Hiram and LeRoy spent hours trying to make Rachel feel better, but it was useless. She ended up in her room and went to bed without eating dinner. Besides, she wasn't hungry nor did she feel like talking to anybody. LeRoy mentioned how he thought the last song was amazing and Hiram poked his head out of the fridge.

"When did you come?" he asked with a hint of shock.

"Last song, I saw you were sitting with Shelby in the front row." LeRoy said in an almost bitter voice. Hiram pulled out some vegetables and began to cut them.

"I saved you that seat since the program started," Hiram argued back. "But since you hadn't shown up I figured Shelby might as well take the seat."

LeRoy didn't answer. He just kept typing away on his laptop. After ten minutes of silence, Hiram broke it as he put food in the oven. "Shelby asked if she could take Rachel the last week of June to Virginia to meet her sister and I said I didn't see a problem with it."

LeRoy bit his tongue and closed his laptop, "So yet again you make me out to be the bad guy if I say no?"

Hiram rolled his eyes and got a glass of wine for himself. As he was pouring, he replied, "You don't have to say no. There's no reason to we aren't going on vacation this year so it'd be nice for Rachel to get away, especially after all of this glee ending crap."

LeRoy stood up and walked around the island. "That isn't the point Hiram! You just made that decision without me! Or are you forgetting that we are Rachel's parents?"

Hiram rolled his eyes, "Don't do this again…"

"Do it again? Hiram ever since that woman came back into our lives it has been nothing but crap like this from you!"

"Crap from me!" Hiram yelled back and put his glass down. "You are the one who won't accept the fact that Shelby will be in Rachel's life from now on. She is a good person and a good female role model for Rachel."

"Oh really?" LeRoy said and crossed his arms. "You think having a one night stand with your best friend and ending up pregnant is a good role model? No no I'm sorry your gay best friend?"

Hiram nearly knocked over his glass when he hit his hands on the island. "No that is what this is all about!" Hiram yelled back and made a fist. "You cannot accept the fact that I am Rachel's biological father…"

"I am much of a father to her as you are!" LeRoy snapped back and Hiram was quick to respond,

"Oh really? Then why did you walk out on her! Why did you get angry at her for wanting her mother in her life?" LeRoy kicked the stool and grabbed his laptop from the island. Hiram waved him off. "See typical you storming off in the middle of a fight!"

LeRoy turned to go up the stairs but stopped in his tracks. Standing on the stairs was Rachel. LeRoy opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Hiram walked over and groaned when he saw Rachel standing there. Her eyes were watery with tears of anger and hurt. She crossed her arms and looked away.

"So all of that talk about the blender and mixing… you lied to me…" she said in a soft, but very angry tone. Hiram looked at LeRoy, but LeRoy wouldn't meet his eyes. "Shelby was your best friend…"

Hiram slowly nodded and moved aside when Rachel made her way down the stairs and stood in front of them.

"I can…" Hiram began, but Rachel cut him off.

"What? Tell me the truth now? Or would you like to continue yelling and I'll go back upstairs?"

"Watch your tone young lady…" LeRoy said with a glare. But Rachel just shook her head and looked away as tears fell out of her eyes.

"Tell me the truth."

Hiram looked at LeRoy, then at Rachel, and then sighed. "Shelby wasn't some surrogate we picked out. She was my best friend in college. One night we ended up getting drunk in my apartment and before we knew what we were… ya know… doing… and six weeks later she found out she was pregnant. I had already begun dating LeRoy and things were going really well."

Rachel brushed away another tear and crossed her arms closer to her body.

"Shelby was scared I mean she was young and she panicked. But she didn't want to give you up. She wanted to try and make it all work. But then shit… ah I mean stuff happened and LeRoy and I got married. She believed she wouldn't have been able to give you the life you deserved at the time… so because she loved you so much she gave you to me and your father to be raised in a stable home."

Rachel was in tears now, but she still wouldn't move. It was like her feet were glued to the ground. Her whole life, her existence and how she came into this world was a lie. They had lied to her this whole time.

"Rachel," LeRoy began but she held up a hand.

"No… you… you don't get to talk now. But tell me this, would you have ever told me the truth? And if Shelby loved me so much then why was she forbidden to see me until I was eighteen?"

Hiram put his hands in his pocket and LeRoy leaned against the wall, clutching his laptop. "At the time… we thought it would have been best you didn't know her…" Hiram answered sadly. Rachel frowned and clutched her shirt in a fist. LeRoy knew Rachel wanted more than that.

"Her eighth month pregnant with you she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. And it risked her health and your own. I guess it had developed months earlier and the doctors were not sure of the… survival rate… or something like that."

Rachel slowly backed up until her back hit the dining room chair and she fell into it. Hiram and LeRoy followed her into the kitchen.

