Sorry guys, I know it's been ages...but here you go! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee or any of the characters involved, nor do I have any affiliation with Paramount Studios.

"Good morning" Rachel chirped to the crew members as she breezed by quickly.

She walked over to the designated room with her head held high to distract herself from the fact that she was insanely nervous. Rachel had barely gotten any sleep the night before from all of her excitement and nervous energy; her brain just refused to shut up! Ultimately, she ended up getting in about two and a half hours of actual sleep and when she woke up the next morning it had taken about a tub of foundation, concealer, and eye makeup to remedy her dark eyes and slightly puffy face from the sleep deprivation. So, she didn't have the fresh clean face she had been hoping to turn up with for her first day, but how she looked would have to do. Besides, that's what makeup crews were for, right?

Wrong.

Rachel failed to realize that because they weren't actually filming today and were only doing a chemistry run between Finn and herself, the makeup crews weren't called in for her beautification. There were only going to be the directors, Finn Hudson, Rachel and the barely veiled bags under her eyes. Great. She blew a puff of air between her lips in slight frustration as she took a seat to wait, fidgeting with the hem of her black and gray high-waist shorts, hoping that she was presentable enough.

She could only imagine how glorious Finn Hudson would look when he showed up, making matters that much worse for her. Rachel chewed her lower lip as she reflected on Finn and his perfect image. He honestly looked like some sort of Greek God anytime he was spotted in public, but that was what was expected of him; he was a celebrity and they had to look as good out in every day life as they did on screen. Rachel physically shook her head at herself and the mental debate she was inflicting on herself. She knew she was only stressing herself out worrying over Finn; he was a normal human being just like she was, he was bound to have flaws like anyone else. Screen makeup could do so much for a person anyway, he could easily walk in and look just like any other ordinary person off of the street and not the mouth watering God he appeared to be on camera.

Wrong again.

Her jaw nearly dropped to the shiny linoleum floor when she looked across at the door leading to the building. There, in all his shining glory, stood the unmistakable vision that was Finn Christopher Hudson. Even from a distance Rachel lost the struggle to rip her eyes away from his tall, flawless form when he opened the door. She sat up a little straighter in her seat, adjusting her hair and feeling something akin to annoyance nagging at her when she noticed the slender blonde standing to his side, wearing a large pair of sunglasses. That had to be Quinn, it certainly looked like her. The unasked assumption was confirmed when the beautiful blonde pulled the sunglasses off of her face, balancing them in one hand.

Rachel, unable to fight her curiosity, watched the scene unfold in front of her as subtly as possible. The two only talked for a few seconds and then Quinn leaned up, placing a lingering kiss what seemed awfully close to the corner of Finn's mouth before turning to leave. Rachel unconsciously started to frown as she watched the exchange, but quickly shook off the irrational semblance of jealousy when Finn started in her direction. She took deep breaths to calm her now erratically beating heart, shutting her eyes for just a second to collect her wits. She was here to be a professional, she could keep it together and be cool. He was just an abnormally attractive man for crying out loud, he wasn't God.

"Hi there."

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of the smooth voice before looking up directly into Finn Hudson's beaming smile. Oh dear sweet Jesus, he was so close she could clearly see the small specks of amber in his brown eyes, she could smell the clean scent of his cologne and just the sight of his adorable dimples was enough to make her swoon.

"Hi" she squeaked in response, failing miserably at her plan to appear nonchalant. It was completely unfair, that smile and those dimples were beyond disarming up close. "You're Finn Hudson" she blurted stupidly, wishing she could melt into a puddle where she stood. She actually might if he kept smiling at her the way he was. "Ahem" she cleared her throat, getting a grip on herself before extending her tiny hand toward him. "I'm-"

"Rachel Berry from Lima, Ohio" he finished for her, halting her meager progress in it's tracks with just those simple words. She blinked in awe at him as he shook her hand then took a seat beside her own.

"You, you know me?"

