Stumbling blindly in the dark, Quinn staggered through the garage until she reached the door leading to the main house area and opened the door.
"SURPRISE!"
Suddenly the house was flooded with light. Blinking away the spots, Quinn saw that the kitchen was packed with people—her friends, Glee club, Cheerios, jocks, kids she didn't even know—and standing front-and-center were Santana, Brittany, and Rachel, holding a cake.
Quinn just stared, unblinking.
"Um…what's going on?" she asked, not comprehending.
"We threw a party for your birthday!" Brittany beamed.
"Happy birthday, Quinn!" the crowd shouted before dispersing throughout the Lopez property. There's only so much standing around waiting that a mob of teenagers can do before getting restless. Now that they had successfully surprised the head cheerleader, most were ready to party like usual. Some guy brought out a keg, and another discovered Santana's heated pool. Soon, only Glee club members were left in the kitchen with the blonde, who remained speechless.
"Hey, Earth to Q: snap out of it!" Santana smirked as her best friend shook herself, finally seeming to understand.
"What…For me? You did this all for me?"
"Hell yeah we did!" Puck called from behind Quinn, stepping inside and closing the garage door. Brittany, Mercedes, Sam, and Artie cheered enthusiastically. Rachel nodded and offered a tentative smile, not sure of her girlfriend's reaction.
Blinking rapidly, the artist managed to whisper, "I…you remembered my birthday? You organized this?"
"Of course we did!" Finn said.
"Well, it was Santana and Rachel's idea," Mercedes added.
"Wheezy, Britt, and even Trouty Mouth and Puckerman weren't totally useless," acknowledged Santana, in a truly Santana-esque way, which, of course, set off quiet bickering and eye-rolling as Finn, Tina, and Sugar all tried to take more credit. Sam and Mercedes herded them out of the room, the rest of the Glee club following until it was just Quinn, Rachel and Santana.
Unable to wait any longer, Rachel had to ask, "Do you like it, Quinn?"
"I…yes. I'm just…I can't believe you guys did this for me. Thank you." Hazel eyes filled with emotion.
Santana gave a rare, sincere smile as she hugged Quinn tightly before quickly letting go. "Love you, Q," she said softly. Then her signature smirk returned and she winked at her best friend, announcing that she was going to find Brittany and have some fun. Before she left, the Latina called over her shoulder wickedly, "You lovebirds have fun tonight, too! Lots of fun."
The two remained girls blushed but stepped closer to one another, leaning against a counter side-by-side. Rachel reached out a hand, and Quinn gently interlaced their fingers.
"I didn't know that you even knew my birthday," Quinn said, not quite facing the brunette.
"I didn't until recently," admitted the singer. "Britt mentioned it to me when we had that sleepover at your house."
The blonde nodded, her expression obscured by choppy hair. What is she thinking? Does she like it? Rachel wondered.
"Do you like it?" No one said the diva was known for her patience and subtlety.
The cheerleader looked up, and her girlfriend saw wetness at the corners of her eyes. "I love it, Rach. I love that you cared enough to do something." Quinn squeezed their clasped hands.
Still, the brunette had to add, "Of course I care. And so does Santana, and Brittany, and Puck, and Sam and Mercedes, and everyone here. Well maybe not everyone—some people, admittedly, are probably here for alcohol and a chance to hook up, but—" She was cut off by soft lips covering her own as Quinn turned to face her, resting her free hand on the smaller girl's waist.
When they broke apart, both were grinning and slightly flushed. Composing themselves, they heard a wolf whistle and whirled to see Puck leaning against the archway that led from the kitchen to the living room. Sam stood beside him, looking a bit embarrassed compared to his friend's grin. Each boy offered a cup to the girls.
Quinn accepted Puck's and sniffed it suspiciously. "This better not be anything too disgusting, Puckerman. We don't want a repeat of the last time you gave me a drink."
"Come on, Fabray, lighten up! It's your party! Live a little!" Puck urged. "Shorty knows what's up!" Hazel eyes widened as Rachel took a gulp from Sam's cup. The diva merely grinned as the boys cheered.
