A/N: Enjoy and a special thank you to those of you who take a moment to review. It really does mean a lot to me. Fuinnecting The Dots should be updated sometime this weekend. Also, to the anon who requested a Christmas one-shot, there's one coming your way!
More Than Meets The Eye
Quinn looked down at her phone and checked the address again to make sure she had the right place. Once she confirmed that she did, she started up the front steps, pausing on the top one. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she reached forward to ring the doorbell, her hand still shaking slightly as she did so. Next to her, Finn stood silent. When he caught her eye, he gave her a weak smile. He probably had no idea what to say to make the situation less…awkward. In her opinion, nothing could.
"Coming!" came a cheery voice from the other side of the barrier.
Quinn held her breath in anticipation and seconds later, the door swung open. A gorgeous woman greeted her and she did mean gorgeous. Dana Jennings had been a secretary? What a waste of her good looks!
"May I help you?" Dana wondered and the blonde blushed in embarrassment, realizing that she had been staring.
Judging by the stupid look on his face, Finn seemed to have forgotten how gorgeous the woman was too. A pang of jealousy coursed through her body then, but Quinn shook the pestering feeling away.
"Uh, yes," she answered, smiling politely at her. "Dana Jennings, right?"
Instantly, the expression on her face became one of suspicion. She had every right to be suspicious of course given that the police had tried to question her earlier. Quinn shifted uncomfortably under her scrutinizing gaze.
"Who's asking?"
Quinn stuck out a hand for her to shake in response, wanting to instill confidence in the woman.
"I'm sorry for showing up here unannounced, but I was in the neighborhood. I'm Quinn. Quinn Fabray," she introduced herself, frankly a little surprised that Dana hadn't recognized her.
Her features seemed to soften at the new information and Quinn allowed herself to relax as well. Sometimes, who she was got her what she wanted. This was clearly one of those times.
"The actress?" Dana clarified, a look of confusion spreading over her face. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're doing here."
Never mind. So, the woman didn't seem to care all that much that she was famous. Quinn decided to try another angle.
"I'm a friend of Finn's," she informed her instead, not knowing whether or not mentioning him would help her here. "Finn Hudson."
Instantly, her lips curved up into a smile and were her eyes sparkling? Oh dear God, Quinn thought to herself. Not only had the two of them had an affair, but she had loved him. Maybe Finn had loved her too. She was too afraid to look in his direction, afraid that he might confirm her suspicion.
"May I come in?" she asked hopefully instead and Dana nodded after a moment of contemplation, stepping aside to let her in.
The moment Quinn stepped inside, she was shocked to find that the place was an absolute mess. She had assumed that someone with ten million dollars in their pocket would have hired a housekeeper at the very least. She had a housekeeper who came by three times a week to clean up around her penthouse.
"I'm sorry," Dana apologized, knowing exactly what she was thinking.
She ran past her to pick up a few stray toys and dumped them into a plastic bin nearby.
"Don't worry about it," Quinn assured her, giving her a small smile before following her into the living room.
Once she was seated on the sofa, her host scurried off into the kitchen, returning five minutes later with a hot cup of tea in her hands. Meanwhile, Finn had wandered off in search of Joseph. Quinn understood. Of course he wanted to see his son.
"Oh, thank you," the blonde murmured, taking the steaming cup from her hands, her friendliness making her feel a little uneasy.
"You're welcome," Dana echoed, taking a sip from her own. "So, what's this about?"
"I was hoping you could tell me the nature of your relationship with Finn," Quinn informed her, getting straight to the point.
She got the feeling that as sweet as the woman was, she wasn't the type to beat around the bush either.
"A very straight-forward request, Ms. Fabray," she responded with a hearty laugh, setting her cup down on one of the many coasters on the table. "I'll tell you as long as you tell me what the nature of your relationship with him was like."
Her proposal caught Quinn off guard. Then, she figured, Why the hell not?
"Well, we've known each other all our lives, we were each other's first loves, and we dated on and off in high school," she shared, ashamed as she revealed the last bit. "I haven't really been in touch with him since then."
