NOTE: The bold text in the chapter is of a sexual variety. This is a non-graphic sexual occurrence. I am actually excited about this chapter because we are starting to move on with the plot. Rachel is beginning to recover and though she's not back to normal by any stretch of the word, she is starting to find herself again. But I want to know if Rachel should seek therapy. My sister in law did not go to therapy but I had to go to therapy. Everyone is different and we are unsure if Rachel should seek help to recover if her emotional distress becomes too much.
Packer82: Thank you so much.
James: Thank you, that's exactly what I was going for with this chapter; her reclaiming what she felt was lost and taking back her body so she could feel as though she has control over her body while still expressing intimacy with her girlfriend while being comfortable... Simply put, she wants to be young and in love. It's a personal victory. And as for Quinn: as guilty as she is going to be, I have plans for another character to step up to the emotional blame plate but Quinn will struggle as well.
To say the Cheerios were less than enthusiastic to be coached by Rachel was an understatement. None of them wanted to take her seriously and it wasn't until Coach Sylvester told her to do her worse and proceeded to loudly inform Rachel that she could kick people off the team that she smiled. And it wasn't her usual smile. It was a smile that made some of the younger Cheerios shake and the older Cheerios slightly nervous.
However, a lot of the Cheerios were standing defiantly watching Rachel. They knew she had good ideas, they knew this but they did not want to listen to her. Some of the cheerios liked the way it was when she was still nothing but someone who threw good ideas to them but now she had actual power over them and they hated it.
She knew it was going to be a long day but she was going to make them respect her. Hopefully, they would fall in line and listen to her. She was sure that wouldn't happen right away but just like the preteens she worked with, she was going to have to show them she meant business.
Rachel blew her whistle and ordered everyone to sit down in front of her.
"So. Coach Sylvester brought me here to help your team improve. I am going to be working with you to make you a stronger team. You are a team! When one of you fails, you will all fail! When one of you wins, you all win! That's it. End of story. You are a strong as your weakest link so you will learn to support each other and I am going to put you through exercises that will make your team stronger. You will know each other's weaknesses and strengths and when you do this, you will find victory comes faster. I will also be working on your stamina and endurance because I'll be frank. You all suck!"
Jaws dropped and the only person who didn't look studded by these words was Brittany who looked at Quinn and whispered how surprised she was that Rachel was being so nice. Quinn stared at Rachel with a shocked expression and Santana looked both shocked and turned on by the amount of confidence Rachel was showing.
"Excuse me but who do you think you're talking to?" Elisabeth James asked with a sneer on her face as she stood up and looked Rachel in the eyes. "You will not talk to us like that, Manhands! Show us some respect!"
"And Elisabeth is about to help me demonstrate one of the new rules going into effect to build your team! As I said when one wins... You all win. When one of you loses... you all lose! So when Elisabeth does fifty suicides for poor attitude, what can we deduce will happen next?" Rachel asked with sarcasm lacing her voice as though this was going to be difficult to figure out. The rest of the team clearly figured it out because they were torn between staring at Rachel with dropped jaws and glaring at Elisabeth. "Consider this your only break! Next time I'll make it a hundred! Now move!"
"You can't do that!"
Rachel gave a dark laugh as she made her way over to Elisabeth and stood in front of her so she was looking into her eyes with a firm look on her face that made it clear she wasn't going to take nonsense. Elisabeth gulped slightly at the expression but squared her shoulders to appear as though she wasn't intimidated by this new Rachel Berry. Of course, everyone saw through her facade but they didn't say anything because they were in shock about Rachel's stone cold expression as she clearly prepared to speak to Elisabeth.
"You'll find that the coach has given me full authority! I can do whatever I please! But if you can't accept that you can leave. Just turn in your uniform on the way out," Rachel said looking Elisabeth dead in the eyes. A stunned silence fell over the group as they looked at Rachel with complete disbelief. After a few seconds, Quinn regained her composure and demanded the team get moving before she began going over the book with Rachel to point out the rules to competitions and stunts they were banned from doing after the coach decided to liven them up with fireworks and TNT.
