I'm sure you know there will be a sexual relationship between two women, but if you don't know this is me warning you. There will be a sexual relationship between two women in this story (starting at the very beginning actually).
Contact the lunatic at: starving.lunatic@gmail.com and lemme know what you think of the story. Thanks and enjoy. You can also find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SL-Kassidy/482097488469386
Many thanks to my beta - Rleef.
This story is going to be told in rather short chapters, snapshots showing Quinn's and Artie's growth together.
Three pizzas had been ordered - cheese, pepperoni, and half-chicken, half-peppers. A two-liter soda came with the order and Quinn laughed when Tia and Juno high-fived over being able to have soda. She guessed it was a treat for them.
"Want me to go get Mommy?" Aphrodite volunteered as Artie put the pizzas on the dining room table.
"No, I've got it. You and the Roman you get the plates," Artie ordered, earning snickers from the twins.
Artie smiled at them and made her way upstairs. The girls did not seem worried that time, so Quinn focused on them rather than upstairs. She watched for a moment as the twins grabbed the plates, Hestia got the cups, and Juno grabbed the roll of paper towels, taking them all to the table. She was about to offer up her help when she felt a tugging at her shirt. Glancing down, she saw Diana looking up at her with big, sparkling eyes.
"Sit wif me?" the child requested, gently tugging Quinn toward her chair. Quinn followed, even though she did not understand how they all fit around the table.
"Of course, I'll sit with you," Quinn smiled brightly at the little girl.
"But, I want to sit with you!" Juno shouted as she came in from the kitchen. She put the paper towels down on the table and grabbed Quinn's hand. She gave Quinn the exact same look as Diana. How is it that two girls that look so different can give me the exact same puppy-dog expression?
"I asked'ed first!" Diana barked.
"I want to sit with her, though. You always sit with Art, so lemme sit with Quinn," Juno requested.
"No!" Diana screamed.
"What's the problem?" Artie demanded as she marched downstairs with a tall woman behind her. The woman was not as tall as Artie, but she was above average height. Her skin was lighter than Artie's, but not by much. Her hair matched the twins, except she had grey hairs streaking through. She had sharp blue byes that glared daggers at Quinn as soon as she noticed the younger brunette.
"I wanna sit with Quinn!" both Juno and Diana shouted. Diana stomped her foot and puffed out her cheeks.
Artie looked at the pout, poking out from Diana's bottom lip. "What? Piglet, you don't wanna sit with me? But, I'll get lonely. You want me to get lonely?"
Diana shook her head. "No, I don't. I love you, Art!"
"So, you'll sit with me, please?" Artie requested.
Diana nodded very enthused. She released Quinn's shirt and attached herself to Artie. Juno gripped Quinn's hand just a little tighter, in case this was a trick.
"Well, before we eat, Quinn meet our mother, Anna Brenner," Artie said. "Mom, this my friend from school, Quinn. She's going to spend spring break with us."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Brenner," Quinn said, offering her free hand. Anna looked at her hand and openly sneered.
"And where will she be staying, I wonder," Anna mused aloud, moving right by her.
"Mom," Artie implored, but her mother did not even turn around.
Quinn looked at Artie, who sighed. "I'm sorry, Quinn. Let's just eat and then we can watch a movie."
"Movie!" the girls all cheered.
"Mommy, mommy, mommy, you gonna watch the movie with us?" Diana requested with a wide grin.
"I'd like to, but you know I have work tonight. We'll watch a movie on my day off," Anna promised.
Diana nodded. "But, we're gonna watch a movie tonight, too, right, Art?"
"Yes, we'll watch a movie tonight and with Mom later," Artie said.
Quinn smiled and decided to just let the snub from Anna go. She understood that Artie did appear to be a hypocrite considering the argument that she just had with her mother. Anna's attitude, while petulant, was understandable.
"What kind of pizza do you want, Quinn? We like chicken," Aphrodite said, motioning between herself and her twin as the family gathered around the table.
"I'll take a regular slice, please," Quinn requested.
"Me, too!" Juno chimed in.
"You want soda, juice, or water, Quinn?" Venus inquired as she began pouring for everyone.
"Juice is fine," she answered. She figured she would leave the soda alone since it seemed like a treat for the girls.
Quinn sat down next to Artie as Aphrodite passed around plates with slices on them. Artie had Diana in her lap and the twins sat across from them. Anna had the head of the table with Tia and Juno squeezed into one chair opposite of her. Juno suddenly got up and flopped down on Quinn's lap. Quinn groaned.
"Oh, June bug, I think you might be hurting the princess. She's not used to sharing her lap," Artie remarked.
Juno turned around to look at Quinn. "It hurts?"
"No, it's fine," Quinn said, squirming a bit in her seat. She was not used to having someone sit on her and Juno's bones were digging into her lap.
Juno seemed to sense that Quinn was not being truthful. She hopped down and crawled right into her mother's lap. Anna smiled as Juno settled against her.
Artie cut a plain slice in half for Diana before starting one of her two slices with peppers. Anna also had two slices with peppers. The twins had two slices with chicken. Quinn wondered why they had bothered with a pepperoni pizza and then she saw that they were not done when they finished those two slices. Everyone from Tia up had at least three slices; Artie and the twins had four.
"How can you eat all of that cheese and grease?" Quinn wondered aloud. Two slices were her limit, no matter what.
"We were hungry," Artie answered with a teasing smile. "Now, we need to clean up and then it's movie time."
The girls moved to clear the table, even little Diana tried to help. Quinn gave a hand clearing the plates. Artie tried to stop her.
"You're our guest," Artie argued.
"A guest that wants to help. Let me help," Quinn requested with a smile and Artie stepped out of her path. Quinn smiled more and continued on.
Artie decided to go talk to her mother to clear the air about Quinn. She had no desire to have Anna disrespect Quinn for a whole week when the week was supposed to help Quinn. She followed her mother upstairs and moved to talk to the older woman near her bedroom.
"Mom, you're not going to treat Quinn like shit for the whole week," she stated.
"So, you can bring your whore from school "
"I'm going to stop you right there because she's not a whore. She's my friend and I wasn't going to stand by while she spent another break alone on campus. If it'll make you feel better, I'll give her my bed and I'll sleep in yours when you have work and on the couch when you're here."
Anna frowned, pissed that Artie had her. Glancing away, she glared at the floor. "I don't want you in my room."
"Why, Mom?" Artie could feel her anger rising. They were going to get into it again if her mother had some kind of contraband in her room. What other crazy things is she doing with the girls in the house?
"It's just a mess right now. You'd end up cleaning it and I don't want you cleaning on your break. I want you to focus on spending time with the girls because they've missed you. But, I don't like that you brought this girl home and she's around the girls any more than you like me bringing men around them."
"There's a difference, Mom, and it starts with the girls actually like Quinn. She's practically part of the Pantheon already. I also have no intention of having sex with Quinn in this house, which I know you can't say about any of your boyfriends. Quinn is here as my friend and nothing more. Quinn is also different from any of your boyfriends, which was abundantly made clear by the way she helped clear the table after we finished dinner. You have never in your life been with a man that did that, including Kevin and Naiquan. So, don't give Quinn a hard time," Artie stated.
Anna folded her arms against her chest and held her chin high. "I've got work all this week, so you probably won't even see me, except when I cook."
Artie knew that was the best that she was going to get, so she accepted it for now. There would be time for her mother to see how Quinn was different over the week. But, she just had one last thing to say.
"Mom, I know you're going to be with guys. Just do me the favor of not bringing them here, even if they are boyfriends. It's going to drive me crazy if I go back to school and have to start worrying about you having men over," Artie stated.
Anna sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I'm trying to build a descent relationship with someone, but I don't have the time. I'm either here or at work."
"Mom, how the hell do you think you're going to build a descent relationship by jumping into bed three dates in every single time you find a guy? You have to stop doing this. You need to have more self-respect."
"I do."
Artie sighed and shook her head. She and her mother had this conversation before and it tended to end the same way. She was not sure what it would take for her mother to realize that she was not going to have a meaningful relationship by always giving in or when she really did not have the time. For now, she could just hope her mother thought on it.
She returned to the living room, finding the girls already gathering around the television. Quinn was on the couch with Juno and Diana on either side of her. There was space for her and, as soon as she was down, Tia curled up against her. The twins had the floor, with all of the snacks.
"What are we watching?" Artie asked. She was willing to bet it involved singing animals.
"I picked!" Tia declared with a grin as she snuggled closer to Artie.
The movie started and Artie was not surprised to see that she was correct. Added to singing, the animals were also playing soccer. Tia then had to tell them all about the rules of soccer and positions as the movie played on. Before the movie was over, Anna came into the living room, dressed professionally for work.
"All right, Pantheon, I've got work. Be good for Artie," Anna said, leaning down to kiss the twins on their foreheads. The younger three scrambled for their own hugs and kisses. "Love you all," Anna said before moving to Artie.
"Love you back!" the girls all replied.
"Be safe, Mom," Artie said, hugging the older woman. Anna kissed her cheek.
"Make sure everyone goes to bed on time," Anna said.
"This isn't my first time doing this. Drive safe to work."
Anna left without so much glancing at Quinn. Artie shook her head, but noticed that Quinn did not seem bothered. They put on another movie while Artie got Diana ready for bed, but allowed her to watch more of the movie. Diana fell asleep on her own and by ten Artie put the three youngest to bed. The twins went to bed shortly after.
"We have practice tomorrow. You think you can come and watch?" Aphrodite asked.
"If I can get the three Caballeros ready and out the door," Artie pointed out. The twins accepted that and went upstairs. Artie turned her attention to her guest. "Want to watch something a little more adult? You know, with no animation?"
Quinn chuckled. "This explains why you don't know anything about any movie rated R. Is it all right if I ask you some questions?"
"Perfectly fine, but first, are you enjoying your visit so far, despite my mother's rudeness and my idiocy?"
"It's fine. Your sisters are so affectionate. I feel really welcomed with them cuddling into me. My family is nowhere near this kind, welcoming, and affectionate. I'm totally enjoying this."
Artie nodded. "That's great. So, what do you want to know?"
"Well, first, what does your mom do?"
"She's the night manager for a hotel and resort that's actually owned by Vega's dad. It's about an hour from here and really good for skiing, but people go there all year 'round for camping and other outdoors stuff. My mom actually came up with some awesome events for the place through out the years. I'll ask her if anything's going on this week. We can go check it out if you want. It's an awesome spot."
"Maybe later. Right now, I'm really happy just being here. Have you ever brought a friend home like this?"
"Nope, you are the first friend over for more than a night and the only other that has spent the night was Vega. I don't want just anyone around the Pantheon, but I think you'll all do each other some good. Hell, you already changed things for me. Thank you for that."
Quinn smiled. "I was happy to help. So, is this a typical night for you guys?"
"Well, yes and no. The pizza is a treat, but I'm always on them about their homework and I usually put them to bed right after my mom leaves. My mom works nights, but she'll cook breakfast before I hustle everyone out the door for school. It was more frequent when I was in high school. She gets the crew to school now. She's probably stressed and I should've thought about that before yelling at her. I guess I'll talk to her again later and see if she's having problems with having so much to do now. Not that I'll let that excuse her bringing guys home or her rudeness toward you."
