WOW! Gosh I am so overwhelmed by the responses this fic got...I can't honestly describe the feeling of knowing you are interested in this fanfiction so much. Without you, writers wouldn't be so happy to write and share their ideas. So. THANK YOU! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Hope you'll like this chapter as much as the first one; I promise it won't be all angst and drama for the girls, because although it seems they both have moved on, there's still Harmony and not every hope is lost.
What I aim to do is to show both a glimpse of what they used to be in the very beginning and then skipping to what changed between them that led to Rachel cheating and their marriage falling apart. Both have their share of faults, of course and the identity of the guy Rachel had an affair with, will be revealed soon.
Stay tuned and please let me know your thoughts or suggestions! THANKS AGAIN!
Warning: G!P Quinn.
Flashbacks still in Italics. Mistakes are all mines.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER 2
The umpteenth argument with Rachel really didn't settle well with Quinn's already confused life, since finding out about her ex-wife's affair she hadn't been able to focus on her photography agency and just divided her time between Harmony, drinking and nameless girls. The blonde was currently sitting in her favorite bar, nursing a glass of her favorite scotch when the bartender moved to stand in front of her practically slapping her ample chest in her face. Classy girls were definitely hard to find, nowadays. Shaking her head, the photographer looked anywhere but at those tanned boobs so that she couldn't be tempted to take the girl home and add another notch in the bedpost. Luckily for her, though, two familiar brunettes walked through the door and straight toward her, ready to take care of their mutual friend and make sure she wouldn't drown her sorrow in too much alcohol.
"Hey Q! Look what I found outside." Finn's arm was draped around a Latina's slender waist, hugging the girl to her side and making sure that her beauty didn't catch too much attention from the other patrons in the crowded bar. "Drinking alone? That doesn't sound good buddy." He plopped down on the nearest booth and paid for another round, nodding toward their finest bottle of scotch.
"You know me Hudson, I am a loner." Quinn shook her head and sent a glare to their silent friend, who had grabbed a hold of the bottle and was taking long swings from it. "Slow down tiger, what the fuck happened to you?" She snatched the bottle from Santana and slipped it across the bar toward the brunette guy, who poured himself a nice amount before setting it back down.
"What else, Quinn? Girls and their stupid problems." The Latina held her head between her hands and just stared down at the counter, breathing deeply and fighting the tears back. "You must have a pretty good idea, since your ex-wife is being a pain in the fucking ass about this divorce thing." Looking at her blonde best friend, the lawyer sighed deeply and patted her shoulder comfortingly. "We need to go over some stuff before the trial, Q." She downed the drink and then stood up on wobbly legs, before making her way to the dance floor and blow some of the steam off.
"And you wonder why I don't settle down? God, your women have quite the grip on your balls and still they manage to be always pissed off at you. I care about my junk and don't want to have anyone stomp on it like that, sounds painful." The ex-Lt. shook his head in amusement and threw the bottle back toward the blonde, who nodded softly and poured herself another drink. Maybe he was right after all.
Their attempt to keep the night quiet, after the already drama filled conversation she had with Rachel, failed miserably when an obvious drunk guy started roaming his paws in places that Santana had clearly reserved for her fiancée only. The feisty Latina had pushed him back already, trying to move off the dance floor and back to her friends who were keeping a vigilant eyes on the scene, knowing when or if to intervene at the girl's defense. Finn was the first to shoot up from the seat, quickly crossing the space left between the bar counter and the dance floor to step between the now raging Latina and the highly inebriated guy, who had a couple of his friends backing him up if needed. The tall height and the past as soldier definitely helped during these kind of situations, but it was still three against one and he did not really want to cause any damage unless it was strictly needed; when the drunk frat boy tried to step around him, he didn't give that much of a thought and just shoved him back into his friends, sending them into a mess of limbs and spilled drinks.
"That teaches you a lesson about women, fucker. No means fucking no." Santana was led back to the bar counter, so they could retrieve their belongings and get the hell out of there, before the bouncers took charge of the situation and kicked them out in the hard way. The photographer and the lawyer stumbled out of the back door in the dirty alley behind the bar, followed by a newly sobered up Finn who had safely escorted them outside. Although, things didn't exactly look so good when the three guys from before stepped in front of them, blocking the way; the taller guy stepped back in front, trying to reason with them but it was obvious they weren't looking for a peaceful reconciliation when a strong punch was delivered to Finn's jawline.
"Motherfucker!" Finn groaned in pain, holding the side of his face but recovering in time to dodge another blow aimed at his head and quickly fighting back, after being cowardly attacked. The experience from the Army surely helped in such situations and he was almost certain both Quinn and Santana could take care of themselves at least until he took the most skilled guy down. After a series of punches, thrown back and forth, he had managed to knock the bulky frat boy out and grabbed both of his friends from the back of their shirts, throwing them against the dirty dumpsters in the alley. "You okay?" His lip had been split and he could taste blood, but his main concerns were the two women who were leaning against the rough walls getting their breaths back under control.
