Rachel's Guardian

by ShouldHaveReadBetweenTheLines

Faberry. Quinn is new to McKinley and is hiding a big secret. Like, a big secret. Will Rachel find out? It's my first venture into the world of fanfic stories so no making fun of me, 'kay? R&R, please? Thanks.

3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

In the next few months time saw the girls grew very close together. Closer, in fact, that Quinn had ever been to anyone. Although she knew she could never fully be with Rachel the way she wanted to be, she was content with just seeing the brunette smile, laugh and perform everyday. Quinn had taken to staying at Rachel's house for tea almost every night and it got to the point were Rachel's parents ended up asking if Quinn wanted to move in with them. Having told them that she lived alone because both parents had passed away and the rest of her family lived in Spain, the two men deemed it inappropriate that a teenage girl should have to live alone in a dingy flat above a pizza joint. 'No way to live as a child,' Rachel's Daddy had told her one time. 'No teenager should have to live alone, without any guidance or support.' The brunettes Dad had put it more kindly. The blonde had merely smiled and told them that she took enough advantage of them as it was and that she would feel unbeleivably guilty living in their home, eating there food and using their water and electricity.

'Do you not want to live with us?' Rachel had asked Quinn two months after Quinn had first arrived into Rachel's life. It was Friday night and they were up in Rachel's room watching Rent on DVD for what seemed like the one millionth time to Quinn. But Quinn didn't mind, she loved to watch Rachel mouth the words and sing the songs with Idina and the rest of them almost as much as she liked to watch the actual film.
'Of course I do,' Quinn said. 'It's just...I don't like taking advantage of people because...well I just don't. I haven't been brought up that way.'
Rachel was silent for a few minutes and then was silent for a few minutes. She pretended to watch the film but was really bargaining with herself what to say next. Rachel knew what she wanted to say. But she always knew what she ought to say. And they were two very different things. Finally, coming to rest on what she was going to say, Rachel swallowed hard and paused the film.
'What're you doing? I thought that was your favourite part?' Quinn asked.
Rachel nodded and took a huge breath. 'It is. But what I want to say to you is more important than any film or musical.'
Quinn rolled over off her side and sat up straight. Looking at her best friend seriously she waited until the brunette spoke.
'I love you, Quinn.' She said. 'I just thought you should know. I've loved you ever since I met you and even though I love what we have, being best friends and as close as we are, I feel like I...I want something...more. Do you ever get that?'
Quinn blinked. She hadn't expected that at all. The blonde thought for a while and then she said, 'Rachel, look-'
'Oh,' Rachel said, a dull flush creeping up into her cheeks. 'I get it. You...you're straight. That...that's fine, I guess I just thought that maybe we had something different.' Rachel got up off the bed and turned away from Quinn. She tried to wipe the tears away from her eyes and off her cheeks without her best friend seeing.
'That's not what I was going to say, Rach,' Quinn said, getting off the bed herself and turning Rachel to face her. 'What we have it...it's good. It's really good. And I want more than anything in the world, more than food, water or air, to be with you in that way but...you need to know some things before...before you can make an accurate and informed decision.'
Rachel smiled. 'Quinn, I am pretty certain that whatever it is that you have to tell me I will still want you to be my girlfriend. I have thought about this for a long time.'
'We'll just have to wait and see.' Quinn mumbled to herself. She lead Rachel back to the bed and they both sat down. Both girls sat cross-legged facing each other. 'Okay...so, there is no easy way to say this Rach so I'm just gonna go ahead and say it: I don't age.'
'What?'
'I don't age. I'm what people call a Guardian.' Quinn took a deep breath and looked up from her hands to her brunette sat in front of her. Rachel felt as if the whole world had slipped out from underneath her, everything was spinning, she couldn't see anything except for the blonde sat in front of her. Surely, Rachel thought, surely this is some kind of joke.
'You are joking, right? You're kidding me, aren't you?'
Quinn shook her head. 'No, I'm not. I was born on October 1902, Italy. My dad had died defending his country during the retaliation of the labor revolt in 1900. My mother died during child birth. I lived with my Aunt and Uncle. I lived a normal, happy life with them out in the country until my Aunt Lenobia died. She was old, well, old for those times anyway. She'd been fifty-one went it happened and I was thirteen, my Uncle went not long after, I was fifteen when that happened. So I was alone. I mean, sure, they'd left me their house and a fair amount of money they left was mine but I was still alone. Then, one day, I was walking through the town on my way back from the market when I got pulled into a tiny side-street. I tried to scream but found I couldn't, it was as if I'd lost my voice. I looked around to see a man stood their grinning over me. He was around thirty something and his name was Gautier, he told me he could help me. He told me I could travel with him and never have to be alone again. He was a Guardian as well, Rach, and he was assigned to me.'
'Assigned?'
'Some Guardian's feel a certain pull towards humans that have been going through a tough time, physically or mentally. I had been having a tough time, I guess, everyone I knew and loved had died on me. And Gautier was my Guardian because of that. He told my he could help me and I let him. Even though I didn't know him I felt that I could trust him, I'm guessing it's because we were assigned to one another. Anyway, he did help me. He Changed me.'
Quinn paused so that Rachel could ask question but Rachel had none. This was mad. Entirely, entirely mad. 'Go on.' She managed to say through dried lips.
Quinn swallowed and carried on. 'So, Gautier Changed me into a Guardian and we travelled the world together for a long time. We saw everything. Halleys commet for the first time, the bubonic plague in India, women having the right to vote in America, Pluto being discovered, Ghandi's salt march, the Korean war, both World Wars. We split up in the seventies because Gautier wanted to stay in England because he'd been assigned to another human there, I left him and went to Woodstock.'
'Woodstock? As in the real Woodstock?'
Quinn nodded. 'Yeah, it's like nothing you've ever seen before, Rach. And I even cried when the Beatles split up, and when John Lennon was assassinated.'
'Wow.' Rachel said, sounding amazed. She sat back against her mountain of pillows and stuffed toys. 'You really know your stuff. And that leads me to believe that you either were there to witness it all or...you're a madman that's really studied history a lot.'
Quinn laughed and said, 'So, now you know. What do you think?'
'I think that I need to lie down.' Rachel said truthfully. 'Don't go anywhere though. Stay the night.'
Quinn thought about it for a moment and then realised she had no reason to hold back. No reason at all. She'd told Rachel everything. 'Okay.' She said and she settled down next to the brunette. Rachel snuggled down into Quinn's curved body and Quinn wrapped her hands around the Jewish girls waist.
'Oh, and another thing.' Quinn said.
'Yes?'
'I love you, too.'

