Rachel finally stopped crying a few minutes later. She sat wrapped in my arms for a few minutes before looking up at me and moving away. "You can go back to your room now. I'm fine thank you."

"Rachel I really think we need to-"

"I am fine, Miss Corcoran, goodnight," her tone was soft but her words cut through me like a knife.

"Ok, goodnight. I love you." I put on my best show face and walked out of the room and into my own. Quickly slipping off my pants (I never liked sleeping in pants), I crawled into bed and snuggled into my already sleeping boyfriend's chest. He shifted in his sleep, bringing his arms around me and brushing his lips over the top of my head. I let a few tears fall down my cheeks before I finally fell asleep.

Waking up in the morning was, to put it nicely, hell. I hadn't fallen asleep until three and here just two short hours after that I was attempting to get up. I was not going to work and that was clear. "Are you and Rachel staying home for the day?" Benny asked into my ear as I still lie in bed even though he had had enough time to get completely dressed and ready for work.

"Mmm," I grunted in response making him laugh. He kissed my cheek in goodbye stating that Brody had already left and that Rachel was still in bed. "mlovyoo," I whispered, already falling back to sleep. He brushed the hair out of my face, planting another sweet kiss to my head mumbling that he loved me too into my ear before walking off. Smiling I slipped into a peaceful dream state.

Waking up in a much better mood around ten, I smiled as I stretched and made my way to my daughter's room (after putting on pants of course). But what awaited me when I reached her room was emptiness. Her bed was made perfectly and she was gone. I looked all around the house to no avail. Tears of panic sprang into my eyes as I dialed Benny's number. "I've lost her!" I screamed into the phone, out and out bawling. "I can't find her!"

"Calm down, Shell. Did you look outside?" I had just finished throwing on some sweats and tennis shoes, ready to go searching heaven and hell for my little girl when he asked this.

Quickly I checked out there calling her name four times. "No Benny! She's not there!" I cried.

"Ok, Shell, I'll come and get you and we can go look for h- Wait Shelby she's here. I just saw her walk down the hallway."

"At the school?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes, I'll go get her a-"

"No Benny, I will come get her," I sighed, relief washing over me.

"Ok, well I have to get back to class. I love you."

"Love you too."

I rushed out the door and to the school not really caring what I looked like. I wasn't there as a teacher that day, I was there as a mom. Rushing into the school, I went to the front desk and asked the very shocked receptionist to please call down for Rachel to check out. The receptionist, having always been afraid of me, did as asked without further questions. I thanked the woman and stepped out of the office to wait on my daughter.

She came down the hallway five minutes later, and as soon as she saw me her eyes got wide. "I'm so sorry mom!" she squeaked. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her head.

"Oh thank God you're ok. Baby, please don't ever do that to me again. I had no idea where you were. I was so scared."

"Wait," she stated pulling away from me. "You aren't mad?" she asked shifting away from me and down casting her eyes.

"About what?" I asked slightly confused.

"I slept in and missed first period. I didn't mean to I swear! I'm so sorry."

"Rachel there is nothing to be sorry about. I mean I'm a little upset that you left the house without me knowing but right now I'm just relieved that you're ok. I was going to keep you home from school today anyway. We need to talk and I just wanted to spend some time with you."

"You aren't mad?"

"No silly."

"Not even that I messed up your plans?"

"You haven't messed them up. We my dear are going home. We have to- or well I have to take a shower and get dressed. My lawyer and the police are coming to take your statement about what went on last night." She tensed and I placed a soothing hand on her back as I led her out of the school. Then you and I are going to get into our pajamas and watch movies and talk if you want, until Ben comes home and then we'll eat dinner and watch some more. Does that sound ok?"

"That sounds nice," she smiled up at me and I instantly knew that it was my goal in life to make sure that, that smile stayed on her face for the rest of her life.

Shelby's POV:

Shortly after I had finished doing my make-up under the watchful eye of Rachel, the doorbell rang. Opening it I found the police officers on the other side.

"Morning ma'am. We're looking for a Shelby Corcoran and Rachel Berry."

"Yes, I'm Shelby Corcoran and this is Rachel." The officer smiled at her and then turned back to his paper.

"As it says here Miss Berry came to your house last night slightly bloodied. Is that correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Well we will need to talk to you, Miss Berry to get your statement." The officer looked at Rachel then and her gaze downshifted.

"Yes sir," was her meek reply as I lead them in and to the living room.

"Now Rachel, we need the whole story," the officer began as we all got settled.

