Disclaimer… I don't own glee or its characters.
Description: Quinn is a single mom raising her daughter Beth with the help of her nanny Rachel. Somehow things change between the two and they start having feelings for each other.
Author's notes: All mistakes are my own… and I'm trying so hard to catch them. Sorry for the wait… exams are finally over! And I'm sure I failed them all. Thanks to everyone that reviewed, your comments were awesome.
Late Morning Lullaby
Monday's, the beginning of her dreadful week. They brought with them the monotony of deadlines and unnecessary stress. She wouldn't be so stressed if there weren't so many projects she had to oversee. If her co-workers could show more of competence and drive she wouldn't have to work as hard. Things would run smoothly, and she could relax, but that wasn't going to happen. It was an ongoing pattern she faced every week. One would think if you woke up dreading your job, it would be a sign to reevaluate your life. And in any other circumstance, she would have, but she is a single parent raising a child. She had to provide for Beth, and as of right now that meant long hours at a job she didn't love.
'5…4…3…2…1' Beeeeeeeeeeeep! 'And slap.'
Quinn instinctively slaps her blaring alarm with an unnecessary amount of force. 'That's right alarm… do something.' Basking in her victory over her alarm Quinn slowly starts to drift back to sleep. She wasn't sure how much time had gone by when she hears a warm voice call to her.
"Quinn." The light voice calls her name. She's not sure if she's dreaming or awake. The voice sounded dreamy and inviting.
"Mmmhm" Quinn snuggles deeper into her pillow. The warmth of a hand shakes her lightly.
"Quinnnn?" It calls to her again. This time the voice is being whispered in her ear. She groans. "Hey… it's time to wake up." The voice sounded so warm, it made Quinn sigh.
"Nnnugh… five more minutes babe…"Quinn mumbles as she rolls over, and pats her bed trying to find the person who was touching her.
"Quinn?" The voice is louder this time. Quinn opens her sleepy eyes. It takes her a minute to realize what just happened. She sits up quickly when she sees Rachel standing beside her bed.
"Oh my god, Rachel. What are-" Quinn isn't sure if she's awake or not. Everything seemed to be blurring with her subconscious. 'I think I'm having a panic attack."
Rachel tries her to calm the slightly flustered blonde.
"I-I know. I'm sorry. I usually call you in the morning to make sure you're up, but it seemed silly to that seeing as you were right down the hall. I knocked on your door, but you didn't answer, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't want you waking up late for work, seeing as last night I kept you up late. So I panicked and came in to wake you. Please tell me you aren't… like weirded out by all of this." Rachel says all too fast.
Quinn tries to wrap her mind around what Rachel says, but unfortunately her brain was still booting up.
'Yup, I'm having a panic attack.' She breathed out, trying to slow her heart rate, which was still through the roof. Slowly her brain catches up with her, and she is able to take in her surroundings fully. Three things stood out in her current situation. One, Rachel was currently in her bedroom attempting to wake her up while wearing nothing but a pink florescent sports bra, and barely there running shorts. Two, she called Rachel babe, and for some reason thought she was sleeping in her bed, and three she was half undressed herself.
'I must be dreaming.' Quinn flushes and covers herself up.
Rachel watches as Quinn's face goes through several stages of confusion.
'Rachel must think I'm having a stroke.' She shakes her head and tries to focus on speaking. "Um… what…" 'I think the room is getting hotter.' She clears her throat. "Are you w-wearing?" She tries to say it without a stutter.
Rachel looks down at her workout gear. It wasn't anything too extravagant, she wore a similar outfit every morning on her elliptical. However, Quinn didn't have an indoor gym so Rachel opted to go for a quick morning run instead.
Quinn was having a hard time tearing her eyes away from the perfectly sculpted abs of her currently employed nanny. 'Stop staring Quinn, but seriously for real who has abs like that.' She shakes her head again and meets Rachel's eyes. 'I can't even remember the last time I've worked out… it had to be when I was in college… definitely before Beth… or no, maybe a month after I had her.' Quinn loses herself in thought. She's pulled back into reality when she hears Rachel clear her throat.
