Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.
A/N: I'm sorry for the delay. These past weeks… no months have been crazy. Am I alive?... I honestly don't know. I'm exhausted, but I managed to finish this chapter today. I still really NEED A BETA-READER. If someone could help me I would be really grateful.
I hope you enjoy!
Birthday
The music was blasting loudly, and the group of students danced around the room following the choreography.
Hazel eyes spotted quickly the figure of the petite diva and stared at her with pure admiration and devotion.
Quinn couldn't help the smile that crept to her lips when she saw Rachel dancing happily with one of her classmates. The blonde had thought that coming to watch Rachel perform was a risk for her plan, but she couldn't help it.
Still, the ex-cheerleader remained hidden so Rachel would not see her.
"Ok, class dismissed!" Cassandra announced and with that all the students started to leave the class. "Good work today, Schwimmer." Cassandra complimented. Quinn watched the enormous grin in Rachel's features and giggled quietly before moving to hide before Rachel saw her. Seconds later, she watched Rachel leave the classroom, so she moved forward and walked in surprising the teacher with her presence.
"What do we have here? A beautiful blonde with presents. Did you change your mind and decided to go out with me, Fabray?" Miss July smirked while eying the beautiful blonde that carried a little bouquet of flowers and a small box in her hands.
"Nope, these here are for me to bribe you." Quinn smiled mysteriously earning a frown from the older woman.
"Bribe me into what exactly?"
"Here is not safe. Would you rather come with me, so we can discuss it?"
"I would love that, Fabray."
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Rachel frowned when she felt the bed dip next to her.
"Rachel…" A husky voice sounded next to her ear. The brunette curled herself further within the blankets while groaning, wishing for her intruder to let her sleep a little longer. However, her unwanted companion simply moved closer to her and snuggled her nose behind her ear.
The smile of contentment she had when she felt a soft nose nuzzling the back of her neck was enough to tell that Rachel wasn't at all mad of having the invader so close to her. Long arms snaked down her waist and soon enough she was enveloped by the warm that the body behind her provided.
When she hear a deep inhale behind her, she giggled happily waking up fully from her slumber.
"Are you sniffing me, Quinn?" Rachel asked, still refusing to open her eyes while she cuddled with the blonde in their bed.
"Yes, I am." The blonde answered shamelessly. "You smell like jasmine and strawberry."
"You have a good nose, but I'm not impressed. I can tell how you smell without sniffing you."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, you smell like lavender, vanilla, cinnamon and…" Rachel stopped when she recognize the last smell as Quinn's soap. "And watermelon." Rachel opened her eyes and turned around so she could look at the blonde in surprised. "You are already showered!" Quinn deliberately ignored the accusation and giggled softly.
"Vanilla and cinnamon? Why do I smell like your favorite coffee?"
"Um… cappuccino." Rachel hummed. "Don't evade the topic, Quinn." Wordlessly, the blonde pointed to the clock that showed that it was nine and ten in the morning.
"Oh my God! Quinn I'm going to be late! Miss July is going to kill me!" Rachel was about to jump off the bed, but Quinn wrapped her hands around Rachel's waist and pull her back down with her. "Quinn! Let me go, I'm going to be late!"
"It's ok. I convinced Cassandra to let you skip classes today." Quinn said chuckling slightly at the sight of Rachel's legs flailing in the air.
"How did you do that?" Rachel asked, falling immobile back to the bed.
"I might have brought her a box of pastries as a bribe to allow you miss class." Quinn said with a smile.
"So that's what you were doing with her in the coffee place." Rachel put a hand over her mouth as soon as she realized that she had said too much. Almost in cue, Quinn propelled herself with her hands to look down at Rachel lying in her bed.
"What? How do you know I went to a coffee shop with her?" Quinn asked with intrigue, but also a little amused. "Rachel Berry, did you spy on me?"
"No, I did not!"
"Rachel…" Quinn asked now with a stern voice and a sculptured eyebrow lifted in inquiry.
"… Maybe." Rachel admitted cringing a little bit while searching for some sort of dejection from the blonde.
The day before, Rachel had spotted Quinn when she was leaving her dance classroom. How did she decided to spy on Quinn and Cassandra was beyond her comprehension. The moment she saw Quinn with the flowers and the box, talking to Cassandra in the empty classroom she had decided to follow the two blondes. She ended up hiding behind a couple of bushes while watching the professor and her friend chatting amicably for at least half an hour.
"Oh my God! Rachel, you do know that this is the second time you spy on me?" Quinn said while sitting in the bed.
"To be fair, the first time I was spying on Sam, not you." Rachel said while blushing. She diverted her eyes from Quinn who was now laughing lightly at her. "I just wanted to know if my best friend was suddenly pursuing romantic endeavors with my dance teacher."
