Ever since I finished Past Mistakes I've been trying to decide what story to work on next. Finally, a little over a week ago I wrote the first chapter to three different stories and then had two people read them to get their opinions. Clearly this is the one that won out. I've had this idea for quite a long time—over a year—so I'm happy to finally be working on it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Enjoy…

Chapter 1 – My Life Got Cold

Rachel bolted upright in her bed and looked around the dark room. She was sweating profusely from a nightmare that she was already beginning to forget. Rain was still pounding against her window just as it had been when she had fallen asleep; it had been storming most of the night and she assumed it must have been a crack of thunder that had awoken her from the nightmare. Then, she heard the banging and realized someone was knocking on the front door, so she threw off her covers, and padded across the room. By the time she walked out of her bedroom, Kurt was also coming out of his, and the two of them walked toward their front door together.

"It's nearly two, this better be important," Kurt griped.

Rachel sleepily nodded in agreement as she slid the door open. She instantly became wide-awake, though, when she saw two uniformed police officers standing on her welcome mat.

"May we help you?" Rachel asked, staring wide-eyed at the man.

"Are you Rachel Berry?" the taller of the two asked, removing his cap.

"I am," Rachel replied.

"What did you do?" Kurt hissed.

Rachel scoffed. "What makes you think I did anything?"

"My name if Officer Williams and this is Officer Ryan," the taller officer informed her as they each showed their badges. "May we come in?"

"Of course," Rachel said, stepping aside to let the two men in.

"I hate to be the one that has to tell you this, but your mother was in a car accident," Officer Williams began.

"Is she—" Rachel couldn't bring herself to say it.

The officer looked down for a moment. "I'm sorry to say, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. She appears to have lost control of her car due to the rain and collided, head-on with a pickup truck."

Rachel knew the officer was still speaking, but she couldn't seem to hear him; there was a ringing in her ears and her chest felt like it was tightening. When her legs gave out, she looked to her left, and was surprised to see that Kurt was holding her up. He was whispering something to her, but she couldn't hear what he was saying either. Her best friend's arms were strong around her waist as he led her over to the chair nearest to them.

When she was finally sitting down, she tried taking deep breaths, and sipped a few drinks from the cup of water Kurt handed her. The officers were still standing nearby, looking worried for her. Kurt had his arm wrapped around her shoulder and his cheek leaning against the top of her head.

"How—" Rachel shook her head, not really knowing what to ask.

She was prepared for a lot of things in life, but this wasn't one of them. She didn't know what to ask or what to say or even how to feel. Both her body and her brain felt numb at the moment, but she knew she was probably in shock and close to a panic attack.

"You sister is at Lima Memorial," Officer Williams said, gaining Rachel's attention again.

"Oh my God, Beth," Rachel said, putting her hand over her mouth. "She was with her?"

The officer nodded. "She was fortunate; she appears to only have minor cuts and bruises, but they're holding her overnight for observation."

"I have to get home," Rachel said, pushing Kurt off, and heading toward the bedroom.

She heard Kurt saying goodbye to the officers and then his hurried footsteps going after her. She hit the button to turn her laptop on and began taping her fingers on the desk when it seemed to be taking an unusually long time for things to load.

"Rachel, honey," Kurt said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I have to get a flight," she stated.

"I know that, but maybe you should try to rest some more," Kurt suggested. "It's going to be a long day and you're going to be exhausted if you're running on only three hours of sleep."

"I—"

"I'll book your flight," Kurt interrupted. "I'll get one out first thing in the morning for us."

"Us?" Rachel asked, looking up at him.

"Sweetie, do you really think I'm not going with you?" Kurt asked, smiling sadly at her. "Come on; let's get you into bed."

Kurt helped her stand up and led her over to the bed, where he helped her lay down, and tucked her under the covers. He kissed her forehead and wiped some of the tears from her cheeks as he whispered, "Try to rest."

She wasn't sure when her eyes finally closed, but it was sometime after Kurt crawled into bed with her. The last things she remembered was Kurt wrapping his arms around her waist and the sound of his soft humming.

