Shooting the Rapids - Chapter Sixteen
Title: Shooting the Rapids
Author: Sio & Maura
Rating: NC-17
Length: 72,184 / 105,220
Spoilers: Possible mentions of up to Season 2 finale
Pairing: Rachel/Santana
Summary: The sequel to Standing on a Precipice. Rachel and Santana have managed to survive the turbulent waters of the loss of Jesse and the shocking truth hidden in Santana’s marriage. Now two years later, new troubles arise with Shelby taking a stand in defense of her daughter against Santana’s "corruption" and the involvement of the tabloids as the couple becomes more and more drawn into the public eye. Kayla’s success in gymnastics brings interest from an unexpected direction and Santana has decided she wants to try again for a child of her own. Can they survive as a couple and help their children thrive amidst the chaos?
Warnings (highlight to read): Pregnancy, angst, children, non-con and drugging and talks thereof in later chapters
Chapter Sixteen
Cale didn't like that the magazines put pictures of his baby sister out for everyone to see, but he was happy that he was finally getting to show her off to his classmates. His mama had helped him print up a big picture of Arianna and he had it tucked away in his favorite Batman folder. He sat anxiously at his desk waiting for show and tell, unable to keep from grinning happily the entire morning.
When show and tell finally came, he bounced in his seat, excited to be able to show off his baby sister. As soon as Mrs. Kasey called his name, he hopped up and practically scurried to the front of the room. Spinning around to face his classmates, his folder clutched to his chest, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath the way his mama always told him to do before speaking to an audience, letting it out slowly.
"I have a new baby sister!" He announced with a big grin, opening his folder and handing the precious photo to Pete in the first row. "Her name is Arianna and she's really tiny! Like smaller'en Alex was even."
Mrs Kasey smiled at him. "That's lovely, Caleb. I didn't know your mom was pregnant though. Did she remarry?"
He shook his head, "Nuh-uh. Ari is Santa's baby, but she's my little sister cause Santa and Mama say so." He grinned, though not as brightly at the uncertain smile his teacher was wearing. "Mama says she's my little sister just like Alex is my little brother."
"Nuh-uh!" Conor called from the back row with a sneer, "She ain't your sister! She's brown! My daddy says brown people and white people ain't ever brothers or sisters!"
"Conor Hall!" Mrs Kasey scolded, frowning at him, "That sort of language is not tolerated."
"But my daddy says brown people ain't even real people," The white boy argued, sitting back and crossing his arms with a frown, "So ain't no way Caleb's sister is brown."
Mrs Kasey stood up angrily, heading off the upset Cale who was opening his mouth to defend his Santa and baby sister, "Conor, you can go to the principal's office now and we'll be having a talk with your father about what is and is not appropriate to teach members of my class later tonight." She glared at the recalcitrant boy, pointing past Cale to the door. As Conor stomped angrily out the door and down the hall, she looked around. "Contrary to what Conor's father may say, people are people no matter what color they may be and we do not treat people differently because of what they look like. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Mrs Kasey," the class chorused back.
"Good," she smiled down at Cale, "Go ahead and tell us about your sister. You said she's... Santa's baby?"
"Uh-huh," he nodded, a bit subdued after his classmate's unpleasant outburst, "She came early cause she really wanted to see us and she's so little, Mrs Kasey." He held his hands about a foot apart, looking up at his teacher, "We gots to hold her real careful."
"I'm sure you do, Caleb. Babies are very fragile and you have to be careful with them." She brushed a hand over his hair and returned to her seat. "Does anyone have any questions for Caleb about his new baby sister?"
Brianna in the back corner waved her hand excitedly above her head, leaning up out of her seat to make sure she was noticed. "How comes she's your sister if her mom and your mom aren't married, Cale?"
Cale frowned, "Cause Mama says she is."
"But how comes really?" Brianna looked confused, "My mommy and daddy said I can only have more brothers and sisters if mommy and daddy have another baby. But your daddy died and your mom didn't have another baby. So how comes?"
"I know he did." Cale pouted, "But Ari's still my baby sister."
"Not if her mom ain't married to your mom!" John yelled from across the room, starting everyone up arguing about it.
"Children! Children, be quiet!" Mrs Kasey stood up and tried to regain control over the room, stepping in front of Cale who was just staring in shocked confusion as tears trickled down his cheeks.
