A/N: So sorry for the wait! Every time I tried to upload this chapter the formatting would freak out and I would just give up. Anyway, here is chapter 3. Also, thank all of you for the favs, reviews, and alerts! You all are my motivation..
It had been a week since "The Incident," as Quinn had dubbed it in her mind. A week of stumbling through procedures and trying desperately not to think about a certain brunette. Santana still kept a wary eye on her, although Quinn's pretty sure Brittany didn't tell her anything about- Quinn couldn't even bring herself to acknowledge it. About it.
Still, it had been a week of normal life without any Rachel Berry drama. Quinn hoped that maybe she could just move on and pretend that she didn't make out with Rachel Berry in a public restroom. All hopes were dashed, however, when the alarm sounded one morning and Santana screamed, "It's Berry! She's hitting a bank!"
And Quinn felt her stomach do acrobats because really, there was no way she'd be moving on.
The D.E.B.S. crept carefully through the bank, keenly aware of any movement around them.
"Alright, let's split up," Santana whispered, and soon everyone was breaking off into different directions. Quinn had just turned to head towards the back offices when a hand lashed out, pulling her into the vault.
Quinn let out a little yelp as she crashed into a table, and she turned quickly to see Rachel standing there.
"We need to talk," Rachel said, pulling the door shut behind her and standing in front of it.
She crossed her arms and stood tall, trying to look intimidating. Quinn watched her in mild amusement, eyebrows raised.
"What are you doing?"
"I've called you sixteen times, Quinn. Sixteen! And you haven't answered any of them. I know we need to talk about what happened and I needed to get you to talk to me."
"So you decided to rob a bank?" Quinn asks, staring at Rachel like she had grown two heads. Rachel just shrugged.
"It got your attention, didn't it?" She said as she moved to one of the shelves in the room and started gathering up money and putting it into a bag.
"Rachel," Quinn warned, stepping up to stop the girl. Honestly, she couldn't just stand there and let her steal the money. She was a D.E.B., after all.
"Why have you been avoiding me?" Rachel demanded, ignoring Quinn's warning.
"Maybe because you're a criminal and I'm a D.E.B," she said, watching as the girl fluttered about the room.
"Really? Because I was under the impression that it was because you were afraid of your attraction to me."
"I'm not attracted to you," Quinn says as her eyes trail the length of Rachel's legs. This really wasn't even fair, what with Rachel bending over to pick up money bags in such a dangerously short skirt. Rachel glanced back at her, catching Quinn's blatant staring. She scoffed and Quinn looked away, turning red.
"Of course you aren't. So, hey, why don't you go on a second date with me?" Rachel asked, drawing Quinn's attention away from her assets. Quinn huffed.
"First off, that wasn't a date. It doesn't count if you kidnap someone and, and you need to stop calling that a date! Secondly, no!" Rachel sighed in frustration. She moved closer to Quinn, causing the girl to stumble backwards.
"Why are you acting like this? Was it something I did or said? I understand that my personality can be a lot to handle and I am admittedly high maintenance but I can honestly attest that-" Quinn cut her off with a hand, silencing the rambling.
"Can you just.. Stop talking for a second?" Quinn said, her cheeks a light red as she tried to gaze anywhere but Rachel. There was no way she could let the girl keep talking, not when watching her mouth move had an incredibly inappropriate affect on Quinn's mind.
Because really, the moment you're reasserting your heterosexuality is not the time to start having dirty thoughts about a girl's mouth. That same mouth that was now pressing a kiss to your palm. Quinn yanked her hand back, clutching it as if it had been burned.
Bad.
"S-stop that," Quinn hissed. A slow, knowing smile spread across Rachel's face as she started prowling towards Quinn, backing her into one of the money stands.
"Stop what, Quinn?" she asked with a predator's smile, eyeing Quinn like she's the catch of the day. "Stop this?"
She leaned forward, pressing a slow, open mouthed kiss to Quinn's throat. The other girl gasped, her fingers flexing in the other girl's shirt.
"Y-yes," Quinn managed, turning her head as if to get away when all she was really doing was opening her neck up for Rachel's onslaught.
"Are you saying yes stop," Rachel teased, nipping at her jaw line, "Or yes, please don't stop?" Rachel didn't wait for an answer, her nips and kisses traveling up and along her face before finally stopping at her mouth. Quinn reciprocated immediately, sighing softly.
Rachel reached behind them and swept the money piles off the stand behind Quinn. She helped lift Quinn onto the cabinet, their mouths never separating. She could practically feel the other girl purring, her hands sliding down and under Rachel's shirt.
