I know I should have updated Sinners by now, but I got this great idea for a one-shot while I was at work. I hope you enjoy it and look for an update of Sinners some time today or the next day at the latest. And BTW, I know it's weird for a fanfic to have a guest star, but the part of Gabrielle will be played by Phoebe Strole, Broadway actress slash singer slash goddess, I would love for her to guest star on the actual show, but until then this will suffice.
"No, you're not doing this, I don't care how big of an opportunity, it is," Finn said firmly. Stomping around the apartment like a madman, the cast list grasped firmly in his hand.
"I can't believe how ridiculous you're being, this is just a job, that's all it is," Rachel argued. "Don't you trust me?
"Of course I trust you, I don't trust him," he said, almost yelling.
"Me and Jesse are just friends," she said.
"Oh, so you're friends now, that's just great."
"Yes, friends, and he helped me get this job, I can't just turn it down."
"Gee, I wonder why he helped you get a job that requires you to make out and feel each other up onstage night after night," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Because of my talent, which until now I thought you believed in."
"I believe in your talent Rachel, I believe in you too but I can't believe for a second that he doesn't have some sort of interior motive."
"Ulterior motive Finn,"
"So you admit it," he snapped.
"This is insane, Jesse is not trying to get back together with me. He has a girlfriend, he's happy."
"Yeah, and I'm sure scumbag Jesse would never cheat on his girlfriend," he said, rolling his eyes.
"So he made some mistakes in high school, that was almost ten years ago, he's not the same guy anymore. And it's not like you were perfect in high school."
"It's good to know that Jesse is such a great guy now," he said sarcastically.
"I make out with guys for my job all the time, I'm like a doctor looking at naked men all day, I feel nothing anymore," she reasoned, to no avail.
"Those other guys weren't Jesse Rachel!" he said, raising his voice. "You're not doing it, that's final."
Rachel couldn't believe what she was hearing, she thought this conversation would go differently, her first lead role in a Broadway play and he couldn't be happy for her long enough to get over his jealousy. She had tried to remain calm until then, but it was no use anymore. "You're not my dad, you can't tell me what to do!" she said, almost screaming with angry tears in her eyes.
"Rachel—
"No!" She said, cutting him off. "This is my dream Finn, and I'm not going to let you stomp all over it because of your childish, petty jealousy."
"I'm not being petty, I am really serious about this Rachel," by the desperate, pleading look in his eyes she could tell what was coming next, she just hoped to God that he wouldn't go there.
"Rachel, if you really love me then you won't do this."
He went there.
Rachel shook her head, disappointed. "Do you know what I say when people ask me why I'm with you? Why I love you?" Finn just looked at her, his expression hard to read. "I say it's because you've always supported me no matter what."
"It's not that I don't support you…" he said quietly. "You know I support you—
"I think you should leave," she interrupted, almost inaudibly.
"Rachel this is my apartment too."
"No, this is Finn's apartment, and you're obviously not him because the Finn I know would never question whether I loved him or not," she said, bitter tears rolling down her cheeks. "When you find him let him know that he can come home." Without another word she walked away, disappearing into their bedroom.
Before he decided to go clear his head at his favorite bar, Finn had spent the last fifteen minutes having a one-sided conversation with Rachel through the door, begging her to let him in, trying to talk it out, the only thing he wouldn't do was admit that he was wrong. He couldn't admit that, "how would she feel if he had to make out with Quinn for his job?" He thought to himself, rationalizing his behavior more and more with every step toward the bar. Rachel was always a bit of a jealous girlfriend, that was perhaps the one thing they shared in common. Maybe that was why he was always so insecure about Jesse. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, her and Jesse were kind of perfect for each other. Not only did they have all of the same goals, they were practically the same person, intense, overdramatic, egotistical, but with a certain charm that couldn't be denied. Part of him always wondered why she chose him in the end, and maybe that nagging doubt was the real reason he had blown up at her at the apartment. He shook those thoughts away. He wasn't overreacting, he thought to himself. She was the wrong one, not him. The fact that she didn't even consider turning down the role, that she didn't even take into account how doing the play would make him feel was enough to make his blood boil. Somehow he would make her see his point of view, but that clearly wouldn't be tonight.
