Title: In the Broken Night, Set Against the Sky
Pairing: Quinn/Rachel
A/N: Thank you so much already! You guys are awesome and I'm so glad that I'm finally getting this out to you guys. The sequel has me thrilled because I really like what I have planned for it in terms of character development. Lyrics are from "Lifeboats" by Snow Patrol.
WARNING: Mature content in this chapter. Smutty and wonderful, but mature nonetheless.
Sharene19: Hi again! ^_^ Haha, I hope this chapter got up quick enough for you. I'm glad you like it so far! Story isn't any good if the first chapter doesn't hook you, buwahah.
spizle: I think you may have mentioned that actually... ;) Lol! I'm really glad you love!
Vaneeeyuh: Lol yes ma'am! It's funny, you're like "you should take a break" and I'm like "write write write what's a break? write." There is indeed smut to be had in this fic. I of course am keeping them at an appropriate place but they're teenagers in love.
HappyLaura: Thank you for the generous compliment! I don't think I'm brilliant yet, but I'm working on it. I'll certainly appreciate the reviews, that's for sure! It took me a couple days to get this first chapter of the sequel up but I plan on keeping a steady pace of 1 chapter a day (if not more when I'm feeling overzealous).
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Chapter 2: My Turn
Cool heads have failed,
now it's time for me to have my turn;
kiss me, kiss me,
life's way too short to scream and shout..
The glee clubbers had all but exhausted themselves on splash-fights and grilled food, and as Quinn and Rachel toweled off in the backyard, chit-chatting idly, the sound of keys pulled Quinn from the conversation. "Ride home?" Santana arched her eyebrow, glancing over at Rachel as well. Quinn knew Santana wasn't intentionally doing so, but Santana's eyes were definitely wandering a little too freely, so Quinn found herself spoking a little sharp and giving Santana a pointed shove.
"Yes, S, why don't you go get Stitch and Britt," Quinn added a little bit of a smirk in Santana's direction as if to lighten the harshness of her jealousy. Rachel must have noticed because she was covering herself up a little tenderly with her towel, appraising Quinn with a questioning gaze.
"Cool your jets, Fabray, you should take it as a compliment that me and Puck think your girlfriend looks hot in that bikini," Santana didn't miss a beat and she grinned, egging Quinn on just a little bit by sliding those pure, dark eyes over Rachel again. Quinn's eyes darted to Rachel, who was gulping and self-consciously tucking her damp hair behind her ear, hand hesitating at Quinn's elbow, "besides, I got Britt if I wanna get my lady mack on." She shrugged a shoulder. "No threat, dude," she added, her tone a little softer.
Quinn felt a little soothed by both Rachel's hand on her elbow and Santana's gentle assurance, the way the Cheerio sometimes let her guard down to show her that she really did give a damn about Quinn's feelings. Quinn nodded understandingly, "Sorry," she wasn't one to admit her insecurities and she sure wasn't going to do that right now, with Rachel at her side. She knew that Santana had that kind of allure most girls couldn't resist, and obviously most guys couldn't, either. Yet the better part of her was arguing that Santana, in the end, loved Brittany more than she'd ever admit. Quinn flushed a little guiltily as Santana headed to the car and Rachel was studying her face in that way that made Quinn feel completely bare.
"You don't have to be jealous," Rachel soothed, her eyes lingering on Quinn, and at this point she'd tangled her fingers in Quinn's the way Quinn loved, "I chose you, remember? Just like you said when we got here."
"I know," Quinn hesitated, her tongue faltering against the roof of her mouth. She clicked unsurely and sighed, "I don't know why I felt that way. I'm not normally - "
"It's perfectly acceptable to want to protect me from the leering gazes of those who would otherwise see me unattached," Rachel's wordy explanation drew a smile from the depths of Quinn's pool of confused feelings, "but jealousy is unappealing and I don't want you worrying that I'm going to go deserting you." The way Rachel's brows were knit together, Quinn felt another pang of guilt and offered an apologetic smile, but before she could respond with anything else, she felt Rachel's arms loop around her neck and her familiar warmth pressed into her arms. Quinn's arms tended to act before she thought and they were currently snaking around Rachel's waist, pulling her into an embrace. "You have to trust me, Quinn," Rachel murmured against her ear, pressing a delicate kiss to her earlobe.
