Title: In the Broken Night, Set Against the Sky
Pairing: Quinn/Rachel
A/N: Okay, so I broke down and started another fic as well. I'm hoping to keep up my usual 1-chapter-a-day pace, but I may stagger this story and the other so the writing load is a little lighter, but we'll see. Knowing me, I'll be too impatient and keep writing even when I get carpal tunnel. _ I hope you're all enjoying this so far! This is the halfway point in the story, probably one of the lighter chapters, as things are about to get serious once they get to New York to see Shelby & Beth (obviously).
HappyLaura: Haha, wow, you really don't have to apologize for not reviewing the last chapter. ^_^ It's okay. I'm just glad people are reading and enjoying it. I do bang out a chapter in a sitting - anywhere from 4 to 6 hours per chapter - so it can get a little taxing but I do it because I get excited about what's coming in the next chapters. I'm a little impatient, heh. So I update often mostly because I can't make myself wait. :P I love using Rachel's dads as an example of a 'happy' relationship, I feel like it's what Quinn needs to see, to balance out her past.
J0EBLACK: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Sharene19: Well, I'm glad I made you like Santana a little bit. ;) I actually enjoy playing with her - she lightens the mood when things are too heavy and she also has a really important role in Quinn's life, in this fic. Plus, her humor is awesome, hah. She makes up for Quinn being a little softer and less biting. LOL I'm glad you like the bunny. :P I'm glad to make your day! Many hugs and things!
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Chapter 5: I Only Get to Say
Sing out, sing out,
the silence only eats us from the inside out;
I meant no harm,
but I only get to say these words too late..
###
Santana was waiting impatiently outside Rachel's bedroom door. How could Quinn tell? The tell-tale tapping of Santana's foot, impatiently hammering out a beat and counting the seconds. Quinn couldn't help but grin a little bit.
"Rach," she encouraged lightly, "we really should get going, otherwise we're going to be late. It's a 45 minute drive into Cleveland," Quinn knocked lightly on the bathroom door. "I'm sure you look beautiful."
Santana groaned outside the bedroom door, and Quinn heard a muffled, "Oh, please," from the Cheerio.
"I can't believe you want me to go to this ... this barbaric display of animal cruelty! Do you know what they do to train the elephants?" Rachel opened the bathroom door, face painted with distress. "Do you have any idea? I've watched 90 minutes of a documentary chronicling the life of a circus elephant from birth to death - "
"You would," Santana's muffled voice came from the other side of the door, and Quinn did her best not to grin.
"Be quiet, Lopez!" Rachel snapped at the wry comment, "I'm merely saying it's absolutely .." She fumed audibly, a mix between a growl and a groan, something she did when she couldn't find the right words.
"Barbaric?" Quinn offered helpfully and caught Rachel by the waist. "I know, but please? For Britt, at least. She loves the circus and it's Santana's surprise for her." Her arms slipped easily around Rachel's waist, and it constantly marvelled Quinn how easily Rachel fit in to her arms, how good it felt when Rachel's weight would sink back into her, and she had a hard time convincing herself she wanted to leave the house instead of staying in with Rachel.
"Well," Rachel hesitated, and Quinn could hear the resistance leaving her voice, "when you put it that way, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to indulge for one day. However, this is the only time because I absolutely detest the idea of funding something so terribly cruel." Her brow was furrowed, obviously distressed, and Quinn mused how sweet it was that she cared so deeply about things.
Quinn pressed her lips to Rachel's shoulder, and she felt Rachel deflate in her arms, sinking further into Quinn's grasp. Her hands tangled with Quinn's, and they remained there until Santana took the lull as signal it was time to go.
"I swear to God if you guys don't come out of there I'm going to bust this door down," Santana was banging both fists on the other side of the door.
Rachel laughed a little bit, "She's so charming," her tone was sarcastic, and she turned around, arms easily slipping around Quinn's neck. Quinn could feel Rachel leaning up into her, and like it was the first time they'd kissed, her heart raced against her ribs.
"She really will bust down your door," Quinn chuckled, eyes darting from Rachel's lips to her eyes, unconsciously leaning closer as she felt Rachel's warm breath. "Just warning you. We have about - "
Rachel cut Quinn off with one of those kisses that made the ex-Cheerio ache everywhere, capturing her bottom lip with her teeth and sucking lightly before deepening the kiss, tongue slipping past the barrier of Quinn's lips and joining her own. A moan was shared quietly between them, and Quinn was a moment away from shoving Rachel against the door and taking things much further before the door startled them apart reluctantly.
"You guys live together! You can get your mack on later!" Santana was all but tearing the door off the hinges, and finally Rachel unlocked the door and opened it.
"We really must work on your manners, Santana," Rachel stated simply, held her chin aloft, and marched past Santana. "Come, let's go to the cruelty fair before I change my mind and start a petition."
