"Are you going to have us arrested, Ms. Corcoran?" Mercedes asked in a panicked voice.
Rachel elbowed her fearful friend and stood her ground.
"We're not doing anything illegal," Rachel said with certainty as she met her mother's inquisitive gaze for the first time. "Stealing ideas is not a crime. Shelby can't arrest us."
Quinn winced at Rachel's gall and prayed to a God out there that Shelby was in a forgiving mood today.
Shelby raised an eyebrow at Rachel's brazen attitude and also prayed to a similar God for the strength to deal with her obviously defiant child today.
"No one is getting arrested," Shelby said diplomatically. "But I would like to know what the three of you are doing here."
Mercedes and Quinn shared an alarmed look and at least had the forethought to look guilty. Rachel, on the other hand, appeared to be calm and collected.
The three teenagers fidgeted anxiously but no one said anything. Shelby inhaled a calming breath trying to be patient. She made a game-time decision to sweat them out. A few tense moments passed and the silence between the four of them intensified. Shelby could wait all night if she had to.
"We came to spy on VA," Quinn blurted out. "We wanted to see what you guys were up to for Regionals. We know we shouldn't have but we're really sorry."
Rachel immediately glared at Quinn. It's not like they had discussed a plan of what to do or say if they got caught, but still. Her friend gave them up so quickly.
"And once we saw you were doing Gaga, we were going to leave right away but then you started singing and damn," Mercedes added quickly. "You're like really good."
Shelby looked over at her daughter who still remained silent and stoic. She let out a loaded sigh. Her mom always warned her that she'd get a child who was as stubborn as she was. Rachel was that. In spades.
"Rachel?" Shelby stared at her daughter intensely, willing her to respond. She met Shelby's eye-contact for a nano-second but then looked away.
"It's not like we we're going to actually steal your ideas," Rachel said defensively as she crossed her arms. "We were just curious to see what you guys were up to. We're not going to copy you."
Shelby shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.
"Does Mr. Schuester know that the three of you are here?"
"No," Quinn replied. "He has no idea we came here."
"And how did you all get here?" Shelby asked, even though she already knew the answer. She snuck a peek at Rachel whose face broke out into realization.
"We took an Uber," Quinn said.
Crap, Rachel thought. She totally forgot that her dad's account was linked to her Uber app. He must've texted Shelby that she was headed to Carmel when he got the notification. Rachel's panic began to rise slowly realizing that she had not thought things through.
"And I assume that none of your parents know that you're here?"
Quinn and Mercedes timidly shook their heads no and Rachel looked down at her feet. Shelby paused to check her phone and saw that her break was almost up. She strategized quickly.
"Alright here's what we're going to do," Shelby said, shifting to her hardass Coach Corcoran alter-ego. "I am going to go downstairs to dismiss my team. The three of you will stay right here. I will be back in five minutes, and then I think we need to have a little talk."
She spoke slowly and evenly and looked directly at Rachel to make sure that her daughter was understanding her. Rachel must've taken the hint because she finally started to look a little remorseful.
"I mean it," she said with a bite in her voice that made all three girls flinch. "Stay right here. In case you have any ideas, I know where every exit is on this side of this building. And just because I'm wearing heels, doesn't mean I won't be able to catch you."
Shelby turned around sharply and walked down the stairs before the three frightened teenagers could reply. They all let out a collective breath once they stopped hearing the resounding click of Shelby's heels.
"You know," Mercedes said shaking her head. "Just gonna say that this was not worth it."
"Agreed," Quinn said. She was so wrapped up with how Shelby was going to react if they got caught that she hadn't even stopped to think that she would probably tell her mom. She shuddered thinking about Judy Fabray's infamous disciplinary methods.
"Why do you think she's making us stay up here?" Mercedes questioned.
"Probably cause it's easier to just push us off the balcony," Quinn replied anxiously. She looked over at Rachel who was looking more and more terrified by the second.
"What do you think that Shelby's going to do to us, Quinn?" Rachel asked nervously, her resolve breaking.
"I don't know, probably call Mr. Schue and our parents?" Quinn speculated. "Maybe hang our heads on top of the VA stage to make an example out of us?"
"Artie told me that she makes her students do musical suicides," Mercedes trembled. "Y'all. I'm not really sure what that means, but I sure as hell do not want to find out."
