A/N: Thank you all for your reviews! I see that that last chapter resonated with many of you. I hope this one does as well. Sorry for the long length, but I wrote this in an airport on my phone.

MAYBE, PERHAPS, PROBABLY SO

Chapter 10: Free Falling

Quinn: Dean's List. Not bad for my first year at Yale, huh? This school year has been a very didactic one for me. I've come to realize a lot of things about myself. I have to thank my lucky stars for being given the opportunity to study abroad in Argentina because had I not, who knows where the heck I'd be.

I've come to terms with my sexuality, I declared a major - psychology, I nurtured a taste for red wine, which of course is good for your heart, and I've mended my relationship with Rachel. We're still so delicate, but I know this summer will be good for us.

Brit, San, Rachel, and I are all meeting up in New York this summer for a weekend to catch up and have fun. It'll be the first time since last summer that the four of us have had some real friend-bonding time, considering that I left as quickly as I came when I was there last in February. I hope Rachel and I aren't awkward. Do you think enough time has passed? I do.

And besides, things left off pretty clearly to me. After our conversation on the couch the night of her show, we didn't speak much. I had lunch with San and Brit and then walked around and saw some of the sites on my own. I told Rach I didn't want to ruin her chi as she prepared for the next show. When I left the following day, she walked me outside of her apartment. Catching a taxi would have been no problem and something I could handle on my own undoubtedly, but subtlety has never been on Rachel Berry's resume of special talents. I knew we were going to have another intense conversation, but it never came. She stood there fidgeting with her hands while staring me in the eyes.

"Will we be ok?"

The uncertainty in her voice nearly broke my heart all over again. I needed to be strong for her, even if the answer to her question had been plaguing my mind as well.

"Yes, I think so - no - I know so."

That made her smile and I knew it was the right thing to say. Now all I had to do was hope that I didn't just lie to the keeper of my heart.

"So... friends then? We're friends again?" she asked hopefully.

"We never stopped," I answered with a half truth. If I was being honest with myself, we stopped being friends midway through last summer and became something more than that. Friends plus? Friends with emotional benefits? I'm not exactly sure what I'd classify us as, but we haven't been platonic friends for a while.

But that's neither here nor there now. Friends. That's what we currently are.

I'm excited to be back in the States. Don't get me wrong, I loved Argentina and it was a great place to allow myself to wonder about as a vagabond, but it's not home. Like I said, I'm so looking forward to this friends' weekend!

Santana: This weekend is going to rock my face off. My Brits is the shit and got a scholarship to a dance school in New York. It's a small company that focuses on hip-hop and have you seen my girl's moves? Enough said. I always knew she could do whatever she set her mind to.

Part of our weekend is going to be to find B a place to stay where I won't have to worry about her being mugged or something. I know if Berry can make it, Brit can, too, but you can never be too cautious. There are some bad people out there in this world.

Rach promised that it'd be just the four of us this weekend. Not that Christine's not cool and all, but I needs my girl time every once and a while and being on the fucking other side of the country from everyone else doesn't make that easy.

Oh. You didn't know? Yeah well, I'll let her tell you all about that drama. I will say that they seem to be doing alright, but not good by Berry's track record. Ok, that's all I'm gonna say. I already said too much. I'm not the metiche one in this group. Go talk to Mercedes.

Mercedes: Don't look at me. I don't know anything... yet. Ask Kurt.

Rachel: What are they telling you? You know, I never thought Santana to be a gossip. At any rate, Eli and I are doing just fine and she completely understands and supports our girls' weekend without significant others. Well, Santana and Brittany don't count like that because they're our friends apart as well as together, too.

If you must know, we began officially dating on February 17 and we have been happy and satisfied for a little over 3 months. She's actually going to be out of town for the same weekend while she participates in her family's annual sailing gathering on the Cape. I would have loved to have joined her, but one must keep their commitments.

Santana: Satisfied? Does that mean Berry's been getting it in since her show? Oh that's presh. I'm definitely going to have to get the dirt.

Brittany: Sexy times for Rach! You go girl!

Rachel: Oh for Pete's sake that's not what I meant. Pervs.

Santana: So wanky.

Christine: I would say that I'd be worried about Quinn and Rach spending alone time together this weekend, but I have it on good authority that I won't have to be concerned about her anymore. 'Bout fucking time, too. I don't like sharing my things.

