The kiss went on until the girls' lungs burned for air. Breaking apart, Rachel stepped back and touched her lips with the tips of her finger, as if she was trying to hide the smile forming on them.
Quinn searched the brunette for signs of regret, and when she saw the smile spreading across Rachel's face, she let herself mirror it. The moment that they had just shared was a long time coming, and Quinn was filled with so many emotions; relief, joy, excitement, hopefullness, and when she saw that Rachel wasn't flipping out and running away, those feelings just got stronger.
When Rachel headed for the door, Quinn panicked. "Rach..." she started to plead, but was quickly stopped by the brunette when she turned around and put her finger to her lips with a "shhhh" sound. Rachel put her other hand on the door knob and slowly opened it, stuck her head out, looked around, and then closed the door once again.
"I just wanted to make sure we were alone this time" she said and Quinn laughed.
The brunette then pulled Quinn into another kiss, this one was slow and delicate. The pair was interrupted by the buzzing of Quinn's phone.
Checking the caller ID she let out a groan "I'm sorry, its my friend, she's looking after my animals"
"Thats ok, answer it"
So she did "Is everything okay Charlotte?"
"well a great big hello to you too!" came the sarcastic reply
"yes well, as always your timing is on par with my mother's. What's up?"
"Your petting zoo is in good working order, I just called because I'm E-mailing you a list of dates and locations for your book tour and I need you to approve it ASAP"
"I'll get to it, thanks. Talk to you soon"
"Bye for now!"
Quinn put her phone back in her pocket and turned to Rachel "I'm sorry it turned out to be a short business thing"
"That's fine, I um should probably be heading out" she seemed suddenly shy
"Please don't" Quinn moved closer taking the shorter girl's hands in hers
"I don't want to, but the reunion is only a few hours away, and I'm not ready"
Quinn let out a sigh of defeat "Alright, but before you go... I want to see you tonight, after the reunion. Will you come over?"
"Yes, we have a lot more to talk about before tomorrow" she said as she made her way out of the bedroom and into the hall
"Tomorrow?" Quinn asked following her
"I fly home tomorrow." and with that Rachel was gone.
A few hours later...
Rachel entered the high school gym, it was decorated in the school colors, with tables and chairs set up, and a banner welcoming her and her classmates. It was just as she had pictured it would be. Looking around for familiar faces she spotted the table where Mercedes, Kurt, Puck, Finn, and Santana were sitting. She made her way over, and the group stood to greet her with hugs.
"Look at you! All grown and sexy" Mercedes said
"You look great too!" she said before turning her attention to Finn and Puck "And look at you guys! How are you?"
"Doing good babe" Puck said
"Can't complain, our dates are off mingling" Finn said, and they all sat down.
"Has Quinn made it in?" Rachel did her best to sound indifferent
Santana smirked knowingly "Not yet, I talked to her a little while ago, she'll be here"
As the time passed, the rest of the group found their way to the unofficial glee table. They exchanged stories about thier time after graduation, relationships, gossip about former classmates. Rachel kept an eye out for Quinn, but still there was no sign of her.
Everyone's attention was pulled to the stage where Mr. Schuester was standing at the Microphone
"Welcome Class of 2013!" he yelled and was answered with cheers from the audience. "It's good to how many of you made it here today. Now if you will join me in welcoming your former class president and home coming queen Ms. Quinn Fabray!" the room erupted in applause as Quinn made her way across the stage and to the microphone.
Rachel felt her chest tighten. Quinn looked amazing in her black dress, her hair in a classy up do.
"Thank you Mr. Schuester, and hello fellow classmates." she began, catching Rachel's eyes with her own she smiled and continued "Looking back on my years here at McKinley, it is impossible not to think of all the important bonds and relationships formed, all of the ups and downs experienced, and all of the opportunities both taken and missed. High school, being a time of self discovery, I was fortunate enough to have learned so much about myself with the help of not only teachers like Mr. Schuester, but with the help of you all." she looked around, knowing she had the attention of her audience. "For this I thank you all. Moving forward with our lives after graduating, we still carry lessons learned from our years here, and as we continue on our journies in life, McKinley High and the ones we shared it with will continue to shape and influence who we become." Quinn raised the glass of champagne she had been holding "Here is tonight, and to our continued and forever intertwined paths of life"
Everyone raised their glasses to Quinn's toast and applause was heard as Quinn continued "As I'm sure all of you remember, I was part of the National Champions, The New Directions, please help me in welcoming another former member of the Glee club, Ms. Santana Lopez."
Santana stood up and made her way to the stage, where Mr. Schuester was waiting for her. The two made there way to the center of the stage, Mr. S carrying his guitar and Santana bringing over another microphone. "As a surprise for the Glee club, we're going to sing the song we won our first nationals with" She shot Rachel a sly smile, letting her know it was for her. "Please don't be shy, join in if you remember it" The Glee club went wild when Mr. Schue started strumming, instantly knowing what song it was.
Quinn started singing:
Baby
Its been a long day, baby.
Things aint going my way
you know I need you here
here by my side
all of the time
And Baby, the way you move me its crazy.
its like, you see right through me, you make it easier,
You please me and you don't even have to try.
Santana joined in for the chorus...
oh because,
you are the best thing
you are the best thing
you are the best thing
ever happened to me
Baby,
We've come a long way, baby.
you know, I hope and I pray that you believe me
When I say this love will never fade away
The rest of the Glee club, including Rachel made their way to the stage and started dancing and singing with them.
oh because
you are the best thing
you are the best thing
you are the best thing
ever happened to me
Rachel took her place next to Quinn, taking her hand and singing the next verse by herself.
Now both of us have known love before,
To come on up promising, like the spring, just walk on out the door.
Our hearts are kind and are hearts are strong.
well, let me tell you what exactly is on my mind.
The whole Glee club finished out the song together, clapping and dancing coming from the classmates that once terrorized them. It was a perfect way to kick off their night together.
you are the best thing
you are the best thing
you are the best thing
ever happened to me
you are the best thing
you are the best thing
you are the best thing
ever happened to me
When they finished, Rachel looked up at Quinn, knowing that what she was feeling was strong and real, and was now looking forward to the talk they were going to have later.
Till next time...