Rachel's POV:

The whole story? I thought to myself. "Um, with Mr. Johnson?" The officer nodded. I sighed. I didn't want to talk about the past I only wanted to go into the future. The future with my mom. At least until she tires of me too. "Well he would always punish me for being late by sending me to bed without dinner or without dinner and breakfast the next day but yesterday he was furious. He had specifically told me that I couldn't go to practice but I went anyway. VA was the first place I had felt at home and accepted in a long time. So I went and that's when I found my mo- Miss Corcoran. That was when I found out that she was my mother. Then we talked for a while and I didn't get home until seven. Mr. Johnson was livid. He sent me to my room stating that I better eat good lunches because I wasn't having any other meal for the rest of the week. I heard him shouting downstairs with Mrs. Johnson and then I heard a smack followed by the setting of the table and then by footsteps on the stairs. He burst into my room saying that dinner was ready. I was really confused but as soon as I walked downstairs, I wasn't anymore. On the place that was set for me was a plate that was full of rare almost raw meat. I started to go back upstairs but he yelled at me to sit down. I did so and he told me to eat up. I refused and he shoved the plate closer to me, only it fell off of the table and into my lap, which is why I was covered in blood. I screamed and ran out the door and sprinted until I came to a gas station with a pay phone. Lucky that I just so happened to have enough change in my pocket for the phone, I racked my brain for Miss Corcoran's number. I couldn't remember it though and I had left my phone, which was the reason for the payphone, back at the Johnson's house. But I could remember Brody's, that's my friend, number. I called him and asked him to bring me here and he did." The police officer finished his note taking and asked a few more questions before he left, only to be replaced five minutes later with mom's attorney. He informed her of her legal rights to get me back and had her sign the forms that would begin the transfer of custody from the state to her. After the door shut behind the lawyer, she turned to me and smiled that sweet motherly smile that she always gives me, and I wanted nothing more than to jump in her arms and just have her hold me. I didn't want to smother her though. She is the first person in the last nine years to actually care for me, I didn't want to scare her away. So I just waited for her to say something.

"Do you want to go change and I'll pop us some popcorn and set up a movie?" I nodded my head and began my trek up the stairs to my ro- the guest room. When I had finished changing I walked down the stairs and sat on the far right hand side of the couch and watched as my mother went about setting the movie up.

My mother. The phrase sounded so strange on my mind's tongue. My mother. I have a mother and she is no longer just a figment of my imagination. She's real. Right here with me. Wanting me….. at least for the moment. I sigh and will back the tears threatening to spill out my eyes. Why would she want me? Sure she seems like she does now? But what about when the new wears off? Then I'll just be kicked to the side and I'll be orphaned again. I can't help the single tear that falls down my cheek and of course that's the moment that she turned and looked at me.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" she asks as she sits next to me, but I quickly scoot farther away from her to keep myself from falling into her warm embrace. I see a flash of hurt cross her face but it is gone as soon as it came. "Rachel, I think we need to talk about all of this." Her voice was sweet but there was a hint of authority in it.

"Can we just watch the movie?"

"No, we need to talk and then we can watch the movie."

"But I don't want to talk," I snap. Then as a wave of anger floods my body, I jump up and pace the room while venting every last thought going through my mind, trying to sort through them out loud and paying no heed that they might hurt her. "I don't want to talk to a woman I just met. You are my mother but you aren't my mom… not yet and maybe not ever! You say that you care about me, and maybe you do but that will go away. You're nice now. But that too will go. I know! I've seen it! And how can you love me? Huh? You don't even know me! I mean sure I love you but you're my mom I'm supposed to love you. There is no contract stating that parents have to love their children. I mean you gave me away when I was barely two minutes old. You didn't even want to hold me! My dads said that I cried in the room and reached for you but you wouldn't take me, not even for a moment. They said that you told them to take me and never talk to you again! What's changed? What, in the last thirteen years has made you all of a sudden want to be a part of my life? I just…. I'm tired of everyone thinking of themselves. I know it's selfish but I want someone to think about me for a change! So, Shelby, what about me? Why don't you think about what's going to happen to me when you decide that you've had enough? You want to know what's going to happen to me? I'm going to be handed back over to the state and they are going to keep bouncing me from house to house. Some families are nice but some are horrid. Did you know, at one house I wasn't allowed to take a shower but every three days? Three days. Do you know how much I was made fun of because I stunk? And I cried to you every night. I had a picture of you looking out a window from behind that I found a long time ago. I kept it under my pillow and I talked to you and cried to you every night…. And I begged you to come get me. Now that I have you here with me though, I can't help but think that when I go back I won't have that hope anymore. I really will be all alone. I-" I couldn't finish my sentence as I finally stopped my pacing and looked at her. She was sobbing into her hands. She was so broken, and I had been the one to break her. My heart collapsed under the guilt and I struggled to keep my voice even as tears streamed down my face. "I-I'm so sorry." I ran up the stairs faster than lightning and threw myself onto my bed sobbing over everything I had just said and the fact that I had broken my mother's heart. "Why did I do that? I'm so freaking dumb! Now she really will hate me!" I yelled at myself.

I had been crying so hard that I didn't even hear my door open. I jumped a little bit when I felt her fingers run through my hair but didn't pull away. Slowly, she lay down behind me, curling her body around mine and pulling my small frame back into hers, kissing the back of my head. "I do love you," she whispered but I could still hear the tears in her voice. "Contractual obligation or not, I love you. I would do anything for you. I will never….. never get tired of you. The rest of what you just said, we will talk about later but right now, just tell me what you want me to do and I will do it. Please, baby. Talk to me."

"Can- Can you please just hold me? Please?" I whimpered, and her arms tightened around me as I turned into her chest and cried, feeling her tears hit the top of my head and reveling in the soft kisses she kept placing there.

"Of course."

A/N: Ok so I hope that you guys liked this chapter :) Please let me know what you think.

Lizzy

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