(no subject)

[rainbowruse]

Title: Tricks Lead To Treats
Author: rainbowruse
Rating: PG
Length: 10,859
Spoilers: Up to and including S2 episode 3 (roughly)
Summary: Rachel is determined to prove just how fun she is to Finn and Halloween provides her with the perfect opportunity. Typically Rachel concocts an elaborate plan to capture Finn's attention, but in the middle of it all she loses sight of her original goal when Quinn Fabray presents herself in a new light. Faberry.

This was supposed to be for the Halloween Challenge, but I hadn't quite finished it and it was all hand-written. I've obviously finished it now, so here it is for your enjoyment, albeit a bit late. =]

-----------------------------------

Rachel Berry stood by Finn Hudson’s locker, positively gaping at him as he continued to bumble through his piece, even under her scrutiny.

“I know we said we’d stay together Rachel, but is having some fun while we’re at it so difficult?”

Rachel made an indignant noise, “Are you saying that what we do together isn’t fun, Finn? That you don’t enjoy being intimate with me?”

Finn hurried to right that misunderstanding, “No, no, that stuff is great. I meant, you know, hanging out or whatever.”

“We do ‘hang out’ Finn! I do not understand where your dissatisfaction is coming from.”

“Practicing for Glee isn’t hanging out Rachel!” He sighed, running a large hand through his hair. “I mean, normal stuff, seeing movies, going to the arcade or whatever. I just want to be able to have a good time with you.”

“So that’s how you feel Finn?” Rachel’s voice was low and somewhat dangerous. Finn just nodded slowly, having enough sense to look apprehensive at least.

“Ok then.” She said, turning and storming away, leaving a confused Finn in her wake.

“Fun?!” Rachel muttered fiercely to herself, “I’ll show him fun! Rachel Berry is the fun master!” A dark frown was set on Rachel’s features and her eyes gleamed in an almost sinister way. She whisked into the library like a storm cloud, growling low and looking threatening. If the bookshelf she was bearing down on had been sentient it would have broken out in a fearful sweat. As it was the bookshelf met none of the requirements for fear sweat (Though this may change soon enough, with the research into bio-organic implants funded by one Sue Sylvester*) so it merely stood stock still as Rachel removed a book from one of its shelves.

Like a tiny library ninja Rachel darted from shelf to shelf, snatching up various volumes and tucking them under her arm. The Ultimate Pranksters Guide, All Hallows Eve; A History, Holiday Sweets and The Costumer’s Handbook. With the stack of books hugged close to her chest Rachel made her way over to the check out desk. “I’ll show them the meaning of fun!” She muttered as she past she walked past the shelving that house the Encyclopedias, Thesauruses and Dictionaries. Her eyes caught on the sign and she hesitated briefly before reaching out for an Oxford, just in case.

As the Librarian checked her books out Rachel leafed through the dictionary;

Fun
Spelled [fuhn] how IPA noun, verb, funned, fun•ning, adjective

-noun
1. something that provides mirth or amusement: A picnic would be fun.

2. enjoyment or playfulness: She's full of fun.

-verb (used without object), verb (used with object)
3. Informal . joke; kid.

-adjective
4. Informal . of or pertaining to fun, esp. to social fun: a fun thing to do; really a fun person.

5. Informal . whimsical; flamboyant: The fashions this year are definitely on the fun side.
-Idioms

6. for / infun, as a joke; not seriously; playfully: His insults were only in fun.

7. like fun, Informal . certainly not; of doubtful truth: He told us that he finished the exam in an hour. Like fun he did!

8. make fun of, to make the object of ridicule; deride: The youngsters made fun of their teacher.

Rachel frowned as she contemplated the definition in silence, worrying her lower lip with her teeth, before she was interrupted by the Librarian.

“There you are, dear.” She said, patting the books.

Rachel looked up and smiled, closing the dictionary and placing it back on the counter.

“Say, you’re in that Glee Club, aren’t you?” Rachel nodded, taking the stack of books from the counter, suddenly perplexed. “Have your little friends thought about my proposal?”

‘What?’

“Ah, I’m sure they’re considering it?”

“Oh good! I’ll tell the pastor.”

Rachel just smiled and nodded, having no idea what to say. Once she had gotten over her confusion and after making a note to ask Glee club just what kind of proposal had been made, Rachel went to her locker, deposited the library books and grabbed her folder for her next class.

--

Quinn’s breath puffed out in bursts of steam the air from her burning lungs hitting the crisp morning air as she jogged through the park. U2 pumped through her earbuds, literally. The opening strains of Beautiful Day stirred her heart a little as her feet hit the concrete in time.

I know I’m not a hopeless case.

What you don’t have, you don’t need it now
What you don’t know you can feel it somehow
What you don’t have you don’t need it now
Don’t need it now

It was quiet pre-dawn in Lima, but it usually was at any time of the day. She had only passed two other joggers that morning, two men; one tall African American and a comparatively short Caucasian running side by side. Her early morning run took her from her house to the park, which she lapped a couple of times before heading home. It gave her time to think, or not think, whatever struck her fancy.

This year she was taking time for herself, to readjust. Rejoining the Cheerios had been a necessary step. Her mother and their relationship was another, but that was progressing slower than Quinn had hoped. Old habits died hard. She needed the stability that a family could offer, and though Judy was willing, she wasn’t quite ready.

Quinn often missed the comfort of having one person all to herself, and their unconditional love and dependence.

No, not Finn.

Beth.

For those nine months she’d had something that belonged to her like none of the material things that she possessed. At first she’d been scared, terrified really. Considering the circumstances of the conception and just who she was, just who her parents were, it was understandable. But not even for a moment did it occur to her that she could discard the life growing within her. It was instantly a part of her, she was instantly a part of Quinn, as much as her arm or leg. And as her baby grew, she felt her love for it grow, even though she had known, much like she knew she couldn’t abort the child, that she couldn’t keep the baby once it was born.

Quinn supposed she could thank her upbringing for both of these ‘gut feelings’. Her father always preached that each life was sacred (though he often raved about how ‘all those faggots should die’ contrarily). It was also him who highlighted the importance of good grades and success in life. If you wanted to be happy, he told Quinn, then you had to be successful and attend church every Sunday.

Aside from what Russell had said, Quinn knew that if she kept the child it would sentence her to life in Lima. It had pained her to give Beth away, though she would avoid admitting it. And then there was Puck. She winced every time she remembered ‘giving it up’. And she had given up so much with that single indiscretion. She’d understood her motivations though. Puck was handsome, in a raw, masculine kind of way. Anyone with eyes could see that. He was also funny and sometimes he knew just what to say. But she regretted it.

Her first time should have been sober and special. And the ‘You’re not fat’ should have been an ‘I love you, Quinn.’ Naturally they shared a connection, what with the conceiving of a baby and all. That didn’t bind them together permanently though. The only thing she really had to go off was the ‘test drive’, and if that was any indication then it wasn’t looking good for ‘Puckasaurus’. She scoffed good-naturedly as she turned a corner, shaking her head. She couldn’t dislike him, but he really wasn’t boyfriend material.

