Title: The Heart of the Matter

Author: CordeliaHalliwell

Spoilers: ...Quinn is Pregnant? up until Dream On, that is New Directions does not know that Rachel is Shelby's daughter.

Summary: New Directions is furious when Rachel quits a month before Regionals but when they draw the wrong conclusion the consequences will be

catastrophic.

Parings: Will eventually be Rachel/Quinn among others.

Chapter One

Will Schuster stared blankly at Rachel Berry. He took in the tears and how small she appeared and felt his heart clench. He was almost certain that she wasn't doing this of her own volition, or out of some sort of Diva pride.

Finally he sighed, "Rachel…" He stood and looked out of his office window. The Glee kids were trickling in and taking their seats, ignoring the tearful Diva in his office and their distraught coach. He turned his attention back to Rachel and watched as she tried to bore a hole into the ground with her stare. "Regionals is in a month, and you're the lead Rachel. Why now?"

Rachel looked up and Will fought down the urge to comfort her when he saw the tears in her eyes, "Mr. Shue… I just can't be in Glee anymore."

Will took a step closer and stamped down the part of him that wanted to shake her as a thought occurred to him, "Is this about Jesse, I know him going back to Vocal Adrenaline was hard but that is no reason quit."

Rachel's head snapped back up and she shook her head, "This has nothing to do with Jesse Mr. Schue!" She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, "I don't want to quit Glee, I have to and I was hoping for some understanding." She scowled and turned on her heel and in brief flash Will Schuster realized that this was likely to be the last Glee related Diva storm out he witnessed courtesy of Rachel Berry.

He called out to her as she reached the door, "What am I supposed to tell the others Rachel?"

Rachel stopped short but didn't turn as she slowly opened the door; quietly she replied "Tell them I'm sorry…" She slipped out of the office and fled the music room.

Will followed and breathed out a sigh as he faced his students.

Mercedes was the first to speak, "What's up with Miss Thang today?"

Will rubbed a hand over his brow and opened his mouth to speak, "Guys, I have some bad news…"

It had been three days since Rachel's impromptu exit from Glee and the team still wasn't sure what to make of it. They had expected her to return the next day with her metaphorical tail between her legs but had been surprised and alarmed when she steadfastly avoided Glee and all of its members. The club, which rarely met in its entirety outside of rehearsal, was gathered at the Lima Mall food court to discuss, sans Mr. Schuster, the problem that was their sudden lack of star.

Mercedes growled, "I don't get her! She had the solos, all of them and she up and quit three weeks before regionals?"

Finn shook his head, "Maybe she and Mr. Schue had an argument…"

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Face it guys, we all know she's a diva."

There was a moment of silence and then quietly Quinn spoke, "It wasn't a storm out guys…" Everyone looked at her, waiting for her to continue, "She didn't storm out is what I mean, she just left, it wasn't dramatic, she didn't try to make a point, she just… left."

The table grew quiet again.

After a few minutes of silence Brittany cocked her head and blurted, "It's Rachel!"

The group gazed at her and in an impatient tone Puck snapped, "Duh Brittany, who do you think we've been talking about?" He winced a second later and scowled at Santana only to be quailed by her dark glare.

Brittany sighed and shook her head, "No, I mean its Rachel." She pointed across the food court and the glee clubers turned to look.

Sure enough, Glee's former diva was walking towards the Orange Julius stand. What gave the Glee kids pause was the woman standing next to her.

Mercedes snarled, "Son of a bitch!"

Tina shared a stunned look with the rest of the kids and tentatively spoke, "Isn't that…"

Artie nodded, "Shelby Corcoran, director of Vocal Adrenaline."

Santana snapped, "I knew it! I knew Jesse leaving was too clean, she didn't freak, she didn't cry, because they didn't break up!"

Quinn held up her hands as the group watched murderously as Rachel was handed an Orange Julius by the rival glee director, "We don't know…"

Finn looked uncharacteristically furious, "The hell we don't! She's betraying us!"

