Walking into the choir room Rachel watched as the room was in a frenzy, and Tina dressed in sweats. Ignoring the hectic babble that went along with nervous faces Rachel took her regular seat next to Finn. At her old school, before she had Adelaide, she probably would have been in the middle of the drama, but as of now, she was outside of it. Although, she was curious as to why the sophomore was dressing unlike herself today.
"Do you guys know how Mercedes and I have been doing some deep background on Vocal Adrenaline?" Kurt asked.
"Isn't that against the rules?" Artie asked as he stared at the feminine male.
"Not if you don't get caught," Mercedes answered. Truth be told she and Kurt decided to do this because they wanted to make sure that they won Regionals. They needed to know what they were up against in order to place and Keep glee around for their senior year. It was the one place they were allowed to express and be themselves. They were not ready to give that up.
"Anyway, Mercedes and I rooted through the dumpster behind Carmel auditorium and found 18 empty boxes of Christmas lights," Kurt stated as some of the teens reacted in worry and others, for instance, Mr. Schuester, in confusion. After Kurt heard Tina's "Oh no," he continued with, "Which led us to Joelle Fabrics and asked about red Chantilly lace, and they were sold out." Kurt watched as their faces began to stress over what they were hearing.
"What?" Mr. Schuester asked as he watched some of the teens freaking out about what Kurt was saying.
"They are doing Gaga," Mercedes clarified for the teacher. She knew he wasn't caught up on the newest music crazes. He was stuck in his glory days and the music that came along with them.
That's it, it's over," Tina said as Kurt and Mercedes nodded. Rachel wasn't exactly caught up on the whole Gaga craze, but she did understand why they were freaking out. Lady Gaga was known for her theatricality, which is something their glee club lacked.
"We should have guessed it, they are going for full out theatricality. They know it is the easiest way to beat us." Rachel then explained to the rest of the group who didn't understand what Mercedes and Kurt were hinting at.
"Damn them," Kurt said. This stressed him out. He was hoping that when he and Mercedes were hot on their trail that they were wrong, but they weren't. They were going to hit the New Directions where it hurt, and it wasn't going to feel pretty.
"It makes sense that Vocal Adrenaline would pay omage, it's a brilliant move she's a perfect fit for them," Artie added in.
"Hold on a second, we might be able to kill two birds with one stone here. We can help Tina find a new look and find a competitive number for regionals. This week your assignment, GaGa." Everyone started to talk amongst themselves as they started getting excited at the prospect of performing songs by the popular icon.
"Rachel, Quinn and I are going to go spy on vocal adrenaline. Do you want to join?" Rachel looked over to Finn to see what he thought. She watched as he nodded. He knew that she needed to start hanging out with other people besides him and Kurt. He knew she cared deeply for the two of them and their family, but she was supposed to be blending in. Rachel looked over at the two teens and nodded.
"Okay, meet us in the parking lot at my car after school tomorrow," Quinn stated before they all turned their attention back to Mr. Scheuester.
The Next day after school the three teens decided to skip Glee and go watch their competition. As soon as they snuck into the auditorium Rachel found herself drawn to the coach of the talented bunch, and the advice she was giving them. She even found herself verbally complimenting the coach to the two teens she came to the auditorium to spy with. She didn't understand what she was feeling, maybe it was deja vu because after she had Adelaide she had pictured herself doing exactly what this coach was doing. She didn't understand the magnetic draw to the teacher until she opened her mouth to sing exactly what Rachel would have picked for herself.
It wasn't until she opened her mouth to sing that Rachel understood her feelings. Her body must have somehow known before her brain could wrap around it. She felt her breathing quicken as she watched the talented director. She then felt tears in her eyes, as she started to come to the realization that without even trying to she found her biological mother. She couldn't help but get up from her seat, without saying a single word to her fellow glee member, to get closer to the stage. It was like her mother was a siren that was pulling her closer and closer with each and every note. She heard her friends say words, but she couldn't comprehend what they were. She just knew she had to get closer to the stage. She knew that her friends were watching her every move as she came into view as she got closer to the stage, but she couldn't remove her eyes from the performer on stage. Once the song came to an end and she felt as if she was close enough to the stage as she could stand she let her mouth speak without even thinking about it. It was like she lost the filter that ran between her brain and her mouth.
