Background: Set during Regionals in "Journey" 1x22. Rachel and Jesse met during "Hello-O," but by pure coincidence and Jesse had no false intentions. They fall in love and Rachel agrees to secretly transfer to Carmel and join Vocal Adrenaline, somewhere where her talent will be appreciated, as their female lead right before Regionals. Funkification happens, but Rachel is in on the plan. Rachel knows that Shelby is her mother and their relationship is growing stronger by the day. Quinn is not pregnant.

Yes, Rachel is OOC, but I strongly believe that in order for her to chase her dreams, her ambition would push her to want to be with the best of the best, and Jesse would just further encourage that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee nor any of its characters. I only own the plot of "It's an Inevitability".

—

The New Directions are anxiously sitting in the Green Room, listening to Aural Intensity's judge-pandering performance. They glance at each other nervously as they realize that Aural Intensity is almost finished and they are up next, with one member still noticeably missing.

Finn breaks the static of antsy chatter, "Where's Rachel?"

"She went to touch-up in the bathroom like twenty minutes ago, she should've been back by now." Mercedes glances at the door from where she is sitting on the upholstered beige couch.

"Don't worry guys, she'll come back any moment. You know Rachel would never be late to a performance. I'm sure she's just as nervous as we are and trying to calm down a little," Mr. Shue says quickly to appease the group.

—

Soon, though, the New Directions are lined up in the wings and Rachel is still nowhere to be found.

Finn fidgets with his tie, "One minute left! Where is she?"

"Hello." A familiar voice sang from behind them.

"Thank god!" Finn exclaimed, "It's almost time."

When they all turn to face Rachel, however, they notice that she isn't wearing the fifties-style gold dress and hairdo that the rest of the girls are; her sequined black and hot pink dress clashes horribly with their costumes, but it matches the fitted button-up and overalls of the boy who's arm is wrapped soured her waist.

"Rachel, what are you wearing?"

"What the hell!"

"Why are you with St. Jerk?"

The New Directions' stammering grows into an angry roar.

"Oh, didn't you hear," Jesse's smirk matched the one on Rachel's face, "Vocal Adrenaline gained a new leading lady."

"I transferred to Carmel on Friday, that's why I wasn't in for glee practice. I have to say, its nice to be appreciated for once—not to have to fight tooth and nail for everything only to be ignored. The Range Rover's a nice plus too."

"And me?"

"And Jesse, of course," she laughed, cuddling into his side. "Sorry to leave you without a female lead, but Mercedes did always think she was better than me."

"Good luck. We'll be sure to think of you when we're holding the first place trophy." Jesse turns smoothly and exists before any of the new Directions can get a word in or move to follow, guiding Rachel with him.

"Oh hell no!" Mercedes growls, "That freaking traitor! How dare she, after all we've done for her."

Anything the rest of the group was about to say is cut off when their cue to start performing is announced over the speakers, "And now, from William McKinley High School in Lima, we have the New Directions!"

—

To say that their performance was a mess would be a gigantic understatement. None of the girls knew Rachel's choreography, nor could they belt or hold the high notes. So Mercedes was stuck in the limelight, tripping over her feet and stumbling over lyrics, her voice cracking. As they finished singing the last line of "Don't Stop Believin'," turned out towards the audience expectantly, they were met only with silence and stares of mortification; Ms. Pillsbury was the only person clapping. How did they ever make it to Regionals in the first place?

Trudging backstage miserably, they once again ran into Rachel and Jesse, surrounded by the other twenty-four members of Vocal Adrenaline.

"That sure was something," mocked Andrea Cohen, the previous female lead, causing Vocal Adrenaline to break into taunting laughter.

"Everyone knows that they wouldn't have made it past Sectionals if it wasn't for Rachel." Chris, the six-time senior, drawled from behind his partner.

"Now, for our final performance—three-time National Champions, from Akron, Carmel High School's Vocal Adrenaline!"

Rachel sent one last smirk towards the New Directions, "Watch and learn." With their show faces on big and bright, Jesse led Rachel onstage, their arms intertwined, followed by their backups.

—

(Rachel

Jesse

Both

Everyone)

Is this the real life?

Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide,

No escape from reality.

Open your eyes,

Look up to the skies and see,

I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy,

Because I'm easy come, easy go,

Little high, little low,

Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me.

Mama, just killed a man,

Put a gun against his head,

Pulled my trigger, now he's dead.

Mama, life had just begun,

But now I've gone and thrown it all away.

Mama, ooh,

Didn't mean to make you cry,

If I'm not back again this time tomorrow,

Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters.

Too late, my time has come,

Sends shivers down my spine,

Body's aching all the time.

Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go,

Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth.

Mama, ooh (any way the wind blows),

I don't wanna die,

I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all.

I see a little silhouetto of a man,

Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?

Thunderbolt and lightning,

Very, very frightening me.

(Galileo) Galileo.

(Galileo) Galileo,

Galileo Figaro

Magnifico-o-o-o-o.

I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me.

He's just a poor boy from a poor family,

Spare him his life from this monstrosity.

Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?

Bismillah! No, we will not let you go. (Let him go!)

Bismillah! We will not let you go. (Let him go!)

Bismillah! We will not let you go. (Let me go!)

Will not let you go. (Let me go!)

Never let you go. (Never, never, never, never let me go)

Oh oh oh oh

No, no, no, no, no, no, no

Oh, mama mia, mama mia (Mama mia, let me go.)

Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me.

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?

So you think you can love me and leave me to die?

Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby,

Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here.

(Ooooh, ooh yeah, ooh yeah)

Nothing really matters,

Anyone can see,

Nothing really matters,

Nothing really matters to me.

Any way the wind blows.

—

Their performance, complete with a grand piano, a rising floor, and as many twists, turns, and dips as could be fit in, garners an immediate standing ovation from the crowd, the three judges included (Coach Sylvester even sends Rachel a wink). The harmony of Jesse and Rachel's voices—coupled with their star factor—truly is incomparable, enthralling the audience immediately.

Filled to the brim with the euphoric high of performing, Jesse spins Rachel in elation, her laughter mixing with the renewed applause this cues. As they exit the stage hand-in-hand, their show faces melt away, replaced with equally joyful smiles.

"You were magnificent!" Jesse picks Rachel up into a heated kiss, her legs wrapping around his waist, as their friends cheer and shout catcalls around them.

"Only because I was accompanied by the only male lead who can match me word for world. You have no idea how much I suffered having to sing with Finn!"

"You'll never have to diminish your talent for anyone else again, especially not that bumbling Frankenteen."

Surrounded by friends who actually valued her, as they waiting for the judges to vote, Rachel felt happier than she ever had since starting high school.

—

Standing in the back of the theater from where the New Directions watched Vocal Adrenaline's performance, Puck breaks the silence. "We're screwed!" Mr. Shue can only miserably wipe a hand down his face.

—

Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of "It's an Inevitability"! As soon as I saw Rachel and Jesse together, I immediately fell in love with their dynamic as a couple and could only imagine how great they would be if they were both in Vocal Adrenaline—so I just had to write this! Please review, share your suggestions, and show your love :)