I'm shocked but so happy that there are still people following this story. Thank you so much for sticking around. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Three days had gone by since their fight and Quinn felt terrible for not even trying to contact Rachel. School had been uncomfortable on Monday. Rachel and Quinn weren't speaking aside from the awkward eye contact and occasional accidental mind voice communication which always ended in static anyway.

Glee was even worse, and Finn was still playing his role. He had taken to just sitting next to Quinn rather than showing any affection. The blonde appreciated the boy's dedication to his role but still felt guilty for continuing on when she wasn't speaking to Rachel. The blonde could feel Rachel's eyes glaring at her back but she didn't dare risk looking at the diva. She knew there would only be anger there.

Being at home was the worst part of all. The blonde had nothing to do but study, shower, or stare at her ceiling wishing she was with Rachel. She knew this was her fault and if she gained courage this would all be over, but she knew she couldn't just walk up to Rachel without a plan. Which is how she spent every night at Rachel's house with Jerry.

It was torture, but it would be worth it, she hoped. Quinn had been sneaking over to Rachel's house every day since she spoke with Santana. She had a plan that had to woo her mate. If it didn't she wasn't sure they were mates. The house was large enough that Quinn could sneak around without being seen by Rachel with the help of Jerry.

Quinn confided in Jerry telling him the same story she had told Satana. The man was sympathetic but still angry that she had hurt Rachel. However, he agreed to help Quinn seeing as she was going through a great deal of effort to make it up to the diva.

The blonde had been sneaking over to Rachel's house every day and preparing Rachel's surprise. She worked on it from the second she finished her homework until she went to sleep. She was exhausted and anxious about her plan. She wasn't sure if it was right to cut Rachel off, but they both needed space to think and evaluate the situation - and Quinn couldn't back out of this plan now. She had to show her mate she was serious. She wanted this.

…

"I don't think we can finish this in time. I need to see her," Quinn sighed as she wiped sweat from her brow.

"You may be right. This may have been too much to take on. But she'll love it regardless," Jerry assured the blonde.

"I need something to make this up to her. I don't want to give her an unfinished gift. That seems-wrong," Quinn sighed and leaned against the bedpost looking down at the plastic sheet covering the ground, "Do you think I'll ever be able to make this up to her?"

"I think you'll never know if you don't try. This isn't the only way. Just try talking to her, Quinn. You can't lean on a gesture to make it all okay. You need to put in some work as well," Jerry dropped his paintbrush and walked over to the bed taking a seat in front of the blonde, "Go talk to her. I'll keep working on this. We'll get it done. But you need to see her. I see Miss Berry every day. She's angry. But more than anything she misses you just as much as you miss her."

"I'm scared. What if I say that wrong thing and I lose her forever?"

"You won't. If you try. But if you continue avoiding the problem that fear will become a reality," Jerry stood from his place on the bed and walked back to the wall he had been painting, "Just really think about what you want. Not about her reaction to your first encounter, not about what happened in the past, just think about what you want overall in the future. You'll know what to do."

…

Quinn thought long and hard about Jerry's words, but she knew Rachel wasn't the first person she needed to talk to if she was moving toward a better future. She had to break it off with Finn. She was dreading it but she knew dragging Finn along wouldn't solve her problems.

The blonde drove to Finn's house and rang the doorbell, palms sweaty and heart pounding as she waited for the door to open. When the boy came to the door he immediately deflated, his mouth turned down in a frown and his shoulders slumped, "Hey."

"Can I come in?" The blonde asked, her voice much smaller than she expected.

"I guess," the boy stepped out of the doorway for Quinn to step inside and folded his arms over his chest, "What do you want?"

"I just want to talk." The blonde replied, "in private."

"No one's home."

"Okay. You're angry at me too. I deserve that. I'll just be blunt. This isn't working out and I think we should end this. Whatever this is. It's over." Quinn announced.

"Why didn't you just send Rachel to tell me that?" Finn asked.

"I'm sorry I didn't do this myself in the first place. I was scared, okay? I know that doesn't make up for the pain I have caused you, but that's the truth. I was scared and I took the easy way out," Quinn explained, "I just wanted to tell you myself. In person."

"You're so confusing, Quinn. First, you want me to be your beard, and now-now you want to break up our fake relationship? What do you want from me? I've been doing this for you! All of this was for you and now you're just going to get rid of me?" Finn yelled.

