She hunts before she sees Rachel. She has to. When she had received the text back from Rachel telling her that they could finally meet, she bounced across her bedroom like a school girl, her wolf however, howled until its throat was sore.
It wasn't a good sign, and she knew it. Having such a long gap between seeing Rachel both as a human and as a wolf, didn't bode well. Her wolf wanted the closeness again, to smell Rachel, to see Rachel, to touch Rachel.
The urge was coming back full force, and it didn't help the fact that she was an Alpha now. Her Alpha dominated her subconscious; it made her want to do unexplainable things to Rachel, whether she liked it or not, and she just wasn't willing to take that risk.
So she hunts, and she hunts, and she hunts; and it's a good few hours before she finally sits her rump down and just relaxes. The wolf inside her is sated, for now, so hopefully it's a good sign that she can see the brunette that controls her life indirectly without doing something she would regret.
She showers, a long cold shower, and only gets out when she's completely chilled to the bone, teeth chattering, skin just aching from the cold. She pulls on a pair of shorts and a shirt, from a drawer that she keeps all her disposable clothes in because when she transforms they tend to just rip to shreds anyway.
Russell Fabray is downstairs, in the living room, watching Glenn Beck on the TV when she bounces down the stairs. He looks up to his daughter and just smiles, because for the first time in a pretty long while, she's finally smiling like she means it.
They haven't spoken about her Alpha dominance since the fight; since he bowed down in front of his own daughter and conceded that she was the stronger wolf. It was still something that he was trying to get over, because yes, of course, he's kind of humiliated, what father or man wouldn't? A man in his early fifties, a wolf that's just as strong and proud as it was the first time it showed itself, is defeated by an almost eighteen year old girl that's was born with the privilege of an Alpha.
He didn't believe it, when the thought first passed through his mind; because Quinn is still only a child, and in his eyes, he'll always be that little girl that he used to take to baseball games and hold in his arms as she slept. She was still that girl. But now, as he watches her bounce into the kitchen, all but demolish a cupcake that Judy had baked earlier on in the day, he can see that glint in her eye; that hidden power that he's never seen before.
His daughter is stronger than him, faster than him, that much was for certain. She was the leader of their pack; the one that dealt with the issues in their hierarchy. It's a shock to the system, and half of him doesn't want to believe it; his wolf half, because it's still licking its wounds after being defeated. But he's proud; damn proud to have an Alpha in his family, in the whole of Lima, and it's his daughter no less.
"We have visitors tomorrow." He states simply, muting the TV, "They'll be here when you get home from school."
"Who is it?" Quinn asks, mumbling around the destroyed remnants of her second cupcake.
"Alfred Noble and his wife."
Alfred Noble, an eighty year old octogenarian that keyed himself as the leader of the Lima wolves. No one complained, of course, because Alfred was a trusted and noble man, just like his name would suggest, and at the age of eighty, his wolf was still one of the strongest in the town.
His wife, wasn't a werewolf.
So when Quinn hears the name, she walks out of the kitchen, third cupcake in her hand, "Why are they coming here? Is something the matter?"
"Oh no..." Russell waves his hand over his shoulder, "They just want to see my daughter, an Alpha." He sounds so proud, and she smiles shyly at the tone in his voice. "And of course, Cybil wants to talk to you about your urges."
Talking to a seventy-seven year old woman about urges? When she wasn't a werewolf?
No. Thank. You.
"Uh, do I have to?" Russell frowns, "I mean, I have nothing against them both it's just..." She shrugs her shoulders and starts dipping the tip of her index finger in the red frosting of her cupcake, "Why does Cybil have to talk to me about urges? I thought I'd learnt everything from you."
"Well you have," Russell stands from the couch and adjusts the waistband of his striped blue pajama pants, "But Cybil isn't a werewolf, Quinn. She can give you insight into how to deal with urges around someone who isn't a wolf, or transcends from werewolf blood."
"Oh." She takes a huge bite of her cupcake, massacring three quarters of it in her mouth before stuffing the rest in, "Okay then, I guess."
She watches her father cringe, and she fights back a snort, "Sorry."
Crumbs fly from her mouth and Russell just rolls his eyes, "You might be a wolf, but you're not a pig." He circles the couch and dots a kiss to her forehead, "No staying out too late. I don't mind on the weekends, but school nights? No."
She nods, "Sure thing dad." Although she knows full well she probably won't get back into the house going on five or six am. Even then, she won't sleep, she'll just shower, put on a fresh set of clothes and be out the door an hour later for school. She's done it before, plenty of times; in fact, it's like her sleep cycle doesn't exist since seeing Rachel Berry on that swing in an abandoned park past midnight.
She isn't shocked when she realizes she doesn't care though.
So she watches her father depart upstairs to join his wife in bed, and she leaves it a little while until she hears the soft click of his bedroom door. Glancing at the clock, it's just past eleven, and with a nervous smile, she leaves the house.
–
She must have gotten faster or something, with realizing she's an Alpha, because she gets to the park twenty minutes before midnight. The run was fast, exhilarating, the wind brushed through her fur like it never had before, her eyes poised to each passing obstacle as she leaped over them like they were nothing.
She's half tempted just to transform back into a human just to gloat and say, "Fuck yeah." but she just sits in the line of trees opposite the swing, out of the way, in the shadows, just waiting.
There's a hunt going on. Still going on. For the wolf that attacked Michael Hunter outside his house. It'd been a month since his attack, but the police chief flat out refused to give up until the 'menace' was caught and dealt with.
The Fabray's had been eating dinner together, the TV playing quietly in the background when Quinn had heard it. Rod Remington and his half drunk, cheap as plastic co-presenter sitting beside him, face morbid.
"In other news, the Lima Police Department are still in the midst of a search for the rouge wolf that attacked Michael Hunter, a charity worker for the West Ohio Food Bank, one month ago. Residents around the area of the attack are being told to stay indoors, in case of another attack. No sightings have been reported. If anyone has any information-,"
Judy had risen from her seat and switched off the TV before looking apprehensively back at her husband and daughter.
Quinn just toyed with the green beans on her plate, Russell just sipped at his water.
