III

What hasn't seemed to have changed, unfortunately, is that Quinn Fabray is Quinn Fabray, and nearly everyone she comes into contact with falls a little bit in love or lust with her.

Rachel isn't generally a jealous person. She's grown out of those teenage woes, but something about watching nurses and other doctors fall over themselves to get Quinn's attention just irks her.

It makes her want to claim Quinn, publicly and wholeheartedly, but she's not going to be that person. It's just irritating having to see it and keep her mouth shut, knowing the woman is actually hers in every way that counts.

Rachel doesn't bring it up to Quinn until she can't handle it anymore, expecting Quinn to find her annoyance amusing. Quinn rather agrees with her, saying, "I want to wear a sign around my neck telling people to back the fuck off." She groans softly, resting her chin on Rachel's shoulder as they prepare to leave the hospital for the evening. She's standing entirely too close, but Rachel isn't concerned with keeping her away.

Anyone could walk into the Attending Lounge any second.

"I'm taken," Quinn murmurs, teeth nipping at the skin of Rachel's neck. "I have this amazing, gorgeous, sexy woman in my life, and I don't need anyone else." Her breath is hot and full of purpose, and Rachel doesn't even notice until Quinn's hands are under her clothes and against her skin.

"Quinn," she breathes, slight warning in her voice.

Quinn laughs against her, the front of her body pressing closer against her back. She's warm and soft and perfect, and Rachel thinks she would give in to Quinn's silent request if they didn't hear voices approaching. Quinn kisses her cheek and then steps away, drifting towards her locker just in time for Santana and another Attending, Dani, to walk into the Lounge.

Santana moves towards Quinn immediately, throws an arm around her shoulders and says, "We're meeting Jones and Evans for drinks; let's go."

Rachel can see the tension in Quinn's body, her reluctance and desire to go conflicting. Because they both know Quinn could go, but it would be without Rachel. They both know Quinn would want her there, but -

"Are you celebrating something?" Rachel finds herself asking, and three pairs of eyes turn towards her. Quinn looks a little confused, Santana looks almost daring, and Dani just appears curious.

"Not quite," Santana says. "I mean, besides the fact none of us actually lost patients today."

"Santana rocked a triple bypass," Dani says, resting a hand on Santana's shoulder. "And Mercedes basically brought life into the world today. Twice."

Rachel looks at Quinn, and Quinn looks at Rachel, and something passes between them.

"You should join us," Quinn says, gently enough that Rachel knows she'll be able to reject the offer. "It's my understanding you didn't lose any patients today, either."

Rachel makes sure not to look at either Santana or Dani when she agrees, which is really how she finds herself sitting beside Quinn in a weirdly quiet booth at a bar the hospital staff frequents.

Quinn's hand rests on her thigh the entire time, keeping her present as Mercedes and Sam tell a story about a pregnant woman they had to track down when she escaped from her room. Rachel can tell they're not quite comfortable with her around, but she sticks it out until Quinn exaggerates a yawn and initiates their departure.

It's not some kind of relationship confirmation, but they all know Rachel wouldn't stay without Quinn, so they leave, return to Rachel's apartment and make love for hours.

Quinn says, already practically asleep, "It could have gone worse."

Rachel laughs unexpectedly, tucking herself into Quinn's side. "Reckon we can get them to come around with increased exposure?"

Quinn is already asleep, not hearing Rachel's response, but it's basically what ends up happening. Whenever Quinn gets invited somewhere, Rachel sometimes tags along, and both she and Quinn's people grow more comfortable with having her around. There's so much left unsaid, and Rachel wonders if they expect something from her.

An apology of some sort.

She doesn't get the opportunity to do something about it until they all meet up for drinks for the fifth time in a month, and Quinn has to go to the bathroom. She whispers a pained apology, because she knows. She knows what could happen leaving Rachel alone, but Rachel is aware enough to know Quinn wouldn't leave her if she wasn't desperate.

So, Quinn goes, and Rachel says, "We have maybe four, possibly, five minutes, so you should probably say what you need to say before she gets back."

She must catch them all off guard, because nobody says anything for a full thirty seconds.

Rachel sighs, and then says, "I have no excuses, of course, and only apologies to offer. Explanations, maybe, but I don't think you want those either. An assurance, perhaps, that I'm done wilfully hurting her. I can't make promises it'll never happen, because I'm only human, but I - I know how it feels to be without her, and I can't - I don't - "

When she stops speaking, it's because her words aren't making sense in her own head. All she really wants to say is, I love her, I love her so much, I'm in love with her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her, I can't stand the thought of hurting her again and I would break myself before I did it again.

Maybe they see it in her eyes, because Sam reaches for her hand, covering it with one of his own and gently squeezing. He doesn't actually say anything, which is a mercy, and he lets go just before Quinn returns, sliding into her seat once more and whispering into her ear, you look fucking stunning, and I can't wait to get you alone and devour you.

Which, yeah, everything is infinitely worse and so much better from that moment on.


While Rachel has managed to mend fences with some of Quinn's closest friends in the hospital, there's still Beth to consider.

And all of Quinn's various admirers.

The most potent, Rachel comes to realise, is Robyn Hendricks. Rachel doesn't really notice her until she just does.