"Miss. Corcoran," Rachel paused as she stared at her biological mother in awe, "I'm Rachel Berry. I'm your daughter." She didn't care about the consequences of her words. She didn't care that two of her peers were able to witness this moment, she just cared that she finally was getting to meet the woman who gave her up almost seventeen years ago. She watched as the facial expression on Shelby's face change into something she couldn't read. She didn't know if it was shock or pure sadness. She was almost to the point she was regretting her inability to coherently think through the situation before creating it. It was after that the coach excused her students. Rachel texted Quinn and Mercedes that they could leave. She wanted to talk to her biological mother. She wanted answers to her questions.
Rachel felt awkward as she sat a few rows in front of her mother in the opposing team's auditorium. She wasn't sure how this conversation was going to start. How awkward it was going to be. If she was going to get the answers she wanted to her questions. She wasn't even sure if she was ready for the answers. She knew that if her mother asked about her life she was going to avoid telling her about Adelaide. She didn't want to bring up or introduce the adult to her little girl unless she was going to be a stagnant person in her life. She wasn't going to let the woman break her heart. She knew her daughter was too young to have her heart broken by the woman she was related to, but Rachel knew that if Shelby left Addy too her heart would break for her. It would add to the list of people who didn't want to be in her life as well.
"Did you ever regret it?" Rachel finally had the courage to ask.
"Yes, and no, and so much," the adult stated. Rachel knew that Rachel was close to being the spitting image of her mother. Their resemblance was uncanny. Although, she wasn't sure if it was that noticeable to those who didn't realize that the coach was, in fact, her mother. "Hm, I saw you sing at sectionals. You were extraordinary. You were me." The light brown haired woman continued.
"Was it hard for you to not become a star and not have your dreams come true?" Rachel asked. She knew that for her it wasn't that hard at all. At times, she missed the competitive edge she used to have, and the dream she once fought to dream, but Adelaide made losing that dream worth it. She just wished she served the same purpose for her mother.
"It felt like a broken promise. Like the Fisher King's wound. Never heals," Shelby replied to her daughter's question. She knew that biologically Rachel was her daughter, but she didn't know quite yet whether the teen was going to connect with her on a deeper level then what they currently were. She hoped that the day she met Rachel they would run into each other's arms and not want to let go, but the awkwardness between them seemed to cause a bridge to keep that from happening.
"Wow, genetics really are amazing. You see the world with the same fierce theatricality as I do," Rachel jumped in with her next statement quickly not letting the adult jump in quite yet, "Even the way we are sitting right now is so dramatic and yet I feel so comfortable with it." Rachel still had the excessive amount of theatricality she had before she decided to keep Addy, she was just really good at hiding it. At times she felt too tired to even care about it. She didn't have the energy for it after Adelaide was first born, but now that she was sleeping through the night Rachel found it itching to come back to the surface.
"I've missed so much," Shelby stated. Rachel could hear the emotion in Shelby's voice, though she didn't have the courage to turn around and see it. Rachel heard her mother shift before talking once again. "How do you feel?"
"Thirsty," once she finally turned around to see the confusion on her mothers face she continued with a smile at the memory. "When I was little and I used to get sad my dads would bring me a glass of water. It got so I couldn't tell if I was sad or just... thirsty." Rachel then watched as her mother shifted back to lean back in her seat. In a way, the woman looked defeated.
"Uh, I shouldn't have done this. This was supposed to feel good. We were supposed to have some kind of slow-motion run into each other's arms. This is all wrong." Rachel felt herself panic. She just met her mother. She didn't want to lose her.
"Maybe we can just go to dinner or something, to get over the initial shock?" Rachel looked at the woman hopefully.
"I'm so sorry Rachel. I'll call you." Rachel watched as her mother quickly made her exit through the auditorium doors. She felt as if she were frozen in time. She wanted it. She wanted a relationship with this woman. She knew she couldn't force it on her, but she wished that she could. Rachel ended up calling Finn to come pick her up from the school and take her to her car in the McKinley parking lot. She forgot that Quinn drove her to the school when she told her and Mercedes to go without her. Or maybe she didn't forget and she was just hoping that her mother would drive her instead.