Suddenly, music blasted through the house. Someone had found Santana's incredibly expensive speaker system. Rachel let out an excited shriek. "I love this song! Let's go dance!" At the word dance, Brittany suddenly appeared to pull the tiny diva onto the makeshift dance floor, followed by an enthusiastic Puck.
Sam and Quinn laughed and went to follow their friends, but before they were totally immersed in the chaos of the party, the boy pulled Quinn aside to say, "Don't worry; I know huge parties aren't always your thing. Santana set it up so that after a while, when you get tired of all these people, a few of us will go to your house for a quieter after party. Her cousins are staying here to keep an eye on things."
Quinn's eyes widened again, and Sam gave her a smile and a quick hug before turning to cheer on Brittany, who was now dancing provocatively on a table in true Brittany style. A bunch of guys—and quite a few girls, the artist was amused to note—were throwing dollar bills at her. Quinn laughed at the antics, until the dancer reached out to pull a certain petite singer up to join her. Oh God, she wouldn't…
Seeing Quinn's expression as Rachel started to climb up, and that of Santana, who was facing them, Sam quickly decided to check out the pool area, far from the dance floor.
Several hours later, Santana's lawn and patio were littered with cups, cans, bottles, and articles of clothing. Inside, her floor had a suspicious sticky texture that no one wanted to deal with, drunk or sober. The bathroom line was ridiculous, and several guys had decided to just use the bushes.
It's a really good thing Santana doesn't have any close neighbors, Quinn noted, wrinkling her nose in distaste as she saw some freshman Cheerio puking on the grass. Things are getting even crazier than usual.
From her perch in one of the largest trees bordering the yard, the blonde was able to observe the chaos without getting too annoyed. The cup in her hand was filled with water; she had learned long ago that alcohol was very rarely her friend.
"Enjoying the party?"
Quinn almost fell out of the tree in surprise, but managed to steady herself using a nearby branch.
"Holy shit, Rach, you scared the crap out of me!" She peered down and saw her girlfriend standing at the base of the tree.
Rachel laughed. "You sound like Santana," she said as she began to climb.
"I do not," Quinn protested.
"You do, but that doesn't matter. Why are you up here?" Rachel settled on the branch closest to Quinn's.
The blonde shrugged. "I do this a lot at big parties like this." Seeing Rachel's worried look, she hastily added, "Don't get me wrong, parties can be fun. And I'm really touched that you guys set this all up for me. But I don't even know half of these people. I'd rather just watch. Or spend time with you."
The brunette smiled. "That's sweet, but if you don't like to party, then why did Santana suggest this? Isn't she your best friend?"
"Hell yeah I am!" Santana called from the ground.
Quinn grinned at Rachel. "She always knows where to find me."
"That's right, Fabray, now get your ass down here! It's still your birthday until you pass out from exhaustion, and we're not done with surprises yet! Meet me in the driveway in ten!" The Latina sounded slightly buzzed, but still coherent, as she went to gather the rest of their friends. Quinn turned her attention back to Rachel, who smiled.
"Don't worry, Mike and Kurt are the designated drivers. I like Santana, but we both know that she's not exactly stellar with alcohol," the brunette whispered.
"Sam said something earlier about a smaller party at my house, but how…?"
The diva snorted. The un-Rachel-like action was probably related to the faint smell of hard lemonade on her breath. "Please. If you can get into Santana's house, do you really believe that she can't get into yours?"
Quinn quirked an eyebrow but said nothing, preferring to descend from the tree, then reach to help Rachel. Once they were back on solid ground, the small brunette stood on her toes to kiss the blonde gently. The singer allowed the cheerleader to deepen the kiss briefly before pulling back. Seeing Quinn frown, she leaned up to whisper in her ear: "Don't worry; Santana isn't the only one with surprises left for you."
AN: Thanks for all the alerts, faves, and reviews! I plan on wrapping this up soon, but there are still a few chapters left. Thank you to everyone still reading this; I know it's been a longer process than expected but I love feedback from you all! It's been incredible.
Also, congrats to the people who guessed a surprise party for a certain blonde!