Author's Notes: And with that, this is the end of Shifting Skylines. Thank you to everyone for being here, for reading this, and being part of the road trip. I've put more comprehensive notes on my Tumblr, you know the drill.

Thanks go to Mike Ownby for going through the entire story with his arsenal of fine-toothed combs. I honestly do not believe this story would have been finished, or at least completed at this level of quality, without his input, commentary, beta-ing, and overall fanboy feedback (yes, I omitted Americanization because I'm getting rather good at it, to the point I'm using American spelling in official RL correspondence).

The promise of her first summer holiday as a college student – more precisely, of being done with her first year of college – does wonders for getting Quinn through the last bit of the semester, even as her days and nights blur into a haze of exams, books, and library marathons. Before she knows it, she's done, her room is packed up and in storage, and a golden summer stretches out before her.

"Fabray!"

Quinn frowns at her roommate. "I'm right here, Kate. There's no need to yell."

Kate grins back. "Uh, no, I totally needed to? We've shared a room for a year now; I can see when you've got your I'm tuning out the world face on…"

Quinn arches an eyebrow, shooting Kate the frosty glare she perfected in high school. It's never failed to intimidate her Cheerios. However, it has no effect on her roommate, who just cackles. Sighing, Quinn gives it up as a lost cause. She refocuses her attention back on the room, surveying the area one last time.

"I can't believe we've survived our first year of college," quips Kate. "Do you think it would be too much if I punched the air Breakfast Club-style?"

"Yes."

Kate does it anyway, sniggering at Quinn's unamused expression. "Oh, lighten up, Fabray. We've survived freshman year in the big Ivy League, and it can only get better from here. Not bad for a couple of Midwestern girls, right?"

Quinn does smile grudgingly at that. It's just her luck that her roommate is an odd amalgamation of Rachel and Santana, which means that although Kate is a good friend when it comes down to it, she is also absolutely determined to get on Quinn's last nerve and trample it. "If I recall correctly, you were the one who barely scraped through, Wilson."

"Details," Kate says with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Hey, you'll be driving past the train station, won't you? Gimme a ride, Fabby."

"No." Much to Quinn's dismay, Kate had accidentally walked in on her while she was on the phone with Santana, and had overheard that godawful nickname. Santana had thought it was hilarious, as did Kate; Quinn has already made plans to murder Santana the next time she sees her.

"Aww, c'mon. Please?"

After two semesters of cohabiting with Kate, Quinn has still yet to figure out why her bitch glares don't work on her. Even now, as she's glaring daggers at Kate so hard she wouldn't be surprised if she found holes in Kate's clothing, all her roommate does is make ridiculous pouty faces at Quinn.

"Oh my god. Fine, dumbass, since you asked so nicely." Quinn shoulders her duffel, rolling her suitcase down the hall. When she gets to the end of the landing, she calls over her shoulder: "If you're not in the car by the time I get down there, I'm leaving without you."

"Rude!" It's followed by thumping and a string of curses that makes Quinn cackle.

Kate has two more suitcases than Quinn does, so Quinn finds it hilarious to watch Kate struggle downstairs and outside to Quinn's car. She isn't actually going to leave Kate behind – Quinn's rather fond of her roommate despite everything – but Quinn also isn't going to pass up this opportunity to punish Kate for using her hated nickname.

They both arrive at Quinn's car at the same time; a remarkable feat on Kate's part, given how much more overburdened she is compared to Quinn. "Ha!" Kate exclaims triumphantly.

"Yes, very well done. You've more than earned your free ride." Quinn bites on her lower lip to stifle her laughter. She derives an unreasonable amount of satisfaction from seeing Kate's flushed and sweaty face when she gets into the passenger seat.

"You're a sadist."

Smirking, Quinn turns the key in the ignition and pulls out of the lot.

She's not so mean as to simply dump Kate at the station; Quinn helps her lug her things inside as well.

"Do you even have time to spare? You're supposed to be picking up your girlfriend in freakin' New York."

"It's a ninety-minute drive there. Taking ten minutes to help my idiot roommate not die won't throw off my schedule," says Quinn.

Kate laughs. "Can I just say, I wish Stephen and I could go on a road trip too?"

