Okay, first I'm sorry it's been a month since I last posted, but this semester is going to be the death of me. I don't seem to have that much free time and it's been really hard trying to write at work. Luckily this weekend was fall break, so I've been able to get caught back up a little and finally finished this chapter.
Also, their whole spring break was supposed to be in one chapter, but I decided I wanted to include a lot more than originally planned, so I split it into two chapters.
miralinda: Yep, I play a priest and have my own guild; luckily it is now 90, so I can stop spending all my free time leveling.
thatskarma: Thank you; I can't stand when they get together so quickly in stories because it's very unrealistic to me. I'm glad you are enjoying the story and don't find too many faults in my grammar and spelling ;)
Enjoy…
Chapter 25 – We Went For A Ride, Part 1
"Stop that right now!" Rachel said, glancing into the review mirror.
"Stop what?" Santana asked, sounding all too innocent.
"I can hear the smacking, you know," Rachel said, huffing. "I told you there will be no making out in the backseat while the rest of us have to listen."
"Maybe if you would let me drive, we wouldn't have this problem," Santana replied and Rachel swore she could hear the other girl smirking even if she couldn't actually see her at the moment.
"This is my fathers' car and I will be the only one driving it for the duration of this road trip," Rachel replied.
The truth was, she didn't care about the minivan and she hated driving, but she trusted herself enough to get them to New York in one piece. Anytime Quinn was in a car, it made Rachel nervous, so she wasn't about to spend ten hours in a car with someone other than her behind the wheel. She just wished Santana would stop distracting her by making out with Brittany in the back or trying to come up front to change the radio station.
"I have to pee," Brittany announced a few seconds later.
"We just stopped fifteen minutes ago!" Kurt said rather loudly.
"What's your point, Hummel? Santana asked.
"My point is she should have gone when the rest of us did," Kurt replied.
"But I didn't have to pee then," Brittany stated.
"Stop at the next place," Santana demanded.
"But—"
"Shut it, Hummel," Santana interrupted.
"Everyone please calm down," Blaine softly said. "Let's stop one more time; we can all use the restroom and make sure we get something to eat and drink so we don't have to stop again for a while."
Rachel sighed and looked beside her, at Quinn; her girlfriend just raised her eyebrow and Rachel knew it was a look saying 'I warned you'. They had been on the road for two hours, but they had barely driven sixty miles. First, Santana demanded to get breakfast before they left Lima even though Rachel asked everyone to make sure they ate before she picked them up. Kurt had been drinking coffee, so he made them stop at a gas station a bit later, complaining that his bladder was going to burst if they didn't. The third and fourth time they stopped was also Santana's doing; the first was when she realized she forgot her headphones at home and wanted to stop to buy some, and the other time she had to go to the bathroom. Rachel had fought Santana in the beginning, but she was quickly learning that arguing with her was futile.
"Okay, one last stop, but then we have to make up for last time, so no more stop for a while," Rachel said and Quinn laughed lightly beside her.
"Good luck with that," Quinn mumbled when she was done laughing.
"Look, there's an exit," Blaine said, pointing straight ahead, and Rachel put her turn signal on, taking the exit.
"Turn left," Kurt instructed.
"Turn right," Santana said a few moments later.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Does it really matter where we go?"
"Yes," Santana and Kurt said in unison.
Rachel looked to her right and raised her eyebrows at Quinn. "Where would you like to go?"
Santana scoffed. "Just because you're doing her, it doesn't mean she should get to decide everything."
Rachel blushed. "Okay, first of all, not that is any of your business, but I am not 'doing' anyone. Secondly, do you have to be so crude?"
"Maybe that's your problem, you need to get laid," Santana replied.
Rachel ignored Santana's comment and turned left; she could hear the other girl huff, but she didn't care if Santana was annoyed with her right now. After driving a few minutes down the road, she pulled into the first gas station she came across. It was run down and looked as if you would catch something just by looking at it, but she didn't want to turn around and have Santana gloat that she had been right.
Almost before the van had come to a complete stop, Brittany already had the door open and was half jogging, half skipping to the building. Rachel looked back and noticed Kurt giving a look of distaste, but he made no verbal complaints. Blaine, Santana, and Kurt all got out of the van while Quinn and Rachel stayed behind.
