This is a double shift day. There will be one more upload today: Uncover the Sun.

"Technicolor Wishes & Hi-Def Dreams"

8. Parents

a/n: Sorry for the delay, technical difficulties... Happy New Year!

The break had done them all some good, although none more than when Puck had gone up and given the other three a bit of a talking to. Somehow he would manage to both motivate them and somehow convince them that listening to her would be the best decision they'd make all day. Rachel had smiled, and soon they were back on track, building their number. As much as he had gotten most of the control to become hers, she had decided to change tactics and actually listen to suggestions from the others.

As they waited for their turn to go up, Puck could feel how nervous she was, and he leaned in. "You okay?" he whispered, and she turned to him.

"I don't know…" she admitted.

"Does your head still hurt from the ghost house?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"It's not like that… Just thinking about going up there."

"Are you kidding? This is like the easiest one so far for you."

"That's what I thought, too, but now I'm standing here like I'm actually auditioning, only I have no idea what I really sound like to them, and it's just… I don't want to be one of those groups that goes out there and they're a mess."

"We won't be," he promised. Looking in his eyes, it was hard to think otherwise: he believed. That was good enough for her.

X

They'd all moved ahead. They were just sort of caught in a group hug, the five of them, when Puck and Rachel felt the now all too familiar start of another jump. There was one moment where they really thought maybe this would be the one to take them home, but that was all it was, a moment. Deep down they already knew they were heading to another show.

Rachel had landed in a car this time, in the driver's seat, and for a second she had to make sure that she wasn't mid-drive. But when she opened her eyes, she saw she was parked in a driveway and she let out a breath. She looked down at herself, to the house ahead of her… She knew this place, she thought… She had caught a glimpse of herself in the rear view mirror, and when she saw the face, it finally dawned on her where she knew the house from… and she wasn't sure she was ready for it.

She got out of the car, taking a few deep breaths. This whole journey apparently featured an endless supply of energy, because she was not tired at all, and she momentarily thought about how practical that would be in the real world as she reached in her bag, searching for keys. She had to try a few before she found the one that fit the lock, allowing her to enter the house. The moment she'd gotten the door open, the sound of shouting voices caught her ears, coming from upstairs. Maybe she could still get away…

"Mom!" a girl's voice kept her from reopening the door and she turned around, looking up. Crap, what was her name again, she was the oldest one…

"What is it…" she dragged out the words until it came back to her and she almost shouted the girl's name, "… Haley?" Lucky for Rachel, the girl was too upset to pick up on anything odd going on.

"Mom, you can't let her go out like that, she's going to embarrass herself!"

"Don't you mean I'm going to embarrass you?" the second girl appeared at the top of the stairs… Alex, she knew her name was Alex…

"She, uh… she looks fine to me," Rachel shrugged, which apparently was not the answer either girl was looking for, and they huffed back into the room they had come from, where the yelling resumed. Rachel let out a breath. One quick getaway, she could do this…

"Mom, do we have any bird seeds?" she was stopped again, as the boy came in from the kitchen, carrying a box. This one was… Luke, yes, that was it.

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "Do you need me to get you some?"

"That's okay, I'll find another way," he told her before walking off, and she swore she'd seen the box move in his hands and make a noise.

She had yet to see Puck… Was he the husband? She slowly started going through the house, hoping to find him, until the doorbell rang and she jumped, all but running toward the sound. "Please be Puck…" she breathed.

"Mom, Uncle Mitchell's here!" she heard Luke's voice before she got there. Luke had opened the door already, and there was Puck, holding the little girl in his arms. She paused, surprised, while Puck put girl down on her feet.

"Lily, go play with your cousin, alright?"

"Okay, Daddy," the girl told him before Luke took her hand and led her off.

"Come on, Lily, I've got something to show you…" he was saying, but Rachel was more focused on Puck, standing before her.

"No way…" she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Took me half an hour of talking to her and looking around the house to get enough information and guess where you might be," he revealed.

"Well, you made it," she congratulated him.

"I don't even know where we are," he told her.

"Modern Family," she helped him, and he looked lost for a moment, but then it all came together.

"Oh…"

"Yeah," she sighed. "It's kind of freaking me out," she admitted.

"Why?" he asked.

"How would you feel if you suddenly woke up and had three kids, one of which is more or less your age?" she muttered, aware that in a house like this, the walls had ears…

"Look, it doesn't matter, we just need to figure out what it is we have to do and then we'll be out of here…" he promised her, all of three seconds before there was a loud sort of crashing noise and they heard Luke cry out. "See?"

TO BE CONTINUED (NEXT TUESDAY)