Disclaimer: See last chapter.

Twenty Five Years Old

Rachel Berry was happy to say the least. Her life was perfect in every single way possible. She was married, she was pregnant with their first child and she had won four Tony's (three more than she had planned on by this age) and she was going to be playing Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of 'Funny Girl' (she knew this day would come). The show wouldn't be for another year, so she would have plenty of time with her beautiful son until her dream was fully accomplished.

She rubbed her very pregnant stomach, and grinned at the book in front of her. She knew this was another moment when her mother should be here. She had got into contact with her just a year ago – not enough contact that she had been invited to the wedding, but enough contact that she knew what generally went on in her life. She told her she was pregnant, she congratulated her. She told her she would be performing as Fanny Brice, she was happy for her. She told her when Finn was on sick leave from work because he got caught in a fire, she was sad for her. But that was as far as it went.

Not once did Shelby offer to come visit, and Rachel never asked. Neither were sure if the other wanted them in their life, although Rachel knew she desperately wanted a mom in her life one day. She wanted her baby boy – Christopher William Hudson – to have a grandmother, another grandparent to indulge the boy and any other future grandchildren to come along.

Rachel Barbara Berry-Hudson had lived her life long plan – Tony award winner, pregnant and married by twenty five. She was amazed at how well it had all walked out, and if she was honest, she would admit that sometimes, she panicked when Christopher didn't kick, or she cried when Finn didn't come home at the time he said he would because she knows that life wasn't supposed to be this perfect, and she can't help but wait for something to destroy that.

The moment comes, of course it does – in the form of an older, brunette woman on her doorstep. She rubs her stomach protectively – she's only a few days away from the due date – and she wonders why this woman was here, after not setting eyes on her since graduation seven years ago. She eyes the bruise on the woman's cheek, and the cut lip and she shakes her head. "What are you doing here?" It comes across colder than she meant it to, but truth be told – she's terrified of this moment.

"It's the only place I could think of.. I'm.. sorry." She shook her head and let her mother in, calling Finn to help with the bags. She smiled at him when he stared at the other woman, grabbing the bags as Rachel led Shelby to the couch. She wanted to ask the woman so many questions, she wanted to ask her where the bruises come from but she didn't know where her place was in this relationship – should she offer her the guest room? Should she recommend a motel? This was just a moment where Rachel wished her mom had been there for her whole life, so there wouldn't be any awkward moments like this.

Rachel smiled at her husband when he walked over to them, the silence breaking thanks to her one and only love. "Shelby? Can I ask what you're doing here? I mean, I'm thankful if you're here to sort out your relationship with Rachel, but if you're not.. she's very close to the due date and.. I would very much appreciate it if you left, if you're here for something other than a relationship with her, that is." Rachel put a hand on his, smiling when he rambled on.

The older version of Rachel nodded, "I am.. I've wanted to for a long time but I've never managed to.. sort myself out.. enough.." She sighed, and Rachel felt the need to hug the woman – if she could, her stomach seemed to get in the way of even the simplest of tasks. This woman was nothing like the Shelby she remembered, nothing at all. She was weak, she looked worn-down, she looked like a victim.

"I met someone... about two years ago.. and then a year into the relationship, we got in contact.. and I was so happy but I couldn't come and see you. The phone conversations hurt so much, because.. I just needed to be the mom you deserved." She took a deep breath, "There were so many moments I've missed out on, and I don't want to miss out on anymore, Rachel. I gave you up for both selfish reasons, and selfless reasons – I wanted your dads to be happy, but I wanted the money to begin my life in New York. And then I walked out on you again when you were sixteen because I was scared that I had already missed out on too many moments, I was terrified that you no longer needed me. And I know that wasn't the case.."

Rachel could only nod, watching as Finn kissed her forehead and then went to take Shelby's bags up to the guest room – she guessed he wanted to leave them both alone. "You don't have to explain to me.." She began, rubbing her stomach when Christopher kicked.

"No.. I want to and I have to. I should have come here a year ago, and I have to admit.. I came to most of your shows.. I've been to every single opening night and every single closing show you've done. And a few inbetween.. you are amazing on stage, Rachel. You belong there, and I am so proud of you. I just sit there with a huge smile on my face, I cry with your character.. I laugh with your character. I have never seen someone belong on that stage as I have you.." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair,

"I don't know what happened – I don't know when I became a victim. But I guess I did along the way, I got into a relationship I never should have but I was depressed after Beth was given back to Quinn.. and he was violent.. and I am so ashamed of myself. I left him.. and this was the only place I thought of to go." Rachel bit down on her lip and closed her eyes tight – she was always known to pick up on others emotions, and she could barely control her own when she wasn't pregnant, so it was so much harder now that she was.

She let a tear fall down her cheek, a pang of guilt rushing through her as she thought about how many times she had told her mother how perfect her relationship with Finn was. When she told him of the time she came home to rose petals scattered everywhere, and a romantic dinner, and how the whole night had been so beautiful. And then she would tell her how Finn would have a lovely bubble bath waiting for her after a long day of work. All the while she had no idea what her own mother was going through.

