The events of this chapter take place between chapters 41, 42 and 43 of the Berry-Lopez and Fabray Sagas.

(Juan)

"Your room is horribly spartan, Juan." I put my girlfriend's suitcase next to the bedroom closet and looked around.

"After Hiram left, I redecorated the room, so to speak. I painted the walls white, got rid of all the furniture and the mattress. Gus made me a new bed and a new closet. Since then, that's it."

"You got rid of all of Hiram's things?"

"No. Of course not. Hiram's documents are archived, his photos are all there, there are his objects around the house, his piano is still in the pool house, his LPs and CDs are all here. But I wanted to make this room specifically as a symbol of a new beginning, you know?"

Yes, after Hiram passed away, I wanted a clean slate. It would be tremendously silly to throw away his personal belongings. I mean, the significant ones, at least. Sarah spent three days with us in Lima, after she was able, to sort through the objects she wanted to keep from her son. She took very little, the girls also chose what they wanted to keep from their father, and everything else was donated. Including all his clothes. For my part, I just wanted to refresh my bedroom. I was also seriously considering putting an end to the greenhouse, because without Hiram and with the girls in New York, it no longer had any function or even any reason to remain in my backyard. I would still consult the girls out of consideration, but the truth was that I wanted that greenhouse out of my sight.

"We need to redecorate here." Shelby looked around, perhaps already with some ideas in mind. I hugged her from behind and kissed her on the neck.

"You have complete carte blanche to redecorate."

"What about the girls' room?"

"I prefer to leave everything as it is. You never know. I'd rather unpack the office to set up Beth's room."

The office was a small room on the second floor that also had an extra single bed, just in case. Beth was still very small and she could sleep very well on the beds in Rachel's or Santana's rooms until the reform was finished. It would be enough for now to leave the mattress on the floor. I had already put Gus on alert for the work he was going to do in my house. I was excited about Shelby and Beth being here at home. It meant that I would finally be with the woman I love, that I would no longer be alone and, above all, that the family was getting structured again. The girls promised to come for Thanksgiving and, honestly, I was counting the days until I could finally sit at the table with Shelby, my daughters and little Beth as a unit.

"Juan, do you still have any hope that the girls will move back here?" Shelby confronted me by putting her hands on my waist, just like Rachel does. It was a little disturbing.

"A glimmer of hope, perhaps."

"You know that your wish would mean their failure. Is that what you want?"

"I don't want them to fail. I just want them to know that if they need to go back for any reason, they'll always have their space intact."

"Juan..."

"That's something you'll understand when Beth goes to college."

I saw that Shelby was hurt every time I said things about raising children because I was much more experienced. I deeply regretted Shelby not being around when the girls were growing up, but I couldn't do anything to change the past. My girlfriend walked around the girls' room for a moment. Santana had a room with dark wallpaper, it was chic and I liked it a lot. Rachel's room had yellow wallpaper, Broadway posters and was as bright as her personality.

We settled Beth in Rachel's room. We put the mattress on the floor and Shelby put the baby's things in the drawers Rachel had vacated. How Shelby would like to set up Beth's room in the old office would be up to her, because, in all honesty, I wasn't the best person to get involved in decorating. I confess I was nervous about moving in with Shelby and Beth. It was a risky move to move in with a girlfriend so soon. On the other hand, what did I have to lose and what did I have to look forward to? Shelby had a good job, she could leave Beth with Prudence while we were both away, she had a great house here, Beth had plenty of room to develop. There was no point in leaving this huge house so empty.

Relationships were complex and, frankly, there was more chance of things going wrong. But if you don't try, how do you know?

"We need to install the safety net in the pool for Beth..." I started making a mental list. "We're going to need to put a barrier on the stairs."

"Juan, I didn't want you to change your house that much."

"Shelby, this means care, and it's the least I can do."

"You know I make a point of helping out with the household expenses. I don't want to live here for free."

"All right, my love. You're already paying for the refurbishment of Beth's room!" I smiled.

