Chapter 10: Crossing Bridges
A/N: Thanks once again to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed this story. I promised myself around the New Year's (as a resolution, if you wish) that I would finish this story before April (that's when I posted the first chapter last year). This fic took way longer than I thought it would but it's finally finished. There will be one more chapter after this and it is already written – waiting to be proofread by me. So yeah. Thanks so much. And enjoy!
The room was still dark. Quinn didn't want to wake up. She felt disoriented and there was an insistent pounding in her head. She tried to turn to her side, but she couldn't. Every single joint in her body hurt. She opened her mouth to groan but her throat burned. Water, she needed water. And she needed it now. She reached out to the night stand (she always kept a bottle of water there) but her hand only met air. That's when Quinn finally woke up. Where am I? And why do I feel like I've been run over by a car… repeatedly and then jumped off a bridge? She somehow managed to raise her head off the bed and saw that it was a human head that prevented her from sitting up. Have I slept with someone? If I slept with someone and I don't remember it, I will be so pissed off. I promised myself I would be sober for my first time with a girl. The human head murmured something that sounded very much like "leave me alone" when she tried to move. At least it's a girl this time.
Then, light poured into the room and Quinn felt as if a thousand bees were attacking her eyes. She tried to cover her eyes with one hand but then it was not only her eyes but her ears that were being attacked. "RISE AND SHINE!" I'm dying. This is it. And I didn't even get to tell Rachel that I... She felt the weight pressing her down to the bed lift and she dared to uncover her eye to see. That was when she came face to face with an adorably confused Rachel Berry. Oh. "I'm making breakfast for you losers. God, you guys look like shit."
"Can we kill her?" Rachel whispered to Quinn, ignoring the Latina who was currently shoving two bottles of water in their hands and some painkillers. Way ahead of you on that one. I just need some money to hire a sharp shooter.
"Amateurs. That's what you two are. Next time, we're drinking more. You two needs to build your tolerances up." Santana moved towards the window and opened the blinds, not even bothering to stifle her laughter when the two groaned in protest. It was Rachel who spoke again. How can she even speak? I feel like my throat has been torched by a flame-thrower.
"There won't be a second time because we'll be dead by then." The blonde subtly tried to slip back under the blankets, wanting nothing more than just to go back to sleep.
"Good morning to you, too, drama queen." Just a tiny bit lower, and then… Quinn once again felt the sunshine attack her. Why is it even sunny outside? Santana had removed the blanket with one swift pull. "And don't even think about it blondie."
Quinn muttered a couple of curse words under her breath while she turned on her belly to bury her face in the pillow.
"What was that sunshine? I couldn't hear you."
"I said I hate you."
"Well then I'm gonna have to feed the midget here all the pancakes I made. It's unfortunate that she's so tiny, she might actually explode afterwards." Santana successfully dodged a pillow thrown by one Rachel Berry. The tiny diva actually seemed to be trying to stifle her own laughter while gesturing about something. It took Santana only a moment to understand what she was trying to say. She approached the blonde with an evil grin on her face as the other brunette did the same. Quinn never saw it coming, but when the two brunettes attacked her sides, tickling her mercilessly, she shot right out of the bed. I liked it much better when these two did not get along. She made her way to the bathroom, smiling despite herself when she heard the laughter.
Half an hour later, they were all sitting around the kitchen table, munching on Santana's pancakes. "I didn't know you could cook, Santana!" Rachel was basically stuffing her face with the delicious food. "This is heaven in my mouth." Santana could tell exactly when Rachel realized how that sounded from the blush that spread all over her face. Must. Let. It. Pass. It's gonna be worth it.
"I work at a diner. The boss keeps calling it a restaurant but that ain't gonna make it fancier." She took a sip from her black coffee. Like my soul. Perfect. "So. You and tubbers were quite loud last night." Rachel and Quinn both choked on their food. Hilarious. "I swear you two woke the whole apartment complex up while I was trying to get you two to bed. I'm pretty sure midget here kicked a chair or something on her way."
"Sorry about that." Sorry's not gonna cut it midget. You puked on my shoes. You's gonna pay. Rachel actually looked embarrassed about the night before. I wonder how much they remember about last night. Let's see.
"But that was nothing compared to what woke me up at like 5 am." This time there was no choking. Rachel looked as if she was trying to telepathically send a message to Quinn by burning holes on the side of her head where she was staring at the blonde, while Quinn seemed as if she was fascinated by the patterns of the carpet. Both of their faces were a light shade of pink. I'm gonna have to give this one to blondie. She pulls of red better than anyone else. "I mean, that was loud." Santana sipped her coffee again, enjoying the torture she was inflicting on her friends. "I would have expected you two to be a little more considerate. Think about the children, you know." It took almost all Santana had not to lose it when the other brunette made a squeaky noise. Quinn, on the other hand, suddenly stopped staring at the floor and started glaring at the Latina. I'm a genius. I'm a fucking genius. Santana watched as Quinn gently placed a hand on Rachel's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze to reassure the tiny diva. Smooth, Fabray. "I know you have some pipes there Berry, but I must say Q, you were quite impressive, trying to keep up with the diva. All that screaming must have done a number on your throat."
