Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

Finally! I got some real responses for my last chapter. Thank you-as a writer, it's nice to hear compliments. That being said, constructive criticism is also vitally needed and I'm glad to know you guys will actually tell me what you thought of the update instead of cushioning what you did/didn't like. For that I am entirely grateful. (Weird, huh? Shouldn't I be super mad or annoyed? Well, I am NOT). Anyway, I hope the wait was worth it because this the chapter where there's a definite turning point. Watch for it and as always, enjoy! ;)

"She needs you."

Jesse sighed into the receiver of his cellphone, his back currently turned to the ensemble onstage. They were rehearsing their musical (he'd found a passion for the acting on stage along with the singing).

"She was here, Anne."

"I know that; she talks to me, unlike you and you're supposed to be my brother," she retorted annoyingly. "You need to come back. I can see that it's killing the both of you...Being apart. You need to be together. You guys, you guys are something else. Something kind of magical."

"Annie, always the hopeless romantic," Jesse commented, shutting his eyes and sighing heavily. He rubbed his forehead from frustration.

"When it comes to the lives of the people I love, of course I am," she said. "Jesse."

"Look," he said suddenly. "Even if I wanted to go I couldn't. I've got exams-I've got this musical happening in a month...There's no time."

"Then make time, St. James," Anne rebutted sharply. "You made this mess by misunderstanding Rachel. Now you have to fix it. I'm sick of seeing or hearing how mopey you guys are being apart. Just... get back together. Finn kissed her. She didn't want it."

"I just... I need time."

"Time to what? Time to waste more time? Jesse, open your eyes! She is in love with you!"

"Anne-"

"Do not give her time to move on. That's just being stupid. And the Jesse I know isn't stupid, is he?"

Jesse remained silent, his brain computing about ten different possibilities.

"Is he?" Anne repeated.

You love her, idiot. She loves you. Don't be the dumbass that let her get away.

"Be ready," he said suddenly.

"Huh?" Anne asked, her mind snapping out of the angry phase she'd just been in five seconds ago.

"I'm on my way. I'm going to fix this."

The last few weeks had been a shit hole for Rachel. She'd gotten drunk-she'd made certain mistakes she wasn't proud of, a hefty confession during a hungover spur, and now she was here, sitting in front of a bunch of glee members who'd joined the celibacy club.

Rachel fought the urge to vomit as numerous pairs of eyes looked straight at her.

"While all of us making a celibacy pledge is great, one day we're going to fall in love with someone," she started, swallowing thickly as a certain boy with blue eyes and mildly curly hair came to mind.

"We're going to choose to be intimate with them."

She thought back to many months ago when she'd been so sure about taking the next step with Jesse. They hadn't done anything, of course, because of the accident. Nevertheless the memory produced a sharp pang in her heart.

He'd made his choice and she had made hers.

"Except for Rachel, it's so obvious she's still a virgin," Santana mumbled, flipping her hair.

"Okay, while I still don't know why you're here in the first place," Rachel started. "All I'm going to say is that at least I'm not a slut. I'm actually waiting for the guy that I love."

"Who is who? Jesse? He dumped you," Santana continued. "He literally dumped you."

"Moving on!" Puck intercepted, seeing as the two girls looked ready to brawl. "Where is Miss Pillsbury anyway?"

"Fixing the sham of her marriage," Quinn answered, pulling up her sweater to cover her neck.

Brittany blinked. "I can still see your hickey."

Quinn shrunk back into her chair. "Why are we even having this meeting?"

"Because," Rachel said. "Apart from being in the celibacy club, I wanted to talk to you guys about writing an original song. While I admire the fact that you're letting me write one song, I had an idea. Why don't you guys write one for the group?" Rachel suggested. "This way when we win first place it'll be even. We'll each take part in the comfort of having contributed unanimously for another win."

The group was silenced for a few moments as the suggestion hung in the air. Rachel knew they would most likely say yes, yet the possibility of them denying her idea lingered in the air like a heavy dosage of toxic acid.

"Okay," Finn said as a few members shrugged and nodded. "We'll work on a song while you work on another song. We can do this, you guys," he made eye contact with Rachel and they both smiled. "As a team."

