A/N: I've been dragging big time on updating lately! Summer is slipping away from me quickly. On another note, I was finally convinced to join the Tumblr universe. Follow me orangeiguanas4 if you'd like :)

Chapter 53

"Quinn, we leave for Ohio in two days!" Rachel whined, pressing the phone harder against her ear as she paced their bedroom in frustration. "You haven't even started packing and now you're telling me you're working tomorrow when tonight was supposed to be your last day?"

"Rach, Mr. Shelski offered me an opportunity for a huge shoot. This is bigger than a couple of prints in Cosmo."

"Fine. I'll see you when you get home."

They hung up and Rachel flopped down on the bed moping. She had made dinner reservations for them to spend tomorrow night together before heading to Ohio for just over a week. When they got back from the lake house, Quinn would be packing up and heading to London. She knew things were going to be crazy over the next two weeks and she had really been looking forward to spending one more relaxing night with her girlfriend.

The front door opened and closed, but Rachel didn't move from her position on the bed. Her bedroom door was open and someone knocked tentatively on it. Santana didn't hesitate to enter and collapsed next to Rachel's sprawled out figure.

"Rough day, short stack?" Santana asked, adjusting the pillow under her head.

"Quinn is working tomorrow and I had planned this whole romantic night. Now instead she's going to get home late and will be rushing around to pack."

"You know it must have been important if she's deciding to work," Santana said, turning onto her side to face Rachel.

"I know it is. But after the lake house trip, we only have three days until she leaves for London. I just really wanted to have a night with her before all of that happens. This has been the best summer of my life and I don't want it to end."

Rachel rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, still pouting.

"Stop your moping. Once we leave for Ohio, I'm not coming back to New York so spend some time with me instead of this crap you're pulling. I expect you dressed and ready for some ridiculous sightseeing tour in an hour."

Santana got up and headed to the door before Rachel could protest. The diva released a loud sigh, but figured it was better to go along with Santana's plan than try to argue her way out of it. She took a short shower and pulling on a bright red dress and matching flats before blowing her hair out and pulling it off her neck in a neat ponytail.

The Latina was sitting on the couch, legs crossed and fingers tapping impatiently on the armrest. She stood up when Rachel appeared in the room with her purse slung over her shoulder and her sunglasses perched on top of her head.

"Let's go explore, Berry," Santana said, picking up her own purse before ushering Rachel out of the apartment.

Santana insisted they do ridiculous tourist-y things. Rachel followed along with her plan without complaint. Santana looked more carefree than she had in weeks as they rode the double-decker red bus past landmarks. She coerced Rachel into taking a million pictures with her doing little things like buying a hot dog from a vendor in Central Park and wearing a ridiculous "I Love NY" t-shirt she bought on Canal Street.

The whole day had taken Rachel's mind off of her disappointment with Quinn. It wasn't often she spent one-on-one time with Santana; the Latina had always been more of Quinn's friend that tolerated her existence. Today had been fun and ridiculous and Rachel had really enjoyed doing the things she had already done a handful of times in her life.

"Thanks for coming along, Rach," Santana said, chomping down on a kebob she had bought from the last street vendor they had passed. "This summer has been really rough with Britts on tour and I needed a distraction today."

"We're actually friends now, huh?" Rachel said, fiddling with the strap of her purse and looking down the street they were walking on.

"I thought that had been established when we made out at the lake house, midget. I wouldn't have let you on this if we weren't friends," Santana said seriously, waving a hand down her body.

Rachel beamed at Santana's blunt honesty and linked her arm through Santana's free one as they walked down the street towards the apartment. Santana just shrugged and kept chewing her stick of meat happily.

Quinn was sitting at the kitchen table with her glasses perched on her nose and her laptop open in front of her. She looked up and smiled when her girlfriend and best friend entered. They sat down across from her and she closed her laptop and pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose, making Santana snort.

"Could you be anymore of a dork, Q?" she laughed, imitating a nerd pushing their glasses up. Quinn was too far away to slug her in the arm, so instead she tossed the magazine that was in her reach. Santana covered her head with her arms and the magazine bounced off of them and landed unceremoniously on the floor.

"When are you two going to grow up?" scolded Rachel, who moved to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.

Quinn and Santana grinned sheepishly at one another while trying to hold in their giggles. Rachel still didn't completely grasp their complex friendship. They had thrown one another under the bus countless times, they had fist fought, had spit venomous words. But they were also fiercely protective of one another. Santana always had Quinn's back when she needed it the most.

