A/N: Day 28! Look at that! This one is inspired by a conversation I had with my friend when I randomly considered the idea of Quinn pulling a "reverse Glee". (Think Season 3 finale and the Finchel ending scene.) You'll see. This is just fully, fully ridiculous, and I hope you enjoy it.
Also, a disclaimer: Let's just pretend that gay marriage was legal in 2012 in Ohio for the purposes of this fic, okay? Great, thanks.
Day 28: Doing Something Ridiculous
"Are you sure this is the way there?" Rachel asks from the passenger seat of Quinn's car as her girlfriend takes yet another seemingly wrong turn. This is the third one in a row, and Rachel is beginning to get concerned.
"I'm sure, Rach," Quinn says softly, nervously almost. "This is just a shortcut."
Not fully believing her, Rachel just nods and grabs her free hand sitting in her lap, tangling their fingers together. Quinn smiles and lifts their joined hands to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of Rachel's hand, her eyes remaining steadfastly on the road. Rachel smiles back, squeezing her hand tightly.
They're on their way to the train station in Columbus, tickets to New York City stowed away in their respective bags in the trunk. It's only been a few days since graduation, but they have had this trip planned for what feels like months now; it only took Rachel's acceptance letter to NYADA a few weeks ago to seal the deal. Not even an hour after Rachel opened her letter, after cheers and celebration with her dads and Quinn, she had been on the computer booking their tickets and creating a concrete plan for their trip.
The train journey, which will take up the better part of a day, will take them to New York where they will spend a few days checking out the NYADA campus, looking at dorms for Rachel, and spending time together in the city. Then, they will take a short ride down to New Haven to do the same at the Yale campus for a day, returning to New York the next morning and beginning their trek home.
However, Rachel is getting restless with the thought of putting any of this off-schedule, and, if Quinn's continuous missed turns are any indication, it seems that they are heading in that direction.
"Quinn, baby, are you sure we're going the right way?" Rachel asks again, desperate for her girlfriend to realize her errors.
Quinn just nods in response, saying, "Yeah, we're almost there," which makes Rachel even more restless.
She's silent for a couple of minutes, but by the third time the GPS, fixed onto the dashboard, says Recalculating, Rachel can't take it anymore.
"Okay, why are you completely ignoring the directions?" Rachel accuses, watching Quinn's face grow pale, her hands tightening on the steering wheel, eyes flickering over to Rachel for just a brief moment before returning to the road ahead. "Where are you taking us? Quinn?"
Quinn doesn't respond. Instead, she makes her way into the rightmost lane, turns off the road and into the parking lot for some random, vaguely official-looking building, and parks the car directly in front. Rachel looks out of her window, Franklin County Courthouse staring back at her. She shifts her gaze to Quinn as she turns off the engine and sits unmoving, staring straight ahead, hand still firmly clasped in Rachel's.
Rachel clears her throat softly, drawing Quinn's eyes towards her. "Quinn?"
"Yeah?" She says shakily.
"What are you doing? Why are we here?" Rachel questions. "What's going on? We're gonna miss our train."
Quinn licks her lips, her eyes dropping to her lap. Rachel hears her take in a deep breath before she whispers, "I want to marry you."
Rachel's eyebrows furrow, not understanding what she's trying to say. "I want to marry you, too, Quinn. In the future, someday, as we've previously discussed, but what—"
"No," Quinn interrupts shakily, meeting Rachel's gaze, hazel eyes shining intensely. "I want to marry you today. Like, right now."
Rachel's breath catches in her throat. Her heart pounds fiercely in her chest as she hears Quinn's words echo in her head. Staring at her girlfriend, Rachel sees nothing but hope and sheer adoration reflected in her gaze, and she gets a sudden, heavy feeling in her chest as the reality of Quinn's words comes crashing down on her.
"You… you want to get married? Today?" Rachel asks incredulously, watching Quinn nod in response. "But, Quinn, we–we aren't even engaged."
"Not officially, no, but, like you said, we've talked about how we want to get married." Quinn explains, taking Rachel's other hand in her own and squeezing it tightly. "And I just keep thinking about our future together, and how I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and, well, why not now?"
Her entire body floods with warmth at Quinn's words, but she can't help but push back. "I want that, too. So much. But, if we know we want to be together, why not wait until we're older? This isn't… because you're worried that we'll split up, is it?"
"No! Absolutely not. I believe in us, Rachel. I believe in us so much that I don't see why we should even bother waiting." Quinn says sincerely.
"What about my dads?" Rachel counters, her defense growing weaker and weaker. "Your mom? Our friends?"
