Chapter 2 - The Predicament
"Alright, kids, no more fighting. I'll see y'all tonight. Good luck to the both of you!" Fae was dressed up in an all-black suit with her large bag hung over her shoulder. "Bye!"
Fae sat on the subway staring at her phone, checking her messages every couple of seconds. Nothing from Quinn. Was this all a lost cause? She was probably too drunk to even remember that night and what happened.
Fae's texts painted the messages tab, alone and barren. This was hopeless.
/
"Fae, something terrible has happened!" Marley came running up to Fae the second she entered the office.
"Oh, god, what now?" Fae's heart quickened.
"It's the Beast, he's killed so many at our Los Angeles branch and there's word that he's sending accomplices here," Marley's words shot out in panic.
"Who do we have on the scene? Weapons? Any means to stop these accomplices?"
"I don't know right now but we need to get to a safe space," Marley's eyes were massive, almost bulging from her face.
"Guys, over here!" Fred shouted from the lab. Winifred Burkle, also known as Fred, was Marley's boss, the head of the lab. She was an analytical genius and worked closely with Angel in the past.
The three of them ran into the lab, closing the door behind them. As the doors slammed, the lights cut, the only light emitting from the weak generator light in the corner.
"Here," Fred pulled open a cabinet full of swords, crossbows, and over medieval weaponry.
Fae grabbed a sword and held it up in defense. "You think this will work?"
"I sure hope so," Marley sighed in grief.
/
Massive claws caved into the room, leaving Fae, Marley, and Fred at their will, slashing off appendages as they came protruding into the room.
"God, there's so many of them!" Marley screamed.
Bzzt Bzzt
"Oh my god, Fae!" Marley yelled.
"Hey, what's up-" Fae swung her sword, dismembering a large limb off the entity.
"Hey, Fae," Quinn was on the phone, her voice calm and relaxed.
"Quinn!" Fae yelled as she leaped away, dodging an attack.
"Haha, yeah," Quinn chuckled at Fae's odd tone. "So, I really liked what happened the other night and well, I want to see you again soon."
Fae thought only but a second about it, as she was a little preoccupied. "Quinn, I know it's a little last minute, but how about you-" Fae stopped to stab a bulbous figure. "How about we go for dinner tonight?"
"Tonight? Well," Quinn paused. "I don't have anyone to babysit Hazel, she's my daughter."
Right, the daughter.
"Well she can come too, I don't mind!" Fae wiped demon blood off her face.
"Fae, lookout!" Fred cried.
Fae ducked her head as a large tentacle flew in, smashing through the file cabinets behind her.
"Get off the phone!" Marley pleaded.
"Okay, Quinn? I'm a little busy at the office right now, how about we go to Spotlight tonight? 6 o'clock sounds good?" Fae looked up to slice through the tentacle, slime pouring onto her leg. "Gross!"
"Huh?"
"Nothing, nothing, just some weird … man. See you tonight?"
"...Alright, see you tonight."
/
"Fae." Marley sighed. "You wouldn't have even been able to live to see tonight if you paid any less attention."
"You're right…" Fae sighed, wiping sludge off her sword. "At least we had the demon held off,"
"For now! What if more come back?" Marley threw her hands up at her senior.
"Then we deal with them! Look, I get it, what I did was selfish-"
"More than selfish."
"Right, but we're alive! We'll get the next wave, whatever the Beast wants to throw our way. We have the willpower, we have Angel, we have Spike, Gunn, we have the manpower and brains to take these things down!"
"Almost everyone at the LA branch died, Fae." Marley furrowed her brows at the pink-haired girl.
"They don't have the same power we have." Fae exhaled sharply. There's not much we can do Marley, you're a lab worker, I'm an office admin! Today was different. It's why we have our training."
Since Wolfram and Hart dealt with the supernatural, it was only necessary that all staff undergo basic training for these kinds of situations. It was the risk of the job, and it was something that made coming to work fulfilling, was fighting against these entities. Fae couldn't help thinking of everyone in the office. God, this was Addison's what, second day? And already having to deal with this?
"I'm just saying Fae, don't be so careless. And over this stupid girl!" Marley threw her hands down.
"Whoa, what did you just say?" Fae's arms moved opposite, into a cross.
"I told you to take things slow!"
"And I am!"
"I overheard someone else coming with you guys tonight, who would that be?"
"Her daughter?" Fae scoffed.
"You're already meeting her family?"
