Full Summary: Belle comes back to New York to find Coraline to convince her to find her way back to the Enchanted Forest. Coraline, who has been living as Danni Gallia in New York, a wealthy heiress and friend and flatmate to Rachel and Quinn, is a Broadway producer with a sketchy past who looks to convey True Love on stage while fighting her own inner demons. Rachel is the lead in her newest play, which is closing soon. Quinn is one of her writers and a novelist. Santana is head of her legal department and Brittany is her choreographer. It is a match made in Broadway Heaven until Belle shows up to bring her home to the Enchanted Forest and back to Will, because sometimes you just have to go home again.
Prologue (Teaser)
They were just about to head to the club from the last presentation of Danni's latest Broadway hit. Rachel and Quinn were happy and waiting for Danni backstage. Rachel had already changed. They were going out and having the final cast and crew party. Danni had rented out a club for the night, much to Rachel and Quinn's surprise. They were all buzzing about the Tonys and how they were all going to win, Rachel for lead actress and score, Quinn for writing and score, and Danni for direction, score and writing. They were Broadway's newest dream team and they were working it for all it was worth. They were happy and they had plenty of reason to be.
They got out of limo that Danni had rented them for the night. Rachel was on Quinn's arm and they were doing their best to hook Danni up with someone from the play. Danni, of course, wasn't cooperating. She loved her friends, but she wasn't ready to move on.
The three hit the bar and ordered drinks. Danni got a whiskey while, Quinn and Rachel were sipping on Rum and Cokes. They were heading to the table that was reserved for them. Danni was watching the crowd like she always did. Quinn and Rachel watched her watching everyone else.
They made their normal speeches. Two years and the "family" was breaking up until Quinn and Danni came up with another one for them. It was emotional in the room, but no one was crying. They were all happy, taking pictures and getting pleasantly drunk. For Danni, it was just another chapter in her life. For Rachel and Quinn, it the end of one project and the beginning of a much needed vacation.
They were sitting at their table talking about what they were going to do with their new found time off, enjoying their drinks, and laughing. Quinn watched as every part of Danni tensed. She elbowed Rachel who turned around to face them and she saw it, too. They turned to see what Danni was staring at when they say a petite woman, no more than thirty with piercing blue eyes and auburn hair standing in the door way of the club. Danni seemed to be transfixed.
"Who is she?" Rachel asked Quinn.
"I don't know. I've never seen her before. But, it is obvious that Danni knows her," Quinn replied.
Danni shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Rachel shot her a look, but she didn't explain anything to Rachel or Quinn about her countenance. She just sat stock still and with incredibly perfect posture.
Rachel, being the inquisitive person that she was, stood up and headed for the woman. Quinn just smiled and watching her as she went. She leaned over to Danni, hoping that she would answer the question once it was asked.
"You want to tell me who that is before Rachel gets back with her?" Quinn questioned.
"For lack of a better term, she's my step-mother," Danni told her.
Their eyes met. Deep brown worried the hazel, but Quinn decided to wait to push her friend about the woman. She seemed visibly upset by seeing her. She knew that Danni was secretive about her family life and everything before they 'met in New York. She just always assumed that they were dead because of the small fortune that Danni used to bankroll their lives. but the appearance of this woman was throwing some serious kinks in the stories that Danni had told them.
"Is there anything that you want to tell me about her?"
"She shouldn't be here. There is no way that she should be here. They're all gone. How did she get back? Why is she here? She can't be here. I have to go. I...Quinn. I'm sorry. Tell Rach...I can't...I just can't do this right now. I am sorry," Danni told her as she stood up to leave.
"Where are you going?" Quinn demanded.
"I'll go back to the lofts. I can't see her. Not tonight. I am sorry..."
"Stop apologizing. Danni and tell me something that I can work with. Rachel is going to bring her over her and she is going to get the woman to talk. So tell me something that I can use to buy you some time, because we both know that Rachel isn't going to give up until she finds out what she wants to know about this whole situation. She's like a dog with a bone. Give me something that will knock Rach of her scent long enough until I can her home," Quinn told her.
Danni looked at her friend. She knew that she owed her some sort of explanation for her behavior but she couldn't think of a single reason that they would understand. Danni wasn't like them. She wasn't from here. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape her past. It always came calling and this time she knew that she couldn't not answer. Something was wrong back at home for "step-mother" to have come to get her.
"Danni..."
"Quinn, how old do I look to you?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"Just answer it please," Danni demanded.
"I don't know, thirty-ish?"
"I wish that was the case. I am a lot old than I appear. I am also not from here."
"What the Hell does that mean?" Quinn asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me."
"You know all those stories and fairy tales that you learned as a kid'7"
"Yeah," Quinn replied.
"What if I told you that they weren't just stories?"