"You're close to your mom."
Artie scrunched up her face. "It's complicated, but yeah. She's not a bad person. She just makes bad choices in some areas of life."
Quinn nodded. "So where's your dad?"
Artie shrugged. "Fuck if I know. This goes into my mom making bad choices. My mom had me at eighteen with her high school sweetheart, who was more worried about his football scholarship than having a daughter. Funny thing is, he didn't care about his daughter after his football scholarship took him nowhere according to my granddad. I think he sells cars or something now. My mom doesn't really talk about him much anymore, but I think she used to see him around. For a long time, I think she still loved him. Her judgment has not gotten better over the years."
"So none of your fathers are in the picture?"
"Not exactly. Tia's father and Juno's father are kind of in the picture. They're decent guys. They visit or try to have the girls or even all of us visit. That can be expensive for Juno's dad, Naiquan, because he lives in California, but he tries to have us over his place at least once a year. He tries to take her for breaks sometimes, but he travels for work, so it doesn't always work out. They both send money and gifts. Kevin, Tia's dad, is closer, so she sees him more often."
"That's good."
Artie chuckled and smiled. They moved closer to each other and found a movie to watch. Artie nodded off and Quinn woke her.
"Let's go to bed," Quinn suggested. Artie yawned and nodded.
Quinn stared at the darkened ceiling as Artie slept soundly, spooning the shorter woman from behind. She wondered if Artie was aware that she seemed to like cuddling in her sleep because Artie went from sleeping on her side to moving closer to Quinn until Quinn was suddenly the little spoon. It was a nice feeling, so Quinn did not move. Not to mention, she did not want to wake Artie. She heard movement above them and then on the stairs. The steps were slow, cautious, and then a pouty-faced Diana stood before her.
"Art," the child whimpered, reaching over Quinn and poking her big sister. Artie shot up immediately, like she was trained to do that.
"Huh?" Artie asked, blinking hard, trying to wake up.
"Art," Diana said again.
"Oh, hey, Piglet." Artie moved closer, hovering over Quinn. "What's up? Had a bad dream?" She rubbed her right eye with the heel of her hand, again trying to wake up completely.
Diana gave a pitiful nod. "Had had a " She stared at her feet.
"Oh, Piglet, did you have an accident?"
"Uh-huh." Quinn had never heard a more heartbreaking confession. The expression on Diana's face did not help.
"Come on, I'll take care of you. Gotta take the June bug off the bottom bunk, too," Artie muttered as she got up. She did not say anything to Quinn as she took Diana back upstairs.
Quinn remained where she was. Again, the family dynamics stood out to her. There was something that she could not put into words yet and she pondered it for a while, still coming up short. She supposed it was just because Artie's family was almost the complete opposite of her own. Almost thirty minutes later, Artie returned with Diana in her arms; Diana was in new pajamas and smelled like soap.
"Quinn, you want to move over to the wall or would you mind the Piglet sleeping in between us?" Artie inquired.
"Can I sleep in the middle? You both can save me from the bad dreams," Diana reasoned.
Quinn chuckled a bit. "If you want to, you can." Artie gave her a look, as if asking if she was sure. "I'm fine with it if she is." The last thing she wanted to do was make the night worse for a toddler having nightmares and an accident.
Artie placed Diana down and crawled into bed. She covered them all with the blanket and kissed the side of the child's head. Diana was asleep in no time.
"Thanks for being a trooper. The Piglet had a nightmare that I left and it really shook her up. Even though she doesn't really remember me living here, she has had trouble dealing with me being away at college," Artie explained.
"I'm sure they all do. You're obviously here for all of them," Quinn said.
"I try to be."
"So, what did you do with Juno?"
"I put her in my mom's bed. I changed the sheets on the bottom bunk, but I'm sure she's happier sleeping in the big bed. Are you sure you're fine with Diana in the bed?"
"Perfectly fine. I'm happy she thinks I can help chase away nightmares. Again, my family is nothing like this. I'm happy you brought me. Now, let's go to sleep because I want to see the twins practice in the morning."
Artie laughed. "You're going to have to help me get the little ones ready then. That's just going to be madness in a bottle."
"It'll be my pleasure. Now, sleep." Quinn resettled onto her pillow and closed her eyes. In her sleep, she smiled as she felt Diana move closer to her.
"Can we have a barbeque today, please?" Venus requested as the Brenner family entered the house like a herd of wild horses. They were coming from the twins' softball practice, where Artie had spoken to them about their techniques more than their coaches did. The coaches did not seem to mind, but it probably had to do with the fact that Artie was friends with them.
"You going to the store for supplies?" Artie countered with an arched eyebrow.
"Mommy always goes," Aphrodite pointed out.
"Mom is asleep right now and I'm not waking her up about a last minute barbeque idea. She needs her rest," Artie argued.
"But, she's going to go shopping, anyway. She can get stuff for a late barbeque and then she won't have to worry about cooking," Venus said. "But, only if you're going to do the grill."
"I'll talk to Mom when she wakes up and we'll see how it works."
"Remind her that she won't have to cook dinner if we do a barbeque," Tia suggested with an impish smile.
"We'll see."
Quinn watched as all of the girls smiled, as if they knew that "we'll see" was as good as a yes. The twins went get changed while the others went to the living room, Diana tugging Artie and Juno tugging Quinn. Tia put on a movie that the youngest pair wanted to see.
"You guys really should go outside. It's nice out," Artie pointed out.
"After the movie," Juno promised.
Artie practically kicked them out of the house when the movie was over, the twins included. She went out with them, sitting on the back porch. Quinn sat next to her as the girls played on an old basketball hoop hanging from a small shed in a backyard that would not qualify as half court in any place on Earth. Diana busied herself by riding a tricycle in the driveway.
"Art, when you gonna show me how to ride the big girl bike?" Diana asked curiously as she rode next to her big sister.
Artie smiled. "When you're a little bigger, Piglet."
"Quinn, you'll see me ride the big girl bike then," Diana proclaimed.
Quinn only smiled because she was not sure what to say. She was not sure when kids learned to ride bikes, but she suspected that three-year-old Diana had a long way to go. She was not sure if she would be around that long. This friendship thing with Artie was so new, after all, and up until recently really only revolved around studies and sex. She was not sure things would last once school was over, be it for the summer or further down the line when Artie graduated.
She felt like the girls were rooting for her, though. They all wanted her to watch what they were doing or wanted to know if she saw what they just did. The little ones like cuddling into her just as they did with Artie. Hell, the twins had dedicated hits to her at softball practice. She had never felt so wanted in all of her life and it made her feel so settled and still on the inside. She smiled softly to herself.
"Since you seem to be enjoying yourself and I'm sure the Pantheon would smite me if I removed you from their sights, I'm going to talk to Mom. I'll be right back if you're all right with them keeping an eye on you and you keeping an eye on them," Artie remarked.
Quinn chuckled. "I am enjoying myself. Go on, we'll be fine. Maybe we can go shopping if your mother won't."
"Oh, you want to barbeque, too? I'll see what I can do."
Quinn flashed a bright smile. She would love to see a Brenner family barbeque. She was certain they would be very different for her family cookouts, which made her look forward to it.
Artie knocked on her mother's bedroom door and was granted entry to the room. Her mother's room was cluttered with clothes and papers everywhere. She figured on Monday, she would do her mom a favor and clean the room when Anna went to work and the girls were in bed.
"Artie, what's it?" Anna asked in a dazed tone as she sat up in bed. Her hair was mussed and going in every direction. Her eyes refused to open all the way, which was a clear sign that she needed more sleep.
"Before I explain anything, how are you doing, Mom? I'm sorry I showed up yesterday and just immediately jumped on you, but you know how I feel about having unknowns around the girls," Artie pointed out. She noted that her mother seemed a bit slow, when she barged in yesterday and now she seemed to wake up completely. She figured her mother was exhausted, probably overworked.
Anna rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand. "I'm sorry for all the horrible things I said. I know how you feel and I still think it's a bit hypocritical of you. Not to mention hurtful that you think I'd bring around people that would hurt the girls."
Artie frowned. "Don't act like it hasn't happened before."
Anna was silent for a moment. "It's been hard. I've been trying to work more to save money for Diana's tuition when she starts pre-school next year. I was sick not to long ago."
"I told you, call me when you're sick. I'll come back."
"I know you would, but no point in you coming back if I'm going to go to work and do everything normally anyway," her mother pointed out.
Artie sighed and rubbed her forehead. "You shouldn't push yourself like that. I don't want you to make it worse. You're going to end up in the hospital again." She stepped closer to her mother.
Anna smiled and reached out, taking her daughter's hand. "I know, but I've got to take care of the girls while you're away at school. I won't end up in the hospital again and that was years ago. It hasn't happened since."
"But, you still need to call me," Artie insisted, squeezing her mother's hand a bit. "If not me, please, call Nana or Granddad. Please."
"I'll remember that. Now, why'd you come here?"
"The girls want to do a cookout. It's nice enough outside for one. You going to the store today?"
Anna yawned and rubbed her eye once more. "Yeah. I'm going. We need food anyway. So, you'll handle dinner?"
"Yeah, as long as you get the stuff."
"If it gets me out of cooking, but I guess tomorrow there won't be anyway for me to avoid cooking," Anna said.
"Well, we can't have pizza again."
"No, we can't."
A couple of hours later, Artie found herself at the grill, flipping hamburgers and making sure hotdogs were just right. The Pantheon had somehow sent messages to their friends because the little family barbeque ballooned into something else entirely with the backyard full of people thirteen and under. Artie made sure to keep track of Diana, but she really did not need to as her Piglet stayed close to Quinn.
Quinn wondered where all of the adolescents came from. They had come from all angles, like sharks with blood in the water. They were friendly enough and some she recognized from softball practice earlier. All of the girls made it a point to introduce their friends to Quinn. She had to correct them often as they shamelessly introduced her as "Artie's girlfriend."
"I'm just Artie's friend," Quinn tried to assure them, but she got the feeling that the message was not getting through because the girls kept on smiling.
"Hey, I thought you could use some food," Artie said, seemingly appearing before Quinn and Diana. She had two plates of food in her hands.
"Hotdogs!" Diana grinned.
Artie smiled as she put the plate down on the table that they were sitting at. "Be careful. Don't make a mess on Quinn," she gently ordered, rubbing the child's head.
"I won't," Diana promised, grabbing for her food and already about to make a mess, Quinn could see it.
"I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I gave you one hot dog, burger, and chicken. Whatever you don't eat, leave for me and I'll take care of it. I'm sure you'll eat the salad and corn, though," Artie said while putting down Quinn's plate. "What do you want to drink? This might be the last time you see soda all week because my mom is really strict about sugar intake, so tell me now if you want a Coke or something."
"Is there Sprite?"
"One Sprite coming up," Artie declared and then leaned down to whisper in Quinn's ear. "Watch the Piglet. She likes to wear ketchup."
Quinn chuckled and nodded while Artie took her leave. As she began eating, Quinn happened to catch the gaze of Anna, who was helping Juno make a hamburger, and Quinn was not surprised that the older woman glared at her. She doubted the girls spreading the rumor that she was Artie's girlfriend helped to endear her to Anna, especially since Anna did not seem to approve of Artie's lifestyle. She wondered what she would need to do to at least show Anna that she was just Artie's friend and nothing more.
