Chapter Text
Chapter Twenty
Monday
Monday morning dawned like any other. Students slouched into school, annoyed at the inevitable end of their weekend freedom and steeling themselves for the upcoming week. Principal Figgins squeezed his beat–up brown Ford into his parking space beside Coach Sylvester’s monstrous, new Hummer that her last three championship wins had afforded her. It didn’t matter that he was the principal, nor did it matter how many times he voiced the matter with her, Sue always parked halfway into Figgins’ space so the man had had to perfect the art of squeezing out of the tiny gap between his door and Sue’s car and shuffling down the length of them without tearing his jacket or scratching the quick-tempered (and terrifying) Coach’s car.
Figgins sighed as he finally escaped, not bothering to lock his car because, well, who the hell would steal it?! He retrieved his briefcase and the lunch his wife had thrust at him as he left that morning and whistled quietly to himself as he navigated the throng of students entering the school.
“Figgins-”
“Good morning, William! I pray you had a good weekend and stayed off the devil’s juice, yes?”
Will’s brow furrowed at the comment but shook it off quickly as he sped up to fall in step with Figgins. “Right, yes. Look, there’s something I have to-”
“Later, William! I am on the clock right now, and so are you. This is no time to chit or to chat.” Figgins shook his finger at the agitated Spanish teacher beside him.
“No, no! This isn’t- Figgins, wait!” Will sped up, trying to keep pace with the surprisingly nimble shorter man as he darted around the band members and their instruments who had suddenly flooded the hallway.
“Later, William, later!”
Will watched helplessly as Figgins vanished around the corner towards his office, leaving Will to apologise profusely as he untangled himself from in between a cello player and their foot-crushingly heavy cello.
Figgins sighed in relief as he lost the nagging teacher, his only goal to slip into the peace and quiet of his office to meditate and pray before the rest of the school and its inhabitants came knocking at his door… Unfortunately, it was not to be. As he strode up to his office, his face contorted first into a confused frown and then, upon seeing the cheerleading Coach sat smugly in his chair with her feet on his desk, into its usual mask of wary concern.
He yanked open the outer door and stepped up to his secretary’s desk – his question being answered in an apologetic whisper before he could even ask it.
“I’m sorry, Principal, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer and since she has parents with her I didn’t think it a good idea to argue.”
Figgins gaze slid about his office taking in the other occupants – Dr and Mr Berry stood together, lent against the left wall deep in conversation, Mr and Mrs Pearce chatted quietly together in the pair of chairs nearest the wall to the door, Mrs Lopez and Mrs Fabray sat silently in front of his desk, the former looking impatiently around as if she had much better places to be and the latter looking anxious and pale. Sue’s eyes lit up when she caught Figgins’ stare, she beckoned him with one finger as she stood, and gestured to his chair. Figgins’ insides churned both in annoyance and genuine worry – what the hell was Sue up to now?
“Thank you, Mrs Gettings, you did the right thing,” Figgins forced a smile onto his face as he addressed the secretary. “Would you push any engagements back that I have today? And take messages. I have a suspicious feeling this is going to be a rather lengthy meeting.”
Mrs Gettings nodded, shooting him a sympathetic smile as he squared his shoulders and headed in.
“Good morning, everyone. Coach Sylvester.” Figgins strode to his desk, giving respectful nods to the parents as he set his briefcase down. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company so early in the day, Coach Sylvester?”
Sue did not miss the man’s tight smile and uncertain waiver in his voice. “My email should have explained it all, Principal.” Sue shrugged, leaning casually against the wall behind him.
Figgins’ eye twitched. “I have not yet had chance to check my school email account this morning,” he unlocked and opened the left drawer of his desk to reveal his school laptop, complete with the William McKinley high school logo and his name emblazoned on the front.
“We’ll wait them.” Sue moved to perch in the very front edge of his desk, smiling patiently as Figgins suppressed a sigh and sat down at his desk to read.
The atmosphere seemed to get heavier and heavier the more of Coach Sylvester’s email that he read – the seriousness of the situation, the expectations of the parents around him weighing down on him. By the time he got to the end, he was sweating and reached to undo the top button of his shirt and loosen his tie. When he met Sue’s gaze again the woman leapt into action, a well–rehearsed speech filling the tense silence.
