'Mom! Mom!' A young little girl called her.
Quinn was putting her wallet in her bag, struggling not to drop the shopping bags she was holding.
'What is it, Beth?'
The little girl was pointing at a building door from across the street where a crowd was gathering around.
'The actors are coming out! Can I go?'
Quinn looked at the door her daughter was pointing at. She knew it was the theater where Rachel was working at. It was late and she still had to buy some things for Beth. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it was the best excuse she had at the moment.
'It's late, Beth' she said 'We still have to buy you that Math book. And a new pencil case. And the shop is going to close' she replied frantically.
Beth looked down disappointed 'Okay…' she trailed off.
Quinn bit her lip feeling guilty.
They went to a book shop near the theater and got in. Quinn went directly to the counter and asked for the book Beth needed. The salesclerk got inside the storage room and after a few minutes he came out again with a book in his hands.
'There you go' he handed her the book.
'Thank you' she took it and turned to Beth 'Beth, have you picked up your pen-' she stopped when she realized her daughter was no longer there 'Beth!' she called her.
She looked around the shop and Beth was nowhere to be found. She looked at the clerk nervously until she thought of the most likely place she could have gone. She groaned and paid him the book. She took her bags and scooted out of the shop.
She crossed the street running as fast as the weight of the bags allowed her to. She reached the crowd that gathered around the door.
Beth looked desperately for Rachel, sneaking through the people. She found her taking a photo with a fan and waited until she finished. She got closer and called out her name enthusiastically.
'Rachel!'
The brunette turned around and found her waving at her hesitantly. She walked towards her, moved by her excitement.
'Hey!' she greeted the little girl, who was excitedly hopping.
'Hi!'
'How are you?' asked Rachel.
Beth squealed and Rachel laughed at the cuteness of her little fan.
'I can't believe it! I finally met Rachel Berry!' she clasped her hands together with excitement.
Rachel laughed and kneeled down to face the little girl.
'I'm here!' she replied 'You liked the show?'
'I haven't seen it today, but I went with my mom some time ago' she confessed a bit embarrassed.
Rachel giggled and winked at her 'Did you like it then?'
'Yes!' Beth squealed 'I loved it!'
'Great! How old are you?'
'Eleven, but soon I'll be twelve' she replied proudly.
'Wow! You're such a grown-up!' she said playfully.
Beth giggled and bit her lip 'I should go. My mom will kill me' she blushed.
'Why? Where is she?'
'Beth!' a yelling voice came flying towards them.
Quinn was sure Beth would be there but still she was scared that her intuition might fail her. The panic reached her voice when she swam through the crowd that was still surrounding the actors of the musical, but she finally spotted Beth. With Rachel. She gulped and ran towards them.
'Oh god, Beth!' she breathed out when she reached them 'You're so grounded young girl!' she scolded Beth, who had her head tilted down in shame.
Rachel took a while to process the face that was approaching them.
'Quinn…' she whispered. Quinn looked at her apologetically and smiled at her shyly, with a hint of sadness or nostalgia, perhaps 'Quinn!' she repeated excitedly, when she had processed the situation.
She jumped on her and hugged her without prior warning. Quinn was taken aback by the hug and she almost tumbled down, trying to keep balance of the bags she was carrying. Her first instinct was to hug her back. And so she did. Until she held her tightly she didn't realize how much she needed a hug. And until Rachel rubbed her back up and down with her hand she didn't realize how much she needed a hug from Rachel.
Beth witnessed the exchange of affection with utter shock.
'Oh my god…' Rachel mumbled covering her mouth with her hand 'I can't believe it's you!' she said bewildered. Quinn smiled awkwardly. 'How are you?' she rubbed her arm up and down smiling at Quinn.
Quinn couldn't help it and smiled back, letting out a light giggle 'I'm… fine' she could barely speak.
Beth was still looking at them as if she had seen a ghost or an outstanding magic trick.
'You know my mom?' she asked confused.
The question took Rachel by surprise and shook her out of her state. She then realized that the little girl she had in front of her was Beth and she couldn't believe it either.
'Beth…'
The little girl looked at Rachel gaping 'You know me?' excitement started to fill her little body.
Rachel chuckled 'Oh god! Last time I saw you, you were so tiny!' she told her, cupping her cheeks.