Well, Jesse is the one to mention to her that the woman manoeuvres her way into many of Quinn's surgeries, and she volunteers a lot of her time in the Emergency Room.

"To be close to Quinn," Jesse tells her. "It's kind of obvious. And sad."

Rachel doesn't put too much stock into Jesse's observations until she finds herself in the Emergency Room later that afternoon to see Blaine for a consult and finds Robyn blatantly flirting with her girlfriend right in front of everyone. She half-listens as Blaine talks, eyes tracking the hand Robyn attempts to rest on Quinn's arm, the blonde artfully moving out of reach.

"Rachel," Blaine says, knocking his foot against hers. "Are you even listening?"

She drags her eyes away from Quinn. "What?"

Blaine follows her gaze. "Oh."

"Nothing new, huh?"

"Quinn is very popular," Blaine concedes, and then winces, expecting an adverse reaction to the sound of Quinn's name. It's surprising when Rachel just sighs. "Something wrong?"

"No," Rachel says, too quickly. "I mean, I don't know. I just - I guess it makes me uncomfortable."

"Why?"

"Because."

Blaine gives her a curious look, but makes no further comment.

Rachel just watches and slowly seethes as Robyn devotes too much of her focus on Quinn. She's not even a surgeon. What is she even doing here? God.

Quinn notices Rachel's stare a few times, and she looks just as helpless. A little amused, too, because Rachel is positively raging inside. She knows she shouldn't be. Robyn doesn't know, sure, and Quinn is very obviously reluctant, but the entire situation just makes Rachel uncomfortable.

And determined to prove that Quinn is hers.

She doesn't do it in public, but the sex they have that night is explosive and possessive enough to leave marks all over Quinn's body, marking and claiming her in a way she'll be embarrassed about at another time.

Quinn, of course, absolutely loves it.

In the morning, Quinn covers up only the really obvious ones, but anyone paying attention will understand the clear meaning that Quinn is off limits.

Rachel takes far too much pleasure watching Robyn back off, and she receives a sneaky high-five from Jesse and a nod of approval from Santana.

She ignores her father's look of disapproval, much like she ignores so much else.


In general, Rachel doesn't spend a lot of time working with her father. He's usually wrapped up in administrative work and his specialty is actually in Neurosurgery. So, the chances of working together are extremely low.

Until there's a mass trauma, which means all hands on deck.

Quinn is in her element when Rachel arrives at the Emergency Room with Marley at her back. They're already in full-flow, buses arriving non-stop, paramedics rolling in gurney after gurney of victims of the aftermath of a burst pipe that developed into a sinkhole. It could be considered chaotic, but Quinn has a system that works, and Rachel and Marley immediately get put to work on working on traumas classified as orange.

She's distinctly aware of Quinn in Trauma Room One, working endlessly, but she doesn't pay too much attention until she's being called in to assist on a teenage boy with massive internal bleeding and requires emergency surgery.

With Quinn.

And LeRoy.

It's a disaster just waiting to happen, because they all know they've been carefully avoiding one another, and now they're in this high-stress situation that's bound to bring up some things better left to the dark.

Quinn, of course, is a professional, and they have this patient they have to save. She's brilliant and perfect, and Rachel knows she's going to choose this woman every day of her life. They work well together, which Rachel has always known, but it's the first time their rapport is on display for her father, who is ready and waiting to relieve the pressure on their patient's brain.

Sometimes, they win, and sometimes they don't.

Rachel is immensely relieved young Christopher pulls through in the end, though his recovery is going to be long and difficult. Today, they win, and she gets a relieved smile from Quinn and a very purposeful, "I'll inform his family," from her father, which grates on her nerves in a way that makes her mouth say, "Actually, I'll do it."

And then she's gone.

Rachel hears, later, that LeRoy and Quinn got into an argument shortly after her departure, and Quinn comes home to Rachel with the words, "We should open our own hospital." She sounds more serious than she has before, and Rachel stops replying to her emails to look at her. "I mean it."

"Quinn."

"A Paediatric hospital," Quinn continues, as if Rachel hasn't just said her name. "You and me, we can - God, we could do so much."

"Quinn."

"Just think about it," Quinn tells her. "Not today, not any time soon, if you don't want, but I - we could do it, and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone other than you." She kisses Rachel soundly, nibbles at her bottom lip, and then moves right out of the room like the hurricane she is.

It's only when Rachel hears her shower turn on that she gets the feeling Quinn has been thinking about this idea for longer than she's let on. If she had to guess, she imagines it's been since Beth. The way Quinn talks about it, though, it's almost as if she's too afraid to reveal just how much thought she's actually put into the idea. As if she's almost embarrassed by her dream.

Rachel abandons her emails, switches to her web browser on her iPad and starts researching just how a pair of female doctors would even begin to open their own hospital in New York City.


There is a point, within their fourth month together, that Rachel gives up on the pretence she isn't hopelessly and embarrassingly in love with Quinn Fabray.

She wakes on a Wednesday morning, Quinn's arms around her body, and she knows, without a doubt, that this is the life she wants for forever. The idea isn't new, but it's the moment it takes root in her mind and bleeds into every interaction from that moment forward.

