A/N- Thank you all for reading and sticking with me for this long through this story. As for your amazing reviews;
soxylady27- totally agree, bad Quinn, you're probably not going to like her too much this chapter either...
kestralgirl1- hopefully you will approve of the end of this chapter!
LaurenKnight13- I unfortunately couldn't incorporate the Gerber Baby...
Guest-ey- I also miss the drama (so theres plenty in this chapter) and the 'love from Switzerland' made my day!
gllover and Weasleyswan- I agree, sugar could be fun! and I love the term 'asshat' and will but using it!
FanQuinn- your reviews always make me smile!
Nina1400- no you're amazing!
Everybody, enjoy! P.S. this one get's intense(... like the circus... in tents- yeah that joke was sad) But it's long so hopefully your slight madness at the content will be outweighed with the "Yay long chapter!" feelings!
Quinn's heart was in her throat; her pulse pounded relentlessly through her body. Blood rushed through her ears, making the silence on the other end of the line deafening. Finally, after what felt like eternity, her mother spoke up, "Is it true, Quinn?" the voice was little more than a whisper. Though the voice was weak there was no question what it was referring to.
Quinn didn't even try to play coy or offer any explanation. Her response was whispered just as quietly as the question, "Yes. It is."
Rachel just stood un-obtrusively at Quinn's elbow listening to the half of the conversation she heard. They were an odd group; Quinn whispering into her phone with Rachel standing beside her like two stones in a river while people continued to flow down the busy New York street around them. It was as if they were in a glass bubble and any sudden movement or speaking too loudly would send their little world crashing down.
"You need to come home Quinn." That was the last thing the blonde expected her mother to say. She had been mentally preparing herself for quoted bible verses, pleas to reconsider, promises of talking to the family priest, anger at disgracing the family so publicly, or even threats to stay far away. Pretty much anything but what she actually heard.
"What? Why?"
There was a sigh on the other end of the line and Quinn could practically see her mother's shoulders droop as the air rushed out of her, she sounded utterly exhausted, "Please just for a day, honey I need you to come home for me."
The blonde bristled at those words, "Why should I do anything for you? After the way you let dad kick my out I don't owe you anything."
For a long moment her mother did not respond and Quinn began to regret her word choice, thinking she made her mom hang up. She was about to give a long winded apology when Judy finally answered the question, "I'm leaving your father." Quinn was stunned silent. It was as though her mind could not process what had just been said, "I need you to come home, I'm not strong enough to walk out on Russell on my own."
"Ok. I'll come." Rachel's eyes went wide at Quinn's concession, something big must have happened to get the blonde to agree to return to her messed up family. While they were still getting to know each other and learning each other's pasts, Quinn had told Rachel more about her childhood and the brunette was appalled at the accounts she was given of growing up in the Fabray household. Getting kicked out was only the tip of the iceberg."I'll get a flight today and be there some time this evening." She checked her watch, it was only 11:00, and did the mental math. If she was lucky and got a flight that left before 1:30 she could be home by 5.
"Thank you Quinn. I'll pick you up at the airport."
"You don't have to."
"I want to." She insisted.
"Ok, I'll email you the flight details."
"Bye Quinn."
She hung up and turned to answer Rachel's questioning gaze, "My mom is leaving my father. I'm going home to support her."
"I'm coming too." Rachel responded without a second thought.
"No you can't. Opening night is in one week." Rachel had given a lot for Quinn and the blonde was not about to be the reason she missed some of the most important rehearsal leading up to the show. "I have put you through enough. I can't let you do this."
Rachel put a soft yet decided hand on the blonde's arm and shot her a look that said, 'I can do whatever I say, thank you very much,' and said without a hint of compromise in her voice, "You are not going back there on your own. I'm coming too." Quinn saw determination flash in Rachel's eyes and knew there was no arguing the point.
"Fine. But it's going to be one day, out and back and we'll be home by tomorrow night so you only miss one day of rehearsal."
"Alright, lets go to the airport." With that Rachel took Quinn's hand and simultaneously hailed a cab. They hopped in and headed to the airport. On the way Quinn called Tina and told her she had a family emergency- she wished her luck and told her not to worry about missing work. Rachel called Cassie and told her she had the stomach flu- Cassie said she better lose weight with the sickness because if Rachel was missing the workout she had planned for rehearsal the brunette wouldn't be able to fit into her tight costumes.
