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: T
Notes: Hey, all. Holy shit, it has been 19 months since I've updated! How's it going? What's happening? Anyone still waiting on me? I have decided something big for this story. Upon rereading the ENTIRE story, I have decided, fuck it to all the plans I had for the next three chapters (Rachel & Quinn's grandparents coming for Christmas).
INSTEAD, our girls (and Noah & Finn) are heading to the beach for Christmas! Santana's and Britt's parents/siblings will join, possibly Tina and her family. I may even throw in David Karosky because I want to introduce his siblings.
So that means A LOT of new characters.
I don't know how long this will be. 3 parts, possible even four. They'll be there almost the entire 2 weeks.
I hope you guys had a wonderful 2021. Mine went as well as it could have been. I've had A LOT of personal shit happen. But if there is anyone out there still waiting and willing to be patient as I put this story back on my "WIPs" list, then THANK YOU SO MUCH. I reread all of the reviews, and all of the story, and I remembered why I started, and why I loved doing it in the first place.
Here is to 2022, and more ideas/inspirations. Here is to getting Russell Fabray in prison where that despicable jackass belongs. And here is to giving our girls (and boys) a wonderful send off of the year 2009.
Enjoy! :)
Quinn is 17 weeks, 4 days pregnant
December 22nd, 2009
Rachel does know what to think as the hours pass from the twenty-first into the twenty-second.
She does not know what to think because, instead of going home after dinner, Jennifer and Michael Pierce, and Carlos and Carmen Lopez, are still at the Berry Residence.
Now, this wouldn't be a problem, per se, if the time was, say, 5 o'clock in the evening, or even, as late as 8 o'clock.
But midnight?
With the parents downstairs having a Super Top Secret that No One is Allowed To Hear Meeting/Conversation?
THAT is suspicious.
Now, Noah is also, as is Finn. Mike at home, and he is on video-conference with Brittany, Noah, and Finn playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, which Rachel received for her birthday.
"Ascolta, figlio di puttana. Fai letteralmente schifo. Non potresti sparare dritto se la tua vita dipendesse da questo!" The dancer suddenly shouts into her mic as her and Finn's on-screen characters take cover behind a dilapidated-looking school bus.
(Listen, you motherfucker. You literally suck ass. You couldn't shoot straight if your life depended on it!)
No one has a clue as to what she said– well, except for Rachel, who looks downright scandalized at the words. Santana snickers behind her hand; she definitely does not want to be the object of her rage.
Noah and Finn are trying their best not to laugh their asses off, while Mike responds back with a mess in the same language Britt used.
"Brittany." Rachel pinches the bridge of her nose, and sighs when Britt just turns and smiles innocently at her. "Watch your language." She says in a semi-firm voice as Quinn moves from her spot next to the Diva and down to the end of the bed.
She gestures for Brittany's controller, which the dancer relinquishes, and makes three hand movements before she starts moving Brittany's on-screen character.
"Follow me, guys." Brittany says into the mic, and Finn and Noah soon follow Brittany (Quinn) out from behind the school bus.
Quinn moves quickly. She turns to the left and then the right, spinning in a circle, and then continues moving forward.
Finn snickers as Mike scrambles to follow everyone else.
"Britt, why the hell are you going so fast?"
"Just keep following me." Brittany lets Quinn do her thing – she learned over the summer how to play the version of COD that Brittany owns, so she is pretty good at it.
They get to their next destination. Quinn is the leader, and the boys are the ones to keep a watch out for any enemies who try to shoot them. It goes on for several minutes until it's finished, and Mike calls a time-out.
Noah hits pause, and they hear Mike take off his headset before he leaves his bedroom, and the sound goes quiet on his end.
Rachel and Santana go back of their game, and everything settles for a few minutes. They could almost forget that it is nearing one o'clock in the morning.
Almost, that is.
Josiah comes up about 20 minutes later, when Santana goes into the bathroom. He has bowls of popcorn and a plate of cookies.
She comes out when the smell wafts in there to her.
"Ooh, those look so good!" Brittany makes grabby-hands, and Santana grins once she sees what is in the container.
