A/N: Another slow night at work and you guys get to benefit from it! Here's the second update tonight because currently I'm as addicted to this story as you seem to be :)
Disclaimer: I don't own glee or any music/bands mentioned
Chapter 4
Meddling
Rachel tried to get back into her routine, it was screwed up yesterday because of the recent arrival of Santana (which led her to forget her phone at home). She finished on her elliptical and jumped in the shower. When she was finished she realized that she forgot a shirt. She huffed, hoping it wouldn't be another horrible day. What a way to start the morning. She wandered quietly down the hall, without a shirt and dripping wet, when Santana walked out of the guest bedroom.
The Latina froze in the hallway at the sight of the half naked diva. Her mouth suddenly got dry and her eyes darkened. Damn! Who knew Berry looked like that underneath of those fugly sweaters? She snapped her mouth closed and attempted to swallow, but her mouth was so damn dry.
Rachel saw her and smiled embarrassingly. "Sorry, just forgot my shirt. The bathroom's all yours."
She disappeared quietly in her bedroom and behind the door. When the diva was out of sight, Santana was able to breathe again. Wow, what a way to wake up in the morning. Santana thought to herself as she walked into the steamy bathroom.
When the Latina was ready for school, she slowly made her way downstairs. Her whole face lit up at the smell of the deliciousness that was wafting through the house. She hurried to the kitchen, but shyly walked in when she saw that she'd be alone with Rachel.
"I thought you were cooking me dinner Berry, not breakfast." She tried to tease, but her voice was shaking. She hoped Rachel didn't notice it.
Rachel smiled as she turned around and put an omelet on a plate and handed it over to Santana. "I was cooking for myself anyway. Enjoy!"
Santana smiled at Rachel's enthusiasm but couldn't meet her eyes. She looked down at her plate while she ate.
When they finished eating, they walked outside. Rachel hand her hands full with the trays of food, so Santana was carrying the diva's backpack.
As they walked out of the house, Quinn was walking up the driveway.
"Quinn?" Rachel replied surprised, though Santana just smirked.
"I told you I'd help with all the stuff." The blonde replied happily to Rachel's unasked question. "Here, let me get that for you."
She grabbed the trays from Rachel and set them in the back seat of her own car. "I'll give you a ride." She offered when she saw the way Rachel looked at her.
"Only if you promise to also bring me home." Rachel smirked.
Quinn smiled but Santana mumbled something under her breath that neither girl could understand. Rachel walked over to the Latina to grab her bag from her. When she approached her, Santana shifted nervously and blushed when Rachel spoke to her.
"Thanks for your help. I can grab this now." Rachel said as she took her bag from Santana.
Quinn noticed her friend's sudden shyness and raised an eyebrow at the exchange. When Rachel made her way back toward Quinn's car, the blonde hurried and opened the door for her.
"Thank you Quinn." Rachel smiled pleasantly as she sat in the passenger's seat. Quinn smiled back before shutting the door for Rachel.
She cast one more confused glance back toward Santana before she trotted around to the driver's side and climbed in. She turned the key, as the engine roared to life. Music suddenly surrounded them. Rachel beamed when she recognized the song.
"This is Small Town Son! I love them!"
"I heard you talking about them so I went out and bought the CD. I really like them."
"You should see them live! The chick who plays the fiddle is amazing! I try to make it to their shows whenever I can."
Quinn grinned. "Maybe we could go next time. You know, together."
"That'd be great. I don't think anyone else in glee likes country, so I usually go alone. I brought Sugar with me last week when they played at a…" Rachel trailed off when she saw the unease on Quinn's face. "Quinn? Are you okay?"
"I didn't even realize you were close friends with Sugar."
"Oh, we just hung out a few times. I'm trying to get her to join glee, as I have said. And she's actually really nice if you get to know her. I apologized to her for dismissing her so quickly."
Quinn nodded but her jaw was clenched tight. "She kissed you yesterday Rach." She paused when she saw Rachel smile. She quirked an eyebrow and hissed. "What?"
"I like that you call me Rach."
Quinn smiled, her anger disappearing. "I think you should set things straight with her before she gets the wrong idea. I mean you wouldn't what to lead her on."
Rachel laughed. "Quinn, I'm sure she's as straight as you are."
Quinn swallowed thickly. That's what she was afraid of, that Sugar was as straight as she was. No wonder Rachel's not catching on, she thinks Quinn's straight. Wait, was she gay? Or was it just Rachel?
"She kissed you, Rach, I don't think that sounds too straight to me."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "I didn't exactly push her away."
"Are you interested in her?"
"I'm not discounting it."
Quinn stared at the brunette dumbfounded.
"Quinn, the road!"
Quinn faced forward and jerked the wheel back to her lane. The sudden movement worried the diva and she quickly checked on the food in the back seat.
"Sorry." Quinn mumbled.
When they got to school, Quinn was still silent. She helped Rachel carry the food trays to the brunette's locker.
"Thanks Quinn." Rachel smiled, unsure why Quinn was so silent.
