A/N: Disclaimer- I do not own Glee or any of it's characters. This is a work of fiction and any similarities and references are completely coincidental or used solely to mimic realism.
A/N 2: I am definitely taking liberties when it comes to the facts in this story. I have minor experience with the entertainment industry, so I used that. Reviews are appreciated. Thank you for reading. (Quinn's part is next, I'll post it soon.)
Rachel's p.o.v.
By the time April rolls around, Rachel has received several callbacks, from CFS, not any acting jobs. She beams every time she goes down to collect her weekly check from CFS. She has been enjoying her time spent around children everyday to keep her mind off the reason she has to do the job in the first place. This time, Rachel receives an offer for a live-in nanny position for a high profile client. She has to fill out a non-disclosure agreement before getting any more information on the case. They tell her that the clients are famous and have been turning down nannies left and right and she is next in line for the offer. The people seem to be meticulous, so Rachel doubts they will choose her, especially since she just started this job. She tells them that she will think about it and that she will call them if she wants it.
Rachel receives a phone call from GS management but a different number than April's.
"Rachel Berry, please," A woman asks on the line. Rachel assumes that it is Tammy by the smoky tone of her voice. She wonders why she would be calling her, maybe to drop her from the agency because she cannot find a job to save her life.
"Yes this is she,"
"Hello Rachel this is Tammy Nolan from GS management and I heard that you were having some trouble finding work, am I right?"
"Y-yes,"
"Well today is your lucky day. I just got a call from a producer at Nickelodeon and he told me about a upcoming project of his. He is looking for a triple-threat, a girl that can act, sing and dance well. The first person that came to mind was you so I gave him your name. Now my reputation is very important to me so I want you to impress those guys at the audition got it?"
"Sure, what do you need me to do?"
"I want you to come in before the audition so that I could go over what you will wear and what to say during the interview, okay? The audition is Friday afternoon so I need you here in the morning okay honey?"
"Yes, I'll be there. Thank you so much for this opportunity, it means a lot to me." Rachel punches in the time and date as a reminder on her phone she also writes a note and tapes it to her mirror to make sure not to forget about it.
They go over her speech about her background in musical theater and Josh brings in a few items of clothing for her to try on. Tammy gives her a hug before she goes off to the audition and everyone wishes her good luck on her way out. There is a bounce in her step as she walks into the studio and signs in. There are tons of other girls there, some of them with sheet music and some of them on the floor stretching. This is the busiest waiting room she has been to in L.A. It reminds her of the Broadway auditions in New York.
They hand her the script and she is told that she will be auditioning for the role of the best friend of a lead actress/singer on a musical high school show on Teen Nick. Rachel did a read through of the pilot script and memorized the entire thing after sitting for a couple of hours. She is thankful that she was allowed time to read it repeatedly before the read through. That way she could show off her ability to go off book at the drop of a hat. She feels extremely nervous after the audition is over even though she made no mistakes. This time they tell her to sit back down in the waiting room where several other girls are waiting as well. She takes this as a good sign, they are considering her for a callback. At the end of the day, a skinny bald man comes in and tells them all to come back Monday at one o'clock and to bring sheet music for three songs.
Rachel rushes back to the hotel to call Kurt to tell him the news. She had held off calling him after her last handful of auditions because of the embarrassment of having to tell him that she did not get them a week later.
"So what songs are you going to sing? You have the entire weekend to choose."
"I know I have to sing 'Maybe This Time' and I need a pop song since this is for Teen Nick so,"
"Oh okay how about that new Lady Gaga song. Everyone loves that. Plus the vocals are pretty melodic and will suit your voice well."
"Great okay I am searching for the lyrics right now on my tablet. What else you got?" They continue going over songs until Kurt brings up that Finn is now stationed in New York. Apparently, he got kicked out of the barracks in Korea. He also had to leave behind his Korean wife and child because they had some trouble with the embassy over there. Rachel found out about Finn's marriage via his profile update on Life Line back in December. She cannot say that she was shocked about him getting married, because a few months before that, she saw that he posted that he was going to be a Dad. She remembers yelling at Kurt for not telling her and he said that he was shocked as well.
