A/N: My chapters seem to be getting shorter. I'm trying to move this along to get back to New York, and then the story will pick up a bit.
Still off the Key of Reason
Chapter 10: As for the Clouds, Just Let Them Roll
It would've been a nice drive, on another day. A different planet, a separate universe. An hour and a half from Davis to Modesto in the middle of March for Rachel's first Autism Speaks walk. They were surrounded by rich farmland, the skies were blue, traffic was clear, and Rachel was ready to drive off a cliff if it meant reaching the central valley faster.
But she had precious cargo sitting right next to her. With a dog in its lap and three more in the backseat.
At least it wasn't nearly as bad as the three thousand mile drive from New York to California. Now that had been horrendous. Distressing, harrowing, terrifying. But Char wasn't allowed in the cargo hold of commercial planes because of his nose, so it had been a necessity.
And Rachel loved her car. And it had seemed like a good idea at the time.
Now Rachel gripped the steering wheel and focused. She ignored Cornelius trying to climb up into the front over the center console, and she blocked out Quinn's protests and pleas with the dogs to just sit down and look out the window.
Pssht. That was far too tame for Rachel's dogs. If they weren't in the driver's seat or flinging themselves out of the window, they weren't really living.
Quinn moaned and shifted Cloud around on her lap. He was far too big to be there, but he'd been chewing on the seatbelt so Quinn had brought him up front.
"I'm suffocating." She whined, shoving him against the door so that she could free a thigh from his fluffy, white fur.
"Twenty more miles, bear." Rachel said absently.
Don't drive off the cliff. Just don't drive off the cliff, Rachel told herself as something licked the back of her neck.
"Barnaby! Sit down." Quinn scolded, twisting in her seat to glare at him. She recoiled when Cornelius stuck his nose in her face. "Seal, I will strap you to the roof!"
Well. He'd probably enjoy that.
Rachel chuckled a little hopelessly. She reached out a hand to palm one of Quinn's flushed, sweaty cheeks, and then turned the air up so that it was blasting onto her wife and the polar bear on her lap.
"I bet he could survive in the Arctic." Quinn mused tiredly. She ran her fingers through Cloud's fur and grimaced when it stuck to her hand. She waved it in Rachel's direction and sent white hairs floating through the air.
Rachel stared at her bluntly, drifting out of her lane for a second.
Quinn looked chastised. She tilted her head back against the seat and lifted her arms as far away from Cloud as possible, breathing heavily. Barnaby bounced up to investigate the hand that had meandered into the backseat.
"You turned off the oven before we left, right?" Rachel asked abruptly. "After you finished the cookies?" She probably should've checked an hour ago, but she'd been too preoccupied with the circus in her backseat.
Quinn hummed and nodded.
"And you made sure Butter was locked in the bathroom and the sliding door was closed?"
Quinn nodded again. "Yes, baby."
"And you locked the front door?"
"Yes, baby."
Rachel sighed. She waved her right elbow around because Cornelius was trying to climb into the front again. She needed to buy doggy seatbelts. Maybe she could get some that matched her interior.
"Okay. Good. Just checking so we don't get burgled while we're gone."
Quinn snorted and covered her nose with her hand. She got long white hairs in her mouth and on her face, and she pulled her hand away looking mildly disgusted. Rachel laughed.
"Burgled?" Quinn challenged, eyebrow raised. She blew air out of her mouth to get rid of the hairs.
"It's a word." Rachel assured with a smile.
Quinn nodded. "I know. It's a funny word." She commented. Then she sneezed twice, craning her neck away from Cloud.
"Ten more minutes, Quinn." Rachel stated. Quinn looked like she was seconds from a heat stroke. "We'll bring Cloud with us when we visit the bears in the Arctic. He can go live with them."
Quinn laughed. Rachel reached over and dug under the white fur to squeeze her thigh.
"We can build an igloo and teach Barnaby and Seal how to be sled dogs." Quinn suggested, eyes bright. Their dogs would be the most useless sled dogs ever. "The cats would probably die though. From the climate or the killer whales. So we'd have to leave them here."
