Rachel rings the doorbell and bounces on the balls of her feet. She grabs the strap of her tote bag and readjusts it on her shoulder. The door opens, and Mercedes stands in the doorway wearing hooded leopard print footie pajamas. The hood has ears. Rachel giggles.
"Hi, Mercedes," she says, stepping into the house and allowing Mercedes to shut the door behind her. "You look adorable."
Mercedes smiles and begins walking down the hallway. "Thanks, Rachel. The others are downstairs in the basement."
Rachel nods, trailing after her. She's never been to Mercedes' house before, so she takes it in. It's nice, and she can see why Quinn likes it here so much. When they get to the bottom of the stairs, Mercedes stops short and whips around so fast, Rachel almost crashes into her. Mercedes lifts a finger and points it at Rachel's nose. Rachel gulps, eyes nearly crossing with the attempt of focusing on it.
"Rules," the girl says sternly. Rachel's eyes widen. She looks at Mercedes weakly as she wonders if there's still time to run home. Just as the escape route solidifies in her mind, Mercedes' face cracks into a smile. "Pajamas must be worn at all times. None of this," she sweeps the finger up and down Rachel's body, wrinkling her nose, "school clothes business. You are at a slumber party." Mercedes looks back up and Rachel and grins. "That's it. You should have seen your face."
Rachel ducks her head and smiles at Mercedes. Part of her wants to take offense, but a bigger part of her knows that Mercedes is just teasing her, and it's good-natured teasing at that. Mercedes starts down the stairs again, and Rachel follows, setting down her overnight bag and sleeping bag on the floor next to a pristine monogrammed Louis Vuitton suitcase that just has to be Kurt's. Sure enough, the door on the far wall of the basement opens, and out walks Kurt. Rachel has to pull both of her lips into her mouth and to bite down her laughter as the boy flips off the bathroom light and carries his folded clothes to his suitcase.
"Hello, Rachel," he says calmly as he tucks his clothes away. Rachel bites her lips harder and manages a wave. Kurt stands and regards her coolly before brushing his bangs out of his face. "Laugh all you want, it's extremely comfortable."
With his permission, Rachel barks out a laugh, and Kurt manages a smile before he resumes his cool expression. His pajamas match the pair Mercedes is wearing. Instead of a leopard print, Kurt is sporting a white tiger stripe that looks approximately four sizes too big. The baggy legs bunch at his ankles, the stomach sags to mid-thigh, and the hood, complete with little white tiger ears, slips down over his forehead.
"Oh, Kurt," Rachel giggles, smoothing a hand down his striped arm. "You look even more adorable."
"Come on, Rachel," Mercedes says. "Pajama time."
Rachel digs her pajamas out of her bag and hurries into the bathroom to change. As she pulls on her pajamas, light blue plaid shorts and a blue tank top, she hopes that Quinn doesn't have lion print footie pajamas, because although that might be the most adorable of the three, Rachel would feel a little awkward being the only one left out. Again.
When she steps out of the bathroom, Quinn is sitting on the couch next to Kurt and Mercedes. She smiles warmly at Rachel. Rachel immediately grins back, unable to keep the smile off of her face and thanking her lucky gold stars that Quinn is also in pajama shorts and a t-shirt. Quinn is patting the small space on the couch next to her, and by the time everyone has scrunched over enough for Rachel to sit down, Kurt has already turned on the TV. It's a tight fit with four people, but it's nice, Rachel thinks, to be this close to her friends.
Kurt has flipped to the On Demand menu and is quietly bickering with Mercedes over which movie to watch. Quinn nudges Rachel's shoulder with her own.
"We should have had matching pajamas," Quinn says lightly.
"I thought you were going to come out in a lion pair," Rachel responds. Quinn giggles.
"What does that leave you with, a panther? So not your style, Berry."
Rachel chuckles and nudges Quinn back when Quinn's hand catches her attention. She slips her palm under Quinn's to turn the blonde's fingers toward her.
"Blue nail polish? So not your style, Fabray."
Quinn leans into Mercedes and flips Rachel's hand over, studying the brunette's nails. "They match your pajamas. Maybe you should try it."
"Try what?" Mercedes turns slowly away from Kurt without dislodging Quinn's head from her shoulder. She smiles briefly down at the top of the blonde's head before looking at Rachel.
"My nail polish," Quinn says, holding her hand next to Rachel's shoulder and fanning her fingers out in the air. "It matches her outfit."
