Disclaimer: I, by no means, claim to own anything remotely related to the Glee Universe. No copyright infringement intended.
I
Rachel Berry doesn't introduce her girlfriend to her father until they've been dating for sixteen months and thirteen days.
Hiram knows there's a woman who exists in his daughter's life - Rachel told him about her just a week earlier - and he demanded to meet her immediately. It's the number one reason Rachel waited as long as she did. She needed to be absolutely settled in her relationship before she brought her father into the mix.
She loves him, of course, but he hasn't been the same since her other father passed. Rachel was three weeks away from her high school graduation when it happened, and Hiram ended up moving with her to New York when she left to attend NYADA the following Fall.
Rachel would never begrudge him the move - she thinks she would have done the same, and she's secretly relieved she doesn't have to visit the childhood home that has too many memories of a deep voice and dark, knowing eyes - but their relationship has changed since then.
Rachel is his entire world, and he's never been very good at sharing. For the first year after LeRoy's death, Rachel thinks she indulged him too much by spending all her free time with him, and the attachment has turned a little parasitic over the years.
College was a better time, because she had the excuse of classes and homework, but he made her promise to dedicate one day of the weekend to him, and she picked Sunday. It seemed like a simple decision at the time, and she didn't regret it until she started getting roles in school productions.
The days started to change, and something between them shifted. Rachel thinks he started to believe she would end up leaving him too, the way LeRoy had, and that's why he had his first episode. It wasn't anything life-threatening, but he showed up at one of her Sunday rehearsals in quite the state, and Rachel had to pull out of the production when he had a complete breakdown two days later.
Following her graduation, while it would probably just be cheaper to move into her father's guest bedroom, she didn't, and it sparked his second episode in as many years.
Instead, she went to live in a tiny apartment that she shared with her friend, Kurt, who was the only person who even knew anything about her father. He continually warned her that she would have to establish better boundaries and learn how to say no, but Rachel's never really been able to deny Hiram. She loves him and he's her father, and she's supposed to be there for him.
Still, it reached its head two years ago, with Rachel working hard on Broadway, far too busy to keep up with seeing her father as often as she used to in college and the first few years out of it.
Because, then, Rachel landed the role of Andy in the musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada, and her entire life changed.
Her busy, exhausting rehearsal schedule did not sit well with her father, and he spiralled in some kind of unknown from where even she wouldn't be able to bring him back.
Rachel always thinks she should have done more when LeRoy first passed to help him come to terms with the loss. Instead, she allowed him to latch onto her, and, when she slowly started to disappear from his life, he didn't handle it well, at all.
Rachel doesn't even spare the time to think about any of her previous relationships, because they're largely insignificant. Some have suffered because of Hiram and his demands that he twists to make her feel guilty, while other relationships have fizzled before her father can even get involved.
For the longest time, Rachel was convinced she probably wasn't a relationship type of person. She had her job, her friends, her cat and her father. What else did she need?
And, then, she met Quinn Fabray, and Rachel suddenly knew this would be the one woman she would eventually have to introduce to her father. It would never be a relationship she would be able to hide and protect, because this one was going to last for forever.
At the start of their friendship - they were just friends first, for all of two months, before Rachel couldn't take it anymore and kissed her breathless - Rachel was comforted by the fact her father was receiving treatment at a facility in New Jersey. He'd gone off the wagon, developed a dependence on sleeping pills, and called her one night claiming he could see his dead husband.
It was time, and Rachel made the all-important call.
She visits on Sunday mornings and, for the first six months of her relationship with Quinn, she couldn't explain exactly where she went on those days. Quinn asked, just once, and Rachel said she'll tell her when she was ready, and Quinn didn't ask about it again.
But, six months is a long time and, now that Rachel is finding success and living alone in a decent-sized apartment, Quinn is over more often than she's not. They're building this life together, and the inevitable was always going to make itself known.
Quinn doesn't ask about her parents, and Rachel doesn't ask about hers beyond the fact they're alive and they hate her. The fact that Rachel gets to build a relationship without worrying too much about her father is such a relief, and she feels guilty for it. She knows she has to tell Quinn about him, and it happens on a random Tuesday morning while they're in bed, Quinn reading up on some new surgical technique while Rachel draws shapes on her bare skin with her fingers.
"My Daddy died when I was eighteen," Rachel says, and the only indication Quinn gives that she's listening is the momentary pause in her scrolling. "He was huge, completely larger than life. My Dad adored him. I was such a Daddy's girl, I'm almost disgusted with myself."
Quinn shifts slightly, her head turning to press a kiss to the top of Rachel's head.
"It was really hard when he died," Rachel says, fascinated by the goosebumps that erupt on Quinn's skin where her fingers trail over her forearm. "I was in a relationship with a boy who couldn't be the right kind of support I needed, and he ended up cheating on me. I had Finals and college to think about, and I needed my Dad and he needed me, and I don't think I would have made it to graduation or even to New York if it weren't for him."
