"White and gold."

"Blue and black."

"White and gold!"

The yells were getting louder.

"Arghhh!" Santana's voice slashed out, "Blue and black!"

"How do you see black and blue?! Where is there black and blue?!" Puck did a cross between a laugh and a bark.

"RIGHT HERE! CONGRATULATIONS DUMB ASS,"Santana boomed, "It only took you 17 years to discover you're COLOR BLIND!"

Rachel cautiously approached the kitchen, her footsteps slowing to an abnormal pace as she heard the escalating voices spewing fire at each other.

"It's white and gold but if you insist on seeing black and blue I can make that happen with my fis-"

"Good morning!"

The two eldest were standing on either side of the kitchen island, both had their palms pressed onto the marble countertop, arms flexing with eyes shooting daggers. The second Rachel announced her presence, Puck and Santana whipped their heads in her direction.

Rachel recoiled and jumped, "I can just go back upsta-"

"RACHEL!"

"WHAT DO YOU SEE?!"

They flung their phones at her, arms outstretched, eyes looking every bit crazed.

"Um a d-dress?"

"Thank you Captain Obvious." Santana smacked her palm into her thigh and rolled her eyes for good measure.

"Midge what color is the dress?" Noah waited with baited breath, flashing the image in front of Rachel.

They're arguing over a photo?

She darted her eyes back and forth between the two, "Is this a trick question?"

"WHAT DO YOU SEE!?"

"Hey, hey, hey, what's with all the shouting?" Shelby's heels clacked against the floor as she waltzed into the kitchen.

"Ma!" Puck placed his mother's favorite travel mug into her left hand, the morning paper into her right and waved a toasted bagel in front of her face.

Shelby took the bait, took a bite and scrunched her brows, "Wha-psh! Noah..thank you but wha-"

"What colors do you see?!" He held up his phone.

"White and gold," Shelby answered, without pause, as she placed the travel mug down on the counter, opened her designer bag and began loading all of her daily essentials inside.

"HAAA Told you Satan! In your face!"

Santana began turning different shades of red. She was using every ounce of strength she had to keep from leaping mid air and tackling her brother to the ground.

"Rachel never told us what she saw."

"Am I supposed to see something different? It's a dress, albeit not a very pretty one, a-at least not one to my liking. But, it's an okay white and gold dress if you prefer that style I suppose?"

Santana growled and balled her hands into fists, "You're all blind." She angrily tore her Cheerio jacket off the chair and threw her arms into the sleeves. "It's blue and black."

"What?!" Rachel and Shelby poured over the image once more and Shelby shot her eldest daughter a worried glance.

"San, honey, where do you see that?" Shelby sounded concerned.

Rachel furrowed her brows, "Santana? How do you see blue and black?" Puck folded his arms in smug contempt and flashed his sister a shit eating grin.

Santana couldn't hold back. She needed that satisfying feeling, like the one you get when you finally scratch an itch you just can't reach. So she shoved Puck with her shoulder and dug her elbow into his side, hard. He was too muscular for his own good. And she was sure a bruise would form on her own shoulder later on, but that was besides the point. The scowling teen zipped up the front of her jacket, parted her pony tail with a precise, perfected tug and angrily snatched the keys off the table. "I'll be waiting in the car. I suggest all you color deficient individuals relearn your ROY G BIV."

Rachel could name all of her colors on the color wheel. Primary, secondary and tertiary. Everyone knew that.

"Who the hells Roy?" Puck mocked as Santana huffed.

"If that's too hard for you Noah, maybe you can start with ABC's and work your up to 123's." Santana pivoted on her heel and stormed off.

"San...Santana...San-tan-a!" Shelby sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose when she heard the front door slam shut.

She did not just walk away from me as I was talking.

"That child is troubled."

Both Shelby and Rachel turned to see Noah shaking his head in disbelief.

"Cut it out!" Shelby lightly slapped his shoulder with the back of her hand.

"What did I do!?"

"I'll show you a child in trouble Noah. Wipe that grin off your face." Shelby grabbed her things and glanced around the house, "Rach, baby, you're textbook."

"I don't need it for today."

"And don't think for a second I forgot about your tutoring sessions today, young man. Shannon emailed the updated schedule this morning. "

Puck groaned as he shouldered his book bag and walked deflated in defeat out of the house, leaving just Rachel and Shelby.

"Got everything?"

"Mmhm"

Shelby turned off the lights and ushered her youngest outside.

"She doesn't really see black and blue does she?"

