Chapter 5 – Gift Giving
Rachel could see the kitchen light on and knew Quinn was already inside. She hesitated for a moment just outside the archway that led into the kitchen, contemplating turning around and going back into her room. She wasn't even really sure why she was so hesitant, and she quickly shook her head, realizing she was being silly.
"Good morning," Rachel greeted as she walked into the kitchen.
"Hey," Quinn replied.
As usual, Quinn was sitting on one of the stools with a book open in front of her. Rachel noticed it was a different book than the day before, though, so she said, "I see you finished Little Women."
"Yeah," Quinn replied. "Last night."
"What are you reading now?" Rachel wondered.
"A Christmas Carol," Quinn replied.
"That's certainly appropriate," Rachel said with a smile.
"I was hoping it would get me in the Christmas mood," Quinn remarked.
"You're not already in the Christmas mood?" Rachel asked. "I mean, it is Christmas Eve."
Quinn shrugged. "Maybe it's because I'm not a kid anymore, but it's just not the same. It hasn't really felt like Christmas since—I guess since I left home."
"I'm really sorry, Quinn" Rachel said. "I can imagine it must be especially difficult around the holidays."
Rachel walked toward the coffee maker, but stopped when Quinn said, "Two teaspoons of sugar, right?"
"What?" Rachel asked, turning around, and seeing a mug setting on the island.
"I knew you would be up any minute," Quinn said.
"Thank you," Rachel replied as she walked over and wrapped her hands around the hot mug. "I—thank you."
Rachel glanced over at Quinn as she took a sip of her own coffee, and then Rachel did the same. She wasn't sure why, but she suddenly felt so awkward around Quinn. Maybe it was because she was over thinking everything, but she was just so aware of every little thing she said or did. She was trying to act completely normal, but she felt like it was causing her to act completely abnormal, instead, and she was afraid Quinn was going to pick up on it and figure everything out.
"You're very good at making coffee," Rachel said, cringing slightly once the words were out of her mouth.
"I've had plenty of practice," Quinn replied. "I had a part time job at a coffee shop last year."
"You worked while going to school?" Rachel asked. "You must have been busy."
"I didn't have a lot of choice," Quinn said. "Student loans only cover so much."
Rachel nodded; she'd never really thought about Quinn being on her own financially, but it made sense. If Quinn's parents kicked her out of their house, why would they support her in other ways?
"I know I've never met them, but I really don't like your parents," Rachel stated, shaking her head.
"That makes two of us," Quinn replied.
"You said before that you have a sister," Rachel said. "Do you ever speak with her?"
Quinn shook her head. "Frannie and I didn't really talk even when she lived at home. She's married and has her own life, and when I called her after everything happened, she more or less said that our parents did the right thing."
"I cannot fathom how someone could treat family like that," Rachel said, putting her hands on her hips. "I just—I really don't like them, and if I ever saw them, I would tell them exactly what I think of them. Anyone would be lucky to have a daughter or sister like you."
"If it makes you feel any better, Santana ran into them a few weeks after they told me to leave," Quinn replied. "Brittany wouldn't tell me what she said, but knowing Santana, it was nothing good."
"Good," Rachel said. "They deserved it."
"Are you always like that?" Quinn asked, looking amused.
"Like what?" Rachel asked back, dropping her arms by her sides.
"So," Quinn paused a moment, "protective?"
"I don't like when anyone hurts the people I care about," Rachel replied, and the moment she realized what she said, Rachel felt her cheeks warm, and she ducked head, hoping Quinn wouldn't see her blushing.
"You've only known me four days," Quinn said.
"I don't think it matters how long you know someone," Rachel replied. "I can meet someone and just instantly know that they're going to be important to me. It's like a sixth sense. I felt it when I met you and when I met Kurt."
"And when you met Finn?" Quinn asked.
"No," Rachel admitted.
Quinn nodded. "Are you two serious?"
"What?" Rachel asked, frowned slightly.
"I mean, he brought you home, so you must be," Quinn said.
