This started off as a oneshot for the prompt "Rachel's fathers tear up the contract and Shelby raises Rachel from birth" but as I wrote this, I sort of fell in love with the AU, so I might write more oneshots set in the same AU in the future if that's something you're interested in reading!

Title and lyrics in italics from 'Hey Kid' from the musical 'If/Then'.

Shelby sighed, resting her heels on the edge of the chair, wrapping her arms around her legs as she tried to fight back tears. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. She'd been 18 when she'd answered an ad in the local paper, two gay men looking for a surrogate to carry a baby for them. They'd offered their home for the duration of the pregnancy and then enough money that Shelby would be able to move to New York and live comfortably for a while as she chased her dreams.

It hadn't gone to plan though. Despite a healthy, textbook, pregnancy, she'd gone into labour almost ten and a half weeks early. Nothing the doctors had tried had stopped her contractions and now here she was, sat beside an incubator in the NICU watching her daughter sleep, a letter in her bag from the men telling her they'd voided the contract giving them full parental rights, the contract in which Shelby had said she'd stay away from the family until the baby she handed over turned 18. Instead they'd signed all parental rights over to Shelby, promising her they'd still give her the money for the surrogacy as they explained that a sick baby wasn't what they wanted.

So here she was. 19 years old, her body aching in places she hadn't known existed until her daughter's sudden appearance, with a child she loved, but wasn't sure she could take care of.

The barely 3lb infant was the smallest thing Shelby had ever seen, her limbs so tiny that Shelby was sure they'd snap every time one of the nurses moved her. She laid in the incubator almost hidden by tubes, wires and machines, tiny goggles over her eyes as a bright UV light shone down on her body to try and help her jaundice. She was so tiny but she'd already been through so much and Shelby couldn't help but blame herself. She was meant to keep her safe, she was meant to protect her but she'd let her down, she'd let her down before she was born, yet somehow she was expected to be able to raise this tiny little human.

"Why don't you talk to her?" Shelby was startled from her thoughts by one of the nurses, "hold her hand, she'll recognise your voice."

"I, I don't…" Shelby stuttered as the nurse opened one of the small windows on the incubator, "what if I hurt her?"

"You won't" the nurse reassured her, "she might be tiny but she's tough. Let her know she's not on her own."

Shelby nervously reached into the incubator, gently stroking the baby's arm before placing her index finger in the baby's outstretched palm, "oh" she whispered, unable to stop her tears as her daughter's tiny fingers curled around her own, "hey kid" she whispered, "you probably already know this but I'm your Mom." She let her head fall against the clear plastic, "I know you're probably scared, and you know what? So am I. This isn't how it was meant to be. I wasn't meant to be the one raising you, but I'm here baby, and I'm not going anywhere. Whatever happens we'll face it together okay? It's you and me against the world from now on kid."

Shelby barely left her daughter's side for the next month, her daughter fighting through one illness and infection after another, Shelby constantly surprised by the girl's resilience, every time Shelby thought the baby was beaten, that her tiny body had taken more than it could handle, she'd bounce back, proving time and time again that she was tough, she was a fighter.

In the brief moments she did spend away from the hospital, Shelby began to plan for her future, using the substantial amount money she'd got from the Berry men, more than in the original agreement, to buy a 2 bedroom house in the suburbs, spending her days by her daughter's side and her nights decorating the house and putting together furniture in preparation for the day she'd get to bring her little bundle of joy home.

"She's making good progress "the doctor told Shelby, "I think your milk's really helping her" the baby was still too weak to be breast or bottle fed, but she was no longer fed through an iv line, instead she was now fed Shelby's expressed breast milk through a tube that ran through her nose and into her stomach, "we'd like to try something though, if it's okay with you."

"Of course." As reluctant as she had been to bond with the baby at first, Shelby now knew she'd do anything for her.

"We're about to give her a feed, we thought you might like to hold her as we do, she might try to suckle a little, and if she does, that's great, but if not then that's fine too, we want to work up to her being able to feed properly."

Shelby nodded, "I'd love that" she said, slipping off her top at the doctor's request, tears forming in her eyes as the nurse lifted the baby from the incubator, "hey kid" she whispered as the baby was laid on her chest, the nurse arranging the tubes and wires to make sure Shelby and the baby were comfortable.

