A/N: So here's part two of "Get Me Back" (aka the Prom Queen fix). Jeez, I guess all it takes is a poll to get people crawling out of the woodwork! Yes, there will be a part two to the second futurefic, too. Some of you know me way too well, lol. Of course I couldn't leave anyone hanging like that! Well, not forever, anyway.

Again, if you like this one, thank Northstar61 because she asked for it. :-) All standard disclaimers apply.

Get Me Back (part 2)

"Hi."

"Hi." Rachel felt her face growing warm as she hung in her doorway, Jesse smiling at her just on the other side. It wasn't just that he was picking her up for prom, one of the most important nights of a young girl's life. It wasn't even that her dads were away for the weekend—though they'd Skyped her earlier in the evening, insisting on seeing her in her dress and pronouncing her the most beautiful girl they'd ever seen. No—it was the way Jesse was smiling at her now. Not just a smile; she couldn't pinpoint the expression exactly, but there was something about the light in his eyes that warmed her, making her feel both loved and extremely nervous.

"It's just me," he said, the smile never changing.

"I know." She stepped aside, letting him into the foyer.

"You're going to put every other girl there to shame, you know." Once again, he seemed to read her mind as he paused and added, "Even Quinn."

"Nobody puts Quinn to shame—not in the looks department."

Jesse waved her objections aside. "Quinn is conventional, and that's something you've never been and never could be. You're infinitely more unique, and that makes you superior in just about every way. She may end up getting that stereotypical slice of the American dream, but you're destined for so much more. Let her have her prom crown and her white picket fence if that's what she wants. When you've won your first Tony, you'll see that what you have is so much better, it's beyond comparison."

Rachel let him pull her into his arms. "How is it that you always seem to know exactly what I need to hear?"

"It's because I know you. Now, are you ready for your surprise?"

"Surprise?" Rachel let him tuck her under one arm, watching as he produced a small white cardboard box from his pocket. She knew instantly what was in it, and she blinked in surprise. "Jesse, Mercedes and I were going to make corsages from her mom's garden..."

"I know." He offered the box, and she took it hesitantly. "And I understand your wish to make Sam feel comfortable, but you've given up so much for your prom night. I wanted you to have this, at least. Don't worry—there's one for Mercedes in the car."

The warm feeling inside Rachel grew exponentially. "Really?"

"Sure. I figure Sam doesn't need to know, and maybe it will get me some brownie points with Mercedes. I know she doesn't like me."

"She did ask you to join us only for my protection," Rachel admitted.

"Your protection?" Jesse sounded amused rather than offended, and Rachel was a little relieved.

"So she and Sam could have my back in case you did anything...untoward."

"Untoward?" Jesse laughed. "Like throw eggs at you in the middle of prom?" He shook his head. "Surely she gives me more credit than that."

"Not much." Rachel touched her fingertips to his cheek. "But I'm positive you'll be able to change her mind if you keep up these thoughtful gestures."

"I aim to please. Are you going to open it?"

Rachel carefully popped open the lid of the box and smiled. The wrist corsage was perfect, just as she knew it would be. There was a small riot of tiny pale pink flowers and loops of matching ribbon clustered together, just a shade brighter than her dress. It set off the slightly darker hue of her skin, making her almost seem to glow as Jesse helped her affix the delicate corsage to her wrist.

"It's beautiful, Jesse," she said, admiring the tiny flowers. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

"Is Mercedes' the same?"

He snorted. "Of course not. She has an orchid that I think will match her dress if you described the color right."

"Knowing you, I'm sure you got it right."

"That's because we make an excellent team." Jesse kissed her temple softly. "Do your dads want some pictures before we leave?"

"They're not actually here," Rachel said, twisting her fingers together nervously. She hadn't actually intended to tell him that; her fathers being gone on prom night opened up a can of worms she didn't think she was ready to explore just yet, even with him. But she wasn't going to lie to him, and his question about photos really was reasonable.

"Do they have a camera with a timer? We could take a couple for them anyway," Jesse suggested.