Rachel shook her head and said, "Finn and I are not really dating. We've gone on a few dates, but I'm not his girlfriend."
"Oh," Quinn replied. "I just thought—"
"I've made it very clear to him that I was coming here as his friend, nothing more," Rachel said. "I was hesitant to even come because I didn't want him to read anything into it. I'm not interested in pursuing a relationship with him. I know he likes me, but he's simply not the one for me."
She didn't know if it was her imagination or not, but Quinn seemed to smile. A moment later, though, her face was completely unreadable as she took another drink of coffee.
"May I ask why you wanted to know the status of my relationship with Finn?" Rachel asked.
Quinn shrugged and said, "I was just curious."
"Oh, well, now you know," Rachel replied.
"Yeah," Quinn said, holding Rachel's gaze for a few moments, and then looking back down at her book.
As Quinn looked away, Rachel couldn't help but smile to herself. She still felt guilty about everything and worried about hurting Finn, but she was beginning to wonder if maybe her crush wasn't completely one sided. And the thought that Quinn could possibly like her back was enough to make her heart skip a beat.
Rachel laughed as she said, "I can't believe you would do that!"
Kurt shrugged. "You don't mess with my friends."
"It took us a while, but the Glee Club eventually came together," Finn said.
"Did Finn ever tell you about the time he wore a dress out of a shower curtain?" Kurt asked.
"That was bad," Quinn said, shaking her head. "You looked ridiculous."
"Yeah, but they were being jerks," Finn replied.
"Why did you dress up in a shower curtain?" Rachel wondered.
"It was Lady Gaga week," Kurt answered.
"I was just trying to be supportive," Finn replied. "You know, show the football team that if Kurt was a freak, then I was a freak, too."
"And I had to be the one to make the dress," Carole added. "Imagine my surprise when Finn came to me with the idea."
"And imagine my surprise my boyfriend came to school wearing a dress," Quinn said. "I don't think I've ever freaked out quite so much."
Kurt suddenly jumped up and Finn asked, "Where are you going?"
"To turn up the music," Kurt said, grabbing the remote control. "I love this song."
As soon as the volume was up, Kurt began enthusiastically singing along with the song.
"Oh, when the snowman brings the snow
Oh well, he just might like to know
He's put a great big smile
On somebody's face"
"You're not going to leave me to sing alone, are you?" Kurt asked.
Rachel didn't have to be asked twice; she never passed up an opportunity to sing and quickly joined in with Kurt. Thankfully she knew the song from a holiday concert her Glee Club put on one winter.
"If you jump into your bed
And you cover up your head
Don't you lock the doors
You know that sweet Santa Claus is on the way"
"Come on, you two," Kurt said, putting his hands on his hips.
Quinn just shook her head, but Finn stood and offered his hand to Rachel. She took it and he pulled her up, leading her over to Kurt, where the three sung the chorus.
"Well, I wish it could be Christmas everyday
When the kids start singing and the band begins to play
Oh, I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let the bells ring out for Christmas"
Rachel couldn't help but smile as Kurt danced like a dork and Finn awkwardly joined in. Rachel, on the other hand, walked toward Quinn, who was still sitting in the floor. She sang as she walked over to her and knelt down beside of her, nodding toward Finn and Kurt. Eventually, Quinn shook her head slightly, but stood up, nevertheless
"When we're skating in the park
If the storm cloud paints it dark
Then your rosy cheeks are gonna light
My merry way
"Now the frosticals appeared
And they've frozen up my beard
And so we'll lie by the fire
Till the sleep simply melts them all away"
Kurt took Rachel's hand and spun her around as the four of them sung the chorus together. Carole was sitting on the couch with a smile on her face while Burt came in from the kitchen, probably to see what was going on. The two looked at each other and Rachel couldn't help but wonder if they got an impromptu performance every year.
"Well, I wish it could be Christmas everyday
When the kids start singing and the band begins to play
Oh, I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let the bells ring out for Christmas"
The guys looked at each other and nodded at each other, motioning for Rachel and Quinn to take the next part, and Rachel was happy to oblige. She smiled to herself as she properly heard her for the first time. Her voice was soft but beautiful, just like Rachel imagined it would be.
