"I HATE physio! I hate it more than going to the dentist, getting made up for shows and sitting through costume fittings combined!"
Sitting down with a heavy thump into the overstuffed chair in the den, Quinn scowled and propped her damaged foot on the cushion that Rachel had already set up for her on the coffee table. Raising a dark eyebrow in mild amusement, the diva handed over a bottle of Gatorade and two painkillers before replying.
"I don't think there's a sports person out there who actually enjoys it Gretzky, as it generally means they've been injured."
Blowing out an irritated breath, the hockey player swallowed the pain pills and settled back into the chair grouchily.
"I know…but I reserve the right to bitch about it, and as my significant other you have to let me do so, and be sympathetic about it."
Smiling soothingly, Rachel made a great production of assuming her features into an exaggerated show of sympathy before carefully patting Quinn on the head twice.
"There, there dear."
Glaring for a long moment, the blonde inevitably found she couldn't hold onto her irritation, and as her face melted into a smirk she lightly punched the brunette's leg.
"You're just lucky I love you…cos you're kind of a jerk Berry!"
Grinning back, the diva sank into the chair opposite Quinn and sipped at her coffee before riposting casually.
"And you're kind of a whiny baby Fabray."
Lacking the energy to reply with any panache, the hockey player simply blew a raspberry before drinking the blue sports drink thirstily. Rachel winked with another giggle before stifling a yawn, while Quinn had been put through rigorous stretching exercises and physio; she had taken a six mile run and put in her regular practice hours on the ice. Both were exhausted as despite the hockey player being temporarily benched they had still been working just as hard, Quinn had just had to refocus her exercises on her upper body. Leroy and Hiram were off scouting out sites for a new project that they were working on; apparently a 'super top secret one' as they wouldn't even tell Rachel what it was about. With the house to themselves the two women had planned for a quiet evening in the hot tub followed by Chinese take-out and a Lost Girl marathon, however at that precise moment Quinn was questioning if she had the energy to even make it to the hot tub.
"I don't suppose we could magic the hot tub here could we?"
Rachel finished her coffee and setting the mug aside with a small smile, allowed her own socked foot to gently rub against Quinn's injured one.
"Sadly no, my invitation to study at Hogwarts must have gotten lost in the mail!"
Rolling her eyes, the hockey player's big toe pressed down on Rachel's playful one in a vague attempt at toe wrestling as she lazily drawled.
"Hogwarts uses owls so the mail isn't an excuse, you just can't admit you're merely a muggle."
Huffing in feigned irritably, Rachel tossed her hair over her shoulders and after pulling her toe out from under the blondes and pressing it down gently, haughtily replied.
"I'll have you know that if I had gone to Hogwarts there wouldn't have been any of this 'boy who lives' nonsense as I would have been the centre of attention!"
Chuckling as she idly continued their odd little game of footsy/toe wars, Quinn raised an eyebrow.
"Of course you would…my little Slytherin!"
Gasping loudly the diva covered her open mouth with a shocked hand.
"How dare you, I would not have been a Slytherin, I'm good and virtuous, I just also happen to know what I want and am not afraid to go after it."
Raising a triumphant eyebrow, Quinn pointed her finger at the diva and grinned.
"Which is exactly what a Slytherin is like, Sorry to burst your bubble there princess but you pretty much just made my point for me!"
Opening and closing her mouth for a few moments, Rachel eventually slumped in her seat and crossing her arms scowled playfully.
"Whatever, you're just bitter because you'd be a Hufflepuff!"
It was Quinn's turn to stare open mouthed in shock this time, and after flapping her jaw for a few moments she finally managed to reply.
"Well…you're wrong, so there, I would be much more likely to be in Slytherin or Gryfindor!"
Grinning smugly, the diva shook her head as she managed to pin the surprised hockey player's big toe with her own.
"Nuh uh, and I can even back up my statement with facts!"
Folding her arms challengingly, Quinn nodded.
"Go on then, astound me with your logic…oh wise and muggle like one!"
Ignoring the muggle insult for the moment, Rachel settled even further into her seat and held up one hand happily as she began to count down the reasons on her fingers.
"Okay, firstly, you are hyper intelligent even though you seem to prefer hiding it which makes you more of a candidate for Ravenclaw than it does Gryfindor. However, as they are more cold academics than they are anything else that also counts you out because you have far too much of a sense of fun! Secondly, you care too much about people and their lives, so while the sharp intelligence doesn't preclude you from Slytherin, the caring does."
Huffing slightly, the hockey player drained the last of her drink and mumbled.
"Well, okay but that still doesn't explain why you would preclude me from Gryfindor and come to the conclusion that Hufflepuff would be my house!"
Grinning cheekily, Rachel shrugged.
"Oh that's an easy one!"
Sliding from her seat she moved across the table and gently manoeuvred herself into the surprised but pleased Quinn's lap before murmuring.
"You look so much hotter in yellow than you do in red!"
If someone were to ask Quinn later on, she would deny that the surprised little squeak that occurred was hers; in fact she'd threaten to bury anyone who ever mentioned it again. But as the diva's lips descended eagerly on hers she did indeed give out a surprised exclamation before eagerly responding. Several very heavy, hot and glorious moments later she blinked dazed hazel eyes and smiled dopily. Grinning in triumph, Rachel rested her forehead on the hockey players before whispering huskily.
"Any further arguments from you on this subject?"
After a moment to find her voice and drag her mind out of the carnal maelstrom it had been whirling around in, Quinn cleared her throat and with an indulgent eye roll shook her head.
"Not from this Hufflepuff ma'am."
Smiling sweetly Rachel leant forward to press a last light kiss to the tip of the blonde's nose before rising gracefully to her feet.
"Now, we have about two hours before your mom's are due to call us on Skype, so get that cute butt of yours in gear and let's go soak the aches out of our muscles."
Assuming her best puss in boot's eyes, the hockey player sighed melodramatically as she flapped her arms about.
"But I'm sooooooooo tired princess I don't think I can face picking up those damn crutches again."