Rachel beamed. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Mercedes had been right about the tacky streamers and decorations, but once they were inside the gym, Rachel thought it was perfect. Tackily perfect, perhaps, but perfect nonetheless. There was a disco ball and balloons and metallic swirling...things...along with the twisted crepe paper, the lights were turned low, and the music was loud. As far as Rachel was concerned, it was everything she wanted. The other members of New Directions didn't seem quite as excited as she was about being the entertainment, but she considered it just another opportunity to gain practice performing. Jesse had expressed concern at the time it was taking away from their Nationals rehearsals, but he didn't understand how Mr. Schue operated. When Rachel explained that they didn't even have a set list for Nationals yet, he had been floored. Rachel didn't know, but she suspected that was where his suggestion about coming on board as a consultant had come from. If it was true, she appreciated the gesture. Schue didn't always take competition as seriously as she would like, but there was nothing much she could do about it. Maybe he would listen to Jesse, since he obviously didn't listen to her.

"Jesse?"

He squeezed her hand to tell her he was listening, and she saw his head bend slightly to the side, his ear cocking toward her.

"I'm slotted to perform three songs tonight, and I was wondering if you'd consider singing at least one with me?" Performing with him was always a heady experience—nobody else matched her or pushed her quite as much as he did. "I know it's a little sudden, but since you've already had your confrontation with Finn I figured it couldn't do any harm now."

"I'd be honored to sing with you." He squeezed her waist gently. "And if you don't mind a little feedback, I'd vote against Rolling in the Deep. We knocked that number into orbit the other day, but I think at prom people are looking for songs they can more easily dance to."

"A reasonable point." Rachel smiled. "Why don't you think of something we can do together for my second slot? Maybe something more upbeat, since I still plan to sing Jar of Hearts to Finn first and that's a slow song."

"Also not quite in the spirit of prom, though since it's a chance for slow dancing I doubt anyone will complain." They wended their way through the thin crowd of early arrivals, heading backstage for a last-minute soundcheck. "You know, I might be jealous if it was almost any other song you were planning to sing to him."

Rachel stopped just far enough away so the sound tech couldn't hear their conversation. She turned to face Jesse and looked up at him. Even in the dim light of the gym she could see the veil over his clear blue eyes that meant he was trying to mask his true feelings. It might work with other people, but not with her. "What Finn said in the restaurant really bothered you, didn't it?"

Jesse shrugged, trying to make light of the situation. "He has every right to dislike how I treated you."

"No." Rachel shook her head. "I have every right to dislike how you treated me. Finn doesn't. And nothing you did was personally aimed at him, so he can't really complain about that either."

"You don't think your friends have a right to be angry on your behalf?"

Rachel knew that skeptical eyebrow quite well, and she chuckled when she saw it. "That's fine, as far as it goes, but that's not why he was baiting you."

"I know that." Jesse took her hand and held it between them. "I can't pretend to ignore his jealousy, Rach. I'm sorry, but that's asking too much of me. I'll do my best not to let it escalate into a physical altercation, but when he pushes like that, I'm going to push back. He's trying to intimidate both of us, and it's not fair to you, to me, or to Quinn."

"Is that why you offered to dance with her?"

Jesse snorted. "I offered to dance with her because she doesn't deserve his indecisiveness any more than you do. That's all there is to it."

"He hates what this prom has become for him, you know," Rachel said almost idly. "Her campaign for prom king and queen has sucked all the fun out of it for him. He doesn't even want to be here."

"That was abundantly obvious. Did you see his drooping bow tie? It's like he wasn't even trying."

Rachel raised their clasped hands and kissed Jesse's knuckles, the knobs of bone sharp against her lips. "Let's not worry about him any more tonight. You and I are going to sing together, and we're going to dance, and we're going to have a wonderful time."

Jesse drew their hands away from her mouth and returned the gesture, kissing the back of her hand. "That sounds like an excellent idea."

They checked the setlist for the night, and Rachel discovered that her first slot was the second song of the dance, directly after a group number by some of the boys. She bit her lip, considering. It was early in the night to start slow songs, but she wanted to make her feelings very clear to Finn as soon as possible. The way he had baited Jesse at the restaurant really was unacceptable. Yes, Jesse had pushed right back, but he hadn't started it. Nothing Jesse said was untrue, anyway. Finn was a bad dancer, and everyone knew that. Was it kind to throw it in his face? No. But she didn't blame Jesse after what Finn had said.

