A/N: Oh gosh, I'm so sorry for the wait, guys! My internet went out for a few days and I wasn't able to upload. It's finally back though, and I made sure to bust out the rest of this chapter tonight so I could post. I hope you enjoy!

They say that when you truly find someone you adore, you can see the light in their eyes- how it shines brighter than anything else. May it be a friend, a lover, or truly anyone you care about. Your mind wanders to ways to find that light in any way you can, and for Rachel, that came in bringing a smile to Quinn's face.

She knew that Sam was probably still by the couch where she had left him, and her fathers were probably just now turning down for bed. It was getting late, but the streets of New York City never truly sleep. Since Quinn took her hand when they left the music shop, Rachel didn't let go. Not even when the bitter cold started to nip at her fingertips, or when the snow started to fall and land in gentle sheets along the deserted pathways through Central Park. Rachel didn't let go, because she knew what hands meant for Quinn Fabray.

Hands became a language for the young woman. She didn't know the full story, but she knew enough. Quinn lost her father as a sacrifice for an entirely new world. With the language of hands brought a world of colors to view in a different light. With a lack of sound and a heightened sense of smell, Quinn had to learn something entirely new. Something Rachel slowly discovered that she wanted to be a part of. She wanted to be a part of Quinn's world.

Since meeting the trio of Quinn, Sam and Blaine only roughly four and a half months ago, Rachel became more and more intrigued. Maybe it was the fact that they talked with their hands, or maybe it was the way their eyes lit up at inside jokes while making meals together. Rachel wanted to learn more. She wanted to become a part of the world that they've invested themselves in; wanted to join them. And if Rachel Berry was anything, it was determined.

Central Park was almost deserted. It was nine thirty on Christmas Eve; shops were to close soon as people left to prepare for the day ahead. It was almost calming as they walked; their footsteps being some of the first ones to walk in the fresh snow. Among them were lovers, bringing in late night romantics, and those without a home looking for a place to rest. Quinn looked on with amazement- she had never witnessed the spectacle before. California never got any snow; the whitest she's seen a Christmas was when Sam spilled flour all over the kitchen whilst trying to make cookies for them to decorate.

The blonde looked over when she felt a tap on her shoulder, and within an instant the warmth that surrounded her hand was gone as Rachel lifted her hand.

"Are you cold?" The brunette asked; her signing wasn't very good due to her dominant hand holding the guitar case. "We could head home if you'd like."

Quinn's only response was a shake of her head; she didn't want to leave just yet. Rachel nodded, and their hands reconnected; bringing warmth to the two of them like a fire emerging from embers. Hazel eyes darted around the park, noting how couples were also strolling in the darkness. Her heart ached for something so similar, but as her eyes looked back down to where her own hand was connected to the womans next to her, she realized that they looked just like the couple. They looked.. together.

Shaking her head from the thought, Quinn looked on to the barren trees and the dim glow that came from the occasional street lamp. This setting would be great for a romantic night out, but Quinn knew deep down that she'd never receive it. After all.. a deaf girl cannot see the colors the same way a hearing person can.

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When the duo appeared at the apartments, they found that Quinn's was strangely empty. Assuming that Sam had gone out for one reason or another, Rachel invited the blonde over for warmth and company until her brother returned. When they walked inside, however, they were met with the sight of Rachel's fathers and Sam enjoying a bottle of sparkling cider with one of Rachel's well-loved musicals playing on the television; bowls of popcorn spread out among the three of them. Rachel was glad that Quinn had left Sam's present under her bed; it would of been a lack of surprise had the man seen them walk in with it.

The trio in the lounge looked up at the sound of the door opening, and Rachel grinned at the way Sam's eyes lit up at the sight of his sister. He stood immediately and walked up, wrapping his arms around her despite the snow that littered her jacket. When he pulled away, his hands were frantic, yet calm.

"I was so worried," he signed, "I didn't know where you were.. Rachel, where did you find her?"