"Okay, that's enough!" Quinn was fuming. She wasn't sure what exactly had happened the night before. She couldn't really remember anything else after she and Rachel started dancing. It was the nicest, warmest, tingliest memory by far. It was almost as if she could still feel Rachel's warmth against her body. She looked at the brunette, who seemed to be absolutely horrified by Santana's suggestion that… well, they had sex quite loudly. Loud enough to wake everyone up, apparently. Quinn's brain short-circuited when she let herself imagine that for a moment. She cursed at herself for not being able to remember anything.
"Oh, believe me Q, it's not nearly enough. I even thought about making a noise complaint to the cops. I was actually afraid to come and yell at you. Normally I would have joined, you know, but it was too late and you two were going pretty hard at it. Hardcore stuff. I was actually impressed." Santana looked straight into Rachel's eyes when she spoke, seeing the tiny diva's eyes grow at least two sizes. She'll either hug me or kill me when she realizes what I'm doing. Hope she doesn't have a coronary by then.
"No. You're making me and Rachel very uncomfortable. I'm sorry if we kept you up, but we have both apologized. You're going to stop now. You had your fun. Actually, we're going to leave now." Quinn stood up from her chair and grabbed Rachel's hand. The brunette joined her, giving the blonde a small smile. Santana watched the silent interaction between the two, not bothering to stop them. I gots to clean up anyway.
"Well, see you later then. Just make sure you two don't break out into song on your way again. My ears are still bleeding." Santana laughed when Rachel's jaw practically fell onto the ground.
"What?"
"I listened to you two butcher at least 3 perfectly fine top 40 hits last night. The world doesn't deserve the torture, that's all I'm saying." Santana gave herself a mental high-five when she saw the half-relieved and half-disappointed looks on their faces.
"We sang all night?" It was Quinn who asked this time, her voice more high-pitched than usual.
"Yeah, what did you think I was talking about?" Santana stared into Quinn's eyes, as if daring her to be honest.
"Nothing, really." Chicken. Santana raised one eyebrow and nodded. As if, Fabray.
"Well, we'll be on our way then," Rachel announced and walked towards the door. It was only when they reached the door that Santana noticed they were still holding each other's hands. You're welcome. Go get her before I die of old age, Q.
Rachel had been thinking about a lot of things since they woke up that morning. She had woken up to find Quinn as her pillow, then proceeded to have a tickle fight and ended up being played by Santana, believing she had actually had super loud – screaming out loud sex with Quinn. And I was actually okay with that. I was okay with the idea of having had drunken sex with Quinn. She sighed, looking out the window. They were on a train, going back to Rachel's dorm. Quinn would have to leave early next day. What does that mean? I mean, she's incredibly attractive, and I do like her, but… What does that mean for us? Should it mean anything? She felt Quinn nudge her shoulder.
"What's going on in your mind?" The blonde seemed concerned. You'd freak out if I told you. Hey, Quinn, I was happy to wake up next to you this morning, and then I was a-okay with thinking we had mind-blowing sex. What's going on in YOUR mind? She'd probably be on the next train back to New Haven. "Hey. You're actually freaking me out. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm just really tired. I think I won't be drinking any more blue drinks from now on."
"Does that mean you'll also stop asking for the numbers of my suitors for me?" Quinn wiggled her eyebrows, trying to cheer the brunette up.
"You don't really need my help for that. I believe I actually set you back, she was ready to take you home when I got there, and you ended up with just her number." Which makes me a cockblock, I believe. Such a crude term.
"And I thank you for that again. I am nowhere ready for something like that yet." Quinn paused for a moment, but then decided to continue anyway. "I thought, this morning when Santana was talking about being loud, you know… I thought that we had slept together." Rachel felt her heart break a little when she saw how apologetic Quinn was being. Of course she would never actually want that. Why would she?
"Well, we didn't and Santana was just being Santana so it's fine." Rachel tried to hide the disappointment she was feeling, but she knew Quinn would see through it. She hoped the blonde would misinterpret it. Then she heard Quinn say something unexpected.
"It's r-really not." Quinn was studying her own hands, trying to avoid her gaze.
"What do you mean?" Would it be that awful? Quinn slowly raised her head to look her in the eyes. Rachel felt as if she was about to have a heart attack when their eyes locked. It was one of those moments when something was about to change, for better or worse. She wanted to rewind the time, to hold onto something. I don't want to lose you, she tried to communicate silently with her eyes. I like you. I love you. You're my friend and you're so much more at the same time. You challenge and confuse me. I can't lose you now. She felt her breath hitch when Quinn started speaking again.