Rachel makes breakfast for them, a shared berry smoothie that they drink on their way to work, Quinn always just within reach, even on the subway. Rachel doesn't let her get too far away, and she holds onto her hand extra tightly when they arrive at the hospital. Quinn casts a curious look her way, but she must sense Rachel's intent, and the two of them walk into the front foyer together.

Everyone is aware of their relationship by the end of morning Rounds, and Rachel tries not to think too much about it that their colleagues are once more privy to their personal life.

It's different now, though, because Quinn makes it obvious by lunch time that this relationship they're trying is the real deal. She arrives at the cafeteria while Rachel is waiting in line with Marley, and wraps her arms around Rachel's waist from behind, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Before, everyone knew it was about sex, but it's different now, and that's something they're going to know now, as well. Quinn stands with her and Marley, chats quietly about one of the patients that came in having swallowed his girlfriend's car keys to stop her from leaving him, and then buys Rachel's lunch for her, like they're in high school and the two of them have just announced they're going steady.

Rachel feels giddy afterwards, dropping into her seat once Quinn has parted with another kiss to her cheek. She's forced to endure Marley's questions and Jesse's bold teasing, but she doesn't even care.

She's happy.


And then Beth comes for a visit.

Quinn mentions her in bits and pieces, little anecdotes about how she's handling high school and her various crushes. Rachel's aware only of what Quinn tells her, but nothing of what she's told Beth. Most times, when Quinn goes to see Beth and Marcella in Long Island, she goes alone.

Now, Beth is coming here, intent on spending the first part of her Winter Break with Quinn in New York, and Rachel is forced to initiate a conversation she absolutely doesn't want to.

Rachel asks, "Does she know about us?" rather pointedly over coffee a few days before Beth's arrival. It's almost a date, the two of them carving out time in their busy schedules and meeting up at a café near the hospital.

Holiday time is crazy time, and they get far too many people coming in on the daily from the strangest accidents.

Quinn slides her foot across the floor and hooks her calf around Rachel's, just wanting to touch. "Does she know we're together, you mean?"

Rachel flushes a little, because Quinn is the potent mixture of overwhelming and understated when she's acting like this. "Yes."

"She does."

Rachel blinks. "How long has she known?"

"Some months now."

It's a surprise to Rachel, and it must show on her face, because Quinn laughs softly and reaches out to tuck a lock of hair behind Rachel's ear. "She's the one who encouraged me to come see you in Ohio when I was debating it," she reveals, and that really is a surprise to Rachel.

"Quinn," Rachel says, forcing the blonde's gaze on her. "Please can you tell me everything I need to know when it comes to you and me in a relationship, and Beth."

For a moment, Quinn just stares at her, and then she nods, suddenly solemn. She leans forward and drops the volume of her voice. "Marcella and I talk about this a lot," she starts; "how we might have confused Beth by having me around the way I was in the beginning."

Rachel listens intently.

"Marcella is only fourteen years older than me, you know," Quinn says. "And we ended up forming this odd little family. I don't really have regrets about much, but I do wonder if we didn't make it more clear to Beth the role I play in her life."

Rachel hears what she's not saying rather clearly. "She saw you as her second mother?"

"She hated everyone I dated," Quinn says. "She was convinced whoever I was with would take me away from her. It was worse when I came out, because - "

"She wanted you to be with Marcella."

Quinn licks her lips. "When she first got sick, I was around a lot," she explains. "Marcella was a mess, and I had to be - I had to be strong for them both. And then she got better, and I wasn't around as much again. And the second time, the same thing, and it - she started to equate having me around to being ill, and we had this massive fight when she was fourteen and I was dating this woman, when Beth basically told me she would want the cancer back if it meant I would be around again."

Rachel's eyes widen, a small gasp escaping her lips.

Quinn hums, sipping her coffee and forcing her gaze to remain on Rachel's face. "We started going to family therapy after that." She reaches for Rachel's hand, linking their fingers. "She has a better understanding of the role I play in her life, and I do too."

"Where do I fit in?" Rachel asks, needing to know.

Quinn drags her hand closer, and then lifts it up to kiss her knuckles. "What have I told her, you mean?" she says, and Rachel nods. "That I love you. That you make me the happiest I've ever been. That I want to spend the rest of my life with you; marry you and have babies with you and save the world with you."

Rachel just stares at her, because it's really the first time she's talked about their mutual future beyond their promising careers. "You want babies with me?" is what her brain makes her say, and Quinn's mouth spreads into a slow smile.

"I do," she says. "Do you want them with me?"

"God, yes."

Quinn grins at her, eyes delightfully playful. "I wouldn't worry too much about Beth, then. She's going to be fine."

"You sound very sure of it."

"All I know is that she wants me to be happy," Quinn says; "which I am when I'm with you."


Beth sits Rachel down on a Tuesday and asks, "What's your favourite type of cake?"

Rachel blinks in surprise, because it's the last thing she expects. She's been very careful around the teenager, only coming over to see Quinn when the blonde insists.

Right now, Quinn is in the shower, and Beth is looking at her expectantly.

"My favourite cake?" she asks stupidly.

