A/N – Here's the next chapter! I really hope you guys like this one and are enjoying this story. I thank you so much for the reviews and messages and alerts. Your support means the world to me.
Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.
The first act of Wounded Heart ended to much applause, Rachel's and Brian's included. He had looked over at her when she sat down nearly thirty minutes late, but she hadn't so much as sent a glance his way. When the lights came up, she immediately stood and put her jacket and hat, along with a small bag in her chair.
"Where are you going?" Brian asked. "Shelby was really worried when you didn't get back here on time."
"I told her I was on my way," Rachel shrugged. She didn't have to answer to Brian.
"But you were late," he said.
"I'm going to the bathroom," Rachel told him and started to make her way down the row and to the main aisle.
Brian just watched her go for a second and then pulled out his phone. As expected, he had a text from Shelby asking him if Rachel was ok and if she had said why she was late. Brian decided a quick phone call would be easier than texting.
"She didn't say much of anything," Brian said when Shelby picked up her phone.
"She wasn't hurt or anything, was she?" Shelby asked. "I've texted her a couple times, but she's not responding.
"She went to the bathroom," Brian said. "And she left all of her stuff here so she might not have her phone on her. All she said was that she told you she was on her way."
"She did," Shelby said. "I don't know what to do about this, Brian. Should I just ignore it? She did make it back safely."
"But you did tell her to be back at a certain time," Brian said. It was true that he didn't have any children of his own, but he was an awesome uncle and he did deal with teenage students on a regular basis. Someone had to be in charge and he had discovered that it was normally best if it wasn't the kid. "You are her mom, Shelby, not a cool friend of the family."
"I know that," Shelby said. "I just… I don't know how. What if she hates me?"
"She's not going to hate you," Brian chuckled. "It's clear to anyone who is paying attention that she worships you."
"I know," Shelby sighed. "That's part of the problem. She still sees her favorite actress sometimes and not just me, her mom. What if she doesn't like her mom as much as she likes the actress?"
"Oh Shelby, she will. She does," Brian said. "What would her dads do in this situation?"
"Talk to her, at least," Shelby said. "I wonder if I should call them and ask for advice."
"You can talk to her on your own, Shelby," Brian said. "Trust me on this one; no kid ever takes kindly to being told on."
"You're right," Shelby said.
"Just… be her mom. You set a rule and she broke it. Talk to her. Give her a consequence," Brian advised. "Or at least explain that there will be a consequence if she does it again."
"Ok," Shelby said. "Ok. I've got to run. I'll see you after the show."
Give Rachel a consequence. She could do that. She would just have to talk to her and that would be that. But what's a good consequence? And what does she do if Rachel hates her? She had to be a parent and not a friend. Hiram and LeRoy had told her that too. She could do it. It's what she wanted, after all. She wanted to be her mother and not a good buddy. Rachel had even told her that she wants her to be her mom. Ok. Shelby the mom and Rachel the daughter were going to have a talk and they were going to leave the actress and the fan at the door.
As soon as the show ended, Brian and Rachel made their way backstage and to Shelby's dressing room.
"You were wonderful, Shelby," Brian said when she gave them permission to enter.
"Thanks," Shelby smiled and readily accepted his sweet kiss.
"It was so good, Mom," Rachel gushed. "I don't think I'd ever get tired of watching it."
"Thanks, sweetie," Shelby said. "You're going to get to see it twice more while you're here, including all of the first act."
It wasn't meant to be harsh, but Rachel ducked her head all the same.
"I'm sorry. I was talking on the phone with Kurt and didn't realize how far away I had walked," Rachel said. "I didn't mean to be late." She was telling the truth.
Shelby immediately felt bad when she noticed Rachel's downcast expression and she saw the girl dart her eyes over to look at Brian and then back at her hands.
"Don't worry about it right now," Shelby soothed her and pulled Rachel in for a hug. "We'll chat about it later." A chat seemed much nicer than a talk.
"Ok," Rachel said and she sank into the hug.
Rachel and Brian waited in silence while Shelby made her rounds at the stage door. Rachel asked if they could walk back to the apartment when it was time to leave, but Shelby said no because they were going to take a cab to Brian's place first to drop him off and it was too far and much too cold. She promised Rachel that they'd walk back to her apartment tomorrow after the matinee show.
Shelby got out of the cab with Brian when they reached his building to say goodbye. Rachel hadn't even looked up from the game she was playing on her phone when she had said goodbye in the cab.
"I'm sorry about how this all turned out," Shelby said. "I know I just met her, but I've never seen her like this. I was so excited for the two of you to hit it off."
"Don't worry about it," Brian said. "There's plenty of time for us to figure it out later."
