Chapter 37
After spending a day in Connecticut to help Lia cope, they all head back to Lima. Lia seems preoccupied in her thoughts on the drive back, so Quinn and Rachel decide to leave her to them. Quinn is also deep in her thoughts. She's relieved that Lia's nightmares appear to have seized, but who knows if it's permanent. Of course she hopes that it is, and that Lia can start moving forward.
When they get to Lima, they drop Rachel off first then Quinn asks if Lia wants to come over to her house, but surprisingly she declines. As they pull up in front of Lia's house, she tells Quinn that she loves her and that she'll call her later. Quinn kisses her on the cheek then watches her go inside.
Lia scans what's left of her living room and sighs. She has to clean this mess up and figure out what to do with everything else. The trip to CT was an eye opening experience and she hasn't had a nightmare the last few times she's closed her eyes since. Seeing their graves and breaking down completely has somewhat eased the pain a bit, but she still has a long way to go. Now that her mind isn't as congested, she can start to sort through everything in the house and maybe sell it. She'll have no use for it after graduation seeing as the plan is to go to New York.
She takes a deep breath then starts to pick up all the broken pieces of furniture and glass. The couch and TV seem to have survived the wreck, but the same cannot be said for the coffee and end tables, or some picture frames and lamps. She piles all the wood and glass in one corner and pushes the salvageable stuff in another. Next she grabs her computer and researches a nearby drop off location for a non-profitable organization that takes donations. She prints out a page for one and puts it on the fridge.
After going through the guest bedroom and the basement, she decides it's time to go through her parents' room. She's tried to avoid it for as long as she could, but now it's the only room left to look through; Julian must have come and got all of his things when she disappeared for a while. As she walks in, she gets the chills, but tries to shake them off and move forward. Starting with the dresser, she slowly runs her fingers over everything and imagines her mother standing here putting on her perfume or grabbing her earrings in a rush to get to work. Lia blinks away her tears then quickly throws said items into a bag, along with other valuable things. Clothes and shoes are next, as for whatever else that can't be donated such as papers or pictures, is thrown into a box to be sorted through at a later time.
Lia puts everything in the living room by the other things to be donated. She has to stop for a minute as she feels like she could lose it at any moment. It might be a bit too soon to be doing this, but it has to be done, and the sooner it's all gone, the sooner she won't have to see it. She takes a deep breath and calms herself down before texting Puck to come to her house with a couple of the other guys first thing in the morning. Without waiting for a reply, she goes to take a long hot shower; tomorrow is going to be a long day.
When the doorbell rings at eight in the morning, Lia bounds down the stairs to greet a displeased looking Puck along with Mike and Sam. She doesn't say anything as she opens the door for them to come in.
"Lia, it's eight o'clock on a vacation day, would you like to tell us why we're here?" Puck asks impatiently and she rolls her eyes.
"You guys are going to help me with all this shit." She waves her hand across the living room. "I don't need it, so I thought why not give it to people who do." She shrugs.
"So that's what the moving truck is for outside?" Sam asks and she nods.
"I just need you guys to help carry the big stuff. TVs, bedframes, mattresses, blah blah."
"Why? I mean why are you doing this?" Puck furrows his eyebrows.
"Like I said before, I don't need it." she then turns around and waves them to the guest bedroom.
She tells them to bring everything to the truck; the TV, the bed, the end tables, etc. Then she says the same for her parents' room, the living room, and the basement. The boys nod and get to work. Lia had already put all the bags of clothes and shoes, a couple lamps, and paintings in the truck. She also took all the drawers out of the dressers to make it easier for the boys to carry. As they go back and forth, Lia makes them sandwiches for when they get hungry and also to occupy herself so she doesn't have to watch everything be taken away.
"This place is going to be pretty empty from now on." Mike comments as they walk into the kitchen.
"That's the idea." Lia hands them their sandwiches and a bottle of water each.
