The Story of Us - Quinn Fabray

Like father, like son

Quinn's heart skipped a beat when she heard the doorbell, her curiosity piqued by the unexpected visitor. She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and hurried to answer, her brows furrowing in surprise when she found her boyfriend standing on her doorstep. His presence caught her off guard, his familiar figure illuminated by the soft glow of the porch light.

"Isaac," she greeted, her voice tinged with surprise. His appearance was disheveled, his hair slightly damp under his cap, and he wore a jacket over his hockey jersey, sweatpants, and sneakers. There was a heaviness in his eyes that she couldn't quite place, and her heart clenched with concern.

"Can I come in?" he asked hesitantly, his breath visible in the chilly night air. She nodded silently, stepping aside to let him in before closing the door behind him. She watched as he trailed behind her as she returned to the kitchen, resuming her task with a sense of unease.

Isaac stood awkwardly by the doorway, his gaze fixed on the floor as he struggled to find the right words. Finally, he spoke, his voice soft and tinged with vulnerability.

"Emily was the first girl who saw me for who I was," he began, his words hesitant as if testing the waters. "She didn't see my last name, she didn't see me as Jacob Hargrave's son, she didn't see the orphan boy that everyone felt sorry for or pity for. To her, I was just Isaac, at least for a while."

"I know it sounds fucked up," he admitted, his voice cracking slightly. "But Emily taught me what love was. She showed me what it was like to love someone so deeply that they consume your every thought, your every breath."

Her heart constricted at his words, she had never heard Isaac speak so openly about his past, about the scars that still lingered beneath the surface. And in that moment, she realized just how much he had been shaped by his experiences, by the love and loss that had molded him into the person standing before her.

"We weren't perfect either. We both had our problems—I wasn't the person I am now, and she wasn't the person she is now. And our concept of love was distorted. Without realizing it, we were both using ourselves and our bodies to fill a void inside us."

Quinn halted her task, setting down the knife as she regarded him with newfound attentiveness. There was a mix of resignation and acceptance to his words, a depth of experience that seemed to age him beyond his years.

"When Emily confessed to me that she was pregnant, I was scared at first," he continued, his tone tinged with melancholy. "But then I was happy. I had always wanted to be a father, and despite the less than ideal circumstances, I saw it as an opportunity. I promised her that I would take care of the baby, that I would do whatever it took to provide for them. I worked tirelessly to support them. Every bill, every medication, every article of clothing—I made sure they had everything they needed."

"Being a parent at fifteen is terrifying for anyone, but I believed that we could be good parents. I never blamed Emily, you know? I was upset, yes, but I understood her decision. Fear can drive us to make choices we never thought possible. I had enough money to provide for both of them, and she chose the safest option. Who wouldn't do the same in her position? "

A hollow laugh escaped him, the bitterness of his past echoing in the empty sound and she felt a swell of compassion for him, her heart breaking at the pain etched on his features.

"I ran into her by surprise about a month ago," Isaac's tentative smile softened his features, a flicker of warmth entering his eyes. "It was Kyle who bumped into me. That's when I learned he was Emily's son. We caught up that afternoon, and she told me she was raising him alone—that Kyle's father wasn't in the picture."

Quinn observed the subtle shift in her boyfriend's demeanor, noting the pride that crept into his voice as he spoke of Kyle. It was evident that he cared deeply for the young boy despite everything that had happened between his mother and him and it was both endearing and heartbreaking.