"Alright, everyone that's it for the day." Will called out after two hours of rehearsals. "Good work and tomorrow, be prepared to do a full run through. And don't forget to see Mrs. Lewis, the sewing teacher, during your lunch hours tomorrow to make sure your costumes have been fitted correctly."
"Oh yes, we need to make sure the elastic band in Ava's dress isn't too tight." Santana snickered, earning a glare from her best friend.
"At least my dress was fitted for extra growth. You should be worried that the bust your dress is too small considering the boob job you had during the summer." Ava shot back.
"Good one." Santana smirked.
"That's enough." Will said, trying not to laugh.
Santana helped Ava down the stairs and Rachel met them at the bottom with Ava's backpack and glee bag. The girls usually didn't change back into their school clothes after rehearsals unless they were going out with friends. Shelby had instructed the girls to meet her at her office following their release from glee and the two said goodbyes to their boyfriends, heading to the main office.
"What do you think about this? Living with Shelby?" Ava asked her sister.
"Being her daughters is what we've wanted." Rachel said. "She seems serious about everything. Why, do you think it's a bad idea?"
"No, I like that we're getting to start over with her. I really think this is it and it's going to work." Ava gave her opinion. "I know we have some unresolved issues in which we will all have to address sooner or later, however, Shelby came back and had every intention of reaching out to us. It's what we wanted and we're getting that chance, so we gotta grab the bull by it's horns and go for it."
"And it's just until Daddies come back. If things don't go the way we thought, we just have to deal with it for a few months."
"Right." Ava nodded.
They reached the main office and Rachel pushed open the door but came to a stop as she glanced through the windows of Shelby's office.
"There is one problem though." Rachel said.
"What's that?"
"Our mom is the principal of our school." Rachel said as the realization hit that days of getting away with things around McKinley was over.
"This so sucks." Ava replied, dropping her head on to Rachel's shoulder.
"Hey girls." Shelby greeted."Let me just grab my purse and coat, then we can head out."
She had seen the twins standing outside her office and got up to open her door. After speaking with the twins and the Berry men, Shelby's day was much much better than the first half had been. The rest of her office had been completely reorganized and was ready to be redecorated. Aside from the girls, Shelby's day had been fairly nice. Not many kids had been sent down to the office, and she had been welcomed with open arms by the entire faculty.
Logging off the computer, Shelby took her coat and purse off the hook that was hung on the wall behind the door. Slipping her arms into the jacket, she shouldered her purse and locked up her office, walking the girls out to the parking lot. Rachel got out her car keys from the small side pocket of her backpack, and unlocked the car doors.
"I'll follow you to Rose's house, your father wants you to leave the car there for your cousin, James, when he comes up from Florida to help with moving Rose."
"What? No car?" Ava said.
"Your fathers don't feel you'll need it and honestly, I agree." Shelby said. "If you guys want to hang out with friends or whatever, you can borrow my car or get rides."
"But dads said they were going to buy the car from Granny Rose for us." Rachel pouted. "It was going to be our birthday present."
"You'll have to take it up with your dads but for now it is staying at Rose's house like your dads asked." Shelby replied, not wanting to step on Hiram or Leroy's toes. They made up their minds about the car and that was the end of it. "
Shelby fixed her sunglasses to sit on her face and she walked over to her car. According to an email that Hiram had sent after his business dinner, Leroy's nephew had agreed to take Rose in while she got adjusted to Florida and would be arriving in Lima in a few weeks to help with the move. James didn't have a car and since Rose was going to need to attend doctors appointments and what not, he was going to need a way to get her around.
Rachel parked her car in the garage of Rose's house as she normally did. Getting out of the car, Rachel helped her mother navigate her way as she backed into the narrow driveway. She waited along with Ava for Shelby to get out so they could go inside together. Shelby stood by the front door as the girls greeted Rose and Emilia. In the rush to get packed and get to Shelby's, the girls didn't introduce Shelby to their Great Grandmother, leaving their mom standing awkwardly at the door.
"Are you just going to stand there, Shelby or are you gonna have a seat, love?" Rose said without turning her attention away from the TV.
