LaurenKnight13 : Glad you liked the first date. Especially the fireworks. Quinn pulling a Finn. lol. But I think we can forgive her. This time. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.

FaberryOTP I'll take that as a compliment. Thank you. And also thanks for your review.

gllover22 Cataclysmic. I like that word. :) Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading and for replying.

SuperGleek18 :) I'm glad that you enjoyed it. And that you found humour in Quinn's anticipation/eagerness. I was hoping that it would come across like that. Thanks for reading and for taking time out to comment. I appreciate it.

wkgreen Sappy? I'll take it. I can work with sappy. Thanks. :) Glad you're enjoying the story. And thanks for taking the time to comment.

Fabraygron She certainly doesn't mince words, does she? Glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope that you continue to enjoy as the story unfolds. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Jaely Thank you. I'm glad you think so. I'm looking forward to writing the relationship as much as you're looking forward to reading it. I haven't decided if/when the other Gleeks will come into the story but I'll definitely try and make their appearances interesting. And Rachel's ex will (soon) be making an appearance that I'm sure you'll enjoy.

redroseangel27 Thank you, I'm glad that you're enjoying the story. And appreciating the finer details of their romance. Also, thanks for the show of support. :)

.maple I'm glad that you like it so far. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay on this one. I've been trying to keep to a steady update schedule (at least once a week) but sometimes real life intervenes. First I got stuck. Then I got sick. Then I had this written but not typed and the days just got away from me. I apologize for keeping you waiting.

Chapter 15

Quinn was drifting. Not quite asleep but contentedly lost in the gentle haze between dreaming and wakefullness. Tucked in beside her, with her head on Quinn's shoulder and the length of her body draped over Quinn's, Rachel was in a similar state if the deep, even breathing and the idle patterns she was tracing across Quinn's collarbone were any indication. She liked the fact that while they there was plenty for them to talk about neither seemed to feel the need to fill the silences. They were comfortable simply being in each presences.

Quinn felt closer to Rachel in this moment, just laying together, holding her than she ever had, ever could, even after a thousand conversations, with anyone else. She wondered if it had something to do with what Brittnay had said, about them being meant to be. With God having laid a hand.

She wasn't sure how she felt about that. It was an incredibly romantic notion. Like something out of a romance novel or a movie the way their lives had brought them back together after all this time apart. If this were God's plan for her she certainly wasn't going to take this amazing gift for granted. But at the same time she couldn't help but feel a little sad, a little dissapointed at the thought that, if this was God's plan, if she and Rachel were meant to be together then they had lost so much time in getting to this point. Three years of high school wasted, at odds with each other over boys and status. Stupid, childish things. Four years of university spent apart as Quinn struggled to find herself in self-imposed exile when she could have had this beautiful, amazing woman at her side helping her along her way. The last few years in separate cities, living their lives blissfully unaware of what was waiting for them. All that time spent apart, struggling, searching when they could have been together. Happy.

"Hey, are you okay?" Rachel's voice was soft, more of a vibration against her chest than anything audible.

"Hmm?"

Rachel shifted, propping herself up on one elbow so she could peer down at Quinn. "I asked if you were okay."

"Oh. Yeah. Fine. Why?"

"You just got really tense there a minute ago."

Quinn stilled, taking stock of her body and realized that Rachel was right. Her muscles had tightened, locked and she was lying there stiffly.

"Sorry." She made an effort to relax, to loosen her muscles and slide back into the warmth and comfort of the moment and Rachel's body beside her. "I didn't even realize." She offered up what she hoped was a reassuring smile as she snaked an arm around Rachel's back and attempted to gently tug the other woman back down against her.

Rachel resisted however, keeping her gaze locked on Quinn's face, searching her features. "What were you thinking of, just then?" she asked softly. "That got you so tense."

Quinn hesitated, uncertain as to whether or not it was apporpriate to share her thoughts with Rachel. They were still in the early stages of their relationship and there was a chance that her thoughts, well really Brittnay's thoughts, might be too much too soon.