"Only if I can go on record saying all of it was Marley's idea."

"And here I was thinking you actually liked road trips. Your girlfriend's way too cool for you." Kate gives Quinn a quick hug. "Have a good summer, Quinn."

"See you around, Kate."

She pops into a cafe near the station to get herself a coffee for the road. It's an hour and a half to New York, excluding traffic, and she doesn't want to get there too late.

It feels almost strange to look at herself now; her first year of college over and done with, about to pick up her girlfriend so they can embark on another summer road trip.

Although everything around her is so different, Quinn wonders if she herself has changed at all. Sometimes, she feels like she still doesn't know who she is; like the time she was second-guessing her decision to participate in rush. Quinn couldn't decide if joining a sorority was something she truly wanted for herself, rather than being something her parents expected of her.

Her life has changed in so many ways in only one short year. She finds it impossible to imagine her life without Marley now.

She makes it into the city without much difficulty, making a quick stop on the way to NYU to buy more drinks. Quinn manages to find a nice parking spot outside Marley's dorm, which she finds a pity since she's not planning on staying long.

Quinn gets out of the car to stretch her legs, dropping a quick text to Marley to let her know where she's parked. She gets a very enthusiastic reply, full of emoji, that makes her chuckle. It's abundantly clear from the text that Marley has missed her. It's been some time since they've last seen each other because they've both been busy, and Quinn is looking forward to seeing her girlfriend too; Skype chats just weren't the same.

"Quinn!"

She looks up from her phone, immediately getting an armful of excited girlfriend. "Hi," says Quinn. "I got you a coffee for the road."

"A what?"

Quinn giggles at the horrified look on Marley's face. "I'm kidding. I got you your favorite iced tea. It's in the car."

She gets a reward kiss to her temple and a muttered, "Don't scare me like that." Then Marley freezes, hand on the passenger door. "Oh. Wait, is this your car?" Marley runs her hand over the side of the red Mini Cooper, eyes wide.

"Yeah," says Quinn, smiling. "Surprise."

"When I said it would be fun to drive home and make a trip out of it, Quinn, I didn't think you'd put in this much effort. How'd you manage to arrange this?"

"Puck came to visit me in New Haven two weeks ago, so I called in a favor and got him to drive it here."

Marley smiles. "I'm impressed by the amount of influence you wield over our friends, Quinn."

"It's nothing compared to Santana," says Quinn, playing along. "She actually does have Breadstix at her disposal. I can only wish I had that much power."

Marley shakes her head. "God, I've missed you." She's wearing her lucky hat, which was successfully stolen from Quinn on her last visit. Marley hops into the passenger seat, leaning over the console to kiss Quinn once they're settled inside. "I'm so happy to see you."

Quinn laughs when the brim bumps her forehead. She'll steal it back before the summer's out; that's the game they've been playing for a year now. "It's only been two months since we last saw each other."

"That's two whole months!"

"You're being ridiculous."

Marley grins. Her eyes fall on Quinn's wrist and her grin widens. "You're wearing your lucky bracelet!"

Quinn laughs, gives the neon green bracelet a flick with her finger. "I figured I could use the extra luck on this trip."

"With what?"

"With stealing back my lucky hat."

"Yeah, you'll need all the luck you can get," laughs Marley, adjusting it. "So, is it bad that I've been looking forward to this for the past two months?"

"No, so have I."

Marley winks at her. "But I'll bet you didn't turn in a paper late because you got distracted reading travel blogs while putting together the itinerary for our summer trip."

"Marley!"

"I'm kidding!"

"Didn't sound like you were kidding." Any lingering anxiety she's had about this trip has completely vanished. It's amazing how her girlfriend seems to have this calming effect on her, and she does it so effortlessly.

"I never kid when I'm talking about road trips with my favorite person," says Marley very seriously, even as her eyes are gleaming with mirth.

Quinn laughs and starts the engine. "Your favorite person?"

"Oh, wait, no. I changed my mind, I like Santana better."

"Oh. I'm relieved that I'm not your favorite, actually; I was wondering how I was gonna break the news to you that Rachel's actually my favorite…"

She can feel Marley swell with mock-indignation beside her. At the next red light, Quinn darts an amused glance at her, to which Marley makes an exaggerated face back.

