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thegirl20TITLE: For better or worse
FANDOM: Glee
PAIRING: Rachel/Quinn
PROMPT: Quinn awkwardly asks Rachel's dads for permission to propose
RATING: PG
WORD COUNT: ~2,100
DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em. They're Ryan Murphy's.
SPOILERS: Don't think so.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Written for the Glee fic!battle.
Quinn lifted her hand to ring the doorbell and noticed that it was shaking considerably more than she would like. She clenched her fist, as if to grab hold of her nerves and squeeze them out.
"C'mon Fabray," she whispered to herself. "You can do this."
On her second attempt, her hand was relatively steady and she pressed the doorbell, smiling when the familiar rendition of 'The Trolley Song' rang out. After a few seconds, the door opened and Quinn gulped involuntarily.
Rachel's father Ben looked surprised for a split second before he broke out into his usual wide smile. He turned to call over his shoulder.
"Hey Jacob, we got a surprise visitor!"
He turned back to her and grabbed her in a tight hug. She closed her eyes and hugged him back. She still remembered the first time Ben had held her, shortly after she'd moved in with the Berry family and he'd found her sobbing in front of the fridge because they had run out of orange juice. (He'd understood it wasn't really about the orange juice.) Ben was as much of a Dad as she'd ever had.
"Quinnie!"
She pulled away and laughed at the shrieked greeting before being engulfed in another hug, this one smelling distinctly of chocolate. Jacob pulled back and grabbed her by the cheeks.
"Oh, just look at this face, I swear you get more gorgeous every time I see you," he proclaimed, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead.
Quinn blushed.
"Same goes for you, Jacob," she said. "I love the apron."
He stepped back and did a twirl, throwing the dish-rag he'd been holding over his shoulder like a boa. He batted his eyelids at her and her breath caught, as always, because his eyes were so like Rachel's.
"Let the girl inside, Jacob, it's not exactly warm out," Ben said, stepping aside to let Jacob usher Quinn in.
She was grateful for the warmth that always seemed to permeate the Berry household. The drive from Manhattan wasn't a long one, but the weather hadn't been great and she was happy to be off the road.
Rachel's fathers had moved to Connecticut not long after Rachel and Quinn had moved, with a six year old Eliza Fabray in tow, to the bright lights of Manhattan. Rachel had been in a number of low-key plays and musicals and was starting to make a name for herself. Quinn had completed a yearlong graduate program with a marketing company and took advantage of their transfer policy. They got a great deal on an apartment and decided to take the plunge. Quinn had been slightly nervous about the move, but found that she loved living in the city. It helped that both Rachel and Eliza seemed to be in their element amid the noise and the bustle. It also helped that it meant that she got to sleep next to Rachel every night because she didn't have to go away touring for long periods of time.
Jacob pushed them in the direction of the kitchen and had Ben making coffee while he took a batch of brownies out of the oven and got back to vigorously stirring something else that smelled delicious.
"So, not that it's not great to see you, sweetheart," Ben started. "But usually when you visit you have our daughter hanging off your arm and our granddaughter bouncing off the walls."
Quinn felt the butterflies reappear, they seemed to be making their way from her stomach to her chest.
"Rachel doesn't know I'm here," she said, not really knowing where to start.
Rachel's fathers looked at each other.
"OK," Jacob said, laying his baking down and wiping his hands on his apron. He approached the counter and hopped up on a stool next to Quinn while Ben brought over mugs of steaming coffee.
"I told her I was going away on business," Quinn continued, staring into her mug like it contained the secrets of the universe.
"That...uh, that doesn't sound like you, honey," Ben said. "You and Rachel have always been honest with each other, right from the beginning."
"Painfully so, at times," Jacob added.
"I know, and it was really hard lying to her, but I had to do this. It...it's important that I do this..."
"Quinn, is there something you want to tell us?" Ben asked, carefully.
Quinn stood up and walked to the window, hugging herself.
"I think I just need to say this," she said, without turning around.
"Oh my God, it's Rachel isn't it? She's sick and she didn't want you to tell us!"
Quinn spun around to see Jacob with his head in his hands, muttering to himself, and Ben rubbing his back, looking at her in alarm.
"Quinn, is Rachel sick? Is that why you're here?" he demanded.
Quinn's mouth dropped open but she found that she couldn't speak, this whole thing had just taken a turn for the worse.
"It was that silver spraypaint she insisted on using on herself when she was in the Wizard of Oz when she was seven," Jacob continued to babble. "I told her it wasn't safe for humans to wear on their faces but she said she needed to suffer for her art. Oh God, it was carginogenic wasn't it?"
