A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. This chapter focuses on Shelby and Rachel, but the next chapter will have more characters.
Chapter 2
Shelby looks at the digital clock on her bedside table. She's in bed, but she didn't get any sleep. She's just been waiting until a decent hour to go talk to Rachel. At 6:00 am, she gets out of bed and gets ready. An hour later, she drives to Rachel's foster home. Parked outside, she waits for the first sign of life inside the house. When the light in the kitchen flickers on, Shelby knocks on the door.
Rebecca opens the door, a cigarette in her mouth. She's obviously hungover.
"Is Rachel here?" Shelby asks.
"What do you want with her? Is she in trouble again?" Rebecca demands.
"No. I'm Rachel's mother," Shelby replies.
Rebecca looks at Shelby. She can see the resemblance. "Please tell me you're here to take her away," Rebecca says.
Shelby's chin juts out indignantly. "Yes, I am," Shelby says curtly.
"She's upstairs. First door on the left," Rebecca says.
Taking that as an invitation, Shelby proceeds upstairs. The room is tiny and cramped. Shelby's master bathroom is probably bigger. There are two twin beds crammed into the room. There's no desk or chest of drawers. Toys and clothes are strewn all over the floor. A little girl, probably about ten or eleven years old, is sleeping in one of the beds.
Shelby can hear the shower running and her daughter singing softly in the bathroom across the hall. She sits down on the unoccupied bed, waiting for Rachel.
"You!
You don't really want to stay, no
You!
You don't really want to go
You're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in then you're out
You're up then you're down."
Shelby instantly recognizes the lyrics as the tail end of Katy Perry's Hot N Cold. She remembers Rachel telling her she was hot then cold the night before and knows she's the inspiration for the song. The water turns off and a few minutes later Rachel walks into the room with a white towel wrapped around her body. Rachel stops dead in her tracks when she sees Shelby sitting on her bed. Her expression hardens.
Shelby looks at her daughter, fresh from the shower, and sees a faint bruise around her eye. Rachel hasn't done her make-up yet or the black eye would be covered up. Shelby wants to cry for her daughter. She wants to give whoever did this to her daughter a swift kick in the ass.
"What part of no don't you understand?" Rachel asks before Shelby can ask about the black eye.
"When I want something, I don't take no for an answer," Shelby replies.
Rachel stands her ground, crossing her arms in front of her. "You're stubborn, but I'm just as stubborn. I'm not going to change my mind," Rachel says.
"No, neither will I," Shelby says. Amused by her willful daughter, she smiles slightly. "You're coming home with me," Shelby says. She's firm yet gentle.
"This is my home. Rebecca and Trey are my legal guardians. Kidnapping is a crime," Rachel points out.
Shelby smirks. "It's not kidnapping when it's your daughter," Shelby says.
Taken aback, Rachel is silent. No one has called her their daughter since her dads died. The idea of being someone's daughter, of being her mother's daughter makes her stop and think.
Thinking she's won, Shelby gets up and approaches her daughter. She gently traces the bruise with her fingertips. "How'd you get this?" Shelby asks.
"I walked into a door," Rachel lies.
Shelby laughs at the lame excuse. "I've seen you dance on stage. You can perform advanced choreography perfectly. You're too coordinated to walk into a door," Shelby says.
"Fine. I had an argument with my foster dad. He had an argument with me actually," Rachel admits.
Rachel sees pure rage in her mother's eyes. It's ironic. Shelby is furious with her foster dad for hurting her when Shelby has hurt her more. Maybe not physically, but emotionally.
"Is he here?" Shelby asks, ready to go rip him a new one.
"No. He's at work," Rachel replies.
"Mr. Schuester is going to report this. Your foster dad is going to prison where he belongs. You're going to come home with me. I'm going to talk to a lawyer and Social Services and get custody," Shelby says.
Rachel is too worked up to stand still, so she starts pacing. She makes it across the small room in a few steps, avoiding the toys cluttering the floor. "Look, when a star can't perform, her understudy steps in. Your understudy has got it from here," Rachel says.
"I can perform," Shelby insists.
Rachel stops pacing and looks at Shelby, her face a mask hiding her emotions. "You may be good, but you're inconsistent," Rachel says.
"When I was inconsistent, I wasn't prepared. I didn't understand the characters. I do now and I'm ready. I promise," Shelby says, looking straight into her daughter's eyes. What she sees is pain and confusion.
Shelby hasn't earned Rachel's trust. Rachel has no reason to believe the words coming out of her mother's mouth and every reason to believe the promise will be broken. But, a part of Rachel wants to believe in her mother. Looking at Shelby, she makes her decision.
"Fine. I'll do it," Rachel agrees.
