chapter two
the two women raced down the stairs popping the 1968 film's dvd into the player. rachel grabbed the remote and set up the film as shelby got the snacks. rachel was excited, she had never met someone as excited to see funny girl as she was. she examined the living room, picking out pieces to remember. her eyes settled on a glass case near the walkway to the kitchen. and then she saw it. an actual tony, in all of its glory. she subconciously walked up to it, pressing her face against it, trying to get a better look. why hadnt she put it together? shelby corcoran was the tony award winning actress who originated the role of elphaba in wicked. how did she not realize? rachel was lost in wonder that she hadnt heard shelby come up behind her.
"close your mouth, youll catch flies." shelby smirked. her daughter was a fangirl. figures, it takes one to know one.
"you have tony? You have to sing for me. please?" rachel said pulling out the puppy eyes.
"right now?" shelby whined leaning on the door frame.
"fine later?" rachel pleaded, unsure of how much time she had.
"of course love bug," shelby said plopping herself on the couch a box of raisinettes in her hand, and a pack of twizlers for rachel. she pressed play and watched rachel as she sung along and snugggled into her. she handed the twizzlers to the young girl. The girl ignored them ad she continued to sing along to the movie very quietly, she had learned her lesson about singing at her father's. Shelby was watching her daughters concentrated face as she strained to remember what line came next in the dialouge. as the movie came to a close, rachel was fighting sleep.
"no shelby," she whispered with her eyes partially closed, as shelby turned the movie off.
"yes come on rachel." shelby whispered picking her daughter up and into her room.
"no dont leave me." rachel said tiredly as shelby laid her down in the bed.
"ill stay until you fall asleep.okay baby?"
shelby felt rachel nod and snuggle into her.
"hold me?" rachel said as her eyes fluttered as she fell asleep for good.
"always." shelby said bringing her in closer and kissing her forehead. "g'night baby girl."shelby said falling asleep with the kid in her arms.
the morning came and shelbys alarm clock went off at 8 :30. it was saturday, and boy were the two women busy. rachel was still not moving when shelby shut the alarm off much to her dismay. the young girl groaned as she continued to lay on top of her mother's stomach.
"shelby?" rachel said wiping the sleep out of her eyes, continuing to lay on shelbys stomach.
"yes kid, now can you get off your killing me kiddo." shelby chuckled as the tiny girl rolled off running her fingers through her hair.
"shelby do i need to go back?"
"not making any promises baby girl but ill try okay? thats what we are working on today!"the young teacher said enthusiastically.
"i have a question?" rachel said as she plopped back onto the bed, she waited for shelby to nod before continuing, "why does everyone call you the ice queen? youre not mean or anything." the small girl pondered her head shifting to the side. it was an innocent question really, but shelby was shocked. she hated that nickname.
"oh about that, ill tell you another time baby girl."
"sing? you promised shelby."rachel said pouting, rolling back onto her mother's stomach.
"i cant sing while you're on my stomach." shelby chuckled as the pushed the girl to straddle her.
"can you still hold me though?" rachel asked reaching her arms up to her mother as she stood up.
"fine but then youre getting dressed okay?" shelby said, walking down the stairs, as shelby started to sing defying gravity to the awestruck girl.
"again?" rachel asked patting shelbys shoulder. "please?" she pouted.
"in the car okay? go get dressed."
"okay shelby." the young girl said running up to her room to find the pile of clothes. rachel couldnt help the smile forming on her face. she was so happy that she didnt have to deal with her drunk dad, if only for a day. she carefully placed the clothes on careful not to skim it on the bruise forming on her lowerback from when she fell the day before, racing back down the stairs. when she scanned the first floor, she realized that shelby was still getting ready. she ran back up to her mothers room, watching as her mother quickly curled her hair. "shelby?"
"oh hey love bug." shelby said absentmidedly as she threw on her flip flops, handing a sweatshirt to rachel. it was warmer than the day before, or else shelby would have given her a heavier coat
"where are we going?" the young girl asked as she muffled her voice with the sweatshirt she was pulling onto her bady. it smelled like her mom she realized. she most definitely wasn't giving it back.
"lawyers, and then we'll see if we can go shopping ok?"
"really? we can go shopping?" rachel asked with stars in her eyes. "ive never been shopping before!" she said bouncing up onto he toes. shelby internally was fuming from that new piece of information. what little girl had never been shopping? shelby smiled at the young girl.
"of course! we can even go out to eat." she said as she watched rachel's face fall. being her teacher, she knew the young girl allergies, but she didnt understand why her daughter was so afraid. had something happened?
"can we go now?" rachel asked as she leaned on the doorway. she just wanted shelby to hold her right now, but she was 11, she could walk on her two feet.
"of course."shelby smiled, taking her daughter's hand and picking her up. she assumed that she had read the signs right because rachel snuggled into her.
she put rachel into the car seing that rachel had fallen asleep yet again. she looked back to see the young girl softly whispering to herself. what she heard was disturbing her, her girl was asking someone to stop something, to not touch her, and shelby was trying to figure out what that meant. shelby pulled up to the lawyer's office, unbuckling Rachel and placing her in her arms. she slowly shook her awake before entering the office with a groggy rachel. she sat down answering a spew of calls, and trying to get custody tranfered. eventually she broke hiram, and she got him to hand over his rights and reinstate hers. hell he could probbably gone to jail based on what she had heard from rachel. and rachel decided to change her name to corcoran. it was a big deal to both of them, and shelby made it a point to smother the girl in kisses when they reached the car.
"momma stop it!"rachel giggled. she had never had anyone be this openly affectionate towards her, and it felt nice if she were to admit it felt amazing."were going home now?" rachel asked still smiling from the fact that she had called shelby mom. and she liked it.
"no we are going to the mall!"shelby said excitedly.
"fine then home?" rachel said with hope in her eyes.
shelby was still persistent, "nope. then lunch. where do you want to go?"
"oh can we go to kinchleys? its this pizza place i used to go with santana. please shelby?"
"that sounds good to me!"shelby said circling the parking lots. "son of a bitch." shelby said when someone cut her off, taking her spot, and not realizing that rachel was still awake and listening. "shoot dont repeat that rachel," she said as they pulled into a parking spot. all rachel wanted to do was cling to her mothers side, but at the same time, they were in public, and she really didnt want to see anyone she knew. "so where do you want to go first? we need to buy an entire wardrobe so start trying things on."her mother said pulling out things that she assumed rachel would like, and the day went on like that until finally they were done. rachel was happy that her mother took her to kinchleys after all.
" can we get to take home momma, i wanna go home!" rachel whined from the backseat. she had never looked like such a child until then with tears in her eyes, as she rubbed the sleep out of them.
"do you want me to read to you when we get home?" shelby asked as she called in an order for delivery, starting to drive home.
"yes please," rachel said yawning and leaning her head against the window. "sing to me momma," she said tiredly, hoping that it would put her to sleep. her mothers singing was the prettiest she had heard, and she had heard barbra streissand.
"ok rachel." shelby said as she started quietly singing i dreamed a dream. she looked back when she was done to see rachel asleep.
they settled down and ate, and were now in rachels bed as shelby began to read. "lawyers, i suppose, were children once."
