Notes: This day this story starts is late August 2003. Shelby delivered a baby girl, Rachel, December 17, 2002. We are following Idina Menzel's stint as Elphaba on Broadway. She did the show 2003-2005. Rachel is currently eight months old.

Chapter 1: Explanation

Cassandra shoved Shelby's make-up chair underneath her before the actress's legs gave way. For the second, the blonde ignored the three men in the dressing room and just focused on Shelby.

"Shelbs?" Cassie petted Shelby's hair so she did not mess up the green make-up. The dancer got down on her knees so the two women could look at each other eye to eye.

"Eyes on me diva," Cass spoke seriously but gently. Cass petted her hair till Shelby's eyes lost their faraway look. "Back with me Shelbs?"

"Yes, thank you," Shelby nodded appreciatively to her lover who moved to stand right behind Shelby's dressing room chair. Shelby looked up at Hiram Berry. She felt like her gut was being punched. A simmering burn of anger at the Berry's was held in check by the presence of her lover holding both of her shoulders. It also did not hurt Berry that he had a police officer standing by him. Shelby's eyes gave Hiram Berry a hard stare.

"Mr. Berry, it's been nine months since the birth of the baby," Shelby spoke clearing her throat in an effort to calm her voice and keep it from wavering. "Why now?" Shelby wanted to say more but held back. The man beside Hiram was opening a briefcase and pulling out a folder.

It was not Berry that answered back. Instead, a tall man in a pinstripe suit with blonde slicked back hair answered for him.

"Ms. Corcoran, I am Mr. William Bailey, I am here representing Mr. Hiram & Leroy Berry's interest," the man spoke, pulling out a folder and then a document.

Shelby watched curiously at what this man was pulling out. She knew instantly it was the contract. The stapled document had a sticky note stuck to the side of one of the pages. Shelby watched with interest as the lawyer turned open the document to that specific page. He pulled out his reading glasses and started to scan for a particular part in the document.

"You signed this contract Mr. Hiram Berry and Mr. Leroy Berry signed with you on September 1st of last year," the lawyer droned on, looking up from the paper briefly at the actress. He glanced at Shelby, as if studying her, and then looked back down at the papers in his hands. "It clearly states here that Mr. and Mr. Berry have a year of time to void the contract."

"Ms. Corcoran, I have three more weeks to legally void this contract and recoup a third of the money you were paid," Hiram said, looking at his lawyer. "Get on with this, I have tickets to the show. I have had enough of my time wasted with her having not answered my calls the past few days."

My god, it has been HIM calling, Shelby thought to herself but forced her mind to stay in the present. Definitely changing my number now. He can have his damn blood money.

Shelby stiffened with sheer disgust. This man was a piece of work. Shelby had a clear idea the man had brought the police officer for protection. It had probably been a good idea; only the officer and her lover's hands firmly planted on her shoulder was keeping her from doing just that.

"Ms. Corcoran, the child you delivered on December 18, 2002," the lawyer started speaking again, putting a hand on Berry's shoulder to tell him to remain quiet. "At delivery the child showed all pretenses of being a NORMAL child."

Shelby stiffened even more. Cassie, behind her, did also. Shelby felt her heart in her throat.

"I need to meet Leroy," Berry reminded his lawyer, "Tell her that the girl is deaf." Hiram took a step forward and Cass took one as well to stand beside Shelby instead of behind her.

If he thinks he is going to lay a hand on Shelby he has another thing coming, Cass said to herself intending to protect and defend her lover if necessary.

Deaf. My baby girl is deaf and wasn't born that way. What did they do to her?!

"Ms. Corcoran, you delivered to me a child that was defective. The contract stated that you were to produce and give me a healthy child. She was at birth, but circumstances changed. I had a year to return her. She is no longer healthy. She is being returned." Berry informed the actress.

Shelby's emotions swirled. The most pressing thing in her mind was that she wanted her baby. She wanted her baby and she wanted her baby now! The actress stood up out of her chair. Adrenaline surged and Shelby's voice rose an octave.

"You bastard. Where is my baby? I want my baby now!" Shelby demanded, pointing her finger at him. The actress never looked more in character as the Wicked Witch as she did at that moment.

"You can have your baby when I have my money." Hiram did not want to show Shelby that he was slightly intimidated by her tone.

"If I'm signing anything, I'm getting my baby now," Shelby growled a low, deep, menacing growl in the back of her throat. "And what is keeping me from getting that officer you have protecting you and arresting you for child abandonment?"

