Chapter 31 – Simply Couldn't Be Happier

Rachel took a deep breath as she tried to calm her nerves. She'd never had pre-performance jitters this bad before and she wasn't even the one who was performing in a few hours. Meanwhile, Beth seemed completely calm. Rachel wasn't even sure why she was quite so nervous; she knew Beth was going to do wonderfully. The little girl had been practicing every day for the past few weeks, and was more than prepared to go on stage. Still, Rachel couldn't seem to help it, and she suddenly knew exactly how her fathers felt every time she had a recital or audition.

"Have you finally calmed down?" Kurt asked as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

"I'm very calm," Rachel lied.

Kurt's eyebrow rose. "Right."

"Fine, I'm not," Rachel replied. "Is it so bad that I want her to do well? This is a big moment for her. She was the youngest chosen from the class and there are going to be a lot of people there." Rachel sighed. "I remember when I was in a similar situation."

"What happened?" Kurt asked.

Rachel looked down, trying not to blush. "I tripped over another girl's foot and almost fell off the stage. But I still maintain that it was completely her fault; she was not where she was supposed to be. She was trying to sabotage me because she knew I was the best one in that class."

Kurt began laughing and Rachel scowled. It wasn't funny to her; it was still one of the most embarrassing events in her life and she had quite a few to pick from. She didn't want anything like that to happen to Beth, and she couldn't help worrying that something was going to go wrong. She kept having flashbacks to herself and how prepared she was, only to have everything ruined by someone else. She just didn't want Beth to go through an experience like that, especially not after everything she had been through that year.

"That isn't going to happen to Beth," Kurt said when he was finished laughing. "Maybe if Sheila's daughter was in it, but she's not, so you have nothing to worry about.

Rachel sighed and replied, "I hope not."

"You're worrying for nothing," Kurt said.

"That's probably my fathers," Rachel said when she heard her phone in the living room, and quickly walked into the other room, picking up the phone. "Hello."

"We're not calling too late, are we?" Hiram asked.

"No, we're not leaving the apartment for another thirty minutes," Rachel replied.

"Good," Leroy said with a laugh.

"I'll get Beth," Rachel said as she began walking into the little girl's room. "There's someone on the phone for you."

"Me?" Beth asked.

"Yes, it's my dads and they want to talk to you," Rachel answered, holding out her phone.

Beth hopped up and took the phone from Rachel, answering it with a 'hello'. Rachel lingered for a moment as Beth began talking to them and then left to give them some time to talk. If her fathers could have gotten off work, she knew they would be there in person. They were just as excited as when she was little and had a big show coming up, which she thought was sweet. It was no surprise, though; she always knew they would be doting grandparents just like they were fathers

"Which jacket?" Kurt asked, holding up two.

"The darker blue," Rachel answered.

"That's what I thought," Kurt said as he turned and walked into his room.

"Do you know where I put my shoes?" Rachel asked, looking around.

"Next to the couch," Kurt answered, walking out as he put his jacket on.

"Thanks," Rachel said, seeing them now.

"Did you ever hear back from Quinn?" Kurt asked.

"Yes, she's going to meet us there," Rachel replied. "She had a group meeting for one of her classes and she said she may be late, but she's going to try to make it on time."

Rachel really hoped she could make it on time. Not only because she didn't want her to miss any of Beth's performance, but because she had been quite busy lately with school, significantly cutting down the time they got to spend together. Rachel knew that school came first, but it was hard sometimes. She hated going days without seeing Quinn; they still sent texts to each other, but it just wasn't the same as seeing her. Thankfully, once Quinn's group meeting was over, she would have the rest of the night free, which Rachel planned on making full use of.

"Did you remember to charge the camera battery?" Kurt asked.

"Yes, it's plugged in near the bookcase," Rachel replied and then rolled her eyes. "Daddy sent me a text this morning reminding me to record it like I wouldn't remember to do it. Thirty minutes later, he sent one reminding me to charge the battery."

Kurt laughed. "They just want to see their granddaughter's performance."

