A/N: Once again, thank you for all the reviews, having feedback is certainly encouraging. 2 quick things

1) CHEESE/FlUFF alert - there is a brief moment of schmaltz, I just hope it isn't too cheesy or Out of Character.

2)If, after reading this, you are still confused as to who Brian is, go back and read Chapter 6, he is first mentioned by Shelby's mum just towards the end.

Chapter 8: A Family Gathering

"My sixth sense tells me it isn't going to be good" Rachel exclaims dramatically from the passenger seat.

"You crave attention, I don't see the problem. If you are going to be a star, you need to learn to deal with constant attention." I tell her, my eyes still on the road ahead.

"I crave positive attention. This is bad attention, like, your sex tape gets leaked on the internet attention."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

Rachel and I are in the car on the way to my mothers house in Akron. The party is this afternoon. We are planning on staying the night and then heading back to Lima in the morning.

The party in question is to celebrate my sister Sarah and her husband Phil's' 20th wedding anniversary. She and Phil were high school sweethearts, who got married the summer they finished college. They would have been married earlier were it not for mom and dad stipulating that they at least get a bachelors degree under their belts before they started a family. They needn't have worried, seeing as Sarah went on to do a Masters, a PhD, and didn't have a baby until she was a respectable 32 years old.

Sarah is 3 years older than me, and about 100 IQ points smarter. She graduated high school at 16, and had her undergrad degree at 20 .Growing up she was the pretty one, with beautiful chestnut coloured hair and freckles. I was the one who my mother was once overheard as saying, 'grew in to her looks.' The free spirited and more reckless younger sister, at least until the day I signed up as a surrogate.

Despite our differences, Sarah and I were very close. Possibly because we were so different it was impossible to compare us, so very little jealousy occurred. We still are close, there was never any secrets between us, well, apart from one Rachel sized secret that is. And even that is no longer a secret…

One week previously

The phone rings 4 times before someone answers. I am secretly hoping that no one does answer, it has taken me 3 cups of coffee and 5 attempts to dial the number in the first place.

"Hi Alicia? It's Aunty Shelby, can you put mommy on the phone please?" I ask, my voice several octaves higher, and a good degree faster than it usually is.

"Hey Shel, long time no hear" My sister admonishes gently.

"Yes, I know, I know, I'm really sorry. Something came up"

"Yeah? Well you can tell me all about it next weekend"

"Next weekend?"

"Yes, mom said you were coming to mine and Phil's party. You are still coming aren't you?"

"Yes, yes, I am. Did, um..mom say anything else about me?"

"No..not really…well,, actually, yes, there was one thing, she said you would be bringing a special someone"

"Did she now!"

"Oh come on Shel, don't be annoyed at her. Do tell who is he? Is it serious? Have you been dating long?"

"It is serious, and it's um, not a male….it's a female…"

"Not a man? Oh…. well, ok, you know I will support you with whatever lifestyle choices you decide to make.".

No, it's not like that…it's….do you remember back in '94 when I was supposed to be your plus 1 to Carla Ramirez' wedding, and a couple of months before I rang you and told you I couldn't go because I had been contracted to do a concert, and you got really annoyed with me, because you didn't want to go by yourself?"

"Yes..but Shelby that was nearly 16 years ago, you aren't making any sense"

"I couldn't go to the wedding because, …because I was due to give birth. It was a beautiful baby girl, she was 7lbs 3 oz, with a head full of jet black hair . She was named Rachel."

Silence

"Sarah?"

Silence

"Sarah, are you still there?"

Silence

"Please Sarah. Say something?"

"Iced tea"

"Huh?"

"When I was pregnant with Alicia and I had really terrible morning sickness, and nothing would stop it. You told me to drink Ice Tea to calm my stomach. And I told you that the baby books advised against caffeine, and you said, trust me Sarah, it will work, and the baby will be fine. One day I was so desperate to stop the nausea, I tried it, and it worked. I remember thinking how on earth does Shelby know about that, she's never had a baby?"

"I know, and I have wanted to tell you so many times over the years, you have to believe me, there just never seemed to be the right moment.

"Well perhaps now would be a good time to start…."

End flash back.

