Hola readers! As always I'd like to thank you guys for the reviews, story alert subscriptions and favorites. I would like to stress that my two stories "This Was Supposed to be Our Year" and "Heavily Broken" take place in the same universe. They run almost parallel to each other. Obviously I have more on the Brittana side (only because there's more material there so far).

"This Was Supposed to be Our Year" is going to be updated with some chapters from "Heavily Broken." But I'll try to update that story with actual chapters along with the Quinnterludes or Rachel Berry Show episodes at the same time. (Why I make things so complicated for myself? I'll never know) I just wish had four characters to categorize and not just two. These stories focus on Brittana and Faberry and their growth in season 3.

Anyways by now (if you've read both stories) you should notice that Santana, Quinn and Rachel (Brittany will show up soon) each have their own theme to chapters. The chapter titles and content for Santana are snarky, bitchy and vulgar, Quinn's have song titles and begin with song lyrics (often depressing ones). Rachel's chapters are quite verbose and begin with Musical song titles or with lyrics/dialogue from musicals.

I've tried to let each character have a voice even though it's in a 3rd person perspective (a writing exercise for me) but I fear it may be a little too much for me to undertake, sometimes I can't really tell the difference.

Reviews and constructive criticism are gladly welcome so tell me what you guys think of the fic so far! Also like with the show, please don't take the narration as a reflection of what I believe/think/feel about various issues. I think Rachel and especially Santana's thoughts are going to continue to be offensive and/or obnoxious and they refuse to censor themselves or play nice just because I'm writing about them now…

I highly doubt you guys care (seeing as this is categorized as Faberry) but there is Finn and Finchel bashing in this chapter so just putting that out as a warning.

**I don't own any of the characters on Glee, nor do I claim any ownership over the show itself. Just a poor university student who often prefers fandom over RIB's world of glee. Don't sue me please!**

The Rachel Berry Show:

Act 1: Scene 1

Your Eyes

Your eyes
As we said our goodbyes
Can't get them out of my mind
And I find I can't hide from your eyes
The ones that took me by surprise
The night you came into my life
Where there's moonlight
I see your eyes

- "Your Eyes" from Jonathan Larson's RENT

This was it, Rachel mentally cheered as crossed another date on her calendar marking another day closer to the start of the school year. Her senior year at McKinley High was about to begin. After she survives the upcoming months, the horrible experiences would just be a long forgotten, but wonderfully angst-filled and inspiring chapter in her future best-selling autobiography entitled A Berry Among the Stars: the Rachel Berry Story. But every story has to start somewhere and this new chapter was the beginning of the rest of her life. She just had this feeling. Her sixth sense kicking in overdrive as the summer was coming to an end.

The tiny girl with big dreams reflected back to the previous years and how she faced innumerable hardships and heartbreaks. She saw the darkest parts of herself as well as the deepest most cutting aspects to her personality. She had the highest of highs and was forced into the depths of despair but she refused to be anything but an unstoppable force.

Fortunately those days were long over and she had spent the best summer of her life with a boy she really, truly loved. Really. Indeed she definitely loved the ridiculously tall boy who was now faithfully hers. He was perfect…

They spent most of their summer together walking around Lima and talking, well, Rachel thought, she did most of the talking and Finn just listened. Most of the time she'd catch him just staring off and she knew his mind was somewhere else. But that was okay because he loved her and she was well aware that her verbose speech patterns were exhausting to others. She was working on that.

Finn had also taken her out on dates at various diners and breakfast places. Of course the young vegan didn't really have much of a selection in those small town meat-filled holes other than the house salad (if she were even that lucky). Subtle glares seemed to have no effect on the tall boy and his suggestions mainly consisted of "Hey babe, the pancakes are awesome here. You can have pancakes right?"

She stopped the educational speeches in which she explained that the pancakes there did indeed have eggs in them because the poor boy would always look so lost after a minute or two. Besides, Finn loved burgers and bacon so it was okay that he forgot because he would be happier there than at the latest Thai restaurant with vegan options or at the International Bar of Salads. At least he was happy right?

They also seemed to spend a lot of time at Burt's garage while Finn quickly applied himself to learning the ins and outs of the family business. Rachel was impressed with his automobile prowess and it melted her heart when she found out he was working there to help ease the workload for his weakened step-father. She forced herself to ignore the nagging voice in the back of her mind that noticed how comfortable he was at the garage. No, Rachel would be supportive because the simple fact was that she loved Finn. She did. She really, really did. Really.

