Co-Authored with Original Groffette. When we heard that Jesse was not only coming back for Nationals, but that he was also going to Prom, we decided to write our own version of how it should work. We're very excited to be doing this together, and we hope that you have as much fun reading this as we've had writing it!
The music store looked different that day. Rachel didn't know if it was the lighting, or if the shelves had been rearranged, but there was something different about it, and she could not quite put a finger on it. After all, she had been feeling different herself in the past few days, as if something inside her had shifted, and even though her life was exactly the same, she was seeing everything in a different light. She could not explain it, it was a subtle shift, something that maybe no one but herself noticed. Maybe all that talk about priorities had finally had some effect, maybe she realized she felt she was on the right track, but all in all she felt more composed, more mature.
She walked around the music store like she always did, perusing the shelves for new books, or maybe even an undiscovered treasure. After a while, she found herself near the piano where she had sat beside him more than a year ago, and for the first time the memory of their first encounter made her smile. In truth, she had not thought about Jesse in quite a while, she could not remember the last time she did. Sure, she had felt his presence before, like during Sectionals, when she could have sworn she saw him standing in the aisle, or in Regionals, where she thought she saw his face in the crowd. But she knew that he was thousands of miles away in UCLA, and that he probably never gave their short failed relationship a second thought.
Still, on that particular day she thought of him, of the way they were together. She sat down by the lonely piano and let her fingers softly caress the keys as a flood of memories washed over her: the way he looked at her when he sang, her amazement at his voice and how perfectly and effortlessly it harmonized with hers. She couldn't stop smiling at the memories of how dramatic their short lived fling had been, their secret encounters at school, the ease with which either of them could burst into song in front of each other. The memory of Jesse breaking that awful egg on her forehead right before announcing –or rather denouncing- that he had loved her still hurt, no matter what. But as her fingers brushed the piano keys she saw that not everything was like the ebony and ivory beneath her fingers, black and white. The way he told her that he loved her had felt like an accusation more than a late declaration of love because he had looked so hurt, betrayed and angry when he did it, as if it was her fault that he was doing something so brutal, as if she had in fact encouraged him to do so when she dared him to break it like he broke her heart. At first she felt betrayed, the innocent victim of a bunch of bullies, but she knew that their story could not be written off just like that, with her being the innocent little lamb and him the big bad wolf.
Maybe the time that had elapsed since then had helped her admit that she had also played him. Even though she had to admit that she had loved him, she also did use him to be popular, to get back at Finn, or maybe to get Finn back. In the end, it didn't matter, Jesse was gone and she had Finn and it was as if nothing had happened. She had lost Regionals but she had gained what she had always wanted, her precious Finn Hudson. She realized how childish she had been and laughed at the irony of ever thinking that she could compare Finn to a prize.
She looked around to see if there was anyone around, and since she found herself alone she let her fingers play with the keys of the piano, trying to recreate the first notes of that song that every now and then invaded her thoughts. She suddenly felt that she was being watched, but at that point she didn't care and kept going through her trip down memory lane. Maybe it was true that time healed everything…
When he left for UCLA the summer of his graduation, Jesse had no intention of returning to Ohio. He had gotten what he needed from the dire state- four consecutive National titles as the male lead of the finest show choir in the country and a scholarship to 365 days of sunshine. There was nothing he needed or wanted that Ohio could provide, and for a long time, he managed to convince himself that he had out-grown Akron; that he was quite happy living his life alone in California without his old friends.
However, as time went on, he began to realize that there was one thing that only Ohio could offer and he found himself checking competition dates and booking flights home, just for an opportunity to see her. He always kept his distance; she didn't need to know that he was there. After the way things had ended between them in the parking lot, he knew that Rachel was likely to stab him with the heel of her shoe if they came face-to-face, or alternatively she would have no reaction to him at all. He preferred not to think about the latter. He knew that after he had cracked the egg on her forehead, goaded by his hateful ex-teammates to destroy the only real relationship he had ever had, she had found solace in the arms of the vocally-challenged quarterback almost immediately, and while it had stung at the time, it had given him the impetus he had needed to perform Bohemian Rhapsody to perfection.