"I… I was just about to go for a morning run, but I wanted to make sure you were up before I left, that way you weren't scrambling to get ready this morning." Rachel says as she moves further away from Quinn's bed.
Looking around, she notices the dirty clothes from the night before at the foot of the bed.
"Right…" Quinn shakes her head, then throws back her blankets. The action seems to startle Rachel. 'Scrambling seems like a good idea actually.' She needed to get up before she was actually running late, but more importantly she needed to leave the room. "Right… I should… get ready. I need to s-shower and all that." She mumbles to herself as she gets out of bed and walks towards the bathroom. She stumbles over her discarded clothes as she rushes towards the bathroom. With the lights flipped on, she quickly shuts the door.
Rachel was impressed at how fast Quinn actually moved. She shakes her head slightly and smiles as she makes her way towards the bedroom door.
"Okay… um I'll be back in a half hour." Rachel calls through the door.
"Okay." Quinn calls back. She waits to hear the bedroom door shut before she relaxes. 'Okay, so living with Rachel was starting off interesting.' She looks at herself in the large bathroom mirror. Her bed hair was atrocious, and stuck out in every direction possible. She ran her fingers through her hair trying to get it under control. "Just get in the shower Quinn…" she tells herself as she turns on the shower. She strips off the rest of her clothing as she waits for the steam to build up. A shower would help clear her mind, it was too early to be over thinking… well, stuff. Stuff being a half-naked woman waking her up from a not so normal dream. She stares at herself in the mirror. 'How in the world… my abs don't look anything like hers." Quinn runs her hand down her stomach and frowns. 'I use to be able to cut glass with my abs.' She turns away from the defected mirror, opens the glass door to the shower, and submerges herself in the welcoming flow of steaming hot water.
"God that's good." She shivers slightly, and rest her forearms against the tiles of the shower. Letting the warm water roll down her back.
Any anxieties from this morning were slowly washed away. The shower effectively woke her up fully. As she steps out into the steam filled bathroom, she grabs her towel and dries off the remaining water droplets from her body. She then wraps the towel around herself.
Going through her morning route was like a reflex. Everything seemed to fall into place. She steps back into her room, and walks into her closet to search for the perfect outfit. She settles on a black one button suit with a navy blue blouse.
By the time she finished getting ready it was already six ten. She wasn't running too late, and still had time to drink at least one cup of coffee. She grabs her shoes and heads out the door. Looking back once to make she hadn't forgotten anything.
The bed wasn't made, but it was a small sacrifice. 'Oh… phone.' She rushes across the room and grabs the device from her night stand. "Thought I'd forget you, did ya?"
Quinn flips off the lights as she leaves her bedroom. She stops at Beth's bedroom before going downstairs. Quietly she opens her daughter's door and peers inside. Beth's bed was empty. "Huh… she must be down stairs already." She closes the door, and heads towards the stairs.
Downstairs she goes to unlock to the front door only to realize it was already unlocked. 'Duh… Rachel already here.' She was still getting used to having a roommate. As she walks into the kitchen she gasps. The breakfast bar was filled with an assortment of food. This was something she wasn't accustom to. A cup of coffee was usually the only thing she had time for in the morning.
"Mama!" She hadn't even noticed Beth sitting at the breakfast bar. Beth slides off her stool and rushes over to her mom and hugs her.
Quinn wraps her arms around Beth and lifts her up into her arms.
Rachel turns when she hears Beth. She was currently cooking herself an egg beater frittata.
"Morning baby." She rests Beth on her hip as she walks towards the breakfast bar. She sits down in front of the half-eaten omelet Beth had been eating.
"Mama… mama guess what."
"What baby?" She picks up Beth's fork, and cuts a piece of cheese omelet.
"Rachel… Rachel said that she was going to live here." Beth says with glee. Bouncing ever so slightly on her mom's lap. Quinn looks up from the plate as Rachel places a cup of coffee down in front of her. Rachel was already showered and dressed in her normal dress attire.
"I didn't know how you wanted to tell her… but she caught me coming out of her bathroom this morning and I couldn't think of another reason why I was using her shower." Rachel blushes as she explains.
