Quinn lay on her left side, cradling her baby bump with her right arm and holding the lamb Rachel had given her to her heart with her left hand, watching the rain fall outside the window of what was now her room. It had been a long, emotional evening at Mr. Schuester's apartment.

After Regionals, glee club would be all but over. Her former cheerleading coach would see to that now that she was one of the judges for the competition. It hurt. The entire club was broken up about it. It was the only place they could truly be themselves in a world filled with trying to keep up appearances—something Quinn was all too familiar with.

But perhaps what was most disheartening of all, Quinn thought, was the shift in Rachel's relationship with Finn. Sure, he could have just been offering Rachel comfort by sitting—very closely, she might add—alongside her in Mr. Schue's living room. After all, Rachel was really upset, and Finn was her closest friend. It made sense for him to be there for her. Still, Quinn knew that he wanted to be more than friends with Rachel. He had been making that clear for months.

And as much as she didn't want to think it, Quinn knew Rachel still felt something for Finn.

Quinn knew she was running out of time, but she still hadn't figured out how she was going to tell Rachel that she liked her. It was completely unknown territory. Truthfully, she was a little afraid that Rachel would find her undesirable. Eight months ago, the thought would have been laughable. No one—girl or boy—at McKinley would have turned her down.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. It wasn't the first time she'd had that thought.

Quinn clutched the stuffed lamb closer to her chest and closed her eyes.

She was in over her head. She needed reinforcements.

"I have no idea what I'm doing!" Quinn exclaimed. "I've never been the pursuer. I just had to twirl around in my Cheerios uniform, and boys would chase after me. Those kinds of tricks won't work on Rachel."

"True, Rachel is much more dramatic," Kurt agreed. "She'll want some sort of grand gesture, like a serenade in front of the glee club to prove your ability to match her vocally."

Quinn groaned. "I can't do this." She frowned and ran her hand through her hair. "She probably doesn't even feel the same way."

"You don't know that. And why are you giving up so easily?"

"She likes Finn," she said in a defeated tone.

"You have to let her know that she has another option besides Finn."

"But how?"

"I already told you how. Your voice."

Quinn looked at Kurt uncertainly. "I don't know if I can put myself out there like that. It's one thing singing about how mad I am at the world—it's another serenading Rachel."

"Why don't you just ask her to make out?" came the sound of Puck's voice. Shocked and wide eyed, Quinn looked up to see him walking into the choir room with his guitar case slung over his shoulder. "That's what I did," he added with a shrug and a smug grin.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Mr. Schue asked me to meet him here to iron out the arrangement of the mashup we're doing at Regionals," he explained, taking a seat next to Quinn on the risers. "But seriously, next time you're hanging out with Rachel, just ask her to make out with you. She'll totally go for it. But make sure you tell me ahead of time so I can be there to watch," he added, waggling his eyebrows.

"Pig!" Quinn swatted his arm as Kurt rolled his eyes, but she was still blushing. "How did you find out that I liked Rachel anyway?" she asked Puck, glancing suspiciously at Kurt, who wore a look of complete innocence. She wondered if this was going to be a repeat of when Mercedes had told the entire glee club sans Finn and Rachel that Puck was the father of her child.

"Besides hearing you talking to Hummel about serenading her just now? Santana told me. She thought it was hilarious that you want her, but I think it's hot."

"Who else knows?" she asked nervously. Even though she had admitted to herself how she felt, she didn't want the whole school to know.

"Relax, I haven't told anyone else," Puck said. "I may think the idea of the two of you together is totally hot, but I know better than to piss you off that much."

"Mercedes and I have kept our lips sealed for once," Kurt added, "but I think it's safe to assume that Santana told Brittany. Neither of them would say anything to anyone outside of glee though. Santana has already assumed her position as top dog in the school hierarchy. She knows better than to rock the boat unnecessarily. Let sleeping dogs lie."

Quinn let out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, and as long as that Jacob kid doesn't find out, your secret's safe from the rest of the school," Puck said, trying to reassure her. "But seriously, you should tap that."

"Would you shut up?" Quinn rolled her eyes and smacked his arm again.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help!"

"I think what Puck's trying to say in his own perverted way is that you should stop being so afraid and let her know how you feel," Kurt clarified.

"That too," Puck agreed with a grin. "I'll even help you with a song if you want. Anything to make my baby mama happy."

