"What's on your mind, kiddo?" Shelby asked as she took her sunglasses off and perched them on top of her head. She wanted a better look at her daughter who seemed to be living in her head at the moment.
It was the Friday before Thanksgiving and Shelby was driving Rachel to McKinley. After their weekend together, Hiram asked Shelby if she could start taking Rachel to school in the morning and she agreed without hesitation, acting like he had just given her the moon. They also worked out a schedule of when Rachel can spend some time with her to provide their daughter some consistency. For now, Rachel would spend Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings with her and one day every weekend depending on when Shelby had VA rehearsal.
If it were up to her, she'd have Rachel for the full week, every other week like they discussed with the custody arrangement, but she knew that Rachel was still adjusting. At the very least, she got to see her child every day. She had to move things around and had to drive the opposite way of Carmel every morning, but her commute with her daughter was quickly becoming the very best part of her day. She's never felt more of a mom than driving her kid to school and she relished in every single second of it.
Luckily, Rachel seemed to be a morning person so she was usually in an agreeable mood. They often chatted about what their plans were for the day and even more often sang along to whatever short playlist Rachel put together that morning. During the past couple days they had been working through the greatest hits of the '80s. She was ready for some more Prince this morning, but instead her kid had started to play what seemed to be a set of the saddest ballads she could find. She had also been rather quiet and was intently looking out the window, definitely not paying attention to Shelby.
"Rach?" Shelby called her attention. After a second of no response she reached out and lightly touched her forearm and only then did Rachel turn to face her mom, snapping out of the state she was in. "What's going on love, you okay?" The mother prompted again.
Rachel blinked and looked at her mom in surprise. How long has she not been listening? She shook her head a little as if to physically shake off the trance that she had apparently been in.
"Sorry," Rachel finally said, straightening up in her seat and smoothing down her skirt, a nervous habit of hers that Shelby had recently picked up on. Rachel bit her bottom lip and paused for a few moments. "When was the last time you talked to daddy?"
Shelby furrowed her brows at the unexpected question and thought carefully for a second.
"I was on the phone with your dads Wednesday night to talk about Thanksgiving next week," she replied. "And then we texted a bit yesterday. Why do you ask, love?"
"Well, I don't know. Since I haven't had my phone, we haven't really talked a lot. Every time I try to call him at night, he's busy with his evening class," Rachel responded, surprising Shelby with how easily she had offered up information. "And before, I would usually call him in the morning right when I got up since I know he wakes up early too or text him during the day. I'm just wondering. I guess I just miss him."
Shelby felt her heart sink. Apart from touching on it briefly during their big talk, this was the first time that Rachel had willingly shared any thoughts on the situation with her fathers. She knew she had to tread slowly. Recently, Rachel had started to open up but it was still at a glacial pace. Her daughter had seemingly built an impenetrable fortress around her feelings and Shelby was very cautiously trying to break it down brick by brick.
"I'm sorry, Rach. I didn't know you were having trouble reaching your dad. I do think he's just busy with finals and preparing for London. But he'll be here the week after Thanksgiving and he'll be around for your birthday and until after Christmas, right? And you're also getting your phone privileges fully reinstated today, so that should help?"
"Mhmm," Rachel simply responded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Sorry."
Shelby frowned. She never wanted Rachel to apologize for expressing how she felt. She sighed as she pulled up to McKinley. This would've been a good opportunity for them to dig a little deeper, but she wasn't about to probe now and send her child to school upset. She glanced at Rachel and could practically see her put her show face back on. Her kid was scary good at putting on a false front. She would know. That was also her move.
"Rachel—"
"It's okay, mom," the girl said decisively, flashing her mom one of her signature megawatt smiles for good measure. "I'm fine. Thanks for driving me. I'll see you later, right?"
Rachel hastily unbuckled her seatbelt and moved to open the car door but Shelby reacted faster and locked it before she could leave. She grabbed her free wrist and Rachel reluctantly turned around to meet her mother's concerned and prying green eyes.
"I'm sorry you've been having trouble reaching your dad, Rach. How about we both talk to him together later and we can all come up with a plan. Maybe the two of you can pick a time that works for the both of you, so you can chat at least once a day just like how I call you before bed every night?" Shelby suggested, knowing full-well that Rachel would wait until pigs could fly to ask her dad for this one thing.
"Okay, that sounds good," Rachel nodded and gave her mom a small smile, a genuine one this time. "Thanks."
Shelby peeked at the clock and noticed she had a few more minutes.
