Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and all of the typos/grammatical errors. The views and opinions expressed in this story are not personal.

Author's Note at the Start: Buckle up y'all, it's going to be a long one.

First, thank you for reading the story thus far. I cant believe it's coming up on a year since the start of this story. I wrote this particular chapter 2-3 months ago, but didn't like it and began writing another chapter to replace it. Nothing was wrong with the first version, but the chapter slowed the story's flow down quite a lot and it just didn't seem right to me. After trying to rewrite the chapter another month had passed, with my desire to write having been lost due to all that's happening in the world, I re-read the first chapter and didn't hate it completely so here it is. Apologies for the delay; can't say it won't happen again, but I'll keep writing, and I'll keep posting chapters (even if it takes me months to decide what I'd initially written wasn't trash).

Now, onto the bulk of it: All of the shit going on.

I know I have readers all over the world—which is actually really cool when I think about it. That said, it means that you all have been living through similar hardships related to the Covid-19 pandemic. I hope you've been staying safe, and staying healthy. For those who have personally been affected by Covid-19, especially anyone who's lost loved ones, my heart goes out to you. The most vulnerable of us being affected disproportionately has made me especially upset. It's been difficult, even if you haven't been directly affected by the virus. Cities locked down—normalcy disrupted. Weddings, graduations, and other life milestones cancelled. It's all very difficult, but we're going to get through this to the best of our ability by looking out for one another. Wearing a mask when out and about, social distancing, proper hand hygiene, all of it—please don't give up. I'm doing my part too.

As if a global pandemic wasn't enough—we're living through yet another civil rights movement in the US. Over the past couple of months, we've been inundated by videos and accounts of police officers (and white civilians) enacting horrible violence on Black Americans. A Black man stalked and gunned down by racist neighbors while jogging. A Black woman shot 8 times while asleep in her bed when the police stormed the wrong house in the wrong neighborhood. A Black man pleading for his life while police officers kneeled on his neck and back for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, resulting in his death. Protests have erupted around the world, and people are marching in the streets to denounce racism and systemic racial injustice. So, I'll be doing the same, via written word. False Prophet has always been about social justice—many of the details in the story are inspired by true stories, and some of the characters are based on real people (which has been a bit difficult writing, seeing as I'm also trying to stay true to the Glee source material). That said, it isn't enough to just write vaguely about what I think is right or wrong—it should be said explicitly, and it shouldn't have taken me this long to speak up on this particular forum where I have consistently seen racist caricatures perpetuated through writing. I denounce police brutality, racism, and systemic racial injustice. I believe in the equal treatment of all people, and I believe in the reverence of life. As a black woman in America, my very existence is an act of protest, but I hope that my actions also aid in spreading truth and love.

I've been grieving the past couple of months. The loss of normalcy. The loss of life. The racism. All of it. I've been devastated by what's happening in our world, to the point of what feels like unbearable, debilitating sadness. But I just had to write this here, because I believe it deep down in my spirit—without qualifiers or alterations: Black Lives Matter.

Chapter 13: A Really Difficult Thing To Do

It was Thursday night and Rachel was thrumming with energy (and perhaps the drinks she'd had before the concert had really served to loosen her up). The din of hundreds of voices and shuffling feet distracted her from her task at hand. She wasn't sure why she'd walked down the aisle only to slow to a stop as the sound overwhelmed her.

"Are we gonna go meet up with your friend, or what?"

"Hmm?" Rachel asked, turning to her companion for the evening as her brain slowly processed the question. "Yes, let's go. I'm actually pretty excited."

"Me too, if this actually pans out," the blonde said with a smile. "Still don't believe that you know someone who knows Mercedes Jones."

"Me neither," Rachel deadpanned, growing quiet as she led Dani against the crowds exiting the venue, and headed toward the stage.

She hadn't figured out the best way to tell Dani that this "friend" was none other than Quinn Fabray. Especially not two days after Quinn had made a misguidedly impassioned speech regarding the moral shortcomings of the country, just to defend her 2nd amendment rights immediately following a deadly shooting at a high school.

