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CHAPTER 47
The sun was just beginning to inch toward the horizon as they all made their way back to the hotel. Everybody had decided to wander the zoo and feed the giraffes, and really just enjoy the beautiful weather. Santana hadn't been kidding about their tongues, they were insanely long – 18 to 20 inches, according to the zookeeper manning the feeding deck – and the things that they could do with them were incredibly indecent. Rachel actually felt like a pervert watching Santana hover the little Milk-Bone cookie thing out of the animal's reach just so that she could really see its tongue and the way that it wrapped that tongue around the biscuit. Of course, the highlight of the afternoon – as if pornographic giraffe tongues weren't exciting enough – was that zookeeper who was doing a demonstration/lesson at the penguin exhibit (Brittany had adorably requested that they stop by again on their way out so that she could say goodbye to them) recognized Quinn and Rachel, and she gave the group a behind-the-scenes tour of the penguin exhibit because Brittany was so enamored with the little guys.
All-in-all, it had been an absolutely picture-perfect afternoon, Rachel thought, as she strolled arm-in-arm with Quinn. The couple was walking behind Santana and Brittany, who were flanked by their mothers, the daughters listening with only half an ear as they played with each other's fingers and their mothers raved about how beautiful the wedding the next day was going to be.
She knew, when her day came, that her dads would be just as excited as the Lopezes and Pierces obviously were, and she couldn't help but be upset that Quinn wouldn't have that. Sure, Santana and Brittany would undoubtedly be there, and Puck, and hopefully Beth, but to not have your parents at your own wedding… she shook her head. That would be rough.
"Earth to Rachel," Quinn murmured, smiling as she brushed a soft kiss across the shell of the brunette's ear. "Where did you go right now?"
Rachel smiled and bit her lip as she leaned her head on the blonde's shoulder. "Just… thinking. Did I miss anything?"
"No," Quinn assured her, sighing as she pulled the brunette in closer. "What were you thinking about?"
"Mmm, just me and you," Rachel answered honestly but vaguely. She knew that Quinn felt they needed to wait longer before they got engaged, and she was fine going at the blonde's pace, so she didn't want to make her feel pressured by telling her that she was thinking about what things will be like when it's their turn to get married.
The wistful look on Rachel's face didn't escape Quinn's attention and she instantly knew what the brunette had been thinking about in regards to the two of them. She also knew that, even if she did want to speed up her internal timeline for when things would happen for them, that she needed to sit down and have a real conversation with Hiram and Leroy before she could do anything else.
At least they're coming into town next weekend, the little voice in the back of her head whispered conspiratorially. Yeah, but it's still only been two months, her louder, more persistent voice of reason answered.
Rachel's giggle pulled her from her thoughts and she smiled sheepishly as she looked into twinkling brown eyes. "Hmm?"
"Now where did you go?" the brunette teased.
Quinn smiled and blushed, biting her lip as she ducked her head. "Just thinking."
"About…" Rachel led, rather enjoying the way their conversation had shifted.
"You and me," Quinn replied softly, looking up at the brunette through her hair. Goddamn, she really is beautiful, she thought to herself as a goofy, happy smile tweaked Rachel's lips.
"You're a dork," Rachel chortled, bumping the blonde with her hip.
Quinn laughed and bumped the brunette back. "But I'm your dork, Rach."
"Mmm." Rachel nodded. "And don't you forget it."
Quinn felt her heart skip a beat in her chest and she tugged the smaller woman to a stop. She smiled adoringly into the biggest, softest, most beautiful brown eyes on the planet as she reached up to cradle the brunette's face in her palms. "As if I ever could," she murmured, dipping her head and kissing Rachel softly. "As if I would ever want to," she continued, smiling as she felt the brunette sink into her. She kissed her again softly and added, "I love you so much, Rachel."
Not caring that they were in the middle of the sidewalk on a moderately busy public street where anybody could take a picture of them, Rachel moaned and wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist as she lifted herself up onto her toes so that she could capture the blonde's lips in a deep, passionate kiss that left both of them completely breathless. She smiled as she dropped back to the ground, tucking her face in the crook of Quinn's neck as she held her tight. "God, I love you so much," she murmured, her lips brushing against the blonde's collarbone. She sighed and pressed a tender, lingering kiss to the soft skin at the base of Quinn's throat. "You know that you are my world, right? That I absolutely cannot picture my life without you in it? You know that, right?"
