I'm really angry with that Lucy twist that came out of nowhere. Since I obviously can't do nothing about it and I just have to embrace this new information about Quinn Fabray, I decided to do this fic –that is basically what I hoped for the entire episode after that story came out; and after our ladies had cero interaction after the duet. So, enjoy. Or don't, that's ok too.
It all started when Finn broke Rachel's nose.
Quinn was this close to jump on Finn and brake every one of his bones, but the expression on Rachel's face told her now wasn't a good time to reveal some things. Instead, she had to stand back and watch her boyfriend take Rachel to the doctor.
Painful was an understatement, because no matter what she did, it never seemed enough. Rachel always turned back to Finn, no matter what. And Finn didn't care about what it made her feel, her girlfriend. It wasn't supposed to be like this, it wasn't part of her plan. It was harder to keep Finn away from Rachel if he chased her around, and all Quinn could think about was putting a leash to him, which wouldn't work out, of course. But Rachel reaching out to him wasn't something she could avoid or control. It only meant she had to work harder to keep them separated, keep Finn to herself so Rachel could do better. It was all that mattered.
But then the unthinkable happened. Rachel turned to her. Now, happy? That was the understatement of the Century. And how could she refuse? Looking back, Quinn knows everything Rachel wanted, she gave it to her; the Yearbook picture, the reassurance of Finn's love… Even if it was painful, Quinn did it. But she lied.
At first, she wasn't comfortable with Rachel's decision. Rachel was beautiful, and she shouldn't change anything about herself. But who was Quinn to tell her that? She was only a mean girl, someone who called Rachel names and made her feel bad about herself. So the only thing she could really do was support her when everybody else didn't. Go to the doctor with her and make it look like she was doing it for a Prom vote. But she lied, being pretty or conventionally beautiful didn't help with the outside world, people still expected you to be a certain way and exclude you if you weren't. Quinn still had to hide who she really was, no matter how beautiful on the outside. But if Rachel wanted a nose job, no matter how opposed to it she was, Quinn was going to help.
The duet came afterwards, once Quinn found out just how wrong everything was. She watched as Rachel's face became sadder and sadder as she sat next to her in the classroom. Rachel seemed more broken by the second as she stroked the bridge of her broken nose, and just in that second, Quinn regretted everything. And she was going to tell Rachel the truth.
-I have to talk to you. –She cornered the brunette when the bell rang, grabbing her arm and dragging her out of the classroom.
-Quinn! What is wrong with you? –Rachel shrieked, even as she followed.
Once they were inside the safety of the empty Choir room, she let go.
-I'm sorry. –Quinn blurted out.
-What is your problem? –Rachel scolded at her, rubbing her arm.
-Don't do it. –It was merely a whisper.
-You too, Quinn? I thought you were the only one who supported me with this! I told you, I'm going to sing better, and then everybody-
-I lied to you! –Rachel closed her mouth abruptly. –I'm sorry. –Quinn whispered again.
-What do you mean, you lied to me? –Rachel wrapped her arms around herself, guarded.
-Being pretty… people are not accommodating. They are always going to judge you for something, even if you have a good looking nose, Rachel. –She sighed. –A nose job certainly isn't the solution. You are always going to be forced to be what society wants you to be, and if it's not because you're not pretty enough, it's because you're not smart enough, or tall enough, or perfect enough… Believe me.
-You say that… -Rachel whispered, her voice broken. –You say that because you are pretty, you are perfect, Quinn. You can't possibly understand…
-I'm not perfect. –Quinn smiled bitterly. –I make a lot of mistakes. I cheat, I lie, and I get pregnant… I give my daughter away. –It was all she could do not to break down in tears, but Rachel needed to hear this. –The outside it's not the only thing that matters. And if I'm pretty, people are going to find other things in which I'm not good. I've always tried… I tried to be the perfect student, the perfect girlfriend, the perfect daughter… It only got me in trouble, and I used to think I couldn't do anything right. But you know what I found out? –She waited until Rachel looked up and shook her head. –I can't be perfect, I can only be me. And if that means people are going to judge me, then so be it. I can't make everybody happy, and you can't either, you shouldn't. –Rachel looked down and Quinn couldn't suppress her sigh. –You know this is not about your voice, and having a nice nose it's not going to make you happier or make life easier.