"Thanks, Puck," she said with a genuine smile, but she still felt a touch embarrassed over him knowing what was going on. But she was glad he was being supportive, even if it was in his own idiotic way.

"Cool, so after we place at Regionals, you can sing your way into Rachel Berry's pants."

Quinn didn't know whether to laugh, blush, or smack him again, so she did all three.

Quinn lay alone in her hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling. She was drained, both mentally and physically. It had been the most emotional day of her life, and now she wasn't sure what to feel. Everything seemed almost bittersweet.

"Did you love me?"

"Yes, especially now."

Quinn still wasn't sure exactly why she had asked Puck that question, but standing in the nursery earlier, looking at her daughter and knowing that she couldn't keep her, she had to know that it had been worth it. That she wasn't just another hookup.

But despite his answer, Quinn knew the truth—she had been just another conquest. The girl Puck truly loved was Beth, so much that he loved Quinn for letting him be there for her birth. Puck may have wanted Quinn more than any other girl at the moment, but he wasn't in love with her.

And that was okay. In a life filled with seemingly nothing but complications lately, one less piece of drama was welcome.

A soft knock pulled Quinn from her thoughts as she looked over to the door with tired eyes, only to see Rachel standing at the doorway wearing a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. It was the most casual looking Quinn had ever seen her, and she thought Rachel had never looked more beautiful.

"Hey," Quinn said with a soft smile, pleasantly surprised that she had come. She adjusted her bed so that she was now sitting up.

"Hey," Rachel replied softly, approaching Quinn's bed before coming to sit on one of the chairs beside it. "I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier. Someone had to stay at the competition, and everyone thought it should be me since I'm captain. I told Mercedes to keep me updated on everything, which, of course, she did."

"I know. She told me," Quinn replied with a tired smile. "And it's okay that you weren't here. I understand why you had to stay." She paused. "To be honest, I didn't really expect anyone to be here. I'm just glad I wasn't alone."

Rachel looked her with sympathetic brown eyes. "We wouldn't have let you go through it alone. We all care about you, Quinn." Without hesitation, Rachel placed a warm hand over Quinn's, and Quinn found it to be one of the most comforting gestures she'd ever experienced.

A comfortable silence fell between them for a moment before Quinn finally spoke. "I want to thank you."

"For what?"

"Ms. Corcoran came by to see me and Puck earlier. I know you were the one to tell her about our daughter."

Rachel smiled wistfully. "I knew that you still hadn't found a family for her, and when my mom told me she was stepping down as Vocal Adrenaline's coach to start a family, I couldn't deny her that chance."

Quinn nodded but looked at Rachel with concerned eyes. "And you're okay with it?"

"I am," Rachel nodded. "I've come to terms with my relationship with my mom. After what you said to me last week, I realized that what I have right now with my mom is good enough for the time being, and I know that she loves me. I already have two amazing parents, and not everyone is so fortunate."

"Don't I know that," Quinn muttered, looking away.

Rachel frowned and slowly pulled her hand back into her own lap, and Quinn immediately missed the contact. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Quinn sighed before looking back over to Rachel. "You didn't upset me. I just… it's weird. You know, my mom came to Regionals. I still can't believe she came to see me perform. And she asked me to move back in with her. It was like, finally, after eight months of needing her to be my mom, she finally was." Despite having thought she was all cried out for the day, tears still came to her eyes, although they didn't fall.

Immediately, her hand was once again covered by one of Rachel's. She gave it a light squeeze and smiled sadly at Quinn, who found herself calmed by Rachel's touch.

"I'm glad she was with me for the birth though," Quinn said, noticing not for the first time how easy it was for her to talk to Rachel. "She knew what to do to help get me through it, since she's been there, you know? And she kept me from killing Puck," she finished with a smirk, earning a soft chuckle from Rachel.

"Which I'm sure he was very grateful for. I know how much he wanted to meet his daughter," Rachel said with a soft smile. "I don't think I've ever seen his eyes light up so much as when he talks about Beth."

Quinn couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "I know how badly he wants to keep her, but I just can't. Just because we love her, it doesn't mean that we can give her what she really needs. What she deserves."

"I understand, Quinn," Rachel said with a nod and another squeeze of her hand. "And I know that it wasn't an easy decision."

