A/N – Hey guys, I've got the next chapter for you. I know it's been a while, but I'm doing the best I can. I got a few really nasty messages about why I was taking so long, but I've chosen not to publish them. I was going to write out why I've been so busy, but I decided against that as well. But please understand that I am busy and life gets in the way. I wish more than anyone that I had more time to write, but that just hasn't been the case these past couple of months. I'm doing what I can when I can.

I want to say thank you for all of the lovely reviews and messages I've received. I truly appreciate your feedback and response to this (and all my) stories. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.

It had been two weeks since Rachel had received her new bedroom set which meant that it was now just over a full month that the girl had been living with Shelby. They had both settled down into a routine and, though it wasn't easy, it was happy. The best part about it was that Rachel didn't walk around on eggshells with the constant worry of being given back. She adored Shelby and trusted her and believed every word of the makeshift contract they had made. With the weight of the world off her shoulders, Rachel was truly able to relax and be a kid and Shelby loved watching it happen. It wasn't smooth sailing at every moment, but Martha St. James assured her that was normal. Rachel had found herself in time out a few times over the past couple of weeks, but she really did keep her mischief to a minimum. She was certainly happy she hadn't had to write lines again because she wasn't sure anything could be more horrible than that. It had taken ages to complete. Overall, Rachel was relishing in the feeling of being a normal kid with a parent and a home she could call her own.

"But when are we going to go?" Rachel whined. It was late morning on the second Saturday in February.

"In a little while," Shelby answered, exasperated. She wasn't sure why the child felt the need to ask the same question over and over again. "When Jesse and Miss Martha get here we will go. Unless you aren't done with your chores yet and then you won't be going anywhere."

"Shelby," Rachel whined again.

"Rachel," Shelby warned lightly.

Rachel heaved a long sigh and then sulked her way into the kitchen and fished a broom out of the small closet in the corner where Shelby kept cleaning supplies. One of Rachel's chores was to sweep the kitchen floor every Saturday morning. She also had to clear her dishes from the table after meals and keep her room tidy. Shelby had followed the St. James' advice when they told her to assign Rachel some chores. Sweeping the kitchen floor was a pretty easy task considering a cleaning lady came twice a week, but Rachel had complained about having to do it since the day she'd been assigned the job. Shelby always got a kick out of watching her because the broom was taller than Rachel was.

Rachel finished in short order, even with having to go back and get the corner Shelby knew she had skipped. Shelby had retrieved the dustpan and brush and Rachel hurriedly picked up the crumbs and other dirt she had found.

"Can I go put my suit on now?" Rachel asked once the broom was put away.

"Yes, go on," Shelby said. "Don't run in the house!" she had to yell after the girl took off racing down the hall.

The building they lived in had an indoor pool that Rachel was dying to try out. She'd never been swimming, but Jesse assured her it was a lot of fun. Shelby had easily agreed and ordered the girl a bathing suit online since it was the middle of winter and no stores were carrying them. Rachel had been dismayed when the first suit arrived and it was way too big because Shelby had ordered the wrong size. Shelby apologized profusely as she stuck the too-big suit in a drawer to save for when Rachel was a bit older and then ordered three more suits of varying sizes and had them rush delivered to the house. Luckily one had fit perfectly and Rachel was more than ready to try it out.

Rachel ran back to the living room a few minutes later wearing her one piece swimsuit. It was blue with pink stars on it and had been Rachel's first choice when she and Shelby had looked at the computer to find a suit to order. Shelby thought maybe Rachel would want something with the Disney princesses on it, but Rachel hadn't been interested.

"I'm ready!" Rachel proclaimed and sat down on the sofa next to Shelby.

"I see, but we're not going until Jesse gets here," Shelby reminded her.

"I know," Rachel said as she flopped back dramatically to lie on the couch.

"Why don't you go and put some shorts and a t-shirt on?" Shelby suggested. "Jesse's lesson doesn't end for another thirty minutes and then they will be heading here."

