Journey

Avoidance was officially impossible. His mother was now aware of Robbie's change in allegiance. After a week of ditching rehearsal and a performance that shook up her soulless automatons, Shelby knew that her son was no longer part of Vocal Adrenaline. There had been a short talk about it when he'd come home late that night. Robbie knew his mother's schedule well and, for the better part of the week, after leaving rehearsal with New Directions for "Give Up the Funk", he stayed at Andre's until one and then walked the four blocks it took to get home. Knowing that he'd be home at around one in the morning, Shelby waited up after Vocal Adrenaline practice.

Shelby, although disappointed, had accepted her son's decision. Of course, she wanted Robbie to be with her team. She'd been waiting the whole of her job there for him to join, to be on the stage with her when they won his first Regional and then National. But she knew she couldn't force him to stay. He had to make his own decisions… even if it was a losing one.

Since then, the two had been less social. They drove to school together and then, when the day was over, they passed one another in the Carmel hallways without a word to the other. Shelby went to the auditorium; Robbie walked to the bus station so he could get to McKinley. Both were too afraid to speak. They were much too competitive and they were bound to get into a battle of words that would end in stagnation. Shelby knew Robbie received that trait from her. As proud as it made her, it probably wasn't appropriate for this situation.

In all honesty, the two would be pretty damn happy when the whole thing was over. They no longer felt like a family.

Sitting in this room of quiet teenagers, though, Robbie was starting to regret it. It was so awkward. A heavy silence in which everyone seemed to understand its purpose. Seemed to be on the same wavelength. Everyone except Robbie. He had figured this would be a happy occasion. They were choosing songs for Regionals after all and they were here together, hanging out. But the sad faces sort of tore the cheer from Robbie's assumption and he was stuck in the silence, too, feeling like he was the only one to not understand a joke in a crowd of people.

Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, the young man turned his head, catching sight of Quinn and Mr. Shue. He smiled softly. Okay, he had a bit of a crush on Quinn. But have you seen her? Who wouldn't?

Robbie watched as she set the stack of paper plates and napkins down on the coffee table before she took a seat at the end of the couch where he was perched on the arm, leaned back and slightly to the side as to not fall off.

"No one wants any pizza?" Mr. Shue inquired, a smile on his face, but his concern was still there in his tone. Robbie heard it and glanced at the rest of the club. No movement, no sound. He cocked an eyebrow. Well, hell, if no one was going to grab any, he sure was. He leaned forward toward the table as Shue spoke again. "Alright, well, uh, let's get started. Thank you for coming to the first annual New Directions set list nominations party."

"What's the point, Mr. Shue?" Artie spoke up, lifting his head to look at the teacher. Everyone's attention shifted to the paralyzed boy. "Coach Sylvester's one of the judges. She's gonna crush us."

"Artie, you don't know that."

"Yes, we do," Santana said, the first to stand as she messed with the pizza boxes. "She told us during Cheerios practice." She turned to sit in her seat again, Brittany next to her.

"Yeah, she said 'I'm going to crush glee club,'" the blonde recited. One of Robbie's eyebrows cocked and he found himself mouthing the word "damn." That was harsh. Sure, he'd been around the cheerleading coach once or twice, seen her act mean to say the least, but that was just malicious. What was her deal?

"The whole fricking year. All that hard work for nothing," Puck piped in, looking up only with his eyes. Everyone's attention turned at the sound of sniffling. The sign of crying. Tina.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just really love you guys. You know how many Facebook friends I had before glee club? Two. My parents." She gave a smile as she chuckled at the sad fact. "Rachel was right. Being part of something special, it made me special. I just can't believe it's gonna be over in a week." Her sobs increased. Robbie's eyebrows knitted together. He couldn't help but think he'd never seen so much vulnerability in a glee club… so much weakness.

"Wait," Finn said, leaning forward and bringing his arm from behind Rachel, "who says it's gonna be over?"

Finally. Someone fighting for the club.

"Please," Mercedes responded immediately. "You think Puck and Santana are gonna even acknowledge my existence once we're not in glee club together anymore?"

"She has a point," Puck confirmed, thinking it over himself for the first time.

