I told you I'd get work done in Romania. I also, finally managed to put in page breaks; basically I just couldn't be assed looking for the button…
DISCLAIMER: I do not own glee
Rachel left her martial arts class and was all set to walk home when a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Rachel?" The singer whirled around, and sure enough, there was Quinn Fabray.
"Hello Quinn. May I ask what you are doing here?" Rachel inquired, glancing around the deserted streets. No sign of Santana at least...
"I was just grabbing some groceries for my mom. She doesn't like us going to the supermarket. Something about supporting local businesses..." Quinn bashfully lifted her arm, showing off the numerous bags.
"Your mother has the right idea. Corporate stores have all the same bland service, but the little family run businesses have that people factor. They take time to know the customer, they are quirky, they are... Just there you know? They don't cater for the majority, they do what they feel is best. If… if you get what I mean." Rachel grimaced. She was all sweaty and talking to Quinn Fabray about flipping small shops. Why does she do these things to herself?
"I get it Rachel. What about you? Because that looks kind of like a body bag." Quinn nodded her head towards the bulky kit bag.
"Funny, Fabray. I was just going to a class, then home."
Quinn smiled, this was easy. Talking like this. No matter what, the banter always flowed smoothly between them, even if it was insults.
"Would you like a ride home?"
Rachel debated with herself before deciding what harm could it do. "That would very nice actually. Thank you Quinn."
"You're welcome Rachel."
-/-
"How did you know where I live?" Rachel asked, slightly perturbed.
Quinn blushed, "You said you moved here because your fathers wanted to have the white picket fence and the yard... Plus Finn said it was 'like totally huge'. As far as I know this is the only other house that matches that description other than, um… mine."
Rachel knew exactly when Quinn had heard the explanation about her fathers. And it wasn't any time recently.
Rachel had moved to Lima when she was five. It still confused her why her parents chose to move from open minded California to here. Still, she didn't think too hard about it.
"Well, thank you anyway." Rachel glanced from the hose back to, the still rosy cheeked, Quinn. "Would you like to come in?"
"If it's not any trouble." Quinn nodded.
"It's not. Come on."
"Guys I'm home! We have company!" Quinn stood awkwardly behind the singer. Who was she talking to? Oh no, what if it was her dads? Quinn couldn't handle that right now, what could they think of her? Torturing their little girl because she was such a coward...
Quinn was shocked when two four legged creatures bounded towards her. "Sorry, I probably should have asked you if you like dogs first." Rachel said, but she was smiling as she saw Quinn kneel down to her little family and enthusiastically pet them.
Quinn laughed as the biggest one licked her face. "I love dogs. My dad never let me have one."
Rachel was surprised by how warmly Quinn was greeted. Even with Dave, her furry friends had a period of adjustment. They do say though, animals know when a person is kind or not, which just proves Rachel was correct all along in her belief that Quinn could be nice.
"Why not? Most people view them as an essential part of the family." Rachel noticed Quinn's smile falter and her eyes harden to that icy shade, Rachel was so familiar with.
"It would have been no use to him." Rachel sensed there was much more to that statement than meets the eye, but she didn't want Quinn to revert back to her old ways, especially in her home. Quinn's smile returned when Fletcher nuzzled her cheek, making her giggle. "Besides, maybe my mom will let me now."
"What's changed?" Rachel asked, dropping her bag beside the wall and kneeling opposite Quinn.
"My parents got a divorce, so it's just me and my mom now." Quinn smiled softly.
Rachel didn't know what to say, other to offer her condolences, "I'm sorry to hear that Quinn-"
The blonde cut her off, "I'm not. We're far happier without him… it… it's one of the reasons I'm trying to make amends with you." That was the second time that Quinn had mentioned her father in relation to her behaviour towards Rachel. "By the way, the jocks are really angry at their rather public humiliation, so they're going to be on the warpath the next few days at least. I did order them not to attack any Gleek but whether they're wise enough to listen is another matter."
"Thanks for the warning. I'll be sure to avoid them."
"You know, you never said how you got you're black eye… it's looking better by the way. How did it happen though? I'll set Santana on however did that, I know you don't get on but even she won't stand for jocks knocking girls around."
"You make her sound like some kind of attack dog."
"Rachel…who did that?" Quinn pleaded for the girl to tell her. She would hit the guy himself never mind using Santana… Rachel was so small, and kind. Sure her rambles might be slightly long and her fashion sense had really went downhill since Freshman year – Quinn really missed those jeans – but she didn't deserve any of what Quinn had brought on her.
"What makes you so sure that someone did this to me?" Rachel gestured to her eye.
"Because you had the impression of someone's knuckles on your face." Quinn stated.
"Oh." Rachel cursed herself inwardly. How could they have overlooked that major flaw in their story? Barbra would have never let something like that happen.
