Brittany gave Ivan a careful look before leaning across the table and whispering to Rachel. "Can we talk in private?" It was a futile effort, Ivan wasn't deaf, just Russian. He had heard every word and Rachel was pretty sure he knew exactly what it was Brittany was saying.

Rachel gave Ivan a smile then turned her attention back to Brittany. "In order for Ivan to provide me adequate protection we have to trust one another. Nothing we say is in danger of being repeated. My Ivan is not a stool pigeon." Rachel looked back to Ivan with a smile. "Right Ivan?"

Ivan nodded as he spooned a bit of oatmeal into his mouth. "Right. Trust circle," he said with a muffle as he pointed to himself then to Rachel.

Rachel gave Brittany a confident smile. "See. Circle of trust."

Brittany rolled her eyes but didn't argue.

"Well are we ever going to talk about this marriage of yours?"

Rachel sipped her glass of orange juice. "You sound my like my dads. I got married I didn't join a convent."

Ivan chuckled but continued on with his oatmeal.

"Maybe we're worried about you. Did it occur to you that this is completely out of character for you? You just went to Vegas and got married. People don't actually do that in real life."

Rachel shrugged. "People elope all the time."

"People who are dating. Not people who barely speak to one another."

"Quinn and I speak every day. Sure it's mostly through texts but this is the millennium, this is how our generation talks to one another."

Rachel knew she was working with a thin rope but she wasn't going to let Brittany rain on her parade. She liked Quinn and sure she didn't plan on getting married this weekend but now that she was she was determined to make it work. It wasn't like her dance card was full these days anyway. Her last relationship had ended almost a year ago and there hadn't been anybody serious in her life since Finn died all those years ago.

"I thought if anybody would be on my side it would be you Brittany. You were the one person I was sure would understand where I'm coming from."

Brittany's face scrunched. "Why would you think I would understand?"

Rachel sighed. "Well, because of Santana."

This seemed to strike some sort of chord with Brittany. "What ABOUT Santana?"

Rachel shrugged doing her best not to sound judgmental. "Well Santana isn't the nicest person in the world Brittany. I don't know if you've ever noticed."

The confused look on her face told Rachel that Brittany hadn't noticed. She seemed shocked by the revelation. Rachel didn't quite understand how this could be news to her seeing as how Brittany had been witness to all of Santana's shenanigans over the years.

"Santana is a sweetheart. She treats me like a princess. She always has. Even when we were little."

Rachel laughed. That had always been the case. Rachel had known Santana and Brittany for years but she'd never seen them have so much as a disagreement. She was sure they fought like every other couple but after having been friends for nearly fifteen years she just hadn't ever seen it.

"She treats YOU like a princess because she loves you. But she's mean to everyone else. And that's putting it nicely. But that's the beauty of it. You don't care because you love her and you know she loves you. So you don't care what anybody else thinks of it."

Brittany's eyes tightened. "Can you tell me that you love her? Without a doubt, love her."

Rachel nodded. "Of course I do. She's my wife."

Ivan sipped his coffee. "Mrs. Rachel will make a good wife for Quinn. She's ready to settle down. Mrs. Rachel will be good for her. Quinn smiles all the time now. She's very happy."

Hearing that almost made Rachel smile. Quinn had seemed happy to her too but she hated to admit that she didn't spend that much time with her before this weekend. She'd always seemed pretty laid back and carefree. She'd just assumed that Quinn was a happy person. Of course she had no idea what kind of person Quinn was anymore, which she supposed was Brittany's point. Still she wouldn't admit it, she'd never admit it.

"See, I'll make a great wife. Everybody thinks so but you and Santana."

"And your dads," Brittany added quickly.

Rachel scoffed. Her dads had been mostly upset that they hadn't been invited to the wedding. They'd have taken a red eye to the moon to see their baby girl get married. The hardest part of the whole conversation with them had been trying to explain why she couldn't show them the video tape of the ceremony. Simply giving the video up would have been a healthy compromise. It would have at least dulled the sting they were feeling by being left out. Unfortunately for them Rachel had spent the entirety of the affair in a drunken stupor that she couldn't remember. Quinn had shoved the video in a drawer and Rachel hadn't even bothered to watch it. She assumed it was simply a reaffirmation of her irresponsible behavior.

"What time are you leaving today?" It was just as good a time as any to change the subject Rachel thought as she threw the question out like a fishing net.

"Our flight's at one o'clock. Santana wanted to leave earlier so she could pack but she couldn't get a seat in first class. So of course that plan went out the window."

