Perfectly Happy

It was a phone call that did it.

Another impromptu and completely unnecessary call to check on the progress of Quinn's preparation for their trip to New York—because in Rachel Berry's world, it was apparently mandatory to have your suitcase packed a full week before your departure. Quinn had thought it was kind of cute at first when Rachel had handed her an itinerary to optimize her packing experience on Friday afternoon. She'd even tolerated it fairly well on Saturday when—after Leroy and Hiram had driven to Columbus for the day to attend the gay film festival being held at the Drexel theater—Rachel had decided to spend a good chunk of their precious alone time organizing her own suitcase instead of making love to Quinn—a situation that Quinn had remedied with a little persistence and a lot of kissing. But after about the fifth phone call on Sunday, during which Rachel had simply had to remind her to pack a warm sweater or take an extra memory card for her camera, she'd gotten fed up, tossed her phone onto her bed, and let the rest of the calls go to voicemail.

In the almost three months that they'd been together, they'd yet to have any major arguments, which was kind of surprising considering their past history. They were both very stubborn and occasionally selfish, and Rachel tended to want to talk about every little thing while Quinn preferred to keep it all bottled up inside. Of course they had disagreements, but they were typically over insignificant things and burned out fairly quickly. Still, it wasn't unusual for one or both of them to take a timeout to cool down so that their little battles never escalated into full-blown warfare.

Their worst conflict to date had been on Beth's birthday. As expected, Quinn had been a bitch to everyone, and poor Rachel had gotten the worst of it because she'd wanted so badly to try and comfort her girlfriend, but Quinn had just shut down more with every attempt and eventually reverted to snapping at Rachel to just leave her alone—and, with teary eyes and quivering lip, Rachel had. It was the first time in weeks that they hadn't sat together at lunch or in American Lit class, which of course just made Quinn that much more emotional. She'd skipped cheerios' practice, claiming illness (not entirely untrue,) and had driven straight to Rachel's house after school, literally braking down in tears as she'd begged for forgiveness. Rachel had been crying too as she'd pulled Quinn inside, and they'd laid together on Rachel's bed for hours while Quinn had alternately sobbed and talked about her daughter, revealing all the thoughts and feelings that she'd kept buried for so long. After that, the silly little squabbles that they had from time to time just didn't seem all that important, and they'd gotten pretty good at walking away from them and coming back to each other ready and willing to compromise.

So, Quinn ignoring Rachel's calls for a little while wasn't really that big of a deal, but she'd still found herself unconsciously submitting to her girlfriend's wishes by browsing through her closet and deciding what clothes she wanted to take. When she'd realized that there were things that she really wanted still in the laundry pile, she'd padded downstairs to check on their status, and since her mom was washing a few loads, Quinn had ended up getting roped in to helping with the chores. Settling onto the couch to spread out and watch a little television while she neatly folded towels and socks and various other unmentionables, Quinn forgot all about her cell phone and the slightly obsessive girlfriend who was currently blowing it up.

She also forgot about her mother, who'd gone upstairs with an armful of dresses and shirts, half of which belonged to Quinn. When she finally finished folding and putting away the clean laundry, she didn't expect to find her mother in her bedroom, sitting on the edge her mattress and staring at her daughter's phone with a look of shock on her face.

Quinn's stomach dropped to her toes, and she clutched at her door frame. "Mom?"

Judy slowly raised her head to look at her daughter with a confused expression on her face. "I came in to hang up your clothes," she said by way of explanation, "and it was ringing." She held up the phone. "I just…picked it up to see who was calling..."

Quinn's heart began to race, knowing it had probably been Rachel yet again. She'd set the caller ID photo to one of them together with their bodies angled toward one another in a loose hug, heads close but looking into the camera with soft smiles. Rachel's right arm was stretched up across Quinn's torso, and Quinn's right arm was wrapped possessively around Rachel's shoulder. At first glance, it might pass as a friendly pose, but if anyone actually took a second to really look at the girls' faces and body language, they'd know it was far, far more.

