Crossing my fingers that you like this chapter... Also bare with me please...the way I planned out this story and the way I want to develop the characters, I realize I'm going to be posting a looot of chapters and I hope you guys are willing to stay along for the ride.
soo heres the next part...enjoy
New York City 2002
Eight year old Santana Corcoran raced down the crowded sidewalk of Central Park West. The native New Yorker expertly wove her way around the awkward tourists and the cities inhabitants that flocked the streets. She ducked underneath smelly old Mrs. Peterson's outstretched arm, squeezed right through the middle of a foreign tour group snapping pictures of the park and leapt clear over Louis, the neighborhoods resident show dog that lived on the seventh floor of her building. The rambunctious third grader howled with laughter as she chanced one last look over her shoulder, making sure she was still in the lead.
Santana came to a sudden stop in front of a beautiful building that boasted having the best views in the entire city. The little girl pumped her fist in the air and began hopping excitedly in place "Yes!"
"Hey Santana I see we won today"
Santana's face broke into a giant smile as she nodded her head at Joe, the buildings resident doorman. The white haired Italian American had been working at 300 Central Park West for over thirty years and made it his business to keep an eye out on it's residences. He raised his white gloved hand and Santana jumped up to give him a high five.
"Cough it up Joe." She tapped her foot and held out an outstretched arm, watching as Joe emerged two cherry blow pops, Santana's favorite. "Pleasure doing business with you." She shook his hand and gladly accepted her prize.
Just then a winded nine year old boy came rushing up behind her.
"No fair San you cheated!" Noah Corcoran placed his hands on his knees and took a moment to catch his breath.
"I told him he dropped his pocket." Santana looked up at Joe, "It's not my fault the dummy fell for it" She smugly skipped her way into the main lobby and waved over her shoulder at Joe.
"See ya later princess. " He warmly chuckled in his thick New York accent and brought his soft eyes back to Noah. "So ya let her beatcha huh?"
Noah pulled on the straps of his bookbag then shoved his hands in his coat pockets."Little sisters" He grumbled and walked past Joe the Doorman, who tried very hard to suppress his laugh. Noah made his way through the marbled lobby and over towards the elevator. Santana was already waiting inside animatedly explaining how she tricked her brother into winning the race to their neighbor from the floor above, Jackson Jacobs. Noah felt the sudden need to defend his reputation, not wanting to let Jackson down, "I let her win." He waved his hand non-chalantly and tried to stand a little taller.
"Ha! You wish!" Santana slapped her knee and poked her brother on the shoulder. They both continued their little banter all the way up to the 29th floor, both trying to win over their respected friends approval.
"See you guys later" Jackson nodded goodbye and Santana continued to skip towards the door at the end of the hallway."Wait till I tell Ray who won the race today."
Noah rolled his eyes, "Whatever I let you win anyway"
The eldest Corcoran kids walked into the lavish apartment that they called home and peeled off their coats and threw their bookbags down by the foyer. They headed straight for the kitchen where Grace had an after school snack waiting for them.
"Hello children how was school today?" Grace asked as she looked over the young Corcorans, shifting uncomfortably on her feet.
"Eh it was school." Noah slid onto the chair and rubbed his stomach in anticipation as his eyes ate up the sandwich plated before him. He wasted no time, took a giant bite and began inhaling it down.
"Noah.."Santana looked on in disgust, "breathe" and she rolled her eyes before sighing "boys."
"Bite me" Noah managed to say in between mouthfuls of food.
Santana stuck out her tongue and took a tiny nibble out of her own sandwhich, only to satisfy Graces pressing look. She grabbed the juice box off the counter and took off running to find her sister.
Santana went straight to the play room, she was sure she would find Rachel in there belting out a song from one of her favorite musicals in front of all of the stuffed animals.
"Ray guess who won-" But her voice trailed off and a frown formed on her pretty face when she found the play room empty, the animals eerily stitting in a row, patiently waiting and facing an empty microphone.
