A/N: Some stuff I forgot to say before the first chapter!
This is one of my first times writing for Quinntana and this is fic is probably going to be a long one. It's set sometime in the future after they all graduated college and is going to follow some canon events with some canon divergence. Theres gonna be some flashbacks that will take place during high school or other times Quinn was around her old friends but all flashbacks will be in italics. Quinn is in a very unhappy somewhat toxic relationship with Biff and is only with him because it's what's expected of her.
The name for this fic came from the Taylor Swift song Begin Again
Thank you to everyone who read this fic so far and has followed/ favourited/ or reviewed it means so much to me!
She watched as Santana moved around the room, collecting her clothes from the night before that still littered the hotel floor. She hadn't realised how much of a rush they had been last night to actually get each other out of their dresses. But looking at the evidence in the daylight, she could see just how into it they had both been. She'd never seen herself sleeping with another woman, had never known that it was something she might even consider trying. But she was glad that she had, and she was even happier that she had done it with someone that she trusted as much as she trusted Santana.
That had definitely made it easier and had made her feel calmer and surer of her decision. And even though she had said that for her, it was more of a one-time thing and even though that had done it once more that same night, Quinn was sure that if she and Santana were ever in the same place and the chance arose again, she probably wouldn't say no. Santana was definitely one of the best sexual experiences she'd had, Santana had actually seemed to care about what she wanted rather than just caring about herself. Which was more than she could say for the likes of Puck or her college professor- which might've been one of the bigger mistakes she had made.
But with Santana, everything had just seemed better.
The sound of her familiar raspy voice pulled Quinn from her thoughts abruptly. "You should call me," Santana said, though her tone seemed unsure. "Just so I know you got home okay I mean," she shrugged in a very non-committal, very Santana way. "I meant what I said last night about you not needing to worry about me getting a U-Haul," she teased lightly, bringing a small smile to Quinn's face.
"Yeah, I will," she nodded. "And uh, you should call me, just so that I know you got back safe too," she said, her tone mirroring Santana's. They'd never had the most caring of friendships. They knew that they had a love for each other, Quinn had never questioned that, and there were days that she honestly didn't know what she would do, or who she would be without Santana. But they had never really expressed that to each other. She didn't think they ever would.
"I'm gonna be here for a few more days yet," she informed her. "When my parents found out that I'd be back in Lima for the wedding they said they wanted to see me so... but uh, I'll call you as soon as I get back to New York, I promise," she said, giving Quinn a soft smile. A smile that seemed to make her heart rate increase, and made her stomach knot gently. Something else she had realised in the daylight, was just how incredible Santana looked first thing on a morning. She had always known Santana to be ridiculously pretty, maybe one of the prettiest people she knew, but it wasn't until now that she had noticed just how effortlessly flawless the other woman looked.
The only word Quinn could find to describe her was perfect.
She nodded her head slowly, finding it hard to believe that even while they lived so close together they never really made any arrangements to see each other. She knew it would be easy, a quick train ride for either of them, and yet, they hadn't seen each other in months, and she wasn't sure of the next time she would even be seeing her. She didn't know much about Santana's life in New York at all. All she knew was that she moved there just after homecoming and that she had dropped out of college.
She couldn't say that she blamed her, when she had first heard that Santana was going to be studying in Louisville she couldn't help but think that didn't really seem to be the right fit for someone like Santana. She had always seen the other woman somewhere as big and as bright as she was. "How are things in New York?" She asked; last night they had both been far too preoccupied with other things than to make small talk about how they had been since they last saw each other.
"It's good," Santana nodded as she threw her crumpled dress into her suitcase. "Living with Berry and Kurt is just as difficult as you could imagine it being. There's not much room or privacy there... but I guess I can't really complain," she shrugged. And Quinn had to hold herself back from making a joke about how having no reason to complain had never stopped her from doing so in the past. "They let me live there rent-free and welcomed me with open arms when I arrived unannounced so..." she smiled again.
Quinn nodded her head. "I can imagine you three living in that tiny loft isn't exactly the quietest or calmest of places to live," she teased. "But maybe I could come and visit you guy sometime?" She suggested.