A soft beeping sound emitted from Quinn's pocket, telling her one of her teammates was calling. Neither girl noticed. In fact, they were so caught up in their moment that they hardly noticed the vault door flying open.
"Hey guys!"
Both girls let out a scream, jumping apart only to find wide-eyed Brittany standing behind them. Rachel literally growled.
"Everytime..."
Quinn squeezed her hand, sending her a disapproving glare.
"Uh, hey Brittany," she murmured, her face red and flustered. Brittany blinked.
"Santana sent me to find you. Is Finn here?"
"Yes, Brittany, Finn is here. In fact, if you go right out that door you'll find him in the lobby pretending to be working. Why don't you go say hello?" Rachel said with a strained smile. Brittany just giggled and ran from the room, leaving Quinn still pinned to the wall by the thief.
Quinn pushed Rachel away roughly then, causing the girl to stumble.
"That," she says in a shuddering breath, "can never happen again."
They both watch each other silently, sizing each other up. Rachel could see her walls flying up again, now that their moment had been broken. She made a mental note to have Brittany tied up and sent somewhere far away the next time she wanted Quinn alone. After a few more moments of tense silence, Rachel finally stepped away and moved over to the money piles from before. Quinn stiffened.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Quinn asked.
"Well, if you're not going to agree to a second date with me then I might as well do something productive. I'm going to steal this money."
Quinn stood up a little straighter then, feeling the mood shift to something she can handle. Rachel smiled. This was the Quinn she preferred: cool, calm, and confident. Quinn may not be ready to face her (obvious) homosexuality, but she could definitely face a thief.
"I can't let you do that," Quinn said evenly, watching the thief.
Rachel smiled.
"Try and stop me."
Quinn smiled, leaping at Rachel.
Barely any punches were thrown before Quinn found herself unceremoniously thrown into an adjoining office, the door slamming shut behind her.
"Looks like it's three to zero now, Quinn Fabray," Rachel said with a laugh, disappearing from sight. Quinn sighed, glancing down at the door knob, frustrated.
"I'll get you next time."
And it turns out that she really did get her next time, as not even two days later they found themselves in a warehouse, sparring. Apparently this warehouse contains secret government shipments that Berry wanted to steal, so of course the police sent the D.E.B.S. down to investigate. Quinn had been patrolling the east corridor when a hand had flown out, pulling her into an office.
Instantly she turned, flipping her hand out of Rachel's grasp and spinning the girl, pressing her to the wall. She reached for her handcuffs, managing to get one of them on her before the girl kicked back, knocking her knees to the side and forcing her to the ground. A second later she turned, slamming the empty cuff down over Quinn's wrist, handcuffing the two together.
Quinn glared at her.
"Well, I'm glad that I have your attention now," Rachel Berry said with a smirk. Quinn reached into her pocket for the handcuff keys. Rachel's hand lashed out, snatching them from her and dangling them in front of her face. Quinn sighed.
"Fine, Berry. What do you want?"
Rachel's face instantly lit up at the prospect of talking.
"Well Quinn, now that we're dating I need to go ahead and clarify that-"
"Woah! We are not dating, you freak!"
"Listen here, Treasure Trail," Quinn bites, stepping into Rachel's space, "I do not have time for your stupid little games. I have two midterms coming up, an entire team completely dependent on my full attention, a boyfriend who refuses to keep it in his pants and-"
Rachel stared at her with wide eyes, wondering if this is what it was like to sit through one of her rambles. Because really, as hot as Quinn looked when she was all flustered and angry with her hip jutting out and her face a light red, having to listen to her whine was quickly becoming tedious. Not to mention the extensive list of topics Rachel had hoped to discuss.
And so Rachel did the only thing she could think of: she kissed her.
Now, Rachel anticipated many outcomes of that move: a punch to the face, a scream of "I'm straight!", a gun appearing in Quinn's hand from who-knows-where aimed at her face.
What she didn't expect, however, was for Quinn to whimper.
And not just any whimper, oh no. This was the softest, most pitifully adorable whimper she'd ever heard. And a free hand found
its way into Rachel's hair while the other tugged helplessly at her handcuff. Rachel smiled into the kiss, drawing it out slowly. This was a far cry from their past encounters; they took their time learning each other, free hands sliding slowly over clothed bodies.
After what felt like an eternity, Rachel pulled back. Quinn stood there, her lips parted and her eyes closed. Rachel couldn't resist the urge to lean back in, quickly kissing her once more.
