Author Note: I apologize in advance for any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. I was hit with the inspiration for this out of nowhere - the title is a song that played on my iTunes shuffle and gave me the idea- I started writing at around 4:30am and it's now 8:30am,so again,I apologize. But I hope you enjoy it all the same!
It's raining outside, like really raining. None of that drizzle or 'spitting' as the British sometimes liked to call it. It was raining, huge full raindrops violently splashing down, drowning the outside relentlessly.
You've been watching it idly from the living room window, warm and comfortable in your lounging clothes with a mug of hot cocoa – vegan of course – nestled in the space between your knees.
No one in their right mind would be out in this, well, not someone that preferred to not have pneumonia or at the very least a rotten cold.
You don't know how long it's been there, how long you've been missing it, but you can now notice a car that isn't normally parked on your street. In fact, the only place you've ever seen that car parked is in Mckinley's parking lot.
And then you see her.
She's to the left of your house, next to Daddy's prized Gardenias, her eyes trained on the window, a terribly forlorn look on her face. The wind and rain are beating down on her and she's soaked right through to her bones, you can practically feel the way she's dithering; hear the way her teeth are chattering away behind trembling lips.
You run to the front door and throw it open so hard that it bounces off the wall behind and you don't care that you might have scratched the paint your Dad went to three different stores to find.
"Quinn" you call over the wind, a wave of thunder cracking just after.
She looks to you but remains standing there, you frown. Why isn't she moving?
"Quinn, please come inside" You say as you take another small step forward, wrapping your arms around yourself as the draft finds its way inside your clothes.
She stays stationary, it's like she's a statue. She's just standing there and staring and…crying?
You waste no time in running out to grab her, ignoring the way the water is swallowing the material of your socks and making the pink of your sweat pants darker. You collect grass and dirt and perhaps bugs that will later make you shriek but you finally reach her.
Her eyes widen as you start pulling her by the hand, ranting about how she's absolutely crazy to be standing outside during a storm like this, and did she want to end up in the hospital?
You reach the door and yank her forward with you before locking the cold and the wet out where it belongs.
You turn and she's standing there, shaking. You look at her face, her make up running in a way that couldn't just be the fault of the rain, her eyes puffy and glistening with tears.
"Come on" You tell her softly as you start leading her up the stairs.
"Daddy" You call. "Could you please put the kettle on while I get Quinn cleaned up?"
There's a response, but it doesn't matter. Not right now.
You pull her into your room and gently close the door behind you, leaving the two of you alone in your room, though not for the first time.
"You're shaking, Quinn" You say rubbing at her arms, she just looks at you as she sniffs; her eyes wide like a child's.
You sigh and sit her on the edge of your bed, she's dripping water all over your carpet but that isn't your concern right now. She watches you cross into your bathroom, hears you tug the shower cord and the stream of water that follows.
You reappear with a towel and smile at her taking her by the hand again. You walk her to the doorway and hand her the towel.
"You're going to take a warm shower so you don't catch your death; everything you need is in there. Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash. I'll find you some dry clothes and get my Dad to put yours in the tumble dryer. Then we'll blowdry your hair and you can tell me, Quinn Fabray, why on earth you were standing outside in the worst weather possible"
You notice her swallow before nodding at you.
"Okay" She says her voice thick with appreciation, before closing the door with a click.
You lean your forehead against the bathroom door to take a minute to breathe.
"Okay" You say to yourself before doing what is needed.
You go to your chest of drawers and pull one open, rifling through to find something suitable for Quinn, sighing as you find nothing and move on to the next one. You manage to find a pair of grey sweatpants in the next drawer that might actually fit her considering they're too long for yourself and warm plain black sweater in the next. You bite your lip as you reach your underwear drawer, did she need them? Had the rain soaked through to them? Was she going to snap at you for overstepping some kind of boundary by offering her your underwear? You ponder it before grabbing a suitable pair of boy shorts, putting them on top of the clothes any way.
You pace nervously until you hear the door slowly opening, she shyly walks out in the towel holding the sodden lump of clothing in her arms, you take them from her and smile, telling her you'll give her a few minutes and be back.
You walk downstairs and fill your dads in on the situation, well, what you know of it. They smile and your Dad takes Quinn's clothes and promises that your Daddy will bring you both some Hot Cocoa up soon.