Rachel pictured chubby little Butter waddling around on a piece of ice and then getting swallowed by a whale. She grimaced. And then she laughed.
"Are you ready for this?" Quinn asked as the farmland faded into suburbs and then downtown Modesto. "Awake? Energized?"
Rachel smiled. "I feel wonderful. "
She just needed out of the fucking car.
"Are you ready for this?" Rachel asked, glancing at her wife. "It'll probably be a little more crowded since I'm leading the walk."
And who wouldn't flock anywhere just to catch sight of Rachel Berry? Rachel had talked over what to say and do with Tina, and she was fully prepared for the crowds. But every experience with Quinn was different. Like tossing a penguin into a pool and not knowing if it would belly-flop or dive in smoothly.
Penguins were usually smooth. But they could flail if caught off guard.
If Quinn belly-flopped, Rachel could just talk about penguins. That would help.
"I'll be good." Quinn promised. "I'll focus on these guys." She twisted in her seat to see Cornelius licking the smudgy back windows and a woozy Charizard trying to sleep. Barnaby clambered over to her as soon as he saw he had her attention. Quinn shoved him back.
Rachel parked around the corner from the park where the walk was occurring. She pulled out two bright blue t-shirts that said "Walk Now Central Valley," and her phone so that she could call the event coordinator.
Their star had arrived.
~oooooooooo~
"How was the drive over, Rachel? From Davis, right?"
Rachel smiled brightly at the camera and nodded. She pointed off to the side where Quinn was being pulled in four different directions by the dogs, and the cameraman swiveled around to get her in the shot.
"I brought my circus today." Rachel said with a laugh. "But the drive was beautiful. I'm very excited to be here."
She focused on the local news anchor and his camera, instead of the various paparazzi and press being held back by security a few yards off to her left. It was definitely crowded. A sea of bright blue where half of the participants seemed hell-bent on mobbing Rachel. Rachel felt a little light-headed. She made sure to keep an eye on her wife.
Quinn had kneeled down now, wrapped up in the leashes. A lower center of gravity would make it harder for the dogs to drag her around. Rachel smiled at her sympathetically and turned back to the interview.
"And we are very excited to have you in Modesto!" the anchor proclaimed. Rachel clasped her hands together under her chin and grinned at the camera. "So Rachel, what inspired you to get involved with Autism Speaks?"
Rachel hummed. She tilted her head to think for a moment, even though she didn't need to. Tina had told her how this would go. Rachel was not about to drag Quinn into any spotlights. Their dogs might do that, physically, but Rachel wouldn't.
"Somebody close to me has an autism spectrum disorder," Rachel started, "and as I learn more about it, I'd like others to do the same. I thought coming out to a few of these walks would be a fun way to spread awareness."
The interviewer nodded agreeably. "And do-"
He cut himself off when there was a scuffle off to the side. Rachel turned to find Quinn on her knees, one arm twisted behind her with three dogs, and the other across her body with Barnaby at the end. Barnaby was trying to pounce on a small child.
Rachel rushed over and grabbed his leash. The camera followed her. She helped Quinn stand up, brushed the gravel off her knees, and gave her a quick kiss.
"Are you alright?" she asked quietly, discreetly looking Quinn over. She tried to turn Quinn around but her wife wouldn't budge. "Is your arm still in its socket? Because there's a first-aid tent-"
"I'm fine, Rachel." Quinn murmured, winding the other leashes securely around a hand. Her face was red, and she was watching her feet, and Rachel ducked to meet her eyes and nodded slowly before stepping away to lure the cameras off Quinn. The news camera followed Rachel as she stopped in front of the little girl Barnaby had tried to jump on.
Rachel knelt down holding his collar securely, and smiled at her warmly. She held out a hand. "Hi! I'm Rachel Berry."
The little girl swallowed and shook her hand, eyeing Barnaby warily. Every single camera was fixed on them, but the girl's blue eyes were fixed on the dog's.
That's usually how it went. If the dogs weren't in sight, they were probably doing something destructive or disgusting. Eyes on them at all times.
