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.
"So, do you want me to tell you about my family so you know what to expect?" Quinn asked as she pulled out of the university parking lot. She had to insist on driving because she knew the way. Artie had gotten into the habit of driving when they got into the car; Quinn suspected it had something to do with chivalry, but never said anything or asked about it.
"Tell me what you think I need to know and we'll go from there. Do I need to change my behavior in any way?" Artie inquired.
"No! God, no! I want you to be yourself. You're a wonderful person and if they can't handle that, it's on them."
Artie smiled. "You make sure you take your own advice. You are wonderful and half a dozen goddesses support everything you do. We're all for you."
Quinn grinned. "That means a lot. My family probably won't like you. They're conformists and pretty conservative. They'll peg you for a lesbian as soon as they see you. They won't like you for that and the fact that you're unapologetic about yourself will bother them to no end. I'm not sure they'll actually be able to ignore you."
"Good. I don't want to be ignored."
Chocolate eyes glanced at Artie. "You can't punch anyone."
"I'll just flex a lot then. It's almost as effective as me punching someone," Artie remarked with a chuckle. "So, how about names to go with all of the hate?"
"My father is Ronald Matherson. He's always worrying about work. He's a businessman. It's a small company and he, along with everyone else, does his best too keep it afloat by always looking for investors and customers. They do whatever they need to get investors, venues, and customers. He does well for himself and he likes the money he earns. He likes being able to provide for us, but he expects the family to act a certain why because of the money. We have to put on a façade. Anytime you don't act the way that he wants, he feels like you're trying to embarrass the family and won't hesitate to let you know how he feels about that."
"He sounds like a joy," Artie commented with a frown.
"Yeah, you don't want to upset him or it gets worse. But, he's a businessman through and through. If the situation calls for a smile, he can have one on faster than anybody I've ever met. But, if it looks like things aren't going to go his way, he's willing to do almost anything to change it. I'm sure this is why he's successful in business."
"It just doesn't make him a great person to be around all the time?" Artie guessed.
Quinn nodded. "My mother, Vanessa Matherson, is like that, too, and if it makes her come across as phony sometimes, it's because she is. She's a housewife, but a long time ago when my dad's company had just begun, she worked as a secretary and then an assistant. She's all about keeping up the façade and keeping up with the Joneses and all of that stuff. She loves my sister Veronica to death. Clearly, her favorite child."
"And your father's favorite child?"
"Why, his first child, of course, my older brother, Ronald Junior. He's RJ, never Ron or Ronnie. He works in my dad's company since he got his graduate degree four years ago. He's practically perfect in every way."
Artie scoffed. "Only Mary Poppins is practically perfect in every way. I doubt he's Mary Poppins. What makes him so great?"
"He's dashing with a bright smile and absolutely perfect teeth. He's got the perfect skin and he's tall and lean and sandy blond hair that's cut just right. I mean, he's just perfect. He always had the best grades. He played baseball in high school and college, so he has all these trophies and just everything. My parents never missed a game and always made sure he had the best equipment. He and my dad went to the same college and are in the same fraternity."
Artie just craned an eyebrow and Quinn could practically see that psychology degree that Artie was barely a year from receiving at work. It surprisingly did not bother her that Artie was analyzing her and her family. She supposed it had to do with the knowledge of how Artie was and that Artie probably analyzed herself and her family more than anyone else.
"Tell me about Veronica," Artie requested.
"Well, she's a talented pianist, and should be since she took lessons since she was five. Again, my parents went to every recital. She's also got a ton of trophies from being in music competitions. She's very stylish and fashionable. She's always up on the latest designers and knows what goes with what perfectly. She's engaged to a guy named Dave or something with a D. I'm pretty sure it's Dave, but it could be Dan or Dwayne."
"What does 'Dave' do?"
Quinn shrugged. "Hell if I know. I barely know his name, after all."
Artie laughed and just let the matter drop. They spoke of more pleasant things for the short ride. Artie was visibly stunned when they pulled up to the house.
"Wait, you live less than an hour away from campus?" Artie asked, almost incredulously. She had expected Quinn to live hours away since the pale woman stayed on campus for breaks. Of course, she had learned that the distance had nothing to do with why Quinn rarely went home.
"To be fair, it's another state," Quinn pointed out.
Artie laughed, but did not say anything further. Exiting the car, Artie grabbed their weekend bags from the back and looked around the area. It was very different from where she grew up. It was ridiculously clean and there were tree-lined sidewalks with large colonial style houses. There were manicured lawns with gardens, flowers, and bushes along with at least two cars in every driveway as far as the eye could see. It was like something out of a television show as far as she was concerned.
"I didn't think places like this existed," Artie mumbled.
"Don't be impressed. Just because it looks nice doesn't mean it is nice," Quinn stated and her companion nodded.
They made their way to the door, going up cobblestone walkway. Quinn let them in after remembering what key fit what lock, considering it had been almost a year since she had been home. The smell of flowers and vanilla assaulted them as soon as the door opened. There was laughter coming from the living room.
Artie looked around while following Quinn. They moved through the hall, which had a few pictures on the walls of two children with sandy blond hair and some professional artwork. Over to the right was the dining room, which was the size of the living room and dining room combined of Artie's home. There was a dark wood table with six chairs in the middle of the room. A china cabinet with precious plates and wine glasses lined the shelves. There was cabinet with a bottle of liquor on top of it that Artie assumed was the liquor cabinet.
The living room was to the left of the hallway and held the Matherson family, plus significant others, Artie guessed anyway because there were two extra people there. Based on the descriptions, she could figure out who each person was, but she would wait for Quinn to confirm anything for her.
The living room had a large entertainment center with a wall mounted television larger than anything Artie had ever seen outside of the televisions the school spoiled them with in the student lounges. Other electronics that Artie could not identify sat underneath the television. There were more pictures of sandy blonds, progressing from them as children to adults. There were trophies and certificates lining some shelves. Just from a glance, Artie noted that none of them read "Quinn Matherson."
"Hi, everybody," Quinn said in a rather neutral tone as they stepped into the living room. All eyes immediately turned to them.
"You actually came," a middle-aged, pudgy man that was balding up top said. From what remained of his hair, it would seem that he was the sandy blond that passed on the color to Quinn's older siblings. Artie guessed he was Quinn's father. He had lines underneath his eyes.
He did not stand up or offer her any actual greeting. None of them did. He was dressed as if he had just come home from work, except he was not wearing a suit jacket. Glancing at the clock, Artie supposed it was possible that he had just come home from work, but it seemed odd to her for him to keep on his suit attire. She guessed that was just because when her mother came in from work, Anna was typically out of her own suit before she got to the stairs. She tried her best not to analyze him based on this information and whatever else she would learn because she was there to support Quinn, not figure the Matherson clan out.
"Mom made it sound like I had better show or the world might end," Quinn replied with a shrug.
"I told you to come, but you've brought someone with you. Who's this?" a middle-aged brunette woman demanded. She was fair-skinned with freckles sprinkled across her cheeks, like Quinn. She was thin, probably thinner than she should be; something like how Quinn once was, but Quinn had put on a little weight in recent weeks. Her short, dark hair was styled perfectly and her blue eyes stared upon Artie with open disdain.
"This is Artie Brenner. She's my friend from school. We'll be out of your hair by tomorrow evening," Quinn promised. Apparently, they would be leaving right after the party. "Artie, this my father Ronald."
"Pleasure to meet you, sir," Artie said, extending her hand and receiving a scathing look from his dark brown eyes. She smiled as she pulled her hand back.
Quinn sighed. "My mother, Vanessa." She motioned to the glowering woman. "My brother, RJ." She pointed to a young man that appeared a little older than they were.
RJ was dressed as his father was, but much more dashing. He was tanned and even sat with confidence. Artie hated to admit it, even in her own head, but he was rather handsome, having somehow managed to mix a business look with surfer.
Artie tried again, extending her hand, thinking a younger person might not have the same bias as his father. He proved her wrong, giving her a sneer and a hateful look in his blue eyes. She shrugged and glanced at the woman next to him. She was a little blonde thing that looked at her with fear and disgust, shrinking back into the sofa as if to escape Artie.
"And, my sister Veronica," Quinn finished, pointing to the final brunette in the room. Apparently, her sister had dyed her hair recently. She was sitting on the loveseat with an average gentleman next to her, who did not say anything.
Veronica did not spare them a glance, turning her perfect nose up at them. "I don't know why she needs to be here."
Artie was not sure which "she" Veronica was referring to, but shrugged it off since Quinn did not say anything about it. The siblings significant others did not even bother to introduce themselves. Quinn just shook her head.
"Well, we'll be in my room," Quinn stated and no one seemed to care. They were not even in the hallway before the family began talking. Artie silently followed Quinn upstairs.
"What the hell was that? Did you tell her to bring someone?" Ronald hollered.
