Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.
Spoilers: None
Rating: T/minor M to be safe.
Important notes:
David & Josiah Berry are Papa David & Papa Josiah to everyone. Rachel calls them Dad & Daddy.
Carmen & Carlos Lopez are Mamí & Papí for everyone. Quinn and Rachel call them Mamí Carmen & Papí Carlos.
Jennifer & Michael Pierce are Mama & Papa Pierce to everyone. Brittany calls them Mama & Daddy.
Notes: I have decided that instead of having the language translations at the bottom of the chapter, I am going to be put it in italics at the end of the translation's corresponding sentence. The translations will be in bold and italics.
Notes 2: I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update. I was sick for the whole week before, and of, Christmas, and have been working on this since then. I made this one extra-long to make up for the wait.
Btw, Stella is Italian for 'star', while Estrella is the Spanish equivalent.
Quinn is 11 weeks pregnant (3 months)
Enjoy! :)
*Rachel's house – 12:45 p.m.*
Once everyone, excluding the boys, is back at Rachel's house, Josiah goes about making hot chocolate for the kids. Quinn immediately heads upstairs to brush her teeth and falls asleep almost instantly.
She is absolutely exhausted from getting no sleep and her earlier panic attack.
Rachel stays in here with her. She has been calling Santana on and off for the past 20 minutes, in between texting Brittany, who is out with Jacob, looking for the Latina.
Britt said that sometime during Quinn's panic attack, she stormed off and never came back. The Diva is not surprised by this – Santana likes to be strong for them. She keeps her anger pent up inside until she explodes.
Honestly, she is surprised it took her this long. She was expecting it – Santana disappearing because she does not want to explode in anger in front of people – to happen sometime earlier this week, maybe even back on Monday.
She soon gets a text from Britt letting her that they found Santana and are bringing her back to Rachel's house.
It is 15 minutes before she hears the door slam downstairs, and another 10 before she gathers enough courage to tiptoe out of her bedroom and to the halfway point on her stairs.
She can distinguish Brittany yelling at Santana – you aren't the only upset by this, San! Just talk to me! We are all going through this together, y'know!
She hears Santana's reply but… it is different this time. It is like a mixture of Spanish and English but also… not the normal kind of a mix between the two languages.
Rachel is pulled out of her thoughts by Santana storming past her up the staircase. The guest bedroom's door slamming is the last thing she hears as she walks the rest of the way down the steps, the hallway, and through the living room as she looks for Brittany.
She finds the dancer in the kitchen, sitting in the window seat, gazing out into the backyard.
"Hey, Duckie," Rachel whispers so as to not startle the girl. She slows her steps, tentatively approaching her friend. Her heart stutters as Britt turns to face her, tear streaks on her cheeks as well as fresh ones welling up in her eyes.
Rachel swallows trying to breathe because the dancer's eyes are a striking dark blue rimmed in red, and it hurts her to see the pain in them.
She sucks in a breath, getting out, "It's that bad?" knowing that Britt will understand what she is talking about.
"She won't talk to me," It is more a whimper than an actual spoken sentence. "She just keeps mumbling in Spanish and usually I can understand, y'know? I know it better than she does sometimes, but this time it's–… This time she just keeps combining words and I don't mean like some words are in English and others in Spanish, I mean it like… like she is taking a word and saying that word half in Spanish and half in English and it doesn't even sound real, and I don't what to do, Rach, I really don't because it's like she has made up her own language, like when Maddie and Amara speak in their "twin talk" and I–… I don't know what to do!"
Somewhere towards the middle of Britt's ramble, Rachel had moved towards her, and now she catches her as the dancer falls against her.
"Oh, Love," She whispers, brushing her bangs aside.
"It's not fair, Rachie. I wish we could skip to next month, and this stuff will be over with. All the bad things will be officially in the past, and Quinn's back will be healed, and she wouldn't be having bad dreams anymore. I just want all of this to go away!"
Rachel sighs, quickly making a decision, and pulling away from Brittany slightly.
"Come on, B, let's go upstairs so we can continue talking. I want to be there in case Quinn wakes up."
:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/
The two make their way upstairs and into Rachel's bedroom, where she tells Britt she is going to check on Santana really quick. She finds the Latina laying on the bed in the bedroom that has been hers and Britt's for the last several days. Rachel has no idea if she is asleep or not but regardless, she calls out that she and the others will be in her bedroom if Santana needs them for anything.
