A/N: This is another little plot bunny that was buzzing round my head that I decided I needed to write, I'm not sure how well this will go over, but I needed to put it on to [cyber] paper. It was supposed to be a one-shot but I got carried away, so I will post it in 2 parts.
It is AU from the universe I created in Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. You don't have to have read that to follow this, know simply that Rachel and Shelby started carving out a relationship post Theatricality. This is set about 15 months from the end of Theatricality.
History Repeats Itself
Shelby, for once in her life, was actually at a stage where she felt fairly content. Vocal Adrenaline had won Nationals for the fourth consecutive year, ( earning her a big fat bonus in the process), her relationship with Rachel had been growing stronger over the past 15 months, from the initial tentative dinners of the early weeks and months, to whole weekends spent in each others company, with even a girls weekend in Chicago thrown in for good measure. She had even been asked out on a date by a non-gay, non-glee club coaching male. It hadn't developed in to anything, mainly because the guy turned out to be a bit of a prat, but it was nice to discover that she still had it, so to speak. So all in all, things were going fairly well, and she wasn't actively feeling as if there was a void she needed to fill.
Naturally then, because that's the way life rolls, it would be at this time, she was offered a life altering proposition. It had come completely out of the blue, as is the wont of such events.
It had been a perfectly normal Saturday morning. Shelby had just come back from a run, showered, and was cruising ticketmaster trying to get seats for the latest Celine Dion tour. Shelby was not a fan of the Canadian singer, but given that she had not been around for the horror and chore of diaper changing and potty training when Rachel was little, this was her own personal version of 'things you do for your children' 2 hours of listening to wailing on stage.
The phone rang and Shelby reached across to answer it, her eyes still on the computer screen.
"''lo' she said.
"Hi, Shelby, it's Leroy"
"Leroy?" Shelby sat up straight, wondering why one of Rachel's fathers was phoning her. She was pretty sure she hadn't committed any misdemeanours involving Rachel, and Rachel herself was fine, Shelby having spoken to her briefly not 5 minutes ago to ask if she wanted stalls or circle seats at the concert. "Is everything ok?"
"Everything is fine. Its just James and I have received some news, which we would like to talk to you about"
"Is it Rachel?"
"Honestly, Shelby, it is nothing to worry about, but we would need to speak to you in person. Are you free to come over? We could talk, and you are welcome to join us for lunch when Rachel gets back from her dance class."
"Ok, yes, sure, give me 20 minutes." Shelby replied, her curiosity piqued. She powered down her laptop, resolving to finish booking the tickets that evening, jogged upstairs, dried her hair, changed out of her 'lounging about the house' clothes, and drove over to the Berrys.
James Berry greeted her at the door, and they exchanged pleasantries over the weather and each others health, while Leroy made them all cups of coffee, until finally, she found herself sat in the living room, she on one sofa, her daughters fathers on the opposite sofa, all facing each other. It felt like a job interview.
Deciding to put Shelby out of her misery, Leroy got straight to the point.
"A couple of weeks ago, we received a letter from Greenfields Clinic"
"Greenfields?" Shelby's eyebrow arched in confusion, that was certainly not what she was expecting to hear.
Greenfields was the IVF clinic that Shelby and the Berrys used when they were trying to conceive Rachel. Contrary to the jokes about a turkey baster and the Akron Marriott, when the Berrys did something, they did it properly. They wanted the best for their child, and that included going for treatment at one of the most expensive and exclusive clinics in Lima.
"Yes. They were writing to remind us that there is only 3 years left on the storage for the embryos."
"What?" Shelby exclaimed. "There were no embryos stored! We asked for them to be destroyed."
In order to conceive Rachel, 6 of Shelby's eggs had been harvested, and fertilized with the Berrys sperm. Two of them had been used on two separate attempts, one of which had turned in to baby Rachel. Shelby, Leroy and James, had all signed papers to state that they wanted the remaining 4 to be destroyed, in the event that baby Rachel was carried to term and arrived safely.
"I know we did. Apparently, there was a mix-up with the paperwork, and they didn't destroy them They kept them frozen, in the event that we would want a sibling, as some couples often do. Apparently the fee we paid upfront, also covered the storage. At any rate, the maximum they will store these eggs for is 20 years. Protocol is, that when the embryos are within a couple of years of their destruction date, they contact the families, to remind them , so they can have the opportunity to use them if they want to. Hence we received a letter."