"She seemed cool about it!" Fae undid her hands, holding them up high.
"I don't like where this is going," Marley sighed again, slowing her pace. "This is gonna be another fling and I just know it, okay?"
Fae stood there in silence. Time flashed back to all those times she complained to Marley about finding love, one-night stands, being alone.
"Marley," Fae held her lips together tightly before releasing them. "I'm sorry, I-"
"It's okay, just enjoy tonight and be grateful you lived today."
Fae's smile was bittersweet. She survived. She should be celebrating. She is celebrating, with Quinn, tonight. Holy shit. Tonight.
"You're right. The Beast is slowed for now, hopefully not another attack on the office for a while." Fae tried to reassure herself but the bad lump in her throat was difficult to swallow. No matter, she had a date tonight.
/
"Quinn, you look beautiful," Fae reached in to give her date a hug. "And hello kid… kids?" Fae looked over Quinn's shoulder to see not one but two kids standing there, smiling up at the Canadian.
"Yes, ahem-" Quinn cleared her throat and held her hand out. "This is Hazel, my daughter, and this is her very very good friend Piper"
"Pippy is gonna see her mommy tonight!" Hazel giggled.
"Yeah, Piper is Rachel's kid," Quinn looked back to face Fae.
"Who's Rachel?"
"Oh god, an old ex-girlfriend of mine, very irritating but I dunno, it kept me going for some reason" Quinn let out a laugh.
"If you like irritating, you found the right girl." Is what Fae wanted to say, and thank god her brain decided to think over that sentence before saying it out loud. "She sounds like a piece of work. Let's not see too much of her tonight if we don't have to."
"Agreed!"
/
"Holy shit, there's Aja, she's the one dating your roommate."
"Right," Quinn replied.
"Fae?"
"Hey, Aja!" Fae waved at her roommate.
Aja came storming over towards Fae. Uh-oh, this didn't look good.
"What the fuck are you doing here? Is that Quinn? Who the fuck are those kids?" Aja was whispering very loudly.
"Okay, okay, slow down mama" Fae held her hands up blocking Aja from coming in any closer... "Look, I asked Quinn out at the last minute and she said yes, I told her this was your first show tonight so she brought her daughter and her daughter's friend who happens to be Rachel's kid."
"Rachel has a kid?" Aja turned to look at Rachel. That must be her. Quinn dated that?
Fae's attention returned to the roommate. "Yeah, some humanitarian thing, she adopted this kid from the Philippines or something. Quinn told me. Anyways she couldn't find a babysitter so she just brought 'em with me! It's cool!"
"No this is not cool, this is my big break! If you do anything to embarrass me I swear to god Fae…"
"Whoa, you know I wouldn't do that, me and Quinnie here are just-"
"What did you just call her?"
"Quinn- you know what, no. I'll be good, okay? Just enjoy yourself, it's your first shift! I can be your first customer! It'll be cool!" Fae's smile was forced, trying to ease the tension.
Aja rolled her eyes before she called JJ over to seat the party.
/
Fae turned to Quinn with her fingers in a gun pose. "Favourite drink and… go!"
"Margaritas!" Fae and Quinn erupted into laughter as they shouted in sync.
"No way," Fae eased the laugh. "Woman after my own heart-"
"There's a place not too far from here that does margarita flights" Quinn took a sip of her water.
"Oh my god, next date there?" Fae leaned in to whisper in Quinn's ear. "Maybe without the little ones?"
"Yeah, we'll plan this better next time."
Piper and Hazel were giggling nonstop, absorbed in their own little world. They were so cute together, everything about their friendship seemed so pure and youthful.
"Alright then, we better get some margaritas tonight then, eh?" Fae flashed a big, cheeky grin at her date.
"Your Canadian charms are so cute," Quinn blushed. "Of course!"
Fae chuckled before flagging down Aja.
"Alright, can I get y'all somethin' to drink?" Aja smiled at Fae with a pad and pen in her hands.
"Well, miss Aja, do I ever want to drink-" Fae's horrible acting was unbearable to watch. "Me and the lady will be having your lime margaritas, and kids? What are you gonna have?"
Fae could overhear the two of them, continuing their giggles.
"Umm, I'll get an apple juice. And Piper will have one too!" Hazel piped up from the table.
Aja smiled sweetly as she scribbled on her notepad. "Coming right up!"
"She's so good, already a true natural." Fae held up her glass of water.
