Chapter 28 – Not the End

"Quinn?" Rachel asked, knocking lightly on her open door. "Are you getting hungry?"

"Not really," Quinn replied as she folded one of her dresses and put it into her suitcase.

"Okay," Rachel said, walking into the room, and setting her hand down on the desk as she looked at Quinn. "It looks like you've made some progress."

Quinn let out a frustrated sigh and ran her hand through her hair. "I hate packing."

"Nothing says you have to do it," Rachel remarked. "Is this your yearbook? Do you mind if I look at it?"

Quinn shrugged and then turned toward her closet to pull out another section of clothes that she was suddenly regretting ever unpacking to begin with. At the time, though, six months seemed like far away.

"You know, I never feel like I have that many things until I start having to put everything in boxes," Quinn commented as she threw the pile of clothes onto the bed.

"I guess I'm lucky I've stayed in one place for so long," Rachel replied. "I hate to imagine how long it would take me to pack up the apartment. Of course, I would probably hire someone to take care of most of it. Obviously not my personal items, but things like the kitchen and living room."

"At least I don't have a lot of big things," Quinn said. "But that means I have a lot of small things that take longer to pack."

"But the actual moving process is easier if you don't have a lot of large items," Rachel replied.

"Do you think you'll ever move from here?" Quinn wondered after a few moments.

Rachel shrugged as she flipped to the next page of the yearbook. "I imagine one of these days I'll get a bigger apartment. You know, when I'm starring in a Broadway show." Rachel grinned at her and Quinn couldn't help but to smile back. "And a two bedroom apartment isn't really big enough to start a family in."

Quinn glanced over at Rachel at the mention of having a family. Considering they'd only been dating for a month, they hadn't exactly discussed things like that, and it hadn't really come up in the past. She wasn't surprised Rachel wanted a family, though; considering how she grew up without much of one, Quinn could easily imagine her wanting to make one of her own.

"Wow, Quinn," Rachel said.

"What?" Quinn asked with a slight groan as she tried to zip up her suitcase.

"I know you've talked about your time as a cheerleader, but I never really pictured you in the uniform," Rachel replied. "And—just—wow."

Quinn tried not to blush. It wasn't exactly the first time she'd gotten that reaction to someone seeing her in that red and white, polyester uniform, but it was different coming from Rachel. And slightly embarrassing.

She didn't really like to think about how she'd been back then, so for Rachel to be seeing her in that uniform was a little weird. She did her best to keep her previous life out of her current one. Obviously there was nothing she could do about Santana and Brittany having explicit knowledge about what she had been like before coming to New York, but she usually tried to stay relatively vague with the friends she'd made since leaving Ohio. Even though Rachel was the one exception to that rule, it still felt strange for her to see Quinn in her Cheerios uniform.

"You have a ponytail in all of these pictures," Rachel noted.

"Yeah, Coach Sylvester made us," Quinn replied.

"Is that why you never really wear your hair up now?" Rachel asked.

Quinn shrugged. "I guess."

"It's quite a bit longer, too," Rachel observed before looking up at Quinn. "I think the slightly shorter hair suits you."

"I've actually thought about cutting it off, but I always talk myself out of it," Quinn said, shaking her head at herself.

"How short?" Rachel asked, setting the yearbook to the side. "Are we talking about a pixie cut or something a little less extreme?"

"Around my shoulders," Quinn replied. "Maybe a little shorter."

"For what it's worth, I think you would look wonderful with any haircut," Rachel said, giving Quinn a smile.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "I think you're biased."

"Maybe," Rachel said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "However, that doesn't mean it's not true."

Rachel picked up Quinn's yearbook again and began flipping through the pages. Every now and then she would pause on one of them, sometimes smiling as she looked down at the page.

"Is this the Finn you dated?" Rachel asked, turning the yearbook around to show Quinn a picture of the quarterback.

"Yeah, that's him," Quinn replied.

Rachel nodded. "He's cute."

"He was an idiot," Quinn replied.

Rachel laughed as she shut the book and set it back in the desk. "Well, I'm certainly happy you think so, because his loss is my gain." She smiled. "So, are planning on taking a break anytime soon?"

