Shelby's POV:

"Mom, you promised!" Rachel whined as she shook her New York pamphlet in my face once again.

"Rachel I said that we would get away from here, I never said that we would be going to New York." I stated, once again trying to correct my child, who for some reason had it in her head that we were leaving for New York at any minute.

"But New York is away from here. I don't understand why we can't go." Rachel complained and I just sighed.

"I never said that we couldn't go, I just don't think that will be a trip we will be taking over winter break. We have a lot to do and we don't really have that much time to get everything done."

"But the giant tree, and the Rockettes, and the ice skating, mom I love ice skating!" Rachel pleaded.

"Yes I know, you've only told me about a thousand times in the last five minutes. Rachel can we talk about this later?" I asked as I tried to re-type the same word I had been trying to type since this conversation started.

"You're trying to get rid of me." Rachel said and I nodded.

"You're right, now go and we will talk later." I said causing Rachel to huff and storm out of the kitchen up to her room.

All I wanted to do was to send a text to Jennifer and instead of being able to do that in peace, I get to deal with a teenager having a meltdown because I won't take her to New York, even though her friends were on their way over to our house at the very moment so they could have a sleepover. What had my life come to?

Jennifer promptly responded to the text that had taken me forever to send to let me know that she was on her way. That left me with the task to go and talk to Rachel to help put her in a good mood before her friends arrived.

Rachel was laying face down on her bed when I got to her room. I wasn't sure what she was doing but she had her legs in the air and she was kicking them back and forth.

"Rachel can we talk now?" I asked and she nodded as she flipped over onto her back.

"Yeah, I guess." She mumbled and I walked over and took a seat next to her on the bed.

"I know you want to go to New York and honestly I want to be the one to take you, but you need to understand that at the moment I am only worrying about tonight and tomorrow with your friends. This sleepover is putting a lot on my plate and I am happy to do it, but if I have to plan a New York trip on top of all of this I will lose my mind. Can you understand that?" I asked and Rachel nodded.

"I'm sorry I started pressuring you about this today. I am just really excited about the prospect of going to New York and I should have thought about how much stress you must be under right now. I know that hosting a slumber party is not the easiest thing in the world."

"No it's not the easiest thing in the world but I would do anything for you. That being said I still don't know about New York, it's not a complete no, but it's not a yes either." I said and Rachel nodded.

"But you'll think about it?" She asked and I nodded.

"Yes I will. Now your friends are going to be here at any moment so I think it would be best if we both go down stairs and wait for everyone to arrive. Aunt Jennifer is on her way over with some snacks so everything should be ready to go when your friends get here." I said and Rachel nodded as she happily jumped off her bed and headed downstairs to set up.

As soon as I made my way downstairs the doorbell rang and I went to open it while Rachel raced about to make sure that everything was perfect fro her friends.

"Okay I have just short of a million snacks for this party and unfortunately I only have two hands." Jennifer said as she rushed past me into the house.

"We'll deal with it. Rachel we need to grab the food out of the car!" I called and Rachel came racing from the living room out to the car.

After about two more trips out to the car, all the food was inside the house and Jennifer and I were setting up the kitchen while Rachel paced in front of the front door.

"You would think that she was waiting for a boy not for a few friends who were coming for a sleepover. She really is just like you." Jennifer said as she put a macaroni bite in her mouth instead of on the plate.

"Thanks. It's good to know that I look like that when I am obsessing." I said smacking her hand as she went for another snack that was for the sleepover.

"That's what sisters are for. So when are these girls going to get here?" Jennifer asked.

"Any minute now." Rachel said as she walked into the kitchen. "Now we should go over some ground rules. I love that you are both here and everything, but please don't embarrass me. These girls have been my friends forever and the last thing I want them so see is my mother hovering with my aunt right beside her. You two can hang out with us but also know that we are going to want time alone. Can you two promise me that you will give us our space when we need it?" Rachel asked and Jennifer and I both rolled our eyes.

"Yes Rachel." I said giving her just as much attitude as she gave me when I asked her to do things.

"Thank you. They're here!" She said looking at her phone and then running to the door.

"Aren't children great?" I asked and Jennifer shook her head.

"If this one turns out anything like that one, Bryan and I are doomed." Jennifer said and I rolled my eyes.

"You will be fine. Rachel is a unique child who I can gladly report cannot be matched, even by a kid with your DNA." I said as I went to go meet Rachel's friends at the door.