Now – Rachel and I have been simply marvelous. My mom was through the roof, especially after my parents came to a show and witnessed her talents in person. I swear she can't go an hour without dropping wedding hints these days. I mean – I'm not even going to go there. While Leroy and Hiram seemed slightly surprised at first, Hiram much more so than Leroy, they couldn't be more supportive and pleasant.

Did Rachel forget to mention the good news? Tsk, she's so modest. Some of the major donors and producers of some of the hottest Broadway shows on the scene were in the audience of The Golden Grove and absolutely loved her. They fucking loved her! Now of course she wasn't offered any roles right off the bat, but she was personally asked to audition for some of the biggest upcoming off-Broadway shows that open next season. That's a pretty big ass deal especially considering she's only 19. Most people have to kill to even get noticed, but it would have been impossible for them to have missed her. She stole the show. Hell, she always got the loudest and longest ovation during the curtain call. My girl's a star and what a sexy star at that. My little minx.

Leroy: My little Buttons is something else, isn't she. We always knew she was destined for greatness. It was an inevitability. Now what I didn't see coming was her dating Christine. She had been all about Quinn for so long, I was caught off guard. She didn't have to tell me, but a father knows his daughter, and it was as clear as crystal that Rachel and Quinn had mutual feelings for each other. Now during Christmas I had half a mind to drive over to the Fabray house and give that girl a tongue lashing for hurting my Buttons, but when I saw her at Rachel's opening night, I figured they had buried the hatchet. Rachel looked through the moon and I couldn't stay mad at the girl who so obviously gave rainbow colored lights to Rachel's stage of life. So you can imagine my surprise when I hear that she's dating the other blonde!

I'm not one to judge nor stop my little girl from being happy. Of course there's a line that has to be drawn... ahem, Finn, but she says she's happy and that's all I can ask for.

Rachel: The girls are all meeting for coffee to start off our weekend. Per usual, I'm early but I didn't mind because the menu at this place was quite extensive – leave it to Quinn to pick a place with organic free trade coffees and teas – and I get to pick the best table in the house.

I'm wearing white shorts and a coral semi-sheer top with brown flat gladiator sandals. It's such a beautiful warm summer day, I can't wait to go out and experience it with my three favorite friends. Not to mention beautiful friends. No longer having to fear a random sneak slushy attack, I've finally been able to dress myself the way I've always wanted and I feel beautiful. I've also started to let my hair grow out. This is the first time I've experimented with a fishtail braid, so I hope it looks ok.

My coffee seems to be quite the production, I've never seen coffee be poured through so many contraptions before finding its way into my cup. And then it-

Woah.

Just when I feel confident in myself, I see girls like that. This gorgeous girl, woman, just breezed into the shop wearing a mint green maxi dress hugging her in just the right ways to show off her amazing body. Her beautiful dark brown hair fades to lighter shade of browns and oranges in big loose waves topped off with a very expensive looking pair of sunglasses and gold bangle bracelets. Is she even a real person?

"Berry berry gumdrops!"

I hope I wasn't caught gaping.

"Brittany! Santana! It's so wonderful to see you!" I say as Brittany wraps me in one of her awesomely tight hugs from beside.

"Lookin' good, Berry. Real good," Santana says eyeing me up and down obviously.

"Keep dreaming, Lopez."

Santana throws her head back in a laugh, "That's right, you only dig blondes. Maybe I should reconsider Brit's idea about inviting you to join us someday."

"SANTANA!" Oh my goodness! Can you believe her? I can't tell if she's laughing because that's the reaction she wanted or because it's true.

"Hey Rach," a beautiful mellow voice says with a smile behind me. And just like that, my look of horror is replaced by another. Quinn Fabray should be a lion tamer because she can stop me in my tracks regardless of the situation with just her mouth. She can tame the wildest of beasts

"Quinn," I say back. It's all I can manage as I take in her relaxed style and mannerisms. "You look- you look so good."

That's safe, right? That's what friends say. Right? Back me up here.

"You look absolutely luminous," she says candidly as if it were an everyday kind of compliment to pay a person.

"I- uhh- I got us a table over here," I blubber out. Smooth. So smooth. Oh hey, I'm holding an incredibly hot cup of coffee in my hands! Sitting would be a good thing right about now.

