Disclaimers: I do not own Glee or its characters. I do own all OCs, unless ownership is given to another, specific person.
Spoilers: None.
Rating: low-T
Reply to reviews: (chapter 38)
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks for the review. :) I figured a break from all the bad stuff was way overdue, and the kids needed some time to have fun also.
Lord Jeremy Silver: Thank you for your review! I appreciate it, and please tell your wife, Holly, thank you, as well. :)
Isa Yodice12: Thank you! I love writing Brittany as strong, and being able to stick up for herself. It is something that all the girls need to have after what they've been through.
This story now has 199 reviews, which is absolutely amazing. Thank you all so much for your part in that. This is my highest word-count story, and officially just 10 reviews away from being my most-reviewed story!
Welcome to my new followers colores lime (favoriter), brittsangxl (favoriter), and ILoveTwilight36 (favoriter), and my new favoriter kokyangwuti8.
Notes: Rachel's birthday! The first for the story. Next will be Santana's in January.
Notes 2: I tried to explain a little about their progress with everything, including listing a few of Quinn's accommodations for her 504. If you guys have any questions about what that, or an IEP, is, please leave them in a review, or PM me! :)
Updates: Rachel's right wrist is still casted. And her left wrist is now out of the ace bandage and in a brace, as she slowly begins moving/using her wrist more.
Enjoy! :)
Quinn is 15 weeks pregnant
The next day – December 18th, 2009
Rachel's birthday
*Berry Residence*
They started whole days at school the week after Thanksgiving. Quinn made it three days, until Thursday when she and Rachel needed to be picked up. Britt and Santana stayed at school.
Then, all last week (the seventh thru 11), they were doing whole days again. However, the four of them – the girls and Noah – are now online schooling.
But overall?
Overall, the parents are going to discuss starting therapy after Christmas. Josiah and David are looking into safe medicine that Quinn can take – for her nightmares, her anxieties, her fears, and just plain ole fucking C-PTSD, and "normal" PTSD. And… well… they are just all taking it one day at a time.
Especially Rachel.
Because, ya'know…
… her wrist. Which is still in the cast. And her left one, which is still in an ace-bandage.
It has been officially one month and three days since what happened in the Auditorium. Carlos said that right wrist could take up three more months to heal, and her left one? That depends on how well she listens to his instructions of rest it, ice it, elevate it, DO NOT USE IT STRENUOUSLY.
Which goes for the right one, as well. You'd think having it in a cast would make it impossible for Rachel to write, and/or try to do other things that involved her right hand, but of course, she is about as stubborn as Santana Lopez, which Carlos has come to realize means she is very, very, very persistent, so…
But today has been a good day. Today was a great day.
Today started with a breakfast in bed, – because the Birthday Girl always gets breakfast in bed, – then Noah, San, and Britt showed up, and five of them went through their schoolwork. With testing this week, there was not much to do.
The worry about online school was that the teachers would not follow Quinn's 504. It states that she will not be called on during class to read aloud, answer questions, or verbally be a part of the conversations.
However, obviously, this will not be in effect until she is able to return to public school, which is to be determined at a later time.
Another of Quinn's accommodations is that she is allowed to bring all work home. Again, with online school this shifts to her having twice the amount of time to turn in (so, an overnight assignment would be a two-nighter for Quinn). And it will extend to bring all work home once Quinn is reintroduced to public school.
Some days the teachers refuse to follow it. Other days, they have no trouble. This week has been particularly difficult, with the whole emailing classwork to teachers from their dining room at home.
But!
Any which way you look at it, the 504 is a document that teachers have to follow.
Josiah and David are working on a getting an IEP, which is a legal document, in place for her. They have the full support of Principal Figgins, so if any teachers do not follow the documents, or cause Quinn excessive or unnecessary stress, they will have to deal with their boss (aka Figgins) over it.
:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/
But yes… Today has been a good day.
The girls are going to have a low-key day, utterly spent from the last 6 weeks of the go-go-go that they have been doing. And Noah is currently at a doctor's appointment/check-up with his sister, because Addie wanted her bubba to come along. Diana picked him up a few minutes ago, and he should be back by the time school is finished.
It is Rachel's birthday – the big 1-6.
