This Kiss, Chapter Twenty-Four
Title: This Kiss
Author: poetzproblem
Fandom Glee
Characters: Rachel Berry / Quinn Fabray
Word Count: ~5000
Rating: R
Summary: One pivotal moment can change everything.
Spoilers/Warnings: hrough A Very Glee Christmas. Then AU. Cursing, sexual references, Femslash.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the characters, just like to play with them.
A/N: Written for a Faberry prompt, but can't remember where. 'Rachel and Quinn share a kiss during a game of spin the bottle. From that night forward both girls desperately try to deny what they felt; what they feel. ..The other Glee kids know what’s up and attempt to play matchmaker.'
(Chapter One) (Chapter Two) (Chapter Three) (Chapter Four) (Chapter Five) (Chapter Six) (Chapter Seven) (Chapter Eight) (Chapter Nine) (Chapter Ten) (Chapter Eleven) (Chapter Twelve) (Chapter Thirteen) (Chapter Fourteen) (Chapter Sixteen) (Chapter Sixteen) (Chapter Seventeen) (Chapter Eighteen) (Chapter Nineteen) (Chapter Twenty) (Chapter Twenty-One) (Chapter Twenty-Two) (Chapter Twenty-Three)
Basking In the Glory
When the doorbell to the Berry residence sounded at 5:00 pm, Rachel skipped down the steps with a grin, thinking that perhaps Quinn had found some way to escape from the clutches of Sue Sylvester earlier than expected, but after peeking through the peephole, her posture sagged and she sighed as she opened the door.
"Rachel Berry, you have some explaining to do!" Kurt testily informed her as he pushed past her and into the house.
"Hello, Kurt, it's lovely to see you, too." She closed door and followed him into the living room where he had already dropped onto the sofa and was fixing his windblown hair. He primly crossed his legs and his arms, and pinned her with a look obviously intended to overwhelm her with guilt.
It worked.
She was already feeling badly about deceiving him-even if he had slightly overstepped the bonds of friendship with his meddling. The whole situation was bothering her immensely, especially after having found out from Tina that (thanks in no small part to Rachel) Artie had broken up with Brittany. Quinn had told her she shouldn't blame herself since Brittany was pretty much already over it. Rachel hadn't quite believed her until she'd confided the reason why-which was really more information than Rachel had wanted.
"First of all, I do not appreciate the fact that you've been avoiding me since this morning."
"I haven't been," she lied as she sank down next to him and affected her best innocent expression. "I was unavoidably detained at lunch." It was technically the truth, thanks to Finn, but she hadn't exactly been planning to meet Kurt anyway.
"I'm not interested in your excuses, Rachel. Never mind the fact that I've just spent the entire day worrying about the sad state of your love life and the possible repercussions if you've somehow managed to piss off Quinn Fabray once again-thank you very much for the premature wrinkles, by the way-I simply want to know what went so horribly wrong to have you so unusually tight-lipped."
"Is there a particular reason that you're so invested in my personal life, Kurt?" she prodded.
"You're evading," he accused her with a huff. His cheeks colored slightly, but he didn't drop his gaze.
"Has it ever occurred to you that Quinn might not be willing to risk her reputation or her home to engage in some high school dalliance with another girl-let alone the biggest loser at McKinley?" she queried softly, because that was still one of Rachel's biggest fears, that Quinn could wake up tomorrow and realize that their relationship wasn't worth the trouble it could bring her-that Rachel wasn't worth it.
Quinn had made no secret of the fact that she wasn't ready to be out at school, and Rachel hadn't merely been attempting to make the girl feel better when she'd confessed to the same. She shuddered to think how many more slushies and dumpster dives and derogatory names she'd have to endure once she added lesbian or bisexual to her already long list of differences.
They hadn't even discussed the possibility of coming out to their parents, but while Rachel didn't really have any worries on that front at least, she knew that Quinn's family life was very different. Her girlfriend had been kicked out of her house last year when she'd most needed her parents' love and support. Whenever Rachel thought about it now, she just wanted to cry, especially when she remembered how easily she'd once disassociated herself from the harsh reality of Quinn's situation.
Kurt reached over and covered her hand, giving it a sympathetic squeeze. "Oh, sweetie, did she tell you that?"
Rachel could see the concern in his expression, and another wave of guilt crashed over her. She knew it was time to confess. She opened her mouth to do just that, and then launch into the speech that she had prepared outlining all the inappropriate actions that a friend should never take in regards to another friend's romantic entanglements, when her doorbell sounded again. She snapped her mouth shut and sighed, casting him an apologetic look as she stood. "I'll just be a minute."
"You are not going to make me wait again!"
"I can't just ignore the door, Kurt," she chastised him, giving him a sharp look when the doorbell chimed again in short impatient bursts.
Rachel paced back into the foyer, grumbling under her breath at the insistent ringing before she wrenched the door open without bothering to check who it was. She instantly found herself with an armful of cheerleader and any protest she might have made was silenced by soft, pink lips. Quinn unerringly backed Rachel into the nearest wall and pressed the entire length of that lean, toned body against her as she deepened the kiss. A firm thigh slipped between her legs and Rachel whimpered against Quinn's mouth, pushing back desperately in an attempt to get closer. The whole experience was so incredibly erotic that Rachel couldn't help but moan in appreciation as every rational thought in her head vanished into oblivion.
"Oh. My. God!"
Quinn jerked away in surprise at the unwelcome interruption, leaving Rachel slumped against the wall and gazing up at her through heavy-lidded eyes.
"Kurt?"
"You…you're…" he stuttered, mouth gaping and one hand pressed over his heart while the other pointed at Quinn.
Quinn narrowed her eyes at Rachel. "Why didn't you tell me he was here?" she demanded shakily.
Still dazed, Rachel ghosted her fingers over her lips and murmured, "You didn't exactly give me a chance, Quinn."
"You sneaky, little fakers!" Kurt screeched, finally snapping out of his shock. He put both hands on his hips and glared at them both. "To think that I actually felt sorry for you-poor unwanted Rachel and poor repressed Quinn. Hah!"
Quinn's nervousness disappeared in a heartbeat, and she matched his stance. Rachel couldn't help but admire her head bitch pose. It was sexy as hell, and needless to say, it trumped Kurt's pale imitation without question.
"Listen up, Hummel. I don't know what weird fantasy world you're living in, but let me give you a reality check. You don't get to decide how I feel or who I date. It's my life, and only I get to decide what's best for me. And as for Rachel," she continued heatedly, not allowing Kurt the chance to respond, "I don't care how good a friend you've been lately. Her personal life isn't some little pet project you get to dabble in whenever you feel the urge. Understand?"
