In which Rachel comes out to Mom and Dad...
Rachel had been pacing her bedroom all morning. With James out hanging out with the twins, it was the perfect time to talk to her parents without anyone else around. She could do it. Really she could.
She wasn't so much scared of rejection, because she knew her parents would love her regardless, but it was still scary.
Sam was sitting in the living room with the newspaper, reading the comics section. He could hear Rachel pacing through the floor, and he knew that she wanted to tell him and her mother something, but he wasn't going to push her. Not quite yet. Instead he just went back to his comics, flipping through the colored pages slowly.
Rachel picked up her phone and glanced at it, then chewed her lip and sent a quick text to Claudia. About to talk to rents. positive thoughts? It was a few minutes later before a text came back. *sends positive vibes* That was enough to make Rachel smile. She left her room and went to knock on the door to her parent's bedroom.
"Come in," her mom called.
She peeked her head in. "Can you come down and talk to me and Dad a minute?"
Alice nodded. "Sure honey, I'll be right down."
Rachel nodded and turned to go downstairs, finding her father and settling in across from him. "Hi Daddy," she said softly.
"Hey, sweetheart," Sam said softly, placing the paper down in his lap. "How's it going?"
"Good," she nodded. "Enjoying being lazy."
"That's good," he nodded. "As you should."
Alice came down the stairs and sat down beside her husband. "She should what?"
"Enjoy being lazy," he replied, sliding an arm around her shoulders.
She leaned against him and nodded. "Not too lazy, though."
Rachel smiled. "No, Mom, not too lazy. I'll still be going back to school."
"But she's allowed to be a little lazy," Sam said with a smirk.
"Just a little," Alice smile, kissing his cheek. She looked over at Rachel. "What's up, honey?"
Rachel shifted in her seat and pushed her hands under her legs. She licked her lips slightly and looked down at the carpet. "I've been making some new friends lately...."
Sam nodded, watching her carefully. "Good friends?"
She nodded, a small smile coming to her lips. "Yeah. One really good friend. She's...great."
"That's good," Sam nodded. "I'm glad."
Alice tilted her head and studied their daughter. "Is something wrong?"
Rachel shook her head quickly and bit her lips together. "That's the thing...it's...I feel like I'm finally finding my place, you know?"
Sam watched Rachel as well, trying to pinpoint what she was getting at. "What're you trying to tell us, Rach?"
It was now or never. "My friend...Claudia...she's great. We get along really well, and...she makes me happy. The-the way you two make each other happy." Her heartbeat pounded in the silence after her words.
Sam was quiet for a minute. He didn't take long to put two and two together, but that wasn't what he had been expecting to hear. "So ... you have a girlfriend?"
Alice tightened her hand around Sam's. A bit out of shock and also to keep him grounded. Not that she thought he'd flip out. "Oh.."
Rachel didn't look her parents in the eye. "Yeah...I do. Her name's Claudia."
Sam watched his daughter for a moment, before reaching forward and placing his hand on her leg gently. "Hey, sweetheart. Look at me." She glanced up, still biting her lip. He met her eyes. "This isn't a bad thing. We're not upset with you, okay?"
"Promise?" Her eyes were wide and her voice soft.
"Of course not, baby," Alice shook her head, her own hand resting on Sam's back.
"Definitely not," he said softly. "Come here." He took her hand, pulling her so that she could sit between him and Alice. Rachel let herself be pulled and settled between them, just curling up. "No matter what, you've always got us, alright?" he said, kissing the top of her head gently. "That's not gonna change."
Alice pulled her fingers through Rachel's hair. "I don't care who you're with, as long as they're good to my little girl."
"She is," Rachel nodded.
"Good," Sam nodded. "That's all that matters."
She wrapped her arms around Sam and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Dad."
"You're welcome," he replied, keeping close. "I just can't promise we'll be the most graceful family about the subject though."
"What does that mean?" She was almost scared to ask.
"You've met your Uncle Dean, haven't you?"
She shook her head. "I'm so not telling this to Uncle Dean."
"Well, he's gonna find out eventually."
"So let him find out. But...don't say anything yet. I want to talk to my cousins."
"I won't," Sam nodded.
Alice leaned forward and kissed the side of Rachel's head. "No one will care, Rachie. We all love you."
"Yes, we do." Rachel just closed her eyes and let herself relax between her parents. "Are you okay?" Sam asked, rubbing her back lightly.
"Yes," Rachel said quietly, smiling.
"Good," he nodded. "I'm glad."
Rachel nodded and sat forward some. "I..I've got some things I need to do." She brushed her hair behind her ear.
"Okay," he said with a nod. "Gonna be back for dinner?"
"Yup." She gave them both a kiss, then quickly excused herself from the room.
Alice sat back and watched her go. Sam slid his arm back around Alice's shoulder and pulled her close. "You okay?"
"A little surprised, but fine." She nodded and looked at him. "What do you think?"
"That wasn't what I was expecting," he said with a nod. "But it's not bad."
"Well it makes sense now the lack of boys you've had to scare off with your shotgun." She smirked lightly.
He grinned a bit. "Dean's gonna say I had it easy. And that doesn't mean I shouldn't scare off the girls either."
Alice sighed. "A girl could break our baby's heart just as easily as a boy."
"Exactly."
"We'll take care of her either way. James too."
"I know," he sighed. "I just want her to be happy."
"She looked pretty happy to me, Sam."
"She did," he nodded. "She better stay that way."
"She'll find her way. Just like we did." She leaned in and kissed him softly.
