Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.

Rachel looked at the mirror as she held different shirts in front of her before tossing them onto the floor and picking up new ones. When the school year ended, Puck decided the best way to cheer everyone up was to hold a large party some time during the summer. Everyone wasn't that excited for a pity party for holding twelfth place at Nationals but figured it might help them relax before going into Sectionals rehearsals come September. The diva, herself, wasn't that into getting drunk and going crazy in a party but knew it might put in some closure on the drama after the competition.

She and Quinn were able to go to Tiffany's as promised the morning before the flight home, but the ride was fairly quiet. The loss hit them like a sack of bricks and was hard to think about what they could have done to reach the Top 10. Everyone decided against discussing it because it would lead to another fight about who would be given the most blame for the loss of points. Their last glee club meeting mostly consisted of a pep talk from Mr. Schue who, despite his disappointment, tried to cheer them up. It led to some snide remarks here and there from Santana and Puck. The tension reached a new high and made the talk awkward enough for the last meeting to end early.

But Rachel didn't want that to bother her. She promised herself that she would find closure with everything. It was going to be a tough battle. She would be lying to herself if she said she didn't have feelings for Finn, but she would also be lying if she said she didn't have feelings for Quinn. Their friendship has been slowly growing over the school year and she eventually found herself at ease around the blonde. Going to junior prom together had her extremely giddy even with the smirks and teasing from the remaining members of the Unholy Trinity. She was happy to be able to spend that kind of quality time with Quinn so it felt strange when she saw her slow dancing with Finn. This strange pang in her heart when she saw the two dancing together. This sudden jealousy that made her confused. Was she jealous of Quinn for catching Finn's attention again after they broke up? Or was she jealous of Finn for being able to take the first slow dance with the blonde before her? Those were questions she couldn't answer until that one night in the hotel bathroom. It was certain she has feelings for Quinn Fabray, but something was pulling her back from admitting it.

"Rach~"

She jumped at the call and turned to find a familiar blonde at her bedroom door. "Q-Quinn! You're here early," she said, feeling her stomach doing backflips.

Quinn felt her eyebrows raising in amusement. "I just wanted to check and see if you're ready to go." Her gaze fell to the floor where many pieces of clothing were scattered. "I can see you're having some trouble."

Rachel felt the heat rising to her cheeks in embarrassment. "I-I'm just having some trouble picking something out. You saw what I wore during that train wreck of a party I held. I just-" She froze when Quinn wrapped an arm around her, a teasing smirk on her face. "Q-Quinn..."

"What you wore that night was... adorable. Not something someone should wear to a party, but I found it adorable." She pulled away before going to the closet, shifting through the many tops and skirts she could see. A smile crept up on her face when she saw some clothes hidden in the back. Rachel Berry definitely has more than just animal sweaters and plaid skirts. She took hold of a shirt and shorts before tossing it to the diva's hands. "Wear this one. I'm sure everyone will like to see you wear this."

Rachel looked at the outfit and her face flushed. It was a crop top with a wide neckline and a pair of booty shorts. She looked back at the blonde who smirked at her shock. "Q-Quinn! I cannot wear this!"

The blonde simply laughed before tossing her a tank top. "Relax, Berry. This is just a party with the other glee kids. Besides. You were adventurous enough to wear that Britney getup to school. Why can't you wear a crop top to a summer party? And it's in your closet so you should at least wear it."

"I do wear it! Just..." She looked down and to the side nervously. "Just at home when I'm swimming..."

"The more reason you should wear it to the party." She picked up her purse before heading out. "I'll meet you in the car. And don't worry. I won't let Santana or Brittany touch you if they get turned on," she added with another teasing smirk. She turned to leave, hoping she wouldn't laugh at the brunette's red face.

Rachel could feel the heat rising to her cheeks as the two entered the Lopez household. Her gaze was towards the floor but she knew a few of her teammates were staring at her and her outfit.

"So this is what Rachel Berry wears during summer vacation," Kurt teased as he walked up to the two. "What made you cave?" he asked before looking over at Quinn who simply smirked.

"Please don't make this worse than it already is..." the diva said quietly, covering her face from embarrassment.

"Well I think it looks great," Quinn said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "A friend always helps a friend look her best."

"You really want to go that route, Fabray?" she quipped quietly.

"Only until you're ready. Come on. Let's get you a drink." She dragged the brunette through the house and towards the kitchen where they found Santana and Brittany talking while making some margaritas. "Hey, guys."

The two turned at the voice and smiled. "You guys came~" Brittany cheered.

Santana let out a small whistle when she saw Rachel. "Damn, Fabray. If you weren't trying to get into Berry's pants, I would definitely tap that."

"Santana!" Rachel chided as her face turned redder. "It is not like that!"

