Hi everyone,

So this is my first ever attempt at a Fan Fiction, and it will be a multi-chapter Fic if enough people like it.

It's a Rachel centric Fic, since I think she is the most awesome character in the world. It will basically deal with all the relationships around her being Rachel/Finn, Rachel/Shelby, Rachel/Jesse and maybe Rachel/Quinn. I also might add some other extras if I remember. So this fic will pretty much be based around the two Glee clubs having to deal with each other, but also the challenges and relationships Rachel must deal with along the way. The 'method' Shelby and Mr Schue use will be revealed in probably the 4th chapter.

This Fic is set after the summer, so basically in season two. Everything you've seen in the show HAS happened, except I've made it that Jesse was NOT a senior, therefore would return to VA. Hope you enjoy it

Disclaimer: If I owned Glee, I wouldn't waste my time on this site

The summer had finally passed. Not that it had been a bad summer for Rachel, if fact it had been fantastic. Her dads shocked Rachel when they told her the family would spend summer touring the US and attending every Broadway Musical they came passed. Okay, not every one, since booking just wasn't that easy, not to mention her dads weren't exactly rich. But Rachel felt so spoiled over the holidays bragging about it just came naturally. Well, more naturally than usual.

The break had been good for her. After everything that occurred before and after regional's, Rachel needed to clear her mind before she returned to the emotional rollercoaster that was McKinley High and Glee. The Shelby Corcoran and Jesse St James fiasco had passed. She'd finally gotten over the self obsessed bastard of Vocal Adrenaline, much to the credit of Finn Hudson.

Every morning Rachel seemed to wake up, wondering if his confession of love actually happened. When she realises it did, she would spend the next few minutes wondering whether he meant it, a question still left unanswered. Not that she thought badly of Finn, it was no secret that Rachel has had feelings for him since the first day he joined glee. Those feelings may have even been there while she was dating Jesse. But the problem was Finn had already used and hurt her three times now. The first time was when kissed in the auditorium, and he ran straight back to Quinn without explanation. The second time he used her feelings for him to manipulate Rachel to return to Glee WHILE Quinn was pregnant. And the last time was when they were actually dating, then he broke up with her to "find his inner rock star", then basically a day later said he only wanted to be with Rachel. That was just confusing.

But this time she was finding it really hard to find another motive to show it wasn't true. He had been chasing her ever since she started dating Jesse, which she did find quite attractive. Plus he sang Jessie's Girl to her, which was the cutest and most courageous thing Rachel had ever seen. So she came to the conclusion that she would give him a chance, a conclusion she was quite happy with. Rachel just hoped that when they saw each other again that morning for the first time in months that things wouldn't get too confusing. Her phone broke while she was in New York, which pissed her off because she couldn't have any contact with her friends or Finn. Rachel assumed they were dating now, since the attraction was obviously mutual and obviously recently voiced. She was hoping that he might clarify that, since it was him saying he loved her. She didn't think she could say she loved him back yet though. She cared for him deeply, but she just wasn't at that stage yet. Rachel knew she could blame the on the asshole that broke her heart, Jesse St James.

Driving to school, the excitement had really begun to boil. She couldn't wait to see the entire Glee club again, even Quinn. They had really come together at the end of the year, and hearing Kurt's fashion tips, Mr Schue's lectures, or even Puck's sexual comments just seemed like a blessing. Rachel's eyes scanned the parking lot like an X – ray machine to find the closest space possible. She found one right next to the dumpster, which was surprisingly unoccupied. The dumpster that is.

It was only a matter of seconds after she stepped out of her car that she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"What's up dude?" Finn quickly whipped his head around to see the familiar sight of his best friend Puck, with a newly grown Mohawk resting in the centre of his head.

"Ha-ha, hey!" Finn laughed as he grabbed Puck's outstretched hand and swung his arm around his shoulder to give a firm punch in the back.

"How was your summer man?" Puck asked as they walked towards the school with their bags slung over their shoulders.

"Puck, I saw you like every day! It's sad that you have to ask."

"Fine, next time I won't start a conversation." Finn laughed.

"Good, didn't really do much but the break was cool." It was true; Finn hadn't done much over the holidays. Yes he did see Puck a lot, on the days he wasn't out with Quinn, but otherwise he mostly stayed at home listening to Kurt's theories on Footballers and Helmets, or maybe it was shoulder pads. One of the two. Kurt did ask him if he wanted to join him and Mercedes, and sometimes Artie and Tina going shopping, but Finn couldn't imagine going through that many hours of Diva talk.

And that was when he really began to miss Rachel's company. Puck, Matt and Mike were great fun and all, but she just made him feel better than anyone else could. Special even. Well, how could she not. He loved her after all. And now that Finn had told her that, he felt like he'd found his own resolution. She was going to be his girlfriend, and Finn would not screw it up this time.

"… aren't even listening to me are you?" Finn's head snapped back up to see Puck's mocking glance.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I said you should order that tutu to match your personality!" Puck smiled, "Nah, I said did you talk to Rachel over the summer?"

