Chapter 16 – Stay

Rachel looked at Kurt for what seemed like the hundredth time that day; he seemed nervous, but she didn't know why. She had asked him—several times in fact—but he always just shrugged and ignored the question. She knew he was up to something and she hated not knowing what that something was. She noticed that he kept looking at the door and wondered if he was expecting someone, but she didn't understand why he wouldn't just tell her if that was the case.

Finally, the doorbell rang and Kurt jumped up, scurrying across the room. He stopped near the kitchen and turned to look at her. With that one look, she had a sense of dread.

"Oh, by the way, I have some friends coming to stay for a few days," he said.

Rachel scoffed. "Why would you not tell me this, Kurt?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't want them to stay," Kurt said as he turned and walked the rest of the way to the door.

"Kurt Hummel," she put her hands on her hips and gave him her best glare, "tell me right this instant who you have invited to stay with us."

"Tina and Mercedes," he replied just before sliding the door open.

Rachel's jaw fell open as he revealed their two former classmates on the other side of the door. She couldn't believe he would invite them without telling her, but he was right about her not wanting them to stay. Tina wasn't so bad—they were never really friends, but she was always at least civil to her—but Mercedes was a different matter. The two never got along during high school and the other girl was always incredibly rude to her.

Mercedes always acted like Rachel got everything she wanted even though that was never the case. It seemed like every time Rachel wanted something whether it was a solo at a competition or the part of Maria in West Side Story, Mercedes was always there to take it from her. And then Mercedes would always make a big deal about how Rachel was the diva who always had to have her way. It was infuriating to Rachel and she couldn't believe the other woman was here right now.

She watched with her arms crossed over her chest as Tina, Mercedes, and Kurt did their greetings. When Mercedes caught her eye, she didn't smile and show any indication that Rachel was there. They hadn't seen each other since graduation and she'd hoped the woman had changed, but she clearly hadn't. Tina, one the other hand, at least smiled at her and Rachel gave her a slightly forced smile back.

"Kurt, can we talk?" Rachel asked.

"I should help Tina and Mercedes get settled first," Kurt replied.

"Now," she said, grabbing his arm and giving him little choice but to follow her.

She marched him into her bedroom and shut the curtain behind them. It wouldn't really block out their conversation—it was only a piece of fabric—but at least she wouldn't be able to see Mercedes' smug look when she realized Rachel had no idea they were coming.

"How could you not tell me?!" Rachel said, frowning.

Kurt sighed. "I'm sorry, but I knew you wouldn't want them to come. I know how you feel about Mercedes, but she's my friend and this is my apartment, too."

"You could have at least told me," Rachel said, crossing her arms. "A little warning would have been nice."

Kurt's face softened. "I just knew how you would react; you would have worried about it from the time I told you until now when there's no reason to stress about it."

"Well, the apartment is a mess—"

"I cleaned yesterday," Kurt interrupted. "The apartment is not a mess."

"It's not company-clean," Rachel argued.

"The apartment is perfectly fine," Kurt said, shaking his head, and smiling. "You worry too much."

There wasn't a lot she could do or say. They were here now and she couldn't very well ask them to leave. For one, it would be rude, but it would also give Mercedes the satisfaction of knowing she was still getting to Rachel. So, she was simply going to play it cool and pretend as if nothing was wrong because she did not want Mercedes knowing her mere presence was bothering her.

"Where are they going to sleep?" Rachel asked, realizing they really didn't have a lot of room.

"Tina brought a blowup mattress and they're going to sleep in the floor in my room," Kurt answered. "I promise they will not be in the way."

"I guess I should talk to Beth about them staying," Rachel said.

"It's already done," Kurt replied. "I told her yesterday that a few friends were coming."

Rachel scoffed again. "Beth knew before me!"

"Well, I knew Beth wouldn't throw a fit about it," Kurt said, nudging Rachel.

"I do not appreciate the implication that a four year old is less dramatic than I am," Rachel said, trying not to huff at the end because it would be contrary to the point she was trying to make.

Kurt laughed. "Listen, they're only going to be here for a few days and I've told Mercedes she better be nice."

"And if she's not?" Rachel asked.

"Then I will gently remind her that she is a guest in your apartment," Kurt replied.

Rachel nodded. "Fine, but she better remain civil during the duration of her stay or I will ask her to leave." Kurt's eyebrow rose and she sighed. "Fine, I won't, but I'll be unhappy."

Rachel scrubbed at a particularly stubborn spot on the plate in her hand, but the sauce that was stuck on it didn't want to come off. This was why she hated it when people didn't rinse off their dishes before putting them in the sink. She knew it had to be one of their guests because Kurt was very good about rinsing things off; he hadn't been when they first moved in together, but she quickly changed that. Sighing, she threw the plate into the other sink to let it soak and picked up a different one that didn't have remnants of their lunch on it.

