Thanks for the reviews, everyone! As always, more would be appreciated.

In the morning, Finn awoke with a new resolve. He was going to find Rachel at her locker first thing, take her into his arms, and beg her to forgive him for the jerk he'd been. Maybe he could even take her to the auditorium and sing "Faithfully", their trademark duet, with her. Rachel loved duets. If she could forgive Jesse, she should certainly be able to forgive Finn.

In a cruel twist of fate, however, he lay in bed so long thinking up his plot to win Rachel's heart forever that he neglected to consider the time. As a result, when he glanced at his alarm clock, his shock resulted in him leaping from his bed and hurriedly pulling on the cleanest clothes he could find on his floor. He had just enough time, between choking down a scalding breakfast burrito (his tastebuds would grow back), brushing his teeth, and splashing on a little of the aftershave Kurt had bought him for Christmas (he needed to smell good when he made his big move, after all), to make it to school before the tardy bell rang. Because of this, Rachel wasn't at her locker. He booked it down the hall and sat in his seat in English Lit beside her just as the bell rang.

Finn's heartbeat didn't slow down, considering the fact that when he finally got a good look at Rachel, she looked nervous and worried. His mind went into overdrive trying to figure out the reason for her expression. Was she planning on breaking up with him today? Had Jesse finally convinced her to go back to him? Or had that melodramatic moron St. James done something to her that he was going to regret?

Even though he was dreading what she might say, he leaned over and whispered, "What's wrong, Rach? You look...upset."

Rachel made a small gesture towards the front of the room. Finn turned to look in the direction she had indicated.

On the blackboard, in large capital letters, were the words "POP QUIZ ON MACBETH".

It was times like these that Finn didn't know which emotion to feel—happy that Rachel wasn't dumping him, or terrified because even though he had read Macbeth (Rachel had insisted they read out the parts together to work on their dramatic skills), most of the time he had no idea what was going on in the play.

He decided to be optimistic and settled on the first emotion.

As Finn sat at the lunch table, he kept analysing the text message Rachel had sent him in the period just before lunch (although, as he had been in P.E., he hadn't read it until he was already on his way to the cafeteria). Why did her dads have to pick today, of all days, to take their daughter out to lunch? He had missed her in the morning break because Miss Pillsbury had stopped him in the hall to ask him how her tips were working. Of course he told her that they were working like a charm, even though he was beginning to doubt their efficacy. By the time he had reached Rachel's locker (running the entire way there, as was becoming his pattern that day), she was gone.

But since he hadn't seen Rachel before school, during break, and now, at lunch, he'd have to wait until after school, just before Glee practice, before he could make his move.

Now he was sitting with Artie, Tina, Mercedes and Kurt, but no Rachel.

"Hey guys, can I ask you something?" he ventured, hesitantly—he needed some reassurance. "If a girl says she's going out to lunch with her dads, could she maybe be covering for the fact that she's really out with another guy?"

"Yes," Mercedes said, straight-out. "A girl could do that. Anyone could lie. But that doesn't mean she is lying. Why would Rachel go out with another guy?"

Finn took a deep breath. "Jesse's in town. And he's been trying to get her back. And I'm just afraid...well, that he's winning."

"Rachel loves you, Finn," Tina said. "She's innocent, but she isn't dumb. She wouldn't let herself get caught up with him again."

"But I'm not always as good to her as I should be. And while Jesse broke her heart, I've done it, too...more than once. If she would come back to me, why wouldn't she go back to Jesse?"

The others had no answer.

That really wasn't helpful, in Finn's opinion.

Finn hardly looked away from Rachel for more than a moment at a time in Spanish. She didn't appear to have been on a secret lunch date, and he couldn't see any obvious signs of a covert make-out session. Her hair was just as well-groomed as always.

Unfortunately, however, he could think of nothing to whisper to her that didn't sound either accusatory or insane—or both.

So, Spanish passed with Finn staring at Rachel, and Rachel, due to Finn's staring, wondering if she had any food on her face from her lunch date with her dads.

Finally, school was finished! Finn dashed out of his Chemistry lab and had started down the hall towards Rachel's locker when he realized, cursing, that he had forgotten his bag in the lab. He would've just left it until after Glee, but his CD with the karaoke version of "Faithfully" was in that bag. He really was getting tired of having to run everywhere just to try to see his girlfriend—but, he vowed in his mind, he would run anywhere, no matter how far, if she would just stay with him. There, he thought, put THAT in a card with some stupid flowers, St. James! So, he turned around and raced back to the lab.

He was really quite frustrated when, by the time he had reached Rachel's locker, she had already left to Glee. Maybe his little stunt would have to wait until after practice. He resigned himself to that fact and strode in the direction of the choir room.

He was walking past the auditorium when he heard noises inside. Is Glee in the auditorium today? he wondered. I could've sworn Mr. Schue said to meet in the choir room...

He opened the door to the auditorium to double-check that the Glee kids weren't all in there. Instead of his fellow show choir members, however, he was greeted with a sight that made his blood boil.

Rachel was standing on the stage with Jesse St. James. Music, which Finn recognized as being from the introduction to "Tonight" out of "West Side Story" (one of the many "seminal Broadway masterpieces" Rachel had persuaded him to watch), played over the sound system.