"Oh!" Dana exclaimed, her eyes widening in realization. "Quinn Fabray. Lucy Quinn Fabray. Finn spoke often of you when he was still alive." Her expression grew grim as she apologized, "I'm sorry. I would have gone to his funeral, but with people from the office there…"
"Of course," Quinn echoed with a nod of her head. "I understand."
How close had Finn been with this woman exactly that he had talked about their past so freely with her? To Quinn, her apology only served to confirm the affair she had a gut feeling they had had and a familiar sense of dread washed over her, shaking her to her very core.
"So, you were having an affair with him then, huh?" she confirmed anyway, wanting to hear her admit to the affair out loud.
There was a pregnant pause.
"I beg your pardon?" Dana echoed, pressing her lips together to stifle another laugh. "God no! Finn's like a brother to me. Besides, he was engaged to Ms. Lopez while being in love with you. Three women's a crowd, sweetheart. Getting involved with a married man was risky enough for me. Throwing another woman into the mix? No thanks."
"Married man?" Quinn repeated and then, the wheels inside her head began to turn.
Of course!
Her mouth fell wide open and she exclaimed, "Finn's boss was the one who got you pregnant. You were having an affair with Mr. Chamberlain!"
"Well, you don't have to make me sound like a tramp," she stated in response. "I loved him, you know. Foolishly, yes, but I did love him. He promised to leave his wife for me and I believed him. Also, could you please keep your voice down? My son's taking a nap upstairs."
Quinn blushed a deep shade of crimson red. The relief she suddenly felt was absolutely liberating.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, not having meant to offend the woman, especially since she had been so kind to her. "I…"
"Don't sweat it," Dana interrupted her, smiling again. "I understand. I think he'd be happy to know you still cared so much if he were still alive."
There was a sadness in her voice, but the smile remained on her face.
"Besides, when Daniel had Finn fire me from the company, I was called every name in the book by my fellow colleagues, some of whom I thought were my friends. Believe me when I say that I've heard it all before," she further explained and Quinn felt a pang of sympathy for the woman.
Rarely was the blame ever placed on the cheating bastard instead of the other woman.
"Why did everyone believe that Finn was the one who had been having the affair with you then?" Quinn inquired, wanting to know the full story now.
"Daniel or Mr. Chamberlain as you may know him was smart," Dana answered and Quinn could hear the regret in her voice. "He never initiated our encounters himself. He would always go through Finn. Finn would walk me into the restaurant, the hotel, whatever, and then Daniel would come through the backdoor or some sort of side entrance. To the world or those who spotted us anyway, I was having secret meetings with Finn."
"So, why didn't you expose Mr. Chamberlain afterward?" Quinn continued to pester her, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Wait, you threatened to, didn't you? That's where the ten million dollars came from."
Dana raised an eyebrow at her in surprise.
"Apparently you've done your research, Ms. Fabray," she commented, clearly amused. "But no, the ten million came from Finn and I'd be happy to tell you the whole story if you'd give me a chance."
Quinn clamped her mouth shut, allowing Dana to take control of the conversation.
"At first, I really did want to expose him," she admitted, folding her hands together on her lap. "I was angry at him for treating me like a queen one second and then discarding me like garbage the next, but I loved him. I didn't want to hurt him in anyway, regardless of the fact that he didn't show me the same courtesy. I wouldn't expect you to understand, but…"
"You're right. I don't," Quinn told her honestly, having tried her best not to interrupt. "I would have gone back to that office and busted his balls in as public a manner as possible."
Dana threw her head back and laughed, having thought about doing the same a long time ago.
"Like I said, I wanted to, but I didn't," she repeated, continuing on with the story. "Finn respected my decision. He just let everyone go on thinking that we were the ones having the affair. As for the ten million dollars, he wanted me and Joseph to be taken care of for life. I honestly wouldn't be here today without him. I'll be forever grateful."
She reached forward to touch Quinn's hand, staring right into her eyes.
"Please keep what I've told you between us, Ms. Fabray," she asked of her. "I only told you because Finn made me believe that you were someone I could trust."
