Hello all! Welcome back to my story! I apologize for the formatting on the last chapter! I uploaded it off of my phone, and it changed a lot of things! Hopefully that isn't an issue! This will eventually involve quinn, I'm just trying to get Shelby and Rachel's relationship established first! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!

Rachel woke with a start, her body soaked with sweat. She went to sit up only to have pain course through her entire body. Everything hurt.

She blinked a few times to try and gather her surroundings. The room was dark, black out curtains pulled tightly shut. She glanced at the clock shining in the room and saw it was only eleven in the morning. She had only slept for a couple hours.

She went to try and move again when she felt a weight on her stomach. She looked down and saw that Shelby had an arm thrown over her, holding her close.

Shelby.

Why did she go to Shelby's house. What in her right mind made her think going to Shelby's house was a good idea. Granted, she wasn't in the right state of mind. And after what had happened. All she had wanted was her mom. She loved her dads, but they weren't home and she knew deep down, they wouldn't know how to comfort her.

She didn't think Shelby knew how to comfort her either. In all honesty, she didn't think Shelby really wanted her there. She tried getting rid of me at the hospital when she told her she was being discharged, but then took pity on me and invited me to stay. And I know she's lying about taking days off after regionals. Is she forgetting I dated her male lead? I can't tell what her angle is. One second she's distant, the next she's taking days off work for me and holding me until I fall asleep.

This was all so fucked up.

Rachel felt the tears form in her eyes as she thought about the night before. It was almost like she could feel him inside her again.

Her stomach started to lurch at the thought. She quickly jumped out of Shelby's bed, despite her body's protest, and barely made it to the toilet in time to empty the contents of her stomach.

She rested her head on the toilet and let out a soft cry when she felt a warm hand start rubbing her back. "It's okay, let it out"

Rachel couldn't help but let out a sob with her sentence. "I'm not on birth control. I'm a, was a virgin" Rachel felt her voice crack and when saying she was no longer a virgin. This is something she hadn't even thought about yet, until now. Her virginity was ripped from her without a choice.

Shelby slid down against the sink and sat behind Rachel, hugging her from behind. "They gave you something at the hospital to prevent a pregnancy from occurring. You don't have to worry about that, okay?"

Rachel nodded and slowly leaned back into Shelby's embrace. Not caring who was holding her, she just needed to be held.

They sat like that for ten minutes before Shelby spoke up again.

"Rachel, do you want to call your dads and tell them what's going on?"

Rachel tensed. Of course she loved her dads endlessly. They just had a habitat of getting caught up with work. The last thing Rachel wanted to do was call them home when she could handle it on her own. They would probably just fly back out in two days anyways. They wouldn't know how to comfort her.

"I'll call them and tell them. But, uhm. Would you mind if maybe I stayed with you for a little bit." Rachel rushed out, afraid she'd lose her nerve to ask if she didn't say it fast enough. She looked at Shelby and studied her face, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Rachel, sweetie, I think your dads are really going to want you to be with them."

Rachel felt her heart sink and tried to hide the tears that were threatening to spill over. "Okay, yea. You're probably right. I'll go call them now."

Rachel waited until she was out of Shelby's room before she let her tears fall.

Fuck.

What the hell had just happened?

When Shelby fell asleep last night holding Rachel, she felt good. She was holding her baby that she so badly wanted. She was comforting her child, who in that moment, needed her mom. And Shelby got to be that for her. Even if it was only for a moment.

Then she woke up to the sound of Rachel throwing up, and she was there for her again. Rubbing her back. Soothing her, comforting her. She once again got to be the parent Rachel needed in that moment.

But then reality came crashing down.

Rachel's dads needed to know what was going on. Hell, if the roles were reversed, she'd be fucking livid that she hadn't got a call yet. So she thought Rachel needed to call them.

But Rachel wanted to stay with her. And she panicked.

She wasn't an idiot. She saw the tears Rachel was holding back. Heard the quiet sobs as she walked out of her room. And she wanted nothing more than to go scoop Rachel up and tell her to stay, but she couldn't. Because Shelby wasn't her parent.

So she sat on the bathroom floor wondering what to do next when Rachel came back in.

"My dads will be home tonight. So you can drop me off whenever or I can have someone pick me up." Rachel said, wincing a little near the end.

"Are you hurting? The doctor gave me pain medicine for you, I can get you one."

"I just took one. I saw them on the counter. I'm going to go lay down in the guest bedroom until you're ready." Rachel said, turning towards the guest room as she did.

She didn't even need Shelby's help with the medicine. She didn't need her. She felt her bottom lip tremble and she quickly bit it. Willing herself not to cry.

She got up and walked towards Rachel's, no, the guest room.

