The Shortest Distance

by yumi michiyo

It starts with a friendship composed of books, lazy summer afternoons, and understanding; it gradually blossoms into more. Slowburn Fabrose. Season 4 canon divergence!AU.

7. Part Six

Part Six: What more could I lose, than what I found in you

---

All in all, Marley thinks she might've gotten three hours of sleep. Her mind is buzzing nonstop, but it's the good kind of buzzing. It might be the adrenaline, it might also be hormones.

Giving up on getting more sleep altogether, she goes outside to search the pantry for a drink. Chamomile tea (which Rachel left behind the last time she was here) sounds pretty good. As Marley waits for the kettle to boil, she scrolls through her phone. Her thumb hovers over Unique's contact, and Marley wonders if it's a good idea to squeal to her best friend now, or wait until a more decent hour to squeal.

Halfway through her tea, she decides that since she's the self-proclaimed wind in her ship's sails (whatever the hell that means), Unique deserves to know ASAP. So Marley dashes off a quick text and resumes drinking.

Her phone buzzes just as she's getting up to rinse her mug.

"Woman," says Unique, sounding like she's about to explode, "what in the H-E-double hockey sticks just happened. I'm looking at this text and still low-key freaking out. You're not shitting me, are you?"

"Nope," she says, and bites her lower lip, trying to suppress a giggle. Then Marley has to hold the phone at arm's length because the squeal Unique emits could shatter glass.

"Oh my god! Oh my GOD! You're not shitting me! It's on! This is real! Holy fuck, Marley, you have to tell me everything!"

"It's seven on a Sunday morning!"

"Listen – do you hear that? That is the sound of all the fucks I'm giving right now. Which is silence. I don't fucking care, Marley Rose, you are telling me every single detail, and then I am flying over there so I can hug you two tight and scream I TOLD YOU SO at the top of my lungs."

Marley's eyes widen. "Please don't."

"Okay, so that was an exaggeration but it'll be reality in five seconds if you don't start talking. So, Santana's album party? Then what?"

"She got a taxi back. Then I, uh, worked up the nerve to go after her."

Unique whistles. "Yes! You go, girl!"

"I told her the truth about me and Alex – y'know, that I broke up with him because I didn't really have feelings for him. Then I kissed her." It sounds so simple in retrospect, and Marley can't believe that's all that happened in between her showing up at Quinn's door and their kissing. "She kissed me back, which was really surprising because I didn't think in a million years that the person she had feelings for was me – "

"– hold up. Feelings for you, what?"

Marley clears her throat. "She, uh, told me that she had a crush on someone but that person was unavailable."

Unique emits another sharp shriek. "And when was this?"

"... Thanksgiving…?"

"... You useless woman," says Unique. Marley's certain she's shaking her head at her now. "When I get up there, I'mma strangle you. We could have saved so much effort in machination if you'd only cared to share that little fact."

"It could have been anyone!"

"No, it couldn't! That woman is just as stupidly in like with you as you are with her!" Unique snorts. "My god, we all thought that she was as oblivious as you! It would've made things so much less complex!"

"What? We all?"

"Uh… You know what? Mission accomplished, so whatever. Rachel and Snixy were in on it as well."

"... What."

"Look, just… go talk to Rachel. Just don't kill her, because if you do Santana will bitch at you for the rest of your life… On second thought, you're about as deadly as a baby bunny, and I've seen Rachel when she's got her game face on." Unique pauses, and there's muffled voices in the background. "Okay, I've gotta go, but I will be there! Soon! 'Drew, honey, since you're up, do you mind getting me my laptop? Bye, Marl!"

"Unique!" But all she hears is the flat tone of the ended call. She heaves a frustrated sigh, and then glances over at Valentino. The big fish barely spares her a glance as he circles his tank. "Do you ever feel like no one's listening to you?" asks Marley.

He makes no reply.

---

Since Marley's roommates are the polar opposite of Quinn's, Marley has the place to herself; so, it's Quinn coming over to finish their talk. Marley waits on the couch, feeling nervous again.

She almost jumps out of her skin when the doorbell sounds, and rushes over to let Quinn in. "Hi," she says, trying not to sound breathless (like she hasn't sprinted over to the door) or anxious (like she's been for almost twenty-four hours straight).

"Hey, Marley." Quinn smiles at her, dressed in her casual Sunday attire, complete with glasses perched on her nose. There's a moment in which they both stand and smile at each other like idiots, before Quinn rolls her eyes. "This is ridiculous," she says, and then she kisses Marley's cheek, which immediately flushes pink. "Could you get me some water, please?"

"Sure." She pours some for herself too, and returns to the living room to sit next to Quinn. Marley rests her hand on Quinn's knee and squeezes. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not a wink," answers Quinn very frankly. "You?"

"I think I dozed off for a couple of hours."

"Oh, good." She reaches over Marley's arm to get her glass. "So. Talking."

"Uh – yeah. About this." In lieu of having to put whatever they are into words, Marley squeezes Quinn's knee again. "Are we dating now?"

Quinn turns her head slightly so she's looking into Marley's eyes, her expression intense. "Do you want us to be?"

"Yes," says Marley a little too quickly.

The other woman smiles.

"I mean – this is kinda scary, and I've just broken up with Alex – technically for you – and I have no idea what to do." She takes a deep breath, and forces a smile. "But I want to try. Even though I'm terrified."

"Terrified? Of what?"

"What if this doesn't work out?" asks Marley quietly. "You're one of my best friends. I don't want to lose all that."

"You won't lose me." Quinn's hand gently pries at the hand on her knee, holding it. "Even if – this – doesn't work out. I promise."

And she believes Quinn. It's hard not to, given her track record, given that Rachel and Santana are still in her life. "That's good. Though, I really don't want to dwell on that." Marley looks down at their entwined hands on Quinn's knee, and can't stop the grin spreading over her face. "I'm really – you have no idea how amazing this feels."

Quinn chuckles softly. "I think I can guess."

She lifts her gaze back to Quinn. "This is gonna sound weird, but can I kiss you now?"

"Like you have to ask." Then Quinn angles her face so her lips brush Marley's. Her eyes close, and her grip on Quinn's hand tightens as she kisses back.

"I was afraid of this," murmurs Quinn.

"Afraid of what?"

"That we were just gonna end up making out on your couch instead of talking." And yet she pecks Marley's lips immediately after that; the mixed signals are driving Marley wild.

"We talked last night, and just now," pointed out Marley playfully, "so technically, we're done." Slowly, she's slipping back into her usual comfortable self around Quinn. "Plus, I've got something important to ask you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Are you free today?"

"Yes? Why?"

Marley grins. "I was thinking we could go out on our first official date." Her heart flutters in her chest as she says the words, and she's fairly certain the excitement on her face is mirrored on Quinn's.

"You've gotten it all planned out?"

"Not really," she admits. "I hadn't gotten as far as brunch, then the new gallery downtown. Maybe a nap somewhere in between, because last night was kind of a big deal."

Quinn smiles at her. "That sounds nice, nap and all." She stands up, tugging on Marley's hand so the other girl's pulled up with her. "Shall we?"

"Yeah, I – let me get my bag." She has to let go of Quinn's hand to do that, and she feels the loss immediately. But she needs to do adult things like check if she's got her phone and purse, then lock up the apartment. "Okay, what do you wanna eat?"

"How about that Mexican place we saw the other night? The one on Fiftieth?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, okay." Just like any other time they go out together, Marley links her arm with Quinn's – except this time, instead of keeping her hand around Quinn's arm, it falls lower so their fingers brush together. Quinn glances sideways at her. She takes hold of Marley's hand properly at the next crossing, and doesn't let go.

Marley blushes – and really, she's been doing a lot of that over the past twenty-four hours, she ought to get it checked out.

"I just remembered – I thought you had this big term paper due?" asks Quinn as they walk.

She groans. "Shit. Yeah, I forgot." With the fuss about Santana's concert and the excitement of her impending graduation — not to mention Quinn— Marley's completely forgotten.

"And just when is it due?"

"... Wednesday?" She groans again; she only has half of it down, nowhere near to being finished.

Quinn shoots her a severe look. "You're going home after lunch."

"Whaaat?" whines Marley. "Quinn!"

"Cute as that was, it's cuter still that you thought that would work on me," says Quinn, her mouth twitching. "Ex-Head Cheerio, remember?" She pulls them into the little eatery and finds them a table.

"But…"

"But?"

"But it's supposed to be our first official date." And it's a low, low blow, but Marley just wants today to be perfect. And she can see, from the way Quinn crumbles a little, that it's working.

"Since when did you get this bratty?" says Quinn eventually.

"When it suits my purposes."

Quinn arches an eyebrow. "You don't say."

Marley laughs then, because the look on Quinn's face is hilarious. "Okay, I'll admit I wasn't really expecting that to work, but I am still a little disappointed we have to cut today short."

"Who said we will?"

"Huh?"

"The gallery will still be there next week," says Quinn. "Tell you what; we'll both go back to your place. I can find something to do."

"Most romantic date ever," says Marley, and it makes Quinn laugh.

Still laughing, Quinn fishes her purse out of her bag. "Come on, let's get some food, and then I can continue impressing you." Marley goes with her usual, but Quinn thought she would try something different from her usual, and breathes fire after taking her first bite.

