Author's Note: This one took me awhile to get done but it's super long, a real monster to write, so I hope that makes up for the wait.

SuperGleek18 :) Good. That's the reaction I was hoping for.

gllover22 I guess not. I honestly have no idea where that scene came from but I had to use it once it popped into my head. I thought Rachel would find it funny as well.

Jaely Thank you. I gotta admit, Britt is really hard to write. I didn't think she would be but I really stuggled with what she'd say or do in this scene. No, my Britt didn't go to MIT. I kinda hate the fourth season in it's entirety -except Santana and Rachel in NYC together. And Quinn/Santana at the wedding-but especially the last half so I'm disregarding the whole genuis MIT thing. Britney's a dancer and should persue that, in my opinion.

LaurenKnight13 lol. Awesome. I love abs on a person...I'm glad the scene caught you off guard, I don't want to be too predicatable. As for how Brit knows how Quinn tastes, I was thinking more, she knows what a woman, in general would taste like compared to the handcream or body lotion Santana was hoping it really was. No sexy fun times for the two of them in this story. Well maybe...No.

FaberryOTP Thank you.

Linksys I love HBIC Quinn and I wanted a shot at including her.

Fabraygron Thank you. I'm glad that you're enjoying the dynamic and how it's all unfolding. I hope that you continue to enjoy it as well. :)

Chapter 10

Quinn's cheeks were still flaming as she stood in front of Rachel's open closet, searching for something to wear. The entire scene played out again and again in her mind's eye as she flipped through dresses and skirts, blouses and jeans, trying to find something that looked like it might fit. The look on Santana's face as she'd pulled back, the abject horror in her expression as she'd held her hand up for closer inspection. Britney licking Quinn's arousal off her hand. The entire room aware of the fact that not only had Quinn and Rachel slept together last night but that Quin had been so turned on, so worked up that she couldn't even curb her libido long enough for a visit with friends. She'd soaked through not just a pair of panties but a pair of shorts. A pair of Rachel's shorts.

She couldn't go back out there, Quinn rationed even as she pulled a pair of grey dress pants that felt like they had a bit of spandex stretch to them off a hanger. They'd likely be a little snug, a little short but passable. She would not be able to look any of them in the eye. She couldn't face them, she thought resolutely as she selected a dark blue blouse that would probably be fine if she left a couple of buttons undone. Maybe paired with a tank top, she mused as she spotted a cream colored camisole and pulled that out and draped it over her arm. Despite having shut Sanana up with her words, she knew that all three of them would be thinking about it when she stepped back out there. They'd see her and they'd remember and they'd spend the whole of their visit trying not to laugh at her. Hell, Rachel hadn't even bothered trying. She'd been nearly hysterical laughing about the whole thing.

They were probably out there laughing at her right now. She couldn't hear them as she headed into the bathroom and dumped her makeshift outfit onto the vanity but Quinn was certain that they were.

She was going to shower, get herself cleaned up and then she was going to go, Quinn decided as she opened the faucets and adjusted the temperature to just shy of scalding. She would get a cab back to the hotel she was sharing with Lara and Olivia and she would spend the day going over the notes that they had gotten on the play yesterday. Quinn mapped out her course of action as she stripped down and stepped under the spray, letting the water course over her and the steam surround her. She would work on a few minor revisions and she'd have Lara, her co-writer and Olivia, her lead, read it through with her and see how it worked. Maybe later this afternoon they'd go out and do some sighteeing, some shopping. They'd have dinner, maybe go out again, maybe go back to the hotel and hit the bar and Quinn would get very, very drunk and pretend that this morning had never happened.

She nodded once, satisfied with her plan and reached for a bottle of Rachel's body wash that rested on the edge of the tub. She popped open the tube and took a quick whiff of the scent, trying to place it without peeking at the label. Cinnamon. She smiled softly to herself at the idea of sharing Rachel's scent for the day as she squeezed a large dollop into her hand and began to rub them together, creating a thick, spicy lather.

Then tomorrow, when all this was behind her she would call Rachel and the two of them could maybe do something together, Alone. Tthere was no way that she was going to be spending time with Santana and Britney any time soon. Because there was no way that she was going to be able to look at either one of them again without remembering the sight of Santana jumping away from her in shock and surprise. Or the sight of her wetness glistening on Santana's fingers. Or the way Britney had licked it up and oh-so casually announced to the room that it was definitely Quinn that she was tasting.

