A/N: My first fic ever, so please rate and review so that I can improve. Also, I am not a native English speaker, so if someone could beta for me, that'd be awesome!

-=XXX=-

Rachel walks towards the girl's bathroom in hopes of finding Quinn. She needs to talk to her, about something very important. Finn just popped the question and to be honest, she was feeling rather distressed.

She's sure that Quinn will give her realistic advice, after all, Quinn had given her good advice before. Although it wasn't really all that subtle.. With a sigh she steps in the bathroom, only to find Quinn standing in front of her, applying dark, red lipstick to her lips.

"Hey. Look, I need your advice. Alright-" She waits until the last two Cheerios leave the bathroom. "About an a-adult problem."

Quinn turns away from the mirror and faces Rachel. She has a shocked look on her face. "Holy crap, are you pregnant?" I'm seriously going to kick Finn in his balls!

"NO! Look, I'm coming to you as a friend and oddly because I think you would be the only person that would give me a straight forward and thoughtful answer about this."

"You're right, I'm sorry. Yes. I can keep a ss-secret."

"OK. Well, um Finn asked me to marry him."

Quinn gasps, surprise lingering in her hazel eyes. "What did you say?" Please tell me you said no.

"I said I needed to think about it." Rachel gauges her reaction.

"Well, you can't–"

Oh god, I need to do something, say something, anything to stop Rachel from making this decision. Rachel is so much bigger than all of us, she has to shine on Broadway and Finn would only tie her down in Ohio.

"Why? Plenty of people get married at our age and I know that he and I haven't lived together or anything and I love him. He is the one. I k-know it."
Rachel knows she's just making up excuses. Truth is, she wants Quinn to stop her from doing something foolish. She wants, no needs Quinn to knock some sense in her.

Quinn suddenly becomes aware of her hand whom is the clutching the sink so tightly that it's almost a death-grip. She needs to think, quick, before she says something rash. Suddenly she sees her escape, her admission letter to Yale, her way of proving to Rachel that she is worth something too. She hands it over to Rachel. "What's this?"

"That's my ticket out of here. I got into Yale. Early admissions. Turns out my essay about overcoming adversity while maintaining a straight A average during a teen pregnancy really turned on the admissions boards."

Rachel looks up at her and smiles the most warm and welcome smile she has ever seen. For the very first time in her life, Quinn feels as if she finally has done something right. Maybe there is still time to get things right, to prove to Rachel that she can be the one to love her unconditionally, unlike Finn. Besides, Finn will most likely be stuck in Ohio as he had no future plans anyway. At least she'll be just two hours away from Rachel.

"Quinn, that's amazing." Before Quinn realizes what happens, Rachel walks up to her and envelops her in a hug. Never in her life had she imagined that Rachel would be hugging her spontaneously. The thought makes Quinn incredibly happy and she holds on to Rachel just a bit tighter. Probably too tight to be considered platonic, but right now she doesn't care.

That's so great." Rachel manages to choke out before she pulls away, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"I'm sure you'll get your NYADA one soon." Quinn tries to reassure Rachel.

"Yeah, I mean, New York mail is notoriously slow so…"

Rachel looks very distressed, as if she doesn't really believe the words she says. As if she thinks that she won't get into NYADA. Impossible, Quinn muses to herself. She looks up to see Rachel staring at her, still expecting an answer.

"My point being is that I've dated Finn, Puck, Sam… even thought I loved some of them."

Rachel drops her gaze at her words, looking hurt. Quinn regrets the words the moment they leave her lips, but it needs to be done. Rachel needs to understand that Finn could never offer her the future she wants.

"But, by the time the snow falls in New Haven next winter, I won't know why."

Because it was never about them. It was all about you.

The words linger in Quinn's mind, she wants to say them out loud so badly, but she can't. Rachel is with Finn. And as much as it hurts her, Rachel just called him 'the one'. She can never be her one. Still, she can't help fantasizing about a future between them.
About them conquering NY together, becoming good friends, best friends, and maybe, even more than that. Maybe Rachel will eventually fall for her, despite all the horrible things she has done in the past.

