AN: Another one down. Hopefully this one is better liked than the first version of Chapter 8. I tried to offer a number of different viewpoints into the issue and again had to do some reading up on just how and what an addict thinks. We might, as logical people, find some of this odd but remember this is coming from a damaged man. His logic and sense is perfect sounded. Just a fair warning.
Anyways, read and above all else, Enjoy!
She was the Claire Underwood to my Frank. My partner, my equal, my love, my end and my beginning.
Rachel finally disconnected from her two Dad's, about to launch into her rant about neither of them talking to her all day, but was stopped by Hiram raising his hand to stop her, "Sit down, Sweetheart. Your Father and I have something to share with you."
Rachel raised a brow but sat at the kitchen table opposite of them. Quinn stood awkwardly in the back, "I'll just go th.."
She was cut off by Hiram and Rachel who spoke at the same time, "No, stay." There was a pleading in both of their eyes, but the ones in Rachel broke Quinn's heart a small bit. Rachel was not a dumb girl and she could feel the tension in the room, she needed Quinn here, she knew if she fell, Quinn would be there to catch her.
Quinn decided to stand behind Rachel's chair, arms draped around her with Rachel clenching onto her hand. She always found something so attractive about the contrast between her and Rachel's skin. Her love's olive skin adding to her fire and diva attitude and then Quinn's own pale snow skin furthering the Ice Queen personality. It was a deadly but perfect mix. She had a way of grounding Rachel's diva moments and Rachel brought the warmth that Quinn hid under thick layers of coldness.
Quinn was pulled from her thoughts as LeRoy finally cleared his throat after a round of awkward glances, "I..We are not sure not how to tell you this. Please Rachel, don't judge me fully until you hear the whole tale."
Hiram gave the man a sharp glare, something that didn't go unmissed by either girl. Rachel clenched Quinn's hand tighter and dragged her into the chair next to hers. Quinn's own heart clenched, she knew those looks the two were sharing. Why hadn't she seen it before?
"Daddy? Did something happen with work?" Rachel's eyes darted in between her fathers. There was that look again, the diva looked back over towards Quinn, her lover wearing only soft hazel eyes. What was she missing? .
"Your Dad and I are getting a divorce." LeRoy's blunt and honest voice tore through the awkward silence that had set in after Rachel's lingering question.
Hiram sighed loudly and clenched his jaw as he slowly turned his head to glare at LeRoy. He was one more outburst away from slamming his fist into the man's face. He wondered how what he said this morning had gotten to this point. But after waking up in the afternoon after his long night and searching LeRoy's office, he couldn't do this.
Rachel felt like she was being slapped in the face and stabbed in the gut at the same time. A grip around her heart clenching tight as she looked in between the two men. All warmth she had grown up seeing was gone. The easy going smiles and the way their eyes used to light up, was gone. Only a hard coldness between the two, LeRoy staring blankly at the table but Hiram's eyes bearing a look of worry.
Quinn cursed under her breath. Of course, now it made sense. The way LeRoy's smiles seemed to be forced around the edges in the past few weeks. In fact, now that she thought of it, she remembered a handful of times she could remember seeing that forced smile when Hiram was around. Or the stress lines around Hiram's eyes, the way he would simply sigh when they told him LeRoy was out.
LeRoy's eyes dropped straight to the table as soon as he just blurted out the line. He couldn't bear the burning look from Hiram or the the look of confusion from Rachel. He had to do this, they all had to do this. He needed to get through this conversation and then he could disappear, he just wished he had something to take the edge off before he finally swore off the liquid gold.
Rachel simply just blinked at the two men. There was a ringing in her ears as her Daddy's words repeated over and over again in her head. Her hands suddenly felt sweaty, crossing and uncrossing her legs, she was confused, "W..What?"
Before LeRoy could speak again, and most likely make the situation even worse, Hiram spoke up, "Sweetheart, your Daddy and I haven't been honest with you about our relationship with each other."
"Just show her already." LeRoy hissed out.
Hiram restrained himself from smacking the man before reaching under the table and bringing forth a worn shoebox. Moving the lid off of it, he dump the contents of it onto the table. Neither girl really knew what they were seeing, Quinn had a vague idea from one of the more crazier of Pucks parties.
Small tied off bags with different colored powders, white and black. Pills of all sizes, needles and syringes, a bent and blacken spoon and a belt of all things. LeRoy's eyes snapped to all the contents on the table. His eyes shut and took a deep shaky breath. There was one thing about doing this in the closet, keeping it hidden to everyone but Hiram, but here it was all out on the table.
LeRoy tried his best to focus but after the past few days of keeping his high going he was finally coming down. His skin felt itchy, his throat dry. His eyes were burning as he brought a hand up to itch wildly up and down his arm and then his neck.
Rachel finally spoke after staring at the substances on the table, "..Drugs?" Looking between her Dad's with that still confused look on her face. Who was using them? Dad was the Police Chief and Daddy a Doctor both knew the dangers of them.