“I know everyone here is well aware of our zero-tolerance policy at William McKinley high school,” Sue barely managed to stop herself giving the sweating man sat at his desk a pointed look. “So, I took the liberty of pushing through the suspension paperwork for the students involved and have ensured not only are they off the Cheerios but that they are blacklisted for any and all cheer squads and competitions in the future.” Sue stood, facing the parents as they stared silently from her to Figgins. “I can also assure you all that there will be a full investigation into this horrific, awful act of bullying and that we will do everything in our power to make this a safe environment for your children-”
“Forgive us if we don’t have faith in this place or the faculty, Coach Sylvester.” LeRoy pushed himself away from the wall, his arms folded over his chest, eyes hard as he drew all attention to him.
“Our daughter has been assaulted, harassed, bullied, insulted, belittled and has had to watch people she cares about suffer the same!” Hiram stepped up beside his husband, knowing the man’s temper was threatening to get the best of him. “Believe me, Coach Sylvester, we understand how cruel, unfair and unforgiving the world can be. We have been preparing our daughter as best we can her entire life. But we had hoped she would at least be an adult before dealing with these horrendous experiences – ideally we’d like it never to happen but we are gay men of colour, we can’t afford to be anything but realistic when it comes to our family and our daughter’s future.”
LeRoy wrapped an arm around Hiram supportively, lending him his strength as Hiram continued. “But the absolute last thing we expected, when entrusting her safety and well-being to this school, to yourselves, is to get called into school because Rachel has been sexually assaulted. Or to find our daughter and her friends at our door bloody and bruised, in such terrible states that Miss Fabray couldn’t speak, that Miss Pierce couldn’t move without crying, that Miss Lopez was sporting yet another head injury! All thanks to students at this school seemingly having both the freedom to do whatever they want and the certainty that they would get away with it.” Hiram took a moment to collect himself. “Now, I don’t know very much about the other parents here with me, I know little of their parenting style and their home life or relationships with their children. But I do know for sure that we can all agree this is not acceptable. That enough is not being done to ensure our children’s safety here. That this ‘zero-tolerance policy’ is clearly either not being enforced or is just a plain lie.”
There were murmurs of agreement from the Pierces and a nod from Mrs Fabray. Hiram found he was not surprised that Santana’s mother was more engrossed with her cell phone than the safety of her own daughter. He knew LeRoy had notice too when his husband’s grip on his shoulder tightened and he muttered something angrily under his breath.
“I completely agree with the both of you, Mr Berry,” Sue interjected. “Far too much has been swept under the rug for far too long and I, for one, won’t stand for it any longer.”
Figgins’ head snapped to Sue at her tone of voice – it was the same tone she used when she blackmailed him…
“Before suspending the students involved I resolved to get to the bottom of the incident and I think yourselves especially will be interested in what they had to say,” Sue gestured to the Berry man. “And because of my speedy and no-nonsense way of dealing with this, the Board of Governors have asked if I would take over as acting Principal while this woeful leadership, and the incident itself, is looked into.” She turned to face Figgins, triumphed glittering in her eyes but her voice sincere. “I know you understand, Figgins. It’s what’s best for the school and the students.”
Figgins’ mouth opened to give his rebuttal just as his laptop chimed informing him of a new email. He frowned as he read, his face falling with each passing second. Until finally Figgins could do nothing but nod and slowly start packing his stuff up – knowing there was no point in fighting Sue, especially when she was right. This happened on his watch and clearly he was not the person able to fix this right now, as much as it pained him to admit that.
“This is all well and good, Coach Sylvester,” LeRoy took another step towards the quietly gloating woman. “But where does this leave our children?”
Sue waited until Figgins had vacated his chair and relinquished his power to her before she answered. “Starting today, I will be outlining a new, harsher zero-tolerance policy and enforcing it to the best of my abilities. I will be pushing for the severest punishment for all the students involved in the incidents with your children over the last few months. I am committed to raising awareness around hate crimes, as well as bullying and consent. I have pushed for funding for a weekly counsellor to come in and speak to students on mental health issues, even pledging some of the Cheerios budget as well, and I am offering my full support and expertise in physiotherapy should your girls need it.” Sue folded her hands on the desk, her entire demeanour having changed as she spoke. She radiated authority, sincerity and genuine concern. “I have a sister who has faced a lifetime of bullying and hardships just because she is different. She is my biggest supporter and I hers. And I would be letting her down immensely if I didn’t stand up when I had the chance.” Sue held each of the parent’s gazes. “I cannot promise changes overnight, I cannot promise to change people and their ideas, but I can give them the knowledge, I can educate and offer support in a safe space in this school from now on.” Sue sighed heavily when no one spoke. “I was the one who found your girls after the fact. I saw the state Quinn was in, how much pain Brittany was in, how scared Santana was. They were my star Cheerios once. Formidable, strong, determined, talented. I have a great deal of respect for them but in that instance all I could think was what if they were my daughters? And I knew then and there I would do everything in my power to make sure it never happens again in this school. To anyone.”
