Rachel had expected a lot of fanfare, a lot of strangled gasps and open-mouthed expressions of shock, but the group consensus seemed to be-
"We know."
She hadn't been overtly worried about telling the Glee club; she knew they loved her and Quinn, knew they just wanted both of them to be happy. Still, she'd expected more of a reaction than this: Kurt and Santana smirking at them knowingly, Brittany and Blaine both grinning like puppies, the rest of them just shaking their heads in amusement.
"Did you really think we hadn't noticed?" Sam asked. "Quinn, listen, I knew there wasn't something between us, even though I really wanted there to be-I knew, because it just hit me, the way you looked at Rachel."
Quinn's face was slightly flushed, which made her look-somehow-even prettier, rosy-cheeked and smiling. They hadn't gone much farther than what they'd done a few days ago on the couch, but Rachel wanted more; she had a feeling Quinn did, too.
But they had to take care of some things here first.
"Where's Finn?" she asked, and the group looked at each other, as if trying to pinpoint the person who would have to be the bearer of bad news.
Tightening her grip on Quinn's hand, Rachel stammered, "H-he didn't quit, did he?"
"No," Tina said. "He wouldn't do that. He knows we need him. He just-" She stopped and looked hopefully at Mike.
"-didn't want to-" Mike started, then his voice seemed to become stuck in his throat.
"He's too much of a selfish little boy to deal with this right now," Santana interjected smoothly, and shrugged when Puck threw her a sharp look. "No, listen, okay? They're happy. He claims to love them both, claims to have been in love with them both, but he can't appreciate that? No, it's bullshit."
She stood up and put her arm around Rachel's shoulders, who was so surprised that she felt her jaw drop before she could composer herself.
"I know how hard it is to come to terms with your sexuality," Santana was saying. "And I know how hard it is to look across the room at someone and realize, I am so, so in love with her."
Brittany smiled.
"I understand Frankenteen would be upset at the wedding being called off and all that," Santana continued. "I do. And yeah, I get that it's a total bombshell-at least for him. But it's time to put his big boy boxers on and realize that Rachel is with the person she should be with, the person she deserves."
The room was silent for a moment. Santana tookher arm of Rachel's shoulders, but she didn't step away from her; Brittany stood up and hugged both Rachel and Quinn tightly.
"I'm so glad for you guys," she said, and her smile was so sunny and genuine that Rachel felt her own expression brighten in response.
"Thanks, Britt," Quinn said softly, and Rachel realized her girlfriend has tears in her eyes. "Thanks, all of you. We-we knew you guys would support us."
"Always," Mercedes assured her. "We're a family, remember?"
For the first time, the words made Rachel feel slightly sad as she remembered Finn's reaction the day she'd called off the wedding. Quinn had been the one to tell him about them, for which Rachel was eternally grateful. But that also meant they hadn't spoken since that explosive encounter, and Rachel hated that.
"Nobody really answered my question," she said. "Where is he?"
"The weight room," Puck told her, and then he stood, gallantly offering her his arm. "Come on. I'll take you there."
As they made their way down the hall, Rachel was so used to holding Quinn's hand by now that she hadn't even noticed that Quinn was still at her side. She hesitated.
"I'm going with you," Quinn said, as if reading her mind. "We'll talk to him together."
Unable to deny that she was relieved, Rachel just smiled at her.
When the three of them reached the weight room, Puck stepped back. He stood there for a second, looking uncertain, and then grabbed them both up in one massive bear hug. He even lightly kissed them on their foreheads before walking away.
Sighing, Rachel pushed the door open. Before she saw Finn, she could hear him-the grunt of exertion, the clanging of the bench press as he raised the bar up and down and up again. She and Quinn cleared their throats in unison, and he let the bar rest and he sat up on the bench.
"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, grabbing a towel from a rack nearby and wiping his face with it. "I don't want to talk to you."
Rachel gripped Quinn's hand, silently willing her to keep her temper in check. She could sense Quinn tensing like a lioness, her hazel eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Finn, please," Rachel said. "I-I know this is a l-lot for you to take in, b-but I still want to be friends. Or at least cordial."
Finn's brow furrowed in confusion, and Quinn gave a little snort. "Cordial means friendly, Finn," she explained.
"Oh," he said, his expression rather apelike as he contempalted his next words. "Well-I'm sorry, Rach, I just can't right now, okay?"
Her stomach dropped and even though she blinked furiously, trying to keep them back, tears sprang to her eyes. "Th-that's un-understandable, Fi-Finn," she said, her voice breaking several times. "I-I h-hope we c-can-"
She was crying in earnest now, unable to finish. Spinning around, releasing Quinn's hand for the first time, she shot out of the weight room and down the hall, seeking the one place that could comfort her right now.
Quinn tried to give Rachel time to herself, but after fifteen minutes, she was unable to bear the idea of Rachel alone and sobbing. She'd left the weight room without a word almost as soon as Rachel had run out, but she'd waited for as long as she could, knowing full well after the past two years that sometimes what you really needed was a little time alone to cry it out.
She slipped into the cavernous room quietly. Rachel was standing center stage, where she belonged, and she wasn't crying anymore, although Quinn could still see the tracks tears had left on her cheeks.
Rachel was singing.
As he begins to raise his voice, you lower yours and grant him one last choice. Drive until you lose the road or break with the ones you've followed.
The song was familiar, one that played almost incessenatly on the radio a few years before. Unithinkingly, Quinn joined in.