Rachel sighs, feeling as if she's telling a story about a girl who isn't her. "He moved to New York when I started at NYADA. At first, I thought he did it for me, but I quickly learned he did it for himself. He didn't want to lose me, too." She looks at Quinn's face, not sure what she's expecting, but there's just so much softness to be found. "I stayed in the dorms. It was just easier, more convenient, but I went home most weekends. Sundays turned into our days, and I didn't realise how sacred those were to him until school and friends and relationships started to get in the way."
Quinn tenses for a beat, and Rachel gets it. Quinn once told her that her last girlfriend had a mother who tried to dictate their entire relationship, and she's never wanted to go through that again.
Rachel keeps speaking. "He's in treatment right now," she says. "For a few months now. I don't really know if there's some kind of diagnosis, but he seems better. I just - I don't know how telling him about... us will affect him."
Quinn doesn't say anything about that, because she's not one to push. Instead, she says, "So, Sundays are your day with him," with such casual understanding that Rachel feels the world shift beneath her.
Rachel nods once, reaches up to kiss her, and whispers I love you for the first time.
Maybe that sealed it, Rachel will think, when she's sitting with Quinn in a casual restaurant and waiting for her father to arrive. Maybe that was the very moment that decided this one. This inevitable meeting. This inevitable moment where the lives she's lived are bound to converge, and she's too afraid to think about which one is going to end up as the immovable force.
She's nervous.
Deathly so.
She needs her father to like Quinn. She needs him to approve and say she's as lovely as she is and want her to be part of the family because, really, the reason Rachel even scheduled this meeting in the first place is because she intends to do that exact thing.
She has a ring.
She's had it since the day before their one-year anniversary. She went into the jewellery store to pick up the platinum necklace she ordered for the occasion, and she walked out with an engagement ring as well.
That was four months and two weeks ago.
It's taken that long for Rachel to bring up this introduction to Quinn, who looked marginally surprised but pleased when Rachel asked her if she was willing to meet her father. Rachel was introduced into Quinn's little circle of chosen family early on, and Quinn is probably as close to Kurt now as Rachel is, but meeting the parent is something monumental.
Rachel has accepted she'll never meet Quinn's parents, and she hasn't lost any sleep over it. Parents who choose not to accept their children for any uncontrollable reason deserve no thoughts from her. She has Quinn, who has Santana and Brittany and Mike, and Rachel intends on spending the rest of her life with her.
It's really that simple.
And, yet, she can't seem to sit still, her body filled with nervous energy. Quinn even has to place a gentle hand on her knee, trying to stop the bouncing, and Rachel sends her a sheepish smile.
"I'm sorry," Rachel says.
Quinn just smiles in reassurance. "It's going to be okay," she says, and she sounds so sure that Rachel can almost believe her.
"You're two of the most important people in my life," she reveals. "I just want it to go well."
"It will," Quinn says, and Rachel's always admired her conviction. "I managed to charm you, didn't I? Surely, I can wear down your father."
Rachel isn't too sure about that, but she's saved from a response when she spots her father enter the restaurant. She's seen him since his release three weeks ago, of course, but that was only at the house, and this is the first time she's seeing him out and about for more than two years.
He looks so... normal. Light. Happier. Settled in a way she can barely remember him being. It's great, and Rachel feels a smile spread across her face as she rises to her feet, casually lifting a hand to get his attention as he searches the crowd of tables for a familiar face.
Hiram spots her a moment later, and his own smile widens at the sight of her. That's his Rachel, the most important person in his world, and he starts towards her immediately.
For some reason, he expects her eyes to remain on him, but they don't. Instead, she turns her head to the left and holds out her hand, and it's the first time Hiram notices the blonde woman beside her. The first thing that comes to mind when he sees her get to her feet is that she's taller than Rachel.
Just, taller.
It's such an inane thought, and he doesn't realise his smile has dimmed until Rachel asks, "Everything okay, Dad?"
And, just like that, his smile is back. "Just happy to see you, is all," he says, pulling her into a fierce hug. Even though he saw her just three days ago, he's missed her. He has every intention of seeing as much of her as her schedule will allow, now that he's out and healthy and free.
He tells himself to release her, so he does, and she steps back, closer to the blonde woman's side, and Hiram is tempted to reach for her again.
He doesn't.
"Dad," Rachel starts; "I'd like you to meet Quinn Fabray, my girlfriend." She gets this look on her face when she says the word that he can't quite read, but he ignores it for now. "Quinn, this is my father, Hiram Berry."
Quinn Fabray.
Rachel brought her up for the first time just last week, sitting him down and informing him she's been in a relationship with a woman for a while now. She didn't go into details and Hiram didn't think it was all that serious if Rachel didn't tell him about it before that moment, but he's starting to have his doubts.
Even though he's a gay man, it's undeniable that this Quinn is a stunning woman. She has perfect bone structure, deep hazel green eyes, silky blonde hair, a slim figure and a certain elegance that he's sure elicits a lot of envy.
