"No Brittany! That mine!" Santana howled, reaching for her teddy bear.
"I'm playing with it." Brittany said, dangling the white and pink sparkled bear above Santana. "You can't have it!"
"You stoe it from me."
"It's stole, stupid head." Brittany teased.
"Give it to me." Santana said, catching one of the fluffy legs and tugging with all her might.
"You're gonna lose." Brittany smirked.
Before either girl could continue the argument, Brittany lost custody of the bear and had two painful swats to her bottom. Shelby moved the girl to the corner, telling her not to move an inch until she was told too.
"Momma." Brittany whined, rubbing her smarting bottom but it didn't do much to make her feel better.
"Not another word or you'll get another spanking." Shelby narrowed her eyes at the blonde as she reached down to pick up the dropped bear. She knelt down next to Santana and placed the beloved bear into Santana's hands.
"Oh no, Momma." Santana said, her dark eyes glossing over with tears.
"What's the matter? You got Bear-bear back."
"He hurt." The preschooler whimpered.
"Poor Mr. Bear-bear." Shelby said, pushing out her bottom lip. "He's got a big owie."
"Makes him better, Momma, like you make me when I hurt."
"I will make him all better, don't you worry little one." Shelby kissed Santana's nose and carefully placed the bear on top of the entertainment center, so his leg didn't fully come off.
Shelby sat down on the floor and pulled Santana to sit on her lap. Using the Wii remote, Shelby turned on Netflix and found The Wonder Pets for Santana to watch. The girl squealed with delight and clapped her hands. Brittany, after being instructed to apologize, sat down behind her Momma and played with her hair. Shelby loved when Brittany played with her hair. The Five year old was always so gentle and was careful to not tangle or knot her hair.
"Momma." Quinn said from the couch. Shelby turned her head just slightly to look at Quinn. "Rachie's baba is empty."
"Baba." Rachel whimpered, holding out the empty bottle.
"Quinn could you get her a new one off the top self of the fridge for me, please?"
"Okay." Quinn said, getting off the couch and running to the gate. She stepped over it and went to the fridge, getting a purple bottle from the rack. returning to the couch, Quinn sat down and held the bottle to Rachel's lips. "I got it, baby."
Shelby smiled at her 7 year old, being motherly towards Rachel. After watching her momma care for Rachel, Quinn was a pro. She knew how far to tip the bottle back so Rachel didn't get a bellyache and knew to take the bottle away halfway through, so Rachel could take a break. After Rachel seemed to have enough, Quinn gently squeezed the front of Rachel's diaper, noting it was full.
"I'll be right back, okay?" Quinn said to Shelby. The mom nodded, thinking Quinn was either going to the bathroom or grabbing a toy from upstairs. Instead she returned with a diaper and wipes.
"Nah." Rachel shook her head and crossed her legs. Only Shelby changed her.
"Quit fussing." Quinn said in a Shelby like way, right down to the hand on the hip. She tried to uncross Rachel's legs but she wasn't having it.
"Nah!" Rachel growled out.
"What's going on over there?" Shelby asked, unable to look over their way because Brittany was working on her hair.
"Rachel needs a diaper change but she won't let me." Quinn folded her arms. "She is naughty! Spank her!"
"Calm down mother Quinn." Shelby stood up, much to Brittany's protest, and cupped Quinn's cheek with a light chuckle. "I think and spanking is a little harsh, Rachel is just being fussy because she's tired."
Rachel narrowed her eyes at Shelby. Again with the accusations of being tired?
Shelby winked at Rachel and patted her squishy bottom, effectively ending the girl's glare. Rachel could still remember the soreness of her bottom from her first spanking and didn't care to have a repeat so soon. She was lucky enough to have gotten by on Shelby's warning that afternoon and didn't want to get that close again.
"Britt, why don't you do Quinn's hair while I change Rachel?" Shelby said, trying to get Quinn to focus on something else.
When the two blondes were sitting down, Shelby got to work on cleaning up Rachel's wet diaper. Rachel laid still for Shelby and tried to hide a yawn from the woman. Okay, so maybe she was a little tired. Shelby gave a smug and knowing look as she scooped up Rachel into her arms, settling her on her lap.
"Sanna?" Shelby sweetly said. "Would you bring me Rachie's blankie and that other blanket?"
"Otay Momma." Santana said, handing Shelby the baby blanket and the blanket Rachel had that morning.
Shelby gave the baby blanket to Rachel and the girl clung to it. Shelby mentioned to the girls to quite down so she could get Rachel down for a nap.
"Why you cover her face?" Santana asked, from her spot on the floor with her tea set.
"So the lights don't bother her." Shelby claimed.
"Oh." Santana bought the answer and went back to her tea party with her stuffed animal friends.
Rachel tried to sit up, not wanting to take a nap but Shelby gently laid her back in her arms and pulled the blanket to cover Rachel's head. A quick tug of her shirt and a flick with her fingers and Shelby had her top and bra undone for Rachel. Shelby moved the edge of the blanket back just a touch to see Rachel. The mom wasn't dumb and could see Rachel's eyes were drying with sleepiness and she also was aware that Rachel knew nursing would only induce sleep but both knew, Rachel couldn't resist. Shelby guided Rachel closer to her breast and like she figured, Rachel latched in after hardly any coaxing. Minutes passed and the sucking began to slow until it completely stopped. Looking down, Shelby straightened her bra and shirt, glad that it hadn't taken much time for Rachel to fall asleep. A change in position and Rachel was sprawled out on the couch.
Now that all the girls were busy and content, Shelby could get to making dinner. In tonight's menu: Chicken Stir-fry. Well, veggie stir fry for Rachel. With the rice boiling away, Shelby separated a couple spoonfuls of the veggies into a bowl and set it aside for Rachel and dumped the browned chicken into the pan for the rest of the family.
