Hey everyone, sorry it's been so long since my last update. All i can say is that family sucks. Unless you make your own.

Anyway, i actually kinda struggled with this chapter. It doesn't particularly push the plot forwards leaps and bounds, but there are some small things included that i really wanted to get in. I'm hoping the next chapter will flow a lot more smoothly when it comes to writing it.

There are some gleeks included in this chapter, but really not that much, they're more or less just being used so i can mention them later on in the story.

Also, i realized when editing this chapter on FF.N that i've been putting in break markers on my word document, but they haven't been showing up on the actual webpage, and i'm annoyed because that's one of my pet peeves when reading fic, so i apologize. I'm going to try and sort that out from now on.

Thank you so much for your comments, they really make me smile. It's nice when you're having a bad day to have so many people saying nice things about something you do, a real ego boost. It also makes me want to write more for you, so keep going.

Enjoy ;)

Chapter 13

The next morning, the first thing Rachel noticed, with a smirk, was the fact that during the night she had taken on the roll of little spoon. The second was that there actually was something poking into her ass, something hard and kind of bigger than I thought it would be to be honest. And the third was that she had a headache that was possibly the result of being hit by an HGV the night before, or could be a mix of her cold and a medication hangover. She attempted opening her eyes before she groaned and screwed them closed again. Quinn's arms shifted around her before bringing her in closer. She felt the younger woman sleepily place a couple of kisses on her neck just below her ear, and felt Quinn's warm breath sighing across the skin of her neck.

"I didn't know I could get a hangover from cold medication" she mumbled, barely making the effort to part her lips to talk. Quinn, her eyes still closed, rubbed her forehead back and forward over the spot she had just been kissing, trying to reclaim sleep.

"There's a bottle of water and some aspirin in my bag by your side of the bed. I figured you'd need it last night." Rachel's eyebrow raised in interest, although she still didn't actually open her eyes.

"My side? So that means that we have sides now?" She smiled softly as she slurred sleepily into her pillow.

"Looks that way, doesn't it?"

"Also looks like I was right about you being the big spoon." There was silence for a few seconds before Quinn's lazy mind came up with a comeback.

"Shut up." Rather pleased with it, she buried her face down in between Rachel's hair and her pillow, but whined a second later when the warm, berry-scented locks pulled away. Rachel quickly reached down to Quinn's bag, grabbed two aspirin and downed half the bottle of water as rapidly as she could and lay back down again, to be met by Quinn's embrace and a grunt of satisfaction that Rachel had resumed her place. Rachel settled back, smiling.

"What time is it baby?"

"Don't care. Sleep."

"God, I remember the days when I was young and could just sleep the day away."

"Good, because it was a week ago. Sleep." Rachel could hear Quinn's vehemence, and decided to tease her a little.

"I don't know, Quinn, I mean I usually get up fairly early, maybe I should just-"

"Rachel Berry I swear to god if you get out of this bed right now I will never talk to you again."

"Liar."

"I'll never kiss you again?"

"More lies."

"I'll tell Puckerman he has a chance with you." She felt the brunette tense in her arms.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Better stay here and not find out, huh?"

"I guess I could stay here for a little while. Although there's something poking into my back…"

"Shh, just don't mention it. Ignore it and it will totally disappear."

"Oh sweetheart please, it's pressed up against my ass and you think it's just going to disappear? I don't think you're giving my ass enough credit. "

"Don't be so conceited baby, it's not flattering. And this is kind of embarrassing. I was really hoping you wouldn't mention it…" Rachel sighed gently in Quinn's arms, threading the fingers of her right hand through the fingers of Quinn's left which was thrown over her stomach.

"Baby, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Straight couples have to deal with it most days. It's just something that happens."

"I guess you're right. But if it is so normal for…people with penises…could you please not talk about it so much?" Rachel's mouth clamped shut and she realized that in her effort to make it something comfortable, she had made it more uncomfortable.

"Of course, I'm sorry, I just-"

"I know."

