A/N: This chapter deviated a little bit from where I had originally planned, but I find Quinn and Santana highly amusing.
Please leave a review! It would really mean the world to me to know if you guys like the story, or see an aspect of the story or my writing that you think needs improvement. I'd love to know what you guys think and what you would like to see happen.
Rachel ate her lunch at the island in the annex that Thursday afternoon, as opposed to hiding in the garden like she usually did. Things had been easier with Quinn over the last few days and she didn't feel the need to get as far away from the annex as possible when she had her lunch break anymore.
The sound of the metal door sliding open made Rachel lift her head from her salad. Santana walked out with a towel in hand and made her way towards the bathroom. "Well, she's in a good mood," Santana commented. She threw the towel in the hamper and walked back toward the kitchen. "She told me all about you making pasta with 'green gravy'," she laughed.
Rachel immediately came to her own defense. "I've never made pesto sauce before," she stated, indignantly.
Santana rolled her eyes. "Don't get your panties in a twist, Berry." She stopped at the island and rested her hand on the marble counter top. When she spoke again, her voice was a little less harsh. "It's been a long time since she's laughed like that at anything."
The nurse turned and wandered back into Quinn's room. Rachel couldn't help but smile to herself. Even Santana had seen the way Quinn seemed different now, more open.
Rachel caught sight of Quinn's blonde hair across the way. Hazel eyes met hers and Rachel smiled softly. Quinn took notice of Rachel's smug smile and raised an eyebrow. The brunette just shrugged and took another bite of her salad. The last thing Rachel saw before Santana closed the big metal door was a small quirk of Quinn's lips.
Rachel swung her legs nervously in the purple chair in the waiting room. The doctor's office was empty save for her and Santana, and she found herself on edge waiting for Quinn outside the room. There was so little she knew of Quinn's condition. She could only hope that everything was okay.
Next to her, Santana was growing annoyed with Rachel's foot hitting her leg every so often. The raven-haired girl in maroon scrubs finally looked up from her phone after seven minutes of waiting to glare at an anxious Rachel, fidgeting with her fingers.
"Berry, will you quit it? She's fine," Santana told the brunette, agitation ever so present in her voice.
Rachel stilled her legs, but continued the restless movements of her fingers. This was enough to conciliate Santana.
She was about to go back to her phone when a skinny blonde doctor in teal scrubs and a lab coat sauntered by. The doctor caught Santana's eye and smiled shyly. Santana just smirked and winked at her, causing the blonde to giggle as she passed. A self-satisfied grin took over Santana's face as she stared at the doctor's backside.
Rachel had watched the entire interaction, and raised an eyebrow at Santana once she turned her head back (something she'd been beginning to pick up from Quinn). Santana had the decency to look a tad embarrassed, but only shrugged. Rachel rolled her eyes and Santana went back to her phone.
Another blonde doctor walked in front of them this time and opened the door to Quinn's room. All Rachel could hear was "Hello there, Miss Fabray," before the door swung closed and the waiting room was engulfed in silence again. The brunette chewed on the inside of her cheek. She hated waiting.
Rachel turned to the woman next to her. "Santana, what are they doing in there?" She asked, trying to give herself peace of mind.
"She has a check-up every six months," Santana spoke, not looking up from her phone.
"To see if she's getting better?"
Santana shook her head. "No, dwarf, it's a spinal-cord injury" she said slowly, making Rachel feel dumb. "She's not going to get better."
Rachel couldn't stop her own confused expression. "But you do all of those exercises with her."
Santana sighed and dropped her phone in her purse, realizing that Rachel was not going to leave her alone. "That's to stop her muscles from atrophying, Berry." She crossed her arms in front of her chest. When Rachel's confused look didn't go away, she did her best not to roll her eyes. "Quinn's body no longer works below her sternum."
"But she's still trying, right?" Rachel's voice was hopeful.
Santana sighed again, but when she spoke, her voice was less annoyed. "She threw everything into physio the first year, and all she got was limited use of her right arm and slight movement in her left thumb and finger." Santana looked away. "Then the first bout of pneumonia hit, and then autonomic dysreflexia-"
"What does that mean?" Rachel interrupted. Her fidgeting only continued.
