Thanks for all the reviews on Chapter 14, I really appreciate them! Again, this chapter has some scenes I would have liked to have seen between Finchel while Rachel was dating Jesse. Hope you guys enjoy this one and review if I should keep going!

Chapter 15: The Power Of Madonna

Rachel's date with Jesse hadn't been as much fun as her dates with Finn had been. He wanted to go to a concert, but the only concert with tickets available was the Wiggles. Rachel and Jesse were probably the only people there who could read besides the parents who had taken their kids.

Rachel wasn't sure if dating Jesse was such a great idea. Whenever they hung out, all he talked about was himself and Vocal Adrenaline. He was constantly trying to get Rachel to come transfer to Carmel and join Vocal Adrenaline, but she didn't want to leave Finn.

After the concert though, Rachel was beginning to become even more sure that Jesse wasn't the one for her. They went to her room to make out and Jesse suddenly said, "We should do it."

"It?" Rachel asked. No way did she want to lose her virginity to someone other than Finn.

Jesse kissed Rachel again. "Totally. Haven't you done it before?"

"No. Have you?" Rachel asked.

Jesse laughed. "What do you think? It's no big deal."

"For a girl, it is," Rachel said.

Jesse sat up. "All the other girls I've dated had sex with me on the first date."

"I'm sorry," Rachel said. "I'm not ready for sex."

"Forget it then," Jesse snapped, storming out of Rachel's room.

Rachel watched as Jesse left, not even taking the Care Bear she'd won him. She'd been attracted to him because he was the most famous high school singer in the country - but maybe he wasn't the one.

x

It was at times like this that Rachel really wished she had her mom. As much as she loved her dads, she didn't feel comfortable talking to them about sex. Although Finn was always nice to her, what if he too got upset if she didn't want to have sex one day in the future?

But Rachel had no idea what her mom's name was, or where she lived, or anything about her. She'd tried talking to Miss Pillsbury, but Miss Pillsbury herself had seemed uncomfortable. The girls in glee club were sitting together to try to think of a number for Regionals. She looked at the cartoon Quinn was drawing that made fun of her. The girls didn't like her very much, but maybe they could help. Santana and Brittany were professionals with relationships. Tina and Artie seemed to be in a solid, loving relationship. Quinn did have some history too. Some of them would probably have some help. "Can I ask you guys something private?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, you should move to Israel," Santana said.

Rachel decided to ignore that problem. "It's about dating. Not that I'm dating anyone. We all know that Finn and I are no longer an item, and for the sake of the team, I broke up with Jesse. But let's just say I was dating someone. Let's just say, hypothetically, we went to a Wiggles concert last Friday night, and then because my dads weren't home, we went up to my room and started making out. It was erotic and romantic. And then he said "we should do it" and I didn't want to. What if then he got really crabby and left, and didn't even take home the Care Bear I won him playing Skee Ball?"

"Would you please stop talking? You're grossing out my baby," Quinn said.

"I just want to be ready; I know I'm getting older, and these things are going to happen someday, but how do I stop a guy from getting mad at me for saying no?" Rachel asked.

"Just do what I do. Never say no," Santana said.

"Oh, totally," Brittany backed Santana up. "I mean, what's the worst that can happen? Sorry, Quinn."

"Look, girl, don't ask me," Mercedes said. "The last guy I liked was the mayor of gaytown. And I can't wait to get a guy mad at me for saying no."

"We just have to accept that guys don't care about our feelings. Like, the other day, I was walking with Artie and he insulted my clothes," Tina said.

Rachel thought Tina and Artie seemed to have one of the most solid, healthy, happy relationships. "That's got to sting."

Mr. Schue came over. "Hey, guys. I'm sorry to interrupt your little sorority, but I couldn't help but overhearing. Are you really having that much boy trouble?"

"You wouldn't understand, Mr. Schue. You're a guy," Quinn said.

"Well, then maybe you should talk to someone else about it. Like Ms. Pillsbury," Mr. Schue suggested.

"I tried that," Rachel sighed. Maybe she had to do this herself.

x

Finn listened to the Madonna music that played in the halls at McKinley, trying to think of a song to do for their assignment, hopefully with Rachel. His thoughts were interrupted when Santana came up to his locker. "Hey, Finnocence. You know, I've been thinking, and I think we should go out. Just you and me this time, no third wheel."

Finn's last date with Santana had been a disaster. "Will you talk to me this time?"

Santana gave Finn a look. "I don't really talk during. Look, Finn, It's high time you lost the big V. Everything about you screams virgin. You're about as sexy as a Cabbage Patch Kid. It's exhausting to look at you."