"No its fine… really. I was going to tell her if she was up anyway." She stabs a piece of omelet and brings it to Beth mouth, who eagerly munches the morsel of food. "So you're okay with Rachel moving in, little lion?" She asks Beth.
"Mmmhhmmm." Beth mumbles as she chews her food. Quinn stabs another piece of the omelet, and tastes it. Her eyes roll back slightly, it was that good. "Yes… it'll be so fun." Beth says after she swallows.
Quinn takes a couple more bites of the delicious omelet. She tries her best not to moan as she chews. 'How is this so damn good, it's just eggs. No wait there's some sort of spice too…' she goes to take another bite.
"Mom, that's mine," Beth whines. She tries to wrestle the fork from Quinn's grasp. In the end Quinn feigns defeat and lets her daughter have the fork.
"The eggs are amazing by the way." She tells Rachel, who was plating her own egg beaters. Rachel beams as she brings over her own plate.
"I'm glad you like them… a proper breakfast is the best way to start off the day. Here try a bite of mine." She offers Quinn her fork.
Quinn eyes the fake eggs. She tentatively takes the fork from Rachel and cuts off a small piece of frittata. 'Holy crap that's good.' She thinks as she slowly chews.
Rachel smiles when she hears Quinn groan in approval.
"You like?"
"Surprisingly, yes." Quinn says as she licks her lips. "It's very good." She hands the fork back to Rachel, who quickly tries the frittata.
"Do you want me to make you one before you leave?" She asks in-between bites.
Quinn takes a drink of her coffee. 'Just the way I liked it, scalding.' "No, that's fine…" she says with a hint of disappointment. After tasting the food she wished she had time to stay. "I should get going here soon anyway… don't want to be late for work." She shrugs as she takes another drink of coffee. She picks Beth up from her lap and slides out from under her. "Give mama a kiss." Beth quickly places a kiss on Quinn's cheek. "I love you." She kisses Beth's nose. "I'll see you later little lion… eat the rest of that delicious looking food for me." She winks before grabbing her coffee cup. She heads for the front door.
Rachel follows behind her with a thermos of coffee and a small brown bag. Quinn gathers up her essentials. 'Keys check… bag check, phone check.' She slips on a simple pair of heels.
"Quinn?" Rachel calls before she can leave. Rachel grabs the normal coffee cup from Quinn and hands her a travel cup instead. She also hands her the small baggy. "It's just some fruit… you really should eat more for breakfast so you don't burn out so quickly."
Quinn smiles at the thoughtfulness. 'Maybe living with Rachel wasn't going to be so bad.'
"Have a good day at work." Rachel places a kiss on Quinn's cheek before she can turn to leave. It was a light kiss, but it took the breath right from Quinn's lungs leaving her slightly dizzy. She can't even form words so she nods instead, and rushes to get to her car. She looks to see Rachel waving as she pulls out of the driveway.
Work was a blur. 'How am I supposed to run a department when I can't focus.' Her mind was reeling from this morning. Everything that had caught her off guard was plaguing her thoughts. Rachel's kiss had been unexpected yet she couldn't lie, she enjoyed it. 'I'm I reading too much into this… it was just a friendly kiss. Like the kind of kiss you do when you say goodbye. It didn't mean anything more, right? No, of course it didn't. Rachel was just being friendly. Ugh, this is so frustrating, it felt like more… it was comfortable. Like we'd been living together for months… like we were togeth-'
"Quinn!" A hand waves in front of her face. She hadn't even noticed Santana sitting on her desk.
"Huh?" She blinks.
"Huh… that's all you have to say to me. I've been talking to your white ass for the last half hour. Giving you explicit details of my weekend with your secretary, and all you have to say is 'huh'." She says in a mocking tone. "That's not right. I put time and effort into describing what I thought was epic shit, and you can't even pretend to be interested."
Quinn shakes her head, trying to clear her mind.
"I'm sorry San… I'm… I'm a little off today."
Santana rolls her eyes. "Okay… I'm listening. Go on and tell Doc Sanny about your problems."
"I really don't… I- it's fine." Quinn tries to say confidently but fails.