"But… could you maybe move it to the left a bit.." Quinn's eyes shot open in embarrassment, and she wriggled her hips to shift her hard dick somewhere more comfortable for her girlfriend. Eventually she settled down again, and they both closed their eyes and just enjoyed being close to each other. Rachel sighed.

"I could get used to this" she whispered as she played with Quinn's fingers.

"Me too" was the equally quiet reply that was breathed into her ear.

They spent the rest of that day lounging, just holding each other and talking, not really moving from the bed other than to brush their teeth, retrieve some food from the kitchen and go back. Quinn learned that Rachel had a various different laughs. She had the cutest little giggle when she was flustered or embarrassed or shy, and that when she found something really hilarious she had a really loud laugh, almost obnoxious but so full of joy that she couldn't find it anything but endearing. Rachel realized that if it weren't for Quinn's cold upbringing she would be one of the most affectionate people she had ever met. She was constantly touching, hugging, caressing. When Rachel brought up that Quinn acted differently, she replied that she felt different.

"I just feel…" She trailed off, scrunching up her nose and thinking about what she was trying to say. She wriggled in Rachel's arms, reveling in the unbelievable comfort that she felt, and realized what she was trying to say. "I just feel so comfortable around you. I feel like I can do anything I want and not get weird looks or annoying questions about why. I'm not touchy-feely with my parents. We don't hug for no reason. Same with the people from school. I just feel different around you. I want to feel you next to me, to know you're there and know that I can be who I am. That you want me to be who I am." Rachel smiled and squeezed Quinn as close as she could. The girl smiled and gave as good as she got, before they went back to their original positions. They were sprawled across the middle of the bed, Rachel still in her silk night gown, Quinn still in pj pants and a tank, with Rachel on her back and Quinn on her stomach. The blond's left arm was over Rachel's hips and her left cheek was resting on Rachel's stomach, just above her bellybutton, looking up to her face. They were silent for a long time, Quinn enjoying the repetitive motion of Rachel's breathing and Rachel dragging her nails soothingly across her scalp.

"Rach?" Rachel recognized the insecurity in the girl's voice.

"What is it baby?" she said calmly, moving her hand to stroke Quinn's hair.

"I just…Where… I mean…when you think of yourself in five years' time, how do you imagine everything will be?" A less perceptive person than Rachel might not have picked up on the real question that Quinn was asking, but the teacher did. The girl was asking what they were doing, where it was going. Rachel sighed in contemplation.

"Well…" she began, sitting up with one hand behind her for support, so that Quinn's head was in her lap looking up at her, and she was still stroking the spun gold beneath her fingers. "In a perfect world, I see myself still teaching…" She noticed Quinn's eyes close and her brow twist ever so slightly, but continued in spite of the younger woman's disappointment. "I see myself going home on the last day before summer vacation, after a long day of work, and collapsing on the couch…" Rachel watched with interest as Quinn's face twisted into a frown of confusion about where she was going. "Until a gorgeous blond grad student comes down the stairs, pulls off my heels and rubs my feet." At this Quinn's eyes opened as her eyebrows tried to meet her hairline. Smiling, Rachel rubbed her thumb softly over Quinn's forehead. "She tells me that she ran a bath, and she sits next to the tub and talks to me about my day and her day, and then when I'm done she dries me off with a towel, wraps me up and leads me by the hand into a room filled with rose petals and candles. We lay down on the bed and make love until the sun comes up."

Rachel couldn't be positive, but she thought that Quinn's eyes were glistening slightly more than usual.

"She falls asleep for a few hours but I can't sleep because I'm so busy looking at her beautiful face. I slip downstairs to make her breakfast in bed, and as she's eating I surprise her with two plane tickets to Bermuda for a month long vacation. While we're there we have a ceremony, and we promise to be together for the rest of our lives and I've never been so happy in my entire life." As Rachel smiled down at Quinn, the tears trickled out of the corners of the blond's eyes and she rolled so she could bury her head into Rachel's stomach.