"Having fun yet?" Quinn asked.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "I should have listened to you; at this rate, we'll make it to New York City just in time to turn around and drive back to Lima."
Quinn smiled. "It's not that bad."
"Sixty-three miles," Rachel stated. "We left Lima over two hours ago."
"I know you have everything planned out, but try to relax," Quinn said, reaching over the console and putting her hand on Rachel's.
Rachel sighed. "I just want to get there; there's so much I want you guys to see."
"We'll get there." Quinn squeezed her hand. "You're with your friends, though, so try not to worry about how long it takes and just enjoy the trip."
"I'm being irrational, aren't I?" Rachel asked.
"If you think you're going to get there on time with Santana in the car, yes," Quinn replied, laughing.
Rachel was spinning with her arms out to her sides. She could hear Quinn laughing, but she didn't care; she was finally back in the city she loved and she couldn't be happier. It hadn't even been a year since she was thrown back to Lima, but in ways it felt like a lot longer. In the past, her senior year went by quickly because she was so focused on her future; now she was focused on her future, but in a completely different way. It was a lot more stressful trying to change her future than it was when she was just waiting to live it.
"We're here," Kurt said, sounding breathless.
"And it only took us fourteen hours," Rachel said, narrowing her eyes in Santana's direction.
"We're here now and that's all that matters," Kurt said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"Is she still bitching?" Santana yelled from a few yards away.
Rachel rolled her eyes, ignoring Santana. "You're right, Kurt."
"Of course I'm right," Kurt replied, guiding her toward where Blaine and Quinn were standing. "Now that we've spent the requisite time in Times Square, I'm famished."
"Can we go to the zoo?" Brittany asked, happily skipping over and dragging Santana behind her.
"I don't think the zoo is open this late," Quinn replied.
"Are you hungry, though?" Rachel asked. "Kurt wants to eat."
Brittany nodded. "Can we go to the zoo tomorrow?"
Rachel looked at Santana, who raised an eyebrow at her. "We'll see."
"So, where would everyone like to eat?" Blaine asked.
"Oh!" Rachel said, clapping her hands in excitement. "I know the perfect place! There's this amazing little Italian place a few subway stops away. They have the best pizza and lasagna."
Santana looked at her skeptically. "How the hell do you know that?"
"My fathers and I go to it every time we're here," Rachel quickly lied.
In reality she and Kurt had stumbled across it one winter night; they were trying to get to a different restaurant, but they had gotten lost along the way and they were both so hungry and cold that they abandoned their search and went into the first place they saw. That place became their favorite restaurant in the city and she had spent the last eight months missing her and Kurt's weekly lunch dates at it. It was one of the places she wanted to take her friends the most and she figured this was as good a time as any.
"Whatever, just as long as it's not that disgusting vegan crap you eat," Santana said, shrugging.
"While they have plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, I can assure you that they have more than that," Rachel replied. "Although, Santana, have you even tried vegan food because I find it hard to believe that every bit of it is disgusting."
"She's right," Quinn interjected. "Some of it's good."
Santana rolled her eyes and then smirked, making a whipping motion at Quinn. Quinn just raised her eyebrow and tilted her head toward Brittany, wiping the smirk off Santana's face.
"Can I get one of those?" Brittany asked, watching a little boy walk by with Statue of Liberty foam crown on his head. "San, we can both get one!"
"Sure, B," Santana replied, not looking very happy about it.
Rachel put her hand over her mouth, trying to hold back the giggle that was threatening to escape. Santana clearly noticed, though, and narrowed her eyes at Rachel.
"Oh look, t-shirts!" Brittany said, grabbing her girlfriend's hand, and pulling her away.
Blaine chuckled. "Poor Santana."
Quinn laughed. "That's what she gets for calling me whipped."
"She is definitely in no place to call anyone else whipped," Kurt said, watching Brittany and Santana in amusement as the blonde started holding up various shirts in front of the other girl.
"How long do you think they are going to be?" Kurt asked just as his stomach rumbled loud enough for everyone to hear it.
"Not long," Blaine said, rubbing Kurt's arm.
"Especially if we decide to be nice and save Santana," Rachel said.