"Well, look, I appreciate the offer, but I have feelings for someone else, and I'm trying to work things out with them. So..." Finn said.

"Who, Rachel?" Santana asked. "She's dating that Jesse kid from Vocal Adrenaline."

"No, she's not," Finn said. At least he hoped she wasn't.

"Please, you can smell it on her. She's like a cat in heat. She talked about him yesterday and practically sprayed the choir room. So come on, let's do the deed. It'll be great for my image, and Sue will promote me to head cheerleader. It's win-win," Santana said.

"Wait, what... What do I get out of it?" Finn asked. He was more preoccupied by the fact that Rachel had lied to him. She was still with Jesse? Jesse had bothered Finn when they'd met.

"I don't know. You get to have sex and make Rachel jealous. I meant for me, okay? It's win-win for me," Santana said.

x

Finn went to the choir room. Rachel had texted him and asked her to meet him in the choir room. Now would be the perfect time to ask her about Jesse. Rachel was waiting when Finn arrived. "Finn, I was just coming to find you. Look, I know that the boys were a little uncomfortable about this Madonna assignment, so I figured you and I as co-captains could do a little mash-up of a bunch of her songs just to show everyone how cool it can be."

Finn loved the idea of singing with Rachel, but he had to find out. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Look, are you still dating that Jesse kid?"

Rachel looked uncomfortable. "No, no. Who-who told you that?"

"Look, I know things have been weird between us, but I never thought you'd lie to me," Finn said.

Rachel looked upset now. "Look, please just don't tell anyone."

Finn couldn't believe it. Rachel couldn't be with that asshole! "Unbelievable."

"We may not be together the way that Jesse and I are, but we can still be friends," Rachel said. "I'm asking you as my friend to trust me."

Finn was so upset. How could Rachel choose Jesse over him? "Fine. But if this leads to something bad for all of us, don't expect any more friendship from me."

"Noted," Rachel said. She handed Finn the music. "All right, let's rehearse, then."

Finn looked at the music Rachel had given him. She had picked some of the songs he had in mind. As he began playing his drums, he couldn't help but be more turned on by Rachel's voice than ever.

Rachel: Something in the way you loved me won't let me be
I don't want to be your prisoner so baby won't you set me free
Stop playin' with my heart
Finish what you start
When you make my love come down
If you want me let me know
Baby, let it show
Honey, don't you fool around
Finn: Don't try to resist me
Open your heart to me, baby
I'll hold the lock and you hold the key
Rachel and Finn: Open your heart to me, darlin'
I'll give you love if you
Finn: You turn the key
Rachel and Finn: Something in your eyes is makin' such a fool of me (Finn: You're making me, you're making such a fool of me)
I see you on the street and you walk on by (Finn: You're on the street I see when you're walking by)
When you hold me in your arms
You love me till I just can't see (Finn: Ohh, Woah)
So you choose to look the other way
Well I've got something to say...
Open your heart to me, baby
I'll hold the lock and you hold the key
Open your heart to me, darlin'
I'll give you love if you, you turn the key (Finn: Open your heart I'll make you love me)
I'll hold the lock and you hold the key
Open your heart to me, darlin'
I'll give you love if you, you turn the key (Finn: Ohh ohh ohh)
Open your heart with the key

At the end of the song, Finn and Rachel stared at each other. Finn knew that no matter who Rachel was with, she was still into him. "Th-That was good," Rachel stuttered.

"Totally," Finn agreed.

x

After her duet with Finn, Rachel was reminded that he was the one. She was planning on breaking up with Jesse, for real this time. He'd been so disrespectful about her not wanting to have sex with him and hadn't called her since then. Rachel went through the library as a book fell in her pathway. She looked at the book's title. "Sondheim on Music. Jesse, is that you?"

Rachel looked and saw Jesse. "I'm so glad you came. I picked the Stephen Sondheim biography section for our clandestine meeting place, because only he would be able to express my melancholia. I feel bad about what happened at your house. Do you still have my Care Bear?" Jesse asked.

"Yes. Since we're meeting in the shadows, there's something I wanted to talk to you about," Rachel said. She might as well get this done.

"Me first," Jesse said. "I was out of line the other night. You deserve more than that. You deserve romance. No, you deserve epic romance. I feel badly that I pressured you into... You know, going all the way. I'm willing to wait. You tell me when you're ready. And I'll make sure that I'm fastidiously groomed. What did you want to tell me?"

