Keeperofwords here: We are back. This chapter brings us back to Ohio and we even have some Barbra in this one. There are some really cool songs from some great shows and we have some Fragile Reunion feels. As always, thanks for the support of the story and please let us know what you think of our latest installment.

Hayley here: Of course, we don't own the rights to the beautiful lyrics of the songs we use. Thank you as always for your continued support. We'll get our lovelies out of New Jersey, yet. Not much longer! Love to you always, and please continue with the wonderful reviews, they inspire us to push forward through our busy schedules/crazy lives.

Chapter 10: Sing Me A Song

Rachel turned onto her side and clutched Elphie to her face. The stuffed bear smelled like her mama, but that wasn't helping her feel any better about Shelby and Cassie being gone. She was glad her Mommy had called her, even though it was late when she was finally able to. At least Mommy kept her promise. But that just made me miss her more.

Staying with Auntie April was not bad at all, and Rachel liked being able to sleep in the same room as Natalie so she didn't feel so alone. She got along with Maddie-April's dog-well enough, but the dog was nothing like Rachel's best friend Barbra. Barbra hissed at birds in the trees outside, but Maddie just barked loudly and scared them off. Maddie also sometimes had accidents and Rachel had stepped in it on the kitchen floor. Barbra at least used the litter box. Rachel was admittedly mad at Maddie for always trying to pounce at Barbra and get her to play; because Maddie wouldn't leave Barbra alone, Barbra wasn't allowed to stay at the Victorian.

Rachel rolled onto her back and stroked Elphie's soft fur. It just wasn't the same over at Auntie April's house. Rachel was sure that Barbra had to be missing Cassie as much if not more than she was. The little girl sighed, fiddling with her covers. She scooted into Natalie's back, seeking the comfort of a warm body. Usually that would have been enough to relax her, but not this time. Natalie was not her Mommy or Mama, and she was not in their big bed in the mansion.

I want them to come home, Rachel thought to herself, restlessly shifting in bed. She reached for the top of the sheet and wiped a tear off her cheek. She bet Barbra was crying, too. It's just me and Barbra. She needs me just like Mama needed Mommy to go to New Jersey. Rachel decided to get up, realizing she wasn't sleeping anytime soon. We need to stick together.

Rachel was still a sneaker, even though she rarely needed to be anymore. Mommy especially didn't like when she was a sneaker, but Mommy was not here anyway. So the rules aren't the same, right? Rachel convinced herself.

She closed Natalie's door gently behind her. Auntie April's and Aunt Holly's room was right across the hall, and their door was only three quarters of the way closed. Auntie April had explained that was so she could hear Rachel if she called out for her in the middle of the night, but at the moment Rachel wished the woman would have just closed it.

Rachel was not going to call out to anybody, or they would just make her go back to bed. The young girl knew that right by the front door there was a floor board that squeaked. Carefully, she stepped over it and reached out for the door handle. She frowned as she stretched for the lock, having to stand on her tippy toes and not quite tall enough to reach the dead bolt. She scowled. If she scooted a chair over to it, Auntie April would hear and she would be in trouble. There were two more doors in the house: one was the back door off the kitchen, and there was one of the fancy French doors in what they called the "great room". The side door didn't have any fancy locks on it, so Rachel crept quietly through the house. It was great that Auntie April worked so late into the night, sometimes; because of it, she had a bunch of tiny night lights plugged in the walls so she wouldn't bump into things.

Rachel did a fist pump when her bare feet stepped onto the grass. She had not lost her touch. Thank goodness the moon was really bright because it was the only thing lighting up the yard when her moms weren't home. Rachel took off like a jackrabbit after she cleared the yard of the Victorian. She could only hope that Stefi was not in her patrol car tonight, riding up their street. Once she got to her backyard she was golden; she knew where Mommy kept the spare key, in the seat cushion of the outdoor furniture. Thankfully, the locks at their house were in her reach.

What's wrong with the adults? Do they really think Barbra wants to stay here all by herself? It's a good thing I'm still good at sneaking.