The table was set and the older girls were called into the kitchen to eat but were sternly warned to not wake up the dozing baby. Shelby passed out cups of milk and sat down to eat. Shelby listened as the girls spoke about their days. Quinn had gotten all her homework turned in and was now caught up, Shelby was glad to hear this and warned the girl not to fall behind again. Santana had apologized to Will, uninstructed, for yelling at him. She knew her mom was going to make her do it anyway so she beat Shelby to the punch. It made Shelby think that Santana and Rachel being friends was good for the pair. Rachel was learning to stand up for herself and on the flip side, Santana was starting to be more polite and respectful on certain levels. Shelby had yet to break into the world of Snixx and felt bad for anyone who go in the way but at least Santana was taking some responsibility for her actions.
Shelby ushered the girls upstairs for their bath, checking on Rachel as they went by. Leaning over the couch, Shelby took in Rachel's peaceful look and knew the girl was having good dreams. Santana patted her thigh and held out her arms, wanting Shelby to carry her up the stairs. After demanding a please from the toddler, Shelby hoisted the girl onto her hip and went up the stairs.
Rachel woke up two hours after Shelby had gotten her to sleep and saw that she was alone. Wondering where her mom and sisters were, Rachel tossed the blankets off of her and went upstairs, seeing as the bottom floor was empty. Shelby's bedroom door was closed and the light was on, checking the toddler/nursery room, she discovered it was empty as well. Creeping back to Shelby's door, she heard talking. Because the bedroom door was closed, Rachel knew it must be a private conversation and didn't want to disturb them.
Rachel got her laptop out of the guest room, having grabbed it the night Shelby found them at her house, and went downstairs to wait for them to finish talking. Rachel fiddled around on Facebook and Twitter, checked her email, and MySpace, then became bored. Everyone she talked to on the social network sites were upstairs and no famous Broadway directors had discovered her on MySpace, watching a movie was really the only thing to do. Immediately, her attention turned to the Funny Girl DVD just feet in front of her. She put her laptop on the couch and got up, getting the DVD marked Rachel from the case and sat back on the couch. Before she started the movie, Rachel stayed still to see if anyone was coming down. Concluding that she was safe to watch, Rachel clicked the play button, instantly recognizing the scene before her.
Rachel strolled through the theater, singing Don't Rain on My Parade, the first time Shelby had seen Rachel since giving birth to her.
The song ended and Rachel could hear the sniffles from the operator of the camera.
"She's amazing, Shelby." Jesse's voice whispered out.
"Naturally." Shelby said with a giggle as the camera remained focused on Rachel.
The camera turned off but a slide show of pictures began. There were pictures of her and Jesse making silly faces and laughing hysterically at one another. The slide show changed to pictures of Rachel on the swings at the park by her house, her hair blowing all around her and Rachel holding on tight as Jesse pushed her higher. More photos appears but these were ones where Rachel was unaware she was being photographed. Some were of her singing, others were of her getting song ideas from the music store, and a bunch were of her out and about with Jesse.
"That's my favorite." Shelby said, standing behind Rachel. The teen jumped, covering her heart and looked at her mother. "Sorry."
"You scared the crap out of me." Rachel said, trying to regain her breathing.
"I didn't mean too but I thought I'd let you know that was my favorite picture." Shelby said, walking around the couch to sit down.
"I found it a few nights ago and was curious about what was on it. I should have asked first." Rachel bit her lip, hoping Shelby wasn't mad.
"It's nothing to worry about." Shelby said, lifting Rachel's legs up so she could sit under them. "It wasn't a very clever hiding spot, I guess you would have found it eventually since Funny Girl is your favorite. Except for when you are sad. When you're sad, you like to watch Beauty and the Beast with a glass of water."
"How did you know that?" Rachel asked, setting her computer aside.
"Jesse." Shelby replied. "He told me a few facts about you."
"Well he was right, I love watching Beauty and the Beast when I am sad. He even bought be the diamond edition when it came out."
"That was sweet of him." Shelby replied in an allusive way that caught Rachel's attention.
"It was you, wasn't it?" Rachel sat up, moving her legs off of Shelby's lap. "You bought the movie for me."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Shelby said, concealing a smile.
"Whatever." Rachel rolled her eyes in amusement.
"Don't whatever your mother." Shelby proclaimed, smacking Rachel's thigh just lightly.
"Meanie." Rachel sourly pouted playfully.
"Mean? I'm mean?" Shelby raised her brow and moved to be on her knees hovering over Rachel.
"I was kidding." Rachel said as Shelby grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side to expose her diaper covered bottom. Shelby brought her hand up like she was going to spank Rachel but instead she began tickling her sides. "Oh my gosh! That tickles!"
"Take it back." Shelby smirked, continuing to make Rachel laugh and wiggle around the couch.
"Never." Rachel gasped out, trying to get away but her head hit the arm rest of the couch and she couldn't move down because Shelby was on top of her.
"Then I'm not gonna stop."
"Okay! Okay!" Rachel gave in. "I'll say it but you have to get off me."
"Fine." Shelby said, backing off just a little.
Rachel took this chance to get out from underneath her mom and jump over the back of the couch. "Rule one mother, never let up even the slightest bit. I. Win."
Rachel gave Shelby a smug look and turned to go upstairs. Shelby stood up and walked over to the steps, where Rachel was just starting to walk up.
"Oh and Rach?" Shelby said, resting her hands on the banister.
"Yes?" Rachel stopped on the third stair.
Shelby scooped Rachel off her feet and walked her back to the couch, dropping her on the cushion and moving to sit on top of her once again.
"Mothers always win." Shelby said, giving Rachel a wicked smile. "And don't forget it."
"Some how I don't think you're the type to let me forget."
"You're quite right." Shelby tapped Rachel's nose and sat the girl up, moving herself off the girl. "The girls are upstairs doing their homework and now that you're not cranky-"
"-Mommy." Rachel whined. "I wasn't cranky."
"Okay I was wrong." Shelby said.
"Thank you."
"Yeah, clearly you are still cranky."
"Ugh." Rachel huffed and Shelby patted her knee.
"I'm kidding sweetheart." Shelby grabbed the remote and turned on the television. "I was gonna watch the mini Big Bang Theory marathon, wanna join me?"
"I love that show." Rachel replied, sitting the right way on the couch. "I love Sheldon."
"Me too."
The mother and daughter watched three episodes before Shelby went upstairs and checked on the work going on in the guest room.
"Mom, can you help me on this last math problem?" Brittany asked, erasing her wrong answer for the fourth time and sighing. "I can't get it."