"Your Daddy has a problem, Sweetheart. He has for a long time.." Hiram was speaking in a soft voice, trying to explain it as best as possible. This situation was so painful that it pained him. He could see the pain in Rachel's eyes as the carefully constructed illusion crumbled around her.
He was cut off by LeRoy's voice, "Oh stop it, Hiram. We can keep on pretending that we're just one big happy gay family. But we both know that is the furthest thing from the the truth." LeRoy jumped out of his seat now, jabbing his finger in Hiram's direction.
Hiram narrowed his eyes, he had dealt with LeRoy and enough addicts over the years to see when someone was going through withdraws. The way LeRoy was stretching his arms, the look in his eye, the way he seemed to be flying into small fits of rage.
LeRoy stood now a few feet away from the table, eyes on small bags on the table. That voice returned to his head, the voice that always out ruled his logic, destroyed everything else. The voice that cared only to find anyway possible to get that high. It was right there in front of him, the logical side of his head saying that his family, and yes that include Quinn, was sitting there watching him. God he hated himself so fucking much. But if he could just get a little bit to stop his hands from shaking.
There was that small part in his mind, the same voice that came to him every morning after with Nick or whatever stranger he woke up to that morning. Telling him the blunt truth of situation, what he was doing was destroying everything he knew that he loved. He knew that he had to get cleaned, to just stop all of this. But it was always the other voice, the much louder and larger one that made the extreme plans to get whatever that could make him feel that good again.
Quinn knew the look Rachel held on her face, she wrapped an arm around her shoulders and half pulled the girl into her lap. She wished there was something she could say to Rachel, the girl's world was crumbling around her. Rachel was there for her when Quinn's world fell, grounded her, and she swore on everything she would do the same. There was a voice in the back of her head saying that someone this young shouldn't be dealing with this, shouldn't be make comtiments like this to someone, but if this wasn't love, real burning love, then she didn't want to ever feel real love. Because it could never be as good as what she felt when she looked at Rachel.
Hiram glared at the man speaking, "LeRoy for the entirety of our marriage and before has been attached to a large range of drugs and alcohol. We have been through meetings, counselling, everything. You have a right to know what we both have been hiding from you."
LeRoy was surprised, even through his drug haze, that Hiram didn't fully put him down. He was sure the man was just going to start screaming and yelling about how terrible he was as a husband like how he done before. But there was a calm and leveled tone, dead inside. He had killed Hiram, he knew it. Somewhere in between the cheating and the lying, he robbed the man of a happy life out of his own selfish need.
Rachel felt a cold setting in around her. Her features becoming numble, her entire becoming numble. She had always prided herself on having a such a strong family. It was her two Fathers she prided herself on, so good and strong in their own ways. Their love had survived everything, but it was all a lie, a lie that she had lived, "
"Daddy..?" Rachel looked up at LeRoy, and what she saw was not the gentle man she grew up loving. In his place was the true LeRoy James Berry, a haggard looking man, the gentle and easy going smile that she grew up loving was gone, replaced by a sneer.
LeRoy looked away from Rachel, he couldn't bear the shame anymore, he couldn't do this. He didn't say a word, he only took one more long stare at Rachel, as if he was trying to remember this moment, to save it, before he turned and headed out of the room.
She remembered seeing Hiram jump to his feet, trying to half drag LeRoy back into the room, that anger he always kept checked starting to come out. LeRoy tried swinging at the man, poor in form, Hiram easily blocked it and slammed his meaty fist into the man's face.
Quinn flinched, hard. Reminded of her own home life, in the darkest fights between her mother and father. She grabbed Rachel and moved backwards, hugging tight onto her as she struggled to stand in between the men, "Quinn, let me go! Let me go! Let me go!"
Rachel was screaming at this point, and was trying to fight herself out of Quinn's grasp. But the blonde held on tight as LeRoy dropped like a sack of bricks from Hiram's punch. The Cop didn't press the attack moving backwards from the man before he did something more.
LeRoy was slightly overdramatic in getting up, using the wall to pull him up to his feet. Rachel saw the look in his eyes, she saw the truth. She never knew her Daddy, the man that raised was her was a carefully built illusion for her own benefit.
LeRoy, knew in that moment, he had truly lost everything. His face bleeding from Hiram's punch, the look of extreme sadness and then acceptance in his daughter's eyes. He took one last look, as if trying to never forgot it before he turned and flee from the house.
Quinn watched in silence as she watched Hiram chase after his husband, she could see the panic in his face. She might question if he still loved LeRoy, he was still a human being and didn't want to see LeRoy destroy himself. If anyone was going to hurt LeRoy, it was going to be Hiram after the years of lies.
The two girls were left alone in the house, each man going to either run or chase after the other. Rachel twisted into Quinn's arms and shoved her face into her girlfriend's chest. Her entire body shaking with her sobs, Quinn's heart broke at the sight. She picked up the small girl and cradled her to her chest.
She was about to take to the stairs to Rachel's bedroom when she heard her girlfriend's small and broken voice, "Please not here."
Quinn took that as her not wanting to be in her house. She couldn't blame her really, Quinn could still not walk through her house without having painful memories of her Father and Mom's fights. Grabbing their things from the living room and Roxie's leash, she placed the two into Quinn's red jeep.