Quinn shook that away as Artie returned with her soda and a sippy cup for Diana. Diana had a ring of ketchup around her mouth and it was about to drip down onto her clothes. Artie wiped Diana's face with her hand before going back to the grill. Again, Quinn felt like there was something strange about the family dynamics and then it hit her as Aphrodite asked Artie's permission to go into the house with some friends to play video games. Artie was more than a big sister in some instances. Artie was like a parent.
She wondered if it was like that because Artie was so much older or if other factors went into it. It was definitely strange. But, it seemed to work and it was fascinating. She liked this side of Artie and hoped to see more of it.
The girls were not on Spring Break yet, so when Monday rolled around they had to go to school. Quinn woke up, just wanting to see how things went, even though Artie tried to get her to stay in bed because it was so early. Diana also woke up, even though she had nowhere to go.
Anna made breakfast before going to bed. Apparently, even though she had been off on Sunday, she continued on with her nighttime schedule. Artie explained that her mother had non-consecutive days off, so it was hard for her to try to adjust to a regular time schedule. It did not help that sometimes Anna worked on her days off, too. The family always needed help financially, which was not surprising. Quinn admired Anna a little for that.
Artie had the job of getting everyone to school on time while she was home. She made sure everyone had book bags, homework, lunch bags, sporting equipment, and whatever else they needed for the day. They all moved around the house like a swarm of bees, with purpose, but still so chaotic. Of course, it was nothing like when she went to school as a child, but she did not want to think about that.
"Hey, hey, you eat those eggs!" Artie ordered as Tia tried to slide out of the kitchen with her breakfast of eggs and sausage on the counter.
"I want toast with them," Tia replied as she moved to pop some bread in the toaster. Eventually, she would put her eggs on the toast, like the twins had done.
"Make it quick. We've got five minutes until we have to get out of here," Artie reminded them. "June bug, you've got your shirt buttoned all crazy. Please, fix it."
Quinn waved the seven-year-old over to help her button her shirt the right way. She noted that the girls were all in matching uniforms that consisted of tan skirts, white shirts, and matching vests with a golden bird on the breast pocket. She wondered if they all went to a private school and if so, how a single mother like Anna could afford that. She decided she would ask Artie later.
"Thanks for the help," Artie smiled at Quinn. "Do you mind staying and watching Diana? This is a quick run. Twenty minutes, one stop."
"No problem. Do you want me to feed her?"
"Please. Oh, and tell her no television until she eats it all or she'll play with it for like ten minutes."
Quinn nodded and all too soon the whirlwind was gone with the twins complaining that they did not need an escort to school and how they walked to school everyday on their own. Artie scoffed loudly when Tia and Juno backed up the twins. Quinn chuckled a bit as silence fell over the house. She made a small plate of food for Diana and one for herself. As soon as she saw signs of Diana playing with her food, she shared Artie's words of wisdom, which worked wonders. Quinn silently admitted to herself that the simple breakfast was good.
Once they were done, Diana tugged her to the living room. They sat together on the couch and Diana told her what channel to turn to. They had barely gotten to a show before Artie came back in.
"You're still up?" Artie asked Quinn with a teasing smile.
Quinn chuckled. "Yeah, but I don't see how you do this every day. I much prefer to stay up late than to get up earlier."
"You can go back to sleep if you want."
Quinn shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Does she watch TV all day?"
Artie scoffed. "She probably doesn't get to watch TV at all during the day. To make sure Mom gets some sleep, our grandmother watches Diana when I'm not here."
"Nana says that TV is not good," Diana reported with a stern expression and then she suddenly grinned. "But, I like it." Quinn had to chuckle at that.
"Yeah, Nana has always said that."
Before Quinn had a chance to inquire more about their grandparents, there was a knock on the door. Lo and behold, it was actually their grandparents. They barely looked old enough to be grandparents, especially to a twenty-year-old. Artie was snatched up into fierce hugs from both because Diana practically tackled their grandmother at the knees. Apparently, even though their Nana did not let them watch television, she was still well loved.
"Nana, Art lets me watch cartoons!" Diana blurted out.
"I know she does, cupcake, but Nana is here now, so you have to go get your books," their grandmother said.
"But, Nana!" Diana whined.
"Come on, before I swat your little fanny. And, your sister needs to come along before I swat her big fanny, so she can see what you're doing this week," the grandmother said as she dragged both sisters through the den with them groaning and their grandfather snickering. Once she got to the living room, she suddenly stopped and stared. Quinn had to struggle not to squirm in her seat.
"Oh, Nana, Granddad, meet my friend Quinn Matherson. Quinn, my grandparents, Doctors Brenner. They're mere PhDs, so don't get sick around them. They wouldn't be able to help," Artie teased as Quinn stood up.
"You'll be a mere PhD someday," her grandfather pointed out. He then leaned over, having to go a long way, to shake hands with Quinn. "Pleasure to meet you. Please, call me Andre and my wife Tori."
"The pleasure is all mine, sir," she replied and he gave her a scolding look. "I mean, Andre." She quickly climbed to her feet, already feeling like they would think her manners were terrible because it took her so long to stand.
"You're a beautiful girl, Quinn. Our archer always did have good taste," Tori commented and reached up to muss Artie's cropped hair. "Now, I'm going to take these two, so the big archer doesn't destroy all my hard work with the little archer. Sometimes, the big one can be a little indulgent."
"Nana, I'm not," Artie groaned.
"Stubborn and indulgent," Tori said and she swatted Artie on the butt, earning a yelp from the larger woman.
"Nana!" Artie huffed, her cheeks coloring.
Diana giggled. "Nana hit you on the butt, Art."
"I know Nana hit me on the butt. You better come on before Nana hits you on the butt," Artie replied. Diana gasped and her eyes went wide as her hands move to protect her little tushie. Artie chuckled as her little sister moved with their grandmother, but then suddenly halted and turned.
"Bye, Quinn. We'll be back laters," Diana said, moving to hug Quinn as if they were departing the house and not just going into the next room. Quinn hugged her tight anyway and the trio disappeared into the dining room. Andre sat down, smiling softly.
"The Piglet is attached to you already, I see. I hope you're good with kids," Andre said. She thought that was an odd way to open a conversation, but shrugged it off.
"I never really interacted with them until I got here, except for when I was a kid anyway," she told him.
"Yeah, plenty of them here. Do yourself a favor and don't have six unless you're planning to have a farm. Two would probably be ideal and you already have someone full of daddy experience to do half of the work."
"Excuse me?" She had no idea what he was talking about and it took a lot of self-control to not be openly offended.
"You've got Artie," he practically grinned, pride shining in his dark brown eyes. "I didn't mean to almost turn that kid into a boy, but then her mom needed the help and Artie just put it all on her then narrow shoulders. But, it's good that they have a man in the house, even if she's a woman."
Quinn blinked, trying to process what she was being told. While she had noticed that Artie was like a second parent, she never thought of her as "the dad" or even "the man of the house." The idea made that argument that Artie had with her mom when they first arrived very creepy. Now, she had more questions and was not sure if they were appropriate to ask.
"She doesn't really come off as a guy to me," Quinn blurted out. It was the truth.
"She's more comfortable in her own skin now. You missed the first eighteen years of her life. The first twelve, you couldn't tell her that she wasn't a boy and then up until recently, she struggled with the truth of the matter, but now she's fine with who she is. When she was little, she was always into something, always getting hurt, getting into fights, taking stuff apart. All of her friends were little boys and she'd be involved in backyard wrestling. Every sport that she ever played, she'd better be on the boys' team or there'd be hell to pay. As she got older, she became more aware of her biological sex, but I think in her head, she always considered her gender male. My wife tried to curtail it. I hadn't seen any evidence that it was effective."
"She collects teddy bears. I don't think a boy would do that."
He smiled. "That's good. I always worried that I messed her up mentally, that I pushed her into being something she didn't want to be."
"Why did you then?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, she always seemed more interested in 'guy' things. It didn't really stand out when she was little, but as she got older, it got more noticeable because at a certain point, you realize that this cute thing she's doing mimicking you is actually something that she's serious about and does it even when you're not around. Whenever I was trying to fix something in the house, she was right next to me trying to do it. By the time she was ten, she was fixing everything in this house. Of course, she was also taking a lot of things apart, but if something was broken, it became her job to fix it. She was the one that mowed the lawn and took out the trash. She was the only one that came home with toads and worms and snakes on more than one occasion. She was a rough kid, always coming home with sports' related injuries or hurt for doing some crazy dare or from getting into a fight. There was a lot to her. She had to grow up too fast, though," he sighed and shook his head.
"It sounds like she was raised just how she wanted to be, then," Quinn offered because he seemed a little distraught by it. She could honestly see Artie doing all of that and enjoying every second of it.
He smiled again and she could see some of Artie in there, but not much. Artie probably took after her father, physically speaking. Of course, she might not know that. Artie may have never met her father.
"I'm sure she'd have liked to have been raised longer, to have a childhood longer, which is what she does for her sisters. So, like I said, she's full of daddy experience."
Quinn laughed. "We're just friends, Andre. Artie hasn't asked me to bear her children."
He laughed, too. "Good, she needs to finish school first and so do you. We have to get her to being a mere PhD. She wanted to be an MD, you know?"
"I didn't. Why didn't she pursue that? She's definitely smart enough."
"Too long and too much chance of debt. She's helping support a family of seven. I'd have liked to help her with that, but paying the other girls' school tuition is murder enough. This is another reason why you shouldn't have six kids if you can help it, even though I love them all to death. What about you? What are your plans after graduation?"
"Journalism of some kind. Possibly a crime reporter or investigative journalist. I'm also hoping to write true crime novels."
He nodded in what seemed to be approval. She smiled because that was the first time someone outside of her school seemed to agree with her choice. She decided to press forward a bit and see if he remained positive in his thinking because it was good to have an outside opinion.
"You sound like you've thought a lot of this out. If you need any help getting into publishing, please don't hesitate to call me or my wife. We've published quite a bit in our lives and also my wife is a bit of a feminist, so she knows plenty of people wanting to help young women get involved in plenty of areas," he said.
"She's a feminist that gives her tomboy granddaughter teddy bears?" Quinn accidentally asked. She did not want to come across as judgmental, especially since she was enjoying his open and honest conversation. It was like talking to Artie, in older male form.
He chuckled. "I think she honestly freaked out when one day Artie tried to pee against a tree standing up. Now, I didn't show her that, of course, as I would never do something so improper, but I'm sure she'd seen plenty of her friends do it and she seemed to think that she could do it, too."
She burst out laughing. "Oh, my god! She really did that?"
He held his hand up. "I swear to you. We were walking her home from the park. She was only like five and she started complaining about needing to use the bathroom. We tried to tell her to wait. We'd be home in five minutes, but then she declares that she can do it outside and walks to the nearest tree. The next day, my wife was trying to put her in a pink dress and get her to admit that dolls were better than frogs."
"Didn't work?"
