Author's note: There was a lot to cram into this chapter so it's almost twice as long as usual! It's Valentine's Day (only just, but it is after midnight here) so happy Valentine's Day to you all (and happy birthday to me!) There's not a huge amount of romance in this chapter but that's coming soon... For now, I hope you enjoy chapter seven... Let me know what you think, feedback is always gratefully received...
Chapter Seven: Thankful
As Judy pulled her Mercedes into the driveway of the home where Quinn had spent the majority of her teenage years and turned off the ignition, Quinn couldn't help but experience a shudder of anticipation. She really hated that house. Some of the worst events of her life had taken place there, and she didn't have a lot of good family memories to balance them.
The closer they'd got to Lima, the quieter and more withdrawn Quinn had become. Both Judy and Santana were used to Quinn's taciturn nature so neither of them had paid any attention, but instead they'd kept up a steady stream of small talk that was giving Quinn a headache.
By the time they were unloading their bags from the trunk, Santana had obviously had enough of Quinn's attitude. Judy had taken their cabin baggage into the house, and Quinn started to follow her when Santana grabbed her wrist and pulled her aside.
"Q, I love you but you're driving me crazy," she hissed. "I'm running out of things to say to your mom so you need to snap out of your coma and help me out."
"I'm sorry," Quinn said immediately. "God, I hate being back here, it makes me feel fifteen again. I wish we'd invited my mom up to New York instead."
Santana drew her into a comforting embrace, and pressed their foreheads together. Quinn instantly felt the tension ebb from her muscles and she lifted her chin so that her lips brushed softly against Santana's. She threaded her fingers through Santana's and her fiancée gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Better?" Santana murmured when they parted. Quinn nodded, but Santana didn't quite seem convinced. "If you want to do this another way, tell our families, I mean," she said hesitantly, "it's okay, Q. We don't have to do this now."
Quinn shook her head vehemently.
"No, I want to do this, I love you so much, San, and I want to share that with our families. I don't want to wait." She took a deep breath and tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach. "We're sticking to the plan - we'll tell your parents at dinner tonight, and we'll tell my mom tomorrow." She grinned at her fiancée. "Come on, we'd better go in before my mom comes looking for us, I'm good now... No more comas, I promise." Hand in hand, she led Santana towards the house.
By the time they'd unpacked and freshened up, it was almost time to meet Santana's parents for dinner.
"Do I look okay?" Quinn asked nervously as she studied her appearance in the mirror, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles in her olive green dress as Santana wrapped her arms around her from behind and kissed the crook of her neck.
"You look amazing," Santana assured her with a low chuckle. "It's just dinner with my parents though, so I don't know why you're so worried. We already know they love you."
Quinn slid her hands over Santana's and met her fiancee's gaze in the mirror.
"I just want to make a good impression," she said softly. "They're not just my girlfriend's parents anymore, they're my future in-laws. Are you sure this dress is okay? Should I wear the blue one instead?"
Santana groaned loudly and bumped her head deliberately into the back of Quinn's shoulder.
"Q, the dress is fine, please just try to relax." A wolfish grin spread over her features as she spoke. "Or I may have to resort to the same tactics I employed when you were nervous about having dinner with my parents for the first time as my girlfriend."
Quinn felt a rush of heat across her chest and neck as she remembered that night eleven months earlier, Santana's face buried between her thighs as her talented tongue stroked away all of Quinn's nerves.
"I thought you said I wouldn't be able to keep quiet," Quinn reminded her, trying to sound unaffected, but her words came tumbling out in a rush of air that betrayed her arousal. Santana's hands moved up to cup her breasts through the fabric of her dress and Quinn stifled a groan.
"Hm, we may have to gag you," Santana said thoughtfully, her face lighting up as she noticed Quinn's eyes widen.
Quinn giggled nervously. "Do you really want to gag me?" she whispered, fixing her eyes on Santana's reflection.
Santana shook her head. "No, I like the sounds you make too much... but there are some other things I'd like us to try." Quinn couldn't help but notice Santana's cheeks color as she spoke, and she licked her lips subconsciously before replying.
"Like what?" she wanted to know. Santana squirmed at her back.
"You really want to have this conversation here, in your old bedroom at your mom's house?" she asked. "She could be right outside the door."
Quinn turned in Santana's arms so that she was face to face with the brunette.
"My mom doesn't hang around outside my bedroom door," she murmured, planting a soft kiss against Santana's lips. "Like what?" she repeated.
"Well... Ever since you mentioned your Cheerios uniform, I've kind of been thinking..." Santana whispered before trailing off.
