Claire bit her lip as she opened the front door to Quinn's mansion and slipped inside. It was well after midnight, and the last thing she wanted to do was wake the blonde by accident. The teenager was halfway down the hall when she felt a finger tap her shoulder. A little startled, Claire whirled around and came face to face with Quinn.
"I'm so sorry, did I wake you?" She asked nervously. A kind smile crossed Quinn's face and she shook her head.
"No, not at all. I dozed off in the parlor waiting for you to get home. So how was everything? Are you okay?" Claire nodded immediately, and it was her who smiled this time. Quinn watched as the younger girl's face turned red.
"Actually, it was amazing. Santana was incredible. And she actually promised me that, um, she's going to free her slaves." Quinn couldn't stop her jaw from dropping and she stared at Claire in shock.
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah. She said she'd do anything to make what happened before up to me, and I suggested that. And she said yes." Claire shrugged. Quinn still couldn't believe it.
"Just like that?"
"Yes, basically." Quinn blinked away her shock and nodded. She had honestly underestimate how much Santana cared at this point. This was definitely more than lust, which was what she had been afraid of. The blonde had even thought about making the same suggestion to Santana earlier, but was almost sure she'd say no. Apparently, she hadn't been the right person to ask it.
"Well alright. Look, you should get up to bed. Today was a lot for you." Quinn said finally. Claire nodded, finally realizing how tired she was. Before she could turn around and walk up the stairs, Quinn pulled her into a tight hug. Claire didn't exactly feel the same heat she had earlier with Santana, but she knew that she cared a lot for Quinn. Not in a romantic sense, but it was still a sort of love.
Quinn watched as Claire walked up to the guest room. She took a few seconds to admire how happy the girl seemed and then followed her upstairs. The blonde was quite exhausted from worrying all night, and now she felt a strong sense of relief. Santana had actually managed to get herself in check.
"Everyone? May I have your attention please? Last night, Claire was a dinner guest at the estate. And in a way to apologize for what I foolishly did to her, I'm setting you all free." Santana looked around the cabin at the shocked faces of her now former slaves.
"Ms. Lopez, do you mean it?" Rachel piped up finally. The Latina nodded and then continued.
"If you would like, I'm willing to offer you allpaid jobs here. But if not, feel free to venture off and find somewhere else. As a sort of, um, apology to all of you, I'm giving you each $1000 to start you off." Santana pulled out four checks from behind her back and handed them out to the shocked young adults in front of her.
"You're all free to come inside for lunch if you'd like." The Latina murmured finally before walking out of the cabin.
"I can't believe this. This can't be real." Tina muttered to herself, shaking her head. All of them were staring down at the checks in their hands. They had never even imagined having money before, and now here they were, holding $1000 in their hands. Mike finally reacted first and pulled Tina in for a tight hug.
"Where are we going to go? What are we going to do? Does anyone have any ideas?" Rachel asked frantically. It was obvious she was overwhelmed and that feeling was starting to come over all of them.
"I'm going to go into town and try to get hired singing at that saloon Ms. Lopez has mentioned before. Y'all know I'm a singer." Mercedes chuckled. Rachel frowned for a few seconds and then smiled.
"I know exactly where I'm going. Ms. Fabray got rid of her slaves years ago, and she only takes hired help. I'm sure she could use one more around." The short girl announced. Tina and Mike glanced at each other and Mike spoke up.
"It's been our dream for a long time to run away and start a small farm of our own. With both of our checks, I think we might be able to do that." He smiled. The four of them glanced at each other and realized that they were actually starting their lives.
"Claire? Someone knocked at the door, will you answer it?" Quinn called from the kitchen. She and one of her maids were working on making dinner and her hands were covered in food. Within a few seconds, the blonde could hear footsteps coming down the stairs and then the front door opening.
"Rachel? What are you doing here?" Claire asked as she came face to face with the girl she used to share a cabin with. The shorter girl looked at her nervously and then dropped her gaze.
"May I speak to Ms. Fabray please?" She asked sheepishly. Claire nodded, everything finally clicking together, and she stepped aside so that Rachel could walk in.
"Quinn? There's someone hear to talk to you." Claire called, leading Rachel into the kitchen. Her host looked up in surprise and then smiled.
"Alright then. Uh, Rachel, is it? Why don't you come and step into my study and we'll talk." The blonde said. Rachel nodded immediately and followed the woman down the hall.