Her words finally seem to get through – the Berry men stepped back, relaxing their fighting stances, the Pierces smiled gratefully, squeezing each other’s hands, Mrs Fabray dashed at the tears as they escaped and rolled down her flawless cheeks. Even Mrs Lopez was paying attention now, her lips pursed slightly as she appraised the Coach.
“I know I can’t fix what was done but I can provide a safe space for your daughters to learn and grow when they are ready to return. Until then, they have my full support to take as much time off as they need to recover, and I will personally deliver their classwork to them at the end of the week so they don’t miss out on their education because of this.”
The finality of the statement sent the parents to their feet, words of thanks and appreciation on their lips as they left. Even the Berry men sent the Coach-cum-Principal firm, grateful nod of their heads as they hurried out – they exchanged a few quick words of reassurance with the Pierces, letting them know how Brittany was and that they could come by whenever they wanted after explaining she was in the best place right now.
Hiram and LeRoy had other business still to attend to though and it was currently checking its make up in a compact mirror as it sauntered down the hallway towards the parking lot, eager to be anywhere but this drab, dull school.
“Mrs Lopez? May we have a word?”
Either the woman didn’t hear them, or she was ignoring the men because they only just managed to catch up with her as she pulled out her keys crossing the parking lot to her pristine BMW sat in a space amongst the teachers parking spots.
“Mrs. Lopez!” LeRoy stepped smoothly in front of her as she reached for her car door.
“Oh. Doctor Berry. To what do I owe this pleasure?” Maribel smiled disarmingly brightly making the tall man blink.
“I- We-” LeRoy glanced over the woman’s shoulder at his husband who looked just as perturbed. “Hiram and I were wondering if we might have a moment of your time to discuss Santana?”
Maribel sighed and stepped away from her car, propping her hand on her hip instead. “If you must. But only a moment.”
LeRoy saw Hiram scowl up at the oblivious woman out of the corner of his eye. “Very well. We were wondering if it would be okay for Santana to stay with us a while longer so we can aide her in the recovery process. That is, if Gabriel isn’t wanting to do that himself?”
Maribel scoffed. “Oh no, Gabriel is much to busy to be bothered with such trivial matters. I haven’t even had a chance to tell him yet, to be honest,” she shrugged. “He hasn’t returned my calls but I’m sure he will first chance he gets. He’s a very busy man.”
LeRoy felt that same anger starting to boil in the pit of his stomach he’d felt the last time he had dealt with one of Santana’s so-called parents. He held his tongue and persevered. “So, I have your permission to continue to treat Santana?”
“Why not. I mean, what am I going to do with her? I have a full schedule this week so I’m not going to be home anyway.”
Hiram ground his teeth as he opened his briefcase, pulled out some papers and handed them to his husband.
“Would you mind signing this to say you gave your consent? Just so we don’t have to bother you if Santana needs to be admitted to hospital or needs a guardian present for some reason.” LeRoy grit out, reminding himself to hold his temper just a little longer…
“Sure,” Maribel plucked the ballpoint pen from LeRoy’s shirt pocket and scribbled her signature with a flourish on the places marked with x’s. “There we go. Anything else? I am running very late so…” she presented the pen back to LeRoy with a coy smile before pulling a pair of designer sunglasses from her bag and slidding them on pointedly.
LeRoy smiled tightly; his eyes fixed on Hiram as the smaller man checked over the document. The moment he received a nod from his husband and the precious papers were stowed safely back in the briefcase, LeRoy’s eyes hardened, and he turned his attention back to Maribel. “Are you even going to ask how your daughter is? Do you even care?”
Maribel froze as LeRoy seemed to suddenly tower over her, his anger and disgust palpable. His voice had changed, become low and dangerous, even.
“I-I assume that had she been dying I would have been informed, therefore, since I have not, she must be fine.”
“Santana is far from fine, Mrs. Lopez,” The tall man spat her name as if it was a foul taste in his mouth. “And she hasn’t been for a very long time from what we’ve heard. A fact you’d know if you gave a shit about her or spent even a minute with her. She needs her parents!”
