Author's Note: My apologies for the wait for an update. I've had some real-life stuff going on that's kind of shifted my focus and has made it kind of hard for me to write anything too fluffy but... I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and not let negativity bring me down. :) I've started working on the next chapter and I'm hoping that I'll have some time to write while I'm at the beach this weekend. I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. As always, I love reading your thoughts so leave a review to let me know what you think. Now... onto the chapter!
Jesse awoke the next morning to find a still sleeping Rachel lightly snoring next to him. Deciding to let her rest a bit longer, he slipped out of bed quietly and grabbed his clothes off of the floor before tugging them on. As he opened Rachel's bedroom door, he inhaled the enticing aroma of what he was sure would be a delicious breakfast, if dinner the night before had been any indication. Shutting the door noiselessly behind him, he made his way downstairs to find both of Rachel's dads in the kitchen.
"Ah, Jesse," Samuel said, looking up from the paper he was currently reading as Jesse walked into the room.
"Morning," Jesse replied as he ran a hand through the messy curls on his head.
"Did you sleep well?" Bruce asked, turning from the stove where he was cooking some of the largest slices of challah French toast that Jesse had ever seen in a skillet.
Jesse nodded before answering, "I did." He did his best to avoid eye contact, his thoughts wandering back to what he and Rachel had been doing before they actually went to sleep, as he sat down at the bar next to Samuel.
"Coffee?" Bruce asked, reaching for the pot.
"Please." Pouring some of the steaming hot black liquid into a large mug, Bruce walked over and set the nearly full cup in front of Jesse. "Thank you."
"Here's the cream and sugar if you need them." Bruce picked up the two small white containers and placed them in front of Jesse as well.
Jesse shook his head as he raised the mug to his lips. "I take it black. Thanks." He took a small sip before setting it back on the counter. "The food smells delicious. Can I help you with anything?"
"Nope, just enjoy your coffee," Bruce said with a grin as he turned back toward the skillet to flip the French toast.
Samuel set his newspaper down before leaning over towards Jesse. "This is what he lives for," he told Jesse conspiratorially. "He's been complaining that he never gets to cook big meals anymore."
"Don't you guys still have dinner parties once a month?" He remembered one night when he and Rachel had just returned from seeing a local theatre productionto find her dads and four of their couple friends playing a lively game of charades. Jesse had hoped to go upstairs and enjoy a heavy make out session with his girlfriend while her parents were having fun with their friends downstairs but her dads had had other ideas, most likely to prevent Jesse and Rachel from having that make out session, and had invited them to join in.
Despite hanging out with a bunch of adults being the last thing that he had wanted to do, it had ended up being one of the most fun nights he had ever had in high school. Rachel had been adorable as she had tried to act out the names of various TV shows, animals and other things. He thought that was the night that he began to fall in love with her. She had been so natural and relaxed and… happy. Jesse had wished that her New Directions teammates could have seen her.
Of course they had won in spite of cheating allegations from both of her dads. Jesse smiled at the memory.
"We had to skip November and December," Samuel's voice broke into Jesse's thoughts.
"Two of my favorite months where I get to plan the most spectacular meals and showcase my culinary prowess," Bruce declared without turning around, thrusting the spatula that was currently in his hand in the air to make his point.
Jesse raised an eyebrow in amusement.
Samuel shook his head with a soft chuckle, gesturing towards his husband. "And obviously Rachel does not get her flare for the dramatics from me."
"Did I hear my name?" Rachel asked with a yawn as she padded into the kitchen. Walking over to the stove to give her daddy a kiss on the cheek, she then walked around the island to place a kiss on her dad's cheek before wrapping an arm loosely around Jesse's shoulder, leaning into him slightly as she pecked him on the lips.
"Yes, your father was just calling us drama queens," Bruce quipped, turning to look at Rachel with a twinkle in his eye.
"But that's what I love about you both," Samuel offered. "There's never a dull moment." Deciding to change the subject he asked, "So what do you two have planned today?"
