Author's Note: A Tony Award drabble by request. Set after Under the Light Of A Thousand Stars and before the ficlet You're A Criminal As Long As You're Mine.

Build This Dream Together

And we can build this dream together,
standing strong forever.
Nothing's gonna stop us now.
~Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, Starship

It feels like a dream.

The last time Rachel had been here, she'd had to smile and pretend to be a gracious loser after her name hadn't echoed through the theatre for Best Lead Actress in a Musical. The best part of the night had been the person sitting beside her—the person who's been both her harshest critic and her biggest fan in turn. Her plus one. Her person.

Her Quinn.

Tonight, she's nominated for the role that she'd dreamed of playing since she'd been a little girl, and Quinn is sitting beside her again, this time as her wife—her gorgeous, sexy, talented wife. They're still the newest of newlyweds, barely back from their honeymoon, but there's no way either of them would ever miss this night.

Quinn looks absolutely beautiful in a midnight blue gown, and Rachel had felt so incredibly proud to walk the red carpet with her wife at her side. There were a few questions posed from those who hadn't known that Rachel had married a woman—questions that she'd answered honestly and without shame. She suspects Evelyn will grumble about the extra publicity for her marriage, but Rachel doesn't care in the least. She and Quinn have worked too hard and come too far in their relationship to hide it for any reason.

And there's no absolutely no way that they could even begin to hide what they are to each other, because this time, it's Rachel's name that echoes through the theatre.

"Oh, my God," she whispers, gripping Quinn's hand even more tightly. "Oh, my God."

"Rachel, sweetheart. You won," Quinn murmurs, happy tears glistening in her eyes as she squeezes Rachel's hand.

"I won," Rachel repeats dumbly, gazing at her wife. "I won," she repeats, a grin quickly blooming on her lips. She finally has her Tony. In a heartbeat, she's leaning across the seat and kissing Quinn in celebration, careless of the camera zooming in on them for all of the world to see.

"Get up there," Quinn urges when their lips part. "You deserve it."

Rachel nods, swooping in for one more quick kiss before she practically flies out of her chair and races up the aisle. Don't trip, don't trip, she silently chants in her head as she grips the material of her red dress and lifts it away from her shoes so that she can climb the steps to the stage without falling.

She barely registers the congratulatory kiss that Sutton Foster presses to her cheek, but she certainly feels every ounce of the weight that settles into her hands as she clutches the Tony Award close to her chest. Her eyes seek out Quinn in the audience, unerringly finding her despite the hundreds of faces and the harsh lights and flashbulbs creating halos around her eyes. Just knowing that Quinn is there grounds Rachel and brings the room back into focus.

"The first time I told someone outside of my immediate family that I'd be standing here someday, holding this award, I was five years old. She had no idea what I was talking about," Rachel confesses into the microphone, pausing to let some of the gentle laughter trickle through the auditorium. She wonders if Santana remembers or even realizes that she'd been the first to hear one of Rachel's Broadway-bound rambles in the back of that first grade classroom. "But that didn't deter me from chasing my dream, because I fell in love with Broadway from the moment that my dads first played the soundtrack of Oklahoma! while I was still in diapers. I've always known that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So I want to thank my dads, Hiram and Leroy, for introducing me to the wonders of music and theater. I wouldn't be standing here without the both of you. I also want to thank the cast and crew of Funny Girl. This award truly belongs to all of us, but I'm taking it home with me and keeping it on my shelf."

There's another rumble of laughter, and Rachel takes a breath, smiling through her tears. "Thank you Kurt and Santana and everyone from our high school glee club for constantly pushing me to be the best and fight for my dreams. Your friendship made me stronger. And finally, Quinn...my wife...the love of my life," she announces with a tremor in her voice as the depth of her emotion overwhelms her. A hundred memories bombard her all at once, from confrontations in bathrooms to a meaningful 'you can't hate me for helping to send you on your way' uttered across a piano to bouquets sent on her opening nights to the vows of forever that they'd only just made to each other. "You've always believed in me...believed that I belong here," Rachel acknowledges lovingly. "You once told me that I had an amazing life ahead of me, and you were right. It's amazing because I have you. And this," she holds up the Tony, "only makes it better. I love you, baby. Thank you for always being my biggest fan."

The room erupts in applause, and Rachel makes her way off-stage through a haze of happy tears. She's forced to stop and accept multiple congratulations, as well as give a few quick blurbs to the reporters lingering backstage, when all she really wants is to get back to Quinn so they can both celebrate her success together.

Finally, she's able to return to her seat, and she finds her wife right there waiting for her with a wide smile and sparkling eyes. The ceremony is still on a commercial break, so Quinn stands when Rachel slips back into the row, wrapping her up in a tight embrace. "I love you," Quinn breathes against her ear. "And I'm so proud of you."

Rachel presses her lips to Quinn's cheek before she pulls back to gaze into those beloved hazel eyes. "I meant what I said up there. As happy as I am about winning tonight, it doesn't even come close to our wedding as the happiest moment of my life."

Quinn leans forward and kisses her—softly and sweetly. "But it's still pretty high up there on the list, right?" she guesses with a knowing grin.

"Hell, yes," Rachel confirms with a smug smile. "I hope you're okay with Tony here sleeping in our bed tonight," she teases.

Quinn laughs, her arms tightening around Rachel. "As long as I get to be the one holding you."

"Always," Rachel promises easily, leaning into her wife. Her life really does feel like a dream come true, and she never wants to wake up.