This story was moved from my profile as a stand alone piece, to here where not only for the people who haven't checked my profile and read it, but also so I can keep better track of it, placing it with all my other Faberry shorts.
TITLE: Making Up For Wasted Time
WORD COUNT: 12,995
WORLD: Glee AU
SUMMARY:
RATING: T
CHARACTERS IN THIS CHAPTER: Rachel,Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Hiram, Leroy, and mentions of Judy.
A/N: Excuse any spelling errors, this is unbeta-ed.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee.
Imagine waking up not knowing who you are, where you are, or how you even got there. Your first thought would probably be, "Why don't I remember anything at all?" Well, this is what is happening to Rachel Berry as she lays in a hospital bed in Lima, Ohio. Her thoughts fuzzy, she becomes more aware of her surroundings; a constant beeping to her left, and a light so bright it hurt, even with her eyes still closed.
After a few minutes of collecting her thoughts Rachel's head was becoming clearer andnoticed her mouth was uncomfortably dry. When she tried to speak, she just coughed...getting the attention of a nurse in the hallway. As soon as the nurse entered her room her eyes widened and she rushed out of the sight of the now conscious girl, wearing a faint smile on her face. Moments later she returned, ushering Rachel's two dads, Hiram and Leroy, into the room, who were obviously ecstatic to see her.
Although she was more than happy to see them, she was more interested in receiving an explanation of why she was even in the hospital. Hiram expressed how happy he was by kissed every square inch of her face while Leroy quickly, and sloppily, poured water from a pitcher on the bedside table into a small Styrofoam cup. Rachel attempted to drink from the cup, but her arms didn't seem to be cooperating.
When her parents noticed, Hiram raised the bed and helped her sit up as Leroy put the cup to her mouth. Rachel gulped down the water, feeling as if it had been an eternity since she'd had a drink. She licked her lips with satisfaction once she had finished. Clearing her throat, she attempted to speak again, only to be interrupted by a bombardment of questions from both parents.
"Are you alright?"
"How do you feel?"
"Do you remember what happened?"
"Can you understand me sweetie?"
"Who is the President of the United States?"
"What's the last thing you remember?"
Once they ran out of questions, they eagerly awaited her response, both with wide eyes. They were both gripping her arm like it was the only life raft in the rocky sea in which they'd been treading.
"Um...this is just...I'm...overwhelmed." She managed to get out.
Usually, Rachel Berry had absolutely no problem with speaking, but today, this situation was just too much all at once, and confusing.
"I'm sorry, honey. We're just so happy that you're awake." Leroy said, wiping the tears away that had fallen from his eyes.
"W-what happened?"
"You were in a car accident, baby." Hiram said softly. "What's the last thing you remember?"
She closed her eyes and thought back, before the blackness that was the hole in her memory.
"I was getting ready for school." She replied, opening her eyes again.
"Do you remember the date, sweetie?" Leroy asked, this time.
"Monday August 13th, 2007. The first day of high school," she said confidently.
The Berry men exchanged a worried look, and Leroy swallowed hard, fighting back the urge to start crying again, while Hiram sat with a blank look on his face.
"What is it?" She asked, completely unaware of the fact that what she said was devastating news.
The longer they dragged out telling her, the worse things Rachel's mind thought up.
"Rach, honey. That was just over six years ago..."
She scrunched her eyebrows together, knowing what she had heard, but it couldn't be true. She knew there was a gap in her memory, but she never thought that it was six years worth!
"No...that can't be." She muttered, half to herself.
"It's the truth, baby. Today is November 17th, 2013."
Somehow she felt more numb then she already did. Six years lost. Years of memories, experiences, people...just gone.
"So...I'm nineteen?" She asked, after doing the math in her head.
They nodded softly.
"When did I have the accident?"
"It was during the summer after your Junior year, June 22, 2011."
"So...I've been in this hospital bed...for two years."
"You've been in a coma, caused by the head trauma you suffered in the accident. The doctors weren't sure you'd ever wake up, but we didn't give up on you, baby."
"Never." Hiram agreed with his husband. "They also said that you may have some memory loss if you woke up. Honey, are you sure you don't remember anything past that first day of high school?"
While Rachel was more than happy her Dads has so much faith in her to come out of a coma, she was still in shock that she had missed out on two years of her life, lying in a bed. And on top of that, couldn't remember the last four years of her life that she wasn't in a hospital bed. Answering her father's question, she shook her head 'no'.
"I'm gonna go get her doctor, then call Quinn and let her know Rach is awake. I'll be right back, sweetie." Leroy said before he kissed her forehead and left the room.
"Who's Quinn?"
Hiram paused, not sure how much to tell him, because he knew Quinn would want to talk to her eventually about why she was there when she was ready.
"She's a classmate of yours. She came and took care of you these past two years. Insisted that she, instead of a nurse, wash and exercise your limbs so you wouldn't get bed sores." He smiled, shaking his head at the memory. "She sang to you, read you the newspaper, various magazines, books, you name it. Sometimes we had to pry them out of her hands so we could have a turn." He chuckled.
"She sounds very nice."
"Yes, she is a very sweet girl."
"And how long can this amnesia last?" Rachel asked the doctor.
"Well, it varies. To tell you the truth, you can have your memory back tomorrow, or you could never regain it. Only time will tell, I'm sorry we can't give you a definitive answer, Miss Berry."
No, Rachel couldn't live without four years of memories the rest of her life, she just couldn't!
Meanwhile, Leroy greeted the fumbling mess that was Quinn Fabray, at the hospital entrance, embracing her with a tight hug I celebration. Quinn had been waiting for the call that Rachel was awake for so long now, it almost didn't seem real. Leroy stopped them both just outside Rachel's room, needing to explain her situation before she proceeded, not having time to do it over the phone when he had called her.
"She doesn't remember anything past getting ready for her first day of high school. Nothing about you, Glee Club, anything...so don't give her too much information at a time, it will probably just confuse her. And you know how frustrated she gets when she is confused." He warned.
"Okay." Quinn simply replied, just needing to see those brown eyes again.
Taking a deep breath, Leroy opened the room door and let Quinn enter after the doctor left. First, she peeked around the corner, finding the brunette talking to Hiram, then slowly entered the room. Catching their attention, Quinn stopped in her tracks when those brown eyes met hers for the first time in two years. She felt like dropping to her knees and thanking God for answering her prayers, but she couldn't move. She just stood there in shock, barely breathing, staring at the curious brunette.
"Rachel, I know you don't remember, but this is Quinn." Hiram said, motioning to the blonde. "You went to high school with her."
When she still made no move toward Rachel, Leroy bumped his elbow into hers, bringing her out of her daze.
"H-hi." Quinn choked out.
"Hello." Rachel replied, just as dazed as Quinn.
Rachel was too busy taking in the beautiful blonde in front of her, that no other words came to her mind to form a proper greeting.
"We'll give you a few minutes, if that's alright?" Hiram asked Rachel, to which she only nodded, still staring at the girl known as Quinn. "If you need us, we'll be right outside."
Once they left, Quinn walked closer, until her thigh hit the bed's edge, resisting the urge to grab onto Rachel and never let go.
"I-I know you don't remember me...but...can I...hug you? You don't have to if it will make you uncomfortable, I just-"
"Yes, you can." She replied, cutting the blonde off.
