A/N: This is my attempt at an AU version of how Rachel and Jesse met and fell in love. I'm not sure how long it'll be, or exactly how it'll go as I don't have the whole thing written yet (unlike my other stories). I hope you all like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee :( Nor do I own any of the songs I decide to use throughout the story.

Rachel was sitting on the couch at her mother's house, where she'd be staying for the summer, telling her mother how much she hated McKinley, when she was interrupted.

"What about transferring to Carmel? You could live here with me. Your Dad is traveling more now, it could be good," Shelby suggested.

"I've thought about it, but I don't want to make him or Daddy upset," Rachel answered.

"I could talk to them about it when they call tomorrow."

"About transferring to Carmel?"

"Yes. You'd be a perfect fit for Vocal Adrenaline. I'll introduce you to Jesse, he's the male lead. He's a lot like you, actually."

"Will he like me?"

Shelby smiled and then said the words she had no idea one day would actually be true.

"He'll love you."

Rachel nodded, a slight smile on her face, as she thought about a future at Carmel, where her talent would be nurtured instead of mocked.

The next day, while her mom was on the phone with her dads, Rachel decided to look around. She'd only been here once before, shortly after her mother had gotten the house. Now that it had been decorated and some of the rooms renovated, it felt and looked like an entirely new place. The room that caught her attention first was the music room.

When she first walked in, the first thing she noticed was the grand piano sitting in the middle of the room. There was also a guitar in the corner, an entire bookshelf filled with sheet music, and pictures on the wall: some of various famous musicians and some of Vocal Adrenaline. Wandering over to the picture closest to her, Rachel read the caption underneath it: Regionals 2009. Looking closer at the picture, she recognized her mother, of course, but the others were total strangers. She saw a tall boy with dark brown, curly hair and piercing blue eyes-brought out even more by the royal blue of his shirt. He was standing next to her mother with a bright grin on his face. She wondered if that was Jesse. It would make sense, she decided, since he was pretty much front and center.

"I was wondering where you wandered off to," Shelby remarked as she walked into the room.

Rachel turned around at the sound of her mother's voice and asked the question that she most wanted to know the answer to.

"What did my dads say?"

"They said that they had actually been considering talking to me about the same thing. We all agreed that if you are determined to pursue a career in the arts, then Carmel is the best school for you," Shelby answered with a smile.

"They're keeping the house in Lima, right?" Rachel asked.

As much as she already loved her mother's house, the house in Lima was her childhood home. It held so many memories that simply weren't able to be packed in a box.

"Yes," Shelby assured her, "They understand the sentimental value of that house-not only to you, but to them as well."

"Good," Rachel said with a nod of her head.

"I was thinking we could go shopping after lunch," Shelby said, changing the subject.

"Shopping for what?" Rachel asked, confused.

"Things for your bedroom here. You can pick any of the guest bedrooms as your own and decorate it however you like," Shelby clarified.

Rachel smiled at her.

"I'd like that."

Shelby returned her daughter's smile and then walked over to the piano in the middle of the room.

"Want to sing something?" she asked.

"Sure, but I have a question first," Rachel answered.

"Okay. Shoot."

"Which one is Jesse?"

Shelby got up from her seat at the piano and then walked over to the picture in question, pointing to the boy standing next to her.

"Him."

"That's who I would have guessed."

"Good guess. He's supposed to stop by tomorrow to get some music he wants to work on over the summer."

"What's he like?" Rachel asked, unsure at the time what it was about a boy she didn't even know that made her want to know everything about him.

"You're just full of questions today. What's with all the questions about Jesse?" Shelby asked with a laugh, though she had a feeling she already knew the answer.

"I just have this feeling that he's someone I'm supposed to meet, and who will play an important role in my life," Rachel answered almost cryptically.

"Well, like I told you yesterday, he's a lot like you. He's very ambitious, very aware of what he wants in life and what it's going to take to accomplish that. He's very talented, and the girls seem to like his curly hair."

"He is cute," Rachel admitted, glancing at the picture once more, "I think he and I will get along just fine."

"I was hoping so, since you'll be co-leads. Now, let's sing something, shall we? I hate to have such a great room and not put it to good use," Shelby said as she made her way back to the piano.

Rachel grinned and nodded before taking a seat next to her mother at the piano.

The next day, Rachel was in the music room looking at all of the musicals on DVD, trying to decide on which one to watch, when she was interrupted by a voice behind her.

"I'd go with Phantom of the Opera if I were you."

Rachel whirled to see who the owner of the voice was and found herself face to face with Jesse.

"You must be Jesse. My mom said you'd be stopping by today," She said, quickly recovering from her surprise.