"I'll go get us something to drink, babe," Brittany says lovingly to the once big bad scary Latina sitting next to me with a kiss on her shoulder. Gah, Brittany turns her into a puddle of mush instantly. It's ironic, really.

Breathe. You have at least an arms distance between yourself and Quinn. Bring your cup up to your mouth and sip.

Ow fuck! That's hot. Slowly. Drink slowly. Oh great, now she's laughing at me.

"Rachel Berry burned her mouth? This from the girl that drank 5 cups a day during finals? Are you that excited to see us?" Quinn teases me openly – like friends do.

"It was much hotter than expected."

"That's what she said!" Santana mused.

"Remind me why I agreed to this friends' weekend?" I ask out loud.

"Relax we're only teasing you, sweetie," Quinn says lovingly.

"Napkin! Napkin!" I plead as I choke on my coffee because Quinn held my hand just now. Good grief I'm going to die this weekend at this rate.

I point at my throat and mouth, "Wrong way."

"Hermosa! There you are," says the girl in the maxi dress as she squeezes Quinn by the shoulders and kisses her squarely on the lips.

Ahh hell no! Who does this bitch think she is?

Santana: Oh shit. Q didn't tell Rachel about Celia. Oh no, this cannot end well. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. I think she's about to go all Carrie on her ass, make the coffee cups explode, and burn her alive by sheer will power.

Quinn: Ummm, I may have left out one small detail.

"R- Ra- I, I didn't tell you? This is Celia-"

Oh G-d I can hear my heart beat pounding in my ears like a bass drum or cannon fire. Wipe your hands and finish your sentence, stupid.

"-my girlfriend."

"Ah, so you're Rachel. I'm Celia, but you can call me Chelly – everyone else does," Chel says as she leans in and air kisses her cheek. "So nice to meet you."

Fuck me. I should have warned her. Damnit this is going to be awkward.

"Likewise. I didn't realize Quinn had a girlfriend, but then again I've been so busy with school and preparing for auditions that we haven't really been the best pen pals this past semester," Rachel replies with a completely unsubtle haughtiness.

"That's too bad, but that's what this weekend is for, right? Excuse me, I'm going to grab our drinks. ¿Té de mate con miel, correcto mi amor?" Chel asks me.

"No. Quisiera un café Americano. Gracias, Chel," I answer her normally.

"Woah Q! I am beyond impressed right now. I'm fucking speechless actually," Santana says. I'll take that as a compliment.

"Well I did live in a country that only speaks Spanish for about 4 months. You're bound to pick up something," I offer.

"So you speak Spanish now?" Rachel asks me.

Thank the lord she didn't ask me about the fact that I now have a girlfriend.

"I'm conversational or intermediate at best, but I'm not fluent by any means."

"Spanish is so sexy, right Rach?" Brittany asks while wiggling her eyebrows at San.

"I've always thought so," Rachel says just as she sips her coffee.

Did she really just say that? Why didn't I learn Spanish sooner? Fucking Schuester! How did I not know this? Not that it matters now, but it could have back then.

"Here babe. Brad threw in this gluten free pumpkin loaf. He's such a sweetheart," Chel says as she places my tea and free pastry before me.

"Thank you," I say with a smile. I'm not going to kiss her or anything, that'll only make things between Rach and I that much more awkward.

"Brad? You're on a first name basis with the barista already?" Santana asks in disbelief.

"Oh no. I work here. I know this is a girls' only weekend, and I swear I'm not going to intrude, I just suggested this place to Quinn because I knew it'd be right up her alley. I'm actually about to run off to a shoot."

"A shoot? Hold the phone. What are you, a photographer or something?" Santana continues grilling.

Chel doesn't falter, though. This girl's tough. People like Santana are comfortable for her, that's practically her entire family.

"Ok, I see you girls have a lot of catching up to do and I wouldn't take that opportunity away from Quinnie here, but I'll give you the basics. I was a student at NYU studying fashion design, but I dropped out to pursue modeling full time and I work here on the side to have spending money. My family's from Argentina, but I was born here. And I'll let Q fill you in on the rest because I really do have to run. It was so great to finally get to meet you all and put faces to names. You girls have fun this weekend," Chel says as she begins to stand up and grab her purse. "Bye nena, call me later," she says as she kisses me chastely goodbye, and quickly pulls me in for another deeper kiss.