Quinn smiled. "I do." The words were a whisper, but she could tell by the way that Rachel trembled in her arms that they were heard and understood. She wasn't just saying that she understood what the brunette was saying, she was also agreeing with everything the other woman had laid out there. They had talked about eventually getting married before, but there was something about doing so after participating in a wedding ceremony rehearsal that made the promise so much more real.
And, oh, how she wanted it to be real.
"Get your asses in gear!" Santana hollered from the other side of the street. While they'd been lost in each other, the rest of the wedding party had already crossed and were on their way into the hotel.
Quinn just rolled her eyes and flipped the Latina off over Rachel's shoulder. "Chill, S. Just because you're getting married…" Her voice trailed off into a laugh as she watched Santana pantomime cracking her knuckles. "Fine! Fine. We're coming!"
"Not yet," Rachel murmured, giggling. "But hopefully later."
Quinn laughed and dropped a kiss to the Broadway star's forehead. "Definitely later."
Rachel groaned and backed out of the blonde's embrace. She left one arm looped around Quinn's waist as they started walking again and she smiled as the taller woman's arm wrapped around her shoulders. "So… how horny does tequila make you, and why am I just learning about this now?"
"Extremely," Quinn answered the first of the brunette's questions as they crossed the street to where Santana was still waiting for them. She grinned at the Latina as she answered Rachel's second question, "And, you kind of got a preview of how horny it makes me when they-" she tipped her head at Santana "-came over to the house after we got back from Ohio."
Rachel swallowed thickly and nodded, a frisson of electricity rolling down her spine as she remembered the way Quinn had taken her against the front door after Brittany and Santana had left. That had been… yeah. So, so hot. "Oh. Yeah."
Santana chortled as she slid an arm around the Broadway star's waist and pulled them toward the hotel entrance. "Psht. That was buzzed Quinn," she shared in a mock whisper. "Wasted Quinn is another animal altogether. You have no idea what you're in for tonight, Berry. You can thank me tomorrow."
+++/+++\+++
As it turned out, Santana hadn't been exaggerating and Rachel was glad that the rehearsal dinner was only fractionally larger than the rehearsal itself had been. Besides the handful of them who had been up at the zoo for the rehearsal, the dinner was attended by about a dozen dancers and choreographers that Brittany had become friends with over the years, and about the same number of Santana's law school buddies.
Of course, as Jack and Tina would say, the upside of such a small affair was that there were no cameras pointed at the couple, taking pictures that would be a headache if they were to be posted online or sold to the highest bidder. The two publicists would also have been incredibly proud of the way Santana made sure to let each and every one of hers and Brittany's friends in attendance know that she would 'end them' if any pictures of Rachel and Quinn surfaced.
Which, it turns out, was a good thing. An amazing thing, really.
Because, as soon as the meal was finished, the parents and other family members called it a night and left the brides-to-be and their friends to have a kind of bachelorette party since their work schedules and the short timeframe of planning the wedding left no time for other celebrations.
"Q!" Santana yelled across the bar. "Get yo' preggo ass over here!"
Yeah, Jack and Tina definitely wouldn't have appreciated that rumor being spread around.
Quinn grinned and Rachel and kissed her hungrily. She had already done a couple shots with Santana and was well on her way to being hammered. "I'll be right back, baby. God, you look so fucking good," she murmured, hooking a finger into the scoop of Rachel's shirt to pull it out so she could ogle the brunette's breasts.
Rachel laughed and swatted the blonde's hands away. "Not now, Fabray. Just… go!"
"Okay!" Quinn said, kissing Rachel one last time before she turned and started across the bar toward Santana."WHAT?"
Santana smirked as she watched Quinn walk toward her. Yeah, the blonde was definitely buzzed. She grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her over to the bar where there was a karaoke machine set up as well as a line of shot glasses already full of tequila. "Come on, Britts wants you and I to sing our song."