"Your… your best friend?" Quinn asked in surprise. Rachel blushed noticing her previous words. Was Quinn her best friend now? Yes, she definitely is. It had been fast, but Rachel knew that Quinn had become her best friend in the short time they had been living as roommates in New York.
"Yes." Rachel smiled happily at her. "Don't tell Kurt, though." Quinn laughed at Rachel's voice full of mischief.
"Just as long as you don't tell Santana." Quinn laughed at loud at the terrified look on Rachel's face. "I don't like Cass like that, Rach. We are just friends. Besides, I only wanted to convince her to give you the day off." Quinn explained easily.
"Why? What was so important today?" Rachel asked in confusion. Quinn looked at her with disbelief which confused Rachel even more.
"You really don't remember?" Came the amused question. Rachel shrugged in confusion once again. "Rachel, what date is today?"
"Is… Oh my Barbra!" Rachel exclaimed in surprised when her brain finally made the connection. "Today is my birthday!"
"Yes, it is… really Rachel how could you forget?
"I don't know, I guess I had too many things in my head this week. So you asked Miss July to give me a day off so you can throw a party or something?" Rachel asked excitedly. She had come back to be the cheerful and bubbly person Quinn loved with all her heart. Right now, Rachel was literally irradiating energy. She only wished that her surprise was of Rachel's liking.
"Or something… the party will be in the evening, Rach."
"Then why did you asked to clear my schedule at NYADA today?"
"You know I don't have too much money right now…" Quinn said diverting her eyes in shame.
"You don't have to give me anything, Quinn, of course I understand!" Rachel was quickly to add. She didn't want Quinn to worry about something as trivial as a birthday present.
"I know, Rach. However, I do want to give you something as a way to say thank you for all the help you have giving me during my time in New York. Without you, I would be lost Rachel."
"Quinn, you really shouldn't have to-"
"But I want to, Rach. So, I asked Kurt for help. He asked his dad, and his dad asked your dads to help me find something worthy for your present, and I found it." Quinn noticed how with every word, Rachel smile grew bigger. She felt so happy to be the one that made Rachel smiled. Truthfully, it wasn't a hard task, but somehow she felt that the smiles she managed to create in Rachel's lips were ten times more beautiful and meaningful that any other.
"What is it?"
"I'm going to take you somewhere. A place they told me you have never gone to, but you have always wanted to." Now Rachel was intrigued. A couple of places came into mind, but there was no way to be certain.
"You aren't going to tell me?"
"No, it's a surprise. Now, go and get ready. I made your favorite breakfast, and after we are going to go out."
"Where are Santana and Kurt?"
"I hope you don't mind, but it will only be the two of us, Rach." Quinn said sheepishly. In response, Rachel literally jumped out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
"I can't wait!" She exclaimed happily while closing the door behind her. She already could tell this day was going to be fabulous.
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Anxiety and excitement were running through her veins. She couldn't remember the last time she was so thrilled by the prospect of a birthday's gift. Maybe it was because it was a surprise, or maybe it was because Rachel knew that Quinn had put a lot of effort to give her the perfect gift.
They were now in a train. Quinn had insisted to cover her eyes all the way from the apartment to the station. However, Rachel was pretty sure were they were going. There were only a couple of places Rachel had always wanted to go, but never had the opportunity to go.
"I know where we are going!" Rachel said happily. She was bouncing in her seat and Quinn tilted her head with curiosity.
"Ok, where are we going?"
"Coney Island!" Rachel cheered happily. Quinn on the other hand sighed in disappointment.
"It was supposed to be a surprise, Rach." Quinn complained with a pout which Rachel found utterly adorable.
"I know! I'm sorry Quinn, but I'm so excited I couldn't pretend anymore. I've always wanted to go!"
"And why didn't you?" Rachel smiled softly a pained smile.
"Because it has always been my dream to go with a friend." Rachel said while taking Quinn's left hand between hers. "Since I was a child I wanted to go to an amusement park or a carnival. Dad and Daddy always wanted to take me, but I refused. I wanted to go with a friend my age, and until today I never had a chance." Quinn's heart clenched at Rachel's confession. Quinn never had thought about Rachel's childhood. She could bet that Rachel was a very lonely child and it broke her heart. Rachel deserved everything.
How come nobody had ever seen Rachel's beauty and perfection before? She herself had been blind before, but never again. Rachel's smile was her only purpose of living at the moment. Therefore, she would move sky and earth in order to bring happiness into Rachel's Berry's life.
"I'm glad I'll be the one by your side when you accomplish this dream. And, I'll be honored if you allow me the opportunity to help you accomplish all of your past and future dreams, Rachel." Rachel blushed slightly and bumped her shoulder playful against Quinn's arm.