Quinn had taken the picture herself one random afternoon when her girlfriend had been looking again at the old glee club photo on her mirror and complaining that Quinn needed a more flattering one of them together. She'd wrapped Rachel up in her arms and told her she didn't really need a picture when she had the real thing, but she'd still grabbed her phone and held it arms length to capture the moment. It had come out looking far more intimate that she'd intended, so it never actually made it to the mirror. The one tacked up there now was far less couple-y in appearance—bigger smiles and more personal space—but Quinn had immediately saved the first one to her phone.

Now her mother had seen it, and even if there was a miniscule chance that the woman might have missed the true relationship revealed by that picture, Quinn had gone and gotten sappy enough to set Colbie Caillat's You Got Me as Rachel's ring tone because it was the first song that Rachel had actually dedicated to her in glee.

Feeling on the verge of panic, Quinn growled, "You had no right!" and crossed the room with a quick, agitated stride to snatch the phone from her mother's hand. She glanced down to see that her mother had apparently been nosing through all of the other pictures of Rachel that were saved to her phone—some of which were not completely suitable for parental viewing—and her hand clenched around the device. "These are private," she choked out, swallowing down the tears that were threatening as she stared at the picture she'd snapped one Saturday morning two weeks ago of Rachel all sexy and tousled and still half-asleep in her bed.

Judy stood slowly, shaking her head. "I…I don't understand what this means," and Quinn's eyes snapped to her mother as she attempted to gauge her mood. The woman took a deep breath, obviously attempting to keep her composure. "Quinnie? You…you don't…you're not…why do you have pictures like that?"

Quinn squeezed her eyes closed. She couldn't bare to look at her mother—to see the disgust or disappointment in her eyes when she finally said it. Things had been going so well lately. Over the last two months, Rachel had been spending more and more time at the Fabray house, and Judy really seemed to like her. She'd even started adding vegan items to her shopping list just so she could have the appropriate foods on hand for when Rachel came over, but she had no idea that the polite Jewish girl that Quinn loved spending time with was actually the girl that Quinn was in love with.

Everything was about to change…

Quinn didn't even bother trying to hold back her tears any longer, and they leaked out from beneath her eyelids and cut hot paths over her cheeks. Drawing in a shaky breath, she confessed, "Because she's my girlfriend."

"Well, of course, Rachel is your friend," her mother said timidly.

Quinn opened her eyes. She knew that look on her mom's face—had seen it before when the woman had been refusing to acknowledge her daughter's pregnancy and accepting all her lame excuses for her reoccurring queasiness and unexplainable weight gain—but Quinn wouldn't…couldn't attempt to sweep Rachel under the rug. "Girlfriend, mom," she stressed. "She's my girlfriend. I…I'm gay," she finished in a whisper.

"No," Judy denied, shaking her head sharply. "You…can't be. You've always liked boys. You're just confused, honey."

"I'm not," Quinn cried. "I'm really not. I'm finally clear on everything. And don't you dare blame Rachel or her dads for turning me gay because they didn't! This is who I am—who I've always been," she added brokenly, wrapping her arms around herself and staring at her mother through the blur of tears.

Judy stood unmoving before her, eyes raking over Quinn's face as though she'd never seen her before. "I see," she finally said. Her mother drew in a deep breath, mumbled "excuse me," and then calmly walked past Quinn and out of the room. A few seconds later, her mother's bedroom door closed with a soft thud.

Quinn stood trembling in the center of her bedroom for a moment before she broke down, sinking onto the floor and sobbing. She'd known this would happen! She'd known that all of her mother's pretty words meant nothing. Angrily wiping at her tears, she tossed the phone on her bed, grabbed her duffel bag and hastily began to stuff it full of clothes. She couldn't stay here, and she wouldn't wait to be officially kicked out again.

I can't do this again. I can't…Oh, God… My mother knows. She knows I'm a lesbian and she's disgusted. I need to leave.

I need…

I need Rachel.

Shuddering out a ragged breath, Quinn zipped the bag and ran out of her room and down the stairs. She didn't even know what she'd packed, and she probably wasn't taking half of what she would need, but she'd have to worry about that later. She swiped her car keys from the hook as she flew out the front door, rubbing at her eyes. She barely managed to hold it together long enough to drive to the Berrys' house, and the second she slammed her car into park, she dropped her forehead onto the steering wheel and let her tears fall freely.

