Author's Note: Set after Where Your Book Begins and before Just A Little Bit Caught. A Sarah/Quinn side story featuring Rachel.

Dazzled By Her Beauty and Her Crime

From the 27th floor above the midtown roar
you were dazzled by her beauty and her crime.
~New York Is A Woman, Suzanne Vega

Sarah has never been to New York City. She's only ever seen it in photographs or the occasional film and on every New Year's Eve when she gathers around the television with her parents and her brother and watches the ball drop in Times Square. Every single time, she thinks it's the last place that she'd ever want to be—trapped in a crowd of strangers in the dead of winter and the dark of night, never mind that the dark is filled with tacky neon signs and marquee lights. Most of the films never make it seem any better either, with the crime and the drugs and the thugs. Only her mother's annual viewing of A Miracle On 34th Street had ever made the city seem the tiniest bit romantic. That—and the way Quinn talks about it.

She glances over at her girlfriend with a fond smile, watching the sunlight from the train window play on her face as the miles of scenery fly by outside. Sarah still loses her breath just a little bit every time she looks at Quinn and remembers that they're together—that Sarah gets to hold her hand and kiss her whenever she likes. She reaches across the seat and tucks her hand into Quinn's, feeling warm all over when Quinn entwines their fingers and flashes her a loving smile. The last six weeks have felt like a dream at times, but today, everything is becoming just a little bit more real.

Quinn has been asking Sarah to come to New York with her and meet her friends—well, her high school friends. She's from a small town in Ohio, but somehow, three of those friends had ended up in New York and close enough to visit. Sarah isn't that lucky. All of her friends are still in Michigan.

Sarah hasn't met any of the New York friends yet, though she's heard about all of them. Rachel Berry was even in New Haven last month to visit Quinn, but Sarah and Quinn weren't officially together yet, having only been out on a handful of dates in the two weeks since they'd first met over a Stanford White frame in the Yale art gallery. It had still felt too soon at the time to intrude on one of Quinn's weekend visits.

She's still thinking that might be the case. She's nervous to meet these people, especially when she already knows that she won't have much in common with them apart from Quinn and growing up in the Midwest. Well, maybe Sarah might have something to talk about with Santana Lopez—she's pre-med, so she must have a practical head on her shoulders. Sarah is hoping that they'll be as nice as Quinn's friends in New Haven seem to be. Her roommate, Megan, is sweet, if a little too bubbly at times, and Sarah likes Josie, even if she does think that the woman's Anthropology major seems a little wishy-washy, but at least they have some common interests to talk about. She doesn't really think she will with Rachel Berry or Kurt Hummel.

"We'll be there in about ten more minutes," Quinn points out softly.

Sarah smiles wanly. "Can't wait," she mutters.

Quinn chuckles and squeezes her hand. "You promised to give the city a chance. I really think you'll like it once you're there," she says, leaning closer and dropping her free hand over their joined ones to rub lightly at Sarah's wrist. Goosebumps break out under her touch. "I can't wait to show you the Washington Square Arch in person," she husks.

"I am looking forward to that," Sarah admits with a genuine smile. "And St. Patrick's Cathedral."

"And Grand Central Terminal is pretty impressive too," Quinn adds. "Beautiful. Like you," she murmurs, causing Sarah to blush before Quinn leans in and brushes a soft kiss over her lips. They're on a public train, so Sarah doesn't deepen it, even though she wants to.

Quinn gazes happily at her when they part, and Sarah draws a breath. She falls a little more for Quinn every single day. "Do…do you think your friends will like me?" she asks hesitantly.

Quinn's smile widens. "They're going to love you," she promises easily. "How could they not?"

Sarah nods, feeling a little better at her reassurance, but she's really not any less nervous. They're all supposed to meet for dinner tonight, and Sarah thinks that she can manage to get through that without too much pain. At least she'll have food to distract her if the conversation falls flat. But first, she has to meet Rachel, who'd insisted on greeting them at the station.

When the train rattles to a stop, Sarah stands and grabs their bags off the luggage rack, shouldering her own and keeping Quinn's in her hand, despite Quinn's protest. "I can carry my own bag."

Sarah grins at her. "I know. I'm trying to be gallant."

Quinn shakes her head with an indulgent smile, and Sarah lets her lead the way off the train. And wow—there are so many people! Sarah is already feeling overwhelmed, and they're not even off the platform yet.

Quinn slips her hand inside of Sarah's free one, keeping a firm grip on her as she leads them through the crowd and into the terminal. Sarah can't help admiring the design of the building as they walk, so when Quinn stops abruptly and releases her hand, she's momentarily disoriented. Her attention is pulled to Quinn's back as her girlfriend is wrapped up in an effusive hug by a short brunette.

"Quinn! I've missed you so much."

Quinn laughs into the woman's hair. "It's only been two weeks, Rach."

"Two weeks too long," Rachel argues, letting go of Quinn with a wide smile. "I still think you should transfer to NYU or Columbia."

"Not happening," Quinn refuses with a smirk, easing the sudden knot that had formed in Sarah's stomach at the suggestion.