The four of them are, right now, decorating the basement for Rachel.
"This is so cool!" Lexie cheers as she comes back down from getting a juice box from the kitchen… Yeah, she is here with them. Jennifer surprised at her lunch by picking her up, which made the first grader absolutely ecstatic.
As a start to making it up to Lexie for missing so much of her life, Rachel agreed that she could pick out her party decorations and its theme. Of course, she had no idea that the choice would be Sesame Street, so…
"Of all the things you could have picked, Estrella," Santana sort of complains as she and Britt stand on chairs to hang a banner that says Happy 1st Birthday with Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Bert & Ernie on it. The "1st" has been painted over with "16th".
"Technically, Alexis is the one who picked the theme."
Rachel says this as she gets the table decors set up.
"Of course, she did. It makes much more sense that a six-year-old picked it than a sixteen-year-old did."
"Hey!" Rachel points to her with a noisemaker. "Don't diss it, alright? Elmo is awesome."
Brittany chuckles at this, "Oh, believe me." She makes sure her end of the banner is hanging right before continuing, "San loves her morning routine of watching Sesame Street with Lexie more than she will ever admit. She just doesn't want to be the one who admits, first, that this is a good party-theme, even at 16."
"Hey!" Santana flails her arms then quickly readjusts her grip on the banner when Britt and Rachel start yelling at her. "You know some things are meant to be kept private, thank you very much!"
"I didn't realize this was one of those things, Sanny." Brittany continues to tease her. "I think you know the words to Elmo's World even better than Lex or Maddie do."
Santana mutters, "I hate you so much right now." To which the dancer replies, "No, you don't. You loovvve me."
And oh, how very true that is.
After a few more minutes of bickering with Rachel about the placement of the banner, they are finished.
Quinn comes down then, heading straight for Rachel. They have been doing so well for the past month. Q is up to 15 minutes of Rach not being in her sight, and they know that does not sound like a lot, and it may not seem appropriate for a 15-year-old to have separation anxiety from a friend, but…
This is their life now. Until the claim that Britt and Q made about a mystery man is corroborated as 'true' or 'false', this – the fear, the police escorts, the protective instinct in Quinn, – is their new life.
"Hey, LuLu," She reaches out without even looking at her friend. 10 years of friendship, and you can sense each other without looking. And Quinn inches up closer, to behind her, to wrap her arms around Rachel's waist.
"Lex, I think we are pretty much finished with decorating. Have you and Auntie Q decided on the movies we are going to watch?"
"Yep! Disney, Auntie Rach! We're gonna watch The Lion King and Cinderella and Toy Story – all 3 of'em! – and then… I dunno." The 6-year-old shrugs.
Rachel nods, holding out a hand. "Okay. Let's go make the popcorn and pick out some candy. Dad and Papa said they left us quite a bit. T, will you help Britt set up the first movie?"
Santana agrees, so Quinn goes with Rachel and Lexie up to the kitchen. Rach makes the popcorn, three bowls with the smallest being Lexie's, and they pick out a few packages of candy, saving the rest for any movies they may watch over Christmas break.
Three bowls of popcorn, five packages of candy, some drinks, and a few blankets later, they make their way back to the basement. Rachel has been downgraded to carrying the blankets and candy, much to her displeasure, and it is slow, but eventually, they do make it back down the stairs.
*In the Berry Theatre*
"I wanna sit in the middle!" Lexie shouts the moment the door to the theatre room is open. "Sissy B, come sit with me!"
In this room, there are four rows of six recliner-style seats, each with a cup holder. The room is set up like an actual theatre; each row of seats are higher than ones in front of them.
There are steps going up on either side of the rows, and there is pulldown screen that is white, at the front of the room, and a projector, which is in the back of the room, that will project the movies onto the screen.
(A/N: the way I am imagining her basement is so cool.)
"T, you good up there?!"
Rachel calls out to the little hidey-hole room in the back and up a few steps, where access to the projector/DVD/VCR player is. Santana shouts back 'yes' and to let her know when everyone is seated.
"B, are you sitting with Alexis?"
"Auntie Rach, will you sit with us?"
"Well, I am going to sit at the top with Auntie Q. But after the first movie, I will move down here with you and B, how's that?"
