It's been a little more than a week since Rachel got caught spying at Carmel. Since then, things have gotten significantly better between the pair. It wasn't a walk in the park. Far from it. But they had hit a comfortable stride of actively trying to work things out this time around. Leave it to her daughter's penchant for trouble to bring them together.

Rachel's first weekend with her had come and gone. And as Shelby expected, didn't go without a hitch. That would've been too easy.

Since Rachel was still serving out her grounding, Shelby thought it was apt to put her young charge to work. Taking advantage of the warmer weather, they spent most of the day prepping Shelby's yard and garden for the winter. She got a kick out of teaching and watching Rachel how to do yard work. She was the epitome of a fish out of water. Rachel and her dads lived in a condo in the city and Hiram hired someone to maintain his yard in Lima, so Shelby had the incredible privilege and responsibility to teach her daughter how to do manual labor. Hiram was right. There was so much that apparently only she can teach Rachel. And it was awesome.

It took them almost twice as long as Shelby had intended but it was well worth it watching her daughter wrestle with the lawn mower that seemed to be twice her size and just as temperamental as she was. Priceless. They also had another setback when Rachel, unamused with the delight her mother found in her struggles, "accidentally" pushed Shelby into the pile of leaves she had just prodigiously worked to compile. If any of Shelby's neighbors had looked out at the right moment, all they'd be able to see is a mess of limbs and leaves flying in the air as the two playfully tumbled on the ground. Shelby experienced a new form of happiness while she ran around the yard trying to catch her ballsy kid. Rachel's pure glee and peals of laughter were a welcome change from the demure behavior her daughter still often employed around her. When Shelby finally caught the troublemaker, she gathered her up in her arms and hung on tight, trying to savor in all the joy she currently felt. Rachel's rosy cheeks, bright smile, and loud giggle in that moment would always hold a special place in Shelby's heart.

After their grounds keeping adventure, Shelby had Rachel focus on her report on the rulebook. To prepare the new mom for the weekend, Hiram and Leroy both gave her the rundown and made it a point to inform her that their daughter did not do well with idle hands. Heeding their advice, Shelby set Rachel up in her study, a space that the girl was growing increasingly fond of.

Rachel had come over for dinner a couple days after their talk and discovered her mother's study. A few months ago, Shelby converted her spacious sunroom into an inviting office. The large windows offered panoramic views of the tree line of the woods at the edge of the backyard. It was a comfortable workspace that was filled with light and warmth. But what drew Rachel to it was the piano in the corner and the hundreds of sheet music, books, recordings, and CDs that were all tastefully placed on the shelves. And in that same room were some of Shelby's notable accolades that were rightfully displayed: the Jimmy Award she won in high school, an Obie and Drama Desk Award for her off-Broadway roles, a photo of her with Vocal Adrenaline after they won their first national championship, and the showpiece of them all—the Tony. Her mother's single greatest crowning achievement. The award to end all awards. Rachel was in complete awe and had no idea that her mom timed how long Rachel stared at it before she finally interrupted her. Seven minutes and 40 seconds. Rachel was shook to her core seeing the the prized jewel of the theatre world in person. Ultimately, Shelby had to physically pry Rachel away from her study when the girl's father picked her up at the end of the night.

So, when Shelby assigned her daughter to complete the rulebook report, she compromised and allowed Rachel to work in the study. She wanted to at least make her jailbird for the weekend feel comfortable. They spent a couple hours engaged in their respective work. Rachel was sitting at her desk—quite adorably in Shelby's opinion, since her daughter would often knit her eyebrows and bite her bottom lip in concentration while she diligently read and wrote. And Shelby was camped out on the armchair in the corner grading papers for her AP English class while occasionally answering questions Rachel threw her way. It was one the most relaxed and productive Shelby had ever been. She loved sharing her space with her daughter.

