Chapter 11
A/N: So here we are at regionals. I hope you guys like this, it is a tad bit shorter than the last few, but I am pretty happy with how it turned out. I also wanted to say a big thank you to everyone reading this right now. I really did not think that anyone would give a damn about it, but your kind reviews and feedback have shown me that I'm not the only one who wished St. Berry had gotten a fair shake. Thank you all for supporting this, and please enjoy the premiere of Season 2 on tuesday!
Disclaimer: Songs/lyrics used in this chapter are property of their respective owners, I am still just a broke college kid who owns nothing but a fanatic love of this show.
xxx
The morning of regionals began like every other for the senior. After going for his run, he showered, dressed in casual shorts and a tee shirt (something easy to change out of and back into after he put on his performance outfit), and hopped in his car.
He had the two songs they were performing on repeat and was warming up his voice to them. As he drove by Rachel's street he had to pay extra attention to the road as his instincts to turn down it and get her kicked in. He grinned slightly at that, and kept going towards the school. She had probably been there for a half hour already, most likely talking Mr. Schuester's ear off in her anticipation.
As he pulled into the lot, his prediction was correct, she was indeed there and engaged in a deep conversation with the young teacher and both her dads. Walking up to her, he heard her going on and on about how the choice of The Beatles' "All You Need is Love" was an homage to fighting the negativity that was running rampant in the nation. He crept up behind her, placed a finger over his lips to silence the three men from giving away his presence, and with a wild grin he grabbed onto her sides and burst into laughter with the men as she shrieked and flailed around in his grasp. Turning around, wild eyed and hair almost on end, she began slapping at him with all her strength.
"What-is-wrong-with-you!" she exclaimed, accentuating each word with a slap to his chest. He only laughed harder and stilled her hands by pulling her into his arms.
"Good morning Mr. Berry, Mr. Berry, Mr. Schue," he said over the still attacking diva's head "How are you all?"
"Well we were just enjoying a nice long conversation broaching the scandalous undertones of the choices that Vocal Adrenaline could be using today" Mr. Hiram Berry said, speaking in exactly the eloquent, professional tone that Rachel often used but that Jesse suspected was being used in a slightly sarcastic seriousness. Not even Jesse gave a damn about the undertones of the competition's set list.
"Way into detail" Mr. Schuester added, looking tired already. The senior got the same vibe from him as he did from Hiram.
"Until you showed up and interrupted the riveting conversation" Mr. Leroy Berry said, his eyebrow raised in the mock threat he usually adopted in Jesse's presence.
"Are you going to be okay Mr. Berry, do you need me to turn on Fox News for you so you can get your fix about things that are blown incredibly and irrationally out of proportion?" Jesse raised his own eyebrow back at the man and they both burst out laughing, unable to pretend that they didn't enjoy each others banter.
"Did you all just miss my assault?" Rachel demanded, still fighting against Jesse's embrace, although it was weakening significantly. "You three just observed your prized child or student be almost kidnapped by some strange Californian with suspiciously curly hair!" The Misters Berry and Mr. Schuester all just laughed at her dramatics. Jesse was somewhat offended on his hair's behalf. It wasn't its fault moisture made it frizz after all.
"Hey that's not very nice," Jesse pulled back to get a clear look at her face and pouted at her "you know it gets frizzy and subsequently curlier in the damp. No need to discriminate against uncontrollably morning hair curliness."
"I hope it stays frizzy all day and makes you look like a wire-haired terrier." Jesse's mouth dropped open in shock and Rachel took the opportunity to scoot free of his embrace and scampered back to her dads before he could retort.
"Rachel, that was low" Leroy said, clicking his tongue in disapproval "I was thinking more in the Portuguese Water breed."
"I had no idea your fathers considered me a dog, Rachel" Jesse said dryly as it was his turn to be the butt of the joke to the three men and his girlfriend who were all now roaring with laughter. "Maybe next time I'll check myself in the mirror before entering your house, just to ensure my fur isn't mussed."
"Aw poor baby" Rachel cooed, retracing her steps back to him and babytalking him "Wittle Jesse dowsen't like to be cawled a tewwier" The look of offense got more poignant as she approached. He appealed to their teacher.
