Silly Love Songs

"Of course I don't why people make a big fuss about today, its just a hallmark holiday…" Rachel has been rambling on for the past 10 minutes, in between mouthfuls of vegan ice cream, occasionally pointing the spoon in Shelby's direction for emphasis.

For her part, Shelby just sits mutely in the arm chair, blowing her nose and drinking lemsip. She's been in the grips of a cold for the past 3 days, and despite her best efforts the symptoms aren't a baiting. She'd spent the day wrapped in a blanket on the sofa, gently snoozing until hurricane Rachel had arrived 20 minutes ago, interrupting the peace and quiet.

"-they just want to get money out of people with all the cards and the flowers-"

Shelby coughs before interrupting "Rach, if you aren't bothered about Valentines day, then why have you eaten nearly half a tub of ice cream and not stopped talking about it?"

"I just felt like ice cream" Rachel replied, unconvincingly. "And Mercedes and Kurt had to leave Breadsticks before we got chance to order any desert."

"Why are you here anyway? Not that it isn't nice to see you."

"I heard you were ill mom and I wanted to check on you."

"Yes, I'm ill, not stupid, what's the real reason?" Shelby prods.

"Oh alright. I can't go home just yet, Dad and Daddy are having a romantic evening in so I want to give them some space. Plus I thought you could sympathise, you're all alone on Valentines day too."

Shelby would raise an eyebrow at this remark, were it not for the fact she simply doesn't have the energy.

Rachel sighed, put down her spoon and curled her feet up under her on the sofa. "I guess all this heartbreak will be useful later on when I need to channel the sadness Elphaba feels when Glinda gets Fiyero, or when Maria has to leave Captain Von Trapp, or-"

"Atta girl, think of the positives" Shelby interrupts, determined to get Rachel off the subject of boys and Finn.

After their girls trip to Los Angeles, Shelby had hoped that Rachel had finally gotten over Finn. She'd seen the Walk of Fame outside Manns Chinese Theatre and declared that one day a star with her name on it would be there too, and she was not going to let anything get in the way of her goals. Shelby had agreed, and had also convinced her daughter not to go visit Jesse the Singing Waiter. That can of worms really did not need re-opening. All in all they had left California with Rachel in a much brighter more positive mood, which had lasted a few weeks, but then the Finn pinning had inexplicably re-emerged following the Superbowl, much to Shelbys annoyance and frustration.

"Now, can we change the subject please?" Her mother asks.

"Those are nice flowers mom" Rachel pointed to the hearth, where a medium sized bouquet rested in a vase.

Before Shelby could reply, the landline rang. "I'll get it, you stay where you are" Rachel hopped up before her mother could even begin to untangle herself from the blanket.

"Hello"

Shelby settled back down on the sofa. She couldn't think of anyone important who would be ringing at 8pm on Valentines night.

"No, this is her daughter, she's not very well, can I take a message?"

"Who?" Rachel's voice went up an octave. She turned round, to look at her mother, her eyebrows practically disappearing into her hair line.

"uh-huh, oh yes, I'll tell her. Uh-huh. Yes you too. Goodbye". Rachel hung up the phone, and turned back round with a smirk on her face.

"Wrong number?" Shelby asked hopefully, even though she knew from Rachel's reaction who it had been, and despite the grilling Shelby knows she is about to get, she feels touched that they called.

"No. That was someone called Stewart. He said he was sorry you had to cancel dinner because you were ill. He hoped you feel better, and that you liked the flowers."

Shelby could feel the blush rising in her face as Rachel relayed the message to her, scrutinizing her mother for any kind of reaction as she did so. Why was she feeling embarrassed? She was a grown woman after all, she could chose to be friendly with whomever she pleased.

"Who is Stewart Mom?" Rachel stood, hand on hips.

"Just a friend" Shelby replied.

"A man friend" Rachel continued

"Yes"

"And how long have you known this man friend?"

" A little while.."

"How long is a little while,"

"Just a little while.."

"Mom!"

"What?"

"I can't believe you have a boyfriend and you didn't tell me." Rachel screeched.

"He's not a boyfriend, we've just been on a few dates."

"Where did you meet him? When did you meet him?"

"Rachel, I really don't want to talk about this yet"

"Tell me!."

"Its nothing"

"Have you told Grandma?"

"No, she'd start planning a wedding as soon as she got whisper of anything ,wait-" Shelby noticed Rachel inching toward the phone. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to call Grandma and tell her you have a boyfriend"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh yes I would! You can make this very easy for yourself mom. You can tell me all the details, and then sit in peace for the evening, or I tell Grandma and get her to nag it out of you."