Santana shook her head, trying to be patient. "Okay, so her blood pressure goes up and down, which means she's constantly open to infection."
Rachel took this information in. "But there's medical advances taking place all the time, right? Quinn's family is rich, surely they can-"
"No one has worked out how to fix a spinal cord yet, Berry," Santana told her a little solemnly.
Rachel turned forward in her seat, feeling a little numb. Her chest grew tight at the thought of Quinn working so hard to overcome her injury, yet still being trapped in her own body. Her heart sank for the now seemingly small blonde at a loss in her own life. The thought made her shrink a little.
Rachel practically skipped into the movie theater a week later, giggling as Finn held the door open for her. It had begun to snow lightly now that it was the fourth week in November. The brunette was absolutely thrilled that her boyfriend wanted to take her on a date, and she gripped his arm in line for the tickets.
Finn smiled down at her and pecked her on her forehead. Rachel was thrilled to be out of the annex for the weekend. Things were certainly getting easier now that Quinn was warming up to her (at least she wasn't getting the death glare eight times a day), but work was work and it just felt nice to get a break from strict schedules and copious amounts of waiting around.
More importantly, Rachel was grateful that Finn wanted to take her on a date. He spent so much time lifting weights and practicing with his casual football team that she barely saw him anymore.
Rachel fiddled with her red scarf and looked around the movie theater while the two of them waited in line for tickets. Her eyes caught sight of a movie poster on the wall several feet away from them. It depicted a young woman with brown hair and piercing eyes holding a red blanket behind an older woman with wet hair. It was titled Julieta by Pedro Almodóvar, a Spanish filmmaker.
Rachel grinned lightly and tugged on Finn's arm. "Oh, I hear this one is good," she stated, eagerly, pointing to the poster. The line moved forward, and only one more customer separated them from purchasing their tickets.
Finn turned his head to glance in the direction Rachel was pointing. His eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Because we suddenly speak Spanish?" He asked, turning his head back to Rachel.
Finn's dismissal of the movie didn't deter Rachel. "No, Finn, it has subtitles. Eventually you stop noticing it after a while," she explained, remembering her experience last week with Quinn fondly. She truly loved the movie, and now felt that she was missing out on a world of beautiful movies she'd brushed off due to the fact that they weren't in English.
Finn scoffed and shook his head. The customer in front of them vacated their spot and he stepped forward, adopting a half-smile as he addressed the cashier. "Two for the Will Ferrell movie," he said, ignoring Rachel's suggestion.
Rachel's smile fell as her boyfriend blatantly disregarded everything she'd just told him. She felt herself become frustrated, which carried through both the commercials and the entire movie. Finn tried to wrap his arm around her shoulders ten minutes into the film, but she shook him off. She was in no mood.
Finn laughed at every dumb joke and attempt at humor in the movie, and Rachel fumed each time. After two unsuccessful attempts at holding Rachel's hand, he just clung to his popcorn bucket and chewed loudly. Rachel hoped he would choke.
When the movie was over, Rachel's anger had subsided, but she still had absolutely no desire to talk to Finn. What was so wrong about doing what she wanted for once?
When it was clear that Rachel was not going to engage in conversation with him as they walked through the lobby, Finn sighed. "I'm gonna run to the bathroom," he stated.
Rachel provided no response, and Finn left her to go find the restroom. She rolled her eyes and slipped her coat on, preparing to walk outside in the cold weather when he was done. She folded her arms and tapped her fingertips lightly against the crooks of her elbows.
A blonde flash of hair caught her eyes on the other side of the room, and an instant warm feeling settled in the pit of Rachel's stomach. She looked over to see Quinn in a white V-neck, a black leather jacket, dark blue skinny jeans and black leather ankle boots. Rachel blanched as she took in the sight of the clothes Quinn chose to wear out. The blonde looked hot, and Rachel felt herself blushing for thinking so. She honestly couldn't believe Quinn had even decided to go out. She was positive that Quinn was a shut-in who would never see the light of day without obligation or persistent prodding from Rachel.