"I'm impressed, alright," says Marley, arching her eyebrow in deliberate imitation of Quinn's facial quirk. She pushes her drink across the table to Quinn.

"You're not being serious, now, are you?"

"Nope…?" She laughs then, amused by the pout on Quinn's face – and the thought that she wants to kiss it away enters her mind. Marley's amusement quickly fades into embarrassment.

"What?" asks Quinn.

"Nothing."

But Quinn knows her too well. Once she's recovered from the spicy food, her hand rests on top of Marley's. Marley glances down, face going wobbly from the smile spreading across it.

---

She was frogmarched back to the apartment, and seated at her desk. "This is ridiculous," Marley dared to say.

"Less talk, more typing," replies Quinn. She has her phone in her hands as she sits on Marley's bed, not looking up as her thumbs move over the screen.

Marley sighs. She types disconsolately on the laptop, making random words for the sake of sounding busy, and then deleting them. "This isn't how I imagined today would be like," she grouses.

"Me neither." She hears rustling behind her; sneaking a glance, Marley notices that Quinn's made herself more comfortable on the bed, back against the pillows.

"Are you tired?" she asks, swiveling her chair around.

"A little."

"Go ahead and take a nap; unlike me, you don't have anything urgent due." Marley smiles warmly at her before turning back to her laptop. Even though she really, really doesn't want to be favouring her work over Quinn – especially now – Marley doesn't want to disturb her either. She pulls up a journal article that she's been procrastinating on reading for a while now, and gets to work.

---

Another page of the paper is nowhere near done, but Marley doesn't care. She sits up straight and stretches; she's done for today, and she'll just have to cram the rest of the work tomorrow and Tuesday. "Quinn? I'm done."

Quinn's fallen asleep. Her phone balances precariously on her stomach, just inches away from her fingers. Marley tuts. She gently removes Quinn's glasses and sets them on the bedside table. "You're making it very hard for me to resist napping, too," she says, and then yawns.

She lies down as well, careful not to jostle Quinn too much. Marley curls up and quickly dozes off.

---

Marley stirs when the very comfortable pillow she's lying on moves. "I thought you were working," comes Quinn's sleepy voice from somewhere above her.

"I'm done." She burrows her face into soft, warm fabric.

"Really?"

"Really."

Quinn grunts. "Liar." But a warm weight settles over Marley's waist, holding her in place.

"Go back to sleep."

---

The next time she blinks awake, the sunlight streaming in from outside is barely there. She's warm and comfortable and safe like she hasn't been before, and Marley smiles to herself.

Sometime over the course of their nap, they've shifted so Marley is the big spoon. Her forehead is pressed into the back of Quinn's shoulder, her arm possessively draped around Quinn's waist. She smiles.

They've only been official for an afternoon, but Marley feels like she's getting to know Quinn all over again. She's no more talkative than usual, but there's a softness in the way she looks at Marley that causes her stomach to lurch. Quinn was more physically affectionate as well; she hadn't shied away from casual touches and hugging in the past, but Marley thinks they haven't stopped touching at all for the past few hours.

She loves it.

As much as she doesn't want to move, Quinn has work tomorrow, and she has class. "Hey," she says softly, pushing herself up on an elbow, her hand rubbing Quinn's shoulder. "Wake up."

Quinn makes an aggrieved sound. "Mmph. What time is it?"

"Dunno. Late. Don't have my phone on me."

She rolls back so she's flat on her back, blinking up at Marley. "I fell asleep."

"Yeah." Marley stifles a snigger at the chaotic state of Quinn's hair. "I remember that a nap was on the agenda for today, though, so it's fine."

She smiles, still looking sleep-befuddled. "Are you hungry?"

"Nope. You?"

"Not really. I could go for a drink, though."

Marley laughs indulgently. "Why don't you work on waking up, and I'll make us tea?"

"I am awake. What're you talking about?"

"No, you're not." She kisses Quinn's forehead, and gets up. "I mean it," she calls over her shoulder, "up. We need to get you dinner, and then back to Brooklyn."

Outside, Gavin is shoveling takeout into his mouth. He pauses to leer at her. "Oh. Gooooood morning, sunshine."

"Shut up, Gavin."

"Are you only getting out of bed now? That's some stamina, Rose; didn't know you had it in you. It's always the quiet ones…"

"I don't want to hear it. Seriously." Marley ducks around him to fill the kettle, and sets it. She steals two bags of expensive lavender tea from Gavin's stash just because he's annoying her.

"Is he hot? Or should I say she? I mean, we live in exciting times." Gavin finishes his food and chucks the container in the trash. "Are they a they?"

Quinn picks this moment to glide out of the room, fixing Gavin with her haughtiest stare. "Shut up, Howlett."

He stares, dumb-founded. "Quinn? What are you – oh. Oh!"

"Unless you would like me to eviscerate a body part of your choosing, Gavin, I think you should stop talking," says Quinn.

"Not a word," he promises, grinning at them both. "Can I be there when you tell Stan? Oh, no, please let me be the one to tell Stan."

"No one is telling anyone anything." Marley darts a glance at Quinn. "Quinn and I are… we're figuring things out, since I've been really stupid for a while."

"I agree." He blanches at the look on Quinn's face, and scuttles off to his room.

"You didn't have to do that," says Marley, "it's his house too." She's having difficulty hiding her smile, though, and she's afraid Quinn can see that.

Quinn shrugs. "It was fun." She takes the kettle from the stand, pouring hot water into their mugs. "This smells wonderful. Lavender?"

"Yeah. Courtesy of Gavin."

She smirks. "That's really nice of him." Quinn inhales the fragrance and sighs happily. "Seriously, though; how much of your paper did you do?"

Marley grins sheepishly. "A page? It's fine, I'll just finish it tomorrow and Tuesday. There isn't much left to write, and I've done all the reading I need."

Quinn shakes her head. "You're a brat," she says, "and I think the prospect of kissing has brought out the worst in you."

The casual mention of the shift in their relationship makes Marley blush. She isn't ready for banter – not yet, at any rate – so she just takes a step sideways so she can lean her head on Quinn's shoulder. "The date isn't over yet," she says, "so you better start thinking about what you want for dinner."

"You pick. I chose Mexican for lunch and I'm still regretting it."

Marley sniggers. "How about Defonte's?" Soup and sandwiches sounds ideal, and it's one of her favourites to stop by whenever she's in Brooklyn.

"Sure."

This time, Marley initiates the hand-holding; her fingers curling over Quinn's the moment they step out on the street. The subway trip is spent with small talk about Quinn's job, about what Marley's summer plans are, about anything at all.

Really, there's nothing different about the way they act – except Marley is hyper-conscious of every little mannerism of Quinn's, and how they endear her even more to Marley. The little things that make her wonder how she went so long without acknowledging her feelings, that make her grateful she had the courage to take that plunge.

She feels infinite.

Quinn seems amused. "Is there something on my face?"

"Huh?"

"You've been staring at me for the past ten minutes, lost in your own world. What are you thinking about?"

"I can't believe we're here," answers Marley honestly. "I'm glad I took that chance, and now that this is real, I'm kinda kicking myself for not having done it earlier."

Quinn laughs – though her cheeks are tinted pink. "I – wow. I've known you for years, but – I don't know how to respond to that."

Marley ducks her head. "Sorry. That was a bit much, yeah. You don't have to say anything."

"Marley, no; never apologise for being yourself. That's who you're best at being, and that's who I… fell for." She stumbles over the last muttered words, and Marley almost doesn't catch it if her hearing hadn't been trained by her professors.

Quinn clears her throat. "So, let's go get our food?"

"Yeah, sure. Let's eat here, then I can walk you back to your place."

"What a gentleman," says Quinn, eyes bright with amusement. "Are we within curfew? Will there be chaste hand-holding on the doorstep?"

"If you want."

Quinn's smile becomes a smirk. "What I want and what's gonna happen may be the same thing if you play your cards right."

Rather than reply to that (which is difficult, considering she can't stop about the implications of that remark), Marley pays for their food. "You paid for us earlier," she says in response to Quinn's expression, "and it's my turn."

"Very egalitarian."

---

By the time they make their way back to Quinn's place, it's close to midnight, and Marley spots Quinn trying to hide a yawn. "I'm not coming in," she says firmly. "You have work, and I have class."

Quinn contemplates her for a moment, then sighs. "Fine. It is late."

"We have plenty of time, you know."

"Yeah."

She hugs Quinn in lieu of a verbal response, hands loosely linked at the small of Quinn's back. Her chin comes to rest on Quinn's shoulder. It's hard to stop the smile that sneaks across her face, especially when she feels Quinn's arms not-so-subtly pulling her closer.

"This is gonna sound really cliche, but I wish today doesn't have to end," says Quinn into her ear.

Marley turns her head so her cheek is pressed to the side of Quinn's head. "Me neither."

---

Rachel calls her in the afternoon, just after she's gotten out of her morning class. She misses the first call because she's busy texting Quinn, and only manages to pick up the second.

"Hello, Marley!" Rachel's enthusiasm practically flows out of the receiver. "How are you?"

"Uhm, good? And you?"

"Perfectly peachy! As you doubtless know, the concert was a runaway success, and you deserve just as much credit."

"Yeah, Rachel. I was there, remember?"

She stumbles a little, and Marley thinks she hears a voice in the background. "Yes, of course. But I don't recall seeing you later, during the afterparty – now that you mention it, Quinn too. When did you guys leave?"