"No, Jacob, Ben...I...that's not...Rachel's not sick!" Quinn practically shouted to be heard over Jacob's voice.
Jacob's head shot up and Ben put his hand over his heart.
"She's not?" he asked, needing further reassurance.
"No, she's perfectly healthy. God, I'm so sorry for making you think she wasn't!" Quinn said, a jolt of sympathy running through her as she imagined how she would have felt if she'd been sitting in their places.
"And Eliza..." Jacob asked.
"Is also perfectly healthy," she assured them. Jacob opened his mouth again and she rushed to add, "And so am I."
Ben sat down heavily on the stool Quinn had vacated.
"So what is it you need to say?"
"I came to ask you for Rachel's hand in marriage," Quinn blurted out.
Both of Rachel's fathers stared back at her, dumbfounded. Then Ben threw back his head and laughed. A second later Jacob joined in. Quinn wasn't terribly thrilled that they appeared to be laughing at her, particularly when she was a nervous wreck about the whole thing. She attempted to explain herself further.
"I uh...I wanted to do this right, because you've always been so good to me and Eliza and I wanted to...please stop laughing."
Ben pushed himself up into a standing position and made his way over to Quinn, pulling her in for a hug.
"Sweetie, next time you want to ask our permission to marry our daughter that you've been in love with for nigh on a decade, maybe you should just come out and say it."
Quinn felt something in her chest loosen and she laughed into Ben's strong shoulder.
"So, is that a 'yes'?" she mumbled into his sweater.
He pulled away slightly but kept his arm around her shoulders.
"What do you think, Jakey? Should we give Quinn our permission to marry our baby girl?"
But Jacob couldn't speak. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and he had a hand over his mouth.
"Hey, don't cry!" Quinn said, a second before she noticed that her own face was wet with tears.
Jacob flapped both hands in front of his face in an attempt to stop crying.
"I'm just so happy," he choked out before rushing to embrace Quinn and Ben in a crushing hug.
"Why all the formality, Quinn? You know you didn't need to ask," Ben said, rubbing the back of Jacob's neck as he continued to cry into Quinn's hair.
"I just wanted to do things right," Quinn said with a shrug. "I know Rachel's had her wedding planned out since she was teeny, and I'm pretty sure asking you guys first was part of the deal."
"And did you think there might've been a possibility we'd say no?" Ben asked, his eyes twinkling. "Because you seemed pretty nervous.
Quinn rolled her eyes.
"It's not like I've ever asked someone if I could have their daughter before," she mock whined.
"I think you had her a long time ago," Ben said, then his eyes went wide at the same times Quinn's did. "I mean...I'm not talking about...I meant that you had her heart a long time ago."
Jacob lifted his head and sniffled.
"And the other thing too," he put in, with a wicked smile, earning a punch in the shoulder from his husband. He turned to Quinn.
"So, we have so much to do!" he said. "We have dresses to design and a venue to choose and a guest list to draw up and you have to register your gift list an-"
"Do you think I could maybe ask Rachel to marry me first?" Quinn interrupted with a smile.
"Oh, that's just a formality," Jacob said dismissively. "We have plans to make!"
"When are you planning on asking her, sweetie?" Ben asked, nudging Jacob gently.
"Well, Finn's visiting for a few days and tomorrow he's taking Eliza away for their annual 'Uncle-niece' bonding session. They're staying at a hotel in Atlantic City so I thought I’d do it then."
“You mean we have to wait a whole day with this secret bearing down on us?” Jacob cried, clutching his heart. “What if she calls? She’ll know by my voice. Or by the fact that it’ll be the first thing I tell her. One or the other.”
“When do you suggest? You want me to send her a text right now?” Quinn teased.
“Tonight! Go home right now woman and do it. Then call us right away,” Jacob said, nodding his head as if the decision had been made.
“Honey, maybe we should let Quinn do it in her own time, how she planned it,” Ben suggested.
A smile was growing on Quinn’s face.
“Actually...maybe tonight would be good...it would let us tell Eliza right away...” she said, clearly warming to the idea.
“Yes! It’s important to involve the children in these things from the beginning. Tonight it is then,” Jacob agreed.
“That’s assuming she says yes, of course,” Quinn said, frowning.
“Quinn, a couple of years ago during one of your visits, Rachel told us in no uncertain terms that should you ever ask for permission to marry her, we were to say yes immediately,” Ben explained, hoping to alleviate any doubts Quinn had.
