A/N 1: This story is Glee with a Wonderfalls spin. You don't need to be familiar with Wonderfalls to follow the story, although I recommend you watch it! It's a little crazy, just so you know. (Both the show, and this story.)

Spoilers: Season 2. The initial Faberry interaction was inspired by a combination of Rumors and Throwdown from season 1, but hopefully it will all make sense. The story loosely covers the period from a few weeks before Rumors through to Nationals.

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Wise Owl

"It's just another day,

Feeling like this feeling never goes away,

For just another day."

Quinn felt like she was barely holding it all together. Every day was another day to get through. Some days were harder than others. Or some weeks. Like when they'd done that whole "get to love the things about you that you hate" crap.

So yeah, she hadn't really wanted Rachel to change her nose – that manip was creepy as hell and just so wrong – but that girl had so much damn confidence it was ridiculous. Her weakness had given them something in common.

Not that it mattered.

No really, Rachel could go to hell for all she cared. Now more than ever. That girl had some kind of crazy fixation on Finn, as though he was the centre of the damn universe or something. But Quinn had no illusions; he was just a guy. But he was her guy. Why couldn't Rachel just accept that it was over, and she'd lost Finn? But no.

If only that had been the worst of it.

"The worst" started on just another day: Rachel wore her owl sweater; Quinn was dating Finn, and Rachel sang a song in Glee to try and win him back.

All in all, nothing out of the ordinary – Berry never did live by social norms in dress or behavior – but for whatever reason, it became the first day of something else. Something worse. It was the first day that an inanimate object with a face spoke to her.

Quinn always wondered why a girl who claimed to be her friend kept pursuing her boyfriend, but she never could get a straight answer out of Rachel. She drilled her again after Glee. "Manhands, it's time for another throwdown."

"Quinn, I'm really not looking for a confrontation."

"Well, you're certainly asking for one! When will you get it through your head that Finn is my boyfriend?"

"Finn is a person, not an object – he doesn't belong to anyone."

The nerve of that girl! Quinn stepped closer, trying to intimidate her, and snarled, "You know what I mean."

Rachel met the blonde's eyes steadily, refusing to back down. "If he's your boyfriend, then why did he like my song?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Quinn mentally kicked herself for speaking before her self-control had the chance to kick in.

"What do you mean?"

Quinn pulled a face. "As much as it pains me to say this, you're a great performer, Berry."

"Why, thank you Quinn. You don't know how much it means-"

"Oh, cut the crap," Quinn snapped.

"Wh- what?"

"If you really cared what I think, you wouldn't keep chasing my boyfriend."

Rachel looked faintly abashed. "I concede your point. Consequently, I wish to propose a truce."

"A truce?"

"Yes, a truce, a deal, an agreement..."

"I know what a truce is. I just don't see your point."

"I'll cease my pursuit of Finn if you'll stop calling me names."

Quinn couldn't help being skeptical. "What are you plotting?"

"Plotting?" Rachel furrowed her brows.

"You really expect me to believe you'll leave Finn alone just like that?"

"Why not?"

"Well, all you get out of it is less namecalling."

"Fine. Call off the slushies as well."

"You think that's up to me?"

"Surely you and your minions can manage it," Rachel challenged.

"Fine, I'll try."

"That's all I ask."

"And for that and a ceasefire on the namecalling, you'll leave Finn to me?"

"Yes."

Quinn hesitated. Could it really be that easy? She must be up to something.

It was then that everything changed.

"Whoo. Take her words."

What on earth? Quinn stared – she could have sworn the owl on Rachel's sweater moved. And ... spoke? "What was that?"

The owl jumped and flapped his wings. "Take her words."

Rachel looked perplexed. "I said yes; it's really not complicated. Did the unusually concise natu-"

"But how did you...?"

"Quinn, are you feeling okay?" Rachel stepped closer, eyeing her oddly.

"Did you see-" Quinn got out, right before she fainted.

