We might fall fast. We might fall hard (3/?)
Title: We might fall fast. We might fall hard (3/?)
Author: appleswithin
Rating: PG-13 (I changed it because if it does get to NC-17, it’s not there yet)
Length: 4000+
Spoilers: Season One
Summary: How one slushy changed everything for Quinn and Rachel.
Authors Note: This is kinda AU and kinda canon. UnBeta'd, so all mistakes are mine, and mine alone. Also my first fic. I absolutely suck at angst, so this is all fluff. (Yes my summary is lame, and so is my title. I'm sorry)
Also, I don't own Glee.
Chapter Three
After her lunch with Rachel, the rest of Quinn’s afternoon went by relatively uneventful, Coach Sylvester laughed at her for being unable to walk without waddling, and Miss Pillsbury cornered her asking her if she wanted to talk about Sue’s unpleasant behaviour towards her. She declined, the Cheerio’s coach had called her worse things before her lapse in judgment turned her ‘Fat Day’ into the mother of all ‘Fat Days’
She refused the offer from Brittany to hang out with her and Santana after school, she lied saying that she was feeling tired and her pillow was calling out to her. The look of relief from the Latina when she told the blonde cheerleader this didn’t go unnoticed. Like she wants to be third wheel anyway.
She went straight to Puck’s when school finished, dumping her bag on the floor and collapsing onto the small bed. She had some time before little Maya came home and Puck’s Mom would wake up from her daily afternoon nap, so she took that opportunity to bask in the peacefulness of the house before getting ready for dinner at Rachel’s.
Wow, there was something she never thought she’d be doing, or look forward to doing. She pretty much had a two track mind lately. Hungry and horny, and neither one had been satisfied at all these last few months, so the thought of a proper home cooked meal made her mouth water. As for the constant arousal, well that was something that would have to be locked up in a little box, somewhere in the back of her mind. She closed her eyes and thought of potato dumplings.
She heard a bang from somewhere and bolted upright looking around the room like a rabbit sensing danger, then when she heard the familiar sound of Puck’s little sister running down the basement steps, she slumped and looked at the clock in the corner with a frown. God damn it, she’d fallen asleep for almost an hour. Well at least she hadn’t really lied to Brittany now.
The young girl bounded up to her and smiled mischievously before shouting, “Epic Quinn!”
“Maya, stop calling me that.” She could kill Puck for coming up with that name for her. Especially in front of an impressionable eleven year old who was ready to absorb all types of new information. “Did you have a good day at school?” She asked ruffling the girl’s hair.
The littlest Puckerman scrunched up her face, slapping the hand away from her head. “Yeah. Matthew Parker’s hamster, Jasper escaped from its cage during second period and our teacher Mr. Tobin had to try and catch it. It was really funny, he was running around all over the place, he caught Jasper but then he fell down.”
“Oh no. Is he alright?”
Maya had her hand in her pocket and was digging around like she was looking for gold. “Hmm?”
“Is he alright?” Quinn asked again with a smile. She could only hope her daughter turned out to be as cute as the little girl in front of her, with the trademark Puckerman soulful eyes, and far too cheeky grin.
“No. He died.”
The blonde gaped at the girl. “Mr. Tobin died?”
“No!” Maya scoffed. “Jasper died. Pay attention. Puck said the baby has turned your brain to mush.”
“Did he now?” Quinn asked narrowing her eyes.
“Yeah.” The girl nodded. She knew she was getting her brother into trouble. “Mom asked me to come get you.”
“Tell her I’ll be up in a minute.”
“Okay.” And the little girl ran back up the basement stairs, tripping halfway but carrying on like nothing had happened.
Quinn stood up and stretched her back, no sixteen year old should have back ache like this, even if they are pregnant. She made her way to the living room and Ruth had her feet up watching some generic TV game show. The lady knew her general knowledge. She asked Mrs. Puckerman once why she didn’t apply to go on one of those shows because she would totally kick trivia’s ass, but Ruth said that she didn’t think she was that good. Quinn would later work out that she was agoraphobic, and wouldn’t even leave the house to go and see her own daughter in the starring role of the school’s production of Aladdin.
“You wanted to see me?” She asked sitting next to the woman.
“You make it sound so formal Quinn; I just wanted to know how your day was.”
“It was okay actually.”
“Good. Did you enjoy your lunch?”
“Yes, it was lovely thank you.” No, it was horrible and she threw it away. Not even a dog would eat it.
“I’m glad to hear it.” Mrs. Puckerman looked at her and her face became serious. “You can’t make it a habit though Quinn, I can’t allow non kosher food in the house, it was a one off occasion because of the situation at the time.”
“I understand. I promise it won’t happen again.”
“Do you have anything planned for tonight?” The woman asked turning back to the TV.
“Yes, I’m going over to a friend’s house for dinner.”
“That’s nice. Which friend?”
“Santana.” Quinn wasn’t quite ready to admit out loud that she was willingly going over to Rachel’s, although Ruth Puckerman would probably approve.
“You shouldn’t spend so much time with that Lopez girl, she’s a bad influence.”
“We’ve been friends since we were in kindergarten.” She and the Latina may not always get along, but they had each other’s back when it was needed and calling her a ‘bad influence’ was probably an over exaggeration. She was almost certain of that. “I have to get ready.” She got up giving the woman a smile and headed back down to the basement, locking the door behind her.
