I had this story on my computer half way finished and decided to finish it (at least for now). When I first saw the "Transitioning" episode I thought it would have been the perfect moment for Jesse to return and for St. Berry to come full circle. I'm not sure if I want to continue this story through the remainder of the episode or maybe even season but this is what I got. Thanks again for reading and reviews are appreciated.

I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS

Everything seems to slow down as she watches the egg flying towards Blaine's head. Flashes of six years ago start going through her mind. The feeling of the egg seeping into her hair, the pain from the impact, the humiliation, the laughter of her tormentors. But most of all she remembers the smile on his face as she ran towards, the look on his face as he held the egg in his hand, the "I loved you" that he whispered to her before cracking the egg on her forehead.

She braces herself to feel the impact of an egg, to feel the humiliation again, to get the constant nightmares.

But they never come.

Instead she feels two arms surround her, pressing her against the car and shielding her from the attack. For an instant she's confused as to who it can be, but then she knows.

His scent hasn't changed, even after all these years it's still the same. His arms are a bit bigger and as she's pressed up against him he feels him a bit sturdier. Surprisingly she feels just as safe in his arms as she had before. She tries to look up to see his face.

"Don't," he says firmly.

She understands and keeps her head down. She feels him tense as each egg impacts him and feels him tightening his hold on her. All she can do is wait and fight the urge to comfort him.

They run out of eggs and she hears the car doors close and the cars leave. She notices that his hold on her hasn't loosened, even after a few minutes have passed. She feels the amount of tension that his entire body is holding and wraps her arms around him, not caring about the egg she feels running down his back.

"Thank you," she says softly against his chest. She feels his body relax and give her a squeeze before slowly letting go.

She looks up and finally sees his face. He looks older, more mature. His curls are gone, having been cut short. But he still looks like Jesse.

"Are you okay?" he asks, in a much softer tone than the one he had used before, with concern etched on his face.

She feels her heart accelerate at the sound of his voice, having missed it through the years, and it leaves her speechless. All she can do is nod and watch as those worried features leave his face. Their eyes never break contact and they almost forget about the other boy standing next to them covered in egg.

"I can't believe this," Blaine says looking at his clothing and feeling his hair.

This draws them back to where they are and break eye contact. Rachel turns to look at Blaine.

"Oh my god, Blaine. Are you alright?" she asks.

"I think so. What about you two?" he asks.

"I'm fine…" she answers and realizes that she didn't ask Jesse and turns to face him completely concerned.

"I'll be okay," he says trying to reassure her. Nevertheless, she gives him a once over and can see that he appears to be physically alright but sees something in his eyes.

"Blaine will you be okay?" Rachel asks still looking at Jesse.

"Yeah, I'm going to go home and get cleaned up," he says.

"Okay. I'm going to take Jesse over to my house to help him get cleaned up," she says shocking both men. She sees the question in Jesse's face. "It'll dry out by the time you get back to Akron. Trust me when I say that when it does it's a lot harder to take off," she tells him and sees him flinch at her last comment.

Without even thinking she takes his hand and gives it a squeeze, surprising everyone including herself.

"Okay, then. I'll be heading out," Blaine says, not wanting to intrude or make things more awkward. He quickly gets in his car and leaves the two alone.

"You don't have to help me," Jesse tells her softly looking at his feet.

"I know, but I want to," she tells him. "Come on, we're going to have to take your car because Blaine gave me a ride to school today," she says as she tries to pull him along but he doesn't budge. "Jesse," she says and he looks up at her. "It's okay," she says looking into his eyes and giving him a soft smile.

He nods and leads her to his car. He helps her climb on and groans as he sits in his seat and the egg seeps into his seat and presses more against his skin. He drives them to her house and parks in her driveway. He doesn't move once he turns off the car and just sits there with his eyes closed, head against the seat. Rachel climbs out of the car, walks to his side, and opens his door. He doesn't move at all.

"Come on, Jess," she says softly, taking his hand.

"Why are you doing this?" he asks numbly, not opening his eyes. "After everything I did to you…"

"Please, Jess," she whispers as she tugs his hand again. Hearing the plead in her voice he opens his eyes and lets her take him into her home. Without even hesitating she closes the front door and takes him up to her room.

"Rachel?" he asks confused as to why he's up here.

"Here," holding out a towel, "you need to take a shower to get the egg out of your hair before it dries. I can take your clothes and get them washed," she tells him.

"I…I…" he stutters trying to say something.

"Jesse," she says softly, getting his attention. "It's okay," she assures him.

He just nods and takes the towel from her. He goes into her bathroom, taking off his clothes before handing them to her. As he takes a shower, Rachel takes his clothes and throws them into the washing machine. Being alone gives her time to think, to figure out what is going on.

She goes over the day's events over and over but can't figure out why she feels this way. She has no idea why she's helping Jesse out. It's been years since they've talked and to be honest, she never expected to see him again, especially after her failure on Broadway. But part of her always hoped they would.

