"Your mom was here?" Finn asked Rachel as he cradled Madelyn in his arms.
"Yes and she has offered to watch Madelyn during the week so we can go to school and glee." Rachel said, as she placed two small baggies of breast milk in the freezer.
"I don't think that is a good idea."
"Why not? She wants too, besides this will give us more time to spend together." Rachel said walking over to her boyfriend. "Shelby is trying to make things right and I honestly want to give her a chance."
"Nothing has changed since Regionals."
"A lot has changed, Finn. Both of us have become moms and we see the world differently than we did before the girls came into our lives."
"I still don't want Shelby watching Madelyn."
"Well I do." Rachel said raising her voice. "I want my daughter to have what I never had, which is to have Shelby be apart of her whole life. I want Madelyn to know the best parts of Shelby and not have to grow up thinking she was some evil sea hag. Shelby is going to watch Madelyn and that's final."
"We already told my Aunt she could do it."
"Because she was our only option, now we have another option and Shelby is the better choice. Her hours are more flexible and we won't have to be in a rush all the damn time."
"But my Aunt is reliable, Shelby couldn't even stay in your life for more than two weeks. What if she changes her mind AGAIN?" Finn asked, as Madelyn was passed to her mom. "Then I'm gonna have to sit here, hold your hand and console you all over again."
"Sorry for being such an inconvenience." Rachel snapped and stormed off upstairs to put the baby to bed. Finn followed her moments later with his jacket on ready to leave. The pair only get on hour after Finn gets home from glee to spend time together before he had to go work. When he walked into the room, Rachel was tossing his clothes into the corner of the room. "Seriously Finn, it isn't that hard to put your clothes in the laundry basket. Every day I have to clean up after you."
"Then leave them."
"I can't just leave them!" Rachel yelled.
"What is your problem?" Finn said, equally frustrated.
"You!" Rachel said, laying Madelyn down so she could use both hands to pick up all of Finn's things. "I everything around here. I make you dinner, I take care of OUR kid, I do your laundry and I don't get any help from you."
"Quit acting like you're the only one who is stressed." Finn rolled his eyes. "I have to go to school and work all day and almost all night. I don't get to lay around the house without having to worry about anything. I would love to trade places with you any day."
"So you think all I do is lay around the house?" Rachel scoffed.
"It takes 5 minutes to toss clothes into the washer, 2 minutes to put them in the dryer and another 5 minutes to fold them. Maddy only needs attention when she is hungry or needs a diaper change, which is every two to three hours and cooking dinner takes a half hour. What the hell do you do the rest of the time?"
"You're an ass." Rachel growled and walked out of the room.
"It's always me, isn't it?" Finn said, following her down to the livingroom.
"Yeah, it is." Rachel whipped around to face him. She stopped mid-flight so they could continue their fight. "You won't do anything else around here but have no problem complaining."
"About what? Shelby?" Finn asked. "That is why you are so mad, because I don't trust Shelby to watch the baby."
"This isn't just about Shelby, I-"
"I don't care Rachel, do whatever you want." Finn said, pushing past her to do to the door. "I'm leaving."
"So am I."Rachel retaliated.
"Where are you going?" Finn asked, opening the door. "You gonna run over to your mommy's house?"
"Yes." Rachel answered. At first her plan was go to Mercedes or Kurt's house but Finn mentioning going to Shelby's was the perfect thing to piss him off.
"I don't want Madelyn around her." Finn said, slamming the door.
"Too bad, she is my daughter and I will take her where ever I want." Rachel replied, stomping up the stairs.
She expected Finn to come after her to stop her but seconds after walking into the bedroom, she heard the door slam shut. Halfway through packing her things for the night, Rachel realized it was pointless to leave. Finn was going to be gone until 1:30, long after she was already in bed. Tossing the duffel bag in the closet, Rachel laid on the bed and covered her head with the pillow.
This wasn't their first big fight, in fact it was their third in just two days. Since giving birth, Rachel and Finn had been fighting constantly. Usually it started over something small but then exploded in bigger issues. Rachel thought it was unfair of Finn to decide weather or not Shelby could be around Madelyn or not. She understood that Shelby hadn't been the most reliable and consistent parent figure in Rachel's life but so many events had taken place in the last several months. Both women had started to see things in a different light and each felt like there was a place in the world for them to be family.
Rachel was woken up six times in the night to take care of Madelyn and the fourth time she woke up she found Finn had arrived home and was now sleeping beside her. The sixth time she got up, Finn was in the shower getting ready to go to school. Madelyn needed to be fed and Finn's breakfast needed to be made.
