fic: Sometimes (I Wish) 6/??

[reisling]

Fandom: Glee
Title: Sometimes (I Wish)
Author: jt4702(JT)

Chapter 6

An uneasy silence envelops the dining room as Quinn and Kelly size each other up. It is so loud that Rachel thinks that whoever came up with the term ‘deafening silence’ must have experienced something similar to what she is experiencing now, because what she has always thought of as one of the stupidest oxymorons ever has now become a reality.

The longer the silence stretches, the angrier Quinn seems to be getting. All the blonde can think about is how difficult is it to answer with a simple yes, or no, followed by an explanation.

Rachel tenses when she notices that Quinn’s eyes have taken a shade that is similar to the Pacific Ocean off the San Francisco coast right before a storm hits. It’s a shade she is familiar with at school. She has seen it when Quinn is in full Head Cheerio mode, or when Quinn punched Sam after he shoved her, or when she had Puck pin Karofsky to the locker after Rachel had gotten slushied. She can come up with hundreds of examples, but the conclusion is still the same. Her eyes only take that shade of green whenever Quinn is angry and/or out for blood. ‘How fitting, that her eyes take on such a colour, to warn the rest of us mortals that this is the calm before the storm’ Rachel thinks as she places a hand on Quinn, interrupting anything else the blonde might say or do.

Quinn jumps when she feels a hand on her forearm. Her stance softens the moment her eyes land on Rachel’s eyes.

Rachel can see the emotions roiling in those eyes, anger, guilt, and concern warring for dominance as Quinn visibly struggles for control. Unknown to Rachel, her own emotions are doing a same tell tale battle in her eyes.

Quinn knows she has no right to feel this angry, but she can’t help it. She takes another look at Rachel’s eyes and notices how the usual cinnamon swirl hue has shifted to an auburn tone. She is taken aback by the fear she sees in them. Fear of what she might do in her current state, and she immediately feels bad. Quinn’s first instinct is to calm those fears.

“I’m sorry Rach. I should’ve watched my tone of voice and attitude. I promise I’m not starting a fight, nor am I stirring sh… stuff up just for the hell of it. I’m trying to understand what happened.” She says in a much calmer voice. The last dregs of the coming storm dissipate and she almost smiles when she sees cinnamon swirls and golden flecks return to Rachel’s eyes.

Rachel nods, clearly relieved. The stormy green has faded to once again settle in the hazel with honeyed flecks Rachel has seen whenever Quinn is relaxed. Rachel wonders how she has never noticed how expressive Quinn’s eyes are.

Alex places a restraining hand over Kelly’s mouth while Gabe gets up, stands behind Kelly’s chair placing both hands firmly over her shoulders, effectively pinning her to the chair.

Quinn returns her gaze to Kelly and ignores what the others are doing. “If you knew and didn’t do a thing to stop it, then you sure as hell don’t have a right to be all…” she pauses as she thinks of the proper word to use to avoid cursing. “…rude and self-righteous to me. If you knew, then you and I are on the same boat. We’re both seeking forgiveness and redemption from our mistakes.” Quinn says. “I, uh, know you don’t like it when we curse, so I was looking for the right words.” She adds at Rachel’s quirked eyebrow.

Rachel can’t help the smile that graces her features at that admission. She quickly sobers up and turns her full attention back to the situation at hand. “Kel didn’t know. We’ll explain it to you just as soon as the others return to their seats and relax. I’m sure she’ll control her temper in the same manner you were able to. We’re all mature and intelligent enough to know that starting a shouting match won’t resolve anything and it’ll only make matters worse.” Rachel says with a pleading look directed at her childhood friends.

Alex and Gabe relax when they feel Kelly’s nod of assent and her body loosen up in a similar way Quinn’s had moments before.

Kelly’s eyes are focused on the hand that is still resting on the blonde’s forearm. She can’t deny the slight pang of disappointment she feels, because it seems as if Rachel has chosen Quinn over her. She knows she is being irrational. Out of all of them, Rachel is the only one who can even attempt to keep Quinn calm, leaving Alex and Gabe the task of keeping her at bay, their very solid hands on her mouth and shoulders serving only as confirmation. She finally feels herself nod once she hears Rachel’s indirect way of warning them to be civil.

“Kelly, you were in the same team with him. How didn’t you know?” Quinn asks in a much calmer tone.

Rachel moves her gaze to the blonde’s eyes, and relaxes a little when she notices they are still hazel. “No Alex. That’s a valid question for anyone who doesn’t know the entire story.” Rachel says to Alex when she notices that he is about to say something in his sister’s defence.

“Quinn, for my peace of mind, I need to say a few things.” Rachel says gently, her hand still on Quinn’s forearm. Once again, she receives a nod of affirmation. “No one outside my family knows what you’re about to hear. I’m trusting you with something that is very private.” Rachel starts, she smiles when she sees the blonde nod again. “I’ll say this once, and then I’ll let the entire matter drop. If this is at all a plan for you to humiliate me, please stand up now and leave the kitchen. No. You agreed to let me finish.” Rachel says when she sees Quinn about to protest. “I’m not saying that to be mean, but I need to be sure. Remember, I asked you to give me time to adjust to this new side of you. This is me telling you that I’m not perfect. You know how difficult it is for me to admit to any faults. Even though my heart tells me you’re nothing but one hundred percent sincere, my rational side is still screaming at me to be careful. Our friendship is very new and I need to hear the reassurance and above all, I need to be honest.” Rachel says as she lifts her hand from Quinn’s arm and lifts it to softly caress the blonde’s cheek with the back of her fingers.

Quinn automatically leans into Rachel’s touch, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by the others. She then grabs Rachel’s hand and laces their fingers together. “Rach, I understand. You’re right to doubt my intentions because God knows I’ve given you more than enough reasons to. I’d be questioning your sanity if you were to just blindly trust me. I know that, but it’s still hard to hear you voice it. My initial impulse, like any person, is to defend myself. I will no longer hurt you on purpose. I can’t do that anymore, and most importantly, I don’t want to. There’ll be times I let my pride get the better of me, but please know that if I say or do anything that might hurt your feelings, they won’t be actions that are conscious.” Quinn says, her eyes never wavering from Rachel’s.

“I believe you.” Rachel says with a soft smile. This time, she notices the golden flecks in Quinn’s eyes are more prominent, the sight only serves to reassure the diva.

Quinn nods and squeezes Rachel’s hand. Both girls turn to Kelly and gesture for the older brunette to continue.