After a simple dinner, Rachel left to meet up with Kurt and Pierce, leaving the dangerous duo alone in the apartment for the evening. Quinn was slouched on the couch in sweatpants and a wife beater, giving into her guilty pleasure of watching cooking competitions while eating raw cookie dough right from the tub. Santana was tapping away at her cell phone, texting Brittany before her girlfriend took the stage tonight's concert.

"It's like our only night without your other half glued to your side. We should do something fun," Santana said, glancing up from her phone briefly to catch the sight of her best friend looking like a professional couch potato.

"I worked a long day today, San. I just want to chill out."

"You have a whole lifetime to chill out! After the lake house, I'm going back to California and you're going to freaking England. So get off your lazy ass and get dressed, we're going out and being young and stupid."

Quinn knew it was going to be a losing battle for her and she'd rather settle it quietly than with a wrestling match. Santana was known for going to that super competitive place when she didn't get her way and Quinn really wasn't in the mood to wake the beast tonight.

She slumped into the bedroom with Santana right behind her. Quinn rifled through her clothes hanging in the small closet that was stuffed to capacity. Santana started pulling open drawers, knowing whatever Quinn picked would be vetoed immediately.

"Holy shit, you and Berry are really getting it on!" Santana squealed and Quinn spun to face her. She was greeted with the sight of Santana holding up a black harness with a purple dildo attached to it. Quinn immediately went crimson at her friend wiggling it around in her hand. Her and Rachel had just discussed the idea of bringing toys into their relationship the other night and apparently her girlfriend had jumped on Quinn's hesitant agreement by buying a strap on.

"I didn't even know she had that," Quinn whispered, completely mortified, her face burning even hotter.

"How do you not know that your girlfriend has a huge dick in her drawer when you share a room with her for three months?" Santana asked incredulously, her eyes fixated on the strap on. "She's not getting attention somewhere is she? Because I'll kill the midget."

"No, we just discussed it the other night and I told her I'd try it with her. No wonder she was so upset that I agreed to work tomorrow night."

Santana let out a loud chuckle and Quinn glared at her, embarrassment still painted on her typically pale cheeks.

"Judging on what I've heard through the walls for the past month, I think your love life is fine. But you could definitely be having more fun," Santana chided, wiggling the dildo again. Quinn stomped across the room and grabbed it from her hand, stuffing it back in the drawer and closing it with a thud. "I suggest you pack it for some extra lake house fun."

"Do you want to go out or what?" Quinn asked, abruptly changing the subject and turning her attention back to her collection of dresses in the closet.

Santana glided past her and rifled through the closet, extracting a dress and tossing it at Quinn's chest. Quinn slid her sweatpants down off of her legs and pulled the tank top over her head, replacing them with the blue dress. Santana was pawing through the massive heap of shoes that occupied the bottom of the closet. Finally she extracted a pair and tossed them at Quinn as well before straightening up and walking over to the mirror, spinning around and taking in her own appearance.

The club was already filling up when they arrived, despite it being pretty early by NYC standards. Santana flirted with the doorman and they got in on a very reduced cover and were making their way to the bar within minutes. A pretty brunette bartender glided towards them, giving a big, toothy grin to both of them. Santana ordered drinks for herself and Quinn and dropped cash onto the bar before picking up the glasses and handing one to Quinn.

"To your adventures in London and to me finally getting to see Britts again." Quinn lifted her glass and clinked it against the side of Santana's cautiously to avoid spilling the liquor on herself.

She took a sip and watched her best friend take a large swig from her glass. Santana grabbed her hand and dragged her onto the dance floor. It was pretty empty, which wasn't surprising given the time. Most people had just started drinking and were sitting at the small tables that lined the edges of the club. A few girls danced against one another right near the DJ booth and a couple of guys were leading girls onto the dance floor close by. Quinn let Santana grind against her, their hips conjoined as they moved with the music. Quinn could keep a beat, but Santana was definitely the superior dancer from all of her time spent with Brittany. Quinn let the brunette lead happily and she sipped from her drink as Santana's ass brushed against her front repeatedly.

The night wore on and the girls got drunker. Santana had moved on from Quinn to dance with any girl that seemed up for it. Quinn was happy to sit on a stool at the bar, sipping drink after drink and watching her best friend's antics. It was Santana's typical harmless flirting and she noticed that the brunette never lingered with one girl for more than a couple of songs before moving on.

The lights flashed to signal last call and Quinn was immediately pulled off of her stool and back onto the dance floor by her friend. Santana was unsteady on her feet by now, but a big grin had taken up residence on her face and she pulled Quinn in close, dancing with her nose to nose.

