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Posted: 25/10/13
These Boots Weren't Made For Running.
A second body...
That's what Rachel was looking down at now, a second victim on Warner's mortuary slab; this girl couldn't be more that 10 or 11 just like the first girl. This one they'd found yesterday. Sure, they'd got that warrant, they'd searched the apartment, they'd found Toure's prints there and the first Vic's prints, they probably had the latest Vic's prints too.
They just couldn't find the damn son of a bitch; whenever they got a lead they followed it only for the trail to go cold again. It was infuriating.
Melinda Warner, the ME, gave her full detailed report, the first body had fluids, they had Toure on DNA evidence for the rape of the first girl, but nothing on this one, she was... clean. Rachel had seen dead children before, poor kids, who got messed up in the narcotics circle, but this was different, this was the next step.
Once they'd heard the full report, in person they left, and headed back to the precinct. When they got there Lopez and Tutuola weren't their either, Rachel just assumed they were following another lead, one that might leave a trail.
She was just slinging her black leather jacket over the back of her chair when the other two partners walked in. the leather had been Santana's idea obviously; Rachel was still Vegan... most of the time.
"Where were you two?" the junior Latina detective asked.
"Getting the full report on the second body from Warner" Benson explained from standing in front of her own desk. She was just about to start perusing the paper work in front of her. "What about you?"
"Third body" Santana sighed. Olivia and Rachel looked at her shocked. "Same M.O." she said, to confirm it was the third body for this one case.
"Third?" Rachel had to ask, just to check.
"Yeah" Santana dropped herself into her seat. "It was called in just after you and Benson left. This one was in the system, 8 years old, been missing 4 months" she rubbed her temples with her thumb and middle finger "We didn't find the murder weapon this time" she added reluctantly as she put her feet up on her desk "I had them check everywhere outside for where he might throw it away, even the street drains. They found some blood on the inside of one of the grates, so he might have chucked it, but with the heavy rain last night, it would have been carried away"
"This is too fast, it was over a week between the first and the second, but it's been a day" Olivia said disbelieving. Their FBI criminal profiler, George Huang, would be having a field day with this one.
"He's not a methodical serial killer; he's just impulsive, aggressive." Rachel concluded, she knew this guy and his criminal ways, or she thought she had before he made his crimes even worse. "We've still got him for the first, with the DNA, but the second was clean" she reported, letting Tutuola and Lopez know one part of Dr Warner's report.
"So we find him, make him fess up to the other two, and then we got him"
"Yeah right Lopez, it was so easy last time" Rachel snapped at her sarcastically. The case was beginning to grate. Any other Perp they would be feeling different, but this guy, they'd failed the first time, that's why it was getting to them "Be great if we could just find him"
"Well prepare yourselves" The authoritative voice of Captain Cragen sounded from behind Berry, she turned and was a little thrown by the way he was dressed.
"What's with the uniform?" Lopez asked, always unafraid to just ask.
"I'm appealing to the public on information on our Perp's whereabouts" he told the team of his decision. If they were going to get close they needed everyone looking out for him.
"Oh you're just going to let them know there's a child molesting, drug trafficking, serial killer is on the loose" Tutuola asked sarcastically. That sounded like a fine plan that wouldn't just freak the public out and get any unfortunate look-a-likes beaten up.
"Not quite, we've got a cover story that will subtly inform the public not to get close" The captain further explained.
"That's gonna be one hell of a story" Santana joined her partner in on the sarcasm.
"Well wish me luck" Cragen muttered, not really appreciating the confidence his team were having in his latest plan. But since this perp had stepped up the game they needed to find him and stop him.
"Good luck" was said by the four team members, all with different levels of enthusiasm.
Once they were left in a silence something hit Santana "Oh god we're gonna have to tell the girl's parents" she breathed. It honestly had to be the worst part of the job, there was no easy way to do it, they were going to deliver the worst news they could to the parent of a missing child.
"You sit this one out, me and Liv have got it" Her partner volunteered, Santana and Rachel were extra stressed from this case, and it wasn't just the fact that children were the victims of rape and murder here.
"You're going to go now?" Rachel asked, very surprised, seeing as they'd all only just got back.
"Sooner is better than later" Olivia shrugged, sadly. She wasn't sure she appreciated being volunteered but she figured her partner's ex-partner could do with a breather, still being a Rookie with SVU. "You two man the phones."
"As soon as Cragen makes the announcement there might be a storm of calls, many of them looking for a reward with any information they think they have" Tutuola warned as he and Olivia headed out of the office area and out towards the elevators.