Forty-five minutes later they were sitting in an airplane, waiting on the tarmac to be cleared for takeoff. A combination of Rachel's charm and promise of Wicked tickets, and Quinn's threatening to 'take out' the people at the ticket counter had secured them seats on the first flight out. They sprinted to the gate and just barely made it onto the plane, taking their seats next to an old woman who was already dead asleep against the window. It was only 11:50 and they would be arriving in Quinn's home town earlier than expected, but her mother had once again confirmed that she would be there to pick them up.
Judy didn't comment on the fact that when Quinn texted her their arrival time her daughter had said she was bringing someone with her, she was just thankful Quinn was coming.
Soon enough the plane took off and they quickly reached cruising altitude. Rachel settled into her seat- which was considerably more difficult to do than normal as she was still in her ridiculous dress and heels from the talk show with only a long coat to keep her warm and modest- the singer pulled out her old dog eared script that she took everywhere with her and started reading the lines she had memorized a long time ago. Quinn, on the other hand remained bolt upright in her aisle seat, nervously playing with a silver ring between her fingers and clenching and unclenching her jaw. She was still wearing the yellow dress from the morning talk show and it contrasted vividly with the dark ominous look in her eyes.
The stewardesses deployed with their drink carts, offering sodas and complimentary pretzels. A petite, brunette woman pushed her cart up beside Quinn, "Good afternoon, can I get you anything to make your flight with us more enjoyable today?"
Quinn smiled poisonously at the stewardess, "Tell you what," she glanced at the woman's name tag, Oh goodness, her name is actually Sugar, "Sugar. If you really want to make my flight more enjoyable why don't you go ahead and make it so that I don't have to be on this damn airplane heading to a home I haven't visited in over five years because my oppressed mother is finally leaving my abusive, alcoholic father."
"That isn't exactly in a can on my cart here, hon." the flight attendant seemed completely unfazed by Quinn's outburst and Rachel wondered if it was from a calm demeanor that allowed her to just ignore the venom in Quinn's voice or if the flight attendant was too thick to realize the blonde wasn't making a joke.
"Well then I guess a ginger ale will do just fine." Sugar complied, handing the fizzy drink over to Quinn and a bottle of water to Rachel and moved on to deal with the next row of people. The woman next to the window was still asleep.
"You could have been a bit nicer to her." Rachel said gently from behind her water.
Quinn drank her whole plastic cup of soda in one sip and sucked a piece of ice into her mouth, chewing it contemplatively, "I know. I'm just so stressed right now. I can't believe this is actually happening."
The brunette nodded and put a reassuring hand atop Quinn's on the armrest, "Everything will turn out fine. And even if it doesn't we will be on a plane back to New York tomorrow by six pm."
"Thank you for coming with me. I know how inconvenient it is for you to have left right now."
Rachel silenced Quinn with a quick, chaste kiss, "I wouldn't imagine letting you go off to the wolves on your own right now. And I'll be fine missing one day. I can do the musical in my sleep by now."
The blonde worried her bottom lip between her lips and had a regretful look in her eyes, still feeling incredibly guilty for taking Rachel away. She began her nervous habit of playing with her ring again while the the singer distracted her with a tried and true strategy, "Tell me about your ring."
"You've heard me tell you the story at least a dozen times by now." Quinn knew what Rachel was doing and appreciated the gesture, but her pride prevented her from giving in so easily.
"Please? For me? I really like the story."
"Fine," the blonde relented, "when I was young, the summer between seventh and eighth grade, Frannie was going to be leaving for college so it would be just me and my parents. She graduated early and I was scared to death of going to the new school who's district we had moved into." Quinn paused and looked at the worn silver ring on her pinky. It was dinged and slightly dulled but it still held the same importance for her as the day she got it, "So it came to the day that we were taking her to the airport and she would be leaving for university. Frannie pulled me aside and gave me this ring, she had a matching one and she said that whenever I was afraid or missed her, all I had to do was look at it and remember that she loved me. And always will love me."
