Cassie watched Shelby pace around their kitchen. Dinner had been finished and cleaned up a while ago and Shelby still hadn't been able to find the words to explain to Cassie what all had actually happened. It was easy to mull something over again and again in your head, letting it keep you up for countless nights on end. The hardest part was actually saying everything out loud, that made it reality, that allowed for others to see just how much you had failed. Shelby had been going over how to say this since they had returned home earlier in the evening with their lunch, every time she had tried to get the words out, they just became stuck.
"Do you want some coffee?" Cassie asked as she stood up from the table and made her way across the kitchen to the coffee pot.
"No..yes...I don't know. Yes." Shelby looked at Cassie a little pleadingly, she wasn't sure if she was pleading for guidance or a sympathetic remark that would get her out of this.
"You know you don't actually have to talk about this right now. I'm not going to push you, but I can see it all brewing in your head. If you weren't ready to talk, you wouldn't be pacing right now." Cassie turned around and leaned against the counter, causally crossing her arms over chest.
"Okay." Shelby rubbed her forehead with her thumb and index finger. "You know I was a surrogate for Hiram and Leroy." It was a statement more than a question, Cassie knew this, she had accepted that Shelby had done what she needed to do. "The contract I signed said I couldn't contact until she was of age, I tried to get around that and when I saw her it just wasn't what I expected it to be. She had grew up without me, why would she need me then?" Cassie opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but nothing come out. This wasn't her story to comment on, she was doing the listening at the moment. "So I left. Skip down the road twelve years I think and I start seeing all of this stuff about Rachel and Marcus Porter. I knew he was her manager, I had been to every show that she was in. Some of those nights I was working late, I was actually watching her do her thing on stage." Shelby smiled tearfully. "I just had to know that she was okay, so I went to McKinley and I ended up at a diner for lunch and Santana and Rachel came in. I am pretty sure Santana figured out who I was the moment she seen me and then Rachel saw me and I felt stuck."
Cassie was confused, she already knew all of this. She just wanted to know why Shelby decided to ruin a relationship that was just starting that could have been an amazing thing. Cassie watched as Shelby sat down at the kitchen table, at least she had stopped pacing and wearing a hole in the floor.
"I panicked and I ran, but I didn't get far. I went to speak to Leroy. We had a long talk and I mean a long one. He told me about everything that had happened, well everything that he knew. He helped me meet up with Rachel and we talked and everything was going so well, but then work came calling and I panicked again. I think I was preparing myself for it all to fall apart and instead of trying to save it, I pushed it to fall apart faster. That's why I done what I did and I regret it every day."
"Shelby...we all make mistakes." Cassie spoke quietly as she sat down next to Shelby and took one of her hands into her own.
"What kind of person makes that kind of mistake though? I knew what I was doing, I knew I was pushing her away because I was scared of finally having a relationship with my daughter! I thought that if I kept throwing myself into my work that it would hurt less and I would have something new to focus on other than the destruction that I was purposely causing. Not only that, it hurt so much to see her in so much pain. She was still having flash backs and panic attacks and I didn't know how to help her, so instead of being there for her I ran. Once I ran, I knew it would fall apart. I'm such a horrible person." Shelby began to sob at the revealing of everything she had, she was so ashamed of herself.
"You're not a horrible person, you just don't know how to deal with certain things and that's why you should have asked for help. I am you're partner, your wife and your best friend, I would have helped Shelby. We could have all gotten through this together." Cassie squeezed Shelby's hand, she knew that her wife was hurting and there wasn't much she could do other than try to help salvage what might be left of Shelby and Rachel's relationship, that's why she needed Santana.
Rachel was dragging her feet as she walked up the steps to the cabin. It had been a long day after lunch, turns out she had to stay late at the studio in order to try and catch up more. She knew that with all the work coming up she was bound to have countless days like this. At least now she was home and could just relax and have dinner with Santana. Except, there might not be as much relaxing as she had hoped since she still had to tell Santana that Jasper was back because Puck had called him. That wasn't news that you just delivered over the phone.
"Hi babe." Santana briefly looked over her shoulder before she bent over to retrieve something out of the oven, Rachel wasn't sure what, but it smelled amazing.
Setting down her bags, Rachel briefly stopped to pet the dogs. Apparently both of them had had hard days at the vet, Rachel pouted sympathetically as she rubbed their ears. "Are they feeling any better?" Rachel asked as she stood back up to her full height and looked into the kitchen at Santana.
