A/N: So, those of you who have read my "A Different Way to Happily Ever After" compilation have already gotten the first two chapters of this, but I have decided to make it a separate story. I will keep the first two parts there as well, but the remaining chapters won't be posted there. I had originally planned this as sort of a glee/smash crossover, but I'm not sure about that. As I write, it seems to be turning into more of an AU of "A New Beginning", so we'll see. As always, I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or SMASH

Sitting in her room at her dads' house in Lima, Rachel sighed as she resigned herself to the fact that she would now be stuck here for the rest of her life. She'd burned bridges both academically and professionally that she didn't think she'd be able to mend. So now she was going to revive McKinley's show choir…again. When she heard a knock on her door a few minutes later, she assumed it was one of her dads, so she automatically called for them to come in, surprised when she heard a female voice say her name instead.

"Shelby, what are you doing here?" Rachel asked, not bothering to hide her surprise.

"Your dads called me," Shelby explained as she entered the room. "Can we talk?"

"I don't know what there is to talk about, but sure, why not."

After she had shut the door and taken a seat on Rachel's desk chair, Shelby spoke again.

"Your dads are worried about you, Rachel. Ever since you moved to New York, it's like you've become a different person, and especially since Finn died, you've been all over the place."

"The plan was always to come back here after starring on Broadway," Rachel explained with a wave of her hand. "Finn and I would get married and live happily ever after. I'm just moving back sooner than I thought I would and obviously I won't be marrying Finn. Not that you care, you never liked him, anyway."

"I wasn't overly fond of him, no," Shelby agreed. "However, that's beside the point. Losing someone is difficult and it can throw you into a tailspin, which is what seemed to happen to you. You became so desperate to be successful that you jeopardized your reputation in the process. Are you worried that you would never be successful, never find love again?"

"My dads asked me the same thing, and I'll tell you what I told them-I don't know. The TV show seemed like a good idea, but I missed Broadway. I realized my mistake, but it was already too late. The damage had been done, which was only made worse by angering Carmen Tibideaux."

"Well, that certainly wasn't the best series of moves you made there, but I don't think it's completely impossible to one day land another leading role on Broadway. I won't lie, it's going to take a lot of hard work and determination, but if anyone could take Broadway by storm a second time, it's you, Rachel."

"What am I supposed to do, go on auditions all day every day until someone decides I'm not too much of a flight risk to cast?"

"No, you're going to come back to New York with me. You will work part-time at the daycare with me until you find another role, with the rest of your time being spent taking dance classes and acting lessons to supplement the vocal lessons you'll have with me. It might not be NYADA, but it's as close as I can get you. You are a fantastic singer, dancer, and actress, Rachel, but you need to stand out, to show that you're making an effort. Jewish girl from small-town Ohio isn't going to cut it."

"I don't understand," Rachel said with a sigh. "Why are you willing to help me like this?"

"Because at the end of the day, you're a talented girl who made some big mistakes. You aren't the first and you likely won't be the last. If you want to be on Broadway like you say you do, you're going to have to work your way back up. I care about you, Rachel, whether you believe me or not. I want to see you succeed and so do your dads. You need structure and guidance, both of which I can give you."

"Why are you so willing to help me, but you weren't willing to help Jesse? Why did you let him come back here?"

"I'm not sure how Jesse fits into this conversation, but for your information, I did help him. It took him a while to accept it, not that I blame him, but he did what I told him and now he's on the right path again."

"Oh."

"Let's shelve the Jesse discussion for another time, okay?" Shelby asked, waiting for Rachel's nod of agreement before she continued. "I want to see you succeed, Rachel. I know you have it in you, you just need to believe in yourself again."

"Did you tell my dads what you have planned?" Rachel wondered.

"Yes. They thought it would be a good idea, and they promised to visit as often as they can. As much as they would love having you around all the time again, they know Lima isn't the place for you."

"Where would I live? I kind of doubt Kurt and Santana would let me move back into the loft, especially since Dani has now moved in, and I doubt even more that Elliott would let me live with him again for any kind of money."

"I already spoke with your dads about living arrangements as well, and we agreed that either of the options you just listed weren't likely to work, so we came up with a couple of others. I have a spare room that I would be willing to let you have, otherwise there is a small studio apartment in the building I live in that your dads would be willing to help you pay for."

