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 75th cycle. Now cycle 76!
"If Anyone Can"
Rachel/Quinn, Santana, Will, New Directions
Runaway Bride series
(no listings yet; sequel to Change is Coming)
Quinn knew Rachel had some kind of plan in mind the moment she asked if she was ready to go into the choir room for Glee Club. Quinn wasn't quite ready, and Rachel was being particularly antsy. When she asked her what she was up to, Rachel became what one might call playfully defensive.
When they'd finally reached the choir room, Rachel had taken up a seat, center front row, and then she'd waited. Quinn could see she seemed to have a list drawn up in the notebook she'd perched in her lap, and on that list she was all but certain she had spotted her own name.
"What are you up to?" Quinn had muttered, leaning in. In doing so, a few other words at the top of Rachel's list had come into focus: Duet. Nationals.
Just then, Mr. Schuester had walked in the room, and Rachel looked about to leap out of her chair to accost him. Quinn pressed her hand to the other girl's arm.
"Wait, hang on." Rachel turned to her.
"Why?" she frowned. Quinn sighed.
"Sorry, we'll… we'll be right back," she told Mr. Schuester, pulling Rachel to her feet and out into the hall.
"What are you doing?" Rachel asked, looking back to the room they'd just left.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," she snatched the notebook out of her hand to see what she'd written. Rachel didn't try to get it back from her, instead crossing her arms and waiting.
Rachel wanted them to have a duet in Nationals that year. Going by the list she had put together, she must have been very determined. Quinn wasn't even the target audience for this list and she was feeling suddenly motivated that it should happen.
"I thought you'd be interested, that you'd be happy about it," Rachel frowned, taking the notebook when it was offered back to her. Quinn looked around the hall before pulling her into the nearest empty room she could find.
"I am happy, and I am interested, I just think your strategy might be a bit… overwhelming. You know I love you, and I do mean I love you, and that's all the more reason for me to suggest maybe a different approach. For one thing, I'd like to be included in this… I guess you might say negotiation. I want this duet as much as… well, maybe not as much, going by that list," she smirked, and it made Rachel laugh. "And even if we don't get a duet, it'll still be you, and me, on a stage, and that's good, too, isn't it?"
"Definitely," Rachel agreed. "But we're still going to try and get a duet," she asked, to clarify.
"Try? Between the two of us, I don't see how we can fail," Quinn raised her chin, and Rachel mimicked her, which earned her a kiss, and then another, which carried on a few seconds before…
"Hey…" They jumped apart, relaxing once they saw it was Santana. "You're lucky it was me. Or are you not hiding anymore?"
"No, we are, we're…" Rachel started to ask, while Quinn steered her out of the room and back toward the choir room. Mr. Schuester had already started them on presenting their homework assignments, so the girls returned to their seats. Quinn saw that Rachel had returned her notebook to her bag.
The period carried on with the performances and, before they knew it, they were all taking up their things and heading out. Quinn nudged Rachel's arm, then nodded to their teacher.
"Now?" she whispered, and Quinn bowed her head.
Keeping Quinn's tip in mind, Rachel had made her proposition, giving her points and all the while minding that she didn't press too hard. Quinn had piped in every so often, recalling some of what Rachel had written. Will heard them out and, although he wouldn't reach a decision just yet, he would take everything they had said into consideration.
"So basically that means no," Quinn sighed as they left for their lockers.
"I don't know, maybe not," Rachel shrugged, then smiled. "I'm glad you came with me."
"Better get used to it," Quinn smirked at her.
"And we have ways of improving our chances," Rachel pointed out.
"Such as…"
"Well, if we get any homework assignments where we can work together, we have that. And if we show up early, we can practice a song, or just do vocal exercises, show that we're ready, and determined, and…"
"Alright, I get the picture," Quinn nodded, smiling to herself. "You know… Glee Club never seems as much fun as when I'm seeing it through your eyes. It's like I can do anything."
"Well, you can," Rachel nodded proudly.
"I think we should try and find a song. If we're going to convince Schuester, we need to give him something to really visualize."
"You're right," Rachel went on nodding, and Quinn could all but see the songs rolling through her head.
It had taken them four days to make up their mind and find 'the right song,' at which point their plan went into overdrive, doing everything they could to stay covert, all while sneaking their intentions in. They knew Will was bound to see what they were trying to do, but they wanted this, both of them, and they were going to give it all they had.
It was too weeks before he came into the choir room and announced that he had worked out the set list for Nationals that year. Everyone was anxious to hear, perhaps none more than Rachel and Quinn in the front row. There would be three songs, one of them a group number, of course, to finish things out, while a number from the boys would open their set up. In the middle, there would be a duet, featuring Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray. While the other girls argued, the two in front turned a smirk to each other.
"You know you could have had a solo all on your own, right?" Quinn told Rachel as they left that day.
"I know. But I prefer a duet with you."
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!