Update. Okay so, if you read the teaser I posted before I began this story, you'll probably be a little confused by the direction this chapter takes, but bear with me. It will all work itself out as the story progresses.

Also Apologise for the mistake I made in the last chapter, I originally intended to do a time jump, hence why there was mentions of BBQ but then I changed my mind and since it's currently fall/winter in this story I changed it to a Halloween family night instead but forgot to fix the mistake before posting. Anyways enjoy

"Dude these hotdogs are causing mayhem with my abs, but they're just too damn good to give up," Sam said, watering at the mouth as the waitress placed his chili hotdog and fried in front of him and then handing out the rest of the teams food. Everyone had pretty much ordered the same, except for Santana and Quinn who ordered a side dish of fries to share to go along with the hotdogs and salads. They had stumbled upon the small diner after a late night and quickly fell in love with the place. It had become one of their regular lunch spots as it was close by to the Bureau offices.

"You know the more you worry about your abs, the more you start to sound like a chick," Brody mumbled around a mouth full of food. Quinn and Santana glared at him and he instantly dropped his hotdog to the plate and held his hands up in surrender. As Mike reached over for the mustard, he pointed the bottle at Brody and shook. "Dude, you should really think before you speak. Especially after the last time when they kicked your ass in training," he chuckled remembering the time that the two female members of their group left Brody flat on his back gasping for air.

Quinn laughed at the pained look on her colleagues face until her eyes noticed movement by the door and she smiled as her girlfriend stepped through. As the brunettes' eyes scanned the diner, they eventually landed on the person she was looking for and Quinn waved her over, sliding further into the booth allowing Rachel to sit down. "Hi everyone," Rachel said to the group, there were various mumbles of hello from the other four who were too engrossed in their food to acknowledge her properly. Quinn just rolled her eyes at her friends and turned to face her girlfriend.

"Hey you," Quinn said, pecking Rachel on the lips. "Hey to you too," Rachel replied once they pulled apart and then removed her coat. Quinn caught Sam trying to steal one of her fries while she was distracted and she quickly slapped his hand away, Santana snorting in amusement at the look on his face as he rubbed his hand against his leg trying to soothe the stinging pain. Quinn shook her head and then returned her attention to her girlfriend. "You hungry? You want to order some food?" she asked already eying down the waitress and beckoning her over. Rachel shook her head in the negative.

"No, I'm fine. I just had lunch with Blaine and some of the cast members of the new musical we're writing for. I could really use a coffee though," she said and Quinn nodded her head. Once the waitress was by their table she ordered two coffees and when the woman returned behind the counter to fix up their order, Quinn returned to eating her food while discussing the latest developments of the musical with Rachel. Every so often, the others would interject with a question or a statement and Rachel would politely answer whatever it was they asked, even retaliating whenever Sam, Brody or Santana would make a smart comment.

The conversation was easy and light, they had all grown to love Rachel, she was such a genuinely warm person and easy to get along with. She called them out on their bullshit and joined in on their playful banter and above all else, Rachel loved them just as much. These were Quinn's friends, her colleagues, the people who had her back when they were out on assignment and made sure she came home in one piece, or close enough. For that she would always be grateful to them. When the coffees had eventually arrived they drank them and then paid the cheque.

"So, I'm officially done for the day if you want to go grab some frozen yogurt and take a stroll in the park?" Quinn asked looking to her girlfriend as they both put on their coats. Rachel checked her phone for the time and then glanced up to the blonde. "Sure. I have to be back at the theatre by 2:30 to run through the songs with the cast but I'm free till then," Rachel said as she placed her phone back in her pocket. Quinn grinned and laced their hands together. "Cool. I'll check you guys later," she said to her friends before leading her girlfriend out of the diner and onto the busy street.

They stopped off at the frozen yogurt store and picked up their favourites, sprinkling them with extra treat toppings and then made their way to the park and engaging in comfortable yet aimless conversation, both just happy to be in the others company. When the topic turned to Rachel's thoughts on having the plastic surgery, Quinn took a bite of her yogurt and thought carefully about the question she was about to ask. It had the potential to possibly upset or anger her girlfriend, but it was something she had been curious about for a while but never felt comfortable actually asking it. But now that they were living together and had been with each other for over a year she figured maybe now was the time.