"Let's see what we've got." Shelby said, sitting on the floor with Brittany. She took the math book from Brittany and read the question. "Alright, so, multiply this first."
"Okay." Brittany said, solving the first part of the question.
"Now divide that answer by 5 and add 17." Shelby gave her the next two steps. "And subtract that by 9."
"10?"
"There's your answer."
"Thank you." Brittany said, happy to be done with her homework.
"No problem." Shelby said, helping her collect her homework and put it in her backpack. "Take it downstairs and then get ready for bed." Shelby walked over to the bed, where Santana was reading her History book. "How's it coming?"
"Okay." Santana replied, turning the page. "I'm almost done with this chapter."
"Well when you are done, get ready for bed, okay?"
"Yes ma'am." Santana said, going back to her work.
"Quinn?" Shelby said, walking over to the other side of the bed. "You doing okay?"
"Yeah." Quinn quietly replied. "I'm fine."
"Guys." Shelby said, getting Quinn and Santana's attention. "You're gonna be safe from now on. I promise you that."
"We know, mom." Santana said.
"We will figure it out. Just trust me that I will get this all worked out."
Santana and Quinn both stood up and wrapped their arms around Shelby, telling her they trusted her. Kissing their heads, Shelby sent the two to get ready for bed, while she went down to get Rachel.
"Time to get ready for bed, baby." Shelby said, touching Rachel's shoulder.
"Now?" Rachel's eyes widened. "But it's only 9:45! On a Friday night!"
"And by the time your sisters are done in the bathroom and you get changed, brush your teeth, and wash your face, it will be 10. Your given bedtime."
"But I'm sixteen." Rachel huffed. "I shouldn't have to have a bedtime."
"In this house you do. Now, not another word and go do what you were told."
"This isn't fair." Rachel said but got up anyway and stormed to the stairs.
"It's horrible, I know." Shelby rolled her eyes at the moody teen.
Brittany was in bed, playing on her phone and Shelby told her to finish up, placing the phone on the nightstand when Brittany was done. Brittany laid down with her head on the pillow and yawned.
"Tuck me in?" She asked, adding a please before Shelby could correct her.
Shelby picked up one of the three blankets and placed it over Brittany, tucking the edges in along the girl's legs like she likes it.
"Goodnight." Shelby said, smoothing some hair from the blonde's face.
"Mom, will you tuck us in too?" Quinn asked climbing onto the bed and laying next to Brittany.
"Of course."
"I call the purple blanket!" Santana claimed, reaching for the wanted item.
"Okay. Okay. Calm down." Shelby laughed.
She got the two settled into bed and kissed them goodnight. As she went to leave, Brittany grabbed Shelby's hand.
"Sing to us Mommy?" Brittany asked.
"What do you want me to sing?" Shelby asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"You pick." Quinn said when none of them could think of a song.
Shelby began to sing a lullaby she use to sing to her belly when she was carrying Rachel, who when coming out of the bathroom, heard her mom singing, walked into the room where Shelby brought the girl to sit down on her lap.
Two more songs were coaxed from her but a third one was denied as she knew they were using her as a way to stall their early bedtime. Brittany had already fallen asleep and even though the other three were in denial, they were sleepy too.
Shelby stood a tired Rachel on her feet and walked over to the double windows and closed the curtains as a few flashes of lightening lit up the neighborhood. Low rumbles of thunder rolled through shortly after.
"I sleep with you mom?" Rachel asked with slurred speech, rubbing her eyes.
"Yeah." Shelby whispered quietly as she lead Rachel out the door, leaving it open a crack.
Shelby got Rachel comfortable in her bed, walking into the bathroom to get changed. When she came back, Rachel was already asleep and Shelby gave a low chuckle, turning on the TV. Between finding out about the crap Rachel had to put up with for most of her life, Quinn's mom hitting her, and Santana being kissed and hit on my her mom's boyfriend, the woman was nearly emotionally drained.
Her life had taken a drastic turn over the past few weeks and she had been able to handle it fairly well. She was getting Rachel back and they were get closer and closer by the day. And as much as Shelby wanted to take the girls in, it left her wondering how it would affect Rachel. Tomorrow Shelby planned to talk to some of her friends in the age play community to see if they'd be able to spare some room for one or all the girls. There weren't many people she could talk too but she was going to try before risking the girls having to go into foster care.
Rachel moved in her sleep, effectively ending Shelby's thoughts for the moment to make sure the girl wasn't having a bad dream or waking up. Placing a hand on Rachel's arm, the girl settled back down.
A couple hours later, Shelby woke up to a loud crack of thunder. She felt hands tighten around her arm and in the next flash of lightening she saw Brittany holding on to her. With her free arm, Shelby rubbed her back and putting her back to sleep with gentle shushing noises. Once Brittany was relaxed again, Shelby felt the pain in her back but she wasn't able to fully look behind her because of Brittany being so close to her. From what she could see, now that her eyes were adjusted to the dark and with the help of the short bursts of lightening, Rachel was curled on her side with her knees pushing into Shelby's lower back. She would have tried to straighten Rachel's legs out but she noticed Quinn and Santana had crawled into the bed as well. Quinn was laying behind Rachel so their backs were touching and Santana was at Rachel and Quinn's feet, leaving no room for Rachel to stretch out.
Shelby yawned and wiggled her and Brittany away from Rachel to give her back some much needed relief. As she tried to return to sleep, a tiny voice groggily came from Rachel.
"Momma." She said, edging herself back into Shelby and going back to sleep.
Shelby sighed and twisted her arm behind her to rest on Rachel. Three and a half hours later, her alarm clock went off and she quickly turned it off, pissed that she had forgotten to turn it off before she went to bed. None of the girls woke up and Shelby thanked god that she could get a few more hours sleep.
Rachel and Quinn were the first to wake up, both slipping out of the room to go downstairs. Quinn, needing some coffee to get her going, got the coffee can out and began prepping the machine. Rachel sat down at the table, pouring herself a cup of juice.
"That was one crazy storm last night."
"No kidding. It woke me up twice." Rachel said, nursing her cold cup. "Did you sleep okay?"
