I'm glad you all liked Amy, now my brain has given her a face, I seem to be getting more ideas for future storylines involving her!
I'm not entirely sure how alerts work for those who have them, I need to make a few tiny edits to a couple of previous chapters that will only really matter if you're reading the fic through in one sitting, so I want to apologise in advance incase you get alerts for me changing those chapters as well as for this update.
And, finally, for those of you who don't read my other fics, I'm going away for a few days, so I probably won't be posting an update next week as I don't think I'll get time to write until I'm back home.
Shelby made more coffee and Amy filled up the kids cups with juice before they made their way through to the living room, Toy Story playing on the TV, Rachel, Lily and Max sat around the coffee table playing snakes and ladders.
"Who's winning?" Amy asked as she sat down beside her children, Shelby sitting between Rachel and Lily.
"Me" Lily beamed.
"I was winning" Max sighed, "but then I got a four and had to go down this big snake" he pointed to the board, "and now I'm last."
"Oh well" Amy ran her hand over Max's hair, "you never know Bud, someone else might have to go down a big snake too and you won't be last anymore."
Max nodded, "it's still fun though, even if I am last."
"That's all that matters then isn't it" Amy smiled, "that you're having fun"
Shelby gently ran her hand up and down Rachel's back, "okay?" she asked softly.
Rachel nodded and relaxed back into her Mom's touch, "yeah, apart from Lily and Max finding it hilarious whenever I have to go down a snake" she pouted.
"Poor baby" Shelby teased, as she kissed Rachel's temple, "I'm sure you'll live though."
"Yeah, "I got a ladder" Lily grinned excitedly as she moved up the board, edging ever closer to the final square, "your go Rachie" she grinned as she handed over the dice
"Get a five" Max crossed his fingers, "then you'll go down that snake and be after me!"
Amy laughed at Max's disappointed sigh when Rachel only rolled a three, "after someone wins this game, we can play one more, me and Auntie Lelly will play too, then we'll have to go home" Amy told Lily and Max."
"Why Mommy?" Max pouted, "can't we stay here?"
Amy shook her head, "we need to go home and get dressed before Daddy gets home" she told them, "but if it's okay with them, how about Auntie Lelly and Rachel come to our house for breakfast next weekend with Daddy too?"
"In their jamas?" Lily asked as she looked down at her unicorn pyjamas.
"If they want" Amy nodded.
"And can we play games?" Max asked as he rolled the dice, "like this? With Daddy too?"
"Sure" Amy nodded, "but only if Autie Lelly and Rachel want to, otherwise you'll just have to play games with me and Daddy."
"Will you come to our house?" Max asked Rachel and Shelby.
"Yeah" Lily echoed, "please? Please?"
Shelby smiled and nodded, "I'm sure we'd love to."
"There we are then" Amy smiled, "now, who's turn is it? Lily's almost at the top."
Rachel had played board games with Shelby before, knew the woman had a friendly competitive streak, but seeing her play with Amy, even a game as simple as snakes and ladders was something else, both women as competitive as each other, cheering when one of them slid down a snake and booing when one of them climbed a ladder. Lily and Max found their reactions both hilarious, and, to wind Amy up a little more, were both on Shelby's side, cheering when their Aunt climbed the ladders, booing when their Mom did the same.
"Come on kid" Amy looked to Rachel, "I could do with some support here."
Shelby raised an eyebrow and looked at Rachel, smiling when she heard her giggle, "Sorry Aunt Amy" she smiled as she shuffled closer to her Mom, Shelby grinning smugly at her sister.
"Traitors" Amy shook her head, "the lot of you."
Rachel smiled, she knew her Mom and her Aunt were only joking, that their arguments weren't serious, and, as strange as it felt to be watching an argument that she knew wouldn't end in any physical retaliation, to watch her Aunt and her Mom verbally sparring with each other knowing full well that it would all be forgotten by the time Amy left, she couldn't help but lose herself in the moment, in the feeling of being surrounded by people who loved her. She was however relieved when Max won the game, meaning she didn't have to see how her Mom and Aunt would react to the other winning.
"Right" Amy said once the game had been packed away, "what do you two say to Auntie Lelly for breakfast? And to Rachel for playing with you?"
Lily and Max both thanked their Aunt and Cousin with big hugs, "you come to our house soon?" Lily asked.
"Next weekend" Shelby promised.
"Sunday would probably be better for us if that's okay?" Amy said as she stood from the floor, stretching out her legs.
"Sunday's fine" Shelby nodded, "it's not like we won't speak to each other through the week, we can sort it out."
"That's true" Amy chuckled, "now, come on you monsters, shoes on and in the car please."
Shelby kissed Rachel's head once Amy and her kids had left, "what do you want to do until your friends get here?" she asked, "do you want to go out somewhere for a few hours or do you want to watch a movie? It's your choice."
Rachel thought for a minute before gesturing to the pile of board games, "can we play something?" she asked. "Scrabble maybe?"
"Of course" Shelby nodded, "as long as we can play it at the kitchen table, I think I'm getting a bit too old for sitting on the floor for so long."
