PUCK, SERIOUSLY, WE NEED TO TALK ASAP (THAT MEANS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE)! CALL ME OR ELSE I'LL TELL YOUR MOM YOU ATE BACON THAT ONE TIME! -QUINN.

Quinn slammed on the computer keys and pressed send. Puck had been ignoring her texts, calls and messages. She really didn't want to talk to him but it was the right thing to do, and it needed to be done face-to-face.

Quinn shut her laptop, ran a hand though her hair and exhaled, I really need to spend less time on this thing, she thought as she tossed it aside and got off the bed. It was only a few more weeks before she was due to leave for Yale and she needed to get her current life organized in order to start a new one. She growled in frustration as she ran a hand through her hair. Seeing Rachel again earlier this week had had a strange impact on her, she couldn't stop thinking about how awkward it was and how hard it must be for Rachel to deal with her father. But that wasn't the reason for the awkwardness, and Quinn knew it, but she wasn't willing to think about that right now, she had other things on her mind.

Jesse was sitting at his desk in his room and tapping her fingers on the surface of the desk, as he looked at his cell phone. To be more clear - he was trying to stop himself from calling Rachel. It had been 2 days since he saw her, yet it seemed like at least a week. Jesse hated himself for thinking of Rachel like that, it seemed extremely inappropriate. But Rachel Berry was something else entirely - she was 18 (barely, but still) and had already been working on Broadway for 6 years, giving her maturity and wisdom far beyond her age. Talking to her seemed so natural, so unforced; she got everything he was saying, which was very rare. Jesse had been living in New York since he was a freshman in college, and now that he had earned his acting degree, he constantly was auditioning and occasionally got a great opportunity, so no one could call him unsuccessful, even though Jesse aimed for the stars, he wouldn't settle for second best.

Without giving himself time to rethink his action, Jesse snagged the phone and quickly typed a message and hit send.

Hey, I was just watching TV and Funny Girl was on. Made me think of you :) How's your dad?

Of course, he was lying about the Funny Girl, but he couldn't tell the truth that he was actually just sitting around and thinking about her. What's wrong with a harmless question? Jesse was sure she needed some support.

The second he saw the phone light up he flipped it open.

Funny Girl isn't on TV. I would know if it was :P Daddy's alright, he's started to lose his hair due to the chemo. It looks all kinds of funny!

Busted. Jesse let the 3 seconds of embarrassment pass and texted a reply.

Well I saw something that reminded me of Funny Girl. Have you gotten your dad a fabulous wig yet?

Haha, no, he's going bald. Says it makes him feel tough of something. How are you, btw?

Jesse smiled. This was turning into a conversation, just like he had planned.

I'm good, a little bored at the moment, hence the watching of TV. Amuse me?

Wanna go grab some lunch? There are so many new places here, I want to try them all!

Whoa, she was already asking him out. Well, not out out, but it was still unexpected and more than he bargained for when he started the conversation. He just had to play this out as if it were no big deal, which it wasn't.

Sure, why not. Pick you up in 20 minutes?

Great ;)

Great, Jesse thought. Of course he hadn't been bored, Jesse St. James was rarely bored but a little white lie won't hurt anyone. At least that's what Jesse tried to make himself believe.

10 minutes later he ran down the stairs and called out, "Quinn, I'm going out with a friend for a few hours!"

And before Quinn could respond he was already out the door. Yes, he was avoiding Quinn, since he really didn't want to say he was meeting up with Rachel. She would most definitely overreact again, and he wasn't in the mood for another argument. Quinn had been on edge all day, or at least more on edge then usual, and she wouldn't talk to Jesse about what was up, so it would be great to get out of the house for a while and let her be alone.

But Quinn had been busy herself, as Puck called her just moments before Jesse had left.

"Finally!" Quinn said as she answered the phone.

"Hey, listen, I thought the point of breaking up was that you wouldn't boss me around anymore. And threatening to out my love for bacon? Totally cruel."

