A/N: Less frequent updates for now readers. It's starting to get difficult to think where I want this to go!
I'm not going to give up though!
I apologise if this chapter lacks focus, it's the best I could come up with. I hope you enjoy it all the same! :D

Best wishes,

-Klaine2314

Pride and Joy:

"That was the best first date I'd ever had." Rachel confessed.

"I'm glad. I've had better..." The blonde joked. The diva dropped her brow and Quinn pulled her closer.

"I'm kidding." Quinn kissed the brunette's cheek.

"I can remember waiting outside the theatre that night thinking you weren't going to show."

"That's funny because I can remember thinking that you weren't going to be there. Well not you personally, but I didn't think anyone was going to be there."

"I'm so glad you came though."

"Me too. I can't imagine not being with you now. I don't want to imagine it either."

"What did I tell you in the restaurant?"

"I'll always be your gold star." The brunette whispered.

"I mean it, Rach." Quinn said as she kissed her cheek again.

"Guys, some of us want to hear the rest you know." A voice from behind them said.

"Sorry, we got lost in the moment. Sharing this story means so much to us." Rachel confessed.

Rachel bounced into the kitchen the next morning happier than she could possibly remember. She didn't need coffee to give her a spring in her step; she had a natural spring in her step. One she couldn't ever remember having. 'So this is what being happy feels like.' She thought to herself. Kurt watched the diva move around their apartment from his bedroom door. He watched her move as if she was floating on air. "Morning Rachel." He said as he made his way into the kitchen.

"Morning roomie!"

"How'd you sleep?"

"Amazingly. The best in a long time, you?"

"Oh same as usual, but I don't have any reason to sleep any better or worse than normal, unlike someone sitting across from me." He laughed. Rachel blushed. She knew it was true. After one date Rachel was like a giddy schoolgirl.

Quinn pulled her head from underneath the pillow and hit the alarm clock going off beside her. She forced her head back underneath the pillow and tried to get back to sleep but her body was having none of it. It knew it was daylight and therefore she had to get up. She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and smiled a little smile as she sent a text to the first person on her mind. "I just wanted to say morning and have fun on all those interviews today. You're going to be amazing as usual. Call me later to let me know how they went. xx"

Quinn dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. She put the radio on and sang as she showered. She couldn't remember the last time she'd sang just for fun. It was something she'd stopped doing after she left high school. She'd found writing to be her creative outlet and that replaced singing, but this morning she felt revitalised...once she'd finally got out of bed. She got ready and went into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. The street below was coming to life, she could hear cars driving past and children chattering as they made their way to school. Quinn loved how slowly paced her life was. She didn't have to be at the office for a certain time, she didn't have to drop anyone off or pick them up at a certain time. She was free to work from home and do what she loved for a living.

"Have a good day!" Kurt yelled as Rachel rushed out of the door. Despite being extremely alert and active this morning, Rachel had still managed to end up being late for her first interview of the day. She grabbed her keys, phone and purse as she left. She hoped that if traffic was quiet she'd make it there just a few minutes before the magazine company were set to arrive but if traffic was busy she'd most likely be late. Rachel hated being late. She prided herself on her punctuality and she also scolded anyone who turned up late. She often argued that if people agreed to a set time that they should adhere to it, being late often means you get to spend less time in the company of that person.

She got to the warehouse with a few minutes to spare. The magazine company had already arrived and the photography team were setting up the backdrops ready for the shoot. She checked her phone and saw the message from Quinn. She'd been too caught up in getting here on time that she hadn't checked her phone. "Hey, been a blur of a morning and I still haven't managed to do anything constructive yet! Have a good day, Quinn. Speak soon! :) xx." She switched her phone off and made her way over to the hair and make up chair. She knew it was going to be a long day.

'It's going to be such a long day.' Quinn thought. Quinn couldn't do anything constructive as she was still waiting for feedback from Lindsay. She wished she could have spoken to Rachel this morning, rather than just sending her a quick message; knowing that she was going to speak to the diva later on was the only thing Quinn had to look forward to. Her phone beeped on the coffee table, she picked it up and a smile shot across her face when she saw the sender. 'Definitely whipped'. Quinn thought.

"So Rachel, thanks for agreeing to do this shoot for us. It's great to finally have you on board."

