Jesse bounds into the choir room, his hands holding tightly to a white envelope.
"Will! Will!" Jesse calls out and Will comes out from the small office.
"Yeah Jesse what is it?"
"I got this," Jesse shows him the envelope from Tisch, "this morning and I wanted to open it, but I thought maybe I would share it with you and Rachel, when she finally gets here."
Will beams at the fact that Jesse wanted to share this big part of his life with him. Since the kids show choir competition Jesse and Will had spent time together on weekends and Jesse was almost always talking about NYU and his hope to get his acceptance from Tisch. For Will he hoped this moment was the first of many of him being part of Jesse's life. Will is about to tell Jesse to open the letter when Rachel rushes in through the open door.
"What's so urgent Jesse?" Rachel asks and Jesse holds up the envelope and Rachel smiles.
Rachel stands next to Will and watches as Jesse slowly opens the envelope. Rachel and Will watch as Jesse scans the letter, both wish at this moment Jesse wasn't such a good actor, hiding the response written on the page.
Jesse lifts his head to look at the pair staring expectantly at him. He knew that he was torturing them by not giving them anything. He slowly breaks his face into a grin and he lets his emotions flow through his face. His excitement, his happiness and his pure joy shine in his eyes. Rachel has an open mouthed smile and lets out a disbelieving laugh before jumping into Jesse's arms. He spins her once before attacking her lips with his own.
The sound of Will clearing his throat breaks them apart. Jesse puts Rachel down and after Will congratulates him Jesse pulls him into a hug.
"Thank you so much Will. For the letter, for everything."
"You're welcome Jesse and you deserved it."
Jesse gives Will a smile brighter than any show face and Will returns it. The bell rings signalling the start of class and Rachel and Jesse make their way towards the door, slowly, as if they both dreaded the day. Will shakes his head and gives a small chuckle.
"You know you two both look sick, I think you should go home. We don't want the other students getting sick." Will calls to them.
Jesse and Rachel turn back to Will and give him a smile, before running out of the school to enjoy their free day.
*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee
The cheers of the crowd fill the auditorium and the ears of New Directions as they sing out the last notes of Don't Stop Believing. The group is left panting on stage, with remaining adrenalin and pride filling their veins. The group bows and run off the stage before the applause dies down. Will meets them in the wings and the group rushes through the halls back to their dressing room. Tina makes a comment about thinking they have second place on lock and Rachel with her unfailing optimism tells her that the team is going to win.
Shelby stands fuming at the back of the auditorium. She can't believe the performance that New Directions gave. What they had just done was not what she had been expecting. She thought that she had a lock on their performance numbers, not only from what she had seen at the choir competition but from what some jock at McKinley had told her about what the club had been practicing. She had changed her whole set list to match ND's artists, but perform it with much more perfection and theatricality. Now the direct comparison between the two choirs would be lost, even though she was mad Shelby knows that VA can take down ND.
New Directions is laughing and talking in the dressing room, waiting for the MC to call the groups back to the stage to announce the winners. No one but Rachel notices that Jesse sneaks out of the room. She watches him go, but doesn't follow him, she knows that he needs to watch his former 'family' perform on his own.
Jesse slides in to the back of the auditorium as Vocal Adrenalin takes to the stage. Their mere presence on the stage fills the crowd with energy, an energy that Jesse always loved creating. The music starts and Jesse sucks in a breath. VA was on; they danced harder, sang louder and moved as if their whole existence depended on it. Jesse figures that it probably is, without him VA is amazing but he would have put them over the edge to epic. He watches the nearly flawless performance, but he feels no regret. He knows that he made that right decision to stay with ND and his father.
Jesse sneaks back out of the auditorium before VA finishes their set and bumps directly into Shelby.
"Shelby." Jesse says with a cold voice.
"St. James. Regret staying with that rag tag group of less than stellar singers?"
"Not in the least. Because even though Vocal Adrenalin is good, we beat you today because we perform with honesty and heart."