She opened up the suitcase and looked at the minimal amount of clothes she owned that actually fit her. She shoved her hand in and pulled a dress out at random. “That’ll do.” It didn’t matter; all her clothes looked much the same anyway. Once she was ready, she got on the bed and closed her eyes for a second.
__________
David and Lucas Berry weren’t idiots. They were more than aware that their daughter was… Socially inept. And they took responsibility for a certain amount of it.
From the moment she came into the world four weeks early she was spoiled, they wanted her to have opportunities in life, putting her into dancing classes, singing classes and martial arts classes. The latter because it was a small town in Ohio and they knew what kind of backlash having two gay fathers would have on her. They didn’t condone violence, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t allow their little girl to be defenceless when, and not if, she got bullied. They also wanted her to be confident and never afraid to be herself. And for good or bad, that’s how she turned out.
Even though they never brought it up to Rachel, they did worry at her lack of friends. Boyfriends didn’t fall into this category, and they couldn’t find themselves happy that she had Jesse because the guy is a schmuck. So when their daughter had asked them if she could invite Quinn over for dinner tonight, they were relieved. They knew the history between them, and when Rachel told them about revealing the true paternity to Finn they grounded her for a month. Lucas was so furious with her he refused to speak to her for days. After that, when she spoke about the pregnant girl it was always with some sadness, and she talked about the baby a lot. It was like she’d realised that it was actually a living being. And even though it didn’t come across, she was a very nurturing individual.
When the blonde turned up she was ten minutes late. “I’m so sorry.” She apologised to Lucas when he answered the door looking mildly annoyed, wearing a suggestive apron involving sausages, but gave her a knowing smile when she said “I keep falling asleep today, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
He led her into the kitchen and she sat down on one of the dining chairs as he went back to the cooker. “That’s the thing about babies,” He said stirring the pot and bringing the spoon to his mouth, blowing it a few times. “They feed off your energy like a parasite.”
She pursed her lips and frowned at him. Her baby wasn’t a parasite. Except if you looked in a dictionary then yeah, technically it was.
David walked in during his husband’s last statement and slapped him on the arm. “Way to make pregnancy sound like an episode of the X Files Luke.” The taller man looked at Quinn and rolled his eyes. “Brain filter, remember?” And he tapped the side of his head to emphasise.
She laughed. “I remember.”
“I hope you brought your oversized party pants Kiddo, when my husband cooks, it’s enough to feed an army.”
“Don’t need oversized party pants I’m wearing a dress, and the freeloader in my stomach helps out too.”
“Handy little blighters aren’t they.” He went over to the fridge and opened it, flicking the bulb to bring on the light. “Drink? We have water, O.J, apple juice or milk.”
“Water’s good.”
David took out the bottle and handed it over to her. “Rachel will be down soon. She’s, doing... something.” He exhaled. “I don’t know what.” He really didn’t know what, but he did know that his daughter was very nervous about the blonde coming over. The three of them heard Rachel running down the stairs and then walk into the kitchen as casually as she could. The Diva didn’t pull off a laid back attitude very well, even in her most relaxed state there was an underlying hum of energy.
“Hey.” Quinn gave the other girl a smile.
“Hey back.” The brunette waved, and then put her hand down quickly. She turned to the smaller man cooking and asked, “Is dinner nearly ready?”
“No. It’ll be another thirty minutes.”
She jutted out her lower lip, pouting. “But I’m hungry now.”
“You cannot rush perfection little lady, you’re just going to have to wait.” Lucas said waving the handle of the wooden spoon at her, getting the sauce over his apron.
“You asked if dinner was going to be ready soon an hour ago. You’re not normally this hungry. Is everything alright?” David leaned against the breakfast bar putting his hands in his pockets. He caught the look Rachel gave Quinn and frowned when she responded.
“I just worked out extra hard today. Now I’m hungry.”
“You are a terrible liar Rachel Barbara Berry.”
The Diva’s eyes went wide; she knew she was in trouble when her full name was used. She opened her mouth to say something but all that came out was, “Uh.” Then she closed it again. Apparently she’d only had the one lie in her, honesty was one of the many qualities of her personality that she was proud of, and why being a politician was never one of her back up careers if Broadway didn't work out.
“She gave her food to me lunch time.” The blnde said feeling guilty. “She felt sorry for me because Puck’s Mom made me some pretty unappetising ham sandwiches and I almost threw up they were so disgusting.”
David quirked an eyebrow and stopped himself from smiling. “We appreciate the over-share. Thank you very much.” He looked to his daughter, who at least had the decency to look embarrassed and shook his head. “You didn’t need to lie honey.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Wait!” Lucas blurted out, and laughed nervously at suddenly being the centre of attention. “The Puckerman’s are Jewish, why did she give you ham?”
“While we were at the store the other day, I may have had a ‘pregnant moment’ in the cooked meat section.”
“What exactly does a ‘pregnant moment’ entail?”
“Mostly crying, with the occasional sob.”
David laughed. “Oh my God, you emotionally blackmailed the woman for a bit of pig didn’t you?”
“No! She just realised that it was the only thing that was going to stop me blubbering. She picked up the cheapest one though; I don’t think it contained a whole lot of actual meat.” She stuck her tongue out and made gagging noises.
“You are very bad Quinn.” Lucas wagged the spoon at the blonde, getting even more sauce on him. “You’re lucky ham is easy to resist.”