The next day the two girls were woken up by Rachel's alarm going off. Rubbing sleep out of her eyes the brunette rolled over to look at the beautiful blonde laid next to her. She smiled, not being able to believe her luck. That night when Quinn had fallen asleep next to her, breathing deeply and evenly, Rachel had stayed awake thinking things through. She believed what Quinn had told her, even though it was mad, she saw it in the girls eyes that it was the absolute truth and Rachel knew that Quinn would never lie to her anyway. She just knew it. She'd thought about the consequences and the life-changing decisions she knew one day the two of them would face together but she didn't care. Nothing seemed big enough to stop her from wanting, needing, to be with Quinn. Because she was more than just a silly teenage crush. The blonde was her soulmate.
Rachel watched as Quinn opened her eyes and smiled.
'Mornin' beautiful.' Quinn mumbled and she sat up straight, blinking in the morning sun.
'Morning.' Rachel replied curtly and she rolled off the bed and stood to face her girlfriend, who was looking at her sleepily. 'Quinn, I have something to say-'
'You've decided against being with me.' Quinn stated.
'No,' Rachel said. 'But you had your speech last night and I think it is only fair that I now have mine.'
The other girl grinned, she'd heard Rachel's speeches more often than not and could not think of a better thing to wake up to in the morning. 'Go ahead, hun.'
Rachel took a deep breath. 'Last night whilst you were sleeping I thought things through. I thought about everything you told me and considered every possibility, every ending and everything we have been through together and it is safe to say that I believe you, Quinn Fabray, about you being a Guardian Angel.'
Quinn let out a short bark of laughter. 'I'm not a Guardian Angel, Rach, just a Guardian.'
'Well, you call it what you want but, to me, you're my Guardian Angel, Quinn. And I love you. So, I suggest that from this day forward we address each other like we're partners and if people ask we give them the honest answer: that we are an item.'
'Okay.' Quinn said. 'What about your parents?'
'I suggest we tell them during breakfast.'
'Will they be okay with you being a lesbian?'
Rachel looked at her girlfriend skeptically. 'Quinn, I have two gay dad's, I doubt that they will be upset over finding out their daughter is gay also.'
Quinn smiled and got off the bed. 'So, I guess it won't hurt if we do this...' she took Rachel's chin in her hand and brought the brunettes lips up to claim her own. One of Rachel's hands went up around Quinn's waist, the other tangled in her long blonde hair. Quinn held the brunette close to her and kissed her long and passionately. It was as if the brunette and blonde fit together perfectly like peices of a jig-saw puzzle, perfect for no-one but each other. When they broke apart for air it was much too soon for both girls' liking. They were both panting heavily and when Rachel got her breath back she said, 'Okay, I think we need to tell my parents before this goes any further.'
Quinn liked the idea of the moment going "further" but her stomach flipped at the thought of telling Rachel's parents. Even though she knew they'd be fine with it. The two girls joined hands as the left the room, walked down the stairs, and entered the kitchen in which the two men were sat having breakfast.
'Good morning, Rachel.' Kevin, Rachel's Daddy, said when they walked into the room. 'And Quinn, too! Did you stay the night?'
'Yeah, I hope that isn't too much of a problem.' Quin replied.
'Not at all, not at all.' Phil, Rachel's Dad, told her. Then, when neither of the two girls moved, his eyes narrowed. 'You look like you have something to say, sweeties.'
Rachel took a deep breath and stepped further into the room. Quinn stepped with her so she didn't look so alone. 'Dad, Daddy, me and Quinn have something to say to you.' Both men were paying the utmost attention. 'It may have come to your attention that me and Quinn are rather close,' both men nodded. 'Well, we're very close. In fact, last night we both deemed it appropriate for us to be together...in the way that you two are together.'
Both men's eyebrows raised for a minute, then they looked from Quinn to Rachel to each other. After a few seconds silence Phil finally managed to cry out, 'Finally! God! We've been waiting for you two to get together for the past month! It was like watching a soap opera!'
Kevin and Phil both laughed and it took a while for the two girls to proccess what had just happened before they joined in the laughter too. The atmosphere in the room brightened and became lighter again and Kevin offered both girls breakfast and they sat down to eat.
The rest of the morning was spent with the two girls watching T.V. and lounging around on the sofa. When Rachel's dads asked if the two of them were going to get dressed Rachel finally let Quinn return home for some clothes, but only after the blonde had promised that she would return as soon as possible. When Quinn returned in the afternoon, it was with an overnight bag in her hands after receiving a text from Rachel explaining that if she didn't stay the night the brunette would be rather angry with the blonde.