"They both have just laid around since we got home, but they have both eat and drunk plenty. They're fine, they just wore themselves out. Come get ready to eat." Santana motioned towards herself with the oven mitt that she was holding.
"Whatever you made smells amazing." Rachel walked over the sink and washed her hands before she walked over to Santana wrapping an arm around her waist. She looked up at Santana and puckered her lips, waiting for a kiss.
"Hi." Santana grinned as she turned her head to oblige Rachel's request.
"Hello." Rachel whispered, before she attempted to deepen the kiss. She was tired, but she was never too tired for this.
"Rachel." Santana mumbled. "My potatoes are going to burn."
Chuckling, Rachel gave Santana one last kiss before she went to sit down at the island. Santana had already set out a caeser salad and the plates and silverware. "You never did tell me what you made." Rachel picked a crouton out of the salad bowl.
"Technically you didn't ask." Santana was moving her potatoes into a ceramic dish. "But, I made Italian marinated chicken breast, roasted parmesan potatoes, sweet corn and caeser salad." Santana sat the dish of potatoes down before she turned around to grab the chicken and corn. "Dig in."
Santana stood at the sink next to Rachel who decided that she wanted to dry the dishes instead of wash tonight. Rachel chuckled to herself as Santana pulled her soap covered arms out of the water. "You always use too much dish washing liquid."
"I know, but who doesn't love bubbles?" Santana raised her left arm and flicked her hand at Rachel, successfully sending bubbles flying right into Rachel's face.
Rachel stood there in a shock for a moment with her eyes closed tightly and her mouth slightly open. "Santana Lopez...I can't believe you just did that." She was trying desperately not to get the soap in her mouth.
Santana snorted as she watched Rachel blindly reach for the towel that she had been using to try and wipe some of the bubbles off. "I'm sorry. Here let me help." Santana apologized as she wiped her hands on the towel first before carefully wiping off Rachel's face. "Is it in your eyes?" She asked as Rachel slowly blinked her eyes open, they weren't burning which was a good sign that they were clear of bubbles.
"No..we're good." Rachel leaned forward and stood partially on her tippy toes in order to give Santana a kiss. She used one hand to keep her balance as she let her right hand linger close to the sink. Santana had became oblivious to everything around her, Rachel's kisses still had a certain amount of power over her. She didn't noticed the handful of bubbles until it was too late. Rachel grinned as she pulled back from the kiss and smeared the handful of bubbles down Santana's face. She giggled and waited a moment before she stepped back in preparation to take off running.
Santana sputtered, dish washing soap did not taste good at all. She could feel Rachel step out the embrace and start giggling. Santana opened her eyes and with a growl she took off after Rachel chasing her around the kitchen island.
"Santana, it's only fair you done it me!" Rachel shouted as she made her third loop around the island. Santana just wouldn't let up, every time they passed the sink one of them would grab another handful of bubbles. The floor would probably be soaked in water soon.
Santana paused at the corner of the island. "I flicked bubbles at you, you smeared them down my face! How is that fair at all?!" She rested her hands on the counter, Rachel was fast, it was incredible how she was so short but had such long legs.
"Well..I mean...It just is!" Rachel yelled as she took off running out of the front door of the cabin and into the yard. The dogs who were feeling much better after their extremely long naps, decided to follow suit and took off after Rachel.
Santana ran after all three of them cackling as she headed around the side of the cabin instead of directly following. Rachel paused in her running. Where was Santana? She had seen her come out of the cabin too. Curious, Rachel walked back towards the porch, slightly out of breath.
Feeling pretty sneaky, Santana had ran around to the side of the cabin where her rain barrels were located. She grinned evilly, she had set up a newer more powerful hose pump not too long ago and the barrels were full. Rachel thought she was going to cover Santana in bubbles? Well, Santana knew just how to rinse them all off. Smirking, Santana turned on the pump and readied the hose, she could hear Rachel getting closer. She aimed the nozzle and waited for her target to arrive.
Rachel stepped around the cabin and was met with a face full of water. She let out an ear piercing scream as Santana continued to soak her up and down with the hose. "SANTANA LOPEZ, WHAT IN WORLD ARE YOU DOING?!" Rachel put her hands up in surrender as she tried to block some of the water. Santana cackled again before dropping the hose and taking off across the yard. Rachel stopped for a moment, thankful she was no longer being soaked before she took off after Santana. Yes, it was late and dark out and yes, she needed to tell Santana about Jasper being back. For now though all of that could wait because in the moment, this was all that mattered.