A.N:
This chapter is a little longer than most. I wish I could tell you why, but I don't know. That's just how it ended up.
If you guys have any guesses as to what's happening in the plot, feel free to voice it. I would love to see what you guys come up with :)
Light footsteps hopped up the stairs, and Quinn prepared herself for the ambush. It was Thursday night. She loved Thursday nights. Giggles were muffled from behind her door, and Quinn just smiled. She rose and stealthily ran into her closet. She heard the door squeak open ever so quietly. Then, tiny feet stomped across the room as the children attached to them screamed like animals and jumped on the bed. When they realized Quinn wasn't there, the room became eerily quiet in a unanimous confusion.
"Where is she?" She heard the younger boy whisper.
"I don't know." The girl responded loudly, and then covered her mouth after her brother shushed her.
"Check the bathroom."
Quinn could barely hear their quiet conversation, but the rumbling of their feet told her where they were going.
"We're so gonna get her" The girl said. Both the kids snickered quietly. They slowly opened the door to Quinn's bathroom.
Let the games begin.
The two kids roared into the bathroom, making as much noise as they could, before stopping again. Quinn wasn't in there, either. Where could she possibly-?
Before either of them had the chance to think, they saw a shadow on the tile floor. The very familiar, confident shadow with her hands on her hips like a scary Peter Pan. They slowly turned around to face their maker. Sure enough, the blonde terror had somehow found them before they could get to her. Where she hid, they didn't care. How she knew they arrived, they didn't care. Trying to find a way out, now that was the primary goal.
"Looking for someone?" The babysitter smirked. The kids giggled and screamed past her. They ran down the stairs laughing with Quinn hot on their trail. Stevie quickly took the lead in front of his younger sister and turned around to see how far ahead he was. Stacy veered left into the kitchen, laughing as she heard her brother run into Sam with a thud. Suddenly, strong arms picked her up. She heard a girly roar as she was thrown about in the air before being tossed on the couch in the living room. Her laughter was shrill as the lioness sat on her. Quinn was sure not to put too much weight on the girl as she greeted her co-babysitter.
"Hey, Sammy," She grinned. He chuckled and dipped his head in greeting. "I thought you were bringing me some kids to watch. I see Stevie, there, hiding behind you…but where is your sister? I really wanted to see Stacy again." The little girl giggled and squirmed underneath her.
"I'm here, I'm here!"
"You know, I thought we really had a bond between us. I guess she just doesn't want to see me." Quinn started to tickle the girl beneath her and gasped. "My, my; this couch sure is squirmy tonight." Stacy laughed and screamed some more "And it's vocal too? What in the world-?"
Quinn stood from the flattened 7-year-old and just stared incredulously. "Stacy? How long have you been my couch?"
Stacy laughed and sat up, Quinn sitting next to her and wrapping her up into a side hug. Quinn kissed her forehead and turned to Sam. She patted the seat next to her and he obeyed her silent request. Stevie quickly crawled up next to his brother, making himself comfortable.
Thursday night was when Quinn's mom went out to dinner with Sam's dad. It was when she and Sam had their bonding time. The kids were delightful. Quinn couldn't help but wish that she could have been more for Sam; more for Stacy and Stevie. When their relationship ended, Quinn thought the idea of babysitting with him was ridiculous. Her mom was gentle, but forceful, and gave her no other options. She could either babysit with Sam, or go out to dinner with the adults. Much to everyone's relief, she chose the kids.
At first, she resented Sam, Stevie, and even Stacy. Her dictatorship took over and she bossed the kids off to bed and made sure Sam understood that she did not want to be there. That happened the first four times she helped babysit. On the fifth night, everything seemed to change for her.
She had forced Stacy and Stevie into their pajamas and then into the guest room where they were told to sleep, and to not leave the room unless it was an absolute emergency. The kids understood the drill by then and pouted into bed after scowling at Quinn. About an hour later, Quinn was passed out on the couch. She woke up with her head on Sam's chest and the sound of metal clanking about in the kitchen. Ignoring Sam, she jolted up and burst into the kitchen. She found little Stacy rummaging around and searching for something. The tiny girl turned around in a droopy fog. Quinn wasn't sure if she was really awake or not. Then she heard the little girl say those familiar words than sent fire into her heart, melting the icy façade she tried so desperately to maintain:
"I had a nightmare. Could you get me a glass of water?"
Sam was behind her suddenly and gave Stacy her water as Quinn staggered back into the living room. Her knees felt weak as she remembered the girl from so long ago. She couldn't remember her name. She couldn't remember her eyes or her face or her hair. The girl was just a blurry figure, trapped in a time when things were different. But she remembered those words. The girl said them every time she was scared. It didn't matter if she really had a nightmare or not. Any time she felt afraid, she would hazily ask Quinn to get her a glass of water. And Quinn always did.
