Disclaimer: I do not own a thing except some imagination.

A/N: I'm sorry for all the time it takes me in between posts. I have this in mind everyday, but have to find the time and the words. Hope you like this bit.

Chapter - 11

"Hey, Lucy?" Lux catches the blonde when they are cleaning up the dinner table. "Can I talk to you?"

"Yes, of course." The older blonde leaves everything she was doing and listens to her.

Rachel notices as she is coming back from the kitchen and makes herself busy in the other room.

"I don't really think the judge would grant you Tasha's temporary custody with everything that's going on, right?" She cautiously says.

Lucy stops and looks her daughter in the eye. "They won't." Shaking her head a little.

"Then... why did you do it?"

"I don't know, I thought I could help. It would be better for her to live around here and you'd have your best friend." She shrugs. "Listen, I won't do it. That way it will be easier."

"That's not at all what I was saying." She starts.

"I know, it's my idea." Lucy gives her. "I'm not fitted to take care of a teenager, right now, and this is only getting in the way of the relationship I would like to have with you. Rachel has more chances, Tasha will be fine. So I'm dropping it."

"But..."

"Stop." Lucy steps forward and puts a hand on Lux's arm. "Would it be easier if I had never talked to Lauren in the first place?"

"I guess, but it's done..."

"And still I can take it back." She shrugs. "On Saturday, we will go to Columbus. We'll talk to Tasha, I'll explain my part and then you'll have a good day with your friend. Okay?"

Lux sighs. "Okay." Lucy finally smiles to her daughter, relieve flooding both blondes.

They start listening to a distant music. Lux turns to Rachel, who's now back in the living room with them, and then to Lucy. The older blonde chuckles.

"Go. I think we can manage this ourselves." Lux smiles and runs to her room, ceasing the music when she picks up her phone.

Rachel laughs at her excitement. "It's probably Bug, you know?"

Lucy chuckles and nods. "Again? He isn't a bad boyfriend, is he?"

"He looks very tough, but as far as I've seen he's very caring, attentive and definitely smitten." She points out.

"Good. She deserves someone like that."

The brunette bites her lip, she is way too curious. "What did you talk about? If it's not too much to ask..."

"She was clearly uncomfortable with the possibility I could take care of Tasha. She didn't say it, I just knew. So I told her I will back off. The judge will only have to consider you." She finishes.

"That wasn't an easy conversation... It is good you two are communicating." Rachel smiles.

The blonde smiles back. "Yeah." They finish in the living room and both of them go back to the kitchen. Lucy looks at her watch.

"Don't worry if you have to go." Rachel reads Lucy's impatience. "I can finish up here."

"I should spend some time with my mother."

"How is she doing?" The brunette asks with honest worry.

"She's doing great, actually. She has this positive attitude that might make the difference this time. She's going to some sessions and meeting new people." She turns with a smile. "I think seeing Lux has changed her." She nods. "She wants to know everything about her and as soon as she feels herself again, she wants to build a relationship with her too."

"That's great." Rachel says, truly happy.

"Yeah." The glint in her hazel eyes tells Rachel she is very happy too. "Anyway, I have to go spend some time with her. I've kind of neglected her, you know? And I promised Lux I would go with you Saturday and explain to Tasha." She stops to think. "I guess if you don't want to, you don't have to come."

"Oh, but what would I do all alone here?" The brunette fakes a pout.

Lucy laughs. "Okay, so see you on Saturday?"

"Yes. See you."

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Berry." Seth says politely as he gets in the car the next day. He rests his backpack on the floor of the car and sighs in relieve. Lux gets in the front seat.

"Hello, Seth. That looks heavy."

"Yeah, Mrs. B, I took some books from the library to help us do our project."

"That's good." She nods. "By the way, you don't have to call me Mrs. Berry out of school. Call me Rachel."

He stays quiet a little, while Rachel starts up the car, suspicious that anyone around the school has seen him. "That's ok, Mrs. B"

Rachel chuckles, looks at Lux, who raises her eyebrows, looks back ahead and drives on.

"I think it's better if we stay in the living room. This table is bigger than my desk, we can have all the books around here. What do you think?"