Quinn felt the warmth of Rachel's caring touch, and it helped to soothe the dull ache in her heart over her decision to give her daughter up for adoption. Of course, she had known for months that she would be giving Beth up, but that didn't make the reality of that decision any easier. In fact, it was harder now that she'd gotten to actually see and hold her baby, yet she knew it was for the best.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Quinn bit her lower lip and nodded before looking up at the ceiling again. She didn't know if she could keep it together if she kept looking at Rachel. Somehow, her touch was all she needed. "When I first found out I was pregnant, I wanted to give her up so I could have my old life back. But after I felt her kick for the first time, I realized that there was a person growing inside me—depending on me to take care of her because I was literally the only one who could—things changed. It wasn't about what I wanted anymore. It was about what she needed. I wanted to give her the best life possible, but I knew that the only way for that to happen was to give her up. Puck might love her and want to be a good father, but he really has no idea how to be one. And I can't be a good mother right now. Giving my daughter up for adoption is somehow the hardest and easiest decision I've ever had to make. I just hope she understands."

"She will," Rachel said determinedly. "Maybe she won't understand it at first, but she'll understand eventually."

Hearing Rachel say those words was a relief, because Rachel knew what it was like to be adopted and struggle with feeling like she was rejected by her birth mother. "Like you did?"

Rachel nodded and smiled at her, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. There was still an air of sadness around her, despite having resolved things with her mother. Then Quinn remembered the disappointing news of their loss at Regionals. Somehow, it had almost slipped her mind with everything else that had gone on today.

"How are you holding up?" Quinn asked suddenly, but Rachel knew what Quinn was referring to.

"Well, I'm upset that we lost today, but, right now, I feel okay, I guess. And I know that not placing means the end of glee club, but, I don't know. That still hasn't really hit me yet. I don't really want to think about it."

"Hey," Quinn said, turning her palm face up and giving Rachel's hand a squeeze, causing Rachel to focus on her. "We'll find a way to get Figgins to not cancel the club."

The determination in Quinn's eyes made Rachel want to believe her.

"Hey," Puck's quiet voice interrupted. Both girls looked up at him as he walked into the room. "You ready to go back to the hotel, Rachel? Visiting hours are almost over, and the nurse on duty is scaring the crap out of me."

Quinn figured Puck would be here as much as the hospital allowed him to be, wanting to spend as much time with his daughter before Ms. Corcoran would take her home. He knew that Quinn had a point, but it was still hard to let his baby go. However, when Ms. Corcoran suggested an open adoption—something that neither of them knew was a possibility—he readily agreed. He would still get to show his daughter how much he loved her.

"You'll be okay on your own?" Rachel asked Quinn.

"I'll be fine. My mom's staying with me tonight. She left to get something to eat a little while ago, but she should be back soon."

"When will you be discharged?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. I probably won't be in school for a few days though."

"Okay, I'll see you when you get back then." Rachel leaned over and gave Quinn a hug, and she returned it, soaking up the smaller girl's warmth as she closed her eyes briefly.

"Thanks for coming," Quinn murmured, holding on to Rachel just a little tighter before letting go.

"Call if you need anything," Rachel replied as she pulled back. "Goodnight, Quinn." She gave her one more smile before stepping out of the room to let Puck say goodnight to Quinn.

"You brought her?" Quinn asked softly as Puck reached down to give her a hug of his own.

He nodded as he pulled back and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "She felt bad that she wasn't here with everyone else when you gave birth. Plus, I think she needed to take her mind off what happened at Regionals. So I took her to see Beth first, then she left to find you. I figured you'd want to see her."

"Thank you," she said.

"Like I've told you before, anything to make my baby mama happy," he said with a wink and a smile.

"How far we've come," she replied with a rueful smile and a shake of her head. "Goodnight, Puck."

"Goodnight, Quinn."

It was strange being back home. Things were obviously very different now. Her father wasn't there, which meant the oppressive force that had once existed in their house was no longer there. Quinn realized she didn't have to worry about disappointing him anymore, but she couldn't help but wish things were different between the two of them. Her mother was trying hard to make up for where she had failed Quinn—making the effort to be supportive, but also giving Quinn space. She knew they had a long way to go.

Mercedes had dropped by at one point with her meager belongings, most of which Quinn knew she'd end up throwing out since almost everything was maternity wear. The things she would definitely be keeping were the stuffed lamb from Rachel and the pictures of the glee club from throughout the school year.

"So when you get back, we're going to perform a song for Mr. Schue—kind of a thank you to him for teaching us this year."

"What song?"

"'To Sir with Love.'"

Quinn smiled sadly. She loved that song, and she thought it was perfect for their teacher.