"Thanks." Finn mumbled as he sat down to eat the eggs and toast.
"Yup." Rachel replied back and went upstairs, leaving Maddy with her dad.
A half hour later, Finn came upstairs to drop off the baby and to get his book bag. Giving Rachel a kiss on the cheek, he put on his jacket.
"What are you two doing today?" He asked, trying to make a conversation.
"She's growing out of her newborn clothes and doesn't have much 0-3 so I have to go to the thrift store to get her some clothes. Then I have to do some laundry today as well as clean up our room." Rachel explained as she gathered up the dirty clothes to do a load or two before she went shopping.
"How much are you going to spend?" Finn asked.
"How much do we have is the question?"
"I have to pay VA tomorrow so that will leave us with $100 until I get paid on Friday." He said. "Will $20 be enough?"
"I'll make it work." Rachel sighed. It wasn't that Rachel had to shop at the thrift store that bummed her out, because she really did like shopping there but she wished she had more money to spend on her daughter.
"Alright, well I have to go." He said, giving his girls one more kiss.
"Okay, have a good day and tell Kurt to call me later."
"I will." Finn said before he left the house.
Rachel checked make sure Maddy was strapped in her swing before she went down to the laundry room to start Finn's work clothes. Grabbing an apple on the way up to her room, she began eating it as she laid on the bed. The rest of the morning was spent going between laundry and playing with the baby. Around 10am, Rachel was just getting out of her shower when her cell rang.
"Hello?" She said, not bothering to check the ID.
"Rachel? It's Shelby."
"Oh, hi." Rachel smiled into the phone.
"I hope I didn't wake you up or anything."
"No, I was just getting out of the shower. What's up?" Rachel asked, sitting on the bed in only a damp towel.
"Beth and I were going to the mall in the few and I thought maybe you and the kiddo would like to join us. If you aren't busy today." Shelby quickly added as she seemed nervous about Rachel's answer.
"That would be great." Rachel replied
"Do you want me to pick you up or just meet there?"
"Maybe you could come get me? It would really save me on gas."
"No problem. I will be there in 30 minutes?"
"Sounds good."
"Alright, see you soon Rach."
"Bye Mom." Rachel said and snapped the phone shut when she realized what she said.
How could she say that? It probably freaked Shelby out and now she wasn't going to show up. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she got dressed and packed up Madelyn's things in case Shelby did decide to still come and get her. The two girls waited at the front door when the time got closer but when Shelby was 15 minutes late, Rachel started to cry. She had messed this up in not even 24 hours. A car horn, broke her from her sobs and she looked up to see Shelby's SUV in the driveway behind her car. Wiping her eyes, she hurried out the door. Shelby got out and walked around the car to help Rachel get the car seat in.
"I had an extra base so I installed it before we left. Yours should fit in it, they are the same brand." Shelby said as she watched Rachel try to lift the car seat up into the seat but her height and the weight of the car seat worked against her. "Want me to do it?"
"Sure." Rachel said and passed Madelyn over to her. Shelby had no problem getting her snapped in and she shut the door. "Thanks."
"Your welcome." Shelby smiled and noticed Rachel's red eyes when she opened the trunk for the girl to put the stroller in. Waiting until they were in the car and out of the drive way, Shelby turned down the radio. "You okay, Rachel?"
"Yeah, I just- I thought-I thought I freaked you out." Rachel admitted, knowing the slip up would have been brought up eventually anyway.
"I mean, yeah it freaked me out but in a good way. You haven't called me mom since the disastrous Lady Gaga dress fiasco." Shelby internally chuckled at remembering Rachel standing before her with stuffed animals stapled to a dress. "It's good to hear you call me that, even though you didn't mean too because subconsciously, it's your way of telling me that you are really wanting to work this out with me."
"I guess that's one way to look at it." Rachel said quietly and looked out the window.
"Is there any other way?" Shelby questioned.
"Sorry, starting today off on a down note probably wasn't your idea of a good time."
"If something is bothering you, you can talk to me about it." Shelby told her. "I told you that I want to be there for you and not just physically but mentally and emotionally."
"Thanks." Rachel said, glancing at Shelby. "But for now, I just want to have a good time with you and not get into all the stuff that is going wrong in my life or what happened 8 months ago."
"I can do that too."
