Chapter 7 – Back to New York

When Rachel walked into the kitchen in the morning, the room was dark except for the light above the sink and Quinn was nowhere to be found. Rachel frowned as she looked toward the living room; it was unusual for Quinn to still be asleep, especially when she had gone to bed quite early.

After talking to Finn the night before, Rachel went looking for Quinn, but the blonde was already asleep on the couch. Or at least she assumed Quinn was asleep, though she had no idea how she'd drifted off so quickly. She'd whispered her name a few times, hoping she wasn't really asleep, but Quinn never responded and Rachel didn't want to wake her when they could just as easily talk in the morning. But now she wasn't in the kitchen like she usually was, and Rachel was beginning to worry she was avoiding her.

She didn't even know why Quinn would be avoiding her. She told her she was going to tell Finn; if it had been the other way around, nothing could have kept her from waiting up to find out what happened. Unless she thought Rachel didn't do it. Or maybe she thought she did but that Finn was mad. Whatever the case, Rachel was determined to speak with her, so if Quinn really was avoiding her, she was going to have a hard time doing it.

Rachel walked into the living room with her hands on her hips and turned on the lamp that set on the end table. Quinn immediately groaned and covered her face with her blanket. Rachel's first instinct was to apologize, but it was exactly what she was hoping for; Quinn was definitely awake now, though she had a feeling the blonde had been awake for some time.

"What are you doing?" Quinn asked.

"Well, you went to bed so early last night, and then you weren't in the kitchen this morning, so I wanted to make sure you were okay," Rachel said, raising her eyebrows slightly.

Quinn lowered the blanket and narrowed her eyes at Rachel. The blonde obviously knew she was lying, but Rachel didn't care. They needed to talk, and now that Quinn was up, they could do just that.

"So, I guess I'll see you in the kitchen in a minute, then?" Rachel said before turning on her heel and walking toward the other room.

Rachel walked to the coffee maker, grabbed the pot, and began filling it with water. As she went about making the coffee, she heard Quinn shuffle into the room and sit at the island with a sigh. Rachel wanted to turn around and start telling her everything that happened, but she'd promised Finn she would keep his secret, and she wasn't going to break that promise. So, she continued making the coffee, ignoring the fact that Quinn was sitting just behind her.

After the coffee was finally brewed, Rachel walked over to the cabinet to grab two mugs. Unfortunately, all the mugs on the lower shelf were gone and Rachel was much too short to reach the other ones. As she was looking around for a stool or chair, Quinn stood up and walked over to her, reaching them with ease.

"Here," Quinn said, handing one out for Rachel.

"Thank you," Rachel said, taking it from the blonde. "Sometimes it's not easy being vertically challenged."

Rachel looked up at Quinn, suddenly very aware of just how close they were standing together. Ever since she'd kissed her on Christmas Eve, she'd been thinking about doing it again, and when Quinn was standing this close to her, it was impossible to think of much else. She didn't know Quinn's thoughts on it, though, and she certainly didn't want to just spring it on her again, so Rachel reluctantly looked away, trying to think of anything else.

"Are you going to tell me what happened last night?" Quinn finally asked after a few moments.

"Oh, yes," Rachel said, backing away from Quinn. "I talked to Finn about it."

"Did he kick a chair?" Quinn asked.

Rachel frowned as she was reaching for the pot of coffee and looked at Quinn. "What?"

Quinn shook her head. "It's just something he did a lot when he was angry."

"No, he didn't kick any chairs," Rachel said, picking up the pot and filling her mug. "Actually, he wasn't angry at all."

"Really?" Quinn asked as Rachel began filling her mug as well.

"No, he took it very well," Rachel replied. "Apparently he listened to me when I said I was just coming here as his friend. He said he was disappointed when I said I just wanted to be friends, but he was very understanding."

"That really doesn't sound like Finn," Quinn said. "In high school he would get jealous over anything."

"Well, maybe he's grown up since then," Rachel replied as she stirred some sugar into her coffee.

Quinn still didn't look very convinced. Apparently she knew a very different Finn than Rachel knew. She knew he could be kind of immature sometimes, which is one of the reasons she couldn't imagine being in a serious relationship with him, but he'd been nothing but nice toward her. She definitely hadn't seen his jealous streak and she certainly hadn't seen him angry enough to take it out on a piece of furniture.

