A Forever Kind of Love

A/N I'm a beginner at writing FanFiction so go easy on me. I had this idea from watching the MTV show, Big Tips Texas. Disclaimer: I own nothing. Enjoy!

Plot: Rachel Berry is living the life of a Broadway star when she gets the news that her parents have died in a car accident, leaving her 16-year-old sister, Marley, in her care. Giving up her star life to cater to her sister, Rachel finds a new job as a bartender in an erotic bar, where she meets an unusual group of friends, including the mysterious owner, Puck. Nothing could have prepared her for the outcome.

Chapter 1

This is the life, Rachel Berry thought to herself as people gave her performance a standing ovation. She had just finished a performance as Elphaba in Wicked and she felt like she was on top of the world. As she began taking off her costume in her dressing room, her best friend/manager, Mercedes Jones, came in.

"Hey hot mama," she smiled. "Great show tonight. I swear, I'm so close to actually believing that you'll fly away on a broom or something." Rachel laughed as she wiped off her green makeup.

"Thanks, Mercedes. It feels exhilarating to just have the crowd entranced with my performance. It sucks that this is going to end after next week."

"You act like you won't get involved in some other show as soon as this one ends. Everyone wants you, you're the hottest thing on Broadway since Idina Menzel and honey, that says something," Mercedes smiled, as she helped unzipped Rachel's dress.

"I need a night out though," Rachel said, stepping out of the dress as it fell to the floor. "What are you doing with Shane tonight?"

"He's taking me out to dinner because he knows that he's been a little busy lately and hasn't been making any time for me so he's trying to make up for it."

"Aww that's so sweet. I can't wait to get something like that in my life." Rachel sighed, thinking of her love life. It's not that she wasn't attractive or anything, as Mercedes pointed out. It's just that she hasn't had the time to. Being on Broadway and doing show after show doesn't provide much time for dating, not that she minded. Rachel's first love has always been Broadway and she has never regretted that decision.

"Trust me, you'll get there. There isn't one man alive who doesn't want you," Mercedes sympathized. She knew how Rachel felt. It was years before she herself found love in her husband so she remembers the loneliness. But she knows that Rachel will get that once in a lifetime love that she's craving.

"Well they need to hurry up and get here," Rachel gave a sour laugh as she let her hair down out of the bun that it was previously in. Once again, she felt like herself. As much as she loved playing different characters, she enjoyed when she could undo everything that made her that character and go back to being herself. "But until then, I guess I'll be spending the night with some popcorn and West Side Story."

"Sounds like fun," Mercedes rolled her eyes as they heard a frantic knock on the door. Rachel opened the door and found the director there.

"Rachel, it's your sister. It's an emergency," he told her. Rachel confusedly took the phone, wondering why her younger sister was calling her at this time.

"Marley? What's going on?"

"Rachel," she heard Marley sob. She grew scared. Marley has never sounded so distraught and upset.

"Honey, what is it? What's wrong? You can tell me, what happened?"

"There…there was an accident," she got out before sobbing again.

"An accident with who?" Rachel asked, getting more worried by the second. "Sweetie, take a deep breath and talk to me. What happened?"

"Dad and Daddy," Marley started before crying again. She remembered what Rachel told her so she took a deep breath and continued. "Dad and Daddy were on their way… to the movies and a… drunk driver ran into them. They crashed into a wall and…they were killed instantly."

"What?" Rachel put a hand to her mouth to cover her sobs. Her parents, her protectors and providers, they were gone. They were gone and never coming back. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Can you just please just come home?" Marley asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. "I just can't be alone right now."

"I'll be home as soon as possible. I love you."

"I love you too," she responded before hanging up. Rachel hung up and dropped to the floor, in tears.

"Rachel what's going on?" Mercedes asked, wondering what was making her friend so upset.

"My dads. They're dead," she choked out before sobbing again. Mercedes immediately went to hold her as she just let Rachel get all her cries out.

XXXXXXXX

When Rachel pulled up in front of her house in Lima, Ohio, she felt like she hadn't been there in years, when in actuality it's only been a year. As she got out of the car to get her luggage, Marley ran out of the house and into her arms.

"I'm so glad you're here," she said before pulling away to look at her big sister. "I'm sorry this whole thing interrupted your show."