"Fine!" Shelby couldn't believe she was getting the third degree from her daughter. That said, she'd rather put up with Rachel's questioning than her mothers, which was bound to be a hundred times worse.

"As you already know, His name is Stewart. He's a vet. I met him at the bookstore. He's 43. We've just been out to dinner a few times. He is not my boyfriend."

"Yet."

"Well.."

"What does he look like?"

"A lot like your Dad actually."

"huh…" Rachel seemed to process the information slowly. "I'm not sure that I like it."

"Like what? That he's a vet, or that he's 43?" Shelby said, trying to move the conversation away from the fact Steward looked like one Leroy Berry.

"Like the idea of you having a boyfriend."

"For the last time, he is not my boyfriend, we haven't discussed that yet" Shelby yelled, punctuating the end of her speech with a cough.

"I still don't like it. I don't want a step-dad. A stranger in the house."

Had Shelby more energy, time or non-fuzzy brain cells she would have pointed out that *technically* Rachel already had a step-dad, given that she only had 1 biological father, but it wasn't worth the argument. Plus Rachel was right, whoever she, Shelby dated, would be a stranger. Instead she settled for: "Rachel we have been on 4 dates. We aren't exactly engaged."

"Well you have to move quickly at your age mom."

Choosing to ignore the slur on her advanced age of thirty-eight, Shelby barrelled on, "And what do you mean you don't like it? One moment you don't want me to be alone, and in the next you don't want me to date?"

" I don't know, I just find it strange" Rachel sat back down on the sofa, shrugging her shoulders.

"I guess, I've just never had to deal with one of my parents dating someone who is not also my parent, if you know what I mean?. Dad and Daddy are married, they both love me, I'm the daughter of both of them. I know that when I'm at home, and I wake up in the morning and come downstairs it will just be them sitting at the kitchen table, the two people who know me best in the world, and have known me my whole life.

I don't want to come downstairs and see some random stranger in the kitchen . Someone who doesn't know me, has no obligation to love me, or put up with my tantrums, but is simply there because he's dating my mom. I like coming over here because its just me and you, not me, you, and some Stewart guy!" She proclaimed.

"So you're basically saying you like having my undivided attention and do not want to share that with anyone else."

"Yes" Rachel replied in small voice. "Is that so bad? I didn't know you for the first 15 years of my life."

Ordinarily Shelby would call her on the use of emotional blackmail, but there was a kernel of truth and insecurity in what Rachel was saying.

"Rach, I can promise you now, that no man will ever come before you, you will always be my number 1 priority."

Rachel beamed

"But" Shelby continued "You will be off living your life in New York in 3 years. I will no doubt be living here in Ohio. Do you really want me to come home every night to an empty house for the next 40 years?"

"I guess not.."

"Do you want to find me at age 80, on the floor, dead at for at least 2 days without anyone having noticed because I was all alone?" Shelby knew she was laying it on thick, but if there was one thing that could get through to Rachel it was dramatics.

"No! Mom that's.." Rachel stopped, realising what her mother was doing. "I'm being a bit unreasonable aren't I?"

"Yes, just a little" Shelby agreed with a smile.

"I'm sorry mom, you deserve to be happy. I'll try and be happy for you."

"I am happy, you make me happy. As I said, Stewart is just a friend, we'll see where it goes from there. Now, do you think you could give your decrepit germ-laden mom a hug?"

"I guess I could" Rachel walked over and lent down to give her mum a cuddle. "Mom?" Rachel speaks into her neck.

"Yes?"

"If you get married? Can my bridesmaid dress be Pink?"

A/N: Love it? Hate it? Review

Ok, so the Traffic for my last chapter was low, very low, the number of hits was down something huge like 95% on what it used to be, showing that barely anyone is reading this story. Now, whether this is because a) it took me so long to update and people have forgotten this exists, b) I've dropped the ball and this story just simply isn't interesting anymore and people are too bored to read or c) there are plenty of really good Rachel/Shelby fics out there, and people are getting their fix elsewhere and don't want to read this, I simply don't know, I wish i did.

What I do know is that I enjoy writing, but, there is a difference between writing for myself, and the time and effort it takes to format this story so that can be uploaded onto this website and make it easy to read and follow by others. Obviously if people are reading my story, then its worth publishing it, but if they aren't then theres no point in writing or uploading to a vaccum.

Which is a long waffly way of saying, I am posting this chapter, and I have one more chapter already written and formated, that I will post. After that, if readership is still at rock bottom, then I am going to bring the story to an end.