Later that day, Cale slipped into the living room where Rachel was sitting on the couch reading. When he clambered up into her lap, sniffling, she set her book aside and wrapped her arms around her oldest son. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
"Is Ari really my sister?" He sniffed, looking up uncertainly.
Rachel blinked, frowning in confusion. "Of course she is, Cale. Why would you think otherwise?"
"The kids at school say she's not cause you and Santa aren't married, Mama." He rubbed at his eyes, resting his head over her heart.
"Well the kids at school are wrong." She kissed the top of his head and hugged him, "Arianna is definitely your baby sister."
"But you and Santa aren't married..."
She sighed softly, "No, we're not."
"Why not, Mama?" He moved to look up at her with a pout, "If you were married nobody'd say Ari wasn't my sister."
"Cale," there was a softly chiding note to her voice as she licked her lips, "Santana was married before and she was terribly sad while she was married. I don't want to ever make her sad."
Santana was in the middle of trying to wake up Alex and Arianna from their combined nap time - okay and a bit of mommy nap time as well- when she heard Cale's question. She quickly wondered why all of the sudden everyone was asking them about getting married. She leaned against the door frame and listed to her girlfriend and son talk.
"I don't want Santa sad either, Mama. But I want Ari for really sure as my baby sister." He pouted, a finger slipping into the corner of his lips.
"She is your baby sister, Cale. For really sure." She brushed her fingers through his hair, unaware that Santana had come into the room. "I love Santana very much, little man. Very very much. And if she ever wanted to marry me, I would agree in a heartbeat." She nuzzled his hair, "But I won't push her and I'll always respect her. In every way that counts, we're a family, Cale. We don't need a piece of paper or rings to make us more of a family."
Santana leaned her head against the door. "Fuck," she whispered as she continued to listen to Rachel's reasons why they weren't married. She looked at the baby and her three year old on the bed, Alex with a careful arm around her and his nose nuzzling into her cheek.
"I don't want Santa to ever go away, Mama," Cale whispered, half awake, "I want her to stay forever. Her and Ari. Stay with us."
Rachel closed her eyes, resting her cheek against her little boy's head with a soft smile. "I want her to stay forever too, Cale, and I'm going to do my best to ensure we're always a family and always together. That's what family is, Cale. Not a ring, not a piece of paper, but people who love each other very much and promise to always stay together."
"I wish you'd marry Santa anyway," his voice was soft, drifting, "so you can be happy like you are with Daddy in the movies."
"I am happy, Cale." She kissed his head, "Happier than I've been in a long time. As long as she's with us, I'm happy. I promise."
After a few minutes Santana snuck out of the room and walked over to the couch, she leaned over and kissed the woman thoroughly. "I love you."
She carefully picked Cale up and nodded her head toward the bedroom, heading in and laying the older boy on the other side of Arianna who was propped up in a nursing pillow. She smiled when she felt Rachel come into the room and wrap her arms around her. She didn't say anything, but she just held her.
Rachel gently kissed the back of Santana's neck under her ponytail and rested her chin on her shoulder to watch their three youngest sleeping together. "I think we should just let them be for now, don't you? They can nap a little longer."
She nodded and pulled Rachel over to the loveseat against the wall in their room. "They're amazing. Alex helped me changed her diaper and he sang her to sleep before falling asleep with her," she whispered as she rested her head on her lover's shoulder.
Rachel chuckled softly, "He's a sweet big brother once he grasped that he couldn't wake her up. Did I tell you that he assayed an attempt at keeping me from changing her diaper the other day because she was sleeping and he didn't want me to wake her?"
She smiled and laughed softly, "So cute." She whispered and reached over her held Rachel's hand, she let her fingers run over Rachel's left hand where her husband's wedding band still sat. She stroked it softly as she watched the three youngest kids nap as they waited for Kayla and Beth's arrival home from school.
Looking down at their hands - and Santana's fingers idly playing with the gold band that signified her marriage with Jesse - Rachel wondered yet again if perhaps it was time to take the rings off. She'd considered putting them on a necklace instead of wearing them - Jesse had been buried with his at her insistence - but she just couldn't decide and she wasn't certain how Santana would respond if she asked her. She was thinking about it when the soft chime of the doorbell rang through the house.
She glanced up puzzledly, "I'm not expecting anyone. Are you, Santana?"
The other woman shook her head no, "I can go check, maybe it's Beth or Puck..." She got up and walked out of the master bedroom and down the hall towards the door. She moved to it, she opened it slightly nearly gasping when she saw who was on the other side. "S-Shelby?"