Finn's eyes narrowed as he slipped inside as quietly as he could and hid behind a pillar by the entrance. That little creep was really out of line now—he was using Rachel's love for duets against her. He seemed to have always been one step ahead of Finn these past few days. If Jesse succeeded in getting Rachel to sing with him...well, Finn knew he would have to give up then and there his current plan to win her back and come up with something much better.

"Come on, Rachel," Jesse was saying. "I know how much you love this song. I had to bribe the AV Club to get me access to the sound system. Let's not let go to waste all the money I had to spend on Snickers Bars for them!"

"Jesse, I do love 'West Side Story'...but I don't know, it feels wrong to sing a duet with you now."

"But don't you remember how it used to feel? We could have that back, you know. You remember how the song begins, don't you?" he asked, walking towards her.

She looked a little insulted that he would even suggest that she didn't know the words off by heart. Right on cue with the music, she began walking towards Jesse, singing with that voice that was so beautiful that it hurt Finn to listen to it, "Only you, you're the only thing I'll see forever! In my eyes, in my words, and in everything I do, nothing else but you, ever!"

Then Jesse came in, singing with feeling. Finn didn't doubt that he meant every word he sang. "And there's nothing for me but Maria, every sight that I see is Maria! Always you, every thought I'll ever know, everywhere I go you'll be!"

Both sang, "All the world is only you and me!" Finn closed his eyes and grimaced as he acknowledged that they really did sound good together. And the big romantic chorus was still to come.

But then, there was no singing. The music continued, even though Rachel wasn't singing the part she was supposed to.

Jesse pulled out a small remote from his pocket and hit a button. The music stopped. "What is it, Rachel?" He looked concerned.

"Jesse, you need to go back to California."

He folded his arms stubbornly. "Not without knowing you feel the same way about me as I do about you."

"Jesse..."

"No, Rachel," he said passionately. "I've never met anyone who makes me feel like you do. It started out as a lie, but by the end...Rachel, I love you!" Finn was about ready to burst out of his hiding place and punch St. James' face off.

"Jesse, I've forgiven you. That doesn't mean I've fallen back in love with you."

"But—"

"I'm with Finn now. I love him. We," she gestured to Jesse and then herself, "had our chance. You ruined it."

"Finn", he scoffed. "How could you love him? He doesn't have the proper appreciation and respect for your talent that I do. He's just a wannabe rock star—I, on the other hand, would do all I can to help you every step of the way until you're singing to sold-out crowds at the Gershwin!"

"You and Finn are very different, it's true," replied Rachel. "But Jesse, the truth is that I've been in love with Finn since the first time I sang a duet with him. He's the most kind and wonderful person I know. And I'll never want to sing 'Tonight' or any other duet with anyone but him ever again."

Jesse was thunderstruck. Her last sentence seemed to be what finally drove it home for him. Finn smiled with a grim triumph as Jesse lowered his head. Jesse knew as well as Finn how seriously Rachel Berry took her duets.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. I won't bother you the rest of the time I'm here in Ohio." Jesse looked and sounded more humble than Finn had ever seen or heard.

"I think that's for the best." She opened her arms to give him a hug. It was only a moment before she wriggled her way out of his arms. This gave Finn more satisfaction than he expected.

"I'll still let you know about any particularly good pieces of advice I pick up at school," Jesse said, awkwardly. "Well...goodbye Rachel. And know that I really do love you."

"Thank you, Jesse. Goodbye."

With that, Jesse left through the backstage. When he had gone, Rachel let out a huge sigh and walked towards the doors leading back to the hallway—and towards Finn. There was nowhere for him to go and not be seen by her.

She jumped backwards about two feet when she saw him. "Finn! You nearly sent me into cardiac arrest!" she exclaimed, breathing heavily. "Did you see all of that?"

Finn didn't have to ask her what she meant. "Yeah." He worried that she'd be mad at him for eavesdropping.

However, she seemed to hesitate and bit her lip before bursting out, "Oh, I'm so sorry that I even came! I just found a note slipped into my locker after last period to come to the auditorium and I didn't know who wrote it because it wasn't signed and it was typed so I came just to see who it was although I suspected it was probably Jesse and it was and I really do love that song and it didn't mean anything and, and, and—"

She was out of breath, so Finn decided to take over. He put his arms around Rachel, grinning. "Relax, Rach. I heard everything that happened—everything. Including that last part. You know, about me being 'wonderful' and all of that."

"Oh," she said.

"Yeah, 'oh'."

They were silent for a moment, their arms around each other. Then Finn said what he had been waiting to say all day, through pop quizzes and interruptions and lunch dates and forgotten bags in Chemistry labs.

"Look, Rachel. I know I haven't been a very good boyfriend lately."

"No, Finn, that's not true at—"

"I haven't been. I've lost sight of what's really important in my life. More important than video games or sports or hamburgers or even Glee club. You are the most important thing to me. And I'll never forget that again."

He didn't get the chance to say anything else. Rachel had grabbed him by his collar and started kissing him. This was as good an indication to Finn as any that what he'd said wasn't stupid or insensitive.

They were definitely going to be late for Glee rehearsal.

Well, that's the fourth and final chapter of this fic-my grand finale. I hope you've all enjoyed it (I thoroughly enjoyed writing it, even though it is pretty cheesy). Whether or not you have enjoyed it, please review!

I'd love to write another fic, but I'm fresh out of ideas. If anyone has an idea but they don't feel like writing it feel free to let me know! )

In the meantime, I am waiting as eagerly as you all are for September 21 when Glee returns!