You pad back upstairs and knock lightly on your door.
You open it a tiny bit, the room's soundproof remember, and call her name.
"I'm dressed" She calls back and you push the door openly fully before ducking back in before closing it again.
The sweatpants did fit and the sweater was tight enough to tell that she wasn't wearing a bra, and yes, she was wearing your underwear.
You gulp before pulling yourself together and smiling at her.
"Do you need to dry your hair?"
She shakes her head, luckily her shorter hair probably meant it wouldn't be damp for too long, and at least she was warm again now.
"Okay" You say as you sit in your desk chair.
You watch as her hands never still in her lap, she seems nervous and you're not sure why.
"What's going on, Quinn?"
She looks to you and bites her lip; you can almost see the blood rushing to the surface. Still, you remain silent just waiting for her to say something, anything.
"I like your room" She tells you as her eyes drift around, taking in some familiar things and some newer ones she hadn't yet seen. "When I saw it for the first time I was surprised, I think I half expected it to be covered in dozens of gold stars or something" She chuckles lightly.
You chuckle too.
"Well I'm glad you were pleasantly surprised" You pause. "Why were you out in the rain, Quinn?"
"It wasn't this bad when I left the house, it was just drizzling. I've been driving around for a few hours, I find it relaxing, and it's something I do when I need to clear my head" She explains.
"Why did you need to clear your head? Did something happen?"
She looks hesitant and you actually see blood when she bites down this time, her tongue creeps out to lick it away before she continues.
"I woke up this morning and realized, I mean really realized, just how much I've lost, and how I don't want that to happen again" You see her wipe her hands on your sweatpants before she adjusts how she's sitting, a foot ending up beneath her.
"I lost respect for myself, I lost Beth, I lost my family, I lost the plot, I lost myself. When you learn to cover things up and wear a mask for so long it sort of gets hard to remember how to not do that any more. I know I'm not the horrible person I used to be any more, but it's still hard to not snap and push people away when I'm scared"
"Are you in trouble, Quinn?" You ask, knowing she can see the fear in your eyes. "Why are you so scared? If you tell me maybe I can help"
She smiles at you before looking to her lap, her one leg bouncing slightly.
"I've been in trouble for a long time, Rachel"
"What do you mean?"
"I've been in trouble since the moment I saw you"
Your eyebrows furrow as you look at her. Why were you trouble?
"Do you believe in love at first sight?" She asks so softly that you almost miss it.
"I do" You tell her firmly, because you do. You believe in it, you've experienced it, you think you fall in love again every time you look at – "Why?" You ask.
"I believe in it too" She tells you before looking up. "At first sight, at second sight, at the hundredth glance, the first hug, first duet-" She stops and you see her swallow thickly.
Your eyes widen at this open Quinn Fabray, this apparently in love Quinn Fabray, this Quinn Fabray that..is now standing right in front of you, looking down at you.
"You can't marry him, Rachel" She tells you in an almost whisper, your eyes almost popping out of your head.
"Wh-what?"
You look at her in horror and surprise. How did she? How did she know Finn has proposed?
"I overheard him ask you. Sometimes – Sometimes when I need to think or be by myself I hide away in the auditorium" She chuckles a little. "It started when I was pregnant, when things got too much and I needed to cry, needed space and quiet, I found it there. I'm really sorry, Rachel, I didn't mean to invade your privacy but I didn't know you two were going to come in there, and if I tried to leave you'd have noticed me and freaked out. Well, Finn definitely would've"
"Then you heard me tell Finn that I needed time to think about it"
She nods.
"Yes, that's why I'm here, because tomorrow he'll be asking you for your answer"
"I know" You whisper.
"Have you decided?" She asks, her hands moving nervously in the pockets of your sweatpants.
Quinn Fabray is in your room, in your clothes, standing in front of you trying to stop you from making a mistake.
You close your eyes and nod.
"Please tell me you're saying no" She says, no, pleads.
"I- I was going to tell him yes, because – because who else is going to love me like Finn does?"
She clenches her teeth and turns away from you, slowly walking back to your bed. She reaches it but doesn't turn around.
"That isn't a reason to marry him, Rachel" She says almost angrily, her hands clench at her sides and then her body just..relaxes. She turns to you, eyes glistening again.