"You're a player Fabray." Rachel said in embarrassment. Quinn spoke with such sincerity that she couldn't help but feel her heart flutter happily after hearing Quinn speak about her with such devotion and care.
"Only with beautiful brunettes that happen to be celebrating their birthdays today." Quinn raised her eyebrows in a playful manner; as a result, Rachel burst into laughing, followed shortly by the blonde.
"Thank you, Quinn. I love my birthday present."
"I'm glad. So… are you nervous about any ride?"
"Of course, not! I'm going to ride every single one!"
It was a promise that Rachel was willing to fulfill. After they arrived to their destination, Rachel became a ball of energy impossible to contain. Quinn simply followed Rachel from one attraction to another. In all honesty, she was about to get sick after the third time they rode the crazy cups, but she steeled herself.
Rachel was so happy. Quinn was sure, she had never seen Rachel's grin so strong and… blinding. She would not ruin this day for Rachel. It had to be perfect and Rachel's smile pushed her to keep smiling while momentarily forgetting the inner turmoil in her lower stomach.
Her current state of dizziness might have be mostly caused by the constant rides in the different attractions in the park; however, Quinn was sure that other significant elements were causing her stomach to curl every once and then. Which elements? Well, for once, Rachel kept grabbing Quinn's hand with the intention to drag her to another attraction. The problem was that while they walked hand by hand, Quinn couldn't help but wonder how they looked together to the outside world.
Did they look like two friends that like to hold hands? Did they look like family members? Or… did they look like… like… Oh God I can't even think about it!
Could it be possible that they looked like a couple to foreign eyes? Quinn had caught a couple of people staring at them weirdly. Were they judging them? Or maybe they weren't looking at them as a couple but as two beautiful women.
"Quinn?" Rachel's voice woke her from her reverie. Quickly she lifted her gaze from the entwined hands to lock her eyes with Rachel's that stared at her with concern. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine?"
"You look a little pale. Is everything alright?" Quinn shuffled uncomfortable before sighing in defeat.
"I think this is the first time I hold hands with a girl in public and I'm probably thinking too much out of it." Quinn babbled in a rush. She saw the brown gaze do a double take to their joined hands and back to Quinn's hazel eyes before giggling quietly.
"Sorry, I didn't notice. Does it bother you?" Rachel asked while loosing her hold on Quinn's hand, but the blonde's grip instead grew stronger making sure to keep their hands connected.
"No… I'm just… shy I guess... sorry." Quinn sighed in embarrassment. "I'm worried about people thinking we are a couple." Rachel eyes grew wider at the idea. The brunette was now blushing as well, but she seemed more calmed than her blonde friend.
"Well I guess that many could think that…"
"Ugh… I'll be a terrible girlfriend."
"What? Why would you say that?" Rachel asked with real intrigue.
"Because I wouldn't be able to hold my girlfriend's hand in public, without thinking in what other people might be thinking."
"There is nothing wrong in feeling a little self conscious. You would do a great girlfriend. You did do everything in your power to give me a perfect birthday's present. I can't imagine what you would do if you were to do something similar to the object of your affections." Rachel said oblivious that she was indeed the object of Quinn's affections.
"…uh ok…" Quinn mumbled without knowing how to proceed with the conversation. "It might be that I'm a little dizzy as well." Quinn chuckled when she noticed how the world seemed to spin around her rapidly.
"I'm sorry." The brunette said with a low chuckle. "Maybe we should take a break."
"Would you like to have lunch?"
"And where are you planning to take me Miss Fabray?" Rachel teased with a curious smile.
"You'll have to wait and see."
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If somebody would ask her, she would say that she was used to it. She couldn't remember a time when she wasn't a loner. It had become part of her nature, so she didn't bother much about it. It was probably because of her over achiever attitude and-let's face it- arrogant behavior that other people tended to stay away from her.
When she enteredWilliam McKinley High School she developed a routine that would help her to succeed in her studies and extracurricular activities. As part of this schedule, the little brunette spent most of her time in the school. If Rachel had to admit it, she liked the schedule because it kept her busy, and if she was busy, she couldn't think about being alone.
However, when she was walking back home the feelings of loneliness always returned as a boomerang to her owner. The walk to her house was simply too silent and tortuously long. She always took the same route at the same hour. That's why she was utterly surprised when something changed her routine this day.
"You heard me. Give me your stuff!" The threatening voice rang in her head as a signal of warning; however, her body refused to react. While going back home, she had been cornered by two men, both armed with knives, and as soon as they threatened her body shut down completely.
Rachel couldn't understand. It was daylight in a nice neighborhood. Is this really happening?
"He told you to give him your stuff!" The second guy barked making Rachel flinched. She tumbled to the floor and with that one of her assailants decided to take her stuff himself.
