A/N: Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews; they make my day! Glee was actually pretty good last Thursday. Who knew Kurt looked so good shirtless?! As usual I don't own anything.

Chapter 9

"Why does it hurt?" Rachel searched the blonde's face for answers but just saw raw pain.

"Because of this." Quinn whispered as she bent down and pressed firm lips against hers.

When those warm soft lips touched hers Rachel's mind blanked. A sharp haze of pleasure settled over her as Quinn's tongue entered her mouth and stroked hers. As the kiss deepened, Rachel felt heat pool in her belly and between her legs. She vaguely recognized the signs of arousal as she tilted her head to get a better angle on the kiss. Dimly, she felt Quinn push her harder into the door even as her body quivered in response.

Suddenly the pressure against her body was gone as Quinn took several hurried steps backwards. The loss was unwelcome as it put an end to the fiery kiss. Trying to recapture that feeling she licked her lips to remember and savor Quinn's taste. Desire shot through her once again when the blonde moaned softly. Glancing up she met darkened hazel eyes that glittered with anticipation. The brunette thought about reattaching her lips to Quinn's until her brain fully caught up with the situation. Right as Quinn moved in her direction, Rachel put up her hand while she tried desperately to make sense of things.

"Wh...What was that?," Rachel croaked, oddly surprised she could still speak.

"That's why we can't ever be friends," Quinn responded quietly. "I'm in love with you."

"You can't be in love with me!," Rachel cried. Her mind was reeling. Quinn Fabray was in love with her!? How did this happen? When? How long? These a dozen other questions fluttered through her mind as she took in the former Cheerio. The girl was braced for battle, head held high, eyes and face hard as stone.

"Don't tell me how I feel, Rachel," Quinn snapped. She pinched her nose against the sudden headache and sighed. Her shoulders dropped and her eyes shuttered as she looked back at Rachel. "I'm sorry, okay? I never wanted you to know. I really tried not to, but I can't help it." Tears welled up in her eyes and Rachel felt her heart clench.

"I..I have to go," Rachel announced. "I can't handle this right now." Her own eyes filled with tears as she turned to run, not even caring that she was still in her night clothes. As she wrenched the door open an angry Latina stormed into the room.

"Santana! What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question, Shrimp." Santana paused. "I'm here because of the disappearing act you pulled this weekend. Kurt has been even more dramatic than usual. He was annoying me so I came to find you before I was forced to slap him straight." Her voice softened, "I had to get here before you or Q did something stupid."

"Too late for that," Quinn muttered bitterly.

"What did you do, Q? You best not have hurt my Hobbit."

"Don't call her that!"

"What did you do?"

"I told her the truth!" Quinn exclaimed.

"So we slept together! Big deal! No one cares!" Santana yelled out. "Is that why you started pulling away from all of us after Mr. Shue and Ms. Pillbury's trainwreck of a wedding?"

"Stop."

The phrase was uttered quietly but Quinn and Santana both turned to look at Rachel. She looked at them both with wounded eyes as she choked out, "You two slept together?" Without waiting for an answer, the brunette practically ran from the room.

Quinn started to chase her, but Santana blocked her path. "Let her go. She needs some time. Now tell me what the hell is going on?"

Quinn sighed, "Go get her, San and make sure she's okay, then come back. We have a lot to talk about."

An hour later and Quinn still hadn't stopped pacing. She was worried about Rachel. The diva had yet to come back. After the girl had run out of the room, the blonde had sent Santana after the little songbird. She sat on her bed and sighed with frustration. She hadn't meant to blurt out a declaration of love, but her feelings had been bottled up for so long that it was nearly impossible to contain them.

She had tripped, stumbled over her own heart and now she had to deal with the consequences. She got up again and walked around her room. As she paced, Quinn tried to organize her thoughts. Her plan to move on and get over Rachel was obviously not working, but she was hesitant to pursue Rachel romantically. The girl had suffered a traumatic loss and was still recovering. The last thing Quinn wanted to do was push Rachel into something if the diva wasn't ready.

She replayed the kiss over and over in her head. The memories filled her mind: the pressure of firm lips yielding against hers, a nimble tongue dancing in her mouth, and the press of soft curves against her own. The most significant detail about that kiss-Rachel kissed her back. Quinn stopped pacing and pressed a hand over her breastbone, trying to stifle the hope rising in her heart.

A knock at the door interrupted her musings and she opened it, only to find Jamie on the other side.

A/N:2 Sorry this chapter was so short. The next chapter will give Quinn and Jamie some closure, as well as have Rachel and Santana talking about Quinn.