A/N: Day 27! Believe it or not, I actually did start this six weeks ago, right after I posted day 26. Alas, I did not make as much progress as I anticipated, and then I started school and got a bit overwhelmed with work. But here we are! All you need to know is that it's Quinn's birthday at the beginning of their junior year, and Rachel shows up with a gift.
I can't say I'm in love with this one, but it was a cute concept, and I wanted to get it done. Also, I make no promises when the next update will come, but I promise I will finish these. There's only three left, so it would be a shame not to. Anyway, hope you enjoy!
Day 27: On One of Their Birthdays
A knock on the door distracts Quinn from her current task. (The task at hand being an intense game of Jenga with Mercedes, but a task nonetheless.) She stops midway through her attempt to remove her chosen block, slowly pulling her hand away from the tower, and eyes Mercedes cautiously.
"That's still mine when I come back," She warns cheekily. "Don't even think about touching it."
Mercedes holds her hands up in mock defense. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Grinning, Quinn gets up from her spot on the ground, wincing at the stretch in her legs as she stands up. She may have gone a bit too hard at Cheerios' practice that morning, but it was her first practice back on the team as the captain, and she wasn't about to slack off or let any of them forget why she was put back on top. Still, the soreness in her legs does make her regret that choice a little bit.
Quinn walks to her front door, opens it, and sees Rachel Berry standing on her front porch, looking all sorts of uncomfortable.
"Hi," Quinn says. Her tone isn't rude or uninviting, per se, but it is certainly full of confusion.
"Quinn, hi," Rachel replies, her eyes wide with surprise. "You… you're wearing glasses."
Quinn's eyes drop to the floor as she adjusts the frames on her face, cheeks turning red. Only Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany know about her less-than-stellar vision, and that's only because of sleepovers and the fact that she lived with Mercedes. Even when she was living with Finn and Puck, she managed to keep her poor eyesight a secret, but she found herself not caring about her appearance as much around Mercedes.
She looks back up at Rachel, seeing her shocked expression, and says, "Yes, I am wearing glasses. Keen observation." Rachel doesn't respond, clearly not expecting that response from her, so Quinn continues, "Not to sound rude, but why are you here?"
Rachel doesn't react for a moment, just staring right at her, seemingly lost in thought. Quinn is about to ask again when Rachel blinks twice and looks down, prompting Quinn to follow her gaze, and she notices the gift bag in Rachel's hands. Looking back up, Rachel meets her eyes and says, "I, um, I heard you mention your birthday earlier this week, and, well…" She trails off, offering the bag to Quinn.
She accepts the gift bag, remembering the conversation she'd had with Mercedes in the choir room that week about the occasion. She hadn't realized anyone had been listening, or Quinn definitely would have saved the conversation for later. Her birthday has never been a huge deal to her, just another mark of her growing up, and her parents never did give her too much attention around the holiday anyway. In fact, her mom is working late tonight, having left some cash and a note on the kitchen counter, wishing Quinn a happy birthday and telling her to order whatever she wants for dinner.
It's better than nothing, Quinn supposes. And when Mercedes arrived an hour ago, bearing movies and gifts and a smile, Quinn smiled right back and invited her inside. Her friendship with Mercedes is still fairly new, having lived with her for just shy of a month before she gave birth and moved back home, but they had hung out a lot over the summer, watching trashy TV shows and movies and getting to know each other. In the wake of Beth's birth, Quinn was so incredibly glad to have Mercedes, an unwavering, supportive friend, by her side throughout the past two and a half months.
And, now, Rachel is here, with gifts and an embarrassed flush on her cheeks, as if she can't believe she's actually standing here right now. Rachel, the girl whose biological mother adopted her baby, the girl whom Quinn bullied for the better part of a year and then some, the girl who, for whatever reason, is always kind to her despite the awful ways that Quinn has treated her.
The girl who is standing on her doorstep with a birthday present for no other reason than a kind gesture. Which is why Quinn finds herself inviting Rachel inside before she can even process what she's saying.
Rachel's eyes widen, her eyebrows rising high, and she shakes her head in dismissal, insisting that she just return home, but when Quinn mentions that Mercedes is also here, Rachel seems to soften, relax even, and follows Quinn through the entryway, kitchen, and into the living room where Mercedes is waiting with curious eyes.
"Rachel's gonna join us if that's cool," Quinn says to Mercedes, watching her expression carefully.
Mercedes just smiles. "Of course, Q. It's your birthday after all," She pats the ground next to her and says, "Got a spot right here for you, Rachel."
Slowly, Rachel moves to sit next to Mercedes, and Quinn sets the gift bag down on the coffee table next to them before taking her seat on the ground. As she returns her attention to the tower of blocks in front of her, she sees Mercedes throw a wink at her, and Quinn rolls her eyes, cheeks turning red.
"Whose turn is it?" Rachel asks.
"Quinn's," Mercedes replies, nodding to her. "She's been trying to get this one out for the better part of an hour."