She goes in there to find Brittany already on the bed, watching Quinn sleeping. She is laying on the left side, with Q on the right, leaving Rachel to be in the middle.
"She looks so peaceful when she is sleeping," Britt whispers as soon as she senses Rachel is close enough to hear. "Like nothing bad has ever happened."
Rachel crawls up there, making eye contact with the dancer.
"Do you think she dreams about Abby?"
Rachel chokes on her breath at the question. It has been so long since she heard the name, the conversation between her and Quinn nearly 4 weeks ago notwithstanding.
She whispers back, "I don't know, B," while also watching Quinn. "I would like to hope she is, dreaming of Abby, that is. And of a world where she is loved by the two people who were supposed to protect her. In a world where she grew up with both sisters in her life."
"Why do you think he did it?"
She has asked Santana this but did not get an answer, not one that satisfied her, at least. She wants to know, wants to understand why he did it.
Rachel sighs, "I don't know, B. I don't think… I do not think we can ever really know. I mean, we can speculate, try to figure it out, but in the end, that is all it will be – our version, our maybes and because ofs. You know?"
Brittany adjusts so she is laying on her side, propped up by her elbow while Rachel puts a couple of pillows against the headboard to lean against.
"Like, maybe he is taking his homophobia to another level. Maybe he thinks this is what a Christian is supposed to do – hate people who are gay. And maybe he took that hatred to another level. Maybe it was because of his dedication to the Bible, to–… to believe the whole "it is a sin for two women or two men to be together" and it clouded his judgement…"
She shakes her head at this part because, no matter how dedicated a person is to the Bible or their beliefs, that does not excuse Russell's other behaviors – the abuse he put Quinn through, the things he made the Unholy Trinity do for four years.
"I honestly do not know, B. And I hate everything you three have been through." She looks down at Britt. "I wish I could go back in time and ask. I would… I would demand to know what was going on. I–… I don't know. I just wish I had known, B."
Brittany sniffles before turning to bury her face in the pillow she had her elbow on. "I just want all of this to go away." She says although it is muffled. "I don't know what else to do or say or to feel, Rachie, except for that."
She looks up and Rachel has to look away. "I just want it to all go away. I wish Mamí had never lost her baby, so we would have been able to tell them back in the seventh grade."
She does not even realize what she is saying until Rachel's head snaps back towards her, eyes wide, and expression alarmed.
"What?"
Oh, crap, she thinks before uttering, "Um…"
"Brittany, what did you just say?"
"Uh… nothing?" She guesses, grinning like a kid who just was caught with their hand in the cookie jar, but tries to play it off as not a big deal.
Rachel breathes in once, eyes rolling upwards, and breathing out slowly.
Then, she switches to the voice she used when Quinn or Santana were being particularly difficult, and one look and one sentence in that voice was enough to shut both of them up…
"Brittany Susan Pierce."
The dancer cringes; god it has been so long since she heard it, but it is definitely not something she missed.
But she did not mean to say what she did. She is unsure if Santana even ever wanted Rachel to know about her mom having that miscarriage when they were in the seventh grade.
So, she stalls…
Rachel is laying on her back, propped up on a pillow that is against the headboard. Brittany maneuvers up, over, and on top of the Diva.
Rachel huffs out a breath and adjusts to the weight of Brittany's body.
"What are you doing?'
"I love you, Rachie."
The Diva softens at this, rolling her eyes slightly, but also smiling a bit. "I love you, too, B."
"I have to talk to Sanny before I answer the question, ok? I wasn't supposed to say anything, and she should be the one to tell you, if she wants you to know."
Britt moves her head up to look her in the eye, and Rachel nods.
"Okay."
It is the best she can do, because she is certainly not going to force Britt to tell her, and besides, the dancer is correct – Santana should be the one to tell her, if she wants Rachel to know in the first place.
"What is going on here?"
The two startle and Brittany rolls off Rachel, sitting up and seeing Santana in the doorway of the bathroom. The Latina is leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed.
There is a smile on her face… the soft kind. One she has not been able to express in far too long.
Brittany jumps up, skipping towards her, arms out in a silent question that she has gotten used to asking may I give you a hug, which is also known as, may I touch you?
Santana opens her arms and Britt tackles her in a hug. "Hi, Sanny!" The girl returns the hug with an ease that has been long engrained in her.
