Chapter 29 – Home

"We're home!" Leroy called out as he entered the house, setting Rachel and Beth's bags down just as Hiram came rushing toward the foyer.

"My girls!" Hiram said, throwing his arms out.

Rachel smiled as her father lifted her off the ground as he hugged her before turning his attention to Beth and doing the same to her. With Rachel, Beth, Kurt, and Quinn all coming in, he'd stayed home, so there would be enough room in the car for everyone. And Rachel was grateful for it. Even with Hiram not in the car, it had been a tight squeeze with five people and some of the luggage that they hadn't been able to squeeze into the trunk.

"How was the flight?" Hiram asked as he set Beth down.

"Thankfully, short," Rachel replied. "There were two crying babies and a man in front of us who immediately fell asleep and began snoring."

Hiram laughed. "That sounds absolutely terrible."

"It was," Rachel replied. "I'm fairly sure it was the longest two hours of my life."

"Well, you're home now and that's all that matters," Hiram said, giving her another hug. "Are you hungry or did you guys eat on the way?"

"We picked up something at the airport, but that was a while ago," Rachel replied.

"How about I go whip something up, then?" Hiram said, humming.

"You're cooking?" Rachel asked.

"Does putting sandwiches together count as cooking?" Hiram asked.

"That makes more sense," Rachel replied with a laugh.

"It should only take a few minutes," Hiram said, putting his head on Beth's head, and ruffling her hair.

"I'll just take my bags upstairs and then I'll be back down," Rachel said as she walked over and picked up hers and Beth's luggage.

"Do you want any help?" Leroy asked.

"I got it," Rachel replied.

Since they were only going to be there for the weekend, they only had two suitcases, so it was manageable. Rachel's was fairly small since she only brought the essentials, but Beth's was quite a bit larger. The little girl wanted to bring some toys, which were taking up over half the suitcase. She had wanted to bring even more, but Rachel would only let her bring what fit in the one bag. Thankfully, Beth hadn't put up too much of a fuss, especially when Rachel reminded her about her room at the Berry house.

She carried the bags up the stairs, setting hers in her old room, and then going across the hall to Beth's room. She unzipped it and pulled out Beth's clothes, walking over to the dresser, and putting them inside. She always thought it was better to unpack instead of living out of a suitcase, even if they were only going to be there a few days.

Rachel turned around just as Beth came into the room, and she immediately walked over to the small table. She picked up one of the coloring books—Rachel was certain the pile was bigger than the last time they were there—and looked through it until finally stopping on a page and grabbed the nearby box of crayons.

"I'm just going to be across the hall," Rachel said.

"Okay," Beth replied as she pulled a pink crayon out of the box.

"I'll let you know when lunch is ready," Rachel said.

Beth nodded and looked up, giving her a small smile. Rachel smiled back before turning and leaving the room. As she walked down the hallway, she stopped to look at a few of the pictures; there were quite a few new ones since the last time she was there. She'd seen them all before, though; there was one from Beth's first day of school, one from her dance class, and a very recent one of them together at the zoo.

"We just put that one up yesterday," Leroy commented.

"It's my favorite," Rachel replied. "Quinn took it."

Rachel glanced at her father as she bypassed him on her way to her old bedroom. Other than a new bedspread, everything in the room was exactly how she'd left it when they were last there. She didn't really know why, but every time she went home, she expected everything to be different only to find it the same.

"Are you going to take Beth with you when you go to Shelby's house?" Leroy asked as he leaned against the door frame.

"Actually, I was going to talk to you about that," Rachel replied. "I know you offered your help, but I wondered if you and Dad would help me by watching Beth while I'm there. Yesterday, I told her what we were doing and asked if she would like to go with us or if she would like to spend the day with you guys, and she said she would like to stay with you."

"Of course," Leroy said with a nod. "Was she okay after you told her?"

"She didn't really say anything," Rachel answered. "I know she understood what I was saying, though."

"Maybe it's just too soon for her," Leroy replied.

"Lunch is ready!" Hiram called up.

"I'm going to unpack my suitcase and then I'll be right down," Rachel said, turning to her bag.

"I'll take Beth down," Leroy replied.