“Resist?” The taller man asked his husband. “Doesn’t being Jewish automatically mean you just don’t eat anything that isn’t kosher?”
“Well, yeah.” Lucas was looking down at his apron and trying to wipe away the mess, however all that accomplished was that it spread the stain out more. “But it helps that ham doesn’t really look particularly appealing, and pork when it’s cooking smells like burning flesh. Do you know how hard it is to be a good Jew with the smell of frying bacon? It is extremely difficult.”
“You never mentioned this before.” The taller man said looking confused.
“You never asked?”
“I didn’t know I needed to after twenty years of marriage. How do I know that you don’t go off to eat it somewhere undercover of darkness in a shroud of secrecy?”
“What? You think all the bad Jews in town hang out in packs and go to some back ally bacon van near the trailer park willing to pay extortionate prices to get their fix?”
“Not bad Jews Honey, easily led. You did seem to go into more detail there than necessary though, it makes me wonder if there really is some shady enterprise over on the wrong side of Lima, preying on all you guilt ridden Jews.”
“I feel like I should be very offended by that.” Lucas frowned.
“But you’re not, because you love me and you know I’m only kidding.” David went up to his husband and wrapped his arms around him, placing a kiss on his cheek.
“Urgh. I don’t need to see this.” Rachel started moving towards the door. “Quinn, would you like to join me the den?”
“Aww, they’re so cute. Why would you not need to see this?” The blonde looked at the couple. Her parents never did this.
The Diva smirked. “I don’t know, I’d rather watch a movie in my cosy chair.”
This got the other girl’s attention. In seconds she was charging out of the room past a bewildered brunette who took a moment to realise what happened, and ran after her. From the kitchen, the two men heard,
“You can’t just commandeer my chair Quinn! It’s improper social practice.”
“I’m pregnant damn it! I deserve comfort.”
David sighed letting go of his husband and made his way to the other room to control the teenagers that were bickering. He leaned against the doorway watching with amusement as the two girls sat squashed together in the chair with Rachel trying to get the remote from the blonde who had it held above her head.
“You have an unfair advantage. Give it to me.” The brunette groaned, grasping at the air ineffectually.
“It’s not my fault your little arms can’t reach that high.” And the blonde blew a raspberry in the other girls face.
The man knocked on the door and the girls froze. “I never thought I’d have to say this to anyone over the age of nine, but do I need to separate you two?”
“No.” They both said quickly, sitting with their hands in their lap and wearing innocent smiles.
He shook his head and went back out to the kitchen to keep his husband company. “Honey?”
“Yeah?” Lucas wiped his hands on a cloth and smiled up at him.
“How do you know what burning flesh smells like?”
__________
Dinner at the Fabray house was always such a sombre affair; Quinn wasn’t really permitted to talk unless it was ‘Could you pass the carrots please?’ or if her father asked her a question. Her parents on the other hand could talk as much as they wanted, and that was usually more excruciating than the silence. And meal time at the Puckerman’s was quiet, but that was only because everyone’s attention was on the TV. So she didn’t think it was possible to have any kind of fun while eating dinner, but she was laughing so hard she hadn’t been able to swallow the food that had been in her mouth for the last ten minutes and she wasn’t being scolded for it, in fact the two men were practically encouraging her.
She’d laughed more in the last three days than she had in the last sixteen years. And it was all Rachel Berry’s fault.
Rachel, was not finding things as amusing as her parents and Quinn. She didn’t see why it was so funny that she absolutely, positively hated the name the blonde had decided to give to her chair.
“I don’t think the name is appropriate.” She scowled folding her arms. “And I don’t think that my dislike of it is all that humorous either. My chair does not deserve the name of a seedy street corner prostitute who became semi-famous because she performed fellatio on Hugh Grant!”
As far as the pregnant girl was concerned, Rachel, saying fellatio, equals too freaking funny.
“Divine Brown is not acceptable.” The Diva glared at Quinn. “Mrs. Snugglebottom, or Mrs. Cosy-ton-hugglebanks. Those are acceptable.”
“Rachel, Sweetie? I think you’re going to have to stop talking now. Quinn looks like she’s turning blue.” David patted his daughter on the arm.
“I was merely pointing out some of the more suitable names she could’ve come up with.”
Rachel wasn’t really that annoyed because seeing Quinn like this was very pleasant, and what was better was that she only seemed to be like this around her and her Dads. In school when the blonde was hanging out with Santana and Brittany she didn’t seem any different to the way she’d always been. Snarky and grumpy. Not that the Diva spent a whole lot of time watching the other girl or anything. But something had changed, she wasn’t sure what exactly. It could’ve been her shielding the girl from the slushy, but she feared it was probably the vicodin incident. Rachel really couldn’t remember much of what had happened that afternoon, all she had to go on was what her Dad’s had said, she vaguely remembered a few things. Quinn being nice to her, having a very itchy face and Brad the piano player was probably some higher power, but that was about the extent of it.
Whatever the reason, apparently this Quinn liked her and that’s all she needed to know.
__________
The four of them finished their meal, eventually, and went into the den to watch a movie. It was David’s turn to pick this Friday, the rule at the Berry home was that everything was done with fairness. Everyone had their turn equally, whether it was chores or the choice of entertainment.
