Quinn pulled up onto the double driveway of the Berry household parking tightly behind Rachel's Mini Cooper. Turning to see the girl next to her, she couldn't help but laugh at how stressed out she looked. As far as she was concerned, she was in the best position of anyone who had ever come out in the history of the world: her Dads were gay, they hadn't liked any of her boyfriends and they actually liked Quinn when she'd come earlier on in the day.
"Ahh who is this pretty girl you've brought home Rachel?" Leroy laughed earning a harsh glare from Hiram who clearly didn't find the joke funny. Quinn, however, was not only flattered but also incredibly amused.
"I'm Quinn, we have a project for Glee to write a song,"
"What does it need to be about?" Hiram asked looking to Rachel.
"No solid topic, just something you're passionate about," they nodded and Quinn and Rachel walked upstairs to the bedroom. Quinn heard the two men in the living room talking about something to do with her and how nice she seemed. She was also pretty sure she heard Leroy say something about knowing something but Hiram dismissed it quickly.
"Will you stop laughing at me?" the diva exclaimed looking at the pretty blonde next to her, "I know you're all experienced being out to your parents and whatever but this is still pretty scary to me. I bet you were scared,"
"Well yes of course but my parents are Bible-bashing homophobes who kicked me out when I was pregnant, you have very accepting parents. Not just that, gay parents!"
"I know, I'm being a bit silly aren't I?" Rachel laughed and looked into her hazel eyes and sighed, "I'm sorry,"
"Don't be, I understand, it's natural. Now come on or I'm afraid you'll never do it," she opened the door and hopped out of the car before walking around to Rachel's side. Once seeing she hadn't gotten out of the car yet she opened the door, "you aren't expecting me to get the door for you all the time are you because I think that's slightly old fashioned and also, offensive for you to think of me as even somewhat male."
"No, no, sorry. I kind of zoned out," she unbuckled her seat belt and joined Quinn on the step to the house. Grabbing hold to her hand, she opened the door to see her Dads standing there waiting for her.
"I told you," Leroy Berry said to his husband with a smirk on his face, Hiram looked at him with an unconvinced expression.
"She hasn't even said anything yet, Leroy, let her talk,"
"Come on, you know that look,"
"Dad," the petite girl urged her father to be quiet, "I need to tell you something,"
"I told you,"
"Be quiet Leroy," the smaller man shushed putting a hand on his arm, "come in darling, and you too Quinn," he gestured for the two of them to enter the living room. Quinn could feel the men studying her, looking for some sign that she'd done something wrong or maybe right, she wasn't sure what they were thinking but felt very intimidated nonetheless. The only comfort came when she could see Leroy smirk at her with an arched eyebrow, much like what she did. She was then fairly confident that he knew what was going on.
"Dads," the girl started, looking to Quinn who she could see had eye contact with Leroy to which she smiled, "what I'm going to tell you might shock you,"
"I don't think it will," Hiram shot Leroy a glance as a final warning to be quiet which earned a giggle from Quinn.
"I'm gay,"
"Told you!" Leroy jumped out of his seat and ran to give Rachel a hug to which she jumped back in shock, of course she'd not expected the men to be disgusted, disappointed or annoyed but she expected some sort of shock or surprise from them.
"OK, so you did," the smaller man smiled and looked to Quinn, "and Quinn, you're gay too?"
"Yes sir," she smiled looking to Rachel who was still looking shocked at the hug from Leroy before also being bombarded by a crushing hug from the man who whispered into her ear.
"You weren't very sly checking her out when you arrived earlier, kid," he whispered for only Quinn to hear to which she laughed heartily. She wanted to pinch herself just to make sure that everything that had happened really had been real. For one, Rachel hadn't rejected her and left her heartbroken as expected and now here they were talking to her parent's about it and being welcomed with hugs. She thought back to the conversation she'd had with her parents almost a year ago about her sexuality, starting with her mother. They had taken it pretty well, better than the pregnancy anyway. Her mother had accepted it straight away, Quinn thought it was because she wasn't in danger of getting pregnant again and since she had kicked her Dad out after the affair, the pair of them had been much closer. It turned out her mother was far more open minded about things than she had let on when she was still living under her father's forceful thumb. Even when she told her Dad, the reaction was millions times better than she had expected. In truth, he hadn't been paying much attention to her since she'd had the baby anyway, sure she visited him and his new girlfriend a few times a week and ate with them on a Sunday but they rarely talked about anything. Quinn remembered the look on his face when he was spending the night at his house one day and at dinner she just said, "I'm gay,". He kept his eyes on his food, nodded his head, and carried on eating. It wasn't until the next day that he questioned her about it.
