Alrighty, here I am with the new installment. Just so you know, this is full of fluffy goodness and is nearing the M rating. But you know what they say, the calm comes before the storm...

This chapter is dedicated to ddizzle-swagron on Tumblr for being awesome on a daily basis. Also speshul thanks to imagine-me on Tumblr for editing it. 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the characters.

"I like you," Quinn cuts her off, still looking down. "A lot. Like, I just can't, for the love of God, stop thinking about you. Like you, as in I want to hold your hand and kiss you silly, like you."

Rachel takes a deep breath. It's one thing to hear it in Quinn's thoughts; those light echoes that, although holding so much truth, aren't anything like what Quinn is saying right now. Words. Out loud. Confessions.

"So, there." Quinn glances at her for a fleeting second.

"Okay," Rachel manages to say, barely containing her excitement.

"Okay," Quinn answers.

"Do you want to come over after class?"

"Yes," the blonde blurts almost immediately. Rachel can't hold her beam back anymore. She catches Quinn's lips quirking a little.

"Okay," she breathes. Quinn finally looks up at her through her eyelashes.

"Okay."

...

Rachel feels the vibrations on her seat as the bus driver starts the engine. She watches Mr Schue walk the aisle up and down, looking around and mentally counting the occupied seats to make sure no one is missing.

"Alright so, do you guys have everything you need for the ride?" There's a collective 'yes' and the teacher claps his hands. "Okay, then we're good to go." He motions for the driver who pulls out and goes to sit, but turns at the last moment to say, "And please behave. The ride to Columbus is not too long but don't make me ground you…" everyone looks at him strangely, "or something."

Rachel sighs and relaxes back on her seat as the bus makes its way to the highway. She watches the trees and houses pass by, humming softly to herself, until she can't help it anymore and glances to the empty seat at her right. She then subtly looks over the back of her seat and at Quinn, who's sitting at the very end with Mercedes and Kurt and a magazine on her lap, chatting animatedly with her friends.

Just as if the blonde notices it, she snaps her head up and catches the brown eyes looking back at her and a slow smile grows on her face. 'She wants me to sit with her,' Rachel hears her looks over at Mercedes and Kurt, before back at the brunette with an apologetic smile and mouthing "later". 'It'd be a little suspicious to sit with her so soon, right? Better be safe than sorry.'

Rachel nods subtly before turning her attention back to the passing scenario outside the window and lets her mind swim in memories of these past couple of weeks, a warmth settling on her stomach at the thought.

Quinn told Rachel that she'd be at her place after practice, but didn't exactly specify how long that'd be, leaving Rachel to sit nervously on her bed, her back straight and her ears trying to pick out any sign of the cheerleader's car.

She finally decided to change into something more comfortable to pass the time- a pair of yoga pants and one of her Dad's old NYU sweatshirts, a couple sizes too big for her, but still her favourite for cold nights like that, when her fathers were out and she was feeling cuddly and in need of comfort. Rachel cursed Murphy's Law when, halfway through slipping on the pants, the doorbell rang. She tripped when her foot got stuck in the pant leg, in the haste of reaching the door and cursed herself when, almost all the way down the stairs, she realized she was in her bra only.

"I'm coming! One second!"

She run back up and threw the sweater on, wasting three seconds to check herself in the mirror and smooth her hair down and then another impressive three more to run back down. It was a personal record.

"Quinn. Hi," she answered the door, completely out of breath.

Quinn raised an eyebrow confused. "Are you okay?"

"Hmh? Oh yeah, yep. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" The blonde inspected her appearance, then glanced behind her and into the house. "Is there someone in there?" She whispered. "Blink if you are in danger."

Rachel's jaw dropped at what Quinn was suggesting, before she caught the telling twinkle on hazel eyes. She huffed. "Very funny, Quinn. No I am not being kidnapped in my own home. Now do you want to come in or not?"

Quinn chuckled. "Sure."

Rachel moved aside to let the blonde in. Her eyes immediately indulged in taking Quinn's appearance in. The girl was wearing her Cheerios' red sweats and varsity jacket with a white t-shirt underneath. Her hair was wet, probably from the shower she must have taken after practice and it was still dripping a little down her back, making Rachel think that she must have run here. She smiled to herself.

'Bedroom or living room?' Quinn thought briefly.

"Come on, let's go up to my room." Rachel lead the way up, suddenly nervous at realizing Quinn was going to see her room for the first time. She stepped inside and spun on her heels, watching Quinn's reaction closely.

The blonde seemed to take everything in; from the yellow walls, to the four poster bed, her eyes widening slightly at the number of bedazzled stuff on her desk.