Or not, because Rachel is obviously straight.

"So, are you saying that Finn and I should break up?"

"I'm all for making the most of the next few months, but I'd hate the idea of dragging an anchor from my past into the bright lights of my future."
Quinn swallows, her throat is suddenly dry.

"Rachel, you have an amazing life ahead of you. As hard as it may be, if you want everything that you've ever dreamed of, you're going to have to break up with him."

Rachel turns away, closing her eyes as she leans back against the bathroom sink.

"That's an awful thing to say."

Oh god, she's making Rachel hurt again. She hates doing that. It reminds her too much of that one time were she snapped at Rachel in the auditorium.
She'd never meant to call Rachel frustrating. She hadn't slept for days after she saw Rachel running off with tears in her eyes.

"Look."

She needs Rachel to know just how amazing she is.

"You wanted straight and thoughtful. I guess at one point it made sense to love somebody for your whole life, but it doesn't anymore. Women are finding themselves in their 30's now, every magazine says it. We hardly know what we're going to want in fifteen years."

Smooth Fabray, that wasn't very straight.

She knows all too well what she's implying, all she can hope for is that Rachel picks up on the implications.

"I know, Finn and I, we can grow together…."

"Look, Rachel, I –"

Quinn manages to catch herself. She almost blurted out her true feelings for Rachel.

But I know it's useless. She chose him, not me, And I'm too big of a coward to tell her how I really feel.

"You and Finn are a lovely couple." She cringes at her own words, it hurts her to say it out loud.

Rachel finally looks Quinn in the eyes, her brown eyes shimmering with tears.

Quinn can't do it. She can't tell her, no matter how much she wants to. So she does the only thing she's good at, hiding behind her own words.

"But if you ever want to be happy…"

She stares into Rachel's eyes.

"You have to say goodbye."

She smiles apologetically at Rachel and turns around. She feels Rachel's eyes burning in her back, as if she isn't fully satisfied by her answer. As if she wants to hear something else.

And all that Quinn can think about is that walking away from Rachel at this right moment, is the hardest thing she's ever done.

-=XXX=-

Quinn is singing in the choir room, it's one of her favorite songs, Never Can Say Goodbye Boy. She loves the song, and in some way its message is true. She's saying goodbye to her past, to her boy-obsessed life. She isn't that person anymore.

Images suddenly flash through her head while she is singing. Different scenarios play out in front of her, her kissing Finn, kissing Puck, kissing Sam. She smiles. They are nice memories, but that's all they are. Memories.

Against her will, more images begin to flash through her mind, Rachel singing Don't Rain On My Parade, Rachel singing Get It Right, them both singing I Feel Pretty/Upretty. She loved the way their voices sounded together.

A few more scenarios pop up, her slapping Rachel at Prom, Rachel telling her she is so much more than a pretty face. Rachel's happy face when Quinn admitted they were friends. Rachel hugging her just a few minutes ago..

Ever since their first year in school, she'd just thought that she was jealous of Rachel, but in fact, she wasn't. It wasn't even admiration. It was so much more than that.

"That was incredible Quinn, but even more incredible is your big news. Tell them Quinn." Schuester smiles at her, encouraging her on.

"I got into Yale!" Quinn feels so happy she's about to burst.

"I wanted to thank you guys. Because without each and every one of you, this would have never happened. You've supported me and loved me through all the drama and that's why I'm standing here. I've wasted so much time hating myself for the stupid mistakes that I've made, but the truth is is that without all those, I never would have dreamed this to be my future. "

Quinn looks in front of her, at her friends, all beaming for her. All but one. Rachel seems sad instead.

She finally makes eye-contact with Rachel for the first time since she entered the choir room. Immediately her breath hitches and her eyes well up with tears.

