A/N: Hello again! I want to thank you all for keeping up with the story, and those who just joined, I sincerely thank you for reading and subscribing! You guys seriously make my day!

This is a short chapter, and a sweet one, I hope. I didn't want the day to end so bitterly for them so here's the final result.

Here goes to hoping you'll like it!


The performance was finally over and Rachel was on her dressing room getting ready to leave. She saw her reflection on the mirror in front of her, the fake eye lashes, the exaggerated make up, and she remembered how excited she was the first time she saw her reflection back at her with that same make up and how both times there was only one thing on her mind, Quinn. But this time it was very different than the first time, that first time she remembered feeling ecstatic! She had reached her dream and she had her dream girl waiting on her too, and they would go back to their home together, and they'd make love and they'd sleep wrapped in each others arms only to wake up the same way in the morning.

But not this time, this time her thoughts weren't as hopeful, she didn't know if Quinn was waiting for her or if she was asleep. She missed the times when Quinn would wait for her on the backstage door to just hold her hand and tell her she had been perfect that night or, in the nights Quinn couldn't wait for her or couldn't go to the show, she missed going to her dressing room after the show and finding a simple gardenia with a golden ribbon around it waiting for her. She sighed at the memories and she felt a mixture of anger and sadness, every thing had gone so well earlier! She had managed to get her old Quinn back, even if for a few hours, and it had all been perfect and then it all had gotten screwed up.

"Why did you have to take that phone call Rachel? You knew what they were going to ask you! You knew it! Why didn't you just let it ring? Why didn't you tell Quinn it wasn't important?"

She dropped her head in her hands, she was exhausted and all she wanted to do was go home, home to Quinn. Even if she didn't know if Quinn was still awake she just wanted to go home and crawl into bed with her.

Her Quinn…

A thought came suddenly and she lifted her head so quickly she felt a little bit dizzy…

Why did Quinn tell her to answer? She knew who was calling, she knew what they were going to ask! It was not the first time they called her on her day off! And by the look on Quinn's face it was evident she knew too… then why did she tell her to answer the phone? Did she want Rachel to leave? But then why would she have gotten so mad? Or did she tell her to answer hoping she didn't?

She was confused, she didn't want to take the call and she was hoping Quinn saw that, and for a moment it seemed like she did but then she told her to answer it!

"Ugh! It's all just a mess!"

She reached for her phone and was just a little bit disappointed that there was nothing from Quinn there. She wasn't really that naïve, she knew that just because they had a beautiful day together didn't mean everything was just going to be instantly back to the way it used to be but, that didn't stop her from hoping that Quinn would at least do something!

She put her phone down and started getting changed, she removed the fake eye lashes and the make up, she put her head up in a ponytail and washed her face. Then she took of her clothes and changed into regular clothes. She always did her routine that way because she didn't want any make up in her clothes, and also because that way she could just take a quick shower when she went home and go straight to bed.

It took her up to 30 minutes to do all of that, and all that time she couldn't stop the same questions from before from popping into her mind.

Why did she have to take that call?

Why did Quinn said nothing to her to keep her from coming?

Why didn't she just say no?

Why was Quinn so mad when she told her to come?

Why did Quinn say she understood if she clearly was upset by it?

"Why did I have to take the damn call!?"

She grabbed her things and made her way out of the theatre. Looked at phone once again and nothing, still nothing!

"Gosh! She's so infuriating! I don't even know why she's mad! She agreed, she told me she understood, she told me to pick up the phone… She did… She…"

"Ugh!"

Rachel continued to walk and tears were starting to form in her eyes, apparently every freaking place in that theatre had memories of the two of them together!

Two steps. There! That corner, first time Quinn kissed her in the theatre.

Two steps. To the right, there! The stairs where Quinn held her because her co-star had told her she had been terrible.

A step. There! The place where Quinn yelled at said co-star telling him to "Back off and better go learn his fucking dialogue because after 5 months everybody could still notice Rachel guiding him through it".

Three steps to the left. There, under that door! The place where Quinn had hidden after Rachel's first performance because she didn't know if she was allowed backstage.

There! Inside that prop room! Another memory!

There! On those bathrooms! Another memory!

Every inch of that place reminded her of something and she just wanted to get out so she started walking a bit faster trying to get away from it all, she just wanted to focus on now and how to get it right again, she just needed to find a way to fix it and start all over again. And dwelling on memories was not going to get her anywhere. So she just shook her head, trying to shake it off and her memories betrayed her once again.

She just came to a complete halt when she saw, out from the corner of her eye, a specific spot. It was just a wall but it had a special memory in it, a simple moment one that gave her mixed emotions.

