Rachel wakes up with great difficulty, her mouth like cotton wool and her eyes sticking together. She put her hand to her face to rub them and sat up abruptly when the memories of the day before came back to her.

She stayed with the corcorans for over 6 hours, finally leaving the house at 10am with a heavy heart and shuffling feet. She had gone to Finn's apartment, who had greeted her with his astonished expression, still present on his face. She had mumbled to him that she was going to bed and that she would explain everything to him tomorrow.

She was about to get out of bed when Finn opened the door and stuck his head in the room, "How are you?", the usually confident man seemed hesitant to enter the room, "you feel up to it talk or would you rather I leave you alone ?".

Rachel couldn't help smiling tenderly. Finn wasn't the brightest boy she'd met, but he was probably the most intentional. Granted, he had a bad habit of hitting chairs when he was frustrated and suffered from a severe case of foot in the mouth, but he never intended to hurt anyone and he had alwyas own up for his mistakes, at least most of them.

They had met in high school through Finn's half-brother. Kurt was in the same choir as Rachel and the two maintained a relationship composed mainly of jealousy and pettytness. Kurt had asked Rachel to tutor Finn in English. Their friendship quickly turned into love and 5 years later, they still live in a perfect relationship, as perfect as a relationship can be of course.

"I...", Rachel hesitated, she liked Finn and wanted to confide but she was in an incredible mess. If she didn't tell him, it would be a second secret to carry on her shoulders. "I met my mother."

Finn widened his eyes but didn't say anything, letting the brunette talk from the bed. "It didn't really go as planned but I got the answers I expected.",

Rachel takes a deep breath thinking back to the explanation she received from Shelby corcoran the day before, or rather in the morning . She was disappointed to learn that her father had died and that her mother had fallen into such a depression that she had preferred to give her babies to a foreign couple rather than risk impacting the infant's well-being with her own mental illness She understood that Shelby thought she had made the best choice she could, for both of them.

But Rachel's heart sank again when she thought of the two people who had sat and listened to the whole story at the same time as Rachel.

Santana and Quinn. Two children adopted by Shelby when they were teenagers. Rachel felt her heart fill with hatred and jealousy. They had stolen her mother, they had replaced her. It was she who should have slept in one of the upstair room, it was she who should have felt a reassuring hand on her arm...

Shelby had just finished telling the story to the girls. She felt her eyes sting, like every time she remembered all the events that defined the life she has today. She was aware of the hard look Rachel was giving her. She was also aware of Santana's hand on her shoulder and the presence of Quinn curled up against her side. "That's all?", Rachel's voice bit, "I mean you left me because of your depression, okay I can understand that. Mias what? you suddenly felt much better and you recover children left on the sidewalks by their parents? Shelby felt Santana tense and Quinn shrink. She put a reassuring hand on the blonde's back and prevented the brunette from getting up by making a barrier with her hand. "Rachel I can understand that you are upset". "No you really can't". "But I expect respect from you," Shelby continues, ignoring Rachel, "I made a choice at 17 and I made another one at 26 and another at 30. only one left me with a bitter taste and regrets. I'm glad you're here Rachel, I'm ready to get to know you and let you know us if that's what you want...". Rachel had never thought that hard in her whole life. She wanted to know her mother and more than anything she needed help...

"Yeah, I want to know you," Rachel continued softly, "and so did my grandparents and my aunt." "Okay," Shelby exhaled with relief, "yeah, we'll make it okay? How about you come to dinner the day after tomorrow? Nothing the four of us. We're going to my parents' farm next weekend, you can accompany us. Althea will also be there with her husband. Does it work for you ?"

Rachel snaps back to reality when Finn asks her if she was okay. "Yeah, I'm fine, I...I'm going to have dinner with her the day after tomorrow", Rachel was anxious thinking about having dinner. She had to tell Shelby why she had actually sought him out, the reason far greater than the need for answers to her questions.

Rachel was not fooled, she knew she would only be disappointed when she met her mother. She had had enough history from an adopted child, who, after a few years of a happy life before starting to ask questions and had ended up finding their real parents. From drug addicts to death to prison, very few of these adult children had been satisfied with their answers.

No, Rachel needed help from Shelby, needed help her fathers couldn't give her. She would go to dinner, and throw everything at Shelby.

It was 6:30 am, she was standing in her kitchen preparing the dinner she would give to the girls. It was rare for Shelby to cook lunch for the girls on school days since they were both past 14. Shelby advocated independence and had made it clear to the girls that they had to plan their meals themselves. It quickly backfired when Santana just spent her pocket money on sandwiches and Quinn came back with a letter from her teacher telling Shelby that it was not acceptable for Quinn to only only food made of sugar.

She had ended up giving up and letting Santana eat whatever she wanted to buy herself and giving money to Quinn so she could just enjoy the meals offered by her school.

But after the night the three of them had the night before, Shelby thought they all deserved a good meal.

Shelby looked up when she heard footsteps hurrying down the stairs. She could see Santana arriving with a scowl on her face. It hadn't left his face for two days now.

"Well good morning Santana", shelby was trying to make her voice as cheerful as possible, "The little dejuener is just waiting for you."
Santana level Shelby with a glare but says nothing. Contenting himself with sitting down in front of the plate of pancake that Shelby had prepared. She sighed silently, tomorrow's dinner was going to be a nightmare.

Shelby was about to tell Santana a stupid story to lighten the mood when she heard another pair of feet coming down the stairs. Much softer than those of Santana, much more cautious and unsure. She went to the end of the stair and waited for Quinn to sit on the third step.