How could she have been so stupid? She should have never kept any physical evidence of her relationship with Rachel anywhere near the Fabray house—not the photos on her phone, or the play lists that Rachel had created on her iPod with the cute names like FaBerry Jams, or the bracelet with the dangling little gold star charm engraved with a tiny R, or the notebook full of detailed sketches of Rachel that was hidden under her mattress. She should have kept everything to do with Rachel Berry as far away from her mother as possible. Hidden it away like…

A dirty little secret.

Quinn sobbed harder because she knew it was true. She'd turned Rachel into that—happy to pull her proud girlfriend into the closet with her to keep her mother from finding out about them. With Russell out of the picture and her older sister never really a part of it to begin with, Judy was all that Quinn had left. She'd need her mother's support if she ever wanted any chance at getting out of Lima. Even with the small college fund that her parents had started for her when she was a baby, she'd still need to win a scholarship and probably apply for financial aid to get into a good school out of state. Now all that would just be…gone. She'd have to worry about where to live and how to buy food and clothes, and there'd be no college in her future at all.

She'd be lucky to have any kind of future.

Quinn didn't know how long she sat there crying, but eventually a sharp rapping on the window penetrated her misery. She lifted her head to see her worried and teary-eyed girlfriend frantically pounding on the car window because all the doors were locked. Another choked sob tore out of her mouth as Quinn tugged at the door handle and threw herself out of the car and into Rachel's arms. Rachel staggered a bit under her weight, but wrapped her up into a hug and offered her strength.

"She knows, Rach. My mom knows," Quinn cried against her shoulder. "About me. About us."

"I know, sweetheart," she whispered, and Quinn stiffened in her arms and raised her head to look at Rachel in confusion. "She called about five minutes ago asking if you were here," she explained gently.

Quinn was a little surprised that her mother would call Rachel, and she worried that the woman might have said something hurtful to her girlfriend. "What…what did she say?"

"Why don't you come inside?" Rachel urged, and Quinn felt that last tiny bit of hope that her mother would actually accept her disappear. Nodding in defeat, she allowed herself to be led into the house.

Leroy and Hiram Berry were both right there in the living room to greet her, and the moment she stepped inside, Leroy was sweeping her into a comforting hug. Quinn felt a fresh wave of tears flood her eyes. "Hey, now. It's going to be okay, hon."

Quinn shook her head against his muscled chest. "No, it isn't. She hates me."

"Your mother doesn't hate you, Quinn," he insisted.

Hiram placed a encouraging hand on her back and began to rub little circles. "She was frantic with worry when she called here. She's on her way over right now."

Quinn sucked in a breath. "What?"

Leroy sighed and stepped back, "Look, I don't know exactly what happened between you and your mother, but she obviously wants to talk to you and I think you should at least hear what she has to say."

"She's the one who walked out and couldn't even stand to look at me," Quinn angrily revealed. "She probably just wants to try and convince me that this is just a phase or…or that I just haven't met the right boy yet. She doesn't want to have to deal with the fact that her daughter's a dyke."

"Did she say that?" Rachel asked indignantly, eyes sparking with anger on Quinn's behalf.

Quinn swallowed thickly. "No," she admitted.

"What exactly did she say?" Leroy probed.

She shrugged, "Not much—just that she didn't believe I could really be gay, and then she went into her bedroom and shut the door." She blew out a ragged breath. "I…I left right after that."

Leroy and Hiram exchanged a look, and Rachel loosely slipped an arm around her waist. "Oh, Quinn," she murmured,

Hiram shook his head, "Honey, you really need to talk to your mother."

"And if it goes badly, you'll have a safe haven right here for as long as you need one," Leroy added.

"In the guest room," Hiram stressed, and Leroy rolled his eyes over his husband's head. He and Quinn had already come to an understanding. He knew she and Rachel were having sex, and he wouldn't try to stop them or call them out on their sneaking around as long as she made sure to never let Hiram find out about any of it.

"Thank you," she whispered. Rachel's dads had really been so good to her, and she didn't really deserve any of it.

Rachel reached up and brushed her hair back, then stroked her cheek, smiling up at her reassuringly. "No matter what happens, remember that you're not alone, sweetheart. You never will be again," Rachel promised, and Quinn hugged her close and just breathed her in.