"Yeah we know the drill" Santana called back. She then stretched in her chair and checked the time on her watch. She sighed, they'd been working hard but it was still early. She got up and walked to the coffee pot, not far from her desk "You want some crappy coffee?" she half heartedly asked, its wasn't great but she didn't have to leave to get it.
"No thanks I'm all right" Rachel muttered absently as she checked over some of the paper work she'd already checked through, she just hoped that she'd missed something.
"How's your case going?" The new voice got Rachel to tear her eyes of the paper.
"Quinn?" She smiled immediately, it was good to see her again, seeing how awkward things had become lately. But finally Quinn was out of the DA's office and alone, with a full 4 paper cup holder, in one of her skirt suits, her purse slung over her shoulder, and her mid-length hair left loose, framing her face. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh my god, you have real coffee" Santana muttered as she rushed over and took a cup without even asking.
"Yeah, supposed to be a bribe," Quinn furrowed her brow as she looked around the empty floor "but it's kinda empty at the moment"
"Everyone following leads and stuff, hectic as always" Rachel explained. Quinn offered the tray forward and she took a cup "Thank you" she put the cup down for now, while Santana was already drinking the scolding brew. "So, what are you doing here?" she asked again seeing as Santana had interrupted before.
"Taking some advice from Novak. This case is more sensitive than some so she said I should come down here, be a witness. That way when my day in court comes I'm not alien to the situation" she tried to explain simply but the wordy lawyer she had become made her a bit of a Berry type rambler. "I mean, I've been present for the investigation of rape cases, and even a child rape case-"
"But this is brutal" Rachel cut her short, ironically.
"And I heard the guy you're after you and Santana have been involved with before." She added, it had secretly peaked her interest, she still didn't know Rachel or Santana's inspiration for joining the force, in the first place.
"Thanks for the coffee Q." Santana said after another cautious sip "So I heard you're gay now?" she said casually as she put the cup down. She didn't see Quinn's eyes widen in worry.
"Santana" Rachel said lowly.
"What?" The Latina shrugged. Just then Santana's desk phone Started ringing, she picked up the handset and answers "Lopez, SVU"
Quinn just looked to Rachel concerned, more than concerned "You told her?" she whispered across Benson and Berry's desk.
Rachel quickly shook her head, of course Quinn might think that. She waved a hand at Quinn, gesturing for her to follow her, they both walked out of the side door into a fairly empty corridor "No, no, I ah, we met Officer Moreno" she explained in a hushed tone once they were out of Santana's ear shot.
"Oh" Quinn sighed in both realisation and relief.
"Yeah... I wouldn't tell her that, that's between us" Rachel reassured her with a half smile.
"Good... because I still feel like an idiot" Quinn muttered with a more reluctant half smile of her own.
"Don't, just don't, okay? You don't need to." Rachel reassured her old friend. And she really believed that, Quinn shouldn't feel humiliated, anyone could have asked Rachel out and she would have automatically said no, and she had her reasons.
"Okay, I ah-" Quinn was quickly cut off before she could make another suggestion.
"Berry!" Santana's voice filled the floor "Where the hell-" she stopped when she walked out the door behind Rachel "Oh there you are. We might have a lead, has Cragen talked to the press yet?"
"Not yet, we might be able to make him hold back" Rachel doubted he'd have made the statement just yet. Santana disappeared through the door, making Rachel and Quinn follow on instinct. It was time to snap into action, like they had done so many times before.
"What's going on?" Quinn asked, mostly because she was there to observe and stay up to date.
"Cragen's appealing to the public" Rachel said over her shoulder as she headed back to her desk to grab her jacket.
"Well an officer just called in, she sounded pretty sure she spotted Toure, she and her partner are staying on location until we get there, we might have him" detective Lopez added as she too grabbed her jacket and the post-it off her desk.
Rachel was halfway to the elevator with Santana, Quinn still following when she stopped in her tracks and swiftly turned around "Oh right. Um, Quinn, could you call Cragen, tell him to hold off, like, an hour, we might have him before he has to make a statement. Tell him we'll call him with an update."
"Oh, sure" Quinn said as she just watched them run.
"Thanks, his cell number's on my desk" Rachel called back before she slipped into the elevator.
Realising this needed to be done quickly Quinn went to Rachel's desk and found Cragen's work Cell number on a post-it stuck to the edge of Rachel's computer screen. She went to pick up the phone when she paused just for a moment. She'd spotted the photo's on Rachel's desk, mainly the one of Officer Berry and Officer Lopez in front of their patrol car. It made her smile, seeing them both in their uniforms, in a funny pose like out of a bad 70's cop show.
And then she snapped back into action. She had a call to make.
Q~Q
"Where did they say?" Rachel asked, her eyes scoured the streets as Santana slowed her driving.
