fic: Ambitions Trilogy Deleted Scene One: Accepting Things We Cannot Change
Title: Ambitions Trilogy Deleted Scene One: Accepting Things We Cannot Change
Author: slacker_d
Pairing/Characters: Quinn/OFC, OCs, Brittany
Rating: PG
Summary: Quinn finds out that Shelby left custody of Beth to Rachel and Santana.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: ~2,650
Spoilers: Previous parts of this series. Ambitions part One & Two, especially.
A/N: So despite how long part two was, there were still plenty of unanswered questions. So here's the first "deleted scene" from part two. I've got a couple more in mind, but if there's something you wanted to see or know about, let me know and I'll do what I can to write it.
2nd A/N: Unbeta’ed, so all mistakes are mine.
series masterlist | Part One: To Make an End is to Make a Beginning | Part Two: I Can, Therefore I Am
Quinn is beyond ecstatic that she got into the School of Art Institute of Chicago. She's not exactly sure what her specialty is going to be, but her drawings were good enough to get her in and so she figures it'll most likely be something related to that.
The unfortunate part is that she is now even further from Alyson than she was before. Between school and the distance, the relationship quickly goes downhill.
They end up breaking up over winter break in Lima and so Quinn heads back to Chicago, broken hearted and single, but determined.
She spends the next three and a half years working hard, dating causally and becoming an architect because it appeals to both her creative and artistic side while still giving her a real way to earn a steady income. She just doesn't think she's the type who can live from paycheck to paycheck.
Upon graduation, she's recruited by Redding & Boom Design. It's a small firm that gives her some real hands on experience and responsibility. She has multiple opportunities to contribute to various projects and even head a few smaller ones of her own.
She's feels guilty, but when she's offered a job at West, Harris & Oliver, she has to take it. They're one of the best in the Midwest and they're promising she'll eventually make partner. Quinn wants to stay at Redding & Boom, they've become like her family over the four years and they did give her chances she never would have gotten at a bigger firm, but she feels like she's done all that she can with them, so she regretfully gives her notice.
Working at West, Harris & Oliver is difficult. It's a much bigger firm. And even if she was handpicked by West herself, she's still a small fish in a heavily populated ocean. So she simply does her job the best she can, working long hours and hoping she's being noticed.
Just as she did before, Quinn dates causally. There doesn't seem to be time for something more serious, nor has Quinn met anyone she thinks is worth the effort. She wonders what exactly that means. Is she being too picky?
…
Four years later at the office Christmas party, Quinn meets Kate Black. She's a friend of another architect and came with as his platonic date. She and Quinn hit it off immediately and spend the evening chatting.
They go out several times over the next month, but both are apprehensive. Quinn, because Kate has two small boys, two and four, and Kate, because Quinn hasn't been in a serious relationship for ten years.
Still, there's something between them that neither can deny and so they continue to date.
…
Quinn is made partner the beginning of her sixth year at West, Harris & Oliver.
Because of this, she allows herself to relax a bit.
Despite both their trepidation about dating the other, Quinn and Kate have become serious. Quinn's met both Kate's sons and couldn't help but fall in love with them. And luckily they seem to adore her as well.
…
A year and a half later, Quinn is moving in with Kate, James and Matthew.
…
Watching Matthew run around the yard, Quinn can’t keep the smile off her face. He’s so happy to home from daycare that the seven year old is spinning and laughing hysterically.
Though she was apprehensive about dating Kate because she had two kids, Quinn can’t imagine her life without them now. James is sitting in the lawn chair next to her, coloring. It’s completely abstract; even he’ll admit it, but when he’s all done, Quinn knows it’ll be an explosion of color and design. Quinn is so sure that the nine year old will be some sort of artist when he grows up. Kate thinks he’s too analytical and pragmatic to be one, despite the abstract drawing; she’s expecting something more like an accountant or some sort of analyst.
“Hey James,” Quinn says, still watching Matthew run in circles.
“Yes, Quinn?”
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
He stops coloring and seems to give the question some thought before responding, “Taller.” He then picks up the blue color crayon and returns to his picture.
