A Story of New York Chapter 27: Dare To Believe, a glee fanfic

Thanks for the feedback ! I came up with a new idea for some chapters; putting in some flashbacks to New York in the summer, little flashbacks to how Rachel and James started to fall for each other. The first one is Rachel's within this chapter!

Chapter 27

Rachel was the happiest she'd been in the time since she had returned to Ohio from visiting Oregon over two weeks earlier. Being reunited with James at the airport a few minutes after he had landed in Ohio had lifted her mood completely; wiping away the pain and stress that she'd been suffering through at school without him, replaced by utter happiness. For the first time in those past two weeks, Rachel felt complete as she sat in the back of her Dad's car, as if her body was finally whole as sat with the two boys from Oregon, the three of them talking with her Dads. In particular, being able to cuddle with James was something she had missed the most about their separation; his arms around her providing her the comfort that she had longed for as she slept cuddling his soft toy.

Rachel was sat with a smile fixed on her face as she sat listening to James and Matt fill her dads in on how school had been going for them, resting her head against his shoulder as they sat with their hands linked in his lap. The feel of his arm curled protectively around her as his thumb rubbed soothing circles on her shoulder felt too good to be true.

"How was the flight boy's?" Hiram asked, and Rachel glanced at James as she squeezed his hand; knowing that he didn't enjoy flying but loving him for dealing with it in order to come visit her.

"It was alright for me; but you know how Jimmy is" Matt replied and Rachel leaned up and kisses her boyfriend's cheek softly.

"You okay baby?" She asked softly as her lips left his skin. He glanced at her and gave her a slight smile that told her all she needed to know.

"I hate flying" He admitted in a soft voice, and she squeezed his hand again as his arm pulled her tighter against him. "But it's worth it to see you, beautiful"

"Flying's not really my thing either son, don't worry about it" Hiram offered from the front seat and Rachel mouthed a thank you to her dad as he gave her a gentle nod of his head in understanding. Both of her Dads knew how much James meant to her and their care of his feelings was something that warmed her heart.

"I tried to keep his mind of it" Matt offered with a smirk.

"How was school?" Rachel asked in an attempt to change the tone of the conversation, the whole time that she had known James there was little that affected him; he had always been strong and tough for her. It was adorable how self conscious he was about how flights affected him, and the fact that he had shared that vulnerability simply made her love him more.

"I hope Andrea made sure you had your school work done before you came to visit, young man" Rachel giggled as she listened to Leroy teasing her boyfriend, edging closer to James as she rubbed his thigh with her free hand.

"Yeah, my mom made sure I had it all done" James said with a smirk, one appearing on her face as she felt him pulled her closer as her hand lingered at the top of his thigh. "I had to sit in the kitchen and do it all in front of her on Thursday so that she knew I had it done before I came"

Rachel heard Matt snicker next to her and she turned to look at him with an amused look as her Dad's laughed in the front seat. "You never told me that dude"

"Duh, you'd give me so much abuse if I told you at home" James replied and Rachel giggled along with her boyfriend as he laughed.

"I wouldn't have dreamed of it" Matt replied, in a mockingly tone that made Rachel giggle some more.

"Uh-huh" James said with a role of his eyes, and when he pressed a kiss on the top of her head she smiled as her eyes fluttered at the soothing sensation. She pressed her lips together to try and prevent herself from laughing as he whispered to her "He's so mean to me, baby"

"Awwww" Rachel cooed, tilting her head to gaze into his eyes as he smirked at her. "I'll be extra nice to you to make you feel better"

Her eyes closed again when James leaned forwards to meet their lips, smiling against his as he pressed a tender kiss before pulling back and resting his cheek against the top of her head as she settled into his embrace again. "I love you"

"I love you too" She replied with a happy smile as she snuggled into his body; not seeing the happy, almost tearful smile that Hiram had on his face at the sight of his daughter so relaxed and happy.

