Apologies for the delay between updates. I had a lot going on and then it was Nanowrimo time.

Chapter Twenty: Blame It On The Bubbles

Home Sweet Home.

She'd checked to make sure her parents had left on time before escorting Rachel from the car. It wouldn't do to walk through the front door with Rachel Berry if her Dad was still inside. Even if she could get away with saying it was for a Glee project – which she couldn't because he wouldn't care – the fact that Rachel was still stoned beyond belief would have caused her a world of trouble.

But the coast was clear and now they were standing in the foyer and it was awkward.

Awkward because she was caught between wanting Rachel to feel comfortable here and being the good hostess her Mom had taught her to be – as in polite, formal, welcoming and completely detached. Her mom was a master at taking coats, offering drinks and courteously enquiring after her guests lives without ever relaxing into the situation.

Well, she had the last one down perfectly and she took Rachel's coat, but she couldn't be detached around her, not any more.

It was also awkward because Rachel wouldn't be detachedfrom her. After removing her coat – a task that lasted several minutes due to Rachel's fascination with the 'beautiful complexity' of the hook and eye fastenings – she kind of sank into Quinn's side with one arm going around her waist as her head snuggled against her shoulder.

"Still feeling woozy?"

"Yes, although I am happy to say that the triple vision I was experiencing in the Choir room has reduced and I'm finding the double vision much less disorientating, but mostly I'm just feeling cuddly. That's not a problem is it?

"The doorbell's going to ring any minute."

"I'll let go when it does."

"Rachel, I have to stay in character," she said, hoping that phrasing it that way would get through to Rachel better and be kinder than pushing her away.

Rachel giggled, "And what is your character?"

"The unwilling host. I don't want you here, remember? I'm just feeling guilty because you ate all of those cupcakes because of me and there was nowhere else for you to go." Heavy-lidded brown eyes looked up at her and it was all she could do not to try and kiss that little pout away. "Thank you, by the way. Although it would have been much more sensible if you'd just told me what was in them instead of eating them all yourself."

"I couldn't; Noah was blackmailing me.."

"He was? How?" she demanded; and just when she'd been thinking kindly of him for helping to distract Finn.

"He threatened to tell."

"Tell what, Rachel?" Any kindly thoughts had now been blown entirely away by explosive, murderous ones. "If that shithead even dares . . ." Her anger shifted abruptly into confusion when the other girl started giggling. "It's not funny! He could ruin me if he starts telling other people about . . ."

"No, no, not other people," Rachel chortled, "although that would be embarrassing enough! He was going to tell you. . ."

Okay, now she was completely lost, because she already knew about them.

". . . about all of the naked photos I have of you in my bedroom. That's why I couldn't tell anyone what was in the cakes, see?"

Quinn eyed her with just a smidge of suspicion for a heartbeat or two, but that was all it took for her to be sure that there wasn't even a pinch of truth in Puck's accusation. Even allowing for her being stoned there was no way she would find it this hilarious if it was for real. Actually it would probably have the reverse effect of making Rachel paranoid and shifty.

"You know I wouldn't have believed him."

The pout came back, but trembling now from the laughter held behind it.. "You're not the only one who has to stay in character, Quinn."

It made it easier to do what she had to do next. "I appreciate that, I do, but we can't cuddle any more, Rachel, so stand up straight."

The doorbell trilled right above them and Quinn jumped, but Rachel jumped more. Letting out a little yelp, suddenly she was clinging to her harder than ever and she had the uncontrollable giggles again.

"Sorry." Rachel side-stepped away without needing to be told to and then fell back against the wall. It was hard to tell if she lost her balance because she was laughing so hard, or if she was laughing so hard because she lost her balance. "Okay, hang on a second, let me get my show face on." Her expression straightened for perhaps five seconds before it collapsed all over again. "M-maybe you should just get the door, this-this might take a while."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn did just that.

Santana pushed in without waiting for an invite, gave the giggling mass of Berry a look up and down and then rolled her own eyes. "Still a mess, I see. This should be fun."

Brittany came in next, grinning from ear to ear as she eyed Rachel. "I think its going to be super fun."

Mercedes and Tina followed her in, both looking a little wary to be there.

It had been decided by unanimous vote that this should be made a real Glee Girls sleepover. Santana figured that Rachel would be easier to take if she was watered down by the other geeks, Brittany had pointed out that as none of them really wanted to deal with a totally stoned Rachel having the other two girls there would spread the responsibility around and Quinn had agreed because . . . why not?