Oh of course it did, Rachel thought. Santana couldn't fly like a normal person. On the flight out she'd complained about having to sit in the lounge with some crying kid and Rachel didn't hear the end of it for hours. Flying coach would never happen in a million years.

"She's packing once she gets home?"

Brittany nodded. "Yeah, she's got a movie starting in a few days in London. Something about spies. Then she comes home for a month before she leaves for LA for five weeks to make a sequel to that Killer Spiders movie on the Syfy channel."

Rachel had tried to watch Santana's starring role in Spiders Attack! Even on paper it sounded like a terrible idea, Santana starred as a world class scientist/ex-mercenary who led the human charge against giant killer spiders. Rachel had managed to sit through twenty minutes of the film before the whole thing had become too much for her. It seemed insane but it had been incredibly popular and now she was getting ready to make a sequel. Rachel couldn't understand it. But she'd never understood Santana's appeal. She was far and away the meanest and most spiteful person she'd ever met, yet everyone seemed to love her. Even Rachel considered her a friend.

"Great, good for her."

"With those two paychecks all we need is sixteen more trips and we'll have our house in the Hamptons paid off. Once that's done I'm finished with Vegas. If I spread the visits out I can be done in less than a year."

Rachel wondered what Quinn would think about that. From what she could tell Quinn had totally stolen Brittany's method of making money in Las Vegas and had mass produced it with her friends. Rachel had done the math and if Quinn had been right about Brittany's yearly earnings Quinn and her friends were bringing in over twenty million dollars a year. It seemed a nice easy way to make a buck and it wasn't illegal. It shouldn't have been a problem. But then again Quinn had told her friend Clev she'd been forced to fire someone named Evan. And strangely enough another guy named Evan had died. She wondered if it was the same guy.

Going back to New York seemed to be the last thing on Quinn's mind. Rachel watched as she walked around the hotel room inspecting each piece of furniture carefully, feeling the walls with her hands and inspecting the carpet. Rachel thought back to Quinn's assertation that the last hotel room had a hole in the floor and wondered if Quinn was cracking up again.

"Find anything?" She said with a mix of curiosity and worry.

Quinn shook her head. "I don't expect I will. They won't try and bug this room after I found the last one. Either that or they've done a much better job of hiding the bug. I mean I got lucky last time when I found that tiny hole in the floor."

Something in Rachel's mind seemed to click. Bugs? Holes in the floor. Someone was listening to them? What had they gotten on tape?

"Isn't it against the law for them to bug our bedroom? Who's doing this the FBI?"

Quinn nodded. "Probably. As for how legal it is for them to bug our bedroom? I couldn't tell you what's legal or not. I don't bog myself down with details. I do what's best for Quinn." She shrugged. "Well Quinn and Rachel now that we're married."

That seemed a silly thing to say but Rachel had inspected the small anarchy symbol tattooed on Quinn's finger. According to a small internet search the symbol meant that Quinn was an Anarchist. In fact a little bit of internet research revealed that all of her seemingly random tattoos had meaning. The Stars on her shoulders meant she was in a position of honor within her group. The matching stars on her knees meant she bowed to no authority, and indicated she was in a position of authority.

Rachel had been fascinated by the whole thing. She'd been online for hours searching many different pockets of information in hopes of better understanding Quinn's world. Matching the information she'd gleaned from Quinn's body with the information she'd read online had given her a better understanding of the woman she'd decided to share her life with.

According to Interpol Quinn was a wanted fugitive in Russia. Interpol stated she'd somehow managed to escape prison and high tail it to America. Due to extradition laws and Quinn being American born, extraditing her back to Russia wasn't going to happen. Quinn's tattoo of the bird with the suitcase seemed to confirm this story as true. According to the internet the tattoo meant that Quinn had in fact escaped from prison.

Rachel should have been appalled, she understood that. Guns, drugs, murder, prison breaks. Being with Quinn was simply asking for trouble. Yet something inside her had sparked when she read the information. It had been so encompassing that she'd rolled over a still sleeping Quinn and jumped her bones.

"I haven't seen any FBI agents hanging around."

Quinn nodded not bothering to turn away from the wall she was inspecting with her hand. "They're around. They're always around. Believe me. We're all constantly under surveillance and investigation. That's why it's important for you not to ask questions. The more you know the more trouble you'll get in if things go bad. I promise you if there is anything you need to know I'll tell you. Otherwise just trust that I have everything under control."

