Hello Readers! Before getting too excited, this chapter isn't complete. I wanted to upload though bc I've got some news (and not sure how many of you follow me/new stories vs. just this one).

Anyway, I'm actually going back to the beginning with this story. I've worked on this story for 3 years now and there are things that I was never happy with. I've decided to do a complete redo. I'm changing up and adding more into the story, fleshing out Shelby and Rachel. I've got the first 6 chapters uploaded in the "new" story, Open Arms (Revised). I encourage you to check it out. I promise it will be worth it.

That said, I'm not going to add another chapter to this particular story thread, if you will. By the time I catch up in the Revised edition, there will have been so much that's changed. I'm not giving up on the story, just taking a different approach. I hope you understand and decide to stick with me.

Lastly, I'd like to thank you for sticking with me through the ups and downs, through the dry spells, the good and the bad. I want you all to know that I appreciate each and every one of you that has stuck with me and come back to read each new chapter. I hope you trust me enough to stick with me through this redo. I want it to be better than the original, and I hope it lives up to your expectations.

All my Love, DARecruit

Chapter 26: Work It Out

Rachel heard the jingle of keys in the door and perked up at the sound. It was late-morning on Thursday and she had been left home while Shelby went to Carmel to sign the final paperwork so Rachel could start school on Monday.

Shelby flopped onto the sofa with a huff, her purse and a thick manila folder still in her hands. She turned her head to look at Rachel, who was staring at her curiously.

"So…?" Rachel prodded.

"As of right now, you're still technically a sophomore at McKinley," Shelby sighed. "Those asshats over at that school haven't sent your records, so we can't complete your registration at Carmel yet—don't repeat that."

Rachel bit her bottom lip as she tried hard not to smile at her mom's statement. It wasn't often that she heard her mother's colorful language, but when she did, it was always extremely funny.

"I'm ready to go get your records myself," Shelby continued.

"I think they'd probably call the cops if we show up there again," Rachel said as she sat up on her knees and made her way over to Shelby. "Do you think I'll start school on Monday?"

"No. I talked to the admissions department and the principal and we decided that given the circumstances, it's better if you start the following Monday after we get back from our trip. They can't promise that you could start this coming Monday and we're leaving on Thursday for the campgrounds. It doesn't make sense for you to start for a day or two and then be off for four," Shelby explained, shifting to allow Rachel to cuddle up next to her.

"Oh," Rachel nodded. "Well that's cool, I guess." She reached forward to grab the remote from the coffee table.

Shelby grabbed the remote just as Rachel switched on the television. The picture had barely appeared on the screen when it was shut off again. Rachel looked at her questioningly.

"I've got work for you," Shelby said, reaching for the packet she brought home.

Rachel took the folder her mother handed her and flipped through the pages. Math. English. Biology. Spanish. She looked up at her mother, her brow furrowed.

"What is this?" she asked.

"The school gave that to me so you could catch up on the most recent assignments. You can work on that while we wait for you to start," Shelby replied.

"But I thought I wasn't registered. How do they know what classes I'll have?"

"You aren't, but those are the assignments every tenth grader has gotten. Do as much as you can and if you have any questions, you can ask your teachers next Monday," said Shelby.

"Okay," Rachel sighed. She grabbed for the remote again, but Shelby moved it out of reach.

"Rachel," Shelby said, her tone becoming serious.

Rachel met her mother's raised eyebrow with a furrowed one of her own. "What?" she said.

Shelby exhaled slowly in an effort to calm herself. She realized she was frustrated and impatient at the moment and that wasn't fair to Rachel. The girl didn't know what Shelby wanted—she hadn't told her to do anything. Shelby couldn't expect Rachel to read her mind.

"I want you to work on those assignments, please," she said.

"Aw, but Mama. Right now?" the girl whined.

"Yes, right now," Shelby answered, pushing Rachel up. She placed several soft pats to the girl's bottom to get her moving.

"How much do I have to do? I don't have to do all of it right now, right? You said I could go over Quinn's after she gets home, remember?" Rachel asked, glancing over her shoulder as her mom ushered her towards the kitchen table.

Shelby chuckled and shook her head. "I want you to sit here and work for an hour and we'll see where you are at that point. And yes, I know you're going to Quinn's today," she answered.