"You listen, dumbass, we need to talk. Like, really talk, it's important."

There was a moment of silence, then Puck replied, "Okay, fine. I'll come over in a few."

"Alright, see you then," she threw the phone onto the table in her room as she paced her room and heard Jesse's announcement, which she chose to ignore. It was actually to her gain that he had left - that meant she had the whole house to herself, while her parents were at work.

Jesse drove up to Rachel's house only to find her standing on the porch waiting for him already. She was actually nervous about this. Why on earth had she invited him to lunch? It wasn't just because she didn't have any other real friends in Lima, but she tried to convince herself otherwise. Jesse seemed like the only person who was genuinely concerned with Rachel and her family, and she felt so liberated when she was with him. Being on Broadway put a lot of pressure on her, she always had to put on a show face, be happy and the life of the party. She could be herself with Jesse - she didn't feel pressure to make him like her, he liked her anyway, and he didn't judge her for having the opinions she had or the music she liked or the jokes she made. This was just an innocent lunch with someone who understands her, nothing more, nothing less. Okay, maybe just a little bit more.

Once she spotted him she smiled and walked (or more like skipped) over to the car, but Jesse had already got out to open the door for her, "Why, thank you," she smirked as she got in the Lincoln.

"My pleasure," he replied and lightly slammed the door shut and went over and got in himself, "So, where are we going?"

Rachel let out a laugh in surprise, "I thought you had something in mind!"

Jesse chuckled, "Hey, you were the one who asked me out," as he turned the car back on.

"I didn't ask you out, I asked you to lunch," Rachel cautioned.

"The difference being...?" Jesse knew he was pushing it, but he couldn't help it.

"This isn't a date," Rachel stated, being unsure of the answer, as it was obvious that saying it made her feel a bit uncomfortable, "And you texted me first."

Jesse caught the vibe and suddenly responded, "Of course not, that'd be totally weird. There's this new Italian restaurant that opened up on 106th and Maple, Breadstix. Wanna check it out?"

"Sure! Italian's my favorite."

"I thought that might not have changed," Jesse smirked as he drove out of the driveway.

"What? You remembered?" Rachel asked with a huge yet surprised grin.

"Of course. You ruined my new Nike shoes by spilling tomato sauce all over them when I was like 15."

"Oh my gosh!" Rachel gasped and held her hand to her mouth, trying not to laugh, "That's right! I'd totally forgotten about that!"

"Well I haven't. You still owe me," he laughed.

"Noted."

"What took you so long?" Quinn spat as she opened the door.

"Whoa, bitchy much? What's gotten into you?" Puck replied as he looked at her in shock.

"Just get inside."

"Don't mind if I do," Puck smirked and Quinn slapped the back of his head. Yeah, too much innuendo, "Ouch! Seriously, what's up?"

"Sit down, Puckerman," Quinn demanded as she sat down in the lounge chair across from him, "I don't know the best way to say this, so I'll just spit it out, because believe me, I really don't want to talk to you," she said as she started to fiddle with the rings on her fingers, because her hands were slightly shaking - whether from fear or anger, she wasn't sure.

"Did someone die?"

"Not literally, but I'm sure I'll be dead soon."

Puck's face sunk as he started to see that this was leading somewhere he was not expecting. He thought Quinn would beg him to take her back or something, "Okay, I'm not gonna lie - you're starting to freak me out."

"Remember that one time I gave in?" Quinn asked.

Puck knew exactly what she was talking about, "What about it?"

"Well, I guess it has kind of changed my life."

"Of course it did, lives get changed after a ride on the Puckster," Puck shrugged proudly, being ecstatic about the compliment he had just received.

"You're disgusting," Quinn rolled her eyes, "And a moron. I mean I'm pregnant!" She yelled. Fortunately no one else was home to hear all this.

Puck's jaw dropped and a few moments later he regained the ability to speak and muttered out, "I-is it...m-mine?" He stupidly pointed to himself and raised his eyebrows.