"Aside from school work, everything is going well? Rachel mentioned that your glee club still hadn't found a replacement director?" Leroy asked as he drove them towards Lima.

"We actually have one now" Matt replied, and she lifted her head off James chest to look at her boyfriend. "Mrs Contrase, she started on Monday"

"You didn't tell me that" Rachel asked, looking at her boyfriend with a slight frown.

"Sorry, it must have slipped my mind; I was too excited about getting to visit you when we talked this week" James replied, with a slight smile and Rachel giggled softly at how happy he seemed to be here with her.

"Do you like her?" Hiram asked as Rachel settled back into her cuddling with James, closing her eyes as she was content just to listen and enjoy his hold on her.

"She's okay, I guess" James replied "We haven't had many rehearsals this week; so I haven't actually spoken to her other than a few words"

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Leroy asked

"Our performance schedule in Oregon is normally quiet in October" Matt offered in response.

"Yeah, with our sectionals being so early but Regional's still held in February; over the past couple of years, we've spent the couple of months after sectionals just rehearsing without many real performances aside from a few fundraisers and stuff like that" James continued explaining.

"We'd like to see you perform again, Rachel showed us the video of your performance and I have to say you did a fantastic job. It's been a while since we have heard anything quite as good as that" Leroy said, and Rachel smiled as she remembered the impressed expressions that had rested on her Dad's faces as she showed them The Scale Blazer's sectional performance.

"Thank you very much" James replied and Rachel smirked at the slight blush on his cheeks at the compliment.

"Do you have any idea when's your next one could be?" Hiram asked, and Rachel couldn't help thinking back to when James had sung in New York in front of her father's.

...

Rachel was falling for him; like actually, falling for James. They'd known each other for three weeks, and she was falling for him. Not only that, but she was sure that he liked her as well; he would give her these looks that made her skin tingle and she saw that he cared about her as more than the friends they had become. Ever since their talk about their past relationships the previous week, where he had held her close and comforted her as she cried; she was becoming increasingly drawn to him. How could she not fall for him when he so amazing to her? The way he would speak to her, with such attentiveness as if she was the most important person in the entire world; not even talking about the obvious. James was handsome and well, let's just be honest he was really, really hot.

Kurt had mentioned that she was staring at him a few times over the past few days; her eyes lingering subconsciously on him as they sat around talking in their group of friends. But did he feel the same way? Kurt had told her that when he didn't catch her staring at James; the rest of the time he would catch James glancing at her with a smitten look. She had blushed at Kurt, but didn't reply. James was never anything but sweet towards her, treating her as a special girl but apart from that he never did anything that could be seen as a romantic gesture.

Her attention was shifted back to her surroundings as she heard his laugh, that infectious happy laugh that brightened up her day every time she had heard it. Rachel couldn't help but smile at seeing him interacting with her dads. James had only met them a couple of times, but her Dads thought the world of him, he looked so comfortable and at ease with them that she couldn't help but feel a little bit overwhelmed. Her dads had never been this accepting of a boy before, but to see them talk and laugh with him like this was amazing and Rachel couldn't help but fall a little deeper.

They were at James father's apartment in New York, where he would stay on business, along with Kurt as well as James' mom, Andrea. James had introduced Rachel to her the week before, and she was the kindest woman that Rachel had ever met. His mom was a vegan chef, and was staying with James for the final two weeks of the summer camp and had insisted on cooking dinner for her Son's new friends and her family. Rachel had worn a yellow summer dress and James had been so adorable when he had opened the apartment door for them; complimenting her by saying she looked gorgeous. Rachel couldn't help but blush at him, her eyes gazing over his appearance. He had worn a smart shirt and suit pants, and he looked so handsome; his sexy...well toned body from all the dancing and lifts he had done being highlighted well by the sleeves rolled up.

"Rachel tells us that we might be able to hear you sing for us?" Leroy asked with a smile, and Rachel gazed at James as he blushed slightly. Ever since Rachel had told them about how amazing his voice was after the first time they met him; her dads had been dying to hear it for themselves.