"The pleasure's all mine."

"Ready to dive in?"

"As always."

"The readership for the magazine is mid teenagers, so we're going to keep the questions very short and sweet, we hope that's ok." The journalist clarified.

"Definitely."

"You've been singing all of your life, what's your favourite song to sing in the shower?" Rachel nearly laughed at the question, it was simple and she could tell that the interview was going to be a quick one.

"I love singing things from Broadway when I'm in the shower, but I'm a fan of the charts too. I don't think I could pick a favourite, I love too many songs."

"Besides singing, what is your favourite thing to do?"

"My days off are filled with catching up on the TV I miss when I'm performing! Couch days are the best! Although me and my roommate often argue about what we're watching."

"Who usually wins the argument?"

"That's a tough one, we're both very stubborn. I like to think I win when I snatch the remote off him, but he just gets up and turns the TV off. We both sit there laughing for hours afterwards."

"Him? Are you two together?"

"Oh lord no! Kurt's my best friend from high school; I'm definitely not his type." Rachel laughed.

"Are you dating anyone?" The journalist asked, pushing Rachel for a definite answer. Rachel knew this would come up; she wasn't sure how to answer it. She didn't want to hurt Quinn by saying 'no' but she didn't want to lie either.

"I am." Rachel simply replied.

"Can you spill any details?"

"I can't. It's all very new and we're just starting out, so everything is top secret at the moment."

"No little hints?"

"I don't think they'd approve, they're quite a private person, as am I." Rachel informed them. The journalist nodded in understanding and decided it wouldn't be appropriate to continue pressing the topic.

"Some of our readers have written in with questions, so I'm going to ask a couple of those now. Larissa asks 'You've said before that you love reading, what's your favourite novel?'"

"Ooh, good question! I love romantic novels and I got given an amazing novel lately. It's called 'From Old Foes to New Friends' which was written by a friend of mine. When I was younger I loved reading the classics. 'Jane Eyre' was a favourite of mine for many years. I really loved reading 'Dracula' too. It's a step away from the usual things I read but I always think it's nice to branch out now and again."

"May asks 'If you could give advice to someone who wants to achieve their dreams, what would you say?'"

"Again, good question. If you work hard and focus strongly then everything is in touching distance. We have to work hard to get what we want."

"Thanks, Rachel. I think we have enough. We'll run it alongside a piece about the show. I hope the questions were ok."

"They were great. Thanks a lot." Rachel replied shaking hands with the journalist as she stood up.

Quinn was watching the lunchtime news when her phone beeped beside her. (1) New Message: Rachel. Quinn's face lit up. She hadn't expected the diva to text her again due to her hectic day but Quinn's stomach did a somersault when she saw the diva's name. "Hey you, got asked if I was dating anyone, I simply said yes but they got no further details. I hope this is ok. xx" Quinn's stomach did another somersault, she'd finally got the confirmation off Rachel that she'd been wanting.

Rachel was sat in her car getting ready to drive to the next interview when her phone beeped from the seat next to her. (1) New Message: Quinn. "Totally fine by me. If my gold star's happy, then so am I. xx" Rachel beamed, she loved how supportive Quinn was. Quinn was sacrificing her happiness for Rachel's. The brunette had dreamed of having someone who would do that for her.

The rest of Rachel's day went by without any hitches. Everyone was on time, much to her relief. Each interview was filled with the same style questions. Rachel just wanted to get home and call her girlfriend. Every time she called Quinn her girlfriend she blushed furiously. She darted into her bedroom when she got home and dialled the blonde's number.

"Hello there." The blonde answered. Rachel smiled when she heard Quinn's voice

"Hey!"

"How was your day?" Quinn asked.

"Crazy! I was almost late this morning, but I had done nothing to stop me being early, so that was a pain. I had a few interviews which by the end were just the same questions. I missed you though, is that silly?"

"Well I missed you too, so that makes us silly together."

"When did we both get so needy?"

"I have no idea, but I've got a feeling that I'm going to be so whipped it won't even be funny."

"Oh definitely. You're going to be my bitch. Sorry to tell you." Rachel joked. Both women burst out laughing.

"I love your laugh." Quinn said when she'd finally stopped laughing.

"I love your laugh." Rachel replied.

"Come over, we can just sit and laugh together." Quinn joked.

