CHAPTER 6

-a month later-

Rachel had been working hard with her assistant Marley on getting her body and vocals into performance shape, and she knew she was improving. In fact, just last week at rehearsal, Cassandra nodded at Rachel as she walked past instead of her usual scowling.

However, Rachel had been so caught up in making her performance perfect that she forgot how she left things with Quinn. As soon as rehearsal was finished, Rachel headed over to Quinn's apartment.

"You're not Indian." Quinn joked again.

"You know what I wish I had right now?" Rachel smiled. "Some coffee."

"So…" Quinn started, taking a sip of her coffee. "How's the musical coming along?"

"Absolutely wonderful!" Rachel gushed. "My assistant and I had been working day and night up until last weekend making me better. I have to say, I'm doing something right seeing as Cassandra herself nodded at me during rehearsal earlier. Which, as you have heard, is significantly better than how she usually acts toward me."

Rachel only stopped talking long enough to take a sip of her coffee before she went back to talking about the musical. Still, Quinn listened intently as she always had when they were younger. The look Rachel got in her eyes when she spoke about her passions was contagious. It was impossible for Quinn not to smile during Rachel's rants.

Breaking from her monologue for another sip, Rachel noticed Quinn's familiar smile and she started laughing at herself. "I'm sorry, I don't think I've let you speak since we started walking…"

"It's alright." Quinn insisted. "I don't mind."

Rachel's tone turned more serious. "You're the sweetest person I know, Quinn Fabray."

Quinn smiled at Rachel. "I'm glad you stopped by tonight."

Rachel took the last sip of her coffee. "Which reminds me… I have a ticket for you to come and see me perform opening night, if you're available. I'd really like it if you'd go, mostly because you haven't seen me on stage before."

"I'll be there." Quinn replied quickly. "I'll swing by sometime before the show and pick it up?"

"That's fine." Rachel nodded, throwing away their cups.

Bouncing back toward Quinn, Rachel made a shivering noise and looped arms with the blonde. The act startled her at first, but Quinn relaxed into the gesture finally as they shared a brief moment of silence. She remembered back to a time when they would walk all over Lima until it got too dark to see without any street lights. At that point, they would head to the playground between their houses and go on the-

"Oh my god." Quinn blurted out, causing Rachel's head to pop up from the blondes shoulder.

"What?" Rachel asked curiously.

Quinn nodded her head over to the grassy area beyond the sidewalk. A smirk crossed her face. "I bet I can still go further than you!" Quinn teased, breaking arms from Rachel and running toward the swings. Rachel bit her lip as she chased after the other woman. In a matter of seconds, they were both pushing off the ground and high into the air.

"One…" Quinn began, looking over to Rachel, who was grinning from ear to ear as she joined in the countdown. "Two… THREE!" they yelled in unison, throwing their bodies away from the swing as hard as they could. When they hit the ground, they both groaned loudly as they rolled toward each other.

"I don't know why I thought that was a good idea…" Quinn mumbled. "I'm too old for this."

"You're just mad because you lost!" Rachel stuck out her tongue.

"I think that coffee is clouding your judgement."

The pair rolled onto their backs after they finally agreed that their contest was a tie. Minutes passed until Rachel rolled onto her side to face Quinn. "Can we be best friends again?" she asked, almost as if she were holding her breath.

Quinn turned her head to the other woman and looked her over. Before tonight, she wasn't sure if being close to Rachel again was a good idea. However, after tonight, she knew Rachel had changed and she started to see her old friend again.

"I'd like that."

x

Quinn stretched as she walked into the kitchen. Once the coffee maker stopped churning, she grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured some for herself. Lifting it to her lips, she blew gently as she made her way to her desk. Setting the mug down, Quinn grabbed a pencil and flipped open her planner. She wrote in Friday's block Rachel - Broadway 7pm and circled it. Quinn smiled as she continued to look at the words and remember the night before.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when she felt someones hands going over her eyes. Touching theirs with hers, the smile returned to her face.

"Hey! I didn't know you were-" Quinn started to say until she turned around and saw… "Santana?"

"The one and only." she grinned playfully. "Expecting someone else?"