The five of them gets settled. They watch The Lion King and Cinderella before they take a break.
*Later*
It is now after 3:30, nearly four in the afternoon. Their popcorn is gone and so is the candy, but…
"Auntie Rach, I'm hungry!" Lexie whines.
"Well, I think Dad and Papa left some money for pizza. They said that they were probably going to be about an or so late, so we can eat some pizza now, watch another movie, and they should be home by then."
Lexie cuts in with, "I want pepperoni!" and Brittany agrees to eat it with her.
"LuLu, do you think pizza is alright?"
She asks this because of the whole pregnancy-sensitive-to-smells thing. Pizza is one thing she has been sensitive to. Quinn shakes her head to which Rachel just smiles reassuringly. She is glad that Quinn is communicating her needs – and not just saying yes and suffering through a sensory overload of smells so she is not a "bother" to the others.
"Okay. That is fine. We can see if there is anything else we can order and if not, then we will cook something, ok?"
"But, Auntie Rach!" Now Lexie really is whining. "I want pizza!"
"Sweetie, Auntie Q cannot eat pizza right now because the smell makes her sick. You remember how Auntie S and I explained it? Sometimes, certain smells or tastes can make a pregnant woman feel sick. And right now, pizza is one of the smells that make Auntie Q sick."
You remember when Santana said that she has hardly ever seen the younger Peirce girls misbehave?
Yeah, well, this is one of those times that it does happen.
"But I wanna pizza! Can't she just leave the room? Then she doesn't hafta smell it!"
"And that's our cue," Santana quips as she turns heel, and motions for Rachel and Q to follow her to the kitchen. Brittany waits until they are gone before she puts on her serious big sister face, bending down in front of the angry 6-year-old, and saying,
"Alexis Hope Peirce, I know you want pizza. I think pizza would be pretty good right now, however, –" And she has to be firm here because Lexie is still huffy. "– we are still not going to eat the pizza. Okay? It will make Auntie Q sick, and it is not nice of us to say she has to eat in a different room just because we want to eat it."
Lexie does the usual huff-puff, and crossed arms, shouting,
"Yeah, well, I think it's dumb that we can't eat it!"
Brittany sighs. She tries not to get too angry. But she has a strong disliking for being yelled at, especially if it is directly in her face. So, reeling in her own anger, she grits out firmly,
"Alexis Hope, please do not yell in my face."
"You're a meanie face!" Lexie shouts, all red-faced and hands balled up and eyes squinted.
"Lexie, it's not nice to call people names. Now, I know you upset, but–"
"I don't care! I wanna eat pizza! I don't want nothing else! Pizza, pizza, pizza!"
She is losing her cool. And her confidence that she can handle this. Usually, it is really simple. Lexie is not a disobedient child. She is sweet and caring and understanding, and can be fine with a simple explanation about why something cannot happen, or must happen in certain way. But sometimes this does happen, and typically, Jennifer or Michael step in here.
Right as her nerves are getting the best of her, someone steps up behind her.
"Come on, B."
It is Santana. She helps Brittany up and the dancer looks up to see Rachel now bending down in front of Alexis. Over the sounds of the 6-year-old's tantruming, she hears Rachel state,
"Alexis Hope, you are going to sit on this couch until you are calmed down. Then, you may come to the kitchen with your sister, Auntie S, Auntie Q, and myself."
She then tries to pick up the little girl, but it turns out to be too difficult, so Quinn steps up this time. She picks Alexis up, and Rachel instructs her to, "Just sit her on the couch, please."
Quinn places Lexie on the couch, and then she and Rachel turn around, and walk to the living room doorway. Rachel stops long enough to say, "Alexis, when you are calm, you may come to the kitchen."
And then, they finally all go to the kitchen.
"Rach…" Brittany comes over to her. "Let me see." She does the 'give-me' gesture as she reaches for Rachel's arm. They don't even notice Santana leaving the room. "She hurt you." The dancer states and Rachel does nothing to contradict the statement. "I'm sorry."
"B. Don't, ok? You couldn't have known she was going to throw a fit over not being able to eat pizza. If you really want to blame someone, then blame me – I am the one that mentioned the money being used for pizza, even before I knew if Luce would be ok with it."
"That wasn't your fault!"