Quinn clamps her lips together. She knows they've started an unspoken competition, that Marley won't give up until she gets a reaction out of Quinn, but she's not about to give her dork of a girlfriend the satisfaction of winning.

"How was school?"

"Really? We're doing small talk now?"

Marley's eyes twinkle. "Sorry. I mean – how was your wealthy genius school?"

"Good. We're learning how to act like spoilt trust fund babies next year," says Quinn dryly.

"Would that be before or after the bug stomping classes?"

Quinn can't help it; she giggles. She catches the triumphant beam on Marley's face, and thinks that even though she's lost, she's also won. "I can't believe those words just came out of your mouth."

"Doesn't matter. I made you laugh." College – and New York, to a lesser degree – is a good look on Marley. She carries herself with an easy confidence now, and Quinn would be lying if she didn't find that attractive on normally-shy Marley Rose. Although right now, it's less attractive self-confidence and more smug self-satisfaction.

"You're such a dork."

"Hey – takes one to know one." And Marley fires off a very familiar wink and finger-gun combo.

"That didn't work the last time you tried," Quinn lies through her teeth, shaking her head in mock disappointment.

Then Marley arches one eyebrow in a spot-on imitation of Quinn, which almost makes Quinn burst out laughing. "Are you sure about that?" she murmurs. Which completely turns the mood on its head, and makes Quinn's head spin.

God, this girl, she thinks. "Positive," Quinn manages, ignoring the way her heart pounds in her ears.

Marley gives her one last secretive smile before turning her attention back to her iPod.

It had been Marley's idea for them to drive back to Lima for the summer holidays.

Marley had been visiting from New York at the time, and the topic of the upcoming summer holidays had come up. Quinn had thought that Marley would tell her that she was staying in New York for the summer to take extra shifts at her job, like Santana. She'd mentioned it during a Skype session the week before, about how generous the overtime is, and how much more money she'd be able to make without classes limiting the number of hours she can work.

Despite Marley's full scholarship and how much the Roses downplay their financial situation, Quinn knows money is always tight with them.

And yet, she couldn't help but be a little disappointed by the prospect of not seeing Marley for the summer; Quinn was expected to be home in Lima to spend time with her mom. Rachel and Kurt would be in Lima too, and Santana would be too busy working to spend much time with her, so she wouldn't have any excuses to stay in the city – excuses that would be plausible to her mom, that is.

She's not planning on coming out to her mother anytime soon; her private life is precisely that, and even though Quinn's relationship with Judy has improved by leaps and bounds, she thinks she's had enough parental pressure in her life as it is.

"So," Marley had said, "what are your plans for the summer?"

Quinn hadn't had a ready answer. "I'm not sure. I think my mom's expecting me."

Then Marley had surprised her by saying: "My mom insisted she'll be fine for the summer, but I was thinking of going home for the holiday. Lima needs its kickass catering team."

Quinn couldn't believe her ears. "Is there a space on the team for one more?"

"For you? Duh. Hands down, the best food chopper-upper and delivery girl I've ever seen and we could really use that." Marley had paused, then added, smiling shyly: "But I was thinking we could fit in a short road trip somewhere. Maybe a week or so, since it sounds like we've both got a pretty packed summer schedule."

"Another road trip? Wasn't last year enough for you?"

"You can never have enough epic and life-changing road trips, I haven't been spending enough time with you this year, you won't be too far away to kiss… all very good reasons for another trip, I think." Much to Quinn's amusement, Marley had ticked off the reasons on her fingers as she spoke.

Quinn had snorted, torn between rolling her eyes and letting herself be charmed by how cheesy Marley is. "Too far away to kiss, eh?"

"Don't pretend you don't feel the same way," Marley challenged her, chin tilted up, eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Maybe I don't. Who knows?"

Marley scowled. "You're a terrible tease."

"So is that a yes? We're doing this?"

"That's a yes, you idiot. Are you sure you're an Ivy League student? Because I – " Whatever Marley had been going to say about her reasoning is lost when Quinn grabbed a pillow and smacked her in the face with it, effectively derailing the conversation.

Marley frowns at her. "That's not how I remember it."