Rachel gave her father a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"I believe that's it," Rachel said, pointing to the left side of the road, at a small, two-story, brick house.

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked.

"Yes," Rachel answered.

She had never actually seen the house, but her fathers had told her exactly where it was, and when they got a little closer, she saw that it was the correct house number. It was a nice little house; the grass was a little overgrown, but that was to be expected. It hadn't been completely neglected, though. Her fathers admitted to her that they had actually hired someone to go by once a month to do some yard work. Until telling her that afternoon, she'd had no idea they had done it or she would have insisted on paying for it herself since it was her responsibility now.

"It's nice," Rachel commented.

"It is," Kurt replied. "I would have expected Shelby to have a house that was a little more modern, though."

Kurt pulled into the driveway and immediately got out of the car, but Rachel sat there and stared out the window. She didn't know if she was ready to do this, but she really had no choice. It had to be done sooner or later and she was already here, so it would be crazy to back out now.

"Are you coming?" Kurt asked through the window.

Rachel took a deep breath and nodded before opening her door. When she stepped out of the vehicle, she continued to stare at the house, wondering how anyone ever really made it through things like this. She guessed everyone had to do something like this at least once in their life and now it was her turn. Thankfully, she had the support of her friends and family; she couldn't imagine doing this without them and wondered if she would ever be able to thank them enough.

"I think that's Quinn," Kurt said, drawing her attention to the car coming down the road.

Rachel looked over her shoulder just as the car pulled up behind Kurt's vehicle. When Quinn stepped out of the car, she locked eyes with Rachel, who gave her a sad smile. Quinn shut her door and immediately walked over to Rachel, taking her hand, and squeezing it. She was thankful Quinn had made it there before she had to go into the house; it was going to be hard, but she knew it would be a little bit easier with her girlfriend there.

"Did you bring the keys?" Kurt asked.

"Yes," Rachel said, reaching into her purse, and pulled it out to hand over to Kurt. "Here. Go on in; I'll be there in a little bit."

Rachel watched as Kurt walked toward the house and then glanced at Quinn. The blonde was looking at her in concern and Rachel didn't really have anything to say to sooth those concerns. Anything she said would be a lie, and she wasn't going to lie to Quinn.

"Did your dads ever decide where we're eating tomorrow?" Quinn asked.

"They have not," Rachel replied. "They have it narrowed down to two or three places. They're not usually this indecisive, but I think they just want to pick the perfect restaurant. I thought maybe we could go together, so I don't have to feel quite so bad about telling you at the last minute."

Quinn gave her a smile. "That's fine. And you should tell them that it doesn't matter to me where we eat."

"I don't think they'll listen," Rachel said, shaking her head. "They seem pretty determined at this point."

"At least they're trying," Quinn commented. "That's more than I can say for my mother."

"Did your time at home not go very well?" Rachel wondered.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "She asked who all came in, and when I told her, she started asking me about Kurt. I had to remind her that he's the Kurt from Glee Club and neither of us are each other's type. She just doesn't give up."

"I'm sorry," Rachel said, frowning.

"I'm used to it by now," Quinn replied.

"Maybe, but you shouldn't have to be used to it," Rachel said, shaking her head.

"Don't worry about it," Quinn replied, kissing her cheek.

She gave the blonde a smile and said, "We should probably get inside."

"Are you sure you're ready?" Quinn asked.

"No, but I doubt I'll ever really be ready," Rachel answered.

Quinn nodded and then looked over at the house. "It's going to be weird being in there. I can only imagine how it must feel for you." She sighed and looked at Rachel. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Having you by my side is more than enough," Rachel said, squeezing the blonde's hand. "Come on; let's go inside before I change my mind about this."

Rachel put the last two books in the box and then closed it, taping the top up. She grabbed her marker from the nearby shelf and wrote 'books - donate' on the top. She had saved a couple for herself, but most of them had ended up in the box to give to the local library. With the bookcase packed, the living room was now nearly done. She just had to go through Shelby's CD collection and then everything would be packed.

Thankfully, there wasn't a lot of clutter in the house; Shelby had kept it remarkably clean and organized for someone with a four year old. It certainly made their job a lot easier. Most of the stuff in the house were big items—furniture, appliances, a large television—that didn't really need to be packed, so they were all making good time. So far, the living room and kitchen were almost done while the bathrooms were both packed up. All that was left were the two bedrooms, which would take a good amount of time, and some odds and ends.