Ugh, every time Rachel thought of the "we need less government, and more God," line Quinn had used she grew more and more irritated at how easily Quinn had dismissed the idea of stricter gun control. Children were dead for goodness' sake!

"You've been awful quiet about this whole set up," Dani offered as they finally made it a few steps into a less populated section of the arena, several yards from the stage. "Two free tickets and a meet-and-greet?"

"In all honesty, Santana set this up. She'd been offered the tickets, but couldn't make it because of work. So she gave them to me."

"Ah, Santana," Dani said, clearing her throat. "How is she? Last month you went to see her and when you came back you were a little… well, off."

At this, Rachel paused her purposeful strides to look at her friend.

In another life—perhaps in an alternate universe—Dani wouldn't have been so cautious with Santana. They'd be dating and Rachel would've loved their relationship because they were a good fit. Plus, she would've been able to claim being the matchmaker who'd brought them together, just as she'd brought Brittany and Santana together all those years ago.

Instead, her best friend was dating a woman best described as a garbage fire. Or, maybe a recycling bin that kept getting filled with garbage, on purpose, and then accidentally set on fire? Did it matter, really? There was trash, and it was aflame.

And like some strange, dumpster diving raccoon-phoenix hybrid, Santana was thriving.

It drove Rachel positively mad how happy Santana was with Quinn. It just didn't make sense. It didn't make sense to Rachel how Santana could go from dating someone who was goodness incarnate, to dating… Quinn. Quinn, who seemed to not care that a bunch of teenagers lost their lives, because she could then have the opportunity to go on a religious tirade about how Christians were persecuted in this country, and how she refused to give up her gun(s?) because "Godless Americans" wanted to murder people.

The gall evangelical Christians had to claim persecution when they were members of the mainstream religion and somehow managed to trick people into thinking "separation of church and state" was actually a thing while there were literal laws saying otherwise. The gall of Goyim.

"Rachel, what's with the face?"

The brunette immediately relaxed her facial muscles. No way was she going to allow the thought of Quinn Fabray to ruin all of the hard work her dermatologist had put in for her flawless skin.

"Santana is fine," Rachel said sharply, turning on heel and continuing her march toward the stage. "And I have not been acting 'off'. I can't imagine how you'd come to that conclusion."

Dani didn't respond and soon they were approaching security. They offered their backstage passes and were ushered through the door where they were wanded down and told to follow one of the security guards. They were led to a backstage lounge area where several of the stage crew and dancers were hanging out, chatting and congratulating each other for a successful show.

It truly had been an excellent concert. The perfect mix of catchy pop songs, with a handful of high-energy gospel, and a few power ballads. Mercedes was going to be an icon.

The security guard led them to a far corner where a section of couches and lounge chairs were set up around a small table with drinks atop it. On one of the couches sat Quinn Fabray, who was wearing a ridiculous pair of sunglasses inside. A tall blonde man with a good build and dopey lips was sitting close to her with an arm over the back of the couch behind her. He was speaking animatedly while Quinn was scrolling through her phone, barely paying attention to him.

The man was the first to notice their approach, using his knee to nudge Quinn to attention. The woman turned her attention from her phone, jumping to her feet when she saw Rachel.

"Rachel! Hi," she greeted, pulling the brunette into a quick hug. Rachel stiffened at the contact, surprised by how warm Quinn was being. "Glad you could make it."

Quinn quickly turned to Dani, offering her hand.

"Hi, I'm Quinn," she said before turning to look at the man standing beside her, "and this is Sam."

"Um, hi. I'm Dani, Rachel's friend."

"Nice to meet you," Sam smiled warmly and shook Rachel's hand before turning to do the same to Dani's.

The four stood awkwardly for a moment before Quinn shook her head and gestured to the seats.

"I was told Mercedes would be out to meet us in a few minutes."

The four sat down and Quinn settled in beside Sam again. Rachel narrowed her eyes at this, but Quinn paid her no mind, jumping straight into conversation.

"How'd you like the show? Were the seats ok?"

"The concert was excellent," Rachel responded. "And the seats were pretty good."

"Yeah, Mercedes was so awesome," Dani agreed.

"Oh my God, wasn't she though?!" Sam said excitedly. "She's incredible."