"Quinn, I love you. I may not be able to do anything about it for another seven months, but compared to how long I want to spend with you, seven months is nothing. So we're gonna get through the rest of your time at high school, and then we're going to figure this thing out. It may take some compromise, but I think we can do that. Do you?" Quinn met Rachel's eyes again, her own bright and sparkling from the tears. She nodded and smiled so widely she was worried she had done some damage to her jaw. She sat up and twisted around so that the two of them were eye level with each other.

"I'm so glad you feel that way. I know you love me, but sometimes I just worry that I'm some crazy child with an infatuation. I was scared that as soon as I left high school you would want to stop talking to me and just get on with your life." Rachel wiped away some lingering tears and tangled her hand in the waves behind Quinn's ear.

"I will be getting on with my life. That's why you have to be there."

Somewhere deep inside Quinn, a weight was lifted. Relief flooded through her. She couldn't help but beam at the brunette, who was returning the smile gram for gram. Somewhere in that description was a clarification that they weren't just playing a game. Somewhere was a promise that what they had was real, and that it was wanted. Quinn leaned forward and captured Rachel's lips, and while she was taken a little by surprise at the rare action, she recovered quickly and met the younger woman's advances eagerly. As their lips slipped and slid across each other in a delicious dance, Rachel made sure Quinn understood her honesty. When she lightly nipped and sucked at Quinn's bottom lip, she tried to convey the promise that they weren't a mistake, or a fling. As she moaned when Quinn lightly pulled at the roots of her hair, and Quinn's tongue slipped into her mouth to massage her tongue, she felt Quinn telling her that she understood, that they would make it out of Lima, and into a place so perfect that it hurt Quinn's heart to think about, and made Rachel's pulse race. When the kiss softened and turned into slow, brief meetings and partings of lips, they pulled away, smiling. Quinn felt almost shy about the amount of love and devotion that was in Rachel's eyes, and so she dropped her head to Rachel's shoulder. The brunette's arms wrapped around her, one around her shoulder and one around her waist. The blond mirrored the move and they both held each other tight for a few minutes. Eventually Quinn's eyes lifted to look at the clock. 16:17pm. She sighed in irritation.

"I have to get home. My parents will be suspicious if I'm much later, or they might mention it to Santana's mom if they see her."

"You do?" Rachel pouted and widened her eyes, melting Quinn's heart (for the thousandth time after using the expression; it never failed). The blond persevered, knowing that if she gave in the outcome could be worse than she could imagine. She lightly slapped the brunette's hand.

"Stop looking at me like that! You know I don't want to go." She smiled while she was speaking. Rachel rolled her eyes and smiled,

"OK, fine." She stood up from the bed and pulled Quinn behind her. Quinn dressed slowly as Rachel pulled on a peach silk robe which only fell to half way down her mostly bare thighs, just past the end of the scant nightgown she had been wearing. The contrast between Rachel's tanned, muscular legs and the robe made Quinn's mouth water, and she had to shake herself so that she didn't trip as she pulled on her jeans.

They finally found themselves in front of Rachel's front door. There was an awkward silence for a while, neither woman knowing what to say, until Quinn took the initiative and grabbed the front of Rachel's robe lightly, pulling her in to a soft kiss. Rachel rested her hands on Quinn's waist for support, smiling widely into the kiss. They kept their lips just barely touching and their eyes closed as they said goodbye.

"Do you think you'll be able to come back here sometime over the vacation? I'm not sure I want to not see you for more than two weeks." Rachel asked, with something almost resembling a whine in her voice.

"Try and stop me. Maybe I can come up with some ways that we can 'accidentally' meet up in like…public places or something." Quinn replied cheekily.

"What, you mean like…a date? Why Quinn Fabray, are you asking me out?" Rachel exclaimed with over-dramatic flare. Quinn dropped her brow, which Rachel could feel more than see.