After sending his little sister back to bed with her glass, Sam noticed Quinn's shoulders shaking. He walked to her hesitantly, unsure of whether this was Compassionate Quinn that he loved, or if it was Bitter Quinn that scared him to pieces. As he got closer, he noticed it was neither. This was a side of Quinn he had never seen. Her shoulders were shaking due to the sobs she was trying to suppress. Tears were flowing from her eyes, freely. He looked at her for what felt like the first time. He was finally meeting the real Quinn; the scared girl that couldn't face her past, present, or future, without all these different characters that controlled her status amongst her peers. This girl, he knew, he could never deny. He would never hurt her, and he wouldn't let her cry without trying to comfort her. He wrapped his arms around her and sat with her in his lap, letting her cry. She fell asleep in his arms, her face puffy and swollen, and more beautiful than Sam had ever seen.
When Quinn woke up with a cover on her, and a sweet boy sleeping in the chair across the room, she knew things had changed. Sam wasn't an ex anymore. That family was now her family too, and she wouldn't let them down. She babysat with a completely new attitude. When she started treating the children like real children, she discovered how much she loved them. Stacy always had a soft place in her heart, right next to the girl she would never remember. Now, she looked forward to the Thursday Evans-Fabray Bonding Nights. She cherished them.
This particular night went by smoothly with the kids trying to best each other on a Wii game. They previously played with Barbies for Stacy and Man Hunt for Stevie. When Quinn tried to break out the board games, they all groaned and complained.
"Board games are boring." Stevie whined.
"Yeah, can we keep playing the Wii?"
Sam laughed at them and saw the pouty lip Quinn was using so desperately to win them over. The kids giggled and picked up their controllers to start on a new game. Sam crossed over to take the box from his friend. It took once glance and he understood their reactions
"Are you serious?" He laughed and turned the Chess box to face her. "What are you, 50? No wonder the kids didn't want to play." Still, he sat down and opened the box, setting the game up for the two of them to play.
Quinn scoffed and thumped his forehead as she sat down. "Whatever. I'm not old, I'm educated. Besides, I was going to use the checkers side; much easier to grasp. I used to play it all the time as a kid when we went to Cracker Barrel. They would set up a little checkers board and I would sit there and play whoever wanted to…what?"
Sam was staring at her in disbelief, trying to hold back his laughter. "So, you're trying to justify your game choice because you played it as a kid when you were at…Cracker Barrel; the old people brunch haven?" He lost it. His hearty laugh rang throughout the entire room. Stevie and Stacy paused their game to see if Chess could really be that funny. They stared over the couch at Sam on his stomach, shaking from his laughter, and Quinn was steaming on the other side of the board. They realized it wasn't the game, they were just fighting again. They looked at each other and tried to decide if they wanted in on the fight or not. After a moment of unvoiced discussion, they turned back around and continued Mario Kart.
Quinn sat and let Sam control himself. "Okay, so that was a bad example." She said before making her first move. The pawns had to go first, naturally.
"I disagree. I think that was the best example you could possibly give." He waved his hand dramatically through the air and slammed it back down on the wooden floor. He was putting his weight on his left arm, comfortably as he too, moved his pawn.
They continued in silence for a while, until it was time to break out the bigger chess pieces and think harder about where they should go, what the consequences would be, and how it could help to beat their opponent.
Suddenly, Sam broke the silence. "Do you have any plans for the break?" Quinn snapped her head up, and remembered her plans with Rachel. She remembered how she had forgotten to tell Santana that she couldn't do Movie Night with them. Quinn jumped from her spot and ran up the stairs to her phone. She searched her pristine room, before realizing she never took it out of her bag. Her face slammed into her palm before she darted back down the stairs and rummaged through her bag. The phone was resting on top of her books, as if it were mocking her like a child that won Hide-and-Seek. She yanked it from its place and typed ferociously.
Santana, forgot to tell you that I can't do Movie Night with you and Britt. I made plans with Rachel. SORRY!
She sat the phoned down and breathed. She scrolled through her numbers to see if she still had Rachel's. She couldn't find it. Quinn looked at the clock. It was 9:03. Surely, Kurt would still be up.
Hey Kurt! I'm sorry we haven't talked in a while. I know you're probably busy with something, but when you get the chance, could you send me Rachel's number? I'd love you forever!
She returned to the board and to the confused Sam she left behind.
"I-is everything okay, Quinn?" He asked. Oh, it must have looked terrible! He asked one question and she was storming about the house in a crazed panic. She would have laughed if the boy didn't look so scared for her.
Instead she sat down and made her move. The chess piece was cool in her hand. "I'm fine. You just reminded me that I had to tell Santana that I couldn't make Movie Night."