"It's too bad her biological grandparents aren't a little more interested in her life," Rachel commented after glancing to make sure Beth was still in her room. "I asked Quinn if Judy would want a copy of the video, but she doesn't."

"That's probably a good thing," Kurt replied. "She obviously wasn't a great mother to Quinn, after all."

"I know, but she's still Beth's grandmother even if Beth doesn't know it," Rachel said with a sigh. "And I know it's all because she doesn't approve of Quinn's relationship with me."

"Don't let it get to you," Kurt stated.

"I try not to, but I just feel so bad for Quinn," Rachel replied, frowning. "I know it hurts her."

"I guess we were both lucky to have accepting parents," Kurt remarked.

"Very lucky," Rachel said, looking over to see Beth coming out of her room. "Did they wish you luck?"

Beth nodded. "Yeah."

"Are you ready to get your costume on?" Rachel asked.

"I guess," Beth said with a shrug.

Rachel couldn't help but laugh at Beth's nonchalant attitude. If it had been her, she would have been in costume hours ago, trying to convince everyone to leave early out of excitement.

"She'll be fine," Kurt said, pushing Rachel toward the door. "You'll be fine, won't you, Beth?"

Beth nodded and answered, "Yeah."

Rachel sighed, relenting. She knew Beth was in good hands backstage and they should go out front, but she didn't want to leave. She was nervous about the show and she kept waiting for Beth to get nervous as well, but it hadn't happened yet. If it did, though, Rachel wanted to be there to assure her that she was going to do great and there was nothing to worry about. Not that she hadn't told her a dozen times over the past few days and each time Beth told her she wasn't worried.

"Okay," Rachel finally said, throwing her hands up. "But we'll be out front if you need us; don't hesitate to ask Mrs. Lewis or one of the other grownups to come get us, okay?"

"Okay," Beth replied.

"Let's go before you embarrass her even more," Kurt whispered through his smile.

"I am not embarrassing her!" Rachel protested with a huff.

"Regardless, we should go out front and mingle," Kurt replied.

Rachel didn't want to mingle. Nearly everyone there was at least a decade older than her and she'd found she had nothing in common with most of them. And a lot of them were no better than Sheila. None of them were quite as obvious as the woman, but she could tell many of them did not approve of her being there. It was ridiculous, to say the least, and something she would have expected in a place like Lima, not New York City. Of course not everyone was like that—there were a few very nice people who had been nothing but welcoming—but it sometimes felt like the negative far outweighed the positive.

"Look, there's Zoe," Kurt announced.

Rachel looked toward the left side of the room to find the blonde standing near the refreshment table. "I'm going to go say hi."

"Say hello for me, too," Kurt replied. "I'm going to go find the facilities."

Rachel nodded and weaved her way through the crowd. It wasn't overly crowded, yet, but she knew it would be once they got a little closer to show time. Before long, they would definitely need to claim their seats if they were going to get good ones. Several people were already seated, but for the most part, people were standing around talking.

"Hello," Rachel greeted.

"Hi," Zoe replied, looking over her shoulder, and smiling at Rachel.

"Kurt also says hello, but he had to find the restroom," Rachel said, stopping next to the tall blonde. "How is Emma doing? Is she nervous?"

"Very," Zoe answered with a laugh. "She almost didn't want to come tonight, but she obviously changed her mind."

"Beth hasn't been nervous at all," Rachel said with a frown.

"That's good, isn't it?" Zoe asked.

"Hey," Quinn said into her ear as she wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist from behind.

"Quinn!" Rachel said with a smile, craning her neck to look at her girlfriend. "I thought you said you were going to be late."

Quinn shrugged and replied, "I told my group I had to leave early."

Rachel turned around, but was hesitant to give Quinn a kiss even if she wanted nothing more than to do so. They were in a very public place, after all, and she didn't know how Quinn would feel about it. While she was very affection behind closed doors, Rachel had noticed that she was less so in public.

"Is it okay if I kiss you?" Rachel whispered.