"Glad you enjoyed it," Quinn smiled, looking mighty pleased with herself.

"Can I offer you ladies any of the fine, non-alcoholic refreshments management has left for us here?" Sam asked, sweeping his hand out toward the table covered with recently refrigerated soda, water, and Gatorade.

"I'll grab this water," Dani said, reaching forward for a bottle.

"I'm alright," Rachel declined, opting to stare at Quinn's obnoxiously large sun-glasses.

Sam began tapping his foot, and a somewhat uncomfortable silence fell over the group.

"So, Rachel, what project are you working on right now?" Quinn asked politely, with what sounded like genuine curiosity.

"My agent is currently negotiating another Broadway contract for me, and I really shouldn't be talking to members of the media about it," Rachel said succinctly. Dani perked at this, staring hard at Quinn before a look of familiarity flashed across her face.

"Wait, are you Quinn Fabray?"

"I am," Quinn responded.

"Huh, weird," Dani said as Sam stopped tapping his foot. He dropped his arm onto Quinn's shoulders, turning to look at Dani curiously. Rachel tried to bite back the irritation of seeing Sam draped all over her best friend's girlfriend. She hadn't been prepared for this, and she didn't know what to make of it.

When asked how to behave around Quinn, Santana had pleaded with her to be civil and kind—to respect Quinn's privacy and proceed tactfully in public and around strangers. She realized, very quickly, that she'd complicated the issue by bringing Dani along. But the idea of hanging out with Quinn one-on-one had set her on edge. And Quinn had insisted she bring along a friend. Quinn had obviously felt the same way, having brought Sam with her. Apparently she needed her emotional support beard to exist comfortably in public.

"What's weird?" Sam asked, turning to look at the lyricist with a somewhat tight expression on his usually carefree, boyish face.

"I mean, I just wouldn't have guessed Quinn Fabray would be a Mercedes Jones fan. But, music has the power to bridge the gaps, right? I'm curious, Quinn—what is it about Mercedes' music that you connect with?"

"You mean aside from the fact that she has the range?" Sam asked jovially.

Quinn laughed at him, and rolled her eyes. "Ok, enough with the fan-boying."

Dani smiled at the two, appreciating their dynamic. Rachel sighed dramatically, growing impatient.

"Before this conversation gets any further you should at least tell Quinn that you've written lyrics for several hits across various genres over the past few years. That way she can actually interpret the question in the way you'd like," Rachel explained as she tugged at the lapel of her jacket.

Her eyes danced briefly down to Sam's hand. His thumb was caressing Quinn's shoulder.

"I need to use the restroom," Rachel declared suddenly, standing up abruptly.

Quinn was frowning at her, but before she could say anything, Sam was speaking.

"If you go down that hallway over there," he pointed with his left hand, "It's the 2nd door on the left."

"Thank you," Rachel responded, quickly walking away.

The bathroom was empty save for a woman applying make-up at the sink. Rachel ignored her and quickly fished her phone out of her pocket, dialing her friend. The call disconnected after two rings, giving her the option to leave a voicemail. She hung up, annoyed, and was about to call again when a text came through.

You said you'd only call if it were an emergency. Please tell me it's not an emergency.

Rachel suddenly felt bad about trying to call Santana. She'd been slammed at work over the past month because the partners had her working on multiple active cases. It seemed like they all wanted their clients to know that former Representative Lopez was personally involved in their cases.

It's not an emergency, Rachel responded quickly. I just wanted to talk to you. I miss you and it's weird hanging out with Quinn without you present.

It'll be ok. Thank you for trying to get to know her. I really want you two to be friends.

I'm not sure how plausible a friendship will be, but I'll try my best to be civil. Did she discuss Sam's role in her public presence? He's here with her and I don't like what I'm seeing.

I appreciate the effort. She and Sam are friends. And apparently he's a huge fan of Mercedes. Speaking of, how was the concert?

Rachel debated being more forward in her messages, seeing as how Santana wasn't acknowledging her distrust of Quinn and Sam, but then decided not to. She'd have to wait until later for that.

The concert was excellent, of course. Dani had a good time too.

Dani? I thought Kurt was going with you.