"Rachel?" She turned around and headed for the bedrooms. She opened the door to the little five year olds room, "Rachel!" But again a frown formed as her eyebrows knit together when she found the pink princess room empty.
"Rachel!" She yelled finally, slightly frustrated as she poked her head inside her own room and just as she was about to head out she heard a sniffle.
"Rach?" Santana made her way over to the side of her bed. There, crouched in the corner sat Rachel. The tiny girl had her legs folded into her body, her chin resting on her knees as she hugged tightly onto Santana's favorite stuffed animal.
"Rachel? What are you doing over here all by yourself?"
The little girl lifted her head up and Santana watched as relief flooded through her baby sisters cloudy tear rimmed eyes. She wasted no time scrambling to her feet and the little girl rammed herself into the older girls body, her tiny hands clamping themselves firmly around her waist. Rachel buried her face into Santana's shirt and it was then that Santana felt the younger girl trembling.
"Rach?" Santana's voice shook as a million thoughts raced through her head. Was she hurt? Did she have a nightmare? Did that dumb little kid call Rachel a name again in preschool today? She knew where he lived and Santana was already going over exactly how many different ways she could make that boy cry. He didn't live far. All she had to do was march back two blocks to her school and go over to the building on the corner of 89th. She knew the doorman there, he was friends with Joe so she could just walk right in and...
Rachel whimpered and Santana was pulled out of her thoughts.
"What'sa matter?"
She tried unclenching the little girls hands so she could get a good look at her face but Rachel's hands seemed to have been cemented in place.
"Rach" Santana used her soft voice, the one she reserved just for Rachel and ran her fingers through the little girls soft brown locks.
"I told you to go to your room." Robert Corcoran appeared in the doorway, dressed in his work clothes, his voice low and angry.
Rachels body stiffened and Santana suddenly felt her little sisters heart ramming against her chest, threatening to come out of the tiny body. Santana felt the small arms tighten their hold around her waist.
"Hey Daddy your home?" The tanned brunette looked up at her father questioningly as he stalked across the room and wrinkled her nose as she smelled a repugnant odor coming off her dads body. Robert clamped a heavy hand around Santana, causing her to wince out in pain and she looked up at her father in shock."Ouch! Dad your hurting me!"
Her father snapped his eyes at her as he pried Rachel off and shoved her back, causing her stumble back onto her bed. Rachel began crying uncontrollably screaming for Santana.
"I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN YOUR ROOM." Robert bellowed as he grabbed the trembling five year old and dragged her back into her bedroom,"Stop screaming" He called out in a half pleading half demanding way. Santana heard a loud crashing, toppling noise, as If something were being knocked over, "Your stupid musicals and your dam singing!" Santana's eyes widened as she heard the words that were coming out of her daddy's mouth. She had never seen her dad act this way. What was going on?
She cautiously made her way towards Rachels room, terrified of the angry man that looked like her daddy but acted no where near him. What could Rachel possibly have done for him to be this angry? She crept down the hall just as her dad was walking out of the room.
"You don't listen!" Robert slammed Rachel's door shut and his piercing gaze fell on the eight year old, freezing her right where she stood.
"You! Stay out of that room!" He barked. "Your sister is punished" He brushed past a shocked Santana, quickly striding towards the front of the apartment before he slowed down and threw his fist into the wall, "Fuck!"
He ran a shaking hand through his hair and took a labored breath. Santana could've sworn she saw tears pooling at the corner of his eyes.
Robert leaned into the wall for only a moment and Santana didn't know if she heard him whisper I'm sorry or if she imagined it before he took off once again.
The brunette stood rooted to the floor, listening to his heavy footsteps disappear. She heard her brother call out , "Oh hey Dad!...Dad?" and then she heard the front door rattle shut with a bang.
The third grader felt a shiver go down her spine and it took her a minute before she slowly crept inside Rachel's room, her heart pounding with fear. Her sister was curled up in a ball on her bed, crying and shaking into her pillow. The little girl's collection of DVD's that she so carefully kept stacked in a neat pile was splayed across the floor. Santana stepped over Rachel's collection of musicals and climbed in next to her on the bed. "Ray what happened?" Santana's voice shook as she felt the sobs wrack her sisters tiny body.