"This is Barnaby." Rachel introduced. The little girl held out her hand, and Barnaby gave her his paw.
Rachel's eyes widened. That was new. She was shocked. Flabbergasted. She turned around to find Quinn beaming with excitement. Or pride. Maybe "dance" wasn't their dog's only trick anymore. Barnaby panted obliviously and shoved his golden head into the little girl's hand.
"He's never done that before." Rachel remarked with a warm smile. "He must like you!"
The girl still wouldn't look at Rachel, but she stared at Barnaby seriously.
"He has very large feet." She stated clearly.
Rachel didn't miss a beat. "Oh, I know." She nodded sagely. "They're as big as yours!"
She watched the girl stroke Barnaby's head three times and then pull her hand back and rub it against her shorts. The guy behind her leaned over with his hand on the girl's shoulders.
"Amanda, would you like an autograph from Mrs. Berry? Remember when we went to see her sing?"
Rachel smiled at the guy's kind eyes. She glanced behind her for a second to make sure Quinn hadn't been carried away by the animals. Quinn was standing there quietly with three perfectly behaved dogs, watching Rachel with adoring eyes.
"I want a dog." Amanda remarked, never taking her eyes off Barnaby.
Rachel was not offended in the least. "Well, if my wife wasn't so attached to ours, you could take them off our hands." She said with a chuckle. Rachel was surprised when Quinn appeared next to her, crouching down and eyeing Amanda and her father. Maybe she'd swooped in so that Rachel wouldn't hand away their animals.
"You should adopt one." Quinn stated, eyes sparkling with the possibility that somebody else might be getting a dog.
Rachel smiled at her wife.
"Yeah?" Amanda's father asked, eyebrows raised. "We were thinking a golden retriever might be nice for Amanda. What do you think?"
Rachel sat back on her heels. Quinn had this. Quinn could talk for hours about this. Even to a stranger, because she was surrounded by dogs.
"Oh, definitely." Quinn agreed, rocking forward onto her knees. "Goldies are-are very laid back, very friendly. Also Labradors. And those breeds love to swim constantly, just lots of fun. Beagles are great for really small children, and-and, um, if you have a lot of energy, border collies and Aussies are super friendly as well. They're all-they can be-they can all be somebody's best friend."
Quinn rolled over her words a little but Amanda and her dad were fixed on her face.
Quinn glanced at Rachel and kept going. "They're-they're very tactile as well. Tolerant of a lot of touching, pulling, shoving. They listen. Or they pretend to listen. I-I grew up having conversations with a dog named Apple when I was little."
Rachel poked Quinn in the side, smiling at the memory of meeting the little white terror.
She hoped he was still alive.
Amanda was still rubbing her hand on her shorts. Barnaby pushed his face into her and she stopped to pet him again. Quinn bounced on the balls of her feet and grabbed Char's back to keep from falling over. Rachel glanced at her watch. The walk was supposed to start in ten minutes.
"I don't like his nose." Amanda stated bluntly, staring at Charizard. "I want one like him though because of his eyes."
Everybody who met Charizard wanted one like him. His eyes were hypnotizing.
"Some…people were mean to him, so his nose is a little odd." Quinn explained quietly. She rubbed a hand up Char's red back. "But he's the sweetest. And he's very handsome. He snores a bit, but he's the only one of our dogs who doesn't eat the mail, so…we just love him."
Amanda bit her lip. Her eyes flickered from Char to Quinn, and then back to the dog. "Yeah. I want to rescue one like him." She stated resolutely, tugging on her dad's hand.
Quinn Berry-Fabray, saving animals at autism walks every day. Every chance she got. Cloud shifted and knocked her so that she was sitting on the ground, and she seemed to suddenly realize that all eyes were on her after her little pitch to Amanda. She shook her head around, and Rachel stood up abruptly.
"I hope you find the perfect dog, Amanda." Rachel said with a warm smile at her and her father. "And I hope I meet him soon at another event."
Amanda's eyes met Rachel's for a fraction of a second, and her lips quirked up, but that was the most Rachel was getting. She waved goodbye and smiled brightly at the camera, and then wrapped an arm around Quinn and moved towards the starting point of the walk.
