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Clean Up In Aisle Seven

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One week before school was due to start and Quinn was fully prepared for her Senior Year. She had completed her summer reading, had trained meticulously hard in preparation for keeping her Head Cheerios position, had prepared the Celibacy Club agenda, and knew that this year was going to be the best. There was nothing that could spoil it, not even her fellow peers, and she couldn't help but smile at the very thought.

Gone were the days of her fighting for top position, and gone were the squabbles over boys. She was done with all that, and ready to face the last year she'd spend in Lima, Ohio, as the new and improved Quinn Fabray.

College was next year, and she couldn't wait. There was just nothing that could ruin this, nothing at all. There was no spanner in the works, no thorn in her side, and no fly in the ointment, or whatever that ridiculous saying was. Things were going to be perfect; they just had to be. She deserved that much.

Things were finally calm, almost peaceful even. The last year had been hellish, but this year was going to be different, it was going to be nice and relaxing. She'd keep her perfect GPA, continue to rule the school, and graduate with a scholarship to somewhere, anywhere. That was the plan, and nothing, absolutely nothing, was going to prevent that from happening.

As if trying to prove her wrong, Quinn's peaceful Sunday morning was interrupted rather abruptly by the continuous beeping of a truck backing up. Normally, deliveries weren't made on a Sunday, so curiosity got the better of her and she wanted to investigate. Crawling off the bed, Quinn went to her bay window and looked out, flicking the curtain out the way from obscuring her view.

A mover's van, fully reversed now, was sitting in her neighbour's drive. Along with the rental van was a black Escalade and a red Lexus, both driver's still in the vehicles. God, Quinn could already smell her mother baking downstairs in preparation. No doubt she'd have them over for tea or something later and they'd all get to play dress up as the perfect family.

Rolling her eyes at the thought, she walked away from the window before she was caught peeking and dropped back on her bed with a sigh. Her mother may no longer be the doting housewife she once was, but old habits die hard. Whatever, at least it would keep her preoccupied and off Quinn's back.

Sending a text to Santana and Brittany, Quinn asked what they were up to and if they wanted to do something. It was still summer after all, surely they could do something fun while they all had the free time.

They agreed the mall, for an easy day of shopping. It wasn't the thrilling adventure Quinn had hoped for, but she would take it. It got her out the house, after all. Plus, it would be nice to spend some time with the two of them, just like old times.

As it turned out, her friends sucked and had ditched her at the last minute for an impromptu sex rendezvous. Quinn was pissed, reading over the text once more. She had already driven to the mall, and was waiting on them to arrive when it came in.

Apparently, there was just no way they could pass up the opportunity to tick off number thirty-six on their list of 'Public Places to Have Sex in Lima Before Graduating'. They at least had the decency to tell Quinn of their change of plans and gave her a warning to steer clear of the church off Main Street.

However, their warning came too late, and she was left with nothing to do. She was out, and didn't want to go home just yet. That would be a wasted trip. She briefly considered going to the Church off Main Street and dragging their horny asses out of there to spend time with her, but past experiences told her not to. There's only so many times you can see your friends having sex before it starts to do psychological damage, Quinn was sure of it.

Before slipping her phone back in her bag, she received another message, this one from her mom, asking her to pick a few things up from the store, and Quinn couldn't help but feel relieved that she now had a purpose. She didn't particularly want to wander around aimlessly all morning. God, she was meant to have a jam-packed summer, not be stuck hanging out with herself.

Pulling out of the mall car park, she headed straight there, and tried not to feel too bummed out over being ditched. Surely she would be used to it by now. After fighting for a car parking space, who knew the place would be packed on a Sunday morning, Quinn quickly entered the store and grabbed a basket.

Getting out her phone, she looked over the list of things her mother needed and started to hunt them out. She weaved her way around the busier aisles and tried to avoid going in the chock-a-block ones, opting to come back to them later. She was almost finished, and was relieved at the thought, as the people around her were grating on her nerves. Did they really need to push and shove to get the best bread? Was there a shortage of potatoes that she was unaware of? Were they having a sale on ice cream? It was just madness.

Entering an almost deserted aisle, Quinn grinned happily and continued to search for the specific brand items her mother was so desperately after. She could just hear her in her head, 'the quality of goods used reflect the quality of the taste afterwards, Quinnie!' No doubt if Quinn came back with anything other than the brands Judy had specified then she'd be sent out again to get the right one.

Why they couldn't just buy a store bought pie was beyond her.

Quinn spotted the sugar she was after but her eyes didn't linger on it long as there was something much more amusing at the other side of the aisle. Huffing and puffing away to herself as she tried to reach the top shelf stood a girl who had to be about five foot two, at most. Standing on her tiptoes and with her arm outstretched, she still couldn't get purchase on the box she was reaching for.

Quinn couldn't help but smile as the girl considered using the bottom shelf as a step to help her reach it, and only when the girl picked up an orange out of her basket to launch at the box to knock it down did she stop her smiling and step in.

"Do you want me to get that for you?" she asked, finally alerting the other girl to her presence.

