Hello, dear Reader!

I would like to introduce you to my slightly AU piece resolving around the one and only, amazing St. Berry.

I mean to loosely follow the events from Season 1 but I also tend to mix them with my own ideas or describe them alternatively. I tend to do that a lot, actually, so please, bear with me and keep open-minded, it's a FF after all.

Just to make sure that we are clear here, let me sketch over the main ideas behind this story:

Rachel has met Jesse when she was eleven and they remained close friends since then. She is leading her team in their first Sectionals and Jesse comes to see her perform. Here's where the problems start to appear on the horizon.

Additionally (some of that may not make sense now but it will once the following chapters appear):

1) I don't hate the New Directions but they were kind of mean to Rachel back in the season 1.

2) Vocal Adrenaline's power and arrogance spoke to me on so many levels, in comparison to the ND.

3) Shelby. Shelby, Shelby, Shelby. I was all in for their reconciliation. Sadly the screenwriters weren't.

Enjoy and don't forget to review!

-s.

Chapter 1: Sectionals

Jesse's POV

Jesse was sitting in his comfortable chair waiting for Rachel's team to appear on the stage. He looked around the auditorium full of people then his eyes moved to the judges and finally back to the empty stage.

Something definitely wasn't right. The two first choirs somehow happened to perform the exact set of songs that Rachel's team had prepared. Jesse took out his cell and tried to call Rachel but she either didn't have her phone on her or decided to ignore him. In meantime the time has come for the New Directions to start their performance and the host of the Sectionals announced the team. Jesse swallowed and silently prayed for the judges' goodwill not to disqualify them right away.

Suddenly Jesse's head snapped upwards at the first tone of the music. He turned back to look at the terrified face of his best friend when she entered the auditorium with the first lines of Don't Rain On My Parade on her lips. He almost laughed with relief when he realised that Rachel and her friends decided to change their repertoire in the last minute. Although preparing everything in less than hour wasn't probably their best way of granting them the victory, it was definitely better than signing songs of their competition's. Besides, with Rachel's voice and acting skills, the victory was inevitable.

Rachel passed him in a hurry, moving from lane to lane and person to person, giving her best show to the audience. She spotted him and smiled widely. She jumped to his chair and sat on his lap trying to take his imaginary hat away from him. Jesse smirked and winked to her and she flew away from him to enter the stage.

The rest of the choir entered through the same back door and proceeded to the stage at Rachel's signing command. With the final note of the instruments, she finished. Jesse grinned to her when their eyes locked and she finally introduced her band.

The rest of their performance passed on quickly. Jesse snorted silently at the choice of You Can't Always Get What You Want. Too easy for his taste, too predictable. But, he thought, perfect for gaining the approbate of the judges and the audience. The choreography was as good as it was possible to prepare in such a short notice.

The show has ended. Jesse slipped out of his place and entered the backstage. He found Rachel standing right outside the door to their green room. She spotted him immediately and jumped into his open arms. She was shaking badly and he hurried to talk.

"You were amazing, Rachel," he beamed at her proudly. "I still would have worked on the solo and change the horrible Stones to anything... but other than that, I'm proud of you."

"I can't believe you came!" Rachel laughed. "I was so nervous. Sue gave out our set list to the competition and we panicked cause we would be screwed to sing Don't Stop Believin' after they did it and then Finn came and gave us the notes and they gave me back my solo! And all I could think of was Barbra and..."

Jesse cut Rachel's outburst by hugging her again.

Then they heard a pointed grunt behind their backs.

Oh, busted.

Rachel jumped away from him and Jesse's arms suddenly felt too empty. They realised that the absence of Rachel and probably her hurried words brought the attention of the rest of the New Directions. Jesse threw a glance at the group of waiting teenagers. One of the girls, tall dark haired Latino, threw him appreciative look which returned with a self satisfied half smile. Oh yeah, he still got it.

However his look turned cold when he heard her addressing Rachel:

"So, manhands, care to introduce us?"

Rachel glances back at him, a little red on her face. Apparently the mean comment wasn't the first one.

"Everybody," Rachel finally spoke up. "This is Jesse, my childhood friend. Jesse meet my glee club," she gushed proudly.

Jesse looked around savouring the surprised looks of her team mates. Childhood friends was a bit of an exaggeration as they met when he was already 13 and she 11. They met trying to buy the same last Into the Woods DVD at the music store. After a heated argument they decided to share the DVD: creating some sort of custody agreement. His uncle, with whom he was staying for the summer, exchanged numbers with her dad and it was decided that the musical would stay with her for a week and then he would take it for another. To be completely honest, Jesse had never meant to take it with him even for a day. It was simply an excuse to meet her again. He wasn't sure what has pulled him to her in the first place; was it either her chubby cheeks or brown eyes that challenged his own? Or maybe it was because she fought so fervently for the DVD, bluntly listing the list of arguments for which the album should join her collection, not his. It was the first time someone had made him speechless.

They were living in different cities so he was afraid that their budding friendship would suffer from the distance but it turned out just well. They spent the summer together and would meet here and there from time to time after the vacation was over. He was following her MySpace site, sending her his music over Facebook or email. She would do the same, sometimes commenting on her school life of sharing her big plans for the future. Thanks to those conversation Jesse realised that they shared not only a taste in music but also the stubborn and arrogant belief in their own talent and the destiny of becoming the brightest stars on the Broadway.