"TNT?"
"Someone in the audience got injured."
"Jesus!" Rachel said, staring at the Cheerios who squirmed nervously at the memory.
After the suicides were finished, Rachel began running them through warm-ups and assessments to see where everyone's skills were. Quinn stood by her side the whole time, making sure Rachel knew things like weaknesses, those who were lying about weaknesses and anything else she needed to know and her presence made them listen a little better. The lessons were brutal and everyone seemed ready to collapse and Rachel pretended not to notice some of the baby cheerios hiding in the locker room... She'd lock it later. Access to the locker room during practice was a privilege, not a right. Rachel dismissed everyone but as Elisabeth passed she shoved Rachel and muttered curse words under her breath at Rachel! Rachel perked up and blew her whistle and with sarcastic enthusiasm, she addressed the whole room.
"Ladies! Elisabeth here decided she was having so much fun that she has asked me to grant you all one hundred and fifty suicides and I have decided to grant them because I'm so generous!"
Elisabeth's jaw dropped as the rest of the squad turned to glare fiercely at the girl because they had all wanted to get showered and they knew Elisabeth well enough to know she had gone and ran her mouth to get herself in trouble but because Rachel had an all for one policy... Elisabeth had to have known she'd get the whole squad punished with her words and she'd still done it anyway.
"Now... now... You can thank her later, for now, its suicide time!" Quinn snorted from Rachel's side at her words; it was clear by the glares in Elisabeth's direction that the girl was going to be receiving a lot of thank yous when the practice was over. She almost felt sorry for her. Almost. But she had it coming and hopefully, she would learn from this.
"You're a bitch!" Elisabeth cried angrily as she glared at Rachel, causing the Cheerios who had been staring baffled at Rachel all turned to glare at Elisabeth with shocked expressions as though they couldn't believe she was actually saying something like that knowing Rachel was only going to give them all more suicides.
"Oh my god! Shut up, Elisa!"
Rachel couldn't help but smirk at the several cheerios who had spoken up, demanding Elisabeth shut her mouth.
"What's that, Elisabeth? Wow! You want fifty more, Elisabeth! You are so generous with your team's time! But okay! I'll give you fifty more since you asked so kindly... You're not going to win this battle. I can keep you here all day. So you can either shut up and do the suicides you earned or get the fuck out. I'm in charge now and you will listen to me or I will kick you off the team. I'm being easy on you today because this is all new but don't think that courtesy will be extended much longer. Get moving!"
Elisabeth decided to listen to Rachel and began her suicides with the rest of the team and when the bell rang, the cheerios all stopped their movements but Rachel blew her whistle.
"That bell doesn't dismiss you! I dismiss you! Keep going. Twenty more!"
When they were finished, everyone showered. When Rachel met Santana, Brittany and Quinn in the hallway, they laughed as several of the Cheerios lined up at the Slurpee machine tapping their feet impatiently waiting to get their turn to fill their cups and as soon as Elisabeth stepped out of the locker room, she was met with ten big gulps to the face.
"You better get that uniform dry cleaned, Elisa!" Quinn called out after Elisa as she ran past them, shooting a fierce glare in Rachel's direction as she angrily ran her hands up and down her now rainbow stained uniform with disgust.
"Rachel, why did you go so easy today?"
"That was easy?" Quinn whispered, staring at Rachel with newfound respect.
"It's morning. I always go soft in the morning but tomorrow afternoon will be a rude awakening for them."
And it was a rude awakening. For the next week she tore into the Cheerios and every time Elisabeth would back talk, the whole team did suicides. Yet, Elisabeth never learnt. It would be entertaining if not for the fact that it was so annoying but Rachel had to remain consistent. They improved and they came to respect Rachel and the fact that they couldn't get away with hiding or pretending to train. But Rachel gave some really good advice and had them all trying things they had never done before. She caught strengths and weaknesses that people didn't know about and for ways around them.