"You're welcome." Quinn wouldn't meet Rachel's eyes.
They stood in an awkward silence before Quinn walked wordlessly away to her locker. When she saw Santana arrive with Brittany, she walked over to them.
"Santana, can I talk to you a minute?" Quinn didn't wait for a response before she pulled the Latina away and into a secluded area of the hallway. "What was that this morning?"
"What was what?" Santana asked, confused.
"You and Rachel. You looked…."
Santana shuffled her feet nervously.
"Santana?"
"I accidently saw Rachel topless." She saw the fury in the blonde eyes. "I mean shirtless! She had a bra on."
Quinn's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean accidentally?"
"Well, she forgot to bring a shirt with her to the shower and she was wet and…" Santana actually licked her lips at the memory until Quinn punched her arm. "Sorry. But, Q, that girl is hot. I mean…"
Quinn stormed off. Santana ran her hands through her hair anxiously, before returning to Brittany.
Quinn didn't make it to her locker before seeing Finn Hudson strutting down the hallway. Since she was already seeing red, she decided to take it out on someone who deserved it. She barreled into the boy, knocking him against some lockers. She knew she had an audience but she honestly didn't care.
"It wasn't bad enough that you got Santana kicked out of her own house, but you have to insult her again and proposition Rachel?"
Kurt was standing nearby and was immediately curious about what Quinn was saying.
"Quinn, what'd he do?"
"He tried telling Rachel that Santana would turn her gay and that if she slept with him again, she would remember what a real man was like."
Kurt turned toward his step brother, disgust on his face. "You are a prejudiced prick Finn Hudson! Wait until my dad and your mom find out what kind of person you really are."
The tall boy's eyes got wide. He was already terrified at the appearance of 'scary' Quinn but he didn't want to deal with the wrath at home too.
Quinn shoved him into the lockers again just for good measure. "And I'm telling Puck and the other guys on the football team. And I swear to you that I will make the rest of your life here, a living hell. Stay away from Rachel."
"And Santana." Kurt added, but Quinn had forgotten about her Latina friend.
The boy slithered away as the crowd around them dispersed and began gossiping among themselves.
"I can't believe Rachel didn't tell me."
"She was trying to protect Santana."
Kurt nodded. He walked off muttering to himself, leaving Quinn standing alone in the hallway. She caught a glimpse of Rachel who looked disappointed. She cursed under her breath, because now she had to fix things AND compete with Sugar. Her day just started to suck.
She hurried to try to catch up with Rachel. "Rach, wait!"
The brunette stopped abruptly and spun around facing Quinn. "You used violence Quinn, and you could have gotten hurt because he is like three times your size."
"I know."
"And I'm sure Santana didn't want everyone knowing that she is living with me. She'll be more upset than she already is."
"I know."
"And I didn't want everyone knowing that I slept with him."
Quinn flinched. "I know."
"And you could have been hurt."
Quinn allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "You said that already."
"I'm mad at you."
The smile dropped from Quinn's face.
"And I'm disappointed in you."
"I know."
Rachel sighed. "That's all I want to say." She turned around and walked away.
Quinn watched the diva disappear away from her. Her shoulders slumped as she muttered to herself. "What about what I want to say?"
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Rachel and Kurt handed out their baked goods throughout the day, they were all gone before lunch. Kurt tried talking to Rachel about Finn several times but the girl kept changing the subject. He finally gave up.
"So, we're still on for tomorrow?" Kurt asked hopefully.
"Of course. I'm excited to leave all this drama behind me."
They had heard rumors throughout the day, most of which were vastly different than what had actually occurred. The most predominant one was that Finn got his assed kicked by a girl. One that amused Kurt was that Finn and Quinn were fighting over Rachel, mostly because he believed that to be partially true.
"Did you hear the latest rumor about Quinn's smack down on Finn?"
Rachel huffed in annoyance. "I really don't care to speculate on rumors Kurt. We both know what really happened."
"They're saying it was a fight over you."
"That's because they have nothing better to do."
"What do you think about it? If it were true I mean."
"If what were true?"
"Quinn fighting with Finn over you."
Rachel laughed. "Quinn? Seriously? She's straight Kurt, she had a baby."
"She was awfully territorial."
"Santana is her best friend."
"You're her friend."
"Friend being the operative word, Kurt."
The boy rolled her eyes, so much for Rachel's sixth sense. And for a girl who lived with two gay dads and Santana, she had no gaydar at all.
"I know you've been considering batting for the other side, would you ever consider Quinn?"
Rachel laughed again. "Even if she were gay Kurt, that girl is way out of my league. I mean, she's Quinn Fabray. She's perfect."
Kurt smirked. Well that answered that. Now he had to see if the rest of his theory was correct. He shared in a little more small talk before finding Santana.
"What?" The Latina snapped when Kurt approached her with a look that meant he was up to no good.
"Is Quinn straddling the rainbow?"
Santana cackled. "Apparently it's obvious to everyone but her and Rachel."