Directing a scowl at the offending articles Will insisted she used until further notice, Quinn sulkily re-crossed her arms. Smirking softly, Rachel tilted her head to one side as she thought for a moment. Then, with her smirk widening in a very worrying way she bent down and muttered into her partner's ear.
"Just remember, you asked for this Fabray!"
Before Quinn could think about, let alone ask, what the diva meant she found herself picked up bridal style and flushed a deep red. As Rachel carried her from the room she managed to sputter out something that might, with careful translation, be described as a question. Assuming it was, the brunette shrugged a shoulder and commented.
"It seemed the easiest and fastest way to get you to the hot tub without your whining…and also because it's nice for me to be doing the manly stuff for a change, and for you to allow me to do so."
The last part was added in a pleased whisper, and despite a lifelong instinct to always be the carer as opposed to the caree; Quinn let herself relax before replying with an equally soft smile.
"Only you get that privilege princess…only you."
Rachel's pleased smile was so bright it could have guided lost ships home to port, Quinn allowed herself to bask in it as they made their way to the room which housed the hot tub. Ninety minutes later, both girls felt a pleasant lassitude settle over them as their bones and muscles finally released all the aches and pains they'd been holding onto. They were settled on the big bed in Rachel's room, dressed in sleeping shorts and T-shirts. Rachel's was the family photo one she had liberated from Quinn's wardrobe, while Quinn herself had donned her Riddler one, the laptop was open and sat between them as they finished the last of their Chinese meal. They were busy giggling and fighting over the last of the broccoli florets with chopsticks when the laptop chimed with an incoming Skype call, eyes lighting up with a joy that a year ago she would have masked, Quinn gave up and pressed the accept button as the diva triumphantly snagged the treat and demolished it with a smug grin. Lily and Sofia grinned into the camera and though both looked exhausted, they were also very obviously happy and in love all over again. Swallowing the lump in her throat at the very obvious display of affection between her foster parents, the hockey player cleared her throat and managed a teasing tone.
"I'm hoping you two look so tired because you're exhausted from the post-operative exercises and not because of doing things that parents don't do!"
Raising an eyebrow, Sofia huffed and glanced at her blushing wife.
"None of your business kiddo…but it's a little of both!"
Smirking at the outraged and disgusted expression that washed across Quinn's face, Sofia found herself ducking the playful swipe of her wife's admonishing hand as their daughter whined out.
"Geez mom, you can't say it's none of my business, and then basically tell me you've been doing things! Gross mom…real gross!"
Rachel soothingly ran a hand across Quinn's shoulders and smiled happily at the two women on the other end of the call.
"Ignore her, she's being grouchy because of her physiotherapy…I think it's wonderful that you both look so happy!"
Pinning Rachel with one of her 'looks' Quinn deadpanned.
"How about I ask your dad's about their sex lives princess?"
Shuddering slightly, the diva turned back to the screen and rapidly changed the subject.
"So, how are the exercises going, is everything okay?"
Trying not to laugh too obviously over the rapid change of subject, Lily sat back in her chair while Sofia continued to rub her shoulders almost absent mindedly.
"Things are going really well actually kiddo, I'm walking again for a few hours a day but my muscles are protesting the sudden onslaught of use. Luckily your mom is an amazing masseuse, not to mention the staff here are very experienced with this sort of thing."
Beaming widely, Quinn wished she could hug her parents to share her joy at the news, in lieu of them she pulled Rachel to her who was happy to act as substitute.
"That's great news mom, when are you guys going to come home though, I think Leroy wants another get together as soon as possible, not to mention Rachel's been worrying like mad!"
Rolling her eyes the brunette cleared her throat and pinned the hockey player with a pointed look. After a moment, Quinn huffed and playing idly with the hem of her T-shirt mumbled out.
"And I guess…maybe, I kinda miss you too."
Her parent's smiled softly and Lily kissed the tips of her fingers before pressing them to the monitor.
"We miss you guys too, it's not the same without you and Santana irritating each other constantly, poor old Dave trying his best to keep the peace…we should be home the beginning of next month though."
Quinn's eyes lit up happily at the news and she turned to Rachel with a wide grin.
"Hey, that means they can come watch us at nationals!"
Rachel laughed at the obvious unrestrained delight on her partners face, and after taking a moment to relish in how proud Quinn now was of the work they did together, nodded as she turned to the monitor again.
"Daddy already has seats booked for you all so there's no need to worry about any of that, I think he's even already arranging a plane to fly Santana, Brittany and Dave out so all you have to do is be ready…if your doctor will clear you to attend that is?"
Sofia opened her mouth to reply but Lily nodded defiantly, arms crossing in a gesture that immediately reminded the diva of Quinn.
"We'll be there, even if I have to be in the damned chair to do it, I'm not missing my baby girl and her partner kick ass at nationals!"
Squirming at the affectionate name Quinn found herself blushing a deep red, which delighted Rachel and amused Sofia to no end. The fire officer found she couldn't help but exaggerate a pout as she cooed.
"Aw, is my big bad Quinn blushing cos her mommies love her?"
Half glaring and half smiling at Sofia, Quinn waved a warning finger.
"Mock all you want mom, I'm storing this all up for one fine moment of revenge you won't forget!"
Smirking widely, Sofia pulled Lily into her lap before patting the monitor placatingly as though it was the hockey players head.
"Of course you will baby, of course you will!"
Laughing at the gentle teasing from her parents, Quinn settled back and ran her hand idly through Rachel's hair as the little diva talked eagerly about what National's entailed and what would happen each day. Eventually Sofia interrupted with a question that Quinn hadn't even considered, at least not in any serious way.
"Are you guys worried at all, not so much about nationals but when you qualify for the Olympic team…"
Quinn, ever the realist, interrupted smoothly.
"IF we get selected…"
Pointedly ignoring the interruption, the fire officer continued her question.
"When you get selected for the Olympic team, are you worried about the reception you might get in Sochi, I mean…it's in the news pretty much constantly all the time, their war on homosexuality."
Frowning slightly, Quinn scratched her nose as she thought it over, eventually she shrugged it off.