"Quinn," she remembered him saying, "you know God doesn't like gay people?"
"Yes," she replied simply, never daring to argue with her persistent and incredibly scary father, "but I can't lie to myself any more, Dad, I just can't. And if I lie to myself, then I lie to God and I could never do that."
"OK, as long as you know that, I can't do anything. If you are honest with God, then he will at least appreciate that. I only have one request from you Quinn, if you find someone you want to be with, then I want to know, as long as you don't hide anything from me we'll be OK."
"All right Dad," she nodded, "actually, there is someone I like."
"Do they like you?" he asked.
"I don't know, I think so," she shrugged, "but nothing's going to happen, at least not yet."
"If it does you tell me, and then, even though I don't exactly like the idea of this whole thing, at least we have an understanding."
"Yes Dad," he nodded, turned to walk out of her room and they never spoke about it again.
"Quinn?" Rachel looked at her with worried eyes, Quinn realised she'd zoned out.
"Sorry Rach, I was somewhere else," she emphasised with her hands that she hadn't been listening and she could see the girl was looking to her for an answer, "what?"
"My Dads just asked if you were my girlfriend?" Quinn smiled at the brunette's need for an answer from her, she thought it'd been obvious what she wanted but obviously it wasn't.
"Oh," she answered arching her eyebrow at the diva which Leroy noticed and laughed at.
"Yeah," the brunette smiled a smile that made Quinn's heart flutter.
"Well?" Quinn began to giggle, wondering what she would say back.
"Well?"
"Well, Rach, will you be my girlfriend?" Leroy and Hiram looked to one another and then to their daughter whose smile grew bigger.
"Of course I will,"
"Always so well spoken," the smaller of the two men whispered a little too loudly.
"Shh, Hiram," Leroy demanded this time to get a laugh from the two girls who still kept their eyes on one another. They walked towards each other forgetting about the amusing men in the room as Rachel wrapped her dainty arms around Quinn's waist pulling her in allowing Quinn to drape hers around the tiny shoulders when she noticed a flowery scent waft its way into her nose from the shiny brown hair. Leroy walked over to his husband and rested his hand on his shoulder.
"Finally one she actually likes," he laughed only loud enough for his husband to hear and Hiram nodded agreeing with him, "and one I like too." The two girls turned to face the men who were looking at them and smiled.
"To answer your question, Dad, yes she is my girlfriend."
"I told you," Leroy repeated.
"Is that your new catchphrase or something?" he laughed looking to Leroy who winked at him, "So let's just jump back to reality for a second, Quinn, do your parents know?"
"They know I'm gay, yes. And they knew that I liked Rachel and that I was coming over here tonight, I didn't tell them that I was going to talk to her about all of this though; I told them I was coming over for a Glee project, which I was initially," Rachel laughed at the comment but thought about what Quinn had said, she'd discussed her with her parents?
"So, they're going to be accepting of your relationship?" Leroy questioned thinking exactly what the rest of the people in the room were thinking.
"Accepting no? But they would tolerate it, certainly," Quinn smiled which was reciprocated by the men and Rachel who were happy to hear that nothing had to be a secret, "I wouldn't even think about my parents, the only time I talk to my Dad is when I'm forced to have dinner with him and his girlfriend which is only on a Sunday, and my Mom doesn't really care about anything about my sister and her perfect husband. They don't really care about what happens to me, as long as I know that God hates me, they think there is nothing the can do to 'save' me,"
"Oh Quinn," the smaller man said, "I know I'm not a Christian but how could a God who is all good, possibly hate someone for loving?"
"Oh don't worry, I don't think that God does hate me. Sorry if you don't agree with me but God has been there for me when nobody else was, He gave me hope and strength and if anything, He has been more helpful since I've been honest with myself and Him about who I am. I only tell my Dad that I know He hates me so that I can keep him on my good side so he doesn't force my Mom to kick me out again,"
"Rachel told us about that, I'm very sorry that happened to you," Quinn had an embarrassed look on her face, surely if Rachel told them that she would have told them everything else that happened to result in that, "I can see that look on your face, we don't judge you because of that, at all," Leroy nodded, agreeing with his husband.