"Okay," Rachel agreed, but didn't get up off the couch. "What time are your parents going to be here?"

"Sometime this afternoon," Shelby answered. "They're excited to see you again."

"Why aren't we going to their house again?" Rachel asked. They'd only been back once since the first time she met them and Rachel had a lot of fun that trip. "I want to see the horses."

"They wanted to come here this weekend," Shelby answered. "We'll be back up there soon enough. You can see the horses then."

"Okay," Rachel sighed heavily causing Shelby to roll her eyes.

"Go on and get some shorts and a t-shirt and pick out the towel you want to use," Shelby said. "We'll be able to go before you know it."

Rachel got up and trudged back to her room, sure that time was going slow on purpose.

Almost an hour later, they were finally headed to the pool with Jesse and Martha. Rachel was bouncing on her toes as she waited for the elevator door to open.

"Does it really have a slide?" Jesse asked as he looked up at Shelby.

"Yes," Shelby confirmed for the third time. "A slide and two diving boards and yes you can use them all."

The moment the elevator doors opened enough for Jesse to get out, he tried to take off running, only to find that Martha had a good grip on the back of his t-shirt.

"Mom," the boy whined.

"What did I tell you before?" Martha asked. "You know there is no running around the pool."

"But I know how to swim if I fall in," Jesse retorted.

"Yes well, Rachel doesn't know how to swim and if you fall and hit your head first, you may not be able to swim," Martha said.

Jesse just sighed and let his mom lead him off the elevator. He would never understand why parents had to be so dramatic all the time. He ran all the time and he'd never once fallen and hit his head. Mothers.

They found a table and chairs to put their towels and leave their clothes and flip flops. Though considering they were the only ones in the building using the pool at the moment, they had their choice of every table.

"Can I go in now?" Jesse asked when he was stripped down to just his swim trunks.

"Yes, go," Martha waved him off. "Be careful. I will be right there."

"Does he swim really well?" Shelby asked as she watched Jesse jump into the pool. Rachel had wandered over to the side to look at him.

"Yeah," Martha answered. "Desmond and I love to swim and we put Jesse in lessons when he was three so he would be proficient and also so he'd never be afraid of the water. He's a little fish."

"That's a really good idea," Shelby said. "I think I'll look into lessons for Rachel. I hope she'll like it today. She's been talking about it non-stop for two weeks."

"I bet she does," Martha said. "Rachel, you stop right there." She had turned to look at the children and saw Rachel about to jump in.

"But Miss Martha," Rachel whined with a guilty expression when she turned around to look at the adults.

"You can wait for us," Shelby told her.

"But you're taking forever," Rachel responded. "I'll never get to swim."

"You can be patient," Shelby said. She looked back over at Martha, "I've never seen such a drama queen."

"I bet your parents used to say the same thing," Martha said with a light laugh at Shelby's shocked face.

Rachel only had to wait another minute as the two women removed their own shorts and t-shirts and headed for the water. The pool was refreshing and had just enough warmth to make it really comfortable. Rachel hurried over to Shelby and got in the water with her. Shelby thought they should stay in the shallow end for a while and let Rachel get used to it, but Rachel was determined to be near Jesse and he was playing in a four foot section, bobbing up and down as he jumped on his toes.

Rachel was shorter than Jesse, but she found she was able to bob in the same way he was and was soon laughing like crazy when she and Jesse started splashing each other. Shelby tried to show her some basics about swimming and after a few minutes she'd picked up the doggie paddle and was sort of able to tread water, but she was much too interested in playing to worry about any type of lessons.

"She certainly has taken to the water very quickly," Martha said. "I thought maybe she'd be a little nervous at first."

"Me too," Shelby replied.

"I'd get on those swimming lessons sooner rather than later," Martha said. "I bet you anything she's going to want to come up here and swim every day."

"Wonderful," Shelby said with a wry smile.

"Mom, can I go down the slide?" Jesse asked after another couple minutes.

