Chibi-Kari: Okay, I don't own. This is an alternate ending to Season 1 and the summer beyond! I miss St. Berry...it needs to come back! I've had this sitting on my harddrive for awhile and decided it needed to go up as there is a severe lack of St. Berry fics. Please leave me feedback and show me that this ship hasn't died with the egging and Finchel of Season 2! PS bonus points for anyone who can tell me the movie that the other team's name came from!

Californication

Chapter 1

Jesse pulled his shoulder sharply away from another sweaty club goer. This wasn't exactly his scene. He liked the people around him to be…clean, to say the least. And, really, all he wanted right now was to be asleep in his nice hotel room before practice tomorrow. They had one week until Nationals and he just wanted to be done. Everything had begun to feel like a chore.

Nationals themselves felt like a chore. He was out of school and all he wanted was to move on to bigger and brighter…UCLA. He didn't want to be stuck in high school anymore with all the little reminders of who he currently is and what he had to give up to get there. He wanted to just move on and become what he currently felt, a tortured artist.

He snorted lightly, at least emotional depth was something his sacrifices had given him or one in particular. He didn't regret it. He couldn't live his life with regrets. Granted, when they met again, which they would, he would make things right. He was in the wrong. There was no doubt about that, but right now he was sure Rachel Berry wouldn't even listen to anything he said. And he wasn't in a position where he could offer her any solace. But Jesse St. James wasn't worried because he knew she was his soul mate and he was going to get her back one day…just not today.

No, today he was checking out the only team they hadn't competed against before with Shelby. He glanced over at his coach as she looked around in distaste. Jesse was sure she was going to be hell to deal with right now. She was already sour enough that she had to leave baby Beth in daycare at the hotel, but now she was dragged to a place that obviously insulted every inch of her being. Jesse couldn't find it in himself to disagree. The music was tasteless and the annoying beat was slowly pounding out his hearing, something he certainly couldn't live without. And the dancing…well he was sure several people on the dance floor weren't even dancing. He flinched as he saw a body part that really shouldn't ever be out in public…in fact he was sure it was illegal. That couple was definitely not dancing.

"How can any coach allow their team to perform anything here? It's negligence. And obviously no one checked IDs! They could get disqualified for this!" She mumbled harshly looking around for where this team was supposed to be.

"Should we just have them disqualified?" Jesse asked shrugging. He really just wanted everything over with.

"And explain to them why we were here? Especially me with you? I think not. And don't forget you're under 21, too." Shelby looked at him disapprovingly. It was just inviting talk of a scandal and yes she was retiring, but not until after Nationals. She didn't need something like that marring her reputation and that of Beth's.

He tried to pull off a reasonably chastised look, but was just too tired. All he wanted was to be in bed depressed. Perform in a week. Go home and finish packing. Move his life forward to reach the inevitabilities. He had a goal in mind and if there was one word to describe Jesse St. James it was driven.

Shelby eyed him slightly. "Jesse, you need to snap out of-"

She cut herself off as the lights dimmed and opening notes broke through the air. The entire crowd seemed to shift towards the boy that stood on the small stage towards the back of the club.

Jesse's eyes widened, "Oh dear God, they're going to butcher Touch Me. Why are they even touching Spring Awakening…that's one of my favorites and at a club." He mumbled shaking his head in disgust.

Shelby glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to even think about you and that play." The character of Melchior was very similar to Jesse with his smooth talking seduction. She could only be grateful that he hadn't pulled it on Rachel…or at least wasn't successful. She wasn't about to ask for clarification.

"What the hell?" Jesse snarled slightly taking a step forward and breaking her from her train of thought.

Shelby wasn't quite sure what he was looking at, but from what she could tell this show choir was actually good so he couldn't be insulted with the portrayal of the song. "What?"

"Rachel." The word seemed to hang limply in the air.

Shelby focused her gaze on the group in front of them. Her eyes widened when she finally caught sight of her daughter. If Jesse hadn't told her that Rachel was up there she would have never known. She had on a pair of dark skinny jeans and a small black vest that left nothing to the imagination, hair cascading down her back as the male lead spun her slightly before wrapping his arms around her in a way that she was sure would enrage Rachel's fathers. Shelby was stuck between being appalled and pushing her way through the crowd, procuring her daughter from the hands of that boy.

Jesse spun quickly and started forcing his way out of the club. Shelby glanced between her daughter and her male lead. She pushed roughly as she started to follow Jesse. The irony wasn't lost on her. She always seemed to pick her team or life over her biological daughter.

