A/N: Hi everyone! I'm so so sorry that this update took so long! I got caught up with school stuff and my other fanfic but I finally put my foot down and decided that I wasn't going to update "From Lima to LA" until I did something for this story. Thank you so much for reading Ready! I truly do appreciate you all. I love this pairing so much and I hope that I am doing them justice! It made me smile to see that people were interested in seeing more from this and I will continue to write Ready as long as there is interest! Sorry again for the wait and I really hope you enjoy this chapter!

You give me a feeling that I never felt before

And I deserve it, I think I deserve it

Mercedes kissed Quinn's forehead and rested her chin on her head. She closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply, taking in the natural aroma of her friend's long blonde hair. Quinn's natural fragrance smelt of orchids and oranges. Mercedes exhaled slowly. She'd really grown to love that scent. She kissed her hair before she looked down at Quinn, whose eyes were closed.

"Quinn?" Mercedes whispered, gently running her fingers over Quinn's arm.

"Hmmm?" she heard the blonde murmur.

"When did you know?"

"When did I know what babe?"

"When did you…when did you know that you had feelings for me?"

There was a brief pause before Quinn opened her eyes. Mercedes watched as she shifted her body so that they were now face to face. She smiled as she watched Quinn contemplated this for a moment before speaking.

"Madonna week."

Mercedes' eyebrows raised. "Really?"

"Yes," Quinn replied, with a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

Mercedes shyly returned the smile, "Well, how did you know?"

Quinn's smile widened as she began her tale. "Well…"

XXXX

Quinn walked down the McKinley hallways with her eyes peeled. In the aftermath of her now ex-boyfriend Finn Hudson finding out about her indiscretions with Noah, she'd been avoiding him like the plague. Things were still awkward and Quinn just couldn't do awkward. She cautiously walked the length of the hall and let out a sigh of relief when she did not run into the lanky boy. Turning to her locker, she began turning her lock. Once her combination was inputted, she opened her locker and began looking for her American History textbook. Her ears perked up as she heard two distinct voices heading towards her.

"Are you still coming over tonight?"

"Of course! I promised I'd help you pick an outfit out!"

Quinn turned to her right and noticed two kids from glee club, Kurt Hummel and Mercedes Jones. For Quinn, the two were probably the least annoying of the bunch. She'd watched them in class several times. Quinn would never admit it, but she really admired their friendship. Although she was captain of the Cheerios, head of the Celibacy Club and extremely popular, Quinn didn't have many close friends. Popularity made it very difficult to decipher the real from the fake, so she just didn't even bother. The closest thing she had to friends were two other girls on the cheer squad, Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce.

The trio would go to the mall and hang out sometimes and even had a couple sleepovers, but Quinn knew that those two were pretty much their own unit. Sometimes, they were even her frenemies! It was just a natural part of being popular. In reality, Quinn had always wanted a best friend but somehow she'd never really had one. Being Queen Bee meant she often had to stand alone and after years of experience on her own, Quinn had found that it was simply better that way.

But Quinn couldn't help but wonder what it was like to have real friends when she saw Kurt and Mercedes. The two were nowhere close to being popular, but they always seemed genuinely happy together and Quinn craved that. Whenever she saw them together, she quickly realized just how lonely she truly was. Quinn Fabray would always be the first to tell herself that she didn't need anyone, but seeing that pair made her realize that in reality, being without a best friend really bothered her.

As the two walked closer, Quinn stuck her face into her locker, pretending to look for her books while trying to discreetly listen in on Kurt and Mercedes' conversation.

She heard Mercedes squeal, "I can't believe Ms. Sylvester asked us to be on the squad! This is going to be so much fun!"

"I know! And we get to wear those cute outfits! Mercedes, we are moving up the social ladder!," Kurt gushed.

Mercedes agreed before continuing. "Are you gonna tell Rachel or should I? She is gonna freak!"

Kurt chuckled knowingly, "Precisely. So I vote neither. She'll find out soon enough"

Quinn heard Mercedes gasp. "Kurt, we'll be invited to the hottest parties now. All the boys will want us. We'll be high school royalty!"

"Indeed. We'll be just like Kate Middleton! Moving on up from peasants to high school royalty! The world is not ready for Prince Kurt and Queen Mercedes." Through the tiny holes in her locker, Quinn watched as Kurt held his hand out to the girl. "Your highness..."