Quinn nodded. Did she really not trust Rachel to stay with her? Did she really not trust Rachel's feelings? She did, in her gut she did. Maybe it was just that she didn't trust her own worthiness. It seemed she was always doing that lately and she knew that inner-struggle would eventually affect their relationship if she didn't get it in check, this constant questioning of herself. She didn't have the words to respond with, instead squeezing Rachel against her tighter. She'd lost so much in her life - was she transferring that loss and fear of loss into her relationship with Rachel? Undoubtedly. Did Rachel know it? Of course she did. Quinn loved her for her insight.
"We'll talk tonight, if you want? About ... everything you're dealing with?" Rachel suggested as her warmth regrettably left Quinn's arms, and Quinn settled for holding her hand as she slung a towel over her shoulder and picked up the bag of their dry clothing, making for Santana's car.
"Yeah," Quinn agreed although she didn't know how much she'd be able to share with Rachel. That hidden part of her wanted to bite back at Rachel, tell her that she didn't need to talk about it. Something about Rachel softened her. Though Rachel was matching her stride for stride across the lawn after waving goodbye to the remaining glee-clubbers, she could tell Rachel wanted to say more but didn't know what to say. She squeezed Rachel's hand tightly, offering her an assuring smile. "It's going to be fine."
"I know," Rachel soothed, her serious demeanor melting away. It consistently made Quinn feel absolutely flabberghasted that Rachel could turn the switch and be cheerful all the time. She wished she could do the same thing. The smile she offered Quinn was enough to melt even the iciest of hearts.
Quinn spotted an impatient Santana watching her from the car, Brittany sitting with Stitch in her lap.
"Damn Q, you might as well have cut off your legs and tried to walk on your hands with how long that took," Santana shot over the back of the seat as Quinn and Rachel slipped into the backseat together. "I respect the need for a quickie but you need to get that shit on lock and make it an actual quickie next time."
Rachel blushed, and Quinn rolled her eyes, her smoky voice responding mid-chuckle, "Obviously, because I really want Puck within eyesight when Rachel and I do that."
"It's not so bad, actually, he's pretty quiet, or at least he was on our date," Brittany commented simply, shrugging her shoulders.
"Gross," Rachel's nose wrinkled in disgust and shared a look of displeasure with Quinn.
"Agreed."
"Don't judge, bitches," Santana waved a hand in dismissal. "He wasn't even involved, just an excuse."
###
The car arrived a short time later - after cruising around and talking shared between the foursome - and Quinn felt a little bit of dread. Time to talk about her feelings, she knew, and she felt Rachel's arm slip around her waist and the weight of Rachel's head against her shoulder as they made their way up the driveway and into the house. She was almost to the point of regretting agreeing to a talk until Rachel's soft kiss brought her out of thought as the door closed. It was gentle and undemanding, a kiss to remind her that she could trust Rachel just to listen.
Hiram and Leroy were still out to dinner, the house dimmed with inactivity as Rachel wordlessly lead Quinn up to her bedroom. The scent of Rachel's perfume settled Quinn's nerves a bit more as she sat down on Rachel's mattress and watched Rachel move about the room, picking various items up. She wasn't saying anything and she knew Rachel was waiting for Quinn to decide when she wanted to talk.
"I think it's mostly because of Beth," Quinn began sometime later, when Rachel had run out of things to pick up and was instead picking at the corner of her desk. "And my family. I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I just - I know we've talked about this before but I just feel like maybe I deserved to be left."
