Rachel woke up alone more than an hour later right as the last bit of sunlight turned into darkness. She woke up in a daze unsure of where she was at first and sat up timidly trying to get her bearings. She reached over to turn on the lamp and let her eyes adjust as she looked around the room, her room. She felt nauseous in an instant remembering everything that happened that afternoon. Her uneasiness doubled recalling her emotional breakdown with her mom.

She looked over at the bedside table and noticed a glass of water and a note. She picked it up and read it over.

"I'll be downstairs whenever you're ready. There's clothes for you in the en suite if you want to change into something more comfortable.

Love,

Mom"

Rachel smiled realizing that her mom had started to sign it as Shelby but then crossed out the S and wrote Mom instead. She loved the acknowledgement. She still can't believe it. Shelby Corcoran was her mom.

She felt some relief knowing that Shelby didn't just write off her feelings on how she felt the about their situation. One of her biggest fears recently has been that she's been overreacting to the whole thing, but Shelby didn't make her feel that way at all. Her mom just accepted what she had to say and immediately reassured her that she would always be there from here on out. That was so important to Rachel because there have been so many instances in her life so far where adults have dismissed her feelings because they thought she was just being "sensitive" or "dramatic."

It didn't take away the bitterness she felt about being denied the chance to get to know her mom her entire life, and she's not sure that anything ever will. But Shelby's promises helped assuage some of her fears. Her mom hasn't really given her any reason not to trust her, so she's going to choose to believe her. For now.

She grabbed her phone and looked over the notifications. There were two missed calls from Quinn and several text messages from her, Mercedes, and even Kurt. They were all worried about her safety after Operation Spy on VA imploded. She replied quickly to give her friends proof of life before deciding to get out of bed.

She changed into the sweats her mom laid out for her and stopped and examined her room one more time before heading downstairs. She really did appreciate it and savored in the fact that her mom had set aside this space in her home specifically for her. Her heart sank remembering how poorly she's been treating her mom recently. She decided in that moment that she'd at least try to work through some of her issues with Shelby. They both deserved Rachel putting her best foot forward.

She made her way downstairs at a leisurely pace and wanted to explore her mom's house but thought against it. She didn't want it to seem like she was snooping. From what she can see, Shelby's house had a sleek, contemporary interior design but not so much where it lacked charm. It was warm and inviting and Rachel can tell that her mom worked really hard and put careful thought into making this place a home.

She walked into the living room quietly and found Shelby sitting on the couch with her back turned towards her. She had the flat screen above the fireplace turned down while she typed away on her laptop. Rachel smiled looking over at her mom who had also changed into a pair of yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt. From the reflection on the window, Rachel can tell that she had her makeup off and pulled her usually styled hair into a messy bun. Shelby's current look was a far cry from the elegant red carpet gowns Rachel was used to seeing her in in the pictures that circulated the internet or the chic business looks she wore while on Vocal Adrenaline duty. This was a Shelby Corcoran that most of the world has never seen. It was a version of Shelby that was reserved only for her closest family and friends, and now Rachel. It felt intimate and special and all that Rachel's ever wanted is a part of her mom that was only for her.

"Are you going to stand there all night, Rach?"

Rachel jumped slightly at Shelby's greeting.

"What—how did you know I was standing here?" Rachel questioned as she moved to sit down next to her mom on the sectional.

"Mother's intuition?" Shelby said and smirked at her daughter. Dad would be so proud.

"I'll remember that the next time I try sneaking around," Rachel joked under her breath but fidgeted nervously as she turned her attention to the television. "Friends?"

Shelby closed her laptop and set it aside. She turned to give her daughter her undivided attention.

"Yup," Shelby said as she grabbed the remote to turn up the volume a bit. "It's kind of my favorite. I've rewatched the series so many times that I like to put it on in the background while I do work or watch it before I sleep. I don't know how to explain it, but it's kind of comforting?"

"Daddy said that they named me Rachel because they were big 'Friends' fans.. but now I kind of feel like it was your idea?" Rachel pondered.

Shelby let out a small laugh and got a faraway look in her eyes as if she was recalling the memory.

"While I was pregnant with you, I had a rough third trimester and was put on bed rest. It drove me crazy because I just have a lot of natural energy and like to be active. I was so bored, but your dad Leroy and I would watch 'Friends' all the time. It helped kill the time and we loved it. Hiram wasn't a fan, but his mom's name was Rachel, so it just kind of worked out for everyone. And Barbra was well—you know. No explanation needed."

"I like it," Rachel said honestly. She loved hearing a part of her history that she didn't know about before.

