I have to admit that I'm a little nervous about posting this chapter. After the last chapter I had two ideas in mind of where to take it, and, believe it or not, I think I went with the least angsty option and I hope it's okay.

"Good day?" Leroy asked his daughter once he'd finished on the phone before frowning slightly, "where's Shelby? I thought she was bringing you home."

"Great day thanks" Rachel poured herself a glass of juice, "Shelby did bring me home but she said she's got a migraine and she wanted to lie down for a while."

Leroy nodded, "okay" he made a mental note to check in on her later to see if she needed anything, "your Daddy's going to be a little late home tonight so we probably won't be eating until around 7."

"Okay" Rachel nodded as she grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl to tide her over, "I'm going to go and do my homework then" she kissed Leroy's cheek, "I know" she said when he opened his mouth to speak, "I'll be quiet, I won't disturb Shelby."

Rachel grabbed her bag from where she'd left it by the door and made her way upstairs, pausing at the top before turning quickly and racing back into the kitchen. "Where's the fire?" Leroy joked before seeing the look on Rachel's face, "Rach? What is it?"

"It's Mom. She's crying, really crying and I…"

Leroy nodded, squeezing Rachel's shoulder as he passed her, "I'll go and see her."

He too could hear Shelby's sobs from the top of the stairs, he had no idea what had happened, Shelby sound absolutely devastated, but what worried Leroy more was the way he could almost hear her gasping for breath between each sob. He knocked once but got no response, he didn't knock a second time, just pushed open the door, frowning at the half full suitcase on the bed as his eyes scanned the room, finding Shelby slumped against the drawers, something clutched to her chest as she desperately tried to catch her breath.

The anxiety had come from nowhere, literally knocking the wind from her, a weight on her chest stopping her from filling her lungs with air. Her whole body felt like it was buzzing, and as the edges of her vision began to blur, she knew this was it, she was going to die. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move. She knew if she shouted for help Rachel and Leroy would be there in an instant but she couldn't do it. Her body felt like it was made of concrete, her heart drumming against her ribs like it wanted to break free of her body, there was no way she was going anywhere.

She didn't hear Leroy knock at the door, didn't hear him enter the room, and was only vaguely aware of someone trying to take the picture from her grasp, and as much as she wanted to fight, to hold onto it, she just didn't have the energy.

Leroy placed the photo on the floor beside Shelby, recognising the panic attack instantly, Hiram had had them in the past, but nothing like this, now he was beside Shelby he could see her whole body shaking, was sure he could hear her teeth chattering from the force of the tremors, "you're okay" he told her, "you're having a panic attack, I know it's scary but you're going to be okay."

Shelby recognised someone was talking to her but she couldn't make out the words, it was like her head was underwater, she was drowning, she was sinking and she didn't think anyone would be able to save her. Not this time.

"I'm going to sit you up a little bit" Leroy told her, you might be able to breathe a little easier if you're sat upright" he explained before doing just that, moving her so she could sit back against the drawers instead of being slumped into a ball, "I know it's hard but you need to try and slow your breathing down" he told her, "in and out, in and out" he slowed down his own breaths, hoping Shelby would be able to mirror him.

He wasn't sure if he was getting through to Shelby, Hiram's panic attacks had never been this extreme, but Leroy remembered something that had helped and he cautiously reached for Shelby's hand, gently but firmly beginning to rub circles on her palm with his thumb as he chatted to her about the chores and the errands he'd got done on his day off, being sure to keep his breathing steady for her.

He didn't seem to be getting through to her, felt like she was too lost in her panic to hear his words, but then he had a thought, wondered if music would get through to her, so he did the only thing he could think of and began to sing quietly to her, "It's like a storm that cuts a path, it breaks your will, it feels like that. You think you're lost, but your not lost on your own. You're not alone, I will stand by you, I will help you through. When you've done all you can do and you can't cope, I will dry your eyes, I will fight your fight, I will hold you tight. And I won't let go."

