A/N- So I know this took like a year and a half to get updated, but not to worry, here is the last chapter! So let me know what you thought, and hope you enjoy!
"That's it, what else could you two want to know?" Quinn asked, wracking her brain for any last stories she could tell her kids to justify why she refused to get rid of the old car. Rachel even, was just about stuck. She shifted in Quinn's lap to get more comfortable, letting her head fall and rest on the blonde's shoulder.
"What about the tire story?" Max suggested. Though he hated to admit it, he loved hearing stories of when his parents met and had just started dating. Growing up surrounded by women ensured that he wasn't afraid to show his sensitive side, but he was a teenager and it was the rare moment that he was willing to sit around talking to his mothers instead of out with friends. So Rachel and Quinn capitalized on it.
"What tire story?" Rachel rose a questioning eyebrow at her wife.
"The one where Ma had to change the tire." Max explained, "She said that's why she wanted me and Nora to know how to change tire, so it wouldn't happen to us. But you never did explain what it was."
"Well, let's hear this infamous tire story." Rachel challenged her wife.
Quinn blushed a bit, before beginning, "It was around the time that we had been dating for two months…"
Quinn was unnaturally quiet when she picked Rachel up and pulled away from the curb. She had just gotten into a heated argument with her father over going to a formal dinner hosted by the main partner of the law firm that Russel worked at. He was insisting she go and pretend everything was fine, but she was refusing. In the end, she stormed out, ignoring the empty threats he hurled at her retreating form.
Now, she jumped when she felt Rachel's hand come to rest over hers on the gear shift.
"Where did you go?" Rachel asked, gently. She knew that faraway look in her girlfriend's eyes meant that she was deep in thought about something, and it was bugging her.
"Nowhere, I'm right here."
"You can talk to me about anything, you know that right?"
"Of course." Quinn's voice was tight and unnaturally high. Like she was choking on something in the back of her throat that wanted so badly to escape.
Rachel sighed in understanding and ran her thumb comfortingly over the back of Quinn's hand. She knew Quinn would talk when she was ready. In response, Quinn took her hand off the gearshift to properly hold Rachel's. The two were headed to a party thrown by Puck to celebrate the end of summer, it was at the reservoir after hours so there would be no park officials to yell at them for the bonfire Puck was planning on starting.
Quinn had just turned onto the same dirt road where Rachel had hit her all those weeks ago when they first met, when a loud bang sounded, followed by the tell tale woosh of air escaping a tire.
The blonde easily pulled off the road, flipped her hazards on, and jumped out of the car, Rachel following around. The back right tire had blown out and air was still pouring from the pathetically flattening tire.
Wordlessly, Quinn moved to the back of the car, pulling out everything she would need to switch the tire out with her spare.
Rachel scooted out of the way, feeling utterly useless as her girlfriend loosened the lugnuts slightly before positioning the car jack, "Is there something I can do?" She asked, trying to be of assistance, but to her surprise, Quinn snapped at her.
"No Rachel. I don't need your help."
The words hit the brunette and she froze as if she had actually been struck. Quinn never used such a cold tone with her, and she certainly never snapped like that.
Once she got over her initial shock though, Rachel fired right back. She didn't take shit from anyone, and this combined with Quinn withholding earlier meant Rachel was about at the end of her rope, "Fine, I would hate to be an inconvenience so I'll just stay here, out of your way." She sneered.
"Fine." Quin said, shooting a cutting glare over to where Rachel was standing with her arms crossed over her chest.
Rachel was shocked to see such coldness behind her girlfriend's normally warm hazel eyes, "I don't know what your problem is, Quinn Fabray, but you had better get over it or we might as well just not go to this party."
Quinn's hand slipped on the wrench as she got the first lug nut off all the way. The metal clanking down into the gravely dirt seemed to be the final straw and Quinn threw the wrench down on the ground beside the spare tire. Empty handed, she fully rounded on the smaller girl.
"My 'problem', Rachel is this right here!" She said, raising her voice to a yell, gesturing between the two of them.
"Us, our relationship is your problem?"
"No, it's just- urgh!" Quinn ran an angry hand through her hair, mussing up the blonde strands in the back.
"Then what, what the hell is your problem?" It was the rare time that Rachel swore, and it only fueled Quinn's fire.
"You are!" Quinn stepped forward, making Rachel involuntarily flinch back, "You're my problem. I don't understand you Rachel. What could you possibly see in me?" The words from her father still bounced around Quinn's mind as angry tears began gathering the at the corner of her eyes.
"I have nothing to offer you, I've got no idea what I'm doing next year, I have no future, I can't even talk about my damn feelings when you're just trying to help me!" The angry tears broke free and Quinn swiped harshly at the drips, hating herself for letting so much emotion break out.
Her furious eyes dropped to the floor and she didn't see the heartbreak on Rachel's face. The only indication that Rachel had moved in closer was the sound of gravel underfoot. Then ever so gently, as if she were dealing with a startled animal, Rachel reached out and cupped Quinn's cheek, urging the blonde to meet her gaze.
When she did, Rachel wiped at the tears, "What I see in you, Quinn, is everything. You're so sweet and so perfect, you just don't see it. I don't need you to 'offer' me anything, because I love you, Quinn Fabray."
The blonde opened her mouth as if to protest, but Rachel cut her off, "No, Quinn. We've been dating for two and a half months, and I love you, so much."
Quinn knew she felt the same way, knew she wanted to return the sentiment. But she didn't grow up the same way that Rachel did, and the 'l-word' couldn't roll as easily off her tongue. Instead, she settled for closing the rest of the distance between her and Rachel, placing her hands on the brunette's waist and spinning her around. She crushed her lips against Rachel's as she pressed the singer back against the car.
She kissed her hard, moulding their bodies together as if she needed to hold Rachel tight so she wouldn't slip away. Rachel met her touch for touch, with each loving move, trying to convey how she wasn't going anywhere.
Rachel smiled, drawing little hearts into Quinn's hip where her shirt was riding up, hidden by their legs so the kids wouldn't see.
"So that's why it's important to know how to change tires." Quinn finished with a slight blush, "And that's why we're not getting rid of Bee."
"Alright, fine." Nora assented. She dragged herself up off the couch, "If story time is over, I've got a comparative government essay to write." She drawled with a smirk. She was all teenage sass, and at seventeen she was giving the women a run for their money.
"Yeah, get out of here." Quinn waved her hand.
Max jumped up too, sprinting upstairs and returning moments later with his baseball bat and glove clutched in both hands.
"No playing in the road!" Rachel yelled after him as he ran down the hallway out the front door.
"Ok, Mom!" He yelled back.
When they were left alone in the living room, Rachel just burrowed in closer to her wife. They didn't say anything, they didn't need to at this point. Rachel just reveled in the love that they had built here, together in this home, with each other.
Quinn must have been thinking the same thing because she pressed a kiss to the crown of the brunette's head, "I love you, baby."
It had taken a while for her to be able to say those three words, but once she did, they came on like a reservoir with a burst dam. She couldn't get enough of it.
And Rachel couldn't get enough of telling it right back to her, "I love you too."
Then, after a beat, "So there's no chance of selling Bee?"
Quinn smiled into the softness of Rachel's hair pressed just under her chin, "Over my dead body, hon."
A/N- Thanks for sticking with this story for so long, and keep an eye out for my next Faberry story, it's in the works ;)