Thank you so much for the reviews! I love knowing what you think about the story.
I want to thank DARecruit for all the help with this chapter. I don't think I would have been able to finish it without her support and her ideas. Thank you so much!
...
As soon as Shelby tucked Beth in, she walked back to the living room where Rachel was watching TV and drinking some tea. She sat next to her and smiled at Rachel. "What are we watching?"
Rachel shrugged and put her head on Shelby's shoulder. She was going through a roller coaster of emotions, and all she wanted to do was talk to Shelby and figure out what she was feeling, but unlike the first time they spoke and she was able to tell her she needed her, this time she was finding it difficult to tell her mother what she was feeling. On one hand, she was feeling bad for having yelled at Beth, but on the other hand, deep down she knew her reaction had been justified, since that necklace meant a lot to her. And she couldn't stop thinking about her mother's threat to send her to the corner. Her fathers had only done that once when she was a kid and she had broken a family heirloom, but she had started crying so much that they had rushed to the corner to calm her down. But now, at 18, she had heard that threat again and she was confused. The look her mother had given her meant she had been serious, but the young brunette couldn't understand how she could have seriously been thinking about it. Rachel knew that you couldn't send an 18 year old to the corner. That was a punishment reserved for kids. The more she thought about it, the more confused she got. She furrowed her eyebrows as she was lost in her own thoughts and then sighed.
"What's on your mind, Rachel?" Shelby asked. She could almost hear all the thoughts going through her daughter's mind.
Rachel stayed silent for a couple of seconds and then spoke, "Were you serious when you said I'd have to stand in the corner if I didn't apologize?"
Shelby wasn't expecting that question, since she had only done it, because she was getting tired of Rachel's attitude. But now that she knew the reason why the girl had reacted that way, she wasn't so sure she should have made that threat. "I was, yes. Beth is your sister and no matter how angry you are at her, you cannot hurt her."
Rachel sighed again, as she started playing with the charm around her neck. "I was just … I always thought that I'd see him again."
Shelby realized in that moment that the time had come to speak about that heartbreak Rachel had gone through when she lost Finn, and even though she hadn't found the right words to say earlier, she had to step up and be that comforting mother Rachel needed. "I know, sweetie, it was so unexpected. I couldn't believe it when I heard he had passed away. All I could think about what how you were doing. I wanted to call. I wanted to hug you and tell you everything would be okay."
Rachel sat up and looked at Shelby. Her sight was clouded by the tears that were flowing from her eyes, but she wanted to look at her mother when she asked the next question. "Why didn't you call me?" Rachel asked between sobs.
"I don't know. I didn't know what to say, and I wasn't sure if you wanted me there" Shelby confessed.
"I felt so lost. I refused to believe he was gone. I …" Rachel started to say, but she couldn't continue. She had been trying to be strong for several months, but she was still feeling the pain of her loss.
"I am here now, baby." Shelby said, hugging Rachel and letting her cry.
Rachel cried on her mother's shoulder for nearly twenty minutes. Even though she had cried on Mr. Schuester's shoulder and had been next to Carole at the funeral, she hadn't gotten the comfort she was currently getting by knowing her mother was there for her.
Once Rachel had calmed down, she looked at her mother again and said, "The last time I talked to him was when you went to NYADA to help me with my Funny Girl audition. I took your advice and didn't sing Barbra. Finn told me I should sing something close to my heart, so I auditioned with 'Don't Stop Believing'. I never thought that city boy he sang about would take that midnight train going nowhere and would leave me all alone. I had it all planned out. I would make it big on Broadway and then I'd go back to Lima and …" Rachel stopped and bit her lip to stop the tears from falling down again.
"He is always watching over you, Rach." Shelby said. She knew it sounded cliché, but she didn't know what else to say. "I love you. I am here now."
Rachel smiled. "Thank you, Shelby. I … I should go to bed now. I have a headache."
As Rachel made her way towards the guest room, she turned to look at her mother and whispered, "I love you too."
…
The following day, Shelby woke up startled by the sound of Beth's voice calling for her from her bedroom.
"Oh, look who's awake" Shelby said, going into her little girl's bedroom and smiling. "I think today's the day, Beth."
Beth tilted her head and gave Shelby a confused look. "Today's the day, mommy?"
"Yes, my baby girl is growing up and I think she deserves a big girl bed. What do you say, Beth? Would you like a big girl bed?"
"Like yours, mommy?" Beth asked in awe.
Shelby chuckled, "Maybe not that big. You'd get lost in the covers."