"Oh, when the snowman brings the snow
Oh well, he just might like to know
He's put a great big smile
On somebody's face"
Rachel motioned for Kurt and Finn to sing the next part and then looked at Quinn, giving her a soft smile. Despite being reluctant to join in, Rachel could tell Quinn was happy and having fun, which is what she was hoping for. She knew it was hard for Quinn around the holidays, and Rachel really just wanted to make her forget for even a few minutes.
"So if Santa brings that sleigh
All around the Milky Way
I'll sign my name on the rooftop in the snow
Then he may decide to stay"
The four finished out the song, dancing together, before Rachel belted out the final line. Kurt looked a little taken aback, but Carole cheered, and Quinn laughed lightly before smiling at her.
"Well, I wish it could be Christmas everyday
When the kids start singing and the band begins to play
Oh, I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let the bells ring out for Christmas
"Well, I wish it could be Christmas everyday
When the kids start singing and the band begins to play
Oh, I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let the bells ring out for Christmas
"Why don't you give your love for Christmas?"
"Showoff," Kurt mumbled.
Rachel put her hands on her hips. "It only seemed like the proper way to end the song."
"Finn didn't really do you justice when he was talking about your voice," Carole said. "You're amazing."
"Thank you," Rachel replied, ducking her head slightly.
"She's right," Quinn said, and Rachel looked over, locking eyes with her. "You're an amazing singer."
Rachel couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face, but before she could thank Quinn, Kurt said, "Let's not make Rachel's head any bigger."
Rachel huffed. "My head is perfectly sized, thank you very much."
"Alright, why don't we eat some dinner before you kids start arguing," Burt said with a laugh.
Rachel stood back slightly as Carole and Burt gave out presents, and she couldn't help feeling like she was intruding a bit. After a few more presents were given out, though, Burt walked over to her, handing her a present wrapped in shiny green paper with a red bow on top.
"Thank you," she said, looking down at the gift.
She really hadn't expected to get anything, but Carole dropped off a second present, setting it on the end table in front of her. When she looked at the tag on the first present, she saw that it was from Burt and Carole, and the second was from Kurt and Finn. After passing out a few more, Burt walked back over with a third gift.
"Are you going to open those?" Burt asked. "If you don't watch out, Kurt will claim them as his own."
Rather than open the presents, Rachel continued to stand there and watch everyone else. A smile spread across her face as she watched Kurt rip into one of his presents and pull out a new scarf, which he immediately wrapped around his neck. Next to him, sitting on the floor, was Finn, who had already opened two of his gifts and was working on a third.
She couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the step-brothers; they were like two kids instead of two twenty-two year olds. With a shake of her head, she pulled her phone out of her hoodie pocket and snapped a picture of them before taking one of Burt and Carole on the couch together and one of Quinn, who was looking away with a soft smile on her face.
After putting her phone back in her pocket, Rachel carefully began opening the first gift Burt handed her. Inside were matching scarf, hat, and gloves. They were grey and cream plaid and would go perfectly with her coat, which made her wonder if they'd had a little help from Finn with the color choice.
"Finn, don't just throw the trash in the floor," Carole scolded. "There's a trashcan right there for a reason."
"Sorry," Finn mumbled as he reached down to pick up the discarded wrapping paper.
"Thank you, Carole, thank you, Burt," Rachel said. "I love them."
"You're welcome," Carole replied.
Rachel set the garments back in the box and put it on the table before picking up the small box Carole had set down. It was so light that it felt like there was nothing in it. When she shook it, though, she could hear something rattling around. Slowly, she pulled off the ribbon and opened the top of it, gasping when she saw what was inside.
"You bought me Cabaret tickets!" Rachel said.
"Well, I know you like Broadway stuff," Finn replied, smiling.
"This is amazing," Rachel said, smiling over at him and Kurt.
"There is one condition," Kurt said, nudging Finn.
