TAKE MY BREATH AWAY

It was just a regular day at Yale for Rebecca Reed. She'd gotten up, eaten breakfast, tried to catch up on some reading, and met her best friend and classmate so they could walk together to their newest class.

Today they were supposed to start a small sociology course, a course that would mostly take a look into different people and what made them who they were. What had caused them to be who they the person they were now. She'd picked that course because she thought it would be interesting, but it was not like it had anything to do with the career she wanted to create for herself. It was merely for personal reasons.

She'd thought it would be fun to take a look into other people's minds, find out what made them trig, and why they were the way they were. She was planning on staying out of the spotlight and let their teacher analyse someone else. Which was why she was very pleased when the teacher announced that she would like to see Quinn Fabray at her desk.

There were several cameras turned on; they had to tape everything, had to be able to look at this afterwards and discuss her reactions. Rebecca was thankful that she wasn't the girl who was picked for this, she hated the spotlight, and she hated when people noticed her. She was curious though, to see who this Quinn Fabray was. She'd never talked to her before; she didn't share any other classes or courses with her.

Rebecca was watching in anticipation as Quinn Fabray got out of her chair and carefully – almost too slowly – made her way from her front row seat towards the front of the class. She stood up next to Mrs. Harrison, one hand on the desk, sort of supporting herself. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders, and she was watching the classroom with her piercing hazel eyes. Rebecca was immediately intrigued. She could tell – those hazel eyes, they held secrets, they held passion. She was dressed simply; in a light dress with pantyhose and pumps. Her skin was fair, she wore very little makeup, and she was what Rebecca would call the epitome of beauty.

She was stunning, actually. Way above average, and Rebecca wondered if this girl had a boyfriend. She sure looked like a girl who wouldn't stay single for too long.

"Alright Quinn," Mrs. Harrison said, and Rebecca double-checked that her camera was recording, "I'm going to take your seat, and I will ask you some questions, and at some point, maybe your classmates will like to pitch in-" she paused, shrugging her shoulders and smiling brightly, "-and we're basically just going to watch you, hear you, try to figure out who Quinn Fabray is."

Quinn shrugged her shoulders, "Alright." She nodded her head, "I'm not scared, ask me anything."

Mrs. Harrison opened her notebook and started, "Full name?"

"Lucy Quinn Fabray."

"Age?"

"19." Quinn replied, and Rebecca was already loving how soft and perfect her voice was. She couldn't imagine this voice ever sounding rough, it was simply too… delicate.

Mrs. Harrison continued, "So tell us. Where did you grow up and what is your family like?"

"I grew up in Ohio." Quinn softly begun then, her eyes wavering a bit as she started to talk, "I have a mother, and a father. And an older sister – her name is Frannie. I was always so jealous of her, she was beautiful, talented. All the boys liked her. I was… Not any of those things. I was fat, I had a huge nose and I had pimples everywhere. Kids at school called my Lucy Caboosey."

Rebecca glanced to the side, swallowing. She had a hard time imagining that this perfect creation could have ever been ugly in the way that Quinn described herself. Not that Rebecca thought that any of those qualities necessarily made someone ugly; it was Quinn's own words and her own view of herself. How that became into what she is now… was an entirely different matter, though. But people do change, of course… It was just hard to picture. Quinn seemed so wholesome.

Their teacher nodded, "Go on…"

Quinn shifted slightly on her feet, and it seemed like she was getting tired of standing up, like she was wearing herself out, "Eventually I got tired of it. I hated myself. I wasn't confident that I could do anything. By accident I figured out that I was actually pretty athletic. I started dancing, doing ballet, gymnastics… Slowly the weight just started falling off. I felt myself getting happier, but… I still didn't fit in. I still had brown hair and the rest of my family was blonde, I just – I felt out of place." She paused, thinking, "And then this magical thing happened… My father's job got transferred and we had to move to Lima. I saw this as my chance to start anew, I died my hair, I asked my father if I could get a nose job… And he agreed."

