New York

Brody stayed over.

She was grinning like an idiot. Really, she needed to pull herself together. She had an audition this week for a student film and she really didn't want to show up bouncing around like a schoolgirl.

But everything just felt so right with Brody. There was no drama, it was fun and easy. She didn't have to try with him. She could just be.

They went all over the city together. They saw shows and movies, they ate in tiny, romantic restaurants, they strolled through the city hand in hand, ducked into dusty bookshops and hidden antique stores. It was perfect.

And then he was late.

Rachel sat at the kitchen table for 45 minutes waiting for him, stewing over everything, analysing every moment they had had, basically driving herself insane. This was exactly what she didn't need. She wanted simple and straightforward, someone who would be there for her all the time, not just when they wanted to be.

But then he arrived and, as usual, said all the right things. So she asked him to move in.


"What?!" Kurt shrieked.

"It's a good thing, Kurt." Rachel offered him a glass of wine to calm him down. "Think how much money we'll save!"

"Rachel, you've been dating him for about 5 minutes. We barely know him!" Kurt slammed the wine down angrily. "Are you a lesbian?"

Rachel choked on her wine. "What?"

"Well, you're acting like one. You can't just ask someone to move in with you when you have been dating for two weeks. And after the turkey basting debacle at Thanksgiving…" Kurt took a sip of his wine and leaned against the counter.

"Look, Kurt, I realise that you are upset and I should have asked you first but I really want this. I may have only been officially dating Brody for a short while but I have known him since I moved to the city and he is a really good guy." Rachel paused for breath. "Please say you're okay with this?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Well, it looks like I don't have much of a choice, doesn't it? And I suppose his rent money will come in handy."

"Oh, thank you Kurt!" Rachel squealed, grabbing him into a hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

"Just promise me no cats."


Rachel was freaking out. She had got the part in the student film and now she was freaking out.

She was going to be topless. On film. Captured forever.

She could do this. This wasn't so bad. It was just breasts. Her breasts. Her bare breasts. On film.

She had freaked out so badly that she had had some weird and, frankly, insulting conversation with her high school self and then sang a duet. That part was great. She wished she could always duet with herself.

She looked at herself in the glass of their building's front door. She really did need to do something with her hair…

Suddenly the door was yanked open and she was face to face with Robin, their hipster neighbour with the weird moustache.

"Hi Rachel," he drawled. "You forget your keys?"

"No, I was just thinking. Robin, do I have pornstar hair?"

"What?" He chuckled, holding the door open for her.

"Thankyou," Rachel said, sliding passed him into the hallway. "My hair. Is it too much?"

"I don't think so." He looked confused. "Are you...trying for pornstar hair?"

"God, no." Rachel rolled her eyes and checked their mail box. "I just had a really weird conversation today with...well, never mind."

"Rachel, your hair is lovely." He smiled easily. "And pornstars tend to be a little more...well, naked. Than you."

Rachel blushed.

"Anyway, could you ask Kurt if I could borrow his Russian hat?"


After Quinn and Santana's surprise visit, awkward intervention and pleasing sing-a-long session in NYADA's small theatre Rachel took them out to dinner at a tiny little Italian restaurant she had had her eye on for a few weeks.

The food was delicious and spending an evening with the two girls who made most of her high school life a living hell surprisingly good fun.

"Quit it, Fabray." Santana scoffed, picking up her wine glass. "There's no way I am apologising."

"You slapped me!"

"You slapped me first, blondie." At that Santana turned to Rachel. "It was like a full on ninja slap, came out of nowhere. Wa-tssshh!"

"You were being a total bitch, S." Quinn crossed her legs and took a sip of wine, narrow eyes burning into Santana.

"Oh, like you weren't? Jealous of you? Please."

"Whatever, Kentucky."

"Ladies, please," Rachel interrupted, trying to control her laughter. "As amusing as all this is, for me at least," she corrected as two death stares were suddenly pointed her way. "I think it would be prudent to bring the conversation back into safer territory."

"Like your tits?" Santana smirked.

"Santana!"

"Agreed." Quinn said, leaning forward and raising her glass. "To Berry's tits. Long may they remain covered."

"Hear, hear." Santana chimed, grinning at Rachel.

Rachel tried to frown and failed, raising her glass to join them.


Quinn had to get the last train home so Rachel and Santana walked her to the station and waved her off.

"So," Santana turned stiffly to Rachel, hands stuffed in her pockets. "Drink?"

"Sure. There's a great little bar right around the corner from the loft."

"Excellent."

The started walking down the street towards the subway.

"So, are you glad you didn't do it?" Santana asked.

"Yes," Rachel breathed. "Sooo glad. Thank you so much for talking me out of it. Brody was all for it, saying I shouldn't be ashamed of my body and that we're actors, and our body is our...canvas and paints or something? I don't know. I mean I would. Eventually. But you were right. It's a student film. And it sucks."

Santana chuckled. They walked in silence for a minute or two.

"Brody?"

"Oh." Rachel had forgotten to tell Santana about him. "Brody is my, ah, boyfriend." She pulled her scarf a little tighter round her neck and headed down to the subway.

"Oh." Santana shook her head slightly, eyebrows raised. "Cool."


"Nice place." Santana looked around, nodding her head appreciatively.

The bar was in a basement. It had little fairy lights hung up around it's white walls and little rounded booths all around the perimeter. She and Rachel had slid into one of these with their drinks and dumped their coats down next to them. The music was soft and chilled out. It was very...cosy.

"Yes, I love it here." Rachel beamed. "It's exactly what I imagined when I pictured myself in New York."

"Well, it fits you perfectly." Santana smiled back easily.

Things between them had changed since their Christmas phone call. Santana has texted her on Christmas day and Rachel had texted her on New Years. Since then they had messaged back and forth every few days, little bits of something and nothing, definitely not pertaining to the three encounters they had had. This evening felt different somehow, easier, like they might be able to get past it.

"Can I ask you something?" Santana frowned slightly at Rachel's question but nodded her head as she sipped her drink. "Why didn't you make her take it down? I mean Brittany. The sex tape."

"I did." Santana smiled. "And she did. Almost immediately, in fact. But people had already downloaded it, and when it was removed they reposted it, and then more people downloaded and reposted and...well, it's like I was trying to tell you, Rach. Once it's out there, it's out there. You know?"

Rachel looked surprised. "I guess I never realised it would happen so fast. I mean, no offence Santana, but you're hardly Kim Kardashian."

Santana choked on her drink. "Thank God, that woman is a total ass."

Rachel laughed. "You know what I mean."

"I do. But let's face it, Rach. At school I sort of was. Anything and everything I did there was snapped up immediately. Same for you."

"Hardly." Rachel scoffed.

"Yes it was. Okay, mainly cos Jewfro had that weird stalkerish obsession with you but still. Those things that got written about us at high school are still out there somewhere, ready to be dug back up and thrown at us at a moments notice." Santana leaned back in the booth looking mildly upset.

"I guess I never really thought about it." Rachel said after a moment.

"Yeah, well maybe you should. You're the one who is going to be famous after all." Santana said before taking a large gulp of her drink.

Rachel smiled and looked up at her shyly. "You say it like it's a fact."

"That's because it is." Santana leaned across the table and took her hand in both of hers. "You, Rachel Berry, are a star. And some day soon the right people are going to notice that and you will never look back."

Santana pressed a kiss to Rachel's hand before heading over to the bar to get them some refills.

Rachel sat and stared after her, a warm feeling spreading through her body.