WASTED
don't waste it
it's only here for today
you don't own it
so you can't just give it away
forever, forever is half a moment away
so don't waste it
it's only here for today
Rachel Berry was a very determined girl.
It was a known fact that when there was something she wanted, she worked with all of her might to get it. No excuses were acceptable, and nothing was going to get in her way. No one was going to get in her way. Sometimes it wasn't a very good quality to have, even she knew that. She just couldn't help herself! Her wishes, her dreams, her must-haves... she had to work for them, get them. She could step on toes, she could even hurt her best friend (she still regretted how she'd almost gone too far with Kurt; she'd almost lost him during the campaign for president, and sure, she might have won it, but would anything have been worth it, if she'd lost Kurt – her absolutely favourite friend in the entire world – because of it?).
She'd worked with herself though, tried to be better so she didn't come off quite as careless, quite as ruthless. If ruthless could even describe her, because... she wasn't ruthless. She cared, she did. She cared about what happened to other people, sometimes she just didn't see it until it was too late. But she'd been better, she knew it. After everything that happened when she cheated in favour of Kurt and got suspended so she couldn't compete at Sectionals, she'd really grown up. Even through West Side Story and losing Mercedes, she'd even started to befriend Santana, which was evidence enough that she was growing up – that they were all growing up. And it was a good feeling, because it was nice to care that way about someone, and still work with determination.
The most wonderful thing about this growing up though... it was the fact that she'd gotten to know Quinn Fabray in a truly positive way. It had started out very slowly. During junior year she'd thought that they were friends, but it had turned out that they weren't at all, and that Quinn was just playing her. But this time... this time they'd truly started a friendship. After Sectionals and the moments they'd shared, everything had been truly wonderful. Quinn had applied to NYC and she'd applied to NYADA, and she had a good feeling that they'd both get in. She'd be going to New York with Kurt and Quinn, and she couldn't wish for more.
Their tentative friendship had grown very fast when they'd finally let it. During Christmas and New Years they'd spent so much time together, shopping and just having fun, and it had been wonderful. Quinn had been the female friend she'd never really had in either Tina or Mercedes, and she'd been able to tell her everything.
Even when things with Finn started going wrong again (and seriously, now that they'd split for, what was it?, the third time, she wondered why it was she'd even thought that they'd make it work this time) Quinn had been the friend she needed. It was surprising, really, because they'd used to fight for him the way they had, and she'd feared that maybe Quinn would do a 180 and turn everything upside-down again. Thankfully, she hadn't, and she'd been there with good advice instead. Rachel had even felt more comfortable talking to her than to Kurt, giving his relationship with Finn.
And when they finally broke up, just after spring break senior year, Quinn had been her shoulder to cry on, her person to vent to. And the blonde girl hadn't batted an eyelash; she'd simply just listened, really listened to everything that Rachel had to say. Santana still tended to mock her for some of her problems, so she'd relied on Quinn completely, and it had been a wonderful feeling.
Until the day during summer break that Santana had marched right into her room mid-yoga-routine and told her in a not so pleasant way, that she better get herself together and ask Quinn out on a date.
Rachel had, of course, been completely confused, and even though there had been this certain pang in her chest lately, when Quinn talked about her summer fling (a college guy who was home for the holidays), she'd written it off as pure jealousy of the relationship, because it had been months since she broke up with Finn. Turned out, Santana had a completely different view on the situation, and as soon as she'd proclaimed her thoughts, everything hit Rachel like a ton of bricks, and she just knew. She knew – she was in love with Quinn Fabray.
