Chapter 32 – Halloween

"You need to eat before you get ready!" Rachel called out to Beth before sighing and looking at Kurt. "I hate that you're not coming with us tonight."

"Me too, but I already took off last Friday night," Kurt replied. "I don't think management is very happy that I keep requesting weekends off. Shane told me not to even ask about tonight."

"But it's her first Halloween with us," Rachel said, pouting.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that. If it doesn't work for Beth, it's not going to work for you. And you know I need this job. We need this job."

"I know," Rachel reluctantly replied.

She knew that Kurt would much rather take Beth out tonight than go to work, but it was still disappointing that he couldn't get out of it. At least Quinn would be there—and Zoe and Emma, of course—but Kurt missing such a big moment just didn't feel right. And it wasn't just her who was going to miss his presence that night; she knew Beth wanted him there, too. She hadn't said much about it, but when Rachel told Beth that Kurt had to work, she could tell by the look on the little girl's face that she was sad about it.

"Beth!" Rachel called out again.

"Maybe she's too excited to eat," Kurt commented.

"Regardless, she needs to eat," Rachel replied. "I'm sure they'll have food at the school, but it'll probably all be sugary. She at least needs one decent meal this evening. Beth, you're not getting your costume on until after you eat!"

"That got her out," Kurt said when Beth finally walked out of her room.

"We need to hurry or we're going to be late," Rachel informed Beth.

"Speaking of, I need to go," Kurt said, kissing Rachel's cheek, and then walking over and kissing the top of Beth's head. "You both be good tonight. Don't let any ghosts or goblins get you."

"Those aren't real," Beth stated.

"You don't know that," Kurt argued.

"Yes I do," Beth replied. "Mommy told me they weren't."

Kurt and Rachel locked eyes for a moment before the latter said, "Your Mommy was right. Kurt's just being silly."

Kurt's eyebrows rose as he walked by and Rachel gave him a sad smile. It was one of the few times Beth had brought up Shelby, almost all of which had happened since getting back from Lima. She didn't know if it was because being back in that town was a reminder or if it because some of Shelby's things were now at the apartment, but it was the second time that week that she'd mentioned her. As sad as it was to hear her mention the woman, it was also a relief. Rachel didn't want Beth completely forgetting about her mom, and she had been worried it would happen. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case.

"I'm done," Beth said, jumping up just as the front door slid shut.

Rachel sighed and said, "You only ate two bites!"

"Four," Beth replied.

Rachel looked at the plate with a sigh. Rather than try to get Beth back to the table, she picked up the plate and set it in the sink. Normally she would make Beth come back, but she really didn't have the time to argue with her at the moment; they were already running a little behind. She would just take a granola bar with her and make sure Beth ate it later if her suspicions were correct and there wasn't any real food at the school.

She quickly wiped down the counters with a paper towel and tossed it in the trash on her way to Beth's room. She was thankful she had managed to find the perfect wig for Beth the day before or they would never make it to the school on time. As it was, she just needed to get her in her dress and put her makeup on, which she hoped wouldn't take too long. Rachel had been dressed for over an hour, getting ready before she cooked dinner, but she had to be extra careful about not getting anything on her costume. She had borrowed them all from a friend at NYADA and the last thing she needed was to get marinara sauce on it.

When she walked into Beth's bedroom, she couldn't help but laugh. The little girl was trying to put the dress on herself and looked like she was stuck. "Let me help you."

Rachel righted the dress, getting Beth's arm out of the neck hole, and slipped it over her head. As she knelt down and straightened everything out, she smiled. Kurt had made Beth's dress—her friend hadn't had a children's costume to go along with hers and Quinn's—and he had done a wonderful job. It looked exactly as it was supposed to and fit her perfectly.

"Now, let's get your makeup on," Rachel said, standing. "I'll be right back.

Rachel walked out of the room and quickly went over to her room to grab the newly purchased makeup. When she walked back into Beth's room, the little girl was sitting on the stool, so Rachel sat in the floor, so she could be eye level with her.

