Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words.

A/N: I'm not quite sure if I like this chapter, though it had it's moments, but that's not for me to decide. Bear with me as I develop them and their struggles :) Enjoy!

Quinn was a master at putting up a front.

Rachel's face drooped at the blonde's obvious displeasure of merely seeing her. She bit her lip, nearly drawing blood as she prayed that her eyes would remain dry.

Quinn was at the sink one away from Rachel in a moment, proceeding to wash her hands. Rachel herself had finished and shut off the water, but her hands clutched the porcelain while she mentally steeled herself through her reflection in the mirror. Whatever Quinn was going to dish out, she was going to overcome it.

Rachel softly hummed to herself, "You are the one."

The blonde paused, her heart speeding up in an instant. "What?" Her cold tone betrayed the warm fluttering she felt inside.

"Nothing."

"Hm." Quinn turned the handle to turn off the stream of water. She passed by Rachel to reach the air dryer.

The small brunette twisted at just the right moment to catch Quinn by the arm. The girl's arms rose instinctively to bat the hand away, but she stopped when she saw the familiar face of a child who could never avoid a beating. The tall girl slowly lowered her arm, refusing to purposely inflict any pain on Rachel. She closed her eyes briefly before opening them again, meeting brown ones in the act.

"What?" Quinn's question came out rough and husky.

Rachel was perplexed by the odd darkness that took over Quinn's eyes, not allowing for much hazel to be shown. "I—" Her eyes flitted to the ground. "I don't know."

"Way to waste my time," she muttered.

"I'm not keeping you here," Rachel quietly uttered. It was true; the girl's hold was very loose, and it turns out she didn't know what she wanted to say to the blonde in the first place.

Quinn's body stiffened with realization as she gently pried Rachel's fingers off of her bicep. "I'm not going to hurt you." She gripped Rachel's shoulder like she had the last time they had spoken alone in a bathroom. "I won't," she growled. "I-I can't."

"You're a very good actress, Quinn," Rachel said, offering a smile to the tall girl.

Quinn's expression morphed into that of near disgust at the miniature notice of how badly she's been treated her whole life. It seemed like the brunette believed everyone no matter what. The blonde dared to say that it was a major flaw, but the thought was gone just as quickly as it had come. Rachel had no flaws. "I'm not an actress. You are." She removed her hands from the girl's body, almost trembling with uncertainty. She felt dirty for touching the girl. It felt like she was tainting a precious jewel, and she couldn't break Rachel after she had already been through more than anyone would wish upon a child.

What Quinn did since freshman year forward was wrong. She knew this. But habits were hard to break. And when that habit brought her to Rachel without fail, somehow it made her put off breaking it for that much longer. The twisted circumstances of their relationship strained both parties, but one continued on with defensively malicious intent.

"I am, but I'm not that accurate when I find myself in your presence..."

"What are you talking about?"

"You wouldn't like what I have to say."

"I'll never know if you never spit it out."

"I need you, Quinn. I've tried and I've tried and I can't get past this. I need you in my life, and you don't understand how hard I'm trying to be strong and pretend that I don't rely on you. I wish I could leave you alone and not burden either of us with our past, letting you move on with your life and not worry about me, if you do at all. I'm trying to convince myself that I don't need you," tears trickled down her face at this point, "but let's face it. I've always needed you."

Quinn looked away from the crying brunette, trying to pull her own thoughts together. She never intended on treating Rachel so poorly. "Come here."

Rachel didn't move an inch in either direction. She stood with her arms crossed, staring at the floor, her tears littering the tiles.

"I said come here." Quinn took a step forwards, wrapping her arms around Rachel carefully, making sure not to startle her.

Rachel's forehead rested on Quinn's shoulder as her crossed arms pressed into Quinn's torso. She refused to fall into another empty promise.

Quinn's barriers rose a bit in response to Rachel's walls being forced up to block her out. Her hands moved mechanically up and down Rachel's back, rubbing as they went. "Don't shut me out."