Well, Kurt was supposed to go with her. But at the last minute he'd decided that a dinner invitation with the man he'd been lusting over for about two weeks was worth more than a VIP pass to a Mercedes Jones concert. Rachel was quite sure she'd be hearing nothing but regret in the coming days, but she barely argued with him about the decision. He was a newer friend of hers and she didn't want to seem overbearing if she didn't need to. That said, she did feel incredibly close to the man, even if they hadn't known each other for very long.

Something came up, and I knew Dani was available.

Don't you think it's a problem that you've invited the woman I went on a failed date with to hang out with the woman I'm dating in secret?

That… that hadn't really crossed her mind. But she did remember that night—Dani's regret, and Santana desperate to get her away from her hotel room the morning after.

To imagine that Quinn Fabray had been the woman behind the door, laid up Santana's hotel bed that morning made Rachel dizzy.

She started at the sound of the door closing, looking up to find that the woman who'd been quietly applying make-up at one of the sinks was gone. She looked back at her phone to find another text from Santana.

I don't even have the time or energy to spare to explain how problematic that is. I've got to go. Please, be nice. We'll talk later. Love you!

Ok, call me later!

Rachel sighed, shoving her phone back into her purse. She took a moment to fix her hair in the mirror and readjust her outfit before turning to leave the bathroom. She almost ran into someone entering the bathroom.

"Oh, sorry," Rachel said reflexively before looking up and seeing Quinn standing there in front of her.

"Rachel!" Quinn seemed startled. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, why wouldn't it be?" she questioned, looking pointedly at Quinn.

"No reason," she replied easily. "You just ran off so abruptly I wanted to make sure you weren't feeling sick."

Oh, she was feeling sick alright, she thought to herself. Sick at seeing this woman cuddled up next to her ex-boyfriend.

"I'm fine."

Quinn stared at her from behind her exceptionally large sunglasses, but then nodded.

"Ok. Let's head back then."

They walked the short distance in silence. For once, Rachel didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to act. She felt distressingly uncomfortable.

To her relief, there was someone new sitting in the lounge area with Dani and Sam. And she knew, even from afar, that it was Mercedes.

She could feel Quinn perking up next to her, and glanced over to see a huge grin on the woman's face.

"Oh my God, Mercedes!" she called out, quickening her pace.

The popstar turned at hearing her name called, excitement taking over her expression as she jumped up from her seat next to Sam at the sight of Quinn. The blonde went barreling towards the woman, and they ended up in a giggling tangle of hugs and laughter.

Rachel had to admit that she was amused by the display. She was once again seeing a side of Quinn that seemed uncharacteristic. Usually she portrayed an aggressive, sly, opinionated persona that seemed to only express defensiveness and irritation on television. Nary a genuine smile was to be seen on her show, her expression often stoic. But once again, Rachel was seeing genuine joy on the woman's face and in her posture.

They pulled apart, hands cradling each other's arms. Quinn was still grinning at her friend.

"Girl, what is up with those sunglasses?"

"Oh," Quinn responded with a chuckle, the visible sliver of her cheeks pinking up in embarrassment. "I just wanted to keep it low-profile. Didn't know if you'd want anyone catching wind of me seeing you."

Mercedes twisted her lips, and reached up to pull off Quinn's sunglasses. She wedged them atop Quinn's head, carefully tucking the arms behind Quinn's very pink ears.

"It's cool. We're friends, right?"

Quinn smiled, and then nodded.

"Thanks," she said, her smile widening as Rachel could only wonder about their friendship. The two did seem like a very strange combination. She was curious about their history, and about how much Mercedes knew. Did she know about Santana, perhaps?

Mercedes leaned forward to stage-whisper into Quinn's ear, "Girl, your man is fine."

Ah, it seemed like she did not know about Santana.

She leaned back with a laugh while Quinn also laughed, her expression betraying nothing. The lie came easy to her, as if as automatic and subconscious as breathing.

"Yeah, he's pretty hot," she agreed, turning to wink at Sam who just laughed at the two. "I guess you've already met Sam. And Dani."

Rachel cast a quick glance at Dani, who did a quick nod in acknowledgement.

