I apologize that you had to wait so long for another update. I'm currently working on the next five chapters and I need to sort through them, think about the storyline and how to get it straight. This needs a little more time than anticipated as things in Lima will not go as smoothly as planned for our characters…
Also I will be on vacation the next week. Please be a bit patient with me as I don't know when I will be able to update next. I promise there will be more updates!
Thank you all for your reviews and favorites and follows! Happy that you like the two new characters.
Thank you Sole's stories for your help and comments and corrections and discussions and and and ... :-)!
Thank you Nicole for helping me with these now 40 chapters... it's just ... wow!
Again many thanks to summer1234 for patiently answering my many questions and giving me such detailed explanations. Hope it is ok that I used one of your phrases.
Chapter 40
Quinn had thought a lot about that night when they were on their way back from the club in the past three days. To hear Rachel sing, even if it was just one little phrase, had been so wonderful. Every time Quinn remembered the moment, she felt like crying, because she only now did she realize how much she had missed Rachel's singing. She wanted to talk to Rachel about it, but she never found the right time or the right words.
Quinn just did not know how to bring the topic up. So she waited for Rachel to comment on it, but her girlfriend never did.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Quinn had the feeling that Rachel had once mentioned something about it. Maybe it was just her wishful thinking, but she really thought that she had heard Rachel talking about it. Quinn tried to rake her brain to find out where the notion was coming from and when they might have discussed it, but she always came up empty.
Both women felt that the topic stood like a white elephant in the room, but neither of them knew how to address it. Least of all Rachel, who still found it strange that she had been able to sing with Kurt, to tell Santana about it, that Blaine had heard her and yet she had not found the courage to speak with her girlfriend about it.
Whenever she tried to, it felt like her tongue was tied.
Right now she would rather focus on the task of helping her girlfriend getting ready for her concert.
Rachel carefully zipped Quinn's dress up. She watched the muscle ripple under the skin of her girlfriend's back when she moved slightly.
"Mhmmmm, you look delicious," the brunette commented and kissed the naked skin of the blonde's shoulders. She gently turned her around and kissed her on the soft lips. "And stunningly beautiful!"
Quinn was wearing a dark blue slender satin dress that clung to her body and accentuated her beautiful curves. It fell in soft waves around her legs, just barely touching the floor. On each side of her breast a row of very small gem stones started weaving their way down towards the bottom. They were placed more sparsely mid-thigh. The little stones were almost tiny but caught the light in a way that accentuated the beauty of the blonde woman, without distracting too much by their glitter. Her hair was done up in an elegant roll in the nape of her neck, while a few strands had escaped and softly played around Quinn's face.
Rachel stepped back and admired the woman in front of her. "I really have to try hard to not pull you into bed right now and rip that dress right off you again, darling!" Stepping closer again she distracted the blonde with more kissing and teasing by nibbling at Quinn's earlobe.
Rachel felt Quinn's ragged breath in her hair and having placed a hand lightly on her collar bone, she felt her girlfriend's chest heave under her accelerated breathing.
"The audience will fall in love with you in that dress," she whispered. "And I'm sure with your voice, too."
Quinn reached around Rachel's waist and positioned her girlfriend in front of her, searching her lover's lips with her own and her tongue explored her girlfriend's mouth slowly. Rachel met her halfway and was breathing hard when they finally parted.
Thank you for the compliments, sweetie. But I don't care about the audience. I only care about you! And Quinn smacked another kiss on her girlfriend's lips.
"As much as I love to hear that, but you are doing this for your audience. They keep the shows alive," Rachel stated with a grin. "But it's great to know that you like me, nevertheless," she then giggled.
Y-E-A-H, Quinn stated, finger-spelling the word I like you a little. Quinn teased back. Ok, the pick-up will be here in fifteen minutes. Last minute instructions?
"First: break a leg! Second: smile that beautiful smile of yours! Third: warm up properly! Fourth: Dazzle them!"
Quinn saluted laughing. Yes darling!
"Ok, let me go get your coat." Rachel grabbed the light gray garment off the hook and gallantly held it for Quinn to slip into it.
"You got everything?"
Quinn shook her head. Haven't got you!
"Awww, you will. I'll be right here when you come back! Enjoy the experience, you'll see it will be wonderful. See you later!" She turned Quinn around to push her slightly towards the door where the blond finally slipped through. Of course only after kissing Rachel for another five times.