"So," Hiram continued and stood at the head of the table. "To keep you safe she had a c section and you were born early. I, stupidly enough, forgot the formula to feed you so Shelby postponed any further examination until you were okay and fed."

"Over the next couple of days," LeRoy said and sat down in the chair Hiram was standing behind of. "The doctors ran tests and did what they had to do to be sure the cancer hadn't spread before operating. That's when they realized it was worse than they thought. I'm no doctor so I don't understand their medical terms, but basically Shelby needed to have her ovaries removed and daily treatment to make sure it hadn't spread to other parts of the body."

"Originally, when she found out about the cancer she was going to have me and LeRoy raise you so she could get better. But when the doctor talked about more risks she got scared. Her worst fear…" Hiram began, but stopped for a moment so he wouldn't cry. "She didn't want you to know her and then for cancer to take her from you."

Rachel couldn't believe what she was hearing. First, she lost regionals and now she was hearing all of this. She couldn't help but let it all out. Her mother gave her up to protect her from never having to lose her. It pained LeRoy and Hiram to see her cry like this.

"That's when we drew up the contract." LeRoy stated in the most gentle voice Rachel had ever heard.

"Shelby is okay now," Hiram added to calm any other worries Rachel may think of. "She goes every year for tests and everything is negative. Taking out her ovaries when they did was the best thing they did for her."

"I'm not an idiot though Rach," LeRoy said and it made Rachel look up at him. "I know Shelby seeked you out. It wasn't until Hiram told me about a conversation he had with her that made me realize that. She is the healthiest she has been in years and she's no longer afraid."

"She isn't afraid of me losing her…" Rachel said in a voice just above a whisper. Hiram nodded. "Is that why her Broadway career failed? Because she was sick?" Hiram nodded again. Rachel stood up, keeping her arms around herself and backed away. Hiram and LeRoy tried to stop her from leaving, but Rachel needed air. She needed to be alone so she went for a walk. Hiram sighed as he watched Rachel walk down the driveway.

"Has Shelby left for Nationals yet?" LeRoy asked. He and Hiram knew the plan was if Vocal Adrenaline won they would leave for Nationals early to practice. Hiram nodded.

"The plane left an hour ago. Those parents waste no time. She'll be gone until next Saturday."

Nobody could believe what Mr. Shue was saying; the glee club had another year. He told them on Monday during what would have been their last meeting, but thankfully it wasn't. Nobody knew how it happened, but they were happy. However, Quinn noticed Rachel didn't seem as happy as she should be. When Thursday came around and Rachel still wasn't happy she decided to investigate. Quinn didn't know if it was the aftermath of birth or moving back in with her mom that made her do this, but she went and sat next to Rachel.

"You're not celebrating."

Rachel was startled and looked over at Quinn. "What? Oh no I am thrilled believe me! We have the summer competition and we will kick butt next year. I just have things on my mind is all."

Quinn looked down and saw the sheet music Rachel was doodling on. There were so many things crossed out and scribbled over that Quinn couldn't tell what it was. When glee club was over, Rachel left in a hurry and Quinn stayed back to talk to Finn.

"You need to talk to Rachel," Quinn said frankly. Finn raised his eyebrows. It was unlike Quinn to do or say that. "Didn't you see her today or this week? Something is clearly bothering her."

Finn actually hadn't been paying attention. He had been talking to Artie and Puck the whole time and didn't even notice Rachel's odd mood.

"Maybe it just the regionals thing…"

Just then Santana walked over to the huddle. "What? Why Rachel barely spoke today?" Finn and Quinn looked at her in disbelief. "What? I notice things too and that girl barely said a word when Mr. Shue said we have another year on Monday. I expected to be peeling her off the wall."

Quinn nodded in agreement, "I tried but obviously she didn't want to talk to me. I'm not her best friend in the world."

"I'll see what is up," Finn said as the three of them walked out of the school. "And I'll see if Sh.. Miss. Corcoran can help if I have no luck."

"Couldn't help but overhear," Kurt said and walked up from behind the trio. "But Miss. Corcoran and Vocal Adrenaline already left for nationals. They left after Regionals"

"Did you think Rachel's behavior was odd, too?" Finn asked. Kurt nodded.

"I thought she would be listing off songs for next year, demanding solos and all. Maybe she had a fight at home or something."

"Or with her mom about Vocal Adrenaline beating us." The four turned and saw Mercedes sitting on the bench listening in. "Yeah, I noticed a different Rachel this week, too."

"It couldn't have been that though," Finn said. "Rachel told me her mom said she was proud of her and gave her a gold star necklace as a gift. So I doubt they had a fight, at least about that."

Santana sighed, "Well since we are all doing this working-as-a-team bit and trying to get along I say we ask her what's up."

Everybody nodded, but agreed that Finn would try first.