Judy was not home from work yet it seemed. Quinn gave a small prayer of thanks to God for that one. Max was very happy to see his fellow four legged friend, but Quinn's attention was purely on Rachel who had gone quiet now.
Opening the door to her own bedroom, Quinn gently placed Rachel down onto the bed, who refused to let go of the girl and brought her down with her. Her throat hurt from the crying and her head pounded, but shoving her nose into Quinn's Cheerio uniform that smelled so much like lavender helped more than she could ever explain.
Finally, almost an hour of Rachel clinging onto Quinn in silence, she moved her face up from her girlfriend's chest, eyes finally looking over the blonde's room. This was the first time she had ever been here, she always wondered it would look like.
Much like Quinn herself, the room, like the house, was rather regal in appearance. With dark oak furnish Rachel was sure each dresser, night stand and the bedpost itself was hundreds of years old knowing the history of the Fabrays. The second thing Rachel noticed was all of the Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones posters.
Quinn noticed the staring, "My favorite books and my favorite movies." She explained, running a hand along Rachel's back and up through her hair.
"I have never been in your room before. I always pictured my first time coming up here would be after a date. It would of been of your design, I am sure of it. I would be wearing a nice pretty black dress and you one of your blazers. You'll have that look in your eye, the one that you think I don't see when you look at me. You will lead me into here, there would be music playing, you would show me just how geeky you really are, and I will realize that there is no one else I would rather be spending this night with. And just how much I love you and want to be yours forever and forever, because I don't want you to have these moments with anyone else. To show how much of my geek you are or trying to tell someone how much you love riding. Then we would make love and it would be the single most amazing thing we have ever experienced and we would do it over and over again until neither of us could move." Rachel's voice would be so soft as she stared over the room, tears coming to her eyes as she pressed into Quinn.
Quinn didn't know to say to that, who would in this situation? Rachel;s entire world was crashing around her, she was reminded of a moment much like this months ago, in a restroom stall where Quinn emptied her stomach into a toilet. She was pulled up to look into the most beautiful brown eyes she ever seen, "That can still happen, Rachel. There is nothing I can say to make it all better, Baby. But if anyone could survive this, it will be you. It was you, and only you, that saved me with Beth. You were there for me when everyone else turned on me, and I will not leave you to do this alone. You built me a new world, I'll do the same."
It wasn't as romantic as she wanted, herself tired from the emotional past few hours, but the way Rachel's head lifted up from Quinn's chest and the almost heart clenching look. She was so fragile in this one moment, bearing herself out to Quinn, afraid that the blonde would flee. Quinn matched the stare, bringing her right hand up to trace along the curve of Rachel's face, "I am not going to abandoned you, Rachel. You're kinda stuck with me."
Rachel leaned forward and pressed her lips to Quinn's. It was only a simple and soft kiss, no burning heat that was usually paired with it. It was to reassure her that the girl before her was actually hers and there, that she was just not the only good part in nightmare.
The diva settled onto Quinn's chest and child. The blonde in question threw the large blanket over them and cuddled against each other right before she drifted off she heard Rachel's voice no higher than a whisper, "Please don't leave me, Quinn. I wouldn't be able to take it."
The sound of a soft knock on Quinn's door woke her. Peeking with one hazel eye, she was torn between getting up, knowing that it would be odd to explain the current situation to her Mom, she didn't have a choice when the door opened and her mother standing near the foot of the bed carrying a tray with two bowls of some kind of soup or stew.
Judy only glanced down at the two connected girls and walked to the bedside, placing the tray onto Quinn's nightstand. She smiled down at her daughter and pressed a kiss to her forehead, she whispered not to walk Rachel, "Hiram called, he wanted to make you two were alright."
Quinn just raised her brow at Judy, her mother matching it. It was in moments like this that the two prove that they were Mother and daughter, having a silent conversation. Judy understood what Quinn was feeling, she could never replace her Mom, but the two Berry men had become the Fathers she had always wanted. But in the moment falling the news, she had to keep her focus for the sake of Rachel.
"Oh Quinnie." Judy mumbled as she leaned over and wrapped her arms around her daughter, watchful not to wake up Rachel, but the small diva seemed to be out, "Don't be so quick to judge Hiram. LeRoy rolled his dice and followed them, but Hiram. Everything he has done is for Rachel. If I could of, I would've hid everything Russell did from you. I never wanted you to grow up, but now look at you."
Quinn felt tears stinging into her eyes as she leaned into her mother's chest, Judy pressed a kiss to the top of her head, "But you did anyways and became a strong and proud woman. Hiram is going to call Rachel in sick to school for the rest of the week as they figured this out. I know Rachel is going to need her..- friend during this."
Quinn's breath hitched in her throat at the way her mother said friend. At this point it would almost be obvious just the nature of relationship between the two girls, but that was a conversation best saved for another time. For now, Quinn just hugged her Mom tighter and cried into he shoulder.
