Thanks for the reviews so far guys, you're super encouraging. I'm writing a bit further ahead of what i'm posting, and every time i do it seems like it fits perfectly with something that i could reflect later in the story. It's like fate or something!

Hope you enjoy the next few chapters, they were pretty good to write.

Again, Rachel, Quinn and all the rest are not in any way my own, no matter how much i pretend they are.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2

In actual fact, the two saw each other even sooner than they thought. That Sunday, Rachel was wondering around the Mall, doing a little self-indulgent shopping. She had moved to Lima fairly recently, for the beginning of the school year, and hadn't really had time to get a feel for the place. She had been in downtown Lima, just taking in the sights really, for almost three hours, and had finally wandered into the mall. Deciding to get a drink and sit down for a little while, she walked into what she could only describe as the busiest Starbucks in the history of existence. Joining one of the multiple queues, she sighed, cursing her craving for a caramel macchiato. She had been to college in New York so her coffee addiction was severe. However, even the Starbucks in the city hadn't been as crazy as the one she was currently in. Or, she thought looking at the time on her phone for the third time, maybe the Starbucks in the city are just more efficient because they're used to being busy. She finally ordered her coffee and had just spotted a some people retiring from a table, rushing around the order desk island in the middle of the shop. She pulled out a chair at the table just as she heard the scrape of chair legs in front of her at the same time and realized someone else had seen the table as well. She was preparing to demonstrate her strong-will and argue her way keeping the table for herself, when, upon looking up at her would-be table opponent, she met the eyes of none other than Quinn Fabray, whose face had clearly been adjusted swiftly into her best HBIC face in preparation for her own defense of the table.

"Quinn!" Rachel exclaimed over the soft bass rumble of voices in the café, giving the girl a surprised smile before she even realized.

"Ms Berry!" Quinn said, clearly just as surprised to see her teacher outside of her natural habitat of the school. They both looked around the crowded room at all the other standing people looking for a table. Quinn took a bold step and asked "Want to just share?" Rachel nodded and smiled, relieved, before sitting down opposite the young blond. "So, how are you feeling today, Quinn? Hopefully better than Friday?" Rachel asked, trying to break the subtle tension that was clinging to them and get back into the comfortable space they had been in the previous time they spoke.

"Yeah, I am thanks. I mean, nothing's been, like, solved or anything, but it's not bringing me down so much today." Quinn assured Rachel, as her clear eyes met her teacher's with a smile. Rachel took a sip of her steaming drink as she nodded, listening. "Good. That's good." They paused for a few moments as Quinn also took a sip of what looked like a green tea frapacchino. "So what are you doing today then? You waiting for someone?" Rachel asked, trying to continue their conversation somewhat naturally. Quinn shook her head.

"Not exactly. Every Sunday after church my mom insists that we spend 'quality time'" she said emphatically, adding the air quotes and causing Rachel to smile "shopping together. What actually ends up happening is she spends 20 minutes grilling me on my week while browsing some clothes, and then she spends the next hour and a half getting her hair or nails done and gossiping about the neighbors while I do a little shopping or sit in here reading." As she finished her sentence, she pulled a book out of the purse she had hung on the back of her chair and slid it across the table in explanation. Rachel picked up the book and looked at it.

"The Dharma Bums? I love Jack Kerouac." Rachel laughed. At this Quinn broke out into a blinding smile the likes of which Rachel had not seen from the girl once in her week of teaching at WMHS, and which she suspected most of the people that Quinn knew had actually seen less times than herself. "Me too" was all Quinn offered in reply.

"Although," Rachel added "I didn't get into his books until my second year of college, so you're ahead of me. He's a bit too existential for high school-me's tastes. I was much more of an optimist back then. Although I'm not exactly a pessimist now, just a little less naïve I guess." Quinn listened attentively as Rachel continued, and they again had a conversation that was much more comfortable and flowing than it should have been given how long they had known each other and how they were acquainted. Even Quinn, now in a much calmer state than the previous time they had talked, noticed, but still neither of them considered ending their conversation.