She jogged up outside her house, kicked off her Nikes at the door and ran up the stairs. Her mom yelled a greeting after her which she returned before holing up in the bathroom for the best part of her run, the shower. When she emerged in the midst of a cloud of steam she felt infinitely better.

Her Cheerio’s uniform was laid out on her bed, freshly ironed. Quinn smiled. Her mom really was trying. When she descended the stairs and walked through into the kitchen she found her mother hovering over the stove flipping pancakes. Taking a place at the table she leaned on her hand and relaxed, listening to her mom hum a song she used to sing to Quinn when she was little.

Say it’s only a paper moon
Hanging over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn’t be make-believe
If you believed in me

With a practised motion Judy flipped two pancakes on to a plate and set it down in front of Quinn. “Thanks mom.”

“That’s ok dear. Help yourself to fruit.” She motioned to the bowl of chopped strawberries and bananas on the table.

“Quinn, honey.” Judy said once they were both seated. Quinn looked up from her pancakes, which she was dousing in maple syrup. “I was wondering if you could do me favour?”

Quinn kept her gaze leveled on her mother which Judy must have taken as permission to continue, “You know how we’re having an All Souls service down at the church?”

Quinn nodded slowly, unsure of what would be asked of her. “Well a few of the families have little ones who want to go trick or treating, and I was hoping you could take them?”

There was a pause as Quinn thought about it. Judy hurried to make the offer more appealing. “It’d only be for a little while, and they’re good kids. The ones that are too little to really grasp the concept of All Hallows Eve or All Souls Day.”

“Ok mom.” Quinn replied.

“So you will then?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Judy smiled radiantly, “Oh, thank you Quinnie! The kids will be thrilled!”

Quinn nodded, ignoring the pet name. She wasn’t particularly sure how she felt about it, but she couldn’t bring herself to deprive the kids of a chance to trick or treat. After breakfast she bid her mom goodbye and drove to school.

--

Rachel sat hunched over a bolt of satin, carefully measuring out a length. She was determined to get it right.

‘Surely it’s as simple as following the instructions.’ She had told herself.

Dashing out a chalk line across the black material took up all her concentration, the tip of her tongue peeked out from between her teeth as she worked. Her phone chirped on her bedside table but she ignored it like she had been all afternoon. Nothing would distract her from her mission, and besides she had a feeling it was just Finn calling to apologise.

‘By the end of this he’ll be contrite, or so help me I’ll..’ She paused, looking up for her work, searching her brain for a viable course of action.

‘He will be sorry! So there’s no need to worry about the ‘what ifs’’ She smiled to herself and looked back down at the satin, nodding to affirm her thoughts.

Painstakingly Rachel followed the line she had drawn, slicing through the material easily with a pair of sowing scissors that dwarfed her hands. The books she had borrowed were spread out on her bed, open at various pages with colour-coded post-it tabs marking points of interest.

Her daddy had come home to find her up to her elbows in apples that evening. He greeted her with a smile, “What are you up to sweetheart?”

“Making candy apples daddy, for Halloween.” He smiled again indulgently and wrapped Rachel in a one armed hug.

“Just remember to clean up, ok? I’ll be in the study if you need anything.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead before releasing her.

“Ok daddy.” Rachel chimed, turning back to the toffee that was now bubbling over on the stove.

“!” Rachel squeaked, tugging on her dad’s sleepy kitten oven mitts before wrestling the saucepan off the stove top.

As the roiling toffee calmed Rachel dared to prod a wooden spoon into it, only to find that it was burnt at the bottom. She sighed heavily, wondering for a moment if her complex plan was really worth the effort, before rerouting her train of thought so that it pulled in at Confidence Station.

‘Of course it’s going to be worth it! Finn won’t respect me unless I show him how much fun I can be. With this, there’s no way he can deny my fun-ness!’

Halloween found the Berry household done up in truly spook-tacular style. ‘Cobwebs’ hung from the awnings; dark, mysterious figures were silhouetted in the windows. Jack-o'-lanterns lined the path up to the front door.

Santana and Brittany walked down the road, pinkies linked and swaying between them in the cool evening air. Rachel was traipsing around her yard as they passed, tweaking this and that.

“Hey, S.” Brittany started,

“Yeah B?” Santana asked, looking over to her friend, who looked particularly adorable in her duck costume.

“Isn’t that Rachel?” Santana’s eyes narrowed, zeroing in on a little green and black figure putting the finishing touches on a zombie in mid-lurch, halfway out of a hedge. His vacant eyes were half rolled back into his head and his jaw hung loosely from his skull. In short, he looked quite terrifying, but Santana just snorted.

“Yeah, I think so. Looks like she’s in her element, too; cackling like a witch and dancing like a deranged midget.”

Rachel was indeed dancing gleefully, her plan was coming to fruition after all. When Brittany dragged Santana over by their joined hands Rachel turned to greet them, surprise evident on her face.

She went with a simple, “Hello you two.” as a greeting. She paused for a moment before adding, “Nice costumes.”

Brittany smiled, “I’m a duck!”

Santana cocked a hip, smirking, “At least your fashion sense isn’t completely dead, Berry. Even you can’t deny the hotness that is this outfit.”

Santana was dressed as Catwoman, complete with leather whip (currently coiled and secured to her utility belt).

Rachel nodded, “Apt.” she said.

“I think it’s hot!” Brittany chirped.

Santana turned her head to her friend, allowing a small smile to slip past her defences.

“Thanks, B. You make a cute duck.”

Brittany beamed, before leaning in to press a kiss to Santana’s cheek. Rachel cleared her throat, causing Santana’s gaze to cut across to her.

“Not a word, Berry.”

Rachel nodded rapidly.

Santana looked around the yard, stroking a thumb over the back of Brittany’s hand absent-mindedly.

“What’s with all of this anyway?”

Rachel turned to look the house over, chuckling proudly,

“This,” she said, “is operation Loki.”

Santana raised a single, well groomed eyebrow.

“Do I even want to know?”

Rachel huffed, resisting the urge to stomp her foot petulantly.

“Finn told me that I was no fun. I plan to prove him wrong, obviously.”

“Is the man-boy really worth all this trouble Berry?”

“Of course! I’m sure Finn would go to even greater lengths to reassure me…” her sentence trailed off into obscurity.

Santana shot her a ‘really?’ look and Rachel hung her head.

“Well..,” she started, trying to redeem her boyfriend, mostly for her own benefit, “He may not got to these lengths, but I know he loves me.”

Santana sighed exasperatedly,

“If you know that, then why prove anything to him at all?”

She grabbed Brittany, who was examining the zombie behind Rachel with intense fascination, and dragged her off up the street, tossing a “Later, Berry!” over her shoulder.

Brittany snapped to and grinned, waving, “Bye Rachel! Bye Chadwick!”

Rachel held an otherwise limp arm in the air, waving them off. She turned back to Chadwick, wondering just how Brittany knew his name as she readjusted his jaw.