"Mr. Schuester, this is emotionally damaging. I won't be able to perform to my peak level if the abuse you're standing by and allowing continues."
The young teacher shook his head. "I'm not getting into this one Jesse, you're on your own with the Berry clan" Jesse opened his mouth to argue, but Mr. Schuester took advantage of the break in conversation and pointed out that more of the kids had begun to arrive, and were looking like they needed an extra dose of excited teacher to wake them up. Turning and catching sight of Brittany stumbling out of Santana's car in a pair of pajama pants and a cami, Jesse agreed, and Mr. Schuester took off rapidly towards the sleepy group.
His semi-wounded pride refused to allow him to look at Rachel who was currently pressed close to his back with her arms wrapped around him and her hands interlocked across his stomach. "Come on" she crooned, tightening her grip and settling her head on his shoulder "I was just joking. And so was dad, weren't you?"
"I was. His hair is magnificent, frizzed or not frizzed."
Jesse couldn't help the smile that took over at their banter. "Well since you guys kind of have to like me, I wont respond to the misleading compliment. Just know that I had a response, and it was adequately snarky."
"Of course you did" Hiram laughed along with Leroy.
Rachel placed a quick kiss on his cheek from her spot behind him. "I'm going to see how close we are to going. "
As if on cue, her dads decided to go as well. "Good luck baby" Leroy said, bestowing a kiss on the top of her head.
"We'll be watching both of you" Hiram added, hugging her and shaking Jesse's hand.
"We'll look for you as well" Rachel promised excitedly, the anticipation growing again as the two men left.
"Oh Jesse!" Leroy came jogging back as Rachel and Jesse halted, hand in hand.
"Whats up?"
"Make sure you use some of Rachel's mousse. There's a bit of an unbecoming cowlick in the back of your hair. Must be the fog." the older man grinned impishly at the senior and made his way back to his doubled over husband. To her credit, Rachel had maintained a relatively straight face throughout that exchange, and had taken Jesse's hand silently.
"I had a really good comeback" he griped as they got to the group. "I did."
"I know babe. I know."
xxx
As they arrived at the theater, any excitement the McKinley kids had been hiding (unlikely given the amount of noise that had been bellowing out of the bus windows) burst out in a thunderous arrival.
The girls had taken off at high speeds for the womens restroom in their dressing area, all shrieking about hair and makeup and shoes. The guys were even rather rowdy as they got themselves ready. Jesse spent an inordinate amount of time in front of the mirror, prompting Puck to whisper "freakin miva" under his breath when Jesse banished him from the sink and mirror he was using to get his tie perfectly positioned. It had to be perfect. Winners are always perfect.
He had to hand it to the ones who had picked out the outfits. Rachel had told him all about how at sectionals they had been gone with a black and red-accent set of colors. This time, "For continuity!" she'd expressed happily as she measured him for his fitting, they were doing the opposite effect. The boys had slacks and shoes and ties that were black, with a deep red dress shirt while the girls had the same color red Fifties-style dresses with a black sash and shoes. They all looked rather good, if Jesse said so himself.
Santana and Brittany were bounding around, texting violently, and being semi-obnoxious as they put the finishing touches on their makeup. Mercedes was standing with Artie and Tina and laughing as Matt struggled with his tie, insisting that he didn't need any help with it but looking like he really did.
Kurt had sealed himself in the ladies room, exclaiming something about his hair volume. Puck was surprisingly sitting quietly with Quinn, who was holding her bulging belly tentatively. Finn was sullenly on the couch next to Mike. Jesse roamed around, looking for Rachel but was apparently still fussing over her hair with Kurt according to the Cheerio's who were running around still.
Frustrated with the lack of his girl in the vicinity, he plopped down on the couch next to Finn. The younger boy gave him a wary look, looking like he half expected Jesse to clock him.
"You need something?" Finn asked suspiciously. Mike sat silently, obviously uncomfortable and staring hard at the ceiling in an attempt to be invisible.