"Sure," Martha answered. "Don't run."

The deep end of the pool was twelve feet deep and boasted a slide as well as two diving boards, one three meters high and one ten. A lifeguard worked later in the day and all summer and other times were a swim on your own policy.

Jesse reached the top of the slide and got on his stomach and slid down with his arms stretched out in front of him. He entered the water with ease and popped up a few seconds later.

"That was so cool!" Jesse exclaimed. "You gotta try it, Rachel."

Rachel agreed and started to go towards the nearest ladder, but unfortunately she didn't make it all the way out because Shelby wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back.

"Shelby," Rachel whined as she tried to wiggle free.

"Hang on a second," Shelby said. "That part of the pool is much deeper and you won't be able to bounce on the bottom like you can here. Jesse can do that because he can already swim."

"But I want to try," Rachel said as her wiggling intensified. "You can catch me. You won't let me go."

Shelby smiled and nodded excitedly at Rachel. She couldn't help it; she was so glad Rachel was enjoying herself. "Come on, I'll catch you."

Rachel got out of the pool and made her way over to the slide and waited for Shelby to swim over and take her place in the deep end, treading water.

"Be careful climbing up the ladder," Shelby said.

"I will," Rachel nodded and then made the climb.

She wasn't quite brave enough to go head first like Jesse had done so Rachel took a seat at the top of the slide and looked down at Shelby. It was a little higher than she thought it would be and she was nervous.

"I'm ready whenever you are," Shelby said. She hoped she'd positioned herself right so that she didn't end up getting kicked in the face.

"Okay," Rachel said. She was hesitating. She looked back over her shoulder and down at the ground and then back over at Shelby. "Okay."

"You can do it, sweetheart," Shelby encouraged. Martha and Jesse were watching intently as well. "I'll catch you."

"Okay," Rachel said again. "Ready?"

"I'm ready."

Rachel mustered up all of her courage and pushed herself forward on the wet slide and shut her eyes tightly as she slid down. She was airborne for just a moment before splashing into the water. She immediately started to kick, but soon felt two strong hands grasp her arms and pull her up. Rachel took a sputtering breath and coughed as soon as her head was above the surface of the water. Shelby moved them to the side of the pool and put Rachel's hands on the concrete so she could hang on. She moved Rachel's hair back from her small face and looked expectantly at the girl. She was worried Rachel didn't like it and would now be too scared.

"That was amazing!" Rachel exclaimed. "I gotta do it again. Can I jump off the diving board? Will you catch me?"

"Whoa, slow down kiddo," Shelby said. "Catch your breath."

"Can I go, Shelby?" Rachel ignored the request to slow down. "Can I slide again? Can I jump?"

"Sure, go on," Shelby laughed as Rachel scrambled out of the water and raced towards the lower of the two diving boards. "Walk!"

A couple hours later the kids were still playing in a shallow part of the pool while Shelby and Martha sat at the table and get a close eye on them. Rachel had gone off the slide and diving board more times than any of them could count and she was having a great time. The only thing she avoided at the moment was the ten meter diving board. That was still a bit too high for her liking.

Shelby's parents had called and said they were about an hour away and Shelby was dreading having to tell Rachel that it would be time to leave soon. She didn't want to have the outing end on a fight. But they needed to get back so they could shower and get dressed before they arrived.

"Rachel," Shelby said. "It's time to get out now. Gram and Pop will be here soon." Shelby's parents had always known what they wanted to be called when they became grandparents and Shelby had been using the names to get Rachel used to the idea. So far Rachel didn't really refer to them by any name, but Shelby was hoping that would change this trip.

"But Shelby," Rachel whined as she moved farther away from the ladder. "I want to swim some more."

"We can come and swim another day, but right now it's time to get out," Shelby said. She wanted to relent and tell her parents to meet them at the pool, but they told her they had a surprise planned for Rachel and so the girl needed to be ready. And Shelby too, she assumed, even though she didn't know what the surprise was.