"I promise you that he is completely fine with this," Rachel said. "I told him that I have feelings for you and he was nothing but understanding. Actually, he had already figured it out."

Quinn's eyebrow rose. "Finn Hudson figured it out?"

"He said he could tell," Rachel replied.

"Okay, that I find even harder to believe," Quinn said.

Rachel lightly laughed. "Maybe you should give him a little more credit. I think he was okay with it because he just wants us both to be happy. I know he's made some terrible mistakes in the past, but I really think he's trying."

Quinn didn't say anything; instead, she picked her cup of coffee up from the counter and silently walked over to her usual stool at the island. Rachel looked over her shoulder, watching the blonde for a moment, and then picked up her coffee to join Quinn.

"I have two questions," Rachel said, setting her coffee down.

"What?" Quinn asked.

"What's your last time?" Rachel asked. "It occurred to me that I have no idea what it is."

"Fabray," Quinn replied, her jaw clinching slightly.

"And my second question is—does this mean you'll come to New York for New Year's?" Rachel asked, slowly smiling.

Quinn looked down slightly, but then looked back up at Rachel and said, "Yeah, I'll come for New Year's."

"Wonderful," Rachel said, smiling widely.

"I hate that you two have to go today," Carole said.

"I know, but I'll be back in a couple months," Finn replied.

"I know you'll be back, but when will Rachel ever come back?" Carole asked.

Rachel laughed. "I'm sure you'll see me again sometime. Finn and I will both be graduating in May, after all; I imagine you'll be attending the ceremony."

"Of course," Burt replied.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world, would we?" Carole said. "I'm just glad Finn and Kurt's isn't at the same time, but that also means we're gonna have to stay in the city for a week."

Rachel smiled. "Well, whoever graduates first can just play tour guide. You will definitely have plenty to see."

"That's very true," Carole replied, looking at Kurt. "I guess that means you'll be showing us around."

"Just as long as dad doesn't complain like the last time you were there," Kurt said, raising his eyebrow at his dad.

"Well, museums shouldn't cost that much," Burt replied. "It's crazy, and we were crazy for paying it." Burt shook his head. "All I'm saying is museums should be free."

"Don't worry, we won't go to any museums this time," Kurt said. "Lord knows I don't want to have to hear about it the whole time we're there again."

"I'm sure I can give Kurt some recommendations for you," Rachel said. "My fathers also might have a few suggestions that would be fun for you."

"Want any more fruit?" Finn asked.

"Yes, thank you, Finn," Rachel said, accepting the bowl from him.

"Hey, can I get some more of these pancakes," Finn asked, sitting up straighter as he looked around for them.

"Here," Quinn said, passing them across the table.

"Thanks," Finn replied, shoveling several of the pancakes onto his plate.

Rachel looked across the table at Quinn, who had been rather quiet all morning. She'd asked her earlier if she was okay, but the blonde told her she was fine, so Rachel had dropped it. She really wanted to ask her again, but she didn't want to draw the attention to Quinn. Plus, she had a feeling she would get the exact same answer as earlier even though something was obviously off with her.

"When are you leaving, Kurt?" Burt asked.

"I changed my flight to Wednesday afternoon," Kurt replied. "I still have a few days."

"Good," Burt said. "Maybe we can spend a little time together now that the holidays are over."

"What about you, Quinn?" Carole asked. "Did you ever decide if you're going to New York?"

"Yeah," Quinn replied. "I'm going."

"Well, I'm sure you kids will have a lot of fun," Carole said.

"But not too much fun," Burt said, pointing at them with his sausage laden fork. "I don't want to wake up at 3am because some cop's calling and telling me I need to come bail you out of jail."

"When has that ever happened?" Kurt incredulously asked.

"There's a first time for everything," Burt replied.

"Don't worry; I'm sure my fathers would be willing to come get us," Rachel joked. "And it would be great material for the memoir I plan to write one day."

Quinn shook her head, laughing lightly, and Rachel gave her a smile as Finn said, "I don't think some book is worth spending a night in jail."