"Yeah once I was in Mom's room it didn't bother me. Santana and Brittany came in just after I did."
"I heard Santana come in the first time I woke up. The second was whenever Mom got up." Rachel said. "So, how long are they gonna sleep?"
"I'm not sure but I hope it's soon because I am hungry."
"Me too." Rachel said, checking the time on the stove. "We could walk down to Panera and get something to eat? It's only 9:30."
"What if mom wakes up and finds us gone?"
"We'll leave a note." Rachel shrugged, grabbing the magnetized notepad and pen from the fridge.
Writing out a detailed note stating where the two were going, what time they left, and what time they'd be back, the girls ran upstairs and quickly changed into some shorts and tee shirts before leaving the house.
Thirty minutes later, the front door opened and Shelby carried her cup of coffee to the entry way to greet her early risers. Quinn and Rachel slipped of their shoes and sandals, passing their tired mom the bag of pastries and kisses on the cheek.
"Good morning, did you two eat at Panera?"
"No we ate on the walk home." Quinn said, hurrying to the kitchen to get a cup of the coffee she made before Shelby drank it all.
"What do you got there?" Shelby asked, motioning to the cup of pink in Rachel's hand.
"Raspberry, strawberry, and banana smoothie." Rachel answered after taking a long cold sip. "Wanna try?"
Shelby nodded and took the cup from Rachel. After drinking more than Rachel bargained for, the girl reached out and snatched her drink from Shelby, the straw flicking a dollop of smoothie on Shelby's lips. "Meanie." Shelby replied, wiping her lip with her finger and sucking the smoothie off.
"I'm mean?-" Rachel remembered the bickering from last night and clamped her mouth shut for just a moment to rethink her statement.
"What was that, sweetheart?" Shelby innocently asked.
"I...am far too mature to respond to your childish antics." Rachel said, turning on her heel.
"If you say so." Shelby shrugged following Rachel into the kitchen.
Shelby yawned widely as she sat down, wincing at the way she moved her back. Rachel tilted her head and scrunched her brows at her mom.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just have a little bit of a sore back is all."
"What from?" Quinn wondered.
"Rachel slept with her knees in my back most the night." Shelby answered, sipping her coffee and noticing her biological daughter's guilt filled face and refrained from performing a face palm. "It's not your fault, Peanut, don't worry about it. I'll take a couple aspirin and be good as new."
"You will?" Rachel hopefully asked.
"I will." Shelby said, cupping her hand around Rachel's chin, then turned to Quinn and sent the girl upstairs to wake up her sisters. "It was me."
"Huh?" Rachel responded looking up from her cup. "What was you?"
"The Beauty and the Beast DVD. I bought it for you but since I obviously couldn't give it to you, I had Jesse do it." Shelby told Rachel. "I know you already know that it came from me but I thought you'd like to hear it from me."
"Thanks." Rachel smiled as her mom got up to refill her cup. "Mom?"
"Yeah, baby?" Her heart still fluttering from hearing Rachel call her mom.
"The story I told you about my dads bringing me water." Rachel said, turning in her chair to look at Shelby. "It was a lie. I knew you already regretted giving me up and I didn't want you to feel worse knowing you gave me to men who neglected me. I was going to tell you but I didn't want to see you hurting even more."
"Awe, Baby." Shelby abandoned her coffee and knelt down in front of Rachel. "That's so sweet of you to care about how I was feeling."
"But I lied." Rachel shook her head. "I lied and my lie drove you away. After I said that, you said I shouldn't have done this."
"Rach, I'm sorry I said that." Shelby cupped Rachel's cheek. "I never meant it. I just started panicking and worrying about your dads and if I was ruining a good relationship you had with them. I didn't want to do that. Then Will called me into his office after I made you the Lady Gaga dress-"
"-Will Shuester?"
"Yes." Shelby nodded, missing the flash of anger in Rachel's eyes. "He started telling me how we were alike and how we weren't. When he started telling me that I wasn't ready to parent a teen, it was like he was throwing my fears in my face. I was scared about raising a teenager but I was ready and wanting too. My talk with him, turned my fears into the reassurance I needed to feel in order to be your mom. I was going to call you and take you up on that dinner offer but that's when your dads got a hold of me."
"I never knew you talked to him."
"I told him not too. I didn't tell him that I was going to be your mom and didn't want him to find you and tell you that we talked. He would have told you I wasn't ready to be your mom and that would have misled you. He just never knew that I wanted to be there for you." Shelby answered. "Now you know the full truth, there's nothing else being hidden."
"Well there is one thing."
"What's that?"
"The water story." Rachel said, biting her lip. "When I was, when my dads were being...mean, I always had these dreams or whatever that my mom would swoop in one day and save me. She'd be my hero and take me away from all the bad in the world. I could never see her face or hear her voice but she'd hold me until I couldn't cry anymore tears. When I was done crying, she passed me a glass of water and it made me feel better."
"Well I can't promise to protect you from all the bad in the world but I will sure try too." Shelby said, running her thumb gently back and forth along Rachel's cheekbone. Rachel's lips turned upwards into a small smile.
Three hours later, everyone in the house was fed, showered, and dressed. Shelby was preparing a shopping list and was planning to go out and get the items that the house needed. Shelby walked out of the front door, finding the girls in the front yard cleaning. Santana saw Rachel flagging her down and she turned off the lawn mower, jogging up to her mother and sisters.
"I am going to the store now. I should be back in an hour and a half, two hours at the most. I expect some decent progress to be made on the yard." Shelby said of her punishment for the girls for lying in regards to being at Rachel's. "When I get back you can take a break and finish the rest after we have lunch."
"Yes ma'am." The four responded.
Shelby kissed each of their heads and walked to her car. As she passed the house, Shelby waved goodbye and the four waved back. The moment Shelby was out of sight, Santana kicked the side of the lawn mower.
"I hate this." She pouted.
"I don't wanna do yard work anymore." Brittany sighed, sitting on the porch steps, dropping the handful of sticks on the ground.
"Come on, we gotta keep working." Rachel said, getting on her knees and pulling more weeds from the flower bed.
"Yeah, I'm with Rach. Let's get as much done as we can now before mom comes home. That way we won't have a lot to do after our break and maybe mom will take us out to eat if we ask."