Marley tries not to laugh when she distinctly hears Santana's voice say, Get to the point Rach in the background. "I left after midnight, I think. Quinn and I got taxis."

Santana curses.

"Taxis?" asks Rachel loudly. She clearly sounds disappointed, which is hilarious for someone who acts for a living.

"Yeah, she went back to Brooklyn and me to Midtown. Why?"

Rachel falters, and then says: "No reason. I – it's good to hear you two got home safely. Have you talked to Quinn since then?"

"Yep."

"Oh good. So – " There's a growl, a literal growl on the other end, then Rachel is replaced by Santana. "Stop playing games, Rose," hisses Santana. "Are you and Cueball banging?"

"Santana!"

"No," says Marley. She rolls her eyes; perhaps the reason she and Quinn are so undramatic is because their friends have more than enough drama for them all. "As a matter of fact, we are not. Also, I appreciate the fact that you stopped using Rachel as your front for your concern."

There's a curse, then Santana says: "You got out of classes, didn't you? Meet you at Joe's in an hour. We're buying." The line goes dead, and Marley sighs. Of course she'll go, because the consequences if she ignored a Santana-threat are terrifying.

---

Help. Ur friends have gotten hold of me.

She sends a quick text off on the way to Joe's, and gets a reply five minutes later: i was gonna ask, then Unique called

:o Omg what did she say

What i think S and Rach r abt to say to u

A hand slammed flat on the table startles her, and almost makes her drop the phone. "Marley," says Santana, sickly-sweet.

She swallows hard. "Hi, Santana."

"Cut the bullshit. We know something happened between you and Lucy Q over the weekend; now spill all the details so's I can give you the shovel talk."

Marley swallows again. She's familiar with Santana's brand of the shovel talk, having heard about it from Quinn when she'd been introduced to Blake. "I, uh…"

"Santana, stop terrifying the poor girl." Rachel has three drinks in her hands, which she sets down on the table.

"But babe."

"Let me do it."

There's a pause in which Marley feels like her life starts flashing before her eyes, and Santana looks like she's been given a lifetime's supply of free breadsticks from Breadstix. "I love the way you think, Rach."

Rachel offers her girlfriend a smile, then turns her attention on Marley. "Now, Marley, do share in full detail everything that's transpired since Saturday night, up to this moment, between you and Quinn."

"I, uh, we talked."

Rachel looks unimpressed. "Talked."

"Yes…"

"And what else?"

It's terrifying, how Santana is sitting back, and has let Rachel take over the interrogation completely. The other girl has a wide grin on her face, arms folded across her chest.

"Uh. We… I told her the truth about me and Alex, and then I kissed her."

Rachel squeals, clasping her hands together. Santana's eyes widen. "About time!"

"Uh?"

"That is to say… Santana and myself, we might have an inkling of what was going on before either of you realised." Rachel sits back down. "It was only when I inadvertently revealed too much that we were aware of the… lack of progress that had been made."

"Unique told us," says Santana bluntly.

"Yes. That was what I was going to say, eventually," says Rachel, glaring at Santana.

"Unique's been hung up on the idea ever since high school," says Marley weakly. "And she says you guys were in on it, too."

Rachel looks smug. "It simply makes sense, given that the both of you have been dancing around the idea for far too long. And it turns out she was right, wasn't she?"

"Quiet, Rach. As though you knew all along too."

"And as though I didn't think they'd be good together!" Rachel snipes back. While they bicker, Marley reaches for her phone.

what did unique say?

U guys done alrd? Amazing, comes Quinn's reply.

we're not they just got distracted fighting over who shipped us tgt first

Shipped?

Marley blushes hot. Srry. Uniques word. Its from fanfic when you hope 2 characs will get tgt

Oic. Anyway srry i cant save u. Have to wait until 6 :(

She smiles. Its ok ttyl, she sends back, and tucks the phone back into her bag.

Rachel narrows her eyes at the bag. "Was that Quinn?"

"Yeah?"

"I knew it," she says smugly, "you got this – here," she gestures to her own face, "this goofy grin when you were texting her."

Marley shrugs. She's done fighting, done protesting; and anyway, she's not about to hide how happy talking about Quinn makes her, how happy Quinn makes her. "I guess."

Rachel sighs. "I'm so happy you two finally got your communications straight." She leans her head on Santana's shoulder. "I couldn't ask for a better person for Quinn; she deserves everything."

And it's clear she's talking about her turbulent history with Quinn, because Santana's 'I'm-about-to-lay-down-the-dire-consequences-of-hurting-my-best-friend' face wobbles a little, and she strokes Rachel's arm.

She tilts her face to kiss the underside of Santana's jaw. "I'm okay, baby. Go put the fear of God in Marley."

Marley stops smiling.

Santana grins, and it's all teeth, like a shark. "So. Quinn's mentioned my brand of protectiveness, has she?"

"... I've heard things, yes…?"

"Good, good. Now, I'm not dumb; I know there will be misunderstandings and arguments and times where Quinn will revert back to her shitty repressed self. That's fine. It may not seem like it, but Quinn is my best friend. And I am telling you, if you deliberately hurt my girl, I will hurt you. Very badly. Likely physically, because that's how Snix rolls, and I don't let Snix roll unless the situation calls for it."

"And depending on how dire the situation is, I may be tempted to make an exception to my vegetarian diet and bite your head off," adds Rachel primly.

"What my girl said." Santana fixes Marley with a glare. "We clear, Rose?"

Marley finds her mouth's gone dry. "Completely."

Santana's expression softens abruptly. "Good. Now come here and hug Rachel; she's been dying to do that for the past twenty minutes but I don't let her until I'm done with the shovel talk."

Marley laughs, and complies. "Do you want a hug too?"

"I will cut you if you ever mention this to anyone, especially your macking partner – but yes."

---

Just when she thinks she gets a reprieve from the excitement, she finds Unique waiting on her doorstep.

"Unique," she says flatly. "What a surprise."

"Oh, come on; did you really think me being here would be a surprise?"

"Yes, actually; I was expecting you to be here this morning when I woke up, or part of the interrogation team I just came from."

She waves a dismissive hand. "Ah, yeah. I did consider sitting in on that via Skype, but this is important." Unique grabs her in a tight hug, vibrating with suppressed squeals. "Oh my god, girl; I'm so happy for you guys!"

And Marley's jadedness dissipates completely, caught up in her best friend's excitement; she laughs as she returns the hug fiercely. "Wait. Don't you have class today?"

"I'm a graduating senior; I'll be outta there in a coupla months, no one's gonna give a shit about me not attending a lecture or two. Besides, you'll be glad to know I'm not just here for you 'cause it'll go to your head…" Unique goes to pull an envelope out of her purse, and hands it to Marley, who takes the letter out.

Marley scans the opening lines and gasps. "You got a callback!"

"Understudy off-off-Broadway, but it's something!"

Marley squeals again, and hugs her friend. "Unique! Oh my god, you didn't tell me! How long were you gonna keep this from me? Wait, how long were you working on this?"

"Well, I didn't want to get your hopes up," answers Unique bashfully. "I got a few contacts from Santana and Rachel and sent in some tapes. I got lucky; there was a friend of a friend of one of the guys who got my tape, and he thinks I would be a good fit to this upcoming musical. So here I am!" She spreads her arms wide. "It was just good timing that the callback coincided with this other cause for celebration involving my very best friend."

Marley shakes her head. "I'm glad you're here," she tells Unique.

"I'm glad I'm here, too," returns her best friend. "Now, I have all night. Tell me everything, and don't you dare leave out a single detail."

She makes a face. "Do I have to?"

"Marley Rose!"

"Kidding!" She holds up a hand, laughing. "I was only kidding!"

Unique aims a half-hearted smack at her. "Don't play with my heart that way, oh my god."

---

After all the excitement of the past few days, it's practically a relief when she's left to her own devices long enough to let her finish the paper; and with that, Marley is all but a college graduate. Her professors are overjoyed with the work she's done on Santana's album, and she looks to be graduating magna cum laude in a few short months.

It's amazing how so much has changed in a short time. She'll be done with college, she's seeing one of the most incredible people she knows. Things can't get any better.

"You look happy."

Marley grins up at Quinn. "I am happy."

"I'm guessing you finished the paper?"

She kisses Quinn chastely, grinning when the older girl blushes prettily. "With plenty of time left in the deadline."

"That's great." Quinn still looks a little dazed; Marley finds it endlessly amusing that Quinn – cool, collected, elegant Quinn – always seems to be undone by the slightest physical affection. "Is that all your classwork done?"

"I've got a few forms left to fill out, but apart from that, I'm done with school."

"Wow. Time flies; it seems like you were just starting college a couple of months ago." Quinn smiles at her fondly.

"I know, right?" She's still a little nervous about the real world – mostly because of the stories her older friends tell her – but also wildly excited to complete yet another milestone.

"Have you started applying for jobs yet?"

"I've sent out a few applications to record labels; mostly just seeing if I'll get an interview. I mean, even just being considered is a big deal." Besides the other labels under Atlantic's parent company, she's also considered other professions tangentially related to her degree.

Quinn makes a pleased sound. "You're so professional. It's hard to believe you're three years younger." She leans closer.

"Age isn't everything," she replies.