Due to their proximity, Rachel tried to catch Quinn, but she couldn't break her fall: it was too sudden and her unconscious body was a dead weight. Rachel immediately panicked and called Finn. "Where are you? ... Oh thank goodness. ... Please get the school nurse – Quinn just fainted. ... We're at my locker. I can't leave her here alone ... It's not important. ... No, it really doesn't matter why we were talking, please just get the nurse now!"

As she ended the call, Quinn groaned.

Rachel quickly leaned over her. "Quinn! Quinn, are you okay? You fainted."

"The owl," Quinn slurred.

"What?"

"The owl on your sweater."

"Are you seriously mocking my owl even while barely conscious?"

"No... No, there were words."

"Words? What do you mean?"

"The owl – it said words."

"You must have hit your head. How many fingers am I holding up? What's your full name? Is your vision going black? Are you bleeding?" Rachel moved closer and ran her free hand through Quinn's hair to check for blood.

"Rachel?" Quinn was slowly becoming more aware of her surroundings, although she was still dazed. "Are you okay?"

Rachel blinked, startled. "Am I okay?"

"You're all fuzzy."

"All ... fuzzy?"

"And your words were all running together."

"Oh. I have a habit of speaking faster when I'm worried. It-" Rachel stopped herself abruptly. "I'm sorry. How are you feeling?"

Quinn sat up slowly, leaning against the wall, then rested her head on her knees. "I think I might be a little dizzy."

"I had reached that conclusion," Rachel smiled weakly. "It's possible you may have a concussion, so try to stay awake. The nurse will be here soon."

"The nurse?"

"You fainted."

"Oh. That explains it. I had the strangest dream..."

"Yes, about my owl talking."

Quinn tried to catch up. "Wait, you mean you heard it too?"

Rachel eyed Quinn, eyebrows furrowed with concern. "No, you just told me."

"Oh." Quinn shook her head slowly, trying to clear her mind. "Then it didn't happen?"

"I didn't see it, but then one person's truth is another person's lie."

"Huh?"

"I believe it means that truth is relative, if that's what you meant to ask. They do say that truth is in the eye of the beholder, you know."

"Is it International Random Quotes Day or something?"

"No. But there's a reason why a quote becomes popular, Quinn. There's always something profound..."

"What about 'A day without sunshine is like, night'?"

Rachel ignored the interruption, "...or memorable about the more famous ones."

"Are you trying to keep me awake or bore me to sleep?"

"Quotes are interesting, Quinn."

"Sometimes."

"Fine. What would you like to talk about?"

Quinn stared at Rachel and drifted off into dazed dizziness again. "Do you think puppies are cuter than baby seals?"

Rachel stared, utterly bewildered, and a moment later the school nurse trotted around the corner.

"Good afternoon, Mrs Lancaster, I appreciate you coming..." Rachel looked up and down the corridor, "...but where is Finn?"

Mrs Lancaster, looking a little flustered, said, "He said he had to run off to training? Basketball? Baseball? Something with ball in it."

Rachel huffed indignantly. "I can't believe that Finn would leave his girlfriend in uncertain health just so he could go play with balls!"

Quinn just stared at her.

Rachel shifted self-consciously. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"Why ... You ... What?" Quinn shook her head dazedly.

Rachel knelt in front of Quinn, staring into her face worriedly. "Are you going to faint again?"

Quinn closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall, trying to clear her head, but also doing her best to shut out the concern in Rachel's eyes. "No. I'm fine."

Seeing that Quinn had closed herself off, Rachel stepped back, suddenly uncertain. "Good. Now let's get you to the nurse's office. Can you stand?"

Quinn tried to use the wall to help her stand, but it just made her feel dizzier.

Rachel just watched with her brow creased worriedly.

Mrs Lancaster tried to help, but she was too frail to support the taller girl's weight. (She had never quite recovered from her 'tumble' down the stairs the previous year, and her subsequent coma.) She said to Rachel, "Can you please help, dear? You just need to put your arm around her waist so you can help her walk."

"But she might faint."

"All the more reason to help her."

"But what if she would rather be left here than have me touch her?"

Mrs Lancaster looked mildly frustrated. "Don't be ridiculous."