"That's right. You must be Rachel, then. Shelby said to meet her in here; she was on the phone when I arrived."

"Why Phantom of the Opera?" Rachel asked curiously.

Jesse shrugged.

"You just strike me as someone who could appreciate the drama of it all."

Rachel eyed Jesse curiously for a moment before she spoke again.

"Thanks. I think. Phantom is great, but it's not my favorite."

"What's your favorite, then?" He asked, genuinely intrigued by the tiny brunette in front of him.

"Funny Girl. It's my mom's favorite, too."

Both teens were so involved in their discussion that they didn't notice Shelby watching them from the doorway with a smile on her face. She couldn't have planned Rachel and Jesse's first meeting any better if she tried. She had sent Jesse to the music room out of habit, not realizing that Rachel was already awake and was in the process of picking out a musical to watch. Deciding to leave them be, and not wanting to interrupt their discussion, Shelby walked back towards the kitchen to finish with breakfast.

Later that night, after Jesse had left, Shelby sat down with Rachel to eat dinner and began to ask her about her day.

"So what did you and Jesse talk about for so long? Every time I came in to get something, you two were deep in conversation."

"Pretty much all things music: musicals, show choir, that type of thing. He's pretty much the male version of me. It was nice to be able to find someone I could truly be me around who wasn't family."

"I'm glad you two are getting along so well," Shelby said with a smile.

"I invited him back over tomorrow. We're going to have a musical movie marathon," Rachel told her excitedly.

"What time is this all starting at?" Shelby inquired.

"Well, he said something about Vocal Adrenaline practice in the morning, so I think like 3 or 4."

"You're welcome to come along to practice tomorrow. See what you're getting yourself into."

"Maybe. I wanted to get all the movies and everything ready before he gets here."

"Well, just let me know," Shelby said before she and Rachel began to finish their dinner.

A short while later, they were both startled by the sound of Rachel's text message tone. Rachel looked between the phone and her mother, wanting to see who had sent her the message but not wanting to offend her mother by checking her phone in the middle of dinner.

"Go ahead and check it," Shelby said with a smile and a laugh.

Rachel got up and grabbed her phone, smiling when she saw who the sender was.

"It's from Jesse," she clarified, noticing the curious look on her mother's face.

"Oh?" Shelby asked, unsure what else to say.

"He wants to know if I'm picking out all of the movies for tomorrow or if he gets to pick one or two."

As Rachel was texting Jesse back that yes, he could pick out a couple of the movies, Shelby observed her daughter with a smile. Even though they had just met, she had no doubt that Rachel and Jesse would only grow closer, and judging from Rachel's smile, possibly more than just friends. She'd known Jesse for years before he became her student and she couldn't remember him being so interested in someone before. Being the male lead of Vocal Adrenaline only added to Jesse's good looks and charm-the girls usually pursued him, not the other way around. Shelby was pulled out of her thoughts by Rachel's voice.

"I want to go with you tomorrow."

"Go with me where?" Shelby asked, still a little lost in her thoughts.

"To Vocal Adrenaline's practice," Rachel clarified.

"What changed your mind?"

"I know my dads will be calling tomorrow, and I want to be 100% sure that transferring and joining Vocal Adrenaline is what I want to do. If I'm not, my dads will see right through it."

Shelby nodded in agreement.

"All right. Practice starts at 8 so we need to leave here by 7:30."

"Jesse said he could pick me up, if you wanted to go in earlier."

Even though Shelby liked Jesse, and knew he'd be a perfect match for her daughter, she also knew that he had a reputation with girls that Rachel was as of yet unaware of. As much as she didn't want to crush, or stand in the way of, her daughter's happiness, she felt that Rachel deserved to know the information.

"Rachel, you need to be careful with Jesse," Shelby finally said with a sigh.

"I thought you liked him," Rachel said, confused.

"I do, but I've also known him for many years. He isn't known for getting attached to anyone or anything. You two just met, it's a bit sudden for you to start planning dates, don't you think?"

"It's not a date."

"But you want it to be."

Rachel opened her mouth to deny what her mother had just said, but then closed it when she realized that she had indeed hoped it would be a date. Knowing she could tell her mother anything, Rachel opted for the truth.

"I know it sounds completely irrational for me to like him as much as I admit I do when I've only known him for a few hours. I don't know how to explain it, other than I just have this feeling that he and I are supposed to just…connect the way that we do."

Shelby smiled a little before she responded.

"I understand. I just wanted you to be…aware of what you're getting yourself into. Jesse is very…complex. He doesn't let just anyone in. The fact that he seems genuinely excited about spending the evening with you tomorrow is a very good thing."

"So if he does decide to let you in…how do you know?"

