For the next week, Quinn avoided the mirror, the Glee club and Rachel Berry at all costs. Rachel took note of the blonde's behavior but didn't give up. She could have found Quinn's phone number, but decided for more subtle approaches.

"I hope you realize you are wonderful... -RB"

Quinn read the note she found in her locker, from Rachel, but there was no gold star sticker accompanying the signature. She noticed that Rachel was no longer being her "normal" self; whatever the diva used to do to annoy the shit out of Quinn, it wasn't happening anymore. Rachel is as different as Quinn had become.

In the hallways, after she found the note, Quinn would pass by Rachel and watch the floor, but from the corner of her eye she could see the brunette smiling sweetly, differently than she smiled at everyone else. It wasn't her paparazzi smile.

She left more notes:

"I care about you, Quinn... -RB",

"You deserve the best, I won't rest until you're happy... -RB"

Quinn didn't know how to feel about this. She didn't want to self-pity anymore, but there was no way she could do this; she couldn't be Rachel's friend after all she did to her. The past made Quinn feel miserable. The present made her feel even worse.

Quinn left a response in Rachel's locker:

"I know you care, but you deserve better than worrying about me."

Rachel found it the next morning, not expecting a note in return, she didn't check her locker as often as Quinn had been doing lately. After reading the note, Rachel felt determined to get to the bottom of Quinn's heart ache. It killed her to see the most beautiful girl in her life be so tortured by herself and those around her.

Quinn wasn't in class, never came to Glee anymore but her car was in the parking lot, Rachel saw. She looked around to find any sign of the blonde after school and decided to check out the practice field next to the lot. Rachel walked up the ramp to look in the stands, but found no one other than a few of the school "Skanks."

She looked under the bleachers and on the other side of them, she noticed a head of blonde hair and a flash of pink. Rachel approached cautiously and found Quinn hugging a pillar with one arm and the other hand stuffed in her jacket pocket.

"Hi..." Rachel began. She must have just imagined the pink streaks in the blonde's hair because from closer up, Quinn's hair was still as blonde as ever.

"Hey Rachel," Quinn replied with a small smile to the ground. Even if someone could read her mind, no one would expect to learn about the relief Quinn felt knowing that Rachel had found her and that they were alone.

Rachel swallowed deeply and took a few steps closer to the blonde. She almost reached out a hand to fix the stray hairs blowing in front of Quinn's face. She settled for: "How are you doing?"

Quinn sighed and felt like it was finally safe to admit her troubles.

"I wish I were okay. It's just not easy anymore..."

Rachel still didn't know specifics of Quinn's sorrow but she wanted to know more without scaring Quinn off. She had to figure out how to make the blonde comfortable and not screw up this one opportunity to get answers. She tried to form a plan, like offering tea, though it didn't work last time, so she had no confidence it would work this time.

"I want to be alone... but I don't want you to leave."

Rachel felt her heart swell at the acceptance of her company.

Quinn looked her in the eyes and tilted her head. "I almost always feel lonely, but I don't want to be."

Rachel's heart knew that she didn't have to be afraid of rejection now. She stepped closer to Quinn but played with her own sweater. Looking up and smiling into Quinn's eyes, she said: "I won't let you be lonely... you may think you have no one, but I'm right here."

Quinn's heart started beating wildly. "I don't know why you do this to me." Quinn sighed.

"Do what to you?"

"I mean... for me..." she corrected and blushed. "I'm done self-pitying, but I still kind of need you."

"That's precisely why I'm here." Rachel said boldly and put her hand around Quinn's wrist.

Quinn chuckled to play off the continuous blushing. "Someone likeyou... a counsellor or someone."

"I may not be a professional, but I know things about self-esteem, and about those who try to take it away." She looked around, not having expected to divulge much of her past sorrows. But the blonde found herself staring at Rachel with a frown.

"That's exactly whyyou shouldn't be the one feeling bad for me!" Quinn almost wanted to leave and not let her anguish become Rachel's problem. No one deserved to pick up the pieces of a girl who caused so much heartache already.

