Are You Ten Years Ago? [9/14]
Title: Are You Ten Years Ago?
Major Characters/Pairings: Quinn Fabray-Puckerman, Beth Puckerman, Noah Puckerman, Jr., Jasper Puckerman, Rachel Berry, Finn Hudson/OC, Mentions past: Quinn/Puck, Rachel/Puck, Rachel/Quinn
Minor Characters/Pairings: Mike/OC, Matt/OC, Artie/Tina, Rachel's dads Mentions: Brittany/Santana, Mercedes/OC, Kurt/OC
Rating: PG-13
Length: 45,200+
Summary: AU beginning after 'Funk'. Rachel got the hell out of Lima, Ohio immediately after graduation, breaking Quinn's heart in the process, and never looked back. Now, ten years later, she's back and Quinn is the one to show her the aftermath and the pieces of what she left behind - all the while trying desperately not to fall back in love with her ex-girlfriend.
Warnings: Pre-story character death discussed in detail.
-Chapter 9-
After the bedtime routine Quinn tried again to call Rachel’s phone and got nothing. She watched TV diligently but all she got was that there were still torrential downpours in Los Angeles and areas were being evacuated because of floods. One blip said they still had not found the plane that was missing. Quinn dozed off on the couch and was startled awake by her phone ringing again and the same unfamiliar number flashed on her screen.
“Hello?” she answered sleepily.
“Quinn!”
Quinn sat bolt upright and gasped. “Rachel!?”
“Oh my God, Quinn! Quinn I swear I’ve been trying to call you all day!”
“Oh…oh God, you’re alive! You’re alive! Where are you? Are you okay? What the hell happened, Rachel?!” The happy tears started flowing and she sobbed a few times before Rachel answered.
“I’m fine! I’m fine! The airport I intended to fly out of is, I firmly believe, the only place on Earth that has no cell phone signal and they absolutely refused to let me use their phones. The director of that establishment will be receiving a very angry letter when I’m through with this.”
“Where are you now? D-do you need me to do anything?”
“There was a mudslide near the airport and they evacuated us to a nearby recreation center. The phones weren’t working at the time and we were informed that the nearest cell phone tower was struck by lightning. The phones came up for a few seconds a few hours ago and I heard you answer then the power went out again and the line went dead. I’m so sorry, Quinn. I asked for the nearest homing pigeon coop but, after being laughed at, I was informed that there aren’t any in the area.”
Quinn sobbed again. “I’m just glad you’re okay…they said on the news a small plane went missing and I thought…God, Rachel…I thought…”
“I’m perfectly fine, I assure you. Listen to me, Quinn, I’m fine. I’m in a recreation center that smells like sweat and human excrement and it’s extremely unpleasant and there’s a man leering at me from across the room right now but I am completely unharmed. The moment that we’re given the go ahead I’m getting to an airport and coming back to Lima, alright?”
“Okay,” Quinn sniffled. “Call me when you can, I don’t care what time it is.”
“I will, I promise. Can you call my dads? There’s a line forming for people who want to use the phone.”
“Yeah, definitely. I…I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
“Please do.” Quinn kept the phone pressed to her ear. Rachel didn’t hang up.
“Quinn, I should hang up now.”
“Yeah…yeah you probably should.”
“Yes.”
“I’m really glad you’re okay. I…I was really scared.”
“I’m so sorry. I tried, I really tried.”
“I know you did,” Quinn whispered. “I just…I don’t know what I would’ve done if…I don’t know.”
“I know, Quinn.”
“You should go. People are probably going to start forming a mob.”
“I should…I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye, Rachel.
“Bye.”
Quinn waited a few seconds and still heard Rachel breathing before the brunette hung up. She looked down at the phone in her hands and automatically dialed the Berry house and told Hiram what was going on when he answered. He thanked her profusely and Quinn smiled a little. When she hung up the phone she made her way to her bedroom and curled up with a pillow clutched closely to her chest. She didn’t sleep or cry or smile, she just stared at the red numbers on her clock radio as they turned from minutes to hours as she waited.
Quinn lay awake until the alarm went off on her phone and she started her day. She made sure to let Beth and Noah know that Rachel was okay and she’d called and that she would be back in Lima as soon as she could. It was just a matter of waiting.
Quinn kept her phone with her the entire day and just as she started her lunch break it started vibrating on the table and Rachel’s number flashed on the screen. Quinn jumped and squealed.
