Okay, to address things that have been brought up more than once. First off, someone complained about me writing that Beth would have no family…legally, Puck and Quinn (and Rachel for that matter) are not her family. They gave her up, so they have absolutely no rights. Rachel feels like Beth is family because she's Rachel and she wouldn't care that she's legally not her sister; she feels like she is. Shelby also thought of Rachel as family even though her parents are legally Hiram and Leroy.

Quite a few people have also asked about where this falls; as you can probably guess by the fact that Rachel and Quinn are not friends, it isn't completely canon. A lot of the things from the show have also happened in this story except for the fact that Rachel didn't really become close with anyone or accepted by them (with the obvious exception of Kurt). So, she never became friends with Quinn in any way. Most other things will be the same, though, unless I feel that they wouldn't have happened due to my change of Rachel not being friends with characters.

That being said, Quinn isn't just going to show up and be all "sorry about Shelby", so it will be a little while before she shows up. Be patient, though, because this is obviously a Faberry story, but I didn't want to be unrealistic by rushing her appearance.

Okay, I think that's it. Thank you to everyone that has already reviewed, favorited, or followed. You guys are awesome.

Chapter 2 – Things Will Never Be the Same Again

Rachel and Kurt had been sitting in silence for at least an hour; Rachel was trying to ignore the looks Kurt kept throwing her way, but it was becoming more and more difficult. It was as if he thought she was going to make a decision right then and there, and he was waiting for her to announce it at any moment. This wasn't that easy, though; Rachel was trying to go through everything in her head, but with all the other thoughts going through her mind and dealing with the fact that her biological mother had just died, it was even harder than it sounded. She had a lot to think about and Kurt staring at her wasn't helping anything.

"Kurt, stop staring at me," Rachel finally snapped.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said, looking away.

"I know you're just being a concerned friend, but it's really not helping me think," Rachel said, rubbing her temples.

"Maybe it would help if we discussed it," Kurt said.

Rachel didn't want to discuss it; she was usually pragmatic when it came to this type of thing, but for once in her life, she just wanted to ignore everything and hope it went away. That wasn't realistic, though, and time was of the essence. She couldn't put aside thinking about the funeral and she couldn't put aside thinking about Beth.

"Rach?" Kurt said, looking at her when she didn't say anything.

Rachel sighed. "I don't know, Kurt."

"What don't you know?" Kurt asked.

"Everything," Rachel said, shrugging. "I don't know how to plan a funeral and I don't know how to take care of a four year old and I don't know how to deal with everything."

"I know what it's like—maybe not to this extent, but I know what it's like to lose a parent," Kurt replied. "No one is ever ready for something like this to happen, but you're Rachel Berry—you've always been able to handle everything with grace, and I think this is going to be no exception."

Rachel smiled slightly. "That's not true and you know it."

Kurt sighed. "Do I argue when you're giving one of your pep talks?"

"Sorry," Rachel replied.

"So, what's next?" Kurt asked.

"Well, I need to plan the funeral, which I know nothing about," Rachel replied. "Hopefully my fathers can be of some assistance."

"I'm sure they'll know what to do," Kurt said with a nod. "In fact, if I had to guess, I would say they are probably looking into everything right now to save you from having to do it."

"Probably," Rachel replied, thinking it sounded exactly like her fathers.

Beth began to stir slightly; Rachel and Kurt both grew silent as they watched her turn over. Rachel thought maybe she was going to wake up, but her breathing became steady again as she drifted deeper into sleep. She wondered if it was a good thing that the little girl was sleeping so much, but it had been a traumatic night, so maybe it was a good thing.

"What's going to happen to her?" Kurt asked. "You know—if you decide—"

"If I don't take her?" Rachel finished for him.

"Yeah," Kurt softly said.

"I suppose she'll end up in foster care if there's no one else," Rachel replied. "Of course, Mr. Wyatt said there is no guarantee a judge would even grant the request if I were to decide I would like to be Beth's guardian. I'm only nineteen, and the judge may decide I'm too young for such a responsibility."

