I apologize in advance for there not being a lot of Faberry in this chapter, but this is mostly a filler chapter to set the foundation for a fairly major event in their relationship coming up next chapter. Before we get on with the chapter I'd like to reply to the two reviewers from last chapter.
Midnight6Ecstasy6Assassin6: I think I said pretty much everything I had to say in my personal response. As I said, Quinn and Rachel's relationship is going to start building much faster after this chapter.
Rilys: I have not decided who to use as Rachel's lesbro, and I appreciate your input. Mike was the one I was leaning towards as well, should I have needed to choose myself. I always felt he and Matt were grossly underappreciated in the first season. I also feel honored to be the first author to receive a review from you and I hope to inspire you to give many more in the future.
A quick update on the status of the story: chapters 41, 42, and 43 are currently in limbo and likely will be until next Monday. My beta is currently studying for her final exams, so she probably won't have much if any time to look over the chapters until she finishes her exams. I won't let this get in the way of my updating, however. Updates will continue as normal until chapter 40 is reached. Should that happen, one of my friends has volunteered his services as my temporary beta until my primary one is free. As always, I hope you all enjoy it.
Chapter 37: Checking In
(Season 1, Episode 10: Ballad)
Ten minutes later they pulled up outside of the complex and found Rachel already there, pacing back and forth in front of the staircase. She stopped when she noticed the two vehicles pulling up nearby and nearly sprinted over as Quinn got out of Scott's car to envelop the blonde girl in a hug.
"Oh my god, I was so worried! Are you okay? They didn't do anything to you, did they? I swear if they did anything they will be up to their knees in paperwork from child services in a matter of days!" Rachel rambled, turning the blonde in every direction imaginable, checking every inch of skin not covered by her dress for any signs of physical damage.
"Rachel, I'm fine." Quinn chuckled lightly, grabbing the brunette by the shoulders to calm her down. "I promise they didn't lay a hand on me. What do you say we help Scott and Finn move the bags to our apartment?" Rachel grinned and nodded in agreement. Quinn and Finn each grabbed two bags, leaving one for the diva to carry.
"I'll go check in with the landlord." Scott said, motioning towards the main lobby, where they could see a bored looking man with a graying beard reading a newspaper. He walked over to the main desk.
"If yer lookin' fer the playground ya came ta the wrong place, kid." The man said, not looking up from his newspaper.
"I'm not 'lookin' fer the playground.'" Scott said. "The landlord set aside a vacancy for me about a week ago. I'm here to claim it." The man sighed and put his newspaper down.
"Fine, what's the name?"
"Murray." The man typed in a few keystrokes on the nearby computer to bring up the vacancy roster.
"Looks like ye've got a place set aside, all right. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms? Soundin' right so far?"
"That's the one." The man dug into the desk and pulled out two keys, handing both to Scott.
"Since ye've already signed the contract ye don't have ta do anythin' else. Apartment 2D. The landlord'll wanna meet up with ya tomorra."
"Let him know I'll be around." With that Scott left the man to his newspaper and used the key to open the elevator for the four of them to enter. He led them to the apartment and used the same key to open it. Finn, Quinn, and Rachel all stared around in awe at the apartment as soon as they entered. It was much fancier than any of them had expected Scott to be able to come up with.
The door opened into a small entry hallway with a closet built in on the left side. The hallway then opened into the main area of the apartment, with a kitchen immediately to the left, a breakfast bar that opened into the living room, where a dining table was set up against the counter. The living room was furnished with a tan and white striped rug, solid oak coffee table, and a tan colored sofa that sat against the wall, with a television positioned on an oak entertainment center on the opposite wall. There were three windows on the wall directly across from the kitchen, the oak paneled blinds pulled down to cover them. Two reading lamps were positioned on either side of the couch, and a tan armchair sat in the corner. On the opposite side of the hall from the kitchen, an alcove led off into what the teens assumed to be one of the bedrooms and a bathroom. Another doorway was positioned on the same wall as the couch in the living room. The door next to the couch was already open and they could see Scott inside, examining the room himself. It was simply furnished, a black desk situated against the wall next to the door with a rolling chair pushed in under it, a full sized bed taking up the majority of the room with the head pushed against the wall opposite the door, a closet on the wall next to the bed, and a chest of drawers on the opposite side of the bed. The bed itself was already made, a large black and white striped quilt and white pillowcases visible.