Today wasn't the first time that Jesse heard her sing but it was the first time he felt somewhat uncomfortable when listening to some other club. Vocal Adrenaline has won three national championships but suddenly Jesse understood that, with a little work, Rachel's New Directions had a chance to become a real rival.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Jesse concentrated back on Rachel who was telling him the names of her friends. Jesse smirked to himself; as if he was going to remember any of them. But then he heard the infamous Finn's name and he gave him quick evaluating look.

He knew that Rachel had an enormous crush on the guy but in all honesty he couldn't understand why – and note that he was the only person who understood Rachel aside from her dads. The Finn guy returned the glare.

Suddenly the silence was interrupted by the voice of the host who announced that the teams were to gather on the stage. Jesse took it for his cue to leave but when he was a few steps away he turned again to look at Rachel who started following her teammates.

"Hey, Rach," he called after her causing her and some other people to turn back to look at him. "See you at Regionals."

She didn't even have to ask; he always knew she would be a winner.

Rachel's POV.

They won, just as Jesse predicted. Rachel was crushed between Tina and Kurt as they jumped together and tried to get a hang of the trophy. Their first trophy on the list of many others which were bound to appear on their shelf.

Finally after a round of traditional photos and official congratulations they were free to celebrate backstage. After the general chaos has passed Rachel noticed short glances exchanged by Kurt and Mercedes and then she felt herself being pushed to the armchair in their green room. The rest of the club noticed it and threw the pair curious looks. Rachel frowned.

Kurt was the first to talk.

"This friend of yours, Jesse," he began and Rachel felt her blood turns cold in her veins. "Is it 'Jesse' as in Jesse St. James?"

Busted.

"Um, yeah," it sounded more like a question.

Mercedes gasped but no one other than her and Kurt understood Rachel's guilty face and Mercedes' shock. Tina, Artie, Santana and Quinn exchanged questioning looks, Finn's face was completely clueless and Puck shrugged uninterested.

"What's causing this interesting reactions again?" Artie asked.

Kurt snorted and Rachel decided it was better to tell them herself rather than leave it to Kurt and Mercedes to exaggerate.

"Jesse's the lead in Vocal Adrenaline," she threw. Her team gaped at her with disbelief and shock all over their faces. "I know, okay, but we've been friends forever and..."

"Vocal Adrenaline?" Finn repeated, still with uncertainty in his voice. "What's that?"

Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Just the best glee club in the entire freaking United States of America," Kurt shouted. "Who happen to be from Ohio and will most definitely be our competition at Regionals."

"Aaand Rachel is dating their lead singer," Mercedes added.

"You're sleeping with the enemy," Artie accused her and Rachel instantly felt her cheeks going all red.

She caught a glimpse of Finn's frowned expression and quickly waved her hands at them.

"I'm not... sleeping with anyone," she hissed and Santana snickered, making Rachel even more embarrassed. "And Jesse is just a friend," she added quickly to Finn. "It's nothing, really. Him being in Vocal Adrenaline doesn't change anything."

They didn't look like they believed her. Quinn and Puck raised their eyebrows.

"And he happened to be here to watch our performance. Just tell me how it's not trying to spy on the competition."

Rachel just hid her face in her hands. It was hopeless.

Jesse's POV

His team was finishing their rehearsal when he entered the auditorium. Shelby just threw him a stern look before pointing to the door without second glance. He obediently exited the room. Fifteen minutes later his friends began to emerge from the auditorium and Jesse dared to enter it again.

"Where the hell have you been?" his coach asked in a harsh tone. She didn't accept insubordination.

"Visiting a friend," he answered vaguely.

"Since when did some friend become more important than rehearsing?"

"This one is," Jesse replied nonchalantly. Shelby frowned but soon nodded her head.

"Rachel," she guessed jumping into her more friendly tone of voice, reserved only for Jesse.

"Rachel," Jesse confirmed. He sat in one of the audience chairs and faced his mentor.

She knew about his friendship with Rachel for some time and understood how important the girl was Jesse. She's visited him in Carmel High many times to listen to their rehearsals; it was probably when she became so determined to join a glee club in her own high school. Or to create one, when it turned out that there hadn't been none in McKinley High. She saw it as her best chance to taste the thrill of stage and her best way to be noticed. Personally, Jesse would have preferred her to just transfer schools and join Vocal Adrenaline rather than that.

"You still didn't manage to convince her to transfer, did you?" Shelby asked with a small smile, as if she could see exactly what was on his mind right now. "Shame, she has a great voice. I'd like to hear her sing sometime more," she added referring to the one time Rachel actually had a courage to sing on the stage of their auditorium in front of Jesse, Shelby and the rest of the Vocal Adrenaline.

Jesse smirked and jumped to the exit.

"Oh, Jesse, I just remembered. I've had a call from a friend in Lima, they held Sectionals today. The New Directions, a new choir from Lima, has won. Nothing to worry about, though, they're completely fresh and unorganised. I guess it was a fluke that they got the first prize but my friend told me that they have quite a good female lead."

"Quite good, you say?" Jesse repeated. "Rachel will be disappointed. See you tomorrow, Shelby," Jesse threw in response to Shelby's surprised expression.

So, how was it? she asked with anticipation