He was surprised to see New Directions' star performer taking a back seat at Sectionals. He had to search for her on the stage, his chest tightening at the thought of her not being there. But when his eyes fell on her, relief rushing through him, he felt a piece of himself click back into place, a piece he had been unaware was missing.
A few short months later, he found himself watching her perform once more as the star she was born to be. Standing centre stage, belting out a song he knew had come directly from her heart, she was worth the 2000 mile, $700 round-trip. He was well-aware that the lyrics were not intended for him, more likely they were for the idiotic talentless asshole standing in the wings, but it felt as if she was singing directly to him. With the tempo of the music increasing for the next song, Jesse was left wondering if he would ever have a chance to get it right with Rachel.
The music store looked different that day. When he walked through the door, the small bell jingling to announce the arrival of a customer, he knew it was no longer the same; it wasn't the mausoleum of his ill-fated relationship with Rachel any longer. The store itself was exactly the same; the long-haired manager was still propping up the counter, the back wall still held the autographs of iconic performers past and present. But something had shifted. His chest was no longer weighed down with the memories of their meeting over the sheet music, of how a single song had connected them on a level much deeper than musical performance. Even if he had not had Shelby's task to carry out, he would have pursued Rachel Berry. Their duet had ignited something within him, and as the weeks passed the fire of lust, admiration and, ultimately, love, had grown until it threatened to consume him.
When he had stood before her, egg in hand, heart pounding and head throbbing, he had seen in her face that it was over. It was enough that he had made the call to lure her to the ambush. Though he had no right to, he felt anger towards her; anger that she would switch off her feelings so easily, that she could lose faith in him so effortlessly, that she could end things so abruptly. When she told him to break the egg like he had broken her heart, the words escaped his lips before he could stop them. He hadn't meant to tell her, he certainly hadn't meant to tell her in the past tense. But he suddenly had no control over his hand or mouth; the words were flowing, his fist was moving towards her skin. The crack of shell was sickening in his ears and he hated himself. He walked away from her; he walked away from the only girl he had ever loved. She had given up on him, so he gave up on her.
Every time he returned to the music store thereafter, he felt a clenching in his chest. The best thing about LA was that it was 2000 miles from that damn store. As much as he wanted to move on, to get over Rachel, somehow she managed to infiltrate his thoughts, and it was because of that he wound up skulking in shadows in hotels to watch high school show choirs.
He hadn't returned to Ohio for Rachel that day; it was his uncle's birthday and he had flown home to celebrate. His class had gone over time, and in his rush to get to the airport he had forgotten his uncle's gift. So, he had headed over to the music store to pick something up. Instead of the usual crushing depression descending on his heart, Jesse felt optimism. He felt like he had finally turned a corner. If he could shop in this store without a longing to open a vein, maybe he was finally moving on; maybe he could stop obsessing about Rachel Berry.
But then he heard it. The melodic notes of a song so heart-breakingly familiar. The pianist was playing by ear, making a few mistakes then correctingtly them. His eyes fluttered closed as he imagined her sitting at the keys, brow furrowed and tongue curling between her lips in concentration. Somehow his legs carried him towards the source of the music.
And then he saw her…..
It was as if he was made of stone and cemented to the spot. Jesse watched as Rachel's slender fingers slid over the keys, a small smile at her lips. As if to prove he was flesh and blood, his heart began to hammer wildly, a racing beat contrasting with the slow melody of Lionel's classic. His legs remained heavy, preventing movement. Sadly, Rachel's hands left the keys to push her hair back from her face. She smiled fondly at the piano and stood to walk away, pausing briefly to touch the case affectionately. He watched her head over to the door, heard the bell jingling. The sound broke whatever spell had him rooted to the floor.
