Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

Man oh man! Filing for financial aid and wrapping up scholarship applications are kicking my ass! Sorry for not updating sooner :( HOWEVER, like I said, I am going to combine a couple episodes into one chapter just to keep the story rolling. I hope you guys aren't too mad about the wait, but here it is! Enjoy and don't forget to drop a review! :)

"Valentine's Day is coming up," Mr. Schuester said happily as he rolled the marker in his hands. Rachel rolled her eyes. Being single (again) for the love holiday was something she wasn't too enthusiastic about. She supposed what made it worse was the fact that Jesse hadn't talked to her since November. She could understand that he was mad and needed to let off steam, but with each passing month, the more uneasy she grew. Her heart continued to ache for him and it seemed like he just didn't care anymore.

"For this week's lesson, I want you guys to pick a partner," Schuester addressed. Brittany squealed slightly and hugged Artie. "And I want you guys to sing to them what you think is the world's greatest love song."

The group shared looks of enthusiasm and slight anxiousness.

"Now, partner up!"

"Mr. Schue, can I just say something first?" Finn asked. "I just want to point out that an entire week has gone by without any of us getting slushied-"

People clapped and cheered, and Mr. Schuester nodded. "Well, that's good, Finn. But I'm afraid I don't know where you're getting at with this."

"The fact is, I think I'm the closest this club has to a celebrity right now and I want to do something to raise money for Nationals. I want to host a kissing booth. A dollar a smooch-all proceeds go to you guys."

"Oh please," Mercedes groaned. "Don't even act like you're trying to help out this glee club. You just want to kiss a bunch of girls."

Santana raised her hand. "I've kissed Finn and can I just say, it's not worth the buck. However, I would give a hundred dollars to juggle one of his man boobs."

"Do you ever get tired of tearing people down?" Finn asked, annoyed.

"No, not really," the Latina retorted.

"You always meddle in everybody else's business."

"No I don't. You guys love me-I keep it real," Santana said. Finn rolled his eyes and Lauren Zizes cleared her throat from behind.

"Actually you're just kind of a bitch."

There was a chorus of responses among the group and Santana held up her pointer finger.

"No I'm not, you're just pissed because you've got eyes for Puck and he doesn't have any for you. That's why you joined, right?"

Puck raised a brow. "Can I just point out that I'm not interested in either of you?"

"And his girlfriend is sitting right here," Quinn stated, motioning with her hands. "But Finn has a point. You always insult us."

"No I don't," she said.

"Three weeks ago you said you were disappointed Beth didn't come out a lizard baby."

Tina nodded. "Five minutes ago you said Mr. Schue belonged in a twelve-step program."

"Wait, what?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"You're addicted to vests," Santana elaborated.

Rachel rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. Lately, Santana had been in everyone's business more than usual. It was beginning to be too much. "The truth is, Santana, you can dish it out but you can't take it."

"You know what, Hobbit? I'm really glad that Jesse dumped your irritating ass."

Rachel drew back, seeing red. "Well at least I'm going to make it somewhere. The only job you'll have is working on a pole!"

Santana stood up. Angry and upset. "I hope you get everything you deserve Berry. I need to get out of here," she said, walking out of the choir room quickly.

"I think from what I've seen, she deserves honest feedback," Anne said as Rachel opened up her own locker. "I just think maybe the way you said it was a bit harsh?"

"I've dealt with her my entire high school life, Anne. You don't understand."

"I think I might," Anne said in a soft voice.

Rachel stopped, looking sadly at her. "I know, you're probably right about what I said to her. It's just... When she brought up Jesse, it made me mad. It made me mad that she's probably right. He's better off without me."

"Rachel, stop." Anne said. Her eyes stared at Rachel before she sighed heavily, dropping her backpack and digging through it. Rachel's eyebrows scrunched together as Anne handed her a wrapped gift. The box was thin and long, the bright red bow placed on top of the tacky Christmas wrapping.

"What's this?"

Anne shrugged. "It's from Jesse. He'd ordered it long before you guys broke up. He mailed it in yesterday."

Rachel could feel her heart beat faster, feel her lungs become heavy and the tears begin to brim around her eyes.

"For what it's worth, I don't believe he meant it," Anne smiled small before gathering her backpack and walking off to class.

Behind Rachel, the crowd became a dull roar as she opened the box to reveal a gold star on a thin gold chain. She blinked rapidly to stop the tears from falling. Hands shaking she took out the small folded piece of paper.

Opening it, she almost wanted to scream.