"Yeah," Santana replied, her tone slightly more enthusiastic than it had been all morning. "We'd all really like that... but you'd have to share a bed with someone... we don't have a lot of space for ourselves, and since Rachel is seeing someone... looks like you've gotta choose between me and Lady Hummel."
"Well," she began, already knowing that her choice would be easy. "I shared a bed with you last night... I'm sure I wouldn't mind doing it again," she said, her tone dropping slightly and sounding a little more suggestive than she had originally intended. She opened her mouth to rephrase her words, but when she saw the look on Santana's face, she knew her comment hadn't been unwelcomed.
She watched as a smirk crossed the other woman's face slowly as dark eyes trailed the length of her body. "Well," she began, taking on the same tone that Quinn had. "I know I wouldn't mind sharing a bed with you again," she replied with a playful wink as she lifted her suitcase off the hotel bed. "Guess looks like we know where you're sleeping when you do finally make it to New York again."
Quinn could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, and she knew that she was blushing. She almost hated that Santana had the ability to make her do that, especially when no one else ever seemed to make her blush. She nodded her head dumbly, no words coming out of her mouth even as she tried to form some. All she could do was nod her head and give a polite smile. "So," Santana said, trying to break the awkward silence that had fallen between them. "Do you wanna walk out of here first or should I?" She asked.
They'd both agreed to not talk about what happened between them, to never mention it to anyone else. It was their secret, something just for the two of them, and Quinn liked that. She liked her privacy in all ways, and this was something she definitely wanted to keep private. She knew that if anyone from high school found out they would be bombarded with far too many questions. Their little group of friends had seen many combinations of couples and at this point, she was sure that most of them had swapped partners at some time or another. Quinn knew that just between her and Santana they had shared three guys. Puck, Sam, and Finn, the difference being she had only slept with one of them, and she knew for sure that Santana had slept with at least two of them.
But this particular combination was sure to raise some questions. Questions that Quinn wasn't sure she'd even be able to answer.
"Uh, you go first," she suggested. "I'll finish packing and then head down to say my goodbyes," she shrugged.
"Okay," Santana nodded, giving her a small smile. "I guess I'll see you down there…" she trailed off, leaving the room slowly, and casting one last glance over her shoulder at Quinn.
She took a deep breath, before packing the last of her belongings, trying to calm herself before she headed down to the lobby to see everyone one last time before heading back to New Haven. She just hoped that she and Santana could pull this off with the least amount of suspicion possible.
-o-o-o-
Them keeping their one-time thing a secret had lasted about as long as any other secret within their glee club had lasted- not long at all. Quinn guessed she should've known better than to think it would ever stay just between the two of them. None of their friends had ever been able to keep a secret, it was the way it had always been, something would happen, and someone would confide in someone else only for everyone else to find out eventually.
It happened with her pregnancy and who the real father was when they were just 16. It happened with the secret of Santana taking Finn's virginity the same year. It had even happened with Rachel and Jessie's relationship, no matter what the secret was, it had never stayed a secret for long and she guessed she should've known better than to think that Santana would never tell Brittany what really happened between them. Santana told Brittany everything.
She knew that Santana had told Brittany, and from there, Brittany had told just about everybody.
While she had cared to begin with, she soon realised that, much like with everything else within her group of high school friends, there was little to no judgment aimed at them. They had simply just accepted Quinn and Santana's night together for what it was. The same way they had all accepted her for who she was, flaws and all. She knew, that was a rarity and that friendships like that were hard to come by.
"Quinn," Biff all but yelled, pulling her from her daydreaming and bringing her back to reality, she could hear the early morning traffic from outside their apartment window, sounds of car horns, and speeding traffic blurring past their building. She hated New York. After getting so used to quiet peaceful mornings, she knew this was going to take some adjusting to. She had never lived somewhere so busy or loud before.
"Are you okay?" He asked. "You've been very distant since we got here," he commented. "Very not you, even," he sighed.
