Operation Baby Berry

AN: A little cracky, this story. I started it a long time ago and just found it in my documents, so of course it is very AU now.

Rachel Barbra Berry was a firm believer in plans. Even as a child she had set out her goals and itemized how she would achieve them. Goals were motivating and essential. Sometimes, it was true, the plans had to be modified or scrapped and new strategies formulated but she tried to plan for all probabilities; and, since she had a vivid imagination, she had no problem coming up with a myriad of those.

Every year, just before New Year's Eve, she would sit down and evaluate how many of her goals she achieved or how close she was to achieving them, and tweak as necessary. She'd done very well so far. She'd got her Tony before the age of 25 and her first Grammy by age 27. Having just turned 28 she was right on track for a second Tony. Her career goals were going well. If only she could say the same for her personal goals. It was dismaying to discover that two of those were looking less and less likely to be reached on time.

Rachel tapped her pen on the desk in annoyance and glared at the first goal on her list. She was supposed to be married by now or at least engaged. But not only was she not engaged she wasn't in any relationship at all! How was she going to have her first child by age 30 (the other goal) if she didn't even have a significant other? Planning to find the perfect mate just wasn't working out. What if her biological clock ran out before Mr. Right came along? Or worse, what if he never came along at all?

She decided that the finding Mr. Right would have to wait and she moved having a child to the top of her list. Plenty of women nowadays had babies and raised them without a significant other. She had the money to support herself and a child, now she just had to find the right candidate as sperm donor! Rachel decided it was time to do some serious brainstorming and so she immediately began making a list of requirements and possible candidates.

Obviously, he'd need to be fairly intelligent, healthy, good looking, and most importantly musically talented. Rachel frowned and immediately crossed off a name on her list. Finn wasn't currently married (his divorce from his wife had just been finalized) but he majorly failed in the intelligence detail. With her rose colored spectacles having been removed some years ago she could now also admit that musically too he was deficient in both voice and dancing ability; plus he was already losing his hair.

Kurt or Blaine would have been nearly ideal however, the last time she had suggested such an idea they had both laughed hysterically. Granted that had been several years ago, and they might be more open to the idea now. However, Kurt and Blaine had broken up and since she was friends with both of them, she couldn't very well ask one to be a donor without offending the other. Then too there was the fact that one was living in Paris and the other in LA. No, she needed someone on hand in New York, and so she crossed their names off the list also.

All the other names she'd come up with were lacking in one area or another, or had spouses or girlfriends who would veto the idea very quickly. Surely there had to be someone. It was far too important an endeavor to entrust to a clinic to choose the father's sperm. Rachel shuddered at the very thought. Who knew what errors could be made and what the result would be?

She sighed and reluctantly allowed her mind to wander into forbidden territory. There was one person that fit her criteria perfectly. He was extremely talented, intelligent, and had such incredible hair too; even now her fingers still tingled when she thought about running them through those soft curls. It was too bad he had married that Hollywood starlet and then moved to England. Rachel tried to dismiss the little voice in the back of her head that was chanting "Yes, and after how you treated him after your junior year at Nationals, you'd be the last person he'd want to be the mother of his children anyways."

The problem, Rachel admitted to herself as she tossed and turned for the sixth night in a row, was that when she got an idea in her head it was very difficult to just let it go. The thought of having one Jesse St. James father her talented baby was just too perfect to simply give up on. The idea had now created its own little nest in the forefront of her brain and settled in to roost with no signs of leaving anytime soon.

Rachel huffed in frustration and reached over to turn on the bedroom light. Surely it wouldn't hurt to find out what Jesse was currently doing and where he was? Maybe that would convince her of how impossible the idea really was. Instead, upon discovering that Jesse and his wife were recently divorced, (apparently she'd taken up with an elderly billionaire) Rachel felt a surge of hope.

Two days later when the entertainment gossip world exploded with the news that Jesse St. James was returning to New York and weighing offers to star in a Broadway musical, Rachel was certain it was an omen in her favor. All that remained was for her and Jesse to meet, and she knew just the way to arrange that. After all, if there was one thing she knew for a certainty it was that Jesse lived and breathed for performing. He might have ruled the West End, but she was Queen of Broadway. It was time to call in some favors.

sssssss

Jesse's main amusement in the week after his arrival in New York had been reading the embellished tabloid accounts of how devastated he was by the breakup of his marriage to Marissa, and how he had returned to America to lick his wounds in quiet despair. The truth was he couldn't be happier to be rid of her at last. Marrying her had been a grave mistake, one that he'd regretted making almost immediately; she was only interested in money, fame and the jet set lifestyle. Jesse was delighted that he no longer had to pay for her extravagant ways or listen to her drunken tirades. He was even more pleased that she would never get her talons on the St. James inheritance. Marissa had been so eager to marry her wealthy, elderly target as soon as possible, that she had rashly signed the papers Jesse's lawyers had prepared without contesting anything.

The attention from the media was however, beginning to wear thin. He longed to reconnect to his old haunts and submerse himself in the city, but it was impossible to do that when cameras dogged his every move. Although he knew there soon would be new fodder for the paparazzi pigs to roll in if he just bided his time, it was still aggravating that he had to take refuge in his five star hotel suite and conduct all necessary business from within its protected walls.

Jesse tossed aside the play he'd been skimming and reached for the one that had just arrived from his agent with a note saying that he should give it special attention. Glancing at the title he whistled appreciatively. He'd heard about this musical, as it had been in development over the past three years. Now with several successful workshops completed, and the financial backing in place, the current buzz was that it had all the makings of a Broadway smash.

Upon his return to New York Jesse had been disappointed to discover that rehearsals already begun and all the roles had been cast. The arrival of the script this morning by special delivery could only mean one thing- apparently they were recasting the male lead. Two hours later, Jesse put down the script and called his agent.

sssssss

Rachel was sure she was going to go mad if she didn't get word soon. Every time a text or voice mail appeared her heart would accelerate and her hopes would soar, only to come crashing down moments later in disappointment. Finally, though in truth it was only a few days, she got the confirmation that Jesse had taken the bait and had signed the contract for the musical.

Rachel sighed in relief. Phase one of "Operation BB" (Baby Berry) had been successful. As a silent, but important investor in the musical she had pulled some strings to insure that they would cast Jesse St. James in the lead role (and find proper compensation for the actor he had displaced.) Rachel just hoped that Jesse would not be too angry if he discovered her machinations.

Much of her Sunday was spent in trying on and discarding one outfit after another as she sought a look that was casual yet subtly seductive. It was at times like this that she especially missed Kurt and wished he was there with his succinct critique. But he wasn't, and so she played the "what would Kurt say" game in her head.

Monday morning Rachel dressed with excessive care. As she finished pinning her hair, leaving a few strands out to soften the effect, she did one final touch-up of her makeup and then did a slow spin in front of her three way mirror. The tight black designer jeans and low boots with a slight heel emphasized her long legs and shapely butt; while the slightly fitted t-shirt in bright turquoise drew attention to the healthy glow of her skin. A simple silver treble clef pendant with matching earrings completed her ensemble. Satisfied with her appearance Rachel slid into her black leather jacket and grabbing her shoulder bag she did one final check to make sure that it contained her wallet, smart phone, her copy of script, a pen as well as a filled water bottle and healthy snacks. Phase 2 of Operation BB was about to start.