(no subject)
Chapter sixteen.
Rachel broke her promise as soon as they got to her home. Quinn didn’t protest, didn’t even remind her they were supposed to wait until after one or two dates to do more than chaste kissing, and found that doing specific things with her mouth distracted Rachel quite a bit. They found that, once they could finally attend to their third option after the transformation -one that wasn’t either sleep or hunger- it was a little difficult to stop. Quinn managed only when Rachel’s dad’s got home.
Rachel was another situation entirely. Despite the fact that they couldn’t stop touching each other in some kind of way, afraid it would all be over if they did, Rachel never missed an opportunity when they were alone to attack Quinn’s lips with her own; in their houses, or in Santana’s bathroom or even at school. It seemed that, no matter how controlled she was as a wolf, it didn’t translate to human when she was around Quinn.
“How do you do it?” Rachel panted against a stall door, fingers woven in blonde hair to keep her in that spot of her neck.
Quinn detached herself either way to answer, raking her nails over the forming bruise and making Rachel shut her eyes.
“Years of practice.” She beamed.
“Are you rabbits?” Santana pounded on the door. “For Christ sake, Berry, you are never late for Glee club. What have you done to her, Q?”
“Go away, Santana.” Rachel yelled after covering Quinn’s ears with her palms. Quinn chuckled, moving her lips to the brunette’s cheek and lingering.
“Glee started fifteen minutes ago, if you don’t come out right now I’ll tell everyone what you were doing and then you’ll definitely come out.”
The door opened to an amused Quinn and a frowning Rachel.
“Don’t pout at me, Berry.” Santana looked away.
“It affects her because she likes you.” Brittany interjected, coming out of the next stall. Quinn gave her an odd look. “I was spying on you.”
“Hey!”
“Yeah, yeah; let’s go now.” Santana opened the door, a little red in the face, and they headed towards the Choir room.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Schuester.” Quinn apologized as they entered, following Rachel to the second row.
“There’s no point in being on time when we already won Nationals.” Rachel rolled her eyes, but Quinn knew she was actually really emotional about ending Glee, and was trying to avoid thinking about it.
“It’s our last meeting, Rach.” Quinn whispered, resting her hand on the brunette’s. “I know you don’t want it to be over, but let’s best enjoy today.”
Rachel ducked her head with a small, sad smile, and turned her hand to entwine their fingers. Quinn squeezed and they turned their attention to the teacher.
They all ended up in tears, of course.
Quinn’s throat was too constricted to sing, as were most of everyone else’s; but, as always, Kurt, Mercedes and Rachel took the lead, and she happily swayed in the background, watching Rachel jump to chairs and dance with her little skirt and pretty legs.
Mr. Schuester’s speech was what got them sobbing in the end. Quinn couldn’t imagine what her life would be now if it weren’t for him, for the Glee Club. So many things had happened, incredible and impossible, and this group of people was her support, her family; they’d kept her safe and grounded. Having it over was breaking her heart, but she tried to stay positive, to think of all the good things that came from Glee, and her mind and vision was fulfilled with Rachel.
Rachel’s eyelashes, vanishing impossibly inside her cheeks as she offered herself for a punch. Rachel opening her arms wide, carrying her voice around an entire auditorium full of people at Sectionals. Rachel’s hopeful eyes when Quinn told her Finn loved her. Rachel’s scream, asking her to stay alive, her fragile figure on a hospital bed, her boisterous laughter when Quinn complained about Twilight, her warmth when they slept through their headaches under the covers, her smell when she hugged her after weeks at Santana’s bedroom, her piercing eyes when she found her lying on the ground, her playful barks, the soft skin of the dark circles under her eye after a transformation, the feeling of one of her hands in her own… of their lips pressed together… of her smooth legs… her sounds of ecstasy…
Quinn hid her face in Rachel’s neck as the brunette sat on her lap. They were in the back of Mike’s car, heading towards the only pizza place with an option for veggie pizza. Except the only thing Quinn wanted to do right then was to snuggle with her girlfriend as tightly as she could, and drown in her, and crawl into her bones, and possibly make love later until they turned into dust. Rachel’s hand moved to her hair, scratching her scalp lightly. Brittany bouncing excitedly next to them was drawing all of Santana’s attention, and Tina was paying them no mind as she talked to Mike in the passenger seat. Still, Quinn knew they wanted to keep their relationship on the down low, even if everyone knew what they felt towards each other before they confessed it to themselves, and Quinn was sure they’d be delighted to hear they finally did it. They would probably throw a party for them or something, but after all that happened, all she and Rachel wanted was peace and quiet and privacy. She sneaked her arms around Rachel’s waist and just basked in the warm and soft perfection between her arms until they got to the venue.