"Cute room," she said sincerely, "I like your rug," she pointed at Rachel's piano keys rug.

Rachel beamed. "Thank you." She started fidgeting with the hem of her sleeves and awkwardly pointed to the bed. "You can sit wherever."

Quinn took off her Cheerio's jacket and sit on Rachel's bed, followed by the brunette who crossed her legs and leaned against the headboard. Rachel started playing with the sleeves of her oversized sweatshirt again, not really knowing how to go from here.

'Are we supposed to talk now or…? Should I ask something?' Quinn pondered, leaning back on her hands and making her white shirt ride up a little, flashing Rachel glimpse of her abs. 'I mean, why would she invite me if not for talking about… that? She still has to tell me, right? Isn't she going to?'

Rachel bit her lips at Quinn's thoughts. She never imagined the blonde could be this adorable when feeling insecure. It made her feel special.

"So… do you want to… talk?" Quinn finally asked frowning.

"Sure," Rachel answered easily. "What do you want to talk about?" The fake innocence of the question went unnoticed by Quinn, who frowned even deeper, her gaze falling to the bed covers for a second. Rachel knew she was being a little mean, but she kind of liked teasing Quinn.

"I don't know… don't you- isn't there something you want to talk about?" Quinn shrugged, trying to sound casual. "Something you want to tell me?"

"Something like what?"

'Like you like me too, maybe? Ugh!' The blonde huffed. "I don't know. You'd think after what I confessed this morning you'd have something to say."

"You think?" She asked with a hint of a smile. She just couldn't keep it anymore. Quinn of course caught it and rolled her eyes, a blush spreading on her cheeks.

"Jerk."

Rachel giggled and reached out to wrap her hand around Quinn's arm, pulling her up the bed and next to her. The blonde let herself be dragged without much resistance. She sat with her legs stretched out in front of her, her hands in her lap and her eyes on them. Rachel bumped her shoulder to catch her attention.

"Hey," she said quietly when hazel eyes locked on hers. "In case you still haven't figured it out after all that has happened these past weeks or I didn't make it clear enough on Sunday night, I like you too."

Quinn looked down at her hands again, biting her lip to fight back a smile in her own cute way of keeping her cool. She nodded and took a deep breath, regaining some composure, then cleared her throat.

"It's just, really hard to believe, you know? I mean a month ago we were barely talking to each other." She shrugged. "I think… I think I liked you since freshman year, probably sooner. I just didn't want it to be true. That's mostly why I was so mean to you." Quinn dared a glance at Rachel, who was listening to her with a curious expression, not judging or reproaching like Quinn would have expected. "I thought you hated me. I think I wanted you to hate me so it would be easier to stay away from you."

"I never hated you."

"I know," Quinn rolled her eyes. "You're just too nice."

Rachel shrugged, taking it as a compliment.

"And… I don't know… I guess I feel like it comes out of nowhere that you- that you like me too. It's just hard to believe, after all these years," Quinn mumbled, her eyes still fixed on her lap, the pretty rosy tint never leaving her cheeks.

Rachel breathed deep, feeling a pang of guilt at how badly she had been handling this whole thing, leaving Quinn in the complete dark while she controlled everything like a puppet master.

"Quinn you are unbelievingly beautiful. You're smart, you're charming, you are a great singer- although a little sharp at times- a great athlete. You have that passion, that strength in you that just draws people in. Why wouldn't anyone like you?"

"Fine, maybe. But you are not just anyone."

"That much is true," Rachel conceded with a nod, failing to see Quinn's good-natured eye-roll. "Still, you have always intrigued me. Even when you were mean to me, I just wanted you to like me, to be my friend." This time Rachel is the one that blushed. "I had such a huge crush on you and I didn't even know it."

"Really?" Quinn asked a little smugly.

Rachel dropped her head back and let it lull to the side with a small smirk. "Well, you are really hot when you're pissed and for some reason I was the only one to get that much emotion out of you."

Just like that the air around them seemed to shift drastically.

'I want to kiss her. Oh God, I want to kiss her so bad.' But Quinn didn't move an inch.

"So," Rachel said trying to sound calm, "now that we've cleared that up, what do you want to do?"

'Kiss you,' Quinn thought as she shifted almost imperceptibly closer to the brunette.

"We have a different selection of activities to partake in," Rachel continued, "movies, board games."

'I just want to make out.'

They kept her eyes fixed on each other with a consuming intensity. Rachel felt her mouth go dry as sandpaper and she licked her lips, Quinn following the path of her tongue with her eyes.