At that, Kurt is leaning across both Mercedes and Quinn to examine the shade of Quinn's nails against the fabric of Rachel's shirt. His eyebrows nearly shoot up to his hairline and he jolts off of the couch. Dusting off his tiger suit, he grabs Quinn's hand and pulls her off the couch. He disappears up the stairs with Quinn's wrist clutched in his hand. The blonde stumbles up the stairs after him.
"Why did Kurt just kidnap Quinn? Should we go help her?" Rachel turns to look at Mercedes.
Mercedes drops her chin and lifts an eyebrow, and Rachel lets out a puff of air, sinking back into the corner of the couch feeling inexplicably guilty. Mercedes' face softens, and she scoots closer to place her hand on Rachel's arm. "Look, Rachel. I know you're not used to the whole slumber party thing, but Kurt probably just wants to match everyone to a shade of nail polish for the night. Normal sleepover stuff," Mercedes is smiling gently, and Rachel smiles through her embarrassment, even though she can't imagine that that is 'normal sleepover stuff'. "And since we can pretty much assume he didn't drag Quinn away to make out somewhere, I think they'll be back pretty soon."
Rachel laughs, the tension completely leaving her shoulders. They're not playing a trick on her this time. It seems like Mercedes really wants her there, despite her inexperience with social situations like these. It's nice to be able to hang out with her teammates without the pressure to perform or impress anyone. She slouches down into the cushions and lolls her head to the side to look at Mercedes warmly. "Thank you for inviting me, Mercedes. I'm really having a lovely time."
Mercedes smiles back, her face lighting up as she leans into the cushions as well. "I'm glad you came. Sisters gotta stick together, right?"
"Sisters," Rachel echoes softly, trying the word out on her tongue.
"Yeah," Mercedes nods. "You, me, and Quinn, and the other girls," she giggles when Rachel beams at her. "And Kurt."
Rachel laughs so hard the sound almost drowns out Kurt's return as he thunders down the stairs with Quinn at his heels. He's clutching two boxes in his hands, and he skids to a halt in front of the couch before dropping to sit on the floor. He pulls Rachel and Mercedes off of the couch to sit on the floor next to him, and Quinn drops in to complete the circle.
"Movie postponed until later," Kurt says airily, waving his hand dismissively as he rips the lids from the boxes. "As it should be. Nails first." He digs through the boxes rabidly, and Mercedes raises her an eyebrow at Rachel, mouthing a clear 'told you.'
Rachel bites her lip to keep from laughing at the boy as she watches Quinn pluck two bottles of polish out of the second box. She pulls one of Rachel's hands into her lap and twists the top off of the clear polish.
"Wait," Kurt says, butting his head in. He picks up the blue Quinn selected from the box and holds it up first to Rachel's shirt, and then to Quinn's hand. "Good," he nods approvingly, passing the color back to Quinn before settling on a golden yellow for Mercedes and her leopard pajamas.
He's already bent eagerly over Mercedes' fingers when Quinn turns back to Rachel. The girls share knowing smiles before Quinn picks Rachel's hand up again. She looks up at Rachel through her eyelashes, and Rachel watches her carefully. "May I?" Quinn asks, a smirk dancing on her lips.
Rachel nods absently, but Quinn is already coating her nails with a clear base coat. Rachel watches as Quinn rubs the tiny brush in strokes over her nails. The blonde holds Rachel's hand softly, letting it rest on her palm. Her hand shifts around Rachel's each time she changes fingers, and Rachel lets the blonde's movements trace patterns on her palm. The blue is unlike any color Rachel has tried since the early years of elementary school when her daddy would take her to the nail salon and let her pick any color she wanted. She always chose the wildest colors. Once she even came home with a different bright neon coat on each nail. Her dad had taken a picture. It's still on the mantelpiece.
When Quinn finishes with one hand, Rachel picks it up and studies her nails. Quinn has done an excellent job, and Rachel briefly wonders how much time she spends doing other people's nails.
"Top coat," Quinn says, snatching the hand back and running the clear polish over the nails once more.
"Thank you, Quinn," Rachel says just as Mercedes leans away from Kurt to blow on her nails.
"Looking good," Mercedes says, grinning at Kurt. Kurt flicks his eyes up and sweeps his bangs to the side before wiggling his fingers in front of hers. The two friends share a laugh before turning to Rachel and Quinn. Kurt takes Rachel's hand and his eyebrows rise. He looks up at Quinn and smiles.
"Well, look at you, blondie. Not bad."
Quinn just smiles at him and hops back up to the couch. Once the others are settled, Quinn grabs the throw blankets from the back of the couch and tosses one to Kurt before settling the other over her lap and Rachel's. Mercedes starts the movie.