"I'm sure she's really tired," Shelby said. "It's been a really long and exciting day for her."
"Honestly, Shelby, don't worry about it," Brian said. "She's a teenage girl. She's probably in some mood or something."
Shelby laughed lightly with him and then let him pull her close in a warm hug. Neither noticed Rachel watching from inside the cab and she was back to concentrating on her game when Shelby got back in the car.
"Ok, Rach, let's go home," Shelby smiled and Rachel finally put her game down and looked up.
"Ok." Her happy smile was back and Shelby didn't know what to make of the sudden change in demeanor. Had she been this confusing when she was a teenager? Surely not. Rachel was glad to have her mother back to herself now that Brian was gone and she simply loved the reality that she had a place she could call home in New York City now.
Shelby did nothing to hide her yawn as she and Rachel finally entered her apartment that night. It had been a really long day and Shelby was still getting used to her routine of getting up early. Just a month ago she would have been up until two or three in the morning and been able to sleep later in the morning. Now it was just after eleven and Shelby was ready to crash. And to top it off, they needed to get up at five the next morning so that they could get ready for the interview with Katie Couric. It was going to be another full day tomorrow because of the interview and then having to do two shows.
Shelby locked her door behind them and then looked at Rachel who was taking off her coat and gloves. She needed to have a talk with the girl before either of them went to sleep; not that Rachel looked all that tired. But surely she had to be. Shelby thought back the first time Rachel had stayed the night at her house and the girl had sat up until she was falling asleep on the couch. Shelby had to tell her to go to bed directly before the girl went. That's what she was going to have to do tonight as well. But first they needed to talk.
"Hey, Rach," Shelby said before Rachel could walk into the living room.
"Yeah?" Rachel stopped and looked back at her.
"Let's have a little talk, ok," Shelby said as she picked up Rachel's coat from the chair it had been slung over and hung it up in the closet.
"Ok," Rachel smiled. She was glad it was just the two of them now. They'd get to just hang out now and watch a movie. Or maybe she could get her mother to show her some of her own baby pictures. That would be a lot of fun and Rachel would love that.
"Ok," Shelby let out a breath. "Where were you tonight? Why were you late? I told you that you needed to be back at least twenty minutes before the show started."
Rachel's smile faded when she heard her mother's questions. This was not what she wanted to talk about. What did it matter anyway?
"I told you, I didn't realize how far I had walked from the theater and I just didn't make it back in time," Rachel said.
"I know that and I understand," Shelby said, "but you should have been paying more attention. I was really worried. Why didn't you answer any of my calls or texts?"
"I texted you," Rachel defended herself. "I told you I was on the way back."
"I called you several times and you didn't answer the phone," Shelby pointed out to her.
"I was talking with someone," Rachel said. "And I assumed you were busy."
"Too busy to talk to you when I was the one calling?" Shelby asked. She did not understand that logic at all. "I was trying to make sure you were ok."
"Of course I was ok," Rachel said. This was ridiculous. Why did it suddenly feel like she was in trouble here?
"But I didn't know that," Shelby said. "You were by yourself in New York City. I wanted you to be back that early because I wanted to know that you were safe before the show started. I was ready to leave the show to go and find you when I saw you walk in."
"That's crazy," Rachel said. "I told you I was fine and on my way back to the theater. My dads let me go out by myself."
"I know that," Shelby said. "But if they had given you a certain time to be back at the hotel, would you have followed their instructions?"
Shelby nodded when Rachel looked down.
"That's all I wanted, baby. I just needed to know that you were safe and back at the theater before the show started," Shelby said.
"But I was safe," Rachel argued.
"I know that now, Rachel, but it doesn't change the fact that you weren't back when you were supposed to be," Shelby told her.
"It's not a big deal," Rachel said. "It's not my fault I got lost."
"But you also weren't paying attention," Shelby said. "If you were lost and worried about getting back on time, you would have called me when you realized it."
"I sent you a text," Rachel whined.
"Rachel, were you even paying attention to the time?" Shelby asked.
"Yeah," Rachel said though it wasn't really convincing. She had wanted to spend as little time as possible with Brian and so she wasn't really that upset that she would be late. She had assumed that her mother wouldn't think it was a big deal. She hadn't expected to be lectured. Her mom hadn't been like this before.
"For the rest of the time you're here with me this weekend, you are not going to be allowed to go off by yourself," Shelby said. Her eyes softened when Rachel pouted and then glared up at her.
"That's not fair," Rachel complained. She didn't even really want to go anywhere by herself, but she didn't like being told that she couldn't.
