A/N - I think it's probably easier to redeem Shelby than Russell but it was still difficult to explain her inertia with Rachel. Anyway, hopefully it works here within the context of the story. Enjoy

Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love

They don't know how long it takes

Waiting for a love like this

Every time we say goodbye

I wish we had one more kiss

I'll wait for you, I promise you I will

Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat

Rachel looks lost as she walks towards the waiting room, her fathers looking at her expectantly but she doesn't know what to say or do. She's barely holding it together and it shows but she's still a damn good actress as she takes a breath and puts on a smile.

It's not too wide but conveys just enough normality that her fathers nod and smile back before concentrating on comforting Emma. She swallows as she looks down at her hands, her fingers can't stop moving, as if she needs to hold onto something or someone. She knows who is missing but it's alos not in her hands to force Quinn to stay by her side no matter how much she wishes for it.

She feels a hand on her back and flinches before she hears Shelby's voice. "Are you ok?" She cannot bear the sudden kindness that she hears and takes a step away but Shelby shadows her movement, this time taking hold of her arm and steering her towards the cafeteria.

"We're going to get some coffee and hot chocolate for everyone." Her words are spoken with confidence and Rachel sees Beth and her fathers smile and nod in appreciation. She wonders why Shelby was choosing to leave Beth and wants to ask; only her words are still stuck in her throat as she feels so adrift without Quinn's presence.

Her feet follow automatically as Shelby guides her to the cafeteria. She wonders idly how Shelby knows the way and realizes that Beth had been in the hospital a few times before and she had probably spent more than her fair share of time worried and drinking bad hospital coffee. It's that thought that finally spurs her to speak.

"Don't you want to be with Beth?" Rachel's ready for the answer and implied rejection, something probably along the lines of wanting to keep Rachel away from Beth and that Shelby would need to go and check up on her in a few minutes. Only those words do not come forth.

"I think my other daughter needs me more right now." Shelby stops in front of Rachel. She can see her struggling with something, trying to keep it all inside, trying so desperately to keep it together. Her hands held tightly by her sides, her fingers curled tightly into fists."Maybe, you should just let it out."

Rachel shakes her head from side to side, her lips pressed together even as her eyes well up with tears. All her emotions roiling within her and she can't let it out. She presses both her hands into her stomach, pushing in, wanting to contain everything because if she let it out, she might not stop.

"It's ok, sweetheart, it's ok." She feels her mother's arms around her, so different from her dads or Quinn's. A similar hug to one sixteen years ago the only difference being this hug did not signify goodbye. Or at least she hoped Shelby's words carried meaning and she was not going to leave her just yet. She still does not cry even as she derives comfort from the hug.

Shelby wonders why this had been so hard for her to do. She could feel a connection to Rachel, driven by more than just DNA. Maybe loving Beth had opened her up to accepting Rachel as well. She had never tested that theory until now. But the need she has to make it all right for Rachel is so strong, a link forged by regret and time as much as blood. "I'm here for you, just let it out, you're going to be ok." She finally feels Rachel's tears flow as her body shudders in her arms.

They stand there for ten minutes until Rachel's tears subside, Shelby's hand stroking Rachel's hair like she would do to Beth when she was upset. She hears Rachel sniff and finally pull back from her embrace.

"Thanks." Her hands scrub her face, embarrassed at her naked show of emotion. "I'm sorry, I'll go get the coffee and you can go back to Beth." Rachel takes a step forward only to feel Shelby's fingers curl around her arm, stopping her.

"I meant what I said about being here for you now. I'm sorry that I couldn't do it before, that I never reached out to you since but…" Shelby trails off as she sees Beth walk round the corner, coming to a stop as she sees the both of them. All of her excuses and reasons for not acknowledging Rachel embodied by the young girl looking at them only she knows that she's projecting and she can't blame Beth for any of it. She had been afraid and stupid and wasted so much time.

Rachel sees her pause and turns to see Beth staring at them. Her sister from another mother, a paraphrase she remembers Finn using for Kurt and she feels like crying again except Beth actually smiles at her. Not at Shelby but directly at her, as if she understands and accepts her in their lives.

She turns to Shelby and notes that she's still worried about Beth's reaction by the look on her face. It finally prompts Rachel to speak softly. "I won't tell her if you don't want her to know." Her voice carries an implied plea not to deny her and even though it hurts, Rachel knows that at least Shelby had acknowledged her again. For that, she would accept if Shelby didn't want Beth to know. She holds her brath as she sees a look of resolve on Shelby's face.

"Beth, this is Rachel. Rachel's my…my biological daughter." Shelby's voice does not waver although her words are hesitant. Beth's smiling as she walks up and links hands with Rachel, surprising the both of them.

"You know mom has this picture of you in a gold dress, singing on stage. You look just like she did when she was younger." The tears in Rachel's eyes are no longer ones of regret or fear as she feels Beth's acceptance as well as Shelby's who takes her other hand.

They end up in the cafeteria getting coffee and hot chocolate as Beth asks her questions which she answers almost automatically, about her stage experience and her upcoming album. She sees Shelby glancing at her every now and then and realizes that she's worried about her and her eyes water yet again.

"Rachel?" The worry in Shelby's voice is evident as Rachel shakes her head, a watery smile on her face.

"Um." She's been able to cry on demand since she was two and stop on cue but right now, she can't seem to control her emotions. She's not uncomfortable with showing them but knows that it had to have been one of the reasons Shelby had rejected her all those years ago. Likewise, she still thought that they were part of the reason Quinn couldn't deal with her in High School and maybe didn't want to deal with her now. "I'm sorry, I.."