"Of course not! And, even if I did, I'd never tell her to bring someone like that! I'd have at least have told her to bring a fine young man!" Vanessa shouted back.
"Oh, that wasn't a man?" Veronica remarked and her sneer was easily heard in her voice.
"Definitely could have fooled me," one of the younger guys declared.
"I can't have her walking around with some pre-op or post-op trans-thing with clients coming to the house!" Ronald huffed.
"We need to do something about that thing," one of the younger men stated.
"We'll come up with something, RJ. Don't panic. We won't let this affect anyone's career," Vanessa assured them.
"I am so sorry," Quinn apologized as they hit the second floor and walked to the right.
"Don't be. You don't have any control over them," Artie pointed out, dismissing it all with a wave of her hand. "I've heard worse. Besides, I'll never see these people again. You're the one I'm worried about."
"Don't. I'm used to it and I won't see them much after this either if it can be helped," Quinn said.
Artie shrugged because she did not doubt that. They stepped into the room and Quinn closed the door behind them, closing out the voices from below. Artie scanned the area, seeing all of Quinn in the room - the lilac walls, the plum bedspread, and the books. Dear god, the books. They were all over the place, on bookshelves, but also stacked neatly on the desk and most available surfaces. She had makeup and nail polish on a vanity. There were a couple of prize ribbons on a shelf and certificates on the walls. Upon closer inspection, it would seem that Quinn had won some short story contests. She would have to remember to ask Quinn if she could read those stories one day as Quinn had only shared her poetry with Artie.
"People don't frequent your room like they do mine," Artie commented because it was clean and also only Quinn's stuff was in the room. There were some pictures on the wall, probably of friends, but none of family.
"Oh, no. There is no room traffic when I'm not here. This used to my dad's office. I'm sure that as soon as I show signs of never returning, it'll go back to that."
"I'm sorry."
Quinn shook her head. "Don't be. He told me a long time ago that when I turned twenty-one, he needed his office back no matter what." A devilish smile suddenly overtook her face. "Let's defile it."
Artie burst out laughing. "What?"
"I'm serious. We probably won't get to have sex again until school starts in August. Besides, it would be funny to think three years from now, my father sitting in the room where you made me come."
Artie groaned at the thought and tried her best to keep the fire in her belly down. "What if they come in?"
"They won't. Out of sight, out of mind," she promised, stepping closer to Artie.
"More like out of their minds," Artie muttered.
Quinn smiled and settled the whole matter with a passionate kiss. Those tender lips controlled Artie and took any resistance from her. She crumbled on to the bed with a little shove from Quinn, who then straddled her thighs. Her arms went around Quinn and they began a fresh kiss, much more fiery than before. All thoughts of someone walking in flew from her mind as she was more concerned with feeling downy soft skin.
Soon, they were naked and panting as Quinn straddled Artie, sitting in Artie's lap. Quinn rocked her body as two of Artie's fingers stroked her. They kissed, deeply and slowly, Artie swallowing any noise that Quinn made. Her free hand caressed Quinn's breasts and back, clutching her ass on occasion. Every now and then, her mouth trailed kisses from Quinn's wonderful mouth to her delicious nipple and then back up to her mouth again. Quinn mewed and bucked, clutching Artie's shoulders as she moved faster or changed the angle briefly. Artie groaned whenever Quinn's nails dug into her flesh; it sent all sorts of lightning bolts through her. As Quinn crested and clenched around her fingers, Artie realized there was no way in hell that she could go all summer without Quinn, without touching her, pleasing her, being near her.
Quinn fell against her, exhausted and sated. Artie moved them under the covers and Quinn immediately curled against her, embracing her, almost as if trying to burrow inside of her. She got the feeling that Quinn would not be able to make it through the summer either.
"I can't wait for this to be over and we can get out of here," Quinn whispered in a drowsy tone.
"Yeah, we'll go home and everything will be fine," Artie promised, kissing the top of Quinn's head. Quinn purred while nodding in agreement and then she fell asleep.
"It's getting dark," Artie whispered as she woke up from a short nap. She had a hand on Quinn's bare breast and gently massaged the soft globe.
"Yeah, I wish the day was over already," Quinn commented, putting her hand over Artie's hand.
"Don't start."
"Says the person fondling me. No one's going to come in here, so it doesn't matter. But, I'll stop. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
Artie did not want to lie, so she just let the matter drop. "I see you have stuff up here for winning story contests."
"Yes."
"Any chance that I'll get to read any of your work?"
Quinn looked Artie in the eye and smiled. For some reason, Artie was rewarded with a kiss. She guessed that she was the first person to ask that question.
"I have them on my computer. I'll let you see when we get to your house. Okay?"
"Okay." Artie smiled, happy that was so easy. She decided to find out more about Quinn and her life before college while Quinn seemed to be such an open mood. It turned out that her friend had always been a great student with excellent grades. She was terrible and uninterested in sports, which Artie somewhat knew already. She had a small number of friends, but they were loyal and did typical girls things, like going to the mall. She had never really had a curfew and often stayed over those friends' houses without her parents' permission. According to her, no one ever called after her or came looking for her.
Artie was surprised that no one came up to Quinn's room, just as Quinn said. They did not even come up to get her when dinner was ready. Quinn was not eager to go down when they smelled the food, opting to wait for everyone to go to bed before fixing dinner for herself and Artie. They ate in her bedroom. She unnecessarily apologized for Artie because they were eating so late.
In the morning, breakfast went pretty much the same. But, then the afternoon came and they could no longer hid in the room, nor could the family continue to ignore Quinn.
Quinn put on a lilac colored sundress and Artie wondered if maybe they could avoid the party. She imagined clearing Quinn's desk, sitting her on top of it, pulling the dress up to her hips, and fucking her like there was no tomorrow with her strap-on before just fleeing the scene with Quinn. That was a fantasy to save for another day. She knew that Quinn would not flake on her family after actually returning home.
"Is it okay for me to wear this?" Artie inquired, motioning to the black cargo shorts and sleeveless t-shirt that she was wearing. She thought it was good outfit for a cookout.
"Put a proper shirt on at least," Quinn giggled.
"But, my guns," Artie playfully whined, making a muscle with her bicep.
"Put on a proper shirt. I bought you a polo shirt and it should be in your bag."
Artie craned an eyebrow as she did as ordered. "You bought me a polo? Why? What do I need a polo for?"
"Aside from right now, one day you might actually need to look semi-professional for something. Just please, put it on. I promise I will make this up to you as soon as possible."
Artie found the shirt, a cerulean blue, and slipped it on. It fit her perfectly. She looked at Quinn, who was smirking.
"You look good. I look forward to making this up to you." Quinn winked.
Artie groaned as her new fantasy flashed through her mind. "We're definitely going to have to defile this place again before we leave."
"No, we'll stop at a hotel. Oh, we're by the beach. Would you like to go there before we go to your house?" Quinn suggested.
"Oh! Sounds fun. I've never been."
"I thought as much. So, let's make it through this stupid thing and crap like that."
Artie gave an eager nod. Quinn smiled at her and kissed her. No way in Hell I'm going the whole summer without her.
The party was already going when Quinn and Artie made their way downstairs. There only seemed to be ten people there, though. Quinn was not surprised that there were many more people in the backyard. She went to greet everyone and somehow she got separated from Artie a few minutes into the process.
"Quinn, you actually brought your friend down, too. Are you insane?" RJ demanded, grabbing her by the arm. "You're going to ruin everything! Why the hell would you bring that fucking big bull dyke here? What the hell have you been doing at one of the best schools in the country? Clearly not studying!" he hissed.
"What to do you care?" Quinn retorted, snatching her arm back.
"What do I care? Dad and I work with these people! Some of them are investors! We need to project a certain image!"
"Oh, come off of it. No one has said anything."
"Oh no? Go say that to Dad."
Quinn scoffed as her brother took off, mingling with investors and others. She had never paid much attention to these things, so she had no idea where her father might be in the throng of people. She also had no idea where Artie was either, but since no one had been punched, she assumed things were fine. She did not have a chance to search for her friend as her father caught up with her to give her a piece of his mind.
"Are you kidding me? We spend all this money on school and you're there learning how to be a rug-muncher?" Ronald growled, holding her tight by the arm.
"What?" Quinn asked with wide, shocked eyes. Her mouth drew back in near horror that he would say such a thing.
"Do you know what people are saying about us? They want to know what we're doing with some tranny wandering around here. How dare you bring that thing here?" He pointed out into the crowd and happened to hit Artie without even looking.
Her eyes went to Artie, who was sitting with four men and chatting as if they were old friends. She watched as one man said something and Artie held up an arm, smiling as she showed off her muscles. Quinn chuckled and shook her head.
"That thing, as you call her, seems to be getting along with someone," Quinn said smugly.