"No, in fact for quite a while she was very angry with her Nana. Tori backed off some, but not completely. But, they were able to call a truce and everything."
"That's good. I wish my grandparents lived closer to me. I'm sure I'd have a better relationship with them."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
She smiled. "Don't be. I get along great with all of them, but they live far away and I wish I saw them more often. I think I'd be a much happier person if I got to see them every vacation or something."
"I'm still sorry. Maybe one of your breaks, you could go see them and they could meet Art. Now, they may find her a little strange, but she'll grow on them."
She smiled more because she thought he was right. She would like a chance to test the theory out, but then word would get back to her parents. She doubted that would end well. Her parents would accuse her of bothering grandparents, begging them, and then it would be even worse when they heard about Artie. Oh, god, I don't even want to think of what would come out of their mouths then.
"Don't let your grandparents talk you into more than two kids, though," he added.
She laughed. "We're just friends and I'm nineteen. I'm not thinking about having kids yet." Not since I lost Thomas anyway.
"But, you will one day. It'll be fun to be a great grandparent and probably less expensive," he remarked.
Quinn gave up that point. First, the girls and now their grandfather. She wondered why they seemed to think there was more to her and Artie than what met the eye. They were friends and Artie brought her home, not really for the family to meet her, but for her to meet the family and experience new things. Mission accomplished and she loved it. She just wished that the family would stop trying to make it seem like they were more than what they were.
The week was over and Quinn actually was sad to return to school. She would have thought it impossible because school had been her haven for so long. Despite the fact that Artie's mother Anna never warmed up to her, Artie's sisters and grandparents seemed to love her and had all made her feel more than welcome for her entire stay. Artie and her grandmother even included Quinn in some of the lessons that they taught Diana over the week. They were all teary-eyed when Quinn left and hugged her tighter and longer than any of her own family members ever had, including her own beloved grandparents.
"Thank you so much for bringing me and sharing your family with me," Quinn said to Artie as they drove back to school.
"Any time. Summer will be even better since the girls are off. You want to come?"
She grinned wildly. "I'd love to come back for summer! Will that be all right?"
"I'm fairly certain that the pantheon will slay me should I fail to bring you back. You think you can handle the summer with us? I mean, the same small room and smaller bed with a three-year-old wedged between us."
"She'll be a four-year-old wedged between us."
Artie chuckled. "That she will be. She wants you there when she turns four and she promises to know a bunch of new things to show you when you come back."
"She also wants us to take her to the carnival again. If we do, you have to win me more prizes," Quinn smiled. In the backseat sat two large stuffed animals, an elephant and a dog, that were won at a carnival near Anna's job. Artie had taken them all there yesterday as a sort of farewell party for Quinn and reward to the girls for being so good for the week. She also got to see the resort that Vega's father owned and was more than impressed with how grand the whole place was.
"No problem. Anything for you, princess," Artie answered with a smile. "See, experiencing new things isn't so bad and doesn't need to involve having a boyfriend."
"You're right. This was the most fun I've had all year with no boyfriend necessary."
Artie only smiled more, appearing slightly smug. Quinn allowed her that because she did have a great time. There were some awkward moments, like not knowing the sisters timed each other in the shower and the fact that they had no sense of modesty whatsoever in the house. But, the fun outweighed all of that. The warm welcome and affection topped everything, though. I hope she's serious about going back in the summer.
Once they got back to school, Artie carried all of Quinn's things back to her dorm for her. Morgan was already there and Artie did not stick around, it being close to her bedtime and all. Quinn gave her a kiss on the cheek as farewell and as thanks, but it did not feel like enough.
"So, how was your break?" Morgan inquired with a smirk.
"Great," Quinn answered with a happy sigh as she dropped down on her bed. She spread her arms out on the bed and smiled at the ceiling.
"Tons of hot barely lesbian sex?"
Quinn scoffed. "Not hardly. Even if we wanted to fool around, there's no time or space for it."
Morgan's forehead wrinkled. "Then what did you do for the whole week?"
"Hung out with her family. We watched movies, went to softball and soccer practices, went to an indoor pool one day, had a couple of cookouts, and just had fun. It was all rather wholesome."
Morgan smiled and her eyes shined. "Sounds like you had a good time, which was what I wanted. You shouldn't spend your breaks on campus when there's fun to be had."
Quinn was only now beginning to believe that. "Yeah. So, how was your break?"
Morgan had gone home and enjoyed seeing her parents and younger brother. They spoke for a bit before they decided to call it a night. Quinn got ready for bed, but found when she laid down something was wrong. While she was rather tired, she could not go to sleep. The bed felt wrong. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep anyway, but just tossed and turned, finding no position comfortable. I just need to get used my bed again.
Tutoring sessions were back with classes back in session. Quinn arrived on time, like always, with her books and something a little extra. They made it through the session with Quinn being only slightly less confused about statistics than before and sprang a surprise thanks on Artie, pulling out two tickets from her bag.
"Hey, Artie, you like basketball, right?" They had watched a game back at Artie's home with the twins and Tia. Juno and Diana did not seem to like sports like the others, but they feigned some interest about as well as Quinn did. Quinn suspected that she and the younger pair pretended for the same reasons, too.
"You know I do," Artie answered with a grin.
"Want to go to a game with me?"
"It would be my pleasure. College game?"
"No, a pro game. It's a Friday night." Quinn hoped that would not be a problem. She picked that day because they would be done with their classes and the game would end late.
"Then I guess you're driving. This is awesome. You're awesome, Quinn. I'm glad we're friends."
Quinn chuckled. "Me, too." She felt a bit bad that what was supposed to be her thank you gift was also a bit self-serving. She doubted Artie would mind, but she would wait for Saturday to tell Artie the whole story.
Artie knew that Quinn was not as into sports as she was, but was happy that Quinn was going with her. She wished that Quinn had not gone out of her way to surprise her, but she could not do anything about that. She decided to just enjoy herself.
"I didn't realize the drive would be this long," Quinn said as Artie pulled into the arena parking lot.
"You may actually be driving back to make sure I don't fall asleep at the wheel," Artie joked.
Quinn chuckled. "I've got your back."
Artie smiled as they exited the car. They were late for the game, mostly because they had not anticipated how long the drive was. The arena was full and the people were shouting. Artie joined right in, rooting for the home team. She put an arm around Quinn as they tried to find their seats.
"Run the ball!" Artie shouted, mostly focused on the game as soon as they were at their seats.
Quinn cheered with her, which caused Artie to grin each time. Artie befriended the fans around them, screaming with them whenever the team did something great and jeering whenever something did not go their way. There were high-fives and even a chest bump with one young man that she nearly knocked over, but from the way he laughed, he seemed fine with it. She was charged, even when the game was over. Her team had won.
"That was freaking great! Thank you for that!" Artie proclaimed, picking Quinn up to hug her and practically carrying her to the car.
"I'm glad you liked it. Now, you have a vague idea how happy I am you took me to your house," Quinn laughed.
Artie could not think of what to say to that, even though she doubted the two compared. She hopped into the driver's seat, more than wired enough to make the drive back. She talked Quinn's ear off about the game, even though she was sure Quinn could careless. The pale woman was kind enough to indulge her, though.
"No one has ever done anything like this for me before. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough," Artie said to Quinn as she parked the car.
Quinn scoffed. "Please, this was a thank you for what you did. I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"I did. This was so great that nothing I say will actually let you know how great I think it was. Come on, let me walk you to your dorm."
"Actually, I want to go back to your dorm."
The response surprised Artie so much that she hit her head getting out of the car. "Whoa, that's not part of some thank you, is it?"
Quinn laughed and rubbed the area that Artie had bumped. "Of course not! We just haven't in a while and haven't at all since I've decided to seriously experience new things. I want to feel good, feel good without thinking about all of the crap from before and just feel."
A grin spread across Artie's face. "I can make that happen."
"I figured, which is why I want to go back to your dorm."
Artie smiled and took Quinn by the hand. They were in the room in no time and, as the door closed, Artie stepped away from Quinn. She just wanted to look at the pale woman for a moment. Quinn fidgeted.
"Don't be nervous. Tell me what you want like always," Artie said in a low tone.
"I want to savor this experience."
Artie was not sure what that meant, but she believed that she would figure it out as they went along. She was fairly sure that she would be able to read Quinn and tell if she was uncomfortable. She assumed Quinn thought the same because she did not elaborate. Maybe Quinn was curious what she might do.
"I want to savor you," Artie said as she stepped closer to Quinn and gently cupped her face.
She leaned down slowly, enjoying the sight of Quinn's eyes closing. She pressed her lips to Quinn's mouth, softly, as if they had all the time in the world. Quinn returned the kiss with the same delicate touch, wrapping her arms around Artie's neck.
It took Artie a long moment to realize that this was something different compared to all of their other times together. They were not kissing as a means to an end. They were enjoying the simple action and, considering how Quinn lingered against her lips, Artie was certain that Quinn delighted in the kiss as much as she did. The simple action was delicious.
Eventually, the kiss evolved with tongues touching, tasting, caressing. Quinn purred into her mouth and it tickled Artie's throat. Artie wanted to swallow all of those pleased sounds, almost certain that they could sustain her. So, her hands began to wander Quinn's body, wanting to draw out more of those little noises. She got her wish and then some, as Quinn pressed her body firmly against Artie.
"You're a good kisser," Quinn commented as they broke for air. An impish smile settled on her face and Artie almost melted at the sight.
"You, too," Artie replied, leaning down to sprinkle kisses along Quinn's jaw.
"This is nice," Quinn sighed contently.
"It is," Artie agreed before returning to Quinn's mouth and beginning a fresh kiss.
As their mouths moved sensually against each other, Artie decided that they were wearing too many clothes. She was not sure how she had the wits to manipulate the small buttons of Quinn's shirt. As she managed to get it open, she almost tore it as her hands went for the bountiful cleavage. Quinn moaned loudly into her mouth as Artie palmed both bra-clad breasts. The smaller woman wobbled slightly as Artie massaged her heaving chest.
"Bed?" Artie suggested in a breath.
"Yes, please," Quinn whispered.
Their lips did not want to separate as Artie turned Quinn toward the bed and Quinn managed to sit down. Artie leaned down with her, not wanting to break the kiss or release those soft, precious treasures in her hands. She was at an awkward angle and Quinn had to move her arms from around Artie, skimming her basketball jersey as she did. Suddenly, her hands bunched up in the jersey and she yanked hard, trying to get Artie out of the damned thing.
Artie helped with the jersey situation, pulling back enough for Quinn to remove it. Of course, that broke their kiss. When Artie was out of the shirt, Quinn reached for her jeans. She unbuttoned Artie's pants and Artie stepped out of those along with her underwear. She took off her sports bra and stepped back over to the bed. Quinn stared at her while moving further back onto the bed.
The affect the gaze had on Artie shocked her. She felt attractive, but not because of her muscles. There was something more to it and she could not figure out what it was. It gave her a warm, sweet feeling inside that she did not know what to do with, so she ignored it and got back to the task at hand.
Leaning down, Artie attached her mouth back to Quinn's while her hands worked to remove Quinn's bra. As soon as it was gone, Artie's hands were back with Quinn's bouncy breasts. Quinn moaned and slid down, now lying on the bed. Artie moved over her, placing her thigh in between Quinn's legs, giving just a little pressure. Quinn mewed, grinding against her body.