"Whatever you say." He shrugs. "It's your house."

Lux thinks for a sec, then she shrugs and drops her bag besides a chair. Seth follows suit.

"Rach, can we borrow your laptop?"

"Yes, of course." She disappears into her bedroom and Lux follows her.

"I feel like we are pushing you out of your own home." She whispers.

Rachel chuckles. "Except now is your home too and you aren't pushing me out." She shakes her head.

"Cool, because I think Anna may be dropping by later."

Rachel chuckles. "It's alright, it's nice to see you are making friends at your new school." She looks around, gives the laptop to Lux and turns to her wardrobe, picking a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. "I'm going to change into something more comfortable and I'm going to the store. Do you want me to pick up something?"

"No, I don't think so."

Rachel walks past Lux and back into the living room, where Seth is looking for something in a book.

"Hey, Seth. Do you want some snacks or something? I'm hitting the store."

The boy looks up. "Hmm, it's okay, Mrs. B."

"I don't suppose you are vegan?"

"No, but really, Mrs. B,..."

"Okay!" She disappears again into her bedroom where's still Lux.

"Just know you can hang out with them here. I'm getting some snacks that are not vegan and maybe a couple frozen pizzas or something, just in case. If you wanted, you could invite them to stay over for a while: watch a movie, I would recommend anything from Barbra Streisand, but my collection does not limit to that genre, and have some pizza."

"Sure..."

"If that were the case, remind them to call home to say they are having dinner here and I would drive them later."

"Rachel, I don't want to..."

"I'm the one offering to do so, if you want them over. Also, I've got plenty of papers to grade, so I'll be in my room with the TV on the background."

After her speech, the brunette raises her eyebrow, expecting more come backs, but there's only a teenager with a shy smile in her lips in front of her. She puts her hand on the blonde hair and messes it up. Lux sighs at first but then laughs along with Rachel.

"Hello, Rachel." Lucy answers her phone after hearing the brunette's ringtone.

"Hello, Lucy. How are you?"

"Fine. Just watching some TV with my mother." She hears a faint voice behind the blonde's. "She says Hi."

"Hi right back." There's a mumble and she guess Lucy is transmitting her message.

"So, how are you?" Lucy continues.

"I'm actually kind of bored. I've been banned from the living room because I've been deemed uncool by three teenagers."

Lucy just laughs for a while and Rachel huffs on the other side. "I just suggested they watch a classic movie like Funny Girl. They gave me awkward looks and I just went into my bedroom to grade papers."

The blonde chuckles again. "What's that about?"

"Lux and her science partner, Seth, had to make an project, so they met here. Their other friend Anna was going to join them later, so I kind of encouraged her to invite them for dinner and a movie."

"Serves you right, then. You've got an age. Despite your height you should know you can't pass as a teenager anymore."

Rachel huffs. "I don't know at what I should be more offended. I'll let you know I'm with the average height for women in the country and, also, you are older than I am."

Lucy chuckles. It's kind of fun to banter with the brunette. "Right, just a couple of months. But I'm not the one trying to hang out with the teens."

"I was just suggesting they chose a classic film. I almost had Anna convinced."

"That poor Anna surely fears you'll make her fail. Face it, those Barbra movies weren't cool even when we were kids. I watched them then, I should know."

Rachel gasps and asks full of incredulity. "You actually listened to me?"

"Well, you wouldn't shut up about them, I had to know what the fuss was about your idol."

"And did you like them?"

"Yes, but..."

"Ha! I knew it." She exclaims and Lucy knows there's no point of going on with the argument, so she just laughs.

They talk for a little while more, bantering back and forth, laughing, until Rachel is properly entertained and they agree to meet the next day for Colombus.

"Well, well. I don't think I have seen you smile and laugh like that in a long time." Judy comments. She hasn't seen her so giddy in the few weeks she's been back with her. In fact, she's pretty sure last time she saw her daughter so truly amused and carefree was when she was a little kid. Her heart aches.

"Can you believe I treated her like hell in high school?" She chuckles. "I can't believe she forgave me for everything. Apart from all that's going on with Lux, it's been pretty good to reconnect with her."