The look on Santana's face at her girlfriend's words, at her actions. Quinn couldn't help it, her lips quirked up in a small smile at the memory. She had thought Santana's eyes were going to pop right out of her head. Especially when Britney had hummed softly at the taste. Santana's face in that moment had been...Quinn just shook her head and chuckled softly.

She replayed the scene over again in her head and her shoulders began to shake in silent laughter as the humour of the situation seeped through her embarrasment. Santana's little yelp when she realized that Quinn was dripping all over her leg. The twitch of her lip as she'd stared at the moisture on her hands.

It was still as embarrasing as hell but her old friends' reaction had been hilarious. Santana had always had one of the most expressive faces that Quinn had ever seen. It had always been so much fun poking and prodding at her, trying to get her to react to things, trying to rile a reaction out of her. Today had been no different, her eyes had widened, her nostrils had flaired. Quinn had to brace her hands against the tiled shower wall as she laughed.

It wasn't like she hadn't caught Santana and Britney in countless compromising positions before she learned, at some point mid freshman year that it was a good idea to always announce herself before entering a room our rounding a corner. She'd caught them kissing and groping, with hands under shirts or skirts in the early stages of the relationship and noticed them stumbling out of dark corners and empty rooms hastily re-arranging their clothes as things progressed. And aside from that one time when she'd forgotten herself and flung herself through Britney's bedroom door one afternoon in a state about something her father had said and her mother had not said and caught them both half-naked and literally in the throes, she'd never, ever, seen either of them blush at being caught. They might have been secretive and afraid of being found out but they were never embrarrased. They were never ashamed. And that had been back when they were just kids in high school.

Now they were adults, out and proud and with a bit of experience under their belts. So, yes, Quinn was a private person and she'd probably never be entirely comfortale with other people knowing her buisness, especiallly when it concerned her sex life but she wouldn't be embarrased in front of the people who were or had at one time been the closest to her. Yes, they knew that she and Rachel had slept together. Were sleeping together, if this thing between them progressed as well as Quinn hoped it would. And they'd probably poke fun at her a little bit for it. Especially Santana because she just loved to push Quinn's buttons but she wasn't ashamed or embarrased to be with Rachel so she'd take the ribbing instride and she'd give back as good as she got. Because she definitely had a lot of material to use.

She finished the rest of her shower quickly, suddenly eager to return to the other's company. She shampooed briskly and rinced out her hair before shutting off the water and wrapping herself in one of Rachel's large, fluffy towels. The bathroom was steamy and the mirror was fogged but she didn't bother with wiping it as she towel dried and then pulled on her borrowed clothes. As expected the pants were snug and a little short but not indecently so and the blouse clung to her frame but only served to accentuate her curves as she buttoned it halfway over the camisole. She ran her finger through her hair, working out a few tangles and when she was done and deemed herself presentable she left the bathroom and made her way back through Rachel's apartment to the others.

They were in same positions they'd been in the first time she'd walked in, Santana and Britney leaning on either side of the island in the kitchen, Rachel flitting around behind it. Only now the coffee had been brewed and several plates containing cut up fruits, vegetables and dip and sandwhiches lay across the island's surface.

Once again it was Britney who spotted her first only this time instead of hesitating she pushed herself off the island and headed straight for Quinn, who stopped in mid-stride and instead braced herself for a hug that she knew would bowl her over if not for the fact that she'd had five years experience in preparing herself for one.

Rachel's collision with her body last night had been nothing compared to the force in which Britney launched herself at Quinn. She let out a faint oomph and took two steps back as Britney fairly draped herself around her.

"It's good to see you too, Britt," Quinn said as she wrapped her arm around Britney, the very first friend she'd made when she'd moved to Lima. The very first person her own age she'd even spoken to that summer before eight grade. Britney had saved her from a month and a half of complete and utter boredom as well as the tedium of unpacking and decorating her new house. All thanks to a chance meeting at Lima Middle where Quinn had been with her mom registering while Britney had been hanging around in the air-conditioning of the attendance office while waiting for one of her parents to pick up after a dance practice that had been held in the school's auditorium.

