30 Days

by InvisiMeg

A story about how much your life can change in just thirty days.

2. 30 Days to Love

Before you begin reading, there's a link to my tumblr on my profile and if you go there you can find pictures of most of the places they go to. You know, in case you want a visual.

Enjoy…

---

30 Days to Love

As Rachel ascended the steps from the busy Underground station to the busy street, she tried to take in everything. She paused just outside the Piccadilly Circus station and stared up at the bright lights. It almost reminded her of being back in New York and standing in Times Square. She didn't think it was quite as impressive—she wasn't completely in awe like the first time she stood in Times Square—but it certainly had its charm.

She quickly took a picture from where she stood and then walked over and patiently waited for the light to turn. When it finally did, she quickly walked across the street with everyone else to the large fountain. She suddenly wished she had brought one of her guidebooks with her to see what she was looking at, but she decided not to worry about it too much. She wasn't too far from the theater she would be performing at every night, so she knew she would see this again. Quickly, though, she took a picture of the fountain and then turned, slowly spinning in a circle, her eyes roaming everywhere.

Rachel felt a little overwhelmed as she stood there; it was kind of how she felt when she first moved to New York. Now, she was used to living in a large city, but there was always something about a new place that made her feel like such a small fish in a big pond. She wished one of her friends could be there with her, not only so she wouldn't have to go it alone, but because she would really love to experience it with someone.

Her thoughts immediately shifted to the girl on the plane and she wondered if she would actually hear from the girl. Quinn had her email address and she'd said that she would be in contact, but for all Rachel knew, she was just being nice. Rachel really hoped she hadn't overstepped her bounds on the plane, but she had been excited about going to London and to find someone close to her age who would also be new to the city. Unfortunately, she knew she usually came on a bit strong when she first met people, and it wouldn't really surprise her if she never heard from the blonde.

"Excuse me," Rachel heard from behind her, so she turned her head. "Can you take our picture?"

Rachel smiled and said, "Of course.

The woman's male companion wrapped his arm around the woman's waist as Rachel pointed the camera at them. As soon as they were both smiling, Rachel took the picture and then checked the screen to make sure it was a good one.

"How is it?" the woman asked while she walked over

"Perfect," Rachel said brightly as she turned the camera so the woman could see the picture.

"Thank you so much," the woman said, smiling at the photo.

"Would you mind?" Rachel asked, holding her own camera out.

The woman took the device and Rachel positioned herself in front of the fountain, smiling widely. There was no one to wrap there arm around her, but that didn't mean she couldn't look just as happy in her photo. She was in London, after all, and she was excited to see what the city would bring.

"Perfect as well," the woman said, looking down at the camera's screen.

"Thank you," Rachel replied, receiving her camera back.

The two walked off and Rachel looked down at the picture. It was the first picture of herself in London and she could already imagine it being put on her fathers' mantle alongside her first picture in New York City. She would be sure to send it as soon as she got back to her hotel even if they would still be at work. She knew they would see it first thing when they got home, though, figuring they would check for any correspondence the moment they walked through the door.

As she walked around, she took several other pictures of the buildings around her, the entrance to the Underground station, and one of a smaller fountain. Once she was satisfied that she had seen everything in the immediate area, she pulled out her pocket map to see what else was nearby. Unfortunately, there were a lot of things nearby, all within walking distance. Then, something on the map caught her eye and she knew exactly what she wanted to see.

She knew the Prince of Wales Theatre was close, but she hadn't known it was quite that close. It was only a few streets over and she was there within minutes, staring up at her name. She smiled as she stared up at the marquee, knowing that in only a few days, she would be performing inside the building. Even though she had been on Broadway for a while and had seen her name in lights every day, it wasn't any less exciting seeing it here.

"Excuse me," Rachel said, smiling at the first person she saw walking by. "Would you please take my picture?" She handed the man her camera and took a few steps back, looking up. "Can you make sure you get the sign?"

Rachel smiled and threw up her arms just before the flash went off. She then put her hands on her hips, posing slightly to the side and the man took a second picture. If it had been one of her friends, she would have taken another dozen pictures, but she didn't want to take up any more of the man's time.

"Thank you so much," Rachel said, flashing him a smile

With one last look up, Rachel smiled to herself and began walking back to the Underground station. She needed to be at the theater early for rehearsals. She was a little nervous about it since it would be her first time meeting her cast mates, not to mention the fact that it was one of only a handful of rehearsals before they opened. She was assured that everything would be okay and that nothing had really changed from the New York production, but she was still nervous about it. If things did go badly tomorrow, they only had a few days to fix it, which wasn't much time at all. Despite the nervousness, she knew it was going to be an adventure, and she couldn't wait for the next day to begin.

---

Quinn walked along, running her hand along the book titles as she walked past. She already had four books in her arms, which was more than she intended to pick up, but she couldn't help herself. It was the largest bookstore she had ever seen, let alone been in, and she was lucky she wasn't carrying around twice as many books. With five large floors and a section of older edition, used books, it had everything she could possibly want.

As she made her way to the checkout, she couldn't help but still look around even if she had limited herself to three books and she'd already picked out four. Two would be going home with her—the out-of-print books she found in their used section—but the other two she would probably leave behind at the hotel when she left at the end of the month. Thankfully, they wouldn't go completely to waste; the hotel had a TV and computer room, which also had books people left behind for others to take and read.

After about ten more minutes, she finally made it to the line and waited to check out. As the line slowly moved, she checked her phone for any messages, but remembered she wouldn't have any. She had her phone in airplane mode, so she wouldn't get charged for any calls or texts. She still wasn't used to it, though; she kept expecting to look at her phone and see a message from Brittany or Santana.

When she finally made it to the front of the line, she fumbled with the money as she tried to pay. The bills were fairly straightforward, but she was still getting used to the coins. Rather than hold everyone else up any longer, she threw another ten pounds onto the counter and shoved the coins back into her bag. She wanted to get rid of the coins because some where quite heavy, but she was just going to have to do it another time.

Quinn thanked the man behind the counter as she picked up the bag and made her way out of the store. She began walking the way she came, but rather than go back to her hotel, she turned down one of the streets, hoping to find one of the nearby squares. She hadn't been in that area before, so she really didn't know where she was going, but she honestly didn't care if she got lost. What little she had been out, it seemed like there were Underground stations everywhere, so she knew she could always hop on one and go back to Russell Square if she ventured out too far.

Despite being there for a day, she hadn't really gone out much. She had walked around the area near her hotel some, but she found being in London a little overwhelming. Growing up in Ohio, she had never seen such a large city with so many people, and being there was a little daunting. She took the Underground from Heathrow Airport to her hotel and the sheer number of people on the train and in the stations took some time getting used to.

Quinn was also a little jetlagged, so she had decided to have an easy first few days there while she got acclimated to the city. But even if she wasn't venturing too far out, there was still quite a bit to do in the area. There was a shopping center nearby, the British Museum was only a few minutes' walk from the hotel, and there were plenty of small shops and restaurants all over the place. Really, the thought of how much there was to do and see was also a little overwhelming.

In the distance, she could finally see the small park she was heading for—or at least one of them. She really didn't know which one she was going to; she just knew she needed to get out of the hotel, and what better place to go to read? The Square was crowded, but she really didn't mind so much. Most of the benches were taken, so she walked over to a large tree and sat down in the grass, randomly pulling out one of the books she had purchased. She opened it and started reading, but she had barely made it to the second page when a soccer ball hit her foot.

"Sorry," a guy said, running up to her, and grabbing the ball.

"It's okay," Quinn said.

"You're American," the guy observed. "Do you go to uni here?"

"Just visiting," Quinn answered.

"You staying around here?" the guy asked.

Quinn softly sighed to herself; she could already tell where this was going and had a feeling it was no accident that the ball had hit her. She leaned slightly to the side and could see the guy's two friends watching them, which only confirmed her suspicions. She may be in a different country, but she supposed guys were the same everywhere. She wasn't in London to find romance, though; she was there to find herself.

"Kind of," Quinn eventually answered as she looked back to her book, hoping the guy would get the hint and move on.

"Maybe we can get a drink sometime?" the guy asked. "There's a pub just down the street and—"

"I don't think so," Quinn interrupted.

"Fair enough," the guy said, giving her a smile when she glanced up. "Enjoy your holiday."

"Maybe not all the same," Quinn mumbled under her breath as the guy walked back over to his friends.

She was used to men being overly persistent when she turned them down and it was a nice change of pace to have someone respect her wishes without argument. She watched the guy and his friends for a few moments as they began to kick the ball around again and then looked back to her book, smiling to herself. Despite the initial shock of being there, she had a feeling London was going to be good for her, and for the first time in a while, she realized she actually felt happy and free.

---

Rachel couldn't seem to wipe the smile from her face as she stood in Trafalgar Square and took everything in. Since she had the afternoon off, she had decided to walk down the street and take in some of the sights. Due to rehearsals, she hadn't gotten to see a lot yet and she was eager to see more.

As she walked around, looking at all the statues and fountains, she tried to take as many pictures as possible for her friends and family. Even if they couldn't be there, she wanted it to feel like they were, so she could share her experience with someone. Sometimes it was hard to get a good picture with so many people around, but she knew that was to be expected. It was London, after all, and Trafalgar Square was a huge tourist attraction.

"Rachel?"

When the brunette heard her name, she spun around, wondering if they were talking to her or someone else. "Quinn! Hi."

She hadn't heard from the woman on the plane since arriving, so she had assumed she would never see her again. It had been a little disappointing, but not really surprising. She just figured the blonde was being nice when she agreed to contact her. It wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened.

"Small world, I guess," Quinn remarked.

Rachel nodded. "I suppose we had the same idea."

"Are you going to the museum?" Quinn asked, pointing to the large building at the top of the steps.

"Actually, I hadn't really planned what I was going to do today," Rachel replied. "We open Sunday night and I had rehearsals this morning. I thought they would take all day, but everything went off without a hitch, so it wasn't necessary. Well, we don't completely open Sunday. It's more of a showcase for family, friends—that sort of thing. We officially open to the public on Monday."

"Are you excited?" Quinn asked.

"Very," Rachel said with a smile. "I was afraid it was going to be a disaster since I was only coming a few days before we were set to open, but it's gone better than I could have imagined. Everyone working on the production is wonderful, though."

"So, you have the evening free?" Quinn asked.

"I do," Rachel replied.

"Would you want to join me?" Quinn asked. "I thought I would see the National Gallery." Quinn shrugged. "I mean, if you have other plans—"

"I don't," Rachel interrupted. "But please don't feel like you have to invite me just because we happened to run into each other. I would understand if you would like to see things on your own."

"Actually, I would really like the company," Quinn said. "I thought about emailing you, but—I don't know. I guess I thought maybe you were just being nice. I know you're going to be busy and I didn't want to make things worse."

Rachel laughed. "So we both had the same thought; I figured I had overstepped my bounds and that you were just being nice. I know I can talk a lot and get overly excited about things, which sometimes scares people off." Rachel smiled. "To answer your question, yes, I would love to join you."

Quinn smiled back at her and then turned, walking toward the large building. Rachel quickly fell in step with her, happy at the turn of events. Maybe now she would have someone to see a few of the sights with. It wasn't that she wouldn't go on her own, but she always felt like it was much more fun having someone alongside her to share the experience with.

"I'm amazed that none of the museums cost money," Rachel commented as they entered. "It's completely different in New York. My best friend and I went to the Met once and we were shocked at how much admission was."

"Yeah, it's nice," Quinn replied.

"We should probably get a guide," Rachel said, walking over to the stand, grabbing one of the pamphlets, and putting two pounds into the box.

"I think we came in there," Quinn said when Rachel opened it up to see where they were.

Rachel looked over her shoulder. "You're right. Would you rather go left or right?"

Quinn shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me."

"Oh no," Rachel said with a frown.

"What?" Quinn asked.

"You're not allowed to take pictures," Rachel replied. "I told my fathers I would take pictures of everything I did." She sighed. "I suppose they will just have to go to the website if they wish to see the things that are here." She frowned again as she looked at the floor plan. "You know, they really could have numbered these rooms better; it would be impossible to see everything in order without backtracking."

Quinn laughed and said, "Come on. We'll just pick a direction and go."

Quinn began to walk right, but Rachel hung back and looked down at the map. Just before Quinn walked into the first room, she looked back at Rachel, who was still standing in the exact same spot.

"You want to go left, don't you?" Quinn asked.

"Well, that is where the earlier paintings are," Rachel reasoned.

Quinn nodded and turned, walking to the other side of the room. This time, Rachel followed behind her and hoped she wasn't annoying Quinn too much, but she really liked to see things in their proper order.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said as she began to worry more.

"Don't worry about it," Quinn replied. "I wanted to go this way, too, but my friends accuse me of being too uptight, so I thought I would try something different."

"So you're not regretting inviting me to join you?" Rachel asked.

Quinn laughed lightly and shook her head. "Not yet."

"Good," Rachel said, smiling to herself.

---

As Quinn stood at the entrance to the zoo, she looked around every little bit to see if Rachel was coming. They had agreed to meet at ten and it was now a quarter past. Even though they had only just met, she didn't really think Rachel seemed like the type to be late. Of course, they were in a new city, and maybe Rachel just got on the wrong train or it was more crowded than she had anticipated. Whatever the case, Quinn could only wait; she only had the girl's email address, so she had no way of contacting her from where she stood.

"I'm so sorry," she heard Rachel say, and she looked up to find the brunette rushing over to her. "I got a late start and then the first train was full and that was a longer walk through that park than I anticipated. Also, I may have stopped to take a picture or two."

Quinn laughed lightly and shook her head. "It's okay. I can't really blame you for the pictures; I took some myself."

"Everything is just so magnificent here," Rachel said as they began walking toward the zoo's entrance. "I've never seen buildings like the ones around here. It's so different than New York. Don't get me wrong, I love the city—it's where I dreamed of living my whole life—but there's a completely different energy here."

"I've never been to New York, so I can't really judge," Quinn commented.

"New York is wonderful," Rachel gushed. "You should visit sometime; I could even be your tour guide."

"Maybe one day," Quinn replied.

Since they had both purchased their tickets online, they made it through the gate rather quickly. Rachel was already looking at her map before Quinn had a chance to open the packet they were given. She figured the brunette was already planning their route, but then she said, "You can choose where we go today. I promise I won't complain."

"Is that because nothing is numbered here?" Quinn asked, opening her map to look.

"Maybe," Rachel said with a smile.

Quinn nodded. "Then I know where we're going first."

"Where is that?" Rachel asked, following Quinn when she began walking.

"I promised my friend I would see the Reptile House first," Quinn replied. "She was afraid I would forget to take a picture, so I told her I would do it first thing. Thankfully, it's nearby."

"Why does she want a picture?" Rachel asked.

"Do you know Harry Potter?" Quinn asked.

"I've seen most of the movies, yes," Rachel replied.

"If you remember in the first one, they're there," Quinn stated. "She loves the movies and she wanted me to get a picture of where the scene was filmed."

"Oh, well that's understandable," Rachel replied as she followed along.

"When I told Brittany where we were going today, she got really excited," Quinn said. "I had a threatening email this morning from Santana telling me not to forget."

"Are they the best friends who sent you here?" Rachel asked.

Quinn nodded. She hadn't really told Rachel a lot about why she was here, but she had told her that her friends bought the plane ticket for her. They had talked about Rachel's life a lot more than her own; even so, she didn't particularly know the brunette very well, and she really didn't want to get into everything with a stranger. She hated people pitying her, which is exactly what would happen if she told Rachel everything that had happened in the past month that brought her there.

"They sound like wonderful friends," Rachel commented.

"They can be," Quinn replied, looking over at Rachel. "It's hard to explain them and our friendship to people. Sometimes, I even wonder how we ever became and remained friends. Brittany is the nicer of the two; a lot of people think she's stupid, but she's really not. She can be naive about things, but she really just sees the world differently than most people. Santana is—Santana. She's like one of those little dogs who think they're a lot bigger than they are. Every other word out of her mouth is usually an insult of some kind, but she also cares in her own Santana way."

"Like buying a friend a plane ticket," Rachel remarked.

"Yeah," Quinn replied.

"They sound like interesting friends to have," Rachel said, giving her a smile.

"That's one word for them," Quinn replied, giving her a wry smile back.

"You said Santana threatened you not to forget?" Rachel asked.

Quinn nodded. "She doesn't like people to disappoint Brittany." Quinn looked at Rachel. "They're together; they have been since high school."

"I figured that might be the case," Rachel replied. "Unless you live in a big city and it's a necessity, most people I've known don't have roommates past college. Obviously I do not have a problem with it. I've told you about having two fathers, and my best friend, Kurt, is gay." Rachel gave her a smile. "Let's get that picture for your friend. Do you know where it will be in here?"

"I'm guessing there," Quinn said, pointing to plaque on the wall.

"I'm thinking you may be right," Rachel said with a laugh. "I suppose I should have guessed they would advertise it. The movies were rather popular, after all."

Quinn took a couple of pictures, checking them on the screen to make sure they looked okay, and then took a few more for good measure. She would rather not get another threatening email from Santana just because she didn't take enough pictures. When she was done, she looked around the room and found Rachel standing by another display, looking at whatever was behind the glass.