Quinn holds out her hand, and he has to tell himself to shake her offer. Her grip is firm, not too tight, but not weak. There's actually a strength in her fingers, and he's oddly impressed.
It's a shame this relationship will never last.
"It's nice to meet you, Sir," Quinn says. "Rachel's told me a lot about you."
Hiram knows he shouldn't, but he can't resist saying, "I'm afraid she hasn't offered me the same courtesy."
Quinn's smile doesn't falter, as if she knows, and he shouldn't feel so uncomfortable because of it. "Well," she says, inviting him to take a seat opposite them. "That's why we're here, aren't we?"
She's too calm; too relaxed, and Hiram is unsettled by it. She has to be hiding something. They always are. She'll try to take Rachel away from him, because that's what they all want to do, eventually.
Rachel settles in at Quinn's side, the two of them sharing a bench. It's warm out on the terrace, but the sun is hidden behind large umbrellas enough not to require sunglasses. Rachel wants to see Quinn's eyes, anyway. They're almost her favourite part of her.
Quinn taps her knee, and she snaps to attention, asking her father if he would like something to drink.
"We're just having iced tea," Rachel informs him. "We both have to get back to work eventually." It's part of the reason, of course, but she's not about tell him that they're not drinking because she doesn't ever want to drink in front of him in such an intimate setting, knowing what he's had to recover from.
If Hiram realises, he says nothing. Just smiles in appreciation. "That sounds lovely," he says. "Seems like the type of day for it."
Quinn pours from the jug for all three of them, and then adds a slice of lemon to Rachel's drink, because she likes it that way. Hiram knows that, of course, and there's a real part of him that doesn't like that this Quinn seems to know it too.
A while, Rachel said.
Hiram can't stop his eyes from narrowing, and he thinks Quinn notices because she gets this slight crease in her brow.
"Sorry," she says; "did you want a slice as well?"
Hiram feels foolish for a moment. "No, thank you," he says. "I've just never understood the appeal."
Rachel rolls her eyes. "You don't like lemon in your drink, Dad," she says. "We get it."
Hiram smiles fully, because that's his daughter, and he's missed her so, so much. He wishes, not for the first time, it was just the two of them catching up, but Rachel seemed anxious about having him meet her girlfriend.
Why, he doesn't know. There doesn't seem to be anything particularly special about her. She's pretty, sure, in that classic way, and there's a certain intelligence in her eyes that could be disarming, but Hiram knows she'll throw in the towel eventually. They always do. It's practically a given that he'll come out on top.
Rachel rambles through explaining the menu, unsure if this meeting is actually going well. Her father keeps looking at Quinn, and then at her, and then back at Quinn. The day before, Quinn made a teasing remark about how her father's probably now going to know she has sex, which resulted in their doing just that but, God, she hopes that's not what's happening now.
"The gnocchi is supposed to be good," Quinn says, her eyes on the menu in her hands. "Also, Blaine had a falafel the last time we were here and he seemed to enjoy it."
Hiram lifts his head. "Blaine?"
Rachel tenses for a moment. "My co-star," she says, wary of bringing up anything to do with her work. "Quinn and I have been trying to set him up with Kurt, but Kurt is still stubbornly attached to that idiot Sebastian, who really treats him like shit."
Hiram doesn't remember his daughter actively swearing this casually, and he reasons it must be Quinn's influence.
Rachel must notice his raised eyebrows because she says, "Sorry, I just really don't like him."
Quinn nods in agreement, and then asks him if he's ready to order. He is, but he still says he needs another minute, just because he can. He's being petty, he knows, but there's something about this entire situation that makes him want to go home and curl into a little ball. Before he was allowed to leave, they discussed the idea of change quite extensively, and he was convinced he was ready until this moment.
Once they've ordered, Hiram can't resist asking the question of Quinn. "You eat meat?"
Quinn blinks. "Oh, um, yes, I do," she says.
"I see."
While Rachel spent a few years as a vegan, she's just a vegetarian now. Hiram is still a vegan, and there's a part of him that thinks it's rude to eat meat in front of your significant other when they make a conscious choice not to.
"It's just," Hiram starts; "don't you feel bad eating animal carcass in front of Rachel?"
Quinn's expression shifts into surprise at the question, and Rachel frowns.
"No," Quinn says, her tone careful. "I don't. We've talked about it, and Rachel says she's fine with it." She doesn't throw in that she has to carry mints with her at all times, because Rachel won't kiss her after she's just eaten meat. It was a little annoying at first, but Quinn finds it endearing now. Rachel hasn't tried to change her, and she hasn't tried to change Rachel in return. Isn't that enough?
"I am," Rachel says, resting her hand on Quinn's thigh. "It's really only when we're out, anyway," she adds. "We don't have any meat products at home."
Hiram freezes, and Rachel realises she's said the entirely wrong thing. "Home?" he asks, frowning. Does - does that mean they live together?
