Double Trouble
Title: Double Trouble
Pairings/Major Characters: Rachel/Quinn, Isabelle & Olivia Fabray-Berry, Santana/Brittany although they're not mentioned as a couple but it's the Puppy-verse so they're there.
Rating: PG
Length: ~4,000
Summary: Rachel and Quinn deal with the twins' first big issue.
Author's Note: *Puppy-verse #12* The first story (but not last, I assure you) with Isabelle and Olivia in the spotlight!
Preceded by:
Puppy | My Girl(s) | Perfection | Decisions | Baby Love
Baby Love 2 | Slushies: The Next Generation | Little Gold Stars
Change | Baby Just Say Yes | (Not Quite) Nine Months
Directory | Timeline | Original Character Bios
--March 2028--
It wasn’t that big of a surprise the first time Rachel and Quinn got a call from the twins’ school that Olivia had been in a fight. Actually, they were rather shocked that the girl had made it through pre-school, kindergarten, first grade, and most of second grade without getting into trouble. They both knew probably what had happened, that someone was picking on her or worse, picking on Isabelle. Despite being polar opposites, the twins shared that common twin bond and both of them were extremely protective of each other. There was an unspoken rule between the pair that the only people allowed to pick on them were each other.
Quinn sighed and hung up the phone in her classroom. She’d started teaching fourth grade at one of the public schools the year the twins started first grade at their private school. She had applied for a position at their school but was denied and Rachel ranted for an hour about how she could easily get the ACLU on their side to sue and Quinn just sat there and chuckled. She liked the job at the public school though even if she did absolutely loathe being away from the twins since she’d been with them non-stop for six years. She couldn’t leave her class for this so she called Rachel and Rachel told her she’d already gotten the call and was on her way.
Rachel groaned when she hung up with the receptionist at the twins' school and closed her cell. She found the director and told him it was a kid issue and he nodded. Quinn called just as she got into her van. She didn’t really hurry to the school; she knew what to anticipate and she wasn't expecting for it to be that big of a deal. At least there probably weren’t slushies involved. Then again, knowing Olivia, there was no telling what was involved.
The first thing Rachel saw when she entered the principal’s office was a young boy sitting on a bench with a bandage wrapped around his head and a black eye with tissue shoved up his nose. Rachel blinked a few times and tried really hard to not imagine what the boy looked like before he was cleaned up.
“I’m Rachel Berry,” she told the receptionist. The woman behind the desk lit up.
“Rachel Berry? As in…Broadway Rachel Berry?”
Rachel smiled a little. “Yes.”
“I’ve seen your show twelve times! You’re just magnificent!”
Rachel nodded. “Thank you,” she said politely. “I’m here about my daughter, though. Olivia Fabray-Berry.”
“Oh…oh yes, of course!” The receptionist picked up the phone and pressed a few buttons. “Principal Connor, Olivia’s mother, Rachel Berry, is here.” There was a few seconds of silence before the receptionist hung the phone up. “You can go ahead, through that door.” She pointed to a door to Rachel’s left.
“Thank you,” Rachel said with a nod.
She took a deep breath and opened the door to see Olivia sitting in one of the chairs in front of the principal’s desk, head held high. Her black tights were torn at the knees and there blood on her white uniform shirt. Her dark brown hair was still up in the ponytail Quinn had done that morning but it was loose and slightly messy. Isabelle was sitting on a bench behind her twin looking down and fidgeting with her blue, black, and white plaid uniform skirt. She’d opted to keep her hair down that day and it was a little ruffled. Rachel noticed a bruise running along her knuckles and the older brunette furrowed her eyebrows.
“Mrs. Berry.”
Rachel’s attention turned from her daughters to the man behind the desk. He was older, didn’t have any hair. He peered at her over his glasses and motioned for her to take the other chair.
“Principal Connor, can I ask why both of my daughters are in here when I was specifically told that Olivia was the one in the fight?” Rachel asked as she took her seat.
“Because even though Olivia is insisting that she was the only one of the two that threw the punches, I don’t think she was. As is evident by the bruising on the back of the other one’s hand.”
Rachel narrowed her eyes. “The other one has a name.”
The man growled a little. “Okay. The bruising on Isabelle’s hand.”
Rachel looked over at Olivia. “Well?”
“I was the one that hit him," the young girl said confidently. "He was makin' fun of our family and then he pushed Izzy and she fell and so I hit him.”
Rachel turned around in her chair to look at Isabelle who still had her head down and was now covering her hand. She could see around the curtain of dark brown hair that the girl was smiling a little.
“Are there any other children that say different?” Rachel asked, turning her attention back to the principal.
“Joseph admitted to the verbal taunts but nothing more and none of the others saw the beginning of the incident.”
Rachel looked back to Isabelle. “Isabelle, is it true?”
Isabelle looked up slowly and Olivia turned around and stared at her. Isabelle stared back and Rachel wished for a minute that she’d taken the time to perfect her sixth sense and heighten it to include telepathy.