"I know what you mean. Like back then, when we were baking that cake for Beth. I didn't handle that very well." Her tone is light, but Marley detects an undercurrent of tension. She shifts so she can angle herself such that she's facing Quinn.

"Quinn?"

She sighs. "You didn't deserve any of that. I don't think I've ever forgiven myself for how I handled that situation. I know it was a knee jerk reaction, but I'd been a repressed bitch for too long."

"You don't need to apologise. You apologised years ago. I'm sorry I never tried to ask again; about you, your past… it must've seemed like I didn't care." Marley's fingers curl around Quinn's wrist, gently guiding her hand away from her face. "You can tell me anything; you know that, right?"

"I know you'll never judge me, yes." Quinn's smile is small, tentative; Marley's own answering smile brightens in response.

"I'm glad you know that." She lifts Quinn's hand to her lips. "Speaking of which, there's something I wanted to discuss with you."

"Yeah?" asks Quinn, suddenly looking uncertain.

"I haven't told my mom yet. It's not as bad as it sounds," Marley adds on seeing the worry on Quinn's face, "she's pretty open-minded. She'll love you, but I think it'll be a surprise for her."

"You haven't called her?"

Marley shakes her head. "We call and Skype regularly – well, we Skype whenever Mom can figure out the Internet – but I think it's something that should be done in person, y'know. But it's been – what, a month? – and I just feel like I'm keeping it a secret from her. But she'll be coming here next week for my graduation anyway." She looks at Quinn expectantly. "What do you think? Should I just call her?"

"You should call her," answers Quinn after a pause. "If it was me, I know I'd want her to know everything." Her expression turns contemplative. "Not like that's happening with my mom anytime soon."

Marley sighs. "I'm sorry. I hadn't brought it up earlier because I know you and your mom aren't that close, and I didn't want you thinking about that."

"It's fine." Quinn shakes her head. "We've made our peace with it. Like – I'm not about to march down the street wearing a rainbow flag, but I won't hide you from her if she ever asks." She squeezes Marley's fingers; Marley squeezes back.

"Okay. I guess… I'll call her."

"Do you want me here for support?"

"Nah," says Marley. "I'll be fine. Knowing Mom, she'll probably leap at the chance to embarrass me in front of my girlfriend or something like that, like she hasn't already humiliated me in front of you enough."

"Your girlfriend?"

Marley blinks. "Uh, yeah? Isn't that the term for you, the girl whom I'm dating? Unless," she adds, looking stricken, "you're not comfortable with labels or defining whatever we have…"

"No, it's fine." Quinn looks a little pink, but she's smiling. "I was just surprised to hear it, is all."

"Oh. Great! I mean – I'm glad you didn't hate it."

"You worry about the strangest things, Marley."

---

"You ready?"

Marley looks herself up and down; she's got her shoes on the right feet. Her hair is in a functional ponytail. Her usual messenger bag has all the sundries she'll need for the day, plus a few emergency supplies. Her phone's charged. She looks back up at Andie.

"Yep," she says with a nod.

"Oh, good. I think Gavin and Stan are ready, too." Andie snatches up the heavy garment bags slung over the back of the sofa, pausing to check her hair one last time in the hall mirror.

The boys emerge from Gavin's room, Stan still fussing over Gavin's hair with a comb. "Doesn't it ever lie flat?" he asks desperately.

"That's what she said, last night."

"Oh, ha ha, like that sex joke hasn't been made a thousand times," replies Stan sardonically. He raps the comb on the top of Gavin's head. "Now hold still or I swear, I'll just cut the damn thing off. Make that into a sex joke, won't you?"

"Boys," says Andie primly, "we need to leave now, or we'll be late. Stan, you can fix his hair later; anyway, it'll all be hidden by the hats." Marley hands them their own garment bags, and shoos them out the door to wait in the landing while she locks the house up.

Even though NYU's commencement ceremonies are spread out over a few weeks because of the sheer number of students, Marley counts herself lucky that she and her roommates ended up scheduled for the same day – albeit at different timings. Gavin will walk in the morning, followed by Andie in the afternoon, and finally she and Stan in the early evening.

The best part about her ceremony timing is that both Quinn and her mom will be able to attend.

She knows her mom already adores Quinn, but that was when she and Quinn were just friends. A part of her can't help but feel jittery about today – the first time Millie will be meeting Quinn as more than just her friend.

They pile their belongings in the cloakroom designated for commencing students, and then head off to Gavin's ceremony.

---

"Okay, I'm officially jealous," mutters Stan.

Andie nods. "He's a sex-crazed idiot, and yet…"

"How the hell does someone whose probably banged the entire college end up valedictorian?"

"Hidden depths," says Gavin triumphantly, coming up behind them, "in more ways than one." They groan, but hug him anyway, Stan thumping him on the back. "But mostly because we had a deal, Stan my man."

"What deal?"

Gavin throws an arm over Stan's shoulders. "If I topped my class, he'd tell me his real name."

There's a silence. "Fuck," says Stan slowly, "I agreed to that?"

"I have a shaky phone video that will serve as evidence."

Stan shrugs. "Fair enough." He leans closer and whispers in Gavin's ear, who draws back in alarm.

"You're serious?"

"Sadly."

"Damn. Your parents must have hated you."

"Why only him? Why not the rest of us?" demands Andie. "This is unfair!"

"Sweetie, I worked hard for this privilege. I had to bang both the professor and the teaching assistant for grades, and the worst part was finding out they were already fucking each other and I was being passed between them like some special kind of frat bong."

Marley rolls her eyes. "Come on," she says, taking Andie by the arm, "you're walking next."

---

Shortly after Andie comes to greet them, scroll in hand, she gets a call from Unique. "Babe, we're here!" she announces.

"Great! Where are you?"

"Uhhh, main foyer I think. The one with the fancy commencement banners."

"They all have fancy commencement banners, Unique."

"I guess. Oh, wait, this is the main foyer. The guy in the suit said so."

"Okay." It's not far from Andie's building, so she can be there in ten minutes. "I'll see you guys in a while." She ends the call and makes her excuses, stepping out into the fresh air. The campus is the most crowded she's ever seen it, even on the first day of school; people throng the paths around the buildings, the bulky gowns seemingly taking up most of the space. But Marley's on a mission, and she easily makes her way through the crowds and enters the main reception hall for Steinhardt's commencement ceremony.

Unique and Millie are standing to the side; both brighten upon seeing her.

"Mom!"

"Oh, my girl." Laughing, Millie hugs her tight. "Look at you! I've been waitin' for this day, and it's finally here! My baby girl's graduatin' college!"

"I'm so glad to see you, Mom."

"Where's Quinn?" Millie actually looks past Marley, scanning the crowded foyer.

"She's at work. She'll be here in time to see me walk, don't worry. It's just a little early 'cause I thought we could have lunch together."

"Oh, good. I'm so happy for you two; honestly, though, I can't believe you landed a catch like that girl." Millie chuckles.

"Mom!"

"Must be the Rose family charm, I'm guessin'. Your dad was a pretty good-lookin' man himself back then, in his prime."

Marley groans. "You're… not surprised? After all the boyfriends over the years, and suddenly a girl?"

Millie's expression turns serious. "Honey, I didn't say this over the phone, but… I really don't care who you date, so long as they make you happy. Love is all that matters, and if she makes you happy, well… I'm happy." She pats Marley's cheek. "My little girl all grown up."

"Even if I came home and told you I'm dating Bigfoot?"

"I'd go out to Costco an' stock up on those lint roller things."

"Mom!"

She cackles. "Jus' kidding. Come on, let's get lunch."

---

Marley fidgets with the tassel of her mortarboard as the dean drones on. They're all seated in alphabetical order, so she's stuck between Ned Rothersay and Janice Rogers, while Stan is all the way at the back. It's taking all of her self-control not to turn around to wave to her friends seated behind.

The dean finishes up with his speech. He has his namelist out; Aberforth, Ashley is called out, and it's time.

The applause doesn't flag despite the warm summer air, and the never-ending stream of graduates heading onstage to collect their diplomas. Marley continues to fidget, until…

"Rose, Marley."

The cheers that fill the air are unmistakable. As she climbs the steps, she scans the crowd, looking for familiar faces to match the voices, and spots Quinn. Marley holds her diploma aloft, grinning. She wishes she can rejoin them immediately, but there are still more graduates to announce, and Marley forces herself to return to her seat.

The dean awards a diploma to Zabrowski, Evan, and then rolls up his namelist. "I give you, New York University's Steinhardt Class of 2019." And then they're cheering, and mortarboards go everywhere.

---

She manages to free herself from the press of overexcited graduates and head towards the audience seating. Immediately, Marley realized that it's going to be a tough time; she has better luck finding them than they her, since she's wearing the same robes as roughly half the people in the hall –

Then she 'eep's as a force on the back of her robes yoinks her backwards.

"Am I good or am I good?" says Santana smugly. She lets go of Marley's robes, turning her around.

Her mom grabs her in a huge hug. "I'm so proud of you," she mutters through her tears. "Love you, baby girl."

"I love you too, Mom." She feels tears prick at her eyes. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Nonsense. You're my smart girl, my college grad." Millie breaks the hug to dab at her eyes with a tissue.

Quinn is standing to Millie's left, holding a bouquet and a stuffed bobcat in a graduation gown. "Wow. You really didn't have to," says Marley.

"But you love them."