"Well, I thought it would be nice to pay an impromptu visit to Mr. Schue," Rachel replied, turning her head to look at Jesse who nodded his head and smiled in agreement. "And then maybe stop by the book store. I haven't been there in years and…" she trailed off, a sudden panic rising in her. "It is still there, right?"
"Of course it is," her dad told her with a bemused smile. Rachel let out a sigh of relief.
"Who's ready to eat?" Bruce asked, flipping the last of the French toast onto a platter next to the stove.
"It looks delicious daddy," Rachel said as she watched him open the oven and saw dishes full of what she was sure was turkey bacon and turkey sausage along with scrambled eggs. Her stomach growled as he began to set the food on the bar. Walking over to the refrigerator, she knew exactly what to look for as she opened the door. Rachel pulled out some bowls with fresh blueberries, strawberries and blackberries then put them on the bar next to the plates that her daddy was taking out of the oven. The two shared a knowing smile as he placed the powdered sugar and maple syrup on the bar, both thinking of a much younger Rachel who wanted nothing more than to be daddy's little helper in the kitchen. It was good to see that some things never changed.
Rounding the bar, Bruce wrapped his arms around his daughter. "I'm glad you're home sweetheart."
"Me too, daddy," she replied, squeezing him tightly.
As Rachel and Jesse walked through the front doors of McKinley High, a fresh wave of nostalgia washed over her and her feet stopped moving. Jesse continued on a few steps before realizing that she was no longer with him. He turned around, a look of concern on his face. "Are you alright?" he asked, walking back over to her.
"Do you know that I haven't been back here since I graduated from Michigan?" She gazed down the hallway, a far off look in her eyes, almost as if she could see her high school self walking down it with her friends. "I didn't know if I was going to actually make it on Broadway but I still had those big dreams." She turned her eyes up to him finally. "They're not just dreams anymore." Her face lit up with a bright smile as she thought how much her life had changed since then. If she had it all to do over again, she would endure the facial slushies and, even the bullying, if this was the way her life would turn out. She liked to think that it had made her a stronger person in the end and all it had done was make her work harder for what she really wanted.
"No, they're not," Jesse affirmed, breaking into her thoughts and slipping his hand into hers. She gave his hand a squeeze as they continued into the school. Stopping in at the office, they checked-in and made sure that it was okay to pop in to Mr. Schuester's class.
It was incredibly surreal for Jesse as they walked the halls that he had once thought he would never see again. They walked past the dance classroom that brought back memories of an angry, passionate dance that he had been sure was the end for them, but also, and more importantly, of promises of inevitabilities and making Rachel's dreams come true. He gripped Rachel's hand a little tighter.
As they came to a halt outside of the choir room, Rachel stopped and turned to Jesse, "Are you ready for this?"
He let go of her hand and reached up to cradle her face in his hands before placing a soft kiss on her lips. "Now I am."
Deciding that a surprise entrance was better than simply knocking, Rachel turned the door handle and stepped into the choir room that had been her home away from home for four years of her life. Mr. Schue turned his head to see who was interrupting glee rehearsal and did a double-take when he realized who was now standing in his classroom.
"Rachel Berry!" he exclaimed and was shocked but also happy to see Jesse by her side. "And Jesse St. James!" Mr. Schue walked over to them and wrapped Rachel in a tight hug. Turning to Jesse, he shook his hand at first before pulling Jesse into a hug as well, clapping him on the back.
"Hi Mr. Schue," Rachel beamed.
"It's great to see you," Will said, looking at Jesse and Rachel. "Both of you," he added before turning back to the group of kids that Rachel could only assume was the current crop of students that made up New Directions. "Guys, let me introduce you to two former New Directions members and Broadway's hottest stars, Miss Rachel Berry and Mr. Jesse St. James."