Rachel just quirks an eyebrow, and Brittany sighs out, "Right." She shrugs.
And Rachel knows, and she understands. Brittany is a good big sister. She loves Lexie and the twins with all of her heart, and would do absolutely anything for them. But, her nerves get the best of her when it comes to disciplining them, especially if it is not a simple fix to whatever is upsetting them.
Usually, this would be when Jennifer or Michael, or any other adult, takes over, but since it is just the four girls babysitting Lexie right now, they have to sort of tag-team and try their best.
Unfortunately, they are only 15 and do not have full-time experience with this. They hope Alexis sitting on the couch will be enough to calm the irritated 6-year-old.
Santana comes back into the room right about now. She has an armful of cats, and hands Nala to Quinn, who is sitting at the table.
"I left Zeke in there with Lex. And I checked all their litterboxes so we should be good to go on staying down here. Do you feed them right about now or…?"
"We can, yes. After that, we will figure out what we are eating."
:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/
It takes a while but eventually they settle on a… list of something they will all eat.
"Okay, here we go… Birthday Girl gets to pick!"
Rachel just shakes her head at the dancer's enthusiasm. She decides to humor the girl, and reaches into the cup, pulling out a slip of paper. It says casserole.
Really, Rachel should have known this was a bad idea.
Hell, Josiah and David should have known it was a bad idea.
Because, you see, they have to run to the little gas station/Quik Mart that is down the road, instead of going to Wal*Mart in town. Rachel and Quinn stay home while Brittany goes with Santana. Lexie stays because she is still tantruming, though now, the 6-year-old has switched to giving them all the silent treatment.
Rachel thinks that Lexie thinks that Britt will be bringing pizza home. And this is why she is still giving them attitude.
Back to the topic at hand, though…
They call up Gabriel and he comes to pick them up. Then, he drops them back off at the house.
San and Britt arrive back in less than 30 minutes. They immediately begin getting the appropriate things needed together in the kitchen. Hands are washed, Rachel is given a task that will be easy to do, San and Britt preheat the oven and lay out the ingredients, and Quinn is the one to mix them together.
Lexie is invited to join them, but does not answer as she is still giving them the silent treatment. Britt texted her mom, who won't be home until nearly six, and was instructed to drop Alexis off at the Afterschool program if the little girl does not straighten up.
Either way, Alexis will eat because she enjoys this casserole - even having requested it once.
And this is the part where Rachel should have known this was a bad idea.
The casserole calls for tortilla chips to be crushed and layered on the bottom of the pan. Well…
"Santana Maria, stop that!"
Of course, she is ignored, and Santana continues to try and throw a piece of chip into Brittany's mouth. And needless to say, more chips end up on the floor than in her mouth or in the pan.
"Stop moving!" Santana shouts. "I can't make it if you don't stop moving." Though it is said through laughter and Brittany almost chokes on one of the pieces as she laughs, as well.
Quinn isn't helping; she is just filming… on the Berrys' camcorder… and giggling. And you know? It would irritate Rachel – the mess, the chaos, – it would aggravate her, but god, her laugh.
But yeah, Quinn is not helping. And you remember when she figured out this would be a bad idea?
Yeah… that comes about three minutes into Santana still throwing chips at Brittany.
Rachel tries to pick up the chip crumbs which, in hindsight, was not a good idea. Because Brittany is in front of her. And is still moving around, even though Santana continues to yell, Stop moving! at her.
And it is inevitable, really, that Brittany would trip up on her.
They go down in jumbled mess of yelling, laughing, and cussing. And Quinn is caught between laughing and filming, or being concerned and helping. And Santana is giggling so hard that she cannot even stand up straight, so she is no help at all, and Lexie?
She is still in a mood, and not even her big sister and her aunties being crazy, normal teenagers can take her out of it.
But the real moment? The moment that Josiah and David find themselves so very thankful for that day, way back, six years ago, when Rachel and Quinn and Noah met the other two parts to what would become the Fearless Five?
Is this moment…
The moment they walk into the house undetected.
The moment they follow all the ruckus to the kitchen.
The moment they find Santana on one side of the kitchen island, the upper half of her body leaning over and pressing against the counter, and barely concealed laughter coming from her.
