Disclaimer: I own nothing but words.
A/N: This is probably the last update for a while, unfortunately. I have a very hectic and busy summer ahead of me, so I really hope you guys like this and are able to hold out until the next chapter! Enjoy and don't forget to review :)
Their last night together at the potluck was replaying itself in Rachel's mind endlessly as she tried to fall asleep. If anyone knew the benefits of a good night's rest, it was Rachel Berry. But it was clear her mind was not willing to let her relax tonight. However, after a long hour of restlessness, she was finally drifting off to sleep. Suddenly her phone rang and quickly all her hopes of sleeping were dashed. She read the bright screen when she grabbed her phone, squinting at the brightness in the dark. It was a number Rachel did not have saved in her phone, though she recalled seeing it before.
"...hello?" Rachel asked warily, her voice groggy from being idle for hours that night.
"Rachel?" The voice on the other end sounded distinctly female, but it was hard to identify the caller through the sound of tears and crying of sorts on the other end.
"Yes. May I ask who's calling me, and if said person is alright?"
"It's me," the girl said, her voice clearer as the female had evidently changed her voice so the choked up state wouldn't be as noticeable.
Rachel knew the voice now. She should have known from the first words spoken, but it didn't matter because now the brunette knew who she was talking to. "Hey, hey, shhh," she murmured softly to the phone. "Breathe. What happened, Quinn?"
Quinn shook her head and responded shakily. "Can you just come over?"
"I'll be right there."
Rachel hung up the phone and hurriedly slipped on some warmer wear over her pajamas. Her house was quiet, so she figured it would be an easy escape. Keys and her phone in her pocket, she would leave without an issue.
She slowly descended the stairs, only to find both her fathers awake in the living room and having a conversation. She frowned, squeezing her eyes shut in hopes that maybe they wouldn't see her frozen mid-step.
"Rachel, what are you doing up so late?" Her Dad asked this gently, honestly curious and concerned.
The brunette moved at last, body going limp and her eyes falling to the floor. "Quinn," she muttered.
"What was that?" her Daddy asked, lifting his head to his daughter.
"Quinn," Rachel repeated, louder and more confident this time, tilting her head up to match her fathers' looks.
"Honey, I'm telling you—"
"I know, Dad. But... I need this. We—" she trailed off, not yet decided on whether she wanted to tell her parents about the Twister-related happenings.
"Rachel? Come here, sweetie." Her father patted the seat across from them for her to sit down.
"What happened?" Her Dad asked.
"I kissed her." Rachel's eyes fell to her hands in her lap. "I really need to go, Daddy."
"You kissed her? She didn't hurt you, did she?"
"Not any more than usual, so no, not really. She kissed me back. And then I suppose you could say she turned anti-gay as her defense. Please listen to me though. I have to go. Right now."
"She can wait, I mean it's not like—"
"Dad, she has never once in my entire life called me before tonight. We have never exchanged numbers, but it seems somehow she found mine a while back. And now she called me. She was in hysterics. I can't simply let that go because I know she desperately needs me this instant."
"Okay. Be back tomorrow after school. We'll talk about this later."
"Thank you." Rachel shot her fathers a grateful half-smile before rushing out her front door.
She hopped into her car and sped to Quinn's house, impatiently tapping her fingers at each stoplight until it changed to green. Thank goodness Glee functions were almost always held at the Fabray home. It was much easier driving. Finally, she arrived and practically threw herself out of the vehicle. The petite brunette knocked hesitantly on the door, unsure of who would be awake.
The door was pulled open and standing there was a sniffly blonde mess, biting her lip and still crying. Rachel didn't need to be asked anything. She embraced Quinn warmly, holding her safely in her arms.
"I'm here," Rachel whispered soothingly. "Shh, I'm here, I'm here."
Quinn clung on tightly as her chest heaved, calming gradually. Neither of the girls wanted to let go, but one of them had to.
Rachel closed the door behind her and looked around carefully. "Is your mother here?"
"No. Weekend trip somewhere or other," she replied softly.
"Quinn.. I don't exactly know where your room is, though I'd be glad to escort you there if I did." Rachel held out her hand for the blonde to take.