Seeing some of the students faces light up in recognition as Will introduced them made Rachel feel more special than she ever could have imagined it would. "Oh my gosh, what's it like performing on Broadway? Was it nerve wracking to star in a new musical? Is it challenging to maintain your vocals performing multiple shows a week? I want to know everything," a girl with light brown hair in the front row rambled enthusiastically as Jesse and Rachel walked closer to the students with Mr. Schue.
Jesse smiled at the girl's eagerness which reminded him a lot of how the woman beside him had been when she had sat in that very same room years ago. He looked over at Rachel whose grin told him that she was more than willing to answer every single question. As she opened her mouth, a boy in the back who reminded Jesse a lot of Puck, spoke up. "Do you get lots of free stuff? SWAG or whatever they call it?" Jesse had to bite back the laugh at the look that both Rachel and the unnamed girl in the front shot the boy.
"Who cares about that, Ethan," the girl sniped, whipping her head around to glare at her classmate.
The boy opened his mouth to retort, but to Jesse and Rachel's surprise Mr. Schue immediately stepped in to head off the argument that was about to take place. "Kayla, Ethan, that's enough," he told the teenagers sitting in front of him. It seemed that over the years he had learned that it was best not to let his students bicker non-stop and call each other names. "How about we show Rachel and Jesse what we've been rehearsing for the holiday showcase," he suggested.
Kayla, as Jesse had just learned was the name of the exuberant girl in the front row, was smiling once again, obviously more than happy to showcase her own talents. Jesse and Rachel walked over to a couple of empty seats as the students stood up and went to the front to perform the number they had been working on. Leaning back in the chair as he sat down, Jesse rested his foot on one leg and casually draped his arm across Rachel's chair behind her.
They both smiled at the students as they all stood in place, waiting for Mr. Schue to start the backing music for their performance. As soon as the notes of the song began to play, Rachel recognized the melody immediately. "Grown-Up Christmas List" was one of her all-time favorite Christmas songs. Kayla was the first one to sing. Jesse had to admit that her vocals were impeccable. Not quite up to par with where Rachel had been at her age, but still terrific nonetheless.
Rachel fully expected Kayla to sing the entire first verse but was pleasantly surprised when one of the guys sang the next few lines. It seemed as though quite a bit had changed since she had been in New Directions. While there were definitely a couple of students that were much better singers and dancers, no particular student appeared to be the star of the group. They were very much a team despite what Jesse and Rachel had witnessed when they had first been introduced to the glee club. Jesse noted that Mr. Schue had apparently brushed up on his choreography skills over the years as well.
Jesse glanced over at Rachel as the number came to an end and saw that she was beaming with pride. This was the legacy that she had left behind. He joined her as she clapped enthusiastically for the young members of New Directions who, by the looks on their faces, all seemed to be very pleased with their performance.
"That was fantastic," Mr. Schue told the kids as they began to cheer excitedly. He let their cheering die down before turning to Jesse and Rachel. "And what do our two former National champions think?"
A younger Jesse, the one that Mr. Schue had known a decade before, would have critiqued the performance and pointed out everything that they had done wrong and where they needed to improve, and while he was still thinking that they needed to be a little sharper in their choreography and work on maintaining quality vocals while dancing, he simply said, "You guys are really good."
Rachel finally spoke. "I have a feeling there's going to be another National championship trophy added to the McKinley High trophy case this year," she told them enthusiastically. Kayla grinned broadly at Rachel's praise, but as she looked at all of the students she noticed that they all seemed to be excited by her words. The bell rang signaling the end of the period which disappointed Rachel a little bit. She would have loved to have been able to spend more time with the students.
As she and Jesse stood up, Kayla walked straight over to them rather than back to her seat where her bag was still sitting. "Miss Berry," she began, seeming a little unsure of herself now that it was just her standing in front of Jesse and Rachel. Rachel smiled at her encouragingly which seemed to help the girl find her words. "I just wanted to tell you that you're my inspiration. I saw you on Broadway when you took over as Eponine in Les Miserables and my mom and I just recently saw your new show before Thanksgiving. You're both amazing."