Quinn was winding the leashes around her fingers repeatedly. Rachel leaned up and kissed her cheek. She would not let this turn into a belly-flop.
"Tell me about penguins, bear."
~oooooooooo~
Rachel walked next to Quinn for the first two miles. She held onto Barnaby and Char and waved at the crowds lined up along the path, chatting to people who approached her and occasionally doing little dances to the loud music that was playing.
And then after another quarter mile, the heat hit and the whole mob of walkers seemed to slow down. Because Rachel slowed down, and she was the one leading them.
Who the fuck had suggested she lead a 5k?
She reached up to Quinn's nose to rub in a blob of sunblock that had been missed. Quinn scrunched up her face but let Rachel do it. They'd have some lovely tan lines tomorrow.
"You got it in my mouth last time." Quinn whined through closed lips.
Rachel scoffed. She purposely swept a thumb across Quinn's bottom lip and smiled when she was shoved lightly away.
Rachel also kept watching the dogs to make sure they weren't dehydrating. They were panting heavily, and Char sounded like a drowned chainsaw, but none of them looked too exhausted.
Quinn had a portable water bowl for them. She didn't bring water for herself, but she brought it for the dogs. And fruit punch for Rachel. Rachel shared it with her.
"It's so hot." Rachel stated plainly, for the fourth time, wiping the sweat off her brow and keeping the smile fixed on her face.
Quinn hummed. "You know, Greater Roadrunners can run up to twenty-six miles per hour in the desert."
Quinn was probably suggesting they'd all be better off as Roadrunners right now. Rachel had to agree. She didn't know what an actual Roadrunner looked like, so she pictured the blue one with big yellow feet running away from Wile E. Coyote.
That's how she needed her legs to move right now.
"And jackrabbits have massive ears that let their blood cool as it circulates." Quinn added, tugging on one of Rachel's ears. "I don't think yours are big enough though."
Rachel chuckled. She swatted Quinn's hands away and eyed the side of Quinn's head. "But yours might be."
Quinn narrowed her eyes. She put her hands over her ears and puffed out her cheeks and stared straight ahead. Rachel laughed. She tried to pry away Quinn's hands, and then just swayed slightly into her side when she was unsuccessful. Quinn twisted her head and kissed her flushed cheek.
She watched Rachel carefully and finally dropped her hands. "Are you okay, little bear? Too hot? Should we stop?"
Rachel shook her head and waved at the crowds again. Quinn stopped abruptly, dragging Rachel back with her. She took the leashes from Rachel's hands, turned around, and leaned over slightly.
"Come on. Piggy-back, baby." Quinn coaxed.
Rachel rolled her eyes. She patted Quinn's back and pulled on her t-shirt until she turned around again. She would like to complete a 5K for once in her life without being carried across the finish line. She put her palms on Quinn's worried cheeks and smiled up at her wife.
"I can walk. I promise I won't pass out."
She would cross that fucking finish line on her hands and knees if it was necessary.
Quinn watched her carefully and nodded. Rachel had been hydrating all day. Replenishing electrolytes, reapplying sunscreen. Nobody was ever more prepared than she was. Except the people around her wearing fanny packs and huge hats with their small children on leashes.
Rachel imagined she'd have to leash her own children, considering who their parents would be.
"Dingoes eat kangaroos." Quinn stated randomly, like she was continuing a conversation. She handed two dogs back to Rachel and put an arm back around Rachel's shoulders. "And-and they regurgitate water for their cubs if they don't have the resources around them."
Rachel grimaced. She didn't think she was at that point yet.
All that was playing in her head was "Maybe the dingo ate your baby!" from Seinfeld. Quinn was talking like they were trekking through the desert instead of a lush park in suburban California.
When they crossed over the finish line half an hour later, Rachel was the one escorting Quinn to the shade right outside the first aid tent and funneling blue Gatorade down her throat. Quinn looked sheepish and flushed and sweaty, and Rachel sat down next to her and squeezed her thigh. She watched some children pet the dogs, who had collapsed in fluffy heaps a few feet away.