"Kuuurt!," Mercedes gushed as she took his hand. "I think this is my best week yet. The world is not ready!"

Quinn shook her head and smiled. The pair were ridiculously cute, but she knew that they had no idea what they were getting themselves into. Being a Cheerio had it's benefits, sure, but Quinn honestly couldn't really remember many 'fun' moments. Coach Sylvester was brutal and relentless. She'd push you and push you and push you and when you fell down (because you always feel down!), she'd push even more. The thought made Quinn cringe and she felt herself feeling kinda sorry for the two.

Mercedes laughed. "Come on, Kurt we'll be late for class". Hand in hand the pair scurried off toward the English wing. Quinn grabbed her American History textbook and made her way down to the hall.

XXXX

Later that week, Quinn had noticed that she was right. Coach Sylvester was making Kurt and Mercedes work for their place on the team. She shuddered as she recalled the militant regime that Santana, Brittany and herself had endured the summer before they began high school. 5am practices. Endless tumblers of protein shakes. Jogs around the football field that never seemed to have an end...and that was just the warm up. The actual cheer practices were much more trying. Quinn remembered losing about 12 pounds that week! Cheerio practice was beyond crazy, but Quinn had known what to expect.

Before starting high school, she'd been on a rigorous workout plan herself. When her dad got transferred to Lima, she'd recognized the opportunity for a fresh start. After a miserable experience at Belleville Middle School, Quinn decided that she didn't want to be known as "Lucy Caboosey" anymore. So she came up with a plan. That summer, she began running three hours daily and as recommended by her pastor, she'd began the "Daniel fast" and only consumed fruits, vegetables and water. At the time, her mother also signed her up for gymnastics and ballet classes which helped her shed even more weight. By the time Quinn had entered high school and encountered one Sue Sylvester, her body didn't suffer nearly as much as she knew it would've otherwise.

Quinn didn't think that was the case for the jovial pair. She'd spotted them around McKinley and to say that they were tired would've been an understatement. After their performance of '4 minutes' in the gymnasium, she just knew Coach Sue had got to them. The feeling of being the star for once tended to do that to you. She knew how that felt. It's what she herself had craved all those years in cheerleading and what had sustained her when she felt like giving up. But the novelty of the club was obviously starting to wear off and the excited gleam that she'd seen the previous week was no longer there. She took notice of Mercedes in particular. The vivacious diva seemed to lack the spunk she usually had and that, strangely enough, concerned Quinn.

After a series of investigations, she'd noticed that Mercedes wasn't eating very much. One day she overheard Kurt talking to Mercedes about losing weight, putting pressure on her not to mess up their chances at popularity and just a few moment later, she saw Mercedes receive terrible advice from Santana and Brittany. She cringed when she saw the pair hold up two Cheerio bottles. If she could pick just one thing that she didn't miss about being a Cheerio, it would be that! The Sue Sylvester master cleanse was the worst! But after seeing Mercedes take those words to heart, she'd felt her own heart clench. It had brought back memories of her childhood battle with her own weight. She didn't say anything to the girl at the time because she didn't think it was her place, but when she'd eventually fainted in the cafeteria, Quinn knew it was time that she stepped in.

After her talk with Mercedes in the nurse's office, she'd began to suspect that her feelings for the girl might've been more than platonic. She began to question whether she was interested in Kurt and Mercedes' friendship or just Mercedes. Quinn simply couldn't explain the pull she felt whenever she saw the girl. It felt like a crush would but even that didn't make sense to her. How could she have a crush on a girl? She'd eventually decided that that couldn't be right and had shaken those feelings aside. Until of course, Mercedes' performance of "Beautiful" in the gym.

