A/N: You seemed to have enjoyed the previous chapter which is good because I had fun writing it. That chapter roughly marked the halfway point to this story; I hope you're enjoying the ride.

The last chapter as well as the next few will deal heavily with Quinn. After all, Rachel isn't the only one with issues. Any comments or suggestions on dealing with the issues brought up by the girls have been appreciated and are still welcome.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or West Side Story.

Chapter 10: A Place For Me

Quinn woke up at 8:30 on Saturday morning to a very special text message from Rachel.

Good morning Quinn! I hope you slept well.

I just wanted to say that you are a stronger

person than you think you are and

you can accomplish whatever you dream of.

She grinned wildly to herself as she re-read the message twice. She tried to think of an adequate response but as she was considering what to write, her phone beeped with another message.

Oh, and just so you know. Quinn, you

are so beautiful to me :)

If possible, Quinn's smile got wider. She typed and re-typed a response five times before settling on sending:

You are beautiful too, Rachel. Inside and out.

Quinn was pleased with herself as she hopped down the stairs and made her way to the kitchen. She was too immersed in her Rachel bubble that she didn't know her mother was already up and drinking a cup of coffee at the kitchen counter.

"Well, sweetie. You're up early." Judy stated but the obvious implication wondering 'why?' was there.

Quinn stopped in her tracks and looked at Judy. Although she was startled, she was still grinning like an idiot. "Good morning, mom!" Quinn placed a quick kiss to her mother's cheek before heading to the cupboard to get some cereal.

Judy shook the confusion off her face at Quinn's chipper attitude. "You're quite alert without your morning coffee Quinn and before noon no less."

"Is there a question in there somewhere?" Quinn teased.

"Yes there is. Who are you and what have you done with Quinn?"

Quinn giggled in response causing Judy to raise an eyebrow. Before she could call her on it, she was interrupted by Quinn's phone chirping.

Thank you so much Quinn! You practically left me

speechless, which is the cause of the delay in my

response to you. I assure you, my loquaciousness

is restored however, so fear not!

Quinn chuckled to herself and rolled her eyes before replying.

That's good to know, Rach.

Quinn set her phone down in order to take a bite of her cereal.

"You actually have friends who are awake and functional this early on a Saturday morning?" Judy inquired playfully.

"Rachel gets up at 6 am regardless of the day, mom." Quinn replied with her mouth full of food.

"Oh, so it's Rachel then?" Judy wondered though she probably should have known. "And Quinn, don't talk with your mouth full."

Quinn remained silence as she continued chewing her food, then made a show of swallowing visibly before responding. Judy rolled her eyes at her daughter's antic.

"Yes mom, it's Rachel."

"So are you girls hanging out today?"

Quinn's eyes went wide for a moment. She forgot to think of a lie to tell her mom rather than admitting that she was going to be babysitting Beth today. "No. Maybe later, I don't know. But Puck and I are going to hang out this afternoon."

"Puck? You guys aren't back together are you?"

Quinn let out a humorless laugh. "No mom, we're not back together. So don't worry, I'm not about to get pregnant again."

"That's not what I was thinking dear." At all. She was actually wondering why the girls were spending so much time with boys when it seemed obvious to her that they would rather be hanging out with each other.

Quinn nodded, but didn't quite believe her. "Anyway, I think Rachel's spending time with Finn today. Making up for last night or something." Judy couldn't miss the annoyance in her daughter's voice.

"How long have they been back together, sweetie?"

Quinn looked dejectedly at her phone, like she was willing it to ring or something. When it didn't, she answered her mother's question. "Since Finn wrote her a song and kissed her at National's; losing us the competition."

"Oh." Judy remembered Quinn returning from New York more withdrawn than usual and with much shorter hair. It wasn't long after that her hair went pink and her clothes went black. It was time for Judy to pry a little, since her daughter was actually conversing with her. "Do you still like Finn honey?"

"Oh, God no!" Quinn looked mortified at the thought. "I'm beginning to wonder what I ever saw in him."

"Maybe the same thing Rachel thinks she sees now." Judy offered.

