This chapter is very short, I know. It's a filler and I had to end it where I did. I just had to!

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :) I do. It's full of fluff which I think was desperately needed despite all the ddddrrrraaaaammmmaaaaaa...

Chapter 21

Aftermath

Rachel opened her eyes. The world around her was bright. The melodic beeping beside her was giving her a god awful headache. She let out a groan and heard someone moving around her.

"Rach?" The familiar male voice said softly. The voice was angelic. "Oh you're awake finally."

She registered the voice. It was Kurt. But what was Kurt doing at the theatre? And why had she been asleep on the job? Then she remembered. The scene at the pizzeria beside the theatre. There was a big bang and then nothing.

"Where am I?" She asked putting her heavy hand to her head.

"Hospital, sweetheart," Kurt whispered "you're okay. Mild concussion and a few cuts and scrapes. Your wrist is broken but it will heal just fine.

"What happened?" Her eyes were now opened and focused on Kurt. Panic suddenly registered in her eyes. "Jesse... Where's..."

Kurt's face looked grim as he looked over at Blaine who had tears in his eyes. Panic gripped Rachel fiercely. No. This wasn't really happening. Not ever again. She barely survived Finn's death and that was solely because of Jesse. She would never survive Jesse's death.

"I'm sorry, Rachel," Kurt choked out. "I am so sorry."

"Sorry... Why are you...? Blaine? Jesse's okay right?" She asked trying to sit up in the hospital bed.

"No," Blaine said sadly. "He was killed in the blast."

Rachel awoke with a blood curdling scream for the fourth time in two days. She sat up and took note of her surroundings. She was at home. She was in her and Jesse's bed. She frantically looked around but Jesse was nowhere to be seen. She pulled her legs to her chest and sobbed. She racked her brain trying to figure out if she had just experienced a nightmare or was experiencing a memory replay. The door to her room suddenly slammed open and she burst into gut wrenching sobs when she saw Jesse run to her side. He was topless and his chest and shoulder were wrapped and he had cuts and bruises all over his body but he was alive and well. It had been a horrible nightmare.

"I... You..." Rachel choked out as Jesse wrapped his arms around her. She sunk into his arms, almost shocked that he was with her.

"I know," he whispered into her hair. "You have been having that same nightmare since the events yesterday. I'm right here. Are you okay?"

Rachel shook her head as her body trembled. "It felt so real."

"I know baby girl," Jesse whispered, rubbing her back tenderly. "It wasn't real. I'm broken and bruised and still here."

A fresh set of tears found Rachel. "I thought I lost you... I barely survived..."

Jesse lifted Rachel's chin and kissed her passionately knowing nothing else would snatch her out of the disbelief she was in. When all else failed, this was the best way for him to bring her back to ground level. The kiss lasted for a few minutes. Rachel was terrified to break the kiss in fear that he would go away. When the kiss finally broke, Rachel smiled.

"What would I do without you?"

Jesse pretended to think for a minute before kissing her nose. "Let's hope you never have to find out. How are you feeling today?"

Rachel just shrugged. "Sore. Very, very sore. Everything that happened seems a bit fuzzy still. I remember the blast and I remember you grabbing me."

Jesse nodded and laid down with Rachel beside him. "You passed out when you hit the floor. Hit your head rather hard. I managed to shield you from most of the debris."

"This from the fall?" Rachel asked with a smirk as she lifted her arm to show the cast

"Yup but you knew that already," Jesse teased. "What would you like to do tonight?"

Rachel frowned deeply. "Show still postponed?"

Jesse nodded, kind of sadly. "Unfortunately. They haven't been able to go in and check damage from the explosion or potential flooding. The pizzeria is gone. Just leveled. From what I can tell, the future of Funny Girl at the St. James theatre is grim. Even if it does get the go ahead, with Rupert's condition who knows what will come of it."

"He will recover," Rachel said grimly. "We have to trust that he will."

"I hope so," Jesse whispered. "We return to set tomorrow. That will bring our minds off things."

Rachel sadly nodded in agreement. She knew these events were out of their control but she hated to believe that her first production on Broadway would end like this. Even with the potential of Spring Awakening hitting the stage with them as leads, this isn't how she wanted it to be. No one really did.

Rachel and Jesse fell into a peaceful sleep, awaking together a few hours later when Ashleigh and Kurt came to check on them. The four of then spent the evening relaxing and enjoying one another's company - thankful that the blast didn't have more tragic results.