"We're going there to skate, to represent our Country, a country which despite its many faults is a pretty freaking great place to live. I may not like the fact that in certain states I can't marry and in others I'm more likely to be murdered than I am smiled at…but we're getting there, which is a damn site more than Russia is at the moment. I'm not going to make a point of it unless someone else does, if that happens then yeah, I'll defend my love because it's the most natural and amazing thing that's ever happened to me. If we don't go then things might never change, I realise the chance of attack might be there, but we have worked damn hard for the chance to skate for our country and if we get that chance then no one, and I mean no one, is going to take it away from us."
She glanced belatedly at Rachel and rubbed the back of her neck before hastily adding.
"Um, at least that's the way I think but…"
Cutting her off with a soft kiss, the diva rested her forehead briefly against Quinn's before turning to face the two concerned women on the monitor.
"I couldn't have put it better myself; lord knows there are bound to be incidents regarding homosexuality, especially given the fact that figure skating in general is quite a gay sport."
Shaking her head slightly Lily stifled a yawn, but not discreetly enough for Sofia to miss it.
"Alright kiddos, well we need to hit the hay because your mom just doesn't have the stamina she once did!"
Heaving a world weary sigh Sofia broke into laughter at the combined 'SOFIA!' that came from a shocked Lily and the 'Ewwww mom!' that a freshly squirming Quinn whined out. After exchanging goodbyes, and a promise to snail mail an advanced copy of the magazine that was to feature their interview when it arrived, they signed off. Setting the laptop to one side Rachel snuggled down in the bed, gently dragging the sleepy hockey player with her.
"Well, they seemed really happy Gretzky, and it looks like Lily is really reacting well to the treatment. Not that it stops them worrying about us obviously; I mean the anti-gay laws in Russia are likely to make this Olympics potentially explosive. And although I hate to say it, with an invite to National's and our interview due to hit the shelves in the next fortnight, the press are likely to be all over us."
Groaning slightly, Quinn muttered something that Rachel was ninety percent certain was probably foul in nature, before she could ask what it was exactly however, Quinn blew her hair out of her eyes and sighed.
"Unfortunately bias like this is seemingly always going to exist, mostly because it comes from fear, and fear sadly is one of the human races primal emotions. I think though, that even if there were to be trouble at the games, both the organisation and Russia itself will do their best to keep it under wraps. Having said that…if any ignorant douchebag chooses to even sneer at you, then I reserve the right to react appropriately!"
Chuckling Rachel pulled the hockey player closer to her, enjoying that she got to be the big spoon while Quinn's ankle healed.
"Now, now…you handled that last interview wonderfully, and let's face it, after they see our compulsory skate the only thing anyone is going to want to ask us is how we got to be so goddamn awesome!"
Giggling (which in itself revealed how tired she was, she only ever giggled when she was tired) the hockey player pulled Rachel's arms tighter around her.
"Good point, and with any luck, Jesse will fall on the ice, break his nose and wash out of National's so he isn't even on the Olympic team."
Rachel chuckled then yawed before muttering.
"Now that's a lovely thought to take with me into sweet dreams."
Quinn's only reply was a slight snore as she was already fast asleep.
Two days later the advanced copies of the magazine arrived and Quinn found herself on the front cover of something other than the latest police bulletin. Blinking slightly she couldn't help but smirk at the picture chosen of them to grace the front of the magazine. It was one of the ones Nicole had obviously taken candidly as they were sat close together on the sofa, giggling happily as they played their usual game of thumb wars. Rachel came up behind her and sliding her arms round her waist pulled her closer as she rested her chin on one shoulder.
"What do you think Gretzky?"
Despite her best efforts, the little diva couldn't quite keep the faint tremor of nervousness from her voice as she asked the question. After all, Quinn had made it clear that she did NOT like the press, and had, had to make a tremendous effort just to accept them when they were a necessary evil. To both their surprise however she smiled widely and regarded the magazine wonderingly, one finger tracing over the smiles on both of their faces.
"I think…that I love the fact the world can see how happy you make me, and how happy I make you."
Squeezing the hockey player closer to her, Rachel pressed a series of butterfly kisses down the graceful arch of her neck before murmuring.
"You say the sweetest things sometimes Gretzky…and the interview itself is pretty much exactly as we remember it, she hasn't added or detracted anything. She does give her impressions of us which are actually quite sweet, at this rate you're going to totally lose your hard ass image you know."
Dropping the magazine onto the side table, Quinn turned within the circle of the diva's arms and stealing a kiss, tilted her head to one side as she exaggeratedly furrowed her brow.
"You know that's impossible right? I mean I am a hard ass after all, I just have occasional mushy moments when you're around, you are my kryptonite Berry, and I trust you to only use that power when you have to!"
Mock solemnly, Rachel nodded her head.
"Of course…and that's why I never mentioned that when you're ill you like to curl up in your Batman onesie with camomile tea and watch marathons of Victorious and iCarly."
Placing her finger to her lips, the hockey player hissed out a quick shush, which Rachel of course ignored.
"Or that if you see a kitten you turn into one of those simpering types and can only communicate in baby talk."
Narrowing her eyes dangerously, Quinn spoke in a level tone.
"Did you not just hear the very pointed shush I gave you Berry!"
Shrugging good naturedly, the diva kissed the tip of Quinn's nose and smiled happily.
"I heard it…but I didn't pay any attention to it, that's the advantage of being someone's kryptonite you know!"
Rolling her eyes Quinn couldn't help grinning as she checked the time and with a heavy sigh gestured towards the door.
"Come on, we better go meet Will, he wants us to have a brainstorming session, make final choices on the music and costumes for our National's routines…I take it Batman is still a no?"
Putting her fisted hands pointedly on her hips, Rachel raised both eyebrows, after a moment's silence the hockey player grinned and held her hands up in surrender.
"I was just checking!"
Ducking the cushion that the little diva had tossed at her playfully, Quinn resignedly picked up her crutches and they made their way over to the rink where Will was already setting out sheets of paper with ideas on them. Some were his own from years ago, some were ones Rachel had wanted to do but had been unable to find a partner capable of doing so, and some were the ones all three of them had come up with in the last year or so. Grinning at them happily he pulled the hockey players chair out for her and waited for them all get comfortable.
