Prologue

Rachel groaned in frustration. She looked at her alarm clock. 3:53 a.m. She punched her pillow in aggravation. Her sleep had been disrupted again. It was always the same dream. It was the day of her wedding. She was standing in the foyer of the temple. Her father Hiram was standing next to her. She remembered feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

She was wearing a beautiful off-white Vera Wang wedding gown. The train was at least 6 feet long. The bodice was covered with little iridescent pearls. The strapless dress showed off her café au lait skin tone. The silk black sash around her waist showed off her petite curves. Her off white satin heels gave at least 3 inches to her 5'2 height. Her long silky brown hair was done up in a chic chignon, which was covered with a fashionable half veil. She looked stunning. Her father stared at her, tears in his eyes. "My little girl," he said his voice thick with emotion. "Oh daddy," she said, tearing up. "I am so happy for you honey', he said clutching the hand that was not holding the bouquet of white daisies.

"I know that you have waited for this moment ever since you were a little', he continued. "It just feels so surreal, she said, her voice filled with joy. "I know honey", he said, his face filled with happiness at seeing his little girl finally getting married. At the sound of the wedding march, he slipped his arm through hers. "Ready sweetheart?" he asked. "I've been ready", she said, giving her father one of her radiant smiles.

As the doors opened, the scene before her took her breath away. The temple was filled with family, friends, and acquaintances. The aisle was covered with an off white runner. As she walked down the aisle, she smiled at the familiar faces as they smiled back. Her heart filled with joy as she faced her soon to be husband. They had been through so much over the years. Finn looked at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world. She turned and gave her father a kiss on the cheek. 'You made the right choice honey" he whispered in her ear. "I know', she whispered back. "I love you," he said, holding her a little tighter. "I love you too", she said trying to hold back her tears. As he let her go, she turned to face the rabbi.

As he proceeded with the ceremony, she found herself clutching Finn's hand. It was finally happening she thought. She was finally marrying the man of her dreams. They had made it through so many storms and obstacles that tried to impact their relationship. After a very long engagement (7 years to be exact), they were finally tying the knot. It was her idea to wait. She wanted to see if they could survive having a long distance relationship, with her being in New York going to NYU and him being in Ohio, going to OSU. While she truly did love Finn, she knew marriage was a big deal. She was planning on spending the rest of her life with him and she didn't want to go though the ups and downs they went through in high school.

To her surprise he agreed. He wanted to prove to her that he was serious and he was going to become the man she desired. To her surprise and delight, college and distance changed him from the immature, indecisive quarterback she knew from high school into the mature, determined man that stood beside her today. He was more attentive and considerate of her. He no longer took her for granted as he did so many years ago. He was more understanding of her needs and wants. She couldn't have asked for more.

"You may now kiss the bride", the rabbi said. She turned towards him, joy radiating off her. As he lifted the veil, his face was filled with happiness. As he kissed her, her arms slipped around his neck, anchoring him to her. The kiss was very passionate, filling her with both excitement and desire. She could feel her toes curling in the satin heels. She could hear the others clapping and laughing at the display, but she didn't care. She was finally with the love of her life. As her hands stroked the nape of his neck, deepening the kiss, she distinctly noticed that something was different. The short bristly hairs had suddenly been replaced with lustrous, silky brown curls. The mouth that she was kissing was no longer gentle, but almost brutal, making her moan softly. As she opened her eyes, she was no longer staring into the gentle brown eyes of Finn Hudson, but the steely, blue eyes of Jesse St. James.

He was staring at her as if he wanted to rip the dress off of her at that very moment. "Jesse?" she asked, her voice filled with shock and surprise. "The one and only", he smirked, his voice filled with arrogance and humor. Before she could say another word, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "I've waited a long time for you Rachel", he said, his tone filled with meaning and a hint of something darker. "Now that I finally have you, I am never letting you go, Mrs. St. James", he said gripping her hand. And then she would wake up, her heart beating fast and her mind whirring.

She hadn't told anyone about the dreams she been having. It didn't make any sense. She hadn't seen or heard from Jesse ever since Nationals in 2011. After the kiss debacle happened with Finn, she tried to find him to explain and apologize, but he had disappeared. She tried for months afterward to find him, even going so far as to ask her mother Shelby if she knew of his whereabouts but to no avail. She knew he was heartbroken. But as the months passed and as she and Finn grew closer, he became a distant memory. Why was she dreaming about him now? Her wedding was in 3 months for goodness sake.

Maybe her subconscious was trying to tell her something. Being Rachel, who always followed her intuition (she always thought she was a little psychic), she knew that she had to do something. She didn't want to enter a lifetime commitment with this hovering over her conscious. It wouldn't be fair to her or Finn. Plus, she always harbored a little guilt over the way things ended with Jesse. As a plan formed in her mind, she felt a mixture of anxiety and fear. She knew it was a dangerous plan. It could easily blow up in her face if she wasn't careful. But she felt she had no other choice. She decided she was going to find Jesse and ask for his forgiveness. She wanted a clean slate. She just hoped that her fiancé would understand.