AN: Well I've gotten plenty of requests for just a faberry story. Some of you want it to be G!P some of you don't. I do indeed have an idea, it was originally going to be another triplet story—but truthfully I can work it so it's not—the story doesn't really change, but I've currently got three stories that I'm working on, starting another one means that something will have to give. But my idea is a bit of an epic, and I really can't start another one right now. And while I'm still not actually working on Family Portrait, I've got like a nineteen chapter buffer. I'm not going to start it till I'm done either this story or Family Portrait or Celebrity status.
The next one is going to be sort of fantasy—which means there will be a considerable bit of planning that goes into it. Which means no more update schedule like this one has. But you are going to have to be patient. As in wait for me to finish either this or Family Portrait. I don't know how much longer this story is going to be truthfully I thought we'd be wrapping up by now, I only wanted to make this story thirty chapters long—that's not happening. Whether the story, at this moment with a tentative title of, Breath of Life is G!P or not—well that in the end depends on my mood at the time I begin writing it. But if I do a G!P I'm not going to give it to Quinn maybe Rachel—I really want to do a Rachel one.
Enough rambling here's chapter 28, please take the time to read and review.
Warning: Mentions of child abuse, a bit of physical abuse I will try and remember to put warnings for increased violence chapters.
"Mother—you look well," Quinn finished lamely as she leaned in to kiss her mother's cheeks, ignoring the smell of booze that filled her senses. Judy had been drinking again. She looked sober—even if she didn't smell it. It was a small victory she supposed.
"Look at my girls," there was a hint of a slur to Judy's words as she pulled away from Quinn and moved onto Charlie who crinkled her nose as she to kissed her mothers cheeks.
This was the Fabray home, at least one of them. They had houses all over the world, well—their father did, this was just one of his obscene flashes of wealth, it wasn't even well decorated just gaudy. Showing off things that most people could only wish they could afford, not that they'd want to it was after all gaudy. "New perfume mother? It smells lovely—" Charlie began only to be silenced with a sharp look from Quinn.
"You like it? Clive Christian's Imperial Majesty, your father bought it for me." Judy said with a smile touching Charlie's cheek gently. "You've both grown so much. Look at you," Judy touched Quinn's cheek as well. "I've missed you both. You both need to visit more."
Quinn smiled as she took her mother's hand gently, "We'll try mother. We promise we will. We've got a lot of business in the states this year so we'll see if we can visit you more often." It was a lie, but it made Judy smile. They didn't blame her, not really, Russell Fabray was not a man you trifled with. He wasn't a man that you left, and Quinn didn't even want to begin to think about the horrors that Judy had endured, that made her feel so comfortable and safe at the bottom of a bottle.
Judy pats Quinn's hand slowly, and looks over at Charlie who smiles at her, "Good, I'm going to go check in and make sure that Sandy is getting all his favorites ready."
Charlie watches as Judy walks off before the smile on her face on her face fades, "Doesn't matter if a bottle of that stuff is over two hundred thousand dollars, doesn't hide the fact that she smells drunk," she mutters to Quinn.
Quinn nodded, "It's probably the only way she can be near him," she reminds her twin who sighs and nods. A quiet fell over the two of them as they looked at one of their many 'family' homes. Every member of their guard was currently under review, there was nothing to do and neither one of them wanted to go and kiss the proverbial ring and subject themselves to dealing with their father before they were ready.
"There are my two favorite twins," Shannon's booming voice came from behind them and she was met with two identical smiles, as Charlie and Quinn turned to look at her. She immediately opened her arms and she was met with Quinn shoving Charlie out of the way so she could get the first hug. Charlie scowled, watching as Quinn received one of Shannon's legendary bear hugs, and when they finally separate she takes a step forward only for Shannon to stop her and pull some rope from her pocket, a smile on her face. Charlie immediately takes a step back an annoyed scowl on her face. "Just joshing with you, come here," she pulls Charlie into a tight hug. She lets Charlie go and looks at them studying them carefully, "I hear you two have been raising hell all over the world."
"Just like you taught us," Quinn says with a light laugh.
"Exactly how you taught us," Charlie repeats with a grin on her face.
