Chapter 14

One year later

Hearing the alarm go off, Rachel groaned as she stirred in bed. Hitting the off button as quickly as she could, she slowly sat up and adjusted her eyes around the very dark room. Grabbing her eye glasses, she put them on. It was 2:15 am and she had to be at the hospital for 3:00. This week was another one of those weeks where she'd been put on the crazy shift schedule.

Quietly getting up, she tiptoed to the large walk-in closet and grabbed a pair of scrubs from the shelf where they were neatly folded. Exiting the closet, Rachel slowly and gently made her way through the pitch-black room, trying not to stub her toe or run into something that could make a lot of noise. Successfully making her way to the door without any noise, she walked out and silently closed the door behind her. Getting to the kitchen, she fixed some coffee and rested her head on the counter as she waited for it to be done brewing.

It had been an exact year from the date where Finn professed his love for her in a bar full of strangers and asked Rachel to move in with him. At this point, Rachel knew with all of her heart that she couldn't be happier. In the time after Finn asked her to move in with him, their relationship only spiraled upwards. They were living the dream now and nothing could ever change that. She loved him with all of her heart and he was the one.

Hearing the beeper going off, informing her that the coffee was ready, she fixed a cup and headed towards their master bathroom. After changing into her scrubs, Rachel brushed her teeth and placed her hair in it's normal messy high bun. By the time she was finished, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was really glad that Finn was asleep right now, because she definitely didn't look her best. Her everyday work look wasn't really that great. Scrubs, tennis shoes, small button up grey jacket, no make-up, messy bun, and eye glasses. She just didn't really care about her appearance on work days.

After she was done, she looked at the clock. It was 2:25. She usually left at around 2:45 which gave her 20 minutes of breathing and relaxing time. She decided that she'd get some things done before she left so once Finn left for work this morning, the house wouldn't be left sitting nasty and dirty.

Turning on the TV in the kitchen, Rachel walked to the utility room and grabbed the basket of unfolded clothes that she meant to fold last night before getting too tired and going to bed. Placing the basket on the counter, Rachel started folding quickly as she some sitcom that was on at this hour. She found that when she was up at two in the morning for work there was never really that much to watch. The TV mostly consisted of old sitcoms, advertisements, and reruns of shows, or movies. She much preferred getting up at 5, because the news was her favorite thing to watch in the mornings.

Watching TV and folding clothes, Rachel was startled with the sound of footsteps on the floor. Turning around, she was greeted by a sleepy looking Finn.

"What are you doing up this early? I didn't wake you up, did I?" Rachel asked.

"No. I couldn't sleep anymore." he replied in a groggy tone, smiling as he pulled her in for a hug.

"Well good luck with that because i'm down right exhausted." she chuckled.

"Look at the bright side, the earlier you go in, the earlier you get to come home." he smiled, as he held her close to his chest.

"Yeah." she said.

Looking at the clock, it was now 2:30 and Rachel knew that if she left now, she'd have a little extra time at the hospital to get situated before making her daily rounds.

"Okay." she said pulling away from the embrace. "It's 2:30 and if I leave now, I can catch the subway." she smiled, grabbing her purse and scarf.

"The subway? Why not a taxi?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"I don't know. I woke up this morning feeling that I wanted to ride the subway. Plus, I'll save more money." she explained.

"Rach, you know how I feel about you riding the subway. Especially this early in the morning. No telling what drunk idiots are doing down there. I don't feel comfortable with you going without me being there to protect you." he said.

"Finn, everything's gonna be fine. It's only a ten minute ride. Plus, I have my skills that I learned from that defense class that I took. Look, i'm gonna be late. I have to go. I'll see you this afternoon. I love you." she smiled and kissed him, before she headed towards the door.

"Be safe, Rach. I love you too." he called after her before she walked out the front door.

Walking out of the elevator and out of the building, Rachel headed in the direction of the nearest entrance to the subway station. Once she got on the subway train, she sat on the somewhat empty train and nervously kept her focus on the window as the train started moving. There were, as Finn warned her, some suspicious looking drunk men towards the back of the train, but she just ignored them. Once the subway stopped at her stop, she felt a wave of relief as she stepped into the warm hospital. Putting her things away in her locker, she got to her job.

"This is so stupid. Why are we standing out here at two am?"

"Trust me, okay? The nurse said her hours today were from 3 am to 5 pm. She's gonna walk through that door at any moment."

After another moment of sitting beside the large building that consisted of penthouses, the girl finally spoke again.

"There!" she whispered pointing out the girl that walked out of the building. "That's her." she pointed to the brunette.

"Oh, she's pretty." the guy smiled, looking her up and down.

"Max!" exclaimed the girl.

"I'm sorry. So, what has this girl done to you to make you this crazy?" he asked.

"She stole the love of my life from me." whispered the girl. Pure hatred and anger were evident in her voice.

"That sucks." he replied.

"Yes, it does suck. Which is why she's going to pay for the pain that I've been feeling for all of this time. You know what you have to do, right?' she asked.

"Yes." Max replied.

"Good, because it really would be a shame if the perfect plan went to waste." the blonde told him.

"I have a question. What's her name?" he asked.