And Quinn didn't hesitate. She leaned down and let her arms slide under Rachel's small body, and hugged her tight, smiling when she felt warm arms hug her back. Rachel had no idea who this girl was, but at the same time she felt so familiar. Those piercing green eyes, short, honey blonde hair with a few lighter highlights, and the scent of strawberries that clung to her clothes.
Quinn. Rachel said in her mind, trying her hardest to remember the girl...but nothing came. By the time she said her name in her head again, Quinn pulled away, and was now sitting in the chair Hiram had vacated. Never breaking eye contact, they were both curious as to what the other was thinking about, and before Rachel could stop herself, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind as soon as her vocal chords started working again.
"You have beautiful eyes."
Quinn raised her eyebrows in surprise, then let a smile cover her face. "Thank you."
A few more moments of silence passed, not awkward though, surprising to Rachel, it was very comfortable in the blonde's presence.
"Are we friends?"
Quinn looked down at the floor, biting her lip as she thought of what to say. "No, not really...but I wanted to be. I didn't really get the chance to say that to you before..."
Another thing the accident ruined. Rachel thought. She wondered what could have been, what she would be doing right this moment, if she hadn't had the accident at all. Would she be in New York, attending Julliard like she had planned all her life?
"I'm not quite sure you would have wanted to be though." Quinn said softly.
"Why is that?"
"I...I wasn't the nicest person towards you. And you reached out to me multiple times, but I always pushed you away. Your accident made me realize many things, and one was that pushing you away was a very big mistake...but at that time I couldn't really help it. I know that this doesn't make any sense to you now, but, I'm not the same person I was, and I'd like to start over with you."
Rachel nodded. "Okay."
She was always the forgiving type, even when people did the most horrible things to her. And whatever Quinn did wouldn't matter, and probably wouldn't have mattered if she didn't have amnesia.
"That's it...just 'okay'?" Quinn asked, confused. "Don't you want to know what I did before you agree to anything?"
Rachel took a deep breath, seeing that Quinn was struggling. "No, I don't need to know. You said I reached out to you multiple times, even though you pushed me away...so what's different now?"
"Well, you don't remember-"
"If I was willing to look past whatever you did time after time, then it should be no different now, even though I have no idea what happened between us. I'd like to get to know you."
Over the next hour, Quinn briefly stated that she was the typical mean girl, and that she got pregnant, but didn't elaborate. Instead, she told her a bit about her life, and answered any question that Rachel threw at her, thankfully none were too deep. Rachel thought it was too soon for that. She pretty much just met the girl and wasn't going to be grilling her on every detail of her past. She asked about her favorite movies, and books...some Rachel didn't know of because of her memory loss.
She asked about her favorite food, color, drink, Broadway play, bands, board games, and everything else in between. Hiram and Leroy let the girls have their time as they observed them from the hall, pretending to read magazines or talk amongst themselves when Rachel would glance over every once in a while.
"Stubbles is awake!" A Latina girl exclaimed as she strode in and flopped herself into a nearby chair.
"Santana! She's been in a coma for two years, is suffering from amnesia, and that's how you greet her?" Quinn scolded.
"Hey, I'm just being me! Maybe it will help her remember something."
Quinn shook her head and apologized for her. Apparently she was like that all the time, which kind of scared Rachel a little bit.
"Santana Lopez, we went to school together." She clarified.
"Are we...friends?" Rachel asked, not quite sure.
She raised an eyebrow before scoffing. "Like I would every be friends with you, Midget. We're mere acquaintances...when you aren't annoying the crap out of me, that is."
"Santana!"
"It's okay, Quinn...I'm used to snide remarks." I replied.
"If it makes you feel any better, Shorty, I'm glad that you're okay. Yeah you annoyed me, and I felt like punching you in the face from time to time, but I never wanted anything like this to happen to you."
"San, that may be the nicest thing I've ever heard you say to anyone, not counting Brittany."
"Yeah, well, don't get used to it. I'm still a bitch and proud of it!"
"I was really that annoying?" Rachel interjected.
"Yes." Santana answered instantly.
"No." Quinn defended, but not so convincingly. "Okay, at first you were, then we all got used to you, and you turned out to not be as bad as we thought."
"Oh..."
Rachel should have been insulted by the brassy Latina, but she always appreciated people's honesty, and she at least could admit to herself that she was pretty overbearing. Only because she knew that she was the best and was destined for stardom.
Hey, Q, where's Britt?"
"She was right behind me when we left the YMCA, maybe she got lost? That was a while ago..." Quinn replied, unsure.
"Wouldn't doubt it, maybe I should call her."
Just as Santana took her phone out of her pocket, the energetic blonde girl came rushing into the room, carrying a bundle of balloons and a teddy bear.
"Rachie!" She squealed with excitement, shoving her items in Santana's hands, and pretty much tackling Rachel on the bed.
"Brittz, hon, I'm afraid Oompa Loompa has amnesia and she doesn't remember us."
The blonde pulled back with a sad face that instantly broke Rachel's heart. Even though I didn't recognize her, she obviously cared for her, and she seemed very sweet.
"You don't remember me, Rach?"
I took a deep breath and shook my head slowly. "I'm sorry, I wish I did...Brittany? You seem very nice."
"You don't remember Glee Club at all? But, we're your family..."
"We have a Glee Club? How did I not know this..." Rachel pondered out loud.
"Well, Glee Club was a pathetic excuse for an extracurricular activity until Sophomore year, when all of us joined. That's when Mr. Schuester took over the group. Lauren joined us Junior year, and Blaine joined Senior year." Quinn answered.
"Mr. Schuester? The Spanish teacher?"
They nodded.
"Hm. Who else was in Glee Club, maybe I'll recognize a name?" I looked at them expectantly.
"Well, there's us three, Kurt Hummel, Mercedes Jones, Mike Chang, Tina Cohen-Chang, Artie Abbrams, Sam Evans, Noah Puckerman, Lauren Zizes, Blaine Anderson, and Finn Hudson."
"Wait! Finn Hudson was in Glee Club? I've had a crush on him since seventh grade...please tell me he knew I existed?"
"Of course, Rach, you dated him." Brittany said matter-of-factly.
"I-I...dated...Finn Hudson?"
Quinn and Santana rolled their eyes, while Brittany nodded with a slight grimace on her face.
"Slow your roll, Stubbs. You two were on and off like a light switch. And before you ask, right now you're off. You broke up with him before your accident."
"May I ask why?"
"How the hell should I know? I'm not your friend."
"If you aren't my friend, then why are you here?"
"Because," Quinn stepped in. "she won't admit it...ever, but she does care about you."
"Or this is just entertaining to me." Santana defended, but they all saw through her, even Rachel.
For the next two hours Quinn, Santana, and Brittany recounted Rachel's past for her to maybe remember something, but mostly she was just shocked.
"Okay, so let me get this straight. I kissed Finn when Quinn and him were still together, dated him when you two broke up, made out with Noah Puckerman and broke up with Finn, dated this Jesse person, then dated Finn again, then after breaking up him for a second time, got back together, made out with Noah again, broke up with Finn, got with Jesse for a short period and broke up with him, then got back together with Finn yet again, and just before my accident, broke up the final time?" Rachel asked the trio, now breathless from her long-winded question.
The all stared at her for a few seconds, mentally checking to see if she got it all correct, then nodded.
"When I say it all in one sentence, it sounds like I got around...a lot."