"Oh?" Personally, Quinn is a little bewildered by the whiplash-inducing change of mood; Marley had been laughing throughout the entire retelling, so much so she'd been wheezing.

"Yeah." Marley pushes herself up on her elbows. "All I remember is: there I was, about to surprise a certain dense person by not staying in New York all summer…"

Quinn laughs obnoxiously. "Who, me?"

"I didn't say it was you specifically."

"There were only you and me at the time."

"Innocent until proven guilty." She rolls over to flop on her back. "Ugh, I'm exhausted."

"I told you not to overdo it today."

Marley's eyes snap open. "Quinn, it's Hersheypark. When next are we gonna get the chance to spend the entire day at Hersheypark? Never."

"If I let you plan next year's itinerary, I bet we'll be going to Hersheypark again," says Quinn.

"I love the fact you're already planning to let me plan next year." Marley's cheeks are flushed, though Quinn can't tell it's from sunburn or something else. But then she touches her cheek and winces. "Ow."

Quinn tuts. "... and you forgot to put on sunscreen, didn't you."

Marley sticks her tongue out at Quinn. She gets up and starts rummaging through her bag, muttering something about aloe vera gel, and useless girlfriends devoid of sympathy.

Quinn decides she's had enough. She sidles up behind Marley, pushing aside her hair with one hand, dropping a kiss, then another, on her exposed neck.

Marley hums. She turns around in Quinn's arms, kissing her properly. "I've missed this," she says into Quinn's lips.

"Me too."

She leans in again, tilting her head to one side so she can deepen the kiss. But before Quinn can properly lose herself in Marley, the other girl pulls away, smiling impishly. "Quinn, we were supposed to go out and have our dinner."

All of her self-control flies out the window when it comes to Marley. "You started it."

"No, I didn't," Marley laughs. She pushes at Quinn's hip playfully. "But I'm ending it." Without warning, she darts forward, pecking Quinn on the lips.

Quinn grumbles good-naturedly. "Okay, then. But only because you promised to buy me dinner in exchange for me accompanying you on that coaster."

"Since when has this relationship become a transaction-based one?" She laughs, but then redeems herself a little when she reaches for Quinn's hand, pulling her back in to whisper, "I'll make it up to you later" in Quinn's ear.

And really –

– Marley had better keep her word, because she's become quite the wicked tease and Quinn doesn't think she'll be able to hold out that long now.

She should've been suspicious after Marley insists on driving back to the motel after dinner. But Quinn's pleasantly full, and content just to be around her girlfriend, which also means that she doesn't notice that Marley's deliberately taken the wrong turn-off for their motel, and is currently heading out of town to goodness knows where.

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere in particular." But the careless smile Marley tosses at her tells Quinn that this could be the "making up for it later" she was promised; her heart skips a beat.

Quinn can't resist a snide, "I don't remember this being on the itinerary," as the car pulls up beside a small clearing.

Marley takes the comment in her stride. "Maybe driving out to strange woods in the middle of the night is our thing, and thus doesn't need to be listed on the itinerary."

Quinn snorts. "God, no. I'm sure we can do better than that."

"Yes, of course; but it's not a bad idea."

"No. I'm vetoing it."

Marley laughs at her, climbing out of the driver's seat. Quinn takes her time before following her outside – and barely manages to catch the armful of blankets thrown at her.

"Nice catch."

Quinn shakes her head and chooses a patch of grass to spread out the blankets.

Marley doesn't help much, but she flops down once Quinn's finished setting it up, putting the bundle of sweaters in her arms to one side. "This is really comfy. You've gotten good at this."

"You can be such a pain sometimes." Quinn gets up, making the movements as casual as she can. She goes back to the passenger seat of the car, rooting around for the gift she'd stashed there after dinner. She'd had a hard time hiding it from Marley, waiting for the right time to give it to her.

Despite the heat of the June afternoon, the night is fast becoming chill; Marley has her back to Quinn, fiddling with a thick sweater when Quinn returns – which is awfully convenient for Quinn to adjust her grip on the gift she's hiding behind her back.

When Marley finally notices her, she is quick to turn back around, smiling up at her girlfriend, patting her lap exaggeratedly.

