Rachel woke up the next morning with a ball of anticipation humming in her chest. Last night's conversation with Quinn – Lucas – had been eye-opening and nerve-wracking and exhilarating and so many other things that were impossible to describe.

She'd finally found her soulmate.

The idea was breathtaking. She'd been waiting for this moment for a long time, and now that it was finally here… she didn't quite know how to proceed. She'd realized late last night that while she'd always imagined meeting Lucas, she hadn't always considered what she'd do after.

Oh, she'd thought that she'd get answers to her questions about what had happened all those years ago and eventually live happily ever after. But the in-between part… that had always been a bit murky.

Well, they'd just have to take it one step at a time.

She went through her morning routine and headed downstairs to fix herself breakfast, humming as she worked. She'd just finished the dishes when the doorbell rang, and she frowned. Only the mailman was around this early, and she wasn't expecting any packages that couldn't be left in the mailbox. Heading to the door, she was surprised to find Quinn standing on the porch.

"Quinn! What are you –" She hesitated. "Um, did you want to come in?"

He looked at her hesitantly. "If that's okay."

"Of course." Rachel stepped aside to let him in, flustered and trying to keep it off her face. "Um, do you want something to eat? I'm just finishing up my own breakfast, but I'd be happy to fix you something if you'd like."

"No, no, I'm fine."

Rachel led him into the kitchen, motioning for him to sit down at the breakfast bar. "You're pretty early," she noted. "I usually leave for school around seven-thirty." She bit her lip, trying to settle her nerves. To give her hands something to do, she picked up the box of orange juice on the counter and poured herself a glass. "Do you want some?"

Quinn blinked. "Sure."

Rachel poured out another glass, pushing it towards him. "So, um, not to be rude, but why are you here so early?"

He offered her a small smile. "I thought maybe you'd like a ride to school," he said. Rachel stared at him. "Or not," he backtracked, smile fading. "I mean, if you want to take your own car, that's totally cool too, you don't have to –"

"No, no, no," Rachel cut in, hurriedly talking over him. "I was just surprised. I didn't expect – you know I don't expect you to do things like this, right? You don't need to do anything, I really don't want to put you out –"

"– you're not, I guess it's kind of weird, I mean –"

"– it's highly appreciated, of course, but please don't feel obligated to go out of your way for me, and –"

They both stopped, and the kitchen fell into silence. Rachel shut her eyes for a moment. Quinn cleared his throat. "Well, that was awkward."

Rachel let out a high-pitched laugh. "Sorry. I tend to talk a lot when I'm nervous."

His brow furrowed. "I make you nervous?"

"I… yes, a little. It's not your fault," she added when his frown deepened. "It's just a bit of an adjustment. I… I suppose you're used to it already, since you've apparently known about me from the start, but it's all just a bit new to me." She shook her head. "I guess it's kind of silly, I mean we've known each other for a few months now."

"No, I get it." Quinn reached up to scratch the back of his neck. The bandage on his left hand caught Rachel's eye, and she frowned. She'd forgotten about that injury. "I was kind of nervous when I figured out who you were in class."

Rachel smiled. "And apparently you got over it quite well. I will too." She took a deep breath. "Let's try that again. I'd love to accept a ride to school with you, Quinn. But please don't feel obligated if it's too much trouble."

He arched an eyebrow. "If it were too much trouble, then I wouldn't be offering."

"Touché." Her smile widened. "Then I would be more than happy to accept your offer. That is, if you don't mind waiting for a few minutes. I still have to prepare my lunch at fetch my things upstairs. Ten minutes tops."

"No problem."

..

That day was one of the nicest Rachel had had in a while. With the tension between Quinn and herself resolved, the day breezed by peacefully with nothing to distract her in their shared classes. Of course, it couldn't remain peaceful forever. Rachel was picking up her lunch at her locker when Finn approached her.

"Hi Rach."

Rachel took a deep breath, an anxious knot forming in her chest. "Finn." He'd left her alone for the past few days after their talk on Monday, and since it was boys versus girls in glee, they hadn't needed to interact there either. "Did you need something? I don't really have time right now."

Finn frowned. "Rach, come on, we need to talk. You can't just keep ignoring me forever."

Rachel mustered up a glare. "We don't have anything to talk about, Finn."

He put on the pouting expression he used when he was trying to get away with something. "Can you please stop being mad at me already? I don't even know what you're so mad about, nothing even happened. Besides, you can't even really blame me, I mean you're really hot and stuff, I couldn't help it. Please?"

"I can't –" She couldn't believe she'd ever dated him. She took another deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Finn, if you don't understand what you did wrong, then we have nothing to discuss. Unless it's for glee club or another school activity, I'd highly appreciate it if you left me alone."