"Ummm, Sure" James replied, smiling nervously. "I haven't played the piano in a few weeks so I might be a little rusty"

"Are you afraid of performing now, James?" Rachel said with a giggle as he rolled his eyes at her. "All you've been doing is bragging about Nationals for weeks"

"Alright munchkin, I'll sing for you" He replied as he winked at her; causing a giggle to escape her throat as he rose from his seat and over to the piano. His father's apartment was beautifully decorated in a clean, modern way and the grandest piano she had ever seen in a house sat nearby one of the bay windows that looked out over the city.

"What are you going to play for us?" She asked, biting her lip slightly as the rest of the made their way over to sit on the leather couches as James played a few notes on the piano.

"This is a song that I love to listen to...and I really hope I do it justice now in front of you all" He said with a nervous half smile towards them on the couch, before taking a deep breath. Rachel glanced at Kurt, who looked at her with a knowing smile; knowing that he knew how she was starting to feel towards James. As he released his breath, he glanced at her once more focusing his attention on the ivory keys as he started to move his fingers.

James started playing the opening notes, and Rachel smiled at hearing him play smoothly with his eyes closed as he concentrated. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth to start singing, his voice clear and true.

It's feeling like our time's run out,
But the hour glass, just flipped itself over again,
The sun is slowly sinking down,
But on the other side a new day awaits to begin.

If you dare to believe in life,
You might realise that there's no time for talking
Or just wait around while the innocent die.

As he held the note on at the beginning of the next verse, she couldn't help but smile.

No more, we're gonna lose everything,
If we believe all the lies,
I may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe.
No more, this world's runnin on empty
And there's no reason why,
You may fall but I know that you'll help me believe.

He gazed towards the couch as he started the next verse, and she felt her eyes drawn to his, something uncontrollable; as if his voice was pulling her in towards him. For the few lines, it was as if he was singing only to her; she didn't notice her Dads exchange glances with Andrea at the two of them only having eyes for each other. When he returned his head to looking at the ivory keys, she felt sad at the loss of contact between them.

We been in the dark for way too long,
But when we turn around we see light shine through the haze,
So forget about who was wrong,
'Cause I've never been more ready to turn this page.

If you swear you believe in life,
Embrace forgiveness 'cause it's all that I'm askin',
Or keep holding out while the innocent die.

No more, we're gonna lose everything,
If we believe all the lies,
You may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe.
No more, this world's runnin on empty
And there's no reason why,
You may fall but I know that you'll help me believe.

No more, we're gonna lose everything,
If we believe all the lies,
You may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe,
You may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe,
I may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe.

If you swear you believe in life
No more
We're gonna lose everything
Oh, I said no more
We're so quick to lose everything

As the song drew to a close, he sung harmonies in a falsetto and she couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes. When he finished the song, she couldn't help but applaud him; standing up from the couch with the rest of the group as James gazed at her with a smile. He stood from the piano stool and made his way over to them. Rachel moved first over to him and pulled him into a tight embrace for several seconds before pulling back slightly as she gazed at him.

"That was beautiful" She said gently, and he mouthed a thank you to her as they separated.

"James, you have an incredible voice" Leroy was the first to compliment him, and as he talked with her Dads and his mom for several moments she gazed over at Kurt who smirked at her smugly and she couldn't help but blush and smile at him. She was falling for him and she wanted to have this man with the beautiful heart and voice in her life for more than a few weeks.

...

"I'm not completely sure, sir" James replied as Rachel opened her eyes, a smile sitting on her face at remembering how proud she had been off him when he'd held himself in such good stead with her father's even before they were dating. "Mr Atherton had some contacts with some business around Portland where we could get the chance to perform. But we normally have a concert just before thanksgiving"

"Myself and Leroy would love it if you could get us tickets" Hiram said, and Rachel smiled at her Dad as he turned in his seat and gave her a wink. "I'm sure Rachel would appreciate the chance to visit you as well"

"We'll see what we can do" Matt replied, and Rachel bit her lip as she felt James grip her a bit tighter, happy to be held tighter in his embrace. James talked for about a quarter of an hour more with her Dad's about how things were going for them in Oregon, Rachel happy just to sit and listen as her amazing boyfriend continued to show her one of the reasons why she loved him; the cool and calm way he held a conversation with them. Matt seemed a bit quiet to her, but she guessed that he was happy to let James do the majority of the talking as he was the one who was more comfortable with Leroy and Hiram.