Morning practice had run smoothly. Well, if you overlook the small incident that occured between the two leading vocalists. Things got a little hairy when the two began battling it out for the top opening spot in the upcoming sectional's performance. Sectional's was a little over a month away, but competition was healthy.

Shelby encouraged it.

There was nothing wrong with laying it all out on the line and giving it your all.

It's that mentality that drove her to Broadway.

"Bye Coach, I'll see you after school?"

Shelby barely glanced up as she waved dismissively towards her last student. The heavy doors of the auditorium echoed shut behind them. And then.

Silence.

She welcomed it.

She drank it in. It was one of her favorite moments throughout the day. Being able to just sit, out in the middle of the dark auditorium, and stare back at that empty stage, bathed in soft light.

The stage.

It always beckoned her.

Her phone buzzed, illuminating in her lap, stealing her thoughts and eyes away from the lights and she quickly glanced down and let a smile break out over her face. She clicked open the call and brought the phone up to her ear, "Finally! I've been wondering when you were going to get back to me." The mother of three leaned back into the plush seat and lifted her strapped heels up to rest on the back of the seat in front of her.

"Shelly!" The nickname elicited a child-like smile. She loosened the tight bun she wore, and let her hair cascade down her shoulders.

"Ramen!" She laughed into the phone and she heard a deep, gruffier voice in the background. "Hey Shelb's!"

"Hey Roy!"

Her brother's husband was bidding him goodbye and a muffled call was heard, directed towards her, "I gotta run, gonna drop off this little princess at school. So, I'll talk to you later Shelb's!"

"Bye!"

"Hi Hi Aunt Shelly. Bye Bye Aunt Shelly!"

Shelby blew a kiss into the phone as she heard the high pitched voice, "Bye sweetheart! Oh how I've missed her!"

"Well hello dear sister of mine what are you up to on this fine morning."

"Hey Ram!" She said warmly, "Welcome back to the States! I want to hear all about your trip!"

"Oh God it was incredible! But wait, wait, wait, the trip can wait. Tell me what I've missed since I've been gone."

Shelby scoffed, "Where do I begin?"

"'Let's start at the very beginning', " Hiram sang into her ear and she added in perfect tune, " A very good place to start."

"Good idea, how's V.A.?!"

"They just left my auditorium. Practice got a little intense, but-"

"You love it that way"

"You know me so well," Shelby chuckled and wrapped a strand of her hair around her finger.

"What about the kids? How are my nieces and nephew?"

Shelby sighed, "They're pains in my ass."

Hiram's laugh erupted over the phone.

"But they're good. You know them-"

"Tell Noah, We'll be at the next home game. Leroy can't stop talking about it. He wants to give him a few tips, ' from one McKinley starting quarterback to another.' I told him though, honey, it's been 20 years, but he insists."

"Okay I'll tell him, but it's Puck now. Not Noah."

"He hasn't let up with that yet?"

"No, and I'm this close to shaving off his disgusting Mohawk."

Hiram chuckled, "How about my girls? It's been too long since I've seen those gorgeous nieces of mine. You know, Harmony has been talking non-sop about cheering. She said she wants to be just like her big cousin Santana."

Shelby laughed, picturing her adorable niece, wait till she told San.

"And how's my baby girl Rachel? How's McKinley treating her? Any boys? Every day she looks more and more like you. It's uncanny."

Shelby could practically see him jumping with every question.

"She's good! She's getting used to it I think. The girls are good for the most part, I told you about the slushy fiasco on their first day didn't I?"

"Yes, but there hasn't been any incident since, has there?"

"No."

"Geez, McKinley doesn't change, huh? Remember when we went therel?"

"Psht, don't remind me." Shelby giggled.

"And? What else? You're holding out on me about something. My sixth sense can feel it."

Shelby gulped and closed her eyes, "How do you do that?"She practically whispered.

"Mom and Dad vaguely mentioned something when I called them from Positano a couple weeks ago but you know how mom gets, I let it slide."

"I know how mom gets, which reminds me, they're coming down this weekend."

"You're dodging the question Shelbs."

"Well..." She sighed and brought her heels down as she sat up, "guess who has resurfaced."

"No!"

"Yes."

"Get the fuck out."

"He called randomly, out of the blue."

"What! Why? What does he want? Just a call right? No visit?"

"Just a call. And that's the thing...I don't know what he wants."

"Why do I feel like we don't want to know..."

"Tell me about it." Shelby could feel the dread dripping from his voice.

"How did the kids take it?"

"As expected."