Elisabeth complained furiously to coach Sylvester about the fact that she was being slushied all the time and the woman told her to suck it up and do as Rachel told her to... And then proceeded to threaten her with dismissal from the team if her uniform was stained again. So finally, on the last day of the week, Elisabeth showed up to morning practice and didn't argue but she clearly was NOT happy about it.
Rachel followed Santana to their next class and rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder while waiting for the teacher to show up. Santana chuckled and rubbed Rachel's back.
On the way to their second class, Rachel couldn't resist anymore so she grabbed Santana's hand and pulled her into an empty classroom and kissed her. Hard. The latina did not object to the kiss and gently wrapped her arms around Rachel who was enjoying the feeling of Santana's tongue in her mouth. It had been a while since they had sex and Rachel was showing no signs of regret but it also had not happened again. There were make out sessions but they hadn't gone beyond that so it was a complete shock when Rachel decided to reach her hand up Santana's top and hold onto her breasts as they kissed. At first, Santana jumped at the touch because she was shocked but once she assured Rachel she was fine, they resumed kissing and Rachel happily squeezed the 'twins'.
"Mmm, god, Rachel!" Santana murmured as she felt herself being pushed against the classroom wall and a knee pressed against her centre which she unconsciously rubbed against. She found it so hot when Rachel took control. She knew it was what Rachel needed to be comfortable with intimacy but still; it was so hot because it was so out of character based on her personality.
Their kisses grew more heated and Santana's thrusts against Rachel's thigh grew quicker and more frantic as she grew more and more aroused. She planned on stopping but Rachel began trailing kisses down her neck and she lost control completely and fell over the edge into orgasm before she could completely process what happened. Rachel smiled proudly, knowing Santana had been rubbing herself against her thigh and kissed her face all over as she twitched out her orgasm, lightly grunting out in shock and pleasure.
"Rachel? Jesus! That... I'm sorry!"
"I'm not. I love your face as you cum, Santana," Rachel whispered.
"Yes, and I love these moments we share but now my panties are kind of... um... unwearable," Santana said as she shifted uncomfortably. She knew she had a spare pair in her locker; she always had a spare pair of underwear and a skirt since the time she got her period at school and was caught of guard. Clearly, she was going to have to have a few pairs here.
"I'm sorry. I just... I wanted to kiss you and... I put my knee there on purpose. I felt you grinding and kept going because I wanted to make you cum," Rachel replied frowning, clearly not having thought of the consequences. "Perhaps, I should have waited until we got home. But in my defence, you dropped your pencil in class three times and bent down in front of me."
"Relax, I have panties in my locker. But they're my only pair," Santana said knowing the bell was going to go soon and their free period was going to end soon so she took Rachel by the hand and guided her towards her locker. "And as for the pencil... That was just a happy accident I kept making."
"Are you okay? You've never done anything like that before."
"Well, I was having a good day and I wanted to share it with you. Sharing is caring, Santana," Rachel replied with a grin as she smiled.
"I love you, Rachel."
"I love you, too."
During lunch, Santana was called into Miss Pillsbury's office and Rachel went to the cafeteria with Quinn and Brittany where she stayed until her stomach began churning. It had been queasy off and on for the past couple weeks but Rachel knew at that moment that she was going to be sick.
"Rachel, are you okay?" Brittany asked watching as Rachel went greener and greener. Quinn stared at between Rachel and the nearest garbage can as though expecting her to make a lunge for it; her expression was sympathetic. Empathetic. Worried.
"Excuse me!"
Rachel cried as she covered her mouth and tore out of the cafeteria, thankfully people stepped out of her way as she neared; probably because there was only ever one reason someone would be running with their mouth covered and she doubted anyone was going to get in her way to end up wearing her lunch. She vaguely heard someone running behind her but she was too focused on getting to her destination without getting sick on the floor.
In the bathroom, she just barely made it her stomach emptied and when she stepped out she was exhausted and her stomach hurt from heaving so hard. She found Quinn leaning against the counter with a sad look on her face. Rachel sighed, she had a suspicion what was wrong and clearly, Quinn was thinking the same thing because she was watching Rachel with a concerned and knowing expression on her face. So she sighed and decided to ask the question that had been on her mind since a few days ago.