"Oh! Maybe we can talk her into going to the community again!?" Santana perked up. "We could go to that one restaurant that has the little ride able train that goes around the building!"
"Yeah!" Brittany said, picking up her sticks.
Shelby returned home a little over an hour later, surprised to see that the front lawn was done, leaving the sides and back of the house. The girls were sitting on the porch with bottles of ice cold water, sweat beading on their foreheads. She pushed out her bottom lip, feeling bad for her girls, however, the reminder that they were doing this as a punishment, turned the pouted lip into a smirk. Oh, they'd definitely would remember this.
"Help with the bags please." Shelby called out, getting out of the black SUV.
Groans were not lacking as the four got up to help out. Shelby plucked a few bags from the trunk and went into the house to start putting things away. Several trips were made by the teenagers as the emptied out the car. Shelby passed several bags to Quinn, asking her to put the stuff away in the bathroom upstairs. Once everything was put away, the girls crashed on the couch and livingroom floor. Shelby stood in the livingroom, watching her tuckered out children.
"You're touching me." Quinn whined, pushing Rachel's arm away.
"Stop!" Rachel groaned, replacing her arm.
"Raaachel!" Quinn increased her whine. "Mooove."
"I was here first."
"Shut up." Santana said, pulling a pillow over her ears.
"You two are being so annoying." Brittany growled.
"Hey, watch your feet." Santana said, ducking her head out of the way of Brittany's moving feet.
"Well move your head over to the other side of the couch and not the middle."
"I don't want too." Santana huffed.
"Now who's annoying?" Quinn rolled her eyes.
"Yeah." Rachel said.
"Be quiet." Quinn said to Rachel.
"Leave her be, Quinn." Brittany replied.
"Stop protecting her Brittany, she's a big girl and can handle herself." Quinn snapped.
"I was about to give you guys a break and let you finish the yard tomorrow." Shelby loudly said over the four voices and she lowered her volume once she had everyone's attention. "But seeing as you have enough energy to bicker, I am sure you four will have no problem finishing your punishment."
In the time Shelby finished her sentence, mouths closed, feet and hands landed wherever they pleased and no one dared to say another word.
"I thought so." Shelby replied, motioning for Santana to sit up and for Brittany to move her feet so she could sit down.
"Do we really have to finish the yard today?" Rachel asked.
Shelby looked as if she might say no. Rachel's eyes took on a watery look and they widened with a sad pout. Shelby's heart disintegrated and should couldn't tell her daughter she had to finish the yard. "No. You guys can do it tomorrow." Shelby answered and the moment she did, Rachel's eyes went back to normal.
Shelby had been played and Shelby knew it.
Damn she's good. Shelby said to herself.
"Since we don't have to do the rest of our punishment." Santana said, quickly stepping in with her own innocent face, seeing that Shelby was still gushy from Rachel. "Could we go to the community again and eat at the place with the train?"
"No, not tonight." Shelby shook her head.
"Can we at least go out somewhere around here?" Brittany asked.
"We're eating at home." Shelby said ending the topic.
"Ugh." Quinn growled, rolling on to her stomach and looking up at her mom. "You mean we can't go anywhere?"
"Didn't you say something about going out after dinner?" Rachel spoke up.
"What's with you guys and going out?" Shelby asked, glancing between the four.
"It's nothing really." Brittany said. "We just were talking earlier about when we all went to Chuck E. Cheese that night."
"We had a lot of fun and we wanted to do something like that again." Quinn said.
Shelby looked sideways at Rachel, who was nodding in agreement to what Quinn was saying. Out of everyone, Rachel had been the most nervous but Rachel was also the one who had fallen into her role the quickest. What made it easier for Rachel was seeing how happy it made Shelby. It brought a closeness Rachel wasn't sure they'd be able to have without the age play. Aside from that, Rachel loved the feeling of having Shelby baby her and to feel that Shelby wasn't going to leave her, something adult Rachel was having trouble coming to terms with.
"I was just going to go to Babies 'R Us for diapers for Rachel." Shelby said.
"Okay." Rachel piped up. "It's only 2:30, we could go now."
"Alright." Shelby gave in and the girls got excited. "Go change out of your dirty clothes and get cleaned up."
"Move." Rachel said, pushing Santana.
"Rachel." Shelby warningly said as the girl hurried Santana to the stairs.
"Please move faster." Rachel said, giving Santana another push.
"That's not any better." Shelby said. "Be careful young lady, I could very much change my mind about you going. There is plenty of day light out for you to work more on the yard while the rest of us go out."
Rachel slumped her shoulders and continued up the stairs, murmuring an apology to Santana along the way. In the bedroom, Rachel dug through her bag, finding an outfit to wear. She thought about wearing the outfit her mom had bought her but she really wanted to save it for the last day of school on Tuesday.
"Do you wanna borrow my tote bag?" Quinn asked, standing above Rachel. "I figured it would be easier than using your purse to put your baby things in there."
"Oh, thanks." Rachel smiled, taking the bag.
"I also brought you a diaper, I know you aren't comfortable with someone other than Shelby changing you but I figured if you could get your diaper on, I could help you find an outfit to wear that would hide it."
"I'd really appreciate it." Rachel responded.
Rachel went down the hall to the bathroom, closing the door. She pulled her bottoms off and took the last diaper and opened it. Laying on the cold tile of the floor, Rachel lifted her hips and wiggled the diaper under her. Resting her bottom on the ground, Rachel brought the front of the diaper up and taped down the tabs. Replacing her shorts, Rachel went back to the bedroom.
"I got a few outfits together." Quinn said, pointing to the bed. "Try the pleated skirt first. I don't know if the dress will hide it and the shorts you have on now aren't hiding it either."
Rachel changed into the skirt and blouse, showing the outfit to Quinn, who replied that it worked well. Quinn left the room to get dressed herself, seeing as the three Cheerios could wear their child age clothes out in public without others giving them funny looks. Rachel was sitting on the floor, fussing with the straps of her Mary Janes, however, the diaper made it a little harder for Rachel to clasp them. Shelby stood in the doorway, chuckling to herself at Rachel's seriously focused face. Deciding to step in and help, she walked over to the girl and took over doing the straps.