She hugged her tight sprayed the top of her head with light kisses and kept asking what was wrong.
Rachel wouldn't answer and it was when Santana was trying to shift them into a more comfortable position that she saw a large bruise on her sisters arm.
She gasped and lightly ran her fingers over it..did her daddy do that?
"Ray it's okay stop crying." She cooed as she held the younger girl on the bed. She didn't know how long the two lay that way. Rachel cried herself to sleep without giving the older girl any answers. It was only when the trembling and the crying subsided and she felt the small body relax and breath rhythmically that Santana carefully removed her arm. She slowly stood up from the bed and swiftly headed out the room and went straight for the telephone mounted on the wall. Her fingers punched in the memorized numbers and she brought the receiver up to her ear, making an overdue phone call.
"Hello?" Santana croaked as she felt her throat constrict and her voice hitch upon hearing the warm comforting voice on the other end.
"Sweetheart."
"Mommy you have to come home," Her lower lip quivered, "Now!"
"Santana?" The voice on the other end changed and rose dramatically
"Santana!"
...
..
.
"Santana!"
The raven haired brunette stirred as she heard the voice awaken her from her deep sleep, her mind slowly registering everything from the night before. She mentally cursed the hell out of the melodic tone singing her name. She hated being woken up in the mornings. She hated it with a passion.
"RISE AND SHINE GIRLS!" The bubbly voice sang out as footsteps padded across the room and the two girls sleeping on the queen sized bed groaned and flinched as the sound of a curtain being pulled back flooded the room with the piercing gaze of the bright Sun.
Shelby walked over from the window and strolled to the side of her daughters bed, pulling back the covers, "Well good afternoon girls!" She sang loudly in Rachel's ear and smiled as her youngest daughter cracked an unwilling eye open.
"We're meeting Grandma and Grandpa Berry at Breadstix for an all you can eat lunch. Bottomless pasta bowls with thick tomatoey marinara sauce, unlimited amounts of piping hot bread and yummy delicious food."
Rachel's stomach gurgled and the young girl fought to keep whatever was left inside from coming out.
"We're leaving in an hour!" Shelby sing songed as she walked out of the room.
Rachel groaned as she lay motionless in bed. "San."
"Hm" The older brunette grunted.
"The room...i-it's spinning" Rachel grabbed a fistful of sheets to anchor herself.
"My head is pounding" She brought heavy arms up to the sides of her face to ease the pressure.
"And Oh My Gosh...I think I'm dying" She came to a panicked conclusion. "I'm dying!"
"Stop being so dam dramatic" Santana sucked her teeth as she sat up, reaching over and yanking the covers back over her body. She laid back down and buried her head into her pillow, happily closing her eyes once again.
The room fell back into silence.
For only a moment.
"This must be what dying feels like."
Santana's eyes flew open in anger.
"What happened last night? We convinced Jacob to drive us then we got to the party I didn't drink anything until that one guy offered me juice and then...Oh no" Rachel whimpered as everything from the night before came rushing back.
Santana growled, "It's called a hangover," as she threw the covers off and stood up from the bed, her hair sticking up all over the place and she grabbed her pillow, hugging it close to her chest.
"Where are you going!" Rachel turned her head, too afraid to move the rest of her body.
"To your bed" Santana grumbled, "away from your annoying voice." She passed her brother as she walked out of the room and Puck strolled in with a grin playing on his face.
"Sooo. How are we feeling this morning?" The smug teen walked over and poked Rachel's leg.
"Like death." Rachel whimpered and brought a hand up to her forehead.
"Good." Puck smiled and he saw a shocked look settle across his sisters face, "Now you know what happens when you drink so you won't do it again."
He winked causing Rachel to frown and stick out her bottom lip. "And don't worry it's normal to feel like shit right now. First your head starts pounding, then your mouth gets dry, your stomach starts to kill you, the room starts spinning, you feel like you can't move."