How she hadn't seen it, she'd never know. Seriously, she knew she had fallen for Finn right after hearing him sing; she knew she liked Jesse the minute they sang Hello together, and Puck had sort of always been really hot and this Jewish fantasy of hers. And Blaine? Right after kissing him, she'd been interested. These things had never been hard for her to realise, so she just didn't get why this thing with Quinn had snuck up on her the way it had. Although, Quinn was a girl, that was quite obvious, and a beautiful one at that, so she could understand why she'd be fascinated with that. She'd always been fascinated with Quinn in a way, always been jealous, wished she was the All-American girl that Quinn Fabray seemed to be. But from that to falling for her? That was quite a stretch. It was obvious to her though, the second Santana told her to get it together and ask Quinn out.
That was just the problem then, how would she go about it? She'd never really been one to hide her feelings very well, and once she realised that she had them, she became so painfully aware of it, that she stuttered and acted like a complete moron whenever she was near Quinn – much to Santana's amusement. Quinn though, seemed quite confused about the entire matter, and Rachel was conflicted, because she'd spent all her high school life wanting to be friends with Quinn Fabray, and the second that happened, she started longing for something more. It was stupid, really, because Quinn was as straight as they got; she was practically the picture of it.
Or at least that's what Rachel moaned about... until Santana told her to go fuck herself, because Quinn was gay. Gay gay gay. And apparently also in love with Rachel. Which, to be honest, pleased Rachel a lot, because wasn't that what she wanted? She was still a bit unsure, but when Quinn's summer fling ended with that college dude, Santana forced her to do something about this 'mess'. Therefore, she'd told herself to do it and asked Quinn out.
Which had been the beginning of a truly wonderful relationship. Seriously. Whenever she was with Quinn, Rachel regretted the fact that it was only then that they'd started going out. They'd had a few weeks of summer together, before they'd had to go to their separate colleges. Thankfully, both happened to be in New York, so they could still see each other. Although it wasn't ideal, they made it work.
Rachel's fathers had been ecstatic to learn that Rachel was now dating a female, and on top of that, it was the beautiful Quinn Fabray. Quinn's mother though... hadn't been that happy to learn who Quinn was dating. They'd gone back to Lima during the break in fall, and Quinn had felt that it was time to come out. Judy Fabray had thrown her out the second she heard the news. She'd told her to get lost, to never come back. It might've helped if she hadn't caught them kissing on her front porch before Quinn managed to utter a word, but nonetheless, Quinn had to stay with the Berrys for the rest of that break. And now that they were back for Christmas break, Quinn had tried to go see her mother again, but she'd refused to talk to her if she was 'still dating that girl'.
So Quinn had had to once more go to Rachel's house – it had been the plan anyway, to spend Christmas/Hanukkah with them, but she'd hoped to get her mother to speak with her in some way. They'd spoken over the phone a few times, but their conversations had always been forced and uncomfortable. Quinn was crushed about it; but Rachel had kept trying to keep her spirits up, by saying that she'd come around, that she should try talking to her in person once they got back to Lima again. But Judy Fabray was cold as ice when they went to her home. She'd completely ignored them at first, and when Quinn continued to pursue her, she'd flipped out on them and started calling them names.
Quinn's mood wasn't the best after that, of course it wasn't, so Rachel had called for Brittany and Santana who were both in town – she figured, if anyone could be able to cheer her girlfriend up, it was the two people she'd known the best in high school. Santana had told her to 'fucking fix things right fucking now', which in Rachel's ears sounded like the Latina wanted her to make things better for Quinn. Which was why she'd told the other couple to take Quinn out for a day of fun – a day to do girly things. And Rachel herself? She'd grabbed some things and went straight to the Fabray residence. She was certain that she'd be able to talk some sense into her mother-in-law, at least she'd give it a try.
She was a very persuasive person after all, and her character was just downright charming and lovable. Plus, she was used to getting what she wanted (this was where her determination came in handy), and she wasn't going to change that now. She wanted a mother-in-law who loved her, and she was going to get one.
She had a plan, too. A pretty wonderful one at that, and she was going to make Judy Fabray love her. She was going to make Judy Fabray accept her. And that was that.