"I think I can wait a little longer," Kurt replied, smirking.
Rachel knew it was probably payback for what the other girl did in the van. She had threatened to shove him out if he sung along to anymore show tunes. Kurt had scoffed and ignored her; instead of making good on her threat, Santana lunged forward in her seat, messing up Kurt's hair. Rachel would almost swear her ears were stilling ringing from his shrieks.
Santana and Brittany walked back over, but now they were sporting matching I Love NY shirts. Rachel couldn't help but smile at the sight; she grabbed her camera from her purse and looked around for someone that didn't look like they would run off with it. Nearby was a family that looked like tourists, so Rachel walked over to them.
"Excuse me," Rachel said, smiling at the mother. "Would you care to take a picture of us?"
The woman smiled back a reached out to take the camera. "Sure."
"Thank you," Rachel said, turning around to her friends. "Come on! Let's get a group picture."
Rachel grabbed Quinn's hand, pulling her to stand next to her. Kurt was on her other side with Blaine next to him and Santana was on Quinn's right, sandwiched between the two blondes in the group. After a moment, Quinn wrapped her arm around Rachel's waist, pulling her closer. When the flash went off, Rachel was smiling widely at her girlfriend instead of looking at the camera.
"Ducks!" Brittany yelled, running toward the pond, and pulling Santana along with her.
Rachel smiled, watching her friends. "What is Brittany's fascination with ducks?"
Quinn laughed and shook her head. "She says one saved her life when she was six."
"Excuse me?" Rachel asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Apparently her family went on vacation and stayed in a cabin next to a lake," Quinn began. "She says she snuck out in the middle of the night to go for a swim, but she didn't know how to swim, so she nearly drowned. "She says a duck came along and pulled her out of the water." Quinn glanced at Rachel. "I know it's unbelievable, but she swears it happened, so I've never tried to point out the flaws in her story."
"Like how would a duck pull a person out of the water?" Rachel asked.
"Exactly," Quinn said with a laugh.
"I know she isn't unintelligent—far from it—but she sees the world in such a different way than the rest of us," Rachel said, smiling softly as she watched the blonde. "Sometimes I wonder what it's like to be her—to see the world in a happier light."
"Because you're such a pessimist," Quinn said, smiling wryly.
"Fine, yes, I am generally an optimistic person, but I still see the bad in the world; I simply choose to ignore it or give people the benefit of the doubt," Rachel replied.
"Come on, guys!" Brittany yelled. "Help me feed the ducks!"
Rachel just laughed lightly and shook her head; as soon as she remembered that Central Park had several bodies of water, Brittany had insisted on buying a loaf of bread before they came. Originally she wanted to buy them doughnuts because it was morning and doughnuts were better for breakfast, but Rachel suggested a loaf of bread instead. She didn't know if ducks could get hyped up on sugar, but if they could, it wasn't something she was prepared to be around.
"Let's go feed the ducks," Rachel said, turning around, and reaching out for Quinn's hand.
"Kurt and Blaine are going to be disappointed they missed all the fun," Quinn joked as she entwined her fingers with Rachel's.
Rachel and Quinn walked toward the pond where the ducks were swarming in the water near Brittany. Santana appeared to be throwing whole slices of bread in the water just to watch the animals fight over it, but Brittany was tearing hers up into reasonable sized pieces. She smiled and handed a slice to Rachel and then reached back into the bag and pulled out another to give to Quinn.
"Can we go to the zoo after this?" Brittany asked.
"I don't think we have time today," Rachel replied and Brittany instantly looked a little less happy than she had the moment before. "We'll try to go tomorrow morning, though, okay?"
"Liar," Quinn whispered.
"Kurt and Blaine are going to meet us here soon and then we're going for brunch," Rachel said, ignoring Quinn.
Santana pulled her phone out. "I have to meet someone at one."
"You didn't tell me that," Rachel said, alarmed that carefully drawn out plans were going to have to change. "What do you have to do at that time?"
"I am taking a tour of NYU," Santana replied with a shrug.
"Did you apply there?" Rachel asked.
"Maybe," Santana said, smirking.
"She applied a while ago," Brittany added. "You know, since you're coming here and Quinn's going to be close."