"You want me to wear it for you?" Quinn chuckled. "Well, I'm sure that can be arranged." She could only imagine what Sue Sylvester would say if she knew they were even talking about debasing a Cheerios uniform in such a way, but she was more than happy to oblige Santana's request. "Anything else?" she asked gently, nipping at Santana's lower lip with her teeth.
"I'm not going to have this conversation with you right now," Santana told her, and Quinn could feel her discomfort through their embrace.
"Okay," she acquiesced. "But once we're back in New York, no more excuses, I want us to be able to talk about anything."
"I promise," agreed Santana, brushing her lips lightly over Quinn's.
Less than five seconds later, Quinn's mom knocked on the door to tell them the taxi had arrived to take them to dinner, and Santana jumped away from Quinn as though she'd been burned. Quinn couldn't help but enjoy seeing Santana anxious for once, although she had no desire to be caught by her mom either. She was still laughing to herself as they headed out of the door to share their news with the Lopezes.
As Santana had predicted, her parents were graciously supportive about their engagement. Quinn showed them her ring eagerly, and Santana's mom had tears in her eyes as she hugged her future daughter-in-law. Santana's father ordered champagne and then proceeded to tease his daughter by suggesting she couldn't drink any as her twenty-first birthday was still three and a half months away. Santana was still pouting and glaring at her father as she sipped her champagne ten minutes later.
"Are you sure you know what you're letting yourself into?" he chuckled at Quinn, as Santana frowned at him. "The Lopez women are pretty feisty!" His comments earned him a slap on the arm from his wife as Quinn scooted her chair closer to Santana's and wrapped an arm around her fiancée.
"I think I can handle it," she said assuredly. Santana raised an eyebrow and grinned.
"Oh, you do, do you?" she smirked.
"I do," Quinn whispered. She'd meant the statement to be light and breezy, but her inadvertent use of the phrase took on different meaning as the words left her lips. "I love you," she whispered. Lost in Santana's dark chocolate eyes, Quinn didn't care that the brunette's parents were right across the table. As Santana fused their mouths together, Quinn opened herself up to the kiss eagerly. How long they would have gone on for had Santana's father not cleared his throat loudly, Quinn didn't know, but when they parted Santana was breathing hard and Quinn had never felt more alive - her whole body felt pleasantly electrified. It meant the world to Quinn to share their happiness with the two other people who loved Santana as much as she did and she beamed at Santana's mom who was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.
"I'll take care of your daughter," she promised them earnestly. Maribel Lopez took Quinn's hand across the table and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"I know you will, mi hija," she said with a watery smile. "And now I can tell people that I have two daughters. Thank you for making Santana so happy, Quinn."
"My pleasure," said Quinn, as Santana started running her fingers teasingly over the inside of her knee. Ordinarily, Quinn would have stopped her and flushed with embarrassment, but at that moment she wanted nothing more than to be as close to her fiancée as humanly possible.
The celebrations went on until late into the evening, and only drew to a close when the waiter apologized and told Quinn and the Lopezes that they were closing up for the night. It was well past midnight when Quinn and Santana stumbled back into the Fabray house, the champagne they had consumed making them noisy and clumsy.
"Sshh!" giggled Quinn as Santana crashed into the dresser in the hallway and swore loudly. They tumbled into the bedroom and Quinn breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind them and kicked off her shoes. Santana was already stripping off her clothes, and when Quinn reached for the pajamas she'd laid out on her bed earlier that night, Santana shook her head.
"Don't," she whispered, suddenly sober. "I know we can't do anything tonight, but please don't put those on. I want to feel you in my arms, no barriers."
Quinn nodded quickly, tossing her unworn pajamas onto a chair before shimmying out of her dress. They both quickly divested themselves of the rest of their clothes and proceeded to tangle their limbs together under the blankets. Quinn rested her head against Santana's chest and closed her eyes contentedly. Today had been pretty much perfect, she thought to herself sleepily. She could only pray that tomorrow would go as well.
After sleeping late and enjoying a lazy morning reading the newspaper whilst Santana listened to music on her iPod, Quinn magnanimously volunteered to help her mom with the cooking for their Thanksgiving meal. This served the dual purpose of putting Judy in a good mood and keeping Quinn occupied so she didn't allow her imagination to run riot thinking up all manner of scenarios as to how Judy would react when Quinn and Santana shared their engagement news with her. Santana made herself scarce, retreating to Quinn's room to take a nap, under the guise of allowing Quinn and Judy some mother-daughter bonding time.
Twenty minutes before dinner was due to be ready, Judy ushered her daughter out of the kitchen to go and freshen up and locate her missing girlfriend. On entering her bedroom, Quinn couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight before her. Santana was curled up on the bed, a blanket twisted around her lower body, and Quinn's pillow hugged tightly against her chest. Her long, dark hair cascaded over the sheets and her features were relaxed as she breathed evenly and deeply.