"Do you want to start in here or somewhere else?" Quinn asked as she approached.

"Here is fine," Rachel said, looking over her shoulder, and giving Quinn a smile.

---

Rachel couldn't remember the last time she was as nervous as she was, but it was probably when Living For the Weekend opened on Broadway. Now, here in London, she wasn't any less nervous about it opening on the West End. Even though rehearsals had gone wonderfully, she knew a million different things could still happen. Thankfully the audience was full of the cast and crew's family and friends, but she still wanted everything to be perfect.

She only had twenty minutes before she needed to be on stage and it was feeling like a lifetime. She hated waiting, especially when she was anxious. She knew everything would be okay once she got on that stage, so the wait was torture. Just as she began thinking how it would be nice if she had someone there to distract her, she heard the ding of her laptop, and when she walked over, she saw the invitation on her screen. When she accepted it, her fathers' smiling faces popped up on the screen.

"Hi, Sweetie!" Leroy greeted.

"What are you two doing?!" Rachel asked. "I thought you were going out of town. Shouldn't you be gone right now?"

Hiram rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about that; we're leaving soon enough."

"We just wanted to wish you luck on your opening night," Leroy said.

"We know what a mess you were last time," Hiram added.

Rachel laughed. "Well, I'm happy to see you guys."

"Enough about that," Hiram said. "How's London?"

"Haven't you been reading my daily emails?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, but hearing it is so much better," Hiram answered.

"Well, I believe I've told you about almost everything I've seen so far and you have pictures," Rachel replied. "I was stuck in rehearsals all morning, so I haven't done anything today. I'm sure I'll get to do very little on the days that we have a matinee performance, but I'm hoping on the other days I can get a few things in before I have to be at the theater in the evening."

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow," Leroy asked.

"No," Rachel said with a sigh. "The director told us not to make plans; he wants to have tomorrow open in case tonight is a disaster. I doubt it'll be, but any extra preparation time can't hurt."

"Not to change the subject, but who is this blonde in one of the pictures?" Leroy asked.

"Oh, that's Quinn," Rachel answered.

"And who's Quinn?" Leroy asked.

"She's the one I met on the plane," Rachel replied.

"I thought you didn't hear from her," Hiram remarked.

"Well, I didn't think I was going to, but then we happened to run into each other in Trafalgar Square," Rachel said. "She asked if I would like to go to the museum there, so I did. We also went to the zoo together yesterday and then walked around Regent's Park for a little while. She's nice; I'm happy we ran into each other again."

"She's pretty," Leroy commented.

"She is," Rachel agreed, and then rolled her eyes when both of her fathers gave her a look. "Don't look at me like that; we are simply two people who know no one in this city. Or this country, for that matter. It's just nice to have someone to see the sights with."

"We're just checking," Hiram said.

"Well, you don't need to," Rachel replied. "While I'm not necessarily opposed to finding romance here, it's not something I'm looking for."

"Just because you're not looking for it, it doesn't mean it won't find you," Leroy said.

Truthfully, Rachel found Quinn very attractive, but she assumed the blonde was straight. She didn't really know the other woman all that well, but she had given no indication to the contrary. She knew her two best friends were a couple, so she didn't think Quinn would have a problem with Rachel being bisexual, but that didn't mean Quinn would be open to a relationship with another woman. And Rachel didn't even know if that was something she would want. Yes, she may find Quinn attractive and possibly have a small crush on her, but they were both only there for a limited amount of time, and then they would be back to their everyday lives.

"I should go," Rachel said. "It's only about ten minutes until show time."

"Good luck," Leroy replied, giving her a smile. "We wish we could be there."

Rachel smiled back. "I know."

"Don't forget to let us know how it went," Hiram added.

"I won't," Rachel replied. "I'll send you an email as soon as I get home, or if I'm too tired to do that, I'll be sure to send one first thing in the morning."

We know you're going to do amazing," Hiram said.

"We love you," Leroy said.

"I love you both, too," Rachel replied.

When their smiling face left the screen, she sighed to herself. Hearing from them was wonderful and had been a nice distraction for a few minutes. She had been surprised to hear from them, but she didn't know why. This was exactly the type of thing they always did, and she was sure if they could have actually been there, they would have been. It wasn't very feasible to travel that far for only a day or two when they both had work. Plus, they had already planned a trip to Florida, and she didn't want them to miss it for her.

She heard someone yell down the hallway and she quickly stood up, checking herself in the mirror. Her nervousness was already starting to turn to excitement. In just a few minutes, she would be stage. It was what she lived for, and she was lucky enough to get to do it almost every night. Not only had she been on Broadway, but now she was going to get to be on the London stage. It had always been one of her dreams, and now it was about to come true.

As she looked at her reflection, a smile overtook her face, all nervousness suddenly gone.

---

Quinn's finger hovered over the button, unsure of whether or not she should send the email. She wasn't sure why she was so apprehensive about sending it; Rachel had told her anytime she wanted to do anything she just had to email her. She guessed a small part of her still thought maybe Rachel was just being nice even though Rachel had said more than once how much better it was having someone to see things with.

She also wasn't really sure why she was being so insecure about it. Rachel was exactly the type of girl she would have bullied in high school—ambitious, talkative, completely secure with herself. For some reason, though, Quinn couldn't help but to care what Rachel thought of her. She figured that maybe it was just a result of everything that happened in the past month. She would admit that finding her fiancé in bed with someone else had certainly hurt her self-confidence a little bit. Even though she tried to be the perfect daughter and the perfect girlfriend, Quinn had never felt good enough, and Sam cheating on her had only made her feelings of inadequacy even stronger.

Sighing, she moved the cursor to close the email, but she paused over the X. The worst Rachel could say was no, but if she agreed, Quinn would have someone to accompany her. She went to the Natural History Museum earlier that day and it wasn't as nearly as fun alone. Before she could talk herself out of it again, she quickly moved the cursor back and hit the send button. It was a little after eight, which meant Rachel was doing her show at the moment, but the other woman had mentioned sending an email to her fathers every night, so she knew she would see it before morning.

Quinn set her laptop to the side and leaned back on the bed. She had already ate at an Italian restaurant that was just around the corner, so she was left with nothing to do since almost every tourist attraction was closed. Plus, after walking around a museum all day and then just walking around to look at the different shops, she was a little too tired to do anything major. So, she sat up and opened up Skype to see if her friends were on. She knew Santana wasn't likely to be, but Brittany's hours were a little more erratic and it was impossible to know if she was ever going to be home or not. But before she even had a chance to look if Brittany was on, the blonde had already responded.

"That was fast," Quinn commented when Brittany face appeared on the screen.

"I was hoping you'd get on today," Brittany said with a smile. "I told San you would be. Are you having fun? What did you so today? Have you seen Platform 9 ¾ yet?"

Quinn laughed lightly as she shook her head. "I'm having fun; there's a lot to see here and it's a little overwhelming sometimes, but it's still nice. I haven't seen it yet, but I promise I'll take a picture for you."

"What did you do today?" Brittany asked again.

"I went to one of the museums," Quinn answered. "I actually stayed there most of the day, and then I did a little shopping."

"Did you take pictures?" Brittany asked.

Quinn nodded. "I'll send them when we're done."

"Good," Brittany replied. "I like seeing them; San does, too, but she won't say it." Brittany paused for a moment as she stared at the screen. "You look happier."

"I am," Quinn said.

"So, you're not mad about Sam anymore?" Brittany asked.

"I'm not exactly happy about it, but no, I'm not mad anymore," Quinn answered.

Quinn didn't really know what she was when it came to Sam. She was no longer mad at him for messing up her plan; part of her was actually a little relieved now if she was being honest. She knew they were both better of this way. Maybe now she could find someone she loved completely and Sam could find someone to love him the way a wife should. She would never be friends with Sam, but at least she was no longer angry with him and could move on with her life.

"Good," Brittany replied. "I don't like seeing you like that and I know San doesn't, either. Maybe now you can actually be happy." Brittany paused and frowned. "I don't think I've ever seen you really happy."

She wanted to argue with Brittany, but her friend was right; she had never been truly happy or at least not for more than a brief period of time. Content maybe, but not happy. Sometimes, she wondered if she was even capable of it. There had been times she tried to convince herself that she was happy—when Sam asked her out, when Sam finally proposed—but deep down, she knew it had been a lie. If anything, it was relief. Relief that things were finally coming together. Relief that her future was set.

"Yeah," Quinn finally said.

"Maybe things will change," Brittany said, shrugging her shoulder.

"Maybe," Quinn agreed. "I should go. It's been a long day."

"Okay," Brittany replied, sounding slightly disappointed.

"I'll send those pictures in a few minutes," Quinn said.

Brittany nodded. "Are you going to be on here again tomorrow?"

"I don't know," Quinn answered.

"Okay, I'll leave it on just in case," Brittany replied.

"Night, Britt," Quinn said before logging off.

Quinn sat back with a sigh as she put the laptop on the bed. She then stood up and walked over to the chair, grabbing her camera out of her bag. She wanted to send the pictures before she forgot and then go to bed. It may still have been early—not even eight-thirty—but she was exhausted, and nothing sounded better to her than going to sleep.

---

Rachel walked out of the Underground station and stood on the tips of her toes, looking for Quinn in the crowd. Thankfully, she spotted her rather quickly, and Rachel began to make her way over to the blonde. She fought through the crowds, trying not to get run into by anyone. Sometimes she really hated her height disadvantage, especially when she was in a big city. At least the people in London seemed to be a little nicer than those in New York; she hadn't been called any names yet, which was something she had experienced on more than one occasion even though the people had usually been the ones to bump into her.

"Hello, Quinn," Rachel said as she approached.

"Hey," Quinn said, turning around, and giving her a smile.

Rachel had actually been a little surprised to find the email from Quinn after getting home from the theater. They'd had a good time at the zoo, but she still didn't know if she would hear from her. Rachel wasn't great at making new friends—it had been a problem she'd had since elementary school—so it was always a little surprising when someone genuinely seemed to enjoy her company. Especially someone like Quinn. She was the quintessential popular girl; the exact type who would have bullied her in school.

"Have you been waiting long?" Rachel asked.

"Five minutes," Quinn said with a shrug. "So not long."

Rachel nodded and stood there a little awkwardly for a moment before asking, "Do you—want to walk?"

Quinn laughed lightly. "Yeah, let's go."

Rachel silently followed alongside Quinn as they made their way toward the park. Unless they were discussing whatever sight they were seeing, she sometimes didn't know what to talk to Quinn about. Even though they had spent a few days together, the other woman still felt like a stranger most of the time. Rachel knew very little about her and she could tell it was deliberate. Quinn just seemed like a very private person, who actively didn't discuss her life, which only made Rachel more curious.

"How did opening night go?" Quinn asked, finally bringing their silence to an end.

"It went well," Rachel answered. "It wasn't perfect, but I believe we've worked out all the kinks. Last night certainly went better than Sunday, which was very important to me. If the public is going to pay to see a show I'm in, I want to give it my all, and I expect everyone else to do the same and care about the show as much as I do."

"I've never been to a musical," Quinn commented.

"Maybe you can change that while you're here," Rachel suggested. "As I said before, if you ever want to come to my show, I can get you tickets. Just let me know."

Quinn nodded. "I might do that. That's one of the reasons I wanted to come here, after all—to experience new things."

"Yes, I know from personal experience that there are not a lot of musical productions in Ohio," Rachel said. "Other than a few school productions at Lima Senior High School, which I was a part of, I believe the closest was in Columbus."

"You're from Lima?" Quinn asked.

"Yes," Rachel replied. "Did you grow up around there, too?"

"Yeah, I went to McKinley," Quinn said.

"I'm surprised we haven't met before," Rachel commented. "I've been to McKinley several times. My boyfriend was the quarterback at my school, so I would go to all his games."

Quinn snorted, which caught Rachel off guard. "Finn Hudson was your boyfriend?"

"You know him?" Rachel asked.

"I know of him," Quinn replied. "My ex was the quarterback, too, and I think they went to some football camp together."

Rachel smiled. "I guess it really is a small world."

"You guys had that glee club, didn't you?" Quinn asked. "When you guys went to Nationals, this teacher at my high school tried to start one up there, but no one would join."

"Yes, I was a part of it, along with my three best friends," Rachel replied. "It's a shame you didn't have one at your school. Not that they even would have won against us, but it was a lot of fun to a part of. It was always what I looked forward to most about school. Or the only thing, really. I don't think most people understood me, so I got picked on a lot by some of the cheerleaders."

"Even though you were dating the quarterback?" Quinn asked.

"Well, he didn't really do anything to stop it," Rachel admitted. "He was more concerned with his own reputation." Rachel sighed at the thought of Finn. "He wasn't all bad—he could be quite sweet, actually—but we just weren't meant to be. I finally ended things for good about a month ago. It's not the first time we've broke up, but it's different this time; we both know we're better off without each other. We never really wanted the same things, and one of us was always going to be unhappy if we remained together." Rachel shrugged and plastered on a smile. "Enough about me. It's a beautiful day and I would like to think of happier things."

Quinn nodded. "Do you want to go over to that bridge?"

"That would be lovely," Rachel said as she pulled her camera out.

It really was a beautiful day; it was sunny, but not too warm, and the park was stunning. When she thought of London, she hadn't really imagined that their parks would be so beautiful, but she actually liked walking in them more than she did Central Park. Maybe it was just because they were new to her, but the views were spectacular.

"Hey, can you take a picture of me?" Quinn asked, holding her camera out.

"Of course," Rachel said.

As Rachel held the camera up and looked at the screen, she envied Quinn a little bit. She had never seen someone so photogenic before. And when Rachel took the picture and looked down at it, she determined that the only thing that could possibly make it look better was if Quinn's eyes didn't look quite so sad.

"Did it look okay?" Quinn asked as Rachel smiled, handing the camera back.

Rachel gave her a nod and said, "It looks wonderful."

---

As Quinn walked from one room to another, she stopped and looked around. She was nearing the end of things to see at the museum and she had been quite underwhelmed so far. She really expected to enjoy the Tate Britain a lot more than she did. She didn't think it was a complete waste of time—there were a few of her favorite paintings there—but for the most part, she was a little disappointed. Maybe it was because she had been looking forward to it so much that it was hard to live up to expectations or maybe it was just because she was alone.

Rachel had her matinee shows on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so she hadn't been able to go with Quinn. She had been a little disappointed, but it's not like it was Rachel's fault; she had a job to do, which Quinn completely understood. She just wasn't used to being alone; she and Sam had been together for so long that she'd forgotten what it was like to be by herself. Even though they had been apart for over a month, she still had Santana and Brittany around to keep her company. It was just now hitting her that she truly was alone, and when she went back home, she'd be living by herself. It was a first for her, and she knew it would be an adjustment, but she was just going to have to get used to doing things with no one by her side.

As she made her way through the final room, she decided to go downstairs. It was nearly five and she hadn't eaten since breakfast, so she thought she would head to the cafe. She knew it would be more expensive than if she went outside of the museum to eat, but she didn't know what there was around, and she was too hungry to wonder around. The cafe was certainly easy to find; it was just at the bottom of the stairs, on the opposite side from the restaurant.

After looking in the cafe, though, she quickly changed her mind. The room was incredibly crowded and she thought she would rather take her chances outside the museum. She walked back up the way she came and headed for the front entrance. As she walked outside, she was thankful to see that it wasn't raining like it had been when she first entered. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to pack an umbrella, so she had to make a pit-stop and buy one on her way to the Underground station.

"I wondered if you would still be here."

Quinn looked to her left to find Rachel standing at the bottom of the steps, smiling at her. "What are you doing here?"

Rachel shrugged. "I had some time between shows and I thought I'd come and see if you wanted some dinner."

"You have perfect timing," Quinn remarked. "I was just about to go find somewhere to eat."

"I was hoping I would," Rachel replied as she walked up a few of the steps and held up the bag in her hand. "I brought sandwiches."

Quinn laughed lightly. "What would you have done if I was already gone?"

"Eat by myself," Rachel said with a shrug. "But I'm glad that wasn't the case." She glanced to the side and nodded toward it. "Would you like to sit on one of the benches or would you rather go someplace else?"

"A bench is fine," Quinn said, walking the rest of the way down the steps.

"I hope this wasn't too weird," Rachel commented as they made their way to the right side of the building. "I just don't really know many of my cast mates and I hate eating alone. They had quite a bit of time to bond before I came to London and I always feel a little out of place with them. They're all nice enough, but I feel a bit like any outsider with them and I don't want to impose by asking if I could join them for dinner."

"I don't think it's weird," Quinn assured her. "It's nice, actually."

"Good," Rachel said as she took a seat. "I know I can be a little intense sometimes, and I've been known to scare people away before they get to know me. I suppose I try a little too hard sometimes because I want people to like me, but it usually has the opposite effect."

"Don't worry about," Quinn replied.

"I don't know what you like, so I guessed," Rachel said, handing her a sandwich, a bottle of water, and a bag of chips.

"I'm not picky," Quinn replied. "My parents—"

"Yes?" Rachel said, raising her eyebrows slightly when Quinn stopped talked.