"Rachel, are you going to tell me what happened?" Finn asked as soon as they met up within the Hudson/Hummel house. He watched as she shook her head. She knew he deserved an answer, but she felt as if her mind was about to explode. She couldn't help but feel lost within her own mind.
"No. I will eventually, but right now I need to be alone." Finn watched as she quickly gathered Adelaide up in her winter gear, grabbed all of her stuff, and left the house. This would be the first time in a while that Rachel Berry had left the house without eating dinner, or spending quality time with the family.
The next day the teen was even more worried when his girlfriend didn't drop Adelaide off with his mom in the morning and was running late to their morning glee rehearsal. Since the boys were doing their own thing, and this lesson was a big one for the competition, Mr. Schue tacked on the extra morning rehearsal.
"Little monsters take a bow," Mr. Schuester stated, causing Finn to exit his thought process. "Alright, Ladies, Kurt, I am really really impressed. Take a seat." Mr. Schuester watched as each of the dressed up teens took a seat before continuing. "You know what the best part is? Each of your costumes shows off a different aspect of your personalities."
"Wait where's Rachel?" Noah Puckerman asked looking around the room. "I mean I only noticed because five minutes went by without her saying something obnoxious," though most of the time Rachel tried to refrain from criticism, the stress from the cassette tape made her prone, the past week, to say what she was thinking.
"Rachel got some intense news yesterday," Mercedes stated.
"We were spying on Vocal Adrenaline and," Quinn was quickly interrupted by the choir director.
"Guys, that's not fair. You've got to stop doing that," he sounded angry, but then his voice changed as curiosity took over. "But, uh, what-what ya find out?" The whole class watched as Mercedes took a deep breath.
"Okay, y'all ready?" She asked in anticipation. She watched as her peers and teacher nodded. "Miss. Corcoran, their coach, she's Rachel's mom."
"Are you serious?" Mr. Schue asked as everyone looked at one another in shock. They didn't really know what to say.
"Way to bury the lead, Mercedes," Artie said.
"We're screwed. Rachel is going to jump ship over to Vocal Adrenaline," Puck said.
"Never," they heard the teen say as she entered the choir room. "I really don't want to talk about it. I'm still processing the news. My dads are moving my therapist into our spare room later this afternoon. Ah-All I know is that I'm not going anywhere, and I have chosen a Lady GaGa look that expresses the longing for a childhood I was deprived of."
"You look terrible. I look awesome," the teen with lobster glasses stated.
"I think it's the Kermit the Frog look," Mercedes then stated.
"And we have a jumper," Kurt said trying to lighten the mood as one of the stuffed toys fell from her outfit.
"Well, my dads can't sew, so there just stapled on," Rachel stated. Her dads not being able to sew meant neither did she. She didn't know what else to do for her costume, and she almost forgot to make one until this morning. It was part of the reason she was running late. The other was because her parents came in after she called them and told them what happened yesterday. To keep up appearance in front of the shrink they even offered to watch Addy for the day. She knew that her fathers would take care of her physically, but emotionally they would be distant to her. She really wanted to take her to Carole's, but her fathers wouldn't hear of it. The shrink was going to be there. Her fathers didn't know that she had confessed to him what her fathers were doing. They couldn't know, due to the therapist having to keep confidentiality. The only time he had to tell them something is if she was a threat to hurting herself or someone else.
"Guys, why don't we worry about this later and maybe try to focus on the song."
"I couldn't agree more," Rachel stated agreeing with the teacher. She didn't know what was going to happen from here with her mom, but she did know that she wasn't going to stop from trying to get to know her. She even had a plan to go visit her during lunch period so she could help her fix her costume. She needed someone to help her fix her awful Gaga outfit.
Once she entered the familiar auditorium she watched her mom direct her show choir group. She couldn't help but remain in awe, at her forcefulness. She knew that she was where she got her personality from, and she wasn't mad at it. In some ways, she was like the mother she never met.
"Mom," Rachel stated as she walked closer to her biological mom. She didn't mean to call her by the name, but it just came out naturally. She watched as her mother let out a heavy breath before speaking up.