Quinn took a deep breath. She knew that she had been distant lately, knew that she hadn't talked to her fiancé as much as she usually would. She nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I guess I'm just not, trilled about us moving here and—"
Biff sighed in exasperation and rolled his eyes. He'd heard it all before, during the first discussion about moving here, though there hadn't been much to discuss. Quinn had made her disdain for New York well known, and she had told him that she didn't want to move there. But Biff had soon overruled her saying that it was simply the best for them, and whenever Quinn had tried to protest, he had simply silenced her with a kiss, and told her that he knew what he was doing was the right thing.
That she should just trust him. The man leads and the woman follows.
So 'they' had decided that they would move to New York. And Quinn already hated it.
"I know that," Biff said, a soft smile spreading across his face. "But this is what's best for us, gorgeous. I know it is. So why don't you just trust me?" He asked, his tone not matching his smile or the words he was saying.
Quinn sighed again; it was always the same thing with them. Quinn would raise any grievance she had, and Biff would shut it down the same way he always did.
Trust me, this is for the best, I know it is.
I know what is best for us in life, Quinn.
Don't you worry your pretty, little head, I'll do it.
She was getting slightly sick of hearing those things. People always made her feel like she knew nothing like she didn't need a say in things. All she had to do was sit back, and just look pretty.
But all she could ever think about what how no one could be sure of anything, she had learned that a lot in her life. "You say that, but how can you be so sure?" She asked. "What was wrong with New Haven?"
"This is the opportunity I have always wanted. The chance to make a name for me the way all the other men in my family have."
"What about the name I want to make for myself?" She asked, her jaw set tightly.
"Quinn," he snapped. "We're not going over this again. I am your fiancé and it's my job to take care of you," he said, his tone leaving no room for any more arguments. "The best chance for me to take care of you is to start a career here. We're staying in New York. End of discussion." The finality in his voice made Quinn sink into her seat, reminding her so much of the way her father would speak to her mother.
Breakfast seemed to be never-ending that morning, as they both ate in silence as biff checked news updates on his phone and sent email after email. He seemed to spend most of his time with his phone in his hand. Hardly ever really paid attention to Quinn.
She turned away from her fiancé and stared out at the street below her, watching as people rushed out of their apartments, trying their hardest to hail a cab to try and get to work on time. She knew it wouldn't be long before Biff headed out to do the same. Getting to and from places had been easier in New Haven, or at least, it had felt it. Hadn't felt so hectic and would say one good thing about New York though. The skyline and view of the city at night were second to none. Other than that, she still couldn't find any redeeming qualities about the city.
Quinn knew that Biff loved New York and thought there was no place like it anywhere else. She wondered if that came with living there, she knew, as much as Lima had its faults, any time she went home for the holidays, or for family reunions there were some things she loved about her hometown. The places she had used to hang out with her friends, the amazing memories she made there with some of the best people she had ever met in her life. Even during her time at Yale, being around her sorority sisters, Biff, and his frat brothers, no one had ever seemed to compare to the people she had met at high school.
The same people that, as she became more serious with Biff, she hadn't really made time for. The same people that had seen her for everything she was and had accepted her and all of her flaws when no one else had. Biff had never tried to hide his dislike for her friends. He had been very open about the way he felt about all of them. Of course, some her had liked more than others, but still, even then, he'd had a hard time seeing them as anything other than small-town losers. The way he had spoken about them, had lived within Quinn's mind ever since she had first heard him speak his mind about them all. The way that he sometimes spoke to her the same way never seemed to leave her mind.
She knew that he saw her the same way. Especially on the days that she would lose control, or act in a way that he didn't see as being the right way for his future wife to act.
Which seemed to be almost every day lately. Quinn often felt like she couldn't really be herself with Biff. Not like she could be with her friends. Not like she could be with Santana. Once again, she could feel herself aching to reach out to the other woman. She reached for her phone, and once again opened up the text thread that she and Santana share. The one that hadn't been used in months. Santana was the one she cared about most out of her friends, the one that she seemed to have the strongest connection with, and yet, she had been the one that she had spoken to the least. Biff preferred it that way. Out of all of her friends, he had seemed to dislike Santana (and puck) the most. She knew this was all down to Santana's sarcasm and brash nature.