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

"What? No. Of course not." Quinn settled her hand against the small of Rachel's back and made what she hoped were gentle, soothing circles as she held the other woman's gaze steadily so there would be no doubt, no question about her words. "I want this," she said. "I'm all in."

"Then what were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about something Brittnay said."

"You're in bed with me, thinking about Brittnay?" Rachel's eyes widened and her brow furrowed. Her lips curved down dangerously into a frown.

"Not like that!" Quinn hastened to reassure and then let out a huff when she noticed the smirk playing at Rachel's lips "Jerk," she muttered, pinching the other woman's hip lightly. She was half tempted not to offer up any further explainations, to tell Rachel that's what she deserved but when Rachel's lips brushed softly against her jaw in a silent apology she relented.

"We were on the phone earlier," she began as she once again tugged at Rachel, trying to position her against her once more. This time she succeeded and Rachel settled herself with her head resting against Quinn's shoulder. "And she said..." Quinn faltered for a moment before deciding to just go for it. Their relationship had not been developing at anything resembling a normal pace, why should this discussion be any different. "She said that you and I are like her and Santana. That we're meant to be together. That God laid a hand."

Quinn heard Rachel's sharp inhale of breath at the words and tensed once again, awaiting a response.

"And this upset you?"

Her voice was so soft Quinn almost missed the question.

"No. No. Not at all." Quinn stumbled over her words in her haste to dispell Rachel's upset. "That just got me thinking about how, if that's true, all the time we wasted. All that time we could have been together."

Rachel was silent for a long moment. "Do you remember the first time we met?"

Quinn frowned, not quite sure what the question had to do with anything.

"Do you?"

She thought back. "Eight grade," she said after a moment, memories coming back to her. "At the dance studio. I was in one of the practice rooms, waiting for my mom to come pick me up when you walked in. You critized my form," She remembered with a fond smile, though at the time she had been both mortified and furious. It had been only a few weeks into the fall semester. Quinn had just started taking lessons at Lima's only dance studio and had only about six month's experience in dancing behind her, putting her years behind the rest of classmates. Despite an inate ability to pick up choreography and technique she had still felt like she was struggling to catch up and she'd hated it when anyone drew attention to her shortcomings. "And you tried to show me how to improve my stance."

"And you told me to keep my manhands to myself."

"Yeah. Sorry about that." Even thought it was a long time ago, Quinn still felt bad about it.

Rachel just shrugged. "We spent the rest of the year sniping at each other," she said. "I offered my assistance, in the form of thinly veiled insults about your form and your technique and you called me names."

It hadn't been their most shining moments.

"And do you remember the first time we ran into each other, in high school?"

Quinn didn't have to search her memory for that one, it was right there, at the forefront of her thoughts, waiting. "Second semester, freshman year. We had science class together."

"I walked into class and you turned to Santana and asked if I was the animal dissection project for that year."

"Santana choked on her gum, laughing at the question. And then everyone in class started laughing at her. She got pissed and threw a slushie at you at lunch later that day."

Quinn wasn't really sure where this conversation was going but she didn't like it, nor did she like the uncomfortable tightening in her stomach as each horrible memory was brought up. She'd apologize, if she thought that was what Rachel was aiming for but they'd made their peace years ago so she knew that wasn't it.

"Now, going back to that day in eight grade what would you have done if I'd come up behind you, put my hands on your hips and instead of trying to correct you told you that you were absolutely the prettiest girl I had ever seen."

"Wait. Are you saying that if I'd been nicer to you, all those years ago-"

"No, Quinn." Rachel cut her off before she could even finish her thought. "That's not the point I'm making. Please answer the question. What do you think you would have done?"

Quinn thought back, trying to put herself into the mindset of her thirteen year old self, awkward and angry and trying so hard not to be Lucy anymore but to be Quinn. "I'd still have pushed you away and told you to keep your manhands to yourself," she admitted uncomfortably.