She tensed when the doorbell rang and Leroy went to answer it. Rachel gave her one last little squeeze before gently slipping out of Quinn's arms, no doubt intending to keep a respectful distance in front of Judy Fabray. Quinn couldn't bare to lose the physical connection entirely, so she caught the girl's hand and held on tight as she listened to their parents exchange greetings from the entryway.

"Hello, Judy. Come on in."

"Thank you, Leroy. Hello, Hiram," she said when she entered the room, then took in the sight of her daughter standing there holding her girlfriend's hand, and she nodded, "Rachel."

"Hello, Mrs. Fabray," Rachel responded politely, but Quinn could hear the subtle frostiness in her tone. She could be just as protective as Quinn could be when the situation called for it, and it made Quinn feel safe—knowing that she had this girl and her fathers to support her if her mother ended up letting her down.

"Quinnie, honey. Can we…can we talk?"

"We'll just be down in the Oscar room if you need us," Leroy informed them, taking Hiram's hand. He smiled at Quinn, letting her know she could count on them, and then gave Judy a look loaded with friendly warning, and the woman nodded in understanding.

When Rachel didn't immediately follow, Hiram cleared his throat. "Rachel, sweetie, why don't we give them some privacy?"

She gazed up at Quinn. "Will you be okay?"

Part of her wanted to say no and beg Rachel to stay with her, but she also didn't want to put her in the middle of a situation that wasn't really about her. Yes, she was in love with the girl, but even if they broke up tomorrow—and please, God, don't ever let that happen—it wouldn't change Quinn's sexuality in the least. She was still going to be gay and her mother needed to understand that.

"Yeah," she assured Rachel, giving her hand a squeeze. "Thanks." Rachel smiled a little and nodded before quietly slipping out of the room and leaving her alone with her mother.

Quinn nervously fiddled with the hem of her t-shirt and looked everywhere but into her mom's eyes. She heard Judy sigh. "Can we…sit?" Quinn nodded and sank onto the sofa. Her mother settled onto the cushion next to her, leaving a good foot between them. "Why did you run out like that?" she finally asked.

"I figured I'd save you the trouble of throwing me out," Quinn snapped, meeting her mother's confused gaze for the first time. She watched pain flash across the woman's face, and her mom instantly reached out and grabbed Quinn's hand, holding it between both of hers.

"Oh Quinnie, honey, no. I promised you that I would never do that and I meant it. You're my daughter and I love you. I just needed some time to…to process what you told me. But we…we can work through this," she insisted.

"You say that like it's a problem we can fix. I'm gay, Mom. That's not going to change."

Judy inhaled deeply, studying her daughter's hurt and angry face. "I…are you really sure?" she asked hesitantly. "You're still so young, and I know you've had some bad experiences with boys…"

Quinn jerked her hand away and scowled. "God, I knew it! You act like you're all cool with everything but that was all just bull, wasn't it?" she accused. Judy Fabray wanted the perfect, little straight daughter. The pregnancy was enough of an embarrassment, but at least she could write it off as a mistake and never really mention it again to any of her bridge club friends. Having her daughter be a lesbian wasn't something her mother could just gloss over and make go away.

Judy tensed beside her. "I'm sorry if I'm not handling this as well as you think I should be. You caught me off guard, Quinn," she explained earnestly. "I never noticed any signs when you were growing up that you might…feel that way about girls. I mean, you don't even like flannel," she added in exasperation.

Quinn couldn't stop her disbelieving laugh. Her mother was so clueless sometimes. "I like girls, mom," she reiterated. "I…I dated boys because that's what I was supposed to do, but it never made me happy."

Her mother nodded slowly, searching Quinn's eyes. "And…Rachel…makes you happy?" she asked, but it wasn't really posed as a question.

"Yes," she answered without a second of hesitation.

"Well, then…I…I suppose that's all that really matters," her mother said with a half-smile.

Quinn stared warily at her mother. "Really?"

Judy reached up and tucked a strand of her daughter's hair back behind her ear. "Oh, Quinnie, honey, I've never seen you smile as much as you have these last few months," she admitted honestly. "And if that's because of Rachel and…and being gay…then so be it. I can't say that I don't wish you had chosen a different path…"

"I didn't choose this, Mom," Quinn cut in. "It chose me."

