somethingspecial | 24 [Accidental Video]

[Rachel is on stage, pacing in agitation. She looks positively exhausted -- there are circles underneath her eyes and her hair is pulled back instead of hanging loose around her shoulders, like it normally is. The music following her is quiet, at least -- but soon, drums are heard -- a guitar, and Rachel stops in her tracks, in the dead center of the stage, before she closes her eyes.

And finally decides to give into the event and sing.

She does the choreography perfectly -- the voices heard alongside hers are exactly as Rachel remembers them -- the music is perfect -- and the event purposefully leaves out Rachel's voice, in the 'recording', so that she can sing along. When she gets to the end, she's grinning, and she stops on the edge of the stage, a hand outstretched to the audience, before she begins to speak:]

If we sing that every single week before Nationals, it would help our morale enormously -- because the most important thing, fellow Glee club-bers, is that we remember precisely where we came from. That is our true strength --

[She clasps her hands together.]

I really think we have a shot at beating Vocal Adrenaline, but Finn, you need to project mo --

[But as Rachel looks up, to her right, she stops speaking abruptly. Because there isn't anyone there.

Her shoulders slump slightly as she presses a hand to her forehead, sighing to herself shakily as she turns back towards the curtains.

Someone hates this event way more than she thought she would.]

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[She's quiet for a moment before leaning forward a little bit more, to give Jesse a proper hug.]

Thank you.

[He holds her tightly, smiling a bit]

You're doing just fine Rachel. Even if it doesn't feel like it.

[The hug makes her feel much better.]

I hate feeling like I'm walking on eggshells. It's suffocating.

[Rachel is not a quiet person. Or a subtle one. She kicks down the door belting Don't Rain On My Parade with ten minutes notice -- she isn't a fan of minding what she says and sings.]

Of course it is - because you're Rachel Berry. You're not meant to walking on eggshells you're meant to rising to stardom. And you shouldn't be anyone other than Rachel Berry, not for anything. I know it's hard, Rachel, with the kids in your school being how they were and with people trying to define for you what being Rachel Berry means. But the only one who knows who Rachel Berry really is - that's you. And crappy events aside, you know that person deserves to be celebrated.

[She looks a little... surprised, at the talk. Not very many people tell her things like that -- Finn does, in his own way, but Rachel spends a good deal of her day... reigning in her personality. It gets to be a lot, and Rachel recognizes that -- her extraordinarily high maintenance need for attention, her desperate need to be loved -- it's annoying and aggravating. Even Rachel herself finds it annoying and aggravating.

But reigning in the negative aspects of her personality is not the same as reigning in Rachel Berry herself. And Rachel gets those wires crossed... a lot.]

... do you really believe that?

I fell in love with Rachel Berry, who is this amazing girl who you can only meet in a lifetime. And yes she's dramatic and emotional, but I am too. And I'll never want her to be anyone else, of course I believe that, Rachel. I wouldn't have loved you if I didn't.

[She's quiet for a moment or two, to digest that -- ]

I didn't know why I fell in love with you, at first, besides the obvious -- shallow reasons -- you can sing, you have the same goals as I do, all of that --

[Rachel pauses.]

But... when you left, I realized that -- you're one of the only people who taught me how to stand up for myself without trying to change who I was or how I dress or what I sing or justify my priorities or why I had to write Andrew Lloyd Webber an eight page letter demanding psychological treatment for the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera --

[He laughs a bit at the last part]

Outrageous movie it was -

It was an affront to nature and a complete and utter mockery of music. Webber should be properly ashamed of himself.

24 [Accidental Video]

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