A/N – Hi, everyone! I have another update for you! I tried to get it out a little quicker than last time. I hope you all enjoy this one. I'm trying to lay some foundations for future plot points that I hope you will be interested in.

Thank you so much for all of the reviews and notes. I can't begin to tell you how much they mean to me. I know I'm slow, but you all greet every update with support and I it means so much. Thank you.

Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.

Rachel was in shock as her brain caught up with what her stomach had just done. She looked up at her mother and Brian with tears on her cheeks and her nose running. She always cried when she threw up and this time was no exception.

"Mama, I'm sorry," Rachel whispered out and tried to keep her stomach from churning again.

Shelby quickly sprang into action and got up, pulling the sheet with her as she went. It was thankfully a navy blue and Shelby was concealed when she wrapped it around herself. Brian had started to move as soon as Shelby did. He rolled out the opposite side of the bed and stayed crouched down on the floor and out of sight.

"Mom," Rachel started again.

"Shh, sweetheart, it's alright," Shelby said as she quickly wiped a tear from Rachel's cheek. "Oh honey, you're burning up." Shelby put a hand to Rachel's forehead and then stepped around the vomit and gave the girl a quick kiss to her head. "Come with me."

Shelby ushered Rachel out of the bedroom and further down the hall to another bathroom. It was the one Rachel had taken over since being given a bedroom in the lavish apartment.

"Mom, I don't feel good," Rachel said as Shelby sat her down on the closed toilet seat lid.

"I noticed," Shelby said wryly. "Stay here and I'll be right back."

"Okay," Rachel nodded.

Shelby hurried back to her room and entered it to find Brian coming out of the bathroom in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.

"Ugh, that's so gross," Shelby said as she unwrapped the sheet she'd been wearing and tossed it over the pile of vomit. "I'm going to have to get new carpets. And new sheets."

Brian rolled his eyes. "They can both be cleaned."

"I need to get someone up here right away to clean the carpets," Shelby said as she went into her closet.

"I'll take care of it," Brian told her. "What is she doing here?" He followed her into the closet where she was pulling out underwear and putting them on. "I thought she didn't arrive until tomorrow."

"She wasn't supposed to," Shelby said. She snapped her bra and reached for a t-shirt. "She's burning up. I've got to get her into bed and get her some medicine. Then I'll call her dads and find out what's going on."

"Do you have medicine here or do you need me to go out?" Brian asked as Shelby completed her outfit with a pair of sweatpants and socks.

"There should be something in my bathroom," Shelby said as she stepped past him and went back into the bedroom.

"I'll check," Brian said.

"Brian," Shelby said and he turned to look at her. "I'm sorry about her terrible timing."

"Don't worry about it," Brian said.

"Thanks," Shelby said sincerely. She truly loved how understanding he'd been about the whole situation. It had been a huge shock and he saw his time with Shelby start to dwindle, but he never once complained or made her feel bad. He had always told her he was in it for the long haul and she now, more than ever, knew that to be true.

Once she was out in the hallway Shelby heard the unmistakable sound of Rachel vomiting once again. She quickened her pace and entered the bathroom and found Rachel bent over the toilet. Shelby held the girl's hair back and rubbed her back while Rachel finished.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said again when she stood up. She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand as more tears made their way down her face.

"Why are you sorry?" Shelby asked as she moved the girl to stand in front of the sink. She ran her hand under the cool water and then brought it to Rachel's forehead and let it rest there for a second. "There's nothing to be sorry for; you're sick. Rinse your mouth out and then blow your nose."

Rachel did as she was told while Shelby flushed the toilet. She got a washcloth out and ran it under the cold water and wiped down Rachel's face. Rachel took the time to try and compose herself and was glad her stomach didn't feel as bad anymore.

"Do you feel like you're going to be sick anymore?" Shelby asked.

"Not right now," Rachel answered.

"Alright, we need to get you into bed," Shelby said. "But I want you to brush your teeth first."

