54 followers, 13 favorites, and 8 reviews? That's a pretty big deal. Glad you guys are liking it, so far. And as a thank you, this chapter's a little bit longer than usual (that's a lie, it's just a coincidence that this already written chapter was longer than normal, I'm sorry I deceived you).

With what little time Rachel had spent there, so far, she got to know the people of the castle more. Particularly Quinn's closest, and seemingly most beloved, of the workers.

Tina was originally a handmaiden gifted to Quinn when they were both young. She was raised in a family of servants, and taught the 'family trade,' as they called it, from a very young age. When they felt she was ready, her parents sent her to the Fabray castle in hopes that they'd have something for her to do. It just so happened that the time of her arrival marked a week before Quinn's 10th birthday.

Kurt's father, Burt, had worked for the royal family. Expertly doing any odd jobs the lord and lady gave him, but specializing in carpentry and taking care of the carriages, he quickly became their most loyal and most trusted of workers. He had a wife, who died shortly after giving birth to their only child. Kurt spent his early years in the castle, where he would watch his father work, but more often than not he would sneak off to watch the tailors do their job. One rainy season, Burt fell deathly ill. Before passing, he asked the lord and lady to watch over his son, and they agreed. He was more of a guest than he was a worker, but they still gave him random jobs to keep him busy – like lighting the castle during the darkened hours, and darkening it when the inhabitants of the castle retired. Eventually, he moved up into an advisor type role, but still took care of the lighting out of habit.

There wasn't much to Brittany. A wanderer looking for work and shelter, she found herself at the castle, offering her services to Quinn in any way she could. She was skeptical at first, but after seeing how thorough of a job Brittany did at cleaning, the maiden welcomed her. She had actually joined the staff only months before the spell was cast on the castle. When Rachel asked her how she felt about that, all Brittany said was, "Everything happens for a reason."

Ms. Jones was the oldest of many siblings, and because of her experience in helping raise children, she had originally aspired to be a nanny. But when work came up short, she decided to broaden her horizons. While working at the castle, she primarily took care of the tea, but every so often she would help out in the kitchen.

Jesse didn't seem to have an actual job at the castle, at least not one that Rachel could figure out. He didn't give her many answers when she asked him questions about his past. Just that he'd lived at the castle most of his life. He seemed to practically overflow with pride – balking when Rachel dared to call him a servant. Rachel could respect that.

With every new fact learned about her new housemates, she couldn't help but think about the one story she had yet to hear.

She hadn't seen much of Quinn at all, in her few days there. The beast seemed to only let herself be seen during meals, where they would only quietly sit and eat, much to Rachel's discomfort. She had tried to start a conversation once, but Quinn only glared at her in return. She assumed she had broken some royal decree known only to the beast, and didn't try again.

The beast's actions were starting to annoy her. What was the point of leaving her father and going back to the castle, if she couldn't keep an eye on Quinn like Emma wanted? Not only that, but it was far from polite to ignore a houseguest. She asked the others about Quinn's cold and often unresponsive behavior, but all they did was shrug or shake their heads. They seemed as upset about it as she was.

Occasionally, she would catch a glimpse of her as she ascended the stairs up to the West Wing. She thought better than to try and follow her. By chance, as she was making her way to her bedroom one late afternoon, Rachel just barely managed to catch the beast before she began to walk the stairs.

"You know, it's been days since I've been here, and I haven't received so much as a 'good morning.'" Rachel's nostrils flared slightly as she stormed towards Quinn.

Quinn's tail twitched in agitation at the harshness in Rachel's voice, but she did her best to calm herself before facing the woman. "I'm sorry?"

"You should be," Rachel scolded. "Everyone else has taken their time to get properly acquainted with me. If I was tested with questions about their past, I would pass with flying colors! Well…except for Jesse. But I still know more about him than I do you!" While Rachel stared at the finger she had unconsciously jabbed at the beast's chest, she silently prayed to whatever was listening that Emma was right and she would remain safe.

Meanwhile, Quinn barely even noticed the offending finger. She was far too baffled by the rest of the woman's actions. It had been years since anyone dared to challenge her behavior. Quinn's tail started to twitch for a completely different reason.

"What is it you would like to know, exactly?" she stiltedly questioned, a glint in her eye as she refrained from snarling at the woman.