"It's better than the alternative, though," Kurt said, frowning. "What would happen if her birth parents want her?"

"That's something to ask the lawyer," Rachel replied.

"Too bad one of us didn't apply to law school," Kurt joked.

"That would be very helpful right about now," Rachel agreed.

Kurt nodded. "I know this is probably one of the furthest things from your mind, but did you let NYADA know you're going to be absent for a while?"

Rachel groaned. "No, I didn't even think to. What am I going to do? I have my showcase in two weeks! There are going to be a lot of people there—producers, teachers, all of my peers; if I don't do well—"

"Rachel!" Kurt interrupted. "Don't stress about it, okay? I'm sure they will understand and give you an extension. You don't need to worry about this now on top of everything else."

Rachel took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "You're right. I'll send my teachers an email explaining what's happened. Surely they will understand."

"How about I call them?" Kurt said, putting his hand over Rachel's. "I'll let them know what is going on and that you will be unable to attend classes for at least the next week, but we'll keep them updated on the situation. This will give you some time to think without me staring at you." Kurt smiled at her. "Would you like me to bring you some coffee when I come back?"

"Thank you," Rachel said, giving him a sad smile. "And yes—to both questions."

"I'll be back in a little bit," Kurt said, squeezing her hand as he stood.

Rachel was grateful she had Kurt to help her through this time; she couldn't imagine not having a friend with her. Since they became friends their junior year of high school, he had always been there for her; at this point, he was really more like family than a friend. Once this was all over she was going to have to find a way to thank him.

"Rachel, sweetie."

"What?" Rachel mumbled into her pillow.

"It's almost noon."

Rachel eyes flew open and she looked at Leroy like he was crazy. "Noon?"

"You've been asleep for nearly sixteen hours," her father stated.

Rachel put her face back into her pillow and groaned; there was no way she had slept that long. It would explain the headache, though, and why she felt like she had been trampled.

"Why did you let me sleep this long?" she asked.

Leroy laughed. "Your father tried to wake you three hours ago, but you just mumbled something and put your pillow over your head, so he assumed you were not ready to get up."

She knew she had been exhausted the previous day, but this was ridiculous. She and Kurt had finally come to the Berry house the previous evening after Beth had been released from the hospital. Since she had no immediate family and no one had stepped forward to get temporary custody, Beth had been taken by social services. She hated the thought of the little girl being taken like that, but Rachel didn't know what to do.

"Kurt told us everything, honey," Leroy said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Oh," Rachel responded with a nod.

By the time she had gotten home, she was in no mood to talk; she was even more overwhelmed by everything at that point and she just wanted time to think. So, she had gone to her room to try to sort through her thoughts, but it hadn't taken long for the exhaustion to overtake her. She thought Kurt had gone home right after they got there, but she must have been wrong. Part of her was relieved, though; it meant her fathers had time to digest the information before discussing things with her, and maybe they would have some better insight into her situation.

"We contacted Shelby's lawyer to see just what was going on, and also to see if he knew what Shelby's final wishes were regarding her burial" Leroy stated. "Before we get into that, though, you must be starving; Kurt said you didn't eat anything all day yesterday."

"I don't have much of an appetite," Rachel replied.

"I know, sweetie, but you should eat," Leroy said, standing up. "You father's made breakfast, so at least come down and eat a little something, okay?"

"Breakfast?" Rachel asked. "Don't you mean lunch?"

"Actually, I mean breakfast," Leroy said, smiling. "Hiram made blueberry pancakes."

Rachel smiled; it was her favorite. "In that case, I guess I will eat."

"He thought it might get you to," Leroy said, holding his hand out to help his daughter out of bed. "There is a method to our madness."

"I'll be down in a moment," Rachel said.

Leroy nodded. "Take your time. You know where to find us."

Rachel went to the bathroom and checked herself over in the mirror; her makeup was smeared, so she decided to remove it before she headed downstairs. Despite the long sleep, she had bags under her eyes as if she had hardly slept at all. She really looked terrible, but she didn't care enough at the moment to do much about it. Turning off the light, she walked out of the bathroom and headed for the kitchen.