Quinn couldn’t help the dopey smile that appeared at the thought of Rachel waiting to be asked. She pulled out her cell phone and pressed a couple of keys. Rachel answered on the second ring.
“Hey!”
“Hey yourself,” Quinn said, putting a finger to her lips as Jacob looked like he might start to squeal at any second.
“So, how’s life at the Howard Johnson treating you? Is your view of the parking lot or a wall?” Rachel asked.
“Actually, that’s why I’m calling. The conference was cancelled so I’m on my way home.”
“At the risk of sounding sickeningly in love with you, I’m really glad because I was just sitting thinking about how much I missed you,” Rachel admitted.
“That’s OK, I think I might be sickeningly in love with you too,” Quinn said, blushing when both Jacob and Ben whispered ‘awwwwww’.
“When will you be home?” Rachel asked.
“A couple of hours, weather permitting,” Quinn said.
“Finn’s taking Eliza to play video games in a little while, they were trying to get me to go with them but this is a perfect excuse for me to stay in,” Rachel said happily.
“Great,” Quinn said. “Well, I’ll see you soon. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
Quinn hung up, surprised to find tears pricking at her eyes. Jacob was bustling around the kitchen, putting brownies into Tupperware and pouring coffee into a Thermos. He pressed them into her hands.
“For the journey,” he said. “You’re too skinny.”
Quinn laughed and rolled her eyes.
“Thank you,” she said seriously, looking from Jacob to Ben. “Thank you both, for everything.”
“You’re more than welcome, Quinn,” Ben said, draping an arm around his husband. “You just go and do what you need to do.”
“And call us!” Jacob reminded her as they made their way to the front door.
“You think I’d be able to keep Rachel from calling you? I’ll probably still be on bended knee when she starts dialling,” Quinn only half-joked.
“That’s my girl,” Jacob said, proudly.
She hugged both of them tightly when they reached the car.
“We love you,” Ben whispered in her ear.
“I’ll call Vera Wang,” Jacob whispered in her other ear.
“I love you too,” she said as she was climbing into the car.
She backed out of the driveway and they followed her out onto the street so they could wave as she drove away. She glanced in the rearview mirror and laughed, Jacob had his hand in the shape of a phone in the universal signal for ‘Call me’.
FANDOM: Glee
PAIRING: Rachel/Quinn
PROMPT: Quinn awkwardly asks Rachel's dads for permission to propose
RATING: PG
WORD COUNT: ~2,100
DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em. They're Ryan Murphy's.
SPOILERS: Don't think so.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Written for the Glee fic!battle.
Quinn lifted her hand to ring the doorbell and noticed that it was shaking considerably more than she would like. She clenched her fist, as if to grab hold of her nerves and squeeze them out.
"C'mon Fabray," she whispered to herself. "You can do this."
On her second attempt, her hand was relatively steady and she pressed the doorbell, smiling when the familiar rendition of 'The Trolley Song' rang out. After a few seconds, the door opened and Quinn gulped involuntarily.
Rachel's father Ben looked surprised for a split second before he broke out into his usual wide smile. He turned to call over his shoulder.
"Hey Jacob, we got a surprise visitor!"
He turned back to her and grabbed her in a tight hug. She closed her eyes and hugged him back. She still remembered the first time Ben had held her, shortly after she'd moved in with the Berry family and he'd found her sobbing in front of the fridge because they had run out of orange juice. (He'd understood it wasn't really about the orange juice.) Ben was as much of a Dad as she'd ever had.
"Quinnie!"
She pulled away and laughed at the shrieked greeting before being engulfed in another hug, this one smelling distinctly of chocolate. Jacob pulled back and grabbed her by the cheeks.
"Oh, just look at this face, I swear you get more gorgeous every time I see you," he proclaimed, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead.
Quinn blushed.
"Same goes for you, Jacob," she said. "I love the apron."
He stepped back and did a twirl, throwing the dish-rag he'd been holding over his shoulder like a boa. He batted his eyelids at her and her breath caught, as always, because his eyes were so like Rachel's.
"Let the girl inside, Jacob, it's not exactly warm out," Ben said, stepping aside to let Jacob usher Quinn in.
She was grateful for the warmth that always seemed to permeate the Berry household. The drive from Manhattan wasn't a long one, but the weather hadn't been great and she was happy to be off the road.