Martin had arrived later that evening with a variety of choices from a local high end Chinese food place he knew. Everyone was grateful. Rachel's dads were away for business again and couldn't visit, despite the accident. Having Martin around made it just a little easier for her. He had truly developed into a father figure for Rachel. Which got her thinking about the future. She knew without a shadow of doubt that Jesse was her future. They were lovers. They worked together and lived together. They were very happy and very much in love. But what about the future? Rachel had been engaged at one time and was nervous at the thought of it happening again. Could she ever feel right calling Jesse her fiancé and eventually her husband? She knew it was an inevitability.

Rachel's mind had begun to spin again. Despite the livelihood around her, she stood up suddenly and without a word she led out onto the balcony. The group noticed. It was Kurt who got up to follow her. He had a feeling that this was a situation only a BFF could help with.

"What's the matter diva?" Kurt asked as he walked out onto the balcony. "You've been on another planet tonight."

Rachel sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"You have a broken wrist and..."

"No, not that," Rachel said looking up at the moon. "I am scared of my future with Jesse."

Kurt's eyes widened. "What are you talking about? That guy in there loves you to pieces."

"I don't doubt his love," she explained. "I know he would never hurt me."

"Then what..." It suddenly dawned on him. "Oh. You're afraid of losing him..."

"Like I lost Finn," she whispered with tears threatening to fall. "I am terrified that I will let myself plan out our lives like I did with Finn and then some horrible twist of fate is going to tear us apart. Look at the blast. The dream..."

"What dreams?" Kurt asked leaning on the railing beside her

"That he was killed in the blast..."

"That's normal, considering. I understand. I mean, you fall in love with someone and you know with everything you have that your end game and then they pass away," Kurt said, "then you know, you move on and allow yourself to find love but how do you allow yourself to believe that forever with someone is still in the cards? I really have thought about it a lot. Put myself in your shoes and you know what?"

"What?"

"I came to the conclusion that one day I would know when I was ready to believe in it again," he said as he wrapped his arm around her. "One day you're going to look at Jesse and know you will marry him and spend forever making ridiculously talented babies. You'll grow old and one day you will both pass. One day you'll be ready for that. It's okay not to be now."

"I know we will get married one day," Rachel whispered

"Yes, but you're not ready yet. Again, it's understandable," he kissed her head. "Give it time. The fear will diminish."

Rachel sighed. "I need to escape from this rut. I can't touch my hair..."

"Tattoo," he stated plainly. "I regret nothing about mine. And you Missy were supposed to receive one!"

Rachel blushed and looked away from Kurt. "I did."

Kurt's jaw dropped, "you did what? When?! Where?!"

"Here," Rachel replied lifting her shirt a little to display the Finn tattoo. Kurt immediately teared up. "I wanted to keep it to myself. I haven't even told Jesse."

"Rachel, that's beautiful," Kurt exclaimed giving the petite girl a hug. "Diva, are you telling me you and Jesse haven't..."

She blushed deeply. "We have. A lot of it. But always in the dark. I've been afraid."

Kurt smiled. "I want deets later but from what I can tell everyone is getting ready to head out. Come say Goodnight then take that devishly handsome young stud to bed and treat those injuries. With all the lights on. Time to shake safe."

Rachel kissed Kurt's cheek. "Yes, I will do that. Thank you very much, Kurt. You always know the right things to do."

"I'm a genius! What can I say?"

"Jesse?" Rachel said softly as she walked into their bedroom wrapped in a silk robe. "I have something I need to talk to you about."

Jesse looked away from the idiot box and realized what Rachel was wearing. He smirked with lust filled eyes and shut the TV off. He sat up and watched her inventively as she moved to the bed.

"What might that be?" He grinned, licking his lips

She climbed on the bed from his side and carefully straddled him, careful not to agitate his broken ribs or collarbone. She leaned forward and kissed him deeply. He knew this meant she needed to talk about something important. Though his carnal urges would have to wait, he couldn't help but slide his hands up her outer thigh, quickly discovering she had no underwear on. He bit his lip and moaned at the discovery. He took a deep breath, knowing he had to control himself.

"A few months back, when Kurt got his tattoo," she began slowly. "I got one as well..."

He rolled his eyes and smiled at her, running his hand up her side, under the robe and rested it where the tattoo was.

"I know, its right here," he explained much to her shock. "It says 'Finn'. It's a beautiful gesture."

"How..."

"I have explored your glorious body enough times, Rach. Even in the dark I could still see the tattoo."

"Why didn't you say something? Doesn't it weird you out or anything?"

Jesse laughed as he tugged the robe off her shoulders, letting the fabric dangle. "I knew you were ready for me to know. That's why you kept the lights off. I've also noticed it in the mornings when you're sleeping naked. I knew you would tell me when you were ready. As for weir ding me out, never. Finn was a part of you. I respect that and I think it's amazing that you would honor him like that."