"No." Rachel's brow dropped to match her own. "If I was going to ask you out it would be way more romantic than that." They both laughed, and Rachel used the jokey moment to give Quinn a light shove away, forcing them to separate.

"You promise?" she asked shyly, wrapping her arms around herself to replace Quinn's and looking down at her bare feet. Quinn melted at her expression."I guarantee it." She replied with a wink, shoving her hands in her back pockets. Rachel met her eyes and smiled. There was a brief pause before Rachel realized that at some point Quinn really did need to leave.

"Alright you, the sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back, so get going." As the brunette opened the door, Quinn decided not to point out the obviously flawed logic, and instead picked up her bags. She stepped out of the door.

"Will you call later?" Rachel smiled and nodded as she responded.

"Of course I will."

"OK well, I guess I'll speak to you later then?" Another nod from Rachel. Quinn really didn't want to leave, but she forced herself to start backing up slowly, not taking her eyes from Rachel.

"I love you Rachel Berry." The shorter woman flushed a little at Quinn using her full name.

"I love you Quinn Christina Fabray." Upon hearing that the woman knew her middle name, she gasped dramatically and stopped on the spot.

"Where did you find out that!" Rachel smirked with a smug expression.

"I'm your teacher Quinn. I know all sorts of things about you. Including what you did to Billy Mickelson in third grade." The blond's eyes widened, realizing that Rachel had probably seen her permanent record. Rachel laughed wickedly.

"Relax Quinn, I read it before I started helping you out with your audition pieces. There's nothing in there that's gonna put me off now." Quinn rolled her eyes and let a wry smile grace her lips.

"Will you tell me yours?" She asked, not liking that the woman knew something about herself that Quinn didn't know about her.

"Maybe. We'll see." Quinn's brows rose in warning, but Rachel was already closing the door.

"Drive safe baby, love ya!"

As the door slammed lightly, Quinn muttered under her breath and made her way down the steps to her car, shaking her head good-naturedly with a small smile playing around the corners of her mouth. Just as she got into her car, her phone buzzed with a text. She read the message and laughed loudly.

Barbra. As in Streisand, not Bush. xxx

It had been four days since the two girls had seen each other, and both were getting a little ancy. Their phone calls were getting longer and more morose, much of the talking dedicated to how much they wished they could see each other. Finally, Quinn came up with an inspired idea about where they could go without anyone recognizing them. She waited for Rachel to answer the phone, which she did on the eighth ring.

"Hey gorgeous, how are you today?"

"Inspired, Rach, I'm inspired."

"Oh really? Hmm. Well, what is it that has you so inspired baby?"

"The thought of seeing you." Quinn grinned into the phone.

"Charmer. Well, how do you plan on pulling it off then?"

"Well, I have a question for you first. How do you feel about old movies?"

"Favorable. Very favorable. In fact, I feel like this is quickly becoming one of my favorite dates ever. What have you got planned?"

"Well my parents are in Buffalo for a couple of days visiting some family before Christmas - I hate them so I didn't go - anyway, I was thinking about places we could go and not have to worry about being seen, and when I was reading the paper this morning, I saw a tiny notice about a drive-in movie theater a little under two hours away. I thought maybe you would want to go?" Across town, the woman's face lit up.

"Oh wow Quinn, that sounds great. I'm going out with some friends tomorrow night, so Friday?"

"Christmas eve?" Quinn's eyebrow raised a little cockily, and very happily. "That sounds perfect. There's a showing at eight, so I was thinking I would pick you up at six?"

"Aw, you're gonna pick me up and everything? This whole thing is so romantic. No-one's done something like this for me since high school."

"Yeah well, I am in high school, so sorry it's a little retro, but I kinda wanted to get the full date experience."

"It's not retro baby, it's romantic. So what are we seeing?"

"Ah. Now that is the surprise. And before you even think about it, don't you dare google the place so you can find out." Rachel pulled her hands slowly back from the keys of her laptop with her eyes wide.