It is the moment that they see Quinn… every bit of 15-year-old, five-foot-five, beautiful, innocent Quinn filming something on the floor with their camcorder.
And it is the moment that they walk around the island. To the other side. To see Brittany and their daughter tangled up on the floor in a mess of limbs and laughter, and giggling, and cussing, and groans, and…
"Ow!"
"Oh, shit, that was your arm, wasn't it?"
"Yes, that was my freaking arm!"
"God, that hurt. Are you ok? I'm not ok. God, that freaking hurt!"
"Well, of course it hurt! You landed on braced arm!"
"Ugh…, it's hard as a brick wall!"
"Well, what'd you expect it feel like – marshmallows?!"
"Jesus Christ, that hurt. I think you bruised my insides."
"Me? Me?! I didn't do anything! You wouldn't stop jumping around like a freaking monkey who had a banana dangling in front of you, and you were the one that tripped over me!"
"Yeah, well, if you'd not been behind me in the first place–"
"– The chips were supposed to go in the pan, B! Not in your mouth, thrown there by Santana!"
"We were gonna put them in the pan–"
"– And when were you doing to do that? After you swept them up from the floor?!"
Josiah and David walk out. Undetected.
They go upstairs to put away their things then come back down and alert the children to their presence. They wish Rachel happy birthday one more time, and they help the girls clean up the mess and send them back down to the basement, to watch their movie, while they, themselves, cook the casserole.
Eventually, Jennifer comes to pick Alexis up. She is no longer in a mood and has apologized to Rachel and Brittany for her tantrum earlier. She wishes Rachel happy birthday and then leaves with her mom.
Rachel's birthday was a happy one.
So happy that, just for a few hours, they were all able to forget what is going on in the outside world.
Just for those few hours, the four of them – seven when Noah and Finn and Mike show up after school – crowd together in the theatre, watching movies, throwing popcorn at each other, and singing along with the Disney songs like little kids.
Rachel has suffered much sadness for the past three birthdays. That first one after the initial breakaway from the Unholy Trinity was spent with her in her bedroom, crying, and two very worried dads not having a clue as to how to make it better.
The next two were similar.
But this year?
This year their baby girl got her happiness back.
This year Quinn will spend Christmas surrounded by only those people who absolutely love and cherish every ounce of her.
And this year is the start of a beautiful new life as the Berrys prepare to surprise Quinn with the papers that will make her an official member of the Berry Family.
I think this turned out pretty good. And Josiah and David have the papers ready for Quinn. They will give them to her for Christmas. This will make it official that no one can take her from them, – from Rachel – no matter what. And I will do a "missing scenes" for Snapshots for this, just expanding on some scenes.
Also, regarding Judy – she was arrested, but got to go home on bail. The Judge ordered her to stay away from the Puckerman, Berry, Lopez, and Pierce families. However, she can speak to them if her lawyer talks to Rachel/the others' lawyers, and both sides agree to certain terms/conditions.
Josiah & David have spoken to her. Josiah went to see her back in November when she and he was arrested. I have it planned to be a Snapshots chapter. He had quite a lot of things he had to say to his sister, and we will find out what went on, on Judy's side of things.
Please review and let me know what you thought! :)
***Important*** One last thing... I have decided, in future chapters, on Kurt/Dave instead of Kurt/Blaine. I have never read anything with Kurtofsky before, so I am eager to give it a try, and I hope you will enjoy it. Blaine will be in this also. Shoutout to Isa Yodice12 – she and I came up with an interesting way to introduce Blaine! :)
Up next: lead up to Christmas #2
Then: Christmas Eve (pajamas, movies, and snacks) – possible surprise guest
After that: Christmas Day – Malachi & Lydia show up, meet Quinn officially as grandparents to granddaughter
Finally: January chapters! Officially 2010, and some big milestones for Quinn's pregnancy.
Extra notes:
This chapter is in celebration of having OFFICIALLY 1,000,000 words archived/published! Thank you to EVERYONE who has ever read, reviewed on, followed, favorited, suggested ideas, etc. for any of my stories. I would not be here without you all!
Also, I want to give a shoutout to those of you who are down in Louisiana or Mexico, and anywhere else where Tropical Storm Cristobal has or will be hitting. Please stay/keep safe down here!