"No need to thank me, Rach. I told you I just want to help, and I really mean that. Thank you for telling me how you feel. And baby, I'm sorry that you've been having a hard time keeping in touch with your dad. That was an unintended consequence of your punishment. But I promise you that we never want to keep you from him, so all you have to do is ask me and I will help you reach your daddy whenever you need him."
Rachel nodded gratefully. She knew she couldn't talk to her dad about it. Talking about Leroy seemed to set him off, so she just tried her best to avoid it. Honestly, she also avoided it. Period. Sure, she had learned to live with the fact that her dads were divorced, but has she accepted it? Or was she dealing with it? That was a different story. Although things have been a little easier recently since her reunion with Shelby has distracted her immensely, there were still some moments where it just hits her and she's suddenly grappling with the intense heartbreak she feels about her dads' divorce.
Hiram and Leroy tried their complete best to explain why they were breaking up their family to their daughter. Fundamentally, Rachel understood, or at least tried her best to. They grew apart and got lost in their roles. Something about unmet expectations and lack of individual identity. Regardless, she couldn't swallow any of that because she was still choking on the sheer shock of it all. Unexpected wouldn't even begin to describe it. They all went to dinner at her favorite restaurant and saw the touring company of "Beauty and the Beast" together the night before they broke the news. The next day, Rachel was in the middle of composing a three-part harmony for "Be My Guest" for them to sing together when they interrupted her and turned her life upside down. She was absolutely blindsided. She didn't know how to process, she couldn't, so she went into autopilot. The next thing she knew, she was packing up her entire life and moving to Lima. Shortly after that, she was meeting her mom for the first time. Rachel appreciates drama more than most people, but definitely not when it was consuming her life. Everything was changing. And she was struggling to keep up. More often than not, she felt like all she was doing was trying to swim above the fray.
She didn't realize she had been deeply engrossed in her thoughts until her mom opened the passenger door, causing her to flinch in surprise as the cool air hit her. Before she could say anything, Shelby gently pulled her out of the car and wrapped her up in a hug. She instantly felt some of her stress dissipate. There was something about being in her mother's arms that provided a calming effect over her that she couldn't quite explain. She felt Shelby tighten her hold as if her mom was reading her mind.
"You're much too beautiful to be frowning like that, pretty girl. Whatever is going on in your head, it'll all be okay. I promise, Rachel."
She nodded against Shelby's chest and tried to absorb in all of the love and security she felt. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be embraced for a few more moments. As she pulled away, Rachel let out a sigh that, in Shelby's opinion, sounded like a much too-adult sound coming from the young teenager.
"Thanks," Rachel said genuinely. "I better go in. I'll see you after glee?"
"Yes, ma'am. I don't have rehearsal tonight, so I will pick you up right after your practice is over and then we'll grab some dinner together."
Shelby carefully examined her child one last time and immediately pulled her into another hug. She can't help it. Shelby saw sadness and confusion warring within Rachel. It filled her with a powerful need to gather her in her arms and shield her away from all the unnecessary hurt and pain.
"Mom, you're embarrassing me," Rachel whined but didn't move to pull away. Shelby grinned and kissed the top of her head.
"Sorry kiddo, I'm just going to miss you," she said sadly as she brushed Rachel's hair out of her face and kissed her forehead.
"You're so dramatic," Rachel laughed and stepped away from her mom's clutches. "I'll see you in like eight hours."
"Wish it was sooner," Shelby pouted as she pushed out her bottom lip and fake frowned.
"Goodbye, mother," Rachel rolled her eyes, waving Shelby off in irritation. And her dads wonder where she gets the theatrics from.
"Bye, baby! Have a good day!" Shelby called to her daughter while she walked away.
Rachel turned beet red, spun around, and shot Shelby an annoyed look that only an embarrassed teenager can muster.
"Mooom!"
"I love you! Make good choices!"
Rachel hurried her pace and practically sprinted towards the door before anybody noticed that the crazy woman was with her. Shelby slipped her sunglasses back on and smirked in satisfaction. Embarrass her kid in public? Check.
The moment Rachel walked into the freshmen hallway, a pair of rough hands grabbed her from out of nowhere and pushed her forcibly to the wall. Before she could process what was happening, she found herself backed up against a locker and felt a brief but shooting pain from where her head collided with the metal surface.
"Welcome to Loser-Town, Berry," Dave Karofsky jeered. "Population: you."
He let out a sick laugh in amusement and high-fived one of his jock cronies in twisted satisfaction.
"That's right, Karofsky! Shove a defenseless girl against a locker and then run away! You coward!" Rachel yelled angrily after the bully.