Quinn chuckles. “Fair enough.”
…
Ever since giving up Beth at sixteen, Quinn has never been sure if she wants to have children anymore. Before that, it was just assumed she would, that she would marry a fine upstanding young man and have 2.5 kids, a house and maybe a dog. However, staring at Beth through the glass at the hospital, Quinn felt every single certainty about her life fall away. It was both a relief and terrifying.
But now she sort of has all that. It's nothing like she originally pictured at ten or even the idealized picture she mentally threw away at sixteen, but she's happy.
…
Chicago is experiencing a summer heat wave and Quinn is glad that for once, she doesn't have to leave her house if she doesn't want to. She just finished a huge project, designing a new mall and since it was approved on the first pass, Quinn decided she needed a day off.
Which is why it's ten in the morning and she's just now logging onto her laptop to check her email and read some news.
She’s shocked to find the top story is about one Santana Lopez, who is apparently an ADA for the city of New York. Reading the article, Quinn can’t believe that Lopez survived a hostage situation, though she did end up being shot.
It's pretty short and doesn't go into much detail, so Quinn goes in search of a more in depth article. She finds a couple that are more human interest, talking about how Santana protected two small children, a brother and his little sister, even taking a bullet meant for the boy.
It then mentions Berry who is apparently just one award away from her self predicted EGOT. Quinn shakes her head in amazement. Seems Berry's giant ego wasn't just a load of hot air. Go figure.
But then Quinn reads something interesting. …raising her two younger sisters after their mother died of cancer.
Sisters? Mother? Berry doesn't have a mother, she has two gay dads. Well, there is Shelby, but Quinn remembers that Berry could never think of Shelby as her mother after what happened sophomore year. And especially after she found out that Shelby adopted Beth--holy mother of god. The sister is Beth.
Because, technically, Rachel is Beth's sister.
Holy shit. Berry is raising Beth?
Quinn pauses a moment, thinking and realizes that Beth is twenty at this point, so it's not really raising at this point. Though the article doesn't say how long ago Shelby died.
And what's with the two sisters thing? Did Shelby go out and adopt another teenage mother's baby? Did the woman have some sort of weird mental thing because she gave up Berry all those years ago?
Needing real confirmation, Quinn starts looking up obituaries for Shelby Corcoran.
…
Quinn really wishes she had kept in touch with the other members of New Directions. Though, in retrospect, she has no idea if Rachel or Santana is in touch with anyone either.
She debates calling Puck because she knows he has kept up contact with Berry. The Grammy winning song, Left Behind is certainly proof of that.
But he's unfortunately the last person she wants to have that conversation with.
She finally decides that if anyone kept in contact with Rachel or Santana it would be Brittany and so she sets out to find out where the blonde ended up.
…
It doesn't take too long to find Brittany in L.A. working at Gilmore Financial as an analyst, though Quinn does have to double check the information three times to really believe it.
Quinn supposes she shouldn't be surprised by anything about Brittany, after all she experienced at McKinley, but so much time has passed that it probably allowed her to lose her immunity to the unpredictability that is Brittany S. Pierce.
She can't make the call though. She spends the afternoon, watching TV, stopping on channels that may mention Santana again; and staring at the post it with Brittany's phone number on it.
She tries to shake it off as she goes to pick up the boys at daycare. She's quiet, content to listen to their chatter about their days. And when Kate gets home, it's obvious is something is wrong, but it'd definitely not something she wants to discuss in front of the boys.
That evening in bed, it all comes out and after, Quinn falls asleep in Kate's arms, exhausted from so many tears.
…
Quinn finally works up the nerve to call Brittany on Sunday. Because of the time difference, she forces herself to wait until noon. Nervous, she quickly punches in the numbers and hits call not wanting to give herself a chance to back out.
It's answered on the second ring. "Hello?"
"Is Brittany there?"
"Speaking."
"Uh, hi, Britt, it's, uh, Quinn. Quinn Fabray."