He heard Shelby's breath hitch slightly, but it sounded different this time, like she was trying to control her breathing instead of fighting to fill her lungs and he spent a moment taking slow, deep breaths before going back to his song, he wasn't sure if it was working or not but it certainly wasn't making things any worse so he decided to continue. "It hurts my heart to see you cry, I know it's dark, this part of life. Oh it finds us all and we're too small to stop the rain, oh but when it rains, I will stand by you, I will help you through, when you've done all you can do and you can't cope, I will dry your eyes, I will fight your fight. I will hold you tight and I won't let you fall."

Leroy once again spent a while taking deep breaths and quietly encouraging Shelby to do the same, he'd thought for a moment that she'd been starting to calm down but it was like a second wave of panic had hit her and all she could do was cling tightly to Leroy's hand, her nails digging into his palm as she fought the demons in her mind.

"Don't be afraid to fall, I'm right here to catch you, I won't let you down. It won't get you down, you're gonna make it, yeah I know you can make it, 'cause I will stand by you, I will help you through. When you've done all you can do and you can't cope, I will dry your eyes, I will fight your fight, I will hold you tight And I won't let go. Oh I'm gonna hold you, and I won't let go." Leroy finished the song and gently squeezed the hand that was clinging to his, "you're going to be okay" he told Shelby, trying to hide his own worry, Hiram's panic attacks had never lasted this long, "try and take some deep breaths, nice and steady, he held their joined hands against his chest, wondering if feeling his chest rising and falling might help Shelby to match his breathing.

For both Shelby and Leroy time seemed to stand still, and Leroy was on the verge of calling 911 when Shelby's shaky breaths finally begin to slow, and eventually she looked up at him, her cheeks damp and her eyes still filled with tears, "Oh Shelby" he held out his arms and she flew into his embrace as she began to sob again.

It didn't take long for Shelby to cry herself to sleep in his arms, and Leroy was just wondering what to do next, knowing he'd sit on the floor holding Shelby all night if he had to, when Rachel appeared in the doorway, "is she okay?" she asked nervously.

"She had a panic attack" he told her, "quite a bad one but she's fallen asleep now, could you lift that case onto the floor please so I can put her in bed?"

Rachel frowned but went to do as her dad asked, "is she leaving?"

"I don't know" Leroy said honestly, "we can talk to her when she's had some rest and calmed down." He thanked Rachel as she pulled back the covers, Leroy laying Shelby in the bed before slipping off her shoes and pulling the covers over her. He smiled as he saw Rachel lean over to kiss Shelby's tearstained cheek, "come on" he held his hand out to Rachel, "let's let her get some sleep."

Rachel took Leroy's hand and let him lead her downstairs, sitting on the couch and not looking up until her dad returned, pressing a cool glass of water into her hands, "why?" she asked, her index finger tracing a drop of condensation down the glass, "why do you always give me a glass of water when I'm sad?"

Leroy sat on the edge of the coffee table, "when you were about three or four, you told us that crying made your throat hurt, so it started from there, and sometimes we couldn't understand why you were crying, sitting you down with a glass of water gave you time to calm down and work out what had upset you. But as you got older, we thought it would give you time, if you're upset, you can sit with a glass of water, you can calm down a little, process what's going on in your head and get your thoughts in order before you act. It gives you time to decide if it's something you can just let go, something you can solve yourself or a problem you need help with."

Rachel nodded, it had never occurred to her before that her fathers always asked if she was okay once her glass was empty, reminding her they were there if she told them she was, being there to listen if she needed to talk things over. Rachel might never have understood it before today, but it was definitely a technique that worked. "Thank you" she whispered.

"You've got nothing to thank me for" Leroy squeezed Rachel's knee, "do you want me to give you some time or…?"

"I think it was my fault" she looked up at Leroy, tears shining in her eyes.

Leroy frowned, stroking Rachel's knee with his thumb, "what was."

"Shelby, I think I upset her."

Leroy was confused, couldn't think of anything Rachel could have done to cause Shelby's panic attack, "what makes you think that?"