"I can't believe it, I can't believe they held on to our DNA, despite our strict instructions not to!" Shelby fumed. "What if the embryos had been used for another couple?"
"Trust us, we are just as angry as you are Shelby." James interjected, " and we will be filing a case about this."
"But" Leroy added, "that is not what we wanted to talk to you about, well, not exactly."
"Yes?"
"Shelby, this whole thing, made us think, and we have a proposition for you."
"Go on"
"Shelby, Rachel told us that you can't have anymore children, and we realise that it makes what you did for us even more precious. The joy Rachel has brought to our lives, and the pain it must have brought you to have to walk away like that. There has never been a suitable opportunity of repaying you until now."
"until now?"
"Shelby, would you like to use the embryos? I mean, obviously we don't know about your own health situation, but if you were in a position to be able to use them, do you think it is something you would want?"
"I..but..how..but..." Shelby was actually struck dumb.
"This is what we propose" James said calmly "It would be a bit like the arrangement we had over Rachel, but in reverse. You would have full legal responsibility for the child. You would be the primary care giver, with full custody. We would take a peripheral role as uncles, or family friends that the baby would grow up knowing and visiting and came to stay with occasionally, just general male role models. Then when the child was old enough to understand, we'd tell them the truth, and they could decided themselves whether they wanted to acknowledge us as fathers, or us carry on as being friendly uncles.
Basically, we want you to experience what we had with Rachel. However we acknowledge that we made a mistake, with Rachel. We were selfish with our decision to cut you out of her life entirely, and be a subject that was never spoken of. We wouldn't want that to happen to another child. That's why we would want to involved in someway, but that's all we will be is involved. Of course, we'll help with medical bills and throw some money in the college fund, the child will still be part ours, but primary parenting and care giving will be down to you."
Seeing how Shelby still remained speechless, Leory decided to add. "But of course, this decision is up to you. If you do not want, or can't use the embryos, then we will sign the remit for them to be destroyed. Properly this time, of course."
"o..kay" Shelby said, her mind trying to process everything that had been said.
"we understand that you need time to think this all through and consider your options, so take all the time you need. Just let us know."
"I need to speak to Rachel, have you mentioned any of this to her?"
" we mentioned it to her a couple of days ago, so she knows about it."
"right, uh-huh" Shelby continued, not really aware of what she was saying.
Leroy and James, realising that Shelby needed time to gather her thoughts, left her sitting in the front room, while they went and prepared lunch. She was still sat in the stock same position when Rachel returned home 40 minutes later.
"Hey mom. what are you doing here?" She asks.
"I, um, came over for lunch" Shelby says.
Lunch is pleasant, Leroy is an excellent cook. The Berry family's commitment to takeout is more of a result of lack of time rather than skills. After they have eaten, the fathers' Berry, sensing that Shelby wants to speak to Rachel alone, considerately volunteer to do the washing up.
Rachel, who has felt Shelby staring at her throughout lunch, waits patiently for Shelby to spit out whatever it is that's on her mind. She knows what it is going to be about.
"um, Rach, your erm, fathers spoke to me today about something."
"about the embryos?"
"Yes..".
"Can you even have another baby, you know, given your problems?"
"l, I still have my womb, its just everything else that doesn't work. or has been removed..I'll have to see what the Drs say...but before I do, I was wondering how you felt about that?"
"Well, to be honest mom, had this situation happened a year ago, or may be even 6 months ago, I'd have been upset, and felt as if you were replacing me.."
"I could never replace you Rachel"
"..but, things are different now, I feel more secure in our relationship to know that I still have a place in your life.."
"of course you would.."
"..and it would be a case of just providing me with a younger sibling. Besides I've been thinking and I realised, I'll be off to college in 2 years, and then on Broadway. You and my dads will need something to occupy your time and fill the void during my long prolonged absences."
Shelby resists the urge to roll her eyes. "So, that means you would be ok with it?"
"Yes I guess it does. Would it matter if I weren't?"
"Yes. I wouldn't do it if it wasn't something you were comfortable with."
"Really?"
"Yes really. You are my child Rachel, you are my real and tangible child. I would never risk our relationship on chasing something that could be nothing more than a pipe dream?"