“At the time everything unfolded my priority was Rachel and her reaction at having found out about Shelby, especially after a conversation I overheard between Shelby and Schuester.” Kelly says, the memory causing her anger to spike, but she forces it down and continues with her story. “Schuester came to see Shelby and asked what her intentions were. She told him all she wanted was to get to know Rachel. I guess he didn’t like the answer because he told Shelby that if she wasn’t one hundred percent sure about being Rachel’s mom to walk away. Schuester jumped into the situation without knowing all the facts. He tried to be all caring and shit. He said he was thinking about Rachel’s emotional wellbeing. When Shelby said she had Rachel’s best interests at heart, he told her that she sure as hell wasn’t Rachel’s mom and had no way of knowing what was best for her, because she happened to carry Rachel to term. That she was nothing more than a rented womb. He reminded her that her relationship with Rachel ended the moment she handed the baby over and received her payment. By the end of his tirade, he planted enough doubts on Shelby that she ended up telling Rachel that they didn’t need each other. Damn it, she was ready to try and forge a friendship with Rachel.

Quinn’s eyes nearly bug out of her eyes. She had no idea of his involvement at all. She had assumed that whatever early bumps Rachel and Shelby encountered were the result of the awkwardness of meeting someone and wishing an instant relationship to develop. “Why did Mr. Schue do such a thing?” Quinn finally manages to ask after she finds her voice.

“We don’t know. If you really wish to know, then you’re going to have to ask him that yourself. To this day, I can’t really look at him without wanting to punch him in the face just so I can have the satisfaction of wiping that sorry excuse he calls a smile from his face. He had no right to say any of those things to Shelby. His arrogance and stupidity nearly cost Rachel her relationship with Shelby.” Kelly answers.

“I’m glad Rachel always had my mom in her life because hearing her biological mother say that was horrible for her. It shattered her heart. Rachel knew that Shelby was never meant to keep her, but seeing Alex’s and my relationship with our mom wasn’t easy for her, regardless of how close she and our mom are, or how close she is with her dads. My mom and I spent the next few weeks reassuring her that she wasn’t unwanted and that there was nothing wrong with her. My mom went to talk to Shelby, and in the end, they managed to fix the clusterfuck that Schuester created.” Kelly says.

“Did you know Ms. Corcoran was Rachel’s birth mother right away? I mean, the resemblance between those two is uncanny.” Quinn asks, trying very hard to not jump to the wrong conclusion.

“Not right away. At first, I thought the resemblance was a weird coincidence. I suspected it when I started to see a lot of Rachel’s mannerisms in Shelby, or I should say, see Shelby’s mannerisms in Rachel. And as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t just go and ask my new vocal coach ‘by the way, did you serve as a surrogate for a gay couple nearly fourteen years ago?’ because the girl I consider my little sister looks, acts, and sounds like her. I only found out for sure during my senior year, when she approached me for help so that she could meet Rachel. Everyone at Carmel knew that Rachel and I were very close, and she got first hand evidence of it throughout the time she was with Carmel.” Kelly says.

“How did she find out Rachel is her daughter?” Quinn asks.

“Shelby joined Carmel’s staff in the middle of my freshman year. She really shaped up our Glee club. All of a sudden, we were winning our competitions, not just maybe finishing in the top five. By the end of my freshman year, Vocal Adrenaline had won its first National title. I joined because I heard how tough Shelby was as a choir director, and how competitive the members of Vocal Adrenaline were. I wanted to establish myself in the team so that by the time Rachel started as a freshman and auditioned, I’d be there to watch her back. I convinced Shelby to allow Rachel to attend our rehearsals. I knew Rachel wouldn’t be able to resist singing along. My plan was to show her what an amazing singer Rachel was even though she was much younger than any of us. And no, that’s not when Shelby found out. It never crossed our minds, not even when they were standing side by side. We were too focused on winning.” Kelly answers. “She was in awe when Rachel first sang along to something. I could see the others stare open mouthed. Some were amazed, while others were jealous. We all knew that when the time came, the auditioning process was going to be nothing more than a formality. That’s when Jesse first heard her, and I could see the wheels turn in his head. I thought nothing of it. Anyone who hears Rachel sing for the first time falls in love with her voice.” Kelly continues.

“I was so excited, because all of a sudden, the person responsible for the success behind Vocal Adrenaline was interested in me, and I wasn’t even a student at Carmel yet. I nearly self-combusted when I found out Shelby was also a Broadway veteran. She used a stage name, but I recognised her voice immediately. When I asked, she confirmed it only after swearing us to secrecy. Kel and I couldn’t stop talking about it. My dads never thought we were talking about my mom because when she agreed to be my surrogate, she used her middle name and I had kept her Broadway background a secret, just like she requested. Everything changed when Kelly had her first performance.” Rachel shares her part.

“Looking back, we should have known something was up. When I introduced Shelby to Leroy and Hiram, all three of them looked as if they had seen a ghost. Shelby nearly fainted on the spot and Hiram started hyperventilating. They barely exchanged a word when Shelby said something about the principal needing to see her and next thing we knew, she was gone. The relief Leroy and Hiram showed was physically palpable. Hiram’s eyes never left Shelby whenever she was in the auditorium.” Kelly says before she nods in Rachel’s direction once again.

“Suddenly, my voice and piano lessons were scheduled whenever Vocal Adrenaline had practice. The ballroom dancing I was pestering my dads about miraculously weren’t so insane anymore. Just as I was about to graduate middle school, I was informed about Dad’s transfer to Lima General so he could take the position of Chief of Emergency Medicine. I was told how it made a lot more sense to move because now both of them worked far enough that the commuting time was too long and they didn’t want to jeopardise my voice, piano, and dance lessons because they were afraid they wouldn’t make it home on time to drive me. I had no reason to doubt them. I was disappointed I wouldn’t be living next door to the Rileys anymore, but I figured I’d still see Kel every day at school since I was starting high school in the fall. Imagine my surprise when I found out we moved far enough that I was in a different district. I was disappointed I wasn’t going to be part of Vocal Adrenaline, but I figured I’d be part of my new school’s Glee Club. It wasn’t until much later that I found out Dad wasn’t offered the job. He went seeking for it so that we’d have a good reason to move.” Rachel says.

“Shelby was shocked and slightly upset when she found out, but I thought it was because she had lost Rachel as a singer. We would’ve been untouchable with Rachel and Jesse as our leads. In fact, most of the team was disappointed when they found out Rachel had moved and wasn’t going to be part of the team. I considered quitting Vocal Adrenaline since there was no real need for me to continue on the team, but I actually enjoyed the singing and the rush of adrenaline during a performance. I finally understood what Rachel meant when she would gush about the thrill of performing and the high she’d get when she had everyone’s attention on her. When Shelby kept asking me questions about Rachel, I figured she was interested because she was keeping an eye on the competition.