In answer, Quinn raises one eyebrow. Marley's response is to giggle, but she doesn't look away from Quinn, nor does she lose the absurdly hopeful look on her face.

Pause. Quinn keeps her face still, sitting on the edge of the blanket next to Marley, expression stoic as she deliberately ignores the disappointment that flits over Marley's face. "You're serious."

"Like a heart attack." Marley's pouting now. Which is good, in a way, because her attention is on Quinn, and not Quinn's hands. Maintaining eye contact, she surreptitiously shoves the gift she's been hiding behind her back under the blanket, grateful for the darkness.

Her work done, Quinn decides to indulge her girlfriend. She stiffly lies down, head in Marley's lap.

Even in the dim evening light, the happiness on Marley's face is unmistakable. Quinn lets herself relax a little more. She is comfortable, in a way she is fast learning that she becomes around Marley, her emotional defenses gone. And so Quinn murmurs without thinking too much about it: "So, I've started seeing a therapist again."

Quinn knows that's not what Marley was expecting her to say. Honestly, neither was she expecting here and now to be when she tells Marley the news.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I haven't really told anyone yet, because I had therapy before, but it didn't work out." She clears her throat, marshalling her thoughts. "I blew it off last time because I was mad at my mom for forcing me into it, but I was thinking that maybe it's time I tried again; properly this time." Quinn's not about to say that Marley's insistence that it would help had taken root in the back of her mind, slowly acclimatizing her to the idea. "This girl I know in my European Lit class has similar family issues, and she recommended her therapist to me."

Marley just lifts Quinn's hand to her lips. Quinn takes that as her cue to continue, the last traces of hesitation melting away.

"It's not a big deal, really. It's early days yet, and we haven't really gotten farther than me alternating crying and stone-faced silence for the entire fifty-five minutes of the session."

"It's not a small thing either, Quinn." The tone of Marley's voice brooks no argument.

Quinn keeps her eyes trained on Marley's cheek. "I suppose. But the important thing is – I'm going. Once every fortnight." She attempts a weak smile. "Good thing I'm still on my family health insurance plan, because therapy is expensive."

She likes to think that she knows Marley well enough to predict how she'll react. But then Marley still manages to surprise her by sort of pulling her up. Quinn ends up practically sitting in Marley's lap as Marley kisses the side of her head, mumbling: "I'm proud of you" into her hair.

Startled, not knowing how to respond, Quinn just nods stiffly, mumbling: "I know."

A low laugh sounds in her ear, warm air curling over her skin, making Quinn shiver. "I know you know. But I think you should hear it anyway."

And okay, she does need to hear that validation because she's new to all of this – acceptance stuff. Even though one of the first prayers that Quinn learned was the Serenity Prayer, and that had a line in it about asking for the serenity to accept the things that can't be changed.

Surely Marley Rose counts as one of those things that can't be changed, because of the way she swept into Quinn's life and turned everything upside down. Quinn and her emotional walls never even stood a chance.

She sort of leans back into Marley, smiling when Marley hums in contentment and puts her arms around Quinn's middle. Marley's hand finds Quinn's, their fingers tangling together. "I know therapy is a big deal for you; I just don't have the words to express just how proud I am that you're taking that step."

"Just don't tell Rachel, and we're good," Quinn jokes weakly. "She won't take the loss of her Quinn Whisperer title well." She needs a break from this. A small part of her can't help but feel like she's ruining this moment with the heavy turn of the conversation. Everything Marley makes her feel hasn't diminished over time and distance, and it scares her a little with how something as simple as Marley's ability to be proud of her makes her stomach flip.

"I would never!"

"Like how you never told Rachel we came in second at that karaoke competition in Nashville? It's been months, and she has yet to stop pestering us to go for karaoke whenever I visit."

Marley shakes her head, looking like she's about to burst out laughing. "I already said I was sorry, Quinn."

"Right."

"Anyway, I kinda have big news too." Marley lies down, tugging Quinn with her, keeping one arm curled possessively around the other girl's waist. "It's not as groundbreaking as yours, but… I'll be signing up for a music class next year."

"What, really?"

"Yeah, really. You know how I've been shopping around for a way I can still do music stuff?"

Quinn nods.

