Author's Notes: Wow! Thank you to all those who reviewed, it certainly urges me to write a little more often when people are waiting for chapters! I'm trying to update within reason, and hopefully this chapter holds you guys over in the meantime. Enjoy.

MORNING

She couldn't recall falling asleep the night before; nor could she recall her father's departure from her bed or her settling into sleep on her stomach to ease the sting that the welts left. Nevertheless, she was waking to the whispering sounds of her Daddy's voice.

"Starshine wake up, it's noon." He laid the flat of his hand on the small of her back, rocking her from side to side; unintentionally rubbing her still aching skin.

"Owww…" She groaned, rolling on her side, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Your father told me what happened…" She grimaced, blinked.

"He did?" Alan confessed? She was confused…maybe she was dreaming. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"He told me you fell down the cellar stairs."

The cellar stairs were treacherous. Most of her old costumes were down there, she'd slipped down the modern staircase before. Good cover, she thought.

"You sure you don't want to head to the doctor?"

"No Daddy, I'll be fine."

She sighed. She hated seeing him so worried; she wanted to say something so badly, but she didn't think she could face that fight just yet. The internal battle waging within her was telling her to say something; that Alan had gone too far, and she was starting to think that this would be happening more. She wasn't sure she wanted to break her Daddy's heart quite yet. She didn't think she was prepared for the aftermath of tearing her family apart. Where would she be then?

"Ray! Lunch is ready!"

Alan yelled from the bottom of the landing. She heard him rattling up the steps when he didn't hear her answer back. He seemed to be still apologizing for the beating he'd given her the night before by making her breakfast. He looked sincerely surprised to see Daddy sitting on the bed next to her.

"Jonah! I didn't know you got home! Didn't even hear the door! You upgraded your flight?"

"Well of course I did! I didn't have anything to do, we settled the accounts last night- and when you called me this morning, honestly that was an ungodly hour, Alan; to tell me that Ray fell down the steps…I had to come home."

She watched her father tilt his head, putting down the breakfast tray on Rachel's armoire and walking over to her Daddy, kissing him hello.

"I would have fared well, Jonah. She's in good hands."

Her Daddy smiled.

"Well, Alan, I'm home. And I'm home with a full day off. How about we go see a show? Since we're all here? Ray you up for it?"

She shook her head enthusiastically. She got up slowly, stealing a piece of toast from the breakfast tray on the corner of her armoire. She ran a bath, lined the bottom with the Epsom salt that was underneath her bathroom sink. Her stiffness was agony, but she managed to dress and apply the balm to her back by spreading it on a towel and leaning backward on her bed. She'd be sore for a while, she frowned.

They went to see a local Shakespearian troupe for the matinee, and went for dinner afterwards at one of her favorite salad bars. Her Daddy had convinced her to let Dr. Goldberg look over her back, and she'd convinced him that she fell down the metal plated modern staircase to the basement. They'd been in his private home office as he looked over injuries. Most of the welts were superficial. They'd go down as and the swelling would subside. He'd applied ointment to the scar the buckle made and bandaged it, giving her instruction on how to let it breath and when to cover it. She claimed she fell and hit the corner step on the bottom. He didn't pry, but told her to be more careful. They stayed for coffee and headed home.

She had enjoyed that day, settling in watching The Way we Were with her fathers. This was what she needed, her sanity. She needed her family; her foundation. She sat between them, her head lolling on her Daddy's shoulder. Alan had picked her up then, carrying her to bed and sitting down next to her after she'd settled in.

"You know I didn't mean it, right Ray?"

She shook her head in the affirmative, her eyes heavy. Lids drooping as he continued to speak. He was playing in her hair, twirling the dark strands between his nutmeg colored fingertips.

"I don't mean to hurt you…sometimes it just happens."

He kissed her forehead. Her eyes were closing.

"Sometimes you just do things…and I get—I get carried away, Ray and I can't control myself. You know I love you, right? You know your Poppa loves you….don't you?"

She shook her head again. He tucked her hair behind her ears. He kissed her cheek.

"And you know that sometimes I can't control it. That I can't hold back."

Her head barely moved. She tried to nod again it but her eyes were so lazy. She was drifting now, faintly hearing what he was telling her. He was rubbing her shoulder. He rubbed all the way down the length of her, stopping at her ankles, and back up to her collarbone. It was so soothing.

