A/N: The end of the school term has been keeping me very busy, but here is the next chapter (finally). Finals are next week, so I probably won't be able to post the next chapter for awhile.

Thanks for all the reviews! Keep em coming :)

I had been caught having sex enough times to know that it was never a good thing. One particular instance with an angry mother wielding a broom and screaming, "Come back here you dirty skank" has been branded in my mind for likely the rest of my life. I had found her quite comical, but still, parents tend to frown upon teen sex and I was in love with Rachel.

I don't know exactly what I was expecting, something along the lines of being chased by both of Rachel's fathers swinging matching bedazzled chainsaws, but I definitely wasn't even remotely prepared for what happened.

I still hadn't moved from my frozen position facing the front door, staring at it as I knew it was my ticket to freedom, and distraught by the fact that I couldn't just run and leave this mess behind me. My feet felt like they were trapped in concrete blocks and my heart was pounding so hard I could hear each thunderous beat in my ears.

The entire night had been so magical and surreal bundled together to make it the best of my life and I figured that it was only fair that the next day be equally as horrible to balance it out. That was how the world worked, right?

"Brittany," the voice boomed again and I finally turned, reluctantly, to face my punishment. Leroy was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a large dark blue robe tied tightly around his body and his arms folded across his chest. He watched me for a moment, as if waiting for me to explain, but my jaw was wired shut and even if I wanted to speak, I couldn't think of a thing to say.

So after an uncomfortable moment of silence he sighed, dropping his hands to his sides and turned towards the closet by the front door, opening it as he began to speak again, "My daughter takes after me in many ways and her early riser mentality is one of those things she picked up from me. I like to be up early, five o'clock on the dot, everyday. I like to get the paper and sit at the table, browsing the headlines while I wait until five-thirty, when Rachel has finished her morning exercises, and comes skipping down the stairs to sit across from me and tell me the newest tales in her life. It's a ritual we have and one of my favourites. I love being able to have that time alone with my daughter. Lately, it's been few and far between."

He paused, glancing over his shoulder at me while he pulled a pillow and a blanket off one of the shelves. His face was emotionless and his eyes simply looked tired as he tucked the bedding under his arm and closed the closet door. His hand motioned for me to follow as he lead me back into the kitchen, pointing to a chair at the table and silently commanding me to sit as he walked past the table towards the couch across from the television.

I sat down in the chair, not knowing what else to do, and watched as he laid the blanket down on the couch, ruffling it slightly, and dropped the pillow against the armrest. He pressed his large hand into the centre of the pillow, creating a head sized indent when he pulled his hand away, and then came back to the table, taking the seat across from me.

"I don't mind losing out on my mornings with Rachel as much as I would've thought," he continued, folding his hands on the table as he spoke softly, "She's growing up and I knew that it wouldn't last forever. She'll be graduating this year and as long as she gets her wish, she'll be flying out to New York to begin the rest of her life. I would never stop her or want to stop her, so gradually losing our morning talks is like slowly preparing me for the day that Rachel leaves."

I nodded as I listened, hanging on to every word and wondering when he would pull the chainsaw from beneath his robe and begin swinging at me. He wasn't going to catch me off guard.

"She's happy," he said and there was a soft smile on his lips as he stared up at the kitchen lights, a look that I knew Rachel got from him, "She hasn't been happy for a long time. She's been driven, always looking to the future and telling herself that the present didn't matter because once she got to New York it would all make up for it, but she's never really been happy. Then something happened with you."

His eyes dropped from the lights and were back on me again, but his gaze was so warm I began to relax slightly.

"You're all she talks about now and I have to say, it is wonderful seeing her happy for a change," he said, leaning back in his chair, "I'm relieved that she's found someone who treats her better than anyone else ever has and I really like you, Brittany. I have always put a great amount of faith into my daughter to make the right choices and although she falters at times, like any teenage girl, she makes the right decisions when it counts, and that's why I'm not surprised to catch you sneaking out of my house at five-thirty in the morning."

"Mr. Berry-," I started, finding my voice suddenly and knowing that I had to say something to attempt to explain my actions, but he cut me off before I could finish.

"It's always been Leroy," he said, holding up a hand to stop me, "And I understand. You're two hormonal teenagers in love, I was there once, perhaps a long time ago. I'm not angry, maybe a little disappointed that Rachel is growing up so fast, but I've always believed that she would know when she was ready to have sex better than I do."