Knocking on the door to Quinn's childhood home, Rachel had to admit that she felt slightly nervous. That was acceptable though, giving the circumstances. How wasn't Judy going to react when she saw her standing there? Rachel feared that she might try to smack the door in her face, but then again, she was quick like a ninja (all of her dance-classes really made that easy for her) so she could just prevent the woman from completing the task by putting a foot between the door and the threshold.
When the door opened, Judy's face turned from surprised to sour within just a few quick seconds. "What are you doing here?"
Rachel did hear how she emphasized the word 'you' as if to inform her that she really wasn't welcome, but the diva wasn't going to let that stop or even affect her. She was there for a reason. "I am needing to talk to you, Mrs. Fabray." she informed her.
"Well, I don't want to talk to you or my daughter." Judy replied, staring her down, "Goodbye Ms. Berry." she finished, and just as she was about to close the door, Rachel did that ninja-thing she'd been thinking about earlier, thus making it very difficult for the other woman to do so – her foot was in the way.
The brunette smiled up at the other woman, charmingly battening her eyelashes. She didn't understand how Judy Fabray could be so repulsed by her. She'd really done her absolutely best to look presentable today. She'd gone with her striped headband, she wore her prettiest green knee-highs and her favourite dotted skirt. Of course she'd matched it up with a somewhat simpler white t-shirt with a vest above it, because she didn't want to look ridiculous. "Give me just a few minutes. I'm here for Quinn." she said.
Judy seemed to think about that for a second or two – apparently such simple request needed great contemplation – but eventually she did open the door. Stepping aside, she let the tiny girl pass. "You have five minutes. I need to leave for church." she replied, closing the door behind her.
"I shall try to say everything that I need to say in less than five minutes." Rachel promised her, as she followed her down the long hallway towards the living room. Of course she knew the way by heart; she'd been a regular guest in this house when her and Quinn were just friends, and at that point, Judy had seemed to adore her. Rachel even recalled that one time where Judy had told her that she really appreciated how Quinn had finally gotten a friend who was going somewhere with her life. Rachel hadn't really liked how she'd referred to Santana and Brittany as young females with no future, but she'd appreciated the gesture nonetheless.
Judy took a seat on the couch, and Rachel sat down on the chair, placing her bag on the table. "So why are you here, Ms. Berry?"
"Mrs. Fabray," Rachel begun, and she really loathed how they were suddenly so formal with each other. When they were in high school, she had been Rachel, and Judy had been Judy. "I am here because I am worried for Quinn. She's really upset, and she feel worse and worse. She can't follow her school-work. She misses you."
Dusting some invisible dust bunnies off her couch, Judy raised an eyebrow. "Well, that is my daughter's own fault. I did not make that choice for her. God can forgive many things, like when she had that baby with that Puck, but this? He cannot forgive her for living a life of sin."
Rachel licked her lips; she had prepared herself that this was going to be a difficult situation, but Judy was bringing out the big cards early in their conversation. "God loves all his children." she replied. "Quinn still believes. She prays, she goes to church. Not every Sunday, but she goes."
"It's not right." Judy said then as she glared straight at her. "And I hate you, Rachel Berry, for pulling my daughter with you into your life of sin." she huffed, "I tried to be okay with it when she started spending time with you and your – your fathers, I thought 'My Quinn is a good person, she sees that you need guidance, that you need help'. I should have forbidden her to spend time with you!"
Swallowing, Rachel had to control herself. She didn't want to get worked up, to perhaps raise her voice with Judy. It was just difficult when the older woman said preposterous things about her fathers and the way she was brought up. It was hard to hear, but she had to control herself for the sake of Quinn. "Quinn was gay before she started dating me." she replied, and she couldn't help but notice how Judy flinched when she said the word 'gay', "If I hadn't been the girl, it would have been someone else."
Judy shook her head, "See, I don't believe that to be the truth."
