Chapter Nine: Relationships
Quinn woke up early the next morning full of restless energy that wouldn't allow her to simply lie still and revel in the soft warmth of Santana's embrace. She reluctantly extricated herself from the tangle of satin smooth limbs clinging to her and threw on her discarded pajamas before heading downstairs in search of coffee.
As she padded barefoot into the kitchen, she shivered in the early morning chill and wished that she'd thought to put on socks. The tiles were cold beneath her feet and she went about the coffee making process as quickly as she could using her mom's ridiculously complicated and expensive espresso machine. It was nice to have the kitchen to herself, Quinn had been used to the solitude when she'd lived at home, and it felt comforting and familiar.
She hopped up onto a stool at the kitchen island and idly flipped through a magazine as she sipped her drink. She wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to the articles - her mind was buzzing with ideas for giving Santana her ring. She wanted it to be beautiful, perfect, epic - but none of her ideas so far had quite fit the bill. Santana deserved something amazing and Quinn was determined to give it to her.
Quinn was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even hear her mother enter the kitchen. It wasn't until her mom placed a soft hand on her shoulder that Quinn was aware of her presence and she almost fell of her stool in surprise. As always, Judy Fabray was immaculately dressed. Quinn had almost never seen her mother looking anything less than perfect, even mornings after nights when her mom had passed out from drinking, but this morning Judy looked even more pristine than ever. Her blue eyes sparkled and there was a flush to her cheeks that Quinn instantly recognized - she saw it in her own reflection every morning after a night with Santana. Her mom was in love.
"You want bacon and eggs?" Judy asked brightly as she busied herself taking out the ingredients from the refrigerator. Quinn raised an eyebrow - her mom didn't usually approve of greasy, fatty food - she'd lectured her daughter on the importance of maintaining her figure often enough. Still, Quinn wasn't about to look a bacon offering gift horse in the mouth so she nodded wordlessly and took another sip of her coffee, savouring the bitter taste on her tongue. "Did you and Santana have a good time last night? I was surprised you went to bed so early," Judy commented innocently as she turned on the stove and cracked eggs into a pan. Quinn choked a little on her coffee as her mind was instantly flooded with memories of exactly how good of a time they'd had, and Judy shot her a curious glance. Quinn willed herself not to blush as she coughed and spluttered.
"We did," she said simply, her voice a little hoarse as her throat burned. "How about you and your mystery man?" She smirked at her mom, and Judy gave her a reproving look.
"Really, sweetheart, don't be so dramatic, he's not a mystery man." She shook her head at her daughter but Quinn shrugged, unrepentant.
"He may as well be," she said lightly, crossing her ankles and swinging her legs as she sat and studied her mother's reaction. "I haven't met him, and I have no way of knowing if he's good enough for you. I don't know anything about him - where you met, what he does for a living." She flipped the magazine closed and rested her chin on her hand, fixing her gaze on Judy. "You haven't even told me his name," she added with a pout. Was it her imagination, or did Judy look uncomfortable at her words? "Who is he, Mom?" Judy sighed, and refused to meet Quinn's eyes, instead focussing intently on turning the bacon. "Mom?" Quinn asked again, frowning now.
Judy opened her mouth to respond but suddenly her expression brightened and she glanced towards the doorway. Santana yawned as she shuffled into the kitchen, her tangled hair swinging around her shoulders as she padded her way towards the island.
"Santana, dear, you're awake," Judy trilled, as though the brunette's arrival was the most wonderful thing in the world. "Did you sleep well? Would you like some breakfast? Quinnie, why don't you pour Santana a cup of coffee and then the both of you go through to the dining room and I'll bring the food through in just a few minutes."
Quinn scowled darkly at her mother as Santana wrapped her arms around her from behind and planted a chaste kiss to the top of her head. Despite her annoyance at her mom's avoidance, Quinn's body reacted automatically to Santana's touch, relaxing into the embrace. A delicious warmth flooded through her every place their bodies connected, and Quinn felt her tension begin to disperse.