“Santi hasn’t needed us in a long time, Doctor Berry. I can assure you of that!” Maribel snapped back, squaring up to LeRoy. “She’s independent, she has her own life and we have ours. She doesn’t want us butting in-”
“And whose fault is that? She’s sixteen years old. She’s still figuring out who she is, who she wants to be. She needs her parents, stability, support, love – all the things you and Gabriel seem incapable of!”
“How dare-”
“The only reason Santana has her own life is because she was abandoned by you and had to make her own. The only reason she’s so independent is because she has never had anyone to rely on or look after her. She is a product of the environment she was raised in, Mrs. Lopez. She had to adapt, grow up fast or she wouldn’t have survived.”
Maribel’s mouth opened and closed but when nothing came out, LeRoy shook his head in disgust.
“Do you even know what you just signed? Did you read it? A legal document concerning your only child, you would think you could make time to read it and ensure you weren’t signing Santana into servitude or, I don’t know, signing away your parental rights,” LeRoy shrugged, feigning nonchalance as he brushed past her. “I would’ve read it. But then again, I give a shit what happens to my daughter.”
The Berry men turned on their heels and strode over to their own car, leaving Maribel in a stunned silence.
“If you want to see Santana you know where she’ll be,” Hiram called across as they pulled out of the parking space and drew level with the woman. They gave her one last chance to stop them, to change their minds, prove them and their assumptions about her wrong… but when she simply adjusted her sunglasses and unlocked her car to slip inside, they knew it was pointless. The elder Lopez’s were a lost cause. They would do whatever it took to ensure Santana did not end up the same way.
A surprise was waiting for the Berry men when they finally returned home after a quick stop to Hiram’s office and the hospital for supplies. LeRoy turned the engine off but didn’t move, staring at the figure sat on the bench in their front garden. Hiram frowned at his husband until he too noticed the figure.
“Is that…” Hiram murmured.
“I believe so.”
“What do you think she wants?”
“I have my suspicions, but I don’t want to get my hopes up,” LeRoy gave Hiram a sad smile as he got out of the car and carefully approached the pale, impeccably dressed form of Judy Fabray. “Mrs. Fabray?”
Judy flinched and her head snapped up, obviously having been in her own world not to have heard them pull into the driveway.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” LeRoy held up his hands and stayed where he stood – a kind smile on his face. “Are you okay?”
Unfortunately, the Berry men, like everyone else in the neighbourhood, were familiar with the Fabrays and their not-very-well-kept secret of Russel’s drinking, cheating and controlling ways. Over the years they had noticed the effect it had on Judy – her happy, vivacious personality slowly being drained from her until she was this shell they saw before them. They had hoped that after Rachel informed them that Judy had shown up at their competition last year to see Quinn that maybe things were finally looking up for the family. But then Russel started showing up again and seemingly wormed his way back into Judy’s life and things went right back to the way they had been. Only worse, it seemed.
They had learnt a great deal from Rachel, and some things begrudgingly from Quinn, since the Unholy Trinity had come into their lives. It appeared Russel had given his wife and daughter an ultimatum – abide by his strict, oppressive rules (rules that sounded just plain abusive to the Berrys) or get out of his house. Judy, with nowhere else to go and having allowed her husband to destroy all her outside relationships, had no choice. Quinn, thankfully, had Brittany and Santana and thus managed to escape. But leaving her mom there felt as much like a betrayal as it did for her mom to stay with the man who called himself her father but had done nothing to earn that title. And Quinn never quite managed to forgive herself or her mother for the choices they were forced to make.
“Hello, Doctor Berry. I apologise for turning up unannounced. My manners seem to have deserted me today,” Judy stood, smoothing her Chanel pant suit before clasping her hands together in front of her.
“That’s quite alright. And call me LeRoy. This is Hiram, my husband.”
Hiram sent a warm smile along with a nod to the woman.
“Judy, please. It’s nice to finally meet you both. I have wanted to for years but Russel, well, he’s not keen on people who are… different…” the woman winced as she remembered the many diatribes her husband had gone on about the Berry men over the years and the many horrible names and accusations he had slung their way. “Believe it or not, I do not share as many of his beliefs as you may think. Especially now that I know you both seem to care for my daughter and her… friends.” Judy cleared her throat awkwardly, not able to meet the men’s eyes.
The Berry men exchanged a look, Hiram’s eyebrow climbing high at the irony of Judy Fabray standing before them unable to utter the word ‘girlfriend’. But baby steps were still steps and her even being here was a monumental step indeed.
