A/N: Just want to say a massive thank you for all those reviews, alerts and favourites. I have been writing solidly every free minute I have, so not found time for individual replies. Anyone that is new to my stories, I tend to update once or, if I'm feeling inspired, twice a week.

Mistakes are mine, Glee is not.

xxx

"I have my Dads car outside." Rachel turned back to see Quinn struggling with a suitcase, her heated cheeks soon forgotten as she watched the blonde.

"Really? Didn't you just tell me what a bad driver you are?"

"Didn't you just tell me you were staying at the motel?" Rachel eyed the bag Quinn was now dragging along behind her and couldn't miss the sheepish look on the other woman's face.

"I may have lied, I haven't even tried to find somewhere to stay, I was just going to crash somewhere later, but then you asked and I felt a little embarrassed."

"I'm actually relieved that you lied, really Hollywood stars don't stay in Motel's Quinn, you have to work on your lies."

"You'd think I'd have mastered them by now."

"Why? What lies do you tell?"

"Ya know, the usual." Quinn tilted her head to one side as if that was enough of an explanation.

"Well, you certainly do vague well."

"Thanks, but really you want to know something I'll try not to lie."

"Do you like girls?"

"I love girls."

Rachel stomped her foot in a show of mild frustration. "You know what I mean."

"You can't tell my agent." Quinn whispered and leaned into Rachel.

"I promise." Rachel whispered back conspiratorially.

"Then yes I do know what you mean and yes I like girls, well one girl. I'm hoping she might like me too, but I guess I'll have to take her on a couple of dates to find out?"

Rachel bit on her lip as she grinned at Quinn. She didn't say a word on the drive back to her Dads, partly because she was thinking about what Quinn had said and partly because she really was a terrible driver and had to concentrate very hard, she didn't want to crash the car and scare Quinn off before she'd even asked her on one of those dates.

xxx

As they made their way to the Berry's front door Quinn hovered just behind Rachel, she'd been here before, to this house, but today was different. It didn't matter how old she was, the idea of meeting someones parents for the first time, friend or...more, still made her nervous and right now Quinn wasn't sure what her and Rachel were to each other, but she had a feeling that Rachel's Dads would see through them both and know everything they didn't, parents could be really annoying that way.

Her worries were soon forgotten, Rachel's Dads were warm and welcoming, she didn't feel like she was on the outside at all, but she could immediately see that they were mostly concerned with being around Rachel. The walls were adorned with photos of all Rachel's achievements, her Dads had flown to New York a lot from what Quinn could see, but she knew Rachel hadn't been back to Lima and it was clearly an issue for both her Dads, they spent most of their time trying to cover that up, so Quinn's unexpected arrival was nothing more than a distraction and a small blessing. To the Berry's she was just an old school friend and it was nice to feel like that for once, for a long time now she'd been surrounded by people that wanted something from her, here she got to hide in Rachel's shadow.

Quinn zoned out as the Berry's fell back into their old family ways. She was happy to just sit and listen and mostly watch Rachel.

She had always been captivated by the girl, in glee she'd often get lost in the songs Rachel sang, she missed that so much that she had found herself eagerly waiting for Rachel to make it and get onto the Broadway stage. There wasn't a question about whether she should go or not, the day she knew Rachel was cast she planned her trip, she couldn't miss an opening night. The first time she saw Rachel her heart skipped a beat, the same thing happened with each night she attended one of Rachel's performances, yet she never hung around, instead she'd leave at the curtain call and rush to see Beth in Boston, she always packaged up her visits that way. It allowed her to indulge in her secret love of Rachel Berry, the Broadway star, without having any questions to answer from the people that claimed to be close to her.

xxx

She must have been deep in thought because she was suddenly aware of a hand frantically waving in front of her face.

"Quinn? You there?"

"Sorry. Jet lag I guess."

"Oh, you should take a nap, come on I'll show you to the guest room." Rachel took her hand and led her towards the stairs.

"Guest room." Quinn repeated under her breath.

The next thing she knew the door was being knocked and she slowly woke up to see Rachel peeking her head in.

"Hey sleepy, you ready to get up?"

"Mmmhmm" Quinn mumbled and pulled the covers over her head. She felt the bed dip as Rachel climbed on next to her, pulling back the covers.

"Come on. We have to be there in two hours."

"Two hours? Oh god, does it really take you that long to get ready?"

Rachel blushed. "Um, actually I started an hour ago, I was trying to give you a little more rest."

Quinn just smiled. "But you're beautiful." And Rachel's blush grew.