Rachel was freaking out. She forgot that she doesn't just have to deal with Shelby Corcoran, Vocal Adrenaline Coach. She has to face Shelby Corcoran, her new mother, who also just caught her lying and sneaking around. She swallowed at the thought and her throat suddenly felt so dry. She needed a game plan. Today was not the day for her life to end. She had so much to live for.
Quinn and Mercedes both turned their attention to Rachel who appeared to be preoccupied with inspecting the hallway.
"Don't even think about making a run for it Rachel Barbra," Shelby said threateningly.
All three girls jumped in shock at Shelby's abrupt return. She gave her daughter a warning look that sent a chill down Rachel's spine.
"We're really sorry again, Coach Corcoran," Mercedes pleaded for mercy.
Shelby examined the antsy troublemakers in front of her and smiled to herself. She's barely even began to admonish them and they were already repentant. Damn. She was good.
Twenty minutes later, three sufficiently contrite teenagers sat in front of Shelby as she leaned on the front of her desk in her office with her arms crossed.
She just finished giving them a paralyzing lecture on their impulsive transgressions. She needed them to understand that it is absolutely not acceptable for them to be bending the rules, sneaking around, and going places without permission.
"I will not tolerate it," Shelby said sternly. "And on one last note, I'm not sure if the three of you realize that you just put the New Directions' reputation in jeopardy. I kept you upstairs because I didn't want my kids to see that you guys were out here spying. It's dishonest. And yes, Rachel is right, and spying is not a crime, but it is cheating. How would you guys feel if VA members came sneaking around to your rehearsals? We all need to play by the same rules, otherwise it ruins the integrity of the competition. Do you all understand?"
Quinn, Mercedes, and Rachel simply nodded. They were still too dazed to say anything else after a debilitating Coach Corcoran scolding.
"Good," Shelby said satisfied. "Now, I spoke with Will and he said he'd take care of your punishment tomorrow. The last thing we need to do is call your parents."
Quinn's eyes bugged out at the last part of that statement.
"Shelby, do we really have to?" Quinn began to argue. "I mean I'll happily take Mr. Schue's punishment, but I don't think it's necessary to tell my mom."
"It absolutely is necessary to tell her," Shelby said amused at the girl's uneasiness. "You know your mom's going to find out one way or another, Q. There's no need to delay the inevitable."
Quinn slumped her shoulders in defeat and Shelby smirked in understanding. Judy Fabray was a not a mama bear that you wanted to poke. She leaned over and gave the poor girl's arm a comforting squeeze.
Rachel watched the interaction between the two intently and flinched. The familiarity between them and even Shelby using Quinn's nickname triggered her. In that moment, everything just hit Rachel like a freight train. Her perfect storm of emotions began to rain down on her. Rapidly and intensely. She felt a pang in her chest and heart rate start to escalate. The ground beneath her was crumbling and Rachel felt like she was falling hard and fast.
She stood up abruptly and everyone in the room turned their head to look at her. Shelby's heart dropped to her stomach looking at Rachel's distraught expression.
"Rachel?" Shelby asked worriedly.
Rachel met her mom's soft green eyes that pierced into her with concern. Her breath hitched in her throat and her stomach gave out on her.
"I just—" Rachel struggled to speak. She didn't understand what was happening. Her heart was pounding so profoundly she felt like it was about to come out of her chest. "I need to go to the bathroom."
Rachel sprinted out of the room before Shelby even knew what was happening. The purest form of worry coursed through her body watching her kid run away from her. Something was wrong. Was it her scolding? Did she take it too far? Shelby was rooted to her spot in shock. The slam of the bathroom door down the hallway thrust her back into the moment.
"I—stay right here," she instructed to the two equally confused girls. "Let me go check on Rachel."
Shelby walked down the small hallway in haste and stopped outside the door of the private bathroom she shared with the band director. Without thinking about it she twisted the doorknob to try to open the door but found that it was locked. She heard the water running and knocked.
"Rachel? Are you okay?"
Silence.
Shelby's stomach twisted in on itself in worry. She knocked again, harder this time.
"Rachel, please answer me," Shelby demanded.
A few more moments passed and Shelby felt adrenaline rush through her. She'd break the door down if she had to. She raised her fist to knock again.
"I'm fine," Rachel said in a breathy voice and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, I'm okay. I just need a second."
