Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with "That's So Raven."

Chapter 4

It took both Tanya and Victor a minute to process what Charlene had just said, but when it hit, both of their eyes fell upon Raven, who seemed to shrink into the chair. Tanya zeroed in on Raven's right hand...which was gripping Chelsea's very tightly.

"Raven?" Victor said, his voice cracking. "Is this true?"

A single tear rolled down Raven's cheek. "Yeah." She managed to whisper, despite the suffocating lump forming in her throat.

"Drink?" Chester asked, and both Tanya and Victor nodded absent-mindedly. Chester stood up and went to the kitchen to fix more drinks.

Raven stood up and cautiously walked over to her parents. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was scared to."

Both of her parents just stared at her, but she couldn't read them. Too many emotions were finding a way onto their faces, and she couldn't make out whether they were sad, angry, disappointed or scared.

"Say something."

"Oh baby." Tanya answered, tears glistening in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't know how you'd react."

"It appears that they have been hiding their feelings for months--" Charlene began.

"Two months." Raven interrupted.

"Two months?" Victor asked, looking from Raven to Chelsea, and then back to Raven.

"So, what do you think?" Raven asked, sitting by her parents. Both Tanya and Victor looked to Charlene and then to Chester, who returned with the drinks, handing one to each of them.

"How do you feel about it?" Tanya asked, while Chester took his seat.

"Well, we've discussed the situation with Chelsea and it appears that Raven makes her very happy." He stated, as if he were talking about a patient.

Raven looked at Chelsea, who nodded. Raven gave her a small smile, and she returned it.

"Do...you feel the same way?" Tanya turned to Raven, casting a sidways glance at Chelsea.

Raven nodded. "She makes me very happy Mom. Happier than I've been in a long time."

"And...if it is indeed what our Chelsea wants, we see no reason to go against it." Chester added, taking his wife's hand. Charlene looked at him, smiling a little, showing that she agreed.

"So, you're okay with this?" Raven asked the Daniels and they both seemed to sigh.

"It's going to take some getting used to. But we aren't going to try to keep you two apart." Charlene said shakily. "That is, if Victor and Tanya feel the same."

Both of the Baxters sipped their drinks simultaneously, staring off into space, lost in their minds. Raven watched as their faces went blank, emotionless. It scared her.

"Mom? Dad?"

Tanya looked at Chelsea again, remembering the little girl that used to come over to their house with a weird animal, bug, or object in her hand. It was always something she found on the way, and she always felt the need to show Raven first. She thought about Raven and Chelsea playing in her backyard together, laughing and screaming and running around. The innocent days. Tanya wanted them back. Hell, she wanted the last hour back. That was part of the innocent days too.

Then, she thought about what happened just a few short hours ago, when she went up to her daughter's room and found the door locked. They had been doing something up there...something together. Something that she would usually ground Raven for if it had been a boy up there instead of Chelsea. And then it hit her. Tanya probably would never catch Raven locked in her room with a boy again. Was this real? Maybe if she pinched herself---

"Mom. Dad." Raven said again, only louder, and they both glanced at their daughter.

"We'll have to discuss this at home." Tanya said quickly, getting up off the couch.

"What? But Mom--"

Tanya shook her head. "In the car Raven, now." There was an unusual force in her voice that told Raven not to say anything more. Raven exchanged a pained glance with Chelsea as she defeatedly grabbed her coat.

"Good to see you again Victor." Chester said, extending his hand. Victor grabbed it and they shook.

"Chester. Charlene." Victor mumbled, still in a daze.

"We'll call you tomorrow." Tanya said to Charlene as she walked them to the door.

"That's fine." Charlene said. "Are you okay to drive?"

"I think we'll make it." Tanya laughed nervously. Her mind was still reeling from the entire experience.

"Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow then."

"All right." Tanya walked out the door and Charlene closed it.

They sat in silence at the kitchen table for fifteen minutes. Tanya and Victor sat on one side and Raven sat all alone across from them, looking at her hands. Tanya thanked God that Cory was at William's; she didn't know what she would do with him if he were here now.

Raven couldn't handle the silence any longer. "What are we doing?"

"Hmm?" Victor answered, his eyes somewhat glazed over.

"We need to talk about this. I'm dating Chelsea. Yeah, I'm dating her. And I need to know how you feel."

"Honey, do you realize what your doing here?" Tanya asked leaning her elbows on the table.

"Yes."

"What is it that you're doing?"

"Going out with Chelsea."

"You realize that this implies that you-you are...you are a--"

"Lesbian, Mom. Thank you. I know that, but I don't care. I'm still me when it comes to everything else."

Victor closed his eyes at "Lesbian," and hadn't opened them yet. Raven wondered what was going through his head. He looked sick; he might even faint. Raven often thought of the impact this would have on her parents, but she didn't realize it would leave them so paralyzed.

"You don't care?"

"No. Mom, I know that this is coming as a great big shock to you and Dad, but...I love her. I love Chelsea. And yes, she's a girl, but does that really have to matter?"

"I think it matters quite a bit Raven. I assume that nobody else knows since you didn't even tell us what was going on?" Tanya asked calmly, but she wanted to yell. She was scared for her daughter.

"Eddie knows. Ben, Chelsea's ex-boyfriend, knows too. But they're keeping it a secret."

"What do you think will happen when kids at your school find out?"