"Now that we're dating," she says before kissing her again, "I need you to know that I can be an incredibly high maintenance girlfriend." Her lips traveled over Quinn's cheek, down until she was kissing that spot on the side of Quinn's neck that turned her to jelly. She walked the girl backwards until the back of her knees hit the chair, causing her to fall into it.
"Uh huh," Quinn breathed.
"And also," Rachel continued, nipping at the spot and making her gasp, "I'm vegan, so when we actually start going on dates, we will have to carefully select certain restaraunts. I already have a color coded list of suitable establishments back in my lair."
"Yeah," Quinn sighed.
"Not to mention the whole 'I have an addiction to stealing expensive things'. All of that asside, do you accept my crazy? Do you still want to be my girlfriend?" Rachel was essentially straddling her now, her free hand running up and down her arm while she continued to nip at Quinn's neck.
"Yes," Quinn practically hissed.
Rachel smiled, pulling back.
"Wonderful. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I really have to go." Rachel stood up then, much to Quinn's disdain. Quinn watched with confused, half-lidded eyes as Rachel slid the key into the handcuff and freed herself. She leaned down, pressing a kiss to Quinn's forehead, and whispered, "I'll see you soon."
Moments later, as the blood finally started flowing to Quinn's brain again, a terrifying thought struck her.
Wait, what just happened?
Two days later, a call comes in: Rachel Berry is robbing a museum just across town. Everyone is shocked that she's hit so many places in the same town, but they just count it a blessing; its another chance to catch her. Quinn knows better; she knows what Rachel's trying to do. And it won't work.
Really, it won't.
"This won't work," she whispered into the glass case that protected some mummified cat as Rachel Berry slid her hands up and over her stomach, all while pressing kisses to the back of her neck.
"I'm not," Quinn tried, gasping as Rachel bit down roughly on her shoulder before soothing it with a kiss. "I'm not into girls," she finally managed. Rachel let out a decidedly unlady-like snort before murmuring, "right."
And Quinn really did want to protest that, to stress that no really, she was totally straight, but then Rachel started doing this whirly thing with her tongue and her hand had crept under Quinn's bra, and suddenly Quinn couldn't actually remember what it is they were talking about.
And had she been in the state of mind to form rational thoughts, she might have wondered how it was that she kept ending up in situations like this. It seemed like every time she was within ten feet of Rachel she would find herself pressed up against some surface with hands wandering under clothes. This was becoming a habit, and not a good one for a straight, in-a-relationship-with-a-boy D.E.B. to have.
Rachel twirled Quinn around and pressed her back against the case, her mouth continuing to trail down the front of her throat.
"I missed you," she whispered softly. Quinn chuckled huskily, her hands threading through brown hair.
"We did this two days ago," she whispered back, and Rachel tried to not get too excited at how she didn't immediately say not that we're ever doing this again or stop trying to gayify me, ya homo. So Rachel decided to test the waters even further.
"Can't a girl miss her girlfriend?"
Quinn froze, but Rachel only increased her assault on that particular spot of Quinn's throat, causing the girl to slowly thaw back out into the puddle she'd been.
"I guess I maybe missed you a little, too," she gasped as fingers slid up her thighs beneath her skirt. Rachel smiled into her collarbone.
A loud bang followed by a curse came from the locked entrance a few yards away, and Quinn reluctantly pushed Rachel away.
"Look you need to go now, they're coming," Quinn said, trying to clasp her bra shut with shaking hands. Rachel stood beside her, staring out over the Egyptian artifacts at the door with a serious look on her face. Quinn finally managed to close her bra and quickly pulled her shirt close. She glanced up at Rachel standing there, frozen.
"Rach?"
Rachel's eyes tore to her, emotions that Quinn couldn't interpret dancing through them.
"Come with me," she said. Quinn gaped at her.
"What?"
"Right now, just.. Now. Right now, let's just go. You and me. Let's just get in my car and go," Rachel said, jumbled and pausing and stumbling in a rather un-Rachel Berry like fashion. Quinn swallowed, clearing her throat twice.
"You want me to run away with you?"
"Yeah," she said with a sigh of relief, glad her message came across.
"No," she whispered. Rachel closed her eyes in pain, looking away.
"I'm sorry, I can't." And she couldn't. She was a D.E.B., after all. She had duties, she had loyalties. Running away with a criminal, that - that is just not an option in her life.
Rachel nodded, not meeting her eyes.
"Maybe next time, then."
A pattern quickly developed between the two. Rachel would rob some place nearby, the D.E.B.S. would rush in to stop her, and she'd snatch Quinn away for a little alone time. Each time it happened, Quinn fought back a little less than the time before, and soon she hardly fought back at all.