"You have to pick someone to go with you who isn't one of us," Finn added.
"Because we knew you'd try to choose one of us since we did get them for you, and we don't want to fight over it," Kurt said.
Rachel laughed and said, "Alright. I will choose someone else."
She set the box with the tickets on her other gift and picked up the third present. She opened the name tag, wondering who it was from, and saw Quinn's name neatly scrawled on it. Surprised, she glanced up at the blonde, who was busy opening up her own presents. She hadn't expected anything from anyone, but she certainly hadn't anticipated Quinn getting her anything. After all, they had just met, and Quinn probably didn't even know Rachel was going to be there for the holiday, so it would have been completely understandable if she hadn't gotten her a gift.
Rachel slid her finger under the tape and then ripped off the snowflake covered wrapping paper. She immediately recognized the back, and when she turned the Blu-ray over, she couldn't help but smile. Quinn had gotten her Grease, and Rachel wondered when she could have even picked it up.
When she looked up to thank Quinn, the blonde was no longer sitting where she had been. Rachel glanced around, wondering where she had gone, and when she didn't see her, she asked, "Where did Quinn go?"
"Kitchen I think," Finn answered.
"Thanks," Rachel said as she turned and walked toward the other room.
When she walked into the kitchen, Quinn was shutting the door to the refrigerator. As she turned around, she paused when her eyes landed on Rachel. They both stood there, looking at each other for a few seconds in complete silence. After a few moments, though, Quinn glanced down, lifting the Blu-ray slightly.
"Thank you," Rachel said.
Quinn shrugged. "I couldn't let you break tradition."
"It was very sweet of you," Rachel said, taking a step forward.
"It's no big deal," Quinn replied.
Rachel didn't agree; not only had Quinn listened to her when she was talking—something a lot of people seemed unable to do—but she actually went out and bought it for her. It may have only been a movie, but it was the perfect gift. Rachel had been missing her fathers all day, and now she could keep the tradition alive even if they weren't physically there with her.
"I wonder how my fathers would feel about watching it with me over Skype," Rachel said with a laugh as the thought occurred to her.
Quinn smiled and said, "Thank you for the book, by the way."
"Oh, it was nothing," Rachel said, shaking her head. "I'm afraid I don't read a lot, but the guy at the bookstore recommended it. Hopefully it's as good as he says."
"Can you girls come in here a second?" Burt asked, walking into the kitchen. "Carole wants to take some pictures."
"Yeah," Quinn replied.
"Me?" Rachel asked in surprise.
"Yes, you," Burt said with a chuckle.
"Oh, okay," Rachel replied. "I'll be right there."
As the credits began to roll, Rachel grabbed her laptop from the table and turned it around with a smile. Her fathers were on the screen, lounging back on their bed, and Hiram was still singing along with the music.
Leroy shook his head at his husband and said, "Well, Honey, we hate to run, but—"
"But it's time for you to go to bed," Rachel finished for him.
"Your father wants to get up early to get the good spots by the pool," Leroy explained.
"I'll be damned if that French couple beats me to it again," Hiram said.
Leroy rolled his eyes. "Your father hasn't liked them since they beat him at bingo the first night of the cruise."
"I had it!" Hiram said. "He just yelled it out before I could."
"You know how competitive he gets," Leroy added.
"I am familiar with it, yes," Rachel said with a light laugh.
Unfortunately, Rachel was just as competitive as her father, so game night never ended well. Rachel and Hiram would usually argue about every little thing because they both wanted to win so badly. Needless to say, there were always many accusations of cheating and a few storm-outs on Rachel's part. Clue and Monopoly were still both banned at the Berry household.
"I'm really glad you suggested this," Leroy said. "It never occurred to me to do it."
"Yes, thank you for thinking of it," Hiram added. "I was just saying last night how I would miss our little tradition."
"You should thank Quinn," Rachel replied. "She's the one who bought it for me and made it possible."
"Well, then, make sure you thank Quinn for us," Leroy said. "We love you, Honey."
"Yes, we love you and we'll see you soon," Hiram said.
