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 48th cycle. Now cycle 49!

"From the Ground Floor Up"
(Older) Quinn/Spencer, Sophia (OC created in the image of TGP's Nellie)
Trinity series
(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)

They had not settled in the first city they had stopped in. They had stayed there for a day, and then they had boarded a bus, lengthening both their journey and their distance from New York and their old lives. The stop had almost been necessary, though he would never complain to her, Quinn knew Spencer's back was still very painful for him. Being in a hotel room for a day was better than prolonging their time in a moving train without relief. And they had bandages to change.

They were both still very quiet about things. They were in between, no longer who they were but not yet who they were becoming either. He knew she still had so many emotions still coursing through her, and he just wanted to be there for her.

But two days after they had left New York, they had stopped again, and they sort of knew… this town felt right. They had chosen it back on their 'layover' at the hotel. They knew they needed a plan, as far as a home, but they couldn't plan too far ahead. They didn't want to leave too many connections lying around. They would seek out an apartment, available immediately, furnished if at all possible. So, first order of business, along with getting more bandages, would be to get a newspaper.

Of all things, they ended up finding everything at Song's Pharmacy & Bookstore. That was exactly what the sign said, though the "& Bookstore" looked like it had been neatly traced in afterward.

When they walked in, they soon understood the dual nature of the business. The space appeared to have been converted, the pharmacy giving up half its floor to the bookstore, set up in the back half. However there was a single cash register, manned by a teenage girl leaning over a book spread on the counter. At the sound of the bell, she hardly flinched. They looked to her for a second before moving to get the newspaper and the bandages. Spencer grabbed the local papers – there were two – while Quinn looked for the bandages. There weren't ones as big as she would have hoped, but she took what she could.

They took everything to the counter, where the girl finally looked up. "Will that be all?" she asked, turning her book over to keep her page while she rang up the items.

"Yes," Quinn nodded. "Interesting, the…" she pointed to the two halves of the store. The girl shrugged.

"Keeps me entertained," she lifted her book and put it back down again. Quinn smiled.

"Actually there is one thing, you wouldn't happen to have a larger size?" she indicated the bandages. The girl picked up the package and read it over before nodding and getting up. She went into the back store before returning with a couple packages.

"How many?"

"We'll just take both," Quinn shrugged. The girl looked to the bandages, then the pair of them standing there.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Sport's injury," Spencer piped in. The girl didn't look too sure, but she didn't argue. The new bandages were rung up, replacing the other ones.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Where can we go to eat?" Quinn asked. She pointed out the door.

"Diner's just up the street, and there's the coffee shop, and if you're desperate for a grease fix there's the bar… Here…" she grabbed a piece of paper and pen and drew a map. "Here, diner, coffee shop, bar," she pointed to each, then slid the paper over. "That should cover it," she nodded.

"That's great, thank you…"

"Sophia," she introduced herself.

"Thank you, Sophia," Quinn smiled. They had left pharmacy/bookstore with their bags, their purchases, and the hand drawn map. They landed at the diner where, between burgers and fries, they checked the listings. "What do we do for tonight?" she asked.

"I'm sure there's an inn, something," Spencer shrugged.

"I just don't want to draw more attention to us than we have to. I mean, yes, we're staying, but this part still freaks me out a bit," she admitted.

"I know," he promised. "It won't be long, just a couple of days," he showed the newspapers. They were each looking through one. She let out a breath and they continued to search.

They would find the inn, up above the bar on Sophia's map. They got a room, and after she had showered, she had gotten to changing his bandages. He lied down on his stomach while she got to work. He was healing, and it was a relief for her to see, though she hated seeing him in pain. When she was done, she lied down at his side, tapping her shoulder so he'd come and lay his head on it, not having to move otherwise. He did so, wrapping his arm around her midsection and letting out a breath. She smiled, running a hand through his shaved hair.

"Maybe we should get a dog," he told her and she chuckled with a frown.

"One thing at a time," she told him, letting herself get pulled in by the sleepiness calling for her. "We need a home first," she supressed a yawn. The last couple of days were weighing on both of them, and the next few ones wouldn't be any easier.

When they'd gone in to the diner again the next morning, they found their one sort-of-acquaintance sitting at the counter. Sophia saw them and gave a short nod as they passed. They sat at a table, again with their papers. They had circled a few possibilities, and they discussed them, which the cashier girl overheard, turning with her fork still midway through delivering its load of waffles, the handle dangling from her mouth. She pulled it out, swallowed.

"Are you looking for a place?" They nodded, and she smirked. "I think I might be able to help with that."

In the 'small world' coincidence, there was an apartment for rent across the street from her house, available now and semi-furnished. It was the top floor in a duplex, and more than they could have hoped for. This bit of good luck they'd had so far was seen as a sign for good, for their lives taking off, after being forced down by recent events. Now Allie and Tommy had a home.

Unpacking was all too brief, with what they had. They would need jobs if they were to 'redecorate.' What money they had was to be kept strictly for needed things, food, and now rent. Either way, they were off to a good start, and now, finally, she could truly mourn her past, accept that it was done, that she was no longer Quinn Fabray but Allie Archer.

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!