It was easier said than done. Rachel's proposal from a few days ago had proven to be incredibly optimistic. She'd heard some of the group's songs. While they were amusing, they weren't winning material (but she'd laughed at Santana's Trouty Mouth song dedicated to Sam's lips. That was hilarious).

And then there was her song. She was getting nowhere with it. She just simply hadn't endured the amount of pain required to write a song. What Rachel lacked was inspiration and at the very moment, she was feeling incredibly uninspired.

She hit the keys absentmindedly, her thoughts leading her to nowhere in particular when the clacking of heels broke her inner monologue.

"Satan-I mean Santana-what are you doing here?" Rachel said sourly, rolling her eyes.

"I just wanted to see how our star is doing. Well, I wanted to see how badly you were failing."

"Why are you being so mean?" Rachel exclaimed, her frustration seeping to the surface. Santana had had it out for Rachel since the wedding and it was reaching the peak.

Santana crossed her arms. "I'm just enjoying watching you fall apart from your own mistakes."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You kissed Finn because you're still the same little schoolgirl obsessed with the popular guy. You still live in your own fantasy world-that's why bad things happen to you, Rachel. That's why Jesse dumped you. He figured you were a lost cause anyway."

"Okay, stop!" Rachel said, slamming on the piano keys. "I don't know why you've been up my butt lately but I've had enough!"

"You know why," Santana said. "Finn still likes you, troll. And if he still likes you, he can't like me and if he can't like me then it means that I-" Santana stopped short, swallowing thickly. "Nevermind. You're in my way and this my way of telling it like it is. You're just a naive kid who has no clue how to act her age."

"I don't like Finn, why can't anyone seem to understand that?" Rachel shouted, groaning loudly. "It was one crush and a mistake of a kiss that he initiated. It was not my fault."

"God, hobbit!" Santana exclaimed. "Just admit it! You've still got the hots for the quarterback. Face it-it's just who you are. Everybody knows-even St. James knew. That's why he broke up with you. He knew you're relentless. You're selfish. You go for what makes you happy. You don't care for anyone else."

"Stop," Rachel said.

"He knew you'd go crawling back to Finn in a matter of time. It's just who you are. You're a naive schoolgirl that has this fantasy of having the popular guy fall madly in love with you and the both of you run off in the sunset."

Rachel bit her cheek, angry tears waiting to fall.

"He knew you, Rachel. He knew you'd go back to Finn. You're predictable and that's why you can't write one stupid song. You are never going to get it right."

Santana's final words echoed in the auditorium as both girls were suddenly silent. One was standing tall and fierce whilst the other was looking down, trying to keep all the emotions in.

Rachel did know. She knew how selfish she could be when it came to moving forward-that just came with being overly ambitious and passionate for loving what she does. She loves glee. She loves to sing. She loves her team. It's why she does stupid things sometimes like send off Sunshine to an inactive crack house or give a million different ideas in a single rehearsal.

But she doesn't love-nor does she remotely like in that way-Finn. Yet everyone kept trying to tie them back together.

"I have to go," Rachel croaked, picking up her bag and walking out quickly.

"So we never got a chance to talk the other night," Sam stated softly as he leaned back against the bench. They were on Anne's porch-well technically, it was her uncle's porch.

"About what?" she responded as she felt his arm go around her. She leaned into him, feeling his warmth.

"About why you were acting so weird in the library. Then you had said you were distant-"

"I told you why," Anne said quickly, her lips turning up slightly. "Besides, it's okay now. It was just one of those days."

Sam shuffled beside her and she looked at his sullen expression.

"What?" she asked.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" he asked.

Anne swallowed, her mind snapping back to the hallway and the way she'd felt. She could almost believe the fear was palpable.

"No."

Yes.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

No.

"Look," Sam said again, his eyes searching for something that would indicate what he felt. He knew there was something off about his girlfriend's behavior.

He felt it every time he made contact with her bare skin. They'd be comfortable and then his hand would brush against her bare arm or he'd touch her cheek and her entire posture would stiffen suddenly. She hadn't exactly given him that reaction before and it was beginning to scare him. Was it something he'd done?

"I love you," he stated with certainty. He leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you more than you could ever know. So you'll understand why it hurts when you don't tell me what's wrong."

