A/N :: First off, I need to say THANK YOU! To all of you who have read this, reviewed, made it a favorite, and/or followed it. I currently have a severe case of depression and just getting out of bed is hard, but thanks to your support, this fic is the reason I get out of bed in the morning.

Second, I apologize for how short this is! I just could not find enough to put in it.

Third, as always, all mistakes are mine.

Fourth, Italics is Rachel singing. Underlined is Quinn singing. Both is both of them singing.

Disclaimer :: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy, not me. If it did belong to me, EVERYTHING would be different, okay, not everything, but most things.

As Quinn finished singing, Rachel's mouth fell open, and she had to shut it quickly, in hopes that no one saw. She applauded with the group, and listened as Mr. Shue went on about the performance, before asking if anyone else had, anything prepared. All eyes turned to her, and she gulped a little, before standing. "Well, it is not 'prepared' so much as, memorized, from a long time ago, but then, I suppose that is what being prepared is really," she said, feeling as if she was rambling slightly, something she had not done since, well, for a very long time.

As Quinn went to leave, Rachel grabbed her arm, before quickly retracting her hand, meeting the gaze of the blonde for a few moments. "Stay," she whispered, before shaking herself out, ignoring the way her stomach fluttered. "I mean, could you please stay up here, I need the guitar, and I cannot play," she corrected herself, trying hard to ignore the way Santana, Mercedes, Kurt, and Blaine all raised their eyebrows at her, before looking at each other, which started the whispering. She could not hear any of it, but she knew it had something to do with the way she retracted her hand from Quinn's arm, how they caught each other's gaze, how time itself seemed to stop at the touch. At these thoughts, a small blush began to spread across her cheeks, and she was thankful that Mr. Shue silenced the whispering, or she would have stormed out of the room, embarrassed over something she could never explain, to anyone.

Quinn smiled and nodded at Rachel's request, taking a seat back on the stool, as Rachel retrieved one for herself. It was nerve-wracking, because the last time she had sung with Quinn, for everyone to hear, was back in junior year, in fact, that had been the first and last time she and Quinn had performed together, at least in front of New Directions. Her eyes darted to the ground for a moment, rethinking the entire idea of having Quinn play guitar for her. However, she shook it off as the blonde placed a hand on her arm and nodded, as if she were able to read how Rachel was feeling. Rachel had to ignore the jolts of electricity that spread through her body at the blonde's touch, and she simply smiled, hoping that the butterflies in her stomach would calm down.

Taking a seat on the stool, Rachel whispered the name of the song in Quinn's ear and the blonde tensed up, before letting out a few deep breaths, and nodding, her hand retreating from Rachel's arm and her gaze never returning to her. The action worried the brunette, but she sighed, and as Quinn began to strum, she closed her eyes, waiting for her cue.

I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house,
That don't bother me
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out;
I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while,
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me.
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm OK
But that's not what gets me.

What hurts the most,
Was being so close,
And having so much to say,
And watching you walk away,
And never knowing
What could have been.
And not seeing that love in you
is what I was tryin' to do.

It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go
But I'm doin' It.
It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone.
Still Harder

Getting up, getting dressed, livin' with this regret.
But I know if I could do it over,
I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart
that I left unspoken

For a moment, Rachel faltered, tears coming from nowhere at the memories, memories of two different loves, both lost to stupidity. In the moment she faltered however, Quinn picked up, and by the time the chorus came around, their voices were harmonizing, just as they did back junior year, or back when they would sing karaoke in that little bar on the Yale campus, while Rachel was visiting Quinn in New Haven, all those years ago. It was beautiful and Rachel lost herself in the sound, simply singing what her heart meant for her to sing.

What hurts the most
Is being so close
And having so much to say (much to say)
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that love in you
Is what I was trying to do, oh.

What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say (to say)
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that love in you
Is what I was trying to do

Not seeing that love in you
That's what I was trying to do

Rachel, so caught up in the way her voice harmonized with Quinn's and the memories of things she had tried to forget, almost faltered again when Quinn's voice faded out, and she was singing the final bridge by herself. It made her feel so many things, angry, upset, sad, yet also relieved, thankful, and so many other emotions, that the tears flowing down her cheeks were genuine, for the first time in a very long time. Through her tear-filled eyes, Rachel could see those in the audience clapping and looking at each other with, she assumed, raised eyebrows. However, a pair of sad, almost broken, hazel eyes, that were trying to say so much, drew Rachel's gaze and all she could do, as Quinn opened her arms, was fall into them. To anyone else, it would look like they were simply having one of those friend moments, but to Rachel, it was so much more, it was an apology, it was forgiveness, but most of all, it was safety.

Thank you for reading. Please review. I am open to all criticism, provided it is constructive, so do not flame.

Disclaimer :: The song does not belong to me. It is "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts and all rights go to them and whoever else they happen to belong to.

Not sure on when the next chapter will be up, but it should be soon.