As always, the brunette's defenses fell away at Quinn's request. She slipped her arms around Quinn to return the embrace at last.

"Don't leave me," Rachel whispered.

Quinn stayed with her like that until Rachel decided she needed to go.

A week later, the school held a potluck with games, prizes, and a raffle. It was a free event, but the extra festivities like games cost money. Many suspected the cost was Sue's doing, but no one knew for sure. The Glee club was supposed to run the stands as an assignment, and Mr. Schue said they were welcome to play the games if they wanted.

Kurt and Mercedes had paired up right off the bat, followed by Brittany and Santana, naturally. Mike and Matt were inseparable, and Tina and Artie gravitated towards each other. Puck, having lost his shot at Santana, decided to pair up Finn. Unfortunately for Rachel, that is. The brunette had intended on being Finn's partner because he was kind, honest, and safe. She wouldn't have to worry about any backlash with him. However, the previous pairings left Quinn and Rachel to be together for the potluck. They couldn't change groups, so they reluctantly accepted their situation.

All the groups were assigned a different game. Rachel and Quinn were given Twister. The blonde found it completely stupid that Mr. Schuester chose that game because only little kids played it. Rachel hadn't said a word while Quinn complained, as the brunette actually enjoyed Twister.

Mr. Schue wouldn't budge, so the girls were stuck running the child's game. Only one family came to play throughout the duration of the event. By the end, Quinn was ready to pack up.

"I told him no one would play this. No one likes this game anymore."

Rachel sat in her plastic chair across from Quinn, looking down at her lap. "I like it."

Quinn turned towards Rachel's voice. "I—I'm... sorry?"

"It's alright. You don't have to apologize for anything, Quinn."

The blonde sighed quietly. She had everything to apologize for. "Do you want to play?"

"What?" Rachel's blank face moved to gaze at the other girl.

"Would you like to play Twister?" Quinn stood to move towards where Rachel was sitting.

"I thought you didn't like it."

"I don't. Now, I'm going to ask you again. Do you want to play Twister with me?"

Rachel nodded in confirmation. Quinn laughed, "Okay then." She held out a hand for Rachel to grab onto. The small diva held it and the blonde lifted her off of the chair easily.

"We can't play without someone to spin."

"Yes, we can. I'll spin and play at the same time. It'll be fine."

"Okay."

"Right hand green." The girls bent down to reach the green circle, and so the game began.

The game went on without any problems until one point where the board was just a bit out of reach and she and Rachel were twisted up. Rachel's foot was in between Quinn's, and they were stuck reaching around each other for the other spots. Quinn leaned forward, careful not to push Rachel by accident, to spin the board.

The board was too far to get to without taking an extra leap. Quinn tried, but she failed, knocking herself and Rachel down in one fluid motion. The brunette landed on her back with a soft squeak. Quinn tumbled down on top of her. They landed in a compromising position, one of Quinn's legs in between Rachel's pair and their chests pressed against each other.

Rachel froze, not daring to move. Quinn lifted her body up enough to prop herself up, one hand on either side of Rachel's head. She blinked slowly, ignoring the loud beating in her ears. Was her heart really going that fast?

"Quinn—" Rachel breathed.

"Sorry. Are you okay?"

Rachel bit her lip from her position on the ground, effectively pinned to the dotted Twister mat. She nodded.

Quinn nodded in return, absently brushing some hair out of Rachel's face.

"Thank you," the girl murmured.

"You're welcome," Quinn replied just as gently.

"Are you alright, Quinn?"

The blonde responded with a yes, watching the way Rachel chewed on her lip. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Bite your lip." Quinn bit hers for example and emphasis.

"Why do you do it?"

"I—" Quinn stuttered, not sure how to explain. "I asked you first."

Rachel lifted her arm for the first time since their collapse to tug on Quinn's ponytail lightly. "I bite my lip for the same reason that you do." Her hand traveled to run her fingers across the other girl's bottom lip.

