New Directions knew there was not much they could do to intimidate Vocal Adrenaline. Mr. Schue had forbidden them to retaliate in some physical way, because 'violence is never the answer'. Vocal Adrenaline could pull off almost anything – pop, show tunes, funk, reggae, jazz…but one thing Rachel Berry was not good at was rock. No matter how she tried, she would never be able to do a good rendition of "I love rock and roll", she would never compare to Joan Jett. And that went for their male lead, Paul, too. He was as queer as a 3 dollar bill, everyone was convinced that he was literally afraid of rock, as if he thought it would eat him alive; it was too vulgar for him or something. So the best shot New Directions had was to show them a little rock and roll, which, as a matter of fact, was Jesse's specialty. He could switch his beautiful, melodic voice to a hard-core, grudgy sounding one, all while still sounding amazing. Yes, that is what they would have to show them. It might not do anything, maybe it'll just make Vocal Adrenaline laugh even more, or maybe it'll make them feel uneasy about their chances at Regionals. Either way, it should drive them crazy to see that New Directions could pull off something they couldn't – they would find that absolutely humiliating. Jesse actually felt quite excited about this, he already had gone through his Queen discography and picked a few songs for the team to listen to and then they would make their final decision. This might be his last chance to see Rachel (except Regionals, of course) and he was going to make the most of it. He had to send her some sort of message, just as she sent him one through Poker Face.

It had been 2 days since the slushy incident and Jesse was still recovering from it. He had nightmares of a giant Rachel Berry picking him up by his tiny legs and dipping him in a huge slushy, while the rest of the Vocal Adrenaline giants stood and laughed. It killed him to see Rachel like this, no, it killed him that he thought of Rachel like this. Whenever he'd start to feel hate toward her, he'd remember the day they met, or their first date, or one of the many perfect moments and kisses their shared. That was the Rachel Berry he loved, and the one he would like to remember. No matter what she'd do, he would still love her, which made him feel like a complete idiot. But he now understood that Rachel had made her decision – she had left and betrayed him. If she did ever feel anything for him, it was gone. You don't slushy someone you love. Jesse would just have to move on and if New Directions lost at Regionals, they will at least do it with dignity and they would try as hard as they could.

"Thanks for coming. After you brazen escalation of our growing dispute, which we were willing to put to rest, we decided that the only way to truly funkify you, was to show you the one thing we know you can't do. So enjoy!" Jesse said to Vocal Adrenaline, as they all sat in the McKinley auditorium with their stupid matching Carmel High School sweatshirts. It's only excusable for sports teams to all wear their school sweaters, but obviously Vocal Adrenaline thought that what they did was so cool it could actually be considered a sport.

Giselle rolled her eyes and looked at Rachel, as if that was the silliest thing she'd ever heard. Rachel obviously didn't look amused. Why couldn't she just get some peace? All she wanted was to never see Jesse St. James again, it was too painful. She was sure he would be the end of her, this was just too much for one person to bear. But she had to go with her team or else they'd realize something was up. Not that they hadn't already noticed how hesitant she was when Jesse was around. Her thoughts quickly, and without permission, went back to the time Saint James was playing at Joe's Joint.

*FLASHBACK*

"Come on, let's do it. It's karaoke night, after all." Jesse nudged Rachel.

"No, this is your night, I wouldn't want to steal the spotlight." Rachel said. And not sarcastically, she was being serious.

"We already played and I really want to do this. Please? Or maybe you're scared? I mean, all these people will be watching and all." Jesse teased. He was actually quite surprised Rachel wasn't all up for it, she usually jumped at the chance to perform in front of an audience. Oh, wait, no…That was Jesse. Though Rachel wasn't much better when it came to that.

"St. James, don't start with that. Fine, one song." Rachel gave in.

Jesse gave a huge smile and pulled her on stage.

"What should we sing?" he asked, as they were skimming through the options. "This one?"

"I don't know, it's pretty cheesy." Rachel gave him a skeptical look.

"No way, it's awesome!"

Rachel giggled as the piano music started. Only Jesse and Rachel would chose such a song, and actually sing it in public. AND sound amazing while doing so.

Rachel started singing, but she didn't seem overly confident.
Hello twelve,

Jesse added his sweet voice, still with a huge smile on his face. At times he was so goofy yet absolutely adorable. He was staring deeply in Rachel's' eyes, hoping she would get lost in them and start performing the way she ought to.
Hello thirteen,
Hello love.

Changes, oh!
Down below.
Up above.

Time to doubt,

As the music changed, Jesse started dancing and tried to loosen Rachel up, too.
To break out,
It's a mess,
It's a mess.

Time to grow.
Time to go.
Adolesce.

Too young to take over,
Too old to ignore,
Jesse kept his eyes on Rachel the whole time. This would probably make most people uncomfortable but Rachel found it calming, it made her feel safe for some reason. Jesse could tell that Rachel was finally comfortable with this song and was about to get into it for real.

Gee, I'm almost ready,
But...what...for?

There's a lot I am not certain of.
Hello twelve, hello thirteen, hello love!

By this part Rachel was dancing all over the stage, as if she was in a musical herself. Rachel always gave a perfect performance, and she gave it her all. This was no exception. Yes, it was a karaoke bar and she was performing with Jesse in front of a couple of tipsy people, but who cares? She was enjoying herself. It was incredible how great the chemistry between her and Jesse was, it was as if they were born for the stage, and also born to perform together.