Kurt squared his shoulders and nodded. "Perfectly."
"Good."
Rachel clapped her hands and stepped between the two with a too-bright smile, hoping to dispel the tension. "Okay, now that we've settled that. Can I offer either of you anything-water, juice? Oh…I baked cookies last night."
"You baked?" Quinn asked, her eyes turning soft as her defenses slipped just a little.
Rachel blushed. She'd had excessive energy to burn off last night after Quinn left (her completely breathless and aroused and unable to concentrate on any of her homework.) Quinn had stayed until close to six, reluctantly saying goodnight because she'd been too nervous to meet Rachel's daddy after spending two hours cuddling and making out with his daughter on the family sofa. Quinn's anxiety had been oddly adorable, so Rachel had decided to let her off the hook for the time being.
"I did. I am quite an accomplished baker, if I do say so myself, regardless of the fact that the Berry family cooking skills are generally abysmal."
Quinn smiled. "Hence the reason that you're fully committed to take out," and Rachel beamed back at her, tickled that she would remember something so trivial.
"Hel-lo-oh? Still in the room here," Kurt whined, "and I feel that I at least deserve an official declaration of status after all the trouble you've both put me through."
One blonde brow arched in challenge. "Excuse me? I think you might want to rephrase that."
Rachel placed a hand on her girlfriend's arm-and oh, she really loved that word. "Quinn, be nice. Kurt's actually been very helpful," and Rachel shot him a look of exasperation when he grinned proudly, "in a completely inappropriate, underhanded, manipulative way," and his smile dimmed considerably.
"But you're together," he prompted hopefully. "Blissfully happy and basking in the glory of new love?"
Rachel jerked her gaze to Quinn at the use of the L-word, worried that it might send her into a panic, but Quinn was blushing prettily, gazing down at her with a tender expression. "We're together," she admitted bashfully, lacing her fingers with Rachel's.
Kurt squealed, bouncing over and crushing them both in a joyful hug. "Yay! I'm so happy for you!"
"Kurt, honey, you're kind of squishing us," Rachel told him.
"Sorry." He let them go but the smile on his face was blinding. "You have to tell me everything."
"No!" the girls denied together.
"No offense," Rachel was quick to add. "It's just kind of private, and we're still…figuring things out," she finished hesitantly with a glance to Quinn.
"And we're not telling anyone yet," Quinn insisted meaningfully. After all, Kurt was the biggest gossip in McKinley, next to Mercedes.
He scoffed, "Oh, please, like everyone hasn't been waiting for the two of you to just give in and jump one another for weeks now. Well, except for Finn and," he paused and frowned, "oh, poor Sam.'
Quinn winced, "Uh…yeah, Sam already knows."
"Oh." Kurt tapped a thoughtful finger to his chin. "Well, then, I guess it's just poor Finn."
"Don't expect me to shed any tears for him."
"Quinn, that's not very nice," Rachel chastised. She really didn't want to see Finn hurt. Despite his character flaws, he was, at heart, a really decent guy who deserved to be happy, and he likely was not going to take the news well that his two ex-girlfriends were finding happiness with one another.
"In case you haven't noticed, Rach, I'm not exactly a nice person." Quinn's mouth was quirked with a little half-smile that was part self-depreciation and part pleading for acceptance.
"But you are," she reassured the girl. "You're just a little prickly on occasion, but the inherent sweetness is well worth the trouble." A rosy glow colored Quinn's cheeks, and Rachel smiled happily.
"You're just so adorable," Kurt gushed with his hands clasped over his heart.
"Okay, you really need to get a life," Quinn quipped.
He huffed, "Please, I wish I had my own relationship to focus on. If either one of you can help me out with Blaine, I will personally coordinate both of your wardrobes from now until graduation."
Rachel frowned as she studied Kurt. "Why do I feel like that's actually more of an insult to the way that we currently dress than a potential expression of gratitude?"
"Take it how you will," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "What I'm more interested in right now is how I can help you make the transition into lesbian power couple."
Quinn growled and took a step forward. "What part of we're not telling anyone yet did you fail to understand?"
Rachel tightened her grip on her girlfriend's hand and quickly positioned her body into a protective stance, ignoring the utter ridiculousness of the situation. "You're not really helping right now, Kurt."
"Look, I'm not suggesting that you walk into school tomorrow and make a big public declaration, but I don't think that you want to go back to pretending to hate one another, and let's be honest, you both suck at feigning indifference. A little strategic planning on how to increase contact while limiting speculation wouldn't hurt. I mean, if the queen of McKinley and…well, Rachel Berry, suddenly become BFFs overnight, it might seem a little suspicious."
Quinn relaxed a little, and sighed, conceding, "You actually have a point."
"Of course, I do," he bragged, "I've already heard some rumblings on the grapevine concerning your presence at our table the other day-of course, most of them think that you're setting up Rachel for some horrible prank intended to publicly humiliate her." Quinn frowned, but the boy smiled encouragingly, "Obviously, that isn't the case."
She turned to Rachel with a pensive frown. "You do know I wouldn't do that, right?"
Rachel squeezed her hand supportively. "I know. You're not that person anymore. And even if you were, I somehow doubt you'd carry a prank this far."
Quinn lifted their joined hands and ghosted a tender kiss over the back of Rachel's. "Thank you for trusting me," she whispered, hazel eyes sparkling with so much emotion that Rachel started to feel a little breathless.
"Okay, as much as I love you two together, I think I'm starting to get a cavity from the overdose of sweetness."
"Hey!"
He ignored Rachel's indignant protest. "Now, as for the plan," he began with a gleam in his eye. "I'm thinking that we stage a big, public breakup with Sam-and poor Quinn is so devastated that she can't bear to sit at the same table with him at lunch. So of course, she sits with her friend Mercedes and, by extension, you, Rachel, and then you add in a week or two of cordial greetings in passing between classes and gradually move on to a few casual conversations. Eventually, no one will even bat an eyelash if the two of you choose to walk down the hall together between classes smiling and giggling and generally being disgustingly cute on the level of Brittany and Santana…well, Brittany anyway," he finished with a thoughtful frown.
Rachel stared at him, not quite certain what to make of his proposal. Glancing at Quinn, she saw that she looked just as dubious. "I'm not certain the public breakup is really necessary."
"Yeah, and Sam's already been great about this whole thing. I'd really rather not use him anymore than I already have."
"Fine," Kurt huffed, crossing his arms. "We can forget advertising the dramatic collapse of your perfect, boring, too-blonde relationship, even though that would really sell the story. Two girls bonding over their brutal, failed love affairs."