His mind began to work overtime. Rachel had been playing their song; not only that, she had played it with a soft smile and an affectionate grace. What did that mean? He shook his head and without thinking he followed her out of the store. He saw her disappear into the coffee shop across the street, her ebony waves shining in the sunlight. The traffic was heavy for a Saturday, keeping Jesse on the wrong side of the road for too long. Just as his patience was about to run out, the green 'walk' sign flashed on. He practically ran to the coffee shop. Once inside he scanned the booths and tables for her, but she was nowhere he could see. He forced his eyes to survey the room for a second time, but Rachel did not magically appear.
Sighing, he headed over to the barista; he could use a double shot latte about now. He placed his order to go, and waited at the end of the counter for his coffee. He sighed deeply, leaning his elbows on the Formica and pressing his forehead to his fingertips. The barista called his name to present his drink and Jesse accepted it with a forced smiled. He moved over to deposit sugar into his coffee. He had just removed the plastic lid when he felt a cool hand on his forearm.
"Jesse?" Rachel Berry said.
Bittersweet memories, that's all they were. Rachel smiled just from thinking that she could finally play the song without bursting into tears, and she decided that she would leave it there. There was no use in reminiscing at that point, so she decided to leave the store and get a soy latte. Maybe she needed a little caffeine to snap her out of her reverie, she knew better than to start wondering about what was going on with Jesse, how was he doing…
After getting her coffee, she found a spot near the back of the shop, the place was unusually crowded for a Saturday. She started checking her messages in her cell phone when it slipped right out of her hands and into the floor. She was still kneeling on the floor looking for her phone when she heard the barista call out "St. James". She immediately got up, and looked in the direction of the register. She didn't know many St. James, and she knew it was just her mind playing tricks on her only because she had been thinking of him. But then she saw him, and she knew that the serendipitous encounter could not be an accident. Even though her heart threatened to beat out of her chest, she walked to him, and put her hand in his arm just to make sure that he was real before calling out his name.
"Jesse?"
He looked like he had just seen a ghost, his eyebrow arched in surprise as he looked at her disbelievingly. "Rachel?" His face softened immediately and he let out a loud sigh. "Rachel, hi…" he said tentatively, as if he was afraid that she would throw the contents of his coffee cup right into his face. She could not help but laugh at his reaction, and she smiled at him as she went to place a small kiss in his cheek.
"What are you doing here? I thought you'd never come back to Ohio" she said cheerfully.
She could see that he was still too stunned to speak, but by the way that he was looking at her, she knew that he was happy to see her. His eyes were sparkling, his smile sincere. After a few seconds that felt like hours, he responded.
"It's my uncle's birthday… But how are you Rachel? I'm so glad I ran into you!" he exclaimed.
She could see that he was being honest, and she was genuinely happy to see him too.
"I just left my coffee all alone back there" she said while pointing with her thumb to her back. "Would you like to keep us company?"
She felt relieved when he answered "Of course" and they walked together to her small table. For a while they sat there just staring at each other and smiling, both nervously nursing their coffees.
He spoke first.
"I heard you were phenomenal at Regionals. Congratulations!" he said, effectively breaking the ice.
"You know about Regionals?" She was surprised and flattered that he had taken time out of his busy college life to even know about it.
"Of course I know, those original songs were fantastic, I take you wrote the solo?"
Rachel was astounded at the fact that he knew so much about it.
"Yes I did. Did you really like it?" she asked shyly. Needing his approval, she found herself holding her breath; his opinion suddenly as vital as oxygen.
"Rachel, I loved it. The way you poured your heart out with every note was extraordinary… I'd never seen anything like it."
Rachel was beaming with pride, after all this time, his opinion still meant the world to her. She made a mental note to ask him later where had he seen her, she wasn't aware that the video had already been uploaded to YouTube.
The ease at which they had fallen into their old banter was remarkable. It seemed that for a while there was no Vocal Adrenaline, no New Directions, no competition, and no eggs: just them, just Rachel and Jesse.
Please review if you think we should continue with this!