"So this nonsense about you torturing some poor girl is just a rumor?" Shannon asks even though she already knows the answer to the question and she's met with twin looks of sheepishness.
"Charlie's idea," Quinn says selling out her twin in a heartbeat, she could deal with Sue's disappointment and she could even deal with Roz's disappointment but there was something about having Shannon being disappointed with the two of them that hurt. She may have been just a harsh task master as Sue was but she hadn't been afraid to show them that she cared for them. She had been more of a mother than Judy had ever been.
Charlie shoots Quinn a dark look, "You helped," she hisses at her twin. Quinn merely rolls her eyes.
Shannon tries not to smile and pats them on the shoulder roughly, leaning in, "Protecting the ones you love is a good reason but I know I didn't teach you two to be cruel." The words catch the twins off guard and she notices the looks of panic flit through their eyes, "Don't worry we're not going to tell your father, but you two promise that we won't get any more happy accidents?"
Quinn flushes when Shannon looks at her, "Of course, we're not teenagers anymore Shannon," she says with a sniff.
"Good, and if I hear that you aren't treating those girls right—" Shannon begins.
"We are, we promise we are," Charlie says quickly because the last thing the two of them need, "They're really special to us, and we remember all your lessons. We promise."
"We aren't going to hurt them. Not this time," Quinn promises Shannon.
Shannon gives them both a stern look for a moment, she believes them. They weren't raised to be Russell Fabray, they were raised to still be human, to still have that bit of humanity that Russell had wanted to beat out of them. He still tried pitting them against each other, at every turn. She had been forced to intervene when they were eighteen and nineteen as they fought tooth and nail to win their father's favor. It had nearly torn them apart when they were much younger, she had needed to intercede.
It was an action that could have gotten her killed, had Russell found out but it had needed to be done. The two of them needed each other.
Charlie reaches Russell father and presses her lips against his cheek, "Father, it's good to see you," she says, her tone is uncharacteristically demure.
Quinn follows in the action, pulling away, "You look well father." Flattery, despite his age and his protruding gut, probably from too much alcohol and too much rich food, he is still surprisingly spry for a man his age. Every year she came she hoped she'd find him to be sickly, to be dying of some horrid disease, and every year he'd defy all expectations, and be just as fit as he'd always been.
Russell doesn't smile he barely even acknowledges them instead he takes his seat at the head of the table. Nodding once when it's okay for Charlie and Quinn to take their seats, Charlie sits closest to him. While Judy sits beside him, watching as their drinks are poured. Wine, red it's expensive, like everything else in the room. It's rich enough that it makes Quinn's favorite wine look like regular old boxed wine next to it. It was a move made to intimidate them, he was more powerful then they'd ever hope to be.
The meal is served by the wait staff, and Russell Fabray who still hasn't said anything picks up his fork and knife and cuts into the steak, there is nothing better than a good Kobe Strip Steak, well worth the price. He doesn't seem to care that no one has begun to eat yet. The twins learned their lesson well when they were young. They didn't do anything without his permission. A week without food, and the bare minimum of water, but they had to be present as he and Judy ate. He had drilled into their head, they lived or they died on his whim. Even now they still were behaved, they still sat up straight, they were still proper. Such disappointments, at twenty-five he had expected them to be married, to have made the proper connections to make his empire bigger. But who would marry the two of them? And having two lesbian daughters—well it was an embarrassment. He had worked too hard for his company to be dragged down by his two freakish daughters.
He exhales slowly and still they don't move till he dabs his lips with the napkin and picks up his glass taking a sip of the rich wine. This was his family, two freaks, and a wife who needed to be reminded of her place every now and again. Then there was Quinn's bastard child, he had been surprised when Judy had demanded, had actually demanded that he not simply snap the child's neck and move on with is life. She was an accident, but his wife occasionally made a point. If Charlie and Quinn couldn't have advantageous marriages, then at least there was Beth.
He had to think of the future, and right now both of his children sat staring at their plates keeping their heads down. "You may eat," he says after a moment, they hadn't forgotten who had given them everything they had in life. He watches as in unison like they had practiced the movement a million times before Charlie and Quinn begin to eat. "The North Korea account was a nice addition, how is the Supreme Leader?"