After carefully going over Rachel's write-up together and being thoroughly impressed with the actual effort her daughter put in, Shelby decided that she had earned her keep. They spent the rest of the evening making homemade pizzas from scratch. If Shelby thought that Rachel was a fish out of water doing yard work, then Rachel was equally a square peg in a round hole cooking in the kitchen. Her daughter's domestic skills, or more accurately, lack thereof, was just truly incomparable. However, with some patience, a lot of coaching, and a brief food fight, they had—to order pizza instead.

When they finished devouring their pizza—which they both thought was delicious because takeout never fails—Shelby had her daughter begin to wind down for the night.

Shelby should've seen it coming. But she didn't.

Maybe it was all the commotion from dinner that distracted her. Or maybe she was just too preoccupied with the anxiousness of having Rachel in her care for the night. Either way, when she woke up a couple hours after she had tucked Rachel in and didn't find her child in her bed when she checked on her, Shelby knew that something was inherently wrong.

She found Rachel curled up in the armchair in her study, glass of water in hand. Seeing her daughter's distressed expression instantly broke Shelby's heart. It was as if her kid had the weight of the world on her shoulders. And then some.

After a significant amount of coaxing, Rachel dejectedly confessed that she couldn't get comfortable or fall asleep and wanted to go back home—to her room and to her bed. Shelby felt like the wind just got knocked out of her at Rachel's admission. But pushing her devastation aside, she made a prompt decision to bring her back home. She and Hiram decided earlier on that if Rachel felt uncomfortable at any point, then they would hit pause and do whatever Rachel wanted, and Shelby wasn't going to deny her daughter that.

Their trip back to the Berry house in the middle of the night was a quiet affair. Shelby's mind was whirling, retracing every step of the day trying to figure out where it went wrong, where she went wrong. And Rachel was preoccupied with her growing feelings of intense guilt. It wasn't Shelby. It was the newness and the unfamiliarity of it all that frightened her. And despite Shelby's assurances that it was all okay, she knew that she had hurt her mom's feelings.

After Hiram had tucked in his despondent daughter, he made his way downstairs to talk to her equally melancholy mom.

"I'm sorry, Hiram," Shelby said sadly as she got up from the couch. "I just keep going over it in my head and I don't know where or when she started to feel uncomfortable. I thought we were having such a good time, and when I put her to bed she was okay, but I should've paid closer attention. I should've—"

Hiram reacted quickly and pulled an increasingly distraught Shelby into a hug. He felt her body tense but then relax, as if her last bit of strength just left her body.

"Shelbs, stop," he chided gently while rubbing her back in comfort. "I just talked to Rachel and she said she had a fun time with you today. She loves you. I just don't think she's ready for the sleepovers yet. Maybe we overestimated it, but you did the right thing. Rach said that you didn't make her feel bad at all. You were a good mom tonight. You put her first."

But she didn't feel like it. Shelby felt tears begin to swell in her eyes but she blinked them away in frustration. She only nodded warily in response. Hiram put his hands on either side of her shoulders and pulled away so he can make eye contact.

"You did the right thing bringing her back here and Rachel will remember that," he said seriously. "She's invested in this, she just needs more time to adjust. And I know this because she's asking for you. She wants to say goodnight to her mom before she goes to sleep."

Shelby acquiesced and made her way to her daughter's room, still a nervous wreck. She knocked on the door timidly and Rachel immediately turned around to look at her mom, tears streaming down her crumpled face. Shelby crawled into bed and had her poor baby in her arms in an instant.

"I'm so sorry mom," Rachel said crying softly. "I know I'm being a baby. I love you. I love your house. I just—I don't know."

"Shh, it's okay, my love. It's okay," Shelby soothed. "You are not a baby. I understand Rachel, and it's okay."

"But you're mad at me and I'm sorry. I should've just stayed."

"Rachel, listen to me," Shelby said with a stern voice while she wiped away her daughter's tears. "I promise you, I am not mad. I will never be mad about this. Not even a little bit. Baby, I'm glad you told me how you felt. I don't want you to ever feel uncomfortable. I will never force you to do anything you don't want to do and I will never push you to do something that you're not ready for. I promise you that, Rach. Okay? So no more crying, it'll be okay, we'll figure this out."