She certainly hadn't made the best first impression, especially not with the joke she had made about being into him for his money. Quinn had explained to him time and time again that she had only been joking, but ever since then, he hadn't really been a fan of hers. Quinn knew she would never be able to tell him the true extent of her friendship with Santana, even if she wanted to. The sound of Biff's cup clicking against the table pulled Quinn from her thoughts, snapping her back to reality, she turned her head away from the window, to face him, as he pushed himself up from the table.
"On that note," he began, as he pulled on his suit jacket. "I better be getting to work," he said. "I really hope you think about what I just said?" Quinn furrowed her brow slightly, before nodding her head slowly as she took in the expectant look on his face.
She knew she had missed something, maybe something important, but she couldn't be sure. "I will," she replied, hoping her tone of voice sounded the least bit convincing.
"Good," he said, moving around the table to stand in front of her. "I really do think living here is what's best for us," he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss, one that had no real feeling to it, and felt more obligatory than anything else. "You just need to actually give something a chance for once before making a judgment."
"I'm not that judgemental," she shook her head slowly.
"You are," he nodded, a small smile spreading across his face, "but it's not the worst trait of yours." His comment struck a chord with her, he often did this, giving her backhanded compliments whenever and wherever he could. "I really do need to be heading out now," he said checking his watch. "I'll see you later… don't forget, we're going to my parent's house for dinner tonight, a lot of the family will be there… plus some important friends of the family."
Biff's welcome home dinner.
Quinn had in fact, forgotten all about it. She'd had a lot on her mind.
In the weeks prior to Quinn and Biff moving to New York, after years of living in New Haven, Biff's parents, Hunter, and Sloane had wanted to host a fabulous dinner for their son's return to Manhattan. The dinner was to be hosted by the McIntoshes in the extravagance that was Biff's childhood home. Biff had accepted for both of them, with nothing but gratitude and excitement, even suggesting that Judy and Russell be invited too. Which, for Quinn had only made matters worse. She hadn't wanted to be in New York, to begin with. She definitely hadn't wanted to have to sit with both of their parents and Biff's father's business friends.
For Quinn, Biff's welcome home dinner was her worst nightmare.
"Of course, I haven't forgotten about that," she lied, her lips pulling back in a smile, her eyes scanning his face carefully, looking for any sign of doubt. "I can't wait for it," another lie.
Quinn could wait.
She didn't want to have to go to the welcome back dinner at all, but she knew it was expected of her, even more so now that her parents had been dragged into it. She hadn't seen her parents in months, and for good reason. She had never quite met their standards, and as she got older, she didn't fit the mold that the rest of the Fabrays did. Nor did she particularly fit the meld of the McIntosh family. She knew, at some point that night, she would inevitably say something to anger someone. "Me either," he said. "The McIntoshes and Fabrays finally coming together," he said.
Quinn had met his family on several occasions, and Biff had met hers slightly fewer times, but their parents had never met each other, nor had Frannie ever met any of Biff's siblings. She couldn't help but dread the night, fearing the worst for everyone. "It's gonna be great," she lied, nodding her head, her heart hammering in her chest.
He gave her a slightly false smile as he pulled away and headed to the door, waving goodbye before leaving the apartment.
Quinn sighed and ran her hand through her hair, before looking out of the large window once more, once again watching as more and more people filled the streets, heading in every direction as they made a start to their day.
She supposed she wouldn't hate New York half as much if she actually had something to do now, she was there, well, something other than being Biff McIntosh's fiancée. She had never been one to just sit at home, waiting for a man to return to her. And yet, that's exactly what her life had come to.
-o-o-o-
When they walked into Biff's childhood home, Quinn was hit by the familiar smell of her fiance, a rich, earthy smell, with a hint of cigar smoke. She could smell the fine food cooking in the kitchen- at the hands of the family chef who she was still to meet but had heard so much about- and could hear the faint murmur of multiple voices filtering in from the large living room to the left of the foyer, the voices sounding like nothing more than a strange buzz.
She had truly walked into a wasp's nest. In every sense of the word.
Quinn couldn't help but look around at her surroundings; the dark wood on the handrail of the stairs, the large open space foyer with doors all down the walls on either side of them. The kitchen, the living room, the dining room, the study, plus countless more rooms that she had never been in and that Biff had never told her about. What lie behind those doors was a mystery to her. But she had never really cared enough to ask what was behind them.
