Chibi-Kari: Okay, this chapter is really internal and was a little hard to write, but you'll get a good idea of Brian...sadly, he won't be around for much longer. But you will get a bit of Puck to make up for it! I don't own, but I live for your reviews!

Eraser

Jesse wasn't sure how Beth did it. Hell, he hadn't been sure how anyone in the Corcoran family, including Rachel, did anything. They just seemed to have this charisma that made everything they wanted fall into place. Or maybe they just knew how to manipulate the system. Either way Jesse couldn't seem to bring himself to believe that Brian O'Conner was sitting in front of them hands clasped over the small table.

It was strange and casual at the same time. Tabloids would have a field day if they saw Jesse St. James, movie star, sitting across from Brian O'Conner, Tony award winner, at the local Starbucks down the street from his place. Hell, it seemed unbelievable even to him. The first two times that he saw Brian he didn't even realize it was him. It wasn't until a few key strokes into Google last night that he realized exactly who the redheaded man was. He was famous on The Great White Way and even did a circuit with a traveling show. He won a Tony at age twenty for the role of Tony in West Side Story. Jesse still couldn't understand how the redhead got the part of an Italian, but sometimes things like that just didn't make sense.

Beth cleared her throat awkwardly from beside him. He had almost forgotten she was there. For some reason the entire idea of Brian suddenly threatened him. Sure after his reading last night he found that the other man would be leaving for London shortly, but he had also read page after page of rumors of a relationship with Rachel. Sure she had leveled the playing field, but he wouldn't be a home wreaker. If they really were in a relationship then he couldn't ruin that.

The question haunted him since 2:45 in the morning and he couldn't seem to shake it. He could still remember the way that Brian's hand had fallen on Rachel's shoulder and how he had walked Beth down before. "Are you with Rachel?" The question popped out of his mouth before he had even realized it and he couldn't quite bring himself to regret it.

Brian just raised an eyebrow slightly before taking a slow sip of his coffee. "Jump right into things don't you?" He paused, as if waiting for Jesse to reply, before quickly continuing, "It depends on what you mean."

Jesse was completely flabbergasted. He had expected a straightforward answer. They were either together or they weren't together. He was either living with her in a relationship or he was just a good friend. "Are you seeing each other?" He tried to clarify the question without asking what he really wanted. Should I be threatened by you?

Brian shrugged lightly, "Are we dating? No. Have we dated in the past? Yes. I'm I living with her? Until I leave for London. My lease ran out and it didn't make sense not to. Am I sleeping with her? Well, let's just say first there and still hitting that." Brian laughed to himself. "Will I allow you to see her? Maybe. Does that cover everything you really wanted to know with your question?"

Rachel sleeping with someone without being in a real relationship only seemed to halt all of his thought processes. He shook his head at the thought and Brian only leaned back as if expecting more questions. But that wasn't what he was shaking his head at. Jesse St. James, for once in his life, didn't know where to begin. He knew it wasn't his Rachel anymore…sure he saw pieces of her and he still loved her. But this girl was everything that Rachel had said she wouldn't be. Jesse didn't know what to say.

Luckily, Beth jumped in to end the silence. Although Jesse really wished she hadn't or at least not asked that question. He couldn't quite tell if she was scandalized or extremely interested in the fact. "You're having sex with my sister?"

Brian brought his attention to her. "How old are you?"

"Ten." She answered quickly.

He nodded to himself. "Yes. At your age you shouldn't be that surprised. Rachel is 26. It really isn't surprising." He stopped for a moment, thinking. "But you shouldn't have sex until you're 26 or married either."

Jesse could tell it was a cover up. Brian seemed to be a good guy that let his mouth get away from him a little bit. He didn't want to imply that a ten year old should be promiscuous and Jesse was glad about that. He still was going to have to do a bit of damage control when they got back to the apartment, but Beth was reasonable…sometimes.

"She didn't have sex until she was 26?" Beth questioned in awe.

Brian suddenly looked uncomfortable. Jesse assumed it was that he finally realized just how much this little girl idolized her sister. Brian glanced at Jesse. "Sure. Guys will wait if they respect you." He reached into his wallet suddenly fishing out a twenty. "Here. Go and buy one of their muffins. They're amazing."