Rachel complied and was glad to get the horrid taste out of her mouth. When she was finished, Shelby ushered Rachel into the girl's bedroom and pulled out a pair of pajamas. The pajamas were really just a t-shirt and some old shorts that had once belonged to Shelby, but they would be comfortable.

"Thanks," Rachel said when Shelby handed her the clothes. The girl was sitting on her bed and slipping her feet out of her shoes.

"Sweetheart, what are you doing here?" Shelby asked. Rachel was sick but that didn't mean Shelby didn't need answers. "Do your fathers know where you are?"

"I wanted to surprise you," Rachel said. "Daddy has to go to a meeting in Albany and he had to fly through JFK this morning so I asked if I could come along. They were able to change my ticket. You've surprised me in Ohio before and I wanted to surprise you. And it meant I got a whole extra day with you. I didn't count on Kurt getting me sick though. I was fine until this morning."

"Honey, you are a wonderful surprise," Shelby said.

"Yeah right," Rachel muttered.

"What?"

"I figured you'd still be asleep," Rachel said. "It didn't occur to me you wouldn't be alone."

"Knock knock," Brian said from the doorway. "Hi Rachel. I'm sorry you're not feeling well." Both adults looked to Rachel, but she didn't say anything or even turn around and look at him. Brian didn't let it deter him. "Shelby, I found some medicine and I brought a bottle of water."

"Thank you," Shelby said. She went to the doorway to take it from him.

"I'll just wait out here," Brian said. "I will clean up and then run home. I've got a carpet cleaner I can bring back."

Shelby nodded. "Don't leave yet. I'll be out soon."

Brian acknowledged her words and then retreated back to Shelby's room where he started to clean up the mess Rachel had left there.

"Alright, young lady," Shelby said when she turned around to look at Rachel. "Get changed and then you are getting into bed."

"Bed sounds good," Rachel said. "Our flight was at five this morning."

"What time did you get up?" Shelby asked while she read the box for the medicine Brian had given her. It would help with nausea and fever and, as a bonus, make Rachel drowsy.

"Around 2:30," Rachel answered. "I didn't sleep well and then I couldn't sleep on the plane."

"Hopefully you go right to sleep," Shelby said. "I want you to take this."

"Don't you have any pills?" Rachel asked as she watched her mother measure out the liquid medicine into the tiny plastic cup that came with it. She hated the taste of liquid medicines. Why did they all have to be so gross?

"Nope," Shelby answered. "Drink up."

Rachel did and Shelby smiled at the face the girl made because of the awful taste. She handed over the bottle of water when Rachel reached for it.

"Not so fast," Shelby warned as Rachel tried to chug it down.

Shelby waited while Rachel changed clothes and then held the blankets back so the girl could crawl into bed. She tucked the blankets around her and sat on the bed next to Rachel and leaned down to kiss her head.

"Mom, I really am sorry about making a mess," Rachel said.

"Don't worry about it, honey," Shelby assured her. "It's not a big deal."

"I didn't know he'd be here," Rachel said though her eyes were becoming droopy. Now that her stomach was somewhat settled and she was tucked into a warm bed, sleep was creeping up quickly.

"I know," Shelby said. "But this is your house too and you can come home to it at anytime."

"I'm glad you guys weren't… you know… actually doing… it," Rachel said as she mustered up a tiny, cheeky grin.

"Rachel Barbra Berry, that's enough out of you," Shelby said with a smile. "Go to sleep now."

Shelby waited a few more minutes until Rachel was fully asleep and then left the room to find Brian.

Shelby walked back to her bedroom and saw that her bed had been stripped and the sheet she had thrown on the floor to cover the mess was also missing. In its place was a towel. Brian was nowhere in sight so Shelby took the opportunity to flop on the mattress and shut her eyes. This was not exactly the wakeup call she'd been anticipating this morning. But she was also thrilled to see Rachel, and her sick kid was what was most important right now.

Brian walked back into the room and smiled at Shelby as she sat up and yawned.

"I put the sheets in the laundry," Brian told her. "I cleaned up the floor as best I could, but I'm going to come back with the carpet cleaner and get the rest."

