My Only Exception 16/20
“Are you sure your dads will be okay with this, Rachel?”
Rachel sighed and grabbed Quinn’s hand as they stood outside of the Berry residence.
“Quinn, for the tenth time, I assure you that my fathers are very kind and open men. Everything will be fine.”
Quinn nodded and let Rachel take the lead. Once the door was opened, Quinn was greeted with the smell of dinner cooking and the sound of laughter and music. It already felt like home. There were countless photographs decorating the wall and fireplace of the living room, pictures of Rachel with her fathers at recitals, in the park, at the beach, Christmas photos; the list was never-ending. The living room was tiny and two worn couches sat adjacent to each other facing the small television they owned. A cabinet was behind the television filled with home movies and every movie musical ever made. Quinn’s house was simply a building, a museum filled with meaningless artifacts; this was home filled with love, genuine and palpable love.
“Daddy!” she called as they reached the kitchen.
A tall black man stood at the stove stirring a pot humming under his breath while his shorter partner danced around him belting out the tune at the top of his lungs. The taller man laughed powerfully and left his station at the stove to twirl his husband. Quinn could only stare in awe; it was remarkable.
“Daddy, please you’re embarrassing me!” Rachel squeaked, trying to hold in her laughter.
The men attempted to make their expressions serious, the shorter failing miserably.
“We are so very sorry, darling,” said the taller, his hand clutching his stomach.
Rachel rolled her eyes.
“Apology accepted. Now would you both get a hold of yourselves? There is someone I want you to meet.”
The two men looked over at Quinn, noticing the blonde for the first time.
“Dad, Daddy, this is Quinn Fabray. Quinn these are my dads, Michael and Leroy.”
Leroy’s face dropped at the mention of the cheerleader. It was obvious to Quinn that he was well aware of what she has done to his daughter. Michael seemed to notice his husband’s sudden change in attitude but was warm to the blonde nonetheless. He embraced her tightly; Quinn now knew where Rachel got her openness from.
“It is so nice to meet you, Quinn.”
Quinn smiled nervously as she wrung her hands.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Berry.”
“Please, call me Michael. Leroy, aren’t you going to greet our guest?”
Leroy glared at Quinn, obviously not approving of her presence in their home.
“Rachel, can I talk to you for a minute in private?”
“Of course, Dad. Daddy, show Quinn what you were making! It smells delicious!”
Michael beamed and dragged Quinn over to the stove, gushing about the meal he and his husband had been preparing. Rachel followed her father into the living room.
“Isn’t that the girl who called you those vulgar names and threw slushies at you? Honey, I really don’t think having her over here is such a good idea. What if she is trying to play a prank or something on you?”
“Dad, she has changed and she would never do that to me. We don’t hate each other anymore, even though we never did really. Now it’s quite the opposite. I’ve forgiven her completely for everything she has done to me. We-,” she hesitated and took a deep breath, “we are together now. Look, I know she has hurt me but I fully believe that it will never happen again. She has lost so much, Dad. Her parents kicked her out, her mother abandoned her when she came out and now she is dealing with giving her daughter away. I know it is a lot to ask, but can she stay with us? Please, Dad, this is all I want. She, she’s the one, Dad. I know it’s early to say that, but it’s true and I cannot leave her, not now, not ever.”
The man looked into her daughter’s eyes and saw the sparkle he adored so much. She was telling the truth.
“Okay,” he said simply.
Rachel gaped at her father.
“Really?”
He nodded and was about to talk when he interrupted by his daughter’s body crashing into his.
“Thank you so much, Dad!”
He laughed the girl in his arms and was so proud of her. They joined hands and walked into the kitchen where Quinn was laughing and blushing as the short man twirled her and tangoed to the music.
“Leroy, Quinn is a fantastic dancer! A total natural!”
“That’s great, honey.”
Quinn and Rachel set the table in the dining room while the two men talked in the kitchen.
“Your dad hates me,” she said under her breath as she placed a fork next to her plate.
“He doesn’t, Quinn. Trust me.”
Right on cue, the men walked in with the bowls of soup and placed them on the plates. All of them sat down and Leroy stood up before they began.
“Quinn, Michael and I have discussed this and have come to an agreement. I was very hesitant about letting you stay with us because well, I have seen how much you have hurt my baby girl. I cleaned her slushy-stained clothes, I held her as she cried after you taunted her at school; but then she told me about your situation and your family and it broke my heart. My parents were the same way when I came out and I would not be here if it weren’t for Michael.”
Michael smiled, his eyes filled with tears, and Quinn was speechless. She had never felt so guilty for her actions; now she saw how that not only had they affected Rachel but had affected her fathers as well. Her tears threatened to fall and she willed herself to keep it together. Rachel grabbed her hand from underneath the table and squeezed it.
“That being said, you are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you’d like. I see how happy you make my baby girl and I hope you can forgive me for being hostile earlier.”
Quinn began to shake as sobs wracked through her body. Rachel wrapped her arm around her protectively, telling her it was okay.