"Oh my god, Quinn, hi. How are things?"
"They're good. You?"
"I'm doing very well, thanks."
"Good. Good to hear."
"So, Quinn," Brittany says. "What's up?"
"Uh…" Maybe Quinn should have planned out what she was going to say first.
Thankfully, Brittany takes pity on her. "Is this about Beth?"
"Yes," Quinn replies, timidly.
"How much do you know?"
"Just what I've read online," Quinn says. "Though I did manage to find Shelby's obituary."
"Okay then," Brittany says with a sigh. "I'm going to tell you a story and hopefully that'll answer your questions. Okay?"
Quinn nods and then remembers she's on the phone. "Okay."
"Shelby sought Rachel out about six years ago, wanting to reattempt a relationship. Rachel eventually agreed and so she and Santana had dinner with Shelby, Beth and Abby. Abby is Shelby's niece who she was raising because her younger brother, the single father died when Beth was seven and Abby was four.
"As time passed, Beth and Abby became closer to Rachel and Santana, which is apparently what Shelby wanted. She had cancer, a cardiac sarcoma of the heart. Both her parents were dead and she had no other family. Shelby considered seeking out you or Puck, but knew she couldn't expect either of you to also take Abby, so she set her sights on Rachel and Santana.
"Of course she didn't tell Rachel or Santana, nor did she mention it to Beth or Abby and so when Shelby passed away, custody was given to Rachel and Santana to everyone's surprise. Beth was sixteen and Abby was thirteen. They moved in with Rachel and Santana and have been with them ever since."
"Beth's twenty," Quinn says. "Please tell me she's going to college."
"She's going to NYU," Brittany replies. "Majoring in Mathematics."
"Math?"
"Uh huh."
"That's…
"Unexpected, yes," Brittany says. "No one saw it coming."
"And she's… okay?"
"She's great," Brittany replies. "She's turned into a wonderful young woman."
"And she's happy?"
"She is."
"Okay," Quinn says quietly.
"Uh, Quinn," Brittany says after a few minutes of quiet. "Are you going to try and contact her?"
"I… I don't know."
"I don't think you should."
"What? Why not?"
"Because it'd be better if she sought you out," Brittany answers. "Remember what happened with Shelby and Rachel? If the mother seeks out the child, it never ends well."
"You can't say that based off one incident," Quinn replies. "Especially from Berry's life."
Brittany sighs. "You know I'm right."
Quinn doesn't respond.
"Besides," Brittany continues. "You're doing well. You've moved on. You've got a family of your own now."
"How do you know that?"
"I just do," Brittany replies.
"I won't make any promises," Quinn says finally.
"I mean it Quinn," Brittany tells her. "I know you'll never forget, nor should you. But it's been twenty years and things are the way they're supposed to be."
"You don't know that."
"Actually I feel pretty confident that I do," Brittany says.
Quinn is quiet again, eyes watering.
"I am sorry, Quinn," Brittany says. "I didn't mean to hurt you; I'm just trying to be honest."
"I know, Britt. I should probably just be grateful you've told me as much as you have."
"Live your life, Quinn," Brittany says. "Enjoy the existence you're living."
"I was. Until…"
"And you can be again."
There are tears streaming down Quinn's face now. "I'm gonna go," she sniffles.
"Okay. Call again if you feel like it."
"Bye Brittany."
"Good bye Quinn."
…
Kate finds Quinn staring at her cell phone at the kitchen table. She wonders how long she's been sitting there since she and the boys have been gone for hours.
"Honey?" Kate says quietly, sitting next to Quinn. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"She's happy," Quinn says. "She's going to college and doing well. I should be okay with that. But I can't be because Shelby left her to Rachel freaking Berry."
Kate knows a great deal of Quinn's history and so the name Rachel Berry has come up numerous times. However, it did take a while for Kate to realize that it was the same Rachel Berry that sang with Guys in Vans Who Want Burritos, a band she's quite fond of.
The fact that it's one of Kate's favorite bands is an odd point of contention between them. Quinn has yet to explain why she hates them so much.