"Quinn, how do you get a pregnancy test without drawing attention to yourself?"
"I have a few in my locker. Wait here," Quinn said solemnly as she backed out of the bathroom and before Rachel knew what was happening she had returned with a McDonald's bag in hand. Quinn gently talked Rachel through the test and how to take it. She didn't judge when Rachel asked questions and she answered patiently and gently. When Rachel stepped out of the stall, Quinn hugged her and handed her some tissues as she cried.
"What now?" Rachel asked, not sure if she was asking about the test or in general but she asked anyway.
"Now we wait," Quinn said, pulling Rachel to sit beside her on the floor away from the tests so Rachel couldn't sit and watch the test for the next minute.
"Why did you have these in your locker?" Rachel asked slowly as she raised her brow. There wasn't any accusation in her eyes, just curiosity.
"I've been observing you and I bought them because I suspected you might need them but I hoped you didn't," Quinn replied sadly as she pulled Rachel into a hug. "I really hoped you wouldn't. Everything will be fine."
"What did it feel like?" Rachel asked suddenly.
"What did what feel like?" Quinn asked, wondering what exactly Rachel was referring to. Being pregnant, giving birth or giving Beth to someone else to raise.
"Having the baby."
"It was unimaginable pain but as soon as it ended, the pain was gone and honestly, it's as if I don't remember that it had hurt," Quinn said with a contemplative look on her face. "They say it the most painful experience in the world but you forget the pain as soon as it's over and it's true."
"Thank you for being here with me, Quinn."
All Quinn could do was nod as she gave Rachel a nervous hug.
"I took the pill, Quinn," Rachel stated in confusion.
"Perhaps, you didn't get it on time or you might have thrown it up before it could get fully into your system. We'll never know. Were you on any medications when you took it?"
"Um... oh no! ... Oh shit!"
"What?"
"I had a chest infection and I had just stopped antibiotics that day! Quinn! Why didn't I think of that sooner?" Rachel cried out, angry with herself for not remembering something like that.
"Rachel! You were stressed and hurt; nobody will blame you for forgetting a detail like that." Quinn rubbed Rachel's back. "Mistakes happen under the best of circumstances and that was the worst of circumstances. Everything will be fine, I promise."
"How can you promise that?" Rachel's voice trembled as she spoke and buried her face into Quinn's neck, missing the tears in Quinn's eyes and the guilty expression on her face as Quinn once again blamed herself for what happened to her friend.
"Because everything works out eventually."
Finally, the timer on Quinn's phone went off and Rachel walked over and turned the first test around, then the second... and crumpled to the ground in a heap. Quinn hugged her tight but Rachel couldn't calm down. It was just too much for her to handle. Too much! Her brain was going in a million and one directions and she just wanted it to stop. She needed a break! She needed... She needed... She didn't know what she needed it but she needed it. And Santana. She needed Santana.
"I want San- San-"
"I'm texting her now, okay. She's probably done with Miss Pillsbury," Quinn said pulling out her phone as she rubbed Rachel's back but her scent wasn't comforting her the way Santana's did. It was helping but it wasn't the same. She needed Santana! She needed to be in her arms. She needed for this not to be happening but if it had to happen, then she wanted to be in her girlfriend's arms.
Barely a minute later, the bathroom door burst open and the second Santana spotted Rachel crying in Quinn's arms. As soon as she knelt beside her, Rachel threw her arms around her girlfriend and sobbed into her shoulder, catching her completely off guard but she managed to keep herself balanced as she lowered them both back down to the ground as she tried to look Rachel over for visible injury.
"I-I'm p-p-pregnant."
Santana stiffened before she tightened her grip and rocked Rachel gently and she began singing softly in Spanish while Rachel buried her face into Santana's neck and breathed in her girlfriend's warm vanilla scent. Santana rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head and continued singing until Rachel calmed down and even then, she pulled her into her lap and just held her.
"Are you going to break up with me?" Rachel asked miserably.