"How's that?" the doctor asked as Shelby wrapped a blanket around herself to keep the baby warm.

"It's amazing" Shelby couldn't keep her gaze off the baby on her chest, "she's perfect."

The doctor smiled, "try letting her feed a little if you're comfortable, she probably won't take anything but it's good to get her used to the idea."

Shelby nodded and adjusted her nursing bra before carefully moving the baby closer to her breast, "oh" she whispered at the feeling of the infant beginning to suckle gently, "you certainly know what you want don't you baby?"

The doctor smiled once he was sure the baby was settled, "I'll get the nurses to keep an eye on her, but if all her obs stay stable then I see no reason why she can't have a nice long cuddle."

Shelby thanked the doctor before turning her attention back to her daughter, like the doctor had warned, she hadn't fed for long at all, and was now laid with her head on Shelby's left breast, gazing up at her Momma, "I've waited for this for so long" she whispered, stroking the baby's cheek, shedding a tear when a tiny hand forced itself out from under the blanket to grip onto Shelby's finger, "you need a name don't you?" Shelby asked softly, "you can't be Baby Girl Corcoran for the rest of your life." She looked down, wanting to sob as she saw the big brown eyes gazing up at her as if she understood every word. "Oh, aren't you the most perfect little thing kid?" Shelby was lost in her daughter's eyes. She'd been waiting for this moment for so long, the mask that had covered her baby's face for so long now replaced by a clear tube under her nose, her dark hair poking out from under her pink hat, "I like Rachel" she said quietly, "what do you think?" She chuckled quietly as the baby stretched and yawned before settling back with her hand on her Momma's finger, "I'm going to take that as a yes."

Shelby spoke to her daughter for a while until the girl dozed off, not able to stay awake for long. Once Rachel's eyes fluttered shut Shelby switched to humming quietly as she gently rubbed her back, wanting to make the most of the time she had holding her baby.

She was relaxed back in the chair, still humming softly to her daughter when the nurse came over, "how's she doing?"

"She's okay I think" Shelby smiled, "she tried to feed for a little but then she fell asleep."

"She seems content" the nurse smiled as she checked the monitors that Rachel was still attached to, noting down the readings in the folder at the bottom of the incubator. "And this is the steadiest her heart rate's been since she was born, her resps are really good too."

"Really?" Shelby was surprised.

"Really" the nurse nodded, "and she's holding her temperature well, being held like that is really good for preemies, your body heat, your smell, your own breathing, it will all help her body regulate itself, and now your little one's more stable we'll make sure you get to hold her as often as possible."

Shelby nodded, gently running her hand down her daughter's back, "Rachel" she said softly, "her name's Rachel."

The nurse smiled, "that's a beautiful name" she closed Rachel's notes, crossing out the words, 'baby girl' and writing 'Rachel' in their place before putting the folder back, "I'll let everyone know."

"Hear that kid?" Shelby whispered, her attention focused on her daughter once the nurse left, "you're doing great, so you just keep doing what you're doing." She mused for a minute, "it might take me a while" she said softly, "to get used to calling you Rachel. I wanted to give you a name, right from the moment you were born I wanted to name you. But I couldn't. Naming you made this all so real, it made you real, and I, I couldn't name you, I couldn't cement that bond with you knowing you might not get to come home with me." She took a breath, looking down at the baby sleeping against her, a tiny hand splayed out against her breast, "I wasn't meant to be here, I was meant to carry you and then give you to two men who promised they'd give you everything they needed. But then you were born and they, well, I don't think they could cope with how wonderful you are kid. But they knew I loved you, and I do, I love you so, so much, so they told me I could keep you. And I'll be honest kid, that absolutely terrified me, but I wouldn't have you anywhere but here. This might not be what I planned, but when you're home, when we're settled, I can go back to school, maybe I could be a teacher or something. I might not make it to New York, I might never play the lead on a Broadway stage, but I get to be your Momma for the rest of my life, and, well, that's a pretty big role right?"

She smiled as she felt movement against her breast, watching as Rachel's eyes fluttered open, "hey beautiful" she cooed, "oh, you're a determined little thing aren't you" she asked as she saw the baby gently suckle against the skin of her breast, gently moving her and allowing her to latch on. She wasn't sure if the baby was feeding, didn't think she was strong enough to get any milk, but she was content, and if this was how she found comfort, Shelby was more than happy to provide that.

