A/N: hello all, thanks for all the reviews and words of encouragement. I talked to the author, Bodge, and everything has been worked it. It was all a misunderstanding!
I have worked on this chapter for weeks, and i'm still not happy with it, but I didn't want to leave you hanging any longer.
Enjoy!
…
Rachel took in the scenery around her and felt herself smiling her first genuine smile in what felt like months.
After they had landed they quickly made their way to the hotel they were staying at before Shelby all but drug Rachel to where they were currently at. Broadway.
The theatre district was buzzing with life around her. Between the lights, the energy, and people lining up at stage doors, it took all Rachel had in her to not burst out in tears. For the first time in almost a year, she could see her dream again. One day her name would be lit up in lights. One day people would be lining up for her autograph.
She glanced back at her mom, and rolled her eyes as she spotted her holding her camera up. They had hardly been in the city for an hour and already her mother had to have at least a hundred photos of her.
"Mom," Rachel huffed, the word now easily falling off her lips, "give the camera a break already!"
Shelby laughed and stuck her camera in her purse, throwing an arm around Rachel's shoulder and guiding them towards the sidewalk. "Come on, I have to make up for all the years I missed!" Shelby joked lightly.
Rachel rolled her eyes, but snuggled closer into her mother's side nonetheless. "Where are we going next?" She asked giddly. Only an hour in the city and she was already feeling so much better. She felt as if she left all her worries behind her, and she was thriving.
"Well," Shelby started, dropping her arm from Rachel's shoulder before quickly linking their hands together as they crossed an intersection. "I thought we could do some touristy things, hit up some shops and then go out to eat. After that we can do whatever you want. We're not seeing any shows until later this week."
Rachel nodded along, taking in the millions of buildings around her. "Can we go to Times Square after we eat? I'd love to see it all lit up at night."
"Of course, baby." Shelby agreed easily. Anything to keep the smile on her daughter's face.
The rest of the evening went off without a hitch. True to her word, Shelby had taken Rachel to see all the must see tourist spots. They started at the Empire State Building, and ended in Central park, where they enjoyed take-out on the grass from a deli. Once it got dark, Shelby took Rachel to Times Square and had to fight back tears at the look of pure happiness that was displayed on her daughter's face, something she had yet to ever see. She took dozens more pictures, and even had a stranger snap a picture of the both of them. Shelby smiled the entire cab ride back to the hotel as her daughter rambled endlessly about how amazing her day was. Shelby felt like she was finally seeing a glimpse of who Rachel truly was, and it made her heart soar.
Once they arrived back at the hotel, the duo took turns in the shower before climbing into their respective beds, agreeing to take it easy and watch a movie.
"Mom?" Rachel said quietly from her bed.
"Yes?" Shelby replied feeling her heart jump once again at being called mom.
"Thank you so much for bringing me here. I already feel so much better and so much more relaxed. Today has been the most fun I've ever had in my entire life."
Shelby got up and walked over to her daughter's bed, wrapping her in a hug. "You are so welcome. I don't think I've ever had so much fun before either." She said, placing a kiss to the girl's forehead. "And we still have the whole week ahead of us!"
"I know!" Rachel squealed. "I love you, mom."
"I love you too, baby." Shelby said softly, fighting to keep her emotions in check. "Now how about that movie?"
…
The next morning started out great in Shelby's opinion. She took Rachel to the front of Tiffany's where they split a bagel and shared a coffee, and Shelby couldn't help but beam watching her daughter effortlessly laugh in the warm air. After breakfast Shelby took her to some of her old spots and they talked about her time in New York City, and in return, Rachel told Shelby some stories from her childhood.
Shelby wasn't sure what shifted, but sometime between lunch and going back to the hotel to get ready for Wicked later that night, Rachel retreated into herself. She became fidgety and jumpy, and Shelby couldn't figure out what had gone wrong.
"Rach?" Shelby called softly from the other side of the bathroom door. "Are you almost ready? We need to leave soon if you still want to walk to the theatre."
The bathroom door opened and Rachel stepped out wearing a light green sundress, and Shelby smiled at how naturally beautiful she looked.
"Sorry." Rachel said softly. "I'm ready."
"You look beautiful honey." Shelby smiled. "Let's go!"
"Wait, mom."
Shelby had her hand partially on the door and turned her head back, cocking an eyebrow in response. She watched as Rachel internally battled with herself before she took a step forward and buried herself into Shelby's arms. Shelby jumped in surprise before quickly wrapping her arms around her daughter.
"You okay, baby?"
Shelby felt her daughter nod into her chest before she took a step back and gave her a mega watt smile. "Yep, let's go!"
Shelby had seen Wicked before, multiple times actually. It was one of her favorite shows on Broadway. But during this particular show, she found herself watching Rachel more than the performers on stage. There was something about experiencing the excitement of a Broadway show through your child's eyes that made it so much more magical.
When act one finished, Rachel turned to Shelby in awe. "Wow." She breathed. "I've obviously listened to the cast recording and have watched bootlegs on YouTube, but seeing it live, that was just, wow." Rachel finished.
Shelby laughed at her daughter rambling and threw an arm around her shoulder, happy that her daughter seemed to be out of her funk from earlier. "It is pretty magical, huh kid?"
"It's amazing." Rachel replied dreamily, plopping her head back onto Shelby's arm.
Shelby went to ask what song Rachel was looking forward too in act two when the girl suddenly sat up bolt right, whipping her buzzing phone out of her purse, face going sheet white.
"I have to take this." Rachel said quickly before standing up and heading for the lobby of the theatre.
Shelby sat back dejectedly and chewed on her bottom lip, wondering just what was going on with her daughter.
…
The second half of the show went much worse than the first. Rachel was fidgety in her seat, and Shelby could tell that her daughter was no longer engaged. When it finally ended, Rachel was one of the first out of her seat, and Shelby watched as she whipped her phone out of her purse, scrolling through notifications before letting out a sigh of relief. She looked back to Shelby and smiled.
"Can we stagedoor?"
"Yeah." Shelby said distractedly, a sense of worry she had never felt before rushing over her. "Of course."
…
A/N: I'm so sorry this is so short, I struggled with this chapter big time. Good news, I already have half of the next chapter done and its one of the longest ones yet!