Santana's eyes took on a hard glint, "We'll see about that…" She bent her head forward and the rest of New Directions leaned in to listen. Quinn spared Rachel one last glance and had to admit it looked bad. The Vocal Adrenaline coach had her arm around Rachel now and was laughing at something the smaller girl had said. With a sigh Quinn leaned forward to listen as Santana outlined her plan for the wayward diva.

Rachel sighed and looked longingly at the sheet music in her locker before grabbing her math book. A second later she thanked her guardian angel that her hands had been out of the way as her locker door was slammed shut in the suddenly silent hallway. She spun, expecting to face David Karnovsky or one of his Neanderthals but gasped at what she faced instead. The members of the Glee Club stood there, slushies in hand, with scowls in place. She tried to back up from their obvious hostility but her back was already pressed hard against the lockers.

"What…"

Santana stepped forward and snarled, "Shut up Man Hands!"

Rachel flinched and she saw that Quinn flinched with her and for a moment she thought perhaps there was some hope but it was quickly dashed when Finn's hand tightened on the slushie in he held.

"We know your secret!" Finn pushed forward and loomed over her while the rest of the Glee club watched as Rachel's face drained of all color and she brought a hand up to her chest.

She looked horrified as she asked, "How did you…?"

"We saw you at the mall!" Mercedes' voice was harsh.

Rachel however looked confused for a moment and then her face cleared and she shook her head, "No guys, it isn't what you think…"

Mercedes cut her off, "Really! Then why'd you quit?"

Rachel opened her mouth and then paused; her eyes welled as she spoke is a small voice "It isn't what you think…"

"Here's what I think Stubbles…" Santana took Finn's place in front of Rachel and hissed, "I think you're going to be at Glee rehearsal this afternoon or we're going to make the rest of your life here at McKinley an ever living hell!"

Rachel looked terrified but still managed to set her jaw and draw herself up to her full, though short, height, "I can't." A second later she gasped as a slushie hit her square in the face. Slowly she turned to stare at Finn who now held his empty cup, and for a moment she took comfort in the fact that he looked as stunned as she felt but then his face hardened.

"Soak her…" He stepped out the way and a hail of flavored ice drenched her. Rachel stood stunned and freezing, staring at the glee club in shock. The bell rang and they dispersed leaving her alone save for Quinn. At any other moment in her life Rachel might have taken comfort in the fact that the cup in Quinn's hand was still full but at this moment she wanted nothing more than to fold into herself.

Rachel turned to flee but was stopped, "Rachel!" She turned to see Quinn stooping to pick something up.

The ex-cheerio held out a beeper and Rachel shot forward to snatch it up. It began beeping as she grabbed hold of it. Quinn watched Rachel's face take on a look of agony as she read the display on the beeper. She turned and slowly made her way down the hall towards the girls' bathroom. Quietly, Quinn followed.

It went on for another two weeks, Rachel Berry was treated to a slushie shower by Glee every day, and perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad if the first attack hadn't triggered an all out free for all from the rest of the school. Mr. Schue discovered what was happening after the first week but he justified not stopping it by assuring himself it was for the good of the team, though he wanted to vomit when Sue Sylvester looked him up and down and declared that perhaps he wasn't a giant pansy after all. Two weeks of all out mental and slushie torture was what it took for Rachel Berry to break.

Glee rehearsal was nearing the end when she walked in. She wore sweats now, rather than her nice clothing, because sweats were easier to clean and if she looked thin and pale the group ignored it.

Mr. Schuster cleared his throat and smiled triumphantly, "Rachel has something to say."

The group got quiet and focused on her like hawks. Rachel's head was down and her shoulders were slumped. She was quiet for what seemed like an eternity before she looked up. Her face was wet with tears, but she looked angry. It was a disconcerting, to see such a pained look on her face.

"I will be on the bus for Regionals, I will perform the agreed upon set list…"

Mr. Schuster stepped forward to place a hand on her shoulder only to have her turn her agonized stare his way, "Rachel…" He trailed off.