You were always my star. -J

Rachel sniffled, holding back her emotions as she took the necklace out of the box. Undoing the clasp, she brought it around her neck, fumbling a bit to close the clasp again.

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag

Drifting through the wind wanting to start again?

Her brown eyes stared at her reflection in her little mirror, the necklace gleaming as it caught the hallway light. Looking at it now, it only made her incredibly sad.

Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin

Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?

Rachel bit her lip, beginning to think of ways to fix her current romantic situation. She had waited, she had been patient and that had led her nowhere. It wasn't time to be the damsel in distress. It was the time to act; the time to take control of her situation. If Jesse wouldn't come to her, she would go to him.

She smiled slightly, shutting her locker and pulling out her keys. She was going to fix this all on her own if Jesse wouldn't reach out or listen to her.

Do you ever feel already buried deep?

6 feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that there's still a chance for you

'Cause there's a spark in you

"Whoa," Sam said, stepping aside as Rachel almost practically walked through him on her way out of the school. "Where is headed?"

Anne smiled knowingly. She figured the necklace Jesse had sent for her would prompt Rachel to do something-take some sort of action on their situation. "She's following her heart."

She looked up at Sam's puzzled expression and smiled brighter, getting on her tip-toes and pressing a chaste kiss on his cheek. She felt him squeeze her hand. "Come on, algebra beckons."

You just gotta ignite, the light, and let it shine

Just own the night like the 4th of July

No doubt her dads would be furious with her, but she knew they'd understand when she explained. She packed lightly; only grabbing two changes of clothes and the bare essentials. She dialed the nearest airport to purchase her airplane ticket to California.

'Cause baby you're a firework

Come on, show 'em what you're worth

Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"

As you shoot across the sky-y-y

The rumbling of the plane was the only other noise she could pay attention to aside from what she planned to tell him, of what she planned to ask him. Rachel Berry was not going to leave California without understanding why he broke up with her and why he was so adamant in avoiding her pleas.

If he loved her... If he loved her then he'd have to understand.

Baby, you're a firework

Come on, let your colors burst

Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"

You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

The flight arrives on time and from what Anne had given her, Rachel figured Jesse would be in his dorm or somewhere in the vicinity by now. First, she'd try his dorm room. She checked her phone to look over the directions Anne had given her. Somehow the adrenaline in her veins kept the nerves from creeping back. No matter what, she was here now. She had to complete the task at hand.

Boom, boom, boom

Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

"Do you understand how difficult it is the descend from this arpeggio and still have it make sense?" Henry asked. He was currently attempting to finish his original piano piece with Jesse's roommate. It was one of the more extraneous class projects they'd had yet.

Jesse was about to respond when a faint knock at the door cut him off. He stood up, throwing his pencil on his bed. He swung the door open and his smile fell, suddenly his expression replaced by shock.

Rachel stood there, clutching her suitcase in one hand and clenching the other tightly into a fist at her side. Her doe eyes looked at him with all clarity.

"We need to talk."

"Why'd you do it?"

"You know why," Jesse answered honestly. He swallowed thickly.

Rachel blinked. "No I don't. You accused me of kissing Finn because I liked him and I told you I didn't. I don't, still. That kiss wasn't initiated by me, either. You know that, yet you dumped me like yesterday's trash and you didn't explain. So, explain."

Jesse breathed out, running a hand through his hair as Rachel sat in the nearest bench. The park was all but empty, the occasional bystander passing by.

"I got pictures... Texts telling me not to trust you. That I didn't know what you were up to. They were from your phone, specifically."

"Pictures?" Rachel asked, confused. "From the phone I'd told you I'd lost?"

"You... And Finn. Kissing. It planted this seed of doubt that just sprouted at the most inopportune time. I couldn't handle another liar in my life, Rachel. That's why I ended it."

"You broke up with me so easily. How could I not let it go when you just make decisions about us all on your own?" Rachel said, clenching her small hands. "Did it ever occur to you how it would make me feel? How crappy I'd be after you broke up with me?"

"Do you think it's been a walk in the park for me?" Jesse retorted desperately. "I loved you. I still love you. Do you know how racked with pain I was knowing that some other man kissed you? Held you? All because I wasn't there for you-because I won't be there for you if I stay here."

"I don't want you to think about that," Rachel said. "I am committed to you, Jesse. Only you. There's no one I have eyes for other than just you. I wish you'd understand! I wish you'd just hear my words and process them for their truth."