Shelby paused for a moment and didn't know what to do. Obviously, Rachel wasn't fine but she also couldn't just go in there guns ablazing. She had a key but she didn't want to use it. She opted to give her daughter privacy. She'd have to come out sooner or later.
"Okay," Shelby agreed warily. "Are you sure, Rach?"
"Yes," Rachel replied immediately. "Sorry, I'll be right out. I'm okay—I promise. Just please?"
Shelby hesitated a few seconds but then walked away reluctantly before she can change her mind. As much as she didn't want to, she had to respect her daughter's wishes.
Inside the bathroom, Rachel was struggling to control of all of her raging emotions. Every unpleasant feeling she's repressed with her fathers' divorce, the move to Lima, her reunion with Shelby was hitting her wave after wave after wave. She gripped the edge of the sink tightly. Breathing was hard. Really hard. The blood pounded in her ears. Her heart thudded in her chest. Rachel didn't realize it in the moment but she was just experiencing her first panic attack.
She felt her legs give out and she instantly fell to the floor. She leaned back against the wall and subconsciously wrapped her arms around her knees, placed her head on her legs, and curled up in a ball as if she was protecting herself from the harrowing storm of emotions pouring down on her.
She needed to focus on something else, anything else. With a shaky hand, she quickly pulled out her phone and turned up the volume loud enough so that only she can hear it. She scrolled until she found what she was looking for and hit play.
"For Good" started playing and Rachel used every ounce of her energy to concentrate on the familiar melody. She willed herself to reclaim control of her breathing and took slow and even breaths as she listened to the music. She focused on every word, especially the ones her mom sang, and let the comfort of it wash over her. She stayed in that position for a while and by the time the song finished the second time through, she felt the intense panic slowly start dissipate and was replaced with a numbness that overcame her
Rachel waited a few more seconds until she felt her heart beat drop back down to a normal rate. She stood up cautiously and tested her balance. She looked at her phone and realized that she's been in the bathroom for more than 15 minutes. She needed to get it together before her mom came barreling in here. She was not prepared for Shelby to see her like that. She quickly washed her hands, splashed some cold water on her face, and fixed her hair. Once she was satisfied with how she appeared, she turned around and carefully opened the door.
As soon as she entered the hallway, a pair of arms engulfed Rachel into an affectionate hug. Shelby pulled her daughter close and Rachel molded into her. She tentatively wrapped her arms around her mom and inhaled deeply. Her mother's scent of warm vanilla tickled her nose and provided a calming effect on her.
"I don't know what's going on in that head of yours, but I love you Rachel," Shelby whispered softly. "And everything will be okay. I promise you that."
Shelby pulled away and examined her incomprehensible daughter. Rachel felt tears prick in the corner of her eyes but she blinked them away fiercely. She was not going to break down again.
"I'm okay," Rachel insisted as she pulled away. "I'm sorry. I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well last night and I guess I feel kind of off right now. Where's Quinn and Mercedes?"
Shelby looked at her child dubiously but decided to let it go for now. Rachel clearly didn't want to talk about what just happened and this wasn't the right time or place.
"They're still waiting. Judy is coming to pick them up to take them home. She's actually nearby and will be here soon, so I'm going to walk the girls down. Do you want to wait in my office?"
Rachel nodded.
"Is my dad on his way to come get me?"
"No," Shelby paused. "He has to work late on a deposition, so you'll have to come home with me until he can pick you up later."
"What? No!" Rachel said in alarm. "Can't I just go home with Quinn? And Mrs. Fabray can drop me off?"
Shelby winced at her daughter's pleading. Was she really that bad?
Rachel noticed her mom tense up at her mini-outburst and felt bad immediately. It's not that she didn't want to go home with her mom. She's been curious about where Shelby lived and what her home-life was like, but she was just so emotionally drained all she wanted to do was go home and crawl into bed.
"Sorry," Rachel said apologetically and leaned into her mom. Shelby opened her arms to her in confusion. Emotional. Whiplash. "I've just had a long day and I just really want to go home."
Shelby rubbed her daughter's back in comfort and kissed the top of her head.
"I know baby," Shelby said sympathetically, holding her tightly. "All that rule breaking and sneaking around can really take a toll on a person."
Rachel laughed at her mom's teasing but felt her stomach churn remembering that she was still in murky waters for her misdeeds.
"So I'm still in trouble, huh?"
"Big time, young lady," Shelby said, pleased at how mom-like she sounded.