Quinn did not want to leave. She wanted to spend some quality time with her girlfriend. The last few days after Rachel's birthday had been crazy. They did not have much time for each other, because she was rushing back and forth between her show and rehearsals for the concert.
When the blonde woman sat in the cab, the excitement finally seemed to rise. This was a great chance to show off her talent outside the Broadway stage and the repertoire that she was singing with the other artists was versatile and beautiful. She especially liked the final song that she was going to sing, though it had been a challenge to get it right. Her musical director and producer had been discussing to translate it into English, but Quinn thought it would be better to leave it in the original language. They finally agreed and decided to display the translation onto a screen behind the orchestra for the audience to understand what the song was about.
Rachel had seen the sheet music of the song; Quinn had left it on the coffee table the other night. It was cute to watch how her girlfriend had tentatively picked up the paper, as if it was a precious treasure that could dissolve into dust at any minute. Rachel had not noticed that Quinn was watching her, because she was standing with her back to the kitchen.
The blonde watched as Rachel stared at the notes, not moving. Quinn took a couple of steps to the side to get a better view of her girlfriend's face, who had still not noticed her. The singer was sure that Rachel understood what the song was about; she had written the English translation underneath the original words. She herself needed to know what she was singing about, if it was supposed to come across with the right feelings.
Quinn did not let her eyes waver from the smaller woman. Rachel lifted a hand at one point and started moving it slightly through the air. It looked like she was following the melody displayed on the sheet in her mind, but her voice stayed silent.
Quinn watched for another minute and then decided to step into Rachel's line of vision.
When Rachel had noticed her, she jumped a little. "Oh, Quinn. I … I haven't seen you. Um…" she waved the paper towards Quinn. "You gonna perform that song?"
The blonde nodded.
"Seems to be nice. Are you going to sing it in English?"
No, the original language.
"Wow" Rachel looked impressed. "Was it difficult to learn?" She eyed her girlfriend curiously.
Quinn laughed. Yes. I had help from a speech coach who specialized in teaching actors different accents and languages. That was quite interesting!
"I can imagine. The lyrics are beautiful." The brunette looked back at the sheet and then placed it on the table. With a little shrug, she stated: "I'd love to hear you sing it. From what I get, it seems like a really nice song."
Quinn was not sure, but she thought she saw some pain and longing quickly race through Rachel's eyes, before the brunette blinked and drew in a deep breath, smiling at her.
"Well, I'm sure you'll do it justice!"
Quinn reached out and pulled her girlfriend closer with a gentle "Come here!" Then she enveloped her in a hug and held her for a moment.
... … …
Shortly after Quinn left, Rachel dashed into Santana's bedroom and pulled the dress that she had stashed there some days ago out of the closet. She did not want Quinn to see it so Santana had suggested hiding it in her room. Rachel could have left it at home at her own apartment, but then she would have had to make quite a detour to get it, because she had promised to help Quinn to get ready for the concert.
Having taken a shower earlier together with her girlfriend – which of course had taken a lot longer than planned - she quickly discarded the clothes she was wearing and shimmied into the dark gray dress. It looked elegant, but not too extravagant. She did not want to draw any attention to herself. The smooth fabric fell around her knees in a loose fitting while the upper part hugged her body accentuating the right curves.
Rachel was glad for the long sleeves. This way she would not have to bring a jacket for when she was inside the theater.
While she was getting dressed, she felt the tendrils of fear crawling up her legs. Instead of pushing them away and ignoring them, she halted for a moment to give them special attention.
Yes, she was scared.
She was scared as hell.
This was the first time that she would attend a public event. She would not be sneaking in through the backdoor like she had done with Santana when they were going t Quinn's musical show. It was also something completely different from going out to dinner with her friends.
She would be going to the concert alone.
None of her friends would be there to interpret for her, should she need it. Besides, she was attending a concert, which in itself was absurd, thinking about it. Even more so if she had to try explaining it to someone. She was sure that she would meet people who knew her and recognized her and they would most certainly want to talk to her. How was that going to work?
Then there was one other thing that could potentially happen – running into Sharon Basont. Rachel would not be able to have a decent conversation with her – if it was even possible with that woman anymore. How could she ever be able to explain to Sharon the reason for visiting a concert despite her deafness? Her former manager would probably neither listen nor understand and would use all this as further ammunition against her.
All in all, these were very good reasons to lose the courage she had gathered, but there was one reason that overrode all the other arguments.
She was doing this for Quinn.
Rachel knew that it was Quinn's greatest wish to be able to share this experience with her.
