Quinn stepped in and pictured Rachel's house a lot different. She expected rainbows and gold stars all over the place for some reason. But it was very modern and sheik, pictures of the Berry men was scattered all over the place. You can tell there was love in this house, love for their daughter, their family. Looking around the living room she found Rachel's achievements along side with photographs of the tiny diva plastered all over the back wall. Some trophies in the glass case one of which is their sectionals and regionals from last year. Quinn dropped her bag on the side of the couch and stared into this one picture by they fireplace.

Rachel couldn't believe that Quinn Fabray was inside her home looking at embarrassing pictures. She was over the moon, around the sun past the milky way excited having Quinn over her house. She watched the blonde take in her surrounding both her fathers were in the kitchen preparing dinner.

"Rachel are you going to introduce your loving parents to your friend!" Leroy yelled out from the kitchen.

Quinn laughed and looked at Rachel, who was fueling with rage embarrassed for her father. Quinn walked up to her and grabbed her hand leading the diva towards the kitchen like she knew exactly where it was. Rachel was feeling nervous not sure what Quinn is thinking she's been unpredictable all day.

"Good evening Mr. and…Mr. Berry's?" Quinn sounded confused towards the end of her greeting. She didn't quiet know how to properly greet two fathers. If Rachel would've told her their first names this wouldn't feel awkward at all. She really wanted to make a good first impression.

Leroy turned to his husband and started laughing. He's never been greeted like that before to have someone storm in with all the confidence in the world and then lose that charisma the second they realized that a Mrs. wouldn't apply in their household.

Quinn was holding Rachel's hand and squeezed it a little tighter not knowing if this was good or bad.

"Hello, my name is Hiram and this one over here is my husband Leroy." Leroy finally calmed down and walked over to face Quinn.

Leroy's face was serious, he's very tall and lean. Towering over Quinn she felt his eyes burning right through her. Her heart was beating so fast out of fear she was hoping to go into cardiac arrest just to avoid this moment. If you didn't know Leroy he can be a very intimidating man. Quinn stood frozen in front of the giant in front of her and squeezed Rachel's hand even tighter.

Why isn't Rachel saving me? He's really scary staring at me like this.

Leroy broke the tension by smiling and leaned in for a hug, Quinn was startled the second the embrace happened. What just happened?

"Daddy! She almost broke my hand!" Quinn release her grip on Rachel's hand. Rachel then started massaging her hand trying to get blood circulating again.

"What? I never get to play the bad guy. Your dad always does the intimidating. This was my only chance to play a role opposite myself." Leroy stepped back from the girls and extended his hand for a hand shake.

"I apologize Quinn, my behavior was silly and inappropriate. I hope you can forgive me." Leroy's persona changed completely Quinn was so confused that she had to take a moment and relax her nerves.

Looking up at Leroy Quinn understands where Rachel gets her dramatics from, she reached for his hand and nodded.

"Thank you. Now have a seat so we can start dinner." Leroy pulled a chair offering Quinn the seat when all of a sudden the doorbell rang.

"Oh? That's right, we are expecting one more. Rachel dear would you kindly get the door." Leroy took the seat next to his husband across from Quinn.

Quinn sat down and after her almost nervous break down she felt comfortable sitting along side Rachel's fathers. Sure, when she got here she couldn't even step in the house seeing Rachel wear short shorts and that sweater. Then have her father gave her the death stare. She hasn't had a sit down dinner for over a year now and being here surrounded by a loving family made her miss what she use to have before her pregnancy. Leroy placed his hand on top of Hiram's as they waited for Finn to enter.

Walking up to the door Rachel regretted inviting Finn to rehearse today. She was beginning to enjoy Quinn's company so when she opened the door she couldn't help but feel like denying him to enter. She thought about rescheduling and faking an illness.

"Hey Rachel! Why is Quinn's car over here?" Finn wondered, but when he saw what Rachel was wearing his train of thought disappeared.

"Oh, right that is Quinn's car. She called me last minute and asked if I can help her with her economics homework. So she stopped by after her practice." Rachel trying to end the conversation quickly she didn't want to leave Quinn with her parents for to long.

Finn looked troubled by what she just said. "So Quinn is here?"

"Yes finn, she needed help and I kindly obliged. Please come in, dinner is being served and I would really like to get back in there. I don't think leaving Quinn alone with my parents is such a good idea. God knows the horrifying tales they'll expose about me."

