Prompt: Quinntana pairing. Marley is new to the city. She's just recently moved into the same building as Santana and Quinn, and becomes close friends with Quinn. Santana gets a little jealous and decides to confide in Rachel – only to find out that Marley is actually Rachel's new girlfriend!
New Girl in Town ~ a Quinntana story ~
The city is a big place. Everything about it is big: big buildings, big noises, big attitude, big hopes and dreams. It's a lot to take in, a lot to absorb. Quinn's very much at home here now, but she remembers very well how overwhelming she'd found it when she'd first moved here from small-town Ohio. She remembers the near sensory overload she'd felt her first few months here, how jarringly different it all was from the way things had been back home. Of course, Santana had been there to help her through it all, but some people don't have that kind of support system. That's why Quinn feels a kind of moral obligation to take newcomers under her wing and sort of guide them along until they find their own way.
When she first met Marley Rose, she'd instantly taken a liking to the fresh-faced girl with the wide, sparkling eyes and even wider smile. She was sitting outside her office building early one morning, eating her breakfast on a bench and watching the teeming masses of humanity passing by on the sidewalks, when she noticed the tall, slender beauty with a fall of long strawberry blonde-ish hair spilling out from under a very cute newsboy cap standing still in the middle of everything. She kept looking down at a piece of paper and up at everything else around her with a distressed, confused look on her face while the hustling, bustling pulse of the city beat around her, pedestrians deftly stepping past as though she weren't even there.
"Hey," she called out from her bench, then again, "Hey!" after the first call failed to garner a response.
The girl finally turned in Quinn's direction. Her look of consternation changed to one of relief when she caught site of Quinn's friendly smile. Returning the smile, she came over to the bench at Quinn's insistent, beckoning gesture.
"I couldn't help but notice you were looking kind of confused there, and I wanted to know if I could help," Quinn said, the words spilling out before she realized she hadn't offered her name or a handshake. "I'm sorry." She extended her hand. "Quinn. I work in the giant building over here, behind us."
Grinning, Marley took her hand, shook it firmly. "Hi, Quinn. I'm Marley. Marley Rose. Nice to meet you.." She took out the folded piece of paper, which she'd pocketed before sitting down on the bench beside Quinn, and released Quinn's hand to unfold it again. "Oh, wait. That must be – yes. Yes, it is. I'm sure of it."
"Sure of what?"
"That's the building I was looking for. I have an interview there today. Not for another hour and a half or so, but Rachel's always going on about the importance of being early and not just on time, so -"
Quinn laughed. "Oh my God. You're her. My first-thing-in-the-morning interview."
Eyes wide, Marley glanced down again at her piece of paper. Rachel had typed it up for her, with every possible detail included. "You're...Ms. Fabray? Editor in need of an administrative assistant?"
"That's me," Quinn replied. "And lifelong friend – well, almost – of Rachel Berry. And you are her, and I quote, extraordinarily beautiful and exceptionally talented new girlfriend, in need of a better-paying job."
"Guilty as charged. Thanks for letting her talk you into interviewing me. I promise, I'm not this confused all the time. It's just...I used to commute from New Jersey, and then Rachel asked me to move in with her, so..." She paused with an amusingly bashful look on her pretty face. "Anyway, I'm not as familiar with this part of the city as I am with her neighborhood, at least not yet."
Quinn pats her hand, sympathetically. "You'll be just fine, after a while. It takes a little time to adjust when you first move here." She sipped at her coffee, wrapped up the remainder of her bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. "I know it took me a couple of months to really get used to everything."
"I hope so. Rachel's been amazing, but – you know, she's always running around to this audition for that show, so she can't go everywhere with me all the time. I guess it's good for me anyway, having to learn a few things on my own, right?"
"That's how we did it when we all first moved here. You know Rachel lived with me and my fiancee for several years, right?"
