Rachel Berry

'Patience is the key to all'

The next morning large streaks of sunlight broke out through the cracks of large dark curtains. Heavy eyelids slowly opened and focused up at the ceiling. There was a sharp and painful pounding in my head. I've got the biggest headache in the world! What the hell did I do last night? Did something happ- Oh Realization popped into my head as flashes from last night trickled in. Did last night really happen or am I just getting fucked in the head? I gazed up at the ceiling, feeling the deep edge crust in my eyes. There is no way I could ever make it up in my head. Last night happened. IT HAPPENED. Quinn Fucking Fabray… What the hell did you do to me? I still can't believe it… I'm a little convinced that I dreamed up all of this. But then again, why would I dream about her?

I wouldn't

Would I?

Last night was the first time that she was ever nice to me. She was actually nice! But why? Is she still fucking with me? She couldn't have changed this much since the last time I saw her. But she was nice and quite sweet. She actually stayed with me and listened to everything last night. She didn't laugh, she didn't mock or torment me. She just listened. She-she took care of me.

Oh, what the hell am I talking about? This is Quinn Fabray were talking about here! She doesn't take care of people, and she sure as hell isn't nice to them.

Except for the fact that she HAS changed quite a lot.

Are we friends now?

Oh, for fuck's sake Rachel PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER! I don't understand what exactly happened last night but….

She touched me.

Immediately a wave of heat exploded through my body. I shook my head and quickly pushed my thoughts aside. She didn't touch me. She just wiped away a few tears. There was no physical touching. AT ALL! Besides, she didn't need to do that. I told her she didn't but she insisted... I slowly started shifting around in the bed. Yeah, but she did. And you totally liked it. An internal gasp rang through my body. DID NOT! I DID NOT LIKE THAT! My eyes darted to the clock on the bedside table. 9:02 am. She was so gentle though…. I would have loved to have felt her hands running over me. Out of the corner of my eye a figure shifted. Immediately I spotted a pair of small green eyes staring at me from the corner of the bed. A small shriek escaped from the back of my throat as I quickly sat up in bed.

"Duke? What are you doing in here?" I asked, completely shocked and surprised by his early morning presence.

"What were you just thinking about?" the curly haired boy asked.

My jaw fell open as an intense heat flooded my cheeks. Don't say Quinn… "Nothing." I lied, hoping it didn't sound like one.

Duke smirked before lifting one of his eyebrows in a very Fabray manner. "Really?" he asked skeptically. "I thought due to all the time we spent together yesterday, that maybe you would find me as a confidant."

What did I expect? Of course he knew I was lying. Smart little boy. "Really it's nothing." I replied confidently this time.

The younger boy eyed me for a few seconds, studying me with a close eye. It's a little unnerving how observant the boy is but I Rachel Berry am an amazing actress. I can fool anybody. After a while a large smile worked its way onto his face. He suddenly shifted his position on the bed, stretching his arms high in the air. "Did you know that you hum a little when you sleep?" He asked with a fascinated tone.

I narrowed my eyes at him and slowly pulled myself up into a sitting position. "You're lying! I do not hum." I replied with an appalled tone.

The younger boy threw me a pointed look before crawling further up the bed until he was sitting right next to me. "I'm sorry to have to tell you Rachel, but you do. I find it quite intriguing. It sounds like a soft melody that has this wheezy tone to it. It actually reminds me of a cute little mouse taking a nap during a heated afternoon. But anyways, I'd much rather prefer your humming than to Quinn's snoring. She'll deny it of course, but she does, extremely loudly I might add. "

A ripple of laughter ricocheted through Quinn's room. He can't be serious. Just the thought of picturing Quinn snore made it seem highly unrealistic. She's Quinn Fabray. She's perfect….

"Well then thank you for telling me. However, you still haven't addressed the issue currently at hand. Why are you in here watching me sleep? You know it's kind of creepy and in some cultures people believe that to be rude."