"Are you going to sing to him first?" Jesse asked, his hands warm on her shoulders as he stood behind her.

"I was thinking so. To get it out of the way." She craned her head to glance up at him. "Why? Do you have an opinion?"

"My opinion," Jesse said, dropping his nose to nuzzle her throat, "is that this is your prom, and you should do whatever feels right to you."

Rachel firmly told herself not to blush. He was capable of saying the sweetest things, and that propensity had only increased since his return. She turned, feeling his hands drop to her waist as she slid her arms around his shoulders. "What feels right," she said, "is heading out on the dance floor with you right about now."

"Even though they're only playing a bad DJ mix until you guys start your setlist?"

Rachel nodded, pulling him with her toward the dance floor. The piped-in music didn't bother her—for all she cared, there could be no music at all. She just wanted to be close to him, to move with him and feel his body near hers. Unlike Finn, Jesse was a wonderful dancer.

Jesse closed his hands around her waist and lifted, twirling her around once. Rachel giggled, furiously happy as the full skirt of her borrowed dress swirled deliciously around her bare legs. In that instant she felt beautiful, just as Jesse kept telling her she was. "Tonight is going to be perfect, Jesse," she said as he set her down again. She loved how willing Jesse was to put his hands on her—simple touches, tender and full of meaning that wasn't just sexual. He reached for her hand just as often as she reached for his, and the way he picked her up every now and then sent butterflies flitting along her nerves. She hadn't realized it until Jesse came into her life, but Finn had never been terribly interested in touch unless there was a clear sexual undertone to the contact. He wanted to make out with her—more than make out—but he never pulled her under his arm in the hallways.

"You know, I pride myself on being a man of my word, but I'm afraid there's something I may have to take back."

Rachel laughed again. Jesse's words might initially sound alarming, but the teasing way he said them assured her that, whatever came next, it wouldn't be bad.

She was right.

"I may have to deny Quinn that dance if she asks, because I have absolutely no intention of letting you go tonight."

He didn't, either. Except for the first time she stepped onstage without him, their bodies were never more than a few inches apart. She felt his eyes on her even as she sang to Finn, and she felt secure that Jesse knew who the song was for. Finn kept shooting her confused glances as she sang, and Rachel wasn't at all sure that her message was getting through. Did he think she was singing about Jesse? But that was absurd—she'd already told Finn she was giving Jesse another chance. She was here at prom with him; didn't her actions mean anything?

Although, she supposed, some of the confusion might be compounded by Quinn, who kept turning Finn's head back to her whenever he tried to look at Rachel. She didn't begrudge the blond girl her jealousy, but really, this was Finn they were talking about. He needed time to really concentrate on the lyrics of the song if he was ever going to understand, and Quinn kept breaking that concentration. Every time she touched him, Rachel could see his train of thought derail and begin all over again. At this rate, it would never resolve.

But she had more important things to think about than Finn's confusion, and the most pressing one was waiting for her as she stepped offstage. His blue eyes shone with a light that eclipsed the applause from her peers, and his proud smile was almost blinding. "You're wonderful," he said. "You don't need me to tell you that, but I wanted you to know anyway."

He slipped his arms around her, and Rachel let herself be engulfed by his embrace—the softly masculine smell of him, the effortless way he made butterflies erupt in her stomach.

The first strains of Mercedes' soulful contribution to prom night filtered through the gym, and Rachel angled their entwined bodies back toward the dance floor. "Dance with me again?"

His sweet eyes twinkled. "Only if you can see fit to dance with a soulless automaton."

Rachel laughed and reached up to cup his cheek in her hand. He must have shaved extra-well, she thought; his skin was almost soft. "You're not soulless, Jesse St. James, and you never were. You just hid it extremely well."

"Not well enough if you found me out."

Rachel rolled herself onto her toes and kissed him gently. Coach Sylvester had warned that any PDA was grounds for expulsion from the dance, but even the Cheerios' coach only had two eyes, and they couldn't be everywhere at once. For Jesse, she was willing to take the chance. "I can see behind your showface," she said, and brushed another quick kiss against his lips. "Sorry, Jesse—there's plenty I don't understand about you yet, but this is one thing I've got down pat."