I shuffled uncomfortably in my seat, partly due to the topic that I did not really want to discuss with him and the rest because of the panties that were a size too small and currently bunching up in all the wrong places.

"At least I don't have to ask if you used protection," he chuckled and I nervously tried to laugh along. His soft laugh died down and for awhile he just stared back at me with a calm smile before shaking his head and pointing towards the pillow and blanket on the couch, "My wonderful partner has never had the same open view as I do, so this is going to be our secret. When he finds you here we're going to tell him that you were too tired to drive yourself home so you decided to use our couch as your bed for the night, understood?"

"Yes," I nodded hastily, completely awestruck that there had been no chainsaws involved.

"Answer a question for me, Brittany," he said seriously, leaning forward with his arms folded on the table, "What do you plan to do next year when Rachel goes to New York?"

I swallowed thickly as my eyes turned down towards my hands. It wasn't that I hadn't thought about Rachel leaving, but I really hadn't decided on what would happen when she did. I was still worried about graduating from high school, it felt too early to be thinking about what would happen after that.

"I know you two haven't been together very long," Leroy said, sensing my hesitation, "But if Rachel is comfortable enough to progress your relationship in the way that you did last night, then obviously this isn't just some fling."

"No," I agreed, my eyes still on my hands, "It's definitely not just some fling. I think I would follow Rachel anywhere if she would let me. She's the only person I've ever felt like I could be myself with. I don't have to worry about pretending with her."

Leroy nodded along as he listened and then replied, "But what would you like to do? Rachel has Broadway, what are your dreams?"

I tapped my cast softly against the table, trying not to sigh as I realized my answer was not one that most parents would feel very good about, especially those whose daughter's I was dating. Parents wanted to hear doctor or lawyer or something equally as stable, but I never wanted any of those.

"I really like motocross," I said softly, keeping my eyes down so that I wouldn't have to witness the disappointment in his eyes.

"I'm not here to judge you, Brittany," Leroy replied and I finally let my eyes raise from my hands, "Most people would say that Broadway isn't an acceptable career choice, but Hiram and I have backed Rachel up ever since she told us that's what she wanted. You have to follow your heart and not let anyone else dictate what you should do. Only you know what you want and what you need."

It seemed that Rachel also got that ability to reduce me to a crying mess from Leroy as well, since I began to feel the familiar sting in my eyes. Leroy was like the model for the perfect father. He was what I had been craving for my entire life. I didn't hate my own father or anything like that. It was the complete opposite in fact. My father was wonderful, very kind and loving and accepting and, like Leroy, he always told me that I just needed to follow my heart. He didn't care who I loved or what I wanted to do with my life, as long as I was happy. The only problem was, I never saw my father. He was always flying around from city to city for some kind of a business meeting or deal or something else that kept him away from home. Even when he was in Lima, he was never at the house. He was always working late at the office, going to dinner parties or something else that had to do with work.

My relationship with my mother was a little more rocky. Sometimes I wondered if all the crazy she dealt with everyday had rubbed off on her because one day she would be kind and caring and the next she would be berating every little thing about me. I saw her a bit more often than my father, although she spent most of her time away from home as well. Every couple of days I would catch a glimpse of her for a few minutes before she ran off to work, or some days she would appear at random with a few snarky remarks and then disappear as quickly as she came.

Both my parents had the same mentality about home life and I grew up with a thought lurking inside of me that they would rather be at work than with me.

Leroy took an interest though and I immediately wanted to cling to him for it. Rachel may not have grown up with a pool in her backyard and a private movie theatre in her basement (which I was still trying to think of the perfect way to break that news to my girlfriend), but the doting parents she did have trumped my material luxuries. I would have easily given it all up for a father like Leroy.

"One more thing," Leroy said, his voice becoming stern as he interrupted my thoughts. My eyes had fallen to my hands while I fought back the tears and I now raised them back to Leroy to let him know he had my complete attention. He drummed his large fingers against the table once before saying, "You are welcome to stay in our house at anytime, Brittany. Rachel has told me that your parents spend a lot of time working and if you ever want to get away from the empty house we're glad to keep you company. However, from now on, while Hiram and I are in the house, you may sleep in either the spare bedroom or the couch, but Rachel's bed is not an option. Understand?"

"Yes," I said, nodding so hard I thought my head might fall off, "Thanks."