"Uh, thanks." Shelby nervously replied and sat on the couch. Rose was sitting in the recliner to Shelby's right and Puck's Great grandmother, Emilia was on the couch just inches from her. "How are you two ladies?"
"Good and you?" Emilia replied, patting Shelby's knee.
"I'm great." Shelby smiled.
"I'm just glad you've seen that the girls do need you." Rose said, her eyes focused two feet away from where Shelby was.
"I am too and I am sure they are as well." Shelby replied.
"There are somethings you need to know about the girls." Rose said, catching Shelby's attention. "Rachel is vegan so make sure you have food on hand for her to eat. Ava gets ear infections really easily so when you go swimming be sure to have swimmer's ear drops to dry her ears, she needs to wear a winter hat when she goes out in the cold, and when she gets an infection, she'll play with her earrings but if you watch, she's actually rubbing her ear with her pinkie."
"Okay." Shelby said, beginning her mental check list.
"Oh, and Rachel has trouble sleeping sometimes, I think it has to do with the abnormal amount of energy she has. Which reminds me, watch her caffeine and sugar intake. Now, the girls fight a lot and the most effective punishment is to separate them because they can't stand it. When they are sad, give Rachel a glass of water and she'll feel better and want to talk. For Ava, make her a plate of spaghetti with mushrooms and meatballs. It has to have mushrooms and meatballs or you'll further make her sad."
"Mushrooms and meatballs and a glass of water." Shelby reminded herself out loud.
"As far as allergies go, you cannot use Downy at all. Rachel will breakout into a major rash. And both are allergic to bee stings but they do have epi pens that they are to carry with them at all times. If they ever need to use it, call 911 right away even if they look and feel better. This is very important as the pen could wear off."
"Alright."
"Rachel is organized and will freak if something is out of place. Ava on the other hand is messy and it's a pain to get her to clean anything. Both are good about doing their homework but as far as studying, Ava is again a challenge. She doesn't believe she needs to do anything outside of regular homework and doesn't need to study for tests but she does, particularly History. " Rose continued. "As far as switching places."
"They switch places?" Shelby asked.
"Not so much in the last year but don't put it past them." Rose answered. "Keep your guard up at all times, they are schemers."
Shelby gently shook her head, this is crazy. First, she would never mix up the girls and second, Shelby can out smart them, nothing gets past Shelby Corcoran. As the girls started bringing their things out, Shelby excused herself from the older women and began helping the twins. With the car packed, Shelby and the girls walked back into the house to say their goodbyes.
"Bye Granny. We'll miss you but come visit you." Rachel said, hugging and kissing Rose.
"You girls are welcome over here anytime, Shelby that includes you." Rose said.
"Thank you." Shelby smiled gratefully.
"Bye Granny." Ava said, hugging Rose.
"Bye sweetie, and don't forget to send pictures of my first great great grandbaby."
"I won't forget." Ava smiled.
"And girls." Rose said. "Remember, your Mama is in better shape than I am, remind those boyfriends of yours that it would be wise to not sneak into her house in the middle of the night."
Shelby smirked at the surprised looks on the girls' faces. It seems as if they weren't getting away with as much as they thought they were. Shelby thanked Rose once more and led the girls outside. The girls didn't have much and it all fit into the trunk and 2/3's of the back seat, leaving Ava very little wiggle room. Rachel had called shot gun and when protesting, Rachel declared the rules were against Ava and Shelby gave the girl a sympathetic smile and shrugged her shoulders, stating those were the rules and for her to get into the car so they could leave. The ride was a rather short one, about ten minutes, and Shelby parked in her assigned parking space. It was decided that they would wait to unpack the car as all three were super hungry. Shelby walked the twins to her one bedroom condo and unlocked the door, showing them who the real Shelby Corcoran was.
As Shelby spoke about where everything was located, from the bathroom the three would have to share to her bedroom, right down to where the extra blankets and pillows were stored. It was a small condo with no hallways, everything was connected to the livingroom, leaving no privacy or room. Neither girl was actually paying attention but were instead soaking in the family pictures that littered the livingroom walls. A question hung in the air and Shelby turned from her position in the open kitchen that was just feet away to see the girls moving from picture to picture pointing out little things and trying to figure out who all the people were.