That summer, Rachel also managed to spend time with her friends. Well she actually had friends who voluntarily spent time with her this year. Because she was always at Finn's she got to hangout with Kurt many times and by extension, Blaine. The fact that Rachel and Kurt put their own egos aside for friendship while he was at Dalton was an amazing feat in itself; the true miracle was their ability to keep it going when he transferred back. Hummelberry was verily a force to be reckoned with and they spent their time together meticulously planning their New York takeover.

Poor Blaine was forced to endure the seemingly endless PowerPoint presentations, white board diagrams and fashion outlines (Finn conveniently scheduling "guy time" with Puck and Mike those days) but he didn't seem to mind. He just loved spending time with his boyfriend. Rachel often saw the love-struck expression on the Warbler's face when Kurt went on about New York and Broadway and when Blaine would enthusiastically participate in the conversation she couldn't help but think that she would have more common interests to converse with her partner if she was a gay man. But no she wasn't alone. She had Finn and he was great, she had actual real friends too. She wasn't alone.

Through Kurt, and to a lesser extent Finn, Rachel had been able to encounter various other members of the New Directions. Being the club's gossip vulture, he made it a point to run into everybody, often bringing Rachel along to save her from enduring Call of Duty marathons with Finn. She even managed to survive a meeting with Santana and Brittany, but she sure that was because the blonde was there as a buffer. Although the small brunette had spent some time with Mercedes and Tina in the past, it seemed like they were finally becoming true friends and comrades. When Tina returned from Asian Camp, they had many sleepovers with and without Kurt and enjoyed several karaoke sessions that ended up being friendly competitions instead of ferocious diva-offs.

Yes, overall the summer has been the best in her high school career but Rachel couldn't ignore the feeling that something was missing. She was both anal retentive and obsessive compulsive and that caused her to review her many lists countless times to make sure she didn't forget anything. Though she didn't find anything missing in her planner, she felt the void fill up a little when Finn mentioned Quinn two weeks before the summer ended.

It was then that she realized that she hadn't seen the blonde all summer. With that revelation came a stream of endless questions about Quinn. How was she? What did she do during the summer? Did she go anywhere? Did she see her sister Frannie or her Dad? Was she with her mother looking at colleges? Did she spend time with Brittany and Santana? Was she enjoying the summer off before senior year? Were her eyes still so sad? Could Rachel do anything to make her eyes smile again?

She didn't know why she felt such a pull towards the other girl. Quinn Fabray has been more than a little bipolar in her attitude whenever they conversed. Rachel always thought that it was her own obsessive-compulsiveness that kept her from giving up on trying to be Quinn's friend. She always thought they had the potential to be a real life Glinda and Elphaba, not that she'll ever tell Kurt this because she knew he had his heart set on being the Kurtlinda to Rachel's ElphaBerry. Still, ignoring the Sapphic undertones many saw in that relati- friendship, Rachel always felt that she and Quinn fit those roles better. Maybe she can somehow convince the blonde girl to sing "What Is This Feeling?" with her this year…

Unfortunately whatever closeness Quinn and Rachel shared at prom was brushed away in their fight for Fiyer- Finn. When he broke up with the blonde, the tension between them grew to astounding levels. The tall boy mentioned that Quinn was a little scarier than usual but Rachel was almost used to the heated glares in her direction… almost. The glares in her direction did inspire fear but they did draw up another, more intense feeling she couldn't understand.

Their trip to New York still confused Rachel. After Quinn pointed out that she had purchased old tickets to a musical that wasn't even on Broadway from a homeless con man who swiped credit cards through his butt crack; she wouldn't let Rachel go anywhere alone. Rachel tried to question the blonde girl but as soon as she did, she was treated to a rather intense glower and was promptly ignored for the remainder of the trip. Rachel had a strong suspicion that although Quinn didn't speak directly to her, she was still responsible for Rachel never being left alone during the rest of their stay in the Big Apple.

With that befuddling and random act of kindness on Rachel's brain, she greatly regretted forgetting about Quinn for most of the summer, but even Kurt admitted that the girl was MIA the last couple of months. Coming from Kurt the former head cheerleader might as well be on the Missing Person's List. Rachel checked that just to be on the safe side.

She tried asking Finn if he heard about his ex-girlfriend's whereabouts but he had shrugged it off. "I don't know Rach, I haven't really talked to her since we broke up." The boy's face then scrunched up like he was confused, or he ate something that wasn't digesting quite right. "Wait is this a test? Cos' seriously Rachel I haven't seen her all summer."