"What about you Rachel?" Matt asked as James finished telling them about how his college application was coming together nicely with some volunteering work he had done at local community theatre. She sat up, and settled into a sitting position rather than leaning against James; though she kept their hands linked, turning to face him as he smiled at her. "How's things here for you?"

"They're good" She said, giving him a smile that wasn't genuine but she knew Matt wouldn't recognize it and when he smiled back she felt reassured that she didn't need to explain. She glanced at James as she spoke again, and she knew that he could tell she wasn't telling the truth but was thankful when he nodded at her in understanding she would tell him later. "I got a callback for the school musical and I'm feeling good about it"

"Really? That's amazing Rachel" Matt replied with a genuinely happy smile. James on the other hand gently squeezed her hand as she loved him even more in that moment; not forcing her to air her problems in front of Matt and her Dad's, he knew that she would tell him in private. For the next few minutes she told the two boys about what had changed for her since she had visited James in Oregon, until eventually her Dad pulled the car into her street and slowly parked the car on their drive.

"Well, here we are boys" Leroy announced as he turned the engine off before stepping out of the car. Rachel untangled herself from James embrace, a smile on her face as he climbed out of the back seat first before he offered her his hand to help her climb out of the car; a smug smirk appearing on his face as she complemented him on his chivalry before wrapping her arm around his waist as he slung his arm around her shoulder, carrying his rucksack on the other.

"So this is the Berry residence huh?" Matt said as they walked up the drive towards her house. "It's nice"

"Thank you". Rachel replied, walking through the door hand in hand with James. James dropped his bag by the coats hung up in the entrance hall, a smile on her lips as she told Matt he could do the same before she led the boys into to the kitchen, where Leroy and Hiram were walking around turning lights on as well as boiling the kettle.

"You have a very nice house, Mr Berry's" Matt said as he took a seat at their breakfast counter.

"Thank you" Hiram replied, heading over to the kitchen has he spoke again; "I made you boys some dinner, in case you were hungry. I know air-plane food isn't the best but I think you might like this"

Rachel giggled as she saw James face erupt in a smile when he saw the dish of bean soup that was leftover.

"Is that what I think it is, Hiram?" James asked, moving from standing next to her over to the counter. Both of her dads laughed at him and Rachel couldn't help the warm feeling she got when Hiram put his arm around her boyfriend

"My bean soup? I thought you might appreciate being able to try some of it" Hiram said with a chuckle, as James smirked at her father. "Has Andrea tried making it with the recipe I sent her?"

"She tried, and please don't ever tell her; but it was nothing compared to the original" James replied laughing and Rachel couldn't but join in giggling as Hiram patted James on the back.

"Thank you very much son, I'll make sure to keep it between us" Hiram replied laughing "now, I bet you two are hungry"

The five if them sat down while the two boys ate, Rachel face etched in a permanent smile as she sat next to James. Both of the boys complimented Hiram on his cooking. When James asked for seconds, she burst out giggling at him; before kissing his cheek as he sat back down next to her with a huge grin on his face before digging in. It was nice to have James around her Dads again, especially for Leroy; who in particular had bonded with her boyfriend due to many shared interests. In New York, the two boys from Oregon and Leroy had watched sports together and Rachel couldn't help but watch happily as her boyfriend teased her dad about when their sports teams had played.

"They played well, but it was a close match" Leroy said with a smile.