"I do," she freely admits, stepping forward to kiss Quinn chastely. "Thank you."

When they part, Millie puts her arms around them both. "I've been wantin' to do this since Marley told me over the phone. Even though you've been family for a while now, consider this your official welcome to the Roses."

Quinn looks like she's about to cry. "Thanks, Millie."

"Ah, now you can call me Mom if you wanted."

"Mom!"

"Jus' like that."

Before she can respond, she's smothered by excited armfuls of Rachel and Unique, both squealing at her. Santana allows it for a few minutes before she (not-so-gently) pries them both off.

---

Much like the years before, Marley has her summer all planned out. She'll go back to work for Oscar while putting in more job applications, with a week in between to spend at home in Lima. Realistically, she doesn't expect to be called in for interviews during this period because it's graduate season, and there are thousands of other fresh grads pounding the streets.

But she's good, and all she needs is a chance to prove it.

So are her friends; Santana is still working the circuit, putting her album out to anyone who will take it. Rachel is slowly but surely climbing the ranks of Broadway. Unique moved to the city after graduating, free of her parents for good, and into a tiny apartment with Andrew.

Quinn, of course, is Quinn. She is a force to be reckoned with in her office.

Everything goes according to plan… until it doesn't.

Marley frowns. She has two letters in front on her kitchen table, and she has her arms folded in front of her as she contemplates them.

"What are those?"

Her furrowed expression eases a little when arms wind around her waist, and a gentle weight settles on her shoulder. "Offers," says Marley, angling her face to kiss Quinn's cheek. "They were in the mail when I checked this morning."

"Offers? Really? That's amazing." Quinn lets go to examine them. "... Los Angeles?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't mention you'd applied there."

"Quinn, no." She reaches for the hem of Quinn's top, tugging until she turns Quinn around. "I know what you're thinking. I applied to Atlantic, but they'd already hired someone… my former supervisor thought I'd be a good fit for their LA subsidiary, though, and she forwarded my application to them without telling me." Marley searches for her words. "I'm sorry. I know what it looks like."

Quinn shakes her head. "It's fine. I should trust you… you're not the sort of person that keeps things from me." She smiles. "Location aside, it sounds like a great opportunity."

"I guess."

"You're not considering it?"

Marley sighs. "I should. That's why I haven't turned it down immediately. But the other offer…" She glances at the other letter. "It's for a position here, in New York."

"But it's not for your industry."

She shrugs. "At least it's here."

"That can't be all the offers you've gotten."

"It is."

"Marley… You don't have to rush into getting a job, you know?"

"I know, but… it doesn't look good if I'm not working immediately."

Quinn takes the LA letter from the table and holds it out. Marley shakes her head.

"Quinn."

"Marley. You don't even have to think about it; it's in your industry, you'll have so many career opportunities, you'll be working with people who already know what you can do…"

"But it's LA. I'll be across the country away from everyone else."

"You're not seriously considering staying here because of me, are you?" asks Quinn disbelievingly. "We… we've just started dating – "

"You're my best friend first." Marley runs a hand through her fringe. "I don't… it's a lot to think about. My mom, my friends… Unique's here now. I mean, I won't lie and say you aren't a factor, because you are. But like I said… it's a lot to think about." She drops her hand, looking at Quinn. "Can you give me some space? Please?"

Eventually, Quinn nods. "We'll talk about it when you're ready," she says.

---

She sends out other applications, and she attends interviews. But her accomplishments are just a small drop in the pool of young and hungry jobseekers in New York. By the time her flight home to Lima draws close, those two letters are all Marley has.

When Quinn meets her at the airport, Marley practically sinks into her arms. The past few weeks have been busy for them both – Marley with her job search taking up whatever spare time she has, Quinn with a flurry of work after a few resignations. "I've missed you so much," she says, nuzzling her face into Quinn's neck.

Quinn laughs softly. "Me too." She kisses the side of Marley's head. "You won't believe how long I've been looking forward to this."

They separate, gathering their bags, searching for the check-in counter. "I think I have an idea," says Marley, smiling. "After the month we've both been having, doing nothing in our small town sounds perfect."

"I know." Quinn's hand slips into Marley's free one, and her thumb strokes the side of Marley's hand. "Especially for you."

Marley sighs. "Yeah."

"Still no luck?"

"Not since the last time you asked – which was this morning." Marley smiles at her anyway. "But I do appreciate that you're this concerned about it."

---

Since Millie is at her watercolour club outing in Columbus, they have the afternoon to themselves, before Millie comes home for dinner. Quinn's mother rented her a car to use for the week they're home, and so they decide to stop by Quinn's house first to collect it, dropping off her luggage as well, before Quinn drives Marley home.

Marley comes downstairs to find Quinn sitting on the couch. "What do you want to do?" asks Quinn.

Marley flops down with her. "I've got a crazy idea."

"Rachel kind of crazy, Santana crazy, or Gavin crazy?"

She giggles. "I should feel bad we're using our friends as a meter for measuring insanity levels, but… none of the above. My brand of crazy."

"Pretty tame then," teases Quinn.

"Sadly, yeah." She hugs a throw pillow to her chest. "This reminds me of the first time we hung out. Do you remember? Homemade lemonade, Perks of Being a Wallflower…"

"... And the half-drunk grape soda? Of course. How could I forget?" Quinn settles on the couch beside her. "You looked like you were going to pass out from nerves half of the time."

Marley covers her face with the pillow. "I couldn't help it! I didn't know what to make of you – you were the Quinn Fabray, and you were talking to me. Coming over to my house to hang out with me."

Fingers pry at the pillow, and Marley loosens her grip, letting Quinn put it down. "And now here we are."

"Here we are indeed." Marley can't help the smile that starts when she looks into Quinn's eyes. She's falling for this woman, falling faster than she'd ever thought she was capable of.

Quinn's eyelashes flutter. She leans in to press her lips to Marley's softly.

Marley hums into the kiss. One hand finds its way to the small of Quinn's back, urging her closer. "I feel like we're being naughty," she says.

"In what sense?"

"My mom won't be back for a couple of hours…" she says teasingly.

Quinn groans. "That was terrible," she complains, pushing at Marley's shoulder.

"Maybe, but I enjoyed saying that way more than I should've. Guess I've been reading too many teen romance novels."

Quinn rolls her eyes. Her fingers rest on Marley's shoulders. "What next? Are you gonna tell me that I should sparkle? Or are you secretly the heir of an ancient clan of werewolf nobility?"

Marley answers her with a kiss, and more in quick succession. A soft moan escapes Quinn's lips; her arms snake around Marley's neck to bring them closer. Her fingers thread into Marley's hair, tugging it out of its neat ponytail.

"Here…" Marley's hands on the underside of Quinn's arms guide her so she's straddling Marley's lap. "Comfortable?"

Quinn nods.

Marley tilts her head up to meet Quinn halfway. Her hands are on Quinn's hips, holding her steady. "Mmmmm." Her eyes open briefly – just in time to catch the smirk on Quinn's face, as she starts kissing down her jaw.

She gasps. Quinn seems to take the sound as positive feedback; her tongue swirls over Marley's skin, sending a pleasurable shiver through her body. "More," she whispers, and inhales sharply when she feels teeth nip at her.

Marley grips onto Quinn tightly, certain she'll find finger-shaped bruises there if she looks later – but whatever concern she has for her girlfriend is quickly lost as her world narrows down to the warm weight in her lap, and the wicked mouth making love to her neck. She tilts her head to the side in wordless indication of where she wants Quinn.

Quinn shifts. The arms around Marley's neck maneuver her down on the couch, and she quickly cooperates; Marley keeps her hands on Quinn's hips. "Closer."

Her girlfriend obliges. Marley sighs when Quinn's mouth resumes kissing down her neck.

She's glad Quinn is wearing a shirt; her right hand steals up and under the soft fabric, palm splayed over the bare heated skin of Quinn's back. Marley feels a soft moan pressed into the side of her neck.

Just when she's enjoying how Quinn's breathing changes whenever she moves her fingers, Quinn's hand rests on her collarbone, fingers dangerously close to her left breast. Quinn stops kissing her neck – and Marley has to bite her lip to stop the disappointed sound leaving her. "Is this okay?" Quinn asks.

A part of her wishes Quinn wouldn't stop, but Marley is grateful that she did; they've never gone this far before, and she's a little nervous. "Yes," breathes Marley, smiling up at her. "Thanks for asking, but… it's more than okay."

Quinn smiles. Her hand moves to cover her breast over her T-shirt, and she squeezes.

Marley moans. Her hips jerk up, and into Quinn's body. "Feels good," she says. Her hand moves up to grab the back of Quinn's head, and tug her down for a bruising kiss, fingers gripping her hair. Marley's tongue runs over the seam of Quinn's lips until she parts them and deepens the kiss.

"You've gotten better at kissing," says Quinn once they've parted for air.

"Through a lot of practice." Marley's flippant reply is spoiled somewhat by the needy moan that escapes her when Quinn's hand continues its ministrations over her breast.

Quinn laughs breathily, but she looks a little distracted herself. She takes her hand off Marley's chest, and dips her head, fingers tugging down the collar of Marley's T-shirt. Quinn's tongue laves the newly-exposed skin.

Marley moans. She never wants Quinn to stop doing… whatever she's doing with her lips and tongue, that's sending her body into overload, that has every nerve tingling. But then Quinn's mouth finds the swell of her breast, and Marley's grip on Quinn tightens.