The brunette unzipped her bag then, getting ready to wrap things up soon. "I didn't come here to argue with you, Mrs. Fabray. I came here for Quinn. I spend time with her everyday, and I can see how upset she is. She misses you, she misses her sister." she looked at the other woman, sadly, because she knew Quinn's pain. She couldn't imagine what it had to be like, giving up on your family, just to be yourself. She was glad that she never had to go through that. "I would really hope that someday you'd come to realise that love is love, and that Quinn and I – we can have a life together, we can marry each other and give you grandchildren, just as well as Quinn would be able to with a man."
Judy turned her head to the side, not wanting to either look or listen to her.
"We're going to do well for ourselves, we have it all figured out." Rachel continued. Even though Judy was pretending not to be listening, Rachel knew that she was. No one could be that ice-cold about their own child, that was certain. "The only part missing is... is you."
Huffing, Judy looked at her again, "I cannot in any way condone that you two have children. What are they going to do without a father in their life?"
The diva shook her head, "Let's not discuss this now, it's... It's in the future, Mrs. Fabray. All I want from you – is your blessing. Quinn's not going to be truly happy before she gets it, and you know what? Neither am I. It means the world to us."
"I cannot give you my blessing. Not when I believe you are in the wrong." Judy replied firmly then, although her eyes had grown a bit softer.
Rachel smiled softly at her. "I know." she whispered. How could she ask for anyone to accept something that they didn't understand? The main problem with Judy was that she had no idea what this was about. She didn't get that it was exactly the same as a heterosexual relationship. She was too wound up in her old thoughts, and in the beliefs that her church preaches, what her ex-husband had practically shoved down her throat. So Rachel had decided that what Judy really needed – was education. "Which is why... I brought these for you."
Judy leaned slightly forward, seemingly very interested in what Rachel had to show her.
Picking up three DVD-cases, Rachel placed them on the coffee table between them. "It's a TV-show." she informed the older woman, "It's set in LA, and it's about this Christian family who moves there from the mid-west, and when they do, their daughter starts to realise that she's a lesbian." she explained slowly. She didn't want to give everything away, or perhaps even scare Judy off by saying too much, but she did have to make her intentions clear. She had thought about giving Quinn's mother the first season of The L Word, but then thought that that might be a bit too much. No, South of Nowhere was a much better choice, because it actually fit Quinn's situation very perfectly.
The older woman looked up at her; she was clearly interested, but then also a bit reluctant. "Of course she is." she murmured.
Rachel continued, "Yes, she is. And that becomes a problem for the family – especially her mother."
This seemed to catch Judy's interest, and she slowly picked up one of the cases to study it a bit closer. "And it's just about that?" she wanted to know then.
"A lot of other things happen as well." Rachel replied, eagerly. This was going a bit easier than she'd thought it would. Maybe it hadn't been such a bad idea after all, to bring the DVDs; it was an easier way for Judy to get acquainted with all of this. She could do it by herself, in her own time, watch just one episode if that was what she was most comfortable with. "It's mainly a a drama series, it focuses on the entire Carlin family." she nodded her head. "I'm just... I want you to give it a try, Judy. I know this is not... what you had wanted for your daughter." she motioned at herself, as she was sitting there, the dramatic geeky Rachel Berry. Honestly, she believed that Quinn could do much better, but what could she say? Quinn had chosen her, and all she could do was be thankful of that. "But – apparently, I'm what she wants. And I thank the Lord everyday for that. Quinn is truly an amazing and beautiful woman. I couldn't ask for better. You did well with her."
"Thank you." Judy murmured. She might seem hard as stone, but she was proud to hear these praises, that was clear.
Rachel stood up then, throwing her bag over one shoulder and looking down at Judy. "I'm not asking you or forcing you to watch these. I'm simply..." she searched for the right expression to this predicament, "...going to forget them here. On your coffee table. Do with them what you want, okay?" she finished.