The attack on Michael Hunter was a distant memory; one they were trying to completely forget about. Quinn had been going through a tough time, and because of her urges to protect Rachel and her family, she had lashed out. That's what they agreed upon, and they agreed not to speak about it.
But it didn't stop the search parties every other night. It was small groups of people, around three or so to a group, heavy duty flash lights in hand and one gun to the group leader. Quinn had seen them one time; she had just come back from a long run out of a town, just trying to wear herself out after another day of no text or call from Rachel.
They were calm as they scoped out undergrowth, bushes; anything that a wolf could make its home in. And she saw the gun, a hunting rifle, complete with scope, that scared the living fuck out of her. Her wolf had seen red and almost lashed out, but just as her front paw went to touch the ground to run, she managed to stop herself.
She slunk off into the shadows instead, and decided that late night runs were a thing of the past while the hunting groups were out.
Her wolf doesn't want to hide; its made that completely clear. It wants to be proud, wants to show it's dominance within the society. But it can't, and for some reason, Quinn can feel the resentment it holds toward her human side. Two sides of her, two sides of her that make a whole, are warring simply because they see themselves going down two different roads.
It's infuriating and she doesn't know how to deal with it. She wants to blame it on the fact she's an Alpha, but honestly, it's just because as a human or a wolf, she's an arrogant bitch. No use denying it, no use trying to sugar coat it. She's arrogant. She gets it from her dad. Even her damn mother tells her that.
Her wolf huffs, almost by itself when she tells it to calm down; it wants to move, it wants to sit by the slide and snap at small flies, it wants to rush down the street and meet Rachel half way.
Half way? She sniffs, long and hard, and there...mildly, just faintly, she can smell it. That smell that makes her heart palpitate in her chest, the smell that makes her want to do somersaults in the air, the smell that makes her feel like she's coming home.
But...then it's disappearing again. She sniffs again; she can hardly smell it anymore. Her wolf wants to howl, but instead it takes off in a run, and Quinn is right there controlling each step because she's worrying something has happened to that brunette singer that makes her feel alive.
She's on the street, on an intersection between two streets, and Rachel is just rounding a corner, away from the park, back towards her house.
Quinn deflates, rump slamming down against the concrete pavement; she left her, high and dry, she just left her. She howls; she howls because her body just fucking aches and if she would, she'd cry, because since Rachel took the first step and agreed to the meeting, she just assumed everything would be okay.
But she was wrong, and Rachel's scent is all but gone, and she's left alone in the middle on an empty street, just mourning and whimpering.
–
She makes it home just as the sun is coming up. Dawn. It should be something magical for her; something that makes her heart want to sing because she spent the entire night with Rachel Berry.
But she's just empty, and that fucking glow over the horizon just mocks her.
Her phone is on the bedside table, one new message. Half of her is tempted not to read the message at all; but she needs to. She needs to read it.
So she does.
And she wishes she hadn't. She just collapses to the bed with exhaustion and falls into a restless sleep.
I just can't.
–
She's an hour late to school, even though her mom gave her four different wake up calls. She was awake, but the thought of getting out of bed just made her want to fall back to sleep again. The energy is there, but the will isn't.
But she does it, eventually, after crawling on all fours to the shower. She's out the door and arrives at school just in time for her second class. Her Math book is pulled from her bag when she realizes she just missed a period with Rachel.
She mourns the loss, her wolf is just enraged, and she hates it.
–
They don't see each other at all. Not in lessons, not at lunch, not in the auditorium or in the choir room during free periods. There's nothing, and Quinn isn't surprised if Rachel isn't at school at all. The singer probably realized she would be pissed and made as wide a berth as possible between the two.
But then she's there, when Quinn walks in to Glee, sat beside Finn who is just grinning at her like she's the answer to the meaning of life. Rachel glances at her, when she walks in, but then the look is gone, and honestly, it couldn't be more half assed if the singer tried.
So she stomps to her chair, beside Santana and Brittany and clenches her fists. She makes it through the whole of Glee; an hour of just watching Finn put his paws all over her woman, and she's so fucking enraged she keeps wanting to dive over the chairs between them and just rip his already minuscule brain out from his nostrils.
Her wolf is contained, that urge is contained, but by the time the meeting is over, she has to go to the nurse's office and have the palms of her hands bandaged.
–
The nurse doesn't ask questions, which is nice; but then again, she looks like she can't be bothered dealing with a minor injury. So she cleans the welts Quinn's fingernails made, but the blonde can see the shock in the nurses eyes when she sees how deep they actually went into the skin.
"It's almost down to the muscle..." The nurse tuts and grabs a roll of bandages, "You need to be a lot more careful next time, Miss Fabray. Do you understand?"
She just nods, because she really can't be bothered being reprimanded by a woman who's medical training probably consists of being able to perform CPR on a dummy. But she sits there, patiently, and watches the nurse bandage her up.
"Try to keep the pressure off your hands for a little while. Give them time to heal." Quinn just rolls her eyes, because she's a wolf, and they tend to heal a lot faster than any human, but whatever, the nurse doesn't need to know that.
She leaves, only just stopping herself from slamming the door of the nurse's office shut when she lands eyes on Rachel, who is stood on the opposite side of the hallway, book clutched in her hand by her side.
Quinn wants to ignore her, to walk away, just like she had last night but instead she says, "What?" She sounds miffed, fuck she is miffed, so she lets it show, and from the way Rachel flinches, she knows she's got that point across.
"Did you receive my text?"
She stared at it while eating breakfast this morning, of course she did, "Yeah."
"I am sorry for that." Rachel frowns slightly, "For bailing on you like that. It wasn't my intention at all." She walks forward, just a step before coming to a stop again, because Quinn is radiating this whole 'stay the fuck away from me' aura, so she abides by it. "I had to stay at home. My dad needs me a lot more now that Leroy has gone."
Oh...she didn't. Her wolf is screaming to the front of her mind, and she just sighs, because she's so disappointed. She looks to her feet, because if she looks at Rachel, all she'll see is a liar.
"You're lying." She growls, eyes still trained to Rachel's Mary Jane's.
"I-I assure you I'm-,"
Quinn's head snaps up so fast her neck actually aches, "Don't lie to me. I've never lied to you, so please don't lie to me."