"Seriously, you've got to stop being such an idiot because I really feel like punching you in the face right now," Quinn replied.

"Well I'm sorry if this caught me a little off guard!" Puck yelled, "How did this happen?"

"You're a dumbass, that's how!"

"Hey, this isn't entirely my fault! If you'd kept your legs closed we wouldn't be in this fucking situation right now!"

Quinn's eyes widened in rage at once she processed what he had just said. The nerve he had, after all the begging and pleading and after they'd been going out for 10 months, she finally decided to do the deed with him. But afterward she felt so bad about it she wouldn't let it happen again, and that's when Puck broke up with her. As much as she tried to fight them, tears formed in her eyes but she wouldn't allow them to run freely down her cheeks.

"Get. Out. Now." She commanded calmly, yet in the kind of calm that terrified you. And without a word, Puck was out the door, already regretting what he said, as Quinn burst into tears.

"Italian food seriously is the best," Rachel said with a mouthful of cannelloni.

"I can see that," Jesse laughed as he took in the sight of Rachel scarfing down the meal.

Rachel suddenly jerked up to meet his eyes, "Are you making fun of me?"

"No, not at all," Jesse chuckled.

"You are too!" Rachel cried in outrage.

"No," he tried convince her, "I think it's cute," he confessed after contemplating saying that for a moment.

Rachel quickly broke eye contact as a slight blush graced her cheeks, "Oh," she said as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked intensely at her food.

"So, ready for some dessert? Unless you're afraid you'll explode?" Jesse laughed, trying to ease the embarrassment, but massively failing.

"Jesse!" Rachel exclaimed as she punched his bicep from across the table.

"Somebody, help, I'm being assaulted!" He joked and pretended to yell across the whole restaurant.

"You're not as charming as you think, you know." In fact you're even more charming than you think.

"Sure I am," Jesse smirked.

"Are you sure you're 23? Because you act like a 10 year old sometimes," Rachel shook her head and laughed as pushed her plate aside and looked at the dessert menus,"Ohh, they have tiramisu!"

"Of course they have tiramisu, Rachel, it's an Italian restaurant."

"Can you stop mocking me for 5 minutes?"

"But you're so easy to mock," Jesse explained, And it seems more appropriate to tease you than flirt with you.

"Actually, it's a little refreshing. No one in New York acts like that around me," she replied, looking through the dessert menu.

"Well then...We'll have to be sure to get together some time back in New York."

Rachel glanced at him over the menu, "Uhh...yeah."

As they enjoyed their desserts, Jesse changed the topic to something more serious, "I've been meaning to ask you, but I didn't know if I should,"

"Hm?" Rachel grunted yet again with a mouth full of tiramisu.

"What's with you and Quinn?"

Rachel wiped her mouth, "What do you mean?" she said defensively.

"It just seemed a little...tense between you."

"Well, we hadn't seen each other for so long, so..." Rachel said as she started poking her tiramisu with the fork.

"Neither had we," Jesse said softly.

Rachel's head jerked up much faster than it should have, "What's your point?"

"I just don't understand what's up between you two, that's all."

"Me neither, actually. I've been thinking that maybe I should call her some time. It did feel a little awkward," she confessed. In fact, it felt very awkward. She had no idea how to react when she saw Quinn so the show face went up, along with the wall she had leaned to put around her. It didn't feel like meeting an old friend - it felt like meeting someone you didn't want to interact with for some reason. But Rachel Berry was a person who did not like having unfinished business between someone and herself, so she would simply have to confront Quinn and set the record straight, because there was obviously something eating at her.

"I have a feeling she's going through a rough time right now, maybe a friend, you, is just what she needs," Jesse smiled and shrugged.

And maybe we both need her, to realize that the idea of us is wrong, they both thought as they finished their desserts.

I know what you're thinking - ugh, Quinn's pregnant. But it just really fits into the story, as you'll see later on. And thanks for all the lovely reviews you left, made me very happy that you like the idea and all :) Some major Faberry drama coming up!