A/N – Hello! I've got a new story for all of you to read. This is not related to any of the other stories I've got and I'm excited to be doing something new. I've got it all mapped out and planned and I hope I can do a good job of getting it all down on paper. I hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.

Shelby Corcoran squinted her eyes at the bright sunlight as she walked up from the subway station below the street. It was a cold day, but the sun was out in full force and glistening off some of the patches of snow that still littered the ground. Shelby had felt like a walk that early afternoon, but wanted to get away from the busy streets near her Manhattan apartment building. Besides, more people seemed to recognize her there than down here in a quiet corner of Central Park. She didn't really mind stopping to sign autographs or take a few pictures, but it could also become tiresome. And she really just wanted to be alone today. She had lost someone very important to her eight years ago and it never seemed to get easier, even as the years passed.

Shelby strolled along a path for about half a mile before she came to a stop and sat on a bench under a tree. She looked around and saw a few couples walking hand-in-hand and a few kids scattered here and there. Those kids should probably be in school, but it was December and there were always tourists. Her eyes went far away for a few moments as she thought about where she would take her child for vacation in December. If she had a child.

Shelby had never married and instead had focused on her career. And at only 28, it had paid off in spades because she had two Tony awards and an Oscar. She had released a few albums and made movies she was proud of and was even looking to dip her toes into television in the near future. Her latest run on Broadway had ended four months ago. She had walked away with her second Tony and had cemented even further her status as one of the premiere theater stars of her time. Everything she touched seemed to turn to gold and people all over the world adored her. Her personal life was another matter, but she kept that close to her chest and never talked about it publically.

She found a warm spot where the sun shone through the trees and she could feel herself getting sleepy as she sat there on the bench. The small bag she carried with her to hold her keys and some money and ID was sitting at her side and she took her hand off of it and rested it in her lap and looked out over one of the small ponds.

The tiny blur that ran by her caught Shelby by surprise, but she reacted quickly. The kid had Shelby's bag in her hand and was trying to run off.

"Hey!" Shelby yelled as she shot up from the bench and grabbed the kid's arm and held her in place.

"Let me go!" the little girl yelled.

She was flailing and kicking and landed a hit on Shelby's shin with her shoe.

"Ow!" Shelby cried out. "Stop it right now!"

The girl continued to struggle, but Shelby held her firmly. She reached around her and pried her bag from the girl's small, but strong hand.

"What are you doing?" Shelby asked, shaking her a bit.

The girl tried to slip out of her thin jacket so she could run off, but Shelby's grip was too strong.

"I was just hungry," the girl said pitifully. A new tactic seemed to be in order. "I thought you might have some money so I could buy food."

Shelby pursed her lips and stared down at this little urchin who was now looking up at her with big brown eyes that were slightly obscured by the tangled brown hair that went everywhere on that kid's head. She just shook her head because she knew a good performance when she saw one.

"Then you should have asked," Shelby said. "I would have bought you some food. Stealing is wrong. I'm sure your parents are going to love to hear about this."

"Let me go!" the girl suddenly yelled again and stomped on Shelby's foot.

"Ow, fu- ow!" Shelby yelled, but she didn't let go as the girl wanted. "Let's go."

"Leave me alone," the girl was still struggling to get away as Shelby marched her down the path.

Her eyes went wide when she saw where they were headed. This was not going to be good. She cursed herself for getting caught this time. She was so fast that most people couldn't catch her. Even so, she'd been reported a couple times before now. All she wanted was the money; she always just dumped the rest of the bag or wallet on the street or sidewalk and kept going. Logically she knew stealing was wrong, but how else was she supposed to get any money? The people she lived with sure wouldn't give her any. God, she hated living there.

Shelby held the door to the police station open and guided the girl in and went to the front desk. Her grip never loosened even as the girl tried to struggle again to get away.

"What can I help you with?" a young office behind the desk asked.

"I'd like to report an attempted robbery," Shelby said. "This girl tried to steal my purse, but I caught her in the act."

The office stood up and looked over the desk and down at the girl in front of him.