"Or w-we could stay here and- and talk?"

"If you want," Quinn mumbled, her voice so husky it shook Rachel to the core.

"I don't really want to talk," Rachel said and in a bold move she pushed herself to a kneeling position and straddled Quinn's lap, her hands on the blonde's shoulders to steady herself.

"Yeah, me either," were Quinn's last words before Rachel's lips crashed against hers.

The brunette's mouth was urgent and demanding, still as soft as ever but with a force that spurred Quinn even more. The Cheerio let her hands rest on Rachel's thighs, which were covered by the thin and tight fabric of the yoga pants, the warmth of Rachel's skin almost burning her through the cloth.

Rachel was like a little flame, every part her body touched Quinn's was scalding. The brunette parted her lips with a moan as Quinn licked the seam, delighted to let Quinn's tongue in. She pushed herself closer to her, putting her arms around Quinn's neck and breathed hard through her nose as Quinn's cool hands made her way from her thighs to the small of her back, dangerously close to her ass.

But Quinn wouldn't go there, not yet. Instead, she pushed the sweater up a few inches and tickled the skin on Rachel's back with her fingertips, driving Rachel crazy. She moaned into Quinn's mouth again as the blonde sucked on her tongue. Rachel rested her forehead against Quinn's in an attempt to calm her frantic heartbeat and squirming body.

"Where have you learned that?" She asked out of breath.

"What? You thought little miss president of the Celibacy Club wouldn't be experienced, uh?" Quinn said smugly and satisfied with herself and Rachel's state. "You'd be surprised how much you learn when you never let your boyfriends go past first base."

Rachel raised her eyebrow in challenge. "Don't look so smug, Fabray."

Quinn glanced at Rachel's chest that was still raising and falling hard with every deep breath and licked her lips. She fixed her gaze on Rachel's swollen ones and accepted the challenge. "Make me."

"Hey," Quinn whispers as she slips into the seat next to Rachel.

"Hi," is Rachel breathy answer. She'd be lying if she said she didn't just lose herself in her own thoughts and felt like she was in her room again, kissing Quinn until her lips felt sore.

Quinn seems to like her flustered face just fine because she smiles knowingly and very slowly, very carefully, moves her hand from her own thigh to the edge of her seat, where her pinkie brushes Rachel's.

Rachel glances down at it and moves her hand another inch, until the same pinkie is curling around Quinn's. She raises her head with a cocked eyebrow and watches Quinn's lips tug up at the corner before she covers her hand completely and squeezes. Rachel turns it up and their fingers entwine immediately, her gaze softening.

"I was just thinking about you," she says conversationally.

"Is that true? About what?" 'Bet it was about that first make out session in her bedroom…'

"Oh you know, about that time you kidnapped me after Spanish class," she lies as the memories flood her mind.

The bell had just rang and as all the students left the Spanish classroom, she stayed behind to talk to Mr Schue about their Glee practice that afternoon. She approached him with an idea and the man seemed to brace himself but was left dumbfounded when she proposed an unconventional duet for Sectionals. Will was confused, seen as she always wanted to have the spotlight. It was so strange that she wanted to give it to other people that he even thought she might be plotting something.

Nice to know how much he trusts me, Rachel thought bitterly as she left the room and made her way to the cafeteria.

But anyways, now that she had proposed it to Mr Schue and she knew she had an ally that would support her this afternoon in Glee, she just needed to comment it to the lucky members who she had chosen to perform the duet.

But as the universe wanted it, one of them found her first.

"Wha-" she cried as a pair of strong hands grabbed the back of her argyle vest and pulled her into the janitor's closet. Rachel, thinking the worst, started struggling against her attacker and yelling things like: "Unhand me immediately! My fathers have the ACLU on speed dial!"

"Rachel- Rach- ow!" Rachel heard as her elbow collided with something soft.

"Quinn?" The brunette turned bewildered, her eyes growing wide and worried as she saw Quinn holding her chest. "Oh my God, Quinn, are you okay?"

Quinn stared at her, holding her chest and out of nowhere, she started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Rachel asked confused.

"I believe you just rounded second base."

Rachel spluttered out an apology, her face red from all the air she was not breathing.

"I didn't know you were into that stuff though," Quinn kept on with her joke. Rachel huffed embarrassed and feeling a little bad for punching Quinn.

"Well, if you acted like a normal person and asked for me to meet you in here instead of kidnapping me, maybe I wouldn't have to put my self-defence classes to use."