It wasn't like this was the first time that Rachel had met a fan, but it felt different when it was coming from a girl that was in the same position that she had been ten years ago. The lump in her throat formed as she felt her eyes begin to water. "Thank you so much," Rachel managed, unable to hide the emotion that she felt completely.
"I hope that one day I can follow in your footsteps," the girl continued. "Could I maybe get your autographs?"
"Sure," Jesse replied, smiling warmly at the girl. He watched as she practically bounced over to her bag and pulled out a notebook and a pen. His eyes met Rachel's as she looked up at him with a watery smile and he reached over to gently rub his hand across her back soothingly. Kayla came back over to them, grinning as she handed the notebook to Jesse to sign. He wrote a small message to her – Never give up on your dreams – then signed it with his usual flourish which meant that any person who looked at it would only be able to make out the two J's in his first and last name with St. in between.
"Thank you," Kayla said as he handed the notebook and pen to Rachel so she could sign it.
Rachel took the notebook and went over to the piano to set it down on the hard surface so she could write in it. She smiled as she heard Jesse ask Kayla about herself before she began to write a message of encouragement to the young girl. McKinley High and Lima are just the beginning. Believe in yourself and always remember that hard work and dedication will take you far. Good luck in everything you do! You're going to knock 'em dead at Nationals! Then Rachel signed her name in big loopy cursive, adding a small star next to her name. Walking back over to Jesse and Kayla, she handed the notebook and pen back to the girl. She and Jesse both watched as the girl grinned at what they had both written to her.
She looked back up at Jesse and Rachel, hugging the notebook to her chest. "Thank you so much," she said. "Could I take a picture with you both?" Rachel and Jesse both nodded before Kayla went back to her bag to grab her phone this time and handed it to Mr. Schue so that he could take a picture of them. Standing in the middle of Jesse and Rachel, she smiled a 10,000 mega-watt smile as Mr. Schue snapped the picture.
"One more," Mr. Schue said, holding up a finger. They all smiled for another picture before Kayla thanked them both once again and gathered her things, finally leaving Jesse and Rachel alone in the room with Mr. Schue. They all sat down in some of the choir chairs so they could catch up. "Wow, I just can't tell you how great it is to see you both again. I've heard fantastic things about your show. Emma and I are actually planning a trip to New York in January and we're going to see the show."
"You'll have to let me know the dates and I'll get you a couple of tickets," Rachel offered. "Speaking of Emma, how is your family?"
"Everyone is doing great. Christian and Allison are both growing up so fast. Allison is a future New Directions member," Will Schuester told them proudly. "Christian… I'm not so sure about." He chuckled as he thought about his son.
"How old are they?" Jesse inquired.
"Allison is eight and Christian is six," Will replied as he reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. He clicked a button and handed it to Jesse so he and Rachel could see the picture of his family.
"You have a beautiful family," Rachel told him looking at the picture of Emma with their red-headed, rosy-cheeked children. She handed his phone back to him.
"Thank you," he said, taking his phone and putting it back in his pocket. "So the show is doing great, but how are the two of you?" Unlike most of the world, he knew their history and that Jesse was currently going through a divorce so when they had shown up in his class, it hadn't been hard for him to put two-and-two together.
Rachel and Jesse looked at each other, their smiles and looks of adoration conveying more than words possibly could. "Happy," was Rachel's response knowing that she really didn't need to say much more than that to her old teacher.
"That's really good to hear," he replied, smiling warmly at both of them.
"So New Directions is looking National championship worthy from what I saw today," Rachel said, changing the subject. "I would love to see what kind of routine you have planned for Regionals if that was what a Holiday showcase performance looks like. They sound and look amazing, Mr. Schue."
"They have a lot to live up to." The earnest expression on his face told Rachel that he meant what he had said. "They're good kids and despite what you witnessed when you first walked in here, they're great friends and an even better team."