Isabelle’s gaze broke from her twin’s and she looked at Rachel.
“Livy hit him,” she stated. “She hit him after he pushed me.”
Rachel nodded and turned back to the principal. “Olivia is admitting to doing the damage,” Rachel said. “If she says she’s the only one that did the fighting then that’s all there is to it.”
The man behind the desk grumbled a little. “Fine. According to school policy she is suspended for five days and will be on a probation period for one month when she returns. If there are any incidents in that one month she faces expulsion.”
“I know it’s probably none of my business to pry, Mr. Connor, but what about the boy? He did verbally assault my daughters which, under your Zero Tolerance policy, is grounds for punishment. Not to mention he shoved Isabelle which is, I believe, considered physical assault.”
“Mrs. Berry, kids have to learn to deal with taunts being thrown at them. Especially kids in…less than ordinary situations.”
Rachel narrowed her eyes again. “Mr. Connor, I’m not sure you really want to get into this with me. Not only do I have extensive contact with the ACLU and the local chapter of PFLAG but one of my best friends is an extremely ruthless attorney. If that young boy was bullying my daughters for no other reason than they have two mothers then I strongly suggest that you put an end to it. Now.”
The man behind the desk set his jaw and narrowed his eyes back at Rachel. The brunette glared at him until his gaze broke from her and he scribbled something down on a chart on his desk.
“I’ll see to it that our policies are carried out, Mrs. Berry.”
“Thank you.”
The bell to dismiss school rang just as Rachel stood up. Olivia hopped out of her chair and took Isabelle’s hand. They quietly walked out of the office first and Rachel followed close behind. She watched Olivia as the young brunette narrowed her eyes and lunged a little at the boy on the bench. He flinched.
Rachel followed the two out and through the hallways until they got to Isabelle’s classroom. Rachel and Olivia waited patiently while Isabelle got her backpack and lunchbox and checked with the teacher about anything she might have missed that afternoon. After receiving her assignments and double checking she had everything in her backpack that she needed the three walked across the hall to Olivia's classroom.
“Will she get grades for them?” Rachel asked while the teacher went through her planner and started pulling out worksheets from the filing cabinet.
“Of course.” The teacher looked over at the twins. Isabelle was helping her sister organize her desk and get things tucked away in her backpack. “Off the record, Mrs. Berry,” the teacher lowered her voice.
Rachel nodded and leaned in a little closer.
“Joseph had it coming to him,” the teacher glanced over to the twins, “Olivia and Isabelle aren't the first or only children he’s picked on but no matter how many times he's reprimanded, nothing works. Principal Connor is a sexist little…well, you can fill in the blank there, but he won’t suspend the boy because he insists that it’s just ‘normal boy behavior’.”
“I think I took care of that,” Rachel said. “I’ve been assured that Joseph will be punished…more than just my daughters handling the situation themselves.” Rachel smiled. The teacher chuckled.
The three brunettes made their way to Rachel’s blue mini-van. Once buckled in and out of the worst of the traffic for the drive home Rachel glanced up in her rearview mirror and sighed.
“Okay you two, you want to tell me what really happened now?” Rachel asked. “I don’t entirely approve of Olivia taking the blame for all of this but I knew I wouldn’t win if I tried to get it out of you but I’d like the truth now.”
Rachel glanced up at the mirror again and Olivia fidgeted with her skirt.
“I hit him,” Isabelle said quietly. “He was teasing me again, he does it all the time. I tell him all the time to stop and he never does so I punched him in the nose then he pushed me.”
“And I saw her hit him from ‘cross the playground and I knew it was bad if Izzy got that mad ‘cause she never hits anybody 'cept for me and that's only when I won't leave her 'lone and she gets real mad. When I was goin' over there I saw him push her. So I hit him in the eye.”
“Then he fell down and hit his head.”
“Then I jumped on top of him and told him he better leave us 'lone and then Ms. White pulled me offa him and made us go to the nurse to clean my knees ‘cause I scraped ‘em and then we went to the principal.”
“And he called you.”
It wasn’t anything Rachel hadn’t guessed had happened but she wasn’t sure Quinn would want to let Olivia take the blame for it all and the blonde would probably want to go back to the school and straighten things out. However, she'd also done her research and talked to other parents of twins and knew her daughters well enough to know that there was no way the adults would win because both girls were going to fight to the death to protect each other.
“Did you talk to Momma?” Isabelle asked, breaking Rachel from her thoughts. “Is she mad?”
“I talked to her before I came to get you and I don’t know if she’s mad or not. We’ll talk to her when she gets home.”
The twins nodded and started whispering to each other, Rachel didn’t understand a single word of it.
The second Rachel shut off the van the twins were scrambling out of it. They ran to the kitchen first and hung their backpacks up on the backs of two of the kitchen chairs. Each grabbed a piece of fruit from the basket on the counter before running to the living room.