Finn sighed. "Not really, I did at the beginning of the holidays but her phone broke in New York, and her dads wouldn't let her use their phone so the last time I talked to her was like four weeks ago".

"Tough break. You haven't told her about the whole Beth thing have you? Me and Quinn talked to everyone already and asked them not to mention anything. We didn't think Rachel would take it well if she found out her mom adopted another kid."

Finn nodded. "Don't worry I won't. I don't want to see her get upset either. Besides if anyone should tell her it's her mom." He really felt for Rachel. In a way he knew how it felt. When his mom started to date Mr Hummel, Finn didn't only feel like they were betraying his dad, but almost like he wasn't good enough for her. They had lived by themselves for years, every since his dad died. So when she found someone else, he questioned what he was worth to his mom. Of course the situation with Rachel wasn't the same. However he didn't want to see Rachel go through that.

Puck's voice once again interrupted his thoughts.

"Speak of the devil, look who just arrived." They had almost reached the entrance but Puck had just spotted the petite brunette parking right next to the dumpster. He immediately looked to his best friend, whose face lit up like he saw a Hawaiian pizza. At least, that's how Finn might describe it.

"You know what I'll see you later Finn, gotta get my locker organised anyway." Finn turned to Puck, a wide grin still happily on his face as he nodded in appreciation. And as Puck turned once more just before entering the school, Finn was already running into the distance.

Finn couldn't help but run to Rachel's car. His mind wasn't in control, but he honestly didn't care. As approached her car though, he realised catapulting in to her might not make Rachel happy. So he began to walk the last metres as she was pulling her bag, or in Rachel's case her suitcase out of the back seat. As usual, she was dressed in her classic short skirt, well one of them, and sequin leg warmers that reached her knees. Finn had sorely missed that sight for what seemed like eons.

"Would you like some help with that?" For the first time in six weeks, Finn was able to stare into the adorable, shimmering brown eyes of the girl he loved.

"Finn!" Finn's smiled was mirrored across from him as he pulled Rachel into the biggest crushing bear hug he'd ever given, lifting the small girl off the ground. They both laughed as he twirled her in the air before gently placing her feet back on the ground.

"Hey, I missed you! Where you been!" Finn eagerly asked. Of course it was a pointless question. Now he knew what Puck meant about making conversation.

Rachel frowned, still smiling. "Did you miss my five text messages about seeing the greatest shows in the entire world?" Laughing, Finn grabbed Rachel's suitcase with one hand, held the other out for Rachel to grab. She took it and together they walked towards the school.

"Oh right! The ones about you getting the chance to grow as a shining star!" Finn exclaimed. He smiled down at her. Her skin felt softer and looked darker than ever. Spending much more time travelling in the sun had given her a fantastic tan. She looked more smoking than ever. "Well if it makes any difference, I don't think you could get much brighter."

She grinned at his compliment, released his hand then gave him another hug as they walked before interlocking their fingers again. "What about you? What you do this summer?"

"Well I hung out with the guys you know. Played video games, some football, the usual stuff." There was a pause. "But I missed my admittedly high maintenance, exciting girlfriend."

Rachel looked up and inside breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God he said it.

"Well, so did she." Finn looked quizzically at Rachel, and for a moment she was confused. "Missed you that is!" he smiled, and for the first time in months Rachel felt things would actually be okay.

Finn was feeling the same. It had been too long since he and Rachel had just talked together. As they walked down the halls Finn didn't care who stared at them, or if he would be slushied for an entire year if it meant Rachel would be the one to clean him up.

"So, what shows did you like? Tell me all about your trip!" Finn released Rachel's hand and slung his arm over her shoulder. They walked together down the halls of McKinley, and Rachel began the everlasting rant on her holiday. 'Imperfect pitch' was the theme for many of the Broadway shows, but Rachel did speak of moments she saw where she knew she would one day stand.

"And while she was up there singing, she looked down at me and Finn I just knew that this was fate showing me my destiny!" Finn could only smile at her assumption, and even though he did agree to an extent, Rachel had a gift for over analysing things.

"Rachel, you will always belong on stage and it is inevitable that you one day will reach your dream of singing every Barbara Streisand song in front of a live audience!"

Oh please don't use that word. Jesse had said the same thing a couple months before, and one thing Rachel did not want to see right now, or ever, was similarities between the two boys. However, she smiled at Finn anyway, knowing his sweet intentions.

"You know Finn, you could be standing right there next to me! After all that practice last year you have really improved! And it's time you realised how talented you really are!" They had reached Rachel's locker by this point, and she had finished organising her books for the new year. Thankfully her locker was not graffitied with some sort of sexual drawing made by someone artistically challenged.

"Thanks Rach, but I think I'll stick to standing next to you in the hallway of McKinley High for now." Rachel smiled. She loved it when Finn called her Rach.

Finn hadn't realised how much time had passed while listening to Rachel's ranting. So when the bell went to go to home class, he realised he still needed to get his locker organised. "Sorry Rach I gotta go. But I'll see you at lunch ok?" She quietly nodded. Finn contemplated what to do at this point. They were going out, but since he told her that he loved her and she hadn't told him yet he thought some initiation should come from her. So he leant over and kissed her on the cheek before turning around and leaving. He didn't look back, and missed Rachel smiling as he walked away.