Now Rachel felt bad. Maybe Jesse was into her. If she broke up with him now, she'd seem like a bitch. "I'm ready." But she wasn't sure if she was.

x

She wasn't ready. That Friday night, Rachel had Jesse over to her house while her dads were at an out of town conference, but once they were both on her bed, she knew she couldn't do it. She was in love with someone else, and she knew who it was. She ran into the bathroom and stayed in there for a few minutes before Jesse knocked on the door. " Just come out so we can talk."

Rachel came out of the bathroom, trying to think of something to say. "Look, Jesse, I really like you, but... I can't do it. It wouldn't be right for... the team." He'd understand that, right? He was even more competitive than she was.

"What does the team have to do with this?" Jesse asked.

"If I give myself to you knowing that my teammates wouldn't approve, it would be like I was sleeping with the enemy," Rachel said. "I'd be betraying them. And because I'm truly not ready to do this, I'd be betraying myself." If she slept with Jesse, she'd be betraying herself anyway - because she loved Finn.

x

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Finn and Santana were in the motel room Santana's older sister had booked for them. Finn thought sex would feel good. He thought that after he did it, he'd feel like a grown man. He thought he'd feel some sort of new confidence. Instead, he felt bad. He'd lost something he was never going to get back, something he'd hoped he'd lose to Rachel.

Santana didn't seem to have enjoyed it either. She was instead looking around the bedside table. "Do you think they have room service in this place? 'Cause I want a burger."

Finn always seemed to be hungry, but right now he wasn't. He just couldn't stop thinking about what happened. "I thought I'd feel different after."

"Yeah, well, I've noticed that it takes about 20 or so times before the feeling of accomplishment really kicks in," Santana said. "There's no menu, so you're gonna have to take me to a burger joint. How do you feel?"

Clearly she didn't care. So it was okay for him to say he didn't either. "I don't feel anything, because it didn't mean anything."

x

On Monday morning, Finn was nervous about going to school. He knew Rachel had most likely lost it too.

"Hey," Finn said.

"Hi," Rachel said.

"So how'd your date with Jesse go Friday night?" Finn asked.

"It went wonderfully," Rachel said. "Honestly, it wasn't that big of a deal. I mean, you know, it-it was great. But when it was over, I just, uh, you know, didn't know why I was so nervous in the first place."

Finn felt horrible. He'd hoped that he'd be the one to take Rachel's virginity. "I'm happy for you," he managed to say.

x

Rachel felt bad for lying to Finn, but at the same time, she wanted him to fight for her. "And, uh, what about you? I heard that you had a date with Santana on Friday night."

"I couldn't go through with it," Finn said.

"Why?" Rachel asked.

"I guess I'm just waiting for the right person," Finn said.

Now Rachel felt some relief. They could save it for each other.

x

Jesse had texted Rachel to say he had a surprise for her, but she wasn't expecting this. Jesse came into the classroom with Mr. Schue right before glee practice was about to start. "Okay everyone, before we start today, I have an announcement," Mr. Schue said. "This is Jesse St. James. He just transferred here and he wants to join New Directions."

What was going on? This wasn't supposed to happen!

"What the hell?!" Finn shouted. "It seems like now everybody's doing things just to hurt my feelings."

"I thought you all would take this news a little better. I'm a star. You can learn from me," Jesse said.

"We were already fighting for second leads. And now that you've shown up, I've lost all hope at ever getting a solo," Kurt said.

"Yeah, that's right. And y'all just trot me out at the end of every number so I can wail on the last note. How is that okay?" Mercedes asked.

"He's a spy, Mr. Schue. I would know," Santana said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys. I saw all the paperwork, I spoke with his parents..." Mr. Schue told the group.

"They winter in Bali. It's a very expensive phone call," Jesse bragged.

"Jesse just moved in with his uncle, which is in our school district. It's all above board, guys. He goes to this school now," Mr. Schue said.

"But this isn't fair!" Artie said.

"Guys! Everyone who's ever auditioned for this group has gotten in. That's how we do things here. Okay, to suddenly change the rules now, that would be unfair," Mr. Schue told them.

Rachel was still confused. "I don't understand why you're doing this."

"Because when you love something, you got to go for it. You would never be with me completely if I were on the opposing team. And I care about you more than winning another national title. So I left Vocal Adrenaline. For you," Jesse said.

Now Rachel was feeling even more guilty. She was sure Jesse would break up with her after she told him she couldn't be with him on the other team, and now he'd transferred schools. Maybe he really did like her. But she liked Finn. She couldn't break up with Jesse now though. Not after he switched schools for her.