Rachel bites down on her bottom lip, and she shifts from one foot to the other, and that's when Quinn knows she's given up trying to lie to her.
"I just...couldn't. I was almost there and then I just thought about Michael being attacked and-,"
"I would never attack you!" Her eyes are glowing, and Rachel sees them flicker from hazel to golden, just like the wolf she used to know. Quinn's face is right there, almost nose to nose, and she feels the blonde's breath on her lips as she heaves breaths in and out.
She's scared, my god she's fucking terrified.
"Quinn, you're scaring me."
The blonde backs off, and Rachel takes a deep breath with relief although her body is still tense as she watches Quinn. The girl's body is thrumming with a hidden energy, and it frightens her, because indirectly, she knows what sort of power Quinn holds.
"I didn't mean to," Her throat bobs as she swallows, "I'm sorry, but...it just hurts when you think I would hurt you like that, Rachel."
"You told me you couldn't control your..." She lowers her voice, even though they're alone, "Wolf, and that's why you attacked him. I...give you these urges, correct? What's to say your wolf won't just take over again without your go ahead?"
And she's stumped, because honestly, it's the truth. It's hard enough as it is being this close to Rachel right now, just inches away from one another. She smells so fantastically good, and all she wants to do is pin her up against the wall and take her. Her bandaged hands clench and unclench by her sides.
"I'm more controlled now, Rachel. I already told you that. I train everyday with my dad just so I can be close to you." She steps forward, and Rachel, in reflex, steps back, putting her back to the wall. She doesn't seem to regret the move though, which makes Quinn relax a little, but not by much. "That time...when I kissed you?"
Rachel opens her mouth to say 'yes, I remember, because it made me feel things I thought I'd never feel' but nothing comes out. She flounders, and Quinn smiles, and her hazel eyes look so warm and inviting.
"I so wanted to keep going..." Rachel watches as Quinn's eyes quickly dash to her lips, before locking back on her eyes, "My wolf was crying out for me to keep going, to keep kissing you, to finally take what I'd wanted for so long." She braces her right arm, palm flat against the wall beside Rachel's head, and instinctively, Rachel swallows, because she feels as if she's barred in, and Quinn's lips are that much closer.
"Your point...?" Rachel asks, shocked by how breathy her voice is. Quinn smiles softly, leaning closer until her nose bumps against Rachel's, so gently and tenderly, "Quinn..."
"I can smell you, and my wolf is howling so loudly in my head right now because it wants you. It's so primal, and raw and it's killing me..." Then she smiles, "But I'm calm, right?"
Rachel lost track of the conversation at primal. It makes her feel so good, because for once in her life, someone wants her so badly, so intimately, that it drives them wild. She leans forward, because the need is there, so she goes through with it, and her quivering lips brush against Quinn's.
They just brush, so softly together, memorizing the softness of one another's lips, how they part for air, how Rachel gasps when Quinn raises her other arm to lock her against the wall. She's testing the waters, and Quinn knows this, so she allows it and she lets Rachel take the lead. She won't take what she wants. Not until Rachel tells her to take it.
"Meet me at the park."
She shouldn't, she can't, because Quinn is a human right now, and who knows what might happen when she's in wolf form. But the blonde sound so sure, so confident; like she knows that everything is going to be okay, and she's trying to tell Rachel that.
The message gets through, and with one last brush of her lips against Quinn's, she whispers, "Okay."
–
Just like Russell had said, Alfred and Cybil Noble are at the house when she gets home from school. Alfred, a skinny almost frail looking man is sat beside his wife at the dinner table, in the midst of a joke that he's telling Judy. She looks amused, highly amused, but then again, Judy is a good actress when she wants to be.
"Ah, Quinnie!" Judy bolts from her seat and smiles at her daughter, "I was wondering when you'd get home." Quinn finished school an hour ago, and half an hour of that was spent with Rachel, their lips connected, so close to kissing. It took fifteen minutes to stop the heavy pounding of her heart, and another fifteen on the drive home to calm the almost whimpering howl of her wolf.
"Sorry. I had stuff to do at school," And her manners come into play, because she smiles, extends her hand and offers it to Alfred Noble. His grey eyes flicker from Quinn's eyes, right to hand and he frowns, "Oh...uh."
"What happened to your hand, Quinn...?" Judy asked, rounding the table to grab the youngest Fabray's hand, "Did you get into a fight?" It's just a general question, but there's an undertone that's only understood between the two women. Judy asked, 'did you get into a fight?' what was really asked was 'did you attack someone again?'
"No mom, just my urges."
It was. Partly.
Alfred's eyebrows draw together, which isn't hard to do, because it's like two giant caterpillars have taken up shop on his forehead, "Your father told me you're an Alpha."
Quinn diverts her attention to him. He's sat there, content as can be while his wife sits beside him, stirring her tea with a slightly shaking hand, "Yes sir."
"None of this sir business," He gives a flick of his wrist, and then he's standing up, patting his wife so softly on the shoulders as he moves around table, "You're an Alpha. I should be calling you ma'am."
Okay, that's just seriously embarrassing. She shows it, just from the redness her cheeks take, and he chuckles like it's the most adorable thing he's ever seen. "But I won't, because that's not 'cool' these days."
But to say the man is 80 years old, he has to be one of the most laid back and energetic people she's ever met. He can't sit down for more than two minutes, and when he is sat down, his hands move around like he's on speed. It makes her laugh, but most importantly, it makes her relax.
She sits and listens to him as he tells her of the tutoring he's going to give her; controlling of the urges, controlling the wolf in human form, keeping control of the wolf while in wolf form. It's all things she's still struggling with, even though she's proud of the progress she's made. And so is her mom, and her dad, so in a way, it's worth it, even if she has to work twice as hard because of it.
"We'll start that this coming Monday." It's Friday, so she has the weekend to prepare her body, because if what Alfred is talking about is the truth, her body, both human and wolf forms, are going to be put through their paces; pushed right to edge, on the boundary of pain to agony.
"Okay." She agrees, because it's not like she can say no, and she doesn't want to say no anyway, because she wants to make Rachel proud of her. To prove to her that she isn't a murderous, uncontrollable beast thanks to the attack.
