Still off the Key of Reason
Chapter 2: Me and You, Setting in a Honeymoon
Rachel didn't take many eleven hour flights. She had no need. And she recognized that it was insane. If she ever found herself on a flight to Tokyo, well, somebody would need to notify the authorities because it was not voluntary. She'd rather find herself in a free-fall with a parachute strapped to her back somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.
With Quinn latched on to her front like a koala. Tandem skydiving. Something for the bucket list.
By the time the plane touched down in Honolulu, Rachel was dead on her feet. She didn't know why. All she'd been doing was sitting down for eleven hours. Sleeping. Whining about airline food and the baby in the seat in front of her, and listening to Quinn point out seven thousand items from the Sky Mall catalog that she just had to have.
Rachel had managed to convince Quinn that Charizard did not need his own personal escalator to get in the car. It would just wound his pride. Quinn agreed.
Rachel allowed Quinn to drag her through the airport because she really was not capable of any kind of navigation right now. Quinn stopped abruptly as they rounded a corner and Rachel was jolted backwards by her arm.
Fortunately, she'd been numbed by the flight, and felt no pain or sensation of anything whatsoever. She blinked and scanned the arrivals area with blurry eyes.
Ah. Cameras. A lovely mob of them.
Rachel straightened up immediately and backed right back around that corner. She pushed Quinn up against the wall and grabbed her gently by the ears to still her head.
"You're okay, bear." She assured quickly.
Quinn nodded. Her hazel eyes were darting around a bit, but she stood still.
Rachel knew they should've jumped plane over the Pacific. It would be fun to be stranded on an island with Quinn, sea turtles for pets. Maybe for a day. It would be a nice experience. Until starvation and exposure set in.
"We're going to ignore them, okay?" Rachel stated, waiting for Quinn to nod again. "I don't even know how they know we're here. Maybe they're waiting for someone else."
Quinn exhaled deeply, and Rachel leaned up to kiss her, using her ears as leverage.
"I-I brought my pretzels from the plane." Quinn murmured randomly when Rachel pulled back, digging through her jeans pocket. "Do you want some?"
Rachel chuckled, shaking her head. She understood. Occupy the hands, mouth, and mind. Pretzels were the answer to paparazzi for Quinn.
They weren't swarmed as they rounded the corner, and they were given their space as Quinn hauled their suitcases off of the luggage carousel. Even when Quinn nearly herniated herself because Rachel's case weighed four hundred pounds, the cameras kept their distance.
"Maybe they're being nice." Quinn suggested quietly. She looped an arm around Rachel's neck when she realized Rachel was swaying from exhaustion.
They moved towards the airport doors, and that's when the flashes started.
Quinn's walk became stilted. She pulled away from Rachel to take half a step in front of her, leading her through the crowd and shielding her from the most aggressive photographers. The ones standing directly in her path and yelling things like "where are you guys staying, Rachel?" And "what's wrong with your eyes Mrs. Berry?"
Rachel hoped there was nothing wrong with her eyes. Quinn would probably tell her if there was.
"The wedding was perfect." Rachel said quickly and politely to one of the few guys who was not acting like he was running from the bulls.
"You don't look so good Quinn. Second thoughts?" Someone yelled out. Rachel couldn't see who. She squeezed Quinn's shaky hand and walked faster, following her wife.
How many fucking celebrities were flying into Honolulu on a daily basis? Maybe that's why these guys were so enthusiastic. Rachel wanted to drop them out of a plane. Or make them sit on one all the way to Tokyo. Strand them on an island. It could be a reality show.
Rachel would go mad with power if she ever got to run something like that.
The open cab door was like a light at the end of the tunnel and Quinn guided her straight to it. Rachel threw herself inside, knocking the door frame with her shin because she lacked the energy to move her legs properly. She dragged Quinn with her and the driver took care of their suitcases.
Quinn was already rocking. Rachel had her by the wrist, and Quinn's other hand ran rapidly up and down her own thigh. It was holding the crumpled pretzel wrapper.
"Quinn, you're okay." Rachel soothed, reaching over to gently pry the pretzels free from Quinn's grasp, and then holding her hand still.
This wasn't a panic attack yet, but Quinn was right on the line. She whined and shook her head around, and then looked at Rachel, frantic eyes asking for help.