"You're my best friend, Q. I love you, girl," she slurred, her hands wrapping tighter around Quinn's waist.

"Love you too, San." She eased the Latina's hands away from her and guided her towards the exit.

It was just past four in the morning when Quinn got her key successfully into the keyhole of the apartment and turned it. She wasn't surprised to see Rachel sitting at the table with a mug in front of her. Even through her drunken haze, Quinn could tell that Rachel was definitely not pleased by their late night escapades. Santana stumbled to the couch and pulled a throw blanket over herself, passing out almost immediately. Rachel picked up her mug, before standing and stalking off to the bedroom. Quinn followed behind her as quickly as her drunken state would allow.

"I'm sorry," she slurred, placing her hand on Rachel's lower back.

"You could have called or texted me at least. You told me that you guys were staying in tonight and I came home after midnight to an empty apartment and no note. I've been worried sick, Quinn." This was worse than Quinn had expected. Rachel didn't care that she had been out late with her best friend, she cared that Quinn hadn't even taken the time to text her and tell her where she was. Manhattan was an awfully big, scary place sometimes and she had never gone out without telling Rachel where she'd be.

She had already apologized and she knew it was Rachel's nature to give a whole lecture. Quinn shrugged off the dress and left it in a pile on the floor before adding her bra to it and pulling a big t-shirt over her head. She crawled into bed in just the shirt and her panties and waited for Rachel's rant.

The brunette was already in her pajamas. Tonight it was a pair of shorts with little musical notes all over them and a black tank top. Quinn licked her lips at her girlfriend's exposed legs before remembering that it was slim to none that she'd be getting laid tonight.

"You're so frustrating sometimes! Tomorrow is basically our last night in the city together and you're choosing work over me! Tonight you went out and got wasted without ever telling me you were going! You could hardly walk into the apartment, Quinn, and Santana was hardly better. I'm not even sure how you managed to make it all the way back here unscathed. You want me to not worry about you when you're in London but you're not even communicating with me when we're on the same island!"

Quinn was getting dizzy from Rachel pacing across their bedroom but tried to maintain her focus. Rachel finally stopped and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at Quinn. Her short hair was sticking out in every direction, eye makeup slightly smeared, cheeks flushed from the alcohol. Everything about her still screamed beautiful and Rachel found herself getting lost in the shining hazel eyes.

"C'mere," Quinn said quietly, holding her arms open for Rachel to climb into. The diva willingly did, laying her head down gently on Quinn's chest and listening to the rhythm of the blonde's heartbeat.

It was the simple reassurance Rachel needed. Quinn was here, safe and in one piece. She had seen the blonde so broken a year ago after the accident and all of the emotions had come rushing back when she had gotten home and Quinn wasn't here. Her Quinn was breathing deeply and steadily in their bed. No beeping machines, no doctors scurrying around and talking in hushed whispers. Just her Quinn running long, slim fingers through her hair calmly.

"What's with the strap on in your bottom drawer?" Quinn asked out of the blue. Rachel sprung up to look at Quinn again, her face beet red.

"I, uh, you know. Our conversation last week." Rachel stuttered over her words, embarrassment flooding her immediately.

"Pack it for next week," Quinn said simply before rolling onto her stomach and passing out. Rachel stared wide-eyed for a minute before shaking herself out of it and leaning over Quinn to flip the light off before curling into Quinn and going to sleep herself.

Rachel was up early the next morning and slipped out of the bed, leaving a peaceful Quinn sleeping. Santana was snoring loudly on the couch. Rachel didn't even feel guilty when she hopped onto her elliptical and the whirring caused Santana to stir on the couch. She heard the grunts and groans before Santana's eyes finally peeked open to glare at her. Rachel smiled smugly at her and upped the pace on the machine, getting lost in the music blaring from her headphones. She knew it was Santana's fault that Quinn hadn't contacted her last night and she was getting her tiny bit of revenge. Santana finally picked up her pillow and trudged to the bedroom to join Quinn in a quiet room. Rachel chuckled and continued her workout in a great mood.

By the time Quinn shuffled into the kitchen, Rachel had already made the coffee and had eaten her breakfast. She was video chatting with her dads on Quinn's laptop at the table and Quinn poured herself a mug of black coffee before sitting down. Rachel immediately turned the screen towards her so that she could say hello to the Berry men. Her hair was a tangled mess and the remnants of last night's makeup left dark circles under her eyes. Leroy giggled at her before she scowled and shoved the computer back towards Rachel, stating that she needed to shower for work.

