This chap is kind of fillerish and I apologize for it's tardiness, but my body took another hit of sickness.
I own so very little and Glee isn't part of that...
Enjoy!
"You don't think she asked for a group date because she doesn't want to be more than a friend, do you?" Quinn pondered calling out to Santana and Brittany who were sitting in her living room waiting for her to finish getting ready.
Rachel had technically asked her out, but had also indicated that Artie, Kurt, Blaine, Mercedes, and her husband Nicholas would be there; their label was having a very swanky open mic. The brunette had insisted she invite Brittany and Santana who had jumped at an impromptu glee get together.
"Don't be stupid, Q. She invited you cuz she wants you there." Santana rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, Q, if she just wanted eye candy she could have just gone with that Rinoa chick." Brittany replied to growls by both Quinn and Santana.
"What, Sanny? She's tasty, totally not my type, but still..." Brittany shrugged at the frowning Latina.
"Can we talk about anything else? Absolutely anything." Quinn sighed exasperated.
"How about how you're going to make us late if you keep fidgeting around with your look when you already look gorgeous?" Santana growled as Quinn flipped the light for the bathroom off.
"Aw San, you think I look gorgeous." Quinn giggled grabbing her black clutch and following the couple out the door.
When they arrived at the club, Zambooki, the first thing they noticed was the huddled group of smokers outside the entrance. The big bouncer checked their names off the list and waved them right in explaining that Divas, Inc execs were in VIP.
Santana looped her arm with her blonde girlfriend and departed for the bar soon after they entered, which left Quinn wandering through the crowd trying to make her way to the roped off area.
"Hey Quinn!" She smiled coolly at Rachel's greeting as she walked upon her standing right outside of the lounge area with Rinoa standing next to her.
"Hey Rach." She lightly kissed the brunette's cheek.
"This the musician I was telling you about the other day, Rinoa Michaels. Rinoa, this is Quinn Fabray." The woman offer a slender hand and Quinn begrudgingly took it in her own.
"Rae, are you going to make me force you to accept this cosmo?" Rinoa smirked letting Quinn's hand drop.
"I'm not drinking tonight, " Rachel slipped her hand into Quinn's and pulled her towards the lounge, "Come on, Quinn."
"Okay, Rae, tell the cutie with the wheels to save me a dance." The singer smiled brilliantly lighting a kiss on the divas other cheek and sauntering through the crowd.
"Does she hit on everyone?" Quinn watched the woman leave and then turned back to look into doe eyes.
Rachel shrugged. "Just about..."
"What time does the open mic start?" Quinn asked squeezing Rachel's hand.
"In a few minutes, I think Tonio is suppose to stop by, maybe we can coax him into singing Landmines specially for you."
"You think?" Quinn blushed gently as they arrived at the table filled with the former glee kids.
She was slightly surprised by the friendly hellos along with a quick introduction to a tall Latino man with a neatly trimmed goatee who turned out to be Mercedes husband, Nicholas.
"Hey Santana, Brittany!" Mercedes rose and hugged the two women as they also made their way to the table.
"So does this mean that you won't be threatening me any time soon?" Quinn whispered to the African-American diva as they all took a seat.
"Not now, but if you hurt her..." She snapped her head with attitude.
"Think that constitutes a threat..." Quinn smirked.
"If it was a real threat you'd know it was, Blondie." Mercedes snapped back going back to her conversation with Kurt and Blaine.
"And that's why we all don't get together more often." Santana deadpanned taking a quick sip of her Martini.
"I'll be right back, I'm starting off the showcase." Rachel hopped out of her seat and patted Quinn's wrist gently.
She made her way to the stage through the crowd and stood in front of the mic. The house music died down and the spotlight surrounded the small brunette.
She brushed fingers through her thick hair. "Hey everyone, I'm Rachel Berry," there was a brief spattering of applause, "Welcome to the Divas, Inc. open mic showcase for our current and future artists. First to the stage is a local band despite the name, round of applause for Frisco." She started off the applause and stepped off to the side as the lead singer a even tinier woman with blue hair stepped up.
