A/N: This is my first time writing fan fiction. Reviews are much appreciated. I will be trying to update at least twice a week as I lead a very busy life. Most of the time I'm writing while on the train to work.

CHAPTER ONE

Quinn stared after the pint-sized diva as she ran out of the auditorium with tears threatening to pour from her dark eyes. The blonde cheerleader felt a surge of guilt in her chest. What's happening to her? Since the birth of Beth she's found herself to be more sensitive, more thoughtful, more human. An iron wall no longer surrounded her conscience.

-10 years ago-

Mrs. Fabray kissed her daughter on her forehead before sending her out of the SUV. "Have a good first day at school okay Quinnie! And make lots of new friends!"

"Okay mum," Quinn replied as she tentatively stepped out onto the footpath ready to begin a new phase in her young life. She waved as her mother's car drove off. Putting on her bravest face she made her way up the footpath to her new school.

Quinn sat on the swings in the school playground during lunch break. She reflected on her first morning of class. A smile graced her lips as she remembered a joke the teacher had said; it definitely helped the young student feel much more comfortable. Out of nowhere a handful of sand was thrown in her face. The sand stung her eyes and she could taste the grit of the sand on her lips. She looked up to see who her attacker was. Through squinted eyes she saw a boy no taller than her. He smirked and said, "Get off the swings ugly!"

Quinn shouted back, "No! And I'm not ugly!‚"

"Yes you are! All my friends say you have a big forehead!" he said while pointing at her face, smirking, and then looking at the direction of his friends. They were laughing and pointing at her.

With that insult Quinn got up off the swing, stared the boy down and shoved her way past him. She ran away hoping they hadn't seen her tears. She found a tree behind the school and sat down at its foot. She pulled out her hair tie and allowed her blonde fringe to fall in front of her face, covering her forehead. Wrapping her arms around her knees she sobbed quietly. How could a mean kid like that already have friends on the first day of school? She had tried to be friendly, but still had nobody. "There you are!"

The shrill voice disrupted her thoughts. Quinn was surprised that someone had found her, let alone was even looking for her. She looked up to see whom the voice had come from. A small brunette girl stood in front of her, hands on her hips and slightly short of breath. Taking a deep breath she began to speak, "You run really fast! It was hard for me to keep up with you, but we must put into consideration the length of your strides compared to mine, as I am well aware of my short stature! In which, I am not ashamed of by the way."

A small giggle escaped from the six year old's lips, amused by the words of this small stranger. The girl's dark brown eyes widened, "What? What's so funny with fact? I believe I've justified myself correctly."

There was silence, as the two girls looked each other in the eye. The young brunette grinned from ear to ear, holding out her hand, "Greetings! My name is Rachel Barbra Berry!"

She waited for the blonde to respond as the hazel eyes stared at her open hand. Clearing her throat, Rachel rolled her eyes then put on her brightest smile, "and you are?"

Quinn could've sworn that a smile like that could have enough energy to light up a dozen stars. She drew her attention back to Rachel's eyes and took her hand to shake, "Sorry, my name's Quinn."

"Quinn?‚" the smaller girl repeated her name in question.

"Quinn Fabray," she replied with a shy smile.

Rachel pulled Quinn up onto her feet. Letting go, Quinn dusted the back of her skirt then stared at the shorter girl. "What a nice skirt with diamond patterns on it," she thought to herself, "...and a sweater with a cute lamb on it too." Quinn loved animals.

"I saw what the other kids did to you. I also heard what they said."

Rachel's voice drew Quinn's attention back to her face. "You're not ugly," she whispered as a blush tinged her cheeks. Rachel took one step closer to Quinn. Taking out the red ribbon that was holding her ponytail up; she used it to tie Quinn's hair back. "There, that looks better. You shouldn't need to feel ashamed about how you look. My daddy told me that we should always be proud of who we are, no matter what people say."

Quinn soaked in the words from the little brunette. This girl was like a grown-up and Quinn was wondering if Rachel Berry was in fact some sort of alien from another planet, or maybe an adult stuck in a child's body. Clearing her wild imaginations she finally spoke up, "But I'm scared the other kids won't like me. I don't have any friends yet."

Rachel smiled back, "Well whatever mean things people say about you, know that there's always at least one person who will always love you for being you! Even if they say you have a big forehead."

"Is my forehead really that big?" Quinn tried to look up at her head.