Her mother sighed, "I…I know, and I won't ever ask you to…change who you are," she promised. "It might take me a little while to get used to the idea, but you're my baby and I only want you to be happy."

Quinn's breath caught as she studied her mother's open and honest expression, and she fell into her arms with a choked sob, hugging her tightly as her eyes began to water. "I love you, Mom," she rasped against the woman's shoulder, hardly believing that she wasn't going to lose her mother.

"I love you, too, baby," and she pressed a kiss to the top of her daughter's head. After a moment, she chuckled. "You know, Quinnie, I did always worry a little about your taste in boys, but you obviously do much better with the girls. That Rachel is a real catch."

Quinn started to laugh, and she sat back and wiped at her tears, nodding happily, "Yeah, she really is."

"And you…you love her?" her mother asked carefully.

"I really do," she confessed.

Her mother nodded. "Do we…need to talk about sex again? Because I think I'll need to get some pamphlets first."

Quinn blanched, "No! That's…we don't…it's really not necessary."

Judy studied her thoughtfully. "Well, then, I think you should ask Rachel and her fathers to come back in so we can discuss some rules for you two," and Quinn sighed, silently bidding adieu to all that lovely time alone with Rachel in her bedroom.

"Yes, mom."

She walked over toward the stairway to the basement, expecting to have to go down to fetch Rachel only to find her sitting on the top step smiling up at her through teary-eyes, and Hiram three steps behind her wearing the exact same expression. Leroy was standing at the bottom leaning against the wall, and he shook his head when saw her. "Sorry, Quinn. I tried to get them to stay down here, but you know what they're like."

Quinn chuckled, "So I take it you heard everything."

Rachel nodded, strangely quiet as she stood and climbed the last step, wrapping her arms around Quinn and pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. "I'm just so happy for you," she whispered.

Quinn grinned down at her girlfriend. "Yeah, me too." She finally felt…free. She didn't have to hide anymore, or brush off her mother's questions about boys that she wasn't interested in, or pretend that Rachel was just a friend. "Except now she wants to have the talk about open doors and curfews and sleepovers," she told Rachel sadly, turning for the living room.

Hiram walked up behind them with his own watery smile. "Well, Lee and I can certainly reassure her that we've already covered all of that, and you've both been very responsible," he crowed with pride as he walked past them.

Rachel flushed and Quinn's steps faltered, and Leroy chuckled and nudged her playfully. "Perfect little angels," he jibed. Quinn felt her face heat. This had the potential to get really embarrassing really quickly.

Judy smiled politely when they all reentered the room. "I wanted to thank you all again for being so considerate and for…well, for supporting Quinnie."

"It's been our pleasure, Judy. She really is a wonderful young woman," Leroy assured her.

"Can I get you anything?" Hiram asked, playing the dutiful host. "Coffee, tea, water?"

"No, thank you."

Leroy sat down on the chair and shifted into professor mode. "I realize that today has been somewhat traumatic for both you and Quinn, so we'll understand perfectly if you'd just like to take her home and finish sorting through things in private. You're both welcome to stay, of course, but if you're not quite ready to discuss all of this yet, there will certainly be time to do that in the future."

"I appreciate your concern, Leroy, but I think I'd like to say a few things now before I have too much time to think about them," she admitted. She smiled again at Quinn and nodded at Rachel, patting the cushion next to her. "Have a seat, Rachel."

Rachel glanced a little uncertainly at Quinn, who answered with a shrug. She wasn't quite sure what her mom wanted to say, but both girls sat down on the couch. "Mrs. Fabray," Rachel began.

"Judy, dear," she reminded the girl.

"Judy," Rachel amended meekly, and Quinn didn't think she'd ever seen her girlfriend look quite so nervous. "I…I realize that I'm not…who you would have chosen for your daughter, but I want you to know that…I love her very much and I will do everything in my power to ensure her happiness above all else," she promised, and Quinn felt her heart swell.

Judy smiled, "Well, that's very good to hear. And you're right, dear. You're certainly not what I expected, but I can see how happy you make my Quinnie, and I'm…grateful to you for that. That being said," she continued, "I don't know that I'm entirely ready to…see you…being…affectionate just yet."

Quinn frowned, "Wait…what exactly does that mean?"

