Chapter 1: The Lost Girl
Quinn approached the door of the unfamiliar home with an overnight bag and a pecan pie. The cool lakeside air brushed through her hair, causing a pleasant chill she missed during the unbearably hot summers in Lima. The stagnant heat of the landlocked town was suffocating and the pure clean breeze coming off the lake cooled her skin and calmed her anxiety. Rachel stepped up from behind her, humming to herself and drumming her keys against her denim clad thigh. She flashed a quick smile and reached out to push a stray lock of hair from Quinn's face, causing the girl to blush and look to the ground. They paused together on the top step of the front entry, Rachel slowly reaching out push the door open. Before she turned the handle, Quinn dropped her duffel and reached out, grabbing for her hand and stilling it against the metal lever. Rachel's eyes drifted up to meet her own. With a quick smile and a reassuring squeeze against the other girl's hand, she opened the door and led her guest into her childhood summer home.
Quinn stepped across the threshold and balked at the stunning house laid out before her. To the right was a small kitchen, with warm wood and rich earthy tones that immediately anchored the feeling of home. Through the back of the kitchen were a wall of windows and a screen door leading to the deck and down to the backyard, where Quinn could see a rather large black man plucking bright red tomatoes off the vine in a raised garden. Beyond the garden she saw the glittering lake. There was an old wooden dock at the end of the property and the water was dotted with sailboats in the distance. Sprawling from her left and out in front of her was a small entry room which bled into an open dining area. Beyond that was a bright living room that extended the entire width of the cozy house. The stairs were in the dead center of the open first floor and cut a steep path above the large stone hearth to the hidden second level. Looking to the double sided fireplace, she noticed another room on the opposite side of the stairs, the glass enclosure allowing her small glimpses of comfortable looking furniture and a wall stocked with what looked like vinyl records. Her jaw dropped and she stood stock still, until a smiling bearded man descended the steep stairway to greet them.
"You must be Quinn! We've heard so much about you! Rachel has been on edge all week waiting for you to get here. She told us all about you and even though I wasn't thrilled to hear all about the terrible things that you used to do to our little gold star, I'm excited to get to know the brand new you. Please keep in mind that if you ever even think about reverting back to your old ways Rachel's daddy and I, although I'll admit it must be quite an amusing sight to see, are very well versed in how to use power tools and I'm sure our combined landscaping skills would ensure nobody would ever find your body." Rachel's jaw dropped as she shot Quinn a look halfway between mortification and apology. Quinn stood frozen in the entryway unsure of how to address this man, Rachel's father she guessed. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, struggling to find the words to defend herself and coming up with nothing. Her mouth clicked shut when she realized she'd never be able to sneak a word in edgewise anyhow. "And is that a pie? Rachel, did this girl really bring us an entire pie? Is she trying to butter me up so I don't judge her too harshly? Did you make it yourself? What kind is it? Goodness, is that all you brought? Are there more bags in the car? Can I help you?"
"H! Give the girl a little room to breathe, why don't you? Pardon him, sweetie, he doesn't get out much." Quinn looked away from the babbling man to the catch a sly grin on the face of the man from the garden she'd seen earlier. He walked in from the back deck carrying a small basket of freshly picked summer squash and tomatoes in one hand and gave a small wave with the other. Setting the basket down on the butcher block island in the kitchen, the large man made his way into the great room.
He walked over to stand before the girls and extended a weathered hand "I'm Leroy, Rachel's Daddy, and this is her other father Hiram." The man leaned in close, as though sharing an intimate secret, "he talks too much" he stage whispered before letting out an amused chuckle.
Quinn felt a small smile creeping onto her lips and extended her unoccupied hand, eyes widening as the large man's hand completely swallowed her own, and slowly shaking it in greeting. As Leroy playfully pulled her into a hug, she glanced to the smaller man who was scrutinizing her subtly from beside his husband. Her eyes lifted to his, and she let out a small gasp, thankfully unnoticed by the three other people in the room, as she recognized a pair of oddly familiar brown eyes looking back at her. She shyly pulled away from the large man's hug and extended her hand to Rachel's other father.
"H..Hello. I'm Quinn, uh, Fabray, but I guess you already knew that." She trailed off at the end of her awkward introduction. Hiram stared at her proffered hand for a moment before extending his own in a weak handshake. Once he dropped his hand, Rachel reached between them to grasp Quinn's now empty hand, slowly threading their fingers together with a reassuring squeeze.
"Dad, Daddy, give her a chance." She offered Quinn a small smile, then slid her hand under the pie box, making sure her entire hand made contact with the startled girl's before lifting it slowly and extending it to her Dad. "She brought you her famous pecan pie. She made it for me last year and it was one of the most delicious things I've ever had" Rachel's eyes flickered to Quinn's soft smirk before continuing up to her soulful eyes "you'll love it, I swear. But seriously, its pie, what's not to love?" She finished before shaking her head almost imperceptibly and turning her gaze back to her Dad's.
Hiram's gaze was shifting between the pie, the girls' joined hands, and the dreamy look upon Quinn's face. He reached out slowly with both hands, gripping the sides of the box before lifting it and turning on his heels to place it on the kitchen counter.
"Rachel, help Quinn take her bags up to the guest room while I start dinner. Leroy, you can help me." Rachel's gaze dropped solemnly before she reluctantly let go of the other girl's hand and picked up the small red and black duffel on the floor by her feet and motioned for Quinn to follow her up the steep staircase. She briefly met her Daddy's gaze as she started up the first step to see him offer her an apologetic smile before turning and joining his husband in the kitchen.