"Sometimes I think you know me too well."

"Not possible babe. So who are you going to dinner with on Thursday?" Rachel froze a little at the question. She was hoping Quinn had overlooked what she had said. She should have known better.

While Quinn was waiting for an answer, she guessed where Rachel's mind had gone.

"Rach, it's OK, as much as I would like to meet your friends, I know just as well as you do that it can't happen at least until next year. There would be too many lies to keep up, and I'm pretty sure I don't look much older than I actually am. We can't risk them guessing what's going on, so I can't meet them." Rachel breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Quinn wasn't clueless and about to be totally hurt.

"Thank you baby. I really do want you to meet them, but at the moment it's just too risky."

"I know sweetheart. Don't worry about it. So who is it?"

"A few friends from back in school. I didn't have many, but they're good people, and I don't really make friends easily so it'll be nice to see some familiar faces here."

"That sounds really nice Rach. Seems like you're gonna have a really good weekend." Rachel sighed happily at Quinn's lighthearted talk, knowing that she really wasn't hurt or jealous.

"It sure does, doesn't it? Dinner with friends, and then a date with the most singularly beautiful woman I've ever seen on Christmas eve. That's a winning combo if I ever heard of one. And then I'm driving up to see my dads on Christmas day. All my favorite people in the space of a few days. I'm a very luck girl" Quinn blushed at her girlfriend's casual compliment and went quiet.

"Thank you baby. Anyway I was just about to go to bed. Will you call me tomorrow after your dinner?"

"Of course I will baby. Sweet dreams. I love you."

"Love you too Rachel Barbra" (She had been calling her that since she found it out.) "Goodnight."

The next night Rachel sat with her four closest friends: Kurt, Mercedes, and Tina from high school, and Jesse, who she met at Juilliard, and had been introduced to the other three only to quickly become like family also. They had been talking more than eating since they got there, and were finally getting to the point where they had gossiped enough to settle. The conversation turned to their relationships. A couple of them were in serious long-term relationships, but they were not allowed to go to so called "Family Night."

"So Tina" Mercedes asked. "How's Mike doing?" The woman swallowed her mouthful and smiled. They had actually been together since high school, but he really swam with bigger fish back when they were in high school, and he respected their dinners enough to know that he would be better off not going, and letting his girlfriend have something she didn't need to share with him

"He's good. He just got a promotion, so we were thinking of going on vacation to Venice to celebrate." Kurt perked up at the mention of Italy. Being fairly well known in the fashion world, he spent a lot of time in Europe, and gave his two cents on where to go when they arrived in the city.

"Armand and I love to go to this tiny restaurant just outside of St. Mark's square. You should definitely go. Does the best linguine I've ever tasted." Jesse piped in at this point.

"So it's all going well with you two?" Kurt nodded.

"Yes, I'm glad I didn't decide to follow your philosophy of 'forever single, forever young'. I…I really think he could be the one. I didn't think I could love someone as much as I love him." Everyone around the table smiled sweetly, before Jesse rudely joked.

"Your loss, my friend." Mercedes frowned at his comment and played with the engagement ring on her finger.

"Well St. James, it doesn't seem like a loss to me either."

"Oh god, you're gonna make me throw up with all this sappy crap. C'mon Rach, you agree with me right?" She met his eyes meekly and her friends' eyebrows peaked in interest at her pointed silence.

"Oh no, you too?" The New Yorker exclaimed. She nodded at Jesse slowly with a little grin at her lips. Tina turned to her in excitement.

"You're with someone? So? Who is she? What's her name and social security number so we can stalk her? What does she look like? How did you meet? C'mon Rach, it's been almost two years since your last relationship!"

"Exactly. I don't want to, like, curse it or anything." Four sets of eyes glared pointedly at her.