To everyone's surprise, Principal Figgins eventually reversed his decision to end glee club and extended the program for one more year. No one would actually say it, but they suspected that Coach Sylvester had something to do with that. Although, no one could figure out why. Still, they were grateful for it.

However, Quinn's excitement over the continuation of the club was tempered by the sight before her—Rachel resting her head on Finn's shoulder while his massive hand held on to her smaller one.

She couldn't help but feel a pang of wistfulness seeing the two of them together. Rachel actually looked genuinely happy for the first time since before the Jesse and Shelby drama went down. Quinn was glad for that, but she selfishly wished it were her that was making Rachel happy instead of Finn.

"Don't worry. Finn's just a rebound for her. It won't last," Mercedes said, noticing the way Quinn was staring at the pair.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Just a hunch."

To celebrate the end of the school year and the continuation of glee club, Kurt and Finn threw a party for the gleeks at their house. Santana, Brittany, Mike, Matt, Puck, Rachel, and Tina were currently in the pool, trying to stay cool in the summer heat. Finn was busy grilling burgers and hotdogs, while Artie was in charge of the music.

Quinn sat at the table, which was fortunately shaded from the sun by a canopy. She still wasn't comfortable enough to wear a bathing suit, so Mercedes kept her company while also serving as a useful distraction to what was going on in the pool. Quinn was trying her damnedest not to stare at Rachel in her black bikini by listening intently to Mercedes' latest gossip.

Just then, Kurt came out through the back door holding more chips, walked over to the table, and began to fill up the bowls with more snacks. "Good news," Kurt said quietly, a conspiratorial look coming to his face. "Rachel and Finn aren't officially together. Yet. Finn plans on asking her to be his girlfriend soon though. Possibly tonight. So I suggest you do something about letting her know about any other options she might have, stat."

"What about the song?" Quinn asked, biting her lower lip nervously.

"Forget about the song," Mercedes replied. "Just go get her."

"Okay." Quinn anxiously turned to look toward the pool, only to see Rachel stepping out of the water. She swallowed hard, watching the way the droplets of water trickled down smooth, tan skin.

Rachel felt eyes on her and glanced over toward the table. It wasn't the first time she had caught Quinn looking at her like that, but she still wasn't sure what it meant—if anything—but secretly she hoped there was more to it. Quinn had always intrigued her in more ways than one.

Rachel then reached down to pick up her towel from the edge of the pool, unintentionally giving Quinn the perfect view of her rear.

Quinn let out an involuntary gasp at the sight, causing Kurt and Mercedes to chuckle. Just beyond Rachel's bent over form, she caught sight of Puck waggling his eyebrows at her from his spot in the pool while Santana, who floated alongside him with Brittany, smirked up at her.

Quinn shook her head, trying to focus on what needed to be done. You can do this, she thought to herself as she pushed herself up to stand and walked over to Rachel, who was now wrapped in the towel. Quinn didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved, but she settled on relief because it meant it would be easier to think. Maybe.

"Hey, Rachel."

"Oh, hey, Quinn," she beamed up at her.

"Can I talk to you?" Quinn noticed Finn watching them curiously out of the corner of his eyes and decided they should probably go somewhere more private. "Alone?"

"Sure," she replied with an easy smile before following Quinn back into the house and downstairs to Kurt's bedroom.

Quinn sat on Kurt's bed—the same place where she had first realized her feelings for Rachel. She thought it oddly fitting.

She patted the spot next to her, indicating that Rachel should sit there, which she did. Rachel looked at her curiously, and she could tell Quinn was anxious.

"What is it, Quinn?" Rachel asked.

Quinn was nervous, but she was determined to tell the other girl what was going on. "Rachel, there's something I need to tell you, and I feel like if I don't tell you now, I'm going to burst." She paused then, momentarily getting lost in the warmth of Rachel's brown eyes—the concern and care clearly evident. It gave Quinn the strength to say what she felt. "I like you, Rachel."

"I like you too, Quinn."

"No. I mean, I like you like you."

"Oh. Oh!" Rachel's eyes widened as she realized what Quinn was saying. "When did that start happening?"

"For awhile, actually. Since freshman year," she admitted sheepishly.

Rachel looked at her disbelievingly.

"It's true. I realized why I was so horrible to you these last couple of years. I was scared of how I felt around you. I didn't understand it. I've never felt like this around anyone else. And I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

Rachel could only stare, too stunned to speak. Quinn liked her. It made sense with the way she had been acting recently, but since freshman year? She couldn't quite wrap her head around that.

