When Ava started high school, she insisted on taking the bus or walking home from school. In previous years, which ever parent could be there would make the rounds and pick up all the kids in the car.
"But Mom!" Ava had exclaimed when she'd first suggested the idea. "No one gets picked up from high school by their parents!"
"I would, saves getting the bus." Adam inputted from his seat at the table.
"Adam." Rachel said disapprovingly, sending the boy a look. "Ava, I just don't see the point! Your father and I are already picking everyone else up anyway."
"But Mom! I can drive in a year's time! What about me learning to be independent and learning how to deal with bad situations on my own?" She suggested, looking around at her family in protest. "I'm the only fifteen year old I know who doesn't have a key to her house and who has to ask her parents to ferry her around everywhere!"
"Rach, maybe it isn't such a bad idea." Finn stated, looking at his wife across the table.
"I'm not talking about this over dinner." Was the only thing Rachel had to say after that.
Finn had talked her round and Ava had started either getting the bus or walking with her friends. It was a good arrangement. It cut the trip down for Finn or Rachel as they didn't have to go the high school and Ava got to bond with her friends. She always got embarrassed inviting friends round her house though. She'd had friends over from middle school but she started at a new high school where she didn't really know anyone. The first time she brought a friend home had the poor girl shaking in her boots.
"Whoa! You live here?" Emily asked, looking at Ava who blushed. The house wasn't exceedingly extravagant but with four kids and relatives who were constantly visiting, it had to be quite large. It had six bedrooms and three bathrooms but on first sight, looked rather intimidating.
"Um yeah." The fifteen year old shuffled her feet slightly, feeling awkward about the whole situation.
"What do your parents do?!" The blonde girl asked as they walked up the drive, staring at the house in front of her.
"Well my dad teaches the third grade and my mom… My mom's on Broadway." It wasn't that Ava was ashamed of Rachel, she thought it was awesome that her mom was a star but at school she was just Ava Hudson and nobody looked at her weirdly, not like the paparazzi that spammed the family anytime they entered the city.
"Oh that's really cool, is she like in the chorus or something?" Her friend asked as they approached the door.
"Um no, not really." Ava smiled and opened the heavy door, letting Emily go in first. It was one of those rare occasions where Finn and Rachel were both there for the after school rounds.
"Hi sweetie." Rachel greeted from where she was folding washing in the laundry room.
"Hey Mom." Ava smiled, kicking her shoes off by the door and placing them on the shoe rack, gesturing for Emily to do the same. "Emily's with me, we've got a project to work on."
"Alright honey." The mother grinned, stepping into the hallway to smile at the other teenager. "Hi, I'm Rachel, Ava's mom."
"I'm Emily." The girl smiled, looking in amazement at Rachel.
"Well you girls can head on upstairs, shout if you need anything." She smiled and passed them, catching Adina in her arms when the little girl jumped at her.
"Wait, your mom's Rachel Hudson?! How did I not figure this out before?!" Emily asked, her gaze still on Rachel as she swung Adina onto her hip.
"I don't know, it's your brain." Ava giggled, tugging on her friend's hand. "Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone."
They entered the kitchen and Ava headed straight for Finn who was sat at the table, marking reports. "Hey honey." He smiled, hugging her quickly.
"Hi Dad." She grinned, kissing his cheek. "Emily, this is my dad. Dad, this is my friend Emily."
"It's nice to meet you." He nodded at the girl who smiled and replied in the same fashion.
"Ava!" Adam exclaimed, coming up behind his big sister and ruffling her hair. Her brother had inherited their father's height whilst Ava, while still taller than Rachel, was shorter in stature.
"Ugh, why are you so enthusiastic? This is Adam, my annoying little brother." Ava introduced him and Emily laughed, smiling at Adam who winked. "Ugh, go away."
"Hi Ava." Eli looked up from where he was sat reading to smile at his big sister. Ava melted and hugged him, ruffling his hair.
"Hey Eli, can you say hi to Emily?" She prompted, gesturing to the girl. The shy boy smiled and waved.
"Oh he's a cutie." Emily grinned as they left the kitchen, heading up the stairs.
"You forgot someone!" Adina's voice rang out from where she was hanging off Rachel. Ava grinned and turned on the stairs, looking at the little girl.
"Mom? Are you bringing random little girls home again?" She asked, winking at her friend.
"Well this one is rather cute." Rachel laughed, holding Adina upside down.
