Disclaimer. I don't own Glee. Glee and all its characters belong to Ryan Murphy.

After having torn in small pieces the only picture that reminded Santana and Rachel how far along they had come since High School, Rachel rushed down the stairs, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to come down her cheeks. Deep down she knew she was being selfish and that she should be happy for Santana, but she couldn't believe she had to compete with her rival once again. She had always dreamed of being on Broadway. She was the one who had talked nonstop about it, not Santana. She had moved to New York City to make her dreams come true and she was not going to allow anyone stand in her way. She brushed that small pang of guilt she was feeling about her reaction and opened the door. Santana had to apologize to her. Yes, and until she got that apology and until Santana quit the play, she was not going to go back to that apartment. This was her turn to shine and nobody was allowed to rain on her parade.

Rachel took a deep breath and stepped outside. "I am doing the right thing. A friend would never backstab you that way." she thought as she figured out her next move. When she had left the apartment, she had done it to prove her point. But now she was starting to realize that this storm out was more complicated than the ones she used to pull when she was in High School. She couldn't go back, but she had nowhere to go.

She thought about going to NYADA and asking if they still had any rooms available at the dorms, but the mere thought of her previous roommate made her shudder. Then she thought of asking Dani if she could stay at the place for a couple of days until she figured out what to do, but then she thought that asking your enemy's girlfriend for shelter would not be the best way to prove her point.

"Come on, Rachel, think" she told herself as she went through the contacts on her phone. "Oh, maybe I could ask Rupert to get me a nice place to live," she thought as she smiled. She deserved to live in Manhattan now that she was a star. No Broadway star should be living in Bushwick, but once again, she sighed as she remembered he had been the one telling her and Santana that they had to be joined at the hip for the sake of the show, so once again, she glanced back to her contacts.

"Shelby …" she said as she got to the last name on her list. That was perfect; she could call Shelby and ask her if she could stay there for a couple of days. She couldn't say no. Not after everything her mother had put her through.

…

Shelby was making dinner for her and Beth, as the little soon to be four year old chatted about her day. She had gone to Broadway camp with her mom for the second time and she had loved it.

"Can we sing, mommy?" Beth asked as she jumped up and down in the kitchen.

"We can sing after dinner, sweetie. But you have to stop jumping" Shelby said, as she glanced at her blond daughter. "You know I don't like it when you jump in the kitchen. You could get hurt."

"But mommy, I …"

Her thought was interrupted by the sound of Shelby's phone ringtone.

"I'll get it, mommy!" Beth said running to get the phone.

"Beth, wait …"

"Hello?" said Beth.

"Hi Beth, it's Rachel, your … uh … well, it's Rachel" she said, not really sure about what she could say. She had never thought about what her relationship to Beth was. Technically, they could be sisters, because they had the same mother, but in fact, they really did not have any ties that could bind them.

"Wachel?" the little girl asked.

"Yes, Rachel. Can I talk to Shelby, please?"

"Shelby? I not know Shelby" answered Beth.

"What do you …? Beth, please, I need to talk to Shelby. I need to talk to your mom"

"Okay. Bye"

"Hello? Rachel?" said Shelby, picking up the phone.

"Did you know your own child doesn't know your name? I mean, I know she calls you mom, but what if one day she gets lost and they ask her what your name is and she has no idea. That could be very dangerous. You should teach your …" said Rachel, as she rambled on the phone.

Shelby shook her head as she let out a thin smile. Rachel was rambling and she really was busy making dinner, but it somehow warmed her heart to see that her daughter had the same bad habit as she did.

"Rachel, did you call to tell me how to raise my child?" asked Shelby, interrupting her daughter.

"No, of course not. I need a place to stay and …"

"What happened to that apartment you shared with Kurt and Santana?"

Rachel sighed, and then replied, "I no longer live there. I have been backstabbed and I am not living with people who clearly have only been pretending to be my friends."

"So you had a fight?" asked Shelby.