"That depends," Quinn replied.

"On what?" Rachel asked.

"On what you have in mind," Quinn replied.


As Quinn put her key in the door, she could hear Rachel's laughter inside the apartment. She frowned slightly, wondering if Rachel was watching a movie or something, but when she opened the door and looked toward the living room, she saw some redheaded girl sitting opposite Rachel.

"Oh, Quinn, you're home," Rachel said, smiling at her when Quinn shut the door and began walking toward the living room. "Amanda, this is my current roommate, Quinn. Quinn, this is Amanda. I'm interviewing her about the roommate opening."

Quinn nodded and then looked at Amanda with slightly narrowed eyes. "Hi."

"Hi," Amanda said back.

"Now where were we?" Rachel asked, looking down at her clipboard. "Let's see, you answered that you don't smoke." She scribbled down something on the piece of paper. "How often do you drink?"

As Amanda began answering Rachel's question, Quinn walked into her bedroom and threw her bag down on the bed, rolling her eyes when Rachel started laughing again.

Quinn put her hands on her hips as she began looking around the room. She knew she should pack some more, but she really wasn't in the mood at the moment. One of her coworkers had called in sick, so the manager had called to ask if she'd be willing to work on her day off. She'd almost said no, but since she was trying to save up some money, she figured she should go in.

When Rachel began laughing for a third time, Quinn turned and walking back into the other room. She was trying to look passive, but she knew she probably looked more annoyed than anything. She could usually tell whether or not she was going to like someone as soon as she met them, and she already didn't like Amanda. Rachel, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying her company, which only annoyed Quinn even more.

"There are some leftovers from the Indian restaurant if you're hungry," Rachel said, raising her voice as Quinn walked into the kitchen.

"Thanks," Quinn mumbled.

"You said you have two sisters; would they be visiting you very often?" Rachel asked.

"One lives in California and the other is in North Carolina, so I doubt it," Amanda answered.

"What about friend?" Rachel asked. "If you lived here, would you have friends over often?"

"Would that be a problem?" Amanda asked back.

"No, I just like to get a sense of what to expect if you were to be my roommate," Rachel answered.

"Not, like, every day or anything, but I'd have friends over some," Amanda said.

"Do you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend who would be over often?" Rachel asked.

"I'm single," Amanda answered. "I broke up with my girlfriend a few months ago and I haven't really been ready to date again."

Quinn looked over her shoulder as she pulled the aforementioned leftovers out of the refrigerator. Rachel was nodding as she noted Amanda's answer on the questionnaire, while Amanda glanced around the living room. After a few moments, she looked toward the kitchen and smiled at Quinn, who averted her eyes with a slight scowl.

She had no idea how many people Rachel had already interviews, but Quinn hoped she picked someone other than this girl. She already seemed completely fake, and Quinn didn't like the idea of having to be around her on a regular basis. And she especially didn't like the idea of Rachel living with someone who was so pretty. Especially someone so pretty who was also single and not straight.

"Would you say you're more of a night or a morning person?" Rachel asked.

"I'm definitely a morning person," Amanda answered.

Quinn rolled her eyes again as she jabbed at the button on the microwave to set it for two minutes.

"Wonderful," Rachel replied. "Now, you said you're studying dance at Tisch; do you often rehearse at home or do you usually go into a studio?"

"It depends," she answered. "My current apartment isn't really big enough to even turn around in." She laughed. "If you were okay with it, I would probably practice here some, but if that's a problem, I can always go somewhere else."

"You would be more than welcome to use my rehearsal space," Rachel said, motioning toward the corner of the room. "As you can see, I have a large space and also an excellent sound system, if I do say myself. You would also be more than welcome to use the piano if you know how to play. Or if you don't, I could always recommend some excellent instructors."

Quinn's phone buzzed in her back pocket, and when she pulled it out and looked down at the screen, she saw that she had a text message from Rachel. Curiously, she opened the message, wondering why Rachel was texting her when she was just across the room, but then she saw that it asked what she thought of Amanda.