"I'm so sorry.." She finally whispered, biting her lip hard when Christopher decided to kick again. She smiled when Shelby asked if she could feel, and she nodded, almost afraid to admit to herself that she had imagined this happening more than once as the older woman reached over to touch her stomach. She felt Christopher react to his grandmother and she grinned wide, "He knows.. who you are, I mean.."

Shelby smiled wide and moved closer to her daughter, the daughter she had longed to hold for so many years. "I'm so sorry for missing out on so much.. I never thought.. I mean, there was so much I could still have been a part of but then.. I knew it would never be the same. You live with your dads, and I could never have you as completely mine. I was so selfish but.. after what happened, I realize how much I want to have a daughter in my life, and how much I want that daughter to be you."

"I've wanted to hear you say that for so long now.." Rachel whispered, "I imagined you sitting on the table at the Tony awards.. you'll come to the next one, won't you? I mean, I know it's a bit far in advance, but the Broadway revival of Funny Girl is bound to win a few awards.." Rachel stopped, blushing,

"I'm glad you haven't changed much, Rachel." Shelby admitted, pushing some hair from the girls face, "I'm so happy that you have this life.. I'm so happy for you."

"Will you stay? You can't go back to your house, and.. I want to get to know you better. I want to.. share all those moments with you and I know there will be more to come. I want to be a part of your life, and I need you in my life." Shelby nodded and wrapped her arms around her very pregnant daughter,

"I need you in my life, too. And I would love to stay.. if you want.." Rachel grinned and called down her husband, asking him to show Shelby the guest room.

She watched Shelby walk ahead of them as Finn tried his best to help her up the stairs, something which was becoming more and more of a struggle as the pregnancy passed. "Were you this big when you were pregnant with me?" She finally asked, looking at the woman who turned around and nodded,

"You were surprisingly huge, I could barely move. I mean, you're a lot smaller than I was back then, so I can imagine carrying that around isn't too much fun." Rachel laughed and rubbed her stomach, nodding, "It's a bit of a pain, he's going to be huge like his daddy, I think."

Shelby could only nod and laugh at the tiny girl as she struggled to move, "Will you let me be there for the birth? At least outside.. I want to see him." Rachel wrapped her arms around the woman and nodded, "I would love for you to share this moment with me. Just this one moment.. and hopefully more to come."

Finn watched his wife and mother-in-law, smiling, so glad that finally, after twenty-five years that Rachel could finally have a change with the mother she wanted to have a relationship with for so long now. He put a hand on his wife's lower back, kissing the back of her head before walking them both to the guest room, "I've put your bags in here, and there is an adjoining bathroom so feel free to shower or whatever."

Shelby thanked him, saying goodnight to them both before they took the slow walk to their own bedroom, both of them holding each other as best as they could without Rachel's stomach getting in the way, as they slowly fell asleep.

~ .. ~

It was the early hours of the morning when Shelby was woken up by a loud scream, she slowly got out of the bed and smiled when she heard the panicked words of one, Finn Hudson as he shouted down the phone to a person she could only assume with his mother, or someone else in his family. She had gotten to know him so much better over the past few days, and she knew that this moment was one of relief and stress for the both parents. She got dressed and walked into the bedroom, watching as Rachel sat up in bed trying to take deep breaths as Finn paced back and forth as he spoke on the phone.

She took the hospital bag and offered a small smile to her daughter, kissing the girls forehead softly. "It's going to be okay, alright? I know this is scary but.. you will forget all this panic and all the pain when you are holding that beautiful baby boy in your arms." Rachel gave her a small smile, which quickly turned into a grimace as she put a hand on her stomach again.

The mother watched as her daughter's husband walked over to her, after he put the phone down, letting them both know that their families were on their way to the hospital – Shelby was aware both sides of the family were in town awaiting the birth of the newest Hudson-Berry. She walked behind them both as they walked to the car, Rachel screaming in pain every so often as Finn panicked, "Oh shit, oh shit.. oh shit.. oh fuck. Oh my.. oh fucking... fucking hell.. shit..." She knew that if Rachel wasn't so focused on being in labour right now, she would have told him off for his language. She shook her head when he went to go into the drivers seat, getting in it herself when she took the keys from him.

It was only a few hours until she was looking at her grandson, Christopher William Hudson. And she had never seen such a beautiful baby boy, a sense of pride swelled through her as she held him in her arms, a tear falling from her face as she kissed his forehead before passing him around to Hiram, who passed him onto Leroy and it carried on like that until the boy was back in Rachel's arms.

Rachel looked up at her mom and smiled wide, "I'm so glad you're here for this moment.. this means more to me than anything else." They both smile at each other, a nod of understanding between them before Rachel focuses on her first baby, rocking him gently as Finn sat next to her. Shelby laughed at the way he tried to hide the way he was holding his injured hand from his wife – she had managed to squeeze it so hard, he was pretty sure it was broken, but whenever he moaned about it, Rachel would threaten him so he managed to stay quiet while he stared down at his baby boy.

And both Rachel and Shelby knew that out of all the moments they had missed in each other's lives, this was more perfect than anything. Rachel was so glad she had the woman here to share this wonderful moment, a moment they could never relive. And she had never been happier.