Hiram and Leroy were both sitting at the table despite the fact that they were both supposed to be at work. She was about to mention it when Hiram put his paper down and looked at her.

"Don't even tell us to go to work," Hiram stated. "We have both taken off for the rest of the week, so there's no point in arguing with us. Now, sit down and eat your pancakes before they get too cold."

Rachel sat down since she knew arguing with them would be futile, and accepted the plate of pancakes with a smile as she said, "Thank you."

"It's what fathers are for," Hiram said with a smile back as he picked up his newspaper.

Rachel knew they wanted to talk to her; she could tell by their glances and the fact that they were both fidgeting that they were having trouble holding in the questions. As much as she didn't want to talk about it, she knew it would happen sooner or later, and she would enjoy her pancakes more if they weren't constantly glancing at her.

"What did you talk to the lawyer about?" Rachel asked, getting right to the point.

"Don't you want to eat first?" Leroy asked.

"I can talk while I'm eating," Rachel replied.

"Well, he said that Shelby wanted a simple ceremony and she wanted to be buried near her parents," Hiram said, putting his newspaper down. "Other than that, all other decisions are left open."

"I take it you know about Beth," Rachel said.

"We do," Leroy said, looking at Hiram. "I can't say I'm very happy with Shelby for putting you in this situation without discussing it with you first." He shook his head. "It isn't fair that she did this to you, and your father and I would completely understand if you were not ready for this kind of responsibility. You're barely a grownup yourself, after all."

Rachel nodded; she always knew she would have her fathers' full support no matter what she decided. That's just how they were, and she knew if she did decide to try to get custody of Beth, they would be there every step of the way, and they would do everything they could to help her if the judge granted her request for guardianship.

"If Shelby wanted a simple ceremony, that's what we'll do," Rachel said, ignoring the other issue.

"I've already made some calls," Hiram said, grabbing a small notebook that had been sitting next to him. "I have a list of funeral homes and other things that will be needed; if you want us to make the arrangements, we will do so, or you can look over them and decide for yourself. Either way, it should probably be done tonight."

"I will do it," Rachel said, and Hiram handed her the notebook.

"If you need any help or want someone to talk to, you know we're here," Leroy said.

"I know," Rachel replied.

"We're going now; will you be okay?" Leroy said, popping his head into the living. "One of us can stay here if you would like."

"I'll be okay," Rachel said, shaking her head.

"Okay," Leroy replied. "Call us if you need anything."

Rachel didn't know where her fathers were going, but she knew it had to do something with finding a caterer. Her fathers thought it would be a good idea to have everyone over after the funeral as a sort of celebration of her life and Rachel agreed. She wasn't as close to Shelby as she had always wished she would be one day, but she didn't hold a grudge against her. It hurt when Shelby had essentially rejected her after abruptly coming into her life during Rachel's sophomore year, but she had moved past that, and she thought it would be a lovely idea to celebrate Shelby's life.

She had no idea how many people would show up, but Rachel had contacted Jesse and he was going to get in touch with the other former members of Vocal Adrenaline. Jesse had been rightfully shocked and upset by the news of Shelby's passing. They had talked on the phone for nearly an hour, and Jesse said he was going to catch a flight out in the morning. She had almost forgotten how much she enjoyed talking to Jesse and promised herself she would do better to keep in touch with him.

Rachel was staring at the funeral details when the doorbell rang. She sighed, standing up, and walked to the door. She looked through the peephole and was shocked to see her ex-boyfriend standing on the other side of the door; she hadn't seen or spoken to Finn in years and she had no idea why he was here.

"Finn," Rachel said as she opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about Shelby," Finn said, shrugging his shoulder. "I just—I thought I would see how you were doing."

Rachel smiled slightly and stepped to the side. "I must say I'm surprised you came."

"I didn't know if I should," Finn admitted. "I know we haven't talked since you left for New York, but we were sort of friends once, and I know how much it sucks to lose a parent. I mean, I was too young to know what was going on when my dad died, but I just—I needed to make sure you were okay."