“Hey! Where are you?!”
“Hello, Quinn! I’m at LAX. The small airport with my plane is shut down for the foreseeable future because the runway was taken over by the mudslide. My flight for Columbus leaves in about,” Rachel paused, “an hour and thirty-four minutes. I’ll have an hour layover in Chicago but it’s fine. I meant to ask you last night but I didn’t get the chance…I…I feel so horrible about missing Noah’s career day yesterday. Is he okay?”
“He was pretty upset for a while but once he got it he was okay, I think. The kids were just glad that you’re okay.”
“I promise I’ll make it up to him. I have every intention of asking his teacher if I can come in at a later date. My connections in various prop departments really came through for me, I have some wonderful things to show off that I believe will appeal to both genders and are appropriate for the age group.”
“I think he’d like that.”
“I checked with absolutely everyone I could think of that knows my schedule and my calendar is completely clear until the beginning of August. No charities, no dinners, no appearances. I am not going near an airport until I absolutely have to.”
“That’s quite a while to spend in Lima.”
“I need some time away, I told you. I want to see if I can survive without a Starbucks on every block.”
Quinn chuckled and her co-workers looked up at her with smiles. “I give you another week before you go crazy from caffeine deprivation.”
“I’ll just have to come over to your house every time I need a coffee fix.”
“Generic brand coffee over Starbucks? You’re already desperate.”
“I’d take a cup of coffee with you over Starbucks any day.”
Quinn felt her face get hot and she smiled a little and looked down at the table. Her co-workers peered over at her and she turned away from them to hide the blush on her cheeks.
“Sorry, Quinn, I just…”
“No,” Quinn whispered. “No, it’s fine. I just didn’t know what to say. Thank you. I really like it when you’re there. Maybe if you don’t get in too late tonight, if you’d like to stop by I could have a pot of coffee ready?”
“I’d love to. I’ll call you when I get into town, okay?”
“Sounds good. Talk to you later Rachel.”
Quinn hung up her phone and could feel the stares of her co-workers on the back of her head. She turned around slowly and they all jumped back to their lunches except for Nicole who grabbed her sandwich and moved to Quinn’s table.
“Hi,” Quinn said shyly.
“Come on boss, spill it. Are you seeing someone?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. She’s a good friend is all.”
“Uh, yeah, no. I don’t blush when my friends talk to me and I don’t get all quiet and secretive.”
“Nicole, it’s very complicated. She’s very complicated. We haven’t spoken in ten years and a week ago she waltzes back into my life…it’s just very complex and delicate right now.”
“So you have a history?”
“Yes. From high school, after Beth was born until Rachel left and I didn’t hear from her again.” Quinn picked at her sandwich and Nicole sighed.
“You holding a grudge against her or something?”
“No, I just want to protect my kids.”
“Look boss, I know you miss Puck and everything and I totally get it. Everyone says he was a great guy…but I think you need to be happy. I think if he cared about you like you say he did then he’d want you to do something that makes you happy.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way but you’re…kind of young. You don’t have kids…it’s not about me, Nicole. The moment I found out I was pregnant with Beth it stopped being about me. Everything is for my kids. I have to do things on their schedule. I won’t deny that I still might have feelings for her but if I ever do decide take things a step further with Rachel then it will have to wait until I know they’re ready for it.”
Nicole shrugged. “I’m just saying, if you have the chance and you want to take it then you should.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Nicole nodded and tucked away the rest of her sandwich in her bag. “Gotta split, my register awaits!”
Quinn smiled and nodded and went back to her lunch.
Rachel called at ten that she’d made it to Lima safely but was extremely tired and still smelled rather funny from having to stay in the recreation center so she was planning on just showering and sleeping. Quinn understood and Rachel promised she’d be there the next night for dinner. The brunette was there right at six-thirty and the first thing that Quinn did when she opened the door was fling her arms around the star and she cried a little into Rachel’s shoulder. They stood in the threshold for a few minutes, Quinn’s arms around Rachel, and not needing to say anything.
Rachel was there every single day for the rest of the week, whether it was after the kids went to bed or just dropping into Pick-n-Save to see Quinn. Quinn got a day set up with Noah’s teacher and Rachel went in and showed the kids how they made fake blood on set and fake bugs. Quinn took the day off and she stood in the back of the classroom and watched as Rachel let the boys play with the fake bugs while she pulled out magic wands and tiaras and a set of clear plastic shoes from the Disney’s attempt at making a live-action Cinderella a few years previous.