She had half a thought to run after him and slap the stupid look off his face. She made a step to do so before somebody from behind tugged on her backpack to hold her back. She balled up her fists and quickly turned around, ready to fight her next antagonizer.
"Woah, Rachel!" Quinn said in alarm with her hands up. "I'm sorry, it's just me. Karofsky's not worth it."
"Oh, I definitely know that ingrate isn't worth it," Rachel growled as she brushed herself off and continued her walk to her locker. "I'm just so sick of him and all the jocks acting like they can do whatever they want. Just yesterday, they pushed Artie down the stairs. It was only a few steps, but seriously, who does that!"
"He's probably just still pissed about you defending Kurt the other day," Quinn replied, trying to reign in her friend's justified anger. "No one's ever stood up to him before and he's embarrassed. I heard Azimio and those other guys giving him a hard time about it after Cheerios practice this morning."
"Good," Rachel huffed. "He should be ashamed of his atrocious behavior. It's completely reprehensible. And all I'm saying is that next time he lays his brutish hands on me, he's got another thing coming."
"You know, you kind of always look like a disgruntled middle-aged librarian and you sort of sound like one too, but you surprise me constantly, Berry."
"I'm not kidding, Quinn," Rachel said in annoyance while she opened her locker and then briefly paused to face the blonde. "My daddy grew up in public housing in the South Side of Chicago. He taught me how to fight and defend myself. I'm not going to take whatever those lumbering idiots have to dish lying down."
Quinn watched as something flashed across Rachel's face at the mention of one of her dads, but it happened so fast, she couldn't register the emotion.
"You're right," she agreed. "But just promise me you won't respond to the violence with violence. There are other ways we can resolve this. Strength in numbers and all that."
Rachel nodded her head noncommittally while she pulled her books out for the first half of the day.
"Anyway, what are you even doing here?" Rachel questioned. "You're usually grabbing breakfast with Britt and Santana right now after your morning practice."
"Already had my daily serving of bacon, thanks for asking. But I was looking for you, because—what are you doing after school today?"
"We have glee and then I'm having dinner with my mom."
"Wrong. We're hanging out first and then you're having dinner with Shelby. Mr. Schue canceled practice."
"What, why?" Rachel groaned in exasperation. This was the second rehearsal that their amateur coach canceled this week. She sighed and decided that she really needed to have a firm discussion with the man about taking show choir more seriously. Regionals was coming up and they were wholly unprepared. She closed her locker in frustration, a little more forcefully than she had intended. Today was not going well at all and the day had barely started.
"Don't know, don't really care, but please hang out with me after school today," Quinn pleaded, ignoring Rachel's look of disapproval. "C'mon it's my first day of freedom, and there's something I need to do later and I don't want to go alone. You owe me after your brilliant plan to Uber to Carmel. And you can't keep ignoring me, Rachel."
Quinn didn't mean to add the last part in but it was the truth. Yes, they had both been grounded to varying degrees recently and no, Rachel wasn't blatantly ignoring her, but she had still been distant and aloof. And Quinn knows when someone is blowing her off because it doesn't happen to her too often. Or ever, really. She is Quinn Fabray after all.
"I'm sorry," Rachel apologized as she met Quinn's hazel eyes, feeling the guilt rise up in her chest. "I've just been preoccupied."
Which happened to be the case, but she was also avoiding Quinn. And she knew it wasn't fair because it's not like the popular cheerleader had done anything obviously wrong to her, but every time she saw Quinn she felt the rampant jealousy swirl inside of her. Still, it wasn't Quinn's fault that she served as a reminder of the fact that her mom was kept from her, for no good reason, in her opinion.
"It's fine," Quinn said accepting the apology easily. She had talked to her mom at length about the situation with Rachel and Shelby the other day and the whole thing thoroughly blew her mind. If it was her, she's sure that she'd be dying her hair pink and hanging out with The Skanks in defiant rebellion. Her mom tried to explain all of the adults' reasoning to Quinn. But like Rachel, she was just a young teenager and her mind couldn't really grasp the complexities of the decisions that were made. That understanding would only come with more time and more life experiences. All she could see was that Shelby gave birth to Rachel, signed her over to her dads, agreed not to see her until she was an adult, changed her mind, and now wanted to be a part of her daughter's life. Clearly, Shelby loves Rachel but why did she not try to get her back sooner? Why let Rachel grow up without a mom unnecessarily? Surely if Quinn was ever in her position, she would fight for her daughter.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't realize she was in somewhat of a stupor until Rachel started waving her hand in front of her face trying to capture her attention.