Biff took a deep breath, taking in every facet of his childhood home before smiling down at her. "It's good to be back here," he said. His tone of voice filled with awe as if he had been away for years.
Quinn furrowed her brow in confusion. "We've been in this house a few times since we first got together," she pointed out. And they had been, she was sure that in the five years they had been together they had definitely been in this house more times than they had been in Quinn's childhood home. Not that it ever bothered Quinn, she had never cared much for Lima or New York. to her, it had been a bit of a lose/ lose situation.
"Yeah," he nodded his head. "But after we visited my parents we used to have to go back to New Haven," he said, screwing his face up slightly as if New Haven had been the worst place on earth to live. In Quinn's opinion, it had been a far sight better than Manhattan, and she would stand by that. "This time, we get to go back to our own apartment in the same city... what could be better than that?"
She knew better than to actually answer that, especially when she could think of a hundred things better than living in Manhattan. If she answered it, she'd just anger him. He was sick of hearing her talk trash about New York. So instead of replying, she hummed softly, and nodded her head, giving a non-committal agreement to her fiancé's question. There was a beat of silence before a familiar, lilting voice filtered out into the foyer. "Here they are!" Sloane all but sang as she walked towards them, a wide smile on her face, her legs slightly wobbly. Quinn knew then that they had all already started drinking and that Biff's mother was already tipsy.
"Hello, Mother," Biff replied, stepping forwards and pulling his mother into a slightly awkward hug, that seemed anything other than a genuine hug between a mother and son.
"Quinn," she smiled as she stepped away from him. "Look at you," she said, leaning back to get a proper look at Quinn. "You get more and more beautiful every time we see you," Sloane smiled. "Truly stunning," she said before turning back to her son. "You better take good care of this one, she's a keeper."
Biff chuckled softly and nodded his head. "And don't I know it," she said, weaving his arm around her waist. "Show her the ring sweetheart," he instructed her. It hadn't occurred to Quinn that while their parents knew of their engagement, they hadn't seen them since it happened. "Mother has been dying to see it. Quinn nodded her head and held out her hand to the older woman, showing off the extravagant ring on her finger. While Biff had money, she had always been sure that his parents had given him most of the money to pay for her ring.
She knew, that without their help there was no way Biff could've afforded the ring he had given her, she had known that the second she had seen the platinum band, and the 2 carat diamond in the centre, with a sapphire on either side of it. The ring was large and looked out of place on her delicate hand, and she had always thought that, but the reaction she garnered every time she showed anyone the piece of jewelry, made her think she was the only one who felt that way.
Sloane took had hand in her own and pulled it closer to her to get a better look at the ring. "This is lovely," she smiled. "It appears my son has great taste in women and in rings," she chuckled. "You must come in and see everyone… they're all dying to see you… especially Blair."
Blair was Biff's youngest sibling, and other than her own sister, Blair was the only person Quinn was actually excited to see. She had always liked Blair since the first time they had met each other. She seemed different from the rest of her family, her political affiliation was different, she was much more liberal, had gone to an Ivy League school but had studied an art form just like Quinn had rather than going into the business world or law world the way her parents and brothers had. Quinn could see a lot of herself in Blair and had a lot of time for her, where she usually felt under pressure to impress Biff's family, with his sister, she felt like she could be herself, without judgment.
Sloane led them into the living room, where they were met with wide smiles and cheery hellos as they all stood up to greet them one by one. The men shaking Biff's hand, while pulling her into a hug, the women (mainly Biff's brother's wives) all fawning over her ring, each one of them wanting to see it and asking questions about it. Quinn knew she was in for a long night.
-o-o-o-
They had been in the McIntosh home for around half an hour already and she had yet to have a proper conversation with any of the men in their company. The second they had all greeted Biff and Quinn and had exchanged all the obligatory pleasantries, Hunter McIntosh had whisked all the men away into one of the many rooms that Quinn had never been in before; leaving Quinn sitting in the living room with her mother, Frannie, Blair, Sloane and the wives of Biff's two brothers- Muffy and Vivian.