Rachel had also voted yay on the grounds that after witnessing Brittany slap Finn and having Santana drag her halfway across the room by her ankles she'd become convinced that the two Cheerios were luring her to Quinn's home to murder her. Or at the very least humiliate her and film it for YouTube.

Mercedes, she was sure, had only agreed for the chance to get a look at the inside of her house, but Tina seemed genuinely happy for the invite and held up a litre bottle of Fanta as she came in.

"I brought cookies too," she said with no trace of a stutter, causing Quinn to frown. "Is that not okay?"

She shook the frown away. "No, that's . . . very nice of you. We only just arrived too," she said, because it was the best way of explaining why she was still holding Rachel's coat. "Let's, um, you're jackets."

"Are you stoned too now, Q?" Santana smirked as she shed her Cheerios letterman. "Lets see, is that because you ate a cupcake, or did you just eat Stubbles while you were waiting for us?"

"Funny. You can put your own coat in the closet. I'm sure you'll find your way around; it is a closet after all."

Santana glared in that deadly way only she could for a moment before shrugging it off and taking Brittany's coat to hang up with her own. "We brought some wine coolers too, you know, for those of us who can't handle that hard Fanta stuff."

Tina blushed and looked at her feet and Quinn touched her shoulder sympathetically as she took her jacket. "For those of us who can't drink right now, Fanta is perfect."

Even if it would give her major heartburn later.

"I brought Cheetos," Mercedes said, and then glared at Santana, "But somebody also promised me pizza."

Santana glared back, "You just walked in the door. Can we at least sit down before you feel the need to stuff your pudgy face?"

"No, Mercedes is right. I need Pizza, and Cheetos," Rachel said with such a determined look on her face it was hard for Quinn not to laugh. "And did somebody mention cookies?"

Oh yeah, tonight was going to be great fun.

The coats had all been put away, the snacks had been poured into bowls and everyone had their drink of choice – except Rachel, who had chosen a wine cooler, which Quinn had vetoed, and so had a glass of water instead – when Santana shucked off her Cheerios shirt in the middle of the kitchen.

Everyone's eyes bugged – except Brittany's, because she was used to it – until they saw that she was wearing a bikini top underneath.

"Fire up the hot tub, Q. I didn't agree to babysit you two out of the goodness of my heart."

"Isn't it a little cold for that?" Tina asked, with still no stutter. Quinn knew she'd been on a date with Artie earlier or yesterday or some time, but surely he wasn't that good.

"It's called a hot tub for a reason," Santana snarked.

"Yeah, Quinn's hot tub is totally awesome," Brittany grinned. "Do you guys remember last New Years Eve?"

Quinn did, too well. Her parent's had been at the Church Social and they'd had the house to themselves. They'd all had a little too much to drink, not to the point of being stupid, but inhibitions had certainly been lowered and she'd witnessed her two best friends doing something she'd never ever wanted to see. It had shocked her at the time, but now the thought of watching two girls kiss wasn't nearly so scandalous and . . . oops, she was looking at Berry in a way she really, really shouldn't be.

She dragged her eyes away. "Uh, yeah, I guess I can turn it on, but what are the rest of us going to do?"

"Santana told us to come prepared," Mercedes grinned, pulling her top down over her shoulder to show a pink swimming costume strap underneath.

"Oh."

Rachel suddenly dropped her palms to the table top. "Quinn can't go in the hot tub!"

"Why not?" she asked, the idea automatically growing on her when it looked like she couldn't.

"Because raising your core body temperature that high can be harmful to the baby."

"I hate being pregnant!"

"But it makes you glow!"

"Cork it, Berry!"

Santana laughed at them and then pushed her Cheerios skirt over her hips before heading through to the door of the deck. "I'm gonna go turn it on."

Brittany followed with a: "Come on, guys!"

"I'll sit out with you, Quinn," Rachel offered. "I don't have a suit and its probably dangerous to go swimming when I can't feel my toes."

"It's a hot tub, why would you be swimming?"

"That's a very good question, Mercedes," Rachel conceded, but apparently didn't have an answer. "I probably shouldn't get in a hot tub on a full stomach though," she added, shoving a full handful of Cheetos into her mouth and Quinn realized what she was up to; trying to organise it so that everyone would be in the hot tub – except for them. She was angling for alone time.

"I have a bikini you can wear," she blurted. "It's wasn't made for munchkins but it should just about fit you."

Rachel looked dubious before brightening, "Should I come upstairs and try it on?"

