Fever

Will rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead and tried once more to concentrate on the words he was writing. There was a dull buzzing in his ears and his skin felt clammy to the touch, but he was determined to power through. It was just that time of year, the predictable season of sickness that came with the joys of high school teaching. He'd worked through bad days before and it took more than a passing sneeze to take him out of the game. That was exactly what Sue was waiting for…

Blinking hard to refocus his gaze, Will tried to gather his thoughts into some kind of expressible sense. With Sectionals on the horizon, they couldn't afford to let their dedication slip. "All right, guys, um…Time to start thinking about song selections…"

It took a disproportionate amount of effort to turn around, his legs seemed rather unwilling to co-operate and he couldn't help noticing that the world felt slightly more lopsided than usual. When he finally faced his club members again, there was something a little different about them...

"Lookin' good, Puckerman." Will stared blankly at the little girl who looked remarkably like a ten-year old Santana, as she crossed her arms and cast an approving eye over the boy in the seat across from her. "Someone's been eating their wheaties."

The small boy puffed his chest out, flexing his arms in demonstration. "These guns are fully loaded."

Will shook his head and screwed his eyes up, as if that would somehow reverse the time warp he suddenly found himself in. This was probably not a good sign…

"Who…where did you guys come from?" he muttered distractedly, frowning in faint disapproval at this unexpected turn of events.

A young boy dressed entirely in smart, designer black raised an almost amused eyebrow at their teacher from his position in the front row. He was slouched lazily in a seat that was too big for him, fingers entwined loosely with the little girl who sat close next to him. He spoke up without hesitation, voice calm and confident and somehow older than his years.

"Well, I'm Jesse and she's Rachel," he said by way of introduction, his teasing tone concealed behind an easy smile and perfect manners. His face broke into a bright grin as he turned to look at the small, prim brunette beside him, something secret and tender crossing his expression. "And someday she'll be my Queen on Broadway," he finished proudly.

Rachel giggled and gave a deceive nod of agreement, squeezing his hand tighter as she continued to swing her legs over the edge of the oversized chair. Jesse smiled and tilted his head an inch to the side, causing dark curls to fall into piercing eyes.

"Mr. Schue?" Rachel demanded bossily as she returned her attention to the front of the choir room with a look of determination. "Speaking of Broadway, I, for one think we should use our set list for sectionals to start exploring the oeuvre of one Bernadette Peters."

Some of the other kids rolled their eyes and Quinn pulled a face at Rachel's back. A boy sitting just behind them scowled and fidgeted as he passed his gaze between the young couple with a silent huff. Jesse seemed to sense the brooding glare on them and a smirk tugged the corners of his mouth, temporarily betraying the innocence of his youthful demeanour.

"Someday, I'm gonna go to Paris and visit the oeuvre," piped up a musing voice from over their shoulder. Glances were thrown her way but the little girl remained oblivious as she picked absently at the pleats of her Cheerio's uniform.

"Mr. Schuester, are you okay? You look a little green."

Will only stared at the ten-year old version of Mercedes for a good few seconds, futilely willing himself to snap out of this bizarre hallucination. No, he probably wasn't wildly 'okay' come to think of it. He frowned. Surely there was an age limit at Sectionals anyway…But that was a problem that would just have to wait.

"Um… I think I'm gonna go see the nurse," he mumbled before casting a thoughtful glance around the room. "But first I feel like I should get you guys a sitter."

/o/

Rachel watched as Mr. Schue swayed on his feet and quickly jumped up as he staggered slightly into the piano. She grabbed his arm and struggled to keep him upright as he tried to regain his balance.

"Man, he's really gone, isn't he?" Puck noted with a chuckle as he and the others moved over to join in the spectacle.

"Not surprised, half the school is out with this flu," Sam added, snapping his fingers in front of Mr. Schue's face like a hypnotist trying to undo a trick gone wrong.

"No, no, I should call your parents first…too young to be singing in New York…maybe just a little under the weather but…"

The club exchanged dubious glances at their teacher's strange ramblings. Will's eyes were unfocused and the ground was starting to spin under his feet, causing him to stumble sideways and Rachel to buckle slightly under his weight.

"Come on," she sighed impatiently, hooking her arm around Mr. Schue's waist. "Let's take a little trip, shall we?"

"I think he's already on one," Jesse said with a grin.