"Well, yes, it sounds that way, but you never had sex with any of them, so really you just had a lot of boy troubles." Quinn said, trying to make her feel better.
"After hearing everything from you all in excruciating detail, I can't believe I ever liked any of those guys..."
"Hell, that was just the stuff we were around to witness, I'm sure you had more problems." Santana chimed in.
"See, honey, if you would have just taken a step back and looked at them from a different perspective, you would have saved yourself all the frustration you went through." Hiram commented.
"Also, since you bring them up, we've contacted all of your friends that you had listed in your phone, so they know that you're awake...so expect more visitors." Leroy said.
"Yes," Hiram took over for his husband. "Yes, though after hearing all those stories, I'm not so sure about having Finn and Noah visit..."
"H, I doubt anything will go down, they'll be too distracted with the fact that she's actually awake, then want to rehash things she doesn't even remember."
"Actually, I agree with Hiram, Finn is very persistent, especially when it comes to Rachel. But, if he starts anything, I'll be happy to be the one to kick him out." Quinn smiled.
Finn was the last person Rachel wanted to see, since apparently things didn't end very well with them the last time they were together. Quinn was just about as thrilled as Rachel on the topic, but there wasn't anything she could do.
"Anyway, Finn and Noah will be here early in the day tomorrow. Artie, Tina, and Mike will be the first out-of-towners back, but Mercedes and Kurt won't be too far behind them. And since Sam lives in an entirely different state, he won't make it, but he is available to Skype." Hiram continued. "Lastly, your teacher, Will Schuester, along with his wife, Emma, will be here tomorrow after school."
Leroy nodded. "The whole Glee Club will be here then, well, minus Lauren Zizes, Sam, and Blaine. But, hopefully seeing everyone together will jog some memories."
"In the meantime, it's been a long day, and I'm sure you're on information overload." Hiram added, noticing Rachel's yawn.
"Yeah, today was very informative, and I'm surprisingly exhausted." Rachel agreed.
"We'll leave the Munchkin to rest." Santana said as she stood, helping a tired Brittany up as well. "And I'm starving, late dinner at Breadstix anyone? My treat."
The rest paused, not sure if they wanted to leave Rachel.
"Go on, you guys, I'll still be here tomorrow. And eat some bread sticks for me."
"Are you sure, baby?" Leroy asked.
"Yes, no point in staying when I'm just going to be sleeping. Go eat, and get a good night's sleep."
After a moment, Hiram stepped closer and kissed Rachel on her forehead. "You better not go anywhere." He said seriously, not wanting her to slip back into the coma, if that was possible.
"I promise, I won't."
"Goodnight, Brittany, Santana. Thank you for coming."
"No problem, Shorty, see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Rach." Brittany said before hugging her goodbye.
"Bye."
"We'll be back first thing in the morning." Leroy said, coming Hiram's actions, kissing her on the forehead and making her promise that should wouldn't be going anywhere.
"Quinn, are you coming?" He said, turning back when he noticed she was still sitting.
"Not tonight, I think I'll stay until she's asleep, if that's okay with you?" She asked, turning to Rachel.
"I'd like that."
About ten minutes later, Rachel had finally gotten comfortable enough in the bed to where she started to drift off, that is, until she felt warm on her cheek. Quinn had reached over and brushed a few strands of hair off of Rachel's face, letting her hand slide down and caress her face before she stiffened and pulled away when Rachel opened her eyes.
"Sorry...I thought you had fallen asleep. I'm just sort of used to touching you when you're unconscious."
Rachel raised an eyebrow.
"Wow, I just realized how creepy that sounded."
They both laughed, and Quinn blushed profusely, mentally smacking herself.
"I just meant-"
"I know. My father told me that you took care of me."
"Oh, he did?"
Rachel nodded. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Why did you? I mean, I know you said you wished we were friends, but taking care of someone to that extent, and not knowing if they would even wake up..."
Quinn took a deep breath, thinking about what to say and how to word it, so maybe Rachel would understand. "I won't lie, a little part of it was guilt, because of the way I treated you over the years. But mostly because I care about you. And even if I never showed it, I told you every day I came to visit you, whether you heard me or not, trying to make up for the time I wasted."
"You're very sweet, Quinn. And I can see, just by what I've gathered today, you don't open up to people easily. So, I want to thank you for sharing your thoughts with me, and for taking care of me for the last two years.
"I haven't seen you at Glee rehearsals..." Rachel said as she stopped in front of Quinn's locker.
"I'm not Superwoman. I know that Glee is your whole life, but I have the Cheerios, I'm on honor roll, I have friends." She replied before turning to walk away.
"You don't have to be embarrassed. No one at Glee is going to judge you."
Quinn stopped in her tracks and turned to face Rachel again.
"Look, I know everyone expects us to be enemies and to be in competition, but...I don't hate you."
"Why not? I've been awful to you."
"That was before you knew what it felt like to be me. An outsider. More people are going to start finding out about this, and your going to need friend that can relate."
"How can you relate to what I'm going through?"
"You don't think people whisper about me in the lunch rooms, or draw pornographic pictures of me on the bathroom walls?"
"That was me, actually..."
Ignoring that bit of information, Rachel continued. "Look, I don't agree with the choice you're making, but you're going to need Glee. You've got seven months of your youth left, you should enjoy it. And lets face it, in a couple of months, that cheerleading uniform isn't going to fit, and we're going to be all you have left. Just...come back to practice. Boys verses girls, it's fun. We could certainly use your voice right now, and you're actually a good singer, Quinn. Occasionally sharp, but that's just because you lack my years of training."
Quinn looked at Rachel in disbelief. "I would have tortured you if the roles were reversed, you know."
"I know."
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty."Rachel heard as she opened her eyes.
"Mmm." She groaned and wiped the sliver of drool from her mouth, making the blonde beside her giggle. "What time is it?"
Quinn bent her wrist to see her watch. "A little after noon. Your Dads are downstairs eating lunch in the cafeteria. The nurse said to buzz for her when you woke up so you could chose what you wanted to eat, but then I told her that you didn't want your first meal to be icky hospital food, so..." Quinn bent down and grabbed the bad that sat by her feet. "She let me sneak in some pasta. Shh, don't tell anyone."
Rachel smiled brilliantly. Last night they had disconnected her from the feeding tube and the catheter, making getting up and going to the bathroom for the first time in two years an interesting experience. She had let them take the feeding tube out after her scheduled meal, Rachel wanting her first real meal to be something with flavor, and knew that wouldn't come from the hospital. But she never expected Quinn to go get her something.
"Thank you, Quinn, that's very nice of you. My stomach's already growling."
After helping sit Rachel up, Quinn handed her the container and a plastic fork, then crumpled up the bag and threw it away in a nearby trash.
"Dear, God, this is heaven." Rachel mumbled as she took her first bite.
All Quinn could do was smile. Making Rachel happy made her happy.
"I didn't know where you liked to eat...so that's from Breadstix. They have more vegan dishes now then they used to, and I've tried it once before and I thought it was delicious..."
"It's perfect."
Quinn was calm and cool on the outside, but on the inside, she was giddy.
"There are some things I'm curious about..." Rachel started, stabbing a spiral noodle with her plastic fork.
"Yes?" Quinn looked up from the paper she was pretending to read.
"What was everyone like in high school?"