"I asked her to come to Glee" Rachel told him, "we were doing original songs and I wanted her to hear mine, it was about her, about how it's hard sometimes but it will get easier.. I didn't tell anyone it was about her, I just…"

"Rachel" he interrupted her, suddenly understanding the concerned phone call he'd had from Will, "I don't think that was what caused Shelby's anxiety, I can't tell you what did, but I'm sure it wasn't you" he told her, "I'm lucky enough to never have experienced that for myself, and it's been a while since it happened to your Daddy, but I do remember them coming out of nowhere, he said sometimes he'd just start to feel a bit 'off' and it would build from there, other times it just came out of the blue. I don't know what happened with Shelby, but I'm sure it wasn't you."

Rachel nodded and sipped at her water, "can I go and lay with her for a while?"

"Of course, try not to wake her though" Leroy said before looking his daughter in the eye, "you called her Mom earlier" he saw the confused look on Rachel's face, "when you came into the kitchen you told me Mom was crying."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking I…" Rachel couldn't remember saying that, but she wasn't lying, she hadn't thought about her words, just knew she needed Leroy to help Shelby and she needed him to do it quickly.

"It's okay" he reassured her, "I just want you to know that, if it's okay with Shelby, then your Daddy and I don't mind if you call her Mom."

"I do sometimes" Rachel admitted, "sometimes it just slips out, but I don't want her to feel like she has to be my Mom if that's too much for her" she shrugged.

"I understand" Leroy nodded, "when she's feeling a little better maybe the two of you should try and talk about it" he suggested, "or your Daddy or I could talk to her."

"Yeah" Rachel nodded, "maybe."

"Think about it" Leroy squeezed Rachel's knee, "but for now, go and lay with her if that's what you want, I'll come and get you when dinner's ready."

Rachel stood from the sofa and wrapped her arms around Leroy, "I love you Dad."

He hugged her tightly and kissed her hair, "I love you too Rach, and she might not feel able to say it just yet, but I know Shelby loves you too, she always has."

Rachel changed into sweat pants and a tank top before slipping into Shelby's room, the woman curled on her side facing the middle of the bed. Rachel carefully laid beside her Mom, not wanting to wake her up, but she soon found simply laying in the same bed as the other woman wasn't enough and she rolled over to face her, gently wrapping her arm around Shelby and nuzzling into her, unable to hold back her tears any longer as she cried silently into her Mom.

She froze when she felt Shelby stir, hoping she hadn't woken her, but Shelby didn't seem to wake as she wrapped her arm around Rachel, pulling her closer, "'s'okay baby" she murmured in her sleep, "Momma's got you" her words only making Rachel's tears fall faster.

"Leroy" Hiram frowned when he walked into the house, just half an hour after Rachel had cried herself to sleep in her mother's arms, his final meeting of the day had been cancelled so he'd been able to leave earlier than planned. "What's wrong?" he asked, finding the man sat on the couch, head held in his hands. Hiram's concern only grew when Leroy lifted his head, his eyes filled with unshed tears, "what is it?" he dropped his bag and jacket in the armchair so he could sit beside his husband, wrapping his arm around Leroy's shoulders, Leroy had always been the stronger of the two, the one who was always calm, who always managed to hold it together, so Hiram's mind was in overdrive as he tried to work out what could have upset Leroy so much, "is Rachel okay? Has something happened to Shelby?"

Leroy sighed, "Shelby picked Rachel up from school, when Rachel came in she said Shelby was going to bed because she had a migraine. Rachel went up to do her homework but came straight back down, she seemed quite panicked and told me Shelby was crying so I went up."

Hiram frowned, "is she okay?"

"She'd started packing a bag, she was curled up on the floor clutching a picture of her and Rachel, she was…" he shook his head, "she was having a panic attack, she was shaking, she couldn't breathe, it was almost like she was choking as she tried to catch her breath, I couldn't get through to her. I thought I was going to have to call 911 but she started to calm down eventually, and she cried herself to sleep in my arms."

"Where is she now?" Hiram asked, "is Rachel with her?"

