Chapter 1:
"Rachel. Pay respect to your grandmother." Leroy urged. Rachel looked up at her father with big confused eyes.
"Daddy. I didn't know her. We never went around her because she never wanted to see me or she was sick." Rachel said, slightly annoyed.
For a 9 year old, Rachel Berry was always aware of how people were when it came to her dads. Leroy was the outcast of his family. He grew up in a strict baptist household with two homophobic parents. He was often the odd one out because he wanted to be "the biggest black man on broadway." When his dreams weren't realized, he was ridiculed for a long time and stayed away from his family whenever necessary.
"I don't care, Rachel. She was still your grandma, and you're still supposed to respect her." He said sternly as he patted his daughters little head.
She rolled her eyes at her father's remark and folded her arms. The funeral was boring and she was hungry and tired.
When the service and burial were over, she and her dad sat with his cousins and their kids. All of the other boys and girls were running about dancing to popular songs while Rachel sat next to her father and listened to his iPod.
"Uncle Leroy! Is that your daughter?" A small pudgy chocolate girl asked. She had round cheeks, and bright white smile, and dark brown straightened hair down past her shoulders.
He nodded. "Mercedes this is your cousin Rachel."
Rachel didn't hear her father call her name and she stayed looking down at the ipod. Mercedes walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. Rachel looked up, saw Mercedes smiling down at her, and paused the music.
"Hi, I'm Mercedes Jones." Rachel smiled at her and shook her hand. "I'm Rachel Berry."
Leroy's heart fluttered at the sight of his daughter making friends with family. He was sure that she would leave the funeral with nothing good to say about her family. Rachel had a hard time making friends, especially with Leroys family and friends considereing the fact that she didn't get along with black kids very well. She was always talking about musicals and Barbra Streisand, while the other kids were talking about BET and the new song by some rapper.
"Can I sit with you?" Mercedes asked hoping to get to know her cousin better. Rachel nodded happily and pulled out a chair.
"Where's your other dad?"
"Business trip. Dad is supposed be out to but this is a family emergency. Where's your dad?"
"He stepped out to take a phone call. He's the really tall guy with the bluetooth in his ear."
Rachel looked around and spotted him getting a soda from someone behind a counter. He walked toward the girls with two orange sodas and wide smile across his face.
"Hi girls! I see you've met your cousin Rachel. Nice to meet you! I'm your Cousin Allen, but you can call me your uncle."
Rachel waved and Leroy hugged his cousin. "Allen, you've gotten so tall!" Leroy said to the 6'4 man.
"And you've gotten older!" He playfully shoved the small man. They continued their conversation and same did Mercedes and Rachel as they finished their sodas.
"So Rachel what kind of music do you listen to?"
Rachel thought for a minute, trying to keep he answer short. "Broadway."
Mercedes raised her eyebrows. "Really? Not to sound rascist but I thought you would like pop music or something."
"I do, but I listen to musical soundtracks more than anything. I want to be on broadway when I grow up." She beamed happily.
Mercedes's eyes lit up at the sound of Rachels aspirations to be a star. She too wanted to be a queen of musical theatre, but she never had anyone to share her dreams with. "No way! I want to be on Broadway too!"
"What's your favorite song from a musical?" Rachel asked excitedly.
"Uh... Impossible from Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella. The one with Whitney Houston."
Rachel paused. "I don't recall seeing that one. I probably saw it before, but I've seen so many I don't remember all of them."
Mercedes's jaw dropped in shock. "You don't know if you've ever seen it? Its the best Cinderella in the world!"
Rachel shrugged and Mercedes just blew it off. "My favorite musical is Funny Girl. Fanny Brice is my spirit animal."
Mercedes raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
Rachel's heart skipped a beat and she held her hand to her chest. "You have never seen Funny Girl?"
Mercedes shook her head with an "uh-uh."
Rachels cheeks grew red with embarassment and she looked around the room. There was a kareoke machine on a stage with two microphones.
"Can you sing?" Rachel asked nervously.
Mercedes shook her head. "Can you?"
Rachel did the same and without hesitation or a single word they both ran up to the stage and retrieved a microphone.
"Oh my! Look at our babies!" Leroy said to Allen as they turned in astonishment at the two small girls taking the stage.
"Hello Jones and Berry families!" Mercedes said into her microphone. "I'm Mercedes and this is Rachel and we're gonna sing!"
The whole room cheered on the two girls and clapped as the into of "Tell Me Something Good" by Chaka Khan.
(A/N: This idea kind of came to me one night when I was reading Leroys wikia page. I know that Rachel is technically fully white, but since that is one of her fathers, Mercedes could still be her cousin. I think everyone needs to show the Mercachel friendship (I totally just made that name up) some love. And if I possibly offended anyone with the statements that black kids love rappers, lame dances, and BET, go away because I'm just making a generalization based off of the kids I know. Although if I offended you, I shouldve offended myself, too. But I didn't. I kind of made Rachel awkward around her black side of the family because I'm black and I get all excited about singing and things like that and most black kids don't like me at all. I personally believe its because I refuse to dance to the stuff they dance to and I talk really proper (unlike everyone else). R&R please.)