When Judy Fabray entered the coffee shop with her newly manicured nails held delicately in front of her, she was surprised to find that when she finally discerned her daughter in the crowd, she was sitting opposite an unfamiliar brunette girl, whom she was laughing and joking with animatedly rather than sitting on her solitary table as usual. When Judy approached the pair and cleared her throat to indicate her presence, Quinn's happy expression changed rapidly, as if she had been woken up from a particularly pleasant dream.

"Mom! I didn't realize you would be done so fast. Uh, this is my new music teacher, Ms Berry. The place was so busy that when we ran into each other we decided to share." Judy raised her eyebrow in bemusement, knowing full well that she had taken just as long as she usually took. Remembering her manners, she turned towards the brunette woman, giving her a gracious smile. Rachel stood up and offered her hand for Judy to shake. "Mrs Fabray, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"And the same to you" She offered in return. "Sorry, I would shake your hand but my nails..." she trailed of, nodding down towards her hands. Rachel bobbed her head in understanding and sat as Judy occupied the chair that Quinn had dutifully pulled out for her due to her temporary disability.

"So, Ms Berry, was it? You're one of Quinnie's teachers?" Rachel nodded the affirmative. "How's she doing so far?"

"Well, not to embarrass her, but so far I'm extremely impressed with her. Not only is she a very quick study when it comes to music, but she also has a beautiful singing voice. She could go very far." Rachel noticed a strange, hard, yet vacant look cross Judy's face, as if she was annoyed and had tuned out. Unperturbed, Rachel continued, ignoring the woman's raised eyebrow. "I've also noticed that while she may not realize it sometimes, she is a very intelligent and mature young woman." Quinn smiled as her cheeks tinged a little pink and she looked towards Rachel. The brunette flashed her a quick smile before turning to Judy who nodded approvingly and met her daughter's eyes.

"That's good to hear. I believe Quinn said that you were new to the school?

"Yes, that's right. I only moved to Lima three weeks ago. I'm here today trying to get a little more of a feel for the town." Rachel answered politely, wishing for the first time that afternoon that she could make a hasty exit. Mrs Fabray was polite enough, but everything she said and did was clearly an act. Rachel decided that she had found out why Quinn was so convinced she needed to put on one of her own.

"I see. Where were teaching you before you came to Lima?"

"Actually, this is my first job teaching. I'm originally from Ohio, a little closer to Columbus. Before I came here, I was doing my teaching course in New York, before that I was traveling around Africa and parts of Asia and the Pacific for a year, and before that I was at Juilliard."

Rachel realized that she had probably supplied too much information, enough to warrant an entire conversation with the older blond, and regretted it instantly. Her tendency to ramble had earned her the title of 'queen of TMI' from her fathers, and they were proven right time and again. Both the women sitting across the table from her had their eyebrows raised, Quinn in genuine interest, and Judy's in surprise. "You studied at Juilliard, but now you're teaching in Lima?" she asked with poorly masked incredulity. Rachel smiled. She wasn't surprised at the question, she had heard the same thing from all of her friends and both of her dads. The expression on Judy's face was clearly one of disapproval, and Rachel assumed it was because the woman thought she had dropped out or worse. "Yes, that's right. While I was at college, as most people find happens to them, I changed a lot. When I originally applied to college, it had been my dream to be on Broadway, and I was told by multiple professors that my dream was certainly attainable, but as time passed my priorities changed. I passed top of my class, but I needed to get away. I went off traveling, and by the time I got back I had decided that I wanted to teach, at least for a little while. This is my first job as a teacher, so Lima is a really great place to do it. It's a nice area, a decent school and well behaved, enthusiastic kids. I'm really enjoying it so far." The last part was said with a smile in Quinn's direction. After all, it was Quinn who had impressed her the most, both as a student and as a person.