"You too, Jesse," Martha added.

"Mom," Jesse's voiced joined in whining.

"There will be plenty of other chances to go swimming. You both knew we only had a few hours today," Martha reminded them.

"It's not fair," Rachel pouted.

"Come on now," Shelby said.

Jesse sighed and started for the ladder so he could get out. Once Rachel saw what he was doing, she followed Jesse's lead and followed behind him.

"Can we go swimming tomorrow?" Rachel asked as Shelby wrapped a towel around her shoulders.

"I don't know," Shelby answered honestly. "But I promise will come back soon. You will have plenty of time to swim. Jesse too. Now let's get going. We've got to run you through the shower. You can use mine." Rachel had recently shown an interest in getting a shower instead of a bath and Shelby was fine with letting her do that. Rachel adored the big shower in Shelby's bathroom and always asked to be able to use. Shelby tried to limit it to once a week in her bathroom because she wanted Rachel to feel comfortable in her own bathroom as well.

"Alright," Rachel conceded with a weary sigh. She knew Shelby's parents were coming to visit and she was excited to see them, but she wanted to swim longer right now. It wasn't fair.

When they got back to the apartment, Martha politely declined Shelby's offer for them to shower there and mother and son headed home. Rachel had a quick shower first and then played in her room while Shelby got cleaned up and changed. Shelby had just emerged from her bedroom in jeans and a t-shirt and her hair still wrapped in a towel when the door buzzed, letting her know her parents were there.

"Can I answer it?" Rachel asked as she hurried out from her room.

"Sure," Shelby replied and stopped her walk to the door so Rachel could go over and open it.

Rachel swung the door open to reveal the elder Corcorans on the other side. They both smiled down at Rachel when they saw it was her that had opened the door.

"Hi, Gram!" Rachel said with a smile. "Hi, Pop. Come on in. We went swimming earlier and it was a lot of fun. You should come with us some time."

"Uh, we would love that," Sally said. Her smile had widened and tears had formed in her eyes at Rachel's easy use of the name Gram.

"Hi, squirt," Eugene said as he leaned down to be at eye level with her. "All of the horses said to tell you hello. They miss you."

"Really?" Rachel asked. "I miss them too. Shelby says we can go up and see them soon. I want to ride again. You're still going to teach me, right?"

"You bet I am," Eugene answered. "Between the three of us, you're going to be a horseback riding expert soon enough."

"Can I get my own horse?" Rachel asked excitedly.

"Of cour-"

Eugene was cut off when Shelby spoke up. "We'll have to see. Right now there are plenty of horses that already live there and you can ride them."

"But Shelby," Rachel whined.

"Why don't you show Pop and I your bedroom?" Sally suggested in an attempt to put a stop to any whining before it really got going. "I hear you got all new furniture."

"I did!" Rachel said, the thought of her own horse forgotten for now. "Come see."

She took Eugene's hand and reached for Sally's as well.

"I'll be right in," Sally said. "Give Pop the grand tour first."

Sally waited until Eugene and Rachel were out of the room before gathering Shelby up in a big hug and holding her tightly.

"Hi, Mom," Shelby said.

"She called us Gram and Pop," Sally said with amazement in her voice.

"I know," Shelby said. "She's been asking about your visit all week."

"She has?" Sally asked as she stepped back to talk with Shelby.

"Yep," Shelby confirmed. "She mainly wanted to know why we aren't going to your house so she can see the horses, but I know she was excited to see you guys too. And I've been calling you Gram and Pop so she would get used to it. I guess it just stuck."

"But she still calls you Shelby," Sally pointed out.

"Yeah," Shelby said with a shrug. "I've never brought up her calling me anything else. She's only been here for a little while and the main thing is that she feels comfortable and safe. She will figure out what she wants to call me as time goes on."

"But don't you want her to call you mom?" Sally asked.

"Of course. But I'm not going to pressure her into it," Shelby said.