Quinn intertwined their fingers absently, pulling Rachel alongside her as they made their way to the taller girl's room. Their grip was solid until they were inside the bedroom, when Quinn let go to curl up in her fluffy bed.
Rachel frowned as she followed, settling next to Quinn on the bed. It broke her heart to see Quinn this upset. She couldn't pressure the girl, but she was just as pained as the blonde was. Quinn's pain was Rachel's pain. There wasn't much differentiation between the two hurts. She reached out to sweetly brush a few locks of hair out of Quinn's face, tucking them gently behind the girl's ear. Her hand lingered there, thumb stroking Quinn's neck comfortingly without Rachel's realization. Quinn sniffled and wiped her cheeks before shifting to look up at Rachel weakly.
"Can you inform me as to what happened? You're not usually this vulnerable and upset, Quinn."
"I broke up with Finn," she sighed. The whole charade of involving Finn to save herself was getting exhausting. So she gave up, if only for her personal growth.
Rachel's heart fluttered at the words. The couple had broken up, and at Quinn's choice. Wait, then... "Why are you distraught? If you were the one who broke up with him, why is it that you're the one in such distress?" She knew maybe the words could have stung, but the blonde has been known to be unbelievably like steel when it came to her emotions.
Quinn half-shrugged, cluing Rachel into the fact that the blonde knew but wasn't ready to own up to the true cause. The brunette simply nodded, searching hazel eyes endlessly as the held each other's focus. As the length of the gaze progressed, Rachel could tell Quinn's eyes were watery, and she was on the brink of bursting out in tears. "I'm so sorry, Rachel," the girl mumbled faintly.
"Shh, come here."Rachel scooted lower to be on Quinn's level, pulling her close to the brunette's body. Quinn's head rested against Rachel's chest as she cried again. "You are quite the conundrum, Miss Fabray," she mused, running her fingers through blonde hair.
Quinn at last rose from the covers with a sniffle and sat up to face Rachel who also sat upright once more. Fair-skinned hands rested on Rachel's sides as the brunette observed the gradually drying tear marks on the other girl's cheeks.
"Is it alright if I provide my supposition in regard to the cause of your sadness?" Rachel asked meekly.
Quinn couldn't help but smile slightly at the way Rachel spoke in such formalities half the time but nodded in response to the question.
"I have to wonder if maybe.. you know he's not who you truly wish to be with?"
"Why would that make me upset then?"
"What if the person you actually desire is not what you're used to? It would stand to reason that fear or uncertainty could cause these symptoms, though that's not necessarily true. It's just—it's nothing. Just an idea." She dipped her head sheepishly, knowing it was probably obvious that she was grasping at her last straws of hope.
Quinn opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her face contorted oddly, seemingly in thought. She covered her face momentarily until she spoke. "Can we not talk about that? Just for tonight. Please, Rachel." The strain and level of complexity was apparent in the way Quinn's eyebrows were knitted and her eyes were wet again.
Rachel pursed her lips, aware of the complete avoidance of the question she posed. She nodded nonetheless.
Quinn scooted towards the petite female until the only course of action for Rachel was to wrap her arms around the blonde and hold her in the most assuring way possible. She had to know that with Rachel she was and always could be safe. Nothing would hurt her with Rachel. Rachel would never cause her any harm.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Rachel hesitantly asked, "Quinn?"
The blonde weakly lifted her head from the girl's shoulder to meet her eyes, as much of a reply as Quinn could give at the moment.
"Is there anything at all I can do for you?"
Quinn straightened up minutely after thinking the question over. She slipped her hand into Rachel's, pulling the girl softly to nudge her into movement. "I have something for you."
Rachel's heart fluttered at the easy way their hands fit together, willingly trailing behind the tall blonde, curious as ever. Quinn led them to her wooden desk in the corner of her room, letting go of the brunette's hand reluctantly. The tall girl fumbled around the papers scattered on the top of the desk to find a small key. She found it and withdrew it, sticking it into the keyhole of the drawer directly in front of her, the only one on the desk that required such extensive measures to open it.
