A/N: Thank you everyone for reading this so far! And thank you for the reviews! I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I'm still trying to get a feel for writing, Thanks for sticking with me! Enjoy!

Rachel Barbara Berry didn't believe in fairytales. There was no use. Instead, she believed in goals and hard work. The only way to achieve true love, she reasoned, was to suffer and work for it. The same goes for accomplishing your dreams. In the end, Rachel believed she could have the best of both worlds- as long as she gave it her all. Rachel maintained this mentality since she was eight years old. Of course, her goals had been revised over time as she grew older but she always maintained the same frame of mind. She was going to be a Broadway star, she was going to live a lavish life in New York City, she was going to meet Barbara Streisand, and she was going to get married to a successful man- preferably one invested in the arts. She didn't believe in fairytales, but she had faith in true love.

Rachel failed to realize that true love isn't supposed to hurt and, more importantly, isn't one sided. Her relationship with Finn Hudson had been just that. He only chased her when he couldn't have her. The boy had broken her heart too many times to count. Whenever they were together she was always the heart, soul, and glue to the relationship. Whenever he would screw things up she would take the blame. She even wrote the song she performed at Regionals "Get it Right" about him. She gave her everything to him. Somehow her everything was never enough.

Yet, here they were again, on a date. Only this time, they were in New York. That had to be a sign, right? Maybe they were meant to be together after all. Earlier she confided in Kurt who told her she might as well bring him along with her while she pursued her dreams in New York. She supposed she could do that- she'd practically been taking care of him since sophomore year anyways. The plan seemed reasonable enough and if she put her all into their relationship they may have a chance this time.

A nagging feeling in her gut told her getting back with Finn was a bad idea. Part of her knew she wouldn't be able to handle much more heartbreak. Another part of her was telling her not to settle. The part of her logic that triumphed over everything else, however, was the scary feeling of being alone. Rachel had few friends and was a favorite target for bullying. Even some of her team members took delight in making her life a living hell- namely Quinn Fabray. Being with Finn offered her security against the harassment, for the most part at least.

She might just give in to him.

At the end of their date Finn tried to kiss her but after much thought she declined. She knew she was going to go back to him but for tonight, she wanted to pretend she had the strength to stay away.

She got back to the hotel room to find all the girls lounging around discussing their New York adventures for the day. She slumped on one of the beds next to Kurt (who was considered one of the girls) and put her head on his shoulder.

Kurt cocked an eyebrow, "Sooo how was your date with Finn? We want details!"

Tina, Mercedes, and Brittany eagerly nodded their heads. Lauren looked ambivalent, Santana sat at the window filing her nails, and Quinn was looking right at her.

"It was nice, he tried to kiss me though."

At this point, Quinn's body tensed up. She didn't know what she had expected Rachel to say but she definitely didn't like what she was hearing.

The girls in the room squealed, Kurt being the loudest of them.

"Did you?"

"No," Rachel hesitated, "I just wasn't feeling it tonight."

Rachel glanced at all the disappointed looks around the room and was surprised to see Santana smirking at her. She also could have sworn she saw Quinn crack a smile.

"I just don't know what I want right now. Things will work themselves out, I'm sure of it," Rachel explained though she didn't sound too convinced of herself.

"Oh, honey! I'm sure they will." Kurt pulled her into a hug.

Quinn tuned out the chatter following that conversation. If she was going to tell Rachel how she felt, it had to be soon. She didn't want to get cold feet and she had to get to her before Finn did. Rachel had never shown any indication of liking girls but the chemistry between her and Quinn was undeniable. Quinn had to take a chance on Rachel. It was her turn to get it right.

Santana stood up from her spot at the window and casually looped Brittany's pinky in her own before walking to the door. Quinn took the hint and followed them. Santana locked eyes with her as further encouragement to make a move.

Quinn took a deep breath. "Hey, Rachel?"

Rachel jumped at the sound of Quinn's voice. Quinn didn't make contact with her unless it involved an insult, a threat, or a favor. Right now she wasn't in the mood to deal with any of those.

"Yes?"

"Um, Santana and I wrote a song and I was wondering if you'd…help us look over it?"

A wide grin spread over Rachel's face. Like Tinkerbell, Rachel thrived on applause and attention. Quinn Fabray asking for her input in songwriting was enough to make her day.

"Absolutely!"

She jumped up from her place beside Kurt and followed the unholy trinity to their room.

"I hope you like it," Quinn turned to face Rachel, "It's called Light Up The World and it's about stepping out of your comfort zone to tell someone how you feel about them." Quinn bit her lip. She wasn't sure how far she was willing to take this. She handed Rachel the lyrics that she and Santana had pieced together earlier that afternoon. It was Santana's song to Britt and Quinn's song to Rachel.

Hey, hey, hey you and me

Keep on dancing in the dark

It's been tearing me apart

Never knowing what we are

Hey, hey, hey you and me

Keep on tryin' to play it cool

Now it's time to make a move

And that's what I'm gonna do

Rachel quietly read the lyrics and appeared to be in deep thought as she analyzed the song. Quinn bit her lip nervously and glanced at Santana every few seconds for encouragement.