Shelby stopped talking and stood behind the girls, reaching between them to point out family members or to tell a short story about whatever event or occasion was taking place. Rachel listened to each and every little detail Shelby shared and while listening to Shelby's story about her 15th birthday, she found herself leaning against Shelby. It wasn't until Shelby placed a firm, supportive hand on her back that she realized it. Shelby never missed a beat as she looked down and gave Rachel a smile.
"Where's the bathroom?" Ava asked before Shelby could start on another picture.
"Had you been listening earlier you would know it's the door right there." Shelby pointed to the right door, her bedroom being the left door.
"I was listening." Ava proclaimed and Shelby only rolled her eyes.
"So what would you like for dinner?" Shelby asked, walking over to the kitchen.
"Can we order something? Pizza or Chinese?" Rachel asked. She crossed the room to sit at the breakfast bar, the only place to sit in the kitchen and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.
"I'm not big on take out." Shelby replied. "You'd think since I live alone, that's all I'd eat but I prefer to cook meals."
"You can't make just one acceptation?" Rachel asked.
"Not tonight." Shelby replied, pulling out a few items from the fridge. "Tonight we are having a home cooked meal and you're going to help."
"Why me?" Rachel complained. "Why not Ava? She's the mom to be, shouldn't these be skills Ava should be doing?"
"What do I have to do with anything? Ava asked, coming out of the bathroom. "Last time I checked, it's not going to kill you to help cook."
"Stop." Shelby demanded. "You both are going to help cook, Rachel you just happened to be the only one in the room." Shelby placed some vegetables in front of Rachel, along with a knife and cutting board. "Ava, you're in charge of making the rice."
"Oh no, the prissy pregnant girl has to stand for more than five minutes." Rachel sarcastically gasped.
Ava turned around to make her comeback but Shelby held up a hand. "Enough or you will find yourselves having an early bedtime."
The rest of the time spent making dinner was silent, which Shelby didn't mind. The girls seemed to not be able to get along right now and starting conversations probably would just further cause drama between the two. Rachel finished cutting up the peppers, mushrooms, onions, and green onions, tossing them all into a bowl for Shelby. The mom had been trimming and cutting steak into small strips, dumping them into a different bowl. Carrying the cut up food to the stove, Shelby turned the burners on for two small frying pans, letting them heat up before frying up the veggies and meat. Ava finished the rice and pushed it to the back burner.
"Thank you." Shelby said, placing a hand on Ava's lower back.
"Yeah." Ava muttered and went to the livingroom to sit down.
Shelby glanced over her shoulder at the twins, then turned the fire down on the stove. Rachel watched her but didn't return the same smile Shelby gave her when she turned to face the twins. Their faces read that they weren't happy to be fighting with their sister but both were too stubborn to apologize. Shelby asked Ava to come sit next to Rachel and the girl did as asked.
"It's clear that both of you are feeling bad about fighting with one another and on the same token, neither one of you want to apologize. It's a big change that we've made and it's gonna take some time for us to adjust but fighting and yelling isn't going to make it any easier. Maybe you two aren't really mad at each other but with me and you feel you can't take it out on me. so you're going for each other?"
"No offense but you've been a mom for like what? Four hours? We fight. It's what we do and we will figure it out ourselves." Rachel said.
"Why are you being mean to her?" Ava asked. "She's trying, so whatever your issue is, you figure it out."
"Whatever." Rachel said, getting off the stool and moving to the door. She slipped on her tennis shoes and opened the door. "I'll be back."
"Rachel Barbra Berry, do not walk out that-" Shelby started but it was too late, Rachel slammed the door shut. She sighed and went to go after Rachel but Ava stopped her.
"Mind if I go instead?"
"You sure?" Shelby asked.
"Yeah."
"Alright." Shelby agreed, letting Ava go.
Ava walked out of the house without shoes or a jacket on to cover her bare arms, as she had taken off her sweater when she got up to cook the rice. She stood by the closed door of Shelby's condo, looking around, trying to figure out which way Rachel could have gone. Spotting a small park across the parking lot, she noticed a small figure sitting on one of the swings. She sat on the swing next to Rachel and used her toes to push against the cold sand to rock her seing back and forth.