She dug under the seat cushion to pull out the spare key and unlocked the mansion door, thankful that she'd managed not to set off the alarms. That would have been a disaster. Barbra greeted her at the door, probably thinking she was Shelby or Cassie. Rachel flicked on the entrance light and stared out into the big, wide mansion. It was spacious and too quiet, and it seemed much bigger now that she was the only one in it.

"It's just me, Barbra," she announced to the pouncy Siamese. "I know you probably wish it was Mama. I wish Mama was here, too. But at least we have each other, right? You'll never leave me home alone and go off to a completely different state?"

Barbra purred and nuzzled her head into Rachel's hand and Rachel smiled softly. "I know you wouldn't. That's why we're best friends. I love Mommy and Mama, but I'm not very happy with them right now, you know? I know Mama's sister needs her and all, but I need her too and I should've been with them. I'm going to end up there anyways, why didn't they just take me? I've seen Mama upset before. She messed up her whole studio!"

Barbra continued to purr as Rachel picked her up and carried her up the stairs to Shelby and Cassandra's bedroom. She turned on lights as she went, feeling suddenly vulnerable and nervous that she was in the great big house all by herself. Each noise made her cuddle Barbra a little tighter. Even though it was just the house settling, it made the little girl anxious.

Once she made it to her mothers' room, she shut the door tightly and smacked the light on, running to climb into their big king bed. She knew better than to do anything besides lay in their bed-knew not to go through their closet or dresser drawers or anything like that. Mommy had said they had lots of secrets that only adults could know about, and Rachel didn't want them to be mad at her even though she was kind of mad at them. She already knew how much trouble she would be in if Auntie April, Aunt Holly, or Stefi found her at the mansion by herself. She honestly could not bring herself to care. She was not too thrilled with any of the adults, and she wanted them to know it. If it was just her and Barbra until Mommy and Mama came home, then so be it. She knew where the cat food was kept and could look after Barbra alone just fine. She also knew there was cereal and fruit and stuff for her to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Rachel knew her mothers had left their bed really neat with no wrinkles or anything, but if she was already going to get in trouble for sneaking out of the Victorian and coming home, she might as well go all out right? Barbra seemed to think settling on Mama's pillow was a great idea. Rachel thought she could just take Mommy's, hoping it would smell like her still.

Pulling back the comforter, she slipped in between the sheets. This was so much better than Natalie's bed. Especially when Barbra started purring really, really loud. Content and feeling at ease listening to Barbra's purr, Rachel finally drifted to sleep.

. . .

April was tossing and turning in her sleep, uncomfortable as always without Holly by her side. Giving up, she sat up in the bed and clicked on the lamp next to her. She was sweating, the air conditioning doing nothing to help the muggy summer heat. The comforter was hot and heavy and she peeled it off of herself, exposing her legs to a cooler atmosphere. That was almost better, though she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep like that.

She reached over to her bedside table and took a sip from her glass of water before letting out a long breath.

You'll see her soon, you worry too much, She told herself. Everyone in New Jersey is fine. They're all just dealing with a crisis and soon they'll be back home with this new little one. Wow. In less than a year we've gone from no kids besides Stef and Lena's to three kids between us and the Corcoran-July clan. How did that even happen? Life is crazy like that, I suppose…

Her bedroom door was pushed open by her little maltese, making her heart jump a little bit. The dog hopped once, twice, three times to make it up onto Holly and April's bed, and pawed at her owner with a whimper.

"What is it? Do you need to go outside?" April asked, her tone soft so she wouldn't wake the girls. "Come on, then, let's go." she ushered the dog back off of the bed and stood, stretching out her legs and yawning behind her hand. This was usually Holly's job, as April rarely woke up in the middle of the night. Usually once she fell asleep she was out cold until morning, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to fall asleep the more time she spent away from the love of her life.