"I must say, this is utterly delightful! If I'm going to be honest here, I didn't know you and Santana had it in you! You both are naturals!"

Santana just about launched herself at Rachel before Brittany wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her close. She wagged her finger at her in disapproval. Santana rolled her eyes and sat back down, grateful for having Brittany there to keep her under control. They needed the hobbit's voice if they were going to win nationals. Oh, and for Q's sake, though that was an afterthought in her mind.

Quinn smiled shyly. She anticipated more edits and judgments to come from Rachel.

"Thank you."

"Certainly! Of course, we'll have to take it to a group vote but I believe this is a strong contender to use for competition. As your captain and superior in the arts, I'd like to thank you for including me," Rachel paused, "I know I'm not exactly your favorite person in Glee club but I appreciate your gesture. It means a lot to me."

It was now or never. Santana recognized the urgency of the situation.

"I'm…going to take a bubble bath. Britts, care to join?"

Brittany knew they were migrating to the bathroom to give Quinn and Rachel privacy for the conversation that was about to take place but to Brittany, bubble baths were also a code for sexy times and sweet lady kisses. Brittany winked at her girl and they were in the bathroom with the door locked and fan on seconds later.

Rachel and Quinn hardly noticed their friend's hasty exit. Their eyes were fixated on each other. Rachel curiously waited for Quinn's response to her previous statement. Quinn, on the other hand, was busy trying to make sense of the emotional chaos wracking her brain.

"Rach," Quinn started, not even realizing she used her nickname, "I want to apologize for…everything."

Quinn's face softened. Her heart was racing and she couldn't sit still. She wanted to show Rachel that she was sincere in her apology but she didn't know how. So she waited.

Rachel eyed Quinn suspiciously at first. When she saw Quinn's eased demeanor and the vulnerable look in her eyes, she understood this was a genuine apology.

"Thank you, Quinn," she hesitated, "May I ask where this sudden apology is coming from?"

Quinn took a deep breath and exhaled. She slowly reached her hand over to Rachel's and held it.

"It's only fair you ask."

Rachel nodded, allowing Quinn to continue.

"I'm not proud of the way I've treated you. I'm disgusted with myself, actually. I have my reasons for behaving the way I do around you. It's not logical by any means, but then again, when you lo- like someone, is it ever logical?" She stopped herself from saying that dreaded four letter word. She wasn't sure where it came from but all of a sudden Quinn felt a whole new level of fear. She closed her eyes while her words sunk in.

Rachel stared at Quinn with complete and utter confusion.

"Is this a joke? Because if it is, I'm going to be really upset with you Quinn Fabray! I don't appreciate being used as a pawn of humiliation for your own sick games."

Quinn was taken aback. She should have anticipated this sort of reaction. She had been awful to Rachel in the past. It was understandable that Rachel should question her motives but it still hurt. She felt her eyes tingle and tried to blink back the tears, she had cried enough today. Her efforts were futile and the tears came anyway.

"Rachel…" she whispered.

Rachel watched Quinn break in front of her. She couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor girl. Quinn was far more fragile than Rachel. She pulled Quinn in a tight hug.

"I believe you."

Quinn could feel Rachel's breath tickle her ear. She closed her eyes and buried her face into Rachel's neck. She'd never felt more secure than she did right now. She practically collapsed in Rachel's arms. Once she simmered down Rachel pulled out of the hug. Quinn instantly missed the contact.

"I'm sorry Quinn, but I'm still quite perplexed. What is it you're trying to tell me?"

Quinn was weak and sick with emotion. She wasn't ready for this anymore. She retreated back into her head and searched for an easy way to tell Rachel how she felt but gave up. She already broke down in front of her and wasn't ready to be rejected by her too. She wiped her eyes and shrugged.

"Light Up the World, Rach."

"Quinn?"

"The song. It's from me to you."

With that, Quinn walked out of the room. She didn't know where she was going but she couldn't be alone with Rachel anymore. She said what she needed to and now it was up to Rachel to either ignore or reciprocate her gesture. She made her way to the elevator before breaking down once more. Quinn knew she deserved this kind of hurt. It was karma in the works.

All she wanted was a chance to start over before her best intentions made a bigger mess of things.

Rachel sat in Quinn's room too stunned to move. Her hands were shaking now as she held the paper with the lyrics on it. She had probably read and re-read the song about fifty times or so in the last minute. She couldn't wrap her head around Quinn's confession. At first she'd been surprised but after relaying their entire history in her head it all started to make sense. Rachel couldn't argue that there was always a hint of something greater between them whenever they were in a room together. When things got heated, attraction often escalated. Rachel also could not deny that Quinn was beautiful- the most beautiful girl Rachel had ever laid eyes on…Rachel shook her head. She couldn't believe she was starting to consider Quinn as more than a friend. That was impossible. It's not that she had anything against same sex relationships, she was raised by two fathers. It's something that she's just never considered. Whenever she reviews her life plan, it's always a man she's imagined herself end up with.