Beth was officially asked to the spring dance a week before the event and Quinn almost killed Rachel when the brunette snuck Beth out of the Hudson house between the time Beth got there after school and the time Quinn went to pick them up and Rachel bought her a dress and shoes for the event.
“I did something for Noah,” Rachel said. “It was only fair I did something for Beth, too.”
Quinn quickly got over it when she saw Beth in the dress. The young girl was absolutely glowing and the smile on her face one that Quinn hadn’t seen since before Puck had died. Rachel came over the night of the dance and did her hair and makeup. Quinn watched from Beth’s bedroom door as the pair giggled and Rachel played with her thick hair, experimenting with different styles. They eventually decided on a French braid and Rachel put just the faintest touch of makeup on the girl. Quinn’s eyes burned when she saw her daughter stand and slip on her shoes that matched the pale blue spaghetti strap dress.
“You look so beautiful, baby girl,” she whispered through the tears.
Rachel had her camera and was taking pictures all over the place. Quinn got Jasper and Noah loaded into the van and followed Rachel and Beth through town to Beth’s date’s house. There were more pictures taken and Quinn introduced herself to Jeremy’s parents. Jeremy’s mother took the pair to the dance and Quinn composed herself enough to follow Rachel home. Quinn got Noah and Jasper settled in the living room to watch a baseball game and she and Rachel sat at the kitchen table with cups of coffee and a large binder Rachel pulled from her bag.
“I need your help,” Rachel said as she opened the front cover. “I’m buying a new house and my decorator moved to Europe so I need help picking out furniture.”
“Don’t you have like three houses already?”
“Two. I have a condo in LA and a townhouse in New York which I’m thinking of selling because I’m rarely there.”
“So where are you buying this house?”
“I like this couch.” Rachel pointed to a large tan sectional. “It would be perfect for a living room, with maybe this TV…” the brunette flipped to the electronics and pointed out a large flatscreen TV.
“Rachel, where?”
“Here,” the brunette said nonchalantly. “If I’m going to be spending a lot of time here then I should have a permanent place of residence. I love my dads but I think it would be excessive to stay with them every time I’m here.”
“What about when you have to be in LA?”
Rachel shrugged. “I’d figure something out. What do you think of this dining room set? I like the table with the inserts, it would make dinner parties very easy.” Rachel pointed to a dark wood table and chairs that seated up to ten when the three extra leaves were put in.
“Have you looked at anything?”
“A few. I’ve found some very nice ones. By far my favorite one is near my dads’ house. Four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, large dining room and sitting room and very spacious kitchen. There’s a basement but it’s not furnished. I would probably hire a contractor and have it converted into a livable space, perhaps a recreation room.”
“Four bedrooms? Rachel, that’s a little much!”
Rachel shrugged. “I’m sure I could find uses for all of them. The master suite is amazing, there’s a Jacuzzi and an enormous walk-in closet. So, what do you think about this bedroom set? I’m rather fond of the oak wood.” Rachel pointed to a queen sized bed, dresser, vanity, and beside tables set.
“It’s beautiful…Rachel, what are you doing?”
“I’m picking out furniture.” Rachel flipped through the pages again to kitchen appliances. “I like the look of stainless steel but the black is very sleek. A double oven would be extremely convenient and I think there’s space for one.”
“I…guess.” Quinn was attempting to figure out Rachel’s excited expressions because she knew that the brunette wasn’t that excited about furniture.
“Maybe you and the kids could come by tomorrow and look at it with me. It’s so much easier to pick out furniture once you’ve seen the space for yourself. I could be completely wrong about the oak looking good in the bedroom. Really, this is why I had a decorator.”
“Why not just hire a new decorator? Rachel, I’m not…I don’t know anything about furniture. I’m not sure anything in this house matches.”
“Well I assume that you’ll be spending time there, it would be inconsiderate of me to not ask for your opinion. What if you hate everything I pick out? You wouldn’t want to visit and that would be tragic.” Rachel grabbed another thinner catalog and smiled. “I think a pool would be fun, don’t you?”
Quinn shrugged and nodded and Rachel started flipping through the outdoor catalog.