"Of course not." Quinn laughed, reaching behind her to close her planner. "I just didn't know you had the day off."

"I wanted to surprise my beautiful fiance with lunch." Santana wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist and placed a kiss on her lips. "And we have a little time for something else…" she continued, kissing Quinn's neck suggestively.

Quinn closed her eyes at her fiances touch, but quickly opened them when her mind imagined Rachel kissing her instead. "Not right now, babe." she managed to say, placing a gentle kiss on Santana's forehead. "I've got to go run errands quick."

"Typical Quinn Fabray…" Santana teased. "Waiting until the week before our wedding to finish everything."

Quinn picked up her coffee mug and put it in the sink. Grabbing her coat, she kissed Santana again. "I'll be back in time for a late lunch. Promise."

After a while of walking, Quinn finally arched where Rachel said the ticket would be, the same address the party was at a little over a month ago. Opening the door, she looked around Rachel's dressing room for a moment, unable to find the ticket anywhere.

"Looking for something?" she heard a voice say from the hallway.

"Rachel knows I'm here, Kurt." Quinn returned, standing up.

"Oh, I didn't realize it was you, Caboosey." he smirked. Quinn glared back and tried to ignore him, but Kurt pressed on. "How's your fiance feel about your rekindled relationship with Berry?"

Narrowing her eyes, Quinn avoided answering him. She knew it would only feed his hunger for drama. But still, Kurt pressed on. "We both know that you've always had a lady boner for her."

"We're just friends, Kurt." Quinn finally corrected him, balling her fists.

"She's straight, Lucy." he said more seriously.

"I know that!"

"I don't think you do." Kurt got into Quinn's personal space. "So I'm going to let you know what's going to happen. You're going to realize that this little blast from the past is just that, and she had no intention of giving you a ticket to her show. You're her stalker, a-"

"Don't you dare call me that!"

"I'm giving you a reality check, princess." he narrowed his eyes again. "You're going to marry Santana, and stay the hell away from Rachel. Don't worry, she wont be upset for long. After all, she ditched your ass in high school, she'll do it again now."

Quinn looked around the room one last time. Even though Kurt made her blood pressure go through the roof, he was right about one thing. Rachel didn't leave a ticket.

Unclenching her fists, she walked past Kurt in defeat. As soon as she was out of the dressing room, her legs couldn't get her away from that place fast enough.

x

"That'll be all." Cassandra pressed her forehead with her fingers. "Lucky for you, my headache isn't completely excruciating today."

Rachel gathered her things and started to leave when she heard the older woman call her over.

"Yes?" she stammered out.

"Whatever you're doing…" Cassandra didn't make eye contact when she spoke. "Keep it up."

Rachel's mouth dropped open for a moment before she snapped it shut and nodded.

Walking back to her dressing room, Rachel opened the door to find the ticket she had left for Quinn still sitting on her table. She could have sworn that Quinn was going to stop by and pick it up today. Maybe she forgot… she thought to herself as she picked it up and put it in her pocket. I'll just take it to her.

Standing outside Quinn's apartment, Rachel smoothed out her clothes before she knocked. To her surprise, Santana opened the door.

"Rachel Berry?" she asked, just as shocked as Rachel was.

"Hey, Santana." Rachel smiled. "Is Quinn around?"

"She's actually out for the day." The other woman replied.

"Oh." Rachel looked down. "Did she say for what?"

"I can only guess it was last minute things for Saturday."

"Saturday?" Rachel repeated.

"Our ceremony."

"Right…" she held her hand up to her forehead while her other fidgeted with the ticket in her pocket.

"You can.. Come in and wait if you want?" Santana offered. "She should be home soon."

"No, that's alright." Rachel shook her head. "Can you just give this to her for me?"

"Sure." Santana smiled, looking down at the ticket. When she glanced back up, Rachel was gone.

x

Turning her key in the door, Quinn walked into her apartment and took off her coat. She noticed Santana sitting at the table looking at something.

"What's that?" she asked as she got closer, but she already knew what it was.

"Rachel stopped by today." Santana said plainly.

"Oh?" Quinn arched her eyebrow. Before she could say anything else, Santana looked up at the other woman.

"Do you still love her?"

x