Rachel kissed him passionately, nipping at his lip. He knew playtime was about to commence. "How did I get such an amazing boyfriend?"

He just shrugged. "You make me that way."

Rachel let the robe fall, exposing herself. This time, she didn't lean forward to turn off the lights. This time she was going to just let loose. She kissed him with all the love, lust and passion she had before grinding herself against him, quickly realizing he had no boxers on under the cover. She smiled and with a seductive glance, she pulled the blanket aside.

Rachel awoke the next morning to the sound of her alarm blaring and the smell of something cooking. She moaned and stretched out her sore body. She and Jesse had taken advantage of the fact that they had postponed work on the movie for another day and spent the night exploring one another. This included a stop in the shower. Rachel smiled and leaned over to the spot beside her only to notice Jesse wasn't these. She pouted then remembered the smell of food. She grabbed her robe off the floor and made her way into the kitchen where Jesse stood, in nothing but an apron.

"Well good morning chef," Rachel growled. "Careful how you present yourself or else that food might just burn."

Jesse looked at her with a smirk and turned the stove off. "Fortunately, your tofu bacon is now complete."

He ripped off his apron and in three strides, his lips were on Rachel's as he got rid of the robe. He lifted her with ease and placed her gently along the edge of the island. He hands her a seductive face and she threw her head back in anticipation.

That morning they made quick work around the kitchen. Their food progressively got cold but neither of them seemed to notice. They were sore and in considerate amounts of pain from their injuries but they couldn't get enough of each other. Rachel had never been more grateful for her IUD than she was at that moment. Everything about their morning was exhilarating and passionate. She was actually starting to feel refreshed and surprisingly relaxed. The couple lay on the couch, staring off into the city skies. Their naked bodies wrapped around one another with a blanket delicately hanging over them. Jesse moved his fingers tenderly along Rachel's arm, losing himself in the blissfulness of the moment. Rachel had found rest. Jesse knew he wasn't far behind. He wanted to cherish the moment. Stay in it forever if he could. Part of him still felt like he was dreaming. Each time he opened his eyes, he was terrified that he would wake up and still be without her. It was exactly where he belonged. He had known that from the moment he saw her belt out the opening notes of "don't rain" all those years ago. It was love at first sight for him. He knew she was the one without a doubt. Ever since that first night they sang 'hello twelve' and kissed her precious lips he has had a precious item sitting in his dresser. Only one woman would ever wear it. He kissed her head and let sleep pull him under.

"It's so quiet," a male voice murmured as he got off the elevator and looked around.

The apartment had a strong, distinctive smell to it, though he couldn't place what. He shook his head and put the heavy suitcase down on the ground. He worked his way into the kitchen to see it destroyed. Worry began to creep in on him. What if someone had been here? What if somebody had hurt the couple that lived there? Panic spread through him. He heard a noise from the living room. Quiet, deliberate movements. Perhaps the intruder was still in the apartment. He made for the cast iron frying pan only to discover the tofu bacon still in it. Untouched. He shuddered and became worried they were slaughtered during breakfast. He winced and went forward into the living room. He saw a limb hanging off part of the sofa. It was thin and delicate and softly structured... And in a cast. There was no blood anywhere. He was somewhat less concerned but with the mess around him - he was hesitant to dismiss foul play. He approached the couch and peered over it. He discovered the limb belonged to Rachel, who was wrapped up around Jesse, completely naked. He then put everything together. The mess wasn't an intruder. It was the result of some serious kinky fuckery. His laughter filled the apartment, startling the young lovers. Rachel looked up and her eyes widened in shock as the color drained from her face like she had seen a ghost.

"Jeeze, Berry," the voice rang out with laughter. "I always took you for a prude but wow. Did you two leave any surface un-fucked on?"

"Holy shit man," Jesse laughed and reached over to shake the young man's hand, clearly he was delighted by this visitation. "It's great to see you!"

Rachel struggled to cover herself with the blanket and was incredibly grateful when the gentleman in question took off his hoodie and threw it at her. She covered herself with the McKinley shirt, grateful it reached her knees and stared at the young man.

"Noah," she said, her voice riddled with disbelief, knowing how long basic lasted. "What are you doing here?!"

Please don't shoot, I know this is the shortest chapter to date, besides the first one. It really was a filler and you know me… I love my cliffy's. I know some of you are going to be mad about the opening of the chapter. I couldn't resist.

What is Puck doing back so early? Does Ashleigh know? What about Funny Girl? Lots more in the next chapter which will be much longer!

I am also working on an awesome new WordPress blog for both this story and IAD. I will include everything from pictures and banners and all that happy stuff. I'm excited to get it up and running.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!