Chapter 27

Rachel doesn't know what just happened between her mother and Puck. Just that morning, Shelby didn't even want Beth to know about Puck. And, now Shelby's inviting Puck to come over and meet Beth. The invitation was completely unexpected. Rachel smiles hesitantly at the unexpected act of kindness.

"That was really nice of you. You don't know how much it means to him," Rachel says.

Shelby knows exactly how much it means to him. Because she knows how much it would mean to her if Rachel gave her another chance.

"Oh, I think I do," Shelby says.

From Shelby's tone, Rachel can tell Shelby really believes that. And, Rachel gets irritated that her mother is comparing herself with Puck. Puck didn't want to give Beth up. It was Quinn's decision. And, if Puck has a chance to be in Puck's life, Rachel knows he'll take it.

"He's not like you," Rachel says. There's just a hint of anger in her tone.

"He wants the same thing that I do. He wants his daughter back," Shelby says.

"He's not like you," Rachel repeats. This time, her voice is louder. Firm. "He wanted to keep her. You planned on giving me up. He really wants to get to know Beth. You wanted to get to know me one second, and the next you were saying goodbye," Rachel says.

Shelby sighs slowly. "I didn't plan on keeping you, but that doesn't mean I never wanted to keep you. I did. So much," Shelby says. She takes a deep breath and looks directly into her daughter's eyes. "I do want to get to know you," Shelby says.

From Rachel's expression, it's clear she's hesitant to believe Shelby. Rachel doesn't know what to believe, how to feel. It sure didn't seem like Shelby wanted to get to know her last year. After just weeks of knowing her, Shelby said goodbye. Shelby walked away without so much as a look back. Rachel wonders if she ever would have seen her mother again had she not transferred to Carmel High. Somehow she doesn't think so. And, even when Rachel transferred, Shelby wasn't exactly happy that she was there. For months, Shelby didn't talk to her unless she absolutely had to. Now, suddenly Shelby wants to get to know her. Why now? Why not before? Rachel averts her eyes.

"If you really wanted to get to know me, you wouldn't have said goodbye when we met," Rachel mutters.

"I shouldn't have done that," Shelby says.

"Then why did you?" Rachel demands. The anger she wants to control seeps out as bitterness.

Shelby looks down for a second and then looks at Rachel nervously. She fidgets as she answers.

"When I told you that I was your mother but I wasn't your mom, it wasn't because I didn't want to be your mom. It was because I didn't think I could be your mom. I've missed so much," Shelby says.

Staring straight ahead, Shelby has tears in her eyes, but she won't cry. She swallows a lump in the back of her throat. After a moment of silence, she looks at Rachel and smiles sadly.

"You're my daughter, but I don't know you," Shelby says.

"I really want to get to know you, too," Rachel says. She looks up and meets her mother's eyes. "But how long are you going to want to get to know me for this time?" Rachel asks.

Shelby walks closer to Rachel. She wants to pull her daughter into a hug. But, Rachel crosses her arms in front of her chest. Her stance is closed off. So, Shelby stops just a foot away from her and looks directly into her eyes.

"Rachel, I have always wanted to get to know you. I just don't think either of us was ready last year," Shelby says.

"I was ready," Rachel tells her.

Shelby stares at her with raised eyebrows. "Were you really?" Shelby asks. Her tone is challenging.

Standing her ground with her arms crossed over her chest, Rachel nods her head.

"You know, when we met, I asked you how you felt and you said you were thirsty…because you were sad," Shelby reminds her.

The self-righteous indignation in Rachel's stance disappears and she looks down. She was unprepared. She'd gone to Carmel High to spy on Vocal Adrenaline. Reuniting with her mother was not part of the plan. When she realized Vocal Adrenaline's coach was her mother, she was completely shocked. After she snapped out of the initial shock, a powerful flood of emotions hit her. It was chaos. And, yes, confusion and sadness rose to the top of the swirl of emotions inside her.

"Your dads told me that you talked to a therapist about me," Shelby continues.

Rachel's eyes widen in surprise. "Why did they tell you that?" Rachel mutters.

"Because they wanted me to realize how wrong I was when I broke the contract, how much I hurt you. I'm so sorry, Rachel," Shelby says.

It's a genuine apology. Not only for breaking the contract. But also, for how she behaved after she broke the contract. The three words "I'm so sorry" don't change what happened. Shelby can't take back what she said last year. Still, Rachel knows how hard it was for Shelby to apologize. She's stubborn just like her mother. Even when Rachel knows she's messed up, it's always been hard for her to admit when she's wrong. So, when she apologizes, she really means it.