"But –"

"Hey Rachel, Finn," Blaine interjected lightly, coming to a stop next to Rachel. "Everything alright?"

Rachel looked at him, feeling the knot in her chest loosen somewhat, and Finn's attention shifted to the former Warbler, a hint of a frown on his face. "Yeah, man, everything's fine."

Feeling Blaine's gaze on her, Rachel nodded, clearing her throat. "We're fine, Blaine, thank you. Um, was there something you needed?"

Blaine fixed his eyes on Finn, folding his arms. "Yeah, actually. Kurt's looking for Finn, I think he needs help with putting up some last-minute campaign posters outside the Home Ec room. He needs them high up, so he needs a tall person."

"Oh." Finn looked at Rachel again, and she studiously avoided his gaze, frowning. She could have sworn she'd seen Kurt handing out buttons in the courtyard. "Cool. I'll be right there. Rach, I'll see you in glee, I guess."

When he left in the direction of the stairs, Rachel took yet another deep breath, turning back to her locker, trying to get a hold of her emotions. Blaine waited a moment before speaking. "Are you okay?"

She nodded quickly. "Yes, Blaine, I'm fine." Then she saw Kurt down the corridor, still handing out his campaign buttons. Her frown returned. "I thought you said Kurt was looking for Finn at the Home Ec room."

Blaine's eyes widened almost comically. "Did I? My mistake. Darn. Now Finn has to go all the way across the school for nothing."

Rachel blinked, letting out a small huff of surprised laughter. Pulling him into an impulsive hug, she whispered a "Thank you" into his ear.

Blaine hugged her back. "I told you I'd have your back." He pulled away, nodding to someone behind Rachel. "Hey."

Rachel spun around, her anxiety rapidly dissipating when she saw her soulmate. "Hi Quinn."

"Hi." He offered her a brief smile before glancing warily at Blaine. "I should probably tell you –"

"Actually, there's no need for that," Rachel said quickly. "We've already talked, and I know you two are sort of related."

"Oh." Quinn scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, that's good."

"Yeah," Blaine agreed. "It's nice to see you again, Luke. Or, I guess it's Quinn now." He looked between the two of them, smiling slightly. "I'm happy for you two, you make a very pretty couple. We should get together sometime. Anyways, I should probably go help Kurt, you know, play the whole supportive boyfriend schtick. See you around."

Rachel focused on Quinn when Blaine walked off. "Hi," she said again, smiling. It was still a bit surreal, the fact that her soulmate was here, and they were actually on good terms. Quinn chuckled.

"Hello again." He tilted his head. "I didn't know you and Blaine were friends."

"He's one of the reasons I figured you out, actually," she admitted. "He told me while we were talking at the party that your brother was married to his sister. Then on Monday I asked him for more details, and that pretty much sealed it. Along with, you know, that." She nodded at his hand. "Since I apparently missed the million other clues that you were my soulmate this whole time," she grumbled.

Quinn smirked at that. "Yeah, there were a couple of times I thought I'd blown it. Thankfully you didn't catch it."

"Are you calling me oblivious?"

He gave her an innocent smile. "Just unobservant." Rachel rolled her eyes with a reluctant smile. It was a tiny bit funny now, but it certainly hadn't been the past few days. "What were you and Blaine talking about?"

Rachel's smile faded. "Oh. Well. Finn was trying to talk to me and Blaine intervened."

"Oh." Quinn's expression darkened. "I guess I should thank him, then."

"Don't worry, I did already."

He was quiet for a second before he shook his head. "I, um, I actually came to ask if you wanted to eat lunch. You know, with me. In case that wasn't clear…" He trailed off. Rachel hid a smile. The awkward, rambling teenager in front of her was so different from the smooth, devil-may-care bad boy she'd come to know. It was cute.

"Yes."

"Yes, it wasn't clear?"

Rachel couldn't help her chuckle. "I meant yes, I'd like to have lunch with you."

"Oh. Okay." A pleased smile lifted his lips. Rachel realized suddenly that she hadn't seen Quinn truly smile before. It was always a sly smirk, or sometimes a small one like this, and Rachel decided that one way or another, she was going to get Quinn Fabray to smile more.

..

The annual Mash-Off in glee started that afternoon, with the boys performing a mash-up of Hall & Oates' I Can't Go For That and You're Making My Dreams Come True. It had been fun and lighthearted, but not quite competitive enough, and Rachel couldn't help but feel that the girls' number – to be performed the following day – would prevail.

Heading out of the auditorium, she found Quinn waiting at her locker. It was a pleasant surprise, to be sure. He hadn't done that since they'd submitted their science project almost two weeks prior. "Hello, Quinn."

"I thought you might want a ride home. Since I was your ride this morning."

