A/N: I know I have reviews to respond to yet, but I wanted to get this out today. Once I post this, I will be posting the pictures of the costumes on my tumblr.
As has been a common occurance, part of this was inspired by a comment made by northstar61.
To all of my East cost readers affected by Superstorm Sandy, I hope you and all of your loved ones are, and stay, safe.
To my guest reviewer: thank you for the lovely review, I'm glad you're enjoying the long chapters and the story so far :)
I'm too tired to say much more, so I'll just say I hope you all enjoy and I love hearing from my readers, so I hope to hear from more of you :)
As always, translations will be at the bottom, and I'll include the web address of my tumblr there too.
ETA: apparently FF. net likes to delete my underlines, so hopefully everything makes sense. I've tried editing this a few times, but every time I save it, my underlines get erased. *sigh*
Disclaimer: If I owned Glee, St. Berry would be well on their way to conquering first NYADA, then Broadway, together. I don't own any of the songs used in this chapter either.
"I think you need to re-evaluate your statement that Holly is the only one who takes Halloween to a completely different level," Jack said as he walked into Shelby's office the afternoon of Vocal Adrenaline's Halloween party.
Shelby looked up from the lesson plan she'd been working on. "Carmel is having a Halloween costume contest today," she explained before attempting to go back to what she was doing.
"Are you just going to give me the silent treatment all day?"
Shelby glared at him. "I'm busy," she replied.
"You've been acting weird since last night. What aren't you telling me?"
"I am not acting weird, thank you."
"Fine. You're acting differently towards me than you have every other day since I've been helping you."
"I'm busy, Jack. I have work to do. Sectionals are in three weeks and I just got the list of the teams we'll be going up against."
"Okay…so, they're…what? Better than you thought?"
Shelby shook her head. "One of them is the team from Rachel's old school. I haven't told her yet."
Jack was silent for a moment as he contemplated Shelby's words. "You don't want to spoil her mood for the party, but you want to tell the team."
"Pretty much," Shelby conceded with a sigh.
"Does Jesse know?"
"You and I are the only two."
"She's going to know something's up. She's just as intuitive as you are."
Shelby sat back in her chair. "That's what troubles me. I don't want to upset her by telling her, but she will know something's up if I keep it to myself."
"I don't know Rachel as well as you do, but I think she'd appreciate you telling her and not keeping it from her."
"That's pretty much the same conclusion I reached, so I asked her and Jesse to meet me here after lunch."
"Since you're here, I think I'll take you up on that offer to help," Shelby said as she stood and grabbed her keys.
"What are you planning?" Jack asked, knowing the light that appeared in Shelby's eyes meant she had an idea.
Shelby smiled at him as she led him out into the hallway and then locked her office door. "Just a fun little number for the team. I need to move some things, though. So you're going to help."
"I am?"
Shelby nodded. "Yes, you are. You said you'd help however I needed you to. I'm holding you to that."
Deciding to take advantage of Shelby's newfound good mood, Jack simply nodded and followed her.
"Do you know what my mom wants to meet with us about?" Rachel asked as she and Jesse walked towards her mother's office.
Jesse shook his head. "No idea. She didn't say. She just said she wanted to see us after lunch, and that it was important."
Rachel frowned. "Sounds rather ominous."
Jesse pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm sure it will be fine," he told her.
Rachel nodded, wanting to believe her boyfriend but also unable to shake the feeling she was about to get some bad news.
Sensing his girlfriend's unease, Jesse spoke again. "Whatever it is, we'll handle it. I love you, I'm here for you."
Rachel smiled up at her boyfriend. "I love you, too," she said, leaning up to press a quick kiss to his cheek.
"Mom," Rachel said as she and Jesse walked into Shelby's office.
"Is everything okay?" Jesse asked as he shut the door.
"I'm not sure," Shelby answered honestly.
"What's wrong?" Rachel wanted to know, mentally bracing herself for horrible news.
"I found out who we'll be going up against at Sectionals," Shelby began.
"New Directions is on that list," Jesse guessed as Rachel held his hand in a death grip.
Shelby nodded. "I wanted to tell you two before I told the rest of the team," she confirmed.
Rachel exchanged a look with her boyfriend before turning to her mother. "We'll just have to crush them, then. I want that National title, and I'm not going to let a bunch of bullies from my old school get in the way of that. Vocal Adrenaline is ten times better than they are, even on a bad day."