She was surprised to find tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as Britney squeezed her impossibly tightly against her. "I've missed you so much," she murumred, squeezing back just as tightly. How had she ever thought it was impossible to live her life without this woman? Just another stupid, messed up mistake in a whole long line of them.

"I'm glad you're really here, Quinn," Britney said softly. "And that Santana was wrong. And you didn't fall off the Earth." She gave one last squeeze and then pulled back slowly.

Quinn huffed out a laugh as she pulled back and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Me too, Britt. Me too."

No sooner had Britney stepped away did Santana step to her with a hug that wasn't as physically overpowering as Britney's but was equally intense. Her arms went around Quinn's back and pulled her in tight, cradling, embracing, her in a way that Quinn returned with equal fervor. She pressed her fingers lightly into Santana's back, clutching faintly at the other woman as she buried her face into the crook of her neck. Warm breath ghosted across her ear, lips pressed softly against her temple.

Her second friend in Lima. Her second-in-command. Her loudest supporter and her fiercest competitor. Her friendship with Britney had been instantaneous. It had been easy. They'd sat next to each other in those hard, uncomfortable chairs in the school's office and within a minute Britney had been holding her hand, telling her not to be nervous about starting at a new school, that she'd look out for her. They'd spent half an hour talking about classes and teachers and music and dancing before Mrs. Pierce had turned up, apologizing for getting caught up in traffic and whisked her daughter away but not before Britney had given Quinn her number and told her to call her if she wanted to hang out.

Her friendship with Santana had not been instant. Or easy. They were both intelligent, attractive, athletic girls who'd made the same first friend. Quinn that summer and Santana two summers before when she'd transferred from elementary school in Lima Heights to the middle school that served the whole area. They'd been wary of each other from the first moment they met, circling each other in the middle of Britney's bedroom as the other girl suggested movies they could watch. Britney had thought that it would be nice for her two friends to meet each other and because they both cared so much for her, they'd for the most part kept their claws in.

But they had still competed for pretty much everything, from Britney's affections to the attention of the boys in their class. From grades to sports they'd constantly pushed each other and most of the time, it only served to make them both better. When one stumbled, the other pulled her back up and it had developed an uneasy camradarie between the two of them. Their friendship had always been tense, complex. And maybe it hadn't always been healthy but it had been real and it had been them and Quinn couldn't imagine it would have worked any other way.

"Fuck, Q." It was all Santana could say. It was all Santana had to say.

"I know, San. I know." She squeezed the woman in her arms tightly and then slowly they both pulled away.

"The Unholy Trinity, back together again," Santana said with a sly grin as she looped an arm around Quinn's waist and the other around Britney's and guided them back towards the kitchen, where Rachel was leaning against the counter behind her, eyes shining with moisture from watching the exchange.

"Lord held up all," Rachel said with an eye-roll as she pushed herself off the counter and reached for the glasses of orange juice that rested behind her.

"Damn straight," Santana said with a brisk nod.

"Oh, please, San. You're about as straight as a bendy straw," Rachel with a smirk as she handed first Britney then Quinn a glass. She reached behind her once again and held one out in offering to Santana, who gave the girls on either side of her a squeeze before dropping her arms and releasing them from her grasp to take the orange juice in one hand and to snag a piece of melon off the plate on the island with the other.

"You okay?" Rachel asked softly as she stepped in front of Quinn and gently cupped her face with both hands, wiping at the tear tracks on her cheeks with her thumbs.

"Yeah." Quinn offered her a watery smile. "It's just..." she trailed off with a shrug. She wasn't sure she could put it into words. But she didn't seem to need to. Rachel just smiled knowingly and continued to caress her face. Quinn offered a faint smile in return and curved a hand around Rachel's waist, drawing her in close enough to press a light kiss to first her forehead then her lips. A kiss that quickly became more than the chaste peck she had originally intended.

Rachel rose up onto her toes to return the kiss, her lips parting slighly as her tongue came out to swipe against Quinn's mouth, seeking entrance. She granted it with a soft moan and splayed her hand out across Rachel's lower back or rather, the top of her ass.