Quinn was speechless, reveling in the feeling of Rachel's fingers on her lip. It was only then that she realized she hadn't stopped biting it after she had showed Rachel what she meant. But with Rachel touching her so tenderly, she didn't have the heart to stop.

"Rachel," Quinn spoke in a raspy voice, swallowing hard afterward. She didn't know why her voice sounded the way it did, nor was she aware of why she was concerned that the brunette might hear her heart, it was beating so loud.

"Yes?" The petite fingers moved away from the tall girl's face as they rested on the mat again.

Quinn frowned. "How do you know," she paused to shift her weight, pressing her leg against Rachel's center without realizing it. The brunette gasped at the contact, reflexively exerting pressure back onto the leg between hers. That's when Quinn had to bring herself back to the reality of their position on the ground.

She was quick to defend. "I-I didn't mean to that." Her eyes went wide with concern and shock.

Rachel's hooded eyes met Quinn's, causing both girls to bite their lips. "I know you didn't," the small girl started to say.

Quinn interrupted her with her outburst of, "Why are your eyes so dark?"

Rachel stared at her funny.

"Your eyes are brown, I-I know that. I mean why are they practically black? Mine don't look like that, do they?"

"They do." Rachel knew their eyes were dark with lust, a clear sign that Quinn was just as aroused as she was. But the brunette wasn't sure how she should tell the other girl. She shut her eyes in hopes of avoiding the explanation.

"Let me see your eyes."

Rachel opened them willingly. Quinn leaned in, oblivious to how close their faces were. "I'm not drugged," Rachel said as her eyes were inspected.

"Trust me, I didn't think you were." The cheerleader's breath mingled with Rachel, electrifying the already small space between their lips.

"Why do you say that?" Rachel's voice dropped to a whisper.

"You're too smart for that." Quinn gave the diva a genuine smile.

Rachel felt her face burst into a returning smile as her insides fluttered uncontrollably at the sight. What a beautiful woman Quinn Fabray had become.

Quinn looked away from the girl below her for a moment, composing herself. Her gaze landed to meet Rachel's again as an uneasy, nervous feeling settled over her. She was itching to show Rachel just how much she cared, but the fear of rejection held her back.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I'm surprised the club hasn't found us by now," Quinn lied.

"Oh. Yes, that's definitely strange." Rachel couldn't help but appear to disappointed at the answer. Maybe she was judging this situation wrong.

"What are you thinking?"

Rachel wanted to say she was thinking about kissing Quinn oh so badly. She figured it was not appropriate given the blonde's relationship status, not to mention the fact that she was quite straight. Normally, she would do it anyway, claiming she has nothing to lose as it is. But when it came to Quinn, she was the brunette's everything, and Rachel had everything to lose.

"S-Same thing as you."

"I can tell you're lying, Rachel. What's going through your head? Don't leave me hanging." Quinn rested her elbows on the mat to give her arms a break from supporting her. She leaned her head in the crook of Rachel's neck tiredly. Their position was somewhat exhaustive for Quinn, but the blonde didn't feel like letting go of the brunette below her.

Rachel breathed deeply, overwhelmed by the closeness of Quinn, yet she was painfully aware that her closest shot at something all night disappeared. When the tall girl lifted her head again to give Rachel a serious expression, the other girl felt her chance growing once more.

They gazed into each other's eyes in silence, Quinn's breath become heavier and more ragged as time went.

"Quinn," Rachel spoke softly, breaking the quiet.

"Rachel, I—"

The brunette shut her eyes tight and daringly closed the length of room between their lips. The kiss was tentative and tender, neither girl risking too much. Rachel's hands nestled in Quinn's hair as the blonde struggled to keep her upper body up. Usually she wouldn't mind collapsing, but she was very much enjoying the sweet kiss and didn't want to crush the petite girl under her. At last, they pulled apart for air.

Quinn blinked at Rachel slowly, her pupils blown. "Wow," she breathed under her breath.

Rachel had caught what she said. "Really?"