Ronald snarled and stormed off in that direction. Quinn guessed one of those guys was fairly important since her father did not stick around to belittle her. She inched her way over, hoping to hear what was happening, but that was not meant to be.
"Quinn, my, you've grown," one of her father's coworkers said, stepping into her path. She could not remember the man's name and he did not make it a point to introduce himself. "You know my son is about your age and he was wondering what happened to you at the last gathering."
Well, now she had a vague idea of who to blame and hate for her having to be there. The coworker wasted no time calling his son over. The young man was shy and hard to hate while offering her a bashful half-smile, but she would do her best. It was made just a little easier when her sister appeared and she realized that she would have to suffer through Veronica thanks to him.
"Chris, you do realize you're wasting your time," Veronica said, throwing her arm around the tall young man's shoulders. "While you're close to her type, you're not exactly it."
Chris blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Don't," Quinn implored her sister, but the sparkle in Veronica's eyes told her that would do no good. While she was not ashamed of being with Artie, she did not like the idea of her sister using Artie to make fun of her.
"She likes 'em manly, but with vaginas," Veronica snickered as she nodded toward Artie.
At least Artie was not flexing, but Chris still reeled back. He glanced down at Quinn, lips in a sneer and eyes wide with disgust. He mumbled something that did not sound like English, but was definitely an excuse and he hurried away. Veronica laughed. Honestly, Quinn felt like her sister had done her a favor, but still, Veronica was being vindictive, so they canceled each other out. She also did not like that they were judging Artie without even knowing her.
"You really know how to pick 'em, Quinn. Is she going to have the full-blown sex change anytime soon or has she had one already and it's just fucking awful?" the older sister remarked.
"She identifies as female," Quinn snapped, but that only caused her sister to laugh more. Well, she had not heard Artie refer to herself as male, except when talking about herself in the past. She seemed over the idea that she was a boy, even if no one else did.
"She identifies as female? Do you hear yourself? Hell, has she told her body that? And that haircut says she thinks she's a guy, plain and simple. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she had a dick. She probably does. How big is it?"
"As big as Quinn wants. Can your boyfriend say the same?" Artie asked, standing behind Veronica.
Quinn snickered as her sister jumped in shock and spun around to see Artie glaring down at her. Artie was only three inches taller than Veronica, but seemed to tower over her. It was like Veronica shrunk in her presence. Quinn could hardly believe her eyes or ears as her sister sputtered, trying to mount a comeback.
"At least my boyfriend is an actual boy. Quinn can't say the same there," Veronica managed to say.
"No, because Quinn doesn't have a boyfriend." Artie then turned her complete attention to Quinn, acting as if Veronica did not even exist. "I want you to come meet someone," she said, holding out her hand for the pale woman.
"Meet someone? Who do you know here?" Quinn asked while putting her hand in Artie's without a thought.
"I just met him. He's pretty cool. I think he's one of your dad's investors," Artie explained as they walked toward the back fence of the large backyard.
Quinn had never realized how big the yard was until she had gone to Artie's house. Before Artie, any friends that she had basically had the same things that she did. But, she found that she preferred the small, intimate yard of Artie's modest home.
"Hey, Rob, this is Quinn," Artie introduced her into one of the men that Quinn had seen her speaking with. He looked a little older than her father, but his green eyes seemed warm. He was dressed in a dark blue business suit, like most other men there.
"Oh, you're Ronald's elusive third child. You brought Art here?" he asked and offered his hand.
"I suppose I did," Quinn answered, shaking his hand.
"She's interesting, although I was disappointed to know her physique is from steroids," Rob said with a chuckle, as if they shared an inside joke already.
"Steroids?" Quinn echoed glancing at her friend.
"That was high school. I've been clean for two years. I was telling him that I used to be bigger than this," Artie replied.
Quinn arched an eyebrow, which kept Artie from flexing. "I like you this size," she accidentally admitted. She blushed and looked at Rob.
The middle-aged man chuckled. "You do look natural that size."
"Good since I am natural now." She put her arm up, but Quinn pushed it down.
He laughed again. "I can see who wears the pants here."
"I'm pretty sure I'm wearing pants right now," Artie remarked with a smile. Quinn gave Artie the look, but the ebony-haired woman ignored that.
Rob chuckled and Artie eased into a conversation with him in regards to her workouts. Quinn assumed that was what she had been talking about when she had a small audience. That idea changed as the conversation shifted because Quinn was surprised to hear Artie speaking business and economics. But, then she remembered that Artie was a jack-of-all-trades.
Quinn chimed in when she could and Artie tried to lead her, but she would rather observe than participate. Every now and then, another man would wander into the conversation, but not many and most did not stick around. A couple of the men from earlier did come over and engaged in the conversation for much longer until they were distracted by other matters. Quinn disappeared for a moment to get herself and Artie some food. She heard mumblings while on her journey. When she returned, Artie was alone.
"What happened to your new friend?" Quinn asked curiously while she handed Artie her plate.
"He had to mingle," Artie answered with a shrug. "Thanks for the food."
"No problem. You know most of the party is wondering why Rob keeps talking to you. They wonder why he likes you and don't flex."
Artie laughed. "Yes, ma'am. How did you find this out? Did someone say something to you?"
"No, just overheard this stuff. Some of the other guys that you were talking to have been trying to tell people that you seem to know a little something, but still everyone wants to know why Rob is so interested in you. Apparently, your boy Rob is a big deal and everyone is just talking about it."
"Yeah, he's a major investor. He told me about that. I thought it was amusing that I had befriended the one person that you father wants to impress. When he bullied his way into our conversation earlier, Rob gave him this look that shut him down so quickly, I thought he might need an 'out of order' sign. He walked away like a kicked puppy and didn't say a thing to me. I'm sure he won't talk to you like that again while Rob enjoys our company. I'm sure your brother won't either."
"Did you do that for me?"
Artie smiled. "I wish I could say that I had it all planned out and this was the ultimate act of chivalry, but alas, it was all circumstances. I have been rubbing it in for you, though. You don't need to put up with their shit and now they'll feel like assholes because you're closer to the big investor than they are. Maybe they'll treat you better."
Quinn smiled in return. "That probably won't happen, but thanks for thinking of me."
"I'm always thinking of you," Artie admitted and the simple confession warmed Quinn to her soul.
Artie was surprised that at the end of the party, even though they stayed to help clean up and actually spent the night to make sure Quinn got a good sleep since she was going to drive, no one came to say goodbye to Quinn. They had all moved on to doing something else in the house. Artie could not imagine going out to check to mail without her sisters on her back, so the thought of leaving and Quinn's family not even saying goodbye was well beyond her scope.
She could not understand a family with only three children purposely ignoring the baby of the trio, even if she was an accident. They did not have any pictures of Quinn up beyond grade school, nothing outside of her room noted her achievements in life, and even the way they talked about her to guests at the party, it was like Quinn was a stranger to them. She hated the message that had to send to a young Quinn, whose name even pushed her to the margins of the family. It was not just that Quinn was an accident, but she seemed to be unwanted.
Artie shook away the thoughts as Quinn climbed into the driver's seat and grinned at her. Artie smiled back and figured it did not matter how Quinn's family treated her. Quinn was strong and soldiered on. Not to mention, despite it all, Quinn had grown up into a fairly decent, talented young woman, probably all on her own.
"To the beach now!" Quinn declared and pulled away from her childhood home without looking back. Artie bet she had done the same when she left for Parker University.
35: Waves
The ride to the beach was over a half-hour away and Quinn also had to torture Artie with a trip to the mall. Artie needed a swimsuit in Quinn's opinion because the only one that she owned was "a crime against beachwear." Quinn got to see first hand how much Artie truly hated shopping.
"Can we just get this one and go?" Artie asked, grabbing the first swimsuit she saw. They had hardly taken five steps into the store.
"No! Put that hideous thing down!" Quinn swatted Artie's hand. "I can see why you dress vintage most of the time. You have no sense of modern day style."
Artie did not argue, but began whining ten minutes into the trip, trying to just grab anything so they could leave because she did not want to look through items. Quinn ignored her quite effectively as she picked up several swimsuits and trunks. She then led Artie to a dressing room.
"Try them on. We'll go with the best two," Quinn stated.
"Can't we just pick those out the bunch? Do I really need to try them on? My mom bought my last suit while I was at school, no trying on necessary," Artie argued.
"That was then, this is now. Now, go try them on while we still have sunlight."
Artie pouted, but she did as ordered, appearing more and more miserable with each suit. They settled on a pair of trunks and a bikini that Artie planned to wear together. After that, they had to get a few more supplies like towels and sunscreen and Quinn managed to wrangle them a decent hotel room for the night before claiming a spot on the beach.
"I'm going to get in on that volleyball game," Artie grinned, after they set up towels and a little shade for Quinn, who could burn in under ten minutes even with sunscreen.