"We need to talk about something," Britt says next, and the smile drops off Santana's face, replaced with concern and a tiny frown. "But you have to promise not to get mad, ok?"
The dancer takes her hand, linking their fingers, and then tugs her through the bathroom and into the guest bedroom that has become their own.
:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/
Meanwhile, Rachel watches them leave, worrying, wondering, but ultimately, trusting the two girls who she loves like sisters, and she turns, to look at the girl lying next to her. The one who has been her family since the moment they met.
The one she swore she would protect and love and never let go, even all those years ago, at 5 years old.
She brushes a few strands of blonde hair away from Quinn's face and wishes she could bottle up this air of calm, and peacefulness, and… well, this anxious-free life Quinn is able to have only when she is asleep.
Rachel sighs, moving slightly, pressing a kiss to Quinn's forehead, before moving off the bed entirely. She turns the bedside lamp on then walks to the doorway where she flips off the main bedroom light.
Sighing, she stands outside the bedroom, leaning against the wall, and slowly, slowly sliding down it.
She can feel the headache coming on, as everything comes crashing down around her. She has been so caught up with making sure everyone else was ok, with dealing with Quinn and her panic attacks, and helping her fall back asleep when a nightmare would not leave her alone…
She has been so caught up with it all that she has not had time to take care of herself.
The stress is getting to her; hell, it was getting to her on Monday, when she would have rather slept in for at least three more hours, than get up and force herself to go to school.
She feels tears prickling in her eyes and lets out a sigh that is more of a stutter of breath. Her face is warm and the aching in her head spreads downwards through her neck and back, until it is just one big throbbing sensation.
Rachel draws her knees up to chest and presses her forehead against them. She has no idea how long she stayed like that, just trying to get her breathing under control, but still, time passes, and she soon startles when Brittany's voice sounds out in the otherwise quiet hallway.
"Stella? Are you ok?"
She feels Brittany sitting down in front of her, hands hovering in the air beside Rachel's arms, just about, but not exactly, touching her.
Sucking in a deep breath, Rachel has to summon all her energy to raise her head and look in the dancer's baby blues.
"Non mi sento molto bene." She whispers in a broken accent. I don't feel very well.
Brittany's heart drops and she scrambles onto her knees, shuffling from in front of Rachel to a few feet away. Peeking into the guest bedroom, she sees Santana doing her homework.
"San!"
The Latina's head shoots up and she looks to the doorway, her facial expressions turning confused when she sees no one there, until she looks down, and see Britt sitting on the floor.
"Come here," The dancer motions with her head. "Rachel needs our help."
This has Santana shooting up and over to the doorway, uneasiness settling in the pit of her stomach at the sight of Rachel. The Diva is now back to her position before, with her forehead pressed against her knees. Her whole body language screams I feel like shit.
Bending down beside her, she whispers, "Oh, Estrella. What's wrong?"
Instead of lifting her head all the way, Rachel just shifts it to turn towards San. She swallows, trying to gather enough energy to simply say, "It seems… the stress… has finally gotten… to me." She blinks in rapid succession several times before continuing, "I don't feel so good, Sanny."
Santana's heart drops at the nickname that Rachel never calls her.
Like her calling Quinn, 'baby,' coming from Rachel, the nickname 'Sanny' was used when things got particular hard. When Rachel tried to push away the signals her body was sending of her not feeling well, until she just could not ignore them anymore.
When Rachel used to call her 'Sanny,' it reminded her of a kid who was scared enough to revert back to using 'mommy' instead of just 'mom.' It was, and still is, very unsettling, and she hopes to never hear it come from Rachel again.
"All right, Estrella, let's get you up," They do it slowly, both girls on each side of her, alerting her to them about to touch her before they actually do it. Once standing, Rachel falters as a wave of dizziness washes over her, and Britt has to tighten her grip.
"Woah there." Brittany adjusts so she is taking on more of Rachel's weight than Rachel really is. "Look here…" She presses her wrist against her forehead. Her skin is warmer than what it should be. "Crap, the fever is already happening."
Brittany looks to Santana, seeing the cracks in her 'I'm fine' façade. "San, will you go downstairs and get me a few things?" She nods, encouraging Santana to pay attention. "We need a glass of water, two ibuprofens, and the thermometer, okay?"