She returned looking like an actual person, short hair shaggy and wet from the water. Rachel pulled her into a hug, inhaling the scent that was uniquely Quinn. The blonde laughed and held her tighter for a moment, before the hangover reared its ugly head and she lunged for a banana and her coffee.

Santana looked even worse for wear when she appeared five minutes before Quinn had to leave for work. She shot Rachel a death stare before softening at the smell of fresh brewed coffee. Quinn laughed and patted her shoulder before kissing Rachel and slipping a piece of paper into her hand.

"Meet me there around 3," she said mysteriously before giving her girlfriend another peck and heading out the door for work.

Joshua and the tech assistants had already set up when Quinn appeared at the shoot. Joshua appeared from nowhere with a Starbucks coffee for her and she thanked him, immediately taking a big swig and feeling the caffeine starting to warm up her system. This was the biggest shoot of her early career and she needed to kick this hangover as soon as possible.

Mr. Shelski was deep in conversation with the client's manager. He ran his hand through his hair like he always did when he was frustrated. The manager walked away a couple of minutes later and Quinn walked up to him. He grunted a hello and focused his attention on his BlackBerry.

"What's wrong, sir?" she asked, head cocked slightly.

"Fucking models are a pain in my ass. We're going to be off schedule by at least an hour unless her manager can get her on track in the next five minutes." His phone rang suddenly and he turned away from Quinn to answer the call.

She slipped by him and headed towards the dressing rooms. The hallway was deserted and she made a beeline for the room that she knew the model was occupying. It was her last shoot with Shelski and she wanted things to go perfectly. She needed him in a good mood because he was supposed to let her shoot most of it.

The model was a young girl, probably only seventeen or eighteen. She had been hired by Vogue for a six-page fashion spread that Mr. Shelski was covering. There were racks and racks of outfits for her to be shot in and it was going to take the majority of the day. An hour delay could easily turn into them working deep into the night.

Quinn knocked authoritatively on the door and was greeted by the model's manager. He looked frazzled, frustrated, and angry all rolled up into one stout, balding man.

"Jessica isn't ready to shoot yet. I just told Shelski that," he said, moving to close the door on Quinn.

"Excuse me, but I'm here to talk to Jessica," Quinn said, looking him straight in the eye and not wavering.

"And who are you?" the manager asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"Quinn Fabray. I'll be managing most of the shoot," she said confidently, extending her hand. He shook it firmly and kept his eye trained on her. "I need to talk to Jessica alone now please."

He stared her down for a long moment before stepping aside and allowing Quinn to enter the dressing room. With another glance from her, he slipped out the door and closed it quietly behind him.

Ten minutes later, Jessica was getting her makeup finished and was walking onto the set. Quinn had a smug smile on her face as she cradled the camera, analyzing the angles like Shelski had taught her.

"I have no idea what she does, but it's effective, sir," Joshua whispered to Mr. Shelski. Mr. Shelski's face was emotionless as he eyed his young intern. She commanded a presence on the set and he settled into his chair and allowed her to run it on her own.

Quinn announced lunch break at quarter to three and sat down in her own chair, accepting the bottle of water from Joshua. They were basically right on track to wrap around six, which meant she could be home around seven to pack for Ohio. Her smile widened when she saw a confused brunette enter through the far door, scanning the room. Quinn hopped out of her chair and met the brunette, not hesitating to give her sweeping kiss before taking her hand and leading her over to Joshua and Mr. Shelski.

"Mr. Shelski, Joshua, this is my girlfriend Rachel. Rachel, Mr. Shelski and Joshua." Rachel held her hand out and shook each of their hands before smiling nervously at Quinn. "She's going to hang out for the end of the shoot if that is okay with you."

Mr. Shelski gave her an approving nod and smiled at the brunette.

"You are the subject of most of Miss Fabray's portfolio. I couldn't forget a face with such lovely bone structure," he said in his soft voice, face still unreadable.

"Thank you, Mr. Shelski. Quinn speaks so highly of you."

He gave her another small smile before turning back to his phone that was going off again. Quinn grabbed her hand and sat her in the seat next to Joshua and pecked her cheek.

"Ready to watch me in action?" she asked with an excited grin. Her enthusiasm was contagious and Rachel nodded happily, settling in as Quinn walked back to her camera and called for everybody to return.

The rest of the afternoon flew by. Quinn worked her magic with hardly any interference from Daniel Shelski and Rachel watched in awe. The blonde was confident and assertive, yet soft-spoken and encouraging. There was no doubt that Quinn was completely in her element.

