Only One Chapter 4: I Need You, a glee fanfic

Chapter 4

I Need You

It was now going into March and the snow had yet to abate with its cold, wintry touch on the grounds of Hogwarts castle. Quinn was sitting on one of the benches outside reading when someone covered her eyes unexpectedly and Quinn instinctively knew that it was Rachel and before Rachel could ask her to guess Quinn spoke up, "I know it's you Rachel. No one else ever approaches me this way so I know it's you, you silly, adorable witch." Rachel giggled and finally granted Quinn her vision back before snuggling into her neck, something Quinn found herself enjoying immensely and also causing her to wonder if, perhaps, Rachel was starting to become aware of her behavior, of the fact that she was being too affectionate to be just a friend.

"You always know it's me even though, technically, Brittany has also done this before and still does from time to time."

"And you always forget that Brittany isn't as sneaky and quiet as you so I normally let her think she sneaks up on me by pretending I can't hear her excited footsteps in the crunching snow, Rachel. I love that you think you can sneak up on me so easily considering I can also hear your footsteps in the snow but I know that it's you by how much quieter your footsteps are. And not only that but I sort of know what your footsteps sound like now that we've been prefects for more than half a year together." The last bit made Rachel's cheeks flush slightly and the sight warmed Quinn's body to the point she felt warm in her clothes despite the persisting cold outside.

Shaking her head at Quinn, Rachel smiled at the blonde and sat next to her so closely their thighs were touching completely. "So, after thoroughly embarrassing me with your never ending jocularity, I was wondering something Quinn." Without verbally responding Quinn closed her book after setting her bookmark in the spot where the last sentence she had read was, Quinn turned to Rachel to show she had her undivided attention. "I've been wondering many things Quinn but … if it's all right with you, I'd like to perhaps discuss this in the library or maybe that Room of Requirement you showed me last time, somewhere warmer so I won't be so worried about your health from being in this cold."

"Well, as cold as it is outside here … being with you makes me a bit warmer considering how closely you're sitting next to me right now." Quinn hadn't meant this to be a teasing comment, but rather a flirty one but Rachel took it as a jest anyways.

"I will not apologize for worrying about your health and my attempts to keep you warm!" Rachel replied indignantly, causing a smile to escape Quinn's normally stoic features and a chuckle to issue forth from her lips. It was in that moment that Rachel truly noticed how pale Quinn really was, her cheeks so red from the biting cold outside and it worried Rachel a bit but the thought was pushed aside as Rachel stood up and held a hand out for Quinn.

"So, the Room of Requirement then? We can think of a fireplace as a requirement and perhaps a few couches or armchairs in the room too." Rachel nodded her head in agreement before standing up and holding her hand out for Quinn. Taking Rachel's hand gently and allowing herself to be tugged up from the bench, Quinn slowly led the way to the secret passage that she had discovered years ago that the caretaker, Filch, had never caught her using before miraculously enough. He somehow caught pretty much every other student so she was surprised that he had yet to catch her using this particular passage before. Filch never caught her using any of the passages she was wont to use and she knew almost all of them.

Upon entering the room of requirement a nice and cozy fireplace with plenty of places to sit appeared before them through the open doorway, hidden from everyone else in the enchanted castle. This was truly a private setting that not even the ghosts or the paintings of the castle could penetrate the walls of this room. This was the perfect place for Quinn to answer any of the questions she was brave to reveal to Rachel. Of course Rachel was in charge of what she asked and it terrified Quinn not knowing what it was Rachel could potentially ask her. The possibilities were limitless, well limited to Rachel's imagination and active mind, so, more or less limitless.

Despite the fact that they had both agreed to come here to actually talk silence seemed to reign over them as they sat and stared at the warm hearth. While Quinn was lost in thought about how nice the cushions were and what Rachel could possibly want to ask her Rachel finally sighed and spoke up, asking her first question.