Rachel laughs, and Quinn shakes her head in embarrassment. "She's exaggerating. It's only been a few minutes."
"Sure feels like longer."
She glares at Mercedes briefly, which makes Rachel laugh again, and Quinn finds herself delighting in the sound. Shifting her gaze back to the game, she takes a deep breath before she slowly reaches her hand out, grasping the block, and slips it out from the tower with what she hopes looks like relative ease. At her success, Rachel squeals and claps for her while Quinn smirks and places the block atop the tower. She sees Mercedes roll her eyes and reach out to grab her next block. As soon as her hand makes contact with the wooden tower, the structure comes crashing down onto her, and Quinn laughs loudly.
"You cheater." Mercedes says playfully.
"How could I possibly have cheated?" Quinn retorts.
Mercedes just shrugs. "I'm sure you found a way."
Quinn turns to Rachel with a pleading look in her eyes. Rachel just grins sheepishly, her eyes flickering back and forth between the two of them. "I'm gonna have to side with Quinn here."
Quinn laughs in victory while Mercedes shakes her head and begins to clean up the game. Rachel quickly moves to help her, and Quinn watches the two for a moment, feeling a wave of serenity wash over her. She feels oddly calm, content in a way that she hasn't felt since, well, since before she found out she was pregnant. It's been just over a year, Quinn realizes, and the mere thought that it's already been a year since her life, her entire world, shifted on its axis should be sending her into a deep, deep hole of which she's not sure she could crawl out, but when she looks at her friends in front of her, she feels okay again.
This feeling of tranquility persists throughout the night as they play games, watch movies, and eat snacks that would certainly get her kicked off the Cheerios if Coach Sylvester were to find out, but what she doesn't know can't hurt her. Rachel, as it turns out, makes wonderful company, and, at multiple points in the night, Quinn finds herself grateful that she invited her to stay.
It's when Mercedes says she should open her presents that things shift.
Quinn opens her gifts from Mercedes first, receiving a few books, an eyeshadow palette, and a Star Wars t-shirt that has her blushing furiously while ignoring the shocked and amused look on Rachel's face. One day over the summer she had told Mercedes about her secret love for the films, and it seems that Mercedes did not forget, much to her dismay. Still, she hugs and thanks her friend before she moves to the bag that Rachel had brought with her. The weight of the bag surprises her as she picks it up and moves it in front of her. Looking up at Rachel, Quinn sees her bite her lip in what looks like a nervous habit, and she's suddenly worried about whatever could be in here.
She grabs the card from the bag first, and she's about to open it when Rachel suddenly says, "Wait, um, you can save that for later." Quinn eyes her curiously, but Rachel continues, "It's just, uh, you know, the-the gift is better. The card is… just a card."
Hesitant, Quinn just nods, sets the card aside, and gently pulls the tissue paper from the bag to reveal what is inside. It's a large box, she notes, and she gasps upon realizing what it is.
"You got me a record player?" Quinn asks incredulously, pulling the box fully out of the bag.
Rachel nods in response as Mercedes whistles, moving closer to Quinn to look at the box. Clearing her throat, Rachel explains, "I figured you might appreciate one, based on your taste in music, or at least the songs you sang in Glee last year. I remember you liking a lot of the oldies, a lot of 60s music, and, well, I thought you might like to listen to them on the original format in which they were released," She pauses, thinking for a moment, before saying, "Or you could, you know, listen to the music from Star Wars or something."
Mercedes laughs, making Rachel grin brightly, and Quinn can't find it in herself to be embarrassed at the subtle teasing because she's overwhelmed with just how thoughtful of a gift this is.
"Thank you, Rachel. Thank you so much," She says with as much sincerity as she can muster up.
Rachel smiles. "You're welcome, Quinn."
Just then, Rachel's phone begins to ring, and she excuses herself to answer it, leaving Mercedes and Quinn alone. They spend a minute just looking at the box and silently marveling at the gift before Rachel comes back in, wringing her hands together in front of her.
"That was my dads," She explains. "They were wondering where I've been. I should probably get home."
Quinn frowns, finding herself genuinely disappointed that she has to leave. "Oh, okay. Are you sure? Mercedes is staying the night, and… I mean, you're more than welcome to—"
"No, that's okay," Rachel interrupts, cheeks bright red. "Thank you, though."
"Yeah, of course. I'll, um, I'll walk you out." Quinn says.
Rachel gathers her belongings, waving goodbye to Mercedes, and walks towards the door, Quinn following closely behind her. She slips her shoes on, and Quinn unconsciously does the same. Together, they walk out of the house to Rachel's car, stopping just outside the driver's side door. They're both silent for a moment, neither knowing what to say.
Rachel clears her throat and licks her lips before saying, "I had a really nice time tonight. Thank you for letting me stay."
"Of course. I'm… I'm glad you did." Quinn admits shyly, a blush coming to her cheeks. "I've had a really great night, too. And thank you, again, for the present. It was really thoughtful and generous."