She knew she was ready to move on, she had been hoping to do so with Sam, but she can't ignore the feelings that Jesse being back brings in her. They have so much to talk about, to work out, but she would be lying to herself if she says she doesn't want to try.

She makes her way back up to her room to wait for him. She sits on her bed and starts remembering all the good moments that she and Jesse spent together. She's lost in thought when the door of the bathroom opens and Jesse walks out with a towel wrapped around his waist. He clears his throat and she looks over at him. They both start blushing when they realize that she just stares at him.

"Um… your clothes are washing," Rachel stutters out.

"Th…thanks," he mutters back.

"D…do you want to sit down?" she asks standing up and gesturing the bed.

"It's a good offer Rach, but I really don't think you want me on your bed right now," Jesse says with a small smirk.

Rachel can't help but blush a bit more and smiling a bit.

"We have a lot to talk to about," Rachel says making the mood serious again.

"We do," he agrees with resignation and a sigh. "Why don't you start?"

"What are you doing here, Jesse?" she asks and she hears him sigh.

"I've been debating whether or not to come look for you after I heard what happened," he explains as he sees her flinch. "I finally decided to do it…"

"Why?" she asks.

"I guess I wanted to offer you my support, maybe help find a way to get you back where you belong," he admits and sees the confusion in her face. "Broadway, Rachel. No matter what you did, you still belong on Broadway," he elaborates.

"I appreciate your faith in me, Jesse, but…" she says looking away.

"Hey…" he says softly, walking over to her and making her look at him. "You being on a stage is inevitable remember?" he reminds her.

"Maybe at one point, but…" she starts tearing up. Jesse realizes she's about to break down and just holds her. She finally breaks down in a way she really hadn't gotten an opportunity to. She was finally with someone who fully understood what Broadway had meant to her, how losing that dream would crush her.

"Shh. It's okay, Rach. It's okay," he whispers softly in her ear.

"I messed up, Jesse. I messed up so much," she sobs. "I…I let you down…. I let everyone down."

"No you didn't," he says holding her tighter. "I still believe in you, Rach. We all still believe in you," he adds softly.

"I don't understand why. I'm a failure, a loser," she mutters.

"No you're not," he says with conviction, pulling away to look into her eyes. "You Rachel Berry are the most talented person I know, bar none. If anyone is meant to be a star it's you," he tells her his hands on her arms.

These words seem to jog a memory in Rachel. A certain discussion with Madame Tibideaux about her admittance. Her confusion becomes evident in her features as she tries to comprehend what this means. It couldn't be. He couldn't have been the one. He couldn't have intervened on her behalf. She had hurt him. She was engaged to another man, his rival.

"Rachel?" he asks confused by her silence and the look on her face.

"You couldn't have…" she mutters still trying to process.

"I couldn't have what?" he asks, even more confused.

"You…you couldn't have talked to her," she stammers out and realization begins to hit Jesse, as he slowly lets go of her and lets his arms fall to his side. "You couldn't have been the one who talked to Carmen!" she exclaims. She watches as he lowers his head and refuses to meet her eyes. "Jesse…" she whispers out in disbelief, now knowing that it was indeed him. "Why?" she asks barely above a whisper.

"I…I had already broken one vow to you," he begins to explain, head hanging with eyes closed in shame. "I had vowed that I would never hurt you and I did just that. I didn't want to break another one and I had that opportunity to help make your dreams come true and I took it," he says, looking up and staring into her eyes, with tears gathering in his. "So I talked to her. Made sure she understood how big a mistake it would be to not have you in NYADA," a small smile forms on his face, "when I heard you had gotten in, I knew I had done right by you. Even if you never found out, I had managed to do something to make it up to you," he explains.

She can't hold back her tears and without thinking kisses him. There is only a second hesitation from Jesse, due to the shock, before he kisses her back. Neither one demands more from the other as the kiss lasts for a few moments. When they finally do break apart, their faces stay only inches apart and they wear matching smiles. He gently runs his thumb against her cheek.

"That was good," he says breathlessly. She giggles recalling him saying the same thing after their first kiss.

"No notes this time?" she teases in a soft voice, causing him to laugh.

"None what so ever," he chuckles out. She wraps her arms around his neck and plays with the hair on the back of his head, never breaking eye contact with him.

"I want to try this, Jess and I mean actually try it," she tells him.

"I would to," he admits softly with a bit of hope in his eyes mixed with a bit of apprehension, which she picks up on.

"You talked about vows before," she starts. "And I want to make one right now. I vow to actually give you a chance, to give everything I have to try to make this work because you deserve this, we both deserve this," she says.

"I promise to do the same, Rach. You won't regret giving me this opportunity," he swears to her before he sighs. "But we still have a lot to talk about," he reminds her.

"I know," she acknowledges. "Why don't you spend the night," she suggests, causing him to raise his eyebrows in surprise. "Just to talk. It would be like old times when you would spend the nights when my dads were gone. We can spend the night talking everything all out and get to know what we've been doing since we last met.

"I'd like that," he says smiling.