A/N: This is not only my first Glee/Faberry fic, but also my very first fanfic EVER. Be gentle with me! At the same time though, any and all advice, constructive criticism and suggestions are very much welcomed and appreciated. This story is un-beta'd so all mistakes are my own.
Disclaimer: Nothing in the Glee universe belongs to me. If it did, Faberry would have been canon from day one and none of this horrible fuckery would have ever occurred. That's all on Ryan Murphy's shoulders and I am somewhat dubious about his so-called "creative genius" as of late. Pieces of dialogue and script are taken from 3x14 "On My Way".
The ring seems to weigh a hundred pounds. And was it always so tight? It has a vice like grip and you imagine that you can see your finger turning blue.
You wring your hands and fidget uncomfortably. The girls seated behind you are watching you carefully as you restlessly prowl about the room. Quick, heavy footsteps echo in the hall; you barely have time to take a breath, steel yourself, before Finn is lumbering in and peering at you expectantly. Mercedes attempts to shoo him out and you hear Tina make a comment about it being bad luck to see the bride before she walks down the aisle.
Too late for that, you think.
This whole production was jinxed long before your would-be groom snuck a peek at you in all your white-gowned glory.
Your bitter thoughts cause you to once again peer down at your phone.
Ran home to get my bridesmaid dress. Be there soon.
It's alright, you tell yourself; Quinn will be here soon. But soon is not soon enough in your humble opinion.
HURRY!
Time is quickly dwindling away and you feel yourself being backed into a metaphorical corner. Finn is still standing in the doorway, that same goofy, clueless smile plastered on his face that you used to find so endearing. Now the sight of it just causes bile to raise high in your throat and dread to coil tightly in your stomach.
You love Finn. You do.
But it's not the right kind of love; it's not the kind that will lead you happily down the aisle with him in the next fifteen minutes. It's not the kind that you can build a happy life upon.
And you've known this since before the boy dropped to one knee that day in the auditorium and asked you (selfishly, if you're being honest) to be his wife. You knew it even as your lips parted and the 'Yes' tumbled from your mouth. And you knew it when Quinn implored you to be smart, to look ahead to your future, and realize that you needed to say goodbye to the silly fantasy of a perfect life-long high school romance.
You knew it and yet here you are.
And where the hell is Quinn? She said she wanted to support you because that's what a good friend would do and Quinn Fabray has been nothing if not a good friend to you in the last few weeks. She said she wanted to be in your wedding and you smiled and hugged her close, as if that was the best news you'd ever heard.
But in reality, you pulled her in tight merely because you wanted (needed) to feel her warmth against your body. You wrapped your arms around her and squeezed because, even though she said she was happy for you, you secretly hoped there were ulterior motives hidden inside that beautifully intricate head of hers. You secretly wished for plans to stand up at the right moment, objections perched, ready to fall from her lips and save you.
"I object!" she'd say.
And you wouldn't hesitate for one second before flinging off this ridiculous veil, tearing the ring from your finger and rushing back down the aisle where she would be waiting to whisk you away from this horrible mistake.
And, okay, maybe in your head the two of you would pile into her little red car and drive and drive until you reached the city limits and then you'd both climb out and lay on the soft grass and laugh at the whole messed up spectacle. You'd laugh until your stomachs ached and your faces were wet and then you'd stop and gaze softly into those bright eyes of hers, let them pull you in until the only thing left to do would be to fall forward and kiss her. You'd kiss and caress until one of you was forced to pull away for air and then you'd lie back down and laugh again and somewhere between more kissing and more laughing a commitment would be made and you would head home that night knowing Quinn Fabray was yours and that a wonderful romance was waiting to unfold between weekend visits, late night Skype calls and shared trips home.
But she's not here and Finn's growing anxious and everyone's waiting for you to be ready so they can all get on with their own lives. Yet, she said she'd be here soon, so of course you have no other choice but to wait for her and have faith in the fact that even though she might not love you the same way you love her, she still cares enough about you to not let you ruin your life this way.
Of course she'll be here. Of course she'll save you.
She is Quinn after all.
"Rachel we can't wait any longer. She's not coming and we'll lose our spot if we don't hurry up. It's now or never."
Never. The answer is never.
You shout it in your head, but instead of replying, you turn away from him and look helplessly down at your phone again.
Where are you?
She has to be getting close. It's only a twenty minute drive from her driveway to the court house.
ON MY WAY.
You swing back around, holding your hands out in supplication. Finn is starting to look irritated and you can hear your friends shuffling impatiently where they're all scattered around the room. But that's okay. It'll all be okay.
Because Quinn is on her way.