"Get a room," Santana catcalled from somewhere behind them and she felt Rachel smile and giggle faintly into the kiss before slowly pulling away. Quinn let out a light growl of protest and let her pull away. She rested her forehead against Rachel's and closed her eyes, attempting to draw breath into her aching lungs and turned her head. The scathing reply dying on her lips as Rachel, without even turning to look at the others in the room shot back.

"We have a room, Santana," she said sweetly. "Right through there." She made a sweeping gesture back towards the direction of her apartment. "And if you're not careful we might just go make use of it. Loudly. Multiple times."

Santana just smirked and pounded back her orange juice. Only to lean forward, bracing herself on the edge of the counter as coughs shook her body.

"Jesus Christ, Berry," she wheezed. "Was there alcohol in that?"

When she turned her head to glare, there were tears streaming down her cheeks and she was clutching at her chest. Britney hovered at her side, rubbing her back soothingly but that did nothing to ease the rattling of her breath as she coughed and spluttered.

"No, not alcohol. Champagne."

"Champagne is alcohol, brain trust," Santana rasped, reaching for the taps and opening the cold full blast. She didn't even bother with a glass, she just stuck her head under and took loud, gulping sips. "And why the hell are we drinking at noon on a Saturday?"

"Mimosa's are an accepted brunch tradition," Rachel said primly, leaning into Quinn's side as she turned to face Santana.

"Granted. Again, midge, why are we drinking at noon on a Saturday?"

Rachel let out a soft, long suffering sigh and Quinn fought not to grin at their dynamic. It was a little strange watching the two of them banter like this. So similar to the sniping they used to exchange in high school but without the agression and animosity.

"I thought it might be nice to do a something a little special this morning," Rachel said with a shrug. "It is a celebration of sorts, is it not?"

"Of what? You cleaning Quinn's bats out?" she asked before snickering softly.

Even Quinn couldn't help but laugh lightly at that.

"Santana Lopez, that was unkind!" Apparently, Rachel did not find the humour in it that the two of them did.

"Easy, Rach," Quinn murumred softly in the other woman's ear, letting her lips brush softly against her lobes as she did. The reaction was instantaneous and predictable. She'd discovered last night that Rachel had really, really sensitive ears. Among other places. Though none of them were appropriate for distracing her in public.

Rachel shivered lightly in her arms and immediately fell silent, her throat working in the attemp to contain a moan.

"Play nice you two," Britney said with about as much inflection in her voice as one might use to ask someone to pass them a condiment. Clearly she was used to being the buffer between these two.

Santana huffed and rolled her eyes but refrained from commenting as she poured herself another glass of juice from the pitcher and took a slow, careful sip from it. Rachel shook her head but let it go as well. Britney glanced back and forth between the two of them, gave a satisfied nod and then left Santana's side to take a seat at the island.

It was sweet and strange to watch, a little bit like Rachel had stepped in and usurped her former role between her two old friends but also something entirely different.

"We eating, or what?" Santana asked, picking up another piece of melon and popping it into her mouth. "Because I'm starving. And this brunch thing is a limited time offer today. Britt's got to be downtown by three."

"The music video?" Rachel asked and both women nodded. "I see. Well, I'm glad you could make it. And we'll not keep you long."

"That was a hint, you know," Santana said, raising an eyebrow at the two of them, who remained standing at the edge of the kitchen, arms still around each other. "Come. Sit. Eat. " She waved at the spread before her. "Let's get all caught up, shall we?" she suggested as Rachel and Quinn moved forward and pulled out stools beside her.

"So, one time thing huh?" Santana said as soon as Quinn had settled beside her.

Quinn shrugged. "What can I say, our night together left me thinking there had to be more to it than that. Lo and behold, I was right."

"Oh, please, bitch. I rocked your world."

Quinn scoffed. "If that's what you have to tell yourself so you can sleep at night."

"You came back for seconds."

"Okay," Rachel cut in before Quinn could reply. "Can you please not talk about your intimite encounter when Britney and I are sitting right here?"

"What's a matter, Berry? Jealous you didn't get a go 'round?" Santana teased. "I can rectify that."

"Santana, your girlfriend is sitting right beside you," Rachel snapped, flushing so deeply that it was visible despite her skin tone.