Rachel's fathers had paused the film and were watching with eager eyes, curious as to what was happening between their daughter and her friends. Rachel, however, only grinned and started to move her hands as well. "Everyone has secrets Sam, even Quinn. And where I found her was a place she trusted me enough to show me. The important thing is is that she's safe."

Quinn was satisfied with the answer and nodded, beginning to strip herself of her jacket as Rachel did the same. Sam didn't want to buy the response but he knew he didn't have a choice; if Quinn had wanted him to find her, she would have let him.

"Rachel, was that sign language that you were doing?" Hiram asked, sitting up on the couch.

"Yes daddy, Sam's been teaching it to me. Quinn is deaf." Rachel replied, signing for herself as Sam interpreted for Quinn. "Speaking of.." She trailed off, turning towards the blondes. "Quinn, these are my fathers: H-I-R-A-M, and L-E-R-O-Y. Dad, daddy, this is Quinn."

Quinn smiled and waved, 'Pleasure to meet you both.'

"She says it's a pleasure to meet you both." Sam and Rachel stated at the same time, but a blush formed on Rachel's cheeks. She knew that Sam had become so used to being Quinn's interpreter, but she simply forgot that in the moment.

"Why don't you three continue on with the movie and Quinn and I will make some popcorn for ourselves?" Rachel suggested, and the three men nodded in response. Rachel took Quinn's hand- and tried to ignore the warmth that returned- and dragged her along into the kitchen.

Rachel noticed that her fathers had continued to decorate her apartment, and from the looks of it they had already started on the tree. Sure, she was a little hurt by it, but making sure that Quinn was okay felt a little better than putting up a tree like she did with her fathers almost every year. She grabbed the jug of popcorn kernels and a fresh pot, getting to work on her vegan popcorn then got out a package for Quinn to microwave her own.

'Why don't you microwave it, too?' Quinn signed after she pressed the buttons on Rachel's microwave.

"I'm vegan- I can't have the butter that's put in the bag; artificial or not. Making it like this helps me know just exactly what I'm putting in my popcorn, plus it's a much healthier alternative." Rachel explained, looking over at Quinn while her hands were focused on her task.

Quinn nodded in response, going to lean against the wall as she watched Rachel work. She was moving the pot slowly over the open flame, and she could see small amounts of oil spurting out the sides. She continued watching until Rachel waved at her with a smile, then pointed to the microwave, in which Quinn blushed in response. Sometimes she really hated not being able to hear- it always resulted in her getting caught doing things, most of the time.

Once the two of them had their own bowls of popcorn, Rachel led them into the lounge to join her fathers and Sam in the movie marathon. She grinned at which musical it was- Funny Girl, one of her all-time favorites. She looked over at her fathers and saw the smiles on their faces as Sam told them about his day, one that involved him getting food for his sister and himself for Christmas the next day.

"Oh, it's just going to be you two tomorrow?" Hiram asked, furrowing his brow. Quinn, who was eager to know what the conversation was about but couldn't see Hiram's lips from her location on the loveseat next to Rachel, looked to the smaller girl who happily interpreted.

"Yeah, our mom is visiting our older sister in Seattle, so it's just gonna be us. No big deal- we usually don't do much during the holidays anyways." 'Not since our father passed.' Sam added with his hands, and Rachel's heart clenched. She noticed how his face fell for a moment then regained it's happiness, showing just how much the accident was really affecting him.

"Well.. how about you two join us tomorrow?" Rachel asked, signing along. Sam snickered, and with a confused look Rachel looked from him to Quinn, who was also smirking next to her. She didn't understand what was so funny, and neither did her parents.

"You asked us if we wanted to own the girls." Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "This is how you say 'join us tomorrow'." Sam explained, signing the correct signs. Rachel couldn't help but blush.

"Well, I'm still in the process of learning, aren't I?"

Sam only laughed again in response. Quinn tapped Rachel's arm and when chocolate hues looked over at her she smiled. 'We'd love to join you both tomorrow.'

Rachel smiled back at her and nodded, then looked to her fathers who were smiling as well.