The blonde placed her hand over hers in response. She would be true to her word too.
"Your secret's safe with me," she agreed, not even planning to tell Amy what she had learned now.
She would just have to tell her best friend that Dana was not a suspect. She had no motive whatsoever to want Finn dead. Quinn only hoped that Amy had enough faith in her to simply take her word for it.
"Thank you," Dana murmured just as they heard a loud laugh coming from upstairs.
Alarmed by the sudden sound, Dana excused herself and hurried upstairs to check on her son. Quinn took the liberty of following her, doubting that she would mind. When she got to the room, Joseph was no longer asleep. He was sitting upright in his crib, laughing as Finn played peek-a-boo with him. Quinn let out a small gasp. Joseph could see him. When her eyes connected with Finn's, he grinned at her, clearly pleased with that fact. Quinn dreaded that she would have to tell him that Joseph was not his son later.
"What are you laughing about, Joseph?" Dana questioned, the tone of her voice teasing.
She chuckled softly as she walked right through Finn to pick her son up.
"You're a silly baby," she murmured against his cheek. "Yes you are, yes you are!"
Joseph squealed with delight as he tried to wriggle out of his mother's arms. Quinn watched Finn as he watched them, noticing that his gaze one of longing. She could tell that he wanted so desperately to hold him too. It was time to go before he got too attached.
"Finn - I mean, uh, Dana - thank you so much for speaking to me, but I should be going now," she announced, stealing a glance at Finn and cocking her head in the direction of the door.
He got the message and reluctantly headed downstairs after her.
"It was lovely meeting you, Ms. Fabray," Dana told her once they were at the front door.
She had one arm wrapped around Joseph, her free hand resting on the door handle.
"Just so you know," she finished, thinking that Quinn should know. "Finn never stopped loving you."
Quinn gave her a small smile, reaching out to touch Joseph's chubby little hand to say goodbye to him too. He grabbed onto her extended finger in farewell, uncurling his fingers from around hers afterward to also wave goodbye to Finn, who was standing next to her. Thankfully, the tiny motion went unnoticed by his mother.
Once the two of them were back in her car, Quinn turned to him and started, "Finn, I…"
"I know," he murmured, giving her a sad smile. "While you were downstairs talking to Dana, I remembered."
Her mouth fell into an 'o' as she started the ignition. They remained silent the rest of the ride back to her place. It was better that way, she supposed. She had no idea what to say to him anyway.
The next morning, Quinn dashed off to work before Finn was awake, not by choice of course. She left him a quick note on the refrigerator that they would talk when she got back. After he read her note, he remembered that he still had to go check up on Rachel, since he had been unable to track her down yesterday. He arrived at the hotel seconds later. He was about to ring the doorbell when he remembered he was well, dead. He floated through the front door instead, smiling when he spotted Rachel watching TV on the couch. Looking her up and down, he mused to himself, She looks fine to me. Since Quinn would be at the studio for at least a few more hours, Finn decided to hang around here for awhile. Why not? Plus, Rachel was watching Beauty and the Beast and he really liked that movie. Just as he was about to sit down beside her, a familiar voice sounded from behind him.
"Thanks for letting me use the bathroom," Puck said, returning to his seat on the couch.
Rachel reached for the remote upon hearing his voice, pressing the pause button.
"Of course. So, why are you here, Noah?" she questioned, a suspicious look in her eyes. "Because I have a hard time believing you came here to 'check up on me'."
He raised an eyebrow at that, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.
"Why's that so hard to believe?" Puck asked her in return, frankly a little offended that she thought he didn't care enough about her to.
Rachel shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and answered, "Well, we haven't talked much since graduation. The only people I've sort of kept in touch with are Kurt and Quinn. You showing up here randomly to 'check up on me'? I'm not buying it. Sorry."
"Wait, you kept in touch with Quinn?" he confirmed, her name having caught his attention.