Charlie pauses for a moment swallowing her food before she speaks, "Fine father, he looks to increase business this year, he's ordered more weapons that I'll need to personally deliver to him. With the trade embargoes in place, I need to personally oversee the deliveries. We'll be paid in cash for now, to not leave a digital trail. If all goes well, it will be a massive account. Once we figure out a proper way to wire the money without a trace we'll switch to that method. I have our best people working on it, including several forensic accountants working on making the money transfers untraceable."
Russell nods and cuts into his steak again, chewing it slowly, as he turns his attention to Quinn, "And our accounts in the Middle East?"
"Have risen twenty-five percent, our foreign policy has increased the need for weapons, even the various 'rebel' groups are incredibly well funded, if the current state of affairs doesn't change then we should expect to see more sales. Africa however is a bit trickier, some groups are better funded than others, and to increase sales, it requires a bit of logistics, playing one side against another, but it seems to working and no one seems to be the wiser," Quinn replies smoothly.
Russell doesn't say anything to this and takes another bite of his food and another sip of his wine. "And this business with Al Motta?"
"It was a lesson that needed to be taught. His daughter believed that she could steal contracts from us, she put a bounty on our heads," Charlie responds immediately ignoring the sharp intake of breath from Judy.
Russell puts his fork and knife down slowly and stands up. He doesn't need to say anything as both of his daughters place their utensils down and stand up. They've both been here a million times, they recognize the look on his face. Charlie steps forward first and keeps her head straight and squares her shoulders as Russell slaps her. It's a heavy backhand that snaps Charlie's face to the side, his ring catching her, it'll bruise. But he doesn't care as Charlie steps back and Quinn takes her place, he repeats the motion, another heavy backhand. "I don't care what she did. The next time you both decide to teach anyone important a lesson, you ask permission. I do not appreciate having Al Motta storming in on me and telling me how you two abominations have broken his daughter. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir," came the reply in perfect unison as his twins pulled back, they stand until he takes his seat and motions for them to sit down.
Complete obedience, it's what he demands and it's what he's getting, neither of them have spoken out of turn, neither of them have truly done anything to earn his ire yet. "Now onto why you're both really here. Your one wish, if it's within my power to grant it I shall." This doesn't elicit a response from the twins, for what he gives he can take away. They are on their best behavior today and he smiles. It's cold and unfeeling as he turns to his youngest, "Quinn?"
"I would like to spend time with Beth," Quinn states keeping her head held high and meeting his gaze. Her cheek still throbs, she'll live.
Russell doesn't say anything, he simply takes another bite of his food and he turns to his eldest, "Charlie?"
Charlie looks at their father and she can see the glint in his eye, she knows the look well. It's the one he wears when he wants to screw someone over and for once in the eight years that they've done this stupid song and dance Charlie hesitates. She doesn't look back at Quinn, she knows better than to do that, but it is still a moment's hesitation.
It's enough to cause Russell to break out into a sick grin as he picks up his wine glass and swirls the red liquid around in his glass, because Charlie finally has something she wants, she has a weakness that he can exploit. A chink in the armor. "Well spit it out," he snaps at her.
Quinn watches her heart sinking as her father focuses on Charlie, and she realizes that it isn't her year again. That the one year he deigns to give out one wish, she's told her twin to be selfish. She can't say anything, she won't draw any attention to herself but she stares at her food. It's lost all taste now, if she had just asked—
"I wish that Lucy and I can visit Beth," Charlie states simply the hesitation gone.
Quinn wants to turn her eyes to look at Charlie, but she can't alert her father to the fact that anything is amiss, even though he seems to have figured that out all on his own. He stands up once again and this time Charlie stands on her own and walks up to him. For the past seven years it's been like this, and this time Quinn flinches when he strikes her.
"I have offered you the world and yet you still insist on spitting in my face," he's furious now and bits of spit fly into Charlie's face but she doesn't blink. "This is why you both are failures you refuse to do whatever it takes to get to where you need to be. Do you think I ignored every opportunity or did I seize it? Make it mine."
"My wish father, is for Lucy and myself to visit Beth," Charlie repeats again and she's rewarded with another heavy blow to the face, it's the same cheek and this time his ring cuts her into her cheek opening the skin and a trail of blood slowly drips down her face.
