Summary: Sequel to Dirty Little Secret
Pairing: strong Rachel/Quinn
Notes: Hey guys, sorry you had to wait, I had a family thing to go to and then I was going to write last night and get this posted but whiskey happened lol please R&R it really does make a difference
Warning: .
Disclaimer: I own nothings but the random rambling of which occur in my brain. Glee and any other copyrighted content used belongs to their respective owners.
Sunday
Rachel awoke to find her girlfriend watching her from the pillow beside her. "When did we make it into bed?" she asked through a yawn as she stretched out her sore muscles.
"Sometime around three," Quinn answered dubiously, "I think."
A rush of guilt came over the diminutive brunette as she brain became more alert and the previous night jumped in her memory in full clarity. Hesitantly she rolled onto her side so that she was facing her other half, "Quinn..."
A pale hand cupped a tan cheek, "It's ok, Rach," she comforted knowing what her girlfriend was trying to voice.
"I'm so sorry," her voice lilted with shame and remorse, "I am so incredibly sorry, I was so awful-"
"Shhh," Quinn soothed, "we had a fight, it happens. Couples fight sometimes. It's ok."
"So does that mean we're ok?" she voiced timidly.
A teasing smile played over her delicate features, "We made up, didn't we?"
"I think I have the carpet burn to prove it," she replied bashfully, a blush creeping up the length of her throat up into her cheeks.
The young blonde closed the gap between them and kissed her lover tenderly, "We're ok."
"Ok," Rachel nodded, taking comfort in Quinn's words tsunami of guilt raging within her.
Reluctantly she relinquished her hand from warm skin as she pulled back so that she could see her loves face, and worried her bottom lip between her teeth, "We need to talk about last night, Rach."
"What I said last night..."
"We both said things in the heat of the moment," the golden haired mother knew that she was just as guilty for their fight, "but that doesn't mean that there wasn't any truth to what was said." Her hand sought out Rachel's until their fingers were braided together, "I meant it when I said I hate seeing you," she was more selective of her words this time around, "being held back from your dreams."
She pursed her lips as she battled to reign in her emotions, "I can't..."
"You can," she gave the fingers entwined with hers a reassuring squeeze, "you're scared. After everything...I think I'd be more concerned if you weren't scared, but that doesn't mean it has to stop you from going after the one thing you've worked almost your entire life for."
Tears gleamed in chocolate orbs, "I just don't know if I can do it anymore, not without thinking about..."
"Baby, listen to me. Think about Charlie, think about how much you love that little girl."
"I really do. I love her so much."
"Remember when you were so worried that you wouldn't be able to look at her without seeing him?"
Rachel nods in silence as she fights back the tears, she understands exactly what her girlfriend is getting at.
"It's just like Charlie, baby. You love performing, you always have and it's that love and passion that will make it something that no one can ruin or take away from you, no matter how hard they try."
What if I'm not good enough?" she slowly voiced her fears, "What if I'm not strong enough?"
Pride radiated from her eyes, "Never doubt your talent, Rachel, you are quite possibly the most talented person I have ever known, you are so much more than good enough." Quinn spoke warmly, love carrying in her voice, "You are so much stronger than you know and you're not alone in anything you do. Whatever direction life takes you, I will always be by your side. There is nothing we can't do together. Together we're unlimited."
A watery chuckle escaped Rachel's drawn lips, "Are you quoting Elphaba at me?"
"Maybe I am," Quinn smiled, "but it's true. There is nothing we can't do. Look at lives now, if we can handle all the things we've been through so far, we can do anything."
Rachel wriggled herself closed so that her body was flush with her lovers, and rested her head just beneath the the blondes chin, her face resting against a milky collarbone as she inhaled skin and relished the comforting scent she adored, "So long as it's you, me and our girls."
"Always, I promise you," she pressed a kiss to the mass of raven locks, a smile tugged at her lips, "when we were at Central Park, you told me your dream scenario. You want to hear mine?"
"Of course," Rachel replied eagerly.
"Ok," a hand went to her girlfriends back and began lazily rubbing small circles. "The girls are, I don't know, maybe five or six. They're dressed in their loveliest outfits and they're crazy excited, I mean like Christmas day crazy excited. It's their first ever Broadway show. We have front row seats and even though they're super excited, they are surprisingly well behaved. The lights dim and the music starts and then there she is, the star of the show. The girls are grinning from ear to ear and pointing up at the stage as they watch their momma do what she was born to do."