"Do you wish Shelby would have sought you out? Had given you custody?" Kate asks quietly.
"What? No. Yes. I don't know. Maybe." Quinn sighs. "No. Being up rooted like that would have been difficult for her, I'm sure. You know, in addition to dealing with the death of her mother."
"Or what if she'd given custody to Beth's father?" Kate asks.
"Puck? No freaking way," Quinn snaps. "That bastard is too busy acting like a damn stereo typical rock star to be a good father, especially to a sixteen year old."
"Um, okay."
"I just…" Quinn sighs. "It's Rachel."
"All right," Kate says. "But she's married to Santana, who used to be one of your best friends. Shouldn't that comfort you somewhat?"
"Maybe."
"I guess I just don't understand why this is bothering you so much," Kate tells her.
"Because I never really dealt with it," Quinn replies. "I was fine, pushing it aside and forgetting about it. But now… Now knowing that Berry and Santana were her guardians, even if it was only for a couple years has stirred it all up again."
"Okay, so what's going to make you feel better about it then?"
"I want to see her," Quinn says. "But Brittany doesn't think that's such a good idea."
"But you don't agree?"
"I don't know. I mean, B's actually seen her. She's still in contact with San and Berry. I guess she probably would know better than me."
"There's nothing wrong with trusting someone else's judgment on the subject," Kate agrees.
"She is happy," Quinn says. "I mean, that means I made the right choice, right?"
"I would think so."
"And I'm happy, so that's good too."
"It certainly is."
"Okay," Quinn says.
"Okay?"
"Well, I will be."
"Okay."
Quinn glances over at the clock. "I know it's a bit early, but we should go out for dinner."
"Really?"
"Sure," Quinn says. "Didn't James want to try that new pizza place?"
"He's mentioned it a dozen or so times, yes," Kate replies.
"Okay, then. It's settled," Quinn says. "We're going."
"All right, I'll go tell them."
"Good, I'll go change." Quinn stands, grabs Kate's wrist before she can leave the kitchen and tugs her into an embrace. "I love you," Quinn says after kissing her lightly on the lips.
"I love you too."
Author: slacker_d
Pairing/Characters: Quinn/OFC, OCs, Brittany
Rating: PG
Summary: Quinn finds out that Shelby left custody of Beth to Rachel and Santana.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: ~2,650
Spoilers: Previous parts of this series. Ambitions part One & Two, especially.
A/N: So despite how long part two was, there were still plenty of unanswered questions. So here's the first "deleted scene" from part two. I've got a couple more in mind, but if there's something you wanted to see or know about, let me know and I'll do what I can to write it.
2nd A/N: Unbeta’ed, so all mistakes are mine.
series masterlist | Part One: To Make an End is to Make a Beginning | Part Two: I Can, Therefore I Am
Quinn is beyond ecstatic that she got into the School of Art Institute of Chicago. She's not exactly sure what her specialty is going to be, but her drawings were good enough to get her in and so she figures it'll most likely be something related to that.
The unfortunate part is that she is now even further from Alyson than she was before. Between school and the distance, the relationship quickly goes downhill.
They end up breaking up over winter break in Lima and so Quinn heads back to Chicago, broken hearted and single, but determined.
She spends the next three and a half years working hard, dating causally and becoming an architect because it appeals to both her creative and artistic side while still giving her a real way to earn a steady income. She just doesn't think she's the type who can live from paycheck to paycheck.
Upon graduation, she's recruited by Redding & Boom Design. It's a small firm that gives her some real hands on experience and responsibility. She has multiple opportunities to contribute to various projects and even head a few smaller ones of her own.
She's feels guilty, but when she's offered a job at West, Harris & Oliver, she has to take it. They're one of the best in the Midwest and they're promising she'll eventually make partner. Quinn wants to stay at Redding & Boom, they've become like her family over the four years and they did give her chances she never would have gotten at a bigger firm, but she feels like she's done all that she can with them, so she regretfully gives her notice.