"Uh-huh..." The Latina looked at Quinn who had a victorious smirk on her face. She held up the cocktail shaker. "Any requests?"

"The usual would be fine," Quinn said before looking at Rachel. "Are you going to drink or will you have flashbacks about being thrown up on?"

Brittany's face turned pale at the memory. "Rach? Did that make you stop drinking?" she asked, tears glistening in her blue eyes.

"N-no! I'm fine!" Rachel cried, trying to calm the blonde. She shot a glare at Quinn, knowing fully well that she used Brittany's innocence against her. "Santana. I'll just take a wine cooler for now."

There was a loud groan from Santana as she took out the said drink from the small fridge under the island. She reached into her pocket to take out a crisp ten-dollar bill before placing it into Quinn's hands. "I'll get you next time, Fabray."

"Oh please. I know Rachel more than you so I'll know she'll cave," the blonde teased.

Rachel rolled her eyes but felt a little at ease, glad to know the head bitch paid a little more attention to her than she first thought. She opened up the bottle before taking a sip. She placed it back onto the counter before at her partner. "So Quinn... Do you think anyone will know about... us?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well Santana and Brittany know. Kurt and Mercedes have an idea. If I come up with my answer over the summer and we walk into school as... you know..." She looked at her hands as she twiddled her thumbs.

There was a moment of silence in the kitchen. Santana and Brittany looked between the two when they realized they weren't looking at each other anymore. "You guys want to go up to my room to talk about it?" Santana asked, looking over at Quinn who sipped her margarita. Her eyes widened a little when the blonde didn't stop. She quickly pulled the drink away. "Slow down. You just got here so we can't have you go too crazy."

"Sorry. I just..." Quinn nervously licked the salt from her lips, knowing she may have her doubts about going public. "I just remembered something about why we can't..."

"You wanna talk about it?"

Quinn looked over at Rachel who showed the same amount of concern in her eyes. "M-maybe later." She took back her drink before drinking the rest of it.

Santana held up her hands as if in defeat. "Just don't get too drunk. Can't have you snap at everyone if you do."

Rachel carefully wrapped an arm around Quinn's waist. "I'll bring her to a seat." She grabbed a water bottle that was on the counter along with her own drink before leading her out to the living room where everyone was dancing. She set her down on the couch before holding up the water bottle. "You do know you shouldn't drink so fast if you're not that tolerant."

"I'm fine, Rach," she said, grabbing the bottle. She let out a small groan after taking a sip. "Just know that if I start screaming, I don't mean any of it."

"Okay, Miss Angry Drunk."

"Glad you're caught up." She took another sip before staring off into space. From the corner of her eye, she saw Santana licking salt off of Brittany's neck before downing a shot of tequila. Her gaze fell onto Rachel who was watching the game of beer pong nearby. "Body shots?"

The diva looked at her before laughing. "Are you drunk already?"

"No."

"Come on. You said you'll wait for me while I figure things out. And only a drunk person would ask their point of interest for body shots."

"Boo."

Rachel couldn't help but to laugh again. It was the same kind of drunk she saw during prom. The type she found adorable because it wasn't often to find Quinn Fabray act like a pouting child when she's a little tipsy.

"Okay, missy. If you really want to drink, let's play beer pong with Puck and Sam. Or that quarter game you guys were playing at my house."

Quinn let out an excited gasp. "You know me too well~" She got up to her feet before dragging her friend to the others. "Rachie wants to play Quarters~"

Rachel smacked her head against the table, now regretting to join them in their little game. She lost track after the fifth round and got dizzy after her third shot. Usually people would become sloppy after their first few shots but surprisingly, her aim became better. She had to call out when she found the room spinning and had to go out into the patio for fresh air. She wasn't sure how Quinn can still keep going after confirming she can't hold her alcohol as well as the diva.

She found a water bottle held out to her and she weakly accepted it. She looked at the person next to her to be Kurt. She might have expected Mercedes to be with him but she's probably with the others laughing at every second over random comments.

"You okay?" the boy asked," You took a lot more than you can handle for your second party."

"I don't know how they do it… Playing shot games, I mean…" she groaned.

"Surprising that someone who can't hold her liquor keeps going strong? Even I don't know," Kurt teased, making her stifle a laugh.

She looked up at the sky as she laid on the lounge chair. "Hey, Kurt…"

"Yeah?"

"Is it bad that I feel like this around her? Around Quinn, I mean."

The boy looked up at the sky, thinking the same thing. "Falling in love with your tormentor who actually has feelings for you? I'd say you're crazy, but it doesn't mean I can stop you. I mean, I was kissed by Dave Karofsky who is so deep into the closet that no one knows when he'll be dug out. Having Quinn flirt with you and be friends with you is healthier for the two of you to bond."