"What are you trying to say?" Quinn questioned, cocking her eyebrow.
Danni didn't have time to answer. Rachel was back at the table with the other woman in tow. When Quinn saw her, she couldn't help but see her beauty. She turned back to Danni who just paled as the woman sat down beside Rachel. That was when Quinn realized that Rachel didn't see what the woman's presence was doing to Danni.
"So, Danni, why didn't you tell us that you had a sister and that she was in town?" Rachel asked her.
"Because she shouldn't be here. I haven't seen her in ages," Danni replied.
"It has been too long," the other woman replied.
"Why are you here?" Danni asked forcefully.
"Ruby needs your help. Your mothers need you. Henry needs you. We need you to come home."
"I can't be what you need, and you all know that. I did what I had to do to make sure that you all survived and the price of that was living without you. Nothing has changed, Belle. I can't. I took the punishment willingly. How did you even get here?" Danni asked, tears filling her eyes now.
Rachel and Quinn just stared at each other. They didn't understand what was happening in front of them. They both knew that Danni didn't talk about her family much. They didn't push because it seemed to be a sore subject for her. It was something that Quinn understood and she kept Rachel from making it into a big deal. But now, Belle, supposedly Danni's sister, was sitting at the table with them. Quinn looked over at the woman and couldn't see a resemblance. She wondered if that is why Danni told her that Belle was her "step-mother."
"I'm sorry," Danni told them she jumped up from the table, tears streaming down her face and running away from them, the table, and the club.
Rachel gave Quinn's thigh a squeeze and met her gaze. The unspoken agreement formed between them. Rachel gathered her clutch, took a sip of her cocktail, and stood up to excuse herself.
"I'll go get her," Rachel said, quickly following her.
Rachel gave Quinn another look as she went through the door. Quinn just looked across the small table at the other woman and wondered what had happened to her night. They should be riding the high of another successful Broadway show and instead they were scattering into the wind. She wasn't drunk enough to deal with this tonight.
"I take it she isn't very good with emotions," Belle said quietly.
Quinn just picked up her rum and Coke. She stared into the bright sapphire eyes and took a sip. She didn't know how to respond. Danni was her friend and this woman had just completely upset in a matter of seconds. She wanted to punch something, namely this Belle person, but she knew that both Danni and Rachel would be upset with her for doing that. She sat her glass down and looked around the club. Her eyes finally found those of her best friend and the productions' lawyer on the dance floor.
She merely nodded and the fiery Latina started making her way across the dance floor. There was an unwritten rule between them and Quinn was glad for it. She was stuck in the club trying to figure out how to clean up a mess that she didn't understand. She was going to need Santana's help in making sure that she didn't do anything too illegal and get home to Danni before something else happened.
"What's up Q?" Santana asked as she came up to the table.
"This is Danni's sister, Belle," Quinn told her.
The Latina sat down. She cocked her head as she studied the woman before her. There was something off about what Quinn told her and when she realized that both Rachel and Danni were gone, she knew that this woman had to be the reason for their vacancy.
"Where's the Hobbit and Storyteller?" Santana asked them.
"Rachel went after Danni when she left."
"What did you do to my main bitches, Puta?" Santana asked the blue-eyed woman.
"I need to take my sister home. I didn't mean to upset anyone, but this is a family matter. I am sure that you understand," Belle told them both, before she turned to face Quinn more directly. "Will you please take me to her? Time is of the essence and I need to get her home."
"I am not sure that she wants to see you. And, I am not just going to take you to our loft. So, you need to give me a good enough reason to help you, or you can figure out how to make Danni talk to you on your own. Cause right now, I am not going to help you," Quinn told her.
"Like I said this is a family matter," Belle started to say.
"Danni is our family," Santana added quickly, giving Belle a look daring her to contradict.
"I would like to help you, Belle is it, but until you tell me how she ended up in New York, broken and defeated on a cold, rainy winter day, I have nothing to offer you," Quinn added.
"She was hurt?" Belle inquired.
The raw emotion in her voice and the sudden appearance of tears in her eyes made Quinn second guess being so hard on the petite woman. She looked her over. Her clothes were a little off, like they were a few years old fashion-wise, but nothing too bad. The look of horror and pure pain in her blue eyes ripped at Quinn's soul. She knew that pain. She could taste it.
"You don't know what happened to her, do you?" Quinn asked.
"No, I really don't. There were some issues and some fighting. Danni fought back and took care of it. Then, she was gone. I don't know what happened completely, but I've been looking for her for over three years. Every chance I got, I looked for her. She just disappeared. She left us a note saying she was leaving and nothing more, no explanation. I know that she was upset with her mothers, but she left without trying to figure anything out. We all love her and we want her to come home. I need to talk to her. I know that she did something, something that should have never been asked of her. I know that whatever she did ensured our prosperity, but that doesn't mean that she can't come back home," Belle explained.