"Well, my guidance counselor finally got back to me. She says there's a new class that'll be offered next year," says Marley triumphantly. "It's pretty general, but it's a composition class; best yet, since it's offered by NYU, I don't need to pay anything extra like I would've for an external course, and it counts towards my general credits."

"Wow."

"Yeah, wow," echoes Marley, in a voice so deadpan it makes Quinn laugh – which sets Marley off as well.

"I'm so happy for you," says Quinn once they've both calmed down. "It's a pretty good compromise. This way, you still get to pursue your dreams."

"Yeah…" Marley shifts. "It's always been on my mind, y'know, about me pursuing my dream versus being practical… I kept on wondering if I was doing the right thing, if I'd made a mistake."

The words come out of Quinn's mouth automatically. "You know I'd support you, no matter what you chose."

Marley nods happily, chin pressing into Quinn's shoulder with every movement. "I know. I've never doubted that. But it was more about me asking myself some very important questions: what would I do if money wasn't an issue? Would it be so bad to just believe that I could be good enough to really make it? I mean… I've gone on and on about how much I believe in you, but it's awfully hypocritical if I didn't do the same for myself."

"Honestly? While believing and all is really nice, don't get me wrong; I think I'd prefer you to be practical," says Quinn carefully.

Marley laughs. "I know. I'd prefer me to be practical, too. So this is me being practical; I'm still doing that business degree, but this way I still get to do something I love, whether I'll end up in the music business or not. I think that as long as I'm being true to myself, things will work out eventually."

It makes Quinn think of her father, and of law school. Despite his threats, she's secured another year of college tuition from him, with her mom's – and unexpectedly, Frannie's – help. With everything that had been unfolding in her life, this was just one battle won in the war. She still doesn't know what's going to happen after she earns her degree.

But Marley's words make her think past that. That her life can be simple as long as she's true to herself.

The thought leaves as quickly as it appears. "I'm proud of you," says Quinn. "I'd never have been able to make a big decision like that on my own. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not very good at fighting for the things I want," she adds in a dark undertone.

Marley's expression becomes inscrutable. "I wouldn't say that."

She knows, from the faraway look in Marley's eyes, that she's thinking of their conversation last year, just as Quinn is doing right now.

But then Marley turns her head so she's looking at Quinn intently; almost as though she's seeing Quinn for the first time.

Quinn clears her throat.

"Hey, Marley?"

"Hmm?"

Quinn's cheeks burn hot. "I've got something for you." She doesn't wait for Marley's response, gingerly reaching for the lump in the blanket.

"Quinn…"

She hands it to Marley, smiling shyly.

She'd gotten the idea from Rachel and her vision boards – although she had a very different purpose in mind. It's taken her a full year to gather enough things to fill up the corkboard. Faded ticket stubs from movies, handmade string bracelets, and little handwritten notes jostle for space with photographs.

Marley has always been an avid photographer. Even though she has a portfolio of 'real' photos, most of what Quinn deems her best works are here, pinned on the corkboard; in one corner, a slightly blurred image of the two of them outside one of Yale's buildings. A photo of Marley with a large sandwich and an equally-cheesy thumbs-up there. There's an artistic shot of Quinn in profile, framed by the setting sun, that she posed for in Marley's dorm room.

Quinn watches Marley closely as the other girl's fingers trail over the memories. Quinn smiles as she follows the movement to one of her favorite photos: herself, Rachel, Santana, Kurt, and Marley crammed together on a couch. It was from a housewarming party Rachel, Santana, and Kurt threw after they'd moved into their loft in Bushwick. Marley has on her usual irrepressible grin, arms around Quinn's waist. Quinn herself isn't looking at the camera, but wears a soft smile as she glances at Marley.

The photo is dated from about a year ago. Beside it sits another photo of them that was taken in Quinn's dorm room, in nearly-identical poses; this time, Marley looks at her with that same soft smile Quinn wore, while Quinn has an arm around Marley as she smiles at the camera.

Real-Quinn's smile mirrors photo-Quinn's smile. "It's been almost a year, and I still haven't regretted making the decision that brought me here – brought us both here," says Quinn, and clears her throat. "I know we've had our fair share of ups and downs; it took months for me to let you fully past my emotional walls. But we've come this far, and it felt right to commemorate that somehow."

