A/N: Quinn and Rachel have been best friends since 1st grade.

In Your Arms

It just wasn't her day. Maybe it was PMS… maybe it was the weather. It was cloudy, muggy… just gross. Quinn woke up thirty minutes past her alarm and that would make anyone a little out of it. She had to rush to get ready and when she realized she hadn't printed her homework out she had to rush to do that, only to find that the printer was out of ink. Typical. Sometimes when she's running late her mom notices and helps her out by making her breakfast or packing her a snack; but of course on the morning she could need the most help, her mom was out on her "Jesus booze cruise" for the whole week. While the peace and quiet was nice, she seemed to be stressing herself out when there wasn't someone else to do the dishes or prepare dinner.

She doesn't even remember driving to school. She left without eating breakfast and almost forgetting her homework on the counter. She was pretty sure she sped the entire way and held her breath there weren't any Lima cops patrolling the streets at the ungodly hour of 7 AM. She had a once-a-week cheerios practice and of all the days to have it, it was of course today.

"What's wrong?" Santana asked as they made their way to math class. "You seem pissed."

"Nothing," Quinn muttered. "Just another Tuesday…"

She took her usual seat next to Santana and let out a quiet sigh as she watched her teacher rummage through some papers on his desk.

"Alright class, please take out a pencil," Mr. Barringer began as the warning bell rang. "Santana, can you move up a row so you have some more room?" The Latina grabbed her bag and slumped up a row.

"Room for what?" Quinn nearly whispered. Santana spun around in her chair with a raised eyebrow.

"Chapter 10 test?" Quinn nearly screamed. She had completely forgotten about her test. She didn't finish the practice test or the extra credit review. Hell, she didn't even start them. She had somewhat of an idea of what was in this chapter but she was supposed to study for it last night. And she didn't. Just another thing to add to this already wonderful day.

The day went on and on. It didn't get that much better. She missed Rachel. She always made her feel better. Rachel was her best friend in the entire world. She was just that person that could brighten her day with a simple "Hello!" They didn't have any classes together on Tuesday's and their paths just never crossed until Glee rehearsal…which she had to skip today. The football team had miraculously made it to the play-offs so Coach Sylvester was making every practice this week after school mandatory.

Quinn shut her car door with so much force she worried for a second the door would fall off its hinges. She was so fed up with the day, she was contemplating getting a brick and throwing it against a window when she got home, just for relief. Her legs had already begun to ache from Cheerio's practice and she was prepared to take an ice bath when she got home. She pulled her phone out and sighed. No one had texted her or called her. She wished someone would. But then at the same time, she didn't want to be needy. It was a complicated mood.

But for the time being, she was alone. She threw her phone on the ground and drove home in silence, the only sound coming from the gentle hum of her car engine. When she got home she tossed her bag on the counter and felt it vibrate. Human interaction! Her semi-permanent scowl from today had faded when she saw who the text message was from.

Missed you at Glee rehearsal today how are you? You looked pretty stressed after chem.

Quinn took a sip of her water as she pondered a reply.

Missed you too Rach. I'm just having one of those days where nothing is going right….

A reply came quickly.

Hate that. How about I bring over some ice cream and a movie and we have a girls night? Or do you just want your space?

Quinn smiled at her best friends words. Rachel knew how to talk to Quinn like no one else did. She wasn't someone who would argue with you senselessly about what you wanted to eat or drink, she just made decisions and was the dominant. Quinn loved that about her. She loved the way that Rachel would drop whatever she was doing to come help her. And she loved how Rachel also respected her boundaries and wasn't clingy. She knew that Rachel had a huge English paper due on Friday and a French oral report to give. "Friends feelings come first," she would always tell Quinn. "If you aren't happy, I'm not happy."

I have a headache and I have a lot of work to do.

I'll come in an hour or so and bring some of my work just so you aren't alone

Quinn's heart sunk a little.

No, can you come now?

Sure babe…you okay?

Yeah…just…I need you.

Rachel wasted no time after reading that. She grabbed her bag off her bed that hadn't even been unpacked and yelled to her dad in his office that she was going to Quinn's. He called back saying that if she needed to stay for dinner to text him. She was probably just going to sleep there. Rachel grabbed her phone charger and toothbrush and headed out to her car. Everything else she already had at Quinn's. They shared all of their clothes and Rachel had probably half of her closet at Quinn's. She stopped at the drugstore to pick up a pint of Quinn's favorite ice cream and went next door to the video store and grabbed two newly released rom-com's and some sour patch kids.