"Ah nah, you don't get to ignore me with that thousand mile stare and then not tell me what the fuck is wrong with you. Now I'm going to say this one more time before I start charging you for my service. What the hell is wrong with you?" Quinn tries to read her friend, and for the most part Santana at least looked slightly interested in what was bothering her. That or her acting skills have gotten better. "Look, don't fight it babe, just go with it."
Quinn rolls her eyes. "Okay-" she clears her throat. "Rachel… movedinthisweekend-" she says the last part as fast as she could.
"Whoa, hold on" Santana interrupts "you let that fine looking maid moved in with you." A smile creeps across her face. "High five that shit." She raises her hand.
Quinn swats her away. "She's not my maid… she's my nanny. There's a difference-"
"Yeah yeah, whatever… they like wear a different outfit or something. So what did little miss legs do to piss you off. Did she use your toothbrush without asking… oh, did she leave the toilet seat up… did she find your giant stash of playboys-"
"Santana!" Quinn yells to get her to stop.
"What?"
"Shut up."
"Come on Quinny, I'm just joking." Quinn was pissed. "Okay fine, I'm sorry. Now will you please tell me what's bothering you."
"I think…" she lets out her breath. "I think I have like feelings… for Rachel." She says in a whisper, as if someone could hear them outside the office.
"Well no shit, call the Vatican we just solved the unsolvable."
"Be serious San." She swats her friend's arm.
"I am… I already knew you liked her… you practically sprayed the office when she visited last Friday."
"I did not-" Quinn's voice raises.
"Yah did… I had to cover that shit up with Axe body spray… Don't think I didn't notice you were seeping jealousy when I slipped her my number."
She tried to remember back to last Friday. All she could recall, was Santana being highly inappropriate, like always. However, she did remember feeling like she was going to tear Santana's eyes out for looking at Rachel like she was a piece of meat. 'That my friend is jealousy.' The voice in her head says, sounding strangely like Santana. "Ugh, I really… dislike you." She says to both her friend and the voice in her head.
"What I don't understand, is why you're freaking out about this. We both know you ship lady loven, except for that one time you got preggers. And From what I picked up Rachel was into you too. She kept sneaking glances at you the entire time I was ogling her." Quinn lets out a huff and rest her head on the cool surface of her desk. "I say you make a move-"
"I can't make a move on her San… she's my nanny. What if I'm reading her wrong… what if, what if she's just being friendly. She's a very friendly person San-" Quinn says in a rush.
"Whoa hot mama… trust me she likes you. I'm surprised she hasn't jumped your lady parts yet…"
"But- but what if she doesn't." Quinn tries again.
"Hold it right there, I am not, I repeat not going to play that high school 'what if' game with you… it's been overdone way too many times. You're a big girl Quinn, figure it out."
"Ugh… this so unfair!"
"I'm telling you, let loose that swagger you're so famous for and feel her out. Flirting is just as fun… and is all a part of the chase."
"It's just, she so much younger-"
"Age sweetie, has nothing to do with this. Plus, we're the practically the same age. Granted, I'm way hotter than you, and my boobs are still firm from not having something drain them, but you still have that amazing ass. And remember, age doesn't block holes-"
"SAN! That… you're just." Santana laughs. "Sick… what if she doesn't like that I have a child?"
"Really Quinn… really? She watches your crazy demon child every day. I think she likes kids, yours to be exact. If anything, it's like fate handed her to you on a silver platter. And if you happen to be reading the signs wrong, just remember… there are more hot nannies in the sea." Santana pats the back of Quinn's head.
"Shut up San." Quinn mumbles into her desk. Truthfully, in her mind she didn't think anyone could replace Rachel, and the thought of losing her was unbearable. 'What would Beth think if Rachel quit because I couldn't keep my hands off of her nanny.'
"You will thank me at your wedding." She says with a smirk. Quinn lifts her head from her desk at glares at Santana.
"Okay, now you get to leave…" she pushes the Latina off her desk. "Go on, get the fuck out of my office."
"Language… naughty naughty." Santana shakes her finger at Quinn, pissing the blonde off more.
"What are you five, get out!" Santana slowly makes her way towards the door. "And next time you fuck one of my assistants you're fired." Quinn yells as Santana opens the door. 'Probably wasn't the best thing to yell.'