"Back again, huh?" he asked her.

The girl didn't say anything, but she did stop struggling and looked down at her feet. She hated how they all looked at her like she was so horrible. None of them understood anything.

Shelby looked at the child in her grasp and sighed. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her now that she was getting a better look at her. It was cold outside, but the girl didn't have on more than a windbreaker. Her shoes were worn and her jeans were dirty and it didn't look like her hair had been washed in a few days. There was something about this kid that she felt drawn to even though she couldn't explain what it was.

"I'll take her back to a room so we can hold her until her social worker gets here," the officer said. "I'm going to need you to fill out some paperwork."

"Her social worker?" Shelby asked.

"Yeah, we've had her in here a couple times before and he's always the one that shows up," the officer explained. "Not sure about her parents."

"I don't have any parents," the girl mumbled.

"You better watch yourself, young lady," the officer said as he rounded the corner to get her. "You're going to end up in juvie one of these times. This might actually be the time that does it."

The girl looked away defiantly and refused to acknowledge it, but Shelby couldn't help but think she looked scared. She really was a tiny thing and Shelby wasn't even sure how old she might be. Why wasn't she in school? Why was she stealing in Central Park?

The girl was led away and Shelby followed them down the hall and watched as the tiny child was placed in a room that was normally used for questioning. It was explained to Shelby that they didn't have the facilities for a kid so young in their office. The girl refused a glass of water and sat in a chair that was too tall for her, causing her feet to dangle. She sat up straight and proud until the doors were closed and she didn't think anyone could see her anymore. Shelby and a couple of officers watched through the two-way mirror as the girl's shoulders slumped and she laid her head on her hands on the table.

Shelby was given the proper paperwork needed for her to press charges and was left alone in the room so she could fill it out. She worked slowly though and would glance up and watch the child for a few moments.

It took forty minutes for him to arrive, but Leroy Carter was soon led into the room so he could meet Shelby. He carried a briefcase and a brown paper bag and looked through the mirrors and shook his head at the girl on the other side.

"Rachel," he said with a sigh. This was becoming all too frequent.

Rachel. Shelby looked at the girl again and smiled slightly at the name. It suited her.

"And you're Shelby Corcoran," Leroy said. "Wow, she's upped her game some. She's trying to steal from the best now," his tone was light and gave her a smile as he shook her hand. "I'm Leroy Carter, Rachel's social worker."

Leroy had been shocked when the officers who met him at the desk told him it was Shelby Corcoran who brought Rachel in. He had noticed the way the star was looking at Rachel and he thought it couldn't hurt to try and get her not to press charges. Rachel needed this one. He was doing everything he could to get her a new foster home and this would set it back indefinitely.

"It's nice to meet you," Shelby said.

"I'm sorry about all of this," Leroy said. "Stealing is something new she started doing and I haven't been able to figure out why. She just says she needs the money. You have all of your stuff?"

"Yeah," Shelby said. "I grabbed her before she could get far."

"Good. This is going to be a bear to explain to her foster parents," Leroy said. "She's already walking a thin line there."

"Why aren't they here?" Shelby said.

"They don't want to have to deal with it," Leroy said. "With her."

"Then why is she with them?" Shelby asked.

"She's a tough placement," Leroy said. "And not all foster parents are ideal. No one is naïve enough to think that."

"So what will happen to her now?" Shelby asked.

"It all depends," Leroy said. "I need to go in and see her and give her this, but if you'll wait, I'll tell you a little bit about her."

"What are you giving her?" Shelby asked.

"A peanut butter and jelly sandwich and milk," Leroy said as he held up the bag for Shelby to see. "She loves them, but isn't allowed to have them at her home."

"Why ever not?"

"One of the other kids that lives there has a peanut allergy and so they won't buy any peanut butter," Leroy said.

"Couldn't they keep it separate so he doesn't have any?" Shelby asked.

"They don't want to," Leroy said. "They're working on adopting that little boy and Rachel is an afterthought sometimes. I bring her a sandwich every time I see her."