"I would hardly call it brutal," Rachel complained, not wanting to use such a derisive adjective to describe the end of her relationship with Finn.
"And I wouldn't call it a love affair," Quinn added.
"You are both just killing my buzz," he pouted.
"We appreciate your support, Kurt," Rachel was quick to reassure him, "and we will certainly take your advice into consideration, but ultimately, well…" she paused to organize her words into a tactful presentation-for a change.
"It's none of your business," Quinn finished bluntly, apparently having no problem being direct. "Now, if you don't mind, Rachel and I have things to discuss and decisions to make." She took Kurt by the shoulders and gently turned him towards the door. "So thanks for stopping by, nice talking to you, drive safely." She opened the door and gave him a firm little push, and he stumbled over the threshold before turning to look at the girls.
"But…"
"Okay, time to leave now," Quinn insisted impatiently, scowl back on her beautiful face.
"Rachel?" Kurt pleaded for her to intervene. Quinn looked back at her, eyebrow quirked in challenge, and Rachel bit back a smile.
"You should probably just go home, Kurt. We'll see you tomorrow."
He gasped, "Well, I never…" but the door slammed closed in his face.
Quinn turned and grinned at Rachel. "Now where were we?" she asked as she slipped her arms around her girlfriend's waist.
"Quinn, that was very rude," Rachel chided, but even as she said it, she was lifting her hands to Quinn's hair to work it free of the confining ponytail. God, she adored Quinn's hair when it was left down in all those soft waves.
Quinn bent down and nuzzled her cheek. "Please, you know you loved it," she purred close to her ear before feathering kisses down along Rachel's jaw and throat.
She tipped her head back to allow Quinn greater access. "Mm…maybe," she moaned, hissing out a shaky breath when Quinn backed her up against the wall again and started to suckle on a particularly sensitive spot where her shoulder met her neck. "Oh…definitely…love that."
She felt those perfect pink lips curve against her skin before Quinn lifted her head and gazed down into brown eyes with a content smile. "Hi, there," she murmured playfully.
Rachel sighed as she let her fingers play in silky blonde locks, gently combing through the leftover tangles caused by the evil hair tie. "Hi, back at you."
"So, I guess we kind of suck at this whole sneaking around thing."
"Apparently," she replied with a giggle, running her hands down Quinn's arms and gently pulling them away from her waist so that she could lead her into the living room. Not that being forcefully accosted against the wall (twice) hadn't been exciting, but the sofa would be so much more comfortable. She sank down into the cushions and pulled Quinn down beside her. Quinn immediately rearranged their bodies into a more intimate position so that they could cuddle, and Rachel smiled, loving how tactile Quinn was turning out to be-completely the opposite of her cool and aloof persona. She honestly hadn't been expecting it, and she wasn't ever going to complain.
"When are your dads coming home?"
Rachel frowned a little when she heard the nervous tremor in Quinn's voice. "Why? Do you plan to run out again so you won't have to meet them?" she asked, wincing a bit at the mild accusation in her tone.
Quinn stiffened beside her. "It's not that I don't want to meet them, Rach. I just don't think they'll be too happy to have one of the girls who's tormented their daughter for years sitting in their living room."
Rachel pulled back to study her girlfriend's face. "You assume that I came home nightly in tears and with a list of names prepared to present to my fathers and discuss endlessly with my therapist."
"No, not nightly, anyway," Quinn qualified.
She nodded a little. "I won't lie and say that it never happened. My dads are aware that many of my school experiences thus far have been less than pleasant, but, other than the fact that you are one of the image-obsessed, exclusionary cheerleaders who have been known to toss nasty insults and ice cold beverages at me in the past, they won't have any reason to dislike you specifically."
Quinn squeezed her eyes shut and pain marred her features. "I am so sorry for everything I ever did or said, Rachel. None of it was ever really about you. I just…I hated myself so much and I was so unhappy, but I couldn't change anything…and I put it all on you because you were an easy target. You don't know how badly I wish I could take it all back."
She smiled sadly as she gently stroked Quinn's cheek. "You were obviously struggling with your own sexuality, and while that isn't really an excuse, it is something I can understand. So I forgive you, Quinn."
"I…really don't deserve you," Quinn murmured, "but I'm so happy you're mine."
Rachel lost her breath at the emotion in those hazel eyes. She could almost imagine it was love shining back at her, and she admitted that she really wanted it to be. She was falling in love with Quinn. At a loss for the words to express the emotions building inside her, she leaned in and brushed a soft kiss over pink lips and watched those amazing eyes flutter shut as she breathed in Quinn's contented sigh. "Stay for dinner," she whispered against the girl's parted mouth. Stay forever is what she really wanted to ask, but she didn't want to scare Quinn away. The prospect of meeting her dads was doing a fine job of that already.
"Are you sure your fathers won't mind?" she asked nervously.
"It will just be daddy tonight if that helps." Her dad was rarely home for family dinners during the week.
"He won't run me off with a baseball bat as soon as he sees the uniform?" Quinn joked.
"Please, both my dads are atrocious at sports. We don't even own a baseball bat. Daddy does have shotgun though," she added as an afterthought.
Quinn smiled and shook her head until she realized that Rachel wasn't smiling back. "You're kidding, right?"
"He's an excellent marksman, but don't worry, he only ever threatened to use it on Finn once, and he was totally joking," Rachel frowned. "I think."
Quinn's face blanched. "Oh, God."
"Don't worry, I'll protect you," she promised indulgently.
"I just don't want them to hate me, Rach," Quinn confessed. "I mean, how am I supposed to be with you if your dads don't approve?"
"You're worrying over nothing, Quinn."
"I haven't exactly had the best track record with parents."
Rachel frowned when she realized what Quinn meant. The horrible experience with her own parents aside-and Rachel was honestly a little leery of finally meeting Quinn's mother for fear that she'd say something she'd end up regretting-Quinn had bounced from house to house last year and being the bitchy, pregnant girlfriend hadn't exactly endeared her to Mrs. Hudson or Mrs. Puckerman. Noah's mother adored Rachel simply because she was a nice Jewish girl, and was fairly resentful of Quinn because she was exactly the opposite-the morally loose gentile who'd trapped her sweet boy with her wiles. Similarly, Rachel had heard a few little barbs from Finn's mother that, at the time, had made her happy to know the woman approved of Rachel where she hadn't approved of Quinn. But now, it all just made her sad that Quinn would have felt so unwelcome when she'd most needed kindness and support.
"My fathers won't judge you for past mistakes, Quinn. Not if I ask them to give you a fair chance. And anyway, nothing they could say will change the way I feel about you."