Quinn smiled when she caressed her daughter's cheeks, so softly and tenderly as if she was her daughter instead 'We studied at the same high school' she got her voice back.
Beth's face morphed into the face of astonishment.
'Yeah and we were in the glee club together too' Rachel added. She looked at Quinn, still feeling as if she was looking into a mirage 'How…' she started 'How come you're here? You live in New York?'
'Yeah. We stayed after I graduated'
Rachel's eyes filled with what looked like sadness. She smiled at Quinn and then looked at Beth, who was puzzled, and then back at Quinn.
'Are you just passing by?' asked Rachel.
'Yeah' Quinn spoke but Beth interrupted.
'Mom didn't let me come here' she said crossing her arms over her chest.
Quinn gaped at the accusation and looked guiltily at Rachel, who gave her a hurt glance. She gulped at the sight of the brunette.
'We were shopping and… and she needed a book and…' she started rambling 'and a pencil case and…' Rachel's lips twitched into a smile 'and the shop was going to close'
'It's okay' she smiled at her 'You should come some day. I can get you tickets' she looked at Beth with a big smile and then back at Quinn shyly 'If you want, of course'
'Yes!' Beth squealed 'Please mom!' she begged.
Quinn chuckled shaking her head and smiled 'Sure. We'd love to' her smile was genuine and Rachel's heart clenched for a millisecond. Just the same way Quinn's heart did when she saw her beaming.
Quinn looked at her bags and gave her an apologetic smile 'We should go'
'Yeah. Sure'
Rachel hesitated but finally stepped closer to hug her. Quinn reveled in the hug, holding tightly as she did before.
The brunette pulled away awkwardly and Quinn started to step away, Beth waving goodbye at her. She was about to turn around when she spoke again.
'Quinn?' she called out.
Quinn turned around 'Yeah?'
'Would you like…' she was rubbing the palms of her hands nervously 'I don't know, some day, maybe… hang out and catch up?'
Quinn's mouth hung open a little bit 'Really?' Rachel nodded hopefully 'I… I'd love to' in the background they could hear Beth exclaiming 'oh my god's' while she watched both women interact.
Rachel beamed and rummaged in her bag. She took a piece of paper –a leaflet she had forgotten she had in her bag- and a pen and wrote something down. She stepped closer and handed the paper to her. 'That's my phone. Call me whenever you want and we'll arrange some date… meeting. Some meeting.'
Quinn took it and looked at it, with a smile on her face. 'It's you who should call me whenever you're available' she chuckled.
Rachel rolled her eyes 'I'm not that busy' she protested 'Plus, you know what time the show is, so at least you'll guess when not to call me' Quinn smiled and nodded.
'Okay. I'll call you'
Rachel waved at both of them and suddenly widened her eyes as if she just came up with the meaning of life. She ran towards Beth and gave her a hug. The little girl gasped in surprise and hugged her back, almost in tears. Once they pulled away Rachel turned to other fans and resumed her Broadway star duties.
Quinn smiled to herself; her stomach tingled as she remembered the previous encounter. She looked at Beth, who was walking quietly before her. She is still grounded, she thought, and she made it clear on their way home.
'You're grounded, Beth. Don't forget it. You're not going to that sleepover tomorrow'
Quinn frowned at the bluntness of her replies; she would only say 'okay' or 'sure' in a harsh way. She thought that knowing her idol would make her feel over the moon, but she looked kind of upset. She didn't protest nor tried to argue with her about the punishment, which was unsettling.
When she opened the door to their home she set the bags on the counter in the kitchen and gave Beth the things they'd bought that afternoon for her. She thought about lifting the punishment; after all, she knew where she had gone and thanks to her she had seen Rachel after all those years. But she couldn't allow her to go away with it. She decided to soften the punishment: she could go to Patricia's house but no sleepovers.
'Beth, come set the table' she told her from the kitchen while she took the lasagna she had prepared before out of the oven.
No reply, no 'yes, mom'. Nothing. She watched how Beth came into the kitchen and picked up a pair of forks and knives and put them on the table.
'Are you okay?' she finally asked her.
Beth shrugged. She then took a pair of plates and put them beside the cutlery as Quinn got the glasses from a cupboard and set them in front of them.
'Aren't you excited about Rachel? Now you can brag about it' she joked to see if she got any reaction.