“We do care for them a great deal. They’re incredible people and they’ve done so much for Rachel these last few months.”
Judy nodded thoughtfully at Hiram’s words, her expression shifting rapidly. “I-I am well aware of the things you must have heard about me. And about my family. But I have always done everything I could to keep my daughters safe. I’m their mother, it’s my only job in this life. And-And I know it may not seem like it to you both, but I would do anything to protect them. Including… Including putting myself in between them and my husband.”
The men nodded in sympathy, their hearts clenching despite their want to dislike the woman for seemingly choosing her husband over her daughter but as with many things, it was not quite so black and white.
“Thankfully my eldest, Frannie, was all grown up and off to college before the worst of it started but Quinnie, she…” Judy’s bottom lip quivered as she fought back tears. “Quinn got caught right in the middle of it all and… and I didn’t do enough. I didn’t fight hard enough, didn’t- couldn’t love her the way she deserved.” She dashed the tears away when they inevitably fell. “I just want to know my little girl is going to be okay and that she’s safe here. Please.”
Their hearts broke for her. She was a mother trying to do her best for her children – plain and simple. She didn’t always get it right and made questionable choices, but the men could see just how much the rift between the two Fabrays was hurting her. And yet she had let Quinn go because she knew that it was better for her daughter to hate her than to end up starting down the same path she had and getting stuck with her own Russel someday. And that was something Judy would never allow to happen!
“Quinn is doing okay, Judy. She’s strong and she has people who care about and love her fiercely. They have not left her side, and Hiram and I will continue to do everything in our power to get her any help she wants or needs, okay?”
Judy nodded vigorously. She closed the distance between herself and the tall man to grasp his hands. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you both. She’s my world and I don’t think I could… if she ever…” a choked sob ended any further attempts at communication, so LeRoy just held tight to Judy’s hands as she cried quietly in the middle of their driveway.
The sound of the front door opening cut through everything in an instant. The parents turned to find Quinn approaching cautiously, her own eyes swimming with tears, her fingers fidgeting and worrying at the sleeves of Santana’s jacket she wore. Behind her, still stood in the doorway, eyes fixed on the unfolding scene, stood a steely-eyed Santana, a sad-eyed Brittany and a conflicted Rachel. None of them made a move to close the door and go back inside, they just watched silently.
Quinn came to a stop just out of arm’s reach of her mother and finally met the older woman’s gaze. The blonde girl was still paler than normal, LeRoy noted, dark circles under her eyes but there was the beginnings of that familiar spark there once more and made the worried doctor heave a silent sigh of relief. The weekend had been the most difficult and heart wrenching few days he had ever experienced in his twenty-odd years in the medical field. The pain, uncertainty- the nightmares the men hadn’t been sure would end… but it was so, so good to hear her voice again after three days of nothing but silence.
“Hi, mom.” Quinn’s voice was a little hoarse and very quiet. She had heard everything and knew her mother had taken the oh-so important first step she had been waiting for, hoping for. It was her turn now.
Judy swallowed hard past the lump in her throat, dabbing at her tear-stained cheeks with the handkerchief she kept up her sleeve. She smiled, a little too brightly, at Quinn. “Hi, Quinnie. How are you feeling?”
Quinn, not entirely sure how to answer that question yet, looked to LeRoy and Hiram a little panicked. Hiram stepped forward, giving the girl’s shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
“She’s doing a little better today, Judy. Quinn just needs rest, peace, and time to heal for the most part. But LeRoy has suggested some extra support, in regard to her mental health, should Quinn feel she wants or needs it at any point. But there is no pressure and no time limit on that offer,” he said the last part to Quinn herself.
The blonde shot him a grateful smile before once again meeting her mother’s gaze. She found such overwhelming sadness and concern in those familiar eyes that it propelled her forward and into her mother’s waiting embrace without even a second thought. Loud sobs punctuated the air – mother and daughter clinging to each other, finding a comfort that can only seem to be found in the arms of a parental figure. Apologies spilled from Judy as if a dam had been broken – apologies for letting Quinn down, for not fighting hard enough, for allowing Russel back into their lives, for not trying harder to understand Quinn, for all the ways she had failed as a mother.
“I know, mom, I know. I don’t care, just…” Quinn pulled back but kept her hands wrapped firmly around Judy’s forearms to keep her close. “Just tell me he’s gone or tell me you aren’t going back there. Please. That’s all I care about!”