"Hello? Earth to Quinn," Rachel said, her voice laced with irritation. Once she finally had her friend's attention, she continued. "I said fine, but I have to check with my mom if that's okay, so I'll tell you if I can come during bio. What are we even doing?"
"Hey," Quinn interjected, needing to say this to her friend right now. "I—I just want you to know that if you ever need anyone to talk to about this whole mom thing or even the dads thing that you can always come to me. Or if you don't want to talk, that's cool too. I'll just be around or whatever."
Rachel's facial features and body language instantly softened and she felt a surge of appreciation for her new friend swell within her. It'd take some time, but she's determined to work through the jealousy. She doesn't want to lose one of her only friends at the moment if she can't overcome it. She doesn't really know why Quinn is being so nice to her, but she's not about to question it now.
"Thanks Quinn," she replied, grateful for the offer. Not that she's jumping at it, but it was nice to know it was there. "And I've got your back too, which is why I'll come with you later. But let it be known that I'm doing so begrudgingly."
"That's expected," Quinn grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Just meet me at my locker after school. I convinced one of the seniors on the Cheerios to drive us to the Lima Bean. Don't be late!"
The rest of Rachel's school day went without a hitch. Fortunately, there wasn't another Karofsky sighting. In general, students and teachers alike seemed to be checked out, ready for the holiday next week. It was boring. And for someone who usually loved excitement, she was starting to really appreciate it when things were boring for once.
"I truly don't understand why you can't just tell me what we're doing here," Rachel complained for the millionth time since meeting up with Quinn after school.
"Listen Berry, I don't even really know what we're doing here," Quinn replied. "I just have a hunch, okay?"
"A hunch about what?" Rachel inquired. "Quinn, if we're doing anything illegal or worse, anything that can get me grounded by my mother again, I swear—"
Quinn sucked in a breath at the loss of her patience. Man, Rachel can be annoying. She opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it, turned on her heel, and walked away instead.
"What—Quinn!" Rachel whined, rooted to her spot on the sidewalk outside of the Lima Bean. She huffed indignantly when she saw the blonde quicken her pace at her call.
"Asks me for help and doesn't even tell me why," Rachel muttered to herself as she unwillingly followed her friend into the coffee shop.
Once she set foot into the cafe, she walked right into the cheerleader's back. Quinn was on a one-track mind searching for somebody as her eyes expertly scanned the crowded room.
"If you'd just tell me who you're looking for, I can help," Rachel offered. Quinn continued to ignore her and she sighed at the lack of response. "Fine. If you don't need me, then I will go and get myself a cup of tea."
Rachel began to walk away but before she could take another step, Quinn hastily grabbed her arm, pulled her halfway across the room weaving through tables and people, and yanked her to the floor behind a pillar and a tall fake plant.
Noting Rachel's completely startled expression, Quinn quickly covered her mouth with her hand, earning a deathly scowl from the diva that almost rivaled a Coach Corcoran glare.
"I'm only going to take my hand off if you promise you're not going to yell," Quinn whispered from her crouched down position. Rachel shot her another venomous look in return. "Rachel, promise me you won't make a scene."
The aggravated teen rolled her eyes and nodded. Quinn reluctantly pulled her hand off with bated breath.
"You're absolutely losing it, Fabray," Rachel whispered back angrily through gritted teeth.
"Look at the table in the far left corner," Quinn cut her off before she could commence her meltdown.
Rachel squinted her eyes in a purely dramatic fashion and examined the large room. Once she found what Quinn was trying to point out, irritation automatically coursed through her entire body.
"Are you kidding me!" Rachel exclaimed in a half-whisper. "Mr. Schue canceled New Directions practice so he can go on a date?!"
"And not just any date. On a date with my sister," Quinn said in a sincerely unbelieving manner.
Rachel's eyes widened taking in the beautiful woman sitting across from Mr. Schue. Her honey blonde hair cascaded over her slim shoulders and her bright sea green eyes twinkled while she laughed at what was undoubtedly a lame joke from her glee coach.
"You're joking," Rachel said in equal disbelief. "That's Frannie? What is she doing? I thought Mr. Schue was married!"
"Shh!" Quinn hushed the girl before they drew any attention to themselves. "I don't know, I heard he got divorced this past summer. Something about his wife pretending to be pregnant and then trying to take a student's baby or something crazy like that."
"Um—what? Anyway, how long has he been dating your sister?"
