Chapter 37

Rachel smoothed her dress over her stomach as she stood in the lift along with James, Kurt, Matt and Lucy. Her hands were itching for something to do as she waited nervously to meet his mom for the first time. They had been in New York for two weeks, and James had told her that his mother, Andrea, had arrived a couple of days earlier and wanted to meet her son's new friends.

Taking her lip in between her teeth, Rachel was practising saying "Hello, I'm Rachel it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs Agrisino" in her head when she felt a soft hand take hers. Gazing to her right, she saw James looking at her with a warm smile; ignoring the tingling she felt as his skin touched hers, Rachel returned his smile.

"Don't worry Rach" He said reassuringly, rubbing a shape on the back of her hand with his thumb. "My mom is going to love you"

"You think so?" She asked softly as she gripped his hand tighter, subconsciously recognizing how perfect it seemed to fit in hers. They'd only known each other a short time, but Rachel wasn't afraid to admit to herself that she was developing a small crush on the curly haired boy.

"I know so" He said, his voice reverberating with confidence and truth. Her eyes closed, and she felt herself relaxed when he lent the short distance and pressed a kiss against her cheek, lingering for a just a moment before he pulled away and nudged her with his shoulder. "Come on, nothing scares THE Rachel Berry; remember?"

Rachel giggled as he recited the words she'd said to him a week earlier when he asked her about what scared her the most.

"You two are disgusting" Matt remarked with a roll of his eyes, Rachel laughed as Lucy gave him a dig in the ribs.

Glancing at Kurt who winked at her before Rachel looked forwards again, smiling at the fact that James made no effort to remove his hand from hers and she couldn't help but think to herself that she never wanted him to let go.

The lift eventually stopped on the twentieth floor and as they stepped out of the lift, Rachel followed James as he led them down a corridor towards the door that belonged to his father's apartment in New York; groaning internally as he released her hold on his hand to take his keys out of his pocket and let them in.

"MOM" James yelled as he led them in. Rachel was amazed at the beauty of the apartment. It was a wide open place that had her trying to take a guess in her head at how much it cost; the open plan place decorated in a clean modern way. She smiled at noticing the White grand piano near a bay window, surrounded by a black leather coach; she could just picture James playing away there when her attention was snapped back to her surroundings by the sound of a woman's voice.

"Oh Matthew, Lucy it's great to see you; How has your summer been?" James' mom was pulling away from a hug with her sons two friends. Rachel couldn't help but smile as she recognized the same calm, gentle tone to her voice that James possessed.

"It's nice to see you too Andrea" Lucy replied, smiling. "This summer has been great; you know how much we all love New York"

"Yeah its' amazing, the summer camp is brilliant Mrs A" Matt said smirking as he stepped away from his best friends mom.

"I'm glad to hear it; James hasn't stopped talking about" Andrea replied, warmly smiling as her gaze flicked from the two friends she knew to the two she hadn't met yet. "I suppose these are you two new friends that I've heard so much about, sweetie?"

"Yeah mom" James remarked and she felt his soft hand in hers again, winking at her as he led her to his mom. "Mom this is Kurt"

"Nice to meet you Kurt" Andrea said softly embracing the boy before turning to look at her.

"This is Rachel" James voice sounded proud as he introduced her to his mom. Andrea eyes flickered with what seemed like recognition as she stepped forward and embraced her warmly.

"I've heard a lot about you Rachel" Andrea whispered as she pulled away and winked at her. Rachel couldn't help the bluish that covered her face as she heard his moms next words; "You are a very beautiful girl"

"Thank you very much, Mrs Agrisino; it's a pleasure to meet you" Rachel replied, smiling nervously; noticing James beaming face as he watched.

"Please call me Andrea"

"Okay, Andrea; I've been so excited to meet you, James has been talking about you for the last couple of days non-stop" Rachel said, smiling warmly.

"Likewise" Andrea remarked, her eyes sparkling as she took her hand in hers. "Come on, James tells me that you're a vegan and I've prepared something special for us to eat while we get to know each other"

"That sounds wonderful" Rachel replied, grinning as she let the woman lead her towards the table. She'd only just met his mom, but Rachel already thought that she was perhaps the kindest person she'd ever met. She was caught up in thought that she didn't see Matt dig James gently in the shoulder nor the comment; "Your mom loves her, gonna ask her out yet?"