"Hey, that medicine will probably make you sleepy soon. I should probably take you now so you can sleep in your own bed."

Rachel didn't say anything. Just nodded and got up. Following Shelby downstairs towards the garage, grabbing her medication and paperwork sitting on the counter.

The car ride was silent, and Shelby could tell that Rachel was uncomfortable in her seat. Shelby quickly grabbed a sweatshirt she had tossed in the backseat earlier that week and brought it up. Balling it up with one hand and handing it to Rachel.

"Sit on this. It won't be as painful."

Rachel didn't say anything, but she shot her a grateful look as she sat down on the hoodie.

Soon enough they were in Rachel's driveway. Shelby looked up at the dark house and back at Rachel.

"I thought you said your dads were going to be home?"

Rachel stared out the window, "They will be in a few more hours."

"Do you want me to stay until they get here?"

Rachel finally turned to look at her. Shelby could see the exhaustion in her beautiful brown eyes, so much like her own. "No it's okay, they'll be home soon and I'm probably just going to sleep." And with that Rachel turned to open the door. But Shelby stopped her by gently grabbing her arm.

"Rachel I know I said I'm not your mom and that we can't have a relationship. But if you need anything. Call me. Okay?"

Rachel nodded, getting out of the car and walking up to the empty house, not looking back once.

Shelby sighed as she backed out. That's not what she wanted to say. She wanted to tell Rachel that she loved her. And that she was hurting so much seeing her hurting. And that she didn't want to take her back home, but she knew that she had to.

Shelby glanced in the rearview mirror one last time at the dark house, getting an uneasy feeling in her stomach. But she pushed the thought away, telling herself it was because she just missed Rachel, and continued driving home.

Rachel's dads weren't coming home. She had lied to Shelby. Rachel tried calling both of her dads cell phones and neither one answered. But she couldn't tell Shelby that. How could she tell the mother that didn't want her that neither of her dads were picking up her phone calls, because they never did.

So Rachel lied, so Shelby would take her back home. Because she made it pretty obvious that she didn't want her there.

Rachel walked up to her bathroom and turned on the light. Looking at herself for the first time since it happened.

Her skin was pale. And she had purple and blue bruises covering her face and arms. Her face looked suken in and tired. She didn't recognize herself. But I guess she didn't exactly feel like herself either.

She laid down on her bed and pulled out her phone. She had called her dads earlier, but she hadn't checked her texts. And she had over twenty missed texts. Most of them were from Kurt and various other members of the glee club asking where she disappeared to, one was from Noah, making sure she didn't drink too much.

The last one surprised her though.

It was from Quinn. Asking if she was okay because she saw Shelby at the hospital.

Rachel thought about replying, then thought better of it. Quinn was probably just being nosey, and the last thing Rachel needed was another thing Quinn could add to her list of things to make fun of her for.

Rachel's eyes suddenly felt very heavy, so she rolled to her side, carefully as to not hurt her rib, and closed her eyes. Praying for a dreamless sleep.

Shelby was crying.

No. Not crying. Sobbing. Ugly, snotty, wet, open mouth sobs.

She was crying for her baby she gave up 16 years ago. She was crying that she couldn't take away the pain that Rachel was in. Crying that they weren't in a place where Shelby could tell her how much she loved her, and they probably would never get to that place. Crying because she didn't know how to help her daughter. And crying because she knew it wouldn't matter even if she did know how to help, because Rachel wasn't hers.

Shelby trudged upstairs and got into her bed, laying on the side of the bed Rachel had laid in earlier that day. She smiled faintly because it smelled like her. She was just getting ready to close her eyes when her phone rang across the room. Shelby huffed and climbed out of bed. If it was another vocal adrenaline kid calling to ask why she canceled practice for the week she might actually pop a blood vessel.

"What!" She barked into the phone. Ready to make whatever kid was on the line cry.

"Mama."

Shelby's heart stopped. It was Rachel. And she was scream crying.

"Mama. Mama. Help me."

Shelby didn't even have to think. Her body moved on its own. Shoving her feet into shoes, and throwing a sweatshirt on, she ran down the stairs and grabbed her keys. Rachel needed her. And for once she wasn't going to fuck this up.

"Rachel, baby, I'm coming. Hang on baby. I'm coming."

Shelby flew through neighborhoods, ran a red light, and didn't even bother slowing down for turns. She needed to get to her baby. And before she knew it, she was pulling into the Berry's still very empty driveway.

Shelby threw the car into park and nearly fell trying to get out of her car. She ran to the front door, twisting the handle, and praising whatever god was listening for it being unlocked. Once she got in she immediately heard Rachel in a room somewhere upstairs and she took the steps three at a time, sprinting towards the room where she heard Rachel.