"Quinn mentioned it's your birthday tomorrow, so I thought I'd bake you a cake."

"Oh," she says. "I - you don't have to do that."

"I want to."

Rachel is going to pick her battles wisely. "Okay, umm, I suppose I'm a fan of fruits," she says. And then smiles. "Berries."

Beth giggles. "Should have guessed as much," she says. "Okay, I think I can come up with something. There's nothing you're allergic to, is there?"

She shakes her head. "Nothing."

Beth gets to her feet. "Awesome." She carries her cup to the sink, rinses it and then puts it in the dishwasher. "I'm going to head to the store now to get what I need. Did you need anything? I know Quinn wanted some of that weird green tea."

Rachel winces, and Beth laughs.

"It's for you, isn't it?"

Rachel shrugs. "Have you even tried it?"

Beth pulls a face, and then grins. "Maybe I should make a green tea flavoured cake," she teases, and then doubles over at the look on Rachel's face. "Don't worry, I won't. Maybe. Who knows?" She does a little skip as she leaves the kitchen, and Rachel sits perfectly still until she returns, messenger bag slung across her chest. "I don't think I'll be long," Beth says; "but probably long enough that you could probably join Quinn in the shower."

Rachel sputters, suddenly getting the feeling Beth is going to have far too much fun messing with her for the foreseeable future.

Beth winks at her, and then slips out of the apartment without another word. Rachel sits for a further minute, contemplating if she should worry over Beth's comments. If it's some kind of test, Rachel's determined to pass it the way Quinn seemed to pass Hiram's.

Which is really why she gets to her feet and goes to join Quinn in the shower.


LeRoy texts Rachel a happy birthday message in the late evening of her thirty-fourth birthday, after Quinn has spoilt her rotten with gifts and food and up to eight orgasms, and Rachel makes a decision in the moment.

"That had to be nine," Quinn says, head popping up from beneath the sheet, mouth glistening.

Rachel runs a hand through her blonde hair, shifting it off her face and smiling easily. "Eight."

Quinn groans, and then starts to move down again.

Rachel reaches for her, stopping her movement. "Honey, wait," she says, and Quinn does. She suddenly looks so young, her eyes bright and her hair wild. It comes easy to Rachel to say: "Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes to opening our own hospital," Rachel says. "Yes to doing this massive thing with you. Yes to everything with you."

Quinn stares at her in something like disbelief. "Really?"

Rachel nods. "Really."

Quinn lunges at her, kissing her fiercely and practically winding her. "I have so many ideas," she says between kisses. "And I know where we can get the money. There's this place that I was - "

Rachel tugs on her hair. "Quinn," she says, and Quinn stops speaking. "Tomorrow. We can talk about it tomorrow."

Quinn nods once, and then drops her head, already resuming her self-set mission.

She hits an impressive eleven by the time Rachel actually passes out.


Christmas Day is spent in Long Island with Beth and Marcella, and it goes a lot better than Rachel could have ever imagined. She's nervous at first, because Marcella Vega is important to Quinn in a way Rachel doesn't understand until she gets to see them together.

It suddenly makes sense why Beth would have grown up confused.

It also doesn't help that Marcella is beautiful, and she very obviously loves Quinn in a way that would make Rachel uncomfortable if she weren't so certain of Quinn's love.

Beth is a little shit, as usual, and the four of them spend most of the day in the kitchen, drinking wine - well, not Beth - and generally just getting to know one another.

Marcella asks Rachel questions about things unrelated to medicine, and they end up spending an entire hour talking about musical theatre. Rachel mentions she had dreams of performing on stages one day, but -

Rachel glances at Quinn, and then says, "My biological mother was a performer." It's no secret to any of them that Rachel is partly adopted, but she still feels Quinn's warm hand on her back. "She came back into my life around the time I was preparing for college, and it - I got caught in this desire to follow in her footsteps that ultimately ended in my wanting nothing to do with performing at all when she decided she actually wanted nothing to do with me."

Marcella casts a look at Quinn, who comes up behind Rachel and hugs her waist, resting her chin on Rachel's shoulder.

"I'm fine," Rachel says with a slight roll of her eyes. "We talk sometimes, but I - " she stops and looks at Beth. "You're pretty lucky, you know? Not many people get to know exactly who they are in the way you do."

Beth looks a little teary, and Rachel prompts Quinn to go hug her, which really ends up as a group hug that lasts until the timer goes off on Beth's pecan pie. They break apart, wipe their eyes, and then spend the rest of the day indulging in all the best parts of Christmas.

Quinn is uncharacteristically touchy throughout the day, quiet in a way that lets Rachel know she's thinking about something very seriously. She doesn't get to hear what that is until Quinn sneaks her away to what was once her bedroom - and sometimes still is - and says, "Move in with me."

Rachel freezes where she's perusing over Quinn's various high school awards on display, and then turns to look at Quinn. "Excuse me?"

"I want to live with you," Quinn continues, hands clasped in front of her. She's visibly nervous and it is adorable. "Not really in my apartment, though, so maybe I phrased it wrong, but I - I just realised that, one day, I actually want to host Christmas with you. In our home."

"You want to live together?"

"I want a lot of things, but, yeah, let's start with that."