"I'm sorry, Rach, but that's how it has to be this weekend," Shelby said. She absolutely did not like that her daughter was mad at her. She was doing her best not to give in to the whining and the pouting. She kept having to remind herself that she had every right to make this decision and enforce it.
"I didn't do it on purpose," Rachel let her voice get soft and hurt because she thought it might get her farther than yelling.
"I'm sure you didn't," Shelby said gently. She wanted to pull Rachel into a big hug and just forget it. "But you also didn't listen. It's just for a couple days and I want to get to spend as much time with you as possible anyways. If you go off by yourself, where does that leave me?" Shelby asked with a small, nervous laugh to try and lighten the mood.
"You'd think of something," Rachel mumbled. She'd just invite Brian over.
Shelby sighed when Rachel did not return her sentiment. She glanced over at the clock and saw that it was almost 11:30. She was so tired. Five the next morning was going to come awfully quick.
"Are we done?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah," Shelby said. She watched as Rachel turned and started to walk towards the living room. "Where are you going?"
"To watch a movie," Rachel answered without looking back. She was mad, but she hoped her mother would follow so they could watch together.
"No, honey, not tonight," Shelby stopped her. "It's time for bed."
"What?" Rachel was incredulous as she spun back around.
"We need to be up early for the interview," Shelby said. "Come on now, watching a movie can wait."
Rachel seethed and did her best to resist stamping her foot in protest. She couldn't believe her mother was also making her go to bed early as punishment for not being back in time. She couldn't be in the city by herself and now she was being sent to bed? She was not some little kid. Her foot stamped almost involuntarily at that last thought.
"I'm not tired," Rachel whined.
"I think you are, sweetheart," Shelby said kindly. She wasn't trying to make Rachel feel bad; she just knew that they would be up early. And today had been such a long and busy day for both of them. By any reasonable measure, it was time to go to bed.
"No, I'm not!" Rachel said as she stomped down the hall to her room.
Shelby jumped when the door slammed and then ran her hands over her face. What had just happened? She knew one thing; she did not like being the bad guy.
Fifteen minutes later Rachel was changed and lying in bed, but she hadn't turned the light off. Her arms were crossed angrily over her chest and there was a scowl on her face. She wasn't tired and she would prove it. She'd lie here awake all night if she had to.
She darted her eyes to the door when there was a knock just before it opened to reveal her mother. Rachel was surprised to see that Shelby had also washed her face and brushed her hair and was in a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. She had just assumed that her mother would be staying up later. Her dads always did when they sent her to bed early for some misdeed or another.
"Goodnight, Rachel," Shelby said from the doorway. "I love you."
"I love you too," Rachel said crossly. She couldn't help but saying it back. She didn't think she'd ever be over the joy of hearing her mother tell her she loved her.
Shelby bit back her smile. "Are you comfortable like that?"
"I'm fine," Rachel said shortly. "I told you I wasn't tired."
"Right," Shelby said. "Well I'm tired so I'm going to go lay down. I'll be in my room if you need me. Come and get me if you need anything at all."
Rachel just nodded and resisted rolling her eyes. She wasn't three.
"Ok, goodnight."
"Night," Rachel said as she continued to stare straight ahead.
Shelby turned the light off and shut the door behind her and made her way over to her own bedroom. She caught up on some messages on her phone, mostly from Meredith and one from Brian asking how it went. She texted with him for close to ten minutes before finally telling him goodnight.
Shelby was about to turn off her own light and lie down, but she couldn't help wanting to check on Rachel one more time. She quietly opened the girl's bedroom door and smiled widely at what she saw. Rachel was slumped down on the pillow with her arms still crossed loosely over her chest, but she was sleeping.
"Not tired, huh young lady," Shelby whispered as she crossed the room to the bed.
Shelby adjusted the sleeping girl so that she was lying down more comfortably and held the blankets while Rachel rolled over and into her normal sleep position. She then pulled the blankets close and tucked Rachel in properly before kissing her head softly. There was something really amazing about getting to tuck the girl into bed.
"Sleep well, tired girl," Shelby whispered.
Shelby was asleep the moment her head hit her own pillow.
The alarm that started blaring a little more than five hours later startled Shelby out of her sleep and she tried to rationalize in her head how it couldn't possibly be time to get up as she slapped her hand down on the clock to make the awful noise stop. Why did she agree to do this interview this early? Oh right, two shows to do and a daughter to hang out with that day. She hoped Rachel wasn't still angry with her this morning.
It took a few minutes, but Shelby finally dragged herself out of bed and got in the shower. She figured she'd let Rachel sleep for a little bit longer while she got ready herself. When the shower was over, Shelby threw on a t-shirt and some sweats because her team would be there soon to help with getting ready for the interview.