Shelby smiled at her daughter. "I agree. With you and Jesse at the helm, there's no doubt in my mind about that."
"Who's the third team?" Jesse wondered.
"Jane Addams," Shelby answered.
Jesse rolled his eyes, earning a confused look from his girlfriend. "They use tricks and gimmicks to distract from the fact that they can't sing or dance well," he explained.
"They also like to threaten to steal set lists," Shelby added.
"Can they do that?" Rachel wondered.
Shelby shook her head. "No. We all had to submit our set lists weeks ago. I submitted ours months ago, so we could be guaranteed the songs we wanted. There can be no repeats, no stealing. If a team is found to be in possession of their rival's set list, they're immediately disqualified."
Rachel stood and hugged her mother. "Thank you for telling me first," she said as she pulled back.
"You're not upset?"
Rachel shook her head. "It just makes me more determined to beat them. I just have to worry about keeping Santana and Holly from beating up Sasha and Mercedes."
Jesse snickered at the mention of their former teammate. "I wonder how much she regrets agreeing to work with Mercedes in the first place," he said.
"Quite a lot, I would guess. People think I have a diva attitude sometimes, but it's nothing compared to Mercedes'."
"Now that the bad news is over, it's time for the good news," Shelby told her.
Rachel exchanged a confused look with Jesse before turning back to her mother. "What's the good news?"
Shelby smiled at her daughter and future son-in-law. "A certain musical number inspired by your costumes. It's all set up in the auditorium; everyone is waiting for you two."
Rachel let out a squeal of excitement as she first hugged her mother tightly and then grabbed Jesse's hand, tugging him behind her as she practically ran down the hall. With a laugh, Shelby followed close behind.
"That sounds like it went well," Jack observed from the doorway to the choir room.
Shelby nodded. "She's just more determined than ever now."
Jack chuckled. "Somehow that doesn't completely surprise me."
"Are you busy?"
"When? Now?"
"Yes. Now. If you want to be promoted to assistant coach, you should familiarize yourself with the team," Shelby answered before continuing down the hall towards the auditorium.
With a smile, Jack shut the choir room door behind him and then followed Shelby.
"About time you got here!" Holly called out when she saw Rachel and Jesse walk into the room.
"I'd be nice to me if I were you," Rachel retorted with a laugh as she took a seat between her cousin and Santana.
"Why is that?"
"Because I convinced my Mom to let us have the party in the first place."
"Oh. Right."
Rachel laughed again as she looked around. "What's with lunch table and bleacher type set up?"
"Can't you guess?" Kurt asked with a grin.
"Apparently Holly wasn't the only one inspirado by your choice of musical," Santana added.
Before Rachel could say anything else, she heard first the opening music to a certain song and then Jesse singing the first line.
Summer lovin' had me a blast
Summer lovin' happened so fast
I met a girl crazy for me
Met a boy cute as can be
Summer days driftin' away, to uh-oh those summer nights
Uh Well-a well-a well-a huh
Tell me more, tell me more
Deciding that this musical scene re-enactment was a lot more fun than he'd anticipated and remembering Rachel telling him this part always made her think of him, Puck took the next line himself.
Did you get very far?
Tell me more, tell me more
Enjoying herself, Melina decided to sing the first Pink Ladies solo.
Like does he have a car?
Uh-huh-uh-huh-uh-huh-uh-huh
She swam by me, she got a cramp
He ran by me, got my suit damp
I saved her life, she nearly drowned
He showed off, splashing around
Summer sun, something's begun, but uh-oh those summer nights
Uh well-a well-a well-a huh
Tell me more, tell me more
Taking the next solo, Kurt shared a smile with his best friend. Considering himself an honorary girl, he had asked Shelby to let him sing with the girls on this song. Much to his excitement, she had agreed.
Was it love at first sight?
Tell me more, tell me more
Putting his hands up like he was going to box, Blaine sang the next line himself.
Did she put up a fight?
Uh-huh-uh-huh-uh-huh-uh-huh
Took her bowling in the arcade
We went strolling, drank lemonade
We made out under the dock
We stayed out 'till ten o'clock
Summer fling, don't mean a thing, but uh-oh those summer nights
Uh well-a well-a well-a huh
Tell me more, tell me more
Even though he didn't consider himself much of a singer, Dominic opted to take the next line anyway.
