A/N: I know I haven't updated my other stories in weeks. I'm in the middle of my AS exams and it's all a bit hectic. Had to write this and get it posted though – it was bugging my head!
Mr Schuester bounced into the choir room, boyish as ever, though dressed in a somewhat incongruous pin-stripe suit with spats.
Rachel gaped at the bizarre apparition, but no one else looked in the least bit perturbed – bar Santana, who looked as revolted by the teacher's enthusiasm as she always was. It was not enough to stop her filing her nails however.
Did no one else think it was odd that Mr S was dressed as some crude mock-up of a 1930s fat-cat, not unlike the lead in 'The Producers'? Come to think of it, what were all those podiums doing at the front of the choir room? And where was the piano? And... Rachel squinted, sure she was mistaken.
No, that really was Brad sat in the corner of the apparently-no-longer-choir room, poised, pen in hand, evidently expecting to take notes on the proceedings.
Rachel was about to ask what on earth was going on when the wall-posters caught her eye. Full-page colour prints of Winston Churchill, John Kennedy and Hilary Clinton. Much as she admired the three, she could not imagine what business their portraits had in the club room. Her eyes fell on the podiums again and she opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the over-dressed Mr Schuester literally jumping to the front of the class.
'Okay Guys, listen up. Any of you watched the news this week?'
Everyone shook their heads. In fact, Rachel had, but she was so gob-smacked that she forgot even to nod.
Mr Schu sighed. 'C'mon Guys! If we want to beat 'Political Testosterone' at Regionals, we are going to have to stay on the ball with current affairs. He turned on Quinn, Finn and Santana who, sitting on the front row, appeared to be his key players. 'Especially you three. One of you is going to be the starting speaker so you won't have any opportunity to steal facts from the competition'.
Quinn and Santana merely rolled their eyes and shrugged but Finn seemed to be hanging onto the man's every word.
Rachel was just about to ask what current affairs had to do with glee club (though she thought she might have a pretty good idea of what this new club was), important as she believed it to be to keep abreast of such things – and who the hell were 'Political Testosterone' anyway – when, this time, Santana cut in. 'Schuester, you gotta let the Pillsbury Dough-Boy and Juno have their debate out first. They've been sniping at each other all week and it's driving me nuts!'
The rest of the club (minus an utterly disorientated Rachel) nodded fervently in agreement. Quinn looked amused but Finn looked decidedly disgruntled, Rachel thought. Well, she though it was disgruntlement – it may just have been gas if she were perfectly honest. She berated herself for this surprisingly harsh swipe at the boy she loved.
Mr Schu sighed. 'Well, alright. But you resolve this today, understand? The result today will be accepted with no argument. No more wasting time on this – we've got to prepare for Regionals.'
Quinn snorted 'Puh-lease. We never pick our topic until moments before competitions, let alone actually make any preparatory notes'.
The other clubbers grumbled in agreement and Kurt mumbled something about how lucky Barack Obama was not to have Mr Schu as his Speech-writer.
Characteristically, Mr Schu ignored them. He turned to Rachel. 'Okay Rach? You decide once and for all whether you're going to spend the rest of your life with Finn or Quinn'.
The two both smiled smugly in self-assured congratulations and Quinn tipped the brunette a wink. For some bizarre reason, said Brunette couldn't help but blush.
'But...' Rachel spluttered, when Shuester's words had sunk in. 'This is preposterous! I'm with Finn! And I'm not gay; and this isn't even a debating society, it's a glee club, for goodness sake!'
There was a pause while everyone simply looked at her – mildly taken aback by her outburst.
She looked around the room again and realisation dawned. 'Wait – this is a dream, isn't it?'
Quinn rewarded her with a broad smile and Rachel dimly noted that the Quinn in her subconscious didn't frown. She liked this Quinn, she thought.
'Well, would anyone like to take that up?' Mr Schu suggested, hopefully. 'I mean, is it really a dream? Or is...'
'It's a dream, Schu' Santana interrupted, bored. 'We all know that'.
'Yes, now can we just let Rachel's subconscious enlighten her in the freaking obvious', Kurt pleaded in exasperation.
'Preach', Artie mumbled.
Finn smiled dopily. Actually, 'dopy' was too kind a word. He looked kind of – well, completely – gormless.
Rachel's mouth opened and shut a couple of times as she looked between a caricatured brain-dead Finn and an unusually sunny and radiant Quinn. If this was a dream, didn't that mean that she herself was projecting these images of her two prospective life-partners (not that there was really a competition of course – look at them. Well, don't, she hastily amended to herself; but it didn't matter because she loved Quinn. FINN! Damn it, why did their names have to rhyme?) ?
