It was a scene Rachel would have never expected to see in a million years. A scene that made her feel as if she was watching from foreign eyes. There she sat on one of the wooden chairs in Shelby's kitchen sipping on herbal tea. The woman she never dared to call mom across from her, also sipping on herbal tea while her eyes locked on her living room. The living room that contained Rachel's closest friends, and the sister she never knew; the sister that wasn't related to her in anyway other than adoption.

"She's gorgeous," Kurt mumbled more to himself than to Santana or Puck.

Neither of them had moved since they all got settled in the tiny apartment. Tana's eyes were glued on the little girl who had happily placed herself in the middle of her toys, finding something new to occupy her time with each passing minute; while Puck couldn't bring himself to look anywhere other than the wall.

"Kurt doesn't know, does he?" Shelby's question caught Rachel off guard and forced her to pull herself back to reality. She said nothing, simply shook her head as she brought her cup of tea to her lips and took another sip.

"Rachel." Once more Shelby's tone caused Rachel's head to snap up her brown eyes locking on the older woman's. "I know we've never been close and I blew my chance at being your mother years ago. But, you can talk to me. You haven't said two words to me since we left the cemetery."

Every word that Shelby spoke was like a dagger right into Rachel's heart. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew the older woman meant well. Everything she said was meant to comfort Rachel, but it did the exact opposite. It reminded her of what she lost, and what she would never be able to gain back.

"I-I can't," she mumbled out, her voice hoarse and broken. Glassy eyes blinked away from Shelby's confused used and to the table below her fingers. She hadn't spoken about it. If she didn't talk about it, there was a chance it wasn't real. She had allowed the doctors to explain it to Kurt, and Mr. and Mrs. Hummel. Of course in turn, Kurt had explained it to Santana and Noah.

"The impact of the hit caused the seatbelt to press into my throat. I'm not entirely sure on the details of the affair, but it damaged my vocal chords. I ca-can't…" The brunette paused. There was a pain in her throat she still was not accustomed to when she spoke for too long, and the words that she knew would leave her lips next were causing a pain in her chest she had been experiencing far too often. "I'll never sing again."

The instant pity that formed in Shelby's eyes caused a fire to burn inside Rachel's chest. That wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want people to look at her with pity because she lost the one thing that was going to get her out of this cow town. It killed her enough everyday to know that her dreams of New York were gone for good. The look in that woman's eyes only added to the pain ragging throughout her entire body.

"Rachel, I'm so sorry. " Her voice was gentle, and should have comforted Rachel like a mother's voice does to a small child. But it simply made her feel worse. All she ever wanted was to get to know Shelby as her mother, and when she had that chance, Shelby turned her back on Rachel without blinking an eye.

"I don't need your pity," she mumbled out, the bitterness still finding it's way to breakthrough.

Shelby was a little taken back by Rachel's comment, and simply stared at her daughter, blinking a few times. "N-no. I wasn't…that wasn't what I was implying. I'm just," she paused softly letting out the smallest of sighs. "I'm worried about you, Rachel. You lost so much in such a short time. And, you're not 18 so this technically makes you an or-"

"I am well aware of what it makes me, I do not need you to remind me." It was first time since the accident that Rachel had actually raised her voice. She ignored the instant pain that pulled at her vocal chords, and glared at the woman across from her behind glassy eyes.

"Should we stop them before a fight breaks out and Rachel loses it?" Kurt's question went unanswered as a two year old slowly stagger onto wobbly legs. The little girl named Valerie slowly walked over to where Santana was firmly placed on the couch, and reached up a tiny hand to tug at the end of her black dress. She held up one of her toys, not saying anything, just looking up at the stranger with hopeful eyes of finding someone to play with her.

Chocolate eyes remained fixated on the child as they welled up with tears. It shouldn't be this difficult. She had made the decision two years ago and had moved on from it. The longing that she felt to pick up the child and hold her close should not be there.

When Valerie received no answer or action from Santana, a small pout formed on her lips. Giving up hope that she would play with her, the child made her way over to the other stranger that was sitting on the single armchair in the room. She tugged at his dress pants, waiting very impatiently for him to acknowledge that there was someone there.

But he couldn't do it. Puck knew exactly who was there, and what she wanted but he couldn't bring himself to look at her. If he looked down, he would see the child that he could have been raising. The child that would know him as daddy or dada had Santana not made such a stupid decision two years ago. So instead of looking down at the little girl, he simply shifted further over in the chair, pulling his leg from the little girl's reach.

"All I'm suggesting is that you let me step in and take care of you. Let me be the mother I should have been when you reached out to me two years ago. Please?" There was a pleading in Shelby's voice that she didn't know was possible. But raising Valerie had shown her everything she missed in Rachel's life, and had filled her with a deep regret. She may not have been able to make up for the past, but she should have been there for Rachel when she needed her. Now was her chance to change their future, to give them the chance that she should have given them years ago. And to prevent Rachel from being shoved into foster care.

"Momma, momma!" The little girl came running over to the woman she knew as her mother, and wrapped her little body around her leg before Rachel had a chance to speak. Her eyes instantly shot over to the couple that had been sitting silently in the living room.

Santana, who had just managed to force her tears back into her tear ducts, began to shake uncontrollably. And even Puck, who had been staring at the wall for the better half of an hour, has finally moved his vision to the Latina on the couch.

A few words were mumbled in Spanish, too fast for anyone to catch drift of them, and then she was on her feet. Santana grabbed her coach from behind tear filled eyes, and ran out the door only to be followed by Noah, who looked like he was having a hard time controlling his own emotions.

"What did I miss?" Kurt's question caused Rachel to shake her head, realizing just how far in the loop her best friend was. She slowly pushed herself out of Shelby's chair, and pulled her jacket off the back of it.

"Thank you, for the tea and for coming to pay your respects. I'm sure you understand that this is a big decision for me and given our history, I will need to think it over before I make my decision. I hope you can understand," Rachel pressed her fingers softly against her throat as she spoke. She had learned that it helped the volume of her voice, and even for the moment prevent any further pain to her vocal chords.

She waited patiently for Kurt to collect himself and his jacket, before she wrapped her arm around his. She mumbled to him that it was imperative that check on Santana and Noah, and promised she would explain everything as best she could on the way as long as he promised to play her mixed Barbra CD in the car ride to calm her nerves.