"Hey," Quinn said, coming up behind Rachel, and wrapping her arms around her.

"Hi," Rachel replied, leaning back into the blonde.

"Are you getting hungry?" Quinn asked. "We could stop for the evening and go get something."

"Yes, just let me finish up with the CDs," Rachel said.

"Okay," Quinn said, kissing Rachel's shoulder, and then letting her go.

"Kurt, do you want to go to dinner with us?" Rachel called into the kitchen as she walked across the room to the CD tower.

"Actually, I was going to ask you about something," Kurt said, walking out of the kitchen.

"About what?" Rachel asked.

"Finn told a few of the old Glee Club we were coming in and I'm supposed to meet them for dinner," Kurt stated. "He wanted me to invite you two."

"Why didn't you mention this before?" Rachel wondered.

"He just told me today and after I picked you up, I forgot," Kurt replied. "I'm sorry, but I can't remember everything."

"I don't think so, Kurt," Rachel said.

"Who's going to be there?" Quinn asked.

"As far as I know, Finn, Puck, Mercedes, and Mike," Kurt replied.

"Yes, I'll definitely pass," Rachel said, having no desire to spend her evening around Mercedes.

"Why don't we go?" Quinn asked. "It could be fun."

"Fun?" Rachel asked. "It doesn't particularly sound like a fun night to me."

"I know you don't want to see Mercedes, but what if I promise she won't say anything to you?" Quinn asked.

"I don't see how you can promise that," Rachel said, shaking her head.

"Listen to Quinn, please," Kurt chimed in. "Quinn and I want you to be there, and I'm sure Finn and Puck would both love to see you. We'll keep Mercedes in line."

Rachel sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. The day had already been stressful enough without having to deal with someone she disliked. But she would like to spend the evening with her friends, and it had been a while since she'd seen Puck, Finn, and Mike. She didn't know how her friends would be able to keep their promise, but she was going to try to give them the benefit of the doubt and trust what they were saying.

"Fine," Rachel said.

"Yay!" Kurt said, clapping his hand together. "You won't regret it."

"I don't know about that," Rachel mumbled.

"I'm going to finish up the kitchen," Kurt said, smiling as he turned around and walked away.

"Hey," Quinn said, reaching out for Rachel's hand. "I know this has been a long day, but maybe this will be good for you. Just try to relax and have fun, okay? And if Mercedes does say anything, ignore her. She has no idea what she's talking about; she just likes to be a bitch to you."

"I'll try," Rachel replied.

It would be nice to have the night out after being in Shelby's house all day, but she was still skeptical. If Mercedes wasn't going, she would have readily agreed, but her being there would inevitably put a damper on the night. Rachel never felt like she could be herself around the other girl because she would always jump on anything she said. It was frustrating, to say the least.

"Hey," Quinn said, wrapping her arms around Rachel's waist, and pulling her close. "I promise to make sure she leaves you alone, okay. The first time she says something, I'll be sure to put her in her place. Trust me, I'm not going to let her insult my girlfriend and get away with it."

Rachel couldn't help but smile. "I believe that's the first time you've ever called me that."

"Oh yeah?" Quinn asked, smiling back. "How do you like the sound of it?"

"Very much," Rachel said, leaning up, and bringing their lips together.

As Rachel walked into the restaurant, she looked around for Kurt. He'd left the house a little bit before she and Quinn had and should be there by now. They had lagged behind a little because Rachel was trying to talk herself into going. Even if Quinn was there to defend her and put a stop to anything Mercedes did or said, she was still a little unsure about going. Of course, the more she thought about it, the less she wanted Mercedes to win. Rachel wanted to see her friends and she knew she shouldn't let Mercedes stop her from doing that.

"Do you see them?" Rachel asked.

"No," Quinn said, standing on the tips of her toes to get a better look. "Wait. There—in the corner."