O'Leary's Pub was the best hole in the wall bar in Brooklyn, everybody knew everybody, the place was never obnoxiously overcrowded and the intimate feel made everything seem a bit like home. As much as he enjoyed the city life he was still a small town boy at heart. He figured he'd have a beer and shoot some pool until it was safe to go home, he considered for a moment whether or not to call Kurt, but in the end he decided against it. First of all Kurt hated O'Leary's with a burning passion, second, he knew that he would probably just agree with Rachel, and if he was going to talk to anyone that night it would have to be someone who would at least try to see things his way, too bad Blaine was out of town.
He took a seat at the bar, he hadn't been there on a weekday since his last fight with Rachel, which occurred a month ago when Rachel had a pregnancy scare and Finn was a bit too excited about it for her taste. He expected it to be nearly empty the way it was that night, but there was a surprisingly decent amount of people, so much so that he couldn't avoid sitting next to someone. He also couldn't avoid staring a little. She was gorgeous, blue eyes, perfectly tousled brown hair and a smile that nearly knocked him dead. He knew he was in a relationship, and he shouldn't have blushed when she smiled at him like that, but he couldn't help it.
"Hi," she said sweetly, extending her hand for him to shake, "I'm Gabrielle."
"Hey, I'm Finn" he said. "So, Green Bay fan?" he continued, pointing at her shirt.
"Since birth practically," She said, "My dad used to take me to all the games, I think he secretly wanted a boy."
"Only child?" He said.
"No, I have four sisters actually," She said.
"Wow. I have a brother, well a step brother. He lives in the village with his boyfriend."
"So, are you both from the city?" she said.
"No, we're from Lima, it's in Ohio,"
"Small town boy, I like it. Hey Ernesto, two beers, one for the small town boy over here!"
"That's okay, I actually have a girlfriend," Finn said bashfully.
"So what? I have a boyfriend, it doesn't mean we can't have a drink between friends."
"Okay, when you put it that way, sure," he said. "Thanks a lot, I've never had a girl buy me a beer before."
"So, I'm surprised I've never seen you here," Gabrielle said, taking a swig of her beer.
"Well I'm not usually here on the weekdays," Finn said.
"Ah, that explains it, I've come here practically every Monday since I moved here, my boyfriend hates sports so I have to get my Monday night football some way."
"He won't watch sports with you?"
"He tries but it's not the same, if you're going to watch Monday night football than you need real fans in your corner. Isn't that right Ernie?"
"You bet your ass Gabby," Ernesto said.
"Tell me about it, I got lucky, my brother's boyfriend Blaine and my friend Steve from work are usually my go-to guys but they're both busy tonight," Finn said.
"So, is that why you're here? You're kind of late," she said, looking at her watch.
"No, I actually got into this huge fight with my girl. I'm just blowing off some steam."
"I'm sorry, what was the fight about, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Well, she's an actress. And she got this part where she has to make out with this guy along with some …other stuff."
"Well, I don't know much about acting but doesn't that sort of thing go with the job?"
"Yeah, and usually I wouldn't care but it's her ex boyfriend. And I've always sort of thought he still had feelings for her."
"Oh… I see," she said.
"Do you think it's unreasonable to get mad at her?"
"Hell no, if that were my boyfriend—
"That's what I said," Finn said, cutting her off.
"I bet you anything he has some sort of alternative motive," she said.
"Actually I think it's ulterior," Finn said.
"No I think what I said works because it's an alternative to the motive she thinks it is," Gabrielle reasoned.
"Hey yeah," Finn said. "Wow, you're pretty smart."
"Well I did graduate 97th in my class," she said proudly, "My boyfriend is always trying to correct me too though, I don't get why it's so important for me to know a bunch of fancy words, I'm a cop not a realtor."
"Sorry about that," he said. "It's a bad habit I picked up."
"It's totally cool," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "So what do you do Finn?"
"I'm a musical theory teacher and glee club director for the LaGuardia School of performing arts, oh, and I coach their football team."
"They have a football team?"
"Yeah, they don't win a lot, well, ever actually, but they try real hard."
"Well it's the spirit that counts right? Unless you go pro of course," she said before finishing her beer. "So Finn, do you like pool?"
"Yeah, as much as any guy. I'm not very good though."
"Well I happen to rock at it, I'm really going to enjoy kicking your ass." She said, hopping up from her barstool and heading toward the table.