Rachel was quiet but she took Quinn's left hand in her two and interlaced her fingers, trapping Quinn's hand, "And so will I. Everything will be fine Quinn, you'll see."
Quinn nodded and laid her head on the Rachel's shoulder, the singer pressed a kiss into her hair and readjusted her arm around the blonde, pulling her in close and enjoying their proximity. After a few moments Quinn was blissfully asleep, only to be woken up an hour later when the plane began it's descent.
After landing and deplaning, Quinn began freaking out again. "What if I can't recognize her, Rachel?" she asked as they were making their way out of the terminal, "I haven't seen her since I was seventeen, that's like almost five years ago."
Rachel just smiled and tightened her hold on Quinn's hand, the contact always seemed to help calm down the blonde, "She's your mother. I'm sure you will recognize her."
They exited the main terminal and found themselves in what looked to be an pseudo battle ground. On one side, just outside the terminal was an army passengers, freshly disembarked and holding their luggage like a safety tie. On the other side were families with signs, flowers, and small children. In the middle though, instead of groups locked in combat, reunions were happening; families were hugging and embracing all around. It was like they were in the middle of what could be a Halmark commercial.
Rachel craned her neck around, trying to catch a glimpse of a head of blonde hair or a pair of hazel eyes like Quinn's but she knew that her companion had located her mother when Quinn let out a small gasp and squeezed Rachel's hand. She followed Quinn's line of sight and saw a woman in simple khaki colored pants and a light blue sweater. She did indeed have blonde hair like Quinn, but hers was lightly streaked with grey, which combined with wrinkles around her eyes, gave her the look of an exhausted woman.
She was scanning the faces of those who had just gotten off of planes and hadn't noticed Quinn and Rachel yet so Rachel took the first step. With one hand holding the strap of her purse and the other gently urging Quinn forwards, Rachel began striding towards the blonde woman.
The woman finally spotted the pair and recognition flashed in her eyes when they landed on Quinn, reluctantly following Rachel. When they were directly in front of her, Rachel paused. She knew it would be better to let one of the other two women to begin the interaction. The silence stretched on for a minute, neither one making a move to break through until Quinn's Mom finally made the first move, "Quinn." her voice was shaky and her eyes began to mist up when she looked on her now grown daughter, "You look so beautiful."
Quinn just nodded until Rachel's gentle squeezing of her hand prompted her to render a verbal response, "Thank you, Judy."
The older blonde flinched a little at the formality of Quinn using her first name, but she recovered quickly, "And you must be Rachel. It's a pleasure to meet you." Judy offered her hand to the brunette and she easily took it.
"The pleasure is all mine!" Rachel flashed her mega-watt smile and Judy gave her a weak one in return. The older woman was clearly uncomfortable and out of place.
They all stood awkwardly for a moment until Judy finally, once again, broke the silence, "Well, why don't we go back to the house? Your father should still be at work right now." Due to their early flight they had managed to land around 4:20 and Quinn remembered that her father tended to work late ,especially on week days, and blessed their timing. With any luck they would be able to completely avoid a confrontation with him.
Once again Quinn's only response was to nod and Rachel didn't push her this time to voice her feelings. The three of them made their way to Judy's car and piled in, Rachel and Quinn both in the back still holding hands.
Judy tried to fill the uncomfortable silence, "I packed my things earlier today and I'm going to stay with my sister. I should have enough in savings to get my own place soon so I'll be fine."
Rachel nodded optimistically, Quinn was too lost in her own thoughts to even register her mother's words. Her old town looked just the same as it did when she left, yet she had no idea how to fit back into it. As they drove, passing the sites of her childhood brought back memories she had long since forgotten; the park where Frannie had thrown rocks at the bullies that would call a young Quinn names, the badly lit parking lot of the middle school where Quinn had her first real kiss on Halloween in the seventh grade, the small family owned coffee shop where she would hide to get some alone time after she moved into Santana's basement, the stop sign Santana accidentally hit one night after a party- still bent to the side and marked with the black paint of her car- and the fire station with the big bushes in front where she used to go to avoid her parents fighting after Frannie left her an only child.
Before they knew it they were pulling into the driveway of a home that looked just like all the others in the residential neighborhood. Rachel was not surprised by how nice the house was, she knew that Quinn's family was well off, but she was surprised how it just blended in with all the others. There was nothing special about it to suggest dysfunction that lived within.