"I feel like such an idiot," she said thinking back to the stupid fling with Puck that all happened because of the lack of intimacy she wanted with Finn, she figured that it was because she didn't like him, she thought maybe Puck would be able to help. She was wrong, all he did was get rid of her abs and make her even more sure she was gay. There was one good thing that came out of that relationship though and that was the beautiful blonde girl who she was able to see every now and then when Shelby needed a sitter, "I do see her though, sometimes,"
"It's lovely isn't it?" Leroy looked to Rachel, "Having a child I mean,"
"Yes, it's the best thing in the world, but it does break my heart having to leave her with Shelby every time I visit."
"Ah, another thing, your baby is being looked after Rachel's mother," the taller man laughed, "what an odd couple you are," all four of them laughed and Quinn looked to Rachel who didn't seem phased by the use of the word 'mother' like she used to.
"Does that make us, like, sisters?" Rachel asked and all of their faces scrunched up.
"Don't say that Rach, that's disgusting. Can we just forget about it please?" Quinn's face was in a temporary disgusted state where she couldn't even smile at first.
"Change of subject," jumped in Leroy, "are you staying here tonight Quinn?"
"I never really thought about it," she looked to Rachel who nodded smiling, "yeah I guess I am then, is that OK with you two, I don't want to impose."
"Don't be silly of course it's OK, just no funny business,"
"Leroy!"
"Oh Hiram be serious, they're kids. Do you remember what we were like when we were kids?"
"Dad!"
"OK, I'll shut up, you two go upstairs so your Dad can tell me off and I don't need to be embarrassed in front of Quinn, poor girl's seen too much of our kooky family already,"
"Anything different from my family is greatly accepted," she laughed, "thank you Mr and Mr Berry," the men said their names in unison correcting her, "sorry - Hiram and Leroy,"
"That's better, see you in the morning girls," said Hiram giving Rachel a peck on the forehead.
"Yeah, night girls, remember what I said though, yeah?"
"Yes Dad," Rachel grumbled giving her Dad a kiss on the cheek before taking Quinn's hand and leading her upstairs to the room they had been attempting to write a song earlier in the day.
"Well, that went absolutely brilliantly," Quinn smiled perching on the bed crossing her legs, "are you all right?"
"I'm more than all right, I just can't believe what's happened within a day, are you sure it's still Tuesday?"
"According to my phone," Quinn pulled the iPhone out of her pocket, looked to it, and then back up to Rachel, "it will still be Tuesday for another three hours,"
"It's only nine?" the diva exclaimed, "I can't believe it,"
"What?" Quinn laughed, motioning for Rachel to come closer to her. Rachel held the blonde's hands in hers and smiled affectionately.
"My girlfriend is the most beautiful girl in school, and I'm just well, me," her shoulders shrugged and could feel Quinn's grip tighten as she pulled her in closer.
"No offence, but I think my girlfriend could give yours a run for her money," she winked and let go of her hands, wrapping hers around her waist to lie on the dip of her back on top of the cute little dress she was wearing.
"I don't think so," her voice trailed off as she got lost in Quinn's eyes, she tried to decide what colour they were. Green, brown, even a bit blue. Beautiful.
"Whatever you say, I've been in love with you for a year," Quinn sighed and kept the eye contact with her girlfriend before pulling the petite diva onto her lap allowing her legs to cross over her own. Rachel couldn't say anything, scared that if she did, she'd say something stupid. All she could do was wrap her arms around Quinn's shoulders and rest their foreheads together as they breathed simultaneously. "I love you," came from the blonde.
"I love you too," Rachel replied without even thinking about it. Quinn didn't question it; she knew all the little interactions they had over the past year had lead to this moment. All the times she whined to Puck or Santana about something that had happened, she knew that Rachel loved her; she just didn't think she knew it or that she would accept it. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, shoot," Quinn pulled back slightly to look at Rachel.
"You told me in the car how you told your parents that you were gay but you didn't say that you told them about me,"
"My Dad told me to tell him if I ever got together with anyone, and he said that as long as I told him, he'd be all right with it," Quinn paused, "so I thought that if there was any chance of us being together, I should just tell him then so he'd be less likely to say it was a phase, you know?" Rachel nodded, "So I told him and he said if we ever did get together, all I need to do is tell him."
"You don't think he'll try to split us up do you?"