Quinn hated the thought of disturbing her fiancee's peaceful slumber so she headed into the bathroom to take a quick shower and change first. Once she was clean and dressed for dinner she couldn't put it off any longer, so she lay down beside Santana and gently began stroking her face with the pads of her fingers.
"Hey, sleepyhead," she whispered against Santana's ear. "It's time to wake up. Dinner's almost ready." She kissed her way along Santana's jaw line from below her ear until she reached her mouth. "Come on, baby," she cajoled as Santana stirred reluctantly but refused to fully wake up. "My mom made pumpkin pie, and I know that's your favorite."
She'd said the magic words. Santana opened her eyes and blinked sleepily at Quinn.
"Did you say pumpkin pie?" she asked through a yawn.
Quinn chuckled as she smoothed Santana's sleep-mussed hair.
"Oh, so that's what wakes you up," she huffed, pretending to be offended. "You sleep through my kisses but my mom's pumpkin pie does the trick."
Santana groaned and stretched languidly, sliding her body enticingly against Quinn's. "You smell good," she murmured, pressing their lips together and kissing her softly. "I don't want to get up."
"You have to," said Quinn, stroking her hand up and down Santana's arm and grinning when she felt the brunette's flesh pucker into goosebumps. "I'm not doing this without you. I plan on using you as a human shield if my mom takes our engagement badly."
Santana groaned again but pulled herself into a sitting position so that she was looking down at Quinn.
"You think she will?" she asked nervously and Quinn sighed.
"I hope not,' she said with a shrug. "But there's only one way to find out, are you ready?"
Santana bent her head to kiss Quinn again, and this time the kiss was filled with promise and hope.
"Okay," she whispered against Quinn's parted lips. "Let's do this."
Santana and Quinn had planned to wait until the end of the dinner to share their news with Judy, but twenty minutes into the meal neither of them had really touched their food, nerves ruining their appetites, and Quinn's mom was looking at them strangely.
"Is something wrong with the food?" she asked finally. The girls shared worried glances and Santana nodded slightly at Quinn, squeezing her hand under the table. Quinn set down her fork as Santana took a long sip from her wine glass.
"No, Mom, the food's wonderful," Quinn said, willing her voice not to shake. "It's just that Santana and I have some news and we're a little nervous about sharing it with you." She took a deep breath as Judy sat stoically in her seat, waiting for her daughter to continue. Quinn decided to do it fast, like ripping off a band aid. "We're engaged," she blurted out. "We're getting married."
Judy mirrored Quinn's earlier actions and set down her cutlery carefully.
"I see," she said slowly. "When did this happen?"
"My birthday," Quinn said in a low voice as she tried to judge her mother's reaction. Judy wasn't screaming or throwing things, so that was good, but that wasn't really her style anyway. "Santana asked me to marry her and I said yes. She gave me a ring, Mom, and it's beautiful."
"And does Santana have a ring?" asked Judy, her expression unreadable.
"Not yet," Quinn admitted, her cheeks coloring as she flashed a silent look of apology in her fiancee's direction.
Judy nodded calmly. "And your parents know about this?" she asked Santana.
"Yes," Santana said, a proud smile on her lips. "We told them last night."
"And what was their opinion?" Judy wanted to know. Quinn swallowed hard before answering.
"They were happy for us," she explained, a note of defiance creeping into her tone. "They know we love each other and that we make each other happy. I hope that you can share that sentiment."
Abruptly, Judy stood up from the dinner table.
"Quinn, I would like a word with you in private," she said, in the same unnaturally calm voice she'd been using since Quinn had told her their news.
"No," Quinn said emphatically. "Santana is my fiancée, Mom. Anything you want to say to me, you can say in front of her."
"Please?" Judy asked softly. Without waiting for a response, she gracefully exited the room, leaving Quinn and Santana staring in her wake.
"You should go after her," Santana said finally, breaking the stunned silence.
Quinn's eyes were bright with unshed tears. "Why?" she asked hoarsely. Santana quickly stood and enveloped Quinn into a tight embrace.
"Because she's your mom," she said simply.
Quinn found her mother in the room that used to be her father's study. Judy was sitting at his desk, her head in her hands. When she looked up at Quinn, her eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot.
"You don't have a very high opinion of me," she said flatly, her tone making it clear that it wasn't a question. "You were scared to tell me about your... engagement." She struggled over the final word and Quinn felt a rush of anger.
"Do you blame me?" she spat bitterly.
Judy shook her head. "No. I haven't been a good mother to you, Quinn. You have no reason to trust me."