"How could she be an afterthought?" Shelby wondered aloud as Leroy left the room. Her heart just ached for that little girl.

Shelby watched as Leroy went into the room and pulled a chair close to Rachel and sat down. She felt her chest tighten as Rachel started to cry. She was so young and scared. Leroy rubbed her back and spoke gently to her to try and sooth her fears and calm her down. He pulled a small bottle of milk from the bag and then the sandwich and unwrapped it for her. Shelby smiled as Rachel's eyes lit up and she took a huge bite and got grape jelly on her face. Leroy soon left her alone to eat and came back to Shelby and sat down at the table with her.

"I think you made her day with that sandwich," Shelby said when Leroy came back into her room.

"Yeah, she's always happy to have one," Leroy said. "I know you must think her foster parents are terrible, but they're really not. They're just not suited for Rachel."

"How so?" Shelby asked.

"Like I said before, she's a tough placement," Leroy said. "And things like the stealing just make it harder. But I won't bore you with the little details. I know you've got that paperwork to finish up."

"I'm not going to press charges," Shelby said.

"You're not?" Leroy asked with a smile. "Thank you. I know you barely know her, but Rachel is not a kid who deserves to be locked up."

"I couldn't do that to her," Shelby said. "If you have the time, I'd love to know some more about her. How old is she?"

"She'll be eight in two days," Leroy said, "but you'd never know it to look at her. She's always been really tiny. She's been in the system since she was born. No father ever showed up and her mother ran out of the hospital not long after her birth. She left a note saying the dad would have wanted her to be called Rachel. She was premature and spent a few months in the intensive care unit. She slipped through the cracks of the healthy babies that get adopted right away. She's a strong willed child and hasn't ever really lasted long in foster homes. Either they couldn't handle her or she was miserable with them. And now the stealing has started. I keep trying to explain to her the path she's going down, but she doesn't really seem to get it. She knows when she's in trouble, but she doesn't quite grasp what the consequences could be."

"Why is she miserable in so many homes?" Shelby asked.

"Different reasons," Leroy shrugged. "She goes to therapy once a week and sometimes she opens up and sometimes she doesn't. She asks about why she doesn't have a mom. She wants a mom so badly."

"Not a dad?"

"She does want a dad, but that craving isn't the same," Leroy said. "Her therapist suspects that it's because she's always had me. I've been her social worker since she was born. I'm the constant in her life."

"So why has she never taken to any of the foster mothers?" Shelby asked.

"Who knows really," Leroy said. "People like or dislike other people for all manner of reasons. And she can be a handful and can cause a lot of trouble. She skips school or refuses to eat a meal or won't speak to anyone for days. Then other times she'll be placed in a home that seems to enjoy her, but that she doesn't respond to and she gets upset because she can't seem to get what she wants or needs out of the parents and she grows despondent. Some kids are independent and adapt well and some kids latch onto the first adult ever to give them any love and are happy forever. Rachel is independent, but needs attention. I've had foster parents tell me that dealing with her can just be too much sometimes."

"God that's got to be hard," Shelby said. "I guess it's not something I've ever really thought about. Being thrown into a new home would be so hard as it is, but then not liking it or realizing you weren't liked would be even harder. That poor baby." Shelby looked through the mirrors again and saw Rachel drinking her milk and then wiping her mouth on her sleeve.

Leroy smirked. "Don't be completely fooled. That poor baby is not a hapless victim. She could work harder too, but that's tough to explain to a seven-year-old who doesn't get why time and again the parents aren't right for her. She's been in five different foster homes in her nearly eight years, not including the time spent in the hospital and group homes."

"What will happen to her now?"

"I'll take her home and explain what happened," Leroy said. "Then I'll go to my office and start trying to find a new place for her to go. This might be the last straw, I think. And I'd hate to have to send her back to a group home, but that might be where she's headed for the time being."

"Are they that bad?" Shelby asked.

"Not really," Leroy said. "But they're not perfect. A kid like Rachel needs individual attention. She needs hugs and for someone to listen to her. I'm afraid she hasn't gotten any of that in her current placement."