His daughter and husband didn’t like it when it was his turn to pick the film. They always picked musicals and Rom Com’s, but David let his slightly sadistic side come out to play when it came to movie night and would always pick things like ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ or even worse, ‘Hostel’. Rachel hated ‘Hostel’ not only was it disgustingly gruesome and gave her nightmares about eyes hanging out of their sockets for weeks, she never understood why on earth the audience would give a crap about the men in the film. They were a bunch of chauvinist idiots who got themselves tortured and killed because they thought with their appendages and not with their brains.
“I decided on a musical tonight.” He smirked when Rachel and Lucas looked relieved. The Diva shifted herself in the chair she was sharing with Quinn to get comfortable. The blonde frowned at the girl wriggling beside her. She didn’t want to watch a musical; she changed her mind when the credits came up though.
“Dad. What is this?” The brunette waved her hand at the TV.
“What does it look like? It’s a musical.”
“‘Cannibal! The musical’ doesn’t count.”
“Of course it does Sweetie; the protagonist expresses his feelings through song. That’s how this genre works.”
“I thought I got rid of this.” Lucas mumbled.
“Oh you did, but there’s this thing called Amazon so I bought myself a new copy.”
Rachel sulked for the first half of the movie, Quinn got bored. The title of the film made it sound like it would at least be so bad it was funny, this was not the case.
Trying to find something to do that wasn’t watch the film, the blonde put her arm down the side of the armchair and found a lever. Out of a general curiosity, she pulled it. The Diva squealed as the back of the chair went down and her legs went up.
“Oh my God. It reclines!” Quinn shouted with excitement. “I’m moving in, and I shall live here forever more.”
“Quinn! Return us to our former position at once.”
“No!” The blonde turned her head and moved dark hair out of the way to whisper into the other girl’s ear. “Think of it this way Rachel, if we’re looking at the ceiling, we’re not watching the lame-ass movie.”
The Diva seemed to ponder this, then turned her head knocking her nose against the other girls and pulled back at the surprise of the contact. She gave a tiny cough. “That is true.” Rachel kept her voice low. “But our ceiling isn’t very entertaining. So what else can we do to occupy our time?” She asked smiling.
The pregnant girl shrugged and looked back up. Right now all she could think about was the image of an actual Little Devil who had escaped the metaphorical horny box in her head, and was running around happy to be free. How dare he react to Rachel’s innocent question like that. Unacceptable.
“Girls?”
“Yeah?” They didn’t bother moving from their reclined position to look at David.
He chuckled. “Will either one of you be acting like you’re almost adults anytime tonight?”
“Probably not.” Quinn answered without any argument from Rachel.
“Okay then.” He didn’t mind whether or not the girls watched the movie. His daughter was interacting with someone on a social level, and if that interaction meant that they both acted like five year olds, then so be it. The film was really only to punish his husband for getting rid of his original copy and think that he wouldn’t get found out.
“Rock, paper, scissors?” Rachel whispered.
The blonde turned her head towards the Diva slightly and whispered back. “What will the winner get?” It came out more suggestively than she’d intended, and she blamed it on the still loose sexual demon running about in her head. Which at some point during the last minute, she’d named Charlie.
“The chance to gloat because of superior skills?” Thankfully, Rachel hadn’t picked up on the tone. That or she was choosing to ignore it.
“That sounds boring. How about we make it interesting?”
“Hmm.” There were several moments of silence, then, “Okay. If you win I’ll make you lunch for school all of next week.”
She liked the way the brunette thought. “And if you win?”
“That will be disclosed at a later date.”
“Not a chance. Pick something now or I pick for you.”
“Oh, alright. You have to perform ‘I Do Not Hook Up’ in Glee.”
“What? No.”
“What’s the matter Quinn? Don’t you think you can rock Kelly Clarkson?”
Damn Rachel for knowing her weakness of proving people wrong. “Fine.” She was almost tempted to change her mind about what she would get if she won and make Rachel do some embarrassing song in front of the whole school, but knowing the Diva, she’d probably like the song and make it sound amazing. But food that didn’t make her want to vomit would win in almost every situation.
In the end, Quinn needn’t have worried.
Rachel didn’t take losing very well; she demanded several rematches and got increasingly more annoyed with every loss, she finally conceded after the nineteenth game. The result was Quinn: Seventeen, Rachel: Two.
The Berry men had actually spent more time watching them play than they did the film. It was all very entertaining, they’d never seen their daughter act like this with anyone, and when she actually admitted defeat they applauded.
At nine o’clock Lucas insisted that Quinn let Mrs. Puckerman know that she was staying the night because it was too late for her to drive home. It wasn’t, but she wasn’t going to argue with the man. His concern for her welfare was very sweet.
She and Rachel stayed up after the two men had gone to bed and watched something that wasn’t from David’s weirdly large collection of Exploitation films, compromising on 'Matilda'' because who doesn’t love Roald Dahl?
“I’ve had a really nice time tonight Rachel.” She felt the girl shift in the seat they were still sharing but she didn’t take her eyes off the screen.
“I’m glad.” The Diva leaned against the back of the upright chair and rested her head on her hand. “Maybe next time I should challenge you to a thumb wrestling match, I have deceptively strong digits.”
Quinn snorted. “Is it your goal in life to make me laugh now or something?”
“It might be. Would that be so bad?”
“No.” She turned to face Rachel. “It really wouldn’t.” She smiled, then her attention was back to the TV and they watched the rest of the film in silence.