"Your dads love us and support us. They might be upset, but they know we're meant to be just as much as we do. And my mom already chooses to ignore our relationship, so what difference would this really make? Plus, I'm sure our parents would approve if we say we did it for the tax benefits." She finishes with a dorky grin.
Rachel laughs, shaking her head, a litany of questions racing through her mind. Is she really considering this? Getting married to Quinn, right here, right now? Sure, they've been together for just a few months shy of two years now, but are they ready for this?
Looking at Quinn, with her expressive eyes and hopeful expression and her bottom lip trapped nervously between her teeth, Rachel falls in love all over again, and she knows they're more than ready.
"Is this even possible?" Rachel has to ask. "I mean, don't some kind of preparations need to be made? A license or something? And what about rings? Or dresses or any of that?"
Quinn's cheeks turn bright red as she says, "I actually have a marriage license. I applied a few weeks ago, and it got approved earlier this week. And, as for rings, well," Quinn pauses, releasing Rachel's hands to reach into her pocket and pull out a small black box. She opens it carefully, and inside are two matching silver bands.
"Quinn!" Rachel exclaims, grabbing the box from her hands to look closer at the rings. "When did you get these? How much were they?"
Flustered, Quinn admits, "The day the license got approved. They weren't that much, I promise. Plus, you know, every month my dad still sends my mom money, and she gives half of it to me, so…"
"You used your dad's alimony money to pay for these rings?"
"Well, yeah." Quinn smiles sheepishly. "And if you wanted to change, we do have plenty of clothes in the back. But you know I think you look incredible as always, and I would marry you in sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt."
For the first time in her life, Rachel is at a loss for words. All she can say is, "This is ridiculous. Are we really going to do this?"
Quinn cracks a shy grin. "When have we ever been conventional?" Then, she turns serious, grabbing Rachel's hands again. "So, will you? Will you marry me?"
The question steals the air from Rachel's lungs, and she's hopeless to say anything but, "Yes. Yes, let's do this."
They're shown to a waiting area after Quinn speaks to the person at the front desk, and Rachel is practically buzzing with nerves for fifteen minutes before they are told that the officiant is ready. Hand in hand, they walk to the designated room, seeing a woman standing at the doors to greet them. She introduces herself, says she'll be performing their ceremony today, and asks them a few questions about themselves to get to know them a bit. They answer politely, and Rachel is so glad for the woman's apparent nonchalance regarding their ages and that they are both girls. Thankfully, the officiant, Willow, explains that she's performed several same-sex marriages of all ages before asking if they have any questions before they get started.
"Can I–" Rachel cuts herself off. "Never mind, maybe it's stupid."
Quinn shakes her head, saying, "I'm sure it's not stupid. What's up?"
Rachel blushes as she asks, "I know there's not exactly an aisle here, but I still have this dream of walking down the aisle to my future spouse, so I was just wondering if I could—"
"Rachel," Quinn interrupts, "Of course you can walk down the aisle. Middle of the room, whatever. I'm sure you have a song in mind, too."
She blushes even harder. "Am I that predictable?"
Quinn just smiles. "Yes, but in the best way possible."
Willow shows her to the corner of the room with a speaker system set up for Rachel to plug her phone into, and she makes a quick playlist of some of her favorite love songs before she walks out of the room, giving a shy smile to Quinn on her way out.
Standing outside of the room, Rachel takes a deep breath, thinking about the drastic turn her day has taken, and finds that she doesn't regret a single thing. Her dads might kill her for it later, but, right now, all she wants is to have this moment with Quinn. Hearing her music start to play, she's about to open the doors when she glances to her left and sees a vase of flowers sitting on a table. She looks around before walking over to the table and grabbing two of the flowers—fake, it seems—out of the vase.
They are fake gardenias, and it's almost too good to be true.
Rachel holds them together by the stems, takes a deep breath, and walks into the room. She spots Quinn instantly, just a mere fifteen feet across the room, and slowly paces towards her, Never Stop by SafetySuit playing softly in the background. She takes the time to admire her girlfriend: her short, blonde hair, curled today, falling gently around her face; her simple white t-shirt half-tucked into her faded blue jeans; her gorgeous eyes; the dazzling smile on her face.
Suddenly, Rachel falls in love all over again for the second time today.
When she gets to Quinn, she offers one of the flowers to her, and her eyes light up. "Are these gardenias?" She asks reverently, and Rachel nods. "Wow, that's…"
"Yeah," Rachel breathes out, equally awed. "I found them in a vase outside. I'll return them when we're done, I promise."
The officiant chuckles. "That's alright. I'm sure two won't be missed."
Rachel blushes as Willow begins her remarks. Rachel is sure that they are the same, standard words that she's prepared for every ceremony, but the sentiments still ring true in her heart. Every word that's uttered strikes a chord in her heart that just screams Quinn. Quickly, they arrive at the vows, and Quinn defers to Rachel to see if she wants to say anything.