Judy got out of the car first but Quinn was rooted to the spot, she hadn't even removed her seatbelt, "You can do this Quinnie. It will just take a minute and we'll be on our way again." Rachel said, she reached over and undid the buckle for Quinn and when the woman still didn't move she gently took the blonde's face in her hands and forced her glazed over eyes to look away from the house, "We can do this, together."
"I love you." Quinn whispered.
"I love you too." Rachel replied and she gave her one last encouraging kiss before sliding out of the car.
Judy was standing at the front door and refused to meet Rachel's eyes when the brunette stepped around the car to rejoin Quinn and the three entered the house.
The blonde gasped, it hadn't changed a bit since she left all those years ago. The living room had the same worn leather couches, the kitchen had the same pans hanging from the ceiling, it even smelled the same. The only difference was where family pictures used to hang, there were now paintings, pictures of Quinn that used to adorn the wall were replaced with pictures of Frannie. Her older sister's graduation from college, from when she was younger at dance recitals and piano concerts, there was no trace that Quinn had ever lived there.
"I just need to grab a few more things. I'll be right back." Judy said, going around to the back of the house.
Quinn wordlessly pulled Rachel towards the stairs and went up to her old room. It was at the end of the hallway on the second floor. She stopped short outside of the door with her hand on the handle, taking a moment to prepare herself before she turned the knob and swung it open.
The handle was stiff and the hinges squeaked in protest as though it hadn't been opened since Quinn left, and the undisturbed room echoed the same message. The only thing different was the pictures of Quinn that used to be hanging on the walls were stacked on her desk, still in their frames.
They stepped into the room and Rachel got a glimpse at what teenaged Quinn must have been like. Everything was in its place, from a couple of jackets hanging perfectly in the closet to books lined up like soldiers on shelves, nothing was out of order.
Quinn moved to the window. She pulled back the curtains and was surprised when she saw a muddy shoe-print on the sill.
"What's that from?" Rachel asked, she was looking over Quinn's shoulder.
The blonde smiled at the memory, "It must have been Santana. One week after I left I realized that I left my Biology text book here and I was too petrified to come back to get it and I was just going to leave it but Santana wasn't going to let that happen. She snuck over here in the middle of the night and I sat in the car and watched her climb that old tree out there, jump onto the roof of our patio, and go in through my window. She must have left this then."
Rachel joined in Quinn's smile, "Santana is a good friend."
"She's something all right."
Quinn's smile quickly faded though, as a white Cadillac turned onto the street, "Why is he here so early?" she asked herself, the blonde checked her watch and confirmed it was only 5:07, "Damn it, that asshat."
"I'm guessing you know who drives that car?" Rachel asked.
Her question was answered when the car turned into the driveway next to Judy's and a tall blonde man stepped out. "We have to go. Now."
Rachel didn't even pause when Quinn grabbed her hand and tugged her out of the room, the two of them practically running down the hallway and back down the stairs, but they were too late. Russell Fabray was standing just inside the door, his leather suitcase hung from one hand and his jacket from the other. Both of which hit the ground when he saw his youngest daughter freeze halfway down the stairs causing Rachel to run into her back.
His eyes went icy and Quinn felt as though all the air had been sucked from the room, she was suffocating on his glare. Rachel subtly moved from behind Quinn's back to stand protectively in front of her on the stairs. She gained confidence from the height advantage over Russell, but she knew that on even ground, instead of the staircase, she would be lucky to reach his shoulder.
Judy walked out of the back of the house with a large handbag hanging from her elbow and a suitcase in tow, she too stopped dead when she saw Russell was in the house.
He, however, took no notice in her. His eyes were trained on Quinn with lethal determination, "I thought I made it very clear to you that you were no longer welcome in this house."
Having Rachel on her side gave Quinn a surge of assertiveness and she was able to answer her father, "Oh, trust me, you did. I just came by to help mom grab a few things. We were just leaving."
Now Russell shifted his focus to his wife, he took in the suitcase and large purse, "Is that true Judy? Are you leaving with Quinn?"