"Can I think about it?"

"Absolutely," Shelby told her with a smile. "I'm in town visiting some family for the next few days. I will check with you before I leave, but if you make a decision before that, let me know."

"I will. Thank you."

Shelby nodded, setting a picture on Rachel's desk as she stood and then walked back downstairs to update Hiram and Leroy on her progress.

After watching her mother leave the room, Rachel walked over to her desk to pick up her cell phone so she could call Kurt when she felt something inside of her telling her to wait. Biting her lip, she debated for a few moments whether or not to ignore the feeling, finally deciding to go with it.

Walking over to her closet, she pushed aside the clothes that were hanging in front of the pocket door only a few knew was there. After hesitating for another moment, she opened the door and stepped into the small space on the other side of the door, reaching for a box she had hidden there what seemed like an eternity ago. When she found what she was looking for, she brought it back to her bed, closing the door and moving the clothes back on her way.

"Are you sure she'll take you up on your offer?" Hiram asked, handing Shelby a cup of the tea he had made to keep himself busy.

"I'm not leaving without her," Shelby answered. "I will do whatever it takes to convince her that New York is the right place for her. I know she has what it takes to make it on Broadway…again."

"So you think it's possible for her to rebuild her reputation?" Leroy wondered.

"I do. It's going to take a lot more hard word and determination than the first time around. However, I know a few people who could help her with that. I don't think it will take long for everything to fall into place. In fact, I'm confident that it won't."

"Does a certain boy with the same last name as a certain theater happen to be involved in this?"

"You mean Jesse."

"Yes."

"That's up to Rachel. He wants to see her again; I'm fairly certain he's still in love with her. Judging from the way Rachel brought him up in our conversation earlier, I think the feeling is mutual, too. I'm not going to interfere this time, though."

"Aren't you already kind of interfering?"

"Would you rather I didn't help Rachel get back to New York?"

Leroy sighed as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I just want to see my little girl happy again. I know she occasionally got homesick when she was in New York, but that's normal. I wish she would have talked to us more, not tried to handle everything on her own."

"We raised her to make her own decisions," Hiram reminded his husband. "She's also been fiercely independent from the very beginning. However, I do share your wish that she would have talked to us more."

"She's seemed so lost lately. It breaks my heart."

"You two did a fantastic job with Rachel," Shelby told them. "She'll make the right decision. She knows New York is where she's meant to be."

"Since you're helping us so much, is there anything we can help you with, Shelby?" Leroy asked.

"Actually, I was hoping for some parental advice regarding Beth. If you two don't mind…"

"Not at all," Hiram said, joining Shelby and Leroy at the table. "It also keeps us from checking on Rachel every five minutes."

Sitting on her bed, Rachel carefully lifted the lid of the box, happy to see the contents were still intact. It was mostly pictures, with a few CDs and movies mixed in. She was looking for a particular CD when she came across the odd item in the bunch-a care bear. The one Jesse had won for her on one of their dates. The one that he had been relieved to know she still had that day in the library. As she ran her fingers over the bear, she felt herself being bombarded by memories of her time with Jesse. Looking back on it, she still didn't understand what exactly went wrong. She still felt she could have done something more, something different.

"I just wanted to be enough for someone for once," she tearfully confessed to herself, unable to keep her tears at bay any longer as she curled up on her bed still holding the care bear.

"Do you think we should go check on Rachel?" Hiram asked about fifteen minutes later, glancing back and forth between Leroy and Shelby.

"Do you think something is wrong?" Leroy wondered.

"I don't know. I just kind of expected Rachel to jump at this opportunity, or at least come downstairs to talk to us about it."

"I did, too," Shelby confessed. "If you two don't mind, I'd like to go first. If I'm not back in five minutes, meet me upstairs."

"I'll get some water in case she's upset," Hiram decided.

"You don't think she would have done anything…bad…do you?" Leroy asked.

"No. I think she's probably confused and maybe a little upset," Shelby answered.

"Go ahead, Shelby," Hiram told her. "We'll be up in a few minutes."

Shelby nodded, walking back upstairs to Rachel's room.