Quinn had never said anything in that regard. I was nothing she would ever ask of her, knowing how hard it would be for her to attend the concert and not being able to hear the music. But Rachel knew. She saw it in those hazel eyes, the pain and longing for her girlfriend to be there with her. It appeared whenever Rachel asked her about the rehearsals, the song list, the program or anything else regarding her preparation for this great event.
At one point, Rachel knew with absolute certainty that she would have to go and watch Quinn perform.
As soon as Rachel had decided to support her girlfriend, she tried to glean as much information about the event as possible. The more she knew about the set-up and especially the songs and music that would be performed, the easier it would be for her to follow. This was also why she had picked up the sheet music she had found on the coffee table, trying to gauge the flow of the melody. It would never even come close to hearing the song in reality, but it gave her some idea at least.
Quinn had done so much for her, visiting her concert was a way for Rachel to give some of the support back.
She took a deep breath and went into the bathroom to give her hair a final twist and apply some makeup. With one last look in the mirror, she nodded at herself. She could do this and Quinn would surely be happy to see her.
In a moment of self-doubt she had told Santana about her plan, unsure if Quinn really wanted her to be there, despite all the non-verbal signals Rachel had noticed. The Latina had said nothing at first. She had just looked at the smaller woman with those dark eyes of hers.
You sure you want to do this? She had then simply asked with her hands.
Receiving a firm nod as answer, Santana had replied in writing:
Then do it. And no, you will not be a bother for Quinn. Get that thought right out of your head, Berry. It will be a wonderful surprise for her. Believe me, I know.
Santana had then offered to join her for the second half of the concert. She had an important evening appointment which she could not postpone, but with a little hurry she could make it for the second half.
In a bright moment of foresight, Rachel had already ordered tickets online a few weeks ago. She had no idea why she had done it or what she even wanted with them on that day. Or why she had not simply asked Quinn directly if she had tickets for her and Santana.
Something had told her that she might want to use them in one way or another way. another way was simply to sell them again or given them away should she not find the courage to go.
Now she was glad that - whatever devil had possessed her that day - she had listened to this inner voice and bought those tickets. She had managed to even get seats the front even. Sitting in the third row, she had the visual pleasure at least, if not the acoustic one.
… … …
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the front door of the apartment building open and stepped out onto the street. Luckily, the sidewalks had been cleared of the snow; otherwise it would have been uncomfortable to walk with her high heels.
She hailed a cab and told the driver her destination. She kept a close look on him to gauge if he needed some clarification or if he was the chatty type, but luckily he just concentrated on the traffic, so Rachel tried to relax. To stop herself from wringing her hands in her lap, she fished out her mobile phone to send a text to Santana.
On my way. Then thinking of what happened the last time when a certain person had sent the exact same message to her, she erased the text and replaced it with:
Almost there. Hope I won't bail at the front doors.
The answer came back immediately.
Don't you dare, Berry! I'll kick your ass back to Lima if
I don't find you in your seat later, 'cause I know you can do it!
If someone is out for trouble, remember the face
and I'll bash 'em later!
Rachel had to laugh despite the stern tone.
Will do. (Forgot how torturing all those poor people
in your new job turned you into such a drill sergeant.)
See you later.
R.
See ya! And I will see you there! S.
They arrived in front of the Lincoln Center of Performing Arts. Rachel paid the cab driver and hesitated just for a split second before she opened the door.
She was a bit early, but that was ok. It would give her the advantage of getting a feel for the place and take her seat before the main throng of people arrived.
That was her plan, at least.
She stepped out and stared at the three buildings around the square of the Lincoln Center that were brightly lit. Slowly, she walked up the flat stairs towards the plaza, taking in the sight in front of her. All those years ago they had danced around the fountain in the middle with the whole Glee Club, she remembered. They had been in New York for the National Show Choir Championship at that time.
Turning to her right, she faced the Avery Fisher Hall that was home to the New York Philharmonic Orchestra that hosted the concert. From an interior style point of view Rachel preferred the inside of the Metropolitan Opera. It was more classic and more romantic with the round balconies and the golden and red colors.
The interior of the concert hall was barer, more modern. Where the Opera gave off a more feminine impression with its soft, round forms and warm colors, the Avery Fisher Hall showed off a more male design, all straight lined and without much decoration.
They had improved the acoustics some time ago, Rachel remembered. Not that she cared much about that for the evening, but she was glad for Quinn that she could perform in such upgraded surroundings.