Rachel awoke to perhaps the best pillow ever. But it was a double edge sword, a reminder of the events last night. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, her throat hurt from the sobs. She felt a shiver run down her back and pressed tighter against Quinn. There was something about the girl, but she was a personal heater.
The blonde was still asleep, offering a rare chance for Rachel to stare without being noticed or have to be fearful of looking odd. Her girlfriend, it was something that still made Rachel smile like a fool. Her girlfriend was breath taking beautiful a trait that she always held. She could remember even before they came friendly, where the girl would have her pressed up against a locker, going off about her man hands, that Rachel had to resist the urge to smash their lips together.
And in sleep, she got to see the softness that Quinn hid behind her walls. In public she always kept a smirk in place, or controlled herself so that she always appeared to be the perfect ice queen. Rachel was the only one that ever got to see her in this moment when she didn't have to pretend she was something she wasn't.
She leaned up, her body straddling Quinn now as her hand traced along the curves of Quinn's face, she was sure to not wake the girl as she did so. She remembered the girl she found all alone in that restroom, though she was abandoned everyone. She wondered if this was Quinn felt like, this crippling depression that seemed to take root in her.
There it was again, the tears coming to her eyes at the memories of last night came back. It wasn't the words that hurt her the most, it was the look in her Daddy's eye that was burnt into her skull. She pressed herself tighter against Quinn, resting her head onto her chest.
God she needed her. Just like how she knew Quinn needed her. The feeling was overwhelming, this feeling but she wanted to fall into it.
Quinn's hazel eyes fluttered open, with all of Quinn's moving around, the blonde was finally pulled from her sleep. Quinn smiled, a real smile Rachel always knew the difference, and moved her hands up and down Rachel's back.
Neither girls went to school for the rest of the week, nor really left Quinn's room until Sunday. Rachel spoke to Hiram only a few times on the phone, checking in with her. The conversation were always short and to the point, Hiram didn't push the topic just yet and Rachel never once asked about LeRoy.
Quinn's room became a hide away place, where neither girl didn't have to worry about the outside world. Santana dropped by after Friday with the homework they missed. The latino girl could get nothing out of Rachel and Quinn, but said to call her if they needed anything.
Rachel felt bad, Santana was trying to be her friend and had agreed to help her with Brittany but now with what happened that was the furthest thing from her mind.
Rachel decided that she loved Quinn's room. It always seemed to smell of lavender that she associated with Quinn's scent. It helped to calm her and keep her from thinking about everything outside of these four walls. She also found that she loved the pictures that were placed across the room. Pictures of a younger Quinn from all throughout her life.
From a baby picture of Judy holding Quinn to the very first day of first grade. Quinn seemed to have a picture for every moment. One that caught her eye was one from Freshmen year. For such a Christian Family Rachel was surprised to see that they did do Halloween, something that Rachel didn't really do as a child. It was a snapshot taken right before Quinn was to go trick or treating. Quinn dressed in a rather well done copy of Indiana Jones completed even with the whip on her waist, and her much older sister, dressed as a 1930's woman. It was a funny sight.
Quinn noticed Rachel's staring and wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist, resting her head on top of Rachel's, "The last time I saw Frannie before Beth. She refused to speak to any of us after Russell kicked me out."
Rachel placed the picture down and gave a small smile up at her, "I love the outfit. Do you still have the hat?"
Quinn pressed a kiss to the top of her head before disconnecting. She dug through her closet pulling a brown leather jacket, the same whip and top off with the famous brown fedora. In perfect fashion, after she had slipped on the jacket, she tipped the hat onto her blonde head and placed her hands on her hips.
Rachel fell into a fit of giggles and fell onto the bed. Quinn kept into character though, humming the famous theme song she dived onto the bed, "Don't call me Junior!"
Quinn landed on Rachel, matching the fit of giggles as Rachel wrapped her arms around Quinn's back. She had only seen the movies a few times, but understood the cuteness of the moment, "And what would the school think, that the Head Cheerio was the biggest movie nerd on the planet?"
"And what would the school think, that the Head Cheerio was in love with one of her Cheerios." Quinn moved her forearms on either side of Rachel's head, her blonde hair fanning down over Rachel's face, like a waterfall of perfect blonde water. There was something sexy about the blonde wear the jacket and hat, plus her words, Rachel's face blushed red as she held Quinn's stare.
"What would I do without you?" Rachel said half to herself and to Quinn as she kept Quinn's intense stare. She felt Quinn's fingers tracing along the side of her face, something the blonde was seen doing quite often even before they started dating.
"You don't have to ever think of it, Rachel." Quinn would've usually launched into a long paragraph about how much she really did love Rachel and how she had felt this way for since forever. But after the events of this past week, the need for simple things was obvious.
Rachel bite down on her bottom lip as she started up at Quinn. It was Sunday, days after the event as she was calling it, "H..how are you doing?"
Quinn raised an elegant brow, speaking in a voice no higher than a whisper, "I think that's what I should be asking you."
Rachel gave a small sigh as she felt Quinn's fingers leave her face, but holding the position of both forearms on either side of her head. Rachel's own hand came up to gently hold Quinn's cheek, "How did you feel after your Dad kicked you out?"