Quinn knew for sure then that she felt something very strong for the girl. It was inexplicable, but it was definitely there. It was something about the way she'd stood up in front of the entire school to basically say, "Hey. I'm Mercedes Jones and I didn't think too many good things about myself this week nor did I treat myself correctly, but I know now that I was wrong. I'm beautiful just the way I am and I hope I can make you feel beautiful too because you are special". Quinn felt like she was speaking directly to her. In that moment, she wasn't Quinn Fabray, the popular blonde that had fallen from grace after getting knocked up, but Lucy Fabray, the chubby, pizza face girl with a mouthful of braces and no friends. Tears had filled her eyes as she watched Mercedes sing. She'd been so vulnerable, yet so confident and in control. Control was something Quinn never felt she ever had enough of. Her life never felt like it was her own and she hated it. She hated how it made her feel and she hated herself for being too weak to fight those feelings and silence those voices. All of her insecurities swirled around inside her brain like an angry hornets nest, reminding her that she was never going to be good enough. But then there was Mercedes. Looking beautiful indeed, telling her that she was beautiful too, despite what anybody else had to say about it. That was when she truly knew, that Mercedes was one in a million but most importantly, that she wanted her to be hers.

XXXX

When Quinn finished her story, she'd wiped her face of the fresh tears that had fallen down her cheeks. Mercedes had tears brimming in her eyes as well, but she blinked them away and snuggled closer to Quinn, gently kissing her on the cheek. Mercedes had softly whispered in her ear over and over again, "You're beautiful Quinn. So, so beautiful" as she held her tightly against her body. And Quinn never wanted to let go.

Later that night, Quinn had woken up to use the bathroom. She gently slipped Mercedes arm off of her and untangled her legs from Mercedes' before she got up to sneak off to the bathroom. When she returned she stood above Mercedes and smiled fondly at her friend. She was curled up on her side and her mouth was slightly open as she lightly snored. Carefully not to wake the girl, Quinn snuck back into the bed and snuggled closely to Mercedes. She tensed as Mercedes began to turn, but relaxed once she felt her arm drape over her waist. Gently, she raised her palm to Mercedes' face and caressed it. Quinn traced her lips before she placed a small kiss there. Wrapping her arm around Mercedes, she shifted her body closer, so that they were as close as they could be. Legs entangled. Fingers intertwined. Heart-to-Heart. In that moment, Quinn felt so safe. Like she could stay there forever.

XXXX

Quinn awoke to bright sun and an empty bed. She squinted around the room, eyes sensitive to the harsh light coming through the skylight. Stretching her arms above her head, she let out an audible yawn. Glancing over to the clock she saw that it was 8:12am. Quinn wanted nothing more than to stay in bed, but once again, her bladder had a fairly different idea. Reluctantly, Quinn sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She hoisted herself off the bed. When she was finally up, she decided to make one thing and take a bath while she was in the bathroom. She blushed when she recalled what had occurred last night. It almost felt like it never happened, but her naked body claimed otherwise. She smiled to herself as she made her way over to the small bathroom.

Quinn placed the stopper in the bottom of the tub then gently turned the knob of the bathtub pipe. The water came running, warm and fast. She watched it for a moment as it slowly fill the tub before she ran back into the room to grab her towel. When she came back, she grabbed the bubble bath soap from the cabinet and poured it liberally under the running tap. Bubbles began to form as the water rose and when it reached a suitable level, Quinn turned the taps off.

She cautiously stepped over the tub and dipped her foot in the water. It was just right, so she slipped her foot further into the bubbly water before swinging her other foot over. Gently lowering herself into the soapy whirlpool, she exhaled slightly as the water pooled around her slight but pregnant form. The bubbles clung to her body and she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply taking in the pleasant smell of the body wash. Vanilla and Almonds. She smiled because it was Mercedes'. Quinn's only regret was that Mercedes herself wasn't sharing her bath. However, although her friend wasn't present, her scent was good enough to comfort Quinn, who immediately felt the tension in her body escape with every popping soap sud. Quinn began to hum to herself, lost in her own little world of peace and comfort.

Her bliss was broken by the tell tale sound of the door creaking. Her green eyes popped open initially alarmed that she was being exposed, but when she caught sight of the person at the door,

her gaze softened. Mercedes stood shoulder raised, still wincing from the loud sound of the door.

Quinn chuckled softly to herself when Mercedes turned towards her.

"Sorry. I'd planned a much more smoother entrance than that..." Mercedes replied sheepishly,

"I'm sure" Quinn laughed again. But she stopped when she noticed the look on her friend's face. "Are you okay?"

"Yea..." Mercedes replied, unsure of herself.

Quinn's brows furrowed as Mercedes stood awkwardly at the door, arms folded over her chest. She seemed to be avoiding Quinn's gaze. Was she nervous?

