Breakfast was nice; Rachel was feeling a little more open today even though she was still a little unsure about papa yelling, but her mommy kept letting her know everything was okay and how much she loved her. There were more smiles, giggles and babbling which made the grandparents happy—however, Katherine kept looking at Rachel as if she would disappear. Thomas kept trying to signal to her to stop staring, but his wife didn't get the message.

Since seeing her little grandbaby in just a diaper, seeing how prominent those ribs were, how small and fragile her body is…Katherine is almost afraid to hug or hold Rachel and that's even if she let her. So far, that hasn't been an option, Rachel clings to Shelby every chance she gets and Katherine is almost relieved about that fact which causes a wave of guilt and sadness to course through her.

Shelby is very gentle with Rachel however, Katherine has seen how much she enjoys to be held above her mommy's head while kisses are peppered to her face. Shelby has noticed her mother staring at Rachel as well but doesn't really understand what's going on so she's continued to interact with Rachel seeing as she's the only one who truly understands her. Whatever is going on with her mother she'll leave her father to deal with—she has a little baby to tend to.

Shelby was hoping she would be able to see Cass today—she knew it was her day off and even though Rachel had just met her parents and the mother didn't want to overwhelm her daughter, Cass didn't get many days off.

Nights were one thing, but during the day she was always working—she was always off around 6pm but that was when Shelby and Rachel were typically doing their nightly routine so that means they'd have to wait another week to meet her.

Hopefully Rachel will be okay with meeting one more person, especially if what April and her parents said is true about Cass; Shelby really wants Cass to be a part of her life, but would never pressure her especially because of Rachel. Her parents said they'd go take a walk, go out for lunch, just get out of the house and if they came back early and the women still needed some time alone together, they could go up to the guestroom.

Shelby truly appreciated her parents—they were trying to help her relationship with not only her daughter but her possible relationship with Cass, if you could call it that? Her parents said to be open and honest with Cass which Shelby always was except for when it came to actually wanting to be in a relationship with her—now she has a daughter to care for though. A daughter who will always come first.

While getting Rachel dressed for the day, Shelby brought it up with her daughter. I'm not going to tell her mommy is in love…that seems too complicated for Rachel to understand. She won't know what a best friend is either though—that being said, with Cass being female, hopefully Rachel will be okay.

"Rach, love bug—how would you feel about meeting one of mommy's closest friends?" the word friend now seemed weird; I guess since I've actually admitted my love for Cass out loud now, it's strange.

Rachel looked up at her mommy as she pulled up her little yellow leggings with white polka-dots on them—her top was adorable, ruffles on the shoulders white with sunflowers all over it even down the little arms because the weather outside was cold. Even though they were staying inside, Shelby still put Rachel in long sleeves and dressed her in warm clothes because her body is so small.

"No ad?"

It broke Shelby's heart that Rachel assumed people were bad—to be honest, Shelby didn't think much better of most people either because of her fame. Of course her family and friends were different but anyone new, she always thought the worst of until they proved themselves. Like mother like daughter in some ways…

"Cass isn't bad baby, she is super nice. She's the one who bought you some of your clothes, your fuzzy pjs that you love so much, and some of your books and toys. Wasn't that nice?"

Shelby wasn't trying to encourage Rachel to believe that buying love was the way to go about things however, Rachel was too young to truly understand that right now. Plus, showing Rachel that Cass was already nice before she met her might help right?

"Weally?"

"Yup. Cass already loves you baby girl, she can't wait to meet you just like nana and papa to meet you yesterday, Cass is extremely excited to meet you too. She's very nice; she isn't bad and she doesn't yell."

That was another point Shelby wanted to stress to Rachel—her little baby hated loud noises and didn't want anyone to yell, she was terrified of it which Shelby could only assume had to do with Hiram: that made Shelby livid. Fucking prick.

Once Rachel's hair was pulled out of her face, half up and half down with a big yellow bow and smiling at herself in the mirror as Shelby smiled as well she turned around and crashed into her mommy with an 'oomph'.

"Otay," Rachel agreed. Well, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Shelby decided it would be best for Rachel to meet Cass after her nap—however, it would be easier to talk to Cass while Rachel was napping so that's exactly what she let the blonde know. Cass agreed to come over stating she bought more clothes because she 'couldn't help herself they're just too cute' and some other toys that she hoped would help Rachel open up.