They ordered pizza for lunch—Beth's choice—and then Rachel went to Beth's room to play while the other three stayed in the living room to talk. Rachel wanted to let them catch up, but she also didn't want to be around Mercedes any longer than necessary. She really tried giving her a chance, but that quickly went away when she realized she was still the exact same Mercedes from high school. It was a little disappointing; she hoped the visit would go well for all of them, but it didn't appear as if that was going to happen. So, she was going to do her best to stay out of the way, which hopefully wouldn't be too difficult since she did have work and Beth to contend with.

"Do you need any help?"

Rachel looked over her shoulder at Tina. "No, thank you."

Scrubbing at the dirty dishes was a form of stress relief for her, so even though she didn't enjoy doing them, it was making her feel a little better. Another thing that usually helped was dancing, and she was seriously thinking about taking Beth to NYADA and making use of one of the dance studios, but she didn't want the little girl to be bored. She also didn't want to leave her there when Kurt had company, so Rachel knew she would just have to settle for washing the dishes, instead.

Rachel expected Tina to leave, but she didn't; she walked toward the sink and leaned against the counter. It was a little awkward with her standing there and Rachel wanted to say something, but they had already exhausted all the small talk at lunch and she really didn't know Tina well enough to talk about other things. So, she focused on getting the milk remnants out of the glass she was concentrating on.

"I was sorry to hear about Shelby," Tina softly said after about a moment of silence.

Rachel paused her scrubbing for a moment before continuing.

"I didn't hear about it until after the funeral or I would have been there," Tina continued.

"I wasn't aware you liked Shelby that much," Rachel commented.

"I wanted to go for you," Tina replied. "I know we were never really friends and I can't imagine losing a parent, but I know if it happened, I would want familiar faces around even if they weren't exactly my friends."

"Oh," Rachel said, a little surprised by the sentiment. "Well—thank you."

"I couldn't believe it when Kurt told me you were petitioning to be Beth's guardian," Tina continued. "I can't imagine taking care of a kid at our age, and especially considering the situation. I understand, though; it would be hard knowing she'd go into the system."

"It wasn't easy," Rachel admitted. "I knew my life was going to change and become a lot harder, but there really wasn't any other option for me."

"She seems like a good kid," Tina commented.

Rachel smiled. "She is."

"She looks so much like Quinn," Tina said.

Rachel nodded and said, "Yes, she does. She's smart like her, too, and has her talent for dance."

"Is it weird?" Tina asked. "You know, raising Quinn and Puck's biological daughter."

"To be honest, I don't really think about it," Rachel replied.

"Really?" Tina asked.

"Really," Rachel replied. "Sometimes she will do something and it'll remind me, but it doesn't usually cross my mind." Rachel shrugged. "She's just—Beth."

"Has she met them?" Tina inquired.

"Yes," Rachel replied. "She's met them both, but she doesn't know who they are and I would appreciate it if you and Mercedes do not mention it."

Tina nodded. "I won't."

"Good," Rachel said. "Her life has changed enough; I don't think it would be a good time for her to find out who they are. I'm sure this year has been confusing enough without that."

"Are you ever going to tell her?" Tina asked.

"One day," Rachel replied. "I would like for her to know who her biological parents are and if she asked me now, I would tell her, but unless she asks, I would like her to be a little older. I don't even know if Shelby told her she was adopted, so to tell her now could really confuse her."

"What are you two talking about in here?" Kurt asked, walking toward the kitchen.

Instead of answering, Rachel discreetly nodded toward Beth, who was now looking in their direction. Kurt nodded in understanding and walked the rest of the way into the kitchen.

"Am I missing anything fun?" Tina asked.

"We're picking out a movie," Kurt said, crossing his arms. "I came to ask Rachel if it would be okay to invite Quinn over."

Rachel wanted to say no—she didn't know if she was ready to be around Quinn all evening on top of having to be around Mercedes—but it didn't feel right. Quinn was friends with Tina and Mercedes, and Rachel knew she would probably like to see them.

"That would be fine," she replied.

She hadn't seen or talked to Quinn since the blonde revealed that she had developed feelings for her. Rachel still hadn't quite wrapped her head around that yet and didn't know how she felt about seeing Quinn tonight. She knew she was going to have to do her best to ignore it, though; Quinn really hadn't done anything wrong and she couldn't punish her for her feelings. She knew it wouldn't be fair even if her first instinct was to avoid Quinn.

Rachel instantly tensed when she heard the knock on the door. She knew it had to be Quinn and she took a deep breath as she prepared herself for seeing the blonde. Kurt noticed and gave her a curious look, but Rachel just plastered on her best smile even though she knew her best friend wouldn't believe it was sincere. Sure enough, Kurt's eyebrow rose at the sight, so Rachel dropped the smile.

