-Chapter 32-

Quinn awoke on an unfamiliar and rather uncomfortable couch. It wasn't the spring that was sticking into her back that woke her up, it was her phone ringing with "My Life Would Suck Without You" which meant it was Rachel.

"Hey Rach," Quinn answered sleepily.

"Hey, just wanted to see how you were doing. I didn't get a text from you last night."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I fell asleep."

Puck came in from his bedroom rubbing his eyes. "Coffee?" he mouthed. Quinn nodded.

"I've got play practice in an hour and I'll probably be there all day but you can still text me if you want, I'll check my phone."

"Sounds good babe. Hold on a sec." Quinn covered the receiver. "Hey Puck, can you grab that white shirt out of Lizzy's backpack for me and put it in the bathroom?" she asked. Puck nodded. Quinn turned her attention back to Rachel. "Sorry. Anyways, when's opening night again?"

"Did…did you just ask Puck to get you a shirt?"

"Yeah."

"Why is Noah at my house so early?"

"I'm at his place." Elizabeth stumbled into the living room and crawled up on Quinn's lap. "Hey there sleepy girl," Quinn said to the toddler. "I bet you slept better than I did. Daddy's apartment smells like pizza, I don't know how you stand it."

"Quinn?"

"Yeah Rach?"

"You're aware that you're currently on the phone with me, Rachel, your girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah."

There was a click and a dial tone and Quinn yanked the phone away from her ear. Quinn mumbled a few choice words under her breath and called Rachel back.

"What?" Rachel answered sharply.

"Did you lose signal or something?"

"I'm in the middle of the city, Quinn. I don't drop calls unless I mean to."

"You want to explain what I said wrong then?" Puck sat a cup of coffee down in front of the blonde and she mouthed thanks to him.

"What's wrong?" he mouthed to her. Quinn shrugged.

"Are you fucking serious, Fabray? Really?"

"Rachel calm down and just tell me what it was I did wrong." Elizabeth jumped off the couch and hit her head on the floor and started crying. "Ugh, hold on! Puck! Puck will you please…" Puck came in from the bedroom and picked up his daughter. Quinn covered the receiver again. "Will you get her breakfast, please? I've got to do damage control for whatever it was I did wrong this time."

"She probably thinks we slept together."

Quinn's eyes widened with the suggestion and she uncovered the receiver. "I did not sleep with Puck!"

"Then why are you at his apartment?"

"We went to Finn's yesterday to get some of his things and when we came back here I was just too exhausted to drive home so I fell asleep on the couch."

Rachel was silent.

"Rachel?"

"I have to go."

"Rachel, I swear to you nothing happened! Puck slept in his room, I slept on this God-awful couch. I probably have the bruises from the springs to prove it!"

"And by 'springs' do you mean 'Noah's teeth'?"

"Rachel, baby, please."

"Don't you 'baby' me, Quinn Fabray!"

"You're being completely irrational! Puck and I spent the afternoon at Finn's! We both cried our eyes out because we were the first ones in his bedroom since he died, getting things out that his mother didn't want to accidentally come across, and you're fucking accusing me of cheating on you? I was fucking exhausted, Rachel. I've done nothing but cry and think of you since August and it's only gotten worse in the passed month so don't you dare start accusing me of this!"

"Q?" Puck poked his head in from the kitchen.

"What do you want, Puck?" Quinn screeched.

"I know you're like mad and everything because you don't ever swear but Liz just dropped the f-bomb so you should probably cool it or go to a different room."

Quinn growled and went to Puck's bedroom.

"Believe what you want, Rachel, but I've never even thought about touching anyone but you since the day I told you I loved you."

"Quinn, if I find out…"

"There's nothing to find out. You want to ask Lizzy? She'll tell you. Either that or she'll just start swearing."

"What is Noah teaching her?"

"It wasn't him, it was me. Just now."

"Oh. Well…don't do that."

"I didn't think she could hear me. So…play practice?"

"Yeah. Opening night is in a week and we run for a week after that, finals is two weeks after that."

"Make sure to get me a DVD like you did with the fall play, okay?"

"Of course."

"Rachel, I promise you…"

"I know, Quinn. It's just really hard sometimes, you know? Especially lately after everything that happened. I mean…the other day I was writing an e-mail to one of my professors and I saw Finn's name in my address book…I didn't stop crying for an hour but I won't delete it. No one except Kurt here gets it; everyone in my drama class keeps telling me to use the experience for inspiration like its no big deal. One of them actually told me I was a slacker for taking that week off."

