Apologies for the loooooong delay but I became side tracked writing a different story under another name ( what was I thinking?!). Unbeta-ed but if I read this one more time I'm in danger of just deleting it :(
Thanks to those of you still hanging on in there - enjoy.
Fortunately tap dancing wasn't a class that Sarah attended so Quinn could relax and enjoy the uninterrupted joy of watching Rachel as she twirled and tapped her way around the room. There was a range of ages participating in the class all with one thing in common, the smiles on their faces. Quinn was enjoying watching the flexing of Rachel's muscles as her toned taut body spun past her and she could feel herself smiling. It was as if the joy of dancing was contagious; her heart rate had increased and breathing was slightly more laboured. She wanted to hug Rachel tightly to her and run her hands over those muscles that were holding her in such thrall. Another burst of laughter from Rachel broke through her thoughts. Rachel was competing with a teenage boy as they mock ran on the spot going faster and faster trying to outdo each other. Soon the whole class was having a go before the teacher stepped up and completely annihilated the competition.
It was a breathless slightly sweaty Rachel who finally joined her, towelling her face and still grinning broadly having only been bested by the teacher. Rachel tipped her head back as she gulped down water from the bottle Quinn offered her. Quinn watched fascinated as Rachel's throat muscles rippled under the smooth skin.
"That was amazing," said Quinn her smile matching Rachel's ," You were.." Quinn paused knowing she was in danger of over using the word amazing," mesmerising."
Rachel's smile broadened and she impulsively hugged Quinn drawing away before Quinn had the chance to realise what was happening and hug her back.
"I'm going to go and have a quick shower as I'm a bit... Well I need a shower. Are you alright to wait here?" asked Rachel hoping she hadn't grossed Quinn out by hugging her when still slightly hot and sweaty from her exertions. She just felt so exuberant and full of energy. She had been aware of Quinn's eyes fixed on her throughout the class and rather than feeling discomfort or awkwardness like when Sarah stared at her she'd felt inspired and invincible. It was an amazing feeling to know that she was the reason for that big smile that had been adorning Quinn's face for the duration of the class. This was why she wanted to be a performer, to bring joy to others. She'd just never realised that she would receive such a thrill from it too. Rachel tried to dampen down her excitement at having Quinn as a friend - was it too soon to call her her best friend? - as she skipped to the changing room.
Quinn had finally exhausted polite conversation with the tap teacher so she headed off with instructions on how to locate Rachel. She wasn't unduly worried as knowing Rachel there was probably a strict yet extensive cleansing regime that needed following hence how long it was taking. She finally made her way through the door of the changing room but her intention to call out for Rachel was quickly crushed as she realised she'd arrived mid conversation. She could recognise Rachel and Sarah's voices. Sarah was trying to persuade Rachel into something alternating between cajoling and mild insults about being sad for not wanting to go. It seemed someone's parents were away and there was going to be an impromptu party. She wheeled herself around the corner to find Sarah standing what she considered way too close to Rachel, looking down on her. Rachel was clutching the towel around her as if hanging on for dear life. Her eyes darted to catch Quinn and her posture relaxed slightly.
"I'm sorry Sarah I really can't, I already have plans. Quinn and I," Rachel tailed off. Her ability to lie was sorely underdeveloped partly as a consequence of being an only child and partly from having doting parents who were forgiving enough to make lying rather pointless. Quinn on the other hand had had a very different upbringing.
"are having dinner with my mother," finished Quinn, pleased to note Sarah's instant displeasure at her arrival. At least it meant she moved out of Rachel's personal space so she could spin round and glare at Quinn.
"Sounds fun," said Sarah sincerely although the face she pulled at Quinn suggested it was anything but. Sarah swung her bag onto her shoulder and then faced Rachel and with a sickening sweet tone suggested the pair of them could catch up for some girl talk later in the week. Rachel's hesitancy was overrun by Sarah's pushing 'weds, just the pair of us, it'll be fun' before she kissed Rachel on the cheek and flounced out of the changing room, managing to bump into Quinn as she left. Quinn couldn't help but notice the faint blush on Rachel's cheeks - maybe Sarah's interest in Rachel wasn't completely one-sided.
"Right then I'll leave you to get dressed while I ring Mother and let her know she's cooking tonight," said Quinn as she tried to manoeuver her chair to face the exit.
"It's okay, your mother doesn't need to.." suggested Rachel hesitantly. It wasn't as if Sarah would be checking out their story and besides she was a bit wary of Mrs Fabray.
" Oh yes she does," interrupted Quinn," I'm under strict instructions to bring you home for the traditional Fabray trial by dinner experience."