"I see." Judy stated, still less than enthusiastic. "Well that is… admirable." She ended lamely. Rachel could see that she would never allow her own daughter to do what Rachel had done. "Thank you" Rachel said politely, before looking over at Quinn who was shaking her head slightly at her mother's response and looking down, her expression seemingly post-eye roll. Rachel looked down at her watch. Time to make a hasty exit methinks. Looking up at Mrs Fabray again, she stood up saying, "It's been lovely talking to you, but I'm afraid I have to go. I still have some preparation to do for my classes tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon."

"It was a pleasure talking to you" Judy said, smiling to the woman as both the blonds stood up respectfully. Rachel turned to grab her coat and purse. She looked to Quinn. "Enjoy the book Quinn. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks for your help Ms Berry." The girl replied and grinned, enforcing the meaning behind her words. Thank you for not loosing your patience too quickly with my idiot mother she meant. Thank you for getting to know me better than the woman who raised me does. "See you tomorrow." Rachel smiled a final time at both women before turning and walking away, with equal parts relief and disappointment.

Later that night, Quinn thought about what Ms Berry had mentioned in Starbucks whilst talking to her mom. She made a mental note to ask about it if the opportunity ever arose: what it was that made her change her dream and escape for a year. Perhaps it was something to do with the secret that she had mentioned she had been keeping that made her so unhappy in high school. As she kissed her mother and father on the cheek and made her way up the stairs to her bedroom, her mind, as it did every night, turned to the fact that she felt so distant from them. They were both supposedly the epitome of Christians, which one would assume was loving and kind, accepting of everyone. Instead though, they were detached and disinterested. Until Quinn misbehaved of course, although that hadn't happened for many years. Then they became highly pro-active parents, her father doling out spankings and her mother forcing her to read verses of the bible, and grounding her for months at a time. As she walked away from them both, leaving them in their customary evening drunken stupor, her mind strayed to Ms Berry. Never before had she known an adult that she truly admired. Although, Quinn thought as she padded up the thick carpet of the stairs, she's not like a real adult. She's younger than my sister. Not that she's not mature, she's just more like, I don't know… a confidant, not a superior. Quinn considered how nice it was to want to emulate someone she actually knew. She wished she had the balls to change her plans so dramatically. Although she was willing to bet that Ms Berry's parents were a heck of a lot less obsessed with appearances than the Fabrays. Ms Berry certainly was. Still, maybe Quinn would be brave enough to make her own decisions one day, and not just do what her parents wanted of her, but do what she herself wanted to do.

As she crawled under the covers and curled up on her side, rolling slightly and stretching out to turn off the lamp, Quinn thought about the opportunities that were waiting for her when she finally got out from under her parents' rule, of studying something she enjoyed like music, of traveling for no reason other than to see what was out there. She imagined having someone like Rachel Berry there with her, supportive, kind, interesting. And Beautiful her sleep filled mind added emphatically. As she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts muted slowly into hazy dreams of a beautiful smile and dark brown eyes, so beautiful that tears silently fell from her eyes as she slept. She felt safe, and warm, and unlike the past few weeks, slept through the whole night without any insomnia fits causing her to wake in the middle of the night and lie there until the sun rose.

When her alarm woke her up, the sound of Feist and Grizzly Bear's Service Bell softly caressing her into consciousness, and the sun shining gently in from between her curtains, she was surprised to find her pillow slightly damp. She shrugged it off and stripped off her pajamas, stepping into the shower and singing a fragment of some song she knew from somewhere. She was, for once, fairly optimistic about school. Yes she wasn't really looking forward to more inane babble from her classmates, or Sue Sylvester running her and her squad into the ground before classes even started, or the supreme pressure of teachers repeatedly telling her how important this year was because of her S.A.T.s, but really it wasn't terrible. Sue and her early morning practices weren't anything she hadn't dealt with before. She had English Lit first period, and she knew everything she needed to about Dante's Inferno, enough to not have to listen, so she might be able to sneakily put her iPod in one ear and daydream. Science class after was only copying up notes from the board on Mondays in preparation for the practical later in the week, so she wasn't exactly being pushed. She had a free period before lunch which meant that she usually had enough time to go to the deli down the street and ask Frankie to make up a grilled cheese with bacon for her, something he always did with a wink and a smile. He was an older guy, fairly overweight, and he always flirted with her, but it was in a friendly, playful way rather than a creepy old perv way. She liked him a lot (especially for his sandwiches) and he and the guys at the deli, who at that time of day were usually older men, appreciated the company of a young woman and tried their best to make her smile. They could usually brighten up a crappy Monday. The thought of food set her stomach rumbling, so she got out of the shower and rapidly dried herself off and got dressed in her Cheerios uniform before jogging down the stairs for breakfast.