Raising an eyebrow, Rebecca felt herself getting more and more interested. One would never imagine that a girl like her could have gone through something like that. She was starting to see the point of this project. There was so much beneath the apparent exterior of everyone. They might look one way, appear a certain way – but how had it happened? Quinn looked like the typical All-American girl, a father's princess, and Rebecca would have never betted that she had ever been anything but.

"So by the time I was ready to start high school in Lima, I was Quinn Fabray."

Interrupting, Rebecca couldn't help herself, "The person you are now, right?"

Quinn's head snapped to the side, and her hazel eyes dug themselves into Rebecca's own, "No." she firmly said, "Far from. I was Quinn Fabray, the high school cheerleader. The popular girl. I made head-cheerleader already in my freshman year. I guess our coach saw something in me. I started dating the quarterback, and I was finally happy. Or at least I thought so."

Mrs. Harrison questioned, "You thought so? What happened?"

A small smile came to Quinn's face then, and she softly continued, "There was this girl…" she trailed off, "Her name was Rachel, Rachel Berry, and uh – and I hated her. I absolutely loathed her. She was everything that I used to be, well, I guess not really that ugly at all, but, she was being bullied, she was geeky, she… she was comfortable with it. And I hated that she could be happy like that when I could not." She swallowed loudly, "So naturally I started bullying her. I mean – we called her names, I drew compromising pictures of her in the bathroom stalls, we called her ManHands, RuPaul, you name it… I guess you can say that she has a very ethnic look on her, although I think she's beautiful, and she dressed horribly and had two gay fathers, and of course… She was obsessed with Broadway and musicals which naturally didn't help her case."

Rebecca snorted inwardly. She couldn't believe this girl; had she really done all of that? To just some random student at her high school? Man, high school could be cruel. This girl standing before her didn't seem like a person who'd do something like that, but… apparently she had. It sounded horrible, actually.

"And I guess," Quinn continued, "if you ask me for one person who has made an impact on me. One person who defines who I am today… now – it's her. Rachel Berry."

"There's more to come, I can tell." Mrs. Harrison said then, urging Quinn on. "Tell us all about that, and we'll see who you are."

Quinn motioned towards the teacher's chair, "Can I take a seat, I – I still get very tired when I stand up too long."

Mrs. Harrison nodded, and Rebecca found herself wondering what that was all about.

Taking a seat, Quinn sighed in relief. She was quiet for a few seconds, almost unbelievably still, before she continued, "In my sophomore year, things started going… bad. Well, I guess looking back now I can see that it was all for the better, but back then, I was furious. My boyfriend, Finn, had this obscure idea that he wanted to join our school's Glee Club. It was the most hated club at William McKinley High, and there were like five members. But who was their leader? Rachel Berry."

Rebecca had an idea where this was going…

"Finn started to like her. He denied it, but I could tell." Quinn said then, and her voice was different, she was almost snapping at them, and it was easy to tell that this experience had taken its toll on her, "He started singing in that damn club, spending time with her, and she just… She wanted to get her hands on him. I got scared, and this is where I made the stupidest mistake of my life, something that still haunts me… I slept with Finn's best friend and I ended up pregnant."

Damn, Rebecca thought to herself, and she could tell that some of her other classmates were thinking that same thing. It seemed like this girl had been through a lot.

Quinn was quiet for a second, shaking her head to herself, softly breathing in and out. "I convinced Finn it was his, even though we had never slept together. He was stupid enough to believe it." She softly whispered.

At this point, some of the classmates started laughing, and Rebecca zoomed in on Quinn's face to catch her reaction.