I stood on the front porch and waited for the four giggling girls to make their way to the house. When they reached where I was standing the giggling stopped and they all smiled as they looked at me.

"Thank you for hosting the sleepover Ms. Corcoran!" Quinn said and I smiled.

"It was no problem and please call me Shelby. The only people who call me Ms. Corcoran are my students." I said as I moved out of the way and invited them into the house.

Once inside they all were led into the living room by Rachel who had them dump their things there while they all settled on the couch. I decided to let them have one of their private moments so I went back into the kitchen to help Jennifer who was grinning from ear to ear.

"What?" I asked and she shrugged.

"I just haven't heard Rachel this happy in a long time that's all." Jennifer said and I couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"Neither have I."

Jennifer and I put the rest of the food away before we both went into the living room to see what was going on. When we got there the girls were all gossiping away and it really put a smile on my face to see how well Rachel fit in with these girls.

"Hey mom, Aunt Jennifer." Rachel said stopping the rest of the girls from gossiping mid sentence.

"Sorry for interrupting, I just wanted to let you know that there are snacks for you girls in the kitchen and Jennifer and I are going to go for a walk." I said as I grabbed Jennifer's arm and led her towards the front door.

Once we were safely outside Jennifer stopped and looked at me.

"Why are we just leaving them alone?" Jennifer asked and I gave her a look.

"Do you remember when we were that age? The only thing that we wanted was for mom to leave us alone therefore I am going to give her some space. Plus I trust her and I know that they aren't going to get into too much trouble." I said and Jennifer nodded.

"I guess you're right. You are a great mom Shelby, I don't know how you do it." Jennifer said as we walked and I laughed.

"Well I made my fair share of mistakes along the way that's for sure. I guess I have come to realize that I need to give Rachel a little bit of freedom. Not to mention if I spend too much time around a group of gossiping teens I start to get heart burn." I said and now Jennifer started to laugh.

"There's the Coach Corcoran that people know and fear. So things with Rachel are good?" Jennifer asked and I nodded.

"Yeah. I wish that Rachel would stop bugging me about taking her to New York though."

"You're taking her to New York?" Jennifer asked and I shrugged.

"I want to, but I don't know if we have the time. Wouldn't that be something though? Our first Christmas together in New York. That is the thing that dreams are made of."

"Only in your twisted world. Christmas in New York is full of crowds and awful smells and I would not want to be there, but you and Rachel are a twisted type of human." Jennifer said and I sighed.

"You just don't understand. Being in New York isn't about the large amount of people there, it's about that wonderfully magical feeling you get seeing a broadway show and knowing that one day that could be you up there. It's the type of magic that is real, it lets you dream of things that could be. For Rachel that is one of the most attractive things about New York, it's the place where she will go to test her dreams."

"Then take her. She will only be this age once you know. If you and I were any indicator about how life is going to turn out for you two I would take any moment that she wants to hang out with you. I mean when we hit our twenties we barely talked to mom and seeing her more than three times a year just didn't happen. You've missed a lot of her life, make what you have left memorable." Jennifer urged and I sighed.

"I would have to give up rehearsals with Vocal Adrenaline-"

"Is that your baby, or is Rachel? You have a choice to make, is it Rachel or the glee club?"

"You and I both know that Rachel is my baby but I still have a job to do. And we have a performance on Christmas eve."

"When did that happen? And I understand all that but let Vocal Adrenaline just be your job. You go way above and beyond for that club and you are letting it get in your way. Don't let your job take over your life, put Rachel first."

"So I'm going to New York?" I asked and Jennifer nodded with a laugh.

"You are going to New York. Oh I cannot wait for you to tell Rachel, she is going to be through the roof with excitement." Jennifer gushed and I nodded.

"She really is. You can't say anything about it until I tell her though. If you ruin this surprise for me I will hurt you!" I joked and Jennifer sighed.

"I got it. How are you going to make it work with the performance and everything?" Jennifer asked and I shrugged.

"I will have to schedule a redeye flight for us and then we will go from there. I can make it work it just will be a pain." I said and Jennifer smiled.

"I can't believe how different Rachel acts when she is around those three girls." Jennifer stated and I nodded.

"Yup, I just don't like that she is so desperately attached to them."