"Of course not," Rachel replied. "My fathers would never make me spend a whole night in there. Naturally, I would have to embellish a bit for my memoir, though. It could be in the chapter about my rebellious phase that I plan to have some day."

"Are you being serious?" Finn asked, furrowing his eyebrows together.

"No," Rachel said, laughing. "Well, I'm mostly joking. I do plan on writing a memoir one day, and it would make an interesting story for it, but I would rather not get arrested just to have a colorful anecdote to tell."

"I was arrested once," Carole announced.

"Mom!" Finn said.

"What?" Carole asked. "It was the eighties; we all did things then that we weren't proud of."

"I hear you on that one," Burt replied.

"I don't want to know," Kurt said, holding his hands up.

"I kinda do," Finn replied.

"Maybe when we're not eating breakfast," Carole said. "And when we don't have a guest."

"And when I'm not here," Kurt added.

Rachel smiled; she was definitely going to miss this. She loved her fathers and couldn't wait to see them, but she'd had a great week at the Hummel-Hudson household. It was nice having more than just three people at the breakfast table, and it was certainly livelier around there than at her fathers' place.

"Does anyone need anything from the kitchen?" Carole asked. "Do you want any more orange juice, Quinn?"

Quinn shook her head and said, "I'm fine."

"I could use some more," Finn said.

"Well, that's a given," Kurt replied.

As Carole stood up, Rachel looked over at Quinn again. She was moving her eggs around her plate with her fork, eventually setting the fork down and sitting back in her seat. Rachel glanced at the three guys, but they were in conversation, so Rachel scooted down in her chair slightly and nudged her foot against Quinn's leg.

"Are you okay?" Rachel whispered when Quinn looked up.

"Yeah," Quinn answered.

Rachel titled her head, giving Quinn a skeptical look. "Are you really or are you just telling me that so I'll stop asking?"

"What are you two talking about?" Kurt asked.

"Nothing," Rachel hurriedly answered.

"You had to be talking about something," Kurt replied.

"I was just asking Quinn where she was going to stay when she comes to New York," Rachel lied.

Kurt looked at her for a moment before saying, "Fine."

Rachel once again glanced over at Quinn, who raised her eyebrow slightly and then quirked her lips up in a barely-there smile.

"Is that everything?" Finn asked.

"Yes, that's everything," Rachel replied, glancing around to make sure she really did have everything.

"I'll take them to the car, then," Finn said, lifting her bag up.

"I'll be out there in a few minutes," Rachel replied. "I just want to say goodbye to someone."

"Tell Quinn I say 'bye'," Finn said, giving Rachel a crooked smile.

Rachel smiled back and said, "I'll be sure to."

Rachel passed by Finn and walked into the living room and then into the kitchen, but she wasn't in either room. As she was turning to leave, though, something outside caught her eye, and she stopped to look out. Quinn was sitting on the picnic table, looking up at the sky as the snow lightly fell around her.

Rachel didn't have her coat on, but she opened the door and walked out into the cold, nevertheless. She wrapped her arms around herself as she walked over to Quinn, who was silently watching her.

"Mind if I join you?" Rachel asked.

"Do you really have to ask?" Quinn asked back.

Rachel shrugged and said, "It's only polite."

Quinn brushed the dusting of snow off the picnic table and Rachel took that as her invitation to sit down. Together, they sat there for several minutes, not saying a word. Everything was so peaceful in the backyard and it made Rachel hate leaving all the more. She knew it would never be that quiet back home, so she was enjoying it while she could.

"Are you leaving?" Quinn asked after a few minutes.

"Yes," Rachel replied. "Finn's waiting on me."

Quinn nodded and then said, "Can I see your phone?"

"Um, sure," Rachel said, pulling it out of pocket, and handing it over to Quinn.

As Quinn started tapping on her phone, Rachel leaned over to see what the blonde was doing, and then smiled when she realized Quinn was putting her information into her contacts. It was one of the reasons she'd come out there; she'd realized she didn't have Quinn's phone number, and she would rather ask Quinn herself than ask Finn for the number. But apparently she didn't have to ask at all.

"Text me when you get home, so I'll know you made it there," Quinn said.

"I promise," Rachel replied with a smile as she pocketed her phone.

"I changed my flight," Quinn announced. "I'm going to fly in with Kurt on Wednesday."