Beth grabbed the money quickly, never one to turn down free cash, and took off to the register.

Jesse shook his head slightly with a laugh. "You know you won't get any change."

Brian shrugged. "I figured. I had to get the kid away before I dug my grave any deeper. Kid acts like a freaking adult. That's some creepy Dakota Fanning shit going on."

Jesse nodded. "I know. I figure that's not the only reason you sent her to that big line, though. What did you want to ask me?"

Brian nodded mockingly. "Pretty and smart. Rachel didn't lie about you." He sighed slightly. "I don't like to think the worst of people, especially kids, but what does that little girl want?"

Jesse leaned back, slightly confused. "To know her sister. No more. No less."

Brian nodded slowly. "That Shelby woman isn't involved? Because I swear to God if either one of you is doing her dirty work I won't let you within 100 feet of Rachel."

Jesse held his hands up. "Shelby is Beth's mom, but she didn't even know Beth had taken off to see Rachel until I called her. Yeah, I still talk to Shelby, but that's mostly for Beth's sake. The woman just doesn't know how to mother properly. I don't do her dirty work anymore."

Brian nodded slightly. He glanced over at Beth. "Rachel's been hurt and she's the type of girl that will always carry it with her. That hurt has shaped her into someone else. Someone so afraid to let people in yet at the same time she doesn't know how to function without someone else. She's worked so hard to try and erase everyone in her past, which isn't healthy. Rachel needs someone to be there for her. Someone to ground her. I don't think Beth would just walk away and Rachel needs that stability." He laughed slightly, "And it wouldn't hurt if she could be someone else's rock. It might help her be her own. So yeah, I'll help you guys out."

Jesse swallowed the lump that built in his throat. He could still remember that young girl standing next to him on the stage at Carmel. The girl that told him that if her heart was broken she wouldn't recover. She obviously didn't. He threw her aside thinking she would still be there when he found his way back. He was selfish. Brian wasn't. He cared about her and understood her in a way that Jesse wasn't sure he could. In a way he definitely didn't as a teenager. "You love her don't you?" He didn't really want the answer. He could only mentally plead that the answer would be 'no' or 'like a sister.'

"Yes." Brian sighed. He knew that wasn't what Jesse wanted to hear, but he wasn't into lying to people no matter how much trouble that got him in. "I do. Of course I do. She's my best friend and more so of course I love her. And when I look at you I can see that you do to. Right now I can't give her what she needs and maybe you can. If you can I won't stand in the way. I care about her too much for that. Let her make her own choices. Don't control her. And God help me if I come back to a bigger mess I won't hesitate to take her back and I can tell you one thing. It will be easy."

Jesse wasn't sure what to say. Brian was serious, but the fact was he was too. "You won't be getting her back."

Brian stared him down before nodding slightly. "I can only get you and Beth in the door and I want you to promise me something." He waited for Jesse to nod in the affirmative before continuing. "Beth comes before you. Rachel could use some family."

Jesse could only nod blankly. He had never felt inferior to anyone until this moment and it scared him. Even if he could win Rachel back Brian was such a worthy adversary that, if he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure he could keep her.

Brian stood gesturing Jesse to do the same. "Squirt, let's go see your sister."

Beth's face twisted into a scowl as she came up to them, muffin in hand. "I'm not a squirt. I'm 5 foot."

"Do you want to see your sister or not?" Beth's blue eyes widened and Brian laughed. "Come on."

The walk back to Rachel's apartment was quick and Jesse couldn't help but think he wasn't ready. It was amazing that just three hours ago he thought he could do this, but now walking next to Beth and Brian he wasn't so sure. Everything seemed to change in one conversation.

As they got closer Jesse could hear raised voices coming down the hallway. Brian immediately picked up his pace and quickly unlocked the door. Rachel was having an argument with a man and Brian left Jesse and Beth standing in the doorway to intervene. Jesse couldn't shake the fact that the voice sounded familiar.

"Rach, you're being ridiculous." Jesse's eyes widened as he finally placed the voice.

"Oh shut it, Puckerman."