Before she was aware of what was happening, Rachel's legs were carrying her forward, towards the blonde she couldn't stop staring at. As she got closer, she realized that Quinn was with Santana, who was in a green and black striped form-fitting dress, hugging each and every one of her curves, as well as the tall blonde from the hospital in a pink sweater with a white jacket and jeans. They all looked gorgeous, and Rachel realized she had never seen Santana out of her scrubs. Her eyes lingered on Quinn the longest, though, and she attributed it to the fact that she never figured she'd see Quinn Fabray in a place like this.
Rachel's steps slowed as she reached the group, and Quinn noticed her presence first, her hazel eyes snapping immediately to the approaching brunette in a reindeer sweater and plaid skirt with tights beneath her pea coat. Rachel saw a range of emotions pass through Quinn's eyes too quickly to be identified individually, before her face settled into a smug smirk.
"Rachel Berry, as I live and breathe," Quinn spoke, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Rachel rolled her eyes, but a warm smile settled on her lips. "Hello, Quinn," she replied. Her breath hitched when she realized how low Quinn's neckline truly was, and she found herself tracing Quinn's cleavage.
Rachel's eyes widened in horror at what she'd done. Did she just check out Quinn Fabray? Quinn Fabray, the woman she had a strictly professional relationship with? Either forgetting or ignoring the fact that she had a boyfriend she was currently on a date with?
Her ears burned, and Rachel caught a twinkle in Quinn's eye. There's no way Quinn hadn't followed Rachel's line of sight.
The brunette cleared her throat and fought the urge to fan her face. She turned her attention to the two women standing next to Quinn, watching her with amused smiles. "Hi, Santana," Rachel said, staring directly at the dark-haired woman and absolutely nowhere else.
Santana smirked. "Hey, Berry."
Rachel looked to the blonde woman next to Santana. "Hi, I'm Rachel. It's nice to meet you…" she trailed off, allowing the woman to finish for her.
"I'm Brittany," she stated matter-of-factly. "You look like an elf." Brittany looked at Rachel's outfit. "I like your tights."
Rachel just stared at Brittany, trying to wrap her head around the blonde's trail of thought, not able to find it in herself to be offended. "It's nice to meet you, Brittany. Are you a friend of Santana's?"
"If being friends means I get to give her lady kisses, then yes," Brittany smiled at Santana.
Rachel had never thought in a million years that she would see Santana Lopez blush, and yet here she was, in the flesh, face turning redder with every word out of Brittany's mouth. A shit-eating grin took over both Rachel's and Quinn's faces.
Santana spoke in a hushed tone. "Not appropriate, Britt."
"Aww, is little Sanny embarrassed?" Quinn teased, suppressing a chuckle.
"Shut it, Fabray," Santana growled, face flushing. Rachel couldn't stop the snicker that came from her mouth if she tried. "You too, Berry."
Brittany just smirked and threw her arm over Santana's shoulders, pulling her close. This seemed to placate the Latina.
"So, Brittany, did I see you at the hospital the other day?" Rachel asked, changing the subject for poor Santana.
Brittany nodded. "Yes, I'm a brain surgeon. I met Santana as one of my nurses in the neuro ward before she started working at people's houses," she explained.
Rachel's jaw dropped. She did not hear that correctly. This woman who had just called her an elf was a brain surgeon? "I'm sorry, a brain surgeon?" Rachel choked out.
Brittany rocked on her heels. "Of course," she said straight-faced, putting Rachel off. "I graduated from MIT."
Rachel could only stare at Brittany sideways.
"Close your mouth, midget," Santana snapped. She turned her gaze to Brittany and a soft smile immediately fell across her lips. "Britt-Britt is a genius."
"You've got a little drool," Quinn teased, gesturing to her own face
Santana glared at Quinn over Brittany's shoulder and the blonde just smirked.