"I know," Rachel says. "So what now?" Rachel asks.

"It's not too late to get to know each other," Shelby points out.

Rachel smiles faintly and nods.

Shelby smiles. Remembering that Rachel wants to go to rehearsal tomorrow, her smiles fades away and she looks at Rachel nervously. She just made peace with her daughter. The last thing she wants to do is disturb that peace. But, she knows she can't let Rachel go to rehearsal. Not as her coach. And, not as her mother.

"And we'll have time to do that this week. You're not going back to rehearsal tomorrow," Shelby says.

"The only reason I stayed here is so that I could go to rehearsal. Nationals is next week," Rachel reminds her.

"And you can go back to rehearsal next week," Shelby tells her.

"The doctor only said I needed to rest for a few days! Not an entire week!" Rachel cries out.

"I don't think she meant two days when she said a few days," Shelby says.

"Oh, but you think she meant seven? Seven is a lot more than a few!" Rachel cries out.

Shelby remembers the last time she told Rachel that she couldn't rehearse. Rachel's broken nose was still healing, and Rachel wanted to dance. It escalated into a battle of wills. Of course, Shelby won. She knows she can win this battle as well, but at what cost? If Rachel is angry, she'll go back to spending all her time alone in the guest room. Their bonding will be over before it even begins. Shelby takes a deep breath and proposes a compromise that they can both live with.

"Okay, you want to go back to rehearsal tomorrow, and I don't want you to go back until next week. How about we compromise? You'll go for half of the rehearsal on Friday?" Shelby suggests.

"Fine," Rachel mutters.

Shelby smiles at having successfully delayed Rachel's return to rehearsal without it turning into a war. Now that the conversation she was dreading is out of the way, there's something she's curious about.

"Did you and Noah get back together?" Shelby asks.

"Yeah," Rachel replies.

"When did that happen?" Shelby asks.

"When we were at dinner last night," Rachel replies.

"Why didn't you say anything then?" Shelby wonders.

"Why would I have?" Rachel asks.

"I asked you how dinner was," Shelby reminds her.

"I was angry and hurt. I didn't feel like talking to you," Rachel explains.

"Well, do you feel like talking to me now?" Shelby asks. Her tone is half-teasing, half-serious.

Rachel smiles a little. "When I broke up with Noah, I didn't think I could ever trust him again. After everything he did the night of the accident, I do trust him. I told him that I wanted to get back together, and he really wanted to get back together, too," Rachel says. Her smile fades and she looks at Shelby nervously. "Look, I know you don't like him, but…"

But, Rachel doesn't get a chance to finish that thought.

"I like him just fine," Shelby says.

"No, you don't," Rachel scoffs.

"Look, Noah's not really a good kid, but…"

But, Shelby doesn't get a chance to finish that sentence.

"That's not true!" Rachel cuts in.

Shelby stares at her with raised eyebrows. "Rachel, come on! He got expelled from McKinley. You can't seriously think he's a good kid," Shelby says.

"I knew you didn't like him!" Rachel says. Her tone is accusatory.

"As I said, I like him just fine. He's not really a good kid. But, he clearly cares about you," Shelby says.

Rachel is taken aback by Shelby's words. She wonders what happened between her mother and Puck. Before the accident, Shelby made it clear that she did not think Rachel should get back together with him. So, Rachel expected her mother to try to convince her that she was making a mistake. She didn't expect this. A hesitant smile comes across her face.

Their conversation comes to an end when Beth wakes up and starts calling for Shelby. While Shelby makes dinner, Rachel plays with Beth in the living room. When dinner is ready, they all sit down around the kitchen table. Rachel smiles at the sight of her favorite vegan meal. Shelby notices and almost pats herself on the back for finally doing something right.

"How'd you know that this is my favorite?" Rachel asks.

"A little bird told me," Shelby replies.

Rachel rolls her eyes at the answer and takes a bite.

"This is really good," Rachel says.

"I'm glad you like it," Shelby says.

"My dads can't cook," Rachel tells her.

"It's a guy thing. My brother can't even boil water," Shelby says.

Rachel drops her fork and stares at her mother. "Your brother?" Rachel asks.

Shelby nods her head.

"I always just thought you were an only child," Rachel says.

Shelby shakes her head. "I have an older brother," Shelby tells her.

"Does he live here?" Rachel asks.

