A/N: (1) I'm so sorry this took so long! Life has been a tad bit ridiculous lately, and it's severely cut into my fanfic writing time. Don't worry though, I haven't abandoned this story. Things are about to get interesting, and I hope you like it. And as always, please please please review!
A/N: (2) So I'm aware that a lot of people have left FFN due to it's policy changes and roaming gangs of anti-porn vigilantes. Although this story isn't straight up smut, and still has a little way to go before we get to anything like that, I'm still a bit nervous about losing this story and all of you awesome readers. I guess the point of this note is to say that if you're still using this site thank you, and if something happens to it I'll be putting this up on either livejournal or A03 (if I ever get my invite) so it's not lost forever.
The van rattled slightly as Brittany veered it down the empty highway. The sky was an inky navy, blue stars dotted graciously against it. Rachel had her forehead leaned against the back window, staring intently as the van bustled along the dark road, a street light illuminating every few feet. She was tired, but completely in awe of just how many stars there were in the sky, back home in LA and NYC they were masked by the clouds, the remnants of city life. She reveled in the fact that everyone was asleep, and that Brittany was probably just trying to keep her eyes open. It was an incredible moment.
"I love driving here at this time of night. There are so many stars." A husky voice whispered into her ear. Rachel felt herself gasp as warm breath tickled across the shell of her ear and sent goose bumps shivering down the back of her neck. She turned and found herself face to face to Quinn. They were so close their noses were pressed together lightly, and as they passed under a street light Quinn's normally hazel eyes flashed a verdant green.
Rachel gulped audibly as her face flushed hot, Quinn's gaze making something spark throughout her body. She could feel the corner of Quinn's lips tug up and her heart pound harshly against her chest as if it had were a prisoner.
"Quinn." Rachel breathed out, a natural reaction to what was happening to her.
She felt Quinn shift forward and place a hand gently on her cheek, tilting her own head slightly. "I want to see a different kind of stars now." Quinn muttered, before pressing her lips gently against Rachel's.
Rachel moaned into the kiss, their lips sliding together smoothly as Quinn's thumb brushed her cheekbone. She didn't care how absolutely cheesy that line was, her brain was fogged by the warmth of Quinn and the heat suddenly pooling between her legs.
"We shouldn't." Rachel whispered, pulling her lips away just so. Quinn laughed softly against Rachel's mouth.
"Everyone's asleep, and Brittany's not listening."
Rachel chanced a glance to the drivers seat, where Brittany's eyes were focused on the road in front of her.
"I want you Rachel." Quinn muttered, bringing her surprisingly soft and gentle lips to Rachel's once more. Rachel whimpered, her hand clasping forward to ball itself in the soft cotton of Quinn's t-shirt. "Do you want me?" Quinn mumbled against her lips, before flicking her tongue across them.
"Yes." Rachel whined, her breath heavy. She felt Quinn grinning as she opened her mouth and let Quinn's tongue massage against her own.
"Then let me-"
There was a loud boom that forced Rachel to rip her eyes open. She felt herself get flung into the harsh metal of the door she was resting against and groaned in pain and confusion. She was just about to kiss Quinn, in the back of the van, under the moon light, so why was she nestled between a door and Finn?
She looked around, eyes hazy and clouded, finding the scene before her completely different than where she had been only moments ago. The sky was a glowing orange, as a vibrant red sun dipped behind pinkish clouds. Everyone was awake, wearing various expressions of shock on their faces, with Quinn behind the wheel and definitely not next to Rachel.
"You okay?" Finn asked Rachel, his voice laced with worry. She nodded as she absently rubbed her shoulder.
"What happened?" Sam asked curiously from the opposite side of Finn.
"I'm not sure, I think I ran over something." Quinn said sternly, her hands gripping the wheel tightly. "I'm pulling over."
"Great." Kurt groaned from the seat in front of Rachel.
The van came to a gentle stop before Quinn killed the engine. She hopped out, followed by Puck and Sam. They walked in circles around the van, examining the undercarriage, muted voices carrying through the closed metal doors.
The remaining people where quiet, which Rachel was thankful for. Her brain couldn't be farther away from car troubles at the moment. The backs of her eyelids still burned with the fuzzy images of her almost sex dream, with Quinn. She was much more concerned with what the ache between her legs meant than the ache in her shoulder as she tried to recall every moment of the dream before it slipped away.