Quinn was slightly reluctant to leave Rachel with Noah and Jasper when she went to pick Beth up from the dance. Both boys were asleep but there was no telling what could go wrong in the half-hour that Quinn would be gone. She made sure to stretch Jasper’s legs extra well and she showed Rachel again how to massage out cramps if he had any before she put him to bed. Noah was fast asleep and Rachel had to push Quinn out the door so she would get there by the time the dance ended at ten.
Beth got in the van with a smile on her face and Quinn swallowed nervously.
“So? How did it go?”
“It was pretty cool, I guess. No one really danced until the very end. Mostly me and Jeremy just sat in the cafeteria and drank punch and talked about how evil the art teacher is. We kind of danced for one song but not really.”
“Did he kiss you?”
“Ew! No! Oh my gosh, Mom! No way!”
Quinn smiled. “Just checking.”
“He did ask me to be his girlfriend. I don’t really know what we’re gonna do since like we only see each other at school but I guess it’ll be cool. I might let him hold my hand or something.”
“Good girl. Don’t ever let anyone pressure you into anything, okay?”
“I won’t, Mom.”
Quinn took a deep breath before she unlocked the front door. She didn’t know what she was expecting to find but there was Rachel sitting on the couch with her catalogs spread out and a notepad. The brunette grinned when the two Puckermans crossed the threshold. She jumped off the couch and bounced to Beth.
“So?! How’d it go?!”
Beth shrugged and smiled. “We didn’t even really dance. We just talked about stuff. And Mom already asked, he didn’t kiss me but he asked me to be his girlfriend.”
Rachel nodded furiously. “That’s exciting!”
Beth shrugged.
“Why don’t you get ready for bed, sweetie?” Quinn said. She kissed Beth’s forehead and the girl bounced out of the living room.
Rachel started cleaning up her catalogs and organizing them into a pile on the floor with her notepad and Quinn dropped to the couch and threw her head back to stare at the ceiling.
“How were things here?”
“Just fine, as I told you they would be.”
The couch shifted and Rachel took the space right next to Quinn. “Next thing you know she’ll be going out on actual dates with some sleazebag who will want to pick her up in his disgusting car.”
“I think you have a few years to prepare for that.”
“Doesn’t mean it will be easy and Puck’s not here to threaten anyone. I know Finn would do it, he loves these kids like they’re his.”
“Why…why doesn’t Finn have children? He would be an excellent father and it’s obvious that his wife loves children.”
“Kelsey can’t have kids; they found out a few years ago. They’re on a waiting list for adoption but it could take years. They talked about a surrogate for a while but Kelsey’s parents did that when she was really young and the mother changed her mind and kept the baby; she’s afraid of that happening to them. Tina and Artie got lucky, it was a friend of Tina’s older sister that was giving the baby up for adoption.”
“That’s…horrible. For Finn and Kelsey, I mean.”
“Yeah,” Quinn sighed. “There’s still hope for an adoption, though.”
“Mom?”
Quinn lifted her head and smiled up at Beth. “Yeah sweetie?”
“Just wanted to tell you I’m going to bed, I’m pretty tired.”
“Okay. Sweet dreams.”
Beth nodded. “Goodnight, Mom. ‘Night, Rachel.”
Rachel beamed. “Goodnight!”
Beth quietly made her way to her room and Quinn rested her head back again. “She’s growing up too fast,” the blonde sighed.
“You can’t expect her to stay two years old forever, Quinn.”
“If she had then that means we would still be in high school.”
Rachel was silent. Quinn lifted her head to see the brunette staring down at her hands in her lap and picking at her fingernails.
“It was easier then,” Quinn admitted. “It was easier to just do what we wanted.”
“It wasn’t easy to leave,” Rachel mumbled. “It was really hard but…stupid, selfish me did it without looking back.”
“Rachel, don’t do this.”
“No, I need to tell you…I’m not exactly sorry that I left. I’m extremely sorry for how I left. I should’ve at least tried to make things work or contacted you or at least maintained a friendship. I’m very sorry for what I did to you, Quinn.”
“I’m over it, Rachel. You…you’ve gone above and beyond to show me that you’re here now and that’s what matters to me right now. So stop this, okay? Just…be here and be my friend now.”
“Of course. I apologize. I should stop living in the past; you’re obviously over it so I should stop bringing it up. It’s just…sometimes I like to think about the past and try to figure out what I did wrong so I don’t repeat the same mistake again. I have absolutely no intention of leaving like that again.”
