AN:
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Chapter 5
As I sit on my sofa, silent, I stare at the woman in front of me. I can't take my eyes off her, I study her long brunette hair, her soft brown eyes with hints of green, her mouth moving as she talks with my dad but I can't hear the words.
"Wait." I interrupt, feeling all three sets of eyes land on me. "What's happening?"
Quinn places her hand on my knee as my dad explains again.
"Shelby is your birth mother."
"I thought…" I pause, trying to let my brain catch up to my mouth. "I thought you couldn't contact me until I was 18?"
Shelby chuckles nervously. "That is the rule. However, your dad actually contacted me saying that you were living in Ohio now if I wanted to meet you."
"You didn't think to ask me first?" I ask my dad.
"When you were younger, you were constantly asking about your mother. I always promised that if we were ever in the same state as her then I would call her, so I did."
"Rachel, I want you to understand that I do regret giving you up, I needed money and I thought I could handle it but it's haunted me ever since. On the other hand, I also want you to know that I'm not immediately going to start acting like a mother figure for you. It's going to take us both some time to adjust and you're practically a grown woman now. I want to be able to get to know you as the person you are now, rather than from the few memories I have of you as a baby."
I nod, unsure of what to say. It somehow felt like a rejection. As my mind races, I suddenly remember what happened when Quinn and I came downstairs to find Shelby in the hall.
I turn to my girlfriend. "How did you know her name?"
"Oh, um, well, I didn't know who she was to you, obviously, when this happened but she… she adopted my daughter."
Both my dad and I drop our jaws in shock.
"Small world." He mutters.
"Yes, and it's because of Beth that…" Shelby starts.
"You actually called her Beth?" Quinn interrupts.
"I did yes, ever since I saw you and Noah at the hospital and he told me her name, I couldn't bring myself to change it. I thought it would be nice for her to have something from her birth parents." The woman smiles. "As I was saying though, it's because of her that I wanted to meet you Rachel. I'm not going to hide the fact that Beth is adopted from her, I mean she looks nothing like me, so I wouldn't be opposed to her having a relationship with you Quinn."
I feel the blonde stiffen beside me and squeeze her hand. "I… maybe… I don't know."
"Obviously I wasn't expecting to see you so soon, but don't think that I'm only offering because you're here. I was planning on giving you a call anyway but I've only just moved back to Lima."
"What about Puck?"
"He can meet her too if he likes but in my mind, you were a priority. Quinn, I know what it's like to give up a child and I don't want you to go through what I did, especially as you're so young. So maybe as I start to get to know my daughter, you can do the same with yours." Shelby says to Quinn, briefly shooting a smile to me. "Of course, that is up to the both of you. I'm going to give you some time to think it over as I need to relieve the babysitter but please, give me a call."
As Dad rises to show Shelby out, Quinn and I stay rooted to our seats, hand in hand, our brains still working on processing the situation.
Having spent the majority of dinner in silence, I now find myself lying on my bed, wrapped up in Quinn's arms. I roll over so my head is resting on the blonde's chest and she begins running her fingers through my hair.
"Why is life so complicated?" She mutters. "I mean, I'm dating the daughter of the woman who adopted my baby."
I chuckle slightly. "Are you going to meet her?"
"I don't know." Quinn admits, releasing a heavy sigh. "What would you do in my position?"
"Well, actually, I'm not in your position but I am in Beth's. Like my dad said, I was always asking about my mother when I was younger. I hated the fact that she was out there and it made me feel so unwanted. I know she isn't even one yet but do you really want Beth to go through the same thing?"
"No.
"Then I guess you have your answer."
"I guess so. What about you? What are you going to do about Shelby?"
"I don't know. I've always wanted to know who she was but now it all feels anticlimactic. She just turns up and bam I have a mother."
Quinn huffs in amusement. "Then it seems like you just need to get to know her more, that's what she said she wanted isn't it?"
"Yeah, but she also said she doesn't want to automatically jump into a mother-daughter relationship."
"So get to know her as a friend rather than a parent. It might be weird at first but I reckon it'll be worth it in the end. I'm never going to be a proper mother to Beth, but at least now I can be in her life still."
"You're right. How about we meet up with them together?" I suggest.