"Rachel?" Shelby asked as she knocked on the door, listening closely for an answer. When she didn't receive an answer, she knocked again, only entering the room after her second attempt yielded no answer.

Walking into the room, Shelby looked around for a moment before she found Rachel curled up on the bed with an open box beside her.

"Why was I never good enough?" Rachel tearfully asked. "Why did you have to convince him I wasn't good enough?"

"Rachel, honey…" Shelby started, walking over to the bed and tentatively wrapping her arms around the crying girl. "That's not it at all."

"Then what is it? My life was fine until you decided you needed to meet me. Until you made him pursue me. Until you decided that since you didn't want me anymore, he shouldn't either."

"I admit that I messed that up…badly. I didn't realize how deep his feelings really were until it was too late. I'm so sorry. I realize I was wrong. I do want to get to know. I was thrown off by the fact that you clearly didn't need me."

"I did need you! I wanted to get to know you, too! I might not have needed a mom to raise me, but being a mom doesn't just stop when your kid is grown."

"I know. I was wrong. I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry."

"I just wanted to be good enough," Rachel repeated.

"You are good enough," Shelby told her. "You've been the light of your dads' lives since the day you were born. I saw them fall in love with you the moment they set eyes on you. They've loved you since before you were born. I also have it on good authority that you managed to find the heart of a certain boy that many believed didn't exist."

"What good authority is that?"

"Jesse himself. I hurt him, too. More than I realized. More than he let on at first."

"What do you mean 'at first'?"

"It was after graduation. Jesse came to say goodbye to some of the other team members. He asked me if we could talk in private, and I agreed, figuring I owed him at least that. I knew he was mad at me. He'd been short with me since he came back to Carmel, avoided me when he could. Anyway, the minute I closed the door to my office, he told me everything. He told me that he had been in love with you, that he hated me for what I had done to you, for what I had done to him. He told me I was a fool for letting you walk away and he hoped I was happy letting you stay in the toxic environment that was New Directions because it was going to come back to bite us both in the ass. He said he'd find a way to apologize to you for his part in everything, but he knew you needed time until you'd be willing to see him again."

"He came back my junior year."

"I know. I didn't realize how bad things were until I started coaching at McKinley. By then, though, it was too late. I tried to help you; I tried to do things on your terms. Jesse said the two of you were talking before Nationals and Finn interrupted you."

"He'd always felt threatened by Jesse. I never told him this, but I was disappointed that my conversation with Jesse got cut short. It was the first time all day that I hadn't felt pressured or tense."

"Rachel, can I ask you something?" Shelby inquired a few moments later, noticing the bear the younger girl was holding.

"Um, sure, I guess," Rachel answered.

"Why did you dig this stuff out?"

"I started thinking about New York, and that led me to thinking about Jesse. He always made me feel like I was enough, just as I was. Like being with me was all he needed. I messed things up, too. He's not the only one who made mistakes. I pushed him away again because I didn't want to get hurt. Being with Finn was safe and predictable. Jesse is neither of those things. My teammates also didn't ridicule me for being with Finn, but they did for being with Jesse. School was hard enough as it was. I didn't want to make it worse. I know I shouldn't have cared so much, but I did."

"Do you want to see Jesse again?"

"I don't know if he would be willing to see me again, honestly. I know I wouldn't be able to let him walk out of my life again, but I also can't bear the thought of him being with anyone else. I know that sounds incredibly selfish, but it's true."

"He had to watch you with Finn, and then hear about Brody. That wasn't easy for him to do."

"I know," Rachel admitted softly.

"If you want to be with him again, you're going to have to break down the walls he's built back up."

"Has he…has he been with anyone else?"

"He's dated a couple of different times, but nothing serious. Nothing more than a couple of dates. He told me he wants to concentrate completely on his career for a while."

"I wish I could see him," Rachel confessed.

"He's probably going to be mad, you know," Shelby informed her. "You threw away your chance at NYADA like it was nothing, like it was some school that just anyone could get into. He went to bat for you, Rachel."

"He did what?"

"He's the one who spoke to Dean Tibideaux at Nationals. He's always believed in your talent, and he understood how much you wanted a spot at NYADA and how that could make you resort to desperate measures. He may have only been at the school for a year before deciding to take some time off, but he earned her respect in that short time. He put his reputation on the line for you. I know for a fact that he's spoken to Dean Tibideaux since and she isn't going to hold it against him, but he was really worried that she would."