"Quinn doesn't know she's hot for our favorite diva?"
"She stopped denying it, but whether or not she's actually embracing it is another story."
Kurt nodded.
"What's your plan?" Santana asked with interest.
"Blaine and I are taking Rachel to a gay bar tomorrow for her birthday."
Santana snorted so loudly, that she drew attention to them. She lowered her voice. "I don't know what is the funniest thing about that sentence the fact that your taking Berry to a gay bar for her birthday or the fact that Rachel is willingly going to a bar."
"It was her idea. Blaine and I were talking about how easy it was to get in, and we had Puck make her an ID. She's actually excited. Something about sexuality being fluid and that the experience will be great song writing material."
"Britts and I are so tagging along. This will be epic." She smirked darkly.
"I was thinking we could do a little matchmaking while we're at it."
"I don't think Quinn's ready for that leap yet. If I hadn't been publicly shoved out of the closet, I wouldn't be down for it yet."
Kurt nodded sadly. He couldn't imagine what Santana was going through nor would he want to.
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Figgins announced the election results just before the final bell rang. Brittany won by a landslide, but since she knew she was going to win she just smiled, bowed and thanked everyone in her classroom for voting for her.
When everyone got to glee, there was an obvious choosing of sides when Finn sat alone on one end of the room and everyone else sat on the other side. Santana and Brittany walked in hand in hand, they looked around the room and saw no Rachel so they shot Quinn a look and the blonde just shrugged sadly.
"What are you girls doing?" Tina asked happily.
"We're rejoining glee." Brittany replied just as enthusiastically. Then she walked over to Kurt. "I am now class president but I need a vice president and I was wondering if you would do it for me."
The boy smiled brightly. "Me? Really?"
"Rachel seemed to think that you'd be a good fit for the role and Rachel's brilliant."
"I'd love to Brittany, thank you."
She sat down next to Quinn, and Santana sat beside her.
Pretty soon Rachel came in with Sugar, which made Quinn shift uncomfortably in her chair.
"Look who else decided to join us." Rachel announced, while Sugar took her hand and held it tightly.
The blonde glared at the two brunettes. The rest of the room mumbled confused. "Um, Rachel can we talk to you for a minute." Kurt asked.
Rachel let go of Sugar's hand and hurried to Kurt.
"Unless I'm mistaken, she can't sing. Remember?"
"I always need backup singers, and she can dance pretty well. Plus, she's my friend and I am co-captain."
"Are you and Sugar, together?" Tina asked shyly.
Quinn tried not to appear desperate when she shifted her head slightly to hear Rachel's answer a little better.
"Like together, together?" Rachel asked dumbfounded. "Of course not. As I stated we're friends. And we need all the members we can get."
As soon as the words left Rachel's mouth, Sam walked into the room. Rachel saw shocked looks on her teammates' faces and knew that her next surprise just appeared. She whipped around excitedly.
"You made it!" She ran up to him and hugged him.
He hugged her back just as enthusiastically, while Quinn scowled from her seat. Rachel pulled away from the blond boy and took his hand in hers.
"What are you doing here, Sam?" Puck asked, since no one else dared to.
"My dad got a job working with one of Rachel's dads, so we moved back into town. I don't officially start until Monday, but Rach convinced me to stop in and say hi."
"You've been busy." Quinn growled, but only Santana, Brittany and Kurt seemed to hear her.
Sam scanned the room before looking toward Rachel. "Where's Mercedes?"
"Rachel? What did you want to see me about?" Mercedes walked into the room and stopped when she saw Sam. "How? What?"
He grinned at her before wrapping her in a hug. She returned the hug, but looked around the room questioningly. "What is everyone doing in here? Santana, Brittany, Sugar?"
"They all rejoined glee, we're just waiting on you Mercedes."
Sam looked at the black girl inquisitively but Mercedes just scanned the room at the hopeful faces of the friends she missed. "I ah…"
Rachel walked up to her slowly. "Please, Mercedes. Glee isn't the same without you."
The girl smiled shyly at Rachel's words before hugging her tightly. "I missed you too." She whispered.
Rachel took a seat on the opposite side of Quinn with pride. She rested a hand on Quinn's, which were in the blonde girl's lap. The blonde shivered at the touch.
"I told you I had it all figured out." She whispered loud enough for even Santana to hear her.
"I bow to your greatness Berry." The Latina replied.
Quinn remained silent, she didn't want to draw attention to their linked hands in fear that the brunette would pull away.
After everyone took a seat, and chatted amongst themselves, Mr. Shue walked in the room. He eyed the new (old) faces and smiled. "I knew you guys would come back to us."
They all rolled their eyes, because really he never had a clue.
"And Sam! What a welcomed surprise."
A/N: Small Town Son is my friends' band and for those who like country music, you should check them out :)
They have a couple of original songs on youtube. Their first music video is "Burning Good Rubber"
Up Next, Quinn finds out about Rachel's birthday plans and everybody loves jealous Quinn.