Soon she was initiating rendezvous, going out of her way to find Rachel first.
During once such time, Rachel was sneaking through the halls of a paint gallery, keeping an eye out for any meddling D.E.B.S. A soft scuffing sound drew her attention to a corner, and Rachel started to head there when suddenly she was slammed face forward into the wall, a pair of handcuffs slipping onto her wrist.
"You're under arrest," Quinn whispered against her ear. Quinn's hands slid from the cuffed wrists down to shamelessly rest on Rachel's ass. Rachel smirked, her face still pressed into the wall.
"Looks like you caught me," Rachel teased as she was flipped around and pressed against the wall. Quinn moved against her body, pressing her lips to the thief's ear.
"Four to one now, Rachel Berry."
Quinn nipped at her ear, her hands sliding to the top bottom of Rachel's shirt, slowly unbuttoning it. She leaned down, pressing a kiss to the newly exposed skin.
"I'll get you next time," Rachel whispered hoarsely, her eyes fluttering close and her hands straining at the cuffs. Quinn glanced around the empty room before continuing her exploration, all the while pressing soft kisses to newly exposed skin.
"You know," Rachel murmured, "If you arrest me, we can't do this anymore."
Quinn laughed before saying, "Well then I guess I better not arrest you, huh?" At that Rachel smiled and whipped her hands around, revealing two handcuff-less wrists.
"Thank goodness, as I was tired of pretending to still be bound." Quinn just gawked at her. How did she manage to escape that? The look of total confusion on Quinn's face made Rachel chuckle before pulling the other girl up and into her arms.
"Baby, I'm the greatest thief on the planet. Did you really think I wouldn't know how to pick a pair of handcuffs?" Quinn pouted, wrapping the other girl in her arms and resting her chin on her head.
"And you've got humility to boot," she added. Rachel laughed. Suddenly, a loud and feminine cry of, "over here!" caught their attention. Quinn stepped back.
"Damn it, that was Kurt. You've got to go," and even she looked pained to say it. Rachel's expression hardened.
"Run away with me," Rachel demanded. Quinn whipped around, staring at her with stony eyes.
"Rachel, I already told you..."
"I know, Quinn, but just... Come on, right now. Let's just," she paused, her face serious in concentration as the silence gave way to approaching sirens.
"Let's just go, okay? Just get in my car and not look back."
Quinn worried her lip, her eyes flashing to the window as red and blue lights flashed from the street. Rachel's eyes were locked on hers, seemingly unaware of the police that had just pulled into the parking lot a few stories below.
"Rachel, I can't- I can't just…" Quinn felt tears prickling her eyes and cursed herself. Keep it together.
"I can't."
Rachel nodded, stepping forward and pressing a kiss to Quinn's forehead.
"Maybe next time, then."
And with that, she turned and fled the room, leaving a teary D.E.B. in her wake.
This was getting harder and harder each day. Whenever Quinn closed her eyes, she saw Rachel. Whenever Quinn was working, she wondered what Rachel was doing. Whenever the alarm sounded and someone shouted, "It's Berry again!", her heart skipped a beat and she wondered just how much time she'd have with the brunette.
Because she was starting to want Rachel all the time, and it was starting to show.
"What's up with you?" Santana had barked one day, glaring at the blonde. Quinn, who had been day-dreaming about Rachel, just murmured a quick, "huh?"
"You've been slipping lately, Q. It's like you're never really here anymore." Quinn tensed up immediately. She couldn't afford to slip, not when she had so much going for her. What with her career (a job she didn't really want to begin with), not to mention Puck (who is probably sleeping with another girl at this moment). And her responsibility, her duty to fight criminals (like Rachel, who has such a devilish smile and gentle hands).
Quinn shook her head.
She needed to get it together.
Even her interactions with Puck were becoming stilted. Whenever he would lean in for a kiss, she would immediately turn away, cringing at the rough scruff sliding on his face.
"Babe," he drawled in annoyance. "Why are you acting like this?" And she would force a pathetic smile and say she wasn't feeling good, maybe later. She made sure later never came.
And as Quinn trudged up to her bedroom at the end of the day, she was almost dreading trying to sleep. Because the last few weeks she had barely been able to sleep back home at the D.E.B.S. house. Every night, she would toss and turn for hours. Just as she reached the brink of sleep she would reach out, feeling around the bed only to find it empty. That would wake her right back up. She was yearning for someone that she shouldn't want.