"You don't have to apologize. Quinn loves you." Shelby sees the young doctor enter the cafeteria looking worried and anxious. Her eyes scanning the room until it falls on the three of them.

"How do you know?" Rachel does not doubt Quinn's ability to love her. It's just the fact that she had not been able to reach out to Quinn, to offer her love and support back that throws her. It could mean so many things, most of all, it could mean that despite their relationship, Quinn couldn't derive comfort from their love.

"Just hear her out." Shelby points towards the fast approaching figure and is amazed to see Rachel's demeanor change almost instantaneously, a look of hope on her face.

When Rachel's dad had told her that Rachel was with Shelby, Quinn didn't know what to think. She already felt overwhelmed with guilt and knew that she still needed to think about her father's transplant. Adding worry about Rachel's well being to her already fraying psyche was the last thing she needed. But she loved Rachel and knew that the brunette had given up a lot to just be with her in Lima. The least she could do was ensure that Shelby didn't hurt her further.

"I asked your dads to drive you home." The words wipe the hopeful smile from Rachel's face as she breaks eye contact with Quinn and looks down. Quinn immediately kneels in front of Rachel, placing her hands on top of the brunette's. "Alex and I talked to Emma and he's going to harvest the heart soon. I need to stay for the operation. I can't scrub in but my mom needs me to be here. I..I talked to your dads and they'll take you home. Please."

It's the plea that causes Rachel to look back up at Quinn, to try and understand what she was asking of her. It sounded so much like a rejection but she wants to believe that it's not, that Quinn had spent so much of her life alone, fighting her own battles that she didn't know how to lean on Rachel.

It hurt to acknowledge that but at least Quinn had come to her, so she traces the side of Quinn's cheek, "I could stay with you?" She asks the question despite knowing the answer as she sees Quinn let out her breath in a sigh before shaking her head.

"It'll take four hours or more and I can't.." She doesn't know how to finish the sentence without explaining that she doesn't want to show Rachel how close she is to falling apart. She needs to be the strong one here and she can't show Rachel how weak she actually is.

I can't deal with you here, I can't love you enough to share this with you, I can't lean on you.

Rachel fills in what Quinn cannot say and she finally glances at Shelby, who looks just as stricken as she probably feels but she does not show it. "Its fine, I understand. I'll wait for you, I will." Her acting on this trip has been stellar and she realizes that for Quinn's sake, she'll need to keep up the charade even as she feels her heart crumble.

She's grateful when she sees Shelby whisper to Beth and sees Beth nod and walk towards her. Rachel's not sure if she can stand unaided but tries anyway, relieved when she stands and Beth links arms with her. She accepts Quinn's kiss, closing her eyes as she feels Quinn's lips make contact with her own, wishing that Quinn would change her mind but knowing that she wouldn't as she quietly turns and walks away.

"Don't hurt her." Shelby's words surprise her and Quinn sighs audibly, not wanting to have the conversation right now even if Shelby had every right to protect Beth.

"I'm not going to hurt Beth. She knows you're her mom and I'm…I'm just her biological mother. She's old enough to know the difference." Quinn pinches the bridge of her nose, hoping to stop the headache from forming even as she can feel its onset.

"I'm not talking about Beth. I don't want you hurting Rachel." Shelby sees Quinn's shoulders tense and is glad to finally see an emotional reaction from the blond.

"This from the woman who abandoned her sixteen years ago." Quinn can't help the bitterness in her voice as she stares at Shelby, only to see the woman nod slowly as if in complete agreement with her tone and words.

"Yes, but I wasn't the one who bullied her all throughout high school." Jesse had told her of the taunts and slushies that Rachel had to endure and for a short time, she had considered asking Rachel to transfer to Carmel. Only she had been scared of so many things up to and including acknowledging and caring for a daughter she did not know.

She had reached out not expecting the messiness that came with motherhood. She knows Quinn is right in accusing her of abandoning Rachel but at least right now, she was trying to help. "I screwed up and I don't ever expect her to forgive me. Except she managed to forgive you and right now, you're hurting her. You're so lucky to have her in your life" Shelby feels the loss immensely now, of wasting so much time not getting to know her first daughter, not recognizing what a wonder she was.

Quinn feels the fury building up within her but it's not directed outwards at Shelby because she was right. She had bullied Rachel, every chance she got, she had been merciless in getting to the top and ensuring she stayed there and just because she had finally realized her mistakes and tried to make up for them. All that didn't negate her past. Moreover, even if Rachel had forgiven her, she still managed to hurt her even now. Not with words but definitely with her inaction.

She wasn't rejecting Rachel, far from it, but she could see that it would seem like it to Shelby and definitely to Rachel.

"Go."

She does not need Shelby to urge her but the word does act like an impetus as she sprints towards the door, Rachel's name on her lips. She sees the diva at the end of the corridor still waiting for the elevator and she rushes forward, engulfing Rachel in an embrace that would have knocked Rachel over if not for Quinn's arms around her.

"I need you. I will always need you even when I tell you different because I'm so stupid." She feels her words vibrate against Rachel's skin as she places a kiss at the side of Rachel's neck. "Don't go, stay with me. I want you to stay but was too afraid to ask and " She feels Rachel's finger on her mouth as the diva pulls back, her eyes still filled with tears.

"I once told you I would wait for you and I meant it. I'll always wait for you. Always. Even when you're that stupid." She can say so much more, explaining that she would wait forever if necessary or the fact she understands Quinn's need to be in control or to at least try and show that she was. It wasn't a trait she liked in the blond but it made Quinn who she was and Rachel for the life of her loved all of Quinn.

End Part 10

So hopefully this chapter redeems Shelby and Quinn :) All I have to say is work is getting frustrating so angst will be coming!