Quinn shifted in her seat and tossed the paper bag to the side, and took a breath. "Well, we were a bunch of misfits...hell, still are. Santana, Brittany, and I were on the cheerleading squad. Artie was in Jazz Band and AV Club, Puck, Mike, Sam, and Finn were on the football team. Kurt was the only openly gay kid for a while, until his boyfriend Blaine transferred, but Senior year he ran for class President. Tina was kind of a goth, and Mercedes was a diva, quite like you."
"And what are you all doing now?"
"Brittany and I work at the YMCA. She teaches a dance class, and I'm a secretary. Exciting, I know, I take calls all day and schedule appointments for different classes. Santana is Assistant Manager at Breadstix, working her way up to the boss position. Artie, Tina, and Mike attend college at the University of Cincinnati. Artie wants to be a director some day, so he's taking all the film classes they have, and at night he works at a movie theater. Tina doesn't have a job right now, but she's studying to be a lawyer. Mike is taking some dance classes down there, and works as a waiter in a nice restaurant. Um, it took a while for Puck to decide what he wanted to do, but he got his act together and is now attending the police academy. We were all kind of shocked since he's always been the bad boy. Sam lives in Indiana. He moved after Junior year because his Dad got a job offer there, but he keeps in touch with everyone, and he's going to college for animal care and management. Finn's working at Kurt's Dad's tire shop. He tried college, but I guess it wasn't for him, I don't know, I don't talk to him anymore. And Kurt and Mercedes are going to a little design school in Columbus, and Blaine is currently in New York, auditioning for off-Broadway roles."
"What about you? College?"
"Yeah, I've been saving up my money that I make at work, and I've been looking into grants."
"What would you major in?"
"Photography or Writing...i don't know. I want to do both."
Rachel smiled and tossed her empty container of pasta into the trashcan. She could see Quinn doing either of those things for a living.
"Rach, honey?" Leroy said as he came onto the room.
"Yes, Daddy?"
"Sorry to interrupt, but Finn and Noah are here to see you."
Rachel nodded and Leroy went back out in the hall to get Finn. With a groan, Rachel tried to sit up more in bed, but was having trouble. Next thing she knew, Quinn was at her side, fixing her pillows up for her.
"Thank you." Rachel said once she was situated, and Quinn laid her hand on hers.
"No problem."
Then, Finn Hudson himself came through the in a hurry, almost tripping over a chair to get to Rachel's side, opposite of Quinn. He had a smile on his face and looked at Rachel like she was God, which annoyed the hell out of Quinn. Finn had his chance, time and time again...and she never wanted anyone but her to look at Rachel like that. Quinn wasn't used to so much jealousy pulsing through her, and unconsciously her grip on Rachel's hand tightened.
"Rach, I'm so glad that you are awake...the doctors, they said you may never wake up, and here you are! I'm so sorry about everything, the break-up was rough, and-"
"Finn." Quinn said, getting his attention. "She doesn't remember anything, so when talking about things that happened between you, she has no idea."
"Oh, right..." He said, sitting down in the chair nearest her, and running his large hand through his messy hair. "Um, Quinn? Can you give me and Rachel some time alone."
No. That's what she wanted to say to him, but she had her time with Rachel for a few hours now...it was only fair he got a few minutes with her, even if she didn't like it one bit.
"I'll be just outside the door, Rachel. Call me if you need me."
Rachel nodded, already missing the warmth of not only her hand, but her presence, and watched her leave the room, and take a seat in one of the chairs across the hall, where Hiram and Leroy were. Putting her focus back on Finn, she smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say or how to act around him. Last, knowing him as the boy who stole her heart the first time they accidentally made eye contact in seventh grade. Now, he didn't get the reaction she would have given him if the girls hadn't of informed her of the countless times they had gotten together and broken up.
"I vaguely know of our past relationships. Only knowing what Brittany, Santana, and Quinn told me. Nothing has jogged my memory though...but I do remember you. At least, up until the last day of eighth grade, when I saw you last."
"That's okay. Look, I have something to say, and I know I just got here, and that you are probably overwhelmed by all the information you have gotten today, but I-I came as soon as your Dads called me, just in case...because I need to say this to you."
Rachel stiffened, not really sure what was coming.
"The day of your after accident, they said you might never wake up...and it's like a piece of me died then. My whole world came to a screeching halt, and even though we weren't together at the time, and hadn't seen each other in a few weeks, I regretted how we ended things, and I didn't think I'd get another chance to tell you how sorry I was. And when I finally got to visit you, I had this, like, flashback of all the good times we had together, and how we might not have any more ever again."
"Finn..."
"Please, let me finish." He sat forward and grabbed Rachel's hand. "I love you, and I never realized how much...until you were gone. I know I was never the best boyfriend, but I can change. I want to take care of you, support your dreams, and help you reach them. Just one more chance, and I swear, I'll prove to you that I'm worth your time."
Finn let a breath out, finally getting off his chest, what he's been thinking about for two years now, and felt the weight lift off him, now that she had heard him. Rachel on the other hand, was speechless for a few moments as she gathered her thoughts. There was a time when she would have done anything to heard those words come out of Finn's mouth, but, now, it just made her feel awkward.
"Well, that was a lot to take in. Uh, Finn...I'm sorry but, even though I don't remember anything about us, from what I've heard, we brought out the worst in each other and it just didn't work, no matter how many times we tried. So, even if I did remember, I doubt that I would give you another chance, because I have a feeling it would all end the same way it has many times before."
"But, this could be a fresh start, you not remembering."
"I don't want a fresh start with you, Finn. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to get back together with you."
He stood up from the chair and towered over Rachel, making her heart rate rise.
"Is it because of what the girls told you? Huh? Quinn is my ex-girlfriend, of course she is going to talk bad about me!"
"Can you please not raise your voice-"
"Don't believe anything they say, they were awful to you! If you remembered that, then you would be on my side and you wouldn't hesitate about giving me another chance!"
"Hey!" Quinn yelled at Finn as she appeared in the doorway, getting his attention. "Don't you raise your voice to her like that." She warned.
"You know what, Quinn? You think you can talk bad about me to Rachel so she won't take me back? Well, once she remembers what a bitch you are, she'll be on my side."
"Don't call her that!" Rachel defended the blonde. "You know what Finn, get out...now! I don't want to see you again until you can control yourself, and have a conversation without yelling or calling people names."
Finn was at a loss, standing there as his two exes ganged up on him, and it was all Quinn's fault, he knew it. Whatever she had said was a lie, it had to be. Rachel always took him back.
"You heard her, out!" Quinn pointed to the door.
"Dude, go outside, cool off." Puck said as he joined them, concerned for both girls.
He knew how Finn dealt with things. He'd throw a tantrum, kick or throw something, then go work out to burn his angry off. With a huff, Finn stomped out of the room and down the hall with a clenched jaw.
"Quinn, give us a minute?" The mohawked boy asked, gesturing to Rachel.
With another look to Rachel, she smiled, reassuring Rachel that everything was okay, then went back to her place in the hall, where Hiram and Leroy had just taken their seats in the hall, not knowing what just happened.
"Should we ask?" Hiram addressed Quinn, but they were all still looking at the retreating form of Finn as he made his way to the elevator at the end of the long hall.
"Just Finn being...Finn." Quinn replied. "From what I heard he was already trying to get her back, taking advantage of the fact that she didn't remember anything that happened between them."
"I knew that boy was no good for our daughter, Leroy."