Rachel sips at her iced tea. "Well, yes," she says, and that's all she's going to say about it. She lives with Quinn. They live together. They have since Quinn's lease ran out on the apartment she shared with her high school friend, Santana, and the two of them decided it was probably time for them to take steps forward in their respective relationships.
Now, Santana lives with her wife, Brittany, and Quinn and Rachel share her apartment as evenly as they can manage. Money isn't a thing they actively discuss, but Rachel realised very early in their relationship that Quinn would always want to pay her way.
It took months for the blonde to tell her that her parents kicked her out when she was still in high school, and she's been attempting to make her way independently ever since. She's proud, and Rachel accepts that. It's something she loves about her, but it's taken a long time to convince Quinn that she likes to buy her things just because. Spoiling her is how Rachel shows her love, and it's been a struggle to get Quinn to accept it.
So, Quinn buys groceries and she pays for their movies and three quarters of their utilities, and, while Rachel grumbles about it, she accepts that it's what Quinn needs.
Getting to love her is giving her what she needs, and Rachel intends to spend the rest of her life doing just that. She thinks it'll be different once they're married.
But, yes, they live together, which is something she failed to mention to her father, and she's trying to manoeuvre past it without it getting awkward. This is supposed to go well.
It's going well, right?
It's not going well, at all.
Quinn can tell from the way Hiram keeps looking at her, as if he's not convinced she actually exists, and not in a good way. Sometimes, Rachel gives her a similar look, but that's usually because she thinks she's magic.
The tension eases somewhat when their food arrives and, if Quinn is self-conscious about the way Hiram turns his nose up at her steak, she doesn't visibly react. She's unsure what she's done to insult him, but there's something about this situation that seems inevitable.
It doesn't take all that long for her to realise they're never going to get along, regardless of what she does, because it's never actually going to be about her. It'll always be about Rachel, and Quinn thinks she should just accept she's going to have a less than ideal relationship with her girlfriend's father.
It's sad, really, because she was looking forward to having at least one parent like her. Her own don't.
But, Rachel looks sort of happy, if a little nervous, and Quinn won't ruin this for her. It's been a long time coming for her, given the mystery behind her relationship with her father, and she knows this is a very big deal.
Which really means she suspects she knows what's coming.
Soon, maybe.
God, she hopes it's not today. In this moment.
Rachel does most of the talking, occasionally dragging Quinn into conversation, and she's always polite about it. It's just that Hiram doesn't talk directly to Quinn, as if she's just some kind of spectator to a catch-up between father and daughter. She's okay with it, really, because Rachel's smile is wide and her eyes are shining, and this is something she needs.
Quinn will give her the world, if she could.
She's trying to, at least.
At some point near the end of their meal, Rachel squirms in her seat, and Quinn smiles at what that very obviously means. Rachel rests a hand on Quinn's thigh, leaning into her slightly.
"I need the bathroom."
"It's all that iced tea you've been drinking," Quinn teases, her voice affectionate. "Go on, before you make headlines."
Rachel's eyes widen. "Oh, my God, can you imagine?"
"I'd rather not."
Rachel just presses a quick kiss to her cheek, and then gets to her feet. "Excuse me, Dad," she says. "I need to visit the ladies' room. I'll be right back."
Hiram watches her go, wondering if his conscience will make him keep his mouth shut. He's sure he's not reading Quinn wrong, and whatever feelings he's having about the woman have to be returned. If she's as intelligent as her eyes suggest, then she must have picked up on it.
Which is why he clears his throat to get her attention.
"Listen here," Hiram finds himself saying, and Quinn looks up from her drink. "I think it's become abundantly clear that we don't like each other."
Quinn looks momentarily thrown by his directness. As if she's surprised he would pick up on that from her end.
"Rachel is my baby girl, and nobody will ever be good enough for her," he says. "She deserves the best of the best, and I don't care if you save babies for a living or fight the crusade, but we both know that's not you."
Quinn blinks slowly, and then surprises him by actually looking amused. "Do you even know what I do for a living?"
Rachel returns before he can respond, and Hiram feels off-kilter again when she leans into Quinn's side and whispers something in her ear.
Quinn nods once, and then checks her own phone, showing the screen to Rachel, and she sighs in response.
"Will you - " she starts to ask.
"Yes," Quinn says immediately. "I don't mind. I have some time before my shift starts, anyway."
"Catch a nap if you can," Rachel tells her, her fingers trailing along Quinn's bare arm.
Hiram watches, feeling like a spectator, completely locked out of their little world.
Quinn turns to Hiram. "I'm sorry to leave like this," she says, but she doesn't sound sorry at all. "Kurt's in crisis."
"He's always in crisis," Rachel says with a fond roll of her eyes.
Quinn quickly gathers her things, and Rachel stands when Quinn does. Hiram stubbornly remains seated, and Rachel's brow furrows a little at the display. She thinks he must be a little tired.
If Quinn notices, she says nothing about it. "It really was nice to meet you," Quinn says, ever polite. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again very soon."
Hiram hopes not, but she's probably right.