Quinn shook her head. "It's nothing."

"So, how was the museum?" Rachel asked, setting her drink aside, and pulling her legs up so she was sitting on them.

"A little disappointing," Quinn answered.

"That's a shame," Rachel replied.

"I think my expectations were too high," Quinn remarked. "I should really know better by now. You're always just going to get disappointed."

"Do you really believe that?" Rachel asked.

"You don't?" Quinn asked back.

"I think you should always keep your expectations high," Rachel replied. "I would rather be disappointed when something doesn't live up to them than be satisfied with something I really shouldn't be satisfied with. Does that make sense? I know being disappointed isn't fun, but I think it's better than accepting mediocre things my whole life."

Quinn nodded; it did make sense, but it wasn't a mentality she could really afford to have. Not when she'd been settling her whole life for things she didn't necessarily want. Sometimes it was just better to have low expectations than live with constant disappointment. It was something she had accepted at an early age. The thought of changing that now and admitting that she wanted things was a little scary to Quinn.

---

"How does this look?" Rachel asked, stepping in front of the camera.

"You're very dressed up," Kurt remarked.

"I'm not that dressed up," Rachel argued.

"Do you have a date?" Kurt asked before turning to Tina. "I think she has a date."

"I do not have a date!" Rachel said as she walked to the other side of the laptop and pulled the dress off.

"Then why are you so concerned about how you look?" Kurt asked.

"I'm not," Rachel replied. "Though we are going to Harrods today and I would rather not look like a slob while I'm in there."

"When have you ever looked like a slob?" Kurt asked.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"So who are you going with?" Tina asked.

"Just Quinn," Rachel said, grabbing another dress from her bed, and pulling it over her head.

"Quinn, huh?" Kurt asked.

"I want you to both stop that right now," Rachel said, walking in front of the camera again.

"I didn't say anything," Kurt replied, holding his hands up in surrender.

"You didn't have to," Rachel said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I know what you are thinking, and I can assure you it is wrong. Quinn and I are merely acquaintances who know no one else in this city. I wouldn't even say we're friends right now since I know almost nothing about her. I do know that I enjoy her company, though, and it's nice to have someone along while I take in the sights."

She was not going to admit to her friends that she had a crush on Quinn. She knew they would make a bigger deal about it than it was, and she didn't want to deal with that right now. So she had a crush on her. It's not like it really mattered or was a big deal. Rachel got crushes on people all the time; it was human nature. Quinn was a very attractive woman and Rachel couldn't imagine anyone not having a crush on her.

"Is she the blonde in some of the pictures you sent?" Tina asked.

"Yes, that's her," Rachel answered.

Kurt hummed, clearly wanting to say something, but he didn't. Tina also looked a little dubious, but Rachel chose to ignore her friends. She was going to be late if she didn't leave soon, and she didn't want to keep Quinn waiting. They only had a limited amount of time before Rachel needed to be at the theater and she wasn't going to waste it inside.

"Does this look okay?" Rachel asked, wanting her friends' opinion.

"It's a nice date dress," Kurt said.

"It is not a date," Rachel replied, rolling her eyes again.

"If you say so," Kurt said with a shrug.

"I can assure you that Quinn is very straight," Rachel stated. "Not that I'm interested or anything, but even if I was, nothing would happen. We live in two very different worlds and I'm sure I will never see her again after she leaves London."

Truthfully, she didn't know if Quinn was straight or not, but she gave no indication that she wasn't. Rachel wanted Kurt and Tina to drop it, though, and that was the only way she knew how to get them to. She knew they meant well, but she just didn't want to talk about this right now.

"I think the dress looks good on you," Tina said, filling the silence that fell between them.

"Thank you, Tina," Rachel replied. "Now, if I don't leave I'm going to be late."

"You wouldn't want to be late to meet Quinn," Kurt said with a slight smirk.

"Leave Rachel alone," Tina said, nudging Kurt.

Kurt huffed. "Fine."

"Call us again soon, okay?" Tina said. "We miss you."

"I miss you guys, too," Rachel replied with a smile. "Tell Jesse I said hi and he better talk to me soon."

"We will," Tina said, smiling back.

"Have fun on your—whatever," Kurt said.

"Ignore him," Tina said, putting her hand over Kurt's mouth. "Enjoy your day and keep sending those pictures."

"I will," Rachel replied.

Kurt yawned and said, "Okay, I'm going back to bed."

Tina laughed at Kurt and then waved at Rachel before the screen went blank. Rachel quickly zipped up her dress and grabbed her bag, making sure her camera and mapquide were inside. She then walked over to the nightstand, picking up her Oyster card and throwing it in the front pocket of her bag. With one last look around to make sure she had everything she needed, she walked to the door and opened it, heading down the hall.

Thankfully, the Underground station wasn't very far from her hotel and she only had to go one stop to meet Quinn at Hyde Park. Even though the first train was incredibly crowded, she managed to squeeze her way onto it and stood just inside the door. When the doors opened at her destination, she hurriedly got off the train, avoiding the crowds as she quickly walked toward the exit. As she walked up the stairs to the street, she saw Quinn standing just a few feet away. She glanced at her phone to see if she needed to apologize for being late, but she still had a few minutes to spare.

"Hey," Quinn said when she glanced over her shoulder and saw her.

"Hello," Rachel greeted, taking a calming breath. "I thought I was going to have to apologize for being late again." She laughed lightly. "I was talking to my friends and I lost track of time."

"Isn't it a little early for them?" Quinn asked.

"Yes, but when they're off work, I'm usually at work or in bed, so it's been difficult finding the time to speak with them," Rachel replied.

Quinn nodded. "I know what you mean; I haven't talked to Santana once since I've been here. Brittany doesn't work normal hours, though, so it's a little easier with her. Anyway, do you want to go in?"

"I guess it's safe to assume we're going that way," Rachel joked, pointing toward the park's entrance.

"I think so," Quinn replied, giving her a smile.

---

"Well, the food is certainly better than the museum," Rachel commented after taking her first bite of food.

Quinn laughed. "So it wasn't a complete waste of time, then?"

"Not entirely," Rachel said, giving her a smile.

"And now you know to never come back here," Quinn replied.

"I know some people love it, but I just don't understand modern art," Rachel said, shaking her head. "I mean, it wasn't all bad, but how can a key be considered art? I honestly couldn't tell if some of it was part of the exhibition or if someone just accidentally left something lying around." Rachel sighed and leaned forward. "Does that make me a terrible, completely uncultured person? Because I take pride in supporting the arts."

Quinn shrugged. "Everyone has different taste; you don't have to like everything. I know a lot of people who don't like it. Sam and I once went to a show and he hated it, which he talked very loudly about. It was so embarrassing."

"How long were you and Sam together?" Rachel asked.

"A while," Quinn answered.

"Oh," Rachel said, looking down.

Quinn hesitated for a moment and then said, "Since high school." She cleared her throat, taking a sip of water. "We broke up five weeks ago."

"That's a long time to be together," Rachel commented.

"Yeah," Quinn agreed.

"May I ask why you two broke up after so long?" Rachel asked. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Quinn didn't really like to talk about it; in fact, other than Santana, Brittany, and her mother, she hadn't talked about it with anyone. But she had been spending a lot more time with Rachel and the brunette barely knew anything about her life. It had been deliberate on Quinn's part; she liked to keep people at arm's length, rarely letting anyone in. She felt like the more people knew about her, the more vulnerable she became, and she hated feeling vulnerable.

"He, umm—he cheated on me," Quinn admitted. "I came home from work early and I caught him in bed with someone else. The day before we were planning our wedding and then it was all over."

"I'm so sorry," Rachel said, furrowing her brows together in concern.

"Don't be," Quinn replied. "I'm over it."

"You're not even a little bit sad about it?" Rachel asked. "That's a long time to be with someone and I would think it would take more than a month to get over someone,"

Quinn shrugged. "Truthfully, I don't think I was ever in love with him. I was more in love with the idea of him."

"I can understand that," Rachel replied.

"I know it's going to sound stupid, but he was part of my plan," Quinn said. "My parents always put a lot of pressure on me and my sister; they wanted us to be the perfect daughters. My sister always was, but no matter how much I tried, I never felt good enough for them. I was convinced that if I followed in my mom's footsteps, maybe they would finally love me as much as they love her."

"What was this plan of yours?" Rachel asked, her frown deepening.

Quinn sighed. "Stay in Lima, marry my high school sweetheart, get a job in real estate, buy a house, and have two children."

"And you would be happy living in Lima the rest of your life?" Rachel asked.

"It didn't matter," Quinn replied, shaking her head. "I tried not to think about what would actually make me happy because then I would see that I didn't want any of those things. It's what my parents wanted. It's what they expected and I didn't want to disappoint them."

"And now?" Rachel asked.

"Now I don't know what I want," Quinn answered.

"Is that why you're here?" Rachel inquired.

"I'm here because I told my two best friends that I always wanted to travel," Quinn said. "We got a little drunk and did this thing where we told things that the other didn't know. Two days later they gave me the tickets, and two days after that, I was on the plane here. I think Brittany thought it would help me and Santana just wanted me out of their apartment for a while."

"Is it helping?" Rachel asked.

"Kind of," Quinn replied.

"Did you ever just think about forgiving Sam?" Rachel asked.

Quinn sat back and shook her head, "I couldn't. I just couldn't pretend any longer. Not after seeing him with someone else; I didn't want to be that woman who knew her husband cheated on her and pretended she knew nothing about it just to keep her life the way it had always been. It took seeing him in bed with another woman to realize that I didn't want to be like my mother. I didn't want that to be my life. I don't know what I want, but I do know now that I don't want that."

"Well, I certainly hope your stay here helps you figure out what you want," Rachel stated. "I've wanted to be on Broadway for as long as I can remember; it's what I've spent my whole life working for and I can't imagine what it would be like to go through life not knowing what you want. You seem very smart, though, so I have complete confidence that you will figure out what makes you happy and that you will be able to achieve your dreams."

"Do you really think that?" Quinn asked.

"I do," Rachel said with a swift nod.

Quinn wasn't so certain, but at least someone believed it. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but it actually meant a lot that someone had confidence in her. Even if she had only known that someone for less than two weeks. Quinn wanted to believe Rachel's words, but she was afraid it would only lead to disappointment, and she didn't know if she could handle any more right now.

---

Rachel double checked her map to make sure she was going in the correct direction and then made a left. She could see the sign for the hotel Quinn was staying in and knew she was at the right spot. The coffee house she was supposed to meet Quinn at was beneath the hotel. As she walked down the sidewalk, Quinn emerged from one of the doors and Rachel gave her a wave when she looked her way.

"I thought I may have to wait," Rachel commented as she approached. "I didn't want to be late, so I left a bit earlier than I probably should have."

"I thought I'd get there to make sure we got a table," Quinn said. "Sometimes it's busy and sometimes it's not; you can never tell."

"So this is where you're staying?" Rachel said, looking up at the building.

"Yeah," Quinn replied. "It's nothing special, but I didn't want to stay somewhere that costed a fortune. I figured I wouldn't really be in the room that much, anyway, and where I came last minute, there really wasn't a lot of choice."

"At least it's in a nice location," Rachel said. "It looks like there's a lot to do in the area."

The hotel did look a little rundown, but it didn't look too bad. It was nothing like the place she was staying in, but it had a certain charm about it. And she really did like the area; there were little shops and restaurants all over the place and she thought she saw signs for a shopping center nearby. And those were just the things she saw on the short walk from the Underground station to Quinn's hotel. Judging by her map, there was a lot around, including the British Museum, which they were going to after breakfast. Well, Rachel was just getting coffee; she doubted anything would be vegan friendly, so she ate beforehand.

"Wow," Rachel said, looking down the stairs to the coffee house. "I'm surprised anyone can ever find that."

"I know," Quinn replied. "It's nice having it just downstairs, though."

They went inside and ordered—a plain coffee for Rachel and a muffin and tea for Quinn—and then walked back outside to sit at one of the outdoor tables. It was a little chilly out, but otherwise nice. So far it had only rained once, which Rachel found a little surprising since she was under the impression that it rained quite often. Or at least in every movie she saw set in England, it always seemed to be raining, so she just assumed it was a common occurrence. The weather was very enjoyable, though. Sunny, but not hot or humid, which Rachel was thankful for. She hated the heat and humidity; not only was it miserable to be out in, but her hair tended to not behave when it was like that.

"Are you happy to have tomorrow off?" Quinn asked.

"It will be nice to have a day off, yes," Rachel replied. "Unfortunately, I have to make it through two shows today before I get that day off."

"You really didn't have to come today if you're—"

"No, no," Rachel interrupted. "I wanted to. I may not get to see everything at the museum, but it will be better than sitting around my hotel room. And I can always go back again if I would like to see anything I've missed. I am here until the end of August, after all."

Quinn smiled as she took a bite of her blueberry muffin and Rachel looked down, smiling to herself. She had the feeling that Quinn was happy to have her there, and it gave Rachel butterflies, but she tried to ignore it; it would be dangerous not to. She was okay with having a small crush on Quinn, but she didn't want it to be anything more than that. Not when she didn't feel like she stood a chance with her. It didn't help that Quinn had finally begun to open up a bit more the day before, though; the more she learned about Quinn, the more she found herself liking the blonde.

"I don't know if you're interested, but I was thinking maybe we can go to Kew Gardens tomorrow," Rachel said. "It's a little further out, but it's supposed to be beautiful. I have a feeling it's going to take a while to see everything, so I thought it would be best to go on one of my days off."

"That's fine," Quinn said with a shrug.

"Wonderful!" Rachel replied.

Before Rachel had come to London, she had everything planned out, but as soon as she met Quinn, that plan flew out the window. She generally left things up to Quinn since she was the one who had less time there. She figured she could see the things they missed after the other woman went back to Ohio.

"My fathers will be happy to know we're going tomorrow," Rachel commented after a few moments. "They love botanical gardens. I took them to the one in New York and we stayed until closing." She laughed lightly. "I'll have to remember to charge my extra camera battery tonight because I'm sure they will expect a picture of everything."

"You're lucky," Quinn stated. "My parents don't even know I'm here."

"You didn't tell them you were coming?" Rachel asked.

Quinn shook her head. "I knew what they would say. They would tell me it was a waste of time and then they would tell me I should try to work things out with Sam." She rolled her eyes. "My mother wasn't very happy when I told her the engagement was off."

"Well, I think everything happens for a reason and you are exactly where you should be," Rachel replied. "Maybe one day they will see that."

"I guess anything is possible," Quinn said with a sigh.

Rachel couldn't imagine having parents like Quinn's. Her fathers had been supportive of everything she had done and it was hard to fathom what it would be like to not have that support system behind her. She wanted to tell Quinn how sorry she was that she had to spend her life like that, but something told her it wouldn't be a good idea. As closed off as Quinn seemed most of the time, Rachel had a feeling she would take it the wrong way and feel as if Rachel was pitying her when it was quite the opposite.

---

"This is amazing," Rachel said as she took several pictures. "I mean, I thought it would be beautiful here, but the pictures did not do it justice."

"Yeah," Quinn agreed, looking around.

The place was beautiful; there were flowers, trees, and plants everywhere. They hadn't even been there very long, but it was already her favorite part about London so far. London was so hectic, but this place was the complete opposite. It was completely serene and she felt her instantly relax the moment she walked through the gates.

"There are so many paths," Rachel commented. "I just don't know which way to go."

Quinn looked over Rachel's shoulder at the map and saw what Rachel was talking about. There were a bunch of different paths they could take and they all went by different things. She didn't think there was any way they would be able to see everything without backtracking, and she knew Rachel would want to see everything. She didn't mind, though; they had all day free and she wouldn't mind spending it in a relaxing place.

"Can we go inside there?" Rachel asked, pointing to the large, glass building.

"I think so," Quinn answered.

"Oh, yes, I see now," Rachel said. "It's listed as one of the key attractions." She looked at Quinn. "Do you want to go in?"

"Go wherever you want and I'll follow," Quinn replied.

Rachel gave her a nod and began walking toward the glass building. The brunette was walking faster than usual and Quinn could tell she was clearly excited to be there. Quinn lagged behind a little bit as she took in the scenery. They certainly didn't have anything like it in Ohio; everything was so bright and colorful. Even the buildings were pretty spectacular to look at.

"Are you okay, Quinn?" Rachel asked.

Quinn hummed and looked at the brunette. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked. "You seem a little—elsewhere today."

"Sorry," Quinn said, looking down.

"Don't apologize for it," Rachel softly replied. "I just wanted to make sure everything was okay and that you know I'm here if you need to talk. I know we haven't known each other long, so I would understand if you don't want to, but I am here."

Quinn sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

"That something is wrong?" Rachel asked. "Well, you were rather quiet on the train here and you keep furrowing your brows like you have something on your mind."

"So I am that obvious, huh?" Quinn asked.

Rachel shrugged. "I suppose I just pay attention to people."

Quinn thought she was usually fairly good about hiding her emotions, but that was apparently not the case this time. She really wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about it. She was more the type who kept everything bottled up when something was bothering her. Sometimes she would eventually open up to Brittany or Santana, but most times, she would just keep it to herself. She knew it wasn't the best thing to do, but it was how she worked.

