[FIC] DAYTON ii
Series Title: Dayton
Story Title: The Wisdom of Intentional Ignorance
Author: prettylilagentPairing,Character(s): Will Schuester/Quinn Fabray, Frannie Fabray
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,104
Summary: The non-linear tale of one night in one city and the consequences that never seem to end.
Disclaimer: Glee doesn't belong to me, at all.
Spoilers: None
ig·no·rance/ˈignərəns/
Noun: Lack of knowledge or information
When Frannie Fabray had gone off to college, her perspective on life had changed. The Christian values that her parents had instilled in her were still there, and strong, but she realized that life wasn't all about the Country Club and cookie-cutter WASP ideals. She realized that her goal in life had to be to make herself happy, even if it meant not being the picture perfect golden child her (alcoholic) parents wanted her to be.
Anyway, they still had Quinn, and she now seemed to be perfectly content on the preppy blonde cheerleader route.
Plus, it wasn't like she was going to go join a commune or something, she just wasn't going to be a cheerleader anymore... or a member of the Young Republicans... or shop exclusively at Abercrombie...
So Frannie began to slowly but surely put distance between herself and Lima. She came home less, preferring to stay first at her dorm and then with her fellow sorority sisters. She partied on occasion, went to church (fairly) regularly, and called her parents every weekend (she could only escape them so much).
When it came to her relationship with her sister, however, she didn't remain that consistent. There had been such a large age difference between them that they couldn't really be friends of any sort, at least not until Quinn was older. Mostly Frannie had been Quinn's idol, and she'd indulge her on occasion by taking her out shopping or letting her tag along to the movies with her and her friends, but their interactions were mostly limited to within their home. When Frannie moved out, they'd ended. Sure, they shared the occasional text/phone call/e-mail, but not that many.
Soon Quinn was in High School and Frannie graduated college. She'd met an amazing guy who shared her church going habits and came from money (lots of it). Her parents approved of him wholeheartedly and soon after she'd graduated (a year after him), they'd gotten married in a beautiful ceremony where her mother cried and her father looked on with pride. Quinn had been there, playing the part of dutiful little sister to the fullest, and looking every bit like Frannie had at her age. In that moment, Quinn's future seemed so clear to her older sister, and she could only hope that Quinn too would come to realize that looks and popularity weren't all that mattered.
(Lord knows Mom and Dad wouldn't teach her that.)
Buying an apartment in one of the better parts of Lima had been Jack's idea, not Frannie's. His family got their money by being masters of manipulation, both of people and numbers, and he was well aware of the power a simple action could have. Even if they never did get to using it, Jack knew her parents would love the idea that the couple bought a place to live in her hometown so they could spend extended amounts of time there.
He had been completely right.
The complex they found was one of the nicer ones in Lima, full of a mix of police, teachers, bankers, doctors, and all those other respectable careers that left people able to either rent or own a place outside of Lima Heights. They'd managed to get the one bedroom for a steal, since the guy who owned it wanted to get out of there quick ("The crazy bitch next door spends half the time yelling at her husband and the other banging away in her damn craft room. I can't get any fucking peace!").
Soon after they bought it and managed to get a decorator in, they headed down for the weekend ("the first of not many" Jack told her, laughing). Her mother spent the entire time gushing about the crown molding, the color scheme, the darling furniture that just screamed classic... basically every single superficial thing the apartment had to offer. Her dad started off lamenting how his little girl was all grown up before boasting about how Jack was such a good, Christian man and was making such a name for himself with his chain of UPS stores ("You sure did pick a winner Sweetie!"). He ended the night on a rant about some issue Glen Beck had brought up and everyone just let him talk, throwing in comments when needed.
Frannie had been sad Quinn hadn't been able to come, especially when she found out it was because she was stuck at some Cheerios' rehearsal camp that she knew from experience was rivaled only by Guantanamo Bay in torture-related fun. But it wasn't like it was her place to say anything to Quinn or her parents...she had become the absent daughter, all wrapped up in her life away from Lima. Plus, she had been doing the exact same thing when she was in Quinn's shoes. All she could do now was try to forge more of a connection with her sister, try to steer her down an easier path.