Rachel walks with her away from the table, her hand on the small of Quinn's back. The contact is intimate in a way that's familiar, and he can't put a finger on the anxiety that's building in his chest.
A while, Rachel said.
They've been dating for a while. How long is 'a while,' when they can have silent conversations and already just know? If he remembers correctly, he and LeRoy established that kind of relationship well after their first year together, but there are all sorts of levels of intimacy. Is that how long 'a while' is?
It's the question he wants to ask when Rachel gets back, but the one that comes out, instead, is, "What does Quinn do for a living?"
Rachel startles at the question, as unexpected as it is, but then she smiles this dreamy little smile that makes his chest ache. "She's a paediatric surgeon," she says, and she sounds so proud.
She is proud.
Quinn has already declared her specialty, and she has the pickings of the country for her fellowship, but she's made sure Rachel knows she'll definitely stay in New York, even if she has to move to a different hospital.
They live together now, and Rachel intends to make their relationship the most official it can get as soon as possible.
"A paediatric surgeon?" he echoes, suddenly understanding Quinn's amusement. She does save babies.
"Yes," Rachel says. "She's very good at her job."
Hiram has questions, but he's afraid they'll come out as accusations. Maybe they should stop talking about Quinn, altogether, which is why he blurts, "I have a sober companion."
"What?"
"The facility recommended it," he says. "She's going to be living with me, making sure I eat regularly and take all my medications on time." He blinks. "I think I need the company."
Rachel drops her gaze, sudden guilt blooming in her chest. It always happens, even without her approval. She doesn't want to feel this. Quinn repeatedly reminds her she doesn't have to feel guilty for trying to live her life, but it hasn't quite sunk in. She doesn't know if it ever will.
"Who is she?" Rachel asks.
"Her name is Holly Holliday."
Rachel can't help her smile. "Really?"
"I know," he says, smiling back. This is better. It's so much better when it's just the two of them, and he would be perfectly content not to speak about Quinn ever again, but Rachel eventually brings her up, just seven minutes later.
She seems nervous as she asks, "So, what do you think of Quinn?" and Hiram wonders again how long 'a while' is.
Hiram takes his time. "She's important to you, isn't she?"
"I love her," Rachel says, barely hesitating. "I'm in love with her."
He blinks. "A while, you said?"
Rachel can't meet his gaze, the guilt multiplying exponentially. "It's been more than a year, Dad," she finally says, almost whispering. "I'm - I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just wanted you to focus on you and getting healthy again without having to worry about my budding relationship."
"More than a year," he echoes, frowning slightly. "You've kept her a secret for more than a year?" He pauses. "Or, you've kept me the secret?"
Rachel's gaze snaps up. "What? No," she says. "Quinn's known about you for months. I just - " she stops, sighing. "Things were complicated, and I just needed - " she stops again, because she really doesn't know what to say.
Hiram doesn't know if he's taking pity on her by asking his next question, but he still does: "Why today?"
"Excuse me?"
"Why today? Why am I meeting her now?"
Rachel shifts in her seat, and then clears her throat. "I know you're just meeting and I realise this must all be a little much for you, but..." she trails off, trapping her bottom lip between her teeth. "I want to marry her," she finally declares.
Hiram thinks he handles himself well, because he doesn't actually visibly react, even though something explodes inside his chest and his brain and his stomach. "Oh," is what he manages, and Rachel's smile widens.
"I mean, I think I've known I want to marry her from, like, our fifth date," she says, and she sounds so young and happy and in love, and he hates that he hates it. "She's wonderful, Dad. She's deep and broody, but she's so soft and she loves children so much. I bought the ring a while ago, and I've been planning how I'm going to ask even longer than that. I'm impatient now. I just - I want to ask her already, and just start living this life with her, but I - I couldn't do that without having the two of you meet first. It wouldn't have felt right." She sucks in a breath. "So, I need to know what you think of her."
Hiram knows she needs him to say something along the lines of she's wonderful or she's great, I can see why you love her, but what ends up coming out of his mouth is, "She's taller than you."
Rachel's smile dims, fading to nothing. "Oh, well, yes, she is."
He takes a deep breath to gather himself, but it barely works. "How did you two meet?"
Rachel shakes her head as if to clear it, and then leans forward, less thrown than she was a moment ago. "There was a bit of an accident at the theatre, and we ended up in the Emergency Room, and she was there," she says.
"I thought doctors weren't allowed to date their patients."
Rachel tilts her head to the side. "I wasn't the patient," she says, her voice steady. "Dad. Dad, do you not like her?"
Hiram's head and heart suddenly clash, because the last thing he wants to do is disappoint her, but he still wants to protect her. He knows what's best, of course, and the answer to the question is yes, he doesn't like her.
"Dad?" Rachel says, and her voice comes out so small. She sounds so young.
"I don't even know her," Hiram says, choosing it as the safest way to go at this point.
"Okay... but what's your first impression?"