"So what if she is? Is it so bad that she doesn't get along with those Vocal Adrenaline freaks? You were always complaining about them and telling me how you would kill your kid if they were like those kids. Why is it that you are so set on pushing her towards that team? You don't want her to be like them, but you want her to be friends with them? It doesn't make sense." Jennifer said and I had to admit that she had a point.

"I don't want her to be miserable at the school so I push her to find people who she can tolerate. I needed her to find a reason to stay at Carmel. She doesn't want to be there and I know it will only be a matter of time before she is asking to return to her old school and I won't be able to allow it. I don't want it to come to that Jen, so I am trying anything in my power to see to it that it doesn't come to that."

"I don't think she will want to return. I mean yes all of her friends are at McKinley, but at the same time you are here, I am here, this is her life now. I know this sounds crazy but I don't think that Rachel will ask to leave this, not yet." Jennifer said and I nodded.

"Not yet, that is the part that worries me. It will only be a matter of time before she wants something different, something familiar and I will have to deny her of that." I said and Jennifer sighed.

"The good news is that you don't have to worry about that right now. All you have to worry about is being there for her and helping her entertain her friends today. Do you think you can do that?" She asked and I nodded.

"Of course. So, do you think that we gave them enough time?" I asked and Jennifer nodded.

"Ah, yeah. Let's get back to the house and ruin some of their fun."


Rachel's POV:

"I'm surprised that they left us alone." Quinn said as she plopped herself onto the couch.

"Yeah, from the way that you talk about her I would have thought that she would be breathing down our necks all night." Santana commented.

"Believe me, I was not anticipating this. Usually she would be right in the other room making sure that absolutely nothing was going on. I guess she realized that we needed some time." I said and the three of them nodded.

"So what should we do?" Brittany asked

"We could watch a movie." Santana suggested but we all just laughed at that idea.

"We already shared the latest McKinley gossip, what is going on at the horrific Carmel?" Quinn asked causing me to lean back and closed my eyes.

"I don't want to talk about Carmel."

"What is so horrible at that school that you don't want to talk about it?" Santana asked and I shrugged.

"We won Regionals which means that we are now going to have to spend the next couple months trying to get ready for Nationals and then Worlds. This is not something that I really want to be doing with all my free time. I love glee club but I hate that it is consuming my entire life. I want to be able to see you guys more." I said and they nodded.

"We wish that we could see you more too, but we all know that this is what is good for you right now." Santana said and I gave her a questioning look.

"And why is that?" I asked and Quinn sighed.

"Because you being so busy all the time keeps you from thinking about all the horrible things that have happened to you in the past few years." Brittany explained.

"So you think that this is what I need? To be worked to the bone and so busy that I can't remember? You don't understand loss do you? Just because I am too busy during the day to think about them doesn't mean that I don't feel the empty void that is still there when I have a silent moment. That pain will never go away just because I am too busy to think about them. In time it may dull a little but it will always be there and it is a constant reminder of what I can never have again. I lost an opportunity to see what could have been because of a stupid disease, something that should have been caught or at least I should have been able to know about it. I lost time because people wanted to protect me and now that this has all happened people are still trying to protect me by doing things that they know nothing about. I love you guys because you are only saying what you think and you honestly believe that me keeping busy is the best thing for me but you have to know that it hurts and that is something that I cannot just get over. I lost a chance to get to know one of my fathers in his dying moments and I had another father choose death over me, I cannot just forget because I am busy, I must remain busy because if I don't the constant reminder just might kill me." I said causing the group to fall into an awkward silence.

"Way to be a buzz kill." Santana finally said breaking the tension that was settling into the group.

"New topic?" Quinn asked and everyone nodded.

It was not too much longer that Shelby and Aunt Jennifer walked back into the house. Honestly it was a welcome relief. After my little melt down nothing had settled back into the way it was and those two coming back home was the distraction that we really needed at the moment.

"So how is everyone?" My mom asked as she walked into the living room and we all shrugged.

"We're fine. Would it be okay if we used the music room?" I asked knowing that what we needed was a distraction.

"Of course. Just be sure that if you don't know where something goes you just sit it to the side so I can put it back later." She said and I nodded as the four of us headed into the music room.

"Your mom is a neat freak isn't she?" Santana asked as she started to browse through my mom's music collection.

"She can be, but it makes sense in this case. Music is her life so she takes good care of it, plus it is easier to find this way." I said as I pulled a few pieces out that I knew everyone would like.

"Sure, that's what it is." Santana said stepping towards the piano.

