I do not own Glee or any of the original characters. It all belongs to Fox and RIB. Any characters you do not recognise are my own creations.
Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter, I really enjoy reading all of your feedback.
From now on, this story will be updated once a week, but not on a specific day.
R&R please.
Chapter 36
Santana warily watches Shelby from the doorway of the kitchen, her stomach churning as she gazes at her mom's back as the woman prepares some coffee. She knows she's in a lot of trouble, and she knows that she's gonna have to talk about everything, but Santana is still so, so relieved to be here with her. After seeing that email, just being away from her mom for a matter of hours had been really hard, and she's still terrified about what she read. She's so scared that the life that she's so accustomed to will be over. She loves it too much. Shelby turns, and their eyes meet.
"Hey, baby," Shelby murmurs. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long," Santana softly responds, half heartedly shrugging.
"My dad was waiting for you, but you came down later than I expected," Shelby tells her. "He left to go to the hospital with your aunt Cass, but he says he's looking forward to meeting you later."
"Sorry, I was a little nervous," Santana mumbles, fiddling with the bottom of the baggy t'shirt.
"About meeting him?" Shelby questions.
"About everything," Santana shrugs. Shelby studies Santana, not missing the slight quiver in her bottom lip and the tears that well in her brown eyes. Shelby silently opens her arms and Santana instantly crosses the kitchen, falling into her mom's embrace. Santana buries her face into Shelby's neck as comforting arms wrap around her slim frame, taking comfort in her mother's touch.
"Talk to me, baby girl," Shelby murmurs into Santana's ear. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me. Tell me what the problem is, and I'll solve it." Santana's breath hitches and her grip around Shelby tightens. "Come on, let's sit down in the living room," Shelby suggests and Santana nods into her shoulder. Shelby leads her daughter through her childhood home, walking her into the living room and urging her to sit down on the sofa. "Let's talk." Santana shimmies along the sofa and sits sideways, her back against the arm of the sofa and her knees drawn up to her chest. She gazes nervously at Shelby as she also settles on the sofa.
"I'm sorry," Santana mumbles. Shelby nods,
"I know that you're sorry about what you did, honey," Shelby states calmly, "but I don't know why you did it." Santana softly sighs, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.
"I saw the email about the job in New York," Santana whispers after a moment, suddenly feeling ashamed of herself for reading her mother's private email. Even if she hadn't exactly meant to. Shelby's eyebrows almost disappear into her hair and Santana notices a flicker of anger in her hazel eyes. "Your laptop was open on the table, I went to close it and I..." Santana trails off. Shelby sighs. That's not as bad as purposely reading, but Santana could have stopped herself.
"You didn't have to read it," Shelby voices her thoughts.
"Are you going to leave us?" Shelby's heart aches when she hears Santana's small voice, and she realises what reading the email had done to her daughter.
"Oh, sweetheart, no! I'm not going to leave you girls, I would never leave you girls," Shelby exclaims. "I thought you knew that. I haven't responded to the job offer yet, and the only way I would take it is if you and your sisters were coming to New York with me," she swears. "You, Brittany and Quinn are my life, I would never leave to take a job in another state without you."
"You wouldn't?" Santana questions, her voice hopeful. Shelby frowns, she hates that Santana is still so insecure. Her parents had really done a number on the poor girl.
"No! Listen, I don't know if I want to take this job, but before I make any decisions I was planning on talking to you girls about it, and working out if it would be possible for the four of us to move to New York. Even then, I wouldn't consider taking the job if you three didn't want to move," Shelby explains. "I promise you, sweetheart." Now that Santana's fears have diminished, she begins to worry about the trouble she has gotten herself into.
"I guess I screwed up," Santana mumbles, a frown on her face. Shelby nods.
"You jumped to a conclusion, and you reacted badly," Shelby states, her gaze serious. "Running off in the middle of the night, no matter where you're going, is not acceptable." Santana feels her stomach lurch, she's knows exactly where this is going. "I understand that you were worried and scared. I also understand that you have insecurities that aren't gonna go away overnight, and we will work on that, but I cannot allow you to pull stunts like this and get away with it."
"I know," Santana murmurs, her eyes downcast and her mouth as dry as a desert. Shelby sighs and reaches across to gently squeeze Santana's knee.