Aside from Rachel, Leroy Berry was now my favourite person in the world.

"Good. Now that we've had our little heart-to-heart," he smiled, tapping his palms against the table before pushing his chair back and walking around to where I was seated, "I'm going to hug you now."

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped as I rose to my feet and accepted the embrace, because he was Rachel. He was a foot and a half taller and black, but essentially Rachel took after him in so many ways that it was almost comical.

"What's going on," Hiram asked, walking into the kitchen wearing a matching red robe.

"Morning, dear," Leroy smiled, pulling away from me to press a kiss to his husband's temple, "Look who made use of our couch last night."

I watched nervously as Hiram glanced towards the couch and when he saw the wrinkled blanket and pillow, with the centre indent still present, he seemed satisfied and offered me a smile.

"Did our daughter tire you out last night, Brittany," he asked, shuffling his slippered feet towards the coffee maker and pouring himself a mug. I felt my face grow hot, remembering how she most certainly did tire me out, when I was in her bed, on my back, with her tongue on my-

"Sometimes our dear girl just can't find her off switch and can rattle on forever about anything under the sun," Hiram continued, blowing on his mug before taking a hesitant sip.

My eyes caught Leroy's as he settled back into the seat across from me and rustled his paper, winking before dropping his eyes to the pages.

"We went to the drive-in," I explained, running a hand through my tangled hair as I slumped back into my seat, "It was a double feature and by the time I was dropping her off, I realized I was beginning to fall asleep while driving. Rachel suggested I spend the night on the couch, to prevent any accidents."

"Good thinking," I heard him say from behind me, still standing by the coffee maker, "Rachel has always had a good head on her shoulders. Would you like some coffee, Brittany?"

"No, thank you," I replied, half of me still wanted to run from the house and away from this awkward moment, but the other half was actually enjoying just being around people in the morning.

"You must've tired Rachel out as well," Hiram noted, placing his mug down on the table as he chose the seat with his back towards the kitchen entrance, "She's usually up by now."

I decided not to add any comment to that. I was already worried that I suddenly might crack and start admitting to everything, and figured it was best if I kept my mouth shut until an actual question was raised towards me. I watched silently as Hiram stole the business section of the paper from Leroy, who did not bat an eye and I figured it was another one of those rituals that they went through every morning. A minute later and Leroy stole Hiram's coffee, sipping on it as he flipped through the sports section and it was Hiram's turn to take no notice in it. A couple minutes later and Hiram was on his feet, humming showtunes while he poured himself a second cup and returned to his seat.

I smiled as I watched them in their morning routine, trading pages without so much of a word, just knowing what the other wanted and when they wanted it and freely surrendering it to the other without a care for it. It was really beautiful. They were the kinds of parents you would see in a fifties sitcom that showcased the perfect family. Of course one was black and one was Jewish and they were both men, but their actions were so in tune with each other, it was inspiring to watch. That was what I wanted one day. To sit around the table in the morning with a coffee in one hand and a paper in the other and my wife softly humming beside me as she read the entertainment pages.

"Good Morn-" Rachel exclaimed, skipping into the kitchen before stopping short as she saw me, cutting her greeting short as her eyes went wide. My eyes went wide when I saw her too, for a completely different reason. Rachel was dressed in a pair of black, skin tight yoga pants and a black workout tank top that was hugging her curves like a second skin, with her hair tied back in a messy bun. The outfit looked glorious on her and I would've loved to stare at her if her hairstyle choice wasn't creating an unobstructed view of the dark purple hickeys and bite marks that were covering her neck and shoulders. My eyes shot to Leroy to see if he noticed, which he did, and his eyes were as wide as mine as he stared at her silently before looking sternly at me and quickly tilting his head towards Rachel. I immediately understood what he wanted without him even having to say a word and I swiftly rose from my chair before Hiram could pry his eyes away from his paper and greet his daughter. I ran towards Rachel as she continued to speak, "Brittany, what are you still- I mean what are you doing here so early?"

I grabbed her hand before she could continue to ruin the cover Leroy and I had concocted and yanked her from the kitchen as I mumbled, "I need to tell you something in your room."

"I will show you where my room is, then," Rachel said loudly, so that her parents could hear as I dragged her up the stairs and once we reached the top she whispered harshly, "What is going on? I thought you were leaving?"

I didn't respond until I had dragged her into her room and softly closed the door behind us.