Finn stepped in and wondered why really Quinn is here Rachel led the way into the kitchen with Finn following behind. When they entered the kitchen they saw Quinn laughing hysterically with Rachel's fathers. Quinn was retelling the story when Rachel got hit by soccer ball. Leroy then told her what really happened in the nurses office. Quinn was spot on about Rachel clinging to the nurses bed while Leroy lifted the tiny brunette from her legs and started pulling in order for him to take her home. Quinn couldn't stop laughing at the image.

"Good evening Finn, I'm glad you can join us." Leroy greeted the tall jock after wiping off a stray tear from the laughter. Hiram wasn't a tiny bit fond of Finn after what happened in New York, Rachel was a mess when she returned. All she wanted to do was lock herself in her room. Luckily they convinced her to still go to dance camp even though she insisted on not going. He thought that sending her away from Lima a few weeks would help her heart heal from the mess he left her. He even contacted Layla personally in order to help Rachel get over that bump. Finn hasn't been inside this house for months he was terrified of Hiram, Leroy always tried to ease his mind about his husband but something about the way he looks at Finn was mortifying.

"Good evening sir, thank you for letting me join you this evening." Finn was trying his hardest to be brave he looked at Hiram and found an empty glare.

"Let eat shall we." Hiram announced.

Dinner started out slow, every one was focused on their meal. Rachel would look up at Quinn and smile, Finn would then glare at Quinn but she never even acknowledged him. Leroy watched the whole scene take place while signaling to his husband that he knew who Rachel was eyeing.

"So, regionals is coming up have you guys chosen any songs yet?" Leroy ending the silence.

"We're actually working on it now Mr. Shue gave us an assignment and decided to combine it with this weeks lesson. So who ever wins the assignment gets to sing a duet at regionals." Quinn answered.

"Yeah, Rachel picked a really great song. I'm really excited working along side with her for this assignment." Finn looked up at Rachel and smiled.

"That's great dear what song did you pick?"

"Elton John, Train don't stop there any more. I find that when he wrote this song his life was at a stand still he was doing drugs and alcohol but he got through it. Very admirable, being an openly gay man in the music industry, pretending to be straight and then finally embracing who he truly is. What more of a inspiration for our generation?"

"That's a great song honey I know you'll knock'em dead." Leroy smiled proudly at Rachel. She's been through a lot but seeing her with Finn shows him how well they raised her.

Dinner ended in silence and the kids excused themselves into to the living room to start their rehearsal and Quinn on her homework. She was actually done with most of it what she really wanted was to take this time and hang out with Rachel outside school. Maybe she can force Finn to leave early enough so that Rachel and her can have some alone time to talk.

"Quinn, what are you really doing here?" Finn's tone didn't go to well with the cheerleader. Rachel stood there not knowing what to say.

Quinn turns around to face the tall jock, "I'm going to say this to you in the nicest way Finn. You don't own Rachel do you understand me? So don't go trying to sound like she's your girlfriend. I don't need to explain to you why I'm here. She's my friend and she wanted to help me. So deal with it." Quinn grabbed her duffle and took a seat on the couch.

Rachel walked in front of Finn and placed a hand on his shoulder, "She's right Finn, I told you I want us to be friends. You don't need to be so protective over me."

"I know that Rachel, you don't think I've been trying to be there for you. I know a friend is what you need but I just don't understand why she's here. I thought you and I are suppose to be rehearsing. Why would you want her listening in? She's the competition."

"I know, but if I want the team to feel united we shouldn't win every competition. Our team mates deserve their moment to shine on the stage as well."

Quinn sank in the couch to get comfortable with her binder on her lap and she grabbed her head phones pretending not to listen in their conversation, she wasn't going any where.

"Let's just run through the song Finn. The sooner we get accustomed to the song the sooner I can help Quinn with her homework." Rachel took a seat by the piano.

Finn looked at Quinn with frustration. He wanted some alone time with Rachel just to hang out but Quinn was ruining everything. He took a seat next to Rachel by the piano. Rachel shifted to get more comfortable cause Finn sat a little to close. Quinn watched and felt like ripping Finn's head off his bony body.

Why is he such an idiot. Couldn't he tell he's making Rachel uncomfortable. I need to keep my cool. The sooner they finish the sooner he'll leave.