"Honey, you've got to stop sneaking into these rehearsals," Rachel looked at her mom not knowing if what she was going to say was going to make a difference. Although she felt embarrassed by her creation, she didn't know if her mother was going to agree on its importance.
"This is kind of important," she responded. Rachel slowly unbuttoned the jacket she used to cover the monstrosity, and slowly opened it to showcase the dress.
"Oh dear God," she heard Shelby say.
"My dads can't sew," Rachel stated as she saw that her mother had the same opinion on the outfit that she and the rest of glee club did. "I really need a mom right now. Do you think you could help?"
"Sorry I'm late," Rachel said as she entered the auditorium at McKinley high. She felt proud of her new get up, and she wasn't disappointed that she skipped the rest of school to spend the quality time with her mother to create it. Neither of them meant to take so long, but they shared stories, experiences. They got to know each other. It was kind of nice. It was the time frame that they needed to break the ice.
"Woah, Looking good Rachel," She heard Mercedes say as the rest of them felt impressed by her new outfit.
"Thanks. My mom made it," she said as she flaunted the outfit.
"Well, we're all here. Without further ado, I would like to introduce the boys," All the girls, and Kurt, screamed for the boys as they performed their song as Kiss. Rachel couldn't help but admire her boyfriend as he was drumming. She kind of felt guilty. He had to learn about her mom from Mercedes and Quinn when they were supposed to be in this together. Last night she completely blew him off, and basically ignored him throughout the whole day today. She wasn't being a very good girlfriend, and she knew that she needed to apologize to him. She didn't know if she was nieve for thinking that Shelby was going to be a part of her life from now on or not, but with every fiber of her being she was hoping for the latter."
After the boy's finished performing she stayed behind waiting for Finn to come out of the boy's bathroom. All the guys were taking off their makeup. She was actually quite impressed with their makeup job and performance. She didn't know if it was because she was in a good mood, but everything seemed to be good as of now.
"Finn," Rachel stated as she walked right past her after he exited the bathroom. She knew that he heard her and was just ignoring her as he kept walking towards the schools parking lot. "Finn," she repeated. She watched as he suddenly stopped and turned around to look at her.
"What Rachel?" He asked. He seemed annoyed with her, and honestly, she didn't blame in.
"Can we talk?" She asked.
"Maybe tomorrow. I need to be alone," he stated. She knew he was referring to what she had said to him yesterday.
"Finn, please wait. We need to talk," she pleaded. She needed him. She knew she needed him, and for some reason, she closed off from him when she honestly needed him the most. He didn't deserve the way she had treated him, he was much too good for that.
"It's okay for you to take time to think, but not me?" he asked. He watched as Rachel shook her head.
"That isn't what I'm saying. Please Finn," she looked at him with her pleading brown orbs and he gave in. He didn't want to be on the list of people to break her heart. He sat there and listened to her side of things. She explained what happened yesterday, how her mom basically walked out on her. Then she switched to what happened today, and heard about everything her mother and her had discussed, laughed about, and did. He felt kind of like an ass for getting upset that she was just doing what he advised. "I think I am going to tell her about Addy. I want your opinion. You are her dad. You should have a say. I have a really good feeling about it. I want to spend time with her. I want her to know everything. I want to know everything."
"Rachel, don't you think you are putting high expectation's on somebody you just met?" He asked. He didn't want to be the downer, but he wanted to protect her. She and Adelaide both played big parts in his life now. He wasn't going to let someone waltz in and hurt them. He knew that Rachel's excitement was a testament to how heartbroken she would be if things didn't work out between them.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters.
I'm sorry this chapter is so long. I added a lot of things from the show but at the same time kind of edited. I had to change a few things from the episode to fit the character's lives. Since Rachel is not as crazy due to Adelaide I thought spying on Vocal Adrenaline would be something that Kurt and Mercedes could do together.
I wanted to get through the initial meeting of Shelby and Rachel so in future chapter I could start to delve into forming their relationship, or non-existent relationship. Can't let any of the details of my plans slip. Again I hope you enjoyed the chapters. I do use an editing software, so if there are mistakes left behind I am sorry.