Quinn moved a hand up to take off the hat, placing them near the next, but refused to get up off of Rachel, even going as far to lay down fully on the girl, pressed just right in between Rachel's legs. An always perfect fit, "I..I felt like everything I ever knew was wrong. As a kid, your parents were there to protect you from everything. Now, my situation is much different than yours, but I can understand how you're feeling right now."
The tanned girl's voice was soft and so low, that Quinn had to strain to hear her, "Why do you think they didn't tell me?"
"I think that your Dad wanted to save every bit of your childhood he could. I honestly don't know, Baby. What I do know, is that he loves you just as much as I do." It was the best answer Quinn could give, she could sit there and go on and on about what could've been the reason but she was trying to push the girl to go home and talk to her Dad. Not that she wasn't enjoying pure Rachel time, but they couldn't hide from this forever.
Rachel gave a small nod, craning her neck to look at the clock it was late afternoon, tomorrow they would have to go back to school, back to that house. She couldn't just hide under Quinn's bed covers forever, no matter how nice that sounded.
"Will you stay with me tonight, at my house? I don't think I will be able to go alone…" Rachel trailed off, her eyes filling with tears once more, she just hoped Quinn understood what she meant.
And that Quinn did quite well. She remembered the first night after over 9 months since she was kicked out of her house. She had always hated the Fabray home, it was a reminder of the legacy she was expected to uphold. Her sister had gone to Brown University and would after she finished her schooling takeover the Family business. She was to be just like Frannie, and help her in the running of the muti-million dollar company.
But of course that all changed when she had gotten thrown out. Frannie seemed to saw it as a chance to finally be freed from their Father's power, she dropped out of university and ran away with her boyfriend to Canada. Seems her Family was just one step away from being free spirits. It left Judy to oversee the business, until Quinn was ready for it.
Of crouse, Quinn made sure to never ever tell anyone of it. Everyone in Lima already knew that the Fabrays made their fortune off of the oil boom, and now ran one of the largest oil companies in the world, though the Family didn't actually run the cooperation, they were the majority stockholders. It was called Fabray Industries for a reason.
If this room was an escape for Rachel, then Rachel was an escape for Quinn. Something she would of ever allowed herself to have. Life is a funny thing.
Rachel was staring up at her, "You went somewhere again."
Quinn only gave a smile and pressed her lips to Rachel's, "I was just thinking about how lucky I am."
Rachel wiped her tears with the palm of her hand, "You have a way of always saying the right things at the right time."
"Come on, I don't think my mom can handle our two dogs anymore." As the blonde said this and pushed herself up away from Rachel, the two said dogs were laid on the floor near the bed. Their heads perking up as they seemed to sense the girls were talking about them.
Quinn always had an overnight bag ready just encase Rachel invited her over. Judy never said anything about it, either busy with work or understanding the need for the two girls to always be connected.
Hiram's car was in the driveway alongside Rachel's Range Rover, but there was no sign of LeRoy. Rachel sent a prayer of thanks for that, she couldn't handle looking at her Daddy just yet, she would hear both stories, seperate before she passed judgement. Roxie laided in the back of the Red Jeep, licking Rachel's face before Quinn's turned off the engine. Their dogs always seemed to know when one of the girls were upset.
Rachel gripped on tight to Quinn's hands as they walked through the front door. She wondered if this is how Quinn felt when she came back home for the first time. Every memory from her entire life seemed to rush back to her, what else were her Fathers lying about? Was everything just some illusion?
Hiram sat along at the large dining room table, eating dinner alone, his eyes snapped as he heard Roxie's bark and the door opening and shutting. He pushed his seat back and stood awkwardly in front of basically his two daughters.
A million thoughts were rushing through Hiram's head. As he tried to find LeRoy over the weekend, the man seemed to just disappeared. He came home sunday morning to find LeRoy's wedding band and house keys on the table.
He thought this moment would be better, liberating even. He and Rachel would be free now to do whatever they wanted. Hiram didn't have to go through all this pain anymore, but there was a deep hurt in his chest. He had loved LeRoy at some point, even though he hated the man with every fiber of his being, his empty space in the house spoke a million words.
Rachel slipped her hand from Quinn's and walked forward, "Dad, I.."
Hiram ignored her and rushed forward to wrap his arms around his daughter. Hugging her tight and knocking her off her feet. Quinn had never seen Hiram cry before, but as soon as the sight of his daughter again, he seemed to break. Rachel too was all the water sports as soon as Hiram started up.
Quinn stood there in silence, Roxie resting on her hind legs next to the blonde haired girl. She was turning to go, offering the two a moment of privacy but was surprised when both their heads turned when she tried to step away.
"If you think you're not going to be a part of the group hug, Quinn, you're crazy." Hiram voice rang out as his crying stopped. He smiled at her through red puffy red eyes, motioning for her to come forward.
