A/N: Guess what? I'm back! It was a rough couple of weeks there, with little to no motivation and a lot of other things going on personally, but here is Day 26! And it's a wedding, how fun? I'm not sure how realistic this wedding would be, but the idea came to me based on this random line I came up with, and I went with it.
On a side note, my classes begin on Monday, so I am hoping to get these last few chapters out before then! Not making any promises though. I also got a new laptop this past weekend, so I am hoping that it will encourage me to write more too.
Anyway, hope you enjoy!
Day 26: Getting Married
Quinn is struggling with her vows.
When she proposed to Rachel just under eleven months ago, it was with love and passion and hope for a future together with her, forever, until death do them part. What she hadn't considered, at least not at the time, was the stress of wedding planning. Making guest lists, choosing a date and location, picking flowers and food and cake and decorations and bridesmaids and bridesmen and colors and so many more minor details that it gives Quinn a headache just thinking about them.
She's faced these decisions (mostly) with grace over the past year, with Rachel at her side through all of it. They've shed tears over flower choices–gardenias have always been so special to them–bickered over dessert choices, made love over (and on top of) color swatches, and never once strayed from each other's side. The past months have been stressful, incredibly so, but they've all built up to what Quinn knows will be the single greatest day of her life thus far.
If only she could figure out what the hell she wants to say in her vows.
Rachel knows how much Quinn adores her. The four years they have been together have been nothing short of the best years of Quinn's life. And she has made Rachel aware of this fact every day that they have spent together. She never fails to ensure that Rachel knows just how much she loves her, cares about her, counts herself lucky to have someone as incredible as her in her life.
Every day, Quinn does little things to show her appreciation for her girlfriend. She leaves little notes around the apartment, cooks meals for her, writes her little poems, sings songs with her, does everything possible to convey her love in any way possible. (Once, she wrote a Shakespearian sonnet about the sheer beauty of Rachel's boobs that left them both in fits of laughter.) It brings them joy, these little actions, small ways of showing her love whenever she can.
Now, sitting at her desk, a mere two weeks before her wedding date, Quinn is somehow at a loss for words. She knows Rachel has already written her vows, based on the numerous times her fiancée has casually mentioned them, trying to weasel some details out of Quinn about her own. Each time, Quinn has teased her, saying that she will have to wait until the actual day to find out because sharing any details would spoil the fun. In reality, Quinn just hasn't found the words that she wants to say to the love of her life.
It's quite ironic, really. She's a writer; she's made a living off of using her words, crafting phrases and weaving them together with sentences and paragraphs. But she can't figure out what to say to Rachel on their wedding day. It's frustrating, too, and she knows Rachel would tease her if she knew how much Quinn was struggling.
Her problem isn't not knowing what to say, necessarily, but how to say it. Quinn could write essays, novels, encyclopedias detailing the depths of her love and admiration for this woman, but that's not what she needs. What she needs is a concise, maybe two minutes maximum, speech that accurately illustrates four years of her commitment to this woman and why she wants to be with her for the rest of her life.
Easier said than done.
Staring at the blank notebook in front of her and the pen loosely dangling from her hand, Quinn hears Rachel humming from the kitchen. The sound makes her smile, the ease with which Rachel just produces music, flowing out of her like it's the air that she breathes. It's effortless, the way Rachel sings like it's nothing, like it's normal for such a brilliant voice to exude from someone so easily.
Suddenly, a light bulb goes off in Quinn's head, and she knows exactly what she needs to do for her vows. It's only a matter of gathering the courage to do so.
The next two weeks fly by, between work-related meetings, last minute wedding decisions, and enjoying her (admittedly limited) quality time with Rachel when they weren't otherwise preoccupied. Before she knows it, it's her wedding day, and she's standing in a room with her mom, Mercedes, and Santana, doing final makeup checks and trying to calm her nerves.
"Quinnie, you all ready?" Judy asks, meeting her eyes in the mirror.
She lets out a heavy sigh and drops her gaze to her hands, fiddling with the engagement ring on her finger, soon to be joined by a wedding band. The thought brings a smile to her face but does little to quell her nerves. "I'm freaking out," Quinn admits softly, watching her mom's reaction.
Judy's eyes widen as she walks around to look her daughter in the eyes. "Freaking out? Honey, why?"
"Is this about your plan again?" Mercedes asks from behind, "Because I already paid Jeffrey, and he's here, so it's a little late to back out now."
Quinn's eyes flutter shut. Jeffrey, the accompanist Mercedes knows, is here and has been paid and is expecting to play. She can't back out now. Except, "What if this is a terrible idea?" Quinn can't stop herself from asking. "What if she doesn't like it? What if it's too much? What if she just wanted simple, normal wedding vows?"
"Please," Santana scoffs, "It's Rachel Berry. She'll jump at any opportunity to perform, you know that. Even if it's at her own wedding."
Mercedes nods in agreement. "Santana is right, Quinn. You know Rachel better than anyone else, and you know that she's gonna love this. If you didn't think she would, you wouldn't have come up with it in the first place."
