here we go, friends. the last day of faberry week ever. here's my last instalment: a drabble of grandparents!faberry
enjoyyyyy :)
Today was a busy day for the Berry-Fabrays. The two sixty year olds were looking after their granddaughter, Bella. Their daughter was due in five minutes to drop Bella off so that she could go out for the night with her husband. Both Quinn and Rachel leaped at the chance and offered, instead of just having Bella for the evening, to have her for the night and she could be picked up the following day.
Right on cue, the doorbell rang and Rachel went to answer the door. "Hello, Grace!" She greeted her daughter with a hug. Much to her annoyance, as soon as Grace had turned 13, she overtook Rachel in height, despite being, genetically, Rachel's own. Next, she crouched down to her granddaughter. It seemed that, disregarding height, Rachel's genetic traits were strong. Grace was almost identical to her mother. She just had a stronger jawline. Everything seemed to have then been passed onto Bella as she was the spitting image of both her mother and grandmother. It was almost scary how alike they all looked. Quinn often felt left out with her blonde hair and fair skin. "Hello, Bells." Rachel smiled, getting almost knocked over by Bella running in for a hug.
"Hi, Grandma!" Bella shouted, burying her face in Rachel's shoulder.
"My, you've grown!" Rachel let Bella back to get a better look. "You look like you're eighteen!"
"Noooooo!" Bella giggled. "Silly Grandma." She shook her head. "I'm only five."
Rachel eyed her granddaughter up and down suspiciously. "Are you sure?"
"Mhmm." The tiny brunette nodded. "Where's Granny?" She asked, peering around Rachel to see if she could see Quinn.
"Granny is busy making your bed. Go and find her if you want!" And with that, Bella whizzed off and sped up the stairs on hands and knees. Rachel turned to Grace. "Are you wanting to come in?"
Grace gave an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry, Ma. But Ty needs me back as soon as possible. He says we're going somewhere but he won't say where or what we're doing.."
"No problem. I hope you enjoy it. I'll call the terrible two down to say goodbye." Rachel cleared her throat, ready to shout. "QUINN! BELLA! COME DOWNSTAIRS! GRACIE'S LEAVING NOW!"
"Maaaaaa." Grace whined. "Please don't call me Gracie."
Her mother grinned back cheekily. "But it's cute."
"And I'm an adult." Grace rolled her eyes. The number of times they'd had this conversation was way too many to remember. She knew exactly where this was going.
"And I'm-"
"You're my mother. I know." Grace smiled. Then she saw Quinn at the door. "Hi, Mom." She greeted and pulled her into a hug. "Sorry to come and go so quickly." She apologised.
Quinn waved her hand in the air as if to waft away the apology. "Nonsense. It just means we get more time alone with Bella." She winked. "Enjoy your date night, honey." Quinn kissed her daughter on the cheek, waited for Rachel to bid her goodbye and then they waved Grace off in her car.
"So," Quinn turned to Bella. "What do you want to do? We have an hour until your Mom says you need to go to bed. Which means we actually have two hours because me and your Grandma are cool and let you stay up late!" Quinn grinned, watching as Bella ran into the house to pick out a film. At least, that's what the greying blonde thought she would be doing. It was what normally happened.
"Hey, Quinn." Rachel whispered to her wife. "Slow down with the cool stuff. I know you want to be a hip Granny but you're taking this a little bit far, sweetie."
Quinn turned to Rachel, an almost pained look on her face. "But Rach this is my only time to feel young again."
"I know, hon." Rachel nodded, understanding. "But you can be all those things without stressing them too much."
"Okay." Quinn surrendered as they joined Bella in the lounge. "What have you picked, Belle?"
Bella turned around from the shelves with a big grin on her face. "I chose Beauty and the Beast!"
Rachel raised her eyebrows. "Again? You've watched it the last ten times you've stayed over."
The small girl nodded. "It's my favourite!"
Rachel looked to her wife but she just shrugged in response. It was Quinn's fault that they'd had to see it so many times. A few months ago, Bella had asked her granny why she called her Belle instead of Bella. Quinn told her that it was after Belle from Beauty and the Beast. It had been her favourite film as a child and, with their shared brunette hair and love of books, Quinn thought it suited their granddaughter to the bone. And so from then on that was the only film they'd watched. And the only book they'd read.
Just as Bella was about to put the DVD in, Quinn spoke up. "Nuh uh." She shook her head, pretending to be disappointed. "That isn't what we do first, is it?" She asked.
Her granddaughter's eyes widened, remembering what the usual plan was. She dropped the DVD and ran upstairs. On her return, neither Quinn nor Rachel could really see where Bella was. The child had disappeared behind a pile of bedsheets. "I got them to make a fort!" Came her muffled voice.