Duke smiled widely before rolling his eyes. "To put it lamely, I was extremely bored. My father is out running errands and Quinn is still asleep. Which is odd because Quinn never sleeps after 8 am. I'll have to get to the bottom of that sooner or later. So, since you were in here I thought that I would get acquainted with your sleeping habits and make a few observations comparing the differences between how you and Quinn sleep."

My brows lifted as I stared at the boy before me, really taking him in. His big green expressive eyes were bright and full of this indescribable happiness. He radiated this great kind of energy that was pure genius. And in a way I couldn't help but recognize that there was something about him that I could relate to. Sure, he's just a kid, but there's no denying that I was exactly like him at his age. The only difference between us now is that I've experienced the harsh and true reality of this world. Despite all the hard work I put into making my dream come true, it was worth nothing. Nothing at all. Will he end up like me too? A small heavy plate weighed down against my chest. That wouldn't be a tragedy, that's heartbreak. I tore my eyes away from the younger boy and casted them down to my legs. What a way to start off the morning…

"Are you ever going to get up anytime soon?"Duke broke the small silence.

I met his eyes and at that moment I couldn't help the rather large smile that graced my face. No, he's not going to end up like me. He's way too smart for that…. "Come on, let's head downstairs." I replied with a gentle tone.

We made our way down the stairs, Duke taking the lead. As we finally reached the last step my eyes randomly wandered across to the large open living room. A light burning rang through my chest as memories from last night flickered through my head. My attention was solely focused on zooming into the living room with my x-ray vision. Blindly, I accidently ran into the smaller body in front of me. Both Duke and I hovered near the entrance of the living room, taking in the scene. What first caught my attention was the messy blonde hair displayed all over the coffee table. Is that Quinn? At that moment the blonde haired figure shifted. Yep, that's her alright. A few pieces from her hair fell away from her face, revealing the sleeping ex cheerleader. Her face looked calm and quite utterly breathe taking. But of course, when does she ever look anything but amazing. An inch away from her face was her laptop already opened with a dark screen. Papers were scattered everywhere around her. It looked like she had a long night. From my spot by the door I could see her shoulders rising up and down in a slow movement. By the way she was positioned she looked extremely uncomfortable. How she had managed to sleep in that position is beyond me.

And then…..

"CAHHHHHHGHhhhhhcahgh"

My eyes widened with shock. What the fuck was that? Did she- did she just snore? She just fucking snored! HOLY SHIT! Quinn Fabray just snored! She actually SNORES…. All the thoughts in my head began reeling with this newfound information. Quinn Fabray snores. It feels so surreal in this moment. This girl is basically at the top of this imaginary pedestal. Practically no one can touch her. No one! She's practically this robot cyborg creature that's perfect. That's how I've always seen her. Except today she's one step down from that pedestal. One step closer to being human.

"She looks dead." Duke whispered in a low tone. "She even sounds like it too. I bet she would be an amazing extra for The Walking Dead. With that snoring of hers she'd make one scary freaking zombie."

An involuntary laugh rumbled through my throat. She looks wonderful. Her snoring on the other hand…. completely different story. "She must've been working late." I replied .

Duke furrowed his brows before shifting his gaze over to me. "On what? Quinn always does her homework after school. She doesn't like to waste any time. So I'm quite curious as to what exactly she's working on."

I shook my head. "I have no idea. Maybe it's something for her job?" I suggested.

The curly haired boy shrugged his shoulders just as the front door swung open with a loud bang. Mr. Cooper walked in with a large brown bag full of groceries. His large green eyes landed on me, a light smile tugging at his rugged face. "Good morning guys did you sleep well?" he asked.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Quinn's frame start to move. "I slept very well last night. And how about yourself?" I asked.

Mr. Cooper walked into the kitchen to set down the bags. "Oh, I slept pretty amazing last night. I had a dream about being inside the Game Of Thrones. I totally had a dragon and everything. It was super awesome." The man called out from the other room.