"Rach, I wanna ask you something, but I'm afraid if I do, you'll get upset with me," she trailed off, looking to her girlfriend for a reaction. Rachel's brow furrowed for a moment, clearly the brunette was thinking about whether or not she wanted Quinn to ask her, but when a tongue peaked out and wet dry lips followed by a nod of the head, Quinn knew she had been given consent to ask whatever question was on her mind. "The scars, are they the reason you chose not to pursue a career on stage?" she asked, waiting patiently for some sort of answer.

Rachel's breath caught in her throat as her mind stumbled over the question. She'd never been asked the reason behind her career change before, and only Blaine was privy to that information. Walking over to a nearby bench she sat down placing her almost finished yogurt carton down on the bench while Quinn sat down next to her and did the same. Raising her hand, Rachel rubbed her brow, as if trying to still the endless stream of thoughts running through her mind so she could focus on a clear concise answer, but it was difficult. There were a lot of emotions attached to the reason making it difficult to be straightforward. She realised she would just have to go with whatever was in her head.

"When I went to NYADA, I had all these great ambitions and dreams of being on a stage and performing night after night to a packed out audience and it was great for a couple of months," Rachel said, glancing down at her hands that were resting in her lap. Quinn sat forward on the bench and listened intently wanting to make sure she heard every single word her girlfriend said. "But one day we were doing a dress rehearsal for a drama piece we had to do for acting class. The costume I had to wear, it didn't exactly cover up what I've always tried to hide," she explained gesturing to her torso. Quinn's mouth formed an 'o' and she nodded her head in understanding.

"I tried to explain to my acting coach that I couldn't wear the costume and she just laughed at me and said, if I couldn't show some skin every now and again, how could I ever expect to make it on Broadway, and she had a point. A lot of shows these days are incorporating nudity or skimpy outfits, it's all part of showcasing the reality we grow up with and witness on t.v or even on the street every day," Rachel said, lifting a hand to rub her nose. "The thing is, if you want to break out on Broadway, you can't afford to be picky about what you audition for, you have to give everything a chance. I realised if I couldn't expose even part of my body for a stupid in class assignment, I'd never be able to face doing more in real theatre. So I quit. I packed up and transferred to Julliard and focused on music."

Quinn sat there, trying to wrap her head around what she had heard. She couldn't imagine ever giving up the job she loved for something else, it just didn't seem right. When she thought about it some more, she could understand the reason behind giving up on the acting side of things, but why give up on performing altogether, Rachel had an amazing voice. "Okay, I get why you transferred and why Broadway didn't work out. But why song writing? Why not use your voice to become a singer, I mean you can sing anything," Quinn asked inching closer to her girlfriend. Rachel glanced up at her.

"After I transferred to Julliard I started focusing on piano and song writing. I stopped performing for a long time. When I finally came round to getting back into it, I just couldn't do it. I'd lost my confidence and no matter what I did I couldn't get it back. I just felt people staring at me like they did when I was a kid because I was different and I couldn't deal with it. So I gave up, I locked myself away from the bright lights of a stage for the safety of a dark corner behind the curtain," Rachel sighed, remembering the rush she used to get from singing in front of a crowd.

Quinn seemed frustrated by the answer. It annoyed her that one comment years ago was the start of what would be the end of Rachel's performing career. She hated to think that something that happened so many years ago was stifling Rachel's potential as a grown woman. If things had been different, Rachel could have been a superstar by now. Instead she was reduced to hiding in the shadows while other people, less talented people got famous off of her songs. It wasn't right and she couldn't help but feel that the world was being robbed of a shining star.

"For what it's worth, I think it's their loss. You are the most talented person I know, and, if at any point you decide you want to try again, I'll be there front row centre cheering the loudest," Quinn smiled as she squeezed her girlfriends' hand. Rachel smiled back and then raised her hand to cup Quinn's jaw, bringing their lips together in a sweet loving kiss. After a moment, they pulled apart and sat back on the bench just taking time to relax and watch as the world passed the by. As they gazed out at the other people strolling through the park they noticed a horse and carriage passing by with a bride and groom sitting in the back. Quinn and Rachel both smiled.

"It looks like a dream doesn't it," Quinn said, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. "What, the wedding?" Rachel asked keeping her head resting on the blondes' shoulder. "No, well, yeah but I mean marriage. You know committing yourself to that one person forever vowing to never let them go. It just, it seems like a dream," Quinn sighed. Rachel scrunched up her nose, "Mmm, not really my thing," she replied staring after the tail end of the carriage as it carried on towards its destination. Quinn furrowed her brow and glanced down at her girlfriend.