"Come on Finn. You should know the answer to that by now. All you need is love" Mike lost his bid at being impassive and burst out laughing at Jesse's reference to their group number. Finn shook his head disgustedly and got up from the couch. Jesse watched him go and felt a pang of regret at the way that everything turned out between the two. It certainly was not regret beating the hell out of him for talking so disrespectfully about Rachel, nor did he feel bad about staking his claim on Rachel in front of him. He needed to know that right now (and hopefully for a good long while), she wanted Jesse, and Jesse had no intention of giving Finn any room to pine in front of them. But still, Finn had been a nice guy to Jesse when he first arrived, and for Rachel's sake he didn't want any more drama. If there was a better time to bury the hatchet, it wasn't presenting itself to the senior, and so he decided to be the bigger man.
Getting up and chasing after the sophomore, he found him outside the room, fists angrily clenched.
"Finn," he began uncertainly
"What Jesse? What do you want? You got the leads, you got the girl, what else do I have that you can take?"
"Stop being such a drama queen" Jesse retorted "I didn't take anything you hadn't essentially coughed up already."
"I didn't cough her up, you stole her away!"
He'd had enough. Standing up to his full height just an inch or two shorter than the sophomore (but stronger he reminded himself), he looked Finn straight in the eye. "You broke her heart Finn. You humiliated her. She wouldn't even talk to me when I first came here because she literally couldn't get over what you did to her. I thought you were a good guy, and so when she finally told me what you did to her, I hated you with a vengeance I didn't know I possessed. We began dating after I got back from California, which for the record was six full weeks after you dumped her. It isn't like I scooped her up the minute you dropped her. So I want you to show me the same respect I would give you, and stop acting like such an infant about this. Rachel is happy, and just because it isn't with you doesn't mean you have to kill the emotion. Just let it be."
Jesse stepped back, but kept his eyes on the younger boy. It had been awhile since he felt the need to lecture someone, and he was reminded of how good at it he was, if he did say so himself.
Finn kept his eyes trained on Jesse's for a long moment, and then dropped them in resignation. "You're right dude. I've been way out of line. It kills me that I gave her up, and that I didn't have the balls to go after her like you did. I'll stay away from you guys, just try to not eat her face when I'm around. That might be a bit much."
Jesse agreed, and stuck out his hand. Hesitating and then grabbing it, Finn and Jesse came to a sort of truce, and trudged back into the dressing room not as friends or enemies, but as more allies than they had been before.
Jesse walked in to find Rachel sitting where he had just been on the couch, sitting next to and deeply conversing with Kurt about their hair still. Noticing who he had walked in with, Rachel gave him a side-eyed questioning look. Bending down and planting a kiss on her temple, he whispered "Tell you later" into her ear and took a seat behind her, tugging her to make her lean into his chest as she and Kurt continued on with their discussion on volume controlling products. Jesse chuckled to himself and leaned into the cushions, listening intently as their first competition took the stage above them.
xxx
After they sat through Aural Intensity and Vocal Adrenaline, they hurriedly made their way to the backstage area, avoiding the sweaty and exuberant members of VA who all whispered malicious things to them. None of them had an effect on the rejuvenated ingenue, who was demanding in a whisper (more of a shout, but by her standards it was quiet) that they all needed to be in position in the wings.
Mr. Schuester appeared with Finn, who gave Jesse a curt nod which the senior returned.
"So, as these are the last moments before we showcase exactly what it is that we have created" Mr. Schuester began, Rachel feeling as epic as Barbara in "The Way We Were"
"We've practiced and perfected it. We didn't win at sectionals because we were up against juvenile delinquents or deaf kids, we won because we had something they didn't. And it isn't something that can be attributed to one single person. It is the combined power that you guys give off when you're performing, its honestly like nothing I've ever seen. And today, you are going to go out there and prove to that audience and those judges what we already know. So lets go show 'em. From the top!"
The rest of the club disappeared into the wings for the second number, leaving Rachel and Jesse suddenly alone. From the other side of the curtain, she could hear the five minute warning, telling the audience to get back to their seats for their set. Turning back to Jesse, she took in how for the first time, he actually seemed jittery.
"You ready?" she asked, absently straightening his tie and patting his chest after she was done.
"I was born ready." came the cocky retort. She rolled her eyes and stepped closer to him, allowing his smell to wash over her. His arms found their way easily around her small waist and fitted perfectly in the familiar small of her back. They stood quiet for a moment, allowing the anticipation to sink in. There was no place Rachel would have rather been at that moment, and even though for the first time she couldn't describe it with words, she knew Jesse felt it as well.