When Quinn's 16th birthday came around, Frannie decided to splurge. A random performing arts group in Dayton was putting on the Broadway production of High Society and been getting good reviews. Quinn had always loved the movie (fancying herself a young Grace Kelly), and considering she was now in Glee Club (that one had thrown her for a loop until she learned Quinn's sort of boyfriend Finn joined first), Frannie figured Quinn would love to see it and they could make a weekend of it. She got the tickets, rented a hotel suite, and presented everything to great applause at Quinn's birthday bash.
The sisters were supposed to meet in Dayton the night before the show so they could spend the entire Saturday together ("From breakfast to shopping to show" Frannie had told Quinn excitedly). It would be the first time Quinn was driving anywhere over an hour away by herself and all were anxious, therefore it struck everyone as funny when it was Frannie who had a tire blow out, throwing off her arrival time until the next day. When her parents had demanded Quinn come back to Lima and just head back again the next day, it had been Frannie that jumped to her defense, saying not only would that be an extreme waste of gas, but that Quinn had proven herself to be nothing but trustworthy, and if she said she would stay in the hotel quietly, that was what she would do.
When she made it to the room the next day, Frannie had a feeling something was off. Quinn seemed to have this stunned quality to her that she normally didn't have, at least as well as Frannie could remember. She played if off well enough, saying she was just amazed she'd been allowed to stay by herself, but there was something more than that playing at her younger sister's mind. She couldn't seem to sit still, shirting around in her seat almost constantly, as if she couldn't get comfortable. Her right hand seemed to favor resting in the crook of her neck and if Frannie didn't know better (in denial?), she could have sworn she saw a faint bruising underneath a layer of foundation where the hand came to rest. After a couple of hours, the regular Quinn was back, but Frannie couldn't help but notice that her eyes always seemed to linger anytime she caught sight of guys with curly hair.
It was months later before she would really talk to her sister again. Almost daily texts were now their standard form of communication, so when Frannie's cell had rung at 7:54 one Friday night, she had been surprised to see Quinn's name pop up on her screen.
"Hey ther-" Frannie broke off the greeting when she heard the sharp sound of Quinn's sobs on the other end. "Quinn? Sweetie? What's the matter? Why are you crying?" Jack looked up quickly from the game he'd been watching, his clear concern at just those few words reminding Frannie why she loved him so much.
"Dad kicked me out" Quinn got out between cries.
"What? Why?"
"I'm... I'm pregnant" Frannie dropped down heavily into the chair she had been standing next to, looking blankly ahead at the TV, hearing Jack asking her what was going on and Quinn's continued sobs. The Dayton weekend flashed before her eyes and she knew without being told that what she had steadfastly denied happening in her head in fact did.
And now her 16 year old sister was disowned, homeless, and pregnant... and reaching out for help.
The first emotion that hit her was anger. Anger that Quinn had been so stupid and proven their parents right in their instinct not to trust her. Anger that her dad would be so concerned with his damn image that he'd kick out his own child when she needed him the most and that her mother was too much of a weak drunk to stand-up to him (because everything notwithstanding, Judy Fabray did love her children and wouldn't have wanted this to happen).
After the anger came this overwhelming sense of calm, and an intense need to make sure her sister (and she guessed her future niece/nephew) was safe. This wouldn't be another moment where Quinn found out a member of her family only cared about her in terms of her ability to act as a set piece in Russell Fabray's dream of being a live-action Norman Rockwell painting.
"Alright, OK, we can work with this." Frannie said as she breathed in deeply, "I mean, the pregnancy part not so much at the moment" Jack's jaw dropped and his eyes grew comically large "but the kicked out part... we can deal with. You can just go to our apartment and stay there as long as you need... or forever, I don't care"
"But Dad-"
"Quinn, I really don't care much about Dad right now. Plus, what's he gonna do to me? Not invite me to Thanksgiving? Not get me a Christmas gift? Big deal, his presents are horrible anyway" The laugh she managed to draw from Quinn made her smile before she caught the hysterical edge Quinn's voice was starting to take.
