A/N:

To Braziliangirl- It's scary how you're able to read my mind. The next few chapters were basically done (in need of editing and some adjustments) when I read your comment and it's just eerily what these updates will be addressing. No, there's nothing offensive at all with your comments. I completely understand what you're saying. No worries.

To Icrazemag- this isn't a chapter-based progression so, yes, I completely agree with you. The comments won't change the way this fic is going, overall. I simply meant that there are opinions that made sense to me and will try to improve on my writing skills (plot wise, especially) for my next fic :-)

To Sdiaz – it's a faberry fic, that should be a good hint :p

I don't get many things right the first time,
In fact I am told that a lot.
-The Luckiest

"Quinn? Quinn?", Rachel rushed inside their apartment in almost panic. She heard a sneeze. No, make it three sneezes and a loud groan. Dumping her bag and coat on the floor, she rushed to their room and found a very sick, pale, and red-nosed Quinn curled up with the comforter tucked up to her chin.

Taking off her shoes, she tried climbing the bed only to be met with hostile resistance. "No, no, no, ged oud. You'd ged sick, too.", the blonde protested as she turned away from Rachel and curled up some more.

The brunette had to press her lips together real hard to stifle a huge smile at the adorableness of a sick Quinn Fabray. "See, I told you not to go to school today. You've been feverish since last night."

"I was fine this mor-" Rachel winced when Quinn sneezed. That was a painful sound. "-nig", she ended with a sniff.

Rachel, however, was undeterred and cuddled a squirming blonde. "Racheeeeel. I feel gross.", the blonde grimaced and turned her head sideways several times in an effort to dodge the diva's kiss.

"I'm not leaving you, so stop fighting.", the diva said pointedly and gave Quinn a peck on the lips. "I take my vitamins religiously, unlike some people I know. So my immune system's in perfect condition."

Quinn groaned in response and relaxed a bit. "Who took you home?", the brunette inquired while stroking the blonde's arm in a comforting manner.

"Kenny"

"Who's Kenny?"

"School nurse"

"You have a school nurse named Kenny and she drove you home?"

"He is a he"

"Oh. Okay, makes sense now." Rachel kissed the blonde's shoulder. "Do we have those cold rubs?"

"I thig so."

"Okay, let me check our medicine cab. I'll give you a sponge bath first, that should make you feel better."

Quinn sluggishly sat up as Rachel removed her shirt then immediately covering her back with a towel. The blonde closed her eyes and let out a sigh of contentment while Rachel gently rubbed her face and neck with a face towel soaked in warm water and alcohol. "Mmm, feels good.", Quinn mumbled after feeling the cloth rub on the crevices of her body.

She felt the brunette's small hands push her shoulders for her to lie down. Despite her hazy vision, Quinn attempted to focus on Rachel's face that was filled with concern and focus with the task at hand. "Good nurse", she smiled lopsidedly.

"Better than Kenny the Nurse?", Rachel chuckled.

"Way better"

"Wait.", the brunette frowned. "He didn't give you a sponge bath, did he?", she stood up with hands on waist.

"Ugh, no."

"Okay, good. Just checking.", the diva mumbled as she returned to her task. After the bath, she generously scooped a glop of cold rub and massaged it on Quinn's chest, neck and back until the blonde was able to breathe better. "Okay, time to put some clothes on"

"Mmpff, no."

"What do you mean, no?"

"I don't wanna get up. It's making me dizzy."

Rachel sighed then grabbed some clothes from the closet. "Okay then, we'll do this the harder way", she muttered as she pulled up Quinn to a sitting position and put on a wife-beater and Fordham hoodie sweatshirt. "I didn't realize when you're sick, it's like dressing up a ragdoll instead of Barbie", Rachel giggled then kissed Quinn's cheek.

Quinn frowned then slumped back on the bed. "I'm not Barbie."

"No, you're right. You're prettier than Barbie" Rachel snuggly laid on top of Quinn after changing her clothes then whispered. "Is this okay? You can breathe?"