"Right, we have now received our official 'invitation' to National's so the planning stage is in full swing, I realise this is the arguing stage for want of a better word but we need to really wow them in this competition, but at the same time keep something in reserve that we know will completely blow away the judges at Sochi!"
Quinn glanced at Rachel, then Will, then the table pointedly.
"So…shine, but don't burst into a supernova yet?"
Pinning her with a huge grin, Will nodded enthusiastically as he pushed a pile of the papers towards her.
"Bingo! And towards that end, I want you to go through the pile of ideas you have there and pick two, then grab Rachel's pile and do the same while I go through mine. At the end we should have six ideas each that we can concentrate on…okay?"
Looking at the pile of over twenty sheets in her hand, Quinn narrowed her eyes playfully.
"I hate you Schuster! I just want you to know that!"
Winking happily he sat down and armed with coffee, pastries and a free afternoon they started to pick through the skeletons of ideas that were laid out in front of them. Some were dated and dismissed immediately, but those were few and far between and all three of them found that whittling down the suggestions to only eighteen was a lot harder than they originally envisioned. Six hours, three pots of coffee and over a dozen cheese Danishes later, Rachel stretched in her seat and groaned slightly as muscles that had been trapped in the same position for far too long protested.
"Remind me why we never cleared out the idea file before now?"
Will scratched his head slightly and with a shrug admitted.
"Well, we've never really been in a position this close to the Olympic team before, however we've done it now and although we've only managed to narrow it down to nine it's something."
Checking her watch, Quinn realised she was due another physiotherapy session with Will and that was why they were calling a halt to the brainstorming session. In a last ditch attempt to wiggle out of another two hours of agony she couldn't help suggesting.
"Maybe we should forge ahead with this, get it all done in one hit?"
Her only answer was two very pointed looks, slumping back in her seat and murmuring that it was 'worth a try' the hockey player helped to gather up the ideas they were still considering before placing the discarded ones back in the folder. As Will headed over towards the gym and physical fitness suite, Rachel slid herself into Quinn's lap and stole a kiss, pulling back after a moment, the blonde murmured.
"Is that supposed to make me less sulky about being twisted and pummelled for two hours?"
Rachel merely smiled.
"Did it work?"
At the little smirk on the brunettes face, Quinn couldn't help but grin back before rolling her eyes.
"I hate that you know me so well sometimes!"
Helping the hockey player to stand, Rachel passed her the crutches and smiled serenely.
"No you don't, now go be a good patient and I'll make that Bolognese you like, I might even let you watch Lost Girl some more…despite the fact you drool way too much when watching that show!"
Accepting the crutches, Quinn snorted a disbelieving laugh.
"Excuse me! I would like to point out that I'm not the only one that does that, you can deny it as much as you want but I've seen you going all misty eyed at certain scenes."
Tilting her head to the side Rachel begrudgingly admitted.
"Well, perhaps, I mean you can't deny that there's something lovely about the doccubus pairing."
Quinn snorted again as she made her way round the table and towards the gym area.
"Maybe to begin with it was kind of hot…but Bo isn't right for Lauren, Lauren is kick ass and now she's dark…wow, and speaking of the dark, she'd be so much better off with Tamsin, those two would be awesome together you can't deny it!"
It was Rachel that huffed in disbelief this time.
"No, she's like a child right now, she might be fully grown but her mental age hasn't caught up with her yet, it would just be weird! Maybe cop Tamsin would have been a good match but not present Tamsin…besides which Bo and Lauren are meant to be together."
Shaking her head slightly Quinn lifted a crutch to emphasise her pointing as she reiterated.
"Tamsin may be waiting for her mind to catch up with her body but she's still way more mature than Bo, she might be a good match for Lauren if she ever grows up but not as she is right now stringing along both her and Dyson. Copdoc all the way!"
Laughing at the determination in her partners eyes, Rachel pressed a quick kiss to her temple before swatting her butt.
"Whatever you say my little geek, now go get stretched about like a good recovering athlete while I cook us dinner!"
Muttering under her breath about immature succubae and kick ass cop's Quinn nevertheless made her way to where Will was getting the equipment ready. Secretly she was glad Rachel had decided to make her-self scarce as the usually confident skater had something she wanted to discuss with their coach without Rachel hearing. Grudgingly taking up her position on the bench, Quinn watched as Will un-wrapped her ankle and set about massaging the damaged muscles. She was on her fourth idea for how to start the conversation that was on her mind when Will looked up with a grin.
"Just say it."
Blinking in mild shock, the hockey player scratched her nose before muttering.
"How…I mean, what makes you think I have something I want to say?"
Grinning indulgently, the coach continued to massage the ankle whilst ignoring the various winces and grunts Quinn was making.
"Well, whenever you have something you want to talk about but don't know how to, you get that little frown…plus of course for the last couple of weeks whenever we've done this you've alternated between swearing and yelling at me and this time you're quiet…mostly."
Casually flipping her coach the bird, Quinn couldn't help but smirk as he laughed, after a moment she rolled her eyes before finally relenting.
"Okay fine, there was something I was thinking about asking you…a favour actually, but you can't let Rachel know about it!"
Pausing in his ministrations, Will raised an eyebrow before replying cautiously.
"That's not a situation that can ever end well, keeping a secret from one half of a skating partnership."
Running a hand through her hair in agitation, the hockey player blew out a breath before explaining.
"It's not a bad secret, it's not even a secret, not really anyway. Look…it's just, there was one of those ideas that I really, really liked but I'm not sure I could pull it off…at least not yet."
Frowning, Will switched his gaze from Quinn's ankle to her anxious hazel eyes, his hands continuing to ease the muscles knowledgably.
"Okay…I'm not sure I understand though Quinn, I mean you're ankle is almost healed, another week or so of deep tissue massage and stretches and you'll be as good as new. You're a talented skater and I doubt there's much in that list that would faze you."
Sighing (whilst simultaneously internally glowing at Will's insistence of her talent and abilities) Quinn scratched her nose before mumbling barely audibly.
