A/N -So reviews are kind of down and I'm hoping its an anomaly as oppose to the chapter being not up to scratch. Anyway, we are truly in the homestretch now. Thanks to all of you who did review. You guys are amazing.

My Future in Your Hands

So don't go breaking my heart

I won't go breaking your heart

Don't go breaking my heart

Elton John & Kiki Dee

Tina hates the fact that the hospital has become so familiar to her as she wanders into the cafeteria looking for Quinn. The only thing they had to look forward to was the fact that today would be the last day of treatment for Rachel. She had endured five and a half months of chemoradiation and hopefully, it was finally coming to an end. She had stayed over in the hospital when she came for her last treatment two days ago and although she was still weak, all signs pointed to the fact that the treatments had really worked.

She spots Quinn sitting at one of the tables facing the bay windows, her head resting on her arm as she looked over the stack of files in front of her. Tina would never in a million years have guessed that Quinn would become so important to their lives. Yet, she really had. She had been with Rachel every time she came in for treatment and would stay with her when the side effects became more prominent.

Quinn had been the only one able to comfort Rachel when she had lost some of her hair. The doctor had spent an hour on the floor outside Rachel's locked bedroom recounting the time Santana had taken revenge on her by putting chewing gum in her hair and how she had to wear extensions for a few months as Coach Sylvester insisted all the cheerios maintain their long hair if they wanted to stay on the squad. She had finally told Rachel that she was beautiful regardless and sounded so sincere that Rachel couldn't help but open the door.

Tina takes the seat opposite the doctor. "How's she doing today?" Quinn contemplates the question before answering, wanting to give the unbiased answer but failing as her voice is filled with emotion and breaks with her words.

"She's in pain, the proton therapy has minimized damaged to the surrounding healthy tissue but it's still radiation." Rachel's gums were bleeding and she had lost a total of seventeen pounds such that each time Quinn hugged her, she could feel her ribs. It took so much out of her to remain optimistic and happy and Quinn knew that sometimes Rachel did it just for her so that none of them would worry. "Her vocal cords have been relatively untouched though." It's the one thing that she knows has made Rachel keep fighting through the pain and hair loss. It's the one thing that kept her going as well each time she reviewed Rachel's scans and test results.

"You care about her." It's not a question but a statement that Tina needs to make because she needs Quinn to understand that they all love Rachel and would do anything not to see her hurt. She sees Quinn freeze at her words and wonders if the doctor has acknowledged her feelings to herself.

Since the day she flew back from Ohio, Quinn and Rachel never really talked about what they meant to each other. Quinn was happy just to be in Rachel's life, to support her when she needed it and to ensure that she was taken care of in every possible way. Rachel on the other hand would take every opportunity to have a physical link to Quinn whenever they were together. She would hold her hand, or lean against her shoulder or just be content to sit next to her, their legs or shoulders touching. Quinn was waiting for Rachel's treatment to end and she had a feeling that Rachel was letting her choose the time, not wanting to push but letting her know that she was there.

So, Tina's words are like a catalyst of sorts, pushing her to finally admit it out loud. "Yeah, I do." Her words are softly spoken as she stares out the window, a small smile gracing her lips as she thinks about Rachel. "I care about her very much."

"But you haven't really spoken about it." Again, it is a rhetorical question because she knows that despite her constant presence by Rachel's side, Quinn had remained relatively reticent, accepting Rachel's physical overtures but not overtly addressing where it might lead to eventually. She sees Quinn's arched eyebrow as the doctor stares at her, waiting to see where exactly Tina was going with this.

"Then you're going to need to tell her before these hits the newsstands." Tina places the pictures down on the table. Picture of Quinn and Rachel walking hand and hand in Central Park, of them leaving the hospital, of Quinn entering Rachel's building late at night and leaving in the morning. Pictures highlighting something that they had not acknowledged to each other, at least not in the way she could picture the headlines proclaiming.

"Where did you get these?" Quinn studies the one of them walking in Central Park. She remembers the day so clearly; Rachel hadn't been eating and she was at her wits end. Her sense of taste had been affected early on and Quinn had taken to cooking at Rachel's apartment, trying to tempt her with the smell of freshly baked bread and eggplant parmesan. Even then, Rachel could barely eat and Quinn had finally suggested a picnic in the park. Surprisingly, Rachel had agreed and they spent the next few hours on the slope of Cherry Hill near Wagner's cove. Rachel had managed to eat half the meal and Quinn couldn't stop smiling the whole afternoon.

"Marcie's been trying to monitor the news stories. Giving them updates where she can so that they won't print any more pictures of Rachel. There's…more." Tina actually truly believes that Quinn has changed and was not the same mean cheerleader she was in high school and that she was a great doctor. However, in some ways, she was still the same, the way she would arch her eyebrow or finger the small gold cross hanging from her neck. A symbol of her religion that would definitely frown upon what Quinn ahd Rachel were flirting with.

Being Rachel's friend was one thing but Tina could see that Rachel wanted more. She didn't say anything but each time Quinn was there, she saw Rachel light up and it worried her that Rachel was going to expect more than what the doctor could actually give. Rachel's relationship with Lisa had shown that she was open to love. Tina just wasn't sure if Quinn would ever feel the same way. "Along with the pictures, the Post is going to run an interview with Lisa Pascal. She's a dancer and she and Rachel use to date. We made sure it never became public. We needed to protect Rachel. The story was filled with lies and half truths and it would have devastated her."