"So good," she says with a smirk as she walks away swaying her perfectly sculpted ass.

"Nena? Dang Q, this girl's into you like woah," Santana states the obvious.

Why I can't help but feel like I've just released a dump truck load of slushy on Rachel?

Rachel: Now everything makes complete sense. I have never been anywhere near the realm of good enough for Quinn Fabray. I can't even hold a candle to that girl. Did you see her ass? I swear that thing could cut marble, and just like that, all of life's questions have been answered. This weekend is going to suck asshole.

Quinn: In my defense, I didn't know Chel was going to come. She knew we were going to have a girls' weekend and that girlfriends weren't allowed, bar San and Brit, and she said she totally got it and would be super busy anyway.

She recommended we stop by her shop because she knows how much I love soy chai teas and stuff and that they would hook us up. I had told her I was going to meet the girls at Union and pick them up to go to coffee where we would meet up with Rach. Well, as I'm running out the door of her place to meet Brit and San, she jumps into my cab and says she could use a little pick me up before her shoot.

What was I supposed to do? Kick her out of my cab? That'd be rude! So she came with. There was really nothing I could have done about it.

Santana: "Ladies, ladies, ladies. There is just sooo much we need to catch up on, like the big gay rainbow pooping unicorn in the room-"

"Where?" Brit interrupts me suddenly looking around like she's a part of the Scooby-Doo gang.

"Figure of speech, babe. But it's really much too soon to talk about that. So, ahem, Rach, how're your auditions coming?"

Leave it to me to have to start the small talk and conversations after Berry just found out by physical sight and contact no less that Q's been waving her rainbow flag for a little Latin hottie, or over Q's new laid back flirtatious style, which, don't get me wrong, totally fits her way better and I know she won't have any problems finding a lady. I mean seriously, who else could get it done besides Santana Lopez? Bitches get shit done. End of discussion.

"They've actually been pretty taxing. If I wasn't in class or practicing for my lessons or the show, then I was working on my rep for the next auditions. I've moved my schedule to fit in another dance class – hip hop – and I think they've been going well. I've got two call backs so far on Tuesday and Thursday morning. My next prelim audition is next Sunday and that's the one I'm crossing my fingers for the most."

"That's bad ass, Berry. This would be kind of a big deal, right?" I ask because I don't really know shit about this stuff.

Rachel laughs softly at me and shows a glimpse of a new shy modest side. "Yeah, it would be a pretty big deal. I'm actually not even sure if I would finish with school if I actually got the part."

"What? No you can't do that! You have to finish, Rach," Quinn interjects adamantly.

"I'm sorry, Quinn, but the last time I checked I don't have to do anything you say. While I appreciate your concern, I'll have to ask you to keep your opinions to yourself on this matter."

Damn! Berry just bitch slapped Q in the face with her words and it looks like it stings. Q's staring at her with a pained shocked look on her face as Rachel looks down into her coffee cup and idly stirs its contents around.

"Yeah, so like I said, I'm not really sure what life has ahead of me in the next few months or so," Rachel finishes.

"Well, cool. Good luck!" That's it. That's all I got. Should I acknowledge that verbal smack down? She does kind of have a point. Her life isn't Quinn's to decide.

Egh. I hate being in the middle. Let's try a different approach.

"So are we all ready to tackle that rock wall?"

Quinn: I really don't understand why we're paired up this way. Rachel and I are climbing together as Brit and San hold the ropes. This is a sure fired recipe for disaster. We're climbing side by side, but sometimes I fall a little behind her because who knew Rachel Berry was part monkey? Maybe it was all that practice from climbing Finnpotent all the time.

Ew. I just gave myself a really gross visual.

And now I have a really nice visual of Rachel's... perfectly fitting white shorts accentuating her assets by the harness that hugs her hips and rear and a clear view of her entire upper body including her sexy black lace bra as her already sheer top hangs open when she makes a long grab for her next step. Rachel's seriously been working out because her abs are looking so good right now.

"Quit drooling!"

Fucking Santana.

"You hanging in there Rach? Go for the one on your right at your 2 o'clock," I suggest having a slightly better vantage point from below her.

"I'm doing just fine, Quinn and thank you for the suggestion but I was already going to grab that one. I am simply debating the best placement for my feet before I make my reach."