"Oh." She took a step back instinctively, having alarmed the girl, but was rewarded with a bright smile. Quinn couldn't help but notice the light blush warming her cheeks at having been caught, and bit back another smile. "Yes please, if you wouldn't mind."

"It's not a problem." And it wasn't. Quinn just reached up and grabbed the box easily, without any extra effort or struggle. "Do you just want one?"

"Yes, thank you." Depositing the box into her basket, the girl shuffled her weight from foot to foot, nervously chewing her lip. "How much of my struggle did you see, if you don't mind me asking?" Pushing her hair from her face, the girl finally made eye contact with Quinn, allowing her to see her face for the first time.

While the girl's short stature and her little huff about being too short played into the whole 'cute' category she seemed to fit, her eyes sealed the deal. She was the epitome of cuteness. Like one of those kittens with their big wide eyes, completely innocent and wondering about everything around them.

Christ, Q, rein in your gay before it starts to show.

"Not much, there was some huffing and puffing, but that was it. I only stepped in to help as I don't think the shoppers on the other side would appreciate getting hit by a stack of boxes and an orange flying over the top." The brunette blushed and bit her lip, a smile tugging at her lips. She cast her eyes up, looking at Quinn under her lashes, and mashed her lips together.

"Well, they should thank you for saving them," she replied, the blush still evident on her cheeks.

"They should," Quinn agreed, biting her lip and smiling back at her.

"I'm Rachel," the girl declared, standing up a little taller, which really wasn't much, and giving her another bright smile.

"Quinn."

"Pleasure to meet you." Rachel's eyes were alight with something that Quinn couldn't decipher. She just couldn't tear herself away though, and took in the deep expressive gaze looking back at her.

"You too," she said, licking her lips. It was a completely unconscious thought, but in doing so, she had just managed to declare some form of attraction to the girl. Rachel's eyes only flickered from hers for a brief second, down to her lips and then back up, before her tongue peeked out and wetted her own, her teeth following to bite the bottom lip.

Swallowing nervously, Quinn felt like the temperature just rose twenty degrees. Who the hell worked the air conditioner in this place? It was like a sauna all of a sudden. She'd complain. She'd complain to the manager, after she tore herself away from Rachel. If she ever did.

As though the Gods had heard her, their bubble was suddenly burst by the obnoxious blaring of Quinn's cell phone. The blonde quickly fumbled to get it, mentally cursing whoever the hell was calling her. She didn't know what that whole staring contest thing Rachel and her just had, but it had left butterflies in her stomach and she was keen to investigate more of it.

"Yeah?" Quinn answered, trying not to sound as pissed off as she felt. She didn't want to give the impression she was a complete bitch. Turning back to said girl, Quinn watched as Rachel began to organise the items in her basket. There were a lot of items Quinn had never seen before, and the words 'Vegan' and 'Organic' came up a lot.

"Are you at the store yet, Quinnie?" Judy asked, ignoring her daughter's poor greeting. She didn't even get a 'hello', that was just unacceptable phone etiquette.

"Yeah, mom, I'm there now."

"Any chance I can get you to hurry it along a bit? I don't want to have to skip going over there tonight just because you've been lollygagging around." Rolling her eyes, Quinn could just imagine her mother standing in the living room, peeking round the curtains to see if the neighbours were settling in and trying to work out when was an appropriate time to introduce themselves. Clearly that time was soon, Quinn gathered, from Judy's growing lack of patience.

"I'll have you know I just saved my fellow shoppers from a brutal attack," Quinn replied, seeing Rachel smile at the light teasing. She rolled her eyes and shook her head at Quinn, making the blonde smile brighter.

"What?" her mother asked, suddenly very confused, and breaking their little moment once again.

"Never mind," Quinn replied quickly, not wanted to go into details. Her mother wouldn't understand, and would probably class the whole thing as her 'lollygagging around'.

"Should I be worried?"

"Nope," Quinn replied, eyes back on Rachel. There was definitely nothing to worry about, not when Rachel was smiling at her like that.

"Okay, I shall see you when you get home. Thirty minutes, Quinn, and then I'm coming to get you myself. " God, she could actually see her lunatic mother doing that. They'd have a show down in the cereal aisle or something equally as crazy.

"Thank you."

"And whoever they are, invite them over for dinner sometime," Judy tacked on, just when Quinn was ready to pull the phone away and hang up. Her mother's words caught her completely by surprise, and she imagined that she looked a little like a fish out of water. Rachel's amused glance confirmed that thought.

"What?" she croaked, her body stiffening. She hadn't mentioned meeting someone. Was her mother watching her? Taking a quick look round the rest of the aisle, she tried to spot a wild Judy, but came up short.

"You know what, missy," Judy replied, her grin evident in her tone.

"No I don't," Quinn argued, suddenly feeling the need to get off the phone as soon as possible in case she gave anything further away. "Anyway, I've got to go."

"I'm sure you do," her mother sang, giggling away to herself afterwards.

