A/N: I'm not completely happy with how I wrote this chapter but I am at a loss on how to make it better. Hope you can enjoy it. I'm hoping to post the next chapter as well today. Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. Glee belongs to its creators and FOX.

Ch. 22

The next day was not better. It was Christmas Eve and nearly noon and Judy had yet to see Quinn. True a lot of teenagers could sleep all day if allowed, but not Quinn. Once Quinn had gotten over her pneumonia the girl had been up by 9:30 at the latest on weekend. It was nearly time to go join Leroy, Rachel, and Hiram for their Christmas and Hanukah traditions, and Judy had been looking forward to spending some time just with Quinn before that.

Seeing the minute hand strike the 12 signaling it was noon, Judy gave up waiting for Quinn to come out of her room. She knocked on the door and entered. Judy had expected to see Quinn sleeping; instead she was sitting on her bed, homework spread in front of her. "How long have you been awake?"

Quinn looked up and shrugged, "Since 8:00."

"Why didn't you come out and have breakfast. I thought you were sleeping this whole time."

Quinn raised her eyebrows and looked at Judy confused, "You told me not to come out of my room until you told me too."

Judy's jaw nearly dropped to the floor in shock. She had forgotten she said that, of course if she had remembered she wouldn't have expected Quinn to actually listen to her and for so long. When she'd said that to Frannie, the girl was out of her room complaining two hours later, sometimes sooner.

"Oh Quinn, I…I forgot I said that. I didn't mean for you to stay in here and miss breakfast. I'm sorry come on out we can have some lunch and then go over to the Berry's."

"Whatever," was the short response. Judy held her tongue and left the room. She still couldn't believe that Quinn had actually stayed in her room. Quinn was so obedient, almost too much for a teenager.

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Christmas Eve in the Berry house hold held just as much tradition as Christmas day, especially when Hanukah coincided with Christmas as it did this year. Hiram was Jewish and Leroy Lutheran, the two men had agreed long ago to raise Rachel in both faiths. When Judy joined the little family, she brought along her own Catholic traditions, traditions that Russell as a Methodist had forbidden Judy to practice.

Currently they were all putting up the Christmas ornaments of the tree. This tradition came from Leroy. His family growing up had always been busy, his father worked two jobs and his mother was the maid for Judy's family, and were often not at home at the same time. Leroy's mom demanded that the tree be decorated as a family, so the tree was left with only lights on it until Christmas Eve when the whole family was home together, than they would decorate it in the early afternoon while singing Christmas carols.

Judy glanced over at Quinn who was standing by the couch alone taking ornaments out of the boxes. Quinn had barely said two words to Judy at lunch and she had been barely cordial to the Berry's upon coming over. She was completely ignoring Rachel. Of course Rachel wasn't in a good mood either; Leroy and Hiram had grounded her for two weeks for getting drunk. Judy turned her attention back to the tree, her hopes for a wonderful joyous first Christmas as a family dashed.

"No Quinn, the figurines go on after the balls." Rachel informed Quinn who was about to put on a Snoopy ornament.

Quinn glared at Rachel, "Sorry Princess."

"Quinn." Judy growled in warning at her daughter. Quinn rolled her eyes back at her. Judy held in her temper, Quinn was testing her, pushing her, and Judy wouldn't break. This would be a nice evening if she had anything to do with it.

Soon the tree was done and Hiram jumped up "Cooking time!" Judy laughed at her friends antics. Latkes and sufganiyot were traditional Jewish foods for Hanukah, and Hiram loved them especially his sweet tooth for sufganiyot. The three Berry's headed into the kitchen with Judy and Quinn behind them. Judy instantly joined Rachel in preparing the sufganiyot, Hiram and Leroy could not be trusted not to each the jelly donuts before they were fried. Instead they two men ate half the potatoes while making the Latkes, Judy and Rachel didn't mind neither were fans of the potatoes cakes.

"Quinn you can join myself and Hiram or join your mom and Rachel." Leroy's voice drew Judy's attention away from what she was doing with Rachel back to her daughter who was just leaning against the doorway staring at her and Rachel. Judy swallowed her inner guilt, she'd been on autopilot and forgotten to make sure Quinn was with her.

"I'm fine."