"Just looking out for you. You know I'd never want to see you get hurt."

I'm not exactly only talking about rock wall climbing right now. I hope she knows that. Does she know I'm always thinking steps ahead to make sure she doesn't have to go through pain and suffering?

"Once again, not your responsibility, Quinn. As a friend I understand you care about my well being, but I have to call bullshit on that one, our past considering. The only one you should be looking out for is your girlfriend."

And there it is. It's bothering her, of course it is. Damnit. I should have warned her and told her about her first. I'm such an asshole.

"Rachel, that's not fair. You have Christine and I was-"

"You were nothing, Quinn. Nothing. Don't finish that sentence. We were nothing and left it at that. You're an adult and you can make your own decisions and while some may be harder for me to accept, that does not lessen your entitlement to make them," she says as she swings over 3 grips and pulls herself up completely by her arms alone. "What I'm trying to say is that I hope you're happy and that she treats you well, but please don't think that we can continue to act as we were prior to the winter break because neither of us has that kind of claim over the other."

Somehow the top feels infinitely farther away and I'm plummeting. That's probably because I let go of the wall and I'm free falling as Rachel stands triumphantly at the top.

"I got you Q," Santana says as she lowers my body to the ground.

Brittany: Dinner time at Rachel's has always been one of my favorite things because she's such a good cook. Quinn brought over two bottles of red wine to go with our dinner because she pretty much drinks a glass of red wine a day now.

"You're not becoming an alcoholic on us now, are you Q," Santana asks. I think she's only half joking because I know she likes to look out for Quinn a lot.

"Drinking a glass of red wine with dinner hardly qualifies a person as an alcoholic, so no. I actually learned to like it in Argentina. We'd drink it all the time and sometimes they even add Coca-Cola to it. It was a weird taste that wasn't too bad, but wasn't my favorite, either."

"Sounds pretty nasty," Rachel chimes in from the kitchen.

"Booze is booze. Let's open this bitch up!" My Sanny would never tell anyone she was actually a closet wine-o.

"Now's as good a time as any. I just popped the lasagna into the oven so we have about 45 minutes. Let me grab some wine glasses."

Apparently Rachel likes wine, too. Tonight's going to be fun!

Santana: "Alright I've been dying to ask all night so spill it. How'd you meet your Latin lover, Q? And don't gross me out with any graphic details of your lard ass all over her."

This is some strong good wine! Yum! Maybe one full glass will be enough for me for tonight. Guess who's got two thumbs and is getting some tonight? This lady right here!

"Ok ok ok. Well, we actually met on my plane ride home from New York in February," she begins to explain after a long sip of wine.

"I need to check on the lasagna!" Rachel announces.

Liar. She just doesn't want us to see her reaction to this story. She checked the damn thing 3 minutes ago and said it was fine for another 30.

"Well, I saw her as I was waiting at my gate to go back to Buenos Aires, but I didn't really think anything of it. I boarded before she did and as fate would have it, she was assigned to the seat at the end of my row. So there I was, looking out the window, and the next thing I know I hear hard short breaths. The poor thing was starting to hyperventilate and no one was sitting between us! I asked her if she was ok and she told me she has flight anxiety. I told her I could relate and ended up talking to her about random things in hopes to distract her enough from the flight itself. She calmed down considerably and after that, we spent a lot of our 10 hour flight getting to know one another. When we landed, we exchanged information so that I could experience BA the way a true Argentine would - aside from the touristy experience I had with my school or rated PG version with my host family. And well, we just kind of clicked."

That sounds almost too easy or too predictable. Like something out of a movie. That stuff doesn't happen in real life, does it?

"So then you hit it and didn't quit it? Damn you work fast, Q."

"What? No, of course not. I mean, we may have kissed, but I didn't hook up. Chel was actually there to visit her family and work on an ad campaign in Buenos Aires for about a month. Then she left back to New York and I now have a reason to visit the city more often."

The crashing of a wine glass on the kitchen floor scared the shit out of all of us as Rachel shouted, "Shit shit! Fuck, I'll clean that up."

"Do you need help," Q asks.

"No! I got it!"

"Well now you have 3 1/2 reasons to come visit: Chel, Rachel, and me and maybe Sanny," Brit adds excitedly. "Yay! It's going to be so fun seeing you around, Quinn!"