Rachel's face dropped, 'trial by dinner' sounded ominous. She managed to say," I find your mother quite intimidating."
An amused Quinn dismissed her fears instantly," My mother's just a big pussy cat," she said fondly, suddenly feeling quite protective of her new improved mother.
"More tiger than kitten," muttered Rachel as she began to loosen her towel as a prelude to dressing. It was a hot and bothered Quinn who made a hasty retreat into the corridor, images of tanned skin emerging from being wrapped in a brilliant white towel burned into her brain.
Judy hummed her way round the kitchen as she put the finishing touches to the vegan lasagna she was preparing especially for Rachel, there was the full meat version available for her carnivorous daughter. She was delighted that her plan had come to fruition so quickly. It was only that morning she'd been suggesting to Quinn that she invite Rachel round as a thank-you for lifts to school and physiotherapy. Okay maybe a bit of a weak excuse but it was the best she could do with the little information she had. Her real agenda had been a little more subtle, she was going to help move the two along rather than allowing the glacial pace Quinn was setting to continue. Left to her own devices Quinn might be prepared to make some kind of acknowledgement of her feelings to Rachel just before they retired. Time was of the essence, college was already visible on the horizon. Nothing, in her experience, aided the failing in love process more than cute baby pictures and when it came to cute baby pictures none came much cuter than her blond-haired, hazel eyed youngest daughter. Nobody could resist that smooth skinned, big eyed angelic innocence.
Judy had only recently managed to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together to realise that younger Quinn's obsession with 'putting that freak in her place' actually masked a rather strong infatuation for Rachel. She hadn't needed the drugged Quinn's mutterings about Rachel to work it out although the conformation of her suspicions had been useful. She'd known Quinn listened only to Rachel singing when in her room but she'd put that down to being some kind of Glee Club training and besides who wouldn't want to listen to such beautiful singing, though perhaps not on repeat or quite as obsessively as Quinn did. She'd known Rachel had helped drag Quinn away from a delinquent punk phase when everyone and everything else had failed - in fact she suspected the punk acting out had been Quinn desperately seeking Rachel's attention and Rachel had duly obliged. She'd been aware that Quinn was insensed by the Rachel-Finn relationship but she'd thought it was some kind of anger over Finn initially and the breach of some kind of youth code about not dating friends' exes. However Quinn's total despair at the idea that Rachel and Finn would marry and her constant ranting on how Rachel would only be held back and that Finn was so undeserving had finally opened her eyes to what Quinn still seemed unable to see or unwilling to acknowledge. Of course she wasn't completely sure on where Rachel stood in all of this but she'd had a very enlightening chat with the Berrys' which suggested that everything wasn't all one sided.
Judy moved on to juicing some oranges. Quinn deserved to be happy, it was hardly as if she'd had an easy time growing up in a household dominated by an increasingly bitter and disappointed Russell. No sons, a career that didn't quite reach the dizzying heights he'd expected and solace found through drink and increasing involvement in the church were hardly a recipe for a healthy household. She'd given up fighting her corner, eventually ground down by the constant bickering and verbal put downs, without really appreciating the effects on her daughters until the shock of Quinn being thrown out Of the family home with barely time to pack. She'd had a rude awakening and the realisation of how dependent she was financially on Russell was just scary. It hadn't been easy to find employment after so many years as a housewife but she was determined to free herself and her girls from needing anything from Russell. On discovering Russell had been having an affair with a tattooist - the incongruity of that still made her want to laugh - she'd been vastly relieved rather than embarrassed or humiliated. As soon as the house was hers she'd set about finding Quinn and trying to repair all the damage she'd unintentionally done. Safe choices had been her downfall - the older sensible man with a decent career over the carefree unemployed poet - she was determined that Quinn wouldn't make the same mistakes.