"Rachel Berry."

She had to admit that the day had went by very slow once she walked out of the hospital that evening. Today was not her day. She was exhausted, she realized she had a touch of the cold, and earlier she slipped and took an absolutely embarrassing tumble, at which all of her friends and colleagues laughed. All she wanted to do was get home, take a very nice and hot bath, take some medicine, and go to bed. Hopefully things would play out that way. But somewhere deep down inside, she knew they wouldn't.

Getting onto the crowded subway with millions of other business men and women getting off from work, Rachel held her bag close to her side as she held onto to one of bars and looked forward. Taking a deep sigh, she closed her eyes and longed to be in the warm penthouse next to the person she longed most to be next to.

Watching the brick walls zoom by in the windows, Rachel held the small jacket she had on close to her body as she focused on the surroundings. She was so focused on her surroundings, it took the person in the back of her to tap on her shoulder twice. Finally becoming lucid from her thoughts, she turned around and almost fainted at the person standing before her.

"Rachel Berry?" the man asked.

Rachel didn't reply, she simply stared up at him, words no where near being able to form in her mouth.

"J-J-Jessie. Jessie St. James." she finally got the words out as she studied his image closely.

"I knew you'd remember me. After all, I am pretty hard to forget." he smirked, looking down at her.

Just like that, all of the shock faded as his arrogant voce that she remember so much, after years of absence, filled her ears. He hadn't changed one bit.

"Yeah, sure." she replied, reapplying her focus to the front of the subway cart, trying to ignore the person she pretty much loathed the most.

"You seem distracted." he said, walking in front of her while he pretended to sport a concerned look across his face.

"Well, today wasn't really one of the best days at work. Plus, I'm exhausted and it really doesn't help that you're here." she replied sarcastically.

"I was gonna ask about that." he began, completely ignoring her annoyance. "What's with the scrubs, I thought Rachel Berry was going to broadway." he said, making air quotes with his fingers.

"That was a long time ago, Jessie. I'm really happy with what I do now." she smiled thinking of all the little kids that she had helped over the years.

"Whatever you say." he said.

"What about you? Seeing as though that jacket you're sporting is a designer, I'm pretty sure you're not doing too bad yourself." she stated.

"I'm doing really awesome, Rachel. You shouldn't have given up you're dream. Broadway is more than I could've ever imagined. Certainly better than being in scrubs all day and dealing with sick people." he said, looking at her. Hearing about his success caused Rachel to slightly die inside. Especially when he criticized her occupation and medical success.

"I'm gonna have to disagree." she simply smiled, trying to hide the heap of anger boiling deep down inside of her.

"Why is that?" he asked, forming his lips into a sarcastic smirk, in which she despised so much.

"Because, I get a lot of special cases and when they have a positive outcome, my day is amazing because I know that I possibly saved that child's life. It helps me make a contribution to the world. Everyday i make a difference and save lives." she explained.

"I don't see how you think that's amazing. You gave up all of the bright lights and fame and applause for screaming children and worried parents? That's not the Rachel Berry I remember." he replied instantly with no sense of emotion in his voice.

"Well, i'm a different person now. The Rachel Berry that you knew back then was an insecure 15 year old, who held onto to that one dream because she was so scared that she would never accomplish anything else." Rachel frowned, looking down.

"So, you've given up." he stated, making the statement sound like he was asking it.

"Absolutely not. I just realized that I had more important dreams than the very insane idea that I would just come to New York and get discovered. I'm glad that I did too, because where I am now, I wouldn't trade for anything in the world." she smiled, thinking of Finn and all of her friends and the way she'd grown so much since she'd graduated from high school and college.

"I'm sorry, but that sounds depressing. You gave up and you know it." he replied.

"See, that's what makes me different from you, Jessie. I tell you that I found better dreams and led a different but amazing path in my life and that I've become successful with both my job and my happiness and you say that it's depressing. You are always going to be that selfish guy from high school who only cared about himself and Broadway and it's such a shame after all this time that you still act like a child. Now, that's depressing." she spat at him as he rolled his eyes.

Turning, she started walking towards the back of the subway to occupy an empty seat toward the back. Sitting down, she looked out the window. All she wanted to do was go home and cry. She really regretted not getting a taxi earlier. Maybe the cab driver would have actually left her be to soak up her terrible day. instead, she was stuck on a moving cart with the guy from high school who ripped her heart to shreds and completely bombed her self-esteem to it's lowest point. Just when Finn had knocked down the walls that she had spent so much time building up, she knew that if she didn't get off of this thing soon they would go up even higher than they were built before.

Noticing someone sitting next to her, she quickly wiped a stray tear away from her face and continued to look out the window. Silence filled the air as yet another group of people made their stops. Just a few more minutes and Rachel would be able to get off of this hell hole.

"Hope I didn't upset you too much." his voice ran through her ears as she turned and Jessie was sitting next to her.

"When I walked away literally two minutes ago, it meant that I really didn't want to talk anymore." she replied.

"Someone's grumpy." he exclaimed.

"Well, you're still here, aren't you?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "Gosh, I'm 27 years old and yet i'm still playing these stupid games that we played back in high school. How in the world is that possible?" she whispered.