-But what if… -Rachel shut her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks. –What if I just want to feel better about myself? I don't feel beautiful. –She shook her head.
Quinn couldn't help wrapping her arms around the brunette, who hid her face in her chest. Rachel was so small and she was so broken… She couldn't help to feel guilty about all of this.
-You're pretty. –She whispered in the brunette's ear. She felt Rachel wrap her arms around her and squeeze. –So pretty…
They stayed like that for a few seconds until Rachel pulled away and looked up at her.
-Will you sing with me?
Of course Quinn couldn't deny. She never could.
She tried to hide her emotion, not to look so much at Rachel while they sang because she knew she would give herself away if she did. And Rachel still looked so sad and lonely after the song… she could only hope her words had an effect on her.
Quinn wanted to talk to Rachel, to ask her if she was going to cancel the appointment or if she was going to get the nose job, and she was on her way to the brunette's locker when something caught her attention. Zizes. She was going to kill her, she was going down. After talking with the extra-sized joke, Quinn realized she had to come up with a plan.
However, that was interrupted when Rachel stood up in front of everybody with that freaky picture of their faces combined. Quinn felt a stab in her chest when she realized her words had had no effect, entering one of Rachel's stubborn little ears and coming out from the other. The only thing that made her feel a little better was that Finn's pathetic words had no effect on the brunette either. Why couldn't he be that nice to her when they were together?
-I thought you weren't going to do it! –Quinn screamed down the hall as Rachel walked away from the Choir room. She watched as the brunette turned around and approached her.
-I'm not going to fell for one of your schemes. –She said with her head held high.
-What?
-You've never been nice to me. The only time I thought you wanted to be my friend, you lied to me, told me I didn't belong here, pretended to be my friend while you were with Finn behind my back! Why would it be any different now?
-Are you kidding me? I wasn't lying! I told you… -Quinn lowered her voice. –I told you my insecurities, I opened up to you both times, but you're so stubborn!
-You… -Rachel frowned.
-I told you… how hard it is for me. –Quinn whispered, lowering her head to be eye to eye with the brunette. –How I never felt good enough, how I still feel I'm going to be a Lima loser forever, and you… Why does it have to be about Finn all the time?
-Quinn… it doesn't… -Rachel gaped at her, her mouth open in disbelief at the blonde's tears.
-When I said you didn't belong here… -Quinn whispered, placing her hand on the brunette's shoulder and looking around. –I meant in Lima. You're better that this town, better than all of us. And it's because you've got talent, and you're confident. You believe in yourself. Don't change that… don't change who you are.
They stood there, looking at eachothers eyes, breathing hard until Rachel looked down and away.
-You really mean that? –She whispered.
-I do.
-So… what are you going to do about that? –Rachel pointed with her head towards the Lauren poster.
Quinn took her hand back and shook her head.
-I don't know. I worked so hard, but then… I thought it was a joke, but I head girls saying how they wanted to vote for someone like them, that Lauren was an inspiration. I mean, I know I'm a bitch sometimes, but her? I can't believe…
-I may be able to help you. –Rachel interrupted, smirking.
-How?
-If they want someone like them, you will give them someone like them.
-But I'm not…
-Just come with me. –Rachel lifted her chin and started walking down the hall.
Quinn strutted to catch up with her. Really, she had to learn to say no.
-Rachel! Where are we going?
-Tell me, Quinn. You used to attend Belleville, right? –The brunette asked as she fished her car keys from her pocket.
-Yes, so? I transferred in Eight Grade because of my dad's work.
-Well, -Rachel turned around and smirked. – …not anymore.
Once they got to the brunette's house and after a talk on the phone with her dad, Rachel took out a binder and started writing. Quinn waited two pages until curiosity got the best of her and she had to interrupt and ask. Rachel's plan was crazy and full or holes. Quinn had to pretend that she was an ugly, bullied girl with pimples that had plastic surgery before Eight Grade? Ridiculous. Not only her parents and her sister were blonde, but she had been born blonde and her daughter was born blonde; but she was always skinny and she had thousands of photos to prove it. But Rachel said she could make a record of her in the school her uncle worked in at Fairbrook, and that she needed a picture of Quinn when she was younger. When the blonde protested, Rachel only said: "Really, Quinn? Haven't you watched teen movies for the past thirty years? Things like this happen all the time!" And she couldn't deny that. Or Rachel, but that was beside the point. It could be plausible, people like Lauren and Puck and the losers at McKinley could believe it. Rachel said she had trusted Quinn and now Quinn had to trust her on this one. And if it got her the votes she needed, why the hell not? She had nothing to lose if Lauren won anyway.