"Said he was in that restaurant there- wait... he's coming out" Santana was almost shaky, finally they had him in their sights "That's him, right?" she had to ask, just in case she was seeing things.
Rachel saw him standing, looking around, hands in his suit pant pockets, shades covering half his face. "Even with those damn sunglasses I wouldn't miss that face, let's go" Rachel instructed. He wasn't going to slip away this time.
Lopez pulled the car up against the sidewalk, behind Toure's back as he walked along. She cut the engine and casually got out of the car, Berry doing the same, neither detective taking their eyes of their perp. The closed their doors, Rachel walked round the car to join her former partner on the side walk as they closed in. His pace slowed as he went to cross the road, Rachel and Santana tried to stay in conspicuous but when he turned his head to look up the road, his eyes caught them, then fell on them...
All three froze, as he just stared at them and they stared back-
And then he ran, straight across the road, snapping the detectives into action.
"Shit, I'm wearing the wrong shoes for this" Lopez seethed as she blindly darted across the road after him "Stop, Police!" she yelled though it was partially drowned out by a car horn blaring as they braked to not hit her.
Rachel alternatively ran back and jumped in the car. They always made sure they both had a key in case they ever needed it when they were sharing a work sedan.
"You're not getting away this time, scum" Rachel growled lowly to herself as she switched the ignition on the car and kicked it into gear. She switched on the dashboard siren and pulled out of the space, doing a U-turn in the road, and heading back a block.
"Stop, Police!" Santana yelled again, but obviously Toure wasn't going to stop. So, really, yelling that was letting people know to get out of the way "Move" she yelled when a few people didn't. Ahead of her she spotted him dart down an alley way. She didn't even know what had happened to Rachel, and she was pretty sure if they had a sprint race they were pretty evenly matched so it wasn't like the brunette was going to get left behind.
As she rounded the corner she was just in time to see him climb a chain link padlocked gate "I'm not in the mood for this" she panted out between ground teeth before attacking the gate, using the padlock and chain as a foot hold as she grasped at the chain link with a talon like grip.
Once her boots were back on solid ground, on the other side of the gate, she was sprinting again across a parking lot after the bald headed, dark skinned man. She was closing in she was sure of it.
10 feet now separated them, he was about to dart round the corner of a building when his feet were knocked out from beneath him and he fell to the floor. Santana slowed her pace just a little before she basically tackled him before he could run again.
"Bitch let me go" he yelped as he struggled. The way he spoke and acted you wouldn't think he was nothing more than a drug running kid at the most.
She grabbed her handcuffs of her belt and captured his wrists "Jayden Toure, you are under arrest for rape and murder of an 11 year old girl" she was still panting heavily "You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney before any questioning if you wish. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you by the state"
"I know, whore, you did this to me before" he yelled as he tried to not get his face smashed against the concrete ground.
"Well this time will be the last time, prick" She seethed angrily. The anger mostly for him getting away with his crimes last time, and a little for him making her run in these boots.
"What took you so long?" Santana heard a cocky voice ask her. She looked up to find Rachel smirking down at her, collapsible impact baton in her hand, the instrument of pain she'd used to knock out Toure's legs from beneath him.
"Sorry thought I'd take the direct route" she answered sarcastically. She stood up and tried to yank the Perp to his feet.
"My leg, you broke my leg, bitch!" he yelled as he refused to get up, he was probably playing hurt so he could make a run for it when their defences were down, that wasn't likely to happen though
"Oh don't be such a whiny baby" Santana spat "Get up" she yanked again, this time forcing him up, onto his knees, the rest was up to him, if he didn't want another whack from the baton. "Where the hell did you get to?"
"Went to head him off" she pointed to their dull silver sedan parked up next to the curb not far from them.
"And you just knew where he'd end up" she eyes the shorter detective sceptically.
"Lucky guess" she shrugged while she collapsed the baton and slipped it back into its holster on the back of her belt, next to her cuffs. "I called a squad car too to pick him up and take him to the precinct" she didn't want him in the back of their normal car, he belonged behind bars, even when he was in a car. "And you didn't finish reading him his rights"
"He don't deserve any rights. Bastard should pay just for making me run" Santana mumbled lowly before sighing and continuing "You can decide at any time to exercise these rights and not answer any questions or make any statements..."
Q~Q
Cragen, Berry, Lopez and Councillor Fabray were all watching Toure through the one way glass when Benson and Tutuola got back for delivering the bad news. "What's going on?" Detective Benson asked, wondering what they were all looking at.
"You two better watch your backs, Berry and Lopez got him" Cragen warned in the most playful tone he could.
"They what?" Fin scoffed, not that it was hard to believe, just a surprise and a relief that they had.