"Really?" Rachel asked, her eyebrows raising in amusement.
"No," Santana quickly replied.
"Yes it is," Brittany said, ignoring the look Santana was giving her. "That's what you told me."
Quinn started laughing and Santana scowled at her. "Excuse me, but didn't you also apply to NYU."
"So," Quinn said when she stopped laughing.
"Why did you want to come to New York?" Santana asked, smirking.
Quinn blushed. "It doesn't matter."
"You applied to NYU?" Rachel softly said, smiling at her girlfriend.
"I applied to quite a few schools," Quinn said, shrugging. "I knew you would be here and that Kurt would probably be as well, and I thought it might be nice to be near people I knew."
"You mean you thought it would be nice to be near Berry," Santana interjected.
"Be nice, San," Brittany said, lightly hitting her girlfriend's arm. "You're making Quinn turn all red."
"You were really going to come here for me?" Rachel asked, turning to look at Quinn.
Quinn slowly nodded.
"That's so sweet," Rachel said, wrapping her arms around Quinn's neck, and pulling her closer.
"If you two start making out, I'm going to throw up," Santana said, grabbing each of them by the arm, and pulling them away from each other.
"Oh no, it looks like we're too late," Kurt said, walking up hand-in-hand with Blaine. "We leave you alone for an hour and Santana is already manhandling you."
"I'm out of bread; are we going to lunch now?" Brittany asked.
"Brunch," Rachel corrected.
"What's that?" Brittany asked.
"I'll explain it on the way," Santana said, smiling at the blonde as she linked their arms together.
Kurt stretched his legs out on the bed and turned to Rachel, propping his head up on his hand. "We need to have some girl talk; I feel like we haven't really been alone together in weeks and it makes me feel like a terrible friend."
"It's understandable," Rachel said, shrugging a shoulder. "You're busy with Blaine and I've been busy with Quinn."
"And how are things going with you two?" Kurt asked. "I know I asked last week, but really, how are things?"
"Things are rather perfect at the moment," Rachel replied, smiling to herself.
"Really?" Kurt asked.
"Really," Rachel said, smiling wider.
"It's just—Quinn has always been closed off and I was afraid that would become an issue for you two," Kurt said, furrowing his brows.
"She hasn't been, though," Rachel softly said. "It was a problem when we started becoming friends, but since then, she's been very good about talking to me. Obviously she doesn't tell me everything, but I've learned not to push her so much and to trust her to come to me when she's ready."
Kurt smiled. "You're happy."
"I am," Rachel replied. "Happier than I've been in a very long time."
"Good because I can threaten Finn when he's a jerk to you, but I don't think I can do the same to Quinn," Kurt said with a laugh.
"You threatened Finn?" Rachel asked, laughing as well.
"Maybe once or twice," Kurt replied, lightly shrugging.
"I thought you didn't condone violence," Rachel said, raising her eyebrows at him.
"I didn't threaten violence," Kurt replied. "I did, however, threaten to hide his video games where he would never find them."
Rachel laughed loudly. "Yes, I don't think that would work on Quinn."
Kurt turned, laying down on his back; he stared at the ceiling of their hotel room for a few moments before turning his head to look at Rachel again. She could tell he wanted to ask her something; it was the look he always had when he was worried about something and wanted her opinion on the matter. After being friends with him for nearly half her life, she had learned to read him better than anyone else. She knew something had been on his mind lately since, for the most part, he had been quieter than normal.
"Do you think Blaine is happy?" Kurt finally asked.
"I don't know," Rachel said, shrugging.
"He's been so—sullen lately," Kurt said, his forehead creasing slightly.
"Have you asked him about it?" Rachel wondered.
"Of course," Kurt replied. "He usually says nothing is wrong, though, so I drop it, but I know him well enough to know that something is wrong. I just wish he would tell me; I love him and if something is wrong, I want to know so we can fix it."
"Maybe he's worried," Rachel said, knowing that this was when Kurt and Blaine's problems started in the past.
"What does he have to be worried about?" Kurt asked.
"Well, we will be graduating before we know it and Blaine isn't," Rachel replied. "You're going to live here and he's going to be in Lima for another year. Maybe he's worried about how that is going to affect your relationship. Long distance relationships are not known for being easy, so reassure him; let him know there's still going to be a place for him in your life."
