Disclaimer: If I had owned Glee, its characters or the used songs I wouldn't be still living in the Netherlands and Glee wouldn't have ended.
Summary: After a horrible tragedy Rachel and her family are forced into Witness Protection for their safety. Will they be able to be kept safe or will they be found before the perpetrators have been stopped?
The idea for this story comes from a story named 'Of Poker Faces and Dreaming Dreams'. I've tried to contact the writer to adopt the story since it hasn't been updated in six years with no luck. I was already planning to go a whole different direction with it so here it is with my own twist.
Special thanks to all of you who are still following this story for your patience.
English still isn't my native language. For that and to kick my ass every once in a while to get it into gear and update I have jenmer61977 as my amazing beta.
This story is AU where they all joined Glee freshman year. Everything happened as it did on the show only a year earlier and except for Shelby walking away and being single. She's been in Rachel's life since the girl was born and is married to a woman. And she never was the loud, annoying know it all like in everything she does she is on the show.
A.N.: I'm changing things up a bit to make it fit better for what I have in mind later on in the story.
Leaning against her locker Rachel Berry looks around the hallway of McKinley high school on the first day of school after the summer. She smiles at the memory of her summer break. As normal, the first half was spent with her fathers, Noah, his sister Sarah and his mom Deborah at the ranch in Texas she inherited from her grandparents. Which is currently run by a manager until she decides what to do with it. Her parents might not know it yet but she already knows what she wants to do with it, she only has to find the right time to discuss it with them. The second half would usually be spent with her mom and her wife at their farm just outside of Lima. This year however Santana came with them to Texas for the first time and the last two weeks she was invited to join Santana and her family to Hawaii.
Yeah, you heard that right. First, two of the most popular and most feared at school are her best friends. You'll hear more about that in a minute or two. And second, while the majority of the town thinks that Shelby and Leroy had a falling out and she just up and left. Outside their small inner circle nobody in Lima even suspects that her mom is still very much in the picture. So instead she has not one set of loving parents in a same gender marriage but two, with the former coach of Carmel's high school in Akron Ohio, McKinley's rival in everything, show choir Shelby Corcoran as her mom and her wife as her mama.
As she stood watching the masses move through the halls she reflected on her life and how she got to where she is now. While her biological dad Leroy Berry as well as her mom Shelby are born and raised in good ole' Lima, Ohio, her daddy Hiram Moskowitz is originally from a small town just under the smoke of Fort Worth, Texas.
Jewish communities in small towns are never that big, meaning the Jewish community in Lima contains about fifteen to twenty families which means that everybody knows each other and are generally pretty close. So growing up they knew each other's families but with a two-year age difference between Leroy and Shelby it wasn't until college that they really connected. When Shelby arrived in New York to start studying musical theater at NYU Steinhardt it was inevitable she would eventually run into Leroy who was studying Pre-Law at NYU Stern. Being the only two McKinley graduates from the Jewish community in Lima OH in New York they started hanging out and soon started dating, to the delight of their parents.
When Shelby got pregnant her junior year in college, she knew she couldn't stand being away from her baby stuck in long day rehearsals and late-night performances. So she changed her studies from musical theater to music education. Their parents demanded they got married for the sake of the baby, but it was then that Leroy came out as bisexual with a preference to men and although he did love Shelby, he wasn't in love with her. She wasn't really in love with him either and had seen his eyes linger so she always had a suspicion, so she wasn't too upset by the revelation.
They decided to keep the baby and raise it together and with the help of her father they found a three-bedroom apartment in Williamsburg that they could afford. Her father, being a real estate agent with his own firm, discovered that there was a big market for a real estate agent like him and by the time Rachel was born Shelby's family had moved to New York to start a branch of their real estate office and to help out with the baby while Shelby and Leroy were at school or work. It is now one of the biggest real estate offices in New York with a branch in Lima, New York and Florida to where they retired a few years ago.
Once Leroy started Columbia Law school, he met Hiram and the two fell head over heels for each other. Just as quickly, Hiram and his parents fell for Little Rachel too. While her daddy Hiram knew from an early age that he was gay, her dad Leroy, obviously took a bit longer to figure it out. Her mom only discovered she was gay as well when they all moved back to Lima after they graduated, Hiram and Leroy from Columbia Law and Shelby from NYU Steinhardt as a PhD in Music Education, and met one Sue Sylvester shortly after moving back whom she fell for fast and hard. When they moved back Hiram and Leroy wanted to start their own law firm based in Columbus while Shelby found a job as a music teacher at Carmel in Akron where she took over the position as choir director only one year later. A few years after that, as soon as it was legalized in 2004 in the state of Massachusetts, they married in a double wedding.