Sam gasped. Movie Night was just as sacred as Evans-Fabray Bonding Night. He remembered from when he tried to see if he could join them when he and Quinn were together. They all just laughed at him and told him it wasn't for anybody to join. It was the only alone time the three of them had together. "Why can't you make it? Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm feeling fine; I just made other plans before I even thought about what day I was setting it for." She just chuckled lightly because she knew what was coming next.
"Well what's so important that you won't cancel for Movie Night?" She canceled dates with him and every other guy she dated for Movie Night. She didn't go to check-ups if they conflicted with the Movie Night schedule. It was twice a month, and everything else just revolved around it.
Quinn sighed and shrugged. "I made plans with Rachel and it's my first time hanging out with her, so I don't want to blow her off." She felt her phone buzz and quickly snatched it up to her face. It was Santana.
You're blowing us off for your girlfriend? Wow. Didn't realize we were that unimportant to you.
Quinn groaned. She didn't want the Latina to be mad at her. She knew that Quinn would cancel anything else for them, but this was a touchier subject than those other things. This was like dealing with a bomb. She couldn't rush things or the affect could be fatal. If she waited too long, the same response could be found. Quinn felt it buzz again in her hand.
But have fun. Try not to be a total bitch.
Quinn smiled and relaxed her muscles. That's more what she wanted to hear.
I'll leave the bitching to you. But thanks.
She pressed the send button and realized the message was incomplete, before sending another one.
And she's not my girlfriend!
As soon as she closed her phone, she felt it buzz again. Sam looked at her, smiling. It was getting to be ridiculous, but Quinn was absolutely adorable. He wondered if she was like this when they texted each other. He shook his head to clear the thought. No; she didn't feel that way about him. He knew why, but it wasn't his place to point it out. He would just have to wait for her to put pieces together.
Quinn flipped her phone back open, already tired of texting. She hated texting. It was so much work, and you had such limited space to really have a discussion. In her opinion, it wasn't worth the time or the effort unless you needed something. Kurt's name popped up on her screen. He was a perfect example. She needed something, so she suffered through the incorrect grammar and lack of conversation to obtain it.
Idk Quinn. You and Rachel aren't known to be very friendly, and I don't wanna see my little Barbra get hurt. Even if she is a pain.
Quinn felt herself get angry. If Kurt cared so much about Rachel, why would he call her a pain? That's like a false friendship, isn't it? Or an acquaintance-ship of some sort, surely. She felt herself bubbling up with strong irritation and a distinct bit of rage.
1) I know we aren't friendly. I'm trying to fix that, which is why I need her number. We have plans tomorrow. 2) If you don't want to see her get hurt, then I suggest you stop telling her that she's irritating and a pain.
She hit send and closed the phone. Why was she so angry? After all, far worse things had fallen from her mouth about the brunette. She really had no right to say all that. Rachel wasn't even her friend yet. She sent another message after cooling down.
I'm sorry. I was out of line. Your friendship with Rachel is none of my business. But could you please help me out? If I don't call her, she'll think I'm not coming.
Sam crossed his legs and leaned forward. Something was really getting to this girl. She went through every emotion on the chart in a matter of minutes.
"What's going on?" He asked, breaking the silence.
Quinn looked up from her phone after hitting send. A wave of guilt hit her like a tsunami. She had been ignoring one of her closest friends because she was too busy texting other people. Another reason she hated to text.
"Oh, sorry" She said returning to the conversation. "I'm just trying to hunt down Rachel's phone number. Kurt was kind of being a jerk and I fussed at him, so I don't think he's going to give it to me now." She couldn't help but lower her gaze to the phone in her hand. What would she do if Kurt didn't give her the number? Would Mercedes have it? No; she probably already knows about Quinn's outburst and wouldn't help her. Puck would have it, but he was with Rachel tonight. The thought made her shiver. She didn't like them being alone together. If she and Rachel ever became friends, she would warn her to steer clear of the boy.
"You could have just asked me."
Quinn looked up to see the boy beaming at her. Of course! They all went together for prom. She forgot that it was a singles party. After all, Rachel spent most of her time with Jesse. She remembered Finn rushing to rescue her from a good time, and ending up trying to fight Jesse. She scoffed. Finn was such an idiot, sometimes. Jesse was a trained dancer and most likely very skillful at stage fighting. Finn was just this giant mass of nothing that was only scary when he was attempting choreography.
"Do you think I could steal it from you?" She asked, smiling. Sam was going to make this a challenge, she could tell, but he couldn't stay strong against her for too long.
"I don't know," he sang sarcastically. "What's in it for me?"
The kids heard their voices and paused the game again. They were staring at the two of them from the couch . This was their favorite part about going to Fabray household. Quinn and Sam would always start fighting and they would always watch. They took mental notes on what the two teenagers did, because it would probably come in handy when the two of them got old enough to fight like that.