Rachel played a note on the piano and started singing. Quinn turned down the volume on her ipod to hear Rachel sing.

You may not believe it
But I don't believe in miracles anymore
And when I think about it
I don't believe I ever did for sure
All the things I've said in songs
All the purple prose you bought from me
Reality's just black and white
The sentimental things I'd write
Never meant that much to me

I used to be the main express
All steam and whistles heading west
Picking up my pain from door to door
Riding on the storyline
Furnace burning overtime
But this train don't stop,
This train don't stop,
This train don't stop there anymore

You don't need to hear it
But I'm dried up and sick to death of love
If you need to know it
I never really understood that stuff
All the stars and bleeding hearts
All the tears that welled up in my eyes
Never meant a thing to me
Read 'em as they say and weep
I've never felt enough to cry

When I said that I don't care
It really means my engine's breaking down
The chisel chips my heart again
The granite cracks beneath my skin
I crumble into pieces on the ground

After singing the song out loud for this first time in front of Finn she felt a much deeper connection to the song. Rachel wasn't sure if Quinn was listening but she felt braver, the last part of the song really touched her. Layla was just the beginning and all she wanted was for Quinn to be the last. Quinn was more tarnished than she was but she wanted to be one to put Quinn's heart back together. It didn't matter how long it would take but she was willing to wait just so she can see the final pieces fit together with hers.

Rachel and Finn ran through the song two more times. Trying to Find the right pitch, melody and certain way to sing it differently. Better.

Quinn was pretending to do her homework, each time Rachel would start singing she would lose herself in the song. There was definitely something about the way Rachel sings that makes her heart flutter. She sat by the couch patiently flipping through her economics book. She looked up at the clock and saw that it was eight. Quinn's curfew was ten, so she wasn't worried at all about not being able to spend time with the diva.

"Okay, that sounds really good Finn. I've made some notes on what you need to work on. We can continue this tomorrow after school. Is that all right?" Rachel got up from the chair and handed Finn the sheet music.

Finn looked so surprised, usually Rachel would run through the song till it's perfect. And then the next day run it again until she believed that it was absolutely perfect. She would never give him cliff notes to practice on his own.

"What? What's gotten into you? Since when is three run through enough for you?"

Quinn had the biggest smile on her face. She couldn't believe that Rachel was trying to kick Finn out already. She bobbed her head pretending to listen to her iPod.

"That was because you and I were still tying to figure out our range. We've sang together for a whole year now Finn. I wouldn't be a great singer if I didn't pay close attention to your vocals. You have improved dramatically, we no longer need to run through the song countless times to make sure it's perfect. I believe in you, if you have any questions feel free to call me any time." Rachel really wanted to get him out of her house. Quinn has been sitting in her couch for thirty minutes and not once said a word about their song. It was aggravating her quiet a bit so she wanted Finn to leave so she can question Quinn.

Finn stood up still confused about what's happening. Though Rachel's reasoning made a lot of sense, it just felt like he was being forced out.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense. I guess I'll head out." Finn looked over to the couch and saw Quinn with her head phones and a huge smile on her face. He didn't even bother saying goodbye he walked towards the door following Rachel. When Rachel pulled the door open Finn stopped right in front of her.

"Be careful with her Rachel. Don't forget that she was one of the people that made your life suck. I would hate to see you get hurt." Finn hugged the tiny diva and walked out.

Rachel didn't need Finn to warn her she is fully aware of what she's doing. If she gets hurt in the process then that is something she'll just have to deal with when the time comes. But right now they're just testing the water if there is water to test in the first place. Rachel shut the door and leaned on it for a minute she really didn't think this all the way through now that Finn is gone, Quinn is left sitting on her coach. Panic started to rise from her stomach what we're they going to talk about?

Okay, your friends. Just help her with her homework. Thats why she came over, so go do it.

Rachel checked herself in the mirror and walked into the living room and saw that Quinn wasn't by couch.

"Quinn?" Rachel looked around but settled on the couch and waited for Quinn to return. Quinn's binder was open and fell towards her thigh Rachel grabbed it before it fell and noticed some scribbles.

"Rachel." Quinn called out to her. From the way Quinn said her name it sounded so angelic. Rachel realized that Quinn's binder was on her lap opened. She slammed the binder shut and started to feel embarrassed for looking.

Quinn walked around the other side of the couch and saw a nervous diva with her binder on her lap she arched her eye brow pretending to be upset.