"Is this basically your way of asking for a forever Christmas present?" Rachel asks, her heart beating really, really fast. "Me?"

"Yes."

Rachel takes slow steps towards her. "You're serious."

"I am very serious," Quinn says. "Though, I should probably mention that I would for sure be asking you to marry me if I weren't so terrified you would say no."

Rachel isn't even going to touch that with a ten-foot pole. "You're going to move in with me," is what she ends up saying.

Quinn's smile spreads across her face slow enough that it counts as several different expressions. "I'm going to move in with you."

"Because I have the better bed."

"But I have the better couch," Quinn points out, reaching out for Rachel's waist once she's close enough. She draws her closer, into her space. "I just - I want to be with you in every way."

Rachel asks, "Where's Beth going to sleep?" because her place might be more comfortable, but it also has just the one bedroom to Quinn's two.

"On the couch," Quinn answers easily. "In the bathtub."

Rachel lifts herself onto her toes and kisses Quinn's cheek. "I think, if we're planning for forever here; then we should probably find a place to fit all our current family."

Quinn audibly swallows. "And our future one?"

She kisses Quinn's lips next. "You're the one who first mentioned you want babies."

"Look at me," Quinn murmurs; "mentioning things."

"Who are you?"

Quinn laughs, this soft sound, and Rachel hugs her close, just breathing her in.

"Yes," Rachel says against Quinn's ear.

"Hmm?"

"Yes to everything," she says, and Quinn's eyebrows rise at the tone of her voice. It's not the first time she's said the words, but they suddenly mean something different now.

"Everything?" Quinn asks, voice shaking.

Rachel's hand slides into the back pocket of Quinn's jeans, privately and quietly claiming her. Then she says, "We're getting Beth a bedroom."

Quinn hums in agreement. "Of course, my love."


On New Year's Eve, Quinn tells her to get dressed up, they're going out, and Rachel finds herself entering a gala evening for the prestigious Spencer Foundation by the time nine o'clock rolls around.

Rachel doesn't even have the words to ask Quinn how they managed to get invitations to this particular event, and she doesn't think she would get a suitable response if she did. Quinn gets them champagne, keeps their arms linked, and then walks them through the great ballroom with no actual destination in mind.

"This is where we're going to get our money," Quinn murmurs, just as an older woman spots them and makes her way over, arms spread and a smile to match.

"Lucy," the woman exclaims, and Quinn visibly winces.

"Please don't," Quinn mutters, but the woman ignores her and pulls her into a tight hug before kissing both her cheeks.

"I have been waiting all my life for you," the woman says. "Let me look at you. So beautiful, dear. More and more every time I see you." Her smile is blinding, and it widens impossibly when her attention drifts to Rachel, who is very obviously on Quinn's arm. "And, who is this?"

Quinn's cheeks are flushed when she says, "This is Dr Rachel Berry, my colleague and girlfriend."

Hazel eyes widen. "You've finally brought a partner to meet me?"

"Please don't embarrass me."

The woman turns to Rachel. "You are stunning, dear," she says. "I love this blue on you. I do think a deep red would suit you better, but I can definitely see why Quinn is attracted to you. You're the embodiment of her type."

"Oh, my God," Quinn groans.

"You should have heard all her celebrity crushes," the woman pretends to whisper. "All of them brunette, and small."

"Please, God, make it stop."

Rachel just looks between them, so confused by the entire interaction. "I - "

The woman gasps. "Lucy, dear, does she not know who I am?"

"You haven't allowed me to introduce you."

"You should know better," the woman says. "I don't shut up when I get excited, and meeting the first woman you've brought to one of these things is cause for excitement."

Rachel watches as Quinn takes a deep breath and smiles tightly. "Rachel," she says. "This is Anne Spencer." Wait. Spencer, as in from the Spencer Foundation? "My grandmother."

Rachel stares at Quinn, basically shooting daggers at her, because what the hell? Quinn's smile is all innocence now, but Rachel pinches her side where Anne can't see them.

Also, who in the world is Lucy?

"I assume you're here for a reason?" Anne says, eyeing them curiously.

Quinn leans forward and drops the volume of her voice. "We need to network," she says, almost conspiratorially.

Anne's eyes light up. "You have plans?"

"Great, gigantic, monumental plans," Quinn reveals.

"You can't fund it yourself?"

Quinn glances a little nervously at Rachel, which is really more confirmation that there are quite a few more things Quinn has failed to mention about her identity. "I don't think that would be a good idea," she confesses. "Not if Rachel and I intend to be equal shareholders."

Anne looks between them. "You want good people?"

"Only the best."

Anne visibly straightens, her facial expression shifting into something severe. "Well, then, dears, let's get to work."

Work.

The same way Anne slips into some persona, Quinn does as well. She carries herself differently as Anne moves them from person to person, introducing Quinn as Dr Quinn Fabray, her granddaughter and Head of Trauma at New Budapest Hospital, and Dr Rachel Berry, Quinn's partner and Head of Paediatrics at the same hospital.

It is fascinating and slightly terrifying to witness Quinn turn on the charm around all these rich men and women until their eyes are actually dilated. Quinn explains they have a project they're trying to put together that they would really like to speak with them about, and all sorts of business cards are exchanged.