Suddenly, a high and painful grunt from the second robber sounded down the street. The man that was approaching Rachel turned around, and he was received by a powerful strike in his back. A blonde woman armed with a metallic baseball bat was swinging it at them violently forcing them to move away from Rachel.
The tallest assailant lunged at the blonde with his knife, but the quick reflexes of the young woman allowed her to hit the knife with her bat. The knife flew away from them and the attackers were forced to run away.
"You crazy bitch!" One screamed while they ran down the street.
"Yeah, KEEP RUNNING!" The blonde screamed, still waving the bat in the air in a menacing way. Now that they were safe the blonde turned around to look at Rachel with worried eyes.
The tiny brunette was curled down in the floor still shaking and with her eyes filled of fear and uncertainty. The blonde knelt in front of her and worriedly searched for any kind of reaction from the brunette other than fear.
"Rachel, it's me Quinn Fabray. You are ok now…" It didn't work. Obviously, Rachel was in shock. The blonde sighed in defeat and silently took Rachel's hand and literally dragged her to her car.
Quinn had been in cheerleading practice all afternoon. When she was heading home in her car, she spotted Rachel's tiny frame and how she was being intimidated by those men. She wasn't sure what made her go and confront two armed men with only a baseball bat as a weapon, but she thanked God that both had been left unharmed.
Silently, Quinn helped Rachel climb to the passenger seat. Quinn was grateful that the diva was small because that way she could move her around despite the fact that Rachel's body was limp as a rock. She tried to speak with the diva, but Rachel just sat there with a lost look in her eyes.
Quinn understood that Rachel was afraid about what had happened, but the reaction to her seemed over the top. Nothing had happened. Why Rachel was in such catatonic state?
"Rachel, we are home." Quinn spoke softly fearing she might scare her. However, Rachel didn't respond. Determined, Quinn moved to take Rachel's bag and retrieved the keys to the house. Once again, Quinn grabbed hold of Rachel's limb body and helped her out of the car before walking the small path towards the front door of Rachel's home.
Hesitantly, she opened the door and let herself in. She quickly took a look around marveling in how normal everything looked. She was expecting at least Broadway posters in the walls, but the only thing in the house that screamed Rachel was a white piano in the living room next to the stairs.
She carefully dropped Rachel in the couch of the living room and then she went walking across the living room to reach the kitchen. She retrieved a glass of water and brought it to the diva, and yet the little diva refused to react in any way.
"Come on, Rachel you are starting to freak me out here." Quinn begged. She closed her eyes trying to calm herself down. Rachel's catatonic state was making her nervous. She didn't know what to do.
Quinn looked deep into lost eyes and took a deep breath before kneeling down next to her. Hoping her idea would make Rachel react, Quinn simply sighed and let her voice do the rest.
Beauty queen of only eighteen
She had some trouble with herself
He was always there to help her
She always belonged to someone else
I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door
I've had you so many times but somehow I want more
I don't mind spending every day
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
If somebody asked her what she was thinking, she could safely say she didn't know. One moment she was crouching at the floor scared for her life, and the next she was sitting in the couch of her living room, drowned in the beautiful sound of a silky and soft woman's voice. She had heard that voice before. She heard it once accompanied by a piano in the school auditorium. She knew the owner of that voice.
She blinked once. She blinked twice. And there she was. The owner of the husky voice was right in front of her. Quinn Fabray was looking at her with expectant eyes. She had stopped singing, probably because she saw some sort of reaction from her. She felt a feeling of lost when the calm singing stopped. Quinn has a really beautiful voice.
"Rachel, are you there?" Quinn asked with something very close to concern written all over her voice. And suddenly it hit her. Quinn had saved her from those tugs… with a baseball bat, and she had brought her home. Slowly her senses came back to her body, and for some strange reason she blurted out the first thing that popped in her mind.
"That's a terrible song choice, Quinn." She said with a raspy voice that made her sound sterner than she really was. Quinn snorted at her complain while pulling herself up.
"It was sounding in my car before I found you, and I couldn't think about another one. Besides, it worked." Quinn said dismissively.
"Why are you carrying a baseball bat in your car?"
"Self protection." She answered quickly. "Seriously, Midget? Are you going to complain for saving you?"
"No, no… I'm not complaining."Quinn saw a flicker of fear in Rachel eyes and she repented immediately for her harsh complaint. Wordlessly, she took the glass of water and offered it to the diva once again. A trembling hand moved to grab the glass. Quinn frowned when she understood that Rachel was not trembling out of cold but from fear.
With determination she moved to the kitchen and started to look for what she wanted.