Quinn couldn't help but to smile, Hiram under all the coldness, was the source of where Rachel got her massive heart from. She was surprised as Rachel disconnected from her Dad and all but ran to Quinn pulling her into a hug. Then came Hiram wrapping both his arms around the girls. For anyone else the sight of the three would be odd, but in their own way they were a family. Hiram was more like a father Russell ever was and Rachel, well Rachel was her end and beginning.
After a tearful hugging session and Hiram cooking up something for the two, the dishes were placed back in the sink, the three now sitting around the table in an awkward silence. It was not until Hiram finally spoke, "I am going to tell both of you girls the full story from the start. I ask you hold your questions until the very end before you start passing judgement."
Taking a breath, Hiram started from the first moment he met LeRoy at his first duty station years and years ago. He left no detail out from the smallest thing he could remember, he needed to do this for his own sake, and hopefully Rachel would understand.
"You know that I have never kept a secret about my sexuality. I had both partners before LeRoy, but when I found him, it was like; finding that one thing you were always looking for but didn't know you were looking for." Hiram paused, LeRoy's white gold wedding band laid on the table near him, a reminder, "When I met him, he had never even thought about touching drugs. Sure, he drank, I drank, we all have been to highschool."
Quinn offered a teasing smile down to Rachel who had glanced over near the same time to only glance away once more. She reached over under the table and tightly grasped Quinn's hand, she needed something to keep her grounded.
"It started the first year out of the Army. We were both in Yale, I was a Political Science and Business double Major, he was doing his Pre-Med at my pushing. He went down to New York for the weekend to visit friends. I am a very jealous person, I don't show it, but I spent most of the weekend making myself sick thinking about him doing something. At the time I thought I was just being dumb, LeRoy would never cheat, that was out of the question."
Hiram look a sharp breath, his eyes bearing into his daughters, "He should be hear to say it your face, but I was right to be worried that night. Those friends he were meeting up with took him into a party, where he met the infamous Nick. I don't know the full story of the night and I don't want to. LeRoy took every drink or drug shoved into his hands, he ended up in bed with Nick that Saturday night."
Hiram was actually glad LeRoy wasn't here, because if he was, he was sure he would be trying to shove his daughter off of his husband. From the look in her eye, going from shock, to denial, to a burning anger, "Dad, you're saying Daddy cheated on you?"
"Yes."
Hiram could see her brow twitching as she spoke, "How many times?"
Hiram gave a loud sigh and clasped his hands onto the table in front of him, "I honestly lost count."
"And you let him stay? You let him live here!" Rachel jumped to her feet, yelling now. Her finger jabbing in his direction. Her eyes were filled of confusion Hiram's own eyes narrowed and was a flash of anger. Why was he getting attacked? He had done nothing wrong, he was always faithful.
Hiram snapped to his feet too, copying his daughter's posture, "Don't you dare try to blame me, Rachel! Everything I have done and will have do if for you. No one else, not even LeRoy. I stayed with the man because of you. Because I didn't want you to grow up in a broken home like I did. I wanted you have the entire world in front of you. I had nothing growing up but a drunk of a father and a mother I never knew. All of this," Hiram motioned to the house, "Was because of LeRoy and I hard work, all for our Princess."
That shut Rachel up real fast, who sat back down into her chair. She looked slightly hurt when Quinn slipped her hand away from Rachel's. Hiram wasn't quite done yet though, he had 20 years of this abuse he needed to explain to his daughter and he looked like he was going to have to do this the hard way, "And the alternative, Rachel? Would you of rathered that I left him the first time? Before you were even a thought? Or perhaps one of the many many times through the years. Trying to explain to your six year old self why Dad is leaving Daddy."
Rachel's face flushed red with shame as she dropped her eyes to the table. She didn't know what overtook her when she just started screaming. She couldn't believe it, that..that creature that was her Daddy living under the same roof at her. Just the thought of it was making her skin crawl. She flashed out at Hiram, she didn't know why she was had snapped. She could feel Quinn's disapproving eyes on her.
Quinn would of done anything for Hiram to have been her Father. To have saved her childhood. No though, all she got as a child was expectations she was too meet and that was all. She was raised up to the sound of broken dishes and screaming.
Hiram took a loud breath steadying himself as he clenched the end of the table, "It should of been him here telling you this, but the man lacks the spine. I don't know where he's at, Rachel. He's turned off his phone, he came back at some point when I was out there looking for him, packed his bags and left. I..I am so sorry it had to happen this way."
The words slammed into Rachel. Gone? He couldn't just be gone? She needed to talk to him, she had to talk to him. She needed to know why he had done all of this to Hiram and her. She felt her legs moving without her knowing, before she knew it, she had her arms wrapped around Hiram.
"You have nothing to say sorry about, Dad. You were always there, not him." Hiram hugged his daughter tightly as he finally unwrapped his arm.
LeRoy didn't know where he was at. He remembered the events of the past few days only in blurs. He remembered the weekend him and Hiram was supposed to share together, another attempt to bring back their dead marriage. They hadn't had sex in years, Hiram refused to touch him. Any action he got from the man was an act for Rachel to show that they were one big gay Family.