"She deserves better than Finn Hudson, mom."

"Maybe she needs a friend to tell her that."

"I tried to once. And she wrote that song about it."

"Oh." Judy wanted to encourage her daughter but had to think of a way to do so. "But you weren't quite friends then, I mean, maybe she'll take your advice a little more seriously now."

Quinn considered that. "Maybe."

"She did say that what you said inspired her, maybe she just needs a little more encouragement."

Quinn was silent again. Then grabbed her phone off the counter and walked toward the door.

"What about the rest of your cereal dear?"

"I'm not hungry." Quinn stated as she continued through the door.

She and Rachel shared texts for the next two and a half hours. Talking about everything and nothing. Every so often Quinn would bring up Finn, though Rachel seemed to ignore the bait.

So, Rach. I was thinking about rejoining

the Celibacy Club. I haven't been to

a meeting all year. Are you still in it?

'Real subtle, Fabray!' Quinn chastised herself.

Yes, I'm still in it. It'd be great to have

you back, Quinn.

Quinn debated on asking her next question because a part of her wasn't ready to hear it. She decided to suck it up and ask regardless.

Have you and Finn? I mean,

obviously not yet. But are you talking about it?

Are you referring to sex, Quinn?

Um, ya.

No, I mean we don't talk about it.

He knows I plan on waiting till I'm 25.

Quinn's eyes nearly came out of their sockets. Rachel was serious about that? She always thought she was being facetious. Part of her was glad she had no intentions of losing her virginity to Finn; however, the larger part of her was thinking how 25 was a long way away…

Quinn, are you still there?

Yes, I'm here.

How about you? Why are you joining again?

Rachel, just because I am no longer

striving for ultimate perfection doesn't mean

I've suddenly become immoral.

I wasn't implying, you can remain chaste without

devoting yourself to a club.

I only meant, I guess I'm not sure what I meant.

What she wanted to ask was if Quinn would still interrupt a heavy make out session to pray. Not that she was overly invested in the answer or anything…

Sorry for snapping. I guess others will wonder too.

You still care what people think of you?

Only a moron wouldn't hope that

people liked him.

There was phone silence and Quinn cursed herself for being so hostile.

Sorry again. Yes, I care what people think.

Not so much that I won't be myself,

but I can't help wanting to be accepted.

Apology accepted. You're not alone, you know.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Puck arrived just before noon, which ended Quinn's conversation with Rachel. She sent off a quick 'wish me luck' and got the response of 'you don't need it, I have faith in you.' Her heart melted just a little more.

"You seem different." Puck stated during the drive to Shelby's.

"Different how?" Quinn was wary.

"Better. Happy."

"I am. Or I hope I'm better as a person, I am happy."

Puck smiled and nodded his head in understanding. Quinn looked over at him, taking in everything about him. "You seem different too. You're no longer obsessed with being a badass and even though you've shown your softer side, you've never been stronger."

"Wow!" Puck chuckled.

"Did that not make sense?"

"It did, it's just. You sounded like Berry, just then." Puck smiled at the thought. Quinn grinned pleased with what she viewed as a compliment.

"She's the reason for your change isn't she?" Puck said after a moment of comfortable silence.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only to those of us who care enough to notice."

Quinn smiled at him. Puck was one of the good guys. If only she would have known it sooner, maybe they would have kept Beth from the start rather than having to jump through Shelby's hoops.

Babysitting with Beth wasn't as easy as they assumed it would be. She was walking now and by walking, it really meant she was running. She was getting into everything. And she was quite fussy. Shelby worried she may have been coming down with something, but when she suggested canceling her appointments and allowing Puck and Quinn to just visit a while, they assured her they could handle it.

Quinn just finished feeding Beth; hoping she'd go down for a nap soon, because she needed one too. As she was holding her daughter, watching her, she couldn't help being proud of creating something so beautiful. She'd never refer to Beth as a mistake again. Mistakes you regret. Losing her virginity to Puck was a mistake. Getting pregnant, it wasn't a mistake it was a miracle. Her baby girl was a miracle. She watched her in awe; Puck watched them both with pride.

