Author's note: Whew, Jesse returns next week! You guys are absolutely fantastic, and I'm overwhelmed by how many people have favorited/alerted/reviewed. They're amazing, and I love reading all your reviews :)!

Disclaimer: Not mine!

After the Wiggles, Rachel and Jesse drove to the nearest Italian restaurant where they'd had their first official date, and second unofficial.

They'd stayed for a good couple of hours, chatting, laughing, and with each minute that passed, Jesse felt the burning pressure to tell Rachel about quitting Vocal Adrenaline, but couldn't.

If he told her that he'd quit, he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep the details of Shelby asking him to spy on New Directions out of the story, and although he had initially gone along with the plan just to get her off his back, he had stopped as soon as he started dating Rachel.

He knew though that telling her would end any chance of the relationship they'd started and he didn't want it to end. He had to figure out some way of telling her that he'd quit, and someday later, why he'd quit.

They finished dinner about three hours later and Jesse drove Rachel back to her house. Neither of her Dad's were home, and although they liked him, he felt more comfortable without them there. No wondering of whether they might be able to hear anything which would lead to a lot of awkwardness. No embarrassment and feeling inadequate at dating their daughter. Hell, he felt that enough already, he didn't need it reinforced.

They went up to her bedroom to choose from her extensive collection of musicals to watch. They'd both been kneeling next to each other on the carpet and in the midst of one of her many spiels on the wonder of the love of Maria and Tony when something inside him just snapped and dragged her up to him, kissing her passionately.

She moaned against his lips and breaking off for air, he peppered kisses along her jaw. She wrapped her arms around him even tighter and ran her fingers through his hair. He stood up, bringing her with him, wrapping her legs around his waist and carrying her to her bed, never stopping kissing her.

Rachel's senses were on fire. Jesse was still kissing her, alternating between butterfly kisses along her jaw and sliding back up to her lips. He was holding himself above her, but she could feel the hardness of his chest and the strength in his arms.

His brain went crazy. All he could think of was the girl he was holding in his arms, and what he would do for her, what he had already done for her. He wanted to just make her his. Make her forget about all those other idiots that she'd ever dated before him, and he didn't want anyone to be after him. Just him and her, and he'd hold onto her as long as he could.

"We should do it," he blurted out, while kissing her.

"It?" She said nervously.

"Totally," he murmured. "Haven't you done it before?"

"No, have you?"

"What do you think? It's no big deal," Jesse lied. He had never done it with anyone, but knowing her enough to know that she would be scared enough as it was doing it for her first time, without doing it with a novice as well. She always looked for the best teacher she did in anything, and he knew this would be no exception.

"For a girl it is," she said softly, and pushed against his chest.

He sighed and sat up slowly.

"Look, Jesse," she said slowly, "I really, really love you. You know that. But I'm not ready for this."

He leaned his forehead against hers, and interlaced his fingers with hers. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I love you too, and I'll wait until you're ready."

She smiled softly at him, and started to say something when he got up.

"I've got to go," he said hurriedly, "My parents are going to call me tonight, and this is the only time they're going to be available. So, I'll see you soon ok?" He leaned down and kissed her hurriedly, and rushed out of the house.

She stared confusedly at him. She knew that Jesse was different from other guys, and was more sensitive, caring, artistic, amazing, but she hadn't thought that he would have reacted like any other guy in this situation. Sure, he'd told her that he'd wait, but then suddenly having to leave? The two didn't match up, and his actions didn't correspond with his words. She looked around her room and noticed the care-bears they'd brought up had both been left on the floor. She smiled sadly at them, hoping that it wasn't mirroring what might happen with their relationship.

He got in his car as quickly as he could and drove a few blocks away, and finally pulled over when he knew that she wouldn't be able to see him anymore. He took in a ragged breath and leaned his head against the steering wheel. As soon as Rachel said she wasn't ready he knew that he shouldn't push, but he couldn't help it, wanting to make her his, knowing that any day could be the last for their relationship, and was trying to do everything he could to hold onto her.

When she had said that she just couldn't go through with it, he had been too ashamed to look her in the eye, afraid of what he might say. So, he took the coward's way out and left as quickly as he could.

He stayed there until he had got himself under control, had formulated a plan and drove home to put it into action.

"Can I ask you something?" Rachel asked the rest of the girls in Glee club.

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

Rachel rushed down to the front and told all the girls about what had happened the previous night. And it didn't help at all. It seemed as though everyone had the same problems that she did, and that the boys were just not caring about the girls. Artie had told Tina to drop the goth look, Puck had told Quinn that he didn't date super-size chicks, and Santana and Brittany just told her to go along with whatever boys told them. And that's when the feminist streak of Glee Club kicked in,

It wasn't only about her anymore, but the rest of the girls. She needed to help the others realize that they were strong, independent women, who didn't need to do whatever a man told them to do, even if they deeply loved them. So, Mr. Schue gave out the Madonna assignment and things started to roll. The girls of Glee Club started to take back their independence and show the boys that they were strong, self-sufficient people, who didn't need them.

The boys were still frustratingly ignorant of what the girls were trying to do though. Embarrassed about being called out on being unfair, but that was it. She ignored it though, and appealed to Finn's better nature, hoping to impress that because he was co-captain of the Club, he had just as an important responsibility as her to show the other girls that they could be independent of boys.

While they were singing, she felt a little of the spark that she always used to feel when she sang with Finn. But this time was different. When she used to sing with Finn, she focused on him only, and nothing else. This time, she was picturing Jesse in his place, praying that things would work out between them, and that it wasn't over. The only thrills she felt where when she imagined Jesse in Finn's place.

When the song was over, all she felt was relief that she knew that she was completely over Finn, and that her heart belonged to Jesse. She felt embarrassment at the amount of time that she had wasted pining over Finn, but happy at the same time that she knew her feelings for Jesse were actually real, and so much stronger than anything she had felt before.

She was meeting him at the end of the day as they'd agreed on their last, somewhat disastrous date. She was praying that it wouldn't be their last date, and he wouldn't break up with her, but she hadn't heard anything otherwise. He had sent her a few random text messages over the past couple of days, but nothing else. Granted, they didn't meet up generally, only on secluded occasions, because if either of their club's found out they were dating, she would be kicked out and he would have a lot of drama to deal with.

She was a nervous-wreck through the rest of school, impatiently watching the clock on one hand, and willing time to stop on the other, in case it was the break-up date. The clock finally reached 3:00 and she ran out of her seat, out of the classroom and to her locker. She stowed all her books away and walked quickly and as unobtrusively as she could.

She walked through the library, not seeing anyone else nearby. She walked through the bookshelves quietly, hoping not to attract attention. A book suddenly dropped in front of her, she bent and picked it up, read it's title. "Jesse?" She whispered.

He appeared on the other side of the shelf. "I chose him to hopefully express my melancholia." He walked around the end of the bookshelf, and she walked up to him.

"I have to tell you something," they said at the same time.

"Me first," Jesse said. "I shouldn't have pushed you. You deserve romance, no, you deserve epic romance. Let me know when you're ready, and I'll make sure I'm fastidiously groomed." He smiled softly at her, and ran his hand through her hair. "What was it you wanted to tell me?"

Rachel took a deep breath, praying for courage. "I'm ready," she said bravely.