"Don't you want to keep some things?" Sam asks around a mouthful.
"Yea, like the beds in case anyone wants to crash after a party or something?" Puck adds.
"There won't be any more parties here. Just because I'm the only one living here doesn't mean I'm going to turn this into some bachelor pad for everyone to hang in."
"Why not? I mean that would be so awesome! We could–"
"Noah! I said no." Lia gives him a look that tells him he's crossed a line, so he nods and finishes his sandwich silently.
When the boys are done eating, they move to the basement where they struggle to get the pool table up the stairs. Puck wants to protest giving it away, but he knows her decision is final. He almost cries out when he sees her put the game system and games into the truck, and Sam pats him on the back sympathetically. He feels the memories of partying with the glee club going along with the things being loaded into the truck. He knows that this is a life changing event for Lia and just because seeing it all go isn't right for him, doesn't mean it isn't right for her, so he sucks it up and helps the person he holds a special place in his heart for.
After the truck is all loaded and the house pretty much empty, Lia grabs the paper off the fridge and they drive not very far to the drop off location. Once there, volunteers from the organization help unload the truck and count the donations: two mattresses, box springs, and bed frames, three bedside lamps, three end tables, two sofas and love seats, one recliner, four flat screen TVs, six bags of clothes, three bags of shoes, one bag of jewelry and perfumes/cologne, one pool table with all pool balls and four pool sticks, two dressers, one game system with five games and eight different controllers, three paintings, and a bunch of other miscellaneous things. Lia then fills out some paperwork and they're done. The owner of the organization gives her a big hug and thanks her profusely. She smiles at him and feels tremendously better for the time being.
Walking into a mostly empty house feels weird, but Lia knows she did what had to be done. Soon enough graduation will be here and she won't have to think about this house anymore. She barely just turned eighteen and all these adult responsibilities are thrust upon her. Now is the time to pull everything together and do what she can to shape her future. Breaking down and pushing everyone away isn't going to cut it anymore. Picking up her phone, she texts Mercedes, Santana, Brittany, and Mike to meet her tomorrow morning at her house.
Lia can already hear the grumbling on the other side of the door before she gets down the stairs. Before she can open the door all the way, Santana pushes past her with her arms folded. Lia rolls her eyes and allows the others in before addressing them all.
"As you can see, my house is practically empty. And since it is, I thought why not use it to practice."
"Practice for what exactly?" Santana huffs.
"Regionals. We only have about two and half weeks left, and I doubt you guys did anything in my absence."
"So you wake us up at the ass crack of dawn during our vacation to practice for regionals? Since when did you turn into the midge?" the Latina gripes.
"Her name is Rachel, and do you want to win regionals or not? Because if not then you can go home right now and the glee club will be one less thing I have to worry about." They all glare at Santana until she sighs.
"Fine, but I'm going to need some coffee up in this bitch before we do anything."
"I thought you'd say so." Lia leads them into the kitchen where there are donuts and coffee waiting for them.
They all sit on the living room floor sipping coffee and eating donuts while Lia and Mercedes go through potential songs. They need something soulful yet could be danced to. They spend all morning on the computer while Mike and Brittany play around with some dance moves.
Quinn stares at her phone wondering why Lia hasn't called since they got back from CT. She doesn't want to be pushy or seem clingy, so she hasn't tried to call her first. So instead, she calls Rachel and asks if she's talked to Lia at all, and when the brunette says no, she can't help but wonder if Lia's mad at them.
"You don't think she's mad at us, do you? For making her go see her parents?" Quinn asks worriedly.
"I honestly don't know. I thought we were on good terms. Do you think she is mad at us and just played it off like she wasn't so she wouldn't hurt our feelings? She wouldn't do that, would she?"
"She said she was going to call me after I dropped her off, but she hasn't and that was two days ago…Rach, I think we really screwed up. What if she's completely lost it and took off again? I mean…I don't…I…"
"Quinn, calm down. I'm sure she's just taking time to regroup herself. She's been through a lot the past month and a half." Rachel tries to assure the blonde.
