Quinn is in the kitchen making popcorn for their traditional Walking Dead catch up marathon getting ready for the new episode tonight. They always watch the last 4 or 5 episodes on the day the new season is set to release so everything is fresh on their minds.
"Hey baby! You almost home?" Quinn asks balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder as she takes the bag of popcorn from the microwave juggling it by the tips between her thumb and pointer finger on each hand.
Rachel sighs audibly, "No... we still haven't finished the scene we started at lunch and were scheduled to shoot one more after this."
Quinn sits the now empty bag of popcorn on the counter having just finished pouring it into a large bowl. "Rach its almost 6 o'clock. You've been at the studio since 7am. That is already 11 hours. "
Rachel sits down in the director's chair with her name on it and grabs the bottle of water from the hanging side pocket. "I know Quinn," she says a bit aggravated and takes a drink. She is well aware of how long she has been at the studio today. All she wants to do is go home, and lay in her bed cocooned by Quinn and Santana. Maybe stopping at Momma M's for a small BBQ pizza she has been craving all day.
"Baby..." Quinn treads lightly knowing full well that Rachel has been a tad bit irritable these past few days. Which is totally understandable being 24 weeks pregnant and all. She hasn't been sleeping well and her upper back has been having a rough go of the new growth on her chest. "... we talked about this. You are running yourself to thin. I know Michael was hoping to get all your close up scenes filmed by no later than middle of November, but you are 6 months pregnant Rach," she pauses wanting to make sure Rachel is fully listening.
"Trust me I am very much aware of that fact," she is mostly to blame for the delays. The crew is constantly having to wait on her to return from the bathroom. Never mind the twice a day naps she has no choice but to take.
Quinn takes a deep breath sitting the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table in front of Santana. "You are suppose to be cutting back Rachel. These long days are not good for you. You need your rest baby."
Quinn can hear the cast being called back to set over the loud speaker. "Look Quinn. You know I take naps to ensure I get rest and I stay off my feet as much as possible, but the show must go on. We are almost done filming my scenes. By this time next month I will only have to record the songs in the studio, but I have to go. They just called me back to set."
Quinn situates herself on the couch between Santana's legs and leans back against the Latina. "Yeah I heard."
"I'll be home as soon as I can. I love you both," Rachel doesn't wait for a reply, before hanging up having heard the director asking where she was.
"We love you too," Quinn says looking at the home screen of her phone.
Santana moves her arm from the top of the sofa to settle around Quinn's midsection. "I take it she's not on her way home?"
Quinn shakes her head no and plays with Santana's engagement ring (she and Rachel had went out the day after Santana proposed and got the Latina one to match). "They've been stuck on a scene since lunch, and apparently have one more to do tonight."
Having had this discussion several times over the past few weeks, Santana replies defeatedly, "I really do not like her working such long hours," she stops Quinn's fumbling fingers and laces theirs together.
Deciding to wait until Rachel is home to recap on the previous season and double checking to make sure the new season is set to record, the duo settle in to have an Xmen marathon instead.
Rachel texted around 9 o'clock when they were nearing the end of X-2, to let them know she was wrapping up and just had to stop at her trailer to change and grab her things.
Quinn is woken up by a loud thunder clap. Instantly she realizes she and Santana are still on the couch. She slowly sits up rubbing the sleep away from her eyes and checks the clock on the cable box 12:34 am.
"Shit!" She whisper yells. She quickly stands from the couch and makes her way to the bedroom knowing full well Rachel won't be inside but needing to physically check.
She rounds the corner to see the bed still made "fuck!" She runs back into the living room and picks her phone up from its spot on the ground in front of the couch.
She hits Rachel's name at the top of her recent call log. "San wake up!" She shakes the still slumbering brunettes shoulder.
The call goes to voicemail. She redials and shakes Santana's harder. "Santana wake up!"
She wakes up this time and sits straight up "What's going on? What's wrong?" She looks around quickly, "Where's Rach?"
"She's not here!" Quinn informs and is greeted with Rachel's voicemail yet again. "Fuck!" She screams throwing the phone against the far end of the couch. "She's not answering the phone! She said she was leaving at 9! That was almost 4 hours ago San! It's storming outside!" She paces back and forth in the space between the coffee table and entertainment center.
Santana stands up and puts her hands on Quinn's shoulders stopping her pacing "Ok, calm down babe. Let's think about this," trying to remain calm, as it does no one any good if they are both freaking out... Externally anyways.
A bright flash of lighting lights the room followed by an even louder thunder clap then before. They both jump at the noise. Quinn hurries around the coffee table to grab her phone and try's calling Rachel again, tears slowly starting to roll down her face.