"Okay, Master Terrence has really good taste in apartments." Quinn stated in awe. "I mean, it isn't exactly big, but it is way too nice for you to afford with your pay."
"That's what I thought when I first saw it. And the rent is completely free to us. We still have to pay for bills and utilities, but the rent is under his name."
"That was…nice of him." Rachel said.
"He said it's the least he could do since I'm the one that runs the school's website." Scott turned away from the room and motioned into the hallway. "We should get you settled in, Quinn. I'm sure you're tired after all the excitement tonight." As if on cue, Quinn released a loud yawn and had to shake her head to clear her brain of the drowsiness that had suddenly taken over.
"Scott is right, Quinn. You should get some rest." Rachel agreed. "I will make sure to speak to your teachers and bring over any work you miss over the next few days." Quinn nodded in acknowledgement.
"Thanks, Rach. You're the best." Finn helped Quinn carry her bags into the other bedroom, leaving Rachel and Scott alone in the living area.
"Thanks for being here tonight." Scott said as soon as the bedroom door shut behind the couple. "It means a lot to me, and I'm sure it does to Quinn as well."
"It's no trouble. I actually wanted to ask you about something." Rachel confessed.
"What's that?"
"I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me put together a performance. I was thinking it would be a good idea to sing to Quinn and let her know that we're here to support her, even though things may seem bleak." Scott smiled and nodded.
"Sure, I'd love to help you out, Rach."
"Great. Maybe we could meet at my house after glee rehearsal tomorrow? I would really like to do the performance on the day Quinn comes back."
"Yeah, after rehearsal tomorrow is fine. I'll meet you at your house." Rachel grinned and nodded.
"Okay. I'd better go. My dads are going to start wondering where I am."
"Alright. Would you mind telling Mr. Schue what's going on? I don't think Quinn's really up for going to Glee, and frankly I need to stay as far away from Finn as possible for a couple of days."
"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow." Rachel waved as she backed out of the apartment, shutting the door behind her. Finn chose that moment to walk out of the bedroom, gently shutting the door as he left.
"Quinn's in bed. I unpacked everything except her underwear and her personal bag that Mariah packed for her. I figured she'd want to go through that herself." Finn informed the boy. Scott nodded.
"Thanks. You should go ahead and go. Your mom's probably getting worried, and I need to get some shut-eye myself." Finn nodded, but stood still, his hands shoved into his pockets as he stared at his shoes.
"I'm really sorry about this evening. I seriously didn't mean to get you guys kicked out." Scott shrugged.
"Don't worry about it. I half expected it to happen anyway. Just not this soon. A week earlier and we would've ended up having to stay at your house. Thank god I try to plan ahead." Finn nodded.
"Yeah. I'll go ahead and go. Are you and Quinn coming in tomorrow?" Scott shook his head.
"No. Quinn needs to sleep off the stress from tonight, and I can't trust myself not to castrate the first football player to throw a slushy at someone. We both need a little cooling down. We should be back Wednesday."
"Okay. I'll…see you then." With that Finn left, shutting the door behind him. Scott checked in on Quinn to ensure that she was asleep, and after confirming that she was tucked into the red and white comforter, retired to his own room for the evening, making plans to drop by the Fabray household the next day, once he was sure Judy and Russell would both be out, to pick up some of his own possessions.
Alright, guys. Thanks a bunch for hanging in with me this far. For those of you reading this, rejoice, because starting next chapter, Quinn and Rachel's friendship is going to begin really evolving into something more. Next chapter will begin the Sectionals Saga of Disgraceful.