"I think… I think I wouldn't have minded if we had, you know…" She- what? Quinn looked down for a moment, breaking the connection, and then continued, this time a little calmer. "I mean I would have minded that I couldn't remember anything. But not doing that. Not with you." Rachel felt like she was being launched into space. She was somewhere way up there, all sound echoing a million times, heart beating a million beats per second, her body burning from the friction. She felt like she had been singing too loud for too long and she was out of breath, lost in a world of euphoria. Words. I need words.
"Oh." WORDS. That was NOT a word. Why can't I do words? Words are my thing. She somehow managed to smile at the blonde, who was now visibly nervous and shaking. Quinn sighed in relief when she saw the brunette smile at her.
"Yeah," was all the blonde said in return. This is huge. How do we even… Of course we would have this conversation on a train. I do appreciate the drama of it though. I should probably say something…
"I-" she started, almost at the same time the blonde opened her mouth.
"Did-" Rachel giggled nervously and gestured the blonde to continue. "Did I freak you out?" She's so cute. How is she so cute? It's not fair.
"A little." Quinn's face fell at that. Rachel, seeing that, reached over and placed her hand gently over the blonde's. Then she went on to explain. "But not for the reason you think." Because you always think the worse. We both do. The blonde looked up to her, hope evident in her eyes. "I wouldn't have minded it, either." Rachel finally admitted. For a moment, they just stared at each other, not knowing what to do. It was out in the open now. We have just figured out how to be friends. Could we… Does she even want to be anything more?
"I… I don't know what to say now." Quinn echoed her feelings. But she felt lighter, as if she could just lift off and soar into the sky. She smiled a brilliant smile when she felt Rachel nudge her hand and entangle their fingers.
"It's okay. It's been a crazy few days." The brunette's voice was soothing. Quinn felt a new wave of strength wash over her. It would be okay. They would be okay. Everything in the world had the potential to go well when Rachel's fingers were wrapped around hers like they were now.
"It has." Quinn felt a bit shy now that she had basically just admitted to wanting to have sex with one of her closest friends. She only hoped that Rachel knew she wanted more than just that.
They fell silent for a while watching the houses they passed at a high speed, both thinking about the night before. It was Rachel who broke the silence first. "I liked the dancing part though." I liked being able to hold you close.
"I'm glad I can actually remember that." Quinn chuckled. Rachel felt a bit disappointed when the blonde did not return the sentiment exactly. She tried to change the topic quickly.
"I wonder which songs we covered, though." And there is no way we sounded bad. Our voices blend together quite beautifully. I'm sure it would be the same even if we were just screaming. Not that we would. I am NOT thinking about that now.
"You would." Quinn smiled at Rachel and the was she was blushing lightly. "Hey, Rach?" The blonde felt her pulse quicken, still a feeling shy about it all.
"Yes, Quinn?"
"I really enjoyed dancing with you, too." Rachel felt her heart flutter at that. Mental happy dance. Quinn bit her lower lip, lost in her own head. "Do you think…" Quinn started again. "Do you think we could do that again, sometime?" YES. Be cool, Rachel. Be cool now. Don't blow this. Rachel swallowed once to make sure her voice wouldn't tremble when she answered. Then she spoke, as calmly as she could:
"I think we could." YES. Quinn gave her hand a soft squeeze, trying to contain her smile. "We're not inviting Santana, though." Rachel added. There's no way she's getting any more involved than she already is.
Quinn was quick to agree. "Oh, we're definitely not inviting her. I just want to dance with you." Rachel beamed at her. I'm melting. There I am. I am a puddle. "Do you think she knows?" Rachel's expression turned more serious at the question. She knew that the Latina knew about Quinn's sexuality, but the question actually made her see the torture they went through in the morning in a new light. Perhaps she does.
"I'm pretty sure she does. Are you okay with that?"
"Yeah, it's okay. I still need to talk to her at some point though."
"Yes, you do." After that, they fell silent again, both stealing glances every once in a while. Ten minutes later, they were at their stop. Quinn suddenly wished they could just keep riding the train, that the day just kept on going, that she didn't have to be at Yale again the next day. It couldn't be helped, though.
"So, what are we doing tonight?" she asked. She might have to leave the day after, but she would make the best of the rest of this day for sure. Then she saw the brunette blush next to her. "RACH!"
"I'm sorry! God you can be loud." This time it was the blonde who turned into a brilliant shade of red.
So, I'm pretty happy with the way this thing found a resolution, but I'd love to hear what you guys thought. The last chapter will actually be them going on a date, btw. I'll upload it in a couple of days. Till then, ciao!