"Does she, now?" Quinn murmured. "You think you can keep up with me?"
"Oh, just bring it, blondie," Santana said. She stuck a wireless microphone into Quinn's right hand and a shot glass in her left. "Start us off, Captain."
Quinn bobbed her head and slammed the shot Santana had given her. "Hit play, Lieutenant."
Music spilled into the small bar from the machine and Quinn smiled as she lifted her microphone to her lips. She started dancing lightly in place, swaying and bobbing her head to the beat of the music. "Life's too short to be sittin' around miserable… people gonna talk whether you do 'em bad or good… got a drink on my mind and my mind on my money… lookin' so bomb…"
"Gonna find me a honey," Santana chimed in, perfectly in tune with Quinn as she winked at Brittany.
Quinn smiled at her friend and pulled her sunglasses down off her hair and put them on as she started really dancing with Santana. "Got my Ray-Bans on and I'm feelin' hella cool tonight… everybody's vibin' so don't nobody start a fight…"
She took the shot glass Santana offered her and lifted it into the air as she hit the chorus with the Latina. "Cheers to the freakin' weekend… I drink to that, yeah-ay-ah… oh, let the Jameson sink in… I drink to that, yeah-ay-ah…"
Rachel licked her lips and found herself wandering closer to Quinn as the blonde danced and sang with Santana. It wasn't a surprise to her that both of them could dance, she had watched them do it in Glee for years, but there was a maturity to their movement now that was undeniably sexy.
"Don't let the bastards get you down, turn it around with another round… there's a party at the bar, everybody put your glasses up and I'll drink to thaaaaaat. I'll drink to thaaaat."
Quinn backed off and gave Santana the floor as the Latina hit the second verse. "'Bout to hop on the bar, put it all on my card tonight… might be mad in the mornin', but you know we goin' hard tonight… it's getting Coyote Ugly up in here.."
Holding Rachel's gaze captive, Quinn lifted her mic to her lips and chimed in, "No Tyra!"
Santana danced closer to Brittany, her hips swaying seductively with the beat of the song. "It's only up from here…"
"No downward spiral," Quinn chimed in again, and she smiled as Rachel sidled in front of her and the brunette's hands slipped around her waist.
Santana licked her lips and stared hungrily at Brittany as the dancer began moving with her. "Got my Ray-Bans on and I'm feelin' hella cool tonight… everybody's vibin' so don't nobody start a fight…"
This time when they hit the chorus both Santana and Quinn were dancing with their significant others – if one could even call it that, it was more like they were having sex with their clothes on. "Cheers to the freakin' weekend… I drink to that, yeah-ay-ah… oh, let the Jameson sink in… I drink to that, yeah-ay-ah… Don't let the bastards get you down, turn it around with another round… there's a party at the bar, everybody put your glasses up and I'll drink to thaaaaaat. I'll drink to thaaaat."
"I'll drink to that," Quinn sang, smiling at Rachel.
"I'll drink to that," Santana sang, smiling at Brittany.
"I'll drink to thaaaaat," the duo finished together, dropping their mics to the ground and reaching back to the bar and grabbing another shot.
The bar around them blew up with applause as they slammed their shots in perfect synchronicity, but neither Quinn nor Santana heard it because as soon as they'd set their glasses down, Brittany pounced on the Latina, and Quinn was too enraptured by the dark brown eyes that were staring hungrily at her to notice anything else.
"You are so fucking sexy when you perform, do you know that?" Rachel husked.
A lazy smirk tweaked Quinn's lips as she dipped her head to brush a playful kiss across the brunette's lips. "Is that so?"
"It is," Rachel murmured, lifting her chin and claiming Quinn's lips in a wet, openmouthed kiss.
Because nobody wanted to follow Quinn and Santana's performance, the bar was once again filled with music from the Latina's iPhone that was jacked into the karaoke machine and everybody started dancing and having a good time.
There was a wedding to be had the next day, after all, and this was Brittany and Santana's bachelorette extravaganza.