Inside Rachel's room, Puck turned back and smiled before he walked closer. "There's my favorite Jew!"
"Listen here, Treasure Trail, we're about to have a smack down." Quinn said through her teeth as she shut Rachel's locker, getting her attention.
"I don't want to have a confrontation." Rachel replied, holding up her hands in surrender before she walked away.
"Don't play stupid with me, Stubbles."
Quinn grabbed onto Rachel's arm and pulled her back to face her.
"I'm having Finn's baby, and you need to back off. I'm asking you as nicely as I possibly can. Leave. Him. Alone."
"You're right. I've helped you, not because it's the right thing to do, but because I had romantic alterior motives. But just so we're clear, you're the one whose cheating."
"Excuse me!"
"I have on good authority that you're Sue Sylvester's mole, you can deny it all you want, but I know it's true."
"I have no idea what you're talking about-"
"Sue's not on your side, Quinn. She's not on anyone's side but her own. Can you imagine what she's going to do when she finds out about your situation? She'll probably try to rip off your uniform with her bare hands. Every time you whisper in her ear, you empower her to do more damage to the Glee Club. And right now, Glee Club is all you have. And if I were you, I'd recognize who my true friends are, and I'd practice a bit more, because you obviously have a lot you need to express."
"Oh, you have no idea."
"So...anything?" Mr. Schuester asked Rachel with hope in his voice.
Rachel took in all the faces that surrounded her. Quinn, Mercedes, Kurt, Mr. Pillsbury, Mr. Schuester, Noah, Finn, Tina, Mike, Brittany, Santana, and Artie. Each smiled when her eyes connected with their, save for Santana of course, who just raised her eyebrow. There was nothing in her that indicated Rachel knew any of them personally. Quinn had also shown her pictures of Lauren, Sam, and Blaine earlier, but still nothing was coming to her.
"No, I'm sorry. I recognize some of you from little glimpses in middle school, but nothing from Glee Club, or high school in general, is coming back to me."
Not giving up, Mr. Schuester grabbed his bag from the chair behind him. "I brought yearbooks of all three years, and I marked each page that had to do with you or the Glee Club."
While Rachel looked through the yearbook from Freshman year, Hiram and Leroy got back from retrieving more chairs for everyone, and sat together in the now crowded room. Quinn sat next to Rachel on the bed, holding half the yearbook as her and Rachel looked through it, getting curious looks from Mercedes and Kurt, who exchanging a glance, but keeping quiet. They had known Quinn visited Rachel, but they were clueless to the fact that she was there ninety percent of the time.
Quinn had confided in Santana and Brittany right before Rachel's accident, needing advice, so they knew about her feelings. And she had told Rachel's Dads about how she felt, because they demanded to know why the girl that had been torturing their daughter was sitting vigil at her bedside. It took multiple discussions and seeing how she looked and talked to an unconscious Rachel, to believe that she was being truthful, and how much she regretted treating Rachel the way that she did.
Since then, Quinn, and Judy even, have become an extension of the Berry family. They treated Quinn like a daughter, and now she has two amazing father-figures to look up to and talk to about things that her and Russell, never in a million years would have. She could be herself around them, and the only thing that could make her life better, was Rachel. Hiram and Leroy were a hundred percent on Team Quinn now, and wanted both of them to be happy.
Finn noticed the girls' closeness as well, but he wasn't curious, he was mad. However, he kept it together while they were all there, remembering what Rachel had warned him with the previous day, and he didn't want to get thrown out again. For now he wanted to try and get back on Rachel's good side, and make up for the horrible first impression that he had made. He still believed he had a chance with Rachel, if he could get her to listen to his side of the story instead of Quinn's.
"You were in a lot of clubs." Quinn pointed out.
"Extracurricular activities look great on college applications."
"How did you even get in the Black Student Union?"
"Well, since I don't remember, I can only guess. But, since Daddy's black, if they didn't let me in, that would have been discriminative. I probably just really just wanted to get in all the clubs I could, to list on a college application."
Other than those group club photos, there wasn't any more of Rachel in the first yearbook, so they moved onto the next. Since that was the year they all had joined Glee, there were more pictures of various members of the club scattered through the book. There were more of Rachel, since she was pretty much the face of the Glee Club. Then there were random photos taken by the yearbook staff because they had to include everyone. Lastly, there was a full page of photos from their practices in the choir room and auditorium, and below, their professionally taken group picture.
Rachel's eyes slowly moved over every moment captured, wishing that she remembered this important time in her life. Seeing pictures of Mike and Brittany dancing together, Mercedes and Kurt doing what looked like a secret handshake, Artie mid-spin in his wheelchair, Puck playing the guitar while singing to Lauren, Quinn and Sam and they gazed into each others eyes as they sang a duet. Narrowing her eyes at the sight, she knew this feeling, it was jealousy. Jealous that Quinn was looking into Sam's eyes with her bright, gentle, green ones.
She wanted to be looked at like that by Quinn. Within the last twenty-four hours, she had developed quite a crush on the blonde. Rachel always wondered if she would ever have a crush on a girl, since she was always taught that gender doesn't matter...and Quinn seemed to bring it out of her. But did she feel like this when she knew the old Quinn? Rachel had had a few dreams, that now she thinks are actual memories, of her and Quinn.
They weren't exactly the nicest memories, but they were emotional for one or the other. Still, she didn't look at the present Quinn any differently. Right now, Rachel had only personally experienced the sweet, caring, ambitious girl next to her, not the mean cheerleader Quinn said she had been. People change, and Quinn changed for the better.
"When did you cut your hair?"
"During our New York trip to Nationals. Step one of my change, really."
Rachel wanted to ask what the other steps were, but considering there were eleven other people in the room with them, she would save that question for another time.
The last individual photo was of her, dressed in her red sweater with a silhouette of a reindeer on the front, matching red skirt, white knee-high socks, and her white penny loafers. Her mouth was open, most likely belting out a Barbara Streisand number. Moving down the the big photo, everyone with smiles on their faces, bodies scrunched together to fit in the frame.
"We did look like a family." Rachel finally said.
"A very dysfunctional family, but a family none-the-less." Mr. Schuester added, everyone agreeing. "Still are."
"Got that right." Mercedes chimed in.
"I'm so sorry." Rachel said as she stopped in front of Quinn, who was sitting on a bench, alone in the hallway. "I fully understand if you want to beat me up. If you can, just try and avoid my nose..."
Rachel closed her eyes and prepared for the worst.
"I'm not mad at you." Quinn whispered, making Rachel open her eyes. "All you did was what I wasn't brave enough to do...tell the truth."
Shaking her head, the brunette sat down next to the blonde. "I...I was self when I told him. I wanted to break you two up so he would want to be with me."
"And now neither of us have him."
There was a moment of silence between them, Rachel nodding her head ever so slightly, agreeing with Quinn's statement.
"I have hurt so many people."Quinn shook her head, eyes filled with tears."Can you go now? I just really want to be alone."
"What were the other steps?"
"Sorry?"
"You said earlier that cutting your hair was step one of your change...what were the other steps, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Well, I cut my hair because I wanted to start fresh. Then, I kind on went on a mission on self discovery, that had me doing stuff I cringe about now."
"Do tell."
"Well, I had always done what was expected of me, and I never really knew the real me. So I tried a lot of things to try and figure that out. The most embarrassing would be that I dyed my hair pink, got a nose ring, and started smoking."