"OK! OK! I'll tell you a little. Um…Well, her name's Quinn…" They all nodded hungrily. "Well, I met her about three months ago. She's tall, and blond, hazel-green eyes…" Kurt's expression was becoming more bored by the second so she thought she'd be honest with them. Sort of. "…And honestly? She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life. She's so graceful; strong, but somehow still delicate. I love the way she speaks, the way her voice sounds, the way she can look at something and seem like she sees exactly where it belongs in the world. She understands me better than I think I understand myself. She's wise beyond anyone I've ever met, and kind, intelligent, funny, and I am so in love with her that I'm having trouble breathing right now just thinking about her." As she spoke, everyone's knives and forks slowly dropped to the table, and it seemed as if they all forgot how to chew. They were silent for a few moments.

"Wow." was the only thing Kurt could think to supply, the surprise on his face evident.

"Yeah, wow." Tina repeated.

"Damn, girl. You got it bad." Mercedes shook her head. Jesse looked defeated, and put down his silverware with a thoughtful frown on his face.

"Well, fuck." He muttered quietly, causing everyone to laugh lightly and breaking the tension.

When they parted that evening they made her promise that they would have a non-"family" dinner so they could meet Quinn. Rachel agreed, hoping that she could deflect until at least the summer. They all hugged goodbye, and she drove home smiling. It was good to see friends. She really wasn't lying when she said she didn't make friends easily, she only really knew one or two people in Lima, and they all worked at McKinley. A couple of the male staff members had tried to ask her out, including one Will Schuster after his marriage failed, but a couple of them were decent enough people, and she had been out for drinks a couple of times. Still, she wasn't exactly close to any of them, but she was happy where she was, knowing she had people out there who she trusted with her life, including one beautiful young blond. When she got home, she drew herself a bath and dialed Quinn, putting her on speaker as she soaked in the tub.

"So you had a good time tonight?" the girl asked.

"Yeah, it was wonderful to see them."

"Well good. I like people who make you happy." Rachel smiled gently.

"They do too. I mentioned you, and they want to meet you."

"Really? You did?" Quinn asked shocked.

"Yeah, of course. And they really want to meet you." Quinn exhaled, trying to be calm.

"Wow. Well that'll be great, but if I'm honest…I'm glad I have some time to prepare myself." Rachel laughed at this as she toweled off and walked into the bedroom, slipping on a pair of sleep shorts and a tank, then climbing into bed.

"Well, it's gonna happen sooner or later, so get preparing." she replied. Quinn laughed down the phone.

"I'll bare that in mind. So are you looking forward to tomorrow night?" she asked. Rachel grinned, thinking about finally being able to go on a date with the blond.

"Of course I am baby, although I would really appreciate it if you would just inform me-"

"I'm not telling you what we're seeing. And stop pouting, I can't even see it." Rachel rearranged her reflexive face and chuckled.

"But you know I'm doing it, so it still works..."

"Whatever. Look, all you need to do is wear something nice, but still comfortable, and get in my car at 6pm tomorrow evening. I am planning the ultimate romantic Christmas eve for my devastatingly beautiful, talented, intelligent, dorky girlfriend, and I'm not gonna let you or anyone else ruin it, got it?" Rachel smiled so hard her cheeks hurt.

"Yes. I have got it. I guess I'll see you tomorrow night then baby?"

"Indeed you will. I love you so much Rachel Barbra."

"I love you more than I thought it was possible Quinn Christina. See you in…" She tapered off looking at the clock on the nightstand, the one on Quinn's side "…19 hours."

"Night baby."

"Night."

Both women fell asleep with huge smiles on their faces, the same as they had been doing for weeks, looking forward to their date.

So the next chapter will be the date, and then i'm going to start skipping days/weeks here and there. Soak up the happy while you can folks, because this is going to get angsty in the middle somewhere. It'll also get sexy hopefully, so maybe that'll take off some of the sting.

I'll try and have the next chapter up within a week, and within a few days if i don't have much going on. But like i say, if you review i'll probably update faster. Even if it's negative, because then i'll probably write something that i think is better to try and rub it in your face ;)

Until next time x