"What do you mean that she did something to ensure your prosperity?" Quinn asked.
"How much of her past has she told you about?"
"Nothing really. She actually told me that you were her step-mother, but Rachel introduced you to us as her sister. I don't know what to think or believe. So, convince me to take you to her and I might do that. If not, you can fuck off and leave," Quinn told her.
"I would rather not do this in public," Belle stated.
"Too bad. You came here, so now you talk. Or, there's the door," Santana told her.
"We can go anywhere, but please don't make me do this here in a crowded place."
"It's New York City, lady. It's crowded. Get over it," Santana quipped.
"Quinn, s'il vous plaît."
"Non, je ne me soucie pas que ous parlcz français. I am not going to betray Danni. So either tell me something that I can believe and I'll talk to Danni," Quinn said as her hazel eyes hardened.
Belle realized that they were fiercely loyal to her and she smiled. It made Quinn and Santana a little more edgy and she knew it but she couldn't help it. She knew that Coraline could command anyone if she wanted to, but she chose these women to be her inner circle. Belle knew that there had to be a reason for it. She just needed to keep talking to them so she could find a way to make them believe her, too. Coraline had changed her name but she hadn't forgotten who she was. It was a start and that was all Belle would need in order to convince her ward to come back home.
"My name is Belle French Lucas. I am married to Danni's Aunt Ruby. Ruby is the sister to one of her mothers. Unfortunately when she was little something very bad happened. Ruby and I ended up raising her. That is why she calls me her step-mother. Some more things happened in our kingdom and she had to leave. She did what she had to do to save us, but...it's hard to explain fully. But during that time, she told everyone that she was my sister so she could do what she had to do."
Rachel sat on the couch in the loft and just stared at Danni. She didn't know what to say because she had never seen her friend in this state. Danni wasn't one to just shut down and that is exactly what she had done. Rachel had to run after her to catch her.
"You wanna talk?" Rachel asked her.
"No."
She wanted to help her friend, but she didn't know how. Danni seemed to be lost in her own thoughts as tears streamed down her face in slow succession. Finally, she could take it anymore. She got up and crossed the room. She forced Danni into an embrace and just held her as the anguish passed through Danni's body. She was about to say something to her when she felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out and noticed that it was a text message from Quinn.
Quinn was worried about her, too. She remembered how Danni was a few years ago when they found her at the club. She looked lost and hollow. They reached out to her and started their strange friendship. No one in the business could understand how someone of Danni's countenance became friends with the dynamic Broadway duo of Q and R. Well, that is until they met Santana and Brittany, then it made sense. But, Rachel could be friends with anyone and that was one of the reasons that she was the one at home with Danni while Quinn was still at the club trying to feel Belle out.
"Danni, what happened with your family?"
"I can't tell you."
"You can tell me. It won't change anything, okay? Quinn and I are here for you. We aren't going to leave you. We are your friends," Rachel told her.
"That is why I can't tell you. It is dangerous enough being associated with me. If you knew the truth, it could be deadly...for everyone," Danni offered with no more explanation.
"Danni...Quinn is still at the club with your sister. She is going to find out what happened or something close to it. I know that you might not want to tell us, but that may not stop your sister. Quinn texted me to tell me that she and Santana are talking to Belle. If you don't want to see her, fine, but she wants to talk to you. Quinn is fielding her off for the moment. But if she found you at the club on our closing night, how long do you think it would take her to find the loft and you?" Rachel asked.
"She is damn resourceful," Danni muttered.
"She must be if she found you in the City by herself."
Danni looked over at the smaller brunette. She saw the worry in her dark eyes and was upset that she was the reason that it was there. She pulled away and shook her head. She knew that Belle wasn't going to give up. She made the decision. She would leave in the night. It would be the safest thing for them all. She wasn't sure if she would leave a note or not. She knew that she owed Quinn and Rachel an explanation, especially after everything that they'd been through, but she didn't know if it would lead them to her in the end. She had to be careful. She had to lead Belle away from them and still get away. They couldn't know the truth of her fairy tale life. For one, they wouldn't believe her. And, they wouldn't understand any of it, either.
Rachel watched her lighter brown eyes. She could see the thoughts flowing quickly and she knew what it meant. Danni was going to run. She'd promised that she wouldn't after they found her that night. She promised that she would always tell them truth, but whatever this was, this secret, it was breaking Danni right in front of her and there was nothing she could do about it. She grabbed her phone and texted Quinn three words: She's gonna run.
"I'm going to go lay down. I'm tired. I didn't realize how much the play took out of me."
"Danni…"
"Not tonight, Rach. Please. Just let me sleep and I'll tell you everything in the morning."