"Me too, Rach," Shelby said as she comfortingly patted her daughter's knee.

A few moments of silence passed and they both turned their focus to the show in front of them. Rachel knows that it's all in her head but she couldn't help but feel awkward. There was so much that happened between them this afternoon and it felt like the elephant in the room was sitting right smack in between them on the couch. She waited for Shelby to make the first move but after a few more minutes passed, she chanced a look at her mom who seemed intensely preoccupied with her thoughts. Remembering that she was going to try to do better, she jumped off the ledge first.

"Mom?"

"Yeah, baby?" Shelby turned to face her daughter. Her heart swelled at the label. She didn't allow herself to relish in it earlier in fear of it being a fluke on her daughter's end, but now that Rachel said it again unprompted, it melted Shelby's God damn heart. It's a title she's been waiting to hear for almost 14 years now, and it was undeniably worth the wait.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked nervously. Shelby seemed to be somewhere else right now.

"You know—you've been calling me mom."

"Oh," Rachel contemplated. "I guess I hadn't realized. It feels so natural to say it. Is that okay?"

"More than okay, baby," Shelby said without skipping a beat and gave Rachel a grateful smile. "Definitely more than okay."

Rachel tucked her hair behind her ear out of nervousness, as if to just give her hands something to do. Her mom didn't answer her question if she was okay and Rachel was unsure of where to go next. Shelby noticed Rachel's fidgeting and realized that she's been in somewhat of a trance.

To be honest, she was drained and she was still reeling from Rachel's heartbreaking confession earlier. She felt crippled by fear and anxiety about what to do next and how they can move forward from here. Hearing her daughter so broken and sad over how she felt cheated out of not having Shelby in her life has made her rethink all of the decisions that she's made. Shelby felt gutted. She doesn't even know where to begin to make it up to Rachel. She doesn't want to fail her daughter any more than she feels like she already has.

Shelby shook away her thoughts. She can figure it out later. She needed to be here and present with her kid. She strategized quickly and decided to go with the two things she knew without a shred of doubt right now.

"I love you, Rachel. And I'm sorry."

Rachel turned to her mom in shock. That's not what she was expecting. She met Shelby's eyes that were filled with such a fierce love and complete sincerity in them. She'd never tire of her mom looking at her like that. Rachel leaned into her, craving her mother's comfort. Shelby gladly obliged and wrapped her arm around her daughter and pulled her close. She loved how physically affectionate Rachel seemed to be.

"It's okay mom," Rachel said as she snuggled closer and rested her head against Shelby's shoulder. "And I'm sorry too."

"No baby, it's not okay," Shelby said sadly. "But thank you for telling me how you feel. And I hope you continue to do so, Rach. I know this must be difficult for you and I'm not going to pretend like I know how you feel, but I just want to help. And like I promised you earlier, I'm here for you now—whatever you need, no matter what."

Shelby left it at that for now. She knew that there was more that they needed to discuss but she didn't want to push it at the moment. They've both had an emotionally grueling day. Rachel must've felt the same way because all she did was nod and threw her arm around Shelby's torso for a hug.

"Thanks, mom."

"Of course, my love," Shelby said as she placed a kiss on top of her daughter's head.

They stayed embraced for a few minutes, reveling in the feeling of being in each other's arms. As much as Shelby didn't want the peace to end, she knew she still had to talk to Rachel about her punishment for sneaking around before they can put the day behind them.

She talked to Hiram and Leroy briefly on the phone earlier to hash out consequences and they decided to let Shelby dole out Rachel's punishment. Lovely. Shelby's going from the mother who abandoned her child in Rachel's eyes to the mother who didn't waste a single second to discipline her right after she poured her heart out to her. She wallowed in self-pity for a few moments but then toughened up knowing that she wasn't doing Rachel or herself any favors if she shied away from her parental duties now. It was necessary to set the boundaries right away so that Rachel knew what to expect moving forward. Don't forget, you're the one in charge, Leroy reminded her on the phone earlier.

Shelby was about to go right into it before Rachel interrupted her.

"Mom? Can I tell you something?" Rachel asked in a small voice. She pulled away from Shelby's arms and sat up anxiously. She didn't think she deserved comfort after what she was about to say.

"Sure, Rach. Always," Shelby said confused, unsure of where this was leading. She mirrored her daughter's movements and straightened her back and neck.

"Remember when I told you I was sick on Saturday? That's why I couldn't go to the movies with you? I—um—I lied. And I'm really, really sorry, mom. Daddy left for Chicago and it made me upset and it's just hard. I don't know. I just got so overwhelmed and I didn't know how to tell you. I know I shouldn't have lied. I swear mom, I did want to spend time with you, but I just felt like I was kind of drowning. I'm sorry. I should've just been honest. Are you mad at me?" Rachel blurted out in one big breath.