"Are you going to get that?" she asked.

"I'll get it," Mercedes said, jumping up from her spot on the couch.

Mercedes rushed over to the door and Tina hurried after her. When she slid the door open, Quinn looked surprised by them, but her surprise quickly turned into happiness. Rachel watched as she hugged them both and chatted animatedly to them while Rachel, Kurt, and Beth remained in the living room.

"You didn't tell her they were here?" Rachel asked.

"I thought it would be a nice surprise," Kurt replied.

"She does seem happy about it," Rachel observed.

Rachel looked at Beth, who had stopped coloring and was looking at the three friends near the door. She hoped all the excitement wasn't too much for the little girl; they'd never had this many people over to the apartment before and she didn't want her to be overwhelmed by it. She took it as a good sign that Beth didn't look upset, but she still wanted to be sure.

"Are you okay, Beth?" Rachel asked, but the little girl just shrugged. "If there are too many people here, you can tell us. This is your home and I want you to be comfortable here. So, are you okay? If you're not, just let us know."

Beth nodded and went back to her coloring; Kurt and Rachel looked at each other and the former shrugged. Kurt didn't look very worried about it and Rachel had to assume that Beth was fine since she wasn't saying anything.

"Hey," Quinn said.

Rachel looked up. "Hello."

Tina and Mercedes joined Kurt on the couch, looking between Rachel and Quinn the whole time. Rachel frowned slightly, wondering why they were looking at them like that, though she supposed it could be because it was the first time they'd seem them in a room together for more than three seconds without Quinn insulting her. She looked back to Quinn and noticed her looking around and Rachel figuring she was looking for a place to sit. Since the couch was occupied, Rachel scooted over a little bit, moving closer to Beth, so Quinn could sit on the other side of her. Quinn gave her a smile and walked over, joining them on the love seat.

"When did you get this?" Quinn asked.

"Last week; Kurt thought we needed more places for people to sit, and now I understand why," Rachel replied, giving her best friend a very pointed look,

"I can only apologize so much," Kurt said, huffing.

"What are you going on about?" Mercedes asked.

"Never mind," Rachel said, not wanting to get into it with everyone else there.

"Seriously, what are y—"

Rachel loudly cleared her throat and asked, "Did we ever decide on a movie?"

"Mercedes wants to watch a horror movie," Tina answered.

"We can't do that," Rachel replied.

"Why not?" Mercedes asked.

"Because there is a four year old in the room," Rachel said, figuring that was obvious.

"She's right," Quinn and Kurt replied in unison.

"We can save that for later," Rachel suggested. "Her bed time is in a few hours."

"Fine," Mercedes said, sighing.

"What about Hairspray?" Quinn asked, looking at Rachel. "You did make me promise I'd watch it sometime."

"I suppose that would be okay," Rachel said, trying to think if there was anything too objectionable for a four year old in it.

"A musical?" Mercedes asked. "What is wrong with you, girl?"

"There is nothing wrong with musicals," Rachel defended with a huff.

"I like that movie," Tina stated.

"I think you're outnumbered," Kurt said.

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Rachel hated that Mercedes had to argue about everything; she liked getting her way just as much as the next person—if she was being honest, probably more so—but she always thought Mercedes had a terrible attitude about it. She wasn't the only one in the room and Rachel really thought she should be more considerate. It wasn't like Mercedes wasn't going to get to watch the movie she wanted; she was just going to have to wait a few hours for it.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving," Quinn said. "Do you want to order something? My treat."

"You don't have to do that," Rachel replied. "You three are our guests, and if anyone should pay, it should be us."

"It's fine, Rach," Quinn said, pulling out her phone. "I want to."

She wanted to bring up the fact that Quinn paid for her and Beth when they went to dinner when they saw The Lion King, but thought better of it since she didn't want to make things weird by bringing up that night.

"Rach?" Mercedes questioningly said. "Since when do you call her Rach? I know you've got some nicknames for her, but they never involved her name."

"Things change," Quinn replied.

"What are you, like, friends now?" Mercedes asked, sounding completely disbelieving that it was even a possibility.

Rachel didn't really know how to answer that. Were they friends now? They certainly got along a lot better than when they were in high school, but she didn't know if friends was the right word. She liked who Quinn was now, but it was still difficult for her to put aside everything that had happened in the past.

"We're friends," Quinn answered, glancing at Rachel.

"Seriously?" Mercedes asked. "How the hell did that happen?"

"Mercedes," Kurt said with a tight smile on his face and warning in his voice. "Why don't we go make some popcorn while they order food?"

Mercedes looked like she wanted to say something else but stood up, nevertheless, and walked with Kurt to the kitchen. Rachel narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched them go, getting more and more annoyed with the girl.