"I put Shelby in her bed. I brought Rachel down here, I don't know if she came up before when I was trying to calm Shelby down or if she only saw her asleep in my arms, but she got a little upset. Apparently she asked Shelby to pick her up because they were doing original songs in Glee and she wanted Shelby to hear hers, she said she wrote it for her, about how it was okay if you had struggles and that things would get better. She thinks her song caused Shelby's panic attack. I told her that I didn't think that was the case and calmed her down a little, but she wanted to go and lay with Shelby so that's where she is."

Hiram sighed and kissed Leroy's temple," I'm sorry you had to deal with all that on your own" he whispered, holding his husband close, "I can talk to them both later if you want."

Leroy nodded, "I told Rachel I'd get her for dinner but I'm going to let Shelby sleep she'll be exhausted, I've never seen anything like that before, she was…" he shook his head, "I could see how terrified she was and there was nothing I could do, I did the thing I used to do for you, but her hands were shaking so much, I think if we did wake her up, her anxiety would probably still be sky high, not to mention how exhausted she'd be."

Hiram nodded in agreement, "it's best to let her sleep, I might call Carmel in the morning and tell them she won't be in, and I'll try and rearrange a few things so I can work from home to be with her. And I know it's no use me telling you this now, but just in case it ever happens again, I'm sure she won't mind me telling you that Shelby's been prescribed valium to take when she feels she needs to. I hope this never happens again, but if it does, and if you can get her to take it, that would probably help."

Leroy nodded, "noted, I don't know if it would have been any good today though, by the time I think she'd have been able to take it, she'd already calmed down quite a lot, but maybe we suggest she takes one if she wakes tonight." He paused for a second before asking, "I agree with Shelby staying home tomorrow, but what about Rachel?"

Hiram sighed, "if we can, we should probably get her to go to school, I know she'll be worried about Shelby but Shelby might want to spend some time alone without Rachel fussing."

Leroy nodded, "I've just remembered, I had a phone call from Will Schuester earlier…" his face fell as he thought about the conversation he'd had with the man.

"What is it Leroy?"

"He was worried about Rachel after her original song, he said he'd spoken to Shelby, that she'd told him Rachel was fine but he wanted to call us to be sure, what if he said something? Shelby told Rachel that she was her mother not her Mom, Shelby was packing up her things, what if she thought we didn't want her here? If he said something to make her feel like she wasn't Rachel's Mom, that we didn't want her here."

Hiram sighed, "I'll speak to Shelby when she wakes, but if he did say anything, I'll be ringing him to have words. Shelby's relationship with Rachel is not his call, if Shelby told him Rachel was fine then that should have been the end of it."

"I told him that. I told him that, with our blessing, Rachel had spent more time with Shelby than with us over the past couple of days, so I'd probably have to check in with her anyway."

"Good" Hiram nodded, "Shelby and Rachel need people who are going to be supportive of them rebuilding their relationship." He thought about something for a minute, "I know Rachel's 16 now, but maybe we should talk to our lawyer, and Shelby of course, about getting her parental rights reinstated?"

Leroy nodded, "I don't know if it would be possible but I think we should definitely look into it, I think it would mean a lot to Shelby and Rachel."

"We should never have signed that contract" Hiram sighed.

"No" Leroy agreed, "we shouldn't, but what's done is done, we can't change that, we just have to do all we can to make sure Shelby and Rachel can start to build a relationship from now on… you know when Rachel came downstairs to get me she told me her Mom was crying."

Hiram smiled, "that's great, not that Shelby was crying obviously, but that Rachel called her Mom. She called her Mom last night too. She'd fallen asleep watching the movie but she was sitting up against Shelby so I moved her to lay down so Shelby could get comfortable too. She was barely awake but she just wanted to know her Mom was still there. It was adorable."

Leroy smiled, "I spoke to Rachel about it, told her that if it's okay with Shelby, then you and I don't mind her calling Shelby Mom."

"Of course we don't, God, I'd do anything for the pair of them, we knew all along that Rachel needed Shelby, but she just seemed to disappear off the face of the earth, it never occurred to me how much Shelby might have needed Rachel too."

"They've got each other now" Leroy promised, "and they've both got us, we'll get through this Hiram, we'll get through it together."

Lyrics in italics are 'I won't let go' by Rascal Flatts