Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 45th cycle. Now cycle 46!
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** UPDATED WITH CYCLE 45 CHEAT SHEET ** Check it out to find out about shift days! (cycle 46 cheat sheet will be up later)
This is a shift day [see above]. There was another upload this morning: You'll Find Wonder, chapter 28.
"Matchmaker Remake Me A Match"
Jesse, Quinn, AU!Rachel, AU!Dad
Berry-St series
(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)
They had been doing better now. He wouldn't want her to bring up their conversation in the choir room, and she got that. So they made like it hadn't happened. Either way, they worked better together now, pretending. They would hold hands, and smile… The one hurdle they hadn't crossed was the kissing. It wasn't like anyone would question it, but it would be something they had to address.
Then one day it had just sort of happened. It wasn't so much that they had suddenly developed feelings for one another, far from that. But the opportunity had presented itself, giving them a moment they could use, all they had to do was to decide whether or not to take it. They were standing at her locker, talking about matters of their secret, of Rachel and her ultimatum, so as always they would mask it with sweetness, smiles… He would later explain he had been led to take things one step forward when he'd felt eyes on him. He'd reached out and brushed hair from her face, and the touch had prompted her to look up.
They realized where this was going, and they would share a couple of looks, wondering if they should, then deciding they were game if the other one was. She had given him 'permission' to lead into it, so he did, tilting her chin up and planting a simple kiss on her lips. Neither of them was prepared for much more, especially in public, and as 'in public' was all they needed to worry about.
"Not bad," she told him, though she knew just as well as he did that it hadn't meant a thing to either of them.
"Well, well, well…" They looked back to find Rachel there. Even as she stood there, they still had to remind themselves sometimes that this wasn't their Rachel, that she belonged to this reality where the two of them didn't. "So you two have gone native, is that it?"
"Just keeping up appearances," Jesse frowned, though Quinn could just see how even seeing "fake Rachel" still affected him now. He couldn't stand it.
"What do you want?" Quinn asked her.
"If I recall correctly, you two and the cheerleader owe me a favor. Well I have an opportunity, and I need your help," she had dropped the attitude on the end, so they listened.
"What is it?" Quinn asked.
"Pop's birthday. It's a few days away, I'm supposed to head back to Akron for that. If I could get Dad to come, maybe…"
"Okay," Jesse had replied, no need to consider too long. "How do we do it?" he asked, and Quinn smiled. Being here hadn't just helped him mend things with Rachel, she could see. Maybe being this other Jesse had helped him touch base with kindness in him. She definitely didn't feel annoyed with him anymore.
"I don't know yet," Rachel admitted. "Isn't that what you two like to do? Make plans…" she gestured.
"They're your dads, we don't know them…" Quinn reminded her.
"Right, right…" Rachel sighed.
"Look… I'll let Brittany know, and we'll meet at her house after school this afternoon," Quinn suggested.
They had met that afternoon. As far as planning went it had been slow to start. The ideas crashed and burned all too easily and they were coming very close to being knocked on the head by a frustrated Rachel. But then, after taking at least some time to breathe, they had agreed that they needed to keep it simple. And when it had come right down to it, Brittany had said the words that mattered the most.
"What did you guys use to do?" It had stuck with her, as they all had worked out what they would do, and they were all set to put things in motion the next day.
That night, lying in bed, she'd been having one dream when it had gone and turned into another. She had seen herself, she must have been… four or five, and it was Pop's birthday. She knew this because they were wearing the hats they always wore on his birthday. From morning to night, they never took them off unless they really had to. She would sit with Pop, on his lap, while Dad served them… They were happy, she was happy… Everything was perfect, they were family and nothing at all could stand in their way… least of all her, and the drive and everything that had turned her into the person she felt without a doubt had pulled the two of them apart.
She'd woken with a start, and the next thing she knew she was in the attic, rummaging through boxes. She wasn't even sure they were up here, for all she knew they were in Akron, at Pop's house, but she kept feeling like she'd seen them here once. So she kept looking.
"Rachel?" She jumped, looked up, then relaxed when she saw it was Dad. "What are you doing up here, it's after three in the morning," he sounded half-asleep. She had looked back down and then… there they were, just within reach. Her fingers couldn't help but graze them, and she smiled. "Is everything alright?"
"You kept them," she stated.
"Kept what?" he asked, coming closer, and she presented the hats, all stacked together.
"You kept them." He sat down with her, sighing. He held out his hand, and she gave him the hats.
"Of course I did," he had a sad sort of smile. "I might have snuck them into my boxes when we were… separating our belongings." He picked out the smallest one from inside the stack. It was sparkly and red. "I don't think it fits on your head anymore," he chuckled.
"I don't know, small hats can be good." He planted the thing sideways on her head, adjusting it just a bit. "See, just like old times. Put yours on," she asked. He looked at the two hats in his hand: his and Pop's. She watched him, lost in thought. "I know you miss him."
"Of course I do," he readily admitted.
"Then come to the party," she begged.
"Rachel…" he sighed, but she wasn't letting go. All of her long held fears and beliefs could not be held any longer.
"Please, Dad, I'm good now, everything will be fine, if you two just work through it… I'll give it all up, I don't care, I'll… I'll stay with New Directions, they're not like in Vocal Adrenaline, it's better, I know that now. Pop can move down here, and everything can be good again. All I care about is you two will be happy, and I won't be keeping you apart anymore…" She didn't know when she had started crying, when she'd started sounding so desperate, but by the end of it she couldn't even talk anymore. But then her father had pulled her into his arms, and she'd just cried.
"Rachel, honey, it's not your fault. Is that what you've been thinking all this time?" He pulled her back to see her face. "Your Pop and I, we had problems, it was in no way because of you."
"I don't know about that," she whispered, thinking of the other world, the one where her fathers were still together, had always been… The only different part was her, how she was, so how was it not her fault?
"If you want me to go to the party… I'll do it. For you, I'll do it," he nodded. She blinked, surprised, but she smiled.
X
"No, but all I'm saying is, if we're not careful, they'll think we're hiding something," Quinn told Jesse as they once again stood at her locker.
"Like what?"
"Remember the part where, in our world, I was pregnant?" she kept her voice as hushed as possible, minding their location.
"Yeah, but that's not happening here," he pointed out.
"Won't stop them from suggesting it, and then all hell will break loose."
"Okay, okay, then I'll be careful," he promised.
"Hey." They turned at the sound of Rachel's voice. There was something different about her. "Listen, the plan for this weekend, just… never mind, alright?"
"Why, what happened?" Quinn asked.
"Not important," she shrugged, needing to get to the point. "Besides, there are more important things to do."
"Like what?" Jesse asked.
"You want me to help you get home, well… I'll do it, I'm in."
THE END
A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!