Disclaimer: Everything here except the idea belongs to the creators of Glee.
I woke up with this story in my head.
I'm not entirely sure where it's going. I only know it's Faberry and Brittana. Faberry centric. This part came from the mention that Quinn had her 18th birthday over summer.
But like I said I have no idea where this is going, or how well it will follow canon. It might be Quinn centric in the beginning, it might switch to Rachel later. No idea. I'm just following it organically. I don't know how long it's going to be, or what is going to happen.
Regardless, I hope you enjoy. Please let me know what you think, reviews help!
Cheers
Quinn was bored. Extremely bored. She was sitting at a truck stop watching a man who was nearly old enough to be her father, waiting for Mack. She was getting increasingly irritated with the constant slamming of wheels and wood on pavement, but she had nowhere else to be. She sighed and ran a hand through messy pink hair, eyes shifting around the parking lot. She reached into the pocket of her torn up jean jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a Zippo she stole from some loser at the mall.
As she lit one she thought back to this morning. She had been at her mother's house. She refused to call it home anymore; it hadn't felt like a home in years, nothing had. She had woken up to the smell of bacon coming from downstairs.
Quinn rubbed the sleep from her eyes and followed the heavenly scent towards its' source. Her mother was in the kitchen at the stove humming to herself. It was something cheerful and light and it made her scowl.
"What are you doing?" she asked in a scratchy voice. She walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water, taking a sip before continuing. "You haven't made breakfast in months."
"Well good morning to you too, Quinnie." Judy Fabray chuckled. She had been dealing with Quinn's change in behavior as best she could recently, but she was still unsure of how to handle it.
"Don't call me that. And I asked what you're doing." Quinn said icily.
"Can't a woman cook breakfast for her daughter? Especially on her 18th birthday." Judy said turning around and smiling. Quinn's scowl only deepend.
"Right, I forgot about that." She said under her breath. She looked over at the calendar. Yes, it was June 30th, her 18th birthday. "Whatever. I'm going to get ready."
She didn't wait for an answer and just disappeared up the stairs. Rifling through her room for her rattiest clothes, and hastily threw them on. She walked into her bathroom brushed her teeth and mussed up her hair more than it already was, threw on some eyeliner and headed back down stairs. Her mother was moving stuff from the stove to the table when she looked up at Quinn.
"Here, Quinnie, let's sit down and eat. I made all your favorites. Bacon, waffles with honey, and a side of fresh strawberries." Judy said smiling and sat down at the end of the table. Quinn eyed all the food.
"Not hungry." She said and looked up at her mother. Judy's face fell, but only for a moment, before the fake Fabray smile returned.
"That's alright, Quinnie, why don't you sit down so we can talk. Is there anything special you want to do today?" Judy asked her daughter, her attempt to not let the disappointment show.
"Don't call me that!" Quinn all but shouted. "And I'm not hungry, and I'm not staying here so we can pretend either one of us gives a shit"-
"Quinn!" Judy scolded, but Quinn didn't stop.
"about celebrating my birth. No one has cared for the past 17 years, why bother faking it another. I'm leaving."
Quinn turned and stormed her way out of the front door.
Quinn was pulled back from her reverie by another slam of wood on cement. This time it was followed by a grunt of pain. She looked over to the manchild skateboarder and smirked when she saw him lying face down in the pavement.
"Fucking loser." She said under her breath. Her cigarette was already gone and as she went to reach for another the slamming of a car door called her attention. She turned her head slightly to the side as she lit her vice, only to see a red mini cooper parked about 50 feet away. She looked around for the owner, not seeing them anywhere; she contemplated breaking into it, seeing if she could find something expensive, like an iPod or a cell phone she could hawk for booze. As she made to push of the shipping container she was leaning on movement caught her eye. It wasn't the manchild skateboarder, but someone smaller, someone walking right towards her with a purpose.
It was Rachel fucking Berry.
