Chapter 49

Election day had come around at McKinley and all around the group, the kids nerves were high. They had spent the last couple of days trying to drum up last minute support for Kurt going into the election on the Friday night.

The votes were going to be counted over the course of the weekend by a couple of teachers that had volunteered to help Coach Beiste before the results of the count were announced on the subsequent Monday morning via the start of the week announcement over the school tanoy system.

Rachel hoped that they had all done enough to try and help Kurt's campaign over the last few days. She was so happy to know that James, Noah, Mike and Finn had been campaigning for him around the school, handing out flyers and badgers trying to convince people that he was the superior candidate in the days building and leading up to the poll that evening.

It had come down to two candidates in the opinion polling done by Jacob Ben Israel around school, Brittany and Kurt. To Rachel, and to what she hoped would eventually turn out to be the majority of students at McKinley, Kurt was the most capable candidate. But where their campaign had focused on all the good Kurt would be able to do for the school if he was chosen; Brittany and Santana had on the other hand, along with several of the Trouble tones, been trying to sabotage the efforts as well as getting the cheerios to distract would be Kurt votes, mainly the male portion of McKinley high, by performing in skimpy, revealing outfits in the courtyard at lunch.

She could tell that Kurt was nervous as they stood around in the gym, watching the lines of people waiting to get their opportunity to go into the boots and pick who they wanted to be Senior Class President. She was nervous as well because of knowing she'd done all she could to try and to help him win; aside from fixing the election by stuffing the ballot boxes full of fake slips.

James had managed to talk her out of that idea when she'd mentioned it to him the night before.

...

"You want to what?" James asked in a surprise tone, his eyes wide as he stared back at her.

"I want to stuff the ballot boxes with fake slips to make sure that Kurt wins" Rachel explained as she watched him from her bed. He was staring at her with a look of complete disbelieve that she knew he definitely wasn't buying into her explanation "We need to-"

"No" He interrupts her, shaking his head at her. "No, just no. That's a horrible idea Rach"

"But Kurt NEEDS to win, he needs to make sure that he gets into NYADA so that he can be with us next year in New York baby" She continued, trying to get him to see the justification. James shook his head at her once more and covered his face with his hands. "Kurt had done all he can and if he doesn't-"

"Exactly Rach, he's done all he can" James said "He can't do anything more to make sure he wins and if that isn't enough then he'll lose, but he'll lose and Brittany will be president"

"How is that fair?" She asks, raising her arms up "Brittany has been lying and making false promises the whole way through this campaign, how is it fair that she wins and Kurt, who has been so honest and truthful, doesn't?"

"So you want to cheat?" James replies, frowning as he laughs dryly. "Brittany has been lying and all that stuff, but you want to resort to her level? It doesn't make you better than her because you're doing it for a friend"

Rachel bows her head, looking into her lap as she fits fiddling with her ring on her index finger. She hates it when James is right, when she cares about something so much like she does about Kurt; it's hard to hear that she's wrong. She sees James' feet move, watching as he sits down next to her on the bed, before he reaches over and takes her hand in hers. Rachel smiles at gesture, enjoying the way he squeezes hers gently as his thumb brushes over the skni, as she looks up into his warm eyes.

"I just want to help him so much, baby" She murmurs, watching as he nod shis head slowly before leaning over and kissing her forehead.

"I know, Rach and so do I" He replies, with a slight smile. "Kurt is my friend as well and I want him to get into NYADA as well but we can't do it like this, alright. What if we get caught? We'll get suspended or worse It's so amazing that you want to help him…but we can't do this"

Rachel nods at him, leaning over to rest her head against his shoulder and let him hold her. She sighs, letting a smile on her face, when he wraps an around her shoulder and shifts her into his body; holding her close as he kisses her forehead.

...

"You're going to get tons of votes, tons" She hears James say, snapping her out of her thoughts as she turns to face him, Blaine, Kurt and Finn as they stand to the side of the gym. She smiles and nods her head in agreement at Kurt's worried face.

"Absolutely, Kurt; you're going to win" Rachel replies, reaching out to squeeze his arm reassuringly. He looked at her and she gave him a broader smile before he nodded and sighed.

"I really hope you guys are right" He said, forcing a smile on his face.

"Come on, Let's go get some air" Blaine suggested, offering Kurt his hand.