"I want us to do the swing dancing based routine, I think it sounds amazing and the fast pace will blow people away…but I have no idea how to actually swing dance. I mean most of the rest of our routines haven't been an issue given the basis we got in ballet. I guess I was asking if you could maybe help me out with that…you know, as in dancing lessons."
Raising an impressed eyebrow at both the hockey player's dedication and her insight into a routine that was much faster than their previous skates, Will thought about who best to contact…then smiled brightly.
"You're asking the wrong man, however the man you do need to talk to happens to live in the same house. Hiram is a very keen dancer, he studied just about every discipline when he was in college, they're due back from their trip at the end of the week and I'm sure if you ask him he'll be glad to teach you."
Mulling the idea over, Quinn rubbed her chin.
"Hmm, well that all sounds great, though I'm not sure he'll be happy keeping it from Rachel."
To her surprise Will just grinned and removed one hand from its task long enough to wave it dismissively.
"On the contrary, if he knows it's for a surprise for Rachel he'll be even more eager to do it…trust me, I'm a coach!"
Snorting a disbelieving laugh, Quinn relaxed.
"Is that even a thing…cos I don't think that's a thing?"
Shrugging with his usual happy grin, Will went back to his task.
"Well it is now…I'm making it a thing."
Rolling her eyes the hockey player let it go and decided to concentrate on the treatment she was receiving, the session was less painful than it had been when they'd started a fortnight ago and to her great relief as they finished up Will informed her she wouldn't need to use the crutches anymore. Instead he wanted her to keep it wrapped but to try and use it as much, and as normally, as possible. After that the recovery was swift and within the week, just as predicted, Quinn was taking her secret swing dance lessons with Hiram in the evening's and both her and Rachel were hard back at work on the ice. Perfecting their compulsory moves and discussing the merits and visual impact of various jump's and spins for their free skate routine.
Coming in from an extended practice session to perfect a new pair's spin they'd been adapting, both skaters were mildly surprised to see Hiram and Leroy sprawled out on one of the overstuffed chairs in the den. Usually they kept the den clear for the two women to collapse onto when they came in from practice, raising a curious eyebrow, Rachel allowed Quinn to pull her down beside her onto the sofa. Puffing out an exhausted breath the hockey player just gestured with a hand and a mellow grunt to the two men leaving Rachel to verbalise the question. Rolling her eyes fondly in Quinn's direction, the little diva looked to her father's, smirking at their expressions of barely concealed excitement.
"Okay…out with it dad, before you burst!"
Clapping delightedly, Hiram leant forward in his seat so eagerly he almost sent Leroy, who was resting on the chair's arm, flying.
"Well, we know that you don't like big parties very much baby, especially you Quinn, but National's is, after all, a big deal and we wanted to show you both how proud we are of you."
Quinn fixed narrowed hazel eyes on him and spoke in a very neutral tone, having a nasty suspicion of where exactly this conversation was going.
"Just HOW big of a celebration are we looking at here Mr B?"
Leroy smirked as he watched Hiram shift in his seat, slightly uncomfortably.
"Well initially it was meant to be just a small gathering, you know, us, your family Quinn, and maybe a few of the potential sponsors."
Rachel face palmed at the tone in her father's voice, also knowing what was coming even as Quinn leaned forward in her seat and drawled.
"Buuuutttttt?"
Clearing his throat Hiram held his hands out as if to calm an irritable crowd as he hastily explained.
"Well, those few potential sponsors told a few more potential sponsors, who told their current skaters about it and…well, the upshot is that what was going to be a small simple celebratory gathering has now tuned into an unofficial 'official' ball for all the invited skaters and sponsors."
Letting her head sink down onto her chest Quinn let out a long weary breath, not one to let his spirits be dampened for long however, Hiram suddenly clapped his hands together again excitedly, causing the other three to jump slightly.
"Ooh! But the good news however is that I managed to get that band that you really like to play the ball Quinn!"
Looking back up, one eyebrow raised sceptically, the hockey player asked.
"Which one, I like a lot of bands and somehow I can't see Metallica or Iron Maiden agreeing to play a ball!"
Rolling his eyes he lightly slapped the blonde's knee as he explained.
"No! The one you've been listening to recently, 'Big Bad Voodoo Daddy'!"
To Rachel and Leroy's surprise Quinn's look of pained acceptance transformed into one of sheer delight and she sat forward almost as eagerly as Hiram himself.
"Holy crap, you're not shitting me are you? Because that's frigging awesome news!"
Bouncing happily in his seat at having won over the most difficult member of the small crowd, Hiram nodded.
"I'm dead serious, so get your dancing shoes on and find a good tailor to put you a zoot suit together!"
Turning excitedly to Rachel, the hockey player also found herself bouncing in her seat.
"This is going to be awesome! Those guys are amazing and I can't wait to put together a decent outfit, in yellow I think, I know I might look kind of like the Mask but hey, you said I looked good in yellow remember?! Ooh I wonder if Isaac would consider designing it, he does do amazing work after all, I'm going to go ring him now!"
Before Rachel could even open her mouth to reply Quinn was up and heading to their room to find the costumier's number, glancing at her fathers with a mock glare the little diva pointed an accusing finger at Hiram.
"Well I hope you're happy…you've broken my girlfriend!"
Leroy guffawed in amusement while Hiram just looked dumb-struck; he lifted a hand in a gesture to indicate he was asking how exactly that had happened.
"She's talking about clothes and a dance…excitedly! She's also volunteering to be measured up for an outfit which is something we normally have to use peanut butter cups to bribe her into…you've broken her!"
Hiram smiled abashedly at that.
"All it took was the right music, and she really does like that band!"
Shaking her head slightly Rachel tried not to look hurt, even though she couldn't deny that the fact her father knew something about Quinn that was clearly news to her was a little hurtful. Hastily he explained, as much as he could without giving away the hockey players secret dance lessons anyway.
"It's a pretty recent thing Rach, something we started listening to while she's been helping me out with that computer programme?"
The slight hurt cleared from brown eyes and Rachel smiled slightly as she nodded, Quinn and Hiram had agreed that they would tell the diva they were working on a new computer ordering programme together for the business.
"Sorry, I know it sounds silly to be a little jealous of you sharing something with her…I just wasn't aware she liked any band that much, let alone one she hasn't mentioned before."