"Would you like anything to drink?" Rachel asked as she led him into the living room.

"I'm good," Finn said, shaking his head. "Thanks, though."

"Does Kurt know you're here?" Rachel asked.

Finn laughed. "No, I don't think he would have let me come if he knew."

Rachel figured Kurt didn't know; if he had, he would have at least given her a heads-up that Finn was on his way. And as Finn said, he probably would have stopped him from coming over altogether.

"How are things going?" Finn asked as he took a seat. "Other than—you know."

"Everything had been going well," Rachel replied.

Finn smiled. "That's what Burt said; he told me you have some showcase coming up."

"I do, but hopefully I will be able to postpone it or I don't know how well I will do," Rachel replied.

"You'll probably do great either way," Finn said.

Rachel looked down, not really knowing what to say to him; she hadn't talked to him in nearly two years, and it was strange that he was here. He was one of the last people she expected to appear—right up there with Santana or Quinn.

"You know—" Finn stopped talking and looked around. "I still care about you."

Rachel really didn't know how to respond to this. "That's sweet, Finn."

"I know we broke up two years ago, but I still miss you," Finn continued. "Sometimes I think we made a mistake then; maybe we could have worked out, you know?"

Rachel sighed. "Finn—"

"I'm sorry," Finn interrupted. "This isn't what I meant to come here and say. I really did just want to check on you because I still care about you—that's all I wanted to say."

"I appreciate it, Finn," Rachel said honestly.

"I should go," Finn said, standing up.

"Thank you for stopping by," Rachel said, walking up to him, and giving him a hug.

"If you need anything, my phone number hasn't changed," Finn said, returning her hug.

With one last smile her way, Finn turned and headed for the front door. Rachel stayed where she was, still a little shocked that he even stopped by to begin with. They hadn't exactly ended on the best terms—he had been the one to do the breaking up—but looking back on it now, it was for the best. Finn was convinced he was going to be in Lima his whole life, so he did nothing to change that, and wanted Rachel to be there with him. However, her plans always involved moving to New York City after she graduated, and he wasn't happy that she wouldn't change those plans for him. She realized now that their relationship was never a healthy one; he generally cared more about his popularity and the negative effect she was having on it than he did her.

Rachel was still standing there when the doorbell rang again; she walked over, expecting Finn to have come back, but Kurt was on her doorstep this time as she opened the door.

"Did I just pass Finn's truck?"

"Probably," Rachel replied. "He stopped by."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Rachel replied, smiling at his concern for her.

"What did my dear stepbrother want?" Kurt asked, walking inside, and closing the door behind him.

"He just wanted to check on me," Rachel said, leaving out the rest of the details. "I didn't think you were coming over tonight."

Kurt shrugged and held up a plastic bag. "I thought we could pig out on junk food and watch a movie or two. I even got that ice cream you love so much."

Rachel smiled; she still had a lot of decisions to make for the funeral, but maybe a movie was just the thing she needed. Kurt knew it was the one thing that never failed to make her feel better, and she was happy he had come over because she could definitely use the distraction and the cheering up.

Watching a movie with Kurt turned into watching two movies with Kurt, and by the time they finished the second movie, her fathers were home with dinner. They invited Kurt to stay and eat with them—luckily they had gotten extra food because Hiram couldn't make up his mind about what he wanted from the Chinese restaurant—and he had accepted their invitation. When Kurt left, it was much later than Rachel had realized and she had to get to work planning the funeral.

She had been staring at the details for far too long; she wished Shelby had left more detailed instructions because she had no idea which funeral home she would prefer or anything else. Eventually Rachel began going with her gut; she and Shelby were alike in a lot of ways, so she mostly went with what she would like, hoping it was also what Shelby would like. By the time she had selected everything, she was growing tired even though she had slept so late into the day.

The longer she sat at the table, staring at everything, the more she realized how little she knew about Shelby. She wasn't aware that Shelby had no family; Rachel always assumed she probably had aunts and uncles and cousins that she had never met, but hoped to one day. Rachel also always hoped that one day she would get the chance to have a relationship with her mother. She knew it wouldn't be a typical relationship between mother and daughter, but she at least hoped they could become friends one day. As it was, though, they had barely spoken in the past year—just the occasional email—and she hadn't seen her in person since Shelby unexpectedly stopped by NYADA one day because she was in the city.