"Close your eyes," Rachel instructed.

Rachel put some eye shadow and mascara on Beth before applying a good amount of blush. Lastly, she put some bright red lipstick and sat back to look at her handiwork. After tilting Beth's face from side to side, she quickly added a little more blush and made the eye shadow a little bit darker.

"What do you think?" Rachel asked, grabbing the mirror from Beth's vanity, and holding it in front of her face.

Beth shrugged and asked, "Can we go?"

"We can go," Rachel said with a laugh.

Beth started to run off and Rachel shook her head with a smile. The little girl had talked about nothing but Halloween all week, and now that the day was there, she didn't think Beth could get any more excited.

"Hurry!" Beth called out.

"I'm coming!" Rachel called back, grabbing Beth's trick or treat bag from the dresser before walking out into the living room.

"There they are," Rachel said when she saw Zoe and Emma standing near what looked like some sort of ring toss.

Just as she had spotted them, Zoe saw her as well and waved. Beth bound toward them and Rachel walked just behind her, weaving her way through the crowd with a little more difficulty than the little girl. As she walked across the room, she was happy to see that she was passing by quite a few adults in costumes. She had been a little worried that she and Quinn would be the only two grownups there who had dressed up, but it seemed like over half the parents had the same idea.

"Hello," Rachel greeted.

"Hi." Zoe laughed as she looked at her. "I love your costume."

"Thank you," Rachel said with a smile. "I borrowed mine from an acquaintance at school and Kurt made Beth's."

"Please tell me Kurt isn't coming as the other sister," Zoe said.

"Actually, Quinn is," Rachel replied, laughing at the thought. "Kurt, unfortunately, has to work all evening."

"Whenever she gets here, I definitely want a picture of you three," Zoe stated.

"That works out, because my fathers have demanded pictures of the three of us," Rachel replied.

"I want to play a game," Beth said, tugging on Rachel hand.

"What game do you want to play?" Rachel asked.

Beth shrugged and Rachel looked around the room to see what all they had to play. They were in the gymnasium, where there were games of all kinds while the hallways had activities like face painting and a coloring contest. Outside were the larger things that couldn't fit inside like the bouncy house and an inflatable slide. On top of all of that, the kids could also go trick or treating from classroom to classroom, where candy was being given out.

"I want to do that," Emma said, pointing to some sort of potato sack race.

"Okay," Beth replied.

"Here," Rachel said, holding out some of the tickets she bought out front. "Don't lose these, okay?"

"Okay," Beth said, taking them from her, and putting them in her trick or treat bag.

"How's everything going?" Zoe asked when Beth and Emma ran ahead a little.

"Everything is wonderful," Rachel answered, smiling to herself. "Although, I do wish Quinn didn't have so much schoolwork, but thankfully, I did get to see her a bit more this week than last. Of course, that really isn't saying much since I barely got to see her any last week." Rachel sighed and looked at Zoe. "I'm being too needy, aren't I?"

Zoe shrugged. "You love her and you want to be with her; there's nothing wrong with that."

"I know, but I'm always afraid I'm going to begin smothering her," Rachel replied. "Things have been going so well, and I don't want to mess it up."

"You're just being paranoid," Zoe said.

"I can't help it," Rachel said, giving her a small smile. "She's the best thing that's ever happened to my life." Rachel laughed lightly. "If you would have told me during high school that I would ever say that, I would have said you were crazy. It's always amazing to me how much things can change."

"I can't imagine her ever hating you," Zoe remarked.

"Well, she definitely did," Rachel replied.

"She just—she looks at you like you're the most perfect thing she's ever seen in her life," Zoe said.

"She does?" Rachel asked.

Zoe laughed and asked, "You haven't noticed?"

"Not particularly," Rachel said with a shrug.

"Well, she does," Zoe stated.

Rachel smiled and looked over at Beth. "I'm thinking of telling Beth about who Quinn really is."