...

Rachel couldn't help but think back to when she had met his Mom in New York, comparing that memory to now; it had felt like a wonderful pleasure to meet Andrea but the current situation was nowhere like that; in fact it just felt really, really awkward.

Ever since she had settled in the back seat of James' car holding his hand, Andrea had offered to drive them back to Lima, no-one had said a word; which was really strange if you considered the fact that she was sat in the car with her boyfriend along with his Mom and Dad.

Rachel squeezed his hand, giving him a warm smile that her feel better when as she saw he returned it before moving his head to look back out of the window. She felt incredibly sorry for him right now and she didn't know what to do to make him feel better. Quite honestly for one of only a few times in her life, Rachel Berry really did have nothing to say.

Rachel had stood next to a shocked James as she let the fact that his father was making his way towards them along with Andrea sink in. Rachel returned the warm smile that Andrea was giving them with one of her own; keeping James hand tightly gripped in hers, giving him the comfort that she knew he needed right now.

Robert, James' father, was dressed smartly in a suit without a tie and the top couple of buttons of his shirt undone. He was a good looking man and Rachel could definitely see that while James got his personality and his cute curly hair from his mom, he resembled his father greatly; both of them with broad shoulders and a strong jaw line. Rachel noted strangely that Robert wore a smile on his face as they approached, as if he was almost oblivious to the effect his surprise visit would have on his son.

"Hello Rachel dear" Was the first words that were uttered as the two adults approached, his mom placing a gentle hand on her arm.

"Hi Andrea" Rachel replied, smiling at his mom. She felt James release her hand, glancing at him to see her boyfriend step forward and hug his mom as she turned to him.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'm here; the flight went fine" Andrea reassured him as they separated, tenderly stroking her sons face. Rachel watched as he smiled weakly, his eyes returning to training on the man that stood slightly behind his mother. There was a few moments of silence as the father and son simply stared at each other before someone spoke; Robert stepping forward as Rachel subconsciously held a breathe in and she vaguely noticed that even Andrea seemed to be waiting to see what happened.

"Hello son" Robert spoke, a firm deep voice ringing in her ears. Rachel recognized her earlier confirmation that Charlie took more like their father than James did as he spoke; watching as he stepped forward wearing a surprisingly warm smile and pulled his son into a hug.

Rachel watched as James' eyebrows rose as his father put his arms around him, her boyfriend still for a few seconds before his arms slowly moved to loosely wrap around his father. She couldn't help but let a smile appear on her face as she saw the gesture; something tugging on her heart strings seeing the father and son together.

When they separated, James still had a surprised look on his face and he spoke quietly, quieter than she thinks she's ever heard him speak before; "Dad"

"You're looking good Son" Robert remarked with a smile as one of his hands squeezed his sons arm. "Keeping up with the gym?"

James nodded silently as his eyes moved away from his fathers, looking towards his mother searchingly as if he was looking to her to explain what was going on and why he had just been hugged by his own father.

"Your father is staying in Ohio for a couple of weeks" Andrea supplied a warm smile on her face.

"W..Why" James asked, frowning slightly.

"Helping your mom with the restaurant" Robert answered, smiling as he looked between his wife and son. "I've finished with the business I was dealing with and have got around three weeks holiday; so of course I'd spend it with my family"

James nodded slowly, his frown easing and he smiled weakly; Rachel could tell he was doing it to please his parents, that in reality he was still carrying that shocked look on his face from a few minutes ago. He gazed at his father for a moment before his eyes moved and met hers, Rachel gave him a warm smile and it seemed to snap him out of his daze.

"I…I want you to meet Rachel, my girlfriend" He said softly and offered her his hand as he spoke, which she gladly took stepping closer to him. When she reached him, Rachel wrapped her around his waist and slipped her hand into the pocket at the back of his jeans as she smiled at his father.

"Nice to meet you Mr Agrisino" She spoke confidently, wanting to make a good impression on his Dad regardless of what the situation seemed to be. Rachel felt a little uneasy as his Fathers smile faded slightly as he turned to look at her; he seemed to be appraising her for a second before he smiled widely at her.