"Yeah, you should go and get outta her for a little bit" Finn agreed, squeezing his step-brothers shoulder.

Rachel leaned over and kissed his cheek before he took Blaine's hand and the two boys turned to walk out of the gym towards one of the exits. Rachel watched them with a small smile, noticing how worried Kurt seemed about everything; next to her she felt James step closer and her boyfriend pressed a soft kiss against the side of her head as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Rachel let out a sigh and turned to cuddle into his body, placing her hands in the small of his back.

"You okay" She heard him murmur against her hair. Pulling back slightly, she looked up at him and nodded.

"Yeah, I just want to do something for him"

"We've done all we can" Finn voice came, and Rachel turned to look at him gazing back at her with a smile. "You've done all you can to help him, ever since the debate you've been amazing"

"Thanks" Rachel murmurs, returning his smile; glancing at James who gives her a wink. She is very aware of the way his arms tighten around her around Finn; the tension having returned over the past week.

"He's right babe" James says, smiling at her. "All we can do is vote for him and make sure we're there for him if it doesn't go well"

"I'll catch up with you guys later alright" Finn replied, reaching over to squeeze her shoulder. "Make sure she's okay dude"

"Will do" James nods his head as Finn gives her a final smile before walking away, leaving the two of them alone off to the side of the gym. James kises her forehead and murmurs as he pulls away "Relax Rach, as adorable as you look when you pout and frown; you're going to get frown lines"

Rachel rolls her eyes at him, pressing her lips together to hold back a smile at his teasing comment designed to make her laugh. Flicking her fringe out of her eyes, she gazes up at him through her eye lashes. "That wasn't very nice, or charming"

"This time I'm just trying to make you smile baby" He replies, leaning down to kiss her again. Rachel smiles against his lips, moving her hands in slow motions over his back. After a few minutes, they pulled back and James stroked her cheek with the back of his knuckles. "You feeling okay?"

"I am after that" She giggles and leans into his touch. "Let's go vote"

...

Later that night Rachel was sat along with Sam and James in his lounge. After school, they had spent several hours in the gym with their friends from Glee for the election before all the kids had gone their separate ways.

Rachel found herself sat cuddled up next to James, resting her head against his forehead as his arm rested casually around her shoulder as she rubbed her fingers in small, caresses over the top of his thigh as she listened as the two boys discussed, in depth, the Star Wars films. She herself had never paid much interest in watching them; the Sci-Fi genre was well outside of her comfort zone, aside from Avatar, but she couldn't help but watch fascinatingly as the two boys were deeply involved in a conversation about the films.

"Dude, I'm telling you; Phantom Menance isn't as bad as everyone says" Sam argued, pausing to take a sip of his drink as she looked up at James, a smile crossing her face, as he shook his head.

"You are crazy" James replied, frowning "That film is crap, man. There's like ten minutes of good action in the entire film and it all happens at the end"

"You're kidding me? That film is awesome and I can do a perfect impression of-"

"If you do an impression of Jar Jar Binks I am going to kick your ass" James interrupted him before the two boys started laughing. Rachel watched on with an amused expression on her face; the two of them were already comfortable in teasing and messing around with each other, it was crazy to think that they'd only known each other for around a week.

"But come dude, seriously, Phantom Menance is awesome" Sam repeats himself again,

"No way, I'm telling you know; Attack of the Clones best of the three" James states.

"No, dude, just no" Sam says shaking his head. "Hey Rach, what's your favourite Star Wars film"

"Ummmmm" Rachel murmurs, biting her lip and squinting her eyes as she sees the two of them look at her expectantly "I don't know, I've never really watched them"

"What" The two of them say at the same time. She feels James shift as he frowns at her.

"Rach, you've seen Star Wars; we watched it this summer" James replies, raising an eyebrow at her

"Technically, you watched it and I sort of just cuddled up against you and closed my eyes" She says and smiles sheepishly at him as he smirks at her.

"You're adorable" James chuckles, leaning down to kiss her on the lips.

"Dude, I can't believe you haven't watched Star Wars with her" Sam says in disbelieve

"Well, we could always fix that now" James suggests, gazing at her with a smirk "What do you say munchkin?"

"Sounds…wonderful" She says, putting an obviously fake smile on her face. "Didn't you leave the DVDs in Oregon?"