"Do you think she's ready to know?" Zoe asked.

Rachel sighed. "I don't know. I guess I'm afraid it's going to make things worse again. Her nightmares have finally almost completely stopped. I thought going back to Lima may trigger them again, but it didn't. Now, she's even bringing up Shelby. I feel like she's finally adjusted to everything, and I don't want this to mess it up, but I also feel like she had a right to know. I mean, she's smart, and I have a feeling she's going to figure it out sooner or later, and I just think it would be better coming from me. I should really talk to her therapist and see what she thinks."

"She's still going?" Zoe asked. "You haven't mentioned it for a while."

"Sporadically," Rachel replied. "It's been a while, though; there hasn't really been a need for it."

"They're starting," Zoe said, nodding toward the girl.

Rachel looked over just as they began hopping toward the center of the gymnasium. She began clapping and cheering on Beth and Zoe, who were both near the front of the pack. There was just one boy ahead of them, and another that was very close behind Beth. When they got to the line, they all turned around and began hopping back to the start line, which doubled as the finish line. As she continued to watch she covered her mouth with her hands, willing the boy not to pass Beth as they got closer and closer to the end of the race.

"Go, Beth!" Rachel said, throwing her arms up in the air when she crossed the line in third place.

Zoe laughed. "Do they actually win anything?"

"It looks like they're handing out something," Rachel said, standing on her tippy does as she tried to see what the man was giving out. "It looks like candy."

"Because they're not going to get enough of that tonight," Zoe remarked.

Rachel laughed. "Well, to a child, I'm fairly certain you can never have too much candy."

"There you are," Rachel said with a smile as Quinn walked toward her. "I was wondering if you were going to make it or if we were going to be one Sanderson sister short."

"Sorry," Quinn said, giving her cheek a quick peck. "It took me a lot longer to get into this thing than I thought it would."

Rachel laughed. "I know the feeling. But at least your hair didn't take as long as mine."

"Where's Beth?" Quinn asked, looking around.

"She's outside with Zoe and Emma," Rachel answered. "I just came in to use the restroom."

"Is she having fun?" Quinn asked.

"Yes," Rachel said with a laugh. "I don't think I've ever seen her so hyper, and she hasn't even had any candy yet. I think she's already played every game at least once. She actually came in third in the potato sack race earlier; Emma came in second."

"Did she win anything?" Quinn asked.

"Just some candy, but she was happy about," Rachel replied before frowning slightly. "My fathers are probably not going to be happy that I didn't film it."

Quinn laughed and asked, "How many pictures have you taken so far?"

"Quite a few," Rachel answered. "I did take a video of her when she climbed up the small rock wall over there, so maybe they'll forgive me for my lapse in judgment." She laughed softly. "Shall we go find them?"

"Sure," Quinn replied.

"You look beautiful, by the way," Rachel said as she reached out to take Quinn's hand.

"You look—"

"Silly," Rachel finished for her with a wry smile. "I know."

"It could be the hair," Quinn joked.

Rachel hummed and said, "Maybe."

It had taken a while and a lot of hairspray, but she had eventually gotten it to stand up the way she needed it to. She'd looked for a suitable wig, but she was unable to find anything close to Mary Sanderson's hair. Thankfully, while looking for one for herself, she was able to find one that she could style to look like Winifred's hair for Beth. Quinn was the lucky one; all she really had to do was make her hair a little wavy. It was a slightly darker shade of blonde and shorter than Sarah's hair, but it was close enough that she didn't need to wear a wig for the night.

As they walked toward the nearest set of doors, Rachel glanced over at Quinn and smiled to herself. Every now and then it would hit her how lucky she was, and this was one of those times. The blonde had gone along with her crazy idea when none of the guys she had been in previous relationships with would have agreed to it, and Rachel loved her for that. For once, Rachel didn't feel like she was dating someone who was embarrassed by her. For once, Rachel didn't feel like she needed to be someone else. Quinn knew her faults and her quirks and eccentricities, and she didn't make her feel bad about them. At least she didn't anymore. High school was a different story, of course, but Rachel was trying to not focus on that; she was focusing on the here and now.