"That sounds perfect." The blonde responds, kissing the top of my head.
"So… turns out in a twisted way I'm like your father."
I turn around with a confused expression. "That's not quite how adoption works Noah."
He shrugs. "I can still be your daddy if you want."
"Ew, I'm gay remember."
Puck pushes himself off the wall and approaches me, resting one hand on the locker by my head to lean in close.
"Wouldn't be the first time I turned someone. Plus, it doesn't matter anyway, I mean I slept with Quinn."
"Firstly, you wouldn't be able to 'turn me', I've been with a guy so I know for sure that I'm gay. Secondly, Quinn isn't gay she's bi so your argument is invalid."
"Buzzkill." He pouts, standing up straight. "How'd you know my first name anyway?"
"I have my methods." I smirk.
"So Quinn told you."
"Shelby let it slip, but Quinn's obviously told you about Shelby and Beth so why should it matter?"
He glances at me curiously before shrugging again. "You're right, we're even, lucky for you babe."
"Don't call me babe."
"I call everyone babe." The boy says, trying to defend himself.
"Not her you don't." A voice interrupts.
Puck turns around and I glance round him to see Quinn leaning against the wall opposite us, watching the scene.
"Whatever. Let me know when you meet Beth okay? I wanna know what she's like."
Quinn nods slightly and Puck leaves without even glancing back at me.
"He's totally in love with you." I laugh.
"What? He's Puck, he's not in love with anyone." The blonde huffs.
"Except you, it's obvious. His whole demeanour softened as soon as he saw you."
She just rolls her eyes and walks towards me. "I don't care about him, unless he starts causing a problem, let him feel whatever. I only have feelings for you."
"Is that so?" I smile as she reaches me, pressing her body against mine.
"Yep, and I owe you a little something that I didn't give you yesterday."
"Oh yeah? And what's that?"
Without saying another word, Quinn leans down and pulls me into the deepest kiss we've ever shared, her tongue slipping effortlessly into my mouth and I almost moan at the contact until I remember we're stood in the school corridor. I hear gasps and comments but ignore them and pull Quinn's body impossibly closer with my hands on her hips as she cups my face.
As we pull apart for breath, she rests her forehead against mine and bites her lip, suppressing a grin.
"Well that certainly was worth the wait." I tease.
"I can't help that you're so addictive."
"If I'm addictive, why don't you do it again?"
"Hmm…" She contemplates before leaning closer to whisper directly into my ear. "Maybe later."
The blonde then pushes herself off me, places a brief peck on my lips then struts down the corridor and I can't help but watch her go. As she reaches the end of the hallway she turns back to me, almost as if she knew I'd be watching, winks at me then turns the corner.
"Out of sight but never out of mind." I mutter to myself before finally turning back to my locker.
"Hey, Kurt." I call, stopping the boy before he leaves the choir room.
"Yes?" He questions, pausing to allow me to catch up to him.
"I was wondering if I could ask you something."
He winces slightly. "As long as it isn't about sexuality."
I laugh. "No, I'm very secure with myself thankfully, it's actually about Quinn. What did you mean when you said 'day one and I've already fallen in with the wrong crowd'?"
I wait as Kurt hesitates, considering his choices. "Alright I'll tell you but I don't want you to interrupt until I'm done, okay?"
After waiting for my nod, the boy continues.
"Quinn, Santana and Brittany are collectively known as 'The Unholy Trinity'. There's nothing they want, that they don't then get. Now Quinn, is typical HBIC, it just seems to come naturally to her, so she's even worse than the other two combined. She's controlled this school since the moment she set foot in it, well, minus nine months. They don't usually welcome newcomers with open arms so I was a little wary about why Quinn was so fond of you, that's what I meant. However…" He says, accentuating the word as I open my mouth to interrupt so I shut it and smile sheepishly as he continues. "However, now that I see the effect you've had on Quinn, I understand why she befriended you instantly. She's different around you, I never saw this side of her around Finn, and trust me, I was around them a lot ever since Finn's mom and my dad got together. So, I officially retract my initial statement about Quinn being 'the wrong crowd'. Honestly, I think I was just trying to avoid having another female running the school with them."
I thank Kurt for his honesty and he walks away, never noticing the blonde standing behind him.