"Yeah, oh. Now are you going to tell me?" Rachel opened her mouth to respond, when the door flew open.
The girls jumped to their feet as the dogs went crazy, bouncing and barking all around the new entrant to the house.
"Rach, I got you those- oh hello."
"Karofsky, what are you doing here?" The boy set the grocery bags down and petted the dogs, silencing them.
"I could ask you the same question."
"Quinn gave me a lift home from class, which you'll be able to go to next week, if you want."
"I think that would be a good idea."
Quinn stood in the middle of the two brunettes, completely confused. "I'm sorry, but what's going on?"
Rachel gave Dave a look; letting him know that it was up to him, what to tell her and that she would have his back.
"Rachel's letting me live here. My dad threw me out."
Quinn's eyebrows shot up. "What? Why? When?"
"A few weeks ago. I- I told him I was… I'm gay." Dave said quietly. He knew Fabray wouldn't tell that to anyone, she'd kept silent about Brittany and Santana all those years, plus he'd noticed her giving a certain someone more than a few lingering glances. Not that he'd ever tell them that.
"Oh." Quinn bit her lip. That certainly explained a lot. She and Dave shared a lot in common apparently. Although Quinn accepted her sexuality and only bullied Rachel so that she didn't disappoint her father, Dave didn't and bullied Kurt because her embodied everything Dave wanted to be, open and without fear. They were both gay and hiding. "Well, his loss then."
Rachel beamed as the two got along. The smile dropped as Quinn narrowed her eyes.
"If he threw you out, how did you move into Rachel's? You couldn't have brought much stuff…"
Rachel and Dave shared a look of 'oh shit'; well that was what Dave's was. Rachel was more 'oh my goodness, this not good, we've been rumbled'.
"We uh, had to go back to grab more stuff."
"When?" Quinn demanded. Oh no, hands were travelling to the hips. Rachel recognised the pose as one that she often adopted when about to scold someone. Seeing Quinn do it, in a dress, was not having the effect that she thought Quinn was aiming for.
"Um, about… a week ago?" Dave mumbled.
"Around the time Rachel got her black eye. You let a grown man hit her?" Rachel tried to signal Dave to stop talking.
Dave puffed his chest out with indignation. "Of course not, I didn't expect him to hit a girl! I was going to tackle him, but Rachel just took him out."
Quinn turned and stared incredulously at the little brunette that was trying to blend into the wall. "You took out a grown man?"
"Hey! I'm stronger than I look you know." Quinn continued to stare at her with disbelief. "Dave, hi me."
"What no!"
"Just do it, you won't even make contact. Go!" Dave tried to ignore the burning glare directed through his skull, and slowly made his way towards the girl. "Swing!"
Dave swung his fist, not with any real force but soon found himself flat out on his back.
"Ow."
Quinn stared in shock and amazement as she watched the singer easily put the footballer player on the ground.
"See."
"Yep." Quinn definitely saw alright…
"I should be heading home." Quinn said, "My mom probably thinks I've gotten lost."
Once Dave had picked himself up off the floor. The trio had made their way to the kitchen where they put away the food Dave had bought, only to then dig some of it out gain because they were hungry.
Quinn was still in a bit of a daze when she had found out about this knew side to Rachel. If she thought she had been attracted to her before…
The pair said their goodbyes to the Cheerio and Quinn waved at Rachel as she stood on the porch watching her leave.
Quinn was lost in her thoughts, when she pulled up at her own house. She couldn't believe how much things had changed since her father left.
She thought it ironic, how her father preached constantly about being a good Christian, and how the Berrys' were so sinful, yet they were in a loving relationship and he committed adultery. It really opened Quinn's eyes to how wrong she was to ever try and make a man so hypocritical as he, proud.
It was Quinn that had found out about her father's infidelity. She happened to be coming home from Cheerios practice when she spotted her father leaving some woman's house after them locking lips. Quinn was furious and had no qualms about informing her mother. Only saddened by the fact that she had to hurt the woman who had always been there for her.
Quinn, got out of her car and headed into her home. "Quinnie is that you?"
"Yeah mom." Judy poked her head around the doorway from the kitchen.
"What took you so long?"
"I um…" Quinn cleared her throat, "I gave Rachel a lift home and then we chatted for a while."
Judy came out of the kitchen to stand in front of her blushing daughter. "Ooh… is that what the kids call I these days. Chatting." She teased.
"Mom!" Quinn squeaked, "We just talked. Besides, I've only just become friends with her… I don't want her to freak with the fact that I have a crush on her. She's probably not even gay." Quinn sighed, her head dropping down to the floor.
Judy looked at her daughter. "Listen kiddo, from what you've told me about the girl, she probably won't care about your crush because after all her fathers are gay, and probably feels the same way."
Quinn's head perked up. "What makes you say that?"
