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 34th cycle. Now cycle 35!
YEAR TWO ANNIVERSARY CYCLE! - Within days it will have been two years since I've started this Gleekathon, and like last year I'm dedicating the cycle to commemorating my 21 favorite one shots or chapter stories from year two (up to the point where I did the planning ;)) A number of those I was very attached to, but left sad to see may have fallen through the cracks, so it seems fair they should get a second shot ;)
Last year there were three categories, but this year I've added two new ones: Prequel, Sequel, POV Swap, and now Alternate Ending, and Additional Scenes. In no particular order... Today's story is a POV Swap on #600 "If that happy dawn should ever shine" a Older Rachel & Quinn + Hailey & Hannah + Sunshine Girls Series story originally posted on June 13th 2011. [Note: this year I decided to boost the POV Swaps with new bits of dialogue etc... enjoy! ;)]
"Generation Light"
Hannah & Hailey, Older Rachel & Quinn
Sunshine Girls extra
Hannah had been counting down the days, from the moment she'd found out they were going back to Lima. The calendar was there on her bedroom wall, with the date marked – gold star, of course – and every night before bed she would cross out the day that was ending, bringing them that much closer. It wasn't that she didn't like New York… she'd live there every day, all the time, if it wasn't that it lacked in some critical areas, the first of which was the distance it kept between her and Hailey.
But finally the day had come, and she and her mother and her father and her younger brothers had said goodbye to their New York home and gone to the airport, flew to Ohio, and then they were bound for home number two. There was a detour first, off to Granddad's and Grandpop's. And as much as Hannah missed them and wanted to see them and get big snuggly hugs from them, there was something she wanted on even more, and she had been sure to make it as subtly clear as she could. Finally, as they'd pulled up to the house, her mother had revealed her 'master plan.' They were dropping off her father and brothers, and then they were off to her Aunt Quinn's house. Hannah had unleashed a squeal to deafening pitch, thanking her mother. Rachel had laughed, told her to settle down, and then they were off.
Rachel had called Quinn, so she knew they were on their way. "Yeah, we'll be there soon," she confirmed.
"Hi Aunt Quinn!" Hannah called out, knowing she could hear her.
"Hey Hann Bug!" her aunt's voice was heard, and Hannah giggled. "Can't wait to see you guys, Hailey too. I don't think she can wait much longer," she went on, laughing, and Rachel had picked up on the faint sound of Hailey speaking in the background.
"Well you can tell her we're just at the driveway now," she revealed, hearing Quinn relay this information to her daughter, and then she could hear feet running off. "See you in a minute," she told Quinn before hanging up. They drove in and already she could see her young niece, standing just outside the door and waiting, and if she wasn't sure of that, Hannah would have pointed it out to her.
"There she is! Mom, come on!"
"Easy," she instructed her daughter, though she knew she would have been the same way. Finally she'd pulled the car to a stop, but of course…
"Mom, the door is locked!" Hannah complained.
"One thing at a time," she told her, silencing the car before reaching to undo her seatbelt and then unlock and open the door for her. As soon as her path was clear, Hannah had slipped out of the car and into a hug with the ready and waiting Hailey.
"Hi!" she squealed, getting much the same response from the blonde.
"Come on, I have to show you something!" Hailey grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the house.
"Okay!" Hannah had followed, and they slipped by Quinn and into the house, up the stairs to Hailey's room – she'd been crossing days off on her calendar, too. "What is it?" she asked. Then Hailey closed the door and Hannah gasped – Sunshine Girl business. "Did you find something?" her voice seemed to change, more dramatic.
"Yes, look," she pulled out a box that had been stuck under her mattress and opened it to retrieve a photo. The girls sat on the ground together and Hailey gave the picture. Hannah observed it.
"That's your mom, and my mom, and your dad, and my dad," she identified, not getting what had made Hailey so anxious to show it to her.
"Yes, but look closer," she insisted, bobbing her head. Hannah looked again. They were younger, like high school or something, but they'd seen pictures before, they knew it was them, except…
"Wait…" she frowned, and Hailey started nodding. She pointed to the picture, and Hailey nodded even more. "What does it mean?"
"I don't know, I thought maybe you knew." Hannah shook her head. "You don't think it means…" Hannah looked at her.
"We should go ask them," she decided. Hailey took the picture back, looking hesitant.
"What if they get mad?"
"Why would they?" Hannah asked, and Hailey shrugged. "It's okay," she promised, hugging her almost-sister close. "And we're Sunshine Girls, remember?" she got up to go find their costumes, just where they'd left them. She gave Hailey hers, and she put on her own things. Hailey smiled doing the same. "We don't get scared," she shook her head.
"We don't," Hailey confirmed, confident again. Hannah offered her arm, bent at the elbow. Hailey twisted her own arm around hers, until their fingers sat like sun rays high atop the land, shining down. Their hands clasped together then and they dashed together back down the stairs. They found their mothers sitting in the living room, talking. The girls stopped just inside the door, until Rachel spotted them and spoke up.
"Yes?" she asked, and the girls looked to each other.
"Are you sure?" Hailey whispered.
"Yes, it's okay," Hannah promised, so they nodded and they went ahead. "Give it to them," Hannah spoke, no longer whispering. Hailey was holding the picture close to herself, guarding it. But finally she held it out to Quinn, who looked to the image and then smiled and showed it to Rachel, who smiled, too.
"Why did you want to show us this one?" Quinn asked, and the girls looked to one another.
"Doesn't she see it?" Hailey whispered.
"Better not give away too much," Hannah suggested.
"Just curious," Hailey shrugged, at regular voice, and Hannah continued for her.
"About the Sunshine Girls." Their mothers were the ones to share a look now, and the girls leaned in. "We know it's okay to talk to you about this," she whispered again now.
"Because you were Sunshine Girls, too," Hailey carried on, hushed tones, too. The mothers sat back.
"Right, of course," Rachel had answered, sounding dramatic, too, and that was all the girls needed to climb up and place themselves in between on the couch. "Okay, so what do you want to know?" The girls turned to one another.
"Guess we can ask," Hailey whispered, so Hannah nodded and addressed her mother and her aunt.
"About that," she spoke, while Hailey pointed. There was a moment of silence, no need for the old friends to whisper. Rachel reached for her phone.
"I better call home. This will take a while…"
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!