Are You Ten Years Ago? [12/14]
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 12-
School started on a Thursday and Quinn sent pictures of the kids to Rachel outside of the middle school and Noah in front of his classroom. She refused to cry until she was out of sight but Noah looked so much like his father, even if he was a little small. He was Puck through and through, the way he marched into the classroom with his head held high and oozing confidence and fearlessness.
It was a long day, everyone was trying to get as many outdoor events in their weekends as possible as the summer wound down and the beginnings of fall started to show. Quinn worked half of her day at the meat counter and the other half starting to take down the summer decorations to get ready to string leaves of fall colors. She called Rachel on her breaks, of course, the last of which was cut short when the brunette shrieked and stated she had another call and would talk to Quinn later. The blonde was a little late getting to the middle school to pick up her kids due to a shipping error that landed the produce department with six extra palettes of tomatoes but both Noah and Beth bounced to the car when they saw her.
“I’m so sorry, guys. Emergency in the produce department, you know how it goes.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Beth said. “I stayed after to talk to the choir teacher, anyway. She wanted to tell me about a summer camp she does.”
“Oh yeah? We’ll have to look into that. Noah, baby, how was your day?”
Quinn glanced up in her rear-view mirror to see the boy smile wide.
“I like middle school! Ms. Green’s real nice, she said I was really good. And the gym teacher, Mr. Hart, he said I’m the fastest runner in the whole class. He said when I get bigger I should play football and I told him that Dad played football when he was in school and he said that I could be really good at it.”
“We’ll have to see about that, too. When you get bigger, of course.”
After picking up Jasper and thanking Kelsey profusely again for the use of her car, Quinn headed back to the house. Her house. Her and Rachel’s house. It was still a little strange, a little foreign, but she knew she would have to get used to it.
“Mom, what’s that?” Beth pointed out the windshield at a truck pulling a gooseneck trailer with a brand-new shiny, navy blue mini-van being offloaded in front of the house. Matt was standing next to the truck guiding the van driver down off of the trailer and into the driveway. Quinn pulled up to the curb and instructed her kids to stay where they were.
“Matt, what’s going on?”
Matt smiled and handed Quinn an envelope. “Is this your new place?”
Quinn nodded as she tore into the envelope; it contained a single sheet of paper with an e-mail printed on it.
From: Berry, Rachel B.
To: Lima Chevrolet
Subject: To be hand delivered to Quinn Fabray by Matt Rutherford
Quinn,
I’m aware that you’ve previously stated you didn’t wish for me to help like this but, as is painfully obvious right now, I didn’t listen. I’ve given specific instructions for the van to be left there and under no circumstances are they to take it back. Matt is getting a bonus on this and I would hate for him to lose that should you decide to return it after they leave. I attempted to talk to your insurance agent but unfortunately, that’s something you have to handle.
Please let me do this. You deserve it and so much more. I love you.
-Rachel
“Quinn?” Matt asked. "You okay?"
Quinn nodded and felt a strong hand on her shoulder as she folded the letter and tucked it in the envelope. She was so many things in that moment. She was pissed, first of all. Part of her wanted to clench the letter in her fist and demand that they take it back, despite Rachel’s instructions. This was too much. A house was one thing because Quinn was practically just a renter and she had time to get used to the fact that it was going to be that way for quite a while. Being surprised like this wasn’t something she was prepared to deal with.
“Hey,” Matt said, “you deserve this.”
“Matt…”
“No, just…just listen. You know I don’t say much so just hear me out, alright?”
Quinn nodded.
“Puck was one of the best friends I had and he was a great dad and you’re a great mom. You’re the best, Quinn. You love your kids and you’ve done really, really good these last few years. Everybody knows you work your ass off to take care of them. Let someone take care of you now, okay?”
