AN: So this fic has gotten far more attention than I had expected. How? is all I can ask. Thanks for the support.

Chapter 2

Rachel's touch is heavenly. Your heart is pounding in your chest and has been all day. Everything about her has always entranced you. Often you're imagined this moment; what you'd say, how she'd react, her laugh, everything. You've seen it happen time and again, but now… Now you're just a terrified little school girl who has no idea what to say or do.

You were far more courageous in your fantasies. Always the one to approach her, start up some random conversation, do something. But you're not doing a thing. If anything, you're kind of being dragged around. Of course she's not really dragging you, but leading you to her locker. It's just that you wish that you were a bit more assertive right now; this is the girl that you've been crazy about for the past year.

It's not long of a trip and when you reach your destination she relinquishes her grip on your hand to work on her combo. It's silly, but you already miss the contact. You shake it off and try to savor the moment. From insider her locker, she pulls out an ordinary paper bag. She holds onto it with one hand and with the other retrieves yours once more.

"Ready?" she asks, cheerfully. You nod. You feel dumb for being so silent, but she seems to be unfazed. A thought passes through your mind if whether she's grown used to this kind of behavior. She's leading you once more, but at a less brisk pace. The two of you are walking side by side, holding hands and fingers interlocked. The thought alone puts you in a daze which causes you to miss her words. Panic crosses your features, but she just smiles and repeats her question. "Where do you want to eat?"

"Um…" is the only thing that comes to you. You feel stupid as she reaches out for your upper arm, massaging it gently. The short sleeves you have give her full access to the skin there. She takes a few steps towards you, invading your personal space. She's close, almost as close as when you were sobbing into her shoulder.

She tilts her head to the side while saying, "Hey, you don't have to be nervous. It's just me." You want to think of her like that, you really do but you can't. Rachel Berry isn't just some ordinary girl to you, and even if she were, she did just save you and Lamby. So yeah, now instead of just being your crush she's also your hero.

"Uh… out here?" you meekly reply. She nods and leads you to a nearby bench. You sit, with Rachel's lunch in between you. From inside she pulls out a bottle of orange juice and a large foot long sandwich. It's huge. Especially for someone Rachel's size, and even more so since she's a Cheerio. You guess that your shock must show on your face once she starts grinning at you.

"Don't worry, I won't get in trouble with Sue," she assures. "She may be a hard-ass, but all you need to do is know how to negotiate." It's hard to image, but you're sure that if anyone could put Sue in her place, that it'd be Rachel. You smile at her while she unsuccessfully tries to break the sandwich in two. She struggles for a few minutes before finally giving up and laughing at her own feeble show of strength. You start to laugh too, trying to just make everything feel natural. "You don't mind sharing?" she asks.

When you shake your head, she brings the sandwich to her lips and takes a big bite before handing it to you. "It's vegan," she warns, but you already know that. You take a bite, and despite the lack of meat, you find that it's quite good. She seems to smile at your reaction to her food, but you're too busy eating to notice. "Is she okay?" You stop mid bite. "Your lamb," she clarifies.

"Oh, yeah. She's fine, thanks to you."

"What's her name?" You blush. "What?"

"Nothing… her name's Lamby," you say looking down.

"It's cute."

She takes a sip of her juice and then offers the bottle to you. You take the juice tentatively, exchanging it with the sandwich. As you drink you taste the slightest hint of her cheery chapstick on the bottle. You unconsciously lick your lips to savor the taste, and afterwards hope that she didn't notice, but she's looking at you and you're pretty sure she did.

"I like your hair," she comments. "Especially your braid. It's beautiful." You giggle and shake your head. You're sure that your cheeks are red… again. It's a wonder that she hasn't said anything about it yet. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," you answer, staring down at her juice bottle to avoid her gaze. "Nothing, it's just…"

"What? You don't think you're beautiful?" You freeze. The question catches you off guard. Your parents have told you that you're beautiful, so has your sister Frannie occasionally. But no one has ever asked if you thought you were. You don't know. "Here," she says, putting her lunch away. Rachel takes your face with both hands. She cups your cheeks rubbing soothing circles with her thumbs. "Oh my, your sink is so soft. And your eyes… I've never noticed them before."

She's holding your head still so you can't turn away. The way she looks makes it seem like you and her are two people in the world. Her left hand travels up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear. You stare into her chocolate brown eyes as she stares into your hazel ones. The intimacy of the moment disappears instantly as she drops her hand.

Rachel smiles at you as though nothing had happened and hands you her sandwich. "Let's eat." She takes out her sandwich and hands it to you. "You really are pretty, Quinn," she says as you take a bite out of her sandwich. You busy yourself with chewing while you try to come up with a response. Her mood seems somewhat dampened by your silence, but she tries her best to not make you feel uncomfortable.

Your heartbeat has eased up since lunch began and everything eases as the two of you continue to eat, exchanging her sandwich and juice between you. You're still nervous, but Rachel's so sweet that it's hard not to feel safe around her. You scoot closer after a while and offer a soft smile, a way for you to show your appreciation for her kindness. "Thanks for… this."

