A/N: I don't own anything or anyone, that all belongs to Ryan Murphy! Rated T for language and some violence in later chapters, also, I promise, this does turn into St. Berry eventually! Read & Review please!

Vocal Adrenaline had barely enough time to celebrate their Regionals win before Shelby had bid them goodbye and was out the door, as though something far more important than a Regional Show Choir win was on her mind. How ridiculous, Jesse thought; show choir was her entire life. Why would she hurry out of one of the biggest highlights of her school year? Pushing Shelby from his mind, he'd tried to catch New Directions before they hopped back on the bus, but they were long gone; the memory of Rachel's sadness and anguish burned on his brain. Why did he still care? He'd made his choice; it hadn't been her, and the only person he had to blame for that was himself.

"Jesse?" a female voice asked. He spun to find Gisele, batting her eyes at him.

"Hey Gisele," he smiled weakly. She was wearing that smile that showed she was trying too hard, and she bit her lip in what Jesse assumed was a failed attempt to seem sexy.

"Jesse, a few of the club members are going to come back to my house tonight to celebrate…" she trailed off. Jesse was sure that, as every celebration did, that would involve large amounts of alcohol, and frankly, Jesse was in no mood to get shitfaced and make poor choices.

"You know I'd love to Gisele, but…" he wracked his brain for an excuse, "I have an audition tomorrow," he explained. Gisele's face formed a scowl, and she put a hand on her hip.

"Jesse, c'mon. You've been to every party we've ever thrown!" she argued. He shook his head in frustrated protest.

"Not tonight, Gisele, please?" Jesse asked, and her eyes narrowed into a death glare.

"It's not that Berry girl, is it? Because I swear to you, Jesse, we will kick you back off just as quickly as we let you back on—"

"It's not Rachel," Jesse hissed dramatically, frustrated at Gisele's complete obliviousness to the fact she and the other members of Vocal Adrenaline had nothing to do with his admission to/from the group. "I told you, I have plans, and I don't feel like showing up tomorrow reeking of cigarettes and cheap beer," he bit down on his tongue hard before the words 'like you,' sprang from between his lips. Gisele sighed deeply, and stepped closer to him, her face softening.

"You did really well tonight, Jesse," she smiled. He felt his stomach turn—she was trying to be seductive. He stepped backwards and nodded curtly.

"As were you," Jesse returned politely. Gisele crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Let's get one thing straight, St. James. You and I are stars, and now that you're single, don't you think it's about time we hooked up?" she asked, tilting her head towards him awaiting his reply. He opened his mouth and closed it quickly, horrified.

"Gisele," he began. His pink shirt was still stuck to him with sweat, and he could feel his heart pounding. "I…can't…" He wracked his brain for a believable excuse to not want to be in a relationship (at least with anyone who wasn't Rachel), and then, like a flash of a miracle, words she had once spoken to him filled his ears. "Because it would be wrong for the team," he added. Gisele made a scrunched face and looked at him blankly.

"The team?" she repeated, and Jesse nodded fervently.

"Yes," he swallowed, and he could feel beads of sweat re-forming on his forehead. "I think we should stay away from distractions and keep our focus on Nationals," he explained, and after a moment, Gisele nodded curtly.

"Fine, but as soon as we win this thing, I expect my offer to be taken up," she said, turning on her heel. "Bus is leaving in ten minutes," she added.

xxxxxxxx

Blessedly, he managed to procure a seat to himself on the bus ride home, and iPod in ear, he drowned out the sounds of the rest of the world with the two men he felt could really understand him—Sondheim and Phil Collins. Just as the drum solo in "In the Air Tonight" strained through his headphones—he would never, ever use ear buds; they had been known to cause ear damage, and he couldn't risk injuring his precious ear drums, so as silly as he looked, he always carried a pair of high quality Bose headphones when he felt the need to listen to music—he received a text from Shelby. Confused, he flipped open his cell. "Big news. Is there any way you can stop by after the bus gets back?" Jesse frowned and looked around. Everyone else seemed blissfully clueless, so he assumed he was the only one to receive the message. "Sure?" he texted back, and wondering if it had something to do with Rachel, his heart dropped. He had been quite used to undercover texts from Shelby when Rachel-gate was under way, but it seemed odd that she would want to share something with him now. Thankful he'd decided to change into a gray tee and dark jeans instead of riding home in the ungodly pink top, he hopped off the bus, waved goodbye to his teammates, and jumped into his Range Rover.

Arriving at Shelby's modest home, he parked in the driveway and meandered up the walk. She was waiting for him, looking very un-Shelby, wearing sweatpants and the Vocal Adrenaline tee from his freshman year, her hair in a messy bun, but she was beaming as she pushed open the glass storm door.