Rachel didn't how to respond so she just curled up closer to her mom. Shelby understood and held on to Rachel tightly, trying her best to provide her daughter with as much comfort as she can. After Rachel had started to calm down, Shelby looked at the clock and sighed. It was beyond late. Her kid needed rest.

"Rach?" Shelby called her attention as she kissed the top of her head. "Baby, you have to sleep, so I think it's time for me to—"

"No! Mom please, can you just stay? Can you stay and sleep with me? Please mom? Please don't go."

"Okay, Rach, okay," Shelby complied, incredibly confused about the panicked begging. "I won't go anywhere, but we need to get some rest. Okay, baby? Let's get some sleep. I know you must be exhausted from all those super hard chores we worked on earlier."

Rachel let out a small laugh and Shelby breathed a sigh of relief. Rachel shifted down the bed and turned sideways so that she was face to face with her mom.

"I'm really sorry mama," Rachel whispered.

Shelby felt her heart clench at the pain in her daughter's voice. She gently brushed Rachel's hair out of her face and gave her a small smile.

"Nothing to be sorry for, baby. Just get some sleep. I love you, I'll be right here."

Ten minutes later, Hiram walked into the room to check on the mother and daughter only to find the pair wrapped up in each other's arms and peacefully at sleep.

The next morning, Rachel woke up and she was back to normal as if the entire night hadn't happened. Not buying into their daughter's facade, Shelby and Hiram decided to choose their battles and let it go for now.

Taking advantage of Rachel's agreeable mood, Shelby suggested that they grab some breakfast with her sister—who had been calling every day, multiple times a day to ask Shelby when she can finally meet her niece. Surprising everyone, Rachel eagerly obliged. And not surprising to Shelby, the two had hit it off immediately. Rachel had welcomed her "cool Aunt Kim" with open arms. And cool Aunt Kim was a role that her younger sister—with her easygoing and loving personality—was born to play.

But now it's been a few days since their weekend together and it was becoming increasingly evident that Shelby had a problem. A Broadway problem. That is, her daughter just realized that she's famous problem.

It had started off innocently at first with the standard questions about all-things theater and all-things Broadway. It was often their go-to topic to discuss. It was safe territory for them. And Shelby does genuinely love Rachel's passion for the art and music. She was thrilled that they had that to share. But, at the same time, her kid wasn't even trying to be discreet about the reverence she held about Shelby's career and the fame she had achieved. It truly awed the Broadway-dreamer.

When Rachel asked Shelby if she can borrow her phone to take pictures of the Tony from different angles and in different lighting environments, Shelby knew it was time to call in reinforcement. She was already having a tough time trying to be Rachel's mom. She didn't want to have to compete with Shelby Corcoran, Broadway star, either.

So, Shelby called in the one person in the world who never failed to bring her back down to Earth no matter how many awards she won or autographs she signed. It doesn't matter how successful or famous Shelby got, Kim would always see her older sister as just the theater nerd and music geek that she's always been. Nobody grounded Shelby Corcoran like her little sister.

"Okay Rach, so your dad won't be by to pick you up until around nine and I'm a little behind on prep work for VA's Holiday Showcase, so Aunt Kim is going to come over to spend some time with you while I work in my study for a bit, and then we'll all have dinner together, okay?" Shelby rapidly instructed as she put dishes away in the kitchen. "Did you finish your homework already?"

"Yes mother, and okay, but you know I don't need a babysitter," Rachel answered, rolling her eyes from where she was sitting on the island while she watched her mom putter around the kitchen. "You're not going anywhere. I'm not a baby. I can take care of myself."

"Please do not roll your eyes at me, young lady," Shelby warned with her back still turned to her daughter. Rachel swallowed nervously at her mother's omnipotent power. Shelby turned to face her smart kid and raised an eyebrow. "I never said you were a baby. I know you can take care of yourself, kiddo, but Kim just wanted to come early to spend some time with you. And you like your Aunt Kim, right? Because if you don't Rach, and you're not comfortable, you just need to tell me baby and I'll call her right now—"

"No mom, it's fine," Rachel interjected, not wanting to go down that rabbit hole. "I do really like Aunt Kim. Sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. Yeah, it's fine. She's pretty cool."