Quinn bit her lip thoughtfully, and Rachel had to stifle her moan as she watched the action. "Just to be clear, you're not planning to introduce me as the hot cheerleader you're totally crushing on?"
She laughed. "Of course not. For one thing, I would never spring my sexual epiphany on my fathers without properly preparing them for the conversation. And for another, I think I'm way past the crushing stage," she confessed softly.
Quinn's eyes went dark, and she traced her thumb across Rachel's lower lip. "Good to know," she murmured before her mouth descended.
Rachel was amazed by how quickly Quinn Fabray could reduce her to a quivering mess of hormonal teenager. She'd never felt this way with anyone else-so electrified by every kiss and so incredibly aroused by even the lightest touch. Where she'd been content for Finn's hands to remain over her clothes, she was embarrassingly eager to feel Quinn's fingers on her skin-and God, she really wanted to explore every inch of Quinn's creamy flesh free of hindrance by restrictive fabric-but enough of her brain was still functioning to recognize that two days was way too soon to be getting to second base. Instead, she settled for touching the skin that was already exposed-smooth cheeks and strong arms and silky legs. If those breathy little moans were any indication, Quinn didn't have any objections.
Long minutes passed where kisses grew increasingly heated, until they both seemed to realize how easy it would be to go too far too fast, and they managed to slow things down again, reluctantly letting their lips part. Rachel gazed up at Quinn, her hands lightly stroking over Quinn's back because, for the life of her, she couldn't seem to stop touching her. "As much as I enjoy kissing you-and I really do-we actually should formulate a plan of attack for tomorrow."
Quinn smiled down at her. "You always have to have a plan, don't you?"
"I find it comforting, yes," she admitted. "Although, I've recently discovered the benefits to letting things happen naturally."
Quinn frowned a little. "You know…I didn't used to think there was anything natural about this. I thought…I thought there was something wrong with me because I felt this way about you," she confessed in a small voice. "And I prayed for God to take this sin away from me."
"Oh, Quinn." Rachel knew that Quinn's faith had always been an important part of her life, and she was well aware that Russell Fabray had fallen into that group of conservative Christians that liked to quote Bible verses as proof that good people like her dads were nothing more than sinners who would be damned to hell for their heathen lifestyle. Frankly, she was still kind of amazed that Quinn had even accepted her sexuality at all, let alone that she was in Rachel's arms right now. She hugged Quinn a little tighter. "I don't even know how to respond to that," she whispered, afraid that anything she might say would only offend Quinn or upset her more. They had obvious theological differences to begin with without even touching on how their religions dealt with the issue of homosexuality.
"I don't expect you to. I just need you to know-it's something I'm still dealing with, in my own way and at my own pace. And as much as being with you feels right, I'm probably still going to freak out from time to time, and maybe say or do stupid things, but I really don't want to screw this up with you, Rach. So if I regress and start acting like a bitch to you again, just…don't give up on me, okay?"
Rachel gently tucked Quinn's hair back behind her ears as she smiled up at her. "Well, luckily for you, I tend to be annoyingly persistent when it comes to getting something that I want. And in case you haven't noticed," her voice dipped to a husky whisper, "I want you, Quinn Fabray."
Her eyes fell closed and she rasped, "God, baby, when you say things like that…you make it really hard to remember we're supposed to be taking things slow."
"Slow is a relative term," Rachel reasoned, happy to lighten the mood once again. "We have known one another for years, after all. One could argue that we've already waited long enough."
"Don't tempt me."
"But it's fun," Rachel teased.
"Rachel Berry, you are a very naughty girl under that squeaky clean image."
"I think you bring it out in me, Quinn," she confessed. "I've never felt this way about anyone before."
Quinn stared down at her, her breath coming in rapid little pants. "I don't care what Kurt says. I'm not waiting weeks to be seen with you at school. I know we can't be together, but we can damn well be friendly, and if people have a problem with it, then I don't really give a crap. I'm Quinn fucking Fabray, and I can be friends with whoever the hell I want to be friends with."
Rachel caught her breath at the almost feral look in Quinn's eyes. She always had reacted strongly to Quinn when she got into one of her forceful moods, but hearing those curse words uttered in that soft, breathy voice… "Wow. Is it wrong that I'm really turned on right now?"
A slow, sexy grin pulled up the corners of Quinn's mouth. "Baby, if this is wrong, I don't wanna be right."
She giggled at the cheesy line, but happily welcomed Quinn's kiss. Quinn's hand slid over a firm thigh and kneaded the flesh, fingertips drifting dangerously high. Rachel moaned, suddenly feeling a lot more sympathetic towards Finn's need to chant mailman, only she couldn't for the life of her come up with any images to douse the growing flames of her arousal. She weakly nudged Quinn's shoulder, hoping she would get the message, and was grateful when Quinn finally pulled back and moved her hand to a safer location.
"We should…ah…practice," Rachel gasped out.
Quinn's brows furrowed adorably. "Practice?"
"For the duet audition tomorrow," she clarified as she gently disentangled herself from Quinn and sat up straight on the couch, nervously fixing her hair.
"Rachel, I'm not seriously going to have a diva-off with you. We both know you're the better singer," Quinn pointed out with a smile.
"Well, of course I am, but we're still doing it. I took the liberty of making certain that both our names were on the sign-up sheet that Mr. Schuester posted."
Quinn gaped at her. "Why would you do that?"
"Because I want to sing that song with you, Quinn," she confessed shyly. "And this is the perfect opportunity to do so without making any needless declarations. We can simply call it a vocal competition and no one will be the wiser."
"Except Santana, and Brittany, and Sam, and Kurt, and probably Mercedes, too," Quinn pointed out.
"Yes, exactly," Rachel agreed, not fazed at all by Quinn's slightly sarcastic tone. "I'll tell Mr. Schuester that we've agreed to sing it once as the duet it is intended to be in order to save time, and I'll even take the male part, as you so helpfully suggested this morning."
Quinn shook her head. "You're unbelievable."
She studied the Quinn's face with a frown when she recognized the tone of her voice as the same one Quinn used when she had threatened to punch Rachel. "Are you mad at me?"
"No," she sighed. "I just wasn't planning to actually have to go through with auditioning."
"But you'll do it?" Rachel asked hopefully.
She gave a short, reluctant nod. "I'm taking the male lead, though. It just fits better."
"You're about as girly as they come Quinn," Rachel observed with a fond smile.
"I meant they lyrics, smart ass."