"Have fun, dear," Quinn said, blushing at the accidental term of endearment.
Artie only grinned wider and raced off. Quinn breathed a sigh of relief that Artie had let the slip pass. She picked up a book and tried to put the moment out if her mind, but it was hard.
"It was just one silly mistake. It doesn't mean anything," Quinn tried to assure herself. Perhaps it was the heat that made me say that. The sun was beating down, but it was not particularly burning hot.
Glancing up at Artie, she felt her heart sped up as the tall woman went up to spike the volleyball. Her throat tightened a bit as she watched sun-kissed muscles ripple as Artie moved and her fingers itched to trace each cut. The reactions were not unusual and she ignored it for the most part. For a while now, she had been convincing herself that it happened due to lust. Everything she craved from Artie could be boiled down to friendship and lust. She was sure of that.
She shook those thoughts away as one of the girls playing volleyball, if it could be called that, fell against Artie. The girl caressed Artie's bicep and giggled. Quinn frowned as Artie began giving the girl close up lessons on how to serve the volleyball. The girl pressed herself against Artie, smashing her barely covered breasts against Artie's arm, and Quinn had officially seen enough. Tossing her book down, she marched over to the game, the hot sand on her feet not comparing to the burning indignation in her soul.
"Artie, sorry to bother you," Quinn said and she watched with internal satisfaction as Artie eased away from the girl and turned Artie complete attention to her.
"Oh, yeah, Quinn?" Artie asked with a smile.
"I was hoping you'd get me some ice cream," Quinn replied.
Artie looked up the beach, scanning for a vendor. "Oh, yeah. Back in a second. Go back to the shade so you don't burn."
Quinn smiled and nodded. She gave the girl a scathing look as Artie dashed off a few yards to get her ice cream. The girl seemed to wither and eased behind one of the boys. Quinn turned on her heel at that moment, figuring the message was pretty clear.
Quinn returned to her book and Artie came back with a strawberry short cake Good Humor bar, which was her favorite. Quinn smiled her thanks and Artie returned to her game. Quinn smiled again as she noticed Artie kept her distance from that girl.
"Hey, Quinn, let's get in the water," Artie suggested as the volleyball players left the beach for other venues.
"Okay, but only a few minutes. It would really spoil our night if you had to treat my sunburn."
Artie scoffed. "My hands would get to be on your body, which always makes for an awesome night in my book."
"Well, sunburn is never an awesome night in my book. Come on."
Artie smiled and they splashed around in the water for a few minutes. It was cold, but Quinn quickly adjusted and got use to the water within seconds. Quinn had learned of Artie's habit of horseplay from Spring Break when they took the girls to a public pool, but she was not ready for the horseplay to be turned on her. Artie grabbed her by the legs and yanked her under the waves. She came up sputtering and spitting water while Artie laughed.
"Why, you!" Quinn began pushing water in Artie's face.
The olive-skinned woman laughed even louder and quickly retaliated. It was all fun and games until Artie took things too far and unhooked Quinn's top. Thankfully, Quinn grabbed the front before the whole beach got the view of a lifetime. She glared at Artie and practically blasted away her teasing smile.
"Shit, Quinn, I'm sorry!" Artie apologized.
Quinn moved away from her, but not out of the water. She needed the water as a shield to keep people from seeing. Unfortunately, people nearby seemed to understand what just happened and their eyes were on her. Artie glared at some as she tried to move closer.
"Let me help, please," Artie implored.
"No, I hate you right now," Quinn pouted, finding it impossible to tie her top on her own.
"I know, but I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I was just trying to tease you."
"Well, mission accomplished! You've done well at embarrassing me!" Tears welled up in her eyes. She turned, so Artie would not see her crying. She was supposed to be safe with Artie! Things like this were not supposed to happen.
Quinn heard the water moving and strong familiar hands on her back. Despite herself, she leaned against Artie. Artie quickly fixed her bikini top while resting her head on Quinn's shoulder.
"I'm really sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to embarrass you and I damn sure did not mean to pull your top. You think I want anybody looking at you like that? I don't want anybody to see you like that, baby. I'm so sorry," Artie whispered, peppering her neck with light kisses.
Quinn was not sure if it was the closeness, kisses, terms of endearment, genuine tone, or a mixture of each, but she melted into Artie's hold. She relaxed and felt Artie hold her securely.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. I'd never mean to hurt you," Artie said softly.
"I know," Quinn replied.
They remained like that for what seemed like all eternity. The world was gone and they were the only two people in all existence. It was peaceful and Quinn would do anything to keep things like that forever, but eventually the cry of a gull broke the spell.
"We should go. It's going to get dark in a couple of hours and you've probably hit your sun quota for the day," Artie suggested, rubbing Quinn's shoulders.
Quinn only nodded. They packed up their beach stuff and started for their hotel, which was close by. On the way, Artie looked up the boardwalk.
"Hey, that looks like a little carnival. Want to go?" Artie proposed.
Quinn smiled. "Yeah, but first I want to take a shower."
"Oh, can I join you?"
"Only if you're good." She winked and Artie looked like she swallowed her tongue.
Artie did her best to make up for her screw up on the beach, even though she felt like that mistake led to one wonderful moment of holding Quinn. She took Quinn on the few rides at the carnival during the warm evening. She won Quinn several plush toys in the carnival games and she decided to pay for a real dinner instead of them having fast food, like Quinn had suggested.
"You sure you don't want a burger?" Quinn asked as they passed one of many burger joints that lined the boardwalk.
"I had enough burgers yesterday. I'm sure you did, too," Artie replied.
Quinn nodded. "Yeah. I'd really like a meal that starts with a salad."
Artie grinned and gave her just that. They went to one of the chain family restaurants that was nearby. People looked at them as they were seated, but no one outright stared. Well, except for some guys at the bar. They stared at Quinn's ass, but stopped that once Artie growled and glowered. It was not the first time that guys started at Quinn and it was not the first time that she snarled at them for doing so.
"I'm surprised the girls haven't called you yet. Didn't they expect you home by Friday?" Quinn asked.
"No, after you asked me to go home with you, I called them. I told the twins we'd be there today at first, but then I called again after you mentioned the beach. I think they're giving us time alone," Artie answered. The idea seemed to slam into her and she did not want to make Quinn uncomfortable, especially after the way she had screwed up early. "They don't know we're just friends," she added on.
Quinn smiled, but it was awkward and strained. Artie feared that she messed up again. She figured the safest thing would be to change the subject.
"You want to do anything after this?" Artie asked.
"We can go back to the room after this. We've had a busy day and a long drive tomorrow."
Artie nodded. "Thanks for this detour. I really liked the beach."
"I'm having fun, too."
A relieved smile spread across Artie's face and she was able to relax. She had not ruined things, but she silently vowed to do better. She was ready to admit to herself that she did not want to lose Quinn from her life.
It seemed to be a given that they would spend their one night in a hotel having sex, but more than that. It allowed them to let loose. Quinn could be loud if Artie drew it out of her and Artie seemed intent on doing just that. Artie teased more so than usual, taking her time all over Quinn's body, making Quinn burn and pant.
"Artie, please," Quinn whined.
"Eventually. I just want to admire you," Artie said and the look in her eyes made Quinn's mouth go dry.
Quinn tried to respond, but could not. Instead, she felt an urge to touch Artie in return. The thought scared her, but she did not have a chance to dwell on it as Artie nibbled her breast. The fear was gone by the time she felt Artie's f fingers against her most intimate area. She just clung to Artie and kissed every place her mouth could reach as Artie moved within her.
"You're so good to me," Quinn whimpered, hands caressing Artie's back, enjoying the feel of her muscles and skin.
"I want to be good for you," Artie confessed in a grunt.
Quinn moaned as Artie managed to go deeper. "You are. I want to be good for you."
"You are," the response was low, fond, and struck Quinn deeper than Artie's fingers. It made Quinn coo and rock with Artie, hands moving from Artie's back to her arms. Her fingers strayed dangerous close to the breasts that she liked feeling pressed against her, but she managed to control herself. She was not sure how Artie might react if she strayed so far from her norm.
Artie kissed her and she felt like she was about to collapse in on herself. Her back arched and she screamed into Artie's mouth. She collapsed onto the bed and tried to catch her breath while Artie moved off of her. Quinn had a feeling that the night was far from over.
It was well past midnight and Artie was knocked out. She had worn herself out bringing Quinn to climax four times. Quinn sat up, running her fingers through Artie's hair. Artie was curled up against her and that fear came back. This felt too right.
"What am I going to do when I go away for a month or when you finally find a real girlfriend?" Quinn wondered aloud. I've really messed things up here. She made it clear that we're only friends and she doesn't do relationships. I thought it would be okay because I'm straight.