By the time Mr. Shelski declared the shoot wrapped Rachel was buzzing with energy, the frustration of Quinn working on their last night having dissipated. Joshua came over and gave her a kiss on both cheeks and Mr. Shelski shook her hand before ordering people to pack up the equipment.

Rachel wandered over to wait for Quinn by the door. She watched from afar as Joshua spun Quinn around and the blonde giggled happily, hugging him extra tightly when her feet were planted firmly on the ground again. He kissed her cheeks and gave her one more squeeze before releasing her. Quinn walked over to Mr. Shelski, who turned his attention away from his phone to face her. He shook her hand and gave her an awkward half hug, slipping an envelope into her hand. She beamed up at him before shaking his hand again and practically skipping toward the door to meet Rachel.

"What's in the envelope?" Rachel asks as they stroll hand-in-hand back towards the apartment. It's approaching sunset and their stomachs are growling with hunger and clothes are sticking to them from the humid New York air.

"A recommendation letter, an offer to continue my internship next summer, and a bonus check for five hundred dollars," Quinn says nonchalantly, leading Rachel across the street and wiping her sweaty brow on the back of her hand.

"Five hundred dollars?! That's like weeks of work."

"He told me to put it to good use to spoil my beautiful girlfriend and to explore Europe." Quinn was smiling and looked radiant despite the sticky weather.

"I like Daniel Shelski," Rachel concluded, tightening her grip on Quinn's hand as they descended the stairs of the subway terminal.

They picked up takeout Italian food on the walk from their subway stop and Rachel served it on actual plates with candles at the dining room table. It didn't matter that Kurt was squealing at Santana in his bedroom as the Latina tried to help him pack for the trip or that the TV was still tuned to Santana's trashy reality show.

As soon as the dinner plates were cleared, Rachel ushered Quinn into the bedroom insisting that she get her packing done. Quinn doesn't fight it and closes the door behind them, laughing at the appalled screams coming from Kurt after Santana insults his outfit choices.

Rachel pulled Quinn's duffel bag out of the closet and thrust it into Quinn's chest with an urgency that meant Quinn wouldn't be able to distract her. With a sigh, she walked to the dresser and opened her drawers, stacking underwear and socks neatly in the suitcase. Rachel sprawled out on the bed, laptop open in front of her and the voice of Barbra coming softly out of the speakers. Her pink rolling suitcase and matching carryon bag were stacked neatly by the door with a sticky note that served as her last minute checklist. Quinn didn't take much thought about what she added to the bag and just filled it until the zipper was stretched tightly when she finally got it closed. She gave a triumphant giggle before collapsing next to Rachel on the bed.

The brunette was flipping through pictures they had taken over the last year. One of Rachel leaning back on Quinn's legs on the porch of the lake house was followed by a shot of Rachel curled into Quinn's side wearing a Yale sweatshirt at their first college football game. There were tons from the summer, some from Quinn's iPhone, others taken with her growing camera collection. In all of them, they looked incredibly happy.

"What a perfect night," Rachel breathed, pausing on a picture of the two of them posed in the lobby of the Gershwin theatre before seeing Wicked. Rachel was clutching her playbill to her chest and smiling widely with her arms thrown around Quinn's neck. Quinn was more reserved, but her smile reached her eyes, which were sparkling with happiness.

Quinn murmured her agreement, nuzzling her face into Rachel's shoulder and basking in the warmth of soft, tanned skin. Rachel had been her enemy turned best friend turned lover since they had met. Quinn couldn't believe than anything but fate had gotten them this far. Four years ago she was torturing Rachel Berry and now she was lying on their shared bed watching a slideshow of their joint happy memories.

"Shelby invited us over for dinner on Saturday so we can see Beth before we leave for the lake," Quinn said happily. She hadn't seen her daughter in person since her last break from school and video chatting just wasn't enough.

"I can't believe Beth is three," Rachel said, exiting the slideshow and opening a different folder of pictures. This one was mostly of glee club, the earliest ones showing Quinn with a tiny baby bump that eventually would result in Beth.

"I'm nineteen and I have a three year old daughter. I definitely never thought this would be my life," Quinn mused, her voice hushed.

"You also graduated valedictorian, won a National title, aced your freshman year at Yale, got published in a magazine and fell in love by the time you turned nineteen," Rachel countered.

"I love you, Rach," Quinn said softly, the words falling from her lips like velvet.

"I love you, too," Rachel responded, closing the laptop and meeting Quinn's lips with her own with a soft caress.

