AN: Hello there, everybody. Once again this is anime-lovin'-freak's friend using her account to post another Glee fanfic. In other words, it's not her fault if I make a hash-up of this fic. And I might make a few mistakes because I've missed a few episodes of Season Two. (Unfortunately I watched Episode nine. And cried. Literally.)

In a month (February 6) the next Glee episode will air. And it is very possible that the world will FINALLY (after TWO FREAKING MONTHS) learn the fate of Finchel. In the month we have left to wait, I am going to amuse myself with my own take on the events that could happen. None of them are actually going to at all, which is why I'm naming this an AU.

Now the pairings that will AT LEAST be mentioned in this fic are as follows: Quinn/Sam, Quinn/Puck, Quinn/Finn, Tina/Mike, Artie/Brittany, Will/Emma, Emma/Carl, Kurt/Blaine, Finn/Santana, Santana/Brittany, Rachel/Finn, Rachel/Puck, Rachel/Jesse.

Other than that I can't really tell you much else. The "T" rating is for mild language and suggestive talk in later chapters. There will be spoilers up to the end of episode ten. There will be a lot of singing going on in this fic and the majority of the songs will be ones the cast has already sung. Past all of that, I hope you enjoy. I had fun thinking this out. Reviews will be much loved. Now onto the prologue.

Happy 2011, my fellow Gleeks =]

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

Prologue: An Opportunity

Rachel Berry was on a mission. The cold wind whipping against her face and the snow taking hold of her ankles did nothing to stop her Purposeful Marching. Her head was held as high as it could go, her back stick straight and her face set in determination. It was a stance she had taken many a time before when she was on her way to demand something she just knew she deserved.

But this time, her Purposeful Marching was not for her own gain, per se. This time it was more for her own preservation. The Christmas break had not worked out the way she'd planed, to say the least. She'd actually been looking forward to experiencing her first Christmas because of the excited please of a certain football player. But that certain football player had left the stage of her life abruptly, leaving her holiday open and gaping. She'd tried to fill the time with uploading more MySpace videos, but even that had lost its appeal after a while. And so she decided to turn to the heartbreak remedy of women everywhere: ice cream, romantic movies and shopping.

The latter was extremely difficult to do, what with half the population rushing around the malls like headless chickens. But the bustle had kept her occupied and she had accepted the mad rush gratefully. On her third consecutive day at the mall she'd run into Kurt and Mercedes. Talking with Kurt now came very easily, and the awkwardness between them faded within a minute or so. She'd never expected to have so much fun hanging out with her 'rival' but she was not about to fight the blossoming friendship. Kurt, it seemed, felt the same way and directed all his friendly warmth at the girl as he spoke.

Mercedes did not share that spark of friendship. Which was why Rachel was hesitant when Kurt invited her to tag along with them. After much huming and hawing she finally gave in and was treated to her first Kurt Shopping Experience. It surprised her that he actually picked out some pretty cute things for her to try on. It nearly flabbergasted her when she realized three hours later that her and Mercedes had somehow started to get along. Really well.

They met up several times after that and, to Rachel's bemusement, she found herself becoming better and better friends with both of them. From the comments Mercedes made, she was as surprised at the relationship as Rachel was. Kurt and her now texted almost every evening, talking and teasing like old friends. They talked about everything and anything except Kurt's stepbrother.

But that had been during the winter break. Now it was back to school, and Rachel could no longer hide in giggles and musicals and hot chocolate. Behind the seemingly ordinary doors of McKinley High was Finn and the very large possibility of Mercedes denying the holidays ever happened. This had scared her- had torn a hole of anxiety through her gut and had filled her eyes with tears. But Rachel Barbra Berry was not going to give up that easily. One didn't become a star by admitting defeat. Staring at her mirror that morning she had pep-talked herself into being strong. She was going to walk into that school and show them all. She could survive and survive well without Finn Hudson and nothing anybody did would be able to bring her down.

Which was why she was Purposefully Marching towards the school, ready to put her plan into action. However, somebody didn't seem to notice her empowered striding as they stepped right in front of her, causing her to stop in her tracks so she didn't crash into him. The boy was an unknown student with an ordinary face, ordinary brown hair and an ordinary fashion sense of wearing all black. He stared at her so strangely that Rachel wondered for one wild second if he was going to mug her.

"You sing really well," the boy blurted suddenly.

"Uh… Thank you?" She shifted. "Do you… want an autograph, or something?"

The boy grinned. "Not yet, thanks." He extended his gloved hand. "My name's Jonah Harris."

"Rachel Berry," she said automatically, shaking his hand.

"I know." She flushed. "I've just been elected as the new chairman of the drama club."

"Er…" The drama club has a chairman? "Congratulations? Uhm… I'm kinda in a rush so…"

She made as if to side-step him, but he copied her movement so he was still directly in front of her. Almost as a reflex action, Rachel's hands went to her hips.

"Look. The drama club and the Lima Theatre Guild are teaming up to do another musical. Mr Duncan was thrilled by the success of Les Miserables and he wants to make this year bigger and better. He's decided on a stage adaptation of Moulin Rouge. As it is we only have three people who even want to attempt to audition for Satine. And one of them is really, really old. So I was wondering…"

He trailed off and raised his eyebrow at Rachel, who felt her heart quicken with excitement. She could tell just by Jonah's manner that the play would be as big as Lima could create. And her competition was basically non-existent. This would be a kick-start to her Broadway career, a mere taste of the glory and the lights…

"Thank you for your offer, Jonah. But while I do agree that I would portray Satine the best out of anybody in this town I'm afraid I must decline the offer. I have Glee and… it comes first."

"I know it does. We've already discussed it and we've agreed to make sure rehearsals never intersect with Glee practices. Look, Rachel, I know that your loyalty lies with the Glee Club but… This is a huge opportunity. You'd be helping us and we'd be helping you. So just, think about it, at least. Just in case you need a place to go when the drama in Glee gets too much."

Rachel suddenly felt cold. She knew he was talking about Finn, which meant that he knew what had happened between them. That meant that most of the school knew. Which meant that things would probably be worse than she'd thought. All that would be negated by the applause she was sure to get as the lead in Moulin Rouge. But…

"I'll think about it," she agreed, causing Jonah to smile and pump her hand enthusiastically.

Rachel continued toward the school but her Purposeful Marching was now much more like Thoughtful Wandering.