When she does not get a response, Britt shifts Rachel to one side of her, making sure her grip is tight enough, and then she reaches out her right hand, and runs her fingers over Santana's cheek in a feathery-light touch.
"Sanny," She whispers it, getting the Latina's attention. "Baby, look at me…" Santana's eyes flicker from the girl in her arms to Britt's baby blues, and it hurt the dancer to see the scared look in her eyes.
They all three hate when Rachel is like this, because it scares them so badly, but it is just because the Diva pushes herself so much that the stress and everything just collapses onto her eventually.
"She's ok; it's just the stress, remember? She needs some ibuprofen and water, and we need to keep an eye on her temperature, just like we used to. And she needs to rest for a few hours. Then she should be fine. But if she isn't, we are not alone – Jake is here, remember? And he is a doctor so he would be able to whatever else is needed."
She shakes her head, trying to snap out of it, but it still takes Rachel actually shifting once more to look at her, and saying, "I'm ok, 'Tana. B's right; I just need some sleep, okay?"
That finally gets through to her, and she nods, turning to go downstairs. She is still worried, of course, but Britt is right; it's the stress.
It always is like this when Rachel ignores her need to slow down, rest, and take of herself. And it will not get any better if she does not get the needed things to get the ball rolling.
While she goes down to the kitchen, Brittany helps Rachel back into her bedroom, where Quinn is already awake, wide-eyed, and looking very concerned.
She immediately pulls back the covers and Rachel practically falls onto the bed. When she meets her eye, Rachel just shakes her head, saying, "Don't look… at me… like that."
Quinn narrows her eyes, pushing down the panic in favor of entertaining the part of her that understands exactly what is happening, and being pissed off about it. She wants until Brittany has disappeared into the bathroom to get a cool, wet cloth, and then she is gritting out,
"Rach! –"
Which is immediately cut off with, "– Don't–"
And then, "– Yes, do!" She holds up a hand when Rachel goes to speak, and Rachel just lets her, as she watches that fire come back to Quinn's eyes, as she sees the teensiest glimpse of Head Cheerio Quinn Fabray coming out to play.
"When will you learn?! You can't just–… You cannot push yourself like this, Rachel! You must slow down and take care of your own health or you will end up in the hospital, like last time! You– I–…"
She trials off because, god, that was one of the scariest moments of her life.
"You're exaggerating, Lucy," Obviously, Rachel still has enough energy left in her as she rolls her and sighs irritably.
"I am not!"
Rachel adjusts on the bed, saying, "Yes, Angel, you are," and then adding, "Look, at me, LuLu." She looks up from her laying position to Quinn, who is now on her knees, towering over the Diva. "I am… going to be… fine."
Quinn opens her mouth to object, to fight Rachel on this, but the Diva just holds up a hand, "No. My turn, alright?" She gets a glowering look but continues anyway. "This past week has been… so hectic. For all of us. Between… telling everyone, not getting enough sleep… It just–… I… I just need… some sleep, some… some rest, ok?"
Quinn's scowl deepens as Rachel finishes speaking, and she looks away, to the side, internally debating something.
She knew this was going to happen; God, she just knew it.
She knew that, at some point, she was going to be detrimental to Rachel's health. And of course, when Josiah and David find out, they will choose their daughter over her, because, why wouldn't they? Why would they choose the stupid, disappointing, pregnant 15-year-old over their own child?
Something to her right jolts Quinn's attention, and she looks to see Santana and Britt coming into the room.
"Hey, Q." Santana greets her as she comes closer to the bed, handing Rachel a thermometer. "Here, check your temp with this and then you can have ibuprofen."
Quinn watches as she does so, Britt hovering to the side, and Santana observing all three of them. There is a beep and Rachel reads out 98.9.
"Low-grade," She says. "Should be fine after a little sleep." She trades the thermometer for the glass of water.
"More than a little sleep, Stella," Brittany chastises, Santana blinking at the name that she has yet to hear Britt call Rachel om front of her.
"As much as I can, Duckie," Rachel quips back. "You three… should… go downstairs… and ask… Jake to make you… some lunch. Ok?"
She blinks rapidly, the exhaustion hitting her full force. Santana hands her the ibuprofen, telling them she and Britt will be downstairs if they are needed.
Once they are gone, Rachel turns to Quinn, "I want you… to go and… find something to eat. All right? You can come… back up afterwards… but you need to eat… something first."