After an irate Judy picked up Quinn and Mercedes, Rachel begrudgingly got into the car with her mother. She was so worn out at this point that it was causing her to be notably irritable. She was desperate to go home. She was still dealing with the residual effects of her slight breakdown and just wanted to be alone.
"What are we going to do at your house?" Rachel asked curiously.
Shelby frowned. She didn't want it to just be her house. She wanted it to be their house, their home.
"Dinner and then I think we need to talk," Shelby said without any elaboration.
"But I'm vegetarian, will you have ingredients for a vegetarian meal? Can we go out somewhere to eat?" Rachel asked hopefully. Her mother was less likely to kill her if there were witnesses around.
"I know you are Rach. Luckily for you, I also like to eat sustainably."
Rachel sank back down in her seat at her mother's rebuff.
Learning how to drive. Going to prom. Moving to New York. Winning a Tony. These were all things she was going to miss after Shelby was through with her.
"What do we even need to talk about? You've already lectured us," Rachel whined. She couldn't help it. The entire day, the entire week, the entire month, the entire year, everything was weighing down on her and she knew that with one more push that she was bound to snap. Again. And this time Quinn and Mercedes weren't around to distract her mom.
Shelby sighed. Yes, she did reprimand Rachel already but only as Coach Corcoran. She also needed to talk to Rachel about her wrongdoings, but as her mom. Against her better judgment, especially because her patience was also running thin, she countered back.
"I know Rachel, and I'm not going to repeat what I told the three of you. But you have to understand, as a parent, there was more than an hour where you weren't accounted for. It's a safety issue. The rules are there for a reason and I know that you have to tell your dads and I where you are at all times. What if something happened to you on your way to Carmel? We wouldn't even know where to find you."
"But you did. The Uber app told you guys," Rachel grumbled.
"You're missing the point, Rachel. It's never okay for us to not know where you are. I know maybe you were used to commuting with your friends in Chicago, but this is Lima and there isn't good public transportation to use. You have to ask us for permission when you go anywhere. Is that clear?"
"Yes ma'am," Rachel said wisely, trying to choose her battles.
"And we have to talk about making good choices, Rach. I know I already talked to you about the spying, but I also know that this escapade wasn't entirely all your idea. I'm just going to take a wild guess and assume that your teammates might've strongly encouraged you?"
Shelby glanced at Rachel through her periphery and noticed her back straighten in confirmation.
"Like any other teenager alive, I realize that you have to deal with peer pressure," Shelby continued. She might as well get it over with now. "I even understand that you may be more likely to succumb to it because you just moved here, you're new, and you want to fit in. I get that, Rachel. But you also have to recognize when you should say no or walk away. And if you're finding it difficult to handle, then come talk to me, or your dads, or Mr. Schue. I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I do know you, Rachel. I know you have the intelligence, the strength, and the self-confidence to help you stand firm, walk away, and resist doing something when you know better. I know you're more than capable of making the right decisions."
Every word that Shelby spoke pierced into Rachel and fueled the intense guilt she was beginning to feel. The neutral and levelheaded way that Shelby was speaking unnerved Rachel more than anything else. Sure, she's gotten lectures from her dads before but it was either a fiery one from Hiram or an emotional one from Leroy. Nobody has ever spoken to her before like she was grown up and not a child. It was also throwing her off how perceptive her mom was being. Shelby just seems to understand her intuitively.
Shelby turned her head to look at her daughter after a few moments of silence passed by. She appeared to be deep in thought and Shelby wanted to make one last point.
"I know you'll probably talk to your dad some more about this later and we still have to discuss your punishment from us, but I just want to say one more thing," Shelby said a little more emphatically. "I don't expect you to be perfect, Rach. Far from it. I don't have unrealistic expectations and I know that you'll probably run into more trouble in the future. But I also know that you're a good kid, a smart kid and that you know how and when to make good choices. I really believe that, so I hope that next time, you'll choose to think twice before getting a little creative with the rules."
Shelby turned to offer her daughter a kind smile, a peace offering, but instantly frowned when she saw Rachel frantically wipe away an unwanted tear. Shelby's heart constricted. She didn't think she was being too hard on her, but this was the second time today she's made her daughter visibly upset.
"What's happening, Rachel?"
"Are we almost there?" She asked desperately.