"Hah, no chance" James replies, winking at her. "I'll go get them from my room and this time you got to make sure you watch"

"Great" Rachel replies and bites her lip as James kisses her forehead before un-entangling himself from her.

"Be Right back"

"I should have just kissed him and distracted him like last time he asked me about watching them" Rachel says to Sam who just laughs along with her.

"Probably, but hey you'll enjoy them" Sam said and gave her a reassuring smile. She doubted that heavily.

...

The sensation of soft kisses being pressed against her skin is the way Rachel finds herself being woken up the next morning, a smile crossing her face as she rolls over in bed to lie on her back, looking up into her boyfriends smiling face before he leans down and kisses her tenderly on the lips.

"Morning beautiful" She hears him mumur as he kisses her several times before pulling back, his hand raising up and stroking her neck.

Rachel wraps an arm around his waist and cuddles into his body, nuzzling his chest with her head. "I love it when you wake me up like this"

She feels James smile against her forehead as he kisses her softly; "Me too"

The two of them led there, wrapped up in each other's arms in bed for a further thirty minutes; enjoying the opportunity provided to them by the weekend to simply enjoy laying there together away from everything without needing to rush around or be distracted by other people. Eventually, they did have to get up and emerge from the peace and tranquillity of James' bed; Rachel showering after letting him use it before she got ready and presentable for the day.

Making her way downstairs, Rachel heard James and Sam's voices coming from the kitchen; smiling at the two boys as she walked through the archway into the room, walking over and kissing James' cheek as he sat at the table eating a bowl of cereal before taking her seat next to him.

"Morning Sam" She said happily, reaching across the table to get the box of cereal.

Sam smiled back at her as he put his glass of orange juice down, swallowing before he replied; "Hey Rach, sleep well?"

"I did" She replies, glancing at James who smirks slightly as he raises his spoon to his mouth "How about you? Have you settled in properly and everything to your new room?"

"I think so" Sam said, nodding "Though I suppose I need to make a good impression on your mom later"

"Don't worry about her, dude" James replies reassuringly. "My moms cool, she won't mind"

"Still, I think I'll take your advice and buy her some flowers" Sam said and James chuckled in response

"She'll love you as well if you help with the dishes a few tiems" James said and the three of them laughed.

The three of them sat for a short time, talking while they ate breakfast. Afterwards they had moved to the sink as James washed while her and Sam cleaned. Rachel knew that James wanted to go the mall and find something for Charlie's birthday, on Monday, but didn't know if Sam was tagging along.

"Not really, no" Sam replied after she asked him what his plans were. "I think Rory wants to hang out but I don't know where. You two heading to the mall right?"

"Yeah, I gotta find something for my sister" James replied, handing to her the last of the dishes.

"Alright" Sam nodded his head "What time are you going to pick your family up from the airport?"

"Their flight gets in at four" James stated as he leant against the kitchen counter and folded his arms in front of his chest "I'm probably going to set off at around 3:15 if you want to come?"

"I think I'll wait here dude, give you a little time to see your family" Sam said, and James smiled before nodding his head. Rachel really loved the fact that they had already struck up a friendship and the two boys seemed to understand each other surprisingly well.

"Thanks man" James replied "What about you munchkin?"

"I'll wait here with Sam" Rachel said, turning to look at her boyfriend. "As excited as I am to see your sister again, Sam's right; you haven't seen them all in a couple of months"

"Thanks baby" He murmured in response, leaning over and kissing her cheek. "You're having dinner with us Sunday though right?"

"Yeah of course" She replied.

A short while later and Sam left the two of them alone in James' house as he went to meet Finn and Rory at the arcade. Rachel and James sat together in the lounge, she barely paid attention to the TV as she sat with her head rested against his shoulder as he idly played with her hair; the soothing, relaxing movements of his fingers making her feel completely at ease.

After sitting together for around a half hour, Rachel drove James' car as they went to the mall. They'd talked about what he wanted to get Charlie for her birthday; she remembered how he had told her his sister loved charm bracelets and little trinkets like that and when he showed her what he was getting, a beautiful gold bracelet, they had agreed to split the cost between them. Rachel already felt a closeness to James' family and she wanted to be a part of his gift to his sister.

It didn't take them long to pick out the gift, and the two of them were making the way to the food court to get some lunch when they spotted Quinn and Noah walking through the mall; the four of them ending up finding a place to sit together. Seeing Quinn and Noah together only set her mind racing, the two had been close all this year and Rachel couldn't help but think if something romantic was going on; she was certainly trying to find out as she pried them with subtle questions as they ate.