The captain just sung their praises a little more "They got him before I had to release the statement"
"An officer witnessed him in a restaurant downtown, it was just time and place coincidence" Rachel down played it, secretly surprising Quinn.
"Besides I did all the running" Santana asked, half jokingly, half wanting some sympathy... she got none.
"Captain, with your permission I'd like to talk to him" Rachel asked, getting everyone back on task. She really wanted o prove herself to her new team, she wasn't afraid either. On top of that she knew his ways and Santana had a temper when it came to this guy, so she wouldn't be a good choice.
"No lawyer?" Olivia raised a sceptical brow.
"Said he didn't need one." Quinn shrugged, she'd been witness to that much, then she'd stayed around and watched him stew for the past hour while Santana and Rachel cooled off, and he could get wound up, before they interrogated him.
"You want to go in alone?" Cragen asked.
"Yes sir, he's... easily distracted," she figured that was the best way to describe it "It's better if there's only one in the room. Of course if you feel at any point a second person would be better, I understand" she added politely, she just really wanted to get this guy, and she thought she might just have the ammo to get him to fess.
He thought about it for a moment "Okay. But we'll all be out here, if you need us."
"Sure, if I feel like I need it, Santana knows my signal" Rachel said "I'll just need a file off my desk first" she added before heading back along the corridor so she could retrieve it.
"Signal?" Benson asked her partners former partner.
Santana didn't make eye contact with her; she was still staring down Toure through the one way glass. "Yeah we decided to have something so we could tell when we want assistance, or just want to throw the perp" she explained to the group "I'll take my chair, put it in the corner and sit down, she'll lean against a wall and drum her fingers against it... sounds kinda stupid I guess" Lopez shrugged, it had worked for them, but everyone had their own ways of doing things.
"No, it's interesting" Olivia assured her.
"We'd normally just rush the place when Stabler tried to kill them" Tutuola half joked
"Okay, I'm going in" Rachel let them know, so they'd stay quiet while she the door was open. She paused for a second, her hand on the handle, there were 5 people in her audience, she'd never had more than 3, not in this part of her life. This time they would be judging though, to see how she handled things.
She took a breath, everything could be riding on this, he didn't want a lawyer yet but he would. She flipped the file open and looked down at it, then she turned the handle suddenly and pushed the door open abruptly before walking in, keeping her hands on the file in her hands.
"Hey, you gonna tell me why the hell I'm here" he asked as soon as she was in the room. She didn't give him the attention as she shut the door behind her.
"I believe Detective Lopez told you that when she arrested you" She muttered absently before closing the file and dropping it onto the table.
"Yeah, Lopez," he smirked "how's her hand?"
Rachel stepped back, she was going to go for a pacing and circling routine with this one "Don't know," she shrugged nonchalantly "how's your face?"
The question quickly wiped that smirk off his face "You know you can't just pin some shit on me" he sounded so sure. "Didn't work before."
She slammed her palms on the desk, standing opposite him, and growled her words out lowly "We may not have got you for killing those kids 2 years ago, but I sure as hell ain't gonna let you get away with this one, you scum."
"I didn't kill anyone" he sneered up at her.
She flicked the file open and pulled out the three mortuary photo's they had, the third victims photo had been sent open in the past hour by the ME. She pointed at the three girls, and watched him, to see his reaction "They died trafficking for you, you made them carry those drugs, then when they tried to get free you killed them to teach all your little drug runners a lesson" she accused.
"Never touched any drugs, you didn't prove it before, you're not gonna prove it now"
"We'll get you for this, we've got your DNA" for the first one, anyway, but he didn't need to know all the details he knew what he was under arrest for, if he was smart enough he'd figure it out. He'd go down for the other two too, if Rachel had anything to do with it.
"If you had my DNA I'd be locked up" he said confidently, and yes they could just lock him up, but it wasn't enough. "Where's your pretty partner, Detective Lopez?" his gaze bypassed Berry and went straight for the one way mirror. "We had fun the last time the three of us were in the same room, remember?" he chuckled sinisterly. Off course she remembered, Santana almost got suspended for punching the guy, Rachel had managed to pull her off before she went ballistic, and then other cops had come in to help too. "Where is she? I bet she's out there. I bet they're all out there" He waved at the people he couldn't see before pushed his chair up and got out of his seat, Rachel wasn't scared, she just watched him as he walked round the room and stopped in front of the mirror. "You having fun, watching the midget detective try and grill me" he laughed. Rachel had heard enough height jokes for a life time, she didn't let them get to her often, especially when it was a perp just trying to get a rise from her "Or is this just a warm up huh? You out there Detective Lopez, I'm ready for round two!"