"Russell." Judy speaks up and this causes Russell to turn to her. He studies her for a moment and he sneers at her but he finally takes his seat and he motions for Charlie to sit down
He watches as she dabs her cheek, wiping away the blood. "You each have an hour. I do not want either of you infecting her," he says as he goes back to eating his food he's furious and he glares over at Judy who shrinks back.
Quinn resists the urge to simply get up and leave and go and find Beth who would probably in the care of Holly Holiday her nanny. She doesn't want him to change his mind and they go back to simply eating their food until he dismisses them. She feels Charlie's hand on her knee keeping her in place for a moment, her twin not trusting her to not rush out and blow it for the two of them. She can't blame her, she wants to leave this particular brand of hell and go find her daughter.
It's an hour before they can finally see Beth, she doesn't live in the main house with Russell and Judy. They stay in silence before Quinn finally speaks up. "You didn't have to—" Quinn begins touching Charlie's arm. She feels guilty, if Charlie hadn't once again thought of her, about Beth then she wouldn't be getting to see her daughter.
Charlie ignores her. The mood she's in shifting from one of introspection to something else entirely, the last time she saw her niece was when she was a baby, she's excited that she finally gets to meet her. "I just want to say hello, and tell her how lame you are and then show her pictures of the baby red panda that is currently sitting in my hotel room. I am the cool aunt remember," Charlie says brushing it off. "Then I'll leave you two alone, I haven't actually seen the lizard since she was a baby. Won't be more than five minutes I promise and you can have the rest of my hour with her."
Quinn grips Charlie's arm, the bad one, digging her fingers into the still sensitive flesh she needs Charlie to be serious for a moment. Two hours is more than she's ever had with her, "Charlie. You didn't have to give up what you wanted, for me. I would have—"
Charlie pulls her arm away swatting at Quinn's hand, "You'd have never forgiven me if I had taken a chance away from you to be with Beth. Even if it's only for two hours. So if she asks about me, then you tell her that I've done something cool like wrestled with dragons. And that all I want is for her to give me a mug that says best aunt in the world. Cause if it's on a mug it has to be true. And take a lot of pictures alright? Like a lot of pictures."
Quinn doesn't say anything for a moment and she feels the tears in her eyes, "Thank—"
Charlie rolls her eyes, "Don't get all weepy on me, it makes me feel all weird. Just have fun with your daughter," Charlie interrupts. "I know you'd do the same for me, I'll find another way to protect her from him," it's dismissive but there is a raw emotion in her voice.
Holly comes out of the playroom that was meant to hold Beth when she came to visit, and looks at the twins and smiles, it's a sad one. "I have to keep strict time—so you can't go over."
"Give me five minutes, and then just give every last minute to Quinn," Charlie said nodding at her twin who nods back before she enters the room.
"Mom?" Beth asks turning to look at Charlie.
"Nope, your mom isn't anywhere as cool as I am," Charlie says with a small smile.
"Aunt Charlie?" Beth asks and she's hesitant as Charlie nods and opens her arm, letting Beth run into them.
It wasn't what she wanted but as she picks Beth up despite the fact that she's much too old to be picked up, it most certainly was the right decision. "Your mom will be in here in moment. I just came to say hello, and to tell you that your mom is like super lame."
Beth touches Charlie's cheek where there is a single butterfly stitch on it, "How'd you get that?"
"Fighting dragons," Charlie answers as she puts Beth down, "Duh."
"Don't be silly dragon's don't exist," Beth says in an exasperated tone.
"They do so," Charlie argues back playfully. "I really can't stay long because I'm sure your mom will totally kick my as—butt. She will totally kick my butt, but I got you a pet."
"You did?" Beth says in an excited tone and Charlie smiles and nods.
"I did, I got you a red panda, take a look," she says pulling out her phone where there is a picture of the baby animal curled up in its cage sleeping. Beth squeals because it looks adorable and Charlie grins at her, "But your mother wants me to take it back and get you a normal pet."
"Aww," Beth says and she pouts disappointed, as she looks at what would have been the most adorable pet ever.
