This chapter's a little longer than usual, but I've couldn't bring myself to split it up, Rachel and Shelby have a moment towards the chapter that sort of came out of nowhere, but I really like it, and I hope you do to!
Their meeting with Sue went well, Emma joined them in the office and, after talking for a while, they agreed that Rachel would start coming into school on Monday and Friday mornings and Wednesday afternoons so she could stay for Glee club, and it was agreed that she'd start back 2 weeks before Spring Break, to give her time to get settled into her new routine before Shelby started work herself.
As much as Rachel told Shelby that she wanted to go back to school, Shelby knew that, the closer the day came, the more nervous Rachel got about starting at McKinley, so she made a plan, she was going to take her daughter out for the day, she was going to spoil her rotten and hopefully make her forget all her worries for a few hours.
"We're going to go out this morning" Shelby told Rachel, just a few days before she'd be going back to school, "I thought you might like a hair cut and a little pampering before you go back to school."
Rachel smiled, "that would be nice" she whispered. She didn't protest, had begun to learn that Shelby didn't mind spending money on her, she was starting to get used to the idea that living with Shelby was the polar opposite of her father's, and that her number one concern was taking care of Rachel, whether that was something as simple as taking her for a haircut, or rearranging Rachel's therapy appointments to fit around their new schedules, whatever Rachel needed, Shelby would do it.
It wasn't the first time Shelby had taken Rachel for a haircut, but this time Rachel seemed different, nervous, scared almost, "are you okay?" she asked, reaching for her daughter's hand as they had their hair washed.
Rachel took a shaky breath as she felt Shelby's fingers slip between her own, keeping her gaze fixed on the ceiling as she nervously asked, "could I get bangs?"
"Oh Darling" Shelby let out a sigh of relief and squeezed Rachel's hand, "it's your hair, as long as you don't want to dye it green or shave it all off, then you can do whatever you want."
They sat side by side as they had their hair cut, Shelby occasionally catching her daughter's eye in the mirror and smiling or winking at the girl, anything that put a smile on her daughter's face.
"What do you think?" Rachel asked nervously once they were outside the hairdressers.
Shelby smiled, reaching up to gently run her hand over Rachel's hair before telling her, "I love it, it really suits you."
"Really?" Rachel's face lit up at the complement.
"Really" Shelby nodded, "bangs were a great choice. You look amazing. Now…" she glanced at her watch," how about we get some lunch before we go to the nail salon."
"The nail… no, Mom, you already paid for the hairdresser, you can't pay for the nail salon too!"
"I can" Shelby insisted, "and I will, and after we've had our nails done we're going shopping to get you some new clothes for school" Shelby had noticed that Rachel had put on a little weight, nothing too drastic, three solid meals a day meaning that Rachel was now a healthier weight than when she and Shelby had first met and so some of the clothes Shelby had bought on their first shopping trip together were getting a little small and Shelby didn't want Rachel to think she had to 'make do' with what she had.
"Mom, it's too much" Rachel protested.
"Rachel, Baby" Shelby reached up to cup Rachel's cheek, "I want to spoil you, I want to spend this time with you before you go back to school and I start working again. If you're uncomfortable with the thought of having your nails done or going shopping then that's absolutely fine, we can go home. But if your only concern is the money, then please stop worrying, because I wouldn't have said we can do this if I couldn't afford it."
"I'm sorry" Rachel dipped her head, "I… please don't think I'm not grateful, I just…" she shrugged slightly, "your love and affection I'm getting used to, but I guess it's still hard to accept that you'd want to spend money on me, on things that aren't essential."
Shelby kept her hand on Rachel's cheek as she kissed her hair, "thank you" she said softly, "for being honest with me about how you're feeling. It's okay to feel a little overwhelmed or a little lost sometimes. And it's okay to do things just because you want to, or because it makes you feel good. I'd like to spend the afternoon in the mall with you, but if you're not comfortable with that, I'd be equally happy to go home and watch a movie with you. It's your call."
Rachel thought for a minute, "nails and the mall sounds good" she nodded.
Shelby smiled, "Okay, but if you change your mind then you tell me okay."
Rachel nodded, "thank you Momma."