Judy reached up to wipe a tear from Quinn’s cheek with her thumb, a sad smile on her lips. “I wish I could, Quinnie. I really do. But it isn’t that simple-”
“Mom!” The utter devastation in Quinn’s voice made everyone’s hearts ache.
“Listen to me, Quinn,” Judy wrapped her daughter back up in her arms and held on for dear life. Her voice had a newfound strength to it now. “I don’t want you to be worrying about me. You need to be focusing on yourself and your… your friends.”
Quinn could practically hear Santana’s eyes rolling from across the driveway.
“But I promise you I will not allow him to keep us apart any longer!” Judy shifted to cup Quinn’s face and press a kiss to her cheek. “You and your sister are the most important things in the world to me, I’m sorry it’s taken this long to tell you that but you two have kept me going and made me stronger every day since you were born. You are incredible, Quinn. And so brave. And it is time I took a page out of your book and started being brave too. Started taking control of my life and showing you exactly who you got that fierce spirit from. Because God knows, it isn’t your father!”
Quinn arched an eyebrow and nodded her agreement.
“It’s going to take time and be a hell of a battle. We both know that man doesn’t like to lose or let go. So, I need you to be patient just a little longer. And promise me you will keep being strong and brave. Can you do that for me, Quinnie?”
Quinn held her mother’s gaze – she needed to know that this was for real, that her mother was actually going to do this and be there for her going forward. Because Quinn didn’t think she could survive being let down by her again. She had worked so damn hard to come back after the last time, and all the times before that. She wasn’t sure if she had it in her to start from scratch again. Quinn saw only sincerity, desperation and so much love in her mother’s eyes. If she was going to let her down it wouldn’t be on purpose. But that was the problem, wasn’t it? It was never on purpose…
“Will you promise me something, mom?”
“Anything, Quinnie. Anything!” Judy squeezed Quinn’s hands.
“Let someone help you this time.”
Judy blinked, her mouth opening to no doubt argue that she could do it herself, but Quinn didn’t give her a chance.
“You can’t go through life alone, mom. You have to let people in and accept help sometimes. It’s too hard to try and do this on your own, believe me, I know,” Quinn smiled over her shoulder at the three girls stood watching her. “It took me a long time to see that, but I know I wouldn’t have made it this far without any of them.” She turned back to her mother to find the woman had followed her gaze – a strange, uncertain look in her eyes. “We all need help sometimes, mom. If you’re really serious about this, if you want me to be patient, then show me you mean it. Ask for help.” Quinn hugged her mother one last time, kissed her cheek quickly before walking back towards the house, the girls parting to let her inside before following and shutting the door behind themselves.
Judy stayed staring after her daughter for a long while until LeRoy cleared his throat and announced he should go and check on the girls, excusing himself and vanishing inside.
Hiram approached the still frozen woman and gently took her arm, leading her back to the bench she had previously been sat on. “Are you alright, Judy? I know that can’t have been easy but-”
“But she’s right.” Judy finally spoke. Her voice soft. “When did my little girl become so cynical and yet so wise?” She shook her head, shaking herself out of it before Hiram could reply and turned to him with a sudden fierce determination burning in her eyes. “You’re a lawyer, or so I heard anyway, yes?”
“You heard correctly, yes,” Hiram blinked at the sudden shift in the woman’s demeanour.
“I won’t be able to pay you until after the fact as Russel controls our money and would figure out what I’m doing but… would you help me, Hiram?”
“I am so fucking proud of you, Q!” Santana wrapped her arms around Quinn’s neck, smiling as the blonde sunk into her, whole body shaking. “You’re such a fucking badass.”
Quinn chuckled quietly before Brittany collided with them and an ‘oof’ was forced out instead of her sarcastic retort.
“You’re so awesome, Quinn! I’m proud of you too,” the dancer dropped kisses all over Quinn’s cheek and shoulder until she finally got a smile. “We know how sad you get when you think about your mom. So, I’m happy that you got to hug her again and she said all the nice things she always should have said.”
Quinn’s lip trembled as she shuffled around in her girlfriends grips to hug Brittany as tight as she could. “Thanks, Britt. I love you so much.”
Brittany beamed, bouncing on the balls of her feet giddily but quickly stopped as pain shot through her legs and made her wince. Santana, observant as ever, didn’t miss it and immediately disappeared to get the dancer her next dose of pain meds and an ice pack or two.
“Are you okay, Quinn?” Rachel approached, eyes fixed on the blonde as Brittany gave her a final peck on the cheek, dropping one on Rachel’s too, and wandered after Santana.
