Hi everyone, happy (late) New Year! Here's chapter 9, this chapter focuses on some of the friendships within the story so I hope you enjoy getting to know some of the characters a little better. All mistakes are mine, enjoy!
Violet slumped down onto Charlie's bed the Friday after their first week back at school after the Christmas break. The holidays were quiet, but they didn't seem as lonely as they used to when it was just her and Graham in their tiny apartment trying their best to ignore one another.
"My geography teacher set me a 2,000 word assignment on climate change. It's a big deal and everything but why? We've been back for five days." Charlie complained, joining Violet on the bed.
Violet laughed at her friends complaints as she checked her phone to see if she had any new messages from Rachel. She'd been a little distant over the past few days, so Violet figured she was gearing herself up to telling Violet she was going to Ohio.
It made her feel uneasy, Rachel actually seeing Finn after all their years apart. She was terrified that he'd want nothing to do with them.
As though she could read her mind, Charlie sat up and asked her about it.
"So, any news on the plans to finally meet the infamous Finn Hudson?" Charlie had noticed it wasn't Violet's favourite topic for discussion, but knew it was her job as Violet's older sister figure to make her feel comfortable about taking about it.
She too had 'daddy issues' of some sort and always secretly longed to know her father. However she'd never breath a word about it to her mom. She's done an incredible job at raising her and Dylan practically alone, she wouldn't risk hurting her just so she could meet the guy who knocked her up and bailed on her.
"I have a feeling Rachel's going to tell me she's going to Ohio." Violet answered simply.
She wondered is Rachel's distance was rubbing off on her, and Charlie was picking up on it.
"Vi, you can talk to me about it if you want. You know I'm never going to judge you when it comes to your second family."
'Second family' is what they'd taken to calling Violet's new situation. Lucy and her family still felt like Violet's family, but now Rachel and technically Finn were a part of it, so the friends decided to split it into two families.
"I know, it's just hard to talk about. Especially when Dylan's around. I know he doesn't like them." Violet whispered, feeling guilty about keeping things from Dylan.
Charlie knew her brother better than anyone else, and knew that his resentment towards Rachel was just him feeling scared that he'd loose Violet all together.
"He's looking out for you, he's just not expressing it in the best way. Besides, he's not here right now. I won't tell him anything you don't want me to. It's going to take everyone a while to get used to it. Grandma is still convinced Rachel's in kahoots with Graham." She rolled her eyes.
Violet laughed, knowing Judy was always sceptical about new things.
"Rachel wants closure. I get that, I really do. She wants Finn to know since technically he has a right to be involved in my life as much as Rachel does, and she wants to know where he stands. I want to know too... I'm just scared she'll get there and he wants nothing to do with us. It'll just be one more person that wants nothing to do with me. I don't mean to sound sorry for mys-"
"Stop right there." Charlie cut her off with her no nonsense tone taught to her by her mother.
"First of all, you are not feeling sorry for yourself. You've been thrown into this crazy situation so you have every right to feel scared and confused. Secondly, if Finn wants nothing to do with you then it's his loss, not yours. You are smart, talented, kind, thoughtful and beautiful. You don't need him because you have so many people who would murder someone for you. He'd want to be pretty stupid to not want a daughter like you. If he doesn't, fuck him, you have us."
Violet had looked up to Charlie for as long as she could remember. She left a trail of confidence behind her wherever she went and had a presence that instantly made you want her to like you. To hear her say all these amazing things about her made Violet feel mostly embarrassed, but for the first time, she felt like she finally caught an ounce of Charlies's confidence.
"Thank you Lotty." Violet hugged her friend, wrapping her long, skinny arms around the petite girl.
Charlie gagged and hugged her back.
"Don't call me that, it sounds way to similar to fucking Charlotte. Of all the names mom could've given me."
"It's a beautiful name, Charlotte Fabray."
Both girls jumped at the sound of Lucy's voice, at turned to see her leaning against the door frame.
"Yeah ok, Quinn." Charlie added sarcastically, causing all three girls to cringe.
"Only Rachel is allowed to call me that! Hearing her call me Lucy was bizarre. You girls ok?" She asked softly. She overheard her daughter's advice to Violet and made her heart burst. Violet was warming to Rachel at her own pace, but was happy that she still felt comfortable enough to share her worries with Charlie.
Charlie looked at Violet for approval to tell her about their talk. Once she received a nod of approval, she quickly filled her mom in.
"Vi was a little worried about the whole Finn situation, but she's feeling better now."
Lucy nodded and joined the girls on the bed.