Despite her unease that increased with every step she took, Rachel was she came. This was not a small concert, by far. Just the name of the accompanying orchestra, the location and the list of singers were impressive. This was indeed a huge step for Quinn. The concert per se was planned and conducted with different participants every year. Being invited to perform, was a huge honor and showed recognition from a wide range of critics.
Rachel's chest swelled with pride when her eyes fell on the huge poster banner that announced the concert and listed the performers. With a small sheepish grin she quickly snapped a photo of it with her phone.
Then she faced the entrance and bravely walked on.
Rachel entered the concert hall through the main entrance, forcing herself to hold her head up high, not giving in to the temptation to duck and hide from the casual glances that were directed at her. The looks were innocent enough, aimed at her just like the way you glanced at somebody new entering a building or a room.
She forced herself to take even breaths. She found the wardrobe and shrugged out of her coat in front of the counter, placing the garment on top. The lady hung it on the rack behind her and turned back with a smile, handing Rachel the little plastic chip with a number engraved.
"There you go!"
"Thank you!" Rachel slipped the token into her purse and turned around, not quite sure what to do next. It was a bit too early to go to her seat. She decided to get a program, but she headed to the bathroom first.
Upon entering, her worst nightmare came true.
At the sink stood Sharon washing her hands.
Why ever the universe kept sending her back into Rachel's path, the brunette had no idea. She groaned inwardly.
It was too late to step back; the elder woman had spotted her already. Instead of following her instincts that told her to bolt out the door, she decided to stay and face the enemy.
Thrusting her shoulders back, Rachel straightened her posture and noticed with a little satisfaction that the change in her attitude did not go unnoticed by the other woman. She would be damned if she let this woman ruin her evening. She would be damned if she let Sharon rattle her cage again. She would be damned if she let Sharon have any power over her.
Using the little momentum she had gained, Rachel started speaking before her former manager could say anything.
"Sharon." And she ever so slightly inclined her head in greeting before fixing her eyes on the face of the other woman. Carefully, she schooled her mask in order to not let any of her feelings show.
"Assuming that you will use my visit to this concert also for your story, do you want me to pose for any of the photographers? That might make it easier for you to catch a picture of me in places deaf people should not visit, in your opinion." For a fraction of a second, Rachel noticed Sharon's eyes widening, before she continue, not giving the other woman a chance to cut in.
"And you know what; I keep wondering why you are so adamant to prove something that is absolutely not true. Really, why waste your time? You always put so much time in researching a new potential client. Why not research a little about what deaf people can or can't do? That might give you a little understanding on the topic. And before you start again, not hearing does not mean not talking. And while we're at it, how come all of this is so aggravating to you? Is it just me, the topic of deafness or something else entirely that made you react so irrationally?"
She paused for a second. Had she gone too far? Well, she had not accused or threatened Sharon; she had just asked some honest questions. And gave her some piece of her mind, true. But Santana had been right. She could not always try to reconcile. She just had to be careful to not overstep certain boundaries. And this she had not. Yet.
Sharon opened her mouth to give a sharp retort, judging by the deep crease between her eyebrows and the slightly narrowed eyes.
Rachel held up a hand.
"You know what? I don't care. I honestly don't care anymore." She took two steps towards the door.
Turning back once, Rachel added: "And it won't do any good shouting anything after me. Because, I. Still. Can't. Hear." She signed in parallel the last sentence.
With one fierce last glace that took up all the acting talent she could muster, she opened the door and strut out.
Only then she noticed the adrenaline that had charged through her as the entire moment slowly ebb away. Her throat felt dry and her heart beat rapidly in her chest.
It was kind of strange that Sharon always seemed to find her at places that were rather enjoyable for people with intact hearing. First the musical, then the club – assuming the photographer really came from her – and now the concert. Well, strictly speaking, she had found Sharon this time, but that did not really matter.
Eying the bar at the Bon Appetite Cafe, Rachel decided to get some water. On her way there, she felt a hand on her arm. Turning with dread, she was almost relieved to see Anna, her former colleague from Funny Girl.
"Hi, Anna. How are you?" She managed politely, hoping her voice did not betray her feelings. Even though she was so relieved that it was not Sharon who found her, she was still nervous about interacting with other people without an interpreter.
"Hi Rachel," the other woman greeted her. "It's good to see you! ….. right?"
Rachel narrowed her eyes slightly. Focusing on Anna's lips, she tried to gauge what her former colleague was saying, but she was talking too fast. She was probably just talking at a normal speed, but for Rachel's somewhat unpracticed eyes, the words visually ran into each other.