"Bite me, Hobbit."
"Rachel," Quinn poked Santana in the ribs before she took Santana's hand in her own and dragged her down the stairs. "So what's the game plan?"
"Date, kissing, talk."
"How very Puck of you," Quinn rolled her eyes and followed Rachel out to the car, still holding Santana's hand and dragging her behind, "I mean come on, Santana, is that really all the thought you've given it?"
"I came up with the idea to go to the circus."
"Brilliant," Rachel shot over her shoulder, arched an eyebrow, and caught the keys as Quinn tossed them to her. They'd be driving Quinn's car to Cleveland, since it was the more reliable out of Santana's, and Rachel technically didn't have her own vehicle. Quinn noted how attractive Rachel looked, wearing jeans and a Cheerio's hoodie she'd stolen from Quinn's room, hair back in a pony-tail, confident look on her face as she got in the car. Quinn bit her bottom lip, distracted by thoughts of how Rachel got more attractive the more confident she acted, and she had apparently stopped in her tracks.
"Quit drooling and let's go," Santana gave her a pointed glare and pushed Quinn toward the car, climbing in the back seat, "we still have to pick up B."
The blonde nodded a bit dumbly, caught Rachel's wry grin, and stuck her tongue out at her as she climbed into the passenger's seat. "What are you lookin' at?" She shoved Rachel's shoulder gently.
"I should ask you the same thing," Rachel grinned at her, and she got that predatory look. Quinn forgot how to breathe again, then shook it off by pretending she didn't know what Rachel was talking about. Rachel only laughed at her and threw the car into drive.
Apparently, Rachel driving Quinn's car (admittedly a very nice vehicle) was a turn on for Quinn, because more than once she found herself biting her bottom lip hard enough to leave marks, especially when Rachel would look over and catch her staring. She vaguely registered Santana talking, but when Rachel's eyes caught her, she felt dazed every single time. Quinn tried her best to hide it, but the tell-tale flush to her cheeks must have given her away, because when Rachel parked in front of Brittany's and Santana climbed out, Rachel reached over, hand trailing dangerously up Quinn's thigh. Quinn didn't know if she should regret wearing a sundress, because Rachel was quite literally raking her nails up Quinn's thighs. Her hazel eyes shot open wide and she stopped Rachel's hand from trailing any higher.
"You keep looking at me like you're ... hungry," Rachel grinned knowingly. "Am I doing something in particular?" Her fingers wiggled for emphasis and tried to slip higher.
Quinn groaned, narrowed her eyes, "Stop that. You're just, .. you're all confident right now and driving my car and you just .. " Quinn felt the lust building in her chest, compressing her lungs a bit, and she swallowed her words - mostly because she simply couldn't find any.
"I'll keep that in mind, Fabray," Rachel all but purred, leaned over, and caught Quinn's earlobe with her lips before kissing down her neck. Rachel's fingers slipped around Quinn's throat, causing the blonde to gasp.
"Okay, okay," Quinn pleaded softly, whimpering as she reluctantly peeled Rachel from her, hand gently pushing against her side and grinning playfully. "Later, later, I'll pay for the whole circus thing 'cause I have a feeling this is like payback." She'd made the mistake of letting her guard down because Rachel's hand slipped underneath Quinn's dress. "Rachel!" She hissed, batted away Rachel's wandering hand, blushed profusely.
Rachel laughed throatily, deviously, gave Quinn a seductive once-over before she looked in the mirror and started fixing her pony-tail as if she'd done nothing. Quinn groaned and dropped her head against the back of her seat, breathing out her sexual frustration, listening to Rachel laugh in that way that told Quinn she was quite pleased with her girlfriend's reaction.
"Tease," Quinn growled.
"You're the one who stopped me," Rachel beamed over.
Brittany hopped into the backseat, seconds later, chirping a hello and dipping her head against Santana's shoulder as she climbed in next to her, "Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise, Britt," Santana spoke lightly, nudging the taller Cheerio.
"A surprise for me?"
Santana nodded simply. Quinn made a note to pull Santana aside for a moment later, just to help her formulate what she should actually say to Britt when she confessed her actual feelings. For a while now, Santana had been struggling with telling Brittany that she simply loved her, was in love with her. The pair were obviously dedicated to one another, but Brittany was always waiting for Santana to finally be honest about how she felt. Quinn thought Brittany deserved that, and so did Santana. They were already happy together, so she imagined it would only make them far happier.
"Is this like when you surprised me with that - " Brittany's words were muffled and Santana looked panicked, her hand firmly over Brittany's mouth as she mumbled out the rest of whatever that sentence was.
Rachel and Quinn shared an amused look. Quinn chuckled awkwardly, palm resting on her forehead.
###
"Tree?"
"How'd you guess?"
"It's the only thing out there, Britt."
"Oh. Well, how about the ABC game then?"
"No."