"I was leaving," I whispered, then realized I didn't have to whisper anymore and calmed myself before continuing in a normal voice, "I was leaving, but Leroy was already awake when I tried to sneak out. You didn't tell me he got up at five every morning."

"I didn't know it was already five," she defended, her eyes wide and I could see how scared she was, "What did you tell him?"

"I didn't tell him anything," I sighed, leaning back against the door, "He just knew."

"Oh my god," Rachel gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

"It's okay," I soothed, stepping closer to her and running my hands up and down her bare arms, "We talked and he's not mad or anything. It was actually pretty nice. Hiram doesn't know, though. Leroy thought it would be best if we put together a decoy bed on the couch and tell him that I spent the night there because I was too tired to drive home."

Rachel stared back at me blankly, "He wasn't mad?"

"No," I confirmed, shaking my head, "He said that he trusted your decisions and that only you could decide when you were ready."

"Oh," she said simply, releasing the tension in her body as she let herself fall against me, resting her head against my chest as I held her.

"We're going to be okay," I smiled as the realization settled into me that, contrary to my previous experiences with getting caught, I was still permitted to date Rachel and love her and wasn't even banned from their house. More than that, I felt like I had Leroy in my corner, actually cheering on our relationship.

"If my Dad found out, he'd kill you," Rachel sighed, wrapping her arms around my waist, "You're lucky my Daddy is the one that caught you."

"I know," I said, kissing the top of her head before pulling away from her and taking her hand again as I pulled her towards her bathroom, "Now, don't you look at yourself in the mirror before you leave your room?"

"No, I usually change into my workout clothing, go through my elliptical exercises, then head down for breakfast. Why do you-," she responded as I led her into the bathroom and before she could finish her question I spun her around so that she was facing the mirror. She gasped at the sight of herself as she poked tenderly at a bruise and winced, "Holy hell! What did you do to me?"

I smiled as our eyes caught in the reflection of the mirror and wrapped my arms around her waist as I pressed my lips to her ear and whispered, "Nothing that you didn't want."

Her lips formed a knowing smile and her head fell back against me as my casted hand pulled the tight material of her workout top away from her body and my other hand snuck underneath, teasing the sensitive nerves in her stomach. She pressed her butt back against my hips and began to grind against me, easily working me into a heightened state of arousal, as her hand covered mine under her top and followed my movements. Her eyes stayed locked on mine through the mirror as she said, "Even still, what am I suppose to do about all these marks?"

I gave her shoulder a gentle kiss, careful not to make any new marks or irritate the bruises she already had, then reluctantly moved away from her. She let out a soft sigh of disappointment, but brightened when she realized I wasn't going too far, and I picked up her concealer off the counter, hopping up onto it and moving her until she was standing in front of me. I set to work at attempting to cover up the dark hickeys, patting them as gentle as possible with the pad so I didn't hurt her, and I could feel her eyes focused on me as I did.

"So how do you feel," I asked, keeping my eyes on the spot I was currently working at concealing.

She didn't answer right away and I knew she was thinking about it and trying to figure out the exact way to describe it. I gave her the time, waiting patiently as I worked, knowing she would answer when she was ready and there was no reason to rush her. A few minutes later and I felt her hand on my knee, tracing light circles as she said, "Everything. Happy, worried, excited, scared, and quite sore actually."

She spoke quickly and her cheeks reddened as she admitted the last point, shifting her weight from one foot to the other nervously.

"Sorry," I said, my eyes momentarily catching hers before returning to her neck, "To be honest, I don't remember much about my first time, other than the basics. I don't remember what it felt like, or how I felt the next day. I just remember this sort of empty feeling and I thought I had done it wrong. I thought it was suppose to make me feel mature and like I had suddenly become a woman, but instead I just felt alone."

"How do you feel today," she asked and there was an uneasiness in her voice that told me she was afraid of the answer and it made me want to smack her and ask her how many times I have to tell her that she means everything to me.

I looked back up at her with a smile, "Like I found that thing that I was looking for when I was sleeping with everyone else. Who knew Rachel Berry would be the one to steal my heart?"

"Certainly not me," she giggled, both of her hands now resting on the tops of my thighs, "If someone told me a couple months ago that I would be in a relationship with Brittany Pierce I would've laughed in their faces. But I also didn't know the real Brittany Pierce back then."

