I do not own Glee. If I did, I would totally get my mack on with Dianna or Naya. But I don't. Freaking Ryan Murphy…

Chapter 11

QPOV

I yawned loudly after setting my phone aside, and Rachel gave me an incredulous look.

"You aren't seriously tired at 8:45, are you?" She gaped at me.

"What can I say? All this emotional shit makes me sleepy." She chuckled at this.

"Well then take a nap. I'm not tired in the least, so I'll do whatever for a little bit." Drowsily, I nodded my head, and leaned up against the brunette. She smiled, and as I closed my eyes, I saw her reach for her phone, and start texting somebody.


A while later, I woke up, sprawled on the couch, with my arms wrapped around Rachel's waist. I blinked slowly, shifting to look up. The girl smirked at me, before setting down her phone, which she was still holding, and turning to look at me.

"You say strange things in your sleep, you know." I panicked, wondering what my subconscious was thinking about while I was in dreamland.

"What did I say?" I asked with urgency.

"Oh, not much. Just something about magical mushrooms. And potato ice cream…" She drifted off, seeming to ruminate over mushrooms and potatoes. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Last time I talked in my sleep, Santana gleaned a particularly private piece of information about me. I would hate for a repeat of that, especially with Rachel.

"What time is it?" I asked, wondering how long I slept. She checked the clock on her phone.

"10:53"

"Whoa."

"Yup." She responded, becoming engrossed in her phone again.

"Who ya texting?" I asked, feeling slightly ignored.

"Noah." This took a few moments to register, but when it did, I sat up and glared at her.

"PUCK?!" She turned back towards me, looking very alarmed.

"Uh, yeah… Is that a problem?" She asked, seeming befuddled.

"YES! He's Puck! Of course it's a problem!"

"Excuse me, Quinn, but it is really none of your business who I do or do not text. After our failed romance last year, he and I have actually become friends, which is a welcome change. If you happen to remember, he was one of the many, many people that would slushy me on a daily basis. Comparatively, I much prefer his friendship."

I spluttered, before finding my words, and shouting them at her. "But he is… an incredibly TERRIBLE influence! He's a Lima loser, and will always be one!" She turned on me, with a restricted fire behind her eyes that I had never seen before.

"He has hurt you in a way none of us can even fathom, and that I will never forget. I have not forgiven him for doing that to someone I care about, and I will not until you do. However, everyone deserves a second chance." I tried to interject here, but Rachel held up her hand. "That's why you are sitting here right now, too. Do you think that he hurt me more than you did? Do you really think that you deserve more of a second chance than he does? Noah Puckerman is a troubled boy, yes, and he has made many bad decisions, yes, but he is also capable of responsibility and love. You of all people should know that. Don't remember the Puck that knocked you up; remember the Noah that cared for you in the 9 months that followed. Just think back for a minute: what was the worst part about staying at his house?"

"His mom wouldn't let me eat bacon." I grumbled. She laughed.

"See? That had nothing to do with him or negligence on his part. He is so much more than he appears to be. I'm not saying that your opinion of him should change or anything; but be aware that I am friends with him – and there really is nothing that the great and powerful Quinn Fabray can do about it." I looked at her in a completely different light. I just realized something that I had never thought about in my almost-17 years of existence. I truly respect people that stand up to me.

"So?" She asked in a suddenly insecure voice. I broke into a grin.

"You really do see the best in people, don't you?" She nodded rapidly. I scooted closer and slung my arm around her shoulders.

"Well I guess then there isn't a thing that the great and powerful Quinn Fabray can do about it, is there?" Her lips curved into a small smile. I jumped up, getting an idea. I grabbed my iPod from my purse, and ran to the Apple dock. I plugged it in, and selected the song I wanted. I turned walking towards Rachel, and pulled her to her feet. As the intro played, she gave me a deer-in-headlights look.

"Oh no you didn't." I laughed.

"Oh yes I did." I waited through the intro, preparing to start the first verse, but Rachel cut me off. Her face lit up as she sang, and I swear, in my entire life, I will never get tired of seeing her like this.

Something has changed within me

Something is not the same

I'm through with playing by the rules

Of someone else's game

I jumped in for the second verse.

Too late for second-guessing

Too late to go back to sleep

It's time to trust my instincts

Close my eyes: and leap!

Our voices harmonized, as we joined in the chorus.

It's time to try defying gravity

I think I'll try defying gravity

Kiss me goodbye

I am defying gravity

And you won't bring me down!

For the rest of the song we continued to shift who was singing what, and, if I do say so myself; we sounded better than Kurt did.