"I love you, too," Rachel replied. "Make sure you call me tomorrow."
"Of course," Leroy said.
"Goodnight!" Rachel said with a little wave.
"Night, Honey," Leroy replied before they disconnected.
Rachel had a smile on her face as she turned off the TV and then closed the lid to her laptop. She stood up and walked over, putting the movie in its case, and then taking everything into her room. She laid the movie with her other presents, which were sitting in the corner of the room, out of the way. Tomorrow, she would take them to Finn's car, so she would have less to pack when they left on Saturday.
She really couldn't believe her time there was almost over; everything had gone too fast. They were leaving the day after Christmas, so she would be there when her fathers got back. Plus, Finn wanted to go see the ball drop in Times Square for New Year's. He had always been in Lima for it, and since it may be his last New Year's in New York City, he was finally going to go. Rachel had been there many times while growing up, but she'd agreed to go with him. And once her fathers found out they were going, they decided to tag along since it had been so long since the last time they watched it drop.
After standing there a minute, thinking about how she was going to miss being there, she finally grabbed her toiletry bag. As she walked out of the room to go to the bathroom, she was struck by how quiet it was. At that time of the night, she could usually hear gunfire from whatever game Finn was playing or music coming up from Kurt's room. Right now, though, it was just her and Quinn in the house; everyone else was visiting Carole's aunt. They had invited her along, but Rachel had declined. She didn't want to intrude on their family time, and she figured it would be the perfect opportunity to watch Grease with her fathers.
As she approached the bathroom, Rachel made a slight detour and popped her head into the kitchen to see if Quinn was there. She hadn't seen her in several hours—right before starting the movie—and really didn't know where she had gone to. Rachel shrugged to herself when the kitchen was empty, and then walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed.
It was a little early for her to be going to bed, but it had been a long day. Plus, she hadn't been sleeping that great lately, and she was hoping to make up for it. So, she quickly went through her nightly routine, bypassing a few things that were a little more time consuming, and then turned off the bathroom light before walking back into the hall.
"Quinn, hello," Rachel said when she looked up and saw the blonde.
"Hey," Quinn replied. "Are you going to bed already?"
"Yeah," Rachel answered. "It's been a very long day."
Quinn nodded. "I know what you mean."
"I had a lot of fun today, though," Rachel said with a smile. "It's a lot livelier here than at home." Rachel shrugged. "Of course, it's just me and my fathers. And speaking of my fathers, they wanted me to thank you for the movie."
"It was—"
"Don't you dare saying 'nothing' again," Rachel interrupted.
"—no big deal," Quinn said after a moment.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "I believe those mean the same thing."
"Yeah, but you didn't say I couldn't use a synonym," Quinn said, smirking slightly.
Rachel put her hands on her hips but was smiling, nevertheless. "So, did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?"
Quinn shrugged and said, "Almost."
"It doesn't matter," Quinn replied, shaking her head.
"Well, I guess I should get to bed," Rachel said, walking past Quinn, and then looking back at her. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Night," Quinn replied.
Quinn locked eyes with her for several beats, until Rachel looked forward again. She took a few more steps forward and then stopped, biting her lower lip.
"Quinn?" Rachel said.
"Yeah?" Quinn softly asked.
Rachel opened her mouth but closed it after a moment. Rather than say anything, she spun on her heel walked over to Quinn. Before she could change her mind, she quickly closed the distance between them and crashed their lips together.
For a moment, Rachel was worried she'd made a terrible mistake, but then Quinn's hands landed on her waist and she pulled her closer. Just as Rachel's arms wrapped around Quinn's neck, though, she heard Burt's laugh and the sound of voices. And since she would rather not be caught kissing Quinn by everyone, Rachel reluctantly pulled away.
"I, um." Rachel faltered with what to say to Quinn. After a moment she just shook her head at herself, laughing lightly, and then stood on her tippy toes, kissing Quinn's cheek.
"Goodnight, Quinn," Rachel finally whispered.
The song was I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, which has been sung by many people.