"What are you doing?" Rachel asked with a frown. Quinn entered the living room a second after and headed to the television. She turned it on and threw a questioning look at Rachel over her shoulder.
"Movies?"
"First drawer at your left." Rachel responded by inertia while she watched the blonde beauty seek in the drawer for movies.
"Seriously? All of these are musicals."
"Not all of them are…" Rachel argued in vane because she knew that Quinn probably was going to ignore her argument. She watched how the blonde slipped a movie into the DVD and pushed the play button.
She literally gasped in surprise when she saw the initial sequence of her favorite movie: Funny Girl. Would it be possible that Quinn knew she liked this movie? She decided to remain silent while she watched the cheerleader enter the kitchen once again. Minutes later Quinn walked back in with a bowl of popcorn in her hands. She handed it to Rachel and moved once again to the kitchen.
She eyed the popcorn cautiously and she was surprised when she didn't smell butter in them, only salt. Did Quinn know she was vegan? What the hell is going on?
A soft puff surprised her. She turned her head and found the blond sitting next to her watching at the TV screen intently.
"Oh… Quinn… what are you doing?"
"I'll stay with you until your dads come back home." Quinn answered as if it were the most common thing in the world. Rachel wanted to gasp in surprise, but she stopped herself from doing it. Quinn had saved her and now she was taking care of her. It was a strange situation, but she was going to accept it as it was. Three months before she had heard Quinn say to Brittany and Santana that she was concern about her, and now Quinn was literally showing it to her by deciding to stay with her with the sole purpose of making her feel safe.
So strange indeed. She had thought of Quinn as her rival since she entered High School, and yet the blonde was the only person that had looked her way in the whole year. Maybe she was right. Maybe Quinn Fabray wasn't a bad person at all.
The two of them remained in pleasant silent while watching the movie commenting only when it was truly necessary. Rachel was thrilled to see Quinn seemed to like her favorite movie.
The movie was ending, when both teenagers heard a car entering the garage.
"Your dads?" Quinn looked for confirmation.
"Yes, they are here." Quinn didn't waste time. She stood up and went to the kitchen to wash the dirty dishes.
"Quinn?" Rachel called jumping off the couch, but in that moment, both of her dads entered through the front door.
"Hello Rachel how was your day?" Leroy asked smiling at her daughter. Rachel was about to respond when Quinn came back from the kitchen. The two parents seemed surprised by her presence, but Quinn's stand never faltered. She glanced at Rachel with a deep and concerned look. Rachel, she could only nod and it was more than enough for Quinn.
The blonde grabbed her keys and headed to the door where the Berry Dads were standing. "Mr. and Mr. Berry." Quinn said with a curt nod before stepping out of the house and heading back to her car.
The two dads watched her climb into the car and drive away with faces of curiosity and concern.
"Ok, what was that?" Hiram asked with a bemused smile while eyeing his daughter.
"That was Quinn Fabray…" Rachel said watching through the window the road where Quinn's car was parked for the last two hours.
"Wait! Cheerleader, Quinn Fabray? The Quinn Fabray that bullies you at School?" Leroy said with trepidation. "Did she hurt you, Rachel?" The question woke Rachel from her reverie what made her turned at her dad with a look of utter shock.
"Of course not daddy, Quinn saved me today!"
"What?"
"Yes, she saved me from a robbery and then she decided to stay here with me until you guys arrived." A pregnant silent fell upon the Berry household. The three family members remained silent in puzzlement and intrigue.
"I though you said she was evil…" Hiram was the first to break the silence frowning at his inner turmoil. He didn't want to trust the blonde cheerleader, but apparently she had protected his daughter from harm.
"No, she is not evil. She only likes to wear masks." Rachel eyes looked absently at the window. Months ago, when she saw Quinn sing in the auditorium, she thought about the possibility of Quinn being a good person. She had been bullied by the blonde, but the stolen glances, the looks of regret, and today's approach were all the prove she needed. Quinn was a good person, she just needed the blonde to lower her walls around her, so she could prove to her that they could be friends.
"Well in the bright side, you didn't spend your day alone sweetie." Leroy commented while heading to the kitchen followed by his husband.
"No… no I didn't."
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"Here you go Miss." A male voice woke her from her day dreaming. She was doing this more often now. She blamed Quinn. The waiter placed a plate of food in front of her with her beverage. Quinn had cooked her favorite vegan dish, and she had asked permission to the people of the small restaurant to heat up Rachel's food and eat there, even though she wasn't going to eat food from the restaurant.
"No, vegan for you, Quinn?" Rachel teased when the waiter placed a dish with a burger with bacon in front of her.
"I really tried to turn vegan Rach, but apparently I can't live without my bacon." Quinn gave her a sheepish smile and Rachel laughed at loud, knowing that Quinn words were true. Quinn had tried to keep up with a vegan diet, but she gave up after some time. However, the important thing was that Quinn had actually tried to change her diet and ideologies because of her. She never had a friend like that before.