They spent the rest of the night with musicals playing (preferably the ones with heavier music for Quinn's sake) and decorating the house. Rachel had made them all some of her vegan hot chocolate, and as she looked on from the kitchen nursing her own mug she saw things that made her truly happy. Her fathers were dancing with Quinn to the sound of RENT in the background, and Sam was attempting to put the star on the tree but fell to the ground laughing when Leroy suggested adding a picture of Rachel's face to it. It was enough to cause a small ruckus that had their neighbors below them banging on the ceiling, which only made them laugh harder.

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The next morning, Quinn woke up to the smell of pancakes being made and vibrations lightly shaking the couch she lay on. She and Sam had fallen asleep after the fourth musical the night before, and Rachel was kind enough to let them stay the night. She ran a hand through her tousled hair and sat up, looking around at the semi-familiar surrounding. Her brother lay on the opposite couch, a hand over his eyes and his body half on the couch, half off. She chuckled quietly, shaking her head at his antics before she stood to see who was in the kitchen.

To no surprise, Rachel stood in the kitchen in front of a small griddle, headphones in her ears as she danced around, a spatula in her hand and a concentrated look on her face. Quinn leaned against the dining table, crossing her arms in front of her as she watched the blur of pink, grey and dark brown twirl and prance around the kitchen. It was beyond amusing, but the smell of pancakes starting to burn was too much for her senses so she walked into the kitchen when Rachel turned to the fridge, grabbed the extra spatula, and proceeded to remove the finished pancakes, then poured more batter onto the griddle.

Rachel, who almost suffered a heart attack from the sudden other person in the room, was quite surprised to see that Quinn had managed to sneak into the kitchen without her knowing. Then again, she did have the "Best of Katy Perry" blaring in her ears, so it shouldn't of been as shocking as it was. She walked up to the blonde and nudged her hip against the girls, smirking when Quinn looked over at her. 'Was I not working fast enough for you?' She asked, removing an earbud from her ear.

Quinn only scrunched up her nose and reached for the blueberries, placing them strategically on each of the pancakes. 'Maybe, maybe not. I don't know about you, but I don't like the smell of burning pancakes.'

Rachel let out a laugh and Quinn's heart soared- she knew what was going on. She was falling, and falling hard. Everything that Rachel was doing was making her happy, bringing back feelings that she hadn't felt in a long time. She let out a soft sigh and shook her head with a smile on her face, continuing with the pancakes until she felt another presence in the kitchen. She let Rachel take over and turned around, smiling when she saw her brother, half asleep, standing in the kitchen.

"I smelled pancakes." He mumbled, signing lazily as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Quinn smiled at him and shook her head, turning to get her brother the first batch of pancakes. They continued on with breakfast, and once everyone was fed, they all proceeded to get ready for the day. Sam had gone over to the apartment first and came back with a few wrapped gifts, and Quinn mentally face-palmed. Of course, she had forgotten to get something for Rachel. The girl had done so much for her in the past few months, and she had forgotten to get her something. With a quick rush she excused herself to her own apartment, quickly dressing herself and flopping down onto her bed.

How could she forget? She had been out and about so many times because of school, surely she had to of seen something that reminded her of Rachel. Then again, she hadn't had the opportunity to go shopping lately, aside from the previous night when she went with the girl. Glancing around her room, her eyes fell upon a small, black box that sat next to her Harry Potter box set. Swallowing, she stood, walking over to it. A chill ran down her spine as her fingers touched the soft velvet, and memories flooded her brain.

"What is it, daddy?" A seven year old Quinn asked her father, watching as he approached her with a small, black box.

"It's a present, Lucy." Russell replied, handing it to the young girl. "Open it, please?"

Quinn grinned as she listened to her father, immediately opening the box. Her eyes widened at the gift inside; a small pair of hearts laced together sat on the white stand inside. She ran her finger along the gemstones, noticing how they stood out against her fingertip.

"It's beautiful."