Trying to convince Finn that she was just genuinely worried that nobody's seen or heard from Quinn all summer was quite the task. Of course anybody else she interrogated were just as skeptical. Out of sheer frustration Rachel excused her concern as a glee club issue. She could count down the seconds it took for people to finally "get it" and the different variations of "Ohhhh now that makes sense," really grated the brunette. Her concern for the blonde had Rachel thinking that she herself was suicidal at one point in her search because she even tried to consult Santana. Fortunately for her health, the former cheerleader had disappeared for half of the summer, probably to make sure Brittany wasn't lost in a sewer again.

It wasn't until a week before the start of the term that Rachel saw the vexing blonde again. Well she wasn't really blonde anymore but she had somehow become even more vexing than she already was. The tiny brunette sat on the chair near her vanity looking at the pictures of the "Fabrayic Nose" incident that were piled in front of her mirror as she recalled her first encounter with Skank-Quinn a couple of days ago.

Rachel's summer workout schedule allowed her to take a break from the elliptical machine so she could enjoy the nice weather while getting some exercise. She didn't usually change her routine but early on in the summer she decided she needed to be more spontaneous. Taking different routes when she was jogging did count as being spontaneous okay?

This particular route led her to the edges of Lima Heights Adjacent an area she avoided since their return from New York because she feared that Santana would quite literally cut her. While the area wasn't necessarily ghetto-esque, it did consist of many of the richer minority families in Lima. The result was a bunch of rich 2nd generation minority kids who pretended to be tough or "gangster" just because they felt they had something to prove in Lima. Santana was a prime example of that. Rachel was aware that Michael Chang Jr. and his parents also resided in the neighborhood because Tina would always talk about him whenever they hung out. Of course Michael was a lot more civilized then most of the kids that came from LHA, but then again Rachel didn't even recall him ever talking before last year.

Stopping her run to change a song on her iPod, Rachel noticed a group of young girls her age near a convenience store. The tiny brunette was unimpressed, scoffing at their messy rebellious appearances and wondered if soap was ever on their list of priorities. Not likely from what she saw. She observed them for a bit at a safe distance and noticed that most of the girls were students at McKinley High, a gang of Runaway-like girls who called themselves the Skanks.

Rachel saw Sheila Dawnes who shared a PE class with her once. She recalled that the girl's father was the Dean at the local college where her own Dad, Hiram, was teaching a course. She also recognized Veronica Vasquez from AP English sophomore year; her parents own a local fruit juice production company and also resided in LHA.

Mackenzie "The Mack" Nicoletti had transferred from Brooklyn with the newly divorced Dr. Nicoletti a couple of years ago and Rachel was excited to see an actual New Yorker in their midst. Unfortunately Mackenzie shared none of the enthusiasm with her when they had met and suffice to say, Rachel feared her even more than she did Santana. While the Latina had threatened physical violence, they were mostly just vocal threats; Mackenzie on the other hand had actually pulled out a plastic knife when Rachel offered the girl her famous "Welcome to Lima" cookies. The notorious "Mack" even had more of a promiscuous reputation than the brunette cheerleader. The rumours of her sexual relations with truckers on the outskirts of Lima were frequently covered on Jacob Ben Israel's blog and circled the halls of McKinley at least once a month.

A pink-haired girl with a cigarette hanging from the side of her mouth stood beside Mackenzie and seemed achingly familiar to Rachel. The familiarity was bothering her so she broke her "safe distance" rule to get a closer look. The girl in question seemed to feel the gaze and turned in the smaller girl's direction. The cigarette dropped from her mouth when their eyes met and Rachel was left speechless. Speechless.

"Berry?"

No… It couldn't be. But there was no mistaking that utterly unique voice of hers. The new look seemed to attract a new persona as the familiar voice was lower now, almost a growl. It sent a shiver up Rachel's spine. What happened to the warm colored cardigans and sinfully sweet dresses? Where were her beautifully golden locks of hair? What happened to her Quinn? Her thoughts amended the statement almost as soon as they appeared. What happened to the Quinn she knew?

"Q-Qu-Quinn?"

The girl in question gave a side nod to the other girls and they walked into the store, but not before giving terrifying glares in Rachel's direction. Rachel barely acknowledged their departure or the convenience store clerk's look of pure terror when they entered the store; she was still too stunned at the new Quinn before her. It was the newest addition to the Skanks that broke the intense staring contest and turned to discard her cigarette. Her entire demeanor seemed so devoid of emotion to Rachel and it broke her heart a little.