Quinn couldn't believe she managed to render Rachel Berry speechless, and had it been any other time, she would have felt a sense of accomplishment. Now, there was some worry creeping in, and in her nervousness, she just kept talking.

"I was going to sing a song in glee club to tell you, but Mr. Schue gave us the summer off, and well, I-"

She was suddenly cut off by soft lips pressing against hers. Quinn's eyes widened in surprise for a second before sliding shut as she got lost in the sensation of kissing Rachel Berry. Nothing had ever felt so good before, and it was easily the greatest experience of her young life.

Growing bolder, Quinn wrapped her arms around Rachel's back, pulling her closer, and swiped her tongue lightly across Rachel's lower lip. Rachel eagerly reciprocated, allowing Quinn to deepen the kiss as she brought her hands to rest on Quinn's hips, causing Quinn to get lost in Rachel all over again.

When they finally pulled apart, both girls were breathing heavily, their eyes slightly glazed over as they fluttered open and looked at one another.

"Wow," Rachel breathed out.

"Yeah," Quinn replied softly, still somewhat blown away by what had just happened. She hadn't been expecting that at all.

"I'd apologize for just kissing you without asking you first, but you were rambling, and I didn't feel like waiting for you to stop," she explained before smirking a bit at the role reversal. "Somehow I don't think you minded."

"No, that was definitely more than okay," Quinn smiled, lips still tingling from the kiss. "I was just surprised is all."

"I suspected that you may have felt something more than friendly toward me by the way you've been looking at me recently. But I thought maybe I was just imagining things, because, honestly? I didn't even think you liked girls, let alone me."

"You weren't imagining things," Quinn replied. "But if it weren't for Kurt, I don't know if I ever would have owned up to my feelings." She hesitated for a moment, but she had to be sure of what was going on. "I know this may seem like kind of a dumb question since you just kissed me, but how do you feel about me?"

"Well, I've always thought you were very attractive, Quinn, and over the last few weeks, I've really come to enjoy spending time with you. I think it's safe to say that I like you too," replied said with a blush, causing Quinn to smile. But then she remembered the boy whose home they were in. "But, then there's Finn."

Quinn felt her heart drop a bit at the mention of Finn. She had almost completely forgotten that he would factor in somehow. Of course this couldn't be easy. Nothing else was, why should this be any different?

"I like him a lot—he's been a great friend… and I know he wants me to be his girlfriend. Granted, I'm not sure I'm ready for that level of commitment after everything that happened with Jesse, but I more or less know what I'd get being with Finn. However, I have no idea what I'd get being with you."

"To tell you the truth, I hadn't really thought past telling you how I felt. This is all really new for me, you know? But I'd very much like to see where things between us can go. Will you give me a chance, Rachel?" she asked, hopefully.

Rachel considered that for a moment. So much had changed in the last year about what she considered essential in a relationship. She'd thought she'd had those things with Jesse. It was all about "epic romance" as he so succinctly put it, but what she was beginning to realize is that in and of themselves grand gestures mean nothing. Sometimes, the simple things mean so much more.

Like the way Quinn would smile at her or give her hand a gentle squeeze to comfort her. It filled her with such warmth that, in the beginning of their friendship, had taken Rachel by surprise. She had known Quinn had a caring side to her, but she had never had the privilege of seeing it until recently. And she very much liked what she saw.

And it seemed like Quinn wanted to take things slowly, which is what Rachel needed right now. Plus, now that Rachel understood just why Quinn had acted so demeaning towards her in the past, there was a layer of excitement there—it was indicative of the passion that bubbled beneath the surface of Quinn's previously tough but now gentler exterior.

She too wanted to see where this might lead.

Quinn watched with no small amount of anxiousness as Rachel seemed to mull over what she had asked before an impish smile graced her lips. Quinn quirked a questioning eyebrow.

"Okay," Rachel agreed before leaning forward and once again capturing Quinn's lips with her own.

Quinn felt a surge of happiness at Rachel's assent and smiled into the kiss before drawing her closer. She didn't know what the future held, but she was thrilled to have at least been given this chance right now. And as she continued to hold Rachel in her arms, getting lost in the sensation of heated kisses and soft touches, Quinn knew she would do whatever it took to make sure Rachel didn't regret giving it to her.

End