"No!" She cleared the squeak out of her throat and tried again. "I mean, no, I'll bring it down, you can try it on in the downstairs bathroom."

She left the room, but still heard Tina say, "Rachel, you really shouldn't come on so strong. Quinn's trying to be nice and you're making her really uncomfortable."

She grinned as she went up the stairs; her acting was flawless.

Twenty minutes later, not so much.

Everybody else was submerged to their shoulders and having a great time soaking in the bubbles, but apparently the pot in Rachel's system was disagreeing with the hot water. She kept sinking down to the same level as everyone else only to burst up with a splash a few minutes later, making waves, sweating and waving a hand in front of her face to cool down.

It wouldn't have been a problem – and certainly no one else was paying much attention to her theatrics – but sitting on the side with just her feet submerged, because they ached and so did her ankles and pregnancy still sucked, Quinn was getting treated to Rachel in her own red bikini top that was just a tiny bit too small on the other girl. Combined with trickling water droplets and the rolling and surging of the breasts under her bikini, Quinn was having a problem.

It was getting really hard to hide the fact that she wanted to stare.

She tried to distract herself with conversations, but they all went a little something like . . .

"So, San, how's Head Cheerio working out for you?"

"It's not! Because I'm not. Not yet anyway. Your willingness to star in The Desperate Teen Mom's Of Lima has her scared. She won't choose another captain until she's had a retro-active chastity clause put into all of our contracts. You've really screwed me here, Q! Do you have any idea how hard it's going to be for me to . . ."

Rachel pops out of the water.

"That's . . . great! You, uh, deserve a new contract . . . definitely . . . awesome."

Or . . .

"Hey, Britt, how's Lord Tubbington's diet going?"

"Don't get me started! He keeps swearing to me he's staying off dairy but then I find cheese crumbs on his whiskers! How am I supposed to trust him? Do you think I should enrol him in fat camp?"

Rachel pops out of the water.

"Cheese camp for cats? That's Lord Tubbington's Disneyland! You should totally go for it."

Or . . .

"Mercedes, have you seen the new Baker Angelo catalogue? Seriously, you are going to die in the best way when you see their winter collection."

"Hell, yeah! I already ordered a bunch of stuff. Did you see those jackets . . .

Rachel popped out of the water again and Quinn didn't even bother with a follow up comment this time. She was dumbstruck – although Rachel would probably prefer the term starstruck – whatever she was, it included being mesmerised.

She had to stop looking at Rachel's breasts before anyone noticed, especially before Rachel noticed because she was supposed to be over that. She so wasn't over that. They were perfect. Encased in clinging red and heaving a little from apparent heat exhaustion. Quinn could stare at them all night. The abrupt shift from hot water to the cold night air was making her nipples peak, raising delectable dents in the bikini top and giving Quinn so many thoughts she shouldn't be having, like running her thumbs over them – or her tongue. That would be new. That would be good. That would . . .

Rachel met her eyes at entirely the wrong moment, bringing home how real it could be if she only allowed it to happen.

Flustered, Quinn kicked her legs under the water. "Ouch."

"Sorry!" She apologised to Tina's elbow and drew her legs from the hot tub to stand up.

"I'm going to order some pizzas. Keep an eye on Berry for me, please? I don't want her suddenly drowning or wandering off."

She'd cooled down by the time she had called Angelo's for a variety of pizzas and accompanying side dishes

Now she was listening to them laugh and splash about through the open doors to the deck, and it was nice hearing them all getting along, but she had no interest in going back out there herself. There was no way she could see Rachel in that bikini again and not do or at least say something stupid.

She took a stack of plates and a packet of paper napkins through to the family room, assuming everyone would want to eat in front of the television. Back in the kitchen she set about getting fresh drinks for everyone, rolling her eyes and grinning at the conversation she could hear coming from the hot tub. At least everyone . . .

"Psst!"

She didn't freeze at the unexpected noise but she did stop moving, because the perpetrator of that odd little sound was supposed to be outside with the others.

"Psst!"

"I heard you the first time," she said quietly. "Where are you?"

"Turn around."

She did so. The pantry door was cracked open just enough to let a big, brown eye peek though.

"You better not be dripping all over the place in there."

"I can't promise that." The door opened a little wider and a hand beckoned her in.

"No." Quinn turned back to what she was doing.

"Psst!"

"What are you even doing in the pantry?"

"I was looking for something delicious to eat. Come help me."

Her eyebrows rose, but she decided Rachel probably wasn't making a deliberate innuendo. "I don't think so."