"Mr. Shuester?" Rachel spoke up. The teacher gave her his attention. "Do you think instead of nominating songs, we can just," Rachel gave a short pause, trying to compose herself, glancing at Artie and Quinn, "all go around the room and talk about things we all loved about Glee club this year?"

Robbie looked around the room again at all of the sad faces, noticing all the tears that fell. Santana was holding it together, but the rest of the girls seemed to have lost control over tear ducts. The guys just looked deep in contemplation while Finn looked determined to hold the group together. Finally, his eyes landed on Shuester, who looked stunned and unsure of how to handle the emotional outbursts. But what else could he do.

"Of course, Rachel," he finally said. It was quiet at first… then Artie told the story of their first day in glee club, Rachel, Mercedes, Kurt, and Tina all chiming in to tell a bit of their own side. It managed to gain a few laughs. And then more stories were told, more laughs shared together. But once again, Robbie couldn't join in. All he could do was sit back and listen and think about his year in Vocal Adrenaline. And he couldn't say that being with that group had been any fun, nowhere near as fun as this group had together. The most fun he had had was always in the company of his mother at break when she let go of her coach façade and played the role of mom. The kids in Vocal Adrenaline, they weren't friends. They were just a polished to perfection team. And for the longest, that's all Robbie had wanted to be a part of. He wanted to be a part of perfection. But seeing New Directions, seeing this team as they spoke about the fun they'd had and laughed about their memories and shot each other glances of sparkling eyes and cheerful grins, Robbie couldn't help but feel that he'd missed something.

After twenty minutes of listening to the anecdotes, Robbie stood from his seat and went to stand against the wall, not wanting to be too close to this circle of joy he obviously had no part in. It didn't go completely unnoticed. Shue took a moment to glance at him with concern, but Robbie sent him a believable smile, conveying that he was "okay." Shue looked away. After a few minutes, though, Quinn noticed that Robbie's thigh no longer played a role as arm rest when she needed it. She also looked back at him, eyebrows knitted together. The younger boy pulled a hand up from his crossed arms and gestured for her to join the group again, not wanting to spoil her fun. He had seen her smile too much tonight to have it all stop on his account.

Finally, when the group's confidence had seemingly shot up a bit, Rachel stood up, prepared to leave. Her younger brother's eyebrows came together, creating a wrinkle above his nose. He noticed her avoidance of eye contact as she made excuses for leaving the group. She mentioned having to get Robbie home and, as she did, met his eyes with her own. And he saw the hurt and sadness where there had just been joy. She could no longer take the stories, knowing that there would be no new ones to tell next year.

So, the brother and sister left with a short and sudden good-bye.

"Hey, guys," Robbie said, entering the New Directions room, backpack slung over his shoulder. He was breathing heavily and slightly hunched over, trying to catch it. The group of students looked over at him from their seats and, from what he could tell, they seemed much more confident and enthusiastic than they had been the other night. The young man stood upright and walked further into the room. "Sorry I'm later than usual. Missed my usual bus an- Journey?" His eyes passed over the white board. "As in the band, right? Is that what we're doing for Regionals?" he asked, looking at Shue.

The teacher smiled. There was something about Robbie's youth and constant excitement for music that was contagious, inspiring.

"Sure is," Shuester answered, walking over to the new member. He handed him the sheet music before gesturing to the other students. "We were just going over parts and harmonies."

"Awesome," Robbie said with a smile, going over to the other members. He took the empty seat next to Quinn in the front row, who greeted him with a smile and ruffled his black hair. He winced, fidgeting slightly away from her. She chuckled at his childlike behavior.

Let rehearsals begin.

"A mash up of Olivia Newton-John and Josh Groban?" Puck said, pointing out the songs coming from the speakers as he passed one. "Are you kidding me? Somebody tipped them off about the judges?"

Finn, leaning on his hands against the back of the couch, tried to keep his hopes up. He was truly a leader of the team now. He believed in what they could do. He couldn't lose confidence, no matter how this situation shook him up. They had made it through a crazy Sectional. Hell, they could make it through this.

"Cut throat competition. That's what that is," Robbie sighed, staring at the wall, trying to ignore the music blaring from the speakers.

"Guys, we can't get distracted by what the other team is doing," Rachel advised, taking a break from trying to cut off the speakers she was too short to reach. Finn and Robbie looked at her. Finn, encouraged by her words. Robbie, sympathizing over her height challenge.