The blonde girl softly chuckled, "Yeah, he's never been the brightest person, but I loved him. Or at least I thought I did, and… And me being pregnant got him to stay away from her." She was fidgeting with her fingers, she kept folding them and then folding them again somehow else, "I was always so obsessed with her. At that point in my life, I had no idea why, it was only a few years later that I realised… why." She licked her lips and her eyes swept over the classroom, "At this point Glee club was getting better and we were going for Sectionals. I had joined to sort of… keep an eye on Finn. Rachel and I kept butting heads, and eventually the real father of the baby figured out that he was the daddy. And… and my parents found out."

Rebecca had a very bad feeling about this; she could read in Quinn's eyes that they were only hearing the tip of the iceberg, and it made her wonder… how much could one girl go through?

"You have to understand that we were a very religious family, and I didn't want to tell them, because I had no idea how they would react. When Finn finally snapped and let it slip… They kicked me out. I was dead to them." She breathed in sharply, "I was off the cheerleading squad and I didn't have a home. All I had was Glee."

"What about your boyfriend?" Mrs. Harrison asked then.

Quinn snorted, "Eventually he figured out that he wasn't the father. Rachel… told him. Of course she did. So I couldn't live with him anymore. The rest of that year is pretty messed up for me. Glee Club lost at Regionals and I gave up my baby." She shrugged her shoulders, "The year after that… My junior year – I had to get back at my feet. I had to, I was desperate to be the girl I was before I got pregnant. I got back on the squad, but I – I stayed in Glee Club, because they were… they were my family. I was even starting to tolerate Rachel, we were hardly friends, but I didn't call her names anymore."

"The second year was quiet for me. My mom had kicked my dad out and taken me back in, so we were living together. I worked hard to get my reputation back, and I started to date the new kid Sam. At this point… Finn and Rachel were a couple. And it bothered me. I didn't understand why, but it bothered me so much. So I thought that it was because I wasn't over Finn, and I… I won him back actually. Rachel and I were tentatively starting to become friends even if I stole Finn back from her. Glee Club was going to Nationals in New York, and all looked good… Until Prom Night."

More drama? Rebecca held her breath. She was intrigued by this story, by Quinn Fabray's life. It was captivating to hear, and most importantly… She couldn't help but feel like this Rachel person… She really was someone special in Quinn's life. The question was just… How did all this add up?

The blonde girl continued, "Finn and I were running for Prom King and Queen, and I thought that I was going to lose it all, when my… past history started floating around the school. Pictures of my former self started appearing, but – people seemed to love that I had overcome it all, so I thought we had it in the bag. Until Rachel's date and Finn started fighting over her, and he was kicked out, and I… I didn't get crowned, so I ran, and… She followed me into the bathroom. We started yelling, I started telling her how much I hated her, and I – I slapped her."

"You slapped her!?" Rebecca slipped out before she was able to stop herself. She bit her lip and offered Quinn and apologetic smile. "Sorry."

Quinn laughed, "I did, yeah. And she took it so well. She even helped me clean up afterwards and fix my makeup. She… she told me that she thought I was the prettiest girl she'd ever met." She was talking softer now, and it was easy to tell that this was really important to her, that this was a dear memory, "At that point I think… I think I started to realise that maybe I didn't hate Rachel at all. That maybe I really loved her."

"We came to New York." She hurried on, "Finn had ditched me to win Rachel back, and we lost Nationals because of his foolishness." She swallowed loudly, "That was when I realised that maybe I wasn't so good at all. So my senior year started off weirdly. I needed to get away from her, so I dropped out of Glee, started hanging out with the bad kids, smoking, drinking, I even dyed my hair pink." She paused, "The only person from Glee who came to see if I was okay, if I might want to return…it was her. She was the only one who cared enough."

Rebecca had a feeling where this was going. She could see it in Quinn's eyes; in the way she spoke of this Rachel person. It was easy to see.