The woman's mouth opened and closed soundlessly as she tried to find the words to reply, Quinn cut in for her, "Yes she is. She had put up with your shit for long enough." Her eyes were fierce and her stance was combative, even with the shorter Rachel standing protectively in front of her. She didn't break eye contact as she said quieter to her mother, "Go get in the car, Mom. Rachel and I will be right out."
Judy quietly complied, slipping out the side door through the kitchen with one last apprehensive glance thrown over her shoulder. She had a guilty flashback to all the other times she left her daughter to deal with her husband all on her own. In those times it had been Russell who would order her to leave and she still couldn't find the confidence to stand up and intervene. In the tense silence that followed, the three people left in the house could hear the trunk open and the thud of the suitcase being loaded followed by the slam of the car door.
Rachel was the first one to make a move, she could sense how dangerous the blonde man was and she just wanted to get herself and Quinn out of the house as safely and quickly as possible, "Let's go Quinn." She reached behind her and gently tugged on Quinn's forearm to lead her the rest of the way down the stairs.
Once they were on even ground Russell made his move. He menacingly strode over to the two women, "Yes Quinn. You should listen to your girlfriend." he spat the word as if it had personally offended him and it made Rachel flinch back, "You two can go back to your disgusting life in New York away from me!" He had drawn so close that Rachel could smell the scent of bourbon wafting off of him.
"But just so we have something clear," he began, "Your mother can't just run from me. I'll find her. She isn't strong enough to leave me on her own and I know that once you leave she'll be crawling back here, just begging for me to take her back." possessiveness flashed in his icy eyes and Quinn just prayed that his words were an empty threat. Rachel still had a firm hold on Quinn's arm and she used it to edge the both of them sideways, trying to go around Russell and make their escape, but he wasn't having it. He shifted to the side, staying between them and their only hope of exiting.
"Please Mr. Fabray," Rachel started, trying to reason with him, "we don't want to cause any trouble, we're just trying to leave-"
"How dare you have the nerve to talk to me after what you did to Quinn and our name!" Russell suddenly struck out, he back-handed Rachel across the face with such force that she toppled over sideways and hit her shoulder on the banister of the stairs, her head made solid contact with the wall.
Quinn screamed and tried to render assistance to the brunette, but Russell stepped between them, he wasn't done with his little tirade, "I thought you were better than this Quinn. I always knew that Santana was a bad influence but now she's dragged you down to her level." Quinn halted in her movement, her father punctuated every other word with an accusatory finger jab at Quinn's chest, "Now you have this one," Russell gestured at where Rachel still lay on the ground, "ruining the Fabray reputation and making you no better than all the other god-less fa-"
The tirade was cut off with a firm punch of Quinn's hand against her father's jaw, while he was frozen in shock Quinn shook her hand out in pain but launched into a speech of her own, "NO! You do not get to play judge, jury, and executioner anymore! Rachel and Santana are amazing people who have done more for me than you ever have. And as for your precious Fabray name? You ruined it that night you kicked me out. It embarrasses me to be a Fabray!"
When Quinn paused to suck in a deep breath Russell struck out. With one hand he grabbed Quinn's upper arm, and used it to push her back until her spine connected painfully with the wall, effectively trapping her and his other hand pulled back menacingly, one second away from being brought forward to bruise the soft flesh of Quinn's cheek. The blonde closed her eyes in anticipation of the onslaught, but it never came.
Instead her arm was released and she heard a high pitched yowl. Her immediate thought was that her father had instead gone after Rachel again. However, when she opened her eyes again she was greeted with the sight of her father doubled over in pain with both hands scratching at his face. Rachel was standing triumphantly over him with a small, black plastic cylinder clutched tightly in her hand and a purple bruise already forming on her cheek.
"What the-" Quinn tried to ask, but she was cut off by Rachel pulling her to the front door. The brunette's steps were unsteady and she used her hold on Quinn's arm to stay upright and navigate to the car, she didn't say a word until they were safely inside of the vehicle, "Let's go. Now." The older woman nodded from the front seat and tore out of the driveway.
Now that they were in the car and the adrenaline was fading away Quinn saw Rachel's hand holding the cylinder shaking. As were the brunette's shoulders. Her whole body was practically vibrating with nervous energy and her chest heaved while she tried to pull in deep breaths, "Rachel, what was that?"