Rachel: Please please please tell me you heard that. She has a reason to visit? She's always had a god damn reason to visit New York! I can't even- I can't even handle her right now. I may have dropped my wine glass but she, and I don't even know how this is still possible right now, dropped my heart and punted it through a goal post. Who says such careless things like that around someone who they share a loose past with that never really got truly resolved? And she says she doesn't try to hurt me. We must have a different definition or understanding of the concept.

"Rachel are you ok?" she fucking asks me as I throw away the last bits of swept up glass. Ok about what? What does her question cover exactly?

"What about?"

"Th- the glass, of course. Did you cut yourself? Let me see."

"You got me where no one can see," I mutter under my breath.

"What's that?" She asks as she reaches for my hand to inspect but I can't let her touch me right now. I feel like a cracked egg about to break into a million pieces.

"Nothing. I'm fine. 'Tis only a flesh wound. Lasagna's ready. Grab some plates, will you?"

"Sure."

Quinn: Rachel has always been an amazing cook and today was no exception. I've missed her cooking and her company over dinner. It's comfortable, as if this is what eating dinner should really feel like.

"That lasagna was the bomb, Rach, but I think Brits and I are going to head over to our hostel now," Santana says as she clears up everyone's plates. "Should I stick them in the dishwasher?"

"No that's ok. I'll get them in the morning," Rachel and I answer simultaneously.

"You're staying," Rachel and Brittany both asked shocked.

"Well, if you don't mind, Rach. I can always go back to Chel's but I wanted to keep this a strict girls' weekend and thought that would be cheating."

And it does kind of feel like cheating, but on whom, I can't say. All I know is if I were to stay with Chel, then it'd be way harder for the four of us to get coordinated and actually spend time together and do stuff.

"Oh, well, ok, but I'm not completely prepared to have you sleep over. I don't have any clean sheets for the pull-out bed, so you can either sleep on the couch or on Sara's bed."

Sleeping in the same room as Rachel sounds like the worst idea my body has ever wanted to take so strongly.

"We'll figure it out," I say.

Is staying with Rachel, not even in her room but in the same apartment, a good idea? I've had a taste of her before and you know they say that taste and smell are some of our strongest senses that tie us to our most vivid memories. Oh my G-d do you hear me? I sound like Puck or what I imagine Hugh Hefner sounded like in his younger days. Maybe staying with Rach isn't such a good idea, but I need this so badly, such a raw emotion can't be wrong can it?

Hey, don't give me that look. As long as nothing happens, Chel doesn't need to know. It's not a lie, but rather an intentional omission. Besides, it's not like she owns me or anything.

Rachel: My head is a mess. Quinn is amaz- cool. Cool? Really, Rachel? Who am I kidding? Quinn is wonderful. As soon as I saw her, I remembered and felt with full force exactly how much I have missed her. But then she ruins it by kissing her stupid and beautiful girlfriend. Girlfriend! Gay and taken. What the fuck is up with that? Who'd I piss off to deserve that one?

I swear my stomach plummeted to my toes the second I saw them kiss. I understand showing affection but did she really have to turn the dirty rusty pronged weapon in my chest so violently without warning?

But it doesn't matter because we agreed to be friends. And I have a girlfriend of my own. And she's great.

Yup, great. She really dotes on me and goes to great lengths to make sure I'm always happy. She's always there for me when I need her and I can depend on her, you know? I don't have to stay up for hours wondering how she feels about me or whether she's going to actually make good on her word and meet me for lunch. She lives here in the city and is accessible by taxi. She's beautiful, tall, blonde, has a great physique, and makes me laugh.

Oh, did I mention she's a skilled lover? Santana wasn't too far off actually. She gave me my first orgasm and I'm kind of hooked on them, now. Eli is my rock. She sends me reminder texts about the little things. Here's a for instance, she sent me a text today reminding me to bring a pair of socks in my purse for when we went rock wall climbing. We have each others iCal's schedules synced. She's very organized and that's something I admire in a partner. She's predictable and I like knowing what's going to happen and where I stand. It's comforting and safe.

With Eli, it's the little things about her that ultimately drew me in: the way she makes a curly cue at the top of her C when she signs her name; the way she neatly discards her gum; the way she looks me in the eye when we talk; or the way she insists we evenly trade who pays on dates.

