The sound of wind grazing the window and occasional chatter from people walking by just outside filled her ears, but Quinn hardly noticed as her hands typed away at a fast pace on the keyboard.
After weeks of outlining, she had begun the first draft of a new novel the day before, and she had already written two chapters.
Earlier that night, she decided to get out for a bit and had dinner with her friends at some new hipster spot over in Brooklyn. Not in the mood for late night drinks, she then went straight home and into her office to work.
She hadn't moved from her desk in over three hours, hoping that she could get at least halfway through the newest chapter before going to bed.
Her phone suddenly began vibrating.
"Dammit," she muttered as she looked down at the screen, cursing herself for not leaving it in the bedroom. Any momentum she had quickly vanished.
If it were anyone else, Quinn would have rejected the call and kept on working, but she would never turn down her mother.
"Hey Mom," she answered.
"Sweetheart!" Judy said cheerfully. "How's the book coming along?"
Quinn glanced at the screen and sighed inwardly. "It's definitely coming." Getting up from her desk, she made her way to the kitchen. She debated making tea as she leaned against the counter. "What are you up to?"
"I'm just making some tea. I just started this new show on Netflix. The girls at work won't stop talking about it."
Quinn smiled. "You'll have to let me know how it is."
"Mhmm," Judy said as Quinn listened to her pour the tea. "Are you coming over for lunch on Sunday?"
"Of course." She honestly didn't know why her mother even asked. Every Sunday for the past several years, she took the train from Manhattan to Long Island to spend the afternoon with her mom.
"What time?" she asked just to humor Judy. It was always noon.
"At noon."
"Sounds great. I'll be there." She glanced at the clock on the microwave. "Are you going to bed soon?"
"It's barely nine," Judy laughed. "I'm not that old."
"Sorry. I thought you always went to sleep early."
"I can probably squeeze in a few more episodes before bed," Judy said with determination. "Anyway, I just wanted to check on you. I'll let you get back to work. Love you!"
"Love you too," Quinn said. "See you Sunday."
After they hung up, she decided she'd have that tea after all. But before she had a chance to start making it, she heard an urgent knock at the front door.
She frowned and looked at the time again, wondering who on earth could be visiting at nine o'clock at night.
Another knock came, so she put her phone down and walked to the front to see who it was. When she opened the door, she was puzzled to find a woman she had never met before.
"Hello," the woman said with a shaky voice. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but this is an emergency. Can I use your phone? I think I'm lost."
"You think you're lost?" Quinn asked, confused.
"Well, I have no idea where I am and I don't have my phone or any money for a cab."
Quinn observed that the woman had nothing on her. No bag of any sort. Not even a coat as she shivered with her arms crossed.
Her first thought would've been the woman may be homeless, but the Chanel blouse, diamond earrings, and enormous wedding ring on her finger told Quinn otherwise.
"I'll go get my phone," she said. "It's just in the other room. You can come in."
As she turned to walk away, she cringed hard at herself realizing that she had just let a complete stranger into her house. She heard the door close and knew that it was too late to do anything about it.
She quickly got her phone and was relieved when she returned to find the dark-haired woman not up to any mischief, and was instead looking around the living room in admiration.
"You have a beautiful home," she said when she met Quinn's eyes. "I've always wanted to live in a brownstone."
"Thank you," Quinn replied with a smile. "It's a little too big for just one person, so I've been thinking about selling it."
"I wouldn't. It's perfect."
As much as Quinn loved the way this woman marveled at her home, getting her out of it was her main concern.
"Here," she said as handed her phone over. "It's unlocked."
"Thank you."
She watched the woman frown intensely, her thumbs hovering over the numbers on the screen. "Everything okay?"
"I can't remember the number," she said.
"What do you mean?"
"I can't remember my husband's phone number." She looked at Quinn as if expecting an explanation.
"You probably just never memorized it? I don't even memorize numbers these days. I just save them in my contacts," Quinn offered weakly.
"No," the woman said with a shake of her head, "I know his number is by heart, I just can't remember it right now."
"Why don't you try calling your phone?" Quinn suggested. The woman nodded, but the same frown from before once again appeared on her face. "You don't remember your phone number either?"
"This is ridiculous," the woman snapped with a stomp of her foot. "What is going on?"
"Have you been drinking tonight?"
"No!"
"What were you doing before you got lost?" Quinn asked as she took a step back.
"I can't remember! Why can't I remember anything?"
Quinn sighed. She agreed with the woman that the situation was ridiculous, but she just wished she would stop shrieking.
"Okay, let's not panic," she said softly. "Everything is going to be okay. We're going to figure this out. What's your name?"
The woman took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm sorry. It's Rachel," she answered.
"Don't be sorry, Rachel. I'm Quinn." She carefully took her phone back from the other woman. "I can get you a cab. Do you know your address?"
"No," Rachel said with a whine.
"Why don't we sit down," Quinn pointed at the couch. She accepted that whatever they were going to figure out, it was going to take a while. "I can try contacting your husband. What's his name?"
Rachel dropped down on the couch with a pout.
"Jesse."
"Jesse what?"
"I'm not sure…"
"You can't remember your own husband's name?"
"He's a famous actor," Rachel added, as if the information would be of any use. "You must've heard of him. Jesse…"
"Can't say it's ringing any bells."
Quinn was becoming more and more convinced that Rachel was either crazy or experienced a recent head injury.
"Do you feel okay?" she asked. "Does your head hurt? You don't feel dizzy or out of it or anything?"
"No," Rachel said with a frown as she reached a hand up to touch the side of her head. "I don't think I'm hurt in any way. Other than the fact that I can't remember anything, I feel perfectly fine."
Crazy it is, Quinn thought.
"Okay, Rachel," she said slowly as she moved to stand in front of her, "maybe we should go to a hospital, because—"
"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"
"No," she lied, "I think that something isn't right here."
"I know," Rachel said, her voice rising again. "Something definitely isn't right. I don't know how I got here! I don't know how to get back home! I don't know anything!" She lunged forward and grasped onto Quinn's arm tightly. "Can you help me?"
"I'm trying, Rachel, I really am." She tried to pull her arm free but Rachel wasn't having it. "You're sure you didn't hurt your head?"
"I'm positive."
"Do you think you could've been drugged? Maybe you were out and someone slipped something in your drink?"
"Considering I'm not passed out on the sidewalk or in a ditch," Rachel said with a huff as she released her hold on Quinn, "I don't think that's likely. I told you I feel fine."
"We should go to the police."
"No!" Rachel's hold on Quinn's arm returned even stronger than before as Quinn flinched in pain. "I told you Jesse is famous! Do you have any idea how this would look for him if word got out to the press? They're going to say his wife is crazy! We can't go to the police."
"Okay." Quinn thought for a moment. Surely the safety of a man's wife would be more important than his own reputation, but that's not her problem. "Why don't you just rest for now, and I'll help you get back home in the morning."
"The morning?"
"Yes," Quinn said with a nod. "Maybe getting some sleep will help bring your memory back."
The truth was that she wasn't about to roam the streets of New York City looking for Rachel's fictional movie star husband in the middle of the night. She would likely have better luck getting Rachel back to where she came from during the daytime.