"I have no idea," Quinn said, her face contorting into a perfectly annoyed expression. "She's been acting super weird recently and she's been busy, but being really secretive about what she's doing. Anyway, I was over last night and I wasn't snooping, okay? But I was washing the dishes after our dinner while Fran went to take a shower and her phone started ringing and it said 'Acafella' on the caller ID, so I picked it up cause I thought it might be one of her clients or something, and I said hello but they hung up right away. I was like okay, whatever and then went back to washing the dishes, but then a few minutes later 'Acafella' texted, and it said 'Close call. Your sister picked up, but just wanted to remind you to meet me at the Lima Bean at 4 p.m. tomorrow.'"
"Oh my god, so did you know the whole day then that she was coming here to meet Mr. Schue?" Rachel asked excitedly, intrigued by the drama of it all.
"No! Absolutely not," Quinn replied, her voice dripping with disgust. "I thought Mr. Schue canceling practice was just coincidence. I didn't know he'd do it so he can hang out with my sister."
Quinn literally shuddered at the thought. Rachel placed a comforting hand on her unsettled friend's shoulder and gave her a sympathetic smile. She's an only child, but she can only imagine the discomfort at finding out your one and only big sister is dating your teacher.
"I'm sorry, Quinn," she said solemnly. "Please do let me know if there's anything I can do for you at this time. Wait—maybe they're not even dating, maybe they're just friends?"
The two teenagers glanced over at the couple and in that very same moment watched Will lean over and place a quick and chaste kiss on Frannie's lips. Quinn groaned in response and wished right then and there that the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
"Never mind," Rachel said disappointedly. She turned to inspect Frannie again who genuinely seemed to be enjoying Will's company. "Well, at least she looks happy?"
"And that's fine, I want her to be happy, but can she please be happy with anyone else that's not my teacher and my show choir coach?" Quinn griped, feeling frustrated and embarrassed about the whole thing. "And she's hiding it from me! Clearly, if she's keeping this a secret, then it's something that she shouldn't be doing."
"I know something else two sneaky little girls shouldn't be doing," a voice from behind them said in such a stern tone that unnerved both Rachel and Quinn immediately.
Before they could turn around, a pair of hands grabbed the troublemakers by their back collars and pulled them up to their feet to face her.
Quinn's complexion paled significantly at the sight of her mother. She swallowed thickly taking in Judy Fabray's firm countenance, her perfectly raised eyebrow, and the unmistakable look of steel in her eyes.
"Mommy—before you say anything, I did get permission from you to come here, so I really don't think I'm doing anything wrong," Quinn blurted out defensively.
"Don't you mommy me, little girl," Judy said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "If you're not doing anything wrong, then please tell me why the two of you are sneaking around and hiding in the corner," she demanded.
Rachel met the woman's eye contact for the first time and recognition sunk in. It's like she was seeing a hybrid older version of Quinn and Frannie. At the same time, Judy was also studying the petite brunette standing in front of her. Her breath caught in her throat soaking up how eerily similar she looked to the oldest Corcoran daughter. In the meanwhile, Quinn stood frozen with fear, trying to strategize her best way out of this. Before she could respond, her mom dropped her arms, took a timid step forward, and grabbed Rachel's hand.
"You are so beautiful, Rachel," Judy said softly as her anger waned. "You look just like your mom when she was your age."
"Oh, thanks," Rachel said meekly. She blushed and dropped her gaze, feeling bashful but elated at the same time at being compared to her gorgeous mother. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Fabray."
Judy wanted to pull the young girl in for a hug but opted to gently squeeze her hand in response. Her heart swelled thinking about the happiness she felt for her best friends being reunited with their granddaughter.
"Please, call me Judy. And it's really good to meet you too, Rachel," she smiled kindly.
Quinn smirked watching the interaction play out. Maybe her mom's unfailing sappiness will be her saving grace today. However, that thought didn't last long when Judy let go of Rachel's hand and promptly turned her attention back to her scheming daughter and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"I'm still waiting for an answer, Lucy Quinn," Judy commanded, shifting back into mom-mode in a record of 0.02 seconds.
"Did you know that Fran is dating my teacher?" Quinn grimaced while she turned her body and pointed to the couple at the opposite side of the room, who were both still very much unaware of everything that was going on around them.
Judy peered at her older daughter who seemed to be intently absorbed with the curly-haired man sitting across from her and sighed.
"Yes, I did know that Frannie was seeing somebody," she answered. "But I did not know that she was dating Mr. Schuester."
"See!" Quinn said in vindication. "She's keeping it from you too! Which means that it's wrong. You always tell us that lying by omission is still lying. Mom, you have to talk to her and tell her not to date Mr. Schue. Please?"