"We just gotta," Finn pushed his hands out from his body, trying to give his meaning, "keep our heads in the game and keep our focus."

"Even though we know we can't win?" Santana asked, finding the idea of keeping their heads up in a losing situation to be a dumb one.

"Yes," Shuester said, stepping into the room. He cut off the speakers, doing what Rachel had been so desperately trying to accomplish. If they weren't in such a somber mood, Robbie would have laughed at the circumstance. "If this is only about winning for you guys," he began, he and Rachel approaching to the group, "then I owe you all an apology. Because I failed you. We should all just go home, because we've already lost. Besides," he moved to the center of the group, "we've got something that the other groups don't."

"What?" Artie asked, taking the words from everyone's minds.

"Finn's dancing!" Shue announced, pointing behind him with his thumb. The group let out a laugh, something they needed to break the tension. Hell, even Robbie cracked a smile. Finn couldn't dance to save his life. "Now let's get out there! We've got two minutes! Oral Intensity is almost finished. Bring it in!"

The group all stood from their respective seating places and put a hand in between them all, piling up. There was no word spoken. Just a big "Woooo-oh!" But it was enough.

The performance, in Robbie's opinion, went exceedingly well. He couldn't get the smile off of his face as they walked off stage, yammering incoherently together. His sister had found herself in step with Finn which left Robbie to team up with Quinn. She was always the one he turned to when Rachel was preoccupied with someone else, though he was finding that he was becoming friends with Puck and Mike as well.

"Baby's not too riled up in there, is she?" Robbie teased with a slight chuckle. His eyes were cast down at his feet, but he occasionally glanced over to the blonde in a coy manner. Quinn found herself laughing at the question. She wasn't a fan of discussing the baby, but it was because she was afraid of the judgment. The younger boy next to her had made it quite clear that he had no such plans, though.

"Maybe a little," Quinn said, but she wasn't telling the full truth. It felt like the child was doing somersaults in her belly, often kicking harder than Quinn felt was necessary, causing the teenage girl to grip her stomach. She was pretty sure it was the most pain she'd felt during her pregnancy. Her expression showed sign of struggle, but she quickly wiped it away when Robbie looked at her, not wanting to worry everyone.

"A little?" Robbie laughed, letting her go down the stairs to the dressing room first. He followed her down.

"Yeah," she replied, but there was no laughter in her voice. There was a hint of pain. Before Robbie could comment on it, though…

"Quinnie?"

Quinn turned, causing Robbie to as well. He moved behind her, off set. He looked at the older woman, who gave him a short glance. Blonde hair, pretty eyes, short. She had to be Quinn's mom.

"Mom?"

Yup.

Mrs. Fabray placed her hand over her mouth, tears flooding her eyes, but they did not fall, as she looked at Quinn's enlarged belly. Quinn simply stared at her, dumbfounded. Why was she here? She hadn't seen her family since they'd thrown her out for being pregnant.

"I'll leave you two alone," Robbie whispered, turning to leave, but he felt someone grasp his hand. He felt Quinn grasp his hand. So, he stayed, supposing she just needed emotional support.

"What are you doing here?" Quinn asked in a soft voice. Softer than usual at least. "Is dad okay?"

"I came to hear you sing." Robbie couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face, hearing those words. "You were wonderful." Quinn glanced back into the dressing room, seemingly anxious to leave. She then looked at Robbie whose smile had faded within moments. "I'm sorry I missed all the other times you performed. Were there a lot?" Quinn seemed too overwhelmed to respond. She didn't know whether to feel angry or betrayed or concerned or frightened. Maybe all of the above. "I left your father." And Quinn's expression softened. "Well, I kicked him out actually. He was having an affair with some, uh, tattooed freak."

Even from behind her, Robbie could tell Quinn was really softening up, feeling the emotional blow from the news. Sure, she had messed up the perfect image that her family had. But that was just it. Her family was the perfect Christian family and here was her father, sleeping around behind her mother's back. It was only an image with no substance. A mask and nothing more.