They played scrabble until lunch time and, after they'd eaten, they curled up on the sofa together to watch a movie, Shelby surprised when Rachel fell asleep halfway through, it had been a few weeks since Rachel had last needed a nap in the middle of the day but Shelby wasn't going to complain, at least Rachel was getting the sleep she needed now, unlike the girl who was too scared to close her eyes just a few short months ago.
Rachel went upstairs to shower at 5, Shelby following her up to change from the pyjamas she'd lounged in all day, not wanting to seem like a slob in front of Rachel's friends. She was helping Rachel straighten her hair when a knock came at the door a little after 5.30 and Shelby quickly made her way downstairs to answer it, "Noah" she frowned slightly as she saw the boy stood on her doorstep, his hands pushed in his pockets, "you're early, Rachel's still getting ready" she said as she invited him into the house, knowing Rachel had suggested that her friends came round at about 6.
"I can wait in my truck if…" he gestured over his shoulder to the truck parked outside the house, "I thought Rachel might be worried that nobody would show so I thought I'd come a bit early but if..."
Shelby shook her head, Rachel hadn't said as much but she knew her daughter was worrying about whether anyone would actually show, so she was grateful for Noah's thoughtfulness," it's fine, honestly, why don't you go wait through there" she gestured into the living room, "and I'll let Rachel know you're here."
Noah slipped off his shoes, "thanks" he nodded as he headed into the living room to wait for Rachel.
Rachel was dressed by the time Shelby returned and it didn't take long for Shelby to finish Rachel's hair, running the brush through it once it was straightened, "do I look okay?" Rachel asked nervously.
"You look beautiful" Shelby smiled, "you always do. They headed downstairs together, Rachel and Noah greeting each other before standing awkwardly in the living room, Rachel not entirely sure what to do next, "why don't you take Noah downstairs and I'll send everyone else down when they arrive" Shelby suggested, she could almost feel the anxiety radiating off her daughter and wanted to try and ease it a little.
"Downstairs?" Noah frowned as Shelby wandered off into the kitchen.
Rachel nodded, "we erm, Mom said we could all hang out in the basement."
"Okay" Noah shrugged, "lead the way." Noah followed Rachel down the stairs into the basement, "wow" he gasped, "this is…"
"Yeah" Rachel nodded, "it is isn't it."
"Do you play?" Puck asked as he gestured to the piano.
"A little" Rachel shrugged, "Mom's been teaching me."
"She seems cool" he sat on the couch, gesturing for her to sit beside him, "are things… she's not hurting you or anything?"
Rachel smiled, touched by his concern, "no" she shook her head, "she's not hurting me, she, she's everything I always hoped my Mom would be, and so much more than I could have imagined."
"Good" he nodded, "and I, I'm sorry, that I didn't notice, that I… I'd have, God…" he ran his hand through his mowhak, "if I'd known what they were doing I'd have killed them Rach, I'd have taken you home to Mom and then I'd have killed them, and I'm sorry that I wasn't there, that I was too busy being a jerk to notice you were being hurt."
"I accept your apology Noah" Rachel told him, "and it's in the past now, you can't change what happened, I just want to forget about it and move on."
"Okay" Noah pulled her in for a side hug, "but if anyone hurts you in the future, you come to me right? And I'll sort them out?"
"Who are we sorting out?" Puck and Rachel had been so busy talking that they hadn't heard Shelby show Santana, Brittany and Quinn down to the basement, "wow" Santana let out an impressed whistle when she saw the basement, "sweet pad Berry".
"Hey" Brittany's face lit up, "is that a dance floor?" she asked, before wrapping her arms around Rachel and hugging her tightly, "thanks for letting us hang out, I brought snacks" she grinned, handing over a huge bag full of candy.
"Thank you" Rachel smiled, feeling a little overwhelmed by everything, "and yes" she nodded, "it's a fully sprung dance floor".
"Your Mom said to tell you she's ordering pizza when Mike and Matt get here, so we need to let her know what we want." Quinnn told Rachel and Puck as she went to join them on the couch.
Rachel nodded again, "okay."
Satana rolled her eyes, "chill out Berry, nobody's gonna jump you or anything, we're all here willingly so relax a little and enjoy yourself."
Puck gestured towards a speaker on the wall, "bluetooth?"
Rachel nodded, unable to hold back her laugh when Brittany took her hands almost as soon as Puck connected his phone to the speaker, "come dance Rach."
Mike and Matt arrived a few minutes later and Shelby couldn't hold back her smile as she followed them down into the basement, Rachel's laugh was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard, and she only hoped her daughter would always be as happy as she seemed now as she danced together with her friends.
"Mom" Rachel beamed as Brittany span her round and she saw Shelby stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hey" Shelby smiled and held out her phone to Rachel, the dominos app open on the screen, "I've added what I want, so get whatever you all want and order it yeah?"
Rachel nodded and took Shelby's phone from her, "thanks Mom."
"It's okay" Shelby smiled softly and squeezed Rachel's hand, resisting the urge to kiss her daughter's forehead like she always did, not wanting to embarrass her in front of her friends, "just bring that up when you're done" she gestured to her phone before heading back upstairs, shaking her head at the sound of the teens already beginning to squabble over which pizzas they wanted.