Networking.

Rachel tries to keep up as best she can, but it's apparent this isn't quite her world. She can talk medicine well, and she even manages to throw in some knowledge about Broadway a few times, but Quinn is the clear leader in this little duo, and they emerge armed with the numbers of and promises of time from numerous big players and high rollers.

Anne says, "I think that was a success," with just ten minutes to go until midnight. "You're very charming, sweet Lucy."

Quinn's cheeks tinge pink again, and Rachel knows she's going to tease her mercilessly for all of this. "Thank you," she says sincerely. "I can't even begin to describe how much this could mean for what we're trying to accomplish."

"When will you tell me?" Anne asks. "Am I on this potential list of investors?"

Quinn smiles a little indulgently. "I told you we wanted only good people."

Anne looks positively offended, and Quinn laughs at her expression.

"You're obviously at the top of the list."


They kiss at midnight, right in the middle of that ballroom, with all their potential investors looking on around them, and only Rachel is worried.

Quinn very casually says, "We're not taking money from people who wouldn't accept us," which even Quinn must know is limiting. "It's not worth doing, if we can't do it the right way."

Quinn even tips her back when they kiss for the second time, and it's beautiful. Rachel still has endless questions, and she wants them answered as soon as possible.

It helps that Quinn initiates their departure just ten minutes into the new year, just when the champagne buzz has reached its peak. Anne gives them a look of approval, absently commenting good, keep them guessing, and then she wishes them well and encourages Rachel not to be a stranger.

Just.

She has so many questions.

Quinn answers the first without Rachel even having to ask it when she says, "Anne's my mother's mother," on their way out of the ballroom, the two of them stopping to retrieve their coats. "She's the only member of my family who's been supportive of me, and who I am."

Rachel listens intently.

"I didn't meet her until after I moved to New York," Quinn explains. "She wasn't the head of the Spencer Foundation until then, considered too eccentric and a heart-thinker by the rest of her family. She's made them more money than they even know what to do with."

"Does she not get along with your mother?"

Quinn snorts, guiding them through the long sweeping halls, heading for the main exit. "My mother married into my father's family, and I think he still rues the day Judy chose him over her wealth and legacy. She gets nothing, and neither does my older sister. Just me and my significant other and potential dependents."

"Babies."

Quinn smiles at her. "I'm sorry I didn't mention it earlier," she says. "I - not many people know at all. It doesn't really fit with my aesthetic."

"Your aesthetic?" she asks, actually laughing. "You mean, you don't want people to wonder what kind of millionaire would walk to the grocery store in threadbare sweats?"

Quinn rolls her eyes. "I'm not - " she starts to say, and then stops. "Anne wants me to take an active role in the Foundation, which I haven't been willing to do while I've been establishing my surgical career."

"And now?"

"I think, if we're going to do this and do this well, then they're the best people to have on our side," Quinn says. "At least they'll be people we can trust."

"They'll be you."

"Exactly."

Rachel holds onto her that bit tighter, because she's learning far too much about this person she's sure she's going to be spending the rest of her life with. "Who's Lucy?" she asks, just when they reach the front foyer of the hotel.

"I - " Quinn starts and stops. "Lucy is me. It's technically my first name."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"That is something you purposefully haven't mentioned," Rachel points out. "Why?"

Quinn doesn't immediately respond, and she doesn't actually get a response until they're on the subway headed to her place, their fancy dresses hidden by their thick coats.

Rachel huddles close to her, tucked into her side. They're standing near the door, because the car is full of people in celebration. It's loud and weirdly pleasant, but leaving the party seemed like a good idea until they were on their way home.

Quinn says, "I left Lucy behind when I left my family behind," right into her ear, so she can hear over the noise. "Anne just calls me that to annoy me."

"I think it's cute," Rachel reveals.

"You think kidney stones are cute."

Rachel laughs, tilting her head up to kiss Quinn's mouth, which gets a very significant cheer from the people around them. She's flushed red when she pulls back, slightly alarmed by the noise, and Quinn isn't faring any better.

Quinn glances around, laughing softly, before she kisses Rachel again. For longer, and for a louder cheer. It's good; perfect in the way Rachel wasn't sure she would ever get to experience.

Rachel is going to hold onto her with everything she has.


The days are good.

Better than Rachel thinks they deserve, but she allows herself to feel the happiness Quinn brings to her life. Professionally, things are going well, and her personal life has never felt so unburdened.

She's just waiting for everything to fall apart.

The new year brings with it several changes to their lives and a lot more plans. They actively search for a new place to live, all while putting together a comprehensive business plan for when they start meeting with their potential investors.

Quinn mentions, a little offhandedly, that the hospital's Human Resources Office scheduled contract negotiations with her, given her first full year with them is up. She's expected to sign on for an extended three years, on a higher salary. She'll be given more responsibility and more funding, and it would be a lucrative offer if Quinn weren't already putting her eggs in another basket.

It does make them question if they're doing the right thing for a full two minutes and fourteen seconds, before Quinn shakes her head and says, "It'll give me more time to work on our project."

"We should really come up with some kind of code name," Rachel tells her, relaxing further into her bed, Quinn's body warm behind her. "Confuse everyone."