Quinn couldn't sleep all night, and was nervous all day after Rachel told her in the hall that Lauren had already called Belleville. It wouldn't work. What if being ugly didn't give her the votes of the outcasts? She was about to burst out of her body when Lauren called her Lucy in the hallway. She tried not to laugh out of nerves as she followed. She was so nervous and expecting to be called bullshit at any second, that her acting was amazing. Even after she got out of the classroom and tore the poster out. People laughed, some of them were really surprised, but no one seemed to be skeptical. She tried to find Rachel to tell her that part of the plan had worked out, but the brunette was nowhere to be found. If it didn't work out, she was going to kill her. But she had to admit, that picture was freaky. Rachel did have amazing Photoshop skills.
It didn't help her nerves that Rachel was nowhere to be found even after lunch, and girls were still whispering about the Lucy picture. When Finn approached her with the creepy photo in his wallet, she almost tore her eyes out. How stupid could he be? He had seen thousands of baby pictures of her, and pictures of her when she was little, and pictures of her with her sister that looked a lot like her. For her own sanity, she let it pass.
But then, it happened. As she walked away from Man-child, those girls, the very same girls who worshipped Lauren's picture before, told her they were going to vote for her. It worked! After that, she could only forgive Lauren. It wasn't her fault that she was a bitch and gullible.
Quinn didn't have it in her heart to be happy just yet, she was still afraid of Rachel having the operation, and that shadowed any joy she could have about the Lucy story. Perhaps Rachel's help had been a distraction so Quinn wouldn't try to talk her out of it, and as far as the blonde knew, it had worked. But then, Rachel entered the Auditorium and told every body that she had cancelled the appointment. She said something about a Barbravention that Quinn didn't know what it meant, but she could only be happy that the brunette had come to terms with herself. Even if she felt a little bad that her T-shirt was a lie, nothing could overshadow her happiness now.
After saying goodbye to Finn in the parking lot, Quinn was opening her car door when she heard her.
-Quinn, wait! –It was Rachel.
-Hi, Rach. –She said softly, smiling.
-Did it work? –The brunette asked out of breath.
-What did?
-Lucy Caboosey! –She lowered her voice. –The story…
-Oh, yes! –Quinn smiled. –Yes, it did. Thank you. And… -She took a deep breath. –I'm really glad you didn't go through with the… surgery.
-I'm glad, too.
They stood silent for a few seconds.
-So… what made you change your mind? –Quinn bowed her head and bit her lip.
-Well… Puck and Kurt along with some of our friends from Glee club made me a Barbravention at the mall. –She smiled. –I realized that my nose makes me unique, and… -She tried to catch Quinn's eye. –Quinn?
-Yes? –The blonde looked at her through her eyelashes.
-You helped a lot. –They smiled. –Why are you so nice to me? –Rachel whispered.
-What? –Quinn's head snapped up.
-When you told me what you meant that day at the piano, and… well, you've helped me a lot since you joined Glee Club. –She frowned. –When I asked you to come back and… when you came with me to Carmel…
-I… just wanted to be… a good sport?
Rachel bit her lips, trying not to laugh.
-Is that it? –She asked softly, raising her eyebrows. Quinn bit her lip and nodded, looking around. Rachel rested her hand on the blonde's shoulder. –Is that also why you bribed Coach Sylvester into getting that Yearbook page?
-How did you…? –The brunette raised one shoulder, getting closer.
-What do you want me to say, Rachel? –Quinn whispered.
-The truth. –The brunette half smiled, getting her face closer to the blonde's still.
-I… really like your nose. –Quinn sighed, moving her face a little higher to brush her lips against the tip of the brunette's nose.
Rachel looked up, smiling before joining their lips.
-I know.