She stepped carefully over the creaky floorboards and decided to check in on the girls as she passed the bedroom. She pushed the door open softly, stepping into the room. Rachel had been torn up ever since Cassie left, but even worse off once Shelby had gone too. Personally, April thought it was a bad idea to have left her behind for any period of time, but she knew her friends wouldn't have listened to her if she'd argued against it. Shelby and Cassie were set in their ways, and weren't in the right mindset to see reason. At least, Cassie wasn't.

April felt a pang of dread on her stomach when she realized that Rachel was not in the bed with Natalie, and was not in the room at all.

Fuck. No. This isn't happening. Why is this happening?

"Rachel?" she whispered in a panic, not wanting to wake Natalie but not wanting to have lost a child, either. Good thing she had Stef on speed dial. "God dammit." she muttered to herself, pushing through the doorway and taking the stairs two at a time. "Rachel?" she said a little louder once she was out of hearing range of Natalie's room. "Please come out if you're here, now's not the time to play games."

She was greeted with silence.

"Dammit." she said a little louder. She let Maddie outside and went out with her, heading straight for her best friend's mansion. That was likely where she was, though April could only hope that was the case. When she made it to the front porch she looked for the spare key and couldn't find it. "That's promising," she spoke to herself as she realized the front door was unlocked. "Thank god, or Stef's ass would've been over here in two seconds…"

"Rachel?" she called throughout the mansion when she entered. Her own voice reverberated back to her and she shivered. This house was much larger than the one she shared with Holly and she often wondered how Cassie and Shelby managed to live there alone, without getting nervous or feeling too small. "Rachel, please, this is not a game…I need to know you're okay…"

A sudden thought struck her. Barbra hadn't come running when she'd opened the door.

"Barbra?" she called out instead. Sometimes Rachel didn't answer back, but the cat usually did. Mostly because she was always hungry, even if she'd just eaten. Cassie gave her too many treats and the cat was used to being spoiled by everyone. "Barbra? Where are you?" April ran up the stairs and checked Rachel's bedroom. Nothing.

Shelby and Cassie's room. Of course…

She shoved open the door to her best friends' room and there the little girl was, curled up in the center of the king bed with Barbra the Siamese purring on her lap. The light was still on and the girl looked at peace. April let out a relieved breath.

"Child, you scared me half to death," she whispered. She didn't really want to wake her, but she couldn't leave Natalie alone at home, either. For a moment she just watched the young girl. She was curled into the pillows from Cassie's side of the bed, the large blanket in complete disarray. Barbra woke, stretched a little, and curled back into Rachel. The two of them really were inseparable, and April couldn't help but smile. How could she be upset when all Rachel wanted was her mommies and her cat? It made sense; Rachel hadn't been without either of them since she found them. The separation anxiety was strong, and although it was to be expected, April was upset with herself and the others for not thinking to do more to help the young girl through the hard time.

We're all being so selfish. Maybe none of us deserve to be mothers, April had a thought that made her feel disgusting. She shook it off. Everyone messes up every once in a while. This is ours. We'll make it up to her. She's adjusted so well, we forget that she isn't like other kids. She needs a bit more attention and this is just her crying out to be loved a little louder. Just because things interrupt our everyday lives, doesn't mean we get to just cast everything to the side and go. If I was Shelby, I would want to know about this, April mused not wanting to disturb the girl. She was so glad that Natalie was a sound sleeper.

April's phone vibrated in the pocket of her bathrobe before she could decide what she was going to do. She picked up the phone and stared down at the screen, having just gotten her heart rate settled now that she had found Rachel. Her phone ringing at this god awful hour sent it shooting up again. It could be Natalie, her lover, the hospital, Shelby or Cassie. None would be calling her with anything good to share at this time of night/morning.

Shelby, April noted immediately, thinking it had to be more than pure coincidence that her best friend would be calling at the same time she was debating calling her. Did Shelby have a second sense that something was up back at home in Ohio? It could easily be that Shelby had news to share that she didn't want to wait until morning to discuss. April quietly stepped into the hall and gently shut the door to the master bedroom.