His answer was another kiss, just as swift and clandestine. "Don't apologize. You're the only one I trust with that knowledge. I don't doubt you'll know all my secrets before long."

Rachel smiled into his shoulder as they moved deeper into the crowd. It wasn't a slow song, but Jesse did not seem terribly inclined to let her go and she wasn't complaining. She let him hold her as they swayed gently, lost in a rhythm that had little to do with the music—the music onstage, anyway. There was a different rhythm floating through them, ebbing and flowing back and forth, a kind of open, waiting sort of hush. She stepped and Jesse stepped with her. He shifted and she was already leaning in the same direction. They were two minds and two bodies, but as they held each other close and called it dancing, it was almost as if they were one.

But while the gentle moment could resist the swinging beat of Mercedes' song, it was broken by the louder, more rhythmic pulse of Blaine's offering, backed by Brittany and Tina. With a rueful smile, Jesse dropped his arms from her waist and offered her his hand. Rachel took it, feeling the loss of that beautiful moment, but she tried to take it in stride as Jesse twirled her effortlessly and then spun her back toward his body. As they picked up the pace to match the other kids laughing and bobbing around them, Rachel felt her heart lighten. That one perfect moment might be gone, but they would have others. They literally had a lifetime in front of them, and a plethora of new experiences to try. This was just as beautiful, in its own way, she thought as Jesse ducked under their clasped hands, executing a swing move that once again set her skirt swirling around her calves.

She laughed and spun toward him again, knowing he would catch her. He did and, still laughing, lowered his head to kiss her throat.

It was a daring touch because there was no telling when Coach Sylvester might be looking their way, but Rachel didn't stop him. She loved the feel of his mouth on her skin, and the little teasing kisses he dropped against her neck were both a little tickly and incredibly sexy at the same time. She giggled, holding him close and hoping he wouldn't stop...

Suddenly a rough hand touched her arm, and Jesse was torn from her grasp. For a moment, all she could think of was Coach Sylvester. Sue had seen Jesse kiss her, and instead of bellowing over the music with her megaphone, she had waded into the crowd to tear them apart. Rachel winced and turned, not sure what she was going to say but fully intending to put up a fight if the chaperone tried to kick them out.

But the person standing next to them, glaring as if they'd done something terrible, wasn't Coach Sylvester. It was Finn.

"Keep it PG, man," he snapped, squaring his body with Jesse's as if angling for a fight.

Rachel opened her eyes wide. This was not happening. Not in the middle of prom. This was supposed to be her night—her perfect night. Jesse had promised her that, but his presence seemed to be just too much for Finn to handle. She swallowed hard, shooting a glance at Quinn.

"Do something," she mouthed, but Quinn just stared back, as hard and cold as ever, and did not acknowledge the request.

"Dude," Jesse said, and Rachel's attention snapped back to the situation at hand. He'd promised to try not to fight with Finn physically, but he'd made no such promises about verbal sparring. She honestly didn't blame him—especially not right now. They'd been dancing; having a wonderful time. Finn's interruption had been entirely unprovoked. "It's none of your business."

"Well, this is my school, so it's my business."

Rachel wanted to raise an eyebrow, even in the midst of the argument. Seriously, that was his excuse? Plenty of other couples were stealing kisses or caresses while Sue's back was turned. Finn wasn't monitoring any of them.

"This isn't your girlfriend," Jesse said, and for the first time Rachel heard the hint of menace in his voice. Before he had been lightly warning Finn to back off. Now he was telling him in no uncertain terms.

Suddenly, from out of the blue, Finn's arms shot out and he shoved Jesse.

That was it. There was no way Rachel was standing by and letting this argument grow into a bigger altercation. It was a wonder Coach Sylvester hadn't stepped in already. She wasn't having her prom night ruined because Finn decided he was suddenly jealous and Quinn didn't seem to want to stop her boyfriend from making a huge mistake.

"Stop it!" she ordered, and she stepped between the two boys. Finn had moved in for another shove and he stumbled over his feet as he checked himself, stopping just short of plowing into Rachel's smaller form.