Three hours later, Rachel realized that Santana really hadn't been exaggerating when the Latina had said that she didn't have a clue what Tequila Quinn was like. And, at the moment, she was trying to figure out if she wanted to thank her, or kick her ass for giving Quinn that last shot.
They were on the makeshift dance floor in front of the bar and Quinn was grinding incessantly against her ass, and she was having one hell of a hard time keeping the blonde's hands off of her breasts.
"Quinn – I swear to god, you need to stop," Rachel groaned, forcing herself to pull away from her randy lover. Of course, they had done this particular maneuver more than a half-dozen times already, and Quinn always managed to end up back behind her, gyrating in a most provocative manner against her backside.
Quinn pouted adorably as she sidled in closer to the brunette once more and tried to grab her breasts. She frowned as her hands were slapped away and leveled Rachel with a stare that was thick with desire. "But, Rach… I want you," she whispered, except it wasn't a whisper at all. The blonde had actually shouted the words and there wasn't one person in the bar who hadn't heard her.
Which was saying something, because the volume of the stereo pumping music into the small – usually classy – bar, was incredibly, incredibly loud.
"Give her a lap dance, Q!" Brittany shouted helpfully from across the room where she was in the middle of giving Santana a lap dance.
Really, it was a wonder that they hadn't been kicked out yet. Even John Lopez's Black AmEx that had secured the bar for them and them alone wasn't worth this sort of aggravation to the hotel.
Quinn's eyes widened at the suggestion and she grinned at Rachel. "I promised you a lap dance when we were in Ohio… you want one? You can even touch me!"
Rachel tried not to wince at the volume of Quinn's voice as she placed what she hoped would be perceived as a placating hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I think we'd be best to do that in the privacy of our room."
Quinn nodded, her eyes swirling with alcohol. The girl really was going to have one bitch of a hangover come morning. "Good idea, baby. But I was hoping that you'd fuck me when we got back to the room." Again, the blonde's voice was the polar opposite of quiet.
Rachel drew a ragged breath and stared disbelieving at her lover.
"Or in the elevator," Quinn added, almost as an afterthought, a very loud afterthought, as she leaned in to nip at the brunette's neck.
Rachel gaped and put her hands on Quinn's shoulders to push the blonde off of her. "There are cameras in the elevator, baby."
Quinn's eyes widened as she nodded her understanding. "Do you think they'd give us a copy if we asked nicely?"
"Oh my god," Rachel groaned, shaking her head. "No, Quinn. They won't give us a copy – they'll sell it to Perez Hilton or TMZ or who knows who, and then Jack and Tina will collectively kick your ass!"
Quinn's brow furrowed. "Why are you yelling?"
Rachel just laughed and shook her head again. "I don't know. Come on, let's say goodnight to Brittany and Santana and then we'll go up to bed."
"Will you fuck me?"
Brown eyes studied the blonde, easily picking up the little wrinkles at the corners of Quinn's eyes that signaled the blonde was tired. Really, she was half-dead on her feet herself, after a long week of filming and the limited sleep they'd gotten the night before. "If you're still awake when we get up there… sure," she said, not at all expecting the blonde to be awake and coherent by the time she got her stripped and into bed.
Quinn whooped excitedly and yelled – yes, yelled, because Tequila Quinn did not have any sort of volume control – across the bar, "See ya tomorrow, San! I'm gonna go get some!"
"Ten o'clock, Berry!" Santana hollered, her voice surprisingly not muffled by Brittany's breasts that she was busy motorboating.
Rachel just sighed and waved at their friends over Quinn's shoulder before she turned and dragged the blonde out of the bar. "Let's go, Quinn," she muttered.
Quinn nodded and allowed herself to be dragged out of the bar. She stumbled as they neared the elevator, the bar was on the roof of the hotel so that it had the best view of the ocean, and giggled as Rachel's arms wrapped around her waist to keep her upright. "I love you," she cooed, pawing rather indelicately at the brunette's breasts.
Rachel bit her lip and smiled. Really, she wished she had this on video because she had never, never, NEVER seen Quinn this completely uninhibited. "I love you too, sweetheart," she said, grunting as she hefted the blonde up so that she didn't fall over. "You are so lucky I love you," she muttered under her breath.