"Jesse," she greeted as he stepped into the house. He had a clear view of the living room over her shoulder and, usually immaculate from lack of use, he could see piles of colorful boxes and bags…baby things? He turned to Shelby with a puzzled look, and for a moment, he panicked. Had he gotten Rachel pregnant? Oh god, what would he do? He had to go to college, he had to get out of Ohio, how could he face her after all he'd done?

"Jesse," Shelby said, and he followed her into the living room, taking a seat on the sofa as she sat in the armchair. "I've asked you to come tonight so I could tell you something very important." He glanced once more at the pile, his heart thundering in his chest. Why would Shelby have needed to buy everything now, they would have had at least eight months to prepare. Suddenly Jesse shook his head stupidly. He'd never even done anything with Rachel, how could he possibly have thought he'd gotten her pregnant? He ran a hand through his hair and looked back to Shelby.

"Jesse," she continued, "I've adopted a baby." Jesse sat back, stunned, and then broke into a wide grin.

"Congratulations, wow, Miss Corcoran!" he stood to hug her, but she waved for him to sit back down. He obeyed, embarrassed, and she continued.

"This is big for me, Jesse. You, obviously, out of all the people I know, understand how badly I've wanted this, how badly I've wanted a little girl to call my own."

"Oh, it's a girl?" he asked. Shelby scowled at him once more, and his cheeks flushed slightly.

"Jesse, I felt the need to inform you of this first because I've always felt a strong bond with you, almost as though you were my own son." There was a pause, and then, "I'm leaving Vocal Adrenaline. As of Monday, I will no longer be your coach."

There was a tangible silence in the room. Jesse looked at his fingers, his heart pounding. After all he'd done for her, after all of the hell he'd put himself through, she was abandoning him, just like that, like nothing. Abandoning him, just like everyone else had in his life—his parents, his friends, everyone—except one girl who he'd chosen to abandon instead. Jesse's throat was dry.

"What about Nationals?" he was finally able to mutter. They wouldn't be able to go to Nationals without a coach, and he was aware that some of the juniors scholarships were riding on placing at Nationals, just as his had been merely a year before. He saw regret in Shelby's eyes, and it was a moment before she spoke.

"We'll find someone," she said, but Jesse shook his head.

"There's not enough time," he was sure. Nationals would take place in two weeks, barely enough time for Vocal Adrenaline to learn a new killer routine—a new killer routine that their director had apparently given no thought to whatsoever. This had apparently just dawned on Shelby as well, who had clearly been so wrapped up in having a baby that she hadn't truly considered the consequences of such a rash decision.

"Miss Corcoran, if I may be blunt, you can't do this to these kids," he muttered. "Some of us have everything riding on another trip to Nationals," and as the words left his mouth, he remembered his promise to Gisele earlier and shuddered. "You don't have to be there as much as you have…hell, you don't have to be there at all really, just be there. Please," he added. Suddenly, a cry erupted from the baby monitor on the coffee table, and Shelby excused herself, leaving Jesse alone in her spacious living room. When she returned, she carried an infant wrapped in a pink blanket and a bottle, and she fed the child while turning her gaze back to Jesse.

"Being a mom is a full time job," Shelby began, and as Jesse opened his mouth to argue, she silenced him with a look. "But," she continued, "I'll make a deal with you. You get them ready, you choose the songs and get in touch with Dakota Stanley, and I'll be there to represent you in New York. Does that sound okay?" Jesse nodded silently, and Shelby smiled at the baby.

"What's her name?" Jesse asked after a minute. Shelby smiled up at him.

"Beth," she said. "Bethany Quinn Corcoran." Jesse raised an eyebrow.

"Quinn?" he asked. It wasn't a very common name—and then he was struck with realization. "She had her baby?" Shelby nodded.

"Almost a month early too, but Beth is just fine, isn't she?" Shelby giggled at her daughter. "Quinn wants no part of her daughter's life, so I figured I should at least attribute something to her. The father on the other hand," she rolled her eyes. "It's going to be a semi-open adoption with him. You know, pictures, updates, but we agreed that he'll keep his distance, like I did, unless she decides to come to him. So he'll know about her and know how she is, but she'll never know of him. He's a good kid," Shelby added thoughtfully. "He really cares, and I think he truly wanted to keep her." Jesse shrugged. He'd never really known too much about Puck, just that he and Quinn were always fighting and he'd been one of the guys who he'd been triple cast with in Rachel's video. The thought made his stomach twirl again, and he stood.

"I should be going," he said, nodding to the baby. Shelby agreed and stood to show him the door, but he waved her off. "I'll be fine," he said. She stood and bit her lip.

"My briefcase is near the door. Take the red folder with you, it's got some ideas for Nationals," Shelby said, and after a moment, she followed after Jesse, enveloping him in a tight one-armed hug. "Thank you Jesse," she said after a moment. "Good luck," she added.

"Thanks," Jesse grinned, and without another word, he was out the door and headed for his car. I'm gonna need it.