"Marley?"

"Can we… I don't want to go any further," she admits. "I'm sorry."

Quinn smiles. "It's fine." She moves to sit up, but stops when Marley doesn't let go.

"Lie down."

"On you?"

"On me," confirms Marley. "Cuddling is okay. I just don't want you to stop touching me. Uh, that came out wrong."

"If you insist," says Quinn, giggling. She lies down carefully, head tucked under Marley's chin. Marley wraps her arm around Quinn's waist.

"I really didn't want to stop you, but I didn't want anything more to happen on my mom's couch," says Marley sheepishly. "It just seems like a cliche teenager thing, y'know?"

"You don't need to explain anything. I get it. I want us both to be comfortable with every step of the way."

"Thank you." Marley reaches for Quinn's hand, bringing their joined hands to rest on her chest. Quinn tilts her face up to kiss the underside of Marley's jaw, then settles back comfortably.

"... You know what would have been a cliche teenager thing? If we had ended up like this years ago."

Marley snorts. "Too true. Luckily, we went through the nature adult route of getting to know each other first, and then being in complete obliviousness."

"Mature indeed."

"I mean – we got here eventually, but sometimes, teenagers and their hormones have the best ideas."

"You talk as though you're an old woman."

"My mom calls me an old soul." The hand on Quinn's hip toys with the denim of Quinn's jeans. "Speaking of my mom, are you staying for dinner tonight?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Quinn bite her lower lip. "I'd love nothing more, but… it's been a while since I spent some time with my mom, and I probably should have dinner with her tonight at the very least. Plus, I wouldn't want to impose on your time with your mom."

"I understand. It's not a big deal," says Marley. She lifts her free hand to stroke Quinn's hair. "Also, Mom adores you. Believe me when I say that she'll love the chance to embarrass me further in front of you."

Quinn chuckles. "Then all the more I should spare you for at least one night."

She smiles. "This is gonna sound incredibly clingy, but… I'm gonna miss you. We barely got to spend any time together over the past month or so, and it's only for tonight but I feel like I only just got you here," says Marley, her fingers twisting strands of blonde hair together.

"I feel the same way." Quinn sighs and leans into the touch when Marley starts combing her fingers through her hair. "But we'll survive."

"Guess so."

"What time is it?"

"Uhh…" Marley cranes her neck to glance at the wall clock. "Quarter to six."

"I should get going, then. I need to unpack and settle in anyway."

Marley lets go reluctantly, getting off the couch to arrange the pillows back to their original condition. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Quinn laughs. "I can't wait," she says, stepping forward and lifting her chin so her lips brush Marley's.

---

Her mom being who she is, she has everything all planned out. Pot roast is taken out of the slow cooker the minute Millie arrives home, and Marley sits down to a hearty home-cooked dinner. Millie fills her in on everything that's been happening while she was gone; although Millie went up to New York for Marley's graduation, they didn't have much time for just the two of them.

They round the evening out with TV and homemade butter cookies. Marley goes up to her room to text Quinn.

She can't believe this is her life now. The last time she was lounging here aimlessly, she was a high school graduate with an acceptance letter to NYU, and vague dreams of the future. Now, Marley has her college degree and precisely two options on the table with regards to the future.

And Quinn… as much as Marley would love to give in to her natural idealism and say Quinn is her future, she knows that they still have a long way to go as a couple. They've been friends for about four years now, but Quinn as a friend is vastly different from Quinn as her girlfriend.

Marley sits up. She searches for her laptop; while she's still in this mood, she should send out a few more emails to prospective employers…

Her phone rings. Marley's brow furrows, even more so when she sees that it's Quinn calling. "Hello?"

"Hey. Sorry. Am I disturbing you?" Her voice is quiet, subdued.

"No, I was just about to get my laptop. Is something wrong?"

"I – no. I don't…"

She knows that tone of voice. "Quinn. Where are you?"

There's silence, and the soft sound of breathing. Wherever Quinn is, it's quiet enough that Marley also hears the sound of a hitched sob – and her heart breaks. "Quinn?"

"... I'm parked out at our place."

She's already up and moving, grabbing her hoodie off the back of her chair. "I'll be there in five."

---

She passed the last streetlight about half a mile ago, and has to drive slowly so she doesn't crash. It's a moonless night, dark except for the occasional car (she stopped seeing other people a mile back) and the stars above. The main town glows in Marley's rearview mirror.

Her high beam reflects off metal. Marley quickly pulls over and hops out of the car.

"Quinn?"

The back door opens. Marley wastes no time in clambering in, reaching out to flick on the interior lights. "What happened? Are you okay?" She cups Quinn's face in both hands.

She shakes her head slightly. "I'm fine," says Quinn dully, pulling away.

"I was worried." Marley closes the car door behind her, leaning back against it. "Tell me what happened?"

"I just…" Quinn stares past the windshield, at the pitch-black outside. "I told my mom about us. Things didn't go so well after that."

"Oh, Quinn."

"I see you and your mom, and I forget," she continues, still in that same flat and dead tone. "What I have with my mom isn't the same, and I was a fool to think that we'd patched things up enough that she would accept this part of me… to accept you." Quinn turns back, emotion finally showing through the cracks in her mask. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Marley grabs her hand without thinking. "I wasn't expecting you to tell your mom about us, honestly. You never mentioned you were going to tell her tonight."

"I wasn't intending to. She asked me if I was seeing someone new, because I seemed happy, and I said yes. Then she asked if I was going to bring him to meet her, and I…" Quinn trails off.

Marley makes shushing sounds. Her thumb strokes Quinn's cheek.

"She… wasn't happy. She asked me if it was Rachel, and if it was, it would have been because she and her dads corrupted me with their lifestyle." Her voice cracks a little. "And she asked if that was the reason Blake left me."

She's suspected Judy Fabray was capable of great cruelty – based on Quinn's own personality, and the women she met at the garden party – but hearing this makes Marley tremble with anger. "She doesn't know what she's talking about."

Quinn laughs shortly. "She doesn't, but she knows exactly what to say to get to me."

"What else did she say?"

"Nothing more you need to hear," says Quinn. "I stormed out after that, and came here."

"How long have you been here?" It's close to midnight the last time she checked her phone.

"I'm not sure. I was upset, and needed to be alone for a while; that's why I didn't call you earlier…" Quinn trails off when Marley scoots closer, gathering her into a hug. She rests her head against the other girl's shoulder, but doesn't move otherwise.

"It's alright. I'm glad you called me." The stiffness doesn't leave Quinn's shoulders; a telltale sign that she hasn't divulged the whole story. But Marley pays it no heed, rubbing Quinn's back as though she can rub away all the things burdening her. "I'm glad you're letting me be here."

"Sometimes I don't even know why you're here," admits Quinn quietly.

"... What do you mean?"

There's a weighty pause. She can guess that Quinn is debating reverting to form and simply bottling up whatever's on her mind, or… "Quinn, I want to help. Please let me in."

"You don't know me. I'm not… I'm difficult." Quinn breaks out of Marley's embrace, arms around herself in a defensive gesture.

"Is that what your mom said?"

Quinn goes rigid.

"What exactly did she say to you?" asks Marley, fighting to keep herself calm. She can see Quinn's terrified, triggered by years of emotional abuse, and she wants to hurt the people responsible for it.

"She didn't…"

"What did she say?"

Quinn stumbles over her words. "She said… I was always like that. That I couldn't… I'm not capable of having normal relationships, that no one normal would want me." Her voice cracks completely on the last few words.

"Quinn…" She desperately wants to cry; for how distraught Quinn sounds, her own frustration that someone could be as cold to say those things to their own daughter. But she holds herself together with an effort. Quinn needs her now. "She's wrong. She's so completely wrong."

Quinn turns her face away from her. "You didn't go through four years of high school with me. I pushed everyone away. I was the top of the hierarchy, and I was a complete bitch to everyone. You've heard about some of the things I did, right? Rachel and Santana told you?"

Marley shakes her head again. "They have." She has the Cliff's Notes of Quinn's life before she knew her, from Quinn's friends and Quinn herself. "So?"

"So, you know. I'm not someone people want to be with."

She has to think over what she says next. Marley's dealt with more than her fair share of insecurities and self-doubt, but this isn't about her now. "Hey," she starts. Her hand cups Quinn's cheek. "Look at me, okay?"

Quinn's eyes stay downcast.

"I do care about what you did in the past; I'd be lying if I said otherwise. But that's who you were," stresses Marley, "and what I care about more is what you did to fix those things." Her thumb brushes away a tear. "I love you – all of you, everything that makes you you."

"You love me?" It comes out strained; half-laugh, half-sob.

Marley pauses, then lets a slow happy smile spread across her face as it sinks in. "I do. That was not how I envisioned I'd say it for the first time, but okay."

Quinn looks away, but her expression is less troubled than what it was fifteen minutes earlier.

"You don't have to say it back," ventures Marley hesitantly.

"I know. I was thinking about other things."

"Your mom?"

She gets silence as her only answer.

"I hope you know none of it is true. I don't give a damn what your mom says."

Quinn turns back to her, surprised. "DId you just swear?"