"That would be appreciated, thank you." She smiled at him. He nodded, and they headed out towards the exit.

"How was your glee meeting?" Quinn asked as they got into the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Oh, it went well. Our yearly Mash-Off is currently in session." Seeing the confused look on his face, she elaborated. "We split into teams, boys versus girls, and each group performs a mash-up. It's when you take two songs and sort of mash them together to make a new, more colorful performance."

"I see. When are you singing?"

"Tomorrow, actually. But I'll just be swaying in the background this time around."

"Oh? You actually agreed to that?"

Rachel gave him a reproving glare. "Yes. My attentions have been focused elsewhere this week, haven't you noticed?" He had the decency to look somewhat chagrined, and she softened. "It's okay. This is more important anyways. And it won't be too detrimental to the girls' performance; Mercedes and Santana have happily taken it upon themselves to take the lead." Ordinarily Rachel would be upset, but she didn't quite have the time or the energy to spare to fight them for it. Besides, it would give her a stronger position to push for the solos at Sectionals next week.

Quinn didn't seem to have anything to say to that, and the next few minutes were spent in silence. Rachel tapped her fingers absently, thinking back to the boys' performance. Finn had taken the lead of course, which wasn't a surprise. What had been a surprise was their choice of second soloist. Rory Flanagan, the new Irish exchange student. He had a decent voice, though his diction was a bit flawed, but Rachel would have thought they'd give a solo to Blaine. He was a highly trained singer, close to her own level, and he'd been lead for the Warblers last year. But then she remembered Finn's inexplicable antipathy towards him. It seemed to be getting worse, and it would become a problem if it continued. They didn't have enough strong male voices as it was.

"You know, you should really think about joining glee," she said suddenly. Quinn glanced at her in surprise, and she blushed a bit. She'd even surprised herself a little with her abruptness. "Sorry. But you should. I mean, you don't have any extracurriculars, and I think it would be good for the club." Not to mention in would give her more time to spend with him.

He hummed noncommittally. "We're here."

Rachel shook her head. She'd convince him sooner or later, she was sure of it. "Do you want to come inside? My dads won't be home until later this evening." She'd rather not be alone, and this was a perfect time to try to talk to Quinn a little more.

"Okay."

He cut the engine, and Rachel let them both into the house. For a moment they stood around awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

"Do you want –"

"Maybe we could –"

The started at the same time and cut off at the same time, returning to their awkward silence. Rachel sighed. "Look, I already told you this morning, I'm nervous. I…" She bit her lip. "I guess it was different before I knew. I just feel like I have…" a lot more to lose if you don't like the way I act, she finished silently. Out loud, she said, "It's just different now that I know you're my soulmate, and I'm not entirely sure how to act."

He scratched the back of his neck. "I guess… me too," he admitted.

Rachel nodded. Then she brightened. "I've just thought of something we could do to try and alleviate this awkwardness between us."

"Do enlighten me."

"We could spend some time asking each other questions. You know, take turns. That way we could learn a bit more about each other, and we'll get more comfortable conversing with each other."

"You want to play 20 Questions?" Quinn asked. "That still sounds awkward."

"Well, not 20 Questions exactly." Rachel led him over to a shelf that held a collection of board games. "We could pick one of these, and while we're playing, we could just, you know, take turns asking questions."

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Rachel blushed. "I thought it was a good idea," she defended. "It'll give is something to do whilst we attempt to get to know each other better. Unless of course you'd rather just sit across from each other and stare while we ask potentially revealing questions."

"Fine, I see your point." He looked over the selection of games. "Are there rules for the questions?"

She thought it over. "I think maybe we can keep it light for now? I think it'll be all right to ask deeper questions, but maybe we could have veto power. We don't have to answer anything we don't want to. We'll start slow. Baby steps."

"Baby steps. Okay." He seemed a bit relieved by that. "Do you have a preference?" he asked, indicating the games.

She paused. "I'm best at Monopoly, but that would probably take too long, and I'm quite competitive." She smiled sheepishly. "The point of this exercise is to build our relationship, and Monopoly might prove to be detrimental to that objective."

"You? Competitive?" Quinn drawled, smirking. "I would have never guessed." He flicked his gaze at her. "For an only child, you have a lot of games."

"Sometimes I think my dads feel guilty that I don't have any siblings to play with, so that's sort of their way to try to make up for it," Rachel commented by way of response. "We try to spend at least one night a week doing something that involves all three of us. They figured out early on that playing a game or something similar helped us to connect more as a family." She was hoping the same approach would work with Quinn now.

"Must be nice," he murmured, so quietly that Rachel was almost sure she wasn't meant to hear. Instead of commenting, she smiled lightly. Eventually he reached out to pick a game, and Rachel let out a soft, "Oh."