"She's mentioned it a few times. And by a few I mean at least a hundred," Marley laughed. "She talks about a lot of things, the two of you most of all. She really loves you guys."
Quinn ducked her head, blushing. "We love her too. And I can see why she likes you as well."
"You...you haven't told Santana about me, right? That I'm with Rachel? Because Rachel really doesn't want her to know until 'the time is right,' whatever that means. I don't understand it, but Rachel's been pretty insistent about it, so..."
"No, I haven't mentioned it, and I won't. I promised Rachel that I wouldn't say anything about that. I keep my promises," Quinn said firmly. Marley let out a sigh of relief. "Do you think you'll be able to find the building a little better tomorrow?"
"I think so...wait. Does that mean -"
"You've got the job. Welcome aboard, Marley Rose."
Since then, Quinn and Marley have become good friends. Close. Tight. Friendships with other women haven't always been easy for Quinn, but Marley is so sweet and nice that it's been remarkably smooth sailing since the day they first met. Everybody in the office loves her, so much so that they don't even mind when Rachel comes by and tries to organize their desks.
It's been such a nice thing, having a friend like Marley, that Quinn wants to keep it to herself a little bit. Not that she thinks Santana wouldn't like Marley, but she's enjoying having a friend who's outside the insular loop of their inner circle, one who doesn't know the colorful – some would say sordid – story of their shared past. Marley's like a clean slate, someone who's not aware of every single thing that's happened in her life, every bad choice, every unfortunate decision. She's only the newer, better, more improved version of herself in Marley's eyes, and she really likes that.
The price she sometimes pays for it, however, she doesn't like so much.
"Want to watch a movie tonight?" Santana asks as they're both getting dressed for work. "It feels like it's been ages since we just relaxed together, had a night in."
"I agree, but -"
Santana's eyes narrow. She's heard that phrase enough times in the last couple of months to know that nothing good ever follows it. Enough times that she's really coming to hate it.
"But what? No, wait, don't tell me – you've got plans with Marley. Right? Jesus, Quinn, doesn't that chick have any other friends?"
She knows she'd made a mistake when she'd decided not to tell Santana that Marley and Rachel are a couple. She just didn't want Santana badgering Rachel for information about her, being the somewhat – okay, very – nosy person she could sometimes be. Rachel has enough on her plate these days anyway. It's actually because of the fact that she's scored a starring role in a new show that Marley has all this free time to fill up, with Rachel spending long hours in rehearsal at the theater.
"Of course she does, San – but they're in New Jersey, and it's not always easy for them to make it into the city, or for Marley to get out there. Besides, she's still settling into her place. Remember how much of an adjustment it was when we moved here?"
Santana sits down on the bed, letting out a frustrated sigh with a huff. "An adjustment for you, maybe. I didn't have much trouble with it, and neither did Rachel."
"Really?" Quinn replies with one raised eyebrow. "I seem to recall things a little differently. Like how you had trouble sleeping for the first month and a half or so because of all the noise outside the loft, for example."
"That got a lot better once you joined me in bed," Santana snickers. "At least then I could ignore the noises outside because of all the noise you made inside."
Quinn grabs a pillow off the bed, makes a threatening gesture with it when Santana actually sticks out her tongue at her. "Very funny, San. Look, Marley just needs someone to help her out a little, that's all. I promise we'll have movie night soon."
She leans down to kiss Santana, who eagerly accepts the offering of her lips.
"We'd better. I'm holding you to that, Q."
Quinn does indeed get better at finding a balance between spending time with Marley and spending time at home with Santana over the next few weeks, but it doesn't do all that much to tamp down Santana's burning curiosity about the woman who's become Quinn's best friend.
"Why don't you invite her over for dinner sometime?"
Quinn turns her body over to face Santana, props herself up on her elbow before answering with a sleepy, "What?" It's a lazy Saturday morning, as every Saturday morning in the Fabray-Lopez household is, and Quinn's not quite focused and alert just yet.