Jesse, Rachel and Mr. Schuester continued chatting for a while and were surprised when the bell rang again signaling that the period had ended and that Jesse and Rachel needed to get going. "Tell Emma I said hi," Rachel told Mr. Schue as she embraced him in a hug.
"I will," he replied, giving her a little squeeze. "And we'll see you guys in January."
"You saved my e-mail address, right?" Rachel asked as she stepped back next to Jesse.
"I did." He held up his phone in confirmation. "I'll get you those dates as soon as we book our flights," Mr. Schue promised. "Have a Happy Hanukkah," he said to Rachel. "And a Merry Christmas," he added, smiling at Jesse. They both waved once again before walking out of the choir room.
As they walked down the hall back towards the front of the school, Rachel fit perfectly into the crook of Jesse's arm as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. "So where to next?" he asked, looking down at her.
"Let's go put on an impromptu concert," she replied before she let go of him and jogged backwards down the hallway with a flirtatious smile on her face. Running to catch up with her, she squealed in delight as he picked her up and spun around.
They arrived at the place that had started it all, the book store that had served as the site of their very first meeting. For the first time in a very long time, the prospect of going inside wasn't met with a sense of dread for Rachel but with excitement. As Jesse turned off the rental car, they both got out and walked to the front door.
Jesse grabbed the door handle and as he pulled it open the bell above it chimed signaling to the clerks behind the counter that a new customer had arrived. Holding the door open, he waited for Rachel to go inside before following right behind her. While plenty of things had changed aesthetically, the one constant that both he and Rachel noticed was the black piano that sat at the center of the store surrounded by bookshelves.
"I'm gonna look around a little bit," she stated before wandering off to a shelf filled with songbooks.
Jesse decided to check out another section to see what song he could find for them to sing. As he wandered down the aisle, Jesse was surprised to see so many people in the store in the middle of a weekday. Looking around, he noticed that most of them appeared to be college students, probably from Lima Community College. He turned his attention back to the shelf in front of him and ran his fingers along the spines of the songbooks as he scanned the names on them. Suddenly, he stopped as he read the name on one and grinned as he pulled it off of the shelf to look at the cover. It was the perfect choice for them.
Nothing stuck out particularly to Rachel as she began to look at another shelf of songbooks. She was so focused on her search that Jesse startled her when he said her name from behind her. He chuckled at the way she had jumped slightly when he had spoken then said, "I found it."
She tried to glare at him for laughing at her, but it was an unsuccessful attempt as she cracked a smile of her own. "What did you find?" she asked, trying to peer around his back where he was holding the book.
"You said you wanted to give these people an impromptu concert and we both know that no one can pull this song off quite like you and me," he answered as he finally showed her the cover of the book in his hands. Her face lit up as she saw that it was Lionel Ritchie's "Hello". He leaned towards her and said conspiratorially in a low voice, "What do you say, Miss Berry? Should we give them a show?"
Plucking the book out of his hand, she smiled cheekily at him as she walked straight over to the piano and sat down, opening the book up to first page. Jesse slid onto the piano bench next to her and let his fingers hover over the keys.
She watched as his fingers glided effortlessly over the ebony and ivory keys before the sound of his voice pulled her focus upwards. It didn't matter how many times she heard him sing, she was always blown away by how beautiful and pure his voice was. He made it seem like sounding the way that he did came as easy to him as breathing. Soon she was brought out of her reverie and began to harmonize with him.
They had both been vaguely aware of people gathering around them as they had sang, but were so wrapped up in one another and the performance that they didn't realize that the few people that they had thought it had been was more like a small crowd as they finished the song. Everyone began clapping for them as Jesse and Rachel bowed slightly while remaining seated on the piano bench.
The crowd of strangers began to trickle back to the various areas throughout the store once they realized that they would not be getting an encore from the talented couple seated at the piano. "Tell me why we don't do this more often in New York," Rachel said feeling exhilarated as she glanced around at the people throughout the store.
"If I remember correctly, someone once told me that impromptu concerts made them nervous," Jesse pointed out with a raise of his eyebrow.