Quinn rolled her eyes behind her mirrored aviators, but kept her face cool beyond that. How the high and mighty diva found her she had no idea. There were a lot of truck stops in Lima, as it wasn't exactly the biggest town in the world, truckers had to stop somewhere. Quinn came to this one specifically on the outskirts of town, to avoid this exact thing from happening. She did not want to see anyone she knew. Not because she was ashamed of who she was, she didn't give two shits about that, but because everyone sucked.
Quinn inhaled a deep drag of the cigarette as Rachel neared. She was only about 10 feet from her now, so she couldn't pretend she didn't see her, she was looking right at her. Or she could be a bitch and do that anyway. She was contemplating it and she heard Rachel clear her throat.
Quinn gave her a once over. She was surprised to find the animal sweaters nowhere to be found. Only to be replaced by a tank top and a pair of sinfully short shorts. Both of which clung nicely in all the right places. She also took note of a large paper bag in Berry's hand before meeting her eyes. She looked hesitant and wary, her eyes shifting around the parking lot, and taking in the sight of the skateboarder behind Quinn, before refocusing on her. She cleared her throat once more and stood up straighter.
"Good afternoon, Quinn." Rachel said formally. Quinn scoffed and made sure it was loud enough for the other girl to hear.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she responded caustically.
"Well, it has come to my attention that this is where you and your…friends, congregate."
"And how the hell did you find that out?" She pressed. "Are you stalking me?"
Rachel looked appalled by the accusation. She then put on a determined Rachel Berry face and went into her explanation.
"While I did do some extensive investigatory analysis, no Quinn Fabray, I am not stalking you. As Glee club captain, it is my duty to know where all of you are and how to get into contact with you. Though you have done a fairly wonderful job of ignoring not only me, but the rest of Glee club as well, I have tried talking to you before. We've had meetings since summer started, and you've not been to a single one. I haven't come looking for you until now out of respect for you space, so perhaps you could do me the favor of not being such a deplorable shrew in return."
Quinn pushed off the shipping container and crossed her arms, using her full height against the brunette. She cocked and eyebrow and leaned forward.
"Then why don't you answer my first question, what the hell are you doing here?" she asked in a low voice, straining to keep herself from smacking Berry. Though, if she weren't going to lie to herself, she would admit that Rachel standing up to her that way was sort of bad ass, but she wasn't often honest with herself. So she continued her stare down.
"Well, as I said, being captain of the Glee club often gives me responsibilities to my fellow members so"-
"I'm not part of your Glee club, Berry." Quinn interrupted.
"If you're going to continue to be rude, then I'll just leave."
"Good." Quinn replied. Rachel only looked at her more fiercely and placed her hands on her hips.
"You know what, no, because that' exactly what you want. So I'm going to do what I came here to do, and you're going to listen to everything I have to say. Understand?" Rachel snapped. Quinn was again taken back by the way Rachel was standing up to her.
Rachel herself was also alarmed at the way she was speaking to Quinn Fabray. But she had come here on a mission, and she was going to fulfill that mission before she left.
Quinn relaxed her posture, slumping back up against the wall of the container, and lighting another cigarette, taking her time before answering. She took one long drag and blew it the opposite direction of where Rachel was standing. Turning her head back to look straight forward, she could feel Berry's eyes on the side of her face.
"Alright. I'm listening." Quinn told her. Rachel took a deep breath and began again.
"Thank you, Quinn. As I stated previously, as captain of the Glee club, it is my duty to know certain things about each of you, beginning but not ending with how to contact you. However, today I'm not exactly here on Glee club business."
That caught Quinn's attention, as she was almost sure Rachel was going to start a long winded bitch rant about Quinn not fulfilling Glee club responsibilities and yadda yadda. She turned her head to look at Rachel, nodding to show she was still waiting for her to go on. Rachel sighed and took a few steps so she was standing directly in front of Quinn. This time when Rachel spoke up again her voice was more gentle.