"Yeah. He lives about thirty minutes away," Shelby replies. She puts her fork down and looks at Rachel. "Beth is staying with him when we go to New York. You can meet him if you want," Shelby tells her.

Rachel's eyes widen in surprise. "He…knows about me?" Rachel asks.

"Yeah," Shelby replies slowly.

"I didn't think you told anyone about me," Rachel says.

"What? Did you think no one saw me for the entire nine months that I was pregnant?" Shelby asks.

From the blush creeping across Rachel's cheeks, it's clear that's exactly what she thought. Shelby smirks at Rachel's reaction.

"Well, I didn't," Shelby says. Her tone is teasing.

"Did he support your decision?" Rachel asks.

"He understood," Shelby replies. "He had to take out student loans for college and med school. He graduated with a mountain of debt," Shelby tells her.

"Does he want to meet me?" Rachel asks.

"I'm sure he does," Shelby replies.

"I have an uncle," Rachel murmurs.

"And an aunt and three cousins," Shelby adds. "Your dads don't have any brothers or sisters?" Shelby asks.

"Hiram's an only child. Leroy has a brother that lives in Chicago. We don't get to see him much," Rachel replies.

"I live in the same town as Kevin, and I don't see him very much. We're both busy," Shelby says.

"But Beth's staying with him when we go to New York?" Rachel asks.

Shelby nods her head. "Yeah. It's hard to travel with her. Besides, we're gonna be busy," Shelby replies.

"What are we doing?" Rachel asks.

"When we get there, we'll check into the hotel and then rehearse in the theater where we'll perform. And Nationals starts the day after we get there," Shelby tells her.

"How long is Nationals?" Rachel asks.

"Pretty much all day. There are fifty show choirs performing," Shelby replies.

Rachel's eyes widen in shock. "Fifty? Are they all really good?" Rachel asks.

Shelby shakes her head. "No. There are only a few that I see as real competition. Class Act is our biggest competition," Shelby tells her.

"Do you think they're better than us?" Rachel asks.

Shelby chuckles. "No. I've coached the show choir that won Nationals the last five years. I plan on winning again this year," Shelby replies.

Shelby's confidence catches Rachel off guard. Of course, Rachel knows exactly how many Nationals championships Vocal Adrenaline has won. And, she knows Shelby wants to win. She wants to win, too. But, she's not so sure that they will win. After all, it's only her first Nationals competition. As confident as Shelby seems, Rachel is nervous. And, Rachel gets even more nervous thinking that Shelby is used to winning. Shelby expects to win. What if they lose? Rachel is worried that Shelby will blame her. She's afraid that she'll be a disappointment. She's the star. She's singing the solo. The solo she hasn't practiced since the accident.

Shelby wants to talk to her daughter. Not her performer. So, she tries to steer the subject away from show choir.

"Have you ever been to New York before?" Shelby asks.

"Yeah. My dads always take me to New York for my birthday. Instead of giving me presents, we go on a trip," Rachel replies.

"Do you always go to New York?" Shelby asks.

"When I was little, we went somewhere different every year. Now they let me choose, and I always choose New York," Rachel replies.

"So I'm guessing you've seen a few shows?" Shelby guesses.

With a nod, Rachel starts listing off the shows she's seen. It turns out that Shelby's seen most of them. The rest of dinner is spent comparing notes. They like the same musicals, the same actors. They're surprised at how similar they are. Who would have thought that liking Barbra Streisand is a genetic trait? After they discuss every musical they've ever seen, Rachel tries to decide what she wants to see on this trip to New York.

"Before we broke up, Noah and I were going to see a musical when we're in New York for Nationals. I think I'm gonna get tickets to a show as a surprise. I don't know if I should go with a classic or something I've never seen before. It would be kind of nice to see something for the first time together," Rachel says.

"The Book of Mormon is supposed to be really good," Shelby says.

It's like they're finally on the same page. Rachel knows that Shelby wants to be her mom. And, as they sit around the kitchen table talking, it feels like Shelby is her mom. Rachel finishes her favorite food that her mother made for her. After dinner, Shelby does the dishes and Rachel goes upstairs. Taking Shelby's advice, Rachel opens her laptop and buys two tickets to The Book of Mormon. It seems so normal. It's like the earlier events of the day or even the past sixteen years never happened. Of course, the past is what shaped them into who they are. And, Rachel may have forgiven, but she hasn't forgotten.

A/N: Thank you to everyone that reviewed!