"Quinn, stop being so difficult. I have a secret to tell you."

"What secret?"

The eye rolled, "Come here and I'll tell you."

With a deeply exasperated sigh, Quinn walked over and Rachel pulled the door open wider. Quinn stepped inside, but only just, and hooked the door with her ankle so that it couldn't close all the way behind her.

"So what's the secret?"

Rachel curled that finger again, encouraging her to lean down and Quinn complied because she was curious. Secrets were currency after all and what if she'd missed an important piece of gossip in the hot tub while she'd been trying not to gawp at Rachel.

"Hi."

"Hello," she replied as cool as she could when Rachel was whispering directly into her ear; instantly reigniting the desire she had been feeling at the hot tub's edge.

"I saw you looking at me earlier."

"You were jumping around in the water like a homesick salmon; it was hard not to look."

"Nobody else looked like they were enjoying it quite so much though," the words were punctuated by a soft kiss to her earlobe.

"So is that the secret? Going to try your hand at blackmail for real?"

"No, that's not the secret," Rachel purred languidly with warm lips against her earlobe.

"Gnome, don't. Just tell me the secret."

"This is the secret."

Her hand clutched at Rachel bare back, smooth, warm and still damp, when that damned tongue flicked around the shell of her ear.

No! She couldn't let her do this, nothing turned her brain to jello like this! If she didn't stop her from – Oh – doing that right now she was going to forget why she was supposed to stop her in the first place. Her hand was moving up and down Rachel's back already, smearing water droplets over the firm muscles and reminding her that the girl kissing and licking her ear was still very much in a bikini. Which sort of explained why she had her eyes closed, but made the closed eyes seem pretty wasteful.

Waste was a sin, right? Was it worse than lust, though?

"Do you want to hear more?" Those softly drawled words proved beyond all reasonable doubt that Quinn somehow had a direct connection from her ear all the way down to her no go area and it decided the answer for her.

The sound of four voices in a heated but affable discussion could still be heard from the deck as Quinn unhooked her ankle from the door and let it slowly swing shut. "Yes."

How her voice sounded so calm when inside she was a firework waiting to go off she didn't know. All of those elocution lessons in elementary school perhaps. It didn't matter when Rachel was pulling her deeper into the pantry and up against the shelves, as she slipped one arm around Quinn's neck to gain leverage and continued to give her ear the kind of toe-tingling attention that she'd never even had the guts to dream of before.

Oh God, her knees were going to buckle under the weight of all this pleasure if she didn't stop it soon. "Rach . . . Rach . . . Rachel!"

"What?"

"Oh fuck, say that again!"

She received a chuckle instead – which was even better. Both of her hands were kneading Rachel's back now, squeezing the firm flesh under her fingers because she had to hold on to something. That was new too, previously uncharted bare skin – the thought made her eyes pop open. The way her head was angled gave her a view straight down Rachel's body, her bikini-clad breasts were just inches from her face and below that a taut, tanned stomach and lower still a red triangle that covered everything but still left very little to the imagination. She didn't need her imagination because she had seen Rachel naked, but it was better this way, because it didn't feel so wrong and it wasn't as scary.

It might have also had something to do with the miraculous things Rachel was doing to her ear that were about to make Quinn mount her and to hell with the consequences.

"You taste so good."

And apparently there really was no end to how dirty her thoughts could get right now because that just sent them to a whole new low (or high if she was being really honest). She'd be embarrassed by them if she wasn't so damn turned on.

"Something's missing though."

"What? Tell me what you want?"

Wanton, much?

"I just need a little more."

A little more? She could do that. She would probably be up for doing a lot more if Rachel would just tell her exactly what that entailed.

In the absence of instructions she went with what she knew, sliding a hand over Rachel's skin. Water seeped from the bikini as she pressed her palm against it, but right beneath the slick material was Rachel and it probably didn't count as under the shirt when Rachel wasn't wearing one to begin with but Quinn was still aware that it felt like it. She stroked her hand around until she felt a nipple against her palm and wondered how Rachel would react if she gave into her earlier fantasy.

"That wasn't what I had in mind, but it feels really nice, so don't stop okay?"

Why would she stop? What did Rachel actually have in mind? And could she cope with it considering doing this was already just about blowing her mind? And would Rachel notice if she started humping her leg right now?

"I can't quite reach." Rachel whispered. "Can you lift me up a little?"

Reach to do what? Because she seemed to be reaching everything just fine and if anything Quinn wanted her lower, not higher, but she trusted Rachel. Rachel could make her feel like this, so she definitely trusted her to make her feel even better.