But you don't gotta brag
Tell me more, tell me more
Adopting her most bored-sounding voice, Santana took what had been Rizzo's line in the musical.
Cos he sounds like a drag
shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop,shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, YEH
He got friendly, holding my hand
While she got friendly down in the sand
He was sweet, just turned eighteen
Well she was good you know what I mean
Woah!
Summer heat, boy and girl meet, but uh-oh those summer nights
woo, woo, woo
Tell me more, tell me more
With a wink for her cousin, Holly sang the final Pink Ladies solo.
How much dough did he spend?
Tell me more, tell me more
At Jesse's nod, Chris took the last T-birds solo.
Could she get me a friend?
Once Chris had finished his line, Rachel and Jesse alternated lines once more before ending the song together.
It turned colder - that's where it ends
So I told her we'd still be friends
Then we made our true love vow
Wonder what she's doing now
Summer dreams ripped at the seams,
bu-ut oh, those su-ummer nights...
As Jesse and Rachel finished the song, Jack turned to Shelby, surprise written all over his face.
"That's what they sound like when they're just having fun?" he asked.
Shelby smiled and nodded. "Yes. Is that so surprising?"
"With you as their coach? Not so much."
"I get the feeling there was a compliment in there somewhere."
Jack chuckled. "There was."
With an amused smile still on her face, Shelby stood and walked onto the stage to talk with her team while Jack remained seated as he watched her.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Rachel exclaimed as she hugged her mother tightly.
Shelby returned her daughter's hug as her smile grew. "You're very welcome. I expect this isn't the only song from that particular musical we'll be hearing tonight, though."
Rachel smiled and shook her head before returning to Jesse's side.
"Why is Jack here?" Holly asked.
"He's been helping me out the last few days, I figured he deserved a reward," Shelby responded, not seeing Jack furrow his eyebrows at her answer or the look Rachel and Jesse exchanged.
"I think we deserve a reward too."
"I agree."
"You do?"
"Yes. Sectionals are coming up, but I can see how much you all put into your costumes, so I won't make you change for rehearsal. I have a couple of announcements to make, and then I'd like to run through the vocals for our songs, but then you can go."
"We know who our competition for Sectionals is," Rachel revealed before her mother could say anything else.
"Who is it?" Santana asked.
"New Directions and the Jane Addams girls," Shelby answered.
"Isn't New Directions the name of the team from McKinley?" Nina wondered.
"Yes, and we're going to kick their ass," Jesse answered as he wrapped his arms tightly around his girlfriend.
"They're a bunch of bullies who don't deserve to be in the competition in the first place," Holly put in.
"Unfortunately, that's not for us to decide. If they're deluded enough to think they can realistically beat us, they have a lot to learn," Shelby replied.
"Judging from their attitudes, I'd have to say they are that deluded."
"We can't be complacent," Rachel added. "It's still a competition and we have to impress the judges in order to advance to Regionals."
"Your Mom would never let us be complacent," Andrea told her, "and we will impress the judges."
"Hi."
Jack looked over at the sound of the voice to find that Rachel had sat down on the couch beside him. "Hi," he returned. "Are you having fun?"
Rachel nodded. "But you're not."
Jack chuckled. "You really are a lot like your mother sometimes. What makes you say that?"
"You don't really know any of us very well yet, plus none of my parents have made an appearance yet. Kind of boring for you, plus you're thinking about the reward comment my Mom made earlier."
"I am kind of interested to see this music room that I keep hearing so much about. Care to give me a tour while we wait for the rest of your family to make their appearances?"
Rachel smiled. "I'd be happy to."
A short while later, after showing Jack both the music room and the stage/theater set up downstairs, Rachel spotted her dads. Grabbing Jack's hand, she tugged him towards them.
"Dad, Daddy," she said as they approached.
Hiram and Leroy both turned at the sound of their daughter's voice, happy to see that she appeared to be having a good time.
"It's nice to see you again, Jack," Hiram said with a smile, shaking Jack's hand.
"Rachel was giving me a small tour. Genevieve had mentioned Shelby's music room and the stage/theater set up in the basement, and I wanted to see them for myself. I figured there probably wasn't a better person for the job of tour guide than Rachel," Jack replied, returning Hiram's smile.