Rachel was backed into a corner in her room, knees up to her chest, crying so hard no sound was coming out. Shelby slowly walked towards her as to not scare her and crouched down. Rachel looked up and flung herself into Shelby.

"He was here! I felt him inside me. Touching me. He was here mama. Take me to your house." Rachel wailed into Shelby's shirt. Clutching onto her for dear life, Shelby held her close and stroked the back of her hair.

"Honey he wasn't here. It was just a bad dream. He's not going to get you ever again, okay? You're safe."

"Take me back to your house. I don't want to stay here by myself" Rachel cried.

Shelby backed up so she could look at Rachel's face. "I thought your dads were coming home tonight?" Rachel shook her head no. "Not for another two weeks. I couldn't get ahold of them." Shelby was shocked. "They didn't call you back?" Rachel looked at her sadly. "They never do."

Shelby pulled Rachel back into her and closed her eyes trying to clear her head. She took a minute before she stood up. Pulling Rachel up to her feet with her. "Pack a bag for the week, I'll be waiting downstairs. I have some calls to make." And with that Shelby walked out of the room, leaving Rachel to pack.

Shelby did everything she could to keep her anger at bay. What parent in their right mind thought it was okay to leave their sixteen year old child unsupervised for weeks at a time? And not even answer their phone calls to top it all off. Maybe if they would've been home spending time with Rachel, none of this would've happened.

Shelby shook her head, knowing it wasn't right to place the blame on anyone but the bastard who touched her daughter. She glanced at the clock, sighing, knowing it was way too late to call her lawyer.

She glanced at a notebook and pen lying on the counter, scribbling a note for LeRoy and Hiram in case they returned early. They were aware Rachel and Shelby have met, but she's sure this will come as a shock to them.

"Shelby?"

Shelby frowned before turning around. She should have know the mama thing wouldn't last.

"You ready to go baby?"

Shelby mentally kicked herself. She was getting too attached. She was going to confuse Rachel.

Rachel was looking at her intently, as if she had a million thoughts running through her mind. She tentatively walked over to Shelby and wrapped her tiny arms around her, before letting out a soft cry. "Thank you for coming."

Shelby ran her fingers through her hair. And led her to the car. She wanted to tell her that's what moms are for.

But they both knew that wasn't true in their case.

Rachel was unpacking her clothes in the guest bedroom while Shelby was having a whispered conversation with someone on the phone over in her room. She was grateful for Shelby letting her stay here. She thought she could handle being alone. But she was wrong. This was a different type of lonely then she was used too. This was the type of loneliness that made your skin crawl. Made you remember every vivid detail, made you feel like you were being watched. This wasn't the type of lonely that Rachel wanted to face on her own.

Shelby walked in looking frustrated, but she walked over and lead Rachel to the bed, and took over putting the clothes away for her.

"Have you taken your pain meds recently? The doctor said if you don't keep up on them, you won't be able to control and manage the pain as well." Shelby said, while folding her clothes and putting them neatly in the drawer. Rachel cocked her head to the side. Shelby told her long ago she could never be her mom. That they had missed their chance. But she sure sounded like a mom right now.

"I took one when you dropped me off at my dads."

"That's another thing." Shelby said sternly, "You should have told me they weren't coming back Rachel. I would have let you stay here, or at least helped you find somewhere to go. I would have never let you stay there by yourself. You're too young. Especially to be left weeks on end!"

Rachel looked at her. Was she worried about her?

"I just didn't want to bother you. I know I shouldn't have shown up here. I just didn't know where else to go and I needed a mom in that moment. Even if my dads were home, that wasn't something I could have gone to them with. I could tell I had overstayed my welcome though so I thought it was best for me to go. I know you don't want me here." Rachel mumbled out.

Shelby turned her head so Rachel couldn't see her face, and her shoulders hunched. Was she crying? When she turned her head to look at Rachel her eyes were red and puffy. "Rachel. I don't want you to ever think for a second you can't come to me in a time of need. I know what I said that I could never be your mom. But, if I'm being honest, that's all I've ever wanted my whole life. I just don't know how to be a mom. Seeing you in that hospital bed." Shelby paused, and looked away again. "Rachel if anything were to ever happen to you, I don't think I could live with myself. You are always welcome here. I just, I don't know how to be a mom. It's all new to me, and this situation doesn't help. But I need you to know that I love you, Rachel."

Rachel snapped her head up. Shelby had never said she loved her before. "You do?" Rachel asked timidly.

Shelby pushed the remaining clothes to be put away to the side and walked over to Rachel scooping her into her arms. "More than you will ever understand."

Rachel blinked back tears. "Can I stay until my dads get back?"

Shelby hugged her tighter. "You can stay as long as you want."