"It started to fall when I sat down. I really didn't mean to look at it Quinn. I'm really sorry for invading your privacy. Please forgive me." Rachel was in a panic. Quinn looked at her and started laughing. She moved her book and sat right next to the diva. Not even leaving an inch of space between them.

"It's okay Rachel, don't have a panic attack." Quinn leaned back on the couch. "You picked a really great song, I can't wait to see you perform it." Quinn looked around the room eyeing other photos that surrounded them. Trying to picture how little Rachel was back then. Rachel leaned back shoulder to shoulder with the blonde.

So she was listening. Rachel hesitated for a moment not knowing what to say. She remembered Quinn was starring at that one photograph of her by the fireplace.

"It was my first talent show." Quinn looked at Rachel wondering what she was talking about. "The picture you were looking at by the fireplace. I was six and my fathers thought it was time for me to shine and be the star. I sang a number from the movie Annie." Quinn was really curious to hear the story she followed her lips move to every word. "I was almost done with my number but I tripped on my own foot and fell. My daddy came rushing to the stage while my dad kept taking pictures. My daddy kissed my head and said, 'we stumble and fall but we always go for the big finish.' I finished my performance and got a standing ovation." Rachel gave Quinn a genuine smile.

This was all Rachel ever wanted, to have someone share special moments like that picture. Aside from Layla, she never had any body over to her house for slumber parties or to hang out.

"So I'm assuming that was the beginning of many big finishes for you. I like hanging out with you Rachel. Here I thought I was going to have a hard time tonight but its going pretty well."

"I completely agree, this is really pleasant. It's different at school, I feel like you and I can't be ourself for some reason. I guess it's hard for our peers to believe that two people from opposite ends of the popularity chart to get along so well. I apologize about for my fathers they can be a little overwhelming."

"Your fathers were perfect there's no need to apologize. And with school I really don't care what they think I'm your friend. So if you ever need anything you know where my locker is." Quinn nudged Rachel's shoulder and laughed.

They spent the rest of the night talking about school and general topics like favorite colors and movies. They joked around and found that tonight will be the beginning of many nights Quinn will be over her house. Quinn looked at the clock and noticed that it was almost time for her to go home. She gathered her belongings and felt that unsettling feeling on the pit of her stomach again.

"I have to get going, my mother wants me inside the house before ten. She can be very intense when it comes to curfew." Quinn got up from the couch and grabbed her duffle bag. She started walking towards the front door with Rachel following behind. Rachel held the door open for Quinn and she too started to feel uneasy she hated parting ways with Quinn.

"I had a really nice time Rachel. I'll see you tomorrow?" Quinn shied away from meeting those brown eyes. She remembered how amazing it felt to hold Rachel so she just went for it. Quinn leaned in and hugged Rachel.

Rachel was taken by surprise but held Quinn in return. Both girls just stood there holding each other not wanting to let go because they both knew once they release each other that feeling would return and they wouldn't know when they can do this again.

"Thank you Quinn. I want you to know that I'm really grateful having you as my friend." She wasn't sure if those were the right words she wanted to say but she's accepted reality and a friendship would be enough for her.

Quinn rested her head on Rachel's shoulder and felt an ache on her heart hearing the word friend leave Rachel's lips. She wanted to be honest and tell Rachel how much she really cares for the diva but she honestly didn't even know what her heart was telling her. She hugged Rachel tighter and let out soft sigh. She released Rachel from their embrace and met those brown eyes she's been trying to avoid. Quinn grabbed Rachel's pinky finger and linked it with hers.

"I Lucy Quinn Fabray pinky promise you Rachel Barbara Berry that I will always be your friend no matter where life takes us." Quinn bit her thumb. Rachel smiled and stared into those hazel eyes she loves so much and bit her thumb as well. Mental picture. SNAP!

Quinn smiled and hugged Rachel one last time and started walking towards her car.

If she turns around to look at me then my heart will belong to her and only her.

Right before Quinn reaches her car she turns around to look at Rachel one more time, wanting to feed the void in her heart before she leaves. Rachel smiled and waved goodbye to Quinn. She smiled got into her car and drove off.

What did you just get yourself into Rachel?

Rachel leaned on the pillar of her porch to keep herself from falling. Her heart was aching watching Quinn's car leave because she just realized that she's madly and deeply in love with a one gorgeous Quinn Fabray.