The blonde girl shifted in her seat and rested her head on her hand, with her elbow on the table, "I eventually returned to Glee, but I had to realise that there were many things I needed closure on. Like my daughter… the girl I gave up. I started spending some time with her, and it was… It was what I needed, I think. But I was so lost. Only a few people could see it. Puck, the father… And – and Rachel. She told me to get my act together, that I didn't have to be stuck in Lima forever, that I could get somewhere with my life. She actually encouraged me to apply here for early admissions. I owe my presence here to her, and I… I owe so much to her. We started really becoming friends, but then… Then Finn and Rachel got the absolutely foolish idea to get married."

Mrs. Harrison raised an eyebrow, "Married? Really?"

"Yes."

"What happened then?"

Quinn placed a hand on her chest and said, "It absolutely broke my heart."

Mrs. Harrison nodded, "And why was that?"

Quinn was quiet for a long time, as if she was trying to gather the courage to say the words, the words that they all knew were coming, "Because I was in love with her."

The classroom was quiet.

"I realised that I was so, so very much in love with her. And I begged her not to do it. I told her that it would ruin her plans, that she wouldn't get to go to New York, that Finn would hold her back." She paused, and there were tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, "You don't know this but… This girl – she's a star. She has the biggest voice you can imagine, and a talent that's beyond comprehensible. Broadway needs her. But… She would rather marry him."

That sounded absolutely stupid in Rebecca's ears.

"She wanted me to be her bridesmaid, but I was taking no participation in this." Quinn said, "I'd rather not watch her ruin her life…" she trailed off, pausing, as she thought things over for a second, "But then… Then she kept telling me that she needed me there. We were friends at this point, and… And I couldn't say no. I guess her happiness was more important than keeping myself out of pain. So after Regionals I had to hurry home and get my dress and meet them there, and… And I wasn't paying attention because I was texting her, telling her I'd be right there, and… And this giant truck plummeted right into me."

Say what?! Rebecca had not seen that one coming. She'd thought that it'd end happily ever after with her breaking up the wedding and Rachel realising that she feels the same, but this? This was surprising. How much could one person go through? Didn't this girl deserve a break?

Quinn nodded softly and brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear, "I couldn't move my legs. I couldn't feel them. I left the hospital in a wheelchair, and… and people thought I wouldn't walk again. Rachel felt so guilty, but all I could think was that I was happy she didn't marry Finn. They'd called off the wedding when I didn't arrive. She hadn't wanted to get married without me there, and… And she was horrified that I was in a wheelchair, and she thought it was her fault." Quinn paused, shrugging her shoulders, "It wasn't of course. It was my own. And… And all I could do was try to get better. So I went to physical therapy, refusing to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. It was so hard, but… Glee supported me. And at Prom… I surprised them all by standing up on the stage, when I was singing. I think that… That Rachel was the most happy of everyone. She started crying for me and just… afterwards, she rushed to hug me."

That was pretty impressive, someone going through something like that and walking again! Quinn had to have an impressive amount of willpower in her lithe body. Holy hell, Rebecca was starting to think that she might not have gotten up to walk again, had it been her.

"At Nationals I was dancing on that stage with the rest of them. It was Rachel's moment to shine and she knocked it out of the park. We won." Quinn paused, smiling softly, "We won Nationals and Rachel got accepted into NYADA. It was hard… Saying goodbye to Glee after that, saying goodbye to everyone. But it was most difficult saying goodbye to her. It absolutely broke my heart."

Rebecca felt her pain. She couldn't imagine going through all of that and then just never telling the one person you care the most about - that you really love her. Quinn had to be breaking steadily on the inside.

Quinn looked up then, licking her lip, "I had decided to tell her then. I knew Finn was going to force her to go to New York, even without him. At least he wasn't selfish enough to keep her in Lima. So I bought us tickets so we could easily keep in contact, and she was so happy… She was going to miss me too, I could tell. And… and she left Lima. But I never got to tell her because I chickened out."

"What?!" Rebecca said then – she simply couldn't keep it in. "Why didn't you tell her!? You should have!"