"Look, Quinn, I know that you're going through a lot right now, and like I said, I'm not here about Glee club. I'm not going to force you to come to meeting if it's not what you want, I'm here for you today. I happen to be privy on the knowledge that today the 30th of June is your 18th birthday. I didn't want to let it just go by without some acknowledgment from your friends. I know you don't necessarily consider me to be your friend, but I consider you mine. So I got you a gift."
Quinn continued to passively look at Rachel, though in her mind she was fighting to keep her mouth from falling open in shock. She had never been anything but a heartless bitch to Berry, and here she was giving Quinn a present. Granted it was probably something lame, like a homemade batch of cookies or something, but the thought was there. Quinn didn't even know how Rachel knew it was her birthday. She'd never mentioned it to anyone but Finn, and it wasn't highly likely he would remember. Brittany and Santana knew, but she didn't think they'd care.
"It's not much, but I thought you might like it. There's also something from Santana and Brittany in there. They miss you too, though Santana has outright refused to say so. Brittany made you a card." Rachel handed the paper bag to Quinn. Who noticed that inside were a box wrapped neatly and a card sitting on top. She looked back up at Rachel who nodded.
Quinn knelt down on the pavement setting the bag in front of her and pulled out the card first. Opening the envelope that had her name brightly colored across the front, she pulled out the bit of just as brightly colored paper. On it was a drawing of a tall blonde with blew eyes and a tan brunette and another person who was undoubtedly supposed to be herself. Only when she was still blonde, and wore baby doll dresses. There was a rainbow and a unicorn drawn above them and over the rainbow was two different handwritings. The first one was obviously Brittany, Quinn knew her bubble handwriting, and it was also written in yellow crayon. It wasn't the easiest to read, but it said:
Hey Q! Happy birthday! You're finally 18! That's totally awesome, you can buy your own cigarettes now. But I think you should quit, because people who smoke lose years off their life and I want you to be around for a really long time. I'm still trying to get Lord Tubbington to quit, so I know it's hard, but you should try it. I miss you and I love you! –B
The next bit was written in slightly sloppier handwriting and in pen obviously from Santana.
Q, I have no idea what's going on with you. But B misses you, so whatever it is, you need to fix it. You're making her sad. Happy 18th birthday. Puck is having his 18th birthday party in a few weeks. If you haven't smoked your brain cells away and forgotten when it is you should still come. –S
P.s. I'm here for you.
Quinn took a deep breath and turned her head away from Rachel. She could feel her eyes on her the whole time. But when she looked back up, Rachel had been looking away, obviously to give her a moment. She was actually grateful for. When she turned her head back to make eye contact with Quinn and offered a small encouraging smile. Quinn looked back down at the box in the paper bag and pulled it out.
"Let me guess, you wrapped this." Quinn said. Rachel didn't respond just tucked some hair behind her ear and nudged the ground with her shoe. Quinn looked back down and tore the paper away half hazardly, only to be met with a white box. She glanced back up at Rachel and the pulled the lid off. She tore away the white tissue paper and when her eyes caught sight of what was inside she looked back up at Rachel curiously with her head cocked to the side, before pulling it out and holding it up for inspection.
It was a black leather jacket, similar to one Quinn had been wanting to steal. It was tattered and worn and exactly her size. She stood up with it in her hand, in shock. She looked between the garment and Rachel who still hadn't looked her in the eyes.
Rachel closed her eyes for a moment took a calming breath and then looked directly back into Quinn's green eyes.
"It's pleather. Because I refuse to purchase anything that was taken from an animal, but it will still last you a while." Rachel told her. Quinn was at a loss for words.
"I…don't know what to say." She put the gifts back in the bag and then looked at Rachel head on. She was confused and didn't know exactly how to react, so she did what she usually did, went on the offensive. "Why are you being so nice to me, Berry? It's not like I deserve it, I've never been anything but a bitch to you. So why are you giving me things? Do you think I'll come back to Glee club because you gave me a jacket?"
Rachel just sighed. She had expected this, and as much as she had hoped to avoid it, she had prepared. She crossed her arms over her chest in a non threatening manner, dealing with Quinn was similar to dealing with a cornered lion, you never knew what could happen, and it was best to stay calm.