"I love you so much, sweetheart. I don't like having to punish you or your little self, but you know I have to, don't you?" Santana nods, her stomach churning and tears leaking from her eyes already,
"yeah," she murmurs. "I do."
"We will be going home tonight, because your sisters are pretty upset about both of us being gone," Shelby states. "My dad is taking your car to a friend tonight to get the damn heating fixed, and you will be driving home with me and Aunt Cassandra. We'll be driving up here in the mornings and driving back at night instead of staying over," Shelby explains. She knows her girls need her to be at home. "Now, I need to go to the hospital in a little bit, would you like to come?" Shelby gently questions and Santana nods timidly. "Alright, well...we're going to take of your punishment before we go," Shelby murmurs.
"Are you...?" Santana trails off, unable to finish her question.
"Am I going to spank you? Yes," Shelby states firmly. "You've earned one, honey. I do not want you pulling a stunt like this again, do you understand me?" Shelby's voice and gaze are stern, and Santana rubs her clammy palms against her knees.
"Yes, mom," Santana whispers, the butterflies in her tummy feeling as though they have transformed into giant bats. She gazes at Shelby, and the trust that is no apparent in her eyes causes Shelby's eyes to water ever so slightly. Shelby slides along the couch so that she is sitting on the middle cushion.
"Come on," she states softly, patting her lap. Santana takes a few seconds to move, and Shelby allows it. After a moment, Santana crawls across Shelby's lap. Her heart thuds and her backside tingles with unhappy anticipation. "Good girl," Shelby murmurs. There's no need to talk any more, they had already discussed it.
Shelby begins. She lightly smacks Santana's pajama clad behind, a second slap quickly following as sets into a rhythm. She litters Santana's behind, her hand falling again and again. She spanks hard enough for Santana to feel it, but not hard enough to cause any real pain just yet; merely warming up her bottom. If she's honest, Shelby is using the warm up to build up her courage to properly punish her daughter. She hates spanking any version of her girls and, this being only the second time she has spanked big girl Santana, she needs to work up to it. Slowly, she adds more power. Her hand firmly spanks Santana's behind and Santana lets out a little moan, telling Shelby that she is staring to make an impression on her daughter. Her experienced hand connects over and over, mostly concentrating on the underside of each cheek; the sit spots. She wants Santana to remember this spanking whenever she sits down today and, in turn, remember the important lesson she is teaching her.
"I do not want to do this again, Santana." Shelby had thought she was done talking to Santana about this, but as the spanking continues, she remembers the fear and worry she had felt the night before. "I never want you to pull a disappearing act again," she adds, punctuating her words with firm slaps to Santana's bottom.
"I know, I'm sorry," Santana whimpers, her backside beginning to tingle as her mom's punishing hand adds more and more heat. Shelby hooks her fingers into the waistband of Santana's pajama bottoms and tugs them down, leaving them bunched around her knees. She continues her assault on Santana's bottom, her hand tattooing a punishing beat on the seat of the girl's underwear. Santana begins to whimper after each slap, wriggling ever so slight as Shelby continues to tenderise her bottom. If she didn't regret her actions before, she sure does now.
"If I have to punish you again for this, I will use more than just my hand," Shelby sternly states, "do you understand me?" she asks, her hand never stopping.
"Yes, I promise I won't do it again!" Santana exclaims, pain evident in her voice. Santana's behind begins to feel hot, and her cries increase as the burning does. She's convinced that her mom has an iron hand and is intending to brand her palm onto her backside. Her tears flow freely and Shelby claps her hand against her bottom with determination. Santana sobs across her mom's lap, her fingers clutching the sofa cushion as she forces herself not to reach back. "Owww," she whimpers, praying that her punishment is almost over. Santana lets out a whine when she feels Shelby's tugging at her panties. "No, please!" she chokes, begging Shelby not to bare her. It already hurts more than she can stand, she doesn't want to lose her last piece of thin protection.