"Close? We crushed you guys!" James laughed. "Came down it and we were the better team"

"Dude, your team is crap; stop bragging" Matt said as he burst out laughing at James.

"Come on, The Seahawks are doing great this year. We beat both the 49ers and the Raiders so don't tell me we're crap!" James replied with a smirk. Rachel looked towards Hiram and he gave her a wink; knowing how much the men in her life bonding meant to her. "We're going to the play-offs this year, you watch"

"The only place you're going is back home to cry when we beat you" Matt said cockily.

"I can't wait to see that" Leroy said as he smirked at her boyfriend who rolled his eyes before murmuring something like; "We'll see about that"

They sat there for a little while longer before the clock passed just after 11:30, Leroy turned to them after Hiram shooed James away when he offered to wash up.

"Alright; I'm sure you'd like to settle down Matthew, Rachel would you show him to the guest room?" Leroy spoke softly with a smile.

"Yeah that'd be nice" Matt replied, standing up and leaning against the breakfast counter. "Thank you for dinner Mr Berry's; it was great"

"Don't worry about it Matthew" Leroy said and winked at the boy. Rachel nudged James' arm and he rose from his seat and headed over to the doorway. He was about to walk through out into the hallway when her Dad's called him back. "Could you wait please son"

Rachel glanced at James, who nodded before he made his way over to her Dad's at the table. When he met her gaze, she gave him a nervous smile; unsure about whether her dad's would say anything to him about their sleeping arrangements while she was out of the room.

"Sweetheart, I'm sure Matt would appreciate it if you could show him" Hiram said softly with a smile.

"Okay" she replied, relaxing a bit as James gave her a reassuring nod of his head.

"Lead the way Rachel" Matt smiled at her and she stood to lead him from the room. As they made their way up the stairs and along the corridor he spoke again softly; "You okay? They're not going to kill him you know"

"James told you about us...sharing a bed?" She asked, chewing her lip nervously.

"Yeah he did" Matt replied with a gentle nod of his head. She blushed as she gave him a weak smile as he added; "He's only told me, his mom made a comment about remembering their talk when she dropped us off at the airport and I was curious"

"Did he tell you about what she said?" Rachel asked curiously, James hadn't mentioned the details of his talk with his mom to yet.

"Not really; he seemed a bit embarrassed which is strange because he's never normally embarrassed about anything" Matt said with a wink; "Don't worry though; like I said they aren't going to kill him."

"Okay...I know…my dad's talked to me as well, I guess they just want to talk to us together" Rachel replied.

"Mhmmm, come on; you know your dads love him" Matt offered in reassurance. They walked in silence for another couple of seconds before they reached the guest room door.

"Here it is" She said, smiling at Matt as she held the door open for him before following him in. "They're new sheets we got for James when he came to visit, so he's only slept in them for a couple of nights but we washed them yesterday so they're clean and..."

"It'll be great, Rachel" Matt replied as he placed his bag down on the blue linen covered bed. She nodded at him as he turned to face her again, twiddling her fingers anxiously; wanting to spend some time with Matt considering she hadn't seen him in so long, but also wanting to go and rescue her boyfriend from her Dad's. "I'll see you in the morning, I know you want to go and make sure he's alright"

"Thanks and sleep tight" Rachel said with a slight smile, stepping forward and touching his arm gently before she spun around and walked out of the room and back down the corridor towards the stairs to go to find and rescue James from her Dad's.

As she started stepping down the steps on the stairs, Rachel bit her lip as well as nervously smoothing down her blouse over the top of her Jeans. While she knew her Dads were supportive of her relationship with James and much to her surprise, they had been okay with her sharing a bed with her boyfriend. Rachel had expected them to react angrily, and that's why her first reaction had been to cry and try to beg them not to prevent him from seeing her. Still; knowing her Dads, they would want to talk to both of them together, which would lead to a great amount of embarrassment on her side and probably for James as well.