"Never. I'm here for you, no matter what you choose. I love you, Rachel."
Rachel nodded into Santana's shoulder and nuzzled closer.
"I love you, too, San... I'm scared."
"I know Rachel. Come on, let's go home. Quinn... thank you," Santana said to the blonde receiving a nod before Quinn snapped out of her silence completely, making Rachel aware that Quinn was indeed still in the bathroom with them and watching them nervously.
"Rachel... If you ever need to talk about anything you can call me and if you have any questions I will answer them. You have a difficult choice ahead of you but I will help you if you want," Quinn said holding Rachel's hand before she and Santana left the bathroom.
"Are you sure you can afford to go home?" Rachel asked.
"I only have Spanish this afternoon and then it's my study hall. You, however, are in no condition to be here and I'm not leaving you alone right now," Santana whispered. "Let's stop at the duty doctor on the way home and get them to run a test just to be sure. Tests aren't 100% accurate and I would hate for you to get all worked up over nothing."
The duty doctor was nearly empty and Rachel was only inside for about thirty minutes. She was informed they would call her in the next few hours to confirm the results of the test. Once Rachel got her insurance information sorted, she and Santana went back to the house.
On the drive home, Rachel was quiet and thoughtful. Not even the beautiful weather after days of rain or Santana putting on Rachel's favourite music was enough to break her out of her silence. It was heartbreaking to see Rachel so sad but thoughtful. She was deep in thought, letting her worries, frustrations and dark thoughts take over her mind before one worry made itself clear.
"What am I going to tell my fathers? It's bad enough I have to tell them I was... But now I'm pregnant!"
Santana watched Rachel worry for a moment and just listened as she vented out her frustrations because she clearly needed to let them out. Rachel's face was red from all of the crying she had done but so far, she hadn't thrown up from crying this time
"The doctor hasn't confirmed it yet."
"Can we snuggle, Santana? I just need to snuggle," Rachel whispered, pulling Santana towards the couch. Santana nodded sadly and pulled Rachel into her lap and rubbing her back. They sat there for a while and just listened to each other breathing until Rachel's phone broke the silence completely. For a second, they stared at the phone as though it were a landmine about to blow up in their faces before Rachel picked it up with a shaky hand.
"Hello?"
"Hi there. I'm looking for Rachel Berry?"
"This is she."
"Hi, I'm calling from doctor Wilson's office to confirm a test taken earlier, can you confirm your mailing address and birthday for me to confirm your identity?"
Rachel told the lady what she was asking for and after a few seconds, Rachel heard paper shuffling.
"Okay, this call is to inform you that your pregnancy test returned positive. Now I have sent your file to an OBGYN nearby to take your case. She is very discrete and..."
Rachel wasn't hearing anything else. Her mind had gone completely blank and her expression must have shown it because Santana wrapped her arms around her and just took the phone.
"I'm sorry but she's not listening anymore, she's in shock. Can you please call back later?"
When Santana hung up, she wrapped her arms back around Rachel who stood their blankly before she finally wrapped her arms around Santana and pulled her as close as she possibly could.
She was pregnant.
Santana's scent brought her emotional comfort but she was still stunned, upset, confused and terrified.
She was going to have a baby. A baby was going to come out of her. As she hugged Santana, her body was making preparations to form a baby. She was going to be growing a human being inside of her uterus because of him. Just the idea of that happening seemed almost impossible, despite her knowing how babies were made, she had never associated pregnancy with herself. Certainly not now; she was barely even eighteen.
When teenagers get pregnant, it's supposed to be the result of a careless hook-up or a broken condom. But this was different. She was raped by the boy she had dated because his ego was wounded because she was gay. Because he was a homophobic asshole who was convinced he could make her straight by forcing her to have sex with him.
She had always pictured herself having children but that was once she was in an established marriage and settled into her career and in a home where she could happily raise a child. Once her relationship with Santana began, she pictured this relationship with her. She pictured Santana in the backyard with their children as she returned from a busy production or as she made her way to the production. She pictured their wedding rings and Santana kissing her deeply as their kids cringed and told them how gross it was to watch their mommies kiss.