"I said, why don't you invite her over for dinner sometime?" Santana repeats, rolling her eyes at her amusingly tousled fiancee. Quinn's mane of blonde hair is always messy as hell when she wakes up in the morning, yet somehow still incredibly gorgeous. "And by her, I mean Marley. Also known as your new BFF."
"You want me to invite Marley over for dinner?" Quinn blinks owlishly, as though she's still not quite comprehending the question. "Why?"
"Well, for starters, because I haven't met her yet, despite the fact that she's been taking up seemingly half your free time these days – time, I might add, you used to spend with me. Not for nothing, but that could make a girl a little jealous."
"Santana -" Quinn starts to protest, but the other woman cuts her off with a wave of her hand.
"I'm not saying I am jealous, Q. You know I trust you. It's just...look, I need to see for myself what this chick is all about. You haven't spent this much time with anyone besides me since...well, damn, since Rachel was living with us. I don't think it's too much to ask to have her over for dinner so that I can get to know her a little bit myself."
Rachel, Quinn thinks. I'll have to clear this with her first. I'm not sure she'll go along with it, but I know I can't keep Santana at bay forever.
Santana, seeing Quinn suddenly lost in thought, snaps her fingers to get the other woman out of her head. "Hey, Q. Are you still with me here?"
"I don't know, San," she says, still trying to order her thoughts. It's way too early for this. "Marley...she's actually kind of shy." That much is true. The girl isn't exactly an introvert, but she's not the big, outgoing personality that Rachel and Santana are, either. "And you're a lot to take in."
"Really? I hadn't noticed," Santana quips. "Aw, come on, Q. I promise I'll play nice. Cheerios honor."
"Nice try. You know as well as I do that the Cheerios had no honor. Coach Sue wouldn't allow it."
"Fair enough. But still." Santana rises from the sheets, topless as usual, wearing only a skimpy pair of lacy boy shorts. Quinn squeezes her eyes shut, not wanting to be tempted by her fiancee's insanely hot body into spending the entire day in bed. Santana smirks at the sight. "Think about it," she purrs. "I'll make it worth your while..." her voice trails off teasingly as she saunters off to the bathroom.
Quinn shifts again to lie on her back, flopping her head down on the pillow, hard. Her eyes are still screwed shut, but visions of Santana's caramel skin and perfect curves dance in her head anyway.
"Don't use all the hot water!" she shouts. Santana's muffled laughter through the bathroom door is all she gets in reply.
It's been several days, and Quinn still hasn't committed to inviting Marley over for dinner. Rachel hasn't been easy to pin down, with her now even busier schedule, so she's been unable to reach the pint-sized starlet despite several frantic attempts via text, e-mail and voice mail. Marley, being her usual sweet self, has been the only thing that's been able to stem the mounting tide of tension and worry rising inside Quinn.
Santana's noticed the tension, though, and maybe now she's getting a little jealous.
"Quinn," she finally says over dinner. "Help me out here. I'm really not understanding what the big deal is about inviting Marley over. Am I really so terrifying that you think she's gonna run out the door and never want to see you or speak to you again after meeting me?"
"What? No, of course not. Don't be ridiculous." Quinn agitatedly stirs butter into her sweet corn. "That's not it at all."
"Then what is it? I already promised to be nice. I even offered to cook, and you know I don't do that for just anyone." Santana pauses as a new thought comes to her. "If it makes you feel better, we can even invite someone else to join us. I know Rachel's really busy with her new show, so maybe...Tina? Kurt and Blaine? Anyone."
It's been a while since they had a proper dinner party. Not since Rachel left, really. Quinn has to admit that could be fun. But she doesn't want to overwhelm Marley either. She feels protective of her, like a big sister.
"I don't know, San," she says finally, shrugging shoulders as she cuts into her grilled chicken breast. "I'll think about it."