"Thank you," Santana said to Judy before turning her attentions towards her fiancée. Morning, Q," she greeted, stifling a yawn. "I missed you." She leaned forward to whisper into Quinn's ear. "The bed was cold without you, I was hoping you could warm me up." She nipped lightly on Quinn's earlobe and Quinn felt her cheeks burn.
"Good morning, Santana," she said indulgently. "I missed you too." She fixed her glare on her mother. "Mom, our conversation isn't over," she warned. "We're going to talk about this again before Santana and I leave tonight."
"Of course, sweetheart," Judy placated, looking relieved that she'd been granted a reprieve for now. She ushered the girls into the dining room and hurried back to the stove to finish cooking.
"What was that all about?" Santana asked once they were alone together, looking thoroughly confused as she ran a hand through her tousled hair. She still had remnants of sleep caught on her eyelashes and she somehow looked more adorable than ever, standing in the Fabray dining room wearing grey sleep shorts and a ratty pink t-shirt with a faded picture of a Care Bear with a rainbow emblazoned on its stomach. Quinn had bought the t-shirt as a joke gift for Santana during their first summer together, and the brunette had worn it to bed so often that the edges of the legend had started to peel.
Quinn shrugged. "I'm not sure," she admitted. " something's up with her, she doesn't want to tell me about the guy she's seeing and I don't know why. It's not important, I guess... but I felt like we were finally getting closer, and now she's hiding stuff from me again." She sat down at the table and sighed. Santana instantly started to massage her shoulders and Quinn stifled a groan. "You're so good at that," she murmured appreciatively, as Santana's hands stroked over her tightly knotted muscles, "but it makes me want you in ways I can't have you right now."
Santana chuckled. "Remind me of that when we get home tonight," she said, withdrawing her hands and causing Quinn to whimper. "I'm sorry about your mom, baby," she added softly as she sat down beside Quinn and took her hand instead. "Try not to worry, there could be hundreds of reasons why she doesn't want to tell you who he is."
"Like what?" Quinn pouted. Santana looked thoughtful.
"Maybe he does something really embarrassing for a living like stripping, or dressing up as a hot dog to promote a fast food place?" she suggested, and Quinn couldn't help but smile at the image. "Or he could be someone you know," continued Santana, her dark eyes flashing mischievously, "like Puck - you guys do have a pool after all, who is your mom's pool boy? Ooh, or Principal Figgins - didn't his wife leave him?"
Quinn was equally horrified and amused by Santana's theories. She wrinkled her nose distastefully as Santana opened her mouth to voice more possibilities, but Quinn stifled her with a finger to her lips.
"No more, please?" she begged, and Santana nodded, puckering her lips to brush a soft kiss against Quinn's fingertip. She parted her lips and sucked Quinn's finger into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the digit and eliciting a gasp from Quinn as her body flooded with instant desire. "Stop that," she moaned weakly. "Are you trying to torture me by starting things we can't finish?"
Santana grinned as she released Quinn's finger. "Took your mind off your mom, didn't it?" she asked, looking exceptionally pleased with herself. "And, as I said earlier, I have every intention of finishing what I started just as soon as we get home tonight. I want you, Q, but you're going to have to learn a little patience."
Quinn squeezed her thighs together uncomfortably as her stomach did flip flops and her skin began to thrum with anticipation. "Screw patience," she murmured, launching herself forward and landing on her fiancee's lap as she attacked Santana's lips with her own. As she wound her fingers into Santana's hair and rubbed her body against the brunette's she didn't care that her mother was likely to walk in at any moment. All she cared about was being as close to Santana as possible.