Leroy leaned forward to lay a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Calm down kiddo, your dad knows you didn't mean anything by it…and if I were you I would be more concerned with the fact that Quinn is up there planning her, and no doubt your, outfit for this dance…alone!"
Suddenly seeing a parade of unsuitable gowns parading in her mind's eye, the dive shot up from her seat and tore towards the stairs yelling as she went.
"QUINN, DON'T MAKE ANY DECISIONS YET…QUINN?!"
Leroy and Hiram glanced at each other before bursting into giggles, the taller man wrapped his arms around Hiram, pulling him close and placing a gentle kiss on his temple.
"Only you could start out wanting a small family celebration and end up with a huge official ball for practically the entire skating community."
Grinning happily, the smaller man returned the kiss.
"What can I say, aint no party like a Berry party! Hmm, considering we're having a swing band play maybe I could theme the party? I know, twenties prohibition era, gangsters, flapper girls and crooked cops oh my!"
Sighing dramatically, Leroy shook his head before asking in a world weary voice.
"Tell me again why I agreed to marry you?"
The Ball soon became the talk of the house, Dave and Santana had accepted their invites and would be bringing Kurt and Brittany with them. Lily and Sofia had also agreed to attend but would be coming straight from the airport, Quinn was ecstatic about the fact she would finally have her family altogether again and Rachel was happy simply because Quinn was! They even managed to agree on their outfits, outfits which Isaac had indeed been more than happy to put together for them. Quinn had gone for a slimmed down version of the zoot suit in a black and yellow pinstripe, going for subtle over 'in your face' bold. To match Rachel had chosen a pale yellow silk dress that fit her torso slightly and flared out at the waist for ease of movement. Between that and working on their free style routine for the National's competition, time passed swiftly. Santana was all but running the pub/restaurant she worked in now as the owner had, had a heart attack. Taking on the job had been good for her resume, but unfortunately had meant she got to spend less time with Brittany, so the invite to the ball was a good excuse for a long weekend away together. On the plus side (if you happened to ask Quinn anyway) she hadn't been able to make it up as often for her visits, she made up for it with numerous phone calls however. In her words she had to make sure that Quinn was keeping herself out of trouble, mostly she just liked to know that her 'little sister' was coping okay with everything.
As the date for the impromptu 'little' ball approached, the RSVP's came rolling in, some were reasons to celebrate of course, for instance outside of their families it was great to know Puck was coming. Will was over the moon that Shannon was able to make it as well and had already planned out an afternoon of BBQ and beer for the day following the party. Some responses however, they could have happily done without, but as it was for all skaters and sponsors attending National's, Jesse and Sue were going to be in attendance. Rachel was surprised that Quinn's only reaction was a shrugged shoulder, at the diva's raised eyebrow the hockey player grinned crookedly.
"We knew he wouldn't be able to resist the chance to try and play more mind games with me, he's just arrogant enough to think that he can pull it off when he's in our house…I will be glad to correct that assumption."
Crossing her arms and shooting an amused but concerned look at the smirking blonde, Rachel carefully asked.
"How exactly are you planning to disabuse him of this notion?"
Rolling hazel eyes, Quinn took her feet off the coffee table they'd been resting on, and standing up, headed over to drape her arms round Rachel's neck.
"Unfurrow that brow Berry, I'm not 'planning' anything at all…I'm just saying that if he wants to metaphorically throw down then I shall be glad to best him in his chosen field."
Raising an eyebrow the petite brunette smirked back.
"You're going to be an insufferable asshole back at him?"
Narrowing her eyes playfully, Quinn snapped lightly at the tip of Rachel's nose before clarifying.
"No…smartass, I mean I'll show him how true mental manipulation works, nothing involving crude language or physical violence…scouts honour!"
Barking out a sharp laugh the diva's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That might carry more weight if you had ever in fact been a scout."
Smirking playfully, Quinn raised her eyebrow challengingly.
"How do you know I was never a scout, for all you know I could have been a scout leader!"
It only took ten seconds of the diva's deadpan unconvinced look for Quinn's resolve to crumble and leave her giggling.
"Okay, okay I confess, the nearest I got to scouts was buying their cookies…but regardless my promise still stands, no M rated stuff will occur at the dance no matter the provocation."
Nodding slightly, the diva leaned forward to press a light kiss to the hockey players still smiling lips.
"Now that I believe, besides which even if you did want to misbehave, both your parents and Dave and Santana will be there."
Rolling her eyes, Quinn let herself slump back into the sofa, and picking up the remote mumbled.
"Don't remind me…and they're going to be all couply aren't they, so embarrassing! Now, how about you settle down here with me and enjoy a couple of episodes of Archer and a pizza before the madness starts?"
Smiling happily, Rachel sank into the opposite end of the sofa and picked up Quinn's socked feet to gently rub them.
"So long as the pizza has extra mushroom on my side then I accept your proposal…lord knows you've never witnessed one of daddy's big 'do's' before, it's quite the experience!"
As it turned out Rachel had far from exaggerated the situation, in fact if anything, she had downplayed it! And as Quinn ducked out of the way of the most recent phalanx of decorators flitting through the doors, she shook her head with a mix of amusement and exasperation before making a mental note to relocate to the skating rink for the majority of her day! Fleeing to the relative safety of the rink she couldn't help but laugh when she also found Will, Rachel and Leroy sheltering there, after welcoming her to the 'safe zone' Rachel and Quinn bent their heads back over their plans for a routine with just the right amount of 'kick ass' in it. This pattern remained for the rest of the 'party planning stage' as Hiram referred to it, even if he did occasionally intrude into their sanctuary to drag a resigned Leroy out of his chair to consult on this that or the other!
The day of the now infamous ball dawned with a cacophony of speakers being tested and caterers rushing in and out of the kitchen shouting orders at each other. After an hour of trying to enjoy her day off from the rink, Quinn gave up and pulled the pillow from her head with a growl…a growl that was swiftly followed by Rachel's giggling. Peering up from under her overly long bangs, the hockey player mock scowled.