"No! It isn't actually. It looks quite normal. Me on the other hand, I've got a big nose! But I think it defines me, just like the fantastic Miss Barbra Streisand."

The two girls sat down beneath the tree talking. Quinn found out a little more about her newfound friend. She was definitely someone special. She learned about Rachel's two dads (which she found amusing), her huge love for Broadway musicals and just music in general. She had huge dreams of becoming a star on Broadway and to prepare herself she had enrolled in various after-school classes in dancing, acting and singing.

Rachel found herself to be the one talking most of the time. Quinn was a good listener, but Rachel wanted to know more about this new friend of hers. She found out that Quinn also loved music, albeit not as passionate as her. She learned that Quinn played the piano and her favourite sport was gymnastics.

The school bell rang, signifying that lunch break was over. Quinn stood up first then offered a hand to her new friend. Rachel took it straightaway and giggled a little as she felt herself being gently pulled up. Quinn looked at her wishing that the break could go on forever, "Thank you for talking to me. I had a lot of fun."

Rachel looked up at the taller girl, "I had a lot of fun too! So I'll see you after class outside school?"

"Yeah sure! My mum's going to be picking me up. I think she would be really happy to meet my new friend!"

Rachel blushed and then walked past Quinn, "We better go to class before we get into trouble. My teacher, Mrs. Hatch, doesn't seem to be as funny and nice as your teacher."

"I'm sure she's not a monster, like you say she is," Quinn replied. She ran after the brunette to catch up with her. Without hesitation she took and held her hand as they continued to walk. Rachel looked down, smiled, and then looked back up at Quinn.

"I don't know! She's a little bit crazy. Next thing you know she just might bite my head off!" Rachel made toothy chomping motions with her mouth, going cross-eyed, which brought laughter to Quinn's lips.

The rest of Quinn's first day at school went by like a breeze. The cruel words that had been thrown at her during the beginning of lunch break had become a distant memory. She couldn't wait for class to finish so that she could see Rachel again.

-Present day-

The door to the auditorium slammed shut as Rachel left. The kids of New Directions were silent for a while then they continued on in their conversations as if nothing happened. Quinn looked at Santana, who just rolled her eyes. She looked at Mercedes, who just shrugged apologetically and said, "Sorry, I was only speaking my mind." Quinn looked back to Santana who simply stated, "Look Q, she's never gonna look as hot as us with her pathetic little animal sweaters. No wonder Finn here dumped that loser on her ass."

"Huh?" Finn looked up as he heard his name mentioned, "I didn't dum-..."

Santana cut him off, "Whatever Finn. Who cares about it anyway, she just takes things way too seriously."

"What's wrong with Rachel?" Brittany asked innocently.

"Yeah, what is wrong?" Quinn replied sarcastically, eying both Mercedes and Santana. They both looked away, rolling their eyes.

With her eyebrows furrowed, Quinn got up off her seat and left to go in search of the young diva. The cheerleader thought of the first place she would look; the girl's toilet. She snuck her head in and was a little shocked to find nobody there because that was where Rachel would normally flee to. "Rachel?" she whispered loudly just to make sure. No response. Quinn continued to wander the empty halls, but there was no sight of Rachel. She decided to check outside to see if she would have better luck. McKinley High surely couldn't be this big to not find her.

A few minutes later Quinn found herself wandering behind the school. She rarely saw the back of her high school. In silence she decided to take a short break. She leaned against a nearby tree, but her silence was short-lived as she heard a quiet voice from behind the tree.

"...it's as if we always knew, and I won't forget what I did for love, what I did for love." Quinn listened as Rachel's voice began to pick up.

"Gone, love is never gone. As we travel on, love's what we'll remember..." Quinn continued to listen and a small smile crept across her face, her eyes closing shut. Rachel's voice held a soothing effect on her.

"Kiss today goodbye, and point me t'ward tomorrow. Oh we did what we had to do. Won't forget, won't regret, what I did for love. What I did for love."

"What I did for love," Quinn sang along at the end with a quiet breath. Taking a step from behind the tree she found the brunette sobbing, sitting on the floor, arms around her knees and head down. She watched her shoulders shudder as the teenage girl in front of her let out another gentle sob. Quinn kneeled down in front of her and whispered gently, "There you are."

A/N: Question. Should I let this story stay as a Faberry friendship or would you like me to develop it into a romance?