"Oh" Shelby whispered, surprised by her own tears as she saw a small drop of milk roll down Rachel's cheek, "look at you."

"Is everything okay?" the nurse came over, seeing Shelby's tears.

"I didn't think she was strong enough" Shelby whispered, "I thought she was maybe just doing it for comfort but…" she gestured to the drop of milk. "I didn't think I'd get this emotional about a tiny bit of milk" she whispered.

The nurse smiled and gently squeezed Shelby's shoulder, "it's a big deal, it's a big step for her, and it's great that she's managed it the first time she's tried" she said, reaching for a box of tissues, allowing Shelby to dab at her eyes, "do you remember we showed you how to hand express a little in the early days?" Shelby nodded, "give it a go, get a little milk on your breast, it'll help her learn that's where her food is going to come from, but even if she is just nursing for comfort, that's great too, she'll get the hang of it eventually."

Shelby nodded, "thank you" she nodded, taking the woman's advice, "shh" she whispered as Rachel began to fuss at being moved, "just give me a minute" she cooed, humming gently as she gently massaged her breast until a little milk appeared before moving Rachel back to her previous position, "is that good?" she asked softly, "it'll get easier" she promised, "as you get bigger and stronger we'll get better at this."

Rachel began to fuss when she was placed back in her incubator a while later, the nurse promising that Shelby would be able to hold her again later that evening.

She moved her chair back over to sit right by the incubator once Rachel was settled, the baby still grizzly after being moved from her Momma's chest. "Hey" Shelby said softly, curling her knees up to her chest as she reached her hand into the incubator, resting her palm on Rachel's bare stomach, "I'm still here kid, I've not gone anywhere, I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me now" she promised, Rachel settling at the warmth and the weight of Shelby's hand against her stomach, tiny fingers, as always, curling around Shelby's index finger, almost as if she wanted to be sure Shelby wasn't going to leave her.

"Hey" Shelby cooed, she thought Rachel had fallen asleep, but the baby beginning to fuss again told her otherwise, "what's wrong kid" she asked softly, gently rubbing circles on Rachel's stomach, Rachel still clinging to her index finger, and humming softly to the baby before beginning to sing quietly to her, "and I realise in an instant that I've known you all along, that I've wanted you forever, that I'll never do you wrong. And whatever this world comes to, and whatever comes our way I will watch you and protect you, I promise kid, we'll be okay." She was surprised at how quickly the baby settled when she began singing, "I know" Shelby whispered, "I want to hold you again too, but you need to get some rest, we can snuggle again later, I promise."

The time Shelby got to spend holding her daughter gradually increased over the next few weeks, and Shelby was over the moon when she was told Rachel was being moved from the NICU, that she no longer needed the high level of care she'd been getting so she was being moved to another ward where she could concentrate on feeding and growing.

Rachel's open crib in the nursery meant that Shelby could spend as much time as she wanted cradling Rachel, the nurses even helping her find a baby wrap that would support Rachel and hold her close, whilst still giving Shelby her hands free to do other things, even though more often than not, she simply found herself stroking Rachel's back, and to say that she'd struggled to talk to the baby when she was first born, now, Shelby found herself chatting away none stop, the infant looking up at her intently as if she understood every word Shelby was telling her as she promised her the world, told her about all the things they'd do when she was older, how she'd never leave her, promising her that, whatever the future held, they'd face it together.

It was almost two weeks after her due date that the day came. A day that, at one time, Shelby didn't think would ever happen, the day she left the hospital for the night knowing that she wouldn't be going back the next morning, because Rachel was leaving with her. She'd spent almost 90 minutes strapped into her car seat earlier that week as her heart rate and breathing were monitored to make sure that she could cope with the journey home, although Shelby wasn't sure why it had to be 90 minutes when she could be home from the hospital in 20. She was also grateful that Rachel slept through the test, the infant becoming increasingly vocal about her displeasure when she was laid anywhere but Shelby's chest, but it didn't matter now, she'd passed the test and been discharged. Rachel was going home.

Shelby carried the car seat into the house, pulling off the blanket that was wrapped around the infant and lifting her into her arms, rocking her gently as she stirred, "welcome home kid" she kissed Rachel's head, "this is it now, me and you kid, us against the world. Always."