"Rachel, it's nice to finally meet the girl who stole my sons heart" He replied, speaking in a surprisingly warm tone that she didn't think possible from what she'd heard about him in the past from James; but then again, those descriptions didn't match the man who was apparently stood in front of her as he held out a hand to her. "Please call me Robert"

Nodding, Rachel returned his smile before she extended her own hand and softly took his fathers and shook it slightly for a second, releasing it and then wrapping her arm around James' stomach protectively. Her smile widened when she felt James shift his body to put an arm around her shoulder.

"Did you come to collect us in your car, Sweetheart?" Andrea asked, breaking the silence that had followed the introductions. Rachel removed her eyes from Robert to gaze at her boyfriend and saw him lick his lips before he spoke.

"Yeah, yeah I did" He replied, nodding; releasing his grip on her. "You want to go home?"

"Actually, I was hoping that we might pay a visit to Rachel's parents" Robert spoke as he put his hand on his suitcase. "I'd like to meet them"

Rachel reached for his hand as she noticed he still didn't seem completely himself, still dazed from the surprise. The action caused him to look at her and his eyes widened before he spoke again; "Uh, sure…I don't think your Dads would mind would they Rach?"

"No, I don't think so" Rachel replied, smiling. "Just let me call them and tell them so they can make some tea…my Dad likes playing host"

"Of course" James' father said, smiling softly. "Your mother and I will get some coffee while you rang your Dads; Son do you want to come with us?"

"I'll wait with Rachel while she calls her Dads" James spoke quietly, obviously not comfortable with going where his father was.

"Come along James, I think she'll be fine for a few minutes" Robert said in a firm tone that caused her to gulp subconsciously. She gazed at James who seemed to shrink at the sound of his fathers voice as he nodded slightly.

"Okay" His voice was even quieter as he turned and pressed a kiss against her cheek. Rachel reached her hand up and held him there for a moment as she whispered in his ear; trying to give him a bit of comfort.

"I love you baby" When she let him move away, a smile was on his face and when he winked at her, Rachel could see his face brighten at her words and she felt proud of herself for being able to make him feel better when he was in discomfort.

"love you too" He replied, his voice sounding more like normal as he squeezed her hand before he released it and turned to follow his mother and father. Rachel watched after them for a moment, a sad smile when she noted that Andrea put her arm around him; whatever the situation, Andrea was looking to comfort her son.

Sighing, Rachel reached into her pocket and retrieved her phone; scrolling through the contacts before dialling her father's number, chewing her bottom lip as she thought about how James had acted around his father. He didn't seem himself, definitely not the confident boy she loved that stood so proud and sure of himself; in front of his father he seemed to shrink and retreat into himself.

"Sweetie?" The sound of Leroy's voice on the phone snapped her out of her thoughts. "Is everything okay Rachel?"

"Yes Daddy" She replied, smiling.

"Has Andrea flight arrived?"

"Yeah, we're ummm" Rachel paused, chewing her bottom lip. "James' Dad is here"

"He is?" Leroy answered sounding surprised

"Yeah, umm; He wants to meet you and Dad" Rachel explained "They're just getting a coffee, but I thought I'd let you know we're coming straight to the house, okay?"

"That's perfectly okay, sweetie" Leroy voice was reassuring. "Is everything okay? You sound a little upset"

"Daddy, its James" Rachel said softly. "I'm worried about him; he isn't acting like himself…he's being really quiet, I think he's scared"

Her father seemed to take in the words as he was quiet for a few moments before he spoke again, a soft reassuring voice. "We both know he doesn't have the easiest relationship with his father; I bet it was a really big surprise seeing him"

"Yeah" Rachel said thoughtfully. "What should I do Daddy?"

"Just be there for him" Leroy replied and Rachel smiled as he spoke again. "He needs you right now, to be strong for him. I'm sure James will talk to you later, sweetie, but right now he just needs your love"

"Okay" Rachel said nodding. "Thanks Daddy, I love you"

"love you too Baby girl" Rachel saw James walking back towards her slightly in front of his parents. "They're coming back; we'll be home in a little bit"

"Alright; we'll have the kettle on".