"I don't care about that show, I care about you. How are you? Where's Grams?" Rachel asked, looking around. Before Marley could respond, their grandmother, Mildred, came out.

"Rachel, it's so good to see you," Mildred said, hugging her granddaughter. "I just wish it was under different circumstances."

"Me too. Come on let's go inside," Rachel urged. She took her luggage and they went inside. They sat down in the living room with Rachel and Marley on one couch and Mildred on the other.

"Well the funeral is Saturday, along with the reading of the will," Mildred told Rachel. "When do you need to be back in New York?"

"My manager told me to take as much time as I need."

"That's good because I want to make sure we have everything squared away. I'll leave you to get settled in and everything," she told her before getting up and going to the kitchen. Rachel looked at Marley, who sat there with her head down.

"I've missed you, Marls," she tried to smile but Marley just looked up at her with tears in her eyes before running upstairs to her room. Rachel sighed and went to her bedroom to unpack.

XXXXXXXX

There were many tears at the funeral, especially from Rachel and Marley. Rachel couldn't stop looking at the picture of her fathers beside their casket. She remembered how in love they were with each other and was comforted by the fact that they at least ended their lives together. At the reading of the will, Rachel sat beside her grandmother as the lawyer read everything to them.

"Now we come to the issue of custody of Marley," the lawyer said. "She is only sixteen but fortunately, because she has you two, she won't need to go into foster care."

"Great. So she'll just live with Grams then, right?" Rachel asked. However, both the lawyer and Mildred were silent. "Right?"

"Rachel, I'm sixty-nine years old," Mildred told her. "I can't keep up with a teenager. I think it would be best if you take Marley back to New York with you."

"But she has a life here. I can't tear her away from that."

"Rachel at this point, Marley isn't even herself. She won't sing, won't go out with any of her friends, I have to force her to eat. I think change would do her some good. Take her away from all this sadness. Besides, she's always imagined living with you in New York."

"I guess. So I'll get her enrolled in school and everything?"

"Yes," the lawyer interjected. "You will become her legal guardian, assuming all responsibility for her."

"It's what your fathers would've wanted," Mildred quietly added. Rachel knew her fathers would want her to do this. No one understood Marley like she did so it was only best if Rachel took care of her.

"Okay, I'll do it."

XXXXXXXXX

Marley was cooperative with the move. She agreed that she couldn't take living in the same house but without her parents so she and Rachel packed up all of her stuff and went back to New York. When they arrived at Rachel's loft, Marley went straight to the room that she always stayed in whenever she visited.

"I guess since this is your room, you can decorate it anyway you want," Rachel told her. Marley nodded and put her bags down.

"So I guess I'll be starting school Monday?"

"Yeah, I made a few calls and you'll be going to a private school nearby. Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah it's fine," Marley answered. Before Rachel could tell her more, there was a knock at the door. Rachel opened it and found Mercedes standing there. She hugged her.

"How's everything going?" Mercedes asked, walking in.

"Good. We just got Marley moved in so she just has to get settled." Just then, Marley walked out of the room to hug Mercedes.

"Hey, sweetie," Mercedes greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm doing okay. Come by to check on us?"

"That and I come on official business," she said, before looking at Rachel. "I've explained your situation to everyone but they're still waiting for their star to come back. Miles Donovan wants you to do Les Miserables in the fall." Rachel looked at Marley before looking back at Mercedes.

"Tell them I'm not doing that show or any show for that matter. I'm done."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I need to be here for Marley. I can't keep doing shows and being gone for days at a time. She needs me."

"Rachel you love performing," Marley shook her head. "I'm not letting you quit because of me."

"I'm not quitting because of you. I'm quitting because performing wouldn't be the same, knowing that Dad and Daddy can't come see me anymore. It's too painful."

"Are you sure about this?" Mercedes asked. She didn't want her friend to make such a huge decision on a whim.

"I'm positive. I'm done," Rachel declared before going to her room, closing the door behind her. Marley and Mercedes just stared at each other in shock, worrying about the outcome of the decision that Rachel just made.

A/N Tell me what you think or if I should continue. If you guys like it, I'll definitely continue and make more stories. So review! Bye for now :)