Once they got enough tables put together to fit all of them, it took at least half an hour before they decided what they wanted to order -Brittany’s pepperoni and pineapple was discarded swiftly. When the pizzas arrived, Quinn found they were missing two drinks and headed towards the counter. The woman behind it took her sweet time on the phone and Quinn waited distractedly, playing with her bottom lip between her fingers.
“Don’t do that.” Rachel whispered right next to her ear.
“Why not?”
“It makes me want to kiss you so badly.” Quinn didn’t know whether to squeak or melt when there were lips sucking her earlobe, but they vanished as soon as they appeared, and Rachel was heading back to their table with one drink in each hand.
She followed numbly and sat down at the end of the table next to Rachel. Everyone was chatting excitedly, talking about their holidays before college and their last minute arrangements, and Quinn listened to them as best as she could while trying to ignore the warmth of the body next to her, and her strong smell. She reached distractedly for a slice of the vegan pizza and Brittany eyed her curiously.
“We ordered the one with the bacon bits.”
“No, thank you.”
This caught Rachel’s attention.
“You’re not eating bacon?”
“Rach… it’s bacon.”
Rachel nodded, confounded.
“…bacon… it’s pig.”
Brittany’s alarmed “what?!” was lost on Rachel’s amazed “Quinn…”
“Rachel.” Quinn ignored both of them. “When was the last time you saw me eating something with an-“
The squeal that left Rachel’s mouth drawled everyone’s attention on them, just in time to catch Rachel’s arms around Quinn’s neck, her whole body on top of hers as they kissed.
Quinn’s mind, already focused on those lips since five minutes ago, couldn’t care less that everyone was watching as she kissed and hugged back, grinning against Rachel’s lips.
After a minute or so, Kurt cleared his throat, because apparently everybody’s gasps and exclamations of “I knew it”, “Hot damn”, and “Mailman” couldn’t separate the two girls.
“One less speciesist, we get it, we’re in a public place! Now, ladies…”
Rachel seemed to gather her common sense at that, moving her hands to smooth Quinn’s hair, her eyes twinkling.
“Well, fellow friends, Quinn and I-“
“Save it, we figured it out.” Mercedes chuckled, reaching across the table to pat Quinn’s hand as she blushed to the tip of her ears.
Happily, Rachel moved to Quinn’s lap, intervening on the conversation between Brittany and Santana about all of the foods that were actually dead animals while Quinn listened to all of them along with Rachel’s heartbeat and breathing, as her ear rested against her girlfriend’s warm back.
&&&
There was an almost deafening silence in the room, in the entire home, except for Rachel’s heavy breathing and heartbeat. Quinn lay as motionless as she could listening to it, trying to calm her thoughts now that her girlfriend had stopped crying and was supposedly asleep or on her way there. Packing had made them both emotional, but Rachel more so. This town, as oppressive as it was, held their memories of many years, almost eighteen for Rachel, and as much as it suffocated them and as much as Rachel longed for New York, Lima was still her home town. Quinn felt a depression to the core of her being when she thought of driving away from here, deeply related to the memories, to her baby, and most of all to the forest. They still had one last full moon in a couple of days, and then they’ll be off. She was most excited for their future to begin, to fully let go of her past and start a new chapter, as cheesy as it sounded. It was that thought, most of all, that kept her sane. That, and the steady heartbeat she could her from below her ear. It had become her constant companion for many months now, it was as calming as Rachel’s singing; sometimes she swore she heard it all the way across town when they were apart. Quinn couldn’t imagine not hearing that every day now, and knew she would after they moved together in New York, merely twenty subway-minutes away from Brittany and Santana.
A deep intake of breath distracted her from her thoughts as Rachel lifted her hands and rested one on her hair and the other on the small of her back.
“Are you awake?” She whispered.
“Yeah.”
“I can’t sleep, you’re thinking too loud.”
“No, I’m not.” Quinn laughed quietly, adjusting herself more comfortable on top of and around Rachel.
“Yes, you are. What’s going on?”
Quinn basked on the warmth of Rachel’s body for a few seconds, of her fingers gently running through her hair, before answering. Not much had changed since they admitted their feelings towards each other, just bolder touches and kisses on the lips. And sex…
“Why did we wait so long before admitting our feelings?” She hadn’t been thinking about that, exactly, but it had been on the surface of her mind for almost the entire month.
“We were scared, Quinn.”