"You don't know Quinn."

"Maybe you don't either," Quinn slurred.

"Quinn? Do you mean you're really okay with me touching you?"

"Why not?"

"I thought you'd have an issue with my manhands."

Quinn looked down and reached for Rachel's closest hand. "You know, they're actually pretty small and ... pretty."

Rachel blushed and gently extracted her hand. "Thanks, but we have to get you to the nurse's office."

After a couple of false starts, Rachel had an arm around the blonde's waist, while Quinn's arm was around Rachel's shoulder.

Even with Quinn half-leaning on her, it was unexpectedly kind of okay. Nice, even. Rachel rolled her eyes. What was that about? Maybe she had a concussion too? Were they contagious? She mentally shook her head and kept her arm around Quinn as she guided her down the hall.

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An Interlude of Sorts

When they got to the nurse's office Quinn just wanted to sleep, but Rachel wouldn't let her. "You might fall asleep and die, Quinn! How do you think that would make me feel?"

Quinn was gradually starting to recover her wits, and remembered that she was talking to Rachel, AKA the plague of her life. "What, because it might reflect badly on you?"

"I don't want you to die, Quinn."

"Yeah, you just want Finn."

"Not if you died."

"So you only want him because he's with me?"

"That wasn't what I meant. I do want that truce; Finn may be my first love, but I need to accept that he's your first love too. It's not fair to try to steal him."

"Truce?" Quinn tried to think. There was something... "Oh, wait, I remember. Before I fainted."

"Yes. I hope you'll consider my proposal-"

Quinn couldn't believe her nerve. Did she seriously think they were actually friends? Sure they'd said they were friends, but it's not like they could trust each other. "I don't trust you."

"I'm sorry if I've ever done anything to make you doubt-"

"You've got to be kidding me. When have you ever done anything for me?"

"Well, to begin with, I sang for you three times last year, not to men-"

"Three?"

"Yes, three," Rachel said firmly. "Keeping Holding On, Lean On Me, and My Life Would Suck Without You."

Quinn shrugged dismissively. "That was for Mr Schue."

"It was for Mr Schue as well, of course, but..." Rachel trailed off, then finished simply, "You were my halo."

Quinn's heart jumped in her chest. Did she just-? No. What the hell even was that? "Can we stop talking now? You're giving me a headache."

"Would you like to listen to music?" Rachel immediately reached into her pocket and got out her iPod, offering Quinn one of her earbuds.

"Fine, but no showtunes. I just couldn't take it right now."

Rachel nodded and scrolled through her playlists. "I'll use my study mix." The playlist was a mix of low-key songs and instrumental pieces, some of which Quinn recognized from movie scores. The pair listened in relative silence – aside from the occasional question or comment on a song – until Quinn's mother finally arrived to take her home. (She hadn't been able to get away from work early.) When she knocked, Rachel just slipped out the door with a small smile at Quinn.

Judy smiled vaguely at Rachel as she passed, recognizing her from the previous year's regionals performance.

"Are you okay, Quinnie? You haven't fainted like that since you got kicked off the Cheerios and stopped those insane diets. Are you eating properly?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I think I just stood up too quickly or something."

"Are you sure?"

"It's nothing, really."

"Okay. But please let me know if there's something wrong."

"I will, Mom. Thanks." Really though, what would she say? It had to have been a dream. Didn't it? Besides, Quinn had got so used to burying her feelings that she still had trouble showing them. She and her mother tried to communicate, but they never really got that deep.

It would be nice to have someone she could really share her feelings with.

Quinn thought back to the last time they'd really talked. It was just after she'd gone back home. After the baby.

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As they entered the house, Quinn turned to her mother, letting out the anger and frustration she'd been holding in since her mother explained why she'd come back for Quinn: since they'd taken her baby away from her. "I know you claimed you kicked Da- my father for both of us, but the truth is, we were never really a family to begin with!"

Judy just looked sad. "Why would you say such things, Quinnie?"

