Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 62nd cycle. Now cycle 63!

"One Sun, Two Suns"
Quinn, Rachel, Judy - Rachel/Puck, Quinn/Finn
Sunshine Girls series
(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)

She'd been in the shower when the text came in, and when she saw how long it had been, she dashed downstairs and up to the living room window. As she suspected, she'd made it down just in time to catch Rachel's car rolling up along the sidewalk. Quinn grabbed her vest and headed out to meet her.

"My mom's got a cold, you shouldn't come in, at least one of us can be with Nora."

"I said yes," Rachel bypassed the statement.

"The date with Puck?" She nodded. "Okay, well that's good, right?"

"It is," Rachel promised.

"I'm sensing a but here."

"No but, just… I have a favor to ask you."

"Do you… need to borrow some clothes?" Quinn wasn't sure where this was going.

"No, I… I'm pretty sure I've had that outfit figured out for months," she admitted, which made Quinn smirk.

"So you've got the guy, got the date, got the clothes. What else do you need?" Rachel stared at her, hesitating. "It can't be that bad. I know you two haven't had the most…"

"I know it's kind of last minute, but I was hoping maybe you would tag along."

"I'm sorry," Quinn blinked.

"You could bring Finn along, then the two of you could have date night, too, that'd be fun, right?"

"Wait, so you mean like a double date?"

"Oh, no, that's not actually… I was thinking more like, Puck and I will have our table, and the two of you could just be at your own table, in another part of the restaurant, but not so far that, if we needed you, then you would be there," Rachel explained, looking both extremely nervous and extremely determined.

"Rachel, you don't need me there," Quinn tried to reassure her.

"But I do, I really do. You know what it's been like with me, and with him, and you know how much it means… to both of us… and you also know how we can both tend to… well… screw things up," Rachel went on. "I don't want to screw it up. Please, Quinn, I'll pay for you guys' dinner, whatever you want, just… well, within reason."

"You don't have to pay," Quinn shook her head.

"So you'll come?" Rachel deduced, and Quinn sighed.

"I guess, if it'll make you feel more secure…" she'd barely managed to say before Rachel was hugging her. "Germs, germs!" Quinn warned, laughing, and Rachel let go.

"Right, sorry, I… I'll make soup! For you and your mom, I am excellent with nursing people back to health," Rachel promised.

"So I've heard," Quinn nodded. "But, look, even if we are there, you can't just come to us for any little thing," she looked her in the eye.

"I won't," Rachel shook her head.

"You can do this, both of you. Knowing how you are… and how he is… things might be awkward at first, just hang on, don't give up at the first sign of trouble. You know him, you know what to say and do, just remember that, alright?"

"I will," Rachel breathed. "I don't know why I'm like this, I swear."

"I think you do know," Quinn gave her a smile, and Rachel bowed her head; of course she did. "Now, go, before I give you what she's got," she nodded back to the house. "I have to call Finn and make sure he's up for it, too. When's the date?"

"Friday night."

"Right, well, if it all works out, you come on over here with me after school Friday, and I'll get you all set. Maybe if he's stunned by how you look it'll keep him more at ease and you won't mess up," Quinn suggested, which made Rachel smirk.

"That could work."

After Rachel had gone, Quinn returned inside the house, looking in on her mother. When she had a cold, she would set up camp in her room with tissues, tea, and cooking shows. Quinn would get the same treatment when she was little, and she was all but certain that technique was single-handedly responsible for any abilities she had in the kitchen.

"I need you to see if you can find this chicken recipe online," Judy called when she saw her come in. Quinn went up to check the screen and nodded.

"Right, okay. I have a question. Do you think you'll be alright to stay on your own Friday night?"

"This cold should be on its way out by then," she thought aloud. "Do you have plans?"

"Sort of. It's a thing, with Rachel, and the guys… I still need to check with Finn. And someone will need to look after Nora, I can't bring her…" now she was the one thinking aloud. "Maybe Rachel's dads can babysit her, or Puck's sister."

"I'm sorry, I would watch her if I could," Judy coughed.

"I know," Quinn smiled. "Rachel said she'd bring soup, that should help a bit."

Going back to her room, she had sent off a text to Finn, asking if he was free Friday night. When he said he was, she told him how Puck had asked Rachel out, and Rachel had said yes, but she was worried, so she wanted them as back up. Like her, he'd thought this meant a double date, to which he'd said even though things had changed between all of them, it might still be weird, too weird for the pair of them if they were just reuniting now, but Quinn was quick to correct him and explain what Rachel really wanted. Like her, he wasn't so sure at first that this would be a good idea, but by the end of it Quinn had him convinced.

She had recruited Sarah Puckerman to act as babysitter. She loved Nora to bits, and she loved being her aunt, so she did not need any kind of convincing. She didn't even want to get paid, though Quinn would do it anyway.

For Rachel and for Puck both, she really hoped this thing worked out. They needed it, wanted it, and they had spent much too long fooling themselves. Like she'd told Rachel, if her being there helped to facilitate the process, then she would happily sit nearby and do her part.

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!