"I wish I could answer that for you. If I had to guess, though, I'd say that he'll start to reveal things about himself he normally wouldn't tell people."

"Like what?" Rachel inquired curiously.

"Like something about his childhood that not many people know. I can't tell you what that is, because it may be something even I don't know, but I can tell you that his childhood isn't something Jesse likes to talk about."

Rachel nodded and then got up to put her dishes in the sink. Shelby followed suit, sort of changing the subject of their conversation.

"I do have some work to do after practice, so you can either hang around with me or Jesse can give you a ride back here afterwards."

Rachel smiled a little and then picked up her phone once more and walked out of the room, continuing to text Jesse.

The next morning, Shelby was only slightly surprised to see Rachel all ready to go when she walked into the kitchen.

"I made omelettes. They're vegan omelettes, but still," Rachel said upon seeing her mother.

"Where did you learn to make omelettes?" Shelby wondered.

"Daddy taught me last summer. I had to practically beg Dad to let me learn, but Daddy was all for it."

"I know you miss your dads, but I hope you can be happy here too."

"I am," Rachel assured her mother as she sat down at the table across from her, "I do miss my dads, but I know they're having a good time. Daddy joked that it was their turn to go off and travel."

"That sounds like something Hiram would say," Shelby said with a smile.

"I'm going to fit in with Vocal Adrenaline, right?"

"Well that was a sudden change in subject," Shelby said with a laugh, "To answer the question, though, I think you'll fit in just fine. You have a great ally in Jesse-if he likes you, it's pretty much guaranteed that most of the team will too."

"Most?"

"Well, except the girls whose solos you will be stealing."

"I'm used to that," Rachel admitted with a shrug.

"Everything will be fine, I promise," Shelby assured her daughter as she reached across the table to pat her hand.

Rachel smiled a little hesitantly as she nodded. Before either she or her mother could say anything else, they heard her cell phone begin to ring. A quick glance at the caller ID told her that it was her dad calling.

"Hi, Dad," Rachel answered excitedly.

"Hi, honey. You're up early," Leroy responded with a smile in his voice.

"I'm going to Vocal Adrenaline's practice with Mom."

"You're positive that transferring is what you want to do, then?"

"It is. Carmel has a great fine arts program, which could help with college in the future. Mom said I could tag along and see what it's like before I make my decision final."

"As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."

"How's your trip?" Rachel asked, changing the subject.

"We haven't had much of a chance to do much since I've been in meetings most of the time we've been here. Your Daddy found something we think you'll like, but he says you'll just have to wait and see what it is."

"That's not fair," Rachel mock complained.

Leroy chuckled.

"It's part of the surprise, my darling daughter."

Seeing Shelby signal that they needed to go, Rachel reluctantly attempted to end the conversation with her father.

"Will you call me later? We need to get going."

"Why don't you give your Daddy a call when you get home and we'll talk more then."

"Sure. I'll call you before Jesse and I start our musical movie marathon."

"Is Jesse a boy or a girl?" Leroy asked, unsure he even wanted to know the answer.

"He's a boy from Mom's show choir," Rachel answered.

"You'll have to tell us how you met."

"I will. Tell Daddy I love him and I said hi. Love you, Dad."

"We love you, too, Rachel."

After hanging up with her Dad, Rachel followed her Mom out to her car.

Once they arrived at Carmel's auditorium, Rachel settled on sitting at the table with her mother-this way she could both observe and ask questions. They were a couple of hours into practice when Rachel noticed that Jesse seemed annoyed with the girl she guessed was the current female lead. A glance at her mother told her that Shelby was aware of this as well.

"Stop, stop, stop," Shelby practically shouted into the microphone on her desk.

Once she had her team's attention, Shelby walked towards the stage as she spoke.

"I want someone else to take the lead."

"But Shelby…" Sasha, the girl currently standing next to Jesse, started.

"No one else wants to do it," Jesse continued.

Shelby sighed and then told them to take a ten minute break.

"Isn't this a Lionel Richie song?" Rachel asked, peering at the sheet music on her mother's desk.

"It is," Jesse answered from the seat he had just taken beside Rachel.

Rachel turned to Jesse and hit him on the shoulder.

"Hey! What was that for?" Jesse asked, rubbing the spot where Rachel had hit him.

"Oh, I didn't hit you that hard," Rachel said with a laugh, "I hit you because you snuck up on me and scared me."

"Sorry?" Jesse offered with a shrug.

"Better be."

Jesse grinned at her before he held out his hand.

"Sing with me."

Rachel placed her hand in Jesse's and felt what could only be described as a jolt. Afraid that Jesse hadn't felt it too, and unsure of what exactly it meant, Rachel avoided his eyes and simply followed him to the stage.