"I—emailed my parents last night," Quinn hesitantly said.

"I guess I can assume it did not go as you expected?" Rachel asked, holding the door open for Quinn.

"Actually, it went exactly like I expected," Quinn replied. "They wrote me back this morning. Apparently my mother didn't tell my father about the engagement being off. She said she thought I would come to my senses. They told me I'm wasting my time and I shouldn't run away from my relationship. I emailed them back to tell them there is no relationship to run away from; Sam and I are over and nothing is going to change that."

"I'm sorry," Rachel said as she took a picture. "I'm sure you hoped it would go a lot differently even if you thought it would go something like that."

"They weren't even a little excited that I'm here," Quinn replied with a sigh. "They didn't ask for pictures or wonder what I'm doing. They're so frustrating. The only reason they're really upset about the engagement being off is because they don't know how to tell their friends. It's just an embarrassment to them."

"I'm sure that's not true," Rachel said, but Quinn could tell she wasn't so certain.

"Actually, it was one of the things she said to me when I told her," Quinn wryly replied. "They didn't even really like Sam; she just didn't like that I ended things after they made the engagement announcement."

Rachel pursed her lips as she looked over at her. Quinn knew she wanted to say something, but was too polite to do so. Instead, she turned back to her camera even though she still looked upset. Quinn knew it was only a matter of time before she couldn't hold it in any longer; she may not know Rachel that well, but she had learned that she was like Santana in some ways. Rachel had a little more tact than Santana did, but she wasn't the type to keep her opinions to herself.

"I just don't understand how your parents can be so dismissive of your life!" Rachel said, putting her hands on her hips, and turning to Quinn. "They should be worried about you, not themselves. I simply do not understand how parents could be so uncaring. This was something major that happened to you."

"It's just how they are," Quinn replied with a shrug.

"Well, it's not right," Rachel stated.

"No, it's not," Quinn agreed.

"I'm sorry I got so worked up," Rachel said, dropping her arms to her sides.

"It's okay," Quinn replied. "It wasn't the first time someone has ranted about them. Santana usually does it in Spanish, though, so I don't really know what she's saying, but I'm sure it's nothing good."

"They don't like your parents, either?" Rachel asked.

Quinn shook her head and then joked, "I think there's a club you can join."

Rachel laughed. "I may just do that."

---

"How is this?" Rachel asked.

"It's fine," Quinn said with a shrug.

Sometimes Rachel couldn't tell if Quinn really was okay with things or if she just agreed anyway. She was a little paranoid about it, actually. She didn't want Quinn to think she was bossy or like she was trying to have things her way. Granted, it was only a place to sit for lunch, but it still worried her. So many people had accused her of being selfish and bossy, and she didn't want Quinn to have that impression of her.

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked. "We can sit wherever you'd like if you would prefer somewhere else."

Quinn laughed lightly. "It's okay, Rach."

Rachel smiled to herself as she took a seat on the bench. They had decided to grab lunch from a small grocery store after touring Westminster Abbey. Currently, they were sitting in a square and had a perfect view of Big Ben. Other than being at Kew Gardens the previous say, this was probably the prettiest view Rachel had seen. It was a little cloudy and she thought she'd felt a few sprinkles on their way there, but even that couldn't dampen her good mood.

"I have to take a picture of this before I eat," Rachel said, reaching into her bag, and feeling around.

She pulled out several things—her map, her journal, and her Oyster card—and sat them on her lap. There were too many things in her bag and she couldn't find her camera. She panicked for a moment, wondering if she left it at Westminster Abbey, but then she finally felt it at the bottom. After turning it on, she took several pictures, including a panoramic one. Unfortunately, the pictures didn't really do the sight justice, but she guessed that was to be expected. Nothing was ever as good as actually being there and seeing something in person.

"You dropped this," Quinn said, holding up her journal.

"Oh, thank you," Rachel replied, taking it from Quinn. "I would hate to lose this; I've been writing everything in it. I thought I might like to be able to look back one day and be able to read exactly what I did each day. I've even left pages to insert pictures, and when I get home, I'll print them off and put them where they belong. I would like to say I'll be able to remember every detail of this trip without needing to be reminded, but I'm afraid that won't be the case."

Quinn shrugged. "I've kind of done the same thing, but I used my laptop."

"I guess I'm a little old fashioned when it comes to certain things," Rachel replied. "I feel like I get more enjoyment from writing it rather than typing it."

"I'm like that with books," Quinn commented. "I like holding them in my hands."

"Precisely," Rachel replied, pulling her salad from the bag. "It just feels like it somehow means more when you can look at a physical copy of something."

"Sam always complained about how many books I had," Quinn said with a roll of her eyes. "So, I bought a Kindle and got rid of most of them."

"I'm guessing now that you wish you didn't do that," Rachel replied.

"Yes and no," Quinn said. "I wish I had them, but I doubt I'll be feeling that if I had to move them all."

Rachel laughed. "Yes, they can be rather cumbersome."

"I dread looking for an apartment when I get back to Lima," Quinn stated. "I've looked some, but the places just didn't feel like home. When I first saw the apartment Sam and I moved into, I knew that was it. I knew that's where I wanted to live. None of the places I've seen gave me that feeling." Quinn rolled her eyes. "It's stupid."

"No, it's not stupid," Rachel hurriedly replied. "You want to feel at home in your new apartment. It's completely understandable. You shouldn't have to settle."

Quinn gave her a look that Rachel couldn't quite decipher; it almost looked like sadness, but not quite. It made her want to reach over and take Quinn's hand, though, but she knew she couldn't do that. It would probably only make Quinn uncomfortable, which was the last thing Rachel wanted to do. She just hated how Quinn talked sometimes; she hated how she could tell Quinn didn't feel good enough or felt like she shouldn't want certain things. Quinn was one of the most amazing people she had ever met and Rachel felt like she deserved the best of everything.

Okay, so her little crush was beginning to become more of a huge crush. She tried to ignore it, but she kept finding herself falling for Quinn more and more. Every time she learned something new about the blonde, it only made her like Quinn even more. She still knew she couldn't do anything about it, but that didn't mean she couldn't think of what it would be like if the circumstances were different.

"Thanks," Quinn said after a few moments.

"For what?" Rachel asked.

Quinn shrugged. "I guess for listening to me."

"Of course," Rachel replied. "There's no need to thank me, though; that's what friends are for."

"Well, thank you, anyway," Quinn said. "Santana would have told me to suck it up by now. Or something a little more vulgar."

Rachel smiled and said, "Well, I'm glad I can be of service."

---

"Well, that was very productive," Rachel said as they walked out of the clothing store.

"Yeah," Quinn replied.

She had only gotten one top, but Rachel had bought several dresses, a few skirts, and one or two tops. Quinn was trying to not do too much shopping, though. She only had so much space in her suitcase and she would rather not have to mail things back, but she had found a few things she just couldn't pass up, including a dress that she absolutely fell in love with.

"Are you getting tired of shopping?" Rachel asked. "Just let me know when you are and we can get lunch if you would like."

"I think I have a few more stores in me," Quinn replied.

It was actually nice going shopping with Rachel. Whenever she went with Brittany and Santana, the latter always wanted to get her to try on things that she wasn't really comfortable with. Rachel, on the other hand, did no such thing. She would point out things every now and then that she thought Quinn may like, but they were always her style and Rachel never tried to talk her into anything. It was certainly a nice change of pace from shopping with Santana, which always felt like a battle.

"Would it be ridiculous of me to say I want to go into that toy store?" Rachel asked.

Quinn laughed and then joked, "A little."

"I thought so," Rachel replied with a sigh.

"I'm kidding," Quinn said, nudging the brunette with her elbow. "Let's go in."

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked.

"I'm sure," Quinn answered.

As they walked in, Quinn was slightly in awe; it was by far the largest toy store she'd ever seen in her life. And there were escalators that went up to even more floors. She had no idea how many floors there were, but judging by the outside, there were at least a half a dozen. The biggest toy store she'd ever been in before was a Toys "R" Us, which didn't really compare.

"I've never seen so many stuffed animals," Rachel commented.

"There are a lot," Quinn agreed.

"Do you want to go to the top and work our way down?" Rachel asked.

"It doesn't matter to me," Quinn said with a shrug.

"Okay," Rachel replied.

Quinn followed the brunette to the escalators and they began making their way to the topmost floor. As they ascended, Quinn looked around the floors and saw that they toy store had a little bit of everything. She saw a display for Harry Potter stuff on one of the floors and knew she would have to buy something for Brittany. She really hoped they had wands; every time they watched the movies, Brittany talked about how cool it would be to have one.

"I should probably pick something up for Katie while I'm here," Rachel said, looking over her shoulder at Quinn.

"Who's Katie?" Quinn wondered.

"She's my—sort of sister," Rachel answered. "It's a little complicated. My biological mother adopted her. She'll be eight next month, so this would be a great place to find a birthday present."

"Are you two close?" Quinn asked.

"Not really," Rachel said with a sigh. "Like I said, it's complicated." She stepped off the escalator and turned to Quinn. "My sophomore year of high school, Shelby, my mom, came into my life. She wasn't supposed to contact me until I was eighteen, but she did anyway. I had wondered about her my whole life and I thought I was finally going to have the mom I always dreamed of, but then she decided it was too hard. She said I was practically an adult and I didn't need her. I did need her, though; I was a teenager and it would have been nice to have a mom. I love my dads, but sometimes you want a woman to talk to things about."

"Did you tell her that?" Quinn asked.

"I tried to, but I don't think she really heard me," Rachel replied. "She wanted a little girl and I was no longer a little girl, so she found a different one. She adopted Katie that summer."

"That's—" Quinn shook her head; she really didn't know what to say. She knew how painful that must have been—waiting your whole life for someone only to be rejected—but she couldn't seem to find the words.

"It's okay; you don't have to say anything," Rachel said. "I know how terrible it sounds. It wasn't exactly easy, but I'm over it now. Okay, I'm mostly over it. As much as it hurt, though, I try to not let it affect my relationship with Katie. None of it was her fault. I don't get to see her a lot, but I do try to stop by when I go home to see my fathers."

"Do they live in Lima?" Quinn asked.

"A little outside of town," Rachel replied. "Shelby's a vocal teacher and she does some dance instruction on the side. She used to be the coach for Vocal Adrenaline, who was our glee club's biggest competition." Rachel glanced down and then looked back up. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said all of this. We were having a good time and I just ruined it."

Quinn shook her head. "You didn't ruin anything,"

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked, furrowing her brows slightly.

"I'm sure," Quinn said with a smile.

"Good," Rachel said, smiling back.

---

Rachel's glass clinked against several others and she smiled at everyone's exuberance. She was exhausted from doing two shows that day, but when her cast mates asked her to go out with them, she happily agreed. It wasn't the first time they had gone drinking after a show, but it was the first time she had been invited along. She understood—she was a bit of an outsider coming in at the last moment—but it had hurt a little.

"So what's it like living in New York City?" Oliver asked into her ear.

"It's nice," Rachel replied. "I dreamed my whole life of living there and it certainly didn't disappoint. From what I can tell, it's really not that different from living here. Although, I think it's a little cleaner here and the Underground is a lot easier to navigate than the subway."

"Really?" he asked.

"Really," Rachel said.

"I'd think it'd be loads different," Oliver replied.

Rachel shrugged. "There is a different vibe here that I don't really know how to explain. I suppose everything feels more hectic in New York; it's a little calmer here. Also, people are definitely more polite here. The stereotype about New Yorkers is a stereotype for a reason. I haven't been yelled at once here, which is nice."

Oliver laughed and Rachel glanced over her shoulder to see who had grazed past her. It was James, one of her other cast mates, and she had a feeling it wasn't an accident. He had been flirting with her since the first day she'd arrived. He was out of luck, though; Rachel wasn't at all interested in him. He was good looking enough, but he was a bit vain for her tastes and didn't seem all that bright. Plus, she'd overheard him making fun of a woman who'd been waiting by the stage door one night, which angered her a little bit.

"What do you do there for fun?" Oliver asked, drawing her attention back to him.

"Oh, well, my friends and I try to go out a few times a week, but a lot of times we usually end up just watching movies at my apartment." Rachel laughed to herself. "We can be quite boring, but we all work, and with my theater schedule, it's hard to find the energy to do much else sometimes."

"I love this song," Oliver commented when a new song began playing.

"I don't believe I've heard it before," Rachel said, not recognizing it.

"Would you maybe want to—"

"Hey, Oli," James said, interrupting him. "Rachel."

Rachel gave him a nod, but she didn't say anything. She thought it was very rude that he just interrupted Oliver in the middle of a sentence and it made her like him even less. He actually reminded her of a few of the guys she'd went to high school with. Guys who thought they ruled everything and they didn't care to step on people or put others down to make themselves feel better. It was exactly the type of rude behavior she hated.

"You were saying?" Rachel said, looking back to Oliver.

"We're at a club!" James loudly said before Oliver could respond. "We should be dancing, not chatting. C'mon, dance with me."

"No, thank you," Rachel replied.

"Are you just going to stand here all night?" James asked.

"If I decide that's what I want to do, yes," Rachel answered.

"You should—"

"Oliver, would you like to dance with me?" Rachel asked, interrupting whatever was about to come out of James's mouth.

"Umm, yeah," Oliver replied.

"Wonderful," Rachel said, grabbing his hand, and leading him over to the dance floor.

"You don't like him very much, either, do you?" Oliver asked, leaning forward a bit so Rachel could hear him.

"Not at all," Rachel said, shaking her head. "I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but he is one of the rudest people I've met in my life."

She was just glad Oliver was her leading man in the musical; she would hate to have to kiss James every single night. Instead, he played the best friend of Oliver's character. She hated to admit it, but he was very good in his role. It was too bad he was such an ass in real life or she might actually be attracted to him.

"What were you going to say before he interrupted us?" Rachel asked.

"I was actually going to ask you to dance," Oliver replied.

"Oh, well, I guess that worked out, then," Rachel said with a smile.

Thankfully, she was pretty sure Oliver was gay because she certainly didn't want to lead him on or anything. He just wasn't her type, and with her current crush on Quinn, she was in no place to begin anything with anyone else.

---

Quinn paused at the knock on her door; it was far too early for the cleaning people and Rachel didn't know what room she was staying in, so she had no idea who it could possibly be. She walked over to the door, figuring someone must have had the wrong room. When she opened it, though, she froze and her jaw dropped slightly.

"Not even going to invite us in?" Santana asked.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Quinn stuttered out.

"We came to surprise you!" Brittany said, throwing her arms around Quinn.

"And judging by your face, it worked," Santana remarked, smirking at her.

Quinn had no words. Considering how much Santana had complained about the cost of one plane tickets, it never crossed her mind that they would come. Plus, they both had work, and she couldn't imagine that it had been easy for either of them to get the time off, Santana especially.

"Make room," Santana said, pushing her to the side as she walked through with her suitcase.

"Are you staying here?" Quinn asked.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Santana asked, raising her eyebrow

"San said it was the only way we could come," Brittany stated.

"Yeah, well, hotels are expensive," Santana said.

"I really don't think you're allowed, so make sure no one sees you," Quinn said, feeling a bit uneasy about it, but she couldn't exactly kick them out.

"Don't get all uptight," Santana replied. "It's only for, like, a week; we're leaving Tuesday."

"Why are you even here?" Quinn asked, finally shutting the door.

"Do we need a reason?" Santana asked back.

"One would be nice," Quinn replied.

"We missed you," Brittany said with a shrug.

"Yeah, that's not the reason," Santana said, waving her hands around.

"Okay, it's not the only reason, but it is one of them," Brittany said, nudging Santana. "The pictures you've been sending just made it look so fun, and we haven't been on vacation in—ever."

Now that the shock was beginning to wear off a little, Quinn had to admit that she was happy to see her friends. She hadn't really realized how much she missed them until she saw them standing on the other side of the door. She'd talked to them several times over Skype, but it just wasn't the same.

"Now that we're here, where are we going?" Santana asked.

Quinn opened her mouth but quickly closed it. She had plans to meet Rachel and see Somerset House, but she knew Brittany and Santana would probably hate it. She didn't want to cancel on Rachel, but she didn't feel like she could tell her friends to go out on their own. She knew she was going to have to email Rachel and tell her she couldn't make it even though she had been looking forward to it.

"Give me a minute," Quinn said, walking over, and grabbing her laptop.

"What are you doing?" Brittany asked.

"I had plans with someone, but I'm letting them know I can't make it," Quinn said, glancing up.

Santana's eyebrow instantly rose. "Have you been holding out on us, Q?"

"No," Quinn said, trying to keep her voice even.

"Who is it?" Brittany asked.

"Just someone I met on the plane," Quinn replied.

"You met a guy on the plane?" Brittany asked.

"No," Quinn replied.

"You met a girl on the plane?" Santana asked, sounding way too excited.

"It's not like that," Quinn stated. "Neither of us knew anyone here, so we decided to see a few things together."

"Wanky," Santana said with a smirk.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Stop."

Santana continued talking as if Quinn wasn't there, but the blonde ignored it as she typed out an email to Rachel. Thankfully, it was still early, so hopefully she would see it before she left; she would feel terrible if Rachel was waiting on her and she never showed up. In fact, if she didn't get a response from Rachel, she figured she would actually go down there to tell her in person. She figured it was the least she could do for cancelling on such short notice.