Britt sank into her seat, and Quinn laughed a little bit at the pair in the backseat. They fell silent, and Quinn dared a glance back, only to see Santana and Brittany making out quite happily. "Oh, god! My eyes! They burn!"
Rachel jumped in the driver's seat, turned her head around, "Oh my god! Not in the car!"
"Squirt gun, get the squirt gun!" Earlier, Quinn had thought Rachel was just being frivolous when the brunette had suggested bringing a squirt gun in the car in case Santana and Brittany got a little too hot and heavy in Quinn's car. After all, if she and Rachel limited their PDA, it only seemed fair that Santana have limits as well. Rachel fumbled with one hand, the other still on the wheel, and fished out the squirt gun she'd stashed alongside her seat. Quinn nearly dropped it, fumbling in midair before she righted the little squirt gun. "Lopez, break away from the girl now," Quinn warned, an eyebrow arched as she turned around, facing the pair.
Santana broke away slowly, "Oh you are not going to - "
Squirtsquirt. "Cool it, Lopez." Two streams of water hit Santana directly in the middle of the forehead, and Rachel high-fived Quinn for the good aim. Next thing Quinn knew, Santana was trying to wrestle away the gun and Rachel was rambling in a panic about driving laws and driving while distracted, but Quinn and Santana were too busy wrestling the gun between them to notice.
Brittany only leaned away from the pair, laughing quietly. "So why won't anyone tell me where we're going?"
"It's a surprise!" Santana scolded affectionately through a grunt as Quinn wrenched away the water gun from her hands. "Damnit, Fabray, I'm gonna kick your ass when we get out of this car."
"Hey now," Rachel warned, "there will be no violence in or around this car. I quite like it an apparently Quinn likes when I drive it."
"I bet," Santana folded her arms over her chest, the words mumbled between her lips as she leaned against Brittany. "I bet she really likes when you drive it."
"Yes, in fact, she seems to - " The realization dawned on Rachel's face that she wasn't talking about the car, and Quinn laughed when Rachel turned beet red, "That's very inappropriate, Santana," she sank low in the driver's seat.
"Careful, Frodo, if you sink any lower then you won't be able to see over the dash," Santana chortled and shoved Rachel's shoulder gently in light play, her way of letting Rachel know she was kidding around with her. "You're in common company, obviously, even though you two are all ... proper and shit about PDA. What's that about, anyway?"
"I just feel it makes it more meaningful if those kind of moments are shared between us alone," Rachel informed Santana, and Quinn saw her eyes flash to the rear-view mirror as she spoke and her posture straightened once again.
Quinn nodded in agreement, "It's not because we're ashamed or anything," Quinn filled in the next bit, glancing over her shoulder at Santana, "just seems nicer when I don't have people staring at me when I kiss Rachel."
Santana made an expression of mock-disgust. "Ew."
Squirtsquirtsquirt. "Don't ew my girlfriend, Lopez."
"That goddamn gun is about to get tossed out the window," Santana lunged forward, trying to grab the gun from Quinn again, but Quinn leaned forward and held it to her chest like a football player might if they planked on the football field. Santana was grunting and trying to reach far enough to get the gun from Quinn, but Quinn wasn't budging and she was too far away for the Latina to grab at.
Quinn was laughing deviously to herself as she felt Santana's hand flailing at her back.
"You two are like children," Rachel gave Santana a pointed glare, smacked her hand into the back-seat.
"Tell your girlfriend to stop squirting me in the face!"
"You deserved it both times," Rachel lifted her chin haughtily and looked away from Santana's reflection.
Quinn didn't move, only glanced from where she was curled, and slipped the gun to her feet. She kicked it forward far enough before sitting back up. Santana's hand flew between the seats, expecting the gun to be in Quinn's hand, but only found empty air as Quinn clutched Santana's hand and made motion to bite it. Santana recoiled and her nostrils flared in irritation.
All the while, Quinn listened to the sound of Rachel's airy, amused laughter. She glanced aside, hazel eyes sparkling in mirth, and shared a wide grin with Rachel. When Santana decided she had enough retaliation, Quinn reached across the console and her hand found Rachel's. Inwardly, she felt the warmth of relief. There was something about contact with Rachel that still made her stomach flutter and her head spin, even when holding hands. It was comforting, just perfect, and she felt Rachel squeeze her hand as if she was thinking the same thing. Quinn rested her head against the back of the seat, neck craned a bit as she looked over at Rachel. Occasionally, she'd see Rachel's dark eyes dart in her direction, or her nose wrinkle playfully as she stuck the tip of her tongue out from between her grin. The light played on Rachel's face perfectly, and Quinn felt everything rush at her all at once - months ago, the first song she'd sang to Rachel, the first time they'd kissed, the first time they'd made love, spending nights around the fire in Colorado, wrapped in each other's arms in some way. It was absolutely indescribable.