Quinn watched embarrassed as her mother and Rachel sat side by side cooing over her baby photos and wondered just how they'd managed to reach this point. Judy had an endless supply of what she considered amusing or cute stories from Quinn's childhood that she seemed determined to relate to Rachel. Judging by Rachel's laughter and interest in the photo albums the pair of them were set for the evening and although she was the topic of conversation she couldn't help feeling slightly jealous of the closeness between Rachel and Judy. They'd started out seated at the kitchen table but the semblance of casual informality hadn't fooled her for a moment, not with the best cutlery and crockery on the table. Her mother had been at her most charming quickly putting Rachel at her ease as she offered finely chopped raw vegetables for the dips and frequently cited Quinn as her source of information for Rachel's culinary preferences. Fortunately Rachel didn't seem to pick up on just how well versed Quinn was in her likes and dislike from years of careful observation. Judy's full attention on Rachel as she discussed her dance classes seguing into her broadway ambitions had quickly had a flattered Rachel relaxing. Quinn had thought she might combust into a flaming ball of embarrassment when her mother had started asking about Rachel's musical influences whilst managing to throw in that Quinn listened exclusively to Glee tracks sung by Rachel - hence the reason she'd been aware that Rachel 'sang a little bit'. Rachel had looked at her in surprise even as she laughed along with her mother. She was aware of the curious speculative glances Rachel occasionally threw her way but resolutely resisted the urge to comment. What was there to say? She'd always been made weak kneed by Rachel's singing, she just never realised she needed to hide that from her loose-lipped mother.
The conversation had moved on to Judy's neglected record collection long ago banished by Russell to the garage on the grounds of being unchristian. Quinn found herself in charge of coffee making as the new best friends, Judy and Rachel, rescued the records from their exile. They'd retired to the lounge and commandeered Russell's turntable previously used only for a small but dirgeful collection of choral works. The devil's music was soon blaring out of the speakers with an excited Rachel squealing as she discovered yet more tracks she was determined to hear and a wistful Judy gazed fondly at the forgotten once much loved album covers. Suddenly memories of dancing round the lounge to Duran Duran tracks with her sister and mother came to Quinn's mind although if she'd known that would lead on to dusting off the photo albums and sharing the contents with Rachel she might have been a little less keen to share the memory. She slipped a U2 record on so she could sing along in a heartfelt manner to 'With or without you' before Rachel bounced over to choose 'All I want to do is have some fun' . Rachel's eyebrow raise and accompanying grin as she danced around Quinn's chair and sang 'I've got a feeling I'm not the only one' was enough to instantly melt away any petty jealousies Quinn had been harbouring. The brush of Rachel's fingertips along her cheek as she made some comment about Quinn's transformation from cute child to beautiful woman - she hadn't really been able to hear Rachel clearly over the pounding of her heart and thundering of blood in her ears - had suddenly transformed the evening into a magical one. Even glimpsing her mothers all too knowing smirk over Rachel's shoulder as she was enveloped in an enthusiastic hug wasn't enough to ruin her mood. This time she was better prepared to return the hug pressing Rachel briefly to her. She was just happy to have Rachel as a friend and she wouldn't be doing anything to jeopardise that.
Rachel finally returned home with a big smile on her face and a warm feeling in her chest to find her Dads awaiting her arrival seated at the kitchen table with hot chocolates ready to go and her favourite pistachio cookies. This was their normal strategy when they were trying to extract information from her but she assumed they'd just missed her from their usual early evening activity of watching wrestling on the tv. She'd recounted her day, Quinn's surprise appearance at her dancing lessons and Judy cooking a vegan meal just for her. She noted her Dads amused glances every time she recounted what Quinn had said about her singing to Mrs Lafayette about her dancing to Sarah and directly to her about her tap dancing. In the end she found herself saying slightly exasperated at their scepticism.
"Dad, Daddy Quinn did say I was mesmerising so please stop looking at each other as if you don't believe me."
Her Dad quickly had a serious expression on his face as he reassured her with a " I don't doubt that Quinn appreciates all your many talents."
Rachel eyed him suspiciously before clarifying," Of course she does, she's my friend" before adding a little more hesitantly," Or at least we're working on being friends."
"I'm sure she's going to be a very close friend," her Dad reassured her as her Daddy choked rather inelegantly on his mouthful of hot chocolate, spluttering and was that laughing? He finally pulled himself sufficiently together to contribute to the conversation.
"Bosom buddies" he solemnly reassured her before the pair of them burst into yet more what Rachel deemed incredibly childish sniggering.
"It isn't that unlikely for me to have a good friend," huffed Rachel indignantly.
"Oh sweetie, anyone would be lucky to have your friendship. Just ignore us we're being silly," soothed Hiram as he and Leroy moved to embrace Rachel in a family hug. Mollified, Rachel decided perhaps an early bedtime was required before her dads annoyed her so she headed to her room.
Hiram reached for Leroy's hand across the table as they heard the bedroom door close above them.
"Our darling oblivious daughter," he sighed," Is it our duty as responsible parents to clue her in? "
"No I think our duties stopped at putting that cheap bunch of flowers from that ignorant lump of a boy straight into the recycling. Rachel really doesn't need the distraction." stated Leroy
Hiram looked a little guilty, " I know we want to protect her and that Finn is, well," he sighed unable to voice the many ways he considered Finn unsuitable for his daughter," but really we should be letting her make her own decisions..."