Rachel hung up as James reached her, turning to give him a warm smile; happily noting that he seemed a bit happier than he had done before, a bit of colour had returned to his face as she took his hand in hers. "Hey baby"

"Hey" He said, smiling at her. "I got you a coffee"

Taking it from him, Rachel grinned and leaned up to kiss him softly on the lips. She felt him relax into her mouth, his hand coming to rest gently against her cheek as they shared several chaste kisses before separating as she heard him murmur; "love you"

…..

It had been about a quarter of an hour since they'd shared a smile and Rachel had kept their joined hands cradled safely in her lap. She might not know what was going on between him and his Dad, but she knew that he needed her and needed the comfort her touch could provide.

"How is school going, Son?" Rachel couldn't help but notice by the way he seemed to flinch at the sound of his father's voice and she just squeezed his hand again before looking at him to see James staring forwards to answer his father. "Good, I hope"

"Yeah, it's going great" James replied.

"You are settling in well?"

"I really like McKinley; Rachel and her friends are all really cool" She could see him smile slightly as he turned to gaze at her

"Good" Robert said simply and she saw him nodding his head. "I know the school isn't as competitive as your old one, so I hope you're working hard"

"McKinley makes sure that we're all work hard" James replied, his eyes dropping to stare at his knees.

"That's not what I asked. Are you working hard?"

"Yes Dad, I am"

"I hope you're still putting the effort to maintain your GPA"

"Miss Pillsbury, the guidance councillor says that I'm keeping it the same"

"I'm glad, you know Julliard won't accept you if you slack off"

"I know and I'm not slacking off, Dad"

"Your attendance is perfect correct?"

"Yes"

"What about your classes? Are they challenging enough?"

"Yeah, they are"

"What about the mathematical classes?"

"I'm trying my best in them"

"Your best? Your grades were improving before you transferred, I expect to see you continue that"

"I'll try"

"I should hope so, like I said if you want to go to college then you need to work hard"

"Yeah"

"Good, I hope you understand that"

"I do"

"Do you get the same amount of homework compared to at Stanley High?"

"More or less the same, maybe a bit more"

"I hope it's all done ready for school tomorrow; you know homework is the key to your education"

"It is" Rachel noticed James voice get quieter and quieter as he answered his fathers questions. She felt horrible for him listening to it, her Dad and Daddy had never put her through this much scrutiny. When she gazed at him, she saw his jaw clenching a slight redness to his eyes. All she wanted to do was pull him into her arms and cuddle him tightly, to make him feel better.

"It better be" Robert's voice was continuing in its firm tone, almost as if he couldn't hear the effect it was having on James; His father in complete ignorance as he continued to lecture "I've always expected you to do it before you did any of your after school activities. That reminds me, I hope that you are still keeping up your singing lessons"

"I am"

"You better be, I didn't pay all of this money so that you could transfer to this school and slack off with everything that-"

"Robert!" Andrea voice cut through the car loudly and she saw James flinch at his mom's raised voice. Rachel gripped his arms with her other hand and scooted closer to him on the back seat. James wasn't looking at anyone right now, simply staring into his lap and Rachel could tell he was trying to keep his composure. "Stop interrogating him and leave him alone"

"I'm not interrogating him" Robert remarked

"You are" Andrea said "James understands what we expect of him, don't you sweetheart?"

"Yeah mom, I do" He replied, his voice perking up a little from when his father had been lecturing him. Rachel smiled, recognizing now why he had such a close relationship with his mom; Rachel figured she had been the one to defend and protect him from his father over the years.

"See? He doesn't need you lecturing him, especially not in front of Rachel"

"I'm allowed to take an interest in my son" His father replied, and she saw James take a deep breath. "All I'm doing is talking to him about school; making sure that just because you aren't around all the time, he isn't taking advantage"

"No, you are talking at him" Andrea spoke, matching his fathers stern tone. Rachel smiled at the softness Andrea then said her next few words, pride ebbing as she described her son. "You chose not to see it but James is incredibly mature, who is very aware of what he needs to do"

"That might be so but I still want to make sure that" Robert started to speak before Andrea cut her husband off.

"Robert. Stop lecturing him"

Rachel was glad when his father accepted what Andrea said and stopped speaking; honestly she could have hugged the woman. She loved his mom even more, she was there to stand up for her son who was quite obviously too intimidated by his father to say anything other than simple answers to his questioning. If he had continued, Rachel had a feeling James might just have broken down into tears right there in the car. She was definitely giving him the biggest kiss followed by the largest hug she'd ever given as soon as they were alone.