Kurt mentioning Finn and his wife reminds Rachel about the day she picked up a Celeb Weekly to see Quinn Fabray on the cover with a headline stating 'We're Pregnant!' as she posed with her husband Timothy Blake. She remembers a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she read the article about Quinn's whirlwind romance with the actor/director that led to marriage and now a child. That was two years ago, and the moment she decided that she wanted to go to L.A. to become an A-list star as Quinn had done years ago.
After hanging up with Kurt, Rachel pulls the script out of her bag to read again. She really likes the premise for this show. It is about a new girl transferring to a performing arts high school where the group of kids put on a weekly performance of original songs. Rachel's part would be the nerdy girl turned best friend to the lead. The pilot starts off with the new girl being made fun of by these mean girls who make fun of her clothes. Rachel's character finds her crying in the bathroom and comforts her. She asks the new girl to join her circle of friends and they eat lunch together then break out into a song in the middle of the cafeteria. This is what Rachel remembers high school to be, she is reminded of the good old days back in glee club.
Monday morning arrives more quickly than Rachel expected. She wakes up early to work out in the gym before breakfast. She showers and then practices her songs as quietly as possible since she received a warning on Saturday night. She talked to Tammy a few times over the weekend and was given a few pointers on which shoes to wear since there would be dancing. Rachel gets dressed and makes sure her hair is styled perfectly before gathering her sheet music and stuffing it into her bag along with the script and a pair of dancing flats. She is ready by noon and down in the cab five minutes later.
The waiting room is less hectic this time with less people there. Some familiar faces among the group of girls in the room show her a tight-lipped smile when she walks in. The same skinny bald man greets them at twelve-thirty since they are all there early. Rachel notices that every girl comes back after singing their songs which means they are probably going to have to dance next. The skinny bald man along with two other women, listen to Rachel sing her heart out. They even applaud after she finishes.
They are led into a dance studio where they meet a choreographer who runs through some dance steps with them. Rachel stumbles through the rehearsal at first, she begins to get it after an hour. She can tell this is going to be rough since the dance moves are slightly hip-hop mixed with pop 'n' lock. She struggles with her holds and the smoothness of her body rolls. She finds out that the skinny bald man is a co-creator of the show and that he will hold a consult with the finalists today. They are let go, but are told not to stray too far away because they will give you a call before four o'clock if you are a finalist.
Rachel receives her call at three thirty-five, she almost passed out from running back to the studio as quickly as she had. The skinny bald man calls her into an office.
"Rachel Berry, I presume. My name is Joe Haldeman and I am the co-creator of this currently untitled project. Nice to meet you, take a seat."
"Hello Mr. Haldeman it has been a pleasure meeting with you."
"Okay, down to business, you are a phenomenal singer and I really like your range. That said, you need to work on your dancing. If you are chosen, we don't start filming until August which gives you the whole Summer to work on it. Now nothing is promised right now, but you are one of three finalists for the role. So, congratulations and we will be in touch sometime this Summer if you are chosen."
"Thank you Mr. Haldeman I appreciate this opportunity. Regardless if I am chosen or not, I had a lot of fun during this whole process." They shake hands and Rachel walks out with increased hope about this part. She calls Kurt when she gets back to her suite. After talking to Kurt, she becomes overwhelmed by anxiousness so she calls CFS to tell them that she will meet with the high-profile clients tomorrow. This job will take her mind off waiting for it to be near August and save her some money by moving out of this expensive Homewood suite.
She knows that these clients are millionaires by the looks of their neighborhood as she drives along. She is in the Hollywood Hills where every house sits atop the hills overlooking the city. She wonders if they are movie stars or musicians or maybe a basketball player and his wife. They only have one child and need a nanny, so they must both work or something. She pulls up to the gate after double-checking the address and buzzes the intercom.
"Blake residence," A male voice speaks from the intercom.
"Yes I'm from Christian Family Services," Rachel answers and the gate swings open after that. She has to drive up almost a quarter mile before reaching the house. This has to be the biggest house Rachel has ever seen that still looks like a home. It is huge, but it looks like a blown up version of a normal family home. Rachel already likes these people's choice of style. She rings the doorbell and straightens her clothes as she waits. A very handsome man opens the front door and greets her.