"Sam..."

"I trust you, don't you trust me?" he asked, pressing his lips against her head. Her soft hair tickled his face.

"Of course I trust you," she responded. "I just... It's... It's complicated and I, I can't think when we're like this," she said hurriedly as she pushed him away a bit. His eyes widened and he shrugged.

"Okay, now I definitely know something's up. Are you going to tell me or not?"

Anne opened her mouth to speak when suddenly another voice chimed in.

"What's going on here?"

Both teens looked in the direction of the voice and Anne shook her head.

"You're relentless, Jesse. In a good way, of course," Anne said as Jesse made it up the porch and hugged her.

"Who's this?" Jesse asked, shaking Sam's hand.

"Sam Evans, my..." Anne trailed off, scratching the back of her head.

"Her boyfriend," Sam finished for her, nodding at Jesse. "I'm going to take a guess and say you're the same Jesse that dated Rachel?"

"The one and only, I hope," Jesse said. He set his luggage down. "I'm actually in a bit of a hurry. Anne, could you tell them I'm back? I'm actually on my way to Rachel's."

"Sure thing," Anne said. She grabbed his arm as he was about to walk away. "Hey. Don't be stupid."

"I'll try," Jesse said, smiling a bit as he jogged to his car.

"Why are you here?" Rachel interrogated, her eyes bloodshot. He could tell she'd been crying and although he could think of a few other reasons besides him being the cause, he didn't get too comfortable on the idea.

"I was an idiot. An asshole of an idiot."

"Obviously," Rachel said. Her tiny frame looked so frail in the doorway. Her small hand clutched the side of the front door-she'd refused to let him in.

To say the least, they weren't off to a good start.

"Rachel-what I said the last time we talked-"

"You regret?" Rachel inquired. He nodded. "I do, too."

"Then what are we doing?" Jesse asked, stepping closer. Dismay flushed through him as she recoiled from his proximity.

"We're taking time to think this over. Because you don't trust me. Because you were an idiot."

"I know-but why? I was an idiot. But what's the point of time? Rachel, I love you. I'm in love with you."

She bit her lip.

"You're my person," Jesse added after a moment of silence. "My equal. My partner. My soulmate, if you will. I am in love with you and no amount of time or tresses is going to change that. I know that now and I regret every second that I hadn't realized it sooner."

"You broke my heart," Rachel said. "You took it into your hands and you broke it and you didn't think twice-"

"I thought about it way more than twice, I assure you. I thought about it for a long while the moment I got those stupid texts. And whoever sent those-well, they're assholes hell bent on making you and me miserable. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that you went through this."

"I need time."

"What?"

"I need time to think your apology through," she looked at her hands. "Stay. Stay for regionals. It's in a few days. Just give me a few days."

Jesse nodded, his hands cold. "Okay."

She was just about to close to door when his hand stopped her.

"I won't blame you."

"What?"

"I won't blame you if you decide you want nothing to do with me ever again. I won't blame you."

Rachel scrutinized his hurt expression, her body aching to just be close to him again. However, her brain told her to wait-to be sensible.

Inside, her heart complained. Screw sensible.

"Thank you," she whispered. Jesse sighed, never breaking eye contact. Instead, he let the door cut off their contact.

You can do this, Rachel's brain instructed as she stared at her reflection in the dressing room mirror. Outside she could faintly hear the chatter of the audience waiting for their performance to begin.

She'd always prided herself in being ready for onstage performances. She'd never felt crazy nerves or the need to vomit. But today, today was something different. Perhaps it was the fact that they were doing all original songs. Perhaps it was the knowledge that Jesse was waiting for her; watching her from the house.

Get it together, get it together, she repeated. Her reflection looked unsettled more than nervous. She, the girl in the reflection, looked pretty enough. Her face was smooth and clear, her hair perfectly styled. The only problem was the sadness in her eyes-the endless brown orbs seemed to depict a million tears waiting to fall out. A million breakdowns to follow.

"Are you ready?" Finn asked from behind. Rachel blinked, snapping out of her own train of thought.

She forced a smile. "Yeah. I'm ready."

He nodded. "You can do this, Rachel. Show them what you're made of."

