Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 20th cycle. Now cycle 21! (I realized I didn't fix this line throughout the whole of cycle 20! *smacks forehead*)

A/N: Sorry the last few stories were late in the day... Holidays, a cold, and start of term didn't really mix for being timely ;) But now with this one being good and early, hopefully it'll mean things are back on track! *crosses fingers*

"Boyfriends, Girlfriends, Somewhere"
Jesse/Rachel, Jesse/AU!Quinn
#9 (sequel to "What is & what should never be")

Rachel entered the library, finding it dark, like a memory of her real world. She had imagined correctly that she'd arrive first. She found the spot, behind a shelf and, not knowing what to do with herself, she sat on the ground, books at her back. When she heard the door, she turned and looked between two rows of books… It was him. She waited quietly as he came around and then sat down next to her. They were quiet for a while, neither knowing where to start.

"I thought you'd decided not to come, when you weren't there…" Jesse began.

"I know… I'm sorry," she looked to him. He looked back as well, and the way he was now, it was just… She saw Jesse… the good one, not the one who had broken her heart. "If we're going to get through this, you… we both need to be honest with each other, agreed?"

"Yes," he nodded. She nodded back quietly, mentally willing herself to ask the question that had plagued her since that day in the auditorium, when he had stood there, with Vocal Adrenaline, and…

"Was any of it real?" He looked at her; he'd expected it, too.

"Yes, of c…" he started.

"But not all of it though…" He couldn't reply. "How do I know then?" There was a pause.

"Maybe when I went in there, I was just playing a part, but that was when I didn't know you, when you were just these facts I knew from before… And I know that sounds bad, but that's such a small piece of time compared to the rest, I… I wasn't too comfortable with everyone else, but you… the more time went on… I didn't know, not for a while…"

"When?" Rachel found herself saying, which got a small smile out of him.

"Of all things? That stunt you pulled on the 'Run Joey Run' video." She blinked. "I was… mad, and hurt, but… that's when I understood that I wasn't really playing anymore… But then, I had to go on and do what I had to… I swear, I didn't want to," he looked back at her. "So when I had to leave, I had to make it a clean break, let you go on with your life… without me."

"Oh…" escaped from her lips.

"For now I think we should focus on getting ourselves back home," he nodded.

"And then…" she opened.

"Then… we'll see what happens," he promised, and she smiled for a moment, until… "What?" he asked when he saw the look on her face.

"Do you think the other ones are… over there? I mean I know I have my faults, but that other one's kind of… She's a bitch!" she whispered and he blinked.

"Well, their Jesse…" he looked at the clothes he'd had to wear. "They're going to tear him up," he shook his head. "Let's just hope we're thinking too much…"

"Right," Rachel agreed. If she was a nice turn for her fathers here, she hated to think of the rude awakening her real fathers would experience with Bizarro Rachel. "So… How are we supposed to do this?" she asked, looking at him.

"I don't know yet…" he admitted.

"In the movies, they never really know for a while, right? Maybe we have to figure it out as we go along…"

"How long's that going to take?" he wondered aloud. She shrugged. "And we can't let anyone know or they'll think we're crazy and lock us up," he frowned. "So we have to act… 'normal.'"

"I'd say that my being here would help, but… they're all so different…" she pointed out.

"Maybe not all that much. You still have home court advantage," he promised, which did make her smile.

"What about your girlfriend?" she reminded him, and he sighed.

"I'll do what I can," he told her. "She will expect more than the others."

"You're not going to…" she made a face, and he swallowed back a chuckle.

"No, of course not," he assured her. She nodded, as though to say 'just checking.' "Here," he gave her his cell phone. "Give me yours. I'm guessing those will have changed."

"Right," she gave him hers and went to enter her number. "I had to call myself to find it, couldn't ask Dad…" she shook her head to herself… Even without looking, she knew he was smirking. When they were done, they switched back. "We should go."

"I'll get out first. You wait and then go," he suggested as he got up and gave her a hand. She nodded and he went. He opened the door and walked out… only to come up face-to-face with… "Quinn!" he blurted in surprise. "What are you…" he barely had time to say before he heard the door open again behind him.

"Quinn!" Rachel had the same reaction.

"I don't think we've been introduced," the blonde blinked. Jesse resisted looking back to Rachel, hoping to somehow save the situation.

"I was just showing her the library, on my way to…"

"Stop," Quinn interrupted. "I think we need to talk… the three of us."

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!