"Now that's what I'm talking about." Quinn smiled, taking the sheets from Bella. She was relieved when she saw that the girl had also got into her pyjamas. Her and Rachel were already in their pyjamas when their granddaughter arrived. Bella liked pyjama parties and Quinn liked making Bella happy. So she gave her the closest to a pyjama party that she could get. "Do you want to follow Grandma into the kitchen? I think she's got something for you!"
On the cue, Rachel left the lounge and walked to the kitchen, leaving Quinn to set up the DVD and blanket fort. "Guess what I have for you."
Bella's face scrunched up in thought. "Uhhmmm." She thought. "A PONY?!"
"Not even close." Rachel shook her head lightly. It could take a while if she kept letting Bella guess.
"A puppy?"
"No animals."
"A dress?"
"Not this time."
"Food?"
"Yes!" Rachel encouraged. "You have one guess left. Make it count."
Bella took a few moments to think long and hard about her answer. When she thought she knew what it was, her mouth popped open in an O shape and she brought her right index finger up about ten centimetres from her face. "Is it cookies?" She asked, excited for the answer.
"It most certainly is!" Rachel tickled her granddaughter's sides. "You got it! Well done!" She congratulated.
"Please. Stop. Grandma." Bella let out after breaths between giggles. "I. Want. My. Cookies."
Rachel stopped immediately. "You want your cookies?" She asked, making her voice sound disapproving on the word 'want'. "Or would you like your cookies, please?" Bella was still lacking on some manners, no matter how hard they tried to make her say her pleases, thank yous and sorrys. It was a learning process and, unfortunately, it was taking Bella longer to remember them.
"Please could I have my cookies, Grandma?" The brunette asked meekly, feeling guilty for forgetting her manners.
"Of course!" Beamed Rachel. "You can have two!" The grey woman turned to open a cupboard to get to the cookies. One of the worse things about getting older was shrinking. Especially for Rachel. She had been small before and now, being even shorter, it was getting harder for her to reach things. Nevertheless she managed it and took the lid off with ease.
Bella took two (the two biggest ones, obviously) and then made sure to remember her manners this time. "Thank you, Grandma."
Rachel ruffled Bella's hair. "No problem, B." She helped herself to a cookie and got another out for her wife. "How about we go and see how Granny's getting on with the fort?" She suggested and Bella ran straight back to the lounge to see how Quinn was doing.
When she walked in, Rachel saw a familiar sight. The television had been turned on and Beauty and the Beast was just starting. Her wife had pushed two armchairs about two metres apart and had taken the cushions from them, as well as from the sofa, to put on the floor between the chairs and a little further out. A bedsheet was stretched over the top of the armchairs and various other sheets were thrown on to cover any gaps. As she walked to the entrance, she saw Quinn on the far side of the fort with Bella cuddled into her side. There was just enough room on the close side for Rachel to squeeze in with them. While sidling in with them, she heard a whispered conversation.
"Hey, Belle?"
"Yeah, Granny?"
"Am I allowed one of your cookies?" Quinn knew it was a risky question. She didn't mind too much if she didn't get any. Bella's reaction was more what she was asking for. She wanted to see what it would be like.
"I-" Bella looked between her second cookie and her granny, conflicted. She made the movement several times trying to make a decision. Her grandmothers did let her do things that her parents didn't. Like eating cookies so close to bedtime. And sleeping downstairs. And staying up late. The tiny girl closed her eyes and reluctantly passed her cookie to Quinn.
Her Granny looked at Bella as though she'd grown and extra head. That was Bella's cookie. And she was letting Quinn have it. She looked at her wife, shocked. Had Rachel seen that?
She had. And she leaned over to Bella. "Don't worry, hon, you can keep your cookie. I got your Granny one of her own."
Bella breathed the biggest sigh of relief as Quinn handed her cookie back to her. It took all Quinn and Rachel had not to laugh. Of course she'd be that relieved over the cookie.
The three then settled down in silence to watch the film, huddled together. About ten minutes from the end of the film, Quinn noticed Bella's eyes beginning to droop. When she suggested going to bed, her granddaughter turned down the idea right away. She needed to see the end of the film. However, when the end of the film came, Bella had been asleep for a good five minutes. Instead of risking waking her up, Quinn and Rachel decided to let her sleep downstairs and they'd stay with her. They were all in their pyjamas anyway.
Quinn and Rachel left quietly to brush their teeth. Once back downstairs, they kissed each other goodnight and lay down either side of their granddaughter to fall asleeptogether not long after.
there you go. a quick drabble to end on. thank you so much for reading and sticking with me :) it's been a great experience to share with you all :)