But she was in high school, she didn't have a job or a house and Santana wasn't married to her... Would Santana even want to be with her now that she was carrying someone else's baby? Well, it was a stupid question because even if they had decided to have children on their own, the 'father' would be someone separate from their relationship but still; this was not how they planned it. This was just... She didn't have the words to describe how this pregnancy made her feel. But most of her fears right now centred around Santana and how she felt about this.
"This changes nothing. I'm not going anywhere mi Estrella," Santana murmured as Rachel clung desperately to her and sobbed lightly into her shoulder. She loved the way Santana seemed to be able to read her mind but she had to air out something important.
"I'm not having an abortion."
She could not allow herself to have an abortion. She knew there were a lot of people who would have an abortion in her situation but she couldn't do it. She might be eating meat on a semi-regular basis and now was back to regularly consuming dairy and eggs but she could not bring herself to harm an unborn child, no matter how they were conceived. This baby is innocent and pure; they had nothing to do with the acts of their biological father.
"I know, Rachel. I know. And I'm fine with that."
"What if I keep them?"
"Them?" Santana asked, not remembering hearing anything about multiples.
"I refuse to call my child an 'it' as though it as though they're not human," Rachel explained holding her belly as though assuring the fetus that she was going to constantly show them respect by not referring to them as anything short of a human being and 'it' was dehumanising. She might not have decided whether or not she was going to keep the baby but that didn't mean she wasn't going to protect, respect and take care of this baby while they were stuck together. She
"Okay. If you keep them then I will do whatever I can to make that easier for you. But we'll figure it out when the time comes along. You don't have to decide right now. But for now, let's just take it easy and we'll talk later once we're calm and relaxed, okay."
"Can we take a bubble bath?"
"Sure you can. You don't need to ask to use my tub," Santana said, raising a brow as Rachel pulled her towards the bathroom.
"No, Santana. Can we take a bubble bath? Together? I want a bath but I really want you to hold me," Rachel explained, causing butterflies to flutter around her stomach as she nodded happily and pulled Rachel into the bathroom.
"Are you sure about this? I want you comfortable every time you take off your clothes around me," Santana asked, knowing after something like this, Rachel's anxiety and worries were going to be triggered easier than before. She didn't know how she'd feel about them getting naked and then there were the touches that would inevitably happen once they were in the tub.
Rachel didn't answer verbally, instead, she took Santana's shirt and pulled it over her head and grinned at the site before her, while Santana found herself blushing at Rachel's boldness as she stared between her breasts and her toned abs.
"May I?"
"Yes," Rachel said, lifting her arms so Santana could take off her shirt for her. She knew Rachel could take off her clothes without warning, touch her, pet her... Whatever she wanted but she knew she could not do the same with her. Not yet and possibly not for a really long time. She had to give Rachel warning and ask for permission and be gentle at all times unless Rachel said otherwise. She was fine with this because Rachel's comfort meant a lot to her. So, therefore, she couldn't go behind her and cover her eyes and say 'guess who'. But at that moment, she was worried about giving Rachel exactly what she wanted and if she wanted to get in the bathtub with her, then that was what was going to happen.
She gently lifted Rachel's shirt off her body and made her way to the tub, where she began filling the tub with hot soapy water. When she felt a playful smack on her bottom, she turned around and raised a brow as Rachel made an oh-so-innocent face before smirking widely at Santana as though surprised that she had expected anything else to happen. As the water filled, both girls wiggled out of their pants and removed their bras while taking the time to enjoy the view in front of them.
Once the tub was filled, Santana sank into the water and gave Rachel a warm, inviting smile as she watched her girlfriend hesitate before allowing herself to sink into the water as she sat in the water between her legs. Santana smiled as Rachel allowed herself to relax into her embrace. It felt amazing being in Santana's arms completely skin to skin; it felt amazing and as she laid back, she couldn't help but sigh almost contently.