The drivers door flew open and Puck hobbled into the seat, and Quinn and Sam jumped back into the van.
"What was it?" Brittany asked as Quinn slid the door shut with a harsh slam.
"A pot hole. A really big one, too." Puck grunted, slamming his own door. "No damage though, surprisingly."
Kurt heaved a relieved sigh. "Thank Jesus."
"I thought you didn't believe in him." Brittany asked as the van sputtered back to life.
Kurt sighed, not bothering to address the blonde.
Rachel let her head fall back against the window and closed her eyes as the sun finally disappeared under the blanket of the night. Her mind was buzzing, wondering where the hell that dream even came from? That dream had felt so real, and had definitely worked her up if that uncomfortable spot of wetness in her underwear was anything to go off of. It was perfect, besides the cheesy words Quinn had uttered that Rachel couldn't remember (but knew the pink haired woman wouldn't say regardless).
She opened her eyes and let them fall on the blob of pink hair on the bench in front of her. She let her eyes rake over the soft curves of Quinn's neck, and gulped as Quinn turned her head, deep hazel eyes meeting her.
No way Rachel thought to herself, averting her eyes as quickly as possible. Her heart was pulsing . Santana wasn't right. Nope. No way.
"Welcome to Smith's American Bar and Grill, how many?" The disinterested hostess asked, barely looking up from her podium as she snapped a piece of gum.
Puck had tried to pull through a Burger King rest stop for dinner about 30 miles back, to the absolute horror of Rachel. She had screamed, pleaded, and begged, yelling about vegan friendly options and greases effect on pours. She had finally bargained that she would pay for the entire bill if they stopped at the next sit down, non-chain restaurant they found. Quinn had to bite back laughter when they pulled into said establishment, only to be met with a bright animated neon sign of Uncle Sam beheading a cow with an axe.
"9 please." Kurt said, as Rachel examined the take out menu posted on one of the wooden walls, trying to find some sort of vegan option.
"Do you have a reservation?" the hostess asked in monotone before snapping a rather large bubble in Kurt's face.
He winced. "Um, no." Kurt responded.
"Well, we don't take parties that big unless-" The girl's eyes widened as she looked at the group in front of her. She squeaked loudly and made a coughing noise as she swallowed her gum.
"You're Bowser Junior!" She yelled, her eyes trailing over Finn, Quinn, and Puck. "Oh my God is this real life?"
Puck pushed Kurt aside and stepped up to the podium, leaning onto it with a sly smile. "Yes ma'am. So what were you saying about that table?"
She stared up at Puck, jaw slack and color rapidly draining out of her face. "I love your band." She whispered.
"Thank you very much. Now...table?" Puck repeated, raising his eyebrows.
"Right! Right!" She yelled. "Sorry, come with me." She grabbed a large stack of menus before guiding the group through the restaurant. It wasn't a chain restaurant, but it was pretty standard in décor. Wood paneled walls were covered in various memorabilia, from football jerseys to broken guitars and newspaper clippings. They reached an open spot with two large tables that the hostess pushed together.
"Your waitress will be right with you." She murmured before placing the stack of menus on the table and walking away, occasionally throwing her head over her shoulder to gawk.
"Ah, the perks of being famous!" Finn said, plopping down at a seat.
"Don't get used to it Snorlax. You'll be riding the wave of my girl's perks for the rest of our time together." Santana scoffed, sitting as far away from Finn as possible. Finn frowned and muttered something under his breath.
Artie rolled up to the end of the table as the rest of the group took their spots. Quinn felt her heart beat faster and simultaneously groaned inwardly as Rachel sat down next to her, with a slight pout on her face.
"This is an unmitigated disaster. Even their salads are covered in meat!" Rachel huffed, crossing her arms.
"You're the one who said next restaurant sweet heart, I was just listening to your directions." Puck said grinning as he grabbed a menu from the middle of the table.
Rachel huffed in response. She leaned back in her seat, causing her thigh to bump against Quinn's. Quinn jumped at the unexpected contact, her back straightening out.
"You alright?" Sam asked from the other side of her. Quinn nodded and coughed, hoping that Rachel didn't notice her reaction.
"Yep, fine. Can you hand me a menu?" Quinn asked nervously. Sam smiled and handed her one. She sat back down in her seat and opened it up, trying to focus on the words in attempts to ignore Rachel's curious gaze. She obviously noticed.