"Yeah," I said softly, dabbing a mark on her shoulder a couple more times before sitting back up straight, "Best I can do."

The marks were a lot less noticeable now, but not completely gone, so I pulled the tie from her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders at least providing a bit more cover.

"You should probably put on a shirt that covers your shoulders," I suggested, as she peered around me and checked out my work in the mirror.

"Yes, I think that would be best," she nodded, bringing a hand up to poke at one of the spots again before thinking better of it and letting her hand fall back down to her side.

My mind drifted as I stared at her light blue shower curtain decorated with duckies carrying umbrellas, because it was Sunday and even though last night was the best night of my life so far, the night was over and reality was back. I had been looking forward to this day for months, but now it was ruined.

"You're thinking about the competition, aren't you," Rachel said, startling me from my thoughts. As much as Rachel said she had difficulty reading me, she always seemed to prove herself wrong with her impeccable ability to pull the thoughts from my mind.

"Yeah," I admitted, not really wanting to talk about it since I had been so emotional about everything lately.

Her warm hand squeezed my knee as she said, "You can't-"

"I know," I interrupted, not wanting to hear the words again. I couldn't compete. I got it. My attempt yesterday proved that.

"You still want to go to the competition, though," she nodded, her eyes filled with understanding and it warmed my heart to know that Rachel comprehended how much motocross meant to me.

"I do," I nodded back.

"I thought you would say that," she said, excitedly, bouncing on her toes, "I have a surprise for you."

"You do," I said, but she was already rushing out of the bathroom and skipping towards her desk.

Within seconds she was back in the bathroom with a huge grin as she held out a CD case, pushing it into my hands, and I stared down at the disc inside, reading the words she had written on it with a black marker, "'Brittany Pierce' and my phone number?"

"I downloaded all the videos of you on your bike from the school website and burned them onto a DVD," she explained, her huge grin never faltering as she spoke, "So now you can find that scout, use some of that Pierce charm and give him the DVD to watch."

I was completely speechless. The idea had never occurred to me and it was so brilliant I didn't know what to say.

"When did you have time to do this," I asked, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Yesterday, when you insisted that we spend the afternoon apart," she shrugged, as if it was nothing, "I remembered seeing the motocross page listed under the school teams when I was looking up football videos of Finn, a very long time ago. I decided to look it up yesterday and I found a bunch of videos featuring you. You're quite amazing, Brittany, it's much more exciting to watch you execute the stunts in person, but I believe the videos do you great justice. Any scout who watches them would not hesitate in signing you."

I stared at her blankly for a moment, still in shock, and then I yanked her towards me, wrapping my arms around her waist and holding her as tightly as I could with the disc clutched in my hand.

"I love you," I whispered, burying my face in her neck as I fought the urge to cry for the millionth time, already, that day.

"I love you too," she answered back, her hands around my neck squeezing me just as tight, "Now we just have to go to the competition and find this scout."

"We," I asked, pulling back just enough so that I could raise an eyebrow at her, "You want to come?"

"Of course," she replied, as if it should've been known already, "You're going to need your agent there to help seal the deal."

"My agent," I chuckled, because of course Rachel would find a role for herself.

"Well you need someone to make sure you keep your head on straight," she said so seriously that I couldn't tell if she was playing with me or not.

"What would I do without you," I mused, giving her nose a loving kiss.

"Hopefully, you will never have to find out," she said, closing her eyes to the tender kiss.

I brushed my nose against hers playfully, before nudging her aside so I could slide off the counter and head back into her bedroom, unbuckling my belt and popping the button on my jeans as I moved.

"What are you doing," Rachel asked, following behind me as I unzipped my fly and then threw back the covers on her bed.

"I thought we'd have a quickie," I shrugged, keeping my expression serious as I looked over the bed for my panties.

"Oh," Rachel said, then took a seat on the edge of the bed in front of me, "Okay."

"Okay," I repeated, with a laugh, not expecting her to agree to the idea, which had been a joke. I spotted my panties at the bottom of the bed and reached over to grab them, holding them in front of her as she watched with confusion.

Her eyes moved to the panties I was wearing, hers, and she raised an eyebrow, "Why are you wearing my panties?"

"Because these are the ones you tossed at me this morning," I replied, quickly pushing my jeans and the panties off me before stepping into my own.

"So," Rachel said, drawing the word out as her bottom lip protruded into an adorable pout, "We're not going to have a quickie?"