"Oh" Rachel tries not to show how touched she is by this. "well, its a good job I'm on board with this then."
After a week of further thought and consideration, Shelby decides to go ahead with it, pending the doctors advice.
The doctor tells her that they can give her drugs to thicken the lining of her womb so that it could potentially accept an egg, and then " see whether the embryos take or not" but warns her that given her age, her problems, and age of the embryos, the prognosis of it all working, is not that high.
Shelby contemplates this, but realises she has nothing to lose but much to gain, and remains resolute in going ahead.
The drugs are administered, and 2 of the embryos are implanted. Shelby spends 2 hours lying with her legs elevated before being dispatched home and told to take it easy for a couple of days, and to wait 4 weeks before doing a pregnancy test, as she no longer menstruates, she can no longer count on missing her period as a sign.
Shelby does as she is told. The first week slowly passes, the second week slips by, and midway through the third week Shelby tentatively buys a pregnancy test ready for when she passes the 4 week mark.
She needn't have bothered. 2 days before the day she is due to take the test, she wakes up to find her pyjama bottoms covered in blood. She goes to the bathroom, and waits while she passes more blood, flushing it all away, along with all her hopes and dreams of another child. She, showers, cleans herself up and phones the drs. The Dr tells her that because it is so early on in the pregnancy she doesn't need to come in to hospital, but to treat it as a period, and if the bleeding doesn't stop or her stomach starts cramping then she should come in. Fortunately the bleeding stops pretty soon. She calls Leroy and James to tell them, and they offer words of condolences, they ask if she wants to come over, but Shelby tells them its fine.
Except that its not fine. Shelby hadn't realised how much she truly really wanted this baby until the chance was gone. Before the miscarriage she had been rather blasé about it, thinking that if it worked then it would be a gift, but if it hadn't then it would be a disappointment, but she'd just carry on as normal.
Instead of allowing herself time to grieve, Shelby does the one thing she knows how to do, she throws herself in to her work. Every night she keeps Vocal Adrenaline rehearsing until later and later. She comes home at midnight too exhausted to think about the baby that never was, and rises again at 5am to take a jog. On the weekends that she doesn't see Rachel, she goes back into work, spending hours in her office pouring over musical arrangements, transposing scores and choreographing routines.
Sometimes she forgets to eat entirely, subsiding entirely on coffee and apples, so she's not surprised when she feels her stomach ulcer start to flair up again. Her face becomes gaunt and there are black circles under her eyes, and Rachel begs her to slow down.
"I'm fine" Shelby insists, when her daughter voices her concern. And she keeps telling herself that, even though she is more tired than she has ever felt before.
Its not surprising therefore, that after about 2 months of burning the candle at both ends, it all catches up with her, and she is struck down with a particularly severe bout of stomach flu and finds herself bed, or at least house, bound for 2 weeks.
"You brought it on yourself" Rachel lectures, as she holds Shelby's hair back while she vomits in to a bowl that she has just brought her. "Your immune system was clearly compromised due to your exhaustion and lack of a balanced diet, all of which is a side effect of this crazy work schedule you have inflicted upon yourself."
Shelby, too weak to argue, simply nods, while she waits for her stomach to settle.
"You can't keep doing this to yourself mom!" Rachel continues, getting into her stride " You need to slow down, you're nearly 40".
"I'm only 38" Shelby mutters, sipping water.
"whatever. Just promise me you will cut back your hours."
Shelby is saved from having to make a promise she can't keep, by rising to vomit again. This serves to distract Rachel enough, but Shelby can't help but feel this lecture isn't over.
After 2 weeks of home rest. Shelby is feeling much much better. Her appetitive has returned, and she will admit that after days of sleep and rest, she does feel reenergised. So much so, that on the Saturday morning, despite various nausea induced proclamations to Rachel, she decides to nip over to Carmel and get her affairs in order ready for her return to work on Monday.
She pulls on some sweat pants and a t-shirt, and goes downstairs. Gathering her bag, phone and I-pod, she realises her car keys are missing, she spends a frustrating 2 minutes tearing up the kitchen trying to find them.
"Looking for these?" Rachel asks, appearing as if from nowhere, dangling the keys in front of her.
"Yes" Shelby goes to take them, and Rachel holds them out of her reach.