Alfred leaves, and so does Judy, which is slightly worrying. They go into the backyard, it's not far away, but suddenly she feels very cut off. That relaxation she felt while chatting with Alfred is gone, and the hawk eyes that Cybil is giving her over her tea cup does nothing to subdue the feeling.
"I spoke with your father, and he told me that the one you urge for isn't of werewolf blood."
Quinn just nods, mostly because she doesn't know what to say; how can she be calm as can be around the man dubbed the leader of the wolves of Lima and be wanting to run away with his non-wolf wife? It doesn't make sense.
"As you well know, I'm not a werewolf." Then she smiles, and suddenly that pressure on Quinn's chest is gone, "But that didn't stop me being with one. I had to learn everything; I had to memorize their culture, their history, just so I felt as if I was in the loop. When I first met Alfred, I already felt as if I was two steps behind with him. He always spoke of urges, and how hard it was to deal with the hierarchy within Lima. I never really understood it, and due to that fact, I left him."
"What...you just, left?" What if Rachel left? But wasn't Rachel already gone? On that step, just waiting for another push to make the decision that would break her in two.
"He came after me, and told me something. I thought about it, long and hard, but in the end, I decided to take the path that I chose for myself. The thing is, Quinn, you have to realize that there's always a choice."
"Choice...?" Cybil stands, wearily, she moves a lot slower than Alfred, and Quinn is half tempted just to lend her an arm for support, but by the time she's finally settled on the idea, the old woman is sitting down beside her on the couch, patting down her summer dress as she sits.
"A werewolf can turn a non-werewolf. It's a common fact, but one that's not really talked about."
"Why? Do people frown upon human turned werewolves or something?"
Cybil bobs her head left to right, and frowns in contemplation, "Not necessarily, Quinn. Mostly they don't like the risk that comes with it. A human body is not as strong as a werewolves, so when the transition is made, the body may be unable to cope with such a sudden change."
"You mean...it could kill someone?"
The older woman nods, fluffy white hair bobbing slightly in place, "I won't go into details, but the transformation just tends to rip a human body apart." The older woman shudders, it's only small, but Quinn feels it, "It's such a horrible thought to think about. Alfred offered me to transition from human to werewolf, and I turned him after he told me about the repercussions."
"Why are you telling me this...?" Quinn asks, voice low, almost a whisper. She's terrified of the answer, because she already knows it. She knows what Cybil is going to say, she knows what could possibly be a horrible split decision that she has to make in her future if Rachel decides to stick around.
"She..." Cybil sighs, "She may want to transition, if she so wishes. In the end, the decision is up to her."
"What? So I kill her just because she feels as if she's stuck in the fog?"
"No, Quinn. You abide by her wishes because she's your mate."
–
She doesn't want to go to the park, because the same thought has been driving through her mind since Cybil left. Judy had come in once the married couple had said their goodbyes, and just looked at her daughter, because she knew what Cybil would talk to her about.
But Quinn just shook her head and went up to her room, because she just needed to be alone for a little while. With her thoughts, manic as they are, her wolf is howling in agreement. It wants to make Rachel transition, it wants to make her a wolf, so they can have that closeness that only they would have. It'd be special, and beautiful and it would just be something for them.
But she knows that Rachel's body wouldn't be able to deal with it. She sees her everyday, and although she's strong mentally, she knows that in a fight she wouldn't be able to hold herself, not like she could. She's the protector, she's the strong one; she's the one that keeps her family safe.
She has the blood of an Alpha. If she transitioned Rachel, the strength in the blood alone could kill her.
It's not something she's willing to chance.
Her father, when he comes home, leaves her alone for the night because he knows that his daughter has a lot to think about. But at a little past eleven at night, he watches her slink out of the house from his bedroom window. His wife is sleeping behind him, and all he can hear is her soft breathing as he watches his youngest daughter walk down the street.
He knows she's going to see Rachel, he knows she's going to be stressed out because of what Cybil said. He prays that his daughter is strong enough to stop herself from lashing out before he goes to sleep.
–
It's cold. It's getting a lot colder now since it's almost November, so she isn't surprised when she enters the park to see Rachel in a pair of sweatpants, thick ones at that, a thick sweater and a hoodie. She looks toasty warm, and she's tempted to just leap into her arms to feel that warmth.
Although she's fucking boiling because her fur is as thick as Finn's skull.
Rachel sees her, at the fence that she's just leaped over. The fence where it all began. They're at a stand off, and they just watch each other. The singer has her hands stuffed in her pockets, and Quinn can smell the pepper spray clutched tightly in her hand. It hurts her, but she knows Rachel just needs that comfort of protection.
She walks toward her, slowly, head bowed, but eyes trained. Rachel doesn't step back, and Quinn huffs in relief as she makes the ten yard space, and just parks her rump. The ground thumps as she sits, and Rachel giggles.
The tension is broken, and Quinn just snorts through her snout, almost saying 'I can't help it if I have a fat ass.'
Rachel is still keeping the ten yard gap between them, but her hands aren't in her pockets anymore. Quinn just feels relief, because in some sort of way, Rachel trusts her enough to not need to clutch that damn spray can in her pocket. She feels like a protector again, and instead of howling, she fucking yaps and lols her tongue out of the side of her mouth.
She looks and sounds like a cub, but when Rachel drops to her knees, beams and wraps her arms tightly around her furry neck, she just wishes she could cry, because everything just feels fucking perfect again.
–
Can we meet?
Tonight...?
Well, no...I was kind of thinking, you could come around?
Oh.
Oh? That's a rather non-committal answer coming from you, Rach.
It was just...a surprise. I wasn't expecting to be asked.
Well, I'm asking you. Please answer quickly because the ten minutes between replies is starting to freak me out.
I apologize for not being able to get dressed and text at the same time, Quinn Fabray.
You're getting dressed...?
Quinn.
It's my wolf, blame the wolf.
Always blame the wolf, huh?
...Pretty much.
Hm.
Ah alright, it's me, but whatever. Will you come around or not...?
...When?
Five? Mom wants to cook dinner.
I'll be meeting your parents?!
Is...that an issue? I mean, I can tell them to get lost if you want me to?