"Hey, I am going to grab something to drink, I'll be right back." Quinn said as she slipped out of the room.

"You know I could totally go for something to drink as well." Brittany said heading towards the door and I smiled.

"Don't worry about it, I will go grab something for all of us." I said as I headed towards the kitchen, only slowing slightly when I heard my name being mentioned in a conversation between Quinn and my mom.

"Look all I am saying is that Rachel isn't as fine as she says she is." Quinn said and I couldn't believe it.

When we had sleepovers we all would tell each other things that we would never want our parents to know. It was a known fact that we would never snitch on anyone especially to their parents. I was so angry that I quickly turned around and headed back into the music room.

"Where's the drinks?" Santana asked breaking away from her make-out session with Brittany.

"Quinn snitched." I said starting to pace back and forth.

"What?" Santana asked seeming more into our conversation than she was a moment ago.

"She told my mom about my little break down earlier." I said and Brittany and Santana sighed.

"She is just worried about you." Brittany said and I glared at her.

"I don't care if she is worried or not it is not her place to tell my mother." I snapped and Santana nodded.

"I agree, that is sort of why we started all of these sleepovers. We all have shit that we need to talk about but we don't want our parents to know that stuff about us, like things with Brit and I." Santana said as Quinn walked back into the room.

"Sorry it took so long, your mom and aunt are very interesting people." Quinn said as she walked into the room with a smile.

"Yeah, so interesting that you told them about my melt down earlier, that must really be their business being as they are so interesting." I snapped and she sighed.

"I'm worried about you Rachel."

"I don't care who you are worried about, you don't go and tell my mom about things that involve me. You know I didn't do that to you when you were on a war path after breaking up with Finn, and we were all worried about you." I replied as Quinn looked to Brittany and Santana for support.

"Don't look at us Blondie, you and I both know that what you did was wrong. We can be worried as hell about one another but never have we gone and told the parentals before, I just don't see how you thought this was a good idea." Santana said stepping to the side.

"She needs help and if she isn't going to get it herself then I am going to see to it that she gets it. Her dad committed suicide because no one was there to help him deal and I don't want to see my best friend go down that path. So sorry but I told your mother because I want you to be here. I am sorry if that makes me selfish." Quinn said and I had to admit that she had a point, but I wasn't going to let her off that easy.

"Whatever." I said as I walked over to the piano and started to play a song that I had picked out from the shelf.

When I had finished the song Brittany placed another song in front of me and I played it for her while she and Santana sang along. This continued for a while before we all decided it was time to go and watch a movie. It was starting to get late and we were starting to get hungry.

Brittany and Quinn went to pick out a movie while Santana and I raided the fridge.

"So where is your mom and your aunt?" Santana asked as she dug through the containers of food my aunt had brought over.

"Who knows, although if I had to guess I would say that they are someone where close with a bottle of wine and two glasses. They'll be back when the wine runs out." I said as I piled more food onto a plate.

"I am starting to like your family more and more." Santana said and I gave her arm a playful smack.

"Don't go getting any ideas, my mother will beat your ass if she ever finds you drinking."

"Your mom? I doubt it." Santana said with a scoff.

"Don't doubt it, that is one thing that my mom would not joke about. All I am saying is don't test her while you are here. I have plans for the break and I don't need you ruining them before I ruin them myself." I said and Santana chuckled.

"Whatever, come on lets go feed those angry blondes." Santana said as she took the plate of food into the other room.

Quinn and Brittany picked some chick flick to watch while we all filled up on all the wonderful treats that my uncle had cooked for us. We were about halfway through the movie when my mom walked into the living room and dropped off pizza and then she went into another room.

I was actually surprised that my mother was leaving me alone as much as she was especially with what Quinn had told her. I knew that as soon as my friends left tomorrow I was in for the talking of my life with Shelby, but all that could wait.

"So are you going to be mad at me forever?" Quinn asked as she cuddled up to me on the couch.

"Maybe." I said as I rested my head on her shoulder.

"I meant well."

"I know, but I would have rather of been the one to tell her. I know you mean well but I do talk to my mom, it just may take me longer than me talking to you guys."

"I didn't know. I just sort of figured that this was like when you were with your aunt. I want to help and I realize now that things here are different than I thought and that makes me happy." Quinn said and I smiled.

"Me too Quinn, me too."


A/N: Here's another chapter. Hope to post more soon...