"You don't want to get married?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer. Rachel shook her head. "Quinn my Dad's were murdered because they were openly gay married men. I don't exactly have the best view on marriage. It's just not something I ever see myself doing." When things went quiet, Rachel couldn't help but feel she had said something wrong, so, sitting up straight she looked to Quinn who looked like she was having a hard time digesting this new piece of information. "You want to get married don't you," Rachel said, more as a statement than a question.

"Well, yeah. I mean not right now, but someday. I mean it's something I pictured myself doing when the right person came along, you know wife, house kids," Quinn listed off, sitting up straighter so that she and her girlfriend were facing each other. "Do you even see yourself having kids?" Quinn asked figuring if they were going to have this conversation they might as well get everything out of the way with now. Rachel sighed. "Of course I'd love to have kids. I would love to be able to give a child the type of upbringing I never head," Rachel said, a forlorn look on her face at the thought of her own childhood.

"So you want kids but you don't wanna get married?" Quinn asked, clearly struggling to wrap her head around what she was hearing. Rachel seemed to be getting flustered at the direction the conversation was taking and rubbed her brow in frustration. "Quinn do you know how many people protest regularly against gay marriage? Talking about how "sinful" it is and how getting married is rubbing their 'ways' in people's faces? There are people out there who take their views seriously. I should know I have the scars to prove it," she said shaking her head at her own words, realising that she may have been unintentionally trying to guilt trip Quinn with that last comment.

The blonde sat forward resting her elbows on her knees and running her hands through her hair. This was not how she imagined this particular conversation going, she envisioned her herself getting down on one knee sometime in the future and asking Rachel to be her wife. She had imagined the wedding and the honeymoon, the family dinners at the Fabray house with her own kids. She never imagined be re-evaluating her entire relationships, this was the last thing she thought would happen. Rachel was an amazing woman and Quinn loved her dearly, but was their love alone enough to make the happy when they clearly had different ideas of how they intended to spend their future.

"Look, clearly we want different things and I'm afraid if we keep talking about this right now, we'll end up getting into a fight and saying things we don't mean. So, I'm gonna go back to the theatre and give you some time to think," Rachel said as she rubbed her hands on her long pea coat. Quinn nodded her head but kept her eyes down. Rachel placed a hand on her girlfriends arm to coax Quinn to look up and when she did she continued. "If marriage is something you can do without then great, we can get past this. But if it's something you really want, then maybe we should consider ending things right now, because I don't want to hold you back from getting what it is you really want."

With those last words, Rachel stood up and headed in the direction of the park exit she knew would lead her towards the theatre. Quinn watched her leave, her mind reeling with everything she had heard. What was she supposed to do? Let Rachel walk out of her life for good over a legal status and a shared name, or hold on to her and let go of the fact that marriage is something Quinn has dreamed about since she was a little girl. She couldn't think, her brain was racing at a hundred miles an hour and she couldn't focus on a single though. She needed someone to help her sieve through the mess in her head, someone who could help her figure this mess out. She needed her mother.

Judy was busy baking her famous double chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen when she heard the front door opening. Picking up the tray of cookie dough she had just finished spooning out and placed it in the oven. "Hey." Turning around Judy smiled at the sight of her youngest daughter walking into the kitchen and leaning against the island where a fresh tray of cookies was cooling down. "Hi sweetheart. This is a surprise," Judy said stepping around to the other side and hugging Quinn who hugged back just as tight. By the way Quinn slouched against her mothers' embrace, Judy knew something was up.

"Alright, what's wrong?" Judy asked. Quinn huffed against her mothers' shoulder and then pulled away. "It's Rachel," Quinn said, and that was all Judy needed to hear. Stroking her daughters' blonde hair she tucked a strand behind her ear and then gave her that parental nod of understanding. "Hmm, this sounds like a conversation that requires milk and cookies. Go take a seat in the living room and I'll be right in," Judy said. Quinn smiled, this was exactly why her turned to her mother for advice, because she understood Quinn and knew how to approach her problems. Turning on her heel, she made her way into the living room and sat down removing her coat.