“I trust you, Rachel.”
Chapter 10
Major Characters/Pairings: Quinn Fabray-Puckerman, Beth Puckerman, Noah Puckerman, Jr., Jasper Puckerman, Rachel Berry, Finn Hudson/OC, Mentions past: Quinn/Puck, Rachel/Puck, Rachel/Quinn
Minor Characters/Pairings: Mike/OC, Matt/OC, Artie/Tina, Rachel's dads Mentions: Brittany/Santana, Mercedes/OC, Kurt/OC
Rating: PG-13
Length: 45,200+
Summary: AU beginning after 'Funk'. Rachel got the hell out of Lima, Ohio immediately after graduation, breaking Quinn's heart in the process, and never looked back. Now, ten years later, she's back and Quinn is the one to show her the aftermath and the pieces of what she left behind - all the while trying desperately not to fall back in love with her ex-girlfriend.
Warnings: Pre-story character death discussed in detail.
-Chapter 9-
After the bedtime routine Quinn tried again to call Rachel’s phone and got nothing. She watched TV diligently but all she got was that there were still torrential downpours in Los Angeles and areas were being evacuated because of floods. One blip said they still had not found the plane that was missing. Quinn dozed off on the couch and was startled awake by her phone ringing again and the same unfamiliar number flashed on her screen.
“Hello?” she answered sleepily.
“Quinn!”
Quinn sat bolt upright and gasped. “Rachel!?”
“Oh my God, Quinn! Quinn I swear I’ve been trying to call you all day!”
“Oh…oh God, you’re alive! You’re alive! Where are you? Are you okay? What the hell happened, Rachel?!” The happy tears started flowing and she sobbed a few times before Rachel answered.
“I’m fine! I’m fine! The airport I intended to fly out of is, I firmly believe, the only place on Earth that has no cell phone signal and they absolutely refused to let me use their phones. The director of that establishment will be receiving a very angry letter when I’m through with this.”
“Where are you now? D-do you need me to do anything?”
“There was a mudslide near the airport and they evacuated us to a nearby recreation center. The phones weren’t working at the time and we were informed that the nearest cell phone tower was struck by lightning. The phones came up for a few seconds a few hours ago and I heard you answer then the power went out again and the line went dead. I’m so sorry, Quinn. I asked for the nearest homing pigeon coop but, after being laughed at, I was informed that there aren’t any in the area.”
Quinn sobbed again. “I’m just glad you’re okay…they said on the news a small plane went missing and I thought…God, Rachel…I thought…”
“I’m perfectly fine, I assure you. Listen to me, Quinn, I’m fine. I’m in a recreation center that smells like sweat and human excrement and it’s extremely unpleasant and there’s a man leering at me from across the room right now but I am completely unharmed. The moment that we’re given the go ahead I’m getting to an airport and coming back to Lima, alright?”
“Okay,” Quinn sniffled. “Call me when you can, I don’t care what time it is.”
“I will, I promise. Can you call my dads? There’s a line forming for people who want to use the phone.”
“Yeah, definitely. I…I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
“Please do.” Quinn kept the phone pressed to her ear. Rachel didn’t hang up.
“Quinn, I should hang up now.”
“Yeah…yeah you probably should.”
“Yes.”
“I’m really glad you’re okay. I…I was really scared.”
“I’m so sorry. I tried, I really tried.”
“I know you did,” Quinn whispered. “I just…I don’t know what I would’ve done if…I don’t know.”
“I know, Quinn.”
“You should go. People are probably going to start forming a mob.”
“I should…I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye, Rachel.
“Bye.”
Quinn waited a few seconds and still heard Rachel breathing before the brunette hung up. She looked down at the phone in her hands and automatically dialed the Berry house and told Hiram what was going on when he answered. He thanked her profusely and Quinn smiled a little. When she hung up the phone she made her way to her bedroom and curled up with a pillow clutched closely to her chest. She didn’t sleep or cry or smile, she just stared at the red numbers on her clock radio as they turned from minutes to hours as she waited.
Quinn lay awake until the alarm went off on her phone and she started her day. She made sure to let Beth and Noah know that Rachel was okay and she’d called and that she would be back in Lima as soon as she could. It was just a matter of waiting.
Quinn kept her phone with her the entire day and just as she started her lunch break it started vibrating on the table and Rachel’s number flashed on the screen. Quinn jumped and squealed.