"Just pretty cool?!" Kim questioned, startling the pair with her surprise entrance. Rachel shrieked and jumped up in her seat and Shelby glared at her sister for the unnecessary shock.

"You know you could've just called or knocked like a normal person," Shelby admonished as she accepted a quick hug from an amused Kim.

"And then miss that reaction? That's what you get for giving me a key," Kim said, still laughing while she gave Rachel a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, mini-Shel. Sorry for the scare, but I missed you!"

"I saw you two days ago, Aunt Kim. But I missed you too," Rachel said truthfully. Kim sat down next to her niece and put her arm around her, as if to physically remind herself that Rachel was really there. Shelby's heart warmed at the interaction.

"So what's new, Rae?" Kim asked. "How's school going?"

"It's alright. I have a couple tests before Thanksgiving break, so that's unpleasant. But Mr. Schue has us doing Madonna in Glee this week and I'm ecstatic about that. She's a genius."

Shelby shook her head at Will's questionable coaching methods. She appreciated Madge for her musical and cultural significance as much as the next person, but how is singing her songs for fun going to help them prepare for Regionals? Amateurs.

"She is an icon," Kim agreed. "Shelly, remember when she came to see 'Rent' and you ran into her backstage?"

Rachel's jaw dropped to the floor. And Shelby shot her sister a fiery look of disapproval. Kim's eyes widened realizing what she just said and instantly dropped her gaze to look away from her sister's patented Coach Corcoran glare before she turned into stone.

"Mom, what?!" Rachel exclaimed. "You met Madonna?"

"Not really Rach," Shelby sighed. "She just came to the show one night and I ran into her backstage. She wasn't even there to see me. I was just in the chorus then."

"But still, mom. That's so cool. You met Madonna. You were on Broadway. Ugh, you're just so extraordinary," Rachel said completely impressed and completely missing the point.

"Thanks baby," Shelby chuckled. And absolutely thanks for nothing, Kim. "But it's not a big deal. Yes, it was amazing, but it was like any other job."

"Not really," Rachel argued. "You were on stage every night performing for hundreds. That's not like any other job. You weren't just like a teacher or a nurse or something like that. No offense, Aunt Kim."

"Oh none taken Rae," Kim shrugged. She only had a regular job of being the Head Nurse of the Oncology Department at the Lima County Hospital. Now she understands what her sister meant by Rachel's slightly blind admiration. Oops.

"But I think fame and stardom is all relative," Kim attempted to walk her niece back. "Yes, your mom's a Broadway actress, but she's also a normal person, who just happens to be extremely talented and was able to use that talent and hard work to find success."

"I get that," Rachel replied. "But Aunt Kim, have you seen mom's Tony? She's kind of a legend. And she didn't just do any musical. She did the musical. 'Wicked' is like the gateway drug of musical theatre. Mom, I honestly think you're single-handedly responsible for getting an entire generation into live theatre."

Shelby internally groaned. She's going to kill Kim.

"I don't think so Rachel," Shelby said modestly. "Regardless, none of that changes who I am. And at the end of the day, I'm just a regular person despite achieving any of that."

Rachel was trying to follow their logic, but they were both crazy. Shelby was a mega-talented Broadway superstar whether she believed she was one or not.

"But mom, you're not understanding. You are Shelby Corcoran. Critics literally group you with Broadway divas like Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters, and even Patti LuPone. You're that good. Also, unrelated, but mom, did you know that there's a Facebook fan page dedicated to your cheekbones? It's called 'Shelby Corcoran's Cheekbones' and it's got pictures of your face and currently has 12.7 thousand likes."