"Never thought I'd see you on the wrong side of the tracks Berry." Quinn drawled out huskily while crossing her arms and slouching back against the wall. "What brings you to Lima Heights Adjacent?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Please Quinn, Lima Heights is just about as 'gangsta' as you are." She pulled out air quotations because she would never utter the word gangsta otherwise unless it was a lyric in a song for glee. "I mean your neighborhood is down the street. This is hardly the wrong side of the tracks."

The former blonde cheerleader seemed unimpressed by Rachel's accurate description of the middle-high class area, responding only with a shift in her slouch and her infamous eyebrow raise. This gave her some hope in seeing the old Quinn again. She wondered how even with a nose ring, pink hair and a ripped plaid shirt, Quinn could still manage to look so ethereal and pretty? Her brow rose even higher and Rachel blushed when she realized she had been caught blatantly staring at the girl for longer than what was socially accepted as normal.

"Uh, I-I like your new look," Rachel finally stuttered out. The other girl scoffed a little, rolling her deep hazel eyes. Rachel gulped and continued her ramble, internally wincing as her involuntary stutter began to rival Tina's fake one. "N-no really it's very, um it's very different a-a-and pink! Well you know I adore the color pink it's actually my favourite color and I admit that you wear the color very, very well. It's just; well I didn't even recognize you until, well u-until… " She trailed off not being able to continue her thought process. I didn't even recognize you until I saw your eyes.

Rachel thought she saw a flicker of a smirk grace Quinn's face as she rambled on about her new appearance but it disappeared before she was certain and dismissed it as hopefulness on her part. They stood awkwardly for another minute or two before she reluctantly decided it was time to continue her run.

"I guess I'll see you in glee Quinn?" the shorter girl asked, sounding both small and hopeful.

The girl in question seemed hesitant before she huffed and looked straight into Rachel's eyes. "I'm not going back to glee Rachel." She broke the eye contact again to pull out another cigarette.

Streisand, LuPone and Minnelli! What did she just say? No, no, no, no. This wasn't happening. How was she ever going to get her to be the Quinnlinda to her Elphaberry? How would they be able to sing "What is This Feeling?" How was she going to be able to see those expressive eyes sparkle with light every time they perform if those eyes wasn't going to be there? Stupefied with shock, Rachel had to look into those eyes to see if she were serious.

Heavy Sadness.

Gaping Emptiness.

Paralyzing Fear.

Sheer Hopelessness.

Utter Self-Hatred.

As soon as the girls caught each others gazes once more, Rachel had seen all of it and the sight both frightened and reassured her at the same time.

She pulled out her iPod and started browsing through to pick the perfect song to accompany the rest of her jog home. Rachel glanced up from the screen to smile widely at the other girl, noting by the perplexed expression that graced her face that the action confused the taller girl.

"I'll see you in glee Quinn." She repeated, making it sound more like a statement of fact rather than the question it was before.

The former Cheerio glanced around to see if the Skanks were still occupied in the store. Seeing that that they were huddled around the frightened clerk not looking in Quinn's direction, she dropped her walls a little.

"How can you be so sure Rachel?" The question was so low, raw and vulnerable, that the tiny brunette wasn't sure if she was dreaming she said it. For what it seemed like the hundredth time in their encounter their eyes met once again, being pulled together like a magnet.

The answer was simple for Rachel. Finally choosing a song she pressed play on her iPod.

"Your eyes," she replied, "I can see it in your eyes."

Rachel enjoyed leaving on such an understated dramatic note and without glancing back, listened to second half of the RENT soundtrack on her jog back home.

The sheer intensity of her chance meeting with Quinn made Rachel think that their whole dynamic deserved a whole chapter to itself in her memoir. Since that day she fixed her jogging route to pass by the convenience store at the edge of Lima Heights Adjacent as often as possible.

She got to see the Skanks most of the time either lounging outside smoking or terrorizing the poor clerk inside. Sometimes she would see an older male who looked like he was in his forties with a skateboard. He was almost always flirting with Quinn so Rachel assumed that this was her newest boyfriend or fling. The former head cheerleader was aware of the brunette's new favorite jogging route, Rachel knew this because she could feel her heat-filled gaze on her every time she passed by.

There was one more difference in her appearance after their initial encounter that disappointed her.

Whenever she jogged by to see her, Quinn was always wearing sunglasses.

Wow Rachel really has so much to say... I didn't initially plan to have Quinn in here so much but I decided that since the next chapter is more about Quinn I'd rather their stories start to mesh together more. So next time we'll see a little bit of Quinn's reaction to her meeting Rachel, the start of school and her meeting up with Santana and Brittany.