"Please tell me you made-"
"Oatmeal Raisin?" He shakes the red-and-green plastic container balanced on the plate.
"Gross. I don't know how you eat those." Rachel has to admit – she likes nearly all kinds of cookies. Chocolate chip are her favorite, but she could made due with Sugar Cookie, Gingerbread, Gingersnap, even Snickerdoodles.
In fact, it is not the oatmeal part that she considers disgusting. On the contrary, she loves oatmeal.
However, the one kind Santana could never get her to try was Oatmeal with added raisins.
Probably because she has hated raisins since she was a young child.
"I eat them because they are delicious." Santana mockingly waves it in her face before taking a giant bite, and then going back to aggravating her.
Rachel deadpans her a look, "Keep it up and see what happens." Santana slows her chewing, eyes flickering between the cookie and Rachel's face…
She wisely chooses to step away, Brittany snickering at her between bites of Gingerbread cookies.
*1 hour later*
Finally, at almost 2:30 in the morning, the parents call them downstairs.
The girls, and Finn and Noah, file down to the living room, taking seats on the couches and the floor.
"Mom? What's going on?" Finn is the first to ask, as he sees his mother on a FaceTime call on the laptop.
"We have something we need to discuss." Carlos says. "Now, don't worry; it's nothing bad. This is just something we have all decided on, and we thought would be best for the upcoming Christmas break."
"Ok… ?"
Santana takes her seat on a beanbag, Britt beside her. Carlos chuckles at the confused look. He knows how much she loves vacationing… And she will definitely love this idea.
"I known that Nana Lydia and Papa Kai were supposed to come up for Christmas." David starts.
"But we feel," Josiah takes over next, "due to all that has happened here in the past few months, maybe a break would be better. A break that takes us somewhere away from Lima, Ohio."
The kids all exchange glances with each other. Santana and Britt look to Noah, who shrugs and turns to Finn, only for the taller to give him a I have no idea look.
Finally, they all turn to Rachel, who sits on the couch with Quinn by her side, Zeke in her lap.
"Where did you have in mind?" The Diva asks, causing all the adults to creepily smile at the same exact moment.
"We were thinking… the beach." As expected, Santana perks up. Carmen continues, "We would leave tomorrow afternoon, and we will go to Pensacola Florida for two weeks."
Upon hearing, Rachel immediately looks to her right, where Quinn sits.
She knows that the blonde absolutely loves the beach; the sand, the smell of the ocean… all of it is so calming for her anxiety.
It was a way for Quinn to escape the anxiety-inducing, and tense atmosphere she was constantly exposed to in what should have been the most comfortable place to be.
However, despite this, those times included Quinn being in the know. She was aware that Rachel and her fathers, and her sister, Abby — who lied to Russell about taking Quinn alone on these vacations — would be going to the beach.
She was prepared for the schedule changes, the time spent in the airport, the flying part…
But now?
It seems as though the adults have irresponsibly chosen to do this without giving them proper time to calm Quinn's anxieties about not being in control of what could or might happen.
Well.
At least it seems like they did.
Because, while Quinn is listening to the adults explain this, she still has that same relaxed body language from earlier.
Noticing where her attention has landed, Josiah speaks up.
"Quinn already knew of these plans." He smiles at her when she pops her head up upon hearing her name. "She okay'd it. We explained we would stay for two weeks, and your Cheer coach will be in touch with a cousin – John, I believe?"
Josiah looks to Jennifer. She was the one in charge of coming up with the traveling part of these plans.
"Yes." Jen nods. "Coach Sylvester has a cousin with a fleet of private airplanes. She said he would be more than happy to loan us a couple."
"A couple?!" Santana exclaims, loud enough that Zeke meows at her, causing Finn and Noah to snicker. She glares at both of them, — wisely, they shut up — and turns back to her parents.
"How many do we need exactly?"
"Well, there is us. The little kids… I believe Finn- well, Carol–" David turns to the laptop which still shows Finn's mom on the screen. She is her room in the Ronald McDonald House. Alex and Jordan are asleep on the other bed, so her picture is darkened due to the lights being turned off.