As her foot hit the bottom step, she took a deep breath; a little disconcerted about the fact that she couldn't hear any speaking coming from the Kitchen. Rachel put a smile on her face before walking through the living room and into the kitchen, trying to put the appearance of calm on her face as she saw her Dad's sat at the kitchen table along with James. She couldn't see his face as he sat with his back to her, but his head was bowed slightly and as she passed him; he was looking at his hands as he rested them twiddling his thumbs on the table in front of him. Rachel worry increased for a moment, wondering if they had said something to him but the sight of her Dads giving her a smile set her nerves at ease.

"Is the guest room fine for Matthew, sweetheart?" Leroy asked as she stood by the table. James looked up to give her a slight smile and she was glad when she saw the calm reassuring look in his eyes; telling her that everything was alright as he separated his hands.

"Yeah, he said everything was perfect" Rachel replied and gave her Dad a soft smile.

"That's good" Hiram added before taking a deep breath and leaning forward in his seat. "Take a seat, baby girl"

"Okay" Rachel said softly, before she took a seat next to James at the table. When she sat, she couldn't help but reach across the small distance between them and linking her hand with James'. He turned to her and gave a smile before leaning toward her and placing a tender kiss on her cheek. Rachel blushed slightly as he leaned away and she focused her attention on her Dads.

"So James…" Leroy said firmly, as he leaned forward and mirrored his husbands pose. Rachel felt James squeeze her hand softly and she knew it was because he felt intimidated. While he got along well with them, her Dad's were definitely scary for any boy and she squeezed back, trying to convey that she was here for him. "It's Rachel's birthday tomorrow and I'm sure she's told you about the birthday party"

"Yeah…she has" James replied and Rachel couldn't help the slight frown that made its way on her face. Okay, that definitely wasn't what she had been expecting the conversation to be. Maybe everything was alright after all.

"Normally we wouldn't be completely happy about leaving our daughter unsupervised in our house with a group of her friends" Leroy continued speak, and Rachel started rubbing the back of James' hand with her thumb. Aside from their yearly holiday that the two of them took, they were reluctant to spend much time away from Lima and their daughter. "Especially when, even though Rachel has assured us she will keep him on his best behaviour; one Noah Puckerman is involved and that most certainly always leads to distasteful activities"

"Daddy, nothing like that's going to happen" Rachel said with a giggle, and next to her James was smirking.

"We know sweetheart and that's why your father and I are going to be staying overnight at a Hotel in Columbus" Leroy added with a smile. Rachel looked at James with a look of shock, his eyebrows raised at the revelation, before returning her gaze to her Dad. "We trust you and our daughter together; so we decided that it would be better if we didn't come home and interrupt your party."

"You're trusting us to watch the house for the night?" James asked and she could hear the surprise in his voice. Rachel watched her Dad nod at them before turning to James and smiling at him. He met her gaze and returned her smile; Rachel could see how much it meant to him that her Dads were trusting them as they sparkled. "Sir's...thank you"

"Daddies...it means a lot that you trust us" Rachel said happily, standing out of her seat and skipping around the table to hug both of her Dads tightly before placing a kiss on each of their cheeks.

"We know sweetheart" Hiram replied, gazing at her with a warm smile. As she sat down again, she let out a sigh, glad that her and James weren't in trouble or had to suffer a talk with her Dads. "You looked relieved baby girl?"

Rachel opened her eyes and smiled at her Dads before nodding; "I am, I thought that we were in trouble or you were going to give us a speech about our sleeping in the same bed"

"Well actually..." Leroy said and Rachel's smile faded. She stared at her Dad as he spoke again; "We already had a few words with James about that"

Next to her, James shifted in his seat and she turned her gaze to meet his. As if he could sense her worry, he gave her a wink and a warm smile. "What did they say to you baby?"