"You don't have to do that," Shelby said. "I'll just hire someone."

"You're not going to want anyone else in here while Rachel is sick," Brian said. "Plus I can leave mine here in case there are any more accidents."

"I hope there aren't. I had a horrible flashback to college," Shelby shuddered.

"Maybe we should get Rachel up to help clean up," Brian joked. "Tell her it's to prepare her for college life."

"Rachel is not going to be that stupid in college. She will not be partying and getting drunk," Shelby said adamantly. "I'll kill her."

"Sure, Mom," Brian said with a smile. "Whatever you say."

Shelby pushed aside thoughts of all the dumb things she did in college and let her mind settle on the sweet girl in bed down the hall. "She wanted to surprise me by coming a day early. Her dads changed the ticket for her."

"That's sweet," Brian said.

"It is," Shelby agreed. "I'm so glad she's here for the next couple of weeks. I don't know who is looking forward to the school year less, me or her."

"Why don't you just rent a house in her neighborhood for the school year," Brian suggested.

"Don't think I haven't thought about it," Shelby said.

"So what's stopping you?"

"I haven't talked to anyone about it yet," Shelby said. "I need to talk to Hiram and LeRoy. I need to talk to you. To Rachel. I've got movie offers and they want me to make another CD. Meredith told me there have been book offers."

"It's a lot to consider," Brian agreed. "But you can make a CD anywhere. They would come to you to make it. Even to Ohio. And you haven't even looked at the movie offers yet. Do you even want to do a movie right now? As for me, you know I fully support you doing whatever you want to do for Rachel. I'm not going anywhere, Shelby. I love you."

"I love you too," Shelby said. "Rachel is my everything, but I love you so much. I want you in my life. We're supposed to get married and have little babies and-" Shelby gasped and couldn't believe she'd actually said that out loud. "I mean-"

Brian cut her off by kissing her deeply and his eyes were shining when he pulled back. Shelby couldn't help but smile and leaned in to kiss him again. She had finally said her wish for them as a couple out loud and she had to admit it felt good. And it felt right. All those years of back and forth and in this moment when she was certain she didn't want to deal with any more upheaval, Shelby spilled the beans.

"Shelby, do you really mean that?" Brian asked.

"Of course I mean it," Shelby said. "But I don't mean right now. Which is another thing that worries me. I'm going to be 37 in a couple days. What if I end up too old to have another kid? What if Rachel never likes you?"

"First of all, you are not too old to have another baby," Brian said. "You've got time. And if that didn't work, we'd adopt. And Rachel will like me, I'm sure of it. She and I just need some time to get to know each other."

"I hope you're right," Shelby said. "And we cannot mention anything about this in front of Rachel. She is jealous enough as it is. Talk of kids and marriage is not something that needs to be discussed with her yet."

"I know," Brian said. "And Shelby I just want you to understand that I will always be here even if we don't have kids or get married or put up our own white picket fence somewhere. I will never love anyone else like I love you."

"I love you," Shelby said. Her eyes welled with tears, but she took a deep breath and wiped them away. "We can talk more about this later. I've got to call one of her dads." Shelby's phone started to ring as soon as the words were out of her mouth. "It's LeRoy."

"I'm going to run home," Brian said. "I'll be back in a little while.

"Okay, love you." Shelby gave him a quick kiss and then answered her phone.

Two hours later Shelby had showered and eaten breakfast and put fresh sheets on her bed. She'd also talked to both Hiram and LeRoy and assured them that Rachel was okay. Hiram called Burt and relayed to Shelby that Kurt had picked up a stomach bug, but was already feeling better. Shelby was relieved to hear that and Rachel would be too. She should be fine by the weekend.

Shelby checked on Rachel a few times and was glad the girl seemed to be sleeping soundly. Rachel still had a slight fever as far as Shelby could tell and sleep was probably the best treatment right now. So, as much as she wanted to sit in there with her, Shelby was staying out of the room so she wouldn't disturb Rachel. She kept an ear trained on her so she could hear when Rachel got up.