"Okay," Rachel said with a hesitant voice. "Is it okay if I sleep here?" she asked as she patted a hand on the couch.
"Sure," Quinn said with a nod. "You can borrow some clothes of mine."
She guided Rachel to her bedroom and handed her a pair of pajama pants with a Yale t-shirt that looked two sizes too big for the short woman. After Rachel got changed in the bathroom, Quinn gave her a pillow and blanket to sleep with.
"Thank you for helping me," Rachel said as she got settled on the couch. "It's very sweet of you."
"It's no problem," Quinn answered. She turned off the light and headed out of the living room. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight!"
Instead of going to her bedroom, Quinn lingered in her kitchen in the dark and eyed Rachel suspiciously with her arms crossed. After about twenty minutes, when she was certain the woman was asleep, she pulled her phone out and dialed.
Unsurprisingly to her, it went straight to voicemail.
"Santana," she whispered into the phone, "as soon as you're done with whatever you're doing, can you call me back? This random girl just showed up here saying she's lost. She might be crazy, I'm not sure. Anyway, she's sleeping on my couch so please just come over and help me!"
Her eyes never left Rachel's sleeping form. She quietly pulled a chair out from her table and sat, determined to keep an eye on Rachel all night.
A pounding on the front door suddenly woke Quinn. She lifted her head from the table surface, cringing at the stiffness in her neck.
"What the hell," she grumbled to herself, forgetting where she was for a moment.
Her gaze quickly shifted over to the couch, which was now empty.
"Rachel?" she called as she got up. "Rachel, are you still here?"
The pounding at the door resumed.
"Quinn!" Santana's voice shouted from the other side. "If you don't open this damn door, I'm going to break it down!"
Looking around the room once more with a frown, Quinn finally turned to unlock the door for her friend. She was practically shoved aside when Santana marched right past her while asking, "Where is she?"
"What are you doing with that?" Quinn pointed at the can of mace Santana wielded in the air.
"You said you had a crazy girl in your house. What the hell do you think I'm doing?" Santana shouted as she scanned the whole house, running from the office to the bedroom.
"She isn't here."
Santana appeared in the bedroom doorway and finally lowered the mace. She stared at Quinn with a hint of disappointment. "What?"
"I woke up and she wasn't here," Quinn said with a shrug. "I guess she left."
"Do you have any idea how scared I was when I got your voicemail?"
"Hours after the fact," Quinn added.
"Why would you let a crazy girl into your house, you idiot!" A string of Spanish curse words soon followed.
Quinn let out a long breath and sat back down at the table, lowering her head to the same position from when she woke up.
"So this is what happened."
Two nights passed after Quinn's encounter with the woman named Rachel. She hadn't heard any news about what happened to her, not that she expected to hear anything.
After telling Santana what happened, her best friend tried to convince her that Rachel was probably just a crazy person like Quinn originally thought. It was New York after all.
While that was the most logical answer, Quinn could still feel a whisper in the back of her mind telling her there was more to it.
As she poured herself a cup of tea in the kitchen, she heard a knock at the door. She looked at the time to discover that it was once again nine o'clock that night.
Strange.
For a fleeting moment, she wondered if Rachel was back. She couldn't make sense of why she would be back after disappearing before. What could she want now?
There was only one way to know for sure, so she opened the door.
Instead of Rachel, she was met with a much older woman that looked to be in her 60s. She had on a pink coat, and no bag or purse of any sort. She shivered in the cold night air as she looked at Quinn with a distraught face.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"I'm very sorry to bother you," the woman said, "but I'm a bit lost and it's freezing out here."
"Oh!" Quinn quickly stepped aside. "Please come in!"
The woman smiled and hurried inside the door.
"Thank you," she said. "I'm not sure how I got here, but it only takes one missed subway stop to throw everything off."
"You got here on the subway?" Quinn asked.
"I think so," the woman said slowly with a frown. "Actually, I'm not sure."
"You're not sure how you got here?" It was deja vu for Quinn.
"No." The woman shook her head. "I thought I was too young for Alzheimer's, but I'm thinking now that I should get that checked out."
"I can help you find your way." Quinn's heart broke for the woman. "I was just making some tea if you'd like some."
"That would be wonderful. Thank you."
"I'm Quinn," she said as she led the older woman to the table.
"I'm Rachel," the woman answered as she sat down.
Quinn stopped in her tracks and spun around with wide eyes.
"Is something wrong?"
"Your name is Rachel?"
"Yes, why?"
Quinn shook her head, then fetched the tea she had made for herself, setting the mug down in front of the woman. "It's chamomile," she said.
"My favorite! Thank you."
"You're welcome," Quinn returned with a smile. She sat on the other side of the table. "It's just a coincidence, another woman named Rachel showed up here the other night. She was lost too."
"Really?" Quinn nodded in response. "Was that me again? My mind must really be going."
"No," Quinn said with a laugh. "This was a younger woman around my age. But her name was also Rachel."
"That is a coincidence. The Rachels of the world must be defective right now," Rachel said with a chuckle.
Quinn studied her, finally taking a good look at her face. "She actually looked a lot like you," she said. "She had the same eye color, same smile… and same nose as yours."
"So she was Jewish?"
"Maybe?" Quinn shrugged.
"Well, we must be two out of thousands of Jewish Rachels in New York City."
"That's true I suppose." Another fact that Quinn couldn't argue with, but the uncertainty still lingered.
"Do you have a daughter, or even a granddaughter also named Rachel?"
"I don't. I'm the only Rachel in my family as far as I know." She glanced around at the house, much like the first Rachel. "Do you live here alone?"
"Yes."
"How is a girl like you not married yet?"
"Good question," Quinn said with a polite smile. "Are you married?"
"I am! My husband's name is Finn, and he's probably worried sick right now."
"Do you want to try calling him? You can use my phone."
"I can't," Rachel said. "I don't know my home phone number. I'm so terrible. I can't remember my address either. I really should see a doctor," she added with a sigh.
"It's okay," Quinn said softly. "It's late, and it's starting to get really cold. Why don't you stay here for tonight, and I'll help you get back home in the morning?"
"I would appreciate that," Rachel said with a wide grin. "Thank you for helping me. It's very sweet of you."
She said it the exact same way as the first Rachel, and it didn't go unnoticed by Quinn.
The alarm on her phone woke her up early the next morning. Quinn slowly pulled herself out of bed and headed to the living room.
Her heart dropped when she found that her couch was once again empty.
"What the hell?"
After spending the entire day distracted and thinking about the two Rachels, Quinn decided that she really needed to get back to work on her book.
But she could hardly focus and mostly just stared at her computer screen for what seemed like hours. She kept telling herself it was a coincidence, but she couldn't come up with an explanation for why the second Rachel suddenly disappeared like the first.
She looked at the clock in the corner of her screen and saw that it was nearly nine o'clock. She wondered if maybe it would happen…
A knock sounded just moments later.
Quinn whipped her head towards the door. "No freaking way," she whispered to herself.