Quinn hums, nuzzling into her. "Santana is going to kill me."

Rachel stiffens, because Santana is definitely going to kill her. Then she laughs. "If you think Santana's going to lose it, just imagine what my father's going to do."

Quinn's breath is warm against her when she says, "Bring it."


News about Quinn's decision not to sign her new contract isn't meant to be public knowledge, given that the Human Resources Office values privacy, but LeRoy Berry makes sure everyone knows from the massive bust-up he has with Quinn right out in the open.

Rachel hears about it from everyone else, because she was in surgery when it happened - which was probably by design - and she's forced to field her own questions by acting as if she has no idea what anyone is talking about.

At least she gets to put her dormant acting skills to use.

Of course, she understands why her father would be up in arms about losing Quinn, the doctor, because there's no denying her brilliance. Anyone would want to hold onto her. Certainly, Rachel spends her days holding onto Quinn, the woman.

One check of her phone tells Rachel that Quinn is in one of the conference rooms, probably hiding out, and Rachel makes the mistake of heading straight there and walks into a very tense atmosphere between Quinn and Santana.

She freezes, tries to back out of the room, but Santana snaps at her to shut the door and come inside, because it concerns her.

What follows is ugly.

Santana says, are you insane and you're about to leave your job, and for what and she's just going to break your heart again and you're making a massive mistake and don't come crawling back when she screws you over and leaves you with nothing but shreds of your heart.

It's when Santana turns her ire on Rachel that Quinn finally speaks, and her voice is sharp and edged in a way that lets them all know that Rachel is off limits. "Do not say what you're about to say," she says. "This is not about Rachel, or anything else. This is about me and what I want, and what I want is something different, something better, and I've finally found someone who wants the same things I do."

Santana glares at her, defiant. "If she doesn't ruin you, then your pride will." She steps forward. "You are not a God, Quinn."

Quinn's jaw clenches, but it isn't enough for her not to flinch.

"It is not your job to save everyone."

Here, Quinn falters for the first time, and Rachel can only wonder what else Quinn hasn't mentioned to her.

Quinn stands perfectly still when Santana storms out of the room, pushing past Rachel rather forcefully and then slamming the door behind her. It leaves the pair of them to stare at each other in silence for an extended amount of time.

Rachel clears her throat. "Tell me what I need to know," she says.

"What?"

"I haven't asked," Rachel says, stepping forward. "I've just made assumptions based on what you've told me, but I don't know why we're doing this."

"Why?"

Rachel takes more steps towards her. "Why are we about to embark on this thing that could potentially derail our professional careers? I need to know."

Quinn looks away, jaw tense. "There's no - I don't have - "

"Quinn."

"Santana and I went to medical school together, as you know," she finally says. "But we got into different surgical programs, and I did my residency in Boston while she came here."

Rachel knows this, of course. Her own residency was also done in a different hospital in New York, coming to this one when her own father was promoted to the position of Chief of Surgery. They're really all so young; early in their actual careers.

"When Beth got sick the second time, it was worse," Quinn says. "We brought her here, because it was closer to Long Island and Santana swore they had the best care."

Rachel knows she's going to learn something she doesn't want to, because, if Beth was here, and she had a recurring spinal tumour, then that means -

"Your father was one of her doctors."

Okay.

That explains a lot of the animosity she's witnessed between her father and girlfriend. God, that explains so much about her father's decisions when it comes to her and Quinn.

"He didn't think Beth would make it. He wasn't even willing to try surgery." Quinn's hands clench into tight fists. "When I asked him why, he told me he wasn't a God; that it wasn't his job to save everyone, and that he wasn't going to attempt a surgery he couldn't guarantee the outcome of. He told me that I wasn't a doctor, so I wouldn't understand." Her eyes are wet. "He wasn't even willing to try."

"Quinn," she breathes.

"I knew, in that moment, I would never be that kind of doctor, and I - I told myself I would work hard to give parents the kind of care they need when faced with such impossible situations."

"You want a hospital that tries."

"I want a hospital filled with doctors who try."

Rachel still has questions, but she's also received more insight into a lot of the things that drive her girlfriend. "Beth survived," she says.

"She survived," Quinn confirms, and then doesn't elaborate further.

Rachel sighs. "So... my father wasn't happy, huh?"

Quinn rolls her eyes. "Do you know what's worse," she says; "he didn't even remember me. Or Beth."

Rachel feels inexplicably enraged by that piece of information, and she can only wonder what it must have been like for Quinn to interview for her job here, with the man who essentially wrote Beth off and then forgot about her.

"Baby," Rachel murmurs, reaching out for Quinn, fingers on her cheek. "We're going to do this, and we're going to be the kind of doctors I wish my father could have been for you, Marcella and Beth."

"It's not going to be easy," Quinn says, always so realistic and pragmatic.

Rachel kisses her one cheek, and then the other cheek before finally dragging her into a lingering kiss to her mouth. They end up kissing for entirely too long, right there in that conference room, and they stop only when Quinn says, "You know, I don't think we've actually had sex in here."