"And we haven't? Come on, Rach, you know how much of a mess I was when she was gone."
"I do, but I don't think you're being fair right now, Quinn. We can't possible know how she feels after everything that happened. I'm not saying that disappearing for a month was right, or that how you felt wasn't real, but we have to understand that she lost her parents and by some extent her brother. We can't freak out every time she doesn't call for a couple of days." Quinn sighs and rubs her face.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me."
"I know what hasn't gotten into you." The brunette jokes.
"Rachel!" Quinn squeals. "That was very Puckerman of you."
"Oh gosh, I know! I don't know why I said that." They both burst out laughing.
They find the perfect song and immediately get to work. Mercedes runs through it while the rest come up with a dance routine. They think of course Lia could dance, is there anything that she can't do? She's like the most perfect human being. Lia laughs as Brittany voices that thought because clearly she isn't perfect. Far from it, if the last month and a half says anything. Mercedes singing this song on the other hand, now that's perfection. It fits her voice and is great for dancing. They work work work until it's dark outside and everyone is exhausted. Lia tells them to meet her at the same time tomorrow as they walk out the front door, groaning in protest.
This is good for Lia. It's a great distraction and she's doing one of the things she loves. She feels excited for the first time in a while and she thinks she's going to be ok; she'll make it through this. She'll make her parents proud of the adult that she's becoming and the future she's planning for herself and the people she loves.
After taking a shower, Lia throws on some boxers and a t-shirt. She's about to call Quinn when the doorbell rings. Looking at the clock, Lia furrows her eyebrows and wonders who could be at her door this late. Answering the door reveals a sheepish Quinn on the other side. Lia smiles questioningly at the blonde then pulls her inside.
"What are you doing here? I was just about to call you."
"I know it's late and I–what happened to your living room?" Quinn echoes.
"Oh um, I donated everything. The whole house is pretty empty actually, except for my room." Lia shrugs.
"What? Why?" Quinn moves wide eyes to her girlfriend.
"I felt like doing something good for once. A lot of people need those things more than I do right now." the blonde softens at Lia's genuine answer and takes her hand.
"Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped."
"I know, but it was just something I had to do."
"Clearly you couldn't have done everything by yourself if it's only been a couple days." Quinn quirked an eyebrow.
"Noah, Sam, and Mike helped with the heavy lifting." Quinn purses her lips and sets her brow.
"You let Puck help, but not me?" Lia chuckles a little.
"Am I detecting a bit of jealousy?" Quinn huffs which only makes Lia laugh more. "Tell me, who do I love?"
Lia wraps her arms around Quinn's waist as the blonde looks away with a hint of blush in her cheeks.
"Quinn, who do I love?"
"Me." she mumbles.
"Uh huh, and who's my very gorgeous girlfriend?" Lia tightens her arms when she doesn't answer right away.
"Me." she repeats.
"Mmm, and who will I be making love to tonight?" the brunette whispers seductively.
Quinn looks up into blown out golden eyes and her heart flutters.
"Me?"
Lia nods and kisses her on the neck then her jaw and finally her lips. They kiss hungrily for a moment until Quinn pulls away and asks her what happened to make her so at ease. Lia tells her that she's spent enough time moping around and that she needs to move forward with her life if she's ever going to be happy again. That seems a good enough answer for Quinn because she immediately dives back into kissing her girlfriend. Lia picks her up and carries her up the stairs where they can continue on her bed.
Lia has them both undressed in two seconds flat and is kissing up a pale stomach. Quinn's heart is pounding she's so anxious. She didn't think this would happen again for a very long while. An excited gasp escapes her mouth when a wet tongue meets an erect nipple and fingertips tickle up her ribs. She runs her fingers through brunette hair and scratches at Lia's scalp when teeth replace tongue.