"Yeah." Quinn looked down at the box in his hands. "Is this –"

"Yes, that's the one I used." Rachel eyed the game of Battleship in Quinn's hands. "I'd almost forgotten about… We don't really play it much, it's for two, you know, and there are three of us playing, and it gets a bit unfair if it's two on one…"

"Makes sense." He hesitated. "You mind?"

"Of course." They quietly began to set up the game, Rachel focusing on the pieces with a furrowed brow. A minute later Quinn cleared his throat.

"Get ready to lose."

Rachel's hands stilled and she looked up sharply. Quinn was wearing a tiny smirk as he set up his pieces, and she let out a huff. "You're going down, Fabray."

"Fighting words, Berry." He pulled out a nickel. "Heads or tails?"

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "What happened to ladies first?"

His smirk widened. "That's sexist."

She huffed again, this time in amusement. "Tails."

Quinn won the toss. "A1."

Rachel frowned. "Hit."

"Seriously? Who puts a ship in the first box?"

She scoffed at him. "Not just me, if you remember." He blinked, surprised. "Now shut up. B3."

"Miss. A2."

"Miss. B5." Rachel paused for a moment. "Your birthday is on April 18th, correct?"

"Right. Hit. B1."

"Hit, sink."

Quinn nodded. "Yours is December 18th, making you exactly eight months younger than me."

"Which isn't all that bad," Rachel noted. She'd been rather relieved when she'd learned that her soulmate was less than a year older than her. She knew that some pairs had larger age gaps. Tina and Mike for instance were a little over a year apart, and she knew couples who had gaps of five years or higher. "I'm glad you're my age."

"Same. Your move?"

"Oh. C5."

"Hit. Is My Favorite Things still your favorite song? C1."

Rachel smiled, pleasantly surprised that he'd remembered. "Yes. Though my favorite song to sing might be Defying Gravity. Miss." She hesitated. "A5."

Quinn clicked his tongue. "Miss." He paused. "Morning or night person? D1."

"Morning," Rachel answered. "Though I'll have to adjust that once I get to New York and on Broadway, since shows will definitely keep me up late. Miss. D7." She paused. "Do you still like to draw?"

Quinn's eyes flicked up to hers. "Hit, sink, and yes. E1."

"Miss. Just drawing, or do you like other art forms? Painting, for instance? And, E9." As an artist herself, she'd always been curious about his own form of artistic expression.

"Miss. I do some painting, but I mostly draw. Pencil and ink." He hesitated. "My grandfather was the one who started teaching me how to draw when I was five." He cleared his throat. "F1."

Rachel looked up, surprised at this extra tidbit. "I see. You… you two were close, weren't you?" She remembered him telling her that his grandfather had died back when she was around nine years old. "Miss. J8."

"Yeah, we were." He cleared his throat again. "Miss."

"I'm not close to my grandparents," Rachel offered softly. "Daddy's parents died when I was three in a car accident. Dad's parents… well, they aren't so accepting of his, shall we say, lifestyle choices." Hiram's parents were very conservative, and highly disappointed to say the least when their son had come out as gay in college.

"Disapproving parents," Quinn said lightly. "I get that. F2."

"Hit. C1."

"Hit. So, do you still wish you'd had siblings growing up? I mean, you said you thought maybe your dads felt guilty that you didn't. F3."

"Miss." Rachel thought for a moment. "I wonder a lot about how I'd react to a sibling. I think it would have been nice to grow up with someone. But then I'd have to share all the attention, and I'm not exactly known for my sharing skills." She smiled self-deprecatingly. "Though I have to wonder if that would have been different if I did have a sibling." Maybe she'd have learned better how to interact with her peers.

"It's not all it's cracked up to be," Quinn said. "Or maybe that's just me. Frank and I aren't really close. Maybe it's the age gap. Nine years."

"Maybe." Rachel hesitated. Now that they were on the topic of family… "Would you answer any questions I have about your father?"

Quinn's eyes fell shut briefly. "… I… can we veto those for now?" he asked, voice quiet.

Rachel nodded, having expected it. "Of course. Quinn, I don't want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, okay? This is just supposed to be a light getting-to-know-your-soulmate exercise." She saw him nod, and she smiled at him. "I just… when exactly did he leave?"

"Summer after sophomore year." He paused. "And he didn't leave, exactly, my mom kicked him out."

Rachel bit her lip. "… I see."

Quinn looked at her curiously. "Why?"

"Nothing." She quickly straightened her face. "It's nothing. Your move."

He stared at her for another moment before nodding. "C2."

"Hit. G2. Favorite TV show, if you have one?"

"Right now I'm following How I Met Your Mother, which my dads say is slightly sacrilegious since I'm named for Rachel from Friends. Hit. C3. What do you like to watch?"