Quinn furrowed her brows slightly, looking amused. "Do you really have to ask?"

"I simply wanted to be sure," Rachel replied before leaning up and kissing Quinn.

"I guess I don't have to ask how things are still going with you two," Zoe commented.

Rachel pulled away with a laugh. "Things are going very well, aren't they, Quinn?"

"Yeah," Quinn answered.

Rachel could tell by the way Quinn looked at Zoe that she was still weary of her, though she had no idea why. She wasn't nearly as rude to her as the first time they met, but Rachel could tell she was holding it back. Quinn was certainly very cold toward the other woman even if she didn't actually say anything. It was more about her body language and the way she didn't say anything to her. Quinn wasn't the most talkative person in the world, but she almost never said more than a few words to Zoe.

"Well, I'm going to check on Emma," Zoe said, looking at Rachel. "I'm sure I'll see you later."

Rachel sighed as Zoe walked away and then looked at Quinn. "Why don't you like her?"

"Who says I don't like her?" Quinn asked with a shrug.

"Quinn, I know you, and I know when you don't like someone," Rachel said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Fine," Quinn rolled her eyes, "I don't like the way she looks at you."

"The way she looks at me?" Rachel asked.

"Yes," Quinn replied.

Rachel almost wanted to laugh. "You're jealous?"

"I'm not—jealous," Quinn said, looking away.

"Quinn, look at me," Rachel said, putting her hand on Quinn's cheek. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Not only am I fairly certain Zoe is straight, but I'm already in love with this amazing woman. Zoe and I are friends; you're going to have to accept that. Also, I would really like it if you were to get along with her. I'm not saying you two have to be friends, but it would be nice if you didn't run her off every time you're in the same room together."

Quinn sighed and eventually nodded. "Fine."

"I appreciate it," Rachel said, leaning up, and kissing Quinn's cheek. "Now, we should probably claim our seats before all the best ones are taken. My fathers made me promise to record everything, so I don't want someone's giant head in the way."

Quinn entwined their fingers together and said, "There should be enough seats in the second row." Quinn paused. "Even enough for Zoe to sit with us."

Rachel smiled and affectionately squeezed Quinn's hand. "Thank you."

"Who would have guessed Beth would pick a pizza place," Kurt joked.

"Not me," Rachel joked back, nudging Beth.

"Pizza's good," Beth said, looking up at them.

"It is, but you're going to get tired of it if you keep eating it so much," Rachel replied.

"I won't," Beth said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I was the same way when I was her age, but with peanut butter," Quinn commented. "I had a peanut butter sandwich every single day for a year."

"I was never like that with food," Rachel replied. "I was like that with songs and movies, though. I couldn't count the number of times I watched The Wizard of Oz or The Sound of Music. And I'm sure I drove my fathers crazy; I would run around the house, singing the same songs all day long."

"How many?" the hostess asked.

"Four," Quinn answered.

"It'll be a ten minute wait," the hostess said.

"That's fine," Rachel replied.

"What's the name?" the hostess asked.

"Berry," Rachel answered.

"There are some empty seats over there," Kurt said, heading toward the waiting area.

Beth ran ahead with Kurt while Rachel and Quinn hung back a little. She glanced down at the blonde's hand, reaching out for it, and hooking her pinky around one of Quinn's fingers. Quinn smiled at her, pulling Rachel toward her, and wrapping her arm around the brunette's shoulder.

"Do you want to sit?" Rachel asked since there was only one seat remaining.

"I'm fine," Quinn replied.

Rachel nodded and led them to the corner, so they were out of the way since the restaurant was busy and even more people were coming in. Rachel leaned into Quinn, resting her head against her girlfriend's shoulder, just enjoying being next to her and not even caring that they had to wait.

"Hey," Quinn said softly.

Rachel hummed and looked up at Quinn. "Yeah?"

"I've missed you," Quinn replied.

Rachel smiled and said, "I've missed you, too. You're still spending the night, right?"