Tan knees nudge long legs apart as Lia settles down between them. She then kisses and nips along Quinn's neck and jaw. She slowly starts to rotate her hips and listens to the ragged breaths in her ear. Smooth hands run up and down her back as she smirks into the blonde's collarbone, and then bites her chin. One hand finds its way into soft hair as the other roams down the opposite direction. The brunette slips her tongue into an awaiting mouth as her fingers find wet warmth.
Remembering exactly what her girlfriend likes, Lia circles her pulsing clit, working her up good before slipping one then two fingers deep into her. Quinn careens off the bed in pure pleasure as the fingers start a slow torturing pace. Lia smiles down at her girlfriend with a glint her eyes. Long fingers grip shiny locks and pull a smirking mouth close to a panting one. A moan reverberates against pink lips and eyelids droop heavily as hips push to meet fingers. Lia kisses Quinn before slowing her pace even further. She drops her head to a sweaty neck as Quinn whimpers, but then cries out as the pace increases exponentially.
"Don't…don't…nng don't stop. God don't ever stop!" Quinn moans.
"I wouldn't go as far as calling me a god, but I'm pretty close." Lia smirks as she relentlessly continues to pound into Quinn.
"You are so–oh," Lia hit her g-spot. "Smug right now."
"And you my dear are about to come." She whispers right into her ear as she curls her fingers and pinches her clit.
Quinn scratches down Lia's back leaving angry red marks as she arches up and opens her mouth in a silent scream. Lia just watches her as she comes down and a content smile settles on her face. She kisses her eyelids then her cheeks and nose. When Quinn opens her eyes, she smiles up at her girlfriend then pulls her into a soft slow kiss. They lie on top of each other and kiss like they have all the time in the world yet like they are trying to engrave every touch of their tongues and lips to memory. The love pours out of their heated bodies and fills the room with enough charge to spark a flame.
"I've missed you." Quinn whispers when they pull apart, and Lia knows exactly what she means.
"I'm not going anywhere this time. I promise." Lia proclaims as she rests their foreheads together.
"Good, because I won't let you." The brunette smiles then kisses soft lips once more before lying her head down on Quinn's bare chest. "I know this is probably stupid, but I thought that you were maybe mad at me for taking you to Connecticut and that's why you haven't called in two days."
"I have to admit that at first I was furious because you undermined what I was telling you, but now I'm thankful that you did."
"So that had nothing to do with why you didn't call?"
"Not at all. I was just preoccupied with going through everything, and then today I was working with Mercedes, Santana, Brittany, and Mike for regionals."
"Oh yea? What about the rest of the club?" Lia could sense her jealousy again so she chuckles.
"I want to get the routine down before I bring everyone else in. We're going to be the main part of the performance, so everyone else doesn't need a lot of time to practice."
"Mmhm, Rachel is going to be livid that she wasn't included sooner."
"Yea I know, but she'll get over it."
They stay silent for a while until Lia speaks.
"I've been thinking about my future and what I want."
"And what is it that you want?" Quinn asks as she runs her fingers through sweat slicked hair.
"You. That's all I've ever wanted. A future with you in it is enough for me. If there was nothing else that I could have, I would be ok because I'd have you." The blonde has to fight back tears as she listens to her beautiful girlfriend. "After we get our acceptance letters and graduate from McKinley, I'll get us a nice brownstone in Greenwich Village close to school and we'll be set until we graduate. Then we'd figure out what we want to do next, stay in New York, or go somewhere else. I'd follow you to Mars and back if you wanted me to."
Quinn can't hold her tears anymore, so they're flowing down the side of her face when Lia looks up at her. Wiping them away, Lia looks deep into Quinn's eyes and pours her heart out.
"I love you, Quinn. And I don't think I'll ever love anyone else as much as I love you. I promise I'll never abandon you or hurt you intentionally for as long as you'll let me." Quinn lets out a shuddery breath then kisses her wonderful girlfriend for all she's worth.