“Allie!” Rachel called out. She dropped her purse on the kitchen counter and started unwrapping her scarf. Allie bounced into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water before settling herself on one of the stools at the kitchen counter.
“Hey Mom! Why are you here? You’ve got a show tonight.”
“Issue with the twins at school. How was your day?”
“Same as always. I love not having a last period class anymore, it gives me time to do my homework before dance.” Allie checked her watch. “Which I need to leave for in like fifteen minutes. I should’ve just stayed in the city, it would’ve made more sense. Aunt B asked me to help her teach the little kids tonight. What happened with the twins?”
"A boy was picking on Isabelle.”
“And Olivia beat him up?”
“Yes…and no. Isabelle hit him first and then Olivia took care of the rest but she refuses to let Isabelle take any of the blame for it. Now Olivia’s suspended for five days and I have to figure out childcare arrangements for the afternoons. I'll probably end up taking more time off.” Rachel pulled the family planner out of its designated kitchen drawer and started looking through the upcoming week.
“Just drop her off with Aunt B when you go into the theater and I’ll pick her up when I get out of school. That way Momma won’t have to worry about going all the way into the city to get her. I’m already there anyways, might as well.”
Rachel smiled a little. “I don’t want you to have to do that, sweetie.”
“Seriously, don’t worry about it. You’re already missing two shows next weekend to come to sectionals, I doubt the director is going to be happy with you taking any more time off. Just let me do it, I’ll talk to Aunt B about it tonight.”
Rachel shook her head and smiled a little wider. “If you insist. I knew there was a reason we let you go to high school in the city,” the brunette reached out and tousled the almost eighteen-year-old's hair and started jotting down notes in the planner. “And you’re still not going to tell me what your solo is, are you?”
Allie grinned. “Nope! It’s a surprise!” The blonde checked her watch again. “I better get going, Mom. Tell Momma I love her and I’ll be home after class.”
“I will do that. Have fun.”
Allie kissed Rachel’s cheek and bounced out of the kitchen. Rachel followed her and watched out the living room window as the girl got into her car and drove away.
“Olivia you need to change out of your uniform so Momma can get the blood out of your shirt.”
The young brunette nodded and handed Rachel her half eaten banana before running upstairs. She returned in shorts and a t-shirt, proudly showing off her scraped knees. She joined her mother and twin on the couch and the three of them sat together watching Funny Girl that was playing on TV, Isabelle finishing off her apple and Olivia playing with her banana peel. When Rachel finally heard the garage door open and close she smiled at the girls who were looking up at her somewhat horrified.
"We'll be back in a little bit."
The twins nodded and Rachel went to the kitchen.
“How bad was it?” Quinn asked. She set her purse on the counter next to Rachel’s and the brunette pecked her on the cheek.
“Olivia is suspended for five days. I talked to her teacher and was assured that she'll get full credit on her assignments.”
Quinn groaned. “She’s not even a teen yet and she already has damage to her permanent record.”
“You sounded remarkably like me when you said that,” Rachel said with a smile.
“Oh hush." Quinn batted her arm playfully. "What started the fight?”
Rachel fidgeted with the hem of her shirt and bit her lower lip. “A boy was picking on Isabelle.”
Quinn blinked. “And he’s still alive?”
“Surprisingly…but that’s not the shocking part.”
Quinn hopped up on one of the barstools at the kitchen island and Rachel grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator before joining her.
“Isabelle hit him first.”
Quinn choked on her drink of water. “What?!”
“He was picking on her, because of us, and she got sick of it because nothing was ever done about it before and she punched him in the nose. He pushed her and Olivia saw it from across the playground and she took care of the rest of it. He’s got a black eye and a pretty nasty cut on his head from what I saw. Isabelle’s got a bruised right hand, Olivia’s left matches it and she’s got some scrapes on her knees from where she pounced on him.”
“So they’re both suspended?”
Rachel shook her head. “Olivia took the blame and refuses to have it any other way. I didn’t fight it because I knew I wouldn’t win.”
"Rachel we can't let them do that. If we let them start doing this now then no telling what they'll do later on. We need to go down to that school and get this mess straightened out."
"They're not going to take back what they said, Quinn. I'm not saying we should tell them we approve, I'm saying that if we fight it we won't win. We both know they're incredibly stubborn and they're probably smarter than we give them credit for. I honestly think we should leave this one alone."
“We’re in trouble with those two, aren’t we?” Quinn sighed.
“You didn’t figure that out the moment we realized they were mine?”
“Do we punish both of them?”
“They both know fighting is wrong and I don’t think they’re entirely at fault. The principal is, according to Olivia’s teacher, incredibly sexist. And I witnessed first hand his less than positive attitude toward them having two mothers. He told me that the girls need to get used to being taunted and the teacher more or less told me he doesn’t punish boys. However, I took care of it and he told me there would be punishment according to the school’s Zero Tolerance policy and if I find out there isn’t then I’ll take Santana down there with me when I complain.”