Artie hissed at the movement and broke their kiss to nibble in Quinn's earlobe, knowing it drove Quinn crazy. The smaller woman whined and arched at the action. Her hands scratched at Artie's powerful back.
"I'm going to kiss all of your freckles. Would that be all right?" Artie whispered into a flushed ear.
"Yes," Quinn whimpered.
Artie took a couple more nips at Quinn's ear before beginning her descent. Light kisses were rained down on pale cheeks and then she licked her way down Quinn's elegant neck. When she came to Quinn's chest, she pulled back to gaze upon it and smiled at the light sprinkle of freckles. She absently toyed with a dusty pink nipple as she took in the sight. Quinn squirmed under the scrutiny.
"You're beautiful. Every little part of you, especially these little freckles, is simply beautiful," Artie breathed.
"Artie " Quinn sighed.
The olive-tone woman wasted no time tasting each of those tiny, chestnut dots. Her lips and tongue lingered on each, giving them equal attention. As she got to the set peppered across Quinn's milky breast, she loitered in the area, now placing wet, open-mouth kisses along the swell. As she made her way to the center, she moaned loudly before taking the hardened nipple between her lips. Quinn cried out and clutched Artie's head to her, pulling at Artie's short hair.
Artie remained at Quinn's breasts for a while, switching between the pair. Slight marks were her reward as she was not sure if Quinn would be all right with full blown hickies. The way she was whining and purring, Artie doubted that it would have been a problem. But, she wanted to try something more daring.
She kissed her way down Quinn's body, kissing the ribs that showed and her flat belly. She dipped her tongue into Quinn's belly button and made it all the way to the waist band of Quinn's panties before the pale woman realized what was going on and tried to sit up. She did not make it far, but Artie stopped and pushed herself up slightly. There was fear in chocolate eyes.
"No?" Artie asked. Honestly, she did not think putting her tongue some place her fingers had already been was more or less gay, but it was not on her to decide.
"No, don't. Just just don't," Quinn pleaded. Her voice trembled and bothered Artie that it was not from pleasure.
"It's all right. What do you want? Tell me what you want me to do," Artie implored, placing short kisses on Quinn's belly.
"Your fingers and then " Quinn had to exhale.
Artie moved up Quinn's body, staring into those deep brown eyes. "Tell me."
"Just like this, but with "
Artie smiled and kissed Quinn's lips. "Your friend?"
Quinn only nodded and Artie had to kiss her again, leaving them both breathless. As she pulled back, she moved to pull Quinn's panties off. Quinn hissed as the air hit her hot, soaked flesh and she cried out as Artie stroked her with a single finger. She leaned down and licked at Quinn's nipple at the same pace that her finger glided through her desire. Little noises flowed from Quinn just like her essence.
Quinn's hips moved in time with Artie's finger. Her nails dug into Artie's shoulders as she tried to get more friction. She whined when Artie refused to give her more.
"Please, please, please," the smaller woman begged.
"What do you want?" Artie asked before tugging Quinn's nipple with her lips.
Quinn cried out and arched her back. "Inside!"
The demand earned a deep groan from Artie and giving into the plea drew another from her. The warm velvet that clung to her fingers - two of them - made Artie dizzy. She decided that it had definitely been too long since she had delighted in a woman.
Quinn's nails bit into Artie's back and did so even more as Artie curled her fingers. It felt so good, too good. Artie's mind hazed a bit, nerves enjoying the way that Quinn was clutching her, holding her for dear life. Her fingers pressed and moved deeper with more intent.
"Don't! Or I'll -!" Quinn tossed her back and whined.
Artie smiled, but she stopped. She slowly removed her fingers, easing away from Quinn. The pale woman whined and huffed as Artie stood up. She panted as she hungrily watched Artie "suit up." She sat up on her elbows as Artie returned, kneeling on the bed. Again, Artie kissed her, passionately, heatedly as she positioned herself between Quinn's legs. Artie pulled back and locked eyes with Quinn.
"You sure?"
"Yes! Please, I'm on fire!"
That was all Artie needed because she was burning, too. Quinn screamed as Artie sank into her and moved leisurely. Quinn clung to her and panted while Artie kissed and licked Quinn's neck. Artie had to fight to maintain control over herself as she felt Quinn's glorious body pressed up against her. The sensations made her head swim for a while and she thought that she would drown from it. Making it even harder to concentrate, she could have sworn that she felt Quinn's fingers ghosting across her breasts and abdomen before going back to desperately clutching her shoulders.
Soon, Artie's movement became more frantic as Quinn matched the speed with her own hips. Artie's hand wandered between Quinn's breast and clit. All too soon, Quinn was convulsing, head snapping back. Artie did not stop moving until Quinn released her and fell to the bed, completely worn out.
Artie did not say anything as she pulled out, gently, but still earning mews from Quinn. As she dumped the toy on the floor, she glanced at Quinn to see those chocolate eyes drifting shut. Artie look that moment to lick her fingers, curiosity needing to be sated.
"Oh, god," she moaned and shuddered. She was not sure if she would be able to stop herself if she had another chance to go down on Quinn. She shook it off as Quinn made a noise.
"Art, can I sleep here?" Quinn asked with a yawn.
"Of course, but I'm going to sleep, too," Artie replied as she lowered herself onto the bed.
"I know. Too much space in my bed now and no one to lean on," Quinn explained.
Artie chuckled as she pulled the covers over both of them. Quinn moved against her and sighed. Artie smiled as she understood just what Quinn meant.
"This bed seemed a bit big, too. Stay whenever you want," Artie said because her body finally realized what time it was. She was out within seconds, smiling in her sleep.
Quinn sighed as Artie wrapped her am around Quinn's bare middle. Quinn pushed herself against Artie and settled her head on the pillow while Artie rested her head on Quinn's shoulder. Their breathing was in sync and she knew that Artie was about to go to sleep. Artie never seemed to stay awake long after they lay down. She doubted it helped that she kept Artie up past her bedtime, but she could not fall asleep every night at midnight because she had gotten used to staying up so much later.
"Artie?" Quinn said, playing with Artie's fingers that had been inside of her not too long ago and were now pressed against her belly.
"Hmm?" Artie answered, already sounding groggy.
"I've been curious. Why did your mother name you Artemis? Seems like an odd name for a child." It had been on her mind for a while and she felt close enough to Artie now to make inquiries.
"Not really. When she got pregnant, my grandparents weren't very happy with her. They made a lot of threats. While my mom admitted she messed up - and she messed up big - she didn't want me to pay for her mistakes, so she thought my name would endear me to my grandfather. He's a classics professor and has always liked mythology."
"Do you think it worked?"
Artie shrugged. "Something changed how he felt because he went from wanting nothing to do with me to being my best friend. I can't think of a day where he wasn't there for me and he pretty much always accepted me, even when I was having trouble accepting myself. It could be because he's actually a big softie and everything he said was an empty threat or maybe when I was born he changed his mind. I don't know. I never bothered to ask him because it didn't seem important. I love him and he loves me. Growing up, he was always ready to do something with me."
"He told me that he worried that he messed you up."
Artie yawned. "He thinks it's his fault I thought I was a boy until I was twelve. I doubt it had anything to do with him or the way he treated me."
"Did you really?"
"Honest and truly. All my friends were boys, except for Vega, and she was just as rough as the rest of us, and I thought we were all same except I was taller than them, except for Vega anyway." She chuckled a bit at the memory. "Turned twelve and found out boys don't get their periods. Damn periods ruined my delusions."
Quinn turned around to face Artie, seeing a slightly amused smile on Artie's olive-toned face. "Why do you think you believed yourself to be a boy?"
"I'm not entirely sure why I thought it. I'm pretty sure that it was something that was always with me, but there are things where it manifested, I guess. I think it just started out with me liking boy things and then befriending boys. It was never really a thought until I was about eight or nine. I felt like I was very different from the twins, so I guess I just reasoned that it was because they were girls and I was a boy. Not good logic, but I was little. I always fought with my nana about it, too."
"Because she was pushing girly things on you?"
"Yeah, and I hated that stuff " Artie yawned again. Her eyes were barely halfway open.
Quinn smiled and gave her bedmate a small kiss. "Go to sleep, Artie." She did not have to tell Artie twice. For a long while, she enjoyed the simple feeling of Artie's gentle breathing against her and Artie holding her securely, as if she was precious, before she drifted off to sleep.
"So, how did you get your mom to name your baby sister after you?" Quinn asked curiously as Artie settled behind her on the bed. She liked being the "little spoon" with Artie, which was beyond strange because she never liked it before. Usually, she felt trapped and like a possessed object, but with Artie, she felt comfortable and something more that she could not pin down.
Artie pulled her close, pressing her front to Quinn's back. "I don't know. It was a surprise. She said it was just in honor of me, but to this day, I don't know what that means. It was probably a weird thanks to me for getting the Piglet's jackass father out of the house."
Quinn's brow furrowed. "What was wrong with her father?"
"He got too comfortable," Artie answered in a hard tone that made Quinn turn around. She could see Artie's scowl through the darkness.
Quinn ran her fingers through Artie's hair, hoping to relax her expression. "What do you mean?"
"He hit my mom, scared the girls, and I beat his ass."
Quinn gasped and her fingers stilled. "He hit your mom?"
"He wasn't the first. I told you, my mom has bad taste in men, always has. Some are worse than others. I assume her meeting Tia's dad and Juno's dad were accidents. She couldn't hold onto them for long. I don't know what the hell is wrong with her as far as relationships go, especially with having kids by all these assholes. I had to convince her to get her tubes tied after the Piglet or I guarantee you there'd be seven of us now. Despite all of my psych training, I can't figure my mom out. She's not a bad person, but she attracts bad people and she gets involved with them. It doesn't make any sense to me."
"You convinced her to get her tubes tied? A seventeen year old?" Disbelief oozed from her voice. "I couldn't even convince my parents to increase my allowance at seventeen or to stop pretending I had a curfew. Of course, they Anyway, how did you do that?"
Artie gave her a considerate, somewhat puzzled stare for a moment. "You know me and my mom have a weird relationship. To the point where, I never had a curfew and I doubt it would have ever occurred to my mother to give me one because I knew and wanted to be home with the girls."
"Always?"
"It just felt right."
"Do you think that's how you convinced your mother to get her tubes tied? Like she knew how your felt?"
"I don't know. I've never asked her why she listened. I just know how I felt and I let her know that. I was sick of her doing this, so we had this huge screaming match. It was a million times worse than what you heard at the house and I threatened to leave. She cried, I mean seriously bawled and pled and cursed my name, but in the end, she did the right thing. We might as well live in a shoe with her although that house is about the size of one." Artie snickered and it turned into a yawn.
Artie was out before Quinn could ask another question. That was fine because her head was swimming from all of that information. She wondered if she was learning too much about her friend. Can't be because I still want to know more.
"Did any of your mom's boyfriends ever hit you?" Quinn asked, lightly scratching Artie's scalp. She knew that it would help put Artie to sleep, but she liked the feel of Artie's hair.
"Once."