She quickly send one back saying she didn't like her, but she didn't elaborate any further. A few seconds later, she looked over her shoulder as Rachel picked up her phone and looked at the screen. After a few moments, Rachel smiled to herself and set her phone on the arm of the couch.

"So, what are your plans for after graduation?" Rachel asked, still smiling as she focused her attention on Amanda again.


Quinn glanced down at Rachel, who had her head on Quinn's shoulder. She was being unusually quiet, especially for a movie she had picked out, and Quinn was beginning to wonder if everything was all right with the brunette. Rachel was a lot better at not talking during the whole movie, but Quinn couldn't remember the last time she hadn't said anything during one.

"Do you want any more popcorn?" Quinn asked, picking the bowl up and offering it to Rachel.

Rachel shook her head. "No, thank you."

Quinn set the bowl of popcorn back down on the end table and looked back at the television screen, where Sarah Michelle Gellar was running for her life from a guy with a hook.

"Does she really think that's a good idea?" Quinn asked.

"Are you saying you do better if you were in a horror movie?" Rachel asked.

Quinn scoffed. "Everyone in these movies do the worst thing they could possibly do in that situation. They're all idiots."

"I suppose that's true," Rachel replied.

They both fell silent again, and after a few minutes, Quinn looked down at Rachel again. She knew there was no way Rachel could be that absorbed in the movie—it wasn't even very good—so she was wondering what was on her mind. She hoped it was just the fact that this was her last night in the apartment, but she was slightly worried it could be something else.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked a few more minutes of silence.

"I'm fine," Rachel answered, her eyes still focused on the movie.

"Rachel," Quinn said, hoping to gain her attention.

"Yes?" Rachel asked, finally looking up at her.

"You're—you're being really quiet," Quinn stated.

Rachel smiled and said, "I thought you didn't like it when I talk during a movie."

"Regardless, you usually still do," Quinn replied. "Which makes me think something is wrong right now."

"Nothing is wrong Quinn," Rachel said, lying her arm across Quinn's stomach, and snuggling into her side. "I promise. Although, if it will make you feel better, I will happily start talking."

Quinn smiled to herself and kissed the top of Rachel's head. She had no reason not to believe Rachel since, as far as she knew, Rachel had never lied to her. Which was just one of the things she liked about her. So many people just told her what she wanted to hear—especially those she'd been in relationships with—but Rachel wasn't like that. Rachel had always been honest with her and had never pretended to be something she wasn't. From the time Quinn moved in there, Rachel had always been herself, even when it drove Quinn nuts.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, looking up at her.

Quinn hummed and looked at Rachel. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"What were you thinking about?" Rachel asked, running her fingers across Quinn's cheek.

"You," Quinn answered. "And how much things have changed in the last six months."

Rachel smiled. "It is quite amazing how things can change in such a short period of time. I'm sure six months ago you never would have thought you would be here right now."

"Definitely not," Quinn replied.

If anyone had told her six months ago that she would have eventually become friends with Rachel, she would have thought they were crazy. And if anyone had told her she would eventually end up dating her, she would have laughed in their face. Somehow, though, she had gone from not being able to stand to be in the same room with Rachel to actually falling in love with her.

"It's too bad you're leaving," Rachel said, lying her head back down on Quinn's shoulder.

"Yeah," Quinn softly replied.

She kept expecting Rachel to ask her to stay, but it wasn't something that had come up. In fact, Rachel had interviewed two people that day—both of who Quinn liked no better than the redhead from the day before—so she obviously had no plans to ask her to stay. And Quinn didn't know if she was happy about that or not. On the one hand, it would have made leaving more difficult, but at the same time, it would have been nice to know that Rachel really wanted her to stay.

"I'm beginning to wish I would have chosen a different movie for your last night here," Rachel remarked. "I know this movie was fairly popular in its time, but I'm afraid I fail to see why."

"We can always watch something else after this," Quinn replied.

"Isn't it getting a bit late?" Rachel asked. "I assumed you would be getting up earlier than usual tomorrow."

Quinn shrugged. "Who says I have to leave early?"

Rachel smiled. "Okay, then, another movie it is."


"What is this?" Quinn asked, spearing one of the pieces of fruit with her fork, and holding it up for Rachel to see,

"Starfruit," Rachel answered when she looked over her shoulder.