The blonde automatically wrapped her arms around Rachel. "Mhm..very warm"

"Thought so. I'm warm-blooded"

"I hade being sick"

"I'm sure. You're not leaving the apartment until you're really feeling much better, okay? And you can't escape from me because I'll be here with you the whole time."

"But..NYADA"

"I won't fail any subject for cutting a few days worth of lectures. Your welfare is more important."

Quinn opened her eyes and smiled. "Yeah?"

"Definitely", Rachel said as she burrowed her face on Quinn's neck, failing to see the sudden change in Quinn's mood.

"Best Thanksgiving. Ever.", Rachel sighed as she snuggled up on her loveseat.

"Uh-huh, I bet it was", Kurt said with his mouth full of popcorn. "So, did she take you to her new crib?", he asked while waggling his eyebrows.

"No, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not. I'm just basing my assumptions on the fact that you look like a content puppy that just had a good meal."

"It's not like that, Kurt. It's different this time. I want us to be friends. I don't want to do anything that will jeopardize that. So this face?", she pointed at herself, "This happy, content face is there because I feel like I may have that chance to be her friend again. I really can't wish for anything more than that."

"But, why?"

"Because I love her! So I can't be selfish anymore. It's hard though, I must tell you. Like, right now. I feel like I'm about to spontaneously combust because I want to text her, but I'm trying to pace things. I don't want her to run the opposite direction again because I was all over her."

Kurt jutted his lip and nodded. "That's very wise."

"See? I do have wisdom hidden somewhere."

"Too bad it didn't rear its head when you needed it the most. Like when you decided to sleep with Finn."

"Yes, well, I can't do anything about that anymore. I just have to keep moving forward. So please stop reminding me of how horrible I am as a person."

"I keep reminding you of your mishaps so you won't repeat them. But you know, when will I ever learn? You never listen to me."

"I am trying"

"So what's your game plan?"

"I don't have one"

"Who are you and what have you done to Rachel?"

"It's kind of hard to plan anything when I don't know where to begin, and what the other person is thinking."

"You came home late, so what exactly did you guys do last week?"

"Talk"

"What did you talk about?"

"Everything and nothing"

"You know, you'd have to be more elaborate in your description, Rachel."

"We talked about our lives these days", Rachel smiled at the thought. "She volunteers for a youth program. It's very sweet of her. Oh, and did you know Santana and Emily are dating?"

"Are you serious? That's…that's…I don't know how to describe it, really."

"Weird?"

"Close to that"

"Quinn's apparently okay with it, because turns out, she and Emily's more like sisters now."

"So you can strike her out as your competition."

"Kurt, this is the last time I will say this. I'm not trying to get back with Quinn."

"So you won't care if Quinn decides to date someone else? Wait, is she even single? No offense, but Quinn's kind of…she's the type of girl who doesn't stay single for a long time."

"It's not that I won't care. Of course I would. And it will hurt, real bad. But my determination to make good with her this time is not dependent on that. And to answer your second question, that's kind of the nothing part I said earlier. We avoided discussions about those things. So, actually, no, I don't know if she's dating someone right now."

"So…she doesn't know about the non-Finn in your life, as well."

Rachel shook her head. "We just saw each other after a long time, Kurt. And we're still treading carefully. I doubt if that topic was a good subject matter. It might have overwhelmed us. But…I don't know. Quinn's a smart woman. The fact that I was spending Thanksgiving with NYADA folks instead of going to Lima and be with Finn…I don't know, she must have at least gotten the hint."

"Or she could assume Finn couldn't make it. Point is, do you think it will make a difference when she finds out?"

"Honestly? No, I don't think so. There's just too many bad feelings that we need to get over with first. But I don't plan to hide anything from her anymore."

"That's a good start"

"I miss her voice"

"That's off-tangent"

Rachel laughed then shook her head while tinkering with her phone. "It is. But it's on my mind right now."

"Are you talking about her singing? Or just her ridiculously sexy bedroom voice when she talks?"

"Both. And both are ridiculously sexy."

"So you just plan to walk up to her and say, 'Hey Quinn, I miss your voice. Do you know that turns me on?' That will go well with friends-only zone."

