Shelby slipped her fingers between Rachel's and squeezed gently as they stood by their hire car, Jimmy loading their luggage into the trunk, Amy making sure Lily and Max were safely secured in the car seats they'd brought with them, "I know I say it a lot" she said softly, "but I am so, so proud of you Rach. You've had so much thrown at you and you, you've taken everything and just got on with it, and I…" she reached out, brushing Rachel's hair from her face, "seeing the way you were with Lily, it, well it just makes me even prouder of the young woman you're becoming, and I don't ever want you to forget that. You are so perfect Rach, and I love you so, so much."

Rachel smiled and let Shelby embrace her in a tight hug before getting into the car, "I love you too Mom."

Their villa was almost 40 minutes from the airport and this time, Shelby was the only one that managed to stay awake for the drive, helping direct her brother in law to their home for the next two weeks.

"We're here Baby" Shelby kissed Rachel's temple and brushed her hair back from her face as she woke her gently, Rachel had once admitted how brutally she'd been woken in the past, often with a bucket of cold water thrown over her or a kick to her ribs and Shelby vowed to never do anything that might scare her daughter awake.

"Momma" Rachel mumbled as she began to stir.

"I'm here baby, but you need to get out of the car, you can lay down and nap inside for a little while if you're still tired but you need to wake up for five minutes first."

"Okay" Rachel made no effort to open her eyes and Shelby chuckled, lightly running her fingers down Rachel's sides to find her ticklish spots, "come on" she smiled, "wake up."

Rachel's eyes shot open as Shelby began to tickle her, "I'm awake" she insisted, "I'm awake."

"Good" Shelby stopped tickling her and kissed her temple, "let's get our bags and get inside."

"Where am I sleeping?" Rachel asked nervously as they stood outside the villa, waiting for Amy to get the keys from the small metal box on the wall, the combination to the box having been emailed to her by the villa's owner before they left.

"Well" Shelby gently put her hand on Rachel's cheek, encouraging Rachel to look up from her feet, "you have a choice, there are four bedrooms so you can either share with me, or, you can have your own room. And don't worry if you want your own space, the other bedrooms both have beds for two people in them so Lily and Max will be absolutely fine to share a room, you won't be putting anyone out." Although Rachel still spent a lot of nights in Shelby's bed at home, she was beginning to sleep in her own room now and again and Shelby wanted Rachel to know that she could have her own space while they were away if she wanted it.

Rachel nodded, "I erm, can I share with you please?"

"Of course" Shelby kissed Rachel's forehead, "now, let's find swimsuits and sunblock so we can get out in the sun."

Rachel and Shelby took their bags inside, both laughing as Lily and Max dropped their things just inside the doorway so they could race off inside to explore the villa. "That wasn't what I meant when I said to take your things inside" Amy called after the kids as she carefully bent to pick the bags up."

"I can get them if you…"

Amy batted Rachel's hands away as she stood carefully, "I've got it thanks."

Nobody bothered to unpack properly, Lily and Max had both shrieked with excitement when they'd realised they had their very own pool, and they'd insisted they wanted to go in it "right now."

"Here you go" Shelby handed Rachel a bottle of sunscreen once the teen had found out a bikini from her suitcase, "put plenty on, and let me know if you need help doing your back okay?"

"Okay" Rachel nodded, pecking Shelby's cheek as she took the bottle and headed into their ensuite bathroom.

"Knock first. Don't just go in!" Shelby heard her sister call just seconds before she heard tiny footsteps pounding on the wooden floor and then an inpatient knock on the door.

"Auntie Lelly, are you… You've still got clothes on" Lily pouted as she stood in the doorway in her swimsuit, water wings already on her arms.

"I have" Shelby laughed, "I'm just about to get changed though."

Lily sighed, "be quick p'ease" she poked her head into the room and frowned, "where Rachie go?"

"She's getting changed in the bathroom", Shelby changed into her bikini as Lily climbed up to sit on the bed, "and putting sunscreen on, has Mommy or Daddy put some on you?"

Lily nodded, "and Maxy too."

"Good" Shelby smiled, tying her hair up in a bun on top of her head "we don't want you to burn do we?" Lily shook her head and Shelby picked up a second bottle of sun cream, sitting on the bed with her niece, "how about you help me do mine while we wait for everyone else?"

"Okay" Lily nodded, "I'll help."

It wasn't long before the family were all out in the sun, Lily and Max splashing in the pool with Jimmy, Amy, Shelby and Rachel laid on the beds by the poolside, "don't you want to go in?" Amy asked Rachel, gesturing to the pool as she adjusted her sunglasses.

Rachel bit her lip, "I erm, I'm not a very good swimmer" she admitted, "I don't…" she shrugged, her fathers had mocked her because she didn't like going into deep water because she didn't have much confidence.

"It's not deep here Rach" Jimmy had heard Rachel's admission and stood properly in the water, showing that, where he was playing with Lily and Max, the water was barely halfway up his chest, "and it's even shallower up there" he gestured to the end of the pool closest to the villa.

"I…"

"You don't have to get in" he said, resting his arms on the edge of the pool and letting his legs float up behind him, but it doesn't get deep for quite a while" he told her, "and, if you wanted, I could teach you how to swim a little better."

Rachel still looked unsure, "come on" Shelby took Rachel's hand, "I'll come in too."

Amy nodded as she pushed herself to her feet, "we'll all get in" she said as she took off her sunglasses, "you'll be fine Pretty Girl" she promised Rachel.