The woman was irate, shoving the door open. "Out of my way, homewrecker. I know she's here. Beth! Beth, where are you?!"
"Shelby?" Rachel was frowning thunderously as she stepped out of the bedroom. "I told you you're not permitted here. Leave now."
"Like hell I'm leaving without my daughter! Beth!" Shelby shoved open the nursery door with a bang, spotting her daughter's laptop, "Ah-hah! I knew it! Where is she?! BETH!"
In the bedroom, Arianna woke up and started crying, scaring the boys awake. Alex pulled her into his arms and tried shushing her like he'd seen his moms doing, but it wasn't working, upsetting him. "Why yelling, Caley?" He asked his big brother with teary eyes. Cale just shook his head looking scared and holding his younger siblings.
"That's it." Rachel glared at her birth mother as she heard her children's distress, "I am done playing. Santana, call the police and inform them we have an violent intruder and need immediate assistance."
"You can't threaten me, Rachel!" Shelby glared, reaching out to push the smaller woman out of her way as she headed towards the stairs. "I want my daughter. Beth!"
Santana roughly grabbed Shelby's arm and pushed her back down into the entrance way of the hall. "Stay the hell back, Shelby. She's not here." Santana explained, "And she's not going home with you until she wants to. How the hell could you do this to your daughters? Using one to hurt the other like that? Your issue is with me, and no one else."
"Get your hand off me," she sneered at Santana, shaking her arm to get her to release it and trying not to show that the grip hurt. "You have no right to keep her from me. I am her mother and she is going home with me."
She didn't see Rachel slip back into the bedroom to kiss the children. "Don't worry, sweethearts. We'll take care of this." Picking up the phone on the nightstand, she quickly dialled 911. "Hello? I'd like to report a violent intruder in my home. Please send the police as soon as possible. We have children here including a tiny infant and I am very afraid for their safety if this woman remains here."
"Shelby, you aren't a mother! You're not anyone's mother. No mother would do what you've done to their children. Rachel hates you, Beth hates you, so why don't you go crawl back in the hole you crawled out of." Santana spat. "And my daughter, by the way, is beautiful, amazing and 100% Rachel's so your little lies to the tabloids are fucking dumb."
"What are you even talking about? Lies? Tabloids?" She shook her head with a scowl, "I don't have anything to do with those filthy rags. But go ahead, do your best to corrupt my daughters away from me with your trash even more, Santana."
"Bitch, Beth is the only one outside of this house with that photo. You've been feeding them photos and lies about Rachel and Noah Puckerman as well as the photos. So don't even trip." She crossed her arms, "Own your crazy, Shelby."
Shelby just laughed mockingly. "You have no proof of any of that. You're just spouting off your twisted view of reality to get what you want. The same as you always have. Now," she stepped close, reaching out to grip one of Santana's arms tightly, hissing, "I want my daughter and I am not leaving here until I have her!"
Santana winced as Shelby's nails drive into her skin. "It's early in the day, you crazy idiot. She's at school and there's no way she's going with you," she spat. "Get your hands off of me."
"Don't you tell me that crap!" Shelby raised her free hand and lashed out, slapping Santana across the face, "You took my daughter from me! You don't get to take Beth too!"
At that moment there was a sharp knocking on the front door. "This is the NYPD. We got a call about a disturbance?" Came through the door, muffled by the thick wood.
Rachel slipped around the women in the hall with a horrified expression on her face as she opened the door. "Yes, officers, I called you. Please, please take her away from here." She pointed back at Santana and Shelby.
Santana raised her hand to her nose and tried to sop up the blood that was dripping down her face. "She assaulted me," she told the cops. She felt the sting of the hand print on her face as she looked down to see Cale holding Arianna and Alex cowering behind him. "Boys, go back to the room."
"Go on, sweethearts. It'll be okay, I promise." Rachel reassured them urging them back into the room, "Go cuddle Ari and keep her safe, okay, Alex?"
He nodded. "Okay, Mama. Mommy okay?"
"She'll be fine." Rachel smiled reassuringly and kissed his head, closing the door behind them after seeing them settle onto the loveseat with their sister and turning to the officers. "Officer," she glanced at the older man's name tag as his partner struggled to restrain Shelby, "Reyes, I wish to inform you that I have every intention of pressing charges against this woman as soon as possible."
As he nodded, Shelby froze in the female officer's arms. "Rachel, you can't be serious!"