"I'm not pitying you, right now. I'm not saying that... I just need to know that you're okay! I don't know why it bothers me to see you so... hurt."

Now Quinn couldn't stand to look at the smaller girl. "I deserve this much at least. And I may not have said this yet, but I'm truly sorry, Rachel."

"And because you're sorry, I forgive you," Rachel announced. "Because of that, you deserve better than what you've got now. I've accepted what you did and I don't know why I feel this way about you."

"What about me?" Quinn asked, shyly, wondering why her heart beat rapidly after that statement.

"About your... situation."

Quinn's happy heart quivered for a moment.

"You do need me...someone likeme. And I need you to feel better..."

Quinn saw her reflection in a puddle on the ground, and she saw Rachel's face reflected too as the smaller girl stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist.

Quinn's heart beat faster than it had in months. Her eyes welled up and her heart swelled to a size she hadn't felt in years. She felt cared for. She felt loved. She took a deep breath and hugged Rachel with her arms loosely around the brunette's shoulders. As relieved as she felt, she didn't want to give away all her secrets in one conversation.

...

All weekend Rachel wondered how Quinn was feeling. "What was making her feel so bad?" she always asked herself. She didn't want to impose on Quinn's weekend plans by inviting herself over. And she didn't know exactly the protocol of when was the right time to add Quinn on Facebook. Rachel always over-thought these situations since she had only recently been accepted by the once head cheerleader.

In Quinn's mind, she was still degrading herself from the constant comparisons to other girls who took over the socially powerful position she once held.

...

On Monday morning, Quinn picked up the small piece of yellow paper that fell out of her locker. As a few jocks loudly stomped behind her, Quinn pocketed the note so she wouldn't draw attention from the prying athletes.

She dropped her bag on the floor when she got to class. She pulled the paper from her pocket.

"I tell you you're beautiful because you are. I'm beautiful because I tell myself. But you heard it from so many others, you need to tell yourself now."

Though there was no signature or gold star, but Rachel was the only one Quinn knew who brought colored stationary to school. She smiled at the note and felt hopeful.

Later that same day, Quinn was washing her hands before lunch when Rachel came through the door. She was flicking through her cell phone and didn't notice the blonde until she bumped into her.

Rachel smiled and was relieved to have not knocked into someone like a Cheerio.

"Hello Quinn!" Rachel began, taking in the blonde's presence with a full smile. "I apologize for running into you," she said as she put her phone back into her pocket. Quinn faced the mirror in front of her and smiled at Rachel's reflection.

"I'm not," Quinn said as she shrugged.

Rachel stood next to her friend and put her hand on Quinn's shoulder. They both looked in the mirror. They both smiled at the other, though Quinn's was a bit less intense compared to the happiness in Rachel's eyes.

"Has anyone ever told you how pretty your eyes are?" Rachel smirked as she joked at Quinn, trying to instill some more confidence.

"No, they're all too busy telling me how amazing your voice is, actually," Quinn replied with a smile to the floor.

"Quinn, you're supposed to brag about yourbeauty."

"I know!" the blonde chuckled and grabbed Rachel's hand, though her face fell serious when Rachel stepped closer and put her head on Quinn's chest. The diva looked defeated.

"I just want to help."

"I know, Rachel. I'm sorry..."

Rachel sighed but became hopeful again when Quinn draped her arm around Rachel's shoulders. "I'm not sorry," Rachel contested.

...

Rachel wasn't lucky enough to literally run into Quinn again all week. But she continued to smile in passing to the blonde in the hallways. She tried to convey all of her feelings into the smiles given and she didn't want to force their "friendship" by approaching Quinn if she wasn't ready. She had hope that Quinn was dealing with her sadness because Quinn always smiled a little at Rachel's passing presence.

...