After burping and changing her, Quinn and Puck took turns singing to her and rocking her. They were tired, but Beth didn't seem to be. Six songs later, Beth fell asleep in Quinn's arms. She quietly and carefully placed Beth in her crib. She and Puck watched her sleep for several moments in complete awe of their little girl. They finally forced themselves away because they had an entire house to clean.

Beth had managed to crawl into the bottom cupboard in the kitchen and empty it of its contents. She also managed to make a mess with her food. All her toys were scattered around the living room. The TV was blaring to some kid's DVD Shelby suggested for them to stick in if all else failed. After cleaning the house and checking on Beth again, both of them collapsed on the couch. They were asleep, curled up in each other's arms, with in minutes.

Shelby came home shortly after to a house full of sleeping kids. She smiled to herself as she walked in to check on Beth. She noticed how spotless the house was and admitted to herself that she was impressed with the teenagers.

Rachel and Quinn spoke on the phone with each other until Quinn fell asleep in mid conversation. Rachel smiled to herself as she disconnected their call. She was pleased to hear that Quinn had such a great time with her daughter. Quinn admitted to her that it was a lot harder than she thought it would be. She even admitted that she was amazed at how Shelby could handle Beth by herself, since she herself would not have been able to without Puck. Maybe it just took time, Rachel tried to assure her. Rachel knew that Quinn loved Beth with her entire being, and wondered how everyone had missed Quinn's loneliness and heartache for so long. It seemed so obvious now.

Rachel promised Quinn she'd compliment her every day and she intended to keep that promise. Quinn had felt so alone for so long, Rachel wanted her to know that she never had to feel that way again. She was confused about how Quinn made her feel. Quinn seemed to make her feel safe and protected and scared and uneasy all at once. And during their texting yesterday, Quinn kept mentioning how she deserved better than Finn. Rachel kept diverting the conversation from that subject. Finn was safe. Finn loved her. But then Quinn mentioned Chastity Club and sex. Ya, Quinn was dangerous. And most importantly, Quinn was just her friend.

On Sunday morning, Rachel woke up 6 am and forced herself to wait at least two more hours before sending a text to Quinn. She had all morning to think of her compliment for the day. The problem was she kept thinking about Quinn's eyes. She'd never seen eyes so enchanting in her life, the way she could just get lost in them. Quinn's entire soul laid bare for the world to see, all you had to do was look into her majestic hazel orbs. And her lips, and her smile, and her perfect white teeth. Her entire mouth, really. And her blonde hair, even though it was short now, there was plenty enough to run your fingers through or grab onto…

Ya, her thoughts weren't helpful because she had vowed to compliment Quinn on things that had nothing to do with her appearance. How could Quinn question her own beauty? How could anyone who looked at Quinn see anything but a beautiful girl? And that therein lies the problem. They never looked beyond her beauty. And Quinn was far more that just a pretty face (and athletically toned body).

Rachel looked at her phone; the composed message box was still empty. She noticed it was now 9:20. 'I guess time does fly when you're having fun' Rachel thought to herself with a stupid grin plastered on her face. Then she diligently went about sending Quinn a message.

Compliment of the day:

you are an inspiration, Quinn Fabray.

I admire how much you are fighting for Beth,

and that you have unequivocally made amends

with Noah.

If Rachel continued waking her up this way, Quinn decided that she just may become a morning person.

Why thank you my dear :)

I will always fight for what I want.

Did Quinn Fabray just flirt with me? What do I say to that?

Good to know :)

Like you didn't know already.

Point taken.

Rachel, I appreciate everything you're

saying, but you do know

that you inspire people.

And not just through your singing.

Are you saying I inspire you, Fabray.

Why does Rachel using my last name sound so hot? Actually, when Rachel says my name; that voice. Oh my God, I just imagined Rachel screaming my name!

You do a lot more than that Berry.

Now she was sure Quinn was flirting with her. And she was enjoying it.

Care to share, Quinn.

Quinn bit her lip as she read the response. She was horrified when she sent her flirtatious text to Rachel, unsure of how the girl would respond. But obviously she didn't scare her away. Yet.