Rachel started to stir in her room and blearily opened her eyes and groaned. She hated being sick, especially when it was her stomach that was bothering her. She rolled over in an effort to get comfortable again so she could go back to sleep but found that her feet were tangled up somehow.

"What the…?" Rachel reached down and realized it was the shorts she'd been wearing. She was sweaty and must have tried to push them off on her sleep because she was hot. She untangled her feet and pulled the shorts out and tossed them on the floor. She reluctantly got out of bed and headed into the bathroom. She, thankfully, didn't get sick again, but it meant she could now hear the hum of the carpet cleaner. When she was finished, she padded down the hall to look for the source of the noise.

"Mom?" Rachel said when she saw Shelby leaning against the doorframe of the master bedroom.

"Rach, what are you doing up?" Shelby asked when she turned and saw her daughter coming towards her. "Where are your shorts?" At least the t-shirt went to the middle of Rachel's thighs.

"They were too hot," Rachel replied. "What's that noise?"

"Brian's cleaning the floor," Shelby told her. "Come on back to bed." She tried to turn Rachel around and usher her down the hallway.

"I'm not tired anymore," Rachel said, though it was clear she was dragging. "I want to watch TV." She bypassed her mother and headed for the living room. "Will you sit with me?"

"Of course," Shelby smiled. "Go on and find something to watch. I'll be right there."

The hum of the cleaner stopped as Rachel walked away and Brian put it off to the side against the wall so it would be out of the way.

"All finished," Brian said. "It should be good as new."

"Thank you, honey," Shelby said.

"No problem," Brian said. "I'm going to head back home now and leave you two alone. Try not to catch her bug."

"Ugh, I hope not," Shelby said.

"Good luck. I'll see you later."

Brian and Shelby went to the front to where Rachel was lying on the couch and flipping through the channels on the TV.

"Bye, Rachel. I hope you feel better," Brian said.

"Thank you," Rachel mumbled. She only looked their way for a second before focusing on the TV again.

Brian grinned and flashed Shelby a thumb's up over the fact that Rachel had, at least, acknowledged him. Shelby shook her head at his goofy grin and walked him to the door. When she came back to the couch Rachel still hadn't settled on something to watch. Shelby picked up a blanket and spread it out over the girl who was lying on her stomach with her head on a pillow.

"Mom, I'm hot," Rachel whined. She started to kick the blanket off as Shelby sat down next to her and started gently rubbing her head.

Rachel scooted towards her mother with the pillow and put her head and chest in Shelby's lap and left the blanket at her feet. Shelby reached down and retrieved the blanket and spread it over Rachel's bare legs.

"Mom," Rachel complained.

"Hush now," Shelby said as she gently popped Rachel's bottom a couple times. "You need to at least keep your legs covered. How's your stomach?"

"Meh," Rachel grunted.

"You've got another hour before you can take more medicine," Shelby told her.

"I'm going to kill Kurt," Rachel declared miserably.

"Your dad talked to Mr. Hummel this morning and Kurt had a stomach bug, but is feeling better now. It seems like it's just a twenty-four hour thing," Shelby said, filling her in on what she'd learned. "Where were you guys yesterday?"

"We hung out at the mall. We shared a coffee," Rachel explained.

"You shared a coffee? Seriously?"

"I didn't want a full one of my own so I took a few sips of his," Rachel said. In that moment she looked like she never wanted to have any type coffee ever again.

Shelby just shook her head and she looked down at her daughter. She wouldn't be sharing anything with Rachel for a few days. Or a week.

"You should be feeling fine in a couple of days," Shelby said.

"I better be. I'm not going to miss your party," Rachel said forcefully.

"Just don't get me sick too," Shelby joked. "I don't want to miss it either."

Rachel quickly scrambled off Shelby's lap and stood up and backed away from her mother. Shelby was taken by surprise and jumped up too.

"What's the matter? Are you okay? Quick, get to the bathroom," Shelby said hurriedly.