Santana stays standing in the middle of the living room one hand on her forehead trying to think of something they can do. When she remembers that the last time Quinn couldn't get a hold of them, Rachel had set up Share My Location with all of them.
Not wanting to get Quinn's hopes up, if for some reason it doesn't work she keeps it to herself for a moment while she grabs her phone off the end table pulling up their group message. "Oh thank God!" She lets out in one breath she didn't realize she was holding.
Quinn stops her pacing and let's her hand holding the phone fall away from her face and turns to look at Santana, "What? Is she texting you?" She picks her phone back up as she speaks and starts typing away, "I can't believe her! She's pissed at me for not wanting her to work such long hours while she's 6 months pregnant so she's not going to answer my calls?! That's just bullshit!"
Santana doesn't register Quinn's rant until the end. She was checking to make sure that the gps readings were accurate switching between Quinn's and Rachel's. Quinn's showing she was in the apartment and Rachel's the studio lot.
Her brain catching up to Quinn's earlier question she answers. "No, no, she's not texting me. Remember when you couldn't get a hold of me or Rach after you quit dickhead's?" She continues not giving Quinn a chance to answer, "Rachel set up the phones to be able to show their locations." She walks over to Quinn showing her the screen with the map pulled up, "look see it shows she's still at the studio."
Quinn wipes the tears from her checks with the back of her hand and takes the phone from her needing to check for herself. She too goes back and forth between her name and Rachel's before handing the phone back to Santana to check the information on her own phone. She breathes a sigh of relief only to realize what it truly means, "Well it means her phone is at the studio," she starts to pace again.
Santana tries calling Rachel from her phone. "Babe, don't think like that. Besides its Rachel, when have you ever known her to leave a room without her phone let alone a building," she questions trying to calm the blonde.
"I can't not think like that San!" Quinn snaps as yet another thunder clap shakes the window panes. She dramatically gestures with her hands and arms to the window, "It's a fucking monsoon outside and our six month pregnant fiancé is missing!"
Santana grabs Quinn by the wrist and drags her to the front of the apartment. "What are you doing?!" Quinn asks thoroughly confused. Santana doesn't answer as they turn the corner to the hallway entrance and she drops Quinn's arm and bends down grabbing the blonde's shoes, she stand up grabbing both jackets off the hook and handing Quinn's to her. "We are going to the studio," she quickly puts her own jacket and shoes on gesturing for Quinn to do the same when she realize she hasn't moved from her previous position.
"Come on Quinn, I'm not just gonna sit around here hoping to hear from her," she doesn't want to admit it, but a small part of her is wondering if what Quinn pointed out is true or not.
Hearing the desperation in Santana voice and the sound of the rain coming down in sheets even faster, a new round of tears break free. She drops the items to the ground bringing her hands up to her face.
Santana takes a deep breath and tilts her head back trying to keep her own tears at bay. As hard as it is for herself not to cry from the situation alone, seeing Quinn cry makes it ten times worse. She quickly composes herself and steps over the dropped garments pulling Quinn against her chest as she wraps one arm around her lower back, the other smoothes down Quinns bed head. "Shhh please don't cry baby," she tries to console the blonde and presses her cheek against the side of Quinn's head tightening her grip when she starts to sob harder.
Short slightly angsty chapter today, with a cliffhanger... Sorry about that (not really, J/K). We are nearing the end of tahis story and I want to finish it fairly quickly. I know exactly how the last two chapters are going to go but still working out the ones leading up to it. I doubt there will be another long chapter until the last chapter but hey at least the story will be complete right?
Thank you to all the new favorites and followers from the last chapter, and BIG thanks to all that reviewed the last chapter!
Thank you sooooo much; Isaiah Flamez, Kutee, redroseangle27, jenmer61977, gabbieg** , and multiple guests for all the support and sticking with me through the long wait!
Tunafish1997, lol I'm very happy you enjoyed the story thus far, and I hope it didn't set you back to far in your studies.
To the 1st guest comment from May 19th, in all honesty I had planned on the wedding being before the babies, so that they would be married when they arrived. I don't want to disappoint but I am still leaning towards it currently and this will more than likely be the case but I am still writing the chapters and have not one word written for any future chapters yet so only time will tell really.
Sidspa, I really appreciate your interest in the prequel (more than you know) and I promise as soon as I finish this one i
t will be updated. I had originally wanted to continue them simultaneously but it got to be too difficult keeping up with two different time lines etc. I don't want either story to be rushed so I thought it best to take a break from the prequel so they both get the time I feel they need to be good enough and what you deserve as a reader.
Annabell39655, you may or may not have had something to do with this chapter being finished/posted today ;P
As always huge thanks to Forevergleek9615 for being the best beta ever :)