"Quinn?" Quinn looked over to Rachel but gave no verbal answer. "I just … I just wanted to know if it might be possible for you to … I don't know … maybe take on a different mate? A mate who will love you before you die because I fear that you will die if you don't tell that dense girl that you're in love with them soon. I can't bear the thought that you might be dead a few months from now. I think I would die too, or at least I feel like I would."

Letting out a soft sigh Quinn gazed into Rachel's eyes as she spoke, "the thing about Veelas and their mates is … the moment their eyes meet and the connection is made … the Veela has a brief window of opportunity to say no without any consequence whatsoever. However … once that moment is gone there is still a way for the Veela to say no but there are also repercussions to such a decision after that single instance is gone. The sooner after the one chance a Veela has the chance to say no the less severe the outcome of that rejection. I … however stubborn and insane this may sound to you … I don't plan on giving up my love for my mate no matter how long it takes for them to notice me and accept me as their one true love, their mate for life."

"Why don't you just tell her?" Rachel looked completely distraught.

Looking away from the brown eyes out to capture more of her love and affection Quinn stared at the warm flames instead as she spoke. "Whenever a Veela has a mate that isn't another Veela it is simply harder for them to tell a non-Veela about their instantaneous love for them for several reasons. The first and foremost is that when it's a muggle the Veela has to get the proper paperwork done which takes time. If it is someone who is of magical blood but of non-magical creature ancestry it is simply a hard concept to grasp and for the most part the Veela inside the witches head demands that they not pressure their mate into bonding and sealing themselves right away. The Veela don't want to take away a mate's choice in life because though it does kill us to not receive their love back … a Veela would rather die and sacrifice their own happiness for the sake of their mate's happiness. It might seem a bit … like suicide but really … a Veela never wants to take away the choice for her mate. And the other reason is … despite the fact that I am most certainly dying without feeling reciprocated love … I just don't feel it is right for me to make the decision for my mate by basically telling them that I will die if they don't love me back."

This was definitely not something Rachel had expected to hear and it was definitely not something that Rachel had actually given thought to either. She had never actually thought of it that way and now she could see and understand a bit more about Quinn's stance on the matter, why Quinn wasn't marching up to whoever her mate was and tell her that she needed her to complete the courtship ritual that would save her life. It made sense to Rachel where Quinn was coming from now but it didn't make sense to Rachel in a different way. Of course Quinn, being the selfless person that she was, wouldn't want her mate to feel pressured into loving her but at the same time, time was running out and Quinn was only becoming weaker and weaker as the days went by. Soon enough Quinn wasn't going to have any strength left and Rachel felt her chest constrict from the thought of losing Quinn, of Quinn dying.

"Why are you doing this to yourself Quinn? Why aren't you fighting for her? Why are you just choosing to die, to let yourself waste away without the love, the affection you need in order to live another day without suffering like this?" Rachel was becoming emotional and Quinn could feel herself wondering the same thing as her Veela but then the answer to all of those questions came to her head once again. "Is she really worth all of the pain and heartache, all of this misery you're going through, Quinn?" Quinn nodded her head in response, unsure of how she would sound if she spoke now. "Why is she worth all of this to you, why is she worth this torture, worth you dying?"

"Because … I love her so much that I'm willing to sacrifice myself for her if she … wants someone else I'm not going to stop her from loving them … but if she sees me and comes to realize that I'm the one she wants, that we're meant to be together … then I will wait for her even if it takes longer than I have Rachel. That is what Veela love is, that is how much I love her, how strongly she makes me love her. I cannot love anyone else without feeling as if I'm betraying her and so I will not break my Veela's bond with her to find love elsewhere. My Veela and I refuse to do so because we both said yes the moment we laid our eyes on her on the train ride to Hogwarts." Rachel couldn't believe what she was hearing and it floored her that Quinn was truly in love with this mystery girl to the point of being willing to sacrifice her own wellbeing for this person who didn't seem to notice how in love she was. This girl had to be extremely stupid and dense to not realize that Quinn was in love with her and had been for the better part of half a year and it was almost insane that this girl had yet to catch on, granted Quinn did say that this girl had been with someone else for nearly a year.