"You know, this is the first time you broke up with Finn, instead of the other way around," Rachel noted quietly. "Not that that's a particularly good or bad thing, it's simply an observation." Stemming from years of personal heartbreak every time you two ended up back with each other, she added silently.
Quinn ignored whatever Rachel had said, too absorbed in her current act to pay attention to anything else. Rachel glanced down casually, filling up her time by looking around the room aimlessly until Quinn procured what she was searching for. Upon catching a glimpse into the drawer, her eyes stayed glued to the contents inside. Slowly Quinn shuffled through a semi-large pile of miscellaneous memorabilia, flipping through pictures ranging from class photos to candids of Quinn herself. More often than not though, Rachel saw a recurring pattern visibly involved within the photos: herself. Memory upon memory of Rachel and Rachel and Quinn together, dating back to events the brunette had no recollection of. Years and years of the past were being called to the front of her brain, sparking distant memories of each instance that was represented with photographic evidence.
Rachel picked up her gaze, training its focus anywhere but the drawer. Only when she heard the 'click' of wood connecting with wood did she chance a look away from the wall.
Quinn was staring down at the bright red heart made out of construction paper in her hands. It was the kind where one would fold the paper in half and then cut the shape of half of a heart to make the full size when it was unfolded. Slowly the blonde turned it over to the front side where "To: Rachel" and "From: Quinn" was scribbled.
"I.." Quinn traced the letters written there for a moment. "Here." She looked up to give her a genuine, gentle smile as she held out the card to Rachel.
"What...? When did you make this?" Rachel was intrigued, too awed by the idea to read the insides just yet.
"6th grade. Before, well, before the Karofsky cursing incident you could say," she said, laughing coldly at the remembrance.
"Before you told me we could do this anymore. Before you broke my already fragile heart for what seemed to be the final time. Quinn, I had no idea how to put myself back together after you did that. Sure, I loved the safety you had provided me with just prior to your words, but that can't compensate for how badly I was hurting for who knows how long after you gave me the heave-ho out of your life."
"I know." Quinn's voice wavered when she spoke, biting her lip to hold back more tears. Gosh, she was really just a quivering mess tonight. "And I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry for that." And the way her emotional distress was reflected in her voice was enough to prove to Rachel that Quinn meant what she said, even if it was only potent in this moment in time.
"Should I read it now or would that be slightly inappropriate?"
"Well, I don't think I'd be giving it to you if I didn't want you to know what it said," she reminded, laughing lightly. "After all, that is why it was locked up for years."
Rachel turned it face down, examining the full size from the back so as not to spoil what was written inside. "Quinn... You do know this is bigger than the one you gave to Finn way back when, right?"
A faint blush crept into Quinn's cheeks. "I know."
"Is that why you didn't give it to me then, instead of now?"
Quinn stepped forward and held Rachel's wrists in her hands, the blonde's warm breath intoxicating the brunette each time it graced her skin. "You're asking too many questions. Just read."
Rachel folded it again and twisted it to view the front. She was all too aware of Quinn's proximity and the hands clasping her wrists. The small girl opened it like this was her acceptance letter to Juilliard—it was that important to her.
It read: Rachel. I wish we could hang out in front of the other kids. I'm sorry we can't. But I'm always going to stop those stupid kids. I'm not going to ever leave your side. I know we both kinda like Finn and I feel bad about that because you're my best friend, not him. You're my world and I don't really know why, but I want you to "Be Mine" on Valentine's Day today. But I know girls aren't supposed to do that. I'm supposed to be Finn's. It's kinda dumb. Please stay my friend though cause I need you more than you know.
"Of course, now I know Finn's not exactly who you're pining after, but I was young, give me a break," Quinn commented.
Rachel was sincerely touched by what the 6th grade Quinn had said about 6th grade her. It was simple, but it was cute and everything she'd wanted to hear and more. She smiled at the blonde. "Yeah, well it wouldn't have hurt for you to actually give me this when you planned to," she teased, pushing Quinn playfully with her shoulder.
"Oh yeah? And why's that?"