Judy didn't answer her, she simply just looked at her, plainly, and Rachel took that as her cue to leave. She turned around with a whiff of her skirt and hurried out of the Fabray household.
She'd done everything she could do. The rest was up to Judy Fabray.
don't mess with my heart, don't mess with my mind
won't let you get us down this time
you'll like what you see, and take it from me
you'll learn to see it over time
"Oh my fucking God, what's up with all that frigging snow?" Santana moaned as she fell onto the couch in the Berry living room.
Brittany was looking into the backyard with a giant smile on her face. "I like the snow! It's so pretty and white and shiny! I wanna make snow angels!"
Santana groaned and covered her face with her hands. "We can make snow angels later, B!" she hissed through them.
Quinn laughed from her seat on the couch, "Let's drink this hot cocoa before we go outside, alright?" she asked them, and started pushing a cup in each direction. "Here's a vegan one for you, baby." she said and offered Rachel the last cup.
The diva smiled warmly at her girlfriend. How was it that Quinn was so amazing and beautiful and good to her? "Thank you, darling." she replied and pressed a kiss to the blonde's cheek. "You're the best."
"Yuck, you and your mushiness." Santana continued to fuss, but she sat up in the couch and reached for her drink all the same. Grabbing the whipped cream she made sure to put a giant pile of it on top of her cocoa, before she leaned back in her seat to enjoy it.
Quinn started to coerce Brittany into joining them at the table, and Rachel leaned back as well, her eyes focused on her drink. It was over a week since she had stopped by Judy's house to forget the DVDs, but she hadn't heard from the other woman yet. She was starting to fear that she might never hear from her. How could she be so wrong about something? She had been so certain, so sure of her bullet-proof plan! She had convinced herself that it was only going to be a matter of time before Judy was standing at the Berry front porch with the DVDs in one hand, and an apology in the other.
It wasn't happening though. She was really starting to get worried now. They were leaving in two days to go back to New York to celebrate the new year, and if they left without seeing Judy... her entire planned would have failed. She wouldn't be able to look herself in the eye – ever again! She would have let her future wife down, and how could she ever, possibly, forgive herself for that?
"Ooooh, it's snowing even more now!" Brittany sat down on the arm of the chair that Santana was sitting in; she was staring in awe out of the window, enthralled by the snow, while she blindly grabbed around for her cup.
The Latina guided the cup in her girlfriend's hands and said, "I promise, B – snow angels later." she sincerely said.
Brittany hummed in response and sipped her cocoa, just as there was a knock on the door, and the other three girls in the living room all turned to stare at each other, completely and entirely confused. Who could possibly be at the door right now? It was in the middle of the holidays, and Rachel's fathers were upstairs, not expecting company.
Rachel had a faint hope in the pit of her stomach about who it could be. But never had she actually believed that it would be possible. It was only a few days since she had been by her house and accidentally forgotten those DVDs. It would be a stretch to hope that it was actually her. But then again – as Rachel had earlier pointed out to herself; she was a very determined girl. She got what she wanted, so why should this be an exception?
When the doorbell rang again, Quinn turned to her with a quizzical look, "Are you going to open the door?" she queered with wide eyes. She looked cute right then and there, and Rachel wanted to kiss her.
Pushing herself off the couch, the diva excused herself and hurried down the hallway. Perhaps her fathers had invited company over, and just forgotten to tell her about it? She bit her lip in thought; that didn't sound right. No, there was only one possible person who could be on the other side of that door, and even though Rachel had never actually and truthfully believed that it would happen, perhaps she really was that persuasive! Maybe Judy Fabray had finally seen reason, and was ready to invite her daughter back into her life?
As she opened the door, Rachel practically had her heart in her throat. There, on the other side of it, was Judy Fabray. In all her glory. Rachel couldn't keep the smile off her face, even though Judy was looking rather uncomfortable and uncertain. This pleased Rachel though, and she couldn't hide that.