"Your group might perform with that, but Vocal Adrenalin performs with a perfection that can not be denied."
"Keep telling yourself that Shelby, but it's not going to last. New Directions is poised to topple you this year."
"I don't think so St. James. But I guess since you are going to be stuck in Ohio, with UCLA no longer wanting you, maybe one day you can hope to capture some glory and get the hell out of this state." Shelby says, rubbing in Jesse's face that he isn't getting out of Ohio.
"They aren't losers Shelby and you know what I didn't need UCLA or your help. I got into Tisch so I am getting the hell out of this state and I'm happy that I am graduating from McKinley surrounded by people who actually love me. So this is goodbye Shelby."
Jesse turns on his heel, leaving his former coach standing dumbfounded in the lobby of the theatre. He returns to ND's dressing room and envelops Rachel in a hug. She feels him relax into her embrace and she knows that what he witnessed was hard for him. He whispers in her ear that even if the judges don't agree they won today.
When the results are finally revealed Vocal Adrenalin takes the competition. New Directions places second. The team is ecstatic, they get to keep glee and they get to face VA again at nationals. Although they would have been a lot happier if they had beaten Vocal Adrenalin. In honour of their placing at regionals, Jesse invites the team over to his parent's house for a massive party.
The party starts off as a more laidback affair as Will and Emma both joined the group at Jesse's house for a dinner of pizza and pop. It was a way to thank both teachers for supporting the group and to let them join in the celebration. However Will and Emma leave just before 9 and the party turns rowdy.
Jesse opens the bar in his basement and beers and coolers are passed around the group. Jesse even opens one of the many bottles of sparkling wine as a champagne substitute, passing around drinks to everyone and giving Quinn a glass of ginger ale. Jesse turns on the sound system that is connected through the main rooms in the house and blasts music. Mercedes, Brittany, Santana, Mike and Matt create a makeshift dance floor and grind and sway to the music. Puck, Artie, Finn and Jesse rock out on Beatles Rockband, while Quinn, Tina, Rachel and Kurt sit on the couch discussing the costumes of the other groups and occasionally harmonizing along with the music playing.
As the night progresses everyone, with the exception of Quinn, has gotten more and more drunk. As dancing and Rockband were abandoned for 'I never' and flip cup. Jesse notices Quinn sitting on the couch watching her friends and giving out a little yawn. He walks over and drops down beside her.
"You can take the master bedroom if you want." Jesse says and Quinn shoots him a quizzical look. "I mean you look a little tired and I figured you would be the least likely to let anything happen to my parents room, so whenever you want just go up and sleep. You can lock the door behind you so no one will bother you."
"Thanks Jesse." Quinn says and gives the older boy a hug.
Quinn yawns again and Jesse gives her a laugh, before helping her off the couch. He leads her to the stairs and is telling her where everything is in the upstairs linen closet when Finn joins them.
"Jesse man, thanks for throwing this party."
"No problem. Ok well goodnight Quinn, I'm going to see if I can tear my girlfriend away from that game of flip cup. Finn I'll see you later." Jesse says before walking off to the rest of the party.
"You're going to bed?" Finn asks and Quinn nods. "Do you mind if I walk you upstairs I think we should maybe talk?"
"That'd be great."
Finn and Quinn head up the stairs leaving the rest of the party in full swing in the living room and kitchen.
The group slowly mellows out around two in the morning. Everyone has either been pointed to a guest room or taken over couches and fallen asleep. Jesse pulls Rachel into his arms and carries her to his bedroom. Having stopped drinking around midnight Rachel is still a little tipsy, but coherent enough to carry on a conversation with Jesse as he carries her.
"I wanted to ask you earlier, but it never seemed like the right moment, when we were at the competition did you run into Shelby?"