There wasn’t much that could be said to argue against that, not that Quinn would. Matt was indeed a man of very few words but she could never bring herself to argue against them. He had been there after Puck died and had been the one to convince her to leave Jasper for the Puck’s funeral. They weren’t particularly close but Matt was the kind of guy Quinn knew she could trust and despite the lack of closeness, he was always there if she needed him. All of that is what made Quinn nod as he pressed two sets of van keys in her hand and kiss her cheek.
“Plus, I really need the bonus from this. The boys want new mountain bikes.”
Quinn smiled and hugged her friend once more before whispering a soft “thank you” before he left with his co-worker. Beth carrying Jasper, and Noah approached her to look at the mini-van in the driveway in awe.
“Is that ours?” Noah asked finally.
Quinn nodded.
“How did-“
“Rachel,” Quinn cut Beth off. “I’m not exactly happy about it because I told her not to.”
“How come?”
“Because, Noah, I’ve told you before that working hard for things is the best way to get them.”
“But you do work hard, Mom. And Rachel loves you and you’re supposed to give things to people you love, right? Like when I give you cards and stuff for Christmas and Hanukkah.”
Once again, logic Quinn couldn’t really argue with. “Since when are you so smart?”
“Since always.”
Quinn took Jasper from Beth and took her kids inside. She got them settled at the kitchen table with a snack and called Finn to have him and Kelsey come pick up the car. Quinn got dinner on the table and waited for the Hudsons outside. Finn took a quick look at the van and gave a nod of approval.
“She shouldn’t have done it,” Quinn said, the minute he opened his mouth.
“Come on, Q, let someone take care of you for a change.”
“I know, Finn.”
“Look, I know I didn’t want this in the beginning and I was really scared she’d hurt you but she’s seriously trying. Don’t be too hard on her.”
“I just don’t want to regret letting her in like this.”
“Just be happy, okay? Let yourself be happy. I trust her and you know that’s not easy for me.”
It was difficult to call Rachel that night and not immediately start yelling about charity and not wanting to take it. It was difficult but Quinn managed to do it.
“Hey, Rach.”
“Well this is unexpected. I was fully prepared to be yelled at. I didn’t plan for a scenario with you so calm.”
“Trust me, it’s not easy. Why did you do that, Rachel?”
“Because I care about you immensely. You need a reliable mode of transportation and I have provided you with that. Oprah still does it all the time. She’s a very nice woman, by the way.”
“So your new goal in life is to become the next Oprah?”
“Perhaps it will be!”
Quinn couldn’t help but giggle. “You’re insane, Rachel Berry. And thank you, I mean it. I’ll figure out a way to pay…”
“Quinn, if you, even for a moment, attempt to repay me for this then I will buy Noah a drum set and a case of Mountain Dew.”
“That’s just cruel.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
The new van was very, very nice, Quinn had to admit. The automatic sliding doors on both sides made it plenty easier for getting Jasper out and there was more than enough room for his stroller in the back without having to fight to get it to fit. Burt Hummel took her old one and said that it was, in fact, unfixable because the part he would need was discontinued. He told her he’d strip the van for other parts and call it even on any of her outstanding balances. Again, Quinn refused the charity at first but Burt was firm saying there were plenty of parts he could still use, especially the discontinued ones, and that the worth of those outweighed the balance and that really, she was doing him a favor.
August went smoothly, as did September. Quinn watched all of Rachel’s interviews and saved the magazine articles and they spoke every day. Jasper was babbling away at any given moment, most of it incoherent, but he was becoming clearer. He wasn’t identifying people and the therapists were slightly puzzled but still optimistic since he’d come much further than expected. Noah’s first progress report from his teacher showed the best grades he’d had since before the accident with no behavioral problems. Beth had more friends than she could keep track of and the house was usually always buzzing with the sound of teenage girls.
