A/N: Thank you once again for reading this. It means so much and your reviews mean the world to me.

Some bad news though, I'm afraid there is a high possibility of me not being able to upload next Monday. I will be at my grandparents' house so I will be unable to update :( so my apologies but the updates should carry on as usual from then on unless something else pops up. If it does, I will do my best to let you know in advance :)

Disclaimer: I don't own glee, however any mistakes in this are mine.

All the while they were apart, Rachel would never have a moment to rest. If she wasn't up and about doing something, her mind would be churning with confusion. She was 25. Surely if she was gay, or even bisexual, she would have realised in college. Or even earlier. Wouldn't she?

It could just be admiration. Feelings of admiration could have been the source to Rachel's feelings. Charlie had been through so much in so little time. She had to have been so strong to have been treated that way and then raise her child, the outcome of the way she was treated, single-handedly. Even having gone through all that, she still had such a positive outlook on life. Charlie practically radiated happiness. Perhaps you have to experience darkness to really know and understand how it felt to be happy. Or maybe, just maybe, Charlie made Rachel happy.

It's not that he was opposed to the idea of her feelings for Charlie. In fact, she was all for it. Having two gay dads meant that she was pretty open to any relationship so long as it involved love.

She wasn't ready to love Charlie yet though. Not quite. Well, she thought she loved her. She just wasn't in love with her. She loved her on a friendly basis for the moment. For all she knew, these feeling could be temporary and the chances of them being reciprocated were pretty low. They were just friends. That's all. Nothing more. Nothing less. At least, for now. A girl can hope, can't she?

XxxxOxxxX

In her own home, Charlie couldn't hold out any longer. The urge to ring Rachel was just too strong. Impatiently, the tall blonde reached into the pocket of her jeans for her phone and dialled Rachel's number. After three rings, Rachel answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello Rach!"

"Oh, Charlie, it's lovely to hear your voice. How are you today?"

"I'm, um, I'm good thanks Rach. Quite happy right now if I'm honest. Are you okay though? You sound a little out of breath."

"Yes, I'm quite fine Charlie. I just got back from a run." Rachel had no idea why she said that. She hated running. In all honestly, the reason she was out of breath was because she jumped off her sofa and ran to get her phone in the chance that it would be Charlie. Thank goodness it was.

"Running?! Rach, are you completely crazy?! It's pouring it down with rain! You must be soaked and freezing. In fact, you ring me back after you've had a hot drink and a lovely soak in a bubble bath. We can't have you getting ill can we?"

"But Char-"

"No buts Rachel. I really don't want you getting ill. You know how much you hate it. If that isn't enough, which it should be, think about your fans."

"I- fine." Rachel huffed. Nothing good ever comes of lying.

"Good. Now, could you possibly ring me later?"

"Of course I will Charlie. I'll be as quick as I can! Bye bye!"

"Talk to you later Rach." The line went dead and Charlie found herself wondering why on earth she had been so insistent on Rachel leaving. She had wanted so badly to talk to her girl- to the brunette girl. She wasn't hers. Rachel was straight. She liked boys.

That fact saddened Charlie but she knew deep down that nothing would happen between the two of them. No matter how strong her feeling were she just couldn't risk the friendship she had just reformed with Rachel.

After fifteen minutes of searching every nook and cranny of her brain to see why she was so insistent upon Rachel going away, though she so desperately wanted to talk to her. The reason was, though she wanted to talk to the brunette, she cared for her so health came first.

XxxxOxxxX

Rachel cursed herself. Why did she have to lie?! It would have been so much easier just to deny being out of breath. But no, always with a flair for the dramatics, Rachel Barbra Berry said she was out running. Out running. Rachel hated running. It was the worst thing she could think of doing.

Ever the one with an overactive brain, she had convinced herself that going running was bad for a number of reasons. The first being, despite how "on the ball" she was in everyday life, she was probably the most clumsy person out there. This meant one thing. Running was one of the worst ideas out there.

Have you ever seen a clumsy person trying to run? They fall over at least twice and the amount of times they run into lampposts is very high.

Another reason was the only times she ever thought about going for a run would be when it was either just turning dark or it was dark. And dark meant creepy men on street corners. Seeing leering men during daylight hours was bad enough. The dark just made everything seem more... Frightening. Perhaps a better way to phrase it would be to say it makes a person more on guard and cautious.

That, however, leads to Rachel not focusing on where she puts her feet. And that can only mean one thing. Falling over. Again.

They were just two of many reasons Rachel did not enjoy going out for runs.

Once again, Rachel cursed herself for letting her mind wander elsewhere. She had lost track of time. How she could just sit and not be aware of her surroundings, she didn't know. What she did know though, was that she had been sat there and thinking for over a quarter of an hour. Surely that was enough time for someone to have a bath and warm up. If not, it didn't matter. Rachel Berry was always efficient with her time.

Careful not to run for her phone this time, Rachel walked across her apartment, reached for her phone and dialled Charlie's number.

"Hi Rach!"

"Hello Charlie. Sorry if I took too long."

"Nonsense. You needed to warm up. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes thank you. It was very refreshing and it has left me feeling very relaxed."

"There's no need to thank me." Rachel could hear Charlie smile as she spoke. "The reason I rang earlier is because, well… I" Charlie really didn't know why she couldn't just ask her friend a simple question.

"Yes Charlie?"

"I was wondering if you would go out with me on Monday evening after your show" Faltering slightly, she carried on, stumbling through her words. "Well, not go out, go out. Not like a date. Unless…"

Rachel heard Charlie curse down the phone. Her heart was in her mouth. Did that slip of the tongue actually mean something? Does Charlie like me? No. I must be imagining things. It's impossible. Someone as beautiful as her couldn't like me. Deciding to fill the awkward silence, Rachel finally spoke "That would be wonderful Charlie. Thank you. And there's no need to worry. I know what you mean."

"Oh thank god. Sorry about that Rach. But onto the meal, Alicia won't be there this time. I thought it would be nice to see each other and catch up properly without interference or distractions."

"I'd love that Charlie. Thank you. Do you have any details I can write down?"

"No. Well, not yet. I'm going to book a table tonight. All I can tell you right now is that it's not a smart or fancy place so just dress casual. If it's okay with you, I'll pick you up?"

By now, Rachel had a bright grin that spread from ear to ear. If anyone were to see her, the possibility of them thinking she was happy was much less than someone thinking she was a crazed lunatic that was planning some psychotic scheme. She would remind most of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland "That sounds like a great evening. Thank you Charlie. Will you let me know the times when you get them?"

"That was my plan. I'll text you once I've rang them up." Charlie smiled. She knew what she was doing. Monday was Rachel's birthday. There was no way Charlie was going to tell Rachel that she remembered. This was going to be a surprise. Hopefully it would be one that would be enjoyed.

"Sounds great. So I'll see you then?"

"Of course. I'll text you later Rae. Bye-bye"

"Bye Charlie. I can't wait!" Rachel heard the line go dead. "If only you knew how much…"

A/N2: Thank you for reading and I hope it was enjoyable :D any ideas of what you think may happen, may humor me ;) but I have a good idea of where this is going. A few of you have picked up on me using British and non-American phrases. I don't notice these so perhaps if you notice any, you could let me know through a review or PM :) that would be very useful thank you. Or even if there is someone who would proof read the things that Rachel would say. I don't mind if not, it's just it may make it easier for you, as the reader, to understand :) Thank you for your time and remember, reviews make me happy :D