"Are you going to be joining us?"
"Well, Jordan, Alex, and I will spend Christmas Eve and Day with Max. We promised we would us in his room on Christmas morning with him." Carol explains. "But, afterwards, around the twenty-seventh, we will be flying out to spend the rest of Christmas break with everyone else."
Now, this is not exactly the truth – neither is it a lie.
See, what Carol has yet to tell Finn is that their family has received some fantastic news.
The chemotherapy is doing its job.
So well, in fact, that Max gets to come home for Christmas. He usually has chemo for a few weeks, then has a break. His break this month falls around this time of year.
Carol had it cleared with Max's doctor. He is allowed to fly, and will be going to the beach with his family.
So Max, Carol, Alex, and Jordan will be waking up together on Christmas morning… just not in the youngest boy's hospital room.
"Okay, that sounds good. Finn–" Jennifer turns to the Hudson boy. "Are you alright with not spending Christmas Eve and Day with your family?"
Finn looks over to his mom. He would love to go to the beach for break. But this would also be the very first time he's woken up without his family on Christmas morning.
Sighing, he says, "Do I have to go? Can I come stay with you, and leave when you do?"
It would basically be the same thing… but Carol declines to actually say that.
Instead, she agrees, and Josiah offers to drive Finn to them. Carol says Jordan can meet him at a halfway spot tomorrow, and will bring him to Dayton.
And so it is settled. They'll leave around 2 p.m. Finn will be dropped off to stay with his family while David and the other adults get ready to leave for the airport. Josiah will meet them there.
"I have a question," Brittany pipes up for the first time. "What about our clothes?"
"We have that taken care of," Jen answers. "Sweatshirts and pants, shorts… t-shirts… We also have several matching outfits for you and the littles."
Santana gets a similar answer. It is easy to pack for them since they simply wear sweatpants and sweatshirts in the winter, but they do need to come home and find a few nice outfits, which will be worn out to dinner or lunch, plus shopping.
It is decided that Brittany and Santana will go home, everyone will go to bed, and they will continue this tomorrow. It is late, and they'll need at least a few hours of sleep.
Once everybody has left, Josiah and David lock up, sending the remaining kids to bed. Quinn and Rachel go to their room while, Finn and Noah take the spare bedrooms.
*Later in the morning*
They wake up around 11 a.m. to the smell of spaghetti for lunch.
Thankfully, it is one of the few things Quinn can handle. They found that out the hard way when Josiah surprised them with chili (which they both love), and Quinn's response was running to the bathroom…
The first couple of hours are spent doing nothing more than eating, and resting.
Josiah and David are starting to regret not waiting until a more appropriate time to have the discussion from last night.
But hey… even adults make not-so-wise decisions sometimes.
It isn't until nearly one in the afternoon that they start "getting around".
Which just means showers, fighting with the cats, getting dressed, fighting with the cats, any last-minute packing (Quinn sneaked them both a bag over the last couple of weeks; Rachel found several "lost" items of clothing in said suitcases)…
And oh, yeah. Fighting with the cats.
"Meeeooooow…"
Rachel looks down at the current bane of her existence. She is attempting to brush her hair, something that is quite difficult when she have a kitten pitifully meowing at her.
"Smokey, I can't play with you right now."
Smokey, however, has other ideas.
"Meeeeoow."
"Go find Quinn or Finn or Noah, sweetie. I can't play with you right now but they might be able to."
"Meow." Smokey tries to convince her as the tiny kitten stands on her back paws.
Rachel lets out a deep, exaggerated sigh. "Fine!" She lifts the baby kitty up and places her on the counter beside the sink. "Now, please allow me to finish getting ready."
"Meow?" Smokey rolls over, belly up, and begins to purr loudly. "Meeeow."
"I don't know what you want me to do."
That is a total lie.
Smokey wants Rachel to run her belly – of course!
She twists her body, now looking up at Rachel upside down. "MeeeeeoooooooOW!"
"Smokey–" She is cut off by a chuckle from the bathroom doorway. Finn is there, dressed in jeans and a hoodie, plus his Letterman jacket, and brown boots that match his brother's Army boots.