That night was their first time together. It was more exciting for Quinn than her first time with anyone had been and Rachel decided that she enjoyed it thoroughly. When they had finished both girls lay panting and sweating on the bed as if they'd just run a marathon. It took a while for them to regain breath and when they did Rachel was the first to ask a question.
'Quinn, what was it like?'
'What? Just then? Quite spectacular, why?'
'Not then, although I am pleased to hear you liked it. I mean, living for all these years. Witnessing so many important events. What was Woodstock like?'
'Woodstock? It was...amazing. Everyone was just off their face completely and, if I didn't have to go through all the vomiting afterwards, I'd do it again. It's been my favourite part of living all these years. Although, now it's second best to these past few months with you.'
Rachel smiled. 'I would have loved to have lived in the sixties-'
'It was pretty much the seventies, to be honest.'
'But, still, it sounds amazing.'
'I'd still rather be here with you then at Woodstock. Or any place in time, really.' Quinn told the brunette quietly. Rachel giggled. 'That is one of the weirdest compliments I have ever been given, Quinn. And also the sweetest.'
Quinn smiled and kissed her girlfriend on the lips. 'I mean it, though. I'd do anything to be with you, Rach. I...you're my soulmate and I love you.'
'I love you, too.' Rachel murmured against the blondes lips. And the rest of the night was spent full of passion and pleasure.