"Everything still in place, Finn. Thanks, though." Quinn smiled gratefully at him, her left eye had already turned purple and her knuckles were bleeding from the punches she had thrown; both their gazes turned to the other woman, whose designer blouse had gotten ruined during the brawl, but who looked okay exception made for the bleeding nose. "We can crash at mine, it's closer and bigger for the three of us." The photographer pushed herself off the wall and draped her jacket over Santana's shoulders, leading both her friends toward the street to catch a cab and finally go home.
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The news about Jesse's infidelity with his co-star ran fast in the city and Rachel was left licking her wounds or dealing with gossip articles that pictured her like a self-centered diva who had pushed her ex into the arms of another man. Truth was, the brunette was already aware of the passionate affair the curly haired man had started and the couple was together only to promote the Broadway production they both starred into. Not everyone knew that, though, and the second time Quinn ran into the singer she had tried to lend her a shoulder to cry on, knowing it would have been the best approach to make an impression on a heartbroken girl. The Broadway starlet's reaction, though, totally took the blonde by surprise making her wonder what she had done wrong this time.
"Your offer of comfort is quite endearing, Miss Fabray, but I'd keep that for someone who would swoon at the gesture and fall for your charming ways easier than I would." Rachel chuckled at her companion for the night, as they sat across from each other in the new vegan restaurant she had wanted to try since its opening. "But I bet you can call this a success, do not tell me you weren't delighted when I decided to finally accept your dinner offer." She brought the fork to her mouth, eating the last bit of vegan lasagna she had ordered.
"I was quite surprised and my offer was purely uninterested, from what I read and heard they make it look like you were the bad guy in the whole thing." Quinn sipped from her glass and kept her eyes on the brunette, who chuckled and shook her head amused. "So, let me get this straight. You two were using each other as gay beards for the only purpose of promote your show?" She whispered the last statement, not wanting to be overheard. "Isn't that a little sad?"
"It is how things work in the showbiz, one day you are in and the other one you are out. Jesse has been a wonderful partner on stage and an equally good friend, the producers thought it would be convincing to take our chemistry off screen and increase the attention around the show." Rachel shrugged lightly and finished her own glass of red wine in one last gulp. "I introduced him to Blaine myself and I am nothing but ecstatic about their relationship going so well; it feels like a personal accomplishment."
"I'll never understand these things, not even in 50 years." The blonde sat her fork down and poured some more wine in the singer's glass, quickly scanning the crowd to check paparazzi or flashes ready to go off around them. "Doesn't being in the spotlight ever bother you? I mean, we are having a causal dinner and people might be around you ready to take pictures of your eating habits or the person you are dining with."
"You get used to it but there are times I could use some privacy." Rachel thanked the waitress that grabbed their almost empty plates and rested her chin on her hands, staring at the young photographer with curiosity. "So is this a casual dinner? Here I thought it was just foreplay before taking me back to your apartment and keep me up for the whole night. Those rumors about you being an insufferable player must be legends, after all."
"You really know how to boost someone's enthusiasm huh?" The Yale student chuckled at the brunette's forwardness and smirked knowingly at her, not wanting to play the tricks up her sleeves yet. She had really gotten an idea of what kind of girl the brunette was. So cocky on the outside, with all the big words and the bluntness but on the inside, she was just another girl not really made for meaningless sex without the promise of something more. Truth was that for the first time, Quinn had no intentions to let it be just another one night stand. She wanted more and hoped Rachel would agree on that. "The night is young, what's the rush?"
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When Quinn's car pulled into the driveway, she was disappointed to find a familiar black convertible standing in the same spot that used to belong to her. It was her driveway in front of the house that she had put half of her money and a lot of work on; the anger for being replaced so easily was still so strong, but she couldn't risk her time with Harmony because some dumbass face was keeping her ex-wife's bed warm at night. Sighing deeply, the blonde slipped her favorite aviators sunglasses on and jumped out of her good old Porsche before skipping to the front door to get her daughter for the weekend.
"Mommy!" As soon as the door swung open, the photographer was almost tackled to the ground by a excited brunette who had her arms and legs wrapped around her, holding tightly onto her mother. "You are early!" She giggled in the blonde's neck and nuzzled it gently, relishing in her familiar scent. "Mom isn't here yet."
"It's fine baby girl, she knew you'd be staying with me this weekend." Quinn set her daughter against her left hip and walked inside the house, looking around. "Were you home alone? Cause you know you are not allowed to open the door, without an adult's supervision." The young mother kissed the girl's forehead and held her a little tighter, as if to convey her worries and needs of protection through a simple hug.