Rachel sighed and shook her head in annoyance and exasperation. Quinn did make an excellent point about forcing her feelings on someone else by telling them that she was irrevocably in love with them because if that wasn't a pressuring statement nothing was. It was kind of like going up to a random stranger and telling them 'hello, you don't know me but I'm a Veela and I've fallen in love with you and if you don't love me back I will die and no this isn't a joke and I'm not being a git because I was dared by someone else to do this. By the way what's your name future wife/husband?' Rachel wasn't so sure that that would go very well no matter who was on the receiving end of that declaration. Even Rachel wasn't sure how she'd react because she had two gay men for her fathers and so it most definitely wouldn't be an issue if Quinn was the one saying it … however if Rachel was being honest with herself … she wanted Quinn to tell her that she was in love with her or that she was the mate that she kept talking about so vaguely.

"Quinn … you need to tell her that she's the one you're looking for before it's too late and you end up dying in just a few short months? I can't … I can't lose you because you just couldn't tell her that you're in love with her and you need her for this courtship ritual you spoke to me about a few weeks ago. What does the courtship ritual entail anyways? Is there anything I can do to help you? Maybe I can just tell her for you so that you don't have to feel like you forced her to love you or anything ridiculous like that."

The topic was getting a bit out of hand. "No, no, Rachel. I do appreciate you being so concerned for me and you being such a good friend but I cannot ask that of you at all. I … I can't really talk about the courtship ritual in greater detail unless … well there's only one person I can discuss such a ritual with outside of them being a Veela and that would be the person who is my mate. I cannot have the Veela courtship ritual being something that is openly known about and only a Veela's mate is allowed to know outside of Veela circles because of the rules my people have come up with over the centuries to prevent our secrets from becoming common knowledge so it can't be used against us to harm or kill us." Taking a pause, Quinn wanted to make sure she worded what she wanted to say carefully so Rachel wouldn't figure this out before she was ready to tell her that she was actually her mate. "A Veela is almost actually forbidden from spreading this type of knowledge because if a Veela's mate dies the Veela will die as well or go crazy which also spells death for them. After the ritual is completely finished and a Veela's mate dies the Veela will no longer be able to survive."

It made Rachel's heart ache at the thought of Quinn possibly dying if anything were to ever happen to her mate and the way Quinn spoke so indifferently about something that made Rachel so upset that she felt like she was falling apart. Quinn's tone was so apathetic about something that could cost her, her life and it made Rachel feel like she was dying a little bit inside. "How can you be so calm and act like this is something so mundane when it's something as big as your life Quinn? I don't understand … doesn't your life matter to you at all?"

Letting out a soft sigh Quinn finally looked into Rachel's eyes and Rachel could see the emotions running through her eyes more clearly now. "Of course, it does. I do care about it but really … it's just that I … I'm starting to accept that she might never realize that I have feelings for her and maybe when I think that she might possibly have feelings for me it's just my imagination or something I want to see. I don't know if she just sees me as a friend or more and that's why I'm starting to give up any hope that I might survive."

Just hearing those words left a big impression on Rachel, something in the back of her mind was telling her that she was missing something extremely important and it made Rachel feel terribly stupid for not being able to figure out what Quinn was talking about. It made Rachel feel as if she was an utter fool for not being able to guess what it was that Quinn seemed to be trying to tell her without outright telling her. "Are you trying to tell me something Quinn? It keep getting the feeling that you're giving me double meaning sentences for some reason.

A small smile appeared on Quinn's face, "I can't say any more than I already have Rachel, that's all I can really tell you." The smile that Quinn had on her face was a bit haunted and almost … a look of sadness and acceptance about something … her fate perhaps. It made an undeniable ache echo in Rachel's heart.