"I know… I love that we're friends, but… Sometimes I want it to be more than that… yet for some reason, it feels wrong… After what happened with Finn and Jesse… I just can't be sure… And Quinn has her own problems to deal with so I doubt she wants to be my girlfriend and come out so suddenly just because I want to say yes. Her mother will freak. She almost did when she found out Quinn wasn't going with a date and went with me to prom instead."

"Well you do know there's such thing as a secret relationship. Santana and Brittany did that without knowing."

"But they're different, Kurt… Everyone knows how Brittany is even though she's smarter than people see her as… Santana is Santana… This is me and Quinn we're talking about… I'm McKinley's biggest loser and she's the top bitch at the school. What will they even say if they find out about us having feelings for each other? Once the school knows, so will all of Lima or Ohio. And you, yourself, know how hard it is to be in this type of relationship since you've lived your whole life ridiculed for it."

Kurt rested a comforting hand on hers. "You'll figure something out. And you're drunk which makes it harder for you to concentrate. But once you sober up and calm down, you might want to talk to Quinn and see if there's a way to move around it. You're still figuring out your feelings, aren't you? Maybe talking to her might help you in the long run."

"Maybe…" She softly smiled. "Thanks, Kurt… I'm glad we've became friends after all the drama between us."

"No problem. Now do you want to go inside and stop your potential girlfriend from going into an angry fit? I heard she goes crazy if she has enough."

This earned a hearty laugh from the diva. "Okay. I'll stop her from drinking too much or neither of us will go home."

"No, I will not leave her alone! She is my best friend and nothing can change that!" Quinn slurred as she glared at Finn. "You're just jealous that we're actually friends now and she's spending more time with me!"

"I never said I was jealous," Finn said, trying to calm the angry drunk. "I just don't want her to get hurt."

"Say that for yourself, Hudson! I wasn't the one who cost us Nationals and make Rachel cry in the hotel bathroom in the city of her dreams! That kiss was so uncalled for and you ruined our chances of beating Vocal Adrenaline!"

"Yeah, well last time I heard, leaving in the middle of a performance will also cost points. Something you did and made Zizes catch up."

"Because of your kiss that made Rachel panic! I'm her friend! I take care of friends and comfort her!"

The group sat and stood around the room in shock as they watched the two argue in a somewhat drunken rage. "Who put her in charge of the game again…?" Artie whispered to no one in particular.

"I don't know but angry drunk Quinn is kind of hot," Santana slurred before taking another sip of her drink. Brittany nudged her before shooting her a stare to make her do something. She shrugged again before seeing Rachel walking in with Kurt. "Yo, Berry! Calm your best friend before she chops down the tree and its nuts!" This received a playful slap to the arm from her girlfriend, making her laugh harder.

Rachel rolled her eyes before looking at the arguing duo. She took in a deep breath, questioning why she's the one that has to stop them. She stood in between them. "Okay, enough fighting over me. Quinn, we are going to find somewhere for you to lie down, okay?" She carefully wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist, only to let out a small squeak when Quinn leaned against her and cuddled her head against the diva's neck. "Quinn. Okay. We are definitely letting you lie down." She looked over at Finn before pointing at him with her free hand. "You are going to sit down and when I come back, we're going to have a talk. No funny business."

She started to drag Quinn upstairs as the blonde let out a laugh. "Hah! Guess I get to score past second base with her before you, Hudson!" she slurred.

Rachel felt the heat rise to her cheeks again, knowing fully well that it was the alcohol talking but something that both of them will regret later. She let out a small groan when everyone's eyes looked like they might pop out of their sockets. "She's kidding! She's just drunk and joking!" she shouted before disappearing at the top of the stairs and stumbling what may be Santana's room. It wouldn't be too much of a surprise with the red and black plastered throughout the room. Truly fit for that satanic young woman.

She carefully rested Quinn onto the queen-sized bed. "No funny business, Quinn." She suddenly remembered she had a water bottle in her hands and held it out to the blonde. "Drink this. The shots probably made you thirsty."

Quinn gave her a disapproving glare before taking hold of the bottle, only to grab Rachel's wrist and pull her onto the bed. "Sit with me," she whispered, wrapping her arms around the brunette.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Please…"

Sensing this sudden need and begging from the blonde, Rachel couldn't help but to comply. This sudden act of vulnerability that was never really shown until recently. Of course, she has seen it quite a few times when Quinn was pregnant, but she returned to her usual head bitch self once the new school year started. It felt a little strange to see Quinn Fabray put down her walls when they've only been friends for a few months.

She carefully ran her fingers through the girl's short blonde locks. She was quite surprised when she found out about the haircut the day before the competition. But there was something that was new and different about Quinn when she decided to sport the new hair. This sudden confidence and relaxed air around her. A new resolve of some sorts.

"Rach… Do you love me?"

The diva looked at the blonde in surprise, not expecting such a question. "Do you really want to know?"