Quinn turned her attention to Rachel and Rachel's eyes immediately met hers. She gave Rachel a onceover and suddenly the brunette was regretting the red tights to match the sweater. Quinn raised an inquisitive eyebrow, and Rachel felt obligated to speak.
"So what are you guys doing here?" She asked.
"We can't go out to see a movie on a Friday night like everyone else?" was Quinn's retort.
Rachel paled. "N-no, I- that's not what I was implying, I just… assumed someone like…" Quinn Fabray, a millionaire heiress would have better ways to spend her time than at the movies. But Rachel didn't end up finishing her thought. Instead, she decided to change the topic. "What movie are you guys seeing?"
"Julieta," was Quinn's languid response.
Rachel smiled. "Oh that's lovely."
Quinn looked at Rachel and spoke before biting her lip. "Did you see it?"
Rachel watched the action. "Oh no, we saw the Will Ferrell movie," Rachel said, suddenly feeling embarrassed.
She expected Quinn to tease her about refusing to see yet another film with subtitles but instead, she asked, "We?"
Rachel grabbed her left arm with her right hand. "Yes. Finn and I."
Quinn nodded and made an affirmative noise.
"Would you like to meet him? He should be getting out of the restroom any minute…" Rachel asked, hopefully. She was suddenly eager to show Quinn Fabray her boyfriend, wanting to impress the blonde. Not that Finn was particularly impressive, but if Quinn thought her life was boring at least she could point to her boyfriend and say look, he's real! I'm in a relationship! My life isn't sad and pathetic!
But Quinn shook her head immediately. "That's okay. We should go anyway, the movie will be starting soon, and we don't want to miss it."
Rachel watched Santana flash a look to Quinn, but the blonde ignored it.
"Oh, okay, well then I'll see you Monday, I guess…" Rachel couldn't stop the disappointment in her voice.
Quinn gave a slight nod. "I'll see you Monday, Berry." She pressed a button and moved past Rachel.
Santana followed, tugging Brittany along with her. "Later, dwarf."
"Bye, Rachel!" Brittany said enthusiastically.
Rachel waved to Brittany. "Bye."
As if born for poor timing, Finn walked up to Rachel, drying his hands on his pants. "Are you ready to go?" He asked, placing his hand on the small of her back.
Rachel looked up at him and nodded.
Finn gave her a half-smile, and Rachel smiled despite herself. She leaned up on her tippy toes and Finn met her the rest of the way, pressing a kiss to her lips. They pulled away and smiled at one another.
Rachel's smile faltered slightly when she felt a pair of eyes on her, burning holes into the back of her neck. Something tugged at the pit of her stomach and she looked in the direction of where she felt the gaze was coming from, but didn't see anyone she recognized. She shook off the feeling and the resulting shiver, shoving a spark of something deep deep down where she wouldn't have to worry.
She took Finn's hand and they made their way out of the theater.
"Does this mean you're not upset with me anymore?"
Rachel's irritation with Finn came suddenly rushing back to her and she dropped his hand with a huff.
"Aww, come on, Rach."
The following Monday, Rachel and Quinn took a quiet morning stroll along the riverbed by the trees on the Fabray property. Quinn's clothes were back to a modest long-sleeve black Under Armour shirt with black yoga pants and a winter jacket, while Rachel continued her trend of sweaters and skirts with a bluer ensemble.
"So why did you end up going to the movie theater?" Rachel finally asked. "I figured Quinn Fabray would have better things to do, like stare pensively out the window or slam doors in people's faces."
A ghost of a smirk rested on Quinn's face, even as she tried to remain stoic. "Santana wanted me to meet Brittany."
"Oh," Rachel took that information in. "Otherwise you wouldn't have been at the movie theater?"
"Otherwise I wouldn't have gone out."
Rachel fiddled with the cuff of her pea coat. "Did you like her?"
Quinn chuckled and watched the way the water danced along the riverbed and echoed against the rocks. "Of course. She reduces Santana Lopez, a bulldog by any other means, to a puddle of goo." A wistful look passed through Quinn's smoky eyes. "They're perfect for each other."