She turned to glare at her birth mother. "Oh, I am deadly serious. You burst into my home where you are entirely unwelcome, scared my children and assaulted the woman I love!"
"She is trying to kidnap my daughter!" Shelby screamed, fighting with the officer again though with far less effectiveness once restraints had been fastened around her wrists, "She's kidnapping her!"
"Shut up, Shelby! You're embarrassing yourself and everyone else!" Rachel stomped her foot, crossing her arms over her chest. "No one is kidnapping anyone. Beth came here after she discovered you were behind the vile libel being spread about my family and I in the tabloids. She is my sister and is more than welcome in my home for as long as she cares to live here!"
Santana looked down and sighed, she didn't want this to be happening. She sniffled back the blood and watched the interacting with the officers.
"Please," Rachel looked at the officers pleadingly, "just take her away. She isn't welcome here and her daughter is 16 and more than welcome in our home, unlike her." She nodded her head at Shelby. "I am in the process of filing suite against her for defamation of character and libel due to things discovered by Beth, her adopted daughter, which is why she is staying with us for now."
"We understand, ma'am. We'll get her out of your hair now, ladies." The female officer smiled sympathetically, jerking Shelby towards the doors. "Come on, you. You're being placed under arrest at this time. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot provide one, one will be provided for you." The officer's voice trailed off as she left the house, her partner tipping his hat to the women and closing his notebook as he followed her.
As soon as they'd left, Rachel seemed to slump into herself, pushing the door closed and coming over to check on Santana. "I'm so sorry that happened. It's all my fault you have to deal with her at all," she sighed regretfully, reaching up to gently feel her lover's damaged nose. "Does it hurt terribly?"
"I'm more worried about the kids..." She whispered as she pulled Rachel into the bedroom and kneeled down in front of Cale who was trying to handle a sobbing Alex and Arianna who was screaming. "Thank you baby." She kissed his head and took the infant in her arms and cuddled her until she stopped crying. The second she did she pulled Cale into her arms.
Cale collapsed into her arms with a worried sob as his mother scooped up his brother and started talking to him softly to calm him down. "I was so scared, Santa!"
"I know baby." She whispered into his neck, "Everything's okay now. Mommy and I are okay, I promise. Everything is okay." She cooed, her body rocking them back and forth slightly whispering this over and over again.
"I don't like it when you fight," he sobbed into her neck, holding her tight, "please don't anymore. Don't get hurt like before. I don't like it, Santa..."
"I will try to never do it again. But, if someone ever tries to hurt you, your mom, your brother or sisters?" She said in a serious tone, "I'll move heaven and earth to make sure they never hurt anyone ever again." She kissed his temple and sighed as she held him and Arianna close to her heart.
"Me too," he whispered, calming down and leaning back to look at her. "Won't let no one hurt you or Mama or Alex or nobody. Alex'll help when he's bigger. We won't let no one hurt you or Mama or Ari or Kay."
"You wont have to, baby, I promise nothing will happen to us. I promise, okay? Mommys are here to protect you." She sighed and cuddled them.
"Yeah, but boys are 'post to protect girls." He looked determined, "So when Alex and I get big, we get to protect mommies."
"Girls can protect boys. Boys can protect boys... It's love and we all love you and we will all keep each other safe." She smiled and kissed his head, "But thanks, baby, for looking out for us."
He nodded, "I'm oldest but Kay, Santa. I protect everyone. My job. Don't want no one hurt Alex or Ari or Kay." He scowled fiercely - reminding Santana of his Simba impersonation, "If they do, I get 'em and make 'em 'pologize."
"Sounds like a plan, beautiful boy," she smiled and kissed his cheeks, "as long as they apologize." she looked over at Rachel who had managed to calm down Alex. "Everyone's okay." She stated, "Who wants to help mommy and I make a snack for when Beth and Kayla get home?"
"I do!" Cale crowed, squirming down to the ground, excited to get to help cook.
"Cans I help too, Mommy?" Alex asked softly, peering over at Santana, his head resting on Rachel's shoulder as she stroked his back, calming him. "Can Ari? She don't want be alone..."
Santana leaned over and kissed her son pouty mouth. "Yes she can come too, but Mama will have to hold her if that's okay with her." She smiled as she looked up to her girlfriend. "Wanna hold your daughter while the boys and I cook?"
"I think I can handle that," Rachel tried to hide the little smile that said she'd probably be supervising more than just watching, though Santana's cooking had improved quite a bit over the last few years.