"Yes, yes," Mercedes said, finally stepping out of Quinn's space. "I literally just walked over, though. I'm free to go now, though. What's the plan for the evening?"

"I know a bar that's really low-key, no paparazzi. Also, excellent food if you're hungry."

"Starving!" Mercedes admitted, laughing.

"That was one hell of a performance you put on. I'd be hungry too," Quinn smiled. "Sam?"

"You know me, I can always eat."

Quinn turned to Rachel and Dani, "What about you two? Let's get drinks?"

"I'd love to," Dani said turning to Rachel to gauge her reaction.

The brunette shrugged, knowing that Santana would really appreciate this. Plus, she did want to talk to Mercedes about her career and her friendship with Quinn.

"Great," Mercedes said, slipping her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans. "I'm going to text my manager and then we can get going."

It wasn't long after that before the group found themselves seated in a semi-secluded corner of an upscale bar in Manhattan. They were each a drink or two in and Sam had been sharing a rack of tacos with Mercedes and Quinn.

After initial pleasantries and once the alcohol had taken effect, Dani and Rachel finally learned how Quinn knew Mercedes, as story after story of high school tomfoolery came tumbling out of the women's mouths.

Quinn was halfway through a story about how Mercedes had lead a walk-out after tater-tots were taken off the lunch menu their junior year. But she'd hit a point where she couldn't continue because she was laughing so hard she was crying. Mercedes was also laughing pretty hard. Sam was just grinning like a fool and Rachel laughing because the sound of Quinn failing to continue her story was absolutely hilarious to her.

Dani, perhaps the soberest of them all, was chuckling but was clearly very invested in hearing the rest of the story.

"Ok, but what happened after you all got locked outside?" she pressed curiously.

This question only made Quinn laugh harder, falling sideways atop Rachel who snorted at Quinn's inability to remain upright.

"You know what? Never mind," Dani laughed a little.

"No, no, I'm fine," Quinn breathed heavily, sitting back up. She swiped a tear away from her eye. "We all just went home afterward."

Quinn started laughing again and Mercedes just started howling with laughter.

"Wait wait, come on. You left out the best part," she said, giving Quinn a pointed look.

"Oh, please don't."

"Quinn's idiot boyfriend was straight up commando in the massive tater-tot outfit and couldn't get into his stupid truck. The same truck he refused to let anyone else drive."

"Oh no," Dani lamented, eyes widening.

"Oh yes," Mercedes eyes narrowed gleefully. "Butt-ass nekkid."

Sam started coughing on his food after inhaling a bit of it while trying to eat and laugh at the same time. His coughing devolved very quickly into loud, hearty laughter and the rest of the group followed suit.

"'Cedes, I am so sorry you had to see Puck's parts. So sorry."

"Pour one out for my eyes, girl. Actually, pour one out in my eyes, because I can't un-see it."

"Ugh, troubling."

"Truly."

Rachel smiled at the two as they smirked at what seemed to be an inside joke.

"Have you spoken with him, since… you know?" Mercedes eyes flitted quickly between Rachel and Dani before focusing again on Quinn.

"Yes, but… um, we should talk about that later," Quinn said, her smile fading a bit from her face.

"We can do that," Mercedes responded quickly. "Sorry to dampen the mood."

"It's ok," Quinn said with a shy smile.

The conversation picked up again, and Rachel was delighted to learn that Quinn and Mercedes had been in a women's show choir together—for which they had lots of stories to tell—but it wasn't long before Mercedes was calling it a night.

"Ok, I hate to do this but I have to get to back to the hotel to sleep," she said, glancing at her watch. "I need at least a solid 7 hours before we do our stage rehearsal for tomorrow's show."

Quinn frowned, clearly unhappy with the information. Before she could get a word out, Dani was speaking.

"I should also head home," she said, before adding, "It was super cool we got to meet, Mercedes. You too, Quinn."

"Nice to meet you as well," Quinn said with a smile.

Quinn turned quickly to Mercedes, "Hey, um, could we talk before you leave? I promise it'll be quick."

"Sure," Mercedes responded, smiling at her friend.

"Rachel, are we splitting the uber?" Dani asked, after having gathered her things.

"Of course," Rachel nodded, also picking up her bag.