“Rachel…” Quinn said nervously, “he is right, they are going to have to learn to deal with the taunts. Allie did.”
“She was older! And we put a stop to it. All students should be punished fairly and equally, Quinn. I’ll pull them out of that school if I have to and put them in somewhere else that the principal isn’t a pig. New York is supposed to be more liberal than Lima and I’ll be damned if I let our daughters go through what I did.” Rachel swallowed hard and blinked back a few tears. “I won’t watch them go through it Quinn, I’m sorry. I know they need to have thick skin and they do because otherwise we would’ve known about the taunting weeks ago. They’re strong girls and they stand up for themselves but I don’t want them to have to do that.”
Quinn reached out and pulled Rachel in and the brunette wrapped her arms around her wife.
“I understand, baby,” Quinn whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, okay? I…I didn’t think about it like that. You’re right, you're absolutely right, as per normal.”
Rachel sniffled. “It’s fine…it’s not your fault. I just want better for them, is all.” She wiped her eyes and took another drink of water.
“Tonight when you get home I promise I’ll make you all better,” Quinn said with a wink.
Rachel blushed and glanced over at the clock on the stove. “We need to talk to the girls and then I really need to get back to the theater,” she said. “Allie said she was going to talk to Brittany tonight about me dropping Olivia off at the studio during the afternoons then Allie will pick her up after she gets out of school and watch her until you get home.”
Quinn nodded and they hopped off their barstools. Isabelle shut off the TV when both women entered the living room and sat on the coffee table in front of the couch.
“We know fighting is wrong,” Isabelle said with a sigh.
“And we shouldn’t beat people up,” Olivia followed.
“And we should have come to you first.”
“I shoulda known somethin’ was wrong ‘cause Izzy’s been quieter but I didn’t think ‘bout it.”
“It wasn’t that bad until today,” Isabelle whispered. “I usually just told him to leave me alone but today he said…he said our family wasn’t right and I didn’t like it and so I just did it. I didn’t care that he pushed me…”
“But I did,” Olivia cut in. “And now he’s not gonna mess with us anymore ‘cause he’ll be ‘fraid that I’mma beat him up again.”
Both girls sat quietly while Rachel and Quinn exchanged glances.
“We’re sorry,” Isabelle sighed.
“Kind of.”
“No, we really are.”
“I’m sorry I got caught.”
Isabelle sighed again. Olivia smiled. Quinn just blinked a few times and Rachel suppressed a giggle.
“Okay,” Quinn said. “Here’s how we’re going to handle this. First of all, next time either of you are picked on by anyone for any reason, go to your teachers or come talk to us. You understand?”
Both girls nodded.
“Olivia,” Rachel said, “Allie is going to talk to Aunt Brittany and you’ll go stay with her at the studio from the time I have to go to the theater to the time that Allie can pick you up.”
“Is she gonna make me dance?”
“No, but I still wish you’d consider it.”
Olivia crossed her arms over her chest. “No. When’s soccer start?”
“Sign-ups are next week,” Quinn said. “That’s not the issue right now, though.”
“Listen, we know you're always going to stick up for yourselves and protect each other,” Rachel said. “But no more fighting unless someone else throws the first punch.”
“Rachel!” Quinn shrieked. “No! No more fighting, period.”
“It’s not fighting if it’s in self-defense, Quinn.”
Quinn narrowed her eyes at Rachel and pursed her lips. “Fine.” She turned back to the twins. “If someone throws the first punch and you can’t get out of it that is the only time you have permission to fight. But if you can get away from it you go tell someone.”
Both girls nodded again.
“And no more lying,” Quinn continued. “You have to own up to whatever you do.”
“Livy told me if I said I hit him that she would hide my colored pencils.”
“Well if you got in trouble they wouldn’t let you do the art thing! And everybody knows you’re gonna win and I figure you can split the prize with me.”
“It’s an art fair.”
“Fine. But you gotta split the prize.”
“Deal.”
Quinn just shook her head and Rachel had to try even harder to not laugh.
“You should probably get going,” Quinn said, looking at the clock. “I’ll take care of the rest of this.”
“Okay my ladies,” Rachel said, standing up. “I’ve got a show to do. Allie will be home late, so it’s just the three of you. Girls, try to keep your Momma in line, hm?” Rachel winked at the twins and they both giggled. She kissed each of the girls on the top of the head and pecked Quinn on the lips which elicited a simultaneous “Ew! Gross!” from the young girls on the couch. Rachel just giggled and did it again.
It wasn’t the last time the two women were called in to talk to a school administrator for the twins. After that Isabelle chose to fight with her words, threatening anyone who dared pick on her or her family by reciting Rachel’s “I have connections” speech verbatim. Olivia still chose to get physical but she did follow her mothers’ rule about only fighting in self defense…of course, she usually provoked the other student to hit her by daring them more than once to do it. Rachel and Quinn just prayed a lot that the girl would settle down. She did, eventually. For a little while.