Rachel smirked and placed the card down. "For starters, I think I should have had some say in if I wanted to be yours in the first place," she told the blonde, stepping forward and pushing Quinn backwards toward the bed.
Quinn played into the light but electrified air, laughing as she couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. "Ah, but I said I was supposed to be Finn's." She allowed herself to be propelled towards a cushy oasis behind her, completely putting herself in Rachel's hands.
"Yes, but you also said that the idea that we weren't supposed to be each other's was kinda dumb. And Finn was pretty dumb, too." The back of Quinn's knees hit the bed, forcing her to sit down. Rachel settled on top of Quinn's lap, hands on the blonde's hips and still giggling.
"You always were ragging on Finn. Although I do have to admit, you made him seem pretty appealing whenever you tried to steal him from me."
"I am an actress," Rachel retorted dramatically, tossing her hair behind her shoulder.
"True." Quinn paused, studying Rachel's brown orbs intently. "You didn't actually want him, right? Y-You don't want him in reality. You would turn it down, right?" Quinn's eyebrows inched together as she laid out her fears and insecurities for the brunette without realizing it.
"Quinn, I am straddling you, and all we're doing is talking about Finn."
"Please just answer the questions," Quinn whispered, barely audible.
"The answer is no." The response was quick and without any hesitation.
"Okay," Quinn breathed in relief, flopping backwards onto the cushiony bed, spreading her arms out above her.
Rachel crawled up the blonde's beautifully taught body, butterflies waging war in her stomach. She leaned over Quinn, cupping her cheek with one hand, thumb slowly stroking the smooth skin there. Quinn turned her head to make eye contact with Rachel, solidifying the brunette's deep feelings for the tall girl. Rachel's head descended so that she could rest her forehead on Quinn's.
"You're amazing," Rachel offered in awe. "Breathtaking, really."
Quinn saw the sincerity in those dark brown eyes, inhaled the hot air from Rachel's mouth that made Quinn's head fog. It cleared in the absence of such a drug, but the pull was still left. She reached up and tucked a lock of brown hair behind Rachel's ear, waiting and exhaling breathily before quickly bring her lips to Rachel's.
The kiss was well-paced and languid. It held a familiar feeling to it while enveloping the two girls in a shroud of ecstasy and safety. There was nothing beyond that kiss, that very moment. There were no parents, no worries, and no maybe's or should have's or could have's. There was Quinn and Rachel, united once again, no longer permanently divided in an act of bad judgment. Briefly Quinn thinks she should not have initiated this kiss, resorting back to her "this is wrong" defense. But the thought was gone as quickly as it had come.
The blonde contently pulled back, setting her head on the mattress, a smile etched into her face as she licked her lips. "Stay with me tonight."
"Anything. Anything for you," Rachel added, signifying her compliance. She dove back in for another kiss, not able to let a moment of this intimacy slip away.
Quinn tugged on Rachel's lip with her teeth, grinning. Next thing Rachel knew, Quinn's hair draped around her face like a curtain, making her realize the shift in positions as the tall girl sat up more to bask in Rachel's focus. "You're the beautiful one, you know."
"I disagree." Rachel turned her face away bashfully, averting her eyes.
"Sometimes you should listen to me, you know. Especially when I'm right."
"Mm," Rachel replied, letting Quinn know she was heard but not willingly accepting the words spoken.
"I mean it," Quinn retorted. Her tone conveyed complete seriousness.
Rachel held Quinn's eyes with her own in a moment of silence. "I know. I can tell," she finally murmured, smiling up at the blonde.
Content with the response, Quinn rolled off of Rachel and scrambled under the sheets, motioning for Rachel to do likewise. The brunette complied and was soon warm and wrapped up in Quinn's arms. For years she had dreamed about this, but no dream ever compared to the reality of it. The blonde's strong arms brought a feeling of absolute adoration, and Quinn's sweet, vanilla-like smell intoxicated Rachel as it surrounded her, pulling her deeper into the bliss of the moment.
The two stayed like that until Rachel fell asleep, surprising since Quinn was the one who'd been crying on and off all night. But Quinn found it adorable nonetheless and was completely happy to acquire some needed sleep with the small brunette snuggled up to her.