Rachel settled next to Quinn on the mattress, and Quinn expected her to start refuting the claim but surprisingly the diva had stemmed the urge, judging from the stifled expression on her face, and the way she was biting her lip as if to keep her words from coming out.
"I know that's not really true, not deep down, but it's hard not to feel that way when the people who're supposed to love and protect me completely abandoned me, broken record, I know," Quinn sighed at her own dismissal, "and then I feel just as guilty for doing the same thing to Beth even though it was the best thing for her and my head is full of contradictions," all of a sudden the words were spilling out of her like water from a fount, "and you mean more to me than I ever could have expected. I still replay the simplest things in my head between us, that morning I came in your bathroom and just hugged you and how fiercely I needed you and Jesus, Rachel, I just feel completely overpowered by how I feel."
Rachel had gone from looking stifled to stunned, and the brunette reached over, gently stroking Quinn's arm. She wasn't speaking, or moving, and Quinn felt like she'd just spilled everything into the open and not made a damn bit of difference and she just really wanted Rachel to say or do anything. Rachel remained unmoved from her position next to Quinn, and her voice remained just as still.
"Say something, Rach," Quinn pleaded desperately. "Do something, anything. I feel completely vulnerable here and you're - "
She was cut off by the distinct feeling of Rachel toppling her over and crushing her lips against her own in a desperate and longing kiss. From emotional to turned on, zero to sixty, Rachel was so good at doing that, and Quinn felt herself melt into the mattress as Rachel's torso pressed against her own. What started out as several desperate connections of Rachel's lips to Quinn's became one slow, solid kiss that took over Quinn like fire. She felt it wash over her and enflame her. Rachel had somehow moved a thigh between her legs, and was pressing her hips down to Quinn's and Quinn had completely forgotten they were still in shorts and bikini tops until, dear God, she felt Rachel's stomach slide against her own and her top inch up ever so carefully. That was definitely Rachel's breast pressing against her own and Quinn was aching all of a sudden.
She didn't know why Rachel was so emotionally desperate or practically mauling Quinn in reaction to everything Quinn had said but she wasn't exactly complaining. This she could do. Feelings were harder, they were there but still enormously difficult to process. Rachel was panting against Quinn's mouth and her eyes were darkened dangerously, and Quinn just about lost it as Rachel's tongue dipped against her top lip and slowly sought the response of Quinn's, because god damn did Rachel know how to use her hips against Quinn's better senses.
Rachel was moaning against her mouth and Quinn couldn't quite remember when her hand had started to untie Rachel's top but there it was, pulling the knot out and feeling the strings tantalizingly fall across her stomach. Quinn almost thought Rachel was going to stop her - that is, until Rachel finished the job for Quinn and threw the top on the floor, simultaneously kicking the door shut. Quinn felt a surge of arousal at the sight of Rachel's perfect figure, her body surging to life.
A flash of insecurity passed over Rachel's features, but Quinn stopped her by sitting up - fighting back a moan as Rachel's bare breasts pressed against her flesh - and crushing her lips to hers, panting out an assurance, "You're gorgeous," even though she'd never had any doubts about how gorgeous Rachel's body would be. This seemed enough for Rachel, because she groaned into the kiss and surged forward with new passion, again pressing Quinn into the mattress, but this time using one hand to tangle Quinn's fingers in her own and pinn her hand to the mattress, dragging her deliciously bare torso against her own and rolling her hips downward. Rachel was indeed a natural at seduction. Rachel's free hand dragged a finger along Quinn's throat, down between the valley of her own breasts, and Quinn felt her breath surge in her lungs as she gasped. The way Rachel was looking at her, those brown eyes lowering with the touch of her finger as she toyed with Quinn's top.
"Are we .. ready for," Quinn panted out the best she could, eyes fluttering shut as Rachel began untying Quinn's top, "are we ready for this?"