"And what about in high school, if instead of telling you that I was suprised you even knew what the word dissection meant, and asking you if you knew how to spell it I'd just laughed off the insult and asked you to be my lab partner?"

Quinn shifted uneasily. "I'd have probably slushied you myself, instead of just laughing when Santana did it. Rachel, what's the point of all this? I was a bitch back then. I know that."

"Exactly. You were a bitch. To everyone. Especially to me." Though it was true, it didn't make it hurt any less to hear. "And I was obnoxious and self-centered."

Quinn opened her mouth to protest, to defend young Rachel Berry's honor but found that the words died in her throat. The truth was, Rachel had been obnoxious and self-centered.

"I wasn't really trying to help you, when I offered that advice at the dance studio. I was in a mood that day because I'd been having trouble with a routine in class and feeling insecure because everyone else in seemed to get it. And I took it out on you. I knew your type, pretty, blond, popular and I could see your frustration in yourself so I took the opportunity to cut you down. "

Quinn nodded, though she wasn't really following where this was going.

"And at school, I made cracks about your intelligence based on the fact that you were blonde and a cheerleader. We were in the same AP classes, so I knew that they couldn't be true but again, I was insecure and I took it out on you."

"Okay," Quinn said. "But what does all that have do with what Britt said? With what I said?"

"Well, taking into account who we were back then, all of our insecurities and tendecies and frustrations, do you really think we would have worked? If by some chance we'd realized our sexualities and our attraction to each other and actually chose to act on them, do you really think that we would have been good for each other?"

As much as Quinn wanted to insist that yes, they would have been, that if they were meant to be they would have made it work she took the time to actually think about the question and after a few minutes of consideration, she had to admit that Rachel was probably right. Quinn had been so lost back then, struggling for identity and acceptance. She'd thrown herself into a misguided pursuit of power and control, reasoning that populairty was a fine substitute for the love and affection she wasn't entirely sure she deserved. Rachel hadn't been much better, clinging to her talent and her dreams of stardom as bouy and a shield against the hostility and judgement of her peers. They wouldn't have been good for each other, not back then. Their egos and their insecurities and their inner turmoil would have hurt them both.

Things wouldn't have been any better in college. At least, not on Quinn's end. She'd still been lost, struggling. Not to mention, the distance, even if only a few short hours away would have been a challenge for both of them.

"No," she answered softly. And even though it was the truth, it still hurt just a little to admit it.

"No," Rachel agreed. "We just weren't ready for each other then. We both had a lot of growing up to do." She fell silent for a moment but Quinn sensed that she had more to say so she waited her out, content for the moment to just lay there and listen to the sound of Rachel's deep, even breathing and enjoy the silken smoothness of skin beneath her fingertips as she ran her hand lightly up and down Rachel's back.

"I know I asked you earlier why we lost touch. And you've said a few times that you regret letting me slip from your life and I just want to say, I'm sorry that I let it happen to. The metro passes you bought went both ways. I could have made more of an effort. I could kept calling, texting. But I didn't. Because it was easier to get caught up in what was going on in my life than it was to reach out to you."

"Rach, no-"

"I won't have you being the sole bearer of responsibility for everything that happened in our past, Quinn," Rachel interrupted her. "If this relationship is going to work, we need to be on equal ground here. You have regrets. So do I. And I'm sorry for my part in things. For letting you go so easily. For not trying to be more of a friend."

Quinn wanted to argue, wanted to shoulder the blame that she rightfully felt was hers but she did see the truth in what Rachel was saying. They'd failed each other, she supposed.

"But we can't dwell on those things. We're not our pasts."

"Agreed," Quinn said softly. "So we should focus on moving on?"

"Exactly. We should focus on the here and now. And I for one am very happy in the here and now." She pressed a soft kiss against the base of Quinn's throat and wiggled slightly in Quinn's arms, as if to emphasize her point.

It made Quinn grin as she tightened her grip on the other woman, hugging her impossibly closer and dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "Me too, Rachel," she murmured. "Me too."