"I guess we could let her sleep in the shed." Ava suggested, watching as her little sister pouted.
"I guess so, I wonder who she belongs to?" Rachel pondered, flipping the girl back up the right way.
"Mommy! I'm Adina!" She giggled, turning her mother's face towards her.
"Adina? Now why does that sound familiar?" Rachel asked, looking towards Ava and Emily as if for help.
"Mommy!" The seven year old giggled. "It's me!"
"Of course it is Addy!" Rachel laughed, kissing her cheek before setting her down. "Don't run sweetie, you're in socks!"
"So that's Adina." Ava laughed and Emily joined in. The girl had a sister herself around Adina's age.
"Oh Ava honey, I've got a show tonight so just make sure your father doesn't burn the house down." Rachel winked, smiling at her eldest.
"I heard that!" Finn's voice sounded from inside the kitchen.
"I should hope so, who puts tin foil in the microwave?" Rachel giggled back, smiling as the teenagers laughed.
"Rach! I was seventeen years old!"
"Still happened!"
"Your family's awesome." Emily laughed as the girls continued up the stairs.
Since then, she'd gotten more and more used to having people over after school. Emily, her best friend, came over nearly every day and other friends joined too.
So when the door opened and all Rachel saw was a blur of color running up the stairs, she knew something was wrong. Ava was normally bubbly and even if she didn't have a friend with her, she'd stop for a chat with whichever parent was home. She heard the sobs from the teenager's room and her heart broke for her daughter.
"Is that Ava?" Eli asked, looking up at Rachel with wide eyes.
"Yes honey. I'm going to go talk to her, you stay here and do your homework." She smiled and kissed the boy's hair before heading up the stairs. She knocked lightly on Ava's open door before she stepped inside, making sure to shut it behind her. The fifteen year old was spread across her bed, her head buried in the pillows. Her backpack had been hazardously thrown on her chair and her body was shaking with sobs.
"Go away! She muttered, turning her face further into the pillows.
Rachel ignored her and settled on the bed by her head. She didn't make any move to touch the girl, just sat there as Ava cried. This peaked Ava's interest and she lifted her head to look at her mother. The girl had mascara running down her cheeks and a red mark on her cheek which made Rachel gasp.
"Oh honey, what happened?" She asked, reaching out to touch her daughter's face. The girl sighed and sat up, sitting next to her mother on the bed.
"It was one of the cheerleaders." She said softly, her head downcast. "She said that she'd had enough of some insignificant freshman prancing around like I was important."
"Oh sweetie." Rachel sighed, tugging the girl into her arms.
"I told her that she was the insignificant one and I'd be surprised if she ever made it out of the suburbs. That was when she slapped me. One of the teachers pulled her away but she yelled that I'd never get anywhere with my nose." Ava explained and a fresh round of tears sprung to her eyes. Rachel pulled her closer and the girl cried into her mother's shoulder, knowing that she was safe here.
"Ava, honey, you're beautiful, absolutely stunning. And you're so right, she's the insignificant one. I can bet you that her popularity will end when high school does, sweetie." Rachel sighed, hugging her daughter close.
"Mom? I want a nose job."
Those four words sent Rachel's world crashing down around her. Ava, her beautiful, talented daughter, wanted a nose job? It was as if she were in high school again, considering the option herself. She'd been so sure that it was the right plan but now she couldn't imagine life if she'd gone ahead with the surgery. There was no way she'd have landed Funny Girl and that was the show which kick started her career.
"Honey…" She tried to interject but Ava continued talking.
"No Mom, I'm sick to death of the torments. Every time someone makes fun of me, my nose is involved! I hate it!" She exclaimed, tears pouring down her cheeks once more.
"Stay right here." Rachel said, leaving her daughter on her bed. The young girl had a confused expression on her face as her mother left the room and entered her own. She climbed on a chair (where was Finn when you needed him?) and reached the top shelf in their closet. Pulling out her high school scrapbook, she flicked through the pages, and found the spread she wanted, hurrying back to Ava. She presented the book to her daughter who looked at it with interest.
On the double page spread were around a dozen pictures. The small printouts that the doctor had made up so she could see what she would look like with Quinn's nose were stuck in the corner. There was a few pictures of her with a sterile strip on her nose and some with Kurt and Mercedes taken after her Barbra-vention. In the middle of the page was a picture of the Glee club wearing their t-shirts proudly and there were a few other pictures of individual members pointing to their 'flaws'. Written across the top of the spread in the pink marker used throughout the scrapbook were the words 'Born This Way'.