Rachel nodded, quickly and insistently, somehow like a magician managing to make Quinn's top reappear on her floor without Quinn even noticing. Rachel was absolutely devouring her, her chest rising and falling, and Quinn didn't know if she was more distracted by Rachel's perfect body or the way she was sucking her bottom lip between her teeth as if she was imagining devouring Quinn. Rachel wasn't even touching Quinn at that very second but she could feel Rachel's eyes raking across her now-bare torso like greedy fingers. Quinn was trying to process the fact that she really couldn't breathe and she was so far beyond turned on, but all thought flew out the window as soon as Rachel's mouth dipped to her throat and covered her racing pulse, their bare skin gliding across one another's. Quinn moaned, fingers finding their way to Rachel's shoulders and pulling her tighter against her, crushing the smaller girl against her, unsure if she just wanted more contact or more of Rachel's lips on her skin. Rachel's fingers were dancing intensely along Quinn's hips and back up her sides, sending electricity all through them.
Quinn was all but writhing underneath Rachel's seemingly expert touch. There was no doubt that Rachel wanted her, and her alone, with the ferocity she was attacking her, and she couldn't breathe but she really didn't want to as she felt Rachel's lips move lower and lower. Those perfect, supple lips were brushing dangerously close to Quinn's very aroused nipples, and as she felt teeth graze the right, she surged upward in surprise. "Rachel," the name escaped her like a sigh, and she felt Rachel's fingers sliding to meet the left and satisfy the need for balance. Rachel was biting and pinching and Quinn was gasping, suddenly very aware of the fact that she, too, liked stars, because they were dancing around her head at the moment. Quinn could feel her arousal as her hips bucked upward. Thoughts flooded her mind, images, her mouth on Rachel's skin, and she was shivering in delight as Rachel's tongue flicked over her sensitive areola. "Um, God," her head dipped back against the mattress again - she'd craned her neck up slightly just to take in the sight of Rachel's hungry mouth devouring her very aroused flesh, only to become even more aroused, and she was sure that the thoughts she was having were more than what teenagers should be having.
Seconds away from begging Rachel for more, she felt Rachel's hips move downward again, and the hand previously tangled in Quinn's was now sliding down Quinn's torso.
"Did you read a manual or something?" Quinn gasped as Rachel's lips finally reconnected with her own, and she felt the hum of Rachel's laughter against her lips before they both gasped in total arousal as Rachel's fingers slipped to Quinn's thighs. She kissed Rachel more insistently, sure that she probably mumbled out a 'please,' against Rachel's mouth as she felt Rachel's fingers dancing along her inner thigh. She needed Rachel in a way she'd never needed anyone else; she needed Rachel very emphatically inside of her.
Complying, or merely satisfying her own need, Rachel slipped her fingers just low enough to untie the side of Quinn's bottoms and slip them off her, leaving Quinn bare for only a minute before she felt her slickness covered with insistent fingertips drawing shapes against her clit. The noises coming from Quinn's mouth could only be described as animalistic and primal as she crushed her lips against Rachel's, panted, hands flying to Rachel's shoulders as her hips bucked upward into every grazing of her very aroused self. The things she wanted to say were absolutely vulgar, she was sure, so she settled for biting Rachel's lips in plea.
Rachel seemed uncertain, but only for a second as she dipped two fingers inside Quinn, pressed against her walls and sought out the most intensely sensitive places inside Quinn. Quinn had never felt so completely turned on even as someone was already inside of her. Rachel's knuckle grazed a seemingly sensitive spot, and Quinn ground her hips into the touch.
"Jesus, oh Jesus, God," Quinn blasphemed and didn't give a damn because she felt so good she needed this, needed Rachel inside of her. It got more intense the moment Rachel gasped against her lips.
