It was just this side of dusk and the air was so still and peaceful. The brand new evening air was fresh and even and warm. Crickets could be heard starting to chirp and that hum that only came with nightfall blanketed the air comfortingly.

Quinn didn't know why she was here. Well she knew why she was here – because she had received a text message from Rachel asking her to meet here at 8pm. It had been a day since their kiss in the bathroom a kiss Quinn considered to be their last. She found it outstandingly wounding that Rachel would ask her to meet in the very spot that they shared their first.

''I'm so sorry I'm late.''

Quinn panted as she jogged up to the park and bent over slightly as she panted. Rachel was sat swinging gently on one of the swings of the park which was thankfully empty. There was a pout on the brunette's face that was both adorable and heartbreaking and Quinn could tell that Rachel had been panicking that this had all been some elaborate set up meant to torture her.

''I thought you weren't coming.''

She said softly tentatively. Quinn nodded as she still gasped in gulps of air hands on her sides. This was so not how her first date with Rachel was meant to go. She had had it all freaking planned out – but apparently fate had different ideas.

''I'm so sorry, my damn car broke down and I forgot my phone. I just ran the whole way here because I didn't want you to leave thinking that I wasn't coming or something. There's like, a whole picnic in the back seat of my car. I grabbed the flowers I got you but now they're just kinda – floppy.''

Quinn cringed as she lifted up the sorry looking bunch of flowers that had looked perfect just a half hour ago. Now with all the running and Quinn's careless possession of them they were just sort of bent over and looked like they needed a good funeral.

This was just her luck. She'd made sure that she did everything right. She had looked up some recopies online for vegan food she could make and everything that looked way over her head she had just ordered. She had grape and apple sparkling alcoholic free wine she had a blanket and a couple of lanterns and she had a romantic playlist on her iPod with fully battery charged speakers. And she'd even made a freaking cake. All of that had been left abandoned in her care because she knew that she wouldn't have been able to heft it here in time to stop Rachel from leaving. Quinn was surprised that she was still here as it was.

Now she just wished she had taken her to dinner and a movie like every other normal teenager. But no she had decided she wanted to be charming because Rachel liked that kind of thing. Fat lot of good it did her.

''They're beautiful. You're beautiful.''

Rachel had been biting her lip as Quinn rambled on making the most adorable faces at herself and how obviously pathetic she felt. This was certainly a change from the smooth operator that Rachel had known since freshmen year. It was possibly the sweetest thing ever. She could almost hear Quinn's inner monologue berating herself as she tutted rolled her eyes scoffed and made faces at herself.

Even at the compliment she glanced down and shook her head obviously embarrassed and feeling like an utter jerk.

''No see 'cos these were fresh and I wanted everything to be perfect and now I'm late and I look not only like a total moron but all sweaty and gross 'cos…''

Quinn was cut off by the most pleasurable thing she had ever felt – Rachel's lips. In one fell swoop Rachel had stood cupped her face and pressed her lips against hers thus ending the rant that was about to flow out of her mouth. Quinn decided that kissing was much better than ranting.

See so it had been sort of perfect. Imperfectly perfect. They had ended up kissing for quite some time before Rachel had sweetly accepted the flowers – despite their state – and they had walked hand in hand back to Quinn's car talking all the while. They'd had their picnic in the car and then Rachel had called the road recovery to come. So they had made out to the radio while they waited.

It wasn't the standard first date from the movies but both had been exceptionally happy about that because it was theirs. So to say it was hard for her to sit here right now waiting for Rachel was an understatement.

While Quinn contemplated what Rachel wanted and figured it was probably to give her back all the stuff that she hadn't been by to pick up from her room she didn't notice the girl in question behind her. Rachel nervously clutched a stuffed toy in both her hands – a white and pink rabbit with floppy ears. She looked at Quinn's sagged demeanour her head resting on her hand that clutched the chains of the swing and she pushed it back and forth gentle with her feet on the ground.

It seemed fitting asking her to come here of all places. If she was going to apologise for being such an idiot and ask for a second chance then she wanted to do it here. If she was going to pull together her little plan she wanted to do it here.

She felt like she could breathe now. She felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Rachel knew that inevitably she would have faltered and let herself to back to Quinn even if she hurt her again. But upon finding out the truth even that roadblock was taken away and nothing else was left to stand between them save the baby in her stomach. And Jesse.

Jesse was an easy fix. She'd simply told him that she had made a mistake in being with him and she couldn't lie to herself or him anymore, and that she just wanted to be with Quinn. He had not been happy about the whole thing and really she wondered what he was going to do in protest but for now it was taken care of.