"Liar." Santana yells back as she sends a wink to Quinn and shuts the door.
From there Quinn's day became manageable. Well, as manageable as it could be without her assistant, who for some reason kept taking smoking breaks.
'Funny, I didn't think the smoking area was in the utility closet.' She shakes her head. She would let Santana have her fun before getting rid of yet another assistant. 'Who knows, she might be better tomorrow. If not I have a drawer full of potential new assistants waiting for a job.' She thinks with a smirk.
She immersed herself in work, and let her duties take over her mind. At least her job was able to keep her mind off of Rachel. 'Shit.' Well, it was working. She couldn't get over how strange yet comfortable this morning felt. It felt like, well a family. And Rachel was family, she has been for months now. Yet this morning she seemed to take on a larger role.
"Edit Quinn… edit, " she mumbles to herself as she submerges back into her work.
At the end of the day she had made a large dent in her deadlines. She was even a little ahead of tomorrow's rush. She grabs her briefcase, and purse and walks towards her office door. She switches off the lights as locks the simple lock.
"Holy shit! You are not leaving at five thirty, are you?" Santana comes up behind her. Quinn nods. It was a rare occurrence. "Well shit… may I walk you to your beautiful car?" Santana gestures towards the elevators.
Quinn smirks.
"Why not." She says playfully. They make their way out of the building, and down to the parking ramp. Very few people got to park here. Mostly executives and heads of departments got a space, yet somehow her friend had managed to get a spot as well.
"I'll see you tomorrow bitch." Santana says as she unlocks her car.
"Yeah, bye hoe." Quinn calls back.
"Ouch…" Santana shuts the door to her red Jaguar XKR. Quinn smirks when she hears the new car purr to life.
It was a nice car, but hers was nicer.
"My Audi could kick your car's ass." She mouths to Santana, who in turn gives her the finger before she peels out of her parking spot and into the city's rush hour.
Leaving work early was one thing, maneuvering through rush hour traffic was another. It had taken Quinn years to feel comfortable moving through the city, and she was lucky she's only been in one fender bender accident. She has however been pulled over four times for speeding. Two of which happened in the same day while going to work. That was of course before she had Rachel in her life.
She hadn't felt the weight of her day while at work, yet somehow the strain had caught up to her on the drive home. She turns off her car and lugs her tired body towards the front door. Rachel opens the door before she reaches it, and holds it open for her as she makes her way inside.
'Home sweet home.'
"Quinn, your home early." Rachel says as she closes the door.
"Yeah."
"Here, let me get your stuff." Rachel grabs her briefcase and keys and puts them in their designated spot. "How was your day?" Rachel asks as Quinn slowly takes off her shoes.
"It was okay, I guess," she mumbles. For some reason she never could really describe her day at work with more than five words.
"Well dinner is almost done." Rachel says as she takes the black suit jacket from Quinn and hangs it on the nearby coat tree. Quinn takes a whiff of the air. She could definitely detect some sort of food cooking in the kitchen. "I know you probably want to relax, but well… Beth wanted to show you something before dinner. If you are up to it, that is."
This intrigues Quinn.
"What does she want to show me?" Rachel ushers her into the living room. Right away Quinn notices a lab top plugged into her flat screen TV. "What's going on?" Quinn asks, she was curious in finding out what the two of them had been up to while she was at work.
Rachel leads her to the couch and motions her to sit.
"Just sit please, and make yourself comfortable… I'll be right back." Rachel quickly goes into the kitchen. She returns a moment later with a glass of red wine in her hand. Quinn raises her eyebrow.
"So… what's going on?"
Rachel hands her the glass.
"Um… well what Beth has planned for you is a small PowerPoint." The way Rachel says it makes it sound normal for a five year old to give a power point.
"A power point… for?" She draws out.
Rachel smiles. "Well… we went to the grocery store today, and on our way Beth noticed this new building that just opened up. It's this new dance and martial arts studio. Anyway, she kept asking if she could go, I kept telling her that she needed to ask you. However, I told her she need to do some research on this before she just asked. It's something I always did growing up, before I asked my parents for anything I would make sure I supplied them with ample amounts of information on the subject. It was a really great way of learning. So we made a power point on this so she could highlight why she wanted to join the classes. Anyway, it's not too long… in fact, it's mostly pictures of dancers and ninjas, but it was a good first attempt at a power point." Rachel says.