What? No! I just...wasn't expecting to meet your parents. We're not even...but yes, I accept your offer.
Not even what...?
Would you like me to bring anything?
No. Not even what...?
Have to dash, Quinn. I'm meeting Leroy in half an hour and I still need to curl my hair.
But! Wait!
Rachel...?
Uh. Rach?
God dammit.
–
Leroy is still Leroy, because after everything, he still doesn't deserve the privilege of being called 'daddy' anymore. That name is reserved for a man that cares about having his family together, happy and secure. Leroy is not that man, especially with the fact that he's still seeing a scarred Michael Hunter.
The man is just leaving when Rachel gets there, and to say it's awkward, is a complete understatement. He tries to smile at her when they pass, but all Rachel can see are the bandages wrapped around both arms and his throat. He looks better, he doesn't look massacred, but the fact that a month after the attack, the man was still needing to wear bandages, just makes her shudder.
Every time she'd seen Quinn's teeth, she never assumed them to be sharp or deadly. They were just teeth. But as Michael passes her, smiles awkwardly and walks a wide berth around her to keep from touching her, she just shudders and keeps walking.
Leroy has an apartment now. It's not like he can't afford one, and it's pretty up scale, but Rachel could really care less at how much he's spent on an apartment when the money should really be in a savings account under the name of Leroy and Hiram Berry.
He answers the door, ushers her in, takes her coat, almost as if he's a butler and not her father. It's disturbing, and she can't shake the feeling when she sits in the living room on a second hand couch he told her he'd bought at an auction. It's a disgusting red color, and it just solidifies the fact that Hiram Berry is no longer in his life; because Hiram hates red with a passion.
"So...how is school?" Leroy asks, depositing a cup of coffee in her hand, topped with soya milk. It's the only thing she finds she has in common with Leroy anymore; the fact that they're both Vegan. A man that had brought her up, protected her and raised her, was now just a stranger, and the only attachment she felt was from what they eat and didn't eat?
It's horrible.
"It's fine."
The silence is so awkward Rachel actually squirms in her seat. Leroy's thumbs just fiddle with the rim of his coffee mug, and he just keeps awkwardly smiling whenever she meets his eyes, which isn't very often.
She just wants to leave, but her dad practically orders her to go see Leroy every other day, because even after everything, she's his daughter too.
"How's Michael?" She doesn't mean to sound bitter, but the underlying tone comes through without her even noticing. It just bounces off of Leroy's back, and it actually shocks her so much, her jaw drops when he says;
"Oh he's doing a lot better. He's uhm... leaving his wife to... be with me. Actually, it was the attack that changed his mind. It was almost as if the universe was trying to tell him something that day."
He sounds so chirpy, and so confident, and so happy at the fact that his new lover is moving in with him. But Rachel just wants to vomit, because right then, she realizes Leroy isn't coming back; the divorce is still going to go through, she's still going to live in a broken home.
And thanks to Quinn's wolf, Michael Hunter was pushed further into the picture instead of pushed out.
She puts her coffee down on an expensive oak coffee table that's worth half the price Leroy paid for it and just leaves, because she can't bare to look at his oblivious smile anymore.
–
Quinn has such a huge smile on her face when she opens the door to find Rachel standing there...with a plate of cookies.
"Cookies...? I told you not to bring anything, Rach." But she takes them anyway, pulls the cling film clean off and stuffs one in her mouth, "S'good..."
Rachel smirks, "It's rude to come to dinner and have nothing in hand, Quinn. It's bad manners." She says as she watches Quinn stuff another into her already full mouth, "Something you've obviously never quite grasped."
"Hmpf...?" The blonde asks, barely missing Rachel's face with crumbs of demolished cookie. But she swallows quickly and smiles, "Uhm. Come in, my parents are in the kitchen."
She enters so nervously, like if she puts a foot down on the stupidly expensive wooden flooring she'll crash right through it. She even jumps when Quinn goes to take her coat, and when she sees the flash of hurt in the blonde's eyes, she sighs.
"I just wasn't expecting it. It wasn't because of-,"
"I know." She says, even though she doesn't.
"No you don't understand." She takes the plate from Quinn's hands and puts it down on the table beside the door, "I just flinched because I wasn't expecting you to touch me, not because of your wolf. Please don't think that."
Rachel's holding both her hands, thumbs brushing so gently over the knuckles. The singer sees that some of the knuckles are red, bruised and scabbed, so she brings them to her face and all but inspects them, "What happened...?"
"Training, with my dad." Quinn smiles shyly, "It's not as bad as it looks. I got them this morning, but they'll be gone in a few days."
"You heal fast...?"
"Yup." She sounds so proud, Rachel giggles and brings the hands to her lips, kissing each and every knuckle. Quinn is looking at her as she does it, she can feel those hazel eyes burning into the top of her head, "Healing kisses, huh?"
Rachel smiles as she pulls back, tucking a lock of curled hair behind her ear, "I'll have you know my kisses are exceedingly magical."
"My lips hurt too..."
Rachel's heart stops, "Oh...?" She whispers, but Quinn's already leaning in, and their noses are bumping together in a gentle bump war. Rachel tilts her head and connects her lips with Quinn, just because she needs to, because those lips are so tempting and fuck they are because she's moaning into an open mouth, and getting trapped in because strong arms are wrapping around her waist, tugging her close.
She feels Quinn's tongue flick out against her top lip, a silent invitation, and Rachel does everything in her power to accept it. Their tongues brush together in a quiet harmony, and the crescendo is reached when powerfully, loudly, Quinn moans and has to pull back. Her lips are wet and pouting, and her pupils are completely blown. She's breathing so hard as she rests her forehead against the singer.
"Wolf...?" Rachel whispers, running a hand up to brush Quinn's hair away from her eyes.
"Yeah...it's easier but..."
"You don't need to explain, Quinn."
She smiles, and takes Rachel's hand, "Ready to meet the parents?"
Rachel nods, and she's instantly mortified when she finds a giggling Judy Fabray as she chops carrots and a red in the face Russell Fabray as he tries not to laugh at the sound of the two girls moaning in the hallway.