She sat there frozen in her chair, wondering if she really heard a knock or if she was going crazy. She got her answer when another knock came.
"Hello?" a voice from the other side called out.
Swallowing, she slowly got up and made her way over to the door. With a shaking hand, she turned the lock and opened it.
"Hi! I'm so sorry to bother you," is said to Quinn as she's nearly knocked over, her new guest letting herself into the house without waiting for an invitation. "I was just lost in this neighborhood, and I was hoping I could use your phone?"
Quinn gawked at the teenage girl standing in the middle of her living room. It was Rachel, the same Rachel from a few nights before, and likely the same Rachel from the previous night.
This Rachel looked roughly 10 years younger than the first one. She wore an argyle sweater, a skirt, and knee-high white socks. No doubt still in high school.
"Are you okay?" she asked Quinn with a frown.
"What's going on?" Quinn squeaked out.
"Oh! I just barged right in here. I'm sorry! My name is—"
"Rachel," Quinn said, cutting her off.
It was Rachel's turn to gawk. "How do you know that?"
"Are you her daughter?"
"Whose daughter?"
"Are you her sister?"
"I can assure you I'm an only child. Now how do you know my name?"
"Is this a trick? Are you all playing some sort of game with me?" Her voice was angry as she stepped forward.
"Don't come near me!" Rachel cried. "I carry a rape whistle!"
Quinn stopped. She knew this girl was up to something, but scaring or threatening her would just end up with Quinn in jail.
She put her hands up and said, "I'm not going to hurt you, okay? I just think you should leave. You said you're lost? Why don't you just go to one of the houses next door?"
Rachel apparently didn't need to be told twice because she was out the door in a flash.
Quinn hurried to close the door. She breathed a sigh of relief and ran a hand through her hair.
But as soon as she turned away from the door, another knock came. She frowned, turned to open it, and threw her hands up in the air.
"Are you kidding me right now?"
"I was just—" Rachel sputtered, gesturing to the house next door. "I don't know how! I ran over to the neighbor, knocked, and you just opened the door!"
Quinn squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples. "Okay, just try again and go a couple blocks away this time." She slammed the door shut before Rachel could say anything else.
She rushed over to her office window and watched as the girl scurried down the sidewalk and out of view.
Because her hands couldn't stop shaking, she crossed her arms and waited. She had to make sure Rachel wouldn't come back.
Ten minutes passed, and her hands had finally stopped shaking. Quinn thought it was probably okay, and the girl was likely gone for good. She turned away from the window.
She only made it three steps before there was another knock.
Letting out a scream of frustration, she threw the door open. "What are you still doing here?"
"I have no idea!" Rachel exclaimed. "I went five blocks! At least five blocks!"
"You probably went in a circle."
"How dare you? I'm not an idiot."
"Are you messing with me?"
"Why would I be messing with you? I don't even know you! I'm just trying to get home."
Quinn threw her head back. "Look, I'm going to call you a cab, alright?"
"You can't! I have nowhere to go!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I live in Ohio! I don't know anybody here!"
"If you live in Ohio then what are you doing in New York?"
"I don't know! I don't have any money! I don't have my phone! I don't know how I got here!"
"Here." Quinn shoved her phone into Rachel's hands. "Call your parents right now."
Rachel stared down at the device like she had never seen anything like it before. "I don't know the number…"
"Of course you don't," Quinn muttered, snatching her phone back.
"I mean, I know the number! I just can't remember it right now. I can't remember anything."
Quinn knew that this had to be an elaborate prank, a glitch in the matrix, or she was just going crazy. She also knew that if she had any sense left, she would walk this girl to the police station right away.
But the part of her that's been going crazy the past few days really wanted to see if it would happen again…
"We're going to the police station first thing in the morning," she said as she stepped aside, motioning for Rachel to come in.
"I can stay here tonight?" Rachel asked.
"It's not like you can go anywhere else."
Rachel opened her mouth, but quickly shut it as she had no way to argue. "Fine. But just so you know, I really do carry a rape whistle," she said as she moved past Quinn.
Quinn rolled her eyes.
"There has to be some explanation for this," Rachel said as she stormed through the house and sat down at the table. She began to drum her fingers on the surface. "Maybe Mr. Schuester took the glee club on a field trip to New York, and I just somehow forgot?" She looked at Quinn for her thoughts on the theory.
"You forgot that you were on a field trip?" Quinn said as she joined her at the table. "Rachel, unless you're certifiably crazy, that makes no sense."
"I know," Rachel said, defeated. She looked at Quinn and narrowed her eyes. "How do you know my name?"
"It's a long story," Quinn said as she slumped forward onto her arms, "but I've been going a little crazy too."
"Have we met before and I just don't remember?"
"Kind of."
"What does that even mean?"
"Yes, we've met before." Quinn let out a long breath. "You don't remember, but you keep coming back to this house at the same time almost every night. I think we're stuck some kind of loop."
"Like a time loop?"
"Not exactly. I don't know what to call it."
"Why am I stuck here? What is going on?" Rachel cried out, tears quickly forming in her eyes. She was as distraught as the first Rachel. "I don't understand why this is happening to me!"
"Rachel, please don't cry!" Quinn began to panic, not used to dealing with hysterical teenage girls. "It's going to be okay! We're going to figure this out tomorrow, remember?"
Rachel nodded, wiping at her eyes. "I hope so."
"It's going to be okay."
Quinn ran to grab a napkin. "You mentioned you're in glee club," she said as she handed it over to the girl. "Do you like to sing?"
At the question, a smile finally started to appear on Rachel's face.
"I love to sing," she said as she dabbed her eyes with the napkin. "My teacher, Mr. Schuester, said that I'm the most talented singer he's ever heard."
"Wow, really?" Quinn nodded in faux interest.
"Yes! He's such an incredible man. It was such an honor to hear him say that."
It sounded to Quinn like Rachel had a massive schoolgirl crush on her teacher. She wasn't in the mood to deal with this…
"I've always wanted to come to New York," Rachel said, changing the subject much to Quinn's relief. "I'm going to be a star on Broadway one day. It's always been my dream."
"Cool," Quinn said, too distracted by her own thoughts to really pay attention. "Rachel, it's getting late. So here's the plan… I'm going to wake you up right at six in the morning, and then we're going to the police together to get this whole thing sorted out. Got it?"
"I got it," Rachel answered. "Do you have anything I can wear?"
Quinn ended up giving her the same pajama pants and Yale t-shirt the first Rachel wore.
She stayed in her bedroom for a while, giving Rachel about an hour to fall asleep, then quietly left her room and sat at the table.
Rachel was sound asleep on the couch. The young girl hadn't disappeared yet, and Quinn was determined to stay awake until morning to see what happened.
At best, she'll still be there and Quinn could finally get to the bottom of what might be an insane, nonsensical prank. At worst, she'll disappear in front of her and Quinn will know she's crazy.
She looked down at her watch and saw that it wasn't even midnight.
You can do this, she told herself.
She must've dozed off at some point, because a light tap on the shoulder and gentle "Hey?" startled her awake.
"Huh?" She looked up in confusion and saw Rachel standing above her, already dressed.