Rachel didn't doubt Quinn felt she had things under control. People like her always did. The irony lay in the fact that even though they often considered all the angles life had a way of throwing you curve balls. She'd learned that the hard way. A week ago she'd been a beloved Broadway star, now she was reviled and hated and married to a gangster. A huge curve ball.

"What happens if you get arrested and have to go inside?"

It was a fair question. In mafia movies everyone always got arrested. Sometimes they got long sentences, sometimes they got short sentences, sometimes they beat the charges but they all always got arrested.

The question finally got Quinn's attention enough to force her to turn around. She looked at Rachel with sympathetic eyes. "If I go inside I've figured out a way to have you provided for. As long as you're my wife you'll always be taken care of. As for how you chose to live your life," she shrugged. "You're free to see who you want to see as long as it ends when I get back. And provided they aren't one of my friends you're free to see who you want."

That wasn't exactly what Rachel wanted to know but she didn't press the issue. She'd never date any of Quinn's friends. Not that any of them were actually her type. Quinn wasn't even Rachel's type. Despite what Quinn did for a living she cared for her anyway. Quinn had never been a particularly nice person, that much had always been clear. But years of history had built bridges between them, and small acts of kindness had always peppered their relationship. When Finn had died Rachel had been visited by Quinn and the two of them had locked themselves in a hotel room for an entire weekend and mourned. It was something she'd never told anyone. Not even Santana and Brittany who'd both quietly seethed that Quinn hadn't made it back to Lima for the funeral. She cared for Quinn in spite of what she did for a living, in spite of who she was.

"I won't date your friends," Rachel said firmly as if to reiterate to Quinn that the possibility was off the table. She assumed Quinn already knew this but saying it aloud couldn't hurt.

Quinn nodded and turned her attention back to the wall. "I know. And they'd never date you. But who knows. Life is funny sometimes."

Quinn's friends had completely taken over the first class lounge at McCarran Airport. There were men drinking shots of Vodka and loudly playing dominoes while women chatting casually and riffled through magazines. It was always like this. Men on one side of the room, women on the other.

Rachel had decided it best to get with the program and had kept herself with the rest of the wives and girlfriends despite her desire to sit quietly by Quinn's side. Quinn had given her a wink but immediately afterward her attention had been squarely focused on a game of dominoes with Ivan. Rachel wasn't sure what the rules were to the game but she assumed they didn't involve large stacks of cash. According to Quinn's goblin tattoo she was a gambler and judging from the pile of money in front of her she was very good at it.

Rachel's new friend Mina had planted herself at Rachel's side and quietly made herself comfortable. With her status as Ekrem's girlfriend and Ekrem's status as Quinn's bodyguard Rachel assumed Mina would be one of the women she'd see on a regular basis and decided it best to play nice and befriend the woman.

Despite Quinn's assurance that Mina was friendly and would welcome her to the Vegas suite Rachel hadn't seen her once at the hotel. She hadn't seen any of the others either and when she'd asked Quinn where they were she'd been simply told, around. Rachel assumed with Quinn's black book status the others likely found places to stay that wouldn't hassle them much. In any case this hadn't seemed to effect the women's spirits in any way, most of them had seemingly been shopping. Mina was hardly dressed what Rachel would call casually. She was wearing a pair of black tights with high heeled Jimmy Cho shoes and a blouse that looked as if it cost a fortune. Sitting beside her in jeans and sneakers Rachel felt underdressed.

"Did you have a good time?"

Mina only shrugged. "Not really. Ekrem and I like to gamble but the casino wouldn't let him play so I stayed at another hotel so I could. We went to a show together and dinner but I spent most of my time alone playing the slot machines across the street. Even then they kept watching me as if I was going to rob the place."

"I don't gamble," Rachel admitted. Money wasn't something to fool around with. Her fathers had always told her that.

"You bought some nice things though right. What's the point of coming to Las Vegas if you leave with nothing?"

Rachel nodded. "I did. I went shopping. I had to go buy another dress this morning though for the funeral."

Mina shook her head with pity. "Poor Evan. Always the playboy. Everyone tells him to slow down and follow rules but he doesn't and look what happens. Shot by gang members in Harlem."

Rachel's mind jumped back to Quinn's words. Somebody shot him. We have to show our support. "What happened to him?"

