Hello and welcome to my newest story! Who's excited?

A/N: This is story takes place in the 1950s so it's important to remember gender and racial roles when reading this story. If you are unfamiliar with the 1950s google 50s Housewives and you will get tons of interesting information.I thought it would be interesting to see the struggles of a strong independent woman like Rachel facing a society she doesn't feel she fits in with. Also because of the the views of society at the time some of the character traits will be a bit OCC.

Also I own nothing but the ideas in the story!

Summer of 1952

Rachel was trapped. Not in a purely physical sense but mentally and emotionally trapped none-the-less. The problem was she shouldn't feel this way, it went against everything she had been raised to believe was right. Not just her families expectations but the expectations of society as whole. She was a woman, she knew her role like the back of her hand. It was everywhere she looked, how to be a good wife, how to provide a good home for the hardworking men of America. She had everything a young woman aspires to have, the American dream, that so many hope to achieve, people would die for the dream. But Rachel didn't feel like she was living a dream, or at least not her dream, she was living the dream that had been forced upon her all her life. She had all the elements, the cute little ranch with the picket fence and manicured lawn, the doting husband who provided for her financially though a bit lacking in physical romance. She felt something brush her leg and looked down, a small white puppy looking up at her, she even had the dog. The only thing Rachel Berry didn't have was the 2.5 kids, though there was no lack of trying. In truth, every month her period showed up right on time, and every month she breathed a sigh of relief. Rachel didn't want children yet, she was 21 years old, she had so much living to do. But Rachel could never say these things, her husband and her mother would never understand that. So instead she waits in fear every month, hoping she will be graced another month out of mommy prison. Rachel bent down and pet the small dog, a birthday present from her husband, before turning her attention back to the window. Her jail cell, a custom built ranch in a growing suburban neighborhood, was like all the others on the block. Her neighbors were all like her, or how she appeared to be outwardly, working husbands and devoted housewives with children running around their legs. The houses were all bright and well kept, the lawns manicured to an inch of their lives, the wives and children dressed in their best when they ventured out.

In the beginning this was what she thought she wanted, or maybe she just thought she could learn to accept it. She happily designed the house she now felt held her imprisoned in it's walls, she picked the plot in the neighborhood, hell she even had her future children's names picked out. But Rachel was no housewife, not inside and everyday she realized that more and more. That's not to say that Rachel didn't want to be married, she loved Jesse, she did but she wanted her own life outside their home too. Rachel had always been outgoing, always had that spark that only certain people possess. Raised in an upscale Columbus neighborhood by her mother and father, she grew up watching the silver screen legends of the 1940s, beautiful Hollywood starlets and their leading men and she aspired to be like them. To have this beautiful fantasy life that didn't include dinner, diapers and desperation. The desperation scared her the most because it wasn't just an assumption, she had seen it first hand. She saw it in her mother, and her friends and part of her felt they were weak, her mother especially. Rachel didn't want to spend her days taking care of a man and children while he went out and saw the world. She wanted to see the world too, she wanted them to see it together and she wanted romance. Her mother's relationship with her father wasn't outwardly romantic, she never saw them kiss or be affectionate, especially after her "Uncle Leroy" moved in when she was a teenager. As Rachel became an adult she began to realize that maybe "Uncle Leroy" was more than just a good friend of her Dads but that was not something dignified people talked about. Rachel would never admit it to anyone but she felt it made her a little more unique to have a gay father. Rachel wanted passion and desire in her life, not this everyday monotony she found herself in. Her parents never outright encouraged her to dream big but they let her, while she was young and she was pretty sure that is partially what led her to this current dilemma. They put her in ballet and let her sing in the Community Choir, as well as being an active member of the Columbus Theater League. She was good, naturally talented and reveled in the attention that she got from her performances. She thought she was working towards her end goal, her dream but she had been wrong. In her parents minds, they were preparing her to be a well rounded and poised woman. Someone who was interesting, dignified and would be able to ultimately snag the attentions of a good man. In her mind she was going to be the next Bette Davis or Rita Hayworth, she was going to play opposite leading men like Humphrey Bogart. She wanted to go to Hollywood or New York and live in the spotlight, she wanted to be somebody and be loved by all. She was pretty sure a part of her always knew that the dreams she harbored growing up were nothing more than that though, dreams of a young woman who hadn't faced the real world yet.