"I guess I just didn't have the guts." Quinn said then, smiling softly at her. "So this is it… This is me. I'm here now, still loving her from afar. And if you want to get to know Quinn Fabray, find out what makes me me… All I can say is, Rachel Berry had a huge part in that."

Rebecca suddenly felt all warm and fussy on the inside after that story.

"I think I might have been gay all along," Quinn continued then, adding to the already finished story. Perhaps it was good for her to get it out? "I just never realised it, never recognized the feelings, because my father kept pressuring me, and I was brought up to see it as something filthy and wrong. I think that… That the feelings I kept denying inside of me, they came out through bullying. I'm not saying it's OK, but I think that it was the only way my 15-year-old self could handle anything. Now I just regret that I didn't know… We could have had four years together in high school. If not as a couple, then just as friends." She shrugged her shoulders, and it was easy to hear the regret in her voice, see the remorse on her face, "But then I guess… If all those other things hand't happened, the baby, the heartbreak, the… accident – then I probably wouldn't be who I am right now. And to be honest, I'm finally starting to like myself." She paused. "I feel like I can look myself in the eyes when I gaze into the mirror."

Mrs. Harrison smiled warmly at her, "Thank you, Quinn, that was brilliant."

As Quinn returned to her seat, Rebecca couldn't help but eye her. That just wasn't fair. Had Quinn really given up on Rachel forever? It was stupid… In Rebecca's eyes, it looked like Rachel had loved her too, she just hadn't known it. And Rebecca wasn't one to take no for just an answer… Perhaps Quinn and Rachel just needed a little push in the right direction?

There couldn't be more than one Rachel Berry at NYADA, right?

-take my breath away-

She had had an absolutely gruelling day at school today, and Rachel was about ready to drop into her bed and sleep for days. She'd been dancing all day, really dancing, with sweat dripping onto the floor beneath her, and she still hadn't nailed that choreography. She'd never been the best dancer, and this class wasn't exactly ballet either, but for her to fail this much? It was a discouraging thought!

She couldn't even bother herself to make some dinner. She just grabbed an apple and a bottle of water and laid down with her laptop on her stomach and several pillows behind her back to keep her upright.

She was looking forward to the weekend. They didn't have anything to do at school for once, so maybe she would actually have time to do the laundry, explore the city and call her fathers. She'd never been this tired in her life; usually she was all for working without breaks, but never had she ever been through anything as tough as this. She always preached about regular exercise and eating right, but not even her vigorous diet and specific morning routine could keep her from getting worn-out every day.

All she had the strength to do right now was check her emails and several accounts and then sleep. It was barely nine, but she was simply too tired to do anything right now. Logging onto Facebook she checked her notifications and scrolled through her fellow Gleeks' statuses (she always made sure that they were all still doing wonderfully fine wherever they were), and she paused to read Quinn's status – something about a sociology course taking its toll on her? Rachel thought that that sounded very interesting, and she was glad that Quinn was doing fine. She thought about the blonde a lot, pretty much every day, wondering how she was and if she was getting better and better still.

Pausing, Rachel saw that she had received a private message from someone named Rebecca Reed. How could that be, and by all means, why was this person messaging her? Biting her teeth into her bottom lip, Rachel opened the message, curious to see what this was about. She took a bite of her apple and read the rather lengthy message from this girl.

Dear Rachel Berry,

You don't know me, but somehow it feels like I know you. Or at least I know a lot about you. I am a student at Yale University, and I was fortunate enough to share a small course with your friend Quinn Fabray. I don't know Quinn very well, only from what I heard in class, but I have to say, I heard a lot. We were focusing on humans and what made them trig, so to speak, and Quinn was picked to be our subject one class.

We had to film everything as Quinn told us about her life. You were mentioned more than once. Actually, she mentioned you quite a lot, and it quickly became clear to everyone that she cares about you a lot. Actually, I believe, she cares about you more than anyone else.