"A beautiful necklace for my beautiful daughter." Russell grinned, enveloping Quinn in a giant hug. His arms wrapped entirely around her, sheathing her in warmth that only a father could give her.

"I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, Lucy Q."

Quinn was brought out of her thoughts by her phone flashing from her nightstand. She shook her head and walked over to it, biting her lip when she saw that it was Rachel asking where she was. She looked back down at the necklace and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that she was doing the right thing as she reached under her bed, grabbed the guitar case, and headed back over to her friend's apartment.

When she got back, Rachel was already gushing at the false-Tony that Sam had gotten for her, and the collector's edition Funny Girl that she had gotten for her fathers. All eyes turned on Quinn when she walked in, and with a blush she turned to her brother with a smile. She had put the box in her dress pocket before she arrived, so luckily she was able to sign.

'Rachel helped me pick this out for you.. I want you to start playing again.' She explained, handing him over the guitar case. 'I really hope you like it.'

Sam's eyes went wide as he took the case from his sister, setting it on the floor to open it. Quinn watched eagerly as he examined the wooden instrument, his fingers grazing the strings gently and his eyes wandering along it. She held her breath as she waited for his response, but was taken aback as he stood and engulfed her in a giant hug. He felt so much like their father, it almost brought tears to her eyes as she hugged him back. She bit back her emotions and stepped back, watching as the smile never left his face. She loved her brother dearly, and seeing him so happy made her even happier.

"Blaine helped me with your gift.. I was gonna get you a new book but I didn't feel like that was heartfelt enough." Sam explained, walking over to the couch where a decorated Christmas bag sat. He smiled shyly and handed it over to his sister, who took her time opening the gift.

Quinn's eyes were huge as she removed the tissue paper, revealing the decent-sized box containing the latest Canon DSLR camera. Her jaw dropped as she removed the box from the bag, running her hands along the cardboard image of the present that she had been wanting for quite a long time.

'How did you afford this?' She asked quickly, looking up at him. He only smiled and shook his head.

"Santa works in mischievous ways, Q."

Quinn smiled and threw a ball of tissue paper at him.

"Also, sorry Mr. B's but I didn't know you were coming, otherwise I would've gotten you something too." Sam explained, turning to the taller men.

"No need, Sam. As long as Rachel is happy, we're happy." Leroy commented, leaning into Hiram.

'Speaking of Rachel..' Quinn started, setting down her camera and licking her lips. She felt her nerves start to come and she mentally shook them off, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. 'Could I maybe give you your gift in the kitchen?' She asked the brunette, hesitantly reaching for her hand. Rachel nodded, and followed the blonde.

'Sorry about that.. I don't really want to get rejected in front of everyone.' She teased, hoping that her humor would help her with her own nerves. It didn't; only made her all the more paranoid. Her hands fumbled with the fabric of her dress before dipping into the pocket, pulling out the velvet box. 'I got this from my father.. before he passed. As I got older, he told me to give it to someone that I cared about. Someone that I want to be around for a long time. It's well-loved.. but I hope you like it.'

Rachel opened the box and paused when she saw the beauty of the necklace. She carefully removed it from the box and held it in her hands, noticing how the rubies glistened from the light in the kitchen. She looked at Quinn with adoration in her eyes, then carefully handed it to the blonde.

Quinn's heart dropped. Of course Rachel wouldn't want it, she only saw Quinn as a friend. This was stupid, the whole idea was stupid. Quinn just wanted to go back to her room and mope about this whole thing-

"Put it on me?"

Quinn blinked a few moments until she realized that Rachel was turning around, holding her hair out of the way. A wave of relief washed over her and she reached around, clasping the necklace together around Rachel's neck. When the brunette turned around, she chewed her lip.

'So you like it?'

"Quinn, I love it." Rachel grinned, glancing up. Her bottom lip tucked between her teeth as she realized where she was, and when her eyes fell back on the blonde, Quinn looked up.

They were standing underneath the mistletoe.