"You have to get away from me," Rachel said seriously as she put a hand up to cover her mouth.

Shelby moved forward and gently took Rachel's arm and tried to guide her back down the hallway, but the girl pulled away.

"Come on, honey, it's okay if you're getting sick," Shelby said. Rachel had already thrown up in front of her twice now so Shelby couldn't understand why she was embarrassed now.

"It's not that," Rachel said with her hand still over her mouth. She took a few steps away from her mother. "You have to stay away from me so I don't get you sick. You can't miss your party because of me."

Shelby laughed lightly as she strode the few steps over to Rachel and engulfed her in a hug.

"Mom," Rachel whined and tried to pull away, but Shelby wouldn't let her.

"Sweetheart, relax," Shelby said as she rubbed her back. "Let's concentrate on getting you well and not worry about me. I was just kidding around. And I'm afraid that you're not going to get rid of me that easily while you're not feeling well."

"I don't want to get rid of you, but I can't get you sick either," Rachel lamented. Just being in her mother's arms made her feel better and Rachel wanted to stay curled up next to her all day, but she couldn't get her sick. She was looking forward to the party so much. "I really will kill Kurt if that happens. I will ruin those brand new designer boots he just had to have when we went to the mall yesterday."

"You will do no such thing," Shelby said.

"Why not? This is all his fault," Rachel whined again.

"It is not. Now come on; let's get you back to bed."

"But I want to watch a movie," Rachel said. She stepped back from her mom and started to walk back to the couch.

"How about you come lie down in my room and watch a movie in there?" Shelby asked, coaxing her back to bed.

"Okay," Rachel agreed and accepted Shelby's outstretched hand. "Can I get a TV in my room?"

"I don't see why not," Shelby answered. "But not today."

"Maybe we can go shopping some while I'm here," Rachel said as they entered Shelby's room.

"I'd like that. Are you sure you don't need to go to the bathroom for anything before you get in bed?" Shelby asked. She had turned her fresh sheets down and hopefully would not have to change them again that day.

"Mom," Rachel blushed, embarrassed at the question.

"What?" Shelby shrugged. "I'm just making sure you're okay. It's not like I don't know what having a stomach bug is like."

"I'm fine," Rachel insisted and got into the bed. "Will you watch a movie with me?"

"That was my plan," Shelby said.

Shelby climbed in bed next to Rachel and the girl settled down next to her and snuggled into her side. Rachel took control of the remote and found Netflix and opted for an old animated movie she had loved as a kid. She stayed awake just long enough to get another round of medicine before falling asleep. Once Rachel was asleep, Shelby got out of bed and got the girl tucked in and then slipped out. She figured it would be best to make herself an early lunch while Rachel was sleeping so the food wouldn't bother the girl. The last thing she wanted was to make Rachel feel any sicker.

Rachel awoke a few hours later feeling a bit better and more rested, but not fully like herself. She noticed the TV had been turned off and the bedroom door was closed. A quick glance at a clock said it was already three in the afternoon and Rachel reluctantly threw the warm blankets back. She was now cold went into Shelby's massive closet and found a pair of pajama bottoms with an argyle pattern on them and a sweatshirt. She dressed and also grabbed a pair of mother's socks and slipped them on before heading out of the room.

Rachel didn't expect the house to be so quiet when she woke up, but she soon found the reason why. Shelby was asleep on the couch with a manuscript lying open on her stomach. Rachel picked up the blanket her mother had insisted she use earlier and lifted it up to cover her mother. She gently moved Shelby's hand and then picked up the manuscript and set it on the coffee table so she could properly tuck Shelby in.

When she was finished, Rachel turned her attention back to what her mother had been reading before falling asleep. She picked it up and noticed the large manila envelope ripped open next to it. There were two other such envelopes, but they were still sealed and looked as if they might have just arrived in the mail that very afternoon. Rachel sat down on the floor and leaned against the couch and opened the manuscript. There was a note on the front page. Shelby, this is one of the scripts I was telling you about. The other two will be sent to your shortly. Read them all over and get back to me. Unfortunately they're all filming around the same time so you'd have to be picky, but all three have been promised to you first. The parts are yours if you want them. It was signed by her manager and dated sometime in May. Rachel pursed her lips at the fact that it had taken her mother this long to get around to reading them. And the other two weren't even open yet!