The walls around Quinn were being raised in rapid fashion tonight. "Come on Quinn Rachel and I will show you how to make the sufganiyot."

"I don't eat fried foods."

"Quinn, come on it will be fun. Sufganiyot is the best part of Hanukah, how can you not like fried jelly donuts?" Rachel beamed with excitement.

"I prefer to keep my arteries from hardening, I'd like to live past thirty. But you have at it Rachie." Judy was struck by the hatred in Quinn's eyes as she stared down the other girl. Her tone dripped with contempt.

"Quinn, be nice."

"Sure."

Judy looked over at Leroy who just shrugged. This night was getting worse and worse. Judy gave Quinn one last warning look before turning and rubbing Rachel's back. "She's just up set Rach."

"I guess." Rachel sounded so sad so Judy leaned over and kissed the Rachel's temple. The screeching of the kitchen chair alerted Judy to Quinn's exit. Judy resisted the urge to go after Quinn, she'd let the girl pout and brood if she wanted too. Quinn wouldn't ruin Christmas Eve for the rest of them.

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Quinn was still fuming when the Berry family exited the kitchen and entered the living room again. She saw Judy eyeing her with disappointment but Quinn didn't care. It wasn't fair. All the traditions all the love in this house, it was so foreign to her. They had no traditions in Fabray house. Christmas Eve was just another day to her, and Christmas Day was just marked by going to church. She hadn't received a gift for Christmas since Frannie died. Russell had said that it was selfish to receive gifts on Christmas when we should be giving of ourselves to Jesus. Quinn had begun going to the homeless shelter too give out gifts and serve food when she turned 11 and Russell began allowing her to ride the bus herself.

The Berry's was so different. Every little tradition held so much love, a beautiful story behind it. The way they celebrated the three different faiths was beautiful. It hurt to see. Her heart ached with what ifs. What if Judy hadn't abandoned Frannie and herself. Would they have traditions? Would Quinn's Christmas be full of so much warmth.

The Berry's were lighting the Menorah now. Quinn just watched from the couch as Judy put her arm around Rachel and the brunette smiled up at her, then the family began to sing. It was becoming too much for Quinn. She wanted to leave, to go back to her room and cry but she didn't. She wouldn't let Judy see the pain she was going through.

"Judy are you going to read The Night Before Christmas now or after dinner?" Quinn's heart stopped at Rachel's question.

"After dinner. I think that is better time, now that you stay up so much later. We can put on A Christmas Story for you Dads while we go start dinner."

"No." Quinn found herself saying.

"What?" Rachel asked Quinn. Quinn glared at the girl, she saw red.

"You can't have that." Quinn growled.

"Have what?" Rachel looked at Judy and then her Dads.

"That is ours, you can't have it. You can have your perfect Dads, you can have your easy life, you can even have my mom, but you cannot have that, that is mine." Quinn had moved in front of Rachel now staring down at the small girl who had taken her place. "You took my place fine, whatever. But you will not take that from me. Reading The Night Before Christmas is a Fabray tradition. Not yours. You stupid short obnoxious selfish girl. She read that to me and to Frannie and when she left us Frannie read it to me. You cannot have it, it is mine. My memory, mine." Quinn was fuming and hurting. The mention of the classic Christmas Story brought back memories of sitting on Judy's lap as Judy read to her and Frannie. Memories of lying in bed with Frannie as her older sister held her and read the timeless words. Memories of a lifetime ago that Quinn barely remembered, a time when she had been happy and loved.

"Quinn, stop it. Rachel hasn't taken anything." Judy yelled.

Quinn spun to Judy, "Your right it is all your fault. You left us, you came here and got yourself a new family, you upgrade to a better daughter. You are the one who brought our tradition here." Tears began to fall down her cheeks, "But she," Quinn turned again to point at Rachel, "She took if from you. She is selfish, she has three parents and what do I have, nothing. I hate you." She yelled in Rachel's face before taking off across the room and out the door.

She ran and ran her heart pounding her eyes waterfalls. She ran until she couldn't any longer and then collapsed beside a larger oak tree, she curled up into herself, the bitter cold not even noticed as she sobbed and sobbed. She was alone again, as she always had been since Frannie died.

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