Falling in like with someone isn't always a whirlwind romance meant for stories or movies. Real life isn't like that. Sometimes you sort of fall into things, and that's ok.

"Would you like another glass of wine, Rachel?"

I love the way she says my name. Love.

"I thought you'd never ask Ms. Fabray."

Santana: Make it quick. What do I think about Q staying with Rach? I honestly don't even know. If I were either of their girlfriends I'd be worried, but I'm not so I say do whatever makes them happy.

Quinn: A drinking game sounds like the perfect way to ask each other things we don't have the guts to ask ordinarily. A part of me wants to know things about Rachel and Christine, but another part of me – the one that wonders about would could have been – would rather be kept in the dark. Ignorance is supposed to be bliss, but for me it's torture. My mind has a vivid imagination and cruelly creates an entire world of the various very possible romantic alternate realities between Rachel and Christine. My mind is a masochistic engineer and I can't help it. To stir the hive or quietly traipse around it as if I were never there?

"Would you like to play truth or dare?"

Just call me the hive rouser.

She narrows her beautiful chestnut eyes at me and smiles like the Cheshire cat. "Ok. But will it be fun with just the two of us?"

"Truth or dare, Rachel."

"Dare."

Damn. That was fast. Think think.

"I dare you to drink the last sip of my wine," I say as I spit into my glass. Ha! Didn't see that one coming and it's not like she hasn't sucked on my tongue before.

Sorry. I'm trying to keep these asides strictly PG-13.

"You're disgusting. Give it to me. Can't say I haven't done worse," she says as he knocks back my Quinn cocktail. I need to know what she means by that.

"Truth or dare, Fabray."

"Truth." I'm playing it safe after the dare I just gave her.

"How many girls did you hook up with in Argentina?"

Shit. I think I need more wine.

"Wine refill?" That should distract her.

"I'm good. You can grab some, but don't think you're not answering my question."

Shit. It's not a big deal, right? Santana'd want to know, too. Where's that wine? I'm suddenly feeling parched.

"I'm waiting," she sing-songs impatiently.

"Twoyourturntruthordare."

"No way. You have to actually answer the question."

"I totally did! You asked how many and I gave you a number. I answered. Now it's your turn."

"No, you have to give me names or some kind of detail at the least," she probes like an interrogator.

Oh G-d, this is an interrogation. I just walked myself into an interrogation room.

"Fine, but let it be known follow up questions will no longer be allowed. First there was Chelly and then Inez – French exchange student. Is that enough detail for you?"

"Yes and I pick truth."

"Why did you start dating Christine after you had told me the last time I sat on this couch that you thought of her as just a friend?"

Two can play at this game. Rachel and I have always been skilled word tango dancers.

"I don't have to answer that question. I think you know the answer."

"Was it me?"

"No follow ups!"

"What, that's not fair. You gave me a non-answer so technically you haven't answered the question yet."

"Fine. I began dating her because it was time."

"What the hell does that even mean, Rachel?"

"It means I had someone who was willing to love me right in front of me and I couldn't resist her anymore. She was exactly what I needed!"

Needed. Past tense.

"And what do you need now?"

"Follow your own rules, Quinn. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to do the one thing we both know we've been dying to do all day," she says as she stares straight through my soul. Confident Rachel really is hot as my panties can testify to.

Unconsciously, I get up from my spot on the smaller couch and join her on the love seat. I lick my lips as I see her do the same. She's magnetic I swear it. I lean into her personal space and hug her as if my life depended on it and breathe on her scent. She's so warm and so right and I don't want to let go.

"I've missed my friend," I whisper into her hair. "I've missed you more than you could ever imagine. More than I probably should have. More than I know I should have, but I'm here now."

"Me, too," she whispers back sadly, "Me, too."

Somehow I eventually leaned back and brought Rachel to lay down beside me on the couch while still holding onto the other. She's always felt so comfortable on my arms like the best people sized stuffed animal that actually loves you back.

"I wish it had been you," she says finally, breaking the silence.

"Hmm?" I ask because I didn't ask a question.

"The answer to your next question," she says knowingly.

She really is clairvoyant. I wanted to ask, "Who did you kiss at midnight?" or "Who took you out to celebrate your success for the Golden Grove?"

I lay still contemplating everything we still have left unsaid and imagining a life of what could have been.

"The answer's always you," she finishes before she kisses my cheek and snuggles closer.