"Mostly cartoons. Hit. H2."

"Hit." Rachel paused, taking a breath. "What happened to your hand?"

Quinn's eyes flicked towards the bandage on his hand. "Oh. Nothing. It's stupid."

"It looked pretty serious, and I know you had to get stitches for it," Rachel prodded. "Come on, please?"

A pause. "It's your turn."

Rachel sighed softly. "C4."

"Hit." He fiddled with a red peg for a moment, not meeting her gaze. "I threw a glass after I took you home last Friday. It broke against the wall and I got cut on a piece of the glass. My mom woke up, and she took me to the hospital to get it fixed."

Rachel looked down at her palm. The gash was still there, thought it looked better than it had when it had first appeared. "Does it still hurt?" He shrugged. "Why did you do it?"

He huffed, frustrated. "I told you, I was mad at what Hudson tried to do, and I was mad that I was almost too late, and I was scared, and… I'm sorry. About…" He gestured at her hand. He took a deep breath, collecting himself. "Did you tell anyone?" he asked abruptly. "You know, about what happened?"

She averted her eyes, focusing on the layout of her game pieces. "I, um, no. Well, some of it slipped out when I was talking to Blaine the other day, but no. That's why he helped me out with Finn, you know, earlier today."

"Oh. Are you going to tell anyone else?"

Rachel closed her eyes. "I don't want to talk about it. Nothing happened, and I don't want – I just want to forget about it. You got there before anything could happen, and I am incredibly grateful for that."

"… Okay."

She swallowed. She knew, intellectually, that she probably should talk to someone about it, maybe report Finn. But whenever she thought about it, she felt nauseated, sick with what had almost happened and embarrassed that she had almost let it happen. And what would she ever report? Finn was right, it wasn't as if anything had really happened. She shook her head. "Who – whose turn is it?"

Quinn blinked, seemingly shaken from his own thoughts. "Uh… not sure." He shook himself quickly.

"I think it's yours."

"Oh. Yeah. Um, I2." They traded moves for a few more minutes before Quinn cleared his throat. "So, uh, favorite ice cream flavor?" He shook his head, flustered. "Wait, no, crap, do you eat ice cream? You're vegan, what do vegans eat?"

With the somber atmosphere broken so suddenly, Rachel couldn't help her smile.

..

The rest of their game continued in a similar manner, both Rachel and Quinn sticking to lighter, easy-to-answer questions, both still wary of pushing too far. Nevertheless, Rachel had enjoyed herself, even though Quinn had managed to beat her, and they had both agreed that it had been quite effective at pushing away any lingering awkwardness.

Her fathers arrived about half an hour after Quinn had gone home, tired but apparently refreshed by their vacation. Rachel was glad she'd pushed them into going, even if she'd missed them. The three Berrys had dinner out, and when they returned, Rachel retreated to her room.

She'd spent most of the evening psyching herself up for the conversation she was about to have with her fathers. Oh, she was sure they would be supportive, but they would have questions, and she was slightly nervous. Everything about the whole situation made her nervous. Of course, being herself, good bit of her time last night had been spent figuring out what she wanted to say, and she'd spent most of third period today rehearsing it in her head (History with Mrs. Habsburg was a joke). Rachel took a deep breath, looking at herself in her mirror. She could do this.

She headed downstairs, finding her fathers talking in the kitchen, each with a glass of wine. "Dads? I need to call a family meeting. It's important."

The two men looked at her curiously. It was a rule in the Berry household that if one of them called for a family meeting, everything needed to be dropped for full attention. "Of course, honey," Hiram nodded.

"In the living room?"

"Okay."

Rachel led her fathers into the living room, motioning for them to sit down on the couch. They complied, each holding their wine glass as they looked at her expectantly. "What's this about, Rachel?" Hiram asked. "I have to say, you do look better this week."

"Yes, you seem a lot happier than when we left," Leroy noted, a coy smile on his face.

"That whole cloud of gloom you had hanging over your head has pretty much dissipated," Hiram agreed, taking a sip of his wine. He gave her a knowing look. "Have you and Quinn made up?"

Rachel laughed nervously. "About that. Actually, Dad, Daddy, I have an announcement to make." She took a deep breath. "I met Lucas."

She almost laughed when her parents' smiles turned into slack-jawed expressions of astonishment. Instead, she calmly stood there and waited for them to emerge from their shock.

"What? When did this happen?" Hiram demanded. "And why didn't you tell us? This is incredibly important! How did you meet? Did you talk? When did he get here?"

Leroy rolled his eyes. "Hiram, let her speak. Rachel, what happened?" He exchanged a look with Hiram. "We didn't exactly expect this; we thought you were going to announce that you and Quinn had started dating."