"Well, we should start," she told him.
"Should we just walk into Saks, sit down at the piano and start singing?" he asked, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"No," she responded like that was the silliest suggestion she'd ever heard despite the fact that they had just done that very thing, only instead of Saks Fifth Avenue in New York it was The Book Case in Lima. It was almost like Jesse could see the wheels turning in her head as she thought more about her idea. "Once a month we can go to a nursing home or a homeless shelter or maybe a group home and put on a concert. I know how much my grandma always loved to hear me sing. And maybe some of the kids could sing with us at the homeless shelter and group home. What do you think?"
"I think we should do it," he agreed, studying her features as she began to think of ideas again. He loved when she got inspired, like she was at the moment, with the slight crease in her forehead as she worked things out in her head and the way her entire face would light up when she came up with something that she really loved.
"I know we're a bit into December already, but I think we still have time…" she mused aloud. Taking her phone out of her purse, she began making notes about possible dates that would work for them and areas of the city that she wanted to look into. Jesse hadn't said anything for a minute and when she looked up from her phone, she saw him watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. "What?"
"I'm glad that I asked you out that day," he told her, knowing that there was no need to explain which day he was talking about.
"Yeah?" She scooted closer to him on the bench.
"Best decision I ever made."
Rachel just couldn't resist the urge to tease him. "The best decision you ever made? Wow, I feel special."
"Okay, maybe I was overstating it a bit. It was really just a good decision on my part," he replied with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"I went from best to just good?" she scoffed. "What happened to better or pretty good?"
"Again, overstating," he teased as she got up from the piano bench and he followed suit.
"You know, I don't think my dad was overstating the fact that there are clean sheets in the spare bedroom," she countered as she began to walk towards the front door.
"You wouldn't." Quickly coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I was thinking of a repeat performance of last night," he whispered in her ear.
She twisted around to face him, smirking. "I got what I was after last night. It might be nice to have my bed all to myself."
"I can't believe you used me like that," Jesse said, feigning hurt as he released her from his hold so he could open the door.
"'Used' is such a harsh word," she smirked, walking past him through the open door and towards the rental car. "I like to think of it more as 'took advantage of'."
Jesse let out a loud laugh at that. Coming around to the passenger side of the car, he reached for the door handle to open it but thought better of it at the last second. Instead he pinned her between his body and the car, cupping her cheek in his hand and running his thumb over her full lips. He could feel her breath quicken as her chest rose and fell against his own. He leaned in almost as if he was going to kiss her but instead moved so that his lips were just touching the shell of her ear. "You're more than welcome to take advantage of me anytime you want, Rachel Berry."
Rachel had fully expected him to kiss her, but he stepped back and opened the car door. Her mouth gaped slightly. She sat down in the passenger's seat and looked up at Jesse who was still holding the door open.
"I mean, except for tonight of course, since I'll be in the guest bedroom across the hall from your dads' room. But any other time," he added as he shut the door. She watched him walk around the car and wink at her playfully.
"You're going to love sleeping in the guest bedroom. There are a few springs in the mattress that might poke you in the back, but it's just for a night so you'll be fine," she told him, biting her lip to keep from smiling.
"Oh, so it's like your bed in New York then," he cracked with a completely straight face. "I'm just kidding," he added, noticing the full pout that Rachel now had going on and leaned over to give her a peck on the lips. She stared straight ahead, not looking at him. "I know you're not really mad." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye for a brief second before turning her eyes towards the front of the car once more. "What if I told that I will, in fact, let you take advantage of me again tonight if you are so inclined?"
"I'm listening," she finally said, turning her head and smiling at him in a way that let him know that he had never upset her and that she had, in fact, just won their little tête-à-tête.
On their way back to Rachel's dads' house after they had left the book store, Jesse and Rachel decided to stop at the Lima Bean to grab a hot cup of coffee. They had been standing in line for a couple of minutes and Jesse had just started to order when from behind them they heard, "Rachel Berry?"