Shelby told Cass to not take it personally if Rachel didn't open up and then briefly explained how meeting nana and papa went. Because it was over text, she didn't know that Cass was crying reading how the meeting went. She hated everything Shelby was going through—she loved that Shelby had her baby back, but all that came along with it was so hard and she wanted to be there for her.

Cass truly loves Shelby, baby or no baby. She's never wanted to ruin their friendship though so she continued their whole best friends with benefits thing—being workaholics, Cass convinced herself maybe it was for the best that it stayed that way however, she wanted to do little romantic things with Shelby that couples did.

She wanted to take her out on dates, not just ask her to go out and grab dinner where they'd 'fight' over the bill. She wanted to surprise her with flowers 'just because' instead of trying to figure out an actual reason to get Shelby flowers like opening night, winning her Tony, on National Best Friends Day where she felt obligated to get them for April and Holly too, on her birthday…Cass wanted more than that. She would sit in the audience and watch her show, or be backstage with Holly in the wings feeling the pride that a girlfriend would feel but acted like a best friend.

She watched April and Holly interact, even when they all hung out and the way they sat on the couch and cuddled up together—sure, Shelby and Cass would also cuddle but Cass would watch as April placed random kisses on Holly's cheek through the movie or, it just felt different and Cass wanted that with Shelby.

Breathe Cass, just tell her how you feel. Holly said Shelby would never stop being your friend even if her feelings weren't reciprocated, but she thinks they are…that confused the hell out of Cass. Holly thinks Shelby feels the same way? Have they really been dancing around each other for all these years? It honestly wouldn't surprise her.

Now she has Rachel back and I need to show her that it doesn't matter to me, I still love her and I've loved Rachel ever since Shelby confided in me and told me about her. Yes, I loved a baby I didn't even know. But I saw the love Shelby had for her so how could I not? Alright focus Cass, you need to get dressed and ready to go over there, Rachel will be going down for a nap soon.

Shelby and Rachel played for a while as Bubble Guppies was on in the background; Thomas focused more on the show knowing Rachel was still weary of him while Katherine sat on the floor with Shelby and Rachel watching as Shelby helped Rachel with her shapes.

A lot of the toys Rachel had were truly for babies but because Rachel was practically learning from scratch the baby toys made sense. So here Rachel was putting the shapes into the little holes, a smile appearing on her face every time her mommy and nana would clap when she gets it right. Rachel has never had anyone play with her or teach her anything so this is a whole new experience for her.

Eventually, all three adults could see Rachel crashing—they had been up earlier today than the past few days and Shelby thought it was good to get Rachel down for a nap a bit early so lunch would be somewhat 'on time'. Even though Dr. Robbins said to not worry about it, Shelby still had it in the back of her mind that she needed to get Rachel on a schedule.

Rachel knew what she wanted but she suddenly felt very shy around her nana and papa. She had no problem eating in front of them however, she's never had 'mommy's milp' in front of them so she crawled into her mothers lap and Shelby whispered, "What is it baby?" even though she knew what Rachel wanted considering she was pulling at Shelby's shirt with one hand while rubbing her eyes with the other.

"Mommy milp," Rachel continued to pull Shelby's shirt—she decided then and there she didn't like normal shirts, tank tops were much better in Rachel's mind.

"Okay baby, let's go get some sleepies," she told Rachel, loud enough for her parents to hear. It was too early for them to go for lunch so Shelby said they were free to stay until Rachel was down and Cass came over because it was still November which wasn't the best of weather in New York.

The grandparents said 'goodnight' and watched as Shelby disappeared up the stairs, both thinking the same thing, 'she's already such a great mother'.

The minute they were in Shelby's room Rachel started to cry because she couldn't get to what she wanted. "Hold on love bug, I know you're so sleepy—give mommy one second."

She lifted up her shirt and unclipped her nursing bra, Rachel pulling it out of her way herself to get what she wanted. She was fussy, tired, and mommy was taking too long for her liking. Shelby wasn't even settled on the bed yet as Rachel latched on. For a few minutes, Shelby stood standing swaying back and forth cradling Rachel in her arms as she nursed—eventually she moved onto the bed with her back against the headboard.

She took out her phone and text Cass stating Rachel would be asleep in the next twenty minutes, if that, so she could head over. Her parents would let Cass in—they love her, so they'd be fine together for a bit if Rachel wasn't asleep yet.