"It's not scary" Max told Rachel as she waded into the water, clutching tightly to Shelby's hand, "and my Mommy and my Daddy and Auntie Lelly won't let you sink" he told her, "it's fun to splash."

"I know" Rachel smiled, "are you having fun?"

Max nodded, "I pretended to be a shark and chased Daddy" he giggled, "Daddy was scared!"

"Daddy pretended to be scared" Jim corrected him as he pulled Lily through the water in an inflatable ring.

"Nu-uh" Max shook his head, "he was real scared Rachel, he was!"

"I'm sure he was" Rachel chuckled, beginning to relax a little as she realised Jimmy was right, the water wasn't too deep and, with her feet firmly on the floor, the water didn't even touch her bikini top.

By the end of the afternoon Rachel didn't seem so anxious in the water, Shelby and Amy had moved back to their sun loungers in the sun and Rachel was playing with her cousins and her uncle in the water. "Uncle Jimmy" Rachel said shyly as Amy wrapped Lily and Max in towels and ushered them inside to have a bath so they could get ready to go out for dinner.

"Yeah?" Jimmy smiled as he picked up his own towel and wiped his face before running the towel over his hair.

Rachel looked down at the ground, "would you really teach me how to swim better?" she asked nervously, expecting to be turned down.

Shelby smiled, draping a towel around Rachel's shoulder and kissing her cheek as she headed inside to shower, "of course I will" Jimmy reached out a hand and squeezed Rachel's arm, "if that's what you want."

Rachel nodded, "what if I'm not very good?"

"Then we keep practicing, either until you get good or until you want to stop, and if that takes longer than two weeks then we can go to the pool when we get home and keep practicing."

Rachel finally looked up and made eye contact with her Uncle, "really?"

"Really" he nodded, "we'll take as long as it takes, there's no rush, and if you want to stop, then we stop."

"Thank you."

"It's okay" Jimmy smiled, "we can start tomorrow if you want?" Rachel nodded and Jimmy smiled again, "okay, but now I think we should both go and shower so we can go out and get dinner before your Aunt gets hangry" he winked playfully at her as he collected up the empty glasses from the poolside.

"Okay" Rachel laughed as she slipped on her sandals and headed inside, "I'll try not to be too long."

"Yeah?" Amy called softly when she heard a knock at her bedroom door a little while later, "hey Pretty Girl" she smiled when she saw Rachel step into the room, "is everything okay?"

Rachel nodded, "could I borrow your hairdryer? Mom and I only bought one, she said we could share but she's taking forever."

Amy chuckled, there was nothing she loved more than Rachel acting like a 'normal' teenager, "sure. I'm almost ready, I could do your hair for you if you want?"

"Really?" Rachel's face lit up, "I'd love that" she grinned as she got a nod of confirmation from her Aunt.

"Okay" Amy stood from where she'd been finishing her make up, "sit down, I won't be a sec." She grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top and stepped into the bathroom, swapping the robe she was wearing for the clothes to keep herself decent around her niece. "Okay" she picked up the hairdryer and plugged it in, "what are we doing?"

Amy dried Rachel's hair before pulling it back into a simple updo to keep her hair off her neck, it was still warm outside and Rachel didn't want to be uncomfortable. Once Rachel was satisfied with her hair, Amy helped her apply a little make up too, nothing too heavy, a little pop of colour on her eyelids, powder to stop her looking shiny in the heat and a little highlighter on her cheekbones, "thank you" Rachel hugged Amy tightly once she'd finished, "I love it, thank you."

"You're more than welcome Pretty Girl" Amy returned the hug before looking at her niece, "can I ask you something a little personal?" Rachel frowned and nodded nervously, "how long have you had that bra?"

"Mom got it for me when I first moved in with her" Rachel continued to frown, not sure why Amy wanted to know about her underwear.

"It looks a little small Rach" Amy could see the outline of the underwear beneath the top Rachel was wearing, "can I…" she reached out her hand, stopping short of touching her niece until she got a nod, when she gently ran her fingers around Rachel's sides, "isn't that uncomfortable?" she asked when she felt just how tight the band was.

Rachel shrugged, "I haven't had it that long, I…"

"Your body's changing Rachel, I've had to buy new underwear twice in the past couple of months, it's nothing to be ashamed of. We've both got hormones changing our bodies, granted the hormones are for different reasons but that's what it boils down to, you can't help it."

"I don't want Mom to think I'm not grateful for the things she buys me."

"Oh Rachel" Amy took Rachel's hands in her own, "telling her you've outgrown your clothes, be it underwear, shoes, jeans, whatever, isn't being ungrateful, your Mom would want you to be comfortable." She saw Rachel still looked unsure, "if you're worried about telling her then I can speak to her if you want, or, there's a mall not far from here, I can take you out tomorrow if you're worried about what your Mom might think, but she won't be mad Rachel, I promise you."

"Will you, will you tell her? Please?"

"Of course" Amy kissed Rachel's head, "I'll speak to her tonight, and don't worry, I'll be discreet about it."

"Thank you" Rachel hugged Amy again.

"You've got nothing to thank me for Darling, now, how about you go find Uncle Jim for me, he was helping Lily and Max get ready, and tell him I just need to get dressed and I'll be ready?"

"Okay" Rachel nodded.

"And tell your Mom I said she needs to hurry her ass up too."

Rachel laughed and hugged her Aunt a final time, "I'll go and tell her right now" she promised, a skip in her step and a smile on her face as she left the room. "Moooom…" Amy laughed as she heard Rachel calling to Shelby, the next two weeks were going to be great fun.