Quinn enjoyed the mornings at her house. Her parents were still sleeping off the alcohol from the night before, so it was quiet and peaceful. She was now adept at making any kind of breakfast food you could think of, having been making it for herself for so long, and finding that she was ready for school much earlier than usual because of the insistent rumbles of her stomach, realized she had enough time to make eggs to go with her bagel. She happily set to work, considering the rest of her day. After lunch she had history, but people were giving presentations. Having already given hers, she pretty much had to do nothing but look like she was semi-conscious. After that she had gym class, which she was exempt from because of Cheerios, and her final class of the day was music with Ms Berry. At this realization she felt her chest tighten a little. It was this that probably pushed the day from being neutral up to being something to look forward to. Quinn hoped that one day she would hear more about Ms Berry's life before she came to Lima; perhaps something she heard would inspire Quinn to make some of her own plans.

She finished her bagel and licked her fingertips, downing the glass of Tropicana she had poured before getting down from the tall chair and walking around the breakfast bar she had been sitting at to rinse both the glass and the plate off. Placing both in their designated spots in the dishwasher she walked through the house, grabbed her purse and books from the table in the entrance hall, leaving her keys and deciding to walk the twenty minutes to school, closing the door quietly behind her so as not to wake her sleeping parents and incur their wrath when she got home. For once she was smiling as she walked down the street, singing loudly and noticing the beautiful colors of the trees as they turned in the fall air, not realizing what day of the month it was and why her optimism for a good day would be so short-lived.

As she finally reached the choir room and slumped with a dejected thud into one of the chairs on the risers, Quinn tried to calm down and focus on what was ahead of her. Her day had in fact not been a good one. Neither had it been a neutral one. Her day had in fact been fucked.

She didn't swear that often, usually it was saved for special occasions, but this was definitely one of those times. Cheerios practice had been disastrous. All of the other girls had gone to a house party the night before and got supremely drunk, so most of them were hung over. After the third fumble, Sue had screamed at them to run laps until the hour-long session was done. That was ten minutes in. After, she had been held back by Sue yelling at her to reign in the girls' behavior; after all, she was their captain. Then she had gone to shower finally and had spent a little longer than usual in there to relax her weary muscles, unworried about missing English.

It was whilst showering that she was…reminded… about her time of the month. But it wasn't like it was for all the other girls, no. Quinn was different. Freak of nature strikes again she thought, as she looked between her legs to regard her newly grown appendage, performing a full face-palm and thanking God that she was showering alone. She usually paid very close attention to what time of the month it was, so she was angry at herself for forgetting. She was glad she had learned how to deal with it properly a few years ago, when, instead of her first period, she had got her first penis. Tucking the thing in so no one noticed it while she was wearing her uniform was a subtle art, and it wasn't exactly easy to hide something so big. She sighed and gotten out of the shower, then made her way to English to apologize for being late. It turned out that the class had taken a pop quiz that day however, and as Mr Wilkes knew that she had a free period after Science (during which she had to try and explain to Brittany where she was and what she was supposed to be doing three times), she was obliged to sit in the corner of the English classroom instead of going to Frankie's Deli and complete the quiz. After lunch she had fallen asleep in history during Finn's presentation, because a) it was so boring, b) it was so inaccurate, and c) she was exhausted from running for a solid hour earlier in the day. She had been noticed with her head resting on the desk and earned herself a detention after school, and then to cap it all off, Sue had called all the Cheerios back for take two of their practice, so she hadn't had a free gym period either. Basically anything that could have go wrong did, and all Quinn could do now was pray that nothing went wrong in Music.