"Perhaps we could just turn round and go back?" Rachel suggests.

"And break Grandmas heart? I don't think so." I tell her.

"Since when are you so concerned about upsetting Grandma? You only stated speaking to her again last month."

"Since she has taken to ringing on a Sunday morning. Do you know how many weeks of moaning and griping I will have to put up with if we turn back now. I have enough of that from Vocal Adrenaline."

"May be you could pretend I am one of your students?"

"Nice try Rach, but I think the coincidence would be too great. Besides, we couldn't look more alike if we tried."

I gesture to the fact that both Rachel and I, independently I might add, chose near identical outfits this morning. We are both wearing a variation on black v-neck, short sleeve dress, (though hers is more The Gap, and mine DKNY), our hair in a centre parting. I could cringe at the cheesy image we must present when stood next to each other, but I don't have any other appropriate clothes to change in to.

"fine, just subject me to the cruel taunts, sticks and stones may break my bones..but..

"RACHEL! I thought you wanted to meet the rest of my family. You were angry at me for not telling everyone about you."

"I do want to meet them, but I also want them to like me. For some unfathomable reason I occasionally rub people up the wrong way."

"Everyone will like you. Ok, perhaps not everyone, but if they have a problem it will be with me not you. May I also remind you, that I asked you again on Thursday if you wanted to come and you said yes."

"That was Thursday."

"It will be fine I promise. Anyway, we are very nearly there."

"fine.." she replies, and begins fiddling with the radio station, which really bugs me to no end, but I do not have the strength to argue.

As it happens, we run in to traffic and by the time I pull in to my mothers house the party is already in full swing.

I have no sooner let us in through the front door, when my mother swoops in. "where have you been?" she admonishes me, whilst wrapping Rachel into a bone crushing hug.

"There was a tailback on Main and Western" I reply, giving her a peck on the cheek and setting our over night bags down. "we're here now…Rachel the bathroom is through there"

Rachel, having needed the bathroom for the last half an hour dashes to the downstairs washroom.

Mom looks at Rachel's retreating back, and then back to me "Was there a 2-for 1 sale at the Mommy and Me store?" she asks.

"Funny" I reply. "We didn't purposefully coordinate our outfits….though speaking of…who have you told about me and Rachel?"

"no one"

"No one?"

"No one. Shelby it's not my news to tell. If you are old enough to have a child, then you are old enough to tell people yourself. I know you told your sister, but I don't think she has mentioned it to anyone except Phil"

"but.." I start, but don't get to continue as Rachel rejoins us.

"That's better" she says. "where is everybody?"

"Out back" my mom replies.

We follow her through to the back garden, where an awning has been set up, and a small stage with a 4 piece band who are busy strumming away playing background music.

A quick glance around the 60 or so people milling around shows a mix of childhood friends, current friends, and relatives.

I thought you said this would be informal Rachel whispers to me.

"Informal to my mom means inviting any friend or relative who is not physically incapacitated and not hiring the Hyatt Regency ballroom" I reply.

Before I can decide what to do next, Alicia my niece spots us and comes running toward us, nearly winding me with force that she wraps her arms round my waist for hug. "Aunty Shelby!" she shrieks " you came"

"Yes I did" I reply, lifting her up to my hip for a hug. She squeezes me tight, and rests her head in the crook of my neck. " I missed you" she says.

"I missed you too" I tell her, because I did. She was the sole object of my affections for a very long time, and I have to admit, I spoilt her rotten.

I glance up to find Rachel staring at us, with a wistful, almost jealous expression on her face.

Alicia peers at Rachel over my shoulder. "Who is that?" she asks, eyeing up the stranger.

"That's Rachel" I say " She's your cousin", as if it's the most normal thing in the world for me to be saying.

"Oh" Alicia exclaims, and I begin to wonder whether she knows what exactly a 'cousin' is, seeing as Phil's' brother doesn't have any kids, so up until now Alicia has never had a cousin.

To a not quite 8 year old, though these things don't matter. "She's pretty. Do you think she would play with me?" she says, still staring at Rachel, and I chuckle, as I sense a case of hero-worship in the making.