'Self-defence? That's hot.' Quinn stepped into Rachel's personal space with her infamous cocked eyebrow and Rachel felt the warmth of her embarrassment melting into another completely different kind of warmth. "I would have asked, but I haven't seen you all day."

"I've seen you."

"Really? When?"

"Oh you know, strutting down the hall, parting the student body like the red sea. Skirt flowing with the wind," Rachel mumbled as Quinn pressed her body to hers and she felt herself trapped against the door.

"Perv," she whispered barely two inches from Rachel's mouth.

Rachel snorted. "Like you don't wear it just because you know people's going to perv on you."

Quinn just gave a half-shrug, before kissing Rachel, smirk still in place. It irked Rachel even more and she grabbed the lapels of Quinn Cheerio's jacket and bit the blonde's plump lower lip, effectively turning the smirk into a moan. Triumphantly, Rachel pulled back, giggling when a dazed blonde followed her, seeking her mouth.

"I just talked with Mr Schue."

"Really, Rach? Really? We're in a dark closet, kissing and you want to stop and talk about Mr. Schuester?" 'There's something wrong with this picture.'

Rachel ignored her comment. "I was telling him that for Sectionals it'd be interesting to have something fresh and new aaaand, uhm, Quinn, w-what are you doing?"

The cheerleader was leaving little bites and kisses down Rachel's jaw and neck. She nudged the girl's jaw and Rachel gave up without a fight, throwing her head back against the door.

"Well if you won't kiss me I'm sure as hell not going to waste this time talking about Sectionals. I have Glee, Cheerio's practice and then my mom wants me to meet her new friends so it's gonna be a long day." And then she proceeded to ravage Rachel's neck.

"O-oh, okay, but, as much as I l-like what you're doing, I think you should really hear m-mhmm, hear me out, for this matter is of utmost importance to you- oh my god, right there!"

Quinn smirked to herself, having found a very sensitive spot on Rachel's neck and planning to leave a nice hickey because even if she still wasn't ready to claim the girl as hers in front of the entire school, at least she was going to let them know she was taken.

"T-the thing is, uhm, I t-think you should sing a duet with Sam for Sectionals."

"What?" And just like that the blonde stopped her ministrations. She snapped her head up and looked at Rachel like she had grown another head. "What are you talking about?"

Rachel pouted a little at Quinn for stopping but when she noticed the blonde was serious she dropped it. "I think you and Sam's voice would sound really good together and I was thinking we need to step up our game. It's always been Finn and I doing a duet and it might be getting old- not my part of course, but Finn… once you have seen what he has to offer it doesn't really go further than that. I talked about it with Mr Schue and he thinks it's a phenomenal idea. Of course the solo would still be mine."

Quinn had started shaking her head half into the rant and at this point she was even mumbling "no, no, no, no," under her breath.

"Please Quinn."

"No."

"Just try it out this afternoon at practice. See how you two can sound great together."

"You're out of your mind."

"I'm not. I know what I'm talking about. You will sound great."

"Why would you suggest something like that?" Quinn asked with a groan.

Rachel put her arms around Quinn's waist and pulled her in. "Because I like your voice and I think it's underappreciated. Because you've never had a duet or a solo and because I trust you can make us win." And as an afterthought she added, "and because I think Sam could be Glee's new male lead. Finn is really getting tiring."

Quinn sighed, dropping her head to Rachel's shoulder, her eyes at eye level with the sensitive spot she had just discovered a minute ago. "You really think I could make us win?"

"Absolutely."

"But my voice is sharp at occasions."

"We can work on that. I can give you private lessons at my house. The basement is soundproofed," something about the way Rachel said the last sentence sounded anything but innocent and it stirred something in Quinn's stomach.

"I'll need lots of practice," she mumbled smirking.

"You look cute when you space out," Quinn says quietly, breaking her from her reverie, "and I really want to kiss you right now."

They might have been kissing at any waking moment since that day in Rachel's bedroom but that doesn't mean the blunt statement doesn't make Rachel blush any less.

She checks on her teammates with a nervous lip bite. Santana is leaning her head on Brittany's shoulder and they are sharing earphones while the blonde plays with her Tamagotchi. Rachel can hear the virtual duck quacking from time to time. Mercedes and Kurt are still on the back, immersed in their magazines. Mike and Sam are playing with a DS and Puck, who's sitting next to a glazed-eyed Finn, is leaning across the aisle to follow their game. Artie's dad is driving him and Tina so that leaves Mr. Schue who's at the very front, shuffling through sheet music. Suddenly the silence is broken by Sam's cheers and he throws his arms up in victory, earning an impressed nod from Puck and a groan from Mike.