A/N: If anyone is wondering, the Horny Little Devil is named after Charlie Sheen.
Author: appleswithin
Rating: PG-13 (I changed it because if it does get to NC-17, it’s not there yet)
Length: 4000+
Spoilers: Season One
Summary: How one slushy changed everything for Quinn and Rachel.
Authors Note: This is kinda AU and kinda canon. UnBeta'd, so all mistakes are mine, and mine alone. Also my first fic. I absolutely suck at angst, so this is all fluff. (Yes my summary is lame, and so is my title. I'm sorry)
Also, I don't own Glee.
Chapter Three
After her lunch with Rachel, the rest of Quinn’s afternoon went by relatively uneventful, Coach Sylvester laughed at her for being unable to walk without waddling, and Miss Pillsbury cornered her asking her if she wanted to talk about Sue’s unpleasant behaviour towards her. She declined, the Cheerio’s coach had called her worse things before her lapse in judgment turned her ‘Fat Day’ into the mother of all ‘Fat Days’
She refused the offer from Brittany to hang out with her and Santana after school, she lied saying that she was feeling tired and her pillow was calling out to her. The look of relief from the Latina when she told the blonde cheerleader this didn’t go unnoticed. Like she wants to be third wheel anyway.
She went straight to Puck’s when school finished, dumping her bag on the floor and collapsing onto the small bed. She had some time before little Maya came home and Puck’s Mom would wake up from her daily afternoon nap, so she took that opportunity to bask in the peacefulness of the house before getting ready for dinner at Rachel’s.
Wow, there was something she never thought she’d be doing, or look forward to doing. She pretty much had a two track mind lately. Hungry and horny, and neither one had been satisfied at all these last few months, so the thought of a proper home cooked meal made her mouth water. As for the constant arousal, well that was something that would have to be locked up in a little box, somewhere in the back of her mind. She closed her eyes and thought of potato dumplings.
She heard a bang from somewhere and bolted upright looking around the room like a rabbit sensing danger, then when she heard the familiar sound of Puck’s little sister running down the basement steps, she slumped and looked at the clock in the corner with a frown. God damn it, she’d fallen asleep for almost an hour. Well at least she hadn’t really lied to Brittany now.
The young girl bounded up to her and smiled mischievously before shouting, “Epic Quinn!”
“Maya, stop calling me that.” She could kill Puck for coming up with that name for her. Especially in front of an impressionable eleven year old who was ready to absorb all types of new information. “Did you have a good day at school?” She asked ruffling the girl’s hair.
The littlest Puckerman scrunched up her face, slapping the hand away from her head. “Yeah. Matthew Parker’s hamster, Jasper escaped from its cage during second period and our teacher Mr. Tobin had to try and catch it. It was really funny, he was running around all over the place, he caught Jasper but then he fell down.”
“Oh no. Is he alright?”
Maya had her hand in her pocket and was digging around like she was looking for gold. “Hmm?”
“Is he alright?” Quinn asked again with a smile. She could only hope her daughter turned out to be as cute as the little girl in front of her, with the trademark Puckerman soulful eyes, and far too cheeky grin.
“No. He died.”
The blonde gaped at the girl. “Mr. Tobin died?”
“No!” Maya scoffed. “Jasper died. Pay attention. Puck said the baby has turned your brain to mush.”
“Did he now?” Quinn asked narrowing her eyes.
“Yeah.” The girl nodded. She knew she was getting her brother into trouble. “Mom asked me to come get you.”
“Tell her I’ll be up in a minute.”
“Okay.” And the little girl ran back up the basement stairs, tripping halfway but carrying on like nothing had happened.
Quinn stood up and stretched her back, no sixteen year old should have back ache like this, even if they are pregnant. She made her way to the living room and Ruth had her feet up watching some generic TV game show. The lady knew her general knowledge. She asked Mrs. Puckerman once why she didn’t apply to go on one of those shows because she would totally kick trivia’s ass, but Ruth said that she didn’t think she was that good. Quinn would later work out that she was agoraphobic, and wouldn’t even leave the house to go and see her own daughter in the starring role of the school’s production of Aladdin.
“You wanted to see me?” She asked sitting next to the woman.
“You make it sound so formal Quinn; I just wanted to know how your day was.”
“It was okay actually.”
“Good. Did you enjoy your lunch?”
“Yes, it was lovely thank you.” No, it was horrible and she threw it away. Not even a dog would eat it.
“I’m glad to hear it.” Mrs. Puckerman looked at her and her face became serious. “You can’t make it a habit though Quinn, I can’t allow non kosher food in the house, it was a one off occasion because of the situation at the time.”
“I understand. I promise it won’t happen again.”
“Do you have anything planned for tonight?” The woman asked turning back to the TV.
“Yes, I’m going over to a friend’s house for dinner.”
“That’s nice. Which friend?”
“Santana.” Quinn wasn’t quite ready to admit out loud that she was willingly going over to Rachel’s, although Ruth Puckerman would probably approve.
“You shouldn’t spend so much time with that Lopez girl, she’s a bad influence.”
“We’ve been friends since we were in kindergarten.” She and the Latina may not always get along, but they had each other’s back when it was needed and calling her a ‘bad influence’ was probably an over exaggeration. She was almost certain of that. “I have to get ready.” She got up giving the woman a smile and headed back down to the basement, locking the door behind her.