The darker women got up and handed the baby over so Rachel could cradle her daughter. She followed the boys into the kitchen where Cale was looking through the fridge for something they could make for the girls. "Find anything good?" She asked as she came in and pulled out six cups and went into the freezer and grabbed the strawberry ice cream and put it on the counter near the blender. "I'm gonna make everyone a little milkshake." She smiled indulgently.
"Celery," he held up the leafy green bunch in one hand and awkwardly held up the jar of peanut butter, "and nut butter sticks?"
"Mmm sounds tasty." She hoisted Alex up and sat him on the counter and got him to scoop ice cream into the blender as she set Cale and his step stool near the counter so he could work. She got him a little spatula and a platter down after she cut the washed celery into smaller sticks. "Want fresh cut strawberry's in the shake?"
"Yes, please," Alex chirped, licking the ice cream scoop after finishing scooping ice cream into the blender. Cale just nodded, his tongue poking out the corner of his lips as he carefully filled each stick of celery with peanut butter.
Santana nodded and popped a few strawberries from the fridge into the mixer before adding a bit of soy milk in and a hand full of ice and blending it. She smiled looking over at her girlfriend singing softly to their daughter. She watched for a few minutes before she was noticed causing her to turn away with a blush.
After a few more pulses of the blender, Santana poured it into the boys cups and turned to see the boys finished and licking nut butter from their fingers. "You two ready? Wanna go sit at the table get ready for the ladies to come home?" She smiled and helped Cale down and carrying the plate to the table. Santana handed Alex a few plastic plates and lifted him off the counter. Arianna started fussing and Santana came over to her girlfriend.
"How about I feed her?"
"That depends," Rachel smiled up at her, leaning up for a kiss, "does it mean that I can feed you?"
Santana was ready with a quick remark when she heard the door slam open and Kayla's voice call out into the townhouse.
"Mom! Santi!" She yelled as they heard two sets of shoes being kicked off and the door slam behind them. Kayla bounced in with her backpack and pigtails followed by Beth.
"Hey." Beth said as she came in the room.
"Mom! Guess what! Guess what! We get to go to the zoo next month!" She smiled as she came over and kissed her baby sister head. "Hi Ari." She whispered before going back to her bright excitement.
Santana just chuckled as she poured the shakes and put them on the table with the boys and the places for the two girls and one for herself and Rachel.
"That's cool, Kay." Santana stated as she nudged the moody blonde towards the table. "Did you have a good day, Beth?"
"Yeah, it was okay," she smiled, though she seemed a bit subdued from her usual brightness. "Hey, Ari," she whispered, brushing fingers over soft dark hair before dropping her bag by the wall and taking a seat at the table. "AP Spanish is killer."
"You should ask Santana for help," Rachel pointed out, taking a sip of her shake and glancing at her lover over the rim, "she's fluent after all."
"Oh really?" Beth looked at Santana with an expression that could only be defined as relief, "Can you really help me, San?"
"Si," she nodded as she smiled as she took Arianna and settled her in to nurse, her dark hair covered head hooded by a kitchen towel so she wouldn't expose herself. "Yeah we can work on it this afternoon if you want. I also took AP English and History if you need help too, Rachel had the math thing covered." she smiled as she looked at her partner, before taking a sip of her shake.
Beth breathed a sigh of relief, "You're the best, San. I may survive this year yet!" She collapsed back against the chair dramatically, sipping at her shake. "Oh wow, this is good. And peanut butter and celery sticks! Who knew my favorite snack?"
She glanced around the table, not missing Cale's bashful glance down at his plate or the shy blush on his cheeks. He'd thought she'd be upset that her mom was mad and yelling at his mom, so he picked the snack she once told him she liked the most. If they also happened to be his snack of choice, so much the better in his opinion.
"Look at you two sharing a fave snack," Santana smiled and drank her shake as she watched Kayla tell Alex about school and the trip to the zoo she gets to take. "And it's my pleasure, Beth. Kayla speaks Spanish pretty good too and so do the boys if you wanna practice when i'm not around."
"Sounds good." Beth smiled as she sucked up some shake through her straw. The combined family let the rest of the afternoon fall away, the stress of Shelby getting arrested, the tabloid reporters that still managed to creep outside the townhouse snapping photo's through the drapes. Rachel and Santana decided to wait to tell Beth that Shelby had showed up looking for her, and that she had gotten violent and attacked Santana. They let the teenager have one last night of calm before they threw everyone's life into chaos again.
Chapter Seventeen