"I did. Your mom, she – she clearly has no idea what sort of strong, amazing, brave person you are. That how you're so much more than the pretty cookie-cutter Prom Queen girl stereotype. She has no right to say such cruel things to you just because you have the courage to be yourself and follow your heart." Her voice shakes with the strength of all the hatred she's feeling. "And if she can't see any of that, or bring herself to learn… that's her loss."

"Okay," says Quinn. Her hands brush Marley's thighs. "You're okay."

"I'm not okay." Marley wipes away angry tears with the heel of her hand. "I can't imagine how bad it must have been for you growing up. I hate that it happened to you."

"At least I'm out of there now. My dad's gone. Lima's not really home anymore." Marley feels a pressure on her chin, urging her to look up. "My home's in New York, with my friends and my roommates. With you."

Her heart swells. "I'm glad."

"But you're wrong about one thing."

"What thing?"

Quinn smiles; shy and tentative, but there. "That I don't have to say it back. Because I do. Love you, that is."

She is speechless.

"Nearly dying in a car accident gave me a different perspective on life," she continues, "like there's no such thing as a right or wrong time for something. I've known how I've felt about you for a long time, Marley, even when I thought I was the only one." Quinn brushes her fingers over Marley's cheek.

Marley thinks Quinn might be smiling, but she's not sure, with her vision blurred with tears. "These are happy tears, I swear," she says.

"That's good to hear." A gentle hand cups her cheek. "I don't think there should be both of us crying tonight."

"You know… on the subject of timing, I meant it."

"Meant what?"

"What I said earlier, all of it. Everything," murmurs Marley. "You're everything."

Quinn blushes but says nothing else. "It's late," she says, catching sight of the time on the radio console, "you should go home. Your mom will be worried about you."

"Stay with me tonight?" Marley rests her fingers on Quinn's wrist.

"I…" Quinn looks down, and back up again. "Okay."

Marley opens the car door. "I don't think you should drive," she says, making her way over to her own car, Quinn's hand firmly clasped in hers. "We'll come back to pick up your car first thing tomorrow."

Quinn nods. She eases out of Marley's grip and sits in the passenger seat of Marley's car. When Marley holds out her hand, she stares in confusion.

"Your keys."

"Oh. Right."

Marley pockets them, starting the engine. Gravel crunches noisily as she pulls back onto the road, starting the drive home. Quinn is silent and unmoving the entire ride back.

The house is dark when Marley parks the car in the driveway. "Do you want some water?"

Quinn shakes her head.

Marley leads the way upstairs. She takes out a towel and a change of clothes, leaving them on the bed. "If you wanna wash up."

"I… okay." She takes the things and disappears into the bathroom.

While she's inside, Marley strips off her hoodie, dropping it back onto her chair, and flops on the bed. She's already tired from the flight this morning, and now… Her anger has mostly drained from her, leaving Marley tired and in need of some quiet time.

She is instantly alert when the bathroom door clicks open. Quinn stands in the doorway, looking uncertain; Marley sits up, offering her hand and a soft smile.

After a pause, Quinn takes it.

Marley pulls back the covers, motioning for Quinn to get in, and climbs in after, hand curling around her waist. "I love you," Marley murmurs into Quinn's shoulder.

---

Marley wakes to find herself alone in her bed. She sits up, rubbing at her eyes, trying not to feel too disappointed.

When she goes downstairs, a sob catches her attention immediately. Just when she's about to enter the kitchen, Marley spots her mom.

Millie has her back to her, and and both arms around Quinn; the latter has her face buried in Millie's shoulder. Both don't notice her presence.

Quietly, Marley goes back upstairs.

---

Like a princess from a storybook, she's awakened with a kiss. "Hey," says Quinn, smile dim, but there.

"Quinn." Marley pushes herself up on an elbow, the fingers of her other hand brushing Quinn's cheek. "Are you better?"

"A bit."

She doesn't mention being downstairs with Millie, so neither does Marley. Quinn sits down and lets Marley take her hands into her lap. Her eyes search Quinn's face for some hint on how they should approach this –

"Not right now," says Quinn quietly. "Please."

Marley blinks in surprise, then nods. "...okay. Are you hungry?"

"Not really, but I can eat."

"How about breakfast, then some more sleep?" ventures Marley. "I think we both could use that."

Quinn nods. She seems to have retreated back into herself overnight, a shadow of the person Marley's grown to know.

She can't do this alone; she needs help.

---

As soon as breakfast is over, Millie declares herself out of bread, and that means Marley has to go to the store to get some. She's loath to leave Quinn, but Quinn isn't up to leaving the house, and Millie shoots her a meaningful look as she puts an arm around Quinn's shoulders and starts talking about needing an extra pair of hands to help her with the day's baking.

While in the car, she calls Rachel and fills her in on the situation.

"Judy did what?! I can't believe the nerve of that woman!" whisper-screeches Rachel into the phone.

Marley shrugs helplessly, then remembers Rachel can't see her. "Yeah," she says, loath to delve back into something that has hurt Quinn so much.

"How is she?"

From the suddenly-gentle tone of voice, Marley can tell it's not Judy Fabray Rachel is asking after. "Sad."

"Oh." Rachel sounds distraught. "I wish we could be there. Give her a hug from us?"

"We know. I will. Look, Rachel… I'm not just calling to tell you what happened."

"You need advice on what to say?"

"Not just that. I – we said a lot. It's helped, but I can still see how sad she is, how she doesn't really believe me."

Rachel blows out a frustrated breath. "Trust me, I know exactly what you mean. Quinn, she… you now know first-hand what her upbringing was like. You can see how hard it is for her to believe someone telling her the exact opposite of what those – people – have been telling her since she was little." There's a pause. "Marley, I don't have an instant cure for you. It took me two years to even convince her we could be friends. I'm sorry I can't be of much help."

"No, you've helped plenty. Thanks, Rachel. I'm glad she had someone like you back then."

"Oh, that's not the case at all if you ask her," says Rachel wryly. "But… yes. I have to go now – call me later? Keep me updated."

"Of course. Thanks, Rach. Talk to you later."

By this time, she's sitting in the parking lot. Marley ends the call and turns off the engine, walking into the store and through the aisles distractedly, Quinn still on her mind.

"Marley?"

Marley lifts her head, looking around – and sees a familiar face. "... Brittany?"

It's been two years or so since she last saw Brittany, but in that short time she seems to have blossomed. Brittany hasn't lost any of her enthusiasm as she rushes over to enfold Marley in a bear hug.

Over Brittany's shoulder, she sees another familiar face. "Finn!"

He grins at her, coming up to join the hug. "I really shouldn't be surprised to see you here."

"I'm visiting my mom for the last summer holidays before I get a job," says Marley.

"Graduated college?"

"Yeah, New York U, in music production."

"Aww, that's so cool." He had a hand on the small of Brittany's back, but moves forward to hug Marley in that same manner as Brittany did; she giggles as she's lifted off her feet for the second time in ten minutes. "I'm proud of you."

Beside them, Brittany's smile dims a little. "I… is Santana with you?"

The name casts a call over the three of them. She sees Finn and Brittany exchange a look, and then he takes her hand.

"No, she's still in New York."

"With Rachel," says Finn quietly.

"...Yeah."

"It's cool," he says, forcing a smile. "Me and Rachel are good. It's really great to hear she's doing well in New York."

"She is," says Marley. "She's an understudy in an off-Broadway production, and in workshop for another role."

"San's album is really good."

Both Finn and Marley glance at Brittany. "How did you know…?" asks Marley.

"Tina told me, and she helped me buy a copy." Brittany's mouth twists sideways as she chews on her lower lip. "We weren't sure if we should attend the launch party or not."

"Yeah," says Marley. "I'm sorry."

"Is anyone else in town?" asks Finn in a poorly-disguised attempt to change the subject. Instead of rounding on him the way Santana, Quinn, or even Rachel might have done, Brittany simply rubs his arm. "Y'know, from Glee."

Perhaps it's how they work, thinks Marley.

"Quinn's in town, too," she says, unsure of how to tell them she and Quinn are dating.

"Really? That's awesome – I haven't talked to her in ages, have you? How'd you know she's in town, though? You guys only met a handful of times as far as I know…" He trails off when Brittany squeezes his arm.

"Sweetie," she interrupts, "I think you should let Marley say what she wants to say first. It's not very nice to talk when people are trying to get their words in order. Too many words gets your head muddled up."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"No, it's fine. But I… Quinn and I…" She catches Brittany's eye; the taller woman nods, smiling reassuringly. "We're dating."

Finn stares. "You – whuh – but you're both girls."

"Yeah?" Marley watches him carefully, the memory of Santana's outing in high school at the back of her mind.

Finn seems to read her mind. "Not that I think it's wrong!" He rushes out. "Honestly, if you're both happy, I'm happy for you guys." Finn chuckles ruefully. "Wow. You know, she didn't seem very happy with me when we were dating, and this kinda explains why, actually."

Brittany smiles up at him. "Finny, do you mind getting the rest of the stuff? I need to have some girl talk with Marley."

He doesn't seem bothered at all by the (very obvious) dismissal. "Sure, Britt." Finn turns to Marley. "We've all gotta catch up before we leave town. Gimme a call, my number hasn't changed."

"Will do, Finn."

Once he disappears into the next aisle, Brittany grabs her hand and leads her in the opposite direction. "Your mouth did a great job of putting words out, but your body says there's more that you didn't want to say in front of Finn."