Cass told Shelby she was on her way over and was excited to see her and Rachel causing butterflies in Shelby's stomach. She knew everything would be out in the open today which made her a little nervous.

Looking down at her daughter, Shelby smiled. Rachel's eyes were already fluttering but she was happily getting her fill of what she wanted forcing herself to stay awake. Shelby could tell she was fighting sleep but didn't encourage her to close her eyes knowing Rachel needed the nutrients—this is helping her get strong, not only is our bond getting stronger but her little body is too.

Shelby loved all the snuggles however, she didn't like how small Rachel was. On one hand it was great because she truly had her little baby, on the other, she was furious at those men because this shouldn't be. Her little baby should be big and strong.

She kept thinking back to what Dr. Robbins said, 'my one and a half year old is bigger than Rachel is'. Every time Shelby got Rachel dressed and saw the 9-12M clothes, her heart ached. Every time they took a bath, or she lifted her up, Shelby's heart ached even though she didn't show it on the outside feeling her daughters ribs and small frame.

Shelby herself is small, all the Corcoran girls are—but not Rachel small because they were properly fed and weren't neglected. Shelby shook her head to clear the negative thoughts away and focused on those brown eyes staring up at her.

"Mommy loves you so much baby, you're my beautiful little angel," she placed a gentle kiss to Rachel's temple and watched as Rachel's eyes finally closed.

Once she unlatched, Shelby wiped the corners of Rachel's mouth and gave her the pink pacifier, her favorite. After ten more minutes, Shelby knew Rachel was in a deep sleep hearing her little snores and transferred her onto the bed placing the pillows around her.

She turned on the baby monitor and left her bedroom door open a little just in case Rachel woke up; she wanted to be able to run upstairs quickly and not scare her by throwing open the door. Now she had a good hour, hour and a half to talk to Cass depending on how long her little one sleeps.

Cass had been talking with the Corcoran's for about 10 minutes before Shelby came down the stairs; Shelby was wearing a simple forest green sweater with a light colored pair of jeans but even so, Cass's breath hitched. Katherine noticed because she was sitting closest to the blonde and smiled, but Cass was able to compose herself quickly before Shelby got to the end of the stairs.

Baby monitor and phone in hand, Shelby truly looked like a mother—a gorgeous, simply beautiful mother. She's still the same Shelby, breathe Cass. The blonde stood up when she saw Shelby smile and open her arms and walked right into them.

They both secretly inhaled each others scent which calmed their nerves even though they didn't know it. "It's so good to see you."

"You look beautiful," Cass whispered breathlessly. She saw tears welling in Shelby's eyes and knew this would cause her to cry as well because their connection was so strong. "No, no, don't cry because then I'll cry and I didn't spend ten whole minutes applying makeup for you to ruin it within a minute of me seeing you!"

Shelby laughed and shoved Cass gently. "You're such an ass." Shelby put on makeup the first day she and Rachel went out but hasn't bothered since then—she knows Cass has seen her in every possible state so she didn't care even today.

Thomas and Katherine watched in the background, they knew these two were bound to end up together; they've been bouncing around a relationship and labels for years now. Katherine told Cass before Shelby came down the same thing she told her daughter, to be open and honest with her feelings—she also added that Rachel will always be Shelby's first priority now so if that changes things for Cass, let Shelby know because she knows her daughter would rather know the truth than be blindsided down the line.

After her parents left, Cass and Shelby sat down together on the couch. She wanted to see all the new pictures Shelby had taken of Rachel, she even wanted to see the baby monitor to see the little sleeping beauty—she has only seen her once, just like the other blondes: on Thanksgiving. And it was only for a few minutes when she was sound asleep, she couldn't wait until Rachel woke up and was hoping the baby liked her.

"I want to talk to you about something…" Cass said, taking Shelby's hands in her own.

"Me too," Shelby agreed, already afraid that Cass didn't want anything to do with her because of Rachel. At least in the relationship sense that is; she knew Cass would always be one of her best friends but Shelby was scared.

"Shelbs," Cass started to choke up which was something the blonde never did and Shelby ran her thumbs over the tops of her hands. "I love you, I love you so much. Not the way I love April or Holly though because they are my best friends." She looked up at Shelby who had confusion written all over her face. "I, fuck I'm already screwing this up…I'm in love with you Shelby. I don't even know when my love changed for you but it did. And," Cass stood up and started to pace back and forth, a typical Cass move.