"How much of that did you hear?" I ask, moving to stand with her.
She sighs softly. "Most of it. I know I can be a bitch but I don't really like doing it, I just feel like it's what a head cheerleader is supposed to do. HBIC like Kurt said."
I stand up onto my tiptoes to kiss her lips lightly as she leans back against the wall, holding me in front of her with hands on my hips.
"Well you aren't a bitch to me."
She releases a small chuckle. "I was a bit of a bitch to Finn when we were together so you're definitely special. Though I should warn you that I may get bitchy and start to try to push away from you the closer we get."
"Noted." I smile, easing her worries as I kiss her again.
"Do you want to come back to my place?"
I freeze and study Quinn's face, trying to figure out whether I imagined the words or not.
The cheerleader just laughs. "Yes I did just ask that, but you don't have to if you don't want to, I can just drive you home if you prefer. However, no one will be home till way late, unlike at your house."
"Sold." I laugh.
"All I ask is that you don't judge me based on my house." Quinn begs as we step out of her car in the driveway.
"I won't." I promise.
I lean over to kiss her cheek but she dodges it as she pushes open her front door.
"Sorry." She mumbles, biting her lip. "I can't risk someone seeing and telling my father."
Quinn closes the door behind us and kisses my cheek in apology, but I hardly feel it, I'm too busy staring at the most ornate hallway I have ever seen. Pieces of silverware line the walls in frames and decorative wooden tables stand either side of the door. Before us is a large, sweeping, hand-carved wooden staircase and to the right and left there are doors leading into what I assume are the kitchen and living room.
I turn a full 360 degrees and notice there's not a single picture of the family anywhere in sight and I suddenly understand Quinn's comment about my house being more like a home.
"You're judging." Quinn comments.
I turn to face her and see her standing at the bottom of the stairs, leaning sideways against the wall.
"I'm not. I'm just observing, whilst silently wondering how long it'll take for you to show me your bedroom."
"Desperate much?" She teases.
"Hey, you did more or less the exact same thing when you came to my house for the first time."
The blonde blushes. "Yes but I wasn't expecting anything to happen up there."
"We did almost kiss." I point out.
"Almost being the key word there." She winks. "I did want to kiss you though."
"I wanted to kiss you too." I admit. "I want to kiss you now too."
"What's stopping you?"
"Honestly?" The picture of Jesus hanging right above your head."
Quinn laughs before closing the gap between us and kissing me gently.
"Screw him." She whispers as she pulls away.
"I'd rather screw you."
She scrunches her nose up at the comment. "That was terrible."
"I can do worse." I shrug.
"You can do me."
I burst out with laughter. "Now who's terrible?"
The cheerleader just grins and pulls me by the hand up the stairs.
"Quinn, I have a confession to make."
She stops, just inside her bedroom but I keep moving, shutting the door regardless of us being in the house alone and perch on the edge of her bed. Eventually she moves to sit next to me.
"Not that I'm expecting anything yet but in the interest of full honesty I feel like I should tell you that…"
"You're a virgin. I know, we played Never Have I Ever remember?" Quinn interrupts.
"Yes well I wasn't actually concentrating in that round and forgot to drink." I blush.
"So you've been with a girl?"
"Er, no."
The blonde's eyes widen in shock. "You've… been with a guy?"
"Yes." I admit, avoiding eye contact. "I wanted to deny my thoughts about being gay so pushed myself to be with a guy but I hated every second and I couldn't avoid the truth any longer."
"When was this?"
"Last year."
"Well as interesting that is, I'm not bothered by it. Now we're in the same boat, we've both been with guys but not girls so this, whenever it happens, will be new for both of us." Quinn smiles, lifting my chin so our eyes meet. "I know I mentioned I never even slept with Finn so we both only have the one experience. I've always been too scared of getting pregnant again."
I laugh. "At least that won't be a risk with us, but I remember your thoughts about being intimate so I'm willing to wait."
"I never said I wanted to wait, I just said I wanted the next time to be special." The cheerleader explains.
My head can't think of what to say so I let my heart take control and crash my lips to Quinn's, moving to straddle her lap without breaking the kiss. As she tried to deepen the kiss I smile against her lips but never allow her access, pushing against her until she's lying on her back, showing her who's in charge.