When it came to school the following Monday, Quinn had spent the night at Rachel's once again, so the two girls got the same car to school. When the two of them got out of the car, not many people took much notice but Rachel felt as if the whole world was staring at her. She met Quinn at the end of the car and the blondes hand entwined into her own. 'You alright, hun?'
Rachel nodded. 'Yes. I've been stared at many times before and this time it will be for a good reason that people are looking at us.'
'Exactly.' Quinn said. 'And if people give you a hard time, tell me, and I'll knock them into next week.'
Rachel laughed and they entered the school building. They reached their lockers and Rachel saw out of the corner of her eye, Santana and Brittany rounded the corner not long after them. 'They're coming over here.' Rachel muttered to Quinn, who took her hand again and replied, 'They can't do anything to hurt you, not when I'm here.' Rachel felt Quinn's lips press against her cheek briefly before she turned to face the Cheerios head on.
'What are you doing with her?' Santana asked bluntly. Her dark, brooding eyes skimmed down Rachel's attire and then came to rest upon the girls entwined hands.
She let out a peel of dark laughter and Rachel couldn't even blame Brittany for asking, 'What are you laughing at? Am I supposed to be laughing as well? Because you know how I don't get silent jokes.'
'They're together, Brittany. Look at their hands.' Santana pointed downwards and Brittany's eyes came to rest upon the hands.
'I don't get it.'
'They're holding hands, Britt. Quinn's with the freak in the way that you are with Matt. She obviously touches her in that way as well. She's probably fucking her, too.' Santana's voice went suddenly cold and vicious. She didn't say anything else as she gave them a disgusted look. 'You people make me sick. Come on, Brittany, we're leaving.' The two girls linked pinky fingers like always and strutted off up the corridor.
'Huh.' Quinn said, seeming politely amused. 'I always knew that Santana was mean but homophobic was one thing I didn't think of.'
'She's Catholic.' Rachel managed to get out, the whole of her body had gone cold with what Santana had said. 'They all think that way. C'mon, we should probably get to Spanish.'
And the brunette walked off with the blonde, feeling now that, with Quinn by her side, she could face anything. Aslong as she had her destiny solidly at her side.

Within the next few months everyone at school found out about the two girls. And neither of them cared. They were happy with each other and that was all that mattered. Rachel's parents still insisted on Quinn living with them and Quinn still refused out of politeness, always giving them the same excuse everytime: that she didn't want to take advantage of them, that she hadn't been raised to think like that. 'I still think it's awful for you to live on your own, honey.' Kevin had told her over tea one night.
Quinn smiled. 'I don't mind it really. As long as I know you guys are just a few blokes away I don't care where I live.'
Kevin smiled. 'You're so sweet, Quinn. Like the second daughter I never had.'
Quinn and Rachel retired to the brunettes bedroom after tea and Rachel put on a DVD as always. They watched the film together, Quinn had her arm around Rachel's shoulder as the brunette snuggled into the blondes torso. The position was so natural for them it was as if it had been invented just for them.
'Do you ever get bored?' Rachel asked after a while. 'Of doing the same thing every night, I mean?'
Quinn didn't really think about her answer. 'No, not at all. With you, I could never be bored. You're the only reason I'm sticking around here.'
Rachel smiled and planted a kiss on her girlfriends chin. 'I love you, Quinn, you do know that, right?'
Quinn grinned. 'Well now I do. And I love you, too. Always.'

