An: Haven't made one of these in a while, but I do have some news. I'm starting to look back at my old fics to see what needs a rewrite and what simply needs a swift kick in rear to finish. Since I have a plethora of other stories lined up and I'm working on for my backers, (Magician, Death to My Hometown, Animals) That was a shamless plug I've decided to start posting some other finished works so there's a slightly new schedule. One story will be published a chapter a month. That will be Hellfire. The other fic I Know What You Did Last Summer. Well I'm posting the first chapter this weekend, and once this story is done we'll continue with it. By that time maybe I would have finished another story. Also I've started to rewrite parts of True Love, but for that you'll have to wait. It's a slow affair, and my backers will get the updated version before you do. But look for that in the new year. I might look at The Original family after that, but rewriting is a very slow affair for me, so we might not get to that this year.
Charlie frowned as she looked over her meal. She had a burger stacked three patties high with extra cheese and as many sides as she could get away with without earning too many side looks from the minimum wage worker.
Something about this didn't add up.
Well, not her lunch. Because that greasy cheesy goodness looked amazing.
No. She was starting to get the feeling that Santana was purposefully pissing her off. It was the only explanation that made any sense. She should have seen it earlier—would have seen it earlier—if she weren't so pissed off each time she talked to Santana. She takes a sip of her milkshake tapping her fingers against the table, it would certainly explain a lot of things. Santana was acting odd and instead of openly telling her to fix it, she was hiding behind her usual disgusting bravado. She preferred dealing with Santana when she wasn't being an annoying douchebag. "Well, two can play at that game," Charlie muttered. She'd simply meet Santana's braggadocios behavior with some of her own. She could throw Santana off her game easily. She'd just need to be careful not to fall deeper into the rabbit hole.
"I love games."
Charlie's head snaps up as Brittany S. Pierce slides into her booth with carrying a tray filled with her own burger and fries. She immediately reaches for her gun as Brittany steals a French fry from her plate. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
Brittany cocks her head to the side, smirking softly as she watches Charlie closely. "You know, if I squint I can almost think you're her."
"Yeah, well I'm not." Charlie spits, swatting away Brittany's hand when she tries for another fry. "So cut the shit. What do you want?"
"Who says I want anything?" At Charlie's unimpressed look, Brittany sighs. It's almost creepy how much this feels like a conversation with her partner. Quinn can cut through the bullshit better than anyone else and she's not sure why she's surprised that Charlie can do it too. "I just want to talk."
"If anyone ever saw us talking, they'd kill me." Charlie frowns.
Brittany shakes her head. "They already should have killed you and we both know it. If they haven't done it now, then they won't do it for some simple little thing like me following you."
"I'm only going to ask this again: what do you want?"
"Well, first I want to tell you a story. I want you to stop me if you've heard this one before," Brittany took a sip of her own milkshake before placing it down. "A man, he's rich and powerful and more importantly he's important; district attorney. He was rather successful at it; his conviction rate was insane. He took out multiple cartels. I think—and this is where the story is a bit hazy, that he made a deal with the devil—one that gave him information to use to further his career. So this man makes a deal with the devil, uses that information for his personal gain, for the accolades and the power, and he decides that he wants to run for governor. So he declares but even with all his work, all his success, he's still twenty points down in the polls. So, again, I think that he goes back to beg the devil for help. As governor he would have more power—and if he lost now, then he'd be a loser. He wouldn't be able to keep up his end of the bargain, so the devil strikes another deal. The devil once again agrees but it's going to cost him. The price is going to be high this time, one of his children. What better way to induce panic, then to create a bogey-man, one that terrifies the parents because they have no idea if their kid is going to be next. How easy is it to blame it on the immigrant, the cartels that are just across the border that are nothing more than criminals? The man of course doesn't hesitate, and he agrees. He has two children, identical twins, in his mind it's basically the same—"
Charlie takes a noisy sip of her own drink cutting Brittany off. It's a struggle to keep her face a mask of neutrality.
Brittany takes this as a signal and pushes onward, "—and at this point he's already in too deep. He does the unforgivable and sells his youngest daughter to the devil who guarantees his career's future success. How am I doing so far?"