Quinn had sat mostly in silence, nodding her head, and giving tight-lipped, polite smiles in all the correct places, even forcing a laugh at some of Muffy's worse, and definitely not funny jokes. She had to sit and listen to each of the married women gushing about their partners and once again, she was reminded of the fact that she didn't seem to feel as strongly about Biff as any of them did about their partners.
She was starting to think that there must be something seriously wrong with her.
Vivian had tried to include Quinn in the conversation time and time again, asking her questions about life in New Haven, life at Yale, she had studied at Harvard and Muffy had studied at Dartmouth, where they had both met their respective husbands. Muffy had met Hunter Jr (the eldest McIntosh child) ten years earlier, and Vivan had met Bryce (the second McIntosh child) eight years earlier. Neither of them ever seemed to shut up about their husbands, simply going on and on about them until someone- usually Blair the only single McIntosh child left- changed the conversation.
"So are you excited?" Vivian asked, her soft husky voice (complete with a thick midwest accent) pulling Quinn from her musings.
"Excited about what?" She asked. Quinn had to force herself to remain quiet when her mother rolled her eyes and tutted in disgust. She could tell that her mother was getting annoyed with her distant behaviour that night, just as biff was getting tired of her distant behaviour in general.
"To be in New York?" Vivian smiled, her tone was slightly patronising. "About your engagement?" She added as if both these things were obvious reasons for Quinn to be bubbling with excitement. "I mean. It's a pretty big deal... you must be so proud of Biff for getting a job with one of the biggest law firms in the state at such a young age... I know I'm proud of Bryce."
Quinn nodded her head slowly. "Uh, yeah," she replied, "I guess," she tried her hardest to match the same level of excitement that Vivian was currently exuding. "I mean, he still has a little way to go before becoming a Lawyer," she added. "He has to go back to college first, but this is some good experience for him until then I suppose." There was no point in lying about the situation, she knew her expression would give her away.
"You guess?" Muffy asked.
"Yeah," Quinn nodded. "I mean... I'm happy that he found a job si easily," she began though she knew his family connections had everything to do with him getting this job. It appeared that within the McIntosh family, nepotism was a running theme, all of them at some point, had used their name, and their father's money to get them where they needed or wanted to be in life. She figured Biff's turn was finally here. "But, I don't know... I'm gonna miss New Haven and all my friends... and on some level, I do wish he'd just stayed on and gone straight into Law school... but this is good too, I guess."
"Oh," Muffy replied, nodding her head slowly, her brow furrowed tightly, she clearly didn't share Quinn's sentiment. "Okay then."
The air around them fell silent after that, and Quinn knew she had either put an end to the conversation with her dismissive words, or she had said the wrong thing and none of them really knew how to talk to her. She should've known that she'd have nothing to say to the wives of Biff's older brothers or even her own mother for that matter. She had never been overly close with her mom, especially not after her teen pregnancy, after that, her parent's favouritism became too obvious to ignore.
Quinn and Muffy had only met each other a hand full of times, no matter how long each of them had been honorary members of the family. They had never really made any effort to get to know each other, despite Biff and Hunter's efforts. But Quinn liked it that way, she didn't need to know Muffy better to know that she didn't like her and hadn't liked her the second she had first seen her.
Anytime they found themselves in the same room as each other, the air around them just seemed to be filled with a strange tension that Quinn couldn't explain. Muffy seemed to have this holier-than-thou nature that made it hard for Quinn to get along with her, but she knew that while ever she was a part of this family (which with the recent proposal from Biff, was going to be for a very long time now), she was just going to have to deal with the older woman even more so now that she and Biff were living in New York.
Before she could make excuses or would only have to see her on special occasions, but now Quinn knew she would be stuck with both her and Vivian. Biff's family was very important to him, and he was incredibly close to how older brothers. She knew how badly he wanted her to be close to Muffy and Vivian, and how much it would mean to the family if the three of them did get along. She knew that nights like this, surrounded by Biff's family and women she couldn't really stand, were just her life now. Whether she liked it or not.
-o-o-o-
A little while later, when dinner was almost ready, and all the men had returned to the living room smelling strongly of cigar smoke and brandy, Quinn found herself standing in the corner of the room, watching everyone around her, and just taking everything in. Hunter and Sloane were being the perfect hosts, making sure everyone had everything they needed or wanted and making the Fabrays feel like a member of the family- after all, they would be one day soon.
