A/N: Hello everyone! This if my first time writing anything like this so i hope you like it! This story is an AU set in Sophomore Year, Rachel is the new girl at McKinley but she has a few people that she can't let go of from her past. Faberry and there will be some Brittana. Review please!

Follow me on tumblr at hellyeahfaberryforever and on twitter charliewells95 :)

Shout out to darkandtwisty22 for editing this!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own Glee or there would be more Faberry and Brittana and Finn would be living in a corner not bothering anyone.

Prologue – It Started With A Kiss

Rachel Berry was ten years old, she was incredibly bright for her age and she had hopes and dreams far bigger than any other child in her class. She would spend her free time perfecting her singing, dancing and any other skills she thought would be useful to take her down her chosen career pathway... Broadway. Yet the little girl was lonely, she had no friends, all the children in her class hated her, especially one Quinn Fabray.

Rachel had been picked on since her first day at the school. She was always chosen last for games, pushed over when a teacher wasn't looking and was called mean names that would make her want to cry. Yet she didn't, she wouldn't let them have that satisfaction, she ignored the bullies and focused purely on her talents, but sometimes everything became too much, no matter how good she was at hiding it.

Today was that day.

The small brunette walked out into the playground with her head held high, her famous smile formed on her lips. She skipped over to the grassy area where she usually spent her lunchesand lay back singing quietly.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and dreaming of the day she would open them and crowds of people would be watching her, she imagined herself in the middle of the stage as applause echoed around her. She raised her voice, careful not to belt out the lyrics like she did at home.

"Hey Midget! You need to learn to shut up." Rachel's eyes snapped open, she looked up to find a blonde girl, her own age staring down at her with a glare that scared her more than anything she had ever seen before. She could tell she had perfected the look of power, because with that one look Rachel felt small and weak.

"I was only singing, it's not like anyone would be listening to me." Rachel tried to explain, "All the children usually tend to play their games far away from me and if they do end up coming over I would think they would be grateful to hear my voice."

"Wow, you have such a small ego." She replied sarcastically, "Nobody would be grateful, you can't sing, you're tone deaf Berry!"

Rachel's heart sunk, her lip jutted out as the tears began to fall. This was, for some reason the first time she had listened and more importantly, it was the first time she was hurt by someone's words.

"I've been told I'm a wonderful singer." She said quietly, "My Dads say that I am going to be on Broadway someday."

"Parent's lie, it's their job to make you happy." She shrugged with a smirk, getting pleasure from making the girl cry.

"My Dads don't lie." She shook her head, she was trying to convince herself more than Quinn.

"Look Berry, I'm just telling you the truth here." She chuckled darkly, "you're nothing but a waste of space and you can't sing so I say... Give up."

Rachel tilted her head back and their eyes locked together, tears fell from the little girls face and Quinn frowned. This was a new feeling, was it guilt? She didn't know, maybe she felt bad for what she had said when she saw the tears, she didn't think that Rachel would listen to her, nobody listened, they just ignored her most of the time unless she got violent.

Before she could take her words back Rachel was on her feet running away, leaving Quinn frozen in place. She watched Rachel's little legs stumble, biting her lip as she did so. There was a tug in her stomach telling her to go after her.

So she did.

Quinn jogged after her victim and ducked down into the small tunnel where Rachel was hiding. She had her face pushed into her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs. She was sobbing loudly making Quinn feel even worse so she crawled along the bright yellow tube and sat down next to her.

It took everything for Quinn not to pull the girl into her, she wanted to hold her, protect her... Love her?

"...I'm sorry." Quinn said after a minute, biting her lip. It was a nervous habit.

"No you're not!" Rachel raised her voice, she had never shouted at someone before and Quinn had never been shouted at, it was only her father who ever scolded the girl.

"I am, I didn't mean what I said." She placed her hand onto Rachel's back and began to draw shapes that Rachel couldn't figure out. Quinn didn't know why she was doing this, she didn't even know why she was there. What she did know was she had never felt more at home than she did right in that moment, "I guess I'm... Jealous of you."

"Jealous?" Rachel looked up, her eyes red and tears still staining her face.

Quinn gave her a small smile and reached up to wipe under her eyes with the pad of her thumb. As she did so Rachel's eyes fluttered shut and she let out a sigh.

"Forgive me, please, I promise I will never say anything like that again." She leaned closer and whispered, "I will always be there for you and I'll protect you, the best that I can."

"Why?" Rachel sniffed.

Quinn looked into the watery eyes, "Because we're friends now Short Stuff, that's what we do."

"I've never had a friend before." Rachel said, looking down at her hands that were tangled together, they were shaking and she was trying to hold them still.

It was then that Quinn acted on instinct, she didn't understand the pull she had towards Rachel Berry but she knew that one day she would, and hopefully she would be able to use that to make her happy. So Quinn moved her hand to Rachel's jaw and lifted it gently as she moved closer. Her heart thumping so wildly she was scared it was broken, she gazed down at the smaller girl's lips and found herself licking her own.

Then it happened, Rachel moved in and attached her own lips to Quinn's. It was a chaste kiss but it meant so much to both girls, it was a promise to be there for the other for the rest of their lives and that was a promise they both planned on keeping.

Well, until Quinn moved the year after and then everything changed.