A/N - Thanks for the reviews. This is going to be 5 chapters and I will try and post over the next few days. Hope you like the Faberry
The One That Got Away
The third time Rachel kissed a girl, it happened to be Quinn Fabray and to be absolutely honest; it had been a long time coming. Although when it finally did occur, she convinced herself that she was pretty drunk at the time and though Quinn had been more than willing, it was just a onetime thing. The encounter unplanned but culminating in the best sex she had in her life up to that point.
And it would have been perfect except they never talked about it after, Rachel feigning being an amnesiac drunk and Quinn maybe blaming hormones and probably the solar flares as well as intrinsically understanding (and convincing herself) that everyone experiments in college and it was a better experience than the freshman fifteen. No further contact except for that one time.
It wasn't as if it meant anything (except that she knew it kind of did) because after that encounter, Rachel realized that she wanted to only kiss girls even if she couldn't really admit that there were just two that kept plaguing her mind.
And turning over in bed, hoping to see honey blonde hair splayed over off white sheets, she can't help her tears when all she remembers are rumpled sheets and the lingering smell of Jasmine and Lime accompanying the sudden ache she feels in her heart.
Three Years ago
Rachel spends the entire bus trip going over conversational starters in her head. 'That's a nice skirt' would not do as it would draw attention to Quinn's legs which as far as she knew was still not working.
'How's all of your classes?' was generic enough but definitely not friend worthy and therefore not good enough as a conversation starter with Quinn Fabray. It wasn't that she's dreamt about this but ever since Quinn's 'Hey You' message on her facebook wall, she hasn't stopped thinking of the blonde.
Her (in her mind) nonchalant, 'It's been a long time, what are you doing this weekend?" back had gone unanswered for two days which made her feel foolish and very much like she had in High School when she had tried to reach out to Quinn.
Only, a message appeared back as if Quinn was working up the courage to press send, an invitation to come out to New Haven for a long promised tour. And Rachel didn't care about appearing desperate or showing her need as she answered back as fast as her fingers could fly over the keys, saying that she'd be out on the first bus she could catch Saturday morning.
The bus depot is surprisingly busy such that when she alights, she has no idea how Quinn was going to maneuver through the throng of people with her chair. She's so worried about that happening and racking her brains as to how to find Quinn that she misses the girl walking towards her until she feels a slight tug on her elbow. She looks up into hazel eyes that she swears has a hint of gold to them and her jaw drops open.
"You know, if I thought walking was all it would take to leave you speechless, I may have tried it that last month before Nationals where you just couldn't stop with the critiques." Quinn tempers her words with a smile even as she leans a bit to the left, tilting her head to give Rachel the once over.
"Looking good, Berry."
And all Rachel sees is Quinn standing even if she has a silver cane supporting her and all she feels is the pressure in the pit of her stomach, like she's short of breath. And before she can form words or finish that thought in her head that would indicate how best to address this change, Rachel launches herself at Quinn, almost pushing the blonde to the ground only to wrap her arms around her and pull her close at the last second.
"Oh Quinn, I'd always hoped…I'm so sorry I…" And her tears come unbidden even as she tries to tamp down on her guilt, not wanting to ruin this one moment where Quinn's actually standing and hugging her back.
"I knew. I always knew you'd… walk." There's a hiccup on the last word as she tries to swallow her tears even as her hands go to wipe them from her face because she does not want this to be about her but about Quinn instead.
"Well, for a short time, you were probably the only one." Quinn remembers giving up so clearly when she first got to Yale. The classes already so demanding that the physiotherapy was akin to torture especially when she could see no improvement day after day and week after week. So she just stopped. Stop going and stopped talking to her old friends because they would remind her of her promise to walk.
She couldn't completely stay away though, still trolling their facebook pages, smiling at Santana's use of syntactic expletives on her page to Rachel's postings of the roles she was auditioning for and her score of getting them compared to not.
She had to blink a few times when she saw Rachel's status change and finally understood that that everyone was truly moving on with their lives. They were changing and she had remained stagnant. She had gone back to physiotherapy that afternoon. Pushing through the pain and gradually regaining her ability to walk.
And when she thought back on all the times she'd be on the verge of giving up, she would remember Rachel being there, egging her on even if it wasn't her intention to do so. So the first person that came to mind, the minute the doctor had finally given her the all clear, was Rachel.
Except she hadn't spoken to the girl in over a year even if she still felt that she knew her or at least the old non-gay her. So Quinn fretted for about a month more as she stared at Rachel's facebook page, reading her ever changing status and wanting to reach out. In the end, she types the two words and presses send before she can change her mind.
Not sure if Rachel would even respond but she does and four days later, she's standing here hugging the hell out of her and crying.
"I'm so happy for..you…Quinn." She's still blubbering and knows that it's not the best first impression to make but she's so damned happy that she actually doesn't care that her eyes are puffy and her nose is Rudolph red.
"Hey, it's all good, ok?" Quinn's hand finds her and tugs on it as she starts to walk towards the exit. Rachel keeps her pace, her eyes trained on Quinn, how she uses the cane so naturally that the limp is imperceptible. It still hurts her heart but the warmth of Quinn's hand in hers and that smile on the blonde's face brightens her mood as she nods at Quinn's words.