"Probably not," Hiram agreed. "Leroy, this is Shelby's ex, Jack. Jack, this is my husband, Leroy."
"So you're the reason Rachel interrogated me," Jack said with a laugh as he shook Leroy's hand.
Leroy chuckled. "I guess I am. It's nice to finally meet you."
"The feeling's mutual. Rachel said you and Hiram moved here from Lima as well."
"We were both given opportunities that would let us be near our daughter, we certainly weren't going to pass them up. We'd both been tossing the idea around for a while by that point, anyway. We missed Rachel terribly."
Rachel stepped between her dads with a smile for each of them. "I missed them, too."
"You three make quite the picture. A girl dressed like she's from the '50s and two gangsters," Jack observed with a laugh.
Hiram and Leroy shared a grin with their daughter before turning back to the man in front of them.
"Where's your camera, Daddy?" Rachel asked.
"In the kitchen, on the table," Hiram replied.
"I'll go get it and then we can take a picture together."
"Stop stalling, Shelby," Sara said as she stood in her sister's room and watched her adjust her costume again.
Shelby shot her sister an annoyed look. "You're not helping."
"You look fine. We wouldn't even be here, having this conversation, if you hadn't invited Jack."
"Says the one who encouraged me to invite him in the first place."
"I didn't think you'd actually do it."
"Are you saying you don't think I should give him a chance now?"
"No. I'm just surprised. You usually ignore me when I make off-handed comments like that, though. I think Jack is just as perfect for you as Jesse is for Rachel and Dominic is for Holly."
"Does Holly know how much you and Nick like Dominic?"
Sara nodded. "She knows. She seems to be fine with it. Before they even got together, she told me she thought she was going to end up marrying him someday."
Shelby smiled. "I seem to recall you saying that exact thing to Mom about Nick."
"I did. I just haven't told Holly that piece of information yet."
"You might want to keep that to yourself for a while," Shelby advised.
Sara laughed. "I'm saving it for after she's married."
After one last adjustment to her headpiece, Shelby followed her sister out into the hallway.
"Shelby, wait," Sara said, touching her sister's arm.
Shelby turned around, confusion written all over her face. "What is it?" she asked.
"Are you seriously considering letting Jack back into your life?"
Shelby sighed. "He's already back in it. As for he and I having a relationship again…I'm leaning towards yes. Why?"
"Because I'm still your big sister and I want to see you completely happy. Jack is the missing piece, he always has been."
"I know."
Walking into the living room, Shelby wasn't surprised to find Rachel and Jesse talking with Jack. Ever since they had found out that Jack had lived in New York for years, they'd been pressing him for information about their favorite city.
"You two aren't done questioning him yet?" Shelby joked as she walked up to the trio.
"You look very pretty, Mom," Rachel said with a smile and a hug for her mother.
"Thank you."
"Come on, Rach, I think Holly is trying to get your attention," Jesse said, grabbing Rachel's hand and leading her towards the rest of their group.
"I see Holly didn't torture you too badly," Shelby observed once the teens had walked away.
Jack chuckled. "No, not really. You really do look beautiful, Shelby."
"Thank you," Shelby repeated.
"What are you afraid of? You seem anxious."
"You leaving again," Shelby answered softly.
"I'm not leaving again, I swear. I don't know how many times I have to say it before you realize that I mean it."
"I've dreamt about you coming back for years…I just never thought it would ever happen."
"And now that it has?"
Shelby sighed. "I'm still not quite sure what to do."
"Why?"
"Because I had accepted the fact that I blew my chance with my true love. I thought you had married that girl, until Sara told me that you hadn't. Before I had a chance to really digest that piece of information, you showed up in my office."
"If it makes you feel any better, Laura and Sara yelled at me for that."
Shelby laughed. "It kind of does. Did Laura use your full name?"
"How did you guess?"
"I remember her doing that when she used to get annoyed with you."
Jack chuckled. "That's true. I just used her full name in retaliation."
"Which I'm sure didn't make her any less mad at you."
"No, it didn't. Answer me something."
"Okay," Shelby answered, unsure where the subject change was heading.
"If you still love me, why won't you give me another chance? What else do you need me to do to prove that I mean every word I've been saying?"
Shelby sighed. "I don't know. We'll talk about it later," she said before walking away.
"Damn it, Shelby, now you're the one doing the walking away," Jack muttered to himself.