Brittany and Santana walked out of the bathroom in just their towels. In their spur of the moment rush to leave the room for Quinn they hadn't grabbed any clothes. They stumbled around the corner giggling to themselves- sexy times in the bath tub always proved twice as fun. They were startled to see Rachel still in the room.

"Where's Q?" Santana cautiously asked.

Rachel shrugged and turned to Santana. Her eyes were red and puffy and it was clear she had been crying for quite some time.

"I don't know," she choked," I should probably leave too."

Before Santana could question Rachel about what happened, she was gone. She looked at the clock, it was nearly 1 a.m. They had to get to bed soon because competition was tomorrow meaning the entire morning would be spent learning songs.

Brittany pouted in disappointment that things didn't go well with Quinn and Rachel. Santana assured her things would be okay and typed out a quick text to Quinn asking if she wanted them to meet her. Quinn responded with a simple "No" and that was that. Santana wasn't going to argue with her. She and Brittany got under the covers of their bed and fell asleep.

Quinn got back to their room closer to 2 a.m. She ended up leaving the hotel entirely and walked to Times Square just a few blocks away.

It was said that Disneyland was the happiest place on Earth. For Quinn, however, the happiest place on earth was Times Square. It was just like the movies. There were people everywhere at all times of the day. The buildings were tall and lit up with the prettiest lights and there were advertisements every which way you looked. Some were for Broadway shows, some were for movies, others were for products but they were all big, bright, and fantastic. Quinn couldn't help but brighten up just being there. She fell in love with the city the second she stepped off the plane. Being in New York felt so right. It wasn't an option for her, though. She'd never set her sights here because she knew it was setting herself up for disappointment. She wasn't meant for greater things like Rachel was. She would end up staying in Lima and become a teacher or something.

That night, she sat in Times Square and digested the atmosphere around her. She wanted to memorize everything about this moment- the way she felt, the people around her, the sounds she heard, the quiet in her heart. Times Square was her happy place and it took out of reality, if only temporarily.

By the time she got back to the hotel, she was exhausted. She crept into her room so she wouldn't wake Santana and Brittany. She smiled to herself when she saw them cuddled together spooning. She looked around the room for the paper with her lyrics on it. She wanted to tear it up and throw it away but it was nowhere to be found. She shrugged and went to bed.

The next morning Quinn awoke to the sound of banging on their door. She poked her head up from under the covers and saw that Brittany and Santana were still tangled together sleeping. She groaned to herself realizing she would have to be the one to get up and answer the door.

She begrudgingly opened her door and found Finn standing there.

"I'm calling a team meeting in 20 minutes. Rachel picked the songs we're singing today and we need to practice. Tonight's the night!"

Quinn sighed and nodded her head before closing the door in his face.

Rachel and Quinn avoided eye contact all morning. Rachel felt Quinn's eyes on her but would always catch her looking away and vice versa. Santana and Brittany, pros at this game, felt the tension in the air right off the bat. Everyone else in the room, however, was oblivious. Quinn's stomach tied in knots when Rachel announced she'd made an executive decision for the group to perform Light Up The World as their closing number. Brittany found Santana's hand and squeezed it. Though she kept herself cool and composed in front of the Glee club, she was screaming in her head. Britt was proud of her and she may have even blushed a little. When no one was paying attention she whispered into Brittany's ear.

"It's all for you, baby."

The rest of the morning required all personal issues to be set aside as solos were assigned and performances were choreographed. To Quinn's disdain, Finn was singing a duet with Rachel to a song he wrote called "Pretending."

The song title alone caused Quinn to snort in disbelief. She couldn't think of a more accurate word to describe the Finchel relationship.

The New Directions were called to the stage.

The lights dimmed and the crowd was silent. The music started and Finn and Rachel commenced their performance. Quinn scoffed at the lyrics to Finn's song but was overcome by Rachel's voice. She was absolutely captivating. She even made a shitty song like this sound out of this world. The song ended and the crowd rose to their feet with a standing ovation. Then time stopped. Finn grabbed Rachel and kissed her in front of the entire nationals audience and judges. Quinn's heart stopped and her stomach dropped to the floor.

Rachel pushed her feelings, or lack thereof, for Finn aside as well as her unexplored feelings for Quinn. She would resolve her confusion later. She was intent on applying all of her energy and worry to the competition at hand. She was determined to win. She chose Quinn's song for two reasons. The first reason was simply because it was a great song that was sure to promise them a win. The second, more important reason, was that Quinn wrote it for her. Something about that triggered something inside of Rachel. She ended up taking the lyrics with her when she left Quinn's room because she wanted to keep them for herself. She wasn't sure what she felt exactly but she knew something inside her had awakened.

She humored Finn by agreeing to sing his song with him. A Rachel/Finn duet always went over well in competition anyways. The performance had all gone according to plan, that is, until Finn unceremoniously decided to kiss her on stage. She was in too much shock to realize the implications that weighted them against the judges. Rachel was buzzing from the kiss. It hadn't been spectacular by any means. Come to think of it, the kiss was hardly even romantic but it was easier this way.

Yep, she just might give in to him.