“Yeah.”
“I couldn’t even phantom the idea of being without you, I was so blinded by those thoughts I didn’t see what was right in front of me, even when everybody else did.”
“Even your parents.”
“Yes.” Rachel laughed, her body shaking slightly. “Even my dads.”
“We had a good time either way.” Quinn smiled.
“Except for the sexual frustration.” Rachel quipped.
“Oh, you’re taking care of that, don’t worry.” Quinn giggled. “For all the time we missed.”
“You’re not exactly complaining, now are you? Because I could make it to once a week, or a month…”
“You don’t last a day.” Quinn snorted.
“Quinn!” Rachel’s palm connected softly with the blonde’s temple, making her sit up the bed.
“Domestic violence!” Quinn cried, pointing a finger at her girlfriend.
“You were embarrassing me!” Rachel yelped defensively.
“Sex maniac!”
A pillow connected full on the brunette’s face, muffling her scream of surprise.
“Abusive girlfriend!”
“You hit me first!”
“Immature girlfriend!”
Soon there was a mess of sheets, covers and pillows, Rachel pinning Quinn to the mattress by the wrists and kissing her forcefully on the neck.
“You… sex… maniac…” Quinn panted, trying to get free.
“This is not sex.” Rachel grinned devilishly down at her, pecking her lips playfully.
“It will be soon.” Quinn raised an eyebrow, lifting her hips and making her girlfriend groan.
“Oh, yes it will.”
&&&
Rachel didn’t know what to expect on this night, but she could have never been prepared for the feeling that overwhelmed her when she woke up as a wolf. The need to see Quinn was so great, and her brain so very deep engraved with her wolf’s scent that she almost immediately knew which way to run. Her footsteps rang among the trees and Quinn’s smell grew steadily stronger, until she spotted her fast asleep almost right by the river.
Rachel felt something in her chest inflate, drowning the sense of uneasiness she felt when she was alone and replacing it with that pull, stronger than ever, to be next to her wolf. She walked quietly next to her and lay down, her muzzle barely against Quinn’s belly. She could hear her steady heartbeat and breathing, and could almost drown in her scent. She remembered feeling things were perfect just a few months ago, but how wrong she’d been…
This? This was perfection. The absolute certainty that she would never lose Quinn, that they belonged to each other. Everything felt so easy now. Decisions were trivial with the knowledge that she wouldn’t be alone to face them, whatever they were. The future was much less scary. She’d had enough moments in her life to feel insecure, about herself, about her body, about the future, but those hadn’t come in a while. Being a werewolf might have felt like a punishment in the beginning, but now it was more like a blessing if it meant having the strongest love she’d ever felt inside her. Of course, it would complicate things concerning her career, but she was sure they would be able to face whatever came their way if they were together. They had proved that in the year and a half it took them to figure everything out, and now that they had, they were sure nothing could come between them.
As Quinn woke up, Rachel moved to gently rub their cheeks together, earning a generous lick to the face. She could feel her heart pounding, and she knew she would blush if she were human. Surprised though she was, Rachel leapt to her feet to make Quinn get up as well. Their energy was pumping; she could feel it in her veins and radiating off of Quinn. They sprinted towards the road and along the edge of the trees. The night was as clear as it ever was, the full moon shined against the tree tops and along the way, the wind was light and fresh, and as they got closer to the town, they could feel that dread at leaving the forest disappearing from their chests. They knew it was necessary if they were to leave town a couple of days later, and Quinn barked joyfully as she felt it. Lima was quiet, the streets were deserted and the people fast asleep at their beds, but they still tried to keep quiet, it was a silly thing they were about to do…
They reached the Pierce residence at last, where the smell of the fresh concrete of the driveway made them want to step away. Brittany had mentioned to them that her parents had finished remodeling the garage and were finishing with the driveway today. Quinn thought it was a good idea to give them their thanks for saving her life, and so she carefully stepped on the concrete with one of her paws, her print neatly marked. Brittany’s parents would probably think it was from a stray dog, but it was the best gift they could give them.
Quinn looked away to find Rachel sitting straight, looking up at the house. She moved quietly to sit next to her, whining a little as she nudged her head with her muzzle. Rachel rested the side of their heads together, and they sat there for a while. Quinn knew she was still a little scared of what happened that day, but she now knew the best was to show her, with time, that they were careful now, in control, and as long as they were together nothing like that would ever happen again.
