write a good chunk of book 5 before posting it online, so it'll probably be a while.