"Where were you?" Quinn asked while sipping her coke.
"Excuse me?" Rachel asked confuse.
"What were you thinking about? You space out for a while back then." Quinn asked with genuine curiosity.
"Remember that day when you went all Lucy of '30 First Dates' against some thieves in freshman year?" Rachel asked with a smirk and Quinn had the decency to blush after her loud snort.
"'Yeah, keep running!' I can't believe I said that. "Quinn chuckled at her own geekiness. That they she had been very stupid. She confronted two armed men with a baseball bat. She could have been hurt, but she was lucky at the end. However, Quinn knew that she would do it again and again if that meant to save Rachel from those bullies.
"You saved my life that day."
"Rachel it was a robbery not a murder attempt." She said dismissively.
"It was my birthday." The words were ushered so low that Quinn almost missed them.
"What?" She gasped in surprise, not trusting her own ears.
"I said that that day was my birthday." Rachel repeated with a soft smile.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Rachel. I didn't know, and I behaved like an asshole." Quinn fidgeted in her seat remembering how she had left the house with a mere acknowledgment of her and her dads.
"No you didn't. That day was the day I decided you weren't bad Quinn. Also… it was the first birthday I spend it with someone other than my parents." Her words once again were spoken softly, but this time it wasn't with embarrassment, but with sorrow. Quinn clenched her fingers when she pictured the image of a much younger Rachel Berry spending her birthdays all alone in her house waiting until her parents arrived home.
Was her childhood really so lonely? Quinn remembered her own birthdays and how her dad refused to celebrate it or how her mother forgot about it because of her mind being blurred by the effects of alcohol. Her family didn't celebrate her birthday, but she spent the day with Santana and Brittany or with her older sister. Rachel and Quinn were complete opposites. Both knew the burden of being lonely in their own way. It was somehow poetic how they both had decided to lean in each other to fill that gap inside their hearts.
"…I'm sorry." Quinn said without knowing what else to say. Rachel shook her head and smiled.
"Don't be." I know you have suffered as well. Rachel thought noticing how Quinn looked at her, not with pity, but with understanding. From all her friends, Quinn was probably the only one that could understand her feelings completely.
"Oh God! Your parents must have hated me." Quinn cut the heavy silence
"No, never! They knew you helped me, that's why they've never said anything. And now I'm pretty sure they liked you more than I do you now."
"You told your parents about me?" The blonde was utter surprised with the sudden piece of information. She had never spoken with Rachel dad's before. She knew them because she had seen them multiple times in the glee tournaments and from that unique time in Rachel's house after watching funny girl. However, Quinn always thought that the men had a negative impression of her because of her years bullying their daughter, so she refused to interact with them. Knowing that Rachel had spoken about her with them make her feel anxious and embarrassed.
"Why, of course Quinn! I speak with them quite often, and since we now live together, I have told them all about it. They actually want to visit in order to taste your now famous pastries." The blush in the ex-cheerleader features was now covering her chest and ears. Rachel laughed at the adorable look of panic in the blonde's features and reached over the table to take Quinn's hand with her own.
"Don't be embarrassed. I couldn't be more proud of calling you my best friend." Rachel's voice ringed with honesty and it made Quinn's heart quiver with emotion. She squeezed the smaller hand and gave Rachel an honest smile.
"Same here, Rach."
After eating, the two girls headed to the attractions once again. Two hours later had gone by and Quinn was once again struggling with the sickness and the exhaustion. Rachel had in fact taken breaks this time, so Quinn didn't get too tired; however, it seemed that Quinn was not able to keep up with Rachel's bubbling energy.
They were in the middle of one of their breaks when Rachel's eyes fell in an enormous unicorn with rainbow-color main. Rachel squealed happily and ran to the hot of a game of aim.
"Oh, it's so cute Quinn!" Rachel swooned for the stuffed animal that was almost as big as she was. Curiously, Quinn inspected the animal and snorted in amusement when she spotted the animal Rachel was so enamored.
"It's so gay." Quinn blurted out with a laugh.
"It's not gay!"
"Rach, there's nothing gayer than a rainbow unicorn." Rachel couldn't help but blush and laugh loudly.
"I blame you. I have way too many gay friends." Rachel said with a chuckle.
"Do you really want it?" Quinn asked while getting closer to the stand. "Excuse me; what do I have to do for me to win the giant unicorn?" Quinn asked to the old man that was in charge of the game.
"Well Miss, you have to shoot to the bull's eye of the three targets. It is after all the main price." The old man said with an easy smile.
