Well hi guys! I can't believe the reaction i got from that first chapter! You all are amazing and i can't thank you enough! I wrote that chapter in a day so i'm so so so sorry for any mistakes D: You lot are so awesome i had to upload sooner than next week xD I'll stop talking now but i truly hope you enjoy xD
Oh oh before i go, please don't make Katherine the bad guy yet, she kinda is but kinda not.. Gee, just don't jump the gun guys xD
She'd been through this routine time and time again, twisting and curling upon herself, her eyes a battered and sour red as tears streaked her face. Teeth sinking into her lower lip as she battled the drowning sounds. The ice glaze over her eye's was the heavy sign of her exhaustion. She was a fool and a coward.
"What you smilin' at? What are you smilin' at, sweet girl?" The teen coed to the tiny infant, the nails of her hand coming to swirl at the child's stomach, making the small girl blow a spit bubble in delight. The shine in the pairs eyes was so strong, it was almost sickly. Sickly sweet, Shelby reminds herself. At 6 months old Rachel was the very typical healthy, happy baby, showing her mother very clearly that she had inherited the same lungs, the same appetite as well the the uncanny stubbornness. 'A diva thing', Shelby had commented.
"The van is all packed, they said they'd meet us there, maybe the next day at the very latest." Katherine interrupts the mother and child's silent conversation. "We have to get going." The blonde insists, picking up the baby pink carseat, looking over at her daughter and new granddaughter, seeing her interruption hadn't caused either of them to stir from their positions. "Now, Shelby."
Rolling her eyes into the back of her head, Shelby lets out a heavy breath, smoothing a maternal hand over her daughter's lock of hair. The teen knew that this was only the beginning. A beginning that had to happen, with her willing or not. Shelby didn't have the means to look after her daughter, no job would pay her well enough to buy all the necessary needs her daughter demanded, her age was her limit. She had caused such an out roar over giving the baby girl away that her mother had backed down from her post and offered up a new plan. A plan that turned Shelby's ears up. Her mother had offered to care for the girl, pay all the bills and even shelter them both, yet the thorn in the bush had been illuminated when Katherine had offered to raise Rachel as her own. To become Rachel's mother. At 15, the offer seemed to be like a little bite of Christmas. She got to see her little girl everyday, she got to offer the hand in raising Rachel as well as basking in all the glory.
Awakened from the haunted memories, Shelby awoke with the mix of sweat and tears rushing down her face, staining her satin skin. The singer was hunched over her knees, her bones shaking as she tried her best to stop her heart from skipping. Running a soaked palm through her hair, the brunette couldn't help the whimper escape the imprisonment of her teeth. The rise of the sun sent gentle kisses over her exposed shoulders, a silent reassurance in her own self torment.
Rachel's party was in full swing when Shelby had stopped battling with herself and had grown a pair big enough to walk downstairs. The kid's seemed to be having a blast with their treasure hunt, darting around the house to try and find the next clue. Rachel of course was glued to Santana, the girl's hand in hand as their princess dresses tried to catch up with them.
The girl's had not always been so peaceful and even to this date it was a relief to see them playing nicely. There had been a point where Santana was the main cause of Rachel coming home in tears, but all had changed when Shelby took the girl's shopping one day, where quite by magic they had bonded over fashion and their favourite colour, pink. The road was still rocky but now when a fight brew between to two, it was easily fixed with the 'kiss and make up' method.
" 'Suce me!" Rachel giggled as she swooped between her sister's legs, Santana laughing equally as loudly followed next, making Shelby growl playfully as she tickled each girl's sides before they ran off.
Shaking her head, 'kids' Shelby mused, eerily walking into the kitchen to fetch the first bite of food for the day, trying her hardest to go unnoticed by her mother or any of her friends, Shelby grabbed an apple from the side before turning on her feet. Yet her actions were short lived when she was pulled off to the side by a slim hand. Coming stomach to stomach with the tall blonde Shelby couldn't help but sigh in relief, almost collapsing in her best friends arms. "Oh god, Cass. You scared me shitless." The singer muttered into Cassandra's wooly throw-on.
Cass cackled softly, locking her arms behind her friends back in a graceful hug. "Why so on end, Shelbs? You look like shit." The dancer laughed at her own words, releasing the brunette from her hold so she could get a better look at the person before her.
Shelby bowed her head ever so slightly, her jaw going slack so she could answer but everything seemed intwined to her tongue, a soft sob replaced her words, surprising both herself and Cass.
'Holy balls, this isn't a joke anymore, July' Cassandra scorned herself, taking the fruit from her friends hand and pulling them both into the larder. When Cassandra knew no one else could see (because she'd be damned if any of the kids saw her being soft, she'd stand no chance keeping her hard ass appearance up), she let the cracks in Shelby's heart reopen and pour onto her shoulder. The dancer was stood helpless, rubbing soothing circles into the singer's back as she whispered reassurance in her ear.
"It's okay, shhh, it'll all be okay, Shelby. I'm here. It's okay." Cassandra hushed, resting her chin atop Shelby's head.
It had to have been a good 10 minutes until Shelby picked her head up from Cassie's shoulder, wiping furiously at her eyes to rid herself of mascara.
"I-I..." Shelby stops, breathing deeply through her nose and looking up to meet Cassandra's eyes. "I want here back. No,no, I-I-I need her back, Cass."
"Oh shit." The blonde breathes out, had she heard right? Cassandra had been there the day they moved in, the two had been just like Santana and Rachel, fought viciously until they found their passion Broadway and promised best friends from that day on.