In the backseat, Santana commented in a grumpy tone, "Oh, I can't make out with Britt but you guys can moon at each other all you want."
"To be fair, it's not the same thing," Rachel stated over her shoulder.
"Totally just as gross to watch."
"I'd like to watch them make out," Brittany commented. Santana sighed and covered her face with her hands, shaking her head in a resigned way.
Quinn wrinkled her nose, "Sorry, B, I don't think I want to make out in front of anyone."
"Me either," Rachel's laugh bubbled up and Quinn felt it infect her heart. She grinned at the brunette.
"Ah, here we are," Quinn sighed carefully, leaning forward in her seat as if she was spotting a good parking spot, even though she wasn't the one driving. From afar, it didn't look much different from a stadium, so Quinn hoped Santana's surprise wouldn't be spoiled.
"Are we going to watch baseball?" Brittany questioned in a confused tone.
"Better," Santana commented, smirking, and Quinn saw her hand slip into Brittany's sweetly. Inwardly, Quinn marked down Santana's brownie points. After all, she really rooted for Santana to learn how to be a little sweeter, at least with Brittany. She always took care of the blonde, but she just needed to show genuine affection more.
"It looks like that place that they say bears play. Is it a petting zoo?"
"Bears?"
"Yeah, in Chicago."
"Oh, that's a team, not actual bears," Quinn responded, glancing in the backseat. "But I guess you're kind of close."
Santana smacked Quinn's shoulder, and as Rachel parked, Santana hopped out of the backseat and helped Brittany out. She motioned for Quinn and Rachel to hang back for a minute as she took Brittany's hand.
Rachel glanced over at Quinn, and smirked. She wrinkled her nose as they waited to get out of the car, giving Santana and Brittany a good head-start. "What was that you were saying earlier about me being a tease?"
Quinn felt a grin break out on her face, and she shrugged a shoulder. As much as she wanted to play coy, she couldn't help but satiate her urges. She leaned across the console, captured Rachel's lips in a slow, sweet kiss, wanting to communicate everything she felt and wanted. Rachel seemed taken aback, but soon her fingers were delicately stroking the back of Quinn's neck as their lips melded together.
The amount of love Quinn felt for this girl was unbelievable. It seemed to grow every day and it felt like something alive in her. She didn't know how she'd gone so long being Rachel's enemy, when it felt so absolutely perfect being just Rachel's.
Rachel broke away after a bit, smiled against Quinn's lips, "Wow," she breathed softly.
Quinn smiled triumphantly, leaned forward and placed a markedly more chaste kiss on Rachel's lips, "I like making you speechless." The sound of Rachel's quiet laughter made Quinn's grow even more, "We should probably join Santana and Britt," she sighed a little, pressing a few more quick kisses to Rachel's face and nose before she pulled away from a blushing Rachel. The grin wouldn't lessen any, even as Quinn opened the door for Rachel and took her hand, striding a good 20 feet behind Santana and Brittany.
"Do you think Brittany will be happy?" Rachel interlaced their fingers and swung their hands between them, glancing at the taller girl.
Quinn nodded, "She's been waiting for this forever. At least, since she realized she had real feelings for Santana. Santana's just .. afraid that if she voices how she feels, it'll mean that she has more to lose," she explained, pulling Rachel's hand close to her hip and walking closer beside her. "She's had it really rough."
"She's never really talked about her family, does it have something to do with that?" Rachel inquired quietly beside Quinn, the pad of her thumb tracing over Quinn's skin idly.
"They lost their dad when Santana was young," Quinn explained, brow furrowed, "her mom has some ... issues," she hesitated, knowing Santana was very private about her family life.
Rachel took in the information, nodded simply. She didn't have any response, judging from her silence. Either that or she was mulling over the thoughts in her mind. Quinn's eyes shifted beside her, feeling that familiar surge in her heart, and she pulled Rachel's hand up to her lips, kissing each knuckle and the back of her hand. Rachel flushed, smiled softly. It was hard to believe sometimes, the fact that Rachel was hers and that she was Rachel's. It had been the greatest thing to happen to her, and she'd single-handedly made Quinn's life better.
Ahead of them, Brittany was bouncing up and down - Quinn assumed she'd figured out it was the circus, because there was a clown in the parking lot selling souvenirs just outside the entrance to the stadium - and hugging Santana. Santana's face was alight with one of the biggest grins Quinn had ever seen on her. There was never any doubt that Santana loved Brittany, not by the way she reacted to Britt's joy. Santana took Brittany's face in her hands and kissed her sweetly, and they stood there for a moment, foreheads resting against one another. From afar, Quinn couldn't hear what they were saying, but Santana was undoubtedly saying sweet words to the girl she loved.
Beside Quinn, Rachel squealed a little, "They're so adorable," she crooned a bit and lay her head against the ex-Cheerio's arm. After a few moments, they caught up to the pair, although Quinn would've given the pair more time if Brittany hadn't turned around and waved for them to hurry up.