"I think about you constantly. When I'm teaching a class I'm wondering what you're doing. When I'm watching you perform, I feel pride fill my body. I want you to be mine, I want to kiss you after you take your last bow, send you flowers before random shows, show up in your dressing room and be able to give you a good luck kiss even though we both know you don't need it. I wake up thinking about you, and fall asleep thinking about you."

Through this little rant or speech, Shelby had tears running down her cheeks. Cass was never so open with her emotions, never showed her vulnerable side. Plus, this is what she wanted to hear, right? However, there was now Rachel to consider. She was lost in her thoughts until she heard what she was thinking about.

"When you told me about Rachel, or at the time, your baby—Shelby, I fell in love with her too even though I didn't know her, because I saw the love you had for her in your eyes. She's a part of you, so of course I already loved her. And on Thanksgiving, I know April shooed us away and you've had a ton of shit to deal with because that son of a bitch, god I want to kill him," Cass shook her head at all the things she'd like to do to Hiram Berry bastard.

"I'd do anything, for both of you. I don't want to fuck up our friendship, or whatever we are, I just…" Cass laughed, "I feel like you rambling on and on like you do when you're nervous or excited. God I just love you so much and I want to be with you."

Cass stopped pacing expecting to find Shelby on the couch and was startled when Shelby was right in front of her. Shelby gently grabbed her face and placed a kiss to her lips—it wasn't like their typical kisses though. This was a kiss of promises, hopes, dreams, of their future: together.

Cass could taste wet and salty tears knowing Shelby was crying which in return caused tears to form in her eyes as well. Shelby took a small step back and wiped Cass's tears, then her own. "I love you too."

Shelby wrapped her arms around Cass's neck causing the blonde to wrap her arms around the brunette's waist. "But," Cass's heart broke hearing the but.

"Rachel will always come first, and I'm not sure where my future is now that I have her back. What I do know is I want you in my life, as more than my best friend." When Cass heard that she felt like she could breathe again. "I've talked it over with my parents and I'm going to finish out my contract with the show but after that, I think I might look into going home to have Rachel closer to family."

Cass took a deep breath then asked, "Would there be room for one more if you go?"

Shelby looked startled and quickly schooled her features, "Cass, I can't ask you to give up your life for Rachel and I. Of course, I want you in my life but I couldn't, you, the studio, your—" Shelby was fumbling over her words.

"You're not asking Shel, my life is where you and Rachel are. I mean, we need to make sure she likes me first and we both know I'm not the easiest to like but I'd already do anything for her and you know I'd do anything for you. If you want to move back home and there's room for me, then I'm coming too. I love you Shelby and nothing is going to change that."

This was a lot for Shelby to take in—of course this is what she wanted, however like Cass said, they still needed to get Rachel comfortable with not only Cass but with other people. Not to mention the case against Hiram, the show, how Rachel would handle being away from Shelby while she was on stage considering right now, she won't leave her side—luckily the shows were after bedtime so if she didn't wake up being backstage would be okay but that's a big risk if she woke up and Shelby wasn't there.

Cass could see the wheels turning in Shelby's mind and guided them over to the couch. She looked down at the monitor and saw Rachel sprawled out still sleeping soundly and smiled; she looked so much like Shelby even in her young age and being so small. Cass wanted to help relieve some of the stress Shelby was dealing with, and part of that could happen if Rachel liked Cass.

She could be Rachel's designated person backstage during show time—there was only a month and a half left on Shelby's contract. If Rachel felt comfortable with her, that would ease some of the stress. There's nothing either of them can do about the case, but Cass would always lend an ear to vent, a shoulder to cry on, and so help Hiram if she got her hands on him.

Regarding moving, Cass was serious—she'd follow Shelby and Rachel anywhere. She had plenty of money herself and could find a job teaching dance anywhere; she'd rather be with Shelby and Rachel than teach in New York where they aren't.

The women talked for a little while longer about everything and decided to take things slow—especially with Rachel still being the unknown in the whole situation. It felt like both of them could breathe again now that their true feelings were known.

Shelby saw Rachel start to move and shot up the stairs, she didn't want her to wake up scared. As it turned out, Rachel was just moving in her sleep but when Shelby crawled into the bed with her, Rachel nearly threw herself onto Shelby's chest where she sleeps best.

Well, I wasn't expecting her to still be asleep and I'm not going to wake her…I guess I'll just stay here. Rachel had been asleep for a little over an hour so Shelby thought Cass could entertain herself downstairs.