"So I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll keep him for you and once your mom says it is okay I'll let you have him. You can name him, and because every little girl wants a pet, I'll have Holly take you to the pound to get a puppy. Or a kitten or whatever you want. I'll pay for everything you need. But you have to be responsible. Can you do that for me?"
Beth nods and Charlie lets the nine-year old hug her again, "Thank you aunt Charlie," she mumbles and Charlie pats her back.
"Remember I'm like the coolest aunt in the world, and I'm much cooler than your mom. I should let her see you now before she breaks the door down and yells at me. Be good for her, because she really loves you and misses you."
"I know, Aunt Holly tells me that every time I miss her, and you can name him Hiccup. He's like my favorite character in my favorite series of books."
Beth giggles but she watches as Charlie gets up and opens the door and it's the first time she's seen her aunt and her mother standing side by side, "Mom!"
Quinn drops to her knees and opens her arms for Beth and hugs her tightly, and she struggles for a moment to not cry, but it's been far too long since she's seen Beth. And she's grown so big, so tall and beautiful and she has Harmony's eyes, but everything else, she looks like her. "I'm so sorry, I won't be gone for this long again I promise."
"It's okay, don't cry mom," Beth lectures, but she's crying to because she's really missed her mother.
"And tell her to take pictures," Charlie calls out before Holly closes the door separating the two of them.
Quinn finally holds Beth away from her so she can take a better look at her, and suddenly Beth is very shy, "I thought you forgot about me," she admits.
"Never. I think about you every day. Not a day goes by where I don't think about you, what you're doing what you've been up to. I—I got you a present." Quinn says as she holds out the small black box and opens it. "It's a locket, it has a picture of me and you in it. So you can wear it at all times, and you'll know that I'm always thinking of you."
"Always?" Beth asks as she picks up the beautiful chain.
"Always," Quinn replies firmly as she brushes Beth's hair away and puts the necklace around her neck. "Did you enjoy meeting your aunt Charlie?"
"Yeah she's going to get me a puppy! All the other kids at school have a pet and now I do too. I got to name it, the red panda. I named it Dragon. I'm reading How to Train your dragon, it's like my favorite books ever," Beth goes on. "I've watched both movies, Aunt Holly took me to watch it with a bunch of my friends from school."
"I bet you're really popular aren't you?" Quinn says stopping for a moment to pull out her phone so she can start taking video of this.
"I have lots of friends but Penny is my best friend. She's really cool she has a pet lizard that she gets to play with, she named him Toothless when she got him. She wants to get a bunch of lizards and name them after the dragons, but her parents said no."
"Well maybe we can watch both movies the next time I'm here. And I can read the stories to you—you can read now can't you?"
"Duh mom," Beth says with a roll of her eyes and Quinn shakes her head.
"I'd still like to read to you, doesn't matter how old you get," Quinn says. It hits her that she's never actually read her daughter a bed time story before, if things don't change she'll never be there for her daughter's first boyfriend, or her first heart ache. Though if she had her way any boy that dared to ask her daughter out would be properly frightened. It's a bit too early to be thinking of that as she tunes back into what her daughter is saying to her.
The drive back into the city is a quiet one, it hurts more when she has to leave, but she's caught up with Beth. She knows how her daughter is doing in school, she's learned about her daughter's friends. About the small crush she has on the boy with glasses and messy brown hair, Daniel. Beth still hasn't asked the question that she's been dreading answering and she wonders when that day will come. She can't keep doing this anymore, these short visits, begging for scraps of time to spend with her daughter. "Charlie?"
Her twin glances at her, she's been unusually quiet flicking through the pictures she took of Beth. "Hmm?"
Quinn turns to her, "How long have you been planning to kill our father? And how can I help?" Charlie brow raises for a minute before she grins at her. For years they'd been planning to cut him off at the source take away his power. But she was tired of trying to convince allies to join them. She was tired of playing his sick games. She wanted her freedom. She'd never actually considered patricide, it seemed to be on a list of sins that she didn't particularly want to cross. Family was family. Blood was blood, blood was loyalty. But their father would kill them if they didn't obey, if they weren't perfect. She couldn't live in fear anymore.
AN: Next some Faberry, some Charlie/Norah there might be some smut next chapter, there might not be. I haven't decided I'll sleep on it.
Review please and thank you.