An hour later and Quinn was in the kitchen with Leroy, they were both happily discussing Rachel's career, Leroy was questioning if he had competition for the role of Rachel's biggest fan when Rachel walked in the room.

"Oh Daddy, you think Quinn's as enamored with me as you?"

"I think she'd give me a run for my money. You look stunning." Leroy kissed his daughter. "Don't you think Quinn?" Leroy added, he and Rachel both turned to Quinn. She blushed when she realised she'd been caught practically ogling Rachel.

"I...uh...yes...she is, Rachel you look beautiful, really beautiful." Quinn breathily complimented the woman in front of her, Rachel was wearing the black gown she'd worn to the Tony's and Quinn was so pleased she got to see it up close, Rachel looked hot on T.V. but she was so much more in real life.

"Why thank you Quinn." Rachel did a little twirl before she took in the form fitting red dress that Quinn was wearing, she couldn't help but rake her eyes over her body, age definitely made Quinn sexier. Rachel was struggling to reign in her emotions and now desire was threatening to consume her.

Quinn for her part was still lost in Rachel, the same as always. She'd always secretly admired her, Rachel had been talented, but more than that, she had believed in herself. At High School she had always tried to be true to herself, she couldn't bend to fit in to the moulds that the school and society set, she got shoved into the loser category, just like every other person that dared to be different or those that already knew who they were and didn't have to wait until their twenties or beyond to figure it out.

Quinn had been the opposite and she still regretted it, she had been so desperate to fit in, she knew the only way to make that work was to be at the top. Until she joined glee it had all made sense, but then Rachel Berry changed things. Rachel made her realize that there was something else, something more. It was because of Rachel that she had the courage to get out off of Lima, her Dad beating her Mom had been the last push, she didn't want that life, she wanted her own and had to take a chance.

L.A. had been tough, the first year she barely made ends meet, but she was pretty and it helped. She got good tips as she waited tables and had a lot of call backs. The Empire had been a fledgling show when she got a guest role. She got to play the evil and cunning daughter of one of the leads and her character was somehow more popular than hated. Typical, Quinn thought, that she'd work out how not to be such a bitch and then end up playing one. Somehow she managed to soften the character and it seemed to work for the fans. She loved acting, she loved that she'd taken a chance and at the end of the day she always felt that she had Rachel Berry to thank for that.

As she sat in the back of the car thinking of the last few years of her life, she realized how happy it made her feel that she could turn and look at the woman that had plagued her thoughts in that time. Rachel noticed Quinn watching her and smiled shyly. Quinn reached out a hand and took hold of Rachel's, entwining their fingers and reveling in the feel of the smaller woman's skin against her own. They stayed like that until they reached their destination, a light squeeze from Rachel and Quinn knew it was time to release her hold, she missed the touch instantly. By the time she'd climbed out of the car Rachel was at her side and that small hand she missed was now back in hers.

Before she knew it they were separated again, Rachel was dragged away by Kurt and they were in the middle of a rendition of Happy days/Get happy already. Quinn watched on with a smile on her face, she'd really missed hearing Rachel sing like that. Broadway was a job and Rachel played a part, she was always amazing but, right now, this was Rachel Berry giving a performance as herself and Quinn loved it, just as she always did in High School.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say you have still got it bad for Berry?" Santana bumped shoulders with Quinn as she joined her in watching their old classmates perform.

"Good to see you too, Santana." Quinn pulled the Latina into a tight hug. "It's been too long. How's Britt?"

"Sad she couldn't make it, work and touring and all those things. Don't think I didn't notice you avoided my question."

"I'm good at that, try another one."

"Answer or not, I can see it. Rachel's hot and I think she's hot for you."

"I'm not looking for a reunion hookup." Quinn turned and walked to the bar.

"No, you are looking for a whole lot more." Santana spoke to her retreating back.

Quinn heard her and smiled. Santana was right, but she wasn't going to let her be the first to know. This weekend was a reunion and a chance to reconnect with Rachel. She wasn't going to ruin it by pushing too hard too fast. She'd waited five years and taking her time wasn't going to be a problem, no matter how hot Rachel looked tonight. That was the plan at least, but then Puck handed her a tequila shot and then another and the next she knew she was growling from the sidelines as she watched Finn Hudson dancing with Rachel. It was nothing, she tried to let it go, but her hands were balled into fists and the memories of senior year came flooding back. Finn and Rachel, always Finn and Rachel.

