A/N: Hey, all! This is my first story, I just had an idea for a story that I wanted to put to paper so here's the first chapter. It's mostly a set-up chapter. Let me know what you think! A few notes: Quinn never had a baby, Rachel doesn't live in Lima and you're awesome for reading this.
Onward, then :)
ONE
Quinn hated Connecticut.
Quinn spent all of her summers here, in northern Connecticut on her "family" vacations. Most of her father's family lived out here, including her grandparents and a few assorted aunts, uncles, and cousins. During these visits, she'd stay with her parents in the guest house behind her grandparent's gigantic three-story home. The house sat on eleven acres of grassy land, where they used to keep horses when Quinn's father was young. Eventually, they had grown tired of taking care of the horses and sold them off, leaving an empty barn behind. During family dinners, Quinn's grandparents would share stories about the horses they used to show, and all of the awards and ribbons they'd won at competitions, and how beautiful the horses were.
Quinn didn't care. Quinn hated horses.
Quinn was always surprised at just how bored she could get on these family vacations. Three months of Fabray time. Three months of awkward family dinners, hearing about her cousins' accomplishments, being dragged to the same vacation spots she'd been dragged to for the last seventeen years. Three months of wishing she was back in Lima, Ohio. Three months of missing Santana and Brittany and Puck and even Finn.
Three long, terrible months.
Spencer was her saving grace whenever she went out to Connecticut. Spencer was her favorite cousin. He had just turned 20, and was the only other member of the Fabray clan who seemed to hate their rituals and routines as much as Quinn did. They'd often get into trouble together, ditching family parties to walk around downtown, or going to the beach to drink together and watch the sun go down. Sometimes they'd stay overnight, other times their families would find them there and take them back home. Whenever that happened, Quinn would get a half-hearted lecture about what it meant to be a proper girl from her mother while her father watched on. She'd go to bed, and the next day that was that.
Girls loved Spencer.
He was extremely handsome, with short blonde hair, green eyes and the signature Fabray facial features. But unlike them, he was down to earth, kind, and funny. Also unlike them, Spencer had no idea how to dress himself. He'd leave the house in plaid shorts and socks and sandals, or a green hoodie and bright orange shorts, and think nothing of it. Quinn would only smile when she saw him on these days. She'd grown used to it by now and just thought it was part of his charm. Girls certainly didn't seem to mind. Quinn figured they thought they could help this poor, devastatingly handsome guy reform his wardrobe and fall in love with them at the same time. But for all of the girlfriends Spencer had had over the years, his fashion sense (or lack thereof) remained.
Quinn's other saving grace here was the secondhand bookstore downtown.
Everything out here was expensive. Antique stores and clothing boutiques lined the streets of downtown, along with gourmet food stores, café-style restaurants and other specialty stores. Quinn's parents were quite wealthy people, but Quinn couldn't ever justify spending 200 dollars on a sweater, or paying 15 dollars for soup and a sandwich. They'd often give Quinn a significant amount of spending money and tell her to take one of her cousin's downtown and have a nice time shopping, but Quinn would often go by herself and only hit the bookstore. The store was called "Henry's Book Shoppe," and was considerably small for the amount of books it held. There were all kinds of books inside, including famous literature from every era imaginable, self-help books, old and new comics, and newer "supernatural romance" fiction. The older books were always slightly frayed, some missing title pages, others with special notes written on the inside cover. Quinn loved those the most.
Quinn could get ten books for less than twenty dollars on a good day. Quinn hoped today would be a good day.
Today was their third day in Connecticut, and Quinn finally had a free evening. The last two nights consisted of unpacking and family dinners, which were made all the more unbearable because Spencer wasn't able to make it. He was away at school, and was going to be arriving home tomorrow.
Quinn was listening to her iPod on her bed when she vaguely heard her mother's voice. She pulled her earbuds out, the sound of Passion Pit's "Let Your Love Grow Tall" leaving her ears, and listened again for her mother.
"Quinnie, dear," Quinn's mother Judith called from the kitchen of their guest home. Quinn got up from her bed with a small sigh and walked downstairs into the kitchen, taking her iPod with her.
"Why don't you go and find Syndey or Emily and go shopping? Here's a few dollars for clothes! I think it'd be quite nice for you to bond more with your…female cousins." Judy handed Quinn a stack of twenty dollar bills with a smile on her face. Quinn gave a small smile and thanked her mom.
