AN: Hi everyone! Here's quite a long chapter - enjoy and please review :)

Quinn held Rachel's hand tightly in her own and watched as Rachel traced her arm with her finger. She sighed happily.

"R-Rachel." She began.

"Yes." Rachel whispered.

"I-I love-"

"Quinn! Get up! You're going to be late!" A sharp voice rang in Quinn's ears and she jerked awake, thinking fuzzily of the dream she just had.

"I'm up." Quinn said, groggily getting up, she heard her door slam and she was alone again. I love you? A voice said in her head. I didn't say it. I might have been saying 'I love cheese,' or something, another voice argued. Quinn sighed; I'm not in love with Rachel. I'm not in love with Rachel. She just leaves an impression, that's all. I'm not in love with her.

"Rachel! Hi." Quinn ran up to the pretty brunette who had just passed her locker.

"Oh, hey Quinn, sorry, I didn't see you." Rachel replied, turning around. It's now or never, Quinn thought.

"That's okay. Hey, I've been meaning to ask you, do you sing? Because-"

"No. Sorry." Rachel cut her off and turned away. "I have to go."

Quinn watched her go, puzzled. Why had her face lit up that day then? Why couldn't she talk about singing? Why? All these questions went through Quinn's mind and stayed there until the end of the day.

Quinn was standing outside the choir room waiting for Artie when she saw someone walking up the school corridor, wondering who it was, as everyone in Glee Club was inside except for Artie, who she would have noticed since he was in a wheelchair. Then Quinn noticed a shiny yellow headband gleaming in the sun and she knew it was Rachel coming towards her.

"Hi Quinn. Look, I'm sorry I ran off before."

"Hey, that's okay. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well I saw the signup sheet on the billboard outside my English class…" Rachel trailed off.

"But I thought-" Then Quinn stopped, she didn't want to bring up that subject again incase Rachel got upset and she couldn't afford that.

"Yeah, I know. And I'm really sorry."

"Why? You don't need to be sorry. But if you need to talk – I'm here." Quinn said, putting a comforting hand on Rachel's shoulder.

"Thank you."

"Quinn! Hey," A voice said from behind the two girls.

"Artie, hi! This is Rachel she might be joining us. Rachel, this is Artie." Quinn introduced. "We'll be in there in a minute."

"Hi, nice to meet you." Rachel said politely.

"Hey, you too." Artie said and wheeled himself through the double doors of the choir room. "Quinn's coming in a minute." The two girls heard him say.

"Are you sure you want to- I mean you were…" Quinn smiled and trailed off.

"It's fine. Really. Come on." Rachel said easily, but her eyes looked anxious and her fingers were trembling. Quinn looked puzzled but walked in the choir room, Rachel at her heels.

"Hi Mr. Shue, hi everyone! I've found us a new member!" Quinn announced, pointing to Rachel.

"Hi, I'm Rachel. Rachel Berry." Rachel said, giving everyone a shy smile.

"Hi, Rachel. So, what are you going to sing for us today?" Mr. Shue asked, smiling at Rachel an went to take a seat next to Artie. Quinn sat down next to Santana and relaxed, wondering how good Rachel was, or if she was any good at all.

"I'll be singing Don't Rain On My Parade." Rachel said.

Quinn frowned wondering if her eyes had deceived her or there were tears in Rachel's eyes.

But all was forgotten when Rachel started singing. Quinn's mind just cleared, nothing mattered, the choir room; everyone around her, her voice was just so overwhelming. It was strong and beautiful; Quinn had never heard anything like it. She was on her feet, clapping before the song was even over and so was everyone else.

"Wow, just wow, Rachel. Welcome to the New Directions!" Mr. Shue said, a grin on his face when Rachel finished. But Rachel didn't smile, she was looking down and it looked like she was crying.

"I just need a minute." Rachel said quietly and ran out of the choir room. Mr. Shue stood up to go after her but Quinn stopped him.

"I'll go."

"Rachel, wait! Please." Quinn ran out into the corridor, a look of genuine concern on her face. Rachel whipped around, suddenly angry.

"Why did you let me do this? My dads said I should, everyone said I should. Did anyone ever think about what I felt about singing? I've haven't sung properly, in front of people, in six years. Why? Because it hurts now. It just hurts, now that I understand." Rachel raged, and then ran down the corridor into a nearby classroom. Quinn stood, shocked. What did she now understand? Was I that forceful when I asked her to join? Quinn wasn't sure whether to go after her or not.

Quinn tapped tentatively on the classroom door then entered.

"Rachel?"

"Go away. Please." Rachel said quietly, her head was in her hands and she was curled up on a desk, her shoulders shaking. "Please, just leave me alone."

"That's what I told you, but you stayed, so I'm staying now."

Quinn put her arms around Rachel, Rachel protested then relaxed and sobbed on Quinn's shoulder.

"I shouldn't have sung today." Rachel said finally, lifting her head.

"But you sounded amazing. You have an amazing voice, Rachel." Quinn said.

"Yeah, but she didn't know that, did she? Otherwise she would've kept me."

"Who would have kept you?" Quinn questioned, puzzled.

"My mother. My mom." Rachel sighed, a tear running down her cheek, chasing the last one.

"I'm sorry." Quinn said quietly.

"Don't be. That's all anyone is." Rachel said angrily. "Why apologize? What good is that to me? All I want to know is who she is! What she does! Does she think about me?"

"Of course she's thinking about you, and she's probably regretting it. When someone meets you, Rachel, they never forget you – that I'm sure of." Quinn said easily, she wiped the tears off Rachel's face and hopped off the desk, helping Rachel down too. "Now, come. Let's get you cleaned up."

"You're so nice to me, Quinn, even after I shouted at you. You should be angry." Rachel said, shaking her head.

"You were upset."

"I'm sorry. Can we forget this? Please."

"Sure."

But Quinn Fabray couldn't forget, she felt this overwhelming urge to find Rachel's mother and scream at her for making Rachel cry, for leaving her. After that afternoon, Rachel and Quinn didn't talk about Rachel's mom and Rachel didn't come back to the New Directions either.

"I'm really sorry, but I can't! I'm a mess, I'll let you down." She'd said to Quinn.

"But we need you!" Quinn argued, but Rachel was firm in her decision, Quinn never failed to ask her from time to time. They had started sitting together at lunch, it was Quinn's favourite part of the day and little did she know that it was Rachel's too.