Quinn whimpered. "And then what happened?"
"He never hit me again."
"What happened?"
"I was a kid, so I didn't have the muscles yet, but I was tall and played sports. I had a little power to me that I'm sure that cocksucker wasn't expecting. Added to that I hit him in the face with a fucking bat that was nearby and broke his fucking cheek, he never touched me again." Artie snickered.
"Oh, my god. What happened after you hit him?"
"I knocked him the fuck out. He went to the hospital. My mom broke up with him, but he tried to come around the house again. I met him at the door with the bat. He didn't come around again. From that moment on, I got into boxing and weight training, for instances when I didn't have the bat."
"Were you scared?"
"Not really. I was scared that he might hurt my mom or the girls, but not me. A couple of her boyfriends have tried to terrorize me, but I was never really scared of them doing something to me. For me, it's always what these assholes might do to my family. I won't let them treat the people I love any way that they feel."
Quinn was not sure what to do with that information. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"Don't be. You didn't put me in that situation. You've never had to deal with that, though, right?" Artie seemed like she knew, but wanted to be sure.
"Never!" Quinn practically squeaked. "I can't even imagine that."
"Good that you can't. You shouldn't have that kind of stress on you." There was a yawn and brandywine eyes drifted shut.
"What do you mean?"
"It's just stressful. It takes away the safety that you feel at home. Sometimes, it just makes home feel not like home. You start wanting to be somewhere else. I don't want you to have to go through that."
Quinn nodded and now she yawned. She was starting to get on Artie's schedule now, not able to stay awake as late. Of course, she did not get up early either.
"Sometimes, I feel invisible at home and home doesn't feel like home " Quinn said, but Artie was already asleep. She got the impression that Artie still heard her, though, which was not something that she was used to.
"Why don't you go home on breaks?" Artie inquired as she played the big spoon as usual.
Quinn had a feeling her q & a sessions right before Artie was about to fall asleep would come back to bite her in the ass. Unfortunately, she had not been able to help herself. She had learned quite a bit from the brief five to ten minutes that Artie managed to stay awake. She was not sure she was ready to open up, though.
"It's complicated," Quinn sighed.
Artie gave a tug around her waist. "Hey, I told you about thinking I was a boy and all of the growing I had to go through to be comfortable in my own body afterwards. Talk to me. I want to know about you, just like you want to know about me."
Quinn sighed again. "I just don't feel wanted at home. I've never felt like I live there or that I'm a part of that family. I was an accident baby and I feel that way every time I'm there. I don't like that feeling. It's like being a stranger amongst your own family, like a guest in the house. Home was never home for me and my family well, it doesn't feel like family. They're like some people I know, who really don't want me around. I'm not really sure how to explain it."
"Sounds lonely."
"It was. Is, if I'm there. My siblings, an older brother and sister are only six and four years older than I am, but they were always in to their own things. They never paid me any attention, unless I got into their stuff, which I learned early on never to do. It was like being invisible unless something went wrong and then they did their best to make me feel like I had ruined the entire world by merely existing. The first person to pay attention to me for more than two minutes was actually Thomas. It was weird and even his interest waned."
"Really? Even your parents?"
"My parents have called me twice since I left for school and one of those times was to ask why my cell phone bill was so high. When I lived at home, sometimes they would go days without saying anything to me. Meals would just be left on the stove, money on the counter, but no interactions. Sometimes there would be notes, but there was very little communication and it always seemed so impersonal. Most of the time when they did say something, it was negative and judgmental. I mean, they took care of me and all. It's not like I was starved or beaten or anything. But, I just I don't know."
"It's all right," Artie cooed, holding Quinn closer to her chest. She tenderly stroked Quinn's abdomen. "Taking care and showing care aren't always the same thing."
"I guess." It really did not make her feel better about her family situation.
Artie kissed her, which made her smile slightly. "It's their loss, you know?"
"Is it?"
"It is. When I tell you how amazing you are, I mean it and they're blind if they can't see it," the older woman stated.
"You're the amazing one. I can't tell you how much it means to me just to know you're here for me."
"I'll always be here," Artie promised.
Quinn was silent for a moment. She did not know how to respond to that, in any shape or form. Her body felt at ease and it was like something deep inside of her illuminated to the point that she felt light. She was not sure what it was or why it happened, especially not when they were talking about her family. If anything, she should feel lower than low, as she typically did when her family came up. Unfortunately, she could feel the usual irritation the subject caused bubbling just below that light sensation. Hopefully, it'll go away soon.
Artie did not ask any more questions, which Quinn was thankful for. She tried to put her family out of her mind. She did not like being bothered by it, especially since she knew that some people had it so much worse. Hell, she thought Artie had it worse, but somehow she was sure that Artie would try to validate her feelings and she really did not want that right now.
She tucked her head under Artie's chin and closed her eyes with the hope that sleep would take away thoughts of her family. She was surprised to feel Artie squeeze her tightly before rubbing her back. There was a soothing kiss to her forehead.
"You're not invisible. They're missing out. The pantheon would tell them," Artie commented and that got a laugh out of Quinn because it was true.
Quinn kissed Artie. "Can't argue with a group of goddesses."
"No, you can't not without a smiting anyway." Another laugh and Artie yawned. They both fell asleep.
Quinn almost walked right into Morgan, who seemed to be leaving as Quinn returned to their dorm room. They both yelped and jumped back. Morgan then squealed and grabbed her into a tight hug.
"It's been too long, my friend," Morgan grinned.
"It's been a week and a half," Quinn chuckled.
"I know, but I miss you. I don't like staying in the room by myself. Are you coming back? Are you staying here or are you moving in with Artie?" Morgan asked in a rush, bouncing on her heels. She held onto Quinn's biceps, as if afraid that if she let go then Quinn would vanish.
"Moving in?" Quinn scrunched up her face. "What the hell?"
"Yeah, moving in. You've stayed with her for the past week. What the hell, indeed!" Morgan threw her hands up.
Quinn shrugged because she could not explain it. "I just got used to sharing a bed that week at her house."
"You slept in the same bed at her house? You naughty so-and-so!" Morgan grinned and playfully slapped at Quinn's shoulder.
Shaking her head, Quinn chuckled. "It wasn't like that. Her three-year-old sister also slept in the same bed. It was all surprisingly above board, so get your mind out of the gutter."
"My mind likes the gutter, thank you very much. Sounds like things are going well. So, how is it living with her?"
"I'm not living with her."
Morgan scoffed. "Then what do you call it? Next you'll be telling me that you're just friends."
"We are!"
"What? You're living with her and you two are totally in a relationship!" Morgan declared in disbelief.
"What? You're nuts. Artie doesn't do relationships and I'm straight. Not to mention, I've taken a break from relationships. I'm just about experiencing new things."
Morgan's face scrunched up. "Is this some more Thomas bullshit?"
"No, it has nothing to do with Thomas. Okay, maybe it has a little to do with him. I saw him at a party a few weeks back and he was with someone new. Long story short, Artie suggested that I just let go because he obviously had. Stop looking for a boyfriend or a relationship and just experience things. Live life and all that stuff."
Morgan nodded. "That is good advice. You've been following it?"
"Yes, which is why I went with Artie over Spring Break to her house. I didn't need to waste time looking for a new boyfriend. It's nice not to feel that pressure. I just I don't know. I can just be."
"That's good. So, when can you 'just be' in the dorm again?"
Quinn chuckled. "I'm sure soon. She's probably just indulging me. I'm sure something will come up that'll put me back in my own bed."
"Are you sure she doesn't think you're her girlfriend?"
"Positive. She doesn't date or get involved in relationships. I'm not doing relationships for a while either. We're friends."
"Who have sex," Morgan added.
"Yes, we do. It feels good."
For some reason, that response got a smile out of her best friend. "Better than getting drunk or doing drugs. Just make sure you practice safe sex. You don't want an accident to happen."
Quinn grimaced at the word as her mind went to exactly what she thought she was. "Contrary to popular belief, Artie is not a guy, so I don't have to worry about that. Although, she does do exciting things with her well, you know what I mean." She could feel the red, hot blush burning her cheeks.
Morgan snickered. "I don't, but I do. But, beyond that, you should practice safe sex when you go down on her. Artie's been around the block a few times."
Quinn made a face. "I don't do that and she doesn't do that."
"Oh." Morgan froze briefly before blinking herself out of her stupor. "Um okay. I don't even know how to process that. You just ruined my overactive imagination. What kind of hot lesbian sex are you two having?"
Quinn laughed and gave her best friend a teasing smile. "I'll leave that up to your imagination."
Morgan laughed. "You're so bad now. What happened to my best friend that used to tell me everything? Even the stuff I didn't want to know which wasn't much as I do like to know everything."
"It's still me, but I won't bore you with my dull stories of what we do in bed."
"I somehow doubt I'll be bored. Dull stories were the ones you told me about the few guys you were with after Thomas. Those guys had no imagination. What are you doing back where you belong, anyway?"
"I'm here a lot, but you're not usually in here. After all, all my stuff is still here." Quinn motioned to her side of the room, which was still filled with her things.
"Oh, so you're ducking me?" Morgan joked.
"No, never. But, our schedules never did mesh much time where we were seeing each other during the day. As for why I am here, I'm getting my laptop and a couple of other things. I've got a quick paper to write and then I'm going to let Artie use it. You should see her computer. I swear, it's at least thirty years old, if it's a day."
Morgan chuckled. "So, she probably got her muscles from lifting it."
"Probably. The damn thing crashed on her twice since I woke up."
"Whoa. That is a horrible computer."
Quinn nodded. "I tried to tell her to get a new laptop for three hundred dollars, but she doesn't want to spend the money. Worse than that is that she probably wouldn't be able to figure out how to use a new computer. I think I might buy one for her, anyway. A little cheap laptop would be better than what she has now. My grandparents sent me some money. No one buys anything for Artie and she could use a token of appreciation."
"I thought all of the hot sex was a token of appreciation."
Quinn chuckled lightly. "No, that's definitely a mutual perk of our friendship."
Morgan nodded and then glanced at the clock. "Shit, I'm going to be late for my study group. Look, just tell me I don't have to start looking for a new roommate."
"No, you don't. I'll have to learn to sleep alone again soon. After all, we only have a few more weeks of school left. She'll go home and I'll be here."
"Or she'll take you with her again." Despite the sorrow in her voice, her smile was bright and genuine.
Quinn's heart fluttered at the thought, but she shook her head. "I doubt it. She mentioned it, but I think she was just being nice. I don't think her family would tolerate a visitor the three months, especially her mother. Besides, I am going to take some summer session classes."
Morgan gave her a half-smirk. "Sure you are. Keep on this pace and you'll be out of here next year. Is that what you're aiming for?"
"If I can, then that would be great. Get a job and not have to rely on anybody anymore. Probably move far away."
Morgan nodded. "Good luck then. Please don't move too far because I like having you around. Before I go since I don't know when we'll run into each other again, tell me one thing."
"Anything," she answered easily.
"You look good. Are you happy with the way things are now?"
For a moment, Quinn was not sure what to say. She had never thought of herself as unhappy. But, she felt better than she could remember in a long time. It was like being able to stop and relish in life rather than rushing through it.