Quinn couldn't help but watch her former girlfriend rather than the band as the blue-haired girl sung a song about trains and bad choices. She watched closely as Rachel made her way back towards VIP stopped here and there to hug some one, shake a hand or kiss a cheek lightly. It seemed to the blonde that the tiny diva was well-known and well liked by the crowd and by watching her she could see why; Rachel stopped for anyone and everyone who signaled for her attention.
"Each artist introduces the next." Rachel said as she retook her seat next to Quinn.
"Do you like the band?" Rachel asked after Frisco started their next song.
"Mhmm." Quinn answered mindlessly knowing full well that she'd been paying more attention to watching the brunette beside her than listening to the band. "Where did you guys discover them?"
"Actually on another open mic night they came in an wowwed the audience and Mercedes and I, Kurt took a little more convincing and of course hates their style."
"Ripped jeans and neon hair is not a style." Kurt sighed from across the table.
"Everyone can't look like dress up Ken doll." Santana quipped from the side.
"As in-eloquent as this may sound, shove it Satan." Kurt sighed taking a sip of whatever slim drink was in front of him.
The former teammates continued their friendly banter throughout the night as bands and solo acts came and went from the stage. Rachel took the time to tell Quinn a quick anecdote about each act and Quinn listened attentively. Mercedes and Kurt even managed to add comments that were neither snide nor threatening. Brittany and Santana left halfway through the night and took over the small dance floor, with Brittany showcasing for the audience like she was getting paid.
"Hey, everyone, I'm Rinoa, but you all know that, right!" The pierced singer called for attention to the microphone. There was a chorus of rights and Rachel shook her head at the woman's over the top nature.
"Well, we were hoping that Tonio was going to make it tonight to sing some hits, including Landmines, but he couldn't make it soooooo I figured I do a pretty good acoustic rendition of that song and maybe with a little begging and a stroke or two of her ego we can get the songwriter up here to go through it with me. What do you say, Rae? Duet?" Rinoa smirked her eyes twinkling in the low lights. Suddenly there were continuous shouts of: Rachel Rachel Rachel as the crowd cheered the former starlet back into the limelight.
"Go on, Rach, I'd much rather hear you than Tonio." Quinn grinned pulling out Rachel's chair as the diva sat up and made her way to the makeshift stage.
"Okay, okay. If I had more sense or shame I suppose I'd be more sufficiently embarrassed, but alas I still love applause." Rachel beamed. "Happy Rin?"
"Oh, yes, any chance to be on stage with you makes me ecstatic." The green eyed woman smirked back, picking up the acoustic guitar that was off to her right.
Quinn frowned watching the exchange, but tried to focus on Rachel and not her interaction with the beautiful singer.
Long fingers plucked easily at the guitar strings and Rinoa's pink tongue edged out of her mouth. Rachel took a seat on the edge of the wooden stool and danced fingers on the top of the microphone.
Rachel closed her eyes as Rinoa began to play the intro for Landmines. "Tell me and I'll stop walking / stop tripping / stop searching (searching)…what you want / isn't me / unless I'm hidden (hidden)…."
Quinn hated to admit that Rachel and Rinoa's voices blended beautifully. She'd always wondered where the inspiration for Landmines had come from when she'd heard Tonio's version, but now hearing Rachel's version the feelings expressed were so much more raw. She could visualize a younger anguished Rachel laying all her heart on paper and she wondered if the song was about her, but felt conceited even thinking it might be.
She spotted Santana and Brittany swaying with the rest of the crowd as Rachel smoothly hit some of the higher notes of the song. The singer herself was swaying lightly and smiling into the microphone as they reached the emotional climax of the song where the was a brief guitar solo that Rinoa handled masterfully, Quinn again begrudgingly admitted. Then Rachel caught her eye as she sang the last words: "I can't be here, idle / waiting—(waiting) / for you to finally decide you're through…" and Quinn felt like even if they weren't right now, at one point they had been meant for her.
We're moving along...uh-huh...
Thanks for the reviews and whatnot...stay tuned...
Those very sad lyrics are mine...I'm a poet not a songwriter..so there! And that's why they're incomplete...lol
Ink