"Hello Quinn", Shelby smiled as she kissed the blonde's forehead, "did you sleep well?". Terri, Quinn's psychiatrist, had asked Shelby to tell her everytimes the teenager would have nightmares so she could talk about it with her. Quinn said nothing during therapy, it was up to Terri to start the discussion and to Quinn to answer.

The teen just nod her head before lifting her foot and pointing to her shoe. Shelby knew very well what Quinn wanted but she didn't move.

"Quinn, verbal answers please," Shelby asked as she tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear.

"yee". Quinn's speech, as the doctors had predicted, was troubled. She had trouble with the pronunciation of words and slurs her words. Her speech therapist had asked Shelby to always ask for a verbal answer when she asked the teenager a question.

"Good, honey," Shelby finally squats down to tie Quinn's shoelaces.

When Shelby had met the girl when she was only 8 years old, Charlie Hooman, the designated social worker and the doctors who had cared for the child wanted to reassure her by saying that only speech and attention disorders could manifest themeelf.

Shelby, Santana and all the professionals who surrounded Quinn were quickly forced to see that the doctors had been wrong when she began to show motor problems and difficulties in school and in everyday life.

Quinn was by no means stupid, several child psychiatrists and doctors recommended placing the child in special education. It was the best thing for Quinn, who had been able to flourish and learn thanks to the additional help that the teachers of this type of teaching brought. It was also there that everyone had been able to learn that Quinn had a gift for drawing.

Shelby had a hard time understanding, how could a child who had trouble tying her shoelaces and holding her cutlery draw so well? The neurologist in charge of Quinn had told her that it was the wonders of the brain and especially the wonders of children with disabilities.

Quinn went to sit next to Santana as soon as her shoelaces were tied. Shelby watch as she kissed her sister's cheek, watch as Santana helped Quinn get her fork.

Shelby sat in the doorway to watch her daughters eat breakfast. She was proud to be able to call them her daughters, of course, it's not easy every day. Santana still had trouble managing her anger and letting people in and Quinn never mentioned what happened to her before she arrived at the Corcorans. It was hard to know what exactly happened, no one knew what Quinn remembered either. She refused to talk about it but the nightmares that haunted her clearly showed that she remembered some of the things that happened to her, perhaps unconsciously.

It was the same for Santana, more had happened to this child than Charlie and his teams knew, more than Shelby knew and more than Santana wanted annyone to know.

"Okay girls," Shelby mentally prepared herself for the fight that was about to come, "Tomorrow I expect your help to cook dinner and I also expect you to behave like the well-bred teenagers you are understood?".

The girls look at each other and respond to Shelby. Santana's jaw clenched and loosened in rhythm as Quinn held her fork tightly with her first.

"Of course," Santana mumbled between her teeth.
"Alright then," Shelby smiled surprised, "I'll get changed and take you to school. Finish your plates. And don't forget your meds girls." She finished before disappearing up the stairs.

Santana looked at her sister who seemed to be trying to read the future in the syrup on her pancakes, the blonde fixing her eyes on them without eating them.

"Rachel or not," began low enough that only Quinn could hear her, gently placing her hand on the clenched fist that held a fork, "you'll still be my sister okay? I'm not super excited about helping her neither did this dinner, I think you can imagine, but it seems to make Shelby so happy...don't you think?".

"Yee", Quinn whispered softly with her raspy voice. Santana smiled softly before kissing the side of her sister's head where her scar was hidden by blonde curls.

"Santana, mommy is expecting friends tonight", Maribel Lopez was towering over the head of the 9 year old, the little girl was sitting on the ground and watching cartoons on the small TV in the living room. "i want you to behave okay?".

The glare that Maribel threw at Santana destabilized the child more than ever. She didn't know who her mom's friends were but she didn't like when they were around. Some never paid attention to her and just came to make her mom scream at night, but others said things to her or stroked her thigh. She hated it.

"Yes mommy", Santana would hide in the back of her closet. No one would bother he there. She took one last look at Maribel as she walked back to the back of the trailer where the mother and daughter lived. Santana couldn't help wondering if her school friends moms wore such short skirts too...and if their friends told their daughters that they had nice breasts for their age...

Shelby always drove carefully, it was a rule for her, never over the limit, the phone stored in her bag and no music to hear all the noises of her surroundings. Every time Santana rode with her in the car, she was bored to death.

The trip between the corcoran house and Quinn's school should take 10 minutes, with Shelby it was 20. Add to the boredom of the car, her bad mood who refused to leave and the oh so annoying noise of Quinn banging her feet repeatedly on the floor of the car, Santana was on the verge of jumping out of the car.

She hated the idea of having dinner. What did that mean for her family? Did mean that the dwarf with a haughty look was her sister? And, oh my god, Quinn had decided to hit Santana's seat. She whirled around and glared at the 16 years old. Quinn seemed to get the message as she look down on her lap and still her feet.

"Okay Santana", said Shelby as she slow down and park, "we're here you can un-frown those eyebrows and walk Quinn to class if you want.", Shelby looked mischievously at Santana, Quinn was perfectly able to going to her class alone, but Santana jumped up from her seat ready to carry Quinn if necessary.

"Come on, blondie, move your ass".
"l-l-language," Shelby laughs as Quinn chastises her sister by wrestling with her belt.

Santana was walking fast, so fast that she had to stop to wait for Quinn who had trouble keeping up several times. Arrived in front of room 6B, she opened the door suddenly without knocking and exclaimed: "Brittany you will never believe me".

Shelby knew it would take a while for Santana to return, starting an hour later that Quinn had always been a boon to Santana and a curse to Shelby. She turned to grab her phone put away in her bag, it took three rings before a "hello" was heard. Shelby took a deep breath and set her jaw.

"Althea, you will never believe me".