Cass saw on the monitor Shelby left downstairs how Rachel still appeared to be asleep which was so precious and decided to put the new clothes she bought Rachel in the washing machine. She was going to wash them herself but she didn't have any baby detergent so now was the perfect time.

After that, she opened the toys she bought—taking toys out of packaging sucks is what Cass found out. Why are there so many twist ties for one damn toy? Fuck! This is crazy town.

After getting the toys out, she realized it had been about a half hour and quietly made her way upstairs to check on everything. Cass peeked into Shelby's bedroom and saw a similar scene that Katherine did earlier that made her heart melt. She knew Shelby was breastfeeding and honestly thought it was one of the most selfless things she could do for Rachel. Not to mention Cass didn't mind seeing Shelby's breasts grow in size but that's besides the point.

Shelby smiled at Cass and tried to apologize but Cass waved her off, she knew Rachel needed this and hopefully being in a calm state would help the whole getting to know you process. Cass made her way back downstairs with a big smile on her face. She could get used to this life—if Rachel let her that is.

A lot was weighing on the almost three year olds opinion, so Cass had to make a great first impression. Of course they'd still remain friends but knowing there was mutual feelings would be hard if Rachel truly didn't like her right away.

Eventually, once Rachel opened up and got to know Cass better the two women could do what they wanted knowing Rachel would adjust, but Cass didn't want that, she wanted Rachel to like her from the start.

Shelby fixed Rachel's bedhead, changed her diaper then carried her down the stairs. She had reminded Rachel that her best friend now possible girlfriend was there—taking it slow meant they weren't necessarily putting labels on things right away, but the both knew neither were seeing other people and haven't in the last three years either. So maybe there was a label of 'girlfriend' however, Shelby wasn't going to tell Rachel that, it would only confuse her.

Rachel hid herself in the crook of her mothers neck behind the curtain of her mommy's long brown locks when she saw Cass. She was happy it was a girl and not a boy because in her little mind, boys yelled. Her daddy was a boy, so that meant boys yell and her mommy never yells so girls don't.

Eventually, Rachel would learn not everyone is like Hiram—especially in the Corcoran family; they were all very overprotective, but never yelled. Even when Shelby's nieces and nephews got in trouble, the parents didn't yell. Katherine and Thomas never raised their voices, so it was something all the Corcoran kids carried on when they had their own children.

"It looks like Cass brought you some new toys baby girl, should mommy play with them herself or do you want to play with me?" Shelby winked at Cass to let her know she was fine sitting where she was which was on the floor to not intimidate Rachel. She was doing the same thing Thomas did, sitting on the floor minding her own business.

Rachel quickly turned her head to look down at the toys and snuggled further into her mother, "Me pay oo," she whispered.

Shelby sat down with Rachel in her lap in front of the toys and let the baby pick which one she wanted to play with first. There of course was a little dance play mat which Shelby assumed Rachel would want to play with later when it was just she and the baby but who knows, and other musical toys that were very multicolored.

Cass knew Shelby was teaching Rachel about shapes and colors and thought it wouldn't hurt to add music—you're never too young for music and dance in Cass's mind. Rachel pushed down on the little piano and jumped at the noise. Cass internally smacked herself for getting something that made so much noise knowing Rachel didn't like loud noises but Shelby encouraged her it was okay.

"You're okay love bug, this is a piano. It's supposed to make noise baby, so you can sing and dance to it. You like to dance when mommy sings to you right?" she tickled Rachel's sides and Cass smiled at her little laugh.

Eventually, Shelby and Rachel 'played' the piano together and Rachel seemed to love it. The keys lit up and she babbled away saying god knows what, Cass had no idea. Apparently Shelby was the queen of knowledge when it came to Rachel and figured it out right away—Cass needed to learn how to do that.

Cass also found another baby doll that Rachel could give a pacifier and bottle to; Shelby told her how much Rachel loved her 'dowee' so she searched for the best doll she could find. It was another plush doll, soft like a stuffed animal but the little mouth of the doll obviously opened enough to where Rachel could fit the pacifier and bottle into.

Rachel picked up the doll next, Shelby and Cass watching her play half sitting in Shelby's lap, half on the floor and smiled. After giving her dolly the pacifier, Rachel held the doll up to Shelby's breast causing the mother to laugh. "Rach baby, your doll gets her bottle. Only you get mommy's milk," she said as she poked Rachel's little belly.

