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 53rd cycle. Now cycle 54!

This is a double shift day. There will be one more upload today: The Fair Collaboration, chapter 1.

"Siren Call"
AU!World (World B) + Canon!World (World A)
Berry-St series
(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)

1. How Things Have Changed
WORLD B

Mornings were the worse. It was one thing to have to remember, with every new day that came, that she wasn't where she was supposed to be. Only on top of that she had to be treated, morning after morning, to the usual breakfast routine, her mother serving her father just as she would do every day, the dutiful wife looking after her man. Only Quinn knew that 'her man' had taken to getting served elsewhere. At first she only knew that, by her knowledge of Russell Fabray in her world, he would be stepping out on her mother at some point. But then after a while she had begun to see the hints that told her... it was actually happening, here and now. It made her furious to think she hasn't realized it back in her own world.

That morning, it got to be too much. She didn't know what had gotten into her to make her step out and look to the honor of her counterpart and her mother, but as she sat there at the breakfast table with them and she watched her mother return to the kitchen to make more coffee and a toast as he requested, Quinn looked to her father for a moment before shaking her head to herself and picking up her fork again.

"I need to have a word with you," she spoke with a calm that quickly drew Russell's attention.

"About what, dear?"

"Your mistress," she simply stated, never looking away from her breakfast.

"Excuse me? You will watch your tone."

"My tone is just fine, Dad. Now if it were up to me, Mom would never have to hear about you and that woman, and I sincerely hope there has only be one. The way I see it, you've got two choices. You can decide to leave Mom and go be with your little friend, or you can leave that one and try to somehow reconcile yourself with the fact that you married one woman and vowed to be faithful to her, even though you have not been."

"How dare you speak to me like..."

"Like what, Dad?" she finally looked to him. "Like an equal? Or like someone who is tired of pretending? I know what you're capable of," her voice trembled, knowing that this Russell had never kicked out a pregnant daughter, but that he would have if that had come to pass in this universe. "So you take your pick. And if you won't, then I'll tell Mom what you've been up to. Wonder what she'll do about that," her strength had returned, knowing her Judy had stood her ground and kicked her cheating husband out.

"Lucy Quinn Fabray," he pressed his hands to the table. She stood.

"You have two days to decide. For your sake I hope it takes less," she grabbed her bag just as Judy returned.

"Leaving already?" she looked surprised. "You haven't finished your plate..."

"Sorry, lost my appetite," Quinn kissed her mother's cheek before stomping out the door.

She had needed the whole ride to school to decompress and not show up with her emotions on display. She would have Jesse to contend with, and he was already in a bit of a foul, distracted mood these days, ever since the discussion about what could have brought them all to these opposite worlds and the possible ways of returning home. He was thinking about these possibilities, she could tell.

Somewhere along the way, once they had stopped being so at one another's throat, they had managed to become friends, and she wasn't entirely sure, of the two of them, who was more shocked about this. But now it was hard for them not to depend on one another. They had allies in this world's Rachel and Brittany, but they couldn't detach from the knowledge that the two of them didn't belong to this world, and all they could ever want was to leave. They were all they had of home.

When she found him, he was sitting outside school, headphones on, eyes closed. She frowned, wondering what he was up to. She stopped in front of him, hesitating to touch him and let him know she was there, not wanting to startle him.

"Hey," he had spoken all of a sudden and she was the startled one as he opened his eyes.

"Meditating?" she asked.

"Almost," he sighed, pulling the headphones off, pausing the song. She'd never seen him so reserved, and he almost reminded her of the other Jesse now. He stood and they walked in to school. "I'm looking for a song."

"Did you check the internet?" she asked, not grasping.

"It's not like that," he shook his head, putting his arm around her shoulders in pretend boyfriend mode, so easily that it took her by surprise, but she went with it, leaning to him. "I've been thinking, if what you said is true, then I should try singing for her again, in the auditorium."

"To Rachel," she nodded, understanding.

"Thought about just doing the same one as last time, if that was really what did it, but then it feels like maybe I'm supposed to do something else," he explained, his voice telling how he wasn't even sure if what he said made any sense, and she smirked.

"If that's what you're feeling, maybe there's a reason. So, how goes the search?"

"Not so good," he admitted. "I wouldn't even know where to start. What am I supposed to say?"

"Maybe you don't need to think about it so hard and… it'll come to you," she shook her head, thinking aloud. "What if you went up there on stage to do your song search?"

"I could do that," Jesse agreed. He sounded like he had reached the point in his efforts where he would try just about anything if there was a chance that it would work; she knew the feeling. "Do me a favor?" he asked, and she nodded. "Keep an eye on Rachel?" Quinn chuckled.

"I think we know she won't be a problem, she's… busy," she reminded him, immediately wishing she hadn't. It wasn't that he had any sort of problem with the secret-to-everyone-else-but-them relationship she had going on with Santana. The only real issue he had was that as much as this world's Rachel was her own person, she still had his Rachel's face. He was starting to understand more and more how hard it had to be for the other Quinn to see him, back before she'd made her jump. "I'll look out for her," Quinn rephrased with a nod.

TO BE CONTINUED (SUNDAY)