It didn't look like Rachel had even stirred from the position she was in last night when Shelby left the room. The girl was still curled in a ball and sleeping soundly and Shelby wished she could let her sleep in.
"Rachel," Shelby said lightly as she sat on the bed and gently shook the girl's shoulder. "Honey."
"What?" Rachel mumbled. She pulled the blankets closer and as if that would somehow block her from the annoyance.
"It's time to get up," Shelby said. She pulled the blankets back a little bit and shook Rachel again.
"No," Rachel whined. She was resisting opening her eyes.
"Come on, sweetheart," Shelby cooed. "You've got to get up and get in the shower. Everyone will be here soon to help us get ready."
"Ok," Rachel muttered, but didn't move. She was excited, she was, but it was so early.
"Ok," Shelby said. "Get up. I'll start to get breakfast ready."
"'K," Rachel said.
Shelby got up and left the room and Rachel pulled the blankets back up to her chin and went right back to sleep.
Shelby stood in the kitchen and drank her coffee while pulling out cereal and then deciding against it and opening the refrigerator to get eggs and bacon. She was in the mood for a real breakfast. She also pulled out a roll of biscuits and pre-heated the oven.
"Rachel," Shelby called down the hallway. She hadn't heard or seen the girl yet. And the bathroom in the hall was still empty.
Shelby took a second to get down a bowl to crack the eggs into and two plates. "Rach."
Shelby took a last sip of her coffee and poured another cup before setting it down on the counter and going to see what Rachel was doing. She groaned when she saw the girl was still in bed.
"Rachel, come on. You've got to get up."
"Why?" Rachel whined once again when her sleep was disturbed. "Don't."
She did not like that her mother was now pulling the blankets all the way off of her. Rachel finally opened her eyes to give her mother an incredulous stare.
"Come on, I know it's early, but you need to get up," Shelby said. "We can come back here and relax for a little bit after the interview."
"Mom," Rachel whined when Shelby pulled her into a sitting position.
"I know," Shelby commiserated with her. "But your public awaits."
That got Rachel's attention and she sighed, but finally moved her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Shelby didn't take the chance of leaving her again and instead walked with Rachel to the bathroom and turned the shower on her for her.
"You've got ten minutes, so you better hurry," Shelby told her. "Just put on some clothes to lounge around in and we'll change when everyone else gets here. I'm going to make us some breakfast."
"Ok," Rachel said as the sleep was finally starting to wear off. Now that she was up and standing a hot shower sounded wonderful.
The interview went really well and Rachel enjoyed getting to meet and talk with Katie Couric. The studio they had been in was calming and Rachel relaxed from being wound up at getting her hair and make-up done again and really gave some insightful and sweet answers. They were finished by noon and made it back to the apartment in time to have lunch.
"We'll have to leave for the theater in about forty-five minutes," Shelby said. Her matinee show was at two.
"Can we walk there?" Rachel asked. Walking around in New York City even in the cold weather was something she loved. She wanted to walk with Shelby and get the chance to talk about nothing and maybe hear some more stories about her mother's past.
"I don't think we'll have time," Shelby answered. "We still need to each lunch and get changed.
"Ok," Rachel said as she wandered down the hall and to her room so she could change from the clothes she'd worn for the interview.
Shelby sighed at the disappointment in Rachel's voice, but overall she was pleased that Rachel had been in a good mood during the interview and the bits of attitude that showed their head last night were nowhere to be found.
Shelby went into her room to change as well and was just slipping off her shoes when her phone rang. She thought it might be Brian, but the name on her screen was Hiram Berry. She flopped down on the bed before she answered it.
"Hello," Shelby answered with a smile.
"Hey, Shelby," LeRoy said. She knew they had it on speaker phone.
"How are you guys? Did you want to talk to Rachel?" Shelby asked. She wondered why they hadn't called her phone.
"No, we called to talk to you," Hiram said.
"Oh," was Shelby's response. Her mind raced with the reasons why. Had Rachel called them to complain about Shelby's no going out alone rule? Did they want Rachel to come home early? Did Rachel want to go home early? The girl hadn't said anything… "What's up?"
"We just wanted to see how you were doing," LeRoy said.
"How did the interview go this morning?" Hiram asked. "Rachel was so excited about The View when we talked to her yesterday."
"Oh, yeah it went really well," Shelby breathed a sigh of relief. "Rachel held her own. I have a feeling she's going to be quite savvy at handling the media one day."
"I don't doubt it," Hiram said with a laugh.
"Is everything else going ok?" LeRoy said.
"Yeah, kind of," Shelby said.
"Kind of?"