"You sure you want to go out like this? If you're not ready, be honest and don't just go along with this because you don't want them to be mad."
"I want too." Rachel said, moving so Shelby could get to the other strap on the opposite shoe. "I like being your baby."
"Age play or no age play, you're my baby." Shelby said.
"I know but for some reason when I am a baby, I'm not worried about not being loved or being abandoned."
"I think you feel that way because as a baby you are 100% reliant on me. You need me to do basically everything but as a teenager, you don't need me as much. Depending on me is something you are worried to do right now because of your dads and my leaving you before." Shelby's therapist side coming out. "Once you begin to work through the neglect and abuse you've suffered and see that you can depend on me as a baby and teenager, then being baby Rachel will be more for fun than therapy."
"Does this count as a therapy session with you?" Rachel asked.
"Not at all." Shelby snickered at Rachel's bummed expression. "But I have been thinking about that. I think it would be best if we found you a therapist to talk too. Because I am your mom, you might be less inclined to tell me things and I want you to be open. I feel the only way you can be completely open is with someone else. You can still talk to me about anything you need or want too."
"Do I have too?" Rachel asked.
"I believe it would be a good idea but I don't want to force you." Shelby replied. "I would like you to give it a try, one of my friends is willing to meet with you. She does age play therapy as well so she would be better than just a regular therapist."
"I have to be her baby too?"
"No. No." Shelby shook her head. "You won't be doing that but you can talk about how it makes you feel."
"Oh." Rachel replied.
"I'm just asking you to do one meeting with her."
"I don't know." Rachel hesitantly said.
"One session and if you don't like it, I won't force you to go anymore." Shelby said and Rachel didn't reply right away. "We'll talk more about it later on, okay?"
"Okay." Rachel nodded.
"But I would like you to either have me put on your diaper or have someone else do it. I know Quinn was trying to help you find something to wear to cover it up but after this one time, you need to get someone to help you put on."
"Yes, mom."
"You ready now?"
"Yeah."
20 minutes later, the black SUV pulled into the Babies 'R Us parking lot. Shelby had the girls wait in the car as she retrieved a cart from one of the cart return areas. Quinn and Brittany were allowed out of the car but were told to stand right next to the cart and not move. Santana unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed over Rachel to get out by her mom. Shelby placed her in the basket of the cart and was instructed to sit on her bottom. Shelby reached into the car and lifted Rachel out of the car, placing her next to Santana. Rachel tucked her legs under her butt and adjusted her skirt. Shelby double checked to make sure the diaper was hidden and they began to make their way to the store.
"Momma! Look!" Santana said, pointing to the left side of the store. "Toys! Can we get one?"
"We'll see how you behave." Shelby answered, starting on the right side of the store where most of the baby stuff was. Quinn and Brittany linked hands and walked ahead of the cart but quickly got too far ahead. "Quinn and Brittany, I need you to come back here."
"Can't we go to the toy section?" Brittany complained. "The baby section is boring."
"We came here as a family, we are going to walk around as a family, and we are going to leave as a family." Shelby responded.
As they worked through the aisles, Shelby noticed Rachel was white knuckling the thin plastic holes of the shopping cart. Rachel said she was ready and she was but there was a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something wasn't right. Shelby could see the uneasiness in Rachel's face and it was deeper than her worrying about people seeing her diaper. Something was almost torturing her daughter. Leaning against the handle of the cart, Shelby reached down to lay her hand calmly on Rachel's, hoping the girl would sense her relaxed mood and it would sink in with Rachel. The younger version of Shelby slowly looked up at her mom and Shelby gave her a look, asking what was wrong. Rachel only shook her head with a light shrug of her shoulders, releasing her grip on the cart, only by a little bit.
Rachel and Santana climbed out of the cart, fifteen minutes later and gave their tensed legs and back a stretch. Shelby had told the girls they could get out and walk as needed, so they weren't worried about stepping out of character for a few minutes. Santana and Brittany stood by a shelf of toys talking and pressing the different buttons of the toy garbage truck, while Quinn stood by the cart, texting someone. Rachel looked around the sections of the store, walking over to a row of blankets hanging along a wall. She ran her hand over the various fabrics falling in love with the soft and satin materials. Rachel pulled a white with large hot pink, light pink and green dot blanket off the hook and played with the blanket to get a feel for it. The inside was lined with solid hot pink material that felt like butter. No way could she not have the blanket.
"Girls!" Shelby's voice called out. She had finished in the bathroom and came out to find her girls spread around a small area of the store. Within moments all four girls were surrounding the cart. Shelby helped Rachel and Santana back into the cart and began to walk to the toy section. "Since you were well behaved, you each get to pick out a $10 toy."
"Momma." Rachel said, getting on her knees and shoving the blanket against Shelby.
"What did you find, Boo-boo?" Shelby said, using one hand to push the cart and the other to look at the blanket. "You like this banky?"
"Banky!" Rachel squealed after making sure no one was around to hear her.
Santana was let out of the cart to walk the aisles in search of the toy that was lucky enough to go home with the little girl. Rachel sat in the cart, leaning her head against the cart, using the blanket as a pillow. Shelby threaded her fingers through Rachel's hair, often stopping to stroke Rachel's forehead with her thumb. Shelby waited patiently for the three older girls to pick out their toys and eventually all three were ready to go.
Shelby paid for the few items and they returned to the car. Shelby made all the girls put their toys in the trunk along with the diapers and wipes. Brittany and Quinn began fighting over the front seat and Shelby quickly settled it by telling Quinn to sit in back as she had started the argument.
"You always take her side!" Quinn folded her arms and stomping her foot.
"Do not cop an attitude with me young girl. You know I do not always take her side. This time, yes I am taking her side for the simple fact that she went to get in and you decided to start a fight to get to sit up front. She was there first and you need to accept that. You can have the front another time."
"No! I want the front."
"Quinn." Shelby firmly stated, demanding her tantrum be ended. "You get in the back seat, right now. One more word and you will not be allowed to sit up front the next four times we go out. Do you understand me?"
"Why can't I sit in front?"
"Quinn, I've already explained why. I am not going to continue this conversation, so get in the car right now."