Instinctually, Quinn began to rise from the tub to make her way over to her friend. It was when Mercedes gasped that she caught herself. Save for a few conveniently placed bubbles, she was stark naked. She watched as Mercedes tried to avert her eyes.

"There's nothing here that you haven't already seen..." Quinn smirked.

Though she couldn't see it, she could sense that Mercedes was blushing. And she still wouldn't look at her. A naughty smile came across Quinn's features. To Mercedes' horror, she stepped all the way out of the bathtub and made her way over to her friend, spilling copious amounts of water on the bathroom floor.

"Quinn!" Mercedes exclaimed. "You're making a mess!" But Quinn ignored her. Mercedes caught a glimpse of her expression before she swiftly turned around. It was then that Quinn took notice of what Mercedes was wearing. She stood back and observed her friend who appeared to be dressed only in a fuzzy bathrobe. Just standing there like a present ready to be unwrapped, rude as ever.

Mercedes' shoulders were rigid so Quinn reached out and gently removed the fabric from her shoulders. She reached down and placed a gentle kiss on the exposed flesh. She smiled against her skin when she felt Mercedes shiver. She placed another one on the spot above the area where her neck and shoulder aligned but this time she went slowly and sucked some of the flesh into her mouth. Quinn's piercing green eyes were trained on Mercedes' face. Her friend's eyes were tightly closed and her jaw line was taut. Quinn enjoyed just how much of an effect she had on her friend. She stretched her arms around Mercedes' waist and held her close against her wet form. Once in that position, Quinn began to pepper soft kisses up and down the delicate flesh that was the crook of Mercedes' neck.

Encouraged by the soft moan that escaped her friend's lips, Quinn inched her roaming fingers closer and closer to Mercedes' bountiful chest. She was more than ready to unwrap her "present". She brought her eager fingers to the delicious space between Mercedes' chocolate skin and her bathrobe and prepared to slip her fingers inside. But the action was brought to a halt when she felt Mercedes' warm hand cover hers, guiding them down.

Quinn frowned. "Mercedes, what's wrong?" Silence.

A few seconds rolled by before she heard Mercedes sigh and softly whisper, "It's silly..."

Quinn's frown deepened in confusion. "What is?"

"I-I don't know!" Mercedes exclaimed. But the blonde didn't buy it for a second.

"Yes, you do..." Quinn replied. She moved in front of the girl, taking her hand in hers. Mercedes looked anxious.

"It's just...I'M CAN'T BE NAKED IN FRONT OF YOU!" Mercedes quickly clasped her hand over her mouth.

Now, Quinn was even more confused. "Of course you can! We were naked together last night..." she finished with a whisper.

"That was different.." Mercedes whispered

"How?" Quinn asked. She still didn't understand.

"Because it was dark then. And now..." Mercedes gestured to the brightness all around them.

Quinn's perfectly arched brows set into a deep frown. "You're not telling me you're ashamed of your body are you?"

Mercedes didn't say anything. So Quinn repeated herself. "Mercedes!"

Tears began to fill her friend's eyes and Quinn felt her heart clench. "Hey..." she whispered, wiping a tear that had started slowly sliding down Mercedes' cheek. "Mercedes, look at me"

The darker girl obeyed and Quinn was struck once again by her natural beauty. Her big brown eyes were puffy but they still sparkled. Quinn surveyed her features, observing her cute button nose and her soft, luscious lips which were quivering. Quinn reached out and touched them.

"May I?" Quinn's hands were now on the sash of her robe. Mercedes hesitated at first but slowly nodded and Quinn gave her a small smile. She pulled gently at the sash until it was loose and let the two ends fall to her sides. She placed both of her hands on Mercedes' shoulder, directly beneath the fabric of the robe. She then moved her hands simultaneously in an outward motion, letting the garment fall to the floor. Mercedes still looked nervous, but she never took her eyes off Quinn's. The blonde stepped back and observed her friend's body.

Her bright green orbs took in her friend's smooth, warm complexion. Her wide hips. Her pillowy chest. Her perky nipples. Quinn was filled with lust when she looked below her friend's waistline and at the thought of her arousal, she blushed. She stepped behind her friend and gasped when she took in her glorious behind. When she was done observing her friend she came to the conclusion that her friend's birthday suit was definitely her favorite look of all. In her naked form, Mercedes Jones looked absolutely beautiful.