Rachel smiles shyly. "I'm glad to hear that. And you're welcome, again. I hope you and Mercedes have a good rest of your night."
She's about to open her car door when Quinn steps forward, impulsively putting a hand on top of hers to stop her motions. Rachel pauses, turning to look at Quinn, and suddenly Quinn realizes that they are mere inches apart, with her hand resting on top of Rachel's. Blushing, she steps back, pulling her hand away.
"Sorry, I just, um…" Quinn says. "Would you, maybe, want to hang out sometime? Just the two of us?"
A bright grin lights up Rachel's face as she nods. "I'd really like that, Quinn."
Quinn smiles back. "Great! Cool, I mean, that's-that's super cool. I'll text you sometime?"
Rachel nods. Quinn watches her stand still, wondering what she's thinking, just as Rachel quickly steps forward into Quinn and gives her a hug. Before Quinn can even process what's happening, Rachel pulls away and gets into her car, quickly starting the engine.
"Happy birthday, Quinn." She says with a deep flush on her cheeks, waving a little bit before she backs out of the driveway. Then, she's gone, leaving Quinn alone in her driveway, frozen, body tingling with the memory of Rachel's body up against hers.
Her feet carry her back into her house, through the kitchen, and into the living room where Mercedes is watching curiously as Quinn grabs the card that Rachel had told her to save for "later" and opens it. Something falls out when she opens the card, and she decides to read before looking for whatever had fallen out.
Dear Quinn, it reads.
Happy Birthday! I'm not really sure if I'm gonna see you, or if I'm gonna just leave this present at your doorstep, so I figure I'll just write some things here for you.
I heard you mention your birthday to Mercedes earlier this week in Glee, and, well, I tend to make a priority of my friends' birthdays. At least, that's what I hope we are: friends. So I ran out to the store and got you this. As you know, music is very important to me, and I imagine it is to you as well, or I don't think you would still be in Glee Club. I couldn't afford to get you any albums to go with it, and for that I apologize, but I assume your mother might have some old ones lying around somewhere to get you started. I really hope you like it.
As for the other thing, I decided to put aside my own feelings and make a call to Shelby that same day. I call her Shelby now, rather than mom, for a multitude of reasons, but largely because she has another little girl calling her mom now.
I can't imagine how hard that decision must have been, and I hope someday we are close enough to talk about it. I want you to know I support your decision 100%. Shelby and I have our differences, but there's nothing that your little girl deserves more than a loving home where she can get all of the love and care and attention that she deserves.
You deserve that, too, Quinn. You deserve a lifetime full of love. And I hope that it's coming your way soon. Because you truly do deserve it. Happy birthday, again.
-Rachel
P.S. Isn't she just adorable? Though it shouldn't surprise me, considering who her mother is.
Quinn is beyond confused until she remembers whatever had fallen out of the card. She picks it up, turns it over, and instantly her eyes fill with tears.
It's a picture. A wallet-size photograph of a little girl, her little girl, whom she gave up just shy of twenty weeks ago–yes, she's been counting–and is growing up so fast. Her hair has begun to grow in, tiny little blonde curls that steal the breath from Quinn's throat, and her eyes have changed, matching Quinn's shade of hazel, though Beth's are just slightly greener than Quinn's.
Rachel was right; Beth is adorable. And she looks happy and healthy and the mere confirmation that she's doing okay is enough to make Quinn smile through her tears.
"What's in there?" Mercedes asks softly after Quinn's tears have died down. Quinn holds the photograph out to show her, and Mercedes gasps. "Oh, wow. She's… she's beautiful, Quinn."
"Yeah," Quinn sighs. "She really is."
"Rachel got that for you?" Mercedes asks, and Quinn nods in response. "Damn, she really talked to the woman that rejected her just to get you that picture. That's… that's a lot."
"Yeah, it is," Quinn agrees, staring at the picture in front of her.
"You know," Mercedes starts quietly, "I don't know how many people would do that for someone. Not to mention someone they don't exactly have the best relationship with."
Quinn nods pensively. "Rachel is… she's… she's special."
"She sure is, Quinn."
"You know I asked her if she wanted to hang out sometime?" Quinn mumbles sheepishly. "Like, just the two of us."
"Good for you." Mercedes replies with a grin. "You deserve that."
"What?" Quinn asks.
Mercedes looks at her, raising her eyebrows. "You know what."
Blushing, Quinn says, "Rachel said that, too. That I deserve… love."
"Well, she's right."
Blushing even harder, Quinn pulls out her phone to send a quick Thank You text message to Rachel. The response is almost immediate, and just reading it makes her smile.
You're welcome, Quinn. I meant what I said. You deserve happiness. And I'm really looking forward to getting to spend more time with you. Also, you should wear your glasses more often. They look really nice on you.
Quinn smiles, clutching her phone tightly to her chest. Mercedes clears away the presents to make room for them to lay down while Quinn revels in the sudden flood of emotions washing over her. And if she decides to wear her glasses to school on Monday, well, that's entirely her decision (though she can't deny a certain influence on such a choice).