"They wouldn't hug her?" Shelby asked.

"People are funny," Leroy said. "Some people liked to be touched and some people have a constant bubble. Rachel craves physical affection almost as much as she craves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." Leroy laughed. "And trust me, that's a lot. Many people take it the wrong way when told this, but Rachel likes to be touched. She wants to be hugged and held and for there to be closeness. That scares a lot of people who are afraid of getting too close for fear of some kind of accusation of wrong doing. But it's not like that. She just wants…"

"A parent," Shelby finished for him. "A mother."

"Right. And I think she's got an idealized version in her head which makes everything harder," Leroy said. "She is an avid reader and she talks in therapy sessions about stories with perfect mothers who give big hugs and why doesn't she have that. And unfortunately, there's not an answer to that question besides trying to find her someone to fill that spot. And the older she gets, the worse it's going to be, I'm afraid. She loses hope and becomes more cynical the older she gets."

Shelby's mind was reeling as she tried to come up with something she could do to help that girl, but nothing was coming to her. She could provide money, but to whom? She just knew that she didn't want to lose track of this kid, but she was certainly no foster parent.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Shelby asked.

"You've done so much by not pressing charges," Leroy answered. "I can't thank you enough."

"It's nothing," Shelby said. "I'll tell the officers out front. But can I talk to her for a few minutes first?"

"Umm, sure," Leroy said. "I don't see a problem with that."

"Thanks," Shelby said as she got to her feet.

"Before you go, I've got say that I'm a huge fan," Leroy said. "I didn't want to be all weird and stuff earlier, but I can't let you leave without telling you. I saw your last show four times. My husband and I just loved it."

Shelby smiled warmly and said, "Thank you so much. It was one of my favorite roles to play."

"You were amazing. Can I- Will you…?"

"Sure," Shelby smirked at him and how flustered he now was.

She walked to the printer in the corner and pulled out three pieces of paper. She quickly signed two for Leroy and his husband. The third she ripped in half and wrote her name and phone number on each piece.

"Can I give this to you in a purely professional sense?" Shelby asked. "If there's ever anything you need for Rachel, you can call me and let me know. And do you have a card I can have? I'd love to be able to check and see how she's doing from time to time if that's ok."

"Of course," Leroy said. He pulled a card for his pocket and handed it to her and took her number.

"Thank you. It was lovely meeting you," Shelby said. "And thank you for talking with me about her. There's just something about her I can't place."

"She's a special girl, even if she doesn't realize it yet," Leroy said. "I keep trying to assure her that the family meant just for her is out there somewhere."

"I'm sure it is," Shelby said. She turned to leave, but stopped herself. "Oh, before I go. What's her last name? If neither of her parents were known, what name was she given?"

"The note left saying her name should be Rachel was sitting on top of a Strawberry Shortcake doll," Leroy said. "One of the nurses called her Rachel Berry and it stuck. She still has the doll though she'd never admit it out loud. She also has a yellow blanket and a few other stuffed animals that mean the world to her. She keeps them hidden away when she's not at the house for fear that they won't be there when she gets back."

"Rachel Berry," Shelby said with a smile. Yep, it suited her.

Shelby knocked a couple times and then entered the room and looked at Rachel. The girl quickly sat up straight and gave Shelby a defiant stare. It was that woman's fault she was stuck in here, after all.

"Hello, Miss Rachel Berry," Shelby said. She took a seat in the same chair Leroy had used so she could sit close to the girl. "I'm Shelby Corcoran."

Rachel looked her up and down and didn't want to like her. And why was she smiling at her? She had no right to be smiling at her.

"It's nice to meet properly," Shelby said. "Did you enjoy your sandwich? You left some of the jelly on your face."

Rachel instinctively reached up and tried to wipe her face with her hand, but Shelby caught it and moved it out of the way. She picked up a napkin that had been packed in the paper bag and wiped Rachel's face for her. Rachel liked her immediately, even though she couldn't admit it. It just wasn't fair.