Rachel stood from the couch and held out her hand with a flourish, happy beyond belief when Quinn trustingly slid a warm palm against hers. "Come on then, we have a lot of work to do.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Author: poetzproblem
Fandom Glee
Characters: Rachel Berry / Quinn Fabray
Word Count: ~5000
Rating: R
Summary: One pivotal moment can change everything.
Spoilers/Warnings: hrough A Very Glee Christmas. Then AU. Cursing, sexual references, Femslash.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the characters, just like to play with them.
A/N: Written for a Faberry prompt, but can't remember where. 'Rachel and Quinn share a kiss during a game of spin the bottle. From that night forward both girls desperately try to deny what they felt; what they feel. ..The other Glee kids know what’s up and attempt to play matchmaker.'
(Chapter One) (Chapter Two) (Chapter Three) (Chapter Four) (Chapter Five) (Chapter Six) (Chapter Seven) (Chapter Eight) (Chapter Nine) (Chapter Ten) (Chapter Eleven) (Chapter Twelve) (Chapter Thirteen) (Chapter Fourteen) (Chapter Sixteen) (Chapter Sixteen) (Chapter Seventeen) (Chapter Eighteen) (Chapter Nineteen) (Chapter Twenty) (Chapter Twenty-One) (Chapter Twenty-Two) (Chapter Twenty-Three)
Basking In the Glory
When the doorbell to the Berry residence sounded at 5:00 pm, Rachel skipped down the steps with a grin, thinking that perhaps Quinn had found some way to escape from the clutches of Sue Sylvester earlier than expected, but after peeking through the peephole, her posture sagged and she sighed as she opened the door.
"Rachel Berry, you have some explaining to do!" Kurt testily informed her as he pushed past her and into the house.
"Hello, Kurt, it's lovely to see you, too." She closed door and followed him into the living room where he had already dropped onto the sofa and was fixing his windblown hair. He primly crossed his legs and his arms, and pinned her with a look obviously intended to overwhelm her with guilt.
It worked.
She was already feeling badly about deceiving him-even if he had slightly overstepped the bonds of friendship with his meddling. The whole situation was bothering her immensely, especially after having found out from Tina that (thanks in no small part to Rachel) Artie had broken up with Brittany. Quinn had told her she shouldn't blame herself since Brittany was pretty much already over it. Rachel hadn't quite believed her until she'd confided the reason why-which was really more information than Rachel had wanted.
"First of all, I do not appreciate the fact that you've been avoiding me since this morning."
"I haven't been," she lied as she sank down next to him and affected her best innocent expression. "I was unavoidably detained at lunch." It was technically the truth, thanks to Finn, but she hadn't exactly been planning to meet Kurt anyway.
"I'm not interested in your excuses, Rachel. Never mind the fact that I've just spent the entire day worrying about the sad state of your love life and the possible repercussions if you've somehow managed to piss off Quinn Fabray once again-thank you very much for the premature wrinkles, by the way-I simply want to know what went so horribly wrong to have you so unusually tight-lipped."
"Is there a particular reason that you're so invested in my personal life, Kurt?" she prodded.
"You're evading," he accused her with a huff. His cheeks colored slightly, but he didn't drop his gaze.
"Has it ever occurred to you that Quinn might not be willing to risk her reputation or her home to engage in some high school dalliance with another girl-let alone the biggest loser at McKinley?" she queried softly, because that was still one of Rachel's biggest fears, that Quinn could wake up tomorrow and realize that their relationship wasn't worth the trouble it could bring her-that Rachel wasn't worth it.
Quinn had made no secret of the fact that she wasn't ready to be out at school, and Rachel hadn't merely been attempting to make the girl feel better when she'd confessed to the same. She shuddered to think how many more slushies and dumpster dives and derogatory names she'd have to endure once she added lesbian or bisexual to her already long list of differences.
They hadn't even discussed the possibility of coming out to their parents, but while Rachel didn't really have any worries on that front at least, she knew that Quinn's family life was very different. Her girlfriend had been kicked out of her house last year when she'd most needed her parents' love and support. Whenever Rachel thought about it now, she just wanted to cry, especially when she remembered how easily she'd once disassociated herself from the harsh reality of Quinn's situation.
Kurt reached over and covered her hand, giving it a sympathetic squeeze. "Oh, sweetie, did she tell you that?"
Rachel could see the concern in his expression, and another wave of guilt crashed over her. She knew it was time to confess. She opened her mouth to do just that, and then launch into the speech that she had prepared outlining all the inappropriate actions that a friend should never take in regards to another friend's romantic entanglements, when her doorbell sounded again. She snapped her mouth shut and sighed, casting him an apologetic look as she stood. "I'll just be a minute."
"You are not going to make me wait again!"
"I can't just ignore the door, Kurt," she chastised him, giving him a sharp look when the doorbell chimed again in short impatient bursts.
Rachel paced back into the foyer, grumbling under her breath at the insistent ringing before she wrenched the door open without bothering to check who it was. She instantly found herself with an armful of cheerleader and any protest she might have made was silenced by soft, pink lips. Quinn unerringly backed Rachel into the nearest wall and pressed the entire length of that lean, toned body against her as she deepened the kiss. A firm thigh slipped between her legs and Rachel whimpered against Quinn's mouth, pushing back desperately in an attempt to get closer. The whole experience was so incredibly erotic that Rachel couldn't help but moan in appreciation as every rational thought in her head vanished into oblivion.
"Oh. My. God!"
Quinn jerked away in surprise at the unwelcome interruption, leaving Rachel slumped against the wall and gazing up at her through heavy-lidded eyes.
"Kurt?"
"You…you're…" he stuttered, mouth gaping and one hand pressed over his heart while the other pointed at Quinn.
Quinn narrowed her eyes at Rachel. "Why didn't you tell me he was here?" she demanded shakily.
Still dazed, Rachel ghosted her fingers over her lips and murmured, "You didn't exactly give me a chance, Quinn."
"You sneaky, little fakers!" Kurt screeched, finally snapping out of his shock. He put both hands on his hips and glared at them both. "To think that I actually felt sorry for you-poor unwanted Rachel and poor repressed Quinn. Hah!"
Quinn's nervousness disappeared in a heartbeat, and she matched his stance. Rachel couldn't help but admire her head bitch pose. It was sexy as hell, and needless to say, it trumped Kurt's pale imitation without question.
"Listen up, Hummel. I don't know what weird fantasy world you're living in, but let me give you a reality check. You don't get to decide how I feel or who I date. It's my life, and only I get to decide what's best for me. And as for Rachel," she continued heatedly, not allowing Kurt the chance to respond, "I don't care how good a friend you've been lately. Her personal life isn't some little pet project you get to dabble in whenever you feel the urge. Understand?"