I hugged my girlfriend and kissed her. I was hopeful that everything would work out. It was another stage in my life that I was looking forward to.

…

(Shelby)

I had plans to make: the choir, directing the play and my regular classes. The choir was the flagship of the arts program, and the drama class produced two plays a year: one each semester. The arts department also had optional curricular classes in music, music history and singing, which I taught the last two ones. There were also drawing and painting, the a.v club, which used to produce a few short films a year, and the school band. Carmel didn't have a football team, but it did have a very good basketball and swimming ones.

My regular singing and music history classes only needed updating, because I already had a plan ready, in which I just made small adjustments according to the characteristics of each group of students. This applied to the plays, where I put on the first play according to the size of the class, and the second play usually came from a competition I held to encourage the students to produce something original. Vocal Adrenaline was a different story. It required a lot of preparation time because its organization was almost professional. I was the general director and singing coach. But the team also had a choreographer and a physical trainer (who also worked with the sports teams). There was also the band, which the music teacher was responsible for. Not to mention the special effects, set and lighting technicians and costume designers. Sometimes they were students, but we also hired temporary professionals. As you can see, Vocal Adrenaline mobilized a large part of Carmel's teaching and student community.

Vocal Adrenaline was a mix of my best students from singing class, my best students from drama class and the cheerleaders who were attracted to the dynamic choreography. Vocal Adrenaline had lost nationals the previous school year to McKinley High's New Directions, in a performance organized especially by my kids. This turned the situation around. Vocal Adrenaline would have to make all the qualifying rounds and would only cross paths with New Directions in the nationals, which would take place in Chicago this year. In all honesty, Vocal Adrenaline had no strong competition in our division. Nationals was the real competition for us.

New Directions lost my kids and the two best dancers. But they still had Mercedes Jones. They would be performing in the auditorium with the new team, and I needed to check out the competition to plot my strategies. Without Prudence available, Juan took Beth to the hospital because there was a nursery there. I was a little apprehensive about this, but Juan assured me that it was a good nursery, and that Rachel and Santana spent a lot of time there when they were little. That way, I could go to the New Directions' presentation and then drop by the hospital to pick up my daughter.

I arrived 15 minutes early and looked around. I didn't recognize many people, apart from some teachers and a few students. The show opened with a guest choir, who made an effort. Then came New Directions, whose soloist was... a girl I'd never heard of. I looked in the program and saw the name Marley Rose. Where was Mercedes Jones? Oh, she was doing the high notes again. It seemed that old Schuester hadn't changed a bit. New Directions performed three songs: Marley Rose's solo, as if they were introducing the new star, Rose's duet with Finn Hudson and the ensemble song. Overall, they were very good. That group still had charisma, but they never tired of repeating the same formulas.

"Shelby Corcoran! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Schuester greeted me cordially.

"I'm studying the competition, obviously."

"Are you that confident that you'll make it to the nationals?"

"That's a fact."

"I've always admired your confidence, Shelby."

"So, you have a new soloist."

"Yes, she's a freshman, Marley Rose. Great girl, and her voice is just as powerful as Rachel's."

What? I wanted to hit Schuester over the head. It wasn't because Rachel was my daughter, but that comparison was a bit misguided. Rachel had an enviable technique at the age of 16. This Rose girl... she had potential, but she needed some improvement. Anyway, New Directions was always a lovely choir, but it wasn't that exciting.

"Well, congratulations on your work, William."

"Thanks. By the way, how are Rachel and Santana in New York?"

"They're doing very well, thank you. Rachel made her Broadway debut in an off-off Broadway play with amateur actors and beginners, and she did very well. Santana is working and studying at Stuyvesant. She's also doing very well."

"I'm glad. But it must be tough for them to be alone in a city like New York."

"It's tough for them, just as it's tough for Juan and me. At least there's no lack of support for the girls. Juan and I help them from a distance, they have a friend of their grandparents who comes to the rescue when needed, not to mention Mike and Quinn who are there for them."

