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Even though the following day was Saturday and Shelby didn't have any plans, when morning came, she woke up at 6am, as she always did. She knew Beth would call for her at exactly 6:54, and her job as mom would start, so she always got up about an hour before her little girl, in order to have time for herself. That particular morning, she walked towards the bathroom ready to take a shower, but she changed her mind and decided to walk to the guest room instead. She opened the door carefully, as not to wake Rachel, and peeked inside. She smiled at the sight of her daughter, who was sleeping peacefully. In that moment, Shelby realized that she had no idea what Rachel was really like. She might read her Facebook every day and she might have caught a glimpse of her in High School and the night before, but aside from her love for Broadway and Barbra Streisand, she didn't know much about her own daughter. As she was thinking about how much she had missed, that smile began to fade, as it turned into a frown and then she felt a tear rolling down her cheek. She didn't know what Rachel's morning routine was like; she didn't know if Rachel usually woke up smiling or if she wasn't a morning person. She wanted to walk inside the room and hold her daughter, but somehow, she felt she had no right. She had been the one who had walked away; the one who had told her own daughter that she didn't want a relationship with her. And the previous night, she had been the one who had allowed Rachel to call her Shelby, instead of mom. But she knew she didn't deserve that name. At least, not yet.

As she watched the sleeping girl cuddled in that bed, she didn't see the 18 year old who had finished her first year in college and who had been given the chance to star on Broadway. She saw the little girl she had walked away from. She saw a chance to make things right.

"I'm here." Shelby whispered, as she closed the door and walked into the bathroom to have a shower. She had been watching Rachel for over twenty minutes and she knew she had to hurry before Beth woke up.

...

"Mommy!" cried Beth from her crib, frustrated because she wasn't able to climb down.

Shelby looked at her watch and smiled, "6:54, right on time," she thought as she walked into Beth's bedroom. "I know you can't wait to get a big girl's bed. We're getting one soon, I promise."

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" said Beth jumping and smiling.

"I'm also very happy to see you, sweetie" Shelby said, as she lifted Beth up and gave her a kiss on her nose. "We have to be quiet this morning, though. We don't want to wake up Rachel."

"Wachel?" asked Beth tilting her head.

"Yes, Rachel slept over."

"Waaachel!" yelled Beth, squirming to get down from her mom's arms and be able to run to see Rachel.

"Beth" Shelby said chuckling. She wanted to tell her little girl off, but she found it adorable that the blond girl had already become so attached to Rachel. "You're going to wake …"

"Too late" said Rachel with a yawn, as she walked towards the place where she had listened to her name being yelled.

"Wachel! Hi!" said Beth, giving Rachel her fullest smile.

"Hey, Beth" replied Rachel, smiling sweetly at the blond girl.

"Good morning, Rachel. How did you sleep?" asked Shelby with a smile.

"That bed is really comfortable. And it was quite refreshing to be able to sleep without waking up every hour wondering if a certain sound was thunder or a gunshot" Rachel replied, going on a rant. "Don't get me wrong. I loved having a place of my own, but Bushwick is not the safest neighborhood and even though I could listen to the traffic here, I was able to get a very good night sleep."

"So, I guess you're a morning person, huh?" said Shelby, assuming Rachel was a morning person, since she was able to ramble after having just woken up. Shelby was that her first question about Rachel had been answered.

"Why are you already dressed?" asked Rachel, noticing that Shelby was wearing jeans and a purple top, while she was still in her pajamas and her hair looked as if it had been blown by a tornado.

"I have been awake for quite some time." Shelby answered

"Oh. What time is it?"

"It's 7 in the morning. When you have a toddler in the house, you can forget about sleeping in."

Rachel chuckled and nodded.

"I was going to make breakfast. Do you like pancakes?" asked Shelby, trying to break the awkward silence that suddenly filled the room.

