Author's Note: Below is my Gleefic debut. Be kind, please. Pezberry for the win.

It had been nearly three years since Rachel Berry had escaped Lima, Ohio and college life in New York City had been kind to her. She was ranked number seven in her class as Julliard and was planning to spend the summer in the City auditioning for short-term, off-Broadway roles. She'd starred in three productions at Julliard already and senior year looked to be even more promising. Her dads were ecstatic at her success. So was Finn Hudson, who had remained a dear friend to the petite singer over the past few years.

Finn and Rachel had attempted to rekindle whatever flame they'd discovered during Glee club back in Lima during the summer between freshman and sophomore year. Rachel knew Finn would have been happy to pursue their relationship into the fall semester that year, but something tugged Rachel away.

Rachel broke things off with Finn two weeks before they returned to school. He'd taken it well and admitted he wasn't sure how the long-distance thing would have worked out anyway. Rachel was relieved and knew that Finn would find someone new at OSU easily enough. Time proved her right when, two months later, Finn had sheepishly called her the day after Rachel had "liked" his new relationship status on Facebook.

Fast-forward to the present and Rachel was honestly glad Finn and his girlfriend, Jane, were still going strong. She smiled as she browsed a few of Finn's photo albums online before glancing at the clock and sighing, her smile fading. It was nearly ten on a Friday night and Rachel felt a now-familiar internal debate begin.

Rachel had participated in the supposedly-typical sexual exploration part of college during her time at Julliard. She'd slept with a few guys her freshman year and the fall of her sophomore year – always with protection, she'd learned that lesson well enough by proxy thanks to Quinn and Puck – and just before winter break that year she'd had her first experience with another woman. Rachel was by no means homophobic, growing up with her dads that was a given, but Rachel had been genuinely surprised when the one-night-stand she had with a girl from another floor of her dorm had turned into a five month relationship.

This relationship had not ended as well as Rachel's second attempt with Finn and Rachel quickly fell into a routine of watching her back on campus for any sign of her ex and the so-called friends who had turned their backs on her since the breakup. After the other girl had caused a scene outside on of Rachel's classes, she felt it was better safe than sorry. After a year, even though things had calmed down and Rachel was not longer bombarded with angry stares on a daily basis, it had become second nature.

Sighing again and shaking the memories away, Rachel stood from her desk and faced her closet. She hadn't been out on a Friday night in months. It wasn't so much anymore that her ex, Lisa, would pick a fight if they ended up at the same club. It was more that Rachel was sick of starting fresh with someone new. It had been exhilarating at first, dating new people who didn't know she'd been slushied daily for the majority of high school. Now that the semester was winding down and the summer stretched before her, Rachel found herself wishing in vain to be back in Lima, singing with her friends.

"This is stupid," Rachel said aloud to herself. "Lima is the past and, well, whichever club I end up at tonight is the future. The present. The now." Rachel continued muttering as she dressed to go out. Half an hour later, Rachel walked out of her dorm and heading towards the heart of Greenwich Village. Rachel strolled the city streets and eventually, discreetly, followed three girls her age into an establishment that, judging by the crowd standing outside smoking, did not cater to many men.

Two hours later, Rachel was nursing a beer when a shout went up from the other side the bar. A crowd had gathered around two women who looked to be engaged in a drinking contest. Rachel normally didn't care for such antics, but one of the women caught her eye.

"No freaking way," she murmured, but stood and made her way slowly through the packed club towards the Latina who was now triumphantly smiling as her defeated opponent ran off towards the bathroom. Rachel wrinkled her nose, knowing well why the woman had bolted from the bar. She didn't know how many shots had been involved, but surely more than was really advisable. The crowd around the Latina was thick, but Rachel figured she could cut through it pretty easily. Once within ear shot, she cupped a hand to her mouth and shouted. "Santana Lopez!"

Santana's head jerked in Rachel's direction, a look of disbelief on her face. The Latina's eyes widened when she saw Rachel and she blinked a few times before looking down at the empty shot glasses in front of her.

Rachel chuckled. "You aren't hallucinating, Santana," she ventured.

Santana looked up again and seemed to have trouble deciding whether to smile or sneer. "Rachel Berry. It's… been a long time."

The crowd around Santana had thinned out by now to the point that Rachel was able to lean up against the bar a few feet from the Latina.

"Almost three years. How've you been?"

"What are you doing here?" Santana replied, ignoring the other brunette's question.

Rachel shrugged, "Dancing, drinking, though, not as much as you." She nodded towards the shot glasses on the bar.

Santana nodded a bit. "Yeah, well, some newbie thought she could out-drink me."

Rachel pushed some hair away from her face, "Obviously she was wrong."

Santana grinned, "No one out-drinks Santana Lopez." Santana's grin faded. "Seriously, Berry, you know this is a lesbian bar right?"

"I'm bisexual," Rachel said with a smile. "What about you? Are you aware this isn't a straight bar?"

Santana grunted and signaled the bartender. "I'm queer."

Rachel absorbed this information silently and raised a brow. "New York must be smaller than I thought, for us to run into each other like this. Though," she paused as Santana glanced at her and the beer in her hand, "it has been a few years. I guess it was bound to happen."

Mentally preparing to tune Rachel out if she kept talking, Santana ordered two beers and pulled her wallet out of the pocket of her black jeans. She paid the bartender, tipping generously, before turning back to Rachel and offering her one of the beer bottles.

Rachel smiled at her old… well, teammate. They'd never exactly been friends, even senior year of high school when New Directions had placed fourth in the country after handing Vocal Adrenaline their asses at Regionals. She took the beer, figuring the remains of her old one had gone flat by now anyway.