Santana returned the kiss eagerly, her tongue sneaking through parted lips to massage Quinn's, her hands on Quinn's thighs to steady her precarious position on her lap. Still, neither girl could quite bring herself to forget where they were and their kisses quickly changed from hot and wet to sweet and tender. By the time Judy brought their breakfast, Quinn was simply perched lightly on Santana's lap, brushing gentle, innocent kisses against her fiancee's lips, and all hands were in respectable places. If Judy was embarrassed by their show of affection, she didn't let on. She simply placed the dishes on the table and sat down to eat, as Quinn slipped inconspicuously back into her own chair.
Quinn didn't feel it was fair to interrogate her mother in front of Santana, so she waited until later before approaching the subject again. It was mid-afternoon before she got another opportunity and the girls had to be at the airport by five so Quinn knew that this would be her last chance to get the truth out of her mother. Santana was upstairs packing, and Quinn located her mother in the laundry room. She couldn't help but feel her mom was avoiding her - Judy had run out claiming she had errands to run immediately after breakfast, and since she'd been home she seemed to have one urgent chore after another to attend to. Quinn had scoured most of the house looking for Judy before finally locating her, and she wasn't going to let her mom side-step her any longer.
"Who is he, Mom?" she asked without any preamble, as Judy added fabric conditioner into the washing machine. Judy jumped guiltily and poured rather more liquid into the compartment than necessary before turning to look at her daughter. Quinn saw apprehension in her mother's eyes, and something more... fear? "Please?" Quinn asked softly.
Judy sighed. "Okay, but not here. Come and sit with me?" She led Quinn down the hallway and into the den and indicated for her to sit, but Judy herself remained standing and she paced the floor nervously.
"Quinnie, sweetheart, I love you," Judy began tremulously. "And I'm very proud of you. I want you to believe that, okay?" Quinn nodded, her mouth dry. Her heart was pounding suddenly and she felt an inexplicable feeling of panic. She knew her mom was gearing up to tell her something she wasn't going to like. "The man I'm seeing, he's a good man... he's nothing like your father. He's kind and thoughtful, he's a good father to his son. He's had a difficult time in the past, and he's shared his experiences with me. The way he's come through it is just... well, it's a testament to his strength. I've come to care for him a great deal these past few months and we eventually decided to act upon our mutual attraction." She paused and swallowed hard before continuing. "You've... you've met him before..."
"Oh my God, it is Principal Figgins, isn't it?" Quinn groaned. "Santana was right!" She slapped herself on the forehead and bent her head to her knees so she wouldn't have to see her mother's reaction. Then, she heard Judy laugh.
"What? No, Quinnie, what an absurd idea," her mother chortled. "You really think I would date your old high school principal... To be perfectly honest, I always felt he was a bit of an imbecile. You do get the strangest ideas in your head, darling. No, the man I've been seeing is the father of a boy you went to school with. He was on the football team, so I'm sure you'd have seen his father at the games when you were cheering. His name is Paul, and his son is David. He's a lovely boy." She smiled expectantly at Quinn.
"David?" Quinn repeated, frowning as she thought through the boys on the football team. Really, she hadn't paid that much attention to most of them. "Wait... Karofsky? You're dating Karofsky's dad?" Her tone was incredulous. Of course she remembered David, how could she not. The memory of being slushied by him during sophomore year was indelibly burned into her brain. She knew now that he'd been going through stuff, fighting his own demons, much the same as she had, but his horrendous behavior far surpassed anything she'd done, didn't it? She felt truly sorry for him that he'd found life so difficult that he'd chosen to try to end it in senior year, but she remembered how angry she'd been when she'd heard the news. No one knew it at the time, but she could identify with his hurt, his confusion, his acting out... but to go to such extremes, the very notion had terrified her. She wracked her brains to remember the last time anyone she knew had mentioned David. She knew Kurt was still in touch with him and she knew that he was supposedly happy, but she really hadn't thought much about him since leaving high school behind.