"Mrs. Fabray!" she exclaimed as her hand was clutching the doorknob so tightly that it had to be turning white. She licked her lips and gazed down at it. Yup, it was most definitely turning white (it was that determination shining through).
Judy had a bag hanging over one shoulder and was awkwardly shuffling between both feet. She offered the diva a tentative smile. "Hi…" she trailed off, forcing a bigger smile upon her lips, "Hi Rachel."
The brunette did not miss how she had suddenly moved from 'Ms. Berry' to 'Rachel' within just a few days, and that really warmed her heart. She swallowed the lump in her throat, "How can I help you?" she questioned, looking longingly to the bag across Judy's shoulders; she was hoping that it held her three DVDs, and that Judy had come to give them back after watching every an each episode.
The older woman – who had so much resemblance to the woman Rachel loved more than anyone else in this world – sighed. "I've… I've watched the DVDs." She said then, eagerly, almost excitingly, "And I'd very much like to – to come inside, and… and talk to you and Quinn? If I can?" she added the last part, sounding almost hopeful.
"Sure!" Rachel exclaimed, and she probably should have held Judy off for a little bit, but she was too excited to help herself. Judy didn't deserve to come back into Quinn's life easily, but Rachel also wanted to make sure that it happened. She stepped back slightly and allowed Judy to pass her into the house. "Quinn is just with Santana and Brittany in the living room." She explained, and motioned for Judy to follow her.
They walked down the hallway in silence; Rachel could hear the faint laughter and happiness from her girlfriend and best friends in the living room, and she hoped that Judy was about to make them even happier, not ruin the mood. Entering the room, Rachel's eyes locked with Santana's, and the Latina's brown pools turned wide when she saw who had come to join them.
Turning her head to see why the Latina had suddenly stopped laughing, Quinn's face seemed to freeze when she realised that her mother was standing behind her. "What are you doing here?" she questioned. She was surprised to see her, that was evident. But then again – it would have been weird if she hadn't been, it wasn't exactly a regular thing for her to see her mother.
"I… I came to see you, Quinnie." Judy started to explain as she took a step forward to meet her daughter halfway there.
Bouncing out of her chair, Santana grabbed Brittany's hand, "I think it's time for us to go make those snow angels, huh Britt?" she mumbled, and before Brittany had time to object or agree (though it was most likely that she would agree), they were out of the living room and in the hallway.
"You came to see me?" Quinn questioned, disbelief lacing her every word.
Rachel didn't want Quinn to scare her off with her attitude. Her rudeness – although rightful – was not helping their case. The diva scrambled to make her mother-in-law more comfortable. "Take a seat in the chair, Mrs. Fabray!" she motioned for the seat that Santana had just vacated, "Do you want anything to drink?"
Judy shook her head as she sat down on the chair. "No. No thank you, Rachel."
The brunette took a seat next to her girlfriend – and for Judy's sake, did not take her hand. Quinn however, went right for it. She grabbed Rachel's hand and made no secret of the fact that she intertwined their fingers. She placed their linked hands on top of her lap, right there for Judy to see. And although Rachel hated to make the older woman uncomfortable, she understood why Quinn did it.
"So you wanted to see me?" Quinn asked, coldly. She did not have a lot of respect left for her mother, that was made clear by her tone of voice, "Why? Aren't you… disgusted by me?"
Judy's eyes fell to their linked hands for just a moment, before she stared straight at them. "No." she firmly said, and now she was the determined one, "I've come to realise something within the last few days." She nodded her head to herself, "I don't know if you know this, but – Rachel, your girlfriend," she made sure to put pressure on the word for good measure, "came to see me the other day."
Quinn's head immediately snapped to the side, and her face shows nothing less of surprise, "You did what now?" she hissed.
Scared that Quinn mightn't appreciate the gesture like she had hoped she would, Rachel hurried to answer, "The other day when you were out with Brittany and Santana!" she hissed, "I – I thought I ought to give it one more chance. You know I can be…" she trailed off, "very persuasive."