"Oh yeah, I can see what Santana likes in her." Quinn slid in closer, body resting slightly on Fae's shoulder. "Hey, Hazel stop playing with the utensils,"
"But mom-" Hazel whined.
"Come on, Piper's not doing that, right?"
"Right…" Hazel looked down in sorrow.
"Man, having kids must be tough." Fae stretched her arm back.
"It can be, it's like another job." Quinn looked over at the two girls. "I had Hazel when I was really young you see, and when me and Rachel broke up…"
Oh god, not Rachel…
"She tried to one-up me by adopting a child from the Philippines. I was at a loss for words. At the time it was easy to stay with her because we both had kids the same age now, and it was a parental support sort of deal… but then I found out it was all to get back with me."
"What the fuck?" Fae's words got Quinn to turn to look into her eyes.
"Yeah, it's seriously messed up. It's why this little one comes over so much" Quinn ruffled Piper's hair.
"Auntie Q, can we get dessert tonight?"
"I-"
"Sure thing Piper, we can!" Fae stepped in to offer. "Tonight's a very special night." Fae looked into Quinn's eyes deeply as she delivered her words.
Quinn smiled back at Fae, resting an arm on her date's thigh. The hand struck her leg as if a hot iron hit the water because it was steaming alright.
Aja came back, drinks in hand.
"For you, margaritas… and for you little stars, apple juices." Aja took their food orders before switching her tone to a more personal one. "So, I'm gonna be singing my first little sólo tonight!"
"No fucking way!" Fae clapped excitedly for her roommate.
"Yes, way!" Aja shimmied her shoulders. "I'm gonna blow em away"
"Do a good job and you might get-" Fae laughed "You know what I'm not even gonna finish that sentence."
"Wanky" Quinn snarked.
/
"And now, ladies and gentlethems, the Spotlight Diner would like to present: performing this song tonight and tonight only, the Spotlight Stars!" Mike's voice was grand and commanding, the entire party, even the kids were fixated on the stage.
The lights dimmed, spotlights flashing onto the stage. Rachel started singing the first verse to Love Song, and god was the blood boiling. Fae couldn't bear to see her date's ex-girlfriend singing on stage. God, why was she such a good singer? Why couldn't Fae be a good singer? This was total shit, how do you go from that to this…
Fae turned around during the voice to look over at Quinn, who along with Piper and Hazel, were swaying to the piano riff. She smiled at Quinn who returned the sentiment, leaning in to kiss Fae on the cheek. If Fae's face wasn't already burning with the sensation of her margarita it was essentially engulfed in flames at this point. Her eyes spoke a thousand words. Quinn mouthed something and pointed towards the stage.
Fae turned around to see Aja, stepping in front of Rachel to sing her verse. My god was Aja damn good. Fae had such talented roommates.
"N****r! Stupid n****r! Get off the stage!" Fae could hear the sound bellowing from the table next to them.
Fae watched in pure horror as Aja froze, the music kept going but Aja was not singing, everyone gasping at what had just been heard.
"What did you just say to me?" Aja threw the mic to the floor, feedback echoing throughout the restaurant.
"You're a n****r for liking Sara Bareilles!" God those disgusting words were loud and unwarranted.
"That doesn't even make sense!" Aja yelled at the girl.
"Lileigh, maybe that's enough,"
Fae peered over the booth to get a look at the party, one of the teenagers held onto the ginger-haired girl in question.
"Oh, Lileigh is it?" Aja charged towards the group. "Get out of my restaurant. NOW."
Rachel came running over. "Ma'm we're going to have to ask you to leave, and never come back. Thank you for coming!"
"Ugh. This place is run by stupid n****rmen" Lileigh and her friends got up and walked out the door. Yes! The restaurant uproared in applause.
"Get fucked racist!" Fae leaped from her seat, god how dare she goes for her roommate like that!?
Quinn jumped up alongside Fae. "Taking out the trash!" Piper and Hazel saw this as a green light, as they also got up to cheer.
Proud date moment. Quinn looked so hot screaming at these stupid kids.
"Quinn, that was so hot." Fae watched Quinn turn around to meet her date's face.
"Not as hot as telling her to fuck off," Quinn wrapped her arms around Fae. "How about we drop the kids off with Rachel and we head back to my apartment alone?"
"I think I like the sound of that," Fae stared down at Quinn's mouth, soon encompassing it with her own.
"Ahem!" Rachel was tapping her foot at the couple. "Do you guys mind saving that until after we close?"
I hate you, Rachel Berry.
/