Rachel tossed and turned, refusing to open her eyes and see what time it was. She knew it was probably past her usual time to get up, but she really didn't want to get out of bed. It didn't sound like anyone else was up and if they were, they were being very quiet. Eventually, curiosity got the best of her and she raised her head to see that it was nearly eight. She sighed and turned once more, but she couldn't seem to get in a comfortable position.

Reluctantly, she threw off the covers, lying there for a few more moments before sitting up. She knew Beth would be up at any time—that is if she already wasn't—and she should probably make breakfast. She thought about making everyone else scrounge for themselves, but she knew that would make her a bad hostess. Even if she wasn't the one to invite them, this was her place, too, so that meant they were her guests.

After finally getting out of bed and doing her quick morning routine, she walked out of her bedroom and quietly went to the kitchen. Quinn was still sleeping on the couch since it had been late by the time they finished watching movies and everyone insisted she stay. She'd seemed hesitant until Rachel agreed that she should sleep on the couch. Even if things were a little strained between them, the last thing Rachel wanted was for Quinn to get hurt going home late at night; it wasn't the safest city in the world and the blonde did live quite far away.

She glanced over her shoulder, making sure Quinn really was asleep, and walked the rest of the way into the kitchen. She opened up the cabinet and then the fridge to see what she could make. They really didn't have a lot to eat—she really needed to go food shopping—but there were the ingredients to make pancakes or waffles. Since she had just made pancakes a few days prior, she settled on making waffles for everyone. She looked around for the stepstool they kept in the kitchen, but she couldn't seem to find it.

"Hey."

Rachel jumped at Quinn's sudden voice and looked up to find her standing just outside the kitchen area. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

Quinn shook her head. "I was already awake."

"Oh," Rachel replied.

"What are you looking for?" Quinn asked.

"The stool," Rachel replied. "I thought I would make waffles for everyone, but the waffle maker is on the top shelf and given my height or lack of, I can't reach it."

Quinn smiled. "Where is it?"

"Up there," Rachel said, pointing at the corner cabinet.

Quinn walked over, opened it, and reached up, grabbing the waffle maker with no problem. Rachel huffed and crossed her arms, which only made the blonde laugh lightly.

"Do you want any help?" Quinn asked before smirking. "Other than with reaching things."

Rachel huffed again. "No."

"I'm only teasing," Quinn said, her smirk turning back into a smile. "I think it's cute that you're short."

They both froze at what she said; Rachel didn't know what to say and Quinn looked like she wanted to take it back. Instead of saying anything, Rachel turned to the fridge to grab the things she needed for the waffles.

"Sorry," Quinn finally said.

"It's fine," Rachel replied.

Rachel was fairly certain that was the first time Quinn had referred to her physical appearance in a positive manner. Most of her insults in high school had to do with the way she looked, usually insinuating that she looked like a man or a fictional, woodland creature. She always tried to ignore the insults and pretend like they had no bearing on her, but her self-esteem was damaged by it.

"Are you sure you don't want any help?" Quinn asked.

"Thank you, but I think I have it under control," Rachel replied.

"I should probably go," Quinn said.

Rachel looked over her shoulder. "You don't have to do that."

"Are you sure about that?" Quinn asked. "Last night you were really tense and I don't think it was because of the movie. Every time I moved, you looked at me like I was going to jump on you."

Rachel knew Quinn was right. She hadn't paid any attention to the movie Mercedes picked out—she couldn't even recall the title—because she had been distracted by Quinn sitting next to her. It wasn't that she thought the blonde would jump on her like Quinn said, but she was thinking about their interactions over the past few months and it left her jumpy. She was just trying to figure out the point at which they became friends and when things changed for Quinn. The blonde was always so hard to read, though.

Rachel sighed. "I'm sorry.

"You don't have to be sorry," Quinn replied. "It's my fault things are weird. Which is why I'm going to go."

"Wait," Rachel said, reaching out and grabbing Quinn's arm when she turned to leave. "You can go if you want to, but you can stay for breakfast if you would like to do that. I'm trying, okay?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement, and looked over to find Beth rubbing her eyes. She dropped Quinn's arm when she realized she was still holding onto it and smiled at the little girl.

"Good morning," Rachel greeted. "I'm getting ready to make waffles; does that sound good?" Beth sleepily nodded and Rachel glanced at Quinn. "Would you like to keep her occupied while I'm making breakfast or are you still going to go?"

Quinn looked at Beth and then looked back at Rachel. "I can stay."

Rachel nodded. "She likes to watch Spongebob in the morning, although sometimes she would rather watch Scooby Doo." Rachel waved her hand. "Just give her the remote control; she knows how to work it better than I do."

Quinn smiled. "Okay."

"I'll let you know when breakfast is ready," Rachel said, giving her a small smile back.