The blonde shifted to disentangle herself from the diva, sitting up afterward. The other girl followed suit. The brunette wrung her hands in her lap. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

If Quinn were to be honest, she expected Rachel to give some long-winded speech about her reasoning or something equally absurd. So when she sounded and looked just like a child, the tall girl was surprised.

"No. No, Rach, why would I be mad?" She scooted closer to the small girl, setting her hands on the diva's waist. She leaned on her knees in front of Rachel.

"I-I don't know," she muttered, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Oh God, don't cry, d-don't cry. I didn't mean to make you upset. I can go. Do you need me to go? What do you need? Just tell me."

"I need you," she mumbled, grabbing Quinn's wrists and setting them in her lap, playing quietly with the blonde's fingers.

"I...I'm not mad at you, okay?" Quinn had butterflies from the kiss, and she most certainly was not anything close to being even remotely mad. She almost felt complete.

Rachel nodded, warm tears hitting Quinn's hand.

"What's on your mind? If you don't tell me, I can't help you. And I want to help you. I don't want to be cold-hearted anymore. Not to you."

"I care about you to the point that it hurts, Quinn. Do you know that?"

"I do now. I don't understand why caring about someone should hurt though."

"Well, I can only imagine that I startled you with that kiss I imposed upon you. And I'm sure you're disgusted and don't wish to speak to me ever again, and you don't talk with me at school anyway, so I'm aware that, by doing what I did, I'm going to lose you forever. That's quite terrifying and hurtful, if you ask me."

"Hold on. Back up. You kind of startled me, yeah, I'll give you that, but I didn't stop. So don't go putting yourself down when I could have stopped both it and you. But I'm not grossed out or disgusted or anything. I—I actually liked it, a lot."

"Are you positive?"

"Yes, I am. I'm positive, but we can't do this, okay?"

"Why not?" Rachel felt like her heart was being stomped on repeatedly.

"I have a boyfriend. I'm not gay. I can't just do a complete 180 because you want me to. Because we'll break up, and then where will I be? I'll have no one and nothing—no family, no friends, nothing."

"You have Glee, and you will always have me."

"Not if you hate me."

"I could never hate you." She shook her head as Quinn tried to reply. "I can't. I've tried."

"Why would you try to hate me? ...I know I've been awful to you, but I don't hate you."

"I thought that maybe if I hated you then I could stop liking you as much as I do."

"Oh."

"Yet I ruin it like I just did, and you have absolutely no faith in any potential we may have."

"I'm dating Finn."

"Do you love him?"

"I—I... No, I don't love him."

"So, what exactly is the problem here? Besides your lack of faith in us."

"I'm not gay. I—and I can't even say what I need to because it would hurt your feelings. But I don't want to be gay because I'm not. You're a lot of exceptions in my life, but this is one thing I'm not suddenly compromising on."

"You can be bisexual."

"Rachel! I'm not gay or bi or anything. I'm straight. I have a boyfriend. I like you, but I just got caught up in the moment, that's it. Okay?"

"O-Okay," Rachel reluctantly agreed. She sucked in a breath, tightening her grip on Quinn's hand.

"Rach," the blonde mumbled. "I screwed this up, didn't I?"

Rachel shook her head despite what was blatantly obvious. Quinn had been harsher than the brunette had expected. She'd practically showed the Cheerio everything she meant, how important she was to Rachel, but it backfired, it seemed.

"Now what?" Rachel whispered, "We go on acting like we don't know each other?"

"I don't know... I really don't know what to do." Quinn buried her face in her free hand in frustration.

"Don't do that." Rachel softly pried Quinn's hands from her face. "You are beautiful. Don't hide that."

Quinn slipped her hand out of Rachel's, feeling dread setting in at their actions. She was scared, and she motioned to the board as she stood quickly. "I have to go," she muttered as she made her exit.

Rachel sat on her knees for a few moments before covering her face with her hands and crying. It was a good ten minutes of despair before she was able to clean up their stand and head home with a heavy heart.