“Maybe Santana’s right.” She heaved a deep sigh, her fingers brushing past the zombie’s exposed massateur and coming away red. “Maybe I’m trying too hard for something that should be easy, Chadwick.” The zombie just stared skyward, vacantly. Rachel smiled sadly and turned to go inside.

--

Quinn had four kids hanging off her, in various costumes. One little boy was dressed as Noah (the biblical one); long robes, fake beard and an olive branch in hand. The others had gotten off easier; a skeleton, a ghost and a witch. They had already hit most of the good streets (Quinn recalled a few from when she was younger, and not much had changed) and were heading toward what would probably be the last street of their route.

As they had zigzagged through Lima, Quinn had found herself confronted with many conflicting emotions. She was delighting (yes, her. Quinn Fabray; delighted!) in the expressions on each of their tiny faces. She found herself wondering if she had been the same as a child. Most of all she wondered if she had kept Beth what would trick or treating together have been like? What kinds of expressions would have appeared on her daughters face as they walked together, hand in hand, in the crisp autumn air?

Quinn’s eyes misted over as she thought of her daughter. Her imaginings were interrupted by a tiny voice calling,

“Miss Quinn, Miss Quinn! Can we go to that house? It looks super spooky!”

Quinn’s eyes followed the little boy’s pointing finger, spotting the house across the street. She turned to the kids and smiled softly.

“Sure. Hold my hand while we cross the road?”

The children obediently linked hands with each other and Quinn and they crossed the street, coming to stand in front of the ‘spooky house’. A tiny hand wrapped into the fabric of her sundress and tugged gently.

Quinn looked down to see the little witch looking up at her with wide eyes, “Miss Qwinn, I don’t wanna go, I’m scawed.”

Quinn knelt down beside the little girl, taking her hand, “You don’t have to scared sweetheart. I’m going to take care of you.” She said. “and so are the boys, right guys?”

“Yeah!” the skeleton, Noah and the ghost all yelled, jumping around enthusiastically and being generally adorable.

The little witch looked at Quinn and smiled tremulously, “Ok Miss Qwinn.”

So they linked hands again and walked up the path lined with jack-o'-lanterns.

When they reached the front door two options presented themselves. Below the doorbell was a little label that said ‘Treat’ with a little gold star after it. Quinn raised an eyebrow, suddenly suspicious. A tasselled rope hung next to the doorbell. The label under it said ‘Trick’ followed by a little bat sticker. It was a cute gimmick she had to admit, but with little hesitation she pressed the doorbell.

After a few moments the door swung inwards, revealing a little green witch, whose eyebrows disappeared under the brim of her pointed hat upon seeing who was at her door.

“Quinn?” the witch said.

“Berry?” Quinn replied incredulously.

“Trick or treat!” the kids hollered, drawing Quinn and Rachel’s attention to them.

“One moment children!” Rachel said in a singsong voice, disappearing into the house. She returned with five colourful packages and gave one to each child before presenting Quinn with one, too.

“I took the liberty of preparing pre-packaged candy bags. There’s a variety of treats in there, mostly home-made. I think this method proves to be much more hygienic than a communal candy bowl.”

Quinn looked down at the package she was holding (it was a lovely shade of lavender) in quiet awe.

“Thank you!” the kids chorused, stowing their packages away in their candy bags and darting around Quinn in an impromptu game of tag. Quinn tucked the package into one of the pockets in her sun dress.

“So, what brings you out with these children on Halloween Quinn?” Rachel asked, as blunt as always.

“I’m doing a favour for my mom. What about you? Why go to all this trouble?” Quinn asked, gesturing to the front yard and the porch.

Rachel looked almost ashamed for a second, “I was trying to prove how fun I can be.”

Quinn’s eyebrow raised of its own volition, “Prove to who, exactly?” Rachel mumbled her answer and despite straining to hear, Quinn didn’t catch it.

“I can’t hear it when you mumble like that Berry.”

“Finn.” Rachel said with a sigh.

Quinn scoffed, “Honestly, did last week not prove anything to you?”

Rachel nodded, “of course, and thank you by the way, but Finn said only a couple of days ago that he wasn’t having any fun with me, and that he wanted to do ‘normal things’ This was all to show him that I’m plenty of fun, but something Santana said made me think that I shouldn’t have to, he should love me just how I am.”

Quinn was thrown. Rachel had just made a rather personal admission. Though, that wasn’t really all that unusual for her, it was like she had no concept of censorship.

Thoughts such as; ‘Santana gave Berry advice?’, ‘Man, Finn is an idiot.’ And ‘Is Berry going to dump him?’ cropped up in quick succession.

“Anyway,” Rachel began before she was interrupted by the little boy in the skeleton suit,

“Miss Quinn, what’s this do?”

Without waiting for an answer he reached for the rope and pulled, Rachel’s scream of, “No!” coming too late.

It happened too fast for Quinn to process. A bucket full of flour that had been craftily concealed in the porch rafters was upended all over her. She managed to close her eyes just before the load hit her with an exaggerated ‘Whumph!’.

There was a heavy silence. It hung in the air until it was broken by a giggle, and not just any giggle, a giggle that came from Quinn Fabray.

Rachel’s jaw went slack for the second time in a week. Soon Quinn’s giggles turned into full blown laughter, sending puffs of flour into the air with each move she made.

The children, who had initially frozen like they’d been caught with a hand in the cookie jar, began to laugh with her.

“Miss Quinn!” the boy dressed as a ghost exclaimed, “You look like me now!”

Quinn, still laughing, reached over to the boy and ruffled the cowl of his costume. He squeaked and ducked away, calling “you can’t catch me!” and before long all of the kids had taken off after him into the yard, taunting Quinn, “Can’t catch us, Miss Quinn!”

Quinn grinned then. It was an expression so raw and beautiful that Rachel had to remind herself to breathe. Then Quinn was gone, trailing flour and lunging at the kids, “Wait ‘til I catch you!” the kids squealed, “I’ll give you to the witch for dinner!”

They laughed and darted between the trees and bushes. Rachel smiled, immediately deciding to play along; after all, any opportunity to practice her improvisation skills was welcome.

She stepped gingerly over the remaining flour on the porch before throwing caution to the wind and racing into the yard, “I have the perfect recipe for roasted children!” More squeals.

She and Quinn shared a small smile before returning to the chase. Quinn snagged the little witch first, hefting her wriggling, laughing form onto her shoulder as she reached out to grab Noah, who was trying to slip by her. She grabbed his robe and drew him in, “Gotcha!” The two kids laughed and squirmed, and Quinn looked to Rachel, “It’s up to you now, wicked witch of the west!”

Rachel grinned over at Quinn and crept up to a bush that was quivering mysteriously. “Boo!” she crowed, jumping around it to surprise the two boys hidden behind it.

“Ah!” they screamed and jumped up, racing over to Quinn. Rachel, who had been temporarily distracted by the shrill screams, looked over at Quinn, incredulity written all over her face.

“I’m the lesser of two evils, Berry.” Quinn smirked, throwing a wink in.

“Help Miss Quinn! The witch is scary!” Rachel smirked right back as an idea formed in her head.