Quinn agrees without an argument, and as she goes to climb the bed, Rachel snags her wrist, tugging at it, to make the blonde look at her.
"You better… be here when… I… wake up. And… if you are not, I… promise you, I will… hunt you down… and… kick… your butt. Understand?"
*1 hour later – around 2:30 p.m.*
Rachel's dads come home early and with good reason – they have a surprise for everyone.
Josiah enters with a flourish, along with an animal carrier, announcing, "Hello, fellow dwellers of the Berry Household!"
Behind him, David enters holding two more animal carriers while Jacob also carries two more.
Trailing behind both men are a bundle of little kids…
"Britty!" This is Matthew, Santana's 5-year-old little brother. Along with him are…
"Sissy!"
Santana's sister, Maya, and Brittany's little sisters, 3-year-old twins, Amara and Madalyn.
"Uncle 'Siah says he gottsa 'prize for us!"
Brittany picks Amara up, placing a hand on Madalyn's head as the three-year-old hovers around her legs. Santana comes over also with Matthew.
"Hey. What's going on?"
"Sissy, they have 'prizes for us!" Matthew bounces on the soles of his feet. "Can we see'em, Uncle 'Siah? Por favor?"
Josiah holds up a finger to the little boy, "Ah! Yes, let us see'em."
The kids pile into the living room, little ones over by the couch with the adults, and Santana and Britt pause in the doorway.
"Sissy?" Mattie tugs on San's fingers, getting her attention. He asks to be picked up, in that quiet way of his, holding his hands up and motioning with his fingers. She does so, and he leans in close to whisper, "Where is Tiá Estrella?"
"She is upstairs, Mijó. She didn't feel good earlier, so she laid down for a nap."
"I wanna see her, Sissy."
She goes to answer him, to tell him he needs to wait, but is cut off with, "Did the stress finally get to her?" And her head snaps up and towards him. She sees warmth, concern in his eyes, and she nods to question.
"Yes, Sir. She had a fever earlier, but we did what we were supposed to. She had some water and ibuprofen and laid down for some rest."
Josiah nods but also walks over. Maya and Madalyn have calmed down and now they watch the interaction.
"Good. And how are you two doing?"
Santana looks to Britt. She has missed this, the familiar sense of comfort and welcoming she always felt in this house. She just…
She really, really… missed that.
Santana eventually whispers, "We're getting there."
And Josiah nods, his eyes staying on her for moment longer before he nods. However, he does not leave them; instead, he raises his arms slightly, asking, "May I give you a hug?"
Santana droops her shoulders, in relief, in… in exhaustion. And she nods, trying not to cry because she still has Matthew in her arms, and she steps forward, but only after Mattie nods also. She would put him down otherwise.
Because touch permission is important in their family. In all their families. You ask for permission before touching someone, or, if touch is absolutely necessary, you alert the person to what you are about to do.
She teaches it to Miranda and reminds Mattie and Maya to do it with their friends, as well. Britt does it in her family, too.
Josiah wraps both of them up in his arms, and he rubs Santana's back comfortingly.
"I love you, Uncle 'Siah!" Mattie whispers in his adorable partial lisp, and San chuckles, pulling away.
"And I love you, Peanut."
As Josiah turns to Britt, to give the dancer a hug also, to ask how she is doing, to check on his second favorite blonde, Mattie pokes his big sister on the cheek this time, urging, "Sissy!" And motioning to the steps leading up to the second floor.
"Mattie, Tiá Estrella is sleeping. Don't you want to see what Papa 'Siah has for us?"
"No. Please, Sissy. I wanna see Tiá Estrella. I pwomise I be quiet."
Santana sighs and looks to Britt because she knows that if Mattie wants to see Rachel, Amara most likely will, too. Before she can say anything, however, movement from behind them catches Amara's attention and the toddler wiggles out of big sister's arms.
Quinn is stepping down the one stair leading into the living room, having come, presumably, from upstairs. Amara throws her arms around Q's legs despite Brittany rushing to catch her. Quinn lifts her up and Amara immediately hugs her like a Koala bear.
"Hey, Q," Santana greets. "Is Rachel still asleep?" Quinn stays quiet, eyes flickering around the room, from her best friends, to Matthew, Madalyn, and Maya, to Josiah, and Jake and David, and to the animal carriers that are lined up on the floor right beside the couch. They dance back to the girls in front of her.