"Get whatever you want guys." Rachel said. "Even though I'm probably not going to be able to eat anything here, I made this deal and will keep it up."
"Oh God, Rachel you're seriously the best." Sam said with a wide smile.
"I agree, we never get to eat real food on tour. We barely even get to eat." Brittany commented from next to Santana.
The group mumbled their agreements as everybody flipped through their menus.
"Are you sure you're not going to eat?" Quinn muttered, worried. "They have to have something without animal products in it."
"It's fine Quinn." Rachel said. "I'm used to it. I'll just order french fries and a salad and tell them to hold the mountain of bacon and ham."
Quinn frowned and looked at her, concern obviously etched on her face. "It's not fair that you're paying for everyone and you don't get to eat."
Rachel shrugged and flashed Quinn a small smile, the first one since they pulled into the parking lot. "Thank you for worrying about me, but really, it's okay. I don't know what I was expecting out here in the middle of nowhere."
Quinn's cheeks flushed as she mirrored Rachel's smile. She forced herself to look back at the menu, wondering when their roles reversed and she became the awkward one.
A waitress finally approached with a wide smile. "Hello everyone, my name's Julie and I'll be your waitress tonight. Can I start everyone with some drinks?"
They went around the table with their drink orders, as Julie scribbled them down. Quinn noticed the waitress's dark brown eyes travel over Rachel for a moment too long, a smirk spreading across her face, before she turned around.
"I'll be right back, guys." Julie said as she walked away. It was Quinn's turn to huff.
"What's the matter, Q?" Finn asked.
"Nothing." Quinn muttered, trying to get a grip on her irrational jealousy. The girl probably wasn't even checking out Rachel. She probably recognized her from her movies. Kurt eyed Quinn curiously before pulling out his phone.
Quinn sat in silence as the group talked, ignoring the dizzying feeling of Rachel's close proximity and trying to figure out when the hell she got in so deep. She had only known the girl for 3 days, and yet here she was, trying unsuccessfully to hold back her school girl crush.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out, glancing curiously at Kurt when his name flashed across the screen.
You're doing a really bad job at this whole "I'm not into Rachel" thing.
Quinn scowled before typing out her response.
Is it that obvious?
Kurt's response was almost instant.
Between your inability to tell her 'no', your chivalrous attempt to find something for her to eat, and the death glare you sent the waitress for ~looking~ at her, I'd say yes.
Quinn growled before shoving her phone in her pocket, ignoring Rachel's curious eyes and Kurt's smug smile.
"What's got you so upset?" Rachel whispered, leaning closer to Quinn.
Quinn shivered at the feeling of Rachel's breath against her ear. "Kurt's an ass."
Rachel giggled softly. "I understand. If you haven't noticed, I myself have an ass-y manager."
Quinn smiled as Santana yelled "I HEARD THAT!"
Julie came back and placed everyone's drinks down. "Is everyone ready to order?"
Again, the group went around the table and placed their orders.
"I'll have an order of French Fries, and can you hold the meat on the 'Star Spangled Salad'?" Rachel asked.
Julie frowned at her. "Sorry, hun. Our salads are premade. You can pick the meat out."
Rachel frowned and sighed. "That's fine then."
"No it's not. No way." Quinn said. "Have your chef throw something together or pick it out, I don't care." Quinn demanded.
Julie looked at the pink haired girl with wide eyes, trying to formulate a polite response to Quinn's outburst.
"Quinn, no it's fine." Rachel stage whispered.
"Nope, it's not. You're paying for this. The least they can do is give you a salad without meat in it." Quinn stated pointedly.
Julie just nodded. "Yes...alright. I'll have the chef get rid of the meat." She said before running off, forgetting to take their menus.
Quinn fidgeted in her seat, completely aware of everyone's eyes on her. Artie, Sam, and Finn wore matching expressions of confusion. Puck, Santana, and Kurt looked smug as if they were privy to some secret information (which Quinn had to worry about since only Kurt and Brittany knew about her feelings). Brittany's eyes were bright and she was smiling, as if she just saw an adorably puppy, and Rachel looked touched.
"Thank you for standing up for me like that, Quinn." Rachel said.
"Whatever." Quinn grumbled, looking down.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket again, and she frowned when she saw Kurt's name light up her screen again.