Rachel registered the car was finally moving, and she dove right in, holding both of Quinn's hands and swiveling her head around to catch Quinn's eyes. Quinn was like a cobra. Or a bobblehead.
Rachel ran through her list of easy topics. "Listen, big bear. Tell me about the zoo, okay? The Honolulu Zoo. What's your favorite animal they have?"
Quinn tilted to the right and knocked her head against the window. Rachel winced and pulled her back.
"Mmm…The-the lions." Quinn stuttered out, letting Rachel rub the side of her head.
Rachel nodded and ran her fingers through blonde hair. "I remember them from last year. They have quite a few, right?"
Really, all lions were the same to Rachel. They were like clones. She could tell the boys from the girls, but that was about it. Quinn could probably list their favorite foods, hobbies, and toys. Rachel waited.
Quinn bounced slightly in her seat. "They had three. My-my favorite is Apollo."
"Why's he your favorite, bear?" Rachel asked, recognizing the name. Or the NASA mission. Or the god.
"He's the only male." Quinn said, turning to face Rachel more fully now. Her eyes were almost green. It was probably more excitement than anxiety at this point.
"And you like their…furry…necks?" Rachel continued. She was not an animal expert.
Quinn nodded. "What did you do with my pretzels?" she asked, glancing around like Rachel had hidden them on the ceiling.
Rachel smiled wearily and handed them back over. Then she laughed when Quinn scrunched up her face at the crumbly mess inside. Rachel lolled her head back against the seat and poked her wife in the ribs.
"It's our honeymoon, baby. In Hawaii. You have better things to think about than pretzels."
Like lions.
Quinn stared at Rachel for a second. Her gaze slowly morphed into one of adoration and she pulled Rachel comfortably into her arms.
"You're tired. Go to sleep." Quinn instructed quietly, kissing the top of Rachel's head.
Rachel hummed. "What if they follow us?" she asked. She didn't really think it likely that they would engage in some kind of car chase through Honolulu, but you never know. She wasn't that famous. Yet.
"We'll…ignore them." Quinn said slowly. "And one of your goals in life is to be involved in a car chase, so…"
Rachel thumped Quinn's chest. "Not on our honeymoon."
"I'll protect you from them." Quinn stated determinedly. Rachel smiled into her shirt.
"No, really." Quinn insisted. "I'm getting better with them. My head feels fuzzy now because I'm jet-lagged, but I'd protect you. I will."
Rachel nodded. "You did."
Of course she knew that. Quinn would battle a panic attack with lions on her mind and pretzels in her hand to protect Rachel if it came to that. Rachel nodded again because she couldn't remember if she already had. She pressed her face into Quinn's shirt and finally let herself fall asleep.
~oooooooooo~
"Did-did you know that sea turtles can grow to be five feet long, and weigh six hundred and ninety pounds?" Quinn enthused. "The largest one they ever found weighed almost nine hundred!"
No.
Rachel had not known that. But she didn't need to be hearing about thousand pound shelled beasts of the sea when she was wading around Turtle Bay.
Something brushed against her leg, and she shrieked and clung tighter to Quinn. Quinn chuckled and steadied her. Rachel looked down and saw that the monster was still pressing into her leg.
Were they fucking blind? Was she being attacked?
"Quinn! What is it doing!" Rachel tried to climb up Quinn's body, but only got as far as wrapping one leg around her wife's waist.
The turtles seemed to be actively seeking Rachel out. Singling her out. Maybe she was the weakling. The one they could break most easily. Could they sense that? Did turtles hunt in packs?
What the fuck did turtles eat?
"They can see. They're just very friendly. Like you." Quinn explained sweetly. She took Rachel's hand in her own and tried to guide it towards the water. "Look, you can touch him."
Oh yeah, throw her to the lions.
Rachel was screaming internally as Quinn placed her hand on the turtle's back. It was solid and slimy. But it didn't move because of how fascinated it was with Rachel's leg. Rachel pulled her hand away after a moment. It was like petting a rock. The most exciting rock in the world.
Quinn looked gleeful that she'd actually gotten Rachel to touch it.
When Rachel found herself at Shark Cove the next day, she feared it would go in much the same direction that Turtle Bay had.
Caressing the namesake.
Quinn might love animals just enough to take her swimming with sharks. Oh, a great white, he's adorable! Fortunately the little bay was shark free and perfect for snorkeling.