Rachel walked over to the door, opened it and then stepped outside. "There's no one there, come see for yourself." She suggested lightly. He thought about it... then he just snorted at her and went back to his seat. Rachel went back into the room and shut the door again.
Cragen, Lopez, Tutuola, Olivia and Quinn all let out a breath once the door was secure again.
"I hate it when she does that" Santana muttered to herself. Rachel did that far too often, but only when she was confident they wouldn't take a look. Olivia smiled to herself; that had been one of her tactics before. She was liking her new partner more and more.
"You're not pinning this one on me" he said as he actually sat down.
"We've got you" she shrugged, making her comment confident yet light. She started walking, around behind him, the circling technique.
"Then I'd already be locked up" he repeated his point for earlier.
"We've got you for the first, but I'll make damn well sure you go down for the other two too" she grumbled as he walked past him.
"I don't know what you're talking about" he tried again. he was good a 'playing' dumb.
She stopped in front of him again, she pointed to the morgue pictures of the girls faces "You killed these girls, after you violated them" she snapped "These were someone's babies, someone's little sisters" his head snapped up, his eyes meeting hers, which were hiding a secret "How is your sister, by the way?" she asked in a more relaxed tone.
"You leave her out of this" he growled.
"Well the Narc police caught her dealing again. Now..." she pulled the chair out, and took a seat "I don't think she's gonna get out of this one, and once she's in the pen, I dunno, it might reach ears that her big brother is a kiddy fiddler." she planted the suggestion "Just think of all the moms, in there, who'd love a little revenge" she hoped if she kept planting the seeds he'd break. Rachel could see it now, Toure was starting to sweat. "Maybe she can relate though, maybe this" she leant forward and clenched her teeth as she seethed and pointed yet again to the faces of the victims, that he was doing his best not to look at. "Maybe she knows what this is like, maybe she's her big bros bitch."
He stood up, making Rachel recoil, but merely form self defence, not fright "That's my sister, she's all I got, and I'm all she got!" he yelled down at her, anger in his words and his eyes.
She just smirked up at him "Well, she aint got you anymore, she's got nothing, but a cell waiting for her, just like you" her words were almost sung, mockingly. "Only difference is she might actually get out, unscathed, but that's up to you." She raised an eyebrow, all the cards were on the table now. The next move was up to him
He set his mouth firmly shut, weighed his options "Bitch" he muttered, then sat down. "I want my lawyer."
Q~Q
"He lawyered up?" Alex asked as she joined the group in the office. They had two uniformed officers watching Toure while he spoke with his lawyer, just in case his own lawyer wasn't even safe..
"Yeah, but we've already got him" Olivia said confidently from her desk.
"So he confessed" Alex was confused. If he'd confessed to the second two murders why did he have a lawyer?
"No but it won't take much in court, and we've already got him for the first rape and murder" Quinn explained to her aunt. She then looked to Detective Berry who was sat on her desk. "How did you know about his sister?"
"Yeah was that stuff true, I thought we lost track of her" Santana added, she was in her chair at her own desk. Toure's sister had come up a few times in their career but they hadn't heard anything in a year or so.
"No, it's true. Tony came through with the info, she was arrested two days ago, and she can't get out if it this time, she was peddling when they caught her, and high. So he came through an hour before I went in there, he wants this guy to go down as bad as we do" Rachel smiled triumphantly before it fell again. Things had fallen into place so well, only it was a little too late, had they caught him sooner they would have saved 2 lives. And if they'd convicted him 2 years ago they would have saved 3.
"Well we can't get him for the old crimes, double jeopardy, but it's not going to take much" Quinn assured them, he would go down for this. "We'll get him in open court." She'd witnessed the interrogation so she felt confident to say that.
"Damn" Santana mumbled "I wish the death penalty hadn't been abolished, scum like him should be getting the needle"
"We got him Santana. And as soon as he's locked up and it slips what he did... he deserves that more" She said with a hard tone, making it sound like the words had little effect on her.
Santana looked at Rachel with some worry "Dark Berry, very dark"
"Sorry, it's just been a tough perp to deal with" she sighed.
Olivia and Fin shared a concerned look, it wasn't a good sign if either of the junior detectives were having trouble "A child molester?"
"Not exactly, just that we could have got him so long ago" Rachel explained. She wasn't stupid. She knew what this job would entail, and she knew how to not implicate that she was in anyway incapable.
Q~Q
"Are we done for today?" It was getting late, dark outside, and Rachel had just seen Toure's Lawyer speak to Alex and then leave. Surely there wasn't much more they could do today.
"Yes." The ADA sighed, it wouldn't be the simplest of case, but hardly the worst either. "He's being held overnight, tomorrow we'll be in court to discuss where he stays while awaiting trial. With the evidence for the first victim and his likeliness to flee, I'm sure he will be held with no bail" she assured the junior detective "Good work today, Detective Berry. Shame I missed it, but Quinn told me it was really something" she nodded before slipping away, catching the next elevator down.