"Miss Berry."

Rachel turned around to find Beth's teacher walking in their direction. "Hello."

"I assume Beth is here somewhere," the teacher said, glancing around.

"She's outside with Emma and her mom," Rachel replied with a nod, then motioned toward her companion. "This is Quinn Fabray, my girlfriend. This is Beth's teacher, Miss Cantrell."

"It's nice to meet you," Quinn said, shaking the other woman's hand.

"It's nice to put a face to the name," Miss Cantrell said, giving Quinn a smile. "Beth has told me a little about you."

"She has?" Rachel asked.

"She mentioned you three going to the zoo a while ago," the teacher replied.

Rachel could tell that Beth's teacher was studying Quinn, and she wondered if the woman could see the resemblance between her and the little girl. It really wasn't all that hard to see; they had the same blonde hair and the same hazel eyes. It's why she knew Beth would figure it out sooner or later. And not only was there a physical resemblance, but their personalities were quite similar as well. Thankfully, no one had brought it up around Beth, but she knew it was really only a matter of time before it eventually happened.

"Yes, we all had a lot of fun that day," Rachel said.

"I should let you two get back to what you were doing," Miss Cantrell said, giving them a smile. "Be sure to stop by my classroom later."

"We will," Rachel replied, smiling back.

"So that's Beth's teacher," Quinn remarked as she walked away. "She's younger than I thought she would be."

Rachel laughed lightly and said, "I know. You always think of kindergarten teachers as the grandmotherly type."

The teacher was quite young—probably not even in her thirties yet—but Rachel was quite thankful for that. She felt like younger people were often more open minded, and considering how complicated her situation was, she was glad to have someone who wasn't going to judge her or judge Beth.

"I wondered if you got lost on the way to the bathroom, but now I see where you were," Zoe commented as they approached. "Hi, Quinn."

"Hey," Quinn replied.

While Quinn still didn't seem all too thrilled with Zoe, Rachel was happy to see that some of the ice had thawed when she spoke to the other blonde. She had no idea why Quinn felt like there was any reason to be jealous, but she hoped that she now saw that there was certainly no reason for it. She felt like the blonde should know how committed she was and how much loved her. Yes, Zoe was pretty, but she would never risk what she had with Quinn over something like that. Besides, Zoe may be pretty, but it was nothing compared to Quinn. In high school, she always thought Quinn was the prettiest girl she'd ever met, and that hadn't changed.

"Come on," Beth said, grabbing Rachel and Quinn's hands.

"Where are we going?" Rachel asked.

"The scary house," Beth answered, pulling them along.

Rachel couldn't help but laugh when Beth walked through the door and collapsed onto the floor in a dramatic fashion. The little girl was exhausted—they all were—from her very long day, and she let them know on the ride home that she was more than ready for bed. Rachel was honestly surprised she didn't fall asleep on the way, but she guessed she was still a little too excited. Or maybe she was just hyped up on too much sugar. Whatever the reason, it seemed to be worn off now.

"Make sure you brush your teeth before you fall asleep," Rachel instructed. "And I need to take off your makeup, too."

As Beth let out a long sigh, Quinn laughed and said, "I can do that if you want me to."

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Quinn replied. "I'm sure your fathers are waiting at their computer for you to send those pictures."

Rachel laughed lightly. "That's probably true."

"Go send them and I'll take off her makeup," Quinn said.

"And make sure she brushes her teeth really well," Rachel replied.

"Come on," Quinn said, holding her hand out to help Beth up, but the little girl just grumbled. "The faster you get ready, the faster you can go to bed."

