Rating: M

Notes: Thanks for all your reviews/comments so far and for liking the story!

Chapter 10

Summer Before College

Quinn is flat out on the couch, eyes closed, feet tapping against thin air to the music coming out of her headphones. She starts to mouth along with the lyrics, fingers twitching along with the notes, alternating from piano to guitar to drums. She's so completely lost in the music that she fails to hear the doorbell ring. She fails to hear her mom greet her girlfriend or Rachel's light footsteps down the hallway towards the den.

She continues air-drumming along with a particularly difficult solo before slipping back into the guitar section, strumming at nothing while her left hand attempts to form the shapes of the chords she's watched her uncle play every Thanksgiving, Christmas and 4th of July.

Rachel leans against the doorframe, a grin on her face as her girlfriend continues to wow the crowd at her imaginary concert.

"Dork," she whispers under her breath, waiting for Quinn to finish her song. She hits the final chord and makes a face, eyes fluttering open.

"Oh shit!" she exclaims, spotting Rachel in the doorway. She yanks her headphones out as her girlfriend doubles over in giggles.

"Language, Quinn!" her mom trills from the direction of the kitchen.

Rachel makes her way to the couch, gasping for air as the blonde rights herself and tries to sink back into the squishy cushions, wishing that they'd swallow her whole.

"Hey," Rachel finally says, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, still gasping for air. Quinn remains silent and picks up a cushion, flinging it out towards her girlfriend's shaking form. "Hey!" The cushion hits Rachel once more with a dull thud. The brunette picks up her own cushion and leaps off the couch out of Quinn's reach, assuming a fighting stance.

Quinn jumps up, holding her cushion up as a shield, gesturing for Rachel to advance.

"Girls?" Judy's disembodied head appears around the doorframe and she gasps. "Put the silk-covered cushions down now. Those were imported!" Immediately, two cushions drop to the floor and Quinn and Rachel avoid looking at each other for fear that they'll burst out laughing. Judy bustles into the room, gathering up the cushions and clutching them to her chest. "I'm going out. Try to behave?"

"Yes, Mrs Fabray,"Rachel says.

"Yes, mom," Quinn intones, sneaking a glance at her girlfriend. Rachel's shoulders are shaking, hair falling into her eyes, teeth biting down on her bottom lip. Quinn feels a rush of… something. It starts near her stomach and spreads outwards causing a smile to crash onto her face.

Judy leaves, cushions in tow and Rachel sniggers, reaching out a hand to take Quinn's.

"Hey," Rachel says, taking a step closer.

"Hi," Quinn whispers, sliding an arm around the shorter girl's waist. "Movie day?"

"You pick first," Rachel says, pushing up on the tips of her toes to press a kiss to her girlfriend's lips.

Quinn hums and pushes Rachel towards the couch, promising to be back in a few minutes. Rachel settles against the soft cushions and reaches for Quinn's iPod. She scrolls through the playlists, stopping on an unfamiliar one, one that makes her heart rate speed up.

Songs for Rachel

Forty songs stare back at her. Forty. She skips over the first two, recognising the names of the artists and the titles of the tracks before pulling up short at the third. She clicks the play button and pushes one of the buds into her ear.

"Rach, I can't decide between…" Quinn pauses in the doorway, DVD boxes in both hands. Rachel hastily pauses the song and glances guiltily up at her girlfriend. "What were you listening to?"

"Nothing!" Rachel says, tossing the iPod to the other end of the couch.

"You are an awful, awful liar, Ms Berry," Quinn chuckles, handing the boxes over to the blushing brunette. "It really makes me wonder how you'll ever make it on Broadway." She retrieves the iPod and settles down next to Rachel.

Rachel gasps and nudges her shoulder into Quinn indignantly.

"I'm kidding," Quinn says, turning her attention to her discarded iPod. "Oh… great, now I have to think of something else for our anniversary."

"What?"

"I was going to make you some CD's," Quinn shrugs. "Among other things."

"Other things?" Rachel asks. "Our anniversary isn't for two months!"

"I like being prepared," Quinn says, shrugging again.

"Your shrugging infuriates me," Rachel grumbles. Quinn's shoulders twitch upwards and Rachel groans, turning her attention to the movies in her lap. "And I told you to pick…"

"I'm picking!" Quinn says and closes her eyes, her hand hovering the boxes. "I choose…" She circles her hand towards Rachel, wiggling her fingers to tickle the brunette's side.

"Quinn!" Rachel exclaims, trying to squirm away.

"This one!" Quinn's fingers pluck a box and she holds it up for the brunette to give a nod or a shake of her head.

"Okay," Rachel says with a nod.

"Your enthusiasm is… not quite what I expected," Quinn frowns, reaching for another movie.