Santana was ready to leave after a long day too. She met Rachel by the elevator and hit the button. "Hey, I'm picking Brittany up from the studio, and then we're going out. Do you want a ride home first?" she offered.
"No thanks, it would be easier if I just got a taxi" Rachel didn't want to be a nuisance, she never did.
"You will actually get a taxi right" Santana asked cautiously. After so many years it was almost a horrible inside joke. Rachel could take it though... not that either of them were laughing at the situation, just that Rachel knew Santana cared as she still remembered the details of that night.
"Yes." She sighed.
"Okay... and you're okay to go home by yourself?" Santana checked as the elevator arrived on their floor.
Rachel rolled her eyes."I'm not 5, I'm sure I'll be fine" she pushed Santana, encouraging her back into the empty coach "Now go"
"Okay, see ya later" she smiled, looking forward to her date night with Brittany. Friday was the end of the week... for most, and as it was for Brittany, that made it date night.
Seeing the other two members of the team heading their way Rachel's hand caught the elevator door, holding it for them. "Good work today Berry" Tutuola complimented.
"Thanks Fin" she smiled. Today, though horrible like all the rest, had been a good day.
"See you Monday morning, Rach" her partner nodded. At least they hoped it would be Monday morning.
"See ya, Liv" Rachel smiled as she released the door, letting the elevator go. She then went back to her desk to get her jacket and lock up her desk. As soon as she stepped into the pen she found Quinn sitting at her desk, looking at the one of the photo's. She didn't know it but it was the one of just her and Santana, wit the news paper clipping tucked in the corner "Hey, I thought you left already, what are you still doing here?" Her voice seemed to startled Quinn, the smile on her face from looking at the photo, wiped off
"Oh hey, yeah." She tried to put the photo back smoothly but it she was a little clumsy. Luckily she didn't damage it. "I was just waiting for you, I was wondering if you want to go out for a drink?" Quinn suggested lightly, holding her nerves back
"Thanks but no... I don't feel like drinking" Rachel admitted, somewhat honestly.
Quinn didn't let the outright rejection get her down... again."Well I don't feel like going home"
Rachel thought about it for a moment. She did need more friends, and she used to be great friends with Quinn... "Would this be like a date drink?"
She wasn't looking for that sort of connection with Rachel, not now, Rachel had said no so she'd drop it. she wouldn't mind trying to reconnect as friends "No, just two friends who kinda work together, going out for a drink before dragging their sorry asses' home... what do you say?"
Rachel smiled, doing something on a Friday night instead of just dragging her sorry ass home did sound like a decent idea. "Okay then, you're on, but I'm buying the first round"
"Fine by me" Quinn tried not to grin.
C\_/
"Berry drinking a beer" Quinn raised an eyebrow, she didn't remember Rachel being the beer drinking type. Though the last time she had seen Rachel she had been 20, and after the 'blame it on the alcohol' week Rachel had never drunk again, swearing not to until it was legal.
"Hey I have a glass" Rachel excused. The pair sat at a bar, in a bar, and not a cop bar. Just a quite, fancy bar with a just as fancy restaurant through the next room. The bar was still quiet, peaceful. A hum of chatter flowed from the other room, making it feel warm though.
"I know, just didn't think I'd see you with a beer" Quinn muttered before taking a short sip of her own chosen drink.
"What about you and your..." She looked at the glass in front of Quinn, not sure the specific label on the liquid inside "white wine" she decided was safest, Pinot? Chardonnay? All the same thing to her.
"Yeah I don't know anything about wine either" Quinn admitted, it was all the same to her too, hence why she asked for 'the house white'.
"Why did you ask me out?" Rachel asked suddenly. She wanted to cut the tension by cutting straight to the chase.
Quinn nearly choked on the sip. As she cleared her throat and put the class back down she thought back... right back. "Do you remember that last night I stayed over?"
"... Yeah" Rachel shrugged. Yeah, she remembered, it had been the last time she truly felt safe, because 24 hours after that moment her life was turned upside down.