"Thanks Quinn," Rachel whispers again once the opening credits start rolling. Quinn turns her head to Rachel and watches as the light from the television flickers over Rachel's face. Quinn smiles back at her.
"You're welcome, Rach."
Rachel watches Quinn's face for a moment, vaguely aware that she should be watching the screen instead. Quinn leans her head back into the cushions on the back of the couch. Rachel lips part as Quinn's hands come toward her. The blonde fixes the blanket over Rachel's lap, and before Rachel can protest and try to do it herself, she realizes that her nails are still wet. She lets out a shaky breath, her brain feeling heady until Quinn shifts back to turn to the screen instead. When Quinn settles, her knee brushing Rachel's, she casts the brunette one last smile before resting her head on Mercedes' shoulder. Rachel tucks her hair behind her ear, letting out a heavy breath when she hears Mercedes murmur a soft "Hey girl," as Quinn sets her head down. She looks at the three of them briefly, her family, before she turns back to watch the movie.
-/-
When Rachel wakes up, she's starving. She feels like she hasn't eaten in a week. The light is peeking through the mostly obscured windows in Mercedes' basement, and when Rachel blinks the sleep from her eyes, she sees Kurt sitting delicately on his sleeping bag filing his nails.
"Good morning," she murmurs, pushing her sleeping bag away to sit up as well.
"Good morning," he whispers back at her.
Quinn rolls over, blearily swiping at her eyes as she yawns. "Hey tiger," she mumbles. She groans and hides her face when she rolls into a patch of sun, and Rachel is momentarily hypnotized by the way the light plays off of Quinn's hair.
Kurt ruffles indignantly.
"I'm hungry," Rachel says. Quinn makes a noise from beneath her pillow and taps the floor twice, which Rachel takes to mean 'me too.'
Once Mercedes has woken up, the four troop upstairs to the kitchen. The doorbell rings, and Mercedes goes to answer it while the others plop down at the kitchen table. Quinn rests her head on her arms and shuts her eyes again.
"I come bearing breakfast," a voice says. Quinn's head whips off of the table and she whirls around to see Puck standing in the doorway, plastic bags hanging from his hands.
"Hi Noah," Rachel says calmly, watching as Puck sets the bags down on the counter.
"Ladies," he grins. Quinn rolls her eyes. "I wanted to check up on all my girlfriends." He rounds the table to throw his arm across the back of Quinn's chair. He winks at Kurt. "Sup Kurt? Nice jammies."
Kurt makes a noise of frustration and stands, storming out of the kitchen and disappearing down the basement stairs.
"I bought waffles," Puck continues after watching Kurt go, the amusement still playing on his face. "And bacon for you, baby mama." He stoops down to place a kiss on Quinn's cheek, completely missing her wince at the nickname. Rachel averts her eyes in sympathy, wondering why Puck still calls her that if it makes her so upset.
"Bacon?" Quinn asks him as he pulls away. He cocks his head at her.
"Thanks for breakfast, Puck," Mercedes says. She grabs the bag and pops a couple of the waffles in the toaster before getting out a pan to start on the bacon.
Puck nods at Mercedes before turning back to Quinn. He slides into the seat Kurt had vacated and drums his fingers on the table.
"You're always craving bacon. I delivered the goods," Puck says proudly. He turns his head to Rachel and nudges her arm playfully. "The waffles are vegan, Berry. Couldn't do much about the bacon."
Rachel manages a chuckle, but she's distracted by Quinn's unease. She feels it permeating the room, and despite his sensitivity toward Quinn's cravings, Rachel can't figure out why Puck doesn't realize he's making her uncomfortable.
"Thank you, Puck," Rachel says slowly. Mercedes puts a stack of plates and placemats on the table, and Rachel distributes them dutifully. "That was very thoughtful of you."
Puck winks at her and turns back to Quinn. She's resumed her sleepy slouch, and Puck smoothes a hand over her back. "Hey. You okay?"
Rachel sighs approvingly just as the toaster buzzes. She moves over to the counter to take care of the waffles.
"I'm fine," Quinn says quietly. "Thanks. For the bacon, I mean. But it was a pregnancy craving. I haven't been able to look at bacon since..." she trails off. Puck sits back in his chair and sighs, feeling something akin to failure settling into his chest.
"Sorry, I-"
"No," Quinn quiets him, placing a hand on his arm. "You didn't know. It's sweet. Thank you."
Puck lifts a corner of his mouth into a smile and nods. "You still like waffles, right?"
Quinn giggles and shakes her head affectionately. "I love waffles."