"She's very pretty, Sweetheart." He knows he needs to give her more, but the words aren't coming out. He just can't bring himself to say them, and he wonders which one of them he's doing a disservice by holding back on his true thoughts.
Rachel still looks apprehensive, but she lets it go. It helps that her phone buzzes on the table, and she quickly checks it, sighing in relief.
Hiram raises his eyebrows in question.
"It's Quinn," Rachel explains, quickly typing a reply. "Crisis averted."
"Is it about Kurt and this Sebastian?"
Rachel nods. "Quinn's been offering to talk sense into him, and I think it's time," she says, frowning slightly. "She's better at this kind of thing."
"What kind of thing?"
"Making sense of things," she answers. "She's logical, realistic and serious."
"Not like you?"
Rachel chuckles softly, her head shaking as she sets her phone aside. "Not like me, at all," she says. "I'm too emotional sometimes, and Quinn just manages to balance me out. We... work."
Hiram looks down at his food. Rachel is trying to tell him something very important, but he can't help feeling that he's missing it completely.
"I want you to know her, Dad," she says, suddenly sounding very serious. "I'm going to ask her to marry me and, I know she hasn't said yes yet, but she's going to. We're going to get married and she's going to be in my life for forever, and I need you to know her, okay?"
Hiram says nothing. What can he say? He doesn't want to know this woman who will inevitably take his daughter away. No. He has to make sure that doesn't happen. And, if pretending is the only way to ensure he can remain close enough to enact his plans, well, then, that he can do.
"Dad?"
"Okay," he finally says, and he tries not to feel too guilty at the sight of his daughter's blinding, relieved smile.
Holly Holliday is already waiting for Hiram when he returns to the Brownstone where he lives, her suitcase and duffel on the steps beside her.
"You're late," the blonde woman says, and he suddenly wishes she weren't blonde.
"You're early."
"Where were you?" she asks as she gets to her feet and shifts to the side to make space for him to walk past and unlock the door.
"At lunch," he answers vaguely, inserting the key and opening the door. He turns to help with her things, but she doesn't seem to need it.
Holly follows him inside. "By yourself?" she asks.
"No," he says, dropping his keys into the bowl in the foyer. "With my daughter." He doesn't mention Quinn, because she may as well not exist.
"Ah."
Hiram gestures towards the stairs. "Your room is the first on the right," he says. "Bathroom is just opposite. I put on fresh sheets."
"Thanks."
Hiram watches her go for a moment, before he moves into the living room, turns on the television and settles into his armchair.
It's his now, though it was really always LeRoy's. It's one of the only things he kept from the sale of the house in Lima. He and Rachel were all too eager to leave that life behind, but there were still things with which they couldn't part. He's sitting on one of them.
He changes the channel to the news and tries to settle. He feels anxious, and he knows it's to do with Rachel, and with Quinn. This is not an obstacle he was expecting.
It is something he spent some time on in therapy, discussing at length how he would handle it when Rachel would find herself in a long-term relationship. He's not ready. He needs more time. He also needs her to have found someone better than Quinn Fabray.
So what if she's a surgeon? He's encountered horrible doctors in his lifetime. LeRoy worked with so many narcissists, and Quinn could be one, for all he knows. They can be charming when they want to be, and Rachel has been known to be very gullible.
Hiram startles when he hears footsteps on the stairs, unused to having another human being moving around. Holly enters the living room, looking far too relaxed.
"Your daughter, you said?" she asks. "Is she the brunette in nearly every picture in this place?"
Hiram nods, unashamed of it. Putting up pictures of Rachel saved him from contemplating pictures of LeRoy.
"She looks familiar?" Holly says, moving to settle on the couch.
"She's an actress on Broadway," he says, pride filling his voice.
"No shit?"
Hiram shifts. "She's very good," he says.
Holly leans forward. "I'm sure I'll meet her eventually," she says. "Until then, though, I think you and I need to discuss a few things."
"Rules?"
"I like to call them principles," she says, shrugging slightly. "Less frightening that way."
"For whom?"
"All parties involved."
Hiram nods. "I assume you'll be with me twenty-four-seven?"
"When we're not inside here, generally, yes," she says. "First, we're going to establish a good, clean routine, and then we're going to build on trust. I'm not some kind of babysitter, even if my job description might suggest that. I'm here to make sure you can handle living by yourself."
"So, basically, it's as if you're not here?"
Holly nods. "And, once I trust you enough to maintain your own life and take care of yourself, I really won't be."
"Okay."
"Okay," she says. "Now, tell me, where's the food?"
Hiram receives the text a week later, and he throws his phone against the wall in response. He knows it's not the correct way to react, but he can't help it. Reading the words She said yes! produced a visceral reaction in him.
Holly rushes into the room at the sound, and then frowns at the broken phone lying on the floor. "What happened?" she asks, trying not to jump to conclusions.
Hiram looks calm, but he's raging inside. This is just the start. Rachel sent a text instead of telling him in person, and this is just the beginning.
"Hiram," Holly says, stepping closer to him. "What happened?"