Judy ran her hand through her blonde locks and thought quickly for a moment. On one hand, she understands where her younger daughter was coming from. It was an awkward situation. On the other hand, she couldn't tell her older daughter what to do regarding her love life. As long as Frannie was in a happy, healthy relationship and her significant other treated her with kindness and respect, Frannie was a grown woman, she couldn't dictate her daughter's relationships.
"Quinn, honey," the mother proceeded cautiously. "I realize that this may be somewhat uncomfortable, but maybe your sister didn't tell us because she's not ready to share it with us yet. I know that this is still new and we also don't know if it's anything serious. Frannie didn't tell us for a reason, and we have to respect that. If and only if this is something that your sister chooses to pursue, we can all talk about it together. We will discuss boundaries, so that it is as painless for you as possible. I promise you that, Quinnie."
"But mom, still—" Quinn began to argue and Judy instantly held up her hand and wagged her exquisitely manicured finger to stop her.
"No, Q. Your sister is a grown up. If she's happy, we cannot stop her from dating whomever she wants," Judy said firmly. "I am sorry that it apparently ended up being your teacher, but we just have to wait to see how this unfolds. I promise you that you will get the chance to share how you feel. But sneaking around to spy on Frannie is not acceptable. I know she would not appreciate that. And I definitely know that you like it when your sister respects your privacy."
Quinn felt her throat dry up and the guilt begin to grow inside of her. She snuck a peek at Rachel who was wringing her hands apprehensively, electing to stay silent at the moment.
"Are you going to tell her?" Quinn asked, dropping her head in shame.
"No honey, you are," Judy said encouragingly. "But not right now. We are going to let your sissy enjoy her date and I actually came here to pick you up early. There was an opening in Dr. Howell's office. Carl said he can squeeze you in before he closes, so you don't have to come in early tomorrow morning," the older woman felt her face flush thinking about the handsome young dentist.
Quinn groaned for the umpteenth time that afternoon. First her sister, now the dentist. The universe was not being kind to one Lucy Quinn Fabray today. Rachel grabbed her hand in understanding and gave it a compassionate squeeze.
"Rachel, do you have a ride home?" Judy asked. "We still have some time and I'd be more than happy to take you to your dads' or your mom's?"
Rachel paused momentarily and pulled out her phone and read over her most recent text messages.
"Oh, actually, my mom said she's hanging out downtown too, so I can just tell her to meet me here," Rachel grinned. She had missed her mom. "But thank you anyway, Mrs. Fabray."
Judy nodded and smiled widely at Rachel. She was a lovely young woman, and she couldn't wait for her old friends to meet her too.
"Anytime, Rachel. Do you want us to wait for your mom with you?"
Rachel looked at Quinn who didn't seem too pleased at the turn of events and decided she would help end her friend's misery sooner rather than later.
"No, that's okay," she assured her. "It shouldn't take her that long to get here. I'll just order a drink in the meanwhile. Sorry, Quinn. Text me later?"
"Sure will," Quinn said dejectedly as she accepted a brief hug from Rachel. "Thanks for coming with me."
"Anytime, anywhere," Rachel whispered, not wanting Judy Fabray to hear her promise to her friend. The woman intimidated her just as much as her mother did.
Judy bit back a smirk at the exchange between the two teenagers. It seemed as though her and Shelby some double trouble on their hands.
"That'll be $2.72," the barista said as he rung up Rachel's order. She pulled out a five dollar bill from her wallet to pay for it but a hand from behind her snatched it up and gave the employee a credit card instead.
"It's on me," Shelby smiled at her kid who turned around to look at her in surprise.
"Thanks, mom," Rachel said appreciatively while she took the money back from her mother.
"Anything for my favorite daughter," Shelby replied as she put her arm around Rachel's shoulders and pulled her in for a quick side hug.
"I'm your only daughter."
"Then aren't you a lucky one," Shelby teased.
Rachel laughed and rolled her eyes in a playful manner at her mom.
"Sorry mom, did you want anything? I'm sure he can still take your order."
"Nope," Shelby said holding up a half-eaten strawberry ice cream cone with her other arm. "I'm good, baby. Thanks. Some sugar for my sugar?" She offered a bite to her daughter.
"You are so weird," Rachel shook her head in amusement but leaned over to take a small taste of the delicious treat. "So good, but it's freezing outside."
"Hey now, if there's only one thing that you learn from me, it's that there is never not a good time for some strawberry ice cream," Shelby insisted.
"Lemon ginger tea with honey for Rachel!" The barista called.
Rachel went up to the counter and picked up her steaming cup of tea. She walked back to her mom who had a thoroughly intrigued expression written across her face.
"What?" Rachel questioned.