"I dunno… Am I drunk?"

"Very."

"Then don't tell me."

Rachel softly laughed when she suddenly gave up. "Quinn, you really shouldn't be asking questions when you're drunk."

"You're drunk, too."

"Not as drunk as you. Already yelling at Finn."

"You could have stopped me."

"After all those shots I took from that game with you? No way." She gave the blonde a gentle poke on the temple. They burst into giggles. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"I might forget."

"Well here's to hoping you don't." This earned some more giggles from the blonde. "So… about us."

"Mm-hmm?"

"Will you always be comfortable about acting like this? People will catch on. And I'm still worried about what everyone will say about it. I'm still a loser to everyone and if word gets out, what will that make you?"

"I want to say 'Fuck 'em'…"

"But you won't."

Quinn's shoulders slouched in defeat. "I know…" She nuzzled her head against Rachel's neck, seeking for more comfort. "Do you think… my parents will love me if I told them…?"

Rachel pursed her lips, knowing that the blonde doesn't really want an answer. "Will you ever tell them…?"

"That's my problem… They almost burned me at the stake when they found out about Beth… My mom brought me back in because my dad's a jackass, but I can still feel hostility from her… If I make another mistake… I'm not a Fabray anymore…" Her voice cracked as tears fell.

Rachel gave her a gentle squeeze in comfort. "It would be their loss… You're perfect, Quinn."

"No… I'm not…"

"You are. You just need someone to remind you that." Rachel gently traced patterns on the blonde's arm. "Do you know what I think?"

"What?"

"Well… Even though I am a little tipsy, I can tell you that you're a wonderful person. You're always doing your best to be strong and showing you won't show weakness in front of your enemies. You want to tell yourself that once you leave, you will be happy and free from everything that ties you down. You say you're a Lima Loser, but I can say that you're better than that. You can always be better than that."

"You don't know that…"

"Maybe not. But it doesn't mean I can't help. Glee Club is a family and it helped us become friends. I know I can be the most annoying girl in the world to everyone, but I can see that you are better than what you make yourself out to be. And I will help you that for our senior year."

"How so?"

"Come to New York with me. I am applying to NYADA and Julliard so I can accomplish my dreams for Broadway. New York probably has some really good schools for you to apply to given your GPA. If not New York, maybe a school that can get you farther away from Lima. Surely someone as smart as you can get into any school imaginable."

"I don't see how that's possible…"

"What ever happened to that confident Head Bitch of McKinley? Always ready to put people in their places just from her famous glare. What happened to her?" she teased, receiving a small laugh.

"You really think I'll be okay?"

"I know you will. And you have friends to help. Santana and Brittany have been with you since freshman year. Mercedes is like your new sister along with Kurt."

"Honorary Sister?"

Rachel laughed at the question. "Yes. Honorary Sister. Sam and Blaine and Artie can be your brothers who can make you smile or laugh. Puck is like that brother who can protect you when you're in trouble. He's a softy when he's not playing with girls but don't tell him I said that." This earned another laugh. "Mike and Tina are quiet but you'll always know that they'll have your back. Zizes is like that rock who teaches you how to be confident with your insecurities and not care what people think."

"And you?"

"I'll be that one friend that won't leave your side. You can say all of the mean things you don't mean and I'll take them. I can learn to love and accept who you are the more I know you." She softly smiled. "I like you, Quinn. I really do. And I hope we can be great friends before we move forward. And I will do my best to be there for you."

Quinn couldn't help but to smile as she held the brunette. "I like you, too… And thank you… For not running away…"

"I'll be there when you need me. But right now, there's something I need to do that can help both of us." She gently pried the blonde's arms off of her. "I am going to talk to Finn. Get him to understand everything and let us be friends. Have him come to terms with our friendship and make things easier. Okay?"

"Does it have to be now?"

"Yes. Now you need to rest. You've had too many shots and went crazy. I'm sure Santana won't mind having you sleep in her bed for now. Okay?:

"Okay…"

Rachel looked at the blonde who shifted in the bed to lay down, placing the bottle on the nightstand in case.

"Can I have a kiss goodnight?"

The diva's eyes went wide at the request before laughing. Needy Quinn was definitely adorable. "Only if you promise to rest." Rachel leaned in before placing a gentle kiss to the blonde's forehead. She pouted.

"I meant the lips."

"We're not up to that yet, missy. I still haven't said 'yes' so be patient." She made her way to the door but was stopped by a voice.

"Rach?"

She turned back to find a small genuine smile on Quinn's face. "Yes, Quinn?"

"Thank you… For starting to accept me…" She closed her eyes before going to sleep.

Rachel felt her heart flutter at the words and smiled. "You're welcome…" She closed the door behind her before making her way downstairs, preparing herself what could be another hell.