I reach down to grab her wrists and pin them above her head whilst finally parting my lips and allowing our tongues to meet. I keep one hand pressed against her wrists while the other moves down and lifts up Quinn's Cheerios top and I feel her stomach muscles flinch as I ghost my fingertips along her abs.
"You're so hot." I mutter against her skin as I trail kisses down her jaw and neck.
Suddenly, Quinn flips us over and smirks down at me before reaching down and pulling her top over her head, leaving her sat above me in her skirt and a black laced bra.
"Careful new girl, you're starting to drool." She teases but I still don't tear my eyes away from her bare torso.
The blonde must notice my hands starting to twitch from their position on her hips as she sighs before dragging them up her body to rest just under her bra, allowing me to make the final decision while showing that it's okay.
After a deep breath I lift my thumbs to lightly trace the fabric and Quinn releases a soft, very quiet moan which encourages me. I sit up and start planting soft kisses over the smooth, newly exposed skin before latching my mouth onto her pulse point and sucking hard as my hands move to cup her properly.
The cheerleader starts subconsciously grinding her hips against me and I giggle against her neck.
"I thought you said I was the desperate one."
"You were, but you're not the one getting touched." She husks.
"Well then I suggest you touch me." I smirk, leaning back slightly to pull my own top off.
Our hands take their time exploring each other's bodies before we simultaneously move to take the other's bra off.
Quinn immediately pushes me back to lie down again and without hesitation takes my left breast into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the nipple causing me to release a deep long moan.
"Quinnie? What was that noise?" A voice calls from outside.
"Mom? Don't come in here!" Quinn shouts back, panic in her eyes.
But it was too late, her mother had already pushed open her door and was staring at us. Quinn quickly pulled a sheet over us but Mrs Fabray had seen it already, she had seen her half naked daughter on top of an equally naked girl, who was definitely not her boyfriend.
I ran out of Quinn's house as quickly as possible last night, after pulling on my shirt but abandoning my bra. However, instead of talking about it with her rationally, something else comes up that I have to deal with first.
"You're doing a duet with Sam?" I yell at the blonde, making her jump at her locker.
"It's duet week… he asked me to be his partner." Quinn explains, as if that made everything okay. "Look I know we talked about doing one but we were paired up for Britney week and Sam's new I couldn't just say no, he might've quit."
"You do realise the only person left for me to pair up with now is Finn right?"
"Uhh… that was unintentional. You could always just not compete."
"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you, that way you'd be a shoo-in, but I'm not letting you go to BreadStix with Sam, he'll think it's a date." I huff.
"Rachel, he knows we're dating, the whole school knows, therefore it won't be a date. Plus I heard Santana is pairing up with Mercedes and they're a force to be reckoned with on their own, let alone together."
I pout at her logic, causing her to laugh and pull me into a hug.
As I sit in Glee club that afternoon, watching Santana and Mercedes perform 'River Deep, Mountain High' with Quinn's hand wrapped in mine in my lap I keep stealing glances at Finn.
I'm torn, I want to compete in the competition as I'm still the new girl and I don't want to get left out. But it's Finn. My girlfriend's ex. The guy she dumped to be with me.
The glee club starts to disperse after the girls had gained their rightful applause so I jogged out the room to catch up with Finn.
"Finn, can we talk?"
He stops and turns to me. "About what? Because I'm really not in the mood to talk about Quinn."
"No, though I am sorry for what it's worth, I never intended to steal anyone from anyone."
The quarterback just simply nods and I force myself to get back on topic.
"Anyway, I wanted to talk about the duet competition."
"Yeah? What about it?" He huffs and motions for me to follow him down the hall.
"Well, we're the only ones without a partner so I was wondering if you'd want to team up, there's no denying you're the best male vocalist in there so I reckon we'd have a good shot at winning." I propose.
Finn suddenly stops and actually looks like he's considering it. "And what if we do win? We're not going to want to go to BreadStix together."
"Actually, in the spirit of camaraderie I'd happily donate my half of the winnings for you to take someone out on a date." I pause and see a mischievous glint in his eye. "As long as it isn't Quinn."
His face falls. "Alright, deal. What song did you have in mind?"
"Although it isn't quite appropriate for our situation, I do have a suggestion."