"I think I hate your dad's right now…my first chance to lie in for over a week and all I can hear is the pros and cons of preparing the Vol-aux-vents in advance!"
Pouting unconvincingly, Rachel brushed the blonde strands out of her partners hazel eyes.
"Okay grumpy, let's get up and head into town for a while, I know you've been itching to go and spend some money on that new games thingy so I'm taking you shopping for the day…your type of shopping, not mine, I promise!"
Infused with sudden energy, Quinn leapt out of bed and after showering the diva's face with so many kisses she ended up collapsing in giggles, disappeared into the walk in closet to dig out her favourite comfy clothes.
"Best girlfriend in the world ever!"
The muffled but ecstatic voice coming from the closet caused a fresh wave of fond giggles in the diva and she lay back contentedly while she waited for the now happily babbling hockey player to get dressed. Rachel was true to her word and spent the entire day allowing Quinn to drag her from games shops, to comic shops and even into several memorabilia stores. She didn't even object to the extremely geeky T-Shirt the blonde had chosen in celebration of her nerd day. Rachel admitted she had no idea what the SR2 Normandy was, but she was pretty sure that Quinn wasn't actually a crew member, then again she probably wasn't an N7 either (whatever that was) but it didn't stop her wearing the leather jacket. Several hours later and several hundred dollars lighter, the two returned to what appeared to be a completely different house altogether. Blinking in shock at the vintage 20's era cars parked outside along the drive, Quinn stopped in her tracks and removing the half a Redvine from her mouth, whispered sideways to Rachel.
"Are those…flapper girls practicing dancing in the ballroom?"
Following the hockey players pointing finger to the window that looked into the ballroom, Rachel nodded proudly.
"Oh yes, when daddy plans a party he goes all out, with your love of swing jazz, I'm going to assume he took the opportunity to 'theme' the ball…hence the whole prohibition era thing. At least our outfits won't look out of place; in fact we'll fit right in!"
Shaking her head in mild disbelief, Quinn then heaved a small sigh of regret as she looked at the bright green box in her hand.
"Oh well, looks like I won't get chance to take your virginity tonight my little Xbox one…But soon, soon my love!"
Rolling her eyes, Rachel shoved good-naturedly at the blondes leather clad shoulder.
"You're lucky I love you Fabray, odd quirks and all! Now get your butt in gear, we have outfits to get into and I want to do something with those adorably floppy locks of yours."
Grumbling under her breath and making a show of dragging her converse covered feet, the hockey player followed Rachel into the house, and weaving their way between the hired dancers and waiters for the evening, they eventually made their way up to the relative safety of their rooms. Carefully stashing her goodies in the walk in closet, Quinn hastily headed into the bathroom to shower first, with any luck she'd have time to read at least one if not two of her new comics before Rachel finished in the bathroom! The hockey player tried her best to drag out the getting ready process so she could avoid the crowds downstairs but with the combined efforts of Rachel styling her hair into a neat slicked back 20's style, and Leroy who announced Santana and Brittany had arrived, she eventually gave in. Rachel stopped her just before they left the bedroom and straightened the lapels of Quinn's pinstriped suit.
"You look gorgeous, and a very selfish part of me can't wait to walk you around and boast that out of everyone in the world you chose to be with me."
The practiced scowl dropped from the blondes face, instantaneously replaced with that bright yet shy smile that she seemed to reserve just for Rachel.
"That's better Gretzky, keep scowling like that and you'll get lines…now let's get down there and see if your mom's can recognise you when you're not in jeans and converse huh?"
Rolling her eyes, the hockey player happily allowed herself to be led down the stairs and into the now bustling ground floor of the Spencer Mansion. And bustling it was, several of the guests had arrived already and Quinn found herself pulled into an affectionate half Nelson by her elder sister who was similarly attired to her, only in black and red pinstripes.
"You couldn't just greet me like a normal person Lopez?"
Grinning wickedly the Latina reached out to ruffle the slicked down hair, stopping only when Rachel rapped her knuckles lightly. Blowing a raspberry at the perturbed diva, Santana resigned herself to flicking the hockey player's ear instead.
"Chill Berry! I won't ruin your good work…and no Quinn, I can't greet you like a normal person because you aren't a normal person. You're my bratty yet tolerable little sister and this is how I greet bratty yet tolerable little sisters."
Unable to mask her grin at the familiar banter, Quinn pulled her sister into a hug.
"Yeah I love you too…you sourpuss!"
After greeting Brittany in a much more appropriate manner the four of them started to mingle a bit, Quinn and Santana trying to mask the anxiety that they were feeling at finally being able to see their mom's again soon. They found Kurt and Dave easily; the two of them had a crowd of adoring female fans hanging onto their every word, shaking her head fondly Quinn broke through the smiling women to pull her grinning brother into a hug. A hug he easily dominated and after finally settling a squirming giggling Quinn back down, he did the same to Rachel, Brittany and Santana. Before they could get properly caught up however, Puck's smiling face appeared with a tray of drinks. Soon enough they were all stood around, glasses in hand and gossiping about the latest from the Olympic grapevine. Well, all except Quinn and Kurt who were involved, in of all things, a discussion on fashion. Admiringly opening up the left side of the hockey player's jacket, Kurt raised an eyebrow at the mustard coloured silk that lined it.
"Whoever your guy is does some amazing work Quinn, I'm not ashamed to admit I'm green with envy!"
Smiling and knowing that Isaac would love this feedback when she passed it on to him, Quinn opened her mouth to reply but a familiar and unwanted voice beat her to it.
"Well you can't blame her Hummel, after all, if your skill is lacking then you need all the glitz and glamour you can to try and detract from that fact."
Glancing towards her partner, Quinn saw that Rachel's eyes had narrowed imperceptibly, her knuckles turning white around the stem of her water glass. Catching the infuriated chocolate brown gaze of the diva's, Quinn spared a quick wink before turning to greet Jesse with a friendly smile…well, semi friendly anyway.
"Jesse, we're glad you could make it…for a while we weren't sure if you would, given that your sponsorship deal was looking unlikely until last week."