Mina shrugged. "I don't know. I heard he got an important new job but then he got arrested. A few days later he's found dead in Harlem. I think the gang members shot him for moving in on their territory. Evan sold drugs. Everyone told him how dangerous it was but he didn't listen. American drug dealers are vicious. You ever watch that show The Wire? They're dangerous criminals. Especially the guys on the street corners. Most of them don't take kindly to you moving in on their corners."

Rachel had seen a couple of episodes of The Wire on HBO. She'd found it a bit too complicated and violent for her tastes. The only thing that had remotely caught her interest was the gay guy but he was the most violent person on the show.

"I seen a few episodes of that show. It was very violent."

Mina nodded. "I told Stephanie this but she says Evan has everything under control. Now he's dead and she's all alone."

"Stephanie was his girlfriend?"

"Yes. For two years they were together."

"What happens to her now?"

Mina shrugged. "If he put money away for her she'll be fine. But Evan was stubborn, I'm betting he didn't. I told her she chose wrong when she settled down with him but she liked the way he looked. Stephanie is very vain. At least if he didn't put money away for her she can find a new guy. Ivan for example. He doesn't say much and he's a very large man but Ekrem says he's smart and sends money back to the Ukraine for his mother. Any man who takes good care of his mother will take very good care of you. He'll make a good man. If Stephanie is smart she'll spend a few months in mourning but call him over to hang a shelf, or cut her grass in the meanwhile. Eventually he'll make a move. After an appropriate amount of time has passed."

"So it's okay for her to date him as long as Evan hasn't provided for her?"

"Yes. If he takes care of her when he's gone she belongs to him. Forever. She can date a new man but not any man he knows or who knew him. Like a man from the straight world will be okay. But if he provided for her in order for her to do this she'd have to move away. Out of Brooklyn and away from everyone. If he was simply in jail she'd be able to come back when he gets home but with Evan being dead if he provided for her and she dates a new man she can never come back."

Rachel's brow furrowed. "What if she did? Come back I mean?"

Mina shrugged. "She'd be forced to leave. To come back would be disrespectful to him. And nobody would be allowed to speak to her ever again." She thought it over. "She could come back to visit her family but only on important days. Nobody bothers you about that. You have to see your family. But you can't stay unless something serious happens. Somebody dies or get sick for example. We can visit you then, say hello, and offer our support. But afterwards you go away again."

Rachel frowned. "It sounds complicated."

"It's not. It doesn't happen unless a man goes away. Men always go away but if he takes care of you, you can stay. You just have to wait for him. If you don't want to wait alone you move away and come back with him when he's finished with jail. No big deal. If he doesn't take care of you, you can stay and find a new man."

"Will Ekrem provide for you?"

Mina smiled. "Yes, he provides for me. If he goes away I'll wait for him however long it takes. If he isn't going to come home ever again." She shrugged. "I'll move away. He's a good man. I don't want to disrespect him in front of his friends."

Rachel thought back to Quinn's statement that she'd found a way to provide for her if something were to go wrong. It hadn't even been a conversation. She'd just stated it with confidence and without a second thought.

"Quinn seems like she'd be a great provider."

Mina seemed to agree. "Quinn is very generous. Ekrem says he doesn't mind driving for her because he makes just as much money as all the others. And he gets to meet all the important people. She helped him find our house and gave us expensive gold silverware as a housewarming gift."

"She says she really likes Ekrem," Quinn hadn't said as much but Rachel knew it was true by the way she treated the guy.

Mina smiled. "You're very lucky. You will be very happy."

"I think so. I just don't want to do anything stupid. I don't want to make a mistake and embarrass her. I come from a different world than this. I don't know what the rules are."

"Don't worry about the rules. You're a smart girl. Not like Stephanie for example. You picked a provider. Just follow my lead and I'll make sure you don't do anything wrong."

Rachel's mind drifted back to Evan. Quinn had said she'd had to fire Evan for making a mistake and Mina was saying he'd been killed in Harlem encroaching on some drug dealer's territory. Sounds like the guy wasn't very smart. Quinn had told her the very first day in Vegas that Brittany's scheme was all about not being greedy. Not drawing attention to yourself by landing a huge payday. Poor Evan hadn't learned that lesson. She'd be much smarter than Evan and Stephanie. Much smarter.

Again thanks for the love. I appreciate your input and hope you're enjoying the story so far. I always try to do something different than what we're all accustomed to reading. I try to write the type of stories I'd enjoy reading. I guess that's why they're all sort of weird and crazy. BTW, I know Rachel comes across as sort of unusually accepting in this story but remember, when something doesn't quite make sense I'm usually going somewhere. ~Empty Pen~