I know...I know. I've been gone forever, "is she dead?" "Is she one of those bitchy writers who start a story and abandon it when they get bored?"

No to both, I'm glad to say, I'm simply coming back into a sense of normalcy because *drumroll ladies and gentlemen* I'VE BEEN ADOPTED! Whoo Hoo! lol, but along with this lovliness comes court dates, yelling, fighting, lots of legal shit, and the confiscation of my pretty pretty little computer by crazy-as-shit foster parents.

But , rest assured, I plan on picking this story back up and giving any remaining readers the ending they deserve. Once again, I'm sooooo damn sorry about the wait, but hey, fuck it, I'm happy!

Puck sat in his truck, feeling more cramped, pissed, and anxious by the moment, as he watched Rachel's decidedly small form enter Breadstix. Even knowing all along that this was her plan, he felt his knuckles flex white against his skin as his fists clenched in on themselves. He fought every natural urge he was feeling to rush in there guns blazing and show that Jesse shit just what it meant to mess with his girl, but he knew, somewhere (very) deep down, that this was what Rachel needed to do.

Meanwhile...

Jesse St. James felt very much like the man at the moment.

In a very sinister and movie villan-esqe way, Jesse was surveying the very admirable form of a pissed off Rachel Berry standing directly before him with a less than friendly expression on her face...he would have to do something to change that.

"I'm glad you came."

His voice was smug and he did nothing to hide it as he watched the look on her face go from pissed to downright furious.

"Well that makes one of us."

Her tone was tart, and it only furthered the annoyingly obnoxious grin that was spreading across his face. He felt a buzzing sensation in his stomach that was similar to the high he received at applause, and he knew it was only a side effect to holding such an immense amount of power over someone like Rachel Berry.

"Won't you sit down."

Jesse motioned towards the leather covered booth at Breadstix in a sweeping gesture, and Rachel stiffly obliged.

Meanwhile, Jesse lounged on his side, eyeing Rachel with measured satisfaction, daring her to make the first move. Of course, Rachel couldn't help but rise to the occasion, it was in her nature.

"Let's cut to the point St. James."

Jesse stifled a surprised snort at her spiteful abbreviation of his name, and raised his eyebrows in question.

"You have information about my mother, or so you have led me to believe, and the only reason I came here tonight was to acquire that information. If your only intent is to string me along on some sort of sick goose chase, I would politely tell you to fuck off and please quit wasting my time."

Jesse felt a small shock at the sound of Rachel cussing, and didn't even try denying how hot it was, even if it did bother him that she surely learned it from that testosterone pumped, over aggressive, ogre that she called a boyfriend.

Nevertheless, Jesse, of all people, couldn't let this recent development throw him off game.

"Oh Rachel, If I simply wanted to "fuck with you' as you so eloquently put it, then I could come up with much more interesting ways to go about that."

Rachel didn't try to hide the shiver than ran through her frame at his crude explicit statement, very much missing the preppy, albeit very plastic and fake, boy she had first met in that record store.

Unfortunately, Jesse either missed or entirely looked over Rachel's non-verbal sign of disgust, and continued on his rather disturbing line of thought.

"But no, I certainly do have information on your mother, and I am very much ready and willing to give it to you..."

his voice trailed off for a moment as he suggestively raised his eyebrows...sliding his hand out from under the table, and placing a small, sleek, square of black plastic on the table.

Rachel's hand reached out for it, but Jesse swiftly snatched it back.

"Uh uh uh..."

His tone was taunting, causing an un-familiar swell of rage bubble up withing her.

"First, you are going to sit through this dinner with me and act civil."

Rachel gritted her teeth at his grating tone, and tried to keep the biting words circling her mind from escaping her tightly pressed lips.

"Fine."

Jesse grinned wider, and it was beginning to remind Rachel of the Cheshire cat, before he responded.

"There we go..."

90 minutes later

Rachel couldn't believe it...She was actually enjoying herself!

It wasn't as if there was anything she particularly enjoyed about Jesse's personality, despite Puck's overconfidence, he had never been as self obsessed as Jesse. Nevertheless, there was no one so far that Rachel had met, that knew as much about Broadway, the performing arts, and show music itself as she did. Not until Jesse at least, and she had to admit to herself that she found it very relaxing to be herself completely, and not worry about annoying or losing the other person in her sometimes erratic, and always complicated train of thought.

As she scooped up the last of her vegan cake, Rachel noted with a small amount of satisfaction that she had successfully made it through a dinner with Jesse, and was now due her reward.

As if reading her mind, Jesse caused the little black box to once again appear on the table, and Rachel noted that it seemed to be a cassette tape with writing on the front. She caught her breath as she imagined the many possibilities that this tape could present, and this time, when she tried to grab it from Jesse's hand, he didn't resist.

Instead, he leaned back with an infurriatingly smug grin, as he watched her practically run out of the restaurant, knowing that as soon as she listened to what was on the tape she would't be able to resist coming back for more.

Ok, this was it, Puck swung open his door and came dangerously close to hitting the small blur of brown hair and plaid fabric that ran towards him, practically vibrating with excited energy as she clutched a smell, vaguely rectangle shaped box in her hands.

"What's t-"

And before the words had even left his mouth her own words were running roughshod over them with the manic exuberance only Rachel Berry possessed.

"Jesse-had-a-tape-from-my-mother-to-me-and-I-had-to-eat-dinner-with-him-but-it-wasn't-really-that-bad!"

It took a couple of seconds for Puck's mind to unscramble the frantic gibberish that had just left his girlfriends (and fuck him if that wasn't the greatest thing ever) mouth, but when he did, a sick sense of foreboding washed over him instead of the excitement that Rachel expected.

"What's wrong?"

Rachel's gently phrased question was tinged with irritation at Puck's unexpected lack of a response.

"Nuthin babe..."

Puck's words were low, almost a growl, as he watched the slim dark figure of Jesse st. James approach from behind Rachel.

Pushing her small form behind his own protectively Puck glowered at Jesse, practically daring the cocky little shit to provoke him. Jesse took all this in stride though, not missing a beat as he walked past them to his car. His voice was smooth as he tossed back from over his shoulder.

"Tonight was great Rachel, I look foward to next time."

Ok, so maybe Jesse was better at this staying cool thing than Puck, because the words were out of his mouth, each one bitten out like an explitive, before Jesse was even finished talking.

"There's not gonna be a next time you little-"

He was cut off however, by Jesse's calm and collected.

"After you hear than tape Rach, you're gonna want more, and I'm the only one that has it."

And with that, Jessie was in his car. Starting said car. And driving much to fast from the darkening parking lot of breadstiks.

So, whadja thing? did it suck? have I lost my touch? Are you guys even still out there? lol, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review, I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, suggestions? ILY all!