"You knew I was pregnant, but you didn't say a word. And you let him kick me out like I was nothing." Quinn tried to hold back her tears.

"That's not-"

"You must see that it's how it felt to me! I know we always put aside bad feelings in this house, but you can't ignore something like that – it hurts, and you can't just give it away like you can a baby," she said bitterly.

"It's not that simple..."

"You chose him over me."

"I wouldn't put it-"

"He threw me out, and you did nothing. You only stuck up for your family when it became about you."

"Why are you saying all of these things, Quinnie?"

"I just want us to be able to talk! I don't want to ignore everything until it's too late! I can't mess up my life like that ever again."

"Would you like to see a therapist?"

"I'm not crazy, Mom."

"That's not what I meant, dear. But if you want someone to talk to..."

"Why can't I talk to you?"

"You know I'm not good at those things."

"What things?"

"Emotions."

"Don't you ever feel like you're this ice queen on the surface, but all you've really managed to do is build up a facade, so you're still dealing with all those emotions, but you're doing it on your own where no one can see?"

Her mother looked lost. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

"Sorry that you can't even meet me halfway?" Quinn said bitterly.

"Quinnie, please. I'm trying here."

"Do you ever feel like your best isn't good enough?"

"Don't we all sometimes?"

"You do?"

"I did all the time when I was with your father."

"See, you can share!"

Her mom just raised her eyebrow; it was clear where Quinn had picked up the skill.

Quinn felt kind of bad; her mom may not be willing to show her emotions, but she still had them somewhere deep down. At least she'd tried. She gave her mother a faint smile. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

Judy smiled tentatively in return. "I know. I'm sorry too, sweetie. I'll try to start meeting you halfway."

"Thanks, Mom." Quinn hesitated, uncertain. Should they hug? They didn't really do stuff like that in her family, but it seemed like a good time to start.

"You're welcome, Quinnie." Judy smiled and left to get ready for work; she clearly hadn't even seen Quinn's hesitation. She certainly wouldn't have guessed its cause. Quinn sighed.

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"So it's times like these I wonder how I take it,

And if other families live the way we do..."

Quinn wished she could talk to her mother, but she just couldn't. Then her mom really would send her to a therapist. She couldn't even talk to her family or friends, so how could she ever talk to a stranger? And that was just about life, nothing to do with that owl or whatever the hell that was. She really didn't want people thinking she was crazy for real.

What the hell even was all that? She must have hallucinated. People as food, talking owls. Not that different. She mustn't have eaten enough that day or something.

Deep down, she knew that wasn't it. She'd eaten properly. She'd made sure she had, just like she had every day since last year. Since the pregnancy.

Maybe she was just tired. That must be it: sleep often evaded her. Thoughts wouldn't leave her alone at night. Her failures. Her worries. Her issues. Everything.

Quinn prayed about the incident, just in case. She wasn't really sure what had happened, if anything, but she prayed asking that it please not happen again. (You know; if it even had.) She had enough on her mind as it was.

She prayed for the baby, as she had every night for over a year now, asking that it please have a happier life than her, if that was God's will. (But she desperately hoped it was.)

And, yet again, she prayed asking for forgiveness for her treatment of Rachel. She was trying to be nicer, honestly she was, but Rachel made it so hard. She really didn't see the diva as an enemy; she just wanted her to leave Finn alone, and preferably never talk to her again. It would just make life easier. So what if she secretly liked talking to her, and had enjoyed singing with her that time? It didn't matter.

Nothing mattered.

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CHAPTER 2 Preview:

Reindeer Games

Quinn tried to push the incident to the back of her mind. If she didn't think about it, then nothing had happened. Of course, it hadn't worked after she'd had sex with Puck – well, not for long, anyway – and naturally it was doomed to failure here too; Rachel never could let anything drop.

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A/N 3: Song lyrics are from "Just Another Day" from the musical Next to Normal.

A/N 4: Yes, I am aware that I misquoted Steve Martin ("A day without sunshine is, you know, night.") but do you really think that semi-concussed Quinn would be word-perfect? (Mostly it just worked better my way.)