"It's not much, but…" She stops when Marley's palm cups her cheek.

When Marley finally meets Quinn's gaze, it's with sea-blue eyes; soft and deep with emotion. "Thank you," she says, voice small. "I really… this is beautiful, Quinn."

"I'm glad you like it."

Then Marley shakes her head, laughing herself. "I guess great minds think alike, because… I also got you something."

"I'm not surprised, actually," Quinn tells her.

She feels, rather than hears, Marley's laughter. "I'm a little disappointed now. Close your eyes."

Quinn does. First, she feels the press of lips against her own, gone before she can kiss Marley back; next, a weight settles in Quinn's lap.

"Okay, open."

The photo album looks like any other ordinary album; plain black in color. Her first thought is that she's compiled a physical portfolio of all her beautiful photos; over the year they've been apart, Marley's sent her photos of New York life. Quinn's loved every single one; they offer her a glimpse of Marley's life through her eyes, a privilege she's been granted since they live in different cities.

So Quinn opens the photo album, expecting to see skyscrapers and other such big dreams given life.

She finds herself looking at a place she remembers fondly from a year ago. She and Marley smile up from the photo, standing in front of a steam locomotive… Myron. His name was Myron. And there's the selfie she remembers they took with Myron's driver, which makes Quinn laugh.

Scenes from their road trip jump out at Quinn as she flips through the album. Many of them she remembers posing for; like the one in front of the lake when they were hiking (god, she looks so awkward in those). Others, she doesn't remember, like a clearly candid one where she has her back to the camera, face in profile as she walks. The little bit of street she can see tells her the photo was taken in Cleveland.

God, she must have been engrossed in something big if she didn't even notice this photo being taken.

The next page has one of them outside the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame; they both have identical looks of excitement on their faces.

Some of the photos make her laugh, like this one of them posing with their fake IDs. Quinn vaguely remembers agreeing to that photo on condition Marley wouldn't share that incriminating photo. There's another shot of Marley holding up the stack Quinn got from Santana, a comically exaggerated look of horror on her face. A ridiculous shot of Marley pointing at the Kelsey Museum's signboard.

Marley outside the M Den that she remembers Marley taking. She smiles at the excitement on Marley's face.

Another photo she remembers; the one of them after the Jim and Sam concert, decked out in their merchandise. They both look so happy.

But many of the photos she doesn't remember at all. There's one of her where she's looking at her phone, a mug of coffee in front of her, that looks like it could have been taken on any day of their trip. These intimate photos are interspersed by photos from the trip, providing little vignettes that break up the chronological order of the trip.

She was right, in some way; this is their trip from Marley's eyes. Quinn's smile turns fond. She vaguely remembers something Marley had said, about seeing herself the way Marley sees her…

Past Chicago, the photos become distinctly more intimate. There are far more candids of Quinn, but they show her wearing expressions Quinn doesn't remember having; one where she is smiling softly at something out of the shot, eyes alight with mirth. Another in which she is wearing the white blouse, and the sun is shining, making her eyes seem to glow golden (Marley was right, after all). Yet another, where she has her eyes closed, facing away from the camera, and she looks… peaceful.

Yes, she remembers that one now… it was taken somewhere outside of Indianapolis. She'd spotted Marley holding her camera, but she'd assumed that she was taking a photo of the scenery.

Some of the photos are clearly taken by a phone camera and printed out. There's a slightly blurred one of Quinn on the ice skating rink, another featuring Marley's hand holding an ice cream. Quinn in a dark room she vaguely remembers from Nashville and the karaoke competition. A photo of them from the fair in Chicago, together with the prizes they won.

The timeline captured in the photo album extends beyond the road trip. The next page holds a photo of Marley, on her bed, surrounded by all the souvenirs she'd bought or acquired on the trip. Photos of the two of them, and their friends, on various outings throughout the summer follow.

She reaches the end of the book. Slowly, Quinn flips back to the front, and begins again.

She pauses on her favorite photo; one she recognizes from the ferris wheel in Chicago. It's of her, staring out the window. Her expression is barely visible, reflected in the glass of the window, and she looks transported.