Rachel's dark eyes finally tear themselves away from Quinn and land on Sarah. Her eyebrows lift slightly, and her smile dims for just a moment before it comes back even wider but somehow less sincere—Sarah's not quite sure how that's even possible. "Hello. You must be Sasha," she chirps animatedly. "Quinn has told me so much about you."

"It's Sarah," Sarah corrects her with a small frown. Quinn couldn't have told her that much about Sarah if Rachel can't even get her name right.

Rachel's smile droops again, and she waves her hand dismissively. "Sarah. Of course. How could I get that wrong?" she wonders with a laugh. "In any case, it's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Rachel Berry." She holds out a hand politely for Sarah to take, and when she does, she's met with a firm, swift handshake.

"Nice to meet you," Sarah echoes as she studies Quinn's friend. She's pretty—in an unusual sort of way—and she's wearing a very short skirt and a form-fitting shirt. Sarah somehow feels very underdressed in her faded blue jeans and cozy flannel shirt. Rachel's eyes are currently assessing Sarah in much the same way that Sarah is assessing her. It's a little unsettling, and Sarah kind of worries that Quinn's friend already dislikes her for whatever reason.

"So," Rachel drawls, clapping her hands together. "Shall we drop your bags at my place before we embark on my detailed itinerary for introducing Sash…Sarah to the magnificence of New York City?"

Quinn grins indulgently before shaking her head at Rachel. "Actually, I rented a room at the Manhattan for the two of us," she admits, and Sarah feels her cheeks heat at the unspoken implication that they'd rather be alone.

Rachel's smile disappears entirely. "But you always stay with me," she whines. "I know my apartment is a little on the small side, but I'm more than happy to sleep on the floor."

Quinn's eyes dart to Sarah. "We just figured it would be…easier." Actually, they agreed it would be nice to be completely alone for the weekend without having to worry about any roommates interrupting them. "And if…Peter wants to drop by, he can," Quinn adds almost reluctantly. Sarah frowns at that, noticing that certain tone that Quinn seems to use whenever she mentions Rachel's boyfriend—like she doesn't particularly care for him even though she claims that he's a nice guy.

"He knows you're visiting. He wouldn't just drop by," Rachel assures her with a pout.

"It's already done, Rachel," Quinn says firmly, reaching for Sarah's hand again.

Rachel's lips purse before she nods jerkily. "Well…then…I suppose we should get you checked in," she concedes as they begin to walk. "At least the hotel is right at the top of Times Square, so you can be surrounded by all the wonder of Broadway," she tells Sarah.

Sarah grimaces slightly. "Yay," she deadpans, and Quinn chuckles.

Rachel's lips twitch as she studies the two of them. "I asked Quinn if she wanted me to try to get you tickets to any shows, but she insisted that it wasn't necessary. I argued that of course it's necessary. It's Broadway! You can't leave New York without seeing at least one show."

"Rachel," Quinn warns, reaching her free hand out to casually touch Rachel's shoulder in warning. "Don't push."

Rachel huffs, leaning around Quinn and looking directly at Sarah. "There are so many amazing shows playing right now. I'd be happy to recommend one if you're uncertain which is most worth your time and money."

"I really don't care much for theater," Sarah finally tells her.

Rachel stops walking, planting her feet on the floor and her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?" she questions incredulously.

Quinn sighs, muttering, "Here we go," before she stops too, casting Sarah an apologetic look as she lets go of her hand again. "It's really not that big a deal," she defends when she turns to Rachel.

"Not a big deal? Not a big deal! It's my livelihood," Rachel insists, throwing her hands out dramatically.

"You're still in school," Quinn reminds her.

"A technicality," Rachel counters petulantly. "How can you not like the theater?" she asks Sarah.

Sarah shifts the strap of her bag up higher on her shoulder before juggling Quinn's bag to her other hand. Her eyes dart to Quinn before she takes a breath and admits, "I just think it's generally dull and unproductive, and there are more valuable ways for a person to spend their time."

Rachel gapes at her before sputtering, "But…it…it's art! It's…culture. It's visual storytelling!"

"Rachel," Quinn warns again, harsher this time. "Let it go."

Rachel huffs, crossing her arms. "Fine. To each their own, I suppose," she concedes snippily, beginning to move forward again. "I had thought that we could stop to grab a bagel and some coffee in this little shop nearby while we chat. You do like coffee, don't you?" she checks with Sarah in a slightly condescending manner.

"Yes," Sarah answers with a frown.

"Coffee sounds great," Quinn tells her agreeably, and Rachel smiles again, seeming to relax as she walks next to Quinn and immediately begins to chatter about something that happened in her classes this week.

Quinn gently pries her bag from Sarah's grip and shoulders it before she presses her hand back into Sarah's and squeezes it reassuringly. Sarah follows along, not having any idea where they are or where they're going as they cut through crowds of people at every turn. So far, she's not particularly impressed by New York or by Rachel Berry, and she can't quite figure out what Quinn sees in either one of them. But she supposes that she still has an entire weekend to try to figure it out.