All the reaction she got however was a stare from Quinn and a roll of the eyes from Noah as they ignored her questions and kept talking. Frowning as they walked away, Rachel nudged James in the ribs as he teased her.

"Rach, that was so obvious how you were trying to get them to admit they're a couple" James laughed as he wrapped an around her shoulder and kisses her forehead.

"They're so perfect together and I just want to know for sure" She replied, pouting as he smirked at her.

"You're adorable" He murmured as they walked towards where they'd parked his car.

...

They spent the rest of the afternoon at her house, after paying a quick visit to James' house to drop off his gift and to pick up his school books, finishing their homework for the following week; knowing that they wouldn't have much time over the next few days due to James' family being in town for his sister birthday. Her Dad was at work, while Leroy sat in the kitchen with them as he worked away on his laptop; he would be taking a few weeks off for the festive season in a few short weeks meaning that he had a large amount of work to get ahead with before then.

As she gave James a kiss in exchange for his correct work through on this weeks arithmetic, she saw her Dad watch them with an amused look. She'd developed a system to help her boyfriend with the stuff he struggled with, working out that he was best when he was relaxed but also when he had some incentive to work past it. Spending this time with him, made her appreciate just how lucky she was and how amazing it felt to have some you love and cherish around you; that feeling of being wanted and having someone need you for something made her feel incredible.

When the time came for James to go to the airport, he dropped her off at his house first of all; kissing her and promising he wouldn't be long before he left her there and headed off to drive to meet his family when their plane landed.

Rachel had made a drink and was sat in the lounge, watching TV when she heard the door open followed by Sam walking through the doorway with a bag in one hand, with a bouquet of flowers in his other hand, a smile on his face as he placed them down on the glass coffee table.

"Hey" She said, smiling brightly at him "Are they for James' mom?"

"Yeah they are" Sam replied, rubbing his chin with his hand as he observed the flowers "Think Andrea will like them?"

"They're beautiful" She said, taking in the mixed flowers; there was tulips, roses and lavender all mixed amongst each other. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh, just a couple of shirts; I left some of my nicer ones in Kentucky so" Sam supplied as he sat down next to her on the couch. "When did James leave?"

"About fifteen minutes ago" She replied, taking a sip of her tea

"Alright cool" Sam nodded his head as he diverted his gaze to the TV.

The two of them sat in silence for a while before Sam spoke up again, breaking the silence in the room; "Have you met his sister before?"

"Yeah, I have" She replied nodding her head. "When I went to visit him in Oregon in September"

"Oh, cool" He said, biting his lip "Is she anything like her brother?"

"They're both kind" Rachel says "Charlie is…well you can definitely tell that she's the older sibling. James loves her so much, it's a little bit like they're best friends as well as being related"

"He calls you his best friend" Sam says casually, Rachel turns, her eyebrows raises as she gazes at him surprised at that fact.

"Really? I would have thought his friend Matt from Oregon was"

"Yeah, he told me about him and his other friends from the Scale Blazers" Sam nods "He says that you know him better than anyone and he knows you better than he's ever known anyone before. That you're not just dating, you're best friends and meant to be together. It's sweet"

"He is" Rachel replies, biting her lip as she feels her cheeks blush. "Is that how you felt about Mercedes?"

"Not exactly" Sam said, thoughtfully "But I feel so strongly about her and I can't picture anyone else"

"Don't give up, I'm sure things will work out between you two" Rachel said with a smile and Sam nodded his head at her before he turned back to the TV.

"Singing in the rain; awesome"

...

It was a little strange to spend the next hour alone with Sam, the two of them had never really been on their own at all over their junior year; either being surrounded by their friends in Glee or when she went to prom with him, Mercedes and Jesse. Since he had been staying at James', they'd definitely seen more of each other and she had to admit, she did enjoy his company.

They were laughing and talking about the party she'd held in her basement / Oscar room their junior year when she heard the sound of car pulling up the gravel driveway outside; a smile spreading across her face as she turned to Sam who was also looking in the direction of the window. "That must be them"

Sam nodded, standing up and Rachel watched as he straightened his jumper; brushing imaginary crumbs of himself, a laugh escaping her throat as he ran his hand through his hair. Turning to her he shrugged and smirked; "How do I look?"