Surprised, yet relieved at her response, Rachel quickly removed her finger from the soft fur. Finally seeing an in to start her work, she asked, "How about your name?"

Flustered by the question, she went silent for a while. Whether it was because she didn't want to tell her or because she couldn't remember it to tell, Rachel didn't know.

"I…Quinn. My name is Quinn."

Rachel smiled, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Quinn."

Quinn coughed in an attempt to disguise the pleased sound she made at hearing her name.

"Now, why don't you tell me why you spend so much time in the West Wing? I've been there, myself, and I can tell you it's nothing in comparison to the rest of your castle," Rachel joked, and quickly regretted it as Quinn stiffened.

"I'm not used to people wanting me around." She paused. "Sometimes, contrary to the belief of my servants, I actually don't prefer to be alone." It was a statement that greatly confused Rachel.

"Then why don't you ask them for more company? I'm sure they'd understand. They might like to see you around more."

"They see me enough, already. I'm not foolish enough to think that they stayed here because of my company."

"I-I don't think I understand."

Quinn barked out a bitter laugh, "Do you think they're here because they want to be? Kurt, Tina, Ms. Jones, and Brittany; they all work for me. If they were still human, they would have left long ago." She turned her back on Rachel, again trying to make her way up the steps to her chamber.

It was then, with the beast's back to her, that Rachel remembered every detail of the night in the woods, after Finn had rescued her. That mournful howl that she could clearly place as Quinn's.

"Why did you let me escape?" Rachel asked. Quinn froze, but there was nothing but silence in response, so Rachel pushed forward. "In the woods. I know you were there, that night, Quinn, so why?"

She let out some form of a scoff and a grunt, "You clearly didn't want to be here with me- us! With us…and that man you were with had a gun. I thought it was best to let you go and not be mistaken for one of the animals in the forest."

Quinn once again tried to make an exit, only to be stopped by a small hand over halfway up her back. She turned around with a quizzical eye as Rachel pulled back.

"You tore me away from my dad, and you held me captive. Of course I didn't want to stay here." She searched Quinn's golden eyes, trying to see past the swirls of color, "But I'm back, because I want to be here, now. And I think I would enjoy having your company, and so would the others, if you'd let us in."

Rachel walked away, and Quinn successfully made her trek up to her chamber.

"Fix it."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Yes, but how?"

"I don't know," Jesse shrugged, "that's for you to figure out. I'm the one that told you to not screw it up, remember?"

The beast roared in pain as a brush was yanked through her fur, and Kurt winced in apology. The usual crowd, minus Brittany, was gathered in Quinn's private bath. They had barged into the room while she was in the middle of both bathing and trying to clear her mind of all things Rachel. The latter, she had decided as she was bombarded with questions about the beauty, was nothing but a lost cause.

Forgetting Rachel wouldn't have done her any good, anyway. It was a silly idea brought on by multiple things. It came from revealing any sign of weakness to anyone, especially someone she knew as long as Rachel. It came from the glowing warmth that erupted inside her when she heard Rachel say her name. It came from the way Rachel looked into her eyes at the end, and the hard thumping in Quinn's chest in response. Of course, this was all a part of the plan, and she should have been happy that she felt something, anything, for the woman. She just didn't expect it to happen so suddenly.

She had told her servants about her and Rachel's talk in very little detail. She fixed them with her glare before they tried to pry anymore information out of her, and they decided what she gave them was enough. After her bath was over, she sat on an uncomfortable footstool, soggy body hunched over and wrapped in a towel as Kurt tried to comb through her mane.

"Give her a gift," Ms. Jones suggested.

"Oh, that's a wonderful idea. A little something personal to show that you care," Kurt absently commented, trying to remove hair from the brush with his non-hands.

The question was, what? Except for her father, Quinn didn't know of anything that Rachel liked. And it was near impossible for Quinn to go into town, let alone track down a man she'd only seen once in the dark, so that ruled that option out.

What Rachel wanted – what Quinn knew Rachel wanted – was to learn more about Quinn. And there was only one way she knew how to give that to the woman.

"What are you going to do?" Kurt asked after a period of silence.

"I'm going to let her in."