"Wow, that takes guts. The hair thing, smoking is bad for you, I hope you quit."
Quinn smiled. "Don't worry I did. It wasn't long after Brittany said that I "looked like a jolly rancher that fell into an ash try", that I decided that wasn't me either."
Rachel giggled at Brittany's comment. She could only imagine what Quinn looked like with bright, pink hair...and the image in her head was telling her it would be extremely attractive.
"So, is there any photographic proof of that particular transformation?" Rachel tried to ask as nonchalantly as possible.
"Santana unfortunately took some. I'm so glad that didn't last long."
"But the important this is that you learned from it. And I assume that you eventually started to really figure out who you are?"
"Yes. It took a bit to get here, but I'm here. I'm nothing like what I thought I was. I'm independent, and don't like people telling me what to do. I'm into photography and art, not my status or reputation. I love reading and going to the movies, not practicing cooking at home to be a Stepford Wife. However, I have, and always will, love my babydoll dresses."
"They are quite adorable on you."
Quinn blushed. "And last, I fully accepted who I was, and that a certain part of me that I had previously hated, wasn't ever going away. Now I'm proud of who I am, and I'm not afraid to tell someone to shove it if they don't like it."
"While I applaud your acceptance of yourself, I don't think telling people to, as you say, "shove it", it very appropriate."
"Sorry, but sometimes it's necessary. Although not many people mess with me now that they've experienced that side of me. Not that I was ever one to have people walk all over me...I was quite the bitch, but now that I have a new air of confidence about me, it changes how people approach me, or don't approach me."
"Knock, knock." A voice said at the door.
Both girls looked over to find Finn standing in the threshold of the door with a dumb look on his face.
"Can I talk to you alone, Rachel?" He asked politely.
"I don't know, can you behave this time?" She shot back.
"Yes."
"Doubtful." Quinn muttered to where only Rachel heard her. "You start anything, and I'll kick you out again, that simple."
Finn widened his eyes at the blonde before him. He hadn't seen 'Scary Quinn' in a long time, so he nodded quickly and avoided her eye contact.
"I'll just be outside."
Quinn took a seat in a chair outside Rachel's room and pretended to read a magazine, while she observed Finn through the glass window.
"I'm sorry about how I acted last time." He started.
"Apology accepted, but I doubt that's all you came here to say, Finn."
"I...well...have you thought about what I said?"
"Not particularly."
"Why not?"
"What's to think about?
"Rach, can I just tell you my side of the story before you believe anything those girls said about me?"
"I suppose...but I assure you that it will do no good."
"See, you already have your mind set before you even hear me out." His voice raised, and he sounded like a whiny five year old.
"Okay, fine, I have an open mind. Tell me your side of the story." Rachel said, mainly to get him to stop complaining.
The sooner he told his story to try and win her back, the sooner she could turn him down yet again, and hopefully, that would be the end of it. And after an hour of listening to him ramble on about how they were so good together, Rachel still had the same opinion about their relationship. They were toxic to one another, constantly pushing and pulling in different directions that they were never really on the same page. Plus, it was obvious that he wasn't very bright, and she wondered again, what she had seen in him.
Was it just because he was semi cute, Quarterback of the football team, and could keep up with her vocally? Those weren't very good reasons to be with someone, there had to be feelings and common interests in there somewhere, but she just couldn't find them. The only thing that brought them together in the first place was Glee Club, before that, he hadn't even known she existed. While she had been pining for him since seventh grade. How naive she was.
"I'm sorry, Finn, but even after your long-winded story, I still feel the same as I did over an hour ago. You may not like it, but I'm not the same person I was."
Even though she was six years older than she felt, the time she spent talking with Quinn and everyone has made her mature more into the Rachel that she was before the accident. She cared more about everyone else than herself, and that was a surprise to her, since she was pretty self-absorbed. If she was still the old Rachel, and Finn was the first person she had talked to when she woke up, things would no doubt have turn out different.
But she trusted Quinn not to lie to her, and she believed what the girls had witnessed between the two. Plus she had testimonies from both of her fathers, who weren't very fond of Finn. She was one to tell her fathers everything, and she knew they would have known when every break up happened, and every time they made up, in detail, because that's just who she was. Normally the men would hold their tongues and just be happy that Rachel was happy.
"But, Rach...I love you."
"I'm sorry, Finn-"
"Is it because of Quinn?"
"It's because of a lot of things, which I already told you, but you keep choosing to ignore. And would you please leave her out of this? She hasn't done anything but treat me with care. She literally took care of me for two years...where were you if you loved me so much?"
"I visited..."
"A handful of times. Now, that doesn't affect my opinion, but you'd think if you loved me like you said, you would have been here like Quinn was."
"Why was she even here? You two hated each other."
"I don't hate anyone, Finn. No matter what they do to me, I've always given people second, third, even fourth chances because hating someone solves nothing."
"But...she was horrible to you."
"We aren't all perfect. People make mistakes. The lucky ones acknowledge their mistakes and try to be better. Quinn has done that. She's told me about our past, apologized, and I have forgiven her. I've gotten to know the real Quinn, and I absolutely adore her. It seems like you are the one that needs to put the past behind them now, and move forward. Deep down you know that we weren't good together, but yet you are still pushing me. Maybe you need to ask yourself why that is."
Finn was speechless. Mostly because his mind was still catching up with everything that Rachel said, but also because he knew she had seen him better than he's seen himself. Yes, he knew that they weren't very good together, it always ended rough, but yet he still always went back to her. And she always took him back. It was like a tiny light bulb went off in him head at that moment. She always took him back...but not this time, which made him push even harder.
He definitely needed to thinking about things and sort them out, but at least now he had an idea of why he was really pursuing Rachel so adamantly. Rachel just watched him from her bed, seeing his face go through all the emotions before his eyes met hers again. His brow furrowed and his mouth hanging open to speak, but trying to find the right words.
"I'm sorry. You're right...I-I have a lot to think about..."
"I'm glad you agree." Rachel said slowly, making sure that he was actually serious. "Once you have everything figured out, maybe we can start a friendship."
"Yeah. I'd rather have you as a friend than not at all."
A few minutes later, Finn left with a strange look on his face. It was a mix between confused and constipated, but she didn't question him. He seemed to really be thinking about what she said, and she didn't want to hinder that. When Quinn came back into the room her mood changed considerably, and she was thankful that she had the blonde.
"Frankenteen finally get the message to back off?"
"I think so..."
"You're late." Quinn said to an approaching Rachel, while absentmindedly playing notes on the piano.
"We're friends, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"I mean like, everything that happened last year. You gave your baby to my mom and we kind of bonded over it, right?"
"What's your point?"
"My point is, is that...I know we haven't spent a lot of time together this year, but, I thought that we were close enough to be honest with each other."
"Go ahead, ask me."
"Fine. Are you and Finn together?"
"Yes. It's been a couple of weeks now." Quinn shook her head, irritated. "It's like Groundhogs Day with you, Rachel. How many times do you have to make the same mistake to realize it's not going to work out?"
"Well, thank you for being honest with me, Quinn. And I'm happy for you and Finn, but don't and try to rewrite history, okay, it was real between us. He chose me over you."
"And how long did that last?"
"Why are you being so mean?"
Quinn stood up, slowly making her way around the piano, and over to Rachel.