They spend most of the late morning on a walking tour around the Green, Quinn pointing out the memorials and old buildings, especially pointing out Toad's Place, extracting a promise from Rachel to someday perform there.
She takes a picture of Rachel in front of Calder's mobile and laughs when Rachel whips out her own phone to take a picture of Quinn taking a picture of her, both of which go straight to their facebook accounts racing to see who could upload faster.
They end up at Kosher Kitchen for lunch, Quinn pointing out the vegan dishes and Rachel amazed that she not only remembered but had actually admitted to trying out the food yesterday just to be safe. The food ends up probably being really delicious although Rachel's pretty certain that she can't say for sure because she's distracted each time Quinn touches her arm and nudges her with her shoulder to make a point.
"So what else haven't I seen?" Rachel feels sated and is amazed at the tranquility and beauty of the Branford Courtyard as she looks at Quinn standing in the middle, her arms outstretched as she gazes up at the clear blue sky. Quinn finally looking comfortable in her own skin, the low slung jeans and multicolored sweater accentuating her figure and that happy look on her face, tilted up, eyes closed to catch the last rays of the sun.
"My dorm room." The invitation is implied or so Rachel thinks as she blinks at Quinn, trying to figure out if Quinn was asking or telling. But all she sees is that impish smile and all she feels is a flutter low in her belly, anticipation overlaid with this pull to go wherever Quinn asked her to.
Not trusting herself to speak, she just nods shyly before tilting her own face up following Quinn's lead and catching the last rays of the sun before it disappeared behind the clouds.
#$#$#$#$#
"Ohh, wait, do you remember this…." The words are accompanied with a dance move that in no way could be considered smooth or good but its Quinn and she still has the elegant grace that can only come from years of training and pushing herself such that even the stupid disco hands and shuffling feet looks poised and polished as her cane is discarded to one side.
Rachel can only giggle as she takes a really big (in her mind) swig from the bottle of tequila before unsteadily getting to her feet and mimicking Quinn's dance move. She only gets as far as the third step before she misses the turn and collapses onto the carpeted floor.
"You ok?" She blinks at the question, not sure why her vision is so blurry until she feels Quinn's hair ticking her nose and realizes that Quinn's looking down on her, their faces only inches apart. She tries to focus, her eyes drawn to pink lips and wide hazel eyes.
"Rachel." Quinn's voice drops to a whisper, her name coming out in a breath that Rachel captures as she tilts her head up, their lips meting and Quinn's eyes widen before slipping shut.
Quinn's fingers finding purchase on Rachel's shirt as the brunette's arms encircle her, pulling her down, their point of contact increasing even as the kiss deepens. She feels Quinn's deft fingers pulling on the buttons of her shirt and wants to help only her hands seem frozen, the need to hold Quinn overriding the need to feel skin on skin.
Then Quinn moans her name and Rachel truly wonders if she'd dreaming this, if she's fallen into some sort of alternate universe where her desires and distant dreams meld together to play tricks on her mind because she hasn't been with anyone in months and she's actually had this particular dream (Quinn moaning, check, Quinn on top of her, check, Quinn trying to get her shirt off…well that was new and so much better than anything she could imagine.) more than a few times since.
She actually whimpers in protest when Quinn pulls away only to have all words and most of the air in her lungs disappear when Quinn arches back and pulls off her sweater in one incredibly sexy move. Rachel's mouth goes completely dry and she has to stop herself from reaching out for either the tequila bottle or to touch Quinn, just co convince herself that this was really happening.
She doesn't do either only because she feels the pressure of Quinn's legs on hers, and her own fingers are now busy pulling at those stubborn buttons on her shirt, in the end not caring that it was one of her favorites as she pulls it open, sending a few of the buttons flying. It's worth it just to hear Quinn's giggle at her actions.
But even more worth it was that particular look through half closed eyelids, Quinn's mouth partly open as she tilted her head back to thrust down on Rachel, sending sparks up Rachel's spine, causing her to lift her own hips upwards to keep contact and experience the pressure, building up to a point where she thinks she won't be able to think straight much less reciprocate except she does as her hands wrap around Quinn's waist.
And Quinn seems to have the same idea as her hands make contact with Rachel's exposed belly, splayed across like she wants to make an imprint, before she bends forward, her fingers trailing down, her thumbs already drawing small circles on Rachel's soft skin, just beneath the button on her jeans.
They move in tandem, unsnapping buttons and wiggling out of their clothes, always in contact, skin on slick skin, fingertips leaving a trail of desire as they touch and probe. No words uttered but such promises made, gazing into brown eyes filled with passion as Quinn's tongue finds her pulse point on her neck.
It's only when Rachel's hands brush against the jagged scar on Quinn's side does she pause, her need somewhat muted as she's reminded of her own hand in the accident.
"Don't" Quinn's quiet entreaty somehow bringing her back as she stares into hazel eyes filled with passion and yearning.
"You're beautiful." It was an incontrovertible fact borne by time and needing to be said even as Quinn shakes her head in response. Rachel traces her cheek, her finger following the sharp angle of Quinn's jaw line. "You're beautiful on the inside, Quinn, always have been, always will be."
The smile she elicits is a sight to behold but more than that, the kiss she receives is searing, full of promises of things to come, experiences to encounter together even as she feels Quinn finally let go, her need overriding her insecurities as she guides Rachel's hand down as they finally (finally) come together.
End Part 2