"If you let me know the details, I'll gladly meet you two at the airport," Rachel said. "I mean, I'm aware Kurt knows his way around, but I would still like to come. And I'm sure Finn would like to as well."

Truthfully, Rachel just wanted to see Quinn again as soon as possible, but she was going to leave that unsaid. She had scared off several potential suitors away in the past because she'd been too intense, and she didn't want to risk doing that with Quinn. The blonde seemed like a very independent person, and Rachel was afraid of coming across as too needy.

"I'll let you know," Quinn replied.

Rachel nodded and said, "So, may I ask why you were sitting out here?"

"I like it out here," Quinn softly replied. "It's quiet."

"It is nice," Rachel agreed.

Quinn looked over at her and she frowned as her eyes drifted down a bit. "Why aren't you wearing your coat?"

Rachel shrugged. "I noticed you out here and I didn't want to take the time to get it."

"Here," Quinn said, rolling her eyes as she tried to take her own coat off.

"But then you'll be cold," Rachel replied, reaching out to stop Quinn. "I'm fine, Quinn. I promise."

"Is that why you're shaking?" Quinn asked.

"It's nothing I can't handle," Rachel replied. "An actress has to be prepared for anything. Maybe I'll have to film a scene outside in the cold and I'll look back on this as preparation for it."

"I thought you wanted to be on Broadway?" Quinn said.

"I do, but I wouldn't mind filming a movie or two," Rachel replied. "Broadway is my dream and will always be my priority, but between shows, I would like to do a few other things. Other than the aforementioned movies, I would also like to do television, and, of course, an album." Rachel smiled at Quinn. "I'm hoping to be the youngest person to get an EGOT."

"Why am I not surprised?" Quinn asked.

"Really, I would like to have it by the time I'm thirty, but I would settle for simply being the youngest," Rachel added.

"I think Finn wants you to hurry," Quinn said, nodding toward the house.

Rachel sighed when she looked over and saw him at the window. "I guess I really should go; I told him I was just going to be a few minutes."

"Yeah," Quinn replied.

Rachel looked over at Quinn again and said, "You know, when Finn invited me, I had no idea you were going to be here, but I'm really glad you were."

"Me too," Quinn replied. "I almost stayed in New Haven."

"I'm not going to say goodbye since I will see you in four days," Rachel said, standing up from the picnic table.

Quinn glanced toward the house, and Rachel followed her gaze, but Finn was gone. A moment later, Quinn tugged on the front of her hoodie, pulling Rachel toward her. When Rachel's legs hit the bench and she couldn't be pulled any further, Quinn leaned forward, bringing their lips together. Rachel let out a slight moan the moment their lips touched, which only seemed to spur Quinn on more. The blonde pulled her even closer, and Rachel had to put her hands on Quinn's thighs to keep herself from falling completely forward.

Quinn's lips were cold against hers and her hands were even colder when she placed them on Rachel's cheeks. Just as Rachel was about to part her lips, Quinn slowed kissing her until she finally pulled away, placing one more kiss in her lips.

"You should go," Quinn whispered, her lips brushing against Rachel's.

"I know," Rachel replied with a light sigh.

"Four days, right?" Quinn said.

"Right," Rachel replied, leaning forward, and giving Quinn one last kiss.

With her elbow propped up on the door and her head leaning against her hand, Rachel watched the scenery pass by. They had only been on the road for a little over an hour, but she was already counting down the minutes until they were back in the city. Unfortunately, they still had many hours to go, so she wasn't going to be there anytime soon.

Rachel glanced over at Finn as he nodded his head to the music. Every now and then he would begin singing along, but the ride had otherwise been mostly quiet. Finn looked over at her, giving her a smile when she glanced over again. His smile faltered, though, and he shifted in his seat, sitting up straighter, and putting his other hand on the wheel.

"You okay?" Finn asked. "You're being really quiet."

"Yes," Rachel automatically replied.

"You can change the music if you want," Finn offered. "I know you're not really into 80's rock."

"It's fine, Finn," Rachel replied. "I'm sure you're not a fan of the music I listen to, either."

"No, but we did listen to my stuff on the way home, so, really, it would be fair," Finn said.