It was amazing the changes that Quinn saw in her kids. Still, she was waiting for it all to shatter. Everything else had and so she braced herself for everything to fall apart again. It wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Rachel came home for the last week in October and consented to letting Beth have a sleepover on Halloween weekend so her friends could meet the Rachel Berry. Because it was a Friday evening that Rachel’s plane got in, Quinn hauled the three kids to Columbus to pick her up. Like it had been when she dropped her off, it was difficult for Quinn to contain herself when she first saw the brunette come bouncing out of the terminal. Noah had brought his report card and Rachel enthusiastically hugged and congratulated him on not only making good grades but making it on the honor roll.
Quinn put Jasper down in bed while Rachel unpacked and showered. The brunette emerged from the bedroom holding a box tightly in her hands.
“I brought something for Beth and Noah,” she said softly.
“Rach…”
“I didn’t buy a thing, I swear.”
Assured that the brunette wasn’t lying, Quinn followed her down the stairs and into the living room where they settled between Noah and Beth on the sectional. Rachel turned off the TV and Quinn watched as she took a deep breath and opened up the box. Out of it she pulled two CDs, one with each name on it.
“Our senior year in high school the glee club was needing a little extra money and so we decided to attempt to sell some CDs. There were several songs recorded, only a few made the cut onto the final product but being who I am, I demanded to have everything.”
Knowing what was coming, Quinn reached over and gripped onto Rachel’s hand.
“Your dad recorded several solos and while in LA I found the CDs and I picked out his solos as well as a few memorable group pieces and burned each of you a copy.”
Quinn watched Beth’s eyes go wide as she flipped the CD case over and read through the track listings. When she saw what she was looking for she tossed the CD on the coffee table and launched herself onto Rachel. Quinn picked up the case and saw it: 1) Beth - Glee Boys [feat. Noah Puckerman] 2) Sweet Caroline - Noah Puckerman
Noah crawled over Quinn to get to Rachel and give her a hug, the CD clutched in his hand. Beth let out a sob and Quinn reached over to rub her daughter’s back. The moment further solidified Rachel’s place in her life and in her kids’ lives and Quinn prayed harder than ever that the world wouldn’t collapse on her yet again. She was still waiting.
Chapter 13
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 12-
School started on a Thursday and Quinn sent pictures of the kids to Rachel outside of the middle school and Noah in front of his classroom. She refused to cry until she was out of sight but Noah looked so much like his father, even if he was a little small. He was Puck through and through, the way he marched into the classroom with his head held high and oozing confidence and fearlessness.
It was a long day, everyone was trying to get as many outdoor events in their weekends as possible as the summer wound down and the beginnings of fall started to show. Quinn worked half of her day at the meat counter and the other half starting to take down the summer decorations to get ready to string leaves of fall colors. She called Rachel on her breaks, of course, the last of which was cut short when the brunette shrieked and stated she had another call and would talk to Quinn later. The blonde was a little late getting to the middle school to pick up her kids due to a shipping error that landed the produce department with six extra palettes of tomatoes but both Noah and Beth bounced to the car when they saw her.
“I’m so sorry, guys. Emergency in the produce department, you know how it goes.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Beth said. “I stayed after to talk to the choir teacher, anyway. She wanted to tell me about a summer camp she does.”
“Oh yeah? We’ll have to look into that. Noah, baby, how was your day?”
Quinn glanced up in her rear-view mirror to see the boy smile wide.
“I like middle school! Ms. Green’s real nice, she said I was really good. And the gym teacher, Mr. Hart, he said I’m the fastest runner in the whole class. He said when I get bigger I should play football and I told him that Dad played football when he was in school and he said that I could be really good at it.”
“We’ll have to see about that, too. When you get bigger, of course.”
After picking up Jasper and thanking Kelsey profusely again for the use of her car, Quinn headed back to the house. Her house. Her and Rachel’s house. It was still a little strange, a little foreign, but she knew she would have to get used to it.
“Mom, what’s that?” Beth pointed out the windshield at a truck pulling a gooseneck trailer with a brand-new shiny, navy blue mini-van being offloaded in front of the house. Matt was standing next to the truck guiding the van driver down off of the trailer and into the driveway. Quinn pulled up to the curb and instructed her kids to stay where they were.
