A/N I started writing this because I realised how disappointed I was in where the writers decided to take Quinn's character after the first 12 episodes. This is how I wish Glee had come back after the hiatus in season 1 so it's set right after they won Sectionals in season 1.
A/N 2* First time writing fan fiction so I hope you all enjoy
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN GLEE OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS THEY BELONG TO FOX...Sadly.
Quinn was absolutely freezing.
The pale, yellow cardigan she had wrapped around her wasn't doing much good at all and the fact that she kept crying was making it worse. The tears felt like tracks of ice falling down her cheeks.
Coming off the bus after their win at sectionals, Quinn should have expected the worst.
She should have expected for her high at winning to quickly dissipate, but for some stupid reason she hadn't prepared herself and when Finn had thrust the holdall filled with all her possessions in it at her, she had just stood there stunned.
He had sheepishly explained how she couldn't come home with him and she had spotted his mom over the tall boys shoulder. Mrs Hudson was glaring at her so angrily that Quinn could do nothing but swallow deeply and nod as Finn walked away, leaving her alone in McKinley's empty parking lot.
Everyone else had already gone home with their parents and Quinn had just started walking.
The only place she could think of going was Puck's and reluctantly she had headed there.
She didn't think she could cope with yet another parent staring at her angrily for messing up their son's life but she didn't have much choice, it was early December and it was freezing out.
By the time she got there she was too afraid to knock, it was late and the Puckerman's were probably all asleep so she had called Puck's cell and he had come down to meet her.
"Quinn? What are you doing here? Booty call?" Puck smirked and Quinn just stared at him in silence.
She was crying, shivering and had a hold-all over her shoulder and he genuinely thought she was here for a hook up? Puck truly was a total idiot.
"I need a place to stay." Quinn admitted quietly.
Puck just blinked stupidly at that and looked back at his house. When he had turned around to meet her eyes again she spotted his apologetic look immediately and tensed, preparing herself for disappointment like she should have earlier.
"Uhh look Quinn...I don't think my mom would be too happy having a Christian chick spend the night."
Quinn just stared back and then shook her head.
"I'm pregnant with your child Puck. Do you really think me being Christian is gunna be what she's not going to like about the situation." Quinn retorted dryly.
"Yeah well...I kinda haven't told her about the baby yet."
He scratched the back of his head and Quinn had to fight back the urge not to burst into tears again.
He hadn't even told his mom...
All that crap about how he'd take care of her, how he wanted to be with her and help her and he hadn't even been grown up enough to admit he had a kid on the way to his mom!
She knew, she just knew Puck wasn't reliable. He never would be and she just shook her head in disappointment.
"You're just a scared little boy Puck." Quinn murmured sadly before turning on her heel and walking away.
He didn't even try to stop her.
/
That had been Friday night and it was now Sunday.
She'd thought of calling Santana or Brittany but Santana's parents were just as bad as Quinn's. They attended the same church and Quinn knew her parents had probably told Santana's to not let her associate with her.
And Brittany...well she could probably go to Brittany's but the girl had six siblings in a four bedroom house.
She doubted the girl would have room for her to turn up so she had just wandered around for the rest of Friday night and Saturday night she had slept on one of the benches in Johnston park before moving on because a bunch of drunks had started to harass her. She ended up finishing the rest of the night sleeping on the grass behind a bush.
Tonight however she had no clue what she was going to do and she bit her lip as she spotted a deep looking stoop at the front of a closed store.
It was sheltered, something she'd need for tonight since there were already tiny snowflakes falling and she didn't have much choice right now so she quickly shuffled over to it, stepping in from the snow and sighing.
It wasn't even 9 o'clock yet and she was shaking.
Tonight was going to be cold and she sighed before sitting herself down in the corner, back resting against the door of the store and her legs tucked up to her chest to try to preserve as much warmth as she could.
How had she ended up like this...
/
"Umm...hey...Hello...hey sweetie...wake up."
For a minute Quinn thought it was her mom shaking her shoulder, waking her up for school perhaps and she smiled in her sleep until she felt the numbness of her back and the cold cement against her cheek.
It was like a bucket of ice water and her eyes immediately snapped open.
It wasn't a dream. She was really sleeping on the floor of a doorway.
Almost as soon as reality had kicked back in she panicked.
Someone had just spoken to her and shaken her shoulder and she quickly spun around, backing into the corner as her wild eyes found the source of her wakeup call. She half expected some insane homeless guy with no teeth ready to hassle her again, like the guys at Johnston park had the previous night...
Instead, standing in front of her was a familiar face.