"And I didn't spend all of my spare time over the past two weeks helping you rehearse this damn song just for you to cancel last minute." Santana adds on.
Quinn sighs in defeat. She knows they are right, but that doesn't stop the constant doubts circling around in her head. "I just feel like this is a terrible idea."
"Quinnie, stop that." Her mom chastises. "You love Rachel. She loves you. And she loves to sing. This will be a wonderful moment to look back on in the future, and, if all goes south, I'm sure you can whip up something on the fly."
"But it's not going to go south," Mercedes interjects, "Because you practiced, and you know Rachel, and you know how much she will love this."
She looks at Mercedes, then her mom, and finally Santana, and Quinn gives in to their expectant looks. "Okay, I'm good. Let's do this."
"Thank God," Santana says, "Because it's showtime."
Standing up, Quinn takes one last look at herself in the mirror, and, satisfied with her appearance, follows behind Santana as the four of them walk out to the front of the building. As they make their way, she is suddenly grateful that they decided on a banquet hall rather than an outdoor location simply because her last minute decision to turn her vows into a performance would decidedly not have worked if they were outside. Suddenly, Santana stops walking, and Quinn is staring into the room in front of her, filled with all of her friends and family.
She turns to her two best friends, who have been there for her through thick and thin, and, without pretense, Quinn throws her arms around the both of them. Tears form in her eyes, and she laughs at herself for her sudden onset of emotions; she hasn't even seen her bride yet. Mercedes laughs with her, cheeks pressed together, while Santana groans in (fake) discomfort, despite her arms wrapped around her friends' shoulders.
Pulling back, she turns to face her mom, whose eyes are misty, and she stretches her arm out to grab her hand. Their hands clasp, squeezing tightly, and Quinn takes a deep breath, pushing past the lump in her throat.
The music begins to play, and they walk. Hand in hand, Quinn walks with her mom down the aisle, meeting the gazes of her loved ones. She sees her sister, Frannie, with her husband and son, her friends from high school, Tina, Artie, Sam, Mike, and even Jesse, and her friends from college. She sees Rachel's family, her aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents whom she has gotten to know and has become part of their family. She sees Shelby, sitting in the front row, a somewhat fond expression on her face, and Quinn is too happy to let any misgivings she may have towards the woman affect her mood right now.
She stops at the front, gives her mom a hug, and lets her go to sit next to Shelby. Quinn turns to look down the aisle, smiling at the sight of Santana and Brittany, arms linked, making their way down the aisle together. They got married the year prior, with Rachel and Quinn as bridesmaids, and now it is coming full circle. Santana moves to stand behind her while Brittany stands opposite her, throwing her a wink, and Quinn smiles even brighter as she turns her gaze back to find Kurt and Mercedes walking together. They are all smiles as they arrive at the front, Kurt releasing Mercedes with a spin to stand along with Santana while he joins Brittany across from Quinn.
Turning her gaze back to the aisle, Quinn sucks in a breath as she awaits Rachel's entrance. The door opens, and Quinn's breath catches at the sight.
It's Beth.
It's Beth, her daughter with dark blonde hair falling in loose waves, with a small basket of flower petals, scattering them along the aisle as she walks nervously, hesitantly, seeming like she's taking extra care to make sure she doesn't trip in her white dress and flats, and Quinn's eyes flood with tears. She can't believe she didn't notice that Beth wasn't at Shelby's side in the front row.
(Quinn had wanted to ask Beth to be their flower girl, but she had chickened out; it seems her soon-to-be wife had gone behind her back and asked Beth to surprise her.)
When Beth gets to the front, Quinn bends over and embraces her tightly, quietly thanking her and telling her she did a great job. The grin that lights up her daughter's face makes Quinn nearly cry with joy as Beth skips over to Shelby and sits in between her and Judy.
Then, the music shifts, the doors open, and Quinn's breath catches once again. Because there, in all of her glory, is Rachel. Her hair is curled, falling easily over her shoulders, her strapless white gown stopping just at her knees, her arms locked in her fathers' on either side of her, her eyes, shining with love, locked on Quinn's.
She is the most gorgeous woman Quinn has ever laid eyes on.
And Quinn tells her as much, upon arriving at the front and joining her hands with Quinn's after hugging her dads. Quinn relishes in the flush that appears on Rachel's cheeks at the compliment. She resists the urge to kiss her, no matter how much she wants to; instead, she lifts Rachel's hand to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of her hand, and Rachel's smile grows even brighter.
The officiant begins her remarks, and Quinn listens to her speak about love and commitment and lifelong bonds while looking at Rachel, standing across from her, and wondering how she got so lucky. Before she knows it, they've arrived at the vows, and Rachel is squeezing Quinn's hands tightly to grab her attention.
Ever rehearsed, Rachel begins to recite, "It's funny to be standing here, today, with you, the love of my life, the girl with whom I got into an argument over gay marriage when we were freshmen in high school. Now, here we are, getting gay married."
