Fic: Shooting Stars (1/?) - Part 2
Title: Shooting Stars
Author: cranberry_pi
Rating: R for themes
Spoilers: Definitely not.
Summary: AU, Future!Fic. If Quinn Fabray is dead - and she is - then who is the girl on Rachel's doorstep?
A/N: All the lovely comments so far (and I'll get to answering them ASAP, I promise!) have convinced me to run with this a little. Here's the second half of chapter 1, hopefully more soon!
“Everything you know - everything you think you know - about Quinn is a lie,” Charlie’s bandaged, and sitting on Rachel’s couch as the two of them wait.
“Is she still alive?”
There’s more pain in Charlie’s eyes with that question than there was when she was collapsed on the porch. “No,” she shakes her head. “I’m sorry - she, uh, she’s definitely dead. But it’s not the fantasy they fed you - she didn’t die in some desert, she died right beside me.”
“And where were you?”
“Washington,” a spasm of pain hits her, and she grits her teeth. “Washington D.C.”
Rachel’s head is spinning. “But how can that be? I watched her get on a plane, I know she got on that plane. And you know what, never in all of our lives together did she mention having a sister! How do I even know you’re telling the truth?”
“That took you longer than I thought it would. Reach in my back pocket, will you? Left hand side?”
Rachel does, trying awkwardly not to cop a feel on the way. She emerges with a tattered, faded picture of two identical teenage girls - who both look, unmistakably, like Quinn. “This could be faked.”
“Yeah,” Charlie agrees, “but what’s on the back couldn’t be.”
Rachel turns the picture over - and there, in handwriting she knows better than her own, is a simple message. Charlie: In celebration of better days. Love you for now and for always, Q. Semper Fidelis.
“What,” the evening’s emotion is finally starting to penetrate the shock, and Rachel’s voice shakes with unshed tears. “What did she mean?”
“Long story.”
“Mommy?” the small voice startles them both. Rebecca Berry, age six, is staring at them both from the foot of the stairs. “Mommy? Mama said - she said you weren’t ever coming home.”
Charlie suddenly looks scared and indecisive. Rebecca uses the hesitation as time to run over and leap into her arms. “I missed you so much, mommy!”
Charlie starts to cry. “I love you too,” she looks at Rachel, who mouths ‘Becca,’ “Becca. But you need to go back to bed, sweetheart - you’re just having a dream. Mommy just came back to tell you,” her tears are a steady stream now, “to tell you that she loves you. And she misses you. But when you wake up tomorrow, I’m going to be gone again, okay? It’ll be just like this never happened.”
“But I don’t want to wake up!”
“I know, baby girl. I know. I wish I didn’t have to go. But you’ll see me again someday, okay? I love you so much.”
“I love you too, mommy,” Rebecca is crying, and Rachel has a hand clasped to her mouth to keep her own sobs quiet. “Goodnight,” she reluctantly releases her grip on Charlie, who’s now bleeding profusely through her bandage. She walks sadly up the stairs, one at a time, her gaze never leaving Charlie until she’s at the top and she re-enters her bedroom.
“God, I’m sorry,” Charlie shakes her head. “Quinn never said - I didn’t know. I’m not putting her in jeopardy - I’ve got to go.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Rachel pins her with a glare. “I want some answers. Besides, the way you’re bleeding you’re not going to get very far anyway.
“I can’t be here when she wakes up - I can’t hurt her like that. I know how that feels, to lose a parent, and I can’t make her keep reliving that pain.”
“Well, then you’ve got about four hours. Start talking.” A knock at the door interrupts, and Rachel opens it without hesitation.
“Hello, Santana.”
“It’s the middle of the night, Berry. What the hell did you wake me up for-” she looks at Charlie on the couch and the color falls from her cheeks. “What in the fuck-”
“She was just about to start explaining.”
Author: cranberry_pi
Rating: R for themes
Spoilers: Definitely not.
Summary: AU, Future!Fic. If Quinn Fabray is dead - and she is - then who is the girl on Rachel's doorstep?
A/N: All the lovely comments so far (and I'll get to answering them ASAP, I promise!) have convinced me to run with this a little. Here's the second half of chapter 1, hopefully more soon!
“Everything you know - everything you think you know - about Quinn is a lie,” Charlie’s bandaged, and sitting on Rachel’s couch as the two of them wait.
“Is she still alive?”
There’s more pain in Charlie’s eyes with that question than there was when she was collapsed on the porch. “No,” she shakes her head. “I’m sorry - she, uh, she’s definitely dead. But it’s not the fantasy they fed you - she didn’t die in some desert, she died right beside me.”
“And where were you?”
“Washington,” a spasm of pain hits her, and she grits her teeth. “Washington D.C.”
Rachel’s head is spinning. “But how can that be? I watched her get on a plane, I know she got on that plane. And you know what, never in all of our lives together did she mention having a sister! How do I even know you’re telling the truth?”
“That took you longer than I thought it would. Reach in my back pocket, will you? Left hand side?”
Rachel does, trying awkwardly not to cop a feel on the way. She emerges with a tattered, faded picture of two identical teenage girls - who both look, unmistakably, like Quinn. “This could be faked.”
“Yeah,” Charlie agrees, “but what’s on the back couldn’t be.”
Rachel turns the picture over - and there, in handwriting she knows better than her own, is a simple message. Charlie: In celebration of better days. Love you for now and for always, Q. Semper Fidelis.
“What,” the evening’s emotion is finally starting to penetrate the shock, and Rachel’s voice shakes with unshed tears. “What did she mean?”
“Long story.”
“Mommy?” the small voice startles them both. Rebecca Berry, age six, is staring at them both from the foot of the stairs. “Mommy? Mama said - she said you weren’t ever coming home.”
Charlie suddenly looks scared and indecisive. Rebecca uses the hesitation as time to run over and leap into her arms. “I missed you so much, mommy!”
Charlie starts to cry. “I love you too,” she looks at Rachel, who mouths ‘Becca,’ “Becca. But you need to go back to bed, sweetheart - you’re just having a dream. Mommy just came back to tell you,” her tears are a steady stream now, “to tell you that she loves you. And she misses you. But when you wake up tomorrow, I’m going to be gone again, okay? It’ll be just like this never happened.”
“But I don’t want to wake up!”
“I know, baby girl. I know. I wish I didn’t have to go. But you’ll see me again someday, okay? I love you so much.”
“I love you too, mommy,” Rebecca is crying, and Rachel has a hand clasped to her mouth to keep her own sobs quiet. “Goodnight,” she reluctantly releases her grip on Charlie, who’s now bleeding profusely through her bandage. She walks sadly up the stairs, one at a time, her gaze never leaving Charlie until she’s at the top and she re-enters her bedroom.
“God, I’m sorry,” Charlie shakes her head. “Quinn never said - I didn’t know. I’m not putting her in jeopardy - I’ve got to go.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Rachel pins her with a glare. “I want some answers. Besides, the way you’re bleeding you’re not going to get very far anyway.
“I can’t be here when she wakes up - I can’t hurt her like that. I know how that feels, to lose a parent, and I can’t make her keep reliving that pain.”
“Well, then you’ve got about four hours. Start talking.” A knock at the door interrupts, and Rachel opens it without hesitation.
“Hello, Santana.”
“It’s the middle of the night, Berry. What the hell did you wake me up for-” she looks at Charlie on the couch and the color falls from her cheeks. “What in the fuck-”
“She was just about to start explaining.”