"I, uh…"

Brittany waves her hesitation away. "Something happened to Quinn, didn't it? Your eyes were all happy, then sad and angry when Finn mentioned her."

Marley knows better than to ask Brittany where she gets her uncanny people-reading abilities from. "She told her mom about me. It didn't… go too well." They're standing outside the store, and Brittany motions for them to sit on the bench outside.

Brittany's face falls. "Oh no."

"Yeah."

"She's at your house?"

"Yeah, she wasn't up to coming out with me today." Marley puffs out a breath. "She's really hurting, and I don't know how to help."

Brittany pats her knee. "You're doing plenty by being you, Marley. You're like a Rachel, minus the shortness, annoying persistentness, and the Broadway ambitions." She pauses. "And adding the whole being in love back part."

"I know," she says. "But there must be something more I can do."

"You know Quinn used to be Lucy, right?"

"Yeah?" Marley blinks, but otherwise isn't surprised by the abrupt change of conversation topic; this is Brittany, after all.

"She's had years and years of being talked down and around by her parents. It's gonna take years and years of you and us doing the right kind of talking before Quinn lets herself believe us." Brittany shrugs. "At least there's only her mom in her life now. Half the talking is a lot easier."

"Her mom." Marley straightens up in her seat. "That's it. Thanks, Britt."

Brittany's brows draw together. "Marley, you can't go. I know what you're trying to do – I had plenty of experience reading San – and you're not gonna accomplish what you want. Quinn's mom is like, half a century old, and that's twice the amount of talking down to undo." She sketches figures in the air. "The math works out."

"I don't… she doesn't need to change." Marley runs a hand through her fringe. "She just needs to know how much Quinn is hurting, because of her."

"... I'll help." Brittany stands up. "I don't think I'll go with you because both Quinn and her mom have this habit of never saying what they mean, but what they think others want them to mean, and it makes my brain hurt."

"Thanks, Britt, but I was gonna ask you to stay with Quinn." She pats Brittany's elbow. "My mom has to go out, and I don't want her to be alone while I go to see Mrs Fabray."

"I can do that!" The taller girl beams at her. "I'm sure Quinn will wanna hear about the latest stuff Lord Tubbington's been up to in Los Angeles. Long story short, he found out the real reason it's called that."

"Uh… I'm sure she'd like to hear that."

"Great! I'll go check on Finn, then I'll get him to drop me off. I don't think it's a great idea to have him come with me, 'cause he's not really good at speaking body, especially not the kind Quinn speaks all the time, not to mention how much she can say at one time." She scrunches up her nose.

"Okay, Britt."

Brittany gives her a quick hug. "Be careful, Marley. Quinn's mom is really, really good at saying mean things."

"I'll be careful."

---

Marley puts on The Supremes' music for the short drive to the Fabray house. It bolsters her nerve somewhat, but even then she has to spend ten minutes parked out front, just breathing.

Finally, she gets out of the car. The walk up to the front door seems to take an eternity, as does the wait after she rings the doorbell.

Judy Fabray opens the door after a long while. Her usually-immaculate hair is slightly disheveled, and her expertly-applied makeup can't hide bloodshot eyes. "... Yes? Can I help you?"

"Actually, yes… may I come in?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling well…"

"It's very important," says Marley urgently.

"Good day." She starts to close the door.

"It's about Quinn."

The door stops before it can close in her face, then swings open to admit her. "Quinnie? How is she? Where is she now?"

"She's safe, but upset. That's… actually what I came to talk to you about, Mrs Fabray."

"I know you," says Judy, "you're the caterer's daughter. Quinnie's friend… Mandy Rose. Please, call me Judy, dear."

"Marley Rose," she corrects her.

"Yes, Marley. My apologies." Judy leads her into the immaculate living room and gestures for her to sit. The faint scent of alcohol lingers in the air. "Forgive me, but… how do you know how she is? Is she staying with you?"

"She is."

Her eyes darken. "It's you, isn't it? The girl who's corrupted my Quinnie," says Judy sharply.

"Judy…"

"That's Mrs Fabray to you." Her eyes are narrowed with anger. "I should have known from the very start that the people Quinn chooses to associate with are less than acceptable. First those two deviant cheerleader girls, then the daughter of the homosexuals… I would never have expected this of you, my dear, but I suppose I still have room to be disappointed."

Marley can't speak. Her blood boils in her veins.

Judy stands up. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave," she says icily. "I greatly appreciate your coming here to inform me of my daughter's whereabouts, but…"

"Wait!"

"Wait? You're outstaying your welcome, Miss Rose, and I must say that it is very gauche of you. You have no right to come into my home, and say such things to me."

"You can't… you know what? I'm tired of this." She stands, hands balled into tight fists. "I told myself I wouldn't lose my temper with you, for Quinn's sake, but I… Mrs Fabray, the ten minutes I've been here have been absolutely infuriating."

"How dare you – "

"No!" yells Marley. "How dare you! How dare you say such hateful things to your own daughter! Do you know she cried herself to sleep last night over the things you said?"

At this, Judy looks somewhat guilty, but it passes.

"She is – Quinn is the bravest, kindest, most wonderful woman I've ever met. I'm lucky to have her in my life, luckier still that she feels the same way about me. I can't believe that you would dismiss your own daughter just because she's in a relationship with another woman."

"It's not right!"

"You know what's not right? How you don't even see how much she's trying. You let her dad kick her out of the house. She had a baby, alone. She almost died." Marley's voice wobbles. "You've treated her like dirt, and she still loves you. She cares about what you think about her."

Judy's composure crumbles a little. "No, she doesn't."

"Quinn has an older sister… Frannie, is it? When was the last time Frannie visited?"

"I… she's very busy, she has her husband to care for."

"And Quinn's come home for the holidays. She calls regularly. She tries so hard to maintain a relationship with you no matter how far away she is because you're her mom. You're all the family she has left, Mrs Fabray, and this is how you treat her?" Hot tears run down her cheeks; she wipes them away angrily. "I come from a single-parent family, too. My mom is everything to me. She and I might not always get along, but she's always supported me and loved me unconditionally. She cares about what makes me happy."

Judy looks like she's been slapped. "I… I've only ever wanted Quinn to be happy."

"You sure don't act like it. She's spent her whole life seeking your approval because even though she looks like she's confident, when it comes to you, she's still the Lucy who's terrified of disappointing you." She takes a deep breath, and exhales. "I… Mrs Fabray, I didn't come here to yell at you. I'm sorry. I have to go now."

She doesn't move from where she's standing. Marley turns on her heel and lets herself out.

---

Marley has to wait a good long while before she's calm enough to go home. Quinn and Brittany are still upstairs, talking in low voices; they break off when Marley appears.

"Hi," says Quinn softly.

Brittany stares at Marley, her look appraising. "Welcome back," she says, climbing off the bed and giving her a hug. "Were the Nargles difficult to shake off?"

"... Is that a Harry Potter reference?"

"Yeah. Luna and I have a lot in common, being that we're blonde and that people don't really get what we're trying to tell them, so I figure that she knows what she's talking about." Brittany glances around. "But we don't have magic and stuff, so I guess it must've taken you a while to get rid of them through non-magical means. I recommend driving in circles. It confuses them."

Marley nods. "... Right." She crosses the room to sit on the bed beside Quinn. "Hey," she says.

Quinn smiles back, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Nargles aside, where did you really go?"

"More stuff for my mom. She needed me to go fetch something for her."

"Oh. Okay." She looks like she's about to say more – Marley's not a good liar, and one of Quinn's talents is telling whether someone's lying – but then the doorbell goes, and Marley turns.

Brittany smiles at her. "I have a really, really good feeling about this," she says, and tugs at Quinn's hand.

"Britt, what…?" They traipse down the stairs, parting ways at the bottom; Marley to answer the door, Brittany and Quinn to the living room.

Marley's expression hardens when she sees the person on the other side. "Mrs Fabray."

The older woman doesn't meet her eyes. "Hello, Marley. Is… is Quinn here? May I speak with her?"

"She is, but I don't know if she wants to speak to you."

"Mom?"

"Quinnie – I mean, Quinn," says Judy. "I… can we talk?"

Quinn's gone pale. She stands, rooted to the spot. Brittany grabs her shoulder and whispers urgently into her ear, the smile gone from her face. Eventually, Quinn nods tightly. "... You've got two minutes," she says, walking forward.

"'Scuse me," says Brittany brightly. She walks out the front door, collecting Marley as she goes, shutting it behind them.

"Britt?"

"We're giving them some privacy," she explains. "They need closed doors to say what they really mean. Plus, it's not their house, so they're not gonna stay long. I can sense the waves coming off Quinn and her mom from a mile away."

"Waves?"

"You know how in a cartoon, things give off waves when they've been left out too long?" Brittany explains patiently for Marley's benefit. "It's like that with them, except they don't actually smell. It's just that their feelings have been left inside for years and years. That's not healthy. Feelings have a pretty short shelf life, y'know."

Marley nods distractedly. "I just hope you're right, Britt, and everything turns out fine." She sinks onto the porch seat, Brittany joining her, and waits.

---

Author's Notes: The chapter title comes from One Bedroom by Yellowcard. I kinda had the month from hell so the editing session for this went from 'I'm gonna clean this up' to 'you know what it's fine as it is as long as I English'. As always, extended notes to be posted to this story's page on my Tumblr. Hit me up at yumi-michiyo