AN: Hello readers! This is a story I started awhile ago and posted earlier but unfortunately I was unhappy with the way it was progressing so I took it down. I've been having a bit of trouble continuing my other story that's been in progress, Leaving Lima, so I decided to switch gears. This story takes place a few weeks after "Sectionals" when Finn discovers the true paternity of the baby. Hope you enjoy!
AN2: As far as the story goes, it's a bit AU since Rachel's mother didn't actually abandon her on the show. Also this story has a bit of Puckleberry action so don't say I didn't warn you.
Rachel Berry had been called a lot of things in her life: crazy, insane, obsessive compulsive, a control freak. She was used to that. There weren't too many people in Lima that were willing to sacrifice their popularity to befriend her. Not even the glee kids, who got about as little respect as she did, would ever attempt to offer friendship. For this reason she was used to being alone.
It was a few weeks after "babygate" had broken. The animosity in the choir room was almost unbearable. Quinn and Puck sat next to each other in the choir room as Finn attempted to sit as far away from them as possible. Quinn's constantly sorrowful expression never left her face. Meanwhile, Finn refused to speak to anyone he felt had been a part of the secret, including Rachel. No matter how many times she tried to explain that she broke the news to him as soon as she found out, he didn't believe her.
The realization that Finn may never forgive her felt like a blow to the chest. The overbearing sense of loneliness she had felt for so long suddenly seemed more tragic than ever. Those brief moments they spent together had wrongly led her to believe that she would never have to be alone again. Now that he wanted nothing to do with her, Rachel Berry was not only alone but completely broken inside.
Her first instinct was to act as though the whole Quinn/Finn/Puck baby daddy drama had never happened. She would forget about Finn's rejection and move on with her life, and that's exactly what she did, sort of.
It was hard to completely forget about the whole situation when she had been pining over Finn for so long, but then she had met Jesse. Even though he had been on the rival team, Vocal Adrenaline, and the gleeks were convinced that he was using her, Jesse proved his devotion by transferring to McKinley just to be with her. Now that she had her leading man, everything should have been perfect, right?
If that was the truth, why did she still feel so alone?
She came to the conclusion that even though she had Jesse she still craved the friendship and the feeling of being accepted. If she was to become one of the most respected Broadway stars of all time she would have to be able to gain the respect of her fellow peers. She knew it would be a challenge but it was a challenge she was willing to take on. How hard could it possibly be? Rachel Berry would no longer be the overbearing obsessive compulsive diva she was labeled as. It was time for a change.
With this goal in mind, Rachel bounced around excitedly. She was ready to do whatever it took to accomplishment it, but she had no idea where to start. The old Rachel Berry probably would have made a color coded chart for whatever she had in mind but already she was changing. It was strange actually; in no way did she want to become a completely different person just to get people to like her. God forbid she turned into a Quinn Fabray, or worse, a Santana Lopez. This was going to take some practical thinking but overanalyzing it would get her nowhere.
She stood up, smoothed down her skirt, and prepared to make her way downstairs. As she skipped towards her door she caught her reflection in the mirror of her room. She was wearing one of her normal outfits, a white button down and sweater vest paired with a short black skirt, knee highs, and flats. People like Quinn and Santana always made fun of her clothes ever since she started high school. Even Kurt had made snide comments about the way she dressed saying she looked like a grandma and a toddler at the same time. How was that even possible?
Nevertheless, she hadn't always dressed the way she did. It was only because her fathers had always told her it was the socially acceptable way a young lady was to dress. The way other teenagers her age dressed was 'disgraceful' and 'tasteless' according to Hiram and Leroy Berry. She never questioned them because she had no reason to. She took one last look in the mirror before making her way down the stairs.
She found a note on the coffee table, her fathers were away again. Daddy was in Seattle for an important business meeting and Dad was up north somewhere for a medical conference. They were always away so she didn't think much of it. She sat down at the table with her breakfast and chewed silently.
So lost in her thoughts she practically jumped out of her chair when she heard the screeching of a car making an abrupt stop. She raced to the door just in time to see car speeding away from her house. Assuming it was someone from school playing a practical joke and driving off before they got caught; she stepped outside to survey the damage.
Rachel was confused. They hadn't egged her house or forked the lawn. There wasn't any toilet paper anywhere or any broken windows. Who could it have been and why did they drive off so quickly?
Whoever it was, they were long gone by then. She decided to forget about the whole thing and made her way back towards her house. Just as she opened the door she saw something from the corner of her eye. She looked closer and realized it was a small brown box. It looked harmless enough so she took it inside and set it on the kitchen table.
"What in the world is this?" She mumbled under her breath.
She opened the flap of the box and peered into it. She was confused at first until she started pulling things out. They were old, covered it dust as though they hadn't been touched for years. Most of them were baby and toddler clothes. There were some toys and a few CDs. She sifted through the box until she found and old cassette player.
The cassette tape was still inside and an envelope was taped to it. She peeled off the envelope and saw that it was addressed to 'Rachel' it neat script. Rachel didn't know what to think of it. She racked her brain in an attempt to figure out why someone would leave this box for her.
She set down the letter and picked up an old child's rattle she found at the bottom of the box. It was pink and white with music notes all over. She stared at it curiously until it finally hit her.
This rattle was hers.
He eyes widened as she looked at the rest of the things. The clothes, the toys, the CD's, they had all belonged to her at one point in her life. Her eyes widened and she tore open the letter. Unfolding it she discovered it was practically ten pages long. She flipped through the pages without reading them until she reached the end.
It was signed: -Mom-