She walked over to Quinn and the kids slowly, thinking out loud, “This situation calls for something.. though I cannot for the life of me recall the name of this particular activity,..” she eyed the kids massed around Quinn and her smirk widened as she raised her eyebrows in mock surprise, “Oh! I know.”

She paused for dramatic effect as she came to stand before them, “Dogpile!”

Quinn and the kids screamed as Rachel threw herself at them. With all of her years of training in dance and that self defence class her dads had insisted she take, she caught herself before she actually fell on them. She was in a pose reminiscent of the cat form in yoga. It took her a few moments to process that she was face to face with Quinn.

Their breath mingled, Rachel’s stirring the flour that remained on Quinn’s cheeks. Rachel felt herself blush at their proximity, and found herself thankful for the thick green paint that covered all of her skin that was visible. Then something wriggled next to her arm and she pitched to the left, landing on the grass on her back.

“Get her!” the little skeleton yelled and before long the kids were crushing the air out of Rachel’s lungs.

“Quinn!” she wheezed, “help!”

She couldn’t see the indulgent smile on Quinn’s face as she said, “Come on guys, give Rachel a break. It’s time to go to the next house.”

The kids groaned but rolled off Rachel, collected their candy bags from where they’d left them and gathered around Quinn, who was dusting her dress off as best she could.

“Bye Miss Rachel!” they chorused.

“Goodbye!” Rachel smiled at the sight of them walking away hand in hand.

Quinn turned to look back at her, “I don’t know what Finn’s thinking Berry, but I do know he’s wrong about you.” Rachel watched them until they disappeared behind next doors fence. A thoughtful smile played around her mouth as she moved to sweep up the flour on the porch.

Quinn strolled along with the kids (who for the most part had managed to entertain themselves), thinking. It had been the strangest thing, but when she and Berry had ended up in that awkward position it had felt as if the flour that covered her was actually inside her mouth. She swallowed at the memory.

‘Weird.’

If she didn’t know any better (and she most certainly did!) she could’ve sworn she had wanted to.. kiss Rachel. ‘But that’s ridiculous, of course. After all, Berry and Finn are practically married. They’ll work through this dispute.’ She thought, ignoring that she was ignoring why she might have felt that way. ‘If Finn even notices there’s something wrong.’ She rolled her eyes and shook her head. What Finn made up for in sweetness he most certainly lacked in intelligence.

The going was fairly easy for the rest of the candy run. The kids did most of the work, tugging her along to each house, calling “Trick or treat!”. As they came to the end of Rachel’s street Quinn glanced at her watch. It was about time that they started heading back.

Ignoring the groans of protest coming from her small party Quinn turned them around and they began the walk back. As they approached the Berry residence Quinn’s ears perked up at the sound of shouting. The kids clustered around her as they got closer, and the shouting got louder.

On Rachel’s front lawn stood Finn, red in the face and fists clenched as Rachel let him have it.

“And furthermore, Finn” Rachel spat angrily, her tone all the more effective now that she was out of her costume, “I’ve realised that this isn’t going to work!” She took a deep breath before continuing, “I hope we can still be friends.” She said firmly, her tone calmer.

She stared Finn down, waiting for an answer. His broad shoulders sagged, the colour in his cheeks and neck went down and his fists uncurled as he looked at her.

“I’d like to be friends.” He said, with a weak smile.

Rachel visibly relaxed and the tension in the air drained away. The kids must have sensed it because they were suddenly rushing towards Rachel, looking for an ally.

“Miss Rachel! Miss Quinn’s making us go home and we don’t wanna!” The little skeleton shouted as they scrambled to the porch. The other kids nodded in agreement, coming to a stop as they reached Rachel. They looked up imploringly as they clutched at her skirt with their little hands.

Finn looked at them, puzzled. Rachel looked up and her eyes found Quinn. Rachel’s smile was radiant and, although she tried to stop herself, Quinn blushed a little as she smiled back.

“Now guys. Quinn’s just looking out for you. You don’t want to get eaten by an errant ghost or ghoul because you’re out too late tonight, do you?” They shook their heads, looking worried at the prospect of being eaten, and rightly so.

“See? It’s best if you go home now. So be good for Quinn, ok?”

“Ok.”

“Will you walk with us, Miss Rachel?” The little Noah asked, twirling the olive branch between his hands.

Rachel hesitated, her hands dropping to her sides before she glanced back to the house. “I’m not sure. Let me just ask my dads if they’ll take over candy duty.” Rachel bounded inside, and the kids looked to Quinn, who was making her way over. Finn stood still, watching her approach with wary eyes.

“What’re you doing here?” he asked, once she had herded the kids back together.

“A favour for my mom.”

‘I’m getting sick of saying that, and I’ve only said it twice.’ She thought, exasperated.

Quinn looked at Finn then, really looked at him. His posture screamed defeat, she couldn’t abide the thought of laying into him right now.

“Sorry about Rachel.” She offered, and he sighed, palming his hair back.

“Yeah, me too.” He replied, looking to the house with sad eyes. Quinn grit her teeth.

There was silence for a good minute before he turned away, “I’m going to go. Tell Rach I said bye?”

Quinn nodded, not trusting herself to speak for some reason. As he lumbered away Quinn shook her head.

“Miss Qwinn, he was taaawwl!” the little witch piped up from her side. Quinn didn’t summon the smile that appeared on her face as she looked down at the little girl. It simply came without being called.

“Ahem.” Quinn looked up, that smile still on her face, to see Rachel standing there.

--

Rachel had bounded inside to find her two fathers in the sitting room. Her Daddy was reading the paper and her Dad was typing on his laptop with his brow furrowed. She hesitated again, she didn’t want to disrupt them, but she just had to ask.

“Dad, Daddy?” She began, and they both looked up, “Could you please man the candy station for an hour or so? Some children have asked me to accompany them on their walk home and I don’t want to disappoint them. Also, they are with someone from Glee that I’d like to get to know better and,”

“Is it Finn?” Her Daddy asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No.” Rachel replied evenly, hoping Finn had left already.

“Ok then Rachel, but remember you have to tidy when you get home.”

“Of course Daddy! You have cultivated within me an innate sense of duty, so I shall see to the cleaning when I return.”

Her dad smiled, “Be safe Sweetheart.”

“I will! Thank you Dad, Daddy.” She bounced over and pecked them both on the cheek before skipping back out. She stepped onto the frout porch to see that Finn had indeed left and that Quinn and the kids were clustered at the foot of the porch stairs. She cleared her throat with a smile and five heads snapped up to look.

The first thing that Rachel noticed was that Quinn was smiling, really smiling. Her eyes glowed with happiness, with tenderness that physically warmed Rachel. It was such a beautiful sight to behold that Rachel wondered why Quinn didn’t smile like that more often. And then she remembered that Quinn probably didn’t have cause to a lot of the time.

Before ‘Babygate’ Quinn had been unhappy, no one had known then, but it was obvious now. Glee brought out the inner Quinn, the child that had been quashed by her upbringing, the human being that had been raised to be perfect, despite the innate imperfections of human nature.