~!~!~!~

"Berry, I'm going to kill you if you don't shut up!" Santana moaned from the backseat, her arms crossed menacingly over her chest.

They were only a quarter of the way through Pennsylvania and Santana had already had it with Rachel's incessant singing and complete control of the iPod. Quinn tapped her fingers against the steering wheel as they cruised along the highway, humming along with Rachel's playlist. This just infuriated Santana even further.

"I think it's my turn to be co-captain. Switch seats with me, Berry," commanded Santana, unbuckling her seatbelt to make the switch.

"I will not be switching seats while the vehicle is moving, Santana. Plus, I gave you the itinerary for the trip. We are not expected to stop for another fifty miles, at which time I will become the driver and you can be the co-captain so that Quinn may take her break."

"How do you stand her for this amount of time straight?" Santana asked Quinn, nudging the back of Rachel's seat with her knee annoyingly.

"Why didn't we make her find her own way home from New York?" Rachel asked rhetorically, turning the volume knob up on the car radio and singing over it to drown out Santana's consistent whining.

Less than ten minutes later, Quinn pulled her car into a rest area and threw it into park. Rachel looked at her in complete confusion and then consulted the travel itinerary.

"We're not due for a restroom break for another forty miles," she said seriously, tapping the open folder in her hands.

"Santana, you're driving. Rach, in the back."

Quinn unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out of the car, staring expectantly at the other two. Santana leaped out and smacked Quinn's ass as she moved past her into the driver's seat. Rachel remained frozen in the passenger seat, still holding her folder with the itinerary. Quinn opened the door and gestured for her to vacate the seat. It took a little more coercing than she had imagined, but finally Rachel relinquished the front seat and resettled in the backseat.

Santana pulled the car back out onto the highway and Quinn scrolled through the iPod before choosing more soothing music. Rachel pushed her headphones into her ears and hummed softly under her breath from behind Quinn.

The rest of the journey occurred with very little problem. Quinn adjusted the schedule for her own sanity, making sure to keep in plenty of regular bathroom stops for Rachel and tons of coffee stops for Santana, which helped both girls' moods in the long run.

It was dusk when Quinn pulled the car into Santana's driveway. The Latina grabbed her bags from the trunk and waved goodbye as Quinn eased the car back out of the driveway and headed towards Rachel's house.

Both Berry men were waiting for them on the front porch. As soon as her car turned the corner, she saw them leap up with excitement and charge towards the driveway. Quinn parked her car behind Hiram's and cut the engine before clamoring out. Leroy was already swinging around Rachel by the time Quinn reached them. Hiram pulled her into a tight, one-arm hug and kissed her temple in a fatherly manner. She smiled at the sight of her girlfriend's giddiness with her dad.

"It's been way too long!" Leroy exclaimed after he finally released Rachel to give Hiram his turn to greet their daughter. He moved to give Quinn a bear hug in the meantime. Quinn's heart jumped with happiness at seeing them again. It had been almost eight months.

Quinn let them convince her to stay for a glass of lemonade before she insisted that she get home to see Judy. Rachel gave her a deep kiss goodbye, which made Leroy whistle at them. Quinn blushed at the public display on Rachel's front lawn, but kissed Rachel's forehead before releasing her girlfriend. They hadn't been separated for a night in months and she wasn't looking forward to it.

Judy was more reserved in her greeting, but she still hugged Quinn tightly and helped her carry the luggage into the foyer. The house smelled like Judy's home cooking and Quinn's stomach growled at the delicious meal that she knew awaited her. Judy shooed her to wash up and she lugged her bags into her bedroom and did so before joining her mom at the table.

They chatted amicably about the drive and Quinn's internship. Quinn had noticed that her mom had gotten her photos from Cosmo framed and they were on the mantelpiece. Judy seemed happy as she sipped her sparkling water and ate at the long, formal table with her youngest daughter.

"How do you feel about Ted moving in here?" Judy asked, dropping her fork onto her plate and taking a large gulp from her glass.

Quinn looked up at her mom with interest. She could she the anxiety in Judy's face, obviously seeking Quinn's permission before inviting a new man to live in the house. Quinn had been around Ted dozens of times now and her mom was constantly talking about him when she called to catch up. More than anything though, Judy seemed a lot less lonely when Ted was around and infinitely happier.

"Mom, if he really makes you happy and you're ready for it, then I say go for it," she responded with a grin. It'd be nice to know that her mom wasn't alone in the big house while she was away at school. "You guys should redecorate though, I'm sick of how much I still see of Dad in this house."