"Maybe I bring out the child in you." he smirked, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

Swiftly, Rachel pushed Jessie's arm off of her and he looked at her with complete and utter surprise.

"It doesn't work that way. I'm not that foolish girl who you can manipulate anymore." she told him.

Before he could reply, her ringtone filled the air as people began to look at her. Quickly, she grabbed it from her bag as she smiled when she saw the caller id. She really needed this.

"Hey." she smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears.

"Gosh, I really needed to hear that voice. It feels like it's been forever. He replied. She could almost hear the smile on his face.

"I saw you this morning." she laughed, as Jessie watched her with curiosity in his eyes.

"That's too long." Finn said.

"I know." she whispered looking down. "So please tell me that you're home, because I really don't want to get there and you're not there." she smiled, trying to lower her voice now that she knew Jessie was listening like a bat. Part of her wanted him to hear ever single part of what she said, and let him know that she had finally found the love of her life and that Jessie could never compare to him. But, she wasn't really that mean of a person, so she whispered.

"I'm about to walk through the front door." he replied.

"Details please." she laughed.

"I'm turning the key in the lock, and... I'm in." he laughed as well.

"Good, now I can relax and know that you'll be waiting. Trust me, I need it. My day hasn't really been the best." she told him.

"Well, how about this? Pizza, wine, a hot bubble bath, and maybe a massage?" he suggested.

"I'm in!" she exclaimed giggling. "Have I told you how much I love you, today?" she asked, closing her eyes and smiling as his voice came back on the other end of the phone.

"I don't remember." he admitted.

"Well, you know it's true. With all of my heart." she replied, looking out the window.

"Well, maybe when you get home, I can return the favor and show you just how I feel." he asked.

"You've got yourself a deal Mister!" she laughed, "My stop is coming up, I'll see you in a bit. I love you." she smiled.

"To the moon and back a million times, baby." he replied. "Be careful."

"I will." she replied before they said their goodbyes and hung up.

Placing her phone back in her bag, she silently looked forward.

"Oh my, does Rachel Berry have a significant other?" Jessie asked, laughing.

"You sound so surprised." she replied.

"Maybe I am." he said, crossing his arms and looking at her.

"Well, I'm in love." she smiled as she pictured Finn acting like an idiot on top of the bar that one night.

"Who's the lucky guy?" he asked.

"Finn, Finn Hudson." she proudly announced.

"You're dating that guy? Rachel, he's a Lima loser and he's going no where in life." Jessie told her.

"Well, if that's the case, why was he named one of New York's most eligible bachelors? If he's only a Lima loser, then how in the world does he own plenty of chains of tire shops nationwide? If he is a Lima loser and is headed no where in life, then how in the world does he have billions of dollars?" she asked, angrily. "Even if he didn't have all of those things, I would still love him beyond infinity times more than I ever loved you. Finn Hudson will always be a bigger man than you will ever be. Have you considered the fact that maybe you're the Lima loser, Jessie St. James?"

Silence lingered over them as she huffed her anger out. Then the subway finally stopped. She was finally free.

"Excuse me, this is my stop." she said, getting up.

"Well, Rachel Berry, it's been a nice reunion. Can't wait to see you next time." he smiled, as he waved.

"Walking forward, she turned around one last time to speak. "There won't be a next time, Jessie."

Getting off the subway, she caught up with the pace of all of the other people around her as she made her way to the stairs that would lead her back to the streets she'd become so familiar of this past year.

As she was walking, a very unfamiliar blonde man with brown eyes walked up to her and stopped her in her tracks.

"Excuse me, miss. Do you have time to talk?" he asked. Thinking that he was a salesman, Rachel started walking away again towards her destination.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any money with me." she simply replied as she continued to walk the New York City pace in the opposite direction. Making her way into the public restroom, Rachel decided to wash her hands since she felt so gross.

As she got there, she found that the bathroom was empty. Quickly, she got to washing her hands and began to exit when she was taken off guard as someone stood in her path once again.

"Excuse me, sir, this is the women's ba-" she didn't continue to speak because she remembered that she had just seen this man a few minutes ago. Was he following her?

"You're Rachel Berry, aren't you?" he asked, getting closer as she slowly backed away.

"Why? Who's asking?" she slowly said, the fear rising in her voice.

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" he replied.

"It's getting late, my boyfriend is waiting for me. I have to go." she said as she tried to make her way for the door.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you do that, sweetheart." he replied, grabbing her.

"Let go of me! Someone help!" she screamed as the man tightened his grip on her.

"I'm sorry, miss Berry. If I don't deliver you to the person I promised I would, i'll be in big trouble." he whispered in her ears. "This may hurt just a little."

Before she knew it, there was a sharp stab in her neck and a small sting as the object was being removed. Suddenly she felt weak. Falling to the floor, Rachel focused on the only thing she could see in front of her. The tiny shot that had been injected into her.

The light was fading from her eyes and the only thing she could hear was the cold man's shaky voice. Laying there, she tried to focus on what he was saying.

"Hey Mandy, it's Max. I've got her."

After that everything went blank.

Everything fell dark.