Rachel was jolted out of her introspection by several tiny figures colliding with her at about hip height.

“So can you come Miss Rachel?!” Rachel looked down and found herself smiling, too. She had never pegged herself as the maternal type, having never had a mother, really. And considering her own admittedly self-absorbed nature, it wasn’t as if she was made to get along with children. But these children were sweet, not to mention cute and Rachel was beginning to see outside herself.

Her gaze rested on Quinn as she nodded yes, on that smile and those eyes that were sparkling with feeling and Rachel felt like if she could see that sight more often then she might just start looking at everything a little differently.

A small hand slipped into each of her own and she walked up to Quinn, idly wondering where she lived.

“Across town.” Quinn said and Rachel squeaked, embarrassed.

Perhaps not as idly as she first thought.

They strolled through the streets in relative silence, the kids murmuring and breaking out into peals of laughter occasionally. When they reached the Church the kids were practically sleep walking. The little witch was on Quinn’s back, her tiny arms hugging the girl’s throat as her head lolled forward onto her bearer’s right shoulder. The boys had trouble keeping their eyes open, relying heavily on the larger hands that held their own to keep them upright.

The parents were already out the front, standing around on the lawn and chatting.

Upon seeing the sleepy children several split away from the main group to collect their offspring. A few eyebrows were raised as they saw their flour-smudged kids. They offered smiles and words of thanks to the two older girls regardless as they gathered their children up, carrying them tenderly to the cars that would ferry them home.

Quinn smiled again with those soft eyes as she watched the sleepy children being taken away. Rachel felt her heart wrench a little at the sight.

When they stood on their own on the sidewalk Rachel couldn’t help asking, “Do you miss her, Quinn?”. The blonde looked over at her, her brow furrowed, a request for clarification on the tip of her tongue.

Rachel gestured with her head, toward the little witch being loaded into a car, her tiny body heavy with sleep. Quinn’s eyes widened with understanding, and she bit her lower lip, casting her gaze to the ground.

“Yes. Even though I never really knew her, I do.” Rachel’s hand twitched, wanting to reach out and take Quinn’s to offer some support. She banished it to her side though, nodding slowly and waiting for Quinn to continue, hoping that Quinn would continue.

“I wonder what it would have been like, if she’d stayed, if I’d kept her.” Quinn was still looking down; her hands were clasped in front of her. “Would she look like me? Would she..” Quinn’s voice trembled, “would she love me? Could she love me?”

Rachel couldn’t stand back any longer, she stepped forward and grasped Quinn’s hands between her own.

“Of course she would have Quinn! How could she not when it’s obvious how much you love her?”

Quinn sniffed a little and looked up, the tears that trembled in her eyes magnifying their beauty. She looked conflicted for a moment before saying, “Thanks Berry.” and smiling weakly.

Rachel smiled and shook her head, “Rachel.”

Quinn looked at her questioningly.

“Call me Rachel. After an admission such as the one you just made, it only seems fitting that you call me by my first name.”

Quinn rolled her eyes playfully, smiling, before nodding in agreement. It was only fitting she supposed, because by most people’s standards what she had just told Rachel put them in the position of friends, or a psychologist and patient. Quinn knew which she’d prefer. She also knew that anyone who claimed to know Quinn Fabray would expect her to be raging at Rachel, lashing out at her and withdrawing quickly to close herself off. But Quinn didn’t want to. She liked this connection they were making, she wanted it to work, wanted it to grow. She was tired of being mostly alone, bearing her cross, keeping people at an arms length. Would it really be so bad to let someone else in? Looking at Rachel’s open, honest face Quinn thought that it really wouldn’t be.

“Quinn!”

Quinn’s head jerked up so fast she swore she nearly broke her neck. It was her mom, and she was approaching fast. Quinn hastily wiped her tears away, sending Rachel a look she hoped the other girl would understand. Rachel’s nod was nearly imperceptible, but it was there.

“Quinn, honey, thanks so much for doing that for me.” Quinn bristled a little, attempting to summon up a mask of apathy.

“I told you it was fine mom.”

The older woman looked her daughter over, her eyebrow raising at the patches of flour Quinn had missed.

“What happened to you?” Quinn looked down at herself, before looking over to Rachel and shooting her a small grin.

“I got caught up in a trick. It’s just flour, it’ll wash out.” Judy smiled weakly at her daughter before her gaze landed on Rachel.

“And who is you friend?” She asked, turning her expectant gaze on Quinn. The younger blonde winced, she hoped Rachel wasn’t offended.

“Mom, this is Rachel. Rachel, my mom, Judy.”

“A pleasure to meet you Mrs Fabray.”

Judy’s laugh was soft and melodic, “Oh please Rachel dear, call me Judy. It’s good to meet you, too.”

There was smiling and a few awkward moments of silence before Quinn intervened.

“Well I’m going to walk Rachel home mom. See you back at the house.”

“You are?” and

“Ok, dear.” were spoken at the same time.

There was another brief pause before Quinn frabbed Rachel by the hands and dragged her off, tossing “Bye mom.” over her shoulder.

As soon as they were out of Judy’s line of sight Quinn slowed down. She continued to hold Rachel’s hand through, gleaning comfort from having the small her in hers, the grip firm, dry and warm. After a few more minutes of companionable silence Rachel spoke.

“This may sound odd to you Quinn, but to an outsider it must look very much like we are dating.” Quinn choked on the breath she’d been taking in, whirling around to face Rachel with an incredulous look on her face.

Rachel smiled ruefully before going on to explain what she meant. “I mean, you don’t like my ex-boyfriend very much,”

‘That’s only because he’s dumb, tactless and kind of a jerk. Why did I date him again?’ Quinn thought.

Rachel continued, unaware of Quinn’s internal rebuttal. “We nearly kissed before.”

Quinn made a noise somewhere between an indignant scoff and a startled yelp, colour climbing up her neck.

“You introduced me to your mother, who I charmed effortlessly I might add, and we are currently holding hands. I think you would have to agree with my assessment, surely?”

Quinn dropped Rachel’s hand like it was hot.

“That..” she finally spluttered, “that stuff doesn’t mean anything Berry.” She crossed her arms over her chest, “And we did not ‘nearly kiss’.”

Rachel just smiled a small, knowing smile and Quinn growled, “Like I’d want to kiss you anyway.” She muttered.

If she’d looked up at that precise moment she would have seen the flash of hurt on Rachel’s face, but she didn’t.

“Au contraire Quinn.” Rachel chimed in as she stepped closer. Quinn looked up this time to find she was nearly nose to nose with Rachel.

“Gah!” she intoned hoarsely, reaching out to push Rachel back. “Get away from me, man-hands!” Rachel complied and fell away as Quinn pushed on her shoulders.

“See you then Quinn.” She paused. “At Noah’s perhaps?”

Rachel's expression was mischievous and it made Quinn’s blood boil. She consciously chose not to explore the reason for that.

Without any further pomp Rachel walked away, leaving Quinn standing on the side walk. Quinn watched as she walked away, rooted in place, unable to fathom just what had occurred.