Finn couldn't believe what a great time he had with Gabrielle that night. They had ridiculous amounts in common, she was also gorgeous, fun and knew more about sports than he thought was possible for a girl, or anyone for that matter. If he didn't have a girlfriend already than nothing would have stopped him from asking her out. He did have a girlfriend though, one that he loved more than anything, even though he was mad at her. He knew he should have gotten over it by then, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there would be a lot more yelling between them that night. In fact there would probably always be yelling between them. When it came down to it, as much as they loved each other him and Rachel were like vinegar and oil, like stripes and plaid, like Broadway and Football, they just didn't go together. He had to wonder in that moment if his life would be easier had he gone for a girl like Gabrielle, laid back, unfussy, very much like him. And he wondered if Rachel would have been happier with someone like Jesse. He hated to even think that, but he couldn't help it. The thought nagged at him like crazy, that is when he wasn't enjoying the innocent flirtation and sports talk with Gabrielle.
"So, it was nice meeting you Finn Hudson, Gabrielle said," extending her hand for him to shake as they exited the bar at the end of the night.
"Are you sure you don't need me to walk you home? This neighborhood can get pretty dangerous at night," Finn said.
"Nah, my boyfriend said he'd meet me, he hates it when I walk home by myself, as if I wouldn't easily shoot anyone who tried to cross me."
"Well, I can wait with you if you want."
"Not necessary, there he is." As she walked up to her boyfriend Finn had to do a double take, he couldn't believe his eyes.
"Hello beautiful," Jesse said, greeting Gabrielle with a kiss.
"Jesse?" Finn said, shocked.
"Finn Hudson, Oh my god it's been ages," Jesse said, greeting him with a hug. Finn stiffened a bit, but didn't fully reject it, mostly because he was too shocked. If Jesse had one thing going for him it was good taste in women.
"Wait, you know each other?" Gabrielle said, pointing between the two of them.
"Ah yes, me and Finn go way back. I'm actually starring in a play with his current girlfriend."
Finn grimaced, he knew it was bound to come up, he just hoped it wouldn't be in front of her. This was going to be awkward.
"Wait a second, his current girlfriend as in your ex-girlfriend? As in the one you're going to make out with onstage?" Gabrielle deduced. "Are you friggin' kidding me Jesse?"
"Gabrielle, my darling, I promise it's just for work." He said, grabbing both of her hands and staring deeply into her eyes. "Rachel Berry was a lifetime ago. You are my one and only."
"No way, you're not going to get out of this with your romance novel talk and actorly charm, I want to meet this little tramp."
"That is my girlfriend you're talking about," Finn said.
"Oh god, I am so sorry, I didn't mean that," she said apologetically before turning her attention to Jesse. "You, you're not doing this show."
"Gabs it's an opportunity of a lifetime."
"I don't care how big of an opportunity it is, now I can handle you doing sexy stuff with people when it's just business, I don't like it but I can handle it, but this is different, you have a history with this girl Jesse." Finn was starting to get uncomfortable, he didn't feel right ducking out of there but at the same time the argument was getting a little too heated for his taste.
"And like I said, she means nothing to me anymore, don't you trust me?"
"Of course I trust you baby, I don't trust her."
"Still my girlfriend," Finn said.
"Oh God I really am very sorry, I'm just upset really," She said before once again turning her gaze back to Jesse. "Look, I'm sure that this Rachel girl is very nice and that she loves her boyfriend, it's just that I don't trust any girl who knows firsthand how amazing you are, especially one who's talented enough to star with you in a Broadway play." Gabrielle said placing her hands on his shoulders as she pleaded with him.
Jesse just smiled at her, and in that smile Finn saw everything that he felt for Rachel, for the first time since he knew Jesse St. James he saw actual sincerity in his eyes. Rachel was right, Jesse was happy.
"Oh Gabrielle my delicate flower, you truly are the love of my life," Jesse said, chuckling a little and stroking her cheek with his thumb.
"God, why do you do that? You're so corny," she said, softening.
"And you're so cute when you're angry with me, like the night we first met, when you slammed me onto the hood of my car after I nicked your motorcycle."
"I only get rough with the cute ones," she said timidly.
"Tell you what, how about we all get together and talk this thing out? Maybe get to know each other a little bit. Maybe then you'll see that this really is just business," Jesse said before kissing her softly on the lips.
She shrugged. "That's fair I guess."