"I can't believe she's only been with you a month," Sally said. "I feel like we've had that girl in our lives her whole life."

"I know," Shelby said. "I couldn't love her any more than if I'd met her the moment she was born. There's just something about her that fits."

"Gram," Rachel yelled from her bedroom. "Are you coming?"

"I'll be right there."

"You better get back there before Dad promises to buy her three horses and a car and the moon and whatever else she wants," Shelby said.

"And why can't we buy Rachel her own horse?" Sally questioned. "She's our granddaughter."

"Because there are already eight horses living there that you care for fulltime," Shelby said. "You don't need to add another one that has to be taken care of when she already has horses she can ride when we go up there."

"This coming from the woman who as a seven year old locked herself in the only working bathroom in our house for five hours in protest when she was told no about getting her own horse," Sally said and Shelby immediately blushed at the memory.

"That was different," Shelby insisted. "It wasn't fair. Tommy had his own horse."

"Tommy was ten and more responsible and helped take care of it every day," Sally reminded her. "You wouldn't even feed the goldfish you just had to have. Tommy did that too."

"I would have taken care of it," Shelby said with a pout. "I deserved to be given the chance."

"No. What you deserved was the spanking you got when your father was finally able to break the door off its old, rusty hinges," Sally said. "We had to put a makeshift curtain up so people could have privacy in the bathroom."

"You wouldn't buy me a horse when I was seven, but you're willing to buy Rachel one and she's only eight," Shelby pointed out the hypocrisy.

"It's different with grandchildren," Sally said with a wide smile. "If she wants the moon, we're going to give it to her. It's up to you to figure out where to put it."

With that Sally walked down the hall to meet up with Rachel and Eugene and see the girl's bedroom. Shelby was left to shake her head, though she couldn't help but smile at the fact that her parents had taken the leap with her and loved Rachel wholeheartedly in the way all good grandparents love their grandchildren.

Shelby went into her room to finish up drying her hair so she could get ready to go out. Her parents had mentioned a few times on the phone that they had a surprise and Shelby was curious to find out what it was.

Shelby returned to the living room half an hour later to find her parents sitting alone on the couch quietly talking to each other.

"Where's Rachel?" Shelby asked as she sat in a chair.

"She went to get something from the loft," Eugene answered. "She said she wanted to show us something."

Shelby nodded. "So what do you guys have planned for us this evening? What's the big surprise?"

"Actually, Shelby, it's just for Rachel," Sally said, breaking the news gently.

"Oh," Shelby said. "What is it?"

"We've got tickets to see Beauty and the Beast," Eugene said. "We're just going to take her out and have a good time."

"By yourselves?" Shelby asked.

"Just the three of us, yes," Sally answered. "We figured it would give us some time to spend alone with Rachel and give you some time to yourself."

"Okay." Shelby said and then asked, "Are you sure? She can be a handful."

Eugene laughed and shared a look with his wife. Shelby was one to talk. "I'm pretty sure we can handle it."

"Are you okay?" Sally asked her daughter.

"Yeah, of course," Shelby said. "Rachel will love it. And it'll give me a chance to catch up on some things around here."

"We're not trying to exclude you," Sally said. "We just wanted the chance to do something special for Rachel on our own. And we didn't figure you'd want to see Beauty and the Beast again."

"No, of course, I understand," Shelby said. She did understand, but she wasn't used to being the one put aside by her parents.

"Here it is!" Rachel exclaimed as she came running into the living room holding her Oliver! DVD.

"Rachel, how many times do I have to tell you that there is no running in the house?" Shelby asked rhetorically.

"Will you watch it with me?" Rachel asked the grandparents as she ignored the scolding from Shelby.

"Maybe we can watch it with you tomorrow," Eugene said.

"But-" Rachel started to pout.

"We can't watch it right now because we've got to get ready," Sally said. "You and me and Pop are going out tonight."