It was the first time Quinn realized her feelings for Rachel were something more than dislike. They argued and fought for so long it came naturally, but then Finn and Rachel got together and they looked so happy. That was when she figured out her anger had nothing to do with Finn, but she didn't want to admit it even to herself. It all came to a head near graduation, she walked in on Rachel and Finn at one of Puck's parties, they weren't doing much, just kissing and some groping but she'd almost died on the spot. It had felt like a bus had ran into her, the force of seeing them like that just broke her and she barely managed to speak to Rachel again before she left for New york. Things had changed a lot since that day.

She couldn't say or do anything back then because she didn't even know what it was, but five years later and she knew only too well. Rachel Berry was the one that she wanted. It took her three failed relationships to figure it out. The first was the guy she first roomed with in L.A. Gerry was sweet and took her out, which was nice because she could barely afford to eat, but it didn't last. Then she met Anna and her whole world changed. It wasn't so much a relationship as just a few stolen kisses, but Quinn felt more alive in those brief kisses than she ever did before, so when Anna and Gerry got engaged she knew she had to get out and fast. Another year passed before she fell for Kristen. They met on the set of a mini series and Quinn just couldn't keep her eyes off her. It was six months before she admitted to herself why.

Kristen shared a lot of characteristics with Rachel, but it took her another six months to accept that she'd rather be with Rachel and decided she had to move on, she broke Kristen's heart because all that filled hers was questions about her past and what might have been. Her publicist discovered the relationship after Kristen appeared unexpectedly and refused to keep quiet despite Quinn's repeated requests. The following week and she was on staged dates, rolling her eyes as she had a man show her just how to use the gas pump, but it was work and she could live with it. If she wanted to make it, she needed to be what they told her to be, or so they all kept telling her. She'd argued at first but quickly discovered it was easier to do what they asked. She had dated a couple of people since then and managed to keep it discreet, but nothing came of it, she was always left wondering what could have been with Rachel.

Two years of playing this game and she had made it, well almost, and now here she was feeling like a high school kid again, watching the girl that she liked, dancing with the boy that always got in the way.

Finn's hands began to move from Rachel's waist towards her ass and Quinn was across the dance floor like a shot, she wasn't standing by and watching this again. Rachel saw her and pulled away from Finn, smiling she reached out a hand and with a light touch all Quinn's anger dissolved and was replaced with want. She took Rachel's hand and pulled her close, their bodies flush against each other as the music filled her ears. Finn was soon forgotten as Quinn ran her fingers along the exposed flesh at the sides of Rachel's dress.

"I thought you were just going to stand over there and watch." Rachel shouted above the music.

"I was, but I couldn't leave you at the mercy of Finn's dance moves." She had both hands on Rachel's hips and pulled her impossibly close, before turning Rachel in her arms so that she was now dancing behind her. Their bodies still pressed together as they moved to the music.

"Good." Rachel gasped at the change of position, leaning her body back into Quinn and tilting her head back so that it was resting on Quinn's shoulder. "I was worried you were trying to kill him with those evil looks."

"I was." She moved her hips against Rachel's and brushed her lips lightly against her ear lobe.

"Quinn?" Rachel could almost hear her own heartbeat above the music.

"I like you." Quinn whispered into Rachel's ear, the song finished and the music died as Artie took hold of the microphone. He was in the middle of his speech before Rachel moved. She turned and looked back at Quinn and that was when Quinn knew she had more than just a chance.

"I like you too." Rachel placed a chaste kiss to the corner of Quinn's mouth just as Artie called out her name, Rachel was soon being invited onto the stage. Quinn watched as she went, a grin firmly planted on her face as the brunette turned back and sent her a shy smile.

xxx

Rachel shook as she made her way to the stage, it was normally the thing that made her feel most alive, but in that moment all she could think of was the way Quinn had held her and touched her, followed by those three words. Her heart had almost landed in her mouth, she was still flustered but somehow she got there and she sang with Artie and then she was swept away by Sam. She could feel Quinn's eyes on her the whole time and whenever she sought her out she wasn't disappointed. The look in Quinn's eye made her feel more wanted than she had ever felt in her life.

Sam had hold of her waist as they danced slowly to the music. "I got a DVD of your performance, I know it's not the same as Quinn coming to see it live, but I don't really have much. Anyway you were amazing, still so amazing."

"Thanks Sam, that's really sweet of you."

"We all missed you, you should really come home more often."