"Quinn," Rachel chided her. "It's perfectly reasonable that your mother should prefer us to remain discreet in her presence for the time being." She turned back to Judy with a kind smile. "Although, perhaps you should clarify what you deem as acceptable behavior, so we can be certain to adhere to it."

Judy's eyes widened, and she laughed. "Oh, I do like her, Quinnie," she gushed. "She's very direct."

"Try living with her," Leroy deadpanned.

"Daddy!"

Judy shook her head. "I don't mind you girls being…friendly…like you have been. I just think I'll need some time before I'm comfortable with…more."

Rachel nodded, "I'm agreeable to that."

"I'm not," Quinn grumbled under her breath.

If her mother heard her, she ignored the comment. "Also, I'm afraid I have to insist on curtailing your sleepovers unless I'm certain that Rachel's fathers are at home and chaperoning you. Or, of course, if I am. I know you'll probably still find opportunities to…explore your…ah…urges…" she stammered uncomfortably, and Leroy bit back a laugh.

"Oh, we have a strict open door policy here," Hiram assured the woman, "Lee and I have raised Rachel to understand the seriousness of physical intimacy, and the importance of waiting. The girls have proven very trustworthy so far."

Judy quirked an eyebrow and looked her daughter over. "Is that true, Quinnie?"

Quinn dropped her gaze to the floor. At least one of the pictures her mother had seen on her phone didn't exactly speak of a purely chaste relationship. "Ah…we…"

"Dad," Rachel sighed.

"No, they've been fine," Leroy asserted. "We've never once caught them in a compromising position," he said truthfully, "but now that you're aware of their relationship, Hiram and I will be more than happy to discuss appropriate curfews with you, Judy." He grinned wickedly at Quinn and Rachel, knowing that their sneaking around was going to become a lot more difficult now that Judy was aware of what they might be up to when they were alone.

Quinn sighed and sank back into the sofa. Beside her, Rachel did the same and gave her a sad smile, mouthing 'love you.' She smiled at Rache and shrugged, whispering back, "Love you, too." It could be worse. At least she still had a home and a mother to try and sneak around on.

The Fabray women ended up staying for dinner, and Judy was slightly appalled when Hiram mentioned take-out. Unbelievably, she actually made herself at home and raided the men's refrigerator, pulling out ingredients to at least make a nice salad. She even found some leftover (take-out) chicken and threw it into the mix, keeping Rachel's salad separate, of course. Quinn got a warm, fuzzy feeling as she sat next to Rachel and listened to Judy and Leroy reminisce about high school and Hiram start telling stories about how he and Leroy had met in college. It felt more like a real family dinner than any Quinn had ever experienced with her mother and father.

Eventually, Quinn followed her mother home, and toted her duffel back into the house. When her mother caught sight of it, she pulled her daughter into another tearful hug. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry you ever had to feel like you aren't safe here."

"I'm sorry, too. I should have…stayed and talked to you," she admitted, pulling away. "I've been kind of…shutting you out for awhile now, I guess. I want to stop doing that."

Her mother smiled and nodded. "I'd really like that, Quinnie. I want us to be closer."

For the first time in years, Quinn actually felt like that was possible. She wasn't the only one who'd changed—her mother really had too, and it was time to start trusting her again.

"Thanks for…well, for trying to understand. And for being so good about…Rachel."

"I really do like her, Quinn," Judy said again. "She's got a good head on her shoulders and she's really going places. I suppose if you have to be a lesbian, you could have done a lot worse. I just thank God you didn't fall for that Lopez girl."

Quinn laughed, "Don't worry, mom. There's no chance of that ever happening."

•••

Quinn picked Rachel up for school bright and early Monday morning with a cheerful smile on her face. She leaned across the seat and gave her girlfriend a deep, lingering kiss the moment she got into the car. "G'morning, baby," she finally murmured against Rachel's lips.

"Not that I'm complaining," Rachel breathed, "but you seem to be in an exceptionally good mood this morning."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Quinn asked as she leaned back and eased the car into the street. "It's a beautiful morning, and I have a beautiful girlfriend." Rachel grinned broadly. "I'm out to my mom and she's actually being pretty great about it," she continued with a soft smile, "and we're going to New York on Friday and it's going to be awesome, despite the fact that we somehow got stuck rooming with Brittany and Santana," she added with a roll of her eyes, and Rachel giggled.