"I'll be brief," Rachel starts, earning an eyebrow raise from Quinn, "But I'll just say that I can't believe we're standing here today. Literally, I can't believe it. This is the most spontaneous, ridiculous thing I've ever done, and we will be on our way to New York in just a few hours, but I'm so glad that we are doing this. I love you so much, Quinn. You make me the happiest girl alive, and I can't believe how much you love me, and I can't wait to share the rest of my life with you."
Quinn is crying and is obviously trying to hide it, and it makes Rachel laugh as she reaches out to wipe a tear from her eyes. Sniffling, Quinn grabs her hand and presses a gentle kiss to it. She entwines their fingers, their opposite hands still holding the flowers, and Rachel commits the moment to her memory.
Clearing her throat, Quinn begins, "Rachel, I can't believe you agreed to this today, and I'm honestly surprised you didn't just call me crazy and tell me to get back on the road. But it's really a testament to our love. We are young, and we are probably crazy for doing this, but I know I don't want to live any more of my life without you at my side. I know what life is like without you, and I don't ever want to go back. You make me so happy, and I promise I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me."
Now, they are both crying, and the officiant continues for a minute before she asks Quinn for the rings. She pulls the box out of her pocket, handing it to her, and Willow opens it carefully, holding it out for them to take the silver bands out. Quinn goes first, releasing Rachel's hand to grab the slightly smaller ring. Quinn takes the flower from her hand, dropping them both to the floor, and gently lifts her left hand. Slowly, she slides the band onto Rachel's finger, and Rachel is quick to reciprocate, grabbing the matching band and sliding onto Quinn's left hand.
They are led over to a nearby table, and Willow offers them both a pen, gesturing for them to sign the papers sitting atop the table. Smiling widely, Rachel signs her name on the official documents before her, swapping papers with Quinn to sign hers as well. She catches a glimpse of the silver band shining on Quinn's hand in the corner of her eye, and Rachel nearly squeals with excitement. Quinn grabs her hand as they walk back to the center of the room and wait for the final remarks.
"Well, ladies, by the power vested in me by the state of Ohio, I now pronounce you two legally married." Willow says with a smile. "You may, you know, kiss each other."
Rachel does squeal this time, throwing her arms around Quinn's neck and pulling her into a kiss. She feels her smile into the kiss as Quinn rests her hands on her hips, pulling their bodies closer together. Quinn is opening her mouth, sliding her tongue along Rachel's bottom lip, when Rachel hears Willow clear her throat. Flushed, she pulls back, settling her head against Quinn's shoulder, face turned towards the officiant.
"That's about it for me," Willow explains. "I'll go get this paperwork scanned and into the system, but you two are free from here. You can hang out here for as long as you want, and you can leave whenever you both are ready. It's been a pleasure, girls. Congratulations."
They call out their thanks as she collects the papers and exits the room, closing the door behind her. Instantly, Rachel lifts her head up and captures Quinn's lips in a more heated kiss, sliding her lips desperately against her girlfriend's. Wife. Her wife's lips.
"Oh my god," Rachel murmurs between kisses, "You're my wife."
Grinning, Quinn lifts her hands to Rachel's hair, tangling her fingers through the long, brown tresses. "Yes, I am. And you're my wife, too."
"I really like the sound of that." Rachel admits, blushing, as she releases Quinn's lips to look her in the eyes. "I can't believe we did this. We're married."
Quinn smiles. "Yeah, we are. You don't… regret it, right?"
"Absolutely not," Rachel insists, "I love you, Quinn. I'm so glad you are my wife."
This time, it's Quinn who blushes, admitting, "I really like the sound of that, too. And I love you, too, Rachel. I love you so much."
Rachel presses another kiss to Quinn's lips, one of love and commitment and pure adoration, before she says, "This trip is kind of going to be our honeymoon, huh?"
"Almost like it was planned." Quinn says with a grin.
Rachel just shakes her head with amusement. "You're not as clever as you think you are, you know that?"
Quinn just shrugs. "You're stuck with me anyway. And now we have the next week to ourselves before we have to come back and tell anyone and deal with the consequences."
"Maybe you are clever." Rachel grins before kissing her wife one more time.
Hand in hand, they leave the room, fake gardenias dangling from Rachel's spare hand as a memento. They leave the courthouse and get into the car where they'll get on their way to the train station, on their way to New York City, on their way to the rest of their lives, together.
A/N: I do not own the song Never Stop by SafetySuit, but I highly recommend you all go listen to it because it is one of my most favorite romantic songs ever.