"Out? But…" Rachel trailed off as she looked over at Shelby. "Is Shelby going?" Except for her excursion to the St. James house and school, Rachel hadn't been anywhere without Shelby since she moved in. She suddenly found herself scared at the thought of being without her foster mother. "Are we coming back here?"

"Of course you are, sweetheart," Shelby said. She scooted forward on the couch so she could sit on the edge and gently took Rachel's hand and pulled her over. Shelby stood Rachel in front of her and looked into the earnest and worried eyes. "Gram and Pop have a surprise for you later on tonight and they thought it would be fun to go out a little early and go shopping and have dinner before the surprise."

"But why aren't you going?" Rachel asked.

"Because this is a special moment between you and your grandparents," Shelby said. "I get special moments with you all the time and they want the chance to take you out and have fun. You're going to love it. Trust me."

"How come they don't want to have special moments with you?" Rachel asked and then frowned when all three adults laughed.

"Honey, we just wanted to get to spend some time with you just the three of us," Sally explained. "But if you want your- If you want Shelby to come along, that would be just fine too." Sally had no doubts that if Shelby Corcoran showed up at the theater that night, she'd have no problem getting a ticket.

Rachel looked from the faces of the two elder Corcorans and then back to Shelby. They were all silently encouraging her to do and say what she felt most comfortable with. She really loved Sally and Eugene and she loved that she got to call them by regular names in the same way Jesse called his grandparents grandma and granddad. She always had fun when she and Shelby went up to their house to see them and the horses. It just hadn't ever occurred to her that she might be with them without Shelby. But she was willing to try.

"Is it okay if I go without you?" Rachel asked Shelby.

Shelby chuckled lightly and tucked some of Rachel's hair behind her ear. "Of course it's okay." She suddenly had a flash of Rachel as a teenager insisting she didn't want to go anywhere with Shelby. "Why don't I help you pick out something to wear?"

An hour later Rachel left with Sally and Eugene to head down to the street so they could get a cab. Rachel had been give twenty dollars of her own and specific instructions to behave and listen. She promised she would as she hurried to press the buttons on the elevator. Shelby rolled her eyes as she locked her door and wandered back into the large apartment. It felt odd to be without Rachel, but she was determined to take advantage of what was now a rare moment alone. Like all new parents with a free evening in front of them, Shelby flopped down on her bed and settled in for a nap.

The first stop for the trio was Times Square and Rachel had the time of her life looking in all the shops and watching the billboards for the various Broadway shows. They had a quick dinner before walking to the theater that housed Beauty and the Beast.

"What are we doing here?" Rachel asked.

"We're going to see this show," Eugene answered. "How does that sound?"

"Really?" Rachel squealed. "Is it like the movie?" Rachel hadn't seen that many movies in her young life, but she'd been plopped down in front of a few Disney movies so many times she could quote them.

"It is," Sally said.

They walked in the lobby and Rachel's eyes went wide just like it had when she and Shelby saw Wicked.

"Shelby's going to be sad she didn't get to see it with us," Rachel commented as she and Sally waited in line for the bathroom.

"She's seen it before," Sally told her. "I think she's seen all of the musicals that are on Broadway right now."

"Wow," Rachel said with an air of reverence.

Sally smiled down and Rachel and could have sworn she was looking right at an eight-year-old Shelby. Broadway had always been her favorite thing in the world and she had always been so excited to come into the city and see a show. The first time Shelby had ever missed curfew was because she'd driven to the city, saw a show, and then waited at the stage door until every last performer had come out. She didn't even care about being grounded when she got home because, according to Shelby, it had been worth it. Sally would have to ask to be sure, but she was fairly certain Shelby still had that signed playbill in her collection.

Shelby had done three loads of laundry and was just finishing up a bowl of chocolate ice cream when her parents and Rachel made it home that evening. Eugene was carrying a sleeping Rachel while Sally carried the bags of souvenir they'd bought for the girl.

"How did she like it?" Shelby asked as she led the way back to Rachel's room.

"She loved it," Eugene said. "She didn't stop talking about it until she fell asleep in the cab about ten minutes ago."