If her memory serves her right, she was about to kiss Marley.

Quinn blushes hotly.

When she closes the album, something falls out of it.

The blurry Polaroid shows a scene Quinn recognizes from a month ago, taken on her last visit to New York. They're on the ratty couch in the Bushwick loft Rachel, Santana, and Kurt share, and they have Squishy between them. The Quinn in the photo has her face scrunched up as she laughs, while the Marley at her side presses an exaggerated kiss to her cheek.

She remembers it well; Marley had wanted to try out the self-timer function on her new (recently purchased from the secondhand store) camera. She'd only had nine seconds to scramble for the couch once she'd set the timer; Quinn remembers Marley sprinting towards her, giggling like a loon.

Really, that summed up Marley's personality.

She looks up into blue on blue; the inky-blue of the sky, contrasting with Marley's eyes. "I love it," Quinn tells her.

"I'm glad." Marley chuckles softly, putting the corkboard in Quinn's lap, on top of the album. "Funny how we pretty much had the same idea." She rests her chin on Quinn's shoulder.

Quinn wants to say it's not funny at all, because there's no better way to capture everything they've gone through, but doesn't.

"A year ago, you would never have opened up to me like this," says Marley, looking Quinn in the eye. "You'd never have agreed to therapy."

"No." She remembers rejecting the idea when Marley had mentioned it, angered by the idea that she needed fixing, that her dysfunction was something to be pitied.

"If I noticed there was something you weren't saying – and that's a big if – I'd have to try and coax you into talking to me."

Quinn turns her head away from Marley, teeth pressing into her lower lip. She knows it's not a rebuke – Marley's never judged her – but she can't help but feel uncomfortable. As much as she tries to move away from her past, it has a way of catching up with her, forcing her to confront the person she used to be.

A hand on her knee brings her out of her thoughts. "Quinn, I'm not saying that to make you feel bad. I thought that the album would remind you of how far you've come – how far we've both come."

"... Oh. So that's why you said great minds think alike."

"Yeah." Marley looks away, briefly. When her gaze returns to Quinn's, it's almost – nervous.

"Quinn?"

She hums.

"I love you."

Quinn's mind goes blank.

"I've been waiting for the right time to tell you." Marley's smile falters, hands fidgeting in her lap. "I just… I know I said I'd try, but I think I have for a while now. Loved you, that is."

And then –

– images unfold before her eyes in technicolor. She sees a future now, Marley woven into the tapestry like she's always belonged there. It's completely unlike the bleak small town dreams she used to carry like a millstone around her neck, when she settled. If someone believes in her, there's no reason Quinn can't learn how to believe in herself; she just has to trust in herself, that she'll make the decision that's right for her.

"I know it's a little scary and overwhelming; we've just finished our first year of college, and we barely see each other," Marley is saying, "but that doesn't change the way I feel about you, Quinn."

"Marley…" Quinn wishes there was a way she could bottle the feeling she gets whenever Marley looks at her. She feels cared for and safe, like nothing in the world can hurt her. "I love you too." She pauses, and smiles. "But you already knew that."

Marley beams back. "I do. But it was nice to hear it, anyway."

"So… what happens now?"

"Now? We move forward together. Just like we've been doing over this past year." Marley smiles wider.

"What do you mean?"

Marley laughs, not unkindly. "I mean happy anniversary, my oh-so-dense Ivy Leaguer, and I'm hoping there will be many more in the future."

Her eyes prick suspiciously. "I… I don't know what to say." It feels strange, like she's passed some test she wasn't aware of.

"I don't think there's anything else that needs to be said." Marley leans their foreheads together; Quinn's eyes flutter shut, and she relishes the feeling of intimacy, inhaling Marley's scent.

It feels like an age before she moves forward to kiss Marley.

Butterflies erupt in her stomach, just like every other time they've kissed. Kissing Marley always makes her feel like she's invincible. Quinn is distantly aware of the album and corkboard slipping from her lap as she angles her body towards Marley; hands cup Quinn's face, pulling her closer.

"I love you," says Quinn, almost wonderingly, as though she can't believe this is actually happening.

Luckily for her, Marley seems to understand; her answering smile is something Quinn knows she'll treasure for the rest of her life.