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 (Also features her fathers, Finn, Will, Shelby, Beth and others)
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.
Emma's jaw dropped in shock, "W, Will?" Rachel couldn't lift her gaze from the floor as she nodded slowly, "wha. . .I mean I know how" Emma mumbled, "but, but, he's a teacher, you were his student."
Rachel shook her head, "I wasn't, not when we. . ."
Emma's next question slipped out before she'd even thought about it, "When?"
"About a week before I moved to New York, I had a party. . ." Emma nodded, she too had been invited to the party, but already had other plans. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd have been able to change things had she gone. "Don't get me wrong" Rachel spoke again, "I love Lyla so much, but. . ." she shrugged, "we were both drunk, I tripped, he caught me, the next thing I know we're undressing each other in the downstairs bathroom. It's not really a great start to anyone's life is it?" She paused for a moment, glancing at her sleeping daughter, "I mean I wasn't even going to tell him, it just sort of slipped out, and I know I should have told him as soon as I knew, I know that I'm just as bad as his ex wife by not telling him, but. . . "her eyes filled with tears and she shrugged again, slumping in her chair drained of all her energy.
Emma sighed, her heart going out to the young girl, "You are nothing like Terri. Your situation is completely different, you didn't let him get his hopes up about something that was never going to happen, you didn't break up his relationship" Emma's face fell, "You know he's with. . ."
"Shelby, yes, I know." She said dryly, rocking the car seat with her foot as Lyla began to wake, "I should, erm, she'll be getting ready for a feed."
Emma nodded, "if you ever need to chat Rachel" she scribbled something down on a post it note, "I'm always here"
Rachel glanced at the sheet of yellow paper, finding Emma's office, home and mobile phone numbers, "thanks" she smiled, leaning down to pick up Lyla's car seat.
"Any time Rachel" Emma grabbed her bag, "I'll walk out with you."
"Rachel, Rachel wait." Emma and Rachel turned to find Will jogging towards them.
"I'll talk to him." Emma told Rachel, turning towards Will as Rachel carried on towards her car. "Leave her Will" she said firmly.
"She just told me that she's had my daughter Emma, I need to talk to her."
"Will" Emma sighed, "She's scared and confused. She needs time to get her head sorted, to think things through, forcing her to talk won't get you anywhere. Let her come to you when she's ready."
"I've got a daughter Emma. Rachel has had my child, and her sister calls me daddy. How fucked up is that?"
Emma sighed, "When are things ever simple?"
"My girlfriends daughter had my baby Emma. What the hell am I going to do?"
Emma shrugged, "You can't tell Shelby Will. If Rachel finds out you've breathed a word of this to that woman then she'll never trust you."
"I need to talk to you" Rachel clicked her phone onto speakerphone, calling Shelby as she began to drive.
"Now? is everything alright Rachel?"
"Now, please, I'm on my way over, I have to tell you something, I don't think you'll like it, but I need you to hear it from me."
"You're worrying me Rachel, is everything okay?"
Rachel bit her lip, "I'll be 10 minutes" she said before hanging up.
Slightly worried about the conversation Rachel wanted to have with her, Shelby packed a few of Beth's favourite toys into a bag, and took her next door, paying the teenage daughter of her neighbours a large amount of money to watch Beth for the evening.
"Rachel" Shelby answered the door before her eldest daughter had chance to ring the bell.
"You might want to sit down" Rachel was straight to the point.
"Rachel please. . ."
Rachel bit her lip, pacing the room before her mother, Lyla sleeping in her arms.
"Rachel, I. . ."
"She's Will's" Rachel interrupted her mother.
"She. . .what!"
"Will is Lyla's father, biologically speaking."
"I, I don't" Shelby was lost for words.
"I'm sorry"
"Was he. . ." Shelby thought back to a conversation with Rachel the first time they'd been reunited, "was he your first?"
"No" Rachel couldn't look Shelby in the eye, "no he wasn't."
"Can you go please?" Shelby's voice was emotionless.
Rachel nodded, "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, you didn't know I was with him. . . did you?"
"Of course not, if I'd have even suspected he was with anyone, it would never have. . ."
"Okay."
Rachel paused by the door, "I know you probably hate me right now, and that I've got no right to start making demands, but no matter how angry you are with me, please remember that Beth and Lyla have done nothing wrong, I still want you and Beth to be a part of Lyla's life, even if you don't want to be part of mine, and I hope you'll still allow me to see Beth?"
Shelby stood to her feet, walking over to Rachel, cupping the girl's cheek with her hand, "I'm not, I'm not angry with you Rachel, I, I just need time to. . .it's not your fault, you weren't to know, please don't blame yourself. I'll call you, I promise, but I'd rather you weren't here when Will gets home."
Rachel nodded, "I love you Mom"
Shelby choked back more tears, it was the first time Rachel had told Shelby she loved her and the first time she'd called her mom. "I love you too baby, I love you so much." She kissed her daughters cheek, before bending to drop a kiss onto Lyla's forehead. "I'll ring you tonight. I promise"
Rachel nodded, turning briefly to face her mother as she left the house. "I'm sorry" she repeated, climbing into her car and driving home.
"It's me" Will called, pushing the door open just 10 short minutes after Rachel had left. "What the. . ." He staggered backwards, his hands clutching his face as Shelby's open palm connected with his cheek"
"Get out" Shelby threw a large bag at Will, "get out get out get out."
"Shelby, I. . ."
"You slept with Rachel" she hissed, "not only did you cheat on me Will, but you cheat on me with my own fucking daughter and then, and then" she laughed sarcastically and shook her head, "you father my grandchild."
"I didn't know" he whispered
"You knew you slept with her Will, you knew you'd cheated on me, you knew" she covered her face, failing to hide the tears falling from her eyes. "I don't even remember you going to a party at Rachel's"
"I. . .We weren't together, we'd had an argument, you'd taken Beth to your parents, the kids had won nationals, they were all about to go their seperate ways, Rachel was having a party, she asked me to go along."
"She was your student Will, whether she'd graduated or not you were still in a position of authority. I can't believe you, we. . .oh God Will, you slept with me after you slept with my daughter. If we were married you'd be Lyla's grandfather too, I'd be her stepmother and her maternal grandmother. I can't believe we just went back to normal, that you could just carry on knowing you'd slept with Rachel."
Will saw a tear roll down Shelby's cheek, "I. . ."
"I can't listen to your excuses Will, not now"
"Shelby please, I never . . ."
"Please" Shelby interrupted, "just go."
"What about Beth?" he asked quietly.
Shelby shrugged, "I don't know Will. I can't think about that right now, please can you leave now."
Will nodded, "I love you"
Shelby shook her head, "don't you think you've already lied to me enough?" she whispered sadly as she closed the door in his face.