In the space of a few short minutes Rachel Berry had implied that it looked like they were dating, that Quinn had wanted to kiss her and then walked away without providing any explanation whatsoever. She wrapped her arms around herself and turned to walk home.

‘Noah’s? What’s going on at Puck’s?' Quinn fished her phone out of the pocket of her sundress as she walked and composed a message to Mercedes.

Hey M. do you know what’s going on at Puck’s tonight?

The reply was quick.

Hey girl! Yeah, he’s having a Halloween bash. You comin’?

Quinn’s thumb hovered over the reply button. Did she want to go? If it was at Puck’s she wouldn’t be drinking. Rachel would be there, she was sure, but after their afternoon of almost friendship and consequent weirdness, Quinn wasn’t sure if she wanted to see her or not. In any case she needed to go home and change, and to wash all the flour out of her hair.

An involuntary smile graced her face. The idea that someone like Rachel could want to prevent Quinn receiving the same treatment she’d doled out for ages as HBIC was for some reason, hilarious. She was also reminded of that fight she and Puck had in the home-ec room. That had been fun. She had really gravitated towards him in that moment; the earnest look in his brown eyes, the faint scent of Axe,flour and raw eggs and the feel of her rapidly beating heart. She couldn’t believe how much had changed.

A fond smile remained on her face all the way home. She’d go to this party, she’d decided. After all that thinking about Beth she needed some levity. Her throat seized up a little at the thought of her baby, but she refused to cry again. It had been bad enough that she’d cried all over Rachel. She definitely didn’t want her mom’s awkward sympathy.

Quinn forged ahead, ascending the stairs rapidly, seeking solace in her bedroom. After flicking through her selection of dresses she decided on a cream coloured one with a sweetheart neckline that fell to just below her knees. Pairing it with a slate grey cardigan she laid the outfit out on her bed.

The dress made her think of when she was five years old, as tall as the treetops on her daddy’s shoulders. She frowned, curling the fingers of one hand around the cuff of the cardigan she wore. He had shown her what he thought of her ultimately. He loved his child, his wife, conditionally.

The ever present rage that lurked just beneath Quinn’s calm exterior threatened to boil over. Quinn grit her teeth against the rising tide of her ire, standing still and hoping it would recede. A hand went to her stomach instinctively, rubbing small circles over her empty womb. The nails of the fingers of her other hand bit into the soft wool of her cardigan.

“Quinn?” came an inquiry from outside her door.

She jumped, her hands falling limp by her sides as she replied hesitantly, “yeah?”

Judy opened the door to see her daughter standing, facing away from her. “There’s flour all down your back sweetheart.” and just like that Quinn was laughing again.

She turned to face her mother, a gentle smile on her face. “Oh, well the shower’s free.” Judy said unnecessarily. It was only the two of them after all. Her eyes caught on the dress set out on the bed, “Are you going out again?”

“Yeah.” Quinn replied. “Mercedes’ house.” She lied easily. Often too easily for her liking, but it was a useful skill to have. If she’d told her mom she was going to Puck’s, she probably would have been forbidden to go. Not that Quinn would repeat the same mistakes she made the last time she’d been at Puck’s at the same time as alcohol, but her mom had no way of knowing that.

“Ok, will you be back tonight?”

“Probably not. I’ll just crash there.”

“Ok dear.” Quinn only saw the slight smile on Judy’s face, and not the strain around her eyes.

Judy had learned that Quinn needed space, as much as she wanted to clutch Quinn close to her like she was still a child. But there was no way her daughter was that little girl any more. Her daughter was a young woman now, and a mother to boot. Judy sighed into an empty room. Quinn had already disappeared up the hall to bathroom, the sound of water moving through the pipes reached Judy through the walls. Walking over to the bed she tenderly fingered the hem of the cream dress. Nothing had really turned out like Judy had planned, but she still had her little girl, her beautiful daughter.

Such a pretty house
Such a pretty garden

No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises please

--

Quinn pulled up outside of Puck’s house to see that party was already spilling out onto the front lawn. She pulled the handbrake up and released her seatbelt.

‘Ok.’ She said to herself, ‘Just go in there, find Mercedes and have a good time.’

It was a simple objective, but manoeuvring past all of the people to get to her friend proved difficult. The ones that recognised her shuffled aside. There really wasn’t much room in the place so she appreciated their efforts.

The first thing she saw as she burst into the crowded kitchen was a very drunk Rachel Berry on the dining room table, kicking her legs lazily in a very down-tempo can-can.

‘That was quick.’ Quinn noted.

She’d only seen Rachel an hour or so ago and the other girl was already dancing-on-the-table drunk.

Finn was making a valiant attempt to coax her down.

“Come on Rachel. This won’t look good on your bio… bio-thing.” He finished lamely.

“Are you kidding?!” Rachel shouted down at him, a bottle of vodka swinging precariously in her loose grip. “This is gold! I’m going to title this chapter; ‘Rachel Berry: Fun Master’!”

Finn’s worried expression deepened.

“What about your voice? You should put that down at least.”

He gestured towards the vodka bottle, making a grab for it. Rachel squinted down at him, though it may have actually been an attempt at a glare, before tipping the bottle towards her lips and taking defiant swig.

There was a loud cheer from the rest of the room, “Woo! Go Berry!”

The bottle came back to it’s resting position as Rachel’s face contorted with disgust.

“This tastes awful, and you’re right Finn, it’s no good for my voice. But right now I can’t bring myself to care. Bottoms up!”

There were more cheers as Rachel attempted to navigate the bottle in the direction of her mouth again. Quinn had seen enough. As much as she would have previously relished watching Rachel make a fool of herself, she couldn’t sit idly by. She pushed through the crowd and snatched the bottle from Rachel’s hand, pushing it onto Finn.

“Here.” Then she grabbed Rachel’s arm and tugged, supporting her as she stepped down from the table.

“Why, Quinn. I didn’t know you cared!” Rachel gushed, before she smiled wryly, adding; “Oh wait. Yes I did.” and braking out into a fit of giggles.

Throwing her arms around Quinn in the very next moment gave the blonde very little time to react.

She peeled the little brunette off her and growled, “Come on Berry.” before guiding her through the gathered mass of people by her hand.

Rachel received a few high-fives as they wove through the crowd. Just as Quinn spotted Mercedes and Kurt through the sea of people Rachel stopped, pulling her up short via their linked hands. Rachel was staring at them, chewing on her lower lip.

“What is it Berry? Mercedes is waiting for us.”

Had she been sober Rachel would have replied with 'Waiting for you, you mean?’ or ‘Didn’t I tell you to call me Rachel, Quinn?’

Instead there was a single, stand-alone thought in her inebriated mind.

She looked up at Quinn, her eyes impossibly dark as she asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to kiss me, Quinn?”

The breathy way Rachel said her name made Quinn’s mouth dry. It made her think of the way she imagined her lover would say her name during that imagined first time; soft, sweet and sincere.