"You okay?" She has to ask because, even though she and Britt cannot read Q like Rachel is able to, the blonde's body language is still putting off vibes that… that something is off.
Santana steps closer, putting Matthew down, and saying, "Everyone, I need you to clear out. Go into the kitchen for a moment, please."
Josiah motions for them to listen, and he, David, and Jacob usher the little kids through the other opening in the living room, the one that leads to the dining room, which then opens directly into the kitchen.
"Hey, babygirl… why don't you come sit with me and Britt, yeah? Just for a moment."
Quinn obeys, still holding Amara, and with Britt watching. She goes over and sits on the couch, and Santana swallows down the lump that is suddenly in her throat. This is…
She feels unsettled and she has no idea why. Something about Quinn, her facial expressions, her body language… The tension that is around her shoulders, it just…
It sends off… well, negative vibes does not even begin to cover what she is feeling.
"Britt-Britt, will you take 'Mara for a moment, please?" The dancer comes over, but her sister is immediately drawing away from her. "'Mari, just go to Sissy for a minute, all right?"
Amara shakes her head, turning away from both girls to bury her face into Quinn neck. Britt is on edge because of how much her little sister is touching her best friend. She does not want Quinn to be uncomfortable with the touch, but she also does not want to start an outburst by forcibly pulling Amara way from her.
"Okay, Britt, just let her stay. Quinn," The Latina bends down in front of all three blondes. "Look at me, babygirl." Hazel meets brown, and she feels the blow against her chest at the… the fear and… She blinks, takes a deep breath, and then, "What's going on, bebita?"
Amara pulls back, looking over Quinn's face but staying quiet. She reaches up with her tiny hand, placing it on Q's cheek, gently guiding her to look at her, so hazel meets blue this time.
She says nothing, just… gazing into her eyes. She then leans up to kiss her cheek. Santana watches them, still worried because Quinn is not answering her. She wishes that Rachel would have taught them the Morse Code because it might come in handy in moments like this.
Even with that anxious look still on her face, San tells Britt to go get the others, and everyone piles back into the living room. The little kids are absolutely over the moon with excitement at what could be in the carriers. And, in the most literal sense, are on the edge of their seats as Josiah, David, and Jacob all three start opening the little doors.
One by one, kittens and cats start walking out of the carriers. The first one is smokey-grey and black kitten, about 7 months old.
Santana startles when Brittany squeals from beside her and is leaping up towards the animals.
"Sanny, look! It's Zeke!"
It does look similar to a kitten the Unholy Trinity were visiting at the Humane Society, but they were told that Zeke was probably going to be adopted, which means…
"I don't know, Britt-Britt. He does look like Zeke, but remember, he was supposed to be adopted a couple of weeks ago."
This was particular heartbreaking to Quinn, because she had become incredibly attached the little grey and black kitten. They would sit for hours, Zeke in her lap, and her petting him. He was a great stress-reliver for her, no other cat was one she bonded with as much as Zeke.
And that was why it was so hard for Quinn to hear about Zeke being adopted. She has refused to go back to see anymore cats, no matter how much San, Britt, or the little kids begged her to.
But, right now, Santana sighs, because she saw the way Quinn perked up when Britt mentioned the name, and God, if this kitten turns out to not actually be Zeke…
"But he is, Sanny," Brittany whispers this, then she puts two fingers until the little kitten's chin, guiding him to look at her. When he is, tailing moving, and purring loudly, Brittany points sharply to in front of them, saying,
"Cercare!"
This is the work "seek" in Italian. Brittany taught it to him. She used to it to get the kitten to go to Quinn. It was something fun to do and also something that only Zeke had learned.
And Santana watches as this beautiful little kitten immediately obeys, running straight for Quinn, and jumping up on the couch, directly into her lap.
Quinn's eyes widen at the same time Amara gasps and lunges for Zeke. The blonde picks him up, holding him to her face, and he purrs louder, even as Amara practically smooshes him. He just soaks up the attention, purring, rubbing his head against their faces, and Quinn…
Quinn smiles more in this moment than she has in the past 4 years.
San looks from one blonde to the other, sees Brittany positively beaming, and relaxes because…
Yeah, maybe things can get better.