"I dunno." Raven shrugged. "It's not like we've announced it to the world. Chelsea wants to keep it a secret."

"That's because Chelsea understands the danger that you both are in."

"What are you talking about?"

"Raven, honey, people aren't going to be that accepting. I know you think that in this day and age, homosexuality should just be accepted, but a lot of people are still very against it. They can become threatening and violent when it comes to people who are different. Do you understand me sweetie?" Tanya grabbed one of Raven's hands.

"I understand." Raven said, squeezing her mother's hand to comfort her, "But...I can't help how I feel. I've loved Chelsea for a while now, even before we started dating, and I'm sure that I'll love her forever. She's the only girl for me, and I know it's hard to deal with, but I'm not going to let her go."

Victor opened his eyes and studied his daughter's face. She was 100 percent sincere. She meant every word. Suddenly, he saw his little girl. His little five-year-old Raven who helped him break eggs and stir cookie batter. His eyes teared up as he watched his smiling little daughter standing on a chair next to the counter, trying her best to smooth out the clumps of cookie dough in the bowl. She was fading away, her cute features becoming more and more transparent as this older Raven that he didn't know anymore tried to explain her love for another girl.

He swallowed a painful sob as the little girl in the counter raised the wooden spoon in triumph, yelling, "Daddy, I did it!" faded away into nothingness.

"Try to remember back a few months, when you guys were worried about me. I was depressed, avoidant, and quiet. I didn't eat, I barely slept...I was a zombie. Remember?"

Both Tanya and Victor nodded.

"Do you see how happy I am now? That's all because of Chelsea. Without her, I don't know what I would do. I love you both so much, but you can't keep me away from her. Please, you can't."

Tanya looked at Victor, who folded his hands under his nose, his lips pressing up against his thumbs. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she knew what had to be done. She thought about parents who disowned and abandonded their children once they "came out." It was terrible that these parents and children couldn't even talk to one another because of sexual preference. Tanya promised herself on the day that Raven was born that she was going to support her daughter no matter what. She wasn't going to lose her daughter because of this.

"It's going to be very hard to get used to." Tanya said, shaking her head. "But, I'm not going to try to keep you girls apart."

"Really?" Raven nearly squealed, her whole face lighting up.

"Victor? What do you say?"

Victor looked at Raven. She wasn't his little girl anymore. She was nearly a full grown woman, and he had to accept it. He didn't want to hurt her. He loved her. "I love you. I want you to be happy baby girl." He said, his voice cracking as tears burned his eyes.

"I love you too Daddy." Raven said, tears of both joy and sadness pooled in her eyes. She stood up as Victor stood, and they both hugged one another very tightly. Tanya was next, already crying at the deep emotion that Victor showed.

She hugged her daughter tightly, whispering, "I love you so much."

"I love you too Mom."

Tanya kissed her daughter on the cheek, and Raven hugged her tighter.

They embraced for several minutes, crying, when Tanya looked at the clock. It was over. She and Victor had made their decision and they were sticking to it. "Oh, it's late. We should get to bed."

Raven nodded as they broke apart. "Thank you. I love you guys."

"We love you too Raven, no matter what." Tanya said.

Raven nodded and then ran up he stairs to her bedroom.

Tanya turned to Victor, releasing shaky air. "What are you thinking?"

"What happened to our baby girl?"

"She grew up Victor...and fell in love with her best friend."

Victor shook his head. He didn't want to tell his wife that he was having a hard time dealing with it. How could Raven love Chelsea? She was always talking about all of the guys she liked. She went out with Devon for a long time...where had things changed? It threw him for a loop. If it had been Eddie that Raven was in love with, Victor was sure wouldn't have such a hard time. Sure, he wouldn't like it at first, but he would get used to it. He would sit Eddie down and talk to him about the way his daughter should be treated. All fathers do that with their daughters' boyfriends. But he couldn't have that conversation with Chelsea, who was also like a daughter to him. It was all so confusing...Victor didn't know what to think or do. Maybe just accepting it would be the best thing, but he didn't know how to do that just yet.

Raven was on the phone as soon as she hit the bedroom. She dialed Chelsea's number quickly, stamping her foot impatiently as the phone continuously rang. Suddenly, the ringing stopped and that soft voice she so desperately needed to hear was on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Chelsea."

"Rae? Oh God, how'd they take it?"

"It was really hard girl...but they're not gonna stand in the way."

"Really?"

"Really." Raven cried as tears of joy and relief ran down her cheeks.

"I was so scared." Chelsea sniffled, telling Raven that she was crying as well.

"It's okay now. We did it and our parents did freak a little, but they're gonna accept it."

She could hear Chelsea breathing deeply on the other end. "We can't tell anyone else though."

"I know Chels, believe me. I don't want to go through any more of this for quite some time."

There was silence; it wasn't awkward, but it hung heavy in the room. After a few moments, Raven broke it.

"Okay well, I better get off the phone in case my parents come in. I'll see you soon."

"Okay."

"I love you Chelsea."

"You too." Chelsea replied, and Raven felt her heart droop. Chelsea wasn't ready yet, and Raven knew that, but it still hurt a little.

She hung up, plopping down on her bed. Some day this had been. It left her completely exhausted, but feeling much better. Having her parents know was such a large weight off of Raven's shoulders; she felt lighter.