"Oh, uh," Quinn began to interject, but then paused. "Rachel, any way you could wait for a minute too?"

Rachel felt immediate confusion. The hesitancy in Quinn's voice seemed uncharacteristic. And the expression on her face looked like a mixture of hesitancy and… well, Rachel wasn't sure. She didn't know Quinn well enough to know. Regardless, not only was she confused by the request, she was now suddenly uncomfortable.

"I should head out with Dani—we're neighbors so we're headed to the same place."

"Ah, that makes sense I just… um," Quinn trailed off and Sam seemed to sense her discomfort, throwing an arm over her shoulders. Quinn sighed heavily and shrugged his arm away. "I'd like for you to be here, when I talk to Mercedes about our mutual friend."

Mutual friend?

Oh.

Rachel raised her eyebrows in disbelief and Quinn's cheeks began to pink up.

"Don't make this a big deal. Just agree to stay for a few minutes."

Rachel twisted her lips in contemplation. It sounded like Quinn was going to tell Mercedes about Santana… which would be a big deal, given that Quinn had only told one other person in her life about Santana.

"Fine," Rachel finally agreed, watching as the tenseness in Quinn's shoulders melted away like ice on hot asphalt. "But, I think you're really inconveniencing Dani right now."

"Whoa, nah, it's chill. I can get a ride on my own. It would literally be my only expense all night. Not a problem," Dani said quickly, giving Rachel a pointed look.

Rachel immediately prepared to respond, but Dani narrowed her eyes further and the brunette dropped her argument, quickly.

"Fine," she harrumphed, "Dani, we'll catch up sometime next week."

"Perfect. Thanks for the lovely evening, everyone. I had a blast."

With a quick wave and a charming smile Dani left the lounge area.

Rachel turned back to the table to see Quinn with her arms crossed, giving her a judgmental look. It was somewhat unnerving.

"What?"

"Why would you invite Santana's ex as your plus one?"

"Whoa, wait," Rachel went on the defensive. "She's not Santana's ex."

"I'm like, 100% sure that Dani was the woman I saw Santana on a date with last year."

"Wait, you saw them on a date?"

"Yes!"

"Ok, well, I can neither confirm or deny that. Even so, one date doesn't equate to dating or any form of established relationship. I'd argue, neither does phone sex."

Rachel immediately realized she'd said the wrong thing as Quinn's expression turned murderous.

"What is your problem?!"

"Whoa, um, let's calm down," Sam said, grabbing onto Quinn's bicep as she made a move to jump up from her seat.

Quinn groaned, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes.

"Quinn?" Sam asked as the blonde released a shuddering breath.

Rachel look on curiously as Sam tried and failed to gently pull her hands away from her face.

"Babe?" he tried again.

Quinn groaned, dropping her hands. Her eyes were visibly damp and Rachel suddenly felt guilty. But even with the look of remorse on the brunette's face, Quinn was not backing down. She stared angrily at Rachel, not saying a word. It was clear she was waiting for an apology.

"Um, so… as much as I live for the drama, I'm a little too tired and a little too confused to really enjoy this right now," Mercedes eased back into the conversation. "Quinn, we can talk tomorrow, you know. So you can have time to fix… this?"

"Wait, Mercedes. No. I'm sorry," Quinn turned quickly to look at her friend. "I'll get straight to it. I wanted Rachel here because… well, I figured it would help to have her present. But all she's really been doing is stressing me out all night, so I'm going to pretend she's not here."

"Petty, but ok," Mercedes said, her expression softening as Quinn nervously bit her lower lip.

"I… um… Sam and I aren't dating," Quinn finally said, straightening up in her seat. "We were, for a time, and it was good. But I realized I had feelings for someone else. So we broke up. And he's been a great friend to me, even after all of that."

"Oh," Mercedes frowned, glancing at Sam who merely smiled and grabbed Quinn's fidgeting hands.

"The truth is; I'm dating someone else. And… um…"

Mercedes lifted an eyebrow.

"I'm dating a woman," Quinn finally pressed out.

Mercedes' brown eyes widened, and quickly darted toward Rachel. Then back to Quinn. Then back to Rachel. Then finally back to Quinn.