"She needs to know, Cass. I-I want..." The singer almost chokes on her words, you could practically hear Shelby's heart break as her emotion forced it's way past the brick wall she'd concreted for all these years. As Cassie took the brunette's hands within hers she could feel Shelby's erratic pulse, the shake to the woman's bones was not only worrying but indicated the sheer fact Shelby was going into a panic attack.
"Shelby, Shelby sweetheart, you need to look at me. You need to slow down your breathing, in and out. Good girl." The dancer instructed, nodding her head as she encouraged Shelby's actions. "I kinda need you alive if we're going to do this."
Shelby nodded, the same small motion she had given her mother the day before, an almost sign of defeat.
"Ow! Jesus Christ, woman! Why heck would you hit me?! I think you wanted my f-" Shelby cut her off with another slap to the arm, a grin larger than her face brightened up the dim look she had started to get within her eyes. Shelby led her hand on Cassie's shoulder, staring the woman head on. She didn't think she'd survive if the blonde was joking.
"You"ll- You'll help me?" Shelby breathed out, her eye's searching for any sign Cassandra might have been giving off.
"Yes I'll help you, you moron." The woman growled gently as she rubbed circles on her arm. Do you forget that we have been friends for most, if not all of that little girl's life? Do you not remember the nights, the months you stayed with me because you couldn't cope? Because I sure as hell do. For the love of Mary, my mother still had holes in her walls where you got to angry and upset."
The brunette quirked the corners of her lips, mumbling a soft 'Sorry'.
Cassie couldn't help but shake her head ever so slightly, blonde hair falling in-front of her face. "And what about the first Hanukkah after you moved?"
Shelby sat curled on the couch, practically drowned in a woollen blanket as she nursed a rather tired and crabby Rachel. Rachel had not only been a premature baby but a sickly baby, so doctors had urged the young mother to feed past the 6-month weaning stage and the baby girl hadn't objected a bit. It gave Shelby an extra excuse to be the mother she wasn't going to fully get to be as well as letting her marvel in awe of the life she'd created.
She was knocked from her thoughts ever so slightly when the little girl reached up to pat the side of her face, not harshly but in the softest of ways either so instead of pushing the hand away the mother took hold of her daughter's fingers, kissing each very gently before laying a firmer kiss to the palm of the girl's hand. Rachel hummed ever so slightly against her mother's chest, closing her eye's with a soft flutter before passing out completely. Laughing softly at her little girl, Shelby covered herself up, careful not to wake the little girl before swiping her finger over the corner of her daughter's lips where some milk had gathered.
"You can't keep doing this, you know that don't you?" Katherine interrupted, her voice raising at every word.
Shelby jumped at the sound, a hand jumping to her mouth to silence any sound, making Rachel groan in her sleep. The brunette's brows furrowed in a frown. "What on earth do you mean? The doctors said-"
"I know what they said Shelby. But she's nearing a year old. Soon her memories will start to stick with her and quite frankly, I don't want you in them." The older woman's words were broken as she ended, her eye's darting to the floor as she pursed her lips.
"I-I don't understand, are you asking me to, to leave?" Surely, surely that wasn't the case, why would that be the case.
"For the time being, yes. But don't worry I got your application to NYADA back and they're offering you a place. You're talented, my darling. I can't have you stuck here, wasting away."
Shelby couldn't help but scoff, disgusted. "Oh, so that's all what Rachel is? I'm so glad i'm putting her into great hands."
Blinking slowly, Katherine let out a calm breathe. "I'm not asking you, i'm telling you that you're going. I'm doing what a mother should, offering the best to her child."
This wasn't reality. This couldn't be reality.
Breaking her eye contact with her mother, Shelby picked up her daughter, cradling her to her chest as she scurried from the room, making her way to the girl's room she tucked the girl within her bedsheets, tearfully kissing the girl's forehead before rushing out. Her head hurt, her chest ached and her ears were ringing. She couldn't do this. Not now.
Slamming the door behind her, Shelby practically sprinted from sight, with no coat and no decent shoes one the cold soon took it's punches at the brunette. But the young mother knew the house she had fallen on, practically knocking the door down, Shelby screamed praises at the door. It opened with a heavy creak, making Shelby fall into the ever awaiting arms of Vivian. The elder blonde was the perfect mould to her daughter. Yet Vivian's touch was the motherly comfort Shelby didn't know she was craving.
The young brunette stayed within the walls of that house for a little over 4 months, it took a further 6 months for Cassandra to convince Katherine to let Shelby see Rachel. Life had been different after that.
"Happy birthday, to you, happy birthday, to you, happy birthday to Rachel. Happy birthday to you!" Shelby's velvet like tone sung through the house as she carried to cake to the table where the 8 to 9 year olds sat. Placing the cake in-front of the little girl, Shelby took the liberty to whisper inside her ear, "Make a wish, babe."
Squeezing her eyes closed Rachel thought hard before taking a gulp of air and blowing the candles out.
Cheers and applause filled the room as did laughter and happy chatting a moment after. Cake was handed out and Shelby backed off to the corner of the room, smiling sadly. She'd avoided her mother all day and if her mother sticking to the other end of the room was anything to go by, she was too. Cass had offered a day out after Rachel's birthday for Christmas shopping as well as to go over a plan.
Thank god for best friends.
Thank god for her little girl.
So, I hope this chapter was not too short and I hope there aren't too many spelling errors, English isn't my first language but it has been my language for 8 years so you'd hope I wasn't too bad xD
Anyway, thank you again for all your reviews and kind words, i will hopefully see you next week 3