Everyone seems to be minding their own business.

"Someone might see," Rachel says but still leans a tiny bit forward, eyes fixed on her target: Quinn's pink lips that are shinny from the lip-gloss.

"Everyone is minding their own business." Rachel knew that, but there's still a risk. Quinn doesn't seem to mind though, because she ducks her head, her eyes jumping from Rachel's eyes to her lips and leans in excruciatingly slow. "It's been too long," she mumbles.

"We hung out yesterday," Rachel whispers back with a half smile, her breath hitting Quinn's face and she seems oh so smug that Quinn needs the proximity as much and as frequent as she does.

"Too long," Quinn repeats with a head shake and goes in for the kiss.

"Ladies." Sam appears out of nowhere and startles them both, making them jump apart like they've been burned and look guilty until they realize who was the cause of the interruption.

Quinn glares and Rachel plants her cheek on the cold glass of the window to cool her warm skin and make the blush go away. Sam for his part, looks far too amused and not concerned enough by Quinn's murderous look.

"Cockblocked you, didn't I?" He whispers with a grin. Quinn could smack him silly. In fact, Rachel hears her think just that.

"Go away."

"Hey, I just came to see how my favourite secret couple is doing," he is still whispering but both Rachel and Quinn's eyes go a little wide at that statement. They start stuttering out at the same time.

"We're not-"

"Would you shut up?"

"Is not like that."

"I swear to God, Evans…"

"Hey, it's cool. You know that, Quinn." He raises his hands defensively and looks at her pointedly. Quinn sighs and purses her lips as she slumps back in her seat. "Actually I just came to ask you for your phone." Quinn cocks an eyebrow at him. He scratches the back of his neck. "We were playing Mario Karts on Mike's DS and I just beat his record and now he won't let me play anymore." He sends a quick glare at Mike's direction. Rachel briefly thinks it resembles a puppy trying to see from behind its bangs. "And you have Angry Birds on your phone. I just need some distraction or I'd start thinking about our s-song and I'd puke my breakfast or jump out the window. Probably both."

Before Rachel is able to beg Quinn to lend him her phone, for they can't afford losing a member or they'd be disqualified, the blonde grumbles a little and jerks her hips up and out of the seat to fish her phone from her very tight jean's pocket. Rachel's mind flood with images at the sight and her eyes go a little wide, before scolding herself for being such a teenage boy around Quinn.

Quinn hands him her phone with a pointed look that says, 'now get out of my sight and don't you dare cockbloking me again'. No really, Quinn thinks just that as she gives it.

When Sam leaves Rachel finds the perfect opportunity to ask about that issue. She's not sure how it happened because Quinn hasn't elaborated much but she knows Sam knows about them and they have some sort of deal and Quinn trusts him 100% even if she acts like she doesn't.

"Do you think you could fill me in, in what happened with Sam?"

'I suppose if Sam knows about us, it also affects Rachel and that would mean she also has a right to know about him…' Quinn looks thoughtful for a moment. 'Ah, you know what? Screw it. He shouldn't have cockblocked me. Twice.'

"Okay." Quinn's eyes shoot to the roof of the bus as she recounts the events. "It all started after you proposed your brilliant idea of a duet between us."

"The solo would be mine, of course," Rachel added at the end of her proposition. The first idea was received pretty positively; Puck even patted a dumbfounded Sam in the back and Mercedes and Kurt clapped and squealed a little for their friend Quinn. But someone wasn't so agreeable with this last statement.

"What?" Mercedes spat, raising her hand in a very 'pause' manner. Everyone in Glee club quieted and waited on the edge of their seats for the epic fight that was surely going to take place. "Oh, hells no. I want that solo too. Who gave you the right to just… assign it to yourself?"

"But Mercedes, you have to bear in mind that no one in this room has-"

'Oh, she better not.' Mercedes was fuming.

"-my years of training, exceptional talent or drive. And we know that's what we're going to need to win. Of course, I'm not saying you're voice is anything less than wonderful, but even you lack my experience when on a stage, for I have been singing since-"

"That's it, Diva-wannabe! We're gonna have at it now!" Mercedes said standing up in a rush. Rachel shrunk back a little. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Quinn gripping her chair with white knuckles, two seconds away from bolting up. "Diva-off!"

Everyone in the room except Quinn and Mr. Schue (who had been watching the exchange silently, as per usual) exploded in cheers and whistles. Rachel looked at her favourite blonde for help and Quinn decided if Mr. Schue was going to neglect his duties as a teacher, it was time for her to intervene.