"And you're wrong" She tells you softly. "Because I love you, I've loved you from the very moment I saw you"
Your mouth goes dry, your throat feels tight and you just stare at her, you stare at those wet hazel eyes and dare your heart to not beat right out of your chest.
"I was awful to you, Rachel, but only because I was so afraid" She ducks her eyes, still ashamed for all that she put you through. "It's still no excuse for the hell I put you through, and I'm sorry, if I could go back and do it all differently I would. I'd stop myself from being so cowardly and just tell you how I feel, like I am right now"
You open your mouth as your brain still formulates a response and there's a knock at your door, when you don't open it your Daddy just pushes the door open with a smile.
"Hello Quinn" He says with a smile as he hands her a mug with, what else, a gold star on it. "Nice to see you again, and nice to see you dry" He turns around to notice you, notice your expression.
"Quinn, why does my daughter look like someone just told her Funny Girl doesn't actually exist and is a figment of her wonderful imagination?"
You hear the blonde chuckle; you see her blush slightly and brush her toes against your carpet.
"Sorry, Leroy, I think she's gone into shock"
"Shock?" He asks. "Why?"
"..Because I've just told her that I'm in love with her"
"Oh, that?" He says so casually that your head snaps to look at him with a look of indignation.
He laughs at you and rolls his eyes.
"Please, Rachel, give your father and I some credit. We're rather intuitive. And after meeting Quinn that one night it merely solidified what we already knew. Her bullying of you? Pardon me for saying so, Quinn dear, but it was so textbook. She might as well have been pulling your hair or throwing rocks at you on the playground" Quinn blushes slightly and takes another gulp of her drink.
"And as for you, my darling daughter, we knew something was going on when you refused to let us do anything about her bullying you. What was it you told us? Oh, right! That was it. Daddy no please, Quinn doesn't mean to lash out she's obviously just dealing with something we don't know about. She's the most beautiful girl in school and though they aren't particularly nice things she says she still talks to me, so please don't speak to Principal Figgins"
You blush accordingly and suddenly your lap is the most interesting thing in the world to you.
"Thanks Daddy" You grumble, finally getting your own Cocoa.
"I'll let you two finish talking, but I expect you both downstairs soon to help Dad and I with the daunting task of choosing where to order dinner from, okay?" With a kiss to your cheek and one to a still pink Quinn he's out of the door, calling excitedly to your Dad as he races back downstairs.
For a minute the only sound is the two of you sipping at your drinks as your heart continues racing in your chest.
"I'm sorry" You tell her, she eyes you curiously.
"I'm sorry that you had to hear that from him…you should of heard from me how I- How I feel about you"
"And how do you feel about me?" She asks as she walks slowly back to you, placing her mug on the desk behind you, leaning right into your personal space.
Your eyes glance to her lips before locking on to her addictive hazel; you slowly release the breath you didn't realize you'd been holding.
"Right now you're making it a little hard to breathe" You admit and she pulls back slightly, standing straight as she looks to you for more.
"But that's become somewhat normal for me. As has the feeling of wanting to kiss you" You sigh and run a hand through your hair. "Even at your worst I liked you, Quinn, no matter what you did to me nothing stopped me from liking you, wanting to be your friend. After a while it turned into me wanting to hold your hand, to comfort you, to protect you. Then you changed, you became – you were nicer to me, sometimes even friendly. And then what we had between us, I couldn't – I couldn't stop thinking about you. Any time I'd hold Finn's hand or kiss him, it wasn't him I was thinking of. The boys were a distraction, a hope of getting over you. And I do have feelings for Finn" You pause as she tenses. "I love him, but I'm not in love with him, Quinn, not like I am with you"
Her breath fucking hitches. Quinn Fabray's breath just hitched because of you.
"You don't know how many times I've dreamt of hearing you say that" She tells you, her voice cracking in a way that makes your heart leap right into your throat.
You nervously reach for her hand, lacing your fingers together. You fit like puzzle pieces. Your hand has never looked more perfect than when in hers. Unable to see where her porcelain ends and your latte begins.
"You don't know how many times I just wished that you liked me" You whisper, unable to fight the tear that rolls down your cheek and drops into your lap.
She crouches down and rests a hand on your knee; you look to her and nervously take your lip between your teeth. Her eyes track the motion before her other hand is reaching forward to cup your neck and gently bring you forward.
You sigh and lean your forehead against hers.