"Oh, Britts won't mind. She might want to watch though."

"Totally." Britney nodded, completely expressionless.

Rachel seemed to realize then that Santana was purposefully winding her up and let out a huff but didn't say anymore. Quinn reached out and ran a soothing hand down Rachel's back, stroking small circles along the curve of her spine until the petite woman let out a sigh and relaxed in her seat.

"Sorry, Rach," she murmured, ignoring the whipping sound that Santana made or Britney's giggle as she leaned in and rested her chin on the other woman's shoulder. "I didn't mean anything by it and neither did Santana. It's just our way."

"I know," Rachel said softly. "And I should be used to it by now. It's just.."

"I know. Sorry." She presssed a kiss to the underside of Rachel's jaw and straightened up in her seat.

"So," Santana drawled, drawing the attention back to herself. "You picked up Rachel. In a bar. And let her take you home. "

"Yeah. Except not really." Quinn knew what Santana was really asking, she wanted to know if she was gay, bi, just liked hooking up with her friends or what. She just thought it was more fun to feign incomprehension.

"Except, yeah, really. Most of the time you run into an old friend, you get coffee. Or maybe lunch if it was a good friend. You don't generally end up between the sheets."

Quinn shrugged. She really didn't know how to explain it. They'd met and the spark had been there. Or maybe it had always been there and they were just not evolved into themselves enough to realize it all she knew is that last night, this morning, right now with Rachel, it just felt right.

"Maybe you don't..." Quinn teased and Santana gaped at her for a moment before bursting into loud, guffawing laugther.

"Please tell me that you two haven't been pining over each other since high school," Santana said when her laughter had died down. "Because that would be just tragic."

"I think it'd be romantic," Britney chimed in.

"Althought it would explain so, so much."

Quinn agreed with Santana, but one glance over at Rachel and she could tell that the other girl sided with Britney on this one. "One, what the hell does that mean? And two, no. Neither one of us were aware, or even willing to be aware of this back then."

"Oh, I don't know," Santana said. "The name calling. The slushies. You're constant obsessing over what the hobbit was doing, for starters. Rach following you around like a little lost puppy all the damn time. Telling you how perfect and pretty you were, for some more."

She shrugged. Maybe it had been under the surface but she'd had other motivations for all that stuff and from their talk last night, she knew that Rachel did for her actions as well.

"There was a lot of other stuff going on at the time. I was a stupid, messed up kid in a lot of ways but I wasn't repressed."

"And I might have admired Quinn. Wanted to emulate her even but it wasn't because I wanted to be with her."

"Fair enough," Santna said with a shrug. "But please, tell me how all this came about."

By all this, Quinn knew that Santana meant her attraction to women. Or rather her acknowledgment and admittance of it, because clearly she wasn't there yet the last time they'd seen each other. Since she asked nicely, Quinn was willing to tell her.

It was a little surreal, sitting there getting caught up with Rachel and Britney and Santana. Talking about their lives over the past few years, about work and school, about video shoots and auditions and bad directors and cute co-stars. It was like no time had passed and also like it had been forever. So much had happened in the intervening years, Brit had graduated high school and moved out to New York. She'd gotten a job as an usher in a theatre and started auditioning for dance troupes and video gigs. Santana had made her way from bartender to part bar owner and was thinking about opening up her own place. She had an eye on a location and was in talks with the banks and the landlords. Pretty soon she might be a successful buisness owner.

They didn't talk much about how they'd gotten back together, just that it had been three years ago and they had a place a few blocks away and while Quinn was curious, she didn't push it.

It was surreal and she almost couldn't believe it. She remembered Britney's words from earlier, asking Santana if she was dreaming and Quinn couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was right now as well. The last twelve hours or so had been perfect. Too perfect. And maybe it wasn't truly real.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a sharp pain in her wrist. She jumped in her seat and bit her lip against a yelp. She glanced down at her arm and then up at Britney, who had reached across the island to pinch her, hard.

"You're not dreaming, Quinn," she said softly and Quinn couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Thank you, Britt," she said, equally soft, as she turned her hand over and laced her fingers though the other woman's. Life had given her a second chance. Once again she'd been given the opportunity to fix some of the mistakes she'd made.