"Wait, wait!" She yelled over the ruckus. The room fell silent again with everyone waiting on pins and needles to see what the blonde had to add to the argument. What no one expected was her to be on Rachel's side. "Mercedes, Rachel is right."

"What?" A couple of people, including Mercedes, spat at her.

"Look, you can all act like Rachel is the bad guy here and be all indignant because she's bluntly saying she's better than you but let's be honest, she is." She looked around, daring someone to contradict her. "She's simply the best one of us. And I'm sorry Mercedes but I'm- we," she pointed at herself and Sam "are not ready to have that much responsibility on our shoulders if we are not sure that the backup is only the very best. You are amazing, you are a powerhouse, we all know that, there's no need for a diva-off. There's no need for you to show us how good you are. We know it. Rachel is the first that knows it." She looked at the girl in question for confirmation and Rachel nodded frantically, her eyes wide and bright. Mercedes, smiled faintly at her.

"You can have the solo at Regionals," Rachel blurted suddenly. Mercedes looked at her confused.

'Is she really going to give it up that easy or it is just a trick?' She thought.

"I promise! I can sign it to you. Do you- do you want me to- let me-" she spun in a circle, looking around for something to write on, "let me get some pen and paper. I'll sign it."

Mercedes chuckled at her antics. "No, it's fine. I believe you." She looked at the rest of the members of the club. "You are all witnesses. Rachel promised me the next solo, huh?" She then turned to the shorter girl with a kind smile and an accepting nod. "You better kill this one."

"Don't I always?" Rachel replied cheekily.

Mercedes laughed again as made her way to her seat, where Quinn received her with a grateful nod and a muttered 'thank you'.

Moments later, Rachel was handing out the sheet music for the group song and duets (to Quinn and Sam) and Mr. Schue was announcing the end of the practice, reminding them that they had Glee again tomorrow and everyday since the day of Sectionals.

Rachel stood behind, like always, looking over the songs they were going to perform and Quinn pretended to be very interested in the sheet music of her song with Sam. She would have been, a little excited even, when she saw that the song was a beautiful classic such as Dirty Dancing's The Time of My Life. But when the last of the Glee Club members left the room, she dropped the paper and walked over to her girl.

"Hey," she said as she leaned on the piano next to her. Rachel continued shuffling through the sheets, but a small smile made her way to her face.

"Thank you," she muttered.

"What for?"

Rachel stopped and bit her lip, then turned to the blonde. "For that before. Standing up for me. No one has ever done that for me. Not even Finn."

Quinn shrugged. "You were right and Mercedes was just being a brat. And I'm tired of watching how the Glee Club just throws shit at you and expects you to still be okay with it and then save the day; like last year."

Rachel's eyes blurred with unshed tears and she hid her face behind her hair. "I appreciate it a lot more than you think."

"Hey," Quinn whispered as she ducked her head to catch Rachel's eyes. When Rachel looked up, she leaned her forehead on hers. "It was time I did something for you." 'I owe you so much,' she thought but didn't voice it.

Rachel gave her a watery smile and leaned in. Just as they were about to kiss, someone cleared their throat. They jumped a few feet apart, their heads snapping to the voice with wide, scared eyes. Sam was standing there awkwardly, his bag slung over his shoulder and his hand in his pocket. He smiled sheepishly.

"Uh sorry, I can come later if you guys want…"

"No!" They both said at the same time.

Rachel started grabbing her stuff and she sent a last glance in Quinn's direction.

'Please don't run away from me. Please don't be scared, please God, please. I can't do this without you.'

"So remember to practice those high notes and the breathing techniques I taught you." Rachel said loudly. She wasn't running away, she was just trying to save their alibi. "I'll call you later," she added quietly, only for Quinn's ears and smiled at her meaningfully.

Quinn nodded before Rachel spun and with a tight smile at Sam, left the room.

"So…" Sam breathed.

"Yeah." Quinn cleared her throat. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Oh yeah. Uhm, I was wondering if you wanted to get started with our song today. It has to be at my place though, 'cause dad works 'till late and my mom is going to drive Stacy to her dance class and my brother is alone so I have to look after him," he said in a rush.

Quinn thought she didn't really have another option. They needed to practice and she knew sooner or later Sam would ask about what he had just witnessed. "Sure."

Half an hour later she was sitting on Sam's couch with Sam at her side, plucking aimlessly at the chords of his guitar and his brother, Stevie, curled up on the loveseat, reading a comic book.

The silence was stifling. Quinn knew he wanted to ask but he feared her reaction. She sucked on her teeth and played with the hem of her Cheerios' skirt. She wondered what Rachel was doing right now.