"Hey," Santana said, snapping her fingers in front of Quinn's face.

"Give me a second," Quinn said, quickly looking over the email for any errors, and then sending it. "What?"

"I don't feel like sitting around after spending thousands of dollars to fly here to see your ass," Santana said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're going to have to wait a little while," Quinn replied as she stood, setting the laptop on the nightstand.

"Can we go to King's Cross today?" Brittany asked.

"How far away is it?" Santana asked.

"I think it's only one stop away," Quinn replied, grabbing her guidebook and handing it to Santana. "You can look if you want."

"Okay, that's way too complicated," Santana said, closing the book immediately after getting to the Tube map.

"We're at Russell Square," Quinn stated. "Just look for King's Cross." Quinn frowned. "How did you even get here?"

"We took a cab," Santana replied.

"You took a cab from the airport?" Quinn asked. "No wonder you don't have money for a hotel."

There was a ding from Quinn's computer, and she walked over to look at it, but Santana beat her to it. She tried to see around her friend, but the other woman held her back. Quinn huffed in annoyance, but Santana didn't budge. She eventually threw her hands up and stepped back, waiting for Santana to move so she could finally see the email.

"Your girlfriend says she understands and to let her know when you're free again," Santana said, smirking over her shoulder, and then standing up, walking away from the laptop. "She types really boring."

"I'm sure she's nice," Brittany said, shrugging her shoulders. "Are we going to meet her?"

"I really hope not," Quinn replied.

"Whatever," Santana said, tossing the book onto the bed. "Let's go do something."

"Can we see Big Ben?" Brittany asked. "And take one of those big red buses around?"

"We can do whatever you want, B," Santana answered.

Quinn sighed as she grabbed her coat and umbrella. She was happy to have her friends there—mostly, anyway—but she had a feeling this was going to be a very long day.

---

As Rachel walked out of the Underground station, she stepped to the side and pulled out her map. She figured she could find St. Paul's Cathedral without it, but she didn't want to take the chance of going the wrong way and ending up lost. So far, she had avoided getting lost in London, and she wanted to keep it that way. While it might be kind of fun, she really didn't have the time to waste. Or at least it might be fun if Quinn was with her.

She had been surprised to get Quinn's email the previous morning. She had just about walked through the door to get some breakfast when she heard her laptop. It had been disappointing to know that Quinn couldn't make it, but she completely understood. If her friends had randomly shown up, she would probably do the exact same thing. Still, she hated the thought of seeing things without Quinn, but she guessed there really wasn't anything she could do about it. She was still going to continue on and hope Quinn could join her again in the near future.

The cathedral was easy to find; it was just around the corner from the Underground station. She had debated over whether or not she wanted to actually go in or if she was just going to see it from the outside, but she ultimately decided to go inside. Before she did that, though, she pulled out her camera and began taking pictures of the building. It was so big that it was hard to get a good shot, so she backed up as far as she could to get as much of the building in the frame. It was also difficult because people were constantly walking in between the camera and the cathedral.

Once she was satisfied that she had gotten the best pictures she was going to get, she headed for the entrance. Thankfully, as with everything else that had seen, she had gotten her tickets online, so she was able to skip the long line. She put her camera in her bag—unfortunately, photography wasn't allowed inside—and allowed the security people to check her bag. When they handed it back, she thanked them and then went on her way.

As she stepped into the cathedral, she knew she'd made the right decision by going in. It was absolutely breathtaking. She wished she could pull out her camera to take pictures, but she wasn't going to risk being thrown out for violating their rules. She just hated that she couldn't show her friends and family or be able to look back herself one day.

She slowly walked along the Nave, mostly staring up at the ceiling and at the walls, trying not to bump into anyone as she did so. It was crowded, but not completely packed, which she was thankful for. She wanted to be able to see everything in the cathedral and she didn't want a bunch of people in her way. It had been a problem at Westminster Abbey and when she and Quinn tried to watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. At the latter they had seen very little of the actual ceremony because there were too many people in front of them and Rachel wasn't exactly known for her stature.

Her thoughts shifted to Quinn again; she really wished they could have experienced this together because she knew how much the blonde would have liked it. After passing by a church once, Quinn had mentioned how she wished the one she grew up going to in Ohio could have looked like the ones there, and St. Paul's Cathedral was far more spectacular than that one. She was beginning to think she should have seen something else that day, waiting until Quinn was free again to come there with her.

Rachel paused and looked over her shoulder. She wondered how crazy it would be to leave after already spending the money to come inside and taking the time to get there. She knew it was wasteful and not logical at all, but yet she turned around and began walking back the way she came.

As she walked out of the building, she shook her head at herself. She knew she was being completely crazy, but she just didn't want to see it without Quinn. It wasn't even that seeing things alone was less fun; it was, but that wasn't the problem. She just wanted to be able to see the look on Quinn's face whenever they walked into the cathedral and she wanted to hear her talk about what they were seeing or maybe learn more about her past. Quinn just had a way of describing the things they were looking at that made Rachel appreciate their beauty even more.

Rachel sighed as she descended the steps; she hated that she could fall for a person so quickly. After Finn, she'd sworn to herself that she would never do it again, but she'd been powerless to stop it. From the moment she met Quinn on the plane, she had been attracted to her, but it quickly became more than that. There was just something about Quinn that had drawn Rachel to her. Something she couldn't quite explain and didn't know if she would ever be able to.

---

Quinn had tears in her eyes as the curtain closed on Rachel. She knew the brunette was a good singer—she'd actually looked up her name up online after running into her the second time—but hearing her sing in person was nothing she could have prepared herself for. She had never heard anyone sing like that in her life, and it was amazing to Quinn that such a huge voice could come out of someone so small. By the time she walked out of the theater, the tears were gone, but she couldn't shake the feeling she had.

She wanted to surprise Rachel, so she hadn't told her she was coming. She had sent her an email, though, asking if she wanted to meet after her matinee show. Santana and Brittany were off at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, touring the Harry Potter studios, so Quinn had the afternoon to herself. Brittany had wanted her to go with them, but Quinn declined under the guise of giving them some alone time. Really, she just needed a break from her friends and she wanted to be able to go to Rachel's show. It was the first time the show hadn't been completely sold out, so she was finally able to get tickets to it. Even though she knew Rachel could have gotten her tickets at any time, she'd really wanted to see it without Rachel knowing she was in attendance.

"Quinn!" Rachel called out.

Quinn turned around to find Rachel waving at her. She figured the brunette must have come out of a side door or something because she hadn't seen her come out of the front entrance. There were still people around the theater and quite a few of them turned to look at Rachel as she breezed past, walking over to Quinn.

"Hey," Rachel said, smiling at her.

"Hey," Quinn softly said as she smiled back.

"I was a bit surprised to get your email," Rachel commented. "I thought you would be with your friends again today."

Quinn shrugged. "They're going to something Brittany wanted to see, and I could tell Santana wanted me out of the way."

"Well, I'm glad you're here," Rachel replied. "London hasn't been the same without you."

"Oh yeah?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said, smiling again.

Quinn shook her head slightly as she looked down and smiled to herself. When she looked up again, Rachel was staring intently at her. Quinn wanted to tell her how amazing she was, but couldn't seem to find the right words. How do you tell someone that you feel like your whole life was changed by hearing them sing? She felt ridiculous to even think it, and it was something she could never actually say to anyone.

"I, um, I saw the show," Quinn said, pointing to the theater behind her.

"You did!?" Rachel asked brightly. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Quinn said, shrugging again.

"What did you think of it?" Rachel asked. "Did you like it?"

"Yeah," Quinn said, smiling. "I loved it, actually. I thought you were amazing."

"Really?" Rachel asked, beaming.

"Really," Quinn answered.

"I'm so glad you saw it!" Rachel asked, throwing her arms around Quinn.

"So am I," Quinn replied, hesitantly hugging Rachel back.

"I apologize," Rachel said as she pulled away. "I'm just really excited."

Quinn laughed. "I can tell."

"Do you have any eating preference today?" Rachel asked.

"Not really," Quinn replied.

"There are quite a few restaurants around," Rachel said. "There's an Indian restaurant around the corner or there's a TGI Fridays nearby if you would like something a little more American today."

"TGI Fridays is fine," Quinn said. "It might be nice to actually try it."

"You've never been to one?" Rachel asked.

Quinn shook her head. "Most of the time when we ate out, Sam wanted to go to Breadstix. And anytime I'm with Santana, she wants to eat there, too." Quinn rolled her eyes. "I really hate that place."

Rachel couldn't help but laughed. "I know how you feel. It's Finn's favorite restaurant, so we were there for quite a few of our dates." She laughed lightly. "One of my friends, Jesse, liked this waitress at the TGI Fridays in Times Square, so I've eaten there quite a few times as well, but I read they recently added some vegan friendly dishes to their menu, and I'm excited to try them."

"Is there anything you're not excited about?" Quinn joked.

"Hmm," Rachel said, putting her finger to her lip. "I suppose I'm not particularly excited about having another show today, but at least I have tomorrow off."

"Actually, I was going to ask you about that," Quinn said as she began following Rachel down the sidewalk. "Santana wants to see the Tower of London tomorrow, and I was wondering if you'd like to come with us. I mean, if you want the day off, don't feel like you have to say yes or anything. I just thought I'd ask."

"I would love to come with you and meet your friends," Rachel replied.

"Meet us there at ten?" Quinn asked.

"I'll be there," Rachel said with a nod.

"I told Santana it opens at nine," Quinn commented. "She and Brittany take forever to get ready, so if I don't tell them an hour early, we'd never be there on time."

Rachel laughed. "Most of my friends are the same way, so I completely understand."

"I was surprised Santana even wanted to go, but I guess I shouldn't be," Quinn said. "Of course she would want to go somewhere with a macabre history."

"I have to say, I'm certainly looking forward to meeting them," Rachel said. "You've spoken about them so much that I already feel like I know them."

"I should probably apologize in advance for everything Santana is going to say to you," Quinn replied

"I'm sure she won't be that bad," Rachel said.

"Oh, you'll see," Quinn replied, knowing Rachel would be in for a surprise once she actually met Santana.

---

Rachel spotted Quinn standing with a blonde and a brunette, who she assumed was Brittany and Santana. The two blondes had their backs turned, but the other woman was facing her. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face, so Rachel figured that must be Santana. The woman seemed to zero in on her as she approached, never taking her intense gaze away from her. Rachel knew she was sizing her up, so she stood a little taller, approaching with complete confidence.

"Hello," Rachel said, stopping just behind Quinn.

Quinn turned around and gave her a smile. "Hey."

"You didn't tell me she was hobbit sized," Santana commented.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Can you not call her names?"

"You're barely an inch taller than me," Rachel pointed out as she flipped her hair and put her hands on her hips.

She may not know Santana, but she knew her type. She wasn't going to let Santana insult her without fighting back. She'd learned a long time ago that if you didn't stand up for yourself, people like Santana would walk all over you. They could sense weakness and they would pounce on it in an instant. She appreciated that Quinn had said something to her friend, but Rachel knew she needed to be the one to say something. She needed Santana to know that she wasn't weak and that she wouldn't take her insults lying down.

Rachel could tell Quinn was trying not to laugh when Santana narrowed her eyes and then turned, walking away. Brittany definitely wasn't laughing, though; she looked slightly concerned and kept glancing at Santana. Rachel suddenly regretted saying anything; she certainly wasn't making the best first impression. These were Quinn's two best friends and the last thing she wanted was for them to dislike her because she knew how important their opinion was to Quinn.

"That was Santana," Quinn said, pointing over her shoulder.

"I gathered," Rachel replied. "I didn't upset her too much, did I?"

"She's fine," Quinn said. "She likes to dish it out, and then pouts when anyone dares to say anything back."

"I'm Brittany," the other blonde chimed in with a small wave.

"Hello, Brittany," Rachel replied, giving her a smile.

"I'm going to check on San," Brittany said, glancing at Quinn.

Rachel sighed as Brittany jogged over to her girlfriend. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"Don't be," Quinn said, shaking her head. "She'll get over it. She just doesn't like it when people mock her height even though she does it to everyone else. She likes to think she's bigger than she is, and she doesn't like when people point out that she's full of crap."

Rachel couldn't help but laugh. "Regardless, I'm sorry I upset her. It wasn't my intention."

"Really, don't worry about it," Quinn said, giving her a smile. "She'll be back to insulting you in no time." She looked over her shoulder and then looked back at Rachel. "Come on; I think a tour is starting soon."

"So, what did you three do yesterday evening?" Rachel asked as they walked toward the entrance.

"We went to—Hyde Park," Quinn said, not sounding very certain. "It was one of those around Buckingham Palace, which we saw, and then they wanted to see Big Ben, so we went there."

"How much longer are they going to be here?" Rachel wondered.

"They leave early Tuesday, so a little less than two days," Quinn replied.

"It's too bad they can't stay longer," Rachel commented. "I'm sure there's going to be a lot that they won't get to see."

"Lucky for them, they don't really want to go to any of the museums," Quinn replied.

Rachel nodded. "That does certainly cut down on the things to see."

"Are you two losers coming?" Santana yelled.

Quinn rolled her eyes and said, "Clearly. You can see us walking, right?"

"This place is beautiful," Rachel said when she finally looked to her left and took everything in.

"I know," Quinn replied. "I took a panoramic picture of it early."

"That's a great idea," Rachel said as she pulled out her camera. "I just hate that pictures never do it justice. Everything is so much more impressive than a photo can capture. My fathers still love the pictures, but I've told them they really need to come here themselves one day if they really want to see the beauty of it all."

"Your fathers?" Santana asked.

"Yes, I was raised by two men," Rachel said.

Santana eyed her for a moment but didn't say anything; Brittany, however, said, "That's really cool."

"Most people didn't seem to think so when I was growing up," Rachel replied. "It was Ohio, though, so I guess it was to be expected."

"You're from Ohio, too?" Brittany asked.

"She's from Lima, actually," Quinn stated.

"But you didn't go to McKinley, did you?" Brittany asked.

Rachel shook her head. "I went to one of the other high schools, Lima Senior."

"Oh, they were the one with that club where everyone danced and sang," Brittany said, smiling. "I love dancing, but we didn't have any club like that at our school."

"Yes," Rachel replied, smiling back. "I was the captain of the Glee Club, actually."

"Fascinating," Santana said, sounding as if she thought it was anything but.

"Be nice to Quinn's friend," Brittany said, putting her arm around Santana, who instantly seemed to relax a little bit. "Please."

Brittany kissed Santana's cheek, and Rachel saw her smile for the first time. It was short lived, though; they moment she saw Rachel looking at her, the smile dropped off her face and a scowl soon replaced it.

"What are you looking at?" Santana asked.

"Nothing," Rachel said, shrugging, and smiling slightly.

"Can we go now?" Santana asked as she rolled her eyes and began walking to the Tower.

Rachel sighed and looked at Quinn. "I'm afraid I was wrong about her and I now completely understand."

"I did try to warn you," Quinn said with a laugh.

---

Quinn stopped and took several pictures while Santana continued walking around. She was pausing at every bench along the path, but Quinn had no idea what she was looking for. She was obviously searching for something, though, because she kept throwing her hands up every time and then would go on to the next bench.

"Brittany, what is she looking for?" Quinn finally asked.

"The bench," Brittany replied like it was obvious.

Quinn frowned. "What bench?"

"The bench from her favorite movie," Brittany answered.

Quinn still had no idea what she was talking about, but she nodded nevertheless. She was fairly certain they had been all around the area at least once, so if Santana hadn't found it by now, she doubted she would. Quinn continued to follow her, though, knowing if she said anything, it would only make Santana more determined. Thankfully, the scowl on her face was growing, and Quinn knew it was only a matter of time before she finally gave up.

"Can we eat soon?" Brittany asked. "I think I want pizza."

"There's a really good Italian restaurant near the hotel," Quinn replied.

She hoped to get Brittany on board with going back to the hotel. They had walked through the park, spent forever at the zoo, and then they'd been walking around Primrose Hill for over an hour. She was a bit exhausted by that point and really just wanted to rest for an hour or two before they did anything else. Unfortunately for her, Brittany seemed to have endless energy and Santana almost always did whatever Brittany wanted.

"San, I want to get pizza," Brittany said, walking over, and putting her arms around her girlfriend's waist.

Santana huffed as she dropped her arms and mumbled something Quinn couldn't hear. She didn't look happy, but Quinn knew she would give up her search for Brittany. After a few more moments, Santana's shoulders slumped a bit and Quinn knew it was over; she was finally going to get to go back to the hotel.

"Come on," Brittany said, kissing Santana's cheek.

"Why are we going that way?" Santana asked, pulling Brittany to a stop.

"Because the Underground station is that way," Quinn answered.

"There's gotta be one closer," Santana replied. "I'm not walking all the way back."

"There might be one, but my map doesn't go beyond this," Quinn said.

"So?" Santana asked, heading in the opposite direction. "Move your ass."