"We're almost done," Shelby coos. "You're doing so well, sweetheart." Shelby's heart clenches painfully as she listens to her daughter sobs, but she follows through on her intentions and pulls Santana's panties down to join her pajama bottoms. She gazes down at the pink bottom on her lap and is relieved that it's almost over. She forces herself to finish. Shelby brings her hand down six times, three on each sit spot, so hard that Santana's ears ring. Santana sobs bitterly over her mom's lap, and Shelby flexes her hand. She always finishes a big girl spanking with, what she likes to call, stingers...stingers that cause the palm of her hand to tingle.
"I'm sorry, mommy," Santana chokes out, and Shelby has to fight her own tears back.
"It's okay, baby," Shelby coos, helping Santana to reposition herself on her lap. Santana buries her face in her mom's neck, her tears dampening Shelby's skin. "It's over, it's over," Shelby murmurs, soothingly rubbing Santana's back. "I love you so much, sweetheart."
"I love you, too," Santana sniffles, hiccupping against her mother. It had been intense, her feelings more so than the spanking itself. Having a mom that loves her enough to punish her is overwhelming, and Santana doesn't want to ever leave her comforting mother's arms. Shelby, too, doesn't want this moment to end. She wants to hold her daughter forever. Shelby prays that Santana doesn't give her a reason to do this again any time soon. Shelby doesn't expect what Santana says next and it causes tears to well in her eyes, "thank you, mom."
0-00-0
Brittany yawns loudly as she leans forward in her seat to fiddle with the radio, frowning when Quinn slaps her hand away. They had borrowed Holly's car so that they could visit their mom, and Quinn had insisted on leaving in the morning, even if Brittany's little self had been up most of the night. Brittany yawns again as she reaches for the radio a second time, her hand being batted away again. Brittany narrows her eyes, making a mental note to have little Brittany yank Quinn's hair at some point.
"The driver of the car is in charge," Quinn states smugly, glancing across at Brittany. Brittany rolls her eyes, glad that she had napped during most of the car ride and now only has to suffer Quinn's music for a few more minutes.
"I'm driving on the way back," Brittany remarks. "Or I'll have little Brittany kick the back of your seat all the way home," she adds with a smirk.
"Remind me to ask mom if I can have spanking privileges while babysitting little Brittany," Quinn retorts, chuckling when Brittany's smirk is replaced with a scowl. "Or I'll just make her take little Brittany in her car, because there's no chance in hell she'd stop at Mcdonalds like I'm planning to.
"I don't understand what she has against that place," Brittany frowns, confused. Quinn shrugs,
"probably because she found one of their burgers in Santana's car after a month and it still looked exactly the same," Quinn grimaces at the memory. Maybe she won't stop there after all.
"Gross," Brittany mutters, screwing her face up with disgust. Quinn nods, agreeing, and swings the car onto the exit ramp. "Are we going to the hospital or are we gonna try and find the house?"
"I figure the hospital is probably the best place to check first," Quinn states, "aunt Holly said mom would be heading there this afternoon, it's almost two." Quinn follows the road signs to the hospital, finding it pretty easily. Brittany cringes when Quinn almost takes out a pedestrian in her mad rush to get a one of the few good spaces that are left, and she chuckles when another car beats her to it. "I don't know why you're laughing," Quinn remarks, "you're gonna have to walk as far as I am."
"Yeah, but I don't mind," Brittany shrugs. "I'm not lazy like you and Santana are." Quinn frowns, mildly offended. She's not lazy, she just likes to save her energy so that she can watch tv late into the night. That's all. "Look, there's aunt Cass!" Quinn follows Brittany's finger with her eyes as she parks the car, noticing the unimpressed look on the woman's face as she walks towards them. She must have seen Quinn almost kill a person.
"You're lucky your mom didn't see that," Cassandra says as they get out of the car, accepting a hug from each girl.
"It's not my fault people don't look where they're walking," Quinn haughtily replies, causing Cassandra to roll her eyes. "Where is she anyway? Are her and Santana inside?" Quinn asks, following behind Cassandra and Brittany as they walk towards the hospital.
"No," Cassandra replies, "your mom and Santana are still back at the house. They had stuff to deal with." Brittany looks behind her, her gaze locking with Quinn's. The tone of Cassandra's voice had told them all they needed to know. "I've been here for a while, I'm just out for fresh air," she adds. "Why don't we go get something to eat in the cafeteria," Cassandra suggests. "I think Shelby would prefer it if she was here when you meet our dad." Brittany and Quinn exchange another look. It sounds silly, but they hadn't actually thought about meeting the elder Corcoran. They had only been thinking about Shelby and Santana.