"I try to know a thing or two about the people I work with" he grinned, shooting her a wink.

"So I've heard" Rachel mumbled automatically, the memory of the perfect blonde woman who had accompanied him fresh on her mind. Her eyes went wide however when Finn raised his eyebrows at her questioningly.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing" Rachel answered quickly, her cheeks flaming as she mentally berated herself for taking such a cheap shot at him, especially having just met the man. "I'm just surprised is all...Did you Google me" she asked after a second, looking to him with genuine curiosity. The thought that an actual real life celebrity had Google searched her, nobody Rachel Berry, was mind-boggling to say the least. She really couldn't wrap her brain around any of this.

"I had no choice. How else would I have found out that my co-star is a championship football player" he deadpanned, making her eyes widen.

"Oh my God" she laughed, slapping a hand over her mouth. She watched Finn's eyes dancing with humor before resting her now cherry-red face in her own hands to hide.

Her junior year of high school the Glee Club had become somewhat cool and managed to recruit a few members of the football team. When it came time for the championship game that season, they had a spat with some of the other members of the football team, resulting in somewhat of a strike. Rachel and the rest of the Glee girls had stepped up for the boys, volunteering for the football team and playing in the championship game so that they wouldn't have to forfeit. The girls all played horribly and Rachel narrowly avoided injury before things were resolved at the last minute and the other players returned to play the second half. Before it was over however, Rachel did manage to catch an interception and ran the only touchdown of the game. She had felt cool for all of about five minutes after that; the already cruel nickname of 'manhands' escalated into 'he/she" after her impressive act of athleticism. Deep down she knew that people were jealous that she had made such an accomplishment and constantly excelled in ways they didn't care to try, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed, I think it's cool. I actually used to play football in high school myself and I'll tell you a secret, you scored one more touchdown than I ever did" he chuckled, shrugging his broad, sculpted shoulders. The easy action in itself erased most of her anxiety and made Rachel's chest squeeze. How was this happening to her? She was absolutely starstruck by this man, like a doe-eyed teenager and not at all the professional she was supposed to be embodying! She didn't have a dream of starring in a movie alongside him if she couldn't keep it together.

Before Rachel had the chance to respond with more than a small laugh she was interrupted by the voice of Artie Abrams, a small bespectacled man seated in a wheelchair.

"Carter? Alana" he called, poking his head out of the doorway at the two of them. "Good you're both here, and on time. Props" he praised, with a wide smile and raised fist.

"Of course sir" Rachel said loudly, even for herself.

"Come on in, we're ready to get started."

With simultaneous nods, Rachel and Finn followed the young director back into the spacious room. There were a few people seated around a table off to one corner of the room, some of which Rachel recognized from her audition. She smiled politely at them before turning her attention to the square table set up in the middle of the space. There were two chairs, a menu, a black notepad, a tray with two plates, two forks and a glass. These were all required for the first scene and she walked over to pick up the notepad and tray with a wistful smile, recalling the first scene of the story she loved so much as Finn took his seat at the table.

"Okay, we just want you to play this as naturally as possible, we're not even here" Artie called, rolling his wheelchair to the edge of the table of directors to watch them closely, clipboard in hand. "Whenever you're ready."

Rachel turned her back to them all, pushing through her nerves and taking deep breaths to focus on pulling Alana to the surface. When she felt ready, she spun back around, noting Finn's nod before launching into the scene.

"Welcome to the New York Strip, home of the best steak in the city" Alana recited, holding her notepad in her hands, ready to take the beautiful man seated at her table's order. "My name is Alana and I'll be your server this evening. Could I start you off with something to drink" she smiled knowingly.

"I'll have a vodka tonic, thank you Alana" he responded coolly, eying her more carefully than the menu as he uttered her name like the sweetest music.

"Vodka tonic" she repeated, raising her pen and jotting it down on the small pad even though she had anticipated that as his order from the moment he walked in. "Will you be having the artichoke sticks as well?"