The very thought seemed to set LeRoy alive with anger. Stopped at a light in some town in western New York, he slammed his hands on the wheel. Hiram thought he was some grand hero, putting up with LeRoy and all his issues. Hiram had this drive, this craving need for a happy family. When he first heard the story about Hiram's Father and the events around his Mother's death, he knew that he had to show this man there was happiness yet to be have. in this world. But it fucking wore down on him, the way the man clinged to him, the way how he would get worried over LeRoy every time he left for more than one day.
At first, he blamed himself that he kept on cheating on Hiram. But over the years, mainly after Rachel was born, he only blamed Hiram. Hiram had to have this perfect life, with the perfect house, the perfect husband, the perfect child. Everything had to be perfect out of his sick need to recover whatever he was missing from his childhood.
He knew he was a coward running like this. He did love his daughter, he was sure he loved Rachel. He had spent the better part of his life raising the girl. Going to her shows, reading her bedtime stories, she was his only redeeming trait. But he was a coward above all else, he couldn't face her, not yet. Hiram would tell her everything, giving her the pity show about how terrible he was.
But it was him, when she was 14 that made him sign all those legal papers. In the case of him falling off the wagon again, he would lose all rights to Rachel. He would have nothing to do with her until she was over 18. Hiram always went on and on about how he stayed in their marriage because he did love LeRoy and didn't want to see him kill himself from his habits. LeRoy had believed him for so long, he wanted to get clean to stop, but in the moments he fell off the wagon, was the same moments Hiram showed his true face.
LeRoy, Rachel, the house, everything was just a means to an end for Hiram. A part in the perfect picture Hiram was trying to paint. Each added something he needed in his life to further himself in life. He had been waiting for years and years to launch his political career. The man was no worse than Russell Fabary, at least Fabary was blunt and honest with himself. Hiram went on and on how it was him that pushed him through Med School, it was Hiram that first shoved him into it. LeRoy always had the dream to be a writer, but young Hiram, with his olive skin and hazel eyes wooed him into a life of medicine. It was time to live his dream.
It didn't matter anymore, there was only the road ahead of him, everything he owned in his car. He knew Nick would still be in New York, it as past time for him to start living the life he wanted, not the one Hiram wanted him to live. And if that meant snorting cocaine, then he can fuck off. At least then he felt alive, and not just a puppet being played by Hiram fucking Berry.
After Hiram had finished the whole of the tale of him and LeRoy's marriage, Quinn had to hold back Rachel from storming out of the house to find LeRoy and demand answers.
It was later now, Quinn's brown leather jacket was hanging over the back of Rachel's computer chair. Rachel's black pea coat tossed to the floor next to their shoes, the two were wrapped up perfectly on the large queen bed. A common position for the two, with Quinn on her back, Rachel's leg thrown over Quinn's legs, head resting on her chest. Their eyes were locked on their held hands that were held out before them.
Quinn often did this, something that Rachel found adorable. The blonde was always silent studying Rachel's much smaller hands against Quinn's slightly longer ones. She was always so taken with how naturally tan Rachel's skin was. The very thought of seeing if all of her was this tan always sent Quinn into a drive. She wondered why she ever called those hands manly, now they were the source of every dream that made her way up craving in the middle of the night.
It was also moments like these that spoke a million words even though they laid in silence. Being so young, it's very easy to get caught up in the physical side of things in young relationships. Though that could be said about any relationship really, it was extra easy in highschool. But it was in moments like these, that told both Quinn and Rachel this was something very much more. Both tried replacing the other with different people, from Finn to Santana to anyone, it never fit correctly into the picture. It just wasn't right.
But just like how their bodies seemed to have been built for the other, this scene would only work with the other. Neither wanted to share this moment with anyone else. And it was in this, that both knew they found something that most people spent an entire lifetime searching for. Writers since the dawn of Western civilization wrote about. Now the only issue, was keeping it.
Rachel wouldn't be lying though, if she didn't want to take another step forward in the physical side of things. Quinn always left her a dripping wet that drove her crazy to no end. And from the burning look in Quinn's eyes every time they force themselves to break apart, she was just as wet as she was. It was something she was dying to bring up, but with Quinn's arms wrapped around her protectively she was just fine to enjoy a tender moment.
"You should wear that jacket more." Rachel said finally, after what felt like hours of silence. Though neither of them minded the silence, after the rather emotional conversations in the past few hours, the silence was a welcomed change.
"Shall I wear the hat too?" Quinn teased, dropping their hands as Rachel gave a small giggle. Quinn's heart beat a small bit faster at the giggle with all the pain of the past few days, hearing Rachel giggle just made Quinn smile.
"Well, it would be rather sexy. Professor Fabary of Archaeology. Does that make me the student you seduced into your bed?" Rachel had a way of speaking in such an innocent tone paired with her large brown doe eyes staring up into hers that made the heat in between Quinn's legs throb.
Biting down on her bottom lip, she shut her eyes to take a breath, "You're not allowed to talk like that with those innocent look in your eyes. Deal? Deal."
Rachel gave another giggled and snuggled tighter against Quinn, "Pretty soon you can make sure I have no reason to look innocent."