"We'll watch that one," Rachel says, smile brightening. "I don't think I've ever watched it before."

Quinn gasps in mock horror and hops off the couch.

"If you hate it, we'll watch Chicago or something," she turns to give Rachel a shrug, sticking out her tongue.

"Just because my future is on the stage and because I have a very slight crush on Catherine Zeta Jones…"

Quinn snorts as she joins Rachel on the couch again. The brunette tails off as she snuggles into Quinn's side, head resting on the taller girl's shoulder, hand on her thigh.

"Comfortable?" Quinn asks, turning to place a kiss to the top of Rachel's head.

"Very much so," Rachel replies with a happy sigh. Quinn presses play and they sit in silence for a few minutes. "So, it's a cartoon?" Quinn rolls her eyes.

"Yes," she replies. "It's a good one too."

"But why are Batman and Superman both in it?" Rachel asks, looking at the box again.

"I'll explain later," Quinn says. "Just watch. You'll miss it if you keep talking."

Rachel attempts to hide her smile but Quinn isn't looking at her anyway. She isn't in the mood for superhero cartoons. Or Chicago for that matter. Or any of the DVDs stacked on the floor. But it's Quinn's choice so she tries.

She tries to stay focused as Supergirl crashes to earth. She tries to stay focused during the opening credits. She tries to stay focused when the good guys whip the blonde Supergirl to another planet. Or island. Or whatever. She really tries but her focus keeps pulling towards the blonde on her left.

And she tries. She really tries.

But it doesn't stop her hand from stroking upwards over the thin material of the shorts Quinn's wearing. It doesn't stop her from turning the upper half of her body and pressing it harder against Quinn's side.

"You really want to watch Chicago, huh?" Quinn muses, teeth running over her bottom lip as Rachel's fingers edge a little higher, stroking a little harder.

"Not really," Rachel exhales. She watches her girlfriend shiver and their eyes lock, Quinn's darkening as she takes in the look on Rachel's face.

"You could have just told me you weren't in the mood for a movie," Quinn says, sliding her hand on top of Rachel's. The brunette stills and gives a little half-shrug.

"You know that those shorts have a habit of distracting me," Rachel murmurs, hand moving out from beneath Quinn's, nestling between the blonde's thighs. She lets a single knuckle trail over the thin barrier and smiles at the choked noise that escapes her girlfriend's mouth.

"My mom…"

"It's Wednesday," Rachel reminds her. "She won't be home until after dinner."

"I find it adorable and slightly weird that you have my mother's schedule memorised," Quinn says, exhaling sharply when Rachel's hand twitches between her legs again.

"Stop talking about your mom when I'm seconds from ripping those shorts off of you," Rachel says with a groan. Quinn chuckles and pushes Rachel's hand away. She pauses the movie and turns to face the brunette.

"Move," she says, nodding her head towards the end of the couch. Rachel complies immediately, backing up against the cushions until she's leaning against the arm of the sofa, heart thudding so loudly that she's surprised Quinn can't hear it. The blonde tucks her legs up onto the couch and maneuverers herself into a crawling position, making her way up towards her girlfriend. Rachel feels her thighs pushed apart but her eyes never leave Quinn's.

Not until her girlfriend twists around and sits down between her thighs. With a smirk, Quinn backs up a little more and then leans against Rachel, picking up the remote to start the movie once more.

"Comfortable?" Rachel asks, sliding her arms around the taller woman's waist.

"Very, you make a good cushion," Quinn says, pushing back a little harder against Rachel to emphasise her point.

"Good to hear," Rachel murmurs, letting her fingers run over the skin above the waistband of Quinn's shorts. The blonde has fallen quiet though, eyes focused on the television. Rachel's fingertips draw patterns and start to spell out letters.

"Leaving a note for me?" Quinn asks. Rachel's fingers still as the blonde's voice washes over her. She spells out 'no' causing Quinn to chuckle. "Liar."

Rachel sticks out her tongue.

"I saw that," Quinn says, twisting around to look at her girlfriend, a smirk on her lips.

"Turn around," Rachel says and waits for Quinn to settle once more. Pushing Quinn's tank top up as she goes, her hands immediately slide up over Quinn's toned stomach and cup the blonde's breasts. She feels Quinn exhale sharply and smiles, kneading both breasts with her palms.

"God, Rach," Quinn moans, arching into the touch. It's a sound that Rachel's come to relish since the first time she wrapped her lips around Quinn's nipple and gave it a playful tug. Images from their first time start to flood her memory, not that thoughts of Quinn above her, under her, beside her, inside her ever stray far from her thoughts.

Quinn's hands on her own bring Rachel back to the present. The blonde brushes the persistent hands away and undoes the front clasp of her bra, removing the offending article and tossing it to the floor.