"Yes, I forgot that Mike and Quinn live together with Rachel and Santana." Schuester shook his head. "Next time you talk to them, send them my regards. And tell them that if they want to come back, we at New Directions will welcome them with open arms."

"If they do come back, the most likely destination would be Carmel, along with me."

"Are you sure?"

"The only person holding Santana back at McKinley was Brittany, and that girl is in Los Angeles now. Rachel wants to learn from the best... so. I held out my hand to Schuester. "Good luck with the job, William."

"I'll see you around."

I had to think of something really good to show for the nationals. New Directions had lost some of their strength, but they still had charisma. I got into my car and quickly stopped by the hospital just to pick up Beth. The nursery was on the third floor of the hospital. The same floor as the administration offices, but in a different wing. I went there and introduced myself to the caregiver in charge. There were only three people authorized to take Beth out of the nursery: Juan, me and Maria Lopez, Juan's older sister. We decided to include her on the list because it could happen that neither of us were available at the moment because of work. As the girls were living in another city, my mother too and Juan's mother was no longer a willing young woman, we agreed that Maria would be a good option. Beth was napping when I took her home and she was fine.

First, I took care of my daughter. I bathed her, fed her, played with her a bit, and finally I read and sang her to sleep. Her room was still under construction, and Gus said he would assemble the furniture at the end of the week. So, for the time being, Beth slept in Rachel's room, on the mattress we'd put on the floor so we wouldn't have to worry about falls and accidents. I turned on the baby monitor and took the other terminal down to the basement. Juan and Hiram had built up an enviable collection of vinyl records and CDs, all organized by musical genre and year of release.

I used to prepare something new interspersed with a classic. I had Unique on the team, who could handle musicals, more energetic and R&B songs, but even though she was my main solo voice, she didn't have the testosterone I needed. The best male soloist I had was Ethan Gross, but he was ideal for rock. I needed a Jay Z.

"Working?" Juan surprised me and I jumped with fright. "Hi, babe." He gave me a kiss.

"Yeah... I was here looking for inspiration to Vocal Adrenaline's first setlist."

"Well, if you want something new and those pop boy bands or ex-Disney singers, you'd better look on iTunes. You'll only find classics here!"

"I need good classics, but not obvious ones, if that's possible."

"A non-obvious classic?" Juan began to run his fingers through the records. "What genre of music?"

"Anyone will be okay for now."

"How about this one?" He picked up the Talking Heads record. "Once in a lifetime. You can do a modern arrangement. More hip hop." Juan started searching again while I put the vinyl record on. I loved this song and it had interesting possibilities. In fact, it didn't necessarily have to be covered. "The Guitar Hero classic, Take me out, by Franz Ferdinand." This time he showed me the CD. Yes, Juan had this video game. He had the whole band.

At the last suggestion, Juan picked up his guitar, plugged it into the amp and started singing.

"Now, I'm lookin' to the sky to save me/ Lookin' for a sign of life/ Lookin' for somethin' to help me burn out bright/ And I'm lookin' for a complication/ Lookin' cause I'm tired of lyin'/ Make my way back home when I learn to fly high."

Juan played and sang like a rock star and I thought that the girls' artistic vein didn't just come from me. Looking at that collection, I was impressed by the musical education they had received. I didn't really know the words to this song, but I knew the chorus. Juan and I started singing and jumping around in the basement, as if we were at a rock concert. Then we made love right there. I felt like I was flying.

...

(Shelby)

The only contestant who wasn't a contestant we were going to have in the knockout stage was the Warblers. Their main soloist, a boy with long legs that made him look awkward when he danced. The Warblers would be better placed in an a capella competition, not a performance choir. Their performance made me sleepy. But Vocal Adrenaline was a good host, and we provided all the logistical support for the choir from suburban Columbus and the other ones. Since we were the host choir, we didn't go through a technical elimination round, which saved us practice time.