Rachel collapsed, soaking wet, next to Quinn on the sand after swallowing gallons of salt water and exhausting herself trying to find a fucking octopus. She had been successful, and Quinn had been delighted. Quinn was also as red as the bikini she was wearing. Rachel reached out and touched her shoulder carefully.
"You always get burned, baby." She murmured sympathetically.
"I think we should make a bucket list." Quinn stated, like she was continuing a separate conversation.
Alright. Different pages again. Rachel blinked.
"What?" she asked, watching as Quinn's skin changed colors when she pressed her fingers into it. She was turning into a chameleon, and Rachel was a little worried. They'd used SPF 85, which Rachel actually had to buy online. Nothing should be able to burn wearing that.
"Now we're married, and you can't run away from me," Quinn continued with a smile, "we should make a list of fun things to do before we're old like elephants."
Rachel laughed. "I won't run away from you."
"Yes. You're trapped." Quinn agreed happily. She got distracted for a second when she pressed her fingers into her own pink skin and watched it change colors. Then she looked back at Rachel brightly. "And one of your things is to-to star in a production on the West End, right? Live in London for a year?"
Rachel blinded herself by opening her eyes into the sun in her surprise. She nodded. Of course Quinn remembered that tiny little fact she'd shared once on one of their dates in New York.
"And you'll come with me." Rachel added, just to be sure.
Quinn sat up, shielding her eyes and blinking at the head rush and possible sun stroke. "Because I have chained you to me, little bear."
Her voice was melodic, like a dream. Rachel wanted to immerse herself in it.
"No, because you lured me in and made me fall in love with you." Rachel corrected.
Quinn laughed. She palmed her own stomach, watching her hand leave a print. Rachel winced. Then Quinn pounced on top of her, knocking Rachel back into the sand. She hovered over Rachel like a giant tomato.
"We need to get you out of the sun." Rachel observed, eyeing her wife's smirk.
Quinn leaned down and kissed both her cheeks and her forehead. "We need to go see the octopus again."
Quinn was probably the same color as some of those fish now. She could camouflage herself and live at the bottom of the sea if she wanted. She could be Sebastian from The Little Mermaid.
"You'll be in pain soon." Rachel countered, tapping Quinn's nose.
"The octopus will take my pain away."
And that was the story of Rachel Berry's wife. Perfectly summed up into one sentence. The octopus would take her pain away.
~oooooooooo~
The octopus did not take the pain away. Quinn was now lying face down on the hotel room bed, naked except for her bikini bottoms, while Rachel gently rubbed cool aloe gel on her flaming back. And face and chest and stomach and arms. Every inch of exposed skin.
Quinn moaned grumpily the whole time.
"Maybe you'll listen to me next time." Rachel remarked with a sympathetic smile.
Quinn pressed her face into the mattress and huffed. Rachel watched her shoulders move up and down.
"Does this feel better?" Rachel asked, bending over so her mouth was next to Quinn's ear. She plastered on another layer of cool gel and fanned it with her hands.
Quinn made a muffled grumbly noise.
Rachel tugged on her hair. "Can I have a thank you kiss?" she whispered, eyes smiling.
Quinn stayed still for a second, and then lifted her red face off the blankets, kissed the corner of Rachel's mouth, and dropped her head back down. Rachel ruffled her hair.
She finished applying the aloe and moved to sit cross-legged in front of Quinn so that she wasn't blocking the AC vents. Quinn grabbed her foot and kissed her toes, which were wrapped in Band-Aids because some of the shells on the beach were like shivs carved by the hermit crabs.
Hawaii was fucking dangerous.
Rachel's phone vibrated, and she picked it up to see that it was Santana.
Oh God. Cornelius had done something.
"Hello, Santana." Rachel greeted, running her hands through Quinn's hair as her wife played with her toes.
"Okay." Santana started off loudly like she was about fly off the handle. "Your god damn red dragon dog won't come anywhere near me. And he won't eat his food. This giant white monster thing that you call an animal keeps throwing himself at your fucking fish tank. I'm pretty sure two of your fish are dead, Barnaby had Flappy's leg in his mouth earlier, and that black and white demon has vanished and I'm sure he's plotting some kind of fucking attack, and Jesus Christ Berry, I hate your animals."