"No! Didn't you hear, they were never my friends!" said Rachel rising her voice.

"Hey, don't raise your voice, I was only asking" Shelby said in a warning tone, even though she knew that she probably had no right to use that tone with Rachel.

"Can I stay with you?" asked Rachel on the verge of tears.

"Of course. Where are you?"

"I'm about to take the subway to the city. Thanks, Shelby" said Rachel, as she hung up.

Shelby shook her head once again, and turned to Beth, who was spinning in the living room.

"It looks like we'll have a guest tonight." Shelby told Beth. "I'll have my two daughters tonight" she thought as she watched her daughter dance.

…

After a long trip from Bushwick to the city, Rachel made it to Shelby's apartment. When Shelby had gone to NYADA to help Rachel with her Funny Girl audition, the older brunette had given Rachel her home address in case she ever needed something, but that piece of paper had remained hidden in Rachel's purse until now.

"Wow, this is a nice place" thought Rachel as she made her way to the front door. Unlike her apartment building in Bushwick, this building looked fancy. She smiled as she knew she had made the right choice. "I'm here to see Ms. Shelby Corcoran" Rachel told the doorman.

"Good evening, miss. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, as you look exactly as Ms. Corcoran does, only much younger"

"She is my …" Rachel interrupted herself. She knew she had to stop seeing Shelby as her mother and start seeing her as a grown up friend, since it was clear that Shelby didn't see her as her daughter. "I mean, yes, people always say that. Now, if you'll excuse me …"

"Of course, miss"

Rachel walked into the elevator and pushed the button. As she made her way upstairs, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When the door opened, Rachel was startled by the sight of Shelby and Beth waiting for her there. "How did you know I was here?"

"The doorman told me a young version of myself was on her way up" Shelby said smiling. But her smile soon faded when she noticed Rachel's sad eyes. She knew her daughter was trying to put up a brave face, but she could tell she was in fact sad. "Let's go inside the apartment"

Beth stared at Rachel and tilted her head. "Ugh, you look so much like Quinn" said Rachel, staring back at Beth.

"Rachel, please, don't" Shelby said, not wanting Beth to start asking questions, as the little girl became more and more curious every passing day.

"Well, she does" Rachel said, walking into the apartment.

"So, you all had a fight …" said Shelby, wanting to know the whole story.

"I told you …" Rachel started to speak in a condescending tone, but then toned down her attitude. "We didn't have a fight. It is not my fault that I am such a bright star that Santana started to be blinded by that light I shine and decided to find a way to dim the light. Luckily, I knew what she was doing and I stopped it. I was such a fool to believe we were friends. I should've known she had always been jealous of me"

"So, you had a fight?"

"Ugh!" said Rachel as she stormed out to one of the bedrooms, but then she realized her storm out wasn't very effective, because that wasn't her house and she had no idea where to go. So she walked back to the living room and in a haughty tone asked, "Which one is my room?"

"Uh … I have a guest room. You can stay there" answered Shelby, not liking Rachel's attitude. She stared at her daughter as she realized that she was catching a glimpse of what Rachel could have been like as a child. She might be grown up now, but she could see that deep inside, she had never truly grown up.

"Okay. Which one is it?" Rachel asked in a rude tone.

"Rachel, this is my house, and you are always welcome here. And while I understand that you are upset right now, and that is why your attitude has not been the best, this is my house and I will not tolerate that attitude much longer" Shelby said in a stern tone of voice.

Rachel nodded and bit her lip. She had never meant to sound rude. "I'm sorry" she mumbled, as she finally let her tears flow.

Shelby approached her grown up daughter and hugged her. "It's going to be okay. Let's have dinner and we'll figure this out together."

Rachel wiped her tears and nodded, as she noticed Beth staring attentively at them. "I'm a little upset" she said. As soon as those words left her mouth, Beth ran and hugged her leg.

"It's okay, Wachel"

Shelby felt her eyes water as she looked at her two daughters. Maybe this time, she'd be able to prove to Rachel that she had always loved her.