"No, if I know anything, I know my Dad. If he was going to do that, he would have done something about it when I told him, not wait until now," the diva nodded again smiling, "I think I should ring him though and tell him where I am, he might worry,"
"Good idea," she smiled and Quinn tapped one of her legs indicating for her to move, "you can use our phone if you want,"
"No need, I'll just ring here, is that OK?"
"Sure," Quinn got her phone out of her jean pocket and dialled the well known number immediately. It rang twice before her Dad picked up the phone.
"Quinn?"
"Yes, Dad it's me,"
"Where are you?"
"Can you remember that girl I told you about? The one I said I liked but I didn't think anything was going to happen with her?"
"Yeah," his voice was chilled, as she thought it would be, but she did think he'd have more questions to ask.
"Well we've been out tonight, and I'm staying at hers tonight, so I won't be coming to your house, OK?"
"OK Quinn, remember what we said, about God," his voice stayed calm and controlled, he didn't seem in the least bit mad or even concerned.
"Yes Dad,"
"Right, well that's OK then. You know what you're getting yourself into. Can I talk to her?"
"You... want to... talk... to Rachel?" the brunette's head snapped up to look Quinn in the eye with a frightened look on her face, she'd heard stories about this guy, about how he'd treated Finn, what was he going to do to her?
"Please," Quinn looked to Rachel with an unsure look on her face but Rachel nodded, she needed to know she at least tried to get on with Quinn's father so the blonde passed her girlfriend the phone and grabbed onto her hand stroking the back of it affectionately, "hello, Rachel,"
"Hello, sir,"
"Please don't call me sir, Rachel, please, it's Russell,"
"Sorry, hello Russell," Quinn's eyes widened, she'd never heard anyone call her father 'Russell', apart from her mother, his new girlfriend and a couple of his golf friends. Well, she'd actually only heard his girlfriend call him 'Russ' but that's a different issue altogether.
"Look Rachel, I don't want to lose my daughter. Me and her mother were already failing before things happened with Quinny but I couldn't bare to lose my daughters no matter what happens, I was stupid enough to almost let it happen when she got pregnant. So, just promise me something,"
"Anything, Russell, as long as I get to be with her, I'll promise you anything," Quinn couldn't help that Rachel's irrational habit of rambling was actually going to work with her father.
"Do you love her?"
"I do, very much," her eyes started to well with tears, maybe the man really wasn't as bad as they all said, Quinn noticed the current state of her girlfriend and moved to sit behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist hugging her to give her support.
"Will you treat her well?"
"I will," her voice began to fall a bit with the feeling of tears in her throat to which Quinn began rubbing her tummy affectionately and lay her head on her shoulder.
"Then Rachel, you have my blessing."
"Thank you, Russell, thank you so much," Quinn was so close now that she had heard what her father said and to stop her bursting into tears too, she rubbed her head into the crook of Rachel's neck.
"Could we maybe meet? Like at dinner on Sunday."
"I'd love too, but can I make a request please, if it's not too much trouble, sir,"
"Rusell," he laughed, which caught Quinn off guard, she couldn't remember the last time her father had laughed, "and yes, Rachel, go on."
"I'm a vegan, so maybe could I bring my own food?" Quinn couldn't help giggling at Rachel's question, funnily enough she didn't need to worry about that.
"Ahh, no need for that, my girlfriend is vegan too, I'll ask her to buy twice as much what she normally does and make a meal for you too, is that all right?"
"It's more than all right, Russell. Thank you so much, for this and everything with Quinn,"
"I just don't want to lose her. Anyway, you sound nicer than most guys your age I know. I'll see you Sunday Rachel, you tell Quinn what's happening, I need to get on with some work now." He hung up the phone and on that, Rachel burst into tears and turned to see Quinn in the same state.
"He never even spoke to Finn like that, we were together months, you have a charm over people Rach,"
"I don't know what to say, I don't think anything could ruin my mood right now," she laughed before wiping her tears away and reached over to do the same for Quinn, "I love you Quinn Fabray,"
"I love you too, Rachel Berry."
After about twenty minutes sitting in front of the still empty pad, they heard a knock at the door. Rachel gave permission for whoever it was to come in and Leroy came in carrying two vegan hot chocolates. After putting them down on the desk, he perched on the end of the bed before turning to the two girls.
"I heard some crying happening before, and I didn't want to intrude but I thought maybe you could do with some hot chocolate? Mind you, Quinn, it is vegan and it does taste different," he winked and Rachel stood up to get the drinks.