"This feels nice," Rachel sighed as she let the warm water relax her muscles and her girlfriend's arms around her torso. She could feel Santana's breasts against her bare back and it made her shudder a bit.
"Are you okay or just... enjoying this?"
"I'm enjoying this."
"Good."
"I love you, Santana."
"I love you, too, Rachel," Santana replied as she placed a gentle kiss on the back of Rachel's neck.
They stayed in the tub until the water got cold and they dried off and went to Santana's bed for some more cuddling. Rachel was in her a pair of fuzzy pyjamas and Santana was in her bra and a pair of fuzzy pyjama bottoms.
"I wanna have the baby. I don't know about keeping them but I want to go through with the pregnancy."
"I know, love. I know," Santana murmured as she picked up her brush from the end table and began brushing through Rachel's hair. Rachel gave a soft sigh as she wrapped her arms around Santana in her half sleep-half awake state and began mumbling incoherently to her in a serious tone as though her words were very important and had to be said right then and there. It wasn't clear what most of the words were and those that could be deciphered made no sense at all. She heard the words 'panda', 'clown', 'bell', 'bunny' and 'blow bubbles, Tana'. The words made no sense but in her dominantly sleep induced state, she appeared to be seeking an answer to the question she'd just asked and Santana was clueless as to what the question was, let alone how to answer it.
"We'll blow bubbles tomorrow, kay?"
"Easter tree is late and the Santa bunny needs our teeth to know if Spring's coming," Rachel sighed before nodding off the rest of the way to sleep as Santana tried to piece together her final words and finally decided to shrug knowing her girlfriend wasn't even aware of what she was saying but she promised bubbles in the morning and she would blow bubbles with her, even if it confused the crap out of her... Which it most likely would but she was a Lopez and she wasn't going to fall back on her word. So she fired a text to Quinn asking her to pick up some bubble solution and drop it off in the morning. Quinn had replied curiously but she agreed to do it.
When Quinn showed up in the morning with Brittany and a ton of bubble solution bottles, Rachel stared at the bottles in confusion as Santana pulled them all to the porch.
"Santana? What are we doing?"
Rachel had felt sick for a huge part of the morning and now her stomach had settled, she was in a better mood.
"You wanted to blow bubbles... Well, technically, you wanted me to blow bubbles... So..."
With those words, Santana took a bottle of solution, opened it and blew some bubbles into Rachel's face. Rachel grinned but she had no idea what her girlfriend was talking about.
"When did I say this?"
"Last night. You were half asleep but I promised I'd blow bubbles, so I'm blowing bubbles."
"And you said something about the Santa Bunny needing out teeth to know if spring was coming."
"Now you're making stuff up," Rachel said as she choked out her laughter but it was clear Santana wasn't joking. "The Santa Bunny? I don't know what that means."
"Good, neither do I."
When they were finished blowing bubbles, an activity Rachel found so very satisfying, they curled up on the couch, Rachel curled up in Santana's arms while Brittany snuggled with Quinn.
"Santana, I'm hungry," Rachel muttered. "So, I'm going to..."
"Sit here while I go make you something. What would you like, Rachel?" Santana said as she began to stand up.
"Bacon and eggs but you don't have to. I can..."
"Ooh, San! I have a recipe for bacon omelette that's amazing! Quinn loved it!" Brittany said standing up abruptly, causing Quinn to tumble slightly at the unexpected movement. "Sorry, Quinnie. Come on, Santana. No, Rachel, you sit! Quinn, keep her here!"
Quinn smirked at Brittany before gently taking Rachel's hand and pulling her back to the couch against her.
"How are you doing, Rachel?"
"I'm scared, Quinn. I'm really scared," Rachel muttered, burying her face into Quinn's neck and just letting her friend hold her.
"Rachel," Quinn said, her voice trembling as tears began dripping down her face. "I'm so sorry!"
"For what?"
"Everything! If we hadn't kissed, he wouldn't have done what he had done and... and... I'm so..."