In the first song, I presented my strong pieces. Unique was the soloist in When You're Good To Mama, and we did a very expensive set and costumes to give the audience a taste of a Broadway musical. At the end of the song, with Unique receiving a standing ovation, our elegant costumes were discarded on stage, thrown aside, shoes were discarded and Vocal Adrenaline gave a ravishing performance of Learn to Fly, without soloists, as a strong and vibrant unit. Everyone was in casual clothes underneath their Chicago costumes. In the second half of the music, there was no more choreography to do. My choir went down to the audience, and the kids from Carmel who had come to the competition joined in, jumping and cheering as if they were at a rock concert. It was a resounding success, and it was obvious that we won.

I won the trophy that was mandatory for us, thanked the judges for their kindness. My team, this time not barefoot, did an extra performance of Seven Nation Army, also without soloists, and we turned that auditorium into a European soccer stadium, even calling our competitors to celebrate with us.

"I'm impressed, Shelby." Schuester greeted me as we left the auditorium.

"Are you worried?" I teased.

"Vocal Adrenaline has always been technically perfect, and now I've seen that you've gained a soul... so, yes, I'm positively worried. It was a great show you put on. Congratulations."

"Do you still doubt that we'll cross paths at the nationals?"

"No more."

I greeted Schuester with a handshake, and my attention was diverted to two people who came up behind him. Juan was holding Beth and they were both holding a bouquet of flowers. I ran up to them and hugged and kissed them.

"I can't believe you came!"

"I left the house a little early and asked Beth if she'd like to see Mom at work. We got to see you receive the trophy."

I kissed Juan once more. For years I had worked without anyone so special supporting me. I was touched at that moment. I never imagined that the feeling of this kind of support would be so good. I was wrong when I dismissed Rachel months ago because I was under threat from Hiram. I wasn't tired of directing choirs or plays or teaching singing. I was tired of being alone. That was all I needed.

...

"You let papi make the Vocal Adrenaline setlist?" Santana asked perplexed while we were talking on Skype. I sent the girls the YouTube link so they could see Vocal Adrenaline's performance. I never imagined that Santana would be the first to comment. Rachel must have been really busy.

"He made some suggestions about the setlist."

"Okay." My daughter smiled. "Did he at least go there?"

"He tried. Your father was late."

"That's normal, because of his work."

"How's your work?"

"Tiring."

"Have things calmed down in Stuyvesant?"

"More or less. I swear I try to be quiet, but that teacher is hounding me."

"You said yourself that you offended him on the first day of school, kid."

"He offended me first."

I rolled my eyes. I honestly didn't know whether to be proud or terribly worried that Santana was so abrasive.

"How are things between Quinn and your sister?"

"I don't know... Ever since Quinn took Rachel's virginity, they both think they can behave like rabbits."

I was sipping my tea at that moment and choked on the information that didn't need to be so direct. I know that teenagers have sex, but talking about it and guiding students at school was one thing, because I was a professional trained to make the appropriate referrals. But when it came to my own children, it was something quite different. When I heard Santana openly say that she would rather be having sex with Puck than going to Carmel to talk to me. I didn't even know her properly and I almost freaked out. Imagine now that I've started to build a relationship with my daughters? The thought of Quinn taking my Rachel's virginity was disturbing.

"What?"

"Well, it was bound to happen at some point. Anyway, I'll manage to keep things under control here at home."

"Okay..." I was a bit upset. "Okay, I should go to New York next week."

"Why?"

"I'm doing a professional refresher workshop. I'm going to take advantage of it and help your sister find a serious agent. Please let her know if we haven't spoken by then. She's always so busy..."

"It's okay, Shelby. I'll let Rachel know." Santana made a face like she wasn't going to say a word about it. "Well, I have to go. And congratulations once again on Vocal Adrenaline."

Santana disconnected the Skype connection, and I sighed at the amount of work I had to do. I was rehearsing Spring Awakening with the drama class, and I had to organize myself to go to New York. Life wasn't easy and we had to work.