"San said we get to see the circus animals, too!" Britt kissed Santana again, and Quinn thought it was adorable that Santana flushed red and answered with a wide, beaming smile.
"Come on, midget, I know you're having trouble keeping up with those legs of yours," Santana recovered from the flush of her cheeks with her normal defensive behavior, a smirk on her lips. "Good news is we get to see circus midgets - maybe you'll meet your real parents," she nudged Rachel as the shorter brunette passed them, Quinn in tow.
"That was clever, Santana, I didn't see that one coming," Rachel snickered and rolled her eyes. Quinn could hear the sarcasm in her voice, and found herself chuckling as she let Rachel lead them into the circus stadium.
###
Brittany was marvelling at the size of the elephant beside her, as she gingerly reached out and touched the skin. Santana was watching with affection in her eyes, while Rachel and Quinn moved along the rest of the viewing area. The show had been spectacular, even Rachel had grudgingly admitted that much, and she had stopped lecturing them all on animal cruelty when she saw that the animals weren't chained to the floor in the back. She still balked a little bit about it, but Quinn saw her looking at the animals more in awe than pity. Quinn felt Rachel stop beside her, saw the shorter girl delicately graze her fingers over the trunk of one of the elephants.
"You can just see how intelligent they are," Rachel's voice was soft, reverent. She was looking into the eye of the elephant on her side, and she let go of Quinn's hand to gently stroke the elephant's skin. The animal responded, trunk rising to meet Rachel's arm, and the delight on her face made Quinn feel a rush of affection. Quinn reached out as well, felt the animal's dry skin as the trunk reached between them, curiously probing the two smaller creatures beside it.
"Yeah," Quinn spoke softly, and saw exactly what Rachel meant. The way the creature looked at them was the way a wise person might examine someone who'd posed a question - only Quinn thought maybe the question was their existence. Quinn found herself lost in the moment, standing beside Rachel and this old elephant. Behind them, Quinn heard Santana's voice, lowered, soft.
"Britt-Britt?" Santana spoke, and Quinn heard the nervous waver in her voice.
"San?" Brittany's voice responded. Rachel and Quinn glanced over their shoulders. The pair were ducked together quietly.
"I suck at this stuff sometimes, I know."
"You don't," Brittany's assurance was sweet, and she took both of Santana's hands in her own.
"I just .. I've never said it, and I wanted you to have a really good day. I knew you'd like this, and, I mean I want you to know why I .."
"San, you don't have to, I know words are hard for you.."
"I love you, Britt. More than anything. I know I'm not any good at this. I know sometimes I can be a bitch...No, just let me finish, please, I need to say this before I lose the words. I want to be with you, need it, and I mean if watching the midget and Preggo has taught me anything it's that I don't have to be so afraid," as Santana spoke these words, quiet and hushed, Quinn thought this was the most poetic Santana had ever allowed herself to be, the most vulnerable, "and I just need you to know I'm in love with you." As she finished, it sounded like she exhaled nervously.
"Do you mean all that?" It took Brittany a few moments to respond.
"I do," Santana almost sounded tearful, and as Quinn felt the elephant trunk nudge her hand and wrap around her wrist, she glanced behind her and saw Santana's eyes sparkling with tears as she nodded.
"I love you so much, Santana." The sounds behind them suggested an emotional hug. Quinn felt a breath of relief escape her lungs for Santana. She knew how much Santana had been stressing over this very moment, and it had ended well.
Rachel seemed happy, too, because she beamed at Quinn and kissed her, only breaking apart when the elephant beside them probed the space between their torsos, causing Rachel to laugh and wrinkle her nose, arms wrapping briefly around the elephant's head the best she could. The giant creature bumped them both, as if it too had derived some joy from the comfort and the love flowing between the four girls near its stable.
###
The foursome had arrived at the Berry household later that evening, all spent from the emotions they'd expended during the day. Santana and Brittany were markedly more affectionate with one another, Santana glowing like she'd just opened the best Christmas gift ever. Quinn felt happy for her, and as she hugged Santana goodbye, she squeezed her just a little tighter than normal.
"Told you it would be fine," Quinn murmured against the Latina's ear, feeling the warmth of Santana's arms squeezing her with equal need.
Santana chuckled, "Thanks, Q," she responded before breaking away. Her hand warmly grasped Quinn's before she and Britt reconnected, deciding to walk back to Santana's house, presumably to talk and just be together.
"Why do I feel like we've played matchmaker?" Rachel slipped an arm around her waist, rested her head in the crook of Quinn's shoulder.
"We kind of did," Quinn laughed. "I mean they were already together but Santana needed us."
"Agreed."
"We leave tomorrow," Quinn mused, felt Rachel tugging her inside. The door closed behind them and Rachel lead the blonde upstairs. "Bright and early."
