Disclaimer: If I owned Glee, Rachel would've thought Finn looked like a gigantic, ugly monkey and Jesse would STILL be her boyfriend.

Warning: Uh, Finchel fans? Yeah, you might want to stay away from this story...

Like We Used To

It was exactly one week ago when Jesse St. James decided to return to Ohio and grace Rachel Berry with his presence. It was exactly one week ago when Rachel nearly collapsed from shock after seeing Jesse sitting in her room. She threatened to call the cops; he threatened to leave without telling her why he came. Rachel's curiosity always did get the better of her. Besides, Jesse was looking so…good. His hair was perfectly coiffed, his t-shirt showed off his toned arms, and his eyes were so blue that Rachel felt like she was underwater every time she looked at him. He was too hard to resist, damnit.

It was exactly one week ago that Jesse offered that they both take a seat on her bed so they could talk things out. Rachel refused, opting to lean against her vanity table. She watched his every move as he sat down on the bed; her mind was on high alert. If he was to reach for his pocket and say, pull out an egg, she would swiftly lean behind her and grab the pepper-spray sitting on the table.

"Listen," he began, exactly one week ago. "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. I feel like a complete asshole for what I did to you last year. I never wanted to hurt you." Jesse looked up at her with those bright, blue eyes, and Rachel was sure she was going to pass out from lack of air. "They threatened to kick me off of Vocal Adrenaline if I didn't go along with the plan. I'd lose my scholarship to UCLA. You have to understand," he plead.

It was exactly one week ago when Rachel was, for once in her life, at a lack for words. She could only manage to shake her head no. She couldn't understand him, could never understand him after what he had done. Suddenly, the words she had been looking for quickly shot out of her mouth before she knew what she was saying. "I hate you."

He only sighed. "Are you still with Finn?" Jesse asked, a week ago. Rachel responded no, and well, she should've thought that through because the last thing she wanted right now was for Jesse to try and win her back. "I still love him, though," she added quickly. "And I know he feels the same way."

It was only a week ago when Jesse had lost his temper. "If he loved you, wouldn't he be with you right now? Wouldn't he have come home with you today? If he loved you, he would've tried a little harder to get you back when we were still dating. Because I know you had feelings for him; it wouldn't have taken much for him to win you back. I don't understand what you see in him, Rachel. He doesn't know you like I know you. Do you think he's ever going to get out of Ohio? Of course he won't. Where would that leave you? Halfway across the country performing on stage while the love of your life was here working for minimum wage? I don't think so. I'd follow you to New York, Rachel. I'd be on stage performing with you. You deserve someone who is going to love you back. Not someone who is going to get pissed off when you finally land a role on Broadway just because that'd mean you'd have to leave this God-foresaken place. I love you, Rachel, always have. Why can't you see it?"

It was exactly a week ago when Rachel felt angrier than she had ever felt in her entire life. "If you really loved me, you wouldn't have egged me. If you really loved me, you'd have at least warned me about what was going to happen. You just wanted to use me. That's not love."

"You're too lovesick about Finn to see the truth!" Jesse spat, a week ago. "I hate myself for what I did to you. I was stupid last year. Now that I'm in college, I can see what I did was wrong. I would never do something like that to you, or to anyone, ever again. I'm being honest, Rachel. My feelings are written plainly on my face. This isn't a show-face. It's real."

"Get out of my house," Rachel whispered, exactly seven days ago. "Finn's more of a man than you'll ever be. I'll always love him. You had your chance, Jesse. It's over."

It was exactly one week ago when Jesse stormed out of her house without saying anything else. That same night, Rachel lay in bed feeling as if she made a terrible mistake.

It's now seven days later, and Rachel's walking into the school auditorium to try and get a head start on the week's Glee assignment. She hears music playing, and silently curses Mr. Schu, because she distinctly recalls asking him to reserve the auditorium for her at this time. Someone is playing a piano, and she gets closer to see who the intruder is. "I have this auditorium reserved," she calls as she walks up to the stage, but stops short when she sees a mass of curly hair and blue eyes look up at her.

"You need to hear me out. I'm better than Finn, and this song will hopefully make you understand," Jesse says quietly, and Rachel's torn on whether to run away or sit and listen. She chooses the latter because his piano playing is phenomenal and his voice is so alluring it should be illegal to have a voice as good as his.

She takes a seat in the front row just as he begins to sing.

"I can feel her breath as she's sleeping next to me
Sharing pillows and cold feet
She can feel my heart, fell asleep to its beat
Under blankets and warm sheets

If only I could be in that bed again
If only it were me instead of him

Does he watch your favorite movies?
Does he hold you when you cry?
Does he let you tell him all your favorite parts?
When you've seen it a million times

Does he sing to all your music
While you dance to "Purple Rain"?
Does he do all these things
Like I used to?

Jesse keeps looking at her as he sings, and she's starting to get goose bumps. The song is so spot-on it makes her head spin. She's pulled back into the song as he hits the bridge.

I know, love
Well, I'm a sucker for that feeling
Happens all the time, love
I always end up feeling cheated
You're on my mind, love
Oh sorta let her when I need it
That happens all the time, love, yeah

Will he love you like I loved you?
Will he tell you every day?
Will he make you feel like you're invincible
With every word he'll say?

Can you promise me if this was right?
Don't throw it all away

Can you do all these things?
Will you do all these things
Like we used to?
Oh, like we used to."

She stares open-mouthed at him when he finishes, and he's right. The song made her understand. She's having some sort of epiphany. Finn would never be fully supportive of her accomplishments. He'd want her to stay in Ohio and get some desk job instead of trying to achieve her dream. Jesse would always be there for her: protecting her, supporting her, loving her. Finn had blinded her.

Jesse walks slowly down the stage towards her, and Rachel just can't hold back her emotions anymore. She lunges for him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him full on the mouth.

Today, both Jesse and Rachel forget what was said exactly one week ago.

A/N: JONATHAN GROFF, WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL MAY 10 TO SEE YOU ON MY TV? -sigh- I'm suffering from lack of Jesse St. James and St. Berry. Symptoms include day-dreaming, coming up with reasons why Jesse is better than Finn, singing "Hello" constantly, continually watching Glee episodes, but fast-forwarding to the parts with Jesse, analyzing the egging scene a million times and coming to the same conclusion- Jesse obviously didn't want to egg her and MUST still love her, and most importantly, WRITING FANFICTION! Anywho, the song used is "Like We Used To" by A Rocket to the Moon, and when I heard it, I thought it was the perfect song for Jesse to use. Every part of the song is there except the second verse because it wouldn't have made as much sense. I've been meaning to write something like this for a while, and since I'm on break, I've been able to do it. Show the love by reviewing, and check out my St. Berry chapter story, Hello Again. =D