She thought about buying them booties. The dogs, not the children. Then they wouldn't have to dance around like the ground was too hot for their feet. She could get them personalized, even buy some boots of her own to match.
And Cornelius wouldn't get any because he'd just eat them.
Quinn lifted Rachel's hair off her shoulders and held it out so she could fan some air onto the back of her neck.
Rachel sighed. "That feels good." She moaned, tilting forward and staring at her knees to cool off.
"Rachel, I want to do something." Quinn blurted out. She shook her own hair around and it stuck to her face. Rachel raised her eyebrows, holding up the Gatorade for Quinn to sip. Quinn ignored it.
"I want to…I-there's only-we-"
Rachel knocked her knee into Quinn's and held up the bottle again. Quinn took a drink, gulping loudly. And then a breath.
"I have-I have an idea for a…sort of organization we could start. Or maybe just…lead off with a website." Quinn stated, watching Rachel carefully. "There are only a few major autism charities, and Autism Speaks doesn't really focus on the…the one-on-one, direct contact aspect of anything. They're more into fundraising and awareness, right?"
Rachel nodded, following Quinn's thoughts. Quinn's eyes flickered over to the kids playing with their dogs.
"And Apple was my best friend when I was little. I think-I think I learned to read because of him."
Rachel's nodding slowed. She tilted her head. She had been following Quinn's train of thought.
"So maybe others can too. Not just with dogs, but…hippos and giraffes, zebras, lions, all kinds of zoo animals. And aquariums."
Nope. Rachel was lost. Quinn had thrown her. She waited for the words to come together.
"I want to create something like…like animals for autism. We can focus on animal rescue and personal contact with autistic children and adults. Even-even animal education, like when I'm a vet..." Quinn shook her head, bouncing the Gatorade on her knee.
Rachel smiled. Again, Quinn's excitement was contagious.
"I could-we could take children around the zoos and aquariums. Nobody ever took-took me to the zoo, but I watched the livecams and they calmed me down, and I want-I think we can help other people."
Rachel watched Quinn finish with a soft smile. This was the beautiful heart she was in love with. Reaching out. Moving out of her corner of the forest.
And she'd never heard of an organization that combined animal rescue with autistic awareness. Why not start one?
"And I'd want you to be the face." Quinn finished. She bit her lip and looked at Rachel expectantly.
"You'd-why me?" Rachel asked, surprised.
Quinn blinked. "Your face is my favorite." She said like it was obvious.
Rachel chuckled. "But if we did this, don't you think people would relate better if they knew the story behind it?"
Quinn patted her hands along her thighs.
"You're writing a book, bear. People will know your story eventually." Rachel reasoned.
Quinn nodded slowly. Rachel brushed back the blonde hair that stuck to her face and tucked it behind her ear. Cloud skipped over and put his head in Rachel's lap. His white, fluffy face now covered in mud.
"You can think about it." Rachel assured when her wife still hadn't spoken. She stopped Quinn's hands from bouncing along her legs. "But I think it's a great idea. From a sweetheart. You'll love helping people."
Quinn cleared her throat and bounced her feet in the grass. She leaned over and kissed Rachel, lips particularly soft because of the constant application of sun-protective lip balm. Rachel laughed against her mouth. She tasted like blue Gatorade.
"Are you thermoregulating yet? Hyperthermic?" Rachel asked brightly when she pulled back. Quinn was bright red, but that was probably just sunburn. Quinn shrugged and eyed the mud on Cloud's face.
Rachel shook her head immediately. "No, Quinn Fabray. You're not going rolling in puddles." She said, only half-joking.
Quinn laughed. She knocked sideways into Rachel's shoulder. "Not until we're old like elephants, right?"
Rachel nodded. When they were old like elephants, they could roll in all the mud they wished. But right now, Quinn settled for letting one of the kids dump a bottle of water over her head. On camera. Rachel knew that her fans would love her wife as they got to know her. Because she did things like that. And then shook her hair all over Rachel and pulled her in for a big, soaking bear hug.