"I don't even know where your apartment is" The sobs have started again, and Frannie really isn't sure they're going to be stopping anytime soon. As she listed off the address, though, something changes in Quinn's tone. She's still crying, sure, but there is an anticipation there, a bated breath quality that seems odd.
"...and don't worry about not having a key, the guy next door has been watching the place for us and has one to spare. He's a really nice guy, Quinn, I'm sure he'll be willing to help you out if you need anything before I can get down there. His name is Will Schu-" The sound of utter relief that escaped Quinn's mouth threw Frannie for a loop, until she vaguely remembered hearing the name Schuester being thrown around when her parents and Quinn were talking about school. She feels like he might even have mentioned to Jack in passing that he worked at McKinley. "Wait, is he one of your teachers?"
As Quinn explained how Mr. Schue was her Spanish teacher and Glee Club director Frannie noted that she seemed to be taking an immense comfort in the fact he would be there. Had she not been so happy that something seemed to be calming the girl down, she would have questioned just how comforted Quinn was. Frannie couldn't ever remember a teacher that touched her enough to leave such an impression.
It never even began to cross her mind to be concerned with just how touched by Will Quinn actually was. She completely blanked on the fact that he'd mentioned seeing the exact same High Society performance that she and Quinn had when she called to check on the apartment a few weeks back. And when she recalled that he possessed a rather curly head of hair, she considered for a second if Quinn might be harboring a little bit of a school girl crush and that had had something to do with all the lingering stares she'd given those curly-haired Daytonians. She quickly dismissed the idea though, as he just didn't fit with all the other guys Quinn had always had crushes on in the past.
As silly as it may seem, it didn't really hit her yet to consider that the old rules didn't apply to Quinn anymore, that she wasn't still that dutiful little bridesmaid... or that maybe she never really was.
Story Title: The Wisdom of Intentional Ignorance
Author: prettylilagentPairing,Character(s): Will Schuester/Quinn Fabray, Frannie Fabray
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,104
Summary: The non-linear tale of one night in one city and the consequences that never seem to end.
Disclaimer: Glee doesn't belong to me, at all.
Spoilers: None
ig·no·rance/ˈignərəns/
Noun: Lack of knowledge or information
When Frannie Fabray had gone off to college, her perspective on life had changed. The Christian values that her parents had instilled in her were still there, and strong, but she realized that life wasn't all about the Country Club and cookie-cutter WASP ideals. She realized that her goal in life had to be to make herself happy, even if it meant not being the picture perfect golden child her (alcoholic) parents wanted her to be.
Anyway, they still had Quinn, and she now seemed to be perfectly content on the preppy blonde cheerleader route.
Plus, it wasn't like she was going to go join a commune or something, she just wasn't going to be a cheerleader anymore... or a member of the Young Republicans... or shop exclusively at Abercrombie...
So Frannie began to slowly but surely put distance between herself and Lima. She came home less, preferring to stay first at her dorm and then with her fellow sorority sisters. She partied on occasion, went to church (fairly) regularly, and called her parents every weekend (she could only escape them so much).
When it came to her relationship with her sister, however, she didn't remain that consistent. There had been such a large age difference between them that they couldn't really be friends of any sort, at least not until Quinn was older. Mostly Frannie had been Quinn's idol, and she'd indulge her on occasion by taking her out shopping or letting her tag along to the movies with her and her friends, but their interactions were mostly limited to within their home. When Frannie moved out, they'd ended. Sure, they shared the occasional text/phone call/e-mail, but not that many.