"Well I don't know, you'd have to ask her. Though may be in a little while, we've only just got here" I reply, setting Alicia on her feet and smoothing out the wrinkles in her party dress.

"Will you play with me later?" she parrots, looking up at Rachel.

"um, yeah, sure" Rachel replies.

"Alicia" my mother interrupts, "how about we go show Rachel where the drinks are, I think her and Aunty Shelby might like one."

"Sure" Alicia, grabs Rachel's hand and pulls her off to the awning, my mother in hot pursuit.

Smiling, I turn back to the crowds, and notice my sister making her way toward me. I step forward and we meet in the middle.

"Shelby"

"Sarah"

We hug for a good minute or so.

"It's so good to see you" Sarah begins.

"And you. You look great, I like the hair."

"for that you can thank my hair dresser, its practically all grey underneath. And here's you, not a wrinkle or grey hair in sight."

"Well, its my reward for the years worth of braces wearing that you didn't have to endure."

I can see her glancing over my shoulder slightly, "um, where's….?"

"Rachel?" I supply

"Yes, did you bring her with you?"

"Of course, she's just gone to get us a drink. I think Alicia has already taken a shine to her."

I spot Rachel making her way through the crowds with 2 drinks in her hand. She politely manoeuvres past 2 of Phil's friends and thrusts a wine glass in my hand.

"Mom" she begins " Don't get too excited, I got you non-alcoholic wine, Jesse text me to say that you kept Vocal Adrenaline in rehearsals until 10pm last night, and you ordered Chinese takeout during the break, but all you ate was 1 spring roll, plus I know you just had coffee and a banana for breakfast, so really, as a responsible adult, I don't think it is wise that you try the punch until you have at least eaten something substantial."

"Wait? You're keeping tabs on my dietary habits via Jesse? And what are you doing even speaking to Jesse?"

"That doesn't matter right now. What matters is you maintaining a healthy diet." Rachel lectures, before primly taking a sip of her orange juice.

Throughout this exchange my sister has been looking back and forth between the 2 of us.

"well little Sister, I do believe you have met your match." She concludes and turns to Rachel and extends a hand. "Hi, I'm your Aunt Sarah, wow, that's weird, I've never been an aunt before…, I have really been looking forward to meeting you."

"So have I" Rachel replies with a smile.

"I can't get over how grown-up you look, its not every day you acquire a fully grown niece."

"I guess not." Rachel casts her eyes down, at the reminder that once again, I, and one half of her family have been absent for 16 years.

Before I can say anything, Sarah notices and grabs Rachel's arm. "Hey, no, I mean this is great, I have a backload of embarrassing stories about your mother that I can share with you…there was this one time, when Shelby was 13.…..."

The afternoon passes quickly. Having eaten sufficient amounts of chicken salad and bread rolls to satisfy Rachel, I am finally allowed to start on the punch. I spend a pleasant few hours catching up with old friends and acquaintances.

As suspected, Alicia took an immediate shine to Rachel, and has followed her around everywhere adoringly, lapping up every word that Rachel says, For her part, Rachel clearly relished the adoration and idolization.

Things were going swimmingly, until, late afternoon, I accidentally bump in to Brian Davis on my way back from the bathroom.

"Shelby"

"Brian!" I exclaim.

There is an awkward pause.

"How are you?" I ask, taking in his appearance. He is slightly bigger than he used to be, his hair is thinner, and his eyes are taking on a pinkish tinge, which makes me think that the pint of Guinness in his hand is most likely not his first of the day.

"I'm good. It's been a while."

"Yes, how long..has it.."

"Been? What since you walked out and left me without so much of word goodbye and then promptly disappeared without a trace? Oh I'd say about 16 years. It was the 7th of February 1994 if I remember correctly."

"Brian, I.."

"Surprised I still remember? I'm not. I came back to my apartment to find a note from you saying that you were sorry, but it was over between us and you had to leave. I called your parents and they said something about you going to New York. It was like you dropped off the face of the earth."

"I'm sorry, if I hurt you, but we were just kids, its not like it was a serious relationship, we weren't really going anywhere"

"It might nor have been serious to you, but it was to me. You broke my heart Shelby. Why did you do it?"

"Because I had no choice. I had to end it, things would have been too difficult otherwise."