“Matt, what’s going on?”
Matt smiled and handed Quinn an envelope. “Is this your new place?”
Quinn nodded as she tore into the envelope; it contained a single sheet of paper with an e-mail printed on it.
From: Berry, Rachel B.
To: Lima Chevrolet
Subject: To be hand delivered to Quinn Fabray by Matt Rutherford
Quinn,
I’m aware that you’ve previously stated you didn’t wish for me to help like this but, as is painfully obvious right now, I didn’t listen. I’ve given specific instructions for the van to be left there and under no circumstances are they to take it back. Matt is getting a bonus on this and I would hate for him to lose that should you decide to return it after they leave. I attempted to talk to your insurance agent but unfortunately, that’s something you have to handle.
Please let me do this. You deserve it and so much more. I love you.
-Rachel
“Quinn?” Matt asked. "You okay?"
Quinn nodded and felt a strong hand on her shoulder as she folded the letter and tucked it in the envelope. She was so many things in that moment. She was pissed, first of all. Part of her wanted to clench the letter in her fist and demand that they take it back, despite Rachel’s instructions. This was too much. A house was one thing because Quinn was practically just a renter and she had time to get used to the fact that it was going to be that way for quite a while. Being surprised like this wasn’t something she was prepared to deal with.
“Hey,” Matt said, “you deserve this.”
“Matt…”
“No, just…just listen. You know I don’t say much so just hear me out, alright?”
Quinn nodded.
“Puck was one of the best friends I had and he was a great dad and you’re a great mom. You’re the best, Quinn. You love your kids and you’ve done really, really good these last few years. Everybody knows you work your ass off to take care of them. Let someone take care of you now, okay?”
There wasn’t much that could be said to argue against that, not that Quinn would. Matt was indeed a man of very few words but she could never bring herself to argue against them. He had been there after Puck died and had been the one to convince her to leave Jasper for the Puck’s funeral. They weren’t particularly close but Matt was the kind of guy Quinn knew she could trust and despite the lack of closeness, he was always there if she needed him. All of that is what made Quinn nod as he pressed two sets of van keys in her hand and kiss her cheek.
“Plus, I really need the bonus from this. The boys want new mountain bikes.”
Quinn smiled and hugged her friend once more before whispering a soft “thank you” before he left with his co-worker. Beth carrying Jasper, and Noah approached her to look at the mini-van in the driveway in awe.
“Is that ours?” Noah asked finally.
Quinn nodded.
“How did-“
“Rachel,” Quinn cut Beth off. “I’m not exactly happy about it because I told her not to.”
“How come?”
“Because, Noah, I’ve told you before that working hard for things is the best way to get them.”
“But you do work hard, Mom. And Rachel loves you and you’re supposed to give things to people you love, right? Like when I give you cards and stuff for Christmas and Hanukkah.”
Once again, logic Quinn couldn’t really argue with. “Since when are you so smart?”
“Since always.”
Quinn took Jasper from Beth and took her kids inside. She got them settled at the kitchen table with a snack and called Finn to have him and Kelsey come pick up the car. Quinn got dinner on the table and waited for the Hudsons outside. Finn took a quick look at the van and gave a nod of approval.
“She shouldn’t have done it,” Quinn said, the minute he opened his mouth.
“Come on, Q, let someone take care of you for a change.”
“I know, Finn.”
“Look, I know I didn’t want this in the beginning and I was really scared she’d hurt you but she’s seriously trying. Don’t be too hard on her.”
“I just don’t want to regret letting her in like this.”
“Just be happy, okay? Let yourself be happy. I trust her and you know that’s not easy for me.”
It was difficult to call Rachel that night and not immediately start yelling about charity and not wanting to take it. It was difficult but Quinn managed to do it.
“Hey, Rach.”
