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 55th cycle. Now cycle 56!

This is a double shift day. There will be one more upload today: Padra's Run, chapter 9.

"Now Everything Is Different"
Rachel/Quinn
Runaway Bride series
(no listing yet; sequel to "Or Forever Hold Your Peace" & "Uncharted Territory")

Look to her… Remember… Remember why…

The words would keep running through her mind all day and for many more days after, whenever anyone would make her feel bad for her actions back at the wedding that wasn't, her wedding, which she had run out on, after telling her now ex-fiancé and ex-boyfriend Finn that she couldn't go through with it. She hadn't told him why, of course, seeing as even she didn't know at the time, not completely.

The whole reason why she had left was because she had answered a question, asked to her by Quinn. She had been asked if maybe there would be a reason why she would not go through with this wedding that would have to do with Quinn, and the fact was there was a reason. So she had told Finn what needed to be said, returned his engagement ring before dashing off to meet Quinn, as the blonde had asked. She hadn't been entirely sure just what she would hear, and she wouldn't have expected what she got, which was more or less a declaration of love. What Rachel had given back to her may not have been to say she felt exactly the same, but it was to say that she might be feeling open to exploring the possibility. Since then, everything had been… different.

They had decided to let things happen at their own pace, not to rush anything and to just see what would come to pass. So the weekend had passed, with nothing in the way of developments. But now a new week was beginning, and they were due at school, where they would see each other again… and all the rest of them, including Finn.

When Rachel had arrived, it felt like the first day of school or something, like that moment when you didn't know the people, didn't know what to expect… She knew she was going to end up running into him at one time or another, so she should have gone in there with a sort of 'let's get this over with' mentality, but… All she could think about was the fact that she had hurt him, and she would have given anything for that not to happen, but there was just no way. He was going to be angry, and she had to accept it. But then Finn wasn't the first she ran into. First there had been the others, their club, who had seen her run out on him.

Most of them looked like they didn't approve of what she'd done, judging by the looks and the comments she got. After a few of them had gone by, she'd had to stop and regroup, think about everything, and there her mantra had come to her, because… well, it was how she felt.

When she closed her eyes, she could see her… Quinn, sitting across from her back at the diner, when their hands had found one another, and held, and… that smile on her face, the way her own heart took a sudden leap… She had no reason to doubt herself, not when she remembered that…

Where the hell was Quinn already?

She didn't want to feel like the bad guy. She was the bad guy… bad girl, she knew, for doing that to Finn, when she'd done it, and whether she liked it or not, she was going to have to bear the blame.

"Good morning." She was startled, but then she turned, and there was Quinn.

"Hi…" she breathed.

"Hey," Quinn gave a tentative smile, and when Rachel matched it, she added a nod. "How are you doing?"

"Well, everybody hates me," Rachel sighed, looking around.

"You know that's not true," Quinn promised her.

"No, it is, and… they should," Rachel crossed her arms. "I did a crappy thing…"

"Because of me," Quinn cut in. "Because I told you to."

"I could have said n… No I couldn't," she closed her eyes, breathing deep. "I wanted to be there, and I just… I knew I couldn't go through with it, not now or…" she shook her head.

"Look, yeah the next little while is going to suck, but… this is still what you want, right? Whatever 'it' ends up being?" Quinn looked at her.

"It is," Rachel assured her, putting in a smile so she would see. "I know we're not saying anything yet…"

"Not like there's much to say yet," Quinn nodded.

"But I know you're there," Rachel made her point, and Quinn was the one to smile now. "And I know that whatever I'm going through, you'll be there, so… I can do this," she decided. Quinn's eyes had been fixed on her a moment ago, but now they went past her.

"Rachel," she spoke up, nodding for her to look. Rachel turned, and there he was… Finn.

He didn't look at her when he went by. It wasn't like he hadn't seen her. He had seen her, he just chose to pretend like he didn't. "Guess I had that coming," she watched him go before turning back to Quinn.

"Take your time, okay? Whatever you need," the blonde told her. "I'll see you in class." She had started to go, and Rachel watched her retreat, feeling a sudden need to…

"Quinn, wait," she went after her and got ahead of her, stopping her. "Okay, all I'd gotten to so far was 'go after her,' now I don't actually know what I was going to say," she admitted, and Quinn chuckled. "We should hang out," the words had sprung from her lips unplanned, and she paused for a moment before looking back to Quinn for a response, a reaction, something...

"Probably a good idea," Quinn agreed with a nod. "I'm not sure exactly where we should go, considering we're kind of trying to keep this to…"

"You can come over to my house," Rachel volunteered, then, "If that's alright with you."

"Your house it is," Quinn smiled. "When?"

"I don't know, how about over the weekend, or…"

"Saturday," Quinn decided.

"Saturday," Rachel repeated it, paused, "Okay, now go on to class," she told her, before going on her way. Quinn watched her go, feeling the strangest mix of emotions after this encounter. One thing for sure, it didn't suck. It was like everything she'd been feeling around Rachel all along, only amplified.

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!