0-00-0
Santana looks at the wooden chair with distain on her features, trying to work out if it's even worth the extra pain or if she's rather just stand. She frowns. She'll stand. Santana leans against the wall of the hospital waiting room, shooting Brittany a reassuring smile when she notices the concerned expression that Brittany is wearing. She owes Brittany, and Quinn as well, an apology. She has scared them, too. They had both been understanding and kind when she and Shelby had arrived at the hospital, but Santana feels bad about worrying them. Right now, though, isn't the time. They are waiting on Shelby to come back with her father, and the three of them are pretty nervous. It's no secret to them that they are the reason Shelby hasn't been on good terms with her parents.
"Relax," Cassandra states, breaking their nervous silence. "The three of you look like you're waiting on a walk to death row." Brittany is the only one of them to acknowledge the woman, with a weak smile, but it doesn't offend her. She understands why they're nervous.
"Is your mom doing any better?" Brittany softly questions, suddenly feeling guilty for not asking before. Cassandra offers her a kind smile,
"she's pretty much the same, honey. The doctors said that, at this point, no news is good news," Cassandra explains. "We just need to wait until her body is strong enough to begin it's recovery," she adds. The door opens, and Cassandra doesn't miss the flash of anxiety that crosses each of the girls' faces. Shelby leads her father into the room and she smiles gently at the girls. The three of them nervously move forward to stand next to Shelby, Santana eyeing the older man cautiously. She can see the likeness between the Corcorans, and it makes her feel a little better. Shelby has his eyes.
"Guys, I'd like you to meet my father, Paul," Shelby gently states. "Dad, this is Quinn, Brittany, and Santana." The girls smile politely, but are unsure if they should speak.
"It's nice to meet you all," Paul says, and it's clear to everyone that he is being sincere. "Both of my daughters speak extremely highly of you all," he adds. "I'm glad you have been able to make Shelby happy, and I apologise that it has taken me so long to meet you." Brittany beams at him and steps forward, hugging him tightly. Paul is surprised at first, but he squeezes Brittany back.
"That's alright. Good things come to those who wait," Brittany tells him with a smile as Shelby and Cassandra exchange an amused glance.
"Indeed it does," Paul nods. Santana and Quinn don't offer the man a hug, but Shelby is not even a little surprised. She knows it takes them much longer than Brittany to get to that stage with new people, and that's okay. "So, you are the young lady that arrived at my house in the middle of the night last night, yes?" Paul turns his kind eyes to Santana, chuckling lightly when she blushes.
"Yeah, sorry," Santana murmurs, embarrassed.
"Don't be," Paul waves her apology off. "I only hope you're feeling a little better than you were last night," he adds, genuinely concerned.
"Yeah, thank you," Santana replies, a small smile gracing her face. "I'm sorry about your wife," she awkwardly mumbles. She really does not know what to say to the man.
"Thank you," Paul tells her. "I have every belief that she will make a full recovery very soon. You," he turns his attention to Quinn, "I believe we have spoken on the phone before. I called to ask your aunt Cassandra a question and you hung up on me," Paul chuckles and Quinn flushes a light pink.
"That wasn't me. That was lit...uh yeah..." Quinn trails off. "Sorry about that." Shelby and Cassandra watch with warm smiles as their father chats to the girls, Shelby feeling extremely relieved that it is going well. She always wished her parents would accept her lifestyle, and that she could introduce them to the girls that changed her life for the better. It's a great feeling to be able to finally do that. To one of her parents, anyway. One is better than none.
0-00-0
"My butt hurts!"
"Santana," Shelby sighs, glancing at the girl through her rear view mirror. "Stop yelling at me. I know your bottom is sore, but we are almost home and I can find some cold cream for you then," Shelby gently explains.
"But, mama, it hurts now!"
"I promise you that yelling at me won't make it feel any better," Shelby firmly tells her. "It might actually make it worse, because if I have to stop this car..." Shelby lets her threat hang in the air, and it works like a charm. She hears Quinn giggle next to her and Shelby rolls her eyes. "You're not helping," she grumbles.