"It's six o'clock. We're supposed to leave remember?"
"Oh, right!" She got up and hurried to the coat rack by the door to grab her jacket. Knowing that it was cold out, she turned to Rachel and said, "Do you want to borrow a—"
She froze when she discovered she was the only person in the room.
"Rachel?" she whispered, dropping her jacket onto the floor.
Quinn hadn't left the living room since Rachel disappeared that morning, having been glued to the same spot on the couch for several hours.
Her knees were pulled up to her chest as she slowly rocked herself while a mess of jumbled thoughts filled her head.
She had witnessed Rachel disappear. She didn't actually see it, but there was no doubt in her mind that it happened.
How is it possible?
She jumped from the couch when someone knocked at the front door. She then ran to open it.
"Sorry, I didn't get your messages until a little while ago. What's the big emergency?"
Quinn yanked Santana by the arm and drug her over to the couch, forcing her to sit. Her friend gazed up at her with wide eyes.
"Remember that girl Rachel I told you about?"
"Yeah. Did she come back?"
Quinn nodded. She began pacing around the living room.
"She came back two nights later. Except it was a different Rachel."
"What do you mean?"
"This Rachel was older. Like in her 50s or 60s."
"Um…"
"And she told me the same thing! That she was lost and couldn't remember how she got here. So I let her stay over, but then in the morning she was just gone! Like the first Rachel!"
"I don't—"
"And then," Quinn cut her off, "another Rachel showed up last night! This one was 15 or 16, but it was the same Rachel! Santana, I swear to you they are all the same Rachels!"
By that point, her best friend was staring at her like she was crazy.
"Is this a new idea for a story or something? Because I gotta be honest with you, Quinn, no one is going to read that book."
"I didn't make this up!"
"If you're not making this up, then it sounds like you're going—"
"I'm not crazy! Santana, how long have you known me?"
"Too long."
"Have I ever been irrational like this before? You know I'm not crazy."
"No." Santana sighed. "But you do understand how insane this whole thing is, right?"
"Of course I do."
"Maybe you're just under a lot of stress with the deadline coming up?"
"I'm not stressed about that," Quinn said with a scoff. "The deadline is in five months. I could write three books by then."
"Fine, whatever. Let's just entertain the idea that I believe what you're telling me. Why is it only this person Rachel that's showing up? And why is she only coming here?"
"I don't know why."
"There has to be a reason."
"I don't know, Santana. None of it makes sense."
Santana leaned back with a sigh. "So what now? You're just going to wait for her to show up again?"
"What else is there to do? I need answers." Quinn's face suddenly lit up as something occurred to her. "You should stay tonight! That way you can see her for yourself!"
"I don't think so. I have stuff to do," Santana said with a shake of her head.
"What stuff?"
"I don't know… stuff!"
"Santana! I'm asking you for this one favor this one time. Just stay for tonight so you can see I'm not not crazy."
Santana let out a long groan. "Fine!"
"It's nine o'clock! This is when Rachel usually shows up."
"Okay, Quinn," Santana replied as she absently scrolled through the Netflix menu on Quinn's TV.
"It's going to be any minute now. Just wait."
Quinn frowned when Santana didn't respond and looked over to see her friend fast asleep next to her on the couch. She looked at the time again and saw it was just past two in the morning.
"Quinn!"
A pair of hands roughly shook her by the shoulders. Her eyes shot open as she realized that she must've fallen asleep too.
She saw Santana standing over her and asked, "Did Rachel come?"
"Yeah. We didn't wanna wake you, so we hung out in the kitchen for a while. You just missed her."
"Really?"
"No!"
Quinn let out a sigh of frustration. "You're such a jerk."
"No, you're the jerk for making me stay me stay here all night," Santana said as she gathered her phone and keys. "And for nothing!"
"We can try again tonight," Quinn suggested as she followed Santana to the front door. "If she didn't come last night, she probably will tonight."
Her answer came in the form of the door slamming in her face.
Another three days passed with no visit from Rachel. Quinn began to wonder if maybe the whole thing was over. She still couldn't make sense of what it even was, but at least she could put it behind her and focus on her book.
She had been working on her book for several hours that day. It was getting late, but she wasn't really tired and wanted to get as much work done as she could.
She was only a little surprised when the familiar knock came at exactly 9 o'clock. She rolled her eyes at herself. Of course it wasn't over.
Quinn opened the door and saw that the newest Rachel looked to be somewhere in her 40s.
Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but Quinn beat her to the punch.
"Let me guess, your name is Rachel and you're lost?"
"Yes." Rachel stared at her with a small smile and squinting eyes. She didn't seem at all startled by the fact that Quinn knew those things. She looked more inquisitive than anything as she studied Quinn.
"Come in," Quinn said as she stepped aside. Rachel grinned and walked inside.
"Thank you."
"You're probably wondering how I know all that?" Quinn said over her shoulder as she walked to the kitchen to make tea.
"I think I would be interested to know." Rachel sat down at the table.
Quinn put the kettle on the stovetop and turned on the heat. She sat across from Rachel while she waited for the water to boil.
"And let me guess, your name is Quinn?"
Quinn paused for a moment. "You know who I am?"
"Kind of," Rachel said with a smile and a shrug.
"What does that mean?"
"It's going to sound crazy to you if I explain it."
"Nothing sounds crazy to me anymore. You don't know what I've been through this past week."
Rachel reached across the table to place her hand on Quinn's. "Tell me."
As Quinn explained everything to Rachel, she noticed the other woman didn't once interject and simply listened. More importantly, she didn't look at Quinn like she was crazy.
She explained every little detail she could remember about each of the Rachels. Even though the whole situation was pure madness, she was relieved to finally have someone to talk to that actually believed her.
Even if that person was Rachel.
When Quinn finished, Rachel looked away and silently pondered to herself.
"What are you thinking?" Quinn asked after a few moments.
"I do believe you, Quinn," she said. "It's just all very confusing."
"Tell me about it." Quinn cleared her throat. "So, can you tell me how you know who I am?"
"I know a Quinn, and she's you." Rachel looked at her carefully. "But she's also different from you. She's older than you are."
"How do you know her?"
"We're friends." Quinn didn't miss the way Rachel hesitated to say the word 'friends.'
"Maybe this is a time traveling situation?" Quinn was willing to throw every possibility out there. "You could be time traveling from different points in your life to where we are now?"
"I don't think so." Rachel shook her head. "I think I would remember if I had time traveled before in my life. And besides, the Rachels you described don't sound like me. I was never in love with a high school teacher, and I met the Quinn I know when we were in our early 20s." She smiled at Quinn. "How old are you?"
"28." Quinn sighed. There went that theory.
"I may have an idea, but it's a little out there."
"I'm listening."
"Maybe all these Rachels showing up are from different worlds? Like different realities. Do you get what I'm saying?"
"Like alternate universes?"
"Exactly! So my theory is that in every universe, you and I are supposed to meet. But we haven't in this one, so it could just be the universe trying to correct the course and forcing us to meet."
"Then why not just bring the Rachel that exists in this universe to meet me instead of bringing all the other Rachels here?"