"You know, they say talking to animals and expecting them to understand is the first sign of insanity." He smirks.
She rolls her eyes, trying (failing) to look serious. That's when Smokey realizes Finn is here. She jumps up, excitedly running across the counting while meowing at him.
He motions, silently asking if it is ok to step into the bathroom. With Rachel's permission, Finn steps over and scoops the baby kitten up.
"Your dad — Mister Josiah — wants to know if you are almost finished." He kisses the kitten's head. "He also said that your cousin Jake is going to take Zeke, Smokey, and Tigger. And your Aunt Elaine and Uncle Keith will have Nala and Oscar."
Rachel nods in affirmation, and then quickly hugs him goodbye as they hear Josiah calling out from downstairs.
"See ya later, Rach." Finn turns to go, and Rachel can hear him talking to Smokey in a baby voice as he walks back through her bedroom.
Rachel quickly finishes up in the bathroom, and rechecks her toiletry bag. She then heads downstairs with her bags.
Rachel finds everyone — sans Finn and Josiah — in the living room. Brittany is reorganizing her bag while Quinn and Santana are playing LifeSimulator 2 on Rachel's PlayStation, which they apparently brought downstairs. It is similar to the game Sims, but this allows for more free play/range of in-game choices.
"Maldita perra. You can't do that! Quinn- Q! Let me back in the house!"
Quinn is silent — she simply walks away from the door, leaving Santana's onscreen character standing outside as she had locked the door.
Britt looks up from her backpack. "Go check on Charlie."
That is their baby. Quinn walks through the living room and a rainbow-splattered kitchen to a hallway which leads to the bedroom. A brown-haired, green-eyed toddler boy stands in his crib.
"Aw, look!" Brittany scoots over on her knees. "He's so cute! He looks like you, Quinnie."
Meanwhile, Santana is still stuck outside the house.
"Yo! Your wife is freezing her ass off out here." Santana snips, moving her arm to knock repeatedly on the door.
She is ignored by everyone.
"Okay. Fine. I see how it is." Santana turns around and walks down their rocked walkway, sneaking through the bushes on the side of the house.
"I have a question," Rachel slides onto the couch beside Quinn. Charlie and Quinn are now in the kitchen, and Quinn is making a bottle of milk. "Why does your kitchen look like a Pride Parade exploded in it?"
The kitchen, with three complete walls and a fourth half wall-half doorway, is painted a different color for each of those walls – red, blue, pink, and orange. The fridge is green and brown polka-dotted – with glitter. The counters are white and grey, and the microwave and stove match the fridge.
"I decorated it myself!" Brittany grins. "Don't you just love it?"
Rachel hums, looking at the screen. Santana is sneaking up to the backdoor, and Quinn is making dinner. Charlie sits in his highchair, playing with his toy blocks.
"It's really something, I know that." She finally decides on, rolling her eyes fondly at Brittany's giggling. Suddenly, Quinn is rushing through the kitchen. She locks the backdoor just as Santana's character is trying to unlock it.
Quinn then goes immediately goes back to the kitchen so Charlie is not left alone.
"Yo! The hell are you doing."
Quinn is silent, but she does push a button on the controller. A menu pops up. She scrolls down and selects something, but Rachel is unable to read what she is doing.
Until a message pops up on screen.
Do you wish to change locks on Lopez-Fabray household? Yes – No
Quinn clicks Yes.
Just as Santana is sticking the key into the door lock. A new message pops up:
Lock on Lopez-Fabray household has been changed. Please go to Key Menu for new house key.
Along with a message for Santana:
Sorry. This key does not fit. Lock on Lopez-Fabray household has been changed. Please go to Key Menu for new house key.
Santana deadpans a look, sideways at the three girls now in different stages of stifling their laughter (Rachel), and not even bothering to try and stop (Quinn & Brittany).
Breathing out, long, slow, and deep, Santana nods.
"Okay. I see how it is." Now, this is where Santana royally screws up.