He forces himself to take a deep breath. "My daughter," he says through gritted teeth. "She - she just got engaged."
Holly nods slowly, as if she understands perfectly. "Okay," she says; "do we not like the guy or what?"
Hiram glares at her. "There is no guy," he says. "And, no, we definitely do not like the woman Rachel has chosen to spend the rest of her life with."
"Right, okay, woman, gotcha," she says, barely missing a beat. "Uh, why don't we like this woman?"
Hiram won't be able to explain it. There's just something about her. Maybe it's that he can tell she has all these secrets, and that's definitely not what Rachel needs in her life. Maybe it's that she could be too good to be true. Maybe it's that Rachel seems devoted enough to her that Hiram can already feel himself losing her. She's just going to slip away, and he's not prepared for that.
"We just don't," Hiram finally says.
"Right," Holly sounds, glancing back at the broken phone. "And, was it worth it destroying your phone over something you have no control over?"
Hiram meets her gaze. "What makes you think I have no control over this?"
"Hiram," she breathes, shaking her head.
"Rachel could be making the biggest mistake of her life," he says, arguing, even though Holly hasn't actually said anything. "It's my responsibility to protect her."
"She's a big girl."
"With the biggest, most trusting heart," he says. "It would be irresponsible of me not to at least check out who this person in my daughter's life is, right?"
Holly looks torn, and she tries very hard to put herself in his place. If she had a daughter, she would probably want to know everything she could about said imaginary daughter's future spouse.
"Fine," she relents. "But, we're not doing anything illegal, okay? Just some normal, run-of-the-mill cyberstalking, okay?"
Hiram nods, as he moves to sit in front of his laptop at the dining room table. He was a prosecutor once upon a time, so he knows how to do research about people, but this is a little different.
"What do I do?"
Holly rolls her eyes as she drags a chair to sit beside him. "Why don't you just type her name into Google? It's as good as any place to start."
Hiram hesitates for a moment, and then does just that. He's not sure what he's expecting, but it's actually quite a bit. There are links to her social media accounts and other links to her work profile on her hospital's website, links to research papers and surgical articles with her name, other links to articles from Yale newspapers and a few other things.
"Well," Holly says, taking it all in. "She definitely seems like the Devil's incarnate." Her sarcasm is unmistakable, and he definitely doesn't appreciate it.
Hiram ignores her as he opens the link to Quinn's work profile. He assumes he'll get the most information there, and he's not wrong. Her hometown is listed as also being in Ohio - strange - where she graduated high school early. Next, she apparently fast-tracked through what was supposed to be four years of Undergrad at Yale before attending medical school at Columbia. From there, she joined the residency program at Mount Sinai, and that's where she's been for the past five-and-a-bit years, finally declared in the paediatric field.
"Jeez," Holly says. "If you won't let your daughter marry her, can I?"
Hiram switches to Quinn's social media accounts. Her Facebook isn't all that active, with the last individual post being her changing her profile picture to one of only her sitting at a table in some restaurant, sunglasses on and steady smile on her face. Her cover picture is one of her and two other women, one blonde and one Latina, and Hiram makes a mental note to do a more thorough search at a later time - when Holly isn't looking over his shoulder.
Quinn's Twitter is worse. There's literally nothing to learn from it.
It's her Instagram where they hit the jackpot. The surprisingly-public account is littered with pictures of her and of Rachel and of them both and of those two women and of Kurt and there's Rachel's cat and Rachel's apartment and the hospital and other surgeons and what looks like a genuinely genuine woman.
Still.
There's something there.
Something she's undoubtedly hiding.
Hiram can't shake it.
"She's stunning, I'll give her that," Holly comments. "Almost distractingly so. I wouldn't mind having her be my doctor."
Hiram grimaces. "Seriously?"
"Come on," Holly says. "Look at her." She waves at the screen. "I mean, even if you were to ignore her looks for a second, the woman went to Yale and Columbia. She's an honest-to-God baby doctor. She saves children. I don't see what's so wrong with her." Holly looks at him. "Is there actually something wrong with her, or are you looking too closely, hoping there is?"
Hiram sighs. "She's taller than Rachel."
She looks at him as if he's crazy, and he suddenly feels it. "So?"
He shrugs, and then closes the laptop screen, trying to push it from his mind. "So," he echoes, but he has nothing more to say.
Holly eventually leaves him be.
Hiram just about manages to curb his curiosity until the day Rachel visits. It's Sunday - their day - and he's relieved it's just her when she comes through the door to find him sitting in the bay window in the living room and reading a novel.
"Hi, Dad," she says, smiling so widely and freely that he knows it's not all to do with him. "What are you reading?"
"Grisham."
Rachel rolls her eyes. "You and your courtroom dramas," she says. "You'd definitely have a lot to talk to Quinn about."
It takes everything he has to keep his smile on his face as he closes his book and gets to his feet to give her a hug. He's missed her. He always misses her.
"Have you eaten?" Rachel asks as she moves towards his kitchen. "I can whip up some eggs for you."