The man's thoughtful gaze turned up into a cheeky smile as he laid his menu down completely to regard her. "I was considering it, how did you know" he asked, arching a brow at her curiously.

"Well" she stuttered slightly, looking down away from his questioning stare. "You've been coming here the past two weekends and you always order the same thing; it's a waitress' job to pay attention to the customer, sir" she explained weakly. Of course it was the waitress' job when it was actually a customer she was waiting on but she had never waited on, much less spoken to this man before. That's not to say she didn't notice him though; every time he came in she was very aware. She could feel his gaze boring into her ,for whatever reason, from wherever he was in the restaurant, and she had a hard time keeping her own eyes away. "You must really like our cuisine" she added lightly, giving him a timid smile.

"I know what I want" was his simple and vague reply, but there was something else in his voice, something she couldn't place playing in his eyes.

The blush stained her cheeks under his deep, never wavering stare and she looked back to her notepad to escape it momentarily. "Um, so should I write you down for the artichoke sticks then, sir?"

"No, thank you" he smiled, closing his menu and handing it over to her.

She raised her eyebrows at the contradictory action, but accepted the menu anyway. "Alright. Were you ready to order?"

"I think so."

"Great. What can I get for you?" Something in his eyes shifted at her words, a secret dancing behind them as he regarded her, but just as quickly as she noticed it, it was gone.

"What is your favorite dish" he asked suddenly, looking to her curiously as if it was a pressing matter.

"I, well, I don't actually have one, sir" she admitted sheepishly, chewing on her bottom lip subconsciously. "At least not here, unless you count the salad or chocolate mousse." His brows pulled together as he stared at her, waiting for an explanation. "I'm a Vegan and this is a Steakhouse with no Vegan alternatives" she explained, blushing at the fact that things had somehow been turned onto her, the waitress who was supposed to be selling her restaurant, not critiquing it. "Regardless of my own preference, I've yet to hear any complaints about any of our dishes from customers, so anything you choose should be satisfactory" she said quickly, becoming increasingly flustered by just the proximity of this gorgeous stranger and his questions.

He looked around at the sparsely occupied dining room thoughtfully before turning his hypnotic gaze on her once again. "Caesar, or Chef" he asked, eying her thoughtfully.

"Caesar" she answered, her response coming out more like a question itself. The man only chuckled.

"I'd like your Caesar salad with whichever type of dressing you would suggest, and the chocolate mousse" he recited, leaning forward in his chair and resting his chin on his long, distracting fingers. "And I'd like for you to join me."

Surprised, she laughed aloud at his words, the amusement dying instantly at the stern set to his jaw. "Are you serious?"

"Quite."

"I'm, I'm at work" she said, crossing her arms over her chest, the action drawing his gaze to her bosom.

"Doesn't seem as if you're extremely busy" he mused, looking away to motion toward her empty section.

"Even so, that doesn't mean that I can slack off on my duties, sir. I'm flattered by your offer but-"

"What if I told you I'd already cleared it with the hostess, validating my request by providing a very generous tip?"

"I, what?" She sputtered for words, looking past the man's shoulder to find the hostess giving her an exaggerated thumbs up. She turned her questioning glare back on him, placing her hand on her hip. "That was very presumptuous of you, sir" she said quietly, her irritation at such a pompous act rivaling her intense curiosity. "I don't know you from any other man that walks in this establishment, what made you so sure that I would even want to have dinner with you?"

"Care to explain to me again how you happened to know my order" he asked knowingly, cocking his head to one side in a wholly arrogant but incredibly sexy move. "I told you, I know what I want and I'm not afraid to ask for it."

Alana fidgeted silently under his gaze, fighting with herself over whether or not to be offended, annoyed, intrigued, or settle for just plain confused. Deciding that she couldn't be logical in his incredibly intoxicating presence, she turned on her heel and walked away quickly to place his order in the kitchen.