"Better?" Rachel asks, hands cupping once more. She lets her thumbs circle over Quinn's hardened nipples and is rewarded with another moan.

"Yes," Quinn hisses between her teeth. Her hands fall away and take up residence on the brunette's denim-clad thighs.

"Harder?" Rachel asks, not waiting for Quinn's reply. She pulls the blonde's nipples between her thumbs and index fingers causing Quinn to cry out and sink her nails through the material covering Rachel's thighs. "Sorry," Rachel says, soothing the pain with softer strokes and gentle tugs.

"No, it was good," Quinn says, scowling at the whimper she lets out when Rachel takes her hands away for a few seconds. "It was amazing."

"Better," Rachel says, resuming her ministrations. Quinn tries to focus on the film once more. Supergirl. Supergirl's tight blue top. Subconsciously, she starts rubbing the palm of her hand up and down Rachel's thigh, only jerking out of her daydream when Rachel's fingers become more insistent.

Quinn arches off the couch, pressing her top half harder back against Rachel.

"Touch me," Quinn mutters, ripping her eyes away from the television to look at Rachel. Her girlfriend smiles beatifically and drops one hand towards the waistband of Quinn's shorts.

"I thought I already was," Rachel muses, lips trailing down Quinn's neck. She pushes Quinn away from her slightly and hauls the bunched-up tanktop up over her girlfriend's head before glancing down the length of her body. Her breath hitches as she watches the blonde's abs strain and contract. "Watch your movie." Quinn attempts to look over at the television but then Rachel's hand slides a little further south and she jerks at the touch.

"Rach," Quinn whimpers, looking down to where Rachel's arm disappears beneath her shorts. She exhales shakily as the brunette cups her sex, fingers trailing through the wetness already seeping out of her before pushing against the blonde's clit.

A strangled noise leaves Quinn's throat as she arches back into Rachel again, hands gripping the brunette's thighs.

"Madame will not be impressed if you leave bruises all over my legs," Rachel murmurs, running a teasing finger to Quinn's entrance.

"Can you please not talk about your decrepit ballet teacher when your fingers…" Quinn gasps as Rachel pushes inside. "God, when your fingers are doing that." Quinn whimpers, eyes trained firmly on the movements beneath her shorts. Her hips rock upwards from the couch before rolling back against her girlfriend.

Rachel closes her eyes for a few seconds as the sensation of Quinn grinding against her sends a shiver through her body.

"You okay?" Quinn asks, voice strained as she rocks again, trying to take more of Rachel inside. The brunette nods, focusing her attention on her girlfriend instead of the ache that's becoming more and more insistent with each passing second. Quinn turns her head, letting her lips press against Rachel's neck, hips grinding downwards once more.

"You're doing that on purpose," Rachel gasps, canting upwards in the limited space between the cushions and her girlfriend. Quinn smirks, moving a hand up to cup Rachel's cheek.

"You love it really," she murmurs, lips finding Rachel's this time. Her other hand moves over the top of her shorts and presses down against Rachel's hand, thrusting at a criminally slow pace. Their kiss deepens as Quinn's hand slips beneath the shorts, fingers tangling with the brunette's as Rachel slides out.

Their lips part, uneven breaths mingling with one another's, eyes locked. Experimentally, Quinn rolls her hips backwards into Rachel, watching for the reaction. Rachel bites down on her bottom lip and shakes her head and Quinn smiles, capturing her girlfriend's lips once more.

Quinn moans into the kiss as Rachel pushes back inside, dropping her other hand away from the blonde's breast. Their hips move upwards together and Quinn brings her hand up to curl in the brunette's hair, pulling Rachel as close as physically possible. It leaves the brunette cursing her decision to wear jeans. Or clothes in general. She wants to feel Quinn's slick skin moving against her own, feel the blonde's nails scrape over her…

Her other hand slides into the loose cotton shorts and she curls her fingers, brushing the tips over Quinn's clit. Her girlfriend lurches, her hips crashing back into Rachel's causing them both to moan. Rachel slides her fingers over the trembling bud of nerves, other hand pushing deeper with every stroke.

"Watch," Rachel murmurs, pulling her lips away from Quinn's. Her gaze falls towards her hands, rising and falling beneath the shorts. Quinn watches as her hips jerk upwards with each of Rachel's thrusts. The brunette curls her fingers deep inside.

It's too much, Quinn thinks. She tries to focus on breathing, on taking more of Rachel, on the fire that's spreading outwards along her arms and legs, on the pull of her stomach muscles as she curls again under Rachel's touch. Her gaze falls on the television for a brief second before Rachel's hands cause her to moan and shudder and fall apart.

Breathless, she collapses against Rachel one more time and sighs happily. Rachel removes her hands from underneath the shorts and Quinn immediately twists around onto her stomach, staring up at her girlfriend.