Rachel had been staring out the window, watching the clouds go by for most of the flight. Kurt was sitting next to her, and for once in his life, he was staying fairly quiet, only interrupting the silence to ask if she needed anything. She was glad he was there, though. Since they'd booked their flight at the last minute, they hadn't gotten seats near each other, but Kurt had explained the situation to the woman who was supposed to be sitting next to Rachel, and she had been nice enough to switch seats with him.

"Do you want something to drink?" Kurt asked for the tenth time in an hour.

"I'm fine," Rachel answered.

"We should be there soon," Kurt commented.

Luckily the flight was short and Kurt had gotten a direct flight to Columbus, where Rachel's fathers were going to pick them up. Kurt had been the one to call them while Rachel was in the shower; she had planned on doing it, but she kept putting it off. She'd had her phone in her hands several times, ready to call, but she couldn't seem to think of the words to say. She had never dealt with anyone in her life dying; her grandmother had passed away when she was three, but she was too young to remember it. She wasn't prepared for this—actually, she didn't know if she would ever be prepared for something like this.

She let herself cry in Kurt's arms last night, but she was still numb in many ways. It was as if it hadn't quite hit her yet, and she waiting for it to happen. She wasn't close with Shelby—she'd only come into her life four years ago—but she knew she should be feeling something right now. Rachel had never been one to not know what she was feeling, so this was a first for her.

The pilot came over the intercom and informed them to put their seatbelts on because they would be landing soon, and Rachel sighed. She hadn't been in Lima in over a year since her fathers usually came to New York, and she was not looking forward to being there now. The town didn't hold many good memories for her, and this was going to be just another thing she remembered whenever she thought about her hometown.

"Are you—" Kurt cleared his throat. "Are you going to plan a funeral?"

"I don't know," Rachel replied.

"Okay," Kurt said, nodding.

"Yes," Rachel corrected. "Someone has to, and as sad as it is, I'm her only family. Well, her only family that's over eighteen."

She kept thinking about Beth, who had already been given up by one mother, and now she had lost the only family she'd ever known. Rachel wondered if she would even remember Shelby when she grew up, and that thought made her sadder than anything. Beth was only four years old and she'd just lost everything.

"I imagine her former students would like to attend," Kurt remarked.

Rachel nodded. "I guess I'll give Jesse a call; he'll know who to get in touch with."

"If you want me to be the one to call, just let me know," Kurt said, putting his hand over hers.

"I'll do it," Rachel said, shaking her head.

The thought of telling Jesse was daunting, but she knew she should be the one to do it. They weren't exactly friends, but they did exchange the occasional email, and she knew how much Shelby meant to him. She was his mentor and almost like a second mother to him, so Rachel knew it wasn't going to be easy for him to hear, but maybe it would be easier coming from a semi friend than someone who was practically a stranger to him.

As they began their descent, Rachel gripped the armrests; it was the part she hated most about flying. She didn't like not being in control, so she hated to feel like she was falling. Part of her had been feeling like she was falling since last night, though, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

The moment they were out of the airport, she spotted Hiram next to his car, and he ran over, wrapping his arm around her. It turned out that only he was picking Rachel and Kurt up while Leroy remained at the hospital with Beth. Rachel was glad he was there for the little girl since no one else was.

It was a two hour drive from the airport to Lima, and it was largely silent. Hiram had tried to make small talk at first, but he eventually realized she wasn't in the mood to talk, so he and Kurt talked a little bit before they both grew silent. Rachel felt a little bit better with her father by her side; sometimes she forgot how much she missed her fathers. Finding out about Shelby was a reminder that life was short, and she realized that she really needed to call home more. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose either one of them, and she didn't want to regret anything when that day finally came.

"Would you like to go to the house and drop off your luggage first or do you want to head to the hospital?" Hiram asked.

Rachel looked back at Kurt, but he just shrugged, so she answered, "Hospital."

