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T'was short, I know. If you want, I'll post chapter 3 tomorrow night and that'll officially kick off the beginning of Faberry. So let me know!

Disclaimer: Do not own.
Rated: PG13

If This Is A Dream (Then I'm Happy You're Having It With Me)

Chapter Two | Once Upon A Time

Leroy and Hiram Berry lived pretty normal lives. Even though they were talk of the town, they had really good friends that supported them and enjoyed their company. They feared that their daughter would never see that the pain and struggles she went through every day, would pay off once high school was over.

"It's just high school?!" Rachel screeched at the dinner table. "Did you think that way when you were in school and teased for being gay?" Silence greeted her and she wanted to smile triumphantly at her victory but couldn't.

"Rach, honey," Leroy sighed and patted her hand lightly, "we understand what you're going through."

"Then you should know it's not that easy to ignore." Rachel shook her head and pulled her hand away from the comforting grip of her dad's. "I don't break down in front of them but when I come home, don't I deserve to vent to you about this stuff?"

"Of course baby." Leroy comforted her with his deep soothing voice. "We just want you to know that it will get better. Look at your daddy and I? We made it out and we're more than okay."

The small brunette inhaled slowly before releasing the air from her lungs. "Maybe it will get better," she whispered, her voice quivering, "but I don't know if I can wait that long. I have two more years left in school and every day they're that much closer to tearing me down like it's their only mission in life."

"I'm sure that's not true." Leroy frowned.

"Argh!" She stomped her foot down and balled her fists up tightly. "I can't believe you're giving them credit and defending them. Do you know what they do to Jacob? Did you know that I walked home yesterday in this freezing weather because they refused to give me back my jacket?"

Hiram stood up abruptly and scowled. "They did what?"

"Oh, so now you're concerned?" Rachel huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"We're always concerned about your wellbeing Rachel." Leroy frowned and shook his head. "Did you want us to talk to the school about this bullying?"

"Yes because I can see how that'll make things easier for me." The young diva wanted to punch or throw something but held her ground.

"You don't have to tolerate that kind of behaviour. We want to make this right for you." Leroy smiled a little at his daughter but she didn't even blink. When Rachel was angry, it was hard to get her to snap out of it. She was very stubborn that way.

"I'm going to bed." Rachel brushed past them and whirled on her feet towards the staircase.

"But we haven't had dinner yet!" Her daddy hollered after her and the only response he got was a door slamming considerably hard.

Leroy sighed and swallowed as his husband sat down at the table. "We should've told her we were moving."

"It's not final yet." Hiram put his head down slightly. "If that job doesn't pull through then we'd be getting her excited over nothing."

They both fell silent before Leroy perked up. "Well if it doesn't pull through, maybe we can take her on a Christmas vacation! I know she's always wanted to go to New York in the winter."

Without them knowing, Rachel had managed to sneak to the stairs in order to eavesdrop on their conversation. She had mastered the art since she was a kid and found out value information. Like the one time she overheard them talking about her birth mother and when would be the appropriate age for her to meet the woman. Rachel had no desire to learn who the woman was and the next morning after hearing that tidbit, she casually brought up the birth mother and said she'd never want to meet her, she was happy with the parents she had. The nameless woman was never brought up again.

However, just learning about the possibility of getting out of Cambridge, Minnesota was more than exciting. She bit her bottom lip and crossed her fingers that it'd come true. She could care less about the trip to New York because what she wanted more than anything was to escape her life and the hell she was living in.

School had to be better than what she was experiencing. She'd watched all the high school specials that aired and knew there were bullies but she also knew she didn't have to be the target.

Holding onto hope, Rachel rushed back into her bedroom and shut the door quietly. Her eyes glanced around her bedroom frantically as she tried to remember where she had put the leather bound journal her daddy had bought her when he was away on his job.

Dropping to her knees, she found it under her bed tucked in between stacks of magazines and other books she'd already read a dozen times before. Clutching it to her chest, she grabbed her favourite gold pen and sat down on her bed. Her fingers trailed over the unique stitch design of her name on the cover and she smiled. She knew how much Hiram loved her as well as Leroy. They weren't always around but when they were, they wanted the best for her and told her they loved her every chance they had.

Blowing her hair out of her eyes, Rachel unsnapped the buckle on the journal and held her breath before opening it for the very first time. The smell of the crisp paper wafted through her nose and her eyes widened at the script written neatly across the first page:

Begin your story here and watch it unfold before your eyes. Catch your dreams and you'll discover your 'Once Upon A Time'.

A tug at her chest caused her to gasp silently to herself. Words upon words of hopes and dreams started to invade her mind and she frowned, closing her eyes as she tried to form a sentence together. A perfect sentence to start off her entry, her story… the beginning of a new plan she was going to execute come hell or high water. Tapping the pen against her chin, she concentrated until finally, she brought the ink part down to the untouched paper:

I wish to be living in a new town, a new state. Be a girl with friends, not just one, but a few I can count on. A gorgeous crush (potential girlfriend), a club I can join without being made fun of and my parents to be home more often. That is my dream and I'll do anything to catch it. That is where I want my 'Once Upon A Time' to start.

Rachel sighed and wished it were that easy. She wanted to erase the words taunting her but knew she couldn't mess up her new journal. Besides, she made a promise to herself years ago that she'd never regret what she wrote down because the words from her mind and heart were the only truest things she could believe in.

Carefully running her fingers over the dried gold ink, she swore she saw the words glow briefly. Her eyes widened and she shook her head, clearing her of nonsense. When she thought she noticed it again, Rachel closed the journal quickly and buckled it back up before tossing it gently on her bed. Taking a deep breath, she decided that updating her Facebook would be a better way to occupy her mind.

Later that night, long after she forgot about the journal incident, Rachel was freshly showered and ready to curl up in bed and read until she could no longer keep her eyes open. Throwing her clothes in the hamper and giving her hair one last brush, she turned to her bed and nearly fell over when words glowing from her journal stared back at her.

Against her better judgement of fleeing or setting the damn thing on fire, curiosity won out and she found herself at the side of her bed, hands ready to pick up the leather book. Swallowing, she glanced back at her closed bedroom door before her attention fell back on the words scrolled in front of her. Just one touch of her fingertips to the parched paper and that was all it took to turn Rachel Berry's world upside down.

But in her case, maybe it was about to turn her life, downside up.