More movement resonated through the living room. My eyes darted to the mess of blonde hair. Then a low growling noise emerged from the ex cheerleader. "Oh no, she's been awakened." Duke whispered.

Cooper rejoined us at the entrance of the living room, his eyes landing on the blonde's sleeping form. "I'm going to go get the other bags…" Cooper trailed off as he quickly rushed out of the front door. Duke quickly grabbed my hand and started tugging me to the kitchen with him.

"What's going on?" I asked a little confused.

"No time, we've gotta move!" Duke stated in a serious tone.

"Am I missing something here?" I tried once more.

But it was already too late. At that moment the blonde's head lifted up from the table in an instant. Her hazel eyes darted over to us with a frustrated look in her eyes. Dark bags dug into her eyes. One of her cheeks contained a deep red circular pattern from where she had slept on the coffee table. Quinn eyed us dangerously. A small shiver traveled through me as her eyes landed on me. I bit down on my lower lip as those eyes bore into me. That dangerous look in her eyes seemed to shift into something else. A look she had never given me before. Without even knowing why, my heart started speeding up. It's something about the way she's looking at me…. That look. It's almost primal. A small heat began to filter onto my cheeks. Goodness is she always so good looking? Ohh, why is she looking at me like that? An urge began to take over me, one that wanted to walk over to her and… More heat developed in my already overheating body at my unfinished thought. Shit shit shit! Once these feelings became too overwhelming I tore my gaze away from her and settled for looking down at Duke. Shit where was Duke? Little traitor left me! Alone! With QUINN.

There was a shift from the couch and before I knew it Quinn was right in front of me. I automatically fixed my eyes up to her. Shock radiated through me at how close she was. I could feel her warm breath hit my face. My legs started to tremble as her eyes looked down at my lips. This is a dream. A fucking intense sex dream about her. That's all. There's no way she….. holy shit she's leaning in closer. Is she going to-

Instinctively I licked my lips and held my breath. Her face just barely an inch away from me. Those hazel eyes looked up into my eyes and I was soon swallowed up in the sea of Quinn Fabray. My heart squeezed with anticipation.

Suddenly she pulled back, her features morphing into shock and realization. Immediately the other girl backed away and looked down at the ground, a red tinge brushing across her cheeks. "Good morning Rachel." She quickly rasped out in an airy tone that made the back of my knees tingle. No words or thoughts could be formed as I watched her quickly disappear up the stairs. I followed her every movement until I could no longer see her. Once she was out of sight air seemed to rush to me in waves. I placed a hand over my beating heart and drew a long breath.

What the hell just happened?

The moment ended all too soon when Duke rushed back into the room and practically dragged me into the kitchen. Cooper was already in there unloading all of the groceries. "Do you need any help?" I asked.

Cooper glanced up from the pantry, a packet of sauce mix tucked in between his lips. He shook his dark hair and deposited the arm load of cans into the pantry. Duke clambered up onto the bar seat and patted the seat next to him. I rolled my eyes and made my way over to him before sitting down. Traitor…

"Did you talk with your fathers yesterday?" Cooper asked once he got rid of the packet in his mouth.

I nodded my head. "Yes, I called them yesterday to tell them where I was. They were really freaked out and worried about me. Not that I blame them. If I were them I'd probably freak out too."

"How did they take the news?"

"I told them everything that happened from start to finish. They were both really supportive about the entire thing. I just feel really bad about the way I handled it. I should've at least thought about what I was doing. They were really really worried about me and I shouldn't have put them in that kind of position. Not to mention what I've put on you and Quinn…"

"No, don't go there." Cooper interrupted. "Despite the situation that's happened in the past and what's happening now, I'm glad that you came here. It's not safe for a girl like you to be out and about like that. You are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you want."

A warm and gentle smile filled the older man's face. "Thank you Cooper. I really do appreciate all that you have done for me. But I should tell you that I won't be staying much longer. After talking it out with my parents I've come to realize that I really need to be around people who support me. And I think I'm finally ready to go home. I'm ready to face the music."