"Quinn, no! Don't do this!" Rachel said, grabbing Quinn's face and making her look into her eyes. "You didn't make him do anything. Yes, we kissed, yes he was wounded but there was more to his actions than what we did. He is a sick individual but you had nothing to do with his actions. Don't you dare blame yourself, Quinn Fabray! I'm pretty sure its something he would have done whether or not I had kissed you because I am GAY and he's not okay with that. He is the only person responsible for his actions."
"Do you regret what we did?"
"Do you want the truth?"
"Yes."
"I love Santana but you and I almost went all the way and I kind of regret not doing so because it meant my first time was violent and horrible. He took my virginity, Quinn. I'll never get it back and as much as I cringe at the idea that I almost lost it to you on your parents' coach for the sake of experimentation, it would have been preferable compared to what happened. I'll probably always carry these scars now but I don't regret what we did because it helped me figure out who I am. Sure, I'd have prefered Santana to be my first and in a way, she was and will be but I'd sooner have given you my first time than him."
"So, you and Santana..."
"We've been... testing the waters."
Quinn looked at Rachel with a look of contemplation before giving Rachel a small smile.
"And you're okay with that? You're comfortable with doing that?"
"I'm fine. She's amazing and so patient with me. I love her, Quinn," Rachel replied slowly. "It's not been easy but it's getting better. Brittany's advice made a difference."
"You know, if you ever want to talk about the baby... or anything else, I'm here for you. Just call, day or night and I'll be right there," Quinn said in a kind tone.
"I'll keep that in mind. Do you regret what we did Quinn? Now that you know that you aren't responsible for what happened?"
"No. If I hadn't done it, I would have never begun exploring my own sexuality and I would have still been closeted to myself entering relationship after relationship with guys I'd never be into," Quinn said firmly.
"So... you're..."
"I'm gay, Rachel," Quinn said as she smiled proudly to herself at her announcement. "I don't want to be and my family will absolutely hate it and me when they find out but... what I feel when I'm with Brittany... It's beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I think I might love her."
"Well, I'm proud of you, Quinn. I'm going to hug you, now, okay?" Rachel said as she pulled Quinn into her arms and hugged her close until someone cleared their throat. Santana and Brittany were both sitting on the couch with four plates of delicious looking Omelettes. Rachel's stomach let out a loud growl and she pulled away from Quinn and dove into Santana's arms.
"Congrats, Quinn. That's a big step you just made," Santana said giving Quinn a smile she rarely gave her friend but it was moments like this she was happy to show affection to them. As much as she had teased Quinn about being gay in the past, she was happy that her friend had finally accepted her sexuality and she was low-key thrilled that Quinn had decided not to play the bisexual card because she knew Quinn well enough to know she was not bisexual.
"I'm glad Quinnie accepted she's a unicorn. Isn't it great, San! We're all unicorns!" Brittany exclaimed as she pulled her girlfriend in for a tight hug.
That was how the rest of the day was spent; blowing bubbles, talking and just relaxing while Rachel and Brittany excitedly planned Rachel's return to Gymnastics and her plans for the girls to get them back into shape. When Brittany and Quinn left, Rachel pulled Santana in for a deep kiss before she looked into her eyes.
"I love you, Santana Lopez."
"And I love you, Rachel Berry."
They fell asleep in each other's arms, for a few minutes, they could dismiss their troubles and worries and just enjoy each other's presence. For a few minutes, they could just be two teenagers in love. For those few moments, they were free of their problems and one hundred percent happy. And they both wished the moment would last forever.
Ooh, looks like things are settling down huh? I decided to throw in a little bit of fluff and a bit of Pezberry loving. But Rachel Berry is officially pregnant. I can honestly see a pregnancy occurring this way because it's not widely taught that birth control is rendered useless by antibiotics and I can attest to this by the simple fact that I EXIST. Once again, thank you for reading, reviewing, favouriting and following.
And finally: Happy Pride Month. I am working on a story that I will be releasing on Pride week (July 22-28th) I'm not sure which day but I am planning a Brittany/Santana/Rachel story inspired by Annie. I'm also working on a few other one-shots and multi-chapters.