"I'm not trying to," Quinn shrugs. Shelby sighs. The plan had been for Quinn to drive Holly's car home, while the rest of them rode home in Shelby's car, but little Quinn had made an appearance before they left. Now, the four of them are in Holly's car, and Shelby is sure that her girls are trying to drive her insane. Plus, she had to leave her beloved escalade at her father's house. "Mama, can we go to Mcdonalds?"
"Absolutely not," Shelby responds instantly. "I'll make dinner for us all as soon as we get home," she adds. Shelby grimaces just at the thought of the burger restaurant, repulsed by the memory of finding that burger inside Santana's car. "Maybe, if the three of you behave yourselves, we can have some ice-cream afterwards."
"Movie?" Brittany hopefully asks from the backseat.
"Sure, baby girl," Shelby says kindly. "What movie would you like to watch?"
"Nemo!" Brittany cheers, clapping her hands together and excitedly prodding Santana's arm. "Nemo," she tells her seriously, clearly upset that Santana is not as excited as she is.
"I wanna watch Batman!" Santana obnoxiously demands.
"The way you are behaving, Santana, it is becoming unlikely that you will be watching any movie," Shelby tells her reprovingly. "I've asked you to stop yelling, so please do not make me ask you again. It is Brittany's turn to watch the movie, you can pick the next one," she adds calmly. Santana pouts. It's not fair! Her butt hurts and she didn't even do anything bad, and now she doesn't even get to pick the movie. It's really, really not fair!
"Is aunt Cass gonna come and stay with us for a little while?" Quinn asks her mama, and Shelby shrugs.
"I don't know, babe. Maybe. You could always ask her if she wants to come and hang out at home with us before she flies back to New York," Shelby suggests.
"Or I could go to the movies with her," Quinn states quietly, only for her mama to hear. Shelby gets the hint. Quinn wants to hang out with her aunt without her little sisters trying to take all of Cassandra's attention.
"I'll call her later, okay?" Quinn smiles at her mama's response. She loves spending time with her little sisters, but sometimes she likes to have some quiet time without them, and Shelby doesn't blame her. "You know what we haven't done in a very long time?" Shelby begins. "We haven't read together," she murmurs. She checks in the mirror to make sure that Santana isn't listening, Santana gets a little jealous, before continuing, "how about, after your sisters go to bed, we do that tonight. Would you like that?" Shelby quietly questions.
"Yes please, mama," Quinn responds, a huge grin on her face. "Can we read The Velveteen Rabbit again?" she eagerly asks.
"Absolutely, babe," Shelby nods. She checks on the other girls again, rolling her eyes when she notices Santana grumbling under her breath in the backseat. "Santana? Is there anything you would like to say to me?" she asks, raising one perfectly manicured eyebrow. Santana's head shoots up, wide eye and looking like a deer caught in the headlights.
"No, mama," Santana innocently replies. Well, as innocently as she can sound.
"Then, perhaps, stop muttering under your breath," Shelby chastises gently. She doesn't want to be too strict with the girl right now as she knows that it's the pain in her behind that's causing her attitude, and that's not little Santana's fault. "We're almost home, sweetheart," Shelby states, "look, that's our street." At this, Santana perks up and Shelby can't help but smile. She pulls the car into their street, listening intently to the little song that Brittany had randomly decided to sing to her. Santana cheers, literally cheers, when Shelby eases the car onto their driveway.
"Is aunt Holly still here?" Quinn asks.
"No, baby. She text me earlier to say that she and Sugar had gone home. You'll probably see her tomorrow, though," Shelby tells her. "It's just us tonight." Shelby guides the car into the garage and rolls it to a stop, ushering the girls inside as quickly as she can. It's much too cold for them to be out here for too long. Shelby heads straight to the kitchen, immediately fixing herself some coffee. It has been a long, long day and she so desperately needs some energy. Even if it is artificial energy. She knows she needs to talk to her girls about the job offer, but she's too emotionally exhausted for that tonight. She looks up as Santana rushes into the room, frowning in confusion when Santana pulls her pants down at the back.
"Look how pink my butt is!"
To be continued...please review, your feedback is appreciated very much.