"All right, guys, we have got a lot of work to do. Jesse, great to have you here. Welcome aboard," Mr. Schue said.

x

After glee practice, Rachel caught up with Finn. She knew they had some talking to do. "Finn, I'm so sorry. I had no idea this was going to happen."

"Why wouldn't it?" Finn asked. "I know you like him. And I know he likes you. I'm surprised you didn't go to Carmel."

Rachel had always turned down that suggestion from Jesse. "Why would I do that?"

"Because Vocal Adrenaline's a winning team," Finn said. "When I went there, it was clear Jesse was the most popular person at that school. You wouldn't get slushies thrown at you there."

"Well, I only started dating Jesse because I thought you didn't want to be with me!" Rachel said.

"But I do!" Finn said.

"I can't just break up with Jesse," Rachel said. "He transferred schools to be with me. I can't break up with him without seeming like a total bitch." It was true. When she told Jesse she couldn't be with him if he was on the other side, she was kind of hoping he'd break up with her so she could be with Finn. She had no idea he was going to give up Vocal Adrenaline, his friends and being the most popular boy at school so he could be with her. She felt like she owed him a continued relationship.

"Yes you can!" Finn said.

"What about you and Quinn last semester?" Rachel asked. "I was there all along and we fit better and everything, and yet you stayed with her." For the first time, Rachel was understanding why Finn didn't break up with Quinn. Now she felt obligated to be with Jesse.

"You're not having Jesse's baby, right?" Finn asked, a look of panic on his face.

"God no!" Rachel said. That was part of the reason why she didn't go through with sex.

"Good," Finn said. "I just wish he'd leave or school so we could be together! I hate him and he's just going to make everyone else hate you more!"

Rachel thought people liked her more these days. At least, she thought some of them did... "You think everyone hates me?"

Finn gulped. "I'm so sorry, Rachel. "That wasn't a good choice of words."

"You're right, it wasn't," Rachel said, walking away.

x

Finn knew what he'd said to Rachel wasn't right. He didn't hate her. He really liked her. He had feelings for her. And he was sure whether they'd admit it or not, everyone in that room liked her. He managed to catch her at her locker when Jesse wasn't there and went up to her. "Hey."

"If you're gonna criticize and mock me again about Jesse, you can can it," Rachel snapped.

Finn really hoped that Rachel wouldn't be bitter forever. "I wanted to apologize. The only reason you were even open to dating Jesse was because I was such an ass. Mr. Tough Guy and all that. I really liked you. And I could have had you, but I blew it."

Rachel gave Finn one of those looks she only gave him. "You really liked me?"

Then Jesse came over and put his arm around Rachel. "Okay, Finn. I know we have a big showdown coming, so let's just decide on the arena. Sing-off, the parking lot, 5:00. Be there."

"No!" Rachel wimpered.

Finn knew how much he didn't like Jesse. A sing off? However, he decided to be the bigger man and prove to Rachel that he was the more mature, nicer person. He held out his hand for Jesse. "Welcome to New Directions. Frankly, I need you. I'm tired of carrying the male vocals all by myself. I'll do my best to stay away from your girl."

Finn noticed Rachel's disappointment after the last thing he said to Jesse. "I appreciate that. She's a keeper," Jesse said.

"Walk with me to the auditorium," Finn said. "I put together a new Madonna number. I'll talk you through it on the way."

"Sweet," Jesse said.

x

The big Madonna number was a success. Rachel sang part of it with Finn and part of it with Jesse. She thought her part of it with Finn sounded better, but before she had a chance to tell Finn that, Jesse gave her a big hug at the end of the number. Again, she couldn't help but think that Finn's hugs felt better.

"This is great," Jesse said as they left. "New Directions isn't as devoted as Vocal Adrenaline and doesn't have as much talent, but now we get to be together all the time."

"Yeah, it's great," Rachel said, noticing Jesse was texting. "I've got to go for a few minutes." She ran ahead and caught up with Finn. "Hey, you sounded great."

"You think so?" Finn said. "I'm really worried we won't get to sing together much anymore..."

"Why wouldn't we?" Rachel asked.

"I bet Mr. Schue's going to give you and Jesse the leads at Regionals," Finn said. "I mean, Jesse won Vocal Adrenaline Nationals his first three years. It would make sense for him to be showcased at Regionals."

Rachel realized Finn had a point. She didn't want Jesse to be her duet partner at Regionals. She wanted Finn to be. Duets were their thing. "If Mr. Schue asks me to sing a duet with anyone but you, I'll decline."

"Seriously?" Finn asked. "But Rachel, you're our best singer."

"Some things are more important than winning," Rachel said. She and Finn smiled at each other, both knowing what some of those things were.

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