“Jesse and the others started to treat me differently because they were convinced I was passing information to Rachel. By the end of my junior year, I only had a few of my teammates trust me. A lot was kept from me. When senior year started and you guys won Sectionals, Jesse transferred to McKinley in order to keep an eye on Rachel and to spy on you guys as a way to offset what he and the others thought I’d been feeding your way. When questioned, he pulled the whole ‘I’m doing it out for love’ routine. Shelby was so impressed by what you all managed to pull off that she wouldn’t stop talking about it. I guess my non-stop praising of Rachel’s hand in it didn’t help. For my former teammates, it confirmed I had been feeding you guys information.

“Anyway, we knew Shelby had pulled some strings and Jesse was on his way to NYADA, Juilliard, or NYU so he didn’t have to win another National title, so it made sense that he would follow his heart to be with his true love. I had no idea Jesse had been in touch with the others planning shit out. Once I found out about the TPing of your choir room, the performance at your auditorium, and Jesse’s transfer back to Carmel, I quit. I thought that was the end of it. Jesse and the others blamed Rachel. With my sudden absence, they had to rework a few things in the choreography and it meant more work. Jesse hatched the plan to egg Rachel as a way to make her pay. At the time, Rachel was still vegan. I should have known the arrogant bastard had less than good intentions. Instead, I fell for the entire ‘Romeo and Juliet’ bit he fed us.” Kelly says in a voice full of anger and regret.

“All that happened about the same time I found out about Shelby’s true identity.” Rachel says.

“Shelby wasn’t that surprised when I quit Vocal Adrenaline. She had noticed how the others were behaving around me, and we needed to be a team in order to win. I know it seemed like she didn’t give a flying rat’s ass when your choir room was TPed, but she was livid with them. But, with me graduating and leaving for college, her priority was Rachel. With me gone, she would lose the only connection she had with Rachel. Shelby came clean and told me who she was. And just like that, her interest in Rachel made perfect sense. She wasn’t casing out the competition, she was trying to get to know her daughter.” Kelly says, and once again, she stops so that Rachel can share her side of the story.

“I had always told Kelly that one of my biggest dreams was to meet my birth mother. No matter how wonderful my dads and Christine had been to me, I was still obsessed with meeting my mom because I felt I was missing something. I always felt a little out of place, because most of my personality traits I inherited from Shelby and her side of the family. I didn’t know fate would put Kel in such a difficult position until much later. When Kel asked me why not just ask my dads, I told her my dads always discouraged it. They didn’t understand it wasn’t the same, no matter how hard I tried to explain my feelings. Things became quite tense for a while. I didn’t know about the clause that prohibited my mom from contacting me until I turned eighteen, and I tried on my own to find her. At the time, all I knew about her was that she’s a brunette and had a great voice, like me.” Rachel says before she defers back to Kelly.

Quinn automatically brings their still laced hands and places a soft kiss on Rachel’s knuckles when she hears the pain in Rachel’s voice. Then her attention shifts back to Kelly.

“I got very angry because Leroy and Hiram did the impossible to keep Rachel apart from Shelby. All the while knowing Rachel had always wanted to meet her biological mother. I asked Shelby why didn’t she just approach Rachel and introduce herself. That’s when I found about that clause in their contract. Knowing all the crap that Rachel was going through at McKinley, I saw the perfect chance to make something good happen for Rachel, so I agreed to help. I slipped a cassette Shelby had made when she was carrying Rachel in a box of Rachel’s baby stuff and made sure she would find it. I knew the moment Rachel heard the voice in that tape she would know.” Kelly says.

“I heard Shelby talking and singing to me and I knew. Spying on Vocal Adrenaline was only an excuse for me to approach my mom. We talked and we slowly started to know each other. We both knew and accepted there was no way we were going to recover sixteen years of limbo so we made the decision to become friends, let fate have a hand and hope for the best. I confronted my dads because their odd behaviour finally made sense. They were livid and threatened to sue my mom for breach of contract, but I told them it was all me and that it was my choice to seek her. I was so hurt because they knew I wanted to meet her, and here she was, right under my nose. In the end, they backed down and we went to family counselling to repair our relationship. I would have understood they felt insecure and that they were afraid of losing me. They didn’t need to do all that they did. The lying was what hurt the most.” Rachel says.

Quinn finally sees why Rachel was so hurt with everything that happened with Finn and Santana. It wasn’t the fact that Finn had lost his virginity to Santana. It was the fact that he had lied to her and had chosen to continue lying even after he had the chance to come clean.

“My world came crashing down when Mom out of the blue told me she wasn’t ready for a teenager and that in the end I didn’t need her because I had my dads and Christine. I was so confused and hurt because we had agreed that we weren’t going to go jump into a mother-daughter relationship right away. I had no idea why until after Kelly and Christine talked to Shelby and straightened everything out. Mom and I have gone to counselling together, and we’ve been working towards understanding each other better. It was actually my idea for her to adopt Elizabeth. We have our ups and downs, but we actually get along. We agreed from the very beginning that Elizabeth would know early on she’s adopted.” Rachel says.

Understanding hits Quinn like a tsunami. “That’s why I was given the option about it being an open adoption and why you’ve been adamant about talking about Beth and Ms. Corcoran since she was adopted. I’m so sorry Rach. I thought you were being nosy. It never occurred to me that you don’t want her to go through what you did. Thank you.” Quinn says as she pulls Rachel for a hug and she places a grateful kiss on the diva’s cheek.

Quinn’s lips and Rachel’s cheek tingle even after the brief contact ends.

“I told Shelby about the egging the moment I found out. The only reason Shelby didn’t quit as their choir director was because she was under contract and there was no way to get out of it. I was threatened with expulsion and legal repercussions if I were to do anything in retaliation. The principal did nothing when he found out, saying something about kids being competitive and getting carried away. He didn’t want to lose our outside sponsorship I guess. I couldn’t risk getting criminally charged because I couldn’t risk my scholarship to Northwestern.” Kelly finishes the story, clearly disgusted with herself.

“You did the right thing, Kel. I would have never forgiven myself had you done something stupid and jeopardised your future over some stupid high school prank.” Rachel says right away.