"Mace." a small smile tugged the corners of the brunette's lips.
Quinn was in disbelief, "You just maced my dad?"
"I would hardly call him your dad after that, but yes. I did." the smile dropped from Rachel's face and she was once again shaking.
Quinn couldn't find the words to say what she needed to, she needed to thank Rachel. Thank her for saving her, thank her for loving her, just thank her for being with her, but Quinn didn't know how. Rachel saw her internal struggle and just pulled her into a tight hug, the mace fell to the floor of the car. She heard Quinn pull in a deep, shaky breath and knew that she was crying, "Shhh Quinn. I know, I know honey."
They blonde's hands fisted in the front of Rachel's shirt. She just let go of all the hurt she felt and Rachel gently stroked her hair, occasionally placing gentle kisses on her temple. Holding Quinn kept the brunette grounded and her shaking slowly subsided. Together they began healing each other.
Judy drove them to the airport. It was completely silent, save the ragged breathing of the women in the back and occasional muttered reassurances. By the time they had arrived, Quinn regained control of her breathing and was no longer crying, Rachel was no longer shaking though they were still huddled tightly together. After disentangling, and getting out of the car, the three joined the flow of people entering the main terminal and Rachel was blown away by how they just blended in with the crowd, as though nothing had happened.
On the way to the ticket counter, Judy offered to buy the two women dinner but their flight was taking off shortly and there just wasn't enough time. At the security checkpoint where they would have to part ways the group just stood awkwardly for a moment. They blended in just like any other family saying goodbye, they didn't look like they had just survived a traumatic incident as they had.
The only indicator that something was wrong was Rachel's bruised face. Her right cheek was an angry deep purple, accented by a thin red line that marked the edge of the ring Russell had been wearing when he struck her.
Judy, just like earlier when she picked the girls up, was the one to break the silence. She stepped forwards and engulfed Quinn in a strong hug, causing the blonde to drop Rachel's hand for the first time since they left the house, "Thank you for coming Quinn. I couldn't have done this without you."
Quinn disjointedly patted her mother on the back, "Promise me something Mom."
They broke the hug so Judy could look her daughter in the eye, "What?"
"Don't go back to him. No matter what. Promise you will never go back to him."
"Of course Quinn." Judy had tears prickling in the corners of her eyes, she knew it would be hard going with Quinn but she hoped that she would be able to start mending their relationship.
Satisfied with that answer, Quinn moved back to Rachel. The brunette, however, surprised her and pulled her hand from Quinn's grasp, "Why don't you get in line for us Quinn? I'll be right over babe." she gave Quinn a quick peck on the cheek. Quinn couldn't find a reasonable protest so she departed the group, leaving Rachel and Judy alone.
Rachel was quick to voice her mind, "Listen. I know this is going to be hard for you and if you ever need any help, please do call me." She pulled a business card out of her purse and hurriedly scrawled her cell phone number on the back, "For Quinn. She wouldn't do well if you went back to Russell."
Judy accepted the card and tried to figure out how to address her youngest girl's girlfriend and at first she was just babbling, "Rachel, I'm sorry about all of this. I'm sorry I couldn't have been a better mother to Quinn. I know that I can't make up for lost time." She paused, trying to gather her thoughts, "You see, when she left I would pray, every night. For hours. I would pray she would be happy and her life would get better. I can see that with you, she is happy. I never imagined I would be having this conversation with a woman, but I am glad that I finally got to meet you and I am so thankful that Quinn met you. You are the answer to my prayers for my girl."
She pulled Rachel into a tight hug that the brunette quickly reciprocated.
"Don't you let her go, Rachel."
Looking over at where Quinn was standing waiting in line and watching the pair, Rachel smiled, "I have no intention of letting her go Mrs. Fabray."
"Please, call me Judy."
"Of course. And Judy, please do call, even if you don't need anything. Just keep in touch with Quinn. She misses you." Rachel began to make her way back to Quinn.
"One last thing Rachel?" the brunette halted and looked questioningly at the older woman, "Thank you. So much," she gently touched Rachel's bruised cheek and her eyes clouded over with pain, "Thank you."