He will do one of two things-he will admit to everything or he'll say he's just not the same, and you'll begin to wonder why you came.
Rachel's voice petered out as Quinn stepped up to her on the stage. She just held out her arms and Quinn pulled her close, burying her face in Rachel's thick dark hair.
"It's going to be okay, Rachel," Quinn started to say. "He'll-"
But Rachel pulled away from her, furiously wiping at her still damp cheeks. "No, you know what? Santana was right. I-if he decided he wanted to be w-with Sam or Puck, I-I'm not saying I wouldn't be surprised or upset, and I'd definitely have to sing about it, but-but if he was happy, truly happy? After all we've been through together, I couldn't begrudge him that. And I don't see why he's doing it to me."
She sat on the lip of the stage, staring blankly at the house beyond. Quinn sat next to her and rested her head on Rachel's shoulder.
"I mean, I-I understand why he would be upset, with me calling off the wedding and everything," Rachel continued, slowly, as if she was still puzzling out these thoughts. "And I know it's a hit on his male ego that I would choose a girl over him, let alone his ex-girlfriend. But...god, Quinn, you make me so happy. Happier that I've ever been in my whole life, forget just with Finn. I thought he was what I wanted for so long, but...I don't think he ever really felt so strongly for me. I think he just...he saw me as a trophy. It's not that he's incapable of love or anything, but...but he just wanted to know he could exert this power over me. A-and I'm not saying he didn't love me at all, just...he didn't need me like I needed him."
She shook her head and leaned back against Quinn, who slipped an arm around her waist. "Why do you think you needed him so much?" she asked gently, knowing Rachel needed to get this out.
"I-I guess I'd never really felt pretty, or worth anybody's attention-except where my talent was concerned, of course," Rachel said, and Quinn almost laughed. "And then, here was this popular football star, and-the first time he kissed me, it was the first time I'd ever ever been kissed, and I knew it was wrong, but-but somebody liked me. Somebody wanted me, even if it was just for that few seconds. And that was so crazy to me, so huge, that it just left this huge impression, like-"
"You'll be with me," Quinn half-murmured, half-sang, "like a handprint on my heart."
The smile Rachel gave her was as dazzling as it was a relief. Quinn grinned back, happy that Rachel's mood was improving. "Yes, like that," Rachel said. "And I guess-I guess I just held onto that because I didn't think anyone else would want me."
Quinn kissed her lightly on the mouth. "Well, you were wrong about that," she said. "I want you. In every way possible, I want you. Every part of you, every day."
Rachel stood up, pulling Quinn into a standing position. "Let's go home," she said, and something in her tone made Quinn's legs feel weak.
They were on Rachel's bed, and by some incredible divine favor, her fathers once again weren't home. Quinn suspected they were so overjoyed about the fact that Rachel wasn't getting married to Finn that they were going to be lenient for a while, not to mention the fact that they rejoiced in their daughter's happiness.
Not that she cared. All she cared about was the sensation of Rachel's warm, soft skin, the scent of it, the taste of it, and the taste of her delicious mouth. Oh god, oh god, she was so turned on that she was arching her back and writhing beneath Rachel, seeking some sort of relief for the pressure between her legs.
"Rach," she moaned, tangling her fingers in Rachel's hair. "Rach, Rach, hurry, please, hurry-"
Rachel sat up, straddling Quinn, rubbing against her slowly, sensually. "Do you want me to fuck you, Quinn?" she asked, and those words set off fireworks in Quinn's stomach.
"Y-yes," she managed. "God, yes."
"Say it," Rachel commanded.
"Fuck me, Rachel," begged Quinn. "Fuck me now."
Rachel gave a hoarse, sweet little cry and then they were undressing each other, both gasping for air and moaning softly as they touched each other, and Quinn took one of Rachel's breasts in her mouth, teasing the nipple with her tongue. Rachel cried out, pulling on Quinn's hair, which strangely turned her on even more.
And then she was lying back and Rachel was kissing down her body, her hot tongue trailing down her stomach, caressing her inner thighs. Quinn moaned, pushing Rachel's head down between her legs. "Rachel, Rachel, oh god, please, Rachel."
The sensation of Rachel's tongue, licking, caressing, made Quinn shout out and grip the blanket with both hands, wirthing and almost screaming Rachel's name. When she orgasmed, it filled her whole body, lapping in waves from between her legs to the very tips of her toes and fingers.
"H-how do you know how to do that?" she asked breathlessly as Rachel lay beside her, grinning.
"I've thought about this for a long time," Rachel said, licking her lips in a way that made Quinn want her all over again. "I dreamed of it, I even Googl-"
Before she could finish, Quinn was on her, unable to control herself. She wanted Rachel to experience the same pleasure she had.
First, she gently slid two fingers inside Rachel, who let out a long, low moan. Stroking slowly, she ran her tongue over Rachel's thighs, loving the taste. When she brought her tongue to Rachel's clit, Rachel cried out, arching her back and saying, "Yes, yes, Quinn, Qu-yes!"
Rachel came, but Quinn didn't stop. She loved the taste of it, kissed Rachel there, licked her, and Rachel came again. Quinn didn't pull away until Rachel begged her to, saying she couldn't take it anymore.
When she lay beside her, Rachel rolled over and wrapped her arms and legs around Quinn. They lay tangled together for hours, just talking, until Rachel's fathers came home.