Quinn made her way back in front of Mercedes and caressed her cheeks with both hands. She looked deep into her friend's teary eyes and fiercely stated, "Mercedes, you are so beautiful"

Quinn was surprised to discover that she was also crying. "It hurts me to think that you don't feel that way about yourself. Especially when I've always looked to you for confidence."

Mercedes was frowning, confused. "You what?"

Quinn continued, "You've always seemed so at home in your body and I've always felt like I'm not enough. Being a Fabray and a Cheerio, I've always strived to live up to other people's expectations. But looking at you... so confident in your skin and comfortable with who you are, you made me believe that I could be that too. Sure I lost the weight and my face cleared up and the braces came off, but the hurt and anger and insecurities were way more than just skin deep. I look up to you Mercedes. Not just because you're beautiful on the outside, but on the inside too"

Quinn's lip was quivering as she spoke the last words and Mercedes' broke. She never knew Quinn felt that way about her and hearing her say it for the first time was jarring. Mercedes' heart felt so full and she was slowly beginning to realize just how much those words she'd spoken the other night were true.

"I think I might love you too..."

The words rang in her head and though she still felt low, she reveled in those words. In that truth. Smiling she leaned forward and brought her lips to Quinn's. She slowly drank her in at first but the kiss quickly became hungrier, more needy. Mercedes wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck as Quinn placed hers around Mercedes' waist. Mercedes' nose tingled as it took in the scent of Quinn's skin. Delicate vanilla and almonds. She noticed that it was her body wash and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered. Quinn's soft lips tasted like her strawberry lip gloss and Mercedes loved it.

When they finally came up for air, Quinn gave Mercedes a small smile. Mercedes' eyes were still glistening with tears but Quinn kissed them all away. Caressing Mercedes' cheek with the back of her thumb, Quinn gazed deeply into her friend's eyes. Mercedes' heart skipped a beat. Quinn's gaze was so intense. The greenish gold orbs were piercing. Her eyes were drawn to her pink lips when Quinn finally spoke and her eyes filled with tears once more.

"I love you, Mercedes. You mean so much to me. You're my heart. Do you know that?"

Mercedes closed her eyes tightly but slowly nodded. She felt Quinn reach out to dry her tears. "You never have to be ashamed of anything around me. I love you so much. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You really are beautiful. Inside and out."

Quinn stopped rubbing her cheek and instead placed a soft kiss in the area she'd been caressing. Mercedes' eyes fluttered closed only opening again when heard Quinn speak.

"Come on" she whispered softly as she extended a hand to Mercedes, who hesitated for a moment but eventually took it. Interlacing their fingers and giving her hand a little squeeze, Quinn smiled at her once more before leading her slowly over to the bathtub.

She allowed Mercedes to climb in first, still holding her hand as she lifted each leg over the edge of the tub. When she was finally in, Quinn followed and sank into the bubbly water behind her. She shifted her body so that she could lean against the tub and get comfortable. Mercedes had begun to lean against her when she thought better of it and turned her body around to face Quinn. She smiled shyly at her before she spoke.

"Thank you, Quinn. Everything you just said...i-it meant a lot to me. To hear how you really feel I mean..." Mercedes was fidgeting, twisting her fingers together under the water.

Quinn just stared at her fondly. She then sat up and leaned closer to Mercedes, placing a stray strand of hair behind the girl's ear. Resting her forehead against her friend's she made sure that she had her full attention when she whispered, "I meant every word" Mercedes smiled at that and cautiously brought her lips closer to Quinn's. Catching on immediately, Quinn met her halfway, sealing their eager lips together in a sweet, passionate kiss. The pair took their time in the tub, getting reacquainted with the other's body before they finally headed downstairs for breakfast.

Love it? Hate it? Review!

No real sexy times in this chapter, just our babies loving on one another! Not sure when the next chapter will be ready (ha ha) but like I said, as long as there is interest, there will be an update! Please let me know what you thought of the chapter! I love hearing your thoughts! :)

Also, I am looking for a Beta reader or even just someone who'd want to talk Quinncedes with me! If you are interested, please PM me! Until next time…