Brittany twirled herself atop the dresser with a grace that Rachel guessed would take years of practice to manage. She watched on with mild fascination. It was an interesting experience, watching a feather duster clean by itself. For a short while, she tried to figure out what object she would turn into if she were cursed. Then she concluded that being cooped up in her bedroom for the past few hours was slowly driving her insane. But she still didn't feel like leaving any time soon.

After her encounter with Quinn, she had busted into the room and immediately started ranting to Tina about how difficult the beast could be. Of course, she didn't expect leaps and bounds of improvement between the two of them so quickly, but she hoped that things would have gone smoother than they did. Still, she could feel some sense of accomplishment in discovering that Quinn was not yet too far gone. She remembered her name, for one, and was obviously still able to feel something aside from anger: loneliness.

What perplexed Rachel the most was how Quinn couldn't see how much her workers cared for her. Rachel could easily tell in the way they spoke about her. No matter the actual words, there was always some fondness behind them.

She didn't know how long she ended up talking, but she only stopped when there was a quiet thumping at the door. She opened it to reveal Brittany, reporting for a routine weekly cleaning. She thought she might have heard a sigh of relief from Tina.

In hopes to stay away from Quinn for a little while, Rachel had stayed and watched Brittany work. She wished she hadn't, as Brittany meticulously searched every square inch of the room for any speck of dust, shushing Rachel whenever she tried to make small talk. Thankfully, another rapping at her door sounded out, and with a relieved sigh of her own, she rushed to answer it.

"Oh, it's you," she attempted nonchalance at the sight of Quinn on the other side of the door, and decided not to question the bit of enjoyment she got from causing the irked expression on the beast's face.

Quinn stood tall and threw her shoulders back in an air of defiance, "Who else would it be?" From behind Rachel, Brittany stopped her dusting long enough to send a stern look her way, and the beast slowly shrunk back to her normal height.

Rachel huffed and made to close the door, but Quinn caught it with her paw, "Wait, I'm sorry. Just…give me some time. I'm not used to this."

She stared at Quinn for a while before removing her hands from the door, "Not used to what?"

"You. People not just accepting whatever I give them."

"Well, I've never been one to let myself get pushed around."

Quinn felt herself relax slightly when she spotted the hint of a smile pulling at Rachel's lips, "I'll try to remember that."

"Was there something you needed, Quinn?"

"Yes, actually. There's something I need to show you." She held out one of her paws, masterfully controlling its timid shaking. "Please."

Rachel didn't know what had happened to Quinn since she last saw her, and she didn't really care. Whether it was from Quinn taking Rachel's words to heart, or something brought on by Quinn herself, she still marked it as progress.

Rachel gently placed her hand in the offered paw and marveled at the differences. The size was the most obvious, especially when Quinn easily enveloped Rachel's hand in her own. That's when she noticed how warm Quinn's hand was compared to hers, even if it was just because of the fur. She felt the scratch of calluses on the pads of the paw, and it made her wonder how often Quinn walked around on all fours.

She was paying so much attention to the intricate details of the creature's hand; Rachel didn't notice that Quinn had already led them to their destination. Rachel stood, dumbfounded, staring at the staircase to the West Wing. Slowly, she turned to face the beast and waited for an explanation. What she got was an uncomfortable smile as Quinn let go of her hand and started up the stairs.

Halfway up the steps, Quinn paused when she noticed she wasn't being followed.

"Are you coming?" she asked, looking down at the woman expectantly.

Rachel opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it and made her way up the stairs. Once they both hit the landing, Quinn sucked in a breath, long and deep, before slowly letting it out.

"There are a few things I have to tell you," she started before walking down the hallway. Rachel immediately followed.

The sound of footfalls echoed as they wandered down the hall, seemingly directionless. Rachel was about to ask why they were there when Quinn spoke again.

"I've never exactly been the nicest person. People feared me even before I turned into this," she waved at her body. "They didn't think I knew, but I did. And I used it against them. A lot. Everyone was too afraid to counter me, and I took humor in that fact."

She stopped in her travel, almost causing Rachel to run into her. Quinn turned to face her, "They were nothing like you. How you manage to fit so much attitude in such a tiny body, I'll never understand."

Rachel's lips puckered in annoyance, but it drained away when she heard Quinn laugh.