"Nothing, kiddo," Shelby replied, amused by her daughter's choice of drink, which also happened to be her go-to. "You just continue to surprise me, that's all."
"You're not the first one who's said that to me today," Rachel said, recalling Quinn's comment in the morning. She walked over to an open table and sat down.
"Yeah? How was your day, baby?" Shelby asked curiously as she took the seat across from her daughter.
"It was boring and also kind of interesting," the teenager stated without any elaboration. "How was your day?"
"How so? My day was fine. Actually, it was kind of hectic. Hence the stress eating," the older woman remarked, taking the final bite of her ice cream cone.
"Did your Vocal Adrenaline automatons keep you really busy today?" Rachel asked with a sly grin.
"You could say that," Shelby chuckled, letting her daughter's jab roll off her back. "We have our Annual Holiday Showcase coming up and it's a really big event and performance for us. It's honestly more for the District and Carmel administrators and our Booster Club than anything else. It just feels like the more successful we are, the bigger this event becomes, but it's fine. Anyway, sorry for complaining, kiddo. It'll be alright, this is not your old mom's first time at the rodeo."
Rachel's face fell slightly examining her mother. She does look somewhat exhausted. In the few weeks that she's known her, she has yet to see or even hear her mom even a little bit unhinged. This was her first encounter with a stressed-out Shelby.
"You'll be fine, mom," Rachel said in total conviction. Her mom was Shelby Corcoran. From where Rachel was standing, there wasn't a single thing that Shelby couldn't handle. "You're so good at your job, and as much as I hate to admit it, your VA kids are annoyingly talented, so I'm sure it'll all come together."
Shelby smiled at her thoughtful kid. How did she get so lucky?
"Thanks, baby," she said gratefully and leaned over and rubbed Rachel's arm affectionately. "I appreciate that. And I missed you, so please tell me more about your day?"
Rachel paused and watched Frannie and Mr. Schue walk out of the coffee shop hand in hand out of the corner of her eyes. She took a sip of her tea before placing it back down on the table and pushing it towards Shelby to share.
"Mom?"
"Yeah, Rach?" Shelby replied, accepting Rachel's offer and bringing the warm liquid up to her mouth.
"Have you—have you ever dated anyone?"
Shelby instantly choked on her drink at the incredibly random question. She coughed uncomfortably and Rachel cocked her head in confusion watching her mom squirm.
"Wh-what, baby? Where is this coming from?" Shelby finally croaked out as she cleared her throat and straightened up in her chair.
"Quinn and I saw Mr. Schuester on a date with her sister Frannie," Rachel responded casually. "They were all here earlier."
"That's an interesting development," Shelby said, fascinated by the news.
"Quinn doesn't think so," Rachel giggled.
"No, I bet she doesn't," Shelby joined in her daughter's laughter. She hesitated for a second and then womaned-up. "Yes. I did date someone back in New York. We knew each other for about five years and then dated for a little more than four of that. We broke up just before I moved back here."
"Oh," Rachel said, thinking deeply about what her mom just shared. "That's a long time to be together. What—why did you guys break up? How come you never got married?"
"Lots of reasons, baby," Shelby sighed and gave her a small smile. She wanted to be as honest as possible without digging too much into it. "We just—I don't know, we got along really well. He was great. And I did love him and I think he loved me too. We just wanted different things in the end."
Rachel frowned in response. She could hear the heartbreak in her mom's voice. She wanted to ask who it was but she didn't want to pry. She never knew that her mom dated anyone. It wasn't in anything that she read about Shelby Corcoran on the Internet. Now that she thinks about it, there's a lot of things she doesn't know about her mom's past life in New York. She must've been really careful about sharing her private life with the press.
"I'm sorry that it didn't work out," Rachel said sadly.
"Oh, no baby, it's perfectly okay," she assured her daughter. "We're not best friends or anything like that, but things ended amicably. And it's fine, everything worked out. I mean, I do have you now."
Rachel's face immediately lit up. She really loved how much her mom loved her.
"And I'm enough?" She couldn't help but ask.
"More than enough," Shelby promised. "You're my number one priority right now, Rach. Nothing else comes before you."
Rachel nodded conscientiously and found herself truly believing her mom in that moment.
"So," Shelby said, interrupting Rachel's thoughts. "What about you, young lady. Have you dated anyone?"
Rachel felt her cheeks burn red. Now she understands why her mom was so thrown off earlier.
"No," Rachel said blushing. "Daddy said I'm not allowed to date until I'm 18 and Dad said I'm not allowed to have a boyfriend until I'm 30 and I have a college degree and at least two Tony's."