"May I have this dance?" Jesse asked with an exaggerated bow.
Rachel giggled as she placed her hand in Jesse's and let him pull her into his arms. "Always," she replied, resting her head on his chest.
"Have you chosen a song for our duet later?"
"I have. I'll tell you after our dance."
"I think we should add time for a dance to our nightly rituals."
"I'll take it into consideration."
Jesse chuckled before he pulled back slightly so he could look into Rachel's eyes. "Are you really okay?" he asked.
Rachel didn't even to ask what he was referring to. "I'm fine, Jess. I promise. Like I said earlier, I'm not going to let a bunch of bullies take that National title from me, from our team. We're a lot better than they are. Besides, I'm sure they're bickering more than they're rehearsing."
"I still hate what they did to you. I know not all of them were part of your former team, but they still had a hand in the hell you went through there."
Rachel smiled as she reached up to cup Jesse's cheek in her hand. "I know you do. The thing is they can't do any of that any more. I'm not a student at McKinley anymore. My life is a thousand times better now than it was this time last year. I have you, all three of my parents, I've gotten the chance to be close to my cousin, who has become like the sister I never had. Plus, the friends that I did have there have transferred to Carmel."
Jesse brushed his lips with Rachel's before he spoke again. "You'll always have me," he promised.
"I better," Rachel teased, earning a laugh from her boyfriend.
"You and Hiram really went all out with this stuff," Joel said as he observed the different food options his fiancée and Hiram had prepared.
Genevieve smiled. "We knew we had to feed a lot of different people. I just hope it's enough food."
"I'm sure it will be."
"If they were older, I think they'd be married by now," Genevieve said.
"Huh?"
"Jesse and Rachel."
Joel shook his head. "You need to tell me when you're changing the subject."
"Sorry. I just think they're so adorable together and she's so good for him."
"It's easy to forget they've only been together a short time."
"They make an awfully cute Danny and Sandy, too."
"I thought you said their costumes were inspired by the musical, not actually from it."
"Well those are the two characters most associated with their costumes."
Joel shrugged, knowing trying to debate the subject wouldn't prove anything. He was just happy to be here with her.
Later that night, once the majority of the team had used the karaoke machine, Rachel handed the microphone to Jack.
"Sing something for us?" she asked.
"I suppose I could. There is a particular song this outfit kind of makes me think of."
"Besides Walk like an Egyptian?"
Jack laughed. "Yes, besides that."
"Maybe we could sing a duet sometime, too?"
"Sure. I hear you and Jesse have one last duet to sing tonight, too."
Rachel smiled and nodded. "We also planned another group number with the team."
"I'm looking forward to both. Right now, though, I believe I have a song to sing, which I'm hoping a certain brunette pays attention to."
"I'm sure she will," Rachel replied before turning to find her boyfriend and her mother.
Do you remember
When we fell in love
We were young and innocent then
Do you remember
How it all began
It just seemed like heaven
So why did it end?
Shelby was attempting to make out a conversation between Holly and Santana when she heard Jack begin to sing. She recognized the song and wasn't overly surprised he had chosen this particular artist. The first time she met him, he'd been singing a Michael Jackson song. While it wasn't this particular song, she could still recall how surprised she'd been to find a boy whose voice rivaled her own. She remembered her daughter making a similar statement about Jesse not long after they had met as well.
"Like mother, like daughter, I guess," she said to herself.
"Rachel said he wrote a song for you," Sara said from her spot next to her sister.
"He wrote it with me in mind, yes."
"Just let him in already, Shelby. You're torturing him. They guy is obviously just as crazy about you now as he was when you were in high school. He's apologized and explained himself. What more do you want him to do? Grovel?"
Shelby sighed. "I don't know."
"I believe him when he says that he loves you. If I had any doubt, I wouldn't have given him any information about you and made sure he never went anywhere near you."
"I know."
"Do you know what Berry and St. James are singing?" Puck asked his girlfriend as they stood with the rest of their group.
"No, she wouldn't tell me."
"Were you two not paying attention when we were watching the musical?" Kurt wondered. "If you were, you'd be able to figure out what song they're singing."
"Of course they're singing that song. It screams Rachel and Jesse," Holly said as she shifted on her feet again.
"When did you two switch costumes anyway?" Blaine wondered.