"It's OK, I eat vegan stuff a lot, my Dad's girlfriend is vegan,"
"He just told me that," Rachel smiled and Leroy looked confused, "oh, that's why the crying happened."
"What did he say? What's he done?" his fatherly instincts kicked in and his laid back demeanour faded slightly for a moment.
"Nothing bad, Dad, calm down. He told me that he doesn't want to lose his daughters and that if I could love her and look after her, then he gave us his blessing,"
"His blessing? Does he think you're getting married or something?" he joked, "No, I'm only kidding. That's great, but why were you crying if it's all good news?"
"Because it was good news and it made us happy,"
"I'll never understand women," he laughed and the girls did too. Quinn took a sip of her drink and smiled pleasantly, everything she'd tasted that was vegan had actually tasted really nice, she didn't think it'd be that hard to do it herself. Well, all apart from bacon...
"I'm going to dinner with them on Sunday, his girlfriend is going to make me something," Leroy nodded and smiled at them. He couldn't believe what had happened with his daughter in the past day. Just twenty four hours ago, she was still like a small timid girl with huge ambition but obvious confidence issues. Looking at her now engaging with this other girl who clearly made her feel special, you'd think she were years older. It made him like the blonde girl even more, that within a day she could change his daughter to seem to value herself more, Finn didn't even do that in months.
"Well, I'll leave you alone to your project, have fun writing girls,"
"Bye Dad,"
"Thanks Leroy," he didn't feel the need to ask why so he just nodded and walked out of the room leaving them to each other again. "We're never going to write this song if we keep talking about how people are going to react to 'us', so I say we write up a plan for that then we can move on to write the song, how about that?"
"I like it," Rachel nodded before writing 'Glee club' in the middle of the paper, "so, Kurt and Blaine,"
"Well, they're gay themselves, we both get on very well with them and there isn't really any reason for them to not react very well." Quinn paused thinking for a moment, "Well, unless Finn reacts badly and then it affects Kurt."
"I don't think Finn will react badly, he's got Poppy and we're still really good friends too so I think he'll be OK. Look, when he was with me, he got over you quite quickly, no offence though Q, baby,"
"No, I know. I think you're right. He and Poppy seem really happy together, I think it's good it's happened now he's happy or we might have some problems,"
"Well, I know that his problem of not getting sex from either of us has been fulfilled and he says he's in love with her so I guess he's going to be cool with it. Also, look how much he helped Santana with being outed,"
"So, we've decided that Blaine, Kurt and Finn will be all cool with it," Quinn laughed at Rachel's need to over analyse everything.
"Yes, and Santana and Brittany," she pulled an uncomfortable look and Quinn giggled again.
"They're fine. Santana is a big softy, she's just intimidating because she cares a lot about her friends. She told me lots of times to not tell you how I felt because I would get hurt, she thought you were straight so you would just end up rejecting me and she didn't want to have to actually hate you. It's the same with anything to do with Britt; when it come to us two, she just cares too much,"
"You make Santana sound almost sweet,"
"Santana is sweet," she could hear in Quinn's voice that she was serious.
"OK, so Santana and Brittany will be fine, once they realise that we're serious. Right, what are we doing? We know the Glee club are all going to be fine. Let's be real though, that's not really what we're worried about is it?"
"No, I guess it's not," Quinn took another gulp from her drink, "you do know I don't care don't you? I don't care about what people think about me Rachel, I gave up the Cheerios so now Sue doesn't control me, it's not like I'm hugely popular any more or that I have any ambition of being that popular. I love you, and I want to be able to tell people that. Are you scared of other people?" Quinn looked to her girlfriend with vulnerable eyes.
"No, I thought maybe you might be affected by it. I don't know. You're so much more known than I am. That doesn't even make sense does it?"
"No, it doesn't but it's cute. So if we both don't care why don't we just go to bed?" they looked to the clock in unison and read that it wasn't even ten o'clock yet, "Or not. To be honest I just wanted an excuse to cuddle with you,"
"You don't need an excuse for that, do you want to put some music on?"
"Go for it," her eyebrow arched again which made Rachel giggle and put her iPod on shuffle, "I guess I'm going to have to get used to these showtunes aren't I?"
"That's what you get when you have me,"
"Then I will have to then, because you are not going anywhere,"
"I'm glad to hear it," They lay in each other's arms talking all night about everything from their childhood, to the Cheerios, to theatre, to football, to each other's dreams and only finishing when they both fell asleep fully clothed on the bed with a finished song on the pad in Rachel's hand.