"Okay," Rachel sighed, pulling out a chair and sitting down. She looked up at her mom with a pout, hoping to sway the woman, but to no avail. Shelby simply shook her head and gave her a gentle kiss.

Shelby waited a moment until Rachel started on one of the papers before heading towards the sunroom where she had left her computer. She had been working on the first few chapters of her book and wanted to use the quiet time to write some more.

Shelby opened her document she had been working on and read through the last few pages she had written, hoping to jump back into it easily. She reached the end and stared at the cursor blinking back at her, taunting her. Her fingers tapped lightly against the keys as she bit her lip and thought about how to proceed.

Deciding she needed a moment to get her thoughts together, Shelby got online and signed into her email. She had several from Jackie and her team regarding the video fiasco; that had thankfully been contained and the event was old news by now. She scanned through the others looking for something interesting. She perked up when she read over the subject of the second to the last of the new emails; Rachel's new Facebook was ready to go.

Shelby opened the email and read over the information inside, smiling to herself. Rachel would be thrilled with this news, and Shelby was happy to know that Rachel could stop pestering her about it.

The hour ticked by and before Shelby knew it, the timer on her phone was going off. She quickly shut it off before staring back at her screen; she had gotten nowhere with her writing. She sighed and shut her laptop, setting it to the side as she stood. Her stomach rumbled and she thought about what to do for lunch.

"Rachel, what do you feel like for lunch?" she called as she entered the kitchen. Her daughter was deep in thought, hunched over her worksheets, scribbling furiously. Shelby smiled at the sight. She had a good kid—a bright, funny, beautiful, loving kid. Sure, Rachel was difficult at times, but she was a teenager and it was basically their job to make things hard for their parents. Heaven knows Shelby gave her parents a run for their money growing up. Of all the things Shelby had done and gotten to experience in her life, this moment right here was already one of the top. It didn't matter that it was a quiet moment on a regular day. It was a good moment, and one that Shelby treasured more than anything her fame had ever gotten her.

Shelby pulled out the chair at the head of the table and took a seat. She rested her head in her hand and her elbow on the table and watched Rachel work for a moment. The girl's eyebrows scrunched together and then apart as she thought and her tongue poked out between her teeth in concentration. Shelby saw so much of herself in her daughter; it was actually a bit scary.

"Hey, kiddo," Shelby said, reaching out to brush away the hair from Rachel's face. "How about a break?"

"I'm good," Rachel said, not bothering to look up from her work. Shelby frowned at her. Who was this kid and what did she do with her daughter?

"Are you hungry?" Shelby switched tactics.

"Yeah," said Rachel.

"Want anything in particular?"

"Can we order pizza?" Rachel asked eagerly, finally meeting her mother's eyes.

"Sure, we can order a pizza," Shelby laughed. "Why don't you get your work together and set it aside and we can find something to watch while we wait for the pizza to get here?"

"I'm almost finished with the English stuff," Rachel said, looking back at the scattered papers in front of her. "I think I'll work on it for a little bit more."

Shelby smiled as she stood, leaning forward to kiss Rachel's head. "Okay then," she said as she began walking into the living room. "Oh, by the way, Rach, I have your new Facebook information. I guess I'll just hold onto that for you until you finish your work."

Rachel's head snapped up and she spun in her chair to stare open-mouthed at her mother. "What?"

"Yeah, Jackie sent it over. But you're busy. It can wait," Shelby said, waving her hand above her as if swatting away a fly. She eyed her daughter over her shoulder, a smirk playing across her face.

"Wait! Mom!" Rachel cried, darting out of her chair and after the woman. She got three steps away from the sofa before lunging towards the back of it, her hands reaching out, ready to steady her as she vaulted over it. She bounced onto the cushion below and felt the air whoosh from her lungs. "You could have mentioned that before," she accused breathily.

Shelby had been walking around the sofa to sit when Rachel came running after her. It was her turn to stare open-mouthed, shocked at her daughter's acrobatics.

Shaking her head, Shelby straightened and glared at her child with hands on hips. "Rachel! You know better than that! You could have broken your neck—or worse, my sofa!" she scolded.