Santana puts her fork down on the table, shaking her head, chuckling ruefully. "That's all you've been doing, is thinking about it. I don't get this, Q. I really don't." She gets up, throws her napkin beside her plate. "I said I trust you, and I do. Please don't give me a reason not to, okay?"
"San! Santana, come on," Quinn calls after her. The bedroom door slams shut. "Damn it."
It's a minor miracle that Rachel's got a spare minute to answer her phone, surprised to see that it's Santana calling. "Hello, Santana. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"
Santana sniffles, wipes her eyes free of tears. She doesn't want Rachel to hear the aggravation in her voice. "Maybe I just wanted to hear the ridiculous way you answer the phone, Miss Manners," she teases. "Or maybe I just wanted to talk to my friend."
"You miss me, don't you? You said you wouldn't when I moved out, but I knew that wasn't true," Rachel shoots back. "It's good to hear from you."
"Thanks. It's good to hear your voice too, short stack," Santana admits, smiling in spite of herself. They've come a long way since their high school days; sometimes it's still hard for her to believe that Rachel Berry is one of her closest and dearest friends, but she can't deny it's true. "Listen – I have a question for you."
"A question? Okay, sure. I have a little time. Our director is such a slave driver, honestly. It's a wonder we even get to eat around here. But you don't want to hear about that, I'm sure. First world musical theater problems."
"Oh, come on, Rachel. You know I love hearing about your Broadway adventures. However, in this case, you're right."
Rachel laughs. "Of course. So what's up?"
"Well..." Now that she's finally got a hold of Rachel, she's not entirely sure how to go about bringing the whole Marley thing up. "It's about Quinn. She...she's been getting really close with this new girl at work. Like, spending lots of time with her outside the office. Going to museums and art shows and all that kind of thing."
"All the things you hate doing, but occasionally do just so Quinn doesn't make you sleep on the couch," Rachel teases. "I'm sorry. Please go on."
"Damn you and your keen powers of observation, you tiny bitch. Now, seriously. You know I trust Q. You know I know she would never cheat on me. You know that, right?"
"Of course I do, Santana. And yet you're worried. Am I correct?"
"I...I don't know. I feel like I'm being silly, like I'm overreacting – and yeah, it's not like that's never happened before, but...I can't shake the feeling that there's something Quinn's not telling me. And it's driving me crazy! I don't know what to do."
Rachel smiles, holding in the laughter that's threatening to burst out of her. She's been waiting for the right time to tell her friend about her new relationship, but between rehearsals and...well, not wanting to jinx things with Marley by talking about her too soon, too much, and to too many people, she's been holding back. In the past, she's torpedoed too many relationships by doing just that, by not waiting until she's certain that things are real and solid and meant to last, by building things up way too much in her mind and gushing too soon about them to everyone. Now she's been trying to do something new, something different.
But now it seems that the time, right or not, is upon her to say what she's been dying to say since she and Marley became official.
"Santana, you really don't have anything to worry about. Quinn hasn't had a best friend in a long time – well, a best friend who's not you or me, anyway. Maybe she's not ready to share that friendship with anyone else yet."
"That doesn't make any sense, Rachel. Q and I have shared everything since we were Cheerios together. She's the first person I told after Brittany and I lost our virginity to each other, the person who held me all night and let me cry myself to sleep after B and I broke up...why wouldn't she share this with me?"
"San, listen – it's okay. Really. You have nothing to worry about."
"I don't like it. I don't like it, and I hate that I don't like it. I mean, I'm happy for Quinn if this girl is serving some kind of purpose in her life, meeting some need I can't fulfill, and yet..." Santana lets out a frustrated sigh, feeling the sting of tears pricking at the corners of her eyes once again. "Fuck. I hate feeling this way."
"Look, Santana. I have something to tell you."
"What? That I'm so scary that Q doesn't want me to meet her new bestie? That I'm so terrifying that she thinks this girl's gonna turn and run out of her life once she meets me?"