Rachel seemed to consider this. She looked over at Cass who was biting her lip to try not to laugh; when Rachel gave her a look of confusion Cass nodded along to agree with Shelby. "The dolly has her own bottle sweetie," Cass smiled and picked it up handing it to Rachel.

The baby took the small bottle out of Cass's hands and attempted to feed her own baby but looked towards her mother for help. Shelby guided the bottle helping Rachel figure it out and she smiled when her daughter did. Cass was thankful for the opportunity to be able to not only sit in the same room with Rachel and not have her scream or cry, but interact with her.

Another half an hour went by and Rachel had pulled Shelby up with her to figure out the dance mat. Shelby let her know it would make noise but Rachel seemed to want to try it anyways. Shelby sat on her knees to be closer to Rachel's height as the baby stepped on the mat.

They learned pretty quickly she wasn't heavy enough for it to make noise which made Shelby want to cry—she didn't though, she kept pushing through for her baby. Cass felt badly, she saw the mat was for ages 3 plus and just assumed it would work, she didn't realize there was a certain amount of weight needed to 'activate' it.

Shelby pressed it with her own hand which was enough to make a noise and cause Rachel to squeal in excitement when music played through the mat. It lifted both the adults spirits hearing the laugh.

Shelby and Cass took turns pressing down on the mat as Rachel's little legs bounced around holding her mommy's fingers while 'dancing' and squealing. She loved this new toy. She decided this Cass lady was nice too because she smiled and danced with her too.

Eventually, Cass got up and made them all some lunch—Rachel's favorite, PB and J with some cut up strawberries and bananas. Rachel studied Cass trying to figure out how she knew what her favorite meal was and Shelby watched the interaction.

Cass continued to smile and make silly faces at Rachel as they sat at her little play table to eat lunch as a special treat and eventually Rachel broke the little 'stare down' by laughing. She liked the blonde. Not as much as her mommy, but she was silly and Rachel felt comfortable with her.

She loved to 'feed' her mommy, Shelby always accepted the food if it wasn't 'mushy' like bananas which Rachel had a tendency to squeeze before giving them to her—even though she wanted to insist Rachel eat her food, she was comfortable knowing Rachel was eating with her and like Dr. Robbins said, 'she isn't used to eating as much as you'll be feeding her anyways so don't stress yourself out over it'.

Rachel gave Shelby a strawberry who thanked her and placed a kiss to her little fingers before trying to 'eat' them, causing Rachel to laugh; then the baby surprised both women, she tried to give Cass a strawberry too. Cass was taken back but quickly composed herself—Rachel didn't offer her food to her nana or papa, but for some reason she felt comfortable with Cass which made Shelby's heart swell.

Cass took the piece of strawberry and smiled, "Thank you sweetie, strawberries are my favorite."

Rachel seemed to love this answer and got off her chair to go closer to Cass with another strawberry in her little hand; she placed her sticky fingers on Cass's leg and Shelby silently apologized knowing Cass was like herself and didn't like messes as Rachel tried to do the same thing she does with her mommy and feed Cass the strawberry.

Cass opened her mouth but didn't close it until she knew Rachel's fingers were far enough away—unlike Shelby, she didn't want to do anything to cause Rachel to be afraid of her. Rachel slowly pulled her fingers away but kept her one sticky hand on Cass's leg looking up and watching Cass chew the berry. Once it was swallowed, Rachel put her fingers back up to Cass's mouth to see if she would do the same thing as Shelby.

Cass briefly looked at Shelby who just smiled and shrugged, if Rachel felt this comfortable who was she to stop her? Cass played along and kissed Rachel's fingers causing her to squeal in excitement; she did the same thing as her mommy.

Rachel wondered if her nana and papa would be the same but that thought was quickly replaced by wanting more of her sandwich. She took her sticky fingers off of Cass's jean clad leg and Shelby made a face at the tiny handprint of jelly left behind.

Cass looked at her and smiled, this was better than she could have ever expected—she didn't even care about her jeans. That's what the washing machine is for, hell she would throw them out for all she cared. Rachel was getting comfortable with her and from what Shelby described, she was more comfortable with Cass than the grandparents.