Slowly, they both started to lean in at the same time, but right when Quinn's lips grazed against Rachel's, the sound of Queen's "Somebody to Love" began to play from Rachel's phone, and the shorter girl pulled back with a frown. They both looked down and saw the name "Finn" appearing on the screen. "I'm sorry, I have to take this."

Quinn watched as she walked away, blinking slowly as she realized what almost just happened.

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"I'm pretty sure that was Finn calling, Lee." Hiram said to his husband from the couch. Sam furrowed his brow as he listened to the two of them.

"Wait, who's Finn?" He asked, turning his head as Quinn walked into the room and sat down next to her brother. He raised his hands, preparing to sign along the conversation. Even if it was between Sam and Rachel's fathers, as soon as Quinn walked into the room she immediately became a part of the conversation.

"Finn is Rachel's ex; he's back in Lima." Hiram explained.

"He's also Kurt's brother." Leroy added.

Sam nodded, and Quinn felt her heart sink. Rachel had abandoned a kiss with her for her ex-boyfriend? She stiffened and Sam noticed, turning towards her. 'Everything okay?'

'Rachel and I almost kissed.'

Sam let out a soft sigh and nodded, standing to get himself another drink. He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge to pull out the sparkling juice when he heard voices through the walls. If they were as thin as the ones in his own apartment, he had no doubt that it was Rachel on the other side of it.

"What do you mean you're coming to New York?"

"I really want to see you, and Kurt said that it'd be cool for me to come out there for it."

Rachel internally cursed her best friend. "Finn, you can't-"

"Tell me you don't love me, Rachel. Tell me that and I'll leave you alone. It's been months."

"Finn, you know I can't say that-"

"Rachel."

"I will always love you, Finn.."

Sam didn't need to hear the rest of the conversation. A sudden rage coursed through him and he set down the bottle, walking right past the lounge to the rooms in the back. He pushed back Rachel's curtain and walked right up to her, taking the phone from Rachel's hand. "Sorry, Finn, but she's got to go." He sneered, hanging up the phone.

"Sam, that was very rude of you-"

"What the hell are you doing with my sister?"

Rachel's eyes widened at the anger in Sam's voice. It was a side of him that she'd never seen before- and it was honestly scaring her. Regaining her footing she looked up at him, trying her best to maintain control.

"I don't think that's any of your concern, Sam. Quinn and I are just friends."

"Really, because the fact that you two were about to kiss in the kitchen says otherwise."

Rachel tried to calm down and take a deep breath, but Sam had no right to eavesdrop on her conversation with Finn. She pushed his shoulders back and crosses her arms, her eyes not leaving his.

"I really don't see what the big deal about this is, Sam-"

"You're leading her on with no intentions of returning the feelings she obviously has for you! How can you not see it, Rachel? I have never seen my sister this happy before, and it's all because of you." He stepped forward, and his eyes fell on her necklace. "She gave you that, didn't she?"

"Well, yes-"

"She never gave that to anyone else. Not even the girl she swore she was going to marry as a junior." He explained, shaking his head. "Why can't you see it? She's falling hard for you, Rachel. She's.. God, she's so deep into this that she willingly gave you the last thing she has of our father."

Rachel paled. "Sam.."

"No, don't. You don't get to sit there and say that you feel something too when you were just on the phone telling this Finn guy that you'll always love him."

The two of them were taken away from their conversation when they heard the curtain ruffling next to them. They looked over and saw Quinn standing there, eyes wide. She could see both sets of lips, but she had seen enough. When they saw her she turned and ran, shaking her head and fighting back tears as she slammed the door behind her.

"Shit.. See what you did?"

"Sam, I'm going to forgive your rude eavesdropping, but had you continued doing so you would know that-"

"Save it, Rachel. I don't want to hear it."

And with that, Sam left Rachel standing alone in her apartment, frustrated and heartbroken as she watched her new friends leave the apartment.

A/N2: Don't hate me, please? There was bound to have some drama at some point. Hope you liked it, nonetheless!