"Stop that." Judy just laughed harder and hung up on her. Quinn looked at the phone in shock and almost growled. She could just imagine the conversation they'd be having later. And the audacity to hang up on her!

Mother of the year, right there.

Rolling her eyes, Quinn slipped her phone into her bag and looked back at Rachel. She wanted to continue talking to her, she wanted more than this one off incident, but there was nothing more she could say or do to prolong it. She had to get going, lest Judy decided to come meet who had her daughter practically glowing down the phone.

Yeah, that wasn't happening. No way.

Biting her lip, Quinn fumbled over the words in her head, unsure what to say. She didn't want to go. This, whatever this was, felt different, important somehow, but once she walked away, that would be it. That's all she could let it be. Hiding in the closet like Quinn was, meant she couldn't just ask to see the girl again, especially not when it was so blatantly obvious she was interested in her. Her actions seemed to be returned, though, which gave her some hope, but not enough to have her saying any more.

This would be it for them, and Quinn was okay with that. Yes, she was a little disappointed, but knew she wasn't ready to take the next step of actively pursuing someone. She couldn't. Her mother had been through enough this year, what with the separation and her father's adulterous scandal. Judy needed the peace and quiet, and Quinn could wait a year before being herself. It wouldn't be hard. She could manage, or at least she told herself that.

"I have to go," Quinn began, biting her lip further, a little surprised she hadn't drawn blood yet. She knew she had to move, to take a step back from Rachel, but her feet just didn't want to and were still stuck in place.

"Me too, actually," Rachel replied, her eyes not leaving Quinn's. Those eyes, those goddamn eyes, were like a magnet, pulling Quinn in. That's all she could feel, this pull towards the girl, to talk to her, to get to know her, to see her again, to just be around her. It was hypnotising, and completely foreign at the same time.

She didn't want to drop her gaze, didn't want to take her eyes off those staring back. That would be a crime. For some reason, whatever reason she could fathom, Quinn needed to soak them in, soak her in. Walking away from this girl didn't feel right, and her body was screaming at her not to do so, that doing so would be a big mistake, but the reality was that she had no reason to stay. Those eyes didn't count.

Rachel finally filled the silence, her mouth opening to speak. She swallowed nervously first and tried again, fidgeting with the handles of her basket. "I'm probably going to sound completely crazy but that's okay, I doubt I'll ever see you again. I just feel that I need to ask this, to know if I'm making it all up or if it is actually there, but, you feel it, right?" It did not need specified.

Nothing needed specified, because it, this connection, this pull, felt so obvious. There was no way she could have missed it.

"Yeah, I feel it." Rachel smiled softly and dropped her eyes, nodding her head almost glumly. The need to stay and talk to her was overwhelming then, and if Quinn didn't leave soon she wasn't going to, her mother's baking be damned.

"I'm glad I wasn't just imagining it," she confessed, looking back at the blonde.

"Me too." Giving each other another look, Quinn took a shaky step back, trying to cut the connection. She had to go now before she did something stupid, like ask for the girl's number. Flirting with the occasional girl that she'll never see again was acceptable, anything more than that was playing with fire while doused in lighter fluid.

"Try not to decapitate anyone next time you can't reach something," Quinn said, looking at the oranges in the girl's basket.

Rachel chuckled and shook her head. "I can't make any promises, but I'll try. Thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome." She wanted to add more, to propose that they meet up again, but she couldn't. She wasn't ready. Admitting that you liked girls and going after girls were two very different things. She couldn't do it. Not yet.

"Bye, Quinn." Rachel gave her another smile, unleashing the full extent of her gaze again, but made no move to leave.

"Bye, Rachel." Chewing her lip, she finally pulled her eyes away and strode down the aisle. She could walk away, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Hell, she'd just met the girl, that was nothing. They'd just exchanged pleasantries, nothing remotely interesting happened at all.

Liar!

Shaking her head, Quinn pushed all thoughts of the girl behind her away and surveyed the items in her basket. She had to get back to her mom before the woman sent out a search party. Glancing at what she had she was still two items short, and then she groaned in frustration, realising the damn sugar she was after was in the aisle she just left.

Turning back around, she saw Rachel still standing there, a bemused look on her face at Quinn's return, but tried her best to ignore it. If she could just get by without looking into those eyes then she'd be fine. Unfortunately, she couldn't hold off sneaking a peek and saw that Rachel was smirking at her forgetfulness. God, she was making herself look like an idiot.

"Just forgot to- you were- needed the sugar- baking- I saw- okay then, bye!" Walking away as fast as she could without running, Quinn felt her face heat up in a blush. Behind her, she could hear Rachel laughing at the blonde's garbled up sentence, and she bit back a smile. As mortifying as that was, at least she'd left the girl smiling.

Not wanting to loiter in the store any longer than she had to, and possibly running into Rachel again, Quinn hightailed it to her last item and then quickly went to the checkout. Within five minutes of leaving Rachel in aisle seven, she was back in her car and heading home.

However, it was clear, there was just no way she'd be forgetting that face any time soon.

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