In spite of the distance she kept from him as she waited for his food to be ready, even sending Wendy to take him his vodka tonic, she couldn't resist peeking at him from the back of the restaurant. He was achingly beautiful really, she couldn't deny that she was curious about him, and he was obviously interested in her as well. Finally she decided that it was at least worth a shot and that security was close enough by if he turned out to be some sort of maniac; she made up her mind. When she returned to his table she placed both plates down and hesitantly sat down across from him.

"Beautiful and smart" he mused, pushing the salad plate in her direction. "Enjoy."

"What? No, this is yours" she argued, attempting to push it back.

"I want you to eat it" he told her, gently brushing her hand away and pushing the plate back in front of her. Before she could argue further, he cut in again. "Have you eaten today?"

"Not since breakfast" she replied quietly, realizing for the first time that she had gone almost all day without eating. Her stomach growled in protest at the thought, and she looked up to see the look of annoyance flash through his dark amber eyes.

"Eat" he commanded quietly, leaving no room for argument.

In spite of the fact that he was right and being exceptionally generous, she couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed at being treated like a child by a relative stranger. "Fine, I'll eat" she conceded, nodding her head while simultaneously picking up a forkful of salad and holding it up. "But I want to know your name first."

He smiled at her, a heart stopping picture as he leaned back, resting his elbows on the chair rest. "Fair enough" he said lifting an arm and gesturing to himself grandly. "Carter Andrews, but I quite like it when you call me Sir." He said it cheekily, but there was a seriousness in his eyes that betrayed the tone.

"So, Mr. Andrews" she said purposefully, noting the way his eyes narrowed the slightest bit. "Aren't you hungry" she asked, making a show of eating the salad on her fork as promised.

"Not exactly" he said quietly, what looked like a smile now playing on the corners of his mouth. She was having a hard time keeping up with his quickly shifting expressions. "I've already eaten my dinner."

"Then why did you come here" she asked curiously, taking another nibble of the crisp salad, relishing in the immense joy it brought her painfully empty stomach.

"Mostly for the scenery" he smiled, gazing at her intently. "It's quite beautiful." Alana flushed under his dark stare, stuffing another mouthful of greens into her mouth as daintily as possible.

"It's not much to look at" she whispered after swallowing, swirling the fork around the plate.

"I have to disagree. I wouldn't be seeking it otherwise" he told her earnestly.

"Thank you, Sir" Alana said quietly, beaming under his praise. She was instantly rewarded with a sexy, dimpled half-smile from her companion that pleased her more than she would have expected.

"Thank you for joining me, Alana" he answered, picking up his own spoon to take a serving of the chocolate mousse she had just started on. "You have no idea how much I was looking forward to this. I sincerely hope that this won't be the last time."

She watched with slightly wide eyes as his smooth lips wrapped around the spoon, cleaning if of all of the chocolate while his twinkling eyes stayed locked onto hers. Her gulp was barely contained when his tongue slipped out to rid his lips of any possible leftover chocolate, and she knew that he could see the blush staining her cheeks a deep red by the wicked way he was smirking at her.

"That was good."

"Totally" she agreed, almost breathless as she unconsciously leaned in closer to him.

"And Cut!"

Artie's excited voice cut through Rachel's mind, bringing her back to the room. Even in reality, there was a gorgeous, mysterious man seated in front of her, his face inches from her own as he stared back at her.

"I think it's officially safe to say that these two are definitely our Carter and Alana" Artie announced proudly, a chorus of 'yes' and 'absolutely' sounding around him in response. "We'll take a quick break and then run that again! Great job guys!"

Rachel nodded at the director tightly then turned back to face her partner, amazed at the way he was still staring at her in what looked like awe, but she had to admit if she could see herself that was probably the same look she was giving him. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize, what had made that scene so epic was the chemistry that buzzed and sizzled between the two of them. The flirting had just come natural, the way she was so completely taken by him didn't require much acting on her part, and judging by the way he was gazing at her now she couldn't help but think maybe, just maybe, he felt it too.

This was going to be trouble.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! I'll try to update asap!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!