Title: The Christmas Elf
Rating: M for Mature audiences.
Fandom: Glee
Pairings/Characters: Beth, Quinn/Rachel, Santana/Brittany and Kurt/Blaine
Genre: Romance and Family
Summary: Struggling to make ends meet and give her daughter the Christmas she deserves, Quinn Fabray takes the job as personal driver and assistant to Broadway Queen and A-list star, Rachel Berry. Will love blossom under the twinkling lights of New York, or will they burn out before they even ignite. This story is A/U, with Faberry and Beth as the main characters.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot belong to the respective author. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: If I didn't mention it before, this is unbeta. All mistakes are mine. Anyone interested in betaing for me, please PM me.
The Christmas Elf
Quinn whirled around, facing a nervous and fidgeting Rachel. Her eyes were widened in total and utter shock at the proposition Rachel had just gave to her. She couldn't possibly move in with Rachel. Not when she was starting to develop a crush, celebrity worship, or whatever it was on Rachel. It was bad enough with her having a friendship with her beyond the job. Thinking about how wrong it was, cemented her opinion that the whole thing was as horrible as it sounded. She couldn't see anything good coming out of accepting Rachel's offer. Though, it was kind and touching.
"Rachel, I – I…this…" a frustrated breath escaped her lips, hating that she couldn't speak right without stumbling over her words.
"Can – Can you just look at the space before you tell me no," Rachel threw in before Quinn can get another word in. "I really do think it's a great place for you and Beth. Also, if you move in, you have access to the Entertainment room, library, and any other room in the house barring my own room. You don't just have to stay cooped up in the basement. So, do you want to have a look?" Rachel's pleading eyes bore into Quinn's.
Quinn sighed then nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, okay," Quinn murmured.
Rachel grinned triumphantly. "Just let me get the key, and I'll show you the place. Meet me in the kitchen," Rachel threw over her shoulder as she ran out of the living room.
Quinn sighed, and did what Rachel asked. Just as she reached the kitchen, Rachel was walking through the threshold. She didn't pause in her step as she made her way to the door that Quinn thought was a broom closet.
"Okay, so, the only entrance is through the house, and into the kitchen," Rachel said, turning the lock until they heard the click. Opening the door, she motion Quinn to enter first. "Watch your step, there's a slight step down."
Stepping down, Quinn was startled slightly when a light switched on.
"It's a motion sensor light. The minute you step down the light switches on," Rachel explained, noticing how Quinn gave a slight jump when the light turned on.
With the light on, Quinn could see down the short hall, and to the left was an open doorway. She figured it must lead to the living room.
Quinn waited until Rachel walked passed her until she followed. She vaguely noticed how the light in the hallway turned off.
"Here is the living room," Rachel said, flipping on the switched that was located on the right wall.
Quinn felt all her breath leave her when she came into view of the living room. The first thought that came to mind was: Home. She felt at home as she took in all the creams and different shades of browns and the here and there blue. The walls were painted a cream color that tied in the with the rich, chocolate brown two-piece leather sectional with a corner chaise. Below the deep brown stain coffee table was a light blue, cream and brown rug to bring in the blue and brown cushions of the couch. Across the couch was an electric fireplace with the plasma screen mounted above it. Quinn noticed there was another open doorway by the fireplace, she suspected that it lead to the rooms and bathroom.
"If you don't like anything, please feel free to change anything you want. If you accept my offer, that is," Rachel added. She then pointed to the kitchen which was to the left of the living room with a long breakfast bar separating the two rooms. "This is the kitchen," Rachel said, moving towards the room. Quinn followed dutiful behind.
Quinn took in the dark granite counters, stainless steel appliance and cherry wood cabinets. It was perfect.
"All of the appliance are new, never been used," Rachel said, opening the oven then fridge to show Quinn. She moved to open the cabinets, and showed Quinn that they were filled with dishware. "Well, that's the front room. Let's go check out the back."
Quinn wanted to say no that she didn't need any more temptation. Rachel was showing her the perfect place for her and Beth. Quinn took a deep breath and followed Rachel to the back of the basement. Quinn's steps slow and reluctant as she followed.