"Hi, are you from CFS?" Rachel simply nods since her mouth decided not to work for her. "My name is Tim, come on in. I'll go let my wife know you're here." She walks into the foyer and she is amazed this house is beautifully decorated, with a lived-in feel. The couches in the living room are big white and fluffy with comfy looking accent pillows alongside brown leather button tufted chairs and matching ottoman. Rachel gets lost in surveying the decor of the home because she doesn't notice Tim's return with his wife and baby in tow.
"Rachel?" A familiar voice blurts out and Rachel can feel her hair on her arms standing up. This is Quinn Fabray's house, in Los Angeles, her husband's name is Timothy, Blake, Timothy Blake. Rachel is so embarrassed that she feels like running out of there but her legs seem to be numb at the moment. She turns to face Quinn and she is holding a cute baby on her hip while she looks at Rachel as if she has two heads.
"Q-quinn, I-I'm, I mean I work for CFS and they sent me here to meet with you."
"Can you excuse us for a moment?" She watches as Quinn drags her husband into another room. She can barely make out what they are saying, but it sounds like that are arguing. She hears bits and pieces,
"…know her…high school together…"
"…good…won't talk…trust me."
"…weren't exactly friends…we'll see…"
"…not keep her waiting…"
They both come back and invite Rachel to have a seat on the couch in the living room. As she sits down, she notices how beautiful Quinn has become over the years and great she looks in that designer dress she is wearing. Her hair is done up with soft waves and she is wearing a beautiful diamond necklace that probably cost a million dollars. She remembers that she is wearing a v-neck tee and black leggings with ballet slippers and she is even more embarrassed with herself. Quinn smiles at her and she feels her cheeks start to burn.
"So Rachel, the last time I checked, you were on Broadway. What happened?" Her heart sinks down to the bottom of her feet. Quinn sounds so disappointed with her and she cannot blame her. She went from 'Broadway star to nanny of the stars in less than a year, the Rachel Berry story'. The last time Quinn checked, Quinn was keeping tabs on her. Their competitive natures will never leave their bones.
"I know this looks bad, but it's the only way I could support myself between acting jobs discreetly." Quinn squints her eyes and Rachel feels like she is staring into her soul.
"So you became a nanny because you can't get cast. Not even as a corpse on a crime show? That's interesting."
"Oh honey, don't be so harsh to your old friend. She looks like she has been trying, she's in good enough shape. Maybe I'll cast her in my next film." Timothy smiles at Rachel and she smiles back. Quinn raises her right eyebrow at her as a warning to watch herself, Rachel guesses. Quinn bounces the little girl in her lap and turns her around to face Rachel.
"Well Rachel, meet Sarah, our daughter whom you will be responsible for taking care of."
"Hi there Sarah, hello. So does that mean you are hiring me?" Rachel looks up at Quinn from her seat on the ottoman as she shakes baby Sarah's hand. Quinn takes down at them and then over to her husband, who gives her a nod.
"I guess so," That's as good of a confirmation from Quinn that she will get. She knows that Quinn does not like surprises from people in her past. Today she found out why Quinn hates that, it is extremely awkward.
"Great, so Rachel let me show you around the house and then up to your room." Timothy leads her on a tour of the expansive house. She finds out that there are seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms. Some rooms are converted into themed rooms like the game room and home theater. He takes her down to the basement that turns out to be equipped with a bowling alley, wine cellar and bar, and home gym. She appreciates the Italian marble sculptures that run throughout the home, tying the decor together in every room. He takes her outside where they walk through a gate that leads to a pool and patio surrounded by weeping mulberry trees. Rachel thinks it is already beautiful, but Timothy pulls her over to the fence to take in the view. She gasps aloud at the beautiful view of the city. She immediately falls in love with this house, she may never want to leave.
After saying goodbye to Quinn and her family, Rachel feels like she is floating on air as she drives back to her suite. She cannot believe that she had to reconnect with Quinn under such embarrassing circumstances. She will just have to maintain that she is the best at everything she does when taking care of baby Sarah. She'll regain Quinn's respect in no time. When she gets to her room, she begins packing up all of her things. She goes to bed early, so that she could wake up early to check out of the Hilton as soon as possible.