The choir meeting with the choir director William Shuester was something that Rachel normally looked forward to but today she was dreading it because Finn's attempts to woo her through music was becoming tiresome and not only that but it had been a few days since Rachel had spoken to Quinn in the Room of Requirement. It was a bit depressing to be in the same room as Quinn now and almost everyone in the Harking Hogwarts choir was somewhat aware of the fact that Quinn was ill. Most of the school in fact had rumors and whispers along the halls about the sick Veela because her charms seemed to be slightly weaker than usual and most of the student population had noticed that she was becoming quite a bit paler and seemed to be out of breath more and more as of late. It was quite saddening that they might be losing one of their own for unknown reasons.

Several minutes after the other members had gathered and the meeting was already supposed to officially start the director came in, late as usual. William Shuester was a man not known for his good punctuality but he was a kind man for the most part and the students liked him well enough.

"I have a treat for you today everyone! Quinn has been practicing something with several members of our choir and she is going to share with us today! Come on up Quinn." There was a small round of light applause as Quinn stood up and used the accio spell to summon all of the instruments needed for this song. A piano, flute, violin, and drums appeared. Quinn took up the space at the piano while Mike picked up the violin, Brittany picked up the flute, and Puck sat down where the drums were and Santana, Artie, and Tina came up to be part of the vocals and the song started with Quinn playing the piano intro before the other members joined in.

From the intro to the start of the other instruments joining, everything about the song captivated all of the members sitting in the room listening to the masterpiece that Quinn wrote and composed. The start of the song came with Quinn singing with the other members backing her up.

Fall (everything)

Falling apart now

Fall (everything)

I'm falling down

Mike came in to rap this part of the song. His voice sounded so sad and heartbroken.

Because of you I'm breaking down

I want this to end, stop playing around

I can't do this with you anymore

My teardrops shatter on the floor

Artie took this part and the beginning almost sounded like him singing but the last three lines were definitely him rapping.

You can't do things like this to me

The mask and everything you said won't let me be

It hides the ugly truth and tears me apart

It pierces through me, I'm going insane, I hate my heart

Take everything away, I hate you

Quinn sang the main lines while everyone else sang the back vocals for her for this part and the more they delved into the song the more beautiful it became. Their harmonization and everything about the song was absolutely stunning and so well done that Rachel felt herself becoming emotional by how desperate this song was.

But you're my everything (you're my)

Everything (you're my)

Please go away

I'm sorry (I hate you)

I love you (I hate you)

Please forgive me

Once again Quinn was the main vocal with the other members singing backup vocals for her and harmonizing with her for this song.

I need you girl

More than you know and can ever understand

I need you girl

Why won't you just look at me and take my hand?

At this part of the song Quinn sang the first part of the line with Santana jumping in while Quinn was still singing and everyone else joined in for the second half of this verse.

I need you girl, you're so beautiful

I need you girl, but you're so confused

I need you girl (I need you girl)

Puck finally joined in with his part with rapping and having Mike sing his echo.

It goes round and round but why do I keep coming back to you?

I go down and down, at this point I'm making myself a fool

Whatever I try to do

My heart and feelings choose you

Why won't my heart say no?

I'm just talking to myself again (talking to myself again)

You're not replying, please, I'll treat you well

But the sky is so blue (but the sky is so blue)

Brittany sang this part, her voice despairing and full of so much sorrow, rich with such palpable emotions.

The sky is blue and the sun is shining so brightly

So my tears stand out against my eyes closed tightly

Why is it you? Why did it have to be you, only you?

Why can't I leave you behind so I can choose?

This time Santana sang the refrain of the song with Quinn backing her up vocally.

I need you girl

More than you know and can ever understand

I need you girl

Why won't you just look at me and take my hand?

I need you girl, you're so beautiful

I need you girl, but you're so confused

I need you girl (I need you girl)

I need you girl (I need you girl~)

Brittany sang the first line and Tina sang the second with Santana taking up the rest of the lines of this verse of the song.