"Yeah." Jesse answers as he places Rachel down on his bed, the look on her face telling him to elaborate. "I didn't watch the entire VA set and as I snuck out I bumped into her. She made some shit comments about our group and then she tried to throw the fact that she took the UCLA scholarship away from me, but I was able to stun her by telling her I got into Tisch. And then I pulled a great exit."
Rachel lets out a small giggle, before wriggling out of her jeans, pulling off her top and grabbing one of Jesse's black shirts from his chair and slipping it on. Jesse smiles at the simple action that he has seen numerous times in his and Rachel's relationship and his heart swells. It is that simple action that solidifies his feelings that he made the right choice.
"I love you Rachel." Jesse whispers and Rachel stops her motions to get under the covers.
She looks at him and grin breaks across her face. She immediately stands on the bed and flings herself into Jesse's arms.
"I love you Jesse St. James."
Jesse slides his hand into Rachel's hair and pulls her in for a bruising kiss. Rachel pulls Jesse back on top of her onto the bed and the rest of the night is spent in a mixture of sleep and moments of blissful passion.
Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee*Glee
With the team placing at regional's work was started almost immediately on what the group would do for Nationals. Though the group was stressed, they all realized that this was going to be the first of many trips to Nationals and that along with trying to be as amazing as VA they should just have fun with the number. There was a little freak out over Jesse's ability to perform with club since the competition would be taking place a week after graduation, however Will checked with the show choir board and as long as the student had performed at regional's and graduated that spring they were still eligible for participation at nationals.
In that time Jesse's parents came home from their trip through the south Pacific, Australia and New Zealand. Jesse was so excited to see his parents again and they were just as excited to see their only child and to be there for his graduation.
Jesse waited a week before telling his parents that he found his biological father. He did it over a celebratory dinner that his parents organized for his acceptance into Tisch, a pre-graduation dinner. He had shocked his parents into silence, before his mother gave him a gentle smile and Jesse told them the whole story about Will, how he had found out about him and then the numerous times he had almost gone to meet him and then how he finally did. His story included Shelby, spying and of course his love for Rachel. He laced his explanation with his emotions and his own commentary and by the end he saw the tears glimmering in his parents eyes. The minute his monologue ended his dad decided that they needed to meet both Will and Rachel. Jesse tells his parents that he will organize it.
That's how after Jesse's graduation, Jesse parents, Rachel and Will find themselves at Jesse's home sitting around the dining room table talking about the glee club, Will's life, Rachel's dreams and the future. The chat is light, funny and flows, the awkward pauses that Jesse thought would be there are few. At one point Jesse grows silent and watches his 'family', it warms him and he can't keep the enormous grin from his face.
"Happy?" Rachel whispers into Jesse's ear.
"Incredibly," Jesse responds and presses to Rachel's temple.
The two teens are interrupted by Jesse's father clearing his throat and both look sheepishly at the adults. Jesse decides that it is actually the perfect moment for a few words.
"I always knew how lucky and how loved I was growing up. It fuelled my talent, my desire and my passion. And Mom, Dad I thank you for that." Everyone raises a glass to the St. James's, before Jesse continues. "Although I had that there was always something missing. I knew part of what was missing was knowing who my biological parents were and though I can't ever meet my mother I am glad to have met and gotten to know you Will. Even in these short months you have taught me a lot about heart, love and myself. I thank you for everything and I hope that this is the beginning of a great friendship. Lastly this thing that was missing the most was someone to share all of this with and Rachel that's what you've become. I love you and I know that I have found in you someone who will stand beside me and share my dreams."
Rachel squeezes Jesse's hand at the kind words and mouths 'I love you too' back to him.
"So thank you to all of you at this table you mean so much to me and I have no words to describe what it means to me to have you all in my life."
Jesse finishes and those seated around the table raise their glasses in cheers and thanks. Jesse knows that though he is going off to New York in September and once again his parents will be going overseas for some kind of business trip and Will and Rachel will be in Lima this makeshift family of his will always be there for him and he can't wait for the next chapter in his life to begin.