Rachel just nodded her head as Puck listed off all of the symptoms she was currently experiencing.
"But don't worry, It'll pass soon." He finished off his list as he backed out of the room, offering a piece of advice. "If you still feel nauseus stick a finger down your throat and throw-up. You'll feel better after. Trust me."
Rachel widened her eyes in horror.
"Oh and take a shower too." Puck rested his hand on the door.
"Is that gonna help me with my headache?" Rachel rubbed her temple.
"No. It's gonna help me." Puck covered his nose with his hand, "You stink!" and headed downstairs.
"And then I told him he could just forget the whole thing." Shelby took a large bite of her food and glanced around the table. Her mother and father nodded in approval as they ate their bowls of pasta. Santana was scarfing down a breadstick and Noah was already on his third bowl. Beside her, Rachel had barely touched her food.
"Rachel dear are you feeling well?" Grandma Berry asked worriedly at her youngest granddaughter. "You look a little pale, right Hiram?"
"I'm okay Grandma. I think I just caught a bug or something."
"Eat up Rachel. Come on, five more forkfuls, you have to eat." Shelby looked at her daughter.
Rachel wished she were back home laying down in bed. Just staring at all of the food made her want to throw up. The way Noah and Santana were eating made her insides cringe and she felt bile rise in the back of her throat as her mother shoved her fork under her nose, "Doesn't this smell soo good?"
Rachel gulped and continued picking at her food, shoveling the pasta back and forth across the plate, ignoring the conversation at the table. If she didn't know any better she swore her mother had probably set up this entire lunch on purpose.
"I'm so proud of my kids." Shelby sipped her water and her parents beamed at her. "You know in school I hear all of these horror stories from my coworkers of their kids and of course I hear my students talking bad about their parents and how they lie to them and sneak behind their backs and curse their names and ugh it's just horrible. I got lucky though." Shelby smiled warmly and caressed the top of Puck's head, "My kids and I have such a good relationship. They would never lie to me to my face. We're close and we can go to each other for anything."
Grandma and Grandpa Berry beamed at their grandchildren.
"Right kids?" Shelby smiled at them.
Puck, Santana and Rachel all looked at their mother and nodded, "Uh huh" plastering forced smiles and silently searching for any hint, trace or slip up of any kind on their mother's poised facade. Of course, Shelby Corcoran wasn't an award winning Broadway actress for nothing.
Fuck. Puck thought just as his Grandmother reached a veiny hand and pinched his cheek, "That's my Noah."
Shit we're fucking screwed. Santana smiled and busied herself with her soda, playing with the ice cubes.
Wait does this mean Mom knows what happened last night? Rachel stared at her mother. Shelby's eyes were gleaming, she had on a genuine smile and she pulled Rachel in for a kiss on her head.
"Such a handsome boy. When are you going to get yourself a nice jewish girlfriend?" Grandma Berry took a sip out of her drink and looked at her grandson.
"Grandma" Puck put on the embarrassed act, one Rachel thought didn't suit him well. Santana snorted a laugh as she dropped her hand in the bread basket and ripped off a piece of fresh bread, Oh he gets a girl Grandma she thought your precious little Noah gets a girl almost every other fucking night...such a manwhore. She tore the bread angrily between her teeth, Of course It's okay for him but If I start seeing different guys the way he see's girls I'm suddenly a slut. Santana ripped the bread again and glowered at her brother.
"Sylvie leave the poor boy alone" Grandpa Berry patted his wife's wrinkled hand.
"But I want a nice jewish wedding and have a nice jewish girl to come from a good family. Mrs. Leibowitz granddaughter is around your age. You two would look so good together."
Santana jumped, "Yes! Grandma Sylvie I couldn't agree with you more!" She smiled enthusiastically at her grandmother and inside she was bursting with laughter at the thought of her brother going out with Mrs. Leibowitz granddaughter from temple, the one with the bushy hair and weird nasally voice.
Puck looked at her and turned his eyes into slits.