Hiram nodded and turned left, going toward the hospital. It was a short drive, and he spent longer circling around the parking lot, trying to find a spot than he did driving there. He eventually found a spot near the back of the parking lot and pulled in, putting the car in park. Rachel took a deep breath and got out of the car, waiting on Kurt and her father to join her. Together, the three walked to the building and went inside; Hiram knew the way, so the other two followed him down several halls, and stopped just outside a door.

"Do you want us to go in with you?" Hiram asked.

Rachel nodded her head, and Hiram opened the door for her; Leroy was inside and stood the moment he saw his daughter. He took the remaining steps to her and his arms were around her in an instant. His arms were comforting just as they had always been, and the smell of his familiar cologne made her relax a little.

"How is Beth?" Rachel asked, looking at her.

"The doctors think she's going to be just fine," Hiram replied, pulling away, and looking at the sleeping girl. "They told me she was awake most of the night, but she's finally sleeping now." He sighed. "Hopefully she won't remember any of this."

"How are you holding up, honey?" Leroy asked.

Rachel shrugged. "I'm alright, I guess. I sort of feel like I'm in a dream and I keep waiting for myself to wake up."

"I know how you feel," Hiram said, putting his around her shoulder. "You know my mom died when I was still in college; I think it took me over a year before it really sank in. One day I was doing grocery shopping and something reminded me of her—I broke down in the aisle and your father had to drive to the store to get me."

"Hiram, I don't believe this is the time," Leroy said, giving his husband a look.

Rachel smiled slightly. "It's fine."

It was actually a little refreshing; Kurt was walking on eggshells around her, and it was nice for someone to be talking to her like nothing had changed even though so much had.

"What's going to happen to her?" Rachel wondered aloud as her eyes drifted to Beth.

"Well—" Leroy was cut off by a knock on the door and they both turned as it opened.

"Noah," Rachel said, surprised to see her former classmate.

"I—" Puck's eyes glanced toward Beth and he nodded toward the hall. "This is probably a bad time, but can we talk?"

"Go on, sweetie," Hiram said, squeezing her shoulder.

She gave her fathers a sad smile and walked to the door; when she walked into the hall, she found Puck pacing in the nearby waiting room. She watched him for moment and realized how sad and worried he looked. He was usually so cocky and acted like nothing touched him, but she could see how much this was bothering him. She tried to forget the little fling he had with Shelby, and she had always assumed it didn't mean much to him, but now she was wondering if she was wrong about that.

"You wanted to talk," she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

"How are you doing?" he asked. "Never mind; that's a stupid question."

"Why are you here?" Rachel asked.

"I wanted to make sure Beth was alright," Puck replied. "I know I'm not really her dad, but I just—I needed to see. I think I needed to see if you were alright, too. We've never really been friends, but I know you, you know?"

Rachel nodded and sat down in one of the ugly, uncomfortable chairs. "I forgot how fast news travels in Lima; I can't say I'm not surprised to see you here."

"Kurt called Burt to let him know he was coming," Puck replied. "Burt told Finn and Finn called me. I let Quinn know; I thought she'd want to know. Sorry, I know you're not her biggest fan."

"I have no ill feelings toward Quinn and I never have," Rachel stated. "She's the one that never seemed to like me very much."

Puck sat down and leaned forward with his elbows on her knees. "She asked me what's going to happen to Beth and I didn't know what to tell her. So, do you know?"

Rachel shook her head. "I don't know, Noah; I don't really know how this works."

Puck nodded as he stood up. "Will you let me know when the funeral's gonna be? Or at least tell Kurt to tell Finn to tell me."

"Yeah," Rachel replied.

"Thanks." Puck started walking away but turned around again. "I'm really sorry."

Rachel smiled sadly at him. "Thank you, Noah."

He shoved his hands in his pockets, gave her a nod, and turned around, walking down the hall. Rachel gave herself a moment to sit there before she stood up and walked back to Beth's room.

Rachel jolted awake and looked around groggily; for a moment she thought maybe everything was a dream, but then she realized she was in a hospital room.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Kurt said from beside her. "I thought you might like some coffee."

"How long have I been asleep?" Rachel asked, gratefully taking the cup from him.