“Hey! Where are you?!”
“Hello, Quinn! I’m at LAX. The small airport with my plane is shut down for the foreseeable future because the runway was taken over by the mudslide. My flight for Columbus leaves in about,” Rachel paused, “an hour and thirty-four minutes. I’ll have an hour layover in Chicago but it’s fine. I meant to ask you last night but I didn’t get the chance…I…I feel so horrible about missing Noah’s career day yesterday. Is he okay?”
“He was pretty upset for a while but once he got it he was okay, I think. The kids were just glad that you’re okay.”
“I promise I’ll make it up to him. I have every intention of asking his teacher if I can come in at a later date. My connections in various prop departments really came through for me, I have some wonderful things to show off that I believe will appeal to both genders and are appropriate for the age group.”
“I think he’d like that.”
“I checked with absolutely everyone I could think of that knows my schedule and my calendar is completely clear until the beginning of August. No charities, no dinners, no appearances. I am not going near an airport until I absolutely have to.”
“That’s quite a while to spend in Lima.”
“I need some time away, I told you. I want to see if I can survive without a Starbucks on every block.”
Quinn chuckled and her co-workers looked up at her with smiles. “I give you another week before you go crazy from caffeine deprivation.”
“I’ll just have to come over to your house every time I need a coffee fix.”
“Generic brand coffee over Starbucks? You’re already desperate.”
“I’d take a cup of coffee with you over Starbucks any day.”
Quinn felt her face get hot and she smiled a little and looked down at the table. Her co-workers peered over at her and she turned away from them to hide the blush on her cheeks.
“Sorry, Quinn, I just…”
“No,” Quinn whispered. “No, it’s fine. I just didn’t know what to say. Thank you. I really like it when you’re there. Maybe if you don’t get in too late tonight, if you’d like to stop by I could have a pot of coffee ready?”
“I’d love to. I’ll call you when I get into town, okay?”
“Sounds good. Talk to you later Rachel.”
Quinn hung up her phone and could feel the stares of her co-workers on the back of her head. She turned around slowly and they all jumped back to their lunches except for Nicole who grabbed her sandwich and moved to Quinn’s table.
“Hi,” Quinn said shyly.
“Come on boss, spill it. Are you seeing someone?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. She’s a good friend is all.”
“Uh, yeah, no. I don’t blush when my friends talk to me and I don’t get all quiet and secretive.”
“Nicole, it’s very complicated. She’s very complicated. We haven’t spoken in ten years and a week ago she waltzes back into my life…it’s just very complex and delicate right now.”
“So you have a history?”
“Yes. From high school, after Beth was born until Rachel left and I didn’t hear from her again.” Quinn picked at her sandwich and Nicole sighed.
“You holding a grudge against her or something?”
“No, I just want to protect my kids.”
“Look boss, I know you miss Puck and everything and I totally get it. Everyone says he was a great guy…but I think you need to be happy. I think if he cared about you like you say he did then he’d want you to do something that makes you happy.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way but you’re…kind of young. You don’t have kids…it’s not about me, Nicole. The moment I found out I was pregnant with Beth it stopped being about me. Everything is for my kids. I have to do things on their schedule. I won’t deny that I still might have feelings for her but if I ever do decide take things a step further with Rachel then it will have to wait until I know they’re ready for it.”
Nicole shrugged. “I’m just saying, if you have the chance and you want to take it then you should.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Nicole nodded and tucked away the rest of her sandwich in her bag. “Gotta split, my register awaits!”
Quinn smiled and nodded and went back to her lunch.
Rachel called at ten that she’d made it to Lima safely but was extremely tired and still smelled rather funny from having to stay in the recreation center so she was planning on just showering and sleeping. Quinn understood and Rachel promised she’d be there the next night for dinner. The brunette was there right at six-thirty and the first thing that Quinn did when she opened the door was fling her arms around the star and she cried a little into Rachel’s shoulder. They stood in the threshold for a few minutes, Quinn’s arms around Rachel, and not needing to say anything.
Rachel was there every single day for the rest of the week, whether it was after the kids went to bed or just dropping into Pick-n-Save to see Quinn. Quinn got a day set up with Noah’s teacher and Rachel went in and showed the kids how they made fake blood on set and fake bugs. Quinn took the day off and she stood in the back of the classroom and watched as Rachel let the boys play with the fake bugs while she pulled out magic wands and tiaras and a set of clear plastic shoes from the Disney’s attempt at making a live-action Cinderella a few years previous.