"You look fine" She replied, pursing her lips to stop another laugh escaping as she headed towards the hallway as they heard laughter from outside.

The door swung open a couple of seconds later and her smile grew again on her lips as she saw Andrea step inside, followed by James, who was carrying some bags, who she heard talking to his sister.

"It's beautiful, mom, I love what you did with the garden" Charlie's soft voice as she stepped into the house. Rachel thought that she looked very beautiful wearing a black coat over the top of a white blouse and black jeans, her hair was pulled into an elegant looking bun to the side of her head, a smile on her face as she led her boyfriend Hugh into the house. Just as he had been when she had met him in Oregon, Hugh was dressed in a very smart manner; formal pants with a casual jacket over the top of a shirt with the top buttons undone.

"Thanks sweetie" Andrea replied, moving a hand to touch her daughters shoulder. "Your Aunty Clara was so sweet in helping me pick the flowers out"

"It really does look amazing Andrea" Hugh added.

"You better have helped her, little man" Charlie teased, nudging her brothers shoulder.

"I practically did it all, she sat down watching me" James said with a smirk as Andrea shook her head at him.

Andrea said something in Italian to her son, something that had him rolling his eyes and a laugh escaping Charlie's throat, before she turned to look at her "Oh, Rachel darling; I'm so happy to see you"

"Me too, Andrea" Rachel grinned as she stepped forward into her embrace. She loved how welcoming and motherly Andrea was towards her; she felt completely accepted into their family every time she was around his mom. As they pulled back, she spoke again; "How was your flight?"

"It was pleasant" Andrea replied, her fingers brushing over Rachel's shoulder before stepping back "How has school been this week?"

"It's been great, thank you"

"Hi Rachel" Charlie murmured as Andrea stepped away, a wide smile on her face as she stepped forward and offered her a hug. Rachel bit her lip as she stepped forward and embraced James' sister tightly for a few moments before stepping back. "You look beautiful as always"

"Thank you" Rachel said smiling, "I love your hair, it's so elegant and stunning"

Charlie smile widened as she released Rachel, "Just a little pampering of myself for my birthday"

"Nice to see you again" Hugh said with a wink from behind his girlfriend. Rachel nodded, smiling at him.

"Mom" James' voice caught her attention as he took his moms hand and led her towards Sam, who Rachel could see was stood with a nervous smile. "This is Sam. Sam, this is my mom; Andrea"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Agrisino" Sam said, outstretching his hand towards her as he put a smile on his face. Rachel watched as Andrea observed him for a few moments, a small smile on her lips before she chuckled and stepped forward and pulled him into a hug.

Rachel giggled at Sam's surprised expression, James stood next to them smirking as his mom started speaking as she released Sam. "Don't call me Mrs Agrisino, it makes me feel so old! You can call me Andrea"

"Of course, sorry Andrea" Sam replied

"No need to be nervous" Andrea said reassuringly. "You're most definitely welcome to stay with us and it is truly wonderful to meet you Sam"

"Thank you" Sam nodded his head, turning to look at James who winked at him.

"You want some coffee mom?" James murmured, as he started walking towards the kitchen, his hand resting on his sisters shoulder as he squeezed past her "What about you sis? Hugh?"

"Sounds good buddy" Hugh replied and Charlie nodded her head as she smiled at her little brother.

"Two sugars sweetheart" Andrea called as he disappeared down the hallway. "Shall we? I suppose we have some catching up to do"

Rachel was sat giggling away with James and his family as they all laughed at the story Charlie was telling them. They'd spent around an hour all sat together at the kitchen table, through several rounds of coffee. She loved watching James around his sister as he asked Charlie about everything that had gone on since they had last seen each other in person over two months ago. Charlie had sat there, sitting with a warm smile as she asked her brother about his new school and how he'd been settling in; Rachel's heart- warming as she saw the caring look in his sisters eye.

"All your studies are going well I hope dear?" Andrea asked Hugh a few minutes later as she placed her cup back down on the table.

"Perfectly" Hugh replied with a smile "We've got midterms in a couple of weeks and I'm confident about them; we both are"

"Absolutely" Charlie agreed and Rachel smiled as she saw her link her hand with her boyfriend. "I've not forgotten Dad's promise about taking us all on holiday when I graduate"

"I'm just looking forward to getting to visit your posh school and see all of your rich friends" James smirked

Charlie shook her head at him, an amused smile on her face "It's like you're begging me to tell Rachel more stories about you"

To that, much to everyone amusement, James stuck his tongue out at his sister.