She opened up the suitcase and looked at the minimal amount of clothes she owned that actually fit her. She shoved her hand in and pulled a dress out at random. “That’ll do.” It didn’t matter; all her clothes looked much the same anyway. Once she was ready, she got on the bed and closed her eyes for a second.
__________
David and Lucas Berry weren’t idiots. They were more than aware that their daughter was… Socially inept. And they took responsibility for a certain amount of it.
From the moment she came into the world four weeks early she was spoiled, they wanted her to have opportunities in life, putting her into dancing classes, singing classes and martial arts classes. The latter because it was a small town in Ohio and they knew what kind of backlash having two gay fathers would have on her. They didn’t condone violence, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t allow their little girl to be defenceless when, and not if, she got bullied. They also wanted her to be confident and never afraid to be herself. And for good or bad, that’s how she turned out.
Even though they never brought it up to Rachel, they did worry at her lack of friends. Boyfriends didn’t fall into this category, and they couldn’t find themselves happy that she had Jesse because the guy is a schmuck. So when their daughter had asked them if she could invite Quinn over for dinner tonight, they were relieved. They knew the history between them, and when Rachel told them about revealing the true paternity to Finn they grounded her for a month. Lucas was so furious with her he refused to speak to her for days. After that, when she spoke about the pregnant girl it was always with some sadness, and she talked about the baby a lot. It was like she’d realised that it was actually a living being. And even though it didn’t come across, she was a very nurturing individual.
When the blonde turned up she was ten minutes late. “I’m so sorry.” She apologised to Lucas when he answered the door looking mildly annoyed, wearing a suggestive apron involving sausages, but gave her a knowing smile when she said “I keep falling asleep today, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
He led her into the kitchen and she sat down on one of the dining chairs as he went back to the cooker. “That’s the thing about babies,” He said stirring the pot and bringing the spoon to his mouth, blowing it a few times. “They feed off your energy like a parasite.”
She pursed her lips and frowned at him. Her baby wasn’t a parasite. Except if you looked in a dictionary then yeah, technically it was.
David walked in during his husband’s last statement and slapped him on the arm. “Way to make pregnancy sound like an episode of the X Files Luke.” The taller man looked at Quinn and rolled his eyes. “Brain filter, remember?” And he tapped the side of his head to emphasise.
She laughed. “I remember.”
“I hope you brought your oversized party pants Kiddo, when my husband cooks, it’s enough to feed an army.”
“Don’t need oversized party pants I’m wearing a dress, and the freeloader in my stomach helps out too.”
“Handy little blighters aren’t they.” He went over to the fridge and opened it, flicking the bulb to bring on the light. “Drink? We have water, O.J, apple juice or milk.”
“Water’s good.”
David took out the bottle and handed it over to her. “Rachel will be down soon. She’s, doing... something.” He exhaled. “I don’t know what.” He really didn’t know what, but he did know that his daughter was very nervous about the blonde coming over. The three of them heard Rachel running down the stairs and then walk into the kitchen as casually as she could. The Diva didn’t pull off a laid back attitude very well, even in her most relaxed state there was an underlying hum of energy.
“Hey.” Quinn gave the other girl a smile.
“Hey back.” The brunette waved, and then put her hand down quickly. She turned to the smaller man cooking and asked, “Is dinner nearly ready?”
“No. It’ll be another thirty minutes.”
She jutted out her lower lip, pouting. “But I’m hungry now.”
“You cannot rush perfection little lady, you’re just going to have to wait.” Lucas said waving the handle of the wooden spoon at her, getting the sauce over his apron.
“You asked if dinner was going to be ready soon an hour ago. You’re not normally this hungry. Is everything alright?” David leaned against the breakfast bar putting his hands in his pockets. He caught the look Rachel gave Quinn and frowned when she responded.
“I just worked out extra hard today. Now I’m hungry.”
“You are a terrible liar Rachel Barbara Berry.”
The Diva’s eyes went wide; she knew she was in trouble when her full name was used. She opened her mouth to say something but all that came out was, “Uh.” Then she closed it again. Apparently she’d only had the one lie in her, honesty was one of the many qualities of her personality that she was proud of, and why being a politician was never one of her back up careers if Broadway didn't work out.
“She gave her food to me lunch time.” The blnde said feeling guilty. “She felt sorry for me because Puck’s Mom made me some pretty unappetising ham sandwiches and I almost threw up they were so disgusting.”
David quirked an eyebrow and stopped himself from smiling. “We appreciate the over-share. Thank you very much.” He looked to his daughter, who at least had the decency to look embarrassed and shook his head. “You didn’t need to lie honey.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Wait!” Lucas blurted out, and laughed nervously at suddenly being the centre of attention. “The Puckerman’s are Jewish, why did she give you ham?”
“While we were at the store the other day, I may have had a ‘pregnant moment’ in the cooked meat section.”
“What exactly does a ‘pregnant moment’ entail?”
“Mostly crying, with the occasional sob.”
David laughed. “Oh my God, you emotionally blackmailed the woman for a bit of pig didn’t you?”
“No! She just realised that it was the only thing that was going to stop me blubbering. She picked up the cheapest one though; I don’t think it contained a whole lot of actual meat.” She stuck her tongue out and made gagging noises.
“You are very bad Quinn.” Lucas wagged the spoon at the blonde, getting even more sauce on him. “You’re lucky ham is easy to resist.”