"Oh Rach…"

"You want to know what the worst part is? If it hadn't been for Finn and glee club and you and Elizabeth and all of it in the first place…I'd be just like them. But I'm not. I'm not that cold hearted and I'm not as focused as I used to be. I'm sure if I stayed that I could probably pick it up again but I don't want to. I don't belong here, Quinn."

"I have a feeling you're trying to tell me something."

"I want to come home, Quinn. I want to move to Columbus and go to OSU. I honestly do not want to be here."

"Are you sure about this?"

"You promised no questions. This is my decision."

Quinn sighed. "It is. It's all yours." There was a knock at the door and Quinn growled. "Just a sec. Puck! What could you quite possibly want?"

Puck opened the door and Quinn raised her eyebrows at him.

"Breakfast is done."

"Noah Puckerman…I swear to whatever God you believe in if that is macaroni and cheese I smell I'm going to shave your head."

"She loves mac and cheese!"

"Do you give her that for breakfast every time she's here?"

"Tell him I disapprove!" Rachel squealed. "She needs things with vitamins! Do you give her vitamins? Give her those gummy vitamins."

"Rachel disapproves."

"Shocker."

Quinn's phone beeped and she looked down at the screen to see Jim's cell phone calling. "Rach, Jim is calling me. I'll text you later, okay?"

"Okay, love you."

"Love you, too."

Quinn switched lines to take Jim's call.

"Jim I'm so sorry I didn't call you guys last night to tell you I wasn't coming home."

"It's okay sweetie, we were just worried. Is everything okay?"

"I fell asleep on Puck's couch, I'll be home after breakfast."

"Okay honey, see you later."

Quinn hung up the phone and sighed. She made her way to the small kitchen where Puck was dishing up a serving of macaroni and cheese to Elizabeth. Quinn rolled her eyes and smacked the back of the young man's head. Elizabeth laughed until she could barely breathe.

……………

"Is that everything?" Quinn asked, looking around Rachel's empty dorm room.

Rachel nodded. "Everything but us," the brunette said with a huge smile. "Let's go home, shall we?"

With Elizabeth at Puck's the drive didn't take nearly as long and before they knew it, Jim was waking Quinn and Rachel up from their sleep in the back seat telling them they were home. The pair dragged themselves into the house and didn't even bother changing clothes before they crawled into bed and fell asleep.

The next morning when Quinn fluttered her eyes open she was greeted with a Rachel Berry smile and a kiss.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Rachel said. "What do you want for breakfast? I'll fix anything you want."

Quinn giggled. "You."

An hour later both girls managed to get out of bed and put clothes on. When Quinn reached for the doorknob she was stopped and Rachel pulled her around. Quinn furrowed her eyebrows at the brunette who had her lower lip clutched between her teeth.

"I'm moving to Columbus," Rachel said.

"I know."

"I want you to come. You and Elizabeth."

"Rachel…I…"

"It's a two hour drive! Noah could still take Elizabeth on weekends or even an alternating joint custody arrangement! And I am sure there are more than qualified childcare providers in Columbus that could take care of Elizabeth while you and I go to school."

"I don't know…"

"Quinn, I want to marry you!" Rachel shrieked.

Quinn's jaw dropped. "Wh-what?"

"I want to marry you someday, Quinn! And I would like it if we lived in the same city…If you agree to the proposal, that is. Not that I am proposing right now, simply informing you of my intent to propose at some point in the future."

"You want to get married?" Quinn was still in absolute disbelief.

"Eventually, yes. I love you and I'm fairly certain you love me unless that's changed since you said it rather loudly just a few minutes ago. I want to marry you and I want you and Elizabeth with me for the rest of my life, Quinn. So please…please come to Columbus with me."

Quinn swallowed hard and looked at the petrified looking brunette with pleading in her eyes and did the only thing she could think of at that moment and stepped forward and captured Rachel's lips in a kiss.

"I love you," the blonde whispered when she pulled away. "Yes…yes to all of it. Everything."

"Everything?"

Quinn nodded and smiled. "Forever, Rachel. Everything…forever."

The day that Quinn thought Rachel would love her "maybe someday" she never expected for it to end up like it did. She didn't expect that "maybe someday Rachel will love me" to turn into "someday Rachel and I will get married". But it did. And "maybe someday" turned into "forever" and forever was everything Quinn ever wanted.

The End.