"To be honest, I wasn't really listening to the music," Rachel replied.

"Oh," Finn said, furrowing his brows. "So, what's wrong, then? Is it Quinn? Did you guys, like, fight or something?"

"No, we didn't get in a fight," Rachel said, unable to contain her smile at the mention of the other girl's name.

"Does that mean you two are going out now?" Finn asked.

Rachel shook her head. "No, it would be far too fast for that. We haven't even gone on our first date, yet."

"So you're going to go on one?" Finn asked.

"We haven't exactly talked about it, but I'm kind of hoping we'll be able to go on one while she's in New York," Rachel replied. "She hasn't said how long she's going to be there, but hopefully there's enough time for it." Rachel glanced over at Finn. "Are you sure you're okay talking about this?"

"Yeah," Finn said, shrugging. "I mean, it's a little weird since I've been out with both of you, but whatever."

"When you and Quinn dated—never mind," Rachel said, shaking her head.

"What?" Finn asked.

"It's not important," Rachel replied.

She was going to ask about what Finn and Quinn's relationship was like in high school, but she decided she didn't want to know. She really didn't want to think about them together even if there were no feelings between them now. She knew she had no right, but she couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy when she thought about them dating. From everything she'd heard, they sounded like the perfect couple when they were together.

"You sure?" Finn asked.

"I'm sure," Rachel replied.

Rachel put her head against her hand again and looked out the window. It hadn't snowed nearly as much where they were currently passing through, so the scenery wasn't as pretty as that around Lima. It was all she really had to do, though, so she continued staring out the window until her phone vibrated in her pocket.

"Is that her?" Finn asked.

"Yes, it's Quinn," Rachel answered.

Rachel smiled at Quinn's text asking if she was being subjected to terrible music. Rachel replied with 'Of course' and set the phone in her lap, awaiting Quinn's reply,

"Do you need to go to the bathroom?" Finn asked. "There's a rest stop coming up."

"I'm fine," Rachel replied.

"Well, I kind of gotta go, so is it okay if we stop?" Finn asked.

"Yes," Rachel replied.

"I just know you don't like making a lot of stops," Finn said. "I promise it'll be the last for a while. I just had that Big Gulp earlier and I feel like my kidneys are gonna burst."

"Your bladder," Rachel corrected.

"Yeah, that," Finn said, slowing down as he began to pull off the interstate.

There were barely any open parking spot at the rest stop, so Finn pulled into one far away from the building. He put the truck in park and pulled his keys out, asking, "You sure you don't have to go?"

"Yes, but I may stretch my legs a little," Rachel replied, unbuckling her seat belt.

"I'll be right back," Finn said.

Finn got out and began jogging toward the building while Rachel opened her door and began walking in the immediate vicinity. It was cold out, but not nearly as cold as it had been when she was sitting on the bench with Quinn.

'Where are you now?'

'I'm not entirely sure. Finn had a Big Gulp, so we're currently at a rest stop.'

'Sounds familiar. He always did the same on our Glee trips.'

Rachel leaned against Finn's truck as her finger hovered over her phone. She reread Quinn's text several times as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say. After a few minutes, she finally typed out a short text and hit send.

'How is everything there?'

'A little boring, actually.'

'Really?'

'Yeah. It's too bad you're not here.'

Rachel smiled to herself and glanced over her shoulder at the sound of footsteps.

"You ready?" Finn asked as he walked up to the truck.

"Yes," Rachel replied, hesitating for a moment as she sent a reply.

'Four days.'

Rachel opened the door and hopped in the truck as Finn started the engine. As he began pulling out of the parking spot, her phone vibrated in her lap and she immediately picked it up.

"Everything okay?" Finn asked, glancing at the phone.

"Yes," Rachel replied with a smile. "Everything is wonderful."

I would like to thank everyone who has read and especially those who have commented along the way. I've had more fun writing this than anything in a long time and I'm sad it's over.

Speaking of which, some of you have already asked about a sequel and I'm sure even more will ask now that it's over. I'm definitely not opposed to writing one, but it'll be a while before it happens. There's a good chance if I do it, it'll be this time next year and will pick up with their New Year's. If you all can wait that long, I'll be happy to write it.

I hope you all have a good holiday.