Disclaimer: I don't own Glee (otherwise I'd probably be rich and dating Dianna Agron)
Chapter 3:
Rachel woke first but as she pulled herself out of her pleasant slumber she remembered with startling clarity the events of the previous night. She groaned softly as she opened her eyes. She was startled at first, to feel Quinn's arms wrapped around her, but it made her feel so…safe that she smiled at the thought before snuggling closer into the blonde and letting sleep carry her away again.
When Quinn was regaining consciousness, before she was fully awake, she nuzzled her face into Rachel's hair as the scent of lilacs enveloped her. She moaned as the pleasant smell overtook her but awakened with a start at the reality of what it might mean. She leapt off the couch so quickly that Rachel nearly rolled off the couch with her.
As Rachel rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she looked questioningly at Quinn. "What's wrong?"
"I…ah…" At times like these she really wished she was a better liar. Or that Rachel was as gullible as Finn and Sam. "I had a bad dream. I get nightmares…sometimes…sorry?"
Rachel smiled sweetly at Quinn's nervousness. It was sort of adorable how the poor girl was so scared of her dreams. Then the thought hit her. "Oh, Quinn. It must be awful here alone when you struggle with nightmares. No wonder you didn't want to be alone. Well you are more than welcome to stay over at my house whenever your mom is out of town." Her eyes were so full of concern that Quinn felt bad for lying. Well, not too bad because it was a good excuse to stay the night at Rachel's after all.
Quinn shifted uneasily as she ran her hands through her hair. "Yeah, well, thanks. Speaking of, is the offer still available to stay the weekend with you?"
"Of course. As soon as you're packed we'll head back to my house and have breakfast with my dads."
Quinn nodded and went to walk up the stairs when she noticed that Rachel was still where she left her. "Aren't you coming?"
Rachel hurriedly got up and followed Quinn into the blonde's bedroom. Rachel took in the girl's room. It was bright read and there was a picture of Jesus on the wall. She raised an eyebrow; Quinn noticed the look on Rachel's face and raised her own eyebrow in challenge. "What is it Berry?"
"Oh, come on, we're already back to Berry?" Rachel smirked then shrugged her shoulders. "Just not quite what I expected and somehow just as I pictured it."
"You pictured my bedroom, Berry." She grinned mischievously.
Rachel rolled her eyes before walking over to the blonde's bed. She sat down carefully on the edge with her feet placed neatly on the floor. Quinn watched her bemused as she shook her head, grin still firmly in place, and went about packing for her little adventure.
It only took about 15 minutes for Quinn to pack, change her clothes and for the girls to arrive at the Berry home. When they walked through the front door, they were overwhelmed with the smell of eggs, bacon, toast, and vegan pancakes wafting through the house.
When the girls entered the kitchen, the men looked up to greet their daughter but were surprised to see Quinn accompanying her. "Quinn?" Michael smiled. "It's been awhile, we've missed you around here."
Quinn smiled politely at Michael. Coming to hang out with Rachel was begrudgingly the only thing good about that summer. A part of her missed it…missed this. She really did love Rachel's dads. "It's nice to finally be back." She replied honestly.
Rachel beamed at Quinn's response before kissing each of her dads on the cheek.
"How was the after party, sweetheart?" Jeremiah asked.
Rachel stiffened for a second before drawing in a large breath to buy time. Releasing the air from her lungs, she answered cheerfully. "Great. I had a wonderful time with my friends. Thanks for letting me stay the night."
"No problem. How is Mercedes these days?" Michael asked without looking up from the frying pan.
Quinn raised her eyebrow at Rachel. The brunette refused to acknowledge her however, as she answered her dad. "She's good. Hey dad, Quinn is home alone for the weekend and I invited her over, we're just going to put her stuff in the guest room." She spoke so quickly leaving no room for reply before she grabbed Quinn's hand and led her up the stairs. Both girls ignored the bolt of electricity that shot down their spine as soon as their hands touched.
Once safely in the guest room, Quinn shook her head and sighed. "Your parents think you stayed the night over at Mercedes' house instead of with Finn."
Rachel dropped the girl's hand, both immediately missing the sensation of contact. Quinn rolled her eyes. "And you never told them about you and Mercedes being on the outs, because…?"
"I don't disclose every personal detail of my life with them, Quinn. Besides, she's sort of a built-in alibi being my only friend besides Kurt and I don't get to stay there because Finn lives there too."
Quinn nodded but frowned at the revelation. "Everyone in glee is your friend Rachel."
"I know, to an extent, that that is true. But Mercedes is who my dads know, so…"
While they stood in silence, Quinn took the time to look around the room. Even though she and Rachel had hung out during the summer before junior year, neither ever stayed overnight at each other's house. In fact, Quinn never had Rachel in her bedroom until today.
Eventually the girls made their way back down stairs and ate breakfast with Rachel's dads. After they had finished clearing the table, Jeremiah addressed them. "So, what are you girls planning for today?"
Quinn looked at Rachel; the girl always had a plan. She was surprised when she saw Rachel shrug. "I don't know, we haven't thought that far ahead."
Quinn chuckled when both men feigned shock at their daughter's lack of planning. Rachel huffed and crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. "Or maybe I was just planning on letting Quinn decide as she is the guest after all."
Michael and Jeremiah soon joined Quinn in laughter. Rachel performed a perfect diva storm out leaving the three to continue their laughing. After about 10 minutes when Rachel had still not returned, Quinn excused herself to go look for her. She knocked on the girl's bedroom door.
"Rachel, come on, it was just for fun."
Rachel ripped the door open and was wearing different clothes, if you could call them that. She was sporting short black shorts that were more revealing than any of her skirts ever were, and a black tank top to match. Quinn's breath hitched.
Rachel rolled her eyes at the blonde's words, failing to miss her troubled breathing as she pushed the door open for her to enter. "I wasn't up here pouting, I was about to get dressed when I realized that I was neglecting my elliptical workout. So I sort of got side tracked. Sorry."
Quinn's mouth was still dry, so she was unable to reply.
"I'll change quick and…" Rachel replied reaching for the hem of her sweaty shirt.
"No! You're fine…th-that's fine." Quinn stammered.
Rachel looked at her skeptically. "I was working out Quinn; I'll just jump in the shower and be back quickly. Make yourself at home." Rachel was gone before Quinn could protest.
The flustered blonde fell on Rachel's bed face first and screamed into the pillow. When she turned over to lie on her back she saw Rachel watching her amusedly. The blonde's face flushed instantly.
"I forgot my clothes." The brunette offered as she walked to her dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Then she was gone again.
"What is wrong with me?" Quinn asked the empty room.
A/N: As you can probably tell by my many updates this evening that work was SLOW. Anyway, my misery is your benefit…