Jesse's arm was around her immediately, ready to pull her out of harm's way, but she stood firm. "Stop it," she said again. "You're both acting like children, and this has gone on long enough. I'm ending it tonight." She felt Jesse's fingers clench on her hip and she put her hand on his arm, hoping he would give her the chance to explain before he got upset. "Finn, Jesse's right. I'm not your girlfriend, and if we're going to stay friends, you need to accept that I've chosen him. I know you don't like it, but he makes me happy. If you're my friend, you should be happy for me."

"He's just going to hurt you again!"

Rachel grit her teeth. People around them were staring despite the loud music from the stage. Luckily they hadn't brought the entire dance to a standstill—yet—but Rachel was just waiting for Coach Sylvester to step in at any moment.

"I don't believe that's true," she said, squeezing Jesse's arm again. "But even if it is, it's my mistake to make. You can't save me from a choice I make willingly, no matter how much you think you have that right."

"Rachel - "

"She told you what she thinks already, so back off."

The menace was back in Jesse's voice, and Rachel rubbed his arm this time instead of squeezing it. She knew he couldn't help his jealousy any more than she could help hers around Quinn. Even though they were no longer jockeying for the affections of the same boy, there was still so much bad blood between them. Quinn had the perfect looks and the popularity. Though Rachel knew Jesse was telling the truth earlier and she wouldn't want Quinn's life if the opportunity were presented, it didn't help the uncomfortable green lump of jealousy that simmered in her stomach.

"You don't belong here, so you back off," Finn snapped, starting forward again. Rachel stood her ground between the two boys and glared at Quinn. Why wasn't the blond girl helping?

Quinn glared right back, and the ice in her stare told Rachel everything she needed to know. Quinn blamed Rachel for this. Despite the fact that it was her boyfriend making the scene, Quinn had always blamed—and probably would always blame—Rachel for any trouble in their relationship. She wasn't going to step in, and as Rachel eyed the tall form of McKinley's quarterback, she realized something else.

Quinn was just waiting for her coach to show up. Whether she though Sue Sylvester would take her side out of loyalty to Quinn or dislike for Rachel, she didn't know. But it was clear that Quinn was letting the confrontation drag on in the hopes that the chaperone would step in. Sue's idea of solving a problem was usually threats of violence, but in this case Rachel feared that she and Jesse would be kicked out of the dance. Was that what Quinn was gunning for? She didn't know, and she hated to think something so terrible of her teammate. But Quinn had done worse before; this wasn't something new by any means.

"Jesse," she said, turning slightly in his arms. "Jesse, please, let's go."

"What?" His arm tightened fractionally around her waist. "Where? Why?"

"I don't want my prom ruined. I'd rather leave now than put up with this for the rest of the night."

"No." His voice was firm, and she could feel as his muscles tensed and he sized up the taller boy standing inches from them. "I'm not going to let you be bullied out of your prom."

Taking a chance, Rachel turned slowly within his grip and slipped her arms around him. His hands closed against her back, one warm palm cupping the bare skin of her shoulder blade, left exposed by the bodice of her dress. Though she had never—never-been afraid of Finn, she felt a little nervous in this moment turning her back on him.

He did not respond physically, though—only in words. "You are not leaving with him!"

"Who's going to stop her?" Jesse demanded, and the menace was even clearer in his voice. "You?" Rachel winced a little at just how much mocking derision he could stuff into that one word. She didn't blame him—not with the way Finn was acting—but he really wasn't helping matters by egging on her ex.

"I'll call your dads." Finn shoved a hand in his pocket, reaching for his phone as if to show he was willing to make good on his promise. "I'll do it."

"They're not home," Rachel said flatly, "and even if they were, they trust me. Something you clearly can't do."

"Rachel - "

"No." She pressed closer to Jesse and lowered her voice fractionally to speak only to him. "Please. It's okay, I promise. This is what I want."

Jesse sighed; she could feel the reluctance in every tight line of his body. "I can't say no if it's really what you want," he said. "But are you sure?"

Rachel nodded against him. "I'm sure. Let's go."

"What about Mercedes and Sam?"

Rachel bit her lip. She hadn't thought about that. "A lady always knows when to make an exit," she said finally, flicking her eyes up to him. "Mercedes will understand."