Rachel nodded. She also got that impression, even though she had only been around them for a moment.
The brunette glanced at Quinn's faraway look and wondered, certainly not for the first time, what Quinn was thinking. She tugged on her lip gently and felt the words tumbling from her mouth before she was aware of it.
"Do you think you'll ever see anyone again?" She asked, nervously.
Quinn's eyes flickered to Rachel. She gripped the armrests of her wheelchair and scanned the brunette's face for something. Rachel knew it was a personal question, and felt herself squirm slightly under the blonde's gaze.
Quinn returned to facing the water. Rachel breathed out a sigh of relief. She figured Quinn wasn't going to answer, so her heart gained an extra beat when Quinn's voice broke the silence.
"No. I'm not going to try to find love when I can watch gay French porn and snuggle Santana," Quinn let out a wry chuckle.
Rachel shook her head. "That joke is getting old, Fabray."
Quinn laughed. "I could never grow tired of gay porn."
Rachel's cheeks flushed, in spite of the fact that this was probably the fourth time Quinn's mentioned gay porn just to rile her. She tried to get the conversation back on track. "I don't see the point of living if you don't believe in love."
Quinn looked to Rachel and opened her mouth to say something, before closing it. She gave an empty chuckle and looked forward. "Skiing."
Rachel locked her fingers and gave Quinn a questioning look.
The blonde sighed and cocked her head to the side. "Skiing is the point of living. Skiing and white water rafting, and wind surfing, and dancing in the rain."
Rachel watched Quinn speak, her heart melting a little bit. "I didn't realize..." Rachel trailed off, unsure of how to finish.
"That I was so active?" Quinn finished for her. "I was determined to get everything I could out of life."
"And now?" Rachel asked, pulling her arms behind her back and holding her wrist.
Quinn watched the steam from her breath float and disappear into the atmosphere. "Now I'm surviving." She traced the white water breaking in the river. "I don't have time to kiss my boyfriend in public, no matter how appalling to the general public."
Rachel's eyes widened. She looked to Quinn and grinned. Ah ha! She knew someone was watching. She also had an inkling feeling it had been the blonde. "Do you always make a habit of stalking other people and watching them kiss?"
Quinn couldn't meet Rachel eyes. She scoffed. "I didn't stalk anybody. I can't help it if I happen to look over and see Paul Bunyun and the Keebler elf making out."
Rachel wasn't having any of it. "The lady doth protest too much." She smirked.
Quinn rolled her eyes. "You can't mock me after choosing to go see the Will Ferrell movie over Julieta."
It was Rachel's turn to scoff. "I didn't choose to see it, Finn did. I tried to convince him otherwise, but he ignored me."
Quinn's eyes flickered to Rachel's and burned through her pupils. Rachel was taken aback by the sudden flame licking hazel irises. "Interesting that he thinks he can be so conceited when he has someone like you." Her voice was low and cool, and Rachel felt herself shivering at more than just the cold air.
Someone like you. Rachel wasn't entirely sure what Quinn had meant by that. Surely Quinn wasn't implying that Rachel was special in anyway… right?
Quinn looked away suddenly, hiding her face from Rachel. The brunette tightened her jaw. If she was insane, she might think that Quinn was almost jealous. She felt her chest constrict for a moment.
But she wasn't insane, and she knew Quinn Fabray. The same Quinn Fabray who iced her out for over a month couldn't possibly be… No. Rachel almost laughed at the thought. Quinn was just being her usual self, cold and calculating to anyone she didn't care for. Finn just happened to be one of those people.
The brunette noticed Quinn's lips chattering in the cold and finally realized that she herself was shivering. She gave Quinn an out. "Should we go inside and warm up? I can start making lunch?"
Quinn looked back to her and nodded. Rachel noticed for the first time that Quinn's lips were turning blue. "Oh, Quinn…" The blonde's eyebrows rose at the soft tone of Rachel's voice. "Let's get you inside."
The blonde and brunette left the riverside, letting all talk of Finn Hudson travel downstream with the rest of the debris and underbrush.
A/N: foreshadowing ;)