Santana feels sad and angry and confused, and it's all coming out now. She hates not being in control of her emotions, but Rachel's always been there to listen and comfort without judgment at moments like this.
"Santana. Stop. Listen to me. Marley...she's -"
"She's what? Stealing Quinn away from me?" Santana yells. "Oh, hell no! It is not going down like that!"
The words rush out in a hurry, louder than Rachel had intended. "Marley is my girlfriend."
Santana feels as though she's just smashed into a brick wall. She's not sure she heard was she thinks she just heard. "Wait...what?"
"I said, Marley is my girlfriend. We've been together for a while now. I - I've been waiting for the right time to tell you, because...well, you know how I get. Every new relationship is the biggest, the best, the truest of true loves, right away, and it all gets too intense, too fast, and it just gets...jinxed. You know what I mean?"
"Jinxed? What the hell are you talking about, Rachel?" Santana asks, bewildered. "How could you keep something like this from me?" A realization hits her. "You...you asked Quinn not to tell me either, didn't you?"
"Yes. I made her promise not to tell you because I wanted to tell you, as I said, when the time was right. Obviously this isn't the way I wanted it to happen, but -"
Santana laughs, surprising Rachel. "Well, fuck me. I didn't think you had it in you to be that sneaky." Relief courses through her body. "You still suck for not telling me right away, though, even if you didn't want to tell everyone else."
"I didn't know that she and Quinn would hit it off right away like that," Rachel admits. "I mean, I had hoped they would get along, but I never thought they'd become so close."
Santana purses her lips. "Why did you tell Quinn before you told me? I'm kind of hurt by that, believe it or not."
"Because Marley had just moved in with me, she needed a better job, and I knew that Quinn was looking for a new assistant. Quinn was a little hesitant at first, but I talked her into giving Marley an interview, and then when they met, they just clicked instantly. So much so that Quinn hired her on the spot."
"Okay...I guess that explains it, sort of. You didn't want to jinx the interview either, I suppose?"
"I didn't want to jinx anything, Santana. I..." Rachel sighs. "I'm sorry if this put your relationship with Quinn under any stress. It certainly wasn't my intention to do so. Look, Marley is very special. She's smart and funny and sweet and kind and so beautiful and talented – and I know I've said this before, but this time it's different. I think -" She pauses, takes a deep breath, knowing the seriousness of what she's about to say. "No. I know she's the one."
Santana's eyes widen, hearing something in Rachel's voice that she's never heard before. There's a definitive quality to those words, a certainty that's never colored her tone until this moment. She's kind of blown away by it.
"Wow, Rachel. That...that's great. That's really great!" She laughs, caught up in the moment, caught up in happiness for her friend, and for herself, knowing that Marley is most definitely not any kind of threat to her own relationship. "I'm so happy for you!"
"It's exciting," Rachel admits. There's a touch of wonder in her voice. "I've never felt this way about anyone. I mean, I've been in love before, but this is...this is something more, something greater than anything I've ever felt in my life."
"Yeah. I know what you mean, short stack." Thoughts of a certain hazel-eyed blonde beauty invade Santana's mind. "So, listen. I want you and Marley to come over for dinner ASAP, all right? We should celebrate. I'll even cook."
"That would be lovely, Santana. I'll make time for it. In fact, I'm putting it in my planner now for transferral to my calendar app later."
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't make a PowerPoint about it. Oh, and tell Q it's all right with you. She's not going to make a move without your OK."
"I'll text her right away." There are voices in the background. Someone's calling Rachel's name. She sighs. "And now I have to go. It was wonderful to catch up with you, Santana. We'll firm up the plans soon. I love you. Bye!"
"Bye. And break a leg! Two, even."
The call ends. Santana smiles, looking down at her phone. It's nice that things are making sense in her world again. She's still not one hundred percent happy that Rachel and Quinn kept this from her, but at least now she understands the reasons why. Love and friendship can make people do weird things. She knows that better than most.