Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 40th cycle. Now cycle 41!

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** UPDATED WITH CYCLE 41 CHEAT SHEET ** Check it out to find out about shift days, starting in cycle 41!

This is a shift day [see above]. There will be another upload this afternoon: Flying Solo, chapter 3.

"Downed Sun"
Quinn & Rachel, Quinn/Finn, Rachel/Puck
Sunshine Girls #41 (following "break open the sun" + "sunshine on wheels")

After Rachel had broken up with Puck, Quinn had imagined it would take some adjusting, but there was more to it. It would have been a cleaner break if it had been that… someone had cheated, or they had been fighting for a while… but this was sudden, and it had not been out of a lack of love… Rachel could tell everyone that she was fine, but she wasn't fooling anyone, least of all Quinn. She'd spent the entire weekend feeling very Sunshine Girl-like, trying to cheer up Rachel.

It was striking how much of a reversal they had gone through. It used to be that she was the one in distress, needing someone to come and help her back on her feet and, putting their past aside forevermore, that person, that friend, had been Rachel. Now here they were and Quinn was happier than she had been… for longer than she could remember… and Rachel was the one waving 'SOS' toward her. This wasn't even a case of saying one's problems were more important than the other's. A broken heart was a broken heart. Her relationship with Puck had still been in its early stages, but it didn't make it any less meaningful. Quinn had seen them together, saw how different they were around each other, the way you grew warm because that person was there, the one that made your heart beat faster… She loved him, Quinn could see it, whether Rachel realized it herself just yet or not. For that, and maybe through her own emotional turn around, she couldn't see them staying broken up.

Monday came around, and now it felt as though the weekend had all been in anticipation of this moment, to prepare her heart for when she'd see Puck again. Quinn had arrived at school first, sitting outside with an apple and a book. She ate, she read, and she waited. She wasn't sure who would arrive first, or what she'd do if that person was him. She'd offered to talk to him on her behalf, but Rachel didn't want it, so for her sake she'd refrain. As it turned out it was Finn who arrived first. Quinn had been the one to tell him about the breakup – Rachel had approved – and she'd been touched to know he also was ready to talk with Puck. Quinn had told him to go on without her.

Then it had been Puck… of course. She had no intention of going to speak to him, but instead it was him who came to her. He'd asked if she'd spoken to Rachel – yes. Was Rachel okay? – no. Pause. Was the baby okay? – yes, she was doing fine. And then he'd walked away. Just when Quinn was starting to wonder if Rachel would come in that day, there she'd been, eyes searching, and Quinn knew what they searched.

"He's already inside," Quinn answered for her. Rachel looked over, noticing her for the first time. She came and sat at the blonde's side. "Are you okay?" she asked, offering a second apple, which she'd kept in her lap. Rachel managed a smile, took it, turned it around in her hand, over and over.

"I don't want to be that girl who falls apart because she broke up with her boyfriend," she sighed.

"Then don't be," Quinn shook her head.

"But he's in there, and I know the moment I see him I'm going to start losing it again," she looked down.

"Have you considered trying to work things out? I don't think it's too late," she promised. Rachel shook her head.

"I can't do it…"

"Then you're going to have to go in there and just deal with it. See him, get it over with, because unless you intend on dropping out, or changing schools, moving out of town, anything… you're still going to be seeing each other. I mean this is his daughter, right here, as much as it is mine," she put a hand to her belly, and Rachel looked over. "And I'm counting on you being in her life, so you two will be seeing each other," she insisted. Rachel laughed, pressing her hand next to Quinn's for a moment. "You can do this, Rachel," she smiled. "You're not that girl."

"I'm not," Rachel slowly agreed.

"But, if you feel you need to be her… just a little bit… I'm here for you." Rachel reached to dry her eyes before leaning over to hug her friend. When they pulled back, Quinn pointed to the apple. "Eat it," she directed as they got up.

"Did your mother buy another crate?"

"I was only craving them a bit; she went overboard. Now she's making enough apple sauce to keep this baby fed through pre-school," she sighed and Rachel chuckled, biting into the given fault.

"Can you crave chocolate next?"

"Way ahead of you…"

Walking into McKinley, Quinn could feel a trembling in the brunette's features. She tried to keep it together, but it was a fragile composure. Quinn linked her arm with hers and Rachel slowly stabilized. She just wanted to get past that moment, Quinn knew – seeing him for the first time since the day after the break up. That first day had just been a wash, didn't count.

They saw him in the hall. All three of them had stopped, and two pairs of eyes had met for a moment before looking away. Puck had gone one way, and Rachel and Quinn had gone the other. "There, it's done," Quinn told her. "You're still here, I'm still here," she told her.

"Do you think he hates me?" Rachel asked weakly.

"Not one bit," Quinn promised.

"But I'm the one who broke up with him. What if he thinks I agree with my fathers about the baby thing?"

"He doesn't," she went on promising.

"Do you think I made a mistake?" her voice only grew smaller.

"I think you love him… and he loves you. And I think if you thought this needed to happen, then it did. It doesn't mean this is the end. If there's one thing I know about Puck it's that he can and will surprise you." Rachel sighed. "Give it time."

"What happens when he moves on?" Rachel looked over, needing just a bit more courage.

"Then… maybe you will, too. But I know you'll be happy," Quinn vowed. "You've got so much ahead of you, Rachel. This is all part of it, not the end of the road."

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!