It was that time again.

Nationals music needed to be selected.

And like before every other competition that New Directions had competed in, Rachel sat for hours in the auditorium and in the choir room, trying new songs and deciding what she should sing for her audition (well, she never really called it an audition, because she always got it anyway).

Rachel had compiled a list of ten songs that she could more than adequately sing at sectionals. She was slowly narrowing down the songs each day, cutting three or four at a time, while Brad, the pianist, sat patiently as she said repeatedly, "Let's try that part again, Brad," or, "From the top!"

Needless to say, she was tired on the third day of her personal rehearsal schedule. On this day she had ten songs spread out on the piano, the notes and lyrics starting to look like nonsense, she was that exhausted.

It had been a rough week already, with Prom approaching and her not having a date and all. Rachel had asked almost all the guys she talked to on a regular basis, but getting rejected by Sam the week before, she was starting to look back on her past relationships with Finn and Jesse.

They seemed to be the only two people she had ever connected with—musically especially. And ever since she and Finn had broken up earlier this year, Rachel hadn't had anyone to sing duets with in a while.

It was really hard—she had to admit—trying to find strong feminism songs to sing in front of her fellow show choir members. Especially since almost all of them had dates for prom and only wanted to hear cheery couple music.

But today, Rachel had to focus. The song she had decided to practice was a strong piece, and it needed hard work.

So she snapped her fingers to get Brad's attention and set the sheet music down in front of him. With a final deep breath, she started singing.

She didn't notice Jesse amongst the hundreds of chairs in the auditorium. She didn't know that he had finished his first year at the University of Lost Angeles. She didn't know that he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her all during his freshman year. She didn't know that the moment she finished the first two lines that he would join in, as flawless as ever.

There's a fire starting in my heart,
Reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark…

Jesse joined in, strutting down the center aisle of seats. He saw the shocked expression on her face, but she stood strong, holding her position in the center of the stage.

Finally, I can see you crystal clear,
Go ahead and sell me out and a I'll lay your shit bare,
See how I'll leave with every piece of you,
Don't underestimate the things that I will do,

There's a fire starting in my heart,
Reaching a fever pitch and it's bring me out the dark,

The scars of your love remind me of us,
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all,
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless,
I can't help feeling…

Rachel stared as he walked up the side stage steps and almost skipped toward her. She had forgotten, in that moment how much she had loved him. How much it hurt when he broke her heart.

But this was Jesse St. James. And it had been months since Rachel had a proper duet partner. She wasn't going to screw up this opportunity.

We could have had it all,
(You're gonna wish you never had met me),
Rolling in the deep,
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep),
You had my heart inside of your hand,
(You're gonna wish you never had met me),
And you played it to the beat,
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep),

They sang together flawlessly for the rest of the chorus. Rachel had always known that Jesse was her equal when it came to music. Their voices fit perfectly: harmoniously and melodically.

Of course, in the back of her mind, there was this little inkling reminding Rachel of what Jesse had done to her before Regionals last year. Dropping those eggs on her head hadn't exactly made him number one in her book.

But the sight of him still made her heart skip. And when their eyes met, she almost forgot the words to "Rolling in the Deep."

They finished the song together, facing each other at the end. Jesse was breathing heavily, a look of accomplishment and intensity on his face.

Rachel stared at him, "What are you doing here?"

He broke their eye contact by looking to the ceiling for a moment before he answered. "I miss you, Rachel."

A look of doubt shadowed her face. She didn't want to believe it. Rachel would never believe, after how he treated her last year that Jesse was still in love with her.

"Well," she retorted, "I don't miss you! I'm doing great, actually!" She turned around to the piano and started gathering her sheet music before she ended up kissing him. Let's be honest, that's all she was thinking about.

She had gathered all of her music and placed it safely in her bag before she turned to face him once again, and she found him only a foot away from her. "We're going to Nationals this year and I—"

Jesse placed a delicate index finger on her lips and whispered, "Shhh."

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you all year, Rachel," Jesse said, staring into her eyes.

Her breathing stopped and her heart wouldn't stop pounding.

"I knew I had to come back. I needed to see if it was still real," he muttered quietly.

And then he kissed her, softly and passionately all at once. Rachel wasn't sure what to believe, or what to think.

He broke away before she could gather her thoughts for an argument.

"I have to go," he said, still staring into her eyes—still making her catch her breath. "But I want to see you."

Despite the fact that she didn't want anything to do with him anymore, Rachel nodded her head.

Jesse smiled before he ran out of the auditorium, leaving Rachel and her confused thoughts in his wake.