Jesse shook his head. "This is... This is insane. What are we doing?"

Rachel's shoulders slumped over slightly. "I don't even know anymore."

"I think," Jesse started, his voice rasping. Rachel stared at him, noticed how his eyes were rimmed red right now. "I think what we need is time. Time figure things out."

Her heart felt heavy. "What is there to figure out? Finn kissed me. I didn't want that. Someone told you and you broke up with me. Now I'm here asking for you to understand that I didn't cheat on you-asking you to listen when I tell you that I love you."

"We were too dependent on each other, Rachel. I wish I hadn't been-not because I don't love you-but because I've seen what those relationships end up as."

"You're not your father and I'm not your mother," Rachel whispered.

"I'm just afraid that's how we'll end up being down the line," Jesse said. He straightened out his back, shaking his head. "We need to get this right. We need to take a breather."

"You want space," Rachel assessed. "That's the most cliche thing I've ever heard from you, Jesse." Nevertheless, she stood up, straightening out her skirt. "If space and time is what you need, then okay. This won't make it any easier for me, though. Because I still do love you," she looked down at her hands, her mouth trembling slightly as heavy teardrops fell to the ground. She hated showing how wrecked she was.

"Rachel..." Jesse whispered, seeing her so upset...That broke his own heart. But they needed to do this. If they wanted a proper relationship, they had to sort their own things out first.

"I still love you," she repeated. "And I'll do my best to wait."

She took a deep breath, looking up at him as she wiped away her tears. "I should get going-we're getting ready for regionals."

"Rachel-" Jesse began, outstretching his hand for her but Rachel moved her arm away.

"Don't, please. You've had your say and I'm telling you I understand. Call me when you want to try again. If you don't, well, you can send me a letter. Because I probably won't be able to handle your voice."

His voice caught in his throat, his heart seemingly breaking all over again into a million pieces. It already wasn't easy for him; she was only making it harder.

She pushed past him, never looking back.

Valentine's Day had come and gone and along with it, all of the local McKinley High drama. The air was fresh and the sky was clear, yet no one had said a word on where Rachel Berry might be.

Anne had called, she had texted, she had even emailed both Rachel and Jesse, yet she hadn't gotten one single response. It was beginning to scare her-it was one of the reasons why she'd been so distracted and distant lately.

Whenever she hung out with Sam, all she could think about was the well-being of her new friend and of her brother. She wanted to have some kind of update or sign that they were even remotely alive and on this planet.

"Can anybody tell me what an anthem is?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"The bottom of an ant's pants." Brittany stated. Mr. Schuester made a face.

"So close," he said. "An anthem is an epic song full of a grounded emotion that somehow seems bigger than itself even than the person performing it."

"Mr. Schue?" Sam asked.

"Hey-I didn't even notice your new haircut," Mr. Schuester pointed out as Sam stood up.

"Yeah, I've been working on my image for my new one-man band."

Wait, what? Anne thought, snapping out of her own personal ramblings. When did that happen?

"It's The Justin Bieber Experience," Sam said.

"You've got to be kidding me," Quinn stated.

Puck kept staring at Sam. "Dude, that haircut makes your mouth seem even bigger..."

"Shh, let her finish," Coach Sylvester said.

"Look, laugh all you want but that kid's got talent and I've been working on a number to show you why I think his songs are like anthems."

He got into place and signaled for the band to start playing. Somehow, Anne couldn't help but smile as she watched him sing 'Baby' and dance just like Justin Bieber. Somehow, he made it work and look cooler to older kids. Well, at least to the girls. Truth be told, some notable guy members looked a tiny bit disturbed.

"We want in," Artie said.

Sam turned off the faucet and turned around, confused. "In what?"

Puck and Mike approached as well, which made him all the more confused. "We want in The Justin Bieber Experience."

"But it's a one-man band," Sam said.

"So expand," Mike said.

Sam shook his head. "I don't get it. You guys said it was lame."

"Yeah, but the girls don't. They really liked it," Puck said.

"And besides, all relationships are in a post-Valentine's Day funk," Mike said.

Artie nodded. "Just think about the power four Biebs might have. We'd be unstoppable. The way things are going, these girls need some sweet candy Bieber injections."

"I don't know about this," Sam added.

"Here's what happens to the female chemistry," Artie explained further. "They get a huge shot of endorphins on Valentine's Day and everything is perfectly happy and wrapped in a romantic bubble. Toe problem lies in the fact that when they come down from their seized candy high days later, they crash. Hard. And everything goes dull."