"The first room is the larger of the two," Rachel told Quinn, switching on the light switch illuminating the room to all its glory. "The bed is new, and the sheets are changed every other week. And no one has ever slept in the bed. It even has the plastic wrap still on it." Rachel looked sheepishly around. She had boxes, dresses and shoe boxes scattered around. "Sorry for the mess."
Quinn took in light olive green walls, light oak furnishings and light green, cerulean blue and white comforter set that laid on the king sized bed as it rested in the center of the room. The thought of having her own bed certainly appealed to her. Above the bed was a large black and white photo of Rachel when she was on Broadway, and across the bed was another plasma screen. The right wall from the bed was where the closet was. Opening it, Quinn saw it was a good size closet. Certainly enough to hold to hold all of her clothes, leaving more than half left.
"The other room is similar but its colors are light pink and light brown. Do you want to have a look, or do you want to skip to the bathroom?" Rachel asked, looking at Quinn.
Quinn nodded, but didn't say anything as she followed Rachel out the room and across the way to the bathroom.
Quinn opened the door to reveal what had to be the nicest bathroom Quinn had been into. The counters were limestone and the floor was this light golden tile that made the bathroom warm and inviting. But it was the shower stall that made Quinn's breathes hitched. It's been so long since she had a descent shower. The shower stall was spacious with a bronze glass backsplash, several shower tiles of the wall that rained down on your body, and the showerhead was big and round. It reminded her of a sunflower.
"The showerhead has five different settings," Rachel said, noticing Quinn's appraisal of the shower. "Same goes for the side tiles. And, my favorite of all things in this bathroom, the whirlpool bathtub has jet settings. Though, I don't take them often, I'm a tub person."
Quinn could see herself coming home after a long day, after taking care Beth, and to be able to soak in the whirlpool with its high jet settings to rewind and relax, letting it work its power on her. Her body practically purred at the thought.
"The whole apartment is beautiful, Rachel," Quinn commented once they made their way back into the living room, letting her eyes drift over the room, taking everything in. "And you're right it is perfect for Beth and I. It has everything I ever wanted to give her, and been looking for in a new house for us."
Rachel sighed, sitting heavily on the couch. She had really thought Quinn was going to say yes. "But you're still saying no, right?"
Quinn shook her head, joining Rachel. "It's not a 'no'. It's an 'I don't know'." Quinn sighed, running a frustrated hand through her golden locks. "Don't you think me moving in is a little wrong, unwise? You're my employer. I work for you, and you want me to live with you. It's a little weird."
"It wouldn't be any more differently than me having a live-in chef, or housekeeper living with me. Plus, I know several people who have their assistants living with them. My friend Kurt has his assistant, Mercedes, living with them, and they're great friends even with their working relationship. We just need to know not to cross any lines."
"And how much are you charging for rent?" Quinn questioned because as much as she thought this was a bad idea, she couldn't ignore the fact that this is one of the best places she saw as a potential place for her and Beth to live in. The only problem would be Beth's schooling, but with the school year ending soon, she would only have to make the commute for about three more months.
Rachel pursed her lips at Quinn's question. She hadn't thought about that. "Uh, nine-hundred a month."
Quinn's hazel eyes were wide and staring at Rachel with shock. "Nine-hundred?!" Quinn exclaimed incredulously.
Rachel worried her bottom lip. "A thousand?" She said in an uncertain voice that poised she was asking a question.
Quinn eyes narrowed as she huffed out a laugh. "You don't know, do you?"
Rachel huffed, stomping her foot. "It was a spur of a moment act when I asked you. It's not like I've ever done this before."
Quinn laughed. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry."
"What about twelve-hundred a month? Does that work for you?"
Quinn nodded, that was right on her budget, but she still felt she was taking advantage of Rachel's offer. She had saw some of the places online with her new MacBook, and what Rachel was offering were close to two thousand and more.
"Twelve-hundred and I pay on some of the bills," Quinn bargained.
Rachel shook her head. "That won't be possible. The bills are paid directly out of my account. I don't even know when the last that I checked my bills. My accountant handles all that."
"Okay, twelve- hundred, I buy all the food and I make breakfast and dinner every night?"
Rachel beamed, holding out her right hand. "It's a deal, Ms. Fabray. Does this mean you're accepting my offer to move in?"
Quinn met Rachel's hand, shivering at the shock she felt at the touch of Rachel's cool hand. "Yes, Rachel. I'm moving in."
TBC