"We can always rescue the flowers from the bin and dig out the card if you want to change your mind," suggested Leroy," but it was only a few days ago Rachel was in her room refusing to come out because of him. We're just helping her move forward. She said she didn't want to hear from him we're just helping to implement her wishes."
Hiram's expression nullified the need for words.
"Okay a bt of a stretch. Lets just hope Rachel never finds out," Leroy added quietly.
"Well I certainly won't be mentioning it," replied Hiram, " I'll be as much in denial, if not more so, than our lovely daughter."
" I just knew she must've got it from you," teased Leroy as they finally finished clearing the kitchen table.
Rachel was up bright and early the next morning in order to fit her exercise regime in with the additional task of preparing a picnic for her and Quinn's expedition. She'd researched outdoor locations with wheelchair access and had suggested a trip to the country park for lunch, weather permitting, followed by a study session at hers. She'd casually floated the idea of Quinn staying for the traditional Sunday roast that was her dads' speciality. She'd tried hard to be casual about the suggestions having to fight the urge to organise and monopolise Quinn's time. She couldn't help it if the excitement of a potential best friend made her want Quinn's total attention all the time. Rachel knew she had a tendency to be a little over enthusiastic and eager so she was trying hard to give Quinn the option to duck out of her organising her every spare minute. To her relief Quinn had been apparently as keen as her to spend every waking moment together and that was why there was such a potential to be really good friends. Rachel bounced round the kitchen as she collected the various items of her picnic together. Her dad had been roped into making sandwiches and her daddy was busy slicing and dicing ingredients for a crunchy salad. Soon her rucksack was packed and she was pleased to be on her way. Thank goodness the weather forecast was in her favour.
Quinn greeted Rachel with a warm smile and was laughing in the car by the time Rachel had finally managed to collapse her wheelchair. The satnav was preprogrammed, a mix of songs from the night before was playing interspersed with Rachel solos - Rachel had grinned sheepishly as her voice filled the car before she muttered something about wanting to respect Quinn's musical preferences. "So if I had a hankering to hear Finn?"Quinn asked.
"Then I'd suggest you find someone without any musical sensibilities to transport you," replied Rachel, in a jokey tone.
The easy access trail around the lake was exactly as described. Rachel made light work of pushing Quinn's chair around the tarmaced path as they commented on the view interspersed with Quinn's hopes for Yale and then finally Quinn managed to voice her up until then unspoken fears. That she would forever be wheelchair bound and that Yale would be an impossibility. Even if one ignored just how difficult it would be for her to look after herself when even getting dressed was such a major operation there was also the fact that she was currently hardly the ideal student for a degree in drama - wheelchair bound roles being somewhat lacking. Quinn had tried to sound matter-of-fact rather than self pitying but she wasn't sure she'd succeeded as her eyes had begun to water. Rachel had stopped the chair and crouched down in front of her taking both Quinn's hands in hers.
"if there's anyone who's going to get out of this chair it's you because you're brave, determined and stubborn," insisted Rachel, her eyes fixed on Quinn, " You'll be going to Yale and you'll make it work however hard because that's who you are."
"I'm not who you think I am.." started Quinn a bit forlornly
"You're all that and more," insisted Rachel," and if I have to come to New Haven every weekend to remind you of this then so be it."
Quinn smiled weakly as Rachel wiped away her tears with her thumbs.
"I mean it" emphasised Rachel.
"I don't doubt it," replied Quinn softly, " If ever there was an expert on determinedly stubborn then it'd be you."
Rachel grinned at her ," Okay so fallback plan in place in the extremely unlikely event you don't walk again. Just remember," Rachel gave Quinn's legs a quick squeeze," you can feel this."
The rest of the stroll, or roll in Quinn's case, comprised of Rachel talking about her refocusing on her Broadway ambitions. Rachel's adamant declarations of why she'd be staying single for the foreseeable future had Quinn feeling annoyed at Finn and all his thoughtlessness. Quinn mention the Berry Dads remarks at love being closer than she thought only for Rachel to dismiss them as deluded romantics. She had no intention of being side tracked by the inconveniences of having to find time for the emotional housework needed to keep someone else happy. With so little of the academic year left, romantic entanglements were destined to be short lived and unsatisfactory and hence best avoided. Quinn's head agreed even as her heart felt sad and somewhat crushed.