Next: Bigger is Better
Pairings/Major Characters: Rachel/Quinn, Isabelle & Olivia Fabray-Berry, Santana/Brittany although they're not mentioned as a couple but it's the Puppy-verse so they're there.
Rating: PG
Length: ~4,000
Summary: Rachel and Quinn deal with the twins' first big issue.
Author's Note: *Puppy-verse #12* The first story (but not last, I assure you) with Isabelle and Olivia in the spotlight!
Preceded by:
Puppy | My Girl(s) | Perfection | Decisions | Baby Love
Baby Love 2 | Slushies: The Next Generation | Little Gold Stars
Change | Baby Just Say Yes | (Not Quite) Nine Months
Directory | Timeline | Original Character Bios
--March 2028--
It wasn’t that big of a surprise the first time Rachel and Quinn got a call from the twins’ school that Olivia had been in a fight. Actually, they were rather shocked that the girl had made it through pre-school, kindergarten, first grade, and most of second grade without getting into trouble. They both knew probably what had happened, that someone was picking on her or worse, picking on Isabelle. Despite being polar opposites, the twins shared that common twin bond and both of them were extremely protective of each other. There was an unspoken rule between the pair that the only people allowed to pick on them were each other.
Quinn sighed and hung up the phone in her classroom. She’d started teaching fourth grade at one of the public schools the year the twins started first grade at their private school. She had applied for a position at their school but was denied and Rachel ranted for an hour about how she could easily get the ACLU on their side to sue and Quinn just sat there and chuckled. She liked the job at the public school though even if she did absolutely loathe being away from the twins since she’d been with them non-stop for six years. She couldn’t leave her class for this so she called Rachel and Rachel told her she’d already gotten the call and was on her way.
Rachel groaned when she hung up with the receptionist at the twins' school and closed her cell. She found the director and told him it was a kid issue and he nodded. Quinn called just as she got into her van. She didn’t really hurry to the school; she knew what to anticipate and she wasn't expecting for it to be that big of a deal. At least there probably weren’t slushies involved. Then again, knowing Olivia, there was no telling what was involved.
The first thing Rachel saw when she entered the principal’s office was a young boy sitting on a bench with a bandage wrapped around his head and a black eye with tissue shoved up his nose. Rachel blinked a few times and tried really hard to not imagine what the boy looked like before he was cleaned up.
“I’m Rachel Berry,” she told the receptionist. The woman behind the desk lit up.
“Rachel Berry? As in…Broadway Rachel Berry?”
Rachel smiled a little. “Yes.”
“I’ve seen your show twelve times! You’re just magnificent!”
Rachel nodded. “Thank you,” she said politely. “I’m here about my daughter, though. Olivia Fabray-Berry.”
“Oh…oh yes, of course!” The receptionist picked up the phone and pressed a few buttons. “Principal Connor, Olivia’s mother, Rachel Berry, is here.” There was a few seconds of silence before the receptionist hung the phone up. “You can go ahead, through that door.” She pointed to a door to Rachel’s left.
“Thank you,” Rachel said with a nod.
She took a deep breath and opened the door to see Olivia sitting in one of the chairs in front of the principal’s desk, head held high. Her black tights were torn at the knees and there blood on her white uniform shirt. Her dark brown hair was still up in the ponytail Quinn had done that morning but it was loose and slightly messy. Isabelle was sitting on a bench behind her twin looking down and fidgeting with her blue, black, and white plaid uniform skirt. She’d opted to keep her hair down that day and it was a little ruffled. Rachel noticed a bruise running along her knuckles and the older brunette furrowed her eyebrows.
“Mrs. Berry.”
Rachel’s attention turned from her daughters to the man behind the desk. He was older, didn’t have any hair. He peered at her over his glasses and motioned for her to take the other chair.
“Principal Connor, can I ask why both of my daughters are in here when I was specifically told that Olivia was the one in the fight?” Rachel asked as she took her seat.
“Because even though Olivia is insisting that she was the only one of the two that threw the punches, I don’t think she was. As is evident by the bruising on the back of the other one’s hand.”
Rachel narrowed her eyes. “The other one has a name.”
The man growled a little. “Okay. The bruising on Isabelle’s hand.”
Rachel looked over at Olivia. “Well?”
“I was the one that hit him," the young girl said confidently. "He was makin' fun of our family and then he pushed Izzy and she fell and so I hit him.”
Rachel turned around in her chair to look at Isabelle who still had her head down and was now covering her hand. She could see around the curtain of dark brown hair that the girl was smiling a little.
“Are there any other children that say different?” Rachel asked, turning her attention back to the principal.
“Joseph admitted to the verbal taunts but nothing more and none of the others saw the beginning of the incident.”
Rachel looked back to Isabelle. “Isabelle, is it true?”
Isabelle looked up slowly and Olivia turned around and stared at her. Isabelle stared back and Rachel wished for a minute that she’d taken the time to perfect her sixth sense and heighten it to include telepathy.