Santana leaned back to snort into Rachel's ear 'I thought Finn looked bad through my eyes, chica, but through yours...' she whistled, impressed. 'And by the way, could you tone it down on the Quinn-radiance? You're kind of blinding me here'
'Tell me about it' Kurt said. Rachel turned round to see him pointedly digging out a pair of large shades. Santana smirked.
Before Rachel could make a retort to either of them, Quinn had looked up, seen them watching her and given a tiny, adoring, beautiful smile before blowing Rachel a cheeky kiss which the Brunette unthinkingly 'caught' with reverence, before blinking to her senses and blushing profusely. The blonde merely grinned, satisfied, and turned to stick her tongue out at the oblivious Finn.
Santana retched. 'Ay Dios! Don't even bother with the debate – just look at what your brain is telling you!' she said, seemingly scarred by what she had witnessed.
Rachel wanted to argue but at that very moment her subconscious decided to make Finn get up and walk into the door. He grunted, then looked blearily around, evidently thinking his vacuous smile charming.
Santana raised an eyebrow, challenging Rachel to defend herself now. The girl couldn't think of a single rebuff. 'I'd still like to hear the debate', she insisted, stubbornly.
Santana sighed, resigned. 'Of course you do: anything less theatrical would be disappointing from your subconscious'.
Rachel grinned despite herself as her two courters took their podiums.
'Finn, would you like to begin?' Mr Schuester offered, smiling encouragingly at his favourite student. The boy nodded dumbly and Rachel realised dream-Finn had yet to articulate a single word.
There was an expectant silence as Finn surveyed his literally captive audience, none of whom looked particularly invested in whatever it was he was about to say. He found Rachel's eyes and she signalled that he should speak. 'Rachel should pick me because I am the quarter-back and captain of the football team, so I could like, take her to the cool parties. Also, Burt has taught me some of his stuff, so I could fix her car if it broke down. And we are like, the best singing-partners ever and I will buy her a really nice ring when we get married' he said triumphantly, beaming obliviously at his dumb-struck audience. Even Quinn looked at him with reluctant pity. 'You're awesome, Rach' he concluded. 'And I'm gonna name a star after myself to prove it'.
Another pause.
'How would that...?' Kurt began.
Santana shook her head in disbelief.
'Well done, Finn!' Mr Schuester encouraged. 'Great work. Now Quinn, you take your turn'.
The blonde raised her eyebrows at Rachel as if amazed that this farce needed to continue, but the Brunette simply gave her a mischievous grin. Well, C'mon, her mind was clearly made up now, but that didn't mean she wasn't interested in how Quinn was going to win her over.
The blonde chuckled and stepped forward to speak, ignoring her podium.
'Rachel Barbara Berry' she began, lips curving round the words as if they were sacred. 'I have loved you since the moment I saw you bouncing down the hallways with more joy in living than any other person I know. You're beautiful, you're the best singer in the world, but you're also generous, big-hearted and a great hugger'. Both girls blushed at this, neither able to look away from the other. The intensity of the words pulled them closer. 'You're smart, you're brave, you don't take any of my crap and everyone in this room owes you something for where they are now'. Rachel was dimly aware of a few reluctant nods, even from Santana. Quinn stopped directly in front of her and reached out for her hand, holding it warmly in her own. 'So please pick me, Rach', she asked softly. 'Because I don't know what I'll do if you don't'.
The Brunette found her cheeks were wet with happy tears as she squeezed the blonde's hand and nodded, speechless for the first time in any of the glee-club's (or debating society's) memory.
Quinn laughed in exuberant relief and grasped the girl's other hand, pulling their bodies flush against each other. Their eyes met once more. 'I love you, Rach' she promised.
Rachel smiled. 'I love you too, Quinn'.
'I KNEW IT' a voice cried in triumph.
Rachel woke with a start and looked around in confusion. She was lying on the (returned-to-normal) choir room floor looking up into the concerned hazel eyes of one Quinn Fabray.
The exclamation had apparently come from a very smug Santana who was watching proceedings with aloof amusement.
'Quinn?' Rachel asked, not understanding how she had got here. She knew she hadn't drunk much that day but to pass out was a bit extreme.
The blonde looked adoringly at her before pressing indescribably soft lips to hers. She drew back a little and looked the blissful Rachel in the eyes once more. 'I love you too, Rach. I'm glad you finally realised'.
The moment was a little ruined by Santana's 'Yeah, and it only took Finn accidentally clonking her on the head with his mallet-fists for her to have the epiphany', but Rachel let it slide in favour of stealing another kiss – what she knew would be only the second of many, many more to come.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it -reviews are, as ever, much appreciated. The next dream will be Quinn's and is inspired by 'The Princess Bride'.