"I'm so glad," Shelby said. "And what all did you buy her?"

"Not that much," Sally said.

"Yeah right," Shelby joked.

Eugene laid Rachel on the bed and backed up as Shelby sat down next to the girl and carefully started to untie her shoes and remove them.

"I'll put her to bed," Shelby said to her parents. "There's ice cream and I've got hot water on for tea if you want some."

"Okay," Sally smiled. "Come on, some ice cream sounds good."

Shelby removed Rachel's socks next and then undid her pants so she could slide them off the girl. Rachel started to stir and cracked her eyes open to look at Shelby.

"We saw Beauty and the Beast," Rachel said sleepily.

"I know," Shelby said in a hushed tone to try and coax Rachel back to sleep. She sat the girl up and took off her shirt next and quickly replaced it with a nightgown.

"I want to see it again," Rachel said. She lifted her bottom when Shelby patted it so the blankets could be pulled down and she could slide under them.

"I'm sure you do," Shelby whispered. "Go back to sleep now."

"Shelby?" Rachel asked as she closed her eyes again and felt as the blankets were tucked around her.

"Hmm?"

"Can we go see Broadway every night?"

Shelby laughed lightly and leaned down and kissed Rachel's head. "Goodnight, sweet girl."

Rachel was snuggled up and back to sleep before Shelby could even make it out the door.

The following morning, Rachel was still riding high from the night before. She hummed to herself as she got out of bed and padded out of her room and towards the kitchen. She wasn't sure what time it was, but she knew that she was hungry so she pulled a chair from the table over to the counter so she could climb up to reach into the cabinets. Everyone always told her how small she was and she was really starting to wonder when she'd get taller.

Rachel stood up on the counter and opened the cabinet where the bowls were kept. She was going to have some cereal.

"Hey kiddo," Eugene said as he came into the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting a bowl," Rachel said as she looked over her shoulder and saw that Sally was behind him. "I want some cereal. I don't think Shelby is up yet."

"I'll get it for you," Eugene said and before Rachel could argue, he'd wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her up from the counter. "You probably shouldn't be standing up there." Rachel just shrugged. It wasn't the first time she'd done it. She just never did it while Shelby was in the room with her.

He set her down and moved the chair back to the table and then got the bowl. Sally got the box of Lucky Charms from the pantry at Rachel's request and soon enough the girl had her breakfast in front of her. Coffee was brewing when the grandparents took a seat at the table with Rachel.

"Did you have fun last night?" Sally asked.

Rachel nodded enthusiastically. "It was amazing. Can we go again today? Can we take Shelby with us?"

"I'm not sure what the plans are for today," Sally answered honestly.

"Oh," Rachel said as some milk dribbled down her chin and she used the sleeve of her nightgown to wipe it off before Sally could get a napkin.

"But I promise that Pop and I will take you to more shows in the future," Sally said.

"Okay," Rachel said.

An easy silence settled over the kitchen as the coffee finished brewing and Eugene got up to pour two cups. Sally watched with curiosity as Rachel's brow began to scrunch slightly indicating the girl was deep in thought.

"Gram?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"I'm glad it's okay for me to call you that," Rachel said. "And Pop pop. My friend Jesse calls his grandparents grandma and granddad. I'm not sure what he calls the other ones."

"We are happy that you like calling us that. Names are important," Sally said as Eugene sat back down at the table and passed a mug to his wife. "We are happy to be your grandparents."

"It's like having real grandparents like a normal kid," Rachel said. "Shelby's going to be my real mom one day. She's going to adopt me. We made a contract."

"Honey, I don't think you have to wait until the adoption is final," Sally said. "Shelby already is your mom."

Rachel nodded, "Jesse said that too. In school he said that Shelby was already like my real mom even if we have to wait."

"Jesse sounds like a smart boy," Eugene said.