Quinn had no idea where she knew it from, she just vaguely recalled seeing him somewhere before and she just blinked at him for a moment.
He was quite short with black hair (greying on the sides in that handsome George Clooney way). A pair of glasses in front of dark brown eyes completed his "librarian" look.
He hardly looked threatening and Quinn relaxed a little as she let herself wake up a bit.
It was light now so she had slept right through the night which seemed a miracle because she was aching and bruised all over from sleeping on the hard concrete, but the sun was only just peaking over town hall so Quinn knew it was very early.
"Did you sleep here all night honey?" The man asked sounding concerned and Quinn blushed as she realised this guy had just found her living like a tramp. The only tramps Quinn knew of in Lima were crazy Stu who slept behind the library and who was known for biting people and dustbin Larry who quite literally slept in a dustbin behind Wal-Mart. She did not want to be thought of as the same league as them.
"Uhh...no...I um...I have to go...school." Quinn mumbled awkwardly and she quickly grabbed her bag hoping to make a quick escape but the man laid a soothing hand on her shoulder after she stood up and she froze, looking at him cautiously.
"It's 6 o'clock sweetie...school doesn't start for another three hours."
Quinn's mouth opened but she didn't know what else to say and the man smiled kindly at her.
"How about you come in for a tea or coffee to wake yourself up a bit huh?" The man sounded so sweet and genuine and Quinn couldn't possibly turn down the offer of a hot drink right now.
She had bought herself a bottle of water and a sandwich yesterday but that's all she had eaten or drunk since Friday evening and the thought of a steaming mug of tea to warm her body up was too tempting to ignore, so she followed the man into the shop.
It was an antiques store and Quinn nervously folded her arms into her body.
Her parents had brought her in here before and had scolded her before she'd even stepped inside about not touching anything and it seemed the lesson stuck because she was too afraid to even move.
"Here, come out the back and we can sit."
Out back there was a couch, a table, a refrigerator, a microwave and a kettle. It was obviously where this guy took his breaks and she smiled as she sat down at the table, relieved to feel softness beneath her for a change.
Ten minutes later and a mug of steaming tea was placed in front of her, followed quickly by two thick slices of buttered toast and it wasn't till she saw and smelt it that she realised just how starving she was.
She didn't even speak a word, just inhaled the toast and moaned when she felt her stomach ache.
"So...what's your name or do I have to keep calling you sweetheart?" The man asked with a friendly smile already making another round of toast for her and Quinn forced a small smile back.
"Quinn. My names Quinn...thank you for the tea and toast by the way. I'm sorry I forgot my manners." Quinn mumbled bashfully, her cheeks tingeing pink when the man simply laughed and put the second plate of toast down in front of her. This time she moved more slowly, nibbling at the toast politely.
"Oh please...I have a daughter your age and she never thanks me for the food I put in front of her." He laughed warmly and Quinn couldn't help but feel herself relax in this man's presence.
"So Quinn...any reason you slept on that stoop last night? It snowed around midnight...you weren't outside then were you?" He asked sounding increasingly worried and the inner Fabray in Quinn had her shaking her head.
Her daddy had always taught her to never show weakness. She was a Fabray. She was proud and she should never admit any difficulty she was having. It was how she was raised and she couldn't unburden herself on this stranger so she did what she had been doing to Finn for months.
Lied.
"No I wasn't...I...I was staying at a friend's house and...well we argued very early this morning...I didn't want to go home so I sat outside for a bit and must have fallen asleep." Quinn laughed lightly but the look in the man's eyes said he didn't buy it and the way he looked down at her holdall further proved he didn't believe it.
He didn't say anything, however, and so she carried on.
"It won't happen again, I'm sorry."
"Please...its fine...I was just worried that's all...your very young to be outside on your own. Wouldn't want anything happening to you...are you sure your okay Quinn?" The man asked again and Quinn had to look away from his concerned eyes before she broke down completely.
"I'm fine sir...I better be going...school starts soon...thank you Mr..."
"Call me Elias." He corrected and Quinn smiled again.
"Thank you Elias...have a great day."
She left the store quickly, incredibly aware of the gaze on her back.
/
Rachel Berry officially had everything she ever wanted.
She had the respect of her fellow Glee clubbers after leading them to a fine victory at Sectionals, she achieved a lifetime goal by performing Don't Rain on My Parade to a crowd and received a standing ovation for her efforts and...She had Finn Hudson.
She had been after him since he had first sung in Glee.
He was everything she knew she should want.
Handsome, athletic, sweet and leading man material.
So why wasn't she happy?