"I don't know." Rachel shrugged. "Maybe there's a glitch in the matrix?"
Quinn smiled at the comment. She decided it couldn't hurt to test the theory.
"What's your last name? I can try to find you in this world and maybe that'll put an end to all of this."
"Oh." Rachel frowned. "I don't remember."
Quinn dropped her head down onto the table. "Not you too."
"It's a strange feeling. I can't remember my last name or even how I got here."
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"Quinn. Well, I just mostly remember my Quinn."
Quinn propped her chin in her hand. "What's she like?" she asked curiously.
Rachel lit up at the question. "She's incredible! The most wonderful person I've ever known."
"Is this Quinn your best friend?" When Rachel hesitated to answer again, Quinn persisted. "Whatever it is, it's okay. You can tell me."
"Yes, the Quinn from my world is my best friend. She's also my wife."
"We're married?" Quinn nearly shrieked as she stood up.
"We are. That's how I came up with that theory. We're supposed to be together." She frowned up at Quinn. "Did you already marry someone else?"
"No," Quinn said, her mind still reeling at the newly discovered information.
"Then what else could it mean?"
"I don't know, Rachel. It never occurred to me that my soulmate would just travel from different universes to be dropped off on my doorstep!" She sat back down. "I just don't believe it. And remember I told you that two of the other Rachels were married?"
"Yes, but married to who?"
"To men!"
"What men?"
"The older one was married to someone named Finn." Rachel rolled her eyes. "And the first Rachel was married to someone… I think his name started with a J? Jack, James, Justin, Jesse—"
"Jesse?" Rachel asked incredulously.
"There's a Finn and Jesse in your world too?"
"Unfortunately," Rachel said with a nod. "Okay, so maybe those Rachels haven't found the Quinns in their worlds yet. The universes could just be trying to correct that too."
"I don't know," Quinn started, "I just don't believe that we're meant to be together in that romantic sort of way. Sure, it's possible that I'm supposed to meet the Rachel from this world. Maybe we're meant to be friends for a greater purpose?"
"That's also a possibility. But I guess you'll find out for sure once you meet your Rachel. The Rachel from this world."
Your Rachel, Quinn thought to herself.
"I can start looking for her tomorrow." At least now she had a plan, and she was more than a little curious to find out what the Rachel from her world was like.
The water had finished boiling, so she took her time pouring a cup of tea for Rachel and one for herself.
Once she sat back down, she asked, "How long have you and your Quinn been married?"
"Twenty years," Rachel answered. "We also have a daughter named Beth. She just started her freshman year at Yale."
Quinn perked up. "I went to Yale too."
"So did my Quinn." Rachel smiled.
"I'm also a novelist. Is that what your Quinn does?"
"No, but she's still a writer. A playwright. We actually met when we were both working on my first Broadway production."
A playwright? Quinn thought. It didn't sound like a career path that was particularly enticing to her, but at least the other Quinn was still a writer.
"You're an actress?" Rachel nodded. "The younger Rachel talked about how she was going to be on Broadway one day."
"Well, if her and I are anything alike, she probably will be."
After talking about their lives for a little while longer, Rachel let out a yawn.
"So how does this whole thing work?" she asked.
"Usually I just wake up and you're gone."
"Am I going back to where I came from?"
"I honestly don't know, but I hope so." At Rachel's mildly anxious expression, she lightly touched her hand. "I'm sure it'll be fine."
Rachel smiled. "Yes, I'm sure it will be."
She wrapped her hand around Quinn's and stood, pulling Quinn up with her.
"Everything is going to be fine, Quinn. You just have to trust that it will all fall into place." She leaned in and placed a light kiss on Quinn's cheek.
Instead of letting her pull away, Quinn wrapped her arms around her in a warm embrace, and they stood holding each other.
Of course when Quinn came out of her room the next morning, Rachel was gone. She sighed as she stared at the now empty couch, feeling a tinge of longing.
She felt that with all of the Rachels she was meeting, she was really starting to know Rachel at that point. Whatever version Rachel was, Quinn was certain she still had the same soul.
Quinn sat at her computer and started looking up girls named Rachel on various social media websites. But like Rachel said, there must've been thousands of Jewish girls named Rachel in New York City, and finding her wasn't going to be easy.
"This is hopeless," Quinn murmured to herself after looking through dozens of Rachels.
She considered that there had to be a specific place they were going to meet, so she thought she might have better luck going outside and exploring the city.
She ended up walking to different theaters on Broadway. She looked at the posters for a lot of the shows playing, but was unable to find one with a leading actress named Rachel.
As Quinn left one theater and headed to the next, it occurred to her that the Rachel in this world may not even be an actress, and the thought made her feel even more hopeless.
In a desperate move, she pulled out her phone. Surprisingly, Santana answered on the first try.
"Do you happen to know any actresses in New York named Rachel?" she asked.
"I don't know any actresses or any Rachels other than your imaginary friend."
Quinn hung up the phone with a sigh and turned around to walk home.
She smiled to herself when the knock came at exactly nine o'clock. She had just finished making the tea, and hurried to the door to see what sort of Rachel she would be getting that night.
She opened the door and found that the new Rachel was younger, likely the same age as the first teenage Rachel she met.
But Quinn's eyes widened when she saw what the girl was wearing. Instead of a hideous argyle sweater, she wore a very short skirt and a top that revealed way too much.
"Hi," she said with confusion laced in her voice.
"Hello! Do you mind if I come in? I'm a little lost and I don't think it's exactly safe to be out here like this…"
"I agree. Get inside." She nearly pulled Rachel's arm off as she drug her through the doorway.
She knew the routine as Rachel asked to borrow her phone. Quinn handed it over, but Rachel couldn't remember the number and handed it back.
And just like the first teenage Rachel, this one began to panic.
"I don't know where I am or how I even got here!"
"Hey, it's okay," Quinn said softly. "You're safe here. It's really late right now, but we can go to the police station in the morning and get you home. Okay?"
Rachel sucked in a breath. "Okay."
Quinn was pleasantly surprised that she got the girl to calm down before any tears started falling.
"My name is Quinn," she said. "And you are?"
"Rachel."
"It's nice to meet you, Rachel." She turned and headed for the kitchen. "You can sit down. I was just making some tea."
Rachel was already sat at the table when she came back out. "It's chamomile," she said as she handed her the cup.
"That's my favorite!"
Quinn smiled because she already knew. They sat silently for a few minutes as they sipped their tea.
"So Rachel," Quinn started hesitantly, "you seem like a really nice girl. But that outfit doesn't look like the type of thing you'd wear."
"I know." Rachel looked down at herself and sighed in disappointment. "I've been trying to get a boy at school to like me. This was my friend's idea. I was told that he would definitely want me if I wore clothes like this."
"Has it been working?"
"Not in the slightest. I feel so stupid now."
"No, your friend sounds like the stupid one for even suggesting it in the first place." Quinn shook her head. "Wearing stuff like this is just going to attract the wrong type of boys."
"I'm going to wear my normal clothes again when I get back home," Rachel said as she looked back up at Quinn.
