Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 50th cycle. Now cycle 51!

"One Last Night"
Shelby & Beth, Emmett & Joanie, Shelby/Emmett, Rachel
Shelby & Beth series
(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)

The last few weeks had flown by so fast, it was hard to believe they had come to this day, one sleep away from the day where she would marry Emmett Tepley. The house had been crazy when she'd left it. If they weren't going to see each other until she came down the aisle, then she had to stay somewhere else.

The hotel suite had been a gift from Emmett. He wanted her and the girls to have a special night. It was exactly that… Shelby would be there, essentially sharing a living space – if only for a night – with all three of her daughters, Beth, Joanie, and maid of honor Rachel. As relaxed as it was supposed to make her, she just felt so nervous at the thought of it.

She couldn't deny, things had improved in the last few weeks for the two of them. This was in no small part due to Rachel's appointment as maid of honor, after Joanie had convinced Shelby to pass the task on to her. Maybe this had been the intent all along, either way, it had worked. It wasn't like they had suddenly become parent and child, but if anything it had made them friends, made them be able to talk to one another, or even just be in the same room, without feeling that awkward weight on their shoulders, of things unsaid.

If anything could bring back that weight, it could be this night, where nature granted her a place under the umbrella of 'Shelby's daughters,' even if she knew that was as far as it went for her. But then those other two, who had been in Shelby's life for so little time it seemed, had what she never had with her birth mother… Shelby could imagine all of these things in her mind so clearly, and maybe she was overreacting, but then what if she wasn't? The last thing she wanted was for Rachel to feel hurt, or left out.

What she did feel, as she met them at the suite, was stress. The door had barely been opened that she rolled in with her luggage, a clipboard, and a list of things that needed her attention before the ceremony.

"Will any of these things be taken care of tonight, at this hour?" Shelby asked, and Rachel looked to her list.

"W-Well… No, most of the shops are closed, and…" Before she could answer, Shelby was pulling the clipboard out of her hands. "No, wait, I…"

"You'll get it back tomorrow, I promise," Shelby gave her a smile. "Now, come on, settle in with us," she led her along by the shoulders. Joanie was lying on her stomach on the bed, with Beth sat up at her side, while she looked at a sheet.

"Hey," she smiled to Rachel. "We're ordering room service, do you want anything?" she asked, stretching to hand her the sheet before she sat up and pulled Beth in her lap. Rachel sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the sheet.

"I could eat," she breathed, still slightly wound up in maid of honor mode. Eventually they did place an order, and as they waited, the subject was turned, of all people, by…

"How come you didn't have a bachelorette party?" Joanie asked. "You know, with a st…"

"Joanie," Shelby cut her off, while Rachel's eyes went wide and her face took a light flush. The interrogating girl shrugged.

"I did… offer it," Rachel revealed, stealing a glance to Shelby. "But it was decided it wasn't necessary, and…"

"As far as I'm concerned, having all three of you here is all I need," Shelby explained simply, which made them smile.

"I can't wait for Dad to see your dress tomorrow, he's gonna cry," Joanie declared, which made Shelby laugh. "I'm telling you, he will. You want to bet?" she dared.

"Against you? No, I've learned my lesson," Shelby told her, and Joanie smirked.

"The dress really is beautiful though," Rachel told her, not for the first time, or the last, probably.

"It better fit," Shelby breathed, briefly regretting her order from room service. But then it had arrived, and the regrets went away.

The evening had gone on, erasing any fears, doubts, or distractions which may have been floating about. Soon Beth was asleep and, knowing they had a big day ahead of them, the others had started getting ready to turn in as well. Rachel had agreed to share her bed with Joanie, to allow Shelby as restful of a sleep as she could get. As the others were getting changed, Rachel couldn't help but look for her clipboard, which Shelby seemed to have magically hidden away, making it untraceable.

"Looking for something?" She jumped and turned to find Shelby standing there, smiling. "Leave the list, Rachel."

"I know, I will…" she threw her hands up in surrender.

"Hey…" Shelby smiled, and then she put her arms around the small girl, surprising her with a hug. "Don't stress yourself out, okay?" she pulled back. "You've done an excellent job, and I know you will continue to do so… tomorrow."

"Thank you…" Rachel blinked. "I'll do my best," she nodded, putting the list out of mind.

"That means a lot, coming from you," Shelby smirked, watching her go. Now she could do her own sneaking.

She went quietly out on the balcony, pulling her cell phone from her pocket and dialling home. "Took you long enough," Emmett answered, and Shelby couldn't believe how happy the sound of his voice made her, so much she had to hold on to herself.

"How'd you know?"

"I know you," she could hear the smile in his words. "How was your evening? Nothing too crazy?"

"As crazy as it can get with two teenagers and a toddler," she laughed. "I miss you…" she told him, sitting in one of the chairs set up, looking out over the city.

"Miss you, too," he promised. "Only for one night, and then I'll insist that you stay with me every night…"

"You'll have to marry me first," she teased.

"I think we can work something out. How's tomorrow for you?" he followed.

"Sorry, can't, I'm busy…" she played, smiling to herself.

"Well, that's just too bad. Maybe I should come in and just steal you away."

"If you do that, you'll have a very intense girl smacking you around with a clipboard," she warned.

"Right, better not," he agreed, and Shelby laughed.

"Now I really miss you…"

"Hey… just remember, tomorrow…" She smiled to herself.

"Love you… get some sleep," she told him.

"I love you, too… and the same to you."

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!