"I want a pwincess bed, mommy, because I'm a pwincess!" Beth said, smiling and standing up on her crib so Shelby could get her out.
"We'll get you a princess bed, baby" Shelby replied, lifting her little girl. "Oof, you are getting so heavy"
"I'm a big girl now, mommy!" Beth replied with a slight duh tone in her voice.
"You certainly are" Shelby said, tickling her youngest daughter. "Let's get ready so we can leave."
…
As soon as they were all ready, Shelby announced that they were going to head to The Manhattan Mall.
"What about breakfast?" Rachel asked, having gotten used to being served a hot breakfast as soon as she woke up.
"We'll get some breakfast before we get to the mall" Shelby replied.
"Donuts!" Beth said, jumping up and down.
"Donuts? Are you really going to feed your child donuts for breakfast? Do you have any idea the amount of sugar …" Rachel started to say, but one look from Shelby made her keep her rant to herself.
"We like to have donuts once in a while, right, Beth?" Shelby said.
The little blond girl nodded, "They're yummy, Wachel!"
"I'll just have some juice." Rachel said.
"We can go get our donuts and then go to a deli so you can have a proper breakfast" Shelby said.
…
The visit to the mall was not what Shelby had planned. She was thinking that getting a new bed for Beth was going to be easy, but the little girl was so excited that she was getting hard to control and she couldn't continue chasing her around.
"Hey, Rach, why don't you go with Beth to the fountain on the ground floor? She likes to see the dancing fountains there" Shelby suggested, so she could go and buy the bed. "Just don't let go of her hand."
Rachel smiled at Beth and took her hand, "Come on. I was also getting tired of looking at furniture."
"Thank you" Shelby said with a smile. "I will meet you there in about twenty minutes. Beth, behave."
Beth nodded and pulled Rachel "Let's go, Wachel."
Shelby took a breath and headed back to the furniture section, ready to make a purchase.
Rachel made her way to the ground floor with her little sister, trying very hard to keep up with the restless toddler. Just as they were getting to the fountain in the middle of the mall, she spotted a familiar face. "Ugh, please don't come this way, please don't head this way," she thought.
"Hey, Berry, what brings you here? And who is that?" Santana asked, glancing at Beth. "Is that …?"
"Santana, excuse me, we are in a hurry." Rachel said, not wanting to engage in conversation with the latina.
"Are you Beth?" Santana asked the young girl.
Beth looked at her with a wary look and nodded, "How you know?"
"I am friends with your mom" Santana said.
"Beth, come on, let's go." Rachel said, with the intention of getting away from Santana.
"Who is she, Wachel?" Beth asked.
"Nobody" Rachel replied, trying to walk away, but Santana kept blocking her path.
"So, it's true, huh? You ran crying to mommy when mean Santana hurt you, huh?" The latina said in a sarcastic tone.
"Yes, I am living with Shelby, but I did not run crying to her. I simply called her and asked if I could stay at her house for a couple of days while I looked for a better place to live. A place where I wouldn't be backstabbed and betrayed by my so-called friends." Rachel said, giving Santana all her attention.
Beth soon grew bored of listening to both young women talk and her eyes grew wide when she noticed Toys 'R Us was a few steps away.
"We did not backstab you, Hobbit. You are just so busy in your own little Rachel world that you cannot see beyond your nose. The world does not revolve around you." Santana replied.
"I still don't understand why you did that to me. Wasn't everything you did in High School enough?" Rachel asked, raising her voice.
"Come on, relax, I just wanted to live that Broadway dream you were always talking about and what better way than stepping on your toes" Santana replied.
"I cannot believe I thought you were my friend!" Rachel added.
Just as that fight was taking place, Shelby was smiling, feeling very proud of herself for having purchased the perfect bed for Beth. She was sure her daughter would love it. That smile turned into a frown as soon as she spotted Rachel, but she didn't see Beth.
"Rachel!" Shelby called from the escalators.
The young brunette turned her head when she heard her name being called.
"Oh look, mommy's coming!" Santana teased.
"Shut up!" Rachel said.
"Rachel, where's Beth?" Shelby asked, ignoring Santana.
"She is … She was …" Rachel started to panic. She hadn't realized her little sister was no longer by her side. "I swear she was right here."
"I told you not to let go of her hand!" Shelby said in a firm tone, while she tried not to panic.
"Uh, I should go." Santana said, not wanting to get involved in the family drama.
"Rachel, help me look for her!" Shelby said, shaking her head.
"Shelby, I swear she was by my side" Rachel added.