Beth was officially asked to the spring dance a week before the event and Quinn almost killed Rachel when the brunette snuck Beth out of the Hudson house between the time Beth got there after school and the time Quinn went to pick them up and Rachel bought her a dress and shoes for the event.
“I did something for Noah,” Rachel said. “It was only fair I did something for Beth, too.”
Quinn quickly got over it when she saw Beth in the dress. The young girl was absolutely glowing and the smile on her face one that Quinn hadn’t seen since before Puck had died. Rachel came over the night of the dance and did her hair and makeup. Quinn watched from Beth’s bedroom door as the pair giggled and Rachel played with her thick hair, experimenting with different styles. They eventually decided on a French braid and Rachel put just the faintest touch of makeup on the girl. Quinn’s eyes burned when she saw her daughter stand and slip on her shoes that matched the pale blue spaghetti strap dress.
“You look so beautiful, baby girl,” she whispered through the tears.
Rachel had her camera and was taking pictures all over the place. Quinn got Jasper and Noah loaded into the van and followed Rachel and Beth through town to Beth’s date’s house. There were more pictures taken and Quinn introduced herself to Jeremy’s parents. Jeremy’s mother took the pair to the dance and Quinn composed herself enough to follow Rachel home. Quinn got Noah and Jasper settled in the living room to watch a baseball game and she and Rachel sat at the kitchen table with cups of coffee and a large binder Rachel pulled from her bag.
“I need your help,” Rachel said as she opened the front cover. “I’m buying a new house and my decorator moved to Europe so I need help picking out furniture.”
“Don’t you have like three houses already?”
“Two. I have a condo in LA and a townhouse in New York which I’m thinking of selling because I’m rarely there.”
“So where are you buying this house?”
“I like this couch.” Rachel pointed to a large tan sectional. “It would be perfect for a living room, with maybe this TV…” the brunette flipped to the electronics and pointed out a large flatscreen TV.
“Rachel, where?”
“Here,” the brunette said nonchalantly. “If I’m going to be spending a lot of time here then I should have a permanent place of residence. I love my dads but I think it would be excessive to stay with them every time I’m here.”
“What about when you have to be in LA?”
Rachel shrugged. “I’d figure something out. What do you think of this dining room set? I like the table with the inserts, it would make dinner parties very easy.” Rachel pointed to a dark wood table and chairs that seated up to ten when the three extra leaves were put in.
“Have you looked at anything?”
“A few. I’ve found some very nice ones. By far my favorite one is near my dads’ house. Four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, large dining room and sitting room and very spacious kitchen. There’s a basement but it’s not furnished. I would probably hire a contractor and have it converted into a livable space, perhaps a recreation room.”
“Four bedrooms? Rachel, that’s a little much!”
Rachel shrugged. “I’m sure I could find uses for all of them. The master suite is amazing, there’s a Jacuzzi and an enormous walk-in closet. So, what do you think about this bedroom set? I’m rather fond of the oak wood.” Rachel pointed to a queen sized bed, dresser, vanity, and beside tables set.
“It’s beautiful…Rachel, what are you doing?”
“I’m picking out furniture.” Rachel flipped through the pages again to kitchen appliances. “I like the look of stainless steel but the black is very sleek. A double oven would be extremely convenient and I think there’s space for one.”
“I…guess.” Quinn was attempting to figure out Rachel’s excited expressions because she knew that the brunette wasn’t that excited about furniture.
“Maybe you and the kids could come by tomorrow and look at it with me. It’s so much easier to pick out furniture once you’ve seen the space for yourself. I could be completely wrong about the oak looking good in the bedroom. Really, this is why I had a decorator.”
“Why not just hire a new decorator? Rachel, I’m not…I don’t know anything about furniture. I’m not sure anything in this house matches.”
“Well I assume that you’ll be spending time there, it would be inconsiderate of me to not ask for your opinion. What if you hate everything I pick out? You wouldn’t want to visit and that would be tragic.” Rachel grabbed another thinner catalog and smiled. “I think a pool would be fun, don’t you?”
Quinn shrugged and nodded and Rachel started flipping through the outdoor catalog.