“No, no I’m fine it’s just-,” she sniffled as a smile formed on her lips, “I’m just so happy. I cannot thank you enough. I promise I’ll never hurt your daughter, Mr. Berry.”
“I know, Quinn, I know.”
----
The last day of school was uneventful. Quinn settled into the Berry’s house after their dinner and found herself energized by all of the warmth in the home. She and Rachel had decided to keep it on the down low at school that day; they did not plan on making out in the hallway or anything, but if anyone asked about it they would tell them the truth. They managed to go through the day unscathed, although it was mostly because no one really noticed their change in behavior. All of them were too wrapped up in their own lives to care.
Currently, the girls were in Rachel’s room, Quinn splayed out on the brunette’s bed, Rachel prancing around the room singing Grease. The blonde was quiet and was content to watch her girlfriend in action. It was Thursday night, and Quinn still hadn’t spilled about what they were going to do on their first date.
Rachel turned the boom box off and sat on the bed next to the blonde.
“Please, Quinn, I’m dying here. At least tell me what I should wear.”
“No can do. It is a top secret plan and I intend to keep it that way.”
“But how will I know what to wear? I need to know what degree of formality my outfit must convey otherwise it could be disastrous!”
The brunette whipped out her signature Berry pout, hoping it would have the desirable effect on her girlfriend; it didn’t.
“Sorry, Berry, you are going to have to learn to be patient.”
Quinn leaned in to kiss the brunette; at the last minute she pulled away and hopped off of the bed.
“What’s for dinner?”
Rachel sighed and flopped onto her bed in frustration.
---
Rachel sat in the middle of her bedroom floor, her iPod playing softly in the background; not even Barbra could help the brunette now. It looked like her closet had vomited argyle and plaid. She sighed. Quinn still hadn’t told her what they were doing for their date, except that she would “pick her up” at her room at 7pm. In the distance she heard the sound of Quinn in the shower, the water pounding against the glass door. Rachel had been trying to decide on an outfit for two hours now. Casual or formal? It was useless.
Her eyes moved to the clock, briefly glancing over at the mess of clothing. It was 6:30pm. She stood up, plopped down onto her bed, and stared up at the ceiling. It was covered in those glow in the dark plastic stars, save for one huge gold one smack in the middle. When she was six, she had begged her dads to buy them for her because when she went to bed she wanted to feel like she was flying through space. The gold star was just a nightly reminder of what she was to become: a star, a gold, sometimes obnoxious, talented star.
Eventually, Rachel decided on a plaid skirt and a black tank top. She got rid of her penny loafers and traded them in for a pair of sandals. Her makeup was meticulously done and she was just putting on her lip gloss when she heard a knock on the door. She smiled. Quinn.
She got up from her desk and picked up her purse. As soon as she opened the door, her breath was taken away. Quinn stood in the doorway in a yellow sundress with spaghetti straps. Her long blonde hair fell perfectly at her shoulders just the way Rachel loved it. Tiny gold earrings dangled from her perfect ears; when Rachel looked closer she saw that they were two tiny stars. Her heart swelled at the gesture. Quinn had little makeup on but she still managed to leave the brunette speechless. That perfect porcelain skin, those plump lips that she so desperately wished to kiss. She didn’t realize how much she had missed the blonde. It had only been a few hours since they had last seen each other but it felt like a hundred years.
“Hey,” Rachel said softly, flashing Quinn a one hundred watt smile.
“Hey, beautiful.”
Rachel felt a blush creep across her cheeks at the term of endearment.
“Ready to go?”
Quinn extended her hand to the diva, who took it instantly, a rush of heat rippling through her from the touch. They went down the stairs and greeted Rachel’s fathers at the door. Michael was misty eyed and Leroy had his arm protectively around the tiny man.
“Home by eleven, Quinn,” he said firmly.
“Of course, Mr. Berry,” she replied and opened the door for her girlfriend.
Their hands never left each other as they walked down the walkway.
“Well, Quinn, I cannot contain my excitement. Please, tell me where we are going?”
Quinn laughed at the brunette’s impatience.
“Nope.”
Rachel sighed and gave a little pout; the blonde remained impervious to the diva’s efforts to break her. Quinn guided her onto the sidewalk past the family car.
“Wait, we’re walking?”
“Yes, Rach. I know it’s hard for some people, but I’m here, okay? I know you can do it,” she teased.
Rachel hit her gently on the shoulder.
“No need to be so sarcastic, Quinn.”
It was still slightly light out and the moon hadn’t come out yet. The girls smelled barbeques in the distance as the occasional car passed by. A warm breeze whizzed through the blonde’s hair causing her aroma to encompass the brunette. She moaned slightly at the scent of vanilla.
“God, it’s such a beautiful night,” she whispered as Quinn wrapped her arm around the brunette.
“Mhm,” she breathed as Rachel leaned into the blonde.
After another five minutes, Quinn stopped and Rachel looked up; she had gotten so lost in Quinn’s body that she barely realized that they were standing in front of a small stream and a picnic blanket. The trees were lit with Christmas lights and on the blanket laid two plates, a candle, and her dad’s old picnic basket. Rachel was speechless; was this all for her?