With the four of them moving back to Ohio Hiram's parents, being big time horse breeders in Texas, wanted their granddaughter to be raised around horses so they bought a small farm just outside of Lima. They saw how much the little girl loved being around the animals whenever they came to Texas. Rachel never failed to give her mother a heart attack time and time again whenever she vanished, only to be found in the stables with a horse. Since Hiram had no desire to live on a farm it was decided that Shelby, who loved horses and animals in general, would come to live there and hire a station hand to care for the animals and a trainer to teach Rachel how to ride and to train them herself while Hiram and Leroy would live in town. Starting their own firm gave Hiram and Leroy the opportunity to alternate working from home and since they had people close by to watch Rachel if needed they agreed that Rachel would come live with them in town but could go to Shelby whenever she wanted or needed to.
As mentioned before, the Jewish community in Lima is pretty close, so whenever Shelby and Leroy were in town over breaks and an occasional weekend they would go to temple and meet up with their friends, some of them also already had kids. When they moved back to Lima they easily fell back into those close friendships with Deborah Bernstein and Gabriel Puckerman who got married when she was expecting Noah. He left her when she was pregnant with their daughter Sarah to pursue his dreams to become a rockstar, saying Lima was suffocating him. While traveling around the country trying to make it as a musician, he was only able to send checks for child support so very few and far in between which meant that Deborah was forced to work mostly nights that she barely saw her children. He came to the conclusion that he wouldn't make it as a musician and that he missed his kids way too much, so he came back, followed a culinary course (he always was an excellent cook) at the Apollo Career Center and opened the Old Barn Grill and Bar. As a matter of fact, the Puckermans were the catalyst why the Berry-Corcoran clan started the foundation Ringa Awhina (Maori for Helping Hands). A foundation who has opened shelters to feed and help homeless people, helps less fortunate families with food, clothing and what not to get by and offers extremely talented students who can't afford going to a good college scholarships. Rumors are that Gabriel was cheating on his wife from the moment Noah was born and he has another son three years younger than Noah and four years older than Rebeccah with a waitress in a small town not far from Lima. Unfortunately, those rumors are true. Paul Karofsky who's fiancé died right after giving birth to their son David and Ezra and Judith Cohen who adopted their daughter Tina because Judith was unable to have children of her own, were also still close friends.
Whenever they were together, from the moment they all could walk, wherever Rachel and Tina went, Noah and Dave could be found nearby mostly because since entering kindergarten both girls were picked on, Rachel because of her dads' being gay and Tina for being Asian with parents that were not. The group was soon increased with Brittany who was picked on because the masses thought she was dumb and stupid. In reality she is really smart, she just had trouble learning English since her family is originally from The Netherlands. Santana came into the group when she moved into town when they were around seven and was picked on for being the new Latina kid.
Upon entering high school something shifted in the tight group of six. Dave started to lash out by becoming a bully for reasons they still don't know although Rachel has an idea, and Tina having insecurities about everything, developing a fake stutter, both pushing the other four away. Noah, Brittany and Santana however stayed loyal to Rachel. Even with joining the cheerios and football team and thereby the popular crowd in the social hierarchy.
Although Rachel could have tried out for the cheerios and would have been accepted. With all her gymnastics and dance classes and her mama as their coach she probably would have made captain her first year. But with all her outside school activities she chose not to. Instead she chose to audition for the glee club and convinced the other three to audition too, which brings us back to today.
"What are you smiling about Man Hands," she's rudely taken out of her musings by the snarl of Mercedes with Kurt right beside her, backing the black girl if needed.
With Shelby as her mother and Leroy as her father it's to be expected that Rachel is an exceptional singer and extremely smart girl who probably knows more about music than anybody in this school including their glee director Mr. Shuester. Fighting him on everything he does in the club makes the others in the club besides those she grew up with hate her because they know she's better than all of them. The three she grew up with know she is better, but Rachel just wants the group to be as good as it possibly can and win Nationals.
"Well good morning to you too Mercedes and Kurt," she greets her teammates politely. "I hope your summer was as good as mine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to class." With that she leaves them standing at her locker.
"What was that about?" Puck motions towards the black diva when Rachel reaches him and Santana.