"I'm not getting rid of you, Finn. I'm doing what I should have done in the first place. Rachel is my mate and I need to be hers and only hers. Sharing me isn't good for any of us," Quinn tried to explain.

"What about your dad? What if he finds out about this? What's he gonna do to you? To me? To Rachel?" Finn demanded.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take if it will make Rachel happy," the blonde replied, "I have been incredibly selfish. We have been incredibly selfish. Rachel didn't ask for any of this. She has been nothing but supportive of our needs. This isn't about me or you, Finn. It's about Rachel. She deserves better than this."

Finn clenched his jaw and Quinn waited for the tantrum. She waited to see a vase fly across the room or even a hole in the wall, but all the boy did was sigh and let his head fall forward. "You're right. I guess I'm sorry too."

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Finn. There are not enough sorrys to fix the damage I have done, but I want to make this right. I want to be the mate Rachel deserves and I think this is a good place to start. We all deserve better."

Finn was quiet for a moment before speaking again, "Do you think I even have a mate?"

"What? Of course, you do. Everyone does," Quinn said as if that was the dumbest question on the planet.

"Yeah, that's what they say, but I don't know. Your parents were so sure that we were meant to be together. I really believed that we were mates. If you're not mine, why do I love you so much? Why can't I let this go?"

"I don't know. I'm sorry things turned out the way they did. I wish I had a better answer for you but I'm just as confused as you are. I know you'll find your mate and they will be so much better than I could have been."

"I just feel like you're wrong. I can't shake the feeling that something isn't right," Finn rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head, "But, if this is what you want I guess I have to back off."

"Thank you, Finn. I-"

"I'm not just doing this for you. Rachel made me see that this isn't what I want either. I don't want to share you with her. I want you for myself, but if you don't want me I need to back off. For myself. I can't watch you love her the way I always wanted you to love me."

"Finn it's not like that. I care about you it's just-"

"You don't love me. It is like that. For me. And I'm not mad. I'm a little pissed you cheated on me, but I'm not mad that you found your mate. Just disappointed that it's not me."

"I do love you, Finn. Just not the way you want me to. I know this may be a lot to ask, but I'd like to still be friends if you are okay with that. I would also understand if you never want to speak to me again after this," Quinn wrapped her arms around herself.

"Yeah, yeah I'd like that. I just need some time."

"Of course."

…

Quinn stood at Rachel's front door that Friday afternoon. She had decided talking to Finn and Rachel on the same day was too much for her to handle. It also gave her a little more time to decide what she wanted to do. But two days had passed and it was already Friday - time was up.

The blonde stood on the front porch in a yellow sundress with a white shrug around her shoulders. She brought nothing except extra cash she had been saving up. She hoped she would get to use it tonight.

Quinn took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. She was so nervous she could feel her heartbeat in her throat, it almost hurt just to take a breath, but she couldn't back out now. She couldn't be a coward anymore.

The door opened but to Quinn's disappointment, Jerry was at the door, "Hey, Quinn. You ready?"

"I think so. Do you think she'll want to talk?" Quinn played with the hem of her dress as Jerry let her inside.

"Only one way to find out, right?"

The blonde nodded and stood in the foyer not knowing what to do next, "She's in the studio. Do you want me to walk you over?"

"Please."

…

"Miss Berry, someone is here to see you," Jerry's voice came in through the intercom in the booth.

Rachel considered ignoring him, or informing him she was busy and didn't have time to see whoever came to visit. But, she hadn't had company in over a week and it might be good to talk to someone other than her fathers, "I'll be right out," the diva said into the intercom.

She closed her laptop and cut the power in the booth before stepping out to see who Jerry had brought to see her. When Rachel saw Quinn standing next to Jerry, she was torn between telling her to leave and smothering her in a bone-breaking hug. She settled for neither, staying where she was and trying not to show any emotion, "Hello, Quinn," Rachel's tone was harsher than she had meant it to be, but she couldn't deny that the blonde deserved it.

"Hi, Rachel," Quinn replied with a small wave.

"Thank you, Jerry. I'll let you know if we need anything," Rachel gave the man a small smile and he left without another word leaving the girls alone. "What brings you here, Quinn? I was beginning to think you had changed your mind about-this."