Quinn walked into her dark bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
"Hello, Quinn," a voice said from the darkness. She jumped, quickly scrambling to turn on the light switch on to find a smiling Rachel Berry sitting on her bed.
"What are you doing here?" Quinn asked, whispering. If they knew Rachel was here...
"I'm sorry," she said, looking down nervously in her lap and twiddling her fingers, "for just showing up like this. I just- I haven't been sleeping well, lately, and I thought maybe..." She let it trail off there, her eyes wide and hopeful. Quinn smiled before flipping the lights off again and slowly climbing onto the bed.
"Let's sleep," Quinn murmured, wrapping herself around the shorter girl.
Rachel sighed in relief, cuddling up to the blonde.
"Run away with me," she whispered. Quinn pressed her face into the girl's neck, and she was shocked to find tears welling in her eyes. She figured it was because of her long day, you know, and not her impending mental break down.
"I can't."
"Why can't you? I'll take you away from all of this. It'll be you and me." Sniffling, Quinn closed her eyes as the tears fell. Every day her resolve weakened, every day she felt more drawn to Rachel and more distant from her own life.
"Where would we go?" she said.
"Anywhere.. Everywhere. England, Italy, Spain, France. Anywhere you want." Rachel stroked her hair affectionately as the blonde shook against her.
"I've always wanted to go to Spain," Quinn whispered hoarsely. Rachel smiled.
"Spain it is, then. We'll move to some country town where no one has ever heard of us, and you can teach a music class at the local school. We'll have a garden where I can grow our organic all-natural fruits and vegetables." Quinn giggled, nuzzling her again.
"Sounds wonderful," she said.
"It will be. And all you have to do is say yes, and I'll take you away forever." Rachel paused, she could feel her eyes welling up with unshed tears. This whole affair, the sneaking around and stolen moments, it was becoming too much. She didn't want Quinn in stolen moments. She wanted her all the time.
"Please let me take you away, Quinn." And there it was, it was out there. Rachel waited quietly for the rejection, waited for nearly two minutes in silence before finally whispering,
"Quinn?"
But Quinn didn't answer, as she had already fallen asleep.
The day had been rough.
The D.E.B.S had chased Rachel through a crowded subway station, bullets flying. Quinn could still feel the gun richoting in her hand, could still see the bullet fly and miss Rachel by a foot. If I'd aimed a little to the left, she thought as she sat on her bed, I could have killed her. Tears were falling freely now, mingling with the dirt that coated her face. I could have killed her.
It had come so close this time. Their rendezvous had been interrupted early and Quinn had been forced to don the role of D.E.B. (that's what it felt like these days; a role) and join in the pursuit of Rachel. She had watched as the girl scrambled over and around obstacles, desperately trying to outrun the D.E.B. team.
Brittany had managed to chase Rachel into the subway station and Kurt had blocked the opposite entrance. Quinn and Santana had pursued on foot through the station, zigzagging around terrified civilians as they chased the thief. At one point during the hunt, Quinn had had a clear shot of Rachel.
"Take the shot, Quinn!" Santana had ordered and, on instinct, Quinn had raised the gun and fired. The bullet had crashed through the windows of the subway train by Rachel's head, and the girl had dropped to the ground, staring wide-eyed at Quinn.
Eyes locked for what felt like an eternity before Rachel was on her feet again, running. Quinn just stood there, frozen, watching her disappear into the subway tunnel.
They spent the rest of the day searching through the soot of the tunnel, but they never caught up to the girl, and now everytime Quinn closed her eyes she saw Rachel's terrified eyes as she squatted by the train. Terrified of Quinn.
I could have killed her.
Quinn flew from the bed in a stumbling run, just barely making it to the bathroom before throwing up. She sank to the floor by the toilet bowl, cuddling to it. This was becoming too much. Her life, her career... everything that was ever important to her was too much and she was quickly losing her mental stability. All she wanted was Rachel.
After a few more dry heaves, Quinn wandered back into her bedroom. Even in her exhausted state she wasn't that surprised to see an equally exhausted looking Rachel Berry sitting on her bed, watching her. Without a word, Quinn moved to the bed and climbed in, cuddling up to the thief. Rachel welcomed her, wrapping her arms around her and resting her chin atop her head.
A comfortable silence filled the room, a sense of home. This was where they had wanted to be all day; cuddled together.
"Run away with me," Rachel whispered suddenly, like so many times before. And just like every other time, she was met with a moment of silence. She resigned herself to the silence and was just starting to slip into a hazy sleep when a soft voice responded, shattering her expectations.
"Okay. Let's run away."