"We need a shot of the Biebs to get us some action again," Mike said.

Sam sighed, turning to Puck. "Why do you want in, Puckerman?"

"Quinn's not putting out. I need something to make her want me again," he replied honestly.

"What's going on?" Finn asked, a bit creeped out by what he'd just heard Puck say.

"We want to join The Justin Bieber Experience if Sam let's us," Artie said.

"If not, we're making our own band called Bieber Fever," Puck added.

Finn blinked, looking at all four guys. "Justin Bieber sucks," he said.

"All of the girls seemed pretty interested in it during glee today," Sam responded, a bit offended. He wondered if Finn was still mad about their whole Quarterback debacle months ago, although he didn't know why he would be. Finn had played the championship game, not Sam. Maybe he was secretly pissed about something else.

"Right, well I'm going to spend my time working on songs that aren't geared toward twelve year-olds," Finn said, walking away.

"Geez, what's his deal?" Puck mumbled, scratching his mohawk.

Sam looked at them. "We'll need to do something about your hair."

"That was amazing," Anne said as she walked up to Sam. He put down his backpack, the stage was dimmed slightly after his performance with the other boys. Surprisingly, they'd pulled off the Bieber number well.

"Thanks," he said, kissing her cheek. He pulled back slightly and shut his eyes as she leaned against him. He could feel her body heat radiating. It was comforting.

"I'm sorry for being so distant lately," she said softly. "I didn't do it on purpose."

"It's okay," he reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers together. "Are we still on for Friday?"

Anne nodded, kissing him firmly on the lips. "Absolutely," she said against them. Pulling away with a small smile, she let go of his hand.

Sam watched her leave before scooping up his backpack. He faintly heard the clicking of heals before Santana's sultry voice echoed within the auditorium.

"Sammy Evans," Santana fished. "How are things going with baby St. James?"

Sam's brows scrunched together. "Good?"

"No they're not," she said. Her eyes ran up and down his body and he shrugged.

"What are you doing? What would my relationship have to do with you?" Sam questioned.

"I don't care for your relationship with her," she smirked. "You and I should talk soon," she said as she walked away.

Sam blinked, looking at her as she left. What the hell did she mean by his relationship with Anne not being okay? As far as he knew, things were great. Yeah, she had been distant but she'd apologized. And it wasn't like he was heartbroken by being outed a bit, hurt maybe, but that was okay.

What the hell was Santana getting at?

"I can't believe you went to see Jesse," Anne said into her cell. Rachel sighed on the other end.

"It was a spur of the moment," she paused. "Either way, we're still not together and my heart is breaking. Unfortunately, my grades are less-than impressive at the moment because I've been gone."

"I know, you want me to get your assignments. I will. I'll bring them to you as soon as I get them in a minute."

"Thank you, Anne. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you being here for me," Rachel said.

Anne smiled as one of Rachel's teachers handed her a manilla envelope with Rachel's worksheets. "I'm on my way, bye."

She made her way to her locker, the hallways practically empty since most of the students were eating lunch or studying. There were occasional randoms walking around due to extra-curriculars but that was it. It actually made her a bit uneasy being alone in the halls.

Which is exactly why she didn't see it coming as another force practically shoved her up against the lockers, her back hitting the metal hard.

She winced and yelped, dropping her binders. "Ouch! What-"

"Thought I was joking?" the boy said. Anne recognized him as one of the football players that had slushied Artie a week ago.

"What do you want?" Anne asked, her voice slightly trembling as she felt him step closer. Now he was straight up against her own body, invading her personal space. She was afraid, so, so afraid.

"You," he said, running his hand across her cheek and down her neck. She felt his other hand skim the bare skin of her leg, making its way towards the hem of her skirt. Her blood ran cold and she began to shake violently, her breathing coming out strained.

"Please, don't-"

"I bet your little blonde boyfriend doesn't please you like I would," he said.

"You're disgusting," Anne stated, her eyes wide as anger flashed his face. He was about to say something else when Coach Sylvester's voice rang in the hallway.

"What's going on there?"

The jock pulled away and bent to pick up her stuff, he shoved it into her arms.

"I was just helping her pick up her stuff," he said, walking away.

Anne stood there, frozen with her binders in her arms. Coach Sylvester approached her and looked, surprisingly, concerned.

"Are you okay? What just happened?"

Anne looked at her, blinking and shaking her head. "I just dropped my stuff. That's it."