Quinn smiled. "This is somewhat cliché, but it's like I've finally stopped to smell the roses instead of just looking as I walked by and the roses smell so lovely."
"I'm glad for you. Now, I really have to go."
The pair exchanged hugs and kisses on the cheek. Morgan ran out while Quinn retrieved her laptop. Before returning to Artie's room, she picked up some lunch, suspecting that Artie had not moved from in front of the computer all day. She was surprised to find the dorm room door wide open and no music blaring.
"Artie, you know the door's open," Quinn said as she stepped inside. The computer desk faced the sidewall, so she assumed that Artie might be unaware of the door.
"I know. Jean and I are yelling facts to each other to help with our papers. I wanted to play some music, but that's your iPod. Your metal playlist needs to grow, but I was grooving to your top 25 for a while. Have you seen my iPod?" Artie asked, still glued to her computer.
Quinn smiled and picked up two books that were on the desk, revealing the iPod. She showed it to Artie before putting it on the dock. Artie smiled and turned her attention back to the computer.
"I bought lunch for you. A chicken sandwich. You want it now?" Quinn asked while pulling it out of the white paper bag.
"Thank you," Artie grinned. "I'm starving."
"I figured, which is why I picked up two."
"You know me so well."
Quinn only smiled. She kissed Artie's cheek and left her with her sandwiches. As soon as she finished her paper, she would let Artie use her laptop while she went to go get them some dinner.
Quinn stopped walking toward her class as she heard her cell phone ringing. She pulled the phone out of a side pocket of her messenger bag. The number on her screen was not familiar, but she answered anyway.
"Hello?"
"Um hi, Quinn?" A familiar voice asked.
"Yes, this is Quinn."
There was a sigh of relief. "Good. It's Venus, Artie's sister."
Quinn chuckled slightly. "I know who you are, Venus. What's up?" She had spoken to the pantheon a few times since she had taken to sharing Artie's bed. Usually, they just called to tell Artie goodnight, which she thought was adorable. She almost cried one night when Artie told Diana and Juno a bedtime story over the phone. She had never seen something so sweet in all of her life, let along experienced it. When she voiced that thought, Artie then topped her adorableness by seriously reading Quinn a short bedtime story.
"Well, I "
"Is everything all right? Are the rest of the girls fine?" Quinn inquired with a tremble in her voice.
Venus let loose a tense, uncomfortable laugh. "Everything is fine! Sorry if I spooked you. I just well, I need some advice and I think you might be the only person I can ask. Art'll just freak out and Dite is going through her own thing."
"Okay, what about your mom?" Quinn asked because she did not want to cause any problems. Anna already disliked her, after all. She also did not want to interfere with Artie's parenting, for lack of a better word. As much as they liked her, they were not her sisters to advise.
"I " Venus muttered things that did not sound like words. "I just can't trust my mother on this. I can't."
Quinn frowned. She really did not want to chime in now. It sounded like she could get mixed into something that would leave Anna hating her even more. She also did not want to risk upsetting Artie, either.
"Are you sure that you can't just talk to Artie?" she asked.
"No!" Venus practically screamed. "It's well, it's about boys." She whispered it, as if it was their secret and all Hell would break loose if it got out. Quinn imagined Artie would freak out if Venus brought this to her and the yelling would be epic.
"Boys?" Quinn accidentally squeaked. She cleared her throat with the hope of regaining her composure.
"Yes, boys. Artie would have a cow and then force me to become a nun after strangling any boy interested in me with her bare hands and dumping his body in a lake somewhere! We'd never even get to talk about what I need to talk about!"
Quinn nodded because all of that sounded fairly accurate. "She probably would do that and more. I'm not really comfortable with giving you advice without Artie around."
"Please! I don't want to have to ask Nana! She's weird."
"Your grandmother is not weird." Quinn had spent much of the week with both of their grandparents and thought they were wonderful people. Yes, their grandmother was a little intense, but she would not say weird. Their grandmother simply believed that education came before everything and all of her granddaughters would be professionals and PhDs come Hell or high water.
"Nana is very weird. I don't know how she managed to get married. Please, help me. I was asked to prom."
"Prom? Aren't you in the seventh grade?" As far as she knew, they had only just turned thirteen recently, so they should still be in the seventh grade.
"Yes, but Mark is in eighth and he's cute and I think I like him!" the teen blurted out.
Quinn had to find the nearest bench and figured she was going to be late to her four o'clock class. She really wished that Artie was there. Artie would know the right thing to say. She would know the right way to handle the girl.
"You still there?" Venus asked in a low voice that cracked.
"I am. I don't understand what you want from me."
"I don't know what to do. Should I accept? I don't have anything to wear to the prom and I don't know how to put on makeup or anything! I don't want to ask my mom because she sucks at this stuff. Do you know she's already had four new boyfriends this year? They're all jerks, too. One tried to scare Juno to the point that she almost called Artie, but Dite and I took care of it. If Artie was there, she'd have punched him in the face."
Quinn grimaced. Anna topped her in the "horrible relationship" category. She wondered how often Artie had to punch a man in the face. She was now more understanding as to why Venus called her, but she was not really an expert considering her love life.
"Venus, I'm not an expert on guys, you know," she tried to point out.
"I didn't think you were. I just figured I could talk to you about him and maybe you'd be able to help because you're smart," Venus reasoned.
Quinn could not help chuckling at that logic and she was flattered. She sighed and figured that she might be able to at least offer decent advice. Being on the outside looking in might offer her better perspective than she ever had in regards to her own dating life.
"Well, what is this boy like?" Quinn asked.
"He's tall and has nice eyes. He tutors little kids after school with me and Dite. He's really nice. Sometimes he brings the kids candy. He's super smart. He has a perfect GPA. Oh, and he plays baseball! He's okay, but he could be better. I told him he throws too hard and he didn't get mad at me for saying it, just that he would work on it."
The pale woman laughed. "He sounds like a dream and like you two have a lot in common." It made her think of her and Thomas. They had a lot in common, including music, movies, and books.
"We do!"
"Sounds like you want to say yes to prom then."
"But Artie might not let me go. She'll be home by then. Do you think you could talk her into saying yes? Then you could help me find a dress because Artie sucks at shopping and Mom sleeps through the day and she works so hard, so I don't want to wake her up just for this. Plus, you could teach me to put on makeup."
Quinn laughed at that. She had learned the perils of makeup on her own and it had taken her a long while to understand that less was more. She would not mind sparing Venus that heartache if possible. But, she doubted that she would be around anytime soon.
"Venus " Quinn considered how she could tread lightly because the girl was so excited.
"We'll have to talk Artie into giving me money for a dress if it's too expensive. I don't make a lot tutoring after school," Venus continued on, almost giddy.
"Venus " Quinn tried again.
"And shoes! I'll need shoes! You'll help, right? Again, Artie sucks at shopping and don't even get me started about Nana's taste in shoes."
"Venus, I'd love to help, but I don't know if I'll be there once school is over. I might take summer classes." She had always planned to take summer classes and only wavered for a while after her visit with Artie's family. She did not want to impose on them, even if Artie insisted it would be all right. Besides, she thought that Artie might just be being polite and nice, which she did not want to wear out.
"Wait." Quinn could hear all the excitement was dead from that one word. "You're not coming back? Is it because there are so many of us and we bug you? I'm sorry if we do."
"No! It's not that! You guys are all great! You made me feel so welcomed there and I'm honored anytime you want to talk to me after you call Artie!" she insisted.
"Then why aren't you coming back? Did Art do something? Look, sometimes, she loses her temper and says dumb stuff! You saw how she argued with my mother! She didn't mean whatever she did!"
"Venus, sweetie, calm down. Artie has been nothing but good to me." Indulgent even.
"Then why aren't you coming back? Did you break up with Artie?"
"What? No! We're just friends! A girl can be friends with a lesbian and they not be girlfriends!" Quinn hissed.
"Yeah, I guess." Of course, Venus did not sound very convinced. "It would make sense since Artie never brought a girlfriend home before. But " She trailed off and seemed to pick up on the original topic. "So, why aren't you coming back? We'll let you use the TV more and not time you in the bathroom if that's the problem."
Quinn chuckled. "That's not the problem. I enjoyed my time there. I just planned to take classes in the summer."
Venus was silent for a moment. "All right."
"All right?"
"Yeah, all right, but if you do come, will you help me with this prom stuff?"
Quinn doubted she would come, but it sounded like fun. "Sure."
Artie was in her dorm, finishing up some work when the phone rang. She reached instinctively because it was the "home" ring tone. She barely got out a "hi" before Aphrodite echoed it right back.
"Are you all right?" Artie asked, knowing from the simple mumble which twin she was speaking with. Aphrodite was the anxious twin, sort of the pessimist of the pair.
"Um I need to talk to you about something, but I need you to promise you won't get mad first." No good conversation had over started with that sentence. In fact, the last time she heard it, she had to pay for a neighbor's broken window a year ago.
"Is this gonna cost money?"
"None at all," Aphrodite promised.
"I reserve the right to be upset, but what's going on?"
"Uh prom is coming up for the eighth graders "
"You're not in eighth grade yet." Thank god!
"Yeah, but some of them asked seventh graders to go."
Artie's jaw tensed. "Someone asked you?"
"Yeah."
"Name," Artie demanded. She would break the kid in half! And then break those halves in half to make sure he got the point.
"I didn't say yes!"
"I don't -" Artie stopped and blinked. "Wait, what? Why not?"
"I don't like him. I don't " The teen huffed.
"What, Dite? Tell me," Artie implored in a gentle tone.
"I don't I don't think I like boys. Everybody's all excited by this stupid prom and stupid boys. Our friends think I'm crazy for saying no. But, he doesn't do a thing for me. But Artie I " Aphrodite's voice cracked and she sniffled. "I don't wanna be gay," she whispered and choked back a sob.
"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down. Not liking a boy doesn't mean you're gay. It's all right. You're only thirteen."
"But everybody else "
"You don't judge yourself by everybody else. You judge yourself by what you do. Maybe you're not ready for boys yet. Maybe you're a late bloomer and there's nothing wrong with that."
"Or maybe I'm gay."
Artie sighed. "That, too, is a possibility. But, it's too early to jump to conclusions."
"I can't be gay, Art. I just can't!" Aphrodite sobbed.
"Dite, what's wrong? We wouldn't love you any less. I mean, you don't love me any less, right?"
"No, but Mommy!" She yelped and snapped her mouth closed so hard that Artie heard her teeth click.
"What? Dite, Mom loves you, no matter what. Mom loves the whole pantheon. It's why we're here."
"But, Mommy says horrible things to you "
Artie sighed and scratched her head. She really did not want to get into her extremely and probably screwed up relationship with their mother. But, Aphrodite needed to understand that what happened between her and their mother was not normal in any sense of the word.
"Dite, Mom doesn't say those horrible things because I'm gay," Artie said.
"But, she's always calling you a dyke or other bad names when you two fight."
"Yeah, but she resorts to name calling when she's mad at me because she wants to upset me in return. She wouldn't do that to you. You need to understand my relationship with Mom is a dual relationship, like mine with you. Like sometimes I'm your big sister."