"Just a few minutes ago. My feet were killing me, they still are actually, and I figured my outfit would fit the song better. The only thing she was mad at me about is that I didn't suggest it earlier so she could have curled her hair."
"St. James doesn't seem to mind the outfit change," Puck decided, earning eye rolls from the rest of the group.
"Just hush and listen, you know they'll both be mad if we don't," Kurt told him.
Before anyone had the chance to say anything else, they heard Jesse and Rachel begin to sing.
I got chills they're multiplying
And I'm losing control
'Cause the power you're supplying
It's electrifying
You better shape up 'cause I need a man
And my heart is set on you
You better shape up, you better understand
To my heart I must be true
Nothing left, nothing left for me to do…
"You were wonderful, sweetie," Hiram beamed as Rachel walked over to where he and Leroy were standing.
"You seem to be having fun tonight," Leroy commented.
Rachel grinned and nodded as she hugged both of her dads. "I think everyone is, which is what I was aiming for. Are you two having fun?"
Hiram and Leroy both nodded in answer to their daughter's question.
"I think your Daddy and Genevieve may have had too much fun with the food, though," Leroy added with a laugh.
Rachel giggled. "It's not like there's not plenty of people here to eat it."
"Doesn't your team have another group number planned for tonight?" Hiram wondered.
"Yes, in just a little bit. We're just waiting for Mom to come back. Once the song was over, I saw her walk upstairs, with Jack not far behind her."
"I'm sure she'll be back down in a little bit."
"Jack really is here to stay, right?"
"I believe him when he says he is."
"If he was just planning on leaving again, I highly doubt he would be here right now, dressed in a costume designed by Holly," Leroy agreed.
"Good. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, we found out who we'll be going up against at Sectionals," Rachel said.
"Who are the other teams?" Hiram asked.
"New Directions and the Jane Addams girls."
"Isn't New Directions the team from your old school?"
Rachel nodded. "From what I witnessed when we went to their Invitational, they weren't well rehearsed and seemed to spend more time arguing with each other than anything. Unless they miraculously improve, I don't see them as a threat."
"What about the other team?" Leroy wondered.
Rachel shrugged. "I don't know much about them, only what I was able to find out from Jesse. He doesn't think they'll be much competition either. I told the team that doesn't mean we get to be complacent, though."
"That's a very good attitude to have," Hiram agreed. "Plus, Shelby would never allow it, nor would she allow anything more than good-natured bickering between any of you."
"Thank you again for agreeing to my transfer. I'm really happy here."
Leroy hugged his daughter as he spoke. "You're very welcome, honey. Your Daddy and I are happy to see you thriving here."
"I think your aunt is thankful too," Hiram joked.
Rachel giggled. "Probably."
"Go have fun with your friends, honey, we can talk more later if you'd like," Leroy said.
Rachel nodded, hugging both of her dads once more before walking back over to her group of friends.
"Shelby, stop," Jack said, grabbing her hand as she walked into the kitchen.
"Not now, Jack. I need to get back downstairs; Rachel said the team has a surprise for me."
"Why am I even here? You've been practically ignoring me since I sang that song earlier."
"Do you honestly think I don't remember what we had? I thought we would be able to get through anything, but at the first sign of trouble, you left. That doesn't give me much reassurance that it won't happen again."
"I told you-I was young and stupid. I immediately regretted it, but by the time I calmed down, I figured you probably hated me anyway. I thought you wanted to get back together with Blake, for whatever reason. With me out of the way, you could do that."
"You were an idiot then, and you're still an idiot now. I was in love with you. I still am. I told you that I'd dreamt about you coming back. I never thought you actually would, so I created a different kind of happiness of my own. Having Rachel is one of the few things in my past that I don't regret. I hate that I still think what could have been, what our children would have been like."
"Why?"
"Because! It makes me feel like I'm somehow betraying my daughter, whom I love and adore just the way she is. If we had stayed together, I don't know if I would have been able to have her. I probably wouldn't have answered the ad in the paper that led to Hiram and I becoming friends again, and that led to my friendship with Leroy. They were kind enough to offer me the chance to have a relationship with Rachel."