Shelby surged forward only to have her lover catch her around the waist and pull her backwards.

"No Cassie, dammit," Shelby growled in a rare show of temper.

"Shelby, think rationally. Take a deep breath." Cassandra coached into her ear. "You have a show to do. It's too late to put in Jackie as your understudy. It has to be you. I will take care of these bastards and you need to focus. This show is your income for being able to take care of your baby. Take some deep breaths sweetheart…" she instructed Shelby, petting her hair. The dancer soothed her lover with gentle touches. The glare she gave Hiram Berry was anything but soft. "If you want your damned money I suggest you give the baby's mother our child as an act of good faith."

"I think, Mr. Berry, that a gesture of good faith may be advisable," the lawyer interjected at almost a whisper into his client's ear. "If you want your money back in a reasonable amount of time. Ms. Corcoran can have this tied up in the courts for a lengthy period of time if you don't keep this amicable"

A curt expression crossed Hiram Berry's face. He pressed his lips into a fine line and let out a frustrated breath. "Very well. You can have Rachel and Rachel's diaper bag. But until I get my money, that's all you're getting."

Cass seethed towards this man, her hatred growing stronger. She held Shelby by the stomach, lightly caressing her and trying to calm her, knowing how hypocritical she was being.

"Would you like to see a picture of the child?" Mr. Bailey offered an olive branch, trying to diffuse the tension in the room.

Noticing both Shelby and Cassandra nod, the lawyer reached into his briefcase and pulled out a sheet of photo paper. He stretched his hand forward. The Wicked star grabbed hold of it with shaking hands.

Tears sprung to her eyes but she held them back. There was no time to redo her makeup. She had to go on in ten minutes. "She's beautiful." Shelby whispered. "And you're abandoning her. Give me my precious baby girl." She shook her head in disbelief. Never in a million years did she think that anything like this would happen. She'd sincerely misjudged the character of both of these men. She'd thought they were loving, sincere men. She thought they'd be great fathers. She realized now that she was dead wrong.

"You'll get her when you've finished your show."

"NO!" Shelby smacked her hands forcefully down onto the table. Her Wicked Witch persona added to the act and made several people in the room jump slightly. "You'll give her to Cassie now while I do my show, and then you'll get the fuck out of our lives. You'll crawl back to the pathetic little snake pit where you came from and then the flames of hell will eat at your souls once you finally perish after your miserable lives are over." Angry didn't begin to describe how Shelby was feeling. Angry and hurt and betrayed and heartbroken for her little girl. Pissed off that men like these existed in this world.

Cass blinked at her lover in shock. "Shelby, I need to get some things for the baby," she leaned over and kissed her lover's cheek, whispering in her ear. "You are going on in a few minutes, sweetheart." She had nothing to add to what Shelby had just yelled that wouldn't get her arrested.

"I know." She needed some honey to coat her throat after all of this yelling. She needed to go over her lines. She needed to get back into character. She needed to know what made her baby girl deaf. She made a mental list in her mind of all of these things she had to do. It was the only thing that was going to keep her sane. "I know." She pulled Cass into another kiss. "Don't trust them and be careful." She whispered, her voice low, before she turned to the men, and said louder. "Are we done here?"

"LeRoy has got tickets to tonight's show," Hiram shared, nodding at his lawyer they were almost finished. "The child will be with us. The handover can take place afterwards with my lawyer and the officer here." Mr. Berry stretched out his arm and looked at his watch. "I will leave you to prepare. If you think you can focus. Think you can live up to standards tonight? I'd hate to feel I wasted my money for a shoddy performance?"

Shelby hated to be so patronized and scoffed at. Hiram Berry was not going to intimidate her. She would use her anger to fuel her performance. If anything, the nerves and frustration would make her better. She made a promise to better people than LeRoy who had bought tickets to see an amazing show. Deaf or not, this was the first time her baby girl would ever see her perform. First time she would ever see her. And god damn it she would be at the top of her game. Although all of this craziness was being thrown stressfully at her at once, she knew she had to remain professional.

"Goodbye, Mr. Berry." Her tone was icy.

The door shut with not a slam but a soft click. It seemed anti-climatic to Shelby. She was a mother. She had a beautiful baby girl of 8, almost 9 months. Shelby stared at the picture, memorizing the face. She would pick her out in the audience. Shelby knew her daughter's face would light up the entire theatre, and she would give her daughter the performance of her life.