It almost took her a whole minute to exit the club, but it felt like an eternity. She was certain that Jesse would be well down the block by the time she made it out to the door, but to her surprise he was leaning casually against the wall next to the door. The bouncer seemed to be watching him out of the corner of his eye and Shelby distinctly felt nerves wash over her. If Jesse got in a fight with that man she was sure they could kiss Nationals goodbye along with what was left of their reputation. She would never be able to teach again. Jesse would lose his scholarship and possibly a limb. No, this was not good.

"Jesse, let's go back to the hotel." She spoke softly and slowly trying to appease him. She could tell he was angry. His entire body was tensed as he leaned against the wall. His hands were shoved deeply in his pockets in an effort to look nonchalant, but he was only managing to pull off angry boyfriend perfectly.

"No." It was curt and low.

"Jesse." Shelby tried her commanding voice that normally made every member in VA, including Jesse, flinch, but he stayed firm. After a pause she asked the inevitable, "What are you planning on doing? Wait out here for her?"

Jesse's head bounced slightly, "All night if I have to."

Shelby let out an exasperated sigh. He was being ridiculous about a girl that he didn't even have a 'real' relationship with, "Why? What could you possibly say to her?"

His eyes narrowed as his head snapped to look at her. Shelby had to refrain from shuddering. She had never seen him look like this. This was more than determined. He literally looked like this was his last chance. "If you want to run away from her feel free, but I want answers. I want to know why she's up there. I want to know why she's dressed like that. I want to tell her how I didn't mean those things I did or said. I love her. Those are things I could possibly say to her." He sneered slightly at the end.

Shelby was floored. She hadn't realized that Jesse had cared about Rachel that much. Sure he had told her that he didn't want to see Rachel hurt, but that was the extent. Shelby let out a small disbelieving laugh. Everything fit now. She wondered why he had taken so well to Bohemian Rhapsody. Yes, he was a star in the making, but it had been a little too easy for Shelby's comfort. Now she knew why he was acting like his world had fallen apart. Teenage love always felt like it was the end of the world. She could remember that well.

She nodded slightly before taking up his side away from the door. She should talk to Rachel, too. It was apparent that she didn't have proper supervision right now and that didn't sit right with her. Rachel was practically advertising and that wasn't something she would allow her daughter to do…even an estranged one.

Ten minutes had barely passed in awkward silence and questioning looks from the bouncer when Jesse saw the first of Sparkle Motion, a name that Jesse and Shelby had agreed was atrocious, came out the doors. He scanned the laughing group looking for Rachel. He finally spotted her less than a foot from him, her arms linked with a black haired girl. They were all smiles and seemed to bubble excitement. With a sharp movement he had her by the arm and pulled her away from the other girl.

"What the hell!" The girl talking with Rachel screeched as she leaned forward to try and grab Rachel back, but Jesse jerked her right out of reach again.

The entire team turned to look at the commotion and it seemed they instantly closed ranks. Shelby was sure she had never seen a team so ready to back one of their teammates. The lead male moved forward and sent a questioning glance to Jesse and Shelby.

"Let go of me, Jesse." Rachel's voice was quiet but firm as she flailed her arm harshly trying to get him to disengage his grasp.

His hand tightened, "No."

Her eyes narrowed before she stomped firmly on his foot. In reaction to the sudden pain, he ripped his hand off of her and she took a step back towards her team looking at them both. "Shelby. Jesse. Good to see you both." Her voice was light and slightly mocking.

Several members of the team behind her laughed and Shelby got the distinct feeling that she was missing something big. "What are you doing here, Rachel?"

Rachel gestured flippantly with her hand to the kids standing behind her. "Performing with my team of course."

Shelby definitely knew she was missing something when the kids behind her daughter seemed to draw in tighter. "New Directions is your team."

This time Rachel laughed with her entire team. She shook her head slightly trying to calm down. "That's a joke. Those kids can barely keep pitch. Like I would really leave Sparkle Motion and join them? That's the biggest joke I've heard."

Shelby was sure she was confused. Before she could form a coherent thought Jesse stepped forward. "What do you mean leave them? You were a part of New Directions. You weren't ever a part of this team." Jesse gestured behind her and seemed to hiss the word team.

