We Meet Again

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 1: Broadway Baby

It was a cold night in Manhattan, snow covered the streets, and the lights flashed brilliantly in the night. Jesse St. James was coming off a preforming high as he just finished the opening night of Les Mis on Broadway.

Currently he was in his dressing room trying to wait out some of the press outside. While being a drama king and absolutely loving the attention normally, something just felt off about tonight and all he really wanted to do was go home and relax. A knock at the door startled him out of his thoughts and he called out asking who it was.

"Yo, man, it's Connor, open up." Connor stared alongside him as one of the angry French men. He was approximately Jesse's age, 28. They met at NYADA approximately 8 years ago in a class led by Carmen Tibideaux where they were forced to sing a duet together. At first it was quite apparent that they didn't get along, before they realized that the only thing holding them back from being friendly was both of their drives and ambitions.

Sighing Jesse got up to answer the door.

"What's up Connor, I just want to go home" Jesse started with, before seeing the frown on Connor's face.

"Home? We just finished opening night and you want to go home?" Connor questioned, each word getting a little louder from being too hyped. Jesse nodded in response and went to close the door in which Connor stuck his foot inside before practically begging Jesse, "Come out with me! We'll get a drink and we'll celebrate your return to Broadway. Come on, Man."

Looking at him, Jesse just stared as though he wasn't registering what he was being asked. He looked behind him into his dressing room at the time and noted that it was 10pm on a Saturday. His eyes popped open upon realizing the date and time. He's never forgotten before but there was still nothing he could do about it. Today was the anniversary of the day he and Rachel met for the first time. Typically, he would sit in his apartment and listen to Hello on repeat. He knew pining over her after all this time was pathetic. She was probably still living in Lima and married to that quarterback, wasting her life, considering he hasn't heard a word of her name whispered around the acting/show choir world since he started at NYADA. He started a year after she left. No one at NYADA seemed to know where she disappeared to, just knew that she withdrew one day and didn't return.

This year was going to be different, this year he wasn't going to spend the night pining over the girl he'd never have. He looked back at Connor and nodded in agreement. "Okay, you know what, sure. Let's go get a drink and celebrate."

"YEAH! Now that's what I'm talking about" Connor stated before pushing Jesse back into his dressing room to grab his coat.

"So did you have some place in mind?" Jesse asked him, wanting to know exactly where they were going so he could judge at least how far from his apartment it was.

"I was thinking The Tap," Connor said, referring to a run-down hole in the wall that they used to frequent as students. Jesse smiled in remembrance and agreed. Together they started to walk down the hallway to get out of the building, only being stopped a few times for autographs and pictures – something Jesse thought he would mind today but he found that it took his mind off everything, including a certain brunette.

Once outside, the two breathed the smoggy air for the city, thankful to no longer be around that many people and flashing cameras. Connor looked over at Jesse, smirked and shouted, "Race you," before taking off in the direction of The Tap.

Unable to resist a challenge Jesse took off after him, knowing that he could kick his friends ass. He could see him just up a head of him when some person shoved into him and knocked him into a parked car which caused the alarm to go off and Connor to turn around. Connor ran over to Jesse who was sitting slumped on the sidewalk holding his head.

"Dude are you okay," Connor asked grabbing onto Jesse's arm to help pull him up. Jesse went to nod in agreement which only sent blinding light and pain throughout his head. "We need to get you to the hospital." Connor continued and let Jesse lean on him as they walked to get a taxi.

"Help me please," Connor heard come from the other side of Jesse, next to where the guy knocked into him.

"Jess, I'm going to sit you down for a minute okay." When Connor didn't get an answer, he assumed Jesse heard him and helped him sit down on the ground. When he was sure Jesse was sitting okay he peaked around the corner of the wall and stood in shock. There on the ground was a young girl, covered in blood, panties hanging off one ankle, skirt pulled up high.

The girl looked at him and again whimpered out, "Help me."

"Uh yeah. Hang in there. I'm calling for help," Connor said. He didn't reach for his phone to call an ambulance but instead the shock caused him to just scream out "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"

A local beat cop heard the screaming and ran into the area. "Oh my god," he said. He took out his phone and called down to his precinct, completely ignoring Jesse and Connor for the moment. "This is Officer Peterson. I'm down near Broadway, intersection 7th Ave and West 46th St. I need a bus for a rape victim."

At that sentence Connor was able to snap out of the shock just enough to say, "my friend hit his head when someone ran into him. He's in bad shape too."

The cop finally looked at him and acknowledged what he said to which the cop stated into the phone, "make that two busses. We got a young man with a possible concussion as well."

Connor nodded his thanks and went to sit with Jesse, who had passed out, until the ambulance arrived, the cop keeping an eye on both as though he suspected them of doing this heinous crime.