Shelby debated telling Rachel's fathers about her getting back to the theater late because she didn't want it to seem like she was telling on the girl, but they had promised they would keep her informed about everything going on with Rachel, and so she was going to do the same.
"I let her go off for a little while by herself yesterday," Shelby said. "We were at the theater, Brian was with us, and she asked if she could walk around for a little while before the show started."
"Is she ok?" Hiram asked.
"Yeah, of course," Shelby said. "I didn't want to let her at first. I was worried about her being alone and I was worried that someone might recognize her and try and talk to her or take her picture."
"But…"
"But she really wanted to," Shelby said. "And she's fifteen and I didn't want to be stifling. And I don't think she liked Brian, so I let her go. But I told her that she needed to be back twenty minutes before the show started so that I would know where she was and that she was safe."
"How late was she?" LeRoy asked.
"She came in and sat down about thirty minutes into the first act," Shelby said. "I was so worried. She wouldn't answer her phone and she only texted me once to say she was on her way back."
"Where was she?" LeRoy asked in a knowing tone.
"She said she didn't realize it, but she had walked too far and so just couldn't make it back on time," Shelby said. "She said she'd been talking on the phone and so she couldn't answer my calls. When we got back to my place I told her that she wasn't allowed to go off by herself for the rest of the weekend." She really hoped that was ok. She was trying not to fish outright for any type of validation because she still felt bad that Rachel had been mad at her.
"That's exactly what you should have done," LeRoy said. Shelby smiled slightly.
"And don't let her get you to change that," Hiram said. "You've got to stick to it, ok? She might try and test you, but you are the mom, Shelby."
"She was angry at me," Shelby admitted.
"That's ok," LeRoy said. "You did the right thing, Shelby."
"And stick to it," Hiram said. "She might try and test you, but you are her mom."
"You make it sound so easy," Shelby said. "It's not easy."
"No, it's not," LeRoy said. "But it's worth it."
"I know," Shelby said. "I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Hiram said. "Besides, her attitude probably didn't last long, right?"
"No. But it was late and I made her go to bed," Shelby said. "She said she wasn't tired, but-"
"But was asleep in a few minutes, right?" Hiram asked.
"Yeah," Shelby smiled.
"She loves you, Shelby," LeRoy said. "Just remember that. Whether she's giving you big hugs or big attitude, she loves you. But because this relationship is brand new, she's got to learn her place in it. She's being a kid and will test you and break the rules and you've got to be consistent and give her consequences, and you're already doing that. You listened, you were fair and you made the right decision. So stop worrying about it."
"Ok," Shelby smiled. She was a mom. She was doing this.
"Mom?" Rachel knocked on the door and opened it slightly so she could peek in. She didn't want to just barge in on her in case she might be changing.
"She showed me the pictures and told me the rock story," Shelby said into the phone as she motioned for Rachel to come in. She was grinning.
"Mom!" Rachel whined.
Hiram and LeRoy both started to laugh.
Rachel crawled into the bed and lied down next to her mother. "We don't have to talk about that again."
Shelby had deliberately changed the subject when Rachel had knocked on her door.
"Want to talk to your dads?"
Rachel held her hand out and started to scold her dads as soon as she had the phone.
"I can't believe that's the album you sent along. That wasn't very nice."
Hiram and LeRoy laughed again and started to talk to Rachel about the interview that morning. They didn't bring up Rachel being late to the theater or that Shelby had given her a light restricting. They were in the loop and that was enough for them. They wouldn't interfere between mother and daughter unless something major had happened. Shelby had to make her own decisions on this without any worry that she would be under minded by them. And unless it was something huge, they didn't want Rachel to feel like she was always going to be scolded again since it was already taken care of.
Shelby went into her bathroom to wash her face and she listened as Rachel chatted with her dads for a few minutes before the conversation ended. Shelby glanced at her watch and knew they would have to leave soon. When Shelby went back out to her closet to get some different clothes to put on, she noticed that Rachel was still holding her phone, but had dozed off. Shelby carefully retrieved her phone from the girl's hand and took a picture. It was so cute.
As Shelby finished changing, she knew they wouldn't have time to eat lunch there and so she made a quick call to arrange for some food to be delivered to her dressing room.
"Rachel," Shelby said. "Wake up. We've got to go to the theater."
Rachel stretched and rolled to her back and blinked a few times. She then rolled to her other side so she was facing her mom and settled into the pillow. "Ok."
Shelby had heard that one before and went to Rachel's side and placed a hand on the girl's hip and patted it a few times. "Up we go, sweetheart."
Rachel opened her eyes again and sat up and shook the sleep off. "Can we walk to the theater?"
"Not this time," Shelby answered. "We're running late. Go get your shoes on."