"I don't think so" Rachel smirks, and Shelby begins to regret giving Rachel a spare key to her home.
"I thought you went home last night?" Shelby asks, confused,
"I did, and then I had a sneaking suspicion that when you said you were feeling better that you'd start doing something like this. So I drove over here this morning to stop you,"
"I've been off work for 2 weeks Rach, I need to catch up" Shelby protests
"Which you can do on Monday mom, you need to take time to..."
But what Shelby should take the time to do, she never finds out, as her vision blurs in front of her, and the ground comes up to meet her, as she passes out on the living room floor.
When she wakes up, an EMT is stood over her, and they are loading her on to a stretcher. "Whats going on?" she asks as she is carried into the Ambulance.
"You fainted" the EMT tells her, "Your daughter called us. We'll take you in, just as a precaution"
Shelby doesn't argue as the EMT is about 6ft 2 and built like a line backer.
The drs take some blood samples, her blood pressure, ask the pertinent questions, prod her and then leave her while they wait for the results to come back.
Shelby sits there sulking at what is a good waste of a Saturday, as she feels perfectly fine now, while Rachel has her nose in the National Enquirer.
Eventually the Doctor returns with a smile on his face "well Ms Corcoran" he begins, while looking at the notes on his clipboard, "there's nothing to worry about, you have a mild case of anaemia, which is quite common in women in their second trimester, I'll give you a prescription for..."
"What did you just say?" Shelby interrupts him, and the Doctor looks up to find both women staring at him open mouthed."
"Anaemia" he says slowly " is very common in pregnant women"
"I'm not pregnant" Shelby says.
"Your blood work would indicate otherwise" the doctor tells her.
"There must be a mistake."
"We can run the test again if you like, but these things are generally accurate. Are you sure there isn't any way you could be pregnant?"
"No" Shelby says " I was pregnant, but then, but then I, but then there.." Shelby trails off, unable to finish, leaving Rachel to fill the doctor in on the failed IVF attempt.
"I see" he says "But you said there were 2 eggs implanted? It could be a case that one egg didn't take and aborted itself but the other did. The hormone levels in your blood were very very high. How about we get an ultrasound machine in here and see for ourselves?"
Shelby nods in agreement, wanting anything for this just to be over with and her to be able to slink off home.
A portable ultrasound machine is found, and 15 minutes later, Shelby is lying there with an equally gob smacked Rachel, as she watches a grainy picture of a baby fill the screen, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of a foetal heart beat.
"Well, there he is" The doctor says, with a smile on his face "Sucking his thumb."
"He?" Shelby splutters
"It's too early to tell, " The doctor replies "but it seems wrong to call babies an 'it'. I'd say, based on what you've told me, and the information, you're at about 15 or 16 weeks. I'd make an appointment with your OB-GYN to get a check-up and another ultra sound."
The doctor turns the equipment off, writes Shelby a prescription of iron tablets, and prenatal vitamins, and gives the instructions to Rachel, as he senses Shelby isn't really taking anything in right now other than the fact she is pregnant.
2-days later, following an appointment with an OB-GYN, and more prodding and poking, Shelby finally allows herself to accept the news.
She then realises she is now faced with the task of who to tell. Her mother and sister are first on the list ( seeing as Rachel and the Fathers' Berry already know). Her sister is ecstatic and starts making lists of all the old baby paraphernalia she can off load on to Shelby.
Her mother also offers her congratulations, though Shelby senses there is a 'but' hidden somewhere in her mothers 'I'm really happy for you" speech, and calls her on it.
"Its nothing" her mother insists, which causes Shelby to lose patience.
"spit it out" Shelby demands.
"well Shelby, I just think its amusing that you are the only person I know who has not one, but two children fathered by gay men. You never were one for convention were you?"
"No I wasn't" Shelby says proudly " and laugh all you like, at least my children will have the same father, unlike cousin Amy, whats she on now? 4 kids by 4 different fathers?" Though as she says it, she can't help but stumble over the word 'children' plural. how will she ever get her head around that?
The next person on Shelby's list is Principal O'Hare. She has to tell him, due to Health and Safety reasons if nothing else, and also because he will need to authorise her maternity leave.
She books a meeting with him during her free period the following day.