Rachel threw a pointed glare at her smirking boyfriend as he moved to Mr. Schue's other side, pulling their teacher's arm over his shoulder to help support his weight. Mike held the door open, Santana filed her nails and Finn looked like he wanted to accompany them to the Nurse's office despite Rachel's assurances that they could manage. Jesse bit his tongue and refrained from passing comment, though he caught the other boy's eyes with a smug look that spoke volumes. Rachel had made her choice and made it loudly – it was time he got over it. Not that Jesse didn't enjoy the silent gloating, but it was getting old and tiresome and as much as he hated to admit it, the jock's lingering attentions were an unwanted thorn of insecurity that would never quite leave him alone.

Between the two of them they managed to manoeuvre a half-delirious Mr. Schue through the McKinley hallways before finally depositing him in the dutiful care of the school nurse. Stepping back out into the corridors again, Jesse caught the purposeful frown on his girlfriend's face.

"What's wrong?"

Rachel leant back against the lockers with a disgruntled sigh. "It's just…Mr. Schue can really pick his moments. This is a bad time to leave the club unprotected. Coach Sylvester is on the war path again and we can't let her get the advantage over us with Sectionals only a few weeks away. She nearly destroyed the club last year and she won't miss a chance to –"

"We won't let her," Jesse cut in with a firm voice, running his hands along her waist soothingly. "She knows better than to declare outright war on us and when it comes to underhand tactics, she'll find she's up against some tough competition this time," he added with a smirk.

"Hmm, I suppose you might have a point." Rachel gave him a grudging smile. "Helps to have insider knowledge on sabotage ploys and dirty tricks, doesn't it? Maybe she's finally met her match in that arena. It's rather nice to have the upper hand for once."

Jesse grinned in anticipation. "Hardly a fair fight when you think about it."

Rachel laughed and nuzzled into his chest, tracing a wandering finger along the open neck of his shirt. "I guess we'd better get back to rehearsal," she said at last, sounding more than a little reluctant in her enthusiasm. "Someone needs to keep the club in order, and as team captain it's my responsibility to assume command in times of crisis."

"True," he admitted slowly, a cheeky smile slipping through his voice. "But to be honest, I'm more worried about this virus that's running through the school. Fevers can be very contagious you know. Very easy to pick up."

"Is that right?" she murmured, trying and failing to suppress the familiar surge of butterflies that fluttered through her stomach at his intimate proximity. Jesse was entirely too distracting sometimes – not that she was really complaining.

"That's what I hear," he said innocently, pulling back to meet her gaze with an almost sincere expression. "Maybe we should check. After all, we wouldn't want our star performer falling ill just before the big competition. I'm only thinking of the team."

Rachel quirked a teasing eyebrow in response. "So what do you suggest?"

Jesse brushed his mouth over her neck, nipping just under her ear, the words hot and inviting against her skin. "Perhaps you should let someone make an examination?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "We don't have time to play doctor, Jesse," she mumbled in a tone of disapproval that sounded suspiciously like regret. Her fingers clenched into his arms, tugging him forwards into the lockers with her, despite the reprimand on her lips.

Jesse only smiled. "Well, luckily I know a very good one who makes house calls." His hands slipped inside her un-tucked shirt and skimmed up her ribs. He smirked as he felt her shiver against him and grip him harder. "Why Miss Berry," he teased in a low murmur, "I do believe you're looking rather flushed."

Rachel's pulse had jumped up to a dangerous speed, her heart beating so fast that she was sure he could feel it through the press of their bodies. A playful smile curved her lips as she met his amused eyes. "I do feel a little faint, now you mention it…"

"Really? Maybe we should make sure it's nothing too serious. You know, before we risk exposing it to the rest of the team…"

Rachel sighed, her eyes slipping closed as his hands continued their exploration. His lips brushing enticingly over hers with a seductive whisper; the temptation of promises she could never seem to resist.

"Well…I'm sure the club can survive for ten minutes without us…"

The echo of their laughter was quickly muffled as the young lovers tumbled into an empty classroom; the thud of the door lingering in their wake as it was knocked shut by a firm elbow.

~o~

AN Obviously some of the dialogue in this is borrowed from the episode 'The Substitute', with a little St. Berry twist of course! Special thanks and mention to Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon, as this little scene was born out of a discussion I had with her regarding this episode and the joy that would have been lil!St. Berry ;) This is just my attempt to right another tragic wrong of this season. Not long 'til Jesse's return now though...I CAN'T WAIT! It's going to be sweeet!

Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading. Reviews are pieces of candy to Little Jesse and Little Rachel :)