"I'm sorry. I know I should have come sooner. I came to apologize. For everything. I've been cruel and selfish and you deserve so much better," Quinn explained.

"Thank you, I appreciate the apology, but I'm not sure that will be enough. If you had come a week ago I would have forgiven you as soon as you walked through the door, but it's been over a week of silence. I'm not sure what to think of that," Rachel sat on the leather couch on the far wall and gestured for the blonde to sit beside her.

Quinn sat on the other side of the couch putting more than two feet between the girls. It felt awkward and forced and wrong. But Rachel wasn't sure what would feel right.

"I'm sorry, I should have come sooner, but I needed time to think."

"And what conclusion led you to come over today?"

"I've come to many conclusions," Quinn replied.

"May I hear them?" Rachel asked, perking up slightly.

The blonde nodded and moved from her place on the couch. She walked around the coffee table and kneeled in front of Rachel taking the diva's hands in her own. "Is this weird," the blonde asked.

"It's only weird if you make it weird," Rachel couldn't help the small smile that played on her lips at Quinn's insecurity.

"Okay, well, here's what I came up with. I'm just going to talk and I need you to let me say all of it at once because if I stop I don't know if I'll have the nerve to try again."

"Okay."

Quinn let out a deep breath, "I've been thinking a lot about everything I have done to bring me to this moment. Every decision. I've realized that so many of those decisions have been selfish. In making so many of them, I was blind to how they might affect the people around me. Especially you.

I started this relationship all wrong. I cheated on Finn. I kept him around to preserve my own status and safety. I continued to do so even after it so clearly affected you. I have been a coward and I let my fear drive my life for so long and it has turned me into someone I don't want to be. I didn't realize that until now.

My fear kept me from chasing after you that day you drove off. My fear kept me from coming here and telling you I made a mistake. My fear has caused me to treat you so terribly and I am so sorry. I am so sorry.

The thought of losing you because I'm too scared to have you the way you deserve is too much to bear. So during our time apart I've been working on becoming the mate you deserve. I want to be the person you deserve. Your equal. Not someone you have to constantly worry about and sacrifice for. I want to be able to take care of you as much as you have taken care of me.

I went to see Finn a few days ago. I broke it off with him. He will no longer be a part of this relationship. No more beard. No more hiding. No more pretending that this isn't happening. If it's alright with you I'd like to try again, the right way. Just you and me and no one else. I'm not ready to go public with this, but I'm ready to give you all of me. I want to be yours and only yours.

I know that I can't change what I did. I know that nothing can make up for the pain I have caused you. But I want you to know that in the future I am going to do everything I can to ensure that you never feel the way I made you feel again. I can't promise I will never hurt you, but I can promise that everything I do from this day forward will have your best interest at heart."

Quinn looked up at Rachel expectantly but the brunette wasn't sure what to say. She didn't know what to say. The blonde's words were very sweet, but they were just words. She needed more than a speech. "I'm glad that you have learned a lesson from this, Quinn. I am touched by your words, but you and I both know a romantic speech is not enough to repair a relationship. I need you to show me you mean every word you said. Not just today, but every day. I know we are going to have many obstacles. This won't be easy, given our situation, but I need you to show me that all of this will be worth it. Breaking things off with Finn is a wonderful start, but we have a lot of things to work on if this is going to be a future we can both be happy with."

"I know. I understand. And I have a few things planned that I think will show you exactly how serious I am about this," Quinn smiled and squeezed Rachel's hands in her own, "You told me that we aren't dating. I want to change that. I want to take you out on a proper date if that's alright with you?"

"Today? You want to take me on a date today? I wasn't prepared for this. I don't have an outfit planned. Or a song in case there is an opportunity for a performance. Oh gosh I haven't even showered yet today! I am in no state to go on a date."

"Rachel, you look amazing, but if you need to get ready I'm willing to wait," Quinn replied with a chuckled.

"Where are we going? I need details to prepare myself."

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. It's a surprise."

"Quinn. I need to know where we are going. I hate surprises."

"I did not know that. But, I am not backing down. I won't tell you."

"I at the very least need a dress code."

"Something casual is fine. Your normal skirt and sweater combo would be perfect."

"Noted. Give me an hour and I'll be ready to go."

"I'll be here."