"And what can I do for you Shelby?" he asks, surprised to see his Glee Coach Coach sat in front of him. Shelby only voluntarily comes to see him when she wants a favour that involves a morally questionable legal stance.
"Bob, you know how every year you have offered me that chance to have an assistant coach in Vocal Adrenaline and I've always refused?"
Principal O'Hare mutters something about Shelby having control issues and responds "Yes?"
"I'd like to know if the offer still stands?"
"Yes it does"
"Good, I'd like to take you up on it and hire an assistant. I will do all the preliminary screenings, write the job specification and ultimately conduct the interviews. I need to know that Vocal Adrenaline will be in good hands if I am unable to attend rehearsal."
"I thought you might. But yes, that is fine, you have my permission to start placing job advertisements."
"Thank you."
"Was there anything else?"
"Oh, yes, I'd like to request some maternity leave please. Starting in about 4 months time." Shelby delivers this information in an off-handed manor, as if it was just an after thought, and not the real reason behind the whole conversation.
Principal O'Hare looked shocked, though to give him credit Shelby thought, he recovered well.
The last person Bob O'Hare thought would ever be in his office asking for Maternity leave was Shelby Corcoran. She was so driven and determined, that he wouldn't have thought she had time in her life for a relationship. Moreover, there was no denying she was an attractive woman, but she had such a reputation as a ball breaker, that Bob and the other male faculty members all secretly were of the opinion that even if she had time for a relationship, other guys would simply never dare ask her out on a date for fear she would eat them alive.
"Congratulations" Principal O'Hare says, and Shelby watches as he visibly chokes back asking what would be a highly inappropriate comment about her relationship status.
"Thank you" Shelby replies "And seeing as I have only just found out about the news, I'd prefer it if you didn't disclose it to other faculty members just yet. I will tell them myself shortly."
Bob agrees and Shelby leaves, while the Principal is left to puzzle out who could have impregnated the Vocal Adrenaline Coach.
Shelby decides to keep the news of her pregnancy from the members of VA for a while, until she has had time to enjoy it herself. She knows she has a couple of weeks grace period, as if her pregnancy with Rachel was anything to go by, she remained fairly svelte up until her 6th month, when all of a sudden she suddenly expanded. Inspection of her body in the mirror reveals that aside from an increase in the chest area, this also appears to be the case so far.
3 weeks pass, in which time Shelby goes for another scan and learns that the baby is a boy.
"Are you disappointed its not a girl?" Rachel, who has accompanied her mother, asks, which to a bystander would seen like a perfectly innocent question, but Shelby is perceptive enough to detect the potential explosive undercurrent.
"No I'm not" Shelby says truthfully, "I'm glad its healthy, and besides, why would I be? I already have a little girl."
"Mom! I'm hardly a little girl" Rachel protests, but Shelby can tell she is secretly pleased that Shelby thinks of her in that way. Shelby herself is almost relieved its a boy, as it means that Rachel will still retain her 'Daddies Little Princess' title, as reigning only female child, and neither she nor James and Leroy will have to deal with the issues of her dethronement.
Shelby decides its time to tell Vocal Adrenaline, partly because she has now hired an assistant and they will want to know whats going on when the new woman turns up at rehearsal in 2 weeks and mainly because it will save her the job of telling the faculty members, as they can pick up the news from the grape vine.
She gathers them up at the end of rehearsal one Thursday, and announces:
"I won't be able to accompany you to Nationals this year." never mind the fact that VA have yet to even compete in Regional's, there is no question over whether or not they will be going to Nationals.
"Why?" Aaron, the new male lead asks.
"Because I am having a baby, so I will be taking some maternity leave." Shelby says. You could hear a pin drop. Then a low buzz of whispering from the back, and Shelby is confident the whole school will know by tomorrow morning.
"This does not mean I will be going soft on you. My new assistant will be video taping the rehearsals that I am unable to attend and I will be reviewing them, so don't think for one second you can slack off. Got it? Good, now, from the top, and a 1,2,3,4.."
At 25 weeks, Shelby, as, anticipated, suddenly balloons. She has the week off for Spring Break, and wakes up one morning to find her stomach is suddenly noticeably rounder. She gains a little more weight each day, until by the end of the week, she looks like she's 'smuggling a basketball' as Rachel so eloquently puts it when she arrives to spend the day with her mother. "Mom, what happened?"