You wish.

Of course I do, I want to know everything about you.

Quinn was disappointed when she awoke on Monday morning and didn't receive her compliment of the day wake up call from Rachel. She did however formulate a plan on how to spend additional time with the girl.

Monday afternoon after glee, Rachel had her first rehearsal for West Side Story. Quinn was in the audience watching her. After they finished, Rachel bounded down the aisle having noticed Quinn was there. Quinn greeted her with a hug and handed her a bouquet of lilies. Rachel beamed at the gesture.

"They're not gardenias, but I thought these would be more appropriate for the occasion." Quinn replied. Rachel's eyes went wide and her mouth went slack. Quinn smirked at the reaction she elicited and continued. "I know you'll get lots of bouquets when you actually do the play, but I wanted to be the first to congratulate you. You'll be amazing as Maria. You are amazing."

"Thank you Quinn." Rachel embraced Quinn again. "Lilies are my favorite, and these ones are particularly are beautiful."

"Those are Stargazer's, the pink bursts. You said you loved pink, so…"

"I do." Rachel smiled. "I am surprised you stayed for so long. This was our first rehearsal. We have a long way to go."

"I wanted to see it now, so I can see how far you've come when you're finished."

"Wow, Quinn. That's a prudent thought."

"But also, I was hoping to ask something of you." Quinn was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Rachel was unable to keep her eyes from wandering there.

"Anything." Her voice an octave higher than normal, she cleared her throat. "Of course, Quinn. Anything for you."

Quinn nodded and then reached into her bag to pull out some sheets of music. She handed them to Rachel without looking at her. Rachel held them reverently. She read through them, studying the lyrics carefully. Then her brows furrowed.

"This is beautiful. But I don't know this song."

"I wrote it, Rachel."

Rachel immediately looked up from the paper and locked eyes with a nervous Quinn. "Y, y, you…wrote this?"

Quinn nodded.

"When?"

"This summer. After New York, before the skanks."

Rachel read through it again and then looked back up at Quinn. "If you ever want to talk…about anything. You know you can talk to me, right? I'm a really good listener."

"I know, Rach." Quinn smiled affectionately. Rachel knew it was Quinn's way of saying she didn't want to talk about it.

"What was the favor you wanted Quinn?"

"I want to perform this for glee, but I don't want to sing it. I was hoping you would sing while I play piano."

Without hesitation replied. "I'd be honored to sing your song Quinn, but only if you don't want to sing it yourself. Your voice would compliment it beautifully."

"It's too personal for me to sing in front of our friends Rachel, I prefer it be you."

"I'll do it, for you."

"When do you want to practice?"

"Tomorrow after rehearsals. Every day after rehearsals, if you'd like."

"Yes, I'd like that."

Quinn barely reached her car when her phone went of.

Today's compliment:

you are a very thoughtful person.

Thank you for the flowers.

Quinn forgot all about her earlier disappointment. She shouldn't try to expect things from Rachel because she always had a way to surprise her.

When Rachel arrived home with a dopey grin on her face and beautiful flowers in her hands, her fathers didn't even ask who they were from. They knew without a doubt it wasn't Finn Hudson.

After practicing the song together on Tuesday, Quinn's compliment of the day text read:

You're an amazingly talented songwriter

and a gifted pianist.

On Wednesday before lunch, Quinn's compliment was:

Your quite intelligent, Fabray.

I think you even taught Mr. Smith

something about History :)

Thursday's was simply:

Thank you the hug.

I needed it. You're quite perceptive.

Friday was the day the girls planned on performing their song for glee. Quinn was a bundle of nerves when she woke up in the morning. She became nervous for another reason entirely however, once she received a morning wake up text from Rachel.

My dads want you to join us for dinner tonight.

They said you could stay the night, if you'd like to.

Quinn couldn't reply quickly enough.

Of course I'd love to stay over! Can't wait for glee.

Truthfully, she couldn't wait till after glee. A whole night spent with Rachel, she wasn't sure if she should be so excited about the prospect. When it came to Rachel, she wasn't sure about a lot of stuff.