Quinn sighed as she watched Santana walking away. She didn't want to go off when she had no idea where they were going, but she knew Brittany and Santana were likely to never be seen again if she didn't go with them. So, rather than going back the way they came, Quinn reluctantly followed her friends, and she continued to follow them long after it became obvious that they were very lost.

The further they walked, the more turned around they seemed to get. They were in a residential neighborhood and she was certain they had passed by the same house more than once. She was also fairly certain that there wasn't going to be an Underground station anywhere in the area and that they going to continue to stay lost if Santana kept leading the way.

"That's it," Quinn stated. "We are going to figure out how we go here and then we are going to go back the way we came. I don't care if you don't want to walk all the way through the park again; we could have been home by now if you'd listened to me in the first place. I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I just want to go back to the hotel."

"How about you guys just sit down for a second and I'll run away and figure out where to go, okay?" Brittany said, grabbing Quinn's arm, and leading them all over to a nearby bench. "Stay here; I'll be right back."

"What's going on with you and the midget?" Santana asked, turning to her the moment Brittany was out of earshot.

"Excuse me?" Quinn asked.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Please."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Quinn replied.

"Do you really think we didn't notice?" Santana asked. "Brittany made me promise not to bring it up, but what she doesn't know won't hurt her."

"There is nothing to notice," Quinn protested.

"Yeah, she's just all you talked about since we've been here and then you followed her around like a lost puppy yesterday," Santana stated.

Quinn scoffed. "She isn't all I talk about and I did not follow her around like a puppy."

"Do I look like an idiot, Q?" Santana asked. "I've been there and I know it when I see it." Santana smirked slightly. "I always wondered about you. You wanted to play the perfect girlfriend with that Ken doll, but I never believed it. I wondered if you swung the other wa—"

"Santana, you don't know what you're talking about," Quinn said between clenched teeth.

"If I don't know what I'm talking about, why do you look so panicked?" Santana asked.

"Not everyone is gay, you know!" Quinn said in annoyance.

"I'm not saying everyone is," Santana said with a shrug. "I'm saying you are."

"How can you even think that?" Quinn asked. "I loved Sam. I was going to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him."

"Did you really love him?" Santana asked back with a barely contained looked of annoyance. "Can you really tell me you were in love with him and he was the one and only person for you? Your parents have fucked you up so much that you can't even see what you want and what they want. You can try to convince yourself all you want, but don't lie to me Q. I know what I saw even if you don't see it."

"I think I know how to get back!" Brittany called to them, waving them toward her.

Santana stood, but Quinn continued sitting on the bench for a moment before following along. She had no idea where all of that had come from or what Santana was really even talking about. She and Rachel were friends—nothing more, nothing less. The fact that Santana thought otherwise was completely absurd.

---

Rachel paused as she looked through the window of an antique store. She wanted to go inside, but she knew it wouldn't be a smart idea. Every time she walked into one, she always ended up spending far too much money, and having to ship something back to New York would probably cost a fortune. So, she continued on her way despite seeing an old, leather couch that she thought would look stunning back in her apartment.

As she strolled along the sidewalk, she passed by a blonde woman and did a double take. For a moment, she thought it was Quinn, but upon second look, it was obviously not her. The woman was dressed just like Quinn, but she was quite a bit taller and her hair was shorter. Rachel sighed to herself; she hadn't heard from Quinn in a few days and it had momentarily gotten her hopes up. She knew Brittany and Santana had left that morning, so she'd sent an email to Quinn asking if she would like to do something that day, but it had gone unanswered. It had been disappointing, but she understood; Quinn probably just needed some time to herself after having her friends there, and she figured she would hear from the other woman soon.

Rachel looked at her phone and knew she needed to go back to her hotel soon. She had a show that evening and she would like to take a short nap beforehand. Rather than continuing to look in the windows of all the shops along the street, she headed straight for the Underground station. The first train that came along was completely packed with people, so she looked up at the display to see when the next one was coming along. Thankfully, it was only two minutes away, and she hoped it would be a little less crowded.

When the train finally arrived at the platform, she stepped aside to let the departing passengers off, and then walked onto the train. There were plenty of empty seats, but she opted to stand since she only had to go a few stops. As the train began to move, she held on a little more tightly and glanced to her right to find a girl staring at her. She quickly looked away the moment Rachel looked in her direction, but as soon as Rachel looked away, she felt the girl's eyes on her again.

At the next stop, several people exited the train and quite a few more came on, but the girl remained in her seat and her eyes remained on Rachel. The brunette did her best to ignore it, thankful that she only had three more stops to go. By the time the train pulled into the next station, she shifted toward the end of the train to make room for more people, but there was still a clear view between her and the girl, who was now half a train away.

On the next to the last stop, the girl finally stood and Rachel thought she was finally going to depart the train. To Rachel's surprise, though, the girl bypassed the doors and walked straight over to her, stopping just in front of her.

"I'm sorry—I know I've been staring—but are you Rachel Berry?" the girl asked.

"I am," Rachel said.

"Oh my god!" the girl said, covering her mouth with her hands, and Rachel instantly relaxed.

Rachel was surprised; that was certainly not the reaction she had expected when the girl was staring at her. She really didn't know why the girl was staring at her, but it hadn't crossed her mind that she had recognized her. Rachel rarely got approached in New York beyond the people waiting for her after her shows; it wasn't completely unheard of, but she wasn't exactly a movie or television star.

"I saw you in Living for the Weekend a few days ago and it was so amazing," the girl gushed.

"I'm so happy to hear that," Rachel said with a smile. "What's your name?"

"Tina," the girl answered.

"Tina, that's one of my best friends' names," Rachel replied.

"Can I get your autograph?" Tina asked, holding out a piece of paper. "Oh, I don't know if I have a pen."

"Don't worry about it; I'm sure I have one," Rachel said as she reached into her bag and feeling around for the pen she kept inside.

She took the piece of paper from the girl and quickly wrote out a message, signing beneath it with her usual star. "Here you are."

"Thank you so much!" the girl said as she took the autograph from Rachel.

"I hate to run, but this is my stop," Rachel said, shouldering her bag as she stood. "If you come to the show again, make sure you let me know you're there, okay?"

"Okay," Tina said, nodding vigorously.

Rachel said her goodbyes before hurrying off the train before the doors shut. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she walked through the station and onto the street. It was always a high when she met a fan, and it always made her day. It was something she'd always dreamed of while growing up and she'd even practiced for the day that it would finally happen. Every time was just as exciting as the last, and she couldn't wait to see Quinn and tell her about it.

---

Quinn put a few pounds into the box as she grabbed a map for the Science Museum. She wasn't even sure what all was at the museum, but several things had recommended seeing it, so she thought she would go. Besides, if she didn't like it, she would only be wasting a few hours and a few dollars. And it's not as if she'd made any other plans for the day.

Rachel had sent her an email that morning to ask if she wanted to do something in the afternoon, but it remained unanswered. As had her previous two. Quinn knew she was being unfair to her—she had done absolutely nothing wrong—but every time she sat down to reply, she just couldn't seem to find the words. She knew she should at least tell her she'd email her in a few days since she sounded a little worried in the last email, but she hadn't. Anytime she brought up Rachel's emails, she stared at them for far too long, and then eventually closed her laptop before walking away and trying not to think of Santana's words, which still seemed to echo through her mind.

Santana had uncharacteristically apologized to her—she had a feeling Brittany had something to do with that—but it didn't matter. She had still said it and it had freaked Quinn out, though she tried to not think too closely about why it scared her so much. It was one of the reasons she had been ignoring Rachel; she knew when she saw her that it would be harder to ignore things. She was going to have to see her sooner or later, though; she couldn't just ignore her forever. Quinn tried to ignore the guilt she felt as she stared at the map, wondering if the museum was something Rachel would have liked to see.

The museum was fairly straightforward, so she began walking to the first display, glancing into the gift shop as she walked along. Thankfully, it wasn't as crowded as most of the museums she'd been to, but she knew that could change at any moment. She was just glad there weren't a bunch of schoolchildren around since it seemed like the exact type of place a school would go to on a field trip.

Quinn slowly worked her way through the ground floor and up to the first, but it was hard to really pay attention to what she was seeing. Her mind constantly wondered back to Rachel. The further she walked, the guiltier she felt for completely ignoring her the past few days. And she knew Rachel would want an explanation for it, but Quinn had no idea what to tell her. She couldn't tell her the truth—she didn't want to make things more awkward than they were already going to be—but she also couldn't come up with a legitimate reason for not answering her emails.

Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair. She really hated Santana for doing this to her. Everything had been going well and then she had to say the things she said. Quinn's first instinct had been to deny everything, but the words kept creeping into her mind. Could she possibly be attracted to another woman? It seemed absurd to even think about. Except when she really thought about it, it almost didn't seem so absurd, which is exactly why she tried to not think about it.

Quinn may have been ready for a change in her life, but she certainly wasn't ready for that.

---

Rachel looked at her phone for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. It was still ten minutes until Quinn was supposed to meet her there, but she couldn't help worrying that the blonde wasn't going to show up. Her email had given no explanation for why she hadn't replied to Rachel's multiple emails, but she had asked if Rachel would like to go to the Victoria & Albert museum that morning. She had agreed, but part of her wondered if Quinn would really show up.

She just wished she knew why Quinn had disappeared. She began to fear that she'd done something wrong, but she couldn't imagine what it could have been. Everything had been perfectly fine when they parted after seeing the Tower of London. They'd had a good time on the tour and even Santana seemed to be in a moderately good mood. Or at least she began to insult Rachel a little less, so the brunette took that to mean Santana was in a better mood.

"Hey."

Rachel jumped slightly; she'd been lost in her thoughts and hadn't even seen Quinn coming. "Hello."

"This is kind of cool," Quinn said, looking up at the sign for the museum.

"Yes, I wasn't expecting there to be an entrance in the tunnel," Rachel agreed.

"So—" Quinn said, staring at her for a moment, and then looking down.

"Are you going to tell me why you disappeared and didn't return any of my emails?" Rachel asked.

"Would you settle for an apology?" Quinn asked back.

"I don't need an apology," Rachel replied. "I just want to know that everything is okay, and if I did something to upset you, I want you to tell me."

"You didn't do anything," Quinn said, shaking her head.

"Okay, then," Rachel replied with a nod. "Would you like to go inside?"

"You really don't need an explanation?" Quinn asked.

"If you want to give me one, I will gladly listen, but it's not necessary," Rachel replied.

Rachel was beyond curious, but she wasn't going to push Quinn for a reason. She was there now and that's all that really mattered to her. She was clearly going through something—though Rachel had no idea what it could have been—and Rachel felt like she was entitled to her privacy.

Quinn sighed and gave her a nod, glancing down again. "I know you don't need an apology, but I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Rachel replied with a small smile. "All is forgiven. I only ask that if it happens again, will you at least let me know you're okay? I was a little worried about you."

"I will," Quinn said.

"Thank you," Rachel replied. "Now, let's get out of this tunnel and see the museum. I've heard it's wonderful. My fathers were very excited to hear we were coming here today. They made me promise to take pictures of everything." Rachel laughed lightly. "Not that that should be much of a surprise."

"I kind of want to meet your fathers one of these days," Quinn commented as they began walking in.

Rachel smiled. "Well, maybe you will. I do visit Lima a few times a year, so hopefully we will see more of each other. You could always come to one of their holiday parties. I'm sure they would love to have you."

"That sounds nice," Quinn replied.

Rachel smiled to herself as they ascended the stairs to the main floor and picked up a map of the museum. She was thrilled to hear that Quinn would want to see her after leaving London. She had been afraid that the only reason Quinn continued to hang around was because she didn't know anyone else there. She didn't have a lot of close friends—just Kurt, Tina, and Jesse—and it would be nice to be able to add Quinn to that list.

"Wow," Quinn said as they entered.

"This is amazing," Rachel remarked as she saw all the sculptures in the room.

"I actually thought about studying art in college," Quinn commented over her shoulder as she began to walk around the room.

"I can see that," Rachel replied, following Quinn. "Why didn't you?"

Quinn shrugged. "My parents told me it would be a waste of their money. They wanted me to do something worthwhile."

"But that is worthwhile," Rachel said with a slight frown.

"They didn't think so," Quinn replied. "I also thought about majoring in literature or history, but they would have refused to pay for my schooling if I did."

"What did you major in?" Rachel wondered.

"Business with a specialization in real estate," Quinn answered.

"That's—"

"Boring?" Quinn interrupted. "I know."

"Actually, I was going to say how unfair it was of them," Rachel replied. "It's your life and you should have been able to do something you loved, not what they wanted you to do."

Quinn shrugged again. "I was used to it."

"And I think that's wrong," Rachel said, shaking her head. "You shouldn't have to have been used to it." Rachel looked down. "I'm sorry; I know this is none of my business. I just think everyone should be able to follow their dreams."

"I guess we're not all that lucky," Quinn said with a shrug.

"You could be," Rachel replied, looking up at Quinn. "What's stopping you now?"

"Maybe I don't know what I want to do," Quinn said. "I don't know what my dream is."

"Well, it's never too late to find out," Rachel replied. "Isn't that part of the reason you're here right now? I know it can be scary, but I believe you can do it. I know you may not have the support of your parents, but you do have friends who care about you, including me, and we will all be behind you one-hundred percent. I'm sure even Santana would be." Rachel gave a nervous laugh. "I'm sorry. I know I've only known you a few weeks and I'm probably the last person you would want to take advice from. I'm virtually a stranger to you."

Quinn shook her head. "You're not a stranger."

"Be that as it may, I know I'm overstepping my bounds, and for that I apologize," Rachel replied. "Now, feel free to forget everything I just said and let's enjoy the rest of our day."

Quinn appeared to hesitate for a moment before nodding. As she began walking toward the nearest sculpture, she glanced over her shoulder at Rachel, who began following along after her, hoping she hadn't upset Quinn in any way.

---

"I think we should do that," Rachel said, pointing to the London Eye.

"Are you sure?" Quinn asked as she stared at the giant Ferris wheel.

"Yeah, it'll be fun!" Rachel brightly said, giving Quinn a wide smile. "We'll be able to see the whole city from up there."

Quinn had no desire to go on it, but Rachel seemed excited about it. She wasn't thrilled with enclosed spaces or heights, and the thought of going on the London Eye honestly terrified her. She wasn't going to let Rachel know that, though, so she followed her over to the line to buy the tickets and nervously waited.

She stayed quiet as they waited, but Rachel chatted away. Quinn responded when necessary, but otherwise just listened to Rachel. She normally would have been annoyed at someone talking so much, but she didn't really mind with Rachel. The brunette was so enthusiastic about everything and Quinn found it a little endearing. She liked hearing about Rachel's life in New York and listening to the outlandish stories she told about her friends. It was just all so different from Quinn's life in Lima.

However, as much as she liked listening to Rachel's stories, Quinn couldn't help but think of other things. Rachel may not have needed an explanation for why she'd avoided her, but Quinn almost wished she would have made her give one. At least then maybe Quinn would have come clean and things could be out in the open. Rachel seemed like the type who would have made her talk about it if she'd known, and then maybe Quinn could actually figure out what was going on with herself. As it was, her mind was a mess and she really didn't know what she was thinking or feeling anymore.

Her first instinct may have been denial, but it wasn't as easy with Rachel actually there. Quinn had always run away from everything that her parents would find unacceptable and buried everything away. Santana had brought those things to the surface, though, and that terrified Quinn more than the thought of going on the stupid Ferris wheel in front of her.

If this had happened any other time, Quinn would have run as usual, but her life was already in shambles. She was ready for a change, ready for a new plan, and ready to finally find out who she really was. She was so used to pretending for everyone else that she no longer knew who the real Quinn was, and she was tired of it. It was exhausting being someone she wasn't and she didn't want to do it anymore. She was tired of not feeling anything for fear of what might come along with it.

"I believe we should be next," Rachel commented. "They hold at least twenty people, right?"

"Yeah," Quinn replied.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, looking concerned. "You know you don't have to go on if you don't want to. You can wait down here and I can ride it by myself. I know you're not a fan of enclosed spaces."

Quinn shook her head. "I'll be fine."

It was a lie, but she really did want to go up. She knew the view would be spectacular and she didn't want to miss it. She just hoped she didn't have a panic attack up there like she did the one time she rode a Ferris wheel with Sam at the state fair. It was bad enough when it happened in front of Sam, and she didn't want to embarrass herself like that in front of Rachel, not to mention a couple dozen other people.

"Remember to breathe," Rachel instructed. "When we were on the plane, you held your breath for so long that I was afraid you were going to pass out a few times."

Quinn laughed. "I felt like I was going to a few times, too."

"Which is why I would completely understand if you would rather not go on," Rachel replied.

"I want to," Quinn said. "It'll be fun if I can ignore that I'll be in a glass capsule, hundreds of feet in the air."

Rachel gave her smile and nodded, reaching out, and briefly squeezing her hand. As the line began to move, Quinn took a deep breath. By the time she finally stepped into capsule, she'd calmed herself down a little bit. She was still nervous, but at least she didn't feel like she was going to have a panic attack anytime soon. However, it didn't take long before she found herself feeling anxious again, and the higher they got, the worse it became.

"How are you feeling?" Rachel asked after a few minutes of being on the Eye.