"Yes, I'm dating Paul Karofsky," Judy confirmed. "I'd like you to meet him when you come home for Christmas, Quinnie. I've told him all about you, and he'd love to get to know you better." She beamed at her daughter but Quinn didn't return the smile. She was still processing the information.
"But why wouldn't you want to tell me you were dating Karofsky's dad?" she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Karofsky and I weren't exactly friends but I don't remember ever going into detail about that with you."
Judy studied her hands intently and Quinn could see that her mom's cheeks were flushed.
"It's because of where we met," she said nervously. "It was in the spring, shortly after you told me you were g- in love with Santana."
"Go on," Quinn encouraged softly, trying to keep the sudden flash of anger that surged through her at bay.
"Well, you know I wasn't very supportive in the beginning, until Santana came to see me," her mom reminded her. Quinn nodded, biting her lip to keep from interrupting. "Well, I was still finding it difficult to deal with, sweetheart," Judy admitted, her eyes shining with unshed tears, "but I didn't want to lose you so I was determined to try. Then, your friend Finn died." Quinn felt a rush of pain as she always did at the sound of his name. "I went to see his parents, to pay my respects," Judy continued. "I could imagine their heartbreak, I've come too close to losing you too many times. I had a long conversation with Burt Hummel, and well, to cut a long story short, he told me about a support group for the parents of gay and lesbian teens and I went along and met Paul. And, well, I've told you the rest." She let out a rush of air as she finished her story and looked at Quinn, tears coursing silently down her cheeks.
Quinn swallowed hard and fought back her own tears. "You went to a support group?" she asked in disbelief. Her mom nodded and looked pained. Quinn frowned at her mother's reaction. "And you thought I'd be angry about that?" she asked softly. Again, Judy nodded. Quinn's mouth fell open in shock. "God, Mom, no!" She shook her head vehemently. "I'm glad you went, honestly. I'm happy that you have people you can talk to about this. It's confusing as hell, I know, I've been there. It's hard to get through it on your own."
"You did," Judy whispered. "For years, I made you think you couldn't talk to me, and I'm so sorry baby. I'm so proud of the brilliant young woman you've become in spite of having me for a mother." She wiped away her tears and offered Quinn a watery smile. "Paul helped me to see that," she explained. "He nearly lost his son because he was struggling to accept who he was. His wife left them because of it, but now Paul and David are closer than ever. I want that for us."
Quinn stood up, surprised at how shaky her legs felt. She embraced her mom, the gesture starting to feel a little more natural after their honest conversations over the past two days.
"I want that too," she murmured into the curtain of her mom's hair. "And I'm proud of you, Mom. I love you."
After their heartfelt conversation, Quinn felt drained but oddly light. She went to find Santana but she didn't have time to relay the conversation so she promised her fiancée she'd tell her all about it on the plane.
Judy drove them to the airport and tearfully hugged them goodbye. Quinn was embarrassed but pleased at the emotional farewell, and the girls promised her they'd see her at Christmastime.
Once their plane was airborne, Quinn snuggled against Santana and repeated her talk with her mother. Santana was surprised but pleased about Karofsky, she'd been closer to David than Quinn was and she hoped they'd get to see him over the holidays as well. Eventually, her voice hoarse from all the talking, Quinn was finished with her story and she allowed Santana to wrap a blanket around her and stroke her hair soothingly until she fell into a dreamless sleep.
The next thing she knew, Santana was shaking her gently into consciousness, her lips pressing lightly against the sensitive skin below Quinn's ear. "Wake up, baby, we're almost home."
Quinn opened her eyes to gaze blearily out of the window at the city lights speeding below them and she smiled as she took Santana's hand. She'd had an amazing few days, but right now all she wanted was to lose herself in a little bubble with her amazing fiancée. And she still had a surprise engagement to plan.
"What are you smiling at?" Santana asked her curiously. Quinn shrugged beatifically.
"You," she whispered, capturing the brunette's lips in a tender kiss.