Rachel had always known she would get married and have a couple of children but she didn't expect to do so so early in her life. Her real world came in the form of one Jesse St. James and he changed everything she ever thought was possible. She met Jesse when she was a senior in high school and was pretty sure her mother's influence had a lot to do with their chance meeting. Jesse was a few years older, handsome, charming, articulate and treated her like a queen. He would show up at the school and bring her flowers, he would write her notes of love and hope and leave them in her locker at the school. He was the first boy to make her feel loved and he told her all the time what an amazing woman she was. He romanced her with dates and presents and she fell hard for the charming blond. The first time he kissed her she felt like she could float away on a cloud, it was her first real kiss and feeling his lips upon hers was like nothing she ever imagined. When he asked her to marry him after she graduated she happily accepted his proposal. The giddy, in love, part of her thought she was making the best decision of her life, her parents agreed. Jesse wasn't as exciting as she had previously thought though, don't get her wrong, he was a good guy who treated her like his queen but he was just that…..good. She didn't deny that she loved him in her own little way but it wasn't that strong, all encompassing feeling she had expected, before they even made it down the aisle her feelings had cooled off a little. Before she knew it though she was leaving Columbus for the suburbs of Lima, Ohio. 10 years ago all this had been rolling farmland, now it was a new community of married young couples and families. It was all bright and new, the houses all looked the same as schools, parks and businesses popped up all around her. In the beginning she was excited and ready for this new venture but within six months she hated it. She was a city girl, she feel comfortable and at piece in the city and she missed the hustle and bustle of life. The noises and smells of a city alive and teeming with human energy. The suburbs were nice, quiet and safe, every year brought new families to the neighborhood. Families that were looking for what she already had, the American dream.

Rachel had spent the last week watching the house across the street go up, watching the young workers diligently lay foundation, frame the house and start dry walling. The house was like all the others, a simple ranch just like hers. She didn't know much about the couple that were building the house except they were her age, newly married and quite blond from what she had heard. But it wasn't just the house itself that drew her attention, it was the young men building the house. They were a sight to see; buff tan skin shining in the hot summer sun, jean clad and topless, some had tied their shirts around their heads. They were easy going, laughing and joking with each other and Rachel found herself to be jealous of them, of their gender and the freedom that enabled them. Men didn't have the strict societal rules that women did and she wished she had the chance to just be who she was, no rules or guidelines. She found herself watching them increasingly more every day. At first it was all innocent, she was just interested in the house going up across the street but then she got drawn in by the people doing the building. Two of them in particular caught her interest, tall and handsome, they reminded her of the leading men from her favorite movies or even her romance novels. They were her guilty pleasure, she loved to read those smutty little books and pretend that there was a chance for a life far more exciting and riveting than her own. The one man was taller than the other, both with strong buff bodies, muscles rippling as they worked, their skin tanned a deep brown. Rachel often had to chastise herself for these thoughts, she was a married woman after all and here she was drooling over some boy or boys. Her boys (when did she start calling them that?) appeared to be the ones in charge. They were her age, maybe a little older and she often thought about what their lives were like. Did they have families of their own, wives or children? They were a different breed of men than the kind her husband was, the kind she was raised with. Jesse was well put together and poised while these guys were rough around the edges and gritty. Rachel could read people and these men, they interested her more than they should. It was like she had some strange physical pull towards them. Rachel sighed and pushed herself away from the window, her connection to the outside world, though more symbolically than anything because she could just walk outside whenever she wanted. She glanced at the clock, it was 3:30 and Jesse would be getting off the train and then it was back to her real world.

"Rachel" Jesse's voice was smooth and comforting as he came into the foyer, removing his jacket as she flitted into the room dressed to the nines in a shimmering blue cocktail dress. It was one of her many dinner dresses and she felt kind of silly dressed to the nines in her own home but her mother always told her to make sure she looked good for her husband. That he had to work hard all day long, travel back and forth on a train and deal with difficult people so he should walk into a tidy home and a put together wife every night. Rachel though that sounded a little unfair, she was working just as hard to keep the house in perfect working order, to make a dinner that was delicious and to do it all while looking like a perfect lady.

"Darling, your home" she walked up to him placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

He didn't return the kiss but did run his eyes over her briefly. Her hair was tightly pulled back in a French twist, her make-up freshly reapplied and she smelled like lavender and honey. He smiled down at her as she took Jesse's jacket from him with her left hand, hanging it on the hook behind the door as he walked into the living room. He sat down and opened the newspaper she had left out for him, his eyes raking over the days news as Rachel followed him into the room handing him an icy Gin and Tonic. She sat gingerly on the edge of the ottoman near his feet and removed his shoes, placing them neatly beside his chair as he sipped his drink. She stood, smoothing out her dress and looked down at her husband.