Soon Quinn was in High School and Frannie graduated college. She'd met an amazing guy who shared her church going habits and came from money (lots of it). Her parents approved of him wholeheartedly and soon after she'd graduated (a year after him), they'd gotten married in a beautiful ceremony where her mother cried and her father looked on with pride. Quinn had been there, playing the part of dutiful little sister to the fullest, and looking every bit like Frannie had at her age. In that moment, Quinn's future seemed so clear to her older sister, and she could only hope that Quinn too would come to realize that looks and popularity weren't all that mattered.
(Lord knows Mom and Dad wouldn't teach her that.)
Buying an apartment in one of the better parts of Lima had been Jack's idea, not Frannie's. His family got their money by being masters of manipulation, both of people and numbers, and he was well aware of the power a simple action could have. Even if they never did get to using it, Jack knew her parents would love the idea that the couple bought a place to live in her hometown so they could spend extended amounts of time there.
He had been completely right.
The complex they found was one of the nicer ones in Lima, full of a mix of police, teachers, bankers, doctors, and all those other respectable careers that left people able to either rent or own a place outside of Lima Heights. They'd managed to get the one bedroom for a steal, since the guy who owned it wanted to get out of there quick ("The crazy bitch next door spends half the time yelling at her husband and the other banging away in her damn craft room. I can't get any fucking peace!").
Soon after they bought it and managed to get a decorator in, they headed down for the weekend ("the first of not many" Jack told her, laughing). Her mother spent the entire time gushing about the crown molding, the color scheme, the darling furniture that just screamed classic... basically every single superficial thing the apartment had to offer. Her dad started off lamenting how his little girl was all grown up before boasting about how Jack was such a good, Christian man and was making such a name for himself with his chain of UPS stores ("You sure did pick a winner Sweetie!"). He ended the night on a rant about some issue Glen Beck had brought up and everyone just let him talk, throwing in comments when needed.
Frannie had been sad Quinn hadn't been able to come, especially when she found out it was because she was stuck at some Cheerios' rehearsal camp that she knew from experience was rivaled only by Guantanamo Bay in torture-related fun. But it wasn't like it was her place to say anything to Quinn or her parents...she had become the absent daughter, all wrapped up in her life away from Lima. Plus, she had been doing the exact same thing when she was in Quinn's shoes. All she could do now was try to forge more of a connection with her sister, try to steer her down an easier path.
When Quinn's 16th birthday came around, Frannie decided to splurge. A random performing arts group in Dayton was putting on the Broadway production of High Society and been getting good reviews. Quinn had always loved the movie (fancying herself a young Grace Kelly), and considering she was now in Glee Club (that one had thrown her for a loop until she learned Quinn's sort of boyfriend Finn joined first), Frannie figured Quinn would love to see it and they could make a weekend of it. She got the tickets, rented a hotel suite, and presented everything to great applause at Quinn's birthday bash.
The sisters were supposed to meet in Dayton the night before the show so they could spend the entire Saturday together ("From breakfast to shopping to show" Frannie had told Quinn excitedly). It would be the first time Quinn was driving anywhere over an hour away by herself and all were anxious, therefore it struck everyone as funny when it was Frannie who had a tire blow out, throwing off her arrival time until the next day. When her parents had demanded Quinn come back to Lima and just head back again the next day, it had been Frannie that jumped to her defense, saying not only would that be an extreme waste of gas, but that Quinn had proven herself to be nothing but trustworthy, and if she said she would stay in the hotel quietly, that was what she would do.
When she made it to the room the next day, Frannie had a feeling something was off. Quinn seemed to have this stunned quality to her that she normally didn't have, at least as well as Frannie could remember. She played if off well enough, saying she was just amazed she'd been allowed to stay by herself, but there was something more than that playing at her younger sister's mind. She couldn't seem to sit still, shirting around in her seat almost constantly, as if she couldn't get comfortable. Her right hand seemed to favor resting in the crook of her neck and if Frannie didn't know better (in denial?), she could have sworn she saw a faint bruising underneath a layer of foundation where the hand came to rest. After a couple of hours, the regular Quinn was back, but Frannie couldn't help but notice that her eyes always seemed to linger anytime she caught sight of guys with curly hair.