"Have you sent your application off?" Charlie asked as she stopped laughing, gazing affectionately towards her little brother

"Next week" James confirmed, "Don't worry Charls you know I'm on top of it, I've been waiting for this since I was ten"

"I know" Charlie nodded, smiling sadly "It's just strange to see my baby brother all grown up and applying to College"

"baby brother" He said shaking his head "Charls, I'm like five inches taller than you, I haven't been your baby brother in years"

"You'll always be my baby brother, sweetie" Charlie teased, smiling widely as Rachel saw James grin back. "What about you Rachel? Applied for NYADA already?"

"It's all ready to be sent off" Rachel said "I'm just waiting for my friend Kurt to finish his so we can send them off together"

"What about you Sam?" Andrea asked in a warm tone "College in your plans?"

"Hopefully, I'm applying to some colleges all over the place for some general stuff; gonna wait and see what I want to specialize in" Sam replied smiling.

"That's what I did" Hugh said "I only chosen my major second semester"

They talked for a few more minutes about college, before Andrea asked Hugh about his parents; at which point, Rachel turned to James and saw him smile at her.

"Hi" He murmured, leaning over to kiss her softly. "You okay?"

"Definitely" She replied, licking her lip. "Happy to see your sister?"

The way his face split into a grin told her everything as he opened his mouth to speak ; "I missed her a lot so yeah"

"What about your Dad?" She asked, eyes darting quickly to where Andrea was laughing with her daughter. "I thought he was coming for the weekend?"

"He's busy" James replied, his smile fading slightly "But he saw Charlie last week, so she's cool with it"

"And you?"

James shrugged at her and Rachel nodded sadly, leaning over to kiss cheek; murmuring a love you as she sat back in her seat.

"I have to say, I'm looking forward to see you perform at sectionals" Charlie remarked a few minutes later; "I look forward to all your competitions, monkey, but I've never actually seen the two of you sing together"

Rachel grinned, turning to look at James who was smiling as he stared back at his sister

"We don't technically have a duet together, Charl" He replied, "But we dance together on one of the songs, so yeah"

"Wow, now I am interested; if you aren't singing then this new club must be even better than the Scale Blazers" Charlie said and Rachel saw James smile falter slightly, remembering what he'd said about his frustration a few days earlier, before he nodded earnestly.

"They're amazing and it's a pleasure just to get to dance with Rach" James said and winked at her as she smiled warmly at him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it gently.

She wasn't spending the night at James' house as she would be spending the following day with her fathers; so after another hour and a half, Rachel said goodbye to his family; giving Andrea and Charlie a hug before James walked her out to her car. They spent a few minutes kissing, before she climbed into her car and made him promise he'd call her before bed. With one last kiss, she pulled out of the driveway and made her way home.

Rachel and her Dads spent the late morning and afternoon of the next day walking around Columbus together as she took the opportunity to spend time with her father's when neither of them had work commitments. It was nice to walk around the shopping complex with them.

Much later in the day, after returning home to collect her bag and books for the following school day, Rachel kissed her dads each on the cheek before heading outside to get into James' car when he came to pick her up. She'd be having dinner with him at his house before she was planning on staying the night; mostly due to the fact she loved sleeping with James but also because she was eager to wish Charlie a happy birthday in the morning.

Dinner was amazing and Rachel could see just how happy James was to be reunited with his sister and mother. She knew that he was happy in Ohio but often missed seeing them, particularly his mother when she would return to Oregon to handle business issues, so seeing him in a state of utter happiness as he laughed and joked around with his sister; Rachel couldn't help but smile as she fell asleep in his arms later that night.

...

The following morning, Rachel wakes up to find herself alone in bed; sighing sadly as she remembers that Monday is one of the days that James goes for a run much earlier in the morning before anyone else in the house gets up. She vaguely remembers hearing him moving about a little earlier, sleep heavy eyes opening to see James climbing out of bed and pulling his pyjama top off so that he can get changed to go out; followed by the feel of his lips against hers as he murmurs for her to go back to sleep.