The blonde raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Oh you can?" she lightly questioned in that angelic voice of hers, the voice that always did something special in Rachel's lower abdomen, "Persuasive? I hadn't realised."
"Yes." Rachel concluded firmly, as she licked her lips.
Quinn seemed to think it over for just a moment or two. "Go on…" she whispered, as she turned to face her mother again, expectations written on her face.
Judy scrambled to continue, "Rachel came to see me, and she… she left these for me." She told them while she dug into her bag to gather up the three DVD cases. Placing them neatly on the table, she didn't meet their eyes as she went on, "At first I was very upset when I watched this, upset for this Spencer girl who had clearly… been lured into the wrong by this Ashley person."
Rachel squeezed Quinn's hand, letting her know that she was there for her, no matter what. The blonde replied back with a just as promising squeeze.
"I fully understood what Spencer's parents were going through!" Judy eagerly continued, folding her hands in her lap, seemingly getting ready to tell them what she had on her mind, "It's so awful to feel like you're losing your child and that your family is torn apart because she chooses to be a certain way. I could feel their pain, I've felt their pain." She glanced lovingly at Quinn, her eyes shimmering slightly with unshed tears. "But then I started to look at things from her point of view…" she trailed off, and Rachel's breath got caught in her throat, "And I saw how much these girls really cared for each other."
Quinn raised an eyebrow, and Rachel knew that deep inside she was hoping for a positive outcome, even if she was playing it very cool in front of her mother, "Yes Mother, of course they do." She sarcastically said, "Why else would they be in a relationship, if they didn't care for each other?"
Judy flinched; she wasn't used to hearing her daughter talk to her that way, that was for sure, "Quinnie, you have to understand…" she begun, nervously, "I didn't see it that way before. I – I looked at it differently. But the point is – now I do." She paused, gazing longingly at her daughter once more, gazing at what she was missing, "I see it your way. I saw how these two girls – Spencer and Ashley –" she explained, for good measure, "they cared so much about each other. They had a real relationship. Their love was true!"
Rachel felt her girlfriend squeeze her hand even harder, and she said, "Of course their love was true. Just like mine and Quinn's…"
Quinn bent her head. "I've tried telling you this before mother."
Judy bent her head, "I know." She lowly whispered, "I am so filled with shame, so filled with shame for not listening to you when you tried to tell me."
The youngest Fabray woman bit her lip in thought. She was quiet for a few seconds, musing things over, before she said, "How come you suddenly get it?" she whispered then. Her eyes were shining beautifully, and Rachel knew within herself that she had done the right thing by going to Judy.
"I think it helped." Judy lightly murmured; she was fidgeting with her hands in her lap, clearly nervous for this conversation and quite possibly the outcome, "Seeing it on TV, seeing my story… translated into film. I just – I saw it from above, I was not a part of it. That made all the difference."
Rachel nodded her head in agreement, even though she didn't say anything. She still believed that Judy had been unreasonably hard on her and Quinn when they came out to her, but it was also a tough predicament. Of course Judy should have never set her religion higher than her daughter, but the important thing was that she was now changing her mind. And it sort of did make sense – it made sense that it had helped her, seeing things from above, as if she was watching as an outsider. Before, she had been caught in the storm, which can sometimes screw with one's head. Rachel really hoped that she had now changed her mind and would want to be a part of their lives.
Quinn nodded her head too, "Why did that make a difference for you?" she softly questioned. She was softening up, but Rachel liked that she wasn't letting her mother off the hook just like that. This needed time if things were going to be like they were before.
Judy's eyes were wavering. She was upset, very upset. "I guess I just realised what an awful mother I was to you." She spilled, "I saw how sad that Spencer was, and it was all because of her mother!" she shook her head to herself, sadly, and before Rachel could even digestive those words she had just said, the oldest Fabray woman had fallen to her knees in front of the couch and was clutching their joined hands, "Quinnie…" she whispered, "I am so sorry if I ever made you feel like that."