"Yeah, but I do need to get up early and meet my group at the library," Quinn replied. "Our project is due in a few weeks and half of them haven't done what they're supposed to do, so we're behind. I'm meeting two of them tomorrow and we're going to figure out what to do about the other two. We may have to split their work up between the three of us to make sure it gets completed."

"You make me very thankful that I never have group projects," Rachel commented.

"I've never been a fan," Quinn replied. "I hate relying on other people."

"I've noticed," Rachel said.

Quinn looked at her with her eyebrow raised. "I like to think I'm a little better about it than I was in high school."

"Oh, you certainly are," Rachel replied. "I just know you still don't like depending on people, though I hope I am the exception."

"Always," Quinn said before giving Rachel a smile.

Rachel smiled back and rested her head against Quinn's shoulder once again. "What are your plans for next Friday?"

"I'm not sure," Quinn answered.

"Well, it's Halloween and Beth's school is having trick or treat early in the evening, and if you're not doing anything, I wondered if you would like to come," Rachel said. "I know it's something you've never got to do with Beth and I thought you may like to."

Quinn nodded. "Yeah, I'd love that."

"Good," Rachel replied. "I'll forward you the email her teacher sent out. I believe it starts at five." Rachel paused. "I really should have looked at that email a little better."

"Whenever it is, I'll be there," Quinn stated.

"I was thinking of dressing up," Rachel remarked. "Would that be too weird? I don't want to embarrass her any more than I'm already going to."

Quinn shrugged. "It could be fun."

"I suppose I should talk to her about it," Rachel replied. "And if she's okay with it, maybe you could dress up, too."

"I'll think about it," Quinn said.

Rachel knew it was probably silly, but it was something she'd always wanted to do with someone she was dating. Finn had always refused, saying it was dumb, and she hadn't dared bring it up with Brody. She often held back with him, wanting to appear much cooler and more sophisticated than she felt. However, that only led to her trying to change herself for Brody, and he never really knowing the true Rachel Berry. The Rachel Berry who had a slightly dorky side and got excited about things like couple's costumes at Halloween.

"You really want to do it, don't you?" Quinn asked after a minute or two.

"I would like to, but we obviously don't have to if it's not something you would like to do," Rachel replied.

Quinn sighed softly and then said, "Just let me know what I need to go as, okay?"

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Quinn replied.

"Oh my god!" Rachel said, throwing her arms around Quinn's neck.

Quinn laughed. "You realize you still have to get Beth's permission."

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be okay with it," Rachel replied, squeezing Quinn tightly.

"What did I get myself into?" Quinn asked as she shook her head, sounding amused.

"I promise it will be fun and I'll get you a costume you will like," Rachel replied. "I know someone at NYADA, who has all these wonderful costumes, and I'm sure she'll let me borrow some for the night."

"What are you two talking about over there?" Kurt asked.

"Our plans for Halloween," Rachel answered.

"You're just lucky you don't have to work all evening," Kurt replied with a sigh. "I'm going to miss all the fun. Halloween was always my favorite holiday; I got to dress up in crazy outfits without people judging me."

"My parents wouldn't let me trick or treat," Quinn said.

"What?" Rachel and Kurt asked in unison.

"My father called it 'the devil's holiday' and he wouldn't let me go out," Quinn said, shrugging.

"You poor, poor girl," Kurt replied, shaking his head.

"Have you ever even dressed up for Halloween before?" Rachel asked, aghast.

"No," Quinn answered.

Rachel gasped. "Well, then, I am certainly going to pick out the best costumes I can find and you can have your first true Halloween experience."

"This should be fun," Kurt said, smirking.

"You won't regret this," Rachel said, kissing Quinn's cheek.

"Do you promise?" Quinn asked.

"I promise," Rachel replied with a nod and a smile.

"Try to not drip on the floors," Kurt called out. "I just cleaned them."

"I won't," Beth replied as she ran toward the living room.

"Crap," Kurt said, looking down at the floor, where he had dropped some of his ice cream.

Rachel laughed. "I don't think it's Beth that you have to worry about, Kurt."