Now, that would never change; Shelby was gone and Rachel no longer had the chance to get to know her. She no longer had the chance to become friends with her or ask her all the things she'd always wanted to ask.

As bad as it was for her, Rachel felt even sorrier for Beth. The little girl would be lucky if she even remembered Shelby and that made Rachel sad. She knew how much Shelby loved Beth, but now she wasn't going to be there to watch her grow up. Beth was only four years old and she was completely alone in the world.

"Are you okay, sweetie?"

Rachel looked up to find Leroy looking at her in concern. "Yes.

"You're crying," Leroy stated.

"Oh," Rachel said, wiping her tears away. "I didn't even notice."

"Maybe you should take a break," Leroy said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm think I'm done," Rachel said, handing Leroy all the details.

Leroy nodded. "I will make all the calls tomorrow."

"Thank you," Rachel said, grateful that she wasn't going to have to be the one to do it.

"Would you like some ice cream?" Leroy asked, setting the notepad on the island as he walked toward the refrigerator.

"Shelby wanted me to raise Beth if she wasn't around to do it," Rachel said aloud, staring at the table.

Leroy looked a little confused. "Yes."

"Do you think I can do it?" Rachel asked.

"I've always believed you can do anything," Leroy replied.

"I can't let her be alone," Rachel said. "I don't want her to go to complete strangers. Shelby wanted me to raise her—she thought I was good enough to raise her daughter. If that's what she wanted, I'm going to try. I'm going to petition to be Beth's guardian."

"You're sure about this?" Leroy asked.

"I'm very sure," Rachel replied.

Rachel had never been more sure of anything. It was as if it finally hit her—she couldn't let Beth end up in foster care and she didn't want complete strangers taking care of her. Rachel was young, but she knew she could do this. She knew her fathers would be there every step of the way, and though they hadn't discussed it, she knew Kurt would be there to help too. She had people in her life that loved her and that's exactly what she wanted Beth to have as well.

"Well, you know we'll be there for you and do everything we can to help," Leroy said, smiling at her.

"I'm counting on it," Rachel said, laughing lightly. "I don't know if I can do this alone."

"You won't have to," Leroy stated.

Rachel took a deep breath and grabbed her phone. "I need to make a call."

"And I'll inform Hiram of your decision," Leroy said.

Rachel headed straight for her bedroom, where she had put Mr. Wyatt's card on her desk. She knew it was a bit late to be calling, but he did tell her that she could call at any time, and she knew the sooner they started this, the better. She picked up the card and stared at it for a moment; she knew she was doing the right thing, but it didn't make it any less scary. With a determined nod to herself, she quickly dialed his number and listened as it rang.

After the fourth ring, he finally answered and said, "Alexander Wyatt speaking."

"Mr. Wyatt, it's Rachel Berry," she said into the phone.

"Hello, Miss Berry," he replied.

"I've made up my mind and I decided I want Beth," Rachel stated.

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Completely," Rachel replied.

"Well then, I'll start the paperwork," Mr. Wyatt said.

"So, I just wait?" Rachel asked.

"I will call you tomorrow with the details," he replied. "As I said before, just because Shelby wanted you to be the child's guardian, it doesn't mean a judge will necessarily grant the request. You're not ideal because you are so young, but they will take her wishes into consideration and decide what is best in this situation."

"I understand," Rachel said. "I needed to try, though. I don't think I would be able to forgive myself if I didn't."

They said their goodbyes and Rachel ended the call; she stared at her phone for a moment before bringing it to her chest. It was amazing to her how much life could change so quickly. Two days ago her biggest concern was the showcase and now she was planning a funeral and trying to become the guardian to a child. Everything had changed in an instant and she knew life was never going to be the same.

Thanks again for all the comments; feel free to keep them coming because they are very much appreciated.