Rachel had enough sense to look guilty, but it was ruined by the smile she flashed a moment later.

"What am I going to do with you?" Shelby sighed as she sat down next to the girl. She narrowed her eyes at the look of innocence Rachel gave her.

"I love you, Mama," Rachel said, leaning forward to kiss Shelby's cheek. She knew how to butter her mom up when she needed to.

"Alright," Shelby pushed Rachel away from her with a laugh. She knew what the girl was up to. "Go get your computer and I'll order the food, then we can log onto your new Facebook," she said, sending the girl off with a quick swat.

Rachel returned with computer just as Shelby ended the phone call with their favorite pizza delivery. She smiled as Rachel skipped over to her and flopped down besides her. Brunette heads tilted towards one another as mother and daughter focused on their task.

Shelby oversaw Rachel setting up her Facebook with her basics, making sure the girl wasn't putting too much out there. "Remember what we talked about the other day, Rach," she said.

"I will," Rachel agreed as she changed her profile picture for the fifth time in a row. "Do you like this one?"

"I do," Shelby answered. "I liked all the others you chose before too."

"I just want to find the right one…" Rachel trailed off, her eyes continuously scanning the screen in front of her.

"Okay," Shelby eased the computer out of her daughter's grasp. "Let's put this down for a bit. The pizza should be here any minute now. You need to go clean up your work and then wash your hands."

"Moooom," Rachel whined.

Just as Shelby was about to reply, there was a knock on the door. She waved her arm towards the door and then raised her eyebrow at Rachel in a silent, 'I told you so.'

"Go on," she said aloud. She waited a split second for Rachel to get up to do as she was told before heading to the door with her wallet.

Rachel stomped off towards the kitchen table and sighed at the mess she had left there. She was sure the papers had multiplied in the half hour or so she had been away from them. Still, she had gotten through all but two or three sheets for English, so that was something.

Shelby opened the door only to stand in shock for a moment. "Mom. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Are you going to let me in, Shelby?" Diane returned with an amused smirk.

"Oh, yeah," Shelby said as she moved to the side. "This is a surprise. Is everything okay?"

Diane walked into the living room, sloughing off her light jacket and setting that and her purse in the armchair while moving towards the sofa. She sat and smiled up at her daughter. "I didn't have anything going on today and thought I'd visit you and Rachel. Where is she?"

"She's just—"

"What is she doing here?" Rachel said as she came back into the room. She glared at the back of her grandmother's head, looking towards her mother a second before the older woman turned around.

"Rachel!" Shelby gasped.

"I came to visit with you and your mother," Diane replied calmly. "Have a seat, Rachel, dear," she added, patting the spot besides her.

"I'm going upstairs," Rachel said haughtily. She held her head high as she stormed past her grandmother.

Shelby moved to grab her daughter and her hand closed on dead air. "Rachel, get back down here!" she yelled up the stairs at the girl's retreating back. She shook her head and looked apologetically back towards her mother.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Shelby sighed as she slumped down into the armchair, moving her mother's purse to the table. "I thought she'd be over the other day by now. I'll go talk to her after the food gets here."

"You'll do no such thing," Diane said. "If anyone's going to talk to her, it will be me."

"Mom, you don't know how she can be. I'll get her to come around," Shelby protested.

"I raised you; I think I have a good idea of how she can be," Diane said with a wink. "I didn't handle the other day well. She deserves to hear an apology from me."

"I'll let you handle it then," Shelby conceded. "But fair warning, she isn't going to make it easy."

"You never did either," Diane returned.

Diane stood outside of her granddaughter's bedroom, taking a moment to prepare herself for what she was about to do. Memories flooded her head of the many times she stood outside Shelby's shut bedroom door for the same reason. Diane knew she was headstrong, something that she found to be both positive and negative. It was a trait she had passed down to her children, and, it seemed, her grandchildren.

Rachel was so much like Shelby, and at times, it was hard for Diane to remember that the two were separate. Diane was guilty of stepping in when she shouldn't; it was a flaw of hers that she had always had. Her intentions were good, even if her execution sometimes wasn't.

The grandmother took a steadying breath before raising her fist to the closed door. She rapped once, twice, three times and then waited.