"I'm sorry I tried to steal your money," Rachel mumbled and looked down at her lap.

"I hope you won't ever try and steal anyone else's money," Shelby said. "It's a pretty naughty thing to do."

"I won't," Rachel said. Her fingers were crossed though. She'd stop stealing it as soon as she had enough for what she wanted. Then she promised never to steal again. But she needed this.

"Ok, good," Shelby said. "And listen, I wanted to tell you that you're going to get to leave here with Leroy in a few minutes. I'm not going to press any charges so you won't get in trouble with the police this time."

"Really?" Rachel asked. It was the first hint of a smile Shelby had seen from the girl.

"Really," Shelby confirmed. "But you've got to stay out of trouble. I'm going to be checking up on you and I don't want any bad reports."

"Why are you going to check up on me?" Rachel asked.

"Because I'd like to be your friend and as your friend, I want to know that you're doing ok," Shelby told her. "Is that ok? Can we be friends?"

"Yeah," Rachel nodded. She was enamored with this woman.

Leroy watched from the other side of the mirror as they talked. He smiled at how good Shelby was with her and he noticed a hope in Rachel's eyes he hadn't seen in a while. Part of him wished he'd had the microphones on so he could hear what they were talking about.

"I've got to go soon," Shelby said, "but I wanted to give you something. First of all, this is my phone number." She handed her the second half of the paper she'd ripped earlier. "If you ever need anything or if you're hungry again and don't have any money, call me and I will come and get you. Call me before you steal anything else, ok? We'll go out and have a meal."

"You promise?" Rachel asked with wide eyes.

"I promise," Shelby said. "And here, take this." Shelby pulled a twenty dollar bill from her wallet and folded it in half for Rachel. "Leroy said your birthday is in a couple days, so happy birthday. Take this and keep it and be a good girl and don't steal anymore."

"Wow," Rachel breathed out as she looked at the money in her hand. It got her that much closer to her goal.

Shelby smiled at the girl and moved some of the wild hair from her face. She thought back to what Leroy had said a few minutes ago and then looked at the girl seriously.

"Rachel? Do you think I could have a hug?" Shelby asked. "I'd love to have a hug from you."

Rachel looked up at her and her eyes shone and she nodded and got to her feet. She wrapped her arms around Shelby's neck and smiled when the woman held her close. Leroy's eyes were swimming with tears as she watched the famous star hold the young orphan. Rachel was very special to him and he longed to find her a home that fit her. This gesture from Shelby Corcoran was one of the nicest ones given to the girl in a long time.

"Thank you," Shelby said to Rachel as they separated.

"You're welcome," Rachel said.

Shelby helped Rachel fold the money and her phone number and put them in the pocket of the girl's worn, dirty jeans. They exchanged goodbyes and Rachel watched reluctantly as Shelby left the room. She said goodbye to Leroy and then explained to the officers that there would be no charges. They accepted her decision easily and even delighted at the paperwork load being lifted. Leroy and Rachel left not long after that.

As Shelby turned the key to her door to get into her lavish apartment that evening she couldn't help but marvel at how the day had gone. This day marked the anniversary of one of the greatest losses of her life and yet a little girl had stepped in and somehow now occupied a small portion of that hole. Who was this kid and why did she touch her so?

Three weeks later, Shelby was startled awake by the ringing of her cell phone. She reached for it in the dark and finally grabbed it so she could see who was calling her in the middle of the night. It was ten after one in the morning, the phone told her. Shelby didn't recognize the number, but answered it anyway. If she didn't it would just keep ringing.

"Hello," Shelby said, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Shelby Corcoran?" a tiny, scared voice said on the other end.

Shelby's eyes opened wide and she sat up in bed. Her mind was clear and her sleep forgotten.

"Rachel Berry?"

"Can you come and get me?"

A/N – That's all for this chapter. What did you guys think? Any ideas about it? Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. I'm excited for your feedback.

Also, I'm working on the next chapter of She's Always Been Right There as well. I'm getting there, guys. Thanks!