"Shelby, love," April spoke, her voice soft so she wouldn't wake Rachel. The doctor decided to see why Shelby was calling before coming out and telling her bestie that she had nearly lost her beloved long lost daughter. "It's late. No, I mean, it's early. I thought you would be sleeping?" Not giving Shelby a chance to respond, April added for a sense of light heartedness, "Don't tell me being back in the city made you so horny that you wore your lady out?"

April knew she didn't usually tease Shelby in this way, but she wanted to ease into whatever negative conversation she knew was coming.

"Oh hun," April said simply, listening as Shelby told her the latest bit of information. April knew the drill. She knew what things could be like for families in Cassie's situation. As a doctor, she had always been able to keep herself neutral and not get emotionally involved. It was different when it was happening to a person who you considered family. It physically hurt not being there to comfort her friends.

"Is there anything I can do?" April asked, moving to sit down on the first step of the staircase. She wished she could give her best friend a hug. Shelby's only request was for give a hug and kiss to her daughter for her. April stood back up as she listened to Shelby petite blonde cracked open the door. Rachel looked so much like Shelby while she was sleeping, and the resemblance still amazed her. She looked so small all alone in the king sized bed.

"You know I will," April reassured her friend, her breath hitching when Shelby asked how her daughter was. "Well, she has been a doll," April said, dodging the question. Shelby and Cass were stressed enough, and it would do no good to add tonight's incident on top of it. Shelby would worry too much and worry that things weren't under control. It was the way Shelby lowered her voice and slowly said April's name that made the woman realize that she really needed to say something. She quickly elaborated. "She's been quieter than normal. She didn't want any dinner tonight but I got her to drink one of those smoothies with some fresh strawberries from the grocery store. Your phone call meant the world to her. You are a really good mom, Shelby. Your little girl adores you and misses you very much." Seeing that Rachel was stirring, April stepped back and moved further up the hall.

"So how is Cass doing with the news of her mother's death?" April asked, not realizing she now had a little girl listening in to the conversation. When the blonde had not shut the bedroom door all the way before, she had pretended to be asleep so she could hear more. The smart little girl had quickly deduced that Auntie April was talking to her Mommy. She sucked in a breath and covered her mouth when she heard Auntie April say that Mama's mother had died. Rachel knew that woman hadn't been a good mother, and had not kept her mama safe from her father, but she also knew that all of this had to be making Mama sad anyway. Hearing Auntie April's voice get further away, Rachel chewed at her finger nail as she contemplated what to do. Rachel really wanted her mama more than ever now. She needed to talk to her. Her mama needed her. They were peanut butter on bread, right? Rachel frowned, remembering her new phone was in Natalie's bedroom on the dresser.

Her brown eyes widened as she remembered her mothers had a house phone by the bed. They never talked on it, but Mommy had explained it had an answering machine on it for the school. Rachel knew enough about the phone that she knew by pressing a button it rang her mama's phone on speed dial. Decision made to call Cassie, Rachel picked up the phone and pressed the button.

Cassie stood in the shower, allowing the hot water to roll off of her body and onto the tile floor. The whoosh of water masked the sounds of any emotion she might have been showing. Once she stepped out from behind the protection of the shower curtain, she would have to keep herself composed. Shelby's arms would be there to comfort and love Cassandra, but that wasn't what she wanted right now. She knew everyone would expect her to cry. Maybe, at some point, she would. Now, however, she felt that she needed to get her ass in gear and sign whatever she needed to sign to get her parents' bodies to a funeral home. Cassandra knew it was past time for her father to put his feet in the flames of hell, and Megan July, could join him there. She would never forgive her mother for all that she had done. There was no way she was going to play nice with her obnoxious, bigoted relatives who hid behind their money and country club memberships, thumbing down on anybody that did not fit their mold of white conservative Republicans. If she had her way, she would gift the home she grew up in and all her parents worldly possessions to the fire department to be burned so the firefighters could get some training in.

As soon as she waved goodbye to the hearse taking her parents off to burn, she was going to march right into the pediatric unit with that overpriced piece of plastic they called a car seat and demand her sister be taken home for good. Although she was thankful that fate had taken care of her mother so her guilt wouldn't eat her alive, she wasn't going to pretend she missed the woman all of a sudden, either.