Rachel took a deep breath and moved to the edge of the stage wing. She awaited her cue. As she did so, she looked over her shoulder to Finn.

"Finn?"

He stared at her. "Yeah?"

"I need you to listen to what I'm about to sing. I need you to hear it with an open mind because... Well, because I mean every single word of it."

His smile dropped slightly. "I know. You still love him, right?"

Rachel looked at him, the boy who'd stolen her heart briefly when she'd first joined glee club. Look at them now, almost two years later. They'd definitely gone their separate ways.

"He's a part of me. I'll always love him," she verified. Something peculiar crossed Finn's features but he regained his normal expression.

"Break a leg, Berry."

"Thanks, Hudson," she said as they cued her. She clenched her hands and walked onstage, the crowd quieting down significantly.

She was definitely feeling uneasy now. She could hear her heart beating in her ears.

"What have I done? I wish I could run away from this ship going under," she sung, her eyes searching the crowd for him. "Just trying to help hurt everyone else. Now I feel the weight of the world is on my shoulders..."

She looked across at the Warblers sitting in the audience. She could pick out Kurt. He was smiling. He was proud. Why? Sure they'd grown closer-she supposed it was because of that. "What can you do when your good isn't good enough. And all that you touch tumbles down?"

Slightly curly hair caught her line of vision. She tried to focus on the person and her heart practically leaped out of her chest as she realized it was Jesse. Somehow she sort of wanted to cry right then. "I just have to stay and face my mistakes,

But if I get stronger and wiser, I'll get through this..."

What she wanted to tell him was that she was sorry. Sorry for being too black-and-white about their situation. She should've had more patience even if he was being incredibly stubborn and out of line. Why? Because that's what love's all about. It's tolerating moments of stupidity because you love the person-because you're not willing to let go. Not willing to let it tumble down and disappear. "What can you do when your good isn't good enough? And all that you touch tumbles down?"

Well, Rachel was prepared to fight for them. She knew now that she'd always be willing to fight for them because there wasn't anything she believed in more. Not her singing. Not her talent. Not her future as a star. He fueled her; gave her life and inspiration and something entirely unknown. "But how many times will it take?

Oh, how many times will it take for me to get it right?"

The rest of New Directions' performance goes great. They sing their original group song and the crowd ends up loving it. They even managed to shove some of it in Sue's face.

Fueled by the adrenaline from the performance, Rachel's nerve endings tingle as they all go offstage. The group chatters about their work as Rachel pushes past people in order to head for the lobby. Her heart grows heavy because she needs to tell him that she's all in.

So I throw up my fist, throw a punch in the air,

And accept the truth that sometimes life isn't fair

Yeah, I'll send out a wish, yeah, I'll send up a prayer

And finally someone will see how much I care

It takes her approximately two and a half minutes to locate Jesse in the lobby. He's smiling because he knows-he knows she's forgiven him but he still needs to hear her say it. So, naturally, Rachel smiles her Rachel-Berry-Smile as she practically runs into him full force. Her arms practically choke him as his own arms almost swallow her petite frame, yet neither party cares much about that.

Jesse could practically feel her whole life vibrating in his arms and it's the best feeling in the world. Why would he ever let her go again?

What can you do when your good isn't good enough?

And all that you touch tumbles down?

Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things,

I just wanna fix it somehow

But how many times will it take?

"I'm so sorry," he said, his face buried in her hair.

Rachel shuts her eyes as she holds Jesse tighter. The familiar body warmth feels like home. "I love you."

She feels him muffle a response and she smiles, pulling away enough to touch his lips with her own. Jesse returns the kiss before pulling back, smiling. Rachel sees his eyes shining.

"You love me," he said.

Rachel nodded. "You love me."

"Was there ever any doubt?" he asked, his hand touching her neck.

"Only a brief moment of desperation. But that's all," she responded, placing her lips against his again. Those fireworks Finn had talked about with her around Valentine's Day? She saw them; felt them in this moment.

Oh, how many times will it take, to get it right?

To get it right?

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Drop a review and let me know? You want me to stop asking so many damn questions?

Shit, I did it again, didn't I?

...I am relentless. Haha.

-Fanatic4Fiction