Grabbing a sweater and skirt from her half of the closet, Rachel goes into the bathroom to get dressed. When she returns, she starts packing. Ready to go, Rachel picks up the suitcase and walks toward the door.
"This can't be it," Shelby says, surprised that her daughter's belongings fit in one suitcase.
"I had more, but I couldn't take everything when my dads died," Rachel explains.
When her dads died, Rachel had to cut her belongings down to the bare minimum. Her room at her dads' house was easily double the size of any of the rooms she'd slept in since they died. And she always had to share the small space with foster sisters.
Leaving the foster home behind, Rachel doesn't know if Shelby's home will be any better. Rachel has a high tolerance for physical pain. After all, she's danced ballet en pointe until her feet were bleeding. She's not afraid of the physical abuse she suffers at the hands of foster parents. But, she is afraid of the emotional pain that only Shelby can put her through.
As they drive away, Shelby feels like she's finally getting what she wants most. A daughter. A family.
Shelby parks her car in a visitor parking space at McKinley High School. Rachel gets out of the car and walks into the building. Shelby has a few minutes to spare before she has to leave for Carmel. So, she finds Will in his office.
"Are you here to talk to Rachel?" Will asks, smiling in encouragement.
"We already talked. I saw how strong willed she is," Shelby says, smiling because it's one of the many characteristics Rachel got from her.
"I'm sorry," Will says, assuming Rachel refused to go with Shelby.
"Don't be. We worked everything out," Shelby says. "Can you do me one favor?" Shelby asks.
"Anything I can," Will replies.
"She has a black eye. She covered it up, but I need you to report it. Get Social Services involved. Her foster dad did it," Shelby explains.
"I knew her foster parents weren't exactly the Cleavers, but I didn't think they were mistreating her. Of course I'll report it," Will says.
When Shelby arrives at her office, Jesse is waiting outside. His blue and white Vocal Adrenaline shirt has a red sticky substance down the front. "The guys from New Directions slushied me and threw me into the dumpster. I need to get a new shirt from your office. Can you excuse me from English? I'm going to go over to McKinley. I'm going to be their worst nightmare," Jesse says angrily.
To Jesse's surprise, Shelby laughs. Even though she told Rachel she would end it, she thinks Jesse deserved what he got. "All twenty-six of my students egged my daughter! You told me you didn't want her to get hurt and then you did this!" Shelby yells. She can see the shock in Jesse's eyes. He didn't think she would find out. He looks down, ashamed. "A few members of New Directions slushied you. You got your just desserts. I don't want any of you to go anywhere near McKinley or any members of New Directions until Regionals. If you do, there will be hell to pay," Shelby says. She doesn't yell, but that doesn't lessen the power and fury of the threat. Jesse knows she's deadly serious.
Unlocking her office door, Shelby grabs a shirt from an open cardboard box beside her desk and throws it to Jesse. It catches him off guard, but he still manages to catch it. He pulls the soiled shirt over his head, careful not to get any slushie residue in his newly washed hair. Girls passing by stop to admire his six-pack as he changes. He grins. He's good-looking and he knows it. The cocky grin fades as he looks at Shelby. She's his favorite teacher, his mentor. He didn't want to disappoint her. "Thank you," Jesse says. It looks like he wants to say something else, but he just looks at her, his eyes pleading for forgiveness.
"Get to class," Shelby says. Jesse leaves looking like a wounded puppy.
During lunch, Shelby calls a lawyer and Social Services. She is able to get temporary custody of Rachel. So, she's happy when she picks Rachel up from school. Being a mom is the role of a lifetime. A dream come true.
"Hi, Hon. How was school?" Shelby asks when Rachel gets in the passenger seat.
"Really good," Rachel replies.
When she told her friends in Glee Club that Vocal Adrenaline egged her, the guys stalked out of the classroom on a mission. Finn, Noah, Mike and even Kurt. Of course Kurt didn't get physical with Jesse. But, he did use his cell phone to get Jesse's downfall on video and upload it to YouTube.
"Does how good it was have anything to do with your friends slushying Jesse?" Shelby asks, trying not to smile. Rachel blushes, but looks at Shelby with a straight face. She really is an actress. "If it makes you feel any better, Jesse is not a happy camper. And a slushie is nothing compared with what I have in store for them," Shelby says. She knows it makes Rachel feel better because Rachel smiles. It's the first genuine smile Shelby has seen since Rachel slashed the tires of her performers. "But now you really gotta stop messing with Vocal Adrenaline," Shelby says sternly.
"Yes, Mr. Schuester agrees with you," Rachel admits.
They park in front of Shelby's house. Rachel looks at it, surprised and impressed. It's a large two-story house with a two-car garage. It has a white picket fence. It looks like it belongs to a soccer mom with a car-full of kids and a Golden Retriever, not a single woman.