"Tell you what; how about I give you the chance to not get your ass kicked." She smirked. Stacy admired Quinn's confidence. She wished Quinn could be her sister. She didn't like it when she and Sammy were dating. It was really weird. They're like family. Watching them kiss was like watching two siblings kiss. It just wasn't right.
Suddenly, the two of them leapt into each other and started trying to beat the other. Sam picked Quinn up by the waist and slung her over his shoulder. Quinn quickly used all her body weight to fall out of his grip. She landed on the wooden floor and groaned. Her body twitched and she rolled onto her side, whimpering. Sam rushed to her.
"Oh shit, Quinn" He gasped "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to!" He propped her up in his arm and looked at her face. Her eyes were closed in pain. He shifted and used his other hand to reach into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone. He quickly handed it to her. "Here," he said as sat her up against the couch. "I'll get you some Tylenol or something."
As soon as he turned his back to go to the kitchen, Quinn relaxed and looked up at Stacy. Quinn smiled and winked. It was all a part of the plan. Stacy grinned back and had to stifle her giggles. Her babysitter always got what she was willing to fight for.
Quinn quickly took action and found the brunette's number. She typed it into her phone and saved it. Poor Sam was so easy to manipulate. He depended too much on his emotions and care for other people. He was simple to break. When he turned around with pills in one hand and a glass of water in the other, Quinn hopped up from her spot and stretched luxuriously. He gaped at her incredulously and almost dropped the water.
"You know, I'm feeling much better all of the sudden." She smiled and grabbed the pills from Sam, putting them back into their bottle. "I don't think I'll need these. But thanks for Rachel's number, Sammy. I really appreciate your help." She chuckled and tiptoed to peck a kiss on his cheek.
Stacy and Stevie laughed as Sam shook his head and swatted at Quinn's shoulder. They all sat back down on the couch and watched a season of Spongebob before the kids drifted off to sleep. Sam quickly followed, and suddenly, Quinn felt alone. It was almost 12:30 when she sent Rachel a text message.
Hey, it's Quinn. Not sure if you're a texter or a caller, but I'm just letting you know that I'm game tomorrow if we can still make it. Sleep tight.
Quinn started to nod off when the phone buzzed
I'm normally a caller, unless it's late. That's perfect. Let me know when you wake up if you'll be staying for dinner, and if you have any requests. Safe dreams, Quinn.
She felt her lungs get cold when she read the message. She wanted to keep texting her. For the first time, Quinn Fabray actually wanted to text someone. Hope filled her at the thought. It was a sign, surely, that Quinn was perfectly open to being friends. Now it was all up to the loquacious brunette that held the other end.
Deciding it best not to keep the girl awake, she allowed herself to doze off. She dreamt of her prom. Finn was nowhere to be seen and neither was Jesse. Quinn was alone in a crowd of people staring at Rachel onstage. Her pink dress clung to her waist and Quinn noticed something was different about the girl. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about her outfit wasn't what Quinn remembered. A guitar quietly began to play a song Quinn didn't recognize. The notes of the music were like another living thing within Rachel. They took her voice's hand and danced with it. Rachel closed her eyes, and Quinn followed; listening to the lyrics and music. Listening to that voice.
"Love me tender, love me sweet
Never let me go.
You have made my life complete
And I love you so."
Quinn listened, letting the song sink into her. She recognized it now. She remembered hearing the brunette humming it to herself while she practiced for Prom. Rachel much preferred singing that song, but was told by Figgins that she couldn't change the set list. Quinn listened and realized how wrong Figgins was. This was beautiful. Rachel's voice matched this better than any song she had heard her sing before. Every breath was perfect; every note, every twitch of Rachel's hands. Her hands! That's when Quinn opened her eyes and looked at the brunette's wrist. Sure enough, she saw what was so different about her appearance.
"Love me tender, love me long,
Take me to your heart.
For it's there that I belong,
And will never part."
Quinn wrapped a hand around her own wrist, feeling the Gardenia corsage. She looked down only to see that the green ribbon that once matched her eyes was replaced with two ribbons. Pink and blue.
"Love me tender, love me dear,
Tell me you are mine.
I'll be yours through all the years,
Until the end of time."
Quinn's eyes watered as she glanced up to Rachel's matching corsage. She looked at the way they intertwined perfectly. They were like Rachel and her music. They danced a waltz on her wrist around the flower, looping over and under each other, twisting into one another to create something beautiful. Rachel's eyes suddenly met hers and everyone in the room vanished. The music stopped. Everything was still for a few moments. Quinn just stared at the other girl in awe. Rachel looked at her as she finished the song acapella.
"Love me tender, love me true
All my dreams fulfilled.
For, my darling, I love you.
And I always will."
Love Me Tender- Elvis Presley