Rachel nodded along. She'd expected nothing less. She gave a thumbs up to Quinn, who dragged her head into Rachel's lap and started kissing her thighs instead of her toes.
"Did you kill my fish?" Rachel asked, just to be antagonistic because she was two thousand miles away. Rachel knew she had probably accidentally killed her own fish, and Santana was just discovering it now.
"I don't have fucking time for this." Santana answered in a muffled voice. Rachel heard a thump, a yell, and a crash. Cornelius had been found.
"Okay, just leave Char alone." Rachel instructed, ignoring the scuffle. "Put him in the office with his bowl and he'll eat it. Lock Cloud in the bathroom, and do what you wish with the fish." Rachel said semi-calmly. Quinn was too busy kissing along Rachel's inner thigh to care that somebody had killed the fish.
Rachel was trying not to moan into the phone. She eyed the smooth red skin of Quinn's back, the curve of her shoulder blades. She was the same color as Char. As fire.
"Santana, I have to go." She said quickly, breathlessly. Quinn had started making sounds.
"I'm just gonna throw 'em all in the bathroom until you get back, good?" Santana stated. "How's it going? If you answered the phone while you're having sex, Berry-"
Rachel made a garbled noise in the negative as Quinn moved even further up her thigh. "Nope. Nope. Not…right now."
"Aw, Jesus. You-you…" Santana couldn't seem to find the word, but Rachel could hear the smile in her voice. "Just…Don't get eaten by a shark. And don't let miss sunshine get carried away by a dolphin pod."
They could make Quinn their leader. Leader of the dolphins.
That was nice. Rachel chuckled, and then gasped when Quinn started tugging at her shorts. She threaded a hand through blonde hair to hold her back for a second.
"I…" What had Santana said? What was Rachel responding to? "…will try." She finished. Santana hung up with a laugh, and Quinn finally hooked her fingers around the elastic of Rachel's shorts.
Just as somebody knocked on the door. Rachel groaned. She patted Quinn's hair back down and rolled off the bed to walk into the front room for the food they'd ordered. Quinn grumbled and swiped at her butt. When Rachel returned with a tray of pasta and dessert, Quinn had vanished.
Rachel saw that the sliding door to the patio was open, and she smiled to herself. She walked outside to the Jacuzzi and laughed at the sight of Quinn relaxing in a mountain of bubbles. Slightly wide-eyed. God, that couldn't be good for sunburn.
It was like immersing yourself in lava to extinguish a fire.
"Isn't that too hot, baby?" Rachel asked, sitting down on the edge so her legs were in the water.
Quinn nodded, a little frantically. "It's really-it's really hot. But I like the bubbles. They feel nice."
Rachel hummed and patted Quinn's head. "It doesn't hurt?"
Quinn blinked and shook her head. A little too quickly. "I like the bubbles and the jets." She said again.
Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Are you naked, baby?"
Rachel knew the answer. Every chance Quinn got.
Quinn looked up at Rachel and smiled. She pushed away from the edge and bobbed in the middle of the hot tub. "Come in here." She suggested lowly, winking, and then wincing at the burn on her face. She sank further into the water so that she could blow bubbles with her mouth, and all Rachel could see were her eyes.
She was the cutest sea monster ever.
Rachel put the tray down before she accidentally filled the Jacuzzi with spaghetti and mango smoothie. She untied her bikini top and slid the bottoms down her legs before slipping smoothly into the water. Quinn wrapped her up immediately.
"Happy honeymoon." She murmured into Rachel's neck. Rachel smiled. Her elbow knocked a smoothie into the water and she squealed a little in surprise. Quinn put Rachel on her lap and handed her the other smoothie.
"I wish we could have a bath in a smoothie." Quinn remarked absently, holding up the straw for Rachel and running a hand along her thigh.
Quinn was obviously not thinking this through. Yeah, let's have an ice bath together. That'll be fun. Then to warm up, we can bathe in some coffee.
And God, there was something blasting into Rachel's back and it felt amazing.
Rachel put the smoothie back down and turned around so that she was straddling one of Quinn's thighs. She took a moment to just watch Quinn's dark eyes, and she ran a finger lightly along Quinn's bright red jaw before kissing the trail it left.