"No." Quinn stomped her foot again.
"You need to get in that car right now. Last chance." Shelby said, dangerously lowering her voice. "If you do not get in that car and drop the attitude, you will be grounded."
"I don't care." Quinn spat back.
"Fine, then when we go out Tuesday night, you get to stay home." Shelby said, taking a hold of Quinn's arm and forcing her into the car. She put Quinn's seatbelt on her and closed the door, ignoring the glare Quinn was giving her. Rachel was the only one left in the cart and Shelby lifted her up into her arms, carrying her to place her in the car behind the driver's seat.
"Banky." Rachel said holding out the blanket.
"Hold on baby." Shelby said, buckling her belt too and checking Santana's.
She grabbed the blanket and pulled of the piece of cardboard and the plastic hanger, shaking out the blanket before giving it to Rachel. The girl balled the blanket against her face and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Shelby gave a slight frown and dug in the bag Rachel had brought with but left in the car for the pacifier. Using one hand, Shelby pulled Rachel's thumb from her mouth and placed the pacifier in it's place.
Rachel closed her eyes once the car got on to the road but that didn't last long as Rachel's ear began to bother her. As she rubbed at her left ear, a tickle crept up her throat and she coughed a few times to get it to go away. Shelby craned her neck to look in the rearview mirror to look at the backseat. Rachel noticed her mother looking at her and she dropped her hand from her ear and swallowed some built up saliva to ease her cough, so she could put her pacifier in her mouth. Using her blanket as a pillow, Rachel hid her hand in the material and continued to rub her ear. Yawning as they pulled into the driveway, Rachel climbed out of the car and helped carry the bags and box from the trunk and into the house.
"Do we get to play now?" Brittany asked.
"In a couple minutes." Shelby said, going into the kitchen to get a bottle of water.
She returned to the livingroom and got to work on taking Santana's new baby doll from the box. Quinn came downstairs from putting the box of diapers up in the nursery and sat down on the couch with a huff. She was still grouchy from the ride home but was more mad at herself for getting grounded. Shelby heard the blonde sit down behind her and gave an inaudible sigh.
"Quinn, come over here please."
"What?" She replied with attitude evident on her voice.
"Drop it." Shelby pointed a finger in Quinn's direction. "I want to talk to you about earlier."
"There's nothing to talk about. I was bad and you grounded me." Quinn said, pulling her knees to her chest.
"Something upset you and I think it was more than just not getting the front seat." "No, I just wanted to sit up front with you. I like being by you and Brittany always has to try and sit up there."Quinn said, gazing at Shelby with sad eyes. "I never get any alone time with you."
"So that's what had you upset." Shelby said, handing the doll to Santana. She reached over and cupped Quinn's chin. "I'll figure something out for us to do."
"Alone?" Quinn asked with begging eyes.
"Just the two of us." Shelby nodded as it maybe a good idea for each of the girls to have some quality one on one time with her besides their therapy sessions. Speaking of which, she reminded herself to talk to Rachel about seeing her friend.
"Cool." Quinn smiled.
"What bout me, momma?" Santana asked.
"You'll all get your turn too." Shelby said.
"Yay!" Santana shouted and then covered her mouth with her hand. She used her outdoor voice. "Sorry Momma."
"It's okay, sweetheart." Shelby winked at the girl.
"Mommy, my toy needs batteries." Brittany said, showing Shelby her Dora The Explorer doll that talked.
"Mine too!" Quinn said, moving the box in Shelby's direction.
Shelby worked for five minutes to get the toys all set up and working. Once she was done, she got to her feet and maneuvered around the three playing girls to go to Rachel, who was laying on the couch with her new blanket gathered under her head. In only the half hour since leaving Babies R Us, Rachel hadn't felt any better and was sure she was feeling worse but she was trying to not let Shelby know she wasn't feeling well. Shelby went to sit on the edge of the couch but Rachel shot up and got off the couch, crawling over to her sisters to see what they were doing. Shelby cocked a brow at Rachel and walked over to the girl, lifting her off the floor.
"Ma!" Rachel growled. She coughed several times, trying to stop them as best as she could. The hacking began to take a toll on Rachel's throat, that had been a tad sore since she woke up.
Shelby turned Rachel to face her, sitting them on the couch. She extended a hand out to feel Rachel's forehead but the girl pulled away, breaking out of character.
"I'm fine." Rachel ducked her head, while trying to keep Shelby at arms length.
"I only want to make sure you aren't getting sick." Shelby said.
"No, mom, I don't get sick." Rachel replied as if saying that would make all her symptoms go away.
"You've been coughing and rubbing your ear, on top of being tired all of a sudden." Shelby said, not convinced that Rachel was feeling well.
"I had something in my throat, I had an itch in my ear, and I am tired from working in the sun for hours." Giving her mother a pointed look.
"If its nothing, then why can't I feel your forehead?"
"Because there's nothing to feel. I don't have a fever." Rachel stubbornly said.
"If you don't have a fever than let me feel."
"Nooooo." Rachel whined, coughing twice and clutching her throat.
"Thank you for further confirming my suspicions that you are sick." Shelby smirked. "Let's go get you some medicine."
"I don't need medicine."
Shelby ignored the petulant look Rachel was wearing and her continuous rant about not being sick. Quinn was put in charge, taking Rachel upstairs where all the medicine was stored. Rachel was placed on the toilet seat lid of Shelby's bathroom and the mom got to work on finding the right medicine for Rachel's ailments. Shelby pulled out three bottles of different cold and flu medicines, reading the backs of each one to determine which was better to use.
Rachel took this time to pay careful attention to her mother, calculating the right time to slyly sneak out of the bathroom. Making a break for it, Rachel got around Shelby and she bolted down the stairs, right into the livingroom where her sisters were playing with their new toys.
"Rachie!" Santana squealed but Rachel put a finger to her lips.
"Who wants to play a game?" Rachel asked, bending at the knees to talk to her sisters in their child form.
"You can't talk you just a baby." Santana crinkled her brows.
"I'm not a baby right now but because you three are still kids, that makes me the older sister and I want to play with you guys. Doesn't that sound fun?"