“Resist?” The taller man asked his husband. “Doesn’t being Jewish automatically mean you just don’t eat anything that isn’t kosher?”
“Well, yeah.” Lucas was looking down at his apron and trying to wipe away the mess, however all that accomplished was that it spread the stain out more. “But it helps that ham doesn’t really look particularly appealing, and pork when it’s cooking smells like burning flesh. Do you know how hard it is to be a good Jew with the smell of frying bacon? It is extremely difficult.”
“You never mentioned this before.” The taller man said looking confused.
“You never asked?”
“I didn’t know I needed to after twenty years of marriage. How do I know that you don’t go off to eat it somewhere undercover of darkness in a shroud of secrecy?”
“What? You think all the bad Jews in town hang out in packs and go to some back ally bacon van near the trailer park willing to pay extortionate prices to get their fix?”
“Not bad Jews Honey, easily led. You did seem to go into more detail there than necessary though, it makes me wonder if there really is some shady enterprise over on the wrong side of Lima, preying on all you guilt ridden Jews.”
“I feel like I should be very offended by that.” Lucas frowned.
“But you’re not, because you love me and you know I’m only kidding.” David went up to his husband and wrapped his arms around him, placing a kiss on his cheek.
“Urgh. I don’t need to see this.” Rachel started moving towards the door. “Quinn, would you like to join me the den?”
“Aww, they’re so cute. Why would you not need to see this?” The blonde looked at the couple. Her parents never did this.
The Diva smirked. “I don’t know, I’d rather watch a movie in my cosy chair.”
This got the other girl’s attention. In seconds she was charging out of the room past a bewildered brunette who took a moment to realise what happened, and ran after her. From the kitchen, the two men heard,
“You can’t just commandeer my chair Quinn! It’s improper social practice.”
“I’m pregnant damn it! I deserve comfort.”
David sighed letting go of his husband and made his way to the other room to control the teenagers that were bickering. He leaned against the doorway watching with amusement as the two girls sat squashed together in the chair with Rachel trying to get the remote from the blonde who had it held above her head.
“You have an unfair advantage. Give it to me.” The brunette groaned, grasping at the air ineffectually.
“It’s not my fault your little arms can’t reach that high.” And the blonde blew a raspberry in the other girls face.
The man knocked on the door and the girls froze. “I never thought I’d have to say this to anyone over the age of nine, but do I need to separate you two?”
“No.” They both said quickly, sitting with their hands in their lap and wearing innocent smiles.
He shook his head and went back out to the kitchen to keep his husband company. “Honey?”
“Yeah?” Lucas wiped his hands on a cloth and smiled up at him.
“How do you know what burning flesh smells like?”
__________
Dinner at the Fabray house was always such a sombre affair; Quinn wasn’t really permitted to talk unless it was ‘Could you pass the carrots please?’ or if her father asked her a question. Her parents on the other hand could talk as much as they wanted, and that was usually more excruciating than the silence. And meal time at the Puckerman’s was quiet, but that was only because everyone’s attention was on the TV. So she didn’t think it was possible to have any kind of fun while eating dinner, but she was laughing so hard she hadn’t been able to swallow the food that had been in her mouth for the last ten minutes and she wasn’t being scolded for it, in fact the two men were practically encouraging her.
She’d laughed more in the last three days than she had in the last sixteen years. And it was all Rachel Berry’s fault.
Rachel, was not finding things as amusing as her parents and Quinn. She didn’t see why it was so funny that she absolutely, positively hated the name the blonde had decided to give to her chair.
“I don’t think the name is appropriate.” She scowled folding her arms. “And I don’t think that my dislike of it is all that humorous either. My chair does not deserve the name of a seedy street corner prostitute who became semi-famous because she performed fellatio on Hugh Grant!”
As far as the pregnant girl was concerned, Rachel, saying fellatio, equals too freaking funny.
“Divine Brown is not acceptable.” The Diva glared at Quinn. “Mrs. Snugglebottom, or Mrs. Cosy-ton-hugglebanks. Those are acceptable.”
“Rachel, Sweetie? I think you’re going to have to stop talking now. Quinn looks like she’s turning blue.” David patted his daughter on the arm.
“I was merely pointing out some of the more suitable names she could’ve come up with.”
Rachel wasn’t really that annoyed because seeing Quinn like this was very pleasant, and what was better was that she only seemed to be like this around her and her Dads. In school when the blonde was hanging out with Santana and Brittany she didn’t seem any different to the way she’d always been. Snarky and grumpy. Not that the Diva spent a whole lot of time watching the other girl or anything. But something had changed, she wasn’t sure what exactly. It could’ve been her shielding the girl from the slushy, but she feared it was probably the vicodin incident. Rachel really couldn’t remember much of what had happened that afternoon, all she had to go on was what her Dad’s had said, she vaguely remembered a few things. Quinn being nice to her, having a very itchy face and Brad the piano player was probably some higher power, but that was about the extent of it.
Whatever the reason, apparently this Quinn liked her and that’s all she needed to know.
__________
The four of them finished their meal, eventually, and went into the den to watch a movie. It was David’s turn to pick this Friday, the rule at the Berry home was that everything was done with fairness. Everyone had their turn equally, whether it was chores or the choice of entertainment.