"Are we going to have lunch?" Rachel asked.
"I ordered some Chinese food and it should be at the theater by the time we get there," Shelby said.
"Is Brian going to be there?"
"Not today," Shelby said. She wished they had more time right now because Shelby really wanted to talk to her about Brian.
"Will you buy me a car?" Racked asked sweetly.
"What?" Shelby asked.
"It seemed like a good time to slip that in," Rachel's smile was full of mischief.
"Nice try, young lady," Shelby said with a laugh. "Get your shoes."
Shelby took Rachel by the arm and turned her and sent her out of the room with a light pat to the girl's bottom. She stood still in shock when she realized what she had done. Growing up, her best friend's mother had doled those same pats out to her and Shelby had always wished that her mother had shown her the same type of affection. It had just come naturally and she hadn't planned to do it to Rachel. But she wasn't sure how the girl felt about that or how her fathers would feel about it. She didn't want to make Rachel uncomfortable. But the girl hadn't given any indication that she didn't like it or that it made her upset. In fact, she hadn't even stopped and looked back.
"What are you doing?" Rachel asked when she came back with her shoes and saw her mother just standing there.
"Rachel, I'm sorry," Shelby said. "I didn't mean to do that."
"What?" Rachel asked. She was confused by her mother's sudden change in demeanor.
"I patted your bu- bottom," Shelby said. "I just-"
"Oh. Whatever," Rachel waved her off. "I'm used to that. And you're my mom so it's not like it's weird or anything."
Shelby laughed and finally moved from her spot. She was relieved that the show of affection was ok and hadn't made her daughter uncomfortable. She and Rachel made their way out to the living room where they both put their shoes on.
"As long as it's not a spanking," Rachel said with a mock warning tone. She hoped.
Shelby laughed again and pulled Rachel close so she could kiss her head.
"I'd probably never have to do that anyway," Shelby said with a smile. Would she? She was lost in thought for a few seconds until Rachel handed her her coat.
"Can I hail the cab?" Rachel asked as they were getting in the elevator.
"Sure," Shelby said. "You bet."
They got to the theater and Shelby had just enough time to quickly eat something before she had to start getting ready for the show. Rachel tinkered around the dressing room for a bit, but grew bored.
"Mom, can I run to one of the shops real quick and look around?"
Shelby looked up at her daughter's hopeful eyes and earnest face and knew she had to deny the request.
"No," Shelby answered. "Remember, I said you wouldn't be going off alone the rest of the time you were here."
"But the shop I want to go in is only like a block away," Rachel argued. "I've got plenty of time."
"No," Shelby said again. "Not this time. We can stop by there when we leave if you want."
"But, Mom," Rachel whined.
"I'm sorry, Rach," Shelby said. "No."
Rachel slumped down in her seat and pouted. Shelby turned away so she could finish getting ready. Rachel had been fascinated by the dressing room the first time she had been in here and now she seemed bored. Even though Rachel was acting petulant, Shelby saw it as a good thing. The luster of her stardom and Rachel seeing her as a fan might was wearing off. Rachel was pouting because her mom told her no and even though they were sitting in her dressing room, the girl didn't see the Shelby Corcoran right now. She saw her mother being completely unreasonable.
When the time came for Rachel to find her seat, Shelby walked her as far as she could and told her to be good. Despite their argument, Rachel was so excited to be seeing the show again. She didn't think that excitement would ever wear off.
Rachel was thrilled that there wasn't anyone she knew sitting with her when the show started. She was just as enthralled with it as the first time she had seen it. She truly didn't understand people who didn't love live theater. To Rachel it was the most amazing thing in the world. Rachel sat by herself and didn't worry about anyone around her. Her mom was up on that stage and she was incredible.
When the show was over, Rachel made her way backstage and waited for her mom to finish up with the stage door. Shelby was about to go into the dressing room to get Rachel when she was stopped by one of the younger actors in the show. He'd only been in the ensemble about two weeks and this was his first ever Broadway show. He was twenty.
"Ms. Corcoran, can- can I ask you something?"
"Of course, Frank," Shelby said as she stopped and gave him her attention. "And please call me Shelby."
"Shelby, my parents came into town today to surprise me," Frank said. "They flew in from Iowa. They weren't supposed to come until next month, but they said they couldn't wait."
"That's wonderful!" Shelby said. "I know they must be so proud of you."
"Thanks," Frank said.
"Are they coming to see the show?" Shelby asked.
"Umm, actually, they want to, but there's only one ticket available."
Shelby nodded. She understood what he wanted.