"No, Quinn. I already told you. This isn't about Glee. It's about you. I just wanted to do something nice for your birthday. No tricks."
Quinn just looked at Rachel, even more confused than before, but she nodded once. For some reason, she believed the girl.
"Look, I know we're not exactly best friends, but if you ever want to get away, you know… My door is always open. Not to mention Brittany and Santana do miss you as well."
Quinn stood there looking at Rachel, too stunned to talk for a moment. She shook her head to gain some clarity. She couldn't let this get to her, and she sure as hell wasn't going to go over to Rachel's house. Like ever. Nor did she want to hang out with Brittany and Santana. They were too close to understanding her. The last thing Quinn wanted to do was get a mirror put in front of her and think about her feelings.
"Okay. Thanks for the jacket Rachel, but I don't think I'll be taking you up on the other offer." Rachel didn't look as if she were going to ask why, but Quinn felt as if she needed to think up a reason anyway. She didn't really have one that would make her seem like less of a heartless bitch, and after what Berry just did for her, she actually didn't want to come off that way. So she scrambled to come up with a lie. Her eyes shifted from Rachel to around the lot.
They landed on the 40 year old skateboarder who was still popping tricks off on his board. Bingo.
"I'll be spending time with my boyfriend." She said gesturing to the man who had just landed some trick. "Won't really have the time."
Rachel looked back over her shoulder and gave a skeptical look at the guy. He was old and obviously a drop out. She turned her head back towards Quinn and frowned.
"Okay. But just remember. If you need anything…you can call me." Quinn just nodded feigning disinterest. She honestly didn't know how she felt about all of this. Between Berry's undeserved kindness and the card from her old best friends, there were too many emotions she was trying to shove aside. She cleared her throat and looked away from Rachel. Focusing her attention back on the nameless skateboarder.
"Well, I'll get going." Quinn just nodded and Rachel turned to walk away. She got about halfway to her car before she stopped and turned around. "Hey, Quinn?"
Quinn turned her head back towards Rachel.
"Yeah?"
"Happy birthday." Quinn didn't respond and Rachel finished making her way to her car. Quinn's eyes followed her the whole time as she turned the engine over, and continued to do so until she could no longer see the taillights of the mini cooper over the horizon.
Even then she continued to stare in that direction. It wasn't until Quinn heard the slamming of a truck's door that she turned away. She glanced over at a truck that had been parked in the far end of the lot since before she got here, to see Mack jumping out of the cab. She turned back toward the direction Rachel had disappeared to, the sound of gravel crunching under combat boots not pulling her attention back.
"Hell-ooo. What the fuck Fabray, where's your head at girl?" Mack said waving her hand in front of Quinn's face. Quinn turned to look at Mack before smacking her hand away.
"Sorry, what did you say?" Quinn asked still half lost in her own thought.
"I said can I bum a cigarette, and then can we go get some booze. I'm fuckin' parched." Quinn glared at her.
"Where the fuck were you? You couldn't have gotten here like an hour ago when it would have been useful?" Quinn asked all her frustration coming out on the unsuspecting girl.
"Hey! Cool your jets hottie, I was getting some. Damn. What the hell happened?" it was at that precise moment the manchild decided would be a good time to skate over and stop in front of Quinn. Popping his board up into his hand.
"Hey sexy." He directed at Quinn, but not until after throwing a sleezy wink at Mack. "So I heard we're dating. Why don't you say you and me make it official?"
Quinn was now passed her breaking point and slammed a fist into his nose earning a sickening crunch. His knees buckled and he dropped his skateboard as he held his face.
"AH! You bitch!"
"PISS OFF!" Quinn snapped. She leaned down and grabbed the paper bag with the things Rachel had brought her and stocked off.
"Way to go fuck head." Mack said before taking off after Quinn. "Quinn, what the hell happened?"
"Nothing. You said booze right? I think I'm feeling some cheap whiskey today."