"God, you're obsessed," Rachel says, unable to stop her laugh. Because Quinn is obsessed with finding them all these different rooms in the hospital to defile - proverbially. On-call rooms and supply closets and even in a trauma room this one time.

"Baby," Quinn says, her voice low and suggestive. "I'll be gone in a few weeks; we have to work our way through this hospital in that time."

Rachel definitely shouldn't accept that explanation. It's honestly a terrible idea. They're two professionals in their thirties, for goodness' sake. It's a childish mission Quinn's set for them.

"Baby," Quinn says again, and then they end up being able to cross off that particular conference room from Quinn's mental list.


Things have been tense in the past, but they rise to a lofty level as they barrel towards Quinn's birthday. She claims she doesn't want anything special, but Beth calls Rachel a week before and basically tells her she needs to make it memorable.

Quinn is turning thirty-four, which isn't really all that special - though, Rachel will argue every birthday is special - so it could slip under the radar very quickly. Beth and Rachel aren't going to let that happen.

Beth bakes a cake - red velvet, which is Quinn's favourite - and Rachel makes sure they both get the day off. Which really means they spend the entire morning in bed, and out of bed, on the carpet, on the kitchen counter and in the shower, and Quinn is still smiling dopily when the two of them meet Beth and Marcella for lunch.

Beth takes one look at them and screws up her face in disgust. "You guys are so gross," she says. "Seriously. It's been months. Get it out of your system already."

Quinn just laughs, allowing Beth to drag her into a warm hug.

"Happy birthday," Beth tells her, quiet into her ear. It feels private, so Rachel looks away, greeting Marcella with a quick hug before the woman can wish Quinn, as well.

They're already seated when Quinn tells Beth, "I'm going to tease you to within an inch of your life when you find your person."

Beth scoffs. "I'm not going to be as gross as you two," she declares.

"Just you wait," Quinn vows. "When you're stupid and happy, I'm going to remind you of this moment and rub it in your face." She grins. "But then, I'm also going to be very happy for you, because, God, this good feeling is everything I want for you."

Beth looks at her, and then at Rachel, before looking back at Quinn. "Okay."

"Okay."

Rachel feels Quinn's hand on her leg, squeezing gently, and she turns towards her. There's this look in her eye, something new and perfect, and Rachel leans over to kiss her for what feels like the hundredth time just in this day.

Instead of Beth grousing over their display, she rather snaps a picture of them and comments, "I'm definitely showing this at your wedding reception. Everyone has to see how disgusting you two are."

Quinn's grip tightens on her leg, and Rachel can only wonder if she's thinking the same thing she is. Quinn's very casually alluded to marriage a handful of times, but this confirmed acceptance of how Beth views Rachel's role in Quinn's life offers a very particular green light for them both.

The look they exchange holds a lot of meaning, but no words are said. This time, when they kiss, Beth does complain, and it is a beautiful thing.


"I love you, but I don't think I can stand near you during the staff meeting," Jesse says, coming up beside Rachel.

She barely looks up from the chart in her hands. "You know, you tell me you love me far more now than you ever did when we were married," she points out.

"I love you more than I did then," he responds, leaning against her. "Did you hear what I said?"

"You're abandoning me."

"What? No." He puffs out a breath. "It's just that I can't stand the tension around you. And, I mean, Big Berry is probably going to be glaring daggers at Quinn, and I'm certain Santana's stare could set you on fire if you're not careful."

Rachel almost asks why he'd be concerned with Quinn, but then she knows her girlfriend will probably be standing near her. "You're basically abandoning me."

"Don't put it like that."

"But that's exactly the way it is."

He sighs. "Fine. I'll stand with you, and soak up all the animosity being sent your way." He groans dramatically. "At least tell me what you did. I need to live vicariously through you."

She glances at him. "Things still not going well with Sam?"

"I just - I can't give him what he wants from me."

"Why not?"

"What?"

Rachel tilts her head a little to the side. "Are you worried about coming out in the hospital, or is it something else? Because, there are a lot of queer doctors not only just in this hospital, but even just in the city."

Jesse looks a little stumped, and then he says, "I was married to a woman."

"And I was married to a man," she points out. "Now, I'm regularly having amazing, spectacular sex with a woman."

His eyebrows shoot up. "Just how regularly?"

She ignores him. "My point is that your past doesn't matter," she says. "What you feel for Sam doesn't negate what we had. I hope you know that."

"I'm not that sentimental," he says, but it sounds forced, and she reasons she's hit the nail on its head.

"I do love you, Jesse, but we didn't work for reasons beyond our perceived sexualities, okay?" She pats his arm. "You know I like both men and women. Maybe you do too. I loved, loved you once, but that was a long time ago, and I've moved on. It's time you did, too." She rises up and kisses his cheek. "Whatever's holding you back from Sam; it has nothing to do with me, and we both know it. Get it together and figure out what you want. I managed to do it, and I'm the happiest I've ever been."

Jesse stares at her for a long time. "I don't know if I like this Rachel who goes to therapy and has her life figured out," he mutters.

"Don't forget that I'm also having a bucketload of sex."

He groans. "How can I?" he asks. "You mention it every five seconds and I swear it looks like Quinn wants to devour you every time she looks at you."

Rachel saves him by not saying it's definitely because she does.