She averted her mom's gaze and played with the hem of her shirt to distract herself from Shelby's reaction. She knew she had to come clean. She's felt so guilty over this for two days now and she didn't want her mom to be angry with her. Rachel felt like she was messing everything up between them.

Shelby was a bit blindsided. She didn't expect Rachel to admit to that at all since she was prepared to just look over it. The apology should've helped her feel better, but it only increased her worry about her daughter tenfold.

Drowning? Shelby can tell that Rachel was struggling. That much was obvious. But now she was only beginning the see the scope of just how much. The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach grew realizing that Rachel's internal conflict iwas more complex than she can grasp. Not that she was blaming them, but it's clear that it was less casual than Hiram and Leroy had let on. Or perhaps they weren't aware of it either. She made a mental note to discuss it more with her fathers later.

"I know. Kim—my little sister, your aunt—saw you at the Lima Bean with Quinn on Saturday," she said distractedly. Her mind whirling, she didn't realize that Rachel didn't respond. Shelby mentally berated herself after one glance at her kid who had a painfully regretful expression written all over her face.

She quickly began damage control and put her arm back around Rachel. She hooked her finger under her daughter's chin and tilted her head up so she can see her face.

"Baby, look at me," Shelby said gently. "I promise, I'm not mad. I—I understand that you're dealing with a lot right now. I get it. I mean, who has the frame of reference to use when your two dads get divorced and your surrogate mom comes back into your life, huh? It's a lot kiddo, and like I told you before, I don't expect you to handle this gracefully. I just want us to start being honest with one another. I think that's the only way we'll get through this is if we start to really talk to each other. And I think you coming clean about this was a good start, so thank you for telling me the truth. I appreciate it, Rach."

Rachel nodded feeling grateful for her mom's empathy. She let out a sigh of relief, curled up closer to Shelby, and let her embrace wash away the guilt she felt.

"I really am sorry mom," she said sincerely. "I swear on Barbra that I won't ever lie to you ever again."

"Well, we'll see about that," Shelby chuckled. "I appreciate it though, Rach. And I'm glad we're talking about this now because—we still have to talk about your trek to Carmel this afternoon, kiddo."

Rachel stiffened in her mom's arms and recoiled away from Shelby.

"What? But moooom, we already talked about it," Rachel complained.

Shelby couldn't help but smile. Even the sound of Rachel whining "mom" was pure magic to her.

"I know and I promise I'm not going to repeat myself, but we still have to discuss your punishment."

Rachel sighed. "Isn't getting caught punishment enough?"

"Um—no," Shelby said amused by her daughter's logic. "You broke the rules kiddo—multiple ones, I might add—and there have to be consequences. You know better than to lie, sneak around, and go anywhere without permission."

"I do, and that's why I promise I won't do it again," Rachel said convincingly. She dug deep in her arsenal of proven methods that have gotten her out of punishments in the past. She decided to go with her trusty weapon of her big, pleading doe eyes. Her dads have been putty in her hands every time she's wielded it.

"Please mama, I swear I won't do it again."

Oh no, absolutely not, Shelby thought. The big eyes she expected but the mama sneak attack? Low blow, Rachel Barbra Berry. Low. Blow.

Rachel cuddled back into her mom and sniffled pitifully for good measure. Shelby melted at Rachel's touch and found her body subconsciously responding. She was absentmindedly rubbing her daughter's arm in comfort when she realized what was happening. Curse her maternal instincts! She pulled away and stood up abruptly. Rachel flinched in shock, startled by Shelby's sudden movements.

Shelby looked at Rachel's stunned and confused face and at herself who was now standing awkwardly directly over. She laughed heartily at their positions and Rachel thought her mom was losing it.

"What—Mom?"

"Rach, stop," Shelby continued to laugh. "I know what you're doing, young lady. And it's not going to work on me."

Rachel gave her a sly grin in response and tried one more Hail Mary pass.

"What are you talking about, mom? I'm not doing anything at all," Rachel pouted. She jetted her lower lip out and batted her long eyelashes slowly. Shelby felt her knees buckle slightly. How did she end up creating the most adorable kid on the face of the Earth?

Shelby met Rachel's eye contact and almost conceded right then and there. With that look, there isn't anything she wouldn't do to give her daughter the world if she asked for it.