Quinn appraised the diva thoughtfully for a second before sending her a small smile. “I think I’m on the way to being okay, Rach. And you are definitely a part of the reason for that,” she stretched out her hand and tugged Rachel to her. Their mouths found each other instinctively, the kiss soft and a little hesitant but when she felt the diva relax into the embrace, and smile into the kiss, Quinn felt a spark ignite in her stomach. She cupped Rachel’s cheek with one hand and held her close with her other on the diva’s hip. Rachel’s arms snaked around Quinn’s waist as she stepped impossibly closer to deepen the kiss, tongue tentatively swiping at the blonde’s full bottom lip-
“Ahem!”
The girls broke apart in an instant to find LeRoy stood in the open doorway, an eyebrow raised pointedly but a twinkle in his eyes.
“Sorry, daddy, we were just-”
“I’m not blind, Rach, I know exactly what you were doing! But if you could perhaps do it away from the door so you aren’t blocking it?” LeRoy grumbled the next part to himself. “You couldn’t have done this sooner, could you?”
Rachel blushed, nodding as she made a move to lead Quinn towards wherever Santana and Brittany had gotten to, but Quinn refused to budge. Instead, she tugged Rachel back by the hand before bringing said hand up to her mouth to deposit a sweet kiss to the back of it before letting go and meeting LeRoy’s rapidly softening gaze. Without another word, Quinn had her arms wrapped around the man. LeRoy’s eyebrows shot up and his surprised gaze met Rachel’s.
“I just wanted to say thank you, Doctor Berry, for everything. And I don’t just mean this weekend.” Quinn mumbled into the man’s shirt as he returned the hug with a warm smile.
“Your thanks aren’t necessary, Quinn. Firstly, it’s literally my job,” he heard her laugh quietly and it made his smile grow. “Secondly, everyone needs help sometimes, right?”
Quinn glanced up at the tallest Berry, her eyes glistening. She sniffed and took an arm back to wipe at her eyes. “Right.”
“And thirdly, I care about you, Quinn. All of you. You may not be my kids but that won’t stop me, or Hiram, from caring as if you were. The only thing we need from you all is for you to grow and flourish and live the full, incredible lives we know you are capable of.”
A choked sob sounded from behind them, and the body of a tiny diva collided with them as Rachel joined the hug. LeRoy let out a chuckle, his gaze shifting to Quinn expecting to share an exasperated look or an amused eyeroll but instead he found the blonde watching his daughter with such a soft smile, her eyes full of love and appreciation for the dramatic, big hearted, ball of emotions that was Rachel Berry.
Friday
“Dad? Daddy? Can I speak to you both for a moment?” Rachel approached her fathers in the kitchen. LeRoy was perched on a stool, eyes tired and sad as Hiram stood behind him rubbing his shoulders as they spoke in hushed tones. They looked up at their daughter, surprised she was awake and coherent this late after the hell of a day she- they had all had!
“Can it wait for the morning, honey? You look exhausted.” Hiram sent her a look full of concern.
“It’s important, dad. Please?” she pleaded, her fingers twisting anxiously into her sweater wishing more than anything one of her girls were beside her, holding her hand. She always felt safe and brave with them at her side. But no. It had taken her the better part of an hour to calm Santana down enough to coax her off of the bathroom floor and back into bed to get some much-needed rest. No, it was her turn to be strong for them now.
“Okay, sweetheart, we’re listening,” Hiram gestured to one of the stools at the kitchen island and took his own seat beside his silent husband.
Rachel’s eyes flickered to the offered seat, hesitating. She knew she should sit, take a breath, collect herself, but she was so far past tired she felt like she had been electrocuted – her entire body twitching restlessly, she didn’t think she would be able to stay still even if she did sit down.
“I-I wanted to start by saying thank you. To both of you. For-For everything you did today,” Rachel met her fathers’ eyes, trying to convey everything she could not with her words, her mind barely slowing long enough to remind her to breathe. It just kept racing around and around after the day’s events, stopping only long enough for her to see and agonise over the moment she had walked into the girls’ bathroom and found her girlfriends… Rachel squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head once, twice, three times hard until the image of Santana sobbing hysterically on her bathroom floor tonight faded too.
“I know we- I owe you an explanation. About everything, not just today. You have both been so supportive without even knowing the specifics. You haven’t pushed, you let me figure my self out and gave me room to grow but I still know I can always count on you.” Rachel took a few measured breaths to swallow back her tears – that would be matching the ones running down her fathers’ cheeks if she let them.