"Fine," Quinn lied, letting out a shaky breath.

She wasn't fine and she knew Rachel could see it on her face. She figured she was probably pale and she was far too aware that she was shaking. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rachel looking at her in concern. Quinn tried to ignore it as she took deep breaths in an attempt to calm her nerves. She just wanted to make it through the rest of the trip without having a complete breakdown in front of so many people.

"Maybe we could stand toward the middle, away from the windows," Rachel suggested, slipping her camera into her bag.

Quinn shook her head and quickly grabbed Rachel's hand before she could walk away. "Stay."

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked, furrowing her brows.

Quinn nodded and remained next to the glass. Even though Rachel was obviously going to stay, Quinn didn't let go of her hand and Rachel made no effort to remove hers from Quinn's. Rather than let go, Rachel actually turned her hand over after a few moments and entwined their fingers together. Quinn glanced to the side, locking eyes with Rachel, who gave her an encouraging smile. And when Quinn felt a new wave of nerves, she knew it no longer had to do with where she was and everything to do with the woman standing next to her.

---

Rachel felt like she was walking on air as she made her way to Leicester Square. Her matinee show had gone wonderfully—the crowd had been particularly amazing—and she couldn't be more thrilled. Now, she was on her way to meet Quinn for dinner before she had to be back at the theater to perform once again.

She spotted Quinn in the middle of the Square, sitting on the grass, and she smiled to herself. The blonde looked completely carefree as she concentrated on the book in front of her, her brows slightly furrowed in concentration. Rachel's heart seemed to skip a beat as she paused at the edge of the Square for a moment to just look at Quinn.

Quinn was the most beautiful person Rachel had ever seen in her life and she sometimes found it hard to believe that she was real. And not only was she beautiful, but she was incredibly smart and unexpectedly nice. Maybe a little closed off sometimes, but she wasn't like most of the pretty girls Rachel had met. She didn't act like she was better than anyone else and she had never made Rachel feel bad about herself. In fact, Rachel could see that Quinn's confidence was quite low and she didn't seem to be aware of all the amazing things that Rachel could see in her.

After a few few moments, Rachel glanced down and then walked the rest of the way over. As she approached, Quinn looked up and set her book to the side, giving her a smile. Rachel immediately returned it, smiling warmly.

"Hey," Quinn said, looking to her left, and picking up the bag that was sitting next to her. "I hope you don't mind, but I brought dinner."

"I don't mind at all," Rachel replied.

"I figured you've spent most of the day out and it's so nice out today," Quinn said, shrugging her shoulder slightly.

"You're right," Rachel agreed as she smoothed the back of her dress down and sat in the grass next to Quinn. "It will be nice to get some fresh air and enjoy the sun for a little bit."

"Mushroom Ravioli with Sun-dried Tomatoes," Quinn said, handing one of the containers to Rachel.

Rachel didn't feel the need to ask if it was vegan, which was something she always had to double-check with Finn despite being with him for years. She had no doubt that Quinn remembered, and as she held the container, she couldn't help the smile on her face. She didn't know where Quinn had gotten the food from, but it smelled amazing, and when she opened the container, it also looked amazing.

"Mmm," Rachel said, smiling. "This looks absolutely wonderful."

"I wasn't sure what to order," Quinn remarked. "I didn't know if you liked mushrooms—"

"I love mushrooms," Rachel interrupted. "And this is certainly something I would have ordered for myself."

"Good," Quinn said, reaching into the bag, and pulling out a fork.

"Thank you," Rachel said, taking it from Quinn, and finally digging in.

"You're off tomorrow, right?" Quinn asked.

Rachel nodded and said, "Thankfully, yes."

"Would you want to go somewhere outside the city for the day?" Quinn asked. "I thought it might be nice to see somewhere else while I'm here."

"Of course!" Rachel answered, feeling excited about the idea. "Where did you have in mind?"

Quinn shrugged. "Oxford, maybe, or Stratford-upon-Avon?"

"Isn't that where Shakespeare was from?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Quinn replied.

"Either would be completely fine," Rachel said. "Or anywhere else you would want to go. Just send me an email and tell me where I need to meet you, and I'll gladly meet you there."

Quinn nodded and then asked, "How's the food."

"I think this is one of the best things I've ever tasted," Rachel said, looking at Quinn, and giving her a smile. "Thank you for getting it for me."

"Don't mention it," Quinn replied.

"So, what were you reading?" Rachel asked, craning her neck to look at the book sitting on the other side of Quinn.

"Oh, just this book I bought the other day," Quinn said, grabbing it, and throwing it into her bag.

Rachel frowned slightly. "Okay. Are you enjoying it?"

"It's okay," Quinn answered with a shrug.

Rachel had no idea why Quinn was being so secretive about a book, but it wasn't the first time she'd done such a thing. She was often evasive whenever Rachel asked certain questions even when they seemed harmless enough. Rachel didn't really understand it, but she assumed it was just how Quinn was. Lately, though, it seemed to be happening more and more, and ever since Quinn had disappeared for a few days, Rachel could sense something was a bit off. It wasn't like that every moment they spent together, but there were certain occasions that she could just tell something was going on in Quinn's mind, and she was too afraid to ask her about it.

"How is your food?" Rachel asked, trying to change the subject.

"Really good," Quinn answered. "It's different than anything I've had before."

"I can imagine," Rachel replied. "Breadstix isn't exactly known for their authentic Italian food. If you ever decide to visit New York, I know this wonderful little restaurant that I think you would love. They have these amazing pizzas and calzones. Kurt once told me he would sell his soul to get one of their pizzas." She laughed lightly. "I'm sure he was exaggerating, but their food really is wonderful."

"That sounds fun, but it might be a while," Quinn remarked. "I used all my vacation days, plus some, to come here, so who knows when I'll have some time off again."

Rachel shrugged and then gave Quinn a smile. "I can wait."

---

Quinn smiled as Rachel laughed loudly. Santana was going to kill her if she ever found out that she told Rachel about the time she ended up naked and locked in the hall of their hotel at the National Cheerleading Championships, but she didn't care. Quinn just considered it payback for the number of times she embarrassed her in front of Rachel in the few hours that they were all together.

"I wonder what it would have been like if we'd went to high school together," Rachel commented, a smile still on her face.

"Probably not good," Quinn replied as she took a sip of her wine.

"Why do you say that?" Rachel asked, resting her chin on her hand.

"I was a bitch," Quinn admitted. "I was determined to rule the school, and I did anything to stay on top. There was a social hierarchy, and I made sure people knew their place. Santana and I were even more enemies than friends; we stepped on each other trying to be the most popular girl in school. Thankfully, Brittany never really cared about things like that, and once high school was over, Santana and I changed. We no longer had to worry about us stabbing each other in the back, and we finally became friends." Quinn shook her head. "I would have been terrible to you. You're exactly the type of person I would have wanted to tear down."

"Why is that?" Rachel wondered.

"Because even though I was at the top, I was always insecure," Quinn replied. "I would have hated how confident you are. Truthfully, I would have been completely jealous of you, but I never would have admitted it." She laughed wryly. "You would have hated me."

"I don't believe that," Rachel said, shaking her head. "I like to think I'm a good judge of character and I would have seen through the facade."

"Even if I would have made your life hell?" Quinn asked.

"Even then," Rachel replied, giving her a smile.

Quinn didn't know if she believed it—Rachel probably underestimated just how horrible she could be—but it was nice to know that Rachel thought they could have been friends. Quinn wondered if her life would have been any different if she'd always known Rachel. She was such an encouraging person and Quinn could have used someone like that in her life. Unfortunately, Quinn doubted she would have listened to a word of it.

"We still have two hours before we have to catch our train," Rachel remarked as she looked at her phone. "Is there anything you would like to do?"

Quinn shrugged. "Not particularly."

"Would you like to sit here a bit longer?" Rachel asked.

Quinn nodded and Rachel gave her a soft smile. The blonde quickly glanced away, hating the feeling that smile often brought. She wasn't even quite sure what the feeling was, but she knew it terrified her. Actually, she did know, but she wished she didn't.

She was attracted to Rachel.

It really hit her while they were eating in Leicester Square. She supposed she had known it on some level since Santana had said it, but like everything else, she buried it. When Rachel held her hand on the Ferris wheel, though, it began to come to the surface, and when she hugged her goodbye the previous day, her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest. Her body's physical reaction to being close so Rachel had made it impossible to be in denial any longer. Santana had been completely right; she had a crush on Rachel.

She may have finally admitted it to herself, but she didn't know what to do about it. If there was anything to do about it. She couldn't tell Rachel—they were friends and she wasn't going to make things awkward between them—and she definitely couldn't tell Santana. Her friend would just gloat and she wasn't ready to deal with that. The only person she felt like she could talk to at all was Brittany, but she didn't want to put her in a position where the blonde had to hide something from her girlfriend. Not to mention the fact that she didn't know if she was even ready to talk about it.

It was one thing admitting it to herself; it was a completely different thing to admit it out loud. The thought may have been terrifying, but at the same time, she oddly felt a little freer. She'd spend years trying to convince herself that she loved Sam and she never understood why she didn't. He was the ideal boyfriend and she always expected to fall in love with him one day, but it never happened, and she finally understood why.

"Is everything okay?" Rachel asked, leaning forward. "You've been very quiet today."

"I'm fine," Quinn replied.

"You always say that," Rachel stated. "Would you really tell me if you weren't?"

Quinn couldn't help but smile as she admitted, "Probably not."

"Okay," Rachel replied with a sigh, and Quinn could tell she was disappointed.

"I promise it's nothing personal," Quinn said, not wanting to see that look on Rachel's face. "I guess I'm just not used to people asking or it mattering."

"Of course it matters," Rachel softly replied.

"It's probably a good thing no one ever asked, anyway," Quinn remarked. "It's easier to pretend everything's okay when no one's questioning you about it."

"But how can anyone get to know you like that?" Rachel asked.

"Exactly," Quinn said, raising her eyebrow. "I didn't want anyone to get to know me."

"And now?" Rachel asked.

"Now—maybe I'll be ready for someone to get to know me soon," Quinn replied.

Rachel's lips twitched upward for a second and then she nodded, looking down. Quinn watched her for a moment before biting her lip and looking down as well. Her feelings may terrify her, but at least she was finally letting herself feel something. And now she was suddenly wondering if Rachel could possibly feel the same way.

---

"It seems hard to believe that we've been here nearly a month," Rachel commented, leaning back on the bench.

Quinn sighed. "I know."

"Will you be glad to get back to your life?" Rachel wondered.

"Yes and no," Quinn answered. "Mostly no."

"I know what you mean," Rachel replied. "I never thought I would say this, but I really don't want to leave. I love New York City, but sometimes it's exhausting to be there. It just feels different here and I've enjoyed it quite a bit. Although—never mind."

"What?" Quinn asked, nudging Rachel with her shoulder.

"I-I don't know how I'm going to feel about London when you're not here," Rachel admitted.

"I'm sure you'll be just fine," Quinn said, shaking her head.

"Maybe," Rachel replied. "Or maybe the reason I like it here so much is because you're here. I mean, with you gone, I won't really know anyone. There are the people I work with, but they don't really want to see all the tourist sites because they've lived here for half their lives."

It wasn't really that she was going to have to see things by herself—it was better with company, though—but she didn't want Quinn to know how much she was going to miss her. She realized how what she was saying sounded and quickly veered it toward a little more acceptable territory. Not that she could properly express just how much she was going to miss Quinn. She may have only known her for a matter of weeks, but it didn't matter; they hadn't even stepped off the plane when she first felt that connection to the blonde.

"I'm going to miss you, too," Quinn said after a minute or two of silence.

"Really?" Rachel asked.

Quinn nodded and then looked at her, locking eyes with Rachel. The brunette broke eye contact after a few moments, knowing she was going to say something stupid if she continued to look into Quinn's eyes. They were so easy to get lost in—Rachel thought they were the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen—but they were friends, and friends don't get lost in each other's eyes. She only had to make it through the next four days without saying or doing anything she was going to regret. Unfortunately, she didn't know if that was going to happen.

It was becoming harder and harder to ignore her feelings for Quinn. She wanted to say something even though she knew it would be a terrible idea. So, she just had to make it through the rest of the week and then Quinn would be gone. Without Quinn there, Rachel hoped her feelings would subside, so they really could be friends without her wanting something more. Because she did want to be friends with Quinn, and she wanted them to stay in touch long after they both left London.

"It's beautiful, isn't it," Quinn remarked, looking around.

"Yes, it is," Rachel agreed, glancing at Quinn, and then clearing her throat. "I definitely need to make sure I get a few more pictures. I don't ever want to forget this place."

"Something tells me you won't," Quinn replied.

Rachel smiled and grabbed her camera, pointing it at Quinn, and taking a picture. The blonde looked at her in surprise and Rachel glanced down at the picture. The picture was perfect; Quinn had been looking forward with a slight smile on her face.

"What was that for?" Quinn asked.

Rachel shrugged. "I told you I don't ever want to forget this place and that includes who I'm here with."

"Is the picture good at least?" Quinn asked, leaning into Rachel to look at the screen.

"Better than good," Rachel said, looking over at Quinn.

When they locked eyes, Rachel realized that their faces were entirely too close together. Rachel unconsciously looked down at Quinn's lips, and before she even realized what she was doing, she began to lean forward. Thankfully, she realized what a huge mistake she was about to make and quickly pulled back.

"I am so sorry," Rachel said, closing her eyes as she mentally chastised herself.

"Were you going to kiss me?" Quinn asked.

Rachel leaned forward and put her face in her hands. "Yes, and I cannot apologize enough. We've been having such a good time and now I've messed everything up." Rachel sighed. "I promise I'll never do it again."

Rachel chanced a glance at Quinn, who oddly didn't look too upset. She'd expected Quinn to look disgusted or at least angry with her, but she didn't look either of those things. Regardless, Rachel couldn't believe how stupid she'd been. She only had to make it through a few days and she failed. She knew it was going to happen, but she didn't think it would happen that day. If anything, she figured she would say far too much when they were saying goodbye to one another right before Quinn left for Lima.

"Maybe you should," Quinn finally said after sitting quietly for several agonizing minutes.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"Maybe you should do it again," Quinn said.

"I—" Rachel shook her head, wondering if she was understanding correctly. "What?"

Quinn laughed lightly, shaking her head, and then stopped and looked at Rachel. The brunette was too stunned to say or do anything. All she could really do was follow Quinn with her eyes as she hesitantly leaned forward.

Rachel's eyes slammed shut the moment their lips made contact and her hand went up, cupping Quinn's face. The kiss only lasted a few seconds before Quinn pulled away, leaving Rachel wanting more. Slowly, she opened her eyes to find Quinn looking as stunned as she felt. She wanted to say something, but words seemed to be failing her at the moment.

"Are you okay?" Quinn finally asked.

"I'm wonderful," Rachel hurriedly replied. "Are you okay?"

"I'm—" Quinn shook her head. "I don't know."

Rachel slowly nodded. "Do you want me to go?"

"No," Quinn answered.

"Do you want to sit here?" Rachel asked.

Quinn hesitated for a moment and then said, "Yes."

---

Quinn took a deep breath; she could see Rachel from where she stood and she'd never been so nervous to see anyone before. She was later than she'd intended to get there, but she needed a moment to compose herself. Now that she had the previous night to think about what had happened, it really hit her. She'd kissed Rachel and she'd been the one to initiate it. Rachel may have made the first move, but Quinn was the one who had kissed the brunette.

She still couldn't believe she'd kissed Rachel, but in that moment she knew she needed to do it. She had no idea if she'd ever get the chance again, and she needed to know. She needed to know what it felt like. She needed to know if her attraction to Rachel was real. And what she felt scared the shit out of her. The kiss only lasted two or three seconds, but she felt more in those few seconds than she ever had with Sam, and that was terrifying.

Quinn wasn't good at being vulnerable. One of the reasons her relationship with Sam worked for her was because she didn't love him. She had been angry when he cheated on her, but she wasn't hurt like she should have been. Rachel could hurt her, though. If she actually took the chance and allowed herself to get involved with Rachel, she would be vulnerable. Everything about this was new and scary and Quinn honestly didn't know why she wasn't already running from it. And it would be so easy to; she would be leaving London in three days and it then she never had to see Rachel again. But she didn't want that, and the thought of never seeing her again made Quinn sick to her stomach.

She finally began walking again, but Rachel had her back to Quinn, so she didn't see her coming. The blonde smiled to herself as she stopped just behind Rachel, and then cleared her throat. Rachel jumped slightly and turned around, giving Quinn a wide smile. Quinn wondered if the brunette was as nervous as she was. Rachel certainly didn't look like it, though; in fact, she looked happier than Quinn had ever seen her, which was saying something since Rachel always looked pretty happy.

"Hi!" Rachel greeted. "How are you?"

"Okay," Quinn replied, shrugging her shoulder.

"I didn't know if you would come," Rachel said, clasping her hands in front of her.

"I didn't know if I would come, either," Quinn admitted.

"I'm glad you did," Rachel softly said.