When Quinn got home that night from Rachel's house she opened the door to her apartment and turned on the lights. 'Hello, little Quinnie.' A voice said from the darkness. A deadly familiar voice. 'You're finally home.'
'Gautier?' Quinn asked, and the man himself stepped out from the bedroom doorway. 'Gautier!' Quinn repeated and she flung herself at the man, claiming him in a tight embrace. 'How are you? I haven't seen you in, like, fourty years!'
'I'm very well thank you. I was passing through the country and I thought I'd drop by.'
'How did you find me?'
'You're old landlord told me you'd moved out of the apartment in Chicago, I also asked Marie who lived across the hall from you and she said that you'd moved here. Then I looked you up in the directory.' Gautier replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
'You haven't changed.' Quinn told him.
'Yep, it's one of the perks of never ageing. So...how are you? You seem to be doing well. How come you were back so late? Boyfriend?'
'Nah,' Quinn said with a smirk. 'Being straight's so overrated, it's all about the lesbianism now, Gaut.'
Gautier's eyes widened in surprise and then he finally managed out a sentence. 'That was unexpected. Who's the lucky girl?'
'Her names Rachel Berry...' Quinn spent several minutes explainng how amazing and talented her girlfriend was before pausing for breath.
'You two seem pretty tight.' Gautier noted. 'Does she know about...?'
Quinn nodded. 'I told her before we got together.' Alarm swept across Gautier's features. 'It's okay, Gaut, you can trust her. She'd never tell anyone.'
'Are you sure?'
'Yes, she's my soulmate, the love of my ridiculously long life, she'd never do anything to hurt me.' Quinn walked further into the room. 'Do you want something to drink? Coffee or...?'
'Coffee would be good, thanks.'
Quinn pottered around the kitchen for a while making the coffee's and then joined Gautier on the sofa placed in the centre of the room. 'So what have you been doing these past fourty years?'
'Nothing much really. The usual. Elena grew up and I'm no longer assigned to her so I travelled the world for a while. I went everywhere, Egypt, Africa, Canada. It was pretty amazing. Obviously it took me longer than I expected because I kept getting assigned to different people all around the world, it got kind of tiring in the end. Looking after humans constantly is kinda exhausting.'
'I noticed.' Quinn replied. She took a sip of her coffee and Gautier did the same. She wasn't looking at her old friend but she could tell he was staring at her with a calculating expression on his face. As he had done so many times before.
'Are you wanting me to put you up for the night? Because you can sleep on the couch, you know.'
'That would be much appreciated, thank you.' Gautier smiled.
The rest of the night the two friends spent catching up on each others adventure and endeavours they'd been on and, by the end of it, it was twenty past one in the morning and Quinn was absolutely beat.
'Right, m'off to bed.' She yawned. 'Spare cover and pillows in the airing cupboard. See you tomorrow.'
'Good night, Quinnie.' Gautier said.
'You know you don't have to call me that now. I'm almost a hundred years old, or I already am. I lost count after the first fifty.'
'Good night, Quinn.'
'Night, Gaut. Sleep tight.'

When Quinn picked Rachel up for school the next day she was practically bursting with news that Gautier was in town.
'Guess what?'
'You look like you've taken some form of drug, are you alright?'
'I'm more than alright, I'm pissing ecstatic! You'll never guess who's in town!'
'You're right, I won't. And I'm not entirely sure I want to either.'
'Gautier! Gautier's back in town!'
'As in the Gautier?'
'Mm-hmm. And I want you to meet him. Tonight, if you can. After Glee!'
'Okay, I will do. I hope you will have calmed down before then though.'
'Not a chance in hell.'
'Ah crap...'