Rachel's eyes widened slightly at that, even she hadn't been aware Jesse had been having sponsorship problems so the fact Quinn did was an even bigger surprise. For his part Jesse pulled at his collar awkwardly for a moment before reassuming his usual smirk, shrugging a shoulder he sipped at the surprisingly pleasant champagne.
"It's nothing you should spend your time worrying about Fabray, not when you have a bum ankle to worry about after all."
Santana found herself laying a calming hand on Rachel's forearm as she could actually hear the diva's teeth grinding together. Catching the brunettes gaze, Santana smiled reassuringly, her eyes telling Rachel to trust Quinn with this. Forcing herself to relax and trust that the hockey player wouldn't allow Jesse's mind games to affect her, Rachel turned her attention back to her partner…who was inexplicably smiling.
"Well I hope you weren't relying on my ankle to still be a problem Jesse, because if anything it's better than ever."
Snorting dismissively, the curly haired boy smirked into his champagne flute.
"Well of course you'd say that wouldn't you…but you never know when a tricky ankle might give out on you."
Pretending to look thoughtful Quinn handed her drink to Santana and slipping her blazer off passed it to Kurt who accepted eagerly and made sure to treat it with the proper reverence. Turning back to Jesse, Quinn tried not to grin outright at the very visible jerk of movement he couldn't contain; obviously thinking she was going to hit him. Instead she gestured him with a crooked finger to follow her to the ballroom which was still relatively empty. Rolling his eyes and sighing exaggeratedly he made a great show of following her, turning bemused eyes towards her companions, Rachel quickly followed suit. Santana just smirked, she had a very strong feeling that Jesse was about to get psyched out at his own game. As soon as she walked into the ballroom Quinn made her way to the small speaker system that Rachel had used the night of their first dance together. After a moment she moved to the centre of the room and addressed the still smirking Jesse.
"As you've expressed such genuine concern about the state of my ankle I feel it's my duty as a host to reassure you that things are fine and I will be fighting fit for nationals…so if I may…"
Gesturing to a still bemused Rachel, Quinn waited for her to hit play and after a moment the music kicked in. As soon as the tune was recognised Puck barked a laugh and pulled a semi scowling Santana into a dance of their own; Dave took the hint and plucked Rachel up while Brittany and Kurt followed them. Jesse's eyes however were fixed firmly and unbelievingly on Quinn.
'Been working, so hard, I'm punching my card…'
With the words of Kenny Loggins iconic song pounding from the stereo speakers, the hockey player started to replicate the dance moves made infamous by Kevin Bacon. Slowly but surely a crowd gathered to watch and although some of the moves had to be somewhat adjusted due to a lack of scaffolding (and both Kurt and Rachel couldn't help but wince when Quinn went sliding across the floor on her knees, mostly for the sake of the tailored slacks)…it got the whole party loosened up. And more importantly, it wiped the smug smirk off of Jesse's face, giving way to slack jawed amazement. As the song drew to an end, the breathless hockey player flushed bright red at the impromptu round of applause that the watching crowd erupted into. Her head shot up in recognition when she heard a proud voice call out.
"That's my girl right there!"
Face breaking into a grin, Quinn paused only long enough to pat Jesse on the shoulder reassuringly before dismissing him from her mind altogether, and falling unashamedly into the waiting arms of her mom's. She felt the not so light impact on her back as both Santana and Dave joined the family hug, and couldn't help but chuckle at her mom's exasperated but delighted giggles. Soon enough they settled down and all three siblings found it hard to disguise the tears of joy they felt when they saw Lily walking, seemingly easily, under her own steam once again. Obviously it wasn't quite as clear cut as that and plenty of physio was still in store for her…but compared to the woman in the chair, this was a miracle. The joy of the moment was interrupted when Santana snorted a laugh, at her families questioning look she gestured to Quinn.
"I forgot just how short you are in comparison to the rest of us Fabray…you little dwarf you!"
Scowling slightly, but nonetheless amused at her sisters words, Quinn deftly and without her parents knowledge managed to land a kick to Santana's ass before moving swiftly away. Seconds later Leroy and Hiram showed up and the whole thing became a real party, complete with tears, catching up and laughter. Although Lily wasn't quite up to 'cutting a rug' yet she did enjoy the slow dances with Sofia, and when the band set up Rachel was delighted and more than enthusiastic upon learning of Quinn's new found swing dancing skills. Even Dave and Kurt gave it a try, admittedly it resulted in more laughter than applause in their case but they enjoyed themselves nonetheless. The night wore on and after accepting several dance invitations from several different people, and successfully avoiding Sue and Jesse as much as possible, Quinn gladly headed for the bathroom and a few minutes respite. She'd seen Rachel sat down with Brittany and Sofia chatting away animatedly, Dave was recovering from far too much dancing by chatting with an equally exhausted Leroy; she honestly had no idea where the rest of them were but suspected Lily and Hiram were off somewhere gossiping as well.
Pushing open the door to the guest bathroom wearily, Quinn paused to crick her neck slightly before running the cold tap. Once it was cool enough she bent down and gratefully splashed the reviving liquid across her face and the back of her heated neck. Letting out a sigh of relief she splashed her face a few more times before standing slowly and blindly reaching out for a hand towel…which someone dutifully placed in her hands. Masking her surprise, the hockey player wiped the soft material over her face before looking up into the mirror at her unknown companion…and freezing in sheer horror.
The muscles in her stomach clenched spasmodically and suddenly it became hard to breathe, to even think. Blinking rapidly and hoping a shake of the head would change what she was seeing…she was bitterly disappointed. Glad her hands still had a firm hold of the solid ceramic of the sinks edge, the blonde felt her knees start to shake. With great effort she swallowed the bile in her throat and managed to form words, weak, trembling words, but words nonetheless.
"What…why, how are you here…Laura?"
So…you hate me yet? Remember to review!
Oh and one quick question, if it were to come to it, would you rather our girls won Gold or stood up for something and sacrificed it? Just a question as thanks to some of the stuff I learnt during the games and to a song I heard recently, I now have two potential endings for this story!
P.S Apologies for the long delay of this chapter, short story is a lots happened, if anyone wants to know more you can PM me and I'll explain, it's the least I owe you all for waiting this long!