Girl, just tell me, just tell me that you'll break up with him

Girl, just tell me, just tell me you love me not just on a whim (oh)

I just don't have the courage to tell you that

You're the one that I need more than anything

You're the only one who can save me from everything (oh~)

Santana sang this part while Quinn improvised in between Santana's lines, her voice coming out so beautifully anguished.

I need you girl (oh baby~)

More than you know and can ever understand

I need you girl

Why (why) won't you just look at me and take my hand? (just take my hand)

I need you girl, (I need you girl) you're so beautiful

I need you girl, but you're so confused

I need you girl (I need you girl)

Quinn sang this last line making eye contact with Rachel for just a moment as she sang this line, looking more pained and desolate than anyone had ever seen the normally aloof girl.

I need you girl~

As soon as the last notes of the song rang out in the choir room a soft applause overtook the room at the amazing song Quinn had written. This song was definitely something no one who hadn't been practicing with Quinn had expected from the quiet blonde who usually swayed in the background rather than fighting for the spotlight for solo performances. The song was completely unexpected but it was definitely undeniably well written and the composition blew away everyone else's attempts at writing music for the assignment that Will had given them to complete this week. Finn had written Pretending which had been met with very positive reception. Rachel had written Get It Right and this one was extremely well liked as well, more so than Finn's because Rachel's vocal prowess was much better. And there was also Mercedes' Hate On Me which had been very soulful and empowering. Then there was Sunshine's song As Long As You're There which was a combination of Rachel's vocal prowess and Mercedes' powerhouse, soulful singing. Quinn's was the best by far for everything from the vocal choices, the instruments chosen, to the composition. The song was so beautiful, so magnificent that everyone felt the emotions Quinn had written this song with and it had brought tears to Blaine, Kurt, and Rachel's eyes when the refrain had first come up.

"That was amazing, that was … Quinn you really blew me away with this song. I have no words for how proud and happy I am to hear this song you wrote! Well done!" Will said, truly unable to describe how much he loved this song and everyone in the club agreed with his assessment. There really was no competing with this song and some of the people who had yet to perform didn't really feel like performing anymore as a follow up performance to an incomparable song. "Is anyone willing to step on the plate as the next performer?" Silence reigned and no one raised their hand nor made eye contact with the man. "Come on guys! Isn't anyone willing to follow up with their own song? Anyone at all?" When he was met with silence and shifty eyes he finally gave up, "all right, we can call it a day. Pack it up and enjoy your weekend! I expect there to be someone else performing next week on Monday after a relaxing weekend, okay?"

There were a few whoops and hollers of excitement before Puck quickly ran out of the room followed closely by Finn and a few other members. Everyone else started to pack their things and as soon as Quinn was finished magically spelling the various instruments back to where they were she left before anyone else could approach her about her song, something she didn't want to talk about at all. Despite hearing a certain person calling out her name Quinn swiftly made her exit and pretended not to hear as she took a secret passage that lead her closer to the hospital wing without anyone noticing where she had disappeared to and Quinn once again thanked the Room of Requirement for helping her find her way years ago with that map showing her every hidden passage and nook and cranny of the school. If it wasn't for that room or the map it had provided Quinn wouldn't have been able to disappear as quickly as she needed to sometimes.

Madam Pomfrey greeted Quinn briskly before asking her the usual questions about her general health before making her take a potion and sending her off on her way.

Rachel, in the meanwhile, approached Mike since she failed to catch Quinn's attention before she ran out of the choir room. "Mike, I was wondering if I might be able to speak to you in private by any chance." Rachel had such a desperate look on her face that Mike nodded in agreement and followed Rachel wordlessly to the library. Of course the library was the perfect place for a private conversation since not many students liked to actually go to the library and they found a secluded corner that gave them the perfect view in case someone was close by but was also a good hiding spot for them.

Settling down on the chairs and checking for anyone through the little gap without books before finally turning to each other Mike spoke first. "So, what is this about though I have a feeling I know what you're going to talk to me about."