Rachel and Shelby sat side by side in the nail salon, like the hairdresser, it wasn't the first time Shelby had taken Rachel, but it was the first time that Rachel didn't hesitate when she was asked to choose a colour, not even pausing to ask Shelby if it was okay, becoming comfortable enough to make her own decisions without worrying about repercussions.
Nails done and Shelby and Rachel headed for the mall, Shelby brushing off all of Rachel's doubts and worries, making sure Rachel had enough clothes for school, as well as a few nicer outfits, "you never know when you might want to dress up a little" Shelby told her when Rachel tried to insist she didn't need the dress Shelby was holding, even though she'd already fallen in love with it.
Shelby too chose some new clothes, she already has plenty of outfits for work, but still wanted some new items for her new job, Rachel slightly surprised at how much she enjoyed helping Shelby pick out outfits, her face lighting up in joy when she and Shelby picked out similar outfits for each other without realising, "I guess we really are alike" Shelby chuckled as she went to pay for the outfits without complaint.
By the time they made their way back to the car they couldn't have carried any more bags if they'd have tried, but as Rachel got into the car, she didn't notice Shelby shuffling the clothes between the bags before joining her daughter in the car, "think you can manage one last place?"
Rachel bit her lip, trusting Shelby completely "yeah."
Shelby reached across to squeeze Rachel's knee, "this is the last place I promise. Then we can go home."
Rachel nodded, "okay." They sat in comfortable silence as Shelby drove across town, but Rachel frowned as Shelby pulled up outside a warehouse on the outskirts of Lima, "Momma" she whispered, "what…"
"Your Uncle Jimmy, his brother's a photographer, this is his studio. I've got a house full of photos but none of you, none of us. I thought it was time we changed that, if that's okay with you?"
Rachel nodded shyly, "I'd like that" she whispered.
"Come on then" Shelby went to get out of the car, grabbing a couple of the shopping bags before holding her hand out to Rachel, "let's go."
Shelby introduced Rachel to Matt, Jim's brother, when they walked into the building, the man waiting for them in the reception area. "Do you want me to take those?" he gestured to the bags Shelby was carrying. She thanked him and handed them over, "I've had a word with our hair and make up artists, Sarah and Marie, they're happy to stay around for you if you want them."
"That would be great" Shelby smiled, "thanks Matt".
"No worries. I'll go and get things set up and give you some time to get sorted, you've been here before, so just come through when you're ready."
Shelby thanked Matt again, "what does he mean, when we're ready?" Rachel asked.
"Well, like he said, he's got someone here who can do our hair and make up if you want those doing, and I brought some of the clothes we just brought for us to change into, I just want this to be special for you baby."
Rachel smiled and wrapped her arm around Shelby, hugging her tightly, "things are always special when I'm with you Mom."
"Don't" Shelby kissed Rachel's hair, "you'll make me cry, now, come on, I want to see you in some of those new clothes."
Rachel's excitement was contagious, Shelby unable to stop her smile when she saw how happy her daughter was at being fussed over. She didn't say anything when she noticed Matt come into the room, happy to let him get some candid photos of Rachel's carefree smile.
Shelby had been to Matt's studio a few times before, when he'd been first setting up she and Amy had had a photo shoot so Matt could have some images to use for his portfolio, and then she'd been back several times for family photos, she knew Matt well, and he was quick to put Rachel at ease, the girl soon forgetting that she was being photographed, laughing and joking with Matt and Shelby.
She didn't say as much but Shelby soon realised what Matt was doing, the man taking several candid photos of the two of them, Rachel completely unaware and Shelby able to ignore his presence as she focused her attention on her daughter.
They worked through several outfits and poses, including the two of them in matching white tshirts and dark jeans and they'd almost used all the outfits Matt had hung in the changing area of his studio, "how about you try this on?" Shelby suggested, holding out one of the more formal dresses she'd picked out with Rachel, "I bet the colour will look great on you!"
Rachel smiled and nodded, the dress has been expensive, she'd fallen in love with it as soon as she'd seen it, but the price, coupled with the fact she knew she'd probably never get to wear it meant that she'd simply admired the dress from a distance. But Shelby had seen her looking and insisted on buying it for her, "sometimes it's nice to buy things just because you like them" she'd told Rachel as she'd picked out her daughter's size and taken it to the register.