It was months later before she would really talk to her sister again. Almost daily texts were now their standard form of communication, so when Frannie's cell had rung at 7:54 one Friday night, she had been surprised to see Quinn's name pop up on her screen.
"Hey ther-" Frannie broke off the greeting when she heard the sharp sound of Quinn's sobs on the other end. "Quinn? Sweetie? What's the matter? Why are you crying?" Jack looked up quickly from the game he'd been watching, his clear concern at just those few words reminding Frannie why she loved him so much.
"Dad kicked me out" Quinn got out between cries.
"What? Why?"
"I'm... I'm pregnant" Frannie dropped down heavily into the chair she had been standing next to, looking blankly ahead at the TV, hearing Jack asking her what was going on and Quinn's continued sobs. The Dayton weekend flashed before her eyes and she knew without being told that what she had steadfastly denied happening in her head in fact did.
And now her 16 year old sister was disowned, homeless, and pregnant... and reaching out for help.
The first emotion that hit her was anger. Anger that Quinn had been so stupid and proven their parents right in their instinct not to trust her. Anger that her dad would be so concerned with his damn image that he'd kick out his own child when she needed him the most and that her mother was too much of a weak drunk to stand-up to him (because everything notwithstanding, Judy Fabray did love her children and wouldn't have wanted this to happen).
After the anger came this overwhelming sense of calm, and an intense need to make sure her sister (and she guessed her future niece/nephew) was safe. This wouldn't be another moment where Quinn found out a member of her family only cared about her in terms of her ability to act as a set piece in Russell Fabray's dream of being a live-action Norman Rockwell painting.
"Alright, OK, we can work with this." Frannie said as she breathed in deeply, "I mean, the pregnancy part not so much at the moment" Jack's jaw dropped and his eyes grew comically large "but the kicked out part... we can deal with. You can just go to our apartment and stay there as long as you need... or forever, I don't care"
"But Dad-"
"Quinn, I really don't care much about Dad right now. Plus, what's he gonna do to me? Not invite me to Thanksgiving? Not get me a Christmas gift? Big deal, his presents are horrible anyway" The laugh she managed to draw from Quinn made her smile before she caught the hysterical edge Quinn's voice was starting to take.
"I don't even know where your apartment is" The sobs have started again, and Frannie really isn't sure they're going to be stopping anytime soon. As she listed off the address, though, something changes in Quinn's tone. She's still crying, sure, but there is an anticipation there, a bated breath quality that seems odd.
"...and don't worry about not having a key, the guy next door has been watching the place for us and has one to spare. He's a really nice guy, Quinn, I'm sure he'll be willing to help you out if you need anything before I can get down there. His name is Will Schu-" The sound of utter relief that escaped Quinn's mouth threw Frannie for a loop, until she vaguely remembered hearing the name Schuester being thrown around when her parents and Quinn were talking about school. She feels like he might even have mentioned to Jack in passing that he worked at McKinley. "Wait, is he one of your teachers?"
As Quinn explained how Mr. Schue was her Spanish teacher and Glee Club director Frannie noted that she seemed to be taking an immense comfort in the fact he would be there. Had she not been so happy that something seemed to be calming the girl down, she would have questioned just how comforted Quinn was. Frannie couldn't ever remember a teacher that touched her enough to leave such an impression.
It never even began to cross her mind to be concerned with just how touched by Will Quinn actually was. She completely blanked on the fact that he'd mentioned seeing the exact same High Society performance that she and Quinn had when she called to check on the apartment a few weeks back. And when she recalled that he possessed a rather curly head of hair, she considered for a second if Quinn might be harboring a little bit of a school girl crush and that had had something to do with all the lingering stares she'd given those curly-haired Daytonians. She quickly dismissed the idea though, as he just didn't fit with all the other guys Quinn had always had crushes on in the past.
As silly as it may seem, it didn't really hit her yet to consider that the old rules didn't apply to Quinn anymore, that she wasn't still that dutiful little bridesmaid... or that maybe she never really was.