Hey guys :) sorry for the majorly slow update but life has been pretty hectic recently since starting uni. This really is just a filler chapter to keep you going but I hope you like it. I certainly enjoyed writing this much more than I did my coursework, hence why that is only half finished even though it's due Thursday. I would love to know what you all think of this chapter and if you have any song you'd like to see for the theatricality number in the next chapter let me know :) love you all :)

Shelby was able to hold back the tears until she reached her car, when the gates opened and left her sobbing for a good 20 minutes in the driver's seat. She cursed inwardly. How could she let this happen? She had spent years trying to hide her feelings for Will and now, after 2 days, they had come back, hitting her like a ton of bricks, and she had a feeling that no matter what she did she would never be able to bury them again.

What Shelby was unaware of was that, while she was crying, Will had cleared away the chairs in the choir room, locked up his office and was now making his way to the staff car park. Noticing someone sitting in the unfamiliar car a few spaces down from his own, Will walked over to see who it was. He stopped short, however, when his eyes fell on the familiar long, dark hair of his old friend.

He hesitated, not sure if he should approach her but, seeing that she was crying, he felt that it would be a good idea. He hated seeing her upset and knew from experience that, no matter how much she tries to push him away, she needs someone to talk to when she's upset or she'll end up on another downwards spiral. What worried Will is that, with the stress of being in the public eye constantly, he wasn't sure she'd be strong enough to pick herself back up. Deciding that it was for the best, Will walked up to the black car and tapped gently on the window.

Hearing this, Shelby's head shot up and she came face to face with Will, the man responsible for her tears.

"Will!" She exclaimed, rolling down the window.

"Is everything ok, Shell?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Shelby replied, drying her eyes and putting on her best 'show face'.

Will just sighed and walked around the car to sit in the passenger seat.

"You and I both know that's bullshit. If you were fine you'd be back at Rachel's house enjoying spending time with her, not sitting in a school car park crying your eyes out. I'm sorry for being blunt, Shell, but you should know by now that I know you better than most, even after all these years."

"It's nothing, Will. Really, I'll be fine."

Shelby knew that Will wasn't convinced.

"Is it about Rachel?" Will asked. Shelby shook her head. "Her dads?" Again the woman shook her head. "Is it to do with being back in Lima?" He tried, knowing how much she always wanted to leave.

"No, it's nothing like that. Please just drop it. I want to get home to Rachel."

"Well then you'd better start talking or you'll never get home."

Shelby sighed. She should have remembered that Will could be just as stubborn as she was, especially when he was worrying about her.

"Look, I can't talk to you about this now."

"Can we meet for a coffee or something tomorrow during my lunch break? Rachel will be at school and you don't need to be stuck in the house alone all day."

"You're not going to drop this are you?" Shelby said.

"Of course not." Will replied and Shelby gave a small smile. "Meet you at the Lima Bean at 12?"

"Fine."

"It's a date." Will smiled.

As much as she hated to admit it, hearing Will say that gave her butterflies in her stomach. She looked away, pretending to wipe her eyes to try and hide the blush that was forming on her cheeks. She cursed at herself again for behaving like a teenager.

"So are you going to let me get back now?" She asked.

"Ok. I'll see you tomorrow, take care of yourself Shell." He said.

"I will." Shelby replied and he knew she meant it.

Later that evening, as the Berry household were eating dinner, the conversation turned to Rachel staying with Shelby in New York.

"Can I go and see your show?" Rachel pleaded.

"Of course, honey. I'll give the theatre a call later and try and make sure you've got a good seat."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You'll have to come for any nights that I can't take off anyway but you don't have to stay in the audience. I'm sure some of the tech guys won't mind you helping them." Shelby smiled.

"Oh my God thank you so much mum!" Rachel screamed. To get to see Shelby perform live was one thing but to actually help out backstage would be amazing. "I can't wait to tell Kurt. He'll be so jealous!"

"Are you sure it won't be too much trouble for her to stay with you?" Leroy asked, concerned that Rachel's excitement and enthusiasm for all things Broadway would cause problems for Shelby and the crew working on the musical.

"No it's fine. Jeff, the lighting guy, is an old friend of mine. We've worked together a couple of times before. He'd love to have Rachel helping out with everything and being able to show her the ropes. Besides," She smirked, "he'll have someone else to bore with his techno-jumble other than the poor chorus members who are new to Broadway and too polite to tell him to shut up." Rachel's dads laughed at this as the young girl started to protest, claiming that she couldn't understand how anyone could find anything Broadway-related boring.

Once they had finished their meal, Rachel helped her dads with the washing up while Shelby went upstairs to the spare room to make an attempt at packing before she left tomorrow.

"Can we watch a film tonight?" Rachel asked her dads as she put away the clean plates.

"Have you done all your homework?" Leroy replied.

"Most of it. I've just got to study for a Spanish test tomorrow but it's not an important one."

"How about you study for half an hour now and then we'll put a film on." He reasoned.

"I was going to do it in my study hall tomorrow." She argued. "It's the lesson before Spanish so it will be fresh in my mind."

"Your dad's right." Hiram said. "Study for a bit now. There's no harm in doing more tomorrow as well."

"Ok fine." She whined, storming off to her room and slamming her door.

"We're going to need to fix that door again soon aren't we? It can't take many more of her diva strops." Leroy remarked.

"You're right about that." Hiram laughed as they finished cleaning the kitchen and dining room.

Twenty minutes later, Rachel came downstairs to find her parents in the living room. Claiming that she knew all of the words that would be in the test tomorrow, her fathers let her off the final 10 minutes of studying. They knew that if the film kept her awake too late she'd be grumpy in the morning and the sooner they started to play it the better for everyone.

After a surprisingly short discussion, the two women decided to watch Funny Girl, much to the older men's dismay. Sure, they loved the film but they had been forced to watch it by their daughter so many times that even they could almost recite it word for word.

Shelby and Rachel sang along to every song flawlessly. The way their voices sounded together was incredible and their harmonies worked very well. It made Shelby long for the day that she could sing with her daughter in front of a theatre full of people, but knew that it couldn't happen for a while.

By the time the film had finished, however, Rachel was exhausted and needed no persuasion to go to sleep. After the physically and emotionally taxing day, Shelby wasn't far behind her, leaving Hiram and Leroy in the living room.

"It's a shame Shell has to leave tomorrow." Hiram stated, once the woman was upstairs.

"I know. I just hope Rachel will be alright when she leaves." Leroy replied. "I mean this weekend has been great for her and she's definitely looking forward to her spring break but do you think she'll be able to go back to school and not be tempted to blurt something out when one of those kids are horrible to her?"

"I'd like to think she has enough self control to hold her tongue but if something does happen we'll cross that bridge when we get there."

"I guess so. Besides, Shelby probably has a plan in place in case it does come out."

"Hopefully. We'll have to ask her about it tomorrow."

"Yeah." Leroy agreed, trying to stifle a yawn. "I think I'm going to turn in now. Goodnight." He said, getting up to give his partner a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." Hiram replied.