"He is," Rachel said, though she was now distracted. She looked out of the kitchen and towards the hallway. Names were important. She wondered…

A closing door made Rachel jump and brought her out of her thoughts. She focused on the fact that Shelby was now walking towards the kitchen still in her pajamas and yawning. Rachel lost the nerve to bring up what she was thinking about and went back to her cereal.

"Morning," Shelby greeted as she entered the kitchen. She placed a soft kiss on Rachel's head before getting herself some coffee and joining her family at the table.

"Good morning," Sally said.

"Did you guys eat yet?"

"Not yet," Eugene answered. "Just Rachel. She was determined to have some cereal this morning."

"I'll make something for us while Rachel has a bath," Shelby said.

"Shelby," Rachel whined over the last bite of her Lucky Charms.

"Sorry, but you didn't have one last night," Shelby said.

"Can we go swimming?" Rachel asked excitedly. "That's almost like taking a bath except better."

All three adults smiled and Shelby shook her head.

"I don't think we're going swimming today."

"But-"

"But I am going to sign you up for lessons so you will learn how to swim properly and you'll get lots of practice," Shelby finished. "The pool isn't going anywhere and neither are we."

"When will the lessons start?" Rachel asked. She was more than okay with this.

"I'm not sure," Shelby answered honestly. "I've got to do some research. But I promise we'll go swimming a lot once you start your lessons because you're going to have to practice."

"Okay," Rachel agreed. "Will you all watch Oliver with me?" Now that swimming was out, this was the next best thing.

"Sure," Eugene said.

"I'll go get it ready!" Rachel said. She tried to escape from the table, but found that her progress was impeded by Shelby who was holding on to the back of her nightgown preventing her from going anywhere.

"You can watch it after you've taken a bath," Shelby said.

"But, Shelby," Rachel pouted.

"Why don't you take a shower in my bathroom," Shelby suggested.

Rachel sighed, but nodded and headed out of the room. It was clearly inevitable and at least she got to use Shelby's bathroom. It was so much cooler than her own bathroom.

Rachel sulked off to Shelby's room and took off her nightgown and tossed on the floor of the bedroom. Her panties soon followed and Rachel stopped pouting long enough to reach into the enormous shower and turn it on. She wanted a bathroom like this one day. While Rachel stood in the shower letting the hot water flow over her, she stared at the large soaker tub. She started to softly sing a song from Beauty and the Beast until suddenly a brilliant idea flashed in her mind. She didn't have to wait to practice her swimming.

It had been twenty minutes since Shelby had sent Rachel off for a shower and breakfast with her parents was just wrapping up. It hadn't taken long to make some eggs and English muffins and Eugene offered to gather up the dirty dishes when Shelby said she was going to go and check on Rachel.

Shelby walked into her bedroom and rolled her eyes as she picked up Rachel's nightgown and panties from the floor so she could drop them in the hamper. She stopped short though when she heard singing coming from the bathroom. The voice was clear and strong and pitch perfect as it sang the titular song from Beauty and the Beast. It was clearly a child's voice and Shelby couldn't believe what she was hearing. She'd never heard Rachel sing before but she was certain it had to be the girl because who else could it be. She was just as good as Jesse even if she was a little rough around the edges. Rachel possessed true talent and Shelby knew how special that was.

Shelby dropped Rachel's clothes back to the floor and opened the bathroom door and stepped in.

"Rachel, was that you sing-"

She stopped dead in her tracks and her mouth fell open at the sight in front of her. The shower was going full blast even though it was empty and steam filled the room. The water in the bathtub was running and close to spilling out over the side. There was water on the floor and a lot had been splashed on the walls. Rachel was naked and soaking wet and standing on the side of the tub ready to jump in.

Rachel's jump was interrupted when the bathroom door opened and Shelby stepped in. The girl smiled and waved at her and then caught her balance after she slipped a bit.

"Mom, watch!" Rachel said before turning her attention back to the tub.

A/N – That's all for this chapter. Please let me know what you think. Drop me a line. Thanks! Y'all are the best!