Yes or no - The prequel

The power of Madonna

A/N: This one is one of my favorites! Also, a bit of sneaky Emily in there for you, a side of her we don't get to see that often but that's very cool to play around with. Anyway... I hope you like it!

Emily sat at the first row of the bleachers in the gym during their first Cheerios practice of the week. They all waited in silence, waiting for their coach to speak up as she paced around in front of her. They all stayed in apprehensive silence until coach Sylvester stopped, pointing at Emily as she said her next words.

"No-Boobs McGhee." She called, having given up on actually trying to guess Emily's name all the time a few weeks before. "What does your bracelet say?"

Lifting her wrist up, Emily smiled a bit, proud to be chosen to speak up like that.

"W.W.M.D." She said, as Santana scoffed, clearly jealous by the attention the younger girl was receiving.

"What would Madonna do?" Coach Sylvester nodded. "Well, the answer to that question is usually: date a younger man. So, let's see some arm candy, girls. Sorry, freshmen. You're going to have to start trolling the middle schools. And you know why? 'Cause if you want to be as riveting a performer as Madonna - a skill that will nab us Nationals this year - you're going to have to start thinking like her, acting like her. Also, a la Madonna, I will no longer acknowledge that any of you have last names. Becky Jackson. From now on, you're just Becky."

Upon receiving attention for the usually very harsh coach, Becky clapped enthusiastically, as all the other girls stared at her in silence.

"You know, it's like Madonna once said, I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay." She said, as Emily frowned a bit, unsure that was an actual quote from Madonna, but deciding not to argue. "I'm pretty sure she stole that line from one Sue Sylvester. No, really, she stole it from me. I said it first. Palladium. '87."

***

The girls sat together in silence in the choir room. Emily sat beside Tina with her Math book in her lap as they studied together quietly for their next competition for the Academic Decathlon they were both in. After failing yet again in another mathematical problem, Emily groaned, annoyed as Tina smiled a bit, fixing her calculations for her as Emily took a peek at Quinn's drawing in her own notebook, sitting in front of her. When she saw the unflattering drawing of a girl, she was about a hundred percent sure it was Rachel. Before she could say anything else, however, Rachel spoke up.

"Can I ask you guys something private?" She said, as Emily snapped her head in her direction.

"Yes, you should move to Israel." Santana said, without missing a beat as Quinn snickered.

"It's about dating." She ignored the girl's jab, standing up from her seat to look at the girls properly. "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 that we should do it."

"It?" Tina asked, as Rachel nodded.

"Yes, it." She confirmed, as Emily scrunched up her nose in disgust. "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, clearly unhappy with how that conversation had turned out.

"I just want to be ready." Rachel said. "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?"