Forgive me if I seem too pushy or presumptuous, but I would like you to take a look at the link at the bottom of this message. Click it, watch it, think about it. I hope you appreciate it (and this message), because I had to break into my teacher's desk to find this tape. And it took my best friend a few hours to get the file onto my computer so I'd be able to send it to you.

Please watch it, like I wrote earlier, and when you have, you can either ignore this message and pretend like it never happened, or you can – as I hope you will – react to this in a positive way. If that is the case, when you arrive at Yale, please contact me on this number xxxxxxxx and I'll do anything to help you.

I hope to hear from you soon,

Sincerely,

Rebecca Reed.

Raising an eyebrow, Rachel led the courser hover above the link. She had managed to finish her apple while reading the message, and she had to admit – it made her quite curious. So this girl knew Quinn? But why did that make her want to contact her? What if something had happened to Quinn? Rachel hoped not!

She was simply too curious to stand this any longer, she had to see what this was about. Clicking on the link, Rachel waited with anticipation as the page loaded, and once she clicked play on the video, she was met with Quinn's beautiful face. The blonde girl was standing in front of a desk, and as the video begun she lowly – in that husky voice of hers – said, "Alright, I'm not scared, ask me anything."

Someone then said, "Full name?"

And as Quinn answered with "Lucy Quinn Fabray." Rachel held her breath.

What was going on?

-take my breath away-

Quinn was tired. She wasn't really tired in the I-want-to-sleep-kind of way, but in the I-can't-do-this-anymore way. She had so much reading to do, and she couldn't concentrate. All she wanted was to go for a walk, enjoy nature, grab a coffee and do nothing all night.

She loved Yale, and every day she thanked God that she was actually there, away from Lima, from all of her demons, but… She couldn't lie to herself and say that she was truly happy. She talked to her mother regularly – Frannie too – and that was nice. But she missed her other family, she missed Glee and Mr. Schue, and mostly, she just missed Rachel. She knew that they had agreed to stay in contact, and they probably could arrange a day to meet, but – what was the point anyway? She wanted to see the diva, but would it really do her any good? Would it help her healing process, would she ever get over her?

Quinn was starting to believe that it might be for the better if she never saw her again, at least not before some reunion in thirty years or so. Maybe by that time Quinn would have found someone else and have a family with her. It was just so hard. Getting over Rachel, that was. Especially after that sociology course had ripped up in everything. It's not like she hadn't agreed to do it; Mrs. Harrison had asked her a few days before if she wanted to be the subject, because she had read Quinn's file and thought it would be interesting for the other students. Thinking that it might be good for herself to actually share her story, Quinn had agreed.

And it had been nice getting everything out; she'd had difficulties telling any of her new friends about everything that had happened, so they only knew some of it. But this way – she got everything out. Even the one thing that she had ever only admitted to herself. And Joe of course. After he tried to get her to date him in senior year, she had told him about her feelings for Rachel. At first she contemplated doing it, just to appear like she used to be, but then she told herself to stop lying to herself. If she dated him, she'd do the same thing she had done with Finn, Puck and Sam – she'd try to hide who she really was, and she was tired of it!

So telling someone else that she had really had feelings for Rachel – it was a nice relief. It wasn't any good though. She'd decided to never let the brunette girl know. There was no point in her knowing, it was too late, their past was too weird and tricky. All she could do was hope that she might find someone new to love one day.

That's it! Quinn thought to herself and smacked her book close, I'm not going to get anything done today… She packed her book bag and decided she might as well do what she really wanted instead of attempting to read anything. She couldn't concentrate. Rachel kept floating through her mind. It was that damn course's fault! Since last Tuesday she hadn't been able to concentrate at all. It was Saturday now, and she had only gone to campus to use the library for some quietness, because her neighbour had been having sex – very loudly – all day.

She walked pass a few people she knew and went into the giant hallway outside. What was the first thing she wanted to do, now that she had allowed herself a day off? She wanted to take a walk. Walk for miles with a cup of coffee in her hand, and enjoy the fall weather. That was exactly what she wanted to do.