Working at West, Harris & Oliver is difficult. It's a much bigger firm. And even if she was handpicked by West herself, she's still a small fish in a heavily populated ocean. So she simply does her job the best she can, working long hours and hoping she's being noticed.
Just as she did before, Quinn dates causally. There doesn't seem to be time for something more serious, nor has Quinn met anyone she thinks is worth the effort. She wonders what exactly that means. Is she being too picky?
…
Four years later at the office Christmas party, Quinn meets Kate Black. She's a friend of another architect and came with as his platonic date. She and Quinn hit it off immediately and spend the evening chatting.
They go out several times over the next month, but both are apprehensive. Quinn, because Kate has two small boys, two and four, and Kate, because Quinn hasn't been in a serious relationship for ten years.
Still, there's something between them that neither can deny and so they continue to date.
…
Quinn is made partner the beginning of her sixth year at West, Harris & Oliver.
Because of this, she allows herself to relax a bit.
Despite both their trepidation about dating the other, Quinn and Kate have become serious. Quinn's met both Kate's sons and couldn't help but fall in love with them. And luckily they seem to adore her as well.
…
A year and a half later, Quinn is moving in with Kate, James and Matthew.
…
Watching Matthew run around the yard, Quinn can’t keep the smile off her face. He’s so happy to home from daycare that the seven year old is spinning and laughing hysterically.
Though she was apprehensive about dating Kate because she had two kids, Quinn can’t imagine her life without them now. James is sitting in the lawn chair next to her, coloring. It’s completely abstract; even he’ll admit it, but when he’s all done, Quinn knows it’ll be an explosion of color and design. Quinn is so sure that the nine year old will be some sort of artist when he grows up. Kate thinks he’s too analytical and pragmatic to be one, despite the abstract drawing; she’s expecting something more like an accountant or some sort of analyst.
“Hey James,” Quinn says, still watching Matthew run in circles.
“Yes, Quinn?”
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
He stops coloring and seems to give the question some thought before responding, “Taller.” He then picks up the blue color crayon and returns to his picture.
Quinn chuckles. “Fair enough.”
…
Ever since giving up Beth at sixteen, Quinn has never been sure if she wants to have children anymore. Before that, it was just assumed she would, that she would marry a fine upstanding young man and have 2.5 kids, a house and maybe a dog. However, staring at Beth through the glass at the hospital, Quinn felt every single certainty about her life fall away. It was both a relief and terrifying.
But now she sort of has all that. It's nothing like she originally pictured at ten or even the idealized picture she mentally threw away at sixteen, but she's happy.
…
Chicago is experiencing a summer heat wave and Quinn is glad that for once, she doesn't have to leave her house if she doesn't want to. She just finished a huge project, designing a new mall and since it was approved on the first pass, Quinn decided she needed a day off.
Which is why it's ten in the morning and she's just now logging onto her laptop to check her email and read some news.
She’s shocked to find the top story is about one Santana Lopez, who is apparently an ADA for the city of New York. Reading the article, Quinn can’t believe that Lopez survived a hostage situation, though she did end up being shot.
It's pretty short and doesn't go into much detail, so Quinn goes in search of a more in depth article. She finds a couple that are more human interest, talking about how Santana protected two small children, a brother and his little sister, even taking a bullet meant for the boy.
It then mentions Berry who is apparently just one award away from her self predicted EGOT. Quinn shakes her head in amazement. Seems Berry's giant ego wasn't just a load of hot air. Go figure.
But then Quinn reads something interesting. …raising her two younger sisters after their mother died of cancer.
Sisters? Mother? Berry doesn't have a mother, she has two gay dads. Well, there is Shelby, but Quinn remembers that Berry could never think of Shelby as her mother after what happened sophomore year. And especially after she found out that Shelby adopted Beth--holy mother of god. The sister is Beth.
Because, technically, Rachel is Beth's sister.
Holy shit. Berry is raising Beth?
Quinn pauses a moment, thinking and realizes that Beth is twenty at this point, so it's not really raising at this point. Though the article doesn't say how long ago Shelby died.
