Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 63rd cycle. Now cycle 64!

"When I Was Little"
Rachel(/Quinn), Leroy/Hiram
Runaway Bride series
(no listing yet; sequel to "Two Doors to Open")

She still remembered, if only in bits and pieces, a time in her life before she understood that things like this, that felt as natural and normal as winter turning to spring, didn't feel the same to others. She remembered when she could simply see that the love two people shared was not bound to anything other than their hearts. She still believed that, and she always would, but since those days, she had discovered that it wouldn't be everywhere and everyone that felt the same, and that announcing this bit of news might make things even more complicated.

On that front, of course, she was more concerned for Quinn than for herself. Her parents had their values, and so did Quinn's. Now she was embarking into telling her fathers about their relationship and, beyond the revelation that she had been keeping this secret from them, she didn't see this as being too much of a change. Part of her wished she could have been there with Quinn when she told her mother, but they had reached an agreement, that they would both do their telling on the same night and meet up after, which meant that, at this very moment, while she was fidgeting and waiting for her moment, Quinn was doing the same thing back home.

They'd just had dinner, and she was helping her fathers clear out the table. They were chatting on about some squabble or another with the neighbors and their dog, and if she didn't interject when she could, she would lose her shot for the next few hours.

"I have something to say," she rose her voice, putting the stack of dishes on the counter. Her fathers stopped and looked at her.

"Honey, it'll be fine, we'll talk to them, we'll get it taken care of. We won't actually hurt the dog, we wouldn't do that," Hiram assured her.

"It's not about the dog," she let out a breath. "It's about me."

"Are you feeling alright?" Leroy asked.

"I'm fine," she promised them. "It's just, well… I know you guys know about how I broke up with Finn after we didn't get married, and I never really explained why, and you two have been really great about not digging into it, which I appreciate. Today though, I want to explain myself."

"Alright," Hiram looked to Leroy, who was staring back at him as well, before turning back to her.

"You remember, we were about to go on, but we waited because Quinn wasn't there yet, and I was worried, but then she did show up?"

"Yes, you two talked and then…"

"And she asked me to go and meet her, so we could talk," she revealed one bit of the information they hadn't known. "So I did go, I went, and we talked, and the thing is, well, since then, she and I… we've sort of… been seeing each other," she finally managed to link up the words as she'd wanted them. She took a pause, letting it sink in. Her fathers looked like someone had dropped cold water down the backs of their shirts, surprised and frozen. "You do understand what I mean by seeing each other, right?" she had to check.

"Yes, sweetheart, I think it's pretty straightforward," Leroy told her, his hand moving over his mouth, still so very stunned.

"You're not freaked out, are you?" she asked, looking to them both.

"Honey, please, it's us," Hiram shook his head. "We're just confused is all… Well, not entirely, I mean we figured something was going on, you've been bringing her over here more and more these past few weeks, and there was definitely something, but…" he gestured, waving it off before turning back to his daughter. "I know I speak for both of us when I say that all I need to know is whether or not you're happy." Rachel smiled, bowing her head.

"I am, Dad, I really am. Things have been so good between us, even with all the secrets and the running around…"

"Oh, it's the best part," Leroy couldn't help but say, reminiscing.

"And I didn't want to have to keep lying to you guys."

"You won't have to, not anymore," Hiram came to embrace her, and she closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around him.

"Just, now that you know, you have to promise you won't tell anyone. We're not ready to have people know, so you have to be the exception."

"You got it, sweetheart," Leroy told her.

"What about Quinn, how's she doing with all this? I can't imagine she'll start talking with her father again, especially for this, but what about her mother?" Hiram asked.

"She's telling her right now," Rachel revealed. "She's coming here after so we can talk. I should probably check to see if she's on her way," she nodded before looking back to her fathers. Every day she was so very thankful to have them for parents, and on this day she was even more thankful. She knew she was lucky, and she hoped they knew just loved they made her feel, and how loved they were in return.

She had hugged them both before going up to her room, and on the way, Hiram had whispered at her ear how he had not seen her so happy in a long time, and she knew that was true. Ever since they had come together, it was like a revelation on its own, like this was what she had been after all this time. There were still so many things that remained a mystery to her, but the way she felt for Quinn Fabray, that would never be one of them. She knew, and now her father knew, that she was quickly and unapologetically falling in love with her.

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!