The pair was ambushed as soon as they entered the Brenner house, but Quinn was fine with that. It was wonderful to feel welcomed in a home, even if it was not her home. Artie's sisters were all talking at once and clinging to both college students. Quinn had no idea what they were saying and Artie just laughed as she tried to carefully move through the crowd to get deeper into the house. The girls were not making it easy.
"Hey, can we get in the house or what?" Artie inquired.
"Nope!" Juno joked, holding onto Artie's leg.
Artie sighed and leaned down to pick up Juno, despite the fact that she was carrying their bags. The action got one of their roadblocks out of their way. Quinn did the same with Diana and now they were able to at least make it to the living room.
"Is that Art?" Anna asked as she came downstairs. She was smiling until she saw Quinn. The expression vanished in an instant and was replaced by a hard glare and scowl. In that moment, Quinn knew that Anna had no idea she was coming.
"Mommy, Quinn came back!" Diana cheered, putting her arms around Quinn's neck, taking the college student in a tight hug.
"I see," Anna practically hissed, her face too tense to open her mouth.
"Yeah, Quinn's here for the summer," Artie said as if it was nothing.
Anna winced, like the words punched her in the face. The fact that the girls cheered only made things worse. Anna grunted and retreated upstairs. Quinn felt her stomach twist a bit.
"That went well," Aphrodite commented.
"As well as expected," Venus added.
Quinn's stomach twisted again. She did not like the fact that the girls seemed to know that their mother disliked her. She worried that might influence their opinions of her. Of course, Anna had not soured them to her before, but that could easily change.
"Come on, Quinn. Let's go put our stuff down," Artie suggested, even though she was the one with all of the stuff.
Quinn nodded because she wanted to talk with Artie anyway. They managed to get to the basement. The girls looked almost abandoned as the pair disappeared into Artie's room. Quinn shut the door behind them.
"You didn't tell your Mom I was coming? Who does that?" Quinn demanded. "She looked like you shot her when you told I was staying her!" She did not think it was fair for Artie to not tell Anna that she was coming back, knowing how Anna felt about her.
"Of course, she did. It's not a big deal, Quinn. My mom would've objected and you know that and I would have brought you, anyway," Artie replied.
Quinn opened her mouth to object, but could not because she had no idea where to begin. Artie and her mother had a strange relationship that Quinn did her best to ignore. She suspected that relationship was the reason that Anna disliked her. Still, she felt as if she was imposing.
"Quinn, it's my house as much as hers and we all want you here. You want to be here. It's not fair for her to throw a temper tantrum and get her way. I wouldn't let the Piglet get away with and I won't let my mom do it either," Artie stated.
"I feel like I mess up your family dynamics."
"You make them better. You're the person that Venus can talk to about boys. You're the person that Juno can cuddle into when Diana is hogging me. You're the person Tia can beat in video games when me and Dite won't let her win. You're the person that can help convince my grandfather that he didn't screw me up. You're the person that helps keep me in line, so I don't do something to mess up the girls. You enhance the family dynamics."
"Then why doesn't your mother like me?"
Artie sighed. "It's complicated and it might creep you out some."
Quinn did not doubt that and decided to let it go. She was where she wanted to be, even if Anna did not want her there. She had known that would be the case since Spring Break. At least Anna did not say anything nasty to her. She could deal with scathing looks; she was used to that and worse from her own family, after all.
"I just wished that things went differently," Quinn muttered.
"That makes two of us, but the girls are happy you're here. I know that counts for something," Artie pointed out with a smile.
"Let's go back upstairs before the pantheon gets the wrong idea," Quinn suggested, offering Artie her hand. Artie smiled and took the proffered hand.
They emerged from the basement and again Artie's sisters mobbed them. The girls were again talking all at the same time while leading the pair to the living room. Before Quinn knew it, they were sitting down with kids in their laps. She still had no idea what they were going on about.
"Okay, wait, wait, one at a time, please," Quinn begged.
Artie chuckled. "You guys have to take it easy on Quinn. She's not used to everybody coming at her at once."
"Sorry," the twins apologized while the younger three all nodded.
"All right, now, go," Artie joked and her sisters actually all opened their mouths at the same time. Before they said anything, the eldest began laughing and they glared at her.
"Artie, that's not funny," Aphrodite huffed.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?" Artie asked.
"Can we have pizza for dinner tonight?" Venus requested with a grin and the others nodded eagerly.
"I'll have to talk to Mom about that. I remember she said you guys had pizza when you won a game recently. She's not going to let you keep eating junk food," Artie reminded her sisters.
There were pouts all around. The topic of pizza was dropped, probably because the girls seemed to be trying to put one over on Artie. Instead of dinner, they started asking questions about why the pair had missed the weekend.
"We were gonna do cool stuff, but now we have school," Tia complained, folding her arms over her chest. "Mommy even planned this awesome party, but then canceled it because we can't have a party in a Monday."
Artie chuckled. "I'm sorry, guys. We had to go see Quinn's family before we came here. They had a party."
"Oh, they threw you a party?" Juno asked, her eyes adoringly staring at Quinn, whose lap she was occupying.
"Not exactly. It was my father's party. I had to go," Quinn explained.
"Did you have fun?" Diana inquired with a grin.
Quinn sighed and wondered how she could put it without sounds bitter toward her own family. "I did have fun because Artie was with me." It was the truth.
"Are you going to go back home during the summer?" Venus asked. Six worried pair of eyes focused on Quinn.
"No," she answered simply. She would never go back home if it could be helped.
"Hey, how about we call up Nana and Grandpa and then we watch a movie as a whole family and barbeque instead of having pizza?" Artie suggested. That got cheers.
Quinn breathed a sigh of relief and mouthed the words "thank you" to Artie. Artie just smiled as the twins went for the phone. Their grandparents agreed to the barbeque and to pick up what was needed. Artie went to tell Anna.
"I'm glad to be back. I just hope it doesn't cause any trouble," Quinn said, her gaze falling to Anna. Anna was busy fixing the perfect hamburger for Tia with tomatoes, lettuce, and other items.
"Is Anna giving you trouble?"
"Well … your daughter doesn't like me much," Quinn admitted with a small shrug. "I don't know what to do to change her mind."
Tori shook her head. "Give it time. Anna has very little in this world in terms of people who love her properly, so she's not inclined to share. I doubt Artie is going to let it continue all summer, though."
Quinn was about to object, point out that she was not going to be there all summer, but she did not want to admit it. She was happy that they accepted her and she was happy to be there. She would focus on that and hope that Tori was right. Even if she was not going to be there for the whole summer, she planned to be in Artie's life for as long as Artie allowed and she believed that time would be much longer if Artie's mother showed signs of liking her.
37: Dance
Artie was able to put her mother ignoring and rude behavior toward Quinn out of her mind until a couple of days after arriving home because the dreaded prom loomed on the horizon. Venus was bustling with so much excitement that she did not even care that she was going shopping with their Nana, who had very different tastes from the twins. Quinn was conscripted to go along and Aphrodite went, too. It was right after school and Artie thought the other girls would be able to distract her from worrying, but nothing took her mind off of the fact that Venus was going to the freaking prom! When they returned, Artie was practically climbing the walls.
"What did you get? What did you get?" Tia asked, meeting the group at the door.
"You'll see when I put it on," Venus replied, shooing her younger sister away with a wave of her hand.
Artie had to move those words from her list of words she liked to hear from women to her list that she never wanted to hear again. She already felt like she was going to faint, especially after the twins and Quinn went upstairs … giggling. Giggling was not a good sound as far as she was concerned when it came from her sisters.
"It better cover everything," Artie growled, glaring at the group as they vanished upstairs.
"Calm down, Art. It's only an eighth grade prom," her grandfather told her, patting her on the shoulder.
"Now, but then it'll be a senior prom. Not to mention, I have to live through this again next year with both of them when it's their prom. Don't even get me started on the other three!" Artie sighed loudly and fell back. Luckily there was a chair behind her, which had been strategically placed there by Tia.
"Plus, your own kids," her grandfather said with a smile.
Artie only let out a loud exhale. She did not even want to think about that. She was not sure if she would live through this. She already had a pounding headache that aspirin had done nothing for. Massaging her temples did not help and her sisters definitely were not making it easier for her.
Her other sisters giggled and made predictions about the dress that Venus would be wearing and she buried her head in her hands, praying they were wrong. Then she heard steps on the stairs and looked up, thinking it was the twins. It turned out it was their mother.
"What's all the noise about?" Anna asked with a yawn.
"Venus is about to come down in her prom dress!" Juno reported, bouncing of her heels.
"Prom dress? She went to get one already?" Anna inquired with a furrowed brow and her mouth partially open.
"Yes, I took her and Dite along with Quinn. They all had a ball looking for this dress," Tori reported.
Anna frowned, but she did not say anything as Aphrodite came bounding down the stairs. "You guys, wait until you see Venus!" she declared with a grin.