He kissed her back, moving his hand to cup the side of her face lightly. "Yeah, she will."
She wasn't so much scared of rejection, because she knew her parents would love her regardless, but it was still scary.
Sam was sitting in the living room with the newspaper, reading the comics section. He could hear Rachel pacing through the floor, and he knew that she wanted to tell him and her mother something, but he wasn't going to push her. Not quite yet. Instead he just went back to his comics, flipping through the colored pages slowly.
Rachel picked up her phone and glanced at it, then chewed her lip and sent a quick text to Claudia. About to talk to rents. positive thoughts? It was a few minutes later before a text came back. *sends positive vibes* That was enough to make Rachel smile. She left her room and went to knock on the door to her parent's bedroom.
"Come in," her mom called.
She peeked her head in. "Can you come down and talk to me and Dad a minute?"
Alice nodded. "Sure honey, I'll be right down."
Rachel nodded and turned to go downstairs, finding her father and settling in across from him. "Hi Daddy," she said softly.
"Hey, sweetheart," Sam said softly, placing the paper down in his lap. "How's it going?"
"Good," she nodded. "Enjoying being lazy."
"That's good," he nodded. "As you should."
Alice came down the stairs and sat down beside her husband. "She should what?"
"Enjoy being lazy," he replied, sliding an arm around her shoulders.
She leaned against him and nodded. "Not too lazy, though."
Rachel smiled. "No, Mom, not too lazy. I'll still be going back to school."
"But she's allowed to be a little lazy," Sam said with a smirk.
"Just a little," Alice smile, kissing his cheek. She looked over at Rachel. "What's up, honey?"
Rachel shifted in her seat and pushed her hands under her legs. She licked her lips slightly and looked down at the carpet. "I've been making some new friends lately...."
Sam nodded, watching her carefully. "Good friends?"
She nodded, a small smile coming to her lips. "Yeah. One really good friend. She's...great."
"That's good," Sam nodded. "I'm glad."
Alice tilted her head and studied their daughter. "Is something wrong?"
Rachel shook her head quickly and bit her lips together. "That's the thing...it's...I feel like I'm finally finding my place, you know?"
Sam watched Rachel as well, trying to pinpoint what she was getting at. "What're you trying to tell us, Rach?"
It was now or never. "My friend...Claudia...she's great. We get along really well, and...she makes me happy. The-the way you two make each other happy." Her heartbeat pounded in the silence after her words.
Sam was quiet for a minute. He didn't take long to put two and two together, but that wasn't what he had been expecting to hear. "So ... you have a girlfriend?"
Alice tightened her hand around Sam's. A bit out of shock and also to keep him grounded. Not that she thought he'd flip out. "Oh.."
Rachel didn't look her parents in the eye. "Yeah...I do. Her name's Claudia."
Sam watched his daughter for a moment, before reaching forward and placing his hand on her leg gently. "Hey, sweetheart. Look at me." She glanced up, still biting her lip. He met her eyes. "This isn't a bad thing. We're not upset with you, okay?"
"Promise?" Her eyes were wide and her voice soft.
"Of course not, baby," Alice shook her head, her own hand resting on Sam's back.
"Definitely not," he said softly. "Come here." He took her hand, pulling her so that she could sit between him and Alice. Rachel let herself be pulled and settled between them, just curling up. "No matter what, you've always got us, alright?" he said, kissing the top of her head gently. "That's not gonna change."
Alice pulled her fingers through Rachel's hair. "I don't care who you're with, as long as they're good to my little girl."
"She is," Rachel nodded.
"Good," Sam nodded. "That's all that matters."
She wrapped her arms around Sam and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Dad."
"You're welcome," he replied, keeping close. "I just can't promise we'll be the most graceful family about the subject though."
"What does that mean?" She was almost scared to ask.
"You've met your Uncle Dean, haven't you?"
She shook her head. "I'm so not telling this to Uncle Dean."
"Well, he's gonna find out eventually."
"So let him find out. But...don't say anything yet. I want to talk to my cousins."
"I won't," Sam nodded.
Alice leaned forward and kissed the side of Rachel's head. "No one will care, Rachie. We all love you."
"Yes, we do." Rachel just closed her eyes and let herself relax between her parents. "Are you okay?" Sam asked, rubbing her back lightly.
"Yes," Rachel said quietly, smiling.
"Good," he nodded. "I'm glad."
Rachel nodded and sat forward some. "I..I've got some things I need to do." She brushed her hair behind her ear.
"Okay," he said with a nod. "Gonna be back for dinner?"
"Yup." She gave them both a kiss, then quickly excused herself from the room.
Alice sat back and watched her go. Sam slid his arm back around Alice's shoulder and pulled her close. "You okay?"
"A little surprised, but fine." She nodded and looked at him. "What do you think?"
"That wasn't what I was expecting," he said with a nod. "But it's not bad."
"Well it makes sense now the lack of boys you've had to scare off with your shotgun." She smirked lightly.
He grinned a bit. "Dean's gonna say I had it easy. And that doesn't mean I shouldn't scare off the girls either."
Alice sighed. "A girl could break our baby's heart just as easily as a boy."
"Exactly."
"We'll take care of her either way. James too."
"I know," he sighed. "I just want her to be happy."
"She looked pretty happy to me, Sam."
"She did," he nodded. "She better stay that way."
"She'll find her way. Just like we did." She leaned in and kissed him softly.
He kissed her back, moving his hand to cup the side of her face lightly. "Yeah, she will."