Her heart was in her throat as she held Rachel’s gaze, and now she wasn’t so sure that she didn’t want to kiss her. Rachel seemed to latch onto Quinn’s hesitation and pulled gently on Quinn’s hand, causing the blonde to stumble into her. They stood perfectly still like that, Quinn’s hand resting on Rachel’s shoulders where she’d tried to catch herself, the other clasped around Rachel’s small, delicate fingers.

Rachel swallowed, her body tingling. Quinn was so pretty, it very nearly took her breath away. The press of drunken teenagers around them went ignored as they looked at one another, poised to move but hesitating on the brink of action.

“You’re very beautiful Quinn.” The blonde flinched at the compliment, attempting to pull back.

“You’re drunk.” She said, turning her head away, looking anywhere but at Rachel.

“And you’re sweet.” Rachel continued as if Quinn hadn’t spoken. “The way you were with those children, you were glowing. I want to see you glow again Quinn. I want to make you glow.”

Rachel’s words struck Quinn oddly and she felt a wave of heat roll down her spine, pooling below her waist. Her skin prickled pleasantly. She looked back over at Rachel, whose dark eyes were on her, whose lips were full and moist.

‘Oh god. Oh, no. This isn’t happening.’ Quinn thought desperately even as she allowed herself to lean forward a little. ‘Not here!’

“Heads up!” came a shout and before Quinn knew what was happening she and Rachel were pushed apart to make room for what looked like a parade of jocks. Puck was being borne in on their shoulders.

“Woohoo! Oh, hey baby-mama, Berry.” Puck said as he passed by. “I just got a keg if you guys are game. We’re taping it in the backyard.”

A bunch of the guys who were bearing him were chanting, “Puck-er-man! Puck-er-man!”

When they’d passed Quinn looked across the narrow hall at Rachel, whose expression was virtually unchanged, her gaze locked onto Quinn. A bud of warmth flowered in her chest under the intense appraisal, but she shook it off.

“Come on Berry. Let’s get your drunk butt into a seat.” The moment had passed and Rachel followed Quinn glumly, occasionally ghosting her fingertips over Quinn’s open palms as they walked in file. If Quinn was feeling it she wasn’t letting on.

‘I was so close!’ Rachel lamented.

After what Santana had said and reflecting on her life in general Rachel had decided on serendipity to provide her with meaningful connections with people. This thing with Quinn was right out of the blue, but Rachel felt the connection between them pulse like it was a living thing. She had seen a sweet, vulnerable side of Quinn that had melted her heart. Despite herself she felt like once again trying to connect with the girl.

Her fathers had told her that in five years time the people she went to high school with would probably be completely different. That it was a turbulent time when everyone was finding out what it meant to be themselves. Rachel knew that this Quinn she had seen just today, and the glimpses she had caught of her recently, she knew that this was who Quinn was becoming.

They were changing, all of them were.

Rachel was changing too, and so were her feelings. She wanted to explore the feelings that she was discovering she had for Quinn, the ones that felt like a tree growing rapidly under the warm gaze of the sun.

What is this feeling?

They finally reached Mercedes and Kurt.

Quinn was immediately snatched up into a hug by Mercedes, “Girl, where have you been?!”

“Bailing Berry out of trouble.” Quinn replied dryly.

“Hello Rachel.” Kurt said, crossing his legs at the knee and tucking his already perfect fringe back into place.

“Hello Kurt, Mercedes. Quinn did indeed ‘bail me out’.”

“Hah, what kind of trouble did you get yourself into?” Mercedes asked, sitting down with a broad grin on her face as she looked over at Rachel.

“She was trying to re-enact Cabaret on top of Puck’s kitchen table.” Quinn explained, delivering the line deadpan.

It was a good thing neither Kurt nor Mercedes had been drinking at that moment, because spit-takes would have been rife.

“Pfffff… hahahahhah!” Kurt tried to withhold a laugh, unsuccessfully. He and Mercedes leaned on each other as they laughed long and loud. Rachel looked distinctly displeased, like a cat that had been left out in the rain.

“It’s not that funny!” she huffed.

“Au contraire.” Kurt said, regaining his composure somewhat.

The phrase triggered Quinn’s memory, she recalled that afternoon; Rachel stepping closer, her large, liquid eyes and pink, pouting lips.

“Jesus.” She groaned to herself.

“You ok girl?” Mercedes asked, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes.

“Fine, thanks.” She smiled at her friend, trying desperately to banish all thoughts of Rachel’s lips from her mind. “Have you seen any of the others?” Quinn inquired, referring to the Glee club.

“Brittany and Santana are over there.” Kurt pointed to a couch across the room where the two cheerio’s were intertwined, joined at the mouth, hands all over one another. A flash of white heat burned through Quinn.

‘God, you pervert.’ She chastised herself, quickly turning away.

“That looks like fun.” Rachel commented absently.

“Going Katy Perry on us, Rachel?”

The little brunette just smiled blithely as she replied, “That would require a boyfriend I think, and I don’t have one.”

And then Kurt and Mercedes were up, buzzing around Rachel like bees, asking for all the details about her break up with Finn. Rachel answered all their questions coolly, letting her gaze linger on Quinn occasionally. Quinn just looked on, struggling to keep her composure as she processed what had almost happened, which was much harder when Rachel’s dark gaze kept wiping her mind blank.

Her last thought before they had been (mercifully?) pushed apart had been, ‘not here!’ If she was honest with herself (she really didn’t want to be) that meant that she did want to kiss Rachel. If she was brutally honest, she could admit to wanting to do more than just kiss her.

She clenched her jaw in frustration, looking away from her three companions and searching desperately for an exit. She couldn’t stand to be in the room any more, stuck between a gaze that was trailing fire across her skin and her two friends making out.

When she spotted the sliding door onto the back patio she said, “I’m getting some air you guys.” over her shoulder and made a break for the outside world. Quinn stepped out into the cool evening air and gulped down a lungful gratefully.

Puck and all the other jocks were gathered on the stairs, alternately striking poses to impress the gathered crowd and attempting to tap the keg of beer that stood on the top stair.

Turning away from them she made her way down to the end of the porch, perching on a plastic chair and looking out at the night sky. This morning she had felt pretty much indifferent towards Rachel, and now she wasn’t sure how she felt.

It had been the honesty and compassion the shorter girl had displayed, the way they meshed wonderfully, handling the children between them with ease. All of it appealed to the softer side of her self that Quinn was still discovering.

For most of her life she’d had to harden up, close off, so no one could touch her, so no one could hurt her. It was what she’d learned from her parents, and how she thought everyone should have behaved. After becoming responsible for another life though, she discovered that wasn’t the case. Openness, honesty, compassion and love were probably the most important traits and emotions one could share with others. It was all becoming clearer now, like she was just learning to read between the lines.

Quinn snapped out of her reverie at the sound of carbon and liquid hissing free out of a confined space. Her gaze immediately swept over to Puck and the keg to find the boys doused in beer, desperately trying to stem the eruption. Quinn couldn’t help it, she laughed out loud. No one heard her over all the commotion but she laughed all the same, leaning back into her chair with an arm over her stomach as her abdominals contracted hard. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and she gasped for air.