She watched as her family took to their surroundings like ducks to water, not that she had ever expected anything different. They had rubbed elbows with some higher class people before and her father was a very social man, he always had been and he could charm just about anyone. She had known from the beginning that the McIntosh family would fall under his spell the same way everyone that ever met him had. If only they knew the truth she thought, if only they knew what he could truly be like. But that night, he had sold the idea of the Fabrays being the perfect all-around, good, Christian family with ease.
Quinn watched as Biff fell into stride beside her father, fitting the bill of the ideal husband with ease. How could he not? Biff, much like her father, just seemed to have a way of winning people over. What with his winning words, charming personality, and handsome smile. He had won her over far easier than anyone else ever had and she could see that the more time he spent with her family, the more they grew to love him. Sometimes, she wondered if her family loved Biff more than she did.
She stood there, sipping at her wine, just watching, taking everything in, and trying to read the room. The same way she had ever since she was a child. It was all she had ever really known to do at family dinners or family gatherings. Of course, when she had been younger, people hadn't spoken to her all that much. They had all been under the impression that children should be seen and not heard. But as she got older, started high school, and became more like the woman she was today people started to pay more attention to her.
They made small talk and asked her about her grades, but people seemed to focus more on her love life and if she was dating anyone, the same way they had with Frannie as if their worth came down to the man they were with rather than who they were as people. When she had replied with a yes, and explained how she was dating the quarterback, the comments about her father needing to keep an eye on her had started. Comments about how they all hoped he shared the same ideals as her family.
But their questions had never really been anything of substance. Frannie had always been treated the same way until she brought Harrison home. Then the deep questions had started to be formed. People were forever asking her what their goals were, and what was the next step for them in life. Of course, Frannie had answered with the same goals as their mother, to graduate college, get married, and start a family of their own soon after. For Frannie, the end goal had always been to be a good, Christian wife and mother. Devoting her life to her family.
Quinn wasn't so sure what she wanted for her own future, wasn't even sure if she wanted children of her own, not after the whole Beth thing. And if she did have kids, she knew she didn't want them any time soon. She was dreading actually getting married to Biff, she knew the second that happened people would start asking about babies, and she knew it would be what was expected of her. Especially from her mother and father.
They'd talked about her giving them grandchildren the right way in recent years.
The second they had met Biff, and realised that he met every one of their expectations of what they wanted for her, the questions had started, questions about marriage and if she saw a future with him. Thanks to her parents the second she'd had that ring on her finger they had started to look at venues and dates. They'd already set a date for just over a year's time at the plaza- both her parents and Biff's parents had been able to pull some strings to make that possible for them.
As she continued to scan the room, her eyes landed on Frannie and their mother, as they stood by the fireplace talking animatedly. They both looked truly breathtaking. Both of them dressed so elegantly, with their hair up and pearl necklaces resting gently against their chest. They looked every bit as conservative as Quinn knew them to be. It was easy to see where Quinn and Frannie got their striking looks. They had thrown more to looking like their mother than their father, though Frannie looked exactly like Judy. Quinn had seen pictures of their mother back when she was younger and a cheerleader in high school if it wasn't for the outdated cheerleading outfit and hairstyle Quinn would've sworn they were pictures of Frannie.
The sound of the doorbell ringing loudly alerted everyone in the room, pulling Quinn from her thoughts, and bringing her crashing back down to reality. She watched as Sloane, Muffy, and Vivian all neatened out their dresses and pencil skirts, before fixing their hair. Biff, his father, and his brother straightened out their ties and suit jackets. At that moment Quinn knew that the family friends had finally arrived.
The family friends that Quinn knew to be part of the one percent and the ones that she knew she and her family had to impress tonight. After all, if they did, it could mean even bigger things for the Fabrays. She took a deep breath, getting ready to put herself back into the fold after spending most of the night alone. She knew, that now she had to be the perfect daughter that her parents had always wanted her to be and she had to make herself appear to be the perfect future wife of Biff McIntosh.
A/N: I hope you liked this chapter, feedback is hugely appreciated