Truthfully, they were supposed to have been rooming with Tina, because Mr. Schuester had finally clued into the fact that four of the six girls in his glee club were in relationships with one another and had decided that the two couples couldn't be trusted to be alone in a room together—and also because McKinley was still cheap and wouldn't spring for more than four rooms for the students. While Tina hadn't had a problem rooming with Rachel and Quinn, Mercedes had said hell-to-the-no at being stuck with Santana and Brittany. Then poor Tina had begged Mercedes not to make her switch, and since splitting up the two couples wasn't really going to work for anyone, they'd gotten stuck together. Rachel suspected that she and Quinn would actually end up spending most of their time in Mercedes and Tina's room anyway, because Brittany and Santana probably wouldn't care if they had an audience. Still, she was very much looking forward to spending time alone with Quinn in her favorite city in the world.

"I love it when you're like this," Rachel told her happily.

"Like what?" Quinn asked laughingly.

She smiled and shrugged. "Just…happy. Free. I love seeing you smile."

Quinn blushed a little. "Well, that's good, because it's entirely your fault that I'm like this."

"And I will gladly accept the blame," Rachel confessed with a grin.

When they pulled into the parking lot, Quinn leaned over again and kissed her cheek and Rachel was a bit startled. They never engaged in any kind of intimate displays on school grounds other than the occasional casual touch. Quinn hopped out of the car and was around to the passenger side just as Rachel was standing. They started toward the main doors, and Quinn caught her hand. Rachel paused and looked over at her in bewilderment. "Quinn?" she asked softly.

"Hmm?"

Rachel opened her mouth to ask why Quinn was holding her hand, but it occurred to her that her girlfriend was probably just on such a high from finally coming out to Judy Fabray that she didn't fully realize what she was doing. She smiled and shook her head, dutifully slipping her hand out of Quinn's as they entered the school. Quinn's mood seemed to shift and she frowned slightly.

When they reached her locker, Quinn leaned up against the wall and watched Rachel spin her combination with a sulky look on her face. "Rach?" she finally said.

"Yes, Quinn," she answered distractedly, tugging out her chemistry book.

"Theoretically, if I were to ask you, would you come out with me?"

Rachel furrowed her brows and glanced briefly at Quinn. "Of course, I would. We've been out countless times already."

Quinn chuckled a little and shook her head. "No, baby, come out…to the school."

The chemistry book in Rachel's hand went crashing to the floor as she jerked around to face her girlfriend. Quinn squatted to retrieve the book and carefully placed it into the locker. Rachel's eyes darted around the hallway, trying to determine if anyone had heard Quinn's question.

"Your lack of a timely answer is not exactly stroking my ego here," Quinn muttered bitchily.

Rachel shook her head and cleared her throat, careful to keep her voice low. "Well, theoretically…I…I would love for everyone to know." She turned her attention back to her locker and sighed, "but realistically, I know that it can't happen, so my answer doesn't really have any meaning."

"You can be so adorably obtuse sometimes," Quinn teased, calling up a variation of Rachel's words from weeks ago. She gently took both of her hands and pulled her closer.

"Quinn! What are you doing?" Rachel whispered harshly, aware of the dozens of eyes turning in their direction.

Quinn licked her lips. "I'm tired of hiding, Rachel. Everybody who really matters already knows, and I don't really care what anyone else thinks."

Rachel's heart began to race, and her first instinct was to throw herself into Quinn's arms and kiss her senseless, but then her mind began to play images of Quinn covered in purple slush and being kicked off the cheerios again, and she tugged her hands away instead, taking a step back.

"No, we can't," she said sadly, cutting a sharp look to two boys gawking at them from a few lockers down.

"I thought…I thought you'd be happy," Quinn whispered brokenly.

Rachel gazed back her with sorrowful eyes. "Quinn, have you really thought about this?" she demanded. "You'll lose your reputation. You'll get slushied and be called horrible names and…and be pushed around and belittled and I know how much you hated that last year. I don't want you have to go through any of that again."