On Monday, Finn and I spend every possible moment rehearsing and I find that the boy isn't that annoying once you get to know him. By the end of the last practise we're actually joking with one another, though we both steer clear of the topic of Quinn.
I know he's not over her, and it's understandable, but that's mainly why I offered him the opportunity to take someone else out to dinner, to help him move on.
After I leave the choir room that lunchtime I immediately go to find Quinn because I haven't seen her all day.
"Hey, new girl." I hear someone shout from behind me so grin and turn to face the blonde walking up to me.
"Hey you, I was just coming to find you." I greet, pulling her into a hug as soon as she reaches me.
"Well great minds think alike." She laughs. "I figured you'd probably done enough rehearsing by now so was coming to distract you."
"Honestly, I'm glad we were finished because I'm actually starting to get to like Finn and you being there would've just added insult to the injury."
"Fair, I'm happy that he doesn't totally hate you though, just don't listen to his stories about how much of a terrible girlfriend I was as they'll probably all be sex based and as we discussed the other night, I won't have that issue with you."
I cringe at the mention of last Thursday night and realise this is Quinn's way of telling me she wants to talk about it so I gently shake my head hoping she'll understand why.
"Baby, please, it's been like four days, you avoided the topic all weekend I just want to talk."
"What is there to talk about Quinn? Your mother found us half naked, I'm mortified, end of story." I huff, trying to pull out of the cheerleaders strong arms.
"Rachel, I hadn't told her I was bi, or dating a girl."
The confession knocks the wind out of me. "Oh. What did she say?"
"Nothing. Much like you she's been avoiding it and it's killing me."
"Quinn, I'm sorry, I didn't realise."
I lead her into the nearest classroom and sit her down next to me, just waiting for her to open up.
"I was raised in a very strict Christian home, as you know, so I've fought my sexuality, and honestly, I was a little relieved to find that I wasn't gay, that I liked boys too, and I don't mean that in an offensive way, you know I have no problem with others being gay. When I got kicked out for being pregnant, I didn't think things could get any worse so I didn't try to hide who I was anymore as my parents were no longer breathing down my neck. Then when my mother took me back, I had to hide again and it was painful, so now I don't know whether to feel relieved that it's sort of out there or not. I know she doesn't approve, but she hasn't kicked me out yet so I'm not sure what to think."
"I think you need to talk to her, not me."
"I know, but I'm scared."
She flops her head down onto my shoulder and I run my hand along her back.
"It's okay." I soothe. "You're not alone."
I hold her for the rest of lunch, completely forgetting about eating anything, until the bell rings.
That afternoon in Glee, Finn and I as well as Quinn and Sam are scheduled to perform. We're the last two pairs to perform and Mr Schue calls Finn and me up first so with a quick kiss to Quinn's cheek, I get up to stand in the middle of the floor as Finn takes his place at the drums.
As the intro to 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' starts up I risk a quick glance at my girlfriend and she doesn't seem bothered by the genre of song so I take a deep breath and sing.
We only receive a small ripple of applause after the performance but I think it's mainly because of the pairing and the song choice.
However, when Quinn gets up to perform with Sam, all my thoughts fade away as she stands behind him and plays the chords on his guitar. A wave of jealously hits me as I think of all the time they've spent practising in this position.
As they start to sing 'Lucky' I'm distracted from my envy at the sound of the cheerleaders voice and am blown away by the hazel eyes, staring right at me. I then realise that Finn and I spent a lot of the routine dancing around each other closely whilst singing a love song so I can't get too mad at the blonde for doing the same thing.
I almost forget to clap at the end of the song as Quinn continues to stare at me, her eyes had never left mine during the whole performance and I knew that she'd been singing about me not Sam.
"I just want to clarify." She whispers as Mr Schue starts to hand out pieces of paper for us to vote. "I was singing to you but unlike the song, I'm not 'in love with my best friend' yet but I wanted to say that I am falling."
I smile and lean over to peck the blonde's lips. "Well, just don't go breaking my heart." I tease.
After we've all cast our votes, Mr Schuester stands at the front counting them and recounting them until he finally turns to face us.
"Alright." He starts, clapping his hands together. "Although it looks like most of you voted for yourselves, we do have a winning team, and so the winners are…"