Giving Mike a slightly calculating look Rachel took a single deep breath before finally breathing her question out with her exhale. "Do you know anything about a courtship ritual Mike?"

The look on Mike's face made Rachel realize that Mike must not know anything about the courtship ritual at all before he even shook his head and spoke up about not knowing what it was. "I've never heard of that before Rachel. What is this about a 'courtship ritual'? I've never come across that before in any of the books I've read nor has anyone of my professors discussed something like that as a lesson topic."

It was in that moment that it hit Rachel, a thought so powerful it felt like a bullet train had just driven through the tracks of her mind. There was no other answer or way of denying it. In that single moment Rachel knew that it was the truth staring at her, that niggling thought in the back of her head was now at the forefront of her mind. She was the mate that Quinn refused to force into a relationship with her and Rachel felt several emotions run through her all at once: anger, joy, annoyance, relief, irritation, but most of all the feeling of love burst through her chest as she realized that only she could be Quinn's mate because of what they had talked about a few days ago. It could be the only explanation that Rachel could think of, based off of all of the evidence. Rachel was now thinking back to when Quinn had transformed into her Veela and only she seemed to be able to understand Luciana. And then Finn had confronted Quinn in the hallway a few months ago and how he had been talking about knowing who Quinn was in love with. And then there was Quinn saying that her mate had recently broken up with her boyfriend during Valentine's Day after leaving Hogsmeade. And now from just a few days ago Quinn had said that she couldn't talk about the courtship ritual with someone who wasn't her mate and Mike most definitely didn't know anything about this clandestine ritual. Quinn had been implying that she was her mate, unknowingly and carefully at times, for several months now.

Feeling herself being gently shaken Rachel looked up at Mike who had a concerned look on his face. "Rachel, are you okay? I've been trying to get your attention for the last few minutes and you just … zoned out."

"I'm quite all right, Mike. Sorry for worrying you, I really am all right." Rachel wasn't convincing Mike that she was okay or all right in the least. Rachel looked so pale and it was noticeable against her olive skin.

Unconvinced Mike tried again. "Are you really sure you're all right? You look quite pale Rachel and you look like you've just had a ghost walk through you or something. I didn't see any of the castle's ghosts around though."

This caused a small chuckle from Rachel. "Oh, Mike, I'm really fine. I know a ghost didn't just walk through me or anything. I just … I just came upon a revelation that shocked me and … confirmed a few things for me and it was really just the surprise of it all that made me seem so catatonic. I can assure that I am perfectly fine Mike." Rachel looked up and noticed that they were the last two in the choir room and turned back to Mike. "Well, we best be going now, we're the last two in here. I'll see you later Mike. I have to go take care of something. Have a good weekend if I don't see you or talk to you during meals." Rachel said with a smile. Mike nodded at her and headed out of the room as Rachel decided what the best course of action would be. There was only one option really if Rachel wanted to find Quinn without fail. With that thought in mind Rachel immediately took off for the Room of Requirement and made sure to slip by the passage Quinn had shown her just a few days ago and hoped Filch wouldn't find her.

Making sure the coast was clear Rachel made her way to the room only to find Quinn walking briskly towards it. "Quinn!" Rachel yelled, running to catch up to her. Startled by Rachel's voice Quinn cursed herself for showing Rachel where this room was because now Rachel knew where and how to find her no matter what and it was something that she should have realized was a bad idea. Rachel was smart and she knew what the room's use was and now she was regretting her decision.

Finally slowing her stride Quinn turned her attention to Rachel, her face completely masking her emotions. Quinn wasn't sure what she was expecting at all but she was sure that she was entirely unprepared for what was probably the most euphoric feeling in the world. Rachel had pulled Quinn down and was kissing her softly at first before kissing her quite fiercely and passionately. This was definitely not on the list of Quinn's expectations and Quinn melted into the kiss as Rachel pushed to deepen the kiss by using her tongue to pry Quinn's lips open and caused Quinn to moan at the feeling of Rachel's warm tongue pressing against her own in such an unexpectedly skillful way. Quinn was entirely at Rachel's mercy and she was quickly becoming breathless and finally Quinn pulled away for air and she breathed harshly while Rachel looked at her with such intensity Quinn felt her cheeks redden under Rachel's penetrating gaze. Rachel didn't look like she had just been kissing Quinn for the better part of a few minutes and Quinn marveled at Rachel's breath control being so good.