"I know your daughter is in town and that's fantastic and she has every right to see the show-"
"You don't even have to ask," Shelby said. "You can have Rachel's seat so that you've got two. Of course. Nothing should get in the way of your parents seeing your first Broadway show." It had taken her parents almost a year to come and see hers.
"Thank you so much!" Frank said. "Tell your daughter I'm so sorry."
"Don't even worry about it," Shelby said. Rachel had seen it twice this trip and three times total. She'd be just fine if she didn't get to see it that night too. "I hope you'll bring your parents backstage after the show. I'd love to meet them."
"Really?" Frank asked. "They're big fans of yours."
"I'd love to," Shelby repeated. "Make sure they have their camera. They will want to get pictures."
"Thanks, Shelby!" Frank was beaming at her.
"You're absolutely welcome," Shelby said. "I'll call the ticket off right now."
"Thank you," Frank said again. "I'll see you later."
"Bye, Frank."
Shelby took a minute to call the ticket off and have the reserve tickets put in Frank's name before going to get Rachel.
"Can we walk back to the apartment?" Rachel asked when Shelby told her it was time to go.
"Sorry," Shelby said. "We're going to dinner. I want to take you to one of my favorite places, if that's ok with you."
"Yeah," Rachel said. "Is it good?"
"It's the best," Shelby said. "Otherwise it wouldn't be my favorite, silly."
Shelby was right. The food was amazing and they had their own spot in the corner of the restaurant and Rachel had ordered something brand new at Shelby's suggestion and had loved it. Then she ate some of Shelby's meal and loved that too. She wanted to know if they could eat there again the next day.
"Rachel, listen, something came up with the evening show," Shelby said over dessert.
"Are you still going to be in it?" Rachel asked with a mouthful of chocolate cake.
Somewhere in the month that she'd known Rachel, Shelby had developed the mom 'don't talk with your mouth full' look and gave it to Rachel.
"Yes, I'm still going to be in it, but I'm afraid that you won't be able to see it," Shelby said.
"What? Why? I want to."
"I know, sweetheart, but something important came up and you've already seen it twice this weekend," Shelby told her.
"But I missed some of the first act last night," Rachel complained.
"Which was your fault," Shelby reminded her.
Shelby explained the situation and she could tell that Rachel understood even if she wasn't happy about it.
"Why couldn't they see it tomorrow?" Rachel asked.
"Sweetie, don't be like that," Shelby said. "Just imagine how exciting you're going to be when your fathers and me go to your first show. Frank has as much right to those extra tickets as I do and he needs them."
"Fine," Rachel said. "But what if I never get to see it again?"
"You will see it again," Shelby said with a laugh. "I promise."
"Are you going to take me back to your apartment before the show?" Rachel asked. "I don't have a key. Can I have a key?"
"Of course you can have a key," Shelby said. "But you're not staying at the apartment by yourself. You're still coming to the theater with me. You can wait backstage."
"What?" Rachel was incredulous. "I don't want to do that. Why can't I stay at the apartment? I'm home alone all the time. It's not a big deal."
"Rachel, you know why," Shelby said.
"But I'm not going out alone," Rachel argued. "I'd just be staying home alone. I'll just watch movies or TV or something."
Shelby took a deep breath. Rachel did have a point and she didn't want the girl to think that she didn't trust her by herself, but it was enough to make Shelby take pause and she knew she wanted Rachel with her at the theater. They could work those things out on Rachel's next visit. And she wanted to stick to the restriction she had set forth. Yes, she had said no to her going out alone, but this was alone. And she was not going to take the chance of Rachel deciding that she could leave the apartment for whatever reason and going out.
"Not this time," Shelby said. "You're coming with me."
"But what am I supposed to do the entire time?" Rachel asked.
"You can hang out in my dressing room or you can watch from backstage as long as you stay out of the way," Shelby said. "Sit and play on your phone. It's not like it's going to be all night or anything."
"Long enough," Rachel said. "And I need to charge my phone. I won't be able to do anything with it."
"Well you're in luck because I've got a charger in my dressing room," Shelby said.
"This is so unfair," Rachel said and she slapped her fork down on the table.
"That's enough!" Shelby said sternly.
They were both caught by surprise because even with the talking to the night before, Shelby had never raised her voice at Rachel.
"I don't know why you're treating me like a child," Rachel said. "I'm not a little kid."
"You're acting like one," Shelby said. "And I hate to break it to you, Rach, but you are not a grown up either. You're a young teenager. I'm sorry if you feel this is unfair, but you are coming to the theater with me. I truly hope you'll be spending a lot of time with me in New York and we will work out when and where you can go on your own, but it won't be this visit. You lost that privilege this time, ok?"
Rachel nodded and looked down at the table. She felt chastised, but she was angry about it.