"We do," Rachel responded simply, that confident air taking her over again as she turned around, walking backwards into her room and narrowing her gaze playfully. "I guess you'll be tired then."
Before Quinn could think too much, Rachel had closed the door behind them somehow, and was grabbing at Quinn's hips, shoving her delicately backward and grinning deviously as she approached. It stunned the ex-Cheerio how incredibly turned on it made her feel when Rachel took charge, the hungry look in her eyes toppling Quinn over the rest of the way as Rachel climbed on top of her, straddling her hips and leaning over Quinn. Her curtain of hair fell around her shoulders, and Quinn's hands slid up to rest on Rachel's hips. "You're so beautiful," she whispered in awe, and shortly after felt Rachel lean down and capture her lips in a slow, passionate kiss. "I love you, Rach," she breathed against Rachel's lips.
"You talk too much," Rachel teased, rocked her hips downward, causing Quinn's head to fall back as she let out a quiet gasp. Quinn felt a trail of hot kisses from her neck to her collarbone, Rachel's tongue dipping out against warm flesh every time. Quinn's heart raced, hammered against her ribs, and she was biting her lip to keep from making too many noises right away. Her breath hitched as Rachel's hand easily snaked upward and found a breast, kneading through the fabric of Quinn's bra. "This is payback," Rachel's voice was husky against her ear, and Quinn's torso arched upward into Rachel's needy grasp. As her hand slipped underneath the fabric of Quinn's bra, found a hard nipple, rolled it between her thumb and fingertips, Quinn gasped out and crushed her lips to Rachel's, not before Rachel breathed hotly against her lips, "I love you."
It made Quinn's arousal all the more intense as Rachel breathed those words. Her emotions surged and melted into her arousal, a small moan erupting from her throat. She felt Rachel's ministrations get needier, hungrier, felt the slow, steady cant of Rachel's hips against her own. She was gasping through each kiss and her hands found the curve of Rachel's backside, gripped hard - something that made Rachel react more aggressively every time - causing Rachel to rock hard against Quinn's hips. Quinn enjoyed frustrating Rachel when the brunette tried taking control of the situation.
Rachel growled, gasped, and bit Quinn's lip softly before she pinned Quinn's hand down with one of her own. She fished momentarily beneath Quinn's dress, slipped the blonde's bra loose, and freely explored newly bared flesh. Quinn weakened under that hungry stare, her eyes dropping closed as she let Rachel take over, relenting control for once.
It wasn't long before Rachel had Quinn's dress on the floor, her supple lips grazing the flesh of Quinn's bare chest eagerly, a thigh nestled in between her own. It was complete overload as Rachel rocked against her, continuing a slow and steady cant.
"Fuck," Rachel breathed, apparently bringing herself to a point of unbearable arousal. She suddenly was frantically helping Quinn out of her panties, and slipping out of her own clothing. The feeling was unbelievable as their bare skin made contact, Rachel panting against Quinn's lips as they found the familiar sensations of joining, Rachel's eager fingers slipping inside Quinn. It was unbelievable, the way Rachel knew just what to do to make Quinn forget everything she'd ever known. "Fuck, you feel so good, Quinn," Rachel sounded more aroused than ever, fingers curling deep inside Quinn.
It's the last thing Quinn could remember consciously hearing, because if Rachel's metaphor for stars was anything it was quite accurate that everytime Rachel took control, Quinn could see nothing but stars.
###
Exhaustion swept over Quinn as soon as they sat down on the airplane, and she saw Rachel smiling at her knowingly, "Yeah, well, you get to be my pillow so that's fine." Quinn teased softly, lacing their fingers together. The pair settled in for the flight to New York, both undoubtedly experiencing nerves unparamount.
"So my mother says she'll meet us - with Beth - at the airport."
Quinn's stomach did a few flips, and she nervously grasped Rachel's hand. She swallowed at the knot in her throat and she nodded quietly, taking a deep breath. She found she couldn't steady her nerves. Rachel's eyes were lingering on her, and Quinn found words stumbling from her mouth nervously, "I'm so scared, Rach. I haven't seen her since - " hot tears burned at her eyes and she closed them, found herself wishing the plane wouldn't leave the ground, but the engine was warming up and they'd be taking off in ten minutes, "I haven't seen her since I had her and I don't know if I'm ready for this."
Rachel insistently turned Quinn's face in her hands, took in her features, traced soothing fingers against her skin, "Hey, listen to me, listen," Rachel persisted, pressing warm kisses to Quinn's lips. Quinn's eyes were tear-filled but she kept her gaze steady on the brunette's, "you can do this. You're amazing and it's going to be okay, I swear to you. It'll be scary, I know you're scared, but we can do this. I'll be with you the whole time, I swear to you. Okay? I won't let you go through it alone."
