~Author's note: So, this one was REALLY late, and there's really no excuse, but it's here now. Enjoy. And thank you all so much for your lovely reviews. I hope I don't disappoint.~

Chapter 4

The rest of the show went by pretty quickly, for Quinn was very much enjoying herself. Every time Rachel spoke or sang, her heart fluttered and her smile grew wider. She felt slightly jealous every time Anthony's character was putting his moves on Rachel's character, and she closed her eyes whenever they kissed. She had to remind herself that it was only a work of fiction, and that even if Anthony Giovanni was up there right in front of her, kissing the love of her life, it wasn't a real kiss. It was just pretend. But in the back of her mind, she still wondered if there was any truth to the co-star romance rumors.

When it was time for the curtain call, the cast came out and bowed to their standing ovation. Flowers were handed to Anthony and Rachel, then they all filed offstage and the audience began to shuffle out of the theatre. Quinn stayed in her seat until the crowd had almost entirely dispersed. What do I say to her? What if she doesn't even remember me? Quinn allowed herself to sit for a few more minutes and devise a careful plan of attack.

After several minutes, she still had no idea what to do, so she decided just to improvise. Knowing Rachel, she would probably have enough to say for the both of them anyway. Quinn walked across the theatre to a door by which stood a security guard. She flashed him her pass and he nodded and held the door open for her. She was practically shaking with anticipation as she climbed a narrow staircase leading to a hallway behind the stage. Crew members were walking around excitedly, and actors, some still half in costume, congratulating each other loudly. Quinn remembered this kind of excitement from high school. It was the same feeling the New Directions had after having nailed a performance. It was definitely a good feeling. Smiling at the excited actors and even stopping to commend some of them for their performances, Quinn walked down the hall. She saw a washroom and decided she should probably look in the mirror and make sure her make up was still cooperating, and that her hair was still in place. She wanted to look her best for Rachel. She turned the handle and walked inside.

The washroom was only lit by two antique oil lamps on either side of a large mirror. They provided a dim, faded glow. Quinn walked over to the mirror and looked at her reflection. As she was adjusting a bobby pin in her hair, she heard a toilet flush. She had thought she was alone in the room, but she now noticed there was one stall door closed among the three. She heard the sounds of high heels shuffling a few steps across the floor, and the door opened, slamming against the wall with a bang that made Quinn jump. Rachel walked out of the stall, smoothing out the bottom of her dress.

"I cannot believe they don't even have private washrooms for the talent in this theatre. I'll have to have a word with my producers. But I suppose if I come down with something from sitting on a disgusting public toilet, it's their funeral, not mine. They can't have a show without their star." Rachel said all of this without looking up at who she was talking to. Quinn froze, and stared wide eyed at Rachel through the mirror. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again, not knowing what to say.

"I mean, I am the star after all. People come to see me. I don't care what Anthony sa—" Rachel had looked up and finally saw who was on the other end of her one-sided discussion. Quinn grinned and turned to face the girl she'd been eagerly waiting to speak to, and avoiding, all night.

"Hey." She said. After a moment, Quinn thought about what she'd just said. Hey? That's it? That's your big line? Unbelievable. She could feel her cheeks getting hot as she began to blush. She remembered that Rachel had always had that effect on her.

"Quinn..." Rachel breathed, clearly very surprised to see her old friend. She stared up at Quinn, and after a silence that neither of them tried to break for what seemed like a very long time, Rachel suddenly closed the space between them and flung her arms around Quinn's neck in a familiar hug.

"Oh my God! What are you even doing here?" Rachel finally sputtered, her arms still wrapped tightly around Quinn, who was, truthfully, having a hard time keeping herself together. After years of trying to forget how it felt to be in these arms, Quinn had to ask herself why. Why would I try to forget this?

"I work for a local newspaper. I'm here to interview you, actually. And to interview Anthony." Quinn said.

"You're a journalist? That's amazing, congratulations!" Rachel exclaimed, jerking her head back to make eye contact with Quinn, keeping her hands on the back of Quinn's neck. The intimacy of the whole gesture made Quinn shudder lightly. Rachel seemed to notice this, and, mistaking Quinn's yearning for aversion, she let go, sliding one hand down along the girl's shoulder. Quinn's breath hitched as she felt Rachel's hand caress her arm, so she spoke quickly in an attempt to mask her nerves.

"Well, sort of," She said. "I'm an intern. This is my first real assignment. My boss said there might be a permanent position for me if I do a good job here. So, I guess I have a lot riding on this."