Coach Sylvester didn't look convinced, but to Anne's prayers, she let it go. "Get going."

Anne willed her legs to move. She wasn't exactly sure how to feel... She felt numb. A bit disgusted. And afraid. So afraid. Like she wasn't safe.

When she finally did make it to the library, she halted a bit, seeing Santana sitting with Sam. Edging closer to hear their conversation, she listened.

"Despite the fact that your mouth to face ration is wildly out of proportion, you're still kind of cute," Santana said. "But every time you open your mouth to do an impression or moisten those stamps for a giant, you risk the exposure of everyone thinking you are a dork."

Anne watched, blinking as Sam looked kind of offended by Santana's remarks. Personally, Anne liked Sam's impressions. They were funny and entertaining to watch him try to be accurate.

"Which is where I come in," Santana continued. "I hereby offer my services as a mistress. I wants on them froggy lips, and I wants on them now."

"But I'm dating Anne."

"And this just in? She's weird."

"Maybe I like weird?" Sam said. "She's amazing, Santana. You wouldn't understand."

"Look, I know you're as dumb as a bag of wet hair," she continued. "But you know deep down inside of you that there's something extremely off about her. She's too frigid-almost like she's hiding a secret. You're choosing to ignore that shady fact so you can still be with her."

She pushed herself back into the chair. Anne looked down, swallowing.

"But consider my offer. Not only am I giving you full visitation rights to the sweet twins that live on my rib cage, but you also get the most badass cool injection. It'll show everybody that no one messes with Sam Evans," she stood up. "Think about it."

Anne breathed out, waiting until Santana was out of sight. She gathered up enough courage to will herself to speak with Sam. She knew she was a bit closed off-but she'd told him why. He knew. He just didn't know all of the details about it, just the summary of things. He didn't know how she'd spent the longest time alone in her room, her life overclouded by sudden darkness and hopelessness. She wanted to tell him about how she wasn't comfortable with herself and how she didn't trust herself to be alone for too long with her thoughts because it was dangerous.

Because she'd almost lost everything. She'd almost ceased to exist because she was stupidly weak.

He didn't need to know-not yet.

"Hey," Anne said.

Sam turned around quickly. "Hey. There you are," he grabbed her binders and placed them on the table. "I've been waiting for the longest time ever for you."

"What have you been up to?" she asked.

"Not much. Just studying," Sam said, shrugging.

Anne nodded. "Cool."

"I think we all owe Sue a big thank you," Mr. Schuester said.

The week had progressed strangely, there was a mix of emotions within the club, and it seemed almost desolate. On one note, Rachel had returned and the only reason they'd noticed was because she'd stood up and voiced her opinion for regionals. Original songs.

"We can't just do any song and expect to beat those teams," Rachel said.

"You mean an entire number where you don't get to sing the entire song," Mercedes chimed in.

"Guys, this isn't about me."

"What do you suggest, Rachel?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"We need to be bold and epic. We need to write our own original music for regionals," she said. She saw Mr. Schuester's eyebrows shoot up. "We need an indisputable advantage."

"Check out dwarf Dianne Warren," Santana quipped.

"Look, we can't lose regionals again, you guys. You have to trust me, I feel really, really strongly about this," she said.

"Then let's put this to a vote," Schuester said. "Those in favor of original songs..."

Only Rachel raised her hand.

"Those in favor of My Chemical Romance."

Everybody else raised their hands and Rachel sank into her chair. How could she define herself if nobody would budge?

"I don't want to talk about the kiss," Finn said. "I want to talk about you. You were right in there, when you said we should write our own songs-"

"Then why didn't you help me in there?" Rachel argued.

"It wouldn't have made a difference," he said. "The only way to prove it to those guys is by shoving a great song down their throats. You have to write something kickass."

"So help me," Rachel said.

"No, I think you need to do this on your own," Finn said.

Rachel stared at him. "I don't think they would care."

"If it was great they would. Face it, if anybody's going to write a winning song it's going to be you, you're the real trendsetter in there."

There was a pause before Rachel responded. "You really believe in me that much?"

"More," he said, touching her shoulder before moving past her, but not without adding, "You know, I really liked the Rachel I saw in there today."

Rachel turned to him.

"She reminded me of the old you. The girl before all of the drama, before Jesse...Focused and with the take-no-prisoners attitude," he turned around and started to walk away, telling her, "I think she might be making a comeback."

Surprisingly, Rachel's lips turned up slightly.

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Drop me a review and let me know what you think!

-Fanatic4Fiction