Rachel still couldn't see them—she was far too short to see over everything like Quinn could—so she let the blonde lead the way. As they walked across the room, Rachel almost grabbed Quinn's hand, but then she remembered where they were. Not only were people they knew around, but they were in a room full of people who would probably disapprove of their relationship. Not that Rachel really cared what they thought about her, but Quinn probably did, and she wasn't going to put her in an awkward situation like that.

"If you want to leave at any time, just let me know, okay?" Quinn whispered into Rachel's ear.

The brunette nodded and gave Quinn a grateful smile. She hoped it didn't come to that; she would really like to have a nice night out with old friends. After spending the day at Shelby's house, she needed to have a little fun. All day, everywhere she looked was a reminder of what she lost, and especially what Beth had lost. Going through Shelby's things just reminded her about how little she knew her mother, but at the same time, it almost made her feel a little closer to the woman even though she knew it was probably silly.

"There they are," Kurt said as they approached.

"Hey, ladies," Puck said as he stood.

"Hello, Noah," Rachel replied.

He gave both of them a hug and then sat down a seat over, which allowed them to sit together. Rachel smiled gratefully at him and took her seat. When Quinn sat down next to her, the blonde put her hand on Rachel's leg and looked over at her. Rachel knew she was probably checking to make sure she hadn't changed her mind yet, so she gave her a smile to let her know she was okay.

"So, Quinn, what are you doing here?" Mercedes asked. "I know why Kurt came, but why you?"

"I came to help Rachel," Quinn said with a shrug.

"Why?" Mercedes asked.

"Because I wanted to," Quinn answered, raising her eyebrow slightly.

"I didn't know you two were friends," Finn said with a frown.

"Well, we are," Quinn said, sounding a little annoyed.

Rachel put her hand over Quinn's and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "We've been friends for a while now, Finn. We discovered we have more in common than we thought."

"I think it's nice that you're friends," Mike chimed in.

"Thank you, Mike," Rachel replied.

"You gotta admit it's a little weird," Mercedes stated.

"Why?" Rachel asked, getting a little annoyed herself. "Because you don't see how anyone would ever want to be friends with me?"

Everyone around the table fell silent as they waited for Mercedes' answer. She glanced at Quinn and Rachel noticed that she looked reluctant to say anything.

"It's just weird," she eventually answered.

"It is a little weird, but it's also kinda cool, I guess," Finn said.

"Dude, are we gonna order?" Puck asked. "I'm starving."

"Me too," Rachel said, reaching across the table for one of the menus.

Rachel opened the menu and looked over it. She had never been to the restaurant before—it was a fairly new Italian restaurant—but the menu looked wonderful. And if the crowd was anything to go by, it seemed to be fairly popular, which hopefully meant the food was good. At least they had a few vegan options, which was more than she could say for most of the places in Lima.

"Would you want to split the stuffed mushrooms?" Quinn asked lightly, leaning toward her.

Rachel smiled. "You read my mind."

When she looked up, she noticed Finn looked at her curiously. She assumed he was still trying to work out how she and Quinn had become friends when the last time he saw them, they hated each other. Or at least Quinn seemed to hate her. Rachel figured he just wasn't used to seeing them together and not fighting over him. The thought of that made her laugh lightly; it was amazing how much things had changed.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked, looking at her in amusement.

"Yes," Rachel said, looking back at Quinn, and smiling.

"Are you sure you don't want to go home?" Quinn asked.

"No," Rachel replied. "But if you want to, I can always get a ride with Kurt."

Quinn shook her head. "I would much rather be with you than go home to my mother."

They were sitting in the car, outside the Hummel-Hudson house. After dinner, they discussed for far too long what they would do just to end up deciding to go to someone's house to hang out. Rachel was just glad no one wanted to go with Mercedes' idea of going to the only club in town. She really wasn't up for that kind of atmosphere right now. At least at Kurt and Finn's house, she could catch up with her friends without having to shout to be heard.

They both stepped out of the car and Rachel wrapped her arms around herself. It was a little chillier than she had expected and she wished she'd brought her heavier coat. She quickly walked to the front door with Quinn only a few steps behind her and let herself in. Judging by the number of cars around, everyone else had already arrived, which wasn't surprising since they'd sat in the car for a while before leaving the restaurant.

"There you guys are," Kurt said. "What took you so long? Actually, I doubt I want to know."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "It was nothing like that."