"I need you, too," Rachel pleaded and Quinn knew exactly what she meant. Quinn didn't know exactly how it worked, but it all seemed to come natural as her arm fit between them, her hand finding Rachel's slickness, and they simultaneously gasped as Quinn's fingers slipped inside Rachel. Her fingertips curled against Rachel's heat, and Rachel's hips canted downward. Soon they found a matching rhythm and Quinn was so close to the edge that she was sure she was going to see white when she finally came. Rachel was getting more insistent, hips rocking against Quinn's fingers and her own fingers driving inside of Quinn in a rough way that made Quinn only want more. Rachel bit Quinn's lip, kissed her, panted, and Quinn was with her every thrust and every canting of her hips.
"Fuck," Rachel shivered as the word found it's way from her throat, a strangled moan as Quinn's thumb brushed over her clit. Quinn wanted to be deeper inside of Rachel, needed to be, and Rachel saying such a word only seemed to make Quinn more desperate for that edge, that freefall.
Quinn moaned aloud, unexpectedly, as Rachel's fingers dug deep inside of her, so far back she couldn't even think, her fingers faltering inside of Rachel as she arched up into the thrust, teeth digging into Rachel's shoulder. She saw stars dot her vision, her eyes slammed shut, and her insides gripped Rachel's fingers. Her whole body was rigid and she shook as her head fell back. She regained enough consciousness to open her eyes, seeing Rachel's dilated eyes staring amazedly at her face, and idly she felt her own fingers begin to move inside Rachel again, wanting to show her exactly what she'd just been shown.
"Ready?" Quinn all but gasped against Rachel's mouth as Rachel's fingers slipped out of her, allowing Quinn to dip her own fingers deeper into Rachel. She massaged her slick walls in circles, insistent, hungry, and fascinated with every crevasse inside of Rachel.
Rachel moaned, nodded, her head dipping down against her lips again as she rolled her hips against Quinn's touch. "I'm ... "
Quinn didn't give her time to finish the sentence. She found that one perfect spot, fingers driving in circles against the parts of Rachel no one had ever gotten to have, hungry, wanting to devour every bit of this moment as Rachel broke away and cried out, losing all verbose skill as Quinn felt Rachel's insides clench tight, then release. She'd never felt something so absolutely wonderful in her life and from that, she vowed she'd make Rachel Berry do that every day for the rest of her life if it was possible. Rachel came dazzlingly, features contorted in sensual ecstacy, and Quinn was in awe as Rachel finally came down from the high of it, Quinn's fingers slipping outward.
This is what mattered, right here, this moment of pure love and pleasure. Quinn felt Rachel's lips crush to her own as her petite body limply rested against Quinn's, physically spent although sometimes her hips still jerked quietly against Quinn's, as if her muscles were still twitching. Quinn kissed her fiercely, remembering her desperation in every embrace, and before she realized it, she was crying. Quinn was crying, and Rachel was kissing her to soothe her tears.
"Did I hurt you?" Rachel questioned, worriedly.
Quinn shook her head, "Happy tears," she'd never felt like this. Never felt so totally emotional and completely aware of the swelling in her heart, "I love you so much," she kissed Rachel, her tears mixed with the kiss. There were absolutely no words for the feelings in her heart, the feelings surging through her with such intensity it was causing her to cry. She'd never thought she'd be practically bare-bodied, entwined with Rachel, but as she rolled the brunette over and delicately covered them both for privacy's sake, she continued peppering loving kisses along Rachel's jaw.
Rachel shakingly clung to her, fingers etching half-moons into her shoulder, and they embraced as lovingly as they had that first morning, when Quinn had felt that surge of love that could only be elicited by Rachel. They eventually clung to each other in mutual affection, full of need, as if they couldn't be close enough. Both physically spent, Quinn fell asleep to the sound of Rachel whispering, "I love you, I love you, I love you," against her ear, and woke up the next morning with Rachel wrapped just as tightly in her arms as when she'd fallen asleep.