In turn, Rachel just tilted her head slightly. "No. I was about as much of a part of New Directions as you were. I joined Sparkle Motion my freshman year. I attended New California High for part of my sophomore year, thus qualifying me to compete when I reenrolled a month ago. New Directions was just something I setup so that I could get into the Ohio Glee Circuit." She shrugged lightly.

"Why?" It was the only thing that filled Shelby's mind. She couldn't understand why Rachel had ended up in Ohio if she was going to school in California. It just didn't add up.

"Why?" Rachel echoed glancing backwards smiling at the male lead. "Reconnaissance of course. We needed information on the team that would present us with the most trouble when we made it back to Nationals."

Jesse balled his fists, "You thought it would be that easy to make it to Nationals?"

Rachel laughed lightly, "Look at us! And we would have been at Nationals last year if it wasn't for the incident after Regionals. But hey, it gave us a chance to get the scoop on you guys."

"Why didn't you just come directly to Carmel then? Why did you go to the trouble of creating a glee club? That doesn't even make sense!" Jesse's raised voice finally brought the bouncer over.

"Trouble, Rae?" His voice was deep as he came to stand next to Rachel.

She just shook her head, "Ex-boyfriend. No trouble, John." The bouncer nodded, but made no move to walk back to his post. "I couldn't just walk into Carmel. I wasn't sure what Shelby would do. I was sure she thought she would be breaking the contract and then contact my fathers. Then the jig would be up before it even began."

Something clicked for Shelby, "You knew I was your mother?" The idea left her breathless. All the time she had been suffering over how to tell Rachel and the girl had already known.

Rachel rolled her eyes and one of the girls from the back of the group called forward, "Of course! Why do you think she was sent? As soon as we saw you were the coach of Vocal Adrenaline there was our opening."

Shelby's eyes didn't stray from Rachel's face, "You were going to use me to get information?" She couldn't stop the hurt and disbelief that flooded her system.

Rachel shrugged slightly, "Don't take it personal. We were looking for an easy in. Jesse actually ended up being the easiest in. He was probably doing the worst job at spying I've ever seen." Her eyes snapped to his, "Seriously, don't have the routines sent directly to your phone and then leave it out in the open."

The male lead laughed heartily, "And make sure they weren't just forwarded to some email you didn't know! Seriously, dude." He slung his arm over Rachel's shoulders causing her to lean back and send him a bright smile. "Let's go, guys. Coach will kill us if we're not back by midnight and I want some pizza!" The group nodded and murmured their agreements before turning to their original direction.

Shelby was rooted to the spot. She couldn't seem to wrap her mind around this Rachel. This wasn't who she was excited to meet a few months before. This wasn't the girl that she knew could take care of herself. She shook her head in denial, "No. She was in Ohio with her fathers. She lived in Ohio with her fathers."

Jesse turned to look at her wide-eyed, "I never saw them."

"What do you mean you never saw them?" Shelby barely managed to turn her head and look at her lead. Everything seemed to be taking too much work.

"I never saw them." His eyes were wide as they were locked on her face, but Shelby could tell his attention was far from her. "I mean they were never there! I never saw them! She wasn't living with them! I was over there all hours of the day. I couldn't have always missed them."

Jesse was in complete disbelief. He never thought to ask her about them. He never thought twice about why she was always available when he wanted to do something or always alone. He never asked why all the pictures on the wall seemed to have been taken the same day. He never thought to ask her about it. In fact, the only time he could remember her even mentioning them was when she told him that her daddy always said not to take friendship personal. It was probably the only time in his eighteen years where he didn't understand what someone was saying. It had come out of the blue, too. They had been talking about traveling over the summer, something he knew wouldn't actually happen, and then she just out of the nowhere said that nothing could be counted on and pulled the phrase out. Now it made sense. She was telling him, then, that she knew just as well as he did that they wouldn't be doing anything that summer. She was telling him not to take what she was going to do personal.

He shook his head. "No. No. That wasn't her. I know Rachel. I know her."

Shelby placed her hand on his shoulder, but he brushed it off. He wasn't fooling her with that line. He was only trying to fool himself. That confidence wasn't something you could put on. The girl that was capable of trying to use her mother for information was the real Rachel Berry and it made her sick. If she had known that this was Rachel, she would have done something. She would have tried to be in her life. What she had just seen was a jaded, angry, little girl stuck in a woman's body. She didn't care about what happened to other people. This Rachel was the type that shrugged off hurting someone as collateral damage. And it frightened Shelby. She wasn't sure what Rachel was capable of, but what she had just seen wasn't even the tip of the iceberg. That she was sure of.