–
"So, Rachel..." Russell starts. They've all been sat down for ten minutes already, just eating in silence. He's at the head of the table, like always, because even though his daughter is an Alpha, he's still the leader of the family when he's human. Judy is sat to his left, and both Quinn and Rachel sat side by side to his right. "You obviously know all about us?"
Quinn blushes and digs into the home made cottage pie (with vegan mince) on her plate, because she realizes, foolishly, she's told Rachel nothing.
"Oh, uhm..." Rachel wipes the corners of her mouth with her napkin, because she doesn't really want to have mashed potato stuck on her face while she talks to Russell, who isn't half as frighting as she thought he would be, but still. "Well, Quinn hasn't told me much. Only that you're both werewolves."
"Quinn Fabray," Judy tuts, "You tell us all about Rachel but deign to tell her about us?"
"Mom..." The youngest Fabray groans, slouching in her seat. Rachel finds it completely adorable, because even though Quinn is a wolf, she's still that girl she's known since middle school.
"Don't you mom me, Quinnie."
Quinnie.
Rachel snorts, then immediately regrets it because Russell Fabray narrows an eye in her direction, "Uhm." My god, she was Rachel Berry, she never said uhm. "I think it's because when I usually see Quinn she's in her wolf form, so..."
"Yeah, totally." Quinn sits back up again, "I'll tell her all about you guys, relax."
"Good, we don't want to left out of the loop, do we, Russell?"
He's still watching Rachel like a hawk, and Quinn knows why he's doing it, so he allows him. He's scoping out the potential, which is highly embarrassing, but as long as Rachel doesn't know that, she's a'okay.
But damn her dad is totally making it obvious and it really isn't cool.
"So," He finally says, moving his eyes back to his untouched plate of food, "I heard about your parents."
Quinn's head snaps to Russell and she growls. She actually growls at her own father, and Rachel is shocked to see that he nods his head ever so slightly. She knows it's because of the Alpha thing, but it's incredible to see it happen right before her.
"My parents are getting a divorce, yes." Rachel states simply, and Quinn turns her head to her.
"You don't need to talk about this if you don't want to."
Judy looks so apologetic, Russell is watching her again, shoveling a large forkful of cottage pie into his mouth, and Quinn is just smiling so softly at her. She feels...accepted and...it's weird because even though the family hasn't done anything particularly welcoming, the fact that they're sat there, watching her, just to see if she's fine with it, makes her feel a part of something special.
"I think it's good to talk about it. It's better than having my hand licked every night."
Judy laughs, Russell bites down hard on his bottom lip and Quinn just dies in her seat.
–
The last thing she remembered before ending up on her back on Quinn Fabray's bed was, "You embarrassed an Alpha in front of her pack, you need to pay."
They're kissing, and it's so fucking glorious, because Quinn's hands are everywhere but nowhere at the same time. She keeps to limits; she doesn't touch anywhere erogenous, only bare skin, like Rachel's hands, especially her fingers, and the skin of Rachel's neck. The touches are fleeting, like they're not really there, but it's enough to have the singer squirming beneath the blonde.
Quinn's up on her knees, propped up on her elbows, keeping her knees well away from a certain area, and keeping her body away from touching Rachel's directly, because just the kissing, the brushing of each other's tongues, the expel of hot hair and the heavenly moans is already killing her.
It hurts, but it hurts so good.
She's a top. In every sense of the word. In relationships, as an Alpha, at school as Queen Bee, she's a top. But now Rachel's flipping her over and she's never been so fucking happy to be a bottom.
Rachel is panting above her, lips pouty and red, and she's struggling for breath, and as she heaves in each gulp of air, it sounds like it's hurting her.
"What are you doing to me?"
"Aphrodisiac. Werewolves tend to give it off when they're..." She clears her throat, but then sits up instead and wraps her arms around Rachel's waist, "Fuck you're so sexy." And she is, with her messy hair, blown pupils and heaving chest, a chest that makes itself seen, barely, whenever it heaves through her blouse.
"Quinn..." It's so bad because she has no second thoughts about ripping off her blouse and letting the blonde have her way, especially with those hazel eyes that have the particular shade of gold in them. "Are you okay...?"
The blonde just growls and starts nipping at Rachel's neck when she's about to ask again, but it's lost on the tip of her tongue, and she dips her head back, mouth open, and all she can say is, "Oh...keep doing that."
Quinn is addicted to the taste of Rachel's skin. Her smell, so heady and musky, is just filling her senses and driving her crazy. But tasting. Oh fuck, tasting it; it's like jumping into a pool of your favorite pudding and just living in it. She wants to live the rest of her life tasting this skin, touching it, making it shudder and quiver.
Rachel is panting above her, and she feels the heaving chest against her breastbone. It's killing her, she wants to take her, and her wolf is howling so fucking loudly, begging for her to do it, and that's when she knows;
"I have to stop." She rips herself back, panting for breath, "I have to stop or I'll just..."
"I-I know." Rachel's neck is dotted red, bite marks adorn ever part of available tan skin, and it makes Quinn feel as if she's owned her. "We both had to stop because...I was finding it hard to-,"
"Stop yourself. I know. Me too." She collapses back against the bed, just taking long and soothing breaths to calm the beating of her heart and the howling of her wolf. They both die down eventually, but only when Rachel lays down beside her, resting her head on her shoulder.
"Michael Hunter left his wife. He's moving in with Leroy." She feels Quinn's head shift above her, but she just keeps her head down, snuggling into Quinn's McKinley hoodie, "I went around there earlier and he was just leaving."
"How did it make you feel...?"
Quinn's hand brushes through her hair, tugging at the loose strands, fingertips digging into her scalp. She feels like falling asleep, because it's so soothing, and even though Quinn has calmed down exponentially, she's still giving off that aphrodisiac.
"It kind of just solidified the fact that he won't be coming back, for me. He's broken our family up, and he's just not willing to try and mend it."
"Do you want him to?"
No one has ever asked her that, not even her dad. They tend to just skirt the issue, and Hiram acts like Leroy never existed. But Rachel knows he still thinks about his soon to be ex-husband, because she hears him crying every night, alone in his bed.
"Yes because my dad is still hurting...but no because...it just wouldn't be the same. It'd be just so awkward and I wouldn't want to live in a house where I'm walking on eggshells all the time."