She remembered sneaking inside the theatre just 6 months after their arrival to New York.

It had been Quinn's idea but she didn't tell Rachel because she knew she would be opposed to it.

Sneaking inside the theatre? At night? What if they got caught? What if they got arrested? Or .. or deported back to Lima or something?

Quinn could totally imagine Rachel objecting over those subjects, so she decided to make it a surprise.

"Quinn! Tell me where are we going? And why am I blindfolded? And why is it suddenly so quiet?"

Quinn laughed as quietly as she could and held Rachel's hand tighter.

"Just trust me Rach. It is going to be worth it, and you will absolutely love me even more after it!"

Rachel huffed and Quinn kissed her sweetly in the cheek to make her relax.

"We're almost there sweetie. Just 5 more steps… careful there Rachel! Lift your feet!"

"Quinn! It would be easier if you'd actually let me see! And why are there so many steps!? You didn't bring me somewhere scary or abandoned or something like that right?"

"Relax baby, why are you so nervous? Don't you trust me?"

"Please Quinn! You know I do, but… it's just so quiet! And you better get rid of that pout! Just because I can't see it doesn't mean I can't hear it! And it is certainly not appreciated right now."

Quinn laughed and the echo could be heard and Rachel shivered. It really was creepy and she was starting to get extremely anxious.

"Quinn? Baby? Are we there yet?"

"Just… walk a little bit more. Riiiight here. Okay stop! I'm gonna take the blind off but you can't open your eyes until I tell you okay?"

Rachel nodded and Quinn kissed her while taking the blind of. She gave one more peck to Rachel's lips and told her she could open her eyes.

And so Rachel did.

And she was amazed.

They were standing in the middle of the stage inside an actual Broadway theatre and it took Rachel's breathe away.

Quinn had brought a couple of flashlights, big ones, which she placed on the floor so that it was not entirely dark and then she hugged Rachel from behind placing a kiss on her neck and whispering to her ear:

"This is it Rach. This is going to be your stage. This is going to be the place where all your dreams are going to come true. You made it baby"

Rachel felt the tears starting to stream down her face, tears of happiness and joy. She turned around so that she cup Quinn's cheeks. She was so happy to be there, to be there with her. She kissed her nose with a playful, almost childish kiss and rested her forehead on Quinn's.

"We made it Quinn"

She felt as the girl smiled against her forehead and she smiled too, and at the exact moment when she was going to pull her down so that their lips met they heard a noise, and then footsteps, and then a voice asking who was there and realization hit her… just as she hit Quinn on the arm.

"Quiiiiiin! You snuck us in here! We're so getting arrested! Oh gosh Quinn! What were you thinking? And why are you laughing!? This is not funny!"

Rachel was whispering in a hysterical tone and Quinn was doing her best not to laugh too loudly.

"Come on baby! Let's get out of here! Run!"

And so they did, they ran out of the stage and into the backstage area, and as they ran Rachel could clearly see what it would be like when she finally made it there. All the people rushing to get changed, to get their mics working, singing out loud, running their lines one last time. She saw a door that had a paper sign on it that read "Wardrobe" and in that second she got distracted she tripped and on her attempt to not fall she pulled Quinn down with her and they were both on the ground trying not to laugh.

Quinn was lying on her back and Rachel quickly laid on her side facing her.

"Thank you. For doing this, for bringing me here, for being here, I can't tell you how much this means, how happy you make me, how much I Love You and how it makes me fall even more in love with you to know that you will always support me."

And this time it was Quinn's turn to tear up.

She turned her head to look at the stunning girl in front of her and she couldn't believe how beautiful she looked at that moment. Her eyes shinning with excitement, with hope, with love. Her hair falling on one side and a stunning smile drawn over her face.

"I will always be proud of you Rach. And I will always help you pursue your dreams, and I will always hold your hand when you finally get them. This is only the beginning love."

They stared at each other and saw nothing else but love. They saw each other's future, their hopes. They both saw their dreams come true. And, as it often happens when people are so in love with each other, they acted simultaneously, knowing what the other was thinking without saying anything.

They stood up and walked towards each other. Rachel held Quinn by the neck and Quinn held Rachel by the waist and started walking until Rachel's back was pressed against the wall. Their bodies pressed against each other, breathing the same air and hearts beating at unison. They both held the other one tighter without breaking eye contact; they could feel the intensity of the moment building around them, in them, through them and into the other. It was as if the universe had been watching them and decided to join them in it, making sure to reassure them that it was, in fact, just the beginning. Gravity was pulling them closer, just like their hearts had done that night when Quinn found her way to Rachel.