"The sunset is pretty." Ava said, breaking the silence.
"You came out here to talk about the stupid sunset?"
"No. I came out here to talk to you." Ava said, looking at her twin. "I know why you're mad."
"How?"
"I'm your twin. You know we share this weird connection."
"How can she just come back and want to be our mom when five months ago, she wanted to go off and have her own family without us? How come we're good enough now?" Rachel asked. "It frustrated me that she's wanting to pretend we're some happy little family."
"Well you can't expect her to spend every waking moment apologizing for what she did. I don't know why she changed her mind but instead of getting mad at her or me, talk to her. At some point she's going to have to explain herself." Ava advised. "Mom was right, it's already going to be hard to deal with this all but if you pick fights, it's not going to get us anywhere."
"Was she mad that I left?" Rachel asked.
"Not pissed but I'm sure she's not happy about it." Ava answered. "You ready to go back? I'm sure dinner is about done and I am starving."
"Yeah." Rachel nodded and stood up.
"Okay but you have to help me up." Ava chuckled, needing Rachel to hold the swing so she could get to her own feet.
As they walked back to the house, Ava rubbed her feet into the grass to get rid of the sand to not drag it through the house. Rachel linked her hand in Ava's and they stopped just short of the door to give each other a hug.
"I'm sorry for being rude towards you."
"Don't worry about it." Ava softly said. "I'm sure I've been worse to you at times."
"More often than not." Rachel joked, earning her a light smack on the arm from Ava.
They pulled away when they heard Shelby opening the door.
"Girls, it's time to eat."
She stepped back a bit more to let the girls inside. Rachel kept her head down, avoiding Shelby's eyes. Rachel slipped her shoes off and went over to the breakfast bar to sit down and eat. Ava cleaned her feet off one last time and entered the house.
"Ava! What on earth were you thinking? Where are your shoes?" Shelby exclaimed.
"Right here." Ava pointed to the shoes just inches from Shelby.
"Why weren't they on your feet? It's cold out there?"
"It's not that bad out and I wasn't out there long." Ava shrugged.
"Next time I expect you to put some shoes on before you leave this house." Shelby firmly said as the pair walked to sit by Rachel. "And as soon as the car is unpacked I'd like for you two to find your jackets and hang them up in the front closet. It's getting colder out in the mornings."
"We don't use jackets." Ava shrugged. "We usually use sweatshirts and sweaters with our hats and gloves."
"Neither one of you have jackets?" Shelby asked.
"No." The twins replied.
"Then tomorrow after glee, we are going to the store to get you each one."
"It's not a big deal, we're not going to use them anyway." Rachel said.
"Perhaps you heard me wrong. We are going to the store and getting you jackets, that you will wear every morning until spring, which then you will be allowed to get away with wearing sweaters and sweatshirts unless I tell you otherwise."
"Seriously?" Ava raised her brow. "I think we're old enough to figure out if we need a jacket or not."
"Yet you are young enough that you still have to listen to your mother and fathers. You may be turning 17 in a month but until you're 18, you follow our rules."
"I'm afraid to ask what the other rules are." Rachel muttered.
"Well first, your bedtime is 9:30." Shelby said, fixing Rachel a plate of food. Sliding the foam plate in the girl's direction, she saw the look of protest on her face and raised her brow. "Is there a problem?"
"Uh, yeah!" Rachel proclaimed. "That's too early of a bedtime."
"And to see as a proper time?" Shelby asked, making her and Ava a plate of food, this time adding meat to theirs.
"Midnight." Ava said. "It's the bedtime our Granny gave us."
"I highly doubt that." Shelby scoffed. "You may not like it but there is no way I am allowing you to stay up that late."
"Even on weekends and during breaks from school?" Ava gasped.
"Look, I am willing to negotiate a decent bedtime and am more than willing to extend the hours for non-school nights but let's be reasonable about this."
"Fine. 11pm."
"Try again, Rachel." Shelby shook her head. "10:30 and that means phones and computers and TVs go off at 9:30."