"Rachel." Quinn whispered. She glanced around like she was making sure nobody was looking. It was dark, and they'd already been naked for about ten minutes, so there was really no point.
"We can cross it off our bucket list." Rachel murmured, watching the drops of hot water roll over Quinn's shoulders. She leaned in and kissed them away, following them with a broad stroke of her tongue.
Quinn was vibrating. Or the bubbles made it seem like she was. These were some intense bubbles. They were like mini volcanos. If the hot tub was any bigger, Rachel would be legitimately worried about drowning in a whirlpool.
"I haven't made my list yet." Quinn whispered.
Rachel brushed her fingertips along Quinn's stomach, delighting when the body underneath hers tensed.
"Then this can be number one." She reasoned.
"I-I also want to be in a-in a room with a hundred and one Dalmatians. That's-that's on my list." Quinn stuttered out, looking like she was having a very hard time controlling herself. Or that volcano was blasting her in the same place it was getting Rachel earlier.
Rachel had to laugh against Quinn's shoulder though. That was the perfect item for her bucket list.
Quinn's fingers ran up higher on Rachel's thighs, and she pressed her face against Rachel's chest before remembering that her skin was basically on fire. And that hurt. She whined a little bit and Rachel kissed right under her ears, where the skin was less affected.
Quinn pushed her thigh up, and Rachel nipped her ear as she pulled back.
"That can be…number two." Rachel moaned, shifting so that Quinn's fingers could push into her.
Quinn brushed her nose against Rachel's. An eskimo kiss. "I-I want to…go and see wild, um, wild polar bears in the arctic. That's-that's on my bucket list."
Hmm. Well.
Rachel had inspired an arctic expedition. That would be fun. She wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck and rolled her hips, watching the water lap up around their bodies. She tried not to press herself too close because of Quinn's burn, but her wife's hair was sun-bleached and her eyes were shining and she just looked so delightful.
Rachel moved her own hand down, grazing her fingers against the concrete seat and then along Quinn's soft thigh.
"I want…to do this. Everywhere." Rachel breathed out. "That's numbers one through…one thousand. On my list. Just this."
Quinn grinned, pleased. "Why not a million? Don't-don't limit me, little bear."
Oh, no. Rachel would never do that. She smiled and latched onto Quinn's neck, picking up the pace. Quinn was sinking lower in the water, but if Rachel died having sex in a hot tub, well…Was there really any better way to go?
Quinn arched her back and shuddered and Rachel felt like she'd been caught in that jet all over again
Rachel would gladly trek five hundred miles in the snow to see wild polar bears with this woman.
~oooooooooo~
Rachel was not a runner. The last time she'd tried had been in a 5K for dogs three years ago, and she'd ended up being carried across the finish line. She stayed in shape by dancing her ass off in Funny Girl, and then in the classes she mentored at the university. Sometimes she and Quinn would bike through the redwoods, and she seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time walking her dogs through random patches of wilderness.
So she should be able to hike for more than half an hour without feeling like she was going to pass out. Really, Diamond Head wasn't high enough to cause oxygen deprivation. It wasn't fucking Everest. There were children skipping past Rachel on the path.
Rachel was ready to push them over the edge.
She plodded along next to Quinn, who'd slowed down to accommodate her snail pace. Quinn looked concerned. Rachel kept shrugging it off.
"We're almost…there, baby." Rachel panted, eyes fixed on her feet to make sure she didn't trip. "I'll take a break at the top. I can-I can handle it."
Because she should be able to handle it. This wasn't normal.
Quinn hummed uncertainly. She put a hand on the small of Rachel's back like she was afraid she'd keel over at any second.
"Well, there's a…good view from here. We could just turn around now." Quinn suggested, slowing down even further.
Rachel shook her head, but that made her vision go blurry and she stopped abruptly and blinked.
"Your nose is bleeding." Quinn said suddenly from somewhere to her side. Rachel focused her eyes on her wife and lifted her hand up to her nose. Quinn spoke the truth. Rachel let Quinn guide her over to a bench so that they didn't both fall off the cliff.
She could see the headlines. Former Broadway star topples over volcano edge, dragging wife with her. It would be an interesting read. It would be even more interesting if they fell in to an active volcano. Rachel would probably be able to make that happen.
She clutched her nose until Quinn pulled her hand away and replaced it with a clump of tissues. She pinched Rachel's nose and tilted her head forward, ignoring the odd looks from the people filing up the cramped pathway.