"Good," Quinn said with a nod of approval.
"I'm not exactly the most popular girl at school," Rachel said quietly. "Everyone teases the way I dress. They say I'm a loser."
Quinn's heart ached at the words. "They're a bunch of idiots, Rachel. Most kids in high school are. You probably won't see any of them again after you graduate."
"I know," Rachel said with a sad smile. "It's just been shaking my confidence a lot lately. Not just with how I look, but everything. Sometimes I think they're right and I am a loser. I don't know if I have what it takes to achieve my dreams because hardly anyone believes in me."
"Rachel…"
"And the one friend I thought I had isn't much of a friend it seems," she added as she looked back down at her outfit. Her eyes began to glisten with tears.
"Can I tell you something that you probably won't hear from any other adult?"
Rachel looked at her curiously and nodded.
"Fuck all of them."
"Quinn!" Rachel said with a burst of laughter.
"I'm serious! They clearly don't know what they're talking about when they say things to bring you down like that. So don't listen to what they're saying now. You just need to believe in yourself because that's going to be enough to get you the life you want."
"Just me?"
"Just you."
"Even if I have no one?"
"You're not going to be alone forever. You're going to have people in your life that are worth the wait. But right now you just need to focus on yourself and your dreams." Quinn smiled at her. "You look like the type of girl that nothing could stop once you set your mind to something."
"Thank you." Rachel returned the smile. "That's really sweet of you to say."
A week went by and no new Rachels had visited Quinn. She wondered if that meant the universes finally fixed themselves and she was going to meet her Rachel soon.
She ended up attending different social events from the publishing world, and even a few bars with Santana (only after nine o'clock had come and gone) in hopes that she would run into Rachel, or at least someone that knew her.
But as fate would have it, no such luck.
The frustration was starting to eat away at her. She swore she could feel a pain in her chest that only grew stronger with each day she didn't see Rachel.
She kept telling herself that she would find her Rachel when it was meant to be. There would be a time and place. She wanted to believe it, but she was also growing more uncertain.
On the seventh night without Rachel, Quinn nearly fell out of her desk chair as she scrambled to the door when she heard the familiar knock.
She opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to see a Rachel that was the same age as her.
"Hi," Quinn said with a beaming smile.
Instead of answering, a small gasp escaped Rachel's lips as she looked at Quinn with wide eyes.
"Are you lost?"
"Quinn?" Rachel said with a trembling voice.
"So I guess you already know me in your world." Quinn took Rachel's hand and pulled her inside. "Don't worry, I'll explain everything."
Before she could say another word, Rachel suddenly threw her arms around Quinn's waist and buried her face into her shoulder.
"I can't believe it's you," she whispered, grasping her tighter. "Am I dreaming?"
"You're not dreaming," Quinn said softly, reveling in the warmth that was Rachel. "We're both really here."
"How is this possible?"
Reluctantly, Quinn broke the embrace. "I know you remember a version of me, but you're in a different reality. A different world than what you know. This probably doesn't make any sense, but—"
She stopped when Rachel placed a hand over her own mouth as a strangled sob came out. "No, it doesn't make any sense at all. But I don't care because I'm just so happy to see you."
Quinn knew something was wrong as a feeling of dread quickly took over.
"Rachel, what's wrong? Have you not seen me in a long time?"
Another sob escaped and Rachel shook her head wordlessly.
"Rachel?"
"Quinn, you died three years ago!"
She felt like her heart had stopped beating in that moment. "What?"
"The last time I saw you was three years ago."
Quinn didn't know what to say. She sat on her couch as she took everything in.
"But it's okay now," Rachel said as she stood in front of Quinn, taking both her hands. "Because we're in a different world like you said, right? You're alive here."
"Rachel," Quinn said sadly as she pulled her down to sit next to her. "You're only going to be here for one night."
"What do you mean?"
"There's this… I guess you could say a phenomenon where you've been showing up here for just one night at a time."
"But I've never been to this house before."
"I know."
She went on to explain as best as she could. About how each Rachel she's met was from a different reality. About how each Rachel was different from the last.
It was killing her inside because the more Rachel understood, the more hurt and pain reflected in her eyes.
"This isn't fair," Rachel said in anger. "I only get to see you for one night?"
"I'm sorry, Rachel."
"It's like the universe is playing a twisted, horrible trick on me."
"Listen, I'm here now with you. Don't waste the whole night being angry, okay?"
With a long breath, Rachel nodded, then rested her head on Quinn's shoulder. Quinn wrapped an arm around her and began stroking her hair.
"You're right."
Quinn inhaled the smell of her hair while she worked up the courage to ask, "Rachel?"
"Yes?"
"How did I die?"
Rachel didn't answer right away. Quinn didn't want to push her, so she let her take her time getting the words out.
"It was a car accident," she finally said. "You were on your way to my wedding."
Quinn swallowed when Rachel said my wedding instead of our wedding.
"Oh," she said quietly. "Who did you marry?"
Rachel sighed and sat up to look into Quinn's eyes. "I was going to marry Finn. But after what happened to you, I called off the wedding and broke off the engagement."
"I see."
"I've been living with so much guilt over the past three years," Rachel said as she placed a hand on Quinn's cheek. "It's all my fault for making you come to a wedding that shouldn't have been happening in the first place."
"I'm sure that I really wanted to be there for your big day," Quinn offered. The truth was the thought of Rachel marrying someone else now made her sick to her stomach.
"No, I was in love with you. I've always loved you, Quinn. We both knew it, but we never said anything. And you don't know how heartbroken I've been that I never got a chance to tell you before you died."
As soon as the words were out, Quinn didn't hesitate as she leaned forward and pressed their lips together. Rachel desperately returned the kiss, and it took all of Quinn's strength to pull away after a few moments.
"Rachel," she whispered, "I know I'm not the same Quinn you knew, but I swear to you she loved you back. She loved you as much as you loved her. That doesn't change just because she's gone. She loved you more than anything."
"Are you sure?"
"I promise."
With that, they kissed again. It didn't take long before things became more heated, and they ended up in Quinn's bedroom.
Making love to Rachel was lightyears more incredible than any of Quinn's past experiences. Better than anything she could ever imagine.
They may have not been each other's Quinn and Rachel, but she knew their souls would always be connected no matter what form they were in.
Afterwards, they laid holding each other, staring into each other's eyes with just the light glow of the moonlight from the window.
"I love you," Rachel said as she trailed the tips of her fingers from Quinn's shoulder down to her hand.
"I love you too."
Rachel brought Quinn's hand up and pressed her lips against the back of it.
"I don't know how many of me you've already met or going to meet, but I promise I will love you in every possible world there is, and I always will."
Quinn held back her tears. "Rachel, I know I'm not the same Quinn that's gone, but her and I have the same soul and I need you to try to move on and be happy. I know in my heart that's what the other Quinn wants."
"I'm going to try."
"You can't live with this guilt forever. You deserve to be happy."
"Maybe that's the reason I'm here now. I can finally say goodbye to you and get closure."
They kissed again, then whispered 'I love you' to each other over and over before they fell asleep.