"He knows he's the only one for me and even if I am in New York, I still want to be with him," Kurt asked, shaking his head. "How could he think otherwise?"
"Maybe I'm completely off base, but he has been a little off during this trip, so I'm simply guessing that maybe this is the problem," Rachel replied.
Kurt sighed. "I'll try to talk to him tonight; you and Quinn are going to Wicked—which I'm completely jealous of by the way—and Brittany was talking about taking Santana to the park to feed the ducks again, which will give us some alone time. Maybe Blaine and I can go to a nice restaurant and I can get him to open up."
Kurt turned around, looking at the clock. "Didn't Quinn say they would be here by now?"
Rachel grabbed her phone and frowned at the time. "If they're not back soon, they're going to miss the tour of NYADA!"
"Relax, hon, I'm sure Brittany or Santana sidetracked them," Kurt said, patting Rachel's arm. "Blaine and Quinn wouldn't miss the tour and you know that."
Rachel took a deep breath. "You're right; I'm going to call Quinn to see how close they are."
"Good," Kurt said, sitting up, and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Now, I have to get to ready; this is going to be our future school and I need to look fabulous."
Rachel laughed, shaking her head at her friend. He shut the bathroom door just as she heard the rest of her friends coming through the hallway. The door clicked and Quinn walked into the room looking annoyed; judging by the look on Santana's face, she was the one that her girlfriend was annoyed at.
Rachel looked at Santana for a moment and then turned to Quinn. "So, how was the tour of NYU?" Quinn didn't say anything, but turned and scowled at Santana. "That good, huh?" Rachel sighed. "You can tell me on the way."
Rachel was nearly skipping down the street; she was holding hands with Quinn and swinging their hands between them. This wasn't the first or even the second time she had seen Wicked—she stopped counting after the seventh time—but it was also just as amazing as the first time she saw it. She mouthed every word along with the actors on stage and had to resist singing the songs out loud. She and Kurt habitually watched the movie based on the musical, but the movie would never be as good as seeing it live. She did enjoy being able to sing along to the movie, though, which, of course, she and Kurt always did.
"Did you enjoy it?" Quinn asked, giving her an amused smile.
"It was amazing!" Rachel replied
She always felt like she was on a high after she went to the theater; she didn't know what it was—the singing, the atmosphere, being surrounded by so many other theater lovers—but she always came out feeling different. She had expected to lose that feeling, but even after being on stage for years, she still felt the same way at the end of every night. Whether she was up there herself or in the audience, nothing compared to that feeling of euphoria.
"Did you like it?" Rachel asked, pulling herself out of her thoughts, and realizing Quinn hadn't said anything about it.
The blonde smiled to herself. "It was amazing—although I was slightly distracted during it."
"By what?" Rachel asked, frowning.
"By you," Quinn said, coming to a stop, and halting Rachel as well. The blonde smiled and shook her head slightly. "You were just so excited and trying not to sing along—it was adorable."
Rachel felt herself blushing. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Quinn said, laughing lightly.
"But you paid for the tickets and then I was distracting you and—"
"I'm sure we can see it again," Quinn interrupted, smiling at the brunette. "After all, you are going to be living here in less than a year and I'll only be a train ride away."
"Does that mean you'll come visit me?" Rachel asked, trying to hide her smile.
"I supposed that depends," Quinn replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"And what does it depend on?" Rachel asked, playing along.
"Oh, you know—all kinds of things," Quinn said, giving her a lopsided smile.
Rachel narrowed her eyes. "You don't know, do you?"
"Nope, not a clue," Quinn said, shaking her head, and laughing.
Rachel smiled to herself and tugged gently on Quinn's arm so she would start walking with her again. She liked seeing Quinn like this—happy, playful, content; it was something she never got to see in the past. It was also something she would never have guessed she needed in her life, but here she was, and she couldn't imagine life without Quinn in it even though that's how she spent the last eleven years of her life.
"What?" Quinn asked, looking at Rachel out of the corner of her eye.
"I was thinking about how I wish you showed more people this side of your personality," Rachel answered, glancing in Quinn's direction.