"That was the worst night sleep of my life." She chuckled nervously, she twirled the class's spine between her thumb and fore finger, adding to the proof of the lawyer's nervousness "When we met at the train station earlier that day it finally hit me. All our visits before had left me... feeling something," she swallowed thickly as she continued to stare at the glass "and it wasn't until I saw you that day, when I couldn't help but smile so brightly... I realised, I had feelings for you. And sharing a bed that night... I just realised how much I wanted to hold you" Rachel had been watching her the entire time, Quinn could see that out of the corner of her eye, but finally Rachel looked away "Sorry if I'm embarrassing you"
"You're not... but I am finding all that hard to believe," Rachel scoffed, right now staring at the glass in front of them seemed like the safest thing to do. She ran her fingers over the condensation wiping it away. "I mean you never spoke to me again, I think I got one email saying you got back to Yale safe and that was it. Even when I emailed you with apologies thinking I'd messed up-"
"I'm sorry, I didn't want you to think that, I just... it hurt you know, every message, just reminded me that we were friends, nothing more" she explained guiltily.
"Why didn't you just say?" Rachel asked... though she wasn't sure of how she would have reacted of Quinn had told her back then either.
Quinn just scoffed at the suggestion. Of course it wasn't that easy. "Because... how do you tell someone who you haven't always treated right that you have feelings for them, someone who never deserved all the tormenting, and someone who's... who is the best friend you don't deserve"
"I see" Rachel just took a swig of her bottle-to-glass beer.
"Besides" she rushed "You're probably dating someone, or even married by now, so it was stupid to ask"
"It wasn't stupid" she didn't like the idea of someone asking her out to be a stupid thing "And for what it's worth, I'm single... have been for a long time"
"Oh... I see" she said, partially copying Rachel from earlier "Wow, this couldn't be worse 'let try and be friends again' conversation" The lawyer just noted sarcastically
Rachel just chuckled and confidently looked to her old friend "It's not that bad... if your feelings were from so long ago, how come you just decide to ask me out? After 7 years? Don't really get that either" she pushed. She wanted it out in the open, besides she was great at interrogating people. Of Quinn didn't fess up now, she would another time.
Quinn let out a long steadying breath. "Because I still like you... I didn't realise just how much until you walked back into my life, but I do" her voice became tiny, losing all the strength in it "So with you here... I thought I'd finally find out what would happen if I just asked... no matter how scared I was"
Now Rachel just felt guilty. "Sorry to disappoint you Quinn."
Quinn shook her head and looked to her bar mate "You didn't disappoint me. I didn't really expect for you to say yes, I just didn't think you'd turn me down that fast" she laughed, mostly at her own humiliation.
"Well I'm sorry for that too, I-ah... it was a shock." She chuckled back.
"Yeah, I know I really sprung that question on you, but when you think of someone... so often and then they're in front of you, it kinda spills from your mouth before you can think" She stopped when she suddenly realised what she said. She hadn't even drunk that much. Time to move on "That's no excuse though, I mean we're barely reacquainted"
"Well that's what this is for, I'm sure Santana could do with the time without me hanging around anyway" Rachel excused.
"Santana?" Quinn quirked an eyebrow. She knew they were friends, and that was weird enough.
"Oh, we live together" Rachel said like it was nothing. It was the norm to her so she hadn't really thought about it.
Her face creased in confusion "What happened to Brittany?"
"She lives there too" Rachel explained "We moved in together when... well when I started turning my life around. We moved in together with Kurt, then when I ditched NYADA Kurt ditched me, and he moved out. So it's been Me, Santana and Brittany since" she smiled... then it dropped again "I really am sorry I shot you down that quickly" she just could let go of the guilt.
"Its fine, I get it, why would I even assume you could be interested in going out with me" Quinn dismissed, a new subject that they stuck with would have been really great around now.
Rachel narrowed her eyes on the lawyer "You sound like you're being harsh on yourself." She wondered if Quinn was trying to pull a sympathy car, because, seriously? That was not a Quinn Fabray thing to do. "I turned you down, no big deal. There's plenty of many better options out there Quinn"
"That's not the point" Quinn just muttered.
"Have you seen you? Or met you? Any, um, woman?" she questioned as she peered at Quinn, she didn't want to be presumptuous. Quinn just nodded shyly "Any woman would be lucky to have you Quinn"
"Doesn't matter when your sights are set on only one" The blonde woman's mind whispered the words she couldn't and wouldn't dare say out loud. "So what's Brittany doing these days?" New subject.
"She's good, she owns a dance studio" Rachel said, nonchalantly.
Another eye brow had to be raised "Owns?"
"Yeah." Rachel nodded.
"In the city?" Same eyebrow was staying up there somehow.
"Yes." The detective laughed that time.
The eyebrow finally fell as the eyes widened. "Wow."
"I know." Rachel agreed, she didn't imagine that happening either. Sure Brittany was talented, but she wasn't really a business woman
"How... just how?" Quinn really couldn't fathom it.