"And your songs? You didn't get all your chances to be on stage."

"I'll live."

She turned her head, looking at McKinley's off-and-on power couple over her shoulder. "We're going to talk about this," she said in no uncertain terms. "I don't want a scene in the middle of prom, and I'd rather be alone with Jesse anyway. But I take this very personally, and you need to know that this is far from over."

Back in the parking lot, Jesse spun her into his arms and gripped her tightly. "You ran away," he said. "I never pegged Rachel Berry as a runner."

"I didn't run," Rachel insisted. "I meant what I said. Did you see how Quinn was looking at us?"

"I was a little more preoccupied with the beanstalk," Jesse admitted. "Don't step between two guys who are itching for a fight. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"

"You wouldn't have hurt me and neither would he, no matter how mad at you he is," Rachel said definitively. "I was perfectly safe as far as that goes. It was Quinn I was worried about."

Jesse's arms loosened slightly and he stopped protesting, seeming more willing to listen to her. "You've said that twice now. It must be important."

Rachel nodded. The soft spring night was a little chilly and she shivered lightly as the cool air touched her. She was used to wearing skirts and dresses that showed a little skin, but the feeling of soft air brushing almost all the way down her back was new and surprisingly sensual. She stopped Jesse as he attempted to shrug out of his jacket, helping to tug it back into place. She smoothed a hand across his lapel, feeling the firmness of him under the fabric. "I'm not cold," she said softly. "Keep your jacket."

"You shivered."

"It feels..." Rachel trailed off as another breeze brushed across her back and exposed sternum. There weren't really words to describe it.

But Jesse's eyes lit with understanding and he pulled her to him once again, his fingertips skimming up the bare skin of her back. She shivered again at the intensity of such a light touch—just the barest brush of skin on skin, but it was a part of her body wholly unused to being touched. His fingers traced the line of fabric at the back of her bodice and he smiled gently. "Touch," he said softly, and his voice was low, whispering out of his throat.

"Yes," Rachel agreed. Touch. That was the sensation she had been trying to describe when there really was no adequate descriptor. There didn't need to be. All Jesse had done was name it, and instantly she understood.

"Quinn?"

Was that what they had been talking about? Rachel was wholly distracted and she had to pull her mind back with a will. God, what if she really was turning into a sex addict like Mr. Schue? Was it possible to be addicted to something she hadn't even tried yet? Every time Jesse put his hands on her, it was like she developed the worst case of tunnel vision. She couldn't focus on anything else but how he made her feel. Everything else—conversations, thoughts, worries—went out the window. Had they really been talking about Quinn?

Yes; yes, they had. Rachel grimaced. Touching Jesse was an entirely more palatable option in her mind.

"Quinn was furious," she said. "Her face—she's one of the most bitter, angry people I know, but I think tonight might have been the coldest, iciest look I've ever had from her."

"She had reason to be upset. Her boyfriend—the guy she wanted to be crowned prom queen with—tried to start a fight over another girl."

"And she did nothing to help me stop it," Rachel said. "She was waiting for Coach Sylvester to show up."

"Ah." Jesse frowned. "It makes sense, but it doesn't explain why you wanted to leave. Why let her win? Why let Hudson win?"

Rachel smiled. "They didn't—he didn't, anyway, and I don't think she did, either. He was horrified at the thought of us leaving together, and now he has to live with the fact that he pushed me into doing it. Quinn wanted Coach Sylvester to throw us out, but we left on our own without disgrace. Quinn gets to finish her dance, and it looks like she'll probably end up with that damn crown, but she didn't win. Not in my mind, anyway."

Jesse blew out a breath and rubbed the back of his head. He still didn't look convinced, but there was a softness to him that had not existed when they first exited the school building. "I'm sorry, Rach. I wanted your prom to be perfect."

"It was." She wound her arms around one of his and pressed her mouth against the shoulder of his coat. It smelled like him—warm and faintly masculine. He wasn't wearing a traditional tux, but neither was it rented. She didn't doubt that he had several different incarnations of formalwear tucked away in his family's big house, all of them equally unconventional and equally flattering. "I got to perform, and dance with you, and see all of my friends dressed up and having a good time. Sam actually seemed kind of into Mercedes, which was unexpected but nice." She smiled. "I don't care who gets elected prom king and queen. As far as I'm concerned, prom was perfect. Maybe we didn't get to dance as long as I'd like, but I made the choice and I'm not going to complain."

