Redo of C2.

Sorry, I'll see myself out.

-RCV

"How was Seattle?"

Rachel tapped her foot against the window, her legs stretched out against the dashboard, and shrugged. "Cold, rainy, a little cloudy at times, but ultimately the same no matter what day it was. There were times I missed Lima, believe it or not. I would rather have cold and dry than the shit storm that was Seattle's weather," she said.

"And the family?"

"I freaked out while I was on the plane, and I nearly threw up on the flight attendant. One of the passengers had to give me a Benadryl, and it put me straight to sleep."

"Why the freak-out?"

"I haven't seen them in years, Puck. Sure, we chatted on video every blue moon, but living with them was something completely different."

"When you put it that way it makes sense. But was the experience bad?"

"No, not at all. Once I settled down, I loved being out there, you know, despite the circumstances."

"Yeah, you never got around to telling me why you pulled the disappearing act. Leroy was the one who told me that you needed to go away, but that you would be back."

Rachel sighed and looked over at Puck. "One day after school, I got into an argument with Hiram. I ran out and went to some diner across town. I was alone, you know? But there was some jerk there who walked over and started flirting with me. I turned him down, and he got upset. He said some things, and I snapped. Cops were called, and thankfully, Leroy got me out on a self-defense charge. But he and Hiram believed I needed some time away to recover, so they sent me to live with my other family."

Puck blinked at her and whistled lowly. "Wow. That's why?" he asked.

"Pretty much."

"What'd your family say?"

"You mean Leroy's family?"

"They're your family too."

We're not related biologically. Those are Leroy's kids and that woman I'm calling Mama is Leroy's ex-girlfriend. It's odd because while they're all related, I'm the oddball out. I'm the spawn of two heartless individuals who had a baby to save a doomed relationship."

"Don't they still see you as their sister?"

"I might be their sister in name, but in blood, I have no one but Hiram and Shelby."

"What's up with the negativity, man? What's going on in that head of yours?"

After a beat of silence, Rachel said, "Monday."

"What about it?"

"I go back to McKinley on Monday. I'm not ready for that. You continuously told me how Glee Club pretty much fell apart without me, and they all hate me. When I show up tomorrow, they're going to-

"Fuck them," Puck interrupted hotly. "You didn't ruin shit. They did! They were always fighting and bickering and gossiping more than practicing. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Thought you liked them," she teased.

"Hell no. I tolerated them but now? They're a bunch of fuck-ups, and that's coming from me."

Rachel snorted and squished her cigarette into the ashtray. "I have something to tell you," she said.

"Uh, oh."

"No, it's not bad. LJ and Tori are actually here with me. In Lima."

Puck gaped at her. "No fucking way!" he exclaimed.

"Yup. They're at the house with Leroy. I'm warning you now, my siblings are certifiable."

"They're your siblings now?"

"Shut up," she grumbled. "I was having a moment."

Puck lightly punched her shoulder. "I'm just fucking with you, bro," he said. "But that's dope man. I can't wait to meet them."

"I bet," she muttered. In a louder voice she said, "I'll be honest with you. I don't know what's going to happen on Monday. I can only plan for what I can control. I'll be fine."

Puck stared at her for a long moment. After a few seconds of intense eye contact, Puck broke first and turned the key in the ignition. "Alright. Just so you know, not everyone hates you back at McKinley. I can say without a doubt that there are at least two people back at the school who pretty much faded into obscurity after you left," he said.

Rachel tensed, moving her feet down to the floor as Puck pulled out of the lot. She snapped the rubber band on her wrist and said, "I would ask who, but I think I already know. Are they…well, are they okay? Like they haven't been fighting much, have they?"

"Oh no. In fact, they're the best of friends. But it's, uh, no longer the Unholy Trinity. Rather the Unholy Duo."

"What happened to make that happen?"

Rachel saw Puck wince, and he cleared his throat, "Let's just say one was caught in a compromising position with a certain Glee member and her girlfriend got suspended for two weeks for some…creative work with a broomstick."

"A broomstick?" Rachel repeated.

"Yeah. It took Finn three days to be able to walk without limping."

She tried to hold it in, she honestly did, but Rachel's laughter was so loud and infectious that Puck had to laugh with her.

Rachel crept back into the house, her boots in her hand, and as she dropped them on the floor by the door, a light turned on. She sighed at the familiar sight of her Daddy waiting in the kitchen.

"Hi," she murmured, wiping her hands on her pants.

Leroy leaned over the island and passed her a bottle of water. He asked, "How is he doing?"

