Characters: Quinn & her mother Billie
Setting: Evening, the 26th, at the VanRen home in NY
Content: Probably a wee bit of language.
Summary: Quinn goes through a portion of the holidays that's become a staple.



Snow was already falling. They weren't calling for as much there as they were other places relatively close, but Quinn was still not planning on going outside. She preferred looking out through the windows to see the snow creating a white blanket on the visible grounds than to actually be out in it. Living in New Orleans with her Uncle spoiled her, really. Snow was worse now than it had been before she was pushed out of the house.

Every winter served as another reminder of how much she hated being there. She hated the cold more with each passing year, hated the snow, hated hearing about 'Christmas cheer' and how everyone used this time of year to get together as a nice cuddly family. The Van Rensselaers were anything but a cuddly or nice family. At least where their eldest child was concerned.

Christmas morning she found herself being dragged from the warmth of her bed in order to go downstairs and exchange gifts. She got to sit back and watch her little brother open a lap full of gifts where all she had to do was open a card and one small box. Everyone 'Ooh-ed' and 'Aah-ed' at what Alex received. They took pictures. They went on and on about stories from past years, none of which included her. Only occasionally she was addressed. Not enough to make her presence feel justified.

Then came dinner. Everyone took their places at the long table and Quinn kept looking longingly at the other end where her Uncle Noah and his wife were seated. She knew that if she'd been placed with them, she might have at least enjoyed her dinner a little bit. Instead she mostly ate in silent, answered the few questions thrown her way about how school was going, and excused herself from the table as soon as she was able.

The members of the family that stayed overnight had gone home in the morning, leaving her alone with her parents and her brother. They still spent more time wondering where he was than worrying about her, so she was left in relative peace. Unfortunately, along with that peace came complete boredom. That was where Quinn found herself standing in the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate as she watched the snow falling outside.

"Where's your brother?"

Quinn's head whipped around at the unexpected voice. Her mother, dressed in her Sunday finest, was standing across the room from her with her hands on her hips. Quinn gave a small shrug and went to finish off her cocoa. She had the feeling she wasn't going to want to be there for very long. "How the hell am I supposed to know? I'm not his keeper."

That didn't make her mother leave. "Well where was he the last time you saw him?" She could pick out the mistrust in her mother's voice. It was dancing just a few degrees off an accusation. She heard this tone almost every time she was home when her brother was as well.

"Last I saw him, he was in the sitting room. Before your sisters left." Quinn frowned and moved over to the sink to dispose of the cup. One of the hired help would take care of it. "Don't worry, mama. I haven't laid a finger on him and where ever he is, he's perfectly safe." There was a bite to her tone, to her words, and she saw the small twitch of Billie's eye as she stood her ground. It almost made Quinn smile.

Here was the difference from the previous year. At this point Billie took the hint and left, although she always left annoyed. Quinn always bit back with a similar response when her parents began to show their overprotective nature about her brother. She loved him to death, despite what she had done in her youth, and wouldn't harm him. Her parents would never trust that. But this year, her mother bit back. "Well if you weren't such an angry, violent, and troubled child, I wouldn't have to be concerned about the safety of my son."

For a moment, that simple statement made Quinn simply stare at her mother. Sure, indirect comments had been made. Never, ever before had her mother actually came out and said it. The anger Billie specifically mentioned came boiling to the surface as she took several steps closer to her mother. Bringing them close enough where Quinn could hiss her reply without being heard by the rest of the house.

"You only have yourself and father to blame for that, mother. I was young and what I did was stupid, and I will never do anything of the sort again. But it was all because of you. You had your precious heir and I didn't matter anymore. I was alone. I was hurt. I was betrayed all for the sake of someone with a dick. Someone dad could be proud of because he couldn't ever be proud of me." Quinn's face was practically red with anger but, still, she didn't stop. Not when the wide-eyed look of her mother was so encouraging. "I am angry, violent, and troubled because I was practically abandoned. Shunned and then exiled, passed from house to house. All because of you."

Billie's mouth was hanging open in shock. Quinn guessed that it was both due to what she said and the fact she had the gall to say it. "Quinn... I..."

"No," She quickly cut her mother off and went to move past her. She wanted out. She didn't want to deal with his. The last words out of her mouth before she left the kitchen was a very firm, "Fuck you."

Tags: !complete, quinn van rensselaer