"What we're going to say to you" Leroy said, her eyes flicking between her dad before returning to her boyfriend whose cheeks had a red tinge to them. "Your father and I are allowing you two to sleep together in the same room. As we said to James and to you a few days ago Rachel, we know that the two of you love each other a great deal"

Rachel smiled and glanced at James returned it; both of their eyes welling slightly with tears. "We respect your relationship which is why we're letting you share a room, but we want a similar level of respect from the two of you to keep things appropriate while you are in our house"

"Yes Dad" Rachel replied, nodding her head in understand while also trying to hide the blush that had spread across her face at her Dad's warning about becoming intimate with James.

"Of course, Sir's" James said softly, and Rachel was glad to see that he seemed to be as embarrassed and uncomfortable as she was.

"We're glad. Your father and I aren't trying to embarrass you two, we just want to show that we are treating your relationship as a real adult one because we care about both of you" Hiram said with a warm smile as the four of them stood from the table. Rachel heart swelled at hearing that from him, overwhelmed by the fact they didn't see her and James as some childish crush; but as something that could go the distance. "Now, I'm sure you two are tired; so your father and I will let you get some sleep"

"It's good to see you again, son" Leroy smiled as he separated from embracing her and gave James a pat on the shoulder.

"Thank you for letting me stay" James replied sheepishly, his cheeks still bearing the red tinge.

...

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, glancing at James with a raise eyebrow as he stood in the doorway of her room holding his bag in front of him. A smile grew across her face as she watched him looking at her with a nervous smile. They had left her Dad's downstairs a few minutes earlier after their talk and she had been excited to get him alone so that the two of them could kiss and cuddle together as they led in bed. It had been what she had been missing during the two weeks of their separation. "Baby?"

"Sorry" James said softly and Rachel smiled at him, moving towards him and when she reached him, leaned up and pressed her lips against his. She felt him smile against hers before he pulled back after a few more chaste kisses, resting his forehead against hers.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked, moving to cup his cheek with her hand.

"I'm a little nervous" He admitted and Rachel smiled at him.

"What about, sleeping together?"

"Maybe a little, but mostly I'm just happy that we can be together" James replied, resting his hands on her waist and gently caressing her. "Without all the sneaking around. We can just sleep and I can hold you in my arms"

"I missed you" Rachel said tenderly, and James nodded his head at her in agreement as she felt tears well in her eyes before moving forward and meeting his lips again, moving her hands to link behind his neck. The two of them shared several soft kisses before Rachel pulled back and smiled widely at him. James returned it and moved forward to nuzzle her nose with his and she giggled at him; glad to have the man she loved in her arms again.

"I missed you two, Baby" James said softly as he touched their noses. "You want to tell me what upset you today?"

"I needed you here this week" She admitted in a sad, weak voice. She felt tears well in her eyes and normally she felt awful about bringing their separation up because of how it reduced them both to tears, but having him here now meant the world to her; she could open up and actually have him comfort her in his arms rather than just with his words. "It's been horrible"

"I know, I know" James replied, reassuringly and pulled her closer to him as Rachel gladly buried her head into chest and settled into his arms. "I love you Rachel, I'm not going to leave you again; tell me what happened"

"Okay" Rachel nodded against his chest as he led her over to her bed. They parted for a brief moment as she climbed onto her bed and settled into his arms as he stretched his legs out, curling into him as she linked their legs together; glad for the relaxing feeling of their intimacy. She sighed as she felt him star to run fingers through her hair comfortingly. "I found out about my callback. Mercedes was in there and she made me feel so awful about myself; like I didn't even deserve to be in there with her, as if they should just give it to her"

"Baby, you're amazing" James spoke after pressing a kiss on the top of her head and Rachel smiled at him trying to make her feel better.

"I love you" She replied, and felt him smile again her head. "But they don't think so, they want us to sing the same song and I don't even know if I can do it better than her any more. She's one of my best friends and she's treating me like the worst person in the world"

"Rach..." James soothingly as she sobbed into his chest, glad for having him there to try and comfort her; even if his words weren't doing much, just his presence was enough. "Please don't cry baby, you know I hate. You are the best at that school; please don't give up on believing that"

"It's hard to believe it when everyone tells you otherwise" Rachel replied between sobs, gripping him tighter. She felt him press another kiss to the top of her head, and she could hear him crying softly at what she was telling him but all the same he never loosened his hold around; keeping her close to give her the comfort she needed from him so badly.