"You're a very smart girl Rachel, and I have no doubt in my mind that you're going to bounce back from this. This is going to make you stronger-"

At that moment a flash of blonde hair entered the kitchen. Immediately my shoulders tensed as the ex cheerleader trudged her way to the fridge. My eyes moved with the mass of blonde. She has finally joined us… I wonder what's going through her head now. Does she feel weird? I feel weird. What was that in there? Is she on something? That would make sense, she is in therapy now. It must be her meds or something. Psh, to even think that she was about to… NO! don't even think it. It's ridiculous. You know what, it never happened. I think maybe I just made all this up in my head.

Or maybe she is on meds.

Suddenly all eyes were on me, including the pair of hazel eyes that were buried in the fridge. Oh shit, did I just say all that out loud? No, it doesn't look like it but… Quinn's eyes continued looking at me with a lifted brow. Why is she looking at like that? Actually why is everyone staring at me in general? Did I do something? Is there something on my face? Did she catch me staring at her? Then Quinn's face shifted into a cocky smirk. I could feel my face heat up like summer.

"I'm sorry what?" I asked with a hesitant tone, peeling my eyes away from the smirking Quinn.

Cooper laughed before emptying his hands of a box of macaroni. "Don't worry about it, it wasn't anything important."

My face grew even hotter. Shit, he was still talking to me. Gosh, that is sooo embarrassing. Why wasn't I listening? Oh- right. Quinn Fabray.

"Cooper I have a favor to ask." Quinn's raspy voice finally spoke up after a while.

"What's up?" he asked with a large smile.

"So… I know this is going to sound a little sketchy with the lack of details and last minute planning but I really need to take a trip out of town today."

Cooper lifted his brow and eyed Quinn with a curious gaze. He licked his lips and drummed his fingers against the counter. "Hmmm." He hummed. "Where to?"

"Charleston." The blonde replied immediately.

Her uncle's brow lifted and his jaw fell open a bit. "As in West Virginia Charleston?" he asked.

Quinn nodded her head. "Look, I get that it sounds weird and it's super spontaneous. But there's something really important that I need to take care of and I can't really give you all the details right now. But I promise that I will text you when I get the chance and I will tell you everything once I get back."

I was confused. Why the hell is she going to Charleston? What's there? Is she leaving to avoid me? Fuck- when she leaves, she leaves doesn't she? Jesus, I thought we got past this already! If she was trying to avoid me then she shouldn't have to travel all the way out to fucking Charleston. I can take the fucking hint….

"Why? Is there something wrong?" Cooper asked worry filling his eyes.

Quinn quickly shook her head. "No, it's not anything to worry about. I just need to do this."

"I'm afraid I don't understand…." Cooper trailed off.

The blonde threw her arms around the taller man and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "You're just going to have to trust me on this Coop."

Cooper looked down at the blonde, with confusion. "I really don't like the idea of you going out there all by yourself…"

"I'll go with her!" Duke quickly jumped in.

"Actually, Rachel will be joining me."

At that moment hazel eyes landed on me. Wait, what? I opened my mouth to say something but found that I was completely speechless and utterly confused. What is she talking about? What the hell is happening?

"How long are you guys going to be there for?" Cooper asked.

Quinn unhooked herself from Cooper's waist and looked over at me. "We're going to make a day trip. So we should be back later on tonight."

"I really don't like this." The older man stated.

"Me neither!" Duke threw in.

"I know but I promise to tell you everything as soon as I get back. I promise!" And then Quinn nodded her head before walking towards me. "You should go get ready."

Words finally popped into my head, "B-but Quinn-"

"No talking just go get ready, we need to leave in…." she looked down at her cell phone. "10 minutes."

Say what?

"Why are we going to Charleston?" I asked once the car was finally on the highway.