Rachel bit her lower lip, unable to believe that she had let her name slip. One time after Josh had gotten physical with her, she'd broken down on her bedroom floor, crying. In her emotional state, she had called Kurt to finally share her secret with someone, except she had called Quinn by accident instead. Before the blonde could bring her mistake to her attention, she'd told her everything. Much to her surprise, Quinn had come to find her immediately to comfort her. Since that night, they had talked on and off, but the third time she'd gotten back together with Josh, the blonde had kept her distance, permanently, tired of preaching to her that she deserved better. Rachel didn't blame her, but seeing how much Josh had changed since finding out she was pregnant, the brunette knew she had made the right calls back then.
"Did I say Quinn?" she clarified, a nervous laugh escaping from her lips. "I meant…"
"Don't bullshit me, Berry," he interrupted her. "Why have you been in touch with Quinn?" He scoffed and added, "You two could barely stand each other at the funeral. Yeah, I witnessed the tense exchange the two of you had."
"That was…nothing," Rachel insisted before a question came to mind. "How did you even catch that?"
"It was too damn depressing in there," he informed her, laying his head back on the couch and closing his eyes. "I snuck out for some fresh air. Hudson wouldn't have minded I'm sure."
"You mean like he wouldn't have mind that you were screwing his fiancée behind his back?" she shot at him, glad that the focus of the conversation had drifted from her to him.
He opened his eyes in alarm at her accusation.
"How the hell did you know? It was Quinn, wasn't it? She told you," he concluded through clenched teeth. "She was the only other person who knew."
Rachel shook her head at him.
"I only found out at the funeral," she confessed, never having noticed the way the two of them looked at each other before. "When you went up to Santana to offer your condolences, the guilt in both of your eyes was unmistakable. What would you two have to feel guilty about except for an affair? I mean, unless you two killed him, which I highly doubt."
"I…" Puck trailed off, knowing that there was no way he could defend himself to her. "Look, what Santana and I did to Finn was wrong. I know that. For what it's worth, I haven't had a wink of sleep since the funeral. To be honest, I don't think I'm going to get much sleep for the rest of my life. I can practically feel how angry Finn is with me from beyond the grave."
Finn fumed from beside him, his hands clenched into tight fists on either side of his body. Oh, he had absolutely no fucking idea. Finn was even more upset with Quinn though. She had known all along and had never thought to tell him.
"Fine," Rachel said simply with a curt nod of her head.
He really did seem sorry for betraying his best friend.
"Rachel, I really did come to check up on you though," Puck continued, shifting closer to her. "Someone told m-"
Then, the front door opened and in stepped Josh.
"Who the hell are you?" he spat, setting his purchases onto the floor.
Rachel panicked, not having expected him to be home so soon. Puck stood up, ready to defend them both and Finn merely stared at the intruder, trying to place him. He looked so familiar. A split second later, he fell to the floor, clutching his head in pain, everyone around him oblivious (obviously) to what was going on.
"Shit!" he shouted as another sharp pain pierced his skull.
Finn set his briefcase down beside him before he settled into his seat. Since the corporate jets were all in use and Santana needed their private jet, he had had to settle for first class.
Feeling friendly, he turned to the person sitting next to him and introduced himself, "Hey, I'm Finn."
Then, he paused because his companion was familiar.
"Oh hey, Josh, right?" he confirmed, giving him a warm smile. "Rachel's boyfriend? We met earlier this year."
"The high school reunion, right?" Josh offered, extending a hand for him to shake. "Yeah, I remember you."
"So, what are you headed to Mexico for?" Finn questioned, deciding to strike up a conversation. "Business or pleasure?"
"Business," Josh answered him, not really in the mood for talking. "I've got a supporting role in this movie that's being shot in Mexico."
"Oh cool," Finn commented, facing forward again in his seat. "I've got business to take care of in Mexico as well. I'll be staying at the Fairview Hotel. What about you?"
"Same," came the response as Josh signaled to the flight attendant to get him a drink.
"What a coincidence," Finn echoed, ordering a drink for himself.
Josh swallowed a sarcastic laugh as he downed his alcoholic beverage of choice.
Yeah, what a coincidence. What a coincidence indeed.