"I don't think any daughter of ours would have turned out much different than Rachel. It's obvious that you two are close, which is what I would have wanted for any child of ours. She's a great kid, Shel. You, Hiram, and Leroy have done a wonderful job with her. I'm sure you'll continue to. I'm not going to ask you to move back to New York with me. I have friends there I'd like to introduce you to, but as long as I have you, I really don't care where I live. I'm moving into that apartment tomorrow. I'm going to continue to help you however I can."
"I want to meet the girl you almost married."
Jack blinked at her a couple of times before he found his voice. "Fine. I'll call her tomorrow; ask her and her family to visit."
"You two have kept in touch?"
"She was the only person who truly understood how I was feeling. She's been a good friend, as has her husband."
Shelby nodded. "I need to get back downstairs. We'll finish this conversation later."
Jack sighed, but nodded. "I'm holding you to that."
With a small smile, Shelby leaned up to kiss Jack quickly. "I'm sure you will," she said as she walked back towards the basement.
Jack chuckled as he followed her. She may not have said it in so many words yet, but he was confident she had decided to give him another chance.
"So, what's this big surprise?" Shelby asked as she approached her team.
"You'll see," Rachel replied with a smile. "That's the point of a surprise."
Shelby smiled and nodded. "I suppose it is."
"Just go stand by my dads, and watch," Rachel told her before leading the team onto the stage.
Doing as her daughter instructed, Shelby walked over to Hiram and Leroy, where she was pleasantly surprised to find her sister and brother-in-law, Jacqueline, and Genevieve and Joel.
"Which Greek goddess are you again?" Shelby asked Jacqueline.
"Aphrodite," Jacqueline replied with a smile.
"Minus the blonde hair," Genevieve added.
"All of the wigs looked ridiculous, and I wasn't about to dye my own hair blonde."
"You don't see many blonde witches, either," Joel added.
Shelby laughed. "Thank you both for all of your help. I know Jesse is happy to have you here, too. It's nice to see him finally have some support from his family."
"Hasn't Janelle always been supportive?" Jacqueline wondered.
"She has, but having more people from his family support him is nice to see."
"I just wish our father would stop trying to get at Jesse's trust fund. He already took the money, and then was forced to put it back. You think he'd learn his lesson," Genevieve grumbled.
"Not likely," Joel muttered.
"I'm afraid Martin takes being stubborn to entirely different level," Jacqueline said, "but it seems like the group is ready to start, so let's pay attention."
The rest of the adults nodded as they listened to the team begin to sing.
We go together
Like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong
Remembered forever
As shoobop sha wadda wadda yippity boom de boom
Chang chang changitty chang shoobop
That's the way it should be, wha oooh, yeah…
Once the performance was over, Shelby walked over to her team with a smile on her face.
"How long have you been practicing that?"
"We used some of our time before rehearsal the past few weeks. When you agreed to the Halloween party, we decided to surprise you here," Rachel answered.
"Did you like it?" Jesse asked.
Shelby smiled and nodded. "You all were wonderful. Tomorrow is back to working on Sectionals, though."
"I just wish we didn't have to réveiller so early," Holly muttered as she leaned against Dominic, earning laughter from the rest of the team.
"You'll survive," Shelby told her.
"I'll buy you coffee, and even drive you to rehearsal tomorrow," Dominic said to his girlfriend.
"Fine."
Shelby laughed. "I'll see you all in the morning. Drive safely," she told them before walking back to where her sister stood.
"You were serious about the coffee and ride to rehearsal thing, right?" Holly asked as she and Dominic sat on Shelby's front porch together.
"Yeah. My dad and Nell went to get Melina's car tonight, so I'm sure she'll want to drive it tomorrow."
"Is that the only reason you offered?"
"No. It also means I get to spend more time with you. I was thinking we could do the dinner and a movie thing after rehearsal too."
"A movie at one of our houses or in an actual theater?"
"Actual theater. Your choice."
"Deal," Holly said, pulling Dominic down for a kiss.
"Do you think my Mom and Jack will get back together soon?" Rachel asked as she and Jesse curled together in bed later that night.
"Probably," Jesse answered. "Gen said Jack is moving into an apartment tomorrow, so he obviously plans on sticking around."
"I like him. I think he'll be good for her."
"Like we are for each other."
Rachel grinned at her boyfriend. "Yes. Once you find your perfect match, no one else can even begin to compare."
"That's very true," Jesse agreed before he bent his head to capture her lips with his.
Translations:
inspirado = inspired
réveiller = wake up
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