They did not have to wait long. Quinn came down with a grin on her face before Venus came down. Venus was wearing a cocktail dress that went just below her knees. It was white and sleeveless with a black sash around the waist. She had matching shoes and the girls all hooted and hollered over it.
"You look beautiful, Venus," Anna said, stepping over the teenager. Her eyes shined and she caressed Venus' cheek.
Venus blushed. "Thank you, Mommy."
"I wish you would have woken me up to go with you, though."
"You need your sleep. Besides, it's just the eighth grade prom," she remarked. Andre shot Artie a look and she rolled her eyes.
"It's still something I would have liked to share with you," Anna sighed, giving her child a sad smile.
"Next year, Mommy," Venus grinned. Artie's head thumped at that.
"Yes, next year. Now, go take it off before you mess it up," Tori ordered, motioning for Venus to go back upstairs.
"What? Don't I get pictures in it?" Venus asked.
"On prom night. Now, go take it off," Tori commanded once more.
Venus looked to her mother, who nodded, and then to Artie, who was just trying to maintain her sanity. The teen marched off to go take the dress off and Artie felt like she could breathe easy again. Of course, that changed when her mother glared at Quinn. It did not get any better when prom was upon them two days later.
"Artie, take a picture with me, please," Venus requested with a shy smile. It was time for prom and Venus was back in her dress, waiting for her … date to show up. The very idea made Artie cringe.
Artie opened her mouth, set to say something unnecessary, but Quinn gave her a stern glare. She grumbled a bit, but stood up and took a picture with her little sister, who was wearing light makeup, looking like a young woman, and about to go to a school dance with a boy. She wobbled a bit, but her grandfather held her up. They both ended up taking a picture with Venus.
Andre laughed and patted Artie on the chest. "Calm down. She's just growing up." Artie gave him a withering glare.
"Mom, take one with me and Artie," Venus begged, urging her mother forward.
"But, I just woke up," Anna protested. Diana, Juno, and Aphrodite had pulled her out of bed moments ago to make sure she did not miss the moment of truth.
"So? Come on," Venus grinned, waving her mother over.
Anna sighed and smiled as she joined her oldest two daughters. She looked closely at Venus' face. "Did you get your makeup done at the mall?"
"No, Mommy, Quinn did it. Isn't it pretty?" Venus replied.
Anna scowled quickly, but caught herself and went back to smiling. "You're the pretty one, baby girl." Venus grinned at the compliment.
More pictures were snapped and everyone was smiling. Quinn and Artie took a couple of pictures with Venus before the doorbell rang. Andre quickly answered to keep Artie from menacing Venus's date and the young man stepped inside. The boy was in a tuxedo and stared at his feet while offering her a corsage. He politely waved to everyone and Quinn held Artie back from going over to him. It was amazing that a simple hand on her bicep kept her in place when said hand belonged to Quinn.
"Everybody, this is Mark. Mark, this is my family," Venus introduced everyone.
"Venus, take pictures with him," Anna encouraged them.
Artie was sure that she was about to go crazy. Fortunately, Quinn held her back and kept her from ruining the moment. She was sure that it would take Venus years to forgive her if she messed up the prom pictures, even if it was just an eighth grade prom and she would have another one next year.
"Calm down. Breathe in and out," Quinn quietly told Artie while gently caressing her forearm. Artie did her best to follow those instructions.
"You are a very handsome young man," Anna complimented Venus' date as she snapped several pictures of the couple.
He blushed. "Thank you, ma'am."
"Take a few more and then I'll let you both go," Anna said. The pair nodded and she took more shots of them, grinning all the way through. Anna was surprisingly happy to see Venus going out on a date; Artie could not understand why her mother was so great about it, but she did not ask what was going on with her mother. She was too busy trying to remain calm.
"Come on, my mom is going to drive us," Mark said to Venus. She nodded, smiled, and waved to her family before going out the door.
Before the door even closed, Anna glared at Quinn for some reason and then stormed back upstairs. Artie let that go as she collapsed on the couch. Quinn dropped down next to her, holding a bag of gummi bears - her favorite candy.
"I got them for you at the mall the other day. I thought you might need them," Quinn explained. Artie laughed and nodded.
The pair did not see much of Anna because she did sleep during the day, but whenever she saw Quinn, she glared at the pale woman, even harder after Venus' date. Quinn mostly ignored it, but after a week of the behavior, Anna turned things up a notch. She had come in the kitchen after waking up to find Quinn putting away groceries.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Anna practically shrieked, causing Quinn and the girls to snap to attention.
"Mommy, we helped! And I got to pick out snacks for my birthday!" Diana declared proudly, completely unaware of the trouble they were in.
"You think you can just come in here and steal my children?" Anna roared, pointing an accusing finger at Quinn.
Before Anna could say more, Artie came up behind her. Artie put down the three bags of groceries and took her mother by the elbow. She gently pulled Anna toward the front of the house while Quinn tried to keep the other girls in the kitchen, hoping the two did not scream at each other too loudly.
"What the hell, Mom?" Artie demanded in a low hiss, glaring down at her mother as they stood in the foyer.
"What the hell indeed! Your bitch is trying to steal my children!" Anna hollered.
Artie practically snarled at her mother. "Lower your fucking voice and don't fucking call her that. Quinn is great with the girls, more than great, and they adore her, but we all know who our mother is."
"Oh, please! She helped Venus pick out a prom dress and put on her makeup! Venus did not even ask me! You saw!"
Artie shrugged. "One, you don't wear makeup beyond lipstick and, two, you were asleep. Nana went with them. You saw Venus before the prom and it was only a middle school prom." At least that was one of the many things everyone had told her to keep her from losing her mind or fainting while the young man took her sister to the dance. It helped that his mom had driven them and she had come back before nine.
"That's not the point! Now, she's walking around my kitchen like it's hers! Next, she'll be the one cooking meals, making sure everyone's bathed, and homework's done! She holds Juno or Diana as if she gave birth to them! She holds you as if you belong to her!" And there it was, Artie knew.
"This is about me," Artie stated. I might get a complex from shit always being about me.
"The girls are mine!" Anna let loose a sob. "You're mine."
Artie glared and waved her hands around. "No, no, no! You don't get to cry and be pathetic this time. What the hell is wrong with you? Did you think I'd spend the rest of my life like this? Did you think I'd go through life and never have a relationship?" she demanded. She realized that she used the word "relationship," not friendship. She had a relationship with Quinn and had for more time than she could think on right now. At the moment, her mother and her fractured psyche deserved her full attention.
"You don't need one," Anna argued, reaching for Artie.
Artie yanked her arm away. "Of course, I need one! I'm not putting my life on hold to play your spouse! I'm your daughter, Mom! Your daughter. I have a full life to live. I'm not going to put everything on pause for you!"
Tears poured down Anna's face. It was not an act. Her mother had always been quick to cry. It was one of the things that made her protect her mother, even as a young child. The woman was so emotionally fragile and it seemed like every man that she met looked to break her. Sometimes, she wondered if her father had actually been the one that succeeded and every man after him only took away more pieces of a shattered woman.
"I don't want you to leave me like everyone else," Anna confessed, voice cracking as she sniffled. "Everyone else" was code for every man that she had ever met, every adult relationship that she tried to have.
Artie shook her head and waved her hands around again. "No, you don't get to cry, Mom. I'm serious about that. I know you've been hurt by a lot of people that you loved, but I'm not one of them. I'm not your husband. I'm your daughter and your daughters love you. I'm not going to leave, but I can't be this thing you need for the rest of my life."
"You're my emotional support. I need you!"
The force behind the scream almost backed Artie up. She knew that her mother looked to her for the emotional support that most people got from partners and for a long time she was willing to play that role. It was a lot of weight on her, but she would bear it if it meant a good life for her sisters, hell, even her mother. But, now, she had to admit that it was not healthy. Not for her and not for her mother, especially not for her mother from what she could see. It had to stop.
"You have me, Mom. You've had my youth, I help you raise the girls, and now you want more? How fucking selfish. Do you know how hard this is for me? How hard it's been? You have no fucking clue what I've been dealing with, have you? When do I get to have my own life, Mom? When do I get to stop paying for your bad decisions?"
Anna flinched. "Art …" she sniffled again while wiping the tears pouring down her face.
"It's not fair for you to act this way. It's just not fair," Artie whispered and her shoulders slumped. "I give and I give and in the end, we both crumble anyway. It's not fair."
"Art … Oh, my god," Anna whimpered and her eyes went wide, as if she had finally realized what she had done, what they had become. She grabbed her child, who had not been a child for many years. "I'm so sorry," she apologized in a low tone, embracing Artie with the tenderness of a mother and rubbing her back. "I'm so sorry." Of course, she began sobbing anew.
A deep sigh escaped Artie and she returned the hug. "Then let me go from that other part of me and accept Quinn. Just let me be your daughter and accept Quinn."