"I probably should." Rachel had no idea when she'd be back next, Lima hadn't been her world for so long. Now she had a feeling L.A. was going to become her second home after New York, but she didn't want to chance that, instead she pretended to listen as Sam and then Mercedes, followed by Tina and Mike praised her achievements before filling her in on their lives, all the while she watched Quinn from across the room, she was fixated on her figure, the way the dress clung to each and every curve and she couldn't help but lick her lips.

"You're drooling Berry." Santana whispered so that the others didn't hear.

"I'm just, um..." Rachel stepped away from the crowd and Santana followed her.

"Busy checking out the hotness that is Quinn Fabray? She's looking fine. I don't blame you."

"She has always been pretty."

"Yes, but now she has a couple of dollops of sexy to add on top of her high school yumminess."

"Santana!"

"I'm a married woman! But I can still give a fair assessment on Fabray's hotness. You should ask her out."

"It's a weekend, one weekend and then the real world takes over again."

"It's a chance and an opportunity. Don't let it pass you by."

Santana left Rachel to think on her words and think is what Rachel did, until a shot of tequila ended up in her hand and the group all got together. Quinn sidled in next to her and Rachel ached to lean against her, so she did and was rewarded with an arm being wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her in closer.

"Having fun?" Quinn asked before necking her shot.

"Ugh." Rachel almost gagged on hers. "great fun."

"I thought you weren't a party girl?"

"I know how to have fun." Rachel smirked at the blonde.

"I'm counting on it." Quinn returned the smirk and Rachel felt as if her body was on fire. "but maybe we should get you home?" the blonde quirked an eyebrow as Rachel wobbled.

Rachel nodded, the alcohol and the long day were taking their toll suddenly.

xxx

As they sat in the car on the way back to Rachel's, Quinn had to resist every urge in her body that wanted to jump the brunette sat next to her, she desperately wanted to claim those sweet plump lips and kiss Rachel, but instead she stared out of the window and watched as Lima passed by. She felt a finger light brush against her hand and turned to see Rachel watching her.

"Perhaps we need to talk." Rachel spoke softly but her nerves were evident.

"I think so." Quinn sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. Yes, she wanted to jump Rachel, but she wanted so much more than that and after five years she wasn't going to mess it up on drunken impulses.

"I'm a bit drunk though."

"A bit?" Quinn chuckled. Rachel just brushed her off with a look.

"So how about brunch tomorrow, before our flights?" The mention of their flights knocked Quinn, she didn't want the reality of their departure. For a mad moment she wanted to stay in Lima forever, but Lima was her past and she couldn't stay.

She nodded her agreement as the car came to a stop. Quickly climbing out and helping Rachel out of her door, before taking her hand and walking towards the house.

They hovered by the guest room door for a moment before Rachel placed her hands on Quinn's shoulders, raising onto her tiptoes and leaving another chaste kiss at the corner of Quinn's mouth, Rachel said goodnight and Quinn watched as she headed down the corridor to her own room, she turned and closed the door behind her with a groan, being close to Rachel was amazing but torture at the same time.

xxx

It was about 10 minutes later that she heard a crash and found herself running towards Rachel's room.

"Rach? You alright?"

When she got no response she opened the door and walked in to find Rachel sprawled out on the floor.

"I was trying to get the zipper and then..." Rachel burst into a fit of giggles on her bedroom floor and Quinn couldn't help but join her.

"Get up." Quinn said as she regained her composure, she pulled the girl to her feet, before turning her and unzipping her dress. Pausing for a moment as her hand reached the small of Rachel's back and gently running her fingertips along the soft skin.

"Stay." Rachel whispered.

"I thought you said..."

"Just for tonight. As friends or something? just to sleep, I, well I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

"Okay." Quinn couldn't argue, she didn't want to, she felt the same. Her heart ached at the thought of being separated again so soon.

Rachel stepped out of her dress and Quinn couldn't help but stare, the woman had an amazing body, but it was soon covered by a vest and the shortest shorts Quinn could ever hope for. She'd already changed before Rachel fell, so just climbed into bed next to her.

"So I said not until a couple of dates..." Rachel spoke into the darkened room.

"Yet here we are. I knew you couldn't resist me."

"Oh I can...well almost." her voice faded. "Maybe tonight you could hold me?"

Quinn moved closer to Rachel, wrapping her arm around her waist. "I like this." She whispered against Rachel's ear lobe, letting her lips gently brush against the skin, before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she felt Rachel shift back into her and sighed. Sleep soon took hold of them both.

xxx

A/N: Next up is the morning after, Family brunch and some talking needs to be done about what they do once the Lima trip ends.

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