"You had to choose the biggest and the hardest to get, Rach." Quinn sighed in defeat. "Can I have one try, please." The blonde said while placing the money in the counter.
"You don't have to do it Quinn." Rachel tried to argue, but the ex-HBIC was ready to take the challenge, so she ignored Rachel and nodded to the old man who smiled happily to the determined young woman.
"Of course Miss. You can choose between the shotgun or a bow." Rachel eyed the objects with curiosity. The shotgun was probably the most common weapon of choice. The shotgun was light and probably it gave more confidence to the player; on the contrary, the bow seemed harder to control and it seemed to need at least more technique than the shotgun.
When Quinn took the bow and the arrows, Rachel was left speechless. The blonde weighted the weapon in her hand and stretched it sensing the level of restrain of the string. With expertise, Quinn took an arrow and placed it over the arrow rest. Rachel was fascinated with the look of concentration and the obvious knowledge of archery of the blonde. Inadvertently, she took out her cell phone and lifted it ready to take a picture of her beautiful friend.
Quinn was taking deep breaths while pulling the nocking point with the arrow in hand. The string tensed at its fullest and Quinn hold her breath before releasing the arrow; unfortunately, just when she was about to release the nock of the arrow a fast blast of white light blinded her eyes momentarily forcing her eyes to shut in search of protection. When her hazel eyes opened again, Quinn saw the arrow stuck in the final ring of one of the targets. She frowned and turned to see Rachel who guiltily was holding her phone behind her back.
"Rach!"
"Sorry." The tiny diva shrunk in embarrassment. "You looked so overpowering that I had to take a picture!" Quinn back down in surprise with a powerful blush on her cheeks.
"You still have three more tries, Miss." The old man offered with an amused chuckle at Quinn's obvious embarrassment. The blonde cleared her throat roughly and grabbed a second arrow and put it in place while trying to hide her flushed skin.
This time Rachel stood still, watching with entailment how one by one the three remaining arrows hit the golden center of the target. When the third arrow hit its mark, Rachel allowed a loud squeal escape from her throat, and immediately jumped to hug the grinning blonde.
The old man retrieved the big stuffed animal and handed it to Rachel with a huge smile.
"Here you go, Miss. Your girlfriend is very talented." His words earned a powerful blush in both women, but before Quinn could deny anything Rachel linked their arms together and smiled happily to the old man.
"Yes, she is. Thank you." The diva dragged Quinn and the rainbow unicorn away while chuckling softly.
"Uh… Rach?" Quinn looked at her with doubt and apprehension, but the brunette simply gave her a one handed hug in return with a soft smile of understanding.
"I don't mind. In fact, I feel honored." Quinn eyes turned glassy with the sudden words of comfort. For a while she had doubt Rachel's reaction about her homosexuality. For a moment, she thought that Rachel would never love her because of her sexuality, but now she knew different. Rachel would never reject her because of her sexuality, and that thought comfort her immensely. However, suddenly a morbid and darker thought popped in her head. Rachel didn't rejected her because of her sexuality, Rachel rejected her because of herself. No… she has never rejected me… I can't think like this. She loves me, but she loves Finn the most. That's it. There's nothing wrong with me.
"Quinn look!" Rachel called pointing towards the falling sun that tainted the sky with bright orange and pink colors. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Quinn's teary eyes glanced to the sky for a second, but they willingly returned to contemplate Rachel's features that were bathed in happiness and in the warm beams of the beautiful dawn.
"Yes, beautiful." She smiled and dried her cheek from the silent tear that had dared to escape her eye without permission, just like her heart dare to love somebody that it shouldn't.
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"This is so exciting!" Rachel cried happily when they were just a street away from the Diner. Quinn was short behind carrying the huge stuffed animal, that dragged much more attention than she would have like it.
"You do know this is not a surprise party since you know and everybody knows that you know, right?" Quinn tilted her head with curiosity, but Rachel ignored the question in order to run the last steps to the Diner.
As soon she opened the door, she was received by a wave of cheering from all the guests of the party. Rachel was ecstatic. She saw friends of NYADA and the Diner around her. Shelby was there as well with Beth. Kurt gave her a wink when she met his eyes. This was by far the best birthday of her life.
"And finally, here is our birthday girl." Santana said with annoyance from the stage with the microphone in her hand. "Shit, Fabray that is the gayest thing I have ever seen, and trust me I have seen a lot of gay things." Santana quip earned round of laughs from the guests and a scowl from Quinn that was struggling to pass the huge unicorn through the door.
"Shut up, Lopez!"
"Well, now that the birthday-midget, I think I can give you my present now that is basically this party because I'm broke, but I thought of giving you a small performance." Santana said with a bow. "Come here Q-ball. Let's get this karaoke party started!" Rachel's ears perk up and turned immediately to see the blonde who gave her a nervous smile.