Quinn looked at her girlfriend, still unable to believe she had been lucky enough to find a girl like Rachel. Her brown hair was pulled up into a loose pony tail and she could practically taste the lip gloss she was wearing. Quinn’s heart was pounding and she was nervous that something was wrong because Rachel hadn’t spoken in a good three minutes and her face hadn’t moved from its current shocked state.
“What do you think?” she whispered.
Rachel awoke from her trance and pulled Quinn’s face into hers. She stretched slightly up onto her toes and she placed her lips tenderly on the blonde’s.
“This…this is incredible, Quinn. No one’s ever done anything like this for me.”
“Well, you deserve it, Rach. You’re amazing.”
Rachel smiled brightly. Quinn took her hand again and pulled her over to the blanket.
“I have prepared for us a very special vegan meal. It took me a few hours but it was totally-,”
Rachel threw herself onto the blonde causing both to take a tumble into the soft grass. Quinn laughed and held on tightly to her girl.
“I’ll take that as a thank you,” she said mid-laugh.
Rachel pried herself off of Quinn and was blushing more than ever; luckily the dark hid it quite well. Once they were finished with their meal, the two lay down next to each other and stared up at the stars.
“Hey, Quinn?”
“Yeah, Rach?”
“I sort of forgot to ask you earlier, but where exactly are we? I certainly have never been here before.”
Quinn laughed softly as Rachel buried herself further into her shoulder.
“When I was little, I used to come here everyday. I didn’t fish or anything but I’d climb that tree,” she pointed at a large twisted tree dressed in yellow lights, “and bring my sketch pad and draw the river, or a bird. Sometimes I’d sing, or sleep on a blanket. It was heaven. I was away from my mom and dad, away from the pressure, away from it all. Then my dad caught me one day and forbid me from coming here. He said good girls stay inside with their mommies or go to church or play with dolls. I haven’t been here since the fifth grade.”
“Let’s do it then,” Rachel said.
“Do what?”
“Let’s come here every day this summer. Well, maybe not everyday but we could have picnics or go swimming. You could bring your sketch pad and I could bring my iPod and sing for you. We could climb that tree together, although you’d have to help me because as you know I am vertically challenged.”
“Really?” she choked out.
“Of course. It’ll be fun!”
Quinn got up and pulled Rachel with her. Then their lips met and began their slow dance. The kiss was perfect; it was slow, yet passionate; heavy and yet sweet. Rachel’s tongue brushed past Quinn’s bottom lip and the blonde allowed her the girl entrance. Their tongues caressed each other, neither fighting for dominance over the other. Both were equally present, equally in love, equally lusting for the other. The need for air overcame Quinn and she moved back and gazed deeply into the chocolate swirls.
“God, you are beautiful,” she breathed, her warm air tickling Rachel’s cheek.
Rachel pushed the blonde onto her back and straddled her, her hair falling into Quinn’s face. She brushed her hair behind her ear, the lights from the trees highlighting her every feature, her tanned skin, her deep brown eyes, and her lips, her delicious lips. She dipped her head down and enveloped the blonde’s lips with hers, hungry for the taste of vanilla, the taste of Quinn. Quinn fisted Rachel’s hair, as the kiss became more passionate, more desperate and was heading towards something neither girl had ever experienced.
Rachel sucked gently at Quinn’s neck, earning a moan from the aroused cheerleader.
“Rach, Rach wait,” she breathed.
“What do you not want me?” Rachel said as she looked into Quinn’s hazel eyes.
“No, God, no. I want you. I want you so much and it terrifies me. I’m just,” she was flustered and a pool of wetness had already formed in between her legs, “is this okay? Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, it’s only been the first date. And you’re a virgin so I know you want it to be special…”
Rachel got off of the blonde and went back onto her back next to Quinn, entwining their fingers together. She had forgotten how new this was for Quinn, hell it was new to her too. If Quinn wanted to go slow, they would go slow.
“We’ll take it slow, Quinn; but honestly, my first time will be special because it is going to be with you. It can only be with you. You-you’re the one Quinn.”
Quinn smiled and wrapped her arm around the brunette’s petite waist.
“I love you, Quinn,” she whispered, her voice never faltering.
Rachel nuzzled her head into the crook of Quinn’s neck. Her heart was pounding and her skin was tingling where Quinn’s cool hand caressed her exposed waist. Did she love her too?
Quinn leaned up onto her elbow, her arm still very much around Rachel, and gazed deeply into her eyes.
“I love you too, Rachel. Always have, always will.”
Rachel grinned and kissed the blonde lovingly. They rested together on the warm blanket and stared up at the stars, feeling like two grains of sand lying in a huge beach. Rachel, for once, was speechless and instead of spitting out each and every constellation she knew, her fathers had bought her a handy book of the stars for her ninth birthday, she reveled in the warmth radiating from their bodies, how despite everything they had been through here she was lying in Quinn Fabray’s arms.