"You're welcome." The megawatt smile she gives you is bigger than any other that you've seen her give. "So tell me about yourself, Quinn," she says taking a sip of her juice. You take another bite of her sandwich, stalling.

"There's really not much to say," you admit.

"Oh, don't be like that!" she whines. "Come on. What do you like to do?"

"Well… I like to read."

"Yeah, I'd guessed that much," she laughs. After helping you pick up a dozen books this morning, it doesn't come as much of a surprise that she does. "What else?" It feels odd. Rachel seems to be genuinely interested in you rather than just forcing small talk. She puts her bottle down and takes back the sandwich. You don't know if she just wants to eat or she knows that you're using it as a distraction from speaking. Either way you don't have much of a choice now.

"I draw," you say, shrugging. You notice that she's put her sandwich away, which confirms your suspicions. She's just watching you, listening attentively. Her shoulders are on her knees with her arms straight up, letting her lean prop her head with her hands. "I like to dance… and sing."

"Really? Me too!"

"Yeah, I know," you breathe out. The words come out naturally, but then you notice the intrigued look on Rachel's face. She quirks her eyebrows.

"How do you know that?" Her tone is more inquisitory than accusatory, but that doesn't help quell the unease that you're feeling. You shouldn't know; you're not her friend… or you weren't her friend… or whatever. But you do know and you don't want to lie about it.

"Um… there was this one time," you start explaining. "It was after school and I was doing some homework in the library." She nods, urging you to continue. "When I was leaving, I got slushied." Rachel winces, and bites down on her lower lip. "It wasn't that bad," you tell her, guessing that she must feel at least slightly guilty. "Anyways, I decided to take a shower in the girls' locker. It must have been after Cheerios practice and that's where…" You trail off when you notice that she's burying her face in her hands, muttering something that you can't quite make out. "What's wrong?"

She drops her hands, slowly shaking her head back and forth. "Nothing, nothing," she answers. "It's just… I'm just a little embarrassed," she admits. You stare blankly at her.

"Embarrassed? Why? You sound amazing!" She turns away, once again hiding her face behind her hands. But even then you can still see the faintest hint of a blush on her cheeks. "You do, really. When I first heard you, I thought I was hearing an angel sing."

You don't mean to tease her, but you kinda are, although you're just being honest. You found Rachel's voice to be so heavenly that you would sneak into the showers after cheerleading practices to hear her sing. You're not proud of it, and you're surely not going to admit it to her.

"Thanks… so what kind of music do you like?" she asks, in what you see as an attempt to move the subject away from her. You guess that she's feeling as uncomfortable as you had earlier, so you don't have a problem with it.

"All sorts, really," you shrug. "You?"

She hesitates before speaking, "I have a thing for showtunes." You're completely smitten with her, and how she so shy about this. "Don't look at me like that," she scolds lightly, smacking you on the arm. "I have this dream of singing on Broadway one day." She lets out a sigh and pauses. "Huh, I've never told anyone that before. You're easy to talk to, Quinn."

"You should join Glee Club," you suggest. "It'll help you get into school like Julliard and NYADA… and I'd love to hear you sing some more." To be able to listen to her and not hide, to clap after she's done… you'd love to have that chance. Maybe you'd like to be selfish and keep her beautiful voice to yourself, but something as wonderful as Rachel's singing should be shared with the world.

"I'd love to," she says. "But I don't think I have the time. With Cheerios and all the other clubs I'm part of. I probably would have if I had known last year that Glee Club would be running again, but…" She doesn't have to say more. You know better than anyone the load that Rachel has on her shoulders.

She's part of almost every club aside from Glee and… well the Celibacy Club. It's uneasy, knowing that. And all you can do is hope that she hasn't slept with anyone yet. Though you know that even if she hasn't, the chances that she's sleep with you are nonexistent. But a girl can dream. "Let's finish up," she suggests. "Lunch is almost over." You check the clock for the first time and sure enough your time with Rachel is at its end.

You feel like Cinderella when the clock struck midnight. The fantasy disappears and you get dropped back into reality. A place where you're envious of girls like the Cheerios, girls like Santana. Girls that can get anything or anyone they want. A place where guys like Finn and the football team slushie you and toss you into lockers. What kind of man treats a girl like that, you wonder.

Lunch ends and you get up with a soft, "Bye." You don't get far though before you feel Rachel tugging on your arm. You turn around.

"Wait," she requests. Rachel shuffles through her bag, her hand still wrapped around your wrist. She produces a granola bar and places it in your hand, enclosing your fingers around it. "For later," she says. You place it in your own bag with a smile. As you leave for your next class you hear her call out, "We should hang out sometime!" You come to a complete halt and turn around. You just look at her, walking backwards slowly until make your way around a corner.

You still can't believe the effect she has on you. A single word has you floating on air. You gracefully take your seat, only to have someone violently shake you. You look beside you to see Kurt looking at you worriedly. "Earth to Quinn, where were you right there? And better yet, where were you at lunch?"