"Oh." Rachel nodded. "Yes. Well. This week I discovered… that Quinn's first name is actually Lucas. According to him he started going by his second name a few years ago."

There was a beat as the information was processed. "That pink-haired kid is your soulmate?" Leroy asked in disbelief.

"Okay, wait, I don't understand," Hiram shook his head. "… So you're saying that Quinn, whom you've been moping about for the past week, is actually your soulmate?"

"… Yes. It took me a few days to come to terms with it as well."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Dad, I'm sure."

Hiram took off his glasses, cleaning them on his shirt. "Okay. So… have you talked to him?"

Rachel could hear the unspoken questions. "We've spoken about our recent falling out," she said carefully. "He helped me out of a tight spot last Friday, and we had a… conversation." A loud one. "Then on Monday, I was talking with Brittany, and she put it into my head that Quinn was my soulmate. I dismissed it, but then I started thinking about all the things I've been feeling –"

"You mean your crush," Leroy interjected.

"Yes, that." She rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I confirmed it when this showed up on my hand," she lifted her palm with the white slash on it, "and I saw the matching bandage on his hand. I ran into him accidentally that evening, and we… talked."

Hiram nodded slowly. "I see. So you're sure?" Rachel nodded. "Did he know? That you're his soulmate? Before this week, I mean."

"Yes, he knew." Rachel shook her head. "Apparently, he knew this whole time, and I was incredibly angry on Monday, because I don't understand why I didn't see it. Brittany saw it, even S –" She paused. Her fathers might not have a problem with her relationship with Shelby, but they'd be hurt if they knew that Rachel had gone to her before talking to them.

"So he knew, and he still treated you like that?" Leroy asked, censure in his eyes.

Rachel sighed. "Yes. And we talked about it. Just yesterday, actually. He apologized, and we're going to work on better lines of communication from now on." She grew quiet. "He said… he doesn't think he deserves to be with me, and…" She wiped angrily at the sudden tears in her eyes. "It just hurts, that he thinks of himself that way. I mean, we knew about…" She swallowed. "I can't even imagine what he must have gone through for him to think that he's not allowed to be happy!"

"Oh, sweetheart," Hiram cooed, standing up to pull her into a hug. Rachel melted into him, letting the tears fall. This wasn't part of the script. She hadn't properly processed it until now, but suddenly, she was horrified. She had a lot of issues of her own, yes, but she knew she had a right to be happy, and it made her sick to know that her soulmate didn't think he did.

And he hid it so well, too. If she hadn't seen him yesterday, or that night when she'd caught him drunk in the park, she would have never guessed that he was hiding something like that. She knew now though that the carefree punk persona he put on was simply a mask.

"Have you asked him why he stopped talking to you when you were kids?" Leroy asked once she'd calmed a little.

Rachel bit her lip. It was of course one of the questions she most wanted to have an answer to, but, "We've decided that we're going to take things slow for now. I asked him if I could ask him about his dad, but he said not yet. I think I'd get the same answer if I asked why he shut me out. He's… neither of us want to mess things up by pushing too far too quickly. I think… maybe it's going to take a while for him to tell me."

Hiram and Leroy nodded. They of course knew about the situation with Lucas and the injuries which had been mirrored on Rachel's body over the years. The family had had quite a few conversations on the topic over the years, and they knew how delicate it would be.

"You should ask him over for dinner sometime," Leroy said. "We'd like to get to know him."

Rachel managed a watery smile. "I'll ask him." She let out a small laugh. "He's a really great person, even if he doesn't think so."

"Well, you'll just have to help him see himself the way you do," Leroy smiled at her. He flicked his gaze towards his husband, receiving an answering smile in return. "You've got a lot of work to do, both of you. But we're happy for you, sweetie."

She let out a chuckle. "It's just really weird right now, you know? I mean, I got to know him a bit when we were kids, and then again before I found out who he was, and it's still kind of unreal. And a little bit awkward. It's like we're doing this weird dance where we don't want to step on each other."

Leroy smiled. "Well, it's like any other relationship. Just because you're soulmates doesn't mean everything's automatically going to fall into place and you'll go skipping off into the sunset together."

"No. There will be no skipping off anytime soon, you hear me?" Hiram added sternly. Leroy and Rachel rolled their eyes in tandem.

"I'm just saying, this isn't a fairytale." Leroy took Hiram's hand, smiling at his husband. "It'll take a lot of effort and patience, but your relationship with Quinn could grow to be something really special."

Rachel smiled. "I know." She wrapped her arms around her dads. "I just hope someday we can be even half as great together as you two are."

"Oh, baby girl," Hiram shook his head, smiling. "We love you, you know that?"