Shelby tried to reign in her emotions and focus on the task at hand. She was in charge. She couldn't let Rachel manipulate her into backing down from her responsibilities now. Rachel asked her to be her mom and that includes teaching her right from wrong.

"Alright Rachel, I'm not playing around anymore," Shelby said a little more sternly. She stepped back a couple feet from the couch to put some distance between her and her insanely lovable and cuddly child. She didn't trust herself enough to be anywhere near Rachel's captivating warmth.

Rachel's face fell in defeat and she sank back down on the couch. Hm..her mom is a lot more powerful than she realized.

"I don't want to sound like a broken record, Rachel. I don't speak just to hear myself talk, so I really need you to listen to me here. Your actions this afternoon show me and your dads that you think you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, and that's not acceptable. You're not even 14 years old yet, Rachel Barbra. You are a child. And it is absolutely not okay for you to do as you please, let alone travel to another town—without permission—to sneak into private property. Not okay. Do you understand?"

Rachel shrunk into herself feeling conscience-stricken all over again. When her mom laid it out like that, it seemed a lot worse than Rachel had realized. When she agreed to spy, she never thought of all the rules she would be actively breaking. Or all the people that she'd worry with her actions. She didn't think. At all, really. She only nodded timidly in response.

"I'm going to need verbal confirmation Rach," Shelby said seriously.

"Yes mom, I do understand now," Rachel confirmed.

"Good. Thank you baby," Shelby softened, thrilled that Rachel was still employing her new label even in the midst of being disciplined. "So, your dads and I have talked and we decided on a few consequences."

"Few?" Rachel exclaimed. She can understand one but she didn't think her transgressions were in need of more than one disciplinary action. That would be an injustice! "Mom I—"

"Just listen to me first, Rach," Shelby interjected. "I think you'll see that our consequences are fair given the situation."

Shelby paused a moment to let Rachel compose herself. Once she felt like she had her daughter's attention again, she continued, wanting to get this over with.

"Like I said, I talked to your fathers, and we decided that you're going to be grounded for the rest of this week, including this weekend. And since you've clearly abused your Uber privileges, you'll also be losing your phone privileges for the next two weeks, except for when you'll get it back during the school day. And finally, because you haven't demonstrated any regard to the rules, I'll need you to read this during the week and write up a one-page report for me summarizing what you learned."

Shelby picked up a book next to her laptop and tossed it over to her daughter. Rachel clumsily caught what her mom threw at her and glanced at the title quickly. The National High School Show Choir Competition Rulebook.

"Mom! I don't think that's fair," Rachel instantly scowled. "I think you're mixing up Coach Corcoran and mom punishments. You can't hand out consequences from both!"

"No, no, I hear you Rach and I agree and I will do my best to separate the two in the future," Shelby countered back. "But just humor me this time. I actually think this may be of genuine interest to you. And you are the New Directions' team captain right? As a leader, it's never a bad idea to get yourself acquainted with the rules and regulations. I think you'll find my notes in the margins very helpful."

Shelby stared at her daughter intently. She is aware that she may be toeing the line and mixing up her roles a bit, but she sincerely thinks that this will be an insightful activity for Rachel to do. It'll allow her daughter to familiarize herself with the rules and ingrain them in her head. She figures the more understanding that Rachel has of the show choir competition bylaws—and the penalties—the less likely she is to break them. And yes, Shelby was trying to teach her kid lesson by appealing to her competitive nature.

"Okay.." Rachel carefully considered. Her mom had a valid point. It wouldn't hurt to be knowledgeable of what is or isn't allowed in order to help the New Directions. She doubted that Mr. Schue was all that familiar with the show choir regulations and there's no way that any of her other teammates even know that the rulebook even exists. "Fine, but why do I have to write a report? Can't I just read it?"

"So I can ensure that you were able to comprehend what you read," Shelby stated, feeling triumphant with her first big Mom Win. "It'll be nothing, Rach. It won't take you longer than two hours to read the rulebook and then we can even work on the summary together while you're over here this weekend."

"I'm staying here this weekend?" Rachel's head shot up questioningly. Shelby froze. She was waiting to bring this up at a later time. She wasn't prepared to have this discussion now. All things considered, Rachel spending the night would be a big move for them and she wasn't sure if Rachel was ready for it yet or even wanted it.

"Um—yes," Shelby paced nervously in front of her daughter. "If you want to, of course. I talked to your dad earlier and he's expecting to be busy with work this weekend and said that he'll be in and out of the office working late. We were thinking that you can come over Saturday morning, spend the day with me, and stay the night? Or your dad also mentioned that you can go over to your Uncle Jeremy's? Whatever you want, Rach."