The pissed off Lifer stalks over to the side of the house to their back garden. She picks up a rock, tosses it aside, and then picks up a different one…
She hurls it toward the house. A glass breaking sound-effect plays, and Rachel raises an eyebrow as she watches Santana stalk toward the house and try to climb in through the window.
Unfortunately for her, their security alarm goes off at that exact moment.
Intruder Alert. Your home security system has been activated. Right rear window was broken. Do you wish to alert the police for possible Burglary Attempt? Yes – No
Brittany falls out in a fit of giggles, and Rachel is practically smothering her mouth with pillow at this point.
Santana lets out a sharp breath.
"Q…" Quinn presses her lips together, struggling to keep the laughter in, as she awaits Santana's next words. "I swear, I don't care how much we love each other, if you click yes, your ass will be sleeping on the couch tonight."
Thankfully, Quinn takes pity on the poor girl. She clicks No, and then enters a four-digit security code to prove it is her, and not a burglar. The alarm ceases, and Quinn unlocks the door, finally allowing her wife inside.
Santana's on-screen character's face is the perfect example of -_- as she walks inside and into the kitchen.
A message box pops up. It is the messaging center used for people who are not in the same room while playing the game. Quinn types out a message I love you, honeybunch.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Santana grumbles though she does respond with I love you too. Quinn waits, Rachel is confused as to why she is not responding until she hears Santana sigh, and a second message pops up Babe.
Meanwhile, Charlie looks up and sees Santana. The little toddler squeals out and reaches for Santana.
"Mama, Mama, Mama!"
She breathes out a laugh, and walks to her son. Pick up Charlie? Yes – No
"Our baby boy is such a good kid." Santana's character picks up the little boy. "Aren't you, Char? Let's help Mommy with dinner."
They are allowed to play for ten more minutes, at which time, David comes inside from loading bags into their vehicle. It is time to turn off all lights, lock up, and start towards the airport, where they will meet Josiah.
"We're going to a Private Airstrip," David says after the fifth song that Rachel and Britt dueted. "Quinn, sweetie, as we discussed previously, you will get a Security Physical Touch Pass."
The words are like a weight lifted off of her shoulders. She knew Josiah and David would try everything they could to get it to where she does not have to endure a pat-down during the security section of the airport.
But deep down, she had been trying her very best to prepare herself for it. Arms, sides, hips, legs… That's only four things, Quinnie. You can do it! Just four things!
She couldn't help the panic that bubbled just under the surface. The creepy-crawly pinpricks on her skin at the thought a complete and total stranger — a male, at that, most likely — would be touching her and would probably think she had something to hide if she squirmed or protested.
Squirming and objecting or shying away from touch was never allowed. It always resulted in more touching – rougher and tighter and longer and forceful, iron-fisted, grips.
So Quinn had to learn to deal with it, to a certain degree – shake hands with parents' friends, give long-lost Aunt, Uncle, and bratty, asshole cousins a hug, allow strangers to fuss over her "beautiful, blonde hair"…
But it always led to the possibility of a panic or anxiety attack when her brain and body could not cope in that moment.
"LuLu?"
She's knocked out of her thoughts by Rachel. The Diva is… watching her with soft mocha eyes.
"You okay?"
She gives a small smile — genuine and truthful — and nods before her attention is drawn to the backseat. Brittany is showing her something on her tablet. She motions for Quinn's, uses their WiFi Hotspot to download the same game to it.
The rest of the ride to the airport is spent with Quinn and Britt doing whatever the heck it is with their game, Rachel listening to music on her MP3 player, and Santana watching out of the window at the scenic view.
And there it is! It feels a little rushed at the end but I wanted to finish it and get it up.
Thank you to anyone who not only reads but also reviews. I appreciate it more than words can express. I know it has been forever and a day, but I really think the last year and a half has helped me decide where I want to go with this story.
I officially gave up any hope of being able to recover documents from my corrupted flashdrive about six months ago. Which means all future chapters for this story that I had started and/or completed are gone for good.
I won't lie to you guys and promise the next chapter will be up sometime soon. I am currently working on my The Originals fics, and those take precedence. But I am working on it.
Please review and let me know what you thought. :)