“It wasn’t a prank, Little Robin. They assaulted you. Those responsible should have gotten suspended and criminally charged. If I have a way to make all of them pay, I would.” Alex says, reminding the others that he and Gabe are still there.

“So they just got away with all the sh…kaka they pulled on Rachel?” Quinn asks, her eyes turning stormy green in a flash.

Rachel squeezes their joined hands and waits until Quinn’s eyes are on hers. “Calm down Quinn. It’s in the past. He can’t hurt me anymore. And he didn’t get away with it.” She says gently. She smiles when she can feel the blonde relax. “My mom made it clear that once her contract was up, she would never set foot in Carmel ever again. She withdrew her letters of recommendations to NYADA, NYU and Juilliard. She spoke to every contact she still has with those schools and other performing arts colleges in New York so anyone from Vocal Adrenaline that egged me graduating in 2010 would have faced a very uphill battle. She had Jesse blacklisted on Broadway and that in turn got him blacklisted for London’s West End. He is good, but he’s not exceptional, so no one will risk having him as part of an ensemble, let alone give him a lead in a production of anything. The closest he’ll ever get to Broadway will be as a spectator.” Rachel says with a hint of pride in her eyes.

“That’s all St. Ass… bastard got for what he did to you?” Quinn asks incredulous.

“Oh, it’s a huge deal. Jesse thinks that unless you’re a stage actor, you’re not worth your salt as a performer. He thinks media such as television and film are easy because they’re not done live. For people like him, it’s all live performances on stage, or nothing.” Rachel explains.

“I’m probably just showing my total ignorance, but can’t he get work in other places and still be on stage?” Quinn asks.

“Sure he can, but he’ll never get the recognition he needs and craves like air unless he makes it on Broadway, London’s West End or both.” Rachel answers. “Let me see if I can explain it so it makes sense.” Rachel adds once she sees the still confused look on Quinn’s face.

“At most, all Jesse can aspire for is to be part of a show’s touring production. He could audition for roles in other cities and maybe other English speaking countries. Unless my mom all of sudden decides to be nice, or in many years, when her influence dies down, he’ll never be able to perform where it matters. You only get the important awards when you’re performing on Broadway or The West End. For egomaniacs like Jesse and myself, not being able to do so is by far a lot worse than say, get the snot beaten out of or getting a slushie facial. He can go into Hollywood if he wishes, and hope that if he makes it big, then he can do the crossover to live theatre. He would have to start from scratch. He doesn’t have anyone to open doors for him. In terms of punishment, that is by far a lot more satisfying than what the school principal or any other school official could come up with. A suspension or detention would last at most a few weeks. This will last years.” Rachel says with a shrug. It scares her a bit that she feels absolutely no sympathy for him.

“She has that much influence? How come she was teaching high school and coaching a show choir then?” Quinn asks perplexed.

“The stage world is a pretty small community. My mom was considered Broadway royalty, in fact, she still is. She was Maureen in the original Broadway cast for Rent. She was also on the original Broadway cast for Wicked, as Elphaba. She reprised that role on The West End when Rent made the debut in London. She was part of the Chess concert in England with Josh Groban and a host of other famous performers. She reprised the role of Maureen for the movie version of Rent as well. She was one of the producers for Spring Awakenings when it had its run off and on Broadway. She burnt out, so she decided to take some time off. She got bored so she got the job at Carmel to groom the next generation of performers. Her original plan was to take a year’s sabbatical to regroup and then return to the entertainment world. She only stuck around because of me.” Rachel answers with a fond smile.

“Why Carmel? Why not stay in New York?” Quinn asks.

“My mom graduated from Carmel.” Rachel answers.

“This will probably still paint me as the cold-hearted… (she pauses again to think of a proper replacement, when the perfect word hits her like a bolt of lightning. She nearly pats herself on the back, literally) bitca I’m trying to outgrow, but I’m happy he’ll suffer long term for what he did. I still wish someone could have beaten the kaka out of him though.” Quinn says. “What? She asks with a quirked eyebrow at their confused looks. “I never denied I’m a mean bitca.” She adds with a shrug.

“You’re a what!?” Rachel asks perplexed.

“You did not just ask me that.” Quinn exclaims, eyes opening wide. When she’s met with the same wide-eyed and confused faces on the others, she sighs. “You’re serious? You really don’t have a clue?” She asks for confirmation.

“I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.” Rachel replies.

“None of you know? Really?” Quinn asks.

She is met with blinking eyes.

“Wow. This is unreal. It’s a word taken from an episode from the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Quinn says as if that explains everything. She wants to scream when she is met with blank stares. “In it, Willow, one of the main characters is describing Buffy’s ah, behaviour that is similar to mine at school. Anyway, Willow doesn’t like to swear, so she resorts to spelling the word out, you know, b-i-t-c-h and Xander, another main character blurts out bitca? Since then, a lot of people use it as a substitute.” Quinn explains, still unable to believe no one there other than her, knows a Buffy reference. “None of you have watched Buffy?” Quinn asks again.

“Not really. It’s hard to take a show that originally aired when I was a toddler with the name ‘Buffy’ seriously.” Rachel admits.

“That’s like one of the best TV shows ever. It’s a true classic. The writing is fantastic, not to mention how females are written as intelligent, independent beings. The one-liners are priceless. There is even a musical episode, and one that was done in near silence, with dialogue only towards the very end. We so have to have Buffy marathon.” Quinn says excited.

“Bitca… That’s quite clever.” Rachel says giggling.

“So, this Xander is an idiot like Troll Boy?” Gabe asks with a smirk and a light chuckle.

“Really, because to get bitca from b-i-t-c-h is really stretching the boundaries of being a complete and utter moron.” Alex says shaking his head. “At least he’s a fictional character.” He adds with a smirk.

“Xander might not be the brightest crayon in the box, but he’s sweet and a good guy, unlike Finn, who is just a selfish imbecile that makes a mannequin seem like a Mensa candidate.” Quinn says with a sneer. She still can’t believe she dated him.

“Finn isn’t that bad. He’s mostly distracted and…” Rachel starts to say, only to be cut off by Quinn.

“Rach, how can you even say that with a straight face? This is the same boy who only yesterday thought hippo is a shortened version of hypocrite. Or that hippopotamus and hypothalamus were the same words five seconds after hearing you say the former.” Quinn says with an incredulous face. “You’re way too nice and forgiving.” She says with a shake of her head.

“What is she talking about?” Gabe asks scrunching his eyebrows together.