She was able to make out the beginning of sentences or single words, but following or even participating in a whole conversation just based on lip reading was impossible for her. Besides, it was very exhausting as she had to concentrate a lot. Each lesson with her teacher felt like the equivalent of a two hour workout at the gym. And so many words looked the same, so she had to guess from the content of the rest of the sentence what was said – if she got the rest of the sentence. It helped by touching the throat of the other person to feel the different vibrations of words like how and now, but that was not something she always felt comfortable with.
"Um, Anna, I'm sorry, but you have to slow down." Rachel noticed herself take a ragged breath, betraying her nervousness. Nevertheless, she bravely ventured forth. "I couldn't understand the last part of what you were saying." The former singer tried to smile encouragingly at her colleague.
"Oh. Right." Then Anna shook her head. "I… I'm confused." She paused before she continued, trying to give Rachel the chance to catch the meaning. "You still can't hear?" She shook her head and tapped her index finger at her right ear for emphasis.
Rachel slowly moved her head from left to right in a small movement, anticipating the next question. "No."
"I don't understand. Why are you at a concert, then?"
"Why am I here?" Rachel reassured herself, seeing the other woman nod.
She opted for the honest answer.
"It might sound crazy, but I'm here to support a very special person. Even though I might not be able to listen to the music," she shrugged slightly with one shoulder, "there are still a few things I can absorb."
"Right."
Looking at Anna's face, Rachel could see that she still found it strange that a deaf woman would visit a concert. Especially if there was not even any action going on that would at least give visual hints, like in a play or musical.
Rachel was reluctant to defend herself further for being here, but having always liked Anna, she tried again.
"Anna, I admit this is anything but easy for me. To be honest, I'm scared as hell being here."
She noticed the look in Anna's eyes soften a bit.
"I'm afraid of having to interact with people, not being able to understand," and she made a small gesture at the other woman, hinting at their first interaction. "I'm scared that it will be so hard to sit through the whole concert, without being able to hear a single piece of music. But…" she exhaled and felt the pride for Quinn rise again in her chest, "this concert is very important to Quinn and I would not want to miss it for anything in the world."
"Quinn?" Anna asked with a quizzical expression.
"Yes, Quinn Fabray. You met her briefly when we last saw each other at the restaurant," Rachel explained.
"Oh right, I remember." Then Anna made the connection. "She is one of the performers tonight."
Rachel nodded. She did not know what else to say and was about to take her leave when she noticed the look on her former colleagues face.
Anna eyed her for a moment. She reached out and took Rachel's hand, squeezing it lightly. "I think," she paused for a second, "that you are very brave." Again she waited until Rachel gave her a barely noticeable nod to indicate that she had understood. "I do hope… that you enjoy the evening. No matter what!"
Rachel knew that Anna honestly meant what she had said. And she understood all of it, noticing how the other woman had kept her sentences short and she was grateful for it. She was glad to have told Anna the truth about her feelings and her reason for being here.
"Thank you." She quickly pressed Anna's hand back, who was still holding her own.
"Is Michael here as well?" Rachel asked, wondering about Anna's husband.
The other woman nodded and pointed behind Rachel. She saw him standing at the bar, getting some drinks for himself and his wife, before other people obstructed their view of him.
"Well, I need to get something to drink as well. Then I'll try to dodge Sharon Basont for the rest of the evening. Running into her once is more than enough," she added more to herself. "It was good to see you again, Anna. Enjoy the concert!"
Anna held her back with a hand on her arm.
"Sharon Basont, your manager?" Rachel nodded. "What did she want?"
"Ah, it's a long story." Rachel shook her head. "Let me put it this way: me being deaf does not seem believable to her, especially not after seeing me attending a concert. Anyway. I better hurry if I want something to drink before the concert starts," she then smiled at the other singer.
Anna looked like she wanted to say something but then swallowed and returned the smile. "It was good seeing you again, Rachel. Take care." And she gave her former colleague a quick hug.
Turning towards the bar, Rachel smiled at Anna's husband who approached them with their drinks. She nodded shortly and moved to get in line.
As the first gulp of water washed down her throat, she noticed how thirsty she was. At home, she had been too nervous to think about food. She should have gotten something to eat before coming here as well. Drinking the last of her water, she stood slightly to the side, observing the crowd in front of her.