"Beth! Beth!" Shelby yelled, as she walked around the area.
Shelby couldn't think straight. Her heart was beating faster than normal, her hands were sweating and she was having a panic attack. She tried to take a deep breath so she could calm down and that's when she saw a head full of blond curls playing on the floor at Toys 'R Us.
She ran to the store and helped Beth stand up. "You scared me so much. I am so glad you are okay" she said, hugging her daughter.
Shelby's relief was soon replaced by anger. "What have I told you about wandering off!?" she asked, swatting Beth on the bottom.
"I'm sowwy, mommy" Beth replied with tears in her eyes. "I wanted to play."
"You cannot wander off, Beth. I am serious." Shelby said, kneeling in front of her daughter. "I thought you were safe with Rachel, and when I went to meet you by the fountain, you were gone. I got really scared"
"Wachel was busy" Beth said, looking at Rachel who had rushed into the toy store when she noticed her mother going inside.
Shelby looked up to see Rachel and gave her a look that showed her anger and disapproval.
"I wasn't busy!" Rachel said, trying to defend herself. That look her mother had just given her had made her very nervous, but she wasn't going to allow her sister put all the blame on her.
Shelby shook her head and looked at Beth again. "I need you to promise you will never do that again."
Beth nodded and sniffed. "I pwomise, mommy."
Shelby smiled at Beth and lifted her off the ground. She held her in her arms and kissed her on the head, as the little girl wiped her tears on her mom's blouse. "I love you, Bethie, and I'd die if you got lost."
As Rachel listened to her mom saying those last words to Beth, she couldn't help rolling her eyes.
"Rachel, I am very disappointed in you. I trusted you with your sister." Shelby said in a firm tone, looking at Rachel, who was showing no remorse at the moment.
"I was holding her hand. But we ran into Santana and she …"
"Stop it!" Shelby said, raising her hand, so Rachel would stop speaking. She realized she had been too loud when everyone in the store turned to look at them. "We will have a lengthy discussion at home."
"It wasn't my fault!" Rachel replied, stomping her foot. She realized she wasn't behaving like an 18 year old at the moment, but she found it unfair that her mother was angry at her as well.
Shelby walked closer to Rachel and in a threatening tone, she said, "Rachel, I suggest you keep your attitude in check. I am this close to swatting you on the bottom as well …"
Rachel blushed and looked around to make sure nobody had heard what Shelby had just told her. She was 18 years old, she was an adult, and she couldn't be threatened like a child. Her fathers had never laid a finger on her, so she was sure her mother would not do anything, especially now that she was all grown up. But one look at Shelby's raised eyebrow made her think there was some truth in that threat.
"So, can we go home? My head is about to explode" Shelby said, walking towards the exit, still holding Beth in her arms.
"I'll be home later. I want to buy some things" Rachel said, not wanting to face an angry Shelby. Beth was doing okay, nothing had happened to her, so she didn't understand why her mother looked so upset. Beth had let go of Shelby's hand at the zoo the previous weekend, and the little girl had just been told off. Rachel couldn't understand why, this time, everything was different.
"Oh no, you won't. You're coming home with us" Shelby told her daughter in a forceful tone. "Come on, Rachel, let's go."
Rachel huffed but she did what she was told. She could see that Shelby was no longer afraid of parenting her, and even though she felt embarrassed to be treated like a little girl, it warmed her heart that she was finally having a real mother/daughter relationship with Shelby.
…
"Mommy, you mad?" Beth asked from her car seat, as Shelby drove them all home.
"I'm not angry anymore, Beth" Shelby replied, looking at her little daughter from the rearview mirror. "I was very scared, but we have talked about it and I know you won't wander off again, right?"
Beth nodded forcefully as she said in a low tone, "Wachel was busy. I was bored"
"I understand that Rachel was busy, and I'll be talking to her about that when we get home …" Shelby said, taking her right hand off the steering wheel and putting it on Rachel's leg to let her know the last thing she said had been intended for her, "but you know you cannot let go of our hand when we are in a public place."
"I no want the corner" Beth said, sadly, with a pout.
"You won't have to stand in the corner, sweetie. I trust that you have learned not to wander off" Shelby said, and then added, "You know what will happen if you ever wander off again …"
The three ladies drove in silence for a minute, until Rachel spoke, "I was taking good care of Beth. If it hadn't been for Santana, nothing would've happened."