"I don't think we have this in Ohio," Quinn remarked.

Rachel gave a light laugh. "I'm sure they sell it there. I know it's slightly more exotic than some of the other fruit you may have consumed, but it's not that uncommon."

"Maybe," Quinn said with a hum. "My family was never big on fruit beyond the usual apple, banana, or orange."

"Which is a shame because there are plenty of amazing fruits and vegetables out there," Rachel replied. "Some people seem to be unwilling to try anything new, though, but how do you know if something is good until you try it?"

Quinn shrugged as she took a bite of the starfruit. "And my parents are definitely not the type to try new things."

"It's too bad," Rachel replied.

"Yeah, they might see the world isn't so black and white if they tried opening their minds a little," Quinn said, stabbing another piece of fruit with her fork. "That'll never happen, though; they don't want to change their mind about things."

Rachel reached out and squeezed Quinn's hand, giving her a sad smile, before releasing it and turning back to the stove.

"How late do you have to work Friday night?" Rachel asked.

"I think until nine," Quinn answered.

"Oh," Rachel replied, looking at Quinn over her shoulder. "Well, what about Saturday?"

"Same," Quinn said.

Rachel sighed. "Well, maybe we can meet for lunch if we can't go on a date this weekend. How does that sound?"

"That sounds fine," Quinn answered.

"Good," Rachel replied as she set a slice of quiche down on Quinn's plate. "I was also thinking maybe we could go out tonight after you've moved in."

"That may take a while," Quinn said.

"I know, which is why I thought I would help things along," Rachel replied. "I know you didn't ask me to, but I took the liberty of calling some movers."

Quinn nodded for a moment, but then said, "Wait. What?"

"I hired some movers," Rachel repeated.

"Why?" Quinn asked. "Brittany and Jack were going to help. And Santana if you count her standing around complaining as help."

"I know, but I thought it would be a lot easier this way," Rachel replied. "Some of those boxes of yours are quite heavy and it would be terrible if one of you threw out your back. Especially Brittany considering her job depends on her being able to move. Not to mention, how would you be able to work if you could barely move around due to a back injury."

Quinn didn't really feel like she needed professional movers, but she knew better than to argue with Rachel. Even if she did, she was fairly certain she would end up agreeing to it in the end anyway. Rachel was quite convincing about this type of thing. Plus, it wasn't as if she was actually looking forward to packing boxes around or anything, and she doubted any of her friends were either.

"You're not angry about it, are you?" Rachel added.

"Why would I be angry?" Quinn asked.

"I don't know," Rachel said with a slight shrug.

"So, when are they going to be here?" Quinn asked.

"They said they'll be here around three," Rachel replied.

Quinn nodded; she'd planned on leaving around that time anyway, so it didn't interfere with any of her plans. "I guess I need to let everyone know they don't need to come over."

"Or you could ask them to meet you at the apartment this evening," Rachel suggested. "We could order dinner out from somewhere and spend the evening getting to know your new place. And, you know, getting to know your new roommate."

"Yeah, what could go wrong making my new roommate spend my first night there with Santana?" Quinn asked.

"Okay, maybe not," Rachel replied with a laugh.

"That doesn't mean you can't come over, though," Quinn said.

She really couldn't imagine not spending her evening with Rachel. She was used to having her around, and the thought of spending the night without Rachel felt weird. Since moving into the apartment, she'd only spent a few evenings without Rachel's presence in one way or another.

"I would be happy to come over," Rachel replied.

"Good," Quinn said, looking down at the food Rachel had set in front of her. "Maybe you could even spend the night."

"Are you sure your roommate is going to be okay with that?" Rachel asked.

Quinn shrugged and said, "She's going to have to be."


Quinn shouldered her backpack and then picked up the box of linens that she'd set on her bed. The movers were going to be there soon and she thought she would make it easier on them by taking most of the boxes into the living room. Plus, she was feeling a little restless now that everything was packed up and she had nothing to do.

"You know, you really don't have to do that," Rachel said for the second time as she walked out of her bedroom.

"I know," Quinn replied.