“You didn’t tell them what happened in the hallway?” Quinn asks surprised. For a split second, she thinks Rachel is trying to protect Finn because of her still-there feelings for the imbecile. Then she remembers how Rachel has never once insulted anyone, even if they deserve it.

“I did, but I might have left some of the more irrelevant information out.” Rachel answers.

Quinn recounts the missing parts when she receives raised eyebrows and a ‘what are we missing?’ from Alex. When she is done, the three college students are laughing so hard, they are struggling for breath.

“Please tell me you were exaggerating.” Kelly finally manages to ask.

“Sadly enough, no. Quinn basically quoted everything that was exchanged almost verbatim.” Rachel says, unable to keep her own giggling in check.

The others laugh harder.

“Little Robin, I can’t believe you left the best part of the story out.” Alex manages to wheeze out.

“I told you the important parts.” Rachel replies, though instead of looking at Alex, her eyes fall on Quinn.

“I’m sorry Kelly. I had no right to jump and be all judgmental on you. You’ve known Rachel since she was a toddler. I should have known you’d have her best interest at heart. I allowed my guilt and need for redemption cloud my judgement. Even back then, I hated what St. Moron did to her.” Quinn says to Kelly. “And Rach don’t give me that look. I’m toning the names down because you’d hate what’s running through my mind.” She adds after she notices Rachel’s raised eyebrows.

“I understand guilt all too clearly. Anyone who doesn’t know the entire story thinks I knew about it because we were in the same team for over a year and a half. I should have seen it coming. I should have been there to stop it from happening.” Kelly says, seeing for the first time that she and Quinn aren’t really that different.

“Kel, you’re not a mind reader. There was no way for you to know he had ulterior motives. I should have known, but I was too flattered by his words. I caught glimpses of his true personality from time to time. I chose to justify them in order to live a fairytale. I should have known that a popular and well liked boy would never pay attention to someone like me unless there are ulterior motives present. I lost my head for a while, and reached for things that weren’t meant for me. That was all me.” Rachel says as she finally releases Quinn’s hand so she can go and give her childhood friend a hug.

Rachel’s words only serve to make the others feel even worse. Kelly keeps thinking that no matter what, she should have known better, but part of her was also fooled by the nice words and act. Quinn once again feels the size of a microbe. She knows the two years of name calling and put downs played a huge role in systematically destroying Rachel’s self-image. Alex and Gabe clench their fists and shake their heads. They hate the way Rachel has changed over the years. Seeing and hearing those words, they understand Kelly’s need to lash out at Quinn, but they also see the shame and guilt swim in those hazel eyes. They can see plain as daylight that it’s not just about guilt and redemption. They can see Quinn truly likes Rachel.

Rachel makes her way back to Quinn’s side and sits facing the blonde Cheerio. “Quinn, we’ve talked about this. We both have a couple of years of unpleasant history to overcome. I know I’m repeating myself and it’s something I’m working on, but I need you to understand, so please bear with me. I know I was hesitant at first, and a very small part of me still is, but I trust you. We both need to put the past behind and concentrate on the present and the future. I’m not saying start with a blank slate because you’re right. It isn’t possible. But, we can certainly learn from our past. I appreciate your protectiveness on my behalf. You and I have been friends for a grand total of five days and you’ve already done so much more for me than anyone else at McKinley, with the exception of Noah, and that’s only because he and I have been friends longer. Thank you.” Rachel says as she wraps her arms around a stunned Quinn. She places a soft kiss on her cheek before she straightens her chair and faces the table and her half-eaten plate of crêpes. The same tingling feeling is there.

Quinn gets off her chair and kneels down beside Rachel. “Rach, look at me, please.” She says as she takes one of the brunette’s hands in both of hers. “As grateful as I am, I don’t deserve your trust, at least not yet. I’ll show you that it’s not misplaced. We had it all wrong. The rest of the sheep and I picked on you because we thought you were weak. Instead, you’re one of the strongest people I know. You don’t let people like me dictate who you are and how you carry yourself. I’m so very sorry for my role in making you believe that at any point, you’re less than insensitive egomaniacs like St. Bastard, pea-sized brain blockheads like Finn and the rest of the jocks, jealous and spiteful teammates like Mercedes who wish to have even a tenth of your talent, or insecure girls such as Santana and me. You are without a doubt so much better than we can ever aspire to be. Don’t give us that kind of power over you. St. Douche Bag was the lucky one. Finn was the lucky one. Puck and I certainly are very fortunate that you decided to throw caution to the wind and give us another chance. So this is me saying thank you for being such an exceptional and wonderful human being. Thank you for looking past my mistakes and opening yourself to me when I don’t deserve any of it. I’m hoping that one day I will. I’ll show you with actions and not just words that I’ll earn that trust you so easily have given me. You should only think you deserve nothing but the best.” Quinn says before she brushes her lips gently on the back of Rachel’s hand. Her eyes automatically turn to look at their hands, unable to keep their eye contact any longer.

Rachel feels her eyes fill with happy tears. She blinks a few times hoping to keep them from falling. When she finally opens her eyes again, she brings her free hand and brushes the back of the knuckles down Quinn’s cheek to end by her chin. She uses her index finger and thumb to tilt the blonde’s head upward slightly so they’re now looking at each other. Rachel is mesmerised by Quinn’s eyes. They are the shade of honey with emerald flecks near the irises. She opens her mouth to say something, anything, but all Rachel can do is stare and open and close her mouth.

The other three feel like they’re intruding. It is at that moment that any lingering doubt they might have held on to about Quinn’s sincerity are gone. Not once did Quinn ever try to justify or dismiss her past actions, especially when she realised her actions have played a big role in Rachel’s shattered self-image.

“I think this is the first time in thirteen years and change that I’ve ever seen Rachel speechless.” Gabe says hoping to bring some levity back.

His words seem to break whatever bubble the girls find themselves in. For a brief moment Quinn had forgotten the others were there, and once she’s reminded, she ducks her head, releases Rachel’s hand, and makes her way back to the chair, blushing a gentle pink.

“I’m sorry our breakfast got cold. I can make a fresh batch if you all wish.” Rachel says softly, switching to a more neutral topic, her eyes lingering on Quinn a bit longer before she turns to face the other three.

“Are you crazy? All we need is a bit of ice cream and we’re set. Those who want something warm can pop their dishes in the microwave and nuke them.” Gabe says already standing up and heading to the kitchen.

“Gabe, who ever heard of ice cream for breakfast?” Rachel calls out to him.