While Quinn helped Beth, Rachel quickly sent all the pictures and video from the evening, along with a promise to tell them all about it in a longer message the next day. After emailing her fathers, she walked to her bathroom, where she intended to take a quick shower, hoping to get all the product out of her hair. It was proving a little more difficult than she thought it would be, though, and her quick shower was turning into a very long one.

"Hey," Quinn softly said as she knocked on Rachel's door. "I got Beth into bed."

"Thank you," Rachel said, poking her head out of the shower. "I apologize for taking so long, but my hair is being difficult."

"It's okay," Quinn replied with a shrug.

"Did you read to her or did she fall asleep without it?" Rachel wondered.

Quinn laughed lightly and said, "I think I read two sentences before she fell asleep."

"I'm not surprised," Rachel commented as she turned around to turn off the water. "I suppose we should have forgone the movie at Zoe's."

"You have to watch Hocus Pocus on Halloween," Quinn replied.

"I suppose that is true," Rachel said, giving her a smile.

As Rachel opened the shower curtain, Quinn grabbed her towel from the towel rack and handed it to her. She was a little self-conscious about being completely naked in front of Quinn, but she tried to resist the urge to immediately cover herself with the towel. It wasn't as if Quinn hadn't seen her like that before, but it was the first time she had seen her like that in a completely lit room. And it wasn't like Quinn was really staring or anything; in fact, she was keeping her eyes at a very respectable level. Still, Rachel was very aware of her current state of undress, so she quickly began drying herself off.

"Was that the front door?" Quinn asked.

"Kurt's probably home," Rachel replied.

"Where is everyone?" Kurt called out a few moments later.

"In here!" Rachel called back. "We'll be there in a minute!"

"I'm going to make sure he didn't wake Beth," Quinn said.

"Good idea," Rachel replied.

After Quinn left the bathroom, Rachel dried the rest of the way off and then threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Her hair was still quite wet and it was dripping onto her shirt, but she decided not to blow dry it. Instead, she blotted it dry one last time before hanging up her towel and heading toward the living room.

"There you are," Kurt said as she walked out of her bedroom.

"How was work?" Rachel asked.

"Completely uneventful," Kurt replied. "I thought there might be some crazy people in there tonight, but it was a night full of normal, boring customers. Quinn was just filling me in on your night, though; it sounds a lot more fun than mine."

Rachel smiled. "It was very fun."

"You'll have to show me the pictures tomorrow," Kurt said before yawning. "Right now, I am going to bed. Goodnight you two."

"Night," Quinn said.

"Goodnight, Kurt," Rachel replied.

"I should probably go," Quinn said as Kurt walked away.

"Why don't you stay?" Rachel asked. "It's late, after all, and I really don't like the thought of you taking the subway home."

"Are you sure?" Quinn asked back.

Rachel frowned slightly. "Why not? It's not as if you haven't stayed the night before."

"I don't know," Quinn said with a shrug.

"I want you to stay," Rachel stated. "Of course, if you don't want to, you don't have to, but I'd like you to."

"I'll stay," Quinn replied. "I just didn't want to assume anything."

"I think it's always safe to assume that I want you to spend the night," Rachel said with a smile. "There's nothing I like more than waking up with you next to me. In my opinion, it doesn't happen nearly enough."

"Really" Quinn asked.

"Yes," Rachel replied. "And I think that's certainly something that needs to be rectified. I know you have a lot of schoolwork and that you have to be at class early or go to group meetings, but I think we should make more of an effort to see each other. I've missed you these past few weeks."

"Me too," Quinn said, reaching out, and putting a strand of wet hair behind Rachel's ear.

"So we're in agreement that you should spend the night on a more regular basis?" Rachel asked.

"We're definitely in agreement," Quinn replied with a soft smile.

"Good," Rachel said, smiling widely. "I'll go search for some clothes for you to wear. Not that you're going to need them tonight, but for in the morning."

Quinn's eyebrow rose and a slight smirk appeared as Rachel took her hand. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," Rachel replied, giving Quinn a flirtatious smile.