Isabelle’s gaze broke from her twin’s and she looked at Rachel.
“Livy hit him,” she stated. “She hit him after he pushed me.”
Rachel nodded and turned back to the principal. “Olivia is admitting to doing the damage,” Rachel said. “If she says she’s the only one that did the fighting then that’s all there is to it.”
The man behind the desk grumbled a little. “Fine. According to school policy she is suspended for five days and will be on a probation period for one month when she returns. If there are any incidents in that one month she faces expulsion.”
“I know it’s probably none of my business to pry, Mr. Connor, but what about the boy? He did verbally assault my daughters which, under your Zero Tolerance policy, is grounds for punishment. Not to mention he shoved Isabelle which is, I believe, considered physical assault.”
“Mrs. Berry, kids have to learn to deal with taunts being thrown at them. Especially kids in…less than ordinary situations.”
Rachel narrowed her eyes again. “Mr. Connor, I’m not sure you really want to get into this with me. Not only do I have extensive contact with the ACLU and the local chapter of PFLAG but one of my best friends is an extremely ruthless attorney. If that young boy was bullying my daughters for no other reason than they have two mothers then I strongly suggest that you put an end to it. Now.”
The man behind the desk set his jaw and narrowed his eyes back at Rachel. The brunette glared at him until his gaze broke from her and he scribbled something down on a chart on his desk.
“I’ll see to it that our policies are carried out, Mrs. Berry.”
“Thank you.”
The bell to dismiss school rang just as Rachel stood up. Olivia hopped out of her chair and took Isabelle’s hand. They quietly walked out of the office first and Rachel followed close behind. She watched Olivia as the young brunette narrowed her eyes and lunged a little at the boy on the bench. He flinched.
Rachel followed the two out and through the hallways until they got to Isabelle’s classroom. Rachel and Olivia waited patiently while Isabelle got her backpack and lunchbox and checked with the teacher about anything she might have missed that afternoon. After receiving her assignments and double checking she had everything in her backpack that she needed the three walked across the hall to Olivia's classroom.
“Will she get grades for them?” Rachel asked while the teacher went through her planner and started pulling out worksheets from the filing cabinet.
“Of course.” The teacher looked over at the twins. Isabelle was helping her sister organize her desk and get things tucked away in her backpack. “Off the record, Mrs. Berry,” the teacher lowered her voice.
Rachel nodded and leaned in a little closer.
“Joseph had it coming to him,” the teacher glanced over to the twins, “Olivia and Isabelle aren't the first or only children he’s picked on but no matter how many times he's reprimanded, nothing works. Principal Connor is a sexist little…well, you can fill in the blank there, but he won’t suspend the boy because he insists that it’s just ‘normal boy behavior’.”
“I think I took care of that,” Rachel said. “I’ve been assured that Joseph will be punished…more than just my daughters handling the situation themselves.” Rachel smiled. The teacher chuckled.
The three brunettes made their way to Rachel’s blue mini-van. Once buckled in and out of the worst of the traffic for the drive home Rachel glanced up in her rearview mirror and sighed.
“Okay you two, you want to tell me what really happened now?” Rachel asked. “I don’t entirely approve of Olivia taking the blame for all of this but I knew I wouldn’t win if I tried to get it out of you but I’d like the truth now.”
Rachel glanced up at the mirror again and Olivia fidgeted with her skirt.
“I hit him,” Isabelle said quietly. “He was teasing me again, he does it all the time. I tell him all the time to stop and he never does so I punched him in the nose then he pushed me.”
“And I saw her hit him from ‘cross the playground and I knew it was bad if Izzy got that mad ‘cause she never hits anybody 'cept for me and that's only when I won't leave her 'lone and she gets real mad. When I was goin' over there I saw him push her. So I hit him in the eye.”
“Then he fell down and hit his head.”
“Then I jumped on top of him and told him he better leave us 'lone and then Ms. White pulled me offa him and made us go to the nurse to clean my knees ‘cause I scraped ‘em and then we went to the principal.”
“And he called you.”
It wasn’t anything Rachel hadn’t guessed had happened but she wasn’t sure Quinn would want to let Olivia take the blame for it all and the blonde would probably want to go back to the school and straighten things out. However, she'd also done her research and talked to other parents of twins and knew her daughters well enough to know that there was no way the adults would win because both girls were going to fight to the death to protect each other.
“Did you talk to Momma?” Isabelle asked, breaking Rachel from her thoughts. “Is she mad?”
“I talked to her before I came to get you and I don’t know if she’s mad or not. We’ll talk to her when she gets home.”
The twins nodded and started whispering to each other, Rachel didn’t understand a single word of it.
The second Rachel shut off the van the twins were scrambling out of it. They ran to the kitchen first and hung their backpacks up on the backs of two of the kitchen chairs. Each grabbed a piece of fruit from the basket on the counter before running to the living room.