Kurt squared his shoulders and nodded. "Perfectly."
"Good."
Rachel clapped her hands and stepped between the two with a too-bright smile, hoping to dispel the tension. "Okay, now that we've settled that. Can I offer either of you anything-water, juice? Oh…I baked cookies last night."
"You baked?" Quinn asked, her eyes turning soft as her defenses slipped just a little.
Rachel blushed. She'd had excessive energy to burn off last night after Quinn left (her completely breathless and aroused and unable to concentrate on any of her homework.) Quinn had stayed until close to six, reluctantly saying goodnight because she'd been too nervous to meet Rachel's daddy after spending two hours cuddling and making out with his daughter on the family sofa. Quinn's anxiety had been oddly adorable, so Rachel had decided to let her off the hook for the time being.
"I did. I am quite an accomplished baker, if I do say so myself, regardless of the fact that the Berry family cooking skills are generally abysmal."
Quinn smiled. "Hence the reason that you're fully committed to take out," and Rachel beamed back at her, tickled that she would remember something so trivial.
"Hel-lo-oh? Still in the room here," Kurt whined, "and I feel that I at least deserve an official declaration of status after all the trouble you've both put me through."
One blonde brow arched in challenge. "Excuse me? I think you might want to rephrase that."
Rachel placed a hand on her girlfriend's arm-and oh, she really loved that word. "Quinn, be nice. Kurt's actually been very helpful," and Rachel shot him a look of exasperation when he grinned proudly, "in a completely inappropriate, underhanded, manipulative way," and his smile dimmed considerably.
"But you're together," he prompted hopefully. "Blissfully happy and basking in the glory of new love?"
Rachel jerked her gaze to Quinn at the use of the L-word, worried that it might send her into a panic, but Quinn was blushing prettily, gazing down at her with a tender expression. "We're together," she admitted bashfully, lacing her fingers with Rachel's.
Kurt squealed, bouncing over and crushing them both in a joyful hug. "Yay! I'm so happy for you!"
"Kurt, honey, you're kind of squishing us," Rachel told him.
"Sorry." He let them go but the smile on his face was blinding. "You have to tell me everything."
"No!" the girls denied together.
"No offense," Rachel was quick to add. "It's just kind of private, and we're still…figuring things out," she finished hesitantly with a glance to Quinn.
"And we're not telling anyone yet," Quinn insisted meaningfully. After all, Kurt was the biggest gossip in McKinley, next to Mercedes.
He scoffed, "Oh, please, like everyone hasn't been waiting for the two of you to just give in and jump one another for weeks now. Well, except for Finn and," he paused and frowned, "oh, poor Sam.'
Quinn winced, "Uh…yeah, Sam already knows."
"Oh." Kurt tapped a thoughtful finger to his chin. "Well, then, I guess it's just poor Finn."
"Don't expect me to shed any tears for him."
"Quinn, that's not very nice," Rachel chastised. She really didn't want to see Finn hurt. Despite his character flaws, he was, at heart, a really decent guy who deserved to be happy, and he likely was not going to take the news well that his two ex-girlfriends were finding happiness with one another.
"In case you haven't noticed, Rach, I'm not exactly a nice person." Quinn's mouth was quirked with a little half-smile that was part self-depreciation and part pleading for acceptance.
"But you are," she reassured the girl. "You're just a little prickly on occasion, but the inherent sweetness is well worth the trouble." A rosy glow colored Quinn's cheeks, and Rachel smiled happily.
"You're just so adorable," Kurt gushed with his hands clasped over his heart.
"Okay, you really need to get a life," Quinn quipped.
He huffed, "Please, I wish I had my own relationship to focus on. If either one of you can help me out with Blaine, I will personally coordinate both of your wardrobes from now until graduation."
Rachel frowned as she studied Kurt. "Why do I feel like that's actually more of an insult to the way that we currently dress than a potential expression of gratitude?"
"Take it how you will," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "What I'm more interested in right now is how I can help you make the transition into lesbian power couple."
Quinn growled and took a step forward. "What part of we're not telling anyone yet did you fail to understand?"
Rachel tightened her grip on her girlfriend's hand and quickly positioned her body into a protective stance, ignoring the utter ridiculousness of the situation. "You're not really helping right now, Kurt."
"Look, I'm not suggesting that you walk into school tomorrow and make a big public declaration, but I don't think that you want to go back to pretending to hate one another, and let's be honest, you both suck at feigning indifference. A little strategic planning on how to increase contact while limiting speculation wouldn't hurt. I mean, if the queen of McKinley and…well, Rachel Berry, suddenly become BFFs overnight, it might seem a little suspicious."
Quinn relaxed a little, and sighed, conceding, "You actually have a point."
"Of course, I do," he bragged, "I've already heard some rumblings on the grapevine concerning your presence at our table the other day-of course, most of them think that you're setting up Rachel for some horrible prank intended to publicly humiliate her." Quinn frowned, but the boy smiled encouragingly, "Obviously, that isn't the case."
She turned to Rachel with a pensive frown. "You do know I wouldn't do that, right?"
Rachel squeezed her hand supportively. "I know. You're not that person anymore. And even if you were, I somehow doubt you'd carry a prank this far."
Quinn lifted their joined hands and ghosted a tender kiss over the back of Rachel's. "Thank you for trusting me," she whispered, hazel eyes sparkling with so much emotion that Rachel started to feel a little breathless.
"Okay, as much as I love you two together, I think I'm starting to get a cavity from the overdose of sweetness."
"Hey!"
He ignored Rachel's indignant protest. "Now, as for the plan," he began with a gleam in his eye. "I'm thinking that we stage a big, public breakup with Sam-and poor Quinn is so devastated that she can't bear to sit at the same table with him at lunch. So of course, she sits with her friend Mercedes and, by extension, you, Rachel, and then you add in a week or two of cordial greetings in passing between classes and gradually move on to a few casual conversations. Eventually, no one will even bat an eyelash if the two of you choose to walk down the hall together between classes smiling and giggling and generally being disgustingly cute on the level of Brittany and Santana…well, Brittany anyway," he finished with a thoughtful frown.
Rachel stared at him, not quite certain what to make of his proposal. Glancing at Quinn, she saw that she looked just as dubious. "I'm not certain the public breakup is really necessary."
"Yeah, and Sam's already been great about this whole thing. I'd really rather not use him anymore than I already have."
"Fine," Kurt huffed, crossing his arms. "We can forget advertising the dramatic collapse of your perfect, boring, too-blonde relationship, even though that would really sell the story. Two girls bonding over their brutal, failed love affairs."