When Quinn woke up alone the next morning, she buried her face into her hands and cried.
After that night with Rachel, two agonizing weeks passed. Quinn found herself waiting every single night. She didn't see the point in doing anything else.
Her book was basically forgotten. Her phone was ringing nonstop with calls from Santana, her publisher, and even her mom. She rarely answered.
Every night she sat on the couch waiting for the knock to come. One night it did, but it was just Santana checking to make sure she was still alive. Quinn had to contain herself in order not to lash out at her best friend in anger.
But after waiting two full weeks, the knock she was waiting for finally came.
As soon as she opened the door, the familiar line was spoken.
"I'm very sorry to bother you, but I think I'm lost."
Quinn swallowed and stepped aside. "I'm sorry to hear that. You can come in."
"You seem a little disappointed," Rachel said as she carefully made her way inside. "Were you expecting someone?"
This Rachel was older than all of the others. She looked well into her 80s, possibly even 90.
"Not really," Quinn answered. She then smiled. "I'm happy to see you."
"I'm happy to see you too," Rachel said with a knowing smile of her own.
"You know who I am," Quinn stated with a lift of her eyebrow.
"My mind may not be as sharp as it once was, but I would let myself die before I ever forget my wife."
Quinn couldn't suppress the tears or the growing smile. "Wife?"
"You look like you've been through a lot," Rachel said as she stepped forward to hug Quinn.
She gently rubbed Quinn's back while she cried and told her everything was okay. After a few minutes, she managed to get Quinn to stop crying.
Due to her age, this Rachel was shorter than the others. She smiled up at Quinn and patted her shoulder.
"Do you feel better?"
"Yes," Quinn said as she wiped her tears away. "Thank you."
"It's nothing. Do you mind if I sit? Standing for too long makes my knees hurt."
"Of course!" Quinn said as she rushed to pull out a chair from the table. "I'm so sorry!"
"Don't be sorry," Rachel chided as she sat down. She then turned her head to glance around the house. "Have I somehow time traveled to the past?"
"Not exactly." Quinn sat in the chair next to her. "This is a different reality from the one you know. It's a lot to explain."
"Like an alternate universe?"
"Yes."
Rachel contemplated to herself. "I would ask how it happened, and you could explain it to me, but I probably won't understand. So I'll just take your word for it." She chuckled as she squeezed Quinn's hand.
"I still don't understand how either," Quinn said. "All of these versions of you, Rachels from other worlds, have been visiting me at night. Some are younger, some are older. But it's always you, Rachel."
"And they were lost like me?"
Quinn nodded. "They were."
"Hmm." Rachel placed an elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. "I know I was lost, but I recognized this house."
"How do you know this house?" Quinn asked. None of the other Rachels had been there before in their worlds.
"This was the first house we lived in together," Rachel explained. "Well, me and the wife Quinn."
"This exact house? You're sure?"
"I'm positive."
Quinn thought that was a strange coincidence, and she would likely mull over it for a while.
"How long have you been married?"
"60 years."
That's a long time, Quinn thought. There was something else she needed to know, but couldn't bring herself to ask.
As if Rachel read her mind, she told her, "Don't worry, Quinn. You're still alive where I'm from."
"That's good." Quinn breathed a sigh of relief.
Rachel looked down at the table, and then slowly trailed her eyes toward the kitchen.
"Is something wrong?" Quinn asked.
"I'm just thinking."
"What are you thinking about?"
"You look exactly the same as the Quinn I met all those years ago, and this is the exact same house." She looked at Quinn with a frown. "You said we live in different universes?"
"Yes. All of the other Rachels I've met are from different worlds."
"I don't know if that's true for me. I think this is my world too, only it's my past."
"You think you're from the future? This future?"
"Sure, why not? It's not too far fetched with everything else you've said has happened."
Quinn couldn't argue with that, but she still had to be sure.
"What did your Quinn do for work?"
"She's written novels all her life."
"What kind of novels?"
"Novels of the nerd sort," Rachel answered with a sly grin.
"What was the name of her first book?"
"Left at Orion."
"What's her favorite book?"
"Bid Time Return."
"Wow, okay."
"Trust me. If you are the same Quinn, then I know everything about you. Even things you don't know yet."
"I believe you," Quinn said. "I just need to be sure that the Quinn you know is really me."
"Ask me anything," Rachel said excitedly. "I can do this all night."
Quinn crossed her arms and looked away as she thought. She just had to think of something that only applied to her.
"Okay," she said. "In high school I only did one sport. Can you tell me what sport that was?"
"Cheerleading."
"How long did I do it for?"
"Umm," Rachel paused as she tried to remember. "Definitely no more than a month. Two weeks? You quit after that."
"Why did I quit?"
"Because a girl called you fat during practice. You weren't actually fat, you were just a little self conscious since you ate a real breakfast that day."
"Which girl?"
"I take back what I said before. My mind is still as sharp as a tack," Rachel said as she smiled to herself. "To answer your question, the girl's name was Becky. You sat in your car and cried for an hour. Then the next day, you turned your uniform in to the 'Nazi' coach. Your words, not mine."
Quinn chuckled at Rachel's response. "Alright, I think maybe we are from the same world after all."
"You still have the same smile," Rachel said as studied Quinn's face. "It hasn't changed one bit."
"Can you tell me how we met?" Quinn found herself asking. "It still hasn't happened for me, and it's driving me insane."
"I don't think I can tell you that."
"Why not?"
"Why ruin a surprise?"
"Rachel…"
"Quinn, if you find out then something could happen and interfere with us meeting. I've discussed enough sciences and theories with you to know that even the tiniest change could alter the course of history. It's called the Butterfly—"
"Butterfly Effect," Quinn finished with a sigh. "I guess that makes sense."
"Yes, I am married to a nerd after all," Rachel said with a shrug. "It's better that you live your life everyday like normal. Fate will do its thing when the time is right."
Quinn couldn't hide the disappointment on her face, so she lowered her head.
"Judging by how you look now," Rachel said as she tilted Quinn's chin back up, "it's going to be soon."
"How soon?"
"Very soon. I promise."
Quinn smiled again. Everything was going to fall into place. She just had to be patient for a little while longer.
"Do you know how long I'm going to be here for?" Rachel asked. "The older you is probably worried about me."
"Just for tonight."
"You aren't going to believe this when I tell you," Rachel said with a laugh, nudging Quinn.
Quinn beamed at Rachel's humor. She was still mystified that this incredible woman was going to be her wife one day.
"Rachel?"
"Yes, Quinn?"
"I don't know how much longer I can stand this. It hurts more every day not having you in my life. It's like the universe is dangling you in front of me." She looked at the older woman. "I don't think I really had anything to look forward to in life before I met you. It was like I was just going through the motions, like I was on autopilot. You brought me back to life."
"I know."
"You do?"
"Like I said, I know everything about you." She smiled at Quinn with a slow blink of her eyes. "It's going to be worth the wait. I promise that we're going to be as happy as anyone can be together."
"I know we are."
Quinn smiled because she agreed.
After the conversation with the Rachel of her future, Quinn felt like a weight had been lifted. The longing she felt was still there, but the sadness was turning into joy and excitement.