Rachel nodded and Judy pulled her in for one last hug before saying goodbye. Rachel made her way over to Quinn, nobody protested to her joining the middle of the line next to her girlfriend.
"What did you two talk about?" Quinn asked.
"Oh, nothing." The blonde eyed her suspiciously but let the subject drop.
After going through security they were able to get straight in line to board the plane and found themselves seated in no time. Quinn slid into the window seat and Rachel joined her in their row, sitting so far over in her seat to be close to the blonde, she was practically in her lap.
They were on the right hand side of the plane so Rachel's bruise was facing Quinn, thankfully away from prying eyes. While they were waiting for more passengers to board the brunette applied some coverup which greatly helped mask the injury but it was still visible. Each time Quinn looked at it, she was filled with a pang of remorse that Rachel was hurt trying to help her and there was nothing Quinn could to about it.
The blonde excused herself and went to talk to a flight attendant. She retuned a few moments later triumphantly holding a bag of ice which, after prepping the area with a light kiss, she gently pressed to Rachel's cheek.
The flight back to New York was quite the event compared to their flight out. Soon enough their seat mate appeared, "Hello ladies! My name is Unique." She said, securing her carry on in the over head bin, "I promise I don't snore and I'll try not to hog the arm rest too much."While she took her seat, Rachel subtly sized her up. Unique was an imposing woman and clearly had a personality to match. She was wearing a pastel floral dress which contrasted beautifully against her ebony skin.
But that contrast was nothing compared to her bright personality and attitude and the dark cloud that seemed to envelop Quinn and Rachel after their encounter with Russell. The cloud, however, slowly began to dissipate with each word they exchanged and each reassuring, tender touch or kiss.
After buckling up her seatbelt, Unique turned and looked at Rachel and Quinn, she silently took in the ice bag but thankfully had the courtesy not to bring it up, "Do I know the two of you?"
"I don't think we've ever met." Rachel replied politely.
"Hmm," Unique returned frontal facing, and pulled out a book.
The other two fell back into easy conversation as the plane began to thunder down the runway, "So you just happened to be carrying around a canister of mace?" Quinn asked jokingly, trying to alleviate some of the weight of the situation.
"Yes!" Rachel replied, "New York is a dangerous place Quinn!"
The blonde shook her head and smoothed out the skirt of her dress, "Well I'm glad you had it either way."
"Me too. That wasn't the first time I've had to use it and I'm sure it won't be the last."
Quinn began nodding in agreement, but abruptly stopped when she processed what Rachel had said, "Wait, Rachel! Not the first time you used it?"
The brunette laughed and leant her head onto Quinn's shoulder, "It's a long story."
"It's a long plane ride." Quinn was not about to let this one drop.
"It was during Funny Girl," Rachel began, "I think the fourth day that the show was running, and we went out drinking to celebrate another successful performance. I was trying to get a cab home, I left earlier than everyone else because I wanted to be able to get up and run off my hangover the next morning. Anyway, I'm standing on the curb, when a man comes up behind me and grabs my shoulder. So I spun around and whip out my mace, just spraying everywhere, I even got some on myself, and screaming my head off." Rachel stopped and let out a little chuckle and Quinn just gave her a look, "Everyone else from the show came running out of the bar and the girls were yelling and calling the cops and the boys were trying to beat him up. But they were all under the influence, like heavily under the influence, so they ended up hurting themselves more than the guy."
Quinn shared Rachel's smile now, "My little badass." she chuckled, "At least you didn't end up spraying someone from the show.
"That time." Rachel conceded, a smirk playing on her lips. She knew she was teasing the taller woman with the hint of a story.
"Rachel.." Quinn waited for her to elaborate.
"Well after that I was kinda shaken up, so I kept the mace with me at all times. I bought like four more so I could have one in every purse plus one by my door and one in my locker at the theater. One morning, Kurt and I had planned to go shopping but I was so out from a private with Cassie the night before I totally forgot and was dead asleep when he came to get me. He came into my room to wake me up."
"Oh no! You didn't!" Quinn was in disbelief and Rachel hadn't even finished the explanation.
"He shook my shoulder. I rolled over and maced him."
"Rachel!"