"Hey, Stevie," Sam called.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you have homework to do?"

The boy looked up at his brother with big pleading eyes. "B-but I just started this number!" He showed them the cover of his X-Men comic.

"That's a good number…" Sam mumbled thoughtfully. He shook his head. "But you should go do your homework and then you can read it after dinner. Sounds good buddy?"

Stevie sighed long and deep, like kids do when they want to imitate adults. "Alright…" He dropped the comic on the table and run up to his room, leaving Quinn and Sam alone in silence once again.

Sam jerked his head to get his hair out of his eyes and smiled sheepishly.

"So…" Quinn looked at him questioningly. "Rachel, huh?"

Quinn shook her head dumbfounded. She never imagined he'd be so direct about it. But what surprised her most wasn't the bluntness of the question; it was the complete casualness of the situation. Sam almost looked like he didn't really care that much, like he might have known all along. "…No?" She tried.

"It's cool, you know. I should have guessed when you said you liked someone but you had been a bitch to them. I hear people talking. I know you used to torture her." Quinn looked away ashamed. "At first I was confused; why would Quinn torture a girl like Rachel? She's sweet. She doesn't really represent a threat to her status. She's nice to everyone."

"I know, I know. I was just so-"

"But then I realized those rumours weren't true anymore. I mean, yeah, maybe you were a bitch before I transferred but I haven't really known that Quinn. I've known the one that waits at Rachel's locker to walk her to class together and the one that defends her in Glee Club. And then, the one that almost kisses her in the choir room after practice." Sam smiled goofily and Quinn turned a nice shade of red. "I might be dyslexic but even I can play 'join the dots'."

"I- I don't know what you want me to say." Her voice shook a little.

"Are you guys like… together?"

"No. No." She shook her head then stopped. "Maybe. No. I don't know."

"You like her?"

Quinn looked at him irritated.

"Hey, I saw you almost kissing her. I know you like her, I'm just asking because it's polite or… whatever."

"Fine. Yes." Quinn rolled her eyes and softened a little. "Yeah, I like her."

"And she likes you?"

Quinn gave a half shrug and bit back a smile. "I think so."

"But you're not together?"

"Not yet," Quinn said before she even realized what she was saying. Sam didn't seem to give it too much thought.

"Mhmm…" he mumbled as he started strumming his guitar again. When Quinn thought he was going to drop it, he spoke again. "I'm bisexual."

Quinn chocked on her own spit. "What?"

Sam shrugged, a little insecure this time. "Well, I guessed since I know your secret it is only fair that you know mine. This way you know I'm going to keep yours and I know you're going to keep mine."

"But… why did you tell me?"

"Dunno. No one really knows here. Feels good to talk about it with someone." He looked up at her from under his bangs. "You're okay with that, right?"

Quinn's eyes widened and she snorted. "Sam, I just told you I'm planning on dating Rachel Berry. I think I might be more than okay with that."

He smiled that adorable smile that was exactly like his brother's and made him look even younger. "Cool."

"Yeah." It actually felt good to talk about it with someone, Quinn thought. It was… liberating. Brittany and Santana also knew but she hasn't really talked with them about it, since they were BrittanyandSantana exclusively as of lately. In fact she didn't see herself voicing her doubts about Rachel to them; the image of a teasing Latina making fun of her and a sweet but not very helpful blonde conjured up in her mind. Suddenly the idea that Sam knew about them didn't sound so bad. It actually excited her a little. "So… is there any guy you like?"

"That's mostly how it went," Quinn finishes the story that Rachel has been so attentively listening too, adding her own memories into it.

"So?" The brunette asks expectantly.

"So…?"

Rachel makes a 'duh' face. "So is there? Any guy that has called Sam's attention?"

Quinn can't believe this girl. "Oh my God, you are such a gossip," she laughs.

"I am not! I'm just curious. I won't tell anyone." Rachel laces her arm around Quinn's and presses into her, practically sitting on her lap. "Tell me. Tell me, tell me, tell me."

Quinn looks at the shiny, mischievous brown eyes and knows she can't say no to this girl. She sighs. "Fine. But you better not tease him about it." Rachel crosses her fingers over her heart. "He thinks Kurt's cute."

"Well, duh. Kurt's really pretty."

"And… he thinks…" Quinn says stretching it out, "that Puck is hot."

Rachel gasps, her eyes widening. Her eyes glace over for a moment and Quinn looks at her curiously.

"What? What? What are you thinking?" Quinn nudges her when she doesn't reply.