Soon.
She repeated the word over and over to herself. She decided to take Rachel's advice and go about her day like normal.
She had lunch with Santana, or rather brought takeout to her apartment and hung out for a few hours. When she got home, she called her mom back and talked about the new book she was writing. Then she continued working on said book for the evening.
Quinn waited a long two weeks for the last Rachel to appear, so she was surprised to hear a knock the very next evening.
And besides, it can't hurt to meet a few more Rachels before you find yours.
When she opened the door, she was happy to find another Rachel that was the same age as her. Instead of saying something right away, Rachel stared at her with a captivated gaze.
"Hi," Quinn said with a smile as she leaned against the doorway.
"Hi."
They continued to stare into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity. Rachel was the one to finally snap out of it.
"I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head at herself. "I was actually just lost and I'm not very familiar with this area. I don't have my phone on me, and I was wondering if I could use your phone?"
Quinn pushed herself off the doorframe. "Of course. You can come inside."
"Thank you."
After Rachel walked in, Quinn went to her desk to grab her phone. When she came back, she found Rachel looking around the living room./span/p
"Here you go." Quinn held her phone out for Rachel to take.
"Thank you…" Rachel paused, waiting for Quinn to speak.
"Quinn."
"Thank you, Quinn. My name is Rachel."
Quinn then knew for sure that this Rachel hadn't met the Quinn from her world yet.
"It's nice to meet you."
Just like from when she opened the door for the first Rachel, this one looked around at the inside of the house in fascination.
"I've always wanted to live in a brownstone. You have such a beautiful home," she said.
"Thank you, Rachel. That's really sweet of you to say."
Rachel's eyes landed back on Quinn, then quickly darted to the floor as she smiled shyly to herself, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
Quinn debated kissing her right then and there. It wouldn't hurt anything, and she didn't think this Rachel would mind.
"Well, I won't take up much more of your time." Rachel looked down at the screen of the phone. Quinn couldn't hold herself back any longer.
Screw it.
Before Rachel had a chance to say she couldn't remember whatever number she was trying to call, Quinn reached a hand up to gently cup the side of her face.
Instead of pulling back, Rachel's breath caught in her throat, her lips slightly parted as she held Quinn's gaze.
"You're so beautiful," Quinn said softly.
To her surprise, Rachel was the one to lean in and close the distance between them. The kiss wasn't at all hesitant or timid. They kissed like they had known each other forever, like they had waited so long for such a moment.
The moment quickly grew more intense and passionate as their hands wasted no time exploring each other. It wasn't long before Quinn led the way to her bedroom.
Quinn frowned as she heard the distant sounds of cars honking outside in the morning traffic. She felt the heat of sunlight on her face, and slowly blinked her eyes open.
A quick look at the clock told her that it was eight o'clock in the morning. She squeezed her eyes shut again.
She turned her head to the other side of the bed, her eyes still shut even though she already knew.
When she opened them, she confirmed that she was alone once again. Disappointment began to take over, but she tried her best to push it aside as she thought about the Rachel from the night before.
She smiled to herself. After a couple rounds of love making, they were completely exhausted and soon fell asleep. Quinn didn't want to ruin an amazing evening with long conversations about their situation or make Rachel sad about their inevitable parting. She just wanted to enjoy the moment.
She was perfect.
Quinn nearly fell out of the bed when she heard a sound coming from the kitchen. It sounded like one of the cupboards being closed softly.
She jumped up and quickly got dressed and opened the bedroom door. The smell of coffee wafted its way through the air. She rounded the corner and froze when she saw Rachel with her back to her, wearing nothing but a Yale t-shirt, and pouring coffee into a mug.
She set the pot down and turned to see Quinn standing there.
"You're awake!" she said with a wide smile. "I'm sorry if I was being loud. I was just making coffee."
"You're still here," Quinn said in astonishment.
"It would be rude to just leave," Rachel said with a playful roll of her eyes as she held out the mug for Quinn to take.
Quinn blinked and accepted it.
Rachel took a step back and wrung her hands nervously. She softly asked, "Did you need me to leave?"
"No!" Quinn pulled out a chair from the table. "Please stay! I mean, unless you have plans."
"No plans," Rachel said with a smile. She sat down with Quinn. There was a brief moment of silence as they quietly sipped their coffee. "So…"
"So…"
"I thought you should know that I've never done anything like this before."
"What do you mean?"
Rachel blushed. "I've never let myself into a random house and slept with a stranger before is what I mean. This is very out of character for me."
"I wouldn't say we're strangers. You knew my name before we slept together," Quinn said jokingly.
"Yes, that's true." Rachel chuckled.
Quinn still had so many questions. Did the universe finally fix itself?
"So, what happened last night? You said you were lost?"
"I was," Rachel said with a nod. "I was at a birthday party for one of my cast mates, and I thought I could find my way back to the subway stop without any help. Clearly that wasn't the case. And to make things worse, I left my purse at the party with my phone inside."
She bit her lip as she stared at Quinn. "I was going to ask someone for help, and I saw you as I passed by the window. You seemed kind, and there was something about you that made me want to see you up close. I know that probably sounds creepy…"
"I don't think so," Quinn said with a reassuring smile. "I'm glad you did. And to be honest, I would've done the same if I saw you."
"Really?"
"Without a doubt."
Rachel's shy smile returned, and it filled Quinn's stomach with butterflies as she watched her try to hide it by bringing the coffee mug up to her lips.
"You said 'cast mate'? You're an actress?"
"Yes," Rachel said as her face lit up. "Stage actress. I actually just got my first leading role in an off Broadway musical about a month ago."
So that's where you've been, Quinn thought.
"Really? That's amazing! I would love to go see it sometime."
"We have shows all the time. I'm actually performing tonight."
"Would it be okay if I come?" Quinn didn't hesitate to ask.
"Of course it is!" Rachel answered. Quinn didn't miss the confusion on Rachel's face as she looked back down at the table.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing."
"Rachel," Quinn said as she took hold of her hand, "what is it?"
With a sharp intake of breath, Rachel stroked the back of Quinn's hand with her thumb and said, "I wasn't sure if this was a one time, never see you again sort of thing. So I'm glad that you're planning on seeing me again."
"I never do things like this either. I know we just met, but I really like you." She didn't want to scare Rachel by telling her everything. "I felt something as soon as I saw you."
"I did too." She squeezed Quinn's hand. "It's strange, but I feel like I've known you forever."
Quinn leaned in and gently kissed her. When they parted, their foreheads were still touching. She was sure more than anything that she had found the person she would spend her life with.
"I can walk you home," she said. She then took her phone off the table and handed it over. "Not sure if you still need to use this."
"Oh, yes!" Rachel took it and began texting someone. "I'm just telling my roommate, Kurt, that I'm still alive. He's probably been up all night panicking."
As she handed the phone back to Quinn, she smiled at her.
"It's Rachel Berry, by the way."
"Quinn Fabray."
"I've always been a little psychic, and I have a good feeling about this."
Quinn laughed to herself as she returned the smile. "I do too."