"You're talking in riddles.." he takes another swig of his drink.

"Mom" Rachel appears, "Mom, look what Grandma..." she trails off, as she spots, Brian, staring at her, his mouth open in shock.

"Shelby" he says, in odd strangled voice, and taking a step closer, I can smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Shelby," he repeats "Is there something you would like to tell me?"

"What?" I say "No, there isn't anything I have to say to you."

"Are you sure Shelby" he enunciates, glancing at Rachel, with a fevering look in his eye. All of a sudden it clicks in to place. Brian has done 1+1 and come up with 5.

Before I can respond he has turned to Rachel, "we'll aren't you just the image of your mother. How old are you little girl?"

"Little Girl?" Rachel is outraged, "I'll have you know I am nearly 16 years old" she squeals.

"Sixteen years old ay? And where's your daddy today?"

"Excuse me?" Rachel exclaims.

"You aren't her Father Brian" I say calmly, hoping to cut off this particular line of thought.

"I think you're lying Shelby..look at her, it's a funny coincidence don't you think, that you mystically disappear, and then turn up with a daughter who must have only been born a few short months after we split up."

"Believe me Brian, it is purely that, coincidence. Now, I think you should just turn around and leave please."

"No! I am fed up of people lying to me, my ex-wife, now you." He steps forward and places his hand on Rachel's arm and pulls her toward him. "Who is your daddy little girl, tell me."

I see red. "GET YOUR FILTHY HAND OFF MY DAUGHTER." I shout, knocking his arm away. He jumps back, startled.

"Rachel is MINE, not YOURS", I continue, acutely aware that all the other guests are listening intently, some have turned round and begun to stare, others are being more discrete but are clearly ear wigging. Even the band has stopped playing. If anything, I have saved myself the effort of introducing Rachel to the remaining guests who don't know who she is.

"For once and for all you are NOT her Father. Her Father is a kind, and decent man. Now I think you had better go home, before I kick you out, and don't think that I won't, because I will."

Brian doesn't get a chance to call my bluff, as Phil and his brother materialise on either side of Brian, and escort him out off the property.

"Are you ok?" I say to Rachel, my pulse still beating at a hundred miles an hour.

"mom, I'm fine, he didn't do anything. Are you ok?"

"Me…don't worry about me" I say, downing the remainder of my glass of punch. "Could you get me some water please?"

"Sure" she scurries off, toward the kitchen.

Sarah comes over. "Sorry" she says. "Phil invited him, I told him it was a bad idea. He split up with his wife a year ago, rumour has it, it was to do with his drinking…I know its not an excuse, but I don't think he ever really got over you."

"You're right, its not an excuse."

"Is Rachel ok?"

"She's fine. She was nervous about coming here today. She was worried that the attention would be on her for all the wrong reasons, and I promised her it wouldn't be,,,,and then this happened. You know, she actually wanted to lie, and pretend that she was one of my students."

"well that would never have worked" Sarah says. "For one, she is a walking talking Shelby 'Mini-Me' and for two, you would have given the game away."

"Me? I'm excellent at keeping secrets, I kept this one for years."

Sarah smiles indulgently "Shelby, your eyes light up every time you see her, or someone mentions her. When I was chatting to her earlier, your smile could have powered the national grid. It is obvious to everyone that she is not just one of your pupils."

"Really?"

"Yes really. It's cute. It's also…different"

"How do you mean?"

"well, you just never seemed the maternal type, you were always to determined and career orientated. I must admit, it weirded me out a little earlier. I mean I know you told me about Rachel on the phone, but it is one thing to hear about this abstract concept, and another thing to see it in the flesh. I never imagined you as a mother, yet here you are."

We are silent for a while, as a mull things over, until Rachel reappears.

"Here" Rachel hands me the water.

"Thank you sweetie. I'm sorry, what were you going to tell me earlier? Before Brian butted in?"

"Oh, just that Grandma gave me this." she whips out a photo and flashes it at my sister and I.

Oh dear lord.

It was taken the summer I was 17. I am posing in the back garden of this very house, wearing black drain pipe jeans and a Wham T-Shirt. I'm sporting a poodle perm that would make Diana Ross and Cher proud, and I have lipstick the colour of a London bus.