Quinn was slightly reluctant to leave Rachel with Noah and Jasper when she went to pick Beth up from the dance. Both boys were asleep but there was no telling what could go wrong in the half-hour that Quinn would be gone. She made sure to stretch Jasper’s legs extra well and she showed Rachel again how to massage out cramps if he had any before she put him to bed. Noah was fast asleep and Rachel had to push Quinn out the door so she would get there by the time the dance ended at ten.
Beth got in the van with a smile on her face and Quinn swallowed nervously.
“So? How did it go?”
“It was pretty cool, I guess. No one really danced until the very end. Mostly me and Jeremy just sat in the cafeteria and drank punch and talked about how evil the art teacher is. We kind of danced for one song but not really.”
“Did he kiss you?”
“Ew! No! Oh my gosh, Mom! No way!”
Quinn smiled. “Just checking.”
“He did ask me to be his girlfriend. I don’t really know what we’re gonna do since like we only see each other at school but I guess it’ll be cool. I might let him hold my hand or something.”
“Good girl. Don’t ever let anyone pressure you into anything, okay?”
“I won’t, Mom.”
Quinn took a deep breath before she unlocked the front door. She didn’t know what she was expecting to find but there was Rachel sitting on the couch with her catalogs spread out and a notepad. The brunette grinned when the two Puckermans crossed the threshold. She jumped off the couch and bounced to Beth.
“So?! How’d it go?!”
Beth shrugged and smiled. “We didn’t even really dance. We just talked about stuff. And Mom already asked, he didn’t kiss me but he asked me to be his girlfriend.”
Rachel nodded furiously. “That’s exciting!”
Beth shrugged.
“Why don’t you get ready for bed, sweetie?” Quinn said. She kissed Beth’s forehead and the girl bounced out of the living room.
Rachel started cleaning up her catalogs and organizing them into a pile on the floor with her notepad and Quinn dropped to the couch and threw her head back to stare at the ceiling.
“How were things here?”
“Just fine, as I told you they would be.”
The couch shifted and Rachel took the space right next to Quinn. “Next thing you know she’ll be going out on actual dates with some sleazebag who will want to pick her up in his disgusting car.”
“I think you have a few years to prepare for that.”
“Doesn’t mean it will be easy and Puck’s not here to threaten anyone. I know Finn would do it, he loves these kids like they’re his.”
“Why…why doesn’t Finn have children? He would be an excellent father and it’s obvious that his wife loves children.”
“Kelsey can’t have kids; they found out a few years ago. They’re on a waiting list for adoption but it could take years. They talked about a surrogate for a while but Kelsey’s parents did that when she was really young and the mother changed her mind and kept the baby; she’s afraid of that happening to them. Tina and Artie got lucky, it was a friend of Tina’s older sister that was giving the baby up for adoption.”
“That’s…horrible. For Finn and Kelsey, I mean.”
“Yeah,” Quinn sighed. “There’s still hope for an adoption, though.”
“Mom?”
Quinn lifted her head and smiled up at Beth. “Yeah sweetie?”
“Just wanted to tell you I’m going to bed, I’m pretty tired.”
“Okay. Sweet dreams.”
Beth nodded. “Goodnight, Mom. ‘Night, Rachel.”
Rachel beamed. “Goodnight!”
Beth quietly made her way to her room and Quinn rested her head back again. “She’s growing up too fast,” the blonde sighed.
“You can’t expect her to stay two years old forever, Quinn.”
“If she had then that means we would still be in high school.”
Rachel was silent. Quinn lifted her head to see the brunette staring down at her hands in her lap and picking at her fingernails.
“It was easier then,” Quinn admitted. “It was easier to just do what we wanted.”
“It wasn’t easy to leave,” Rachel mumbled. “It was really hard but…stupid, selfish me did it without looking back.”
“Rachel, don’t do this.”
“No, I need to tell you…I’m not exactly sorry that I left. I’m extremely sorry for how I left. I should’ve at least tried to make things work or contacted you or at least maintained a friendship. I’m very sorry for what I did to you, Quinn.”
“I’m over it, Rachel. You…you’ve gone above and beyond to show me that you’re here now and that’s what matters to me right now. So stop this, okay? Just…be here and be my friend now.”
“Of course. I apologize. I should stop living in the past; you’re obviously over it so I should stop bringing it up. It’s just…sometimes I like to think about the past and try to figure out what I did wrong so I don’t repeat the same mistake again. I have absolutely no intention of leaving like that again.”
“I trust you, Rachel.”
Chapter 10