"Rachel Berry?" Mercedes asked in disbelief.

At this, Quinn looked confused. Her confusion quickly transformed into offense.

"What?! God, no," Quinn laughed.

"First of all, I don't appreciate your tone of voice," Rachel grumbled, crossing her arms.

"No, not her," Quinn laughed. "My girlfriend's name is Santana."

Realization flickered across Mercedes' face.

"Santana Lopez?" she asked almost immediately.

Santana was now a household name for anyone who considered themselves some level of activist in the country, that was for certain. Santana had been a popular and well-known entity locally, prior to her appearance on Quinn's show; but after that her popularity soared. Anyone paying attention to politics knew who she was. Quinn remembered a time when there had been whispers of her possibly running for president prior to her recent hire to the law firm. Santana said those rumors were "news to her" and she hadn't been approached by anyone regarding that. "Perhaps it's just wishful thinking from very vocal millennials online," Santana had laughed it off.

But here Quinn was now, telling her (best?) friend, a popstar, about her girlfriend. And the popstar knew her name.

Quinn nodded.

"The woman you were just talking about?"

"Yes."

"I see," Mercedes said softly.

A silence descended on the group and after a few moments, Quinn pulled her hands away from Sam's.

"I… I hope we can stay friends, Mercedes. I know this is all a little weird, and I know we just reconnected, but I want our friendship to be founded on honesty. I supposed it's a little selfish of me to suddenly complicate things between us. But things with Santana feel so right I didn't stop and think about what it would mean. I just… I wanted to feel normal, for once. And if it's too much, you know, as a Christian, I get it. No hard feelings if you want nothing to do with me now. All I ask is that you respect my girlfriend's privacy."

Rachel looked on quietly. It would be easy to assume Mercedes would be ok with her friend coming out to her. But Rachel didn't know the intricacies of their friendship. She didn't know their background—but Quinn did. And it seemed like Quinn was afraid of what Mercedes might say, or do. They grew up together, so it's very possible that Mercedes was raised with the same ideals as their shared childhood community. Homophobia might've been the norm in their hometown.

And this silence, oh it was unbearable. Rachel suddenly felt very anxious for Quinn. She really wanted this to go well. She most certainly regretted giving Quinn a hard time by bringing Dani along and making that comment about phone sex.

Finally, Rachel couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Mercedes, before you say anything—assuming you weren't just shocked into mutism—I'd like to say something. I'm most certainly not Quinn's biggest fan. I think she is undoubtedly vile, a sentiment I think she shares when faced with the burden of introspection. I cannot speak to her current character. Nor can I speak to who she was in the past. That's only something that you can do, and I can only assume that the least desirable aspects of her character were recently acquired. That said, I have to believe that she used to be a good person and that she can return to that state of doing better and striving for better. And I can only say this because Santana, my best friend, believes in Quinn.

"That's enough for me. That's really the only reason I'm here. Because Santana believes in her girlfriend—believes in her ability to try to be a better person. And I've already seen a change, because Quinn didn't approach you, her friend, as someone who threatened her public image. She didn't bring an NDA here to legally bind you to secrecy. She came to you as a friend, looking for your acceptance of something very fundamental to her being. So, hopefully you can find some space in your heart for Quinn's vulnerability, and her… um, love, of Santana."

Quinn was staring at Rachel, mystified. Sam was very obviously blinking away tears and Mercedes merely continued to stare at Rachel. Finally, she looked at Quinn.

"So, I'm a little offended that you think I'm a homophobe," Mercedes said, chastising, but with a hint of humor in her voice. "At the same time, I've heard coming out is a really difficult thing to do. And I appreciate the honesty. Let's hug it out."

Mercedes had barely opened her arms before Quinn had launched herself into them.

Rachel couldn't help the smile that grew on her lips, and her smile widened to see a teary-eyed Sam grinning at the two women.

"You're such a jerk for not saying anything," Quinn mumbled as she pulled away from her friend.

"Honestly, I think my brain short-circuited when I thought you were dating Rachel for a split second."

Quinn wrinkled her nose in contemplation, but then sighed, "Ok, fair."