Absolutely terrible, Fabray.
Dinner was finished and paid for, and everyone was walking back out to the van, when Santana grabbed Rachel and dragged her to the bathroom.
"Oh my Liza, Santana! What is this all about!" Rachel yelled in surprise.
Santana rolled her eyes. "Are you going to admit you and Pinky are bumping uglies together yet?"
"What?" Rachel asked, half shocked.
"That little outburst was a bit much, don't you think?" Santana asked.
"Quinn was just being kind and making sure I got to eat properly, Santana, that's all." Rachel responded.
Santana sighed, wondering how the girl in front of her could be so blind. Rachel was talented, she had the voice and the acting skills. She was intelligent and beautiful, and despite the occasional (frequent) diva outburst, she was an excellent client to work for. They had been friends since high school, and had gone to NYU together. Santana knew this girl was the best, and that's why she went out of her way to help the career minded diva achieve her goals. When it came to Broadway, singing, and acting the girl was spot on. But outside of that when it came to social situations, Rachel could be pretty clueless. Santana figured it was due to the fact she had been focused on her career since she came out of the womb, to the point where she pushed most others away and was an outcast in high school. Her friendships were few, and her romantic relationships were far between. Rachel had never been good at noticing when someone was flirting with her, or had an interest in her when it came to something other than her talent. Santana loved her, she really did, but Rachel's cluelessness when it came to this stuff really got on her nerves, more so than her diva freakouts.
"Rachel," Santana groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Do you like Quinn?" Santana asked.
Rachel's face paled at the question, and her mouth flopped open and closed for a moment, in search of words. "I...I don't know Santana."
"Well," Santana started. "I'm pretty sure Quinn likes you."
Rachel laughed. "Okay, Santana. Sure."
Santana rolled her eyes. "This is just like that time with Blaine."
Blaine Anderson, Rachel's first boyfriend in college, who Santana had been screaming from the rooftops about how incredibly gay he was to Rachel's disbelief and displeasure, ended up coming out of the closet after 6 months of dating Rachel. Santana had to restrain herself from slapping Rachel across the face when the diva said she didn't see that one coming.
"This is nothing like Blaine!" Rachel huffed, stomping her foot against the wooden floor.
"Rachel, you really need to open your eyes." Santana said.
Rachel bit her lip in contemplation for a moment, before clearing her throat. "Okay, so I'm attracted to Quinn. But it's nothing, really. I don't think anything could ever happen between us. She's too...closed off and anti-everything. Besides, I've never been...with a girl...yet."
Santana laughed. "Rachel you're bi, that doesn't matter. You like Quinn, and I can guarantee she likes you. Do something about it."
Rachel frowned. "No, Santana. It's nothing especially on her front. Quinn and I have been bonding over our guitar lessons, and Sam said that she gets really protective of her friends."
Santana rolled her eyes. "Okay, Streisand, I give up. Whatever. Sit there and pine after Miss Bikini Kill for the rest of the month."
Rachel rolled her eyes before stomping away.
"Ay dios mio." Santana groaned, rolling her eyes. She went to follow the diva out before Brittany walked in.
"Is everything okay, San?" The blonde asked, smiling. "We're all ready to go."
Santana smiled back, feeling her frustration melt away at the sight of Brittany. "Yeah, everything is fine. I'm just trying to beat some sense into my client."
Brittany gasped. "That's mean! Why would you ever hurt her? I thought you guys were friends?"
"No, Britt. I mean I'm trying to help Rachel come to her senses about her personal life." Santana explained.
"What's going on?" Brittany asked.
"I'm pretty sure Rachel likes Quinn, but is too socially inept to do anything about it." Santana explained.
Brittany squealed and bounced on her heels. "Really!"
Santana nodded.
"That's perfect! Quinn likes Rachel too! But she won't do anything about it either!" Brittany explained.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Santana asked.
"No, I can't read minds. Lord Tubbington can though. One time we played the 'I'm thinking of' game and he got every answer right!"
Santana chuckled. "I think we should play cupid."
Brittany squealed again. "That's a great idea! You're a genius!"
Santana reached forward and grabbed Brittany's hand, interlacing their fingers. "Lets start plotting how we're going to do this."
Brittany nodded in agreement before leading Santana out of the restaurant.