"Quinnie," her mother began, taking a step closer to her daughter. Quinn took a shaky breath, the grip on Robbie's hand tightening as Mrs. Fabray grabbed her other hand. "I want you to come home with me. I can turn the guest room into a nursery." Suddenly, Quinn squeezed Robbie's hand, almost causing him to lose circulation, but he stopped himself from wincing. He wanted no attention drawn to him. This was their moment; he was just support. But that squeeze made him think that maybe her mother's offer was a bad idea. "Oh, sweetie, say something."

"My water just broke."

Robbie's eyes widened as he looked down at the floor.

"Uh, hey, guys!" he called, finally allowing attention to be drawn to him. The rest of the glee club stopped their chattering to give him their attention. He looked over his shoulder at them. "Quinn's water just broke!"

"What?" Puck exclaimed, the first to physically react to the news. He exited the dressing room just as Robbie withdrew his hand from Quinn's. Robbie backed up, going into the dressing room, making room for Shue as he came out. The blonde teenager turned to the father of her child and Shue.

"Oh, my God."

"They're good," Rachel mumbled as Vocal Adrenaline performed. She and Robbie watched from the doorway of the auditorium, all the way in the back, the last two of New Directions in the venue as Quinn lay in the hospital, giving birth. Both siblings wore glares, but Rachel's was nowhere near as fearsome as Robbie's. If it had been a physical weapon, every Vocal Adrenaline member on that stage would have been struck dead by lightning.

How could she? How could she choose this song? It was all he could think about. Any song but this one. How could she even attempt this song without him? With Jesse leading no less. It was like being stabbed in the back. It was like finding out your best friend slept with your girlfriend… Guess he could empathize with Finn now.

Robbie felt sick. Bohemian Rhapsody. He could swear that Jesse gave him a look of arrogance as he sat at the piano. Just hearing the music caused his throat to close up, his gut knotting up and tears begging to fall from his eyes. He would not allow his emotions to affect him this physically, though. No. He would sit and take his torture and watch as the robots performed.

"Of course, they're good," he deadpanned to his sister. "They're always good."

"Congratulations," Rachel said as they entered the room. Honestly, Robbie hadn't wanted to come in. His rage was still boiling under the surface. He wasn't sure he could keep a calm attitude in front of his mom. Not after that performance. But Rachel had insisted.

Shelby looked up from stirring her coffee, gazing at her two children, seeing their physical similarities.

She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Thanks, Rachel. Robbie."

"We beat you today," Rachel said simply. Robbie's eyebrows rose in shock as he glanced at his older half-sister. That was not what he had expected. He had thought they would come in, say their congratulations, and get out. "Jesse's a good singer, but you and I both know he doesn't have much heart," the small girl explained, inching closer to their mother. Robbie followed, a soft smirk finding a way to his face. "Vocal Adrenaline's best days are behind it, what with Jesse graduating and Robbie joining us."

Shelby watched as the two teens approached, the same look of shock on her face that was on Robbie's a moment ago. Only hers was more amused, intrigued by what this girl had to say.

"So, I have a proposition for you," Rachel continued, speeding up her pace. Robbie kept his the same, but looked at the back of her head inquisitively, cocking his own head slightly to the side. "Come teach at McKinley."

"Excuse me?" Shelby chuckled. She looked at her son, who shrugged, showing he was just as confused as she was.

"You a-and Mr. Shuester could be co-directors. We'd be unstoppable." Rachel paused and Robbie could see her tense with nerves, anxiety. "There's so much that you can teach me. So much only you can teach me and I've seen it in Robbie."

Shelby smiled softly before walking past her.

"Oh, Rachel, I can't do this anymore. I'm tired of coaching glee club." Both kids turned to look at her, Robbie leaning back against the table. "I want a life. I want to focus more on Robbie again." Shelby turned to them again. "It took meeting you to realize that all this stuff that I missed out on. I need some balance, ya know. I need a house, a garden, a dog. Family." She gestured to Robbie as she said her final word. Rachel cast her eyes down, disheartened. Shelby walked back to her. "I missed out on my chance with you and it kills me, which is why I kept Robbie when no one else would. I can't miss out again. I can't let that happen again."

Rachel nodded softly before turning to leave. Robbie looked at the floor then glanced at his sister as she reached for the door handle.

"Where's the rest of your team?" Shelby asked. Rachel and Robbie gave each other a look before shifting their attention to their mother. Rachel sighed, telling Robbie she'd be the one to answer.