I'm through accepting limits

'cause someone says they're so

Some things I cannot change

But till I try, I'll never know!

Too long I've been afraid of

Losing love I guess I've lost

Well, if that's love

It comes at much too high a cost!

I'd sooner buy defying gravity

Kiss me goodbye

I'm defying gravity

I think I'll try defying gravity

And you won't bring me down!

I'd sooner buy defying gravity

Kiss me goodbye

I'm defying gravity

I think I'll try defying gravity

And you won't bring me down!

Bring me down!

As she held the last glorious note, she positively beamed. I knew I had done my job well, as my entire aim was to cheer her up.

"Quinn, that was amazing!" I smirked.

"Well of course it was. It was my idea, wasn't it?" She lightly whacked my arm, and my smirk turned to a grin.

"Cocky much?"

"Annoying much?" I retorted.

"I'm hungry." She suddenly said, turning towards the door.

"There's still that ice cream down there…" I suggested.

"Ooh, yay!" She bounced into her room, and I followed; albeit less excitedly. We tiptoed down the stairs, given the late hour. Rachel got the kitchen first, and shrieked. I leapt down the last 4 steps, sprinting to get to her.

"What happened?!" I asked, panicking. Then I saw Leroy standing there, hands on hips, looking very much like one Rachel Berry. I suppose it runs in the family.

"Oh. Yeah. I forgot to tell you, your dads will be home around 11." She turned towards me, looking very irritated indeed.

"No dip, Sherlock." I shrugged.

"I didn't actually get any dip." She did not appreciate the humor.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! I forgot!"

"Quinn, it's fine. Let me guess, ice cream?" Leroy asked, turning around to procure two bowls.

"Uh, yeah, actually. How did you know?" I asked.

"I heard singing. Knowing Rachel, hunger came next. By the way, you two sound very good together." He said, as he reached into the freezer. I turned pink and mumbled a 'thank you', but Rachel spoke up, feeling her expertise necessary.

"Yes, Daddy, Quinn's range and my talent usually meld together very well." Absentmindedly, I started humming 'I Feel Pretty/Unpretty'. Soon, I realized Rachel was singing along.

You can buy your hair if it won't grow

You can fix your nose if you say so

You can buy all the makeup that MAC can make

But if

You can't look inside you

Find out who am I too

Be in a position to make me feel so

Damn Unpretty

Reluctantly, I cut her off.

"I would love to show your dad how well our duet went, but I seriously do want to eat this before it melts." I said, pointing down at the bowl of Neapolitan ice cream. She pouted, and I melted a little inside.

"Another time?" Rachel brightened up immediately.

"Totally!" She then dug in with fervor, and I looked up to see Leroy wink at me.

After about 15 minutes of small talk with the two Berrys, we finished and made our way back upstairs. I collapsed backwards onto Rachel's bed, and she fell beside me. I turned, and curled into the brunette's side.

"Sleepy-time now?" She chuckled.

"You get tired really easily, huh?" I grumbled about no coffee, but didn't give a definitive response.

"Okay then, I believe midnight is a respectable time for a high schooler to go to sleep." She said, poking me in the side. I glared at her, but just curled more into a fetal position. I felt her weight leave the bed, and clawed around where she had been for that warmth again.

"I'll be right back." She said, before walking into the bathroom. I scooted up towards the headboard, before covering myself with the sheet on the bed.

A little while later, the other side of the mattress dipped, and I felt Rachel slide in beside me. Already drifting off to sleep, I reached out and grabbed her midsection, pulling her closer. Content, I sighed into the back of the girl's neck, and my mind gave into the hazy mess of dreams that holed up in my head all day. Only, tonight was different. In almost all of my dreams was the recurring face of a certain Rachel Berry.

A/N: Wassup home skillet! Okay, I can't pull that off… Anyway, so I realized that most of what I've been writing has been from Quinn's POV, (which is weird cuz I relate to Rachel more but whatever), and I really did want this to be omniscient so I'm going to change it up a little. Also, I know a lot of people don't like a lot of songs in stories, but I do; so if you don't care for them, just skip over it. Also, I'm not sure whether or not this is AU. I'm not changing the characters much, and the setting is the same; but I take artistic liberty with the positioning of plot events in comparison with canon, and with stuff like that. So what do you guys think? Suggestions are welcomed and encouraged. I don't have the entire plot set in stone, and I definitely am not sure what to do along the way. As always, read and review please! I need feedback, it's what I live on! Peace out. :)

PS: The songs were Defying Gravity by Idina Menzel and covered by Lea Michele and Chris Colfer, and I Feel Pretty/Unpretty sung by Dianna Agron and Lea Michele