Beth twitched her lips into a smile that she was clearly trying to hold back, but she only shrugged again. Okay, this is getting serious, thought Quinn.
'What's gotten into you?'
Beth gave her a deadly glare which caught Quinn off-guard; she'd never seen her daughter so upset.
'Nothing' she replied. It killed Quinn. It reminded her of how she was when she was young, so reserved and always closing up. It somehow scared her that Beth learned that from her. Although Beth was a very happy and lively girl, it was during Quinn's teenage years when she started to change. She just wanted her daughter to keep the innocence and kindness of her childhood.
'Beth…' she whispered trying to find the words to reach her 'I thought you'd be happy about Rachel…'
Beth shut her eyes and replied 'You lied to me!' she snapped 'You never told me you knew Rachel' Quinn gaped at the confession 'She's my idol! And you never even mentioned to me you were friends! It's not fair!' tears started to roll down her cheeks and Quinn's heart broke at the sight of her daughter's powerlessness.
'Beth…' she kneeled down 'God, you're right' she whispered, her eyes getting misty too 'You're so right, I owe you an apology'
Beth ducked down her head hiding her face away 'Why?' Quinn held her by the shoulders and lifted her face softly with her hand, sighing.
'I can explain' she said softly 'It's just a long story, that's all'
Beth looked into her eyes, her features softened.
'Let's have dinner first and then I'll tell you everything, okay?'
'Will you?' Beth asked with a small smile and Quinn nodded smiling back. She pulled her into a hug and sighed.
'C'mon, the lasagna's going to get cold'
They chatted during dinner; Beth wasn't upset but curious instead about her mom and Rachel's past together. All she could think of was how did they meet or why didn't they stay in touch after high school.
Quinn finished putting the plates in the dish washer as Beth sat on the couch in the living room. She reached the couch and sat down beside her daughter.
'So…' she started 'What do you wanna know?'
The little girl hummed, thinking of a good question for her mother.
'Why didn't you tell me about it before?'
'Well…' she shifted in the couch so that she faced her fully 'We weren't exactly friends. We were kind of friends. But we lost touch'
'That's not a good reason. You could've said you were in the same school. It would've been fine'
'Yeah, but we had history' she chuckled 'I was a bit- mean to her'
Beth widened her eyes in shock and Quinn ducked her head down in embarrassment.
'And I've always been so ashamed of it' she admitted, biting her lower lip. 'I treated her so badly and still she was always so kind to me. She would always reach out for me and tried to bring the best of me when I was at my worst.' she went on 'During senior year we managed to remain kind of friends. We didn't hang out, but at least we weren't fighting anymore'
'But… What did you fight over?'
Quinn chuckled and puffed 'Over everything. Every stupidity you can imagine. Boyfriends, glee club even cheerleading, I would call her names…'
Beth's features saddened at the things her mother used to do when she was in high school. She had an impeccable image of her mother, her perfect role model. And listening to all of that was a little bit disappointing. Quinn noticed her daughter's immerse-in-my-own-thoughts face and bit her lip guiltily.
'She was really supportive when I got pregnant. She even gave JBI her panties so that he wouldn't post on his blog that I was pregnant.'
Beth widened her eyes 'Who's JBI?' she asked curiously.
'Just some guy who had a gossip blog. And who was obsessed with Rachel.'
'And she gave him her panties to protect you? Even when you two were enemies?'
Quinn nodded with a smile 'She's like that' she replied with a hint of pride in her voice 'The word 'malice' is not on her dictionary' she chuckled.
'Why were you so mean to her?' Beth asked, scrutinizing her.
Her gaze turned away from Beth and wandered aimlessly around the living room. It was the question she asked herself years ago. She knew the answer but she just hadn't said it out loud to anybody. She looked back at her daughter and decided it was time to be honest with her.
'I was scared' she admitted. When she saw her reaction –a confused frown- she smiled 'I was scared of what I felt so a tried to shove it away and channeled it in the wrong way'
'What did you feel?' the little girl inquired, still confused.
Quinn smiled sweetly 'I liked her.' she finally admitted 'It grew stronger every day and it scared me a lot'
Beth's eyes were wide open 'Are you kidding me?' she raised her voice in misbelief 'But you just told me you fought about boyfriends!' Quinn couldn't hold back her laughter.