Suddenly Rachel tensed next to her. Looking up, Quinn could see a silhouette behind one of the curtains, a dim light was on. Before they could even move, the window was open and the curtains drawn, and Brittany was leaning out of the window with her elbows on the sill. They stood there, staring at each other for a minute, Quinn with confusion and fear and Brittany with a small smile on her face.
“There’s more clothes in the hamper if you get cold.” Brittany whispered at last, and then she waved and closed the curtains, disappearing inside.
Quinn felt Rachel slump against her in relief, and she nudged with her muzzle. It was time to go. They walked quietly back to the woods, taking in their town at night, which seemed full of possibilities without the scowling man and disdainful women on the streets. Lima was actually really beautiful…
But much more were the trees and the river, at least from their point of view. Everything smelled like only nature could, fresh and wild. The leaves spreading oxygen, the wind blowing and carrying it, the water moving quietly and the animals, some sleeping and some staring wide-eyed from their burrows or the top of the trees, hooting and swooshing as they flew. Everything was alive, and Quinn felt like she could fully appreciate it now, laying on the clearing next to her wolf, feeding from the warmth she irradiated, enjoying the place for the last time. She felt so blissful she could fall asleep, which had never happened before, but everything smelled great, Rachel smelled amazing, felt amazing, was amazing, they were happy…
&&&
Hiram started crying as soon as Rachel finished packing, Quinn standing awkwardly against the hallway wall as he pretended not to, covering his mouth with his palm to prevent them from hearing his hiccups. The luggage was enormous; Quinn wouldn’t be surprised if Rachel had somehow packed her framed Barbra playbill in there, but the tiny brunette hoisted it over her shoulder and gingerly walked down the stairs to the hall. Rolling her eyes, Quinn followed behind her and they moved to the kitchen, only to find Leroy and Judy there, crying over their surely cold cups of tea.
“Mom, please…”
“No! It’s okay…” Her mother jumped from the stood, wiping the tears and make up from her cheeks and trying to smile. “We’re just being silly…”
“Silly old people.” Leroy nodded.
“Dad, you’re not old.” Rachel smiled lightly, moving to palm his back.
“You’re going to c-college! Of course we are!” Hiram sobbed from the kitchen door, covering his face with his hands.
Quinn bit her lip, trying her hardest not to laugh as she exchanged a look with Rachel.
“Wait until you have grandchildren, then you’ll be old.” Rachel joked.
But that seemed to sober them up.
“Grandchildren?”
“You’re giving us grandchildren?”
“None of you are pregnant, are you?”
Quinn slapped her hand to her face.
“That’s biologically impossible.”
“Well, yes, you’re right…” Hiram blushed.
Judy looked up to the ceiling and her body shook with silent laughter.
“At least they’re not crying anymore.” Rachel mumbled as they followed their parents outside.
Quinn’s luggage was already in the trunk, and it seemed that Rachel’s was going to be kept in the backseat, surely there was no room.
“Are your cellphones charged?”
“Yes, mom.”
“Tank full?”
“Yes, daddy.”
“Bellies full?”
“Yes, dad.” Rachel chuckled.
Everybody seemed to be making an effort not to cry, then. Quinn moved slowly to hug her mother while Rachel was being crushed between her two dads, and then they swapped. Quinn felt a great deal of affection for these two men who were hugging her like a daughter, and she could see her mother crying as she gently wrapped her arms around Rachel.
“Okay…” Rachel sniffed, walking backwards towards the car. “We’re… leaving now.”
“Have a safe trip.” Leroy called, wrapping an arm around his husband’s waist and placing his other hand on Judy’s shoulder.
They started the car, backed from the driveway and Rachel leaned half her body out of the window to wave at them as Quinn drove away. Once she couldn’t see them, she sat properly, put her seatbelt on and sighed.
“You okay?” Quinn asked quietly, blindingly moving her hand and stroking her hair as she looked forward.
Rachel didn’t answer, just took her hand on her own, kissed her palm and rested it on her lap, wrapped between both of her hands. They drove in silence, soon leaving the buildings and shops and reaching the trees. Rachel looked out the window at the almost blur of green and brown, and she swore she could see some animals peeking from between the trees, staring curiously. She didn’t realize her breath had caught in her throat until they passed the Lima sign and Quinn exhaled loudly.
“We’re leaving.” She whispered at last.
“We are.” Quinn nodded.
“I couldn’t have done it without you.” Rachel stated softly, bringing both her hands and Quinn’s own to her face, pressing Quinn’s palm against her cheek.
“You won’t have to do anything alone anymore.”
Rachel moved her face to kiss her palm.
“I love you.”
Quinn smiled.
“Are you ready?”
“As I ever will be.”