And what's with the two sisters thing? Did Shelby go out and adopt another teenage mother's baby? Did the woman have some sort of weird mental thing because she gave up Berry all those years ago?
Needing real confirmation, Quinn starts looking up obituaries for Shelby Corcoran.
…
Quinn really wishes she had kept in touch with the other members of New Directions. Though, in retrospect, she has no idea if Rachel or Santana is in touch with anyone either.
She debates calling Puck because she knows he has kept up contact with Berry. The Grammy winning song, Left Behind is certainly proof of that.
But he's unfortunately the last person she wants to have that conversation with.
She finally decides that if anyone kept in contact with Rachel or Santana it would be Brittany and so she sets out to find out where the blonde ended up.
…
It doesn't take too long to find Brittany in L.A. working at Gilmore Financial as an analyst, though Quinn does have to double check the information three times to really believe it.
Quinn supposes she shouldn't be surprised by anything about Brittany, after all she experienced at McKinley, but so much time has passed that it probably allowed her to lose her immunity to the unpredictability that is Brittany S. Pierce.
She can't make the call though. She spends the afternoon, watching TV, stopping on channels that may mention Santana again; and staring at the post it with Brittany's phone number on it.
She tries to shake it off as she goes to pick up the boys at daycare. She's quiet, content to listen to their chatter about their days. And when Kate gets home, it's obvious is something is wrong, but it'd definitely not something she wants to discuss in front of the boys.
That evening in bed, it all comes out and after, Quinn falls asleep in Kate's arms, exhausted from so many tears.
…
Quinn finally works up the nerve to call Brittany on Sunday. Because of the time difference, she forces herself to wait until noon. Nervous, she quickly punches in the numbers and hits call not wanting to give herself a chance to back out.
It's answered on the second ring. "Hello?"
"Is Brittany there?"
"Speaking."
"Uh, hi, Britt, it's, uh, Quinn. Quinn Fabray."
"Oh my god, Quinn, hi. How are things?"
"They're good. You?"
"I'm doing very well, thanks."
"Good. Good to hear."
"So, Quinn," Brittany says. "What's up?"
"Uh…" Maybe Quinn should have planned out what she was going to say first.
Thankfully, Brittany takes pity on her. "Is this about Beth?"
"Yes," Quinn replies, timidly.
"How much do you know?"
"Just what I've read online," Quinn says. "Though I did manage to find Shelby's obituary."
"Okay then," Brittany says with a sigh. "I'm going to tell you a story and hopefully that'll answer your questions. Okay?"
Quinn nods and then remembers she's on the phone. "Okay."
"Shelby sought Rachel out about six years ago, wanting to reattempt a relationship. Rachel eventually agreed and so she and Santana had dinner with Shelby, Beth and Abby. Abby is Shelby's niece who she was raising because her younger brother, the single father died when Beth was seven and Abby was four.
"As time passed, Beth and Abby became closer to Rachel and Santana, which is apparently what Shelby wanted. She had cancer, a cardiac sarcoma of the heart. Both her parents were dead and she had no other family. Shelby considered seeking out you or Puck, but knew she couldn't expect either of you to also take Abby, so she set her sights on Rachel and Santana.
"Of course she didn't tell Rachel or Santana, nor did she mention it to Beth or Abby and so when Shelby passed away, custody was given to Rachel and Santana to everyone's surprise. Beth was sixteen and Abby was thirteen. They moved in with Rachel and Santana and have been with them ever since."
"Beth's twenty," Quinn says. "Please tell me she's going to college."
"She's going to NYU," Brittany replies. "Majoring in Mathematics."
"Math?"
"Uh huh."
"That's…
"Unexpected, yes," Brittany says. "No one saw it coming."
"And she's… okay?"
"She's great," Brittany replies. "She's turned into a wonderful young woman."
"And she's happy?"
"She is."
"Okay," Quinn says quietly.
"Uh, Quinn," Brittany says after a few minutes of quiet. "Are you going to try and contact her?"
"I… I don't know."
"I don't think you should."
"What? Why not?"