"Rachel?" Quinn's voice barely came out louder than a whisper.

"I know Quinn, I know. And I want you, I want to help you complete the courtship ritual, whatever that entails."

Quinn shook her head, this had to be a dream she made up. This couldn't be reality right now. Suddenly Quinn gave herself a rather harsh sounding slap on the face and proceeded to pinch her cheek for a moment before her hand was taken away from her face. "What do you think you're doing Quinn?" Rachel asked shrilly, unsure of why Quinn was seemingly attempting to cause herself bodily harm.

Looking at Rachel completely calmly Quinn glanced at the hand Rachel was holding for a brief moment before leaning in to kiss her once more instead of explaining her reasoning for doing what she had done. Their lips were locked for several minutes, Quinn breathing through her nose when she could, as they continued to kiss much more softly than the first time around. The kisses were gentle and tender, full of affection and patience. When they pulled away mutually, lips slightly bruised, they smiled at each other in adoration. "I was just making sure that this is all reality and not some dream I'm having while I sleep … because this is … almost too good to be true. I've only ever dreamed of something like this and so … I thought to myself that this couldn't possibly be real that this couldn't be anything more than another dream in which you realized that I'm in love with you and that we're only … friends. I didn't think that this was really happening right now and so I needed to somehow prove to myself that this was indeed real life and I'm not sleeping at all."

And then they just looked at each other for a few moments before Rachel spoke up, "I really think you need a better system for checking what is real and what is not. For instance … maybe kissing me again for further confirmation." Rachel tried to speak coyly and act like she was smooth but really, Quinn saw right through it but didn't comment on it and leaned in again anyways. This girl was her dork now. They kissed for several moments more before Quinn pulled back breathlessly again and leaned her forehead against Rachel's and closed her eyes against the onslaught of emotions and desires running through her mind, as well as her Veela.

"Just to be clear … are we … dating or … what are we Rachel?"

"Well, I really, really like you … no, I completely adore you and I'm pretty sure I'm feeling … sort of … like I'm falling in love with you right now, or rather that I have been falling in love with you for quite some time now. As for what we are … I'm your mate and you're my future."

Smiling widely at Rachel Quinn felt her Veela's thoughts flow through her and she agreed entirely. "Oh, Luciana wanted me to tell you that you're more than just my future, you're my everything. And also … I should tell you something … as soon as you start this with me … I know that we've talked about this before but … you can't … you can't just decide no at any point as soon as the sealing has been completed and as soon as you kissed me and told me that form of 'yes' the sealing started. If we become fully sealed then I will start feeling better faster but if we're still in the sealing stage, I won't be fully recovered. I need you to understand that you cannot break away from me because you already know what the consequences of those actions are."

Rachel pulled away from Quinn to look at her fiercely. "I will not take away my affections for you. I'm in this to the end Quinn, I … I want you more than I've ever wanted anyone or anything in my entire life and I … I realized this the moment you sang that song and disappeared as soon as you could. I know you heard me calling for you but you ran away anyways because you were afraid that I'd figure it out, realize that I'm the one you kept talking about this entire time. Now that I know, you can't escape from me anymore and I'm determined to love you and treat you right and take the steps that are required for you to be fully recovered from this part of your heritage. I won't let you die Quinn because you mean too much to me."

Quinn's smile deepened as she nuzzled into Rachel's neck causing Rachel nuzzle into hers as well. "How did you finally figure it out?" Quinn asked, wondering if Finn had told her like he said he would.