Rachel took a brief moment to weigh her options. On one hand, although she's starting to feel more and more comfortable with Shelby, it does still feel like they're standing on shaky ground and an entire weekend seems like a dangerously long time to spend together when she still felt so unsteady about their situation. On the other hand, as much as she loved her dad's older brother and his wife, they had three teenage boys who were all older than her and constantly teased her for being a theatre geek.

"Can I stay with you?" Rachel asked decisively, not trying to overthink it. She promised herself that she'd put in the effort. It took her breakdown earlier and her mom's help to make her realize that things won't get better unless she tried. She needed to meet Shelby halfway.

"Of course, baby. I'd love it if you did," Shelby's face lit up. She didn't expect Rachel to agree so readily. Rachel knew she made the right decision seeing her mom give her a genuine smile in response. It'd be worth it to make her happy.

"Me too," she said honestly.

Unsure of what came over her but tired of being apart, Rachel got up off the couch, walked over to Shelby, stood up on her tip-toes, and locked her arms around her mom's neck. Shelby initially froze in shock at the unexpected hug but swiftly recovered and embraced her daughter back fiercely. She's convinced. Nothing would ever feel as good as holding her baby in her arms.

Rachel slowly breathed in the faint scent of her mom's perfume trying to ingrain it into her memory. She didn't realize she had tightened her grip on Shelby, but she needed this right now. After today, after everything.

Seeming to have picked up on Rachel's silent plea, Shelby didn't dare let go. She only pulled her daughter closer to her, as if she was trying to mold their bodies into one. When Rachel reluctantly pulled away a few seconds later, Shelby looked over her daughter affectionately.

"Rach?"

"Yeah?"

"You know you're still grounded, right?"

"Moooom!"

A few hours later, Shelby was rushing through what was usually her rather elaborate nighttime ritual. Exhausted would be a serious understatement for how she currently felt. Rachel left a little more than an hour ago and all of Shelby's strength went out the door with her.

Fortunately, the rest of their evening together went smoothly. After they discussed Rachel's punishment, Shelby quickly went over her ground rules and Rachel complied without complaint. During dinner, though, Shelby noticed a shift in Rachel's demeanor, who seemed to have grown a tad more subdued for her liking. But Shelby let it go, attributing her daughter's change of mood to just the entire day catching up to her.

Shelby understood. She was also spent. Every single fiber of her being felt like it was consumed today. Her mind and her heart felt exceptionally weary. But it was worth it. For Rachel, it would always be worth it.

She had just finished her moisturizing routine when her phone began to ring. She briskly walked out of her bathroom and over to the bedside table where she left her phone charging. She furrowed her brow seeing the Berry's landline on the screen. She didn't waste a second picking it up.

"Hi, Hiram."

"No mom, it's me. Dad took my phone away already but he just let me call you for a second."

"Oh, hey Rach. What's going on?" Shelby asked with concern, puzzled why her daughter was calling so late.

"Sorry," Rachel replied quietly on the other line. "Were you sleeping already? Did I wake you up?"

"No baby, it's okay," Shelby assured her. "I just finished getting ready for bed. I'm just surprised you called. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Rachel paused. "It's just—I don't know. I know I just saw you, but it feels weird now if we don't say goodnight on the phone before I go to sleep."

Shelby's heart exploded.

"I will make sure to call you every night then, baby. Thanks for reminding me. And as much as I'd love to keep talking, it's past your bedtime and we need to get some rest, so good night Rachel—"

"Wait! Mom?"

"Yeah?"

Rachel paused for a few moments and Shelby can practically hear her mind whirring through the phone.

"I am proud of you," Rachel finally said.

"What, baby?"

"Earlier? Earlier, you said that you've done everything in your life so that I could have a mom that I would be proud of and I just—I want you to know what I am proud of you."

"Rach—"

"And that I—I still don't really understand why we were kept apart but I don't blame you or dad and daddy. Or I'll try my best not to, mom. I know that you all thought you were doing what was best for me, and I will try my hardest to remember that."

"Thank you, Rachel. I don't—that's more than what I deserve. I love you, baby. I love you so much."

"I love you too, mom."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. I love you, more."

"Not possible Rachel Barbra, not possible at all."

A/N: Hey friends! Thanks for all of the insanely positive reviews from the last update. I appreciate you guys and everyone who's following along.

This chapter sort of got away from me but I didn't want to rush it because I really wanted to make sure that Shelby and Rachel addressed everything that's happened before they can move forward. SO, next chapter is a lot more of that good, good Shel/Rach moments (their first weekend together) and some Aunt Kim in the mix. See you then!