A/N: This is based off one of the deleted scenes from the DVD where Beca and Luke go on a date. Hope you enjoy!

The Date

"Colors! There are so many beautiful colors!" Luke exclaims, draping his arm over Beca's shoulder as he gestures toward something that only he can see. "Do you see them dancing, Becks? Do you see the dancing colors?"

"Nope, those are all you," Beca says, gritting her teeth as he loses his balance and nearly takes both of them down. She doesn't know at what point in the night he ingested whatever illegal substance that was making him see dancing lights, but she does know that it appears to be taking its full effect. He gestures widely at nothing in particular, prattling on things that don't even resemble making sense.

"I think it's time we get you home," Beca says, heading toward the door.

"You should come with," he says, his hand clapping against her collarbone. It inches lower as he adds, "I have a very roomy bed."

She shakes her head and returns, "Good for you and your bed. Which way was it to the bus station again?"

"This way and everyway," he says stoically.

"Very helpful," she snipes, craning her neck to get a look down the street. It's dark out and she can just catch the outline of the bus vestibule about a block and a half down the street. "Alright, come on Luke, let's try walking. One foot in front of the other, yeah?"

"I can walk," he returns. "I'm a great walker. The best!"

"That's great," she says in a coddling tone, still supporting half his weight as they slowly make their way to the bus vestibule. "Think you can straighten up a bit there?"

"I'm perfectly straight."

"No, no you're not. See, me hunching over holding half your weight shows that you're not standing straight."

"I don't understand what you're trying to say."

"No," she says, frowning. "You wouldn't. Alright, almost there."

When they get to the bus vestibule she removes his arm from her shoulder and positions him in front of the wall with a simple instruction of, "Lean."

She sits on the bench and tries to remember why she agreed to go with Luke to hear this band, anyway. She glances over at him with his distressed jean jacket and tousled hair and immediately remembers why.

That's what you get for agreeing to go out with a guy only because he's hot, Beca thinks to herself.

She stands back up and walks over to the small sign that tells what bus lines pass through and how often. She remembers that they took the 147 bus, and she looks for the line on the sign.

"Shit," she murmurs, seeing that the line stopped running an hour ago. "Luke, you know any other line that takes us back to campus?"

"The red line. Blue line-"

"Yeah, those aren't things."

"Green line. Yellow line."

She stares at him and asks, "Are you just naming primary colors?"

He doesn't respond and she shakes her head, running her fingers through her hair anxiously. "Um, okay, I can fix this. I…" she pulls out her phone and scrolls through the numbers, "I can fix this."

She hits the call button and chews on her bottom lip as she waits for the call to be picked up.

"Beca?"

"Hey, Chloe, thank God you answered, I-"

"Beca?" Chloe repeats, loud music blaring behind her. "Beca, you should totally come out! This is, like, the most super run party ever. Like, ever ever!"

Beca feels her stomach twist when she says, "You are not in any shape to drive are you?"

Chloe responds by squealing and singing along to some Rihanna song with a guy that Beca's pretty sure is tone deaf.

"Alright, guess this isn't happening," Beca says, hanging up. She glances over at Luke who is slumped against the wall of the vestibule and says, "This right here, buddy? Not cool. How the hell are we supposed to get home?"

If Chloe was at a party that means that the rest of the Bellas probably were, too. The few that she can think of who maybe are home don't have a car. She's about to give up when she gets an idea. She scrolls through her phone again and hesitates for just a moment before dialing.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jesse, want to do me a huge favor?"

Twenty minutes later he pulls up in front of the bus vestibule and she walks over to Luke, grabbing his arm and tugging him toward the car. Jesse climbs out of the front seat and says, "You didn't mention you were with Luke."

"Oh really? Must have slipped my mind."

"Yeah, it must have" he says, giving her a look. He opens the back door and helps Luke in. Before he closes the door he tells him, "No puking. This isn't my car."

"This isn't your car?" Beca asks.

"No, it's Benji's. He let me use it because was worried about you being out alone so late. Looks like he didn't have to worry."

She looks away quickly and walks over to the passenger seat and slips in. Jesse slides into the driver's seat and shifts the gear into drive.

"Am I in a space ship?" Luke drawls from the back, leaning forward and bracing his hands on the back of the seats as Jesse drives.

"No, this is called a car," Jesse answers sarcastically. "I know things are different in England, but I'm pretty sure they have them there, too."

"Be nice," Beca says in a low voice. "He's strung out on something."

Jesse gives her a look and says, "Gee, you think?"