That did cause Cass to feel badly knowing they were her grandparents, but at the same time, it made her really happy knowing Rachel seemed to trust her, at least somewhat. Rachel picked up her sandwich and then ran over to her mother who scooped her up—she sat in Shelby's lap for the rest of lunch and surprisingly finished her sandwich.

She truly did love her peanut butter and jelly, and didn't care about messes. Maybe one day, but for now, I don't care how many messes my little angel makes because she's perfect and more importantly, she's eating.

Cass cleaned up lunch while Shelby brought Rachel upstairs to change her—Rachel loved how she had so many outfits and never got yelled at if she got messy. She tried really hard to not be so messy but she didn't know how to not make a mess, she was just a baby. Nobody taught her anything.

Her mommy was trying to teach her and she was trying to learn…but mommy seemed more interested in teaching her about shapes and colors right now. She also fed Rachel herself, something her daddy never did. If he gave Rachel food it wasn't often and she'd have to eat it herself; if she made a mess, her daddy would yell and scream at her calling her names. She didn't know what the names meant, but her mommy never said those things which made her happy.

Once Rachel was changed, they came back downstairs to find nana and papa walking in the door. Cass now had a wet spot on her jeans meaning she had cleaned them (however, she took a picture of the little handprint first wanting to savor it). That's a picture she'd be sharing with Shelby later, it was too cute and precious not to.

Rachel was fine with her nana and papa earlier, however because she wasn't expecting them she curled up into Shelby and hide herself. "You're okay baby, it's just nana and papa. Remember, they love you and Cass loves you just like mommy loves you. You're okay angel, mommy's got you."

Rachel turned and saw Cass was still there and smiled at her. The grandparents saw the interaction and smiled themselves—they knew their daughter and Cass were going to work out, and in time, Rachel would feel more comfortable with all of them. In the meantime though, it was nice to see their grandbaby smile and their daughter happy. Or as happy as she could be with everything going on right now.

Cass left when Rachel went down for her second nap but not before getting a 'bye-bye' and a backwards wave from the baby. She felt really happy with how everything went and couldn't wait to tell Holly and April. They knew Rachel needed time before meeting everyone and were happy for Cass—it was important for her to meet Rachel first even though April and Holly were dying to meet the baby along with the rest of the Corcoran's.

April and Holly would be next because Shelby had decided they were staying in New York while she finished out her contract—Cass was hoping to be the one to be there with Rachel while Shelby and April were on stage; maybe Holly would eventually as well when Rachel learned they were both nice.

Shelby didn't mean to fall asleep while putting Rachel down for her nap, she just did. When Shelby didn't come back down, Katherine went upstairs to check to make sure everything was okay and smiled seeing Rachel sprawled out on top of Shelby's chest sound asleep, her daughter's arms wrapped protectively around Rachel sound asleep as well.

Katherine took a picture, pulled the covers up around them a little more and then snuck back downstairs. Her and Thomas took the time they spent out of the house to talk to Jeremy who was in real estate and ask him to find them an apartment to sublet here in the city—Shelby said it wasn't a problem for them to stay with her but they didn't want to be on top of her even though her penthouse was huge.

They didn't want Shelby to have to worry about paying for it either, especially because Jeremy found them a great deal and a great space. It was a two bedroom, two bath with a kitchen and living room fully furnished and perfect for them; due to the fact Shelby paid off their house, they haven't paid a mortgage in years.

Thomas worked even while going through treatments and Katherine never stopped working either so they each have income with no mortgage to pay anymore—so they had plenty of money to pay for this apartment and be closer to their daughter and granddaughter. Shelby being Shelby was going to pay for it anyways though.

They decided on two bedrooms because when Shelby felt comfortable, they thought each sibling could stay with the grandparents so Shelby wouldn't feel so bombarded. Even if Shelby didn't want Rachel to meet her aunts and uncles face to face until the possible move or until the show ended and she was more settled, they'd at least have the space.

Jeremy asked all about Shelby and Rachel while on the phone however they couldn't really talk about everything as they were sitting in a coffee shop and it was family matter—not something you discuss out in the open. Now that Shelby was asleep, Thomas and Katherine decided to call their children.

They filled everyone in on what was going on, how Shelby and Rachel were doing and what the three of them spoke about last night regarding Shelby finishing out her contract before making any permanent decisions as to where she lives. The siblings were all happy about the thought of their sister 'coming home' essentially—it felt as if she'd been gone a lot longer than she had been considering they were such a close knit family.

