AN: Party Take II. Probably 2 out of 3. And no, they can't get together just like that... there's Summer, and stuff... and people being complicated. And thinking too much... Also, I think my next update will be next Friday, did I mention I am moving to a different country? Well, I am!

Thanks for for reading and reviewing, please keep on doing that!

Chapter 11.

Kurt's Birthday Party.

Mercedes quickly served the wine and made a toast about anything she could think off. You could cut the tension with a knife and Kurt staring first at the brunette and then the shorter blonde wasn't making things any easier for the girls. Brittany was grabbing Santana by the arm, both of them standing by the door, Mercedes was sitting on the couch, almost chugging her wine, and Rachel was next to her. Blushed. Quinn tripped while attempting to hide away in the kitchen saying she needed to get 'something'. And then the doorbell rang. "Thank God", says Santana who opens the door. Some old friends from college show up, Kurt tries to introduce the newcomers to his high school friends.

"From what you always say about high school, I though all of your friends were like... really weird people", starts one of the friends from college.

"And they are... don't you see?", replies a smiling Kurt.

"Well, you never mention you went to school with Rachel Berry, can we get our picture taken with her?", mentions one of the new guys.

"I did mention it... I said I went to school with a very talented yet complicated person"

"That's not nice Kurt", says Brittany.

"It's the truth. But I know Rachel here doesn't mind, do you?", asks Kurt, almost as if he was trying to intimidate the Broadway star.

"No Kurt, it's fine", says the brunette. Things might have changed, but Kurt was still onto her, she didn't blame him, especially because she probably deserved it. Even so, she was willing and hoping she'd had the chance to talk to the boy and fix things. They needed that. "Hey, Mercedes, is there somewhere I can get some air?"

"Yeah, if you walk down the hall and turn right, there's Kurt's room, he has a balcony. Just make sure he doesn't see you trying to run away... look, I'll walk you and we'll pretend we're going to the restroom, otherwise he won't let you go. I don't understand why he's being especially mean to you tonight"

"I think I do, it's the first time we meet in years, and we've been living in the same city all the time"

"Whatever, we're grownups... something like that. We're trying to... look, whatever you did, you'll explain in time"

"If you give me the chance..."

"But something tells me, you need to make up with someone else first".

"May be"

"Let's go... I actually do need to use the rest room". Rachel laughed. This wasn't weird at all... was it? Once Mercedes left her in the balcony Rachel texted Hector, they became really good friends... years after the tour was done, once Rachel recognized her friend had been right all along. He promised he'd get there as soon as he was done with a date he didn't even like in the first place.

Mercedes went in fact back to the apartment to use the restroom and then ran into the kitchen, hoping Kurt wouldn't notice some people were absent. She then thanked God for wine, drinks and Kurt's need to be a bartender. And it was only 10:30.

"Q, what are you doing here? Even Santana is talking to Kurt's friends, and you haven't met Tom and Sally, they work with us at the store, they're so nice. You should meet them... are you OK?" Quinn nods, but doesn't say a thing "Look, I know about you and Rachel, but I thought you said you were OK with seeing her"

"Mercedes... nothing ever happened, I am sorry we never had this particular discussion before, but believe me, nothing, nothing ever happened. Rachel and I never talked about it. And now, well, I guess we should talk about it once and for all, so we can move on and things like this don't ever happen again, right?" May be she was just trying to convince herself.

"So you're saying you don't have feelings for her anymore?", inquires Mercedes.

"Of course I don't! How could I? We're different now, of course I moved on"

"If you say so, I am not juding you, you know?... she's in Kurt's balcony, if you want to see her now"

"I think it's a good idea, see her before Summer gets here. If Rachel it's gonna be a part of our lives again, at least we should be able to see each other without so much tension around us"

"I know, I could almost smell the tension", said Brittany walking into the kitchen. "Sorry to interrupt, but S wanted her thing she bought this morning, and I put it in the fridge"

"You two are so weird, I swear", replied Mercedes.

"I'm glad you'll finally talk", said Brittany.

"Yeah... if Summer gets here, just let me know, OK?"

"Will do, you'll like her Mercedes, she's nice"

"And she's another reason why I need to close this circle", says Quinn before exiting the kitchen.

"So you're serious about this girl?", asks a surprised Mercedes.

"Could be... I feel really, I guess lucky, to have ran into her the night I did... so yes, hopefully it'll be the start of something good"

"Great, so now go and talk to our Broadway star", tells a very confused Mercedes.

Quinn hurries to the balcony, why is she running? She's not sure, but she needs to get this done before Summer shows up. She's convinced a new relationship would be good for her, new city, new job, new girlfriend. And the fact that this new girl was good looking and had a promising career ahead of her didn't hurt either.

"Rach..." started the blonde surprising the other girl. The brunette was laying on the balcony. Staring into the nothingness.

"Quinn, I was trying to figure out a good way to approach to you, so we could talk", replies turning around to face the blonde.

"Me too. And this seemed to be a good option, do you mind if I join you?" asks stepping into the balcony. The city was calm, quiet, so unusual.

"Sure...Kurt has a nice view... of the subway... and people walking down the street", says Rachel, the blonde laughs a little.

"I guess he does. He's gonna help me find a studio, Santana and I are..."

"I know... Santana told Dad something about that, and I was there with Brit when Santana called her to let her know the good news"

"It's true, I forgot you had coffee with B, it's good you're reconnecting"

"I wanted you to be the first one"

"What?"

"To be the first one I'd reconnect with..."

"That would have been nice... that would be nice"

"So are you willing to give me a chance?", smiles the short one.