“Tons of people who will never admit it. I even brought you your crazy coconut-milk frozen thingy so you won’t feel so bad about eating so many animal products.” Gabe says as he returns to the table with a few containers of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream, along with Rachel’s non-dairy selection. “This breakfast feels more like dessert anyway. The only thing missing was either some whipped cream or ice cream, which I have now provided. Everything is perfect now.” He adds with a silly grin.

“Just go with it, Little Robin. We need to make our way to Columbus and it’s getting late. You know how it gets once we’re there.” Alex says, already grabbing the container with chocolate ice cream.

“Fine.” Rachel says relenting. Soon, she’s grabbing the container of her non-dairy dessert.

“Wow, Rach. Even cold, this is fantastic.” Quinn says once she swallows. “I think I’m going to conveniently be doing homework here on days my mom has to work late.” Quinn adds with a sheepish smile.

Rachel blushes and looks at her plate.

Quinn can’t help but think how adorable Rachel looks like that.

“Or I can go to your place to do said homework there, and make sure you and your mom have a healthy, balanced meal on those days.” Rachel says, blushing to the tip of her toes. She has no idea what possessed her to say that, and she certainly can’t believe she blurted those words out.

Quinn smiles brightly at that. Her blush isn’t far behind.

The others look at each other with raised eyebrows. Since when is Rachel shy about compliments or for the chance to show off her skills?

Quinn feels three pairs of eyes travelling back and forth between Rachel and herself. “Why do you guys call Rachel ‘Little Robin’? Quinn asks as a way to shift scrutiny to someone other than herself. The fact that she’ll learn more about Rachel is an added bonus.

“Robins are one of the few species of birds in which the females sing just as wonderful, if not more so than the males. Rachel is tiny and cute, with a voice that can shame angels. The conclusion was an easy one to make.” Alex says.

“How do you know that?” Quinn asks.

“Our mom is a vet. She’s the one who started calling Rachel ‘Little Robin’ first.” Alex answers.

Conversation is kept light as they finish their meal. When they are done, Rachel and Quinn are ushered to the breakfast counter while the other three clean up.

“I scrubbed that pot with the stuck hard candy. I should be sitting on my ass with the other two.” Kelly grumbles as she once again is saddled with the pots and pans.

“That was your fault. Don’t gripe. It’s not like we’re telling you to wash everything by hand. Gabe already scraped off as much stuff off of them when he put the leftovers aside.” Alex says as he wets a washcloth and wrings the excess water out, before he makes his way to the dining room table.

“Yeah, you mean he put away what he couldn’t finish eating?” Kelly asks as she loads the dishwasher.

“What? I’m a growing boy.” Gabe says once he pushes the refrigerator door shut and joins Rachel and Quinn.

“Sideways, perhaps” Kelly quips as she nails him with a wet sponge.

“Don’t start anything. We might not be expected at a specific hour, but we don’t want to make it there too late.” Alex says before those two can start anything.

Gabe and Kelly open their mouths to protest, but one look in Rachel’s direction and they lower their heads with a pout.

Quinn can’t help the fit of giggles at the sight of the two college students completely deflating at the sight of Rachel sitting with her back straight, her arms crossed over her chest and a ‘don’t you dare, or I’ll make you sorry if you do’ look on her face. She swears the others at school would be cowering in fear if they were met with that look.

“Quinn, do you have a curfew?” Rachel asks, causing Quinn to stop laughing.

“Yeah, I need to make it home by eleven.” Quinn answers. “If there isn’t enough time, just drop me home first.” She adds in a subdued tone.

“Don’t be silly. We leave now, and we’ll have you back with plenty of time to spare. The other two are nearly done cleaning and everything we need is already there.” Rachel says with a shake of her head.

Within minutes, they are in Alex’s car on the way to Columbus. Alex and Gabe take up the front, with the three girls in the backseat.

“I get to pick the music.” Rachel says as she pulls out her iPod.

“We should put it to a vote, or take turns or something.” Gabe says. “What do you think, Quinn?” He asks.

Quinn looks like someone just dropped a pitcher of ice-cold water on her. Lucky for her, Rachel jumps right away.

“I’m vetoing anything that contradicts my suggestions. I’m the one squished in the middle, so by default, I get to choose the music. It’s my reward for not making any of you sit here.” Rachel says, starting to pout.

Quinn, at this point would agree to just about anything Rachel suggests. One, Rachel looks absolutely adorable. And two, even though the other three have warmed up considerably to her, she is still grateful there is a buffer between her and the others.

Gabe groans loudly, while Alex rolls his eyes and Kelly smirks.

“Little Robin, you’re the only one who can sit in that spot and not end up like pretzel. Any one of us would have to be a contortionist in order to fit there and not go numb in five minutes.” Gabe whines. It’s not that he doesn’t like Rachel’s music. It’s the principle of putting a fight so it doesn’t appear as if they’re always giving in to whatever Rachel wants.

“It’s not my fault most fuel efficient cars weren’t designed with giants in mind.” Rachel says grinning. This is one of the times she is happy she is so petite.

“Give it up dude. You know that even if she was riding shotgun, she’d be picking the music. I don’t see what the big deal is. You like her music.” Alex says with a chuckle.

“Give me your iPod before you hurt yourself, Little Robin.” Gabe says when he notices Rachel trying to reach over the centre console to hunt for the cable. At this point, if Rachel did ask to ride shotgun, he’d agree just to stop the progression from full pout to trembling lower lip and big, innocent eyes.

Rachel smiles triumphantly as she shoves her iPod in his hands. “Just to be fair, I’ll let you choose the playlist.” Rachel says in an almost contrite way.

“Great example of that resistance and immunity to Rachel’s pout you were talking about, Gabe.” Kelly says smirking.

“You’re one to say something. You’re worse than I am.” Gabe mumbles.

“That might be the case, but unlike you I never claimed otherwise. I know I take one look at that cute little pout, and I find myself nearly unable to say no to her.” Kelly says, sticking her tongue out at him.

Quinn watches the exchange amused. She has to agree with Kelly’s assessment. She has seen this pout once, and had Rachel turned to her and asked her to sit all squished up in the middle, she would have been powerless to say no.

“Will you stop talking about me as if I’m not sitting in the same car with you? I don’t pout. You normally give in to me because after hearing my amazing arguments, you can’t help but agree with me.” Rachel says, her pout more pronounced.

They all do their best to stifle their laughter.

Quinn thinks that if Rachel were to act like that in school, she would have everyone doing her bidding. She can’t help the smile as she looks at the diva.

Rachel returns the smiles and leans her head on Quinn’s shoulders.