Shelby made a split second decision. She was done toeing around Rachel. She can sense that something was deeply wrong and that it was more than her getting caught spying.
"What's going on, Rachel? Did I say something wrong? Please talk to me."
Rachel felt herself getting worked up again. Her panic escalated when her mom pulled into the driveway of a beautiful two-story house with a wraparound porch, a landscaped garden, and a large oak tree on the front lawn whose last leaves had turned into a vibrant red color. Rachel took a moment to inspect her mom's house and despite her distress, fell in love immediately.
Shelby cut the engine and placed her hand on Rachel's knee to draw her attention.
"Nothing, I'm okay. I understand what you told me. And I am sorry," she tried to placate her mom.
"I know you're not okay Rachel. I can tell that you're lying to me. But how am I supposed to help if you don't talk to me?" Shelby said accusingly.
Her mom's tone didn't settle well with her. She can't talk to her because she didn't know how to. She was exhausted and frustrated and a million other things. She doesn't even know where to begin if she tried.
"Can we just go inside!" Rachel snapped. She needed space. "Please, Shelby?"
"Fine," Shelby said gripping the steering wheel as she tried to channel patience. "But this conversation isn't over, Rachel. We're going to talk whether you like it or not."
Rachel angrily opened the car door and stalked up the walkway to the front of the house. Shelby ran her hand through her hair in frustration watching her daughter run away from her for the second time that day. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she needed to be strong, to remain calm, for the both of them.
When she let Rachel in through the door a couple minutes later, her daughter stopped and looked at her questioningly. Shelby nodded in understanding.
"You can go up to your room. It's the second door on the right," Shelby said as she put her purse down and took her jacket off. "I'll come check in on you in a few minutes."
"I—I have my own room here?"
"Of course," Shelby said without thinking about it. She was too preoccupied with what her next move was.
She's had a room for Rachel since the day she moved into this house a little more than a year ago. Not that she knew then that she'd be getting her daughter back in her life, but it was extremely important to her to save that space for Rachel. She can't explain it. And when she found out that she was actually getting her daughter back, she started using the bits of information she's learned about her to slowly turn it into a hopefully comfortable space for her.
Rachel began to walk up the stairs before her mom can change her mind. When she opened the door to her room, another flood of emotions hit her.
Rachel froze taking it all in. There was an accent wall painted with a tasteful pattern of her favorite shade of purple, a built-in bookshelf that was lined celebrity biographies and her favorite classic romance novels, a record player next to a stack of original Broadway cast recordings ready to be listened to, silly postcards of baby animals pinned to a bulletin board above the desk, and a stuffed gold star that was placed against the pillows on the middle of the bed. This room encapsulated who she was better than the one that she put together at her dad's house.
It was the most tangible form of love that Rachel has ever experienced. And without warning, it tipped her off the edge.
Downstairs, Shelby wasn't doing any better than her daughter. Her emotions were equally in disarray and she was frantically pacing in the kitchen. She was second guessing herself and didn't know what to do next. She was so afraid of messing this up with her daughter. She looked at the clock and decided that they needed to eat. If nothing else, she can at least feed her kid.
"Rachel?" She called up the stairs. She knows she just sent her up, but she also needed to know what she wanted for dinner.
She shifted her focus to making their meal and started taking out ingredients from the pantry. A few seconds passed and she tried again.
"Rach! Can you come down here, please?" She yelled a little louder. Shelby stopped fidgeting when she didn't get a reply the second time. She placed the pan she was holding back down on the counter and listened for a response.
"Rachel?" She called out again. More silence. Shelby's heart rate picked up. She left the kitchen and briskly walked up the stairs two-at-a-time. When she got upstairs she saw Rachel standing at the doorway of her room, unmoving.
"Rachel, are you okay?" Shelby asked, desperation dripping in her voice.
Her mom's voice and her hand on her shoulder pulled Rachel out of the stupor she was in. She took a feeble step into her room and hesitantly turned around to face Shelby.
One look at her mom and Rachel surrendered. There was no fight left in her. Nothing. She relinquished control.
"Please talk to me, Rachel. Please."
"Everyone had you, mom," Rachel whispered and then looked at Shelby with a fiercely tormented expression. "Everyone had you but me. Thousands of people got Shelby Corcoran in their lives from seeing you on stage or hearing you sing. My dads got this version of you they got to befriend and have all these amazing memories with. Everyone on VA had you to teach them and coach them and mentor them. And even Quinn, mom! Quinn had you. She told me how your dad taught her how to play the piano and how every time you babysat her that you'd always watch musicals together."