"The usual," the small singer shrugs. "They can't stand me because I have popular friends making me popular by extension, I'm smarter than them, I know more about music than this whole school combined, including Mr. Shuester and make that very well-known and that I am a better singer than them, take your pick. Come on," she loops her arm through Santana's. "Let's get to class."
"She wouldn't be like this if she knew who your family is," the Latina suggests.
Rachel shakes her head. "If they can't respect or like me for who I am then they don't deserve to know anything about my personal life. If they knew they would only suck up to me to get a scholarship they don't deserve or out of fear of repercussions from mama. Which they get anyway without knowing why she does it." She smirks, aiming at Mercedes, Kurt and Mr. Shuester. Who all get backslash from Sue for how they treat her.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Santana agrees with her and with that the subject is closed as they enter their homeroom.
The rest of the day is pretty uneventful until it is time for glee. They're all chatting in the choir room waiting for Mr. Shue who's late as usual.
"Rae, what is your mom doing here?" Santana whispers at Rachel who is sitting with her back turned to the door, talking with Noah. Rachel turns to see that her mom, red eyed with tears streaming down her face, is indeed standing there.
At that moment Mr. Shue finally decides to grace them with his presence clapping his hands. "Alright kids. Welcome ba-," he stops mid-sentence, seeing movement at the other door. "Ms. Corcoran, what are you doing at McKinley? Can I help you with something?"
"Actually," Shelby swallows away a sob. "I need to talk to Rachel."
"Why?" Mr. Shue, knowing exactly who she is, looks confused from Shelby to Rachel, completely missing the resemblance. "So you can poach her for your choir?" He accuses her.
Sensing something is very wrong otherwise her mom wouldn't be here in the state she's in, Rachel stands to walk out with her mother and gives her director a glare. "Nobody is poaching anybody Mr. Shue. If you had listened to me a little more or paid any attention to my person or what happens in the show choir world you would have known that she isn't the director of Vocal Adrenaline anymore."
Shelby lays her arm around Rachel's shoulders guiding her to her wife's office.
Entering the office, she notices her mama is in the same state her mom is in. "What's wrong?" Their tear stained faces and demeanor are making her very nervous.
"Your dads' house was set on fire this morning," Rachel gasps at Shelby's words knowing her dads' were at home today 'celebrating' the first day of school like they always did on the first day of school after summer break.
"What about dad and daddy?" She chokes her eyes filling with tears already dreading the answer.
Sue, now fully crying herself shakes her head. "I'm sorry honey. They didn't make it out in time."
"Is that true?" Rachel looks at her mom. Not able to verbally answer her daughter's question Shelby nods.
"NO," she screams, turns on her heel and runs out the door, through the hall and out of the school, tears already streaming down her face.
Alarmed by the scream the whole glee club comes flying out of the choir room just in time to see Rachel running out of the school.
"What did you do?" Mr. Shuester yells accusingly at Shelby.
Without even looking at him she looks at Noah and Santana. "Noah, San can we talk to you?"
"Why would you want to talk to them? Rachel said no to your little poaching trip and now you want them?" He looks murderous at Shelby.
"Like Rachel already told you, nobody is poaching anybody," she repeats her daughter's words at him, looking him up and down with disdain. "If you were as invested in your students as you say you are and therefore had known as much as we know about our students, Cheerios and choir members you would have known that we're her mothers, you dipshit. We just had to tell Rachel that something very bad happened that made her run away and we need to find her, fast." Turning to her daughter's two best friends she looks at them pleadingly. "Do you have any ideas where she might have gone?"
Noah and Santana look at each other and then at Shelby. "There are several places. How about you try her house while we check the rest?"
Shelby shakes her head. "She can't go to her house."
The two look at her confused but she waves them off. "I'll explain later. Right now we have to find her."
The two nod and run out the door to find their friend. Without saying a word they automatically walk to Noah's truck. "Okay, Rachel just got some very bad news and clearly is upset. Where would she go?" He's wondering.
"Well, if it is really that bad she'd probably want to be with her dads," Santana answers his hypothetical question.
"But mama C just said-" He doesn't get the chance to finish his sentence as Santana cuts him off.
"I know what she said, but it is the only logical place." She interrupts him. "She loves her parents to death, all four of them. So if she got some very bad and upsetting news the first thing she would do is run to either her dads or her moms. Both her moms are here so let's just try it okay?" He has to admit that she is probably right so he starts his truck and starts the drive towards Rachel's house.
Here you go guys. The start of a whole new story. You know the drill, reviews are the fuel to my imagination.