“Allie!” Rachel called out. She dropped her purse on the kitchen counter and started unwrapping her scarf. Allie bounced into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water before settling herself on one of the stools at the kitchen counter.
“Hey Mom! Why are you here? You’ve got a show tonight.”
“Issue with the twins at school. How was your day?”
“Same as always. I love not having a last period class anymore, it gives me time to do my homework before dance.” Allie checked her watch. “Which I need to leave for in like fifteen minutes. I should’ve just stayed in the city, it would’ve made more sense. Aunt B asked me to help her teach the little kids tonight. What happened with the twins?”
"A boy was picking on Isabelle.”
“And Olivia beat him up?”
“Yes…and no. Isabelle hit him first and then Olivia took care of the rest but she refuses to let Isabelle take any of the blame for it. Now Olivia’s suspended for five days and I have to figure out childcare arrangements for the afternoons. I'll probably end up taking more time off.” Rachel pulled the family planner out of its designated kitchen drawer and started looking through the upcoming week.
“Just drop her off with Aunt B when you go into the theater and I’ll pick her up when I get out of school. That way Momma won’t have to worry about going all the way into the city to get her. I’m already there anyways, might as well.”
Rachel smiled a little. “I don’t want you to have to do that, sweetie.”
“Seriously, don’t worry about it. You’re already missing two shows next weekend to come to sectionals, I doubt the director is going to be happy with you taking any more time off. Just let me do it, I’ll talk to Aunt B about it tonight.”
Rachel shook her head and smiled a little wider. “If you insist. I knew there was a reason we let you go to high school in the city,” the brunette reached out and tousled the almost eighteen-year-old's hair and started jotting down notes in the planner. “And you’re still not going to tell me what your solo is, are you?”
Allie grinned. “Nope! It’s a surprise!” The blonde checked her watch again. “I better get going, Mom. Tell Momma I love her and I’ll be home after class.”
“I will do that. Have fun.”
Allie kissed Rachel’s cheek and bounced out of the kitchen. Rachel followed her and watched out the living room window as the girl got into her car and drove away.
“Olivia you need to change out of your uniform so Momma can get the blood out of your shirt.”
The young brunette nodded and handed Rachel her half eaten banana before running upstairs. She returned in shorts and a t-shirt, proudly showing off her scraped knees. She joined her mother and twin on the couch and the three of them sat together watching Funny Girl that was playing on TV, Isabelle finishing off her apple and Olivia playing with her banana peel. When Rachel finally heard the garage door open and close she smiled at the girls who were looking up at her somewhat horrified.
"We'll be back in a little bit."
The twins nodded and Rachel went to the kitchen.
“How bad was it?” Quinn asked. She set her purse on the counter next to Rachel’s and the brunette pecked her on the cheek.
“Olivia is suspended for five days. I talked to her teacher and was assured that she'll get full credit on her assignments.”
Quinn groaned. “She’s not even a teen yet and she already has damage to her permanent record.”
“You sounded remarkably like me when you said that,” Rachel said with a smile.
“Oh hush." Quinn batted her arm playfully. "What started the fight?”
Rachel fidgeted with the hem of her shirt and bit her lower lip. “A boy was picking on Isabelle.”
Quinn blinked. “And he’s still alive?”
“Surprisingly…but that’s not the shocking part.”
Quinn hopped up on one of the barstools at the kitchen island and Rachel grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator before joining her.
“Isabelle hit him first.”
Quinn choked on her drink of water. “What?!”
“He was picking on her, because of us, and she got sick of it because nothing was ever done about it before and she punched him in the nose. He pushed her and Olivia saw it from across the playground and she took care of the rest of it. He’s got a black eye and a pretty nasty cut on his head from what I saw. Isabelle’s got a bruised right hand, Olivia’s left matches it and she’s got some scrapes on her knees from where she pounced on him.”
“So they’re both suspended?”
Rachel shook her head. “Olivia took the blame and refuses to have it any other way. I didn’t fight it because I knew I wouldn’t win.”
"Rachel we can't let them do that. If we let them start doing this now then no telling what they'll do later on. We need to go down to that school and get this mess straightened out."
"They're not going to take back what they said, Quinn. I'm not saying we should tell them we approve, I'm saying that if we fight it we won't win. We both know they're incredibly stubborn and they're probably smarter than we give them credit for. I honestly think we should leave this one alone."
“We’re in trouble with those two, aren’t we?” Quinn sighed.
“You didn’t figure that out the moment we realized they were mine?”
“Do we punish both of them?”
“They both know fighting is wrong and I don’t think they’re entirely at fault. The principal is, according to Olivia’s teacher, incredibly sexist. And I witnessed first hand his less than positive attitude toward them having two mothers. He told me that the girls need to get used to being taunted and the teacher more or less told me he doesn’t punish boys. However, I took care of it and he told me there would be punishment according to the school’s Zero Tolerance policy and if I find out there isn’t then I’ll take Santana down there with me when I complain.”