###
"Hiking!" Rachel jumped happily in the kitchen. The Berry family had all their bags packed, ready to go. Hiram and Leroy were none the wiser about Rachel and Quinn's intense first time the night before - the only sign were the too-bright smiles and the flush on their cheeks as they had entered the kitchen - but Quinn was pretty sure all those ground rules and that vacation to New York would be trumped by the knowledge Rachel was now sexually active, at least for the most part.
Leroy grinned, "Funny, you hate the outdoors but you're always so excited about this trip," he shook his head a bit at the irony and Quinn had to smile.
"It's beautiful out there, Lee," Hiram reminded his husband and smiled a bit as he took a couple more bags out to the car, including the bags Rachel and Quinn had set aside earlier that morning after scrambling to clothe themselves.
"Correct. Who wouldn't be glad to go there?" Rachel bounded to the refrigerator as her dads made their last preparations before leaving. Quinn smiled at Rachel in a soft, loving way, although the playful glint in her eye couldn't be hidden as her face flushed warm with thoughts of the night before. Rachel. Being inside Rachel. Hearing her moan. Rachel blushed a bit, drew her bottom lip in between her teeth before she appeared to distract herself with orange juice, sipping at it carefully, all the while her eyes lingering on Quinn's.
Screw ground rules, Quinn thought devilishly to herself as she leaned against the counter and held Rachel's gaze in a provocative manner, the all-but empty kitchen a tempting place to break several rules of both privacy and modesty.
They stayed like that - locked in each others' gazes - until Hiram let out a sharp whistle, "Time to go, girls!"
Rachel broke into a grin and ran for the door. Quinn followed shortly after, and they piled into the family SUV. Quinn slid right next to Rachel, taking her hand in her own and holding it tightly. Quinn's eyes were drawn to Rachel's face, alight with the early morning sun, and then to the sight of Lima slowly passing them by. They passed Santana's house, and a few other familiar houses, before Quinn recognized Lima's farewell sign approaching. She felt a lifting of her heart, and she felt Rachel settle her head against her shoulder.
Quinn loved the way Rachel felt in her arms, and as she slipped her arm around the brunette and tugged her closer, she found herself feeling a surge of joy as the farewell sign came and went, the highway stretching ahead of them, several days of driving plotted out. Quinn loved a good road trip; the prospect of a road trip with her new family made her feel completely overjoyed, especially with Rachel's hand resting on her arm. Hiram and Leroy were singing back and forth as Lima was further and further behind them. She even found herself singing along with Leroy when he broke into a rendition of a Frank Sinatra song, her smoky voice causing Rachel to look over at Quinn with something the blonde could only imagine was an expression of affection and lust.
###
Day 1: Road Trip
"Don't forget my Barbra CD!"
"I know, I know, you only mentioned it six times in the last hour before this rest stop."
"Well, Quinn, you don't expect me to make it through this road trip without Barbra, do you?"
###
Day 2: Road Trip
"Hiram, would you please stop singing out of key? It's painful."
"Well that's just rude."
"You two shouldn't be fighting! Quinn and I got so little sleep last night and I'm so very tired - "
"Whose fault was that, Rachel?"
"Quinn's! She wouldn't stop telling me terrifying tales of zombies and invasions and biological warfare!"
"Someone had to talk about something besides Broadway."
"So you thought biological warfare was a decent option?"
"As good as any."
"Leroy, don't encourage her!"
###
Day 3: Road Trip
"I just can't even with you right now. There is no way Barbra would ever lower herself to the standards of a badly-written, off-Broadway production this late in her career."
"Did you hear her last album?"
"How dare you!"
###
Day 4: The Arrival
Quinn had never before been so glad to be out of a car in her life. She hadn't gotten irritated so much as she had gotten completely amused by the Berry family, but she needed to stretch her legs and she was really looking forward to sharing a tent - alone - with Rachel. They'd been sleeping in a double-bed together but with Hiram and Leroy sleeping in the bed next to theirs, it was quite a problem when Rachel decided to sneak in kisses and tease Quinn until she felt like she was going to burst with need for Rachel's bare flesh.