"I want to give you something. What's the one thing you enjoy most in life, the thing you couldn't possibly live without?"

"Music," Rachel's answer was immediate.

Quinn smiled, "Perfect." And she started to walk again.

Further down the hallway, they stopped at a set of double doors that Rachel didn't notice, before. They were simple in design, unlike the others she saw, but just as large. She watched as Quinn tightly gripped each handle and pushed the doors open with a flourish, then stepped aside and motioned for Rachel to enter.

She took tentative steps inside, closing her eyes until she had fully entered the room. When she opened them, Rachel just about fainted. Inside those walls was a multitude of instruments, many Rachel had only read about in her various books. An army of strings and woodwinds and brass played a symphony in Rachel's head as she cheerily examined every one. Up against the walls were bookcases full of music from faraway lands that she could only dream of. Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust, but otherwise looked undamaged.

She spun around to face Quinn, eyes bright and smile wide. Quinn smiled in return, tail swishing happily at the woman's reaction.

"I'm assuming you like it."

Rachel could only nod.

"Then it's yours."

Smile never leaving her face, Rachel attempted to protest, "Oh, Quinn, this is all so magnificent, but I couldn't possibly-"

"Please," Quinn held up her hand. "This was my second favorite room when I was a human; that's why it was left untouched. I knew how to play nearly every instrument in here, and I used to sing a lot, too. But these new hands make it hard to do much of anything, and I can't sing anymore with the voice I have." A sly smile spread across her lips, "It would be a shame to have this room go to waste when there's somebody living here that could actually use it."

Rachel didn't need very much convincing. "You're right, it would be a waste. I…thank you, Quinn."

Quinn looked over the room, "I'll have to get Brittany and the other maids to do a quick sweep through before you get to use it, but after that, you're free to come here any time you like."

"Any time?" Realization had finally sunk in. As wonderful as the gift was by itself, it was more than just a music room. Quinn was welcoming her into her makeshift sanctuary, the only place she claimed as just her own.

And Quinn only smiled and nodded and left the room, tail still gently swaying.

Rachel left the room soon after Quinn, and was surprised to see the beast was waiting for her.

"There's one more thing I need to show you," Quinn said before once again heading down the hall.

This time, they walked until they reached the end of the hall. Rachel's spine tingled at the remembrance of what happened the last time she was there, but managed to push those thoughts far back into her mind. This wasn't like the last time, she told herself. This time, Quinn was letting her in.

Quinn pushed open the chamber doors and walked in first, all the way to the last intact piece of furniture. To the stand with the glowing gardenia. Rachel stood at the doorway for a time, watching as Quinn stared at the flower.

"Before, I said I wasn't used to people not accepting whatever I gave them. I think it's only happened once, before you came along." Then, she added as an afterthought, "Well, except for all the times with Jesse, but he doesn't really count."

"Why?"

"The way he explains it; as my younger brother, he's supposed to give me a hard time."

Rachel stood, eyebrows raised and mouth slightly agape, before shaking off the surprise. "I…suppose that makes sense."

The beast eyed the mirror that lay next to the gardenia, before picking it up and turning to face Rachel. "The time before was when I denied an old woman shelter, just because I could. She ended up secretly being an enchantress, trying to test my generosity, and she cursed me for it." She held out the mirror, letting Rachel take hold of it. "She gave me this and the gardenia. The mirror is to help me see the world I'm missing out on, I guess. Ask for it to show you something."

She thought for a moment, and then looked at the mirror, "Show me my dad."

Green light shimmered across the reflective surface, and then slowly dimmed enough to reveal Hiram, comfortably tucked away in his bed as he slept soundly. She smiled at the sight of the man, enjoying it for a little while longer before handing the mirror back.

"Thank you. And what about the gardenia?" Rachel asked, looking back at the flower.

"That…that's not important." Rachel could tell this was a topic that Quinn wouldn't budge on, so she accepted the answer for what it was.

The sight of her father sleeping made Rachel's body realize just how late it had become, and she yawned. "This has been wonderful, Quinn, but it's gotten late and I think all this excitement has taken its toll on me."

"I understand, I'm a little spent, myself. Goodnight, Rachel. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Quinn." Rachel gave her a soft smile and headed back to her room. Before she left, she added over her shoulder, "Thank you for letting me in."