Oh, nosebleed? Celebrity? Too many drugs.
"Does anything hurt? Your head? Do you feel sick?" Quinn asked anxiously, checking Rachel's forehead for a temperature and then looking into her eyes.
"Bo." Rachel replied, tilted forward and staring at the ground.
Quinn kissed the side of her head and rubbed her back. "Do you-is it the altitude?"
Rachel would've snorted, but that would have been extremely disgusting with Quinn's hand and the bloodied tissues involved. She gestured vaguely at the four year olds frolicking up the side of the volcano in front of them.
"I'b neber had a probleb before."
And again, this wasn't Everest.
The dizziness was fading, and Rachel felt less like she needed some kind of pressurized chamber to live in for the rest of her life. Or an oxygen tank. Quinn slowly pulled her hand away from Rachel's nose, and tilted her up by the chin.
She examined the damage and frowned. Rachel almost smiled.
"I think-I think it stopped bleeding." Quinn stated, wiping away the dried blood with a water bottle-soaked cloth. She wiped Rachel's hands as well and then leaned forward and kissed Rachel's cheek.
"Lean forward again, baby." She instructed softly. "I didn't get it all."
Rachel obeyed. Quinn finished with her nose and tapped it fondly.
"My mouth tastes like blood." Rachel complained quietly, licking her lips and looking for a place to spit discreetly without seeming like a slob.
Quinn turned Rachel around and then stood up to block her from everybody else. "Spit it out and drink this, little bear." She said, holding out a water bottle. Full of fruit punch. Because Quinn loved fruit punch.
And chocolate milk would only turn gross in the sun.
Rachel did as she was told, and then stood up and looked at Quinn expectantly. Quinn looped an arm through hers and took a step back down the path, but Rachel halted and raised her eyebrows.
"We're making it to the top." She stated, no room for argument.
Quinn looked stricken. "But-but you're not well."
"It's five more minutes, Quinn. It'll be worth it."
Quinn stared at Rachel for a moment, and then turned around and leaned forward, arms out to the sides. "Only if I can carry you. I don't-I don't want you falling off the edge of a mountain."
Rachel sighed and smiled, climbing onto Quinn's back. Quinn lifted her easily, only flinching lightly at the pressure on her burn, and strode on up the path. Rachel wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck and kissed the blonde hair in front of her.
"Thank you, baby."
Quinn exhaled lightly and bounced like a horse. She twisted her head to side eye Rachel. "Please don't get blood in my hair. And don't move around because you'll peel all my skin off."
Rachel grimaced and patted Quinn's head. By the time they reached the top of Diamond Head, she'd turned half of Quinn's cropped hair into a French braid, and the other half into mini dreads which came undone as soon as Quinn shook her hair out.
Rachel was looking for somebody to take their picture when Quinn stepped forward and smiled at an older woman standing alone by the rail. Rachel smiled to herself.
"Hi. I-would you mind taking our picture, please?" Quinn asked nicely, holding up the camera and gesturing to Rachel.
Rachel didn't even mind that her nose was swollen and her face was red, because having Waikiki in the background would make up for all of that. Hopefully. If not, Photoshop was invented for a reason. And Rachel had to know somebody that knew how to use it.
"Of course, dear." The woman answered. Quinn bounced back to Rachel and wrapped both arms around her, grinning widely. Rachel chuckled and returned the gesture. The woman snapped the picture, and Quinn thanked her profusely.
She showed it to Rachel. There was some strange fat man sauntering through the right side of the frame, but they could crop that out easily. Rachel was laughing, and Quinn pointed to it delightedly.
"You're such a cutie, baby." She commented, not taking her eyes off the picture.
"I look inebriated." Rachel whined.
Quinn shook her head. "You look like a sweetheart. And it's going on our office wall."
Rachel didn't bother arguing. Quinn looked nice enough in the picture for the both of them. She let Quinn check her nose again, and then climbed onto her back for the journey back down the volcano.
~oooooooooo~
Rachel ordered the "Portabella Volcano" on their last night in Hawaii because it seemed fitting. And intense. And she couldn't not order anything that had "volcano" in the title at this moment. This point in her life.
She sat across from Quinn, watching her wife's bright red face frown down at the menu. She smiled to herself.