Quinn chokes on her breath, jaw dropping, eyes widening, all while the crowd laughs, and Rachel's face lights up at her shocked expression. She can't believe Rachel just brought that up, on their wedding day, nonetheless, and she's about to interject when Rachel says, "I know she's probably upset with me right now for bringing that up, but I look back on it fondly now because it reminds me of how far we both have come."
Quinn closes her mouth as Rachel continues, "We weren't the closest in high school, as many of you know. We were on opposite sides of everything, and, yet, somehow, we always found our way to each other. Despite any animosity between us, Quinn always, always believed in my talent more than anyone else, and I always saw the sweet, kind girl behind that icy façade." She turns to look Quinn in the eyes, saying, "We have grown so much together, probably the most that two people can ever grow alongside each other, and I am so, so proud to be standing up here with you today."
"You have taught me so much about growth, about struggle and persistence, about never giving up despite obstacles that come our way. You've taught me about love, unconditional love, the kind that I have always dreamed of but never believed was real until you kissed me for the first time." Rachel pauses, wiping tears from her eyes. "You've shown me what it means to love someone so much that you would do anything to make them happy. Because you do. I have never been happier than when I have been with you, and I only hope I can make you as happy as you have made me for the rest of our lives."
Tears falling down her cheeks, Quinn squeezes her hands tightly before Rachel lifts her hand up and kisses it. It warms her heart, seeing the love shining in Rachel's eyes, through the tears, and it only makes her more nervous for what she's about to do.
The room goes silent as Quinn begins to speak, "You have surprised me quite a bit already today, so I think it's my turn." She nods to Jeffrey in the crowd, who gets up and walks over to the piano, sitting down in place of the previous player. Rachel looks at her, confusion evident in her gaze, and Quinn just smiles nervously. "I'm a writer at heart, but I struggled so much trying to figure out what I wanted to say in my vows. Then, I realized that maybe I should try speaking your language instead."
Rachel's eyebrows furrow for a moment before softening, her eyes growing wide with recognition. She darts her eyes from Quinn, to the piano, back to Quinn, and a look of admiration washes over her face. Quinn swallows nervously before she clears her throat and says, "I know you know this song, and I'm hoping you'll sing with me when the time comes because no one here wants to watch me sing a song when you could be singing too." At this, the crowd laughs, and Rachel just shakes her head in dismissal.
"I know you'll be upset with me that I haven't let you warm up, but you don't need a warm-up," Quinn promises. "And, I'll just make this one promise to you. Once upon a time you told me that I can be a bit sharp when I sing, which is probably true, but I promise to always be in tune to you."
She turns to give a slight nod to Jeffrey, and he begins to play. Rachel seems to recognize the song instantly, if the look on her face is any indication, which only makes Quinn more nervous. Still, she musters up every bit of courage that she has in her body and opens her mouth to sing the opening lines.
"Never knew I could feel like this," Quinn sings softly, watching a soft smile grace Rachel's face, her eyes filling with tears, and it gives Quinn the slightest bit of confidence to continue, "Like I've never seen the sky before. Want to vanish inside your kiss, every day I love you more and more."
As she sings, she keeps her eyes focused solely on Rachel, knowing she would not be able to continue if she remembered how many people they were surrounded by. Quinn focuses on Rachel, on her eyes and her face and her lips, mouthing the words along with her once she hits the chorus.
When it comes to the time for Rachel to sing her part, she does, and the sound of her voice, so pure and raw and full of emotion, brings tears to Quinn's eyes. She sings the verse, her eyes falling shut as she pours her heart into the words she's singing, and Quinn falls in love all over again. She falls in love with Rachel's voice and her passion and her talent and her love for music and her love for Quinn, slamming into her with the weight of a thousand suns.
Quinn joins back in, their voices melting together, as they belt out the final chorus of Come What May. Rachel's voice is powerful, filling the entire room, while Quinn's serves as a mere, soft harmony to the strength of Rachel's. They harmonize perfectly, and Quinn is so glad she took the extra time to practice getting the harmonies correct because she is able to relish this moment, her and Rachel singing this song together, and bask in the glory of Rachel's talent.
After their last note, there is a beat of silence before their friends and family all start applauding for them. Quinn blushes, and Rachel meets her eyes and throws her arms around her in a tight hug. Quinn holds her tightly, tears falling down both of their cheeks as they cherish this moment together.
"I love you, Rachel," Quinn murmurs to her over the sound of the applause.
Rachel leans back and looks at her, and Quinn is overwhelmed at the sheer joy reflected in her eyes. "Until your dying day?" She asks cheekily, despite the tears in her eyes and the shakiness in her voice.
Quinn just nods. "And then some."
A/N: The song mentioned is Come What May from the movie/musical Moulin Rouge. Stream it!
Also, I don't ask often but feel free to leave a review if you enjoyed this because I could use some motivation over the next few days. Thanks!