The baby however was another thing entirely. Rachel had no idea what plans Quinn had for her child. Currently she technically had no home no real support system and no options. Rachel hoped that she could change that. She hoped that she could offer all of those things to Quinn now – it was better late than never. None of this was that baby's fault and it didn't deserve the fallout.

When Noah had explained to her what had really happen Rachel had barely made it through her front door before she collapsed in a sobbing heap on her Dad. He had happened to be passing by the front door so he had found himself victim of her tears and her needy arms. Nevertheless he had hugged her tight and managed to get her to the living room and just let her cry for a while until she could actually form words. The sobbing hadn't stopped and it had been a little bit of a task for him to understand the tale she was telling him through her tears and the fact that she refused to stop clinging to him so her face was pretty much buried in his chest.

Still she had told him all about the revelations and how she had been making such a mess with Jesse and how he had been pressuring her but she had said no at the last minute and how Quinn had been there to try and ward him off with Finn. She had told him all about her feeling empty without her girlfriend and maybe even though she had done something so bad Rachel just wanted to be with her only to find out that Quinn had really done nothing at all save for accidently getting drunk with Noah and being one half of two people that had misunderstood one another.

And now she was all alone with no parents and no home and having a baby. Now all she wanted to do was make it better but she didn't know how and she didn't know if Quinn would forgive her for her behaviour. After all the blonde had been drunk for one part of her mistake and then too freaking stubborn/prideful/chivalrous to explain it for the other. That girl took on too much blame sometimes; Rachel swore it was the Catholic upbringing.

So when she eventually fell asleep on Leroy he had tucked her up on the couch and while she had been sleeping he and his husband had had a long talk about what was going on in Rachel's life when Hiram had arrived home from work. Needless to say that when she had been woken for dinner they had had a long long discussion as a family to try and sort out some things (plus she was in trouble for almost having sex with Jesse but they were relieved and proud she said no).

Still now at least she had something to offer Quinn.

''Hey.''

Rachel said loud enough to make Quinn turn her head but not move too much from the swing.

''Hey.''

Her voice was sad and empty and it made Rachel's stomach turn.

''Thank you for meeting me here.''

''It's fine. Could you just uh, leave whatever it is I left behind there? I just want to sit here by myself for a while.''

Rachel inched forward until she rounded the swing to stand pretty much exactly where Quinn had stood that first date when she had finally arrived.

''I don't have a box of your stuff, Quinn.''

She informed softly her eyes big and wide and nervous and shy but still hopeful. Quinn looked up at her with confusion and even a little bit of suspicion. Obviously the blonde couldn't possibly fathom another reason why they were here save for that.

''Oh. Then why are we here, Rachel? Where's your boyfriend?''

Rachel looked down for a moment as she squeezed the rabbit a little. Quinn had an edge to her voice that belied her hurt and her spite for Jesse reinforcing Rachel's guilt over the entire thing.

''I dumped him.''

Quinn stared at Rachel in dumbfounded shock. Her brow furrowed and her jaw dropped as she just stared and clearly upon getting no response Rachel looked up to see what was going on. She used Quinn's silence to practically thrust the stuffed rabbit at her ungracefully.

''I got you a rabbit. I thought maybe the baby could have it.''

She explained softly. Quinn didn't move. The only thing that moved were her eyes which went from Rachel to the rabbit then back to Rachel. She had no idea what was going on and Rachel knew she was doing a rather poor job at explaining herself. Still eventually Quinn gingerly took the rabbit.

''I uh, called him Roger but you can change his name if its too dorky. I tried looking for a Jessica Rabbit but I couldn't find one and anyway that would probably be inappropriate for a baby and you would probably steal it anyway since you have a crush on her which I still find weird because she's a cartoon…''

Rachel began to ramble incessantly as she stared at the rabbit. Roger.

''Rachel.''

Rachel's eyes snapped up to Quinn's tears glistening in her eyes.

''I'm so sorry. I love you so much and what I was doing with Jesse was wrong. You didn't intentionally hurt me but I intentionally hurt you. I know everything, Noah told me everything – can you please forgive me? Can we please just go back to how we were and be together again?''

Rachel's voice did that thing that girls did and kept getting higher and higher the more emotional she became. The desperate hope and the unyielding love shone through her teary brown eyes and beautiful if slightly scrunched up face.

Quinn thought that this was exactly what she wanted but if this week had taught her anything it was that she wanted Rachel to be happy.

''I…there's so much Rachel…I can't…if I've learnt anything this week its that I can't be the girl that you need me to be. I'm a mess, my life is a mess. I have nothing and I'm pregnant with no idea about what's going to happen. You're actually better off without me.''

It killed her to say it but Quinn didn't want to dump her messed up life on Rachel she didn't deserve that. But the brunette was shaking her head quickly as she sniffled and took shaky breaths.

