AN: Okay, I should be working on Crazy Love and The Mess I Made, but I can't get this out of my head and it's going to nag at my brain until I write it. So here it is. Please R&R!
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee in any way, shape, or form.
Rachel's in the kitchen making sandwiches when she hears the front door open and close. Aaron and Jeremy come bounding in, each hugging her quickly and then moving around her to inspect the food. She never did understand the need to give twins rhyming names.
"How was school?" she asks the rambunctious six year olds.
"Good!" Aaron chirped, helping his brother open the sandwiches to see what was in them.
"Stop that," she orders, turning to get them plates. "C'mon, sit down guys." They listen and she turns to them with a raised eyebrow.
"Did you get into any trouble today?" It's a necessary question, they are their father's sons after all.
"Nuh-uh," Jeremy half grunts.
"Ms. Long even gave us stickers for being good. See!" Aaron nearly shouts, proudly pointing to the 'Great Job!' sticker on his t-shirt.
"That's fantastic boys!" she beams, kissing them both on their cheek as she sets the food down in front of them. Jeremy groans and wipes at his cheek with a whiny "Moooom!" and Aaron just smiles and begins eating. It's easy to tell which one takes after her and which one takes after Noah. The irony of it is that Rachel named Jeremy and Noah named Aaron. They had things in common, like their habit of getting in trouble and their incessant appetites (both inherited from their father), but their personalities couldn't be more opposite.
"Where's your sticker Jeremy?" Rachel asks her less exuberant son.
"Took it off and gave it to Aaron," he replied lazily. She chuckled softly, his relaxed way of talking sounding like an exact imitation of a certain former mohawked trouble-maker she knows.
"So what happened to this sticker?" Rachel inquires laughingly, enjoying the silly conversations she has with the two of them.
Aaron's features darken a little as he answers, "I gave it to Daisy because she looked sad."
Sad? Rachel thought. "Where is your sister, by the way?" she asks and they both point up, referring to her bedroom directly above. She ruffles their hair and says sternly, "Get on your homework as soon as you're done eating. No video games! Got it?" They both nod and she kisses them both again before making her way upstairs, pausing briefly to knock at the door.
"Daisy?" Rachel calls from her spot outside the room. She hears sniffling and the distinct sound of a nose being blown before a soft "come in" propels her to enter.
She finds her daughter sitting in bed with a box a tissues, her eyes pink and her face streaked with tears. Rachel moves in beside her, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders. She was in instant Mommy Mode. Daisy laid her head on her mother's shoulder, letting out a broken sob. Rachel brought her free hand up to stroke her hair.
"What's wrong sweetheart?" she asks in a soothing manner.
"I hate boys!" Daisy wails, reaching for another tissue. Rachel sighed, and here we go.
"Well what happened?" she questioned, "Did you and John have a fight?"
"No. No, it's not that. John's not the problem. It's- it's Brian!" she cried.
Rachel was confused, "Who's Brian?"
"Mom, you know Brian. He's John's friend. You met him like 5 times over summer. He's in Glee," she explained.
Oh, THAT Brian. The one she noticed staring at Daisy during open house a few months back.
"Yes, I remember him," Rachel said, "But why is he the problem?"
Daisy looked flustered, "I don't even know what's going on exactly! Brian keeps flirting with me out of nowhere!"
"Dais, you're beautiful and popular, it's not a big surprise that boys are going to flirt with you," Rachel states, motioning to the Cheerio's uniform that she hadn't changed out of yet.
She huffed, "I know boys are going to flirt with me, but Brian's not just a boy! He's one of my best friends! And more importantly, he's John's best friend. I don't want to be put in the middle of them."
Rachel tried to contain her smile. She knew this story all too well. "Hm. Yes, that is a very tricky situation. Let me ask you something, do you like Brian?"
Daisy was silent for a moment before murmuring, "I don't know."
"Yes you do," Rachel pushed. Believe it or not, this was the easy part of having a sixteen year old daughter. Talking and solving problems about boys was Rachel's expertise. Daisy sighed. "Honestly, I feel like I have a strange connection with Brian. I can't explain it, but I can't get him out of my head. I know I'm with John, but…" she hesitated.
"Come on, out with it," Rachel prodded.
She took a deep breath and launched into her story, "I know I'm with John, and before, I thought I really liked him. But now I'm having feelings for Brian and it's… it's weird! It's like it came out of nowhere! And Brian's such a sweet guy. He's attentive and caring. Plus, he isn't afraid to show his emotions. John's great, but I don't know if he's what I want anymore. The bad boy thing attracted me at first, but it's starting to get old. The thing is, he's been a really good boyfriend and I just feel so bad about breaking things off when I wanted us to happen so badly in the first place."
This time, Rachel couldn't control her smile. She knew this story perfectly. But, you know, opposite.
"Honey, believe it or not, I had a very similar problem in high school," Rachel revealed.
"Really?" Daisy asks skeptically.
"Mhm. You see, in high school, I was dating Finn and-"
"Ohmygod you dated Uncle Finn!" Daisy interjected, mouth open in shock.