She continued, her voice little more than a whisper "I will come to rehearsal the day before Regionals to make sure the choreography has not changed significantly," She looked down for a moment and then glanced up, and the group all felt a sliver of remorse at the obvious pain in her eyes. She turned and made her way to the door. She paused and spoke with more venom than any of them had ever heard, "Make no mistake, I will never forgive any of you for this… torture. I swear, on my voice that my decision to quit glee had nothing to do with Vocal Adrenaline." She made to open the door only to freeze as one of the kids let out a snort of derision. Her shoulders slumped and in a voice nearly unrecognizable with fury and loathing and sadness she spat, "I have never hated anyone the way I hate all of you." She flung the door open and fled the choir room.

The attacks were scaled down but they did not stop completely. Rather, they now served as a warning to Rachel. She did get on the bus and when it came time for New Directions to perform Rachel Berry sang better than she had ever sung before and grudgingly everyone was forced to admit that they would not have placed first without her. In the high of victory the group seemed willing to let bygones be bygones and had looked to Rachel when Mr. Schue announced he was treating them to pizza in Cleveland. It was clear a moment later that Rachel had no intention of going with them as she turned on her heel to head back to their rooms.

Kurt called out after her, "Come on Rachel! We won!"

She ignored him as she slowly made her way down the hall.

They had stayed for the better part of four hours at the pizza place and now the group was making their way towards the elevators of their hotel. The group piled into the elevator and pressed the button to their floor. The doors were nearly closed when a hand shot out and the doors slid open again. The group stared at the woman standing there. She looked tired but when she looked up she smiled.

"Will…" She smiled at the kids.

Mr. Schuster did not smile back, "Shelby…"

Her smile faded, "Is there… is there room for one more?"

Mercedes huffed, "Hell to the nah, lady! Not after what you tried to do!" Mercedes' fellow gleeks nodded.

Shelby's eyes narrowed and she snapped, "After what I almost did? What did I almost do?" She looked to Mr. Schuster.

He glared, "Like you don't know? I guess we were enough competition that you had to try and poach our star!"

Shelby shook her head in confusion, "Poach? What poaching?"

Kurt spat, "Rachel!" He smirked, "What did you do, promise her a spot on Vocal Adrenaline next year if she didn't perform?"

"Sorry to break it to you lady, but she performed." Santana looked inordinately pleased with herself.

Shelby looked at Will, "Rachel performed?"

Mr. Schuster nodded smugly. His smugness was short lived.

Shelby didn't look angry as she breathed out, "Rachel Berry?" She suddenly looked terrified. Mr. Schuster nodded. A second later she demanded, "What room is she in?"

"Why, so you can yell at her…" Mercedes was cut off as Shelby took a threatening step forward.

"What. Room. Is. She. In?" Shelby's voice was low and dangerous with an undercurrent of panic.

It was Quinn who answered something in her recognizing something in Shelby Corcoran in that moment, "617."

Shelby turned and sprinted from the elevator and as the doors closed the McKinley Glee club watched as she tore through the stairwell door.

The elevator ride was loud as the group argued and tossed theories out. The doors opened and they stepped into the hall. A second later the door to the stairwell banged open and Shelby flew past them at breakneck speed.

She started yelling, "St. James!" A door down the hall opened and some of the kids from Vocal Adrenaline spilled out, including Jesse St. James.

Their laughter stopped and Jesse spoke, "Miss C?"

She flew past him, dead set on the girls' room for New Directions, "Call 911!" She ordered.

Jesse started to follow and fumbled for his phone, "What room?"

She screamed behind her, "617!"

Jesse nodded and followed.

The gleeks looked at one another and then sped down the hall after Shelby. She skidded to a halt outside the door and pounded on it.

"Rachel! Come on Rachel! Open the door!" She pressed her ear to the door and then turned on the glee club. "Someone give me a key!"

Tina had hers out first and nearly lost a finger as Shelby snatched it and swiped the card in the key reader. It took her two tries but the light finally turned green. She swung the door open and nearly fell into the room.

"Rachel!" Shelby shot into the room and a second later the McKinley glee club followed. They exchanged looks as Shelby ploughed further in the room but froze when she let out a yell, "Rachel!" The group surged forward and just past the second bed they saw what had so greatly alarmed Shelby. Rachel Berry lay prone on the floor, pale as a sheet, with a blue tint to her lips.

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