"I do. I make pancakes every weekend for Kurt and Santana" replied Rachel. "Well, I used to, because now I don't live them anymore," she added, suddenly remembering why she was at Shelby's house in the first place.

"Are you going to talk to them today?" asked Shelby.

"No. There is nothing left to say"

Shelby shook her head and sighed. She could recognize that stubbornness, because she had been the same way when she was younger.

"From all the things Rachel could've gotten from me, she had to inherit my stubbornness." Shelby thought as she looked at her daughter.

"Alright. How about if you two help me make breakfast this morning?" said Shelby. Even though she wanted to talk to Rachel about her refusal to see Santana's and Kurt's side, she knew that talk would not be well received at the moment, especially with an empty stomach.

"I help, mommy?" Beth asked, clapping her hands.

"Yes, you can be my little helper. You can help me whip the batter" Shelby replied, winking at the little girl.

"Yay, mommy!"

Rachel gave Shelby and Beth a sad smile, as she pictured what her life would have been like if she had grown up with a mother. She suddenly pictured herself at Beth's age, helping Shelby make breakfast. She would've loved to have her mom around. She loved both her fathers very much; they had given her a wonderful life. She had been spoiled day after day, her every whim had been fulfilled. She had truly enjoyed her childhood. But she had always wondered what having a mother would be like. And now, seeing the woman who gave birth to her being a mother to someone else was breaking her heart, but she knew she couldn't demand anything from Shelby at that point.

"You can also be my little helper" said Shelby putting an arm around Rachel. It was as if she had been able to read what Rachel was thinking. "Come on."

...

"Mmm, these pancakes are so good today!" said Shelby, savoring a bite. "My two little helpers did a wonderful job."

"Yummy, mommy" Beth replied.

"You do realize I am 18, right? I know little might be a pun about my height, but I am not a child anymore" answered Rachel, as she took a bite from her pancakes.

"You don't have to keep reminding me you are all grown up" thought Shelby when she heard what Rachel had just said. She realized she had no idea how to be the mother of an 18 year old, but she was willing to give it a try.

"I know you are, Rachel, but …"

Rachel was looking at her plate, but looked up to see Shelby when the older woman stopped speaking. And she saw it. She saw the glistening in her eyes from a tear that was threatening to make its way down. She knew what that look meant, because she had the same look. She knew what love looked like.

"You are right. They are really good," added Rachel nodding, letting Shelby know that she had gotten the message.

After a few minutes of silence, Beth spoke. "Wachel, you play?"

Both Shelby and Rachel were thankful that the carefree toddler had broken the silence. Neither one of them could understand why it was so difficult for them to just let go of their fears and insecurities.

"She might have plans, Beth" replied Shelby.

"I don't have anything planned, really. I am supposed to go to the diner today, but I don't feel like going there when Santana is working, so I am changing my shift. She has the day off tomorrow, so I'll work then."

"Don't you want to go talk to Kurt?" asked Shelby.

Rachel shook her head as she continued eating her breakfast.

"I think talking to Kurt would help …"

"Ugh! No! I am not talking to him!" said Rachel in a frustrated tone, as she slightly raised her voice.

"Rachel …" said Shelby in a serious tone.

Rachel rolled her eyes and stood up. She took her empty plate to the sink and then, walked out. "Can I take a shower in your bathroom? I forgot to pack my shampoo and conditioner."

"Of course. Everything you need is inside the shower."

Shelby watched Rachel walk away and rubbed her temples. One minute they were having breakfast as a family, and the next, she was trying to calm down the storm that was brewing. A storm that, looking back, she had helped to create by asking Rachel about Kurt. She had thought that bonding with Rachel was going to be easier now that they were both grownups, but it was proving to be harder than she had expected.

"Wachel mad, mommy?" asked Beth, putting her sticky hand on top of Shelby's.

"No, she's just trying to find her place, baby. And we have to help her." replied Shelby, mostly to herself, but she saw Beth nodding, as if the little girl knew what she meant. "We'll help her find her way home"