Rachel longed to spend all day reliving the Berry Family Football Extravaganza's screening of 'The Labyrinth.' The gratuitous glitter, the superb puppetry, the catchy songs, the seduction of the peach. Rachel liked to think the double entendres were subtle, but Santana's occasional but heartfelt "What the fucks" and Brittany's enthusiastic appreciation proclaimed otherwise. But the night was filled with Puck's guffaws and Quinn's soft, breathy commentary in her ear. It felt, for the very first time, as if she was a normal teenager with friends over, having fun. Well as normal as it could be when the group included herself- Technically Puck's ex, but more importantly his bro, or pretend twin as Brittany liked to call their relationship; Quinn - Rachel's ex-tormentor, current girlfriend and Puck's baby mama; Puck - Rachel's ex best friend returned, Quinn's ravager, and Santana's ex; Santana - One of Rachel's fiercest tormentors, Quinn's best friend, and Brittany's... Wonder Woman. And then, of course, there was Brittany who was loved by all and dated everyone besides Quinn in some form or fashion.
Really, her life was fantastically dramatic. Rachel appreciated it, not only for its future viability as a made for television biography, but also the inevitable Broadway show that would be born from it. She wanted to spend the day dreaming of it, and Quinn. Angry Quinn, sweaty Quinn, smug Quinn, possessive Quinn, Quinn in Jareth's pants, Quinn offering her the world with a single beautiful rose in the palm of her hand. Rachel wanted to dream and keep dreaming. But reality was waiting and so, when her alarms went off, Rachel did not ignore them or grope for her noise canceling headphones, she woke.
Good morning, Quinn! One weekend of Freedom left!
And that was another reason Rachel was awake so bright and early. There were three days left before school started. While planning and plotting was all good and comforting, the school hallways of McKinley were an entirely different territory, ecosystem even, than the sunny days and open freedom of summer. If Rachel was fully honest with herself, and she tried to be, she was worried most about Puck and Quinn. She didn't think they would abandon her, not really. She could acknowledge that there was a small piece of her that housed those tiny slivers of doubt, but, overall, she was more worried about the strain it would put the two under.
Would Puck feel the need to be more violent in retaliation to those who bullied them? How would he handle the whispers and the derogatory comments about being a deadbeat father or a manwhore? Would he think he wasn't good enough again? And Quinn, teen mom, slut, damaged goods, loser… would dyke be the word to break her? Would her tension at being out, even quietly, cause her to clam up entirely and take their relationship two steps backwards? And what about the healing she achieved over the summer? Rachel was willing to be patient, cautious, but would Quinn, lovely Quinn who was so determined to be brave, be able to be?
She had tried to talk a little bit about it with them, but one could never plan fully for adolescent group think, and one's reaction to it. So, she had only three days left of Puck and Quinn with no outside tension added in. The knowledge buzzed heavily under her skin. She wasn't quite at sneak-into-the-dojo-in-disguise levels of itch, but it was enough that she brushed her hair one hundred extra strokes, and went full tilt on her elliptical. Neither eased the feeling. She was particularly on edge because she wouldn't be able to see or spend time with Puck or Quinn at all today. While Puck had no plans, Quinn did. Rachel had been informed that Judy Fabray had decided to surprise her daughter with a day at the spa and shopping. Which was entirely fair, Quinn deserved it! Besides, Rachel had plans of her own. Her daddy was taking her to Columbus for their annual shopping extravaganza.
Rachel's phone buzzed as she got out of the shower and she grasped it immediately, after drying her hand of course. A picture of their intertwined hands from movie night graced the screen. Rachel's heart fluttered as she unlocked her phone with eager anticipation.
Quinn : It's too early for good morning. You're lucky you're so cute.
Rachel: Have you looked in the mirror lately?
Quinn: Bed head and pillow creases.
Rachel: Perfection then.
Quinn: Are you upping your flirt game, Berry? Afraid I'm going to forget you at the spa?
Rachel: If I was upping my 'flirt game' as you call it, I would tell you what I'm seeing in the mirror.
Quinn: ? Well…?
Rachel: Nothing, besides my towel, of course.
Her phone didn't sound again and Rachel fretted she was pushing Quinn too far. Perhaps it hadn't been as tastefully flirty as she thought. She was fully dressed by the time her phone made another sound and, this time, it wasn't a text message. It was Quinn's ringtone. Rachel scrambled to answer it, feeling suddenly uncertain. What if it was too much? What if Quinn's mother saw the text? What if…
"Hello? Quinn?"