*END FLASHBACK*

This wasn't the same Jesse Rachel had sung with that night. This was a different person, which made sense, naturally. Jesse gave Vocal Adrenaline a mean look and took his position on stage. New Directions looked very rocker chic. Mercedes helped with the costumes – she had an everyday rocker style. The guys had black pants, black T's with bright red shoes and red studded belts, while the girls were sporting cute little leather boots, fluffy black and red skirts, black leggings and leather vests. It looked like they were about to perform "Highway to Hell" or something very edgy and crazy, they looked fantastic.

The bass music started and the guys and girls of New Directions started dancing, as Jesse took the lead vocals.

Ooh, let's go!

Steve walks warily down the street, with the brim pulled way down low
Ain't no sound but the sound of his feet, machine guns ready to go.
Are you ready, hey! Are you ready for this?
Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?
Out of the doorway the bullets rip to the sound of the beat.

The rest of New Directions joined in. It was incredible how Jesse could perform this song with such charisma; it really had you at the edge of your seat. You could tell that they had really worked on their choreography, though it wasn't great, it was admirable and much better than the usual steps they did. Jesse wasn't the best dancer on earth but he sure could bust a move when it was necessary. There was plenty of Quinn-flipping to get Rachel's blood boiling.

Another one bites the dust!
Another one bites the dust!
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust!
Hey, I'm gonna get you, too.
Another one bites the dust!

This probably wasn't the most rock'n'roll song they could do, but it was good enough. It was also one of Jesse's favorite songs of all time and he simply nailed it. If nobody knew that it was originally a Queen song, they'd say this was written especially for him to perform, because he sounded freaking awesome. Also, this song pretty much summed up what he wanted to say to Rachel, in return to Poker Face. Plus, Vocal Adrenaline knew that New Directions could pull off a rock number, they had seen it before but seeing it again, and in such an 'in-your-face' way – it made them furious.

How do you think I'm going to get along,
Without you, when you're gone?
You took me for everything that I had,
And kicked me out on my own!

It wasn't hard for Jesse to get into this song, it was basically how he felt and there was no denying it.

Are you happy, are you satisfied?
How long can you stand the heat?
Out of the doorway the bullets rip
To the sound of the beat

Rachel started to feel awfully uncomfortable. Never had a performance seemed so long as right – it must have been like 15 minutes already. Right? Not really, but it sure seemed like forever. She kept wondering how long she could keep up this game with Jesse, but she knew that in the end no one would truly win. She had lost Jesse, and he was what she really wanted.

"No, no, no, stop. I want to be a star. See 'Rachel Berry' in lights on Broadway, receive a standing ovation on my opening night, see my face on a big poster in the middle of Time's Square, read great reviews about my performance in all the big newspapers. Yeah, that's more like it." Rachel got herself back on track.

Suddenly, New Directions threw in a curveball, turning this song into a Queen mash-up of "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Play the Game".

This is your life - don't play hard to get
It's a free free world all you have to do is fall in love
Play the game, yeah, play the game of love!

My game of love has just begun
Another one bites the dust!

My love is pumping through my veins
Another one bites the dust!

Play the game play the game play the game play the game!

What the hell? What was Jesse trying to tell Rachel? She couldn't quite tell if it was meant as a good or bad gesture. But the word 'love' made her skin tingle, her heart beat just a little bit faster, her mouth feel dry. And the word 'game' made her feel disgusted with herself. Yes, she had tried to make Jesse think she had been playing a game all along. What kind of person does that? Someone who's willing to do anything to break into the business – that's who. Rachel maybe still cared for Jesse but what she really wanted was just for her mother to finally be proud of her. If only she would appreciate how hard Rachel worked to make her happy, just for one moment - that would make Rachel's day. Damn those parents, children are usually screwed up because of them.

There are plenty of ways you can hurt a man
And bring him to the ground
You can beat him, you can cheat him
You can treat him bad and leave him
When he's down!

At this moment Jesse St. James didn't look like a mere high school student performing with this little glee club. He looked like a professional star, like someone who completely owned that stage. No way could you get more real emotions from anyone on stage – this was pure truth radiating from him. But there still was a hint of proudness, Jesse was feeling pretty damn good about this performance, it was going perfectly, no one really messed up the steps, the lighting was good and they all sounded fantastic. His confidence was at an all-time high as he continued to the last part of the song.

But I'm ready, yes I'm ready for you
I'm standing on my own two feet
Out of the doorway the bullets rip
Repeating the sound of the beat

It's a free free world all you have to do is fall in love
Play the game - ev'rybody play the game of love...

Jesse finished their song, knowing he had gotten under Rachel's skin. Yes, he was ready for her, he was ready to face her at Regionals and not show how crushed he was about her leaving him. He was determined to win Regionals, or at least work his ass off to lose with dignity.

"See you punks at Regionals" Kurt smirked, as they all made their way off the stage, leaving Vocal Adrenaline sitting in their auditorium. And it looked like they couldn't move even if they wanted to.

"They did a rock number. We've never been able to pull off a rock number." Paul turned to Rachel and said.

Rachel didn't even look back at him. All she could reply was "I'm so depressed."

So I think the next chapter might be the last one. I've been so busy and I feel this is all just coming to an end. Let me know what you think and what you want to see at Regionals, thanks again ;)