"I know," Quinn said, sounding suddenly serious.
The change in the blonde's tone was enough that Rachel turned to look at her. "Quinn?
"I know I'm lucky that you love me," Quinn said softly, her hazel eyes filling with tears. "I don't know why you do, really, I'm a horrible person. I was so mean to you in high school, all because I was so far in the closet that it took me forever to actually realize that I was even in one. I didn't want to be gay, Rachel. I swear, the only reason I was so awful to you was because I didn't want to be gay. I loved you. Even all the nasty, nasty pictures I drew of you were covered in hearts… like I couldn't… I couldn't…"
"It's okay, Quinn," Rachel said, as the blonde continued to search for words. "I've forgiven you for all of that."
Quinn shook her head gave the brunette the most heartbreaking look. "Then why can't I? I am so afraid that I'm going to fuck this up. I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I am absolutely terrified that I'm going to do something awful to fuck it up and you'll realize that you deserve somebody so much better than me and you'll leave."
The elevator dinged and opened in front of them and Rachel sighed as she hastened to shuffle them inside. She didn't want to be having this conversation with Quinn where anybody could hear. "I'm not going to leave you, baby," she said, as she reached out and slapped at the button for the third floor.
Quinn started to cry as she shook her head. "You should. You will. Everybody always does."
"Okay!" Rachel said, more harshly than she'd intended but that was probably a good thing because it snapped Quinn out of her self-pity enough that the blonde was really looking at her. "Look, Quinn. I know you don't have a lot of experience with people fighting for you, but I swear to you that I am not going to leave you. We have been over this before – I am not going to leave you. I promise. Even like this, drunk off your gorgeous ass, you are everything I want in a partner. I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart."
Quinn sniffled. "I want to believe you, Rachel. I do. I just…"
The elevator stopped at their floor and Rachel sighed with relief. Now she just had to get Quinn down the hall to their room. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get to our room."
Quinn nodded and allowed herself to be guided down the hall to their room. She knew that she was being irrational, but she couldn't stop. It was almost like she was having an out-of-body experience. There she was, following her stupid drunk ass and Rachel down the hall, just watching the train wreck as it happened. "I'm sorry."
Rachel pursed her lips and used her body to hold Quinn upright against the wall as she pulled the electronic keycard from her purse and used it to open the door to their suite. "I know, sweetie. Let's just get inside."
Quinn yawned as she sank into the wall, her arms hanging limply at her side, and nodded. "M'kay." She watched with unfocused eyes as Rachel pushed the door wide open and she did her best to regain her balance as the brunette pulled her away from the wall. The floor felt like it was shifting under her feet, or maybe the floor was fine and it was just the walls that wouldn't stay still, but, whatever the case, she stared hard at her feet as they shuffled across the room.
Rachel steered Quinn across the suite and onto the bed, where she carefully helped the blonde sit. Keeping a careful eye on her lover, she kneeled before her and helped her out of her shoes before standing and doing the same with her skirt, shirt, and bra. And, as she'd expected, by the time she tried to help the blonde under the sheets, Quinn was out cold with a pensive, worried expression on her face.
Rachel huffed and reached for her phone. She'd had enough trouble getting Quinn into the room when the blonde had been at least attempting to help her, she knew she wasn't strong enough to maneuver her under the covers on her own and she was afraid to leave her where she was.
"Hi Rachel!"Brittany answered Santana's phone on the third ring. "What's up?"
Rachel sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. What buzz she'd managed to acquire during the dinner had long since worn off and now she was just exhausted. "I need help getting Quinn into bed. She's passed out on the edge of it and I'm afraid she'll fall if I leave her like this."
"Okay! We'll be right there," Brittany said, and, before Rachel could thank her, the line was dead.
The Broadway star tried to wrangle Quinn into a shirt so that she wasn't exposed, but the blonde wasn't having any of it so she let her be. It wasn't like either Brittany or Santana hadn't seen a naked woman before and Rachel was willing to bet, because of their time in the Cheerios, that it wouldn't even be the first time either of them had seen Quinn naked either. Resigned to the fact that the night was not at all going the way she imagined it would, she quickly changed out of her skirt and blouse and into a pair of booty shorts and an old tank top that she brought for lounging around in, and she had just finished washing her face when there was a knock at the door.