"Do you want to know how this story plays out? I get Finn, you get your heart broken, and then Finn and I will stay here and start a family. I'll become a successful real estate agent, and Finn will take over Kurt's Dad's tire shop. You don't belong here, Rachel. And you can't hate me for helping to send you on your way."
"I'm not giving up on Finn. It's not over between us-"
"Yes, it is! You're so frustrating! And that is why you can't write a good song, because you live in this little school girl fantasy of life. Rachel, if you keep looking for that happy ending, then you are never going to get it right. So we're done with that, and why don't we just return to our work, okay?"
"No. I think I'm going to write this song on my own."
"Just sign right here, and Rachel is officially discharged." The doctor said, pointing to the piece of paper on his clipboard. "I'll see you in a few weeks for a check up, just to make sure everything is fine. Call me if you experience anything strange."
Rachel was sitting on the bed next to Quinn, feet dangling over the edge. Hiram signed the paper with a smile, more than happy that this day had finally come. They were taking Rachel home for the first time in two years, and she couldn't be more thrilled to get back in her own bed. She was still not a hundred percent, obviously, since she still couldn't remember much, but she couldn't stand to be in the hospital any longer. The constant beeping, shuffling, hard bed. It lacked the warmth of her home that she needed.
Already in a pair of jeans and a regular t-shirt, covered up by a plain hoodie. As soon as the doctor left the room, Rachel was up and ready to go, grabbing Quinn's hand and practically dragging her out the door and to the elevator, her fathers trailing behind with smiles on their faces. Rachel was back, and had a new lease on life. When they made it out of the building, it was just starting to rain, and Rachel smiled, ignoring her fathers trying to hand her an umbrella, she walked out from under the overhang, and stepped into the light spray.
Feeling the cool, wet drops hit and slide down her face gave her a rush. She felt alive again. Inhaling the crisp air was a nice change from the sterile smell of the hospital. All of a sudden it started pouring, and people who were walking in the parking lot ran for the entrance or their cars, while Rachel just stood there, taking in everything, ignoring the questioning calls from her fathers.
Quinn joined her, understanding what the girl was doing. When the puddles got big enough, Quinn jumped in the nearest one to Rachel, making her squeal in surprise, then return the favor by stomping in the same one to get Quinn. She just laughed, and soon they were prancing around the parking lot splashing their feet in the puddles that had formed, all the while, the Berry men shaking their heads at the girls.
It only took Rachel a few minutes to tire herself out, her body not used to so much activity, and stopped after once last splash at Quinn, which left them both laughing. It wasn't until they were standing still, that they realized how cold they were now that they were drenched, and started to shiver. Rachel practically made a bee line for the car, seeking warmth. Quinn met the Berrys at their house, after Hiram insisted on making them both hot chocolate, and Rachel urging Quinn to come.
She couldn't say no to those big brown eyes if her life depended on it, and did as she was asked. Once the girls were in dry clothes, Rachel was bundled up in a big blanket in the living room, while Quinn finished drying her hair with a towel.
"You look like a lion, Quinn." Rachel giggled when the blonde finished with the towel, her short hair sticking out in every direction like a lion's mane.
Smoothing her hair back down, she got under the blanket with Rachel.
"That wasn't one of the best ideas..." She said as she laid her head on Quinn's shoulder.
"I disagree, it was fun."
"Fun, until we come down with pneumonia and die."
Quinn glanced down at Rachel. "Don't be a drama queen."
"You do realizing you're talking to Rachel Berry, don't you?"
"How could I forget? You're the Queen of drama queens."
"I've gotten better though."
"True. Although you've taken this whole ordeal extremely well."
"Well, I also had a very nice, blonde girl helping me through it."
"Hm, who is this girl you speak of?"
"Brittany."
Quinn dropped her jaw and swiped at Rachel's stomach, grazing the girl's side and making her giggle. "Someone's ticklish!"
"No...don't even think about i-QUINN!" Rachel squealed, when Quinn pushed her down onto the sofa and started poking her sides. "Oh my God, stop! GOSH, I mean GOSH!"
"Say "Quinn's the best.""
"QUINN'S THE BEST, THE BEST!"
Quinn relented and laughed at how easy her victory was. But it didn't last long, when Rachel clobbered her Quinn square in the face with a throw pillow. Quinn glared at the brunette and was just about to grab the pillow next to her and get Rachel back, when Hiram's voice interrupted.
"Girls." He warned. "No pillow fights when there is scalding hot chocolate being held by me."
"Yes, Dad." She replied to him, then turned back to Quinn. "This isn't over."
"Ohh, I'm scared!"
"You should be! I may look harmless but I'm an animal in a pillow fight."
Quinn stared at her for a second then burst out laughing.
"You won't be laughing when I'm beating you with a pillow. I'll have you begging for your life."
"We'll see about that, Shorty."
"You know, most girls would be upset about being slapped in the face, but I happen to appreciate the drama of it." Rachel said as she inspected her cheek.
"I know you think it's hard to be you, Rachel. But at least you don't have to be terrified all the time."
Grabbing a paper towel and wetting it, Rachel turned back to face Quinn with a curious look on her face. "What are you so scared of?"
"The future." Quinn took the towel and dabbed the skin under her eyes. "What all this is gone."
"You have nothing to be scared of. You're a very pretty girl Quinn, the prettiest I've ever met but, you're a lot more than that."
This caused Quinn to tear up again, not trying to hide it this time.
"Can I help?" Rachel gestured to Quinn, to fix her make-up, and the blonde simply nodded.
"You, me, girls night at my apartment." Quinn said as she entered Rachel's room, surprising the girl.
"When?"
"Tonight of course. Bad movies, popcorn, maybe that official pillow fight we were going to have."
"Why bad movies?"
"So we can make fun of them. Britt, Santana, and I used to do it all time."
Rachel just wanted to spend time with Quinn, so she agreed without further questioning.
"What are you doing?"
"You mean before you barged in without a knock and told me I was to accompany you tonight?"
"...Yes."
"I'm going through my music catalog on this thing called iTunes."
Quinn held back a giggle. Rachel just too adorable at times.
"Well you'll have plenty of time to catch up on that later. Pack an overnight bag and meet me downstairs!"
Before Rachel could reply, Quinn was already out the door and on her way down the stairs. Within thirty minutes, they were at Quinn's apartment and were settled on the sofa, Quinn putting the DVD into the player.
"Drive Angry? Never heard of it."
"Of course you haven't, it's a more recent movie."
"And how do you know it's bad?"
"Brittany and Santana watched it last week and recommended it."
Rachel shook her head, still not really understanding the point of watching bad movies, when you could spend your time watching good ones. But still, she went along and watched the movie. Over halfway through, Rachel finally had to say something.
"This movie is terrible." Rachel said as she grabbed some popcorn out of the bowl on Quinn's lap.
"Terribly good."
"No, just terrible. Though Amber Heard is a badass."
Quinn decided to push her luck so she teased Rachel. "You're just saying that because you think she's hot."
"What can I say? I have a thing for blondes." The brunette replied without hesitation. "You know, I never thought Nicolas Cage was that good of an actor, but in this he's just so cheesy and awkward it's hard to watch at times."
"That I'll agree with you on. You could make a drinking game out of it. Take a shot every time Nicolas Cage makes you uncomfortable."
Rachel chuckled and shook her head. "Not that I would participate in a game such as that, but if I did, I would be very drunk by now."