As the lights dipped signaling the two minute mark, they pulled apart and Rachel quickly leaned up on her tiptoes to quickly kiss him and then get the slight smudge of her lipstick off of his lips.
"See you out there" he grinned at her and began to walk to the stage entrance. A sudden thought struck her, and she jogged quickly back.
He turned at the sound of her heels returning. "What's up-" she silenced him with a kiss, and then quickly pulled away. "Rachel...?" he said questioningly
"I forgot to tell you I loved you. So, I love you"
Using his signature wink, she bounced away with a flourish to get in position, the look on his face when she said it imprinted on her mind, and unlikely to be forgotten anytime soon.
xxx
The opening strums of the guitar played out and Jesse stepped out onto the stage, hands in his pockets. The Broadway-esqe performance acting flowing from the senior as a single, hot spotlight on fell on him as he began to sing
I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought hey, you know
this could be something
Cause everything you do and words you say
you know that it all takes my breath away
and now I'm left with nothing
Jesse's eyes flitted over to Rachel, entering through a door in the back of the theater, symbolizing the entrance of the girl into the life that inspired the song. Jesse actually did remember what she was wearing the first day they met, actually remembered remembering her as he walked through McKinley on his first day. He had to fight his facial muscles to not grin as she began to sing with him on the next lines, their voices every bit as magical as they had been that very first time they sang together.
So maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
And maybe two is better than one
But there's so much time
to figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one
Rachel had made her way through the aisle, and was now at the stage. She climbed the few steps to join Jesse in the spotlight and they continued to move in orbit of each other, the theatricality of the whole scene simply oozing out of the two Broadway nerds. Jesse was content to forgo the next verse, just so he could hear her solo on a stage, for undoubtedly one of the first of many times to come.
I remember every look upon your face
Jesse took over again for the next line
The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste
you make it hard for breathing
They joined together vocally, and briefly touched outstretched hands as their eyelids mimicked the words of the shared verse
Cause when I close my eyes and drift away
I think of you and everything's okay
I'm finally now believing
She released his hand and stepped back, his feet quickly following hers to play the parts of the story, the young man desperate to keep ahold of the young girl who captured him, their voices still strongly resounding together in the room
That maybe its true
I can't live without you
And maybe two is better than one
But there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one
Rachel's voice rang out strongly on the last word, the instrumental behind her being blown away with the subtle power she was employing for that note. As she did in her sectionals performance, she was hitting the peak of her range, but with a more gentle ring to it than the energy of Barbara.
To contrast her last part, Jesse picked up the next set of lines, finally catching up with Rachel, and grabbing her hands softly in his and almost whispering them to her over the single acoustic guitar
I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought
hey
They joined together for the final set, the entire band now playing, the lights of the house up and shining on the two young stars and making them look as epic as they were feeling. At that moment Rachel knew that despite the full house of people that she was supposed to be singing to, she was really addressing the boy whose movements matched hers on the stage, and who was now holding onto her like one would expect from an overly romantic movie. But this was actually happening, Jesse was really clutching onto her as if his life depended on it, and she could just tell that this was no act for him. The other teams would have to light themselves on fire to get this level of pure emotion out, there was no way even Rachel herself would be able to top this is she wasn't standing with the senior.
Maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
And maybe two is better than one
And I'm thinking ohhh,
I can't live without you
Cause baby two is better than one
There's so much time
To figure our the rest of my life
But I figured out with all that's said and done
Two is better than one
Two is better than one
The song ended, and the entire hall was silent. Rachel shot Jesse the slightest confused look under her brief break in a showface, and then there was a boom of thunderous applause as the entire audience stood up simultaneously with exuberance. Jesse's face mirrored Rachel's as they broke into genuine smiles, Mr. Schuester jumping up and down like a maniac in the wings over Rachel's head.
Jesse lowered his eyes back down to his ingenue, and she looked like she had those gold stars she was so fond of reflecting in her eyes with her euphoria at how well that went. Letting go of her hand, the two of them moved back into position for the second number, Jesse waiting on the darkened stage with Rachel and the rest of the group in the wings.