She listened intently and soaked up every last word, and though she wouldn't admit to it, not yet, she could almost see out from that stage and picture the faces of the three true loves of her life staring up at her.
"Oh my God," she giggled gleefully, "I can't believe this!"
"Having a good time, sweetheart?" Rachel asked in amusement.
"This weekend is the best weekend ever!" Quinn declared. "I just can't believe that I've been to Central Park and Broadway and now I'm standing in the Statue of Liberty."
She slipped an arm around the slender waist of her beloved, "You think being in the top of Lady Liberty is amazing, just wait until we hit the Empire State Building."
Quinn turned to look at Rachel, her face lip up with excitement, "We're going to the Empire State Building?"
She laughed in good spirits, "You think I'd skip out such an important part of New York on your first visit? We've still got plenty to do, after the Empire State Building I'm taking you to have the best pizza in the world and then you're going to see New York the way it should be seen, by walking the streets."
"You've got it all figured out now, don't you?"
"Your first trip to New York should be on you won't ever forget," she explained simply.
The blonde rest her head against the one dark one beside her, "I could never forget this trip."
The young couple stood staring out at the water crashing around the island, their eyes taking in the city skyline in all its glory. It didn't escape either of them that the Statue of Liberty represented freedom, among other things, but it was here, apart of a world famous landmark that they both felt free. They loved their daughters, they wouldn't give them up for anything in the world but being a parent was taxing, this weekend away from all their responsibilities and adult decisions they needed to make, they were free from it all, they truly were a young teenage couple very much in love without a care in the world.
"Rach?"
"Yes, Quinn?"
"Do you think we can come back here?"
Rachel's face crumpled in confusion, "To the Statue of Liberty?"
"Yes, well no." She turned so she could see her girlfriends face, "I mean here, to New York. Do you think we can come back?"
She smiled, "Of course we can come back. Maybe we can arrange a trip for after graduation, before we move on to whatever we move on to."
"I never thought something manmade could be so beautiful," she mused.
"It is stunning," she agreed nodding, "seeing it from the Empire State building is breathtaking. Every time I'm up there...it's just like looking out the world and knowing that anything is possible."
"I don't need to go to the top of the Empire State building to know that," she pressed a kiss to Rachel's temple, "I have you."
The young couple sat in the pizza parlour, Quinn eyeing her slice and looking back up at her girlfriend, "You do realise that I'm going to be seriously disappointed if this pizza doesn't live up to the hype after you telling me New York pizza is the best pizza in the world, right?"
"It will do more than live up to the hype," Rachel said confidently, "besides, I've tried that one so I know it's good."
"Your vegan," the blonde pointed out.
"I'm well aware of that, hence the vegan pizza," she replied amused.
She looked down at her pizza and then back up at the brunette, "But this is covered in meat."
She finished chewing her mouthful, swallowed and reached for her soda, "Eat your pizza before it goes cold," she chuckled, "and I will explain."
Quinn nodded, thoroughly confused and brought the slice to her lips, "You better explain," she half muttered before taking a bite.
Rachel studied her other half as she began eating and smiled at the way the golden haired peach began to devour her slice ravenously, "Good?"
She nodded eagerly, her mouth too occupied with chewing to be able to form words. Her hand rolled in the air signify her parter to get on with her explanation.
"I haven't always lived a vegan lifestyle," she began, pausing briefly for another sip of soda, "when I was younger I ate pretty much anything and everything. The meat lover was my favourite pizza choice, believe it or not."
"Really?" she asked disbelievingly.
"Really."
"Then what changed?"
"I got older. I became more aware of myself and the world around me. I became aware of the way animals are treated," Rachel explained, "I've been eating vegan food my whole life, but I would also go with daddy for burgers, steaks, whatever we wanted really. Once I made the decision that I wanted to be strictly vegan then family dinners became strictly vegan, and daddy now sneaks in the occasional burger, he's just not as sneaky as he thinks he is about it."
Quinn lay what remind of the slice of pizza back on the paper plate, "Will you raise Charlie as vegan?"
"I thought about it," Rachel spoke honestly, "but I decided she should make her own decision about it, just like I did. I don't even want to put her in a position where she does something she doesn't believe in. Plus," she picked up a napkin and wiped her fingers, "it wouldn't be fair for her to feel that she's treated differently from Beth because they're having separate dinners. I don't want her to feel like it's one rule for her big sister and another for her."