As everyone else filtered in through the door, Ms Berry waited patiently for the class to settle down. Seeing her standing calmly at the front of the class smiling helped Quinn's mood a little, and she tried to sit up a little bit straighter and look as if she was listening so as to show some respect. As everyone finally found their seat and stilled, Ms Berry smiled at everyone around the room, eyes landing lastly on Quinn before beginning her class.

"Good afternoon everyone! I know it's last thing on a Monday afternoon and no one's brain is working any more, so I want to do something fun, or at least something that I enjoy." At this everyone brightened a little. The slackers of the class always wanted to make sure they looked like they were interested. Usually a few people took the class because they thought it was an easy A and would never concentrate, but when those of them that were boys had seen who was teaching the class ("Yeah the fuckin hot brunette. She's short but she's got legs up to Canada" "Have you seen that ass?" "I know where I want those lips") they made a special effort to look like they cared. It made Quinn feel slightly ill.

"Alright, can everyone pair off please?" Quinn groaned and rolled her eyes internally. The last thing she needed was one on one interaction with these mouth-breathers. As everyone else paired off, Quinn realized that the class had an odd number of students and raised her hand, praying she wouldn't be stuck being double-teamed by idiots.

"Um, Ms Berry, I don't have anyone to go with." She said with barely an ounce of anything other than apathy. She truly didn't care if she was the kid no-one picked, and the rest of the class knew it, which made them even more nervous of her. No one in high school didn't care what everyone thought. Being different in any way was a death sentence for most people. Not her apparently.

"Ok, well come over here with me then, unless you're worried I can out-sing you." She smiled jokingly. Quinn grinned, hearing the teasing in her teacher's voice, neither of them noticing the inappropriateness of their exchange.

"Oh, not a chance. It's on." She stood from her seat on the risers and sat on the piano stool next to the teacher. She noticed how good the woman's figure was from behind, without realizing that that was probably not a common thing for an eighteen year old christian girl to do, mind instead on Ms Berry explaining the assignment.

"OK guys, I want you to get out your iPods. C'mon, don't be shy, I know you all have them in your bags." Everyone looked around at each other before reaching into their pockets, bags, purses etc for them. Quinn slid her purple nano surreptitiously out of her bra. She found that it was the only place she could put it without worrying where it was. If she was honest, it was her prize possession and never went anywhere without it. Even if she wasn't listening to it, she often just held it. It was a way to transport her into a different place, somewhere that sucked 100% less than most of the places she went, when she listened to it. Ms Berry grabbed her iPod touch out of the pocked of her black (deliciously well-fitted) pants.

"OK, so what I want everyone to do is to hand it to your partner, thus:" she said with a smile on her face, offering her own to Quinn, who in turn handed her iPod doubtfully to the brunette. She seemed to notice, and whispered "don't worry, I'll treat it like my baby. It's safe with me I swear." before turning quickly back to the class and continuing "And I want you to turn on your partner's iPod and listen to the first song that comes on. This isn't serious, so no teasing, OK? We all know about pocket shuffling, and everyone has a guilty pleasure." Everyone around the room including Quinn smiled a little at this and people grew a little more comfortable. "Alright, so listen through the song once, then talk to your partner about why it's on there etc. At the end of the class I want everyone to sing the chorus of the song to us." A hand went up at the back.

"What if no-one knows the song?" Rachel smiled at this. Kids were always worried about being different, so much so that they worried about someone hearing ten seconds of a song that the others might not know and therefore disapprove of.

"That's one of the great things about this game! Most people don't spend a lot of time looking around for music they've never heard, they just listen to the radio. Who knows, maybe you'll hear something you've never heard but love!"