The sound of her cell phone ruined the constant rant she had going on inside of her head. She had left the phone on the bathroom counter in case she was needed, though she was in no mood to talk to anyone. Besides maybe the bartender downstairs, to ask him for a strong drink. She nearly yelled out for Shelby to answer it when she remembered that Shelby was out in the living room, starting the calls with the news. Cass was thankful that Shelby had always been so good with the press. If she'd had to deal with them, she knew her bluntness would have gotten her into some trouble.

After the second ring, Cass rolled her eyes and turned off the shower, wrapping a bath towel tightly around her chest. Quickly, she flung open the curtain so she could catch the call before it went to voicemail. Still dripping wet, she answered just in time, her mind not registering the number on the caller ID as she managed a gruff, "Hello?"

"Mama?"

"Hello?" Cassie asked again, breathlessly pushing the wet hair out of her face. Her own circumstances fell away for a moment. The dancer wondered why her daughter would be calling her at 2:20 in the morning. "Rachel?" her heart skipped in concern.

Rachel's voice on the other end of the phone was gentle and sad, "Mama, can I sing for you?"

Cassie felt out of sorts from all that had been going on, and now the news of her mother's death had her in rare form. She took a shower for the alone time, and Rachel's call and request had caught her off guard. You never let people take care of you, you just push it all away and torture yourself. Maybe if you let them do what they can to help without fighting them, you won't be so bitchy to everyone all the time. Maybe it will help.

"Okay," was all that she managed to say, settling herself against the bathroom sink with the phone against her ear.

In a voice as healing as the angels up in heaven, Rachel sang softly into the phone, "There is a castle on a cloud, I like to go there in my sleep, Aren't any floors for me to sweep, Not in my castle on a cloud…" The little girl took a shaky breath, hoping she wasn't being too loud so late at night but knowing that it didn't matter if she was, as long as she was making her mama feel better. "There is a room that's full of toys, There are a hundred boys and girls, Nobody shouts or talks too loud, Not in my castle on a cloud."

Cassandra heard Rachel take a breath, but did not interrupt her. The little girl closed her eyes while she sang to her adoptive mother, and although she was so far away, Cassandra could practically feel her little star hugging her neck while she continued in her soft soprano, "There is a lady all in white, Holds me and sings a lullaby, She's nice to see and she's soft to touch, She says "Cosette, I love you very much. I know a place where no one's lost, I know a place where no one cries, Crying at all is not allowed, Not in my castle on a cloud…"

Cassandra smiled, already feeling more calm than before. She and Shelby had multiple live recordings of musicals, with either herself or Shelby in one of the roles. As popular and busy the two of them had been, there were quite a few. Rachel had really taken a recent liking to Les Miserables. The young diva had begged Shelby at bedtime the first night she watched it to teach her some of the songs. Neither Shelby nor Rachel had mentioned anything about it after that, and this was the first time Cassandra had heard her daughter sing anything from that particular show.

"That was beautiful, Little Star," Cassandra whispered, only after Rachel had finished singing. "You, your mommy and my baby sister are my Castle in the Clouds."

"The mansion is my castle, Mama. You and Mommy are my ladies in white. I guess all the students are your hundred boys and girls and they know not to talk to loud or you will pound your cane in front of them. There are alot of floors to sweep, but we all take turns so it's not too much for one person."

Cass settled, listening to Rachel ramble on. She missed her little star so much, and if Rachel was calling her in the middle of the night she knew the nine year old must have been missing her too.

"But our castle can only have one cat, because I don't think Barbra would like it very much with a hundred cats."

"No, she definitely would not, and I don't think your mommy would like that either," Cass agreed in a tone of fake concern. Rachel's voice was a reminder of home, unconditional love, and music. That's what life was all about, and what Cassandra could feel herself slipping away from the more she focused on her tragic past. Once she got this closure, she hoped the hate in her heart would go away. She so desperately wanted to instill, in both little girls, a moral code that was accepting, forgiving, and loving of all people. Regardless of the circumstances.

