Rachel Berry was a Broadway star. She lived in the bright lights of New York for 10 years and was living her life to the fullest. At the striving age of 29, she had been in two Broadway productions and one off-Broadway production. Many directors wanted to see her in their shows and she was willing to do any show in the books.
From the time that she woke up in the morning until the time she went to bed each night, Rachel was incredibly busy. She had a strict schedule that, according to her assistant, had to be followed. Rachel's assistant's name was Amy Blackwell and she was a lifesaver according to Rachel. Amy knew every single detail that there was to know about Rachel and she made sure that Rachel never ever had any stress.
Once a week, Amy and Rachel would go to lunch and discuss the things that needed to be done that week and see how they could fit it into Rachel's tight schedule.
Rachel's life was hectic, to say the least, and she yearned for just once to have a relaxing vacation. Since moving to New York directly after high school, Rachel hadn't had the chance to go back to her hometown of Lima, Ohio but once. Her fathers (yes, she had two gay dads and was very proud) had begged and begged for her to come for holidays but there just wasn't time for it.
Most nights that Rachel went home after a performance was spent in front of the television in her apartment, snuggling with her cat, Gypsy, and watching a Barbra Streisand classic. She went out with friends and cast mates occasionally but she preferred to stay at home, knowing that the more rest she got, the happier she would feel. She had tried the partying thing back in her sophomore year of college, but it ended up getting her a C in dance class which was something she just couldn't afford if she was going to be famous.
Becoming a star on Broadway had surprisingly been one of the easiest things that Rachel Berry had ever done in her lifetime. Although she wanted to be a star from a very young age, Rachel figured that after college, it would take many, many auditions and shows to get her to the top. Luckily, she was cast as a supporting role in her first audition for Funny Girl and eventually became the lead.
Things in Rachel's life seemed to take a steady leap towards success after that. Casting directors called her weekly, wondering when her current show would be over and when she would have time to audition. They all loved her not only for her voice, but for her impeccable talent as a performer and her confidence that lit up the stage.
Fame came with a price, though. Sure, everyone in New York knew her name, but sometimes she just wanted to be able to go out to dinner with a friend or go shopping.
Rachel was lucky to have a few friends, although they were mostly from shows that she was in or previously in. All of her friends that she knew before she was famous seemed to fade away after she became a star.
Every Sunday afternoon, Rachel had a matinee so she had to be at the theatre early. She normally got there around eleven in the morning so that she would have time to talk with the other cast members and her director.
It was a month before the Tony's when her director stopped her as she walked in the stage door at eleven o'clock sharp.
Craig, her director was a man that was hard to read. He wore black glasses and had dark grey hair that had obviously been colored. He always wore a suit and Rachel had only seen him once without one. He was recently divorced after coming out to his wife but he didn't like to share his personal life with the cast or crew members. His life had become the stage and he had no other time to date. Craig had found Rachel years before when she was in Funny Girl and fell in love with her talent. After struggling for a year to get her in his show, he was finally able to get her to audition and they cast her immediately as the lead. Craig and Rachel had a long past and, although he wouldn't admit it if you asked him, Rachel was his favorite person in the entire production.
"Hello, Craig, how are you?" Rachel asked, pushing her sunglasses up onto her head.
The forty-something man sighed. "I think we need to talk, Rachel…" he said. Rachel was very concerned. Her and Craig never had "serious" talks because Rachel was perfect for her role and there hadn't been any changes to be made since she started. Normally they only talked about press and media things.
"Sure, what's up?" she asked, her face getting serious. Craig sighed and motioned for her to come walk with him to the stage.
"Rachel, we're going to have to close down the show this week." He stated, putting everything out into the open. Rachel stopped walking. "What?" she asked flabbergasted. Craig looked down. "I didn't want to tell you…I've been trying to put it off. I hate that I didn't tell you sooner." He explained slowly.
Rachel stayed silent for a moment. "B-but why?" she asked, beginning to get dizzy.
Craig sighed and motioned for them to sit down on acting cubes that were lying backstage. "This show has been on for two years now, Rachel. People want change. Something new and fresh! They love you, but the rest of the show is just not enough anymore."
Rachel nodded. It was true. The show had become something that you knew of because Rachel Berry was in it. Not because of the plot or the music or any of the other roles in the show.
"Thanks for letting me know…" she said as she walked to her dressing room and cried. She cried for all of the hard work she had put into the show. She cried for all of the people in the show that never got the chance to be big in it. She cried for her understudy that never got to act because Rachel never ever missed a performance. She cried- because she knew that she had nothing left to do in New York.
The next few weeks were spent finishing the show, striking the set, handing in her script and going to the Tony awards. Rachel had been nominated for one award, but she didn't end up winning. She already had two awards at home, so she didn't mind.
A few days after the awards ceremony, Rachel was sitting on her couch, talking to Gypsy and watching Annie when an idea hit her and she shot up. She lifted Gypsy into the air and stared at her eyes. "Gypsy, darling; you and I are moving back to Ohio." She said as she got up and called her agent.
The last week of May was spent packing up everything in the apartment. Rachel had made arrangements with her fathers to stay at their house until she found a place in Ohio of her own.
She was going to open her own community theatre there. It was exactly what she had planned before, but ever since the show had closed, it seemed like the perfect idea.
The moving van was packed and ready on the first day of June. Rachel was nervous to be going home, but ready for a whole new chapter of her life. She paid the movers, got the cat carrier and called a cab to drive her to the train station. Gypsy meowed the entire way there, making it impossible for Rachel to sleep a wink- besides the fact that two fans asked for her autograph. 'This is going to change once I'm home.' thought Rachel.
Hours passed and Gypsy finally stopped meowing by the time that they arrived in Lima, Ohio. Rachel was very tired so she got her dads to come pick her up at the station. When they arrived, they hugged their tiny, Broadway star. They hadn't seen her in four years other than pictures and videos of her shows. They talked on the phone daily, though, which made them miss each other a little less.
When they got to the Berry residence, Rachel went straight to bed with Gypsy. As tired as she was, she was unable to fall asleep when a thought came to her mind.
Rachel wondered tiredly how she was going to do it. She had decided in the past month to leave everything she knew to go back to the only other place she had ever lived. She wondered how she could reconnect with some of her old acquaintances…some good and some bad.
(a/n) Thanks for reading! Let me know if you want me to continue!