"Hi," Rachel says, brushing wisps of short hair out of Quinn's eyes.

"You're amazing," Quinn whispers in return, sliding down the brunette's body to get a little more comfortable. She rests her head against Rachel's chest, listening to her heart beat start to slow. "I love you."

"Still not tired of hearing that," Rachel beams down at the top of Quinn's head.

xxxxx

After abandoning their Superman and Batman movie, Rachel picks the next one. Quinn is on her feet, the Chicago box already in hand.

"I want to watch this," Rachel says, holding up a different film.

"Are you sure?" Quinn asks, cocking an eyebrow.

"Very," Rachel replies with a decisive nod. Quinn switches the discs over and returns to the couch with a grin. "What?"

"You have a bit of hair sticking up…" Quinn says, reaching over to flatten it down. She nestles into the cushions next to Rachel, sliding her arm around the brunette's shoulders. "Are the shorts okay?"

"Perfect," Rachel says, looking down and making a face. She's wearing a pair of basketball shorts that completely dwarf her petite legs.

"I think you work the jock look very well," Quinn says, struggling to contain her snort.

"Excuse me, I look good in sportswear that actually fits me," Rachel replies, picking at the shorts with disdain.

"Is that a fact?" Quinn asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Movie time," Rachel says, gesturing to the screen.

"Sure, when it's your movie then you're all focused, but when it's my superior movie…"

"I don't recall hearing any noise of objection leaving those lips, Miss Fabray," Rachel says, turning to look at the blonde and running her index finger over her lips. Quinn's tongue darts out and Rachel squirms away. "Movie time."

"Yes, ma'am," Quinn replies, turning her attention to the television.

This time they make it half an hour into the movie before Rachel speaks.

"What would you wish for?"

"Huh?" Quinn asks, tearing her gaze from the television.

"What would you wish for?" Rachel asks again, linking her fingers with Quinn's and marvelling for the millionth time at how well they fit together.

"I don't know," Quinn says honestly. "I don't really have any reason to wish for anything. I'm happy. I have my mom and my friends and a pretty amazing girlfriend. I guess I'd wish that my mom's cooking was a little better." Rachel nudges her in the ribs.

"Judy's cooking is perfectly…" Rachel tails off, trying desperately to think of an adjective that adequately describes the older Fabray's cooking.

"Horrible," Quinn finishes with a laugh, turning back to the movie. "This is my favourite scene."

"Mine too!" Rachel says excitedly. They watch as Tom Hanks and his boss walk through FAO Schwarz, stumbling upon the giant piano. "It's on my bucket list."

"What is?" Quinn asks. "Wait, you have a bucket list? Rach, we're not even at college yet…"

Rachel blushes and reaches up to tuck her hair behind her ear, a gesture that Quinn recognises as a sign that the brunette is feeling self-conscious.

"Not that there's anything wrong with having a bucket list," she backpedals furiously.

"Haven't you ever thought about things that you want to do? Things out of the mundane? I made my first bucket list at fifteen and I've already completed some of the items on it," Rachel says.

"And they are?" Quinn asks, turning her attention fully to the brunette.

"Singing onstage in New York…" Rachel begins.

"That can't possibly count as a bucket list item!" Quinn says. "That's an inevitability, Rachel. A fact of life. You're going to end up on a stage in New York."

"I wasn't finished," Rachel says, sticking out her tongue. "I very specifically wanted to sing on the Wicked stage, which I did with Kurt last year." Quinn nods, remembering her girlfriend's tale of their breaking and entering escapades in New York.

"What else?"

Rachel's cheeks colour immediately and she averts her gaze.

"Rach, come on," Quinn says, squeezing her hand.

"Fireworks," Rachel mumbles.

"What?" Quinn asks, leaning in a little closer.

"I wanted to kiss someone who made me feel fireworks," Rachel says, eyes slowly rising to meet Quinn's gaze. A grin passes over Quinn's lips. "I didn't say it was you!"

"You didn't have to," Quinn replies, bringing a hand up to the back of Rachel's neck. "Fireworks," she exhales, watching her girlfriend shiver.

"Every time," Rachel whispers with a timid smile. Quinn presses her lips to the brunette's, softly, chastely. "Every time."

"So, the piano is on the bucket list?" Quinn asks when she pulls away from the kiss.

"The piano, yes," Rachel nods. "Tom Hanks, no." Quinn laughs and squeezes Rachel's hand once more. Rachel leans her head against Quinn's shoulder as the blonde rewinds to the beginning of the piano scene.

Watching the two men play 'Chopsticks', Quinn wonders how many other things she'll help Rachel cross off her list. The piano, she decides, will be the tip of the iceberg.