Judy smiled and agreed before inviting Quinn to go shopping with them for new furniture. She declined, telling her mom that it should be her and Ted's decision now as long as they left her bedroom for her to do. Quinn helped Judy put away the leftovers and loaded the dishwashers before she collapsed onto the couch and started channel surfing. In the next room, she could hear her mom giggling like a schoolgirl into the phone. This house was much different than it had been when she left for college. It was finally turning into a home.

~!~!~!~

Quinn showed up at the Berry's in time for Leroy's waffles the next morning. Rachel had already worked out and showered and was sitting at the island chatting with her dads. She jumped up at the sound of the front door and ran to smother Quinn with a hug and a kiss, before dragging her by the hand into the kitchen. The Berry men just smiled at their love struck daughter and the more reserved blonde. It felt natural to have the two girls stomping around the kitchen and getting in the way as they danced and sang along with the radio and set the table.

Hiram immediately badgered Quinn about her internship, wanting a full list of all of her celebrity clients. He was practically drooling over her stories of which ones were difficult to work with, which ones are airbrushed to no end, and which ones she actually got to speak to or photograph. Just like at her own house, there was a framed copy of her page in Cosmopolitan hanging on the wall amongst Rachel's many accomplishments in the family room.

"Quinn just did a fashion photo shoot for Vogue that should be in their October issue," Rachel bragged to her fathers, eying the photos on the wall.

"That reminds me. You need to sign your photos for us, Quinn-girl. Otherwise it's just weird that we have pretty girls hanging on our wall that isn't our daughter." Quinn laughed and took the Sharpie from Leroy as Hiram pulled open the frame. She wrote her name in her loopy script on the bottom of the page next to where her name was in print. Hiram blew on it until the ink was dry and then reassembled the frame and put it back up on the wall.

"Perfect, now there's finally something on the wall that isn't one of our overachieving daughter's awards," Leroy chided, nudging Rachel with his elbow. She frowned dramatically and Quinn slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. She felt the brunette's body relax under her touch and she dropped her head onto Rachel's shoulder as she admired her own accomplishment amongst nineteen years of Rachel's successes.

The girls spent the afternoon frolicking around Lima, visiting friends and reliving the memories that the small town held. It had been Rachel's home her entire life and Quinn's for the past five years. In all of that time, it hadn't changed much. There was a corner store by the high school where the football players bought their slushies. Breadstix was still the only decent restaurant. The Lima Bean was packed with high school students enjoying their summer vacation and with moms meeting their friends, strollers parked next to them with babies and toddlers gurgling in them.

"I love New York, but there's something calming about being back in Lima," Rachel commented, one hand holding her iced coffee, the other linked with Quinn's as they walked down the sidewalk past kids running through a sprinkler on their front lawn.

"I'm glad we're out of here," Quinn said, noticing the look that a passing mom with a stroller gave their interlocked hands.

"I just don't want us to forget where we came from when we're famous," said Rachel, her eyes clouding over as she thought of her dreams.

"Your dads and my mom and Ted are here, Rach. It's impossible to forget about Lima and Lima is definitely not going to forget about you when you're belting on Broadway."

"Well you're already semi-famous here. My dads said that when word got out that you had been published in Cosmopolitan, the corner store sold out of all of their copies pretty much immediately."

Quinn blushed, not used to the idea that people actually thought she was something special.

"You're going to be a sought-out fashion photographer before you're even done with Yale. Better get used to the spotlight."

"Do you think that being a photographer is really a viable career option though? It's not exactly the stable, job-with-benefits I've planned on achieving," Quinn said, pulling Rachel down onto a park bench with her.

"Are you seriously asking the person that wants to be a Broadway actress if you should follow your heart instead of settling into some boring nine-to-five desk job?" Rachel asked with a laugh.

"I'm an English major. I love to read and write just like I love photography and it's what my degree will actually be in."

"Stop being sensible, grounded Quinn. You're going to London to study under a bigwig photographer. You worked for one of the best young photographers on the East Coast all summer and he loved you enough to invite you back next summer. If you don't love photography, then don't pursue it. But don't back down just because it's not what you think you should be doing."

Quinn hadn't been expecting a Rachel Berry rant on the topic. She loved photography, but she worried that she would be missing out on her other loves if she didn't pursue English as heavily because of this new hobby. As a child, books had saved her and it was always a far-off dream that someday she would write something like the books of her childhood. She imagined sitting in coffee shops writing on Sunday afternoons while she went to graduate school or worked full-time at a steady job.