"I know. I love you too."

..

Late that evening, Rachel stretched out on her bed, fiddling with a marker. It was strange. She and Lucas – Quinn – were on good terms now; in fact, he'd even written to her last night. But she was still apprehensive about writing him.

She was afraid that he wouldn't write back, and this would all turn out to be some sort of fantasy she'd cooked up for herself.

It was irrational, she knew, but there it was. Turning her left palm up, she inspected the gash that lay across it. It looked thinner, as though it were knitting together, and she was glad for that. Closing her hand, she picked up her marker again, resolutely opening it.

Quinn?

A minute passed with no response, and Rachel forced herself to calm down. He might be busy, or he might not have something to write with. Or maybe he'd changed his mind and was shutting her out again –

Rachel.

She exhaled, a sound of pure relief. A self-deprecating laugh bubbled up from her throat. Even after the past couple of days, it was still almost miraculous to see the words appear on her skin. Ink started to flow again, and she simply watched, mesmerized.

What's up?

Rachel just smiled. Nothing. I just wanted to say goodnight.

Oh. Okay. Goodnight, then. Do you want a ride tomorrow?

Her smile broadened. Yes, please, if that's okay.

It's fine. I'll see you tomorrow.

Goodnight, Quinn.

Rachel let out another breath and a smile, putting her marker on the bedside table and reaching for the lights. She could get used to this.

Baby steps.

Quinn picked Rachel up again the next morning, and it was a good deal less awkward than the previous day's encounter. Rachel was quite happy about that; hopefully their relationship would continue to proceed along a similar trajectory. They didn't see each other much over the course of the day, but Quinn had offered to give Rachel a ride home again.

After class, the glee club assembled in the auditorium again for the girls' performance, Rachel leading the group in their warmups backstage while the boys and Mr. Schue settled down in the seating area. Rachel frowned. "Where's Santana?"

"Probably in the bathroom," Mercedes said dismissively, Tina nodding along. Rachel turned to Brittany questioningly. The blonde shrugged.

"I don't know. She'll be here in a little while, I guess."

"… Okay." Rachel didn't exactly have a choice other than to accept it, unless she wanted to go hunt the Latina down. Thankfully, Santana arrived in her costume two minutes later. "Where have you been?" Rachel demanded.

"… Around. Let's just do this." Santana brushed her off. Rachel shook her head, opting instead to start getting ready. Five minutes later, the girls were set, and the curtains rose. Mercedes started them off with their mash-up of Rumor Has It and Someone Like You.

She, she ain't real,
She ain't gonna be able to love you like I will
She is a stranger,
You and I have history,
Or don't you remember?
Sure, she's got it all,
But, baby, is that really what you want?

The music faded out, waiting for the next soloist. Then the silence stretched for a beat too long, and Rachel felt her stomach lurch, instinctively knowing something was wrong. Her eyes flicked uncertainly to Santana, who just stood there, blank.

Then Mercedes was singing, taking over Santana's solo, and the performance was back on track, almost as if nothing had happened. Rachel knew better though, and even as she executed their choreography flawlessly, she kept her eyes on Santana. The Latina was moving in a mechanical, almost dazed manner, and Rachel was almost angry. Santana had always wanted the solos, fighting Rachel for them, but now that she'd gotten one, she'd just put the whole performance in jeopardy!

But then they hit the chorus. Something seemed to spark to life in Santana, and she started belting out her part.

Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said
I heard that you're settled down
That you found a girl and you're married now.
I heard that your dreams came true.
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you.

They were back in the chorus again, and Rachel could hear something different in Santana's voice, something raw, and emotional.

Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead.

The song was barely over when Santana stalked down the stage, blazing eyes fixed on Finn in the audience. "What did you just say?" she demanded.

Finn blinked at her, glancing at Puck beside him. "I was just saying you guys were awesome –"

"You're lying!"

"Dude, chill out, that's literally what he said –"

"You tell him too?" Santana cut Puck off harshly. The rest of the glee club was still standing on the stage or frozen in their seats, unsure as to what was happening. "Now everyone's going to know!"

"The whole school already knows –"

"Not just the school, you idiot! Everyone!"

A loud smack resounded through the auditorium, and Rachel stared along with the rest of the glee club, suspended in disbelief. Finn was clutching his cheek, and before anyone could do more than stare, Santana was striding off the stage. Brittany followed her a beat later, and within ten seconds the rest of the group was abuzz with chatter.

"Everybody, settle down," Mr. Schue tried to keep the order to no avail. Rachel could have rolled her eyes. Anyone with half a brain knew that that wouldn't work.

"What was she talking about?"

"Finn, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"She's probably just PMS-ing or something."