Once they were inside the mall, Rachel let Shelby take the lead in which stores they went into. The first store visited was the Gap, Rachel thumbed through the clearance rack and came across three onesies that totaled $5. Shelby didn't even touch the clearance rack and by the end of her walk around the store, she dropped $250 on Beth. Rachel was shocked as Shelby willfully handed over her credit card. She must get paid a lot from her voice lessons to be able to drop serious cash like that. Shelby noticed the look on Rachel's face and explained that VA's booster club paid her a hefty monthly check.
"They pay you?"
"Yup, I pretty much created Vocal Adrenaline myself so they pay me to continue using the name and other things like that."
"Oh. That must be nice." Rachel said, again wishing she could spoil Maddy like that.
"Uh, I got you and Madelyn some things too." Shelby said handing her two bags to break the uncomfortable silence. Rachel opened the bags and looked at all the baby clothes Madelyn and gotten and then looked through her bag of clothes. "If you want to return any of it, just let me know."
"No." Rachel shook her head. "I love it all. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Oh, that reminds me, I have a boxes of clothes that don't fit Beth anymore. It's mostly 0-3 and 3-6 months but there is a lot in there that she hadn't even worn. If you are interested, I could drop them by sometime or we could go to my house before I take you home."
"That would be great." Rachel grinned at Shelby's generosity.
The four continued their shopping for another two hours when Shelby mentioned she was hungry. They found a table to eat at and unloaded all of their things.
"What are you in the mood for?"
"Um, I'll just have a salad from Subway. Everything but peppers, no meat or cheese and I'll have Italian dressing." Rachel said as she handed Shelby the twenty dollar bill.
"No, keep it."
"But you've spent so much on us already." Rachel shook her head.
"And five bucks more isn't going to kill me." Shelby said, pushing the money back.
"And five bucks isn't going to kill me." Rachel countered, becoming just as stubborn as Shelby.
"Fine." Shelby said taking the money. She returned to the table after getting their food and sat down. Rachel helped Shelby separate their lunch and the older woman placed the twenty dollar bill next to Rachel's meal.
"Shelby." Rachel sighed.
"I only agreed to take it, I never agreed to use it." Shelby smirked at her technicality.
"Clever but next time, I am buying." Rachel stated.
"Alright, deal." Shelby agreed. "So you'd want to do this again?"
"Of course, I really am having a good time getting to know you." Rachel smiled. She continued to eat and glanced over at Beth who was grinning at her. In her baby voice, she grinned at her little sister. "Whatcha lookin' at cutie pie?"
Beth laughed at Rachel's voice and silly faces. "You can hold her if you want."
"What do you think, Beth? Shall we dance?" Rachel asked the infant as she unstrapped her from the stroller. Beth reached up to grab a chunk of Rachel's hair and Rachel's cat like reflexes kicked in and she managed to block her hair from Beth. "Ha! I'm faster than you."
"She seems to like you Rachel." Shelby smiled, watching her two daughters interact.
"Well then she is nothing like Quinn." Rachel joked, then turned to Shelby seriously. "Is it hard to look at her and know that she'll never have any facial features like yours?"
"It was at first. People would assume that she's my niece or granddaughter and I wanted to break down and cry, wishing everyone would see that she's mine but after a while I just got use to it. Her hair is darkening to Puck's shade though so maybe that will help."
"Has Quinn or Puck seen her?"
"Not since the hospital. They both know how to get in contact with me when they are ready to see her and I do want them to be involved in her life but not until they are ready." Shelby said, taking the last bite of her sub. "I don't want them to feel the way I did when I gave you up and I don't want Beth to feel the way you did and not know who or where her parents are."
"They are all so lucky that it was you who adopted Beth. You know what it is like." Rachel said and kissed the top of Beth's head. "She'll always have a mom in her life."
"Rachel, I-"
"No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, you're here now and trying." Rachel said, staring down at the top of Beth's head, not able to look up at Shelby. The woman stood up from her chair and walked over to Rachel. Kneeling down in front of her, she placed her hand under Rachel's chin. Tears were in the teenager's eyes and that made matching ones fill Shelby's. "I just wanted you there."
"I know and I wanted to be there so badly. Even when you were full grown, I shouldn't have left but I thought you were doing so good without me and you have been. Look at you, you're a mom now and a very good one. I have never seen someone so attentive to their child like you are."
"I want my baby to have what I never had."
"You are doing a great job with what you have." Shelby assured her. "Madelyn will always see that and if not, I'll be there to remind her how amazing you are, Okay?"
"Okay." Rachel nodded and used on hand to brush away her tears.
"I love you Rachel." Shelby said, hugging her daughter for the first time since their Poker Face duet.