"I'm going to take this back to my Mom" Rachel stood once they'd made their order, finally deciding on three large pizzas so everyone had something they were happy with and several sides, getting nods and 'okay's in response before she went in search of her Mom.
If she was honest she was glad of the opportunity to spend a few moments in Shelby's company, having her friends over was new to her, the noise and the excitement a little overwhelming and Rachel needed a moment in the calm that only her Momma's arms could bring.
"All done?" Shelby asked with a smile when Rachel found her in the kitchen.
"Yeah" Rachel nodded and sat beside Shelby, "it was quite expensive though, I, I don't…"
"Hey" Shelby cut off Rachel's worried ramble and took her chin, forcing the girl to look at her, "I'm feeding seven teenagers, I wasn't expecting it to be cheap, if I didn't think I could afford the takeout I'd have bought pizzas from the store. Don't worry about the cost okay."
Rachel nodded, "okay".
"Are you okay?" Shelby asked when she noticed Rachel didn't seem to be in a rush to get back to her friends.
"Could I maybe…" Rachel shook her head.
"No, go on" Shelby encouraged.
"Could I get a hug?"
"Oh Darling" Shelby stood and pulled Rachel into her arms, holding her tightly, "you never need to ask me for a hug."
"I'm having a really good time" Rachel told Shelby, "but I just needed a minute."
"That's okay" Shelby gently rubbed circles on Rachel's back, "you can take as long as you need, and you can come up as often as you want. When the pizza comes I'm going to take mine upstairs and put a movie on in our room, but if you need me just come up or text me and I'll come down okay?"
Rachel nodded, finally feeling ready to let go of her mom, "thank you."
Shelby kissed Rachel's forehead, "there's nothing to thank me for Baby. You go and have fun with your friends, I'm not going any further than upstairs."
"Can I sleep in with you tonight?" Rachel asked nervously, she'd started spending some nights in her own bed but still prefered being in with her Mom.
"You know you don't have to ask me that baby, you can sleep wherever you're most comfortable."
Rachel nodded and gave Shelby another brief hug, "thanks Mom" she smiled before heading back downstairs to her friends.
"Hey" Rachel didn't realise Jasper had followed her into the basement until she heard Brittany, "I didn't know you had a cat!"
"Yeah" Rachel turned, seeing him on the stairs behind her and picking him up, smiling as he purred happily as she scratched his head, "this is Jasper."
"Hey Jasper" Brittany gently stroked his head, "you're tiny aren't you? Lord Tubbington would squash you flat. I'd say that the two of you could be friends but you shouldn't be. Lord Tubbington's joined a gang, he's a bad influence."
Rachel smiled as Jasper purred happily at the attention, "do you want to hold him?" she asked, passing him to Brittany when she nodded excitedly.
Shelby took Jasper upstairs with her when she brought the pizza down, not wanting him to try and eat it, and she managed to make eye contact with Rachel, silently asking if the girl was okay, giving her a wink and a smile as Rachel nodded, letting her Mom know she wasn't feeling quite so overwhelmed anymore.
They settled down to watch a movie as they ate, although it went mostly unwatched as they talked over it, sharing gossip and funny stories, Rachel not joining in with the conversation but happy to be involved, briefly wondering if this was what being a 'normal' teen was like.
The group eventually settled down to watch the movie one they'd finished the pizza, making a start on the candy Brittany had brought, but as the movie went on, Rachel found her energy beginning to crash, physical activities were getting easier for her but she still sometimes found social situations exhausting.
Rachel had found herself sat on the floor with Puck, Mike and Matt as Brittany, Quinn and Santana sat on the couch, and once they'd eaten, she was surprised to feel fingers combing through her hair, relaxing slightly as Brittany began to braid her long dark locks, Rachel finding herself leaning back against Brittany's legs, the feel of the blonde's fingers combing through her hair just as relaxing to Rachel as when Shelby did it.
It was a little before 11 when everyone left, all thanking Shelby and Rachel and telling Rachel that they'd had a great time. Shelby checked that nobody needed a ride home and stood in the doorway, making sure everyone got safely into their cars, and that they weren't left waiting for their parents before she closed the door, knowing instantly how tired Rachel was.
"I had a really good time tonight Momma, thank you for letting them come."
"I'm glad to hear that" Shelby smiled, pulling Rachel into her arms and kissing her hair, "and you can invite your friends round whenever you like" she told her, "obviously I'd like you to check that we don't have other plans first, but you don't ever need to worry that I'd be angry or anything if you wanted someone to come round."
Rachel nodded, her eyes beginning to close as she relaxed in Shelby's warm embrace.
Shelby chuckled as she saw Rachel's eyes flutter closed. "Go get ready for bed" she gently pushed Rachel towards the stairs, "I'll check everything's turned off and then I'll come up too."
Rachel nodded, making her way towards the stairs before pausing, "Momma" she yawned.
"Yes baby?" Shelby turned back to face Rachel.
"I love you."
Shelby smiled as she did every time she heard those three words, "I love you more."