"There's no promising what kind of guy Finn will be, but no matter what happens, Rachel and all of us here will love and support you more than you'll ever know. Promise you won't forget that?"
Violet nodded. "Promise."
Quinn hadn't told the girls, but before arriving home she had been at Rachel's apartment having a similar conversation.
She received a nervous call from Rachel who was about to book a ticket, but insisted on needing 'moral support' by her side as she did it.
When she arrived, she was surprised to see Santana Lopez lazing on the couch where Rachel's laptop sat. She knew Rachel had kept in contact with her, but it was strange seeing her after all these years with no notice.
"Well if it isn't Quinn Fabray. Looking good Q, body certainly bounced back considering you popped out 3 of Puckerman's kids."
She pulled her into an unexpected hug as Rachel starred daggers at the brunette. Quinn didn't care that Rachel told Santana about what happened, considering she was also an adult figure in Violet's life, but it was weird hearing the words come out of her mouth considering she hadn't seen her since they were sixteen.
"Nice to see you to Santana. Nice to see you got out of Sue's tight grasp alive."
"Just about." Santana rolled her eyes and headed beck towards the couch where Rachel was nervously tapping away at her laptop.
"Is this really the best idea? I mean he's probably moved on with his life. He's probably married with kids and doesn't need me barging in demanding he be a part of Violet's life."
"Slow down. Remember, you're only going to see Kurt. That's not too scary. And you're not demanding that he be a part of Violet's life. You're simply informing him of the new situation." Quinn answered, placing a comforting hand on Rachel's bouncing leg, a nervous trait she clearly shares with Violet.
"That's some sweet advice Q, but I don't think you should let him off that easy Rach. Violet's his kid too and don't pretend this hasn't been hard on you both because anyone with eyes can clearly tell it's been tough. You've stepped up to be there for her, I'm not saying you shouldn't have, but she's his responsibility as much as she is yours."
"That makes Violet sound like an inconvenience." Quinn cut in defensively.
"No it doesn't. I love the kid, she's great. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't give Hudson the easy way out."
"What do you have against Finn?" Rachel asked no one in particular.
"Nothing, but you're more important." Both Santana and Quinn replied in unison, looking at each other in surprise.
"But like I said, for now you just have to deal with Kurt." Quinn stated firmly.
"Technically she doesn't have to do anything. You don't owe him anything." Santana shrugged.
"I owe him the truth. Violet is half his." Rachel mumbled weakly.
"You're overthinking it." Quinn said calmly, noticing a slight tension in the air. She wasn't sure if anyone else was feeling it, but knew both her and Santana only had Rachel's best interest at heart.
"Q's right, break it down. Lady Hummel will be easy to deal with. He'll tell you Finn's situation and then you can bite the bullet and fill him in."
"Exactly, and if he has no interest, his loss."
Quinn could still see how nervous Rachel was. She looked past her to see Santana, who also seemed to be picking up on it.
"I know it would be nice if Finn was up to meeting Violet, but you've been doing great by yourself. As nice as it would be to have him, you don't need him." Santana spoke slowly, obviously being careful with her words. Quinn had never heard Santana speak to someone with so much care in her voice.
She reminded herself that Santana went through everything with Rachel. Violet's birth and adoption, her breakup with Finn, the heartbreak with her husband and daughter. They share pain with one another and clearly understand one another on a much closer level. Quinn was happy the angry teenage Santana she once knew found someone to be there for her.
"Ok, you're right. We'll be fine without him. Thank you, both of you. I can do this."
"We know you can, we were just waiting for you to believe you can."
"After all these years you're still busting out cringe worthing one liners? Some things never change." Santana lightly picked her in the arm, learning over Rachel as she does so.
"Ok." Rachel sighed, pressing the button to confirm her trip for the following week.
"We're here no matter what he says, Rach. You're stuck with us." Santana winked at Quinn as the trapped her in a supportive hug.
"I was right. Rachel's going to Ohio on Friday morning." Violet mumbled quietly into the phone almost a week later. It was a cold Wednesday night, and she had immediately rang Charlie once Rachel told her.
"You're sure you're ok with this? I promise I'll only be gone for three days." Rachel had asked her nervously when she told her that afternoon.
"Of course. I...I kinda talked to Charlie and Lucy about it, they reminded me that it doesn't matter how Finn reacts. We're doing great together and we have friends that'll love us no matter what.""How'd it go?" Charlie asked, knowing by the tone of her friends voice that she was ok, but knew she should double check. Through all the let downs over the years, she knew Violet had become an expert at disguising her emotions.