A sweet feeling coursed through her. It might have been the endorphins, but it was probably also the feel of a slight breeze brushing past her, the sight of twinkling stars in the clear Ohio sky and the knowledge that the only way for her was up from then on.

--

Rachel hadn’t heard Quinn excuse herself, and she had been paying attention to Kurt who was asking a rather strange question about Finn when the blonde girl had left. When she looked up to find Quinn wasn’t there, her heart sank. She entertained Mercedes and Kurt half-heartedly, her gaze darting around the room, hoping to locate Quinn.

What caught her gaze instead was the new kid, Sam. He had seen Quinn leave, Rachel was sure of it, the goofy look on his face said so. It looked as if he was psyching himself up to follow her. Rachel swung her gaze back over to Mercedes, who was looking at her curiously.

“Did you see where Quinn went?” she asked.

Mercedes raised an eyebrow, “Q said she was going out for some air.”

“Ok. I’ll see you later.” Rachel wasted little time turning and heading toward the door. No way was she going to get beaten by some Justin Bieber look-alike.

She heard Mercedes let out a small, indignant huff at being dismissed but continued on regardless. After all, this was a matter of life and,… Quinn!

Sam was still back across the room, pumping himself up as Rachel slipped out onto the patio. The first thing she saw was Puck covered in beer, and she stifled a giggle as her gaze roved over every face, searching for Quinn. She finally spotted her at the far end of the patio, leaning back in a rickety looking plastic chair.

Even in semi-darkness Rachel could make out the smile on Quinn’s face and her heart lurched a little. She approached slowly, measuring her steps the way drunken people do, desperately fumbling for an intelligent thing to say.

“Hello Quinn.” Well, she couldn’t win them all.

Quinn’s head jerked up and their eyes met.

‘What is this feeling?’ She asked herself, offering the blonde girl a hesitant smile.

Quinn looked uncertain, “Hi Rachel.” She replied, her voice soft and low.

“May I sit down?” Rachel asked, gesturing to the chair beside Quinn.

After a slight nod of acquiescence Rachel found herself sitting beside Quinn Fabray with not the slightest clue as to what she’d do next.

They both went to speak at the same time after an awkward moment of silence.

“Rachel, I..”

“Quinn, you..”

They both glanced at each other and looked away, Rachel smiling stupidly, Quinn blushing slightly, thankful for the cover of near darkness.

“Let me go first?” Rachel asked, her question definitely a question and not a demand.

Quinn looked back over at the smaller brunette, rolling her eyes as she muttered, “Of course.” But there was a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“I don’t know quite what it is that I’m feeling Quinn. This is an unusual and, quite frankly, terrifying position for me to be in.”

Rachel had Quinn’s attention now. The blonde was looking over at her, her expression mostly blank but her eyes showing interest.

“What I do know though is that I like you, very much, in almost every sense of the word.”

‘Thank you, Oxford.’ Rachel cheered internally.

Quinn felt herself blushing, her hands twisted together in her lap.

“I know it’s sudden, and I can’t quite explain how it came about, but I think it has a lot to do with that smile that reaches your eyes.” Rachel paused, watching Quinn closely.

Quinn had turned her head away slightly (it was hard to take a sincere compliment gracefully) but she hadn’t gotten up to leave, which Rachel took as a sign to continue.

“It showed me what I’ve suspected all along.”

Once again Rachel paused, wanting Quinn to say something, anything.

The other girl rose to the occasion, her gaze meeting Rachel’s after a moment or two, “And what’s that?”

Rachel grinned, relishing the opportunity to be the one to say what she was about to say to Quinn, to be the one to acknowledge her anew.

“Inside your skin, under all the scowls and glares and cutting words, you’re truly lovely, Quinn.”

The blush was fighting it’s way up Quinn’s cheeks, stronger than before. Rachel had said her name in that breathy way again, and her heart beat heavily in recognition. There was more to this than wanting to kiss the other girl, she knew that now. Rachel had just proven it was more to her too.

That was all she needed. After everything, the last year and all the hurt, loss and pain, it was all Quinn needed. For someone to see her, truly see her. Not as the HBIC, not as a cheerio, not as Finn’s Girlfriend or as Puck’s baby-mama, the pregnant girl, but for someone to see her. She needed someone to look into her eyes and call her by her name. And there she was, this person Quinn hadn’t known she’d been waiting for. And it turned out it was Rachel Berry of all people. But she was there, and she was beautiful, looking at Quinn with her soft brown eyes, her feelings written all over her face.

Quinn had forgotten what she had been going to say earlier, but she knew what she was going to say then.

“Hey, Rachel?” The other girl looked at her, vulnerable and open, waiting.

“Turns out I do want to kiss you.”

Rachel’s eyes widened comically, but that’s all Quinn had time to see as she closed her own eyes and leaned in, pressing a firm, chaste kiss onto Rachel’s lips. It was sweet and warm, and left Quinn’s lips tingling.

They parted after a few seconds, a heavy sigh following Quinn as she retreated. Opening her eyes she saw the most content smile she had ever seen on Rachel Berry.

“And that despite your penchant for solos and a tendency to be bossy, overbearing and self-absorbed, you’re kind of lovely, too.” Quinn grinned a shit-eating grin and laughed as Rachel playfully slapped her arm. After a few moments of comfortable silence Quinn felt Rachel’s hand slip into her own, and she smiled.

“Happy Halloween Quinn.”

Quinn squeezed the smaller girl’s hand, looking over at her. “Happy Halloween to you, too, Rachel.”

And as if they’d done it a thousand times before, they kissed sweetly, deaf to the cheers of the boys as they finally plugged the beer keg.

--

Sam walked out onto the patio to find the girl he was sweet on attached at the lips to another girl. His little Bieber heart was broken, and he vowed he would beat Rachel out in every solo audition. (Good luck with that buddy)

Fin(n).

----------------------------

* “So if I can make people break out into a fearful sweat, soil themselves and even spontaneously combust, as in the case of William Schuester (if I were to hold a lit match anywhere near his travelling-freak-hair-circus which is cloaked in a shroud of product for instance) then why shouldn’t I be able to do the same to inanimate objects? It’s just common sense! And that, is how Sue C’s it.”

---

Author's End Notes:

So in case you hadn't figured it out, I'm not a fan of Sam. Not that I'm saying none of you should be! I just got a little vindictive towards the end there and poor Sam was my unwitting (witless) victim.

The song lyrics that were quoted in this story were; Beautiful Day by U2, It's Only A Paper Moon - The Ella Fitzgerald version, No Surprises by Radiohead and What is This Feeling from the Broadway Musical, Wicked (though I used it out of context).

Sue's little extract probably seems a bit clunky, but I loved it so much I had to keep it even though I had to tack it on the end.

I had some other stuff to say, but it's completely up and left me. Sorry! Feel free to direct any questions you may have my way. It would be my pleasure to answer them!

Also, please note that this is completely unbeta'd, so all mistakes are my own.

Thank you for reading my second Faberry story!