Katherine explained how they were going to fly back home to pack up some clothes and then spend at least two months in New York knowing Shelby would be finished with her show by then and figuring out what she wanted to do next—all four siblings thought that was a great idea, they even asked if they could split the cost three ways (the oldest of the siblings) paying for the apartment which Thomas immediately said no to. He wanted his children to save their money for their own families, not worry about them.

The kids agreed only because they knew Shelby would never let their parents actually pay for it once she knew about it and they could figure out a way to give Shelby money, (spend money on Rachel) because Shelby would never accept their money.

She couldn't deny her daughter gifts though, so that's what the kids decided though text while talking to their parents. They were also sent more pictures of Rachel, the last picture being the one Katherine just took when she went upstairs before calling the kids of Rachel sprawled out on top of Shelby's chest, both of them sound asleep.

It really put how small Rachel was into perspective for Jeremy, Jake and Addie. Sure, Lexie new about babies, she was 12 when Addie had her third child who used to be the littlest grandbaby but Lexie didn't really understand the magnitude of how small Rachel was like her older siblings because she wasn't a parent. She was just so in love with the idea of having a little niece that she didn't really process much else.

Lexie hung up first because she had to finish her homework and study for a test that was coming up leaving the older siblings on the line—it actually worked out well because nobody wanted to ask with Lexie still listening. Jeremy was the one to ask, "How's Shelly actually doing? I mean, look at how small Rachel is, this can't be easy for her…"

"It's not," Thomas answered honestly. "She's handling it the way Shelby handles most everything, but she's actually letting mom and I in, and I know she's leaning on her friends as well. That being said, mom and I feel like she's leaning on us more now than she ever has—so while she may put up a brave face in front of Rachel, she is letting down her walls with us."

"That's good, that's really good. Gosh I can't believe how tiny Rachel is," Addie choked out before her tears came.

Hearing Addie cry caused Jake and Jeremy to become angry at the situation—they already were angry, but once their sisters got upset they always got angry. It's how they've always been: overprotective. "I want that son of a bitch to suffer for what he's done not only to Rachel, but now to Shelly as well," Jeremy gritted out.

"I agree. We all know how amazing it is that they have one another, we know how much Rachel truly needs Shelbs but gosh the weight of the world is now on Shelby and that's just…it fucking sucks! I get that we can't all be there and I'm so happy that you two are there but we all want to help and don't know how."

The siblings agreed, this was the hardest part of 'obeying' mom and dad—having to wait and find out things from them, not knowing what to do in the meantime, how to help…it was the worst feeling in the world knowing their sister was suffering and they couldn't be there to support her.

"Right now, we're here supporting both of them. You need to believe that daddy and I will do anything and everything for both Shelby and Rachel. Shelby knows you're all here for her, trust us she does. She's mentioned you all many times—but even when we relay the information it's hard, so try putting yourself in her shoes. Would you want your phone going off constantly when you're dealing with all of this?" Katherine asked, knowing the answer.

She heard three 'no's. Knowing her point was made, Katherine changed the subject. They all spoke for a little while longer until one by one, they all had kids of their own to tend to or a work meeting to attend leaving Katherine and Thomas to have a bit of piece and quiet.

"We'll get through this," Thomas said putting his hand over his wife's.

"Yes we will."

Shelby woke up and was a bit confused—she didn't remember falling asleep; the last thing she remembered was putting Rachel down for her nap…a nap she clearly needed as well. Shelby smiled looking down at her daughter who was occupying her chest and placed a kiss on the top of her head then carefully reached for her phone.

Cass: I had a really amazing time today, I think it went well…thoughts?

Cass: I think I'm texting during naptime, my bad. Xoxo. Have sweet dreams my loves.

Cass: ATTACH 1 my heart may have melted completely but shh don't tell anyone, I'm still a badass. I love you Shel, both of you. Mwah!

Shelby felt a tear roll down her face seeing the picture Cass sent her; there on her phone was Rachel's little handprint in grape jelly on Cass's jeans before she washed it off. Shelby knew Cass wasn't sentimental about much, or really anything…they balanced each other out in that sense because Shelby could get overly sentimental about the smallest things. However, seeing how much it meant to Cass to take a picture of those sticky fingers was confirmation to Shelby. She really loves not only me but Rachel too.

Shelby: I fell asleep during naptime too, lol. I don't think things could have gone better, I love you Cassandra. Xo

Cass: I love you two more.