That night after Glee Club Quinn took Rachel back to her apartment. Stopping off at Rachel's house on the way so they could tell Rachel's parents they would be there for tea that night. Rachel was a bag of nerves by the time they pulled up outside the apartment. 'What if he doesn't like me?'
'Of course he'll like you.'
'And if he doesn't?'
'Then I'll ask him where he lost his mind and send him back to get it.'
'Sounds like a plan.'
The two girls got to Quinn's door and entered the room. Quinn turned the lights on and yelled out, 'Gautier? Where are you?'
'I'm in the shower! Two minutes!' A man's voice came from the bathroom.
'Is he allowed to use your shower?'
'Rachel, the guy was there for me when I had no-one, he can use my shower all he wants.' Quinn lead Rachel to the sofa were the brunette sat nervously for a moment before the door of the bathroom opened a man wearing nothing but a pair of jeans walked out towel drying his long her. Even though Rachel tended to lean towards the women a little more even she could appeciate how good looking this man was. His upper body was lean and muscular and his facial feature were so parfect it was as if they'd been carved out of stone. His dark hair was wet and floppy and hung around his shoulders in neat curls. Rachel wondered vaguely whether being a Guardian Angel (she still called it that despite Quinn's attempts to tell her differently) made you instantly beautiful.
'Gautier,' Quinn said. 'This is Rachel, my girlfriend. Rachel this is Gautier, my oldest friend. Ever.'
'It's nice to finally meet you, Rachel, Quinn speaks very highly of you and it's nice to see you in the flesh.'
'Likewise.' Rachel said. 'Quinn was ridiculously excited this morning about telling me you were in town.' The man smiled and Quinn bustled about for the next five minutes making coffee and starting to get the tea ready. All the while Rachel felt as if Gautier was surveying her through his dark eyes. It was a peculiar feeling that Rachel couldn't decide whether she liked or not. When Quinn had finally made tea Gautier didn't get up right away but watched how Rachel and Quinn acted around each other and how they spoke and touched one another. Rachel thought it was just a bit odd. When Gautier got up to go to the bathroom Quinn murmured to Rachel, 'He's not usually this quiet.'
'I told you he wouldn't like me.'
'Oh, I'm sure he does like you. When Gautier doesn't like someone I can usually tell, but, I can't tell what he's thinking, to be honest. It's been a while, I guess. He's changed a little more than I thought.' Rachel poked at her food for a moment and then Quinn asked, 'This is upsetting you, isn't it?'
'He's you're oldest friend ever, Quinn. And you're my soulmate. I want him to like me and it seems like he just...doesn't.'
'I'll have a word when he comes back from the toilet.' Quinn mutterd and she started to stand.
'No! Please!' Rachel put her hand on Quinn's. 'I don't want it to be a big deal.'
'I be subtle. I promise. He won't suspect a thing.'
Rachel doubted that very much but she let Quinn go anyway. Rachel heard Quinn's angry whisper as if she was stood right next to her. 'What are you playing at, Gaut? Rachel's being perfectly nice to her and you're not even bothering to give her proper answers!'
'I don't know what you mean.'
'Oh, I think you do. Don't be so cruel, Gautier! If you don't like her then at least play nice a little better!'
'I do like her. She's perfectly nice and you two are obviously so in love with each other. I just...'
'What? You just what?'
'You know you're going to have to leave her, don't you?' Rachel's heart sank. She knew what was coming. 'She's going to get old and you're not going to age at all and then what? Are you going to stay with her until she dies? How will that effect you? How will it effect her? She'll never be able to have a proper family, a proper life! There'll be none of that "getting married and dying at the same time" shit, will there? There'll be her getting old and you watching from the sidelines as her life is slowly taken away from her until you're left with nothing! Again. And who will have to pick up the peice? Me. Just like with Liana.'
'Don't you dare bring her into this! She has nothing to do with Rachel, nothing! That was then and this is now! I've grown up a lot since then, Gautier. A whole lot. And if you don't want to be there to pick up the peices then don't stick around, don't come running when I call for you! And, who says there'll be any peices for you to pick up anway? Things might be different. Things will be different!'
'How?'
'I could Change her.'
'You'd never do that. You'd never subject this life onto someone you loved and cared about! It's too cruel.'
'You did with me.'
'You were my first human to be assigned to. I chose the easy way of dealing with you. I don't do that now. It's called learning from you're mistakes, Quinn.' There was a silence in which Rachel heard her heart beat so loudly and quickly that she was sure the two Guardian Angel's must have heard it round the corner. 'You're going to have to leave her Quinn. You know you do. And the quicker you do it, the easier it will be.'
Rachel had heard enough. Slamming down her knife and fork she left the apartment. She walked out into the cold air and hugged her body to keep warm. She'd left her jacket in Quinn's apartment. She cried silently for what seemed like ages. She felt as if the weight of the world was pressing down upon her and it was becoming difficult to breath. She tried taking huge gulps of air but it did nothing to help.