By the end of November, winter had struck Lima. Rachel wasn't ready to give up her skirts yet, so she brought out her thermal stockings to wear at school. Quinn was smarter and more comfortable wearing nice jeans and a bright pink hoodie.

On her way out of school, Rachel shivered and held her blue sweater tightly to her body. Quinn was only a few steps behind, coincidentally and took note of Rachel's lack of winter clothing.

"Here you go, crazy," Quinn laughed as she caught up to Rachel. She held out her hoodie. Rachel's eyes filled with mirth as she heard Quinn's voice.

She smothered the hoodie back into the blonde's arms as she quickly hugged her around the waist. "It's great to see you!"

Quinn's stomach flipped over when she was held by the brunette. "Yeah...It would be great to see you too, if you weren't shivering."

Rachel stepped back from Quinn and continued to beam at the blonde. Quinn's eyes ran up and down the other girl "inspecting" Rachel's lack of winter garb. When she met the brunette's eyes again, she released a breath that pushed fog between the two girls, breaking their gaze from each other.

"Here, Rach," she offered her jacket again.

"No ma'am, I'm fine!" Rachel declined another time.

"No, seriously!" Quinn said again, exasperated at Rachel's inability to accept aid. She pushed the jacket into Rachel's arms, and before Rachel could hand it back, she pulled Rachel in for another hug. Quinn had no idea why the winter wind had no effect when the diva's presence struck.

Rachel smiled to herself and felt no need for the jacket anymore. Every touch shared between them sent her temperature soaring.

"Alright, if you insist." She put her arms into Quinn's jacket. They began to walk towards their cars.

"In case you didn't notice, it's winter now..." Quinn said with a little bit of snark, but mostly she was disappointed by the lack of sun and abundance of cloud. "It sucks."

Rachel noticed the frown return to the blonde's face and her heart sank. "Yes, I hate it too." She wanted to perk up the blonde again. "However, I've found snow can be romantic with the right company."

Quinn half-smiled at Rachel. "I suppose it is. But I haven't had much good company... since... well, for a long time."

"I'm always here, Quinn."

"Yes you are, but you won't like the snow if you continue to wear those skirts and thin sweaters all winter." Quinn aimed to change the subject.

Rachel was warmed by the joke and, like always, felt need to explain herself. As the two reached Rachel's car first, the diva added: "I think jackets and sweatshirts cause me to feel constricted. Plus my doctor has noted that I've always been a little warm-blooded."

"Oh really?," Quinn asked with a slow nod of her head and a giggle, "I'm sure you just radiate warmth and goodness!"

"Yes, you must have never taken notice, being the ice-queen and all!"

Quinn faked a look of shock, Rachel laughed and threw the pink hoodie back at its owner. Quinn caught it easily, but was still startled as the sleeve flew at her face. She dodged it but faked another exasperated look.

"Oh, now you're getting a bit more aggressive! I should have known, with your hot-blooded temper, Berry." She rolled up her sleeves, pretending to get tough at the smaller girl.

Rachel played along and widened her eyes at the "fearful" sight of the ice queen. When Quinn raised her fists, Rachel caught sight of red marks upon her arm. Rachel's body went cold and her jaw dropped when she realized what was really on Quinn's wrists. She gasped.

Quinn wondered for a second why Rachel had gone still. But when she heard the gasp, Quinn also froze. She quickly rolled her sleeves down and backed away. She tried to play it off:

"I wasn't really going to hit you."

Rachel's eyes met Quinn's as the taller girl bit her lip. But she couldn't find words to say to her.

Quinn wasn't ready to deal with this. "I have math homework." She turned and walked away.

Rachel didn't want to leave it at that. "M-Me too! I can help you with it, or something!"

Quinn, trying to finalize their conversation didn't even turn around: "I'm fine! I gotta go!" Her fists were tight.

"Please, I can help you..."

Quinn turned around to find Rachel's fists clenched too, the sight pained her, thinking they almost had the friendship she needed. But Quinn was stubborn, and still in pain. "I'm fine, Berry... I'm sorry."