“Well this is unexpected. I was fully prepared to be yelled at. I didn’t plan for a scenario with you so calm.”
“Trust me, it’s not easy. Why did you do that, Rachel?”
“Because I care about you immensely. You need a reliable mode of transportation and I have provided you with that. Oprah still does it all the time. She’s a very nice woman, by the way.”
“So your new goal in life is to become the next Oprah?”
“Perhaps it will be!”
Quinn couldn’t help but giggle. “You’re insane, Rachel Berry. And thank you, I mean it. I’ll figure out a way to pay…”
“Quinn, if you, even for a moment, attempt to repay me for this then I will buy Noah a drum set and a case of Mountain Dew.”
“That’s just cruel.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
The new van was very, very nice, Quinn had to admit. The automatic sliding doors on both sides made it plenty easier for getting Jasper out and there was more than enough room for his stroller in the back without having to fight to get it to fit. Burt Hummel took her old one and said that it was, in fact, unfixable because the part he would need was discontinued. He told her he’d strip the van for other parts and call it even on any of her outstanding balances. Again, Quinn refused the charity at first but Burt was firm saying there were plenty of parts he could still use, especially the discontinued ones, and that the worth of those outweighed the balance and that really, she was doing him a favor.
August went smoothly, as did September. Quinn watched all of Rachel’s interviews and saved the magazine articles and they spoke every day. Jasper was babbling away at any given moment, most of it incoherent, but he was becoming clearer. He wasn’t identifying people and the therapists were slightly puzzled but still optimistic since he’d come much further than expected. Noah’s first progress report from his teacher showed the best grades he’d had since before the accident with no behavioral problems. Beth had more friends than she could keep track of and the house was usually always buzzing with the sound of teenage girls.
It was amazing the changes that Quinn saw in her kids. Still, she was waiting for it all to shatter. Everything else had and so she braced herself for everything to fall apart again. It wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Rachel came home for the last week in October and consented to letting Beth have a sleepover on Halloween weekend so her friends could meet the Rachel Berry. Because it was a Friday evening that Rachel’s plane got in, Quinn hauled the three kids to Columbus to pick her up. Like it had been when she dropped her off, it was difficult for Quinn to contain herself when she first saw the brunette come bouncing out of the terminal. Noah had brought his report card and Rachel enthusiastically hugged and congratulated him on not only making good grades but making it on the honor roll.
Quinn put Jasper down in bed while Rachel unpacked and showered. The brunette emerged from the bedroom holding a box tightly in her hands.
“I brought something for Beth and Noah,” she said softly.
“Rach…”
“I didn’t buy a thing, I swear.”
Assured that the brunette wasn’t lying, Quinn followed her down the stairs and into the living room where they settled between Noah and Beth on the sectional. Rachel turned off the TV and Quinn watched as she took a deep breath and opened up the box. Out of it she pulled two CDs, one with each name on it.
“Our senior year in high school the glee club was needing a little extra money and so we decided to attempt to sell some CDs. There were several songs recorded, only a few made the cut onto the final product but being who I am, I demanded to have everything.”
Knowing what was coming, Quinn reached over and gripped onto Rachel’s hand.
“Your dad recorded several solos and while in LA I found the CDs and I picked out his solos as well as a few memorable group pieces and burned each of you a copy.”
Quinn watched Beth’s eyes go wide as she flipped the CD case over and read through the track listings. When she saw what she was looking for she tossed the CD on the coffee table and launched herself onto Rachel. Quinn picked up the case and saw it: 1) Beth - Glee Boys [feat. Noah Puckerman] 2) Sweet Caroline - Noah Puckerman
Noah crawled over Quinn to get to Rachel and give her a hug, the CD clutched in his hand. Beth let out a sob and Quinn reached over to rub her daughter’s back. The moment further solidified Rachel’s place in her life and in her kids’ lives and Quinn prayed harder than ever that the world wouldn’t collapse on her yet again. She was still waiting.
Chapter 13