Rachel's fathers had moved to Connecticut not long after Rachel and Quinn had moved, with a six year old Eliza Fabray in tow, to the bright lights of Manhattan. Rachel had been in a number of low-key plays and musicals and was starting to make a name for herself. Quinn had completed a yearlong graduate program with a marketing company and took advantage of their transfer policy. They got a great deal on an apartment and decided to take the plunge. Quinn had been slightly nervous about the move, but found that she loved living in the city. It helped that both Rachel and Eliza seemed to be in their element amid the noise and the bustle. It also helped that it meant that she got to sleep next to Rachel every night because she didn't have to go away touring for long periods of time.
Jacob pushed them in the direction of the kitchen and had Ben making coffee while he took a batch of brownies out of the oven and got back to vigorously stirring something else that smelled delicious.
"So, not that it's not great to see you, sweetheart," Ben started. "But usually when you visit you have our daughter hanging off your arm and our granddaughter bouncing off the walls."
Quinn felt the butterflies reappear, they seemed to be making their way from her stomach to her chest.
"Rachel doesn't know I'm here," she said, not really knowing where to start.
Rachel's fathers looked at each other.
"OK," Jacob said, laying his baking down and wiping his hands on his apron. He approached the counter and hopped up on a stool next to Quinn while Ben brought over mugs of steaming coffee.
"I told her I was going away on business," Quinn continued, staring into her mug like it contained the secrets of the universe.
"That...uh, that doesn't sound like you, honey," Ben said. "You and Rachel have always been honest with each other, right from the beginning."
"Painfully so, at times," Jacob added.
"I know, and it was really hard lying to her, but I had to do this. It...it's important that I do this..."
"Quinn, is there something you want to tell us?" Ben asked, carefully.
Quinn stood up and walked to the window, hugging herself.
"I think I just need to say this," she said, without turning around.
"Oh my God, it's Rachel isn't it? She's sick and she didn't want you to tell us!"
Quinn spun around to see Jacob with his head in his hands, muttering to himself, and Ben rubbing his back, looking at her in alarm.
"Quinn, is Rachel sick? Is that why you're here?" he demanded.
Quinn's mouth dropped open but she found that she couldn't speak, this whole thing had just taken a turn for the worse.
"It was that silver spraypaint she insisted on using on herself when she was in the Wizard of Oz when she was seven," Jacob continued to babble. "I told her it wasn't safe for humans to wear on their faces but she said she needed to suffer for her art. Oh God, it was carginogenic wasn't it?"
"No, Jacob, Ben...I...that's not...Rachel's not sick!" Quinn practically shouted to be heard over Jacob's voice.
Jacob's head shot up and Ben put his hand over his heart.
"She's not?" he asked, needing further reassurance.
"No, she's perfectly healthy. God, I'm so sorry for making you think she wasn't!" Quinn said, a jolt of sympathy running through her as she imagined how she would have felt if she'd been sitting in their places.
"And Eliza..." Jacob asked.
"Is also perfectly healthy," she assured them. Jacob opened his mouth again and she rushed to add, "And so am I."
Ben sat down heavily on the stool Quinn had vacated.
"So what is it you need to say?"
"I came to ask you for Rachel's hand in marriage," Quinn blurted out.
Both of Rachel's fathers stared back at her, dumbfounded. Then Ben threw back his head and laughed. A second later Jacob joined in. Quinn wasn't terribly thrilled that they appeared to be laughing at her, particularly when she was a nervous wreck about the whole thing. She attempted to explain herself further.
"I uh...I wanted to do this right, because you've always been so good to me and Eliza and I wanted to...please stop laughing."
Ben pushed himself up into a standing position and made his way over to Quinn, pulling her in for a hug.
"Sweetie, next time you want to ask our permission to marry our daughter that you've been in love with for nigh on a decade, maybe you should just come out and say it."
Quinn felt something in her chest loosen and she laughed into Ben's strong shoulder.
"So, is that a 'yes'?" she mumbled into his sweater.
He pulled away slightly but kept his arm around her shoulders.
"What do you think, Jakey? Should we give Quinn our permission to marry our baby girl?"
But Jacob couldn't speak. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and he had a hand over his mouth.
"Hey, don't cry!" Quinn said, a second before she noticed that her own face was wet with tears.
Jacob flapped both hands in front of his face in an attempt to stop crying.
"I'm just so happy," he choked out before rushing to embrace Quinn and Ben in a crushing hug.
"Why all the formality, Quinn? You know you didn't need to ask," Ben said, rubbing the back of Jacob's neck as he continued to cry into Quinn's hair.
"I just wanted to do things right," Quinn said with a shrug. "I know Rachel's had her wedding planned out since she was teeny, and I'm pretty sure asking you guys first was part of the deal."