“Rachel…” Quinn said nervously, “he is right, they are going to have to learn to deal with the taunts. Allie did.”
“She was older! And we put a stop to it. All students should be punished fairly and equally, Quinn. I’ll pull them out of that school if I have to and put them in somewhere else that the principal isn’t a pig. New York is supposed to be more liberal than Lima and I’ll be damned if I let our daughters go through what I did.” Rachel swallowed hard and blinked back a few tears. “I won’t watch them go through it Quinn, I’m sorry. I know they need to have thick skin and they do because otherwise we would’ve known about the taunting weeks ago. They’re strong girls and they stand up for themselves but I don’t want them to have to do that.”
Quinn reached out and pulled Rachel in and the brunette wrapped her arms around her wife.
“I understand, baby,” Quinn whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, okay? I…I didn’t think about it like that. You’re right, you're absolutely right, as per normal.”
Rachel sniffled. “It’s fine…it’s not your fault. I just want better for them, is all.” She wiped her eyes and took another drink of water.
“Tonight when you get home I promise I’ll make you all better,” Quinn said with a wink.
Rachel blushed and glanced over at the clock on the stove. “We need to talk to the girls and then I really need to get back to the theater,” she said. “Allie said she was going to talk to Brittany tonight about me dropping Olivia off at the studio during the afternoons then Allie will pick her up after she gets out of school and watch her until you get home.”
Quinn nodded and they hopped off their barstools. Isabelle shut off the TV when both women entered the living room and sat on the coffee table in front of the couch.
“We know fighting is wrong,” Isabelle said with a sigh.
“And we shouldn’t beat people up,” Olivia followed.
“And we should have come to you first.”
“I shoulda known somethin’ was wrong ‘cause Izzy’s been quieter but I didn’t think ‘bout it.”
“It wasn’t that bad until today,” Isabelle whispered. “I usually just told him to leave me alone but today he said…he said our family wasn’t right and I didn’t like it and so I just did it. I didn’t care that he pushed me…”
“But I did,” Olivia cut in. “And now he’s not gonna mess with us anymore ‘cause he’ll be ‘fraid that I’mma beat him up again.”
Both girls sat quietly while Rachel and Quinn exchanged glances.
“We’re sorry,” Isabelle sighed.
“Kind of.”
“No, we really are.”
“I’m sorry I got caught.”
Isabelle sighed again. Olivia smiled. Quinn just blinked a few times and Rachel suppressed a giggle.
“Okay,” Quinn said. “Here’s how we’re going to handle this. First of all, next time either of you are picked on by anyone for any reason, go to your teachers or come talk to us. You understand?”
Both girls nodded.
“Olivia,” Rachel said, “Allie is going to talk to Aunt Brittany and you’ll go stay with her at the studio from the time I have to go to the theater to the time that Allie can pick you up.”
“Is she gonna make me dance?”
“No, but I still wish you’d consider it.”
Olivia crossed her arms over her chest. “No. When’s soccer start?”
“Sign-ups are next week,” Quinn said. “That’s not the issue right now, though.”
“Listen, we know you're always going to stick up for yourselves and protect each other,” Rachel said. “But no more fighting unless someone else throws the first punch.”
“Rachel!” Quinn shrieked. “No! No more fighting, period.”
“It’s not fighting if it’s in self-defense, Quinn.”
Quinn narrowed her eyes at Rachel and pursed her lips. “Fine.” She turned back to the twins. “If someone throws the first punch and you can’t get out of it that is the only time you have permission to fight. But if you can get away from it you go tell someone.”
Both girls nodded again.
“And no more lying,” Quinn continued. “You have to own up to whatever you do.”
“Livy told me if I said I hit him that she would hide my colored pencils.”
“Well if you got in trouble they wouldn’t let you do the art thing! And everybody knows you’re gonna win and I figure you can split the prize with me.”
“It’s an art fair.”
“Fine. But you gotta split the prize.”
“Deal.”
Quinn just shook her head and Rachel had to try even harder to not laugh.
“You should probably get going,” Quinn said, looking at the clock. “I’ll take care of the rest of this.”
“Okay my ladies,” Rachel said, standing up. “I’ve got a show to do. Allie will be home late, so it’s just the three of you. Girls, try to keep your Momma in line, hm?” Rachel winked at the twins and they both giggled. She kissed each of the girls on the top of the head and pecked Quinn on the lips which elicited a simultaneous “Ew! Gross!” from the young girls on the couch. Rachel just giggled and did it again.
It wasn’t the last time the two women were called in to talk to a school administrator for the twins. After that Isabelle chose to fight with her words, threatening anyone who dared pick on her or her family by reciting Rachel’s “I have connections” speech verbatim. Olivia still chose to get physical but she did follow her mothers’ rule about only fighting in self defense…of course, she usually provoked the other student to hit her by daring them more than once to do it. Rachel and Quinn just prayed a lot that the girl would settle down. She did, eventually. For a little while.
Next: Bigger is Better