Shelby too changed into a dress she'd treated herself to, and was touching up her make up in the mirror when Rachel came out of the changing cubicle. "Mom" she said softly.
Shelby lifted her gaze, looking at Rachel through the mirror, "you look beautiful baby" she smiled.
Rachel couldn't help but smile too, "can you, I can't…" Rachel turned and Shelby saw the girl's problem, she'd only been able to zip up the dress halfway.
"Of course." Shelby put down her lipstick, crossing the room to zip up Rachel's dress, "come" she said softly, leading Rachel over to the chairs they'd sat in earlier that evening to have their hair and make up done.
She sat Rachel down in one of the chairs and picked up an eyeshadow pallette after telling Matt he could let Sarah and Marie go home. They were almost finished and Shelby wanted to have this moment with her daughter. "Mom?" Rachel frowned slightly.
"Close your eyes" Shelby said softly, waiting for Rachel to do as she asked before picking out a shade close to that of Rachel's dress and adding it to the inner corner of Rachel's eyes, adding a little pop of colour to the neutral eyeshadow Sarah had applied earlier. "Okay" Shelby smiled once she'd done, "you can open now."
Rachel gasped, "Mom, I…" she reached up, stopping short of touching her face not wanting to ruin her makeup. "Wow". She'd been over the moon when Sarah had finished her make up earlier that evening, but this was something else, Shelby had darkened the eyeshadow a little, smudging out the edges and Rachel barely recognised the person looking back at her.
"You like it?" Shelby asked.
Rachel nodded, "I love it Mom" she reached out, Shelby obliging and hugging her tightly, "thank you."
"It's okay" Shelby smiled, kissing Rachel's hair, grateful that she got to do things like this with her daughter, the moments that might seem ordinary for any other Mom meaning the world to Shelby, "can I do your hair too?" she asked.
"You, you'd do that?"
"Of course" Shelby sat Rachel back in the chair and moved to stand behind her, gently running her fingers through her hair, "how about we curl it a little?"
She saw Rachel's face light up. "I've never had my hair curled before" she admitted.
"Well" Shelby reached for a hairbrush and turned on the curling wand, "how about we change that?"
Rachel wanted to cry as Shelby began to brush through her hair, she'd dreamed of moments like this, of having a Mom. Of having anyone who cared for her, anyone who loved her. And now she had Shelby, she had her Mom, and the reality was so much better than she ever imagined it would be.
Rachel knew that having someone to help them do their hair, to have a parent help them was something most people would take for granted, but she'd never had this, for as long as she could remember she'd been fending for herself, tying her own hair in wonky pigtails when she was six years old, and now, here she was, Shelby giving her the only thing she'd ever wanted. "Mom" she met Shelby's gaze in the mirror as Shelby wound a strand of Rachel's hair around the curling wand.
"Yeah?" Shelby smiled in the mirror.
"Could you, will you teach me? To do my make up and things?" she asked nervously.
Shelby felt her eyes fill with tears a little and she gently squeezed Rachel's shoulder, "I would be honoured to do that" she told her.
Both of them were so lost in the moment, so wrapped up in each other that even Shelby didn't notice Matt sneaking in to take some pictures of them getting ready, the love Shelby had for her daughter obvious from the way she looked at the girl.
They left the studio just half an hour later, Shelby thanking Matt, the man hugging them both and promising to send over the photos to Shelby by the end of the week.
"So" Shelby put her arm around Rachel's shoulder as they walked back to the car, "I'm thinking we pick up takeout on the way home, put our pyjamas on and watch a movie, what do you think?"
Rachel smiled, tucking herself into Shelby's side as they walked across the parking lot, "I think that sounds good Momma, can we get Chinese?"
Shelby's face lit up, the Rachel she first met wouldn't even have dared mention that she was hungry, even if she hadn't eaten in days, so it was a huge thing to Shelby that she was now comfortable enough to tell her what she wanted to eat. Shelby nodded and pulled Rachel closer, kissing her hair as she told her, "for you my love, we can get anything."