"Yes, I got it, okay? I don't know what came over me…yah, I know, okay? You don't need to keep on repeating it…yah, do whatever you need to do…Try to keep them away from her. She doesn't need to be dragged into this…yah, there's nothing else…Of course I am sure…I've been apologizing for like two hours now and yes, I will keep my mouth shut from now on. No more surprises like that…Yah, okay. I'll talk to you soon. Tell the others that I deeply apologize, especially to the studio and Tom too. Okay, bye."

She threw the phone somewhere in her bed before collapsing into the plush king size mattress. To say that she was tired would be a great understatement. From the time the interview ended earlier that morning, her phone had been ringing non-stop from calls from her people, just like she had predicted. It was true. She did not know what came over her. The question was standard and required to be answered with some cliché reply. Instead, she had given a long-winded response, open to several interpretations. The studio and other people invested in the movie just could not afford a scandal so near the date of the film's release.

It had been 3 years for Pete's sake! And yet, here she was feeling nostalgic of some sort. She had moved on. She had to, seeing as it was her decision to leave in the first place.

It had been 3 years! And yet, memories of that day haunted her still to this very day. The slamming of the door. The tears shed all the way from the elevator to the check-in counter of JFK. More tears the whole flight to LA. The image of Rachel utterly broken running on repeat on her mind. Several sleepless months. Living like some ghost in a living body. All those times she picked up the phone with the intention of begging for forgiveness.

But after a while she had learned to live with her decision. She was a Fabray after all. This was her decision and she will stand by it, damnit!

So it also took her by surprise that such simple question made her babble like a moron…ON AIR!

It was just an ordinary day for one Quinn Fabray. Unlike a certain someone from her past, she was not a creature of habit. She could wake up at any hour of any day, whether it be at 5 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon. She could easily go through her day without it being repetitive of the day before. She liked to be in control of her life but she was never opposed to simple changes in her day-to-day dynamics.

But this? This she was not prepared for.

Looking back on the night before, she might have had some reinforcement to having some sort of nostalgic episode. Despite all the alcohol she had consumed, she could vividly recall the part where she took a double glance at the TV near the bar. The TV reflecting the news that Rachel Berry, the Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award winner, was about to dip her toes in film for the first time on the film version of Wicked. Then, a series of photos and video clips of the diva were shown. Those smiles that still starred in her dreams. Those dark eyes that make you want to confess everything. That body that would make you go down on your knees and worship this goddess. Oh, had she become a specialist when it came to that body. Its taste and texture had been forever imprinted in her memory,

Yeah, and I was the idiot who gave that away just because I thought I could! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

But she was a Fabray and she should have kept her mouth shut!

Xxx

The night before…

She should have known that she was fast reaching her alcohol limit the way the room seemed to be spinning. Through the years, Quinn proved to be a true Fabray, alcoholic tendency included. Although greatly appreciative of the creative geniuses of the make-up people tasked to maintain her Hollywood glam intact, the blonde had practically replaced her devotion to Sunday services to nightly drunken state, whether it be alone at home or at a bar like at this moment.

Thank God for a very dependable team who devised an elaborate plan that would keep this habit of hers away from the prying eyes of the media! At times like this, nobody from the outside would know that a star like her was inside the bar emptying shots after shots.

However, she should have known better tonight. George, her driver, was unavailable due to some family emergency. So, her black Benz was currently parked at the dimly lighted alley at the back of the bar.

Still, she should have known better.

In the middle of a riveting story being told by one of her companions, a loud shattering of glass from the bar made her chanced a glance towards the said area. She was about to turn her attention back to the storyteller when her sight caught the television mounted on the wall. A television, though muted, reflecting a news segment about a woman. The woman, who seemed to have aged but still more exquisite than ever, was reportedly casted as Elphaba in the film version of Wicked. Various pictures and videos were shown of said woman through the years. 3 years full of success and accolades. 3 years of the woman that Quinn wished she shared with her.

Rachel Berry.

It might have been 3 years since she had seen the girl but now it seemed just like yesterday that she had woken up beside her. The smile that had greeted her every morning. Those eyes that shone only for her. The body that she could not just have enough of. Quinn could still smell the New York air from that last morning they shared together. She could still feel the warmth of Rachel's body wrapped around her. She could still imagine the excitement of waking up and dreaming of her future with the gorgeous brunette.

But that was 3 years ago.

That was before she made the biggest mistake of her life.

The mistake she was still trying to live with.

The riveting story being told was now forgotten as she made her way towards the bar, captivated by the images of the girl she left broken in their once shared home. "Turn up the volume," she demanded from the bartender who looked surprised to have been spoken to by an A-lister like her but complied immediately. She ignored the curious stares of the people around her. Her complete attention held by the television.

"The Tony, Grammy and Emmy winner is confirmed to play the role of Elphaba in the film version of Wicked. Although Ms. Rachel Berry had won various awards for both her singing and acting prowess, she has yet to star in movies. Known in the Broadway circuit as a very private person which some has noted as bordering on being reclusive, can this theatre superstar survive the chaos that is Hollywood?"

She barely contained the amused laugh threatening to escape her mouth. Rachel Berry, reclusive? These people did not know what they were saying. The girl had prepared herself to stardom and fame even before her first tooth appeared. The girl was meant to be a star.

But the more she thought about this the more Quinn was inclined to agree with what the reporter said. She could not deny that she had followed the brunette's career through the years. She had once wondered why she could not get hold of as many magazine covers of the brunette as she could. Interviews of Rachel were scarce. Paparazzi photos were limited to her entering and exiting the theatre or on-set of the show she guest starred in. Rachel did not even have a twitter account. It was like the girl who once craved for the spotlight now shun away from it.

This realization made her take a closer look of the girl on t.v. Yes, she was still the same brunette with the most gorgeous brown eyes but those orbs now seemed to be empty. The smile that would always make Quinn's heart melt was anything but honest and did not reach her eyes. The blonde tried so hard to see that argyle-wearing girl with a loud mouth and dramatics to boot somewhere in the girl shown on t.v. but to no avail.

What happened to the love of her life?

Where was the girl full of dreams that she had once known?

Filled with guilt that was only aggravated by the sudden realization of the extent of the damage she had caused to the only girl that ever mattered to her, Quinn could not have run faster away from the bar.

And as if fate was playing tricks on her, once she was inside the car and turned on the radio, Roxette was there singing of things she really did not want to think about.

It must have been love, but it's over now
It must have been good, but I lost it somehow
It must have been love, but it's over now
From the moment we touched till the time had run out

Xxx

She could not remember getting any sleep upon reaching home. The image of Rachel utterly void of any emotion, utterly different from the way she used to be, was the quickest antidote for her drunken state. She could not believe that she had not seen it from years of keeping tabs of what was happening to Rachel.

She searched all of the girl's fansites for any clue. And she did not know whether or not she should be surprised that it had been there all along. The absence of the sincerely confident stance. The ever presence of sunglasses hiding those gorgeous brown orbs. This reminded her of the days during sophomore of high school when she thought wearing those would hide her secret pregnancy and this made her wonder what secret Rachel was hiding. The brunette always wished for the company of friends. During her stint at NYADA where she survived not being the odd one out, she finally garnered genuine friends. And so, it was unnerving to see pictures of the brunette almost always alone.

And just when the memories of that fateful day were about to flood in, the sound of the doorbell was heard all throughout her house.

Xxx