Finn hesitated a little before responding. "I'll ask Rachel, I should probably be getting home anyway, it's late."
"Okay Finn, sorry, I didn't mean to go all Jerry Springer in front of you," Gabrielle said. "I'm not usually this much of a hothead."
"It's cool, believe me I understand," he said. "I'll see you guys around."
Finn made it back to the apartment at 1:30, anxious to talk to Rachel, he wasn't sure what he was going to say to her but he knew that they couldn't go on being mad at each other. He just hoped that she was still awake.
"Finn!" Rachel said, running up to him and throwing her arms around his neck. She, was crying, Finn hated it when she cried, especially when it was because of him. "I was so worried, I didn't know where you were and you left your phone here so I couldn't call."
"I'm sorry Rachel, I'm so fucking sorry," he said stroking her back.
"Look, you were right, I should have been more sensitive about this whole thing," Rachel said. "I should have eased you into the situation instead of just expecting you to be okay with it right off the bat. I was so selfish."
"No, I was selfish. I should have understood how much this meant to you. I just heard the name Jesse St. James and I freaked out."
"Look, I think we should just go to bed and talk about this more in the morning," she said.
"We can talk about it now if you want," Finn said.
"I don't feel like talking," Rachel said, before pulling her nightgown up over her head.
Finn just stood there, dumbstruck. "God, I love you," He finally said, smiling.
"I love you to— Rachel started, before Finn silenced her with a searing Kiss as he frantically began to remove his clothes.
They barely made it to the bedroom, he'd noticed after several trysts with Rachel over the years that make-up sex was always the best, even better than angry, mid-fight sex.
"I'm still not 100 percent sure about this," Finn said, panting as he laid her down on the bed and entered her smoothly. "But I understand that it's your choice."
"Shh, not during coitus," Rachel said before pressing her warm, soft lips to his.
He wrapped his strong arms around her small figure, pulling her into him as if her body were his reason for living, and as he glided in and out of her with almost reckless intensity he began to think that it probably was. He wanted to kick himself at that moment. He couldn't believe that for even the smallest instant that he'd thought that there may have been someone else out there for him, that there was any place he'd rather be than between Rachel Berry's thighs. And as she moaned softly, twisting her small fingers into his hair as he buried himself deeper inside of her, he knew that she felt exactly the same way, that there was nobody else on this planet that she'd rather fight with, or make love to, or grow old with. Nobody. They were as different as any two people could be, but at that moment, they just plain fit.
He planted his hands down firmly on the bed, tensing his body to stave off the intense climax building inside of him, she was almost there too, he could feel her hold on him tighten as he continued to pump into her, growing tired but not stopping for anything, not until he heard the sweetest sound in the world escaping her lips, the sound of her screaming his name in pleasure. They collapsed into each other as they came, panting and trembling. But even as they finished he couldn't let go. All he wanted to do was hold her, and she allowed him to, holding him back as he gently kissed her damp shoulder before resting his head on it, tired and vulnerable and completely, utterly in love.
"So, what made you change your mind?" Rachel said as she poured Finn his morning coffee the next day. "About the play I mean."
"I met the perfect woman," Finn said. Rachel just looked at him, unsure of what to say. "For Jesse, I met the perfect woman for Jesse," he clarified.
"You met his girlfriend?" Rachel said. "What's she like?"
Finn just smiled, "Absolutely nothing like Jesse."
"That's weird, Jesse's so into himself you'd think he'd want to date his clone."
"I thought you were friends," Finn said.
"We are, but that doesn't mean I can't point out his flaws."
"Well, Jesse may be completely full of himself, but you can tell he really loves her."
"I'm a little disappointed that that's what it took for you to have a change of heart, but I'm glad you're being more mature about this," Rachel said.
"Hey, I never said I was crazy about the idea," Finn said. "I'll probably look away during certain scenes, but I'll always support you no matter what."
"I know Finn" Rachel said, squeezing his hand reassuringly, "I know."
I hoped you liked my one shot, I just thought it would be fun if somewhere down the line Jesse, who some argue is the male version of Rachel would fall for the female version of Finn, I've written three other fics either involving or referencing Jesse and I just thought it would be a nice change of pace to make him sympathetic for once, since I don't actually hate the character. I hope I did an okay job. And I hope the bit of citrus at the end made up for the heavy talkiness of this fic.