"It took him weeks and a lot of shopping to forgive me, now he just holds it over me in arguments."
Both women laughed and Quinn laid her head atop Rachel's shoulder and interlaced their fingers. They continued in hushed conversation a while but eventually fell into amiable silence, by the time they had reached cruising altitude, Quinn was half asleep again, exhausted by the events of the day. Rachel sat fully upright so the blonde could use her shoulder as a pillow with maximum comfort, and drift completely off to sleep. Rachel commandeered a blanket from a flight attendant and draped it over Quinn, she was still wearing only the yellow dress and white cardigan from the talk show that morning, Rachel herself was still in the painfully short dress Kurt had selected for her to wear on the show, but she thankfully had a long coat to keep her warm.
While Unique was reading her book by the light of the small overhead bulb Rachel decided to do the same and pulled out her dog eared script. Once Unique caught a glimpse of the cover of the script she did a double take and put her hand over her heart.
"Oh my that's why I recognize you! You're Rachel Berry! Of course!" Unique was clearly pleased she had made the connection and Rachel just politely smiled.
"Guilty as charged."
She shook Uniques hand as though they had just met and another connection seemed to fire in the other woman's head, "So that must be the infamous Quinn?" She nodded at the sleeping girl draped across Rachel's shoulder.
"Yeah. That's my Quinnie."
Unique 'awwed' at the nickname and continued on in her star-struck but completely confident manner, "I'm a huge fan of yours. I saw Funny Girl the night after it opened, damn thing moved me right to tears! My nephew, he is in school right now at Yale, bless his heart that smart boy, well anyway he bought me a ticket for opening night of Wicked as a birthday present. Isn't he sweet?"
Before Rachel had a chance to reply Unique continued in her soliloquy, "How he has grown up that one! I was just out visiting my sister and now it's back to the big apple for me! But dear, what on earth were you doing out and about, isn't your show supposed to open in just a week?"
Now Rachel jumped in quickly to be sure she would be able to get a full response in, "Yes we do open at the end of the week, but Quinn had a family emergency so I came to support her."
"Oh you are just so sweet!" Unique said, flashing Rachel a wide smile, "I saw you two on the Blaine Anderson show this morning, you are just the most adorable couple!"
Rachel and Unique chatted for a while about everything, from Unique's own singing experience- "You should have seen me in my glee club days, I used to have quite the lungs back then if I do say so myself!"- to life in New York. Eventually the plane hit some turbulence and it did not quite agree with Unique.
"Oh honey that's Unique's que to take her sleeping pills!" She said as the plane hit another rough patch of air and Unique began rummaging through her bag for the pill bottle.
Rachel smiled sympathetically as Unique plugged in her headphones, downed two pills, and pulled her sleep mask firmly over her eyes. When the plane shook through a bought of particularly rough turbulence, Quinn snuggled closer into Rachel's side. The blanket slipped from her shoulder and Rachel readjusted it, pulling it so it was covering the both of them and she settled in to join Quinn in a nap.
They stayed that way, cuddled tight under the blanket, until the plane began it's descent and the seatbelt warning jostled them from their slumber. Quinn shot upright, her hair flying out into a crazy mane, and Rachel just slowly regained her posture, slowly stretching her back and pulling her arms over her head.
"Hey there sleepy head," Rachel said, smoothing down some of the blonde's unruly hair.
Quinn just gave her a smile in return which quickly devolved into a tired yawn. When The plane finally landed and everyone got off the plane, Quinn and Rachel wasted no time in joining the throng of people exiting the air port. This time they wasted no time with a warm reunion, nobody was waiting for them with a hand made sign or bouquet of flowers. But that was ok. This was coming back home, and there was no place they would rather be than here in New York, with their fingers entwined, ready to face the world together.
What did you think? Yeah I know this one got real at Quinn's house. Two-ish things:
1. I intentionally didn't give Quinn a hometown, just somewhere in middle America so hopefully that didn't throw you.
2. If anyone is good at making graphics or has an idea for one for this story, PM me cause I want to do one for this but am at a loss for something not too cheesy.
2-ish. Yeah I have never written Unique so if you have feedback on that part I would be particularly interested in it, so let me know on that! (Yeah, I'm talking to you kestralgirl1 ;))