Quinn felt the blood pounding in her ears. "Why should I trust you?" she demanded. "I knew you'd react this way. I knew that you wouldn't be able to accept it... to accept me! I love Santana, Mom." Her voice broke as she spoke, but she held her head up high, determined not to cry.
"I know, " Judy said softly. "And she loves you. I've known that since she came to see me in the spring. I knew then that this day would come and I've had a lot of time to get used to it."
"Then why are you so upset?" Quinn asked plaintively. "Why can't you be happy for me, Mom? Just for once?"
Judy stood up and walked around the desk to face her daughter. She reached out and stroked the silky strands of Quinn's hair, tucking them tenderly behind her ear.
"Oh, Quinnie," she said sadly. "I am happy for you."
"You are?" Quinn asked incredulously. "Then why...?"
"It hurts that you were afraid to tell me," admitted Judy, shrugging her shoulders and sighing. "You're my little girl and I love you and I hate that our relationship is so fractured that you feel like you can't tell me things. I made so many mistakes with you, sweetheart, and I really don't know how I can atone for them."
"But you walked out," Quinn reminded her. "Why? What did you want to say that you didn't want Santana to hear?" Her mind was reeling at her mom's contrition. She wanted to sit down in a darkened room and collect her thoughts, but she didn't have that luxury.
Judy's reaction to her question was the strangest yet. Without looking at her daughter, she crossed the room and took down the painting on the wall that hid the family safe.
"Santana isn't who I pictured you ending up with, Quinn," she said in a conversational tone, as she began to spin the dial on the combination lock. "I always thought that someday, a handsome and intelligent young man would come to your father and me to request your hand in marriage." She paused to open the safe and extract a small pouch from under a pile of papers. "Of course, life never does go the way we expect," she added, laughing drily. Quinn watched her carefully, a frown of confusion marring her features. Judy walked slowly back across the room and held out the pouch to her daughter. Quinn took it from her with trembling fingers.
"What is this?" she asked.
"It was my grandmother's," she explained, a soft smile playing at her lips. "Your grandpa's mother's. When he died, he left it for you... for your engagement. I was planning to give it to the boy who would ask for permission to marry you, but since Santana didn't see fit to follow that tradition and ask me first," she chuckled to let Quinn know she was joking, "and since you say you already have a ring, I think maybe your grandpa would be pleased if you were to give it to Santana."
Quinn shook the pouch and a small, weathered box fell onto her palm. She opened it slowly, blinking away a fresh wave of tears that threatened to fall. "Oh, Mom," she whispered as the ring inside was revealed. "It's beautiful." The ring was platinum, a central diamond set in a bed of smaller stones that each sparkled and caught the light like a prism. It truly was exquisite. "Are you sure?" Her mom nodded, tears of her own wetting her cheeks.
"It's yours, Quinnie, to do with what you will," she said as Quinn flung herself into her mother's arms. The display of affection was uncharacteristic and took both of them by surprise, Judy patting her daughter awkwardly on the back as Quinn's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. After a long moment, Quinn pulled back from the embrace.
"Why didn't you give it to Frannie when she got engaged?" she couldn't help but ask, turning the ring over and over in her palm. To her amazement, her mother laughed and looked a little embarrassed.
"Two reasons," she admitted with a grin. "One, your grandfather made it very clear he wanted you to have it, and two, I've never liked your sister's husband. Your father thought it was a good match but I always thought Frannie could do better. Santana, on the other hand... she's a good girl, Quinnie, and if she makes you happy, then I'm happy for you."
They hugged for a second time, finding the experience only marginally less uncomfortable than the first. As they parted, Quinn found herself praying that they'd one day be able to fully heal their fractured relationship. Judy had made some huge strides that day and Quinn found herself feeling proud of her mother, for perhaps the first time in her life.
Judy shifted uncomfortably under her daughter's scrutiny. She linked arms with Quinn and began to walk towards the doorway.
"You'd better put that away somewhere safe until you figure out the right time to give it to Santana," she said, her gaze falling upon the family heirloom still sitting on Quinn's open palm. "And we should get back to the dinner table before your fiancée comes looking for us."
Quinn allowed her mother to lead her back into the dining room where Santana was waiting, a mixture of curiosity and worry etched onto her beautiful face. Quinn shot her a reassuring smile, but couldn't begin to find the words to explain what had just happened. She wasn't sure she even believed it herself.
Judy crossed the room to give a stunned Santana a warm hug.
"Welcome to the family, my dear," she said softly before sitting down at the table and picking up her fork. "Come on girls," she chastised gently. "Sit down and eat. Your dinner's getting cold."