"Baby—"
"No! It's not fair, mom. You don't understand! Everyone had you but me. I needed you. When my dads got divorced and I didn't understand why, I needed my mom and you weren't there. And I feel so stupid for being so angry and jealous, but I wanted you. So badly. And instead everyone got you first."
Shelby was stunned. She didn't know what to say but only felt her heart shatter into a million pieces at Rachel's revelation. She acted on instinct and wrapped her arms around her daughter. Rachel stiffened at the contact at first but then subconsciously leaned into the hug as her mother pulled her closer to her. Rachel immediately started to cry and every sob that wracked through her body tore Shelby into pieces.
"It's not fair," Rachel repeated, her voice breaking as she gave in and wrapped her arms around her mom's neck.
Shelby was paralyzed. She felt like she was just doused in ice-cold water and was rendered frozen by Rachel's emotional confession. Her kid's fresh, hot tears blistering her skin and seeping into her shirt shook her out of her trance. She acted swiftly and moved them to the bed. She sat down and leaned up against the headboard and motioned for Rachel down to sit next to her. Rachel melted into her side and Shelby put her arm around her shoulder and pulled her as close to her as possible. Rachel turned towards Shelby, wrapped arm around her torso, and cried into her mom's chest.
"I am so sorry, Rachel," Shelby said with her own tears threatening to spill. "I had no idea you felt that way. But you have to know baby, you have to know that I'm here now and that I'm yours."
Rachel looked up at her with excruciatingly sad and tired brown eyes and Shelby's heart clenched once again. She vowed right then and there that she would never purposefully be the cause of her daughter's heartbreak ever again.
"I'm all yours," Shelby promised her daughter. "I know it's difficult for you to understand Rach, but just because we weren't together, doesn't mean that I never once stopped thinking about you or caring about you or loving you. Everything I did Rachel, and everything I will do in the future is for you. My career, my life, everything I've accomplished and built was always for you so that when it was time for us to be together that you had a mom that you could be proud of and that I could give you the things that you deserve. You were the reason, my reason for absolutely everything that I did and have. You fueled me, so please don't think that you never had me. I was always yours. My heart always belonged to you."
"Really?" Rachel asked in a defeated voice.
"Yes, really," Shelby assured her as she stroked her daughter's hair. "And you don't know how sorry I am that I haven't been there for you in the past when you needed me Rach, but I promise you right now that I'm here for you now and forever and always. You are the most important thing in my life and you will always come first. Do you understand, my love?"
Rachel only nodded and hugged her mom more tightly in response. She was so emotionally spent that she couldn't even formulate another thought.
Shelby had a million other things she wanted to say to her daughter, things that she needed her to desperately understand, but it would have to wait. This wasn't about Shelby right now and she was more than content just holding her baby in her arms like this for the first time since she was born. Shelby kissed the top of Rachel's head and started doing the one thing she knew how to do best when things got rough.
"When you're weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I'll dry them all
I'm on your side, when times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down."
Shelby sang slowly and softly while she gently ran her fingers up and down Rachel's back. By the time she finished singing the last verse, she heard Rachel's breathing start to even out and felt her body go limp in her arms. Shelby looked down at her daughter and pledged to do everything in her power to fix things between them and help take away the hurt she felt. There was a lot ahead of them that they needed to work out. Shelby knew that it won't all be afternoons of them watching Barbra Streisand movies or sharing strawberry ice creams. She knew that it would, more likely, be a long and difficult road with inevitable challenges and setbacks for them as they navigated this new relationship. But Shelby also knew that she was ready. She was more than willing to fight for this new life with her daughter. She was ready for the good, the bad, and everything in between.
She has to overcome her fears and insecurities of being a mother and Rachel has to learn to trust and accept her. But she wasn't worried, because holding Rachel in her arms, she resolved that there's nothing they couldn't do, if they did it together.
A/N: I have an idea of where I want to take this story, but I'll happily take suggestions for storylines. I always love hearing what you guys think, so thank you—especially to those who consistently leave a note, you guys rock!
Next chapter is a lot more of Shelby and Rachel actually trying to work things out in the wake of this breakthrough. And maybe the beginning of the Aunt Kim/Rachel adventures.