Behind her, Quinn smiled as she heard this. At least someone was interested in music other than what was constantly on the radio. As Ms Berry told the rest of the class that they had forty minutes to complete the task before they would be asked to stand up and sing, she came and sat down on a chair that she dragged over from the risers, right in front of Quinn. She smirked confidently at her.

"What?" The blond asked, unable to help the corners of her mouth curling upward. The teacher continued, chuckling lightly.

"I saw the look on your face when you gave me your iPod. I also saw where you keep it" she informed Quinn, raising an eyebrow. Quinn's eyes widened at Ms Berry's admission, not knowing what to reply, but waiting for the young woman to continue.

"You obviously are very protective of it."

"I - I just-"

"It's alright Quinn," the teacher said, her face straightening. "While it may be an inanimate object, it holds a lot of emotional material. Personal emotional material. It's understandable that you want to keep it safe. But now I'm really interested to see what you've got in here too." She added, the smirk returning. "I get a personal insight into the mind of the Head Bitch in Charge. Not many people can claim that!" She finished with her eyes twinkling. Quinn found herself readjusting her position on the seat unconsciously, suddenly finding the lower part of her uniform uncomfortable as she smiled shyly at the woman. Catching herself, she realized that she needed to man up (so to speak) so she gave back what she had been getting.

"Yeah, I get to see into the mind of a teacher, the people on The Other Side. This should be pretty interesting."

"Well then, I guess we'd better get on with it, this suspense is killing me!" Ms Berry ended sarcastically, opening her chocolate eyes wide at the girl. "Ready?" She said putting in Quinn's bright pink earbuds. Quinn nodded as she mirrored the woman with the pristine white Apple headphones that were wrapped around the iPod. "OK, Play" she exclaimed, pressing play. What met Quinn's ears surprised her more than anything. Her eyes widened at what she heard, and she looked up from the screen to the brunette opposite her who was looking back at her similarly. Immediately her teacher began laughing. She obviously knew exactly what was playing on her own iPod. What made her laugh was that it was exactly what was playing on her student's Nano. Quinn rolled her eyes and shook her head while smiling. They both played the song out to the end and then removed the earphones.

"So," Ms Berry began. "You're a Tom Waits fan? I shouldn't be surprised really. You and I are weirdly similar." Quinn nodded, her face serious and her eyes wide.

"Yeah, but that's, like, freaky. Really freaky. One in a million freaky."

"Freaky it is. But at least learning this chorus to sing for the class will be a cake walk."

"Ha, yeah I guess so. So, what, we should do a duet?" Quinn asked, unsure of what the rules of the game were in this unlikely circumstance.

"Well, the beautiful thing about this situation is that I'm the teacher. I know how I sing and it doesn't matter for the class. So I'm afraid I'm going to make you do it solo." Ms Berry grinned, hearing Quinn groan slightly as she got up off the chair.

"It'll be fine. Everyone else has to do it solo, so it's only fair that you do too. And I guess since we've pretty much owned everyone here already, I should do the rounds and help people out. And I just realized how much of a mistake it was letting some of the boys' music be performed in front of a class, even if you are all essentially adults." Quinn laughed at this, realizing herself that an Eminem chorus from the wrong song could have nasty consequences for the teacher with the Principal. "Feel free to keep listening though" Ms Berry added as she walked toward the others. Quinn beamed and nodded in return. She watched the woman making her way gracefully through the crowd of chairs, always having a smile for the students. Sometimes her face would sober thoughtfully as she concentrated on answering a question or fixing a song, pushing her hair behind her ear as she crouched next to a chair to hear the students better over the din of people singing. Not for the first time, Quinn was desperately glad to know someone so poised and understanding, someone who she could have a conversation with.

Alright, so i know it seems like i cut off this chapter before anything really happened, but it's not filler as such. It's just that if i got into the good stuff the chapter would take you a week and a half to read. I promise you won't have long before i post the next.

Please keep reviewing. If you think i've gone nuts and it stops making sense, i want to know! Thanks ;)