Charlie gulps, trying not to seem affected. She shrugs. "That man—" Charlie spits out the word like it's poison on her tongue, "sounds like a real dick."
"He is, but indulge me." Brittany leans back in her chair. "I don't think I know how the rest of it goes. Maybe you can finish it for me?"
"I think we're both a little old for story time."
Brittany simply waits, hoping that her silence might get her the answers she needs.
Charlie looks at her half-eaten food and gets up, her appetite long gone. She flicks her eyes to Brittany, "You know, you're wrong about something. It wasn't the devil that the man made a deal with. It was an angel. Now whatever you think you know, I suggest you tell Quinn that she needs to let this die."
"There's only so much I can do before Quinn takes everything she knows to your father. How do you think that is going to go?"
"What makes you think that I care?" Charlie sneers.
"The fact that you didn't shoot me the second I stepped in here." Brittany points out. "Or maybe the fact that you didn't even try to escape when we both know that you easily could have. Especially with Rachel looking over you."
Charlie frowns at that, uncomfortable with the well placed observation. "Well, if what you think your story is correct, then who knows what he'll do to her once he knows that she knows."
Brittany frowns as she tries to follow what Charlie had said. "Who knows—" She shakes her head, giving up. "Exactly. Quinn needs our help."
"I don't care what Quinn needs." Charlie insists.
"See, I don't think that's true." Brittany insists, "Because Quinn loves you more than anything, enough to spend the last fifteen years searching for you—"
"Well she did a terrible job. Fifteen years?" Charlie rolled her eyes.
Brittany continued on as if Charlie hadn't spoken, "You spent the last fifteen years making sure that they never came after her. To make sure that they never needed anyone other than you. How many times did you have something done to you because you were afraid that they were coming after Quinn?" When Charlie doesn't answer Brittany presses forward, "I just need something—"
"Look, take your theories and shove them up your ass. Also while you're at it stay away from me. You are going to get me killed." Charlie hissed, she had heard enough. They were idiots, them digging into this would get them killed and put Santana in a bad position, and she was maybe a year or two out from living out the rest of her life in freedom. She makes a face, wondering what favors she was going to need to do for Santana to get them to back the hell off.
~O~
Quinn smiles, picking at her salad while Rachel finishes some elaborate story. Tonight has been amazing and she's terrified that she's going to do something to shatter the fragile footing she and Rachel have found together.
Rachel looks at her wife pointedly. "You're distracted." She concludes with a playful smirk. It's the only way Quinn could still be listening to her after her nearly thirty-minute monologue.
"Yeah," Quinn admits breathily. When Rachel raises a brow she coughs and straightens up, "I was thinking that maybe we can go back to your place and maybe have some coffee—"
"It's our home Quinn, it's not just my place, and you've been welcome back any time you wish." Rachel responded, shaking her head and reaching for Quinn's hand. If Quinn wasn't so hard on herself, maybe they would have figured this thing out forever ago. But then, she wouldn't be the Quinn that Rachel adored.
Quinn sighs. She just doesn't want to fuck this up again. "With everything that's going on, Charlie and everything—I mean I found her and I thought it'd be over but it's not. Not yet but it will be soon—I just never thought it'd be over, and now? I thought about it you know, not for long but I've started to think about what comes next."
"You become the director of the FBI?" Rachel recites, well aware of the plan. It's been Quinn's plan as long as she's known her.
Quinn snorts, "I wanted to become the director so I could use FBI resources to find out what happened to my sister. I figured it out. Now, I'm not so sure. I was thinking—that maybe when this is all done if you're not busy working on your HBO special we take a vacation together? So maybe we can figure it out together?"
"Really? You've worked so hard at this—"
"I did this because I needed to find my sister. Everything I've done since she disappeared—most of it, has been about her and I—well I did let it take over my life. But I know the best thing I did was marrying you, it was also the first thing I did for myself and I think that I want to—you know do that again, start living for me."
Rachel drops her fork, floored. She thought the fancy dinner at a new vegan restaurant was a stretch for Quinn, but this is something else entirely. "Really?"
Quinn nods, "Yeah. I'm serious about—"
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA BATMAN!
