I am fascinated by the dynamic that could occur between characters like Quinn and Spencer, and after watching Before Sunrise for the first time the other day, I was inspired to write this. All quotations in italics are from the film.

I own neither PLL, glee, nor Before Sunrise.

They first meet when Quinn is eighteen and Spencer is seventeen.

They get seated next to one another in Literature, and when it becomes apparent that Quinn excels in that subject, Spencer tries to dislike her on principle.

But when Quinn turns to her after twenty minutes and says, 'hi, I'm Quinn,' Spencer knows (as she feels compelled to map each small detail of Quinn's pretty face) that there's no way she will be able to dislike her.

.

'I believe if there's any kind of God it wouldn't be in any of us, not you or me but just this little space in between. If there's any kind of magic in this world it must be in the attempt of understanding someone sharing something.'

.

They become friends quickly, and they soon realise that they both like to talk a lot.

They talk about literature; about writers. They talk about films and music and all the small things that they both think matter within their lives. This soon leads to talk of bigger subjects. (Religion is brought up when Spencer finally asks about the golden cross that always rests upon Quinn's chest.)

Spencer asks how Quinn can still believe in some higher power: (The week before Quinn had told her all about Beth, and then about the accident.)

Quinn just fingers the small cross and smiles at Spencer. It's a strange sort of smile, Spencer notes. It's sad, in a way, but it's the sort of smile that seems to know that good things are on their way.

'It's a wonderful world we live in,' was all Quinn said.

Spencer knew that she would love that smile for years to come.

.

Quinn makes Spencer watch Before Sunrise.

Spencer had been reluctant at first, but she came around after listening to Quinn talk with adoration about the film, and watching as her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Spencer was never really one for these romance films, but she couldn't ignore the warmth building up in her stomach as she watched Quinn out of the corner of her eye, between glances at the older girl and the bright television screen before her. (Quinn silently mouthed along to each line of the dialogue.)

Suddenly Quinn's hand is gripping Spencer's arm, and she practically bounces up from the couch.

'This is it,' Quinn breathes, eyes alight with anticipation.

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are standing in a ferris wheel, though Spencer isn't sure how that happened. She had been too busy watching Quinn's reactions.

'Are you trying to say you wanna kiss me?'

Spencer feels Quinn's breath hitch; her fingers tighten, and before she has time to even think about what she's doing, she leans over and kisses Quinn.

It's messy, and miscalculated, and Quinn's eyes widen in surprise. But soon enough she is kissing her back, and the film becomes the soundtrack to the first time they fully give in to one another.

.

'Everybody's parents fucked them up. Rich kids' parents gave them too much. Poor kids', not enough. You know, too much attention, not enough attention. They either left them or they stuck around and taught them the wrong things.'

.

Another thing they bond over is the absurd amount of therapy each of them seems to have received. Not that it's really helped in either case.

Spencer's parents are out and Quinn is staying over, so alcohol becomes their therapy on this particular Friday night.

'My parents ignore me.'

'As do mine. So long as I'm getting the grades, that is.'

'I'll never even compare to Frannie in their eyes.'

'I'm always going to live in Melissa's shadow.'

'They kicked me out when I got pregnant.'

'They treated me like a different person when I was in Radley.'

They continue to pass the wine bottle between the two of them, taking it in turns to drink.

'Parents are shit.'

.

'I like to feel his eyes on me when I look away.'

.

They stare at each other a lot, when they think the other isn't looking.

Spencer looks at Quinn like she fascinates her. And she does do just that. Quinn is the first real puzzle Spencer is unable to solve, and this frustrates and excites her all at once.

Sometimes Quinn catches the other girl staring at her, looking like she does when she's struggling with a particularly hard equation in chemistry, or when attempting to conjugate a set of particularly difficult verbs in their French class. Her brow is furrowed slightly, and her eyes remain unblinking, only moving from the blonde's own hazel orbs, to the curve of her mouth, which is usually set in a smirk at this point.

'You're staring again, Hastings,' she will say.

Spencer will simply respond, 'so I am,' before kissing Quinn soundly.

.

'Isn't everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?'

.

The fight often and angrily. The harsh words that are exchanged are loud, and, being two of the most stubborn people they know, the stalemates are lengthy.

But sure enough, after a little while they always find a way to fix things. (On more than one occasions this has been because of Hanna explicitly stating that neither of them will be acknowledged by any of their friends until they get their heads out of their 'equally as unbearably snobbish asses' and make up).

(Hanna eventually stopped using this tactic, after hearing exactly how enjoyable their 'making up' tended to be.)

.

'I kind of see all love as this escape for two people who don't know how to be alone.'

.

'I'm so glad I have you. Sometimes I don't think I'd be able to live alone in my head,' Quinn says one evening, as Spencer's hand is up her blouse, and her lips are on her neck.

'Well, I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. Do you?' Her kisses trail a path to Quinn's jaw.

'Not if you keep doing that,' Quinn responds teasingly. Spencer momentarily halts her actions in order to stick her tongue out at the other girl, her heart catching at the giggle that escapes Quinn's lips, before her eyes soften. Quinn brings a hand up to ruffle Spencer's hair affectionately, something she knows Spencer only pretends to hate. 'I love you.'

'I know,' Spencer beamed.

'Yeah, well don't you forget it, Hastings.'

And as their lips reconnect and Spencer's hand travels further north beneath Quinn's shirt, Spencer thinks of the characters is in the film meeting by chance, and she silently thanks Mrs Montgomery for choosing to sit the two highest achievers next to one another. Because although they may not have met on a train, or in a city in Europe, or anywhere remotely romantic, they important thing is that they did meet. And every moment of Spencer's life has been better for it since.

And when Spencer is shaken out of her reverie by Quinn's breathy moan, she smiles to herself because she is sure that there is no one else walking the planet who could possibly know her better than Quinn does.

And when Quinn flips the two of them over so that their faces are separated by nothing more than an inch, and that her hair falls in a curtain between them, the last thing Spencer sees over Quinn's shoulder are two butterflies, fluttering delicately just outside her window. Spencer notices that each of them have slightly damaged wings, and they almost seem to mirror one another. They're still beautiful though.

Yes, still beautiful.

'It's like our time together is just ours. It's our own creation. It must be like I'm in your dream, and you in mine, or something.'