"Ok actually. I think she knew I was nervous about it and when I told her I was nervous she admitted she was nervous too."
"Well it's good that you're on the same page. Do you feel a little better now that the air has cleared?"
Violet thought about her answer for a moment. Rachel hadn't seemed so distant over the past few days, and now that she'd told her, everything did seem clearer. Her gut feeling was relief, but she couldn't bring herself to think about Finn. Every time she tried, her stomach did an uneasy flip. She made a deal with herself to just take things as they came.
"I feel a lot better, I'm just nervous of the outcome so I'm trying not to think about it. I'm really looking forward to staying with you while Rachel's away though. Don't get me wrong- I love living with Rachel. I miss you and Dyl though. I think I need a sleepover."
Charlie smiled into the phone. She loved how comfortable Violet was becoming with her new life. Of course she and her family were still a huge part of it, but learning to share Vi was something that was still taking a bit of getting used to. She did however love the fact that there was someone to share Violet with, and that she wasn't so alone anymore.
"We're honoured you chose staying with us over staying with Santana. I think Mom's the happiest of all, the fact that you chose her over Santana makes it pretty obvious there's still some high school rivalry between them. It's funny though, I'm glad Mom has friends again."
Violet knew Charlie was talking about her mom. After Cora died, Lucy put her all into taking care of all three kids as though they were her own, Violet included. She too was glad Lucy had friends that she could spend time with to get away from it all.
"I'm happy they've all become close again. It makes us feel like even more of a family."
Friday arrived sooner than both Rachel and Violet expected. Rachel nervously packed the rest of her things as Violet collected her school books needed for the day ahead, along with her overnight bag.
"How nervous are you?" Santana asked Rachel as Violet stepped into the passenger seat of her car. She'd promised to give Violet a ride to school and then drop Rachel to the airport, so figured one run with both of them would be easier, even if that did mean the car was filled with a nervous tension.
"Around the same level I was when I gave birth, both times." Rachel added, pulling out her phone and using the camera to make sure she looked decent.
"You look great, Rachel." Violet assured, knowing the main reason Rachel was so nervous was because she didn't want to disappoint her.
"Yep, you don't look a day over 34." Santana winked at Violet in the review mirror.
"I'm only 32!" Rachel snapped, causing Santana to end up in hysterics.
"Chill Berry, don't get your undies in a twist. You look hot, and you're not even trying to impress the straight guy today. Can't wait to see what bomb you drop for him. Send a pic so I can approve it."
"I didn't realise you were the fashion police." Rachel said sarcastically, putting her phone away.
"You should know that by now. You should've seen the way she dressed in school Vi. No outfit was complete without a grandma cardigan and some knee high socks."
"Santana!" Rachel complained as Violet tried to stop a laugh escaping her lips, which ultimately she failed at.
"Knee high socks?" Violet laughed, unable to imagine the stylish Rachel she knows in knee high socks.
"It was cool back then." She replied, receiving a silent head shake from Santana paired with a judgemental look.
They arrived at Violet's school a few minutes later, and Violet turned around to hug both Rachel and Santana goodbye.
"Have fun at Quinn's, sweetie. Call or text at anytime. I'll text tonight to see how you are." Rachel whispered as she hugged her.
"Thanks Rachel, good luck with...well, everything."
Rachel nervously laughed and hugged Violet one more time before finally letting go of her so she can go to school. She moved into the passenger seat next to Santana as they began the journey to the airport.
"Where are you staying?" Santana asked, knowing that she'd be more than welcome at her parents house if she hadn't already made arrangements. Rachel's dads moved out of Lima years ago and knew she had no other family in Ohio.
"Oh I'm just gonna get a motel room. I'll have a nice quiet evening and hope the walls aren't too thin. It's only for two nights so I'll be fine."
Rachel was pretty quiet the rest of the journey, despite Santana's attempts to chat. She pulled up to the drop off area of the airport and turned in the drivers seat so she could look at Rachel properly.
"You ready for this?"
Rachel took a deep breath as she grabbed her bag. "Ready as I'll ever be."
"I'm so proud of you. Quinn is too. We'll both be at the other end of the phone at all times if you need us, but you've got this."
Rachel nodded as Santana leaned in for a hug, both girls pulling back a minute later. Rachel stepped out of the car as Santana rolled down the window.
"Good luck. Get some breadstix while you're there." Santana winked and Rachel rolled her eyes, turned around and made her way towards the large glass doors of the airport.
"No turning back now, I guess."