"Wait, sorry to interrupt, but have you watched the news at all today?"

"You know me, I prefer print news in the morning."

"Well, there's this hideous dress that's all over-"

"YES! The kids were arguing this morning over some dress or other. The white and gold one?"

"Yeah that one. Apparently the world is split. Half see it blue and black the other, white and gold."

"San left so mad this morning. She stormed out of the house, even after I called out after her."

"Remember pulling that one on mom?"

"Ha, these kids have it easy. Especially San, if I did half the things she did-"

"Well...um you kinda di-"

"I'm worried about her though, lately she's been so angry. "

"It's not the first time she gets that way this time of year."

"True, maybe it's just that..I don't know." Shelby held her breath, "I'm kind of sort of seeing someone. Well not really seeing, more like seeing where it might go, in a potential, sort of, kind of way and I don't think she's taking that well either."

"Wait. What! Who?"

"I worry because poor thing was blessed with my temper, and I know it's just that. A bad temper. She's not like her father. I know that for a fact. I'm not saying she acts like him, but I think she got a double dose of my temper, no, triple dose of my temper and-"

"SHELBS!" Hiram was fed up with the deflecting.

"Huh?"

"WHO ARE YOU SORT OF MAYBE SEEING?!"

The bell shrieked, signaling the end of fourth period. Santana just left the cafeteria. She fell into step with Quinn and Brittany, barely noticing the way people cleared a path for them to walk down the hallway. Lunch was okay, same old drama unfolded in the cafeteria. The hockey team started with the football team and they almost got into a fight. Good thing Noah's lunch period wasn't until now, or he would have most definitely joined in.

"I got it!" The taller blonde skipped and clapped her hands together, oblivious to the open-faced stares the rest of the hallway inhabitants were throwing their way, "Santana and I are actually aliens. That's why we see blue and black."

Santana face palmed and Quinn couldn't help but laugh at her friends antics, "If you really think about it though, it brings into question the entirety of human perception. I mean what else do we perceive differently from each other? Not just color, you know, but like everything else?"

Santana lightly shoved her on the side, "Your such a nerd sometimes Q."

"I'm serious!"

"Case in point blondie."

"What about the perception that Santana and I are aliens. But good ones of course. Imagine Alien sex? How would they do it? That's my perception. We're aliens. Sorry Q, no offense."

Santana was frozen and Quinn just slowly nodded, "None taken."

"Anyway what's next period again guys?"

"S and I have spanish and you have math with Griffin's."

Brittany slouched her shoulders and pouted, "I really don't like Mr. Griffin. He does math all wrong. It just confuses me more. He doesn't let me do it how I want to do it. He think's his way is the way, when actually, there is always more than one way. Am I right?"

The taller blonde had a spring in her step as they stopped in front Santana's locker.

"Wanna switch with me? You can take Spanish with Schue."

"Are we still mad at him?"

Santana grabbed her binder out of the locker and closed the metal door shut before turning around. She braced herself for the prying looks her two best friends were most definitely going to give her.

"He's a douche."

"San, he's hardly a dou-"

"He is. I don't like him and he can't even teach spanish. He should be embarrassed. Romance language my ass. He makes it sound like nails on a chalkboard. "

"So true," Quinn laughed.

After dropping off Brittany in her class, the two found themselves just outside Mr. Schue's door.

"Tell me again, why I put up with this shit Q? I'm being punished for something, right? This is actual punishment."

The two slipped in just after the late bell, all the seats had already been taken except two, designated for them only, towards the back left corner. They usually took the front of the room for every class, but Santana insisted on maintaing distance for this particular one.

"Well, well, well glad you decided to join ladies. Almost made it on time today."

Santana squeezed her binder and pressed her lips together tightly. She felt Quinn's hand rest on her shoulder as they sat down.

The blonde leaned forward and whispered, "Just 45 minutes S. That's shorter than an episode of Scandal."

The brunette slowly blew out the pent up air and glanced at the clock. She always complained Scandal was too short. She popped a piece of gum in her mouth, even though Schue didn't allow gum chewing in his class.

"Bien Ven-ee-dose Klah- Say"

She tried zoning out the profanity that was Schue's Spanish speaking skills and instead glanced down at her phone.

1 down, 44 minutes to go.

"No glee club today?"

Rachel glanced up and craned her neck to match the face to the voice.

"Uh n-no. It was cancelled today remember? Football has that mandatory meeting. Apparently so does the Cheerio squad." Rachel cursed herself for mumbling. Why did she always sound like that in front of him.