*30 minutes later*
They now have about 20 minutes before they – Brittany and Santana – need to leave to go back to school, to talk the Glee Club, to tell them about what has been going on.
The kids have just been chilling the last half hour with all the cats that the Berry Men have brought home. There are a total of five – two adults, three kittens.
There is Zeke, properly named Ezekiel John, with all of their last names, and nicknamed "Zeke". He is a grey and black smokey looking kitten, 7 months old, and absolutely loves attention, so much so, that Amara laying on top of him for the last 30 minutes has made him do nothing but purr even louder.
Then there is an orange Tabby, who hates being held unless he is the one to jump into your lap. Seriously, he will hiss and jump away if you want to pick him up, but sit down for a few minutes, and he will be in your lap. He is 10 months old, named Oscar, and has taken a liking to Jacob, specifically.
Next is a blue-eyed, solid black, without one hint of a different color, cat, 3 years old, appropriately named Tigger. She is named this because she will literally hop like a bunny instead of walking, like a normal four-legged animal should. Tigger's preference is Brittany at the moment, but is subject to change, since up until 10 minutes ago, she was hanging around Santana.
Nala is next. Nala is a mixture of Zeke and Oscar, either she loves you enough to never leave your lap or wants absolutely nothing to do with you unless she initiates it. She is 4 months old, and her currently placement is on Josiah's… head.
Smokey is the youngest at 3 months, just a little thing, having been the runt of her litter and therefore, not being adopted yet.
She is playful, loves to meow to get your attention, will literally take you down for piece of chicken you are eating, – David has already learned not to sit in the floor while eating, – and loves for her belly to be rubbed. Her favorite thing right now, however, is playing "fetch" with Maya, Matthew, and Madalyn.
While everyone is preoccupied with their kitten or cat, Santana glances around the room and realizes…
They are down three members.
"Hey, Britt," The dancer looks up from where she is laying in the floor with both Tigger and Zeke. "Do you know where Q went?"
Brittany tilts her head, trying to look around the room without actually sitting up, coming to one conclusion: "No, but 'Mara is not here, either, which can only mean one thing."
Actually, it could also mean that Q took 'Mara to the bathroom, since the toddler does not yet know her way around the house, but the most likely scenario is…
"Come on," San holds out both hands to Britt, who takes them, letting the Latina pull her up. "Let's go find our girls."
They venture upstairs, to the room where they are sure to find the ones they are looking for. The door creaks open, and they peak in.
:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/
*In the bedroom*
Quinn and Amara are inside, the blonde turning on one bedside lamp, then crawling onto the bed. Amara is currently standing on Rachel's side and Quinn has Zeke in her arms.
"Rae!"
It's whispered, and 'Mara only hears it because she is less than a foot away.
Quinn leans down close to Rachel, brushing away strands of brunette hair from her face, before placing Zeke on the sleeping girl's chest, and…
Poking her on the cheek.
Zeke takes that as a sign that he can do it, too, so he paws at her nose, leaning down to lick her face. He meows, and 'Mara giggles, scrambling to the end of the bed where a little stool is, which she uses to crawl up onto the bed.
Britt and San watch from doorway.
"Raaaae!"
Quinn leans in closer, close enough that the only thing separating her face from Rachel's face is furry ball of fluff, who is currently crawling upwards, ending up on her forehead.
This effectively wakes the Diva, and her hands instinctively go to her face. She becomes confused when there… is an animal on her head. She hears giggling and turns to her right, coming face to face with both Quinn and Amara.
"What is going on?"
"Look what Dad and Papa brought home!"
She revels in the sight of her best friend positively beaming and moves to sit up just a little. She adjusts so both this kitten (whom she has yet to learn the name of) and Amara are in lap, with Quinn curled beside her.
Yawning, she rubs her face, saying, "Dad and…" Then it dawns on her. "Wait – What did you say?"
Quinn is still smiling, the excitement vibrating off her in waves. She says, "Dad and Pap–" Before just what she had said catches up with her brain, and… "Oh…" She loses the smile, and Rachel's expression follows suit. "Sorry…" She hates that it is mumbled, with Q looking down, closing in on herself.
It prompts the Diva to motion to Amara, silently asking the toddler to move out of her lap. 'Mara obeys, taking Zeke with her, and Rachel maneuvers a bit before saying,
"LuLu, look at me, please."