"I really don't need to stay here if you're merely going to insult me," Rachel grumbled.

With a short eye roll, Quinn freed one of her arms from her friend's embrace and gestured for Rachel to approach.

"Come here?" Quinn asked with a surprisingly warm and disarming smile.

The brunette hesitated for a moment, but then approached and allowed herself to get pulled into a group hug with the other women.

"Oh my God, yay, group hug!" Sam celebrated, wrapping all three women in his broad embrace.

Rachel couldn't help but laugh, the joy of the occasion—the relief of Mercedes' acceptance—it all made her feel warm and fuzzy. Though, she couldn't say that it wasn't just because she was a little tipsy too.

"Ok, ok, let me out," Quinn complained with a hint of laughter in her voice. The group disassembled the hug and Mercedes just smiled fondly at Quinn.

"I'm proud of you for telling me, Quinn," she finally said with a smile. "And I'd love to meet your girlfriend sometime. She seems really cool."

"Oh, um, thanks," Quinn said, her cheeks turning pink again. "She wanted to come tonight, but she had a work obligation."

"She still a senator, or whatever? I am thinking of the right Santana Lopez, correct? The one that took you to task on your own TV show?"

Quinn just laughed, and rolled her eyes dramatically.

"She didn't want to run for the state house again, so she's working for a law firm in North Carolina now. Her schedule is way less flexible, which I kind of hate. But she's getting more out of work, I think, so she's happier about it."

"Ok," Mercedes nodded. After a short pause she grinned deviously at Quinn, "So what's the story there anyway? After she destroyed you on TV you needed her to destroy you in bed?"

Sam snorted a laugh, which caused Rachel to fail at holding back an outwardly sputtered laugh.

"If you must know, yes. That is exactly what happened that night," Quinn offered with a sly smile.

Rachel blushed, having not ever really asked Santana how she and Quinn ended up together, or when it all started. She'd assumed their dalliance began that night she appeared on the show, perhaps in the form of flirtation, but that their physical relationship had developed later. She felt sort of bad that she hadn't inquired. Still, she was working through accepting this relationship as real. Part of her knew she'd only grow annoyed if she'd had to listen through Santana fawning over the woman, first impressions, fist kisses… first... well.

Rachel tried hard to keep the disgust off her face, and was relieved when Mercedes offered a gentle chuckle and smiled at Quinn.

"You really have to dish, like, all the details," she said with a smile and a knowing look.

The brunette watched the two friends, seeing how easy it was for them to talk about dating like happy high schoolers. Was this what she was depriving Santana of? Was she being a bad friend because she couldn't get excited over this? Why couldn't she get excited? Was it just a general distrust of Quinn, or was there something about the whole situation that put her on edge? Was it her recent issues with Brody? The loss of the belief that love was this magical experience that could conquer all hardship?

"But, later, girl," Mercedes continued. "I'm tired and I need to get going."

Mercedes made her departure and Rachel found herself left with the two blondes. There was a comfortable silence between them as they headed for the elevator. Quinn was pounding out a text or an email on her phone, a fond smile on her face. Sam was scrolling through his phone as well. Rachel merely watched the two as they waited.

On the way down, Quinn finally looked up from her phone. Her expression was light—open.

"Rachel, thank you for staying late tonight. I really appreciate what you said to Mercedes earlier."

"It's no problem," Rachel said, biting her tongue to keep her reply short and sweet.

"Well, ok," Quinn said, her hazel eyes knowing. The blonde pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes, blocking them from sight. Rachel could see herself reflected in the dark lenses. "Still… I know it wasn't easy for you to advocate for me. I haven't really made myself the easiest person to support. So… yeah, just thank you. And if you ever want to hang out, or whatever, let me know."

The elevator slowed to a stop, and the door opened slowly.

The three clambered out on the ground floor, Rachel staring at Quinn with a curious expression.

Finally, she said, "Yeah, I'll let you know."

"Perfect. Sam, let's go," she said, turning to the man who'd been by her side all evening. She waited a fraction of a second before turning to walk away. Sam gave Rachel a bright smile and a generous wave before he turned to catch up with Quinn.

A/N: Thanks for reading. More to come soon.