"Kurt Hummel, you are honestly annoying right now. That wasn't even in my mind."

Kurt stared at her with such intensity it could have bore holes on Rachel's face. "You're really committed to this. This whole friends-with-Quinn-thing-and-nothing-more."

"If Quinn decides there should be more later on, I would not be opposed to it, of course. But I won't push anything this time. I just want some sense of normalcy with her."

"Then do something."

"Like what?"

"You want to text her, go text her. It's what friends do."

"But I don't want to suffocate her."

"If she doesn't reply, then don't follow it up. Simple as that. She makes her own decisions, Rachel. It's not like she is under your spell that she would feel obliged to send a reply even if and when she doesn't want to."

The brunette furrowed her brows and unlocked her phone but made no move to type in a message.

"Look, all I'm saying is you are thinking so hard. In high school, Quinn sought you out at a moment you least expected it, right? Don't make this as if it's a chore for both of you. You might end up giving her mixed signals."

"I guess so. Maybe later. She's…", Rachel glanced at the wall clock, "probably working right now."

"It's almost nine."

"Research job."

"Oh. So you know her schedule already."

"I'm just guessing.", Rachel said defensively.

Pacing isn't exactly Rachel's strongest suit. And Quinn, in her opinion, was playing hard to get. She had every right to, of course. Rachel decided to invite the blonde for coffee the next day, but Quinn politely declined. The brunette extended several invitations but one by one, they were shot down by her ex-fiancée through various reasons. Meeting, youth center, more meetings. Rachel was beginning to wonder if Thanksgiving was just a mere fluke. Or Quinn desperately wanting to get out of the third wheel situation and her texting was just perfecting timing and excuse to leave.

She had no right to demand or even to complain. But it hurt every single time. Grin and bear it. That's been her mantra these days. She'll hit pay dirt in the end, she knows it.

Gold came in the form of a phone call from Quinn asking if she's free to shop with her on a Saturday. Of course she's free. She's been freeing herself up for a day like that. Quinn is one of her two priorities in life from now on. Her career comes on equal footing with the blonde.

Quinn was a cool autumn breeze personified. Her hair has grown significantly longer but was tied up in an off-duty manner. Wearing a navy coat and white slacks, Quinn literally made heads turn as she made quick strides to meet Rachel in the middle at Central Park West.

"Quinn", Rachel smiled then hugged the other girl without warning. She felt Quinn stiffen for a second but relaxed but in her arms almost immediately.

"Sorry, I'm late. Did you wait too long?", Quinn said while she slowly stepped back.

"No, don't worry about it. I was amusing myself with those street performers."

Quinn glanced and saw some b-boy dancers entertaining a huge crowd of tourists then nodded. "I thought you could help me out pick some things for Beth at F.A.O Schwarz for Christmas."

Rachel blinked. "Quinn, Beth's in grade school now."

"Yeah, so?"

"So…maybe she won't appreciate toys very much anymore."

Quinn scoffed while guiding Rachel towards the store. "I still appreciate toys."

"Yes, but, maybe you could also get her some clothes? Young girls are very much updated in fashion these days. Or books? How about something like your e-book reader?"

Quinn shook her head. "If I'm getting her books, it has to be the hard copy. I don't want her to not appreciate what a real book looks like."

"Okay, so how about..a few toys, some clothes and a couple of books?"

"Yeah, okay. That sounds logical. Then I can gauge which ones she appreciates best." Quinn stopped walking and turned to face the brunette. "I can't believe she's…", she shook her head, "time moves so fast, I can't even connect that fact with how I imagine Beth in my head."

"How do you see her?"

"Still a baby.", the blonde shrugged. "The last time I really got to spend enough time with her was before we left for New York."

"But you talk to her often, right?"

"We video-chat. But still, it's just..I don't know. I don't want her to grow up just yet, I guess."

"Buying her toys won't stop her from growing up", the diva chuckled while playfully nudging the taller girl.

"Yeah, but it might distract her from boys for a long time."