"Rachel, you cannot blame somebody else for this." Shelby said. She wanted to look at Rachel when she explained why she was so upset with her, and she knew she couldn't have that conversation while she was driving and paying attention to the road. As soon as she parked the car in front of the building, she said, "Let's go in, and we'll talk about it in a minute"
…
As soon as Shelby had put Beth down for a nap, she walked into the living room where her eldest daughter was sitting, wearing a defiant look on her face.
"Alright, Rachel, let's talk about this." Shelby said, sitting on the table in front of her daughter, "The minute Beth let go of your hand, you should have run behind her. You are not in trouble for her wandering off; you are in trouble, because you didn't even notice she was gone."
"I am in trouble?" Rachel asked, surprised to hear that. "Why? It wasn't my fault!"
Shelby raised an eyebrow, "Whose fault was it, then? You were the one who was looking after her. You are the one who has been reminding me you are 18 years old. So, I thought I could trust you with your sister, Rachel. But I see that I was wrong."
"You can trust me with her! I had a firm hold on her hand, but Santana distracted me and that is when Beth let go of my hand! It was Santana's fault!" Rachel replied, not being at all intimidated by the look her mother was giving her.
"Enough about Santana!" Shelby said, raising her voice. "You know what being an adult is, Rachel? Taking responsibility for your own mistakes. Yes, Santana might have gotten in your way, but you cannot keep blaming everything on her. We had this same conversation on Friday, Rachel, you need to start acting like an adult if you want to be seen as one."
Rachel rolled her eyes at being lectured and tried to stand up. "Beth is okay. Nothing happened to your princess. So, this conversation is pointless!"
"Don't you dare take another step, Rachel. Sit down now! We are not finished!" Shelby said, in a motherly tone.
Rachel looked at Shelby for a moment, trying to decide if she should listen to her mom or not, and in an impulsive moment, she shook her head and started walking away. Before she knew what was happening, Shelby stood up from the table, grabbed Rachel's arm and gave her a solid swat on her backside. "Sit down now!"
"You cannot do that! I am 18 years old!" Rachel said, stomping her foot.
"You are not acting 18 right now. Sit down on the couch, now" Shelby said, lifting her left hand, ready to swat Rachel again if she didn't listen to her. But the young brunette hurried towards the couch and sat down. "Can we continue?"
Rachel nodded and looked down. She was upset that her mother had in fact swatted her, just as she had threatened to do at the mall, but that swat had helped bring all her walls down, and she was starting to see that Shelby really cared about her and she was ready to be her mother.
"I don't understand why you were so angry today …" Rachel confessed, trying to open up. "Last Saturday, we went to the zoo and Beth did the same thing."
"No, she didn't, Rach. She let go of my hand and tried to run, but I caught her." Shelby explained, relieved that Rachel's attitude was gone for the moment. "This time, she managed to slip away without you noticing"
"I swear I was taking good care of her, Shelby. I swear …" Rachel said, trying not to cry. She finally understood why her mother was so angry and she was afraid that anger would make her turn her back on her again. "I don't know why I let Santana get me distracted. I should have just walked away … I never meant for this to happen. Please believe me, mom"
"I believe you, Rach." Shelby said, taking Rachel's hands and smiling. She had heard the name Rachel had just called her, and that made all her anger and disappointment vanish. "Maybe I shouldn't have placed so much responsibility on your shoulders. It was your first time looking after a three year old girl."
"But I can do it, mom" Rachel said. "Next time I will watch her like a hawk."
"We both have a lot to learn, I think. And we will be learning little by little. What happened today was scary, but I think we both learned a lot from it."
Rachel nodded, "I'm sorry."
Shelby leaned to kiss Rachel on the head and then smiled, "There is something else I want to talk to you about."
"That swat you gave me? I forgive you" Rachel said, seriously.
Shelby chuckled and shook her head, "No, sweetie, you deserved that swat. And I know you think you are too old, but if you behave like a child, I will treat you like a child, got it?"
"I … Well … That was my first …" Rachel blushed and looked down. "And my last!" she added.
"If you say so" Shelby said, sitting next to Rachel. "What I wanted to talk to you about is you calling me mom. Are you sure you are ready?"
"I am, mom." Rachel said, "Being an adult means forgiving and forgetting, right? I want to have a relationship with you. I want to be your daughter. I need you to be my mom"
"I will always be here for you, sweetie. I am so happy to have you back into my life. I think now my life is complete. That piece of my heart I lost when I gave you away has been returned to me and it has made my heart whole again" Shelby hugged Rachel and added, "I love you, Rachel"
"I love you too, mom" Rachel said, melting into the hug.