"All right, that's enough!" Mr. Schue finally yelled. The talk ceased. "Ladies, wonderful job on the mash-up. We'll discuss the winners next week. Finn, I'm going to need you to come with me. Everyone else, please go home, we're done for today."

Rachel frowned, biting her lip in thought as Finn followed Mr. Schue out of the auditorium. She knew Finn and Santana had been fighting quite a bit recently, but she hadn't thought that the two would actually come to blows. Still, Santana had been different during the performance, and it made Rachel think that this was a bit more serious than the pair's usual insults.

Speculation raged around her as the other kids excitedly discussed what had just happened, but Rachel decided not to participate. They wouldn't really know what had happened until Santana or Finn confirmed it, so this was just pointless. And besides, while she was curious, Rachel didn't want anything to do with Finn right now, and the farther she stayed from Santana, the better.

Trailing out of the auditorium after the others, she headed to her locker and found Quinn waiting. He looked up from his phone and gave her a questioning look. She shook her head.

"You wouldn't believe what just happened."

He let out an amused huff. "Well, you can tell me on the way to your house."

Nodding her assent, she fell into step with him. Slowly, she realized that the sense of comfort she'd always had around him was still there, even if it had been masked by the nervousness of the past few days. But their talks had helped, and she was beginning to adjust to the knowledge that Lucas Quinton Fabray was her soulmate. She glanced up at him with a small smile.

Maybe she hadn't put too much thought into the part between meeting her soulmate and their happily ever after. But maybe it was just time they needed. She wasn't under any illusions that it was going to be all sunshine and buttercups the entire way. But for now, things were looking good.

Rachel sighed softly, looking out the window. It was only two weeks into summer vacation, and it didn't bode well that she was already bored. Her parents had enrolled the nine-year-old in a few classes for the summer, but with no friends to speak of, Rachel still didn't have much to do in her downtime. Leroy had been working from home to stay with her, but he was busy in his study. Utterly bored, Rachel picked up a marker from her desk.

Lucas, are you there?

The answer was almost immediate. Hello, Rachel. What's up?

Nothing. I'm just bored.

I thought you were taking singing lessons for the summer.

Yes, but it's only twice a week, and Daddy says I should let my voice rest for a while.

I'm bored too. There was a short pause. I even kind of miss Frank a little. He used to play with me once in a while.

Rachel sighed again. It was just her luck that she had someone just as bored as she was, only to be kept from playing with him because of their extreme distance. There wasn't really much they could do together unless it was to play a game of tic-tac-toe on their skin. Are you playing any sports again this summer?

Soccer again.

Oh. Is it the same team as last year?

Yes. The coach too. He's sort of my uncle, but not really. He's one of my dad's friends. He's cool.

That's nice. Rachel wasn't a sports person, so she didn't really have anything additional to say on the topic. Then she paused, suddenly remembering. Hey, I wanted to ask you something. What happened to your arm?

A large bruise had appeared on Rachel's upper arm yesterday. She knew it wasn't hers, and it didn't actually hurt, therefore it had to be from Lucas. There was a quick pause before Lucas wrote back.

Oh, that. It's nothing. I'm sorry. I was just being stupid, that's all.

Are you sure? How did you get it?

This time there was long pause before he answered. I don't want to talk about it.

Okay.

It's nothing, really. Sorry.

Rachel chewed on her lip thoughtfully. Well, if he said it was nothing, maybe it really was. She had a weird feeling about it though. It was easily brushed aside when she had an idea.

I thought of something we can play. Do you know how to play Battleships?

Yes. Frank has a set in his room.

We can do that without seeing each other. We can just set up the boards by ourselves and then write down our moves and answer if it's a hit or a miss.

I'll go get my board.

Rachel didn't bother to answer, instead scampering out of her room to get the game from the living room. Hiram had gotten it a few weeks ago, but the family rarely played it on their game nights since only two people could play. It didn't take her long to run back up to her room and get the pieces set up to her liking. Soon words appeared on her arm again.

I'm ready.

She grinned excitedly. Me too. Do you want to go first?

Ladies first.

Thank you.

Get ready to lose.

Rachel blinked, her grin turning into a sly smile. You're going down. I'm very competitive, and I never lose.

We'll see. Your move.

A1.

Hit.

Hello everyone! As requested, a bit easy on the angst this time around. I'm glad their reconciliation last chapter was well-received. Rachel and Quinn still have a lot to work on, but at least they're talking now.

This chapter was sort of about finding their footing. They're not quite ready to jump into a romance just yet; there's still a lot unresolved between them, especially with Quinn's past. It'll come up in future chapters. They've got quite a ways to go, and to be honest I'm not sure if we'll end up going to New York with them. We might.

That's all for now. Leave a review if you're so inclined, and I'll see you next time.