Behind them, he could hear the Finn and Mercedes walk onstage begin the love, love, love intro. With each repeat of the lines, one more pair filed in, Matt with Santana, Mike with Brittany, Puck with Quinn, with Tina with Artie following. He and Rachel stood waiting for the instrumental overture (a la the beginning of HAIR Jesse thought with a thrill of one day playing Claude) to finish before they started singing
There's nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy
At that point, they relinquished the lead to Finn and Mercedes, and they took their recently vacated spots and began the chant with the rest of the club
There's nothing you can make that can't be made
No one you can save that can't be saved
Nothing you can do, but learn how to be you in time
It's easy
At the chorus, the music swelled and the entire group began to sing and started their choreography, so much like the "Somebody to Love" steps they had used for their invitational, but with more emphasis put on the couples as opposed to individuals
All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
Puck and Quinn took over the next verse, with the rest of the group continuing the love love love chant behind them
There's nothing you can know that can't be known
Nothing you can see that can't be shown
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be
Its easy
The music picked up again, and the number matched its pace. The twirling dresses, hair, and ties were almost a blur to the crowd as New Directions executed the final number flawlessly, their vocals soaring throughout the room
All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
As they finished, the crowd didn't even wait for the music to die down before blowing out their eardrums with applause and screams of approval. New Directions rushed offstage and shrieked in their joy, all jumping over each other and shaking in excitement. Now all that was left was to sit and wait.
xxx
Rachel's heart started beating at the noise above and around her. The other teams were next to them onstage, the crowd was as anxious as she was, and the rest of the group were either looking like they were about to be shot (Kurt) or had a showface on so tight they looked like they had gotten botoxed.
Jesse saw her wide eyed look and nudged her slightly. Looking up at him, he faked a deep breath and exhaled, nonverbally telling her to relax. She responded by grabbing his hand and smiling, and her attention snapped back to the task at hand as the judges emerged from stage right and held up the envelopes as the crowd went berserk. She unconsciously squeezed their entwined fingers while Coach Sylvester began a rant-like speech about show choir, and he squeezed them back.
With that quick, simple movement, he had reminded her of what he had said before they went on. The small supportive actions, the gestures oft missed and looked over by others around them were exactly why Rachel knew she hadn't been mistaken in telling him she loved him. His little squeeze of her delicate hands was not just to get her to relax. It was to remind her that win or lose, they had already won. They made it here, and they did an outstanding job. And they had done it together.
"In second place," Coach Sylvester boomed into the mic, Rachel's heart rate increasing rapidly again "From Fort Wayne Indiana, the not at all stupidly named Aural Intensity"
She momentarily relaxed, her hand still vice-like against Jesse's though. This is it! While Aural Intensity were scurried offstage by regionals officials, the tension built again.
"And now, your 2010 midwest show choir regional champions..." Rachel looked over at Vocal Adrenaline, in their perfectly pressed flamingo pink shirts and their automaton good looks. She was prouder at that moment to be a part of a team that relied on each member to have a spirit, not just to be able to go through the motions. Win or lose, like Jesse had proved, she had already won. So when Coach Sylvester drew breath for the next two words, whichever they be for, Rachel exhaled, finally at peace with whatever the insane woman said.
"New Directions!"
Those two words were the last Rachel heard. Her teammates simultaneously exploded in sound around her, and she was quickly enveloped in a massive group hug which broke up as quickly as it had formed at the sight of Josh Groban walking towards them with the trophy. As the rest of them all rallied around Mr. Schuester who was clutching it with a smile that threatened to split his face wide open in joy.
She glanced wildly around for Jesse, who had snuck around the group to grab her tightly to him and shrieked as got ahold of her. Throwing her arms around his neck, he swung her around in jubilation. With the thunderous applause, the crying teammates clutching their trophy they had wanted for so long, the boy she loved holding onto her tightly, Rachel couldn't see her life getting any better than that moment.
Putting her back down, he didn't relinquish his hold on her sides and instead leaned down to whisper in her ear softly "I told you, it's an inevitability."
Rachel had been wrong. That perfect moment had just gotten topped.