"This is where you live?" Rachel asks, regarding her mother's house as though its sacred ground.
"This is where we live actually," Shelby says, getting Rachel's suitcase out of the trunk, where it's been since that morning.
Shelby unlocks the front door and holds it open for Rachel. Rachel walks in and looks around. The TV is the centerpiece of most living rooms, but not Shelby's. A beautiful grand piano is the focal point of Shelby's living room. Tasteful artwork of different scenes in Paris hangs on the walls.
Shelby smiles as she watches Rachel. "I went to Europe for a month after high school graduation. Paris is beautiful," Shelby murmurs. "Have you ever been?" Shelby asks. Thinking a mother should know if her child has been out of the country, Shelby feels guilty for not knowing where her daughter's been.
As if she can read Shelby's mind, Rachel freezes. She feels like she's navigating a minefield. One wrong move and their relationship will go up in flames. If telling Shelby that her dads brought her water when she was sad scared Shelby away before, telling Shelby that they took her to Europe when she was in middle school will probably have Shelby fleeing the country to get away from Rachel.
"What are you thinking?" Shelby asks after a moment of silence.
Rachel puts her show face on. She flashes a polite smile. "Just that I'd like to go to Europe," Rachel replies.
Rachel continues into the kitchen, hoping Shelby will drop the subject of Europe if the artwork is out of sight. The kitchen is open with lots of light.
"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" Shelby asks.
Rachel is thirsty, but she's not going to ask for a glass of water. As far as Rachel's concerned, the phrase "glass of water" is now taboo. More offensive than a swear word. "No thank you," Rachel says politely.
Rachel stops her self-guided tour, not wanting to go into Shelby's bedroom or office uninvited. Shelby picks up where she left off, leading the way through her house. She opens the door to the only remaining room downstairs, her office. "This is my office," Shelby says. Rachel takes a few steps in. Shelby's extensive sheet music collection and library of books is organized by genre on a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. Rachel feels like she's died and gone to heaven. She could spend hours in Shelby's office.
Shelby gets Rachel's suitcase on the way upstairs. She bypasses the smaller guest room and opens the door to the room she wants Rachel to have. It's not as large as Rachel's room in her dads' house, but it's close. The walls are bare. It has a queen size bed made up with a gold bedspread. The bedside table has a gold lamp. There is a mahogany chest of drawers against the wall opposite the bed.
"This is your room. You can do whatever you want to it," Shelby says, setting Rachel's suitcase down inside the walk-in closet.
"I haven't had my own room since my dads died," Rachel says, thinking aloud.
Decades of hiding her feelings allow Shelby to hide how sad that makes her. She opens the door that leads to the Jack-and-Jill bathroom connected to Rachel's room and the guest room. "This is your bathroom. If you need anything, there are extra toiletries in the linen closet in the hallway," Shelby says.
Walking into the hallway, Shelby points out the linen closet. She continues down the hall to the master bedroom. "This is my room," Shelby says as she opens the door.
Wanting to get to know her mother better, Rachel walks in and looks around. One-by-one, she picks up the pictures on the chest of drawers. There is a picture of Vocal Adrenaline at Sectionals. Shelby is in the middle of a group of kids, one arm around Jesse's shoulders and the other around their female lead's shoulders. Shelby is beaming with pride. Rachel wonders if her mother will ever be that comfortable with her, look at her like that. In another picture, a younger Shelby is posing with the cast of Les Miserables after a production. They're all in costume. The last picture is of Rachel. Rachel is on stage singing Don't Rain On My Parade at Sectionals. She looks at her mother quizzically. They didn't know each other when this picture was taken.
Shelby takes the picture from Rachel. She stares at it for several seconds. She took it from her seat in the audience at Sectionals. She showed it to Jesse when she told him to befriend her daughter. "You asked me when I realized it was the right time for you to find me and I told you I saw you sing at Sectionals. I knew you were my daughter before I saw you. The second I heard your voice I knew," Shelby says.
"Would you have found me if you didn't hear me sing?" Rachel asks.
"Yes," Shelby says without missing a beat. "I failed as an actress, but I only have one regret," Shelby says, looking at Rachel meaningfully. Rachel's eyes widen in surprise. She is the only regret. Shelby nods in confirmation. "I signed a contract. I wasn't supposed to contact you until you were eighteen. But once I heard you sing, I knew I wouldn't be able to eat, to sleep until you found me," Shelby says.
Stunned, Rachel sits down on Shelby's bed. The contract is news to her. Her first instinct is to feel angry that her dads made her mother enter into a contract that essentially ensured Rachel wouldn't get to know her mother during the years she needed a mother most. But then she wonders if it would have been better if Shelby kept her distance. Maybe her dads knew what they were doing. Maybe they knew how flaky Shelby would be.