"Well, you can certainly count on me for whatever you need. I'll make sure Anthony behaves as well. He can be a bit of a brat sometimes," Rachel said. Quinn wondered if she was expressing her genuine dislike for Anthony, or if this was the playful teasing of a girl in love. Rachel motioned to the exit.

"Shall we get a move on? Let's get the business over with, then we can spend more time catching up afterwards," She started to turn away from Quinn, but paused, and turned back to her. Once more, she reached up and pulled Quinn into a warm hug. Quinn laughed lightly and laced her arms under Rachel's.

"I've missed you, Quinn. I think about you often," Rachel said.

"Me too, Rachel," Quinn answered. Every minute. She thought.

Anthony was a total prick. There's really no other way to describe him. He's almost worse than Finn. Quinn thought to herself, as she scribbled in her notebook. The three of them had been sitting together for about twenty minutes, and so far, he had been completely insufferable. Any question Quinn asked, he either refused to answer, or answered with a shallow, generic response. At this rate, Quinn thought there was no way she would be getting the job. Although she was confident in her competence as a writer, she needed a bit of substance to work with. Rachel's eyes were apologetic. She sat patiently, throwing exasperated glances at Anthony every once in a while. Eventually, Quinn decided to give up on Anthony altogether. Rachel was much more cooperative, and gave genuine answers about the show, and the different atmosphere here in Paris from her familiar Broadway stage. She spoke about how excited she was to be here, and how much she looked forward to her stay. The interview was going well, at least with Rachel.

"There are some things I would really like to touch on before we wrap up. Of course, I have to ask; are the two of you involved romantically?" Quinn asked, and braced herself internally. No matter what they say, don't choke.

Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but Anthony quickly cut her off.

"You could say, I suppose, that we are indeed together. We've been seeing each other outside of work. So... Yes. We're in a romantic relationship." Quinn's heart sank. Rachel simply nodded in agreement, her eyes all the while on Anthony.

"Um, wow, that's very interesting," She tried hard to collect her emotions before they showed on her face. "Does your... Relationship... affect your performance in any way?" She couldn't look at Rachel. She was sure that if she did, she wouldn't be able to contain her disappointment.

"I'm not sure I understand where you're going with this question. Are you accusing me of putting romance before my career?" Anthony asked, clearly offended.

"Oh.. No, what I meant to say is... Do you think your offstage relationship lends, uh... Credibility to the romance of your characters, or um... Otherwise?" Quinn stammered her response. No matter how much she hated the man at this moment, and would love for him to storm off and finish the interview, she needed him there for the sake of her job. So for now, she had to try her best to be nice. Luckily, Anthony seemed to calm down at Quinn's rewording of the question.

"Well, if I'm answering honestly, Miss... Whatever your name is..."

"Fabray. Her name is Quinn Fabray," Interrupted Rachel impatiently.

"Right, whatever. Look, all I'm going to say is, you saw my performance tonight. I think it's pretty obvious that regardless of my personal life, I got the part here for a reason. Sleeping with my costar is simply a personal indulgence, and it has nothing to do with the excellence of my performance. That was all me, Gwen. All. Me." Rachel started to speak, but Anthony promptly interrupted her.

"Anyway. I think you have all you can possibly need from me. I'm exhausted, so I think we should wrap it up now. It's been a pleasure." He stood, and with a quick nod to Quinn, he turned to Rachel and bent down to her level. He whispered something in her ear, gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and left. Quinn didn't even have time to process what was happening before he was gone. Shit. What do I do now? I'm going to have nothing to write about.Then, all too quickly, Quinn registered in her mind that she was once again alone with Rachel. The two sat in silence for a moment while Quinn wondered what to do next. She didn't want to know any more about Rachel and Anthony's relationship, but she knew eventually she would have to ask, for the sake of the paper. But for now, she wouldn't have to, because it was Rachel who spoke first.

"I'm so sorry, Quinn. He's really... Uncooperative sometimes. I really hope this won't affect your article."

"Oh, no. Don't worry about that. I'll manage," Quinn said, and abruptly, she had an idea. "Rachel, do you have plans tonight? If not, maybe you'd like to continue the interview somewhere less... Formal? I know a few cafés in the area that are open late. We'll finish the interview, and have time to catch up afterward." She braced herself for rejection, and imagined the possible responses Rachel could give. No thank you, I'm going to the after party for the cast. Or, No, I'm tired, and I'd really rather not. Or, No thanks, I plan to go home and have wild, celebratory sex with Anthony. The last one made her wince. She looked up at Rachel, and saw that she was smiling excitedly.

"I'll call us a cab," Was all that she said.