"Now I know what I would look like if I got a perm, that is, awful. So thanks mom, I think I will stick with straight hair."

"Of all the photos Grandma could have shown you, she gives you that one?" I exclaim.

" Oh that's because I just gave it back to her today. She probably had it laying out." Sarah says casually.

"and what were you doing with that photo in the first place?" I ask, with a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"Well, that nice Jesse boy emailed me…"

I should perhaps take the time to point out, that the senior members of Vocal Adrenaline sometimes perform as a quintet at weddings, parties, bat mitzvahs to earn a bit of extra cash. Sarah and Phil had hired them for Phil's brothers surprise 40th birthday party. I had given Sarah Jesse's email address, for them to sort out all the details between them.

"and?"

"He emailed me, so say that they were having a senior muck up day to celebrate the end of school and they were trying to get photos of all the faculty members back from when they were seniors, to hang up on the walls…"

"So you gave him THAT photo?"

"Why not, I thought it would be fun"

Rachel is besides herself with laughter.

"It's not funny" I say " how on earth will my students ever respect me when they have seen my wearing a t-shirt embossed with George Michael's head?"

"and sweat bands" Rachel splutters, pointing to the purple fuzzy material around my wrists.

Its going to be fun at work on Monday.

By early evening, I've had a few more glasses of punch, the band have stopped playing, and the number of guests has dwindled to about 30. At some stage in the proceedings the karaoke machine has been brought on stage, the bands microphone has been hijacked while people decided to take a turn as a singer.

Rachel, very patiently performs the Grease mega mix with Alicia, and is rewarded by Sarah wrangling Alicia for 10 minutes, which allows Rachel to belt out Don't Rain on My Parade, for which she receives rapturous applause,and to quote Sarah I " lit up like a Christmas Tree". Phil goes up and does his best Bryan Addams impression, to cries of "Don't give up your day job". A fair few people have had a go, when Mom appears at my shoulder.

"Well, aren't you going to get up there and show them how its done?" she asks

"I don't know.."

"Come on" she cajoles "how come everyone else has been treated to this voice of yours but not me?"

"Surely you've heard me sing?" I say

"Not properly, and not in at least 20 years" she says.

I cast my slightly alcohol muddled mind back to my first stage performance, with the local community theatre at age 11. I was Brigitta in the Sound of Music. Hmmm, not really much solo singing there. Bet, in Oliver! in the community production a few years later, nope, no solos there. High School, there was A Midsummer Nights Dream, ok, no singing in that one. Fiddler on the Roof, not so many show stoppers for me. Grease, in which I, due to pure nepotism missed out on the part of Sandy, and instead had to content myself with Rizzo, I got a solo or two, but nothing requiring death defying vocal acrobatics. Final year was The Crucible, again, not so much with the singing. I guess it was only really in college, when after I began intensive vocal coaching which opened up my range and developed my belt further, that more musical roles started coming my way.

Having finished my trip down memory lane, I concluded that my mother was correct. The last time she probably heard me sing, was when I rushed the stage at my sisters wedding, grabbed the mike out of the hands of the poor wedding singer, and began belting out the Dolly Parton version of I Will Always Love You.

"Ok" I say, and make may way to the mini-stage, and get handed the microphone by a bunch of Sarah's friends who have just done the YMCA.

I can feel the eyes of the party guests on me, and for some reason everyone has gone quiet and are looking at me in anticipation. I turn off the karaoke machine, mainly because I am a tad too tipsy to read the words coherently, and also because there is nothing on there that I want to sing.

Raising the microphone, I have no idea what I am going to sing, until the words come out of my mouth,

"I've heard it said, that people come into our lives, for a reason, bringing something we must learn.."

I have no idea why my subconscious chose it, perhaps it seemed fitting. I get lost in the moment, closing my eyes, and blocking everything out. It's just me, and a microphone, and an audience, stripped down to basics. I am flying. It reminds me why I love performing.

I finish to a huge round of applause, and some wolf whistles. I can see Rachel smiling and clapping, Sarah, pointing and laughing, and best of all, my mother, stood right at the front, clapping so hard I think her hands must be hurting, and a tears rolling down her cheeks.