Kurt sighed and walked to the kitchen while Rachel took Quinn's hand and headed for the living room. As they sat down on the couch, Beth picked up her coloring book and crayons from the coffee table and said, "I'm gonna go color."

"Okay," Rachel said, smiling at her. "Keep in mind that bedtime is in an hour."

"Okay," Beth replied as she disappeared into her bedroom.

Rachel laid her head back on the couch and stifled a yawn. She had been up since five and was exhausted from the hectic day, but she was nowhere near ready to fall asleep. Not with Quinn there, anyway. She knew Quinn would leave as soon as they woke and she wasn't ready for their time together to end. With the way the past few weeks had been going, she had no idea when they would be able to spend another day together. With her luck, it wouldn't be until Halloween and she didn't think she could wait another week.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Quinn asked.

"I don't think I could stay awake through one," Rachel replied.

"Do you want to go to bed, then?" Quinn asked.

Rachel shook her head. "No, I want to spend time with you, and if we go to bed, I'll fall asleep, and then the next thing I know, it will be morning and you'll be leaving."

Quinn laughed lightly. "Well, what do you want to do?

"I don't know," Rachel said with a sigh.

"Okay," Quinn replied as she shifted and rested her head on Rachel's shoulder.

Rachel sighed contentedly, leaning her cheek against Quinn's head. She enjoyed these little moments that they had together; those moments when neither of them were saying anything, but she still felt completely connected to the other woman. Where she didn't feel like she needed to fill every moment with talking and she felt completely at ease with the other person. It was what she had always dreamed of having with someone, but it was missing from all her previous relationships. She still sometimes found it hard to believe that Quinn was the one she finally had that kind of relationship, though.

"Where's Beth?" Kurt asked when he finally joined them in the living room.

"She went into her room to color," Rachel answered.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Kurt asked.

"Rachel already rejected that idea," Quinn stated.

"That severely limits our options," Kurt replied, sighing. "Maybe Beth will let me join her; I'm afraid you two will start making out on the couch, anyway."

Rachel scoffed. "When have we ever done that with you sitting right there?"

"You haven't yet, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't," Kurt said, walking past, earning a smack on the side from Rachel. "Hey!"

Quinn laughed and said, "I think we have more decency than that."

"I don't know about that," Kurt replied.

"Go color with Beth," Rachel demanded with a roll of her eyes. "It's really too bad we can't spend more time at your apartment."

"I can assure you my roommate is worse," Quinn said.

"I wouldn't know, now would I?" Rachel said, sitting up, and leaning slightly over Quinn. "I still haven't met her."

"Trust me, you don't want to," Quinn replied, leaning up, and bringing their lips together.

"Does she not know you're gay and that's why you're so apprehensive about introducing me?" Rachel asked, quickly pulling away.

"Why are we talking about her?" Quinn asked.

"Because I'm curious," Rachel replied. "I want to know everything about you, Quinn."

"You do," Quinn said, putting her hand on Rachel's cheek.

"I don't," Rachel argued.

"You know me better than anyone ever has," Quinn stated.

"Really?" Rachel asked.

"Really," Quinn answered. "You may not know everything about me yet, but you will. I'm not going anywhere."

"You better not," Rachel whispered.

Rachel smiled and leaned down, kissing Quinn again. She couldn't help it, but she worried sometimes that Quinn would be gone one day. That Quinn would go out of her life as quickly as she came in, and Rachel didn't know what she would do if that were to happen. The thought terrified her, which is why she tried to push those fears aside. She was aware that she was insecure because of everything that happened in high school and in her past relationships, though she did her best to hide it.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked between kisses.

Rachel nodded and said, "I'm wonderful."

"You're crying," Quinn said, putting her hands on Rachel's shoulders, and pushing her back slightly.

"I'm just happy," Rachel replied, running her thumb along Quinn's bottom lip.

"Me too," Quinn whispered, smiling softly at her.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but this story is going to be 40 chapters, so you know when to prepare yourselves for the end. And since Destined will be over soon, the last five chapters of this story will be posted without taking any weeks off.