"Oh… I'm sorry, I uh…"

"Was it the jocks? What did they do this time?"

"No… well yes. Kinda, but no." His face contorts in confusion so you start over. "It started out with Finn taking Lamby."

"We've told you not to bring that thing," you glare at him. "Bring her," he corrects, remembering that you issues with referring to Lamby as an it. "To school."

"I thought you wanted to know what happened?"

"Sorry, sorry."

"Thank you. Anyways," you continue, dropping your voice to a whisper. "Finn took Lamby right before lunch and started tossing her around with a few of his stupid friends. They almost hurt her." You can tell that Kurt wants to roll his eyes but choose not to chastise him for his lack of concern for Lamby's safety. "But then Rachel showed up."

"Rachel? As in Rachel Berry?"

"No, Rachel McAdams," you say sarcastically. "Of course Rachel Berry. Now will you let me finish?"

"My bad, continue."

"So, Rachel showed up and stopped them. She just told them to back off and… they did." Kurt looks to be astounded. He knows as well as you that the school would bend to Rachel's will, but neither of you know her to use her power… at all. He obviously has as hard a time believing you tale as you do. "And then we had lunch together." His eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"Really?" His lips form into a curious smirk. "So… are you going to ask her out?"

"What? No!"

"Why not? You talk about her every day. Now's your chance," he reasons. He has a point, but you know that he's teasing you more than providing real advice. And he's probably just annoyed with how you're constantly fawning over Rachel. You ignore him for now. You ignore everything, so much so that you don't even notice the day passing by until you're leaving school and heading home.

Nothing else bad happened to you for the rest of the day, or maybe something did and you were in too much of a daze to pay it any mind. Either way you're home safe and sound. Your parents aren't home yet. You run up to your room and jump into your bed. From under your pillow you pull out your diary. Just like Lamby, you've owned your diary for years. You're nearing the end of it and have had to stuff extra papers inside to document all the highlights of your life.

Dear Diary,

Rachel talked to me today! Can you believe it? And not only that, but she saved me and Lamby. We had lunch together. We're friends now… I think… I hope. I don't know. I just wish I hadn't acted so stupid back there. I must have looked so stupid. She probably thinks I'm a total geek, but I don't think she cares if I am. I can't read her at all, but she's just as amazing as I always thought she was.

I'm not sure what to do. Kurt joked that I should ask her out. Yeah, liked she'd actually say yes. She could have anybody she wants. I do want to though… ask her out that is. But that'll never happen, especially with the way I choked today. I guess I can always marry her in my dreams.

Almost ironically, that's exactly what happens in your sleep. There are countless faces, almost none that you notice, in the crowd. Your mom and dad are there; that fact alone tells you that it's a dream, but you don't that ruin the illusion. You're walking down the aisle with your father. He wouldn't go along with this; at least you think he wouldn't. He may be okay with you having Kurt as a friend, but if you came out as gay? You don't know.

But again you focus on the moment, no matter how fake it is. Rachel looks beautiful. She always does. You feel butterflies in your stomach, but you don't feel the fear and anxiety that usually comes with it. Step by step you take, closer to your bride. But then a buzzing awakens you from your sleep. You're eyes shoot open and you groan. You were just getting to the good part.

At the very least you're on schedule today and can't possibly be late. But then again, being late might mean running into Rachel again. You won't risk it though. You share a breakfast with your mom and dad; pancakes with a side of bacon and eggs. Having shared a meal with Rachel, you feel a bit uneasy. She surely wouldn't approve of your meal. But you eat it anyway; you don't want to seem ungrateful to your mom. Besides it tastes so good.

When you get to school, you don't run into Rachel. It's as much as you expect. You make your way to your locker, disappointed. There's something sticking out of it. You sigh. It's probably some stupid prank. But as you get closer you notice that it's a flower sticking out of your locker. A single white flower. A gardenia. You love gardenias, but no one knows that.

You check over your shoulder. Now you're sure that it's a prank, but nothing happens. You take it out of your locker and chance a sniff. You think Rachel. You forget about getting your books, and rush to your first period to ask her about it. Rachel's at her usual spot talking to Santana. You walk slowly up to them, holding the flower in front of you. "Hey," you say. They turn and Rachel waves at you, her eyes sparkling as she spots the flower.

"Can't you see we're talking, Jesus Freak?" Santana spits out. "Move on."

AN: So some of you during your votes decided to choose what this Quinn would more likely do as opposed to what you want her to do. And I like that idea, but feel free to vote for either the choice you like the most or the choice you think Quinn would do.

NOTE: Choices will have consequences in the long run, nor will they necessarily turn out how you expect. And I may have to eventually put a deadline for when votes will be counted, but I'll deal with that later if need be.

But anyways...

Choice:

A) Do you go to your seat as Santana says

or

B) Do you wait and see how Rachel reacts

or

C) Do you defend yourself