A/N: My first piece of Glee fanfic!


Rachel Berry

The tiny brunette felt smaller than ever as she stood in the middle of Times Square, mimicking her actions on that fateful day at Nationals with her old glee club.

No! She reprimanded herself harshly, as the memories of her first trip to New York began to seep into her brain, stupid Rachel! Don't think about Nationals, don't think about… him.

It had been three years now since she'd left Lima, Ohio and moved to the big city and she'd spent those three years following her dreams, like she'd always said she would. Rachel had cried when she opened her acceptance letter from the Tisch School of the Arts. Partly through joy and partly because she knew it was time to say goodbye to the only life she'd ever known. It had never exactly treated her well but still, the idea of the unknown scared her.

The swarms of tourists jostled her as she stood, unmoving, immersed in nostalgia. She'd had to get used to many new things when she'd moved here and the incredible number of tourists was just one of those. Another was the strange way people had treated her.

When she'd first walked into the auditorium for her first drama lesson at Tisch, no one had rolled their eyes or snorted derisively at the sight of her. And it was with a thrill of excitement that the girl realised that her name, Rachel Berry, held no negative stigma here.

So she kept her superiority and diva demands to herself until after first week at the new school. By that time she'd sung; by that time, she already had their hearts. Rachel had always known her voice was something special. Her breath still caught in her throat to think that now her talent was actually being recognised.

Slowly, Rachel drew herself away from her reverie, knowing that it was time to get real. She felt the slick of sweat on her palm and a tight feeling in her chest as she headed towards the theatre. It was time for her first Broadway audition.

Rachel had dreamed of this glorious moment for years. When her agent had let her know that Wicked was holding auditions just a month after her graduation ceremony, she knew it was fate. Her CV was in her bag, neat and proof-read a million times. Rachel had slid her recommendations into the plastic folder with a sense of deep, burning pride; all of the letters were glowing with praise of her, her talent and her work ethic. They were positively exultant.

Steve Lodge settled into his seat quickly; he'd cut it fine, as his wife had said the night before. She shot him a sharp look before handing him a copy of the programme. The show was set to start in five minutes, Steve reckoned he would have time to read his favourite parts of the booklet before the musical began.

Wicked: his daughter had been dying to see it for ages so Mr and Mrs Lodge were taking her to Broadway to celebrate her 12th birthday. Steve skimmed his eyes across the cast section, not really reading about the actors but drinking in the black and white headshots. A fair looking young lad, one girl with excessively curly hair, a Jewish-looking girl with a huge grin on her face and the dark young man next to her, who was frowning at the camera. Names caught his eye, Mark Darrell, Susie Price, Rachel Berry, and Kobi Jackson.

Suddenly Steve was aware that the lights had dimmed; he shut the programme as the clashing opening strains of Wicked's opening number filled the theatre. Steve didn't know much about theatre but the pretty blonde playing Galinda had an incredible voice and the girl all painted in green as Elphaba, was an absolute knock-out. He'd read in the Times that they had a new cast in. They'd picked well, he thought.

He blinked for a moment as the spotlight bathed the stage in a softer glow and Steve managed, for a moment, to tear his eyes away from the captivating Elphaba, despite the way the light was reflecting off her dark hair. Instead he found himself examining the ensemble, their faces caught in incredible clarity for just one moment.

One girl caught his eye. Her face was aglow with wonder, despite her solemn expression. There was an intangible but infectious feeling of utter elation about her. At once, one of the pictures the Steve's eyes had flown past connected with one of the names.

Rachel Berry, he thought and he flicked hurriedly to her tiny segment in the programme before the spotlight could shift and plunge her back into obscurity. Yes, it was her first performance on Broadway.

As Steve left the theatre an hour later, tuning out his daughter's babble about dresses and favourite songs, it was still the mysterious Rachel Berry to whom his thoughts were directed. He could tell just from that look on her face that she was destined to succeed and that even if, by some cruel twist of fate, she didn't ever hit the big-time – she'd be content where she was.

He shook his head, clambering into the taxi, people like her inspired him. Steve Lodge was not a creative or passionate man. That girl could perform in the shadows, as part of that group of twenty or so people for the rest of her life and always remain as happy as he'd seen her that night. Performing just out of her sheer love for the art, just because of the feeling it gave her. He respected her.

Rachel Berry, he thought, that's I name I'll be sure to remember.


A/N:Thanks so much to anyone who read this :) The other members of ND that I will definitely write about are: Finn, Quinn, Kurt, Puck, Santana and Brittany. I might also write a little bit about Mr Schue.

Reviews are utterly adored, especially as I've never attempted to write Glee before.

Elle xx