"Quinn. From what I remember of high school and what you've told me, aside from Glee or class you and Rachel should never interact. Yet, she always manages to cross paths with you even when you weren't actively seeking her out. So maybe she was seeking you out?"
Quinn furrowed her brow I thought. It was true that Rachel always seemed to be there. Hovering in the background. Maybe she had a shot?
"Now come help me chop these veggies before you go and daydream about the 'girl with the amazing voice'." Quinn really wished that she never told her mom about Rachel sometimes…. Other ties she couldn't be more grateful. Yes her mom was horrifically embarrassing, but she was really supportive. Quinn wished that it hadn't taken them so long to get so close and that her mom had divorced him sooner.
Rachel was not having a good day. Despite Quinn giving her a heads up on the tantrum tossing teenagers, Rachel wasn't able to completely avoid them. Thankfully, she had decided to wear jeans today. The first time in a year that wasn't for a performance or out of school.
So far she hadn't been slushied. Probably due to the fact that her little trio had emptied out the slushy machine for their prank. Unfortunately, she had been shut in a locker during recess and had to text Dave to get her out.
Rachel had planned to go hide out in the Auditorium during lunch, but was apprehended before she could get there.
Which was why she was now surrounded by half the football team and being shoved back and forward.
"You know this juvenile behaviour is likely to bring severe repercussions on yourselves. I insist that you cease in your actions!" That just made them laugh.
"Dump her in the bin!" Rachel thought it was Azimo.
"Dude it just got emptied." Rachel didn't recognise the voice, but the fact that they were going to toss her in an empty bin terrified her. Rachel had a thing about the dark… She could not stand it. She still had to sleep with a night light on.
"Does it matter? It's just Berry." Came the irritated reply from another person.
"Please don't. I won't say anything to anyone. Just don't put me in there – its highly unsanitary!"
"Sounds like Berry's scared. Gonna cry for your faggy fathers?" Azimo sneered in her face. Rachel straightened and glared at the boy.
"You always express interest in my parents sexuality Azimo. Are you interested in hooking up with them or something?" The boy growled and quickly got hold of the tiny singer.
"Get her legs!" He snapped, and Rachel saw Rick the Stick grab her kicking legs- she pleased to note that she hit him a rather sensitive area – her joy was short lived as she felt the air smacked from her body as she collided with the floor of the massive dumpster. "See ya later Berry!"
Rachel sat up as he slammed the lid down. She desperately pushed up on the lid but it appeared that they had put something on top of it and it wouldn't shift.
She sat back down and pulled her phone out of her back pocket. She frantically pushed the on button but she wouldn't have Dave come to her rescue this time. Her phone had been crushed under the impact of her fall.
In her panic Rachel had really processed that she did hit the metal bottom hard, now though she could feel the dull throbbing pains resonating throughout her frame. She slowly drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, then she screwed her eyes shut and tucked her head down.
The thing about the darkness was… it was lonely. It was something that Rachel found to be a tangible expression of her feelings and they were something that she didn't like to be reminded of.
The darkness seemed to smother her. Coating her in an inescapable blanket. Suffocating her of any hope and happiness.
The first time her fathers left, there was a thunderstorm cutting out the electricity and leaving her in the dark. She hasn't been able to handle it since then. She really hoped someone would find her soon, even if it didn't seem likely. David and Noah didn't share any of her classes so no one would care when she didn't show.
Quinn was sitting in AP Physics bored out of her mind. Yet again, it was taking Dr Brown forever to call the roll.
Quinn jerked her head up when he repeated a particular name twice.
"Rachel Berry? Nope." Quinn glanced around the room. Sure enough, Rachel's seat was empty. Something wasn't right…
"Sir? Sue just called an emergency meeting, may I be excused?" The teacher paled and nodded frantically, probably recalling the time he actually denied the Head Cheerio permission. Who knew how much havoc Sue could wreak with a ping pong ball and tape?
"Of course, Miss Fabray." He spluttered.
Quinn spent the next ten minutes running around school checking for Rachel. She had checked the choir room, auditorium and the library. Nothing. She decided to check outside, it took a while but she eventually spotted on of the dumpsters weighted down with a bench. Please no…
Quinn hopped up onto the bin and pushed it off with her legs, then jumped back down then threw back the lid, revealing Rachel huddled in a corner.
"Rachel?" Quinn pulled the girl out of the dumpster and suddenly had her arms full with the singer. "Rach?" The brunette whimpered. "You're okay. How about I get you home? I'll get Sue to cover for us, yeah?" Rachel nodded and folded into Quinn's side. The blonde couldn't help but notice how well they fit together…
So what do you think? I kind of want to do another time jump… but let me know what you think. Maybe I should wait and do another two chapters first because I have an idea as to how Quinn tells Rachel everything. Well, not everything…
Reviews get virtual fist bumps!