"Are we going to Mars?" Luke continues. "Or Jupiter. Let's go to Jupiter!"

"How about we go somewhere where you don't talk," Jesse suggests.

"Luke, behave," Beca says, turning back and pushing him away from their seats. "You're distracting Jesse."

"Right, put it on me," Jesse gripes. "So, you both getting dropped off at his place?"

"What? No! He's going to his place and I'm going to my place. End of story."

"Not a ridiculous question," Jesse says in a hard voice. "I am picking you guys up at one in the morning."

"You know me," she says. "So, yeah, ridiculous question."

He shakes his head and returns, "No, I don't know you. I thought I did."

She goes to say something when Luke snores loudly from the back seat. She glances back and says, "How can he be asleep already? He was just talking."

"Do you know where he lives?"

"Shit, I don't." She turns back to wake Luke up when Jesse reaches out and stops her.

"No, I got it."

"Huh? You know where he lives?"

"He's had me feed his dog a few times on my way back from getting him lunch."

"Then why did you-"

"I wanted to know if you knew."

The implication is clear and she stares at him for a moment before tearing her eyes away and gazing out the window. The car is completely silent except for Luke's soft snoring. After a few moments she says, "It wasn't a date."

Jesse doesn't respond but she can feel his gaze turn toward her and then back toward the road.

"I mean, maybe it was," she says. "I don't know. But, it's not…he's not-"

"It's fine. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I'm not your boyfriend, right?"

She turns her head and looks at him, noticing the way his jaw is tense. He's fighting back saying more, she can tell.

"Jesse-"

"Just forget it," he says. "We're here."

He pulls up at an apartment building and turns off the car. They climb out in complete silence and haul Luke up the three flights of stairs to his apartment. He nearly takes them down twice, but they manage to get him onto his couch without much issue. They walk back downstairs and then they are on their way to her dorm. Both are silent still and with each passing moment of not-talking she finds herself with more and more to say.

"Jesse," she says, her voice sounding unnaturally loud in the silence of the car. "I'm sorry about what I said before. When you called my dad and I freaked out at you, it's-"

"It's fine," he says.

"No, it's not," she tells him. "It's not fine. Look, I don't know how to accept help from people. I never have. And you calling my dad – we don't exactly have the best relationship."

"I didn't know that."

"No," she says softly. "You didn't. So, well, I'm just sorry for being a jerk. You didn't deserve that."

He pauses for a moment and then says, "Okay."

"And I'm sorry for making you pick me up from whatever that was with Luke. That was pretty jerky, too. But I honestly had no one else to call. Believe me, if there was anyone else, like anyone-"

"It's fine," he says, chuckling slightly. "I don't mind picking you up. I don't mind helping. Am I happy you were on a date with Luke-"

"Jesse, I told you-"

"I mean, I get it," he interrupts. "He played your music. He said you were good. It's natural that you'd get all starry-eyed and all that."

"Okay, first of all, never in my life have I been remotely starry-eyed. And second, I know you're the one who made him listen to my music."

"What?"

"I asked what made him finally listen to it, and he said it was you. Apparently you're not only annoyingly persistent with me."

"Your music is good. It deserves to be listened to."

She looks at him then – really looks at him – and she sees it, the inherent goodness that was so rare to find in guys or people in general. She never believed it when people told her nice guys were out there, because all she had met were the ones who tried to unclasp your bra on the first date. But here he is, proving that his entire gender is not patently flawed.

"Why are you so nice?" she murmurs.

"What?"

"You annoy people into listening to my music. You go out of your way to help me. You drive out here at one in the morning to pick me up-"

"Why do you think?" he asks. "Why do you think I do all of those things? I like you, Beca. I like you. And when you likes someone, you do whatever you can to help and be near that person. You do whatever you can, even if it means picking that person up at one in the morning with her strung out whatever-Luke-is."

"Jesse," she says slowly. "I'm not…"

"I know," he says, parking in front of her dorm. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying."

She tucks her hair behind her ear and swallows hard. She can't exactly say that confession came out of left field, but it still left her reeling.

"It really wasn't a date," she repeats. "Okay?"

"Okay. You better head inside," he says.

"Yeah," she answers quickly. "Let's hope that Kimmy Jin doesn't kill me."

"I'm pretty sure you could take her."

She smiles slightly. "Thanks again, Jesse. For everything."

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow."

She nods, getting out of the car. Before she closes the door she says, "Goodnight, Jesse."

"Night Beca."

A/N: I'd love your feedback!