Hazel eyes stared out into the road, mindlessly focusing ahead. She hasn't said a word to me since we left her house. The undeniable tension that filled the car was racking up every nerve I had and it was making me restless. It was unnerving and unbearable. I still don't understand what it is that's between us that can cause such a strong presence. It's suffocating. And that's why I needed her to say something. ANYTHING!

Back when she was still at McKinley I was used to the usual old tension that was between us. But now these days, this is a different kind of tension. And I don't even know how to describe it. I have to say that whatever this is, this new kind of tension, it's a lot scarier than the first.

It's powerful, strong, and somewhat electrifying.

What am I even saying? Maybe I should be the one on meds. Do you think Quinn would let me borrow some?

Silence filled the car except for the occasional car that rushed by us. 30 minutes had passed and still I couldn't get anything from her. My mind was racing. Is this considered kidnapping? Can you accidently be coerced into kidnapping? What would I say to the police? Yeah, I let Quinn Fabray take me to some random state… No, I didn't even bother to say no…. She said it was important… It was only going to be a day trip…

Suddenly Quinn's arm reached out and opened the glove box. I watched as her hand grew a set of eyes and easily moved about the junk. When her hand found what it was looking for she closed the box. Before I could process anything an IPod was being stuffed into my hands.

"Choose a song Rachel. It's going to be a long ride." Quinn finally spoke.

5 hours later we arrived in the parking lot of what appeared to be a high school. What the hell are we doing here? "Quinn- What are we doing here?" I asked with confusion.

The blonde threw the car in park and turned off the car. A bright smile lit her face as she side eyed me. Judging by my reaction she was getting exactly what she wanted. An eerie feeling came over me. Then her face twisted into that smirk thing she does. Oh gosh, what has she done?

"Quinn?" I asked once more.

"Come on Berry! Let's go!" Quinn responded with a sly smile.

And just like that she quickly hopped out of the car. What the fuck? Okay, enough was enough. I ripped open the car door and clambered out of the car. Once I was out I slammed the car door shut and stormed towards Quinn. The blonde was standing by the front of her car watching me as I made my big approach.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING QUINN FABRAY?" I shouted with anger. "First, you drag me out of the state, WITHOUT even the decency of ASKING me. Then you completely avoid talking to me ALL DAY! YOU haven't even said a word to me other than to put on whatever music I like. AND THAT WAS LIKE 20 HOURS AGO…Seriously are you like on meds or something? Have you finally lost your fucking mind already? Because I swear-

"Rachel, shut up. And just follow." Quinn stated in a firm tone.

With that she turned her back to me and headed up the steps to the school. A large growl rumbled in my throat as I chased after her. Who the hell does she think she is? I'm going to cut this bitch down… Quinn strode up to a table at the entrance of the door. A boy gave her a clipboard and she quickly signed something. Then she walked right through the door. Seriously what the hell?

I should tackle her again. Maybe that would make her ass stop. Then Quinn turned to the right of the hallway and entered through some double doors and disappeared. I rushed in after her and was about to take her down when the entire room was dunked in darkness.

"What the fuck?" I uttered out.

Then out of nowhere a hand reached out and grabbed my arm in a gentle manner. It tugged me around in the darkness until something hit the back of my legs. "Sit down." A voice whispered in my ear. It was Quinn. But what-

Suddenly the room lit up. Immediately I could tell we were in an auditorium. My mouth fell open as I looked over at Quinn. She was already tucked into one of the seats, her feet resting on top of the seat before her. I still didn't understand.

And then Carmen Tibideaux entered the room.

"You might want to take a seat now Rach." Quinn replied with a dark smirk.

"Okay, I still don't get it." I stated in a monotone voice.

My hands were gripping onto my seat, nails digging into the armrest. All of a sudden my stomach was flipping around with a nervous energy. Every part of my body was shaking uncontrollably. I couldn't breathe. Quinn placed a hand on mine and leaned over in her seat. Her warm breath pressed against my ear in a sensual way that accidently sent shivers down my spine. "You go on at 8. If I were you, I'd be remembering how to sing." Came the teasing voice.