"When we get back to the apartment tonight after the show, I vote we sit up and just talk," Shelby said. She lightened her tone and hoped that Rachel would listen. "It's been so busy the whole time you've been here and so tonight we'll sit up as late as we want and munch on snacks and just talk."
"You promise?" Rachel asked as she looked up at her.
"I promise," Shelby said. "Now finish up your cake before I eat it all."
Rachel didn't smile but she picked her fork back up and took another bite. Shelby sat back and watched and wondered just where she'd pulled that little lecture from. It had come to her a lot easier than it had last night. It didn't stop her from wanting to gather up Rachel in a hug and promising to give her anything to make her happy to make up for punishing her. Shelby wasn't exactly sure, but she couldn't help but feel she was going to be battling with those emotions for a long time.
The show seemed to last forever for Rachel. She had played around in Shelby's dressing room but that got really boring really quickly. She watched some from backstage and that was cool, but she was so annoyed that she didn't want to admit to enjoying it. She was so relieved when the final song started. She couldn't wait to get out of there and get home and just be with her mom and talk like Shelby had promised. She wished she didn't feel tired because she was determined to stay up as late as possible.
She met Shelby as she was coming off stage and walked with her back to the dressing room. She did her best to hurry her mother along, but her progress was stopped when Frank came by and introduced his parents after Shelby had changed. Shelby talked with them and took pictures and Rachel stayed in the dressing room so she wouldn't glare at Frank and roll her eyes at how happy the couple was to meet Shelby.
Then she had to wait while Shelby signed autographs at the stage door. They were never going to get home. Rachel went to check on what was taking so long and peeked outside and saw that it was snowing.
"Can we walk home?" Rachel asked as soon as Shelby opened the door to her dressing room to get her.
"Sure," Shelby finally gave in. Rachel had asked enough times and so it was clear how much she wanted to. "It's snowing."
"I know!"
Shelby made sure Rachel was bundled with her jacket tight and her hat and gloves securely in place. She put a scarf around Rachel's neck and then did up her own.
"Let's go."
Rachel looked up in wonder when they got to Times Square. The snow was mixing with the bright lights and everything looked so magically. She didn't even really care that it was so cold.
"So why did you want to walk so badly?" Shelby asked.
"I love to walk through New York City," Rachel said. "I always make my dads take long walks with me when we come. The city is so cool and there's always something to see. And now it's so pretty with the snow. I love it here so much."
"I'm glad," Shelby said.
She put an arm around Rachel's shoulders and rubbed a bit to help her stay warm.
"Will you still be living here in a few years when I move to New York?" Rachel asked.
"You can count on it," Shelby told her. "You could stay with me until you get settled."
"Will you take me to Hollywood too?" Rachel asked. "And England? And Australia?"
"Whoa, slow down," Shelby laughed. "I've got a house in California so we can definitely go there. And I love to travel and I would love to have you with me wherever I go. We'll have to plan a vacation together."
"Will you take me with you the next time you film a movie so I can see it?" Rachel asked.
"You could certainly come and visit," Shelby said. "School will be most important though."
"Yeah," Rachel rolled her eyes.
"When are you going to make another movie?" Rachel asked. "You'd have to leave the show first. You're not going to leave the show anytime soon, are you?"
"Not soon," Shelby said. "But probably within the year."
"Why?"
"To spend time with you," Shelby answered. "To look at new opportunities and roles to play. When I start to look at things like that, I'll talk to you about it, from a business perspective. Would you like that?"
"That'd be awesome," Rachel said. "I want to learn everything about being in the business."
Shelby smiled as Rachel took her hand and they continued their walk. It was getting late, almost eleven, but this was so nice. She planned to work these long walks into every visit with Rachel since she knew how much the girl liked it now. And she loved that they were talking. This moment in the snow was a highlight for her.
Rachel's cheeks were red and her nose was running by the time they reached the apartment. Shelby wasn't fairing much better and she was looking forward to getting them inside so they could warm up and stop sniffling. She was already planning on making hot chocolate and changing into warm sweats and fuzzy socks.
Neither of them spoke on the elevator ride and Shelby was the first to step off. Rachel bumped into her mother because Shelby had stopped short when she saw who was waiting near her door.
"It's about time you brought that child in from the cold. And what are you doing out so late with her? That's not how a mother is supposed to act."
Shelby shut her eyes and pursed her lips to keep herself from saying something in retort. Instead she looked at Rachel and softened her expression because she could see that the girl was confused.
"Rachel, this is Evelyn Corcoran. My mother."
A/N – I hope you all liked this chapter! Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought. Your feedback is so important to me. Thanks!