Quinn’s first instinct is to shift her arm so that she would end up hugging Rachel to her and shift her enough that the diva would be resting her head near the crook of her neck and chest. She settles for grabbing the diva’s hand and lacing their fingers together.

“I don’t get what the big fuss was about listening to Rachel’s iPod.” Quinn says when she hears a nice mixture of rock classics mixed in with some artists she hasn’t heard before. There hasn’t been a single show tune.

“That’s because Gabe was being a snot. He knows I have impeccable taste in music.” Rachel says, unconsciously playing with Quinn’s fingers.

Traffic is nearly non-existent, and they make it to their destination in under two hours. Quinn realises they’re at a small café called ‘The Mocha Espresso’. In next to no time, they are inside and setting up instruments after a quick greeting and introduction to the barista and a few of the servers.

“Alex and Gabe were never in Glee. They preferred playing in a band for fun. This was one of their regular venues. When the band broke up, I started playing and singing with them for extra practice. I’ve been coming here every weekend since I was about thirteen. When Alex and Gabe started college, it changed to whenever they’re back.” Rachel explains as she starts to walk to the back room.

“Where are we going and how come they’re not coming with us?” Quinn asks when she notices the boys are staying put, making sure the guitar and bass are tuned while they catch up with the staff and a few of the regulars. Kelly is already perched on the counter with a drink of some sort.

“I’m going to warm up. You’re more than welcomed to join me, or you can stay and chat with the others. I figure you’d be more comfortable with me, but I won’t be offended or hurt if you decide listening to my warm up exercises is too boring. I apologise for not asking your preference first.” Rachel says with a smile.

“I don’t find them boring. I think I’m going to hang out with you instead, and let them catch up. I like it when we hang out.” Quinn replies.

Rachel’s smile could power the eastern seaboard for a year with its intensity.

After about half an hour, Rachel joins the others on the makeshift stage while Quinn sits on a table right in front of the stage at the owner’s insistence.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have some of your patrons sitting on such a prime location?” Quinn asks Ethan, one of the baristas and owner of the café. “I can easily sit on the side, or towards the counter area.” She adds as she gestures her hand in the general vicinity of those areas.

“This is their table. It would be empty otherwise.” Ethan says with a wink.

“You know, since you did the warm ups with me, you’re more than welcomed to join us.” Rachel says gesturing to the stage area as she puts a pair of ear plugs on.

“Maybe next time. I have no clue what you’ll be singing, and I’m not as good at improvising as you are.” Quinn says blushing. “Why are you plugging your ears?” Quinn asks once she notices.

“That’s sheer nonsense, but I won’t push. Feel free to order whatever you want, and if you have any requests, let me know.” Rachel says as she plays a few notes on the piano, warming her fingers in the process. “We’re pretty close to the amps and speakers. Even though we won’t be blasting our sound, I’ve been doing this for nearly four years. If I don’t protect my ears, I’d compromise my hearing, and with it, my perfect pitch.” Rachel answers.

“I never thought of that.” Quinn says, feeling slightly dumb. “What if I request something you don’t know?” Quinn asks.

“Ha! That’d be the day, someone requesting a song that Rachel Berry doesn’t know. Even if that’s the case, if you have the patience to wait a few minutes, Rachel would just go to my office and listen to the song on my computer while she finds and prints the lyrics to it. Unless you want a clone of the song, she’s great at winging it.” Ethan answers before anyone else can.

“I had no idea, but I’m beginning to see.” Quinn says with a smile.

“You’re in glee together, and you don’t know this?” Marcie, one of the servers asks perplexed.

“We normally don’t get to improvise. Our choir director decides on everything before hand. I’m usually too busy with other things to hang around much after practice. Not to mention Quinn’s busy schedule with her own extra-curricular activities.” Rachel says diplomatically.

Quinn smiles gratefully at Rachel.

“Well then, prepare to be wowed.” Marcie says as she sets Quinn’s coffee order in front of her.

Rachel, Gabe, Alex, and Kelly sing for the next couple of hours with a break here and there. They cover anything from well known songs to some obscure songs some of the patrons wish to hear. Just like Ethan had said, Rachel has no problem fulfilling the requests. The one time she wasn’t familiar with a song, Rachel and the others excused themselves long enough to use Ethan’s office to figure things out, and Rachel would then interpret the song as best she could.

Quinn has listened to Rachel sing many times, and even when they weren’t in the best of terms, she has always thought Rachel Berry is a very good and talented vocalist. Listening to Rachel sing completely relaxed, without the pressure of their teammates and other choirs, the girl is spellbinding. Rachel’s voice is rich and sends shivers through her entire body, and no matter what song they interpret, her voice blends in with the other three and the result is truly awe inspiring.

They finish their last song of the day amid a sea of protests from staff and patrons alike. During the time they started singing and now, the little café has filled to capacity and most of the patrons are on their feet, not that they seem to care. Quinn knows that she’d happily stand if it means listening to Rachel sing completely unguarded. If Rachel returns to Glee, she’ll fight tooth and nail to make sure her suggestions are carried out and listened to.

When everything is put away, they find themselves enjoying a quiet dinner, courtesy of Ethan.

“Mind if I go through your iPod?” Quinn asks curious while they have dessert.

“Sure. It’s just music, you know?” Rachel replies with a shrug as she hands her iPod Touch to the blonde.

“I know, but it’ll give me another hint of who Rachel Berry is.” Quinn says as she starts to scroll through the seemingly endless supply of music. It’s organised in different playlists. Every song she’s seen so far has the correct album cover art. There seem to be playlists for every situation with just about every genre of music under the sun. Then something strikes Quinn as odd. They all see the blonde’s eyebrows scrunch together in confusion.

“Rach, why is there so much instrumental music?” Quinn asks truly perplexed. About fifty percent of it is instrumental.

Rachel listening to different genres of music that aren’t show tunes isn’t as strange as some might think. There are songs in a few different languages, but again, that can be chalked up to curiosity over different cultures. Even opera is explainable, because it has vocals in it. Rachel listening to new age, ambient music, classical and musical scores for movies? That’s just plain strange.

Before Rachel can answer, Alex, Kelly and Gabe burst out in loud laughter, causing said diva to turn a bright red. Quinn looks on even more confused.

“I, uh, the thing is… You know… I like music and…” Rachel starts to say, blushing an even darker and brighter red only to be interrupted by Gabe.

“What Rachel is trying to say in a less than eloquent way is that when she is listening to something, she can’t stop singing, like ever. She’s addicted to music so if she wants to ever get anything done; she has to listen to music without lyrics.” Gabe starts his explanation. “I’m impressed. You seem to be able to render our diva speechless with a few words.” Gabe adds with a grin.