You want to kiss her, god, you want to kiss you until your lips are bruised and your jaw aches, but you can't. Not while you're still Finn's girlfriend.
"I need to taste you, so badly" She tells you in a whisper that makes you bite back a moan you didn't know was lurking in the back of your throat.
"Jesus, Quinn" You say as you exhale shakily. "I want you to kiss me; I want to kiss you until everything about you overwhelms my senses"
She sighs and pulls back to look at you. "But?"
"Not while I'm still with Finn, and it is killing me to refuse you right now, but I know how cheating makes you feel, I won't do that to you"
She sinks down onto the carpet leaning back on her hands, blowing away the piece of hair that falls in her face.
You lean forward and look her right in the eyes, those beautiful eyes.
"I don't want you to be the other in this situation, Quinn, and you know I'm going to have to give Finn the real explanation as to why I can't marry him, or be with him any longer. He's going to be hurt and angry, you know his temper, and I think we'll both have to try our best to stay out of his way for a while, but we'll have each other. And if he chooses to not get over it, that's going to be his problem, because I've waited long enough to be with you, Quinn Fabray, and I'll be damned if anyone's going to stop that from happening now I know that you love me too"
She blinks and you watch her bottom lip quiver as a few tears track their way down her cheeks.
She gets onto her knees and crawls the short space between you until you think your speech might've caused her to mentally decide 'fuck it' and kiss you any way, it was worthy of such a reaction. You're about to use your last bit of willpower when her lips meet your cheek softly, she lingers before wrapping her arms around your neck, holding you against her.
"Thank you" she whispers.
"For what?" You ask, unable to stop yourself from slipping a hand into her short locks.
"For always thinking of me"
She sighs happily before pulling back to beam at you.
"It's killing me too, by the way, not being able to kiss you. There were so many times I almost gave in over the years, that's why I kept Santana and Brittany around me so much. It was easier to not lose control that way and I'm a little glad, because just throwing you against a locker and kissing you probably wouldn't have been the best way for me to deal with how I felt, not to mention the fact that it would've seriously confused you AND y'know, outed me to the school"
You chuckle and rub your thumb against her cheek, caressing the soft skin, smiling as her eyes briefly drift shut.
"Funnily enough I think I had that same fantasy.."
She laughs, heartily, before hugging you tightly again.
"We should probably go downstairs now, as much as I like hugging you, being alone in your room, soundproofed room might I add, doesn't make it very easy to stop my mind from wandering.."
You chuckle and ruffle her hair, making her grin as you pull her to her feet.
"You're absolutely right, food will distract us and I'm sure my dads are going to take great delight in embarrassing me"
You hold hands and walk out of your room, letting her lead you down the stairs to your living room.
Your dads turn as you walk in and smile as they notice you holding hands.
"Dinner's on Dad tonight" Your Daddy grins as he waves some money in the air, Quinn chuckles as you both sit in the loveseat, unable to completely fight the pull you feel towards each other.
"And why is this, Dad?" You ask as she gently traces the lines on your palm.
"Because, baby girl" He sighs putting his newspaper down and looking at the both of you. "I was counting on you to be the one to tell Quinn, not for her to tell you first"
"Daddy!" You gasp. "You betted against me?"
Quinn laughs at you and you pout slightly.
"Sorry, Rach, I just love that that's your reaction to this"
Your dads laugh and you crack a smile, trying your best not to laugh.
"Sweetie, please forgive me? I just saw how shockingly obvious it was that she had feelings for you" Your Daddy tells you, Quinn sighing and leaning her head against your shoulder.
"I guess I can't be angry with either of you" You say with a contented sigh. "After all, you had faith in the both of us"
"We sure do kiddo" Your Dad tells you, Daddy agreeing with a nod.
"I'm with Rachel" Quinn tells them. "It means a lot that you'd be willing to put everything aside to allow me to love your daughter"
"The past means nothing to us, Quinn. You were scared and confused; who would we be if we judged you for that? It was easy for us to get past it all because of who you are now and the person that you want to be"
"What Hiram said" Your Daddy chips in. "What matters is that you do love our daughter and she loves you back. You want to make her happy, and right now, just sitting with you in that chair? She looks the most content I've seen her in a very long time. Rachel obviously saw something special in you, Quinn, and we see it too. You're strong as an ox and beautiful as a princess, we'd consider ourselves lucky to be able to introduce you as our Rachel's girlfriend"
Quinn's cheeks turn a little pink and she sighs with a beaming smile.