Rachel took note of the part they wanted Shelby for and then flipped to the next page which gave the title of the movie and a synopsis of the script. It didn't strike Rachel as really her taste, but she certainly wanted to read it. Maybe it was just a poor synopsis. Rachel only got a few pages into it before her mind wandered to the other two. She couldn't help but want to know what they were about. She cast a glance over her left shoulder and saw that her mom was still sleeping soundly and then reached for one of the other manila envelopes.

Some time later Shelby's eyes fluttered open to the sounds of paper being shuffled around. It didn't take her long to find the source of the noise because Rachel was still sitting there on the floor. By this point the girl had all three scripts open on the coffee table and was writing in a notebook. Everything that normally sat on the coffee table had been taken off and Rachel was sitting cross-legged and using it as a desk. The envelopes that held the scripts had been tossed to the side on the floor.

Shelby watched as Rachel stopped writing for a second and picked up the script in the middle and started to look it over. She turned a page and, after a moment, seemed to find what she was looking for because she put it back down and picked up her pencil and started to write in the notebook once more.

"Rach?" Shelby asked causing Rachel to jump.

"Mom!" Rachel exclaimed as she turned around from her spot on the floor to look at her mom. "You scared me."

"What are you doing?" Shelby moved the blanket and sat up. She yawned as she put her feet on the floor and tried to get a closer look at what Rachel was up to.

"I found the script you were reading when you fell asleep," Rachel explained. "I figured I would read it over while I waited for you to wake up."

"I wasn't reading three scripts," Shelby pointed out. "Why are the other two out? Did you open my mail?"

"Only a little bit," Rachel answered.

"A little bit? Rachel, you can't open my mail," Shelby said.

"I had to! The one you were reading was pretty boring as evidenced by the fact that you fell asleep. I had to open the others to look at them to see if they were better," Rachel defended her actions. "Besides, they've all been sitting here since May and you've been ignoring them. Someone had to look them over."

"Rachel, I've had priorities other than reading scripts," Shelby said.

"Like what?" Rachel asked.

"Like you," Shelby pointed out. "What's with the notebook? What are you writing?"

"I'm taking notes about each script as I go so I can make an informed decision about which one I think is the best fit for you," Rachel said.

Of course she was. Shelby shook her head and smiled.

"I decided the best approach was to read them all together and take notes as I went," Rachel continued. "I haven't gotten to any of the endings yet."

"Well since you haven't gotten to the endings yet now seems like a good time to stop and have something to eat," Shelby said. She put her hand to Rachel's forehead and was pleased to see that she no longer had a fever. The girl hadn't eaten all day and Shelby hoped she'd feel up for getting something in her stomach.

"Mom," Rachel scolded incredulously. "I can't just stop now. I have to finish reading."

"Are you hungry?" Shelby asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A little," Rachel conceded.

"Then it's the perfect time to stop reading and get something to eat," Shelby said, leaving no room for argument. "I ordered some soup and had it delivered earlier and all I need to do is heat some up."

Shelby got up and leaned down and put her hands under Rachel's armpits and lifted up just enough to get the girl moving and in a second Rachel was standing beside her.

"I'd rather eat later after I'm finished," Rachel told her as they headed for the kitchen.

"And I'd rather you take a break and got something in your stomach because I know you haven't eaten since yesterday," Shelby said. "And then I'd rather you pick up all of the things you moved off the coffee table and put them back where they belong. And then we can have a talk about how you are not allowed to open my mail for any reason without my permission. And then you can tell me about the scripts."

"Mom," Rachel whined. "Oh, I know!"