"It's all seafood." Quinn lamented.
It was a seafood restaurant. Because every single restaurant around them was a seafood restaurant. Rachel eyed the kids' menu.
"They have grilled cheese, babe." She offered.
Quinn puffed out her cheeks and narrowed her eyes. It was still hard to take her seriously because of how red she was. She was like an angry tomato. A frowny face drawn on a red balloon. "Maybe I should just get shrimp."
Rachel reached over and flicked the menu so that Quinn would look up. "Not if it'll make you sick. You'll be a big, sick, burnt blob and completely useless to me."
Quinn stared at her. "You'd take care of me, right? If I turned into a blob?"
Rachel had to laugh. She could imagine Quinn as a Ditto. Bright pink with a smiling face. "I'd still love you." She assured. "I could put you in a bucket and carry you around everywhere."
Quinn looked satisfied with that answer.
The waiter came up to the table and took Rachel's order. He looked expectantly at Quinn, who glanced at Rachel, and then blinked exaggeratedly and gazed up at the waiter.
"I'll have grilled cheese. Please." She ordered.
"Would you like two orders?" The waiter asked easily. "They come in child sizes."
Quinn nodded immediately. Give her all the grilled cheese.
The waiter turned to go, and Quinn swiveled back to him abruptly. "Um, wait, please." She called, gesturing to Rachel's empty glass when he turned around. "Could you please bring my wife another smoothie?"
Rachel caught sight of the wedding ring on Quinn's finger and felt that shock run up her spine for the thousandth time. She smiled sweetly at Quinn as the waiter walked away.
"Give me a kiss, bear." She said, leaning halfway across the table and puckering her lips.
Quinn stayed seated, pressing her lips together in a smile. "You're going to spill my milk."
But that was nothing. Rachel was guaranteed to spill at least one beverage at every dinner involving a tablecloth. She might as well get a kiss out of it.
"Give me a kiss." She said again, raising her eyebrows to urge Quinn to hurry up.
Quinn hummed and studied Rachel's eyes. She scrunched up her face like she was thinking about it, and then finally leaned forward and planted one on Rachel's lips. Rachel knocked her empty smoothie glass to the table as she sat back down.
"Are you ready for this?" she asked vaguely, smiling when Quinn licked her lips.
Quinn took a couple straws in her hands and started playing table drums. "For what?"
"For…our lives together, as a married couple when we go home tomorrow." Rachel said happily. She plucked one of the straws from Quinn's hand and set it out of reach.
"Always." Quinn replied with a flush. She put her hands under the table and leaned forward, expression turning a bit more serious. Rachel was unfazed. Quinn used her serious face to talk about hippos and turtles, as well as actual serious things.
"Maybe, when-when we get back, you should see a doctor." She suggested quietly.
Rachel could feel the table shaking from Quinn's bouncy leg. Or her Portabella Volcano was making an early arrival.
"Quinn, I'm fine. I was just lightheaded." Rachel assured, just as quietly.
Quinn bit her lip. "You've run out of breath a lot lately. I mean-maybe just to make sure. I'll have a check-up too. Please."
Rachel sighed. She tapped Quinn's feet with her own under the table to get them to stop bouncing, and then smiled when all was still again.
"Okay." She agreed. Regular check-ups were extremely important, and she hadn't had one in a year.
Quinn smiled and nodded. "Good. And then we can-we can go see Sam at SeaWorld. And you can get back to directing your play. I can prepare for my second year at Davis. And-God…" she sighed and trailed off.
Rachel grabbed her hand under the table. "What, bear?"
Quinn shook her head. Her eyes were shiny, but she smiled brightly. "I-I love you so much. I'm so excited. I'm so glad I'm your wife. I get to have you every day."
Rachel knew the feeling. It hit her at random moments, like ten minutes ago when she'd caught sight of her wedding ring. And when she was standing at the top of a volcano suffering from something akin to altitude sickness.
It was dangerous.
"I love you too." Rachel said with a fond smile. She leaned over to kiss Quinn again, laughing into Quinn's mouth when she knocked the milk over on her way.
Quinn blocked it with her arm so that it wouldn't drip into Rachel's lap, and Rachel had another one of those oh-my-God-I'm-married-to-Quinn-Fabray moments. It seemed like they would never stop coming.