"I think you're the most amazing parents I've ever met" She tells them, giving them matching smiles too. "Seriously, thank you, thank you so much"
You place a kiss to her forehead and squeeze her hand tightly.
"You're welcome sweetheart" Your dad says as he stands, reaching to pull the house phone from its stand. "So, what are we eating?"
Quinn's stomach grumbles just at the thought of food and you giggle and poke it.
"I think Quinn should choose, after all, she did risk Pneumonia for me"
She chose Chinese, which you love. You spent the rest of the night laughing and hiding your face in her hair as your dads recalled some of the funny things you'd done as a child.
And when she left she didn't change out of your clothes, telling you that what was in the tumble dryer could be her spares at your house, in case she ever stayed over unexpectedly. You had no problem with this, and you had no problem with merely sharing a peck and a hug that after five minutes your dads joined because they thought you two were too adorable for your own good.
She called you before she went to sleep just to say those three words again; you returned them and slept soundly.
The break up with Finn was understandably messy, and a few unsuspecting chairs suffered damage from his kicking habit, but he eventually cooled down and accepted that the two of you loving each other wasn't something you could change.
"Quinn makes me happy, Finn" You told him. "And you'll be happy again too"
He met a girl when he moved with Puck to Los Angeles after Graduation, the girl that would later become his wife and the mother of his children.
As expected you went to NYADA and Quinn went to Yale. The distance was difficult and you'd fight sometimes, but you'd always make up and be more in love than ever.
When you were both done with college your dads helped the two of you find a suitable place to live together, sending care packages each month "until you both hit the big time" they said.
And hit the big time you did. You were on Broadway within 6 months of being out of NYADA and working two jobs to pay the bills. Quinn had gotten noticed by a talent scout for her ability to cry on cue which leads to her landing a substantial part in a Nicolas Sparks style movie, which made you cry like a baby with pride.
You paid your dads back and paid for them to come out to New York under the guise of taking them to a fancy event you'd been invited to. You did take them along to that premiere, and they absolutely fawned over the guy that played Quinn's love interest in her first movie.
When you got home from the premiere you poured four glasses of wine and proposed a toast. You'd asked Quinn to marry you a week prior and she'd said yes. She slipped the ring back on to her finger from its place in her purse and they gushed over the beautifully set diamond.
A year later after months of hard work and long hours you moved to a better part of the city into your very first home. A home that you bought, together.
That same night, as you slept on a mattress on the floor, you set a date for your wedding.
You'd been married three years when Quinn gave birth to your first child, a boy.
He was fair with wispy curls and perfect milky white skin. You called him Joseph.
A mere two years later you gave birth to a baby girl, she came two months early and you spent a lot of time in the hospital (and in tears with your darling wife and son in your arms) but when she would've been full term she was allowed home. She was bright and beautiful and the perfect weight. You called her Elizabeth.
Being in the spotlight with a movie-actress wife and two kids' growing up quickly wasn't without its problems, but every second, every smile, ever tear was worth it.
Years of drama and hard work and dedication, it was worth the fight.
Your life was perfect, is perfect, and will forever continue to be perfect.
"Baby" A sleepy voice calls. "Come to bed?"
You smile as you turn to see Quinn looking at you, her eyes half shut and her hair sticking up in different directions.
"Yes, dear" You say as you hit the save button and close the lid of your laptop.
You cross over to the bed and get in, snuggling yourself up to Quinn, draping an arm over her stomach.
She takes your hand in hers and sighs happily.
"I can't believe Joe turns 11 tomorrow"
"I know, when did we get so old?" You smile and she giggles as you kiss her neck.
"I resent that" She says as she turns around to face you, smiling.
"You haven't aged a day, Q"
"And I still have the libido of a 17 year old" She grins, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at you.
You groan and lean forward to press your lips together sweetly.
"Our first time was so unbelievably perfect"
"I know" Quinn smiles. "So was our last, do you think our next will be too?"
You smirk as you roll on top of her, taking both of her hands in your own.
She leans up to kiss you and you kiss along her jaw line knowing how it'll make her shiver.
"Hmm, I guess you'll have to let me know"
It was. How could it ever be anything else?