"What about you?"
"Oh, I already ate," she says, almost offhandedly. "Quinn and I usually grab something on the way to church."
Hiram drops his book and it lands with a thud on the floor. "You go to church?"
"What? No." She lets out a laugh. "Quinn goes to church. I just accompany her there, and then leave. I mean, I've gone in with her a few times, and she's been to Temple as well, but it's not really my thing."
"What happens if you get married?" Hiram finds himself asking.
"When," she clarifies with a slight frown. "And, what do you mean?"
"Will one of you convert?"
Rachel pauses, stopping with her pattering around the kitchen. "I don't know," she says. "We haven't really discussed it."
"What about your children?"
"Dad," she says. "We still have time for all of this. Now, do you want breakfast or not? It's a one-time offer. Or two, really."
"Holly already made something," he says, somewhat distractedly.
"Ooh, speaking of, do I get to meet her today?"
"I don't see why not," he says. "She's upstairs right now, but she should come down eventually." He moves to sit in his armchair. "What did you want to do today, anyway? I'm not feeling up for going outside."
Rachel glances out the kitchen window at the dark sky. It's a bit of a gloomy day, but she knows it's important to get her father out of the house. "Hmm," she muses. "Tell you what, why don't we play some chess? If I win, we go for a long walk. And, if you win, we go for a short one."
"I don't really see how that works in my favour at all."
"Just humour me."
Hiram sighs dramatically, but his smile gives him away. "I would do anything for you." There's more he wants to say, but he doesn't think she's expecting some kind of heartfelt declaration. He just wants her to know how important she is to him. Everything he's ever done in his life is for her health, benefit and happiness. He knows best, after all.
Rachel wins.
Of course she wins, because she learned all her tricks from LeRoy, and Hiram is a bit of a chump.
She raises her arms in triumph. "Hah, okay, get yourself ready, you owe me some fresh air," she says, getting to her feet and stretching out her limbs. "I'll grab us some water bottles for the trip."
Hiram does as he's told. As much as he grumbles, he positively loves this bossy, unassuming side of her. She's never quite managed to outgrow it, even in her later twenties, and he's relieved it's something even Quinn hasn't managed to change about her.
There are other things, though, he's starting to notice, and he wishes it would all stop. His daughter is supposed to remain his daughter, and he needs to put an end to this ridiculous relationship before he loses her completely.
But, he's going to worry about that later. Right now, he's going for a walk with his daughter, and he's planning on enjoying it.
Which he does, right until the moment they step back into the house and Rachel brings up the one thing he's known she's wanted to say since she started fiddling with the hem of her sweater.
"We're having an engagement party," Rachel says, casually unwinding her scarf from her neck. "This coming weekend. At our apartment. I know you don't really like social gatherings anymore, but we would really like it if you were there. Even if it's just for a little while. Holly can come, of course. There's just going to be a few snacks, a few toasts, maybe some lunch, and then it'll be over." She sighs. "I mean, if you don't want to, it's okay," she offers. "I know you don't like to visit me at my place, but - "
"I'll be there," Hiram suddenly declares.
Rachel's eyes snap towards him. "Really?" she asks, and she can't keep the surprised excitement out of her voice.
"Really," he confirms.
Rachel practically squeals, and then throws herself at him, getting a laugh out of him. "Thank you, thank you," she says. "This is going to be perfect. All my favourite people in the same place."
Hiram can't help the flash of fear at the prospect of being in a room filled with strangers, and he's halfway to declining when they both hear footsteps descending on the stairs. He's both relieved and disappointed to see Holly appear at the bottom of the steps, her face displaying a knowing smile.
"Is that the famous Rachel Berry I hear?" the woman says.
Despite herself, Rachel actually blushes. She's famous in certain circles, sure, and she adores praise, but there's always been something about real people knowing who she is behind the Broadway actress that makes her feel like a pubescent child.
She lives for this.
"Hi," Rachel says when she gathers herself. "You must be Holly."
"Guilty," she says, putting out her hand for Rachel to shake. "I've heard a lot about you," she adds. "I believe congratulations are in order."
Rachel's smile splits her face. "Oh, well, yes, thank you," she says. "I'm just relieved she said yes." She pauses. "My dad did tell you she's a she, right?"
Holly nods. "He did, yes."
"Oh, okay," she says. "Well, we were just discussing our engagement party. You're, of course, welcome to come. It's just a small thing, family and friends, at our place."
Holly barely hesitates. "If Hiram's there, then so am I."
Rachel beams at them both, her excitement practically radiating off of her. "That's great," she says; "you have no idea how much I'm looking forward to it."
It takes Hiram longer than usual to shake his guilt once Rachel leaves. It doesn't stop him, however, from looking a little deeper into this Quinn Fabray. There's something she's hiding. There always is.
Before he can stop himself or overthink anything, he compiles a short email to one of the private investigators he worked with when he practiced Law, asking him to look into Quinn, and tells himself he's doing it for Rachel's protection.