Was it Rachel's ambition rubbing off on her? Photography was a new hobby, just like her drawing was. It wasn't a serious career path that she should actually be pursuing. Yet Daniel Shelski had gotten her published twice in her first summer of trying it out. She was going to London to study both photography and focus on her English degree. Rachel always had lofty dreams and she worked her ass off to achieve them. But Quinn had just taken up a hobby that she happened to be good at and now was being told that she should make a living out of it. It was all too overwhelming.

"Will you love me even if I'm not some famous photographer?" Quinn asked shying, brushing her thumb along the back of Rachel's hand.

"It's impossible to not love you, Quinn Fabray. If you want to be a housewife to our four beautiful children while I'm working on the big stage under the bright lights, that will be just as perfect to me."

"Four?!" Quinn exclaimed and Rachel giggled happily, scooting even closer to Quinn on the bench.

"It's a negotiable number, but I want a big family. I love my dads dearly, but being an only child is lonely and I want a vibrant household."

"Speaking of children, we better get home if we're going to be on time to see my daughter," Quinn said, glancing down at her watch.

They walked back to Rachel's house to pick up Quinn's car before driving across Lima to see Shelby and Beth. Inside, they heard the doorbell go off and the pattering of footsteps. Shelby's louder but slower footsteps joined them and the door was swung open.

The little girl with wavy blonde hair looked up at them. Quinn swooned at the twinkling brown eyes of her daughter and her goofy little smile. Shelby swung the door completely open and ushered them into the house.

"Quinn!" Beth squealed and threw her little arms around Quinn's knees. Quinn was delighted by the little girl's enthusiasm. They had been video chatting since Christmas break and she was glad that her daughter actually knew who she was.

"Hey, Beth! You remember Rachel right?" she said, leaning down to scoop up the little girl and kiss her cheek. Beth nodded happily and smiled in Rachel's direction.

Shelby showed them through the apartment to the living room and left the girls to play with Beth as she finished up dinner. Rachel and Quinn joined Beth on the floor and Quinn was enamored by Beth's growing vocabulary and interests. It seemed surreal that she had been in the hospital having this perfect little baby over three years ago.

Dinner was delicious and Beth sat in her booster seat, using her fork and talking animatedly through mouthfuls of food to her guests. Rachel and Quinn enjoyed her babble immensely and Quinn couldn't help but notice little pieces of herself and Puck in the beautiful toddler sitting across from her. However, she was surprised to notice little things about Rachel in her daughter. She figured it was from being around Shelby and there was no denying that Rachel was Shelby's biological daughter in some regards.

Once the dinner plates were cleared, Shelby served them warm slices of apple pie with scoops of vanilla ice cream and Beth squealed in excitement over her dessert. She quickly became a sticky mess as ice cream dripped down her chin and cheeks as she took huge mouthfuls. As soon as she finished, Quinn grabbed a wipe and washed off a sticky Beth, who gurgled happily and tried to wriggle away.

It was quickly reaching Beth's bedtime, so Shelby walked them to the door. Quinn carried Beth, who was rubbing her eyes, her little head drooping against Quinn's shoulder.

"Bye-bye, Beth. I love you, baby girl," she said softly, dropping a kiss onto her little blonde head. Rachel leaned over and kissed Beth's forehead before Quinn passed her carefully to Shelby.

"Thanks for having us, Shelby," Rachel said politely, letting Shelby give her a small one-arm hug.

Quinn moved forward to give Shelby a small hug as well and patted Beth's head affectionately before opening the front door.

"Bye, girls!" Shelby said with a wave, bouncing Beth lightly on her hip.

They had to be up early to drive to the lake house, so Quinn dropped Rachel off at her house. It took a few minutes to convince Rachel to pull her lips off of Quinn's in order to into the house. If she hadn't, Quinn didn't think she was going to be able to resist straddling her girlfriend and taking her right there in the driveway, so really it was for the best.

Quinn clomped up the stairs of her house to make sure she was packed for the trip. She had done most of it in New York and just had to collect some of her belongings and toss them in the bag. With Rachel's good influence, her bag wasn't overflowing like it had been last year. But this time, she also planned on spending all of her time in a bikini by the lake or naked in bed with Rachel.

All packed up. I'll pick you up bright and early, princess.

She smiled at her phone, remembering texting Rachel the night before leaving for the lake last year. They were just best friends at that point; Quinn hadn't even thought about the possibility of falling in love with the diva.

Can't wait. Love you baby.

Quinn threw her book into her backpack before crawling into bed and turning off the bedside lamp. Tomorrow she'd be heading back to the place that she finally noticed that she could be happy in a way she had never imagined.