Quinn doesn't know how to react. She doesn't care about Rachel's past relationships or about what will be said about her in the papers. It's the fact that the story had been killed was what she focused on. Rachel had not wanted that relationship to be made public and by extrapolation, she needed to ensure that likewise, this new story was also stopped. "So, I'll go on record that I'm just Rachel's doctor and old friend. Nothing more." She hates to lie, but she also made a promise to herself that she would try her best never to hurt Rachel again and the Tina's implication that the story could hurt her gave her the impetus to do something.

Tina's not surprised by Quinn's words even though she feels crushed on Rachel's behalf. She had expected as much though and like before, she needed to ensure that Rachel knew the situation before she got hurt. Caring about Rachel was different from loving her and Tina wished that Quinn would take the chance but her words had been clear and she had wanted to confirm that they were just good friends. "I'll tell Marcie that she can quote you for the interview and confirm that the pictures are not what they seem."

Quinn ducks her head as she hears Tina make the call, wishing that she could just be honest and not care about anything except Rachel. The problem was that Rachel cared and like Tina had stated, she needed to protect her even if it meant lying about how she felt and denying what was painfully obvious from the pictures taken.

#$#$#$

Rachel's softly humming to herself, no words but just the melody, a song that she's been thinking about every time she's with Quinn. She remembers Mr. Schue talking to them about their journey, the long road it took them to get to Regionals that first year and she sees the parallels so clearly.

The long road from being nemesis in high school to something more than friends right now.

And being a part ain't easy on this love affair

Two strangers learn to fall in love again

I get the joy of rediscovering you

Oh girl

You stand by me!

I'm forever yours

Faithfully

She doesn't realize she's singing until she hears Quinn's soft gasp. Her voice is rough, more due to unused than anything else but her vocal resonation and timbre seemingly still pitch perfect as she sings the last word, her eyes meeting Quinn's.

She had been so afraid to sing, convincing herself that she needed to protect her vocal cords, to rest them and not even try because she couldn't deal with knowing that despite all the treatments and work done by Quinn, her voice was still affected.

Rachel smiles even as she sees a stray tear fall from Quinn's hazel eyes before she brushes it away with her hand. "Hey." For the first time in months, she doesn't feel like Rachel Berry, the cancer patient but Rachel Berry, the Broadway star. In fact, she feels more brave and much stronger than she had in quite a while. "The song was meant for you if you haven't already figured it out. I know we haven't exactly had a lengthy conversation or even a brief one with regards to this growing attraction between us and I don't want to push you into.."

With each word, Quinn steps forward until she's standing next to Rachel, finally looking down at her before cutting her off, not with words but with a kiss. It really hadn't been Quinn's intention but when she looked down, she finally realized that she didn't want to deny something that made sense in her head, something that felt so right.

Her hand reaches up and cups Rachel's face as she feels Rachel's hand in her hair, pulling her closer. The kiss is searing yet full of promise, a kiss that does not burn too quickly but a pledge of things to come.

Quinn reluctantly pulls back, as she breathes in, "Wow." She sees Rachel's eyes are still closed as she caresses her cheek. "Rachel?"

"Tell me if I open my eyes, you're still going to be there." The plea in Rachel's voice almost breaks her heart but she feels the same way, amazed at what has happened and hoping that Rachel's not going to open her eyes and deny her either.

"I'm not going anywhere." The words are spoken with conviction only the situation is not solely in her control as her pager goes off. She looks down to see a 911 page and for once wishes she were not here as a doctor but just for Rachel.

"Go." Rachel knows how much her job means to her as well as how good she is at it. "I'll be here when you're done." She does not expect the quick kiss but accepts it as she pushes forward again catching Quinn's lips one more time before she walked out of her hospital room.

#$#$#$

Quinn did not expect to be in surgery for sixteen hours but the fire that had engulfed the warehouse had also resulted in five burn victims. All of whom required careful dermabrasions and skin grafts. She and her team had managed though and it felt great to give good news to all the family members waiting outside. The victims had a long road of recovery ahead of them but with the help and love of their families, she knew that they would all do fine.

All she wanted to do now was to have a quick shower and go back to kissing Rachel or at least checking up on her and if she was awake, kissing sounded pretty damn good. It felt amazing to finally admit her feelings and act on them; to let Rachel know that she was special and meant so much to her. All she really had wanted was time. Not time to get use to her feelings but time for Rachel to get better. And now that she was, there was nothing holding her back. Rachel didn't need her as her doctor and she wanted to be more than that for Rachel as well.

She can't help herself though as she exits on the fourth floor instead of the fifth, just wanting to quickly say hi to Rachel. She's surprised to see the room empty as she gazes around, finally noticing the morning paper by the empty bed. Her heart clenches as she reads the large headlines on page six proclaiming an expose on Rachel Berry's explosive past and her unrequited current love for the doctor treating her.

"No." She's speaking to an empty room, wishing that Rachel was there so she could explain why she said what she did but Rachel was not there. She had read the paper, had read what Quinn had been quoted as saying and Quinn realizes that she hadn't managed to keep her promise after all because she had once again hurt Rachel despite all her best intentions not to.

End Pt 15

So, next Chapter is entitled 'What I did For Love'. Reviews, comments, questions are welcome :) or just write to say hi :D