"Oh, and sometimes you're like my dad." Her limited understanding of a dad, anyway. She supposed that her identifying as male for so many years had colored her sisters perception of her as well.
"Yes, exactly. Now, you don't have that with anyone else in our family. And, you know at moments you get very pissed at me."
"Usually dad moments."
"Yes, usually dad moments. You yell a lot of things you don't mean in those moments. Mom is the same way. Some days I'm her daughter and some days I'm something else. When I'm something else, that's when she yells those hurtful things at me. Never when I'm her daughter and since you're always her daughter " Artie knew her sister would fill in the blanks.
"She'd never yell at me like that. But, what if she did?"
"She wouldn't. Mom is Dite, you know how Mom is! She cried the last time she yelled you two and you were the ones that didn't do your chores. I'm different. I'm just different."
"I don't wanna be different," Aphrodite whimpered.
"You might not be. Calm down, please. Again, you're not different, even if you are gay. There's nothing wrong with being gay. Do you want me to come home? We could talk face to face." Technically, she did not have time, but she always made time for the girls.
"Um "
"I'll be there tonight."
"No! No. You don't need to. I don't want to be coddled, Art. I'm not a baby!"
"I know you're not. But, you don't have to go through this alone. You're confused, but you have people that want to be there for you and that want to be with you. You have people."
"I know," Aphrodite whispered. "That's why I'm strong enough to try on my own first. Let me try first and if I need you, I'll call you."
"Anytime day or night."
"I know. Thanks for everything, Art."
The phone call was ended and Artie sighed. "Prom? Boys? Gay? Why don't they just stay three forever!" She held her head in her hands.
"Artie, I have dinner," Quinn said as she entered the dorm room with a plastic bag in hand.
"I'm not hungry," Artie grumbled from the bed, hugged up with one of her teddy bears, which had lost their places on her bed some time ago.
Quinn blinked, not sure if she was seeing things correctly. "Artie, sweetheart, what's wrong?" she asked, falling to the taller woman's side. She wrapped Artie in a tight hug.
"One day, my Piglet is going to be a teenager and she'll go off to prom " Artie whimpered.
"Is this about Venus? Did she change her mind about calling you?"
Artie blinked and looked at her. "Wait, what? Dite called me. What the hell happened to Venus?"
"She called me, but I'm not comfortable with telling you why. She trusts me."
"She can trust me!"
"She knows that. She just oh, don't do this! She trusted me with this because she didn't want to upset you. You are clearly upset, so what happened?"
"Prom happened! Aphrodite got asked to the prom and she doesn't like the boy and she's scared she doesn't like boys. And now I find out Venus is calling you." Artie sighed and shook her head.
"It's all right. It's all right. Little girls grow up."
"But " Artie sighed again. "I'm not ready for this! I mean, boys? Hell, maybe girls! What am I supposed to do? Hell, what are they supposed to do? The pantheon hasn't seen a healthy relationship in their lives beyond our grandparents."
"Don't worry. They will learn through these early relationships. They're already good kids and they're smart."
Artie scoffed. "My mom was a good kid and smart. You should see all of her awards at my grandparents' house and you should hear her boss rave about what she does for the resort. And my grandparents are good people, but somehow my mother couldn't pick a good mate if one fell in her lap directly from heaven."
Quinn caressed Artie's scalp. "Yeah, but the girls have seen a lot of relationships that they don't like and know what they don't want."
"Dite doesn't want to be gay," Artie blurted out.
"Why? How did that even come up?" Quinn inquired, trying to keep up with everything.
"She was asked to the prom and told a guy no because she wasn't attracted to him. She's scared that she's not attracted to guys and she thinks Mom will say mean things to her, which isn't true. Mom has nothing against gay people. She just lashes out at me when she's angry. She's not like that with the other girls."
Quinn nodded, sensing there was a story there that Artie was not ready to tell. "I'm sorry you have to go through that and I hope Dite won't have to go through that."
"She won't. She's got us. Are you all right with Venus calling you?"
"I was a bit nervous and uncomfortable at first, but I'm kinda happy to know she trusts me. I've never experienced anything like that before and it was nice to know someone thought enough of me to ask my advice. Do you mind that she called me?"
"I mind that you have a secret," Artie answered honestly.
Quinn chuckled. "It was just girl talk, nothing serious. You'll find out more soon. I promise."
"Why is it that every woman I've spoken to today uses these damned ominous phrases?" Artie playfully groaned.
Quinn smiled and gave Artie a light kiss. "Keeps us interesting. Did you finish your work?"
"Yeah, thanks to your laptop. It's not as temperamental as my computer, so I didn't need to restart it once. How was class?"
"Long and boring. Can you change that?" Quinn purred. She was sure some adult recreation would do the trick.
Artie smirked. "Well, I don't know about the long part, but I can definitely take care of that boring part." She engulfed Quinn in an embrace, earning laughter that quickly turned into moans.
Artie stretched and yawned as she entered her dorm room, returning from a morning workout and class. She expected to find Quinn still in bed, but what she came into was Quinn pacing while on her cell phone. She was tempted to back out and give Quinn some privacy, just in case she wanted it. But, when she saw the stricken look in Quinn's chocolate eyes, she knew that backing out was the last thing that she should do. So, she stood there and waited.
"Mom, that's cutting things close. I mean, I have finals and things," Quinn muttered. "Well, finals end next week. I dunno " Quinn sighed and she hung her head as shouting came through the phone. Quinn winced. "Mom, I don't see why I need to be there." There was more shouting. "Really? I don't understand why they would say that. Okay. Okay."
Quinn rubbed her forehead as she tossed her phone down. She sniffled and rubbed her face. Artie took a breath before wrapping her arms around Quinn. The smaller woman turned and buried her face in Artie's chest.
"Do I need to punch someone, princess?" Artie asked as a joke.
Quinn laughed. "You can't punch my mother as much as I wish you could. She's still my mother."
"Okay, fine. Not sure what else I can do if I can't punch someone for you."
"You're doing it right now and you do it often," Quinn answered in a low tone while holding onto Artie as if she were a giant teddy bear.
Artie smiled and kissed the top of Quinn's head. "And what can I do after this?"
"Well, since I'm sure making my family leave me alone won't happen, will you come with me home? I can't I don't want to be invisible. You won't let me be invisible."
"Never. You're never invisible to me. I'll go, but what are we walking into? Why are you so flustered, anyway? Are they really that bad?" Never mind the fact that she had never seen Quinn on the phone with her parents for the entire time that she had known her.
Quinn sighed. "Can we sit down?"
Artie nodded and lowered them both to the bed. Quinn curled up into her lap. She rubbed Quinn's back and waited patiently.
"My dad is having his business associates over the house for some kind of garden party. The whole family is expected to be there. The last time this happened at someone else's house was during Spring Break and apparently one of the people asked about my father having three children."
"And?"
"They wanted to know why I wasn't there and just asked a lot of questions that my parents couldn't answer. My mother doesn't want to be embarrassed like that again. So, she and my dad ordered me to come this time, especially since it's at our house this time."
"So, you just need to show up for this garden party?" Artie asked to be sure.
"Yes, and stay there the whole time. I'm expected to mingle, which I don't really have a problem with. My father's coworkers and their offspring aren't so bad. But, it always depends on who shows up. Really, the problem for me is being with my family."
Artie could barely compute something like that, but she knew that families came in all shapes and sized. "Do they really ignore you like that?"
"They ignore me or belittle me. That's really it. I don't want to have to put up with that, even if it's just for a couple of days. I should be able to endure with you being with me. Please, come with me."
"Are you sure you want me to go? I mean, is your family going to be all right with me showing up?" She imagined if Quinn's family found fault with Quinn and criticized her, they would probably flip out when they saw Artie. Of course, it would not bother her, but she worried that it would trouble Quinn.
Quinn scoffed. "Doesn't matter. I want you there and if they want me there, then they'll have to accept you. So, will you come?"
"Yes. When is it?"
"The Saturday right after school ends. I'll drive you home right after that. I promise. I have to come back this way, anyway."
"Come back this way? You're not coming back here for summer break."
"Yes, I am. I have a class in June."
Artie's reddish brown eyes went wide. "What? No, why didn't you say anything when we were registering for class? I already had it all planned out that you were coming with me this summer. You're coming home with me until June then."
Quinn arched an eyebrow. "What? And when were you going to ask me that?"
"I thought it was a given since you talk to the pantheon so much now and they keep talking about what we're all going to do when we go home. So, you're with us until June. It's not like you had anything else planned," Artie teased.
Quinn laughed. "That's beside the point. You still haven't asked me."
Artie sighed as if it greatly pained her. "Will you come home with me for the summer?"
There was a cute, shy smile and Artie realized that she was an idiot. She was supposed to ask weeks ago because Quinn was not the type to assume. Quinn would not make a fool of herself, fearing that she might be wrong. It's that damned self-esteem. I haven't helped move it as much as I had hoped. Maybe over the summer
"Can you cancel your class? The girls would love to have you over this summer and I'd like to show you around my hometown. I think you'd enjoy it," Artie said.
"I think I'll keep the class, but it's only for June. I don't want to impose on you and your family for the whole summer. What if you get sick of me?"
Artie chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "We've sort of all learned how to deal with getting fed up with people. We live in a house with seven people in it and you learn to deal with people and yourself in that situation. We won't get sick of you. We like you way too much for that. Maybe the class will be good for you. It'll give you a break from us and give you time to figure out if you want to come back."
"I " Quinn tried to object, but it was not necessary.
"You might need the time. Seven people in a three bedroom house is a lot to deal with. We have to deal with it. You don't and it takes a lot of time to get used to it. So, come until June and then take your class. If you want to come back you, you can. Hell, if you want to commute from my house, you can."
A blush settled on Quinn's creamy cheeks. "Thank you," she whispered. Artie just kissed her again.
Quinn went to pack up her room and was happy that Morgan was there. Morgan was also packing up. They hugged as soon as Quinn stepped through the door.
"Tell me you're going home with Artie for the summer," Morgan begged with a smile.
"Well, until the beginning of June. I registered for a summer session class," Quinn replied.
"Only the first session, right?"
"Yes, just the first session. She invited me for the whole summer, though. She also said I could commute from her house if I want to."
"Will you take her up on that?" Morgan asked with hope in her eyes.
"I'm not sure. We'll see how it goes before June. She's she agreed to come with me to my parents' house after my mother ordered me back for a garden party," Quinn said with a small smile.
"Wow, that's nice of her. I'm surprised you agreed to go home considering the way they treat you."
Quinn frowned. "I'm still dependent on them to a certain extent. I can't afford to piss them off."
"Showing up with Artie won't piss them off?" Morgan asked incredulously.
"Yes, but they need me there or my dad will be embarrassed in front of coworkers, bosses, and possibly clients. So, for the moment, I have the upper hand."
"But, they could get you back."
"They could, but I'll see how they react before I try to figure out what to do. They might just ignore us both. They're good at it."
"I hope you're right. If you feel the need, call me for anything, anytime. I know you have Artie now, but I'm always here."
Quinn grabbed Morgan into a tight hug. "I know. You'll always be my best friend." Artie was something else entirely and she refused to consider what that something else might be. She did acknowledge that the something was important.