For the rest of the journey, Rachel happily talked to Andrea as his woman asked her about how rehearsals for West Side Story had been going. Rachel was glad that Andrea kept the conversation going, recognizing that it kept Robert's attention off James, something she was more than eager to protect him from. His father seemed to take his wife's words to heart and he was silent until Andrea parked the car in the driveway.

"Your house is very beautiful, Rachel"

"Thank you very much, Mr Agrisino" She replied, smiling at him; Rachel didn't feel like addressing him by his first name like he had insisted at the airport, definitely not after what she'd just had to listen to as he interrogated her boyfriend. When his Dad climbed out of the car, Rachel wished James had stayed in the car for a moment, but sadly he had climbed out quickly to open the door for his mom.

Rachel climbed out after him, watching as while Robert gazed at her house, Andrea pressed a quick kiss against her son's forehead as he clenched his moms hands tightly. Rachel watched as he nodded at something Andrea said to him before she turned to walk over to her husband. James turned to her and a small smile sat on his lips as he offered her his hand, Rachel gladly clasping his tightly in hers as she led him over to the front door; taking her key out of her pocket as she let them in.

"Dad, Daddy" Rachel called out as she heard the front door close behind her, leading James by the hand into the lounge towards the kitchen. "We're home"

A couple of seconds and her Dads appeared as she stepped into the kitchen. They seemed to notice James sad smile, as Hiram clasped his shoulder for a moment before turning to face her boyfriend's parents. Rachel smiled, knowing that her Daddy had filled him in as James introduced them.

"Dad, these are Rachel's fathers; Leroy and Hiram Berry" James voice had regained some of its normalcy as he spoke, though Rachel could still hear the lingering sadness. "This is my father, Robert"

"Robert Agrisino" He said as he stopped forward and shook each of her Dads hands for a short moment. "It's a pleasure to meet you"

"We finally meet, it seems much overdue" Hiram said with a polite tone.

"Indeed, but all the same; It's nice to meet you Robert" Leroy added, a smile on his lips. "It's good to see you too, Andrea"

Rachel watched as James' mom stepped forward and embraced each of her Dads, pulling back with a warm smile on her face. "Thank you; and thanks for looking after James for me while I was in Oregon"

"Don't even mention it, you know we love James" Leroy replied, gesturing for them to head towards the kitchen table. "Why you like a coffee Robert?"

"Please, I take it Black"

"Would you like some of the green tea I made Andrea?" Hiram asked, smiling warmly.

"You know me too well Hiram" Andrea laughed, rubbing his arm softly before she took a seat.

"Sweet pea" Hiram voice got her attention, and Rachel looked at her Dads smiling face. "Why don't you and James go upstairs to your room while we get to know each other better"

Rachel could have hugged her father right now; as always his intuition perfect at recognising that neither her or James wanted to be there at the moment, he could quite clearly sense James' emotions.

"Don't be silly" Robert voice interrupted her as she was about to take James' hand. "This is the first time we're all together; come sit with us son"

"Yes Dad" James replied softly, walking around the table to sit next to his mom who rubbed his arm when he sat down next to her. Rachel tried to keep the smile on her face, as she felt like screaming at the man. Her father's eyes met for a moment and Leroy shifted from his seat, freeing up the one next to James and as he passed her on his way to help Hiram make the coffee he winked at her.

Rachel made her way to the table and sat down next to James, wordlessly taking his hand firmly in hers under the table; beaming herself when she saw her the corners of his lips turn up into a smile.

The six of them stayed at the kitchen for around an hour and a half as James' father got to know her Dads. Rachel and James both kept quiet, except for a smile when a joke was shared or replying to a question. His father seemed to be getting on well with her Dads, the same warm person she had first seen at the airport present rather than the one she had witnessed in the car as he interrogated his son. James seemed to relax somewhat and Rachel couldn't help but smile when his thumb started to rub her hand gently, a small compassionate touch that made her warm inside.

A little while later by the time that Andrea and Robert were saying goodbye, Rachel was relieved that it seemed to have been a success.

"Thank you very much for the coffee, it really was a pleasure to meet you" Robert said smiling as he shook her father's hands again.

