A/N: Alright, so I took forever getting this one written. I am not too happy with it, it seems my muse has left me and writer's block has set in. :( Hopefully you guys will like it anyway. The good news is I've already started on the next one! The bad news is I am going to New York pretty soon and probably won't write too much during my trip. But I will try to write lots during the meantime! Please enjoy this chapter!
"I think you should do it," Rachel said, her fingers gently combing through Quinn's hair. The two of them were sprawled across the couch in the living room of the Berry house. In the days since the kiss in the theatre, Quinn had spent increasingly more time here. This was due mostly to the fact that Jason's friend, Marco, who had taken him out that night, had since become his boyfriend, and being around the two of them in that tiny apartment was unbearable. Quinn also had to admit that although they hadn't spoken about their relationship to one another since that night in the theatre, the physical liberties they were now taking with each other made her feel at home with the brunette. Her fingers in Quinn's hair, for instance, or the way Quinn's hand was resting on Rachel's thigh. It was a level of comfort and intimacy that Quinn hadn't realized had been missing in her life until now.
At present, the two of them were staring at the screen of Rachel's laptop, reading about legal emancipation on a website about Ohio law.
"It just seems so complicated," Quinn said, scrolling through long pages of text.
"You need to find an attorney who can help you. Would you consider talking to a friend of my dads'?" Rachel asked. Quinn shrugged, still feeling overwhelmed and not one hundred percent certain that this was the right path for her.
"Just talking to her doesn't mean you're committing to anything. I think you could really benefit from it." Rachel looked hopeful, slowly drawing her fingers through blonde hair.
"That's true. I guess it couldn't hurt." Quinn glanced at Rachel. "Rach, can I ask you something?"
"You just did," Rachel responded, "but yes, go ahead." She smiled the way she always did when Quinn called her Rach.
"What was going on with you and Finn when I saw you at his house?" Quinn didn't want to admit how badly she'd wanted to ask that question. She was jealous, but at the same time wanted to believe that nothing had happened between the two of them. She looked at Rachel, whose smile had vanished.
"I told you, I was very upset and wanted to be around someone who I knew really liked me," Rachel explained defensively, "I'm not proud of myself for using his feelings to boost my own self-esteem, but it's the truth."
"I know," Quinn picked at a loose thread at the hem of her shirt, "but I mean, did you…do anything? With him?"
There was a pause, then Rachel put a hand over Quinn's, "Quinn, I don't have any feelings for Finn. I was so confused when you two were dating. I thought I liked him because I was so jealous seeing the two of you together. It took me awhile to realize I was jealous of him because he had you. And no, we didn't do anything that day."
Quinn looked up at Rachel again, those brown eyes so close to her own, the brows knitted together with worry.
"He doesn't have me now," Quinn said, and Rachel shook her head, her expression softening as she smiled. Quinn placed a hand against the soft, golden skin of Rachel's neck, watched the way the brunette's lips parted in a soft sigh, her eyelashes fluttering closed. Quinn leaned forward, closing the short distance between them, placing a soft kiss on Rachel's jaw line, followed by another, and another. She moved her hand to the brunette's shoulder so that she could continue her line of kisses to Rachel's neck. When her lips touched the spot just under Rachel's ear, the shorter girl let out a soft moan and gripped Quinn's knee. Quinn grinned and kissed the spot again experimentally. Rachel angled her head to allow for better access. The taller girl blew gently on the spot, then slowly ran her tongue across it. Rachel's soft groans and sighs were accompanied by a loud moan when Quinn cupped her hand around her breast through her shirt. The blonde wasn't sure what had suddenly made her so bold, but she accredited it to Rachel's confession. She hadn't realized how much the unanswered question about that day at Finn's had been weighing on her. Now that they had both essentially confessed to their jealousy, Quinn felt secure enough to gently push Rachel to a laying position on the couch and hover above her, their legs entangled, Rachel's laptop forgotten on the coffee table.
At that moment, the front door burst open and Hiram came bustling into the living room. Rachel and Quinn sprang apart at once, and Quinn felt her face flush with color as she leaned against the far arm of the couch, trying to look like she hadn't just been feeling up this man's daughter in the middle of his living room.
"Hello girls," Hiram said. He had gotten used to Quinn's presence over the past few days. He was carrying grocery bags into the kitchen, and Rachel and Quinn got up to help him unload the car.
"Daddy," Rachel began when they were all back in the kitchen unpacking the shopping bags, "Do you think Quinn could meet up with Lexie some time and ask her for some legal advice?"
Hiram squinted at Quinn through his thick spectacles, "Is everything alright with you, honey?"
Quinn nodded emphatically, "I'm fine!" she smiled a little too wide, "I just have some questions about…something."
Mr. Berry looked at her, then nodded, "Of course, I can give you her number. Just tell her you're a friend of Rachel's." Quinn thanked him, and Rachel grinned at her. Quinn wished she could feel as confident about the situation as Rachel seemed to.
The closing weekend of the show was approaching, and for the past two days Alexandra Levine's phone number had been burning a hole in Quinn's pocket. Every time Rachel asked if she had called "Lexie" yet, Quinn had used her failing job search as an excuse. Truthfully, Quinn was still hesitant. As she sat in her car at the tenth stop of the day, a McDonald's that wasn't hiring, she felt her desperation hanging over her in a dark cloud. It was the threat of losing the resolve she had been building up for so long that made her pull the little slip of paper out her pocket and dial the numbers that Hiram had so carefully scribed for her.
"Law offices of Barker & Levine, this is Amber, how can I help you?" the voice on the other end of the line sounded bored and miserable.
"Uh, hi, I'm calling for Alexandra Levine, I'm a friend of Rachel Berry's?" Quinn winced as her sentence ended in a question, making her sound uncertain and hesitant.
"Hold, please." There was a click, and cheerful Muzak began to play. Quinn let her head fall back against the headrest and took a deep breath. She sat up again when she heard the second click.
"This is Alexandra Levine," the voice was sharp and focused, and Quinn imagined a woman in a tight-fitting power suit and thin, square-framed glasses behind a large, impressive mahogany desk, surrounded by tall bookshelves full of legal dictionaries and case files. She shook her head to clear it, determined to sound as professional as the woman on the other line.
"Hello, this is Quinn Fabray, I'm a friend of Rachel Berry's. Her dad said you might be able to give me some legal advice." Quinn focused on keeping her nerves at bay so her voice would sound strong and even.
"Yes, Ms. Fabray, Hiram mentioned that. What can I help you with?"
"Well, I left my parents' house. I can't live with my father, and I was hoping to get more information about becoming legally emancipated," Quinn hadn't been expecting to explain all of this over the phone, and was hesitant to provide so much information about her personal struggles to someone she had barely met.
"Unfortunately, Ms. Fabray, there are no laws supporting legal emancipation of a minor in the state of Ohio, unless you plan to be married or join the military."
"Oh, I don't..." Quinn hated how easily her strong voice had been shattered into a wavering mess. She took a deep breath and said, "Actually, I've read that there are some loopholes. I'm already living outside their house and I'm looking for a job."
There was a pause before the woman spoke again. "Alright, Ms. Fabray. Talk to my secretary and set up an appointment with me."