"Quinn, what do we owe the honor?" A tall brunette man appeared in the doorway, looking between Harmony and her mother with a visible frown. "Rachel is not here, but I'll kindly deliver her any message you have for her." Crossing his arms over his broad chest, he smirked at the anger already filling the woman's hazelnut eyes, fully aware of how much his presence in the house bothered her.
"I am here to pick Harmony for our weekend together, Rachel already knows that so you can keep your messenger duties for another time." She said through gritted teeth and gently lowered the small brunette on the floor, so she didn't have to witness their conversation. "Baby girl, go pack your bag and grab a jacket. I'll be here, waiting for you." She patted her butt and directed her toward the staircase, keeping her eyes on the petite frame until she was out of sight. "What are you doing in my house?"
"Correction. This is not your house anymore and you don't have any say on who comes and goes from here." He smirked widely and stood taller, hoping to intimidate the shorter woman who still held her ground and wore a even more pissed off expression. "I am not sure you know that I fully intend on make my stay permanent around here and when that happens, I don't think I'll allow you coming around here and act as you still own this place. My house, my wife and my rules."
"Well, Brody, obviously attending Law School with daddy's money didn't provide enough knowledge about how divorces work huh? First of all, until all the papers are signed Rachel is still my wife and this house still belongs to both of us." Quinn stepped closer to the guy, whose smirk had slowly dissolved in a frown. "Secondly, if you think that you can keep me away from my daughter by not allowing me to come here, you have another thing coming. You stupid kid, what do you know about raising a child huh? Or working your ass off to provide for your family?" The lack of response from his side was enough to answer her rhetorical questions. "You live off your daddy's money and probably never got your hands dirty, so I highly suggest you to keep your mouth shut and your nose out of my business." She fixed him with another hard glare before being interrupted by her ex-wife walking through the door, after her daily rehearsals.
"What's going on here?" Rachel sat her purse and light jacket by the door, shifting her questioning gaze between her visibly frightened boyfriend and smug looking ex-partner, who leaned against the doorway with arms crossed over her chest. "Brody, hun, why don't you go make me some tea? I need to have a word with Quinn." She nodded toward the kitchen, without giving him the chance to say anything else.
"Such a nice tool you got there, Rach." The blonde chuckled to herself and slipped her sunglasses up over her head, forgetting about the fading bruise that she had gotten few days before. She kept her smirk on until she read the obvious angry frown on the woman's face, who approached her slowly to take a better glimpse of her left eye. "What?"
"Old habits die hard huh? What was it this time? A rough lover or another boyfriend who kicked the hell out of you for fucking his girl?" Rachel shook her head in disappointment and rested her hands on her hips, not knowing how the photographer's bad qualities used to be so charming and attracting. "You will never learn until someone puts you back in place for good. Right? How many times are you going to let it happen, Quinn? How many times you'll keep on this totally absurd behavior that hurts you and everyone else around you?"
"God Rach, it feels like you almost fucking care." Quinn looked down into the brunette's eyes, still being able to read all of her emotions like a book whose language she was the only one able to decode. Anger, disappointment and worry (?) filled her chocolate orbs, holding so many emotions that she almost felt overwhelmed; her smirk slowly fell and the realization that maybe a small part of her still cared hit her like a slap in the face. Something she really deserved, at the moment. "It wasn't anything like that, for the record. I was with Finn and Santana and a couple of guys got too clingy, we just tried to protect ourselves."
"Of course, the powerful trio never starts anything right? I bet you were minding your own business and the punches just landed on you three, without you having any fault." The singer shook her head and sighed deeply, not knowing how to trust the blonde's words. She wanted to, but too many times she had heard the same old story and she was sick of it. "Brittany called me in tears because of the umpteenth fight with Santana and I bet it was the same night you got your black eye. They are not even married and they already look like-"
"Like what, Rachel? Like us?" The photographer chuckled sarcastically and ran a hand through her short hair, feeling it slightly damp from the summer heat and the tension in the room. Almost twelve years together and Rachel Berry still affected her like anyone else did, reducing her in a mess of cold sweat and nerves. "You couldn't be more wrong about that Rachel cause, despite how everything turned out to be, we were one of a kind. We used to be happy before all the mess we got tangled up with and if you can't see past all the mistakes and the misunderstandings, then I highly advise you to take a look to the best thing in our lives that we couldn't have had without each other." Quinn stepped closer to the shorter woman and pointed to the bedroom zone upstairs, where quick footsteps and happy giggles could be heard through the thin walls. "You might be dating that dumb bimbo or I might be a careless jerk, but at the end of the day when I look at our daughter I see something that no one else can never have. So no, they are not like us because we used to be made for each other, we just lost sight of it along the way." With a last sad whisper, the blonde woman walked up the staircase toward her daughter's bedroom leaving a silent and pensive Rachel behind.