She looked outside through the windows in the hallway and saw that the green area was filled with students, enjoying the last traces of summer. It was already a bit cold, and they were wearing hoodies to keep warm, but it looked cosy and nice. Perhaps she should attempt to study outside as well? …nah. That walk sounded so nice.

As she walked outside, she breathed in the fresh air and brushed her hair back. She was about to walk down the stairs, when she paused. Someone had caught her attention. There, off to the side, waiting with her back pressed against the wall and a shy smile on her face… Was Rachel.

Huh? Quinn had to look twice to be sure that her eyes weren't just making her see things she wanted to see. No. It was right. There, here, at Yale, stood Rachel Berry. She was wrapped up in a coat and she wore a cute hat and boots. She looked downright adorable. Grabbing her bag tighter, Quinn changed directions and walked to her – assuming that she was there to see her? Who else could she be there for, anyway? Quinn thought that she was guessing right, because Rachel smiled brightly at her and waved shyly.

"Rachel…" Quinn breathed, as they finally met each other, about halfway. She couldn't believe that the brunette was actually there. She looked so pretty, so beautiful. She had one hand behind her back and a stunning smile on her face. Quinn could barely control her beating heart; it was going out of control now that she was seeing Rachel again. She had truly forgotten just what the diva used to do to her self-control. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you." Rachel softly replied, and her eyes were glistening like a thousand stars, "I-" she cut herself off, and instead of saying anything, she retrieved her hand from her back and held out a long-stemmed red rose, "This is for you."

Tentatively taking the rose from her, Quinn felt her heartbeat speed up even more. What was this about? Why was Rachel bringing her a rose? She felt herself blush. "Thank you." She whispered. "I… I don't even know what to say. It's beautiful."

Rachel shyly looked into the ground for a second, before she looked up again and met Quinn's eyes, "Look, I don't even know how to do this, but… I'm not sure how I missed it, after everything we've been through," she paused, taking in a deep breath and reaching a hand out to softly brush Quinn's hand, "and I… I came here to tell you that – that I love you, Quinn."

"I love you, too." Quinn replied, trying to hide her confusion. Rachel knew that she loved her, they'd been over this before they left Lima. The diva knew how much Quinn appreciated her friendship. "I know we haven't really had time to see each other or even talk on the phone, but… I thought you knew that."

Chuckling softly, Rachel replied, "It's not even that." She whispered, tilting her head and shakily continuing, "I love you like… Like used to love Finn, like I think about you all the time, like I – I want to kiss you and don't let go."

As a lump formed in her throat, Quinn felt herself getting hot everywhere. She was panicking a bit on the inside as she tried to make sense of what Rachel was telling her. She could hardly comprehend the words, but it sounded like Rachel knew about her feelings, and had come to tell her that she felt the same? Forcing herself to reply, even through her dizziness and the hope she had building in her stomach, Quinn said, "You do?"

Nodding, Rachel stepped just a bit closer, "I don't even know what's going to happen, all I know is that this is what I want to do. We should go for it, Quinn, see where it leads us."

"But…" Quinn was still in shock. Honestly, she wasn't sure that this was real. Perhaps she was dreaming while awake or something? She dug her front teeth roughly into her lower lip, but the pain felt very real, so maybe Rachel really was standing in front of her, telling her they should be together? "How do you even know how I feel?"

A soft smile appeared on Rachel's face then, and she turned slightly over, gazing back to the wall she had been waiting at. "Rebecca sent me a video of you from that sociology course." She whispered, and Quinn glanced at the girl she remembered vaguely from class, the girl who was now grinning widely and waving at her, "She told me to watch it and make up my mind."

Looking back at Rachel, Quinn whispered, "She did?"

The brunette nodded her head, and her cheeks were tinted pink, "I didn't have to think very long. Quinn, I want us to be together. Please tell me that you still want me, too."