Quinn slid one of her hands to Rachel's face, caressing her cheek slowly, then outlining every inch of it with her fingers, and Rachel couldn't move, couldn't stop looking into those hazel intense eyes. She could see them following her own fingers, memorizing, drawing, creating, and when those fingers touched her lips she whimpered. She couldn't hold it back, it was all too much, and she kissed those fingers and then the lips of the owner of those fingers. The owner of her heart

And when they kissed everything exploded. The universe exploded, the theatre exploded, they exploded. And when they broke apart and met each others eyes they saw each other, and they saw perfection, and they saw…

"Forever"

They said it at the same time, as if closing a pact with each other and the universe. And everything was perfect. And no one had any doubts. And all that mattered was each other.

Rachel's heart both hurt and swooned at the memory, tears formed in her eyes and she didn't know it they were happy or sad tears. She wanted to stay in the memory for ever, just revel in the feelings she had that night and never let go. She just wanted Quinn, her Quinn, that Quinn, to hold her and to promise her forever again.

And she was going to get just that.

She felt her phone vibrate and she couldn't believe when she saw it was a text from Quinn! She made a double take just to make sure she didn't imagine it.

Quinn:

"What!?"

Rachel stared at the text as her excitement was replaced with total confusion!

Why did Quinn send her an empty text? Was she asleep and accidentally send it? Or did she send it by mistake?

She put her phone away and made her way, hastily, to the exit door and almost knocked someone as soon as she placed a foot outside the theatre.

"Oh my… I am so sorry! Are you all right?"

She was still in shock after the hit and didn't really look at the person who she had almost thrown to the ground and was surprised when that person started laughing.

"Oh God, I must have hit them in the head and they have a concussion now! Oh what am I …. Wait a minute!"

She blinked a couple of times, as if to erase all the confusion washing over, and a smile slowly formed when she recognized that laughter.

"What are you doing here? I honestly thought you would be asleep by now! Are you okay? You are not hurt or concussed or anything right?"

"What? No no, I am perfectly fine Rach, don't worry! Are you okay? I was just sending you another text and I didn't even notice when you opened the door and-"

Now it was Rachel's turn to laugh and Quinn's to be confused.

"Another text? Oh! You mean another empty text?"

Quinn looked down and blushed and Rachel just laughed harder, grabbing the blushing girl's arm for support.

"Yeah, I uhm… Well, I wanted to surprise you, but it was taking you a lot of time to come out here and I couldn't very well ask you when you were coming out here or you'd figure it out but it is getting really late , and cold, and I just had to find a way to make you hurry up!"

Rachel's attention had drifted but Quinn and passed onto what Quinn was holding with her right hand.

"Oh God…"

"Quinn? Uhm… Is that...?"

Quinn raised her face and looked into brown eyes that were now looking at her with something between, hope, nostalgia and excitement. Following the Rachel's eyes she realized what she was looking at and raised it so that she could see it properly, and she could see as those brown big eyes shone with happiness and… unshed tears?

"Rach, uhm… Well, this is for you… obviously. I just, I hadn't give you one in a while and I thought you'd like it, you've been really sweet today and I didn't want us to end up fighting when the day had been so perfect!"

Rachel was shaking a little bit and Quinn was starting to have somewhat of a panic attack because she didn't think Rachel would react this way. She really didn't mean to upset her! She just wanted to make her smile, not cry!

Rachel was just lost in a wave of happiness and shock and for a moment she thought she had actually fallen and hit her head and was in some kind of memory induced dream or something like that. She let out a small chuckle extending her arm to take what Quinn had and looked at it in total amazement.

"Quinn, this… it's beautiful! Thank you baby! You have no idea what this means to me right now!"

Quinn let out the breath she was holding and hugged Rachel with relief.

"So you do like it? For a moment there I thought…"

Rachel broke the hug and shook her head, trying hard to find the words that eluded her at the moment.

"It is perfect baby!"

Both girls were beaming now and Quinn kissed Rachel's nose.

"I am happy you liked it Rach. Now let's go home okay? It really is getting late."

Rachel yawned and nodded without taking her eyes off of the precious object in her hand. Quinn offered her her arm and she gladly took it, resting her head on the other girl's shoulder and closing her eyes when Quinn gave her a quick yet sweet kiss in the head.

They started to make their way back to their apartment in silence, but with matching smiles.

Quinn holding Rachel's arm and Rachel holding a beautiful gardenia with a golden ribbon around it.