'Rachel? You left this upstairs.' It was Quinn. The jacket she'd craved was wrapped around her shoulders and then suddenly so were Quinn's arms. Rachel sobbed into her chest and she heard a sniffle or two from Quinn. The blonde was also crying.
'What you heard,' Quinn said, holding Rachel at arms length and wiping away the brunette tears with her thumb. 'You don't need to worry about that.'
'It's true though, isn't it? You're going to either have to Change me or leave me.'
'I won't do either of those things. I won't leave you and I'm not damning you to roam this planet forever.'
'And I won't let you watch me grow old from the sidelines.' Rachel told the blonde. Even though her voice was cracked the note of finality was still held. And Quinn knew that disagreeing wouldn't get her anywhere.
'Then what do you want me to do, Rach?' Quinn's voice was exasperated. 'There is no way in hell I'm Changing you.'
'Why not? Why won't consider-?'
'Because living forever may seem good now, when you're human, but it get's unbelievably boring after a while. And there's nothing you can do to change it! You'll be stuck in this world forever with no escape.'
'No world can be bad when it's you and me together, Quinn. No world at all.'
Quin shook her head. 'I'm not Changing you, and that is final.'
'What if I ask Gautier?'
'He won't do it. He's against that now.'
'So...what are you suggesting?'
'I'm suggesting that you let me stay with you until you grow old and die and then I...I'll find a way to follow. I promise!'
Rachel barely heard what Quinn was saying. A part of Quinn and Gautier's whispered argument had just come back to the brunette. 'Who is Liana?'
'Nobody.'
'Quinn, we're soulmates. We're supposed to tell each other everything!' The small girl look so defiant a smile split across Quinn's face and she gave in.
'Fine, I'll tell you. And maybe this will change your mind about everything.'
'By the sounds of it, it's more likely to change your mind, Quinn.'
Quinn ignored her and started with the story. 'In the sixties when I was at Woodstock I met a girl. Her name was Liana. She was fun, sweet, funny, and, well, one step off being as amazing as you, to be honest. We got together at Woodstock and it was one of the best times of my life. She knew what I was. I told her. Like you, she didn't care. We stayed together as she grew up. I stayed the same. Then, one day, she went. She got hit by a passing bus and died in hospital hours after it happened. I was distraught. She was only thirty-nine when it happened and still the love of my life. I thought she was my soulmate. I was just deeply in love, I suppose. Gautier found me a week after her death, I didn't even recognise him I was that drunk out of my head. Alcohol, I'd found, was the easiest way to numb the pain of loosing a loved one. I drank and drank and drank until Gautier decided to put me in Rehab or some kind of alcoholic training programme thing. I managed to get off the booze and dealt with the grief the way everyone else did, with time and patience. And that...that is why this time I will find a way to follow you, Rachel. Because after you there is nothing else, no hope, no light, only darkness and a whole lotta pain. After you go I won't want to live.' Quinn talked quickly, as if she was hoping that making the story short would make it less painful.
'No.' Rachel said after what seemed like an hours' silence. 'That is why we...we shouldn't carry on like this.'
Quinn's world came tumbling down around her. 'What are you saying?'
'I'm saying...I can't do that to you, Quinn. I can't let you watch me grow old and then die like Liana. And you won't Change me. So...that only leaves one solution.'
'But...I don't want to leave you.'
'And I don't want you to leave me either. I love you, Quinn, with everything that is inside of me, I love you. And that's why I can't be with you. The only way for us both to carry on is for us to not be together. It will hurt, mother of God, it will hurt so much but...it's the only way without severe pain on both parts that we can carry on.'
The blonde stepped closer to the brunnette. 'And I love you, Rachel. More than anything in this world. And, I can't believe I'm saying this but, I'm not even going to argue with you because...it's for the best. I don't want to hurt you, and I...I don't want to hurt anymore. It sounds pathetic but it's true. I'm sick of hurting people and hurting myself.'
The two joined together for the last time. Ever. It was their last embrace. Their last kiss. Their last moment together. Both girls were crying madly now. Fast, thick tears were rolling down their cheeks and dropping off the ends of their noses and chins.
'I love you.'
'I love you, too.'
And it hurt like fuck to realise that they were never going have a moment like that together. Never speak to each other. Never hold or touch each other. Never see each other again.
It was the end of an era.
And a damn special one at that.