"Thanks, guys," Rachel said, as she cracked the door to allow Brittany and Santana inside, being careful to block the view of what was laid out behind her on the bed in case there was anyone who happened to be walking by and trying to peek inside.
"Damn, Rachel," Santana chuckled as she approached the bed. "She is out-the-fuck-cold!"
"Yes, I'm well aware of that fact, Santana," Rachel replied.
"Why does she look so sad?" Brittany asked, as she tugged the duvet down so that they could shove Quinn across the bed onto the sheets.
"She started crying, apologizing for everything that happened in high school," Rachel explained softly, leveling a challenging look at Santana. "I thought you said tequila made her horny, not an emotional wreck."
Santana shot the brunette a guilty look as she hooked her hands under Quinn's knees.. "I guess we gave her a little too much, then. Sorry, Rach."
Rachel frowned.
Brittany gripped Quinn by the armpits and pulled the blonde across the bed, lifting her slightly so that Santana could spin her to lie in the appropriate direction. "When Quinn has too much to drink she gets super-emotional," the dancer explained.
"I noticed," Rachel said dryly as she pulled the covers up over her half-naked, completely passed-out lover. "She seemed convinced that I was going to leave her."
Santana nodded, her movement a little sloppy due to the alcohol she'd consumed, but when she spoke her voice was careful and controlled. "That is her greatest fear," she said softly, casting a wary look at her unconscious friend. She knew that if Quinn heard her telling Rachel all this, even completely smashed as she obviously was, that the blonde would still somehow manage to find a way to kick her ass. But, this was also something that she'd been waiting for the right opportunity to tell Rachel about too. She had patched Quinn back together enough times to know exactly how much the blonde needed this relationship to go well. "I think… I mean… not to put extra pressure on you because Lord knows you don't need it or deserve it, but I think that if you ever did leave her that she'd be finished. You were always a dream to her. That unattainable, perfect dream that, no matter how fucked up her life was – and, believe me, Berry, there were times where it was so incredibly fucked up that I wasn't sure if she was ever going to recover – the thought of you kept her going. And if she ever lost you…"
"It would be bad," Brittany chimed in. "You're not going to hurt her, are you?"
Rachel shook her head and gave the dancer a sad, serious look. "I have no desire to ever leave her, Brittany. I am going to marry that girl someday… and, maybe then, once there's a ring on her finger, she'll realize that even if she wanted me to leave that she'd never get rid of me."
Santana nodded approvingly and pulled the Broadway star into a quick hug. She had figured as much from watching her interaction with Quinn, but it was reassuring to hear Rachel's intentions laid out so plainly. "Take care of her."
"I will," Rachel promised, smiling slightly as she wrapped her arms around the Latina's waist.
"And tell her she still has a great rack," Santana chuckled as she pulled away.
"I'll let you tell her that tomorrow," Rachel said. "When you come to take her for her hangover cure. She is going to be hurting in the morning."
"Mmm," Santana hummed, nodding. "You probably want to move a trashcan next to the bed too, just in case."
Rachel nodded and went to grab the small trashcan from under the workstation area. "Good idea. Thanks. Ten?"
"Thereabout," Santana said, as she wrapped an arm around Brittany's waist. "Spa appointment is at one. Hair and makeup at four, ceremony at six."
"Got it," Rachel said, as she walked the couple to the door. "Thanks for the help, guys. We'll see you tomorrow."
After Santana and Brittany left, Rachel climbed into bed. She would have normally stripped down to her panties so that she could feel Quinn's skin against her own, but she had a feeling that she would be up and about taking care of a violently sick Quinn sooner rather than later and wisely opted to remain clothed for the impending ordeal. She turned off the light and leaned over to press a soft kiss to her oblivious lover's lips before she laid down beside her with a sigh, thinking that even with Quinn passed-out beside her, there was nowhere else she'd rather be.
...