"I'll try," she promised. "I never meant to hurt you or put you in this position. I don't know how things ended up like this."
"Never mind the how. The important thing is getting better now. Are we going to get better?"
Anna sighed. "I'll do my best to stop acting like this. I really don't know how I let things come to you being my emotional support like this. I don't know how I put you in this place. You never should've been here and I'm so sorry."
"Like I said, never mind the how. We have to change."
"You mean I have to change."
"It'll be a change for the both of us because I have to stop certain behaviors, too. Of course, I'm not going to stop punching guys if they try to hit you or something. But, other stuff."
Anna nodded. "I want you to be happy. I want to be able to support you in being happy."
"Then go into the kitchen, help them put away the groceries, and ask the Piglet what we all got for her birthday party," Artie requested. Anna nodded and she moved towards the kitchen after she stopped crying.
Quinn had class in the morning and, for the first time in her life, she dreaded the idea of going. School had always been an escape for her, ever since kindergarten, but now it felt like … school. It was taking her from something that she preferred. She had done everything to prolong going to bed because she know that when she awoke, she would be leaving the place that had hosted her so graciously for three weeks. If only Diana had stayed awake for that fourth story!
She was only leaving for class tomorrow, but it felt like more. Maybe it was the idea that the Brenner family might be pleased when she left and not allow her to return, despite Artie's offer to allow her to stay the whole summer. They wouldn't do that. They're not … they're not like that, she tried to assure herself. Even Anna when she was at her rudest had not ordered her to leave, but something made her so fearful that it felt like her heart was in a vice.
Maybe because she felt like she jinxed herself by arranging for a place to stay during her classes, just in case. It was like she already believed they would not want her back. Maybe it was the fact that she felt like she was leaving them. Her eyes fell to the bed as she descended into the basement and she could see a lump in bed already. Maybe it was because she felt like she was leaving Artie.
She felt wrong for having arranged another place to stay, as if she had lost faith in Artie and the pantheon. In actuality, she had made the arrangement long ago, resolving to spend her summer on campus to avoid going home. The problem was that she had not done away with the plan because she wanted to give Artie and the Brenner family a rest from her, thinking they would probably be grateful for the reprieve, but now she was scared and anxious that the move would cost her everything. For the first time in her life, she had people to lose and she was pretty sure that she was on pace to lose them for the simple fact that she felt this way at all. Her emotions had already seen to. Why would they want me anyway, especially if I show so little faith in them?
Shaking those thoughts away, Quinn climbed into bed. A yelp escaped her as Artie grabbed her around the waist. She thought Artie was asleep.
"How many stories did you read the kids? The whole storybook?" Artie asked with a laugh.
"Almost. They all love it, even though all of them, except Diana of course, are old enough to read on their own." She had wondered if that was normal, but it seemed to be normal in their household, which was good enough for her.
"And they all do read on their own, inspired by bedtime stories. Now, enough about them. You should get some sleep. You have school tomorrow."
"I don't want to sleep just yet. My class is the afternoon."
"Right." Artie adjusted her body to be completely on her side to stare Quinn in the face. "Whatever shall we do for the hour we have alone before the Piglet wanders down here?"
Quinn chuckled. No matter what they did before putting Diana to bed, like clockwork, an hour later, she was climbing over Quinn to sleep in the middle. She would not go back to sleep until they both kissed her forehead. Quinn adored that for some reason.
"You're willing to run that risk?" Quinn asked incredulously. They had not had sex since they had arrived; the longest time they had gone without since Spring Break.
"You tell me," Artie answered while taking Quinn's hand and trailing it down her body.
Quinn gasped as she came in contact with Artie's strap-on. "Artie …"
"Just a little something to remember me by when you don't get to see me the whole day," Artie joked, but it struck a cord in Quinn.
Quinn felt like it was the beginning of the end. Artie would forget her during the day, especially if she stayed at her other arrangements. Artie would start to move on and meet other women while she was gone. She knew it sounded crazy; it was insane paranoia, but she was already so certain that she had ruined the world. She had caused her own apocalypse. Well, I might as well experience it all to see it its true.
"I don't want that," Quinn said.
Even in the dark, she could see Artie's face fall. "What?"
"I don't want that between us. I want you and only your body. Your hands." She caressed Artie's rough palms. "Your fingers." Lightly, she ran her fingers down those long, dexterous fingers. "Your mouth."
Artie gasped and made a noise that sounded like she swallowed her tongue. "My mouth? You want my mouth? You mean, like kissing, right?"
"Kissing below my belly. And then after that, I want to touch you." She had wanted to touch Artie for a while now if she was honest with herself, but was too scared of what it would mean of her sexuality or what if might do to their relationship if she did it wrong. But, now, she was certain it would not matter because she had done much worse than messing up in bed. If the relationship was ruined before it had even blossomed into anything, she would not even have to deal with her sexuality.
Artie made the same noise again. "Touch me? Below your belly? You sure?" She sounded confused, almost scared, but Quinn wanted it all now because she lost everything.
"I've never been more sure." While her heart was pounding and her stomach had flipped, she knew what she wanted. She wanted it all before she lost it.
She was surprised by how quickly Artie got rid of the strap-on, carelessly tossing it under the bed. She was on Quinn, kissing her hard, but with a passion that made Quinn's entire being light up. Artie's hands were instantly everywhere, doing everything. Quinn let out a loud whine and Artie pulled away.
"You have to be quiet. We don't want to scar the pantheon," Artie reminded her.
Quinn nodded and eventually grabbed Artie's pillow as the taller woman moved down her body. It felt like her body was washed in bliss, but the pounding in her chest took her focus off of that and she worried that her heart was going to jump out of her chest. She tensed as she felt butterfly kisses on her abdomen and Artie halted. They locked eyes. Artie needing to be sure and Quinn imploring her to continue. No words were exchanged, but Artie pressed on.
First, there was a gentle swipe of her fingers, but Quinn knew immediately when that changed to her tongue. She had to shove the whole pillow in her mouth to block a sob, but she grabbed Artie's head with her free hand and held her exactly where she was. Tears welled up in her eyes as emotions she could not begin to fathom coursed through her until she could not take it anymore. The pillow fell away and her weeping filled the room.
"Shit," she heard Artie hiss as the overwhelming pleasure ceased. "Quinn, baby, what's the matter? What did I do?" Artie asked, moving so she could look at Quinn face-to-face.
Tears fell from Quinn's eyes and poured down her cheeks. God, you've done so much in such a short period of time! Healed me and broken me again, but it wasn't your fault. You told me and I thought I could handle it. I thought because I was straight, I'd survive this, but I won't. I won't make it through this alive.
"Quinn?"
The tender concern just made her cry more. "I don't want to go to school," she whimpered.
"Oh, sweetheart," Artie cooed and embraced her. "It's only for three hours and only four days out of the week and it's just for June."
"I don't want to leave you." Quinn clutched Artie pitifully.
"It's only for school and we'll have all of July and half of August to hang out."
Hangout? What friends do. Her cries transformed into gut-wrenching sobs as she curled into Artie's firm form. Artie held her tighter, more securely and her sobs shook her entire body.
"I don't want to lose you." It was whispered, like a secret, swallowed by the darkness, but protected by a lover.
"You won't." It was a promise she had no way of keeping. She did not know what the future held or what Quinn's heart held.
"I will. I broke the rules."
Artie chuckled. "You make the rules."
"Not this one. Never this one. I just … God, I love you!" she screamed before she realized what she was saying. Chocolate eyes went wide and Artie went stiff.
"Love me?" Artie choked out, frozen in place.
Quinn could not feel more humiliated if she tried. Pushing away, she grabbed a nearby t-shirt and draped it over her naked body as she fled upstairs. By the time she got to the back porch, she realized she was wearing Artie's shirt and she had no place to go, no place to run to.
She stood just outside the back door on the stairs, feeling oppressed by the warm air and gazing at the night sky and praying for answers. It reminded her when she was a child, praying for hugs, kisses, acknowledgement of her accomplishments. Back then, her prayers were always answered the same way - no. She suspected that would be the case now. She hugged herself as her tears continued to cascade down her face.
"You know, while the neighborhood isn't horrible, I'd still prefer you to be wearing more than a t-shirt outside," Artie commented, coming up behind Quinn. Quinn said nothing as Artie stood behind her. "That was pretty big bomb you dropped. I can see why you fled the area."
"Sorry. I'll leave tomorrow."
"And come back tomorrow."
Quinn's forehead wrinkled. "Why? Why would you want me to come back? I broke the rules!"
Artie leaned down and kissed her head while wrapping her in a powerful hug. Quinn did not understand and halfheartedly fought to be released. When Artie just held her tighter, she fell against the taller woman. She took a deep breath as she leaned into Artie.