She didn't understand.
Standing in front of her mirror and preparing to head to school for the first Monday back after Sectionals...she should have been ecstatic!
Sure she felt a flicker of excitement but nowhere near the happiness she had expected considering New Directions had just won their first competition and she was expecting Finn Hudson to ask her out today.
She just sighed and shook her head at her reflection before heading downstairs to find her daddy sitting in the kitchen, typing away on his laptop.
"Morning daddy...where's dad?"
"He went to open the store early honey...do you need a ride to school?"
"No thanks I can drive myself...aren't you supposed to be at the hospital today?" She asked her father with a curious look.
"Nope I have a night shift tonight."
He hadn't taken his eyes away from his laptop throughout the entire conversation and Rachel smiled to herself at her daddy's concentration and dedication.
She may not share his skin colour but she definitely had his traits.
"See you later Daddy!"
"Have a great day princess!"
/
"Guys...I wanna say how proud I am of all you...the performance you made at sectionals was outstanding, especially given the personal issues affecting the club." Mr Schu said honestly, his gaze flickering from a sullen looking Puck to a blank looking Finn and finally to a tired looking Quinn who immediately shrunk in on herself when everyone turned pointed glances her way.
"But we need to move past it okay? Regional's is gunna be a lot harder and we need to be a hundred percent-"
"Well as long as we don't have another 'whose the daddy' debacles we should be okay Mr. Schu." Kurt interrupted with a smirk. Mercedes immediately giggled in reply and held her hand up to high five Kurt who smirked again.
Quinn if possible shrunk even further into her chair and Rachel who was sat with her hand entwined with Finn's looked back at the blonde in concern.
She felt somewhat guilty for the blonde's predicament.
Maybe the truth would have come out better if she had given Quinn the chance to do it herself.
"Guys...it's no one's fault...no more snide comments okay? We have enough adversity from Sue and the rest of the school. We don't need to start turning on our own...which is why I have a new challenge." Mr Schu looked a bit worried as he mentioned it and everyone looked interested.
"I want everyone to get along. I want everyone to start working as a group because it's the only thing setting us back right now and the only way we can do that is to get to know each other...so my task is this. I'm gunna pair you up. You have no choice in the matches it's who I want and you will have 2 weeks to sing a song you think reflects your feelings for that other person..." Will saw everyone's eyes begin to shift with worry and he hid his own smirk.
"Spend the two weeks getting to know them, find out things you never knew before...maybe you'll be surprised." Will smiled genuinely and then walked closer to the group.
"Okay then...Mercedes I want you with Mike, Tina your with Matt, Artie your with Brittany-"
"Yey!" Brittany's cheer interrupted and everyone in the club turned to look at her with raised eyebrows.
Santana looked especially annoyed and Brittany just shrugged beaming at Artie who was blushing, looking quite pleased with himself.
"I like his voice." Brittany shrugged in explanation and everyone else just shook their heads and focused back on Mr Schu.
"Santana you're with Kurt." The Latina made a sound of protest but Will carried on.
"Puck you're with Finn."
That was when everyone erupted and Will held his hands up against the barrage of yells.
Puck and Finn were glaring at each other both out of their seats and Will walked closer to them and put a hand on both their shoulders.
"Guys you used to be friends right? I know deep down you don't wanna throw that away okay...just give it a shot?" Will asked hopefully.
Both boys looked a little calmer but they still glared as they sat back down.
"Obviously that then leaves Quinn and Rachel." Will finished his pairings and Rachel gulped nervously, turning her head again to look at Quinn who was looking right back at her this time.
Rachel saw the uncertainty in the hazel eyes staring at her and she gave a small smile, hoping maybe she and Quinn could finally become the friends she knew they could be and Rachel nearly beamed when Quinn responded with her own shaky smile.
Rachel had never loved a Mr. Schu assignment more.
/
"I can't believe he's making me work with that jerk." Finn slammed his locker closed and huffed before turning to look at Rachel who was stood beside him.
"And making you work with her." Finn spat pointedly, loud enough for Quinn who was a few lockers down to hear.
"How unfair is that...I mean...she tortured you for years, how are you supposed to get to know someone so...evil." Finn finished and Rachel just looked back at him before shaking her head.
"Evil Finn? Let's not over exaggerate; I understand that you're hurt. She made a bad decision in lying about the paternity of her baby but-"
"But what Rach? You're going to defend her?" He asked with a confused frown.