"An hour or so," Kurt replied. "And I also apologize for the coffee; it's not very good, but it's better than nothing."

Rachel sat up straighter as she took a sip; she made a face the moment her taste buds registered what was in her mouth. Kurt was right about it not being good—she would be more inclined to say it was terrible—but he was also right about it being better than nothing. She was exhausted and this would keep her going a little longer. It was only the afternoon, but she had barely slept at all the previous night. She tried at Kurt's insistence, but her mind wouldn't shut off long enough for her to drift off.

After talking to Puck she had gone into Beth's room and told her fathers they should go to work. There was no point in them missing when she was there and could sit in the room just as well as they could. She must not have been in there long before she drifted off, curled up in one of the chairs. It was probably the most uninterrupted sleep she had gotten since being awoken by the police.

"There's a man here to see you," Kurt said, sitting on the arm of the chair.

"Who?" Rachel asked, looking up at him.

Kurt shrugged. "I didn't ask."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Kurt."

Rachel stood up, took another drink of her terrible coffee, and walked toward the door. She looked over her shoulder and Kurt had already taken her vacated seat. She wondered how much longer Beth would be asleep; she would rather be there when she woke up since the little girl didn't know Kurt. Turning, she opened the door and walked into the hall to see what this man wanted. It was easy to spot him; he was the only one in the hallways that wasn't in scrubs; he was actually wearing a nice suit, though he looked a little disheveled.

"Hello," Rachel said, stopping a few feet from the man.

"Rachel Berry?" he asked and she nodded. "You look just like her." He gave her a smile. "I wish we were meeting under better circumstances. I'm Alexander Wyatt; I was friends with Shelby and her lawyer."

"Is that why you're here?" Rachel asked.

"We can discuss this later if you would like, but I'm more here as her friend," he continued. "When she adopted Beth, she asked me to take care of things in case anything were to happen to her. As you probably know, she had no family other than you and Beth, so she wanted to split everything between you."

"That's—" Rachel didn't know what to say.

Mr. Wyatt gave her a sympathetic smile. "I don't think she ever thought it would happen this soon, which is why the next part is not ideal, but it's what she wanted. She wanted you to be the one to have Beth if she were to die before she turned eighteen. You being young yourself, though—"

"Wait," Rachel interrupted. "She wanted me to have Beth?"

"As I said, you were her only family, and she wanted her to remain with family," he continued.

"Does this mean Beth is mine now?" Rachel asked, feeling very overwhelmed.

"No, a judge has to grant the request," he replied. "And nothing will happen unless you wish it to, which is why I am telling you this now. If you want to try to become Beth's guardian, I can file the paperwork. I know you're going through a lot right now, but the sooner we do it, the better. Shelby didn't want her to end up in foster care, and without any other family—"

"That's where she'll end up," Rachel finished.

"I know you already have a lot to think about, but I'm asking you to think about this," he said, pulling out his card. "You can call me anytime." He sighed. "I'm sorry about Shelby, and I'm sorry I had to put even more stress on you."

"No, it's—" Rachel shook her head. "I understand."

Alexander nodded to her and walked down the hallway, leaving her alone. Rachel turned and went back into the hospital room; Kurt was sitting exactly where she had left him and Beth still seemed to be asleep. She watched the little girl for a moment before coming the rest of the way into the room, alerting her presence to her friend.

"How'd it go?" Kurt asked.

"His name is Alexander Wyatt; he is—was her friend and her lawyer," Rachel stated. "He told me that Shelby left me and Beth everything and—she wanted me to be Beth's guardian in the event of her death."

Kurt's jaw fell open. "Did you—what did you tell him?"

"I didn't really tell him anything," Rachel replied. "He gave me his card and asked me to think about it."

"What are you going to do?" Kurt asked, furrowing his brows.

Rachel took a deep breath before saying, "I guess I'm going to think about it."

As I've posted on tumblr, the next chapter will be up Tuesday, which will be the normal posting day for this. If you want to know when a chapter is going to be posted for any of my stories, I do keep a schedule on tumblr; I use the same name as on here or the link is in my profile if you wish to find it.

Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.