"I thought we were negotiating?" Ava responded.
"I said coming up with a reasonable time and 10:30 is a reasonable time." Shelby stated, ending the entire thing.
The girls accepted their loss and began to eat. Shelby sat on the end of the breakfast bar with Rachel in the middle, watching how the twins interacted without muttering a single word. Rachel reached forward and grabbed the pepper shaker, handing it to Ava. The pregnant teen, took the soy sauce bottle that Shelby had just finished using and gave it to Rachel. A napkin was passed in Ava's direction and Ava poured Rachel a glass of lemonade from the pitcher Shelby brought out from the fridge. Rachel held out her hand and Ava reached in front of Shelby and grabbed the small bottle of hot sauce, giving it to Rachel.
"How do you two do that?" Shelby asked. The girls turned their heads to the right, looking directly at Shelby in a synchronized manor. Shelby was quite taken back by this action and rapidly blinked several times. "That was weird."
"What?" They asked.
"This twin thing you two got going on." Shelby replied. "The way you know what the other wants without a word and how you two say the same thing at the same time."
"It's just normal for us." Ava said, shoveling some food into her mouth. "We can sense things between each other that others can't"
"Can you tell when the other is hurt?"
"Sometimes." Ava nodded. "Like two years ago we went to this Performing Arts Camp over the summer. We were in different cabins and I woke up in the middle of the night, knowing Rachel had a headache. Sure enough the next morning at breakfast, Rachel said she'd been up most of the night with a pounding headache."
"And then there was this time in fifth grade, we had different gym classes. Ava got hit in the nose with a basketball and got a bloody nose. My nose started bleeding and I got sent down to the nurse's office at the exact same time Ava was going down there too."
"That's amazing." Shelby replied.
Dinner continued going smoothly and Shelby enjoyed listening to the stories the twins shared. They got to know each other a little more, soaking up the information that was offered. When they finished eating, Shelby began putting away the leftovers and had Ava clear off the bar counter, leaving Rachel to do the dishes for leaving the house without proper permission.
"If it happens again, you will be grounded for a week. That means school, glee, then home, along with no phone or computer when you come home. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes ma'am." Rachel nodded her head.
"Good." Shelby stated, proud of herself for being able to handle the parenting role so far. "Ava, I'd like you to put on some shoes and grab one of my spare jackets in the closet and help me unpack the car. Rachel, when you are done get your shoes and one of my other coats on and help."
Ava slipped on her shoes and slid the closet door open, picking out one of the jackets Shelby had hanging up. Shelby followed Ava out to the car and they began unloading the car. Rachel finished the dishes quickly as she only had a few pieces of silverware, three pots and pans, and three cups. With the three of them working hard, the car was managed to be emptied quicker than it was filled. For the time being, everything was stacked in the livingroom.
Shelby and the girls sat down on the couch and began to watch a movie. With a half hour left, suddenly the television was turned off by Shelby. Two heads snapped in the direction of their mother and were about to complain but Shelby wouldn't allow it, pointing to the clock on the DVR. Both girls groaned but got to their feet. Shelby had let them watch the movie up until 10:20pm, giving them a reprieve from the original rules of having to turn the TV off by 9:30. Even when this was pointed out, they still weren't happy that they couldn't finish the movie.
"Get your pajamas on, brush your teeth, and wash your faces. I'll be right out to say goodnight." Shelby said, going into her own bedroom.
Typically she stayed up until 11:30 or Midnight but she was tired. Changed and ready for bed, Shelby went into the livingroom and transformed the couch into a pull out bed, getting the extra sheets and blankets from the linen closet near the bathroom door. Ava was the first one out of the bathroom, having won the war of who would get to use the bathroom first by a game of rock, paper, scissors. Shelby peeled back one of the two comforters and waited for Ava to get under the covers.
"I know you're probably too old to be tucked in but give me this one time." Shelby half jokingly giggled.
"Actually, I like it." Ava smiled, laying down. She let out a long yawn and Shelby smoothed back her hair from her face. "Goodnight, Mom."
"Night sweetheart." After a second thought, Shelby bent down and kissed Ava's forehead. "See you in the morning."