Climbing out of bed, Rachel smiles to herself as she walks towards James' bathroom seeing the fresh warm towel that she knows James must have set out for her after he came back from his run. Picking it up and pressing it to her face, inhaling the warm welcoming scent before she walks into the bathroom to shower and get ready for school.

Around half an hour later, Rachel is walking downstairs as she pulls her hair into a ponytail at the back of her head. She turns the corner at the bottom of the stairs and walks towards the kitchen and dining area of James' house, smiling as she walks through the arch way and sees the other five people that are in the house all around the kitchen.

"Good Morning Rachel" Andrea calls from the table, being the one facing the door, a warm smile on her face as she sits holding her coffee cup in front of her.

"Morning" She replies, walking over and placing a hand of Charlie's shoulder as the older girl turns to look at her with a smile on her face. "Happy Birthday Charlie"

"Thank you so much, Rachel" She replies, standing up and Rachel smiles as she steps into James' sisters embrace. "James already gave me the bracelet from you two and it's so beautiful; thank you"

"You're welcome" Rachel says, glancing at James who gives her a wink. "I hope you made her breakfast, baby"

"Oh, I make sure he makes me breakfast every time we're in the same house" Charlie says, causing them all to laugh "I hope he does the same for you, Rachel"

"Most of the time" Rachel replies, giggling as she gives James a mischievous wiggle of her eyebrows "You'll have to teach me some more nicknames to get him to do it the rest of the time! Jam Sandwich effectiveness seems to be running low"

"Theres plenty more embarrassing things I need to tell you about my little brother" Charlie says with a glint in her eyes as she laughs.

"I'll say it again; remember who your brother is Charls" James says, a desperate look in his eye.

Rachel giggled as she moved over to where he was sat, next to Sam, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Morning"

James winks at her as she sees his tongue dart out to lick his lips. "You want some breakfast?"

"What's on the menu" She murmurs, sitting down on his left side in between him and Charlie, holding onto his hand as she does.

"Well, I could make you some pancakes or an omelette or whatever you want"

"One of your omelette's sounds perfect" She replies, grinning as he kisses her cheek as he moves to stand up.

"Coming right up"

She heard laughter coming from Sam, and she turned to look at him with an amused smile on her face. "What's funny?"

"How well you have him wrapped around your finger" He chuckled.

"Jam Jam was always a sucker for the girls in his life" Charlie spoke up "He'd do anything I asked him to do when he was younger and he'd follow mom around like a lost puppy all day when he wasn't at school"

"My sweet little baby boy" Andrea remarked and they chuckled. Rachel glanced over at James standing at the stove as he shot them a dirty look. "You're still my sweet little boy, though you're anything but a baby now"

"Mhmm" He replied, rolling his eyes. "It's a good job you're my mom and it's your birthday, Charlotte"

Rachel laughed along with the rest of them at the exaggerated way he pronounced his sisters name.

After her breakfast was made Rachel was sat eating it, enjoying as always her boyfriends cooking, as she listened to the siblings conversation.

"I wish I didn't have to go to school while you're here" James murmured

"I know sweetie" Charlie replied, her hand brushing her brothers hair at his neck. Rachel smiled after swallowing a bite, she loved watching the two of them; it was a beautiful thing to see the closeness between the brother and sister. "But I'm here till Thursday, so we've got plenty of time to do some things together"

James nodded at his sister, shrugging her hand off him when she remarked about how handsome he looks. Twenty minutes later Rachel, along with James and Sam, are walking up the gravel pathway towards his car to head to school; the three of them chatting about the election results that are going to be announced in only a couple of hours time. Rachel is glad when James moves his hand to embrace hers as it lays in between their seats as she feels the distress about Kurt needing to win come back into her mind. She's glad that he convinced her not to cheat in the election but she feels like she has let her best friend down, particularly if it turns out that he hasn't won.

When they get to school they part ways with Sam, his first class being with Noah while the two of them share one with Kurt. After visiting their lockers, they're walking hand in hand into the classroom and they see Kurt wearing a smile on his face as they make their way in between the desks towards theirs.

"Morning Kurt" James says, squeezing his shoulder as he walks past.

"Hey" Kurt replies, "You have a nice weekend with your sister?"

"It was awesome" James says with a smile "I'm so glad she's here and I can't wait to introduce you all to her"

"I look forward to it" Kurt replies, returning her boyfriends warm look. "You okay Rachel?"