Quinn didn't normally have days like this; it was more Rachel's forte to be the more dramatic one in the friendship. Over the 13 years they had been best friends, Rachel had only seen Quinn cry 5 times. Two were in elementary school when she fell off the monkey bars and when she spilled red paint on her crisp, white dress. The third was in middle school when she got a D+ on an art project. The fourth was freshman homecoming when Quinn's date won homecoming prince and Quinn didn't win next to him. (She had a thing with winning crowns at dances…just like Rachel having a thing with stars…) And most recently, when Quinn's dad moved out. He left at 1 in the morning and Quinn watched his car drive away from her window. She woke Rachel up with a phone call but Rachel snuck out of her house and held her as she cried until the next morning. It seemed that Quinn had dried up all of her tears since then—it seemed to give her some tougher skin. So needless to say, Rachel was a little surprised that Quinn seemed so upset. But she wasn't going to let her stay this way.

She pulled into the familiar driveway behind Quinn's BMW and grabbed her things. She had her own key to the Fabray house and let herself inside the pristine, spotless manor.

"Quinn?" Rachel called as she set down her purchased goodies in the kitchen. She put the ice cream in the freezer and peeked in the fridge. Judy had left Quinn some pre-made dinners but they didn't look too appetizing to Rachel. She would make Quinn her favorite; breakfast for dinner. She would even make her bacon. Except today, she would spare her the 20-minute lecture about how pigs are treated and how bacon is made. Hearing no response after her call upstairs, Rachel made her way to the blonde's bedroom.

Quinn had iced her legs for about 10 minutes before developing ice burn and slowly getting out of the bathtub. She slipped on a pair of sweatpants and curled under the incredibly comfortable covers of her unmade bed. Her head was throbbing and she just wanted to forget about this stupid, dumb day. She almost forgot Rachel was coming over for a second, until the front door was pushed open. Quinn closed her eyes. Rachel knew where to find her.

Sure enough, Rachel cracked open the blonde's bedroom and found her best friend lying in her bed.

"Hey sunshine," Rachel said quietly from the doorway. Quinn opened one eye and smiled slightly at the new presence.

"Can you get me an Excedrin?" Quinn whispered. Rachel slipped out the bedroom and down into the bathroom, grabbing the desired medication and returned to the bedroom. Quinn was sitting up and Rachel was able to take in her appearance a little better. Her hair was a little messy, her normally perfect make-up was smudged, and her eyes were red and puffy. She had obviously been crying. She sat next to Quinn on the bed and handed her a bottle of water and her Excedrin. "Thanks, honey pie."

Rachel smiled at the old nickname given to her by Quinn's grandmother.

"Welcome, Lucy." Quinn rolled her eyes and Rachel bit her tongue. Sometimes, Quinn was in the mood to joke about her real first name, but today might not have been one of those days. "Were you crying?" Rachel gently brushed the blonde hair out of Quinn's face. Quinn scoffed after a sip of water.

"Yeah," she replied. "I just feel like today is one of those days where I can't win. And that fucking math test didn't help." Rachel scooted up on the bed so she was sitting against Quinn's headboard as Quinn went back to her position on the pillow.

"Okay well," Rachel started. "I'm here now and we don't have to talk about that stupid test or dumb cheer practice or anything. I brought the new Cameron Diaz movie and that one with Ryan Reynolds." Quinn scrunched the covers up a little so Rachel could join her under them. "And some Chunky Monkey."

"That sounds amazing. Can we nap first?" Rachel nodded. Quinn always wanted to take a nap. She even considered taking a 0 period class so she could take an open period next to study hall and just have an extended nap time in her car or the nurses office.

"Are those my sweatpants?" Rachel asked as the covers revealed Quinn's legs. Quinn looked down and saw indeed, they were Rachel's WICKED sweatpants.

"They're just so comfy….and they smell like your house." Quinn muttered. Rachel smiled and walked over to Quinn's closet, grabbing a pair of her leggings and slipping into them. She also replaced her sweater with one of Quinn's sweatshirts and joined her friend back under the covers.

"Just forget about everything that happened today and relax," Rachel whispered as she watched Quinn's eyelids flutter. The blonde nodded and let out a deep sigh through her nose. She turned over onto her side and tucked her legs into her chest a little. Rachel knew what to do in response. She shifted closer to Quinn slightly and gently spooned her from behind. Quinn reached for Rachel's hand and draped it over her stomach. Rachel started massaging her friend's stomach slowly and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Rachel could feel Quinn's breathing even out and knew her friend was already passed out. Normally, Quinn was the big spoon. But sometimes, Rachel offered to do it. She was only a few inches shorter than the blonde. And Quinn tended to curl up into the smallest ball possible when she slept, anyway.

After dozing for an hour or so, Rachel woke up rested and rejuvenated. She was in the same position she had started in, but Quinn was now leaning with her head on her chest. Rachel kissed the top of her head gently and carefully unwrapped herself form the blonde. Quinn stirred a little but didn't wake up, thankfully. She was typically very grumpy when she had to wake up from her naps.

Rachel went into the bathroom to freshen up and then went down to the kitchen to start making dinner. She loved the Fabray's kitchen. Judy had ever spice and utensil possible and it was just so functional. Her kitchen was in serious need of a remodel. More times than not she had come over to Quinn's house to cook or bake something because her kitchen was just not up to par.

