Hey guys! I'm back with a new story and I'm super excited about it! I was asked to write this story and finally had some time to work on it! I have A LOT planned so hold on tight (over 90 chapters planned and outlined)!

I do not own Glee or any of the songs included throughout this story.

I apologize if there are any errors... I was excited to get it posted.

CHAPTER ONE: WHERE IT BEGAN

Deborah Puckerman was at her wits end. She loved her son more than life but he was spiraling into a hole and no matter how hard she tried to pull him out, he just kept sinking further. She knew it was partially her fault. She had let her little boy watch his dad hit her, abuse her, and then couldn't protect him when the violence turned on him. All she could do was watch as the light in his young, innocent eyes faded. When she brought Sarah into the world, she saw the flames of hope return to him. He had someone to protect and love. Things got better. Elijah's drinking stopped, he had a job so money wasn't as hard to come by, and Noah had someone to push him into manhood. But as quickly as it returned, it was gone again. Elijah lost his job, turned back to the bourbon, and was gone the night before Noah's 12th birthday. All the hope that had fueled her son vanished. His eyes became cold and he no longer found himself worthy of love. She couldn't blame it all on Elijah. She had to pick up more hours at the hospital and soon he was left to raise himself and Sarah. It broke her heart but it was their only option. Without the extra hours, they would have been homeless and hungry.

Once he entered the 9th grade, she realized just how impacted he was. She started receiving calls about his attitude and behavior. He was a bully; doing to his classmates what life had already done to him. She knew the friends that he had were not true companions, only guys who used him as their attack dog and rode on his back towards popularity. It broke her heart. She would come home on a Friday night to find him drunk in his room, strumming his guitar. When she'd ask why he didn't go out, he'd spew nonesense about how pathetic everyone was but she knew deep down that he was the one feeling pathetic and lonely. She tried to inspire him with ideas of post-graduation but he blew her off, believing himself to be the Lima Loser that his father was. She was desperate to save him but she just didn't know how. Then, at Temple, it was like G-d answered her prayers. She looked back at the door just in time to see Rachel Berry walking in. She was tiny and bristled at contact from strangers. Deborah knew it was because she was picked on at school. Noah had gone on about how pathetic she was, walking around like she was better than everyone else and cursing her for having two fathers; but Deborah could see what her son had failed to. The girl was just as lonely and scared as he was. She put on the act of bravado as a protective mechanism, exactly like he did. They were two peas in a pod but driven apart by their own personas. Deborah realized at that moment that Rachel was exactly what Noah needed. She would give him someone to protect and love, just like his sister had years ago. She would give him a purpose and a reason to be the man he had the potential to become.

Services went by agonizingly slow for Deborah as she waited for the time she'd get to meet with Hiram and Leroy Berry. It gave her time to formulate the full plan. She knew from some of the ladies at the JCC that the two men were just as worried for their daughter as she was for her son. They said she was throwing herself into this idea of Broadway and refused to ground herself in any way. She used it to push everyone out of her life. They wanted her to follow her dreams, to be anyone she wanted to be, but they also knew that it was a phase. She'd done this before. When the bullying started in grade school, she claimed that she was going to be the greatest Astrologist that ever lived and didn't need a date to the dance because she would one day dance with the stars. When she started intermediate school (5-6th grade) she changed plans and decided that she was destined to become an Olympic gymnast. She threw herself at every challenge and excelled; but on the first day of middle school, she was on to the next plan - novelist. She'd cover the walls of her room with sticky notes filled with quotes, plot lines, character concepts. She'd stay up throughout the night writing and writing until she had to start wearing a brace on her arm. The last story she wrote, the night before high school began, was about a girl on her way to being a Broadway star who was loved by the quarterback of the football team and celebrated for her talent. The girl that walked down the stairs the following day wearing an ugly sweater given to her by a great aunt, was not Rachel. It was the girl from her story. She color coordinated her school supplies before arranging them perfectly in her bag, instead of her usual messy methods. She grabbed some star stickers she had left over from her Astrologist days and covered all of her notebooks in the gold ones. She was becoming the girl in her story so that she didn't have to be the girl that no one wanted around. It broke their heart and they wanted to help her but didn't know how. Deborah realized that maybe they could help each other.

'Hello, Mr. Berry, it's lovely to see you.' She greeted the taller of the two men.

'Oh, call me Hiram, Deborah. We've known each other for far too long to be formal.' He replied happily. 'How have you been?'

'Well, not great...' she admitted. He nodded in understanding. He had heard about Noah's trouble. 'Actually, I was wondering if I could talk with you and Leroy privately.'

'Of course!' He called Leroy and Rachel. 'Rachel, dear, your father and I are going to go to coffee with Deborah. Here's the key, we'll be home soon.' Deborah watched the sadness fill the girls eyes but it was pushed back and she forced a big smile on her face.

'Okay daddy, have a wonderful time.' Rachel replied and spun around to leave before anyone noticed the tears that were building. It was their only day together, the only day she got to have real conversations... and real friends. Now, she'd be spending yet another day alone.

The three adults went to The Meeting Place and found a table off in the corner. It was a quiet day at the shop so they felt confident their conversation would remain private.

'Thank you both for your time... I had everything planned out that I wanted to discuss but it seems my nerves have shown up.' Deborah chuckled as she played with the cardboard around her latte. She felt Hiram's hand on her own and smiled at his comfort.

'How can we help? Do you need any legal help?' Leroy asked, familiar with the Puckerman's history.

'No... well, not quite. This is about my son...' She went on to explain her thoughts.

'You think that we should arrange a marriage between Rachel and Noah?' Hiram asked once she finished. Deborah blushed and nodded. 'Wow... I wasn't expecting that.' He chuckled.

'I know, I'm sorry... there's no pressure. I just - I saw Rachel today and it seemed so clear... so right.'

'I'm going to be honest here.' Leroy began, grabbing onto Hiram's hand and looking him in the eye. 'We've been worried about our angel for awhile now. I watch her pretend that she's not lonely... that she's not hurting. It breaks my heart. I've been going through so many ideas to try and make it better for her and I haven't been able to come up with one that would work. I... I know this is unconventional and will likely anger both of them... but I think this may be good for her. I want my daughter to be happy but right now she's destined to be alone forever. She wants people to love her but refuses to let them in. I know that Noah is very serious about the well being of his family and if we make Rachel his family, he'll change for her. I think they need each other.'

'Are you sure, Leroy? We're talking about forcing our 15 year old to get married to a boy that is currently tormenting her.' Hiram asked.

'Currently... but we know Noah. Remember? He's the little boy that would give up his swing for Rachel so that she wouldn't feel left out. He's the little boy that would come over on Saturdays with his sister and never leave her side because he needed to know she was okay. He's the little boy that cried every time Rachel would cry... He's gone through so much, just like our daughter. We know those kids are still in there, it's our job to bring them back.' Leroy added. His words seemed to hit a chord for Hiram. He turned to Deborah and nodded.

'You both are right. They don't know it but they need each other.' Hiram sighed. 'Plus, the three of us spend so much time away from home, it would be good for them to have someone there who can support them.'

'You're both right.' Deborah replied, tears in her eyes. 'We've done as much as we could but with our work, we just... we just can't be there like they deserve. They can be there for each other.' Both men laid their hands on hers and they all shared a look of understanding. 'When do we do this?'

They stayed in that cafe for most of the day, ironing out the details of their childrens future. When they left, it was to prepare for what was to be the most important dinner of their life.