"She wants to join a dance class?" Was all Quinn got out of that conversation.
Rachel was about to explain again when she sees Beth standing in the doorway to the living room.
"Rachel…"Beth calls in a small voice.
"Oh… sorry right. Just go with it." She whispers to Quinn before stepping into the middle of the living room. Quinn takes a sip of her wine. She really didn't know what to expect. Rachel clears her throat. "Ladies, and well lady, welcome to the first ever Beth Fabray persuasive presentation, and without further ado, I would like to introduce Beth Fabray." Rachel claps and prompts Quinn to as well. Rachel moves back to the couch where Quinn was currently sitting. "Here put your feet up and relax… this will be fun, I promise." Rachel says with a smirk. Quinn pulls her feet on the couch. From behind them Beth skips into the room. She currently wears a pink tutu with a black belt tied around her head. Quinn almost spits her wine out.
She looks at Rachel, who is giving Beth her full attention.
"Good evening mama…" Beth reads off a giant flash card. She picked reading up relatively quickly thanks to Rachel. Sure, there were some things she had trouble pronouncing, but she is five.
The TV screen turns on revealing a cover page with both a ballerina and the karate kid.
Quinn smiles and tries not to giggle at the tittle screen.
"Today I would like to tell you why I want to join…" Beth loses her place. "Um… join the dance duo-dojo downtown," she pauses and smiles.
Beth's presentation was very funny. Quinn found herself enjoying how Beth tried to come across as a professional. It was adorable. But half way through the presentation Quinn made the mistake of allowing her feet to rest on Rachel's lap. Rachel told her she could of course. But she was cut off guard when Rachel started massaging her feet.
It was heaven. She felt relaxed yet at the same time anxious. Rachel was touching her feet, and she wasn't sure if it was because she was being friendly or if it was something more. By the time the presentation was over, she knew two things. One, Rachel's hands were gods, and several times throughout the presentation she found herself wondering how good those hands would be in other places, and two Beth was going to be joining some sort of dancing Dojo.
"The end." Beth finishes. Both Rachel and Quinn clap as Beth takes a bow in front of them.
"That was…" Quinn catches her breath. "Interesting."
"Did you like it mama?" Beth beams.
"I did…" Quinn nods slowly. "It was very… innovative and creative, and was probably one of the best presentations I've sat through all day." She gives Beth a warm smile.
"So does that mean I can join the class?" Beth gives her a megawatt smile back. She looked so hopeful.
"Well… while I find your presentation informative, I still think we're going to need to look further into the details. Maybe on Friday we can swing over and talk to the teacher and check her credentials." Quinn says, sounding more like a business woman than a mom.
Rachel laughs, while Beth looks confused.
"So?" Beth wasn't sure what her mama just said.
"So… it's a maybe." Quinn concludes.
Beth looked like she was about to argue. When Rachel shakes her head to catch the child's attention. From what Quinn could tell it was a silent message between the two of them that said 'remain professional and smile', and that's just what Beth did.
"Well… then I'll be waiting for your dis-discussion… you have my number." She says in a very professional sounding voice that makes Quinn burst out in laughter. They shake hands.
"That I do… so what do you say you run and wash your hands for dinner, okay?" Beth smiles them runs from the room leaving Rachel and Quinn alone.
"Thank you for playing along. The whole thing was silly, I know, but I think it'll help build her confidence, don't you?"
"Seems like it. How long did she practice that speech?"
"Um, it kept us busy for a couple of hours. So what do you really think… about his whole dance thing." Rachel asks as she starts massaging Quinn's feet again.
'How could I think clearly while I'm getting a massage.' Quinn rests her head back against the arm rest of the couch. She can't help but groan as she relaxes into Rachel's hands. "I think I need to look into it more… and at least meet the teacher. Otherwise, I think it's a good idea. Like the presentation said, it'll help with coordination." Quinn lets out her breath as Rachel works her magic on her.