"Rachel Barbara Berry…" Quinn's voice was laced with the same dark heat it was when she and Puck pushed her too far.
"Quinn Champion Fabray."
Quinn snorted and it was a sound that made Rachel feel fluttery again. "Close but not quite. I nearly choked on my patented Sue Sylvester shake thanks to you."
"You actually drink those? You know the ones she drinks are actual milkshakes with extra protein powder in them."
There was a heavy pause. "You're joking."
"Am I?" Rachel asked coyly, " Mind over matter. If you truly believe it's a weight loss shake…"
"Now I know you're teasing, just like you were with the towel."
"Quinn, I never ever lie about my health and beauty regimen."
"Rachel…" There was a hint of warning and something else in her voice now.
Rachel opened her mouth to reply when a knock startled her.
"Rachel! Pre-breakfast is ready, get down here before your daddy eats it all!"
"I have to go, Quinn! Have a lovely time today!"
"Rach–"
"Bye!" She blew a kiss into the phone and hung up, satisfied with her flirting after all.
Both of her fathers were already at the table, munching away on fruit and yogurt. Her own dairy free version was neatly placed with a spoon at the ready.
"Good morning, dad, daddy!"
"Someone is even more chipper this morning than usual," Elias observed.
"She had a good morning call with Quinn. While she was getting dressed," Hiram sniffed.
Elias' eyebrows rose to the appropriate height for shock, "How scandalous. Rachel, I never imagined–"
"Dad! Daddy!" Rachel cried, her cheeks burning red.
Her fathers burst into laughter, unable to hold the ruse any longer. Rachel frowned, lip jutting out slightly. She couldn't believe them. Her romantic notions were not fodder for such juvenile notions.
"Oh pumpkin," Hiram soothed, "I didn't actually hear anything. And as long as you're safe, responsible, and consensual, there's nothing more I need to know, unless you need to talk to someone about something, either as a doctor, an adult, or a father."
A shrill noise left Rachel's throat and she felt her cheeks grow hotter. This was not in the pre-shopping extravaganza itinerary!
Elias shook his head slightly, amused. "I'll say one thing, and then we'll stop. For now. Before you do anything major, or if you're feeling unsure, romantically or otherwise, ask yourself, will I regret this five years from now. Because a lot can happen in five years, relationships come and go, favorites change, growth… so imagine a you five years from now in a completely different place. Will you regret it? If the answer is yes, or maybe, then you might want to rethink your decision. Do you imagine how much less crime we'd have to deal with if everyone did that?"
"What crime?" Hiram snarked, "Did Mrs. Felton drop a candy wrapper again? Did you fine her for littering?"
"No," Elias replied grinning behind his cup, "But I did give someone a good talking to about letting their pets out off leash."
"Was it Mr. Matterhorn again? I swear he feeds all of Lima's strays! This is what, the fifth time you've talked to him? Did he bribe you again?"
"Mr. Matterhorn is a dedicated animal rights activist. And just so happens to have a divine peanut butter cookie recipe. To accuse a police officer of bribery–"
"Elias Berry!"
Rachel smiled softly as her parents bickered, half listening and half contemplating what her daddy said. It sounded like a very good rule of thumb. She wondered what future Rachel would be like. If everything went according to plan, she'd be in Julliard or some other well known school, well on her way to making the right connections to ensure her career. But…there were new factors she hadn't considered in that original plan. Because now she couldn't imagine future Rachel fulfilling those dreams without Puck or Quinn at her side. Anything else felt empty. Imagining it raised even more questions. What did Quinn want to be? Where did she want to be? And what about Puck? Had he ever actually imagined a life outside of Lima?
"Daddy?"
Her parents stopped bickering and Elias smiled encouragingly. "Yes, Rachel?"
"I don't think I could regret anything with Quinn. I see her in my life for a very long time. But I thank you for the advice. It is very thought provoking."
Elias nodded, "I hope she is. But even if she isn't, remember, living life without regrets doesn't mean not making mistakes, it means accepting that each experience is another moment of living and growing."
Rachel smiled brilliantly. "Thank you, Daddy."
Hiram threw his hands into the air, "What are we? In an episode of Dr. Phil? You know how I feel about that schmuck. Eat!"
Elias winked at Rachel, "We both know you're only offended by the way he pronounced… "
And they were off bickering again. Rachel took a bite of her yogurt. It was going to be a fantastic day.