"I'll be back later," Quinn said quickly before slipping on her shoes and heading out the front door, neglecting to mention that she had no intention of asking her cousins to join her on her trip downtown. The walk usually took about twenty minutes, and Quinn always appreciated the fresh air.
Quinn put her earbuds in and shuffled through a few songs, humming along when she finally found one she wanted to listen to. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.
"Shit," Quinn thought out loud before taking it out and reading the text message.
Santana (6:15): really Q? did u die of boredom already?
Quinn had totally forgotten to text Santana when she had finally gotten to Connecticut. She laughed to herself before sending a message back.
Quinn (6:16): No, not yet. Close. Send help.
Quinn put her phone back into her pocket and continued her walk downtown. She missed Santana already. She missed Brittany and Lima and wanted to be back with her best friends. She had hoped this was the year her parents had decided their annual trip was unnecessary, or at the very least that they'd only stay for a few weeks instead of a few months. Of course, it was wishful thinking. The Fabrays were people of tradition. And tradition said the Fabrays spent every stupid, god-forsaken summer in Connecticut.
The sounds of Joshua Radin soon filled her ears.
I need you to know this won't be broken
And all that we said will not be lost into the dawn
And you would be the last thing I saw coming
I'm still surprised
Quinn had reached downtown.
You are lovely tonight
You dear will guide me into the morning light
You are lovely tonight
Lay here beside meI see the rest of my life with you
Quinn recognized these shops. She was close.
Alone we are fine but when we're two we are eternal
The moons have aligned our separate lives
Here become one
And you would be the last thing I saw coming
Quinn stopped in front of "Henry's Book Shoppe" and shut off her iPod. There was still the same hanging "Open" sign on the front door- a quick look around told her it was the only shop left on the street that didn't have a neon open sign now. The same window still took up most of the store front, with new and old books displayed in a few assorted groups. The store still had the same dark red awning above the door, and the same wooden door with the brass doorknob.
Quinn smiled as she reached for the doorknob and entered the store. She was greeted by the same familiar bell that had always hung over the door. The smell of old books hit her immediately, and for the first time in three days, Connecticut felt a little bit like home again. The store was much longer than it was wide, with several tall book shelves lining the walls and standing in the middle of the store, creating small aisles. There were a few chairs toward the back of the shop. The walls were a pleasant yellow color, the floor the same wood it had been for all of the years. Quinn remembered the parts of the floorboard that squeaked when she walked over them. The counter with the register was to her right. It was also made of wood. Quinn didn't see anyone behind it until the door closed behind her.
"Hi, welcome to Henry's! If you have any questions let me—shit" Quinn turned her attention to the counter, where a small brunette had just apparently knocked a stack of books onto the floor in front of the counter.
"Shit! I mean shoot. Shoot. I'm sorry! What I meant to say was if you have any questions, let me know. I'll be here. Behind the counter. After I'm done picking up these books that I just knocked over." The cashier girl walked in front of the counter and began to pick up the books.
Quinn stared at the girl, who hadn't actually looked up at the blonde yet. Quinn stared. And stared. And then she realized she'd been staring. And staring. What the fuck?
Quinn's face turned red. "Let me help," she said, trying to snap out of whatever she was in, before realizing the brunette girl was picking up the last book. Quinn still stood there.
The girl finally looked up at Quinn, who was still just standing there. "I think I've got them all, thank you—"
The eye contact was intense. It was electric. It was too long and too short and Rachel and Quinn both reddened, neither breaking eye contact until Quinn looked at the ground.
"I'm sorry about your books," Quinn mumbled.
"Oh," Rachel said quietly, looking away. "I think that they will be okay." She looked back up at Quinn.
Quinn was pretty sure she wasn't breathing. This girl was some crazy kind of beautiful that Quinn had never seen before. Her long, brown hair was tied back in a pony tail. Short bangs fell across her forehead. Her eyes were a deep brown, her cheek bones prominent and her lips…
Stop staring at her lips, Quinn.
"I'm Quinn," she blurted.
"I'm Rachel," the shorter girl responded. "Are you from around—"
"I have to go," Quinn said quickly. With that, she turned around, threw the door open and sped back home, leaving them both to wonder what the hell had just happened.