An unframed picture lying on the bedside table catches her eye. She picks it up. In the picture, Shelby is pregnant. A baby bump is just starting to show. Shelby's hands are on her abdomen and she's smiling.
Shelby sits down beside Rachel. "That's the only picture I have of us together," Shelby murmurs.
"If you want to take a picture with a winner after Regionals, we can take one then," Rachel says, smiling slightly.
Shelby laughs. Her daughter doesn't give up. "On that note, I gotta go whip my kids into shape. Do you have rehearsal tonight?" Shelby says, wondering if Rachel needs a ride.
"Yes. We have rehearsal at 5:30. Finn's coming to get me when he gets out of basketball practice," Rachel says, giving a longer explanation than necessary.
"I'm going to be home late. Really late," Shelby says. She wants her performers on their feet dancing until they can barely stand. She wants all twenty-six of them, even the ones with high endurance, to be sore the next day. Rehearsal will be even more grueling than normal. She always pushes them hard. Now she's going to push them to their breaking points. She's always a hard-ass. Now she's going to be a slave driver. She wants her students too afraid to step even one toe out of line. After tonight, they will never mess with Rachel again.
"Well, I just need a key," Rachel says, knowing she'll probably beat Shelby home.
"I need to make an extra key for you. The garage code is your birthday," Shelby says. Surprised, Rachel wonders if Shelby changed the code recently or if it's always been her birthday. "Do you need anything else? Money for dinner?" Shelby asks.
"No thank you," Rachel replies.
Rachel's dads were intelligent and successful. A lawyer and a surgeon. They left everything to her when they died. A partner in Hiram's law firm set up an account for Rachel. She has a credit card with no limits. None of her foster parents gave her anything. So, she's used the credit card for everything she's needed for the last two years. Dance classes and vocal lessons, even food and clothing. But, a glass of water pales in comparison to a small fortune. So, Rachel doesn't offer an explanation as to why she doesn't need money.
"Call me if you need anything," Shelby says as she walks out the door.
Just as Rachel thought, she beats Shelby home. Finn drops her off at 9:30. As she enters her birthday in and the garage door opens, she feels like she's breaking and entering, not going home. Shelby tried to make her comfortable. But, how can she be comfortable with a woman she doesn't know? A woman who is supposed to love her unconditionally, but abandoned her. Not just once, but twice.
Rachel still wants to know her mother, but she doesn't want to get hurt again. She has so many unanswered questions, so much she can learn from Shelby. Hoping to find the answers to some of her questions, Rachel ventures into Shelby's office.
Rachel looks at the bookshelf. She admires the sheet music, but doesn't pick any of it up. She doesn't know what she's looking for, but she'll know it when she sees it. She bends down and picks up a yearbook on the bottom shelf.
Sitting down in Shelby's desk chair, Rachel begins flipping through the yearbook. She easily locates Shelby's picture because the students are listed in alphabetical order. She stares at it, mesmerized. If she didn't know any better, she would think it was her in that picture. Rachel turns the pages, looking for the Glee Club picture. A young Shelby is in the center of a group of twenty students. Of course Shelby was center stage.
Rachel flips to the back, wanting to read the comments left by Shelby's friends. It is the comments that can tell her what she doesn't already know, give her a glimpse into her mother as a person, not just a performer. Piecing together different comments as though putting together a puzzle, Rachel slowly gets a clearer picture of what Shelby Corcoran is like, or at least what she was like when she was in high school. The sheer number of comments makes it clear that Glee Club was cool at Shelby's high school. A comment with flirtatious undertones makes it obvious that the male lead of Glee Club was Shelby's boyfriend.
It's after midnight when Shelby gets home. Rachel scrambles to put the yearbook back where it belongs, not knowing if Shelby wants her looking at it, and picks up sheet music at random.
"What you got there?" Shelby asks.
The music Rachel picked up is Barbra Streisand's People. Rachel was singing a Barbra Streisand song when Shelby realized the star of New Directions was actually her daughter. Rachel recognized the Vocal Adrenaline coach as her mother when Shelby sang Barbra Streisand's Funny Girl. It's a coincidence. It's almost ironic.
Shelby takes the sheet music. She looks at it and smiles. "You sang Barbra at Sectionals. You were really, really good. But you should mix it up, push yourself," Shelby says.
"Don't worry. I'm not singing Barbra at Regionals," Rachel says.
Shelby wants to ask what Rachel is singing, but she knows she shouldn't. She's the competition. She'll find out soon enough. "I'm gonna go to bed. Good night," Shelby says.
"Good night," Rachel says softly.