"Oh."

"If you apologize, he'll probably forgive you. He seems to have a soft spot where you're concerned. He's a good guy, Rachel, and he's grown up a lot since his senior year of high school."

"I know. I could see it when he came back my junior year."

"If you want to be with him, you need to do the same. I know dealing with the death of a loved one can be difficult, and I'm here if you need me, as are your dads, but you need to make a decision. Do you think Finn would have wanted you to sit here and wallow for the rest of your life?"

"He was never crazy about New York."

"Okay, then what about Puck? Quinn? Santana? Kurt? Blaine? What would they say?"

"Kurt would probably tell me to stop being silly and get my butt back to New York where I belong. Noah would tell me to get my ass in gear and go after what I want. Quinn would tell me I'd be crazy not to jump at the chance to go back to New York, and she'd probably be disappointed if I didn't. Santana would probably threaten to come back here herself and drag me back. Blaine would be the most understanding, he'd probably just tell me he'd support me no matter what I decided, but Broadway is something I've always had in common with him, too. I think he'd be disappointed if I didn't give it another shot, too."

"You have a support system in New York, too. If they're really your friends, and you and Jesse decide to give your relationship another chance, they should support you and get to know him. Once you get past the arrogant ass persona, he can actually be a good friend."

"Noah always called him the male version of me."

"Just think about it. I'll see what I can do about you being able to see Jesse."

Unable to shake the feeling that they were being watched, Rachel glanced over at the doorway to see her dads standing there.

"Dad? Daddy?" she asked, unsure what else to say.

"We didn't want to interrupt," Hiram said as he and Leroy walked over to her.

"I want to go back to New York. I love you both very much, but I don't belong here anymore."

"We were hoping you'd say that," Leroy told her as he hugged her tightly. "We love you, honey. We're here for you whenever you need us. Shelby will be just across the hall from your apartment if you need anything, too."

"I hope you don't mind living that close," Shelby added.

"At least I know who one of my neighbors will be," Rachel decided with a small smile for her mother.

Shelby returned her daughter's smile before she spoke again.

"I hate to cut this short, but I need to get Beth. I'll be in touch."

Rachel nodded, giving her mother another hug before watching her daddy take Shelby's place on her bed.

"You'll always be enough for your Dad and me. You know that, right, sweetie?" Hiram told her.

"I know. You two are the best dads a girl could ask for. I think I'm going to take a quick shower before dinner. I also promised Kurt I'd call him."

"We'll come get you when dinner is ready," Leroy promised, leaning down to give her a hug before he and Hiram left the room.

A few days later, Rachel was deciding what items to take with her to New York when she accidentally knocked over the box of items that reminded her of Jesse. As she was picking them up, she noticed the case that contained the cassette tape of Shelby singing had fallen open, revealing a small piece of paper she hadn't noticed before. Carefully removing it from the case, she opened it and was surprised to find a short note, immediately recognizing the handwriting as Jesse's.

Rachel-

I know you've been curious about your mom and I know you don't think you're ready for this, but you are. I hope one day you can forgive me for the hurt I've caused you. I'll make it up to you someday, I promise.

Love,

Jesse

"I hope you meant that, Jesse," Rachel whispered to herself as she put the note and cassette case back in the box, "and I hope you'll let me make up for my mistakes, too."

"Are you ready to go, sweetie?" Hiram asked as he entered his daughter's room. "Your dad and I put everything in Shelby's car."

"I just have two things left," Rachel answered as she zipped up her suitcase, "this suitcase and that box on the bed. I'd like to take the box if you can get my suitcase."

Hiram nodded, doing as his daughter requested before following her down the stairs and outside to Shelby's car.

"Ready to go?" Shelby asked as she saw the two approaching.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Rachel answered. "Where's Beth?"

"My parents are flying back with her as we speak. They promised to visit Holly anyway, so they're kind of killing two birds with one stone."

"Who's Holly?"

"Your cousin. My niece. She's a year older than you."

"She lives in New York?"

"Yes. She's studying to be a nurse. I'll tell you more about her on the way."