"No forkin' way!" Kim said incredulously as she pulled out her phone to give it a like. And perhaps invite her husband Brian to like it too while she's at it. "That is insane! Rae, how much money do you think I can get if I sell them never-before-seen selfies of your mom?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I do think that mom should make an Instagram. Dad and daddy won't let me have one. But you should let me manage yours, mom. We can make amazing Insta-stories. I guarantee you that you'll get thousands of followers."

"And on that note, I am leaving," Shelby said in surrender as she walked away without looking back, silently promising herself to never ask Kim for help ever again. "I will be back later. Please do not burn down my house!"

"So do you think that's a no?" Rachel asked sadly, her voice dripping with rejection as she turned to face her aunt.

"I believe so," Kim said in consolation. "But follow me kid, I think I may have something that will help cheer you up."

Twenty minutes later, Rachel and Kim were on the living room floor sitting on top of blankets and pillows in front of the fireplace roasting marshmallows.

"This is kind of fun," Rachel said in amusement while she carefully watched her marshmallow roasting over the warm open fire.

"Isn't it?" Kim smiled at her niece. "Living room s'mores is the Corcoran women's version of camping."

"Anything that involves chocolate, I'm here for it."

"You're telling me, kid," Kim agreed as she inspected her perfectly roasted marshmallow. "Actually, this is your mom's tradition. When I did my nursing internship at Columbia, I lived with her one summer. We were both so busy and rarely spent time together but one week we decided to stop and have a quick 'dinner' together but all we had were marshmallows, oreos, and half a bar of chocolate, so Shelly fired up the stove in the kitchen and we had s'mores. And then we ended up doing it once a week, every week for the three months I was there."

"I didn't know you lived in New York with mom," Rachel said laughing at the story. "That's so cool. Why didn't you guys just go to dinner?"

"We didn't have time. We were on opposite schedules. I had the day shift and then Shelly just came back from tour then, so I think she was auditioning and also preparing for a cabaret show. There was just a lot going on."

"That must've been right before she did 'Wicked' then?" Rachel contemplated, doing the math in her head.

"Yeah I think so," Kim confirmed. "I do remember her singing what sounded like The Wizard and I."

"That is awesome," Rachel replied. "You were probably one of the first people in the world to hear 'Wicked' songs. I'd kill to be one the first to hear original Broadway songs."

"Well, I definitely felt like I wanted to kill your mom after hearing her sing things over and over and over again in her small studio with nowhere to escape."

Rachel giggled and shook her head in disagreement while she grabbed the other ingredients to craft her s'more.

"Still. I think that's amazing. I wish I knew mom then," Rachel said without thinking about it.

Kim felt her heart constrict at the loaded statement. She found herself scooting closer to Rachel and softly leaned against her small frame while they both continued to watch the fire blaze in front of them.

"Rae?"

"Hmm?" Rachel leaned back against her aunt gently. Her Aunt Kim was so nice and made her feel so comfortable.

"You know, I think I'm probably the most proud of Shelly. Maybe more than anyone else and that's including your grandma and grandpa. I mean, don't you dare tell her, but she completely awes me too. She's my big sister, so of course I think she's the coolest person in the world. But with that said, I also think your mom's right, kid. She may be a Broadway legend and thousands of people may be weirdly obsessed with her facial features, but she's also just a normal person at the end of the day. She's just Shelby. She's just your mom."

"I know but she is also a star," Rachel countered back, not relenting. "I don't know. It's just—she was kind of my idol growing up, Aunt Kim."

"She was mine too," Kim nodded in understanding. "Still is, but I've learned to separate the two. I get it, Rae. Maybe it's easier for me to compartmentalize because I've known her all my life and you're just starting to get to know her now. But trust me, non-famous Shelby is way cooler and even better than famous Shelby."

Kim turned her head to look over at her niece who seemed to be deep in thought while she ate her s'more.

"Do you know what we did after Shelly won the Tony?" Kim asked, trying to change up her strategy.

Rachel's face lit up at the question, figuring she was about to hear exclusive scoop on Shelby Corcoran.

"Please tell me you went to all the after-parties," she said excitedly. "Who did you get to see? Did you meet Hugh Jackman? He was the host that year."