"Because it'd be better if she sought you out," Brittany answers. "Remember what happened with Shelby and Rachel? If the mother seeks out the child, it never ends well."
"You can't say that based off one incident," Quinn replies. "Especially from Berry's life."
Brittany sighs. "You know I'm right."
Quinn doesn't respond.
"Besides," Brittany continues. "You're doing well. You've moved on. You've got a family of your own now."
"How do you know that?"
"I just do," Brittany replies.
"I won't make any promises," Quinn says finally.
"I mean it Quinn," Brittany tells her. "I know you'll never forget, nor should you. But it's been twenty years and things are the way they're supposed to be."
"You don't know that."
"Actually I feel pretty confident that I do," Brittany says.
Quinn is quiet again, eyes watering.
"I am sorry, Quinn," Brittany says. "I didn't mean to hurt you; I'm just trying to be honest."
"I know, Britt. I should probably just be grateful you've told me as much as you have."
"Live your life, Quinn," Brittany says. "Enjoy the existence you're living."
"I was. Until…"
"And you can be again."
There are tears streaming down Quinn's face now. "I'm gonna go," she sniffles.
"Okay. Call again if you feel like it."
"Bye Brittany."
"Good bye Quinn."
…
Kate finds Quinn staring at her cell phone at the kitchen table. She wonders how long she's been sitting there since she and the boys have been gone for hours.
"Honey?" Kate says quietly, sitting next to Quinn. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"She's happy," Quinn says. "She's going to college and doing well. I should be okay with that. But I can't be because Shelby left her to Rachel freaking Berry."
Kate knows a great deal of Quinn's history and so the name Rachel Berry has come up numerous times. However, it did take a while for Kate to realize that it was the same Rachel Berry that sang with Guys in Vans Who Want Burritos, a band she's quite fond of.
The fact that it's one of Kate's favorite bands is an odd point of contention between them. Quinn has yet to explain why she hates them so much.
"Do you wish Shelby would have sought you out? Had given you custody?" Kate asks quietly.
"What? No. Yes. I don't know. Maybe." Quinn sighs. "No. Being up rooted like that would have been difficult for her, I'm sure. You know, in addition to dealing with the death of her mother."
"Or what if she'd given custody to Beth's father?" Kate asks.
"Puck? No freaking way," Quinn snaps. "That bastard is too busy acting like a damn stereo typical rock star to be a good father, especially to a sixteen year old."
"Um, okay."
"I just…" Quinn sighs. "It's Rachel."
"All right," Kate says. "But she's married to Santana, who used to be one of your best friends. Shouldn't that comfort you somewhat?"
"Maybe."
"I guess I just don't understand why this is bothering you so much," Kate tells her.
"Because I never really dealt with it," Quinn replies. "I was fine, pushing it aside and forgetting about it. But now… Now knowing that Berry and Santana were her guardians, even if it was only for a couple years has stirred it all up again."
"Okay, so what's going to make you feel better about it then?"
"I want to see her," Quinn says. "But Brittany doesn't think that's such a good idea."
"But you don't agree?"
"I don't know. I mean, B's actually seen her. She's still in contact with San and Berry. I guess she probably would know better than me."
"There's nothing wrong with trusting someone else's judgment on the subject," Kate agrees.
"She is happy," Quinn says. "I mean, that means I made the right choice, right?"
"I would think so."
"And I'm happy, so that's good too."
"It certainly is."
"Okay," Quinn says.
"Okay?"
"Well, I will be."
"Okay."
Quinn glances over at the clock. "I know it's a bit early, but we should go out for dinner."
"Really?"
"Sure," Quinn says. "Didn't James want to try that new pizza place?"
"He's mentioned it a dozen or so times, yes," Kate replies.
"Okay, then. It's settled," Quinn says. "We're going."
"All right, I'll go tell them."
"Good, I'll go change." Quinn stands, grabs Kate's wrist before she can leave the kitchen and tugs her into an embrace. "I love you," Quinn says after kissing her lightly on the lips.
"I love you too."