"I think so... you were really special to me Rach, and I think you'll never understand how much it hurt when you didn't say goodbye... But I think it's about time we let it go. I heard you're going through some bad stuff, rough stuff and I want to help you out"

"Thanks Quinn... I thought this was going to be harder, I though you hated me"

"Well, don't think I'll forgive you that easily! You'll have to make up to me. But yes, I want to get to know this grown up Rachel, there's no use in hating someone, like I said, you were special to me back then"

"And I'd love to get to know this new you, so in charge, so calm, so mature"

"Thanks Rach." replies blushing, "and I think it'd be a good idea if we talk about what happened that day, after graduation, when you ran away. But we don't have to discuss that particular issue right now. I... I need to tell you something"

"Yes?", Rachel's heart was speeding, Quinn was shaky and nervous. The blonde turned to see the landscape, the moon.

"Well, as you've probably heard by now... I have been dating girls for the last eight years. Or something like that. But I've been dating girls all this time after high school and I pretty much think it'll be like that for the rest of my life"

"I heard something and I can't say it didn't surprise me"

"Well, it surprised me as well. And while I thought I had only realized that until I was in college, later on I accepted that started to feel this way since high school... and well, I think I had feelings for you back then"

"I thought..."

"You don't have to say anything, really, at first I thought it was just a crush, and who knows? May be it was, but now we've moved on, we're different now and I don't even know what you thought back then. How you felt. But please know that I no longer feel like that but I think it's only right and fair for you to know that and for me to acknowledge that. So this way we have it all out in the open and can really move on and have a friendship, who knows?"

Pause. Rachel doesn't know what to say. So she wasn't crazy, Quinn had feelings for her, romantic feelings. It was not only possible, but plausible for them to be... together? She wasn't alone in this one. It was all exploding in her head.

"Rach, really. Look, I am sorry if this caught you by surprise, although I most admit I thought you felt the same way..."

"I did, I do, I mean... I feel the same way"

"What?", asks confused.

"I had feelings for you then, I think... you think now we could... I don't know how to explain this, but may be now...", the brunette was trying to make sense, she was rambling.

"No, Rach, look, I want to be friends with you and reconnect and all that... but nothing else. We still have other things to talk about. We're different now, it's impossible for you to still feel the same way you did back then... I think. Plus, aren't you like straight? Look, let's not getting into things right now, we..."

"We need to talk about other things, I know. We need to talk about that day, after graduation, get to know each other again"

"Exactly. You haven't talked to me in eight years, Rach", replies Quinn facing the brunette. She looked so pretty.

"I know..." she is amazed of herself, how could she let eight years go by like that? "What if I cook dinner for us, sometime next week may be" asked Rachel Berry, holding Quinn's hand.

"That'd be..." Quinn was trying to think, really trying, why did her hands had to feel that way, why did her body had to respond like that?, "that'd be a good idea, dinner. But it has to be at a restaurant or something, I am seeing someone, someone I really like. And you cooking dinner, well, I need something friendlier... I am just rambling... but I want to have a real relationship now that I have finally discussed this with you, now that we're doing some closure to what happened in high school... and what are you, really? No, look..." she had to let go of Rachel's hand, "whatever it was in high school, time has passed and as Santana says, we all need to move on to new things. Summer, she can be great for me"

"I understand, of course I do. But we're still on for dinner, right?" Quinn couldn't face Rachel and see that disappointment in her face, but she's sure Rachel is probably still confused, she will realize pretty soon that the two of them don't belong together. But all Rachel's really thinking, is who that new girl in Quinn's life is...

"Of course, I want us to do closure and... be friends again. I wanna know it all about your new plans and then sell the scoop the to the tabloids or whatever"

"You're so funny... I see that hasn't changed", comments Rachel using her flirty tone of voice, 'where did that come from?' she asks to herself.

"Oh, like you ever really knew me, Mrs. Sarcasm", replies Quinn smiling. Stupid chemistry, may be that never really fades away.

"I am sorry to interrupt this..." starts a slightly buzzed Kurt looking suspiciously at his friends, "but I think that this thing going on here", he continues motioning a circle with his hands, "needs to stop". Brittany appears to grab the boy by the waist.

"I think that what he's trying to say, is that someone's here for you Rach. Hector, he says he's your date... just showed up"

"Oh, no, he's just..."

"No need to explain, Rachel", replies Kurt, "no need, we know that you'll explain things, like you always do, may be this time we'll only have to wait for like three months"

"Kurt! Rach, you should go see your friend, he was a little anxious", continues Brittany.

"Of course... so, Quinn"

"I'll meet you out there, Rach"

The brunette walks back to the party, while Kurt takes some air.

"You know Quinn? I thought I'd walk here to find you and Rachel making out", he starts.

"No... no, I'm with Summer, kind of. Plus... it seems to me that Rachel is just dealing with what she felt back in high school"

"No, she knew, she's been dealing with if for as long as you have", replies the taller blonde.

"Probably, but whatever it is... she clearly has someone now, a guy, I have someone, a girl, we've changed and..."

"We know! Like Santana says, time to move on, but just so you know, somethings never change and sometimes, that's a good thing", continues Brittany, annoyed by her girlfriend's pessimism.

"I for one agree with Santana on this one...", comments Kurt facing her friends.

"Like I said, we're done with that. Let's go back to the party guys, Summer will be here any second, now"

Like I said, 2 out 3, most likely. Then we move on to other fun stuff... I for one, don't really feelings this this ever fade away for good.

What do you think? Guess we'll see what happens. But they'll be busy, that's for sure.

Thanks for reading, please review!