Rachel knew it was probably better to take things slow anyway. The last time they dated they sort of just jumped into things right after Finn broke up with Quinn. That was one of the biggest reasons he may have broken up with her. For now, she was just thrilled to see him again.

At lunch, the entire Glee Club had finally re-united. They all sat together in the corner of the cafeteria and shared stories of their summer. Naturally, Finn sat next to Rachel, and they all listened as the boys bragged about their new records on 'Call of Duty'.

"Come on guys, fifty kills in five minutes! You can't beat that!" Puck exclaimed.

Mike scoffed. "Yeah the only reason you got that many Puckerman is because Finn couldn't tell button A from button B!"

That's when they all got fired up. The girls had to shield their ears from overloading aggression.

"Hey! I remember kicking your ass into the ground Chang! Not to mention Matt's! At least I could aim the gun!" Finn retaliated.

It was then Matt's turn. "Yeah, at what the huge building in front of your face!"

There was no stopping the boys. Every one of their ego's had to be defended, which was kind of sad since they were arguing over a game. But, then Rachel's supposed that that was just boys. After 5 minutes of constant insults and attempted come backs, Kurt finally decided to intervene.

"Boys, Boys! You guys really need to get out more. I don't want to come to school one day seeing you all dressed in camo gear with shaved heads!" Everyone laughed at this, and the boys finally decided to calm down. Rachel could tell since Finn gently grabbed her hand immediately after.

"Don't worry, I don't think I'll play X – Box with Puck again for a while," Finn stated.

And once again, Brittany opened her mouth to say those wonderful words of wisdom. "You did that all in a box?"

The table went quite for a moment, so Rachel thought she'd take the opportunity to change the subject.

"So Quinn, Puck, how is Beth doing? Is she being taken good care of?"

Luckily for Puck and Quinn, Rachel was oblivious to the looks each member of the Glee club were shooting one another. She was however aware of a new tension that surrounded the table, and immediately thought she had asked an inappropriate question.

"Not that it is any of my business of course!"

"Oh no it's not a problem at all," Quinn said. "Yeah she is doing wonderfully; the owner is fantastic so me and Puck are real happy!"

"Owner? So there's just one parent?" Rachel asked.

Puck decided he'd give some specifics to stop the questions. "Yeah, it's a single mom who moved from Los Angeles. She just got divorced and wants kids so we thought she'd take great care of Beth. She was a pretty hot milf too, looked like Beth wasn't the only thing she could take care of!" Quinn agressively then punched Puck.

Rachel rolled her eyes at Puck, but his explanation did shut her up, and the tension dissipated as the lunch was nearing its end.

Glee club that afternoon was like a refreshing start. Tina walked in proclaiming she had arrived 'home', which in its own way was actually the case for the kids. Mr Schuester began the year with another pep talk about potential and dreams, his mouth on an endless run of exclaiming 'you are stars' and 'not even you realise your potential'. Rachel scoffed, of course she did.

The assignment for the week was to, as a group, find a song which represented which direction they wanted to go for the year as a club. Naturally, Rachel burst out listing an uncountable amount of Broadway songs she had experienced during her trip. And naturally the Glee kids all moaned, but not in an irritant tone. In fact while they were moaning Rachel was pretty sure she spotted grins on all their faces, especially Finn's. So Rachel decided she would visit the music store to explore some options, and other kids decided to also search their musical vocabulary. At the end of the day the club disbanded all ready to tackle the new challenges set forth. Once again, Rachel and Finn walked hand in hand out into the parking lot.

"So you sure you don't want me to come with?"

Rachel nodded. "Don't worry I won't get lost. Trust me I think I know where each CD is off by heart by now!" Finn smiled. And before he could walk away, Rachel leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. It was a small soft gesture, but it did enough to make butterflies appear in Finn's stomach.

Caught up in the moment, Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist and spun her in the air for a second time in the day. But this time he leaned his head forward and kissed her again, this time more passionately. As they parted, and Finn had stopped twirling Rachel around his body, they both saw a new glimmer in each others' eyes. Maybe this would work after all.

"It was awesome to see you again Rach. See you tomorrow morning!" And with that, the teenagers separated and drove out of the parking lot waving goodbye.

Ok, so Rachel didn't get lost in the music store, but her visit wasn't exactly beneficial. Either she was just distracted, or too happy to concentrate on anything. After all this time her and Finn finally were working out, and nothing , nothing was going to screw them up this time round. But then, Rachel was uncanny at wishful thinking.

She knocked a bunch of Cd's over for the third time that afternoon, and the saleswomen gave her another look of disapproval. Luckily, a nice boy bent over to help Rachel pick up the records. At least, that's what she thought before she looked up.

"Here, let me help you with that!"

Rachel opened her mouth wide in shock, because standing before her was the one and only, Jesse St. James.

So? Good or bad? Will you keep reading this? I hope you enjoyed the first chapter

Reviews would be MUCH appreciated! Good or bad, bad being 'constructive', and not YOU SUCK. Thanks for reading :)