"They're, uh, they're at the hospital. Quinn had her baby."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. It was, um," Rachel paused, taking a deep breath, "It was a beautiful baby girl." And with that, she left the mother and son alone.

The two stood in silence for a long while, not finding any words to say. Shelby's focus was on Quinn and her child. Robbie's was on his anger. Finally…

"Don't think that speech about family is gonna let you off. I'm still mad at you," he said before pushing himself off the table and leaving the room. He heard his mother's laugh before he left, a small smile gracing his face.

Robbie couldn't tell you which was tenser. Waiting for the results for the winners of Regionals or standing across the stage from his mother and former teammates. Although, this car ride was turning to be a very good contender. His mother had told him that they had another priority to take care of and loaded him up in the car. It was the first car ride they'd taken together all day, seeing as Robbie had taken a bus that morning to meet up with the rest of his team.

The teenage boy stared out the window, his fingers tapping against it softly, as he wondered where they were going. Why was his mother being so secretive? He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye for a moment.

"Still mad at me?" she asked, breaking their silence, but not looking directly at him. Robbie, however, gave her his full attention.

"Yes," he paused, "But only because you won with my song."

Shelby laughed at his response, causing Robbie to smile. That was so typical of him.

"Sorry. I know how much you wanted to perform that song. But I had to-"

"I know, I know. Do what it takes to win. You've instilled that in me since I was a kid," he said, looking out the window again. She had first told him that when he was five in his first talent competition. It had stuck with him ever since. Thinking of his childhood caused him to grin. Here he was. Fourteen years-old and still living. She hadn't done such a shabby job.

"What?" she asked, noticing his smile. He looked at her again.

"Nothing," he answered. "Just glad that I have you for a mom."

And that brought a smile to her face, because there was no greater compliment that she had ever received.

She pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and found a place to park. Robbie looked around inquisitively as she pulled the key from the ignition.

"What are we doing here?" he asked.

"Well, she is your friend, isn't she?"

The two exited the car and went up to the front doors of the small hospital. After reading a sign with all of the floor names on it, they took an elevator to the fifth floor, the maternity ward. As they wandered down the hall, Robbie noticed a haircut which could not be mistaken for anyone else's. A Mohawk meant it was Puck. Which meant the blonde next to him was Quinn.

Shelby and Robbie slowly approached the new parents. The teenager placed his hands in his pockets as they approached.

"Which one is yours?" Shelby said, catching the young parents' attentions. Robbie's eyes roved past the glass as he searched for the baby in question. He stopped on one, though, certain he'd found the right one.

"What are you doing here?" Quinn asked. Shelby smiled when her eyes landed on the same child as Robbie's.

"I see her now," she said softly, not answering Quinn's question. She chuckled. "She looks like you."

"I told you it wouldn't kill her to have your good looks," Robbie teased. "She even has your eyes."

Quinn blinked, trying to come up with a response, but instead, she looked into the nursery again, finding her baby girl.

"Does she have a name?" Shelby asked. Quinn looked at her, shaking her head softly.

"No."

"Beth," Puck piped in softly. Robbie looked at the father, seeing the intense love in his eyes for the child that he wasn't keeping. Robbie knew in that instant that his father had never looked at him that way. Beth was lucky.

"Pretty," Shelby complimented. "I like that name."

"Let me get this straight," Robbie whispered. "You want to adopt their baby girl?" He was leaned forward over a small table in the waiting room, his mother sitting across from him leaned just as far forward as he was so they could hear one another.

"Yes," Shelby answered. "I missed out on a daughter with Rachel and who knows what will happen to this child? Besides, I know I said family and, yes, me and you are a family, but I want to expand it. You understand, don't you?"

"Of course, I understand."

"Okay, then what do you think?"

Robbie paused for a moment, letting the silence fill the space between them. He knew his mom wanted his approval, because this family that she had in mind wouldn't work without it.

"How could I say no?" Robbie answered with a soft smile. "Looks like I'm getting another sister."

A/N: So, that's the end of Season 1! It'll be a while until you get season 2. I have finals coming up, but then I'll start writing. I'm also going to write a summer chapter before that, because it's been gnawing at my brain.