"I would hardly call it brutal," Rachel complained, not wanting to use such a derisive adjective to describe the end of her relationship with Finn.
"And I wouldn't call it a love affair," Quinn added.
"You are both just killing my buzz," he pouted.
"We appreciate your support, Kurt," Rachel was quick to reassure him, "and we will certainly take your advice into consideration, but ultimately, well…" she paused to organize her words into a tactful presentation-for a change.
"It's none of your business," Quinn finished bluntly, apparently having no problem being direct. "Now, if you don't mind, Rachel and I have things to discuss and decisions to make." She took Kurt by the shoulders and gently turned him towards the door. "So thanks for stopping by, nice talking to you, drive safely." She opened the door and gave him a firm little push, and he stumbled over the threshold before turning to look at the girls.
"But…"
"Okay, time to leave now," Quinn insisted impatiently, scowl back on her beautiful face.
"Rachel?" Kurt pleaded for her to intervene. Quinn looked back at her, eyebrow quirked in challenge, and Rachel bit back a smile.
"You should probably just go home, Kurt. We'll see you tomorrow."
He gasped, "Well, I never…" but the door slammed closed in his face.
Quinn turned and grinned at Rachel. "Now where were we?" she asked as she slipped her arms around her girlfriend's waist.
"Quinn, that was very rude," Rachel chided, but even as she said it, she was lifting her hands to Quinn's hair to work it free of the confining ponytail. God, she adored Quinn's hair when it was left down in all those soft waves.
Quinn bent down and nuzzled her cheek. "Please, you know you loved it," she purred close to her ear before feathering kisses down along Rachel's jaw and throat.
She tipped her head back to allow Quinn greater access. "Mm…maybe," she moaned, hissing out a shaky breath when Quinn backed her up against the wall again and started to suckle on a particularly sensitive spot where her shoulder met her neck. "Oh…definitely…love that."
She felt those perfect pink lips curve against her skin before Quinn lifted her head and gazed down into brown eyes with a content smile. "Hi, there," she murmured playfully.
Rachel sighed as she let her fingers play in silky blonde locks, gently combing through the leftover tangles caused by the evil hair tie. "Hi, back at you."
"So, I guess we kind of suck at this whole sneaking around thing."
"Apparently," she replied with a giggle, running her hands down Quinn's arms and gently pulling them away from her waist so that she could lead her into the living room. Not that being forcefully accosted against the wall (twice) hadn't been exciting, but the sofa would be so much more comfortable. She sank down into the cushions and pulled Quinn down beside her. Quinn immediately rearranged their bodies into a more intimate position so that they could cuddle, and Rachel smiled, loving how tactile Quinn was turning out to be-completely the opposite of her cool and aloof persona. She honestly hadn't been expecting it, and she wasn't ever going to complain.
"When are your dads coming home?"
Rachel frowned a little when she heard the nervous tremor in Quinn's voice. "Why? Do you plan to run out again so you won't have to meet them?" she asked, wincing a bit at the mild accusation in her tone.
Quinn stiffened beside her. "It's not that I don't want to meet them, Rach. I just don't think they'll be too happy to have one of the girls who's tormented their daughter for years sitting in their living room."
Rachel pulled back to study her girlfriend's face. "You assume that I came home nightly in tears and with a list of names prepared to present to my fathers and discuss endlessly with my therapist."
"No, not nightly, anyway," Quinn qualified.
She nodded a little. "I won't lie and say that it never happened. My dads are aware that many of my school experiences thus far have been less than pleasant, but, other than the fact that you are one of the image-obsessed, exclusionary cheerleaders who have been known to toss nasty insults and ice cold beverages at me in the past, they won't have any reason to dislike you specifically."
Quinn squeezed her eyes shut and pain marred her features. "I am so sorry for everything I ever did or said, Rachel. None of it was ever really about you. I just…I hated myself so much and I was so unhappy, but I couldn't change anything…and I put it all on you because you were an easy target. You don't know how badly I wish I could take it all back."
She smiled sadly as she gently stroked Quinn's cheek. "You were obviously struggling with your own sexuality, and while that isn't really an excuse, it is something I can understand. So I forgive you, Quinn."
"I…really don't deserve you," Quinn murmured, "but I'm so happy you're mine."
Rachel lost her breath at the emotion in those hazel eyes. She could almost imagine it was love shining back at her, and she admitted that she really wanted it to be. She was falling in love with Quinn. At a loss for the words to express the emotions building inside her, she leaned in and brushed a soft kiss over pink lips and watched those amazing eyes flutter shut as she breathed in Quinn's contented sigh. "Stay for dinner," she whispered against the girl's parted mouth. Stay forever is what she really wanted to ask, but she didn't want to scare Quinn away. The prospect of meeting her dads was doing a fine job of that already.
"Are you sure your fathers won't mind?" she asked nervously.
"It will just be daddy tonight if that helps." Her dad was rarely home for family dinners during the week.
"He won't run me off with a baseball bat as soon as he sees the uniform?" Quinn joked.
"Please, both my dads are atrocious at sports. We don't even own a baseball bat. Daddy does have shotgun though," she added as an afterthought.
Quinn smiled and shook her head until she realized that Rachel wasn't smiling back. "You're kidding, right?"
"He's an excellent marksman, but don't worry, he only ever threatened to use it on Finn once, and he was totally joking," Rachel frowned. "I think."
Quinn's face blanched. "Oh, God."
"Don't worry, I'll protect you," she promised indulgently.
"I just don't want them to hate me, Rach," Quinn confessed. "I mean, how am I supposed to be with you if your dads don't approve?"
"You're worrying over nothing, Quinn."
"I haven't exactly had the best track record with parents."
Rachel frowned when she realized what Quinn meant. The horrible experience with her own parents aside-and Rachel was honestly a little leery of finally meeting Quinn's mother for fear that she'd say something she'd end up regretting-Quinn had bounced from house to house last year and being the bitchy, pregnant girlfriend hadn't exactly endeared her to Mrs. Hudson or Mrs. Puckerman. Noah's mother adored Rachel simply because she was a nice Jewish girl, and was fairly resentful of Quinn because she was exactly the opposite-the morally loose gentile who'd trapped her sweet boy with her wiles. Similarly, Rachel had heard a few little barbs from Finn's mother that, at the time, had made her happy to know the woman approved of Rachel where she hadn't approved of Quinn. But now, it all just made her sad that Quinn would have felt so unwelcome when she'd most needed kindness and support.
"My fathers won't judge you for past mistakes, Quinn. Not if I ask them to give you a fair chance. And anyway, nothing they could say will change the way I feel about you."