"I was the only one standing in the way of myself. You can't let change your past. But you can let go and start your future."

Please don't be me two years ago, you're better than that. You're better than them. Please be me now. Move on, grab your dreams and move on, together with me, in NY. Please, Rachel..

She knows there's a look of soft desperation on her face, but still she can't help but hope that Rachel will listen to her and make the right choice. That she won't make the same mistake Quinn almost made a few months ago, trying to hold onto the past for fear of not being able to achieve a brighter future.

Instead of that, the Glee club members stand up and envelop Quinn in a big group hug. Everyone but Rachel, who is still sitting on the chairs, tears brimming in her eyes.

-=XXX=-

Quinn is in the algebra classroom, packing her bag to get ready for the lunch break.

Santana walks in with a big smirk and taps Quinn on the shoulder. "Hey Q, did you hear the latest news about the midget and Finnept?"

Quinn eyed her warily. "What news?"

"Finn asked her to marry him, and she said yes. God knows why she'd want to be with manboobs as obviously, he has nothing to offer her." Santana scoffs.

Quinn looks at her with shock registered in her eyes. "No.. Please tell me it's not true! Please tell me she didn't –"

It's as if someone punched Quinn in her gut, her heart feels like it's breaking into a million pieces.

Tears well up in her eyes and spill over her cheeks before she knows what is happening. She can't believe it. Rachel should've said no. She should've realized the hidden message Quinn was conveying to her.
Rachel always picked up signals long before the rest did. She even knew Santana was gay before the rest did. Why couldn't she have seen the signs now? It's too much, just too much.

Quinn sits down on a chair and buries her face in her hands.

"Q? Why-what's going on? Please tell me you're not crying about Finn are you?" Santana walks up at Quinn and sits beside her. " I swear if you are, I'm going to kick your ass so hard you won't be able to walk for days! He's like, the worst guy ever, constantly complaining about how he's got nothing special going on for him, seriously god knows what that midget sees in him."

Quinn snorts at Santana's mention of midget and looks up at Santana with her eyes all puffy and red. "It's not… I-I Don't.. I don't care about FinnSantana!"

Quinn looks at her with such desperation that Santana's breath hitches. And then it hits her, Quinn doesn't care about Finn. It was never about Finn in the first place. It couldn't be Rachel, or could it?

"It is about Rachel isn't it?" Instead of giving Santana an answer, Quinn starts sobbing even harder and grips Santana's shirt.

"Oh god Q, I knew you were a big ol' gaymo ever since you walked in while Britts and I were getting our mack on in the showers, and you know I teased you with Berry sometimes, but I never guessed you had legitimate feelings for her Q! When did that happen?"

"The.. d-day I saw her.."

"Gosh, Quinn.." Santana hugs Quinn, holding her tightly while making soothing sounds.

"I know it may not look like it now, but it's all going to be okay. I'm sure Berry will dismiss this whole marriage thing when she hears she got into NYADA. You know what she's like."

"The worst thing is, she actually came to me and asked me for advice. I told her not to do it because I just know Finn is hoping that she won't go to NYADA. I overheard him talking to Puck just a day ago. I just can't believe she didn't listen to me, she should have, she did it before!"

"Maybe she was just waiting for you to say the right thing Q, maybe telling her not to do it just wasn't enough."

"What do you mean?"

"All I'm saying is, maybe she wants to hear what other options she has. I've seen the way she looks at you when she thinks you're not watching. And that striving ambition of hers to befriend you from day one, knowing you were the one who drew pornographic pictures of her in the bathroom stall? Questionable to say the least. Honestly Q, I think she's just waiting for you to make a move, because there's no way she'd ever believe that you,out of all people, could have feelings for her."

For the first time Quinn looks up to Santana and smiles.

Maybe she's right, maybe Rachel does like me that way. I should go for it, tell her how I feel. It's been going on long enough.

The battle wasn't lost yet.