"Right dear! What's her name? Hannah I think..Oh yes it would be perfect." Grandma Sylvie clasped her hands together. "What Hiram...Don't look at me like that. I didn't get a chance to have a normal Jewish wedding with my son so I'm making it up with my Noah. Leave me be." Grandma Sylvie spoke with a tone that shut Grandpa Hiram right up.
Of course Grandma Sylvie was talking about her gay son Hiram Berry. If Rachel wasn't so hungover she would have laughed. Her grandparents were so funny and she loved them very much.
"Shelby's wedding turned out to be a disaster." She waved her arm and Shelby choked on her water.
"Thanks mom." The Broadway star tightlipped.
"It's true. Don't even get me started on Robert. You see...I knew from the very beginning he was bad news because he wasn't Jewish."
Puck cleared his throat and Santana shifted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable like they always did whenever their father was mentioned.
"Awful man. Awful." Grandma Sylvie placed her hand over her heart and wore a pained expression causing a deep line to form between her brows.
"Mother." Shelby spoke but her mother didn't hear her.
"A poor excuse of a man I don't know why you still carry around his name Shelby." She brought a closed fist down on the table, "That abuser. That cheater. That lying son of a bi-"
"Mother!" Shelby interrupted and widened her eyes pointedly.
Sylvie Berry grabbed a napkin and patted the corners of her eyes, "Look what he's done. He's gotten me all upset now and he isn't even here. That ungrateful bastard. I need to leave. I feel emotional. Hiram" Grandma Sylvie gripped onto her husbands arm and Shelby called the waiter over, signaling for the check.
"Okay Mom we'll all leave. Come on." Shelby stood up and motioned for her kids to do the same. She threw a few bills on the table, not bothering to wait for the change and the Berry's and the Corcorans filed out of Breadstix.
Puck, Santana and Rachel all said their goodbyes and waited by the car for their Mother to come back from escorting her parents to their old car, the one her father refused to give away saying he simply didn't trust the new vehicles.
"That went well." Santana folded her arms across her chest.
"Mom knows." Puck leaned against the Range Rover.
"Knows what?" Rachel asked cautiously as she rested her head against her brother, feeling sick, already knowing what her mother knew she just wanted to hear it being confirmed.
The sound of heels clacking onto the street caused all three to turn their heads and watch their Mother shimmy her way through the cars and head over towards them. She unlocked her car and made her way over to the driver side, opening the door and climbing right in. The three siblings looked at one another "Maybe she doesnt know." Puck shrugged and his hopeful feeling didn't last very long.
They all settled into the car and as the last door slammed shut Shelby pulled out of the parking spot.
The ride home was eerily silent, with Shelby cutting off any form of conversation with clipped one worded answers. When they pulled up into the house, Shelby turned off the car and pulled out the keys.
"You're grounded for two weeks." Her voice was hard as steel and effectively delivered the message with a cold tone, "Noah no dates, no xbox, no parties. Santana no laptop, no sleepovers, no parties. Rachel, no going over Kurts house." Shelby grabbed her bag and pushed open her door.
"I wanted to see how long you would play this out...but I knew from the beginning. Did you guys forget who your mother was or something?" Shelby closed the door and clacked all the way into the house, leaving her three children stunned, mouths agape sitting frozen in the car.
"I think my mind was just bitch slapped." Santana cut the silence and Rachel buried her face in her hands.
Puck unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door, "Dam she's good."
A/N: So this looked a little bit deeper into the past. You were introduced to the Berry's lol. I don't know how my mind comes up with these scenarios sometime...my imagination tends to get the best of me. When I first thought up of this family dynamic I was going to keep things light..then as I thought of the individual characters, Santana's 'bitchyness' Pucks 'badassness' Shelby's HBIC attitude..I started thinking okay..why would they act this way..what caused them all to act out like this..surely something in the past..and then this story began unravelling itself. lol
So I promise (for real this time lol) your questions will be answered as the story moves along. Thanks for the amazing reviews! Love you all! xox.