Quinn packed an overnight bag, got ready for school and rushed down the stairs.

Judy smiled when Quinn bounded into the kitchen. She was beginning to enjoy the cheerfulness Quinn exuded all week. It was rather contagious. "Good morning, sweetie! Today's the big day, huh?" Judy greeted, referring to Quinn and Rachel's performance in glee.

"Yup. Oh, and Rachel invited me to have dinner at her house tonight. Well her dads did, and I'm going to stay the night." She added as an afterthought, "if that's okay with you."

"That's fine, sweetheart. Have fun, will you?" Judy didn't think Quinn needed to be told to have fun with Rachel. She always seemed to be more cheerful even at the mention of the girl.

"I will." Quinn smiled.

Rachel and Quinn stood before their friends announcing that they had a number to perform. Quinn had mentioned to Rachel that she wanted her to do the talking, and Rachel happily obliged.

"We have a special treat for you guys, and no it isn't my undeniably incredible singing." Rachel paused as she noticed everyone playfully roll their eyes at her. "Quinn's going to play the piano and I am going to sing. But the special treat is that this song was written and composed by Quinn herself."

Everyone immediately looked at the blonde for validation. Quinn nodded before slowly sitting at the piano bench.

"Quinn plays piano?" Finn mumbled.

"She was your girlfriend, twice, how could you not have known that you dimwit?" Santana insulted bitterly.

Finn slumped in his chair; Quinn smiled to herself at Finn being called out on his inadequacies as a boyfriend.

"Okay, well. The floor is yours girls." Mr. Shue encouraged.

Moments later, Quinn's fingers flitted delicately across the ivory. As she absent mindedly thought about what she'd rather be doing with her fingers…

Rachel's voice for the first time ever, was an unwelcome interruption to Quinn's thoughts. But she had to admit, Rachel did do justice to her words.

Is there a world out there

that's made for me?

Is there someone out there

who lives like me?

Afraid to speak

louder than a whisper,

Afraid to be seen

in this world.

Is there a life out there

that I have yet to find?

Where I'm not alone,

nor could I ever be.

Is there a world out there?

One that's made for me.

I was walking down a lonely path,

when I realized I wasn't alone.

I opened my eyes

then I could see,

she felt better by improving me.

Together all of us

have what it takes

to make it through our lives

and learn from our mistakes.

I'm no longer alone,

or maybe I never was.

Growing up in a house of love.

Is there a life out there

that I have yet to find?

Where I'm not alone,

nor could I ever be.

Is there a world out there?

One that's made for me.

As Quinn heard Rachel singing her words, she couldn't stop a tear from sliding down onto the keys. She told Rachel she wrote the song this summer, and that was only half the truth. She wrote the first verse this summer, and the chorus. The rest she wrote after she started hanging out with Rachel. Though she'd never admit to that.

Rachel was adamant about Quinn closing out the song, so as her fingers danced across the ivory she breathed out the closing words to her own song. The words that became her personal anthem. Her own dream.

I hope someday

I'll find my place,

in a world that's made

for me.

The song ended abruptly. She had no desire to drag it out. She didn't want her words to linger. She didn't want her fears exposed. Before she could stand though, Rachel's hand found hers. They entwined effortlessly. Then Rachel led her to the center of the room, and pointed her free hand at her. Applause broke out; Quinn had never felt so proud. She actually bowed; well, curtsied.

"I think I speak for the group," Mercedes began when the thunderous applause died down. "When I say that I believe we just heard our solo for Sectionals."

Clapping resumed, along with audible "Hell yeahs" and "We've got this in the bag!" Mr. Shue looked to both of the girls, pride apparent on his features.

"What do you say girls? A repeat performance at Sectionals?"

They looked to each other and hugged fiercely. Their audience took that as a "yes."

A/N: Heavy Faberry again, I hope you approve. They're getting there, and next chapter is the sleepover!

And just for you, the title for the next chapter will be Realize. Guess who's going to come out.

What'd you guys think of Quinn's song?

A Place for Me written by myself.