Under normal circumstances she would have mingled and chatted with some of the people she recognized. However, after the first two encounters of the evening, she was quite content to stay to herself for now.
She realized that her talk with Anna had been the first real conversation she had had without anyone interpreting or writing down their thoughts. However small the exchange had been, she could not help but feel a little proud of herself to have mastered it so well, considering the circumstance. And Rachel was grateful for Anna's patience.
After a moment or two she noticed more and more people were finding their way towards the bar to get a quick drink before the start of the concert. Glancing one more time across the crowd, she noticed one guy throwing her a few curious glances. Once their eyes met and Rachel tried to rake her brain on where she knew him from. The guy said something to the man standing next to him, who bent down to pick something up from the floor or from a bag, Rachel was not sure and she did not want to find out.
She deposited her glass on a nearby table and made her way to the doors that led into the music hall to find her seat. Rachel felt the tingling in her stomach again. She was getting more nervous now that the concert was about to begin.
How would it be? How much would she be able to grasp?
When she found her seat, she slowly sank into it, giving a polite nod towards the couple that sat next to her. The seat to her right would stay empty for a while. That was Santana's place and hopefully she could make it before the break was over.
She was sure that Quinn would not necessarily be able to spot her, even though she was sitting in the third row, a little left of the center. But as her girlfriend did not count on her being there, she might not notice. Santana and she wanted to surprise Quinn either in the break or after the concert.
The room went dark and the curtain opened after a moment. The orchestra was sitting in a half circle at the back of the stage, while the singers stood or sat in front of the musicians. Just like the last time at the musical, Rachel felt the music start by the very faint vibrations that were transmitted. She had memorized the program that Quinn patiently had patiently recited to her. She knew that many songs were arranged as a mash up of different music styles. Well known titles from musicals, pop and rock were adapted and mixed with classic music. It had sounded really beautiful when Quinn had described it to Rachel.
The petite woman had seen the spark in her girlfriend's eyes and knew that it was absolutely perfect for Quinn to have this once in a lifetime opportunity. She was singing with New York's finest opera, pop and rock singers while being accompanied by one of the best orchestras worldwide. Each music genre would be represented by one of the young singing talents around the stages of New York.
Being on that stage with that ensemble was usually an incomparable career boost.
The first half went by quite quickly. Quinn had several solo performances and Rachel hung on her lips at every song she sang. Watching Quinn perform still held its magic. She looked so absolutely beautiful and perfect on the stage that Rachel felt goose bumps rise on her skin. Even in the group numbers Rachel had only eyes for her.
Knowing what she was singing helped a bit. It was still tough sitting through the whole concert in silence without any or not many visual distractions or action. Not really hearing the music and the voices was very hard to bear, especially after seeing the audience react so enthusiastically. The performances must have been really good. Rachel wished that at least Santana was there to describe her a little bit of the music adaptations and the singers.
… … …
Rachel stayed in her seat during the break, looking around to see if Santana was coming every now and then. Until the rest of the audience came streaming back into the hall taking their seats, she had not spotted the tall, dark haired woman.
A little disappointed she leaned back into her seat, smiling politely at the people squeezing past her to get to their designated places.
Unfortunately, Santana had not made it during the break and the ushers were usually very strict to not let anyone in after the concert started or continued after the break. Rachel had checked her phone for a text message, but there was no connection inside the concert hall. She hoped Santana was all right and concentrated back on what was happening on the stage in front of her.
After an instrumental introduction of the orchestra, another song where all four singers would perform together was up next. It was 'Perfect day' from U2. Rachel wondered how the arrangement of this next piece was, would they all sing together or have different parts?
... ... ...
Quinn loved this song. It was a great mix of all the singers' voices and it gave her goose bumps every time they performed it. She also loved the lighting that went with it. Every time a singer would step forward, the light would hit them from behind, so the audience first would only see a silhouette against the spot. As soon as they sang the first notes, the lightening changed again and came from the front.
When it was her turn, she stepped forward and for a brief second was able to view the audience in front of her. The light behind her washed over the expectant faces and Quinn let her eyes quickly roam over the mass of people. Still stepping slowly forward, she lowered her gaze from the balconies to the front again and felt like she had a déja-vû.
There was a small, dark haired person sitting in the third row, a little to the side, with an empty seat next to her. Just like many months ago, this person in the audience reminded her of Rachel. Then she got a full glimpse of her and almost stopped in her tracks.
Her heart almost skipped a beat.
She managed to sing her part, but her eyes never left the spot in the third row.