His daughter and husband didn’t like it when it was his turn to pick the film. They always picked musicals and Rom Com’s, but David let his slightly sadistic side come out to play when it came to movie night and would always pick things like ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ or even worse, ‘Hostel’. Rachel hated ‘Hostel’ not only was it disgustingly gruesome and gave her nightmares about eyes hanging out of their sockets for weeks, she never understood why on earth the audience would give a crap about the men in the film. They were a bunch of chauvinist idiots who got themselves tortured and killed because they thought with their appendages and not with their brains.
“I decided on a musical tonight.” He smirked when Rachel and Lucas looked relieved. The Diva shifted herself in the chair she was sharing with Quinn to get comfortable. The blonde frowned at the girl wriggling beside her. She didn’t want to watch a musical; she changed her mind when the credits came up though.
“Dad. What is this?” The brunette waved her hand at the TV.
“What does it look like? It’s a musical.”
“‘Cannibal! The musical’ doesn’t count.”
“Of course it does Sweetie; the protagonist expresses his feelings through song. That’s how this genre works.”
“I thought I got rid of this.” Lucas mumbled.
“Oh you did, but there’s this thing called Amazon so I bought myself a new copy.”
Rachel sulked for the first half of the movie, Quinn got bored. The title of the film made it sound like it would at least be so bad it was funny, this was not the case.
Trying to find something to do that wasn’t watch the film, the blonde put her arm down the side of the armchair and found a lever. Out of a general curiosity, she pulled it. The Diva squealed as the back of the chair went down and her legs went up.
“Oh my God. It reclines!” Quinn shouted with excitement. “I’m moving in, and I shall live here forever more.”
“Quinn! Return us to our former position at once.”
“No!” The blonde turned her head and moved dark hair out of the way to whisper into the other girl’s ear. “Think of it this way Rachel, if we’re looking at the ceiling, we’re not watching the lame-ass movie.”
The Diva seemed to ponder this, then turned her head knocking her nose against the other girls and pulled back at the surprise of the contact. She gave a tiny cough. “That is true.” Rachel kept her voice low. “But our ceiling isn’t very entertaining. So what else can we do to occupy our time?” She asked smiling.
The pregnant girl shrugged and looked back up. Right now all she could think about was the image of an actual Little Devil who had escaped the metaphorical horny box in her head, and was running around happy to be free. How dare he react to Rachel’s innocent question like that. Unacceptable.
“Girls?”
“Yeah?” They didn’t bother moving from their reclined position to look at David.
He chuckled. “Will either one of you be acting like you’re almost adults anytime tonight?”
“Probably not.” Quinn answered without any argument from Rachel.
“Okay then.” He didn’t mind whether or not the girls watched the movie. His daughter was interacting with someone on a social level, and if that interaction meant that they both acted like five year olds, then so be it. The film was really only to punish his husband for getting rid of his original copy and think that he wouldn’t get found out.
“Rock, paper, scissors?” Rachel whispered.
The blonde turned her head towards the Diva slightly and whispered back. “What will the winner get?” It came out more suggestively than she’d intended, and she blamed it on the still loose sexual demon running about in her head. Which at some point during the last minute, she’d named Charlie.
“The chance to gloat because of superior skills?” Thankfully, Rachel hadn’t picked up on the tone. That or she was choosing to ignore it.
“That sounds boring. How about we make it interesting?”
“Hmm.” There were several moments of silence, then, “Okay. If you win I’ll make you lunch for school all of next week.”
She liked the way the brunette thought. “And if you win?”
“That will be disclosed at a later date.”
“Not a chance. Pick something now or I pick for you.”
“Oh, alright. You have to perform ‘I Do Not Hook Up’ in Glee.”
“What? No.”
“What’s the matter Quinn? Don’t you think you can rock Kelly Clarkson?”
Damn Rachel for knowing her weakness of proving people wrong. “Fine.” She was almost tempted to change her mind about what she would get if she won and make Rachel do some embarrassing song in front of the whole school, but knowing the Diva, she’d probably like the song and make it sound amazing. But food that didn’t make her want to vomit would win in almost every situation.
In the end, Quinn needn’t have worried.
Rachel didn’t take losing very well; she demanded several rematches and got increasingly more annoyed with every loss, she finally conceded after the nineteenth game. The result was Quinn: Seventeen, Rachel: Two.
The Berry men had actually spent more time watching them play than they did the film. It was all very entertaining, they’d never seen their daughter act like this with anyone, and when she actually admitted defeat they applauded.
At nine o’clock Lucas insisted that Quinn let Mrs. Puckerman know that she was staying the night because it was too late for her to drive home. It wasn’t, but she wasn’t going to argue with the man. His concern for her welfare was very sweet.
She and Rachel stayed up after the two men had gone to bed and watched something that wasn’t from David’s weirdly large collection of Exploitation films, compromising on 'Matilda'' because who doesn’t love Roald Dahl?
“I’ve had a really nice time tonight Rachel.” She felt the girl shift in the seat they were still sharing but she didn’t take her eyes off the screen.
“I’m glad.” The Diva leaned against the back of the upright chair and rested her head on her hand. “Maybe next time I should challenge you to a thumb wrestling match, I have deceptively strong digits.”
Quinn snorted. “Is it your goal in life to make me laugh now or something?”
“It might be. Would that be so bad?”
“No.” She turned to face Rachel. “It really wouldn’t.” She smiled, then her attention was back to the TV and they watched the rest of the film in silence.
A/N: If anyone is wondering, the Horny Little Devil is named after Charlie Sheen.