She nods at him, smiling to try and reassure herself, and him, that she isn't nervous. "I'm fine, are you nervous?"

"I'm scared" He murmurs sadly, "This is so big for me and I just really hope that I win"

"Keep thinking happy thoughts, Dude" James said reassuringly. "Its like I said, its in the bag for you"

"At least one of us is optimistic" Kurt said with a laugh.

The results were being announced at the beginning of their second class of the day, one which Rachel shared with Kurt and as they made their way into the classroom; she could feel Kurt's leg twitching under the table.

"It'll be fine, Kurt" She says with a smile. He nods at her and lets out a heavy smile.

The sound of the announcer five minutes later startled them both, as they looked at each other with smiles to hide their nervousness as Principal Figgin's voice came over the system.

Good Morning Students and Faculty, I hope that you all had a lovely weekend and are back and refreshed ready for the new school week!

We have several important announcements this week, so I will be starting at first with the announcement that on Wednesday; McKinley High will be holding, for the first time since 1963, the Western Ohio Show choir Sectionals Competition where our very own New Directions will be performing! There are few tickets left, so make sure that you get them before they are gone!

Rachel and Kurt both smiled as they got stares from several of the students in their class, the two of them doubting very much that any member from the student body that hadn't already gotten tickets would be interested.

Our second announcement is that the McKinley High Titans have their final divisional game this Friday where they could secure the championship; make sure that you show up to support the football team!

Finally, and most importantly; We have the results of the Senior Class President elections from last Friday. In third place, with 12% of the vote; We have Rick "The Stick" Nielsen

Rachel squeezed Kurt's hand as he let out a sigh of relief, at least he hadn't finished in last!

In second place, with 42% of the vote….we have…..Brittany S Pierce! And the winner, in a tight election, with 46% of the vote, your new student body president; Kurt Hummel!

Rachel started clapping loudly, turning to see Kurt sat next with a look of huge surprise on his face as he turned to her and mouthed the words

"I won"

Giggling as the rest of the class applauded, she leaned over and hugged him; smiling widely as after a moment she felt his arms move around her and embrace her bag. She couldn't believe that he had won, but she was utterly and completely over the moon that her best friend had!

"Oh my god I won" Kurt declared his eyes wide in surprise; Rachel giggled watching his reaction.

"I'm so proud of you!" She replies, a huge grin on her face.

…

Rachel walked around with a huge smile on her face for the first of the day, over the moon with how the election had turned out. After the results had been announced, their class had congratulated Kurt before they had resumed their lesson though she knew that Kurt was still processing the whole idea that he had won. When lunch came around he had sped off, dragging her along, to find Blaine and she had watched on as the two boys embraced tightly.

Lunch had been a blur of the Glee club kids all congratulating Kurt, and she had stood off to the side hugging James tightly as they watched Kurt's excited face as he talked to all sorts of people coming up to talk to him. She hadn't believed that Kurt could win, it seemed so surreal that he managed to overturn the apparent disadvantage that he had. She was glad as well that she'd listened to James and not interfered by trying to fix the result; Kurt had won fair and square and it felt so good to celebrate.

After the school day, Rachel is giggling as she is dancing with James as they wait for Mr Schuster to come. Dancing is probably the wrong word, messing around describes it better, as he spins her around and wraps his arms around her shoulder, peppering the side of her with kisses as he sings The Way You Make Me Feel in her ear causing her to giggle like crazy.

"You look so beautiful when you're laughing" He murmurs in her ear, kissing just to the right on her cheek.

Pulling back slightly, Rachel turns and looks at him grinning as she moves forward and meets their lips, kissing him sweetly several times.

"James" The sound of her boyfriends name being said pulls her attention back, a blush coming onto her cheeks as she see's Mr Schuster standing just inside the room with Principal Figgins. She frowns when she sees Mr Schu stood there looking worried with a letter in his hand.

"Yeah?" James says, glancing from Mr Schu to her and then back again.

"I need you to come with me" He replies softly.

"Is there a problem, Mr Schu?" She adds, gripping James' waist tighter in worry.

"Principal Figgins has just informed me that James isn't allowed to to perform at sectionals"

A/N :

Kurt is Senior Class President! Yay! :- )

Chapter 50 is next up and it's going to be a special one done in James' point of view! I haven't done much from his, merely a couple of flashbacks so it'll be interesting! :)