"I guess you're just eager to get out of here, then," Rachel commented.

"Far from it," Quinn quietly replied.

"What?" Rachel asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Nothing," Quinn said with a sigh.

The closer it got to three, the more the gnawing feeling in her stomach seemed to grow. The apartment was the first place she'd ever truly felt at home, and the closer she got to having to leave, the more she realized she didn't want to. She loved the apartment and she loved living with Rachel. She didn't want to have to go half way across the city to see her girlfriend and she didn't want to have to live with anyone else. Sara was nice, but she wasn't Rachel.

"Are you feeling okay, Quinn?" Rachel asked. "You look a little pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Quinn lied.

Rachel nodded and then said, "Oh, I guess I should let you know that I finally made a decision."

"About your roommate?" Quinn asked, pausing next to the island.

"Yes," Rachel replied. "I decided to go with Jenna."

"The blonde with the curly hair?" Quinn asked.

"That was Jenny," Rachel replied. "Jenna was the African American woman with the braided hair."

"Oh," Quinn said. "She wasn't so bad."

"She was the one you seemed to like the most," Rachel replied. "Although, that isn't saying a lot since you didn't appear to like anyone very much."

Quinn couldn't really argue. She hadn't really liked anyone, but it was hard to like someone when you felt like they were taking your place.

"Have you told her?" Quinn wondered.

"Not yet," Rachel replied. "I figured I would call her this evening once all of your things were gone."

Quinn nodded and took a step toward the door but stopped and turned back toward Rachel. "I don't want to go,"

Rachel quickly turned around with a look of surprise, and Quinn didn't know which of them was more surprised by the announcement. Quinn really hadn't planned on saying anything, but the words had spilled from her mouth before she could stop them.

"What did you say?" Rachel asked.

I-I said I don't want to move," Quinn replied

Rachel smiled, looking hopeful. "You don't?"

"No," Quinn said, setting the box down on the island, and turning toward Rachel.

"So don't go," Rachel replied.

Quinn shook her head. "I have to. Don't I?"

She really didn't know if she was asking Rachel or if she was asking herself.

"Quinn, I want you to stay too," Rachel said, walking over, and wrapping her arms around the back of Quinn's neck.

"But you've never asked me to stay," Quinn replied.

"That's because I wanted you to want to stay," Rachel said, staring into her eyes. "I didn't know if you wanted to, though. I've been dropping hints for the past few weeks, but you've never said anything about continuing to live here. You would just talk about looking for a new apartment."

"I don't want you to think I'm trying to take advantage of you or that I'm only with you so I can live here," Quinn replied.

"I would never think that, Quinn," Rachel said, shaking her head. "I know you better than that."

"I would pay rent," Quinn stated.

"That's really not necessary," Rachel replied.

"Yes, it is," Quinn argued. "And I know I can't pay what this place with worth, but I could give you what I would normally be paying in rent."

"Fine," Rachel replied. "If you insist on paying rent, you can, but I must insist on it going in a jar, and we'll use it to have fun with." Rachel paused. "Wait, does this mean you're going to stay?"

Quinn took a deep breath and then nodded. "Yeah."

Rachel clapped and then leapt into Quinn's arms, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm so happy you're staying."

"We're both really stubborn, aren't we?" Quinn asked with a smile when Rachel pulled away.

"It would seem so," Rachel replied. "I'm just happy your stubbornness gave way before you moved your things out of the apartment."

"I guess I need to call Sara," Quinn said, glancing toward her phone.

"And I should call the movers," Rachel added. "I'm just thankful I didn't call Jenna yet, but I was hoping you would change your mind about going, so I've been putting it off."

They both smiled and Quinn leaned in, bringing their lips together, but after a moment she pulled back and asked, "You're not going to keep holding me to the roommate agreement, are you?"

Rachel smiled widely. "I may be willing to negotiate the terms."


And that's the end of the story. I hope you all have enjoyed it. If you did enjoy it, the good news is this won't be the last you read of this Quinn and Rachel. I do have a short sequel that I plan on writing, so keep an eye out for that. Or you can always follow me on tumblr if you want to learn more about it.