Rachel nodded, setting the box and suitcase in the car before turning to her dads and giving them each a tight hug.

"Call us when you get there," Leroy requested.

"I will." Rachel promised. "I'll see you both in a couple of weeks?"

"Yes. I'll email you our itinerary," Hiram replied.

"I love you," Rachel told them before getting into the car with Shelby.

"I really hope things turn out better for her this time around," Leroy commented as he watched Shelby begin to drive away.

"Me, too," Hiram agreed.

"I have your keys in my apartment, I asked the manager to drop them off since your forms are all signed." Shelby told Rachel as they entered the apartment building. "I want you to start at the daycare with me on Monday, but that still gives you a few days to get settled here."

"Can you help me find some dance classes, too?" Rachel asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"There's a dance studio in the same building as my daycare. Holly teaches there part-time for extra money."

"Are your parents still here?"

"Yes. Holly is with them. You don't have to come in and meet them if you're not ready, though."

"I want to," Rachel insisted.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Shelby replied with a smile, stepping off the elevator and leading Rachel a short way down the hall.

Walking into her apartment, Shelby was happy to see her parents and Holly talking in the living room.

"Mom, Dad, Holly," she said, gaining their attention. "This is Rachel…my daughter."

"Geez, Aunt Shelby, you could have at least given us a heads up that she looks so much like you," Holly told her as she stood and walked over to the pair, followed closely by her grandparents.

"She's beautiful, Shelby," Tabitha said to her daughter as her the two cousins talked.

"She and Holly seem to have hit it off," Charles commented, watching the two girls.

"I had a feeling they would," Shelby revealed. "Let's let them chat a bit longer. How was the flight? How's Beth?"

A short while later, Rachel walked into her own apartment to find that Shelby had apparently already arranged for a bed to be delivered, complete with linens and pillows.

"Your dads asked me to help you get some furniture," Shelby told her. "I found a bed similar to the one you have at their house. I thought we could go shopping for more furniture in the next few days. I recently got a new table and chairs, so I gave you my old ones for the time being. You can pick out different ones if you want."

"I'll think about it," Rachel answered. "Thanks for the bed."

"Your dads paid for it, but you're welcome. Let's go get your things before it gets too late."

Rachel nodded, following her mother back out to the car before she asked her question.

"Have you heard from Jesse?" she wondered.

"I spoke to him yesterday," Shelby answered. "I told him you wanted to see him. He's in California until Saturday visiting some friends, though. I tried to give him your number again, but he said he already had it."

"Thank you for trying. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Maybe he'll call."

"I doubt it, but I guess it could happen."

"You could call him," Shelby suggested. "He might appreciate the effort."

"Maybe," Rachel replied, grabbing a small box and her suitcase before heading back into the building.

As she was unpacking her things and getting ready to go to bed, Rachel heard her phone ring. Assuming it was just her dads or Kurt calling to check up on her, she didn't bother glancing at the screen before answering.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Rachel."

"Jesse," Rachel whispered, falling back against her bed as she attempted to sit down.

"How are you?"

"Tired. I just got to New York about an hour ago. How are you?"

"Not so bad. I'm in California visiting friends, so at least the weather is nice."

"I know. Shelby told me."

"Did all of your Barbra CDs make it okay?"

Rachel smiled a little at Jesse's comment before she answered his question, falling into an easy banter with him as they continued their conversation.

The following afternoon, Rachel had just finished her Skype conversation with her dads when she heard a knock at the door.

"Kurt!" she exclaimed when she opened it to reveal her best friend.

"Welcome back to New York!" Kurt replied as he hugged her tightly. "We've missed you. Are you coming back to the diner?"

"No. I'm actually going to be working with Shelby at her daycare. I start Monday."

"So, what's new? Besides your new living and working arrangements, that is." Kurt asked as he followed Rachel into the apartment, shutting the door behind him.

"Shelby and I are going furniture shopping tomorrow. Yesterday, I met my grandparents and cousin, and talked to Jesse."

"Did you just say you talked to Jesse? As in Jesse St. James?"

"Yes."

"It's about time."

In response, Rachel could only gape at him.

"I must be hearing things," she finally managed. "Did you just say 'it's about time'?"