I am home.

The next morning I wake feeling disorientated. Opening my eyes, I remember I am in my childhood bedroom, and in much like a scene from my childhood, my mother is in the doorway calling my name.

"Shelby!" she hisses "There is someone downstairs to see you. "

"At…" I squint at my watch "7.45am?"

"Yes. They were most insistent"

I move to get up, when I realise that I am not alone in my bed. Rachel is spooned up behind me, her arm flung over my waist. I try to extract myself from her embrace, "No" she murmurs, her forehead wrinkling in her sleep, "no" she clutches at me "It's my Tony Award. You can't take that from me, I earned it."

"No one is going to take your Tony Award, Rach" I say, kissing her forehead and loosening her grip on me

"Ok" she mutters, and rolls over on to her other side, as I succeed in getting myself out of bed.

"Does that child ever think about anything else?" My mother whispers as I hunt round for my slippers.

"And Shelby, you might want to cover yourself up." She points to the camisole that is currently masquerading as my pyjama top.

I grab the first thing that comes to hand, a discarded hooded sweatshirt of Rachel's, and fling that on, as I follow my mother down stairs.

She leaves to go make coffee and I stumble blearily into the living room, to find Brian sat there, suited and booted, and looking more sombre and sober than he did yesterday.

"Nice sweater" he says by way of a greeting and I glance down and see Mickey Mouse face plastered across my front. I should have known.

"Are you here to critique my fashion sense? Or was there another reason?"

"No" He says, "I'm here to say I am sorry for the way I acted yesterday."

"Go on" I tell him, in my best teachers voice, that is stern and commanding. Or as stern and commanding one can be wearing Pyjama bottoms and a Mickey mouse hoody.

"I have no excuse, other than, its been a hard year for me, I split up with my wife, turns out she had been having an affair for years and years. Then, our daughter got sick, and a DNA test showed that I was not her father, but this other guy was. She had been lying and deceiving me for years, to the point that I don't think I will ever truly trust anyone again.

Then you turned up, and it came rushing back on how you also just upped and left me, and then when I saw your daughter, I just saw read and thought I had been lied too once again, and that for you to have had a baby so soon after us splitting up and if I wasn't then father, then you must have been cheating on me too. I didn't handle it very well. It's the alcohol, it clouds you're judgement. All I can say, is that I'm sorry."

"You behaved inappropriately last night, that much is true. But I have not always done the right thing myself either" I tell him. "I accept your apology. And, just to let you know, I never cheated on you Brian. There are a lot of morally questionable things I have done in the past, but I have never cheated on anyone. The situation with Rachel's biological father is strange and complex, and it is not my place to explain it to you, but just know, it happened after we broke up."

Brian nods. "Do you think we might keep in touch?" he asks.

"I don't think so" I say. "I am at a different stage in my life, I am a different person to the one you knew."

We shake hands and I escort him to the front door. After he is gone, I retreat to the kitchen, to find my mother has made me coffee and eggs.

"Did he come to apologise?" she asks.

"Yes, he did." I reply. "He's got his closure now."

"I never thought he was good enough for you anyway."

"Mom!"

"It's true. it's a mother prerogative. Do you think Finn is good enough for Rachel"

"I think Finn is a well mannered young man, with a decent, though not spectacular singing voice."

"Oh Shelby, just admit it."

"Ok, yes, I don't think he is good enough. But do not tell Rachel I said that."

"As if I would. Did you sleep well?"

"So-so, Rachel kicks."

"With that girl, I wouldn't be surprised if she was practicing the can can in her sleep."

The girl in question shuffles in, yawning, with quite a spectacular bed head. "morning" she says, taking her seat at the table. "Mom? Please don't be offended but I think you are a little too old to pull off Disney.." she gestures to my sweater.

"Don't worry, you can have it back" I say, "but mind who you are calling old."

Mom puts bowl of fruit salad in front of Rachel, and begins asking her how she slept. Rachel starts animatedly recounting a rather vivid dream, complete with grand theatrical gestures. I sit back and relax and take in the scene in front of me.

If this is what having a family is like then I think I could get used to it.