The blonde girl felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter their wings as she reached a hand up and gently caressed Rachel's cheek, "I've wished of nothing but you for so many years now." She whispered, her breath ghosting across the other girl's lips.

Rachel smiled shyly at her, "Well. Now I'm yours for the taking." She said, and their eyes locked again, and her brown orbs were filled of love, happiness, giddiness and something akin to lust.

Quinn could feel her own body respond with a very similar feeling, and all she wanted was to kiss the diva for the very first time. Brushing her thumb across those plumb lips, she leaned slightly closer, just close enough for their noses to touch and their breaths to mix, "Just stop me if you wanna…" she huskily whispered, mere inches from Rachel's lips.

"But I don't wanna…" the brunette whispered back, and Quinn's eyes fluttered close, and she finally – after all these years of pain and heartache – let her lips touch Rachel's.

The butterflies went crazy in her stomach, and every part of her body was electric. The diva tasted of raspberries and summer, and her lips meshed perfectly with hers. She awkwardly clutched onto her, keeping her there, in the moment, and she could not believe how happy she was finally feeling. After all these years; it felt like her heart was going to burst right out of her chest and swell into something so much more. She still had the beautiful rose in her other hand, and as they parted their lips, she pulled back shyly, glancing down at the flower and trying desperately to control the urge she had to break into song.

Rachel was still trying to catch her breath as she whispered, "That was good."

Quinn couldn't hide her giggles. Her lips were still buzzing, and they both knew that that kiss had been more than just 'good'. "You want to go for a walk with me?" she softly questioned, and she had no idea why she was so shy with the other girl; they had known each other for ages. Perhaps it was because their relationship had just reached an entirely new level, and love was taking its toll on her? Quinn couldn't explain it, but she quite liked the feeling she had, like she was walking on air.

The other girl nodded, "I would love that." She said and glanced at Quinn's book bag, "Can I carry your bag for you?"

The blonde carefully slipped it off her shoulder and handed it to her, "If I can buy you a coffee." She replied.

Nodding, Rachel slipped the bag onto her shoulder and tryingly held out her hand. Glancing down at it, Quinn took a moment to gather courage enough to grab it, but as she did, it felt like everything was slipping into place. She felt Rachel's warm fingers intertwine with her cold ones, and everything just felt like it was going to be okay. She clung onto her, tightly, but Rachel didn't seem to mind – Quinn just couldn't help herself, she was afraid that if she let go, maybe all of this would just slip through her fingers and disappear.

"I think that Rebecca is going to be a very good friend of ours." Rachel said then, as they walked down the stairs towards the green area that was swamped with students, "She seems like a very smart young woman."

And just like that, it felt like they'd been doing this forever, and Quinn couldn't help but watch Rachel as she eagerly told the story of how Rebecca had contacted her, and Quinn thought that the brunette looked beautiful with her hair blown slightly back by the wind and that giant smile on her face.

Quinn had to remind herself to keep on breathing. Damn girl, she thought to herself as she smelled the red rose that Rachel had brought her, you take my breath away.

Yeah, I was a bit cheesy in the end, but that's gotta be done sometimes. I hope you all liked this! I'm not really sure where it came from, all I can say is, that I found myself thinking through Quinn's life in Glee, what she had been through, and how Rachel was somehow connected to all of it in a way. So many times throughout that show, I've said to myself that the only reason Quinn acted a certain way had to be because she secretly loved Rachel. I guess it's the Faberry fan in me, but come on, some of those things were just weird if it's not because she loves her.

So I decided to make this piece of fiction. The first part is merely something you all know from watching the show, but it was sort of fun to write everything down that way. And the rest of this piece is… To make Faberry happen. Please leave me your thoughts on this (:

I know I wasn't 'supposed' to write more Faberry right now, as I just started my next Pezberry, but this wouldn't leave me alone. I promise to work on chapter two of So Emotional now!

Disclaimer; I don't own Glee.