Quinn nodded, tearfully pressing her lips to Rachel's. The girls clutched to one another after breaking apart, Quinn burying her face against Rachel's neck and holding herself close. She felt herself trembling slightly. The ex-Cheerio breathed in her girlfriend's perfume, willing it to soothe all her fears, but all she could see was Beth. The lull of the last few days were pouring into her head, and all of a sudden all she'd been supressing hit her at once. She was petrified, and it was making her dizzy.
Rachel rocked Quinn softly, "Hey," she whispered against Quinn's ear, "hey, sing to me," she insisted softly.
"You're kidding," Quinn laughed quietly against the curtain of Rachel's hair. Her fingers tangled in brown locks.
"Not at all. Sing to me."
Quinn did her best to get her trembling voice under control, focused her thoughts. Her heart was racing from the emotions she'd felt rushing into her veins, and her hand grasped Rachel's tightly. "Always and forever, we'll be free," she sang quietly between them, her forehead resting against Rachel's temple, "always and forever, be with me," her voice felt stronger, her fear lessened. The lullaby they sang to one another always had this soothing effect. Quinn didn't even realize they were ascending into the sky until clouds were billowing through her periforal vision. "We'll have love aplenty, we'll have joys outnumbered," she felt Rachel's fingers tangling in her hair, drawing soothing shapes against her scalp.
"We'll have perfect moments, you and me," Rachel finished tenderly, kissed Quinn's palm softly.
"It'll be okay," Quinn took a breath, assuring herself as she closed her eyes. She truly felt it would be, too. She felt everything would be alright as long as Rachel was with her. Quinn knew this was something she needed, something she had to do for closure. She had to let herself be okay with this decision she'd made what seemed like a lifetime ago. Her hand still trembled a little, but she knew it would be alright.
The flight to New York passed by relatively quick after that, Rachel soothing Quinn's nerves by continuing to hum the soft melody against her ear. At some point Quinn had fallen asleep, then woken up to Rachel looking at her with more love than she could adequately express. Quinn smiled bashfully, sleepily.
"We'll be landing in 10 minutes," she informed the blonde, gently ran her fingers through her hair appraisingly, fixing Quinn's hair for her. Quinn rubbed her eyes, nodded as she sat up, not letting go of Rachel's hand.
Nerves returned, though not as fiercely as they had before. It was terrifying, but Rachel's voice became her mantra as she ran the lullaby through her mind over and over again. The plane began its descent, and Quinn heard the sound of people buckling their seat-belts again, the low murmur of pre-landing jitters. Quinn took a steadying breath, glanced out the window as the landing strip approached slowly.
Rachel smiled comfortingly at her, stroked her blonde locks once more. Quinn offered a similar smile. She knew this was just as nerve wracking for Rachel, but in some ways far more terrifying for her.
"I love you," Quinn breathed out, before she kissed Rachel lovingly.
Rachel nodded, smiled, "I would've never guessed," she joked quietly before pulling away. The plane jarred a bit as it landed, but it was smooth afterward, as the plane docked and people began standing up, getting luggage out. The girls ended up in the single-file line, holding on to one another's hands tightly as they sidled out of the plane. Quinn was glad for the fresh air, but as soon as the sight of the arrival gate greeted her, she felt the distinct urge to turn and run as fast as she could. She still held Rachel's hand tightly, and saw the same look of nervousness in Rachel's eyes. They shared a quiet, tender kiss, before Quinn took a steeling breath and they made their way determinedly through the throng of people. Feet ahead of them, people were charging into one another's arms, hugging family members and kissing missed lovers. Quinn scanned the crowd nervously. It seemed so surreal, the crowd parting and rejoining, people colliding into one another.
Rachel's gasp gave it away, the small diva stopping momentarily before she broke away from Quinn. She charged towards her mother, excitedly. It was only when she hesitated a foot away from Shelby Corcoran that Quinn could tell she was nervous. Rachel hesitated before wrapping her arms tightly around her mother. Shelby grasped her older daughter tightly for a moment, then her dark eyes slid up, and she smiled distantly at Quinn. Rachel hadn't let go of her mother yet, but her head turned to acknowledge Quinn and their eyes locked. She gave Quinn an encouraging smile.
Quinn was frozen. Beside Shelby, the stroller sat, and two little pink-shoed feet were wiggling. She didn't know if she was breathing or not, but she felt vaguely dizzy. She couldn't move, and her mouth dried as if she'd taken a bar of chalk and eaten it. Quinn barely saw Shelby, or Rachel, couldn't register anything but those two little feet, bouncing in the air. Her hand fell to her flat stomach, tears filled her eyes. She wanted to scream, cry, tell them she couldn't do this, tell them it was a mistake, but nothing came out.
The ex-Cheerio didn't realize that Rachel had even broken away from Shelby and approached her until she felt a warm hand in her own.