''No, see I'm not. My life just doesn't work without you in it and I know you feel the same way. I want to be here to help you through everything – that's exactly why you're going to move out of the Puckerman residence and move in with us.''

Quinn blinked.

''What?''

''I told my Dad's everything. We discussed it and they want you to stay with us. They said they'd help you get emancipated and everything, Quinn. You would be able to prove that you have someplace to live and you could support yourself with the help of my Dad's and the trust fund your Grandparents gave you, because my Dad said that your parents couldn't withhold that from you like they have been. And whatever you decide to do about the baby, I'll support you. If you want to have it adopted, that's okay. If you want to keep it, that's okay too and I would be there to help you with it…''

''Her.''

Rachel paused mid speech that was aimed at convincing Quinn that everything would be okay again. But when her mouth remained open and she gave Quinn a stalled look the blonde sort of smiled sheepishly.

''I'm having a girl.''

Quinn whispered not being able to help the smirk that widened across her face. Her hands automatically moved onto her stomach as she bit her bottom lip sheepishly. She hadn't been able to tell Rachel that because of what had been going on and all the circumstances around it.

''That's…wow, she's a she. That's amazing.''

This was the first time that Rachel really got to acknowledge that a person was growing inside of Quinn. That there was a little girl in there a little life that would have little tiny arms and legs. The blonde was creating something beyond her understanding and it blew her away. And every day Quinn looked more and more radiant. Pregnancy did actually suit her and there would be times when Quinn would think no one was looking or she thought she was alone and Rachel would see her hum or sing to her bump smoothing her hands along it smiling and whispering. It was beautiful.

The brunette gingerly put her hand by Quinn's and stretched out her fingers. No sooner as she had she felt a jolt underneath that made her squeak lightly but grin widely. She had never gotten to do this before. Quinn laughed at her reaction a little misty eyed herself and took Rachel's hand to reposition it just at the underside of her left side.

''She kicks the hardest here, I think that's where her feet are.''

The blonde mused before yet again the baby girl inside of her delivered a wallop and kicked underneath Rachel's hand. The shorter girl gasped and giggled at the same time quirking an overwhelmed eyebrow at the feeling.

''I think she's destined for soccer.''

Quinn laughed lightly and nodded. They remained quiet for a long couple of moment but Rachel didn't move her hand. What she did do was sheepishly lift her other to gently and fleetingly trace the side of Quinn's face before reaching for a strand of hair to twiddle between her fingertips.

''Why didn't you just tell me?''

She whispered gently. Quinn looked at her with hazel eyes full of tears.

''I was ashamed, Rachel. I should never have been in that position; I acted just like them – getting drunk to feel better. I don't want to be like them.''

She shook her head and Rachel wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. Like a little kid Quinn clutched onto her and for long minutes she just cried and Rachel stroked through her hair and rubbed her back offering sweet whisperings and gentle reassurances.

It all made sense now. Quinn blamed herself because she thought she had been acting like her parents. Her biggest fear was turning out like them and what happened between her and Noah made her think that she was becoming their carbon copy. Rachel got it now. It was the last piece of the puzzle. Everything had just been a distortion.

From Quinn running to a friend to the friend thinking she wanted him, to her thinking it was her fault and that she was turning into her parents, to them breaking up and Rachel dating Jesse. It was just a complete distortion and by no one communicating properly it had just gone around in circles.

Quinn had been too ashamed Noah had been too guilty and Rachel had been too hurt. They were the 3 freaking monkeys.

''Listen to me; you're nothing like your parents. Okay? You made one simple mistake, we all made mistakes. What matters now is that we can move on from it. Please, Quinn – come home with me. We can make this right.''

Rachel eased Quinn back and gently wiped away the residual tears from her face before she leant forward and placed the most delicate of kisses on her mouth. She tasted salty because of her tears but underneath that there was a taste of apple and underneath that it was all Quinn. She still smelt of tropical shampoo and she still also smelt of fabric softener perfume and something naturally her.

All Rachel could really think was that she was already home.

X*x*x*X

Her Dad's were at the next town over picking up supplies for their new family member. There was a late opening housing store and both of them insisted that they were getting Quinn new stuff so she felt at home. They had already swung by Puck's house to explain to his Mom that they were going to take Quinn in permanently and picked up her stuff.

Their absence gave the two of them just enough time to reconnect and for Rachel to lose her virginity and for Quinn to actually be sober to enjoy the process. They fit together so well and it was nothing short of phenomenal and they did nothing short of worship one another. They felt and tasted everything there was to feel and taste of one another and it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

By the time that Rachel's parents arrived home, the two girls (now dressed again) were flat out asleep in each other's arms on top of Rachel's bed. None the wiser the Berry men covered them up with a nearby blanket and let them sleep.

All was right in the world again.