Hey, lovelies! Given that I'm self-distancing at the moment, here's part II of my first oneshot for your at home enjoyment. If anything can make us feel better about the state of things, it's escaping into the universe of Glee.
The weekend after winning Regionals is exhilarating. Shelby, with the generous funding of the Vocal Adrenaline booster club, goes all out for her students. Straight from the Elsie Janis Theatre, after meeting with the their families and getting more flowers then they knew what to do with, the group is whisked away on an appropriately large party-bus heading to Columbus. Jesse and Rachel are, of course, glued together for the entirety of the short ride. In Columbus, they stay at a hotel the New Directions could only dream of affording (they'd need to have bake sales every day of the school year to book just one room) and, after a brief talk with Shelby—aided by Rachel's puppy-dog eyes—Jesse and Rachel are allowed to share a suite. The next two days are filled with all-expense payed shopping, dining, and pampering; Vocal Adrenaline has ample time to bond with heir new female lead when they are able to separate her from Jesse.
Soon Monday rolls around and Rachel can barely sleep due to the excitement of her first day at Carmel. Waking up at 4:30 am, like always, Rachel runs on her elliptical for forty-five minutes, listening to "Bohemian Rhapsody" on repeat—a reminder of her new and improved life. After a quick shower, which is dwarfed by the time it takes her to complete her extensive moisturizing routine, Rachel gets dressed in a new outfit she bought over the weekend (she donated her animal sweaters to the nearest Goodwill), styles her newly highlighted hair and bangs, and puts on some light, smoky makeup befitting her new status as Vocal Adrenaline's co-captain and female lead.
Though Jesse offered to drive her to school, she wants to take her new Range Rover for a spin, and makes the trip by herself. Parking in a spot that reads "RESERVED—VOCAL ADRENALINE MEMBERS ONLY," Rachel spots Jesse leaning on his own car next to her's. Running to him, she meets his lips in a heated make-out session and they lose track of time, until the warning bells breaks them out of their spell.
They enter the school with Jesse's arm wrapped around her shoulders and Rachel's arm wrapped around his waist, a clear statement to the rest of the student body about their status as not only a couple, but essentially King and Queen of Carmel High. There's no need to get a schedule—Vocal Adrenaline spend the entire school day rehearsing and Shelby assigns a place-holder to each member to go to classes and take tests for them.
Jesse leads her to Vocal Adrenaline's private girl's locker room and leaves her with a kiss and a bottle of sunscreen, "Don't forget to put it on, the spotlights here will burn you quicker than a tanning bed."
Within twenty minutes, Vocal Adrenaline is gathered on the stage looking up at Shelby's observation desk.
"Congratulations! We are well on our way to our fourth consecutive National championship," Shelby pauses as the students cheer, "I am more certain than ever that we have Nationals in our pocket. Not only have we gained Rachel Berry, but the New Directions have lost Rachel. Their chances of even making it to Sectionals next year are slim to none."
She looks over the group with a bright smile, "Now, who's ready to hear our setlist?"
Rachel falls back on her bed with a resounding sigh, pulling Jesse beside her, "I can't feel my legs! You weren't lying when you said practice was intense. I can't remember the last time the New Directions actually spent a meeting rehearsing rather than arguing."
"Shelby's a taskmaster, but that's why we're so great: practicing for eight hours a day with people who actually care about the arts."
"It was amazing! We're just starting to learn the numbers and the choreography is almost perfectly synchronized. It's so nice to be part of something like Vocal Adrenaline, it's like we all move with one soul." Rachel turns to kiss him, gently running a hand down his face, "And my wonderful partner is the icing on the cake."
"So, movie night?"
"Yep, "Funny Girl" and a tub of soy chocolate ice cream are calling my name."
With Barbra Streisand's rendition of "People" in the background, Jesse's mouth travels down the column of Rachel's throat, her hands tangled in his curls, both of their shirts and Rachel's skirt long thrown somewhere behind the couch. A loud knock on the front door breaks them out of their reverie. Slipping Jesse's black muscle shirt on she pads over to the door and cracks it open.
"Finn—what are you doing here?"
He pushes past her and into the house, stopping in his tracks when he sees a half-naked Jesse and notices that Rachel is barely dressed as well. "I was going to give you an opportunity to apologize to us and return to the New Directions, but I'm not sure if we even want you anymore. It looks like St. Jerk here has turned you into a slut."
Jesse doesn't hesitate to punch him, "How dare you! Rachel is already more than ten times the person you or anyone in this stupid town will ever amount to."
"Jesse, don't! He's not worth it," Rachel tried to pull him back, but Jesse is well-muscled from extensive Vocal Adrenaline practice and manages to get another punch straight into Finn's nose with a crack.
He pushes Finn, who's pawing at his blood-dripping nose, none too carefully out the door. "Don't talk to Rachel. Don't look at Rachel. Don't even think about her," Jesse warns in a harsh whisper.
"Thank you for defending me," Rachel murmured, looking down as tears gathered in her eyes, "No one's done that before."
"Hey, hey. There's no need for that now," he lightly wipes her tears away with he pad of his thumb, "You're with me know. He doesn't deserve you. You're a star, Rachel Berry. He's going to be stuck in Lima for the rest of his life and you're destined to have your named in shining lights, alongside mine of course. It's an inevitability."
"I love you, Jesse."
"I love you too, Rach. I've never felt like this before."
"I know. It's because we're equals; we perfectly match each other in every way."
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