"So you're willing to accept that he's not coming back?"
Rachel shifts, propping herself up on her elbow to look down at Quinn, who already looks like she's going to fall asleep, "Sorry...is my smell making you sleepy?"
"You're calm, so I'm calm." Quinn shrugs sleepily, "You're going to accept it?"
"I'll answer your question if you answer mine."
Quinn's immediately intrigued, so she asks, "Go on..."
Rachel bites her top lip shyly, before burrowing her head back into the soft curve of Quinn's neck. She feels safe there, content, and she just breathes in the smell of Quinn's perfume as she lays there. It's minutes after that she finally asks, "What are we...?" So quietly.
"...Quinn?" She looks up, and smiles, because Quinn's asleep with a content smile on her face.
–
Russell walks into Quinn's room the next morning, and Rachel's already up because her six am exercise routine cannot be tamed, much like her hair that looks like a family of baby chicks made their nest in there.
But he doesn't seem fazed, and he ushers her out with a flick of his wrist. She pulls herself away slowly from the protection of Quinn's arms and follows Russell out of the door. They don't walk far, only to the end of the hall and into his office. She looks around, but doesn't really take it in, because she's worried.
He sighs, takes her by the shoulders and moves her around his desk, "Sit." She sits herself down in his desk chair like there's an explosive under it, but when nothing goes off, she allows herself to relax a little. "I'm going to be very, very honest with you here, Rachel."
And...that panic is back.
She shuffles in the seat, dying to find some form of comfort as he plants himself on the edge of his desk, looking down at her with shining eyes.
–
They eat breakfast together, which they make together because Rachel is adamant about thanking Judy for an excellent meal the night before. Much to her chagrin, there's no Vegan ingredients, so she makes do, but flat out refuses to crack any eggs.
Or eat for that matter.
Quinn chops her a selection of fresh fruit from the fridge which she eats happily, but just beams when she watches an ecstatic Quinn stuff down pancake after pancake. Judy just hums, "These are fantastic, Rachel. Honestly. You will have to give me the recipe."
"Ah-ha. Berry family recipe, I'm afraid I can't give away my secrets." Then she glances at Quinn, who's leaning across the table to pick another stack from the center plate, "Unless you want a daughter the size of a blimp."
Funnily enough, Quinn stops eating at that, but only to glare before she digs in again.
Russell smiles from behind his Sunday paper, taking small bites of his pancakes from time to time, which are honestly, delicious. He finds it amusing though, that Judy politely asked for the recipe when she can blatantly smell the 'secret' ingredient, but he doesn't mention anything.
"Oh she won't get fat. An Alpha usually eats twice as much than a normal wolf, it's common practice."
"And why is that?" Rachel asks, honestly interested.
"An Alpha is suppose to be strong, and to be strong they use a lot of energy. Quinn burns energy twice as fast than most wolves, hence why she eats so much, and why she falls asleep in class."
"Oh my god, mom. It was one time!"
"Quinn, manners." Judy tuts, obviously talking about the pancake remnants that she can see in her daughters mouth, but it's mostly to do with the fact that she chastised God in her house. "We have company."
"She's seen me eat, mom."
"Like the way you demolished those cookies yesterday?" Rachel asks with a giggle.
"Cookies?" Russell's eyes pop up over his newspaper, "I saw no cookies."
All three heads turn to Quinn who swallows her pancakes with a meek look on her face, "I uhm..." Then her eyes shoot to her cup, "Who wants another drink?" She asks quickly before racing into the kitchen, but it's not enough to avoid the laughter in the dining room.
But she doesn't want to. Because Rachel is laughing so serenely, and so happily, and it makes everything worth it.
–
It takes them twenty minutes to say goodbye. Quinn won't open the door, and that's mostly due to the fact that Rachel is holding onto her hands, refusing to let go. "Your bruises are already healing."
"Yeah," Quinn smiles, "I suppose I'll get some more next week. I'm training with another wolf in Lima for a little while."
"Oh? What for?" Quinn's raised eyebrow is answer to that question, and she blushes, "Oh. Right."
She looks up just in time to see Quinn lean in and brush a kiss to her lips, but then the touch is gone, and she mourns it, "That wasn't much of a kiss."
"Your smell is really strong today." The blonde offers simply.
"Is that your way of telling me I need to shower?"
Quinn smirks, "Oh...no, no need to shower," So she buries her head in Rachel's neck and takes one long sniff. The singer feels the need to be grossed out, but the fact that Quinn is in her arms, and biting so gently at the already healing love bites on her neck, she can't bring herself to care.
"Your parents."
"Are in the other room." Quinn presses a kiss to a particularly dark bite and pulls back, "Did you notice my mom staring at your neck over breakfast?"
"Yes. I did. Thank you for that, by the way."
"Oh don't mention it," She replies cockily.
"I need to go..." Rachel whispers, almost in defeat, "My dad wasn't expecting me to sleep out..."
"Oh, yeah...I need to go hunt anyway," Quinn says, looking over her shoulder to the living room, where she knows her father will be waiting for her, "But uhm...can we meet tonight?"
"I thought we agreed every other night?"
"It's important."
Quinn watches as Rachel begins to silent worry herself into an early grave, so she calms the small singer by placing a gentle kiss to her forehead, "Don't panic. Just be there."
"Okay."
They kiss goodbye, one, twice, three times before Rachel backs up and opens the door with a free hands. They kiss four times, five times, six times before she's backed up onto the porch, "You need to let me go."
"My wolf isn't sated yet." Quinn mumbles against her lips, biting down on a plump bottom one.
"Your wolf is a beast," The singer gasps and Quinn chuckles.
"You're telling me?"
–
"My daughter cares deeply for you. Whether she's human or a wolf, she cares for you."
"I understand that. I care for her too."
"As an Alpha, she's prone to show her aggression from time to time. But that's just the blood of a werewolf. A leader at that. You need to allow her; don't stifle her."
"As long as she doesn't hurt anyone, she can do what she wants. I don't control her."
"I know you don't. But do you know what I'm trying to say?"
"You're talking about Michael Hunter."