Quinn held back on telling her about the sophomore party she hosted, when she, and the rest of the club had gotten wasted. Rachel was a sweet, but clingy drunk, that needed reassurance. It annoyed Finn, but Quinn wouldn't mind. She would do anything to prove her love to Rachel, even if she wouldn't remember it the next morning.
"Tomorrow you're spending the night at my house, so I can make you watch some good movies."
"And by good movies you mean musicals?"
"I do have other genres of movies other than musicals, Quinn, but yes, most likely."
"Gee, can't wait..."
"Oh please, it can't be worse than the travesty you just made me watch."
"Ugh, fine."
Rachel beamed, excited for the day to come.
"Now, don't we have some unfinished business to attend to?"
"Huh?"
Quinn smacked the side of Rachel's head with a pillow, making her brown hair fly into her face.
"Quinn! You could have warned me!"
"Yeah, just like you warned me before you hit me with the pillow at your house."
"That's it, you're going down, Fabray!"
Not ten minutes later, Rachel had Quinn pinned down on the living room floor.
"You are freakishly strong." The blonde muttered.
"Told you not to underestimate me."
"Never again."
Rachel smiled, pleased with herself, when she realized the position they were in. She was straddling Quinn, with her hands trapped at either side of her head. They were close enough to where they felt the others' breath on their faces, mixing together. All Rachel had to do was lean down and connect their lips, Quinn thinking the same thing, but also not moving to see if Rachel would in fact take that step.
Although Rachel wanted nothing more than to kiss Quinn, she stopped herself. She had to know if Quinn felt the same, before she went and made a potentially bad move. Tonight was not the night, though. Tomorrow, she would talk to Quinn when she came up with a way to ask her that was not so straight forward as "hey, do you like me in a romantic way?""
The rest of the night, they watched some random shows on TV, then went to bed. They shared Quinn's queen-size mattress, both girls finding it distracting, wanting to reach out to the other. It's a wonder either of them made it through the night.
The next morning, Rachel woke up before Quinn, their arms around each other and legs entwined. She had never felt more happy in her life, that she could remember anyway. Quinn made her feel things that she only dreamed about, and she wasn't going to waste any more time. While she waited for Quinn to wake up, she headed out into the kitchen and started to make the pancakes. Right as they were finishing, the blonde appeared in front of her, smiling at the smell.
"What, no bacon?" Quinn teased.
"I saw it in there, but I was afraid the smell would be too much for me. I don't know how you can eat those poor piggies."
"It's not my fault they are delicious."
"Ew. At least you by organic eggs. Here you go."
Rachel slide the plate with two stacked pancakes and two fried eggs in front of her. They ate in comfortable silence, sharing shy glances here and there, before Rachel couldn't take it anymore.
"Can we talk?" Rachel asked suddenly.
"Of course, is everything alright?"
Rachel nodded. "I've actually been remembering some things this past week."
"You have?" Quinn's mood brightened. "Like what?"
"Well, at first I thought they were just dreams, but then they started coming to me when I was awake, and the more I have, the clearer they become. Anyway, they're all conversations I've had with you throughout high school. Pivotal moments between us, I guess you could say, because they all were emotional for one or both of us."
"Oh..." Was all Quinn could say.
It wasn't what she was expecting to hear, but the good thing was that Rachel was at least remembering something.
"You're right." Rachel said.
"About...?"
"The first day at the hospital, you said that you weren't the same person you used to be. So, you're right. I've experienced the true you over this past week, so whether I remember everything that happened between us or not, it won't affect anything about how I feel about you. But I do have a few questions for you."
"Yes?"
"What made you so...angry back then? I mean, I know the pregnancy was a little bit of that, but I know it was something much deeper. Why did you direct it towards me?"
Quinn knew Rachel was going to ask her this at some point, and while she had been waiting for this moment for over two years, she was more nervous than anything.
"Remember that I said there was something about myself that I used to hate?"
Rachel nodded.
"Well, it had to do with that. I didn't have any other outlet for my anger and I was too afraid to talk to anyone about it."
Rachel already knew what Quinn was referring to.
"So...you're gay?"
Quinn shouldn't have been so surprised that Rachel had figured it out, but she had been dropping hints all over the place, and apparently Rachel caught on at some point.
"Yeah."
"It's understandable to be afraid of coming out, especially in high school. People can really suck."
"Quinn nodded. "I saw it first-hand with Kurt. Karofsky tortured the hell out of him. So badly that he had to transfer. I couldn't deal with that..."
"And the answer to my last question, why me?"
Quinn stayed quiet for a few minutes, picking at the remains of her pancakes, thinking of the best way to explain it. "At first, I thought I picked you because you were an easy target. You never really fought back, which made it all the more easy. But, when I stepped back and thought about it, allowed myself to really think about why I did the things I did to you..."
"Yes?"
"It was because you made me feel things that I had didn't want to be feeling, so I took it out on you. Calling you names like Manhands, RuPaul, and Treasure Trail, to make you less feminine in my eyes. It was the only way I knew how to deal with it."
There it was. Quinn's confession was out in the open. She was totally gay for Rachel, but the brunette didn't give her any inclination to how she felt about it.
"How did your parents take it? I know they're religious and all..."
"My father was gone at that point, so he didn't know then. But now he does and he hasn't spoken to me since."
"Oh my. And your mother? She didn't disown you did she?" Rachel's eyes widened.
Quinn smiled to herself. "No. Turns out she's actually pretty laid back without my father around. At first she was upset because I felt that I couldn't have come to her sooner, but she's okay with it."
"When did you tell her?"
"Remember when I told you your accident made me realize many things, and one of them was that pushing you away all those times was a big mistake?"
Rachel nodded.
"Another realization was that anything can happen, without any warning at all. And I wanted my mom to know who to true me was, before or if anything were to happen. So I told her, Brittany, and Santana, and that's it. Santana was going through the same thing, minus the religious parents. She claimed to already know about my crush on you because she said I "had a problem with my leering". Both girls giggled. "Guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought."
"Subtle enough to where I didn't notice, apparently. Or I was just to busy fawning over stupid boys."
"The latter."
Rachel playfully poked Quinn's side. "Do I really have manly-looking hands?" She asked, slightly self-conscious now.
"No. None of what I ever called you was true. You're beautiful, Rach, don't ever think any different."
Quinn was such a charmer, and she didn't even know it making Rachel's heart skipped a beat at her words.
"Do you still feel that way...about me?"
"It's hard not to..."
Rachel's heart pounded in her chest, finally she had her answer.
"Last night...I really wanted to kiss you."
"Me too." Quinn whispered, meeting Rachel's eyes.
"You can kiss me now...if you want to."
"I-I want to."
Leaning over the counter, Quinn gently cupped Rachel's face before connecting their lips. A warm rush went through both of them, Quinn softly moaning into Rachel's mouth, which made the brunette smile. As Quinn's hand slid down Rachel's face and rested at her neck, Rachel wasted no time tangling her fingers in Quinn's short hair, tugging at it as their kisses deepened. When they finally ran out of breath, they pulled apart, both not bothering to hide their bright smiles.
"Now, go pack an overnight bag so we can get home and watch Funny Girl!"
"Oh, God..."
Rachel pecked Quinn on the lips before she skipped into the bedroom and started packing her stuff up to go. Quinn was still sitting at the kitchen counter, wondering what she just got herself into, but whatever it was, she was happily along for the ride.