"I love you too." Rachel whispered into her mom's ear and then a hiccuped sob escaped from her lips. "Just please don't ever leave me again."
"I won't." Shelby gently said with all her heart. "I'm gonna be here, always."
"Good." Rachel lightly giggled and Shelby pulled back to sit down in her seat.
As Rachel brushed the rest of her tears away, her phone buzzed in the cup holder on Madelyn's stroller. The loud, sudden noise woke up Maddy and she began crying. Panic set through Rachel as she tried to answer her phone, put down Beth and pick up Madelyn but Shelby held her hands up to Rachel.
"I got the baby, you take your call." Shelby said and grabbed her granddaughter from the carseat that was attached to the stroller. "Hey pretty girl."
"Hey babe." Rachel answered her phone and looked down at Beth, who was growling at her mom. Clearly Beth was not happy to see Shelby holding another baby. Shelby signaled that Madelyn needed a diaper change and Rachel pointed to the diaper bag and mouthed a thank you. "What's up?"
"Nothing, I came home for lunch but you aren't home. Where are you?"
"The mall, eating a salad." Rachel answered. Beth began to miss Shelby and started the water works. "Hold on Finn."
"Alright." Finn said, confused. Rachel set down the phone and reached into Beth's diaper bag, looking for a pacifier or toy. Finding a peacock shaped stuffed rattle, she waved it in front of Beth and the girl calmed down.
"Sorry, I'm back."
"Who are you with?"
"Shelby and Beth. Well just Beth right now because Shelby is changing Maddy's diaper in the bathroom."
"Alone?"
"Yeah, Finn. I mean she is fully capable of doing that. She has only been doing it everyday, 5-10 times a day for 8 months." Rachel huffed with an eye roll. "And before you go off and start another fight, you might as well save your breathe. The four of us are having a good time."
"What have you been talking about?"
"Not much, mostly the kids and what we have been doing since we saw each other months ago." Rachel answered and took a bite of food. "She bought the baby and I some stuff too, plus she has a couple boxes of baby clothes that Beth doesn't fit anymore that she is giving to us."
"She's just trying to buy your love."
"Why are you so against Shelby?" Rachel asked. "She didn't hurt you, so there is no reason to be so negative with her."
"She hurt you, therefore she hurt me."
"Well she is making me feel happy now, so you should be happy."
"That's not the way it works."
"Seriously, this is annoying. You need to get over it and accept that I am trying to make it work with my mom." After another 4 minutes of fighting about who does what around the house, Rachel and Finn hung up. As she was placing her phone down, Shelby returned to the table with a better smelling Maddy.
"Things aren't going so great are they?" Shelby asked, having heard the last few minutes but not that the fight about her.
"Not particularly no." Rachel sighed. "It's been very tense between us lately."
"That can happen with a new baby. I mean I wouldn't know personally but I've heard that."
"I know but the more we fight, the more I want to move out." Rachel admitted out loud for the first time.
"I'm sure your dads would be happy to have you home again."
"Not exactly." Rachel said.
"They didn't take your pregnancy news very well, did they?"
"They were mad but were willing to support me. I wanted Finn to move in with us, however, my dads weren't happy with that and then Carole suggested that I move in with them and I agreed. That really pissed them off and they told me if I left to not come back."
"Oh gosh. I didn't think they would be that way." Shelby shook her head.
"Me either but it is what it is." Rachel said, finishing her lunch.
Rachel decided it would be easier to just stop at Shelby's to get the clothes, than for Shelby to waste gas and drive back another day. Her house was on the way, so it wasn't a big deal. Entering the house, Rachel was surprised at how spacious it was for just two people. A little yorkie came running up to the pair as they walked with the babies.
"You got the dog you wanted." Rachel muttered.
"She was too cute to pass up." Shelby smiled, petting the little fur ball. "The clothes are upstairs."
Shelby lead Rachel up to Beth's light green nursery and placed the infant in her crib with some toys so she could get the three boxes from the closet. Shelby showed her how each box was organized and once they had loaded the stuff in the car, Shelby drove them back to Finn's.
"I really appreciate this. You didn't have to do anything for me but you did." Rachel said as she opened her door.
"No need to thank me, seriously." Shelby smiled and leaned over the console to hug Rachel goodbye. "Let me know about dinner on Sunday."
"I will." Rachel said as she got the infant seat from the back. Shelby had invited her and Finn over for dinner that weekend so Finn could see for himself that Shelby was a different person.
An hour after getting home, Rachel received a text from Shelby.
If you ever need a place to stay, even if you just need to chill out for a few hours, my door is always open.