After she'd kissed Rachel, things became a little awkward. Quinn felt like she was partially in shock and Rachel had been very quiet. She could tell the other woman wanted to say something—she had repeatedly glanced at her and would occasionally open and close her mouth—but she seemed too afraid to. Neither had spoken more than a few words before they eventually parted.

"Shall we?" Rachel asked, motioning toward the entrance.

Quinn nodded and then followed Rachel into the theater. She had no idea what the musical was about, but Rachel had assured her it was supposed to be wonderful. Rachel had been excited when she found out their matinee show wasn't on the same day as hers, and she had immediately purchased tickets for them. Quinn didn't mind; after going to Rachel's show, she found out that she quite liked musical theater. Of course, maybe she just liked it because it was Rachel on stage.

The theater was half full by the time they walked in and found their seats. She was a lot closer than when she went to Rachel's show—they were only nine rows back—and their row was thankfully empty as they walked down it. Rachel apologized to the one couple they crossed in front of before finally reaching their seats. However, it only took Quinn a second to realize where they were sitting wasn't going to work.

"Switch me," Quinn instructed. "You'll be able to see better."

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Quinn replied, standing up.

Rachel slightly bumped her as she stood and scooted over to the seat Quinn had been occupying. Quinn knew she wouldn't be able to see as well, but Rachel was so short that the guy in front of her completely dwarfed her. Rachel was so excited about this and Quinn wanted her to have a good time. And it was hard to have a good time when you couldn't see beyond the massive head in front of you.

"Thank you," Rachel said, smiling at her before turning a little more serious. "Are we going to talk about what we're both trying not to talk about?"

Quinn sighed and looked away. "I don't know if there's anything to talk about."

"Please don't do that," Rachel begged. "I really like you, Quinn. A lot. If you're uninterested in me or think yesterday was a mistake, just tell me, okay? I can handle that. What I won't be able to handle is not knowing, because you may not know this about me, but I get very focused on things and I will be unable to think about anything else. And then the next thing you'll know, I'll forget all my words and all my lyrics and I'll be laughed off the stage. My career will then die and I will be living on a corner in New York."

Quinn couldn't help but laugh and shake her head. "That's a bit over-dramatic."

Rachel smiled. "I know, but it made you laugh, didn't it?"

"It did," Quinn said, locking eyes with Rachel for a moment before she quickly looked away and sighed. "Rachel—"

"You're going to tell me you made a huge mistake, aren't you?" Rachel interrupted.

"No," Quinn firmly replied. "But I am asking you to give me a few days to figure everything out."

"I can do that," Rachel said with a nod.

"Should I be worried that you're going to forget all your words tonight?" Quinn teased.

Rachel smiled and replied, "I think I'll be okay."

---

"He did not say that!" Rachel said.

"He did," Nicola, one of her cast mates, replied.

Rachel laughed as she opened the door from the theater. They were going to grab a quick bite from somewhere and then they needed to be back at the theater. Their matinee show hadn't gone as well as usual—though Rachel had been superb if she did say so herself—and the director wanted to run over a couple things with them before their show that evening. Rachel's laugh turned into a smile, though, when she turned and found Quinn standing outside the door.

Rachel was surprised, but nevertheless happy. They hadn't made plans and she was honestly expecting Quinn to avoid her for a few days while she cleared her head. Rachel really hoped this meant Quinn was ready to talk; she hated not knowing what was going on with the blonde. She was completely willing to give her all the time she needed to figure things out, but it was torturous for her. Rachel was a firm believer in talking through things and she hated not knowing what was going through Quinn's mind.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked, walking over to Quinn.

Quinn shrugged and said, "I thought I'd see if you were free."

"We were just about to—"

"It's okay," Nicola interrupted from behind her. "I'll see you later."

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked.

"Yep," the other woman answered. "Have fun."

"Are you hungry?" Quinn asked.

"I am," Rachel said with a nod.

"Do you care if we walk first?" Quinn asked.

"Not at all," Rachel replied.

Quinn nodded and then began walking toward Leicester Square. Rachel followed next to her, glancing at Quinn every few seconds. She could see the nervousness all over Quinn's face and in the way she fidgeted with her hands. Rachel didn't know if it was a bad or a good sign, but she was hoping for the latter. The closer they got to the Square, the more nervous Quinn seemed to become, and by the time they finally sat down, Rachel was feeling a little nauseated herself.

"Are you okay, Quinn?" Rachel asked after they had been sitting in the grass for several minutes and Quinn hadn't said a thing.

Quinn nodded even though she didn't look okay; Rachel thought she looked like she was going to be sick, actually. "I'm fine."

"You're not," Rachel argued.

"I'm just not good at this," Quinn replied.

"Not good at what?" Rachel asked.

"Talking about things," Quinn answered.

"Oh, well, you don't have to talk if you don't want to," Rachel stated. "You can wait until—"

"I don't want to wait," Quinn interrupted. "I'm—" Quinn sighed and looked away. "The reason I disappeared for a few days last week is because something Santana said. She basically told me I have feelings for you. I denied it and then kind of panicked. I was afraid of what would happen when I saw you, so I avoided you for a few days."

"What were you afraid would happen?" Rachel asked.

"That I would realize she was right." Quinn paused. "And she was."

"I'm going to guess you've never had feelings for another woman before?" Rachel softly said.

Quinn shook her head. "It wasn't an option. It wasn't what I was supposed to be. My parents would have kicked me out, and everything I worked so hard for would have been gone if anyone found out. I knew I didn't love Sam like I should have, but I always tried not to think about it too much."

"I'm sorry, Quinn," Rachel said, furrowing her brows in concern.

"My parents put so much pressure on me to be just like them," Quinn said. "My sister followed in my mom's footsteps and I felt like I had to do the same thing. I felt like I needed to find a husband and be the perfect housewife. I know how stupid it sounds, but I didn't think I had any other option. I thought it was the best I could do; I didn't even think about being able to get out of Lima and do something unexpected. I spent my life trying not to disappoint my parents; it didn't matter if I really wanted it or not."

"It makes me so sad to hear you say that," Rachel said, reaching out for Quinn's hand. "You need to believe you can do anything just like I do. Everyone deserves to be happy, especially you. You're so smart, Quinn, and I think you could have any life you wanted."

"I'm terrified," Quinn admitted. "About everything. I don't know what's going to happen when I go back home, but I do know I can't continue to do something I hate. I'm tired of trying to make my parents happy and still feeling like I'm not good enough." Quinn took a deep breath. "I'm tired of being afraid to admit what I want and trying to not let myself feel anything. Which is why I want to know if you would go on a date with me tomorrow. I know you have a show tomorrow night, but—"

"Yes," Rachel answered. "I'll let them know that I need the night off."

"You're sure?" Quinn asked.

Rachel smiled. "I'm positive."

Quinn let out a sigh of relief and then smiled back. "I've never had to be the one to ask anyone out before."

"I have to say you did very well," Rachel replied.

Quinn laughed and then said, "I rambled."

"I think you're cute when you ramble," Rachel said, shrugging her shoulder.

She could tell Quinn was trying not to blush, but her cheeks were tinged pink. Rachel found it adorable and she wanted to say so, but she didn't want to embarrass Quinn even more. Although, she didn't know what Quinn had to be embarrassed about; Rachel was simply stating a fact.

"We should probably eat before you have to go back," Quinn said, running her hand through her hair.

Rachel gave Quinn's hand a gentle squeeze as she smiled at her. "That sounds good."

---

As Quinn stood at the edge of Kensington Gardens she let out a shaky breath. Rachel should be there any moment and she was having second thoughts about what she had planned. Rachel seemed like the type who would want an elaborate first date and what she had planned was far from that. Quinn wasn't one for grand gestures, though; she thought the simplest things could be the most romantic. She just hoped Rachel wasn't too disappointed with it.

It was hard for her to comprehend that she was about to go on a date with Rachel, and that she had been the one to ask her on it. She was still terrified of what all of this meant, but she'd decided a few days ago to not let that stop her. She came to London to figure out her life, and even though it had taken her somewhere unexpected, she wasn't going to run from it. Not from something that could potentially be the best thing to ever happen in her life.

When she finally saw Rachel approaching, her nerves surprisingly disappeared. She didn't know if it was because of the soft smile on Rachel's face or something else, but Quinn instantly relaxed. She still knew this could all go horribly wrong, but she wasn't so worried about it anymore. This was Rachel, after all; she'd spend nearly every day of the past month with this woman. She needed to just think about it like it was any other day and not something that could change her whole life.

"Hey," Quinn greeted.

"Hi," Rachel said before looking her up and down. "You look amazing."

Quinn tried not to blush, but she had a feeling she failed miserably at it. Between Rachel's words and the way she was looking at her, though, it was hard not to. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had looked at her so adoringly; Sam had once upon a time, but that was a long time ago, and it just felt different coming from Rachel.

"Thanks," Quinn replied. "So do you."

"So, what do you have planned?" Rachel asked, eyeing the bag in her hand.

"Well, I thought we could see this rest of this place first," Quinn said, looking over her shoulder. "I kind of ruined it the last time we were here."

"You didn't ruin anything," Rachel said, shaking her head.

"I did," Quinn replied with a laugh. "But I thought I could make up for that now. And I promise not to kiss you and then barely say anything the rest of the day."

"For the record, I am completely okay with the first thing," Rachel said, giving her a grin. "Although, yes, it would be nice if you spoke to me after." Rachel glanced down to her hand again. "Are you going to tell me what's in the bag."

"You'll just have to see," Quinn answered as she turned and began walking to Kensington Gardens.

"Is it dinner?" Rachel guessed. "Are we having dinner here?"

"You really don't like to wait, do you?" Quinn asked with a laugh.

"No," Rachel replied. "I've always been very curious by nature. My fathers quickly learned that it was futile to hide anything from me. By the time I was three, I began looking for any presents they had hidden away for my birthday or holidays. Daddy eventually began having to hide them in his office at work." Rachel looked down at the bag again. "That's precisely why you should tell me what's inside there; the curiosity will cause me to go a little crazy.."

Quinn smiled; she could easily imagine Rachel doing such a thing. Rachel obviously wasn't going to give up easily, but neither was Quinn. "I think you can wait five minutes."

Rachel huffed and said, "Fine."

Quinn led them toward the bench they were sitting on when they had their first kiss a few days prior. The scenery there was beautiful and Quinn thought it was only appropriate that their date really began there. Rachel had said she wanted to make sure she didn't forget the place and Quinn was going to make sure she didn't.

"Are we stopping here?" Rachel asked as they neared.

"We are," Quinn said, reaching out, and taking the brunette's hand.

She took her over to the bench, which was thankfully unoccupied, and sat down once Rachel was seated. She put the bag between them and began pulling out the contents of the bag, glancing up at Rachel as she did so. At first, Rachel's face looked curious, but then her eyebrows raised slightly and a smiled blossomed.

"These are from the cafe I got our sandwiches at that time I met you at the museum," Rachel commented.

"I know," Quinn softly replied.

"How did you know where I got them?" Rachel wondered.

Quinn shrugged and said, "I looked online." She glanced at Rachel, nervously clearing her throat. "I didn't realize it at the time, but I think that was the day I first starting falling for you."

"Really?" Rachel asked.

Quinn nodded. "It just took me a while to realize it."

Rachel looked away for a moment and then looked back at Quinn with a sad smile on her face. "I can't believe you have to leave tomorrow."

"I know," Quinn replied. "I thought a month seemed like a long time to be here, but it went by so quickly."

"I shouldn't have brought it up," Rachel said, wiping a tear from her cheek, and reaching out for her sandwich. "Let's just enjoy this evening and not think about tomorrow."

"Before we eat, I want to do one thing," Quinn replied, putting her hand out to stop Rachel.

"What's that?" Rachel asked.

Quinn stood and walked toward a couple that was approaching. "Excuse me; can you take our picture?"

She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Rachel as she handed her camera over to the older man. Rachel smiled back as she jumped up and smoothed her skirt down. They had several pictures of the area, but none of them together, and just like Rachel, Quinn didn't want to forget the place or who she was there with.

---

Rachel had a sense of dread all morning, which only became more pronounced the closer they got to the airport. By the time she and Quinn were actually at Heathrow Airport, Rachel was trying to think of any way to keep Quinn from getting on the plane. She wasn't ready to say goodbye; a month with Quinn wasn't nearly enough time and she hated the thought of being in London without her. And more importantly, she hated the thought of never seeing her again.

She wasn't naive; she and Quinn had two very different lives and the chances of anything working out between them seemed impossible. It wasn't even just the fact that they lived six-hundred miles apart—though that was part of it—but also that they were two very different people. They may have been friends in London, but Rachel didn't know if the same thing would have happened if they'd met somewhere else. As much as she hoped it would, she didn't know if their relationship could survive now that Quinn was leaving.

"You can't cry," Quinn stated.

Rachel wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"I just mean if you cry, I'll cry, and I hate crying," Quinn said, giving her a sad look.

"Well, I'm sure you've noticed that I'm not great at hiding my emotions," Rachel remarked. "You would think I would be considering my acting ability, but unless I'm on the stage, I can't seem to control it." Rachel wiped another tear that had fallen. "I really don't want you to go."

"I don't want to, either," Quinn replied with a sigh.

"But you have to," Rachel said.

"Yeah," Quinn replied. "I have to."

"What are you going to do when you go back?" Rachel wondered.

"I don't know," Quinn answered. "I guess I need to figure that out. Although, I do know I can't go back to my old life. Not now; not when I know I can actually be happy."

Rachel gave her a smile, trying to hide her sadness. "Let me know the second you land, okay? I always get nervous when people fly and I want to know you're safe."

"The moment we're allowed to turn on our phones, I'll email you," Quinn promised.

"Good," Rachel replied.

Quinn looked over her shoulder, where there was a line, and then looked back at her. Rachel knew she needed to go soon if she didn't want to be late for her flight. It was tempting to do just that, but even though she wanted nothing more than for Quinn to stay, she knew she needed to go. She had to go back to Lima. She had a job there; she had friends and family and a life, and as much as Rachel didn't want to say goodbye, she had to.

"I should go," Quinn said.

Rachel nodded and replied, "You wouldn't want to miss your flight."

They stared at each for a moment before Rachel grabbed Quinn's hand and pulled her into a tight hug. She wanted to kiss the other woman, but she didn't think Quinn would want that kind of display of affection is such a public place. Eventually, Rachel reluctantly let go of Quinn and look wiped the tears away once again.

"I'll email you soon, okay?" Quinn said.

Rachel nodded and replied, "Okay."

Quinn picked her carry-on bag up from the floor and with one last look at Rachel, began walking away. Rachel hated that she couldn't go any further, but only people with a boarding pass were allowed. For a fleeting moment, Rachel had thought about buying the cheapest ticket she could get, but that seemed far too silly. And she was afraid it would completely scare Quinn away if she spent several hundred dollars just to see her off at the gate.

"I've been thinking," Rachel called out, stopping Quinn. "I haven't seen my fathers in a while and once I'm done with my show here, I really have nothing to do for a while. I've always planned on taking a small break from Broadway while I find a new project and maybe I can do that in Lima. At least for a few weeks."

Quinn smiled, but then shook her head and said, "You don't have to do that."

"I want to," Rachel replied. "I don't want this to be goodbye. I don't know how you feel, but I can't fathom the thought of never seeing you again, Quinn. Yesterday was the best date I've ever had and I don't want it to be our last. I want it to be the first of many. I want you to come to New York, so I can show you around and you can meet my friends. I want to go to Lima and get to know Santana and Brittany better and for you to meet my fathers because I've talked about you so much that they already feel like they know you."

Quinn dropped her bag on the floor and walked over to Rachel, never breaking eye contact until she crashed their lips together. Rachel instantly wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck, pulling her as close as she could. She didn't even care that they were in the middle of the airport with hundreds of people around. All she could think about was Quinn and how perfect she felt up against her.

They had kissed exactly twice before, but this time was completely different. This time, Quinn was no longer holding back and neither was Rachel. When their tongues met for the first time, Rachel let out a low moan and Quinn gripped her waist more tightly. Unfortunately, it didn't last nearly as long as Rachel would like, mostly because Rachel could stand there all day kissing the other woman. Quinn needed to catch her flight, though, so Rachel reluctantly pulled away.

"I'll see you in a little over a month," Rachel whispered as she put her forehead against Quinn's.

Quinn nodded and then softly kissed Rachel's lips. "Do you promise?"

"I promise," Rachel replied.

Rachel could tell Quinn didn't want to let her go, but she did nonetheless. Without looking back, Quinn grabbed her bag and headed to get in line. Rachel continued to watch Quinn until she could no longer see her. Then, finally, she began walking away as she tried to keep her tears at bay.

As she waited on the platform for the train to arrive, she took a deep breath. It seemed hard now, but she knew she just had to get through the next month and then she could see Quinn again. It seemed like forever, but at the same time, she knew just how quickly it could pass and how much could happen during that time. After all, it was only a month ago that she met Quinn; it was only a month ago that she wasn't in love.

---

Okay, the original plan was to have this be two parts, but I obviously can't end it there. Now, I'm thinking it's going to be four or five or maybe even more, so rather than have them all be separate stories, I'm just going keep adding them on to this. I'm not sure when part three will be up, so feel free to follow this or just pay attention to my tumblr.