Rachel knew that it wasn't true, but she just nodded anyway. She didn't care that Danni was lying to her about talking to her in the morning. Her heart broke with each step that Danni took towards her room. She wondered how long she had before Danni would make a break for it. She looked around their loft penthouse and was glad that she would have to go through the main rooms to get out. Rachel then hatched a plan. They would take turns staying up, guarding the front door, so Danni couldn't run in the middle of the night without them knowing.
Rachel grabbed her phone. She typed out another quick text to Quinn and then waited. She hated waiting. She loathed it. She held her phone as she turned the leather recliner to face Danni's door. She felt the buzz telling her that Quinn had answered her text.
What do you mean she's running?
She's gonna run. I could see it in her eyes.
I'm still with Belle. She's glossing over the family history.
They share some secret and it is tearing Danni up.
Do you want me to come home?
Not yet. Try and get what you can out of' her sister. Just be careful.
I am. I got S with me. She won't let her sister do anything to me.
I know, but this scares me.
Why?
There is just something in her eyes that I can't describe.
You're at loss for words?
Don't...just find out something.
I'm trying. Keep her there. We'll be home as soon as possible.
We?
S and B. You know that she isn't going to let D run. She'll sit on her first.
I know. I love you. Be careful.
Always my beautiful stella.
Rachel smiled at the phone. She hoped that Quinn would be home soon and that they could figure out how to get Danni to open up again. She thought about going into her room and getting in bed with her, holding her, and making her realize that there were people there that cared. But the look that had been in Danni's eyes worried her so much that she wasn't sure it would work this time.
Danni opened the door to her room. She saw the little starlet in the chair facing her and her face fell. She knew then that it wasn't going to be easy to get out. She would have to find a different way to get passed them. She wondered if she would have to break down and give them so truth. When her eyes met Rachel's, she realized that Quinn was still at the club with Belle. She sighed. It was going to be a long night.
Quinn sipped on her drink. She kept studying the woman before her. Santana had left the table only long enough to get another drink and find Brittany. When she looked over Belle's shoulder, she saw Santana and Brittany heading back towards the table. Santana had a tray of shots in her hand and two beers. Quinn could only shake her head. She knew that Santana would try to get Belle drunk to get to the truth because it was what she did to Quinn when Quinn didn't want to talk.
She was just putting her phone away when Santana set the tray down. She watched her pass the shots around the table as she eyed Belle the entire time. Brittany's bubbly attitude was infectious and Quinn perked up a little, but she couldn't dampen the worry that was growing because of Rachel's texts.
"Alright, Short Stack, drink up and get to talkin'," Santana told Belle.
Belle looked at the Latina. There was no fire in her eyes. She actually looked sad and worried. It didn't faze Santana. She merely pushed the shot closer to her.
Belle picked the shot up slowly. She looked around the table. She met Quinn's hazel eyes first. Then she turned to face the fiery Latina. Santana just smirked at her as she held the glass higher about to tip it into her mouth. Then she looked into Brittany's bright blue eyes and took the drink. She slammed the glass on the table upside down, staring back into Santana's eyes.
"It's Bookworm," she said cocking an eyebrow at her in defiance.
"Excuse me?" Santana asked, after downing her shot.
"My nickname is Bookworm. I believe it was originally given to me to be derogatory, but I was the town librarian, historian, and I love to read. I understand your need to be larger than life, Miss Lopez, but I assure you than I'm not here to hurt anyone. I just need to talk to my little sister."
Santana stared at her. They hadn't given her their names. How did she know that she was Santana Lopez? Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Do not worry about what I know and what I don't. I know that Danni is in pain and hasn't told you everything. I get it. Your defense of her is honorable but unnecessary."
"Well, I think it is. She obviously doesn't want to talk to you. She left."
"I need her to come home," Belle stressed the last word as she said it.
"She is home," Quinn said quickly, letting the anger that had been building seep through her voice, so much that Santana gave her an appreciative and smug look.
"Yeah, she lives with Rachel und Quinn. They love each other and share their loft. Why would she want to leave that? They take care of her. We're her family or that's what she told me the other day. We are her family, right, S?" Brittany asked looking to Santana for the answer.
"Yes. Britt-Britt, we're her family, now. She didn't lie to you. She loves you, too, baby. But, Bookworm over there is her sister," Santana explained to the blonde bringing her up to speed.
"Oh, well, what did she do that her family abandoned her when she needed you?" Brittany asked.
Santana and Quinn both turned to read the expression on Belle's face. Sometimes having Brittany as friend helped them in sticky situations like this. Her innocence always helped people open up when they normally wouldn't. Quinn cocked an eyebrow at her waiting for her response. Santana just glared. But, it wasn't until Belle met Brittany's clear blue eyes again that she opened her mouth.
"She killed a man."