Quinn bit her lip thoughtfully, and Rachel had to stifle her moan as she watched the action. "Just to be clear, you're not planning to introduce me as the hot cheerleader you're totally crushing on?"
She laughed. "Of course not. For one thing, I would never spring my sexual epiphany on my fathers without properly preparing them for the conversation. And for another, I think I'm way past the crushing stage," she confessed softly.
Quinn's eyes went dark, and she traced her thumb across Rachel's lower lip. "Good to know," she murmured before her mouth descended.
Rachel was amazed by how quickly Quinn Fabray could reduce her to a quivering mess of hormonal teenager. She'd never felt this way with anyone else-so electrified by every kiss and so incredibly aroused by even the lightest touch. Where she'd been content for Finn's hands to remain over her clothes, she was embarrassingly eager to feel Quinn's fingers on her skin-and God, she really wanted to explore every inch of Quinn's creamy flesh free of hindrance by restrictive fabric-but enough of her brain was still functioning to recognize that two days was way too soon to be getting to second base. Instead, she settled for touching the skin that was already exposed-smooth cheeks and strong arms and silky legs. If those breathy little moans were any indication, Quinn didn't have any objections.
Long minutes passed where kisses grew increasingly heated, until they both seemed to realize how easy it would be to go too far too fast, and they managed to slow things down again, reluctantly letting their lips part. Rachel gazed up at Quinn, her hands lightly stroking over Quinn's back because, for the life of her, she couldn't seem to stop touching her. "As much as I enjoy kissing you-and I really do-we actually should formulate a plan of attack for tomorrow."
Quinn smiled down at her. "You always have to have a plan, don't you?"
"I find it comforting, yes," she admitted. "Although, I've recently discovered the benefits to letting things happen naturally."
Quinn frowned a little. "You know…I didn't used to think there was anything natural about this. I thought…I thought there was something wrong with me because I felt this way about you," she confessed in a small voice. "And I prayed for God to take this sin away from me."
"Oh, Quinn." Rachel knew that Quinn's faith had always been an important part of her life, and she was well aware that Russell Fabray had fallen into that group of conservative Christians that liked to quote Bible verses as proof that good people like her dads were nothing more than sinners who would be damned to hell for their heathen lifestyle. Frankly, she was still kind of amazed that Quinn had even accepted her sexuality at all, let alone that she was in Rachel's arms right now. She hugged Quinn a little tighter. "I don't even know how to respond to that," she whispered, afraid that anything she might say would only offend Quinn or upset her more. They had obvious theological differences to begin with without even touching on how their religions dealt with the issue of homosexuality.
"I don't expect you to. I just need you to know-it's something I'm still dealing with, in my own way and at my own pace. And as much as being with you feels right, I'm probably still going to freak out from time to time, and maybe say or do stupid things, but I really don't want to screw this up with you, Rach. So if I regress and start acting like a bitch to you again, just…don't give up on me, okay?"
Rachel gently tucked Quinn's hair back behind her ears as she smiled up at her. "Well, luckily for you, I tend to be annoyingly persistent when it comes to getting something that I want. And in case you haven't noticed," her voice dipped to a husky whisper, "I want you, Quinn Fabray."
Her eyes fell closed and she rasped, "God, baby, when you say things like that…you make it really hard to remember we're supposed to be taking things slow."
"Slow is a relative term," Rachel reasoned, happy to lighten the mood once again. "We have known one another for years, after all. One could argue that we've already waited long enough."
"Don't tempt me."
"But it's fun," Rachel teased.
"Rachel Berry, you are a very naughty girl under that squeaky clean image."
"I think you bring it out in me, Quinn," she confessed. "I've never felt this way about anyone before."
Quinn stared down at her, her breath coming in rapid little pants. "I don't care what Kurt says. I'm not waiting weeks to be seen with you at school. I know we can't be together, but we can damn well be friendly, and if people have a problem with it, then I don't really give a crap. I'm Quinn fucking Fabray, and I can be friends with whoever the hell I want to be friends with."
Rachel caught her breath at the almost feral look in Quinn's eyes. She always had reacted strongly to Quinn when she got into one of her forceful moods, but hearing those curse words uttered in that soft, breathy voice… "Wow. Is it wrong that I'm really turned on right now?"
A slow, sexy grin pulled up the corners of Quinn's mouth. "Baby, if this is wrong, I don't wanna be right."
She giggled at the cheesy line, but happily welcomed Quinn's kiss. Quinn's hand slid over a firm thigh and kneaded the flesh, fingertips drifting dangerously high. Rachel moaned, suddenly feeling a lot more sympathetic towards Finn's need to chant mailman, only she couldn't for the life of her come up with any images to douse the growing flames of her arousal. She weakly nudged Quinn's shoulder, hoping she would get the message, and was grateful when Quinn finally pulled back and moved her hand to a safer location.
"We should…ah…practice," Rachel gasped out.
Quinn's brows furrowed adorably. "Practice?"
"For the duet audition tomorrow," she clarified as she gently disentangled herself from Quinn and sat up straight on the couch, nervously fixing her hair.
"Rachel, I'm not seriously going to have a diva-off with you. We both know you're the better singer," Quinn pointed out with a smile.
"Well, of course I am, but we're still doing it. I took the liberty of making certain that both our names were on the sign-up sheet that Mr. Schuester posted."
Quinn gaped at her. "Why would you do that?"
"Because I want to sing that song with you, Quinn," she confessed shyly. "And this is the perfect opportunity to do so without making any needless declarations. We can simply call it a vocal competition and no one will be the wiser."
"Except Santana, and Brittany, and Sam, and Kurt, and probably Mercedes, too," Quinn pointed out.
"Yes, exactly," Rachel agreed, not fazed at all by Quinn's slightly sarcastic tone. "I'll tell Mr. Schuester that we've agreed to sing it once as the duet it is intended to be in order to save time, and I'll even take the male part, as you so helpfully suggested this morning."
Quinn shook her head. "You're unbelievable."
She studied the Quinn's face with a frown when she recognized the tone of her voice as the same one Quinn used when she had threatened to punch Rachel. "Are you mad at me?"
"No," she sighed. "I just wasn't planning to actually have to go through with auditioning."
"But you'll do it?" Rachel asked hopefully.
She gave a short, reluctant nod. "I'm taking the male lead, though. It just fits better."
"You're about as girly as they come Quinn," Rachel observed with a fond smile.
"I meant they lyrics, smart ass."
Rachel stood from the couch and held out her hand with a flourish, happy beyond belief when Quinn trustingly slid a warm palm against hers. "Come on then, we have a lot of work to do.
Chapter Twenty-Five