"Oh I guess your right. Are you waiting for Puck or something? I can go get him if you want." Finn pointed back towards the locker room and Rachel nodded her head vigorously.

"I just need the house keys. Your mom's giving me a ride home."

"Sweet. I'll be right back."

"Mkay!" She smiled and cursed herself some more.

"What's with the face?"

Rachel jumped and clutched her chest, "KURT! You scared me!" Her best friend laughed, slicked back his hair and shifted his weight on one foot.

"Carol's out front. Did you get the keys?"

"Almost just waiting for Finn"

"Oh? Are we now?"

Rachel didn't like the way Kurt raised his brow and shot her an omniscient grin. She was about to tell him otherwise when both their brothers emerged from the locker room. Shirtless. Rachel's mouth went dry.

"Hey Rach, Kurt." Puck threw her the house keys and nodded his head at Kurt."Nice catch midge." He grinned in approval.

"Thanks Noah I'll see you later! Bye Finn." Rachel waved and grabbed onto Kurt's hand dragging him as far away from there as possible.

Curse football players and their abs.

Carol Hudson-Hummel pulled the car up to the front of the Corcoran residence, "Finn will pick you up by 5- 5:30 okay?"

"Kay" Kurt blew Carol a kiss, Rachel smiled warmly at her potential future mother in law. The lady was very nice.

"My mom should be home around 4. If Kurt is needed at home sooner we would be more than happy to take him. It's no trouble at all."

"Well thank you Rach honey, you are so polite. Isn't she so polite? My son's can learn a thing or two from you."

Rachel could feel the heat rising up her cheeks fast.

"Have fun you two. Stay out of trouble." Carol drove off and Kurt was doing a terrible job at hiding his laughter.

"Shush Kurt."

"I didn't say anything!"

"You don't have to! I can hear you thinking it!"

"OoO you never told me you have a hot mailman."

The brunette turned around to see the person in question walking up the front path. "Corcorans?"

"That's us." Rachel smiled warmly as the mailman sifted through a wad of envelopes.

"Bills for a Mrs. Shelby Corcoran, magazines for a Ms. Santana and Mr. Noah and a package for a Ms. Rachel Corcoran." Rachel eyes lit up, she hardly ever received mail.

"That's me!"

"Here you go. Have a nice day." The man walked away as Kurt opened the front door.

The two made their way through the house, dropping off the mail on the little hall table in the foyer and raced upstairs, package in hand. Kurt took note of that strange look that settled onto his best friends face. They collapsed once they went inside Rachel's room, Kurt flopping down on her bed.

"Aren't you going to open it?"

"Um maybe later."

He watched her bury it under the stack of books on her desk.

"But it's from New York!"

"It's not important," Rachel stood up and smoothed down her skirt, "Let's go downstairs and watch a movie or something."

Kurt eyed her and made a mental note to ask about the mysterious package later.

Puck walked down the hall and stood outside of the door where the letters printed onto the frosted glass read Tutoring Center

He could think of a million other things he would rather be doing at this very moment. This was the last place he wanted to be. But he made a promise to his mother, his coach, to the team and to himself. He needed to pick up his grades. That was the only way he would be eligible to play college football.

The guys had taken bets as to who his tutor was going be. Azimio said knowing his luck, he'd end up with a, how did he put it again, a' fine ass tutor from college.'

Karofsky had to get tutored once and it was done by that one old lady who sat in the library all day long.

Here goes nothing

Puck turned the knob and knocked twice as he pushed the door open.

"Ah Mr. Corcoran. Nice of you to join us."

He grimaced. It wasn't a grin it was a grimace, at the librarian. She was sitting behind a desk, wearing a frumpy dress and her glasses hung on a chain around her neck.

"I have assigned you one of our highest qualified tutors." The librarian lady said and Puck almost sank to his knees in grateful prayer.

Sweet Baby Jesus she's not my tutor.

He doesn't even pray to Jesus in his religion. But hey Jesus was a Jew. Anyway

"Oh good here she comes now!" The librarian pointed behind him and before he could turn around he heard that unmistakable voice say, "You have got to be kidding me."

A/N: Here it is! I didn't have a lot of time to edit this one. I wanted to get it up as soon as possible.

Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed the last chapter. Also side note, I went there.. I did...I brought up "the dress." For this stories sake, let's just pretend it's happening in accordance with whichever timeline/universe the Corcorans exist. Okay?

Thanks again for the reviews! Hope you like. Let me know what you think! :D