Quinn sighed and stepped closer. "I'm not worried about it, Rach. If taking a few slushie showers means I get to kiss you and hold your hand whenever I want, then it's worth it," she said, reaching up and brushing her fingers through Rachel's hair. "My whole reputation was based on a lie anyway, and I don't want to be that person anymore." She shrugged, "Besides, we have less than a month before summer vacation," she pointed out with a half-smile.

"All the more reason to wait," Rachel attempted to persuade her, gently taking Quinn's her wrist and pulling her hand down to a less intimate location. Quinn's smile immediately transformed into frown and her eyes shimmered with hurt.

Rachel hated putting that look on Quinn's face, but she knew what would happen if they came out—and Quinn had to know it too. Her status would drop instantly and even if she managed to keep her position as head cheerleader—a very big if—she wouldn't be able to keep her immunity from the bullying and humiliation that the jocks perpetrated against anyone who dared to be different. She just didn't want Quinn to make any hasty decisions only to regret them later.

"You're supposed to be the one who doesn't care what other people think," Quinn accused, crossing her arms.

"I don't," Rachel insisted. "I just," she paused, feeling a prickling on the back of her neck. She turned around and glared at the two boys who had shifted closer to eavesdrop on them. "Do you mind?" she growled, and they straightened from the lockers and scrambled away. Turning back to Quinn, Rachel lowered her voice again. "I love you too much to ask you to give up everything when you really don't have to, Quinn. I'm perfectly happy with the way things are right now."

A skeptical eyebrow went up. "Really? Perfectly happy?"

Rachel sighed. "Well, close to perfect, at any rate, but I'd rather not argue semantics."

Quinn shook her head in frustration. "I'd rather not argue at all. In fact, I'd rather just do this," she announced as she uncrossed her arms and put her hands on Rachel's hips, tugging her body close even as her mouth descended.

Rachel tensed against her, arms stiff at her sides while her heart pounded erratically. Quinn was kissing her. In public. In the hallway before class for anyone to see. She was kissing the head cheerleader in the middle of the school and…

Oh, my God, we just came out!

She was half-expecting a slushy to be thrown at them any minute now, but that didn't seem to stop her arms from slipping around Quinn's waist or her lips from parting and allowing Quinn to claim her. Butterflies were dancing in her stomach like they always did and her knees felt weak.

"Ay Dios, get a room you two," Santana called out snarkily as she walked past, pinky hooked with Brittany's, effectively cooling them off faster than any slushie ever could.

Quinn pulled back with a nervous laugh, and Rachel released a shaky breath as reality came back into sharp focus. "Oh my God," she gasped. "You just…you just…"

"Kissed you," Quinn finished calmly.

Rachel's eyes fluttered closed and she inhaled deeply as she attempted to compose herself. She could hear the whispers growing louder around them. Finally opening her eyes, she looked up at Quinn's slightly cocky smirk. "I hope you're really ready for this, Quinn, because there's no turning back now."

Quinn's smile widened, and her arms tightened around Rachel's waist. "Rach, baby, there was no turning back from the minute you spun that bottle."

It was true—that one timely spin had altered the course of both their lives and Rachel wouldn't change it for anything. Falling in love with Quinn Fabray hadn't been part of any plan she'd ever formulated, and she didn't have clue what the future had in store for them as a couple, but for the moment she was content to just enjoy the journey.

"No regrets," she said, as much a promise to Quinn as it was a question, and in reply, Quinn kissed her again—just a brief brushing of lips, but it spoke volumes.

Around them, the student body of McKinley was beginning their own game of telephone, picking insignificant words and passing them along in a distorted attempt to describe what they were seeing and what it could mean—placing bets on how long it would last—but Rachel and Quinn didn't listen. Their truth was already written.

This kiss was just the beginning.

A/N: And there you have it. I've been writing this thing since before Christmas, tweaking and editing and adding bits and pieces, and now it's over. I actually thought it wouldn't be more than ten chapters or so when I started. And I know I probably could have kept going for a little while longer. But I've always believed that's it's best to end a story on a high note and not drag it on too long, so I hope I managed to do that. I may revisit this version of Rachel and Quinn in the future for a short story or two, but I make no promises. I do have an idea or two percolating, so I'll see where those lead.

I really enjoyed my first experience writing in the fandom. You guys are great and I've loved reading all your comments.

Thank you for taking this journey with me.