"Just don't tell Daddy. Don't tell Daddy and everything will stay this way. You had a good day today. Right?"

She found her voice.

"Yes, Poppa."

He never lets her call him Poppa anymore…He used to. Usually when he needed her do something, when he needed her to fix them.

"Promise you won't tell Daddy?"

His hands were roaming her side, rubbing the friction of his palm into her tired back. He kissed her neck..

"Promise."

"And Berry's never break promises right?"

Well…she never broke the promises that she made to him.

"Right."

He pulled her blanket up to her neck, kissing her faintly on her lips before leaving her room. Rachel drifted off to sleep then. Silently hoping it would stay that way.

WEDNESDAY

The following day she decided to stay home. She was still sore and slow moving, and decided ducking slushie facials and getting knocked into lockers would not be good for her tortured body. Her Daddy worked from his office, his corporate accounting job allowing him the flexibility of working from anywhere. He took the job with FOX when they gave him the option to live away from headquarters. He and Alan had settled in Lima, the perfect town to raise a child. It was a place where you could leave your doors unlocked and the keys in the ignition; well that's what it used to be. They found her mother here and they started their family. Alan was a Director of Communications at OSU at Lima. They'd both made a home in Lima.

Rachel thought about her father, putting her skullcandy headphones on as she remembered him during better times. Alan had been a dancer, wild and popular he danced for the Alvin Ailey dance company during the late eighties. He met her Daddy when he was accounting for the corporation, they fell in love and Alan quit soon after when he shattered his knee during a show. He'd wanted to stay and teach, but her Daddy had been relocated soon after and they'd left New York together.

Her Daddy had once said that he'd give up anything for Alan, that he'd do anything to make him happy. They once were. With Daddy gone most of the time, Alan stayed behind, wondering about all the other men her Daddy would probably be around, and all the temptation he'd have baiting him. That's when everything changed. Alan needed an excuse, any excuse to scapegoat her. He materialized his lost passions with the birth of their daughter, Rachel Miriam Berry. They had been close, once. He took her to dance classes, singing lessons, piano and jazz. She was involved in so much, an overachiever. Then it stopped. When she was old enough, she began to go to most of her classes alone; only seeing her fathers when she had recitals and plays.

There was a knock on her door.

"Star shine, I'm going to the grocery store. I'll be back soon."

"Okay, Daddy."

She turned her iPod up to full volume, listening to classical music she usually listened to when she needed to think.

She never heard the front door.

THURSDAY

She stood in front of her closet the following morning, looking for the baggiest clothing she owned. All of her skirts rubbed aggressively against her bruises, so she'd decided that she would have to wear something loose fitting to school. She owned less than a dozen pairs of jeans. But there was one pair with a soft elastic band that wouldn't rub too much against her lower back. She ironed them, and pulled out a thin cotton turtle neck to cover any other blemishes that hadn't yet faded. The sneakers were an afterthought, deciding heels of any kind would be a mistake later in the day. They were the only pair she owned, other than the black and white Chuck Taylors she wore when she performed. She pulled the pink and gray cross trainers on over normal white sweat socks, and headed off to her car.

School was normal, no one had bothered to slushie her before noon, and she was grateful. She rarely missed school, so she stayed after most of her classes to get assignments that she'd missed since Monday. Everything went swimmingly until lunch, when she found herself in the Glee choir room with Noah, after he'd pulled her away from her ever questioning glee mates.

"What? What do you need?"

"Math, I'm flunking."

She interrupted.

"Well of course it's math, you haven't been in two years! How do you expect to catch up if you never go? You need to start taking these things seriously, Noah, or you'll find yourself here for another senior year. When are—"

"Forget the lecture Berry. Look, I'll pay you, or like barter something, but I need help, if I flunk my mother will kick my ass!"

She looked at him suspiciously.

"Fine. What are terms?"

"Um, I guess every day after school? I'll bring the homework that I owe and you can go over it with me and check my answers."

"Okay, what's in it for me?"

"Ummm, I'll make sure you won't get slushied, and I'll get Korofsky to back off."

She thought for a minute, wrinkling her brow and biting her lip.

"Deal. But you have to help me practice my numbers when I need a male lead."

He rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Tonight cool?"

"Yes, that will be satisfactory."

He watched her walk away, hoping his plan to find out what was going on worked. Especially since it was going to cost him effort in his classes.

End of chapter 3