Her girl obeys this request, and Rachel hates so much that the excitement in her hazel eyes has dimmed significantly.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Angel. Ok? I promise. It is ok that you woke me up, – I can understand why you are excited, and I am not mad, – so how about–… Would you like to tell me about this kitty? What is its name, huh?"
Before Q can respond, or maybe because Rachel senses that she is still anxious, she continues with, "He or she seems to be a very pretty kitten, and I am guessing Dad and Papa–" Rachel makes sure to use the names Quinn had said so her girl knows she is not mad. "– brought home our next few Foster Kitties, didn't they?"
She smiles at Q, winks at 'Mara, and makes a here, kitty motion with her hands to which Zeke responds to immediately. He comes up, purring and meowing, and booping her face with his head, before turning and doing the exact same with Quinn.
"His name is Zeke," It is so quiet that Amara can hardly hear it herself.
"Zeke, huh? A very good name for a handsome little kitty. Are you a good boy, Zeke?"
She scratches the kitten's ear and he purrs even louder if that is even possible. Quinn reaches out for him and he goes to her, putting his front paws on her chest, which makes him to stand up, and he rubs her face with his head.
"I love you, Zekey," She whispers, and he meows back, almost immediately, as if he is actually responding to her.
While Quinn is preoccupied with the kitty, Amara belly flops onto Rachel, making the older groan before she hugs her.
"And how are you today, Princess? Are you good?"
Out of the two, Amara is definitely the quieter one, being overshadowed by her twin sister, Madalyn. She reminds Rachel of Quinn, silent around others, even her family.
Britt told her that Amara has something called Selective Mutism, which is an anxiety disorder. It means that, at places where speaking is required or expected, she freezes up and cannot speak, and sometimes, Amara has difficulty doing things even like shaking or nodding her head.
She is literally so anxious in these places – school, a grocery store, etc. – that is just simply literally unable to. She has a code, Brittany explained, a code in her brain that told her, specifically, who she can or cannot speak to. This code might be different from day to day, or even from morning to afternoon.
Either way, there is a code. And when this code is broken – when she accidently speaks in front a "contaminated" person, – she panics and cries and shuts down even more.
The best thing is to keep the environment calm and the pressures to speak off of her, and with hard word, fade-ins, and practice, she can become comfortable enough to speak here at Rachel's house. Rachel is able to do this perfectly, because God, does this remind her of Quinn… which leads her to wonder…
Did she used to have – or does she still have right now – Selective Mutism, as well?
Since that time, nearly a month ago, when Quinn, B, and San first revealed everything, and Amara, Madalyn, and Lexie came over to her house, the toddler has been attached to Rachel.
Brittany says this is the fastest her has warmed up to anyone, even San and Q, who have been there since her birth. Who used to pretend like Amara and Madalyn were their own alive baby dolls. She never warmed up to them, not until not long ago, like she has to Rachel.
"Hey, Princess," Rachel taps her nose, getting a very tiny smile out of the little girl. "How would you like to lay up here with LuLu and maybe take a nap, huh?"
It is a simple question that she could nod or shake her head, but Rachel picks up the blank look, meaning her anxiety is starting to pick up, so she simply says, "Nap?" and holds up her left hand, "Or no nap?" This is indicated by her right hand.
Amara pauses for a moment, then points to the left hand.
"Okay, sounds good. You need to go potty first?" Again, she uses her hands to indicate yes or no. Another yes, and while she is going that, Rachel looks to the two girls still in her doorway.
"We were just checking on you," Santana whispers. "But, we need to go. We have decided that we are going to go and speak with the Glee Club, just give a cliff notes-type rundown of everything. We should be back in a couple of hours, though."
And Rachel nods to this, biding them a goodbye as she climbs back in the bed, shifting to the middle so Quinn is on right side and Amara is on her left, with Zeke on top of her.
And this is how the three fall asleep, into a place where nothing bad happens, and they are all anxiety-free.
And there it is. Hope you enjoyed! The next chapter has Glee Club finding out some things. I have the next several chapters finished, so the next update should be on the 17.
Please review and let me know what you thought! Also, if anyone has questions about Selective Mutism, leave them a review or a PM. I am going to try it out on Amara first because Quinn does have it, too. So, I want to see how well I can write it for Amara before I fully introduce it into Quinn's background. :)
One more thing - please go to my profile and vote on the poll I have regarding which prequel to this story you guys want.