"Mom? I don't understand." Ava frowned, looking at her mother who had sat down next to her again.
"When I was sixteen, your father whacked me onto the floor during a Glee rehearsal. A trip to the doctors confirmed that I had a deviated septum and the doctor pointed out that it would be a perfect opportunity for me to get a nose job. I was seriously considering it, I had the appointment booked and everything. That is until my friends convinced me not to. Mr. Schue planned a whole week in Glee club where we sang about accepting ourselves for who we are and they even organized a Barbra Streisand flash mob at the mall. It took all of that to realize that getting a nose job, was going to change me and it was a big deal. So I cancelled the appointment and today, I'm so glad I did. Fanny, Maria, everything I've done since then wouldn't have been possible if I'd gone through with the surgery all those years ago. I wanted to feel beautiful and be accepted just like all the other girls were but they all had their insecurities too. Nobody's perfect honey but your nose is not something you need to change." She smiled, looking at the pictures.
"Why are you all wearing t-shirts with weird phrases on them?" Ava asked, looking at the pictures as well. Rachel laughed and explained the final number they did that week, along with the t-shirts to go along with it.
"You're beautiful Ava, just the way you are and you do not need to change a thing about you." Rachel smiled, tapping her eldest on the nose. Ava giggled and shook her head. "If those cheerleaders have something else to say, we'll set your father and brother on them, alright?"
"Mom!" Ava exclaimed, giggling slightly. "I thought you didn't condone violence?"
"I don't normally." She smiled, and kissed Ava's hair.
"You know, you've never shown us your old Glee club performances and I know you have hem on that DVD. Can we watch them?" The teenager asked, looking at her mother who smiled.
"Of course, popcorn?" She winked, standing up and leading Ava down the stairs.
"Ava!" Adina exclaimed, running over to hug her sister. "Are you sad?"
The little girl had a pout on her face that Adina had to smile at, lifting her onto her hip. "I was Addy, but then Mommy made it better."
"Mommy's very good at that. You know, I think she's magic." The seven year old stage whispered and Ava saw Rachel trying not to laugh.
"I think so too, Addy." Ava grinned and carried the little girl into the living room.
"Mom said we were watching her and Dad's old Glee performances?" Adam asked, settling down in an armchair.
"Yeah, we are." Ava smiled as Adina crawled onto her lap.
"Cool! I want to watch them sing together!" Eli exclaimed, rather out of character as he ran in.
"Eli, what are you talking about? They're always singing." Ava asked, confused. It was true, the Hudson household was always full of music. Rachel and Finn whilst doing mundane tasks and they often had karaoke nights as a family.
"Yeah but on stage, like Mom does." Eli explained as Rachel entered, holding bowls of popcorn which were quickly snatched out of her hands.
They laughed as they watched the first sectionals, static dancing and cheesy song choices all included.
"How old were you here Mom?" Adam asked, looking over at his mother who was laughing at Puck during Somebody to Love.
"Fifteen." She smiled and winked at Ava who grinned.
"Ava's fifteen." Adina commented, snuggling up to her mother who laughed a little.
"Yep, Ava is fifteen and Adina's seven." She smiled, ruffling the seven year old's hair.
It was at this point that Finn entered and, upon hearing the music coming from the TV, danced into the living room, much to the amusement of his wife and children. Rachel laughed as he pulled her up to dance with him, the two of them statically dancing causing their children to cry with laughter.
They continued to laugh when their Journey medley from Regionals began to play.
"Seriously? These songs were old even back then!" Adam laughed, watching with mirth as his parents sang on screen.
"Hey Rach?" Finn whispered in her ear as Don't Stop Believin' finished. She looked up at him quizzically. "I'm forever yours, faithfully."
She rolled her eyes but kissed him quickly as their Sectionals from junior year rolled onto the screen.
"Why's Aunt Quinn singing with Uncle Sam? Where's Uncle Puck?" Adina asked, her eyes wide.
"Aunt Quinn and Uncle Noah weren't together at that point." Ava explained with a smile to her mother as she emphasized Noah. Puck had been desperate for as many people as possible to continue calling him Puck but Rachel wasn't having any of it.