"Hm. It was a time when Quinn had just found out she was Alpha. I've never dealt, nor been introduced to an Alpha before. I didn't know what to tell her, or to help her through it. And with the fact you're the main cause of her urge, and the pain you were so obviously in, her wolf dominated her human side for only a brief few minutes."
"She's already told me this, Mr. Fabray."
"Russell."
"...Russell. I understand what Quinn is going through-,"
"No...you really don't, Rachel. Just being in the same room with you takes a toll on her body. She's mentally and physically preparing herself day in and day out just to be able to talk to you, or hug you...or kiss you."
"If you're talking about my neck I didn't mean for it to happen, we just-,"
"Got out of control. Aphrodisiacs can do that to a person."
"Well...yes..."
"She will protect you, Rachel, no matter what you do or say. She'll be by your side, always."
"I know."
"And so will Judy and I."
"I-,"
"We're your family too. It would be my honor to have you."
They hug they shared made her cry, and Russell Fabray just held her, because that's what you just do with family.
–
"Where were you?! I was worried sick!" Hiram screams as she walks through the door.
"I'm...I'm sorry I went to dinner at Quinn's and then I ended up staying the night."
"You could have called, Rachel! Anything could have happened to you!"
"At Quinn's house?" Rachel asks, dead panned.
"Well." Hiram huffs, "Please just...don't do it again, okay? You're going to give me a heart attack."
"I'm sorry, dad." She allows her father to wrap her in a hug, but when he stiffens in her arms, she mentally kicks herself, "Uhm."
"Your neck." He rips his head back, still holding his daughter in his arms, "What happened to your neck?"
"I...fell."
"Into someone's mouth?" He glares down to the bites and then slowly, so slowly, his eyes slide up to lock with hers, "Quinn Fabray."
"I..."
"Quinn Fabray."
"Well, yes." He's already going for the phone, but she dives in the way, holding him back with palms to his shoulders, "Dad...we didn't do anything."
"Except mutilate your neck, it seems. Rachel, you're seventeen."
"Dad, I'm almost eighteen. I'm allowed to kiss who I want."
"Since when are you gay?" He asks all of a sudden, pulling away from her hands and crossing his arms over his chest, "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"
"You...had your own stuff to deal with..." She looks down to her hands, wringing them together, "I didn't want to bother you," She whispers, "I could deal with it."
"Oh honey," His eyes are shining when she looks up, "I'm sorry if it seems like I'm not there for you."
"You've had a lot to deal with dad, it's okay." She smiles, kissing his cheek.
"Your father would deal with this a lot better than me, it seems."
She frowns, "No. He wouldn't, because he's not here. You are." She wraps her arms around him and hugs him tightly, so tightly, "And you're all I need."
–
Rachel is miffed when she gets to the park that night. Quinn isn't there, no wolf, no human, just nothing. It's freezing, like, beyond freezing and she's shaking even though she's wearing three layers and a winter coat over it. But she decides to give Quinn ten minutes leeway before leaving, so head's over to the swing to kill some time.
She sits down, and then shoots back up when she feels something dig into her backside. It's a small tape recorder, and when she picks it up and squints at it with the help of the moonlight, she makes out, "Play me."
So she does, after making herself comfortable on her favorite swing. She presses play, puts it on her lap and waits.
"Hey. I know you're probably wondering where I am right now, but just hear me out okay? I don't have a huge cliché speech to say to you, and I don't really have anything prepared because I only thought of this idea about an hour ago...but uhm...mom go away, I'm doing something. No...I don't want anything to eat. Okay. Hi Rachel! Oh my god, mom, go away. I'm so sorry about that...what was I saying? Uh...oh yeah. Well, last night, when you asked me that question, I wasn't asleep.
I know it's rude, the fact that I faked being asleep, but I didn't really know how to answer you at the time. So...I thought about it, and I came to a decision. An hour ago, which is right now, but whatever. Damn, I'm confusing myself. But yeah. I came to a decision and...well, you mean the world to me. And I don't mean that in some romance novel, Hollywood movie sort of way. I mean it like you do mean the world to me. Because of my wolf, and because of the way we both feel for you.
My wolf just amplifies everything, and the fact that you're the one I urge for, I can't really say no to the opportunity to be with you. So...I uhm...I'm not really good with words, I tend to just want to sit in the back of a room and read, but...yeah. I know I'm not as good as you, and I probably won't ever be. But...here goes nothing, I suppose?"
There's a soft click and Rachel frowns, because she thinks its the end of the tape. She looks around, half expecting for Quinn to emerge from behind a bush or something, but there's nothing. She goes to stand from the swing, but then there's the sound of a guitar, soft and gentle coming through the speakers of the cheap ass tape recorder in her lap, so she sits and listens.
If all the flowers faded away
And if all the storm clouds decided to stay
Then you would find me
Each hour the same
She is tomorrow
And I am today.
She knows the song, even though Quinn's smoky voice leaves it with a distinct difference. It's She Is The Sunlight by Trading Yesterday, one of her guilty pleasures, and ultimate shower song when in a particularly romantic mood.
Cause if right is leaving
I'd rather be wrong
She is sunlight
The sun is gone...
And if loving her is,
Is a heartache for me
And if holding her means
I have to bleed,
Then I am the martyr
Love is to blame
She is the healing
And I am the pain.
Tears are falling before she even has chance to stop them, because she knows what Quinn is trying to tell her. She prepared herself so much for this moment, but now, finally here and presenting itself, she can't help but burst into tears. She holds the tape recorder to her ear and shuts her eyes, just listening to that voice.
She lives in a daydream
Where I don't belong
She is the sunlight
The sun is gone.
And it will take this life of regret
For my heart to learn to forget.
Tomorrow will be as it always has been
And I will fall to her again
For I know I've come too close.
I said if right is leaving
I'd rather be wrong
She is the sunlight
The sun is gone
She is the sunlight
The sun is gone...
The guitar plays out in a beautiful one minute play, and it's so stunning. She's sobbing, because she's so happy, because for the first time since everything went wrong at home, she feels that love again. She feels it with Quinn, she feels it with Russell, she feels it with Judy, she feels it with her dad.
The tape recorder clicks off, and slowly she opens her eyes, just in time to lock on with golden hazel of the wolf that sits in front of her.
And she just smiles.