She pulled out the ingredients to start making some blueberry pancakes. She turned on her favorite Pandora station onto her phone and started quietly harmonizing with the Broadway classics that was filling up the kitchen. She prepared the batter and let it sit before moving on to the bacon and eggs. She'd put aside her veganism for Quinn. And she'd just double up on the fruit.

Quinn felt her phone vibrate from her bedside table and was gently woken up from her slumber. She thrust her hand out from under he covers and grabbed her phone, cracking one eye open to see what caused the disturbance.

Calendar Event – Chapter 10 Test

Quinn tossed her phone across the room. It hit the carpeted floor with a light thud. What a joke this day was. She kicked the covers off and slipped on her slippers before throwing her hair up in a messy bun. She could hear some pots clanging in the kitchen and she made her way downstairs. She stopped on the stairs and saw her best friend dancing with a wooden spoon in her hand as she cooked some eggs. And sweet Jesus, the girl made bacon. Rachel was quietly singing along to "Defying Gravity" and was preparing for the finale. Quinn smiled at Rachel and finished walking down the stairs. When the song was over Quinn gave a few claps and Rachel turned around, blushing.

"You should have sung louder," Quinn said, hopping onto a barstool at the kitchen island near the stove. "I would have loved waking up to your voice." Rachel smiled and spooned some eggs and pancakes onto Quinn's plate. She placed that, the bowl of fruit salad and the plate of bacon in front of the blonde.

"Enjoy," Rachel said winking. Quinn grabbed her fork.

"Thank you," she said taking a bite of the pancakes. They were so delicious. They practically melted in her mouth. "You're the best."

"You're the bestest," Rachel replied smiling, making herself her own plate. They had an on-going joke since the 3rd grade about who was better. Rachel always tended to win but today, she would let Quinn take it. She joined Quinn at the counter and the two turned on the small TV that sat near them, watching the latest episode of Real Housewives.

After doing the dishes and finishing up some homework, they found themselves curled up on the couch. Rachel brought out Quinn's absolute weakness, Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey. Rachel knew she was probably going to get sick if she had any more dairy so she had some of the raspberry sorbet Judy always kept in the back of the freezer for her.

Quinn grabbed the big fuzzy blanket as the previews started for the movie and threw it over her and Rachel. She then used this opportunity to snuggle closer.

"Thank you for coming over tonight," she said quietly. Rachel put down her spoon and set the carton on the table next to her.

"There's no where else I'd rather be," she replied. Quinn smiled and took another bite of her ice cream. Rachel scooted closer and set her shoulder on Quinn's. The blonde gently ran her fingers through Rachel's thick brown hair and wrapped her arm around the girl's tiny shoulders. The movie started and they were buckling over in laughter within the first 5 minutes.

Ice cream was finished and they had retreated back up to Quinn's bedroom. They had been having sleepovers in the same bed since 2nd grade. Rachel secretly didn't want to sleep anywhere else because sometimes Quinn's house freaked her out at night. It was older and quite large and full of old portraits and just had an odd feel to it sometimes. But she knew if she was in the vicinity of her best friend she would be safe.

Rachel slept on the side closest to the light switch and so she would always turn off the lights before crawling into bed.

"Is the alarm set?" Rachel asked as Quinn came back from brushing her teeth. Quinn double-checked both her phone and iPod and nodded.

"Yep, I think we're good." She climbed back under the covers and turned onto her side facing Rachel. "Thanks again, Rach. For everything."

"What did I say about thank you's?" Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow while she rubbed in her moisturizer onto her face. Quinn sighed. Rachel and Quinn had a policy about apologizing and thanking. Once was enough, anymore was overkill. Quinn developed a slight guilt for making Rachel come over but Rachel had reassured Quinn that she was long overdue for this and she had come to Rachel's aid one too many times this year alone. Rachel rubbed her lotion together through her hands and got out of bed to turn the light off. She climbed back in and settled on her back.

"Night night Lucy," Rachel whispered.

"Uh uh," Quinn muttered, nudging Rachel's side.

"Quinnie, we aren't having a late night talk. We have school tomorrow."

"You got to hold me earlier," Quinn started. "I must return the favor." Rachel couldn't hold back her smile and turned onto her side, scooting in closer to Quinn.

"Thank you," Quinn replied as she wrapped her arms around her tiny best friend's frame. She kissed Rachel's cheek before positioning her head right above the brunette's. She inhaled the sweet smell of Rachel's vanilla shampoo. She felt Rachel's stomach expand slightly as she took in a breath. This, right here, was where she felt good: holding her best friend in the entire world and never, ever wanting to let go.

. . . . . . .

A/N: This won't be pure friendship but it'll take a while to grow into something more. I hope you liked it! Please review! Thanks for reading!