"I want you to come back for the same reason I want you here in the first place. I want you to be happy, to feel safe, and wanted. I want to protect you from all of the horrors in the world. I want to do everything possible to put a smile on your face, princess," Artie stated.
"Really?" Quinn sniffled.
"I haven't been with another woman all year, Quinn. I gave a couple of halfhearted attempts at being with another woman, but nothing stuck and it didn't matter to me. That's never happened to me before since I lost my virginity and calling you a friend at this point would be lying to myself, even though I've been trying to do it to save face because I didn't want to scare you off. I broke my own rules. I didn't even notice because I'm more than happy being with you and only you. I don't know when, where, or even why we've ended up like this, but I don't want to change it."
"What are you saying?" Her heart dared to hope.
"I love you, too. It scares me to say it, to feel it, but it's there. It's there and I wouldn't trade it in for anything, no matter how much it scares me. I love you and I never want to let you go." She held Quinn even tighter, burying her nose in Quinn's hair.
Fresh tears sprang to her eyes as she turned to bury her face in Artie's chest. She breathed in the subtle, soothing scent of Artie that was wrapped in her dark cotton t-shirt. Artie pressed her close and kissed the top of her head again. She was at a loss for words.
"Can we go back inside? We can talk more," Artie suggested.
Quinn could only nod. She allowed Artie to lead her back to the room and they lay down in bed. She cried herself to sleep before they could talk, but Artie held her the entire time.
Quinn was about to leave for class, but Artie called her down to their room first. As soon as Quinn was down the stairs, Artie was on her, kissing her with all of the emotion that she could muster. Quinn let out a cute whine as they parted.
"I still love you and want you to come back," Artie stated.
"I … I …" Quinn's brow furrowed and for a second Artie feared that she had screwed up. But, then a bright smile lit up that beautiful face. "I love you, too, and I'll be back. I still want to touch you."
Artie's knees wobbled. "I've never felt like this before, but I enjoy it. I want everything with you." Yes, it scared her because she had only seen two functional relationships in her life, her grandparents and Yvonne and Vega. She was not sure if she had it in her to make a relationship work, but she was damn sure ready to try. She needed Quinn and she would do her best to keep her.
"Me, too. Me, too." She kissed Artie before continuing. "It's so much, this feeling, you, but I want all of it, all of you." She began bouncing on her heels.
Artie laughed. "Then, we'll work toward that together. But, right now, you need to go or you'll be late, princess."
Quinn laughed and moved in for another kiss. It was beyond anything that Artie had ever experienced, sending hot lightning down every nerve. She had to fight every impulse to pull Quinn down to the bed and make love to her. If they did not have to breathe, she doubted the kiss would have ever ended.
"Tonight," Quinn panted.
Artie nodded. "Sure you don't want me to drive you? It's a long way."
"I'll be okay and it's not like the class gets out at ten. I'm not driving late or anything."
"Okay, take your time. We'll be here. We'll always be here. I'll always be here."
"I know." And the smile on her face made Artie love her all the more. She suspected the feeling would continue to grow.
Quinn could not believe it as her royal purple gown flowed around her legs as she crossed the stage with her faux-diploma in hand. She looked out into the audience, hoping to spot her family. The crowd was too massive, though, and she hurried off stage. She was about to retreat to where she had last seen everybody, but was suddenly ambushed as someone grabbed her hand to shake.
"Thomas!" she yelped, facing her former boyfriend.
"Hey, Quinn. Congratulations. I was waiting for you. You look good," Thomas commented with a smile lighting up his brown face.
"Uh … thanks," she replied. She had not seen much of him in the past two years considering how big the campus was and they had two completely different majors, thus took totally different classes. She was fine with that. She had been busy, after all.
"There she is!" Quinn did not have much time to figure who "she" was as she was hit in the legs by an overly enthusiastic five-year-old. She grunted as Diana, now taller, climbed on her to get her to pick her up.
"We got tons of pictures!" The twins proclaimed together, holding up a camera and a cell phone. At fifteen, they had somehow gotten into the habit of speaking at the same time and saying the same thing, but looked very different now. Venus had grown her hair out and liked having it in curls while Aphrodite had cut most of her hair off to have a cute spiky style. Venus' clothing choice was a cross between alternative and preppy while Aphrodite had gone full skater punk on them. They both still played softball and spent every waking moment together, but seemed to have so little in common.
"Of course you did," Quinn grinned at them.
"We need more pictures, though. Where's the other lady of the hour?" Tori asked. Her husband pointed behind them.
"I'm coming, Nana! Just had to get a few things!" Artie declared as she bounded over with roses and a balloon. She was wearing a golden cap and gown.
"I already got balloons, Art," Tia huffed, clearly upset that Artie had copied her gift. She had gotten a little hostile recently, perhaps starting to feel overshadowed by her older siblings and underappreciated.
"It's all right, Tia. I like yours better because they all have my favorite color. Besides, you got me three and Artie only got me one." Quinn leaned down to give the twelve-year-old a kiss on the cheek, which definitely pepped her up. Tia had the nerve to smirk at Artie and Quinn could not help laughing. She had taken to giving Tia a little extra attention, which always seemed to be just the thing Tia needed.
Artie only laughed; she liked the way Quinn handled her sisters. She then noticed Thomas and stepped over to Quinn. Quinn smiled and gathered Artie's arm in her hand.
"Artie, meet Thomas. He was just over here to congratulate me," Quinn said with a sickeningly sweet smile.
"Thanks, Thomas, but the congratulations are a little early. We're not getting married until the end of the month," Artie stated with a saccharine smile of her own.
"Ma-ma-married?" he sputtered with wide eyes and stepped back.
"Yeah, they're getting married and we get to be bridesmaids!" Juno reported while excitement. She bounced on her heels.
"But-but-but," Thomas could not get out what he wanted to say.
"I'll try to remember to send you an invitation. It's going to be so beautiful," Quinn said to her former boyfriend.
"Wha?" he muttered. "You're getting married? To her?" He pointed to Artie.
"Yeah, I'm still shocked that she said yes. I hope she doesn't change her mind," Artie commented with a smile.
"Uh … congratulations," Thomas mumbled, but it was not clear who he was talking to or what he was talking about because he was eyeing his feet. He looked past them, as if he saw someone he knew, and muttered a farewell. He backed away from the scene and Artie chuckled a little.
"Speaking of bridesmaids, has anyone seen my maid of honor?" Quinn wondered aloud.
"She's with my 'best man' and groomswoman, plotting or something," Artie replied, pointing to a tree not too far at the edge of the quad. There stood Morgan with Vega and Yvonne. Morgan had on a gown identical to Quinn's while Vega had on a gown like Artie. Yvonne was in regular clothes.
Quinn shook her head. "That can only mean trouble."
Artie waved it off. "Let them have their fun."
"Let them have their fun? They're planning to ruin my resort with their antics, like when they had your birthday party there," a familiar voice said from behind them. They turned to find Vega's father, Mahmoud Nasri, behind them with Anna.
"I told you don't let them use the resort for the bachelorette parties," Anna scolded him.
He smiled and it lit up his golden brown eyes. "You want me to refuse my one and only daughter while she's making her puppy eyes and she's got Yvonne over her shoulder doing the exact same thing?" He scoffed.
"You're lucky you only have one," Anna laughed.
"More would've bankrupted him," Artie remarked.
"Or hospitalized him," Anna added on.
He waved it off. "Just try to make sure Vega or Yvonne catches the bouquet, so they can get the hint. I've been outright telling Vega to propose and she looks at me as if I've gone mad. They've been friends for eight years, together for four. What more does she want before she finally makes an honest woman out of Yvonne and gives her papa some grandchildren?" He threw his hands up in exasperation, which Vega was good for when it came to her father.
There was laughter and the conspiring trio joined the group. Congratulations were given to all of the graduates. Quinn would be back to school in the fall for her master's degree. Tori had made it clear that she needed to go at least that far. She hoped that she could complete her master's in a year like Artie and Vega had done. Vega was going to work for her father with a business masters under her belt while Yvonne was in law school. Morgan was going to medical school and Artie was working while also going for her PhD in psychology.
Over breaks, the couple stayed with Anna. She had gotten better, as promised. Actually, much of the time now, she sided with Quinn on things or helped Quinn prod Artie into things. Artie took it all in stride, knowing her mother was mostly doing that because she wanted to like Quinn. Life was good as far as they were both concerned.
But, best of all, Quinn and Artie were together, officially in a relationship and totally in love. They had an apartment on campus. They were getting married. They were planning for the future. Quinn held Artie's hand and Artie squeezed back.
"Come on, celebration family lunch," Artie announced and they all left the ceremony. Quinn grinned; this was her family. Artie was her family.
The end.
Thanks for reading my story. I hoped you enjoyed it. I also hope you show up for my next story. Thanks for the support. Hasta...