"Be there in ten. Text me your address." Rachel answered seriously.

"Are you serious?"

"Were you not?"

"Well, I didn't think you would, but you're welcome to come over."

"So, I'll be there in ten, then. See you soon."

"Bye." Quinn said as she hung up.

True to her word Rachel arrived at Quinn's in less than ten minutes. Quinn wasn't sure how she'd managed it but as soon as Quinn opened the door Rachel pounced on her locking her in a passionate kiss. "Hi." Quinn finally uttered when they broke apart.

"Hi." Rachel finally said once she'd caught her breath. Quinn took Rachel's hand and led her into her apartment.

"Your place is amazing, Quinn." Rachel stated as she admired Quinn's lounge. She moved to the bookcase and perused the novels on the shelf. She smiled as she saw Quinn's novel placed at one end. She picked it up and just traced the letters on the front cover. Quinn moved behind her and wrapped her arms around her.

"That's the first one that was published. Lindsay wrapped it up and gave it to me."

"I'm proud of you, Quinn. You made something of your life, the Quinn I knew at 17 was hell bent on staying in Lima and not achieving anything that she was truly capable of."

"Thank you. It means a lot to hear that from anyone, but you make it extra worthwhile Rachel. I've got something to show you. I've been waiting since my novel was published to show you, but I needed to hear you say those words first. Follow me."

Rachel followed Quinn with anticipation. Quinn led her into her office and round to her side of the desk. Quinn sat on the chair and pulled Rachel onto her lap. "As you can tell this is my office, I've just started working on my second novel. My editor has loved what I've sent her so far and we're hoping that it's good enough to be published. That's not what I wanted to show you though; I wanted to show you this." Quinn picked up the photo frame from her desk and stood it up.

In the frame was a picture of Quinn and Rachel during their final performance with the New Directions. They had their arms wrapped around each other's back and were smiling without a care in the world. "I don't think I've ever seen this picture before, Quinn."

"I don't even remember who took it but it's my favourite picture. Look how happy we were Rach. We were so proud back then. We were proud to be performing for the last time. We were proud of how far we ourselves had come, as friends, we'd overcome so much and until recently I'd never touched upon how proud I felt since this moment. I have it here on my desk so I can remember that moment when I'm struggling for inspiration. It inspires me because I want to make both of the people in the picture proud again." Quinn confessed. Rachel turned to face her and wrapped her arms around her neck pulling her into a tight embrace.

"I'm proud of you." She repeated.

"Thank you." Quinn whispered. She closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Rachel, taking in the scent of her girlfriend. She could sit like this forever if she could. Both women savoured the comfort and love they had for each other. Rachel was the first to break the embrace.

"Now, let me read this new novel of yours."

"Ah, not just yet, it's not quite complete. Even when it is complete, it's going to need a lot of work. It needs more detail, the characters need more depth and I need to develop the plot line."

"Whatever Fabray, let me read it. I'll tell you I love it regardless."

"Have patience."

"Have patience? You do know who you're talking to right?" She sniggered.

"Sorry, I forgot." Quinn laughed.

"Sooooooo?"

"Still nope, sorry baby, you're going to have to wait that little bit longer."

"Baby?" Rachel queried.

"Term of endearment."

"I know what it is, it just sounded cute."

"Well then mission complete. You, Rachel Berry are so cute it's unbelievable."

"Does this mean I can bat my eyelashes and you'll do pretty much whatever I ask?"

"I refuse to answer that, if I say 'yes' you'll begin working on it straight away and if I say 'no' then you'll use the cute factor until I admit defeat and say 'yes', am I correct?"

"You astound me with your perception; however I'm still going to try it." The diva joked batting her eyelashes. Quinn quickly averted her gaze and they exploded with laughter.

"You can be the first to read it, once the main bulk of it is done, how's that?" She finally said.

"I guess I can handle that."

"See compromising is easy." Quinn giggled.

"Better get working on the dedication, Fabray. You're going to have to think extra hard to beat the last one. I have high standards, you know."

"How do you know I'm dedicating it to you? I think Santana deserves something." Quinn jibed

"Trust me, you're dedicating it to me." She said as she rose from Quinn's lap and went back to the living room. Quinn followed and all she could think was 'Of course it's for you. The entire book is about you: again.'