Judy arrived a moment later placing a tray of milk and cookies down on the coffee table. Quinn picked up her glass and a warm cookie and after one bite, she moaned at the milk chocolaty explosion in her mouth. Heaven. "So," Judy said, sitting back on the couch, her elbow propped against the back rest, "What's the problem?" she asked. And just like that Quinn divulged every single detail of what had gone down at lunch time and about Rachel's past, which her girlfriend had given her permission to do a while ago but at the time had chosen not to.

Judy was shocked at what she had heard. She knew Rachel had had a difficult childhood but this was far worse than what she imagined. And as she listened to Quinn talk about the latest problem, she found herself understanding Rachel's point of view. Judy loved her daughter, of course she did, but Quinn grew up with a very romantic view of the world that involved the perfect partner, the white picket fence and a couple of kids, and maybe that was Judy's fault. She had allowed her daughter to paint this picture perfect image in her head, but the reality was, life wasn't always that straightforward, sometimes people lived a life different to what they first imagined.

"Sweetie, I know marriage is important. When you were a little girl you used to dress up in your first communion dress and have pretend weddings in the backyard," Judy chuckled, remembering a young Quinn all dressed in white with a "bouquet" of flowers that she had hand-picked from the back garden. "But sweetie, not everyone shares the same opinion you do." Quinn let her head fall back against the back rest of the couch, knowing all too well about differing opinions after the day she'd had.

"So what do I do then?" Quinn asked in a whiny voice. Judy just gave her daughter a sympathetic smile. As her mother, she couldn't tell her daughter what she should do, she could only encourage her to make the decision that was right for her and hopefully it would all work out. "You need to ask yourself if you love Rachel, and if you do, do you love her enough to be with her, even if you never get married," Judy said. Quinn whined, that was not the answer she had been hoping for, but her mother was right she needed to make a decision, sooner, rather than later.

When the evening time rolled around, Quinn jumped in her car and headed back for her loft, intent on sorting things out with Rachel. After some quiet time in her old bedroom, she had come to a decision and now her stomach was in knots thinking about having the conversation. Climbing out of her car and heading up to her loft, Quinn mentally prepared herself for it, her future literally depended on how this would turn out. Pulling her keys from coat, she unlocked the door and stepped inside. To her surprise she smelt Chinese food wafting through the loft from the kitchen.

"Rach?" she called out. As he removed her coat the brunette stepped out of the kitchen, hands wringing together in front of her. Quinn gave her a lopsided smile and held up a container. "My Mom sent in some of her famous double chocolate chip cookies," she said laughing nervously. Rachel smiled and glanced down at her hands before looking back up. "We should talk," she said, needing to get the conversation out of the way with before she could think of doing anything else. Gesturing to the couch she walked over and sat down Quinn following behind.

"Okay I….," before Rachel could say anything else, Quinn cut her off with a raised finger her eyes closed and looking nervous. "Can I talk first? Cause I have a feeling if I don't get this out now I'll be sick with anxiety," she said. Rachel just nodded her head and sat with her hands in her lap. Quinn took in a deep breath and exhaled and then turned so her body was facing Rachel. "I'm not gonna lie, marriage is something I've always wanted since I was a kid and hearing that you don't feel the same way, it threw me," she said.

"It made me question everything I've always believed in and it took me a while but I've thought about it and, the truth is," Quinn trailed off, reaching out and clasping her hands with Rachel's. "The truth is, is that I love you Rachel, more than I've ever loved anyone and I believe in us. I believe that we have what it takes to last, and if giving up the 'idea' of marriage means that I get to keep you then I will gladly give it up. I want this Rach, I want us in whatever way I can." Rachel gazed at her girlfriend with teary brown eyes. "Quinn, if marriage means that much to you, don't give it up just because of me," Rachel whispered hoarsely, her voice too choked up to answer properly.

"No Rach, I'm serious. I can't give this up. I've waited so long to find this," Quinn said lifting their joined hands up to emphasise her point, "I'm not gonna let you go over something as stupid as a piece of paper with our names on it. I love you and you love me and that's all that matters." Rachel smiled and leaned over connecting their lips. Quinn pulled away and raised a finger, "Just one thing, you do want kids right? That's not something you've changed your mind about," she asked with a hopeful glint in her eye. "No," Rachel replied happily and Quinn breathed out a sigh of relief. She could give up on marriage but the kids thing was a deal breaker. She was so glad on that point, they were on the same page.

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