She stretched her arms high above her head, yawned as her body retrieved oxygen for tired muscles. Rachel's hand slipped around her waist, and they both took in the vast expanse of mountain and forest below them.
"I've never been out this far," Quinn spoke quietly, and she heard Rachel's dads unloading their bags and the distinct clink of tent poles as they set up the campsite. "We always went East, not West."
Rachel smiled, her brown eyes sparkling as she looked up at Quinn, "It feels nice, doesn't it?"
"It feels like being free." Quinn smiled at her own words. Rachel had been her emancipation in so many ways and this was just another. "Like I'm finally accepting good change in my life."
Rachel glanced back nervously before placing a soft kiss on Quinn's cheek - Quinn assumed she didn't want Hiram or Leroy to think there was a reason to separate the girls into different tents.
"Thank you," Quinn breathed her gratitude as she looked down at Rachel, "you have no idea, all the good you've brought into my life."
Rachel flushed at the compliment, and they shared a loving gaze, "You deserve it."
###
That night, the Berry family was gathered around the campfire, Quinn included. They had all decided to stay at camp the rest of the evening, as they were all tired from the long road trip it had taken to get there. Quinn rested with her back against Rachel's knees, and listened to Hiram's idle chatter. A blanket was gathered around Rachel's shoulders, and she felt Rachel's bare skin against her shoulderblades. The blonde glanced back, sharing a soft smile in the firelight.
"Did I tell you the story about the maneating bear?" Quinn couldn't help the devious grin that fell on her lips just before Rachel smacked her face with the tassles of the blanket.
Rachel narrowed her gaze, "Don't even. It's bad enough I have to worry about the potential of disease much less getting eaten by a large, large bear."
"There are actually bears in the area," Leroy commented off-handedly, but when he recieved a cranky glare from Hiram, he smiled apologetically, "but the park takes safety precautions for campers to deviate bears from invading campsites."
Rachel didn't seem soothed at all, and Quinn smiled a bit apologetically as she lifted herself onto the log beside Rachel. She bumped Rachel's shoulder softly, and saw Rachel's resolve falter and melt under her hazel eyes, "I suppose the likelihood of a bear attack is relatively low, as in all the years we've been coming I haven't seen an aggressive oversized ball of fur lumbering toward our camp."
Rachel's dads, and Quinn, all respectively shared a chuckle. Comfortable silence befell them, and Quinn found herself looking across the fire at Leroy, who was lovingly fixing his husband's hair.
"When did you guys come out?" Quinn questioned, at first surprising herself. She hadn't really thought of asking before. She hoped the inquiry wasn't too invasive.
Hiram glanced at his husband, "Well, Leroy came out far before I ever did," his willingness to answer soothed Quinn's nerves, and she felt Rachel's eyes on her. She knew if she caught Rachel's eyes, she'd see curiosity in them. "I was 30 before I even met Leroy and I was still in the closet. Being a part of a Jewish family makes it difficult to deal with the idea of being homosexual," Hiram admitted, and Quinn smiled at the way Leroy took his hand to comfort him on the subject. "I came out two years after we started dating. It was a hard decision for me, because it went against a lot of what my family wanted for me. Then I just realized that being with Leroy made me happy, and that's what was important."
Leroy nodded, "It was a hard decision and it's something we did together. I was already out to my family but they had only met Hiram as a good friend, up until Hiram was ready to come out."
Quinn digested the information, nodding in acknowledgement. "What about ... adopting Rachel?"
Adoption. They all knew the subject was tender for Quinn, and understanding expressions passed over all three of the faces looking on.
"Quinn," Rachel began, softly, her hand resting on Quinn's knee, "you don't have to..."