'It's insane, isn't it?' she took her little hand and squeezed it 'I grew up in a family where those things were not… accepted. And I grew up in a city where they weren't well seen either. Especially in high school' she paused herself 'I just… I just wasn't prepared to admit it to myself, let alone to others' Beth looked at her with sympathy 'As time went by I just accepted that I was in love with her, but just hid it.'
'I think that what's happening to Lena'
'Lena, your friend?'
Beth nodded 'She doesn't like boys but she likes her best friend, Sarah.'
'Is it something you guessed or she told you so?'
'She told me. And I'm so angry because boys in our class won't stop picking on her and calling her freak because of that' she frowned, upset.
Quinn gaped with sadness in her face. After a few moments she spoke again 'Promise me you will support Lena when she needs you, okay?'
Her daughter looked at her with determination and nodded 'Sometimes I want to punch them, but I know you'll be upset with me if I do that' Quinn's laugh made her giggle.
'I don't want you to get into fights, but you can protect and support her by other means.' she looked at Beth with pride. She felt relieved that her daughter was so mature for her age and she wasn't scared to defend the things she believed were right. She gave her a kiss on the forehead and rubbed her arm.
'It's that why you were scared too?' asked Beth 'Because you didn't want to be called a freak?'
Quinn nodded 'You know, there was this guy, Kurt, he's Rachel's best friend, well I think they're still best friends… Anyway, he was bullied because he was gay. He even had to transfer' she explained 'And Santana was outed in a video that was seen all over the state.'
Beth's horrified expression made Quinn chuckle.
'And I knew I had no chance with Rachel, she was so in love with her boyfriend…' she trailed off.
'Why don't you tell her now? It's already in the past, right?'
Quinn's shock was evident in her face, but she managed to chuckle nervously 'I can't do that' she smiled, more relaxed.
Beth squinted in suspicion 'Do you still like her?' Quinn blushed a little bit 'Mom?'
Quinn grimaced and looked straight into her eyes 'It's complicated' she released a deep breath 'But I think I still have feelings for her.'
Beth smiled and rested her head on her shoulder 'I can't believe my mother's in love with my idol' she teased. Quinn laughed and nudged her.
'Don't laugh at your mother!' she tickled her as a punishment. She knew her daughter was the most ticklish person on earth.
Once they stopped laughing and giggling, Beth rested her head on her shoulder once again, holding her arm at the same time.
'But, what about the boyfriends you had when we were here?' she inquired as Quinn sucked on her teeth.
'Well…' she began 'I tried. I tried to develop some kind of… of love' she admitted 'But I guess I didn't feel anything special to begin with…' she trailed off.
'Why didn't you tried with other women?' Quinn quirked up her eyebrow at the directness of the question.
'I didn't want to put that weight on you' she took a deep breath 'I just wanted you to have a normal and peaceful life without having to worry about some idiot insulting you because of your mother' she blinked away the tears that gathered in her eyes.
Beth looked up and watched her. It took her some time to process what her mother had just told her. She thought about Lena and imagined her pretending she liked the boys in her class just so that they wouldn't pick on her. For some reason it didn't feel right.
'I wouldn't mind, mom' she smiled at her 'You know, Rachel has two gay dads and look…' she paused herself, realizing that her mother already knew that 'Of course you know that' she chuckled. Quinn giggled and held her by the shoulder, pulling her to kiss her temple.
They remained like that for a couple of minutes until Quinn spoke again 'Are you still angry at me?'
'No!' Beth laughed and hugged her 'I understand now' she whispered.
Quinn smiled into her hair as she hugged her back 'Thank you' she replied 'You know what?' she pulled away and looked at her 'You're not grounded anymore'
'Really?' she beamed.
'But don't do that again. Don't disappear like that or you'll be grounded until you're 21' she pointed at her in a threatening yet playful way.
The little girl giggled 'I'm sorry'
'It's okay' she rubbed her arm 'I think I'm gonna call Rachel and talk to her. I think we can be friends'
Beth beamed once again at the possibility of having Rachel around every now and then. She smirked at her 'I think you should tell her you like her, but that's up to you' she teased and her mother nudged her and rolled her eyes.
Questions about Rachel came to Beth and Quinn would satisfy her curiosity. Both of them remained sitting in the couch, talking about school and work. Quinn was happy with how things had turned out. She told her daughter the truth and she had another chance of being friends with Rachel.