"We went to the diner where your mom used to work and had waffles," Kim cut her off. "Actually, she made them for us in the kitchen cause they were closing up and had already sent their cooks home. She was literally wearing her Tony gown while she cooked us waffles."

"No way!" Rachel's mouth fell open in shock. "I did not know that. Why didn't you guys go to any of the parties? She was the star of that night!"

"That's what Shelly wanted," Kim shrugged and chuckled at the memory. "She was exhausted and starving by the end of the night, and she just wanted to celebrate with us and with her close friends that worked there and with waffles."

"Mom is crazy," Rachel decided, shaking her head in disbelief.

"And did you know that even after 'Wicked' really blew up that your mom never moved out of her studio? Your grandma yelled at her for years to move into a safer and more livable apartment especially since she would have been able to afford it at that point. Shelly only compromised by fixing it up, but she lived there until she moved back to Lima."

Rachel scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion. Her mom really needed lessons on how to take advantage of being a star.

"And a few years ago, when they asked your mom to lead in and help open the 'Wicked' production on the West End, you know why she turned it down?" Kim asked, moving to make her final and most favorite point about her sister.

"Wasn't she teaching by then?"

"Yes, but she had just finished up her Master's and could've gone. They gave her an incredible offer. But she said no because I was pregnant then with Robby and Lily. She said she didn't want to be away from me in case I needed her and she didn't want to miss the chance to see her niece and nephew be born."

Rachel smiled at that. Her mom sounds like an awesome big sister.

"And I'm not saying that your mom is some martyr," Kim continued. "She wasn't a victim of her fame. I mean, she's best friends with April Rhodes, so you already know that they had fun and definitely leaned into the glamor of it all. All I'm saying is that more often than not, your mom was just herself through it all. She always put her family and her friends first. She always wanted normal things like waffles after a long night or just a small and comfortable place to call her own. You know, despite all the fame she was able to achieve, none of that really changed."

"Wow," is all that Rachel could say. Her mind was blown.

"Yeah, none of that is on the internet, huh? I know it'll probably take some time, Rae. And I know that you're excited about your mom's fame. It really is amazing, but I also know that I think your mom would really appreciate it if you tried to separate the two. I know she loves that you're passionate about this and I'm sure she's looking forward to being able to share that part of her with you in the future, but maybe, for right now, just focus on getting to know your mom Shelby at the moment and not star Shelby?"

"Yeah—okay," Rachel complied easily, but still letting what her aunt just told her marinate in her head. "I hear ya, Aunt Kim. And I will try my best. But I still do think that mom should make an Instagram."

"Absolutely no chance!" Shelby said loudly as she snuck up behind her sister and grabbed her shoulders, causing a very startled Kim to flail around and scream in shock.

"Shelly!" Kim whined in embarrassment.

"And that is what you call payback baby sis," Shelby said triumphantly while she looked over at her laughing kid. She'd never get sick of hearing her daughter's laugh.

"Mom, you're so mean," Rachel joked, still trying to control her fit of giggles.

"Oh yeah? I'm no longer extraordinary?" Shelby teased, snaking her arm around to tickle Rachel's side lightly, earning another hearty laugh from her child. Pure bliss.

"Nope," Rachel chuckled. "Aunt Kim just told me how lame you are. Just kidding. I get it. Sorry I get carried away. I know you're a star, but I also know that you're something else."

"Yeah? What's that, baby?"

"The most respected and esteemed show choir coach in the country!"

Shelby and Kim both grabbed a pillow and lightly smacked Rachel with it. Like minds.

"I'm just kidding!" Rachel laughed and also grabbed a pillow to arm herself. "I'm joking. I meant you're also just my mom. You're my mom, and that's my favorite part of you."

A/N: Thanks for reading, hope you guys enjoyed this! I've been wanting to flesh out more of Shelby's history in NY (and will continue to do so slowly). I'd love to hear what you think!

Next chapter is some fun with Quinn and Rachel... who solemnly swear that they're up to no good.