After a leisurely lunch they headed back to Rachel's arriving just in the nick of time to implement the study plan Rachel had drawn up. Quinn was an ideal study partner, focussed and thoughtful. Rachel was having a bit of trouble focussing being distracted instead by just wanting to watch Quinn. The tapping of a pencil against Quinn's lips as she pondered the calculus assignment had her hypnotised. At first Rachel wondered whether she was suffering from pencil envy before finally admitting she was fascinated by Quinn's lips for some strange reason. She could just manage to pull her eyes away in time every time Quinn glanced at her. Finally there was just the poetry criticism project left. She managed to trick Quinn into reading quite a few poems aloud on the pretense of not having chosen the one needed for her english critical study. Listening to Quinn's slightly husky voice clearly enunciating Byron's carefully planned words was just heavenly and the way her eyebrows scrunched up in concentration was just so cute. Quinn could always have a career in poetry reading for audio books as Rachel had quickly realised the combination of Quinn and Byron was enough to leave anyone swooning. It was a unique experience and all thought of alliteration and iambic pentameters were lost as she closed her eyes to focus on the feelings from the tone and timbre of Quinn's voice. Poetry had never been quite so enthralling. Who knew that Quinn pausing to glance at her as she reached the line about 'which waves in every raven tress' from 'she walks in beauty' would be enough to cause her heart to race? The call for dinner was just in time to spare Rachel from making an idiot of herself trying to verbalise how the poem made her feel.
If Rachel had known that Quinn was merely awaiting the opportunity to pump her dads about stories from when she was little she might not have extended the invitation to dinner quite so readily. Predictably her dads needed little excuse to break out the home movies and the surround sound entertainment system in the basement. Quinn had to be carried down the stairs and was then sat next to Rachel on the couch as her Dads bickered over how to order the clips they wanted to show. Things didn't start well as she had to endure her dads and Quinn cooing over how cute she was toy microphone in hand even before she could stand up. Each movie snippet seemed to remind her dads of other must see clips that they were eager to show Quinn and a younger Rachel beamed and performed for the camera on the huge screen before them. All Rachel could see was her big nose filling the screen and the occasional poor breathing technique when she was singing, emphasised by the expensive sound system. There was just no excuse for such sloppiness even if she'd only been six years old. Quinn could feel Rachel literally squirming with embarrassment next to her but she was enjoying the antics of a younger Rachel on screen. Gap toothed grins at the camera as Rachel danced around the kitchen was definitely an image that would be hard to forget. She reached out to place a reassuring hand on Rachel's leg as she leant across to whisper in Rachel's ear that she'd been an adorable child and hadn't changed a bit. Rachel had been unaware that there was another possible level to her embarrassment. Her Dads obvious enjoyment of her discomfort wasn't helping.
Eventually she'd finally driven Quinn home as it was after all a school night. She was a bit surprised at just how sad she was when Quinn finally entered her house before waving a farewell. It made no sense to be sad when she'd be seeing Quinn again in less than twelve hours yet there she was wanting to cry. Her dads had been waiting for her return armed with hot chocolates and cookies asking her about the highlights of her day and letting her know how much they liked Quinn. She'd tried not to overdo her excitement at having a friend who liked so many of the things she did and was as beautiful as Quinn as they'd been less than supportive yesterday. Instead she'd wittered on about how moving the poems of Byron were and how she'd never really fully appreciated the power of poetry to move people, she'd always thought it was the music rather than the words of songs that evoked emotions. Her Dads had done that annoying having a conversation without actually saying anything thing across the table and then her Dad had decided to read a Byron poem out loud. He'd made a bit of a show of clearing his throat before he started and struck dramatic poses as he channeled Sir Lawrence Olivier but it just hadn't been the same. She'd tactfully told him he just didn't read it the same way Quinn had. Her Dads had smirked at each other and been all childish saying "of course, Quinn read it better" and "The Quinn factor, I couldn't hope to compete."
Rachel rolled her eyes at the pair of them.
"Sometimes it seems like I'm the only adult here," she huffed with mock annoyance. It was hard to be annoyed when everything was just so right with the world. As she opened the door to her bedroom the song her Daddy was humming finally came to her, 'My heart will go on' - well at least it made a change to the usual Dusty Springfield offerings she had to endure, although her Daddy's pathological hatred of all things Celine made the choice a rather jarring one. Was it his way of suggesting her fledgling friendship with Quinn was doomed to flounder on an iceberg and sink without trace? No, she reassured herself, she was being over-sensitive and seeing ahidden meaning where there wasn't one. Maybe her efforts to cure her dad of his Celine aversion through the total immersion technique were finally playing off.