Rachel's head lifted at the sound. She was surprised it had taken her mother this long to come talk to her, but was glad for the time alone. She needed it to mull things over.

Truthfully, Rachel didn't want to be angry with her Nana. She hated holding onto those feelings of hurt and anger. The girl was still upset over the happenings on Monday. Her grandmother had scolded her and swatted her without even asking for Rachel's side of the story. She decided that Rachel was in the wrong and had acted accordingly.

Rachel sat up and prepared herself to be told that she needed to come downstairs and talk to her grandma. She would agree, but only if she was allowed to speak her peace before she had to make up with her. She would tell her mom that as soon as the woman walked in.

"Come in," she called.

Diane opened the door and stepped into the room, her eyes taking in everything. She hadn't spent much time in Rachel's room and seeing it again was a good reminder that this girl, while very much a carbon copy of her youngest, was indeed her own unique person.

"Nana," Rachel gasped, unable to hide her surprise.

"Rachel, do you mind if I come in and we have a little talk?" Diane asked.

Rachel wanted to be angry over this deception; she thought her mom was coming into her room and it was unfair to be thrown this curveball. The girl couldn't muster up the emotion and slumped her shoulders.

"We can talk," she said softly.

Diane smiled warmly at the tiny teen sitting on her knees on the bed. She shut the door and walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge and watching her granddaughter closely.

Rachel had taken those seconds to search her bed for Henry. She brought him up to her nose and nuzzled her face against his as her fingers worried at the spot where his leg had been restitched. She felt the bed sink as her grandma sat, but her focus never left the soft fur of her beloved lion.

"Rachel, what happened on Monday was uncalled for," Diane began.

Rachel's head snapped up and she met her grandmother's eyes for the first time since the woman came into the room. "If you're expecting me to apologize, I won't do it," she said forcefully.

"Rachel—"

"You didn't even wait to hear my side of the story. You decided you were right and I was wrong and that wasn't fair, Nana," Rachel went on. "I didn't deserve to be yelled at in front of everyone like that. And I definitely didn't deserve those swats!"

"You're right," Diane said.

"And furthermore, Nana, I—" Rachel fumed, faltering as her grandmother's words registered. "What?"

"I said, you are absolutely right, Rachel," Diane repeated.

"I am? I mean—I am!" Rachel confirmed. She stared at her grandma, not sure what to say next. She wasn't expecting to be told she was right.

"I owe you an apology," Diane said, reaching out to grasp her granddaughter's hand. She rubbed her thumb across the back of the girl's hand for a moment before continuing. "I handled that whole situation very poorly, Rachel, and I'm sorry."

Rachel focused on her hand in her grandmother's. She watched the older woman's thumb trace across her skin. "You didn't give me a chance to explain what happened," Rachel said.

"I didn't," Diane nodded.

"Why not?" asked Rachel.

Diane frowned as she thought about the teen's question. "I've raised four children, and have eight grandchildren. I've seen a lot and know all the tricks. I heard you had gotten into a fight and were suspended and I reacted," she said.

"But you didn't know any of the details! You had no idea what I went through and you didn't care!" Rachel protested. "And it's not fair that you tried to step in and punish me when my mom didn't. It's not your place to decide what should happen to me. That was between me and Mom."

Diane sighed. Shelby was right—Rachel wasn't making this easy at all. And why should she? Everything she has said has been 100 percent correct, she scolded herself.

"I didn't give you a fair chance, you're right," she finally said. "I overstepped and was treating you like you were my child and not my grandchild. And you are also right when you said I didn't know the details. But there is one thing you are wrong about, young lady."

Rachel opened her mouth to argue, but Diane held up her hand to silence her. "I care very much. I love you with all my heart, Rachel Barbra. You are so much like your mother, and I'm still getting used to her being a mother—and you being here and not just a figment of my imagination," she said.