"I have a confession of my own," Kurt said with a sigh. "I admit that I wasn't the guy's biggest fan the first time around, but it takes guts to come back the way he did. He realized his mistake and apologized. He clearly regretted what he did, as he should. I was also dating Blaine by then, so I finally understood what you must have felt when you were with him. Jesse is your equal in every way. He gets you in a way that no one else, not even me, does."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because I thought you'd come to your senses. I also didn't want to rock the boat with Finn, especially with Blaine transferring and joining New Directions. I just want you to be happy, Rachel. You were never happier than you were when you were with Jesse. Finn wasn't the only one to see your little conversation at Nationals senior year. You two actually looked very cute together. You looked like more of a couple than you and Finn did, even with the matching outfits."

"So you would be okay with me dating Jesse again?"

"You don't need anyone's approval, Rachel," Kurt reminded her. "If you want to be with Jesse, be with him. As long as he treats you right and you're happy, that's all that matters to me."

"I don't know what's going to happen with us. We literally just started talking again."

"What do you want to happen?"

"I want to be with him, Kurt. I just don't know if he's willing to give me another chance. I haven't exactly treated him very well."

"You never know until you try. Get to know him again, show him you're willing to put just as much effort into a relationship as he is. Now, enough about boys. What do I have to do to get you to let me help you decorate this place?"

Rachel laughed as she hugged her friend.

"All you had to do was ask," she told him. "I have some ideas, though."

"You wouldn't be Rachel Berry if you didn't. Let's hear them."

A couple of weeks later, Rachel found herself auditioning for a part in a My Fair Lady revival. She didn't expect to get the lead, she was only hoping she'd actually get a chance to sing and not get rejected right away. She had been rehearsing audition pieces with Shelby and even gotten Jesse's input on a couple of them. She hadn't actually seen him yet, but they talked or texted daily.

Taking a deep breath, she entered the building, determined to do whatever it took to get her career back on track, even if it that meant taking a few chorus parts along the way. She knew she'd been extremely lucky to land the lead in Funny Girl. She just wished she hadn't thrown it all away for a silly TV show.

"How was your audition yesterday?" Shelby asked the following day as she and Rachel walked into the building that housed her daycare.

"Well, they actually let me sing something, so I guess that's a plus. They said they'd be in touch. I'm trying not to get my hopes up."

Before she could reply, Shelby heard Rachel's phone ring.

"It's Jesse," Rachel said, clearly surprised.

"Go ahead and take it," Shelby told her. "I'll meet you inside."

Rachel nodded, quickly picking up the call as she walked back outside.

"Jess? Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Everything's fine," Jesse replied calmly. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because you usually don't call me this early."

"I didn't mean to scare you."

"Yes, well, it's a little late for that," Rachel retorted, eliciting a chuckle of amusement from Jesse.

"Sorry, Rach. I have a question for you and I thought it was better to ask you over the phone than via text."

"This question couldn't wait, I take it?"

"I wanted to ask before I lost my nerve," Jesse confessed.

Rachel felt her heart begin to beat faster as she attempted to continue the conversation as casually as possible.

"What did you want to ask me?" she wondered.

"I was wondering if you would like to go to dinner and a show with me on Friday."

"I'd love to."

"I'll pick you up around five. Is that okay?"

"It sounds perfect. I should get inside before Shelby starts to worry, though. I'll call you when I get home."

"I'm holding you to that," Jesse told her.

"I expect nothing less," Rachel replied before ending the call, quickly sending a text to Kurt before walking back into the building with a smile on her face.

"I take it from the smile on your face that things are better than just okay?" Shelby guessed.

"I have a date with Jesse on Friday," Rachel revealed, doing her best to contain her excitement and nervousness.

"I had a feeling that was going to happen sooner rather than later. You two talk every day."

"I know, but I wasn't sure he'd be willing to give me another chance."

"All I can tell you is that I wouldn't waste this chance if I were you. The two of you have broken each other's and your own hearts enough as it is."

"I don't intend to."

"Good," Shelby told her with a smile. "Now, I could use your help setting up our new stereo. You're supposed to be able to hook up your mp3, phone, or tablet to it."

"Let's try it out, then," Rachel replied, following her mother over to the stereo system in question.