A/N: I'm not new to fanfiction, but fairly new to writing. Obviously my current obsession is glee and more specifically Quinn and Rachel. This is a bit of a brain fart, but may develop it if it gains enough interest.
Disclaimer: Don't own it. If i did i would be rich and happy, and possibly married to Dianna Agron (insert dreamy sigh here)
Quinn wonders through the market, shifting through the piles of almost rotten vegetables to find the rare edible gem good enough for the princess herself to eat for dinner.
A flash of red catches her eye from the fruit stand and she wonders over, a small smile tugging at her lips as she takes in the smell of fresh strawberries and cherries. Cherries. She smells cherries everyday, every time she lies down on Rachel's bed when she can no longer bare the emptiness of her life without her scent. The smell is fading and she clings on just a bit more everyday selfishly inhaling, drugging herself with that last comfort. The bed sheets are stained with her tears and the sheets creased from holding them to her so tightly, but she will never change them, never risk losing that uniquely her scent before it fades away naturally.
When that day comes . . . well . . . she doesn't want to think about that day. She hates the thought of loosing her smell and then slowly its distinct impression in her mind fading too. Just like the sound of her laugh. It scares her. More than she could admit that she might one day forget her completely.
Quinn buys a whole pound of cherries, her intention to devour every last one savouring the taste on her tongue. The stool owner looks at her strangely as she hands over the money but doesn't question her lest she change her mind.
Its 4 o'clock, and the winter day is already starting to withdraw away with the promise of a longer colder night. The light is low in the sky, shining through a thin haze making Quinn squint as she follows the light through the puddled streets.
It's been ten months since Finn showed up at her door in the middle of the night, a haunted and desperate look in his eyes. He held himself taught for a moment holding her eyes as tears weld up in his, he looked to be trying to hold them back, to be strong, but the will broke. A sob burst out of his mouth at the same time as an apology. 'I'm sorry' he said and somehow that's all he needed to say because at that moment Quinn knew. She absently held him as he clung to her silently begging her forgiveness at the same time crying for his own loss.
Ten months and the world hadn't stopped spinning for any of them. The world never acknowledge the loss of the best person she knew, why would they? They didn't know her. Not yet, not like they were supposed to. She was going to be a star, take the world by storm. The mere idea of her would've had most in the entertainment industry shaking in their boots. Yeah, it was a pretty big idea, she smiled to herself.
Up ahead Quinn sees a woman turn a corner heading up the same street as her. Quinn just stares at her a moment taking in the familiar confident stride of someone who walks through a world knowing, perhaps conceitedly, that she is in a different league to everyone else, superior and untouchable.
Quinn begins to follow this woman absently as if being drawn by an unrelenting but gentle caress of a force. The woman seems young, perhaps shorter than average and slim with a hint of generous curves beneath a long brown coat, left open, which flaps behind her in the breeze generated by her stride. The way she moves is graceful and appears unhindered by large heels adorning her feet.
Quinn starts to mentally berate herself for following her knowing it is likely to only get her hurt again, like the many other times that she has glimpsed dark hair and an olive complexion or heard a voice that is almost enough to convince her of a living ghost. Only to find herself staring at the face of an unfamiliar Spanish woman or being unable to match a familiar voice with the same familiar face.
Yet Quinn can't help herself as she falls instep behind this woman. The woman slips gracefully between the crowds of people, Quinn finds herself bashing into the same people the woman has passed so easily as she her eyes only fixate on this hauntingly familiar figure, terrified to let her leave her sight in case she would disappear without a whisper of a trace that Quinn had ever really seen her.
She gradually begins to close the distance between them. As she does, the woman turns slightly as she side steps an old gentleman hunched over a walking frame. For the first time Quinn catches a glimpse of smooth caramel skin behind the curtain of long dark hair, full kissable lips set under the cutest large nose she had ever seen. Quinn gasps, desperately wanting to believe what her eyes are telling her. It can't be. It's not possible . . . She sent up a silent prayer to God for this to be real and a silent curse that she would give up believing if it turned out to be a trick of her mind.
Quinn is almost running after her now. They reach a junction in the road, among others the woman stops, preparing to cross.
Quinn slows her pace and begins to weave through the stationary group until she is standing directly at her back. That's when she smells it, that warm cherry smell mixed with the scent that is uniquely Rachel, the smell of cool night air whatever the time of day. Quinn inhales deeply feeling greedy for it, she lets it fill her, lets it warm every fibre of her being.
The sun is lower now, coming in at an angle bathing them both in a soft orange glow, highlighting 'Rachel's' hair bringing out red and orange fiery streaks. Quinn begins to reach a hand out to touch the soft, silky hair just inches from her. Her mind is racing a mile a minute. There is no doubt in her mind that this is Rachel. Soon the how and the why dissolve into questions like what do I say? The desire to see her chocolate brown eyes and soft smile compelling her hand further forward.
Suddenly Rachel steps forward, two steps ahead of everyone else just realising it is safe to cross. A single strand of hair just grazing Quinn's fingertips before it's out of reach.
Her heart lurches, pulling her forward. She couldn't lose her now, not again.
She was way past stalking now, she had to catch up to her, she needed to touch her and hug her to make damn sure she was real.
The street they entered was quieter and Rachel quickly rounded a corner into an alley. Loosing sight of her momentarily panicked Quinn so she ran after her. When she reached the entrance her heart fell as she realised there was no sign of Rachel.
She gripped her hair to her head in clenched fists as she screamed,
"NO! GOD DAMN IT."
She sucked in lung falls of air suddenly aware how out of breath she was; tears were threatening to break loose as she frantically looked around for her.
"Rachel . . ." it came out in a hoarse whisper, as despair started to envelope her again.
Suddenly a force, knocked her against the alley wall, kicking the breath out of her. A steel arm pinned against her throat before she could even react to the first hit. A body was pressed hard against hers.
The smell of cherries and cool night air assaulted her nostrils. She looked up as dark chocolate eyes bored into her own
"Who are you and why the hell are you following me?"