"Okay, so you're the anxious mom type. Hooking up their phones with gps so you can monitor their whereabouts, stalking their friends' facebook profiles, stuff like that."

"I don't know, I kind of always imagined you'd be the one in charge of that, not me."

Their eyes met and both blushed. It's the cold wind. It has to be. The only problem is they're already inside the store. What autumn air?

Rachel's eyes were not firmly glued at the toy in front of her. She had no idea what it was. Like Pokemon meets Sailormoon. Must be a new cartoon. She's not thinking about Quinn and kids. Damn it. She's thinking of Quinn, and a cute blonde little boy, preferably named Isaiah Berry-Fabray, playing with the huge piano on the second floor of this building. Most adorable thing. Ever.

Oh, Moses. This is not how she planned things.

Rachel subtly glanced at the blonde who had her ruminating Quinn face on. Or was that a look of displeasure? So Quinn slipped. They never had an actual conversation about having a family when they were still together. Rachel had no idea how many kids Quinn wanted or if she preferred a girl or a boy. But today, it seemed clear that Quinn had ideas about how their family dynamics would have been. She could see that Quinn was struggling now on how to break the ice. "Hey", Rachel mumbled. "I think Beth would really like those hard to solve puzzles. Not too kiddie but still a toy, you know?"

Quinn smiled widely. "Yeah, you know what? She likes playing sudoku"

"At that age? Okay, now we know you have strong genes."

"On the contrary, Puck is really good in math and logic. He was just too damn lazy to even acknowledge it."

The brunette laughed. "How is he? I haven't heard much from him. Does he contact you?"

"Yeah, we chat a lot of times." Quinn looked at Rachel to gauge her reaction, but only found the brunette nodding and waiting for her to continue. "He's doing well with his pool cleaning business. He's thinking of expanding it to plumbing. I think he's in the process of getting a loan to buy equipment and hire people."

"That's.." Rachel quirked her eyebrows and nodded. "Commendable of him. "

"He's really trying. He wants Beth to be proud of him."

"I'm sure she is."

"He is her idol. Which, kind of makes me worry a bit", the blonde laughed.

"So, we will expect a badass Beth in the future."

"Just as long as there won't be a Mohawk", Quinn said, punctuating it with her hands making a sweeping motion.

"How about pink?"

"Oh, you think you're funny huh?", Quinn playfully raised her eyebrow at the brunette.

"Just asking", Rachel grinned widely. "I mean, you have to be ready, because a rebellious streak seems to be present on both sides."

"But she's being raised by Shelby. I happen to believe nurture is stronger than nature", the blonde said with a smug smile.

"Ah. Shelby. Who agreed to be surrogate for a gay couple to one Rachel Berry."

Quinn opened her mouth and raised her finger to argue then frowned. "You have made a very valid point. There may be a need for disaster preparedness."

There was a twinkle in Quinn's eyes whenever Beth was brought up. Rachel loved it. She loved being with Quinn inside a toy store. She had a feeling that a part of Quinn was simply using Beth as an excuse to spend time inside the F.A.O Schwarz. They spent time critiquing the appropriateness of Bratz for young girls and lamented over the fact that lego seems to target boys more than girls. Oh, and she now understood what Sudoku meant. It means single number in Japanese and it's been in existence since the 1980s. Then the whole debate about what color Gumby is happened. It was a heated one that needed to be settled by Google. They were both right and wrong. Rachel said blue, Quinn said green. Gumby was blue-green.

Quinn drove her back home a few hours later than expected simply because Rachel didn't want to end the day. She found ways to delay the inevitable. Quinn acquiesced. There was no way the blonde couldn't. Rachel took her to a store that specializes in First Editions. There was nothing in there that they could afford, not even the cheapest one, but it was fun staring at a 36,000-dollar first edition copy of an Ernest Hemingway book.

They made a pit stop to Bagel Bob's. Then sat down at Finley Walk.

"Hey", Rachel finally said after a few minutes of relaxed silence.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you"

Quinn smiled as she took her coffee and watch some boats pass through.