"But I'm not—"

"Hush, I'm not finished," Diane quieted the girl. "I'm so used to Shelby just being Shelby. She's my youngest and in so many ways, I still baby her. And now you come along and are a part of our lives and it's wonderful, but there's a learning curve that goes along with it. I look at you and there are times I just see your mother and I forget myself. I forget for a moment that my Shelby is grown and is your mother. And sometimes I think that Shelby can't possibly know what she's doing. She hasn't had the opportunity to learn and make mistakes with you as you've grown and so I want to step in and help her—and you. But I've realized that you two don't need my help—at least not that way. You and her have got your life together and have your rules and schedules and you are doing just fine. You're both flourishing. I'm an old lady, Rachel, and I forget. Throw in my stubbornness and we've got a real mess, haven't we?"

Rachel fell into deep contemplation over her grandmother's words, her brows furrowing to the point of being just shy of painful. She was seeing the woman in a new light as her words sunk in. Perhaps Nana wasn't as unyielding as Rachel had worked her up in her head to be.

"Do you think you can forgive me, Rachel?" Diane asked after several minutes of quiet.

Rachel's eyes slowly crept up her grandmother's figure, finally resting on the woman's face. The girl felt her features softening as she considered the woman. She then nodded her head once.

Diane let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and reached forward to pull Rachel into her arms. She kissed the girl's head and rocked them gently back and forth. "Thank you, honey," she whispered into the child's hair.

Rachel sighed and smiled in spite of herself. Her body relaxed and she allowed Nana to hold her and rock her. They stayed like that for a long time, until a grumble from Rachel's stomach brought them back to the present.

Nana laughed, a tinkling sound that was so much like Shelby's laugh, and Rachel couldn't help but follow suit.

"The pizza got here just a bit ago. Why don't we go downstairs and have lunch with your mom? Then maybe you and I can go on a shopping trip, if you'd like," Diane said.

Rachel didn't need to be asked twice. She hugged her grandmother fiercely for a moment before pulling back and running for the door. She didn't look back as she flew down the stairs, careening past her mother who was just about to call up to check on the pair of them.

Shelby stared after her daughter for a moment before turning her head back to the top of the stairs. She met her mother's twinkling eyes and saw the wide grin plastered on her face and took it as a good sign.

Diane reached the bottom of the stairs and patted Shelby's cheek gently. "I told you I could handle her," she said.

Shelby found herself in a quiet house, alone except for the slumbering kitten snuggled at her feet, while her daughter was out on a shopping excursion with her mother. Shelby was glad the two had made amends and agreed that Rachel could go with her grandmother if that's what she wanted. Shelby reminded the girl to behave herself and then warned her not to wheedle her grandmother into buying her everything in sight. Rachel promised she'd be tactful. The mother had shaken her head at her girl and sent her on her way with a firm pat to her bottom.

"Don't worry, Shelly, I won't spoil her too much," Diane had promised as she and Rachel walked towards her car.

Shelby sighed and brought her thoughts back to the present. She was once again staring at the blank white page and blinking cursor on her screen. She thought that with Rachel out of the house, she would be able to concentrate enough to get at least a few pages written. It seemed that her inspiration had taken a vacation and so she shut the computer and set it aside. She turned instead to the TV, hoping to lose herself in a movie for an hour or so.

Shelby woke with a start and stared wildly around. As her eyes fell on Rachel, arms laden with shopping bags, Shelby realized she had been startled awake by the girl's noisy entrance.

"Were you sleeping?" Rachel asked, setting her bags down in the armchair. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You'd have wakened the dead, Rachel," Shelby answered as she sat up and laid a hand over her racing heart.

Rachel shrugged and flopped down onto the sofa, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Want to see what Nana bought me?"

Shelby's attention turned once more to the bags on the chair and her eyes narrowed. "Looks like she bought you the entire store. Rachel, I told you not to take advantage of your grandmother."

"Mom, I didn't! Nana was a willing participant. In fact, she took advantage of me!"

"Rachel!" Shelby scolded.

"But Mom," the girl whined, giving her mother big eyes. "Nana said she never got to spoil me like all the other kids and she was making up for lost time. She said it would make her happy. What could I do?"

Shelby shook her head and tried to keep up her stern façade, but Rachel's pout had done the trick. The mother felt her lips twitching upwards and she soon let out a gentle laugh.

Rachel smiled at her mother's giggles and pulled her bags towards her. "Look, she got me a new outfit and these cool headbands! And look at the cute new flats and—"

Shelby smiled and nodded along with Rachel's ramblings, oohing over each new item she was shown.