"What was nothing like what?" Mercedes asked, coming within earshot.

"Nothing," Quinn answered.

"Everyone is in the den," Kurt said before getting out of the line of fire.

"Can we talk for a second, Quinn?" Mercedes asked.

Quinn nodded and then looked at Rachel and said, "I'll be right there."

Rachel wished she could lean up and give Quinn a kiss, but instead, she turned and walked toward the den. When she walked into the room, everyone was inside. The moment Finn said her name, he scooted over, clearly wanting her to sit next to him. She looked around, but there wasn't anywhere she and Quinn could sit together, so she let out a light sigh and walked over to him, sitting down.

"Kurt told me why you're here," Finn stated. "Are you okay and everything?"

"I'm fine, Finn," Rachel answered.

"I know it's gotta suck," Finn said.

"Yes, it does," Rachel agreed.

"So, how's New York?" Finn asked.

"It's fine," Rachel replied. "It's not always easy juggling Beth, school, and work, but we manage. Kurt's been a lot of help; I really can't imagine how I would have done it without him."

"He really seems to like Beth," Finn said, giving her a crooked smile. "He's always telling me about her and he sent some pictures from when she started school."

"The feeling is mutual," Rachel remarked. "She adores him."

"That's cool," Finn replied. "So, like, what about other things? Do you have a boyfriend or anything?"

"I am dating someone, yes," Rachel answered.

"What's his name?" Finn asked.

Rachel didn't want to lie, but she also couldn't tell Finn that she was dating Quinn. She glanced to the left just as the blonde was walking in, and then looked back at Finn. She honestly didn't know what to say to him, and she was beginning to think she should have just told him she wasn't dating anyone. Of course, then there was always the possibility that he would attempt to rekindle things with her and that wouldn't be any less awkward.

"Hey," Quinn said.

"Hi, Quinn," Rachel replied.

"What's going on?" Quinn asked, sitting on the arm of the chair next to Rachel.

"I was just asking who Rachel's boyfriend is," Finn said.

"Boyfriend?" Quinn asked, looking down at her.

"That's not exactly what I said," Rachel whispered to Quinn. "He assumed."

Quinn nodded and whispered back, "If you want to tell him, tell him."

"What?" Rachel asked. "Are you sure?"

"Honestly, I don't care anymore," Quinn replied. "Everyone who matters already knows."

Rachel was a little surprised, but she realized Quinn was right—everyone who truly mattered already knew the truth about their relationship. Even though she hadn't really thought about telling people while they were there, she didn't want to lie and she certainly didn't want Quinn to think she wasn't important enough to tell people about. Part of her had been afraid to tell anyone because she kept expecting the rug to be pulled out from underneath her, but since hearing that Quinn loved her, things had really changed for Rachel. She was no longer so afraid.

"What's going on?" Finn asked.

"Well," Rachel cleared her throat. "I'm—" She glanced at Quinn again just to be sure she hadn't changed her mind. "I know this may come as a surprise, but I'm dating Quinn. She and I are in a relationship."

"What?" Finn asked, looking as if it was a joke that he wanted to laugh at.

"I'm serious, Finn," Rachel replied.

"You two are—seriously?" Finn asked, looking dumbfounded.

"What's going on?" Kurt asked, clearly hearing Finn's slightly raised voice.

"Dude, did you know?" Finn asked.

Kurt looked at Rachel and raised his eyebrow. "Know what?"

"About them?" Finn asked.

"You told him?" Kurt asked, and Rachel nodded. "Of course I knew."

"Are you okay, Finn?" Rachel inquired.

"Yeah, I'm just—how did this happen?" Finn said, looking at her.

"I'll fill you in later," Kurt replied. "But since you're telling people, can I please be the one to tell Mercedes?"

Rachel laughed and Quinn said, "Go for it."

"Mercedes!" Kurt called out, walking off to find her.

"I can only imagine what she's going to say," Rachel said in amusement.

"Should we follow him?" Quinn asked, smirking at her.

"Please," Rachel said, grabbing Quinn's hand, and pulling her to her feet with a laugh.

I'm currently working on 30 Days to Love, which means the next chapter of this story will be pushed back a week, so rather than one week off, it'll be two.