Quinn sighed, left the unicorn in the hands of one of Rachel's NYADA friend, and headed to the stage to stand next to the Latina.
"This is to you Short-Stuff. Happy birthday!" Santana said before the music started blasting. Rachel smiled with the song of choice. It screamed Santana all the way. (Quinn-Santana)
I hate the world today
You're so good to me
I know but I can't change
Tried to tell you
But you look at me like maybe
I'm an angel underneath
Innocent and sweet
Yesterday I cried
You must have been relieved to see
The softer side
I can understand
How you'd be so confused
I don't envy you
I'm a little bit of everything
All rolled into one
I'm a bitch, I'm a lover
I'm a child, I'm a mother
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know you wouldn't want it
Any other way
If Rachel ever got the hidden message of the song was yet to be confirm; however, since Rachel's expression hasn't changed a bit, Santana could safely say Rachel had missed it completely. What was more direct than make Quinn sing to her that she was her "lover" and her "dream"?
Honestly, Rachel was a lost case, and Quinn seemed to give up more and more with every passing day. She wanted to just grab Rachel by her shoulders and scream: "Quinn loves you!" However, Santana knew that she should not interfere in this affair. This was their relationship; she would not get involve…. But a little push here and there couldn't hurt anyone, right?
So take me as I am, this may mean
You'll have to be a stronger man
Rest assuredthat
When I start to make you nervous
And I'm going to extremes
Tomorrow I will change
And today won't mean a thing
I'm a bitch, I'm a lover
I'm a child, I'm a mother
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know you wouldn't want it
Any other way
"Schwimmer." The voice next to her made Rachel rip her eyes from the stage and glance to her dance teacher standing next to her. Cassandra smirked at her with a teasing smile. Rachel had to do her best to stop herself from slap the smirk off her face.
"Professor."
"Please Berry, you can call me Cassandra when we are off class." Rachel looked at her warily not trusting the sudden friendly behavior.
"No offense, Cassandra, but what are you doing here?"
"Quinn invited me." Cassandra answered simply and Rachel felt an inner impulse to break the nose of the woman after she spoke Quinn's name with such familiarity.
"Oh…"
"Did you enjoy your day with her?" Cassandra asked with genuine interest and Rachel's suspicion grew stronger. "Oh don't look at me like that Berry, I'm trying to be nice here."
"And why would you do something like that?" Rachel asked while raising her chin in an attempt to look taller.
"Because you are Quinn's friend and she said that if I keep being a bitch to you she will have to stop talking to me."
"She said that?" Rachel was surprised by the blonde's confession.
"Why are you surprise? That girl cares a lot about you Berry. She is a great girl herself. I hope you know how lucky you are." Cassandra said knowing that Rachel didn't knew anything about Quinn's affections for her. Nevertheless, Cassandra felt the need to help her new friend or at least to try to make sure Rachel would not break her heart without thinking in the consequences.
"I know." Rachel said glancing to the stage where Quinn and Santana kept singing.
"Good."
"Thank you for allowing me to skip classes today and… and for being a friend for Quinn." Rachel said with embarrassment.
"You're welcome. Though… I'm the one that should be grateful." The professor said before turning around and walking away.
Rachel eyes rapidly looked for the beautiful blonde in the stage once again.
I'm a bitch, I'm a tease
I'm a goddess on my knees
When you hurt, when you suffer
I'm your angel undercover
I've been numb, I'm revived
Can't say I'm not alive
You know I wouldn't want it
Any other way
The public exploded in claps and Rachel ran to meet her friends getting down of the stage.
"So did you like it?" Santana asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Of course thank you Santana." Rachel answered rapidly.
"You're fucking welcome."
"Santana!" Quinn chastised the Latina with a frown, but Rachel ignored her and approached the blonde happily.
"You did great, Quinn."
"Oh…thank you, Rach." Quinn said while feeling her cheeks burning in embarrassment.
"No, thank you… for everything. Thank you for giving me the best birthday ever Quinn." The tiny girl stood over her toes to reach the blonde's cheek and place a sweet and chaste kiss in the burning cheek. "I love you, Quinn."
"Like a friend" were the unspoken words, but for once Quinn didn't care. She leaned down, wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist, and rested her chin on Rachel's shoulder. She took a deep breath and allowed her heart to speak at loud for at least one moment.
"I love you too, Rachel." It was a statement, not a confession, but for now that will have to be enough.
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Song:
Meredith Brooks - Bitch
Marron 5 – She will be love
A/N: Ok be honest. Could you tell I haven't been to Coney Island? Quinn is so helplessly in love that it hurts me. I hope you liked this chapter.
Please leave a review they are gold! And honestly I need the motivation.