Quinn cocked her eyebrow. "And what side is that?"
"The one where you joke and flirt and seem happy," Rachel replied. "Not that I don't enjoy all your sides, but everyone generally sees your serious side and nothing more. Actually, I think most of the other students at McKinley are still afraid of you."
"Well, for most of high school I've pretended to be everyone but myself, so I couldn't let them see anyone but the bitchy head cheerleader," Quinn said, running her thumb along Rachel's palm. "Then I got pregnant and that fell apart for a while." Quinn shook her head and sighed. "I've never trusted anyone other than Brittany and Santana enough to let them really see anything but who I was pretending to be. For once, though, I think I finally like who I am."
"That's good because I like who you are as well," Rachel said, smiling.
"Always a plus," Quinn said, laughing.
"Wait!"
"What?" Rachel said, nearly barreling into Kurt, who was right in front of her and abruptly stopped the moment Brittany yelled.
"We didn't go to the zoo!" Brittany said, looking around.
Rachel sighed; she had really hoped Brittany would forget about the zoo, but it didn't appear she was going to be lucky enough for that to happen. She really wanted to get out of the city early and be on their way to New Haven, but judging by the look Santana was giving her, that wasn't going to happen.
"Okay, we can go to the Central Park Zoo, but we can only stay there for a few hours, okay?" Rachel responded.
"But I want to go to the other one," Brittany said, pouting in Santana's direction.
Rachel fought the urge to roll her eyes because she didn't want Santana yelling at her in the middle of the hotel lobby. She knew Brittany well enough to know the blonde wasn't stupid; she just knew how to get her way and that way was usually through Santana. If she pouted, Santana would make whatever she wanted happen, and she was using it to her full advantage right now.
"What zoo would you like to go to, Brittany?" Blaine asked.
"The Bronx Zoo," Brittany answered.
"You heard her," Santana said, continuing on, and dragging hers and Brittany's luggage behind her.
"Breathe," Kurt said, rubbing Rachel's back, and she did as she was told.
She had this tripped fully planned out and Santana was completely throwing off her entire schedule, but arguing with her was completely useless. She might be friends with the other girl now, but she was ready to strangle her and Rachel was far from a violent person. Finn always complained about how uptight she got while they were on vacation and there was some truth to that. She always liked to be prepared and have every moment planned to maximize their time, but that usually meant she would get frazzled when anything threw those plans off.
"We'll be out in a second," Quinn said, glancing at Kurt, effectively dismissing him.
"We should really go," Rachel said, trying to leave, but Quinn gently placed her hand on the brunette's arm, stopping her
"Rach, can I see your itinerary," Quinn requested.
"It's in my bag," Rachel said, pulling it from her shoulder, and pulling out her pink notebook.
When she handed the notebook to Quinn, the blonde opened it, finding the list of things they were supposed to do and at what time they were supposed to do them. It took up several pages of the notebook and Quinn smiled slightly, glancing up at Rachel for a moment. She then pulled the pages out and handed the rest of the notebook back to Rachel.
"What did you do that for!?" Rachel asked, sounding slightly hysterical.
Quinn ignored her and instead of answering her, she turned the front desk and strode over to it. Rachel was right behind her with her mouth still hanging open in horror, but Quinn didn't seem to notice—or at least she didn't seem to care.
"Can you do me a favor?" Quinn asked the young man behind the desk.
"Anything," the boy said all too quickly.
"Will you shred this?" Quinn asked, handing the itinerary over.
The desk clerk nodded vigorously. "Right away."
Rachel stomped her foot as she watched the guy walk away with her carefully made plans in his hands. "I can't believe you did that!"
"We're on spring break," Quinn stated, resting her right hand on Rachel's waist. "Everything will be okay even if every second of the day isn't planned. Besides, this way Santana can't mess your plans up and you can stop being so stressed out about everything."
Rachel sighed in exasperation but nodded. "I still don't appreciate you destroying that, though."
Quinn softly laughed. "I know, but it was the only way."
"You're not going to destroy my travel books next, are you?" Rachel asked, leaning her head on Quinn's shoulder.
Quinn smiled and kissed the top of Rachel's head. "Those you can keep."
Hopefully you all enjoyed that. As always, comments are appreciated.