“But then, why not just turn off the music?” Quinn asks. Judging by the expressions on those around her, she knows she just pulled a blonde move. “Never mind. Stupid question. I’m a natural blonde. I’m allowed to have a ‘Finn’ moment every once in a while.” Quinn adds with a self-deprecating smile, causing the others to laugh.

“Rachel loves everything and anything about music, and she truly enjoys most musical genres. Short of composing her own songs, there isn’t really anything that Rachel can’t do.” Alex says with a smile. “And that’s only because she hasn’t really tried to compose her own music yet.” He adds.

“Rachel is always looking for something different so she can be as diverse as possible. If she listens to a song she likes, regardless of the genre, she’ll have it arranged to suit her style and her voice. Or, she’ll try to experiment with the genre just so can she can expand her musical repertoire.” Kelly says with a fond smile on her face now.

“You listened to the different songs we interpreted here. Out of the ones you recognised, how many of them sounded like the original works?” Alex asks.

“None really. They were all very unique. These versions were amazing.” Quinn admits.

“That’s all Rachel’s doing. We’ll offer suggestions, but in the end, she is the one who picks a song apart and distributes the parts accordingly. She also makes sure our parts are done in a key we can maintain without hurting ourselves. Had Schuester listened to even a fraction of Rachel’s ideas and suggestions, you guys would have definitely won Regionals last year and qualified for Nationals. You would have had a good chance to win Nationals on your first try. I saw a recording of your performance during Sectionals this year, and even without Rachel singing the solos, had you guys let Rachel work the arrangements and adapted it to suit your individual strengths, you would have taken first place without having to share it with The Warblers.” Alex says.

The other two readily agree, and after seeing Rachel perform, Quinn is convinced Alex is right. It certainly explains how Rachel was able to put together the numbers that saved and won them Sectionals a year ago. Part of her wants to make sure the others can see Rachel like this, and part of her wishes to keep it all a secret, because she is almost sure that they would take advantage of the diva and still treat her like shit. She can’t help the frown and the flash of anger that flitters across her face before she can squash it down.

The others leave the girls alone while they go talk to the staff of the café.

“Quinn, everything okay?” Rachel asks concerned. Everything had been great up until Alex mentioned Schuester and New Directions, even if he did it in such a flattering way to her.

“Yeah. Sorry. I hate how they treat you. But let’s not dwell on that. I didn’t mean to put a damper on.” Quinn says softly. “How did all these people know you were going to be here? Within a few songs, the place was packed.” Quinn says, changing the subject.

Rachel decides to drop it for now, but with a look, she lets Quinn know they’ll discuss things eventually. “Alex usually sends a text to Ethan letting him know when we leave Lima. One of us will text if traffic is an issue on our way here. Ethan puts an update on his website with our ETA. The regulars know the routine well. By the time we sing the first song, the place usually fills up.” Rachel answers.

“Why do you do this?” Quinn asks.

“I never pass up the opportunity to perform. It’s great practice, and I get to work on my creativity. I get to sing without having to fight or argue with anyone, and to people who appreciate my voice. I don’t have to worry about proving myself to anyone. It’s not about winning a competition. I get to have fun. I don’t have to hear Santana’s insults, or Mercedes’ cheap shots at my voice and attitude. I don’t have to listen to their laughter whenever someone thinks of a new way to insult me. I don’t have to see how the boy who was supposed to be my boyfriend laughs along with the others instead of defending me. I don’t have to put up with seeing how a teacher who is supposed to be impartial and look after all students equally can easily turn his head around as if he is deaf and blind all of a sudden when I’m being bullied. Yet, this same teacher will have no problem ripping the bully a new one if they’re picking on someone who isn’t me.” Rachel answers.

“I didn’t know you were aware of Mr. Schue’s attitude.” Quinn says in a whisper.

“It’s rather hard to miss, when I’m being called selfish by a teacher because I’m reacting to how others treat me, while he defends everyone else. Besides, after my blow up a few days ago, I’m surprised you find it odd I’m aware of Mr. Schuester’s bias.” Rachel says with a shrug of her shoulder, too used to how things are at McKinley.

“It’s not your fault Quinn. You’re not responsible for their actions. You might have incited some of it, but in the end, they make their own choices. Most importantly though, you decided to stop. That’s enough for me to move on.” Rachel adds when she sees that Quinn is about to start another apology.

“I didn’t just decide to stop. It took Puck’s words for me to finally open my eyes. I might have decided to be a better person after Beth, but in the end, I was still very much a coward because I cared too much what others thought of me.” Quinn counters, looking thoroughly ashamed.

“Regardless of the fact that Noah might have spurred on the change, in the end, it was still your decision alone to do something. You all listened to what Noah had to say, but aside from you and Brittany, you don’t see the others doing anything other than continue their less than acceptable behaviour towards me. No matter how much you disagree with how they treat me, it isn’t your apology to make. We are all responsible for our own actions.” Rachel says.

“You really are something else.” Quinn says shaking her head. “I’ll drop it for now, because we’ll never agree, but one day I will deserve your forgiveness.” She adds as she places her hand on Rachel’s shoulder and squeezes gently.

“Maybe that’ll be the day you’ll be able to forgive yourself.” Rachel says gently.

* * *
They leave with a promise to return once Alex and the others return for their Christmas break. Rachel hopes that next time, she can convince Quinn to join her on stage for at least a couple of songs.

The drive back is spent discussing likes and dislikes. Rachel and Quinn also make arrangements to hang out Sunday. When Rachel asks Quinn to join her and Puck, she politely declines, citing that things might be on the mend between them, but it still feels really awkward to hang out. Rachel doesn’t push. At least they can be in the same room together now, acknowledge each other’s presence, and not flinch in pain while trying to ignore each other’s existence.

“See, we made it back with plenty of time to spare.” Rachel says as Alex pulls into the Fabrays’ driveway.

“Thanks for a great day, including me, and for giving me a chance.” Quinn says to the three college students.

“I’ll walk you to your door.” Rachel says softly.

“Call me so we can finalise our plans for Sunday.” Quinn says once they reach the front door. She pulls Rachel for a hug and places a soft peck on Rachel’s cheek. It’s become a lot easier to be physically affectionate with Rachel and not feel self-conscious about it.

“I will. Good night Quinn, and sleep well.” Rachel says as Quinn reluctantly pulls apart to open the door end enter her house.

TBC…

Chap. 7