Eventually the rain cleared and Rachel still stood in Quinn's arms. Quinn couldn't hear the shorter girl crying any more, she could only feel the odd jerking movement of a hiccup against her chest. Now with the pelting rain gone the silence between the two became more obvious.

Rachel pulled away awkwardly wiping her tear stained face and refusing to look the blonde in the eyes.

"I'm….I'm sorry….I don't know what came over me," Rachel fumbled out.

"Don't worry about it OK," Quinn said while placing her hand on the brunettes shoulder.

"I've given you a pretty crappy day" Quinn gave a small smile to show her sincerity.

Rachel just nodded and wiped another tear from under her eye.

"C'mon we should start heading back, it's getting late," Quinn suggested while gesturing back towards the main part of the village.

"Can we just stay here a while? I don't want them all to see me like this" Rachel asked while looking down at herself.

Quinn noted the girl did look like a mess. Still covered in some mud, though the rain had washed most of it away, still soaking wet and her eyes were clearly red and puffy from crying. But the blonde also knew if they stayed out here they would get sick from the cold and wet. She had an idea.

"Come with me," Quinn commanded as she took off down a path leading away from the village "I know a place," she assured the girl.

After hiking up a small hill the two woman reached the mouth of a shallow cave. It was well hidden from anyone not standing directly in front of it. It faced away from the village and strange rock formations obscured much of the view of its opening. Rachel hesitated when she saw Quinn go inside.

"There aren't any bears in here are there?" she called after the blonde

Quinn rolled her eyes, "It's too shallow a cave for bears"

Rachel looked unconvinced.

"I come here all the time Princess, don't be such a chicken" Quinn jested.

Rachel gingerly stepped into the cave. Once inside she was surprised by how not scary it was. It looked like someone could be living here. There was a kind of makeshift bed, with a thin hay filled mattress and some blankets on top, a pot and cup sat on a ledge which had formed naturally in the rock wall and a small fire pit had been formed in the centre of the cave near the opening.

Quinn was already getting to work on the fire, using materials out of a wooden box she had pulled from the corner of the room.

"What is this place?" Rachel asked in wonder.

"I found this cave when I was a kid, it was my secret hide out" Quinn said while tending to the fire, which was now starting to smoke.

Rachel smiled at the thought of a little Quinn exploring the forest and making secret hideaways.

"I still come here, when I jfeel like getting some space," Quinn continued.

Now the fire was starting to catch, Quinn got up and grabbed a blanket from the bed passing it to the shivering brunette and gesturing for her to sit in front of the fire.

"No one else knows about this place, so you better not tell anyone about it Princess" Quinn instructed, partially in jest.

"Well I feel honored you have shared it with me, it is all rather cute Quinn" Rachel smirked taking her seat by the fire.

"Hey I'm not cute, I'm tough, I'm a Warrio, this place is hard core," Quinn protested, gesturing to her surroundings.

Rachel just giggled. Quinn made herself look even cutter and more innocent, trying to defend her toughness.

The blonde could see she was losing this argument so she gave up and sat down on the other side of the fire with her own blanket.

"You know we're not that different you and I," Rachel said after a few moments of silence.

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked with a surprised tone.

Rachel shifted in her place, hoping what she was going to say wouldn't offend the touchy girl.

"Well, we are both charged with this incredible responsibility. We have been groomed since birth to one day govern a people. One day we will be in our parents positions…rulers of a land….probably at the same time, I mean we'll probably have to work together, like our parents do." Rachel rambled.

Quinn stared into the fire. Thinking about what Rachel was saying. She had never thought about it that way.

"Yeah I guess you're right" the blonde stated, eyes still fixed on the flames of the fire.

The two sat in silence for a little while longer, each enjoying the warmth of the fire and getting lost in the flickering light.

"I had another mother," Quinn said, seemingly out of nowhere. Rachel looked at her quizzically.

Quinn continued, "She was killed."

Rachel looked at the blonde sympathetically, Quinn just continued to stare straight into the fire.

"She was killed, defending your fathers"

"What, I never…" Rachel interjected but Quinn continued, "Your fathers needed an escort through the forest and my mother and some other tribeswomen had volunteered, they were ambushed…and she was killed."

"Quinn, I didn't know" Rachel tried to explain. But Quinn just kept staring into the fire.

Eventually the blonde took a stick and prodded a log on the fire, "Don't worry about it, I was only three I barely remember her anyway," Quinn said in the best unaffected voice she could manage.

Rachel frowned, she knew Quinn was just trying to hide her emotions. Of course it would have effected Quinn, of course Quinn would be hesitant to have Rachel stay with the tribe. The last time the tribes women protected the royal family her mother had been killed. Rachel understood this was Quinn's way of explaining her actions over the past two days and Rachel appreciated the gesture. But was saddened to hear the reason, it made her feel sick thinking about someone's mother dying so that she might have both her fathers.

"My father's never told me that" Rachel said softly.

Quinn just nodded her head, she had figured as much already.

Silence filled the cave once again, and Quinn felt her clothes were now almost dry on her body.

"I guess we should start heading back, people will be wondering where we are" Quinn said beginning to smolder the fire.

"Yeah I guess," Rachel agreed, still lost in her thoughts.

The two women gathered their things to leave.

As they walked out of the cave Rachel turned to Quinn, "Thank you for showing me your secret Quinn," Rachel said, then she reached up and gave Quinn a soft kiss on the cheek before turning and walking back towards the village.

Quinn didn't know what secret Rachel was really thanking her for, maybe she just meant the cave, but it felt like more. She put her hand to her cheek, her face felt like it was buzzing with warmth. She also noticed her stomach felt uneasy, but not unpleasant. She looked forward at the girl a few paces in front of her and then it hit her…what this feeling was and all she could think was…oh crap

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