Rachel laughed, "Yes, I did. Now let me finish the story. See, at first, I though Finn was everything I could possibly ever want. I had the biggest crush on him and was constantly pining away for his love. Then finally, we became boyfriend/girlfriend and I found it didn't quite live up to my expectations. It was a nice, sweet little romance, but I realized quickly that the fantasy I had created in my head wouldn't work in reality because that's exactly what it was; a fantasy. Then I started noticing that your dad was paying me a lot of attention. I never expected to have strong feelings for him, but I ended up falling in love. And here I am, 16 years later, with an amazing family and just as in love with him as ever."
Rachel concluded her story, silently rejoicing at the sadness that seemed to lift from her daughter's brilliant green eyes.
"You've never told me about all that stuff before," Daisy says with a small smile.
Rachel laughed. "You never asked. And I was saving it for the right moment," she teased. Daisy finally lets out a laugh and Rachel smiles at the welcome sound.
"So you think everything's gonna be okay?" she asks hopefully.
Rachel reaches up and brushes the blonde strands away from her porcelain skin. "I'm saying everything will work out exactly as it should. I know everything's confusing right now, and you feel like you don't know how to handle anything, but that's the point of being a teenager. You have to find yourself and make decisions for you and not for someone else." Daisy breathed a sigh of relief and inched over to Rachel, enveloping her in a warm hug.
"Thank you," she whispers into her hair, "I'm really glad that you're my mom."
Rachel feels tears spring into her eyes and wills herself not to cry. It's ridiculous for her to be so emotional, but could you really blame her when her daughter said things like that? And although Daisy was not her's biologically, she would always, and has always, loved her as her own.
"I love you, Daisycakes," Rachel murmurs, kissing her daughter's temple.
Daisy tightens her hold on her and says, "I love you too mom," in a soft voice.
That's where Noah finds them a few minutes later. Needless to say, he's really confused as to why his wife and daughter are currently locked in a strong embrace, both with dried tear stains on their cheeks.
"Uh," he clears his throat, "Did I miss something?"
Both girls loosen their clasp on one another, but don't let go.
"Everything's fine Noah," Rachel says calmly, turning back to Daisy. "You okay?"
She nods and smiles. Rachel squeezes her one more time before letting go and slipping off the bed. "I'd better go check on the boys," she says, giving Noah a quick kiss before leaving the room.
Noah just stands there bewildered, trying to figure out what on earth is going on with the women in his household, when Daisy stands up and comes over to him. She links her arms around his middle and hugs him firmly. He's surprised, but envelops her into his big arms and hugs her back.
"You're a great dad," she says. He's even more confused now, but doesn't question it because, damn, that was sweet. He's starting to feel like a teddy bear.
"Yeah, well, you're a great kid," he replies. She smiles at him, but then says seriously, "I have the most amazing mom in the whole world."
A giant, fluffy teddy bear.
He's pretty sure she's trying to get him to cry. He fights the urge. Instead, he laughs and says, "Don't I know it." She laughs as well and then excuses herself to go wash her face in the bathroom.
Noah goes in search of Rachel and finds her in the living room, flipping through an old photo album. He sits down next to her and holds her hand.
"Mind telling me what the hell happened while I was at work?" he asks, though not meanly.
"It's nothing, Noah. Daisy and I just had a really good talk," she answers, her fingers skimming over a picture of a newborn Daisy being held by a smiling Quinn.
"She looks more like her everyday," Rachel observes quietly. Noah starts to feel the slightest bit uneasy, worried that Rachel is feeling sad about not being Daisy's birth mother.
"She's always been yours Rach," he says, "No matter what she looks like on the outside."
He's surprised when she laughs and shakes her head, "Noah, I think you've gotten the wrong impression. I know that Daisy is my daughter, I'm not feeling threatened by Quinn. Actually, I feel like I should thank her. She gave me this stunning, intelligent, wonderful little girl and never even attempted to take her back." Her eyes are wet again and Noah is really starting to get freaked out.
"Baby, are you sure everything's alright?" he asks worriedly.
Rachel wipes at her eyes. "Yes, I promise. It's a mother/daughter thing," she explains.
"Ahhh," Noah nods understandingly. And he does understand. His mom and sister had many of those "moments" and he learned not to question it and to let them keep it between themselves.
Rachel gives the picture one last wistful gaze before shutting the album and setting it on the coffee table. She turns her attention fully on her husband as she greets him properly with a passionate kiss. Before he gets carried away, she pulls away and giggles at his sound of protest. She heads to the kitchen to start dinner while Noah goes upstairs to shower and change.
Chopping onions, Rachel listens to the sounds of her home. Noah, singing loudly in the shower while it runs at full blast; Aaron and Jeremy, making a ruckus and laughing as they play in their room; and Daisy, flawlessly pouring out a lovely tune on the piano. She zeroes in on the melody and tries to place the song. It's not until she begins singing along that Rachel recognizes it.
If I live to be a hundred
I never could repay
The debt of love that's adding up
And growing every day
I'm blessed because of you
You taught me broken hearts can mend
I'm blessed to call you mother
But most of all, my friend.
For what seems like the millionth time that day, she's crying. And she can't blame it entirely on the onions.
AN: *Happy sigh*…Well, that was a lot of fun to write :) I just love Mommy!Rachel. I was thinking of maybe turning this into a two-shot with the next chapter in Quinn's perspective, but I'm not sure yet.
What do you think?
Wait, I have a great idea! Leave a review and let me know! Lol
Please?
Song: I'm Blessed To Call You Mother by Molly Pasutti