"Well" James said, sniffing backing his tears before speaking again. "I think you're the greatest girl in the world"

"You're the star up in the sky

You're that mountain peak

up high

Hey you made it

mhmm

You're the world's greatest

You're that little bit of hope

When your backs against the ropes

I can feel it

Mhmmm

You're the worlds greatest

Rachel smiled as she listened to him sing softly to her, giggling as he changed the words to try and make her feel better. She really did have the best boyfriend in the world and she was proud to have him to love and to hold. Looking up at him, she saw him looking at her with a smile as she spoke; "Thank you. That was really sweet"

"Feeling better?" He asked, moving to nuzzle her cheek with his affectionately and Rachel couldn't help but sigh as she relaxed into the contact.

"Yeah" She nodded her head gently as James pulled away to lock his gaze with hers again. "Having you here is the greatest thing. I love you so much, James"

"I love you too" He replied, moving his thumb to wipe the tears off her cheeks before leaning down to press his lips against hers. Rachel smiled into the kiss and the two of them spent several minutes locked together before she pulled away and sat up on her bed.

"We should get ready for bed" She said and James nodded with a smile as she rose from her bed and headed to collect her pyjamas from the draw in her cabinet. "I'll use the bathroom first if that's okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine baby" He nodded, She saw him standing up from her bed and pick his bag up from by the door as she disappeared into her bathroom.

Rachel sighed as she stood in front of the mirror in her bathroom, leaning forward with a warm cloth in her hand to wipe her face. The last few days she had struggled to manage to be able to put a smile on her face with all the drama and stress, but having James close to her again seemed to make everything seem okay, that no matter what she had to deal with; everything in the world was special when he was around.

A little while later, after completely her before bed routine; Rachel stepped back out into her bedroom wearing her lilac sleeping gown and smiled as she saw James sat on the edge of her bed wearing a pair of his sleeping pants and a plain white t-shirt as he fiddled with his phone. At the sound of her closing the bathroom door behind her, his head shot and a smile covered his face as his eyes roamed up her body as he took in her appearance.

"Like it?" She asked, biting her lip nervously as he simply sat there smiling at her.

"You look incredible" He replied, rising from her bed and making his way over to her as she stood in between it and the bathroom. James paused just in front of her, resting a hand on her neck as he leaned in and pressed a tender kiss against her lips.

"You don't look so bad yourself" She commented as her hands smoothed his t-shirt over his chest.

"I won't be long" He said as he winked at her before stepping away and heading into the bathroom.

Rachel smiled again before heading over to her bed, pulling back the covers before climbing in and settling on her side; resting her head against the headboard as she waited for James to finish getting ready for bed. A few minutes later and James came out of her bathroom wearing a smile as he headed over to her bed and stood there waiting for several moments before she burst out giggling at him; What was he doing? Waiting for permission?

"Why are you laughing at me" James commented, a smirk sitting on his face.

"You don't need to wait for me to ask; Get in here" She said giggling and he joined in laughing as she pulled back the covers to let him climb in with her. Reaching over, Rachel turned off the lamp on her bed side cabinet before rolling onto her side as James pulled her into his body. Rachel titled her head and looked at him, seeing the smile on his face before he leaned down and pressed a kiss against her lips.

"Sleep tight baby" She whispered as their lips parted after a few tender exchanges and rested her head against the pillow as she settled into his arms beneath the duvet.

"I love you" James whispered into her ear and Rachel simply smiled as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

...

….

A/N : A bit of a cheesy chapter for Rachel and James but I like it :P. Should have update tomorrow for you with some fun things =]

Song list ;

Dare to Believe (Boyce Avenue) - James sings in the Flashback.

World's Greatest (R Kelly ) - James sings altered lyrics to her.