"Okay." Ava replied, turning on her side to face where Rachel would be sleeping.
Shelby heard the water still running in the bathroom and went back in her room to wait for Rachel. It was about ten minutes later that Rachel emerged from the bathroom and saw the light still on in Shelby's room. The door opened seconds later and Shelby walked over to where Rachel was sitting on the edge of the bed. She pulled back the covers and Shelby took them from her to tuck her in too.
"Goodnight, Rach." Shelby said, giving her a kiss on the head too.
"Night mom." Rachel said. "Thanks for everything.
"You're welcome." Shelby said, cupping Rachel's cheek. "Sweet dreams."
Shelby retreated to her room and climbed into bed. She was tired but wasn't ready to fall asleep just yet. For another hour she watched some reruns of The Nanny and watched forty five minutes of Little House on the Prairie. Her eyes were drying and getting heavy and Shelby knew she couldn't stay awake for the last 15 minutes of the show. Turning off the TV, Shelby moved to lay down. Shelby had left the door cracked a little bit and turned off the lights but now that the TV was off, it was pitch black. As she got comfortable, she heard some talking from the next room. She sighed and hoped the girls would go to bed but minutes later, they were still talking. Getting out of bed, Shelby stumbled to the door and her eyes burned from the light on above the stove she had left on in case either girl had gotten up in the middle of the night.
"I don't know booger, I just don't understand it. She wanted us, then didn't want us, and now wants us again. I guess I am worried that she'll hurt us again. She seems to be true to her word that things were going to be different this time. Your mommy is worried too, she hasn't been exactly honest that that's how she feels but I can just tell. It's mostly her worrying about doing the same to you but your mommy would never hurt you like that. I promise. you'll always have me and your mom and daddy. Grandma too but definitely me and your parents."
Shelby smiled slightly as she watched Rachel speaking to Ava's belly, something the girl did when she couldn't sleep. She'd sometimes stay up for hours, talking to Ava's belly, until she got too tired to form coherent sentences, then she'd be able to sleep for a few hours.
"I should probably get some sleep before I wake up your mom or grandma, the latter of whom I am more afraid of. You should have seen the look she was giving me when she was lecturing me about leaving the house without her permission. Scary stuff. Anyway, goodnight Booger. I love you." Rachel kissed Ava's belly and pulled down her shirt and pulled up the blanket.
Shelby turned back into her room and got into bed. A few seconds later, she chuckled out loud.
"Silly girl, that was not a lecture." Shelby said to the darkness.
The next morning, Shelby woke up to get ready for work and slipped her feet into the slippers at the side of her bed. She padded out into the livingroom, quietly trying to make it into the kitchen without waking either girl, seeing as they could sleep for another hour and a half before they needed to get up and get ready. As she headed back to the bedroom to pick out an outfit for the day, Shelby noticed half the bed was empty. Rachel had been up for the last forty five minutes, having gone for a 30 minute run and now was getting out of the shower.
Wrapping a towel around her body, Rachel groaned at forgetting her clothes on the bed in the livingroom. She opened the door and found Shelby sitting at the breakfast bar with a cup of coffee.
"What are you doing up this early?" Shelby asked, getting up with the hot mug in her hands.
"I'm usually up early in the morning. Not 4:15, early but I couldn't really sleep last night. After getting up at 4:00, I decided to just get up for good." Rachel shrugged, grabbing her clothes.
"Oh, well why don't you go get dressed and then come to my room so we can talk." Shelby said, walking to her bedroom.
"It's really nothing. Sometimes I just can't seem to fall asleep or stay asleep." Rachel brushed her off.
"I though we'd talk about something else, that I think we need to discuss." Rachel tilted her head and Shelby decided to give her a bit more information. "I want to talk to you about your concern about why I changed my mind about us being grateful from afar."
"A-alright." Rachel replied and once Shelby was in her room, she went into the bathroom and slowly started getting dressed.
A/N: Finn and Quinn kept Beth.
Thanks for reading and for the great reviews so far. :)
It is now 4:00am and my eyes are dry as hell. Suppose I will get some sleep and hopefully wake up to more reviews. *Crosses Fingers*
Good Night/Morning LOL!