Quinn flushed as people turned to stare at the two of them, as she fumbled for her phone. "Brittany," she hisses.
NA NA NA NA NA NA—
Quinn flicks the little switch on the side of the phone, immediately switching it to silent. "Sorry—Brittany was probably fiddling with my phone again. You know how she is," Quinn shook her head.
Rachel nods, "I do—you should get her back with something equally embarrassing, and wait till she's in the middle of getting—frisky with Mike and then call her, it's what I would do."
Quinn laughs, "I've never seen Britt angry but—" Quinn's smile fades as her phone begins to vibrate rapidly. "It's Brittany again."
"Go ahead." Rachel assures. "It might be important."
Quinn watches Rachel for a second, trying to be sure that this wasn't some trick. There were plenty of times that Rachel had been pissed at her for taking Brittany's call in the middle of a date and she didn't want to blow this when they didn't have any pressing active cases. "I'll be fast." She promises.
"It's fine." Rachel squeezes Quinn's hand comfortingly. "Go." Quinn slides out of her chair quickly heading to a private area where she could take the call. Rachel smiles watching her, it was what she had always wanted if she was being truthful with herself. She wanted Quinn to be a bit more selfish, everything in their lives had revolved around Charlie, and now there was an end in sight. It wouldn't magically fix all their problems, but it did give them a real chance for the future. She reaches for her wine and takes a sip of it before pausing as she hears a phone vibrating.
Immediately she reaches for her clutch only to realize that it wasn't her phone as some terrible death metal begins to blare from Quinn's purse. She winces when the people at the tables around her start to turn and glare at her, she had forgotten about Quinn's second phone and she grabs Quinn's purse and fishes it out. She was most definitely going to have a talk with Brittany the next time she saw her. She glances at the name on the phone and rolls her eyes. Russell. Taking a breath, she answers it if only to stop the evil glares, "Mr. Fabray?"
'Oh.' Russell pauses for a second and Rachel is fairly certain he has checked to see if he had dialed the right number. 'Rachel. Is that you?'
"Yes, Quinn and I were at dinner and she stepped out for a moment." Rachel explains, trying to keep her voice down to avoid annoying any more people beside them.
'Oh. Are you un-estranged then?'
It's the most considerate that he's ever been. He had stopped ignoring her existence which was probably a good sign. "We're working on it. Things—have been good for Quinn lately."
She's met with silence on the other line and almost feels compelled to fill it. Quinn used to tease her about her word vomit issues but Russell makes her nervous and he's never cared this much about their relationship. In fact, she was surprised that he hadn't boycotted the wedding all those years ago. "Yes. She's finally moving on, now that she's found the answers she's looking for, I think we're really going to focus on our future together."
'She what?'
Rachel stops, cringing. "She didn't tell you. Oh no." She takes a deep breath. "I know she's excited to talk to you, but just—maybe pretend I didn't say anything?"
There was another pause on the phone for a moment, 'This conversation never happened.' Russell says after a moment.
Rachel smiles and is about to thank him when the line goes dead. She frowns at the rudeness, but Russell had always been curt with her. "I think he's finally warming up to me though, so that's a positive—"
"My dad?" Quinn asks sliding into the booth a frown on her face. Brittany had gotten a crack in the case and she needed to show her something important. She wasn't going to rush out on Rachel though. "Please tell me you said no to whatever event that he needs me for."
"I did, he actually said more than three words to me. I think we're finally getting along great. I understand he was upset about the whole you're gay thing, but I think he's coming around."
Quinn rolled her eyes. "He'll come around when he figures out how to best use your star power for his next presidential campaign."
"Is it weird that I'm looking forward to that? I'll be putting on an Oscar winning performance."
Quinn rolls her eyes. "He's not that bad." She says more out of loyalty than that it was actually true. Growing up he had been the perfect father, every little girl's dream. But after Charlie disappeared and her mom died, something had changed. He had grown distant and things felt awkward for no reason that Quinn could put her finger on. Sure, she had lashed out as a kid, blaming him for a situation that she now knew he couldn't possibly have controlled, but sometimes it felt like more than that.