"I may or may not have asked Mike if he knew anything about the courtship ritual and it clicked in my head that you said no one but Veela's and their mates could know about the ritual." Rachel felt Quinn's sigh rather than heard it against her shoulder. "I should have gathered this much earlier from all of our previous conversations. Especially when I overheard both Finn and you talking before Christmas break all of those months ago. I actually feel like an utter fool for not realizing this sooner." Quinn placed a soft kiss against Rachel's shoulder, causing her to shudder against Quinn's warm breath momentarily. "I just … I've been wondering … what is the courtship ritual and can you tell me about it now seeing as I am your mate?"

"All in due time Rachel. I can tell you about it eventually but for right now we have to worry about becoming sealed before we worry about completing the courtship ritual."

This caused Rachel a small measure of annoyance. She just wanted to know what it entailed even generally. "Just tell me what the courtship ritual consists of, please Quinn? I just want to know if it's some kind of special ritual that requires other Veela's to join in with a chant or a spell or something like that."

An indelicate snort left Quinn at the very thought of such a ridiculous image. Quinn didn't fault Rachel for such a bizarre expectation though all things considered. "The courtship ritual is solely meant for two participants for each Veela coupling and it when I take you and you take me as in … when we have sex with each other."

Quinn could feel Rachel's face growing warm against her neck and smirked in response. "Quinn! That is not something you should say so casually in the middle of the hall!" Rachel hissed indignantly but Quinn just shrugged and continued to hold her and enjoy feeling her embrace around her. This was everything she had ever dreamed of but better. This was far more satisfying and fulfilling than anything she could have dreamed of happening. Rachel let out a sigh and rolled her eyes at herself, causing Quinn to give her the infamous eyebrow raise she was known for.

"First and foremost I'm not going to have sex with you early on in our relationship. It's more complicated than that. I need you to become fully sealed with me first and in order for that to happen you have to say yes to me in a specific way and mean it with all of your heart. In order to allow things to progress naturally I cannot tell you in what way you are to say yes to me or else instead of us becoming sealed I might potentially die instead. If I tell you how to say yes and you do it too soon out of eagerness and your feelings for me aren't as genuine as you think them to be then I risk dying." Quinn spoke seriously before addressing her other concern. "And anyways, what was that sigh and eye roll about?"

A light blush colored Rachel's cheeks as she looked away from Quinn as she answered. "It's nothing really." Quinn continued to give her an eyebrow raise, unimpressed by Rachel's answer. "Okay, fine. I … I was just rolling my eyes at myself because for the longest time I had been sort of … well, mentally cursing the imaginary girl I thought was your mate. In the end your mate was me so I've essentially been cursing myself out for the better part of the last three months and it's sort of, kind of embarrassing to me now."

Hearing a soft chuckle caused Rachel to puff her cheeks out in indignation. "I'm not laughing because I think it's funny. I'm just enjoying how cute you are, how adorable I find you, and how endearing everything about you is to me." This caused a darker blush on Rachel's cheeks and instead of responding verbally Rachel leaned in and kissed Quinn yet again and Quinn felt herself become slightly stronger and made a note to check her locket later to see what color it was. Kissing Rachel was far more important right now.

So, chapter 4 was a bit angsty but with some happiness outlined for the future! I hope I get some love with thoughts on the chapter in the form of reviews as incentive to continue! Until the next chapter, please keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying everybody!^^ As for the song, it is by BTS and the title is I Need U. This is essentially a song I wrote English lyrics based off of the translation from the website color coded lyrics. You should check out this amazing song and watch a performance with the amazing dance for the song as well as awesome vocals for a still young and relatively new group! Also, I had the biggest freak out when I restarted my computer, went to take a shower, and came back to my laptop and thought everything had been erased because of the update! It took me nearly 9 hours later to figure out it was because they were just giving me a preview of it in a 'temporary account'. I was ROYALLY PISSED off but more than anything at the end of the night, at least I didn't lose this more than 7000 word chapter! Thank goodness for small miracles.

姫宮光る