"No I'm not defending her...it's just...I can't imagine how scared she was and when I'm scared...I make stupid decisions to." Rachel admitted with a shrug and a look of understanding flashed across Finn's face as he nodded slowly and glanced back over at his ex who was studiously avoiding looking their way, obviously trying to pretend that she didn't hear anything.
"Yeah. I guess. I still hate her though." He mumbled and Rachel smiled at the boy's lack of conviction.
He didn't even sound angry and it was one of the things she liked about him.
Rachel knew Finn couldn't really hate anyone, no matter how much they hurt him. He'd be back to being friends with the blonde in no time.
"If you say so Finn."
Finn nodded then and looked at his watch.
"I gotta go, football practise. I'll call you later tonight? I was hoping maybe we could set up like...you know...a date or something."
He shuffled his feet and his ears turned pink as he stumbled over his words and Rachel could barely fight the giggle that bubbled up.
"That sounds wonderful Mr Hudson...I look forward to your call." She smiled sweetly at him and he grinned boyishly back, surprising them both when he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.
He was beaming as he pulled away and Rachel sighed, watching him go with a big smile.
She had dreamed of interaction like this. Small sweet moments between them that would make others envious of such an epic love and make her own heart swell in adoration.
Yet that moment did none of that.
She felt a small fluttering in her stomach but that was it and she frowned in disappointment.
Maybe she had built up their relationship too much. Made the idea of them too impossible to achieve in real life.
Rachel sighed, shook away her negative thoughts and turned around. The blonde she was looking for was still at her locker thankfully and after taking a deep breath for courage she walked over, keeping her confidence high as she came to a stop besides Quinn who glanced at her.
"What do you want Berry?"
"I came to apologise."
Quinn was not expecting that and she faltered, turning surprised eyes to look at an honest looking Rachel.
"I know that we have never been friends but I felt a growing comradery and respect growing between us since you joined Glee...and I'm sorry for telling Finn about your secret. It was never my place and I'm deeply sorry if I have ruined a chance of friendship with you by letting my resentment control my actions for a moment." Rachel apologised all in one breath and Quinn just blinked at her in surprise.
"Now I know you said you didn't want to hit me and that I was just brave enough to tell the truth when you couldn't but I understand you were in shock then and if your shock has worn off and you do want to hit me now, I again please ask you avoid the nose." Rachel closed her eyes as if preparing for such a blow and then opened them again when she just heard the blonde sigh and close her locker.
"I'm not gunna hit you and I meant what I said before about you telling the truth. I'm fine with it. It would have come out eventually anyway." Quinn shrugged and began to walk off only for Rachel to fall into step besides her.
"You've grown a lot Quinn."
The blonde smiled faintly at such a comment but it was a sad smile.
She had only grown a lot because she had been forced to. If she hadn't have gotten pregnant or kicked out she'd probably still be the same weak minded, bitchy bully she always had been.
"I'm glad my assignment pairs me with you. I feel we could become good friends given the opportunity."
Quinn had almost forgotten about the assignment in Glee and she sighed before nodding mindlessly.
The last thing she was concerned about was Glee assignments when she didn't know how she was going to afford food today or where she was gunna sleep tonight.
"Would you like to come to dinner at my house tonight? We could work on the Glee project before we have dinner." Rachel extended the invite a bit nervously.
It was a bold move but she knew Quinn wouldn't be the first to make a move of friendship. She half expected Quinn to laugh in her face.
Quinn however was silently thanking god for Rachel Berry.
That solved her food for today problem, she'd have a warm place to stay for a few hours and she'd manage to get the ball rolling on the Glee assignment. It was perfect.
"Okay, that sounds like a good idea." Quinn smiled and Rachel blinked in surprise but her smile never faltered, if anything it grew.
Quinn had agreed!
"Your parents won't mind?" Quinn asked unsurely.
"Oh no! My parents would love to have you over. I don't often get the chance to introduce them to friends...in fact apart from Finn you'll be the first friend they've met." Rachel smiled widely and Quinn felt a pang of guilt.
The first friend Rachel would be introducing and she had tortured the girl for years.
It wasn't fair.
New Quinn had never hated the old Quinn more and she gave Rachel an apologetic smile before nodding.
She'd make it up to the girl now.
She couldn't take back what she had done in the past but she could be a good friend to the girl now at least.
"I'll meet you in the parking lot after school." Quinn nodded.
"Okay...bye Quinn!" Rachel smiled excitedly.
"Bye Rachel."
It was the first time Quinn had ever called her by her name and they both blinked in surprise at the foreign sound before they both smiled, Rachel's a great deal larger than Quinn's.
Mr Schu's assignment was definitely the best idea ever.
/