It only took a second to grip Rachel by the hips and lift her up. There was a soft squeak in her ear and then the pleasure-bringing lips went away. Long, gorgeous legs wrapping around her waist replaced them and it was hard for Quinn to grumble about it. She kept them there with firm hands under equally firm thighs and if that wasn't enough of a pleasant experience all on its own . . . Quinn was suddenly staring a bright red, too tight, wet bikini in the face. Up close. She was eyeballs to nipples. This wasn't happening! This was sooo happening.

What the fuck was happening?

"Got it!" Rachel's voice was louder now with excitement.

"Me too," she murmured, too in the moment to think beyond it now.

The next sound to come from Rachel was unexpected and slightly obscene but still nowhere near as freak-worthy as the feel of something cold and slippery spraying into her ear. She startled away, swiping at her offended ear and growling as she saw what Rachel was holding. "What the hell?"

"What's wrong?"

"You just squirted cream in my ear!"

Rachel looked at the aerosol cannister in her hand and then back at Quinn like she didn't get the problem. "I told you I was hungry."

"I thought that meant you were hungry for something else!"

"Oh." Rachel looked totally lost, all signs of seduction gone. "Are you mad at me?"

"I should be." If a cold squirt of cream to the ear hadn't dampened her desire like a fire extinguisher she probably would be, but . . . it was kind of funny. She poked a finger in her ear and pulled out a large glob of cream. Realising she had nowhere to wipe it she held it up to Rachel's mouth. "Here, you're the hungry one."

Rachel happily sucked it from her fingertip. It produced another brief spark of arousal but the way Rachel just grinned at her afterwards was too cute to make her want to do anything but chuckle. She looked around for a cloth or anything she could wipe the gunk away with, but they were in her pantry, so, yeah, no cloths.

"How am I supposed to clean up, Rachel. I'm not getting cream on my dress and you're not wearing enough to wipe it on."

"Like this, obviously," Rachel came at her ear tongue first.

"No!" Quinn laughed and ducked her head out of the way. She wasn't having that start all over again. She couldn't believe she'd allowed herself to get so carried away in the first place. "You are not licking it from my ear; that's gross!"

Rachel pouted, "Why gross? I thought you liked my tongue in you ear?"

"I . . . am not a pudding cup," she said, playing it safe.

The doorbell rang at the front of the house and Rachel clapped her hands. "Oh!"

"Oh, what?"

"What do you think!"

She moved around her in the small space until Quinn caught her arm, "Where are you going? We have a situation to deal with here." She pointed at her cream-filled ear again.

"I'm sorry, Quinn." Rachel pulled the door wide open and stepped out into the crowd of people outside without seeming to notice them. "But if you won't let me eat you, then I guess I'll have to settle for pizza!"

She took off for the front door and Quinn was going to kill her later for leaving her to face everyone else alone after that.

"We came in because we heard the door bell," Tina said, sounding guilty.

Everyone else was just smirking at her, even Brittany.

Quinn sighed and knew only the truth was going to cut it. "Okay, let's get this over with. No, we weren't kissing in there. It's a pantry not a cloest. And, no, she really didn't mean what you're all thinking."

She wasn't sure she'd ever seen Santana look so happy, "So how did she mean it?"

"Literally, I think." She turned her head so that they could all see the cream dribbling down her neck. "She was trying to snack on my ear."

"Oh, girl, she's got it bad for you," Mercedes laughed.

"I know." It felt wrong admitting it, but it was 'in character'. She rolled her eyes to sell it. "Why did I even walk past the pantry to find her gnawing on a bag of dry pasta anyway? I thought I asked you all to make sure she didn't wander off?"

"And we did," Mercedes said, "For as long as we could stand her never shutting up anyway."

"And then we told her to get lost," Santana said with a shrug.

"She said she was just going to find you and ask for a snack," Tina said. "Oh. I guess she did."

Quinn rolled her eyes again, for real this time, and then snatched up the twenty dollars her dad had left on the side for her as a boy called out, "Hey, is anyone going to pay me? If not I'm calling the police!"

That sounded a little extreme. Quinn grabbed a cloth from the counter and walked out of the kitchen cleaning up her ear. "Rachel, put that down! It has meat on it, you silly gnome! I ordered the Veggie Supreme just for you."

Everyone left in the kitchen exchanged confused looks, except for Brittany, who smiled; just happy to know something major that nobody else did . . . yet.

Thanks for reading :)