"You seem happier." Judy starts again and her daughter examines her closely. "Last time I saw you, in your phone calls... you seemed so numb. But now, you seem finally awake. That Rachel has done you so good. Not only giving you the opportunity to know your daughter." She nods. "And I'm happy for you." She smiles.

"And I'm really happy you are getting better."

"Probably celebrating that pretty soon you can go back to New York."

"Why? You just said it, I'm happy here. You're not kicking me out just yet, are you?"

"Of course not." She puts her arms around her daughter. It's awkward, they are clearly not used to this. "I thank God everyday for you."

The next morning, Lucy arrives in her own car and insists on using it to go to Colombus. The road trip is passed with Rachel and Lux singing to the radio.

"I didn't know you sang like that." Lucy just says to Lux, looking at her in the rearview mirror, when a song ends. The little blonde shrugs and a little color appears on her cheeks.

"Well, I might have to say it's in her genes. Her parents have plenty of talent."

Lucy huffs. "It's all Puck's then. I barely kept up in Glee club."

"Please, your voice was amazing in the few songs Mr. Shue let you have the solo and shine." Lucy huffs again and rolls her eyes still staring into the road ahead. "Don't roll your eyes. We won Sectionals with your duet with Sam."

"Really? What did you sing?" Lux asks from the back seat. Now, because of the sudden interest of her daughter, the color goes to her own cheeks.

"That was because of Santana's song and the dance Brittany and Mike prepared. That was amazing." The blonde shrugs.

"They did 'The time of my life' from Dirty Dancing." She says looking at back to answer Lux's question. "And they were great."

"Cool." Lucy smiles at her daughter in the rearview mirror and Lux smiles at her back.

"Hey, blondie!" Tasha calls out. Lux has just stepped out of the car and is closing the door when she hears her best friend and before she can turn back she feels one arm around her and the other messing with her hair.

Lux only laughs. "Hey, how've you been?" She asks when she lets her go.

"Same." The brunette shrugs. "You?"

"Same." Lux shrugs too.

Tasha looks around, noticing Lucy and Rachel. "You've brought the whole troop, huh?"

"Yeah." She smiles. "Actually, they are here because they want to talk to you."

"Hey, hey, if Lux is suddenly into weird-kinky stuff, it's not my fault. This relationship is too long distance for that." She mocks.

Lucy chuckles. "Let's go have something for lunch and we'll discuss your long distance relationship, okay?"

"Sounds good." She says.

"Tash? Where is Bug?" The blonde asks her friend as they follow Rachel and Lucy into the restaurant.

"He's running a little late in the store. His boss in giving him a hard time. Said we best go ahead and have lunch and he'll catch up later." Lux pouts, putting out her inferior lip exaggeratedly, and Tasha pushes her ahead with a smile.

After they order, the brunette has had enough. "So, what's up?"

Rachel chuckles. It's the same move Lux pulled out. The little blonde, by the way, is currently biting her lip, waiting to see her friend's reaction.

"I went to see your social worker after we had lunch last time." Lucy goes ahead.

"You what?!" Tasha is about to jump, but she looks to Lux.

"It's not that. She didn't say anything." She manages to somehow calm down.

"I wanted the judge to grant me temporary custody of you. Same as Lux with Rachel."

Tasha is silent for a moment. She looks at Lux a little bit worried and then back at Lucy. "Wanted?"

"Yeah. I..." She puts emphasis in the I. "...decided it would be best to back down because of everything that's happened in my family. My mother is sobering up and I just found Lux. So I thought it would be for the best."

Tasha nods. She understands it, though she can't help feeling a little disappointed, but shrugs like it doesn't matter. "That's all?"

"No." Rachel finally intervenes. Tasha thinks it's the first time she's spoken to her today. "I applied too, just in case Lucy wasn't granted it. And this week the judge will evalue my proposal, ask for your opinion and take it all into consideration."

Tasha looks at Lux and the blonde gives her a smile.

"So I would have to move to Lima?"

"If the judge approves, yeah. I was thinking of maybe buying a bigger house, but in the meantime, we could make the garage like you own room. How does that sound?"

Tasha looks around and sighs. "That sounds better than going back to the girl's home, actually."