"You've put a lot of thought into this," she beamed, it made her heart swell hearing her lover referring to Beth as Charlie's big sister, it further strengthened the feeling deep within her that she had found her family, her real family.
"I suppose I have," she admitted, "but it makes sense, don't you think? We can't expect the girls to be sisters if we're treating them different."
"We don't need to expect them to be sisters, they are sisters. Blood doesn't make a family," Quinn looked Rachel in the eyes, "you and your dads taught me that."
Rachel shook her head, a small laugh floating from her throat, "How did pizza turn into such a serious conversation?"
"I have no idea," she chortled, "but that doesn't make any of it less true."
"I know." She brushed back some fallen strands of hair and tucked them behind her ear, "So different topic, still serious. What's your verdict on New York pizza?"
Hazel eyes twinkled with mischief, "It's the second best thing I've tasted this weekend."
Rachel's brow furrowed in confusion, "Second best?" A moment later and the penny dropped, her features changing from creases of confusion to smoothed out shock and jaw drop disgust, "Quinn!"
"What?" she questioned innocently.
"You know exactly what!" Try as she might, she couldn't stop the grin that tugged at the corners of her lips.
"You think Santana is the only one that gets to be crude?" she teased with an arched eyebrow.
Quinn shed her clothes, leaving them in a pile by the bed and climbed beneath the cool sheets, "The last time my feet hurt this much was at regional's right before my waters broke. Dancing around in heels when you're pregnant, no matter how small the heels may be, absolutely kills your feet."
"I wouldn't know," Rachel teased as she eased her naked form into bed, "I wasn't allowed to dance thanks to some people."
"Oh shut up," she giggled as she flicked the switch of the bedside lamp, "you are not still sore about that."
"I could be," she retorted as she rolled onto her side after having turned off the bedside lamp on her side.
"You're not though," Quinn rolled over so that she was on her side facing Rachel.
She tucked an arm beneath her head as she stared at her lover, "You're right."
"I know I'm right," she chuckled softly.
Rachel sighed, "This time tomorrow we'll be back in our bed."
"Is that a bad thing?" the fairer woman asked as she reached out to tuck some raven hair behind an olive ear.
"No, but I'll miss this."
"This?" Quinn's brow furrowed, "Rach, we do this almost every night."
Rachel reached out with the hand that wasn't currently tucked beneath her head and traced the line of her lover's collar bone down to the valley of her breasts, "But here we get to do it without pyjamas. No worrying about covering ourselves in case one of our parents decides to come into room."
"I will admit it is nice not having to worry about finding my pjs after you've stolen them from me."
She knew she was going to have to explain further to get her girlfriend to understand why she was going to miss the ability of sleeping nude together. "It's more than that, it's so much more intimate and I want to be intimate with you in every way." She pressed the palm of her hand flat on the blonde's chest and let her fingers splay out so that she covered as much skin as possible, "I like going to sleep and being able to feel you, to feel all of you, to feel your skin against mine. I go to sleep being absolutely vulnerable but feeling that I am the safest person in the world."
A pale hand goes to the one resting against her skin as she leans forward to kiss her partner sweetly, "I will always keep you safe."
"I know," she whispered, "I love you so much, Quinn."
"I love you too, Rachel," the smile sounded in her voice.
"We should probably get some sleep," she said with tired reluctance.
Quinn stole a chaste kiss from Rachel before pulling back, "Get comfy then, baby."
Rachel removed the arm from beneath her head and rolled so that her back was to her spouse.
The blonde scooted closer to her girlfriend until she was wrapping herself around the smaller woman, their legs tangled together and she draped an arm around her girlfriend, "Better, baby?"
"Much," she uttered with a nod. "One last perfect night of feeling all of you against me," she mused happily her arm traced the one overlapping her body until she laced their fingers together.
A smile tugged at her lips, "Every night with you is a perfect night." She pressed a delicate kiss to a bare shoulder, "Sweet dreams, Rachel."
A mumbled, "Mhm..." was all the reply the blonde received, the brunette had already started to drift to sleep, the feeling of safety relaxing her mind and body.
Author's note: Hi guys, how you enjoying the story so far? Just one day left and the girls will be back in Lima, Ohio. I was wondering if you'd like to see anything happen with the girls together or individually once they're back?