"Ah, okay." The little girl was happy and they watched happily as Mike and Brittany danced wonderfully.
As Get It Right started to play, the kids gasped and looked at Rachel who smiled. "I told you I wrote it in high school."
"Yeah, but I didn't realize you used it in Glee! That's so cool because now you can listen to your CD and see how you've improved!" Ava squealed and Finn laughed, she was so like her mother, it was untrue.
"Go Mom!" Adam grinned as she hit the high note and Rachel laughed, whacking him on the back of the head lightly.
During Loser Like Me, Rachel sent Ava a very meaningful glance and the fifteen year old blushed but nodded.
"What was that about?" Finn whispered, pulling her into his arms under the guise of dancing.
"I'll tell you later." She smiled and twirled in his arms. They both blushed as Pretending started and their kids started gushing about Rachel's CD again. One day while Rachel was halfway through composing her first album, she'd asked Finn about putting the duet on there and he'd agreed happily.
"We get it Ava, comparisons and vocal progression. Blah, blah, blah. Plus, we've all heard it more than enough seeing as Mom's CD is the only thing Dad plays in his car." Adam laughed, rolling his eyes.
"Leave your sister alone, she's just commenting. And I think it's very romantic of your father." Rachel smiled, raising an eyebrow at Adam and smiling at Finn.
"We know you do Mom." The teenager muttered underneath his breath but shrieked when his mother clipped his ear. "Damn perfect hearing."
"Where are you Mom?" Eli asked as the Senior Year performances started playing.
"Oh, um, I…" She trailed off, looking at Finn for help but he was just laughing at her stammering.
"Why weren't you there Mom?" Ava asked, her eyebrows furrowing.
"She was suspended." Finn laughed but shrieked like his son when Rachel whacked his arm. "What? It's the truth!"
"You were suspended?!" Adam asked, looking at his mother in surprise.
"How have I gone 15 years without knowing this?!" Ava exclaimed, sitting to attention.
"What did you do Mom? Crash a car? Beat some girl up?" Adam laughed, winking when his mother glared at him.
"What's suspended?" Eli asked, sharing a confused look with Adina.
"It's where someone does something bad so they have to take some time off school to think about what they've done." Finn explained, smiling as the younger two gasped.
"You did something bad Mommy?" Adina asked, looking at her mother in shock.
"You are not helping!" Rachel exclaimed, glaring at her laughing husband. With a sigh, she lifted Adina into her arms and faced the others. "We had an election at school for Senior Class President and I really wanted your Uncle Kurt to win so I stuffed the ballot boxes."
"Ugh, that's not nearly as exciting as it should have been." Adam laughed, slumping back in his chair. "I was expecting at least something like sex on school grounds."
"Adam Christopher Hudson!" Rachel exclaimed, looking at her son.
"Sorry Mom." He sighed, looking back to the screen. "Dad? You call that dancing?"
The family was laughing again as they watched Finn try to keep up with the choreography during the Michael medley. When Finn started recreating it, they all collapsed into their seats, rolling around as they were laughing so hard.
"Oh Mommy's back!" Adina exclaimed as their Regionals performance started.
"And Dad's dancing still hasn't improved." Adam laughed as they watched him awkwardly perform the movements.
"No wonder his shirt said can't dance." Ava said to her mother and she giggled slightly, shhing her.
"You look really happy Mommy." Adina grinned, her wide innocent eyes looking at her mother. Rachel grinned and kissed her daughter's forehead, taking Finn's hand in hers.
Rachel found herself shedding a tear as she watched their Nationals performance, you could see everyone giving every movement and every note their absolute all.
"Wow, this is amazing!" Ava grinned at her parents as she watched them absolutely kill Paradise by the Dashboard Light.
"And your dancing's a little better!" Adam grinned, high fiving his father who rolled his eyes. He'd come to terms with the fact that he couldn't dance and now that he had kids, he wrote it off as dad dancing.
"You must have won that!" Eli grinned, looking at his parents in awe.
"We did, it was a perfect way to end Senior Year." Rachel smiled, looking at Finn.
Later that night, Ava pulled Rachel over. "Thank you, for earlier."
"Oh honey, you don't need to thank me. You seem a bit perkier now." She smiled.
"Yeah, watching your Glee performances, it showed me that I don't need to change to make friends. Friends should accept me for who I am, like your Glee club did." She smiled and hugged her mother.
"That's exactly it sweetie, exactly it."