A sudden thought occurred to her and Rachel turned around and hurried back to the living room. Shelby watched as the girl marked the pages in all three scripts and then tossed them and the notebook and pencil onto the couch. She scurried around picking up the items she'd moved the floor earlier and haphazardly put them back on the coffee table in the first place she reached. They ended up being bunched in one corner. She grabbed the scripts and notebook and stuck the mechanical pencil behind her ear before going back over to her mother.

Shelby had watched all of this with an amused smile although she wanted to keep up the exterior of being serious. She couldn't help but be reminded of herself when she was a girl and excited about something. She even couldn't begin to count all the times she had brushed Marie or her parents off when told to do something because she was too excited about something else. And it was nice to see Rachel getting back to herself after how awful the girl had felt that morning.

Rachel slid to a stop in front of her mother and said, "Okay, that's done. And I won't open your mail again. Now we can talk about the scripts while we eat."

"That's not exactly what I had in mind," Shelby said with a playful wag of her finger.

"Mom, there are more important things than the coffee table mess and mail," Rachel said. "We are talking about movie scripts here. I need you to focus."

"I'm going to focus my hand on your butt," Shelby said. She landed two firm spanks on Rachel's backside that were hard enough to make the girl reach back to rub. "Watch your tone." This reprimand wasn't harsh, but not quite as playful as before.

"But Mom," Rachel whined as Shelby walked ahead of her into the kitchen. "I'm not allowed to get in trouble while I'm sick." She had taken the warning seriously and was now working to get it back on the playful side.

Shelby laughed and shook her head at her little girl. "You are just so talented that I'm afraid you are capable of managing sickness and trouble at the same time. Come on, let's eat."

They did talk about the scripts while they ate and Shelby liked all the points that Rachel was making. She knew Rachel would have some good ones and she wasn't disappointed. There was one Rachel liked the best and she was pushing hard for her mom to accept it.

"Trust me, Mom, that's the one," Rachel said.

"I'm excited to read it," Shelby told her again. "Can you finish eating?"

Rachel shook her head slightly as she looked down at her bowl and then back up at her mom. "I don't think I want anymore."

"That's okay," Shelby said. Rachel had only been able to eat about half of the bowl and that was fine. Shelby didn't want to push it. She took it from Rachel and set it up on the counter and away from her daughter. "How about we read that script you like together?"

"Yes!" Rachel readily agreed. "Maybe we can act out the parts. We can read all three of them that way."

"Okay," Shelby said. "But I want you to take a shower first-"

"But-"

Shelby held her hand up to silence the protest. "And then we'll cuddle up together in my bed and read over all of them."

"Okay," Rachel conceded.

While Rachel was in the shower Shelby added their dishes to the already dirty load in the dishwasher and then started it. She picked up the living room better than her daughter had and then waited for Rachel. They were soon cuddled together in the master bedroom after a short argument about the need for Rachel to take another dose of medicine. That round had gone to Shelby, but Rachel seemed to have already forgotten by the time she was sitting there explaining the script to her mom.

"It's the most interesting part, I think," Rachel said. "And I have a hunch that she turns out to be the bad guy in the end."

"The villain, huh? I'd love to play a good villain," Shelby said.

"You should agree to do this movie!" Rachel said excitedly.

"Alright, calm down. Let me at least read it first."

Rachel decided she would play all the other parts so Shelby could focus on the role that was meant for her. After about an hour Rachel had given in to the medicine and fallen back asleep. She was curled up next to her mother while Shelby sat back against the headboard. She was using the same pencil Rachel had earlier to write notes and questions in the script. Rachel was right; this was a really good part and Shelby knew she wanted it.

A/N – That is all for this chapter. I hope you all really like it! I'm planning to show more of Rachel in New York with Shelby so we don't miss out on anything with them. Then it'll move back into the school year. I know I'm a broken record, but thank you all so much for sticking with me and continuing to read my stories. Please, if you can, leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thanks!

Oh, and if any of you read my other story called Where is Love, please don't worry. I haven't forgotten about it and am working on the new chapter right now.

Thanks!