A slow smile broke across Jesse's face—a smile she knew very well. He was scheming, his quick mind firing as a plan took shape.

"Come with me," he said, slipping his arm out of her grasp and taking her hand instead. "I have an idea."

Rachel could only laugh as he opened the doors to the Range Rover, turned the ignition just enough so the lights and radio worked, and plugged his iPod into the appropriate jack.

"We get to choose better music this way, anyway," he said, pulling her close. The night seemed darker outside the golden light spilling from inside the car, and Rachel shivered again as Jesse's arms encircled her. "Though I'm sure the rest of your songs, at least, would have been perfect."

"Better company, too," Rachel said as he twirled her slowly. He really was incredibly sweet. She knew many people didn't care to look below the haughty exterior to find the real person inside him, and as far as she was concerned, that was their loss and her gain. If she didn't have to fight so many people for Jesse's affection, that was just fine with her. Not that she'd ever had to. Even when he had been hers before—hers, but not really—his attention had never strayed. If it wasn't for Shelby, she suspected they might never have broken up at all. Though the prospect of a long-distance relationship was not particularly pleasing, she knew she would have done it. For Jesse, she would have tried. "Do we get to keep out the riffraff at our prom?"

"Naturally, the guest list at this prom is quite exclusive," Jesse said, and his playful smile made her giggle. "I suppose Mercedes and Sam might be permitted to join—they are technically part of our group, after all. But I see no reason to add anyone else."

"Good." Rachel felt like her heart was flying as Jesse spun her back into his arms. "Thank you, Jesse."

"For what?"

"For coming back. For tonight. Just—everything."

The playful dancing slowed, and Jesse's hands found her hips as he held her closer and they began to sway ever so slightly, barely moving. Rachel felt his breath feather across her mouth as she tipped her face up, watching the emotions flit through the eyes she knew would be blue in better light.

"You're mine now, Rachel, and I don't take that lightly. Nor do I take for granted the second chance you've given me." His gaze wavered, drawn for a long moment to her lips before returning to lock with hers again. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life proving to you that I deserve it."

"You already have." She touched his lower lip with her fingertips, a whisper of a touch, as light and soft as he'd caressed her back minutes before. "If I'm yours, does that mean you're mine, too?"

He chuckled. "I was yours the moment I first heard you sing."

"But that's different."

"Yes," he agreed. "You won me over the way an exceptional performer wins over any member of her audience. What clinched it came afterward."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

The song changed, but the next was still slow. Rachel wondered if Jesse had deliberately made a playlist they could slow-dance to, for just such an occasion. It wouldn't surprise her a bit.

"After your Sectionals competition last year, I hung out back by the buses, watching you all get ready to leave. I saw Hudson put a hand on your back, and even from a distance I could see how your eyes lit when he touched you." Jesse's own eyes darkened. "I knew already that he couldn't possibly deserve you—especially not with the glares Quinn kept sending your way. Maybe I didn't know the full extent of everything at the time, but I knew enough. I knew you could do so much better, and I aimed to be the guy to show you that."

Rachel tucked her head against his shoulder. His arms were warm, shielding her from the chill in the night air without obscuring the little breezes that played beguilingly against her skin. "You were," she said, hiding her smile against his jacket. "I loved you too much the first time not to give you a second chance, Jesse."

"Then I'm glad I gathered the courage to ask for one." His arms tightened fractionally, and she felt the soft pressure of a kiss in her hair. "I'm not going to screw this up again. You mean too much to me."

Rachel closed her eyes, savoring the evening with her other senses. The soft music—the night air—Jesse's arms holding her as they swayed gently, not quite dancing. The moment was perfect, and she believed him. This time—this time, they'd get it right.

A/N: So...who wants part 3? Or is that really pushing it too far in a collection of oneshots? It's totally up to y'all. (JSYK, though, part 3 is the sexy part.) Mwah!