"And did you think there might've been a possibility we'd say no?" Ben asked, his eyes twinkling. "Because you seemed pretty nervous.
Quinn rolled her eyes.
"It's not like I've ever asked someone if I could have their daughter before," she mock whined.
"I think you had her a long time ago," Ben said, then his eyes went wide at the same times Quinn's did. "I mean...I'm not talking about...I meant that you had her heart a long time ago."
Jacob lifted his head and sniffled.
"And the other thing too," he put in, with a wicked smile, earning a punch in the shoulder from his husband. He turned to Quinn.
"So, we have so much to do!" he said. "We have dresses to design and a venue to choose and a guest list to draw up and you have to register your gift list an-"
"Do you think I could maybe ask Rachel to marry me first?" Quinn interrupted with a smile.
"Oh, that's just a formality," Jacob said dismissively. "We have plans to make!"
"When are you planning on asking her, sweetie?" Ben asked, nudging Jacob gently.
"Well, Finn's visiting for a few days and tomorrow he's taking Eliza away for their annual 'Uncle-niece' bonding session. They're staying at a hotel in Atlantic City so I thought I’d do it then."
“You mean we have to wait a whole day with this secret bearing down on us?” Jacob cried, clutching his heart. “What if she calls? She’ll know by my voice. Or by the fact that it’ll be the first thing I tell her. One or the other.”
“When do you suggest? You want me to send her a text right now?” Quinn teased.
“Tonight! Go home right now woman and do it. Then call us right away,” Jacob said, nodding his head as if the decision had been made.
“Honey, maybe we should let Quinn do it in her own time, how she planned it,” Ben suggested.
A smile was growing on Quinn’s face.
“Actually...maybe tonight would be good...it would let us tell Eliza right away...” she said, clearly warming to the idea.
“Yes! It’s important to involve the children in these things from the beginning. Tonight it is then,” Jacob agreed.
“That’s assuming she says yes, of course,” Quinn said, frowning.
“Quinn, a couple of years ago during one of your visits, Rachel told us in no uncertain terms that should you ever ask for permission to marry her, we were to say yes immediately,” Ben explained, hoping to alleviate any doubts Quinn had.
Quinn couldn’t help the dopey smile that appeared at the thought of Rachel waiting to be asked. She pulled out her cell phone and pressed a couple of keys. Rachel answered on the second ring.
“Hey!”
“Hey yourself,” Quinn said, putting a finger to her lips as Jacob looked like he might start to squeal at any second.
“So, how’s life at the Howard Johnson treating you? Is your view of the parking lot or a wall?” Rachel asked.
“Actually, that’s why I’m calling. The conference was cancelled so I’m on my way home.”
“At the risk of sounding sickeningly in love with you, I’m really glad because I was just sitting thinking about how much I missed you,” Rachel admitted.
“That’s OK, I think I might be sickeningly in love with you too,” Quinn said, blushing when both Jacob and Ben whispered ‘awwwwww’.
“When will you be home?” Rachel asked.
“A couple of hours, weather permitting,” Quinn said.
“Finn’s taking Eliza to play video games in a little while, they were trying to get me to go with them but this is a perfect excuse for me to stay in,” Rachel said happily.
“Great,” Quinn said. “Well, I’ll see you soon. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
Quinn hung up, surprised to find tears pricking at her eyes. Jacob was bustling around the kitchen, putting brownies into Tupperware and pouring coffee into a Thermos. He pressed them into her hands.
“For the journey,” he said. “You’re too skinny.”
Quinn laughed and rolled her eyes.
“Thank you,” she said seriously, looking from Jacob to Ben. “Thank you both, for everything.”
“You’re more than welcome, Quinn,” Ben said, draping an arm around his husband. “You just go and do what you need to do.”
“And call us!” Jacob reminded her as they made their way to the front door.
“You think I’d be able to keep Rachel from calling you? I’ll probably still be on bended knee when she starts dialling,” Quinn only half-joked.
“That’s my girl,” Jacob said, proudly.
She hugged both of them tightly when they reached the car.
“We love you,” Ben whispered in her ear.
“I’ll call Vera Wang,” Jacob whispered in her other ear.
“I love you too,” she said as she was climbing into the car.
She backed out of the driveway and they followed her out onto the street so they could wave as she drove away. She glanced in the rearview mirror and laughed, Jacob had his hand in the shape of a phone in the universal signal for ‘Call me’.
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no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 06:35 pm (UTC)