"And she might make friends too, which will be good since she's starting school soon." Rachel says. Quinn nods and lets her eyes close.
'This is way to relaxing.' She thinks as she feels herself start to fall asleep.
"I'm done… let's eat!" Beth rushes into the kitchen. Quinn's eyes jerk open. She slides her feet off of Rachel and stands.
"Well… I guess we're eating." Quinn says as she escorts Rachel into the dining room. Beth was already sitting at the table.
Quinn wasn't expecting the feast that was presented in front of her. It was a beautiful mixture of vegan and non-vegan food. She was having difficulty deciding whether to eat the stuffed eggplant, or the loaded chicken breasts.
"When did you have time to cook all of this food?" She asks as she takes both the eggplant and the chicken. 'Rachel has major multitasking skills.' She takes a bite of the chicken and groans. 'And evidently was also a Betty Crocker genius...'
"Beth helped me… I thought we should celebrate. So I'd like to make a toast." Rachel raises her glass of wine across the small table. "To new beginnings… I know I sprang this on you, but I feel like this was the right move, and I'm grateful for your hospitality." Quinn smiles and lightly reaches her glass to Rachel's. They touch ever so slightly.
Beth was too busy eating to notice what was going on around her.
"Beth sweetie, chew please… and breathe a little. Your food isn't going anywhere, I promise." Quinn's watches Beth consume her food with glee.
After dinner Rachel started cleaning up the kitchen, which left Quinn with the task of bathing Beth. By the time they finished Rachel met them upstairs. Beth was cleaned and ready for bed. Quinn tucked her under her blanket before grabbing the book from the girl's night stand. It was Alice in Wonderland, one of Quinn's favorites.
"Are you sure this is the book Rachel's reading you?" Beth lets out a yawn as she nods.
"Yeaaaahh, we just started." Quinn opens the book to the marked page.
"Curiouser and curiouser." Quinn reads until Beth falls asleep. Which only amounted for about ten minutes. She turns to leave when she notices Rachel standing in the doorway.
Rachel had been listening to Quinn read. Quietly the two of them leave the sleeping child's room. Quinn pulls the door closed. It was only nine thirty, which was the time Quinn normally got home from work.
"So did you need help cleaning up the kitchen" Quinn asks.
"No, I managed." The two of them wander back down stairs.
"Did you get all of your stuffed moved in from your car?"
"Yup… I called my dad today too."
"What did he say?" 'Please don't say you're moving back.'
"Well, he wasn't happy, but in the end he said it was my life. He even helped by packing up the rest of my room. I was thinking maybe on Saturday we could go over there and grab the rest of it. We may need a truck though."
"We'll figure it out, I can always rent a moving van for a couple of hours. I just don't want your dad to be mad that you're moving out."
"He's not mad… he sounded happy on the phone. Actually, he said he was impressed I moved out in the middle of the night. Maybe he was just worried I was going to live with them until I was thirty or something." Rachel jokes.
They both laugh.
"Well, since we are talking about moving, why don't we go down into the basement. I'll give you the unofficial tour of your new living space."
"Quinn, I am okay with living in the guest room. You don't have to go out of your way to make your basement into a living space for me. I'm content with just a room."
"Nonsense, Rachel you need a place where you can get away from us."
"I really don't think I need any break from you, or Beth for that matter. I missed her every time I went home. It'll be nice knowing I can see her whenever I want."
Quinn leads her downstairs. The basement was used primarily for extra storage, but it wasn't overcrowded.
"This room could be… well, we could move this stuff into the back room, and you could use this as a large bedroom. There is space for a couch and maybe a TV if you want one. The bathroom is just off this room, it probably needs some upgrading. Otherwise, I think a little paint will make this place livable. If you want we can go bed shopping too, I'm sure you can fit a king down here, unless you want your old bed." Quinn rambles.
The space was very well kept, really all Rachel would need to do is move a bed in and she would be fine. There were several things that caught Rachel's attention as she looked around. The main thing that stood out was a white baby grand piano sitting in the corner. It was buried under some art supplies, but there was no way Rachel would miss such a beautiful looking instrument.