Leroy cleared his throat, "We always were open with her, about who her mother was. We always told her that her mother had given us the greatest gift and given her the greatest opportunity," the fondness in his voice was clear as he looked at his daughter.
"Do you guys think that I .. " Quinn hesitated, choked on her words, and found her hand seeking the one resting on her knee. Her fingers tangled insistently with Rachel's as if depending on Rachel to keep her momentarily grounded, "do you think I made the right decision?"
Rachel's dads exchanged a look of sympathy, and Leroy was again the one to respond, "I think that any girl your age couldn't have raised a child yet. Even with support, it would be incredibly difficult and you'd always wonder if someone else could have given Beth more of a chance to succeed in a very judgemental world."
Quinn swallowed the knot in her throat.
"And, knowing Shelby, there will always be a chance to see her, when and if you're ready."
###
Rachel delicately tugged Quinn into their tent, settling onto their shared air-mattress, covered in a thick sleeping bag that draped over them both like a comforter. Quinn felt a little better, after her talk with Rachel's dads. She'd never known what it was like to have a parent that you could openly ask anything, and it was overwhelmingly comforting to know that Hiram and Leroy cared about her as they did their own daughter.
What was more, Rachel loved her, and that felt better than anything. As Quinn felt Rachel pull her into her arms, Quinn closed her eyes and breathed in Rachel's scent. She clung to the shorter girl, buried her face in brown hair, and listened to the night around them.
"Would you..?" Rachel asked suddenly in the dark, quiet, barely a whisper but enough for them to hear.
Quinn knew what Rachel was thinking, and she took a deep, steadying breath, "Maybe. I'd like to, you know, just so I .. knew she was doing okay, that she was happy."
Rachel held Quinn tighter, or vice-versa because Quinn wasn't sure, and she didn't add anything just yet, the way she did when she wanted Quinn to say more.
"It would be kind of nice," Quinn furthered the subject, "and maybe you'd like to see your mom," she hesitated on that one. She knew Rachel had a very complex bond with her mother, but it was her way of saying she wouldn't see Beth without Rachel. She needed Rachel, to hold her up in case she felt too weak to process what it was like to see the daughter she'd given up.
"Maybe," Rachel echoed, and her fingers traced shapes into Quinn's shoulderblades. "It might be good for us."
Silence befell them, and Quinn leaned up in the darkness, brushing her lips over Rachel's lovingly, wanting to communicate both her love and support of Rachel, as well as her gratitude for the same. "We don't have to decide right now, you know?" Quinn spoke as she pulled away.
"I think it's best not to," Rachel's voice sounded similar in tone - a little unsure, but mostly confident that they were making the right decision.
Quinn smiled in the dark, even though Rachel couldn't see, and leaned down to capture another kiss, "Look at us, being all grown up in deciding things."
Rachel's laugh warmed Quinn's heart, and Quinn sighed as she fell asleep to the sound of Rachel humming the familiar song that had brought them together in the first place.
"So grow, tall, sugarcane; eat that soil, drink the rain," Rachel's voice was quiet, but the notes were soothing this time around. Maybe it would be a good idea. And just maybe everything would be fine. Quinn thought, all these maybes meant something, and sleepily her brain mused that it was her turn to be happy.
###
"Colorado awaits!"
Quinn awoke alone, but Rachel had burst into the tent like a bear herself and forcefully tugged Quinn from bed. Her eyes blinked to adjust to the light, she yawned and groaned a bit. "We really need to work on your morning voice," Quinn's smoky voice rasped, earning laughter from the two Berry men onlooking.
"I've been telling her that for years," Leroy winked at Quinn, and Quinn could only smile sleepily in response as she felt Rachel shoving hiking clothes into her arms and instructing her to go get dressed as soon as possible.
Colorado was before them, hiking trails and all. Summer was just beginning and Quinn couldn't think of any other way she'd rather spend it, the sun beating down on her shoulders and Rachel busily shoving her into a camping tent, morning voice chirping and all.