Rachel took the bottle thankfully and sat down across from him, taking a long sip to try and determine where the conversation was going. "He's fine," she answered, putting the water back on the table. "Same as I remember, though he shaved off that ridiculous mohawk."

"Good. Did you eat?"

"Yeah, we stopped and picked up some pizza."

Leroy placed his chin in his hands and said, "You've been suspiciously quiet about your trip to Washington, and I'm concerned it didn't go the way I hoped it would. Tori and LJ are telling me nothing beyond their usual foolishness. I mean," he stopped to gesture at her hair and added, "Your hair alone is a big change. Hiram also may or may not have chewed my ear off about a couple of suspected body modifications as well."

"I had a belly button ring, but I took it out. That's as far as piercings go besides my ears."

"I feel like there's a but coming."

Rachel rolled up her sleeve and pointed to the Aries ram inked onto her wrist. "I got this one for LJ on his birthday," she said. Then she pointed to the Aquarius sign right beside it, adding, "And this one, obviously, for Tori."

"Okay, so two-

"Not finished," she interrupted.

Leroy blinked as Rachel pulled up her shirt. On one hip, a wolf with brown eyes. On the other, a lion with green eyes, both of which took Leroy off guard by the sheer amount of detail.

"Since when do you like wolves and lions enough to tattoo them on your body?" he asked.

"They will mean more in the future. I hope, but know that a lot of thought went into these seemingly random animals. I wouldn't put just anything on my body."

"Oh, of course," Leroy said quickly.

Rachel lowered her shirt and nodded in relief. Leroy sighed and tapped his fingers against the island. "You still haven't told me about your trip. All this is telling me is that you got a little needle happy at a parlor with your siblings. School? Singing? Did you join any clubs at your high school? Did you join any activities in the neighborhood? Come on, fill me in. You were gone for a year, Rae."

"The trip was interesting at first. I learned a lot about myself in a matter of months. The Rachel Berry from Lima was introduced to a lifestyle that she knew nothing about and had to assimilate with relatively quickly. Tori took a pair of scissors to my hair, LJ burned my clothes on the front lawn, and Mama Berry force-fed me food whenever she could because she felt like I was too skinny."

"Well, you have filled out a little bit."

Rachel glowered at the comment but chose not to respond. "Anyway, the school was boring. I was in advanced classes and still felt like I was learning beneath my grade level. That led to boredom, which led to skipping, which led to getting caught by truancy officers with Tori, and all that came with it. Clubs? I joined the art club for a bit, but I can't draw so I'm not too sure how I managed that. Activities? Does going to strip clubs every Friday night count as activities in the neighborhood? Umm, as for singing, I haven't sung in a long time. Not even in the shower."

"W-wow. That, uh, wow." Leroy scrunched his face. "You seriously lived it up while you were there, huh?" he asked.

"I wouldn't say that, but I did live a different life than what I was used too."

"It would appear that way, but Seattle moves at a different speed than Lima, Ohio. Can't fault you for blending in with the crowd."

Rachel saw him hesitate, his mouth opening and closing, and she sighed as she said, "I fucked up, Daddy. I know I did. I only had one episode while I was out there. I was at a party with Tori, and before I got to upset, she dragged me outside and backed me into a car. I thought she was going to hit me, but she just looked me in the eyes and told me that I needed to find a different outlet. After that, she would help me channel my anger into something productive like boxing."

Leroy closed his eyes and deflated in his chair. "I have a confession to make," he murmured.

Rachel snapped the rubber-band in a rhythm and looked away. "If you're about to tell me you called Mama Berry to check in on me every day, then don't bother. She gave me a heads-up the second time it happened," she said.

"I'm sorry. I was trying to give you a wide berth, but when you turned off your phone, I got worried and-

"Daddy, it's fine. I understand."

Leroy reached across the table and grabbed the fingers steadily snapping the rubber band against her wrist. He squeezed them, and Rachel quickly snatched her hand away and placed it under the table. He looked at her and said, "I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter," she said. "What happened is in the past, and I don't want to keep focusing on it."

"Rae-

"I'm tired," she lied. "Can I go to sleep please?"

"Sure. Go ahead. I'll clean up down here," he said softly.

Rachel gave him a short nod and jumped from her seat, nearly sprinting her way to her room. She passed by the guest room where LJ was staying, and barely reacted to her brother opening the door and calling her name. She ignored him and closed the door on his face, locking it behind her. Somewhat thankful for the soundproofed room, Rachel screamed as loud as she could for as long as she could. When she finished, Rachel inhaled and exhaled five times, and had it not been for her exhaustion, she would have screamed more.

Instead, she flopped face-down on her bed and forced herself to fall asleep.