"Your brother decided to have a growth spurt" Shelby replies, tugging at her tank top and trying to pull it down so that it will at least meet the top of her hareem pants.
"Are you going to lunch dressed like that?" Rachel asks, indicating her mothers outfit.
"Its the only thing that fits." Shelby snits.
"Guess we'll have to swing by the mall before we eat." Rachel announces.
"You hate shopping" Shelby points out. "You hate shopping even more than I hate shopping."
"I know, but I shall persevere and overcome my own personal dislike for the sake of baby Tony"
"Rachel, we are not having the 'why-i-am-not-naming-this-baby-after-a-character-from-musical-theatre' discussion again."
"Anyway, we'll have to go , you can hardly wear those clothes to work on Monday" Rachel reasons.
Shelby grudgingly agrees, and the next thing she knows, they are battling their way through the forecourt of the mall enroute to 'From Here to Maternity".
They have nearly made it, when Shelby hears a shout of "Hey Coach Corcoran, I like the pants" Shelby whips round to find a posse of her VA seniors hanging out on a bench nearby.
Shelby shot them a murderous look. Her VA members know that they can get away with making comments like that when they see her out with her daughter, as she refuses to give them ass chewing in front of Rachel.
"Ignore them mom, those dazzling stage lights have clearly fried their sense of decorum." Rachel says loudly, grabs her mother by the arm and propels them into the store, while Shelby begins mentally composing the most intricate and muscularly painful dance routine she can imagine.
By 8 months Shelby is huge, and is put on early maternity leave due to high blood pressure, much to her annoyance and frustration. Leroy, James and Rachel all conspire against her and hide her car keys again, so she is forced to call one of them whenever she needs to go somewhere. She knows its for her own good, especially as the doctors have told her not to drive, but it does little to help her mood.
At 9 months Shelby's mother moves in, despite Shelby's protests, insisting that she will stay from now until the baby is a couple of weeks old to help out.
Shelby grumbles that she is bigger with this baby than she was with Rachel. Leroy and James disagree. They invite Shelby and her mother over for a meal, which Elizabeth eagerly accepts , wanting to meet the mysterious Mr Berrys.
They spend a pleasant evening, and Elizabeth is won over by the men, and is convinced that 2 gay dads will be the best fathers for her grandchildren that she could ask for. Before they serve desert, James appears with a photo of Shelby, heavily pregnant with Rachel, sat on a garden lounger wearing leggings and a friends t-shirt. "See" James says, "you look more or less the same size."
"Look at my hair" Shelby exclaims "a velvet scrunchy? what on earth was I thinking."
Rachel is uncharacteristically quiet.
"What's wrong?" Shelby asks.
"You really were pregnant" Rachel says.
"We didn't just find you under a cabbage patch" Leroy jokes,
"I know, I mean, it was just always this abstract concept, I know you are my mother, its, just, wow, I really was inside you."
"Yes" Shelby ruffles her daughters hair. " and I spent several very painful hours trying to get you outside me."
"You were no more than a child yourself" Elizabeth interjects, staring at the photo.
"I was 22, around the same age you were when you had my sister." Shelby reminds her.
"Well that was different, it was a different generation" Elizabeth argues
"I think 22 is too young to have a child" Rachel agrees
"Good" Her mother, fathers and grandmother chorus in unison, and laughter breaks the tension in the room.
At 10 months, Shelby is overdue and cranky.
"what is it with my children and their unwillingness to arrive when they are supposed to? First you were 2 weeks late, and now your brother is keeping me waiting" She moans at Rachel who has called in to visit.
"may be its because you provide such a nice and comfortable environment no baby wants to leave." Rachel suggests, in what is supposed to be a soothing tone, but to Shelby sounds irritating. She is rewarded with a glare.
"or perhaps we both picked up on your bad mood and outright crabbiness and didn't want to come out and face the world or your wrath" Rachel continues.
"The baby will come when its ready" Elizabeth tells her.
"I am a punctual person, James and Leroy are punctual people...do genetics count for nothing?" Shelby continues "where are you going?" She shouts as she notices her mother and daughter leaving the room.
"To the Taj Mahal Curry Shop to get you a vindaloo" Elizabeth replies " I hear spicy food is great for inducing labor."
At 41 weeks and 3 days. Shelby goes in to labor.
TBC