“Rach, honey, that’s what we’re here for. We’re your parents,” Hiram reminded her, trying and failing to supress the sad desperation in his voice as all they had learnt about Quinn and Santana’s families surged to the forefront of their minds.
“I know, dad. But not everyone is so lucky to have parents like you. That’s why I want to be honest with you about everything and why I know you’ll help me when I tell you my crazy, dramatic, dubiously legal, morally questionable idea for a plan.”
LeRoy and Hiram narrowed their eyes at the same time, both tensing up as they exchanged a look. “We’re listening…” Hiram made a ‘go on’ motion with his hand.
“But we reserve the right to make changes to the idea!” LeRoy added. “Your father is a lawyer, and I am a doctor. We both have ethics we have to, and want to, uphold – not only out of legal obligation but also because if we don’t we’re no better than the people who did this.”
Hiram planted a firm kiss to his husband's cheek, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and resting his chin there. “I love you,” he murmured in LeRoy’s ear before turning back to Rachel, speaking loud enough so she could hear him. “Your father is correct. We will help, but we are going to do it the right way.”
Rachel’s eyes softened at the affection between her fathers. Even twenty years and a child later they were still as in love as the day they had gotten married. A tiny part of her romantic, dramatic brain couldn’t help but wonder if she would be the same with her girls after all those years together… a bigger part butted in and reminded her they wouldn’t be making it past the weekend if she didn’t get her shit together and do whatever she had to do to make her idea work!
First, though, the hard part…
“Dad. Daddy… I… I’m in love with them. All of them. Santana, Brittany, Quinn and I are together. Romantically.” Rachel held her head high, jaw set and met their gazes firmly trying her best to ignore her pounding heart and the way her entire body trembled. “I hope you can understand and accept that, because they are my family too.” Two sets of eyebrows raised as Rachel gave a sharp nod and finally took a seat at the kitchen island. “I know this may be a surprise, I hope not a bad one, but I will give you a few moments to digest,” she folded her shaking hands carefully in front of her and waited expectantly.
A massive grin spread across Hiram’s face, and he shook the man in his arms from side to side, only stopping when LeRoy sighed loudly, grumbling as he reached for his back pocket.
Rachel’s brow creased in a deep frown. She watched as the taller man retrieved his wallet, opened it and counted out a number of bills with a scowl. He slapped them into Hiram’s outstretched palm with a little more force then necessary and shot an annoyed look his daughter’s way.
“Did-Did you make a wager on my relationship?” Rachel’s voice betrayed her indignation and hurt.
“No! No, of course not, honey!” Hiram reached across to squeeze her hand. “We always knew you’d get together,” he shrugged and set to counting his winnings.
“Then what-”
“We bet on how we’d find out,” LeRoy explained grumpily, pointedly ignoring his husband’s exaggerated counting – complete with loud slurping as he licked his thumb to count each bill.
“I knew you’d tell us, Rach. Wasn’t sure when but I figured you’d self-combust if you didn’t,” Hiram grinned cockily at LeRoy. “Your father, however, was sure we’d walk in on you in a compromising position.”
“Daddy!” Rachel gasped, horror on her face at the thought.
“Would it kill you to be more like me sometimes?” LeRoy huffed, throwing a glare at Hiram who aw’d and hugged him.
“Don’t be upset, love. I know you wanted to carry on the tradition of parents scarring their kids for life, but I think its much less emotionally damaging all around this way. Don’t you agree, Rach?”
The diva’s face was a mask of awkwardness and horror at the whole conversation. “Oh god. Please can I tell you my illegal, immoral idea now? Because I feel like being thrown in jail and having to use the bathroom in front of hundreds of other people would be preferable and less scarring than this conversation!”
The men immediately sobered up, remembering why they had ended up on their current topic. “We’re sorry, sweetheart. It’s been a long day and I think we’re all a little giddy from emotion and adrenaline.” Hiram slipped the money into his shirt pocket and smiled apologetically.
“I’m just exhausted. Plain and simple.” LeRoy suddenly looked drawn, haggard as his shoulders slumped.
“I know, daddy, me too. I’ll be as brief as I can, I promise.”
The men nodded as Rachel straightened in her seat, hands clenching into fists on her thighs before taking a deep, calming breath as she realised her previous anxieties had vanished during her fathers’ antics. A small smile crossed her face, grateful to them for always knowing just how to help her forget her self-consciousness and fear so she could focus.
“Right, so… entrapment…”