"I love you, Mama. I'm sorry your mother died, and I am sorry she was not a better mother, but she gave birth to you and you are beautiful, smart, and a good performer. You really are a good mama. So, she is not one hundred percent bad, just ninety nine."

Gods, you have to love the way Rachel thinks about life, Cass thought to herself, amazed. Rachel was probably the only one on the planet who would extend sympathy about the loss of Cassandra's mother that the stubborn woman would actually accept. However, the mention of Cassandra's mother brought her back to reality. She was curious about the nature of Rachel's call and how the little girl had gotten the news.

"Little Star, how did you know that my mother died?" Cassandra asked, not unkindly but out of a gentle curiosity.

Rachel didn't answer her. Barbra's purr in the background filled the silence.

"It's okay, Rachel. I'm not mad at you. You have really helped me feel better. I am glad you called," Cass told her honestly.

"Really, Mama?"

"Yes, really. I love you, Rachel," Cass's voice broke with emotion. She snapped her head up when she heard a knock on the bathroom door. It was pushed open slowly and Shelby appeared from behind it.

"It's Rachel?" she mouthed.

Cass put the phone on speaker so they could talk to their daughter together. Noticing Cassandra's state of undress, Shelby handed her a black silk robe which was quickly exchanged for soaked towel. She would blow dry her hair later.

"Rachel, sweetie, are you okay?" Shelby asked, concerned as to why her daughter would be calling so late. Shelby had looked at the clock when the hospital had called them, and that had been late. "You should be asleep."

"Barbra and I had to call Mama," Rachel answered, her voice not as bubbly as it had been a few moments before. Rachel wondered if Auntie April had mentioned that she had left the Victorian and come home to the mansion. The nine year old expected her mommy would not be very happy about that. "We heard Auntie April talking and had to make sure Mama was okay, so we sang to her."

"Oh, I see," Shelby nodded, her tone understanding and motherly as it usually sounded when she spoke to Rachel. The little girl smiled at the familiarity.

"Will I get to see you soon?"

"Very soon," Shelby let her know. "We're going to fly you out here with Auntie April and Natalie tomorrow morning. Then we'll be together again, Little Star. I know it's been too long, and I know you are scared and tired of being home without us there. I need you to know that we aren't very far away at all, and once you go to sleep and wake up, you'll hardly have any more time to miss us. Now, it's time for you to get your beauty sleep so that you're nice and rested for your trip tomorrow." Shelby's heart pounded with anxiety and she glanced over at Cassandra, whose eyes were grey with exhaustion. "Would you like me to sing you to sleep, Rachel?" Shelby asked, never taking her eyes off of her wife. Cassandra smiled softly and walked from the bathroom to the bedroom, thinking that wet hair wouldn't kill her if she fell asleep that way. Shelby flicked the bathroom light off and followed her, waiting for Rachel's confirmation.

"Yes, please," The little girl responded. At this point, she and April had made it back over to the Victorian and Rachel was cuddling Elphie while laying in April's bed with her, the phone on speaker. April had wordlessly convinced Rachel to go back to the Victorian, to the petite blonde's absolute relief since Natalie was already sound asleep over there. If she woke Natalie and took her over to the mansion, April knew they all might as well have just stayed up for the rest of the night.

Shelby climbed into bed with her wife back in New Jersey and pulled the woman close to her, threading her fingers through the matted, wet blonde hair. "Close your eyes," Shelby instructed both Rachel and Cassandra. Both girls did as they were told. "A gentle breeze, on Hushabye Mountain, Softly blows over Lullaby Bay, It fills the sails of boats that are waiting, Waiting to sail your worries away. It isn't far, to Hushabye Mountain, and your boat waits down by the quay. The winds of night, so softly are sighing, soon they will fly your troubles to sea." Shelby placed a kiss to Cassandra's temple. "Wave goodbye to cares of the day. And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain, Sail far away from Lullaby Bay…"