"Dinner will be ready in 5 minutes."

"Excellent" he looked up at her "What will we be having?"

"Meatloaf" she smiled back.

"God I hope it's not that awful fake meat you like to eat so much. I don't know why you insist on not eating meat, the animals were meant to be eaten by us, survival of the fittest"

"No it's real meat" she smiled.

"Good. Silly girl with her fake meat" he laughed looking back towards the newspaper.

For dinner they sat across from each other at the large oak table they had bought out of the Sears catalog, she remembered how fun it was picking out furniture for their new home. Rachel didn't really eat the meatloaf, just pushed it around the plate as she gingerly ate the veggies she made to go with it. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Rachel cleared her throat softly. Jesse's eyes dragged up from his plate and a smile crossed his lips as he looked at his wife.

"Is everything alright Jesse?" she asked softly.

"It's great, as usual. I do think it was your cooking that helped you catch me"

She laughed gingerly and looked back towards her own plate, the smell of the meat was making her a little sick to her stomach.

"You look lovely as usual" He said sipping his beverage.

"Why thank you dear, but enough about me. Tell me about your day?"

Jesse went into some long spiel about his day at the firm, he commuted to Columbus by train. He worked in advertising for Adler, Efron and Fuerst, handling the new media of television advertising. The firm was huge and handled the majority of ads in central Ohio. Honestly, Rachel found the whole thing to be completely boring. He worked 8 hours a day, at a desk, coming up with jingles and skits for commercials. Jesse thought he was a hot shot, in his expensive suits and his flashy new car. Rachel listened intently to his story, smiling when he spoke of his achievement and commenting on how brilliant he was. She was the picture of a perfect wife but honestly she could really care less. Dinner continued on like this, like it did every night, he never asked about her day but then again, she never expected him to.

Later that night, after the dishes were done and all remains of dinner had been cleaned up, Rachel retired to bed. She wasn't even tired but Jesse had gone up stairs well over half and hour ago and she figured he would be waiting for her. She took her time in the bathroom, removing the sparkling dress and pulling on her nightgown. She pulled the clip from her hair letting her brown tresses fall to frame her face and wiped the make-up from her porcelain skin. She took much longer than needed to prepare herself for bed, gliding across the room when she was done and slipping in the bed. Jesse didn't even look over, he just continued to read the paper. She wondered how he could spend the entire night reading the newspaper, it was Lima there was not much exciting going on. Rachel rolled over in bed and draped her arm around Jesse's thin frame. She put her lips to the skin under his ear as her hand drifted south. He caught her wrist as he put the papers down and looked at her. He shook his head and slid her arm back towards her own body

"Not tonight love, I have a big day tomorrow" he said clicking off his light leaving his wife hanging.

Rachel rolled on her back fighting back tears. What kind of man can turn down the advances of a woman who he loved so much. Truthfully Rachel didn't even care that much about the sex it was the point more than anything. Intercourse with Jesse was stagnant and boring, there was no spontaneity or passion. Not that Jesse was a real compelling sort of guy, he liked things planned and organized and he liked to make the decisions. It's hard to be spontaneous on a schedule. Then again she didn't have anything to compare it to, other than her romance novels, she didn't know if people really acted that way in real life situations. Jesse had been the first and only person that she had sexual relations with and it was nothing like her books. Her mother always forbid her to read the books because she said they set unrealistic views and put women in a degrading light. Rachel was hooked on the idea of women as more than just wives and mothers.

She remembered the time she tried to be a little more daring. They were in the heat of the moment and she decided she wanted to try to be on top, she started to swing her leg over his lap and he shot up straight in the bed. There she was, hovering over him naked with her long hair flowing around her face and he was gaping at her like she was some strange foreign person.

"What are you doing" he gasped pushing her gently away from him "We don't do this, this is the kind of relations that people of a lower class have. You are not a woman of the night, you are my dignified wife."

"I just wanted to try something new" she had said softly.

"Somethings are better left alone, I like things the way they are" he said rolling over and shutting off the light.

And just like that, the conversation and the sex was over.

Rachel shook the memory from her mind and rolled over pulling the blankets to her neck. What was she doing? She had a good life, a nice home, a good husband. Jesse was a good man, he provided a very comfortable lifestyle for her. He was caring and attentive, he might live by societies standards but she couldn't blame him for that. And she knew he loved her, there was no doubt about that, he was a good husband. And she loved him, she did, he was the first boy she ever loved and she was certain that she would never not love him.