"Ha!" Shelby chortled at the overprotective dads. "I will talk to your fathers about settling on an age for when you can start dating. But I do agree with them, I still think you're too young and I think you should just continue to focus on school and glee and everything else."
"Yeah, it's okay, it's not like any boys are interested in me right now anyways," Rachel said without thinking about it.
"Are you interested in any boys?"
"No mom," Rachel replied, beginning to woefully regret ever bringing this subject up. "I think I'm more interested in making some more friends."
Shelby looked up and watched a crestfallen expression take over Rachel's beautiful face. She felt her heart drop and grabbed Rachel's hand in her own and began to rub calming circles on the back of her hand with her thumb. She doesn't know if the soothing action was more for her or for her daughter.
"You're having trouble making friends, Rach?" Shelby asked, her voice filled with concern.
"No, it's fine," Rachel shook her head, trying to walk it back. "I have Quinn and Kurt. And I'm friendly with the kids in the glee club. But other kids at school just don't get me. I don't know. It's fine, mom. I just miss my friends in Chicago. I miss how it used to be."
"I'm sorry, baby," Shelby said empathetically. "I know there's been a lot of changes recently. And I'm sorry that kids at McKinley don't really understand you. But I want you to know that I get you. And I get that you're really wonderful. And that you are unique, and talented, and smart. You're opinionated as heck kid, but you are you. And people will always be intimidated by those traits in a person. But I promise you, Rach, that in time, you will also find a group of friends here who will love and appreciate that about you like I do."
"You're my mom, you have to say that," Rachel replied but couldn't help the smile that graced her lips.
"And I'll say it every day until you believe me, kid," Shelby smirked.
"Thanks, mom," Rachel said in appreciation.
"I meant it, baby. And—circling back to dating. I just have one last thing I need to say."
"Mom, no," the teen whined. "I heard you. Not allowed to date yet. You have to talk to my dads about it."
"Right," Shelby confirmed and then braced herself for what she was about to say next. "I promise—we're not going to have the talk right now, Rach. But I just want you to know that you can always come talk to me if you ever have any questions or if you're ever curious at all about any of that. I promise, I'll never be mad if you come to me. I want us to be open about this. You can always talk to me about boys or dating or sex or even anything about your body, okay? If you have any questions at all."
"Mom!" Rachel let out a low groan comprised of pure teenage-embarrassment. She was not prepared to have this conversation with her mother at this time, in the middle of a coffee shop—where all of her classmates and teachers evidently hang out—of all places. "Can we please not talk about this right now?"
"Okay, okay," Shelby relented over her daughter's protests. "But did you hear me, Rach? You promise you will come talk to me if you're thinking about any of that?"
"Yes! I promise," Rachel hissed. She was being honest. She would definitely go to her mother first before either of her dads on this subject matter. "Just please stop talking about it. I'm begging you."
"Alright," Shelby agreed, just as relieved as Rachel that it was over. She can't even stomach the thought of her baby girl even kissing anyone at this point. "Sorry, baby. I had to," she shrugged apologetically.
"You know—you're two for two in the Shamelessly Embarrass Your Kid in Public game today," Rachel glared at her mom jokingly.
"Huh. I guess I am," Shelby said thoughtfully and leaned her back against her chair, extremely pleased with herself. "Damn, I'm good."
"You're the worst," Rachel laughed.
"You love me anyway," Shelby countered back.
"I don't know," Rachel retorted, mirroring her mom's movements and sat back and relaxed in her seat. "Maybe just a little bit."
"Ouch," Shelby fake gasped and placed her hand over her chest in mock pain. "I think I'm going to have to take back my favorite daughter comment from earlier."
"Nope," Rachel grinned broadly. "Once you give that title away, you can't take it back."
Shelby laughed freely, feeling the happiness from being with Rachel surge through her veins. It gave her such a high. Nothing would ever compare to quality time with her kid. She stared at her daughter fondly and savored in at how comfortable Rachel seemed to be around her now. Progress had been made. A foundation had been built. They had come a long way in a short time.
But Shelby also took all of that in with a grain of salt. As she's come to know, every peak that she's climbed with her daughter had unfortunately been met with a trip back down to the valley. They were at the highest point they'd ever reached right now, and Shelby would be lying if she wasn't worried about the inevitable fall.
Rachel stared back at her curiously and gave her a bright and easy smile when she made eye contact. Her heart instantly melted as it always did at her completely amazing child.
Either way, when or if, Shelby vowed to be there to catch her.
A/N: Thanks so much for reading and for all the continued love and support for this story. Would love to hear what you all think!
Next chapter is Thanksgiving in EC world.