This is not the dream I dreamed - Rachel faces up to the fact that her Broadway career could be over before it had chance to begin.
Rating - T
Character - Rachel
A/N - Reviews/concrit are loved, and if there's anything you'd like to see happen the let me know and I'll try my best to work it in somehow.I'm from the UK, so if anything American is not quite right, please let me know and I'll fix it.
-Lyrics in italics fron Taylor Swift, Never Grow Up.
"What are you looking at?" Rachel smiled as she dressed Lyla, tapping the girl's tiny nose with her finger, "shall we take Mr Schue up on his offer?" she continued to talk to her daughter as she laid her in the middle of the double bed, beginning to get herself ready, "shall we go and share my expertise with the current glee club? I suppose it would look good on my if I was to be seen giving advice to those unfortunate enough to not have my talent. And it's never too early for you to start picking up tips." She told Lyla as she picked her up from the bed, a tiny smile on the young girl's face.
"Rachel, how good to see you." Will stood from his desk as Rachel walked into his office, "and you've bought Lyla too" he cooed over the buggy where Lyla was trying to grab the toys dangling from the bar over the buggy. "Is there something I can do for you?" he asked, turning his attention back to Rachel.
Rachel nodded, "I wondered if you still needed help with Glee."
Will's face broke into a huge grin, "Rachel, I would love you to help with Glee,"
"Who's she?" A blonde cheerio asked, as Rachel walked into the room with Will.
"This is Rachel" Will introduced her to the group, "she was one of the original members of New Directions, she's going to come in and help me out with song choices and vocal arrangements, things like that."
"She can't just walk in here like that" another member called out, "surely she has to audition or something, prove she's good enough?"
"Rachel?" Will turned to the girl just as Lyla began to whimper in her buggy.
Rachel nodded and moved to comfort the small child, "Your little hands wrapped around my finger, and, it's so quiet in the world tonight, your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming, so I took you in, turn on your favourite night light, to you, everything's funny, you got nothing to regret, I'd give all I have honey, if you could stay like that" Rachel lifted Lyla into her arms, beginning to rock her softly as she sang the chorus of the song she'd chosen, "Oh, darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up, just stay this little , oh, darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up, it can stay this simple." Lyla let out a last wail before yawning and closing her eyes, prompting Rachel to lie her back in her buggy, "I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart, and no one will desert you, just try to never grow up," Rachel tucked the pale pink blanket in around the sleeping infant before standing and turning to face her audience, most of them sat with their mouths wide open in shock.
"So?" Will asked, breaking the silence.
"She's freakin' awesome" the boy who'd challenged her to sing finally gasped.
"Is she in?" Will asked the group of teenagers who had never been to silent. Almost immediately they began to nod and voice their approval. "Okay then" Will smiled, "let's get down to practicing"
After practice was over Rachel began the short walk home before remembering she'd arranged for Finn to come over later that evening, "we better go and get something for him to eat hadn't we?" Rachel asked Lyla who was still sleeping peacefully.
"Hey, it's Beth right?" Rachel crouched down as she recognised the crying blonde toddler stood in front of her.
Beth nodded slowly, "how come you know my name?"
"I know your mommy and daddy" Rachel tried to hide the pain she felt as she referred to Shelby as someone else's mommy, "I saw you before, your daddy picked you up to show you my baby" Rachel gestured to the buggy, "do you remember?"
Beth nodded slowly, "I think so."
Rachel smiled and reached out to wipe away Beth's tears, "so where's your Mommy then?"
Beth shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I stopped to look at the toys, and then she was gone, and I looked real hard and I can't find her." Beth began to get worked up again.
"Hey, hey" Rachel tried to calm her sort-of-sister down, "I bet your mommy's looking for you right now, so how about Lyla and I wait with you until she finds us?"
Beth nodded and took Rachel's hand in hers, "thanks" Rachel and Beth stood in silence for a while before Beth tugged on Rachel's arm, "what's your name?" she asked once she was sure she had Rachel's attention.
"Rachel."
"That's a really pretty . . .Mommy!" Beth didn't finish her sentence, instead letting go of Rachel's hand and flying towards Shelby.
"Oh Beth" Shelby sighed, scooping Beth into her arms, "what have I told you about wondering off eh? Are you okay?"
Beth nodded, "Rachel and Lyla waited with me, Rachel said you'd find me and you did."
"Rachel. . ."
"Yup" Beth pointed at Rachel as she began to walk away, unable to watch Shelby giving Beth the love Rachel never had.
"Rachel" Shelby called after her eldest daughter. Rachel said nothing, but turned to face Shelby, allowing her to catch up. "Thanks for waiting with her."
"It's okay, I'm sure any other responsible adult would have done the same, now if you excuse me I have to get home." She once again began to walk away.
"Rachel" Shelby called again, Rachel turning to face her mother for the second time, "I erm, I'm Sorry Rachel, for everything." Rachel nodded, noticing Shelby's eyes filling with tears she said nothing, once again beginning to walk away.