"Don't mention it" Leroy replied. "Like we said, we've been waiting to meet the man responsible for such a charming young man such as James"

Rachel smiled proudly as James blushed at the comment, which was only amplified more when Andrea stroked her sons cheek affectionately.

"He really is a gentlemen"

"Mom" James moaned, shrugging her off with a smirk on his face.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about sweetie" Andrea said, smiling at her son before she turned back to Leroy. "We must be off, thank you again for letting him stay"

"We love having him" Hiram replied, putting an arm around James shoulder.

"Come on Son, lets go" Robert said as he took his wife's hand and steered her towards the front door. Rachel smile faded, she'd though James was staying there tonight and she gulped as she saw the frown on James face as he made no movement to follow.

"I was going to stay here tonight" James replied softly.

"Don't be silly, we're going to go out for a family dinner; I haven't seen you in a month and we have things to talk about" His Dad replied and Rachel saw her boyfriend nod simply.

"Okay, just let me say goodnight to Rachel" He replied and Andrea smiled at them before taking her husband outside.

As soon as his parents walked out of the door, Rachel pulled James to her and embraced him tightly; putting everything into the gesture, wanting him to know how much she loved him. The two of them stayed like that for a couple of minutes before they separated and when they did, Rachel saw James smiling at her.

"You okay?" She asked, raising a hand to stroke his cheek.

James nodded at her. "Yeah, just a bit of a surprise"

"If you need me ; call me and I'll be right over okay?" Rachel insisted, squeezing the hand she was still clasping tightly. James nodded again before he leaned to press a kiss against her lips.

"I will Rach" He replied as he moved away, smiling at her again before he added; "I love you"

"Love you too" She said, kissing him once more before they separated. Rachel watched sadly as he walked out of her house and towards the car. Her sadness only increased when the car pulled out of their driveway and away from her.

…

"Sweetheart, do you want to talk to us about what's bothering you?" Rachel looked up at the sound of her Dads voice, smiling weakly as Hiram looked at her with a concerned expression. James had been gone about fifteen minutes and she hadn't been able to stop worrying about him; which she knew was silly considering he had left with his parents, but there was just something about him being around his father that had Rachel frightened.

James had spoken to her about his difficult relationship with his father, but had never mentioned anything too specific. Robert Agrisino had seemed a friendly, warm man when she had first met him at the airport but how he had acted in the car journey to her house, Rachel couldn't help but be afraid. James was such a strong man, the most confident person she knew; but simply being around his father had reduced her boyfriend to a shell of that as he retreated into himself.

"It's James" Rachel replied, chewing her bottom lip worriedly. "I'm scared"

"Why sweetie? Is everything okay?" Leroy asked.

"It's his Dad…James is so different around him, like he's scared of his father" Rachel said softly wringing her hands.

"Robert seemed like a nice man, but we could see something wasn't quite right with James" Leroy replied. "What makes you think he's scared of his father?"

"The car ride" Rachel said before launching into an explanation of what had happened from James' father arrival in Ohio till the front door of the Berry house in Lima. Rachel felt her eyes welling up a little as she talked about how James had seemed to shrink and shrink, his voice increasing quiet as his father interrogated him about his school life; she didn't like how James had been made to feel, but what upset her more was the fact that Robert seemed oblivious to how much discomfort he was causing his son. Rachel had only ever experienced supportive parents; sure her Dad and Daddy expected her to do well in school and would be angry if she didn't pass classes, but she'd never seen anything like how James had been treated by his father.

"The poor boy" Hiram spoke after a few seconds of silence as Rachel finished telling her story, wiping her eyes on her palm. "No wonder he seemed so quiet"

"Oh Dad, you should have seen how shocked he looked to see his father at the airport" Rachel said, sniffing. "James just stood there; he didn't know what to do"

"He's told us how difficult his relationship is with Robert" Leroy replied, leaning forward to touch her arm softly. "I don't think we knew what that entailed exactly"

"I didn't like seeing him like that, he was so vulnerable" Rachel said softly. Her James was always so confident of himself and in everything he did; it was so shocking to see him as she had earlier in the day.

"We know sweetheart" Hiram replied, smiling at her warmly. "Just be there for him sweetheart. James will come to you and talk when he needs to"