The three weren't sure what to make of the situation but went along with it anyway. "Sure! What are we gonna play?" Quinn asked.
"Hide big sissy." Rachel replied. "You guys have to help me find a good hiding place before mom comes down here but you can't tell her where I am or else you lose the game and you have to eat a worm."
"Gross!" Santana scrunched her nose.
"Exactly." Rachel nodded. "So you have to keep it a secret."
"Come on, I know a good spot." Quinn said, taking Rachel's hand. "Sanna, you keep a look out for mom and distract her if she comes down."
"But I wanna go with you and help hid Rachie." She complained.
Rachel let go of Quinn's hand and knelt by Santana. "But, kiddo, being the look out is the most important job."
"It is?" Santana tilted her head.
"Yup. Without you, Quinn, Brittany, and I can't do our job." Rachel said. "We need you to make sure mom doesn't find me. Will you be my best buddy and do this for me?"
"You gots it, Rachie!" Santana said, proudly getting in position on the couch to watch for Shelby.
Quinn led Rachel and Brittany into the kitchen, opening a door to the right, taking them down to the basement. It wasn't a finished basement but it wasn't one of those creepy basements either. Together, Quinn and Brittany hid Rachel behind a bunch of boxes. Two floors up, Shelby had discovered Rachel left the room. it was a surprise to Shelby but she shook her head and walked down the stairs to fetch the girl. Looking around the livingroom, Shelby noticed Santana was the only one in the room.
"Hi Mom!" Santana beamed.
"Hi, love. Where's your sisters."
"Um." Santana put her finger to her lip. Crap! Her sisters never told her what to say.
"Santana Maria." Shelby said, knowingly aware that Santana knew exactly where they were.
"It not my fault!" Santana threw up her hands. "They told me to distatct you."
"Distatct me?" Shelby confusingly frowned. She continued to say the word over and over in her head until it clicked. "You were suppose to distract me?"
"That's what I say!" Santana sighed with an annoyed look. "They in basement."
Santana climbed off the couch, shaking her head and going towards the bathroom on the same floor. Shelby watched with an amused look on her face as the girl walked past her. Letting out a quiet chuckle, Shelby headed towards the kitchen and down the stairs. Quinn and Brittany heard the heavy footsteps of their mom and hurried to meet her at the bottom of the stairs. Placing a hand on her hip, Shelby walked off the last step, hovering over her girls.
"So." Shelby said, glancing between the two. "Who wants to tell me where Rachel is?"
"Rachel who?" Brittany said, earning an elbowing from Quinn.
Shelby narrowed her eyes at both girls but looked past them, noticing several boxes were out of order. Now Shelby wasn't a neat freak and had to have everything organized perfectly but she did keep her holiday decorations separated for easy access. Somehow Thanksgiving was mixed in with her patriotic decor and she knew who was responsible. Motioning her head to the stairs, Shelby pushed the girls towards them and sent them up to the livingroom.
Walking over to the out of place boxes, Shelby folded her arms.
"Rachel Barbra, I am giving you five seconds to come out here." Shelby replied, refraining from rubbing her temples. This moment reminded her of when she had to put soap in Rachel's mouth. "One...Two...Three...Four...Do I really need to get to five?"
"No." Rachel replied, standing up. She hadn't intended to hold out that long but she knew not to let Shelby count to five.
Shelby began moving the boxes out of the way, so Rachel could get out from behind the boxes. Rachel felt Shelby wrapping a firm hand around her arm and drag her to the stairs. Rachel walked behind Shelby with little to no protest and was sat back down on the toilet seat.
"Clearly you feel that you aren't sick and don't need to take any medicine." Shelby said, measuring the cherry liquid into the little cup. "But I can tell that you aren't feeling well and I wouldn't be a good mother if I let you walk around without taking anything. You may only be in the early stages of your cold, so the quicker you get started on taking your meds, the sooner you will start to feel better."
"Can't I take it later?" Rachel replied, not accepting the cup that was being held out to her. She hoped by waiting until later, Shelby would forget. "I have to eat first before I take medicines or else I get a bellyache and I don't want to fall asleep too early."
Shelby eyed Rachel up but didn't want to take any chances with Rachel getting a stomachache and placed the cup on the counter. "Fine but you are taking the medicine at nine. Understood?"
"What if-"
"You're taking the medicine at nine. Do I make myself clear?" Shelby forcefully said.
"Yes ma'am." Rachel gave in but only for the moment.
Shelby picked up the water bottle she had grabbed on her way through the kitchen after retrieving Rachel from the basement and opened it. She placed it on the counter next to Rachel and grabbed a bottle of aspirin, shaking two into her hand.
"Take them." Shelby said, raising her brow before Rachel could declare her reasoning for not having to take the pills. "Rachel, I am not joking around. Take these or you will end up taking the syrup too. It's only aspirin and if you need to eat with these as well, you can have a small snack."
Rachel sighed and held out her hand. Shelby tipped the pills into her hand and held out the water bottle. Placing the pills on her tongue, Rachel took several log sips of water.
"Thank you." Shelby said putting the cap on the water and placing the bottle next to the cup of cough syrup for later.
"In case you want to know, I only consumed the medicine in an effort to get you of my back about being sick. I do not get sick nor do I feel that I need to have the cough syrup forced down my throat like a baby. If I felt as if I need to take the cough syrup, I will do so on my own." Rachel ranted.
"Are you done?" Shelby asked, unfazed by the girl's ranting moment. "You are taking the medicine before bed and not another word."
"Why must you be so difficult?" Rachel placed her hand on her hip.
"I should ask you that very question."
Rachel gave a low growl, managing to keep her cough at bay as she spin on her heel, grasping her head. Perhaps she shouldn't move so fast like that. In an attempt to salvage what was left of her storm out, Rachel marched down the stairs, sitting on the floor with her sisters. She yanked her blanky off the couch and held it in her lap. Shelby walked by the small group of girls, patting Rachel head. She could have this one time, after all Shelby knew she was right about Rachel being sick and nothing the girl said was going to stop her from having to take the medicine.
A/N: Things are gonna get a little crazy next chapter ;)
Thank you all for reading and leaving reviews. Every time my phone dings with a new email, I get excited. LOL.