"Are you really?" Quinn questioned, whilst Rachel felt the hope pulsating through her veins.
Judy nodded, "I am. I saw how Spencer's mother changed, and you know what, Quinnie? So can I." she paused, breathing in steadily for just a second, before hurrying on, "She realised that there was no one better for her daughter than Ashley, and I see now that… that Rachel is the perfect one for you." She glanced at Rachel then, and the diva felt her heart swell with pride, "I should be thankful for your happiness. Not against it." Judy finished with a firm voice.
Rachel felt tears making their way to her eyes, and she dug her front teeth into her lower lip to keep them from falling. Not now, not yet. She had to be completely sure, before she released tears of joy. She had to make sure that her mother-in-law was really going to be supportive, and that Quinn would get her family back; the family she had been missing for roughly six months now. It was going to lift a burden off of their shoulders, and she could finally be truly happy, because Quinn would be truly happy.
The blonde next to her – her beautiful girlfriend, the love of her life – was still silent as she took every bit of new information in. It had to sink in; Quinn had to really realise what was happening right then and there, but it finally seemed like she was getting it. "Are you honest with me right now, Mother?" she whispered then, her voice barely audible. She was scared, uncertain; Rachel could see it in her girlfriend's eyes.
"I am, Sweetheart, I am." Judy promised, clutching their hands tightly. "I want to be a part of your life! I want to be there when you get married and when you have children and… And I want to share your happiness!" she pressed a kiss to the back of Quinn's hand and continued, "You're my daughter, and I don't want to waste another second fighting with you."
That was all it took for Quinn; she'd been fighting the tears throughout the entire conversation, but now that it seemed like this was actually turning out positively for them, she couldn't hold them back any longer. She broke into a soft cry as she tore her hand out of Rachel's and wrapped both arms around her mother instead. She hugged her tightly and buried her face into the nook where Judy's neck met her shoulder, and all Judy could do was hug her back as she cried tears as well.
Rachel felt her heart swell with happiness and joy as she watched the reunion. She hadn't felt this happy since the day she and Quinn got together, and to top it all – it was happening because of her! She was so thankful for the fact that Santana and her curse-words had pushed her to do something. She was thankful that she had been determined enough to go for it, yes, she was even thankful for South of Nowhere. Judy was going to complete Quinn's life and make her honestly happy. What more could someone want for their girlfriend? Rachel was sure that things were going to be perfect now. Not another second was going to be wasted.
Pulling away from her mother, Quinn turned to Rachel with the hugest smile on her face. She had mascara traces down her cheeks and her eyes were puffy and her nose was running – but she'd never looked more beautiful to Rachel. "Thank you." Quinn whispered, raising her hand and cupping Rachel's cheek, "You're the best girlfriend anyone could ever wish for. I love you so much."
"I love you, too." Rachel whispered, and just as Santana and Brittany broke into a loud cheer in the backyard, Judy pulled her daughter and daughter-in-law in for another hug.
get wasted on love, get wasted on life
get wasted on anything that's right
get wasted, get wasted, get wasted
get wasted with me
Hey there! Thank you so much for tuning in :) This was just a short piece that I actually abandoned months ago after only writing one page. I just found it the other day, and what do you know – the words just came pouring out. I thought of the resemblance between South of Nowhere and Glee because I am a Faberry fan, and I kept imaging Judy's reaction to be just like Spencer's mother on SON – thus this one-shot was born. I thought it would be fun to have Rachel use that show to convince Judy to change her mind.
The lyrics are, of course, from the theme song in the last seasons of the show, it's called 'Wasted' and it's by L.P.
My twitter regarding my writing: /Stessa_fanfic
Disclaimer; I don't own Glee or South of Nowhere.