"It's okay," Rachel whispered softly. Quinn could only nod numbly and her legs wouldn't work just yet. The blonde slowly moved forward after some urging from Rachel, Rachel's hand on the small of her back. Tears were most definitely in Quinn's eyes, and Rachel brushed them away.
"Shelby.. er, Mom," Rachel hesitantly spoke as they finally reached Shelby, "this is Quinn. My girlfriend, as you know."
"It's good to meet you again, Quinn," Shelby's voice was soft, warm like Rachel's, somehow sweet and sultry all at once. Quinn couldn't hear much over the rushing in her ears, though. Her hazel eyes met Shelby's for a moment and she nodded in acknowledgement.
"Sorry, I - I.." Quinn had no words, and they wouldn't stumble out of her mouth. The little blonde girl staring up at her was far too distracting, too beautiful for words. Tears were now freely falling, her chin trembled as she tried not to sob. She could only offer a tearful smile when the 9 month old girl cooed up at her. Dark brown eyes like Puck's, but blonde hair like her own. Quinn was trembling, and registered that Shelby was talking to her, that Shelby's hand was on her shoulder to soothe her, but she shook off the touch gently and she kneeled before the stroller, looking into the eyes of the child she'd carried inside her stomach a lifetime ago. Gently, the first time since she'd birthed the girl, she reached forward and delicately stroked Beth's palm with a finger. The child grasped immediately, giggling as if she recognized her mother. "Hi, Beth," Quinn stated, joyful tears in her eyes. She wanted to sob, with joy and sorrow and confusion, but she could only think that this was the most beautiful little girl on earth. She could feel the tether between them, feel Beth responding to her. "Can I.. can I uhm.."
Shelby merely nodded in appreciative silence and offered Quinn a gentle smile. Rachel's mother leaned down and unbuckled the girl from her seat, freeing her for Quinn to hold.
Quinn gasped tearfully, smiled, and knew Rachel was watching her with a mixture of protectiveness and adoration. She couldn't see anything but Beth right now, though, and gently she lifted the healthy little girl into her arms. The child immediately seemed to take to Quinn, her small hands touching Quinn's face and nose, little giggles coming out sporadically. "Hi," Quinn laughed. Her voice was thick with emotion, arms hugging the little girl close and bouncing her on her hip just a little bit. "You're so beautiful, Beth," she whispered softly to the little girl, who only experimentally continued touching her face.
Quinn wasn't sure if her heart was breaking or not, but it felt so full she didn't know what to do. She only held on to Beth carefully, held her tightly against her. The little girl's head dipped against Quinn's shoulder, and Quinn thought she would've fallen to pieces if she could have. Her fingers stroked the baby's fine, soft hair, listening to her coo and chatter a tiny bit.
"She's perfect," Quinn spoke tearfully.
Rachel reached up, squeezed Quinn's arm tightly, "Just like her mom." Rachel's brown eyes were full of tears for the blonde. Shelby was watching protectively but with a gentle gaze, her arm wrapped tightly around Rachel's shoulders. The reunion was so full of emotion, she couldn't breathe very well.
Beth was grasping at Quinn's hair softly, and sat up the best she could against Quinn's chest. The little child felt warm against her, felt perfect in her arms. There were no words, no appropriate poetic expressions, no amount of feeling, no amount of art or music or symphonies blaring, for everything rushing through Quinn at the moment. Her daughter, her child, though no longer her own, was in her arms, touching her face and hair, cooing. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she delicately stroked Beth's soft hair. Instinctively, she pressed her lips to Beth's forehead as the little girl sat up again, appraising Quinn thoughtfully. She definitely had Puck's eyes. Her thumb stroked Beth's cheek, marvelling at the soft skin, and smiled through her stinging tears, "I'm so glad to see you," she whispered, a soft plea of forgiveness somewhere in those words.
"Come on," Shelby spoke after a quiet moment, looped an arm around Quinn's shoulder. "Let's get to the car. We'll have dinner at home and you girls can fill me in on everything. And you, Rachel, can explain how your enemy became your girlfriend," she grinned softly at Rachel. Rachel was beaming happily at her mother, biting her lip thoughtfully, and burying her head against Shelby's shoulder.
Family. It meant so many things, but right now, it meant that the baby girl in her arms was the one she'd given birth to, the one she'd given up, the one she loved more than anyone else on the planet and missed every single day. It meant the lover walking nearby, and the woman who'd lovingly taken Beth as her own. It meant the four girls walking through that airport were all tethered, all connected, forever more. Quinn couldn't stop staring at Beth, even as she used her free hand to push the empty stroller through the doors. She felt a surge of gladness she'd agreed to come, agreed to give this to Rachel, because it was already turning out to be the greatest gift she'd ever accepted from Rachel. Beth cooed, dipped her head against Quinn's shoulder, as her small hands grasped the collar of Quinn's hoodie.