By the time breakfast is ready, Kurt has reemerged from the basement, freshly coiffed in his day clothes. He perches on a chair just as Mercedes places the last plate on the table and slides into the chair next to his. Between the waffles, the bacon, and the fresh fruit Mercedes had in her refrigerator, there is a small buffet set up on the kitchen table. After placing a waffle and some fruit on her plate, Quinn excuses herself to the bathroom and leaves the table.
"Thanks for keeping Quinn company," Puck whispers to the other three at the table. He smiles warmly at Mercedes and then turns to Rachel. "Especially you. She's been kind of depressed since she had the baby, but now she seems happy."
Rachel pauses her fork on its way to her mouth as she feels a rush of warmth and pride flow through her. Her mind flashes back to yesterday, when she'd stood in the blonde's room and looked at her nearly empty board of pictures, when she'd posed for a new addition to the picture board and let Quinn tell her corny jokes to make her smile. The feeling can't quite mask the instinct lurking in the back of her mind like a shadow, that Quinn is still torturing herself over her baby, and Rachel makes it a point in her mind to ask Quinn if she'd like to talk about it.
She smiles at Puck. "It's my pleasure, Noah," she says quietly. Looking around the table, Rachel is surprised to find Mercedes and Kurt smiling gently at her. "Despite our past history, Quinn has really proven to be a wonderful friend. It hasn't been that long since she gave birth though, Noah. It's only been a few weeks. I'm sure it's quite normal if she hasn't moved on quite yet."
Puck dips his head down and takes a breath. He wipes his mouth with his napkin and clears his throat nervously. "Yeah, Berry- Rachel. About that," he looks up at her and pauses, breathing audibly before he continues. "Do you think that your mom would let us see Beth- the baby, I mean, at some point, maybe, if we wanted to?"
The warmth that felt as if it pervaded every bone in Rachel's body freezes over as her breath catches in her throat. Rachel thinks she's choking until she remembers that she wasn't eating anything, and she coughs until she can breathe. The feeling doesn't last long, and Rachel thinks desperately how cruel it is that in a kitchen so large she can't seem to find any air. Kurt knocks his drink over as he lunges forward to thump Rachel's back. He keeps at it, slowing to rub soft circles on her back when Rachel finally catches her breath. He looks at Mercedes in disbelief. The girl only shrugs her shoulders, eyes wide.
Rachel pants softly, speechless, as tears stream unbidden down her cheeks. She stares at a spot on Puck's shoulder, eyes locking on as she tries to remember the breathing exercises she does every morning. She can't seem to recall. It hurts. Everything hurts.
Kurt peeks around her shoulder, trying to see her face. He swallows quietly. "Rachel?"
Rachel shakes her head, the movement so small Kurt almost misses it. Puck looks near tears himself, mouth parted and eyes awash with confusion and regret. Rachel finally moves.
"You... gave Beth," she cracks, her tongue twisting over the name, "to my mom."
Puck lets out a gust of air and blinks harshly. "Yeah," he pushes out. Rachel crumples into a sob, and he shakes his head, helpless. "I thought you... knew," he finishes lamely. Mercedes moves closer and squeezes Rachel's shoulder while Kurt keeps rubbing her back. Rachel inhales sharply. The air that skitters through her sounds staggered and pained, and her sobs start anew.
"Hey guys, sorry I-" Quinn bounds back into the room and stops, jaw dropping as her momentum sends her bumping into the breakfast table. "Oh my god, Rachel."
She tries to cross the kitchen, but Puck moves for the first time and puts his arm in front of her. "Don't," he murmurs, but she throws his arm away.
"What happened?" Quinn cries.
Rachel's head whips up and the force of her glare sends Quinn staggering back. The brunette is crying too hard to speak, but the look on her face is of utter despair and betrayal and Quinn knows, instantly knows, what happened. When they lock eyes it's unlike anything she's ever felt, but it's like she's in a train wreck, unable to move or look away.
"Is it true?" Rachel grates out, her chest heaving and shaking with the force of her sobs, and it sounds like anything but a question.
Quinn's mind flashes back to months before, flipping through her memories like cards until she finds it. She sees Finn looking at her with tears pouring down his cheeks and that same expression on his face, the same three words tearing from his mouth. For some reason it's exponentially worse with Rachel, who's held everything in for so long she can't stop the dam as it breaks. Quinn's breath slows to shallow puffs as she stares into Rachel's eyes, wracking her brain for something, anything to say that will fix this. She knows there's nothing she can say, and when she closes her eyes in defeat she's thankful that at least she can't see the newest sob as it spills from Rachel's lips. She hears a chair scrape across the floor, and what feels like ages later, when she opens her eyes again, all Quinn sees is Rachel with her purse as she flies out the door.