"Well..." Rachel took a breath as she thought back "Santana and I helped her get the loan to buy, yes I really mean buy, a place, we checked it out and found it was a fair investment. So now she has three studios spaces and makes money renting the other spaces, as well as teaching all types of dance, all levels, like kids and adult, beginners to advanced, that type of thing." Quinn gave her another sceptical look "It sounds more hectic than it is. She's actually doing really well. She has an accountant and an administrative assistant that me and Santana helped her hire too, and they're her good friends"
Quinn was glad to hear they'd helped support Brittany, she was the one girl Quinn secretly really worried for when they all got out into the big wide world. "Yeah you don't want someone screwing over someone like Brittany"
"Santana would murder them and I'd be without my old partner" Rachel joked. It also prompted more stories though.
"How was it, working with her like that?" she had to know. Cheerleader Santana had been a little crazy most days. Give her some authority and a gun, Quinn couldn't imagine it was... boring.
"... Weird, but we've been the best of friends, she's been the best friend I've ever had. I know that's hard to believe too" Rachel chuckled, yet again. this wasn't as extremely awkward as she thoguth it would be.
Quinn felt the jealousy but didn't let it get to her. She should have been Rachel's best friend, but she only had herself to blame. "Yeah, Santana and you getting along? But I guess if I'd hung around you might not have become friends with her... but who knows"
"Yeah who knows" Rachel agreed lightly "...I've missed you" she admitted with ease
"I've missed you too" Quinn smiled warmly back. "And that's all my fault" So much had changed, but they could catch up on lost time now, they had another chance at friendship.
"No, it's okay, things happen and... lives change. You've done so well for yourself Quinn, if I'd still been bugging you to visit me every five minutes you might not have got to study as hard as you did and become a lawyer like you did" Rachel pointed out. Besides she wasn't sure how she would have handled Quinn being her friend during the aftermath of her attack. Quinn could be stubborn, sometimes demanding, at least old Quinn could, she would have got the truth from her. Rachel didn't think she could deal with anyone else knowing. And if Quinn knew there was no way she'd would have feelings for her... not that Rachel wanted her to have feelings for her.
"Yeah, maybe" Quinn just shrugged.
After another swig they moved subject yet again, just to get a rough outline of what they'd missed "So Alex is..?"
"My mom's sister" Quinn nodded "But when my mom married Russell, he kinda pulled her away from her family, wanted all her attention on him, and me and my sister at times." Rachel didn't miss the way Quinn called her dad by his first name "So back in high school my mom kicked Russell out and went downhill with the drinking. Then one day my aunt managed to show up and help my mom sort her life out, all before she returned here. We didn't even know Alex had been in witness protection, we were that estranged from my mother's family" she still sounded disbelieving. Rachel had recently heard from her partner a little about the senior and non senior ADA's, including that Cabot was once in witness protection.
She hadn't known about Judy though, why had Quinn not shared that with her back then. "Oh, Quinn, I'm so sorry. I didn't know things had gotten that bad"
"It's fine, to be honest... I'd tried, you know? Back in senior year I tried to get her to stop drinking, I even dared tip half of the booze away as she sat their sipping from a crystal glass. She slapped me, then apologised and we never spoke of it again" she was quite for a moment, just a moment though as she remember that slap. "When I went off to college I was so relieved to be away from it, I just never thought about it. I didn't even know about Alex helping her at first, I barely remembered Alex from my childhood anyway, but... well you know the saying 'It's not always what you know, but who you know'?"
"Yeah" Rachel nodded. Connections were great things, once they were made across the force she and Santana had been sure to keep them secure, like the guys in the evidence archive.
"Well, I got in contact, asked if a job was going, over 2 years ago when she returned to the DA's office. But she said there wasn't but put in a good word for me elsewhere, until 6 months ago when a vacancy did open up." If she was honest she actually preferred the cases they faced now. She'd been working in family court before, seeing so many unwanted kids pass through that room, and then the occasional kid with the arguing parents who were trying to buy the affection of their child. Somewhere in the middle Quinn felt she could relate to those kids. "But since she got me that first job we quickly became good friends, she's almost like the big sister mine wasn't. She even let me move in with her."
"You're still living with her?" Rachel asked casually, she wasn't going to judge, obviously.
"Yeah, I mean I'm looking for my own place but I'm working so many hours and so is Alex, we just need a place to crash each night" she explained.
"It's kind of like that for me and San, only I'm sure she'd really like to separate from work by me not being there" Rachel laughed lightly, almost nervously, but she covered it well.
"Why would you think that?" Quinn furrowed her brow.
"Oh come on, we're nearly 29, she doesn't need a roommate when she's living with her girlfriend. I mean, sure me and Brittany get along great but... you know" she shrugged "if I spent more time there I would think about moving on but I barley eat and sleep there" just like Quinn then.
"Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about"
Let us know what you think... I think...