Quinn's mouth hung half way open at Rachel's word before she swiftly shut it. Face blushed a dark red at the thought, who would've thought Rachel would be that dirty. Oh Quinn was going to make Rachel eat those so sinfully wonderful words.
Rachel only gave another giggle as she rolled onto her stomach, still mostly on top of Quinn, she gave a smile though slowly faded as the two became lost in another small moment. Finally Rachel pressed her face into Quinn's breasts, trying to say something though muffled.
"Rachel, Baby, I can't hear you when you're trying to burrow yourself into me. And if you're trying to get to second base, you're doing it wrong." Quinn teased with a smirk.
Rachel gave her a mock glare before resting her chin on Quinn's chest. There was no playful smile though, and Quinn's one dropped. Hands going to smooth down her back and then to tangle into her hair, rubbing along her scalp making her extremely relaxed and loved. She loved how Quinn always seemed to need to be touching her in someway, it brought out both of their 'clingy' sides as others might call it.
"Do you think he even bothered to think of me before he left?" Rachel's voice was soft. She was so strong downstairs in front of her Dad, but here alone with Quinn she knew she could let her walls down and ask Quinn the questions she needed an answer too.
"You know, I thought the same about Russell," Quinn answered in a soft voice, hands running along Rachel's scalp, "For the longest time, before I went back there. I wondered how it would be, what I would say. If I would just attack him, try to hurt him somehow, like how he hurt me. Or would I just sit there with a cool indifference and fire question after question. Trying to understand why he kicked me out, why he acted the way he did my entire childhood. I even talked to my Mom about it all. In the end, Russell never knew who he was, and at this point, I just don't care. If I ever see him again, I would treat him like everyone else that ever doubted me. I can let go, and move onto my future, because when I look around and see everything I gained because of him, it's 10 times better what I left behind. "
At the end of her little speech she gave a small sigh and then smiled, keeping her stare into Rachel's eyes, hoping she understood. She had spent months and months plotting what she would do to Russell, dark and twisted things. But it was her that made her let go of it all, to move on. And it was her that she moved onto.
Rachel nodded a few times, "It reminds me much of last year with Shelby. I was so happy to have finally found my birth mother and I had so many hopeful ideas to be the daughter she always wanted. When she basically told me that trying to have a relationship with me is too much work and needed to start over with a new child, I spent most of the summer acting up ways of bashing her head in."
Quinn nodded, she knew the basics of the situation but never pushed it. Just like how Rachel never pushed about Beth, neither were ready yet to open up about it, to anyone,
"Then I realized, that I would rather much be successful in my life. Make it on Broadway, have the life she always wanted. In a way, it would be to get back at her, and that's not healthy. If I am to be a star, it's because I want it for myself. I suppose at the end of the day, it's just a bitter truth of the situation, she got what she wanted. And I am happy for her, happy that she gets to raised Beth and be the mother she always wanted. And I am happy, that I didn't make another mistake of changing myself to make her like me," Rachel smiled, shifting her hand up to cup Quinn's cheek as she shited up also so their foreheads were pressed against each other, "And I got you. Let's be honest here, without you, I would still be trying to get Finn or God, get with St. Jesse."
Quinn only matched the smiled and leaned into the girl to press a sweet and longing kiss to her lips, "Come on, we're both tired and we better be ready for school tomorrow. Coach can be understanding but she's going to expect us to come back and put the team all through hell."
"Don't forgot, Oh Captain My Captain, we still need to wrap up the last touches on our Sectionals performance." Rachel jumped up from the bed and went to turn off the lights before going back to her rightful place in Quinn's arm.
"What would I do without you?" Quinn's voice came through the darkness.
"I love you, Quinn. Thank you for this weekend. Without you here to keep me up, I don't know where I would of been." Rachel's voice was soft once the two girls had stripped out of their clothes and into proper sleep wear.
"I love you too, Baby. And I am only doing what you did to me when you found me puking my brains out in a highschool restroom."
"Quite the romance story to tell our future kids." Rachel's voice was soft and teasing. But there was something about the sentence, the thought of the future with each other that made a soft warm feeling spread through both of the girls.
"When you're next to me, Baby. Anything is possible."
An: So another chapter down. It might seems I somewhat rushed all of this, but I do believe it would be in LeRoy's, or any addicts nature, to run like that when faced with changing. We got to see a bit more into LeRoy's head, and trust me this is only the start of his story, we shall visit him now and again to check in. Hiram, is perhaps, not as good as he makes himself out to be.
And on the subject of if, Rachel is moving on really fast, all she has seen is LeRoy run like he did , leaving her behind and only Hiram's side of the story. I think it would be nature for her to just simply hate the man.
Anyways, next chapter will have a massive jump, about a month to Halloween. I want to start picking up the pace, to allow the relationships and such to be more stable. We shall see a return of the Suill(Terrible paring name) bromance, along others. Not sure what I am going to do with Will honestly, I think he doesn't even know who or what he is.
I do hope you all enjoyed. As a small tease for Halloween; Swan Queen.