"Quinn what is that?" She points the instrument. "Is that yours" Quinn nods. "How did I not know you were musically inclined. Or are those just for show?" Rachel walks towards the piano and notices the acoustic guitar propped up next to it.
"I use to take lessons, thanks to my mom, and then picked up the guitar in college. This piano, however, came with the house." Quinn watches Rachel run her hand over the closed top of the piano.
"Do you still play?" She turns back to Quinn.
"Not for some years."
"Oh please, you have to play something for me… please." she adds with a smile.
'How could you say no to that.'
"Well I might be able to play something for you… for a price of course." Rachel lifts her eyebrow in confusion. "Don't act like you don't know. I have been hearing stories about this amazing singing voice, and have yet to fully experience it. So, I will play something on the piano as long as you promise to sing to me."
Rachel smiles and claps her hands together. "Okay… as long as it won't wake Beth." She says.
"She won't hear us, trust me. This room was set up for the piano, so it's well sound proof. That and Beth sleeps like the a log." Rachel could agree there.
"Okay, deal… but you go first."
Quinn helps Rachel move the remainder of the boxes from the piano. She then sits down on the barely used bench, and lifts the guard. Her fingers run lightly over the ceramic keys. It had been a while since she'd played.
"Well…." Rachel says impatiently.
"Don't rush me… I have to think of- I think I remember…" The first thing that comes to mind isn't her favorite, but it was the only thing that wasn't longer than five minutes. Her fingers slide ever so smoothly across the keys as the music of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata rings out. It wasn't a fast moving piece, in fact it came across as a simple elegance. Something Quinn though Beethoven establish beautifully. Sure, she enjoyed playing Chopin, and occasionally she played Mozart, but Beethoven would always hold a special place in her heart.
Rachel was transfixed at the moment as the beautiful music enveloped the room. It was slow, and for some reason made her sad, but it also made her smile. Maybe it was because Quinn was so focused on the notes. She claps as Quinn lightly plays the last note and ends the piece.
"That was beautiful… really Quinn." She wipes a tear from her eye.
"Thanks, Beethoven was one of my favorite composers. He just had that drive to create. Even when he became deaf, he created beautiful music. Okay, now it's your turn… what are you going to sing for me?" Quinn smiles, she was happy she would get to hear Rachel sing.
Rachel blushes. She always had a go to the song, yet it didn't seem to compare to Beethoven. Instead, she grabs the acoustic guitar and gives it a strum.
Quinn recognizes the tune, it was one of her favorites. That was until Rachel's voice sang the first lyrics.
"There's a fire starting in my heart. Reaching a fever pitch and it's bring me out the dark. Finally I can see you crystal clear. Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay our ship bare." Her voice sang in tune with the acoustic guitar. Quinn lost herself in Rachel's voice. She seemed to have perfect control over it. She didn't strain it to hit the high notes of the song, instead she made the notes flow almost effortlessly. By the time Rachel sang the last chorus Quinn was smiling uncontrollably. It was inhuman at how well that sounded. 'Adele might have to watch her back.' Quinn stands and applauds Rachel when the song ends.
"That was amazing… I feel like I was at a concert." Quinn can't control her smile.
"Oh shush, I just hope I didn't wake Beth… I let that high note get away from me. I forgot I was singing in a basement and not a stage."
Quinn was still stunned.
"I just… I can see why your dad wants you back in school. Rachel that was unbelievably good. It should be illegal to keep your voice from the public." Rachel frowns.
"The thing is, I don't think I'm ready to be a public figure. When I was in high school, sure, it was like the only thing I thought about was singing on stage, but now… I just… I don't know what I want. Or what I'm willing to do to get what I want. But after hearing your Beethoven I think I have some inspiration to fall in love with music again… to get past just singing the words and actually feel what I'm saying."
By the time Rachel and Quinn went back upstairs Quinn knew two things… one she was falling for her daughter's nanny, and two she was determined to rekindle Rachel's love for music, somehow.
End…
I hope you liked it… I think it turned out well… let me know what you think. Also things to look forward to… who runs the Dancing Dojo? I'll give you a hint she's blonde and dances… also could probably kick my ass, Idk… just saying…