I kept checking the time. The minutes quickly ticked by as student after student walked off the stage. My heart was racing and I couldn't keep still anymore. That's why I left the auditorium and waited in the lobby. Quinn was standing up against the wall, her eyes heavily trained on me. "How, could you do this to me?" I asked tossing her a glare.

"Excuse me?" Quinn asked completely taken by surprise.

"You-You can't just do that! You can't- What the hell did you do? How did you even accomplish this? And- FUCK!" I growled out at her. " I haven't had the proper time to prepare and I-"

I was freaking the fuck out. I ran my hands down my face as I continued pacing around the lobby. Okay don't panic, just breathe. Breathe. I can do this. I can do THIS! I'm RACHEL BERRY! It's redemption time.

"Rachel Berry, you're next!" a girl called out from the door to the lobby.

The girl quickly disappeared as I stared after her in shock. I was completely frozen. NO….

"Hey!"Quinn called out as she darted towards me in a rush. Our eyes met. I was immersed in her eyes once more which emptied all the thoughts in my head. A burning feeling started consuming my body. "Show that bitch who Rachel Berry is." And then she wrapped her arms around me. All my senses intensified as a sudden aroma of cinnamon and vanilla filled me. And then before I could even blink she was gone.

Flash. A bright light is being shown on my face. Darkness surrounds the entire audience. My heart is jamming out of my chest. It's hard to breathe. Any minute my legs could give out. I'm shaking. I gaze out into the audience and spot the mass of blonde hair. Damn you Quinn Fabray!

"Rachel Berry, we meet again." Carmen spoke in a mysterious tone.

I nodded my head.

"I usually don't do this Ms. Berry. I think that it's completely unfair to the other students that have already auditioned and tried out. In fact I almost didn't even consider letting you audition again. But, as fate would have it, here you are, and here I am. Thank your friend Quinn Fabray. She's mighty impressive and speaks very highly of you. Now… take it from the top. You only get one shot this time Ms. Berry."

Flash. Sweat is pouring down my face. My eyes are closed. Hands raised in the air. I'm breathless. My heart is pounding wildly. And then my eyes open. Carmen is eyeing me with curiosity. A large beaming smile sweeps across my face. I've mesmerized her. The older woman slowly drops her gaze down her paper before writing something down. After a few more minutes she glances up at me. "You may go now Ms. Berry. You're done. In a few months you will receive a letter about my choice." Then the older lady stood to her feet and gathered her things. "Good job by the way Ms. Berry." She added in.

I gasped. She- she- Carmen quickly disappeared from the auditorium. Omg…. I-I I DID IT! I squealed with laughter as I exploded on the stage. "I DID IT!" Large streaks of tears tumbled down my face as I jumped up and down on the stage. From the corner of my eye a streak of blonde flashed across my vision. And then Quinn appeared. Without even thinking about it I rushed towards her.

Her hazel eyes widened as I lunged at her. She quickly caught me around my waist as I threw my arms around her and squeezed her tightly. "Thank you sooooo much. Thank you- you don't even understand how much this means to me… This- Quinn Thank you!"

I pulled back. She wiped the hair from my face along with a few tears. "You're welcome Rachel. It's the least I can-"

Our lips met. An explosion of fireworks went off inside my chest and burned me alive. I couldn't process anything except for the soft frozen pair of lips that melded into mine. And I could taste a hint of apple somewhere in the mist of fireworks. The world seemed to stop in that moment. And I had finally found what I was looking for. It all seemed to make sense. Every little thing locked into place….. But then suddenly realization popped into my head. This is Quinn Fabray!? Immediately I pulled away in shock.

WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST DO?

"You just kissed me." Quinn answered back with wide eyes.

I bet you thought you wouldn't see me again now did you? But I decided to get this chapter out. I'm terribly sorry that it's taken me this long to get this one out. For some reason I was taken with writers block. Please forgive me! Thanks and tell me your thoughts! Next chapter coming to you soon!