"That would be so hot," she finally mumbles.

…

Rachel can tell they are nearing their destination when Quinn squeezes her hand before changing seats to sit next to Sam. Crumpled sheet music in hand, she can see them going over the lyrics, choreography steps and just mentally preparing themselves for it.

When they arrive, Mr. Schue tells them to find a bathroom to get changed while he announces their arrival. Minutes later, New Directions, clad in white and gray dresses and black and red pants and shirt, wait at their Green Room for their turn.

They can hear the next contestants being announced through the speaker. They sound good, but not as good as them.

"We are better than these. We got this," Santana says breaking the charged silence. It's the second time they're in this position and even if they won the first time, the nerves are still there.

"Santana's right, we got this," Finn adds, always positive. The choir on stage changes songs; the first notes of a Lady Gaga's song start to sound. "E-even if they have Gaga."

Beautifully merged voices flow through the speaker and the members of New Directions listen with rapt attention. Okay, they might sound really good.

"We're better, right? I mean we got- we got Rachel," Artie stutters. "And Time of My Life. That's a classic. Who doesn't love a classic?"

"We should've gone with Gaga…" Tina mumbles.

"Okay, enough." Mr. Schue jumps on his feet and shuts the speaker off. "Stop worrying so much about the others, guys. You know how good you are. You have to trust yourselves. Use this time to bath into that confidence. I want to see you shine like only you can when you get out there, okay?" There are some nods. "Okay?"

"Okay," they chorus.

"Alright, I'm gonna go find my seat. You are up after the break. I'll see you then." He looks at his kids proudly. "You'll be great. Break a leg guys."

The mood is clearly lighter when Mr. Schue leaves. Rachel watches Britt and Mike going over the choreography for Finn, Puck and Tina. Mercedes and Artie are warming up their voices and Kurt and Santana are peeking into the hallway to see if they can catch a glimpse of the last performers. She glances to the furthest corner to see Quinn slumped down in her chair with Sam hovering over her with a worried face.

Rachel frowns and approaches them.

"Hey, is everything fine?" She asks resting her hand on Sam's shoulder.

'Oh thank God, Rachel,' Sam thinks relieved. "You talk to her. She's not listening to me."

"About what?"

'She doesn't want to perform.' "Just talk to her," the boy says instead.

"Quinn?" Rachel crouches in front of the blonde when she refuses to look up at her. "Quinn?"

"I- I can't." Quinn gulps loudly. She shakes her head. "I can't go out there. Nope. I'm not ready. I won't do it."

"Quinn, what are you talking about? Of course you are ready, you've been practicing so hard; you and Sam." Rachel looks up at Sam who shrugs defeated. "I get you are nervous but I know you'll be amazing. You have nothing to be afraid of."

"Rachel," Quinn says through clenched teeth, "last time I performed on a stage my water broke. Don't you see? I can't go out there. I'll screw it up."

"That's ridiculous! Quinn, one bad experience doesn't mean anything!"

'I'll mess up the words, I'll trip, I'll disappoint her. I'll disappoint everyone.'The blonde releases a shaky breath. "I'm not you, Rachel, I don't light up the stage. I- I- I-"

"Come with me."

Rachel grabs Quinn's hand and pulls her out of the room and to an empty one. No one pays attention, apart from Sam who sends a quick prayer to whoever is listening that Rachel will be able to convince Quinn. She's their only hope right now.

Once in the room, Rachel locks the door and spins on her heels before lurching forward and crashing her lips against Quinn's. She kisses the air out of her; kisses her until her lungs burn and her head is fuzzy and foggy and she feels it from her lips to the tip of her toes. She kisses her worries away, her hands cupping her neck, eyes shut tight and her lips pressed so hard against Quinn's, that she can feel her teeth behind them. Quinn's body relaxes and her arms slip almost unconsciously around Rachel's slim waist.

The kiss loses force slowly, until Rachel is merely brushing her lips against Quinn's. Her eyes are open, watching Quinn's conflicted expression. Without moving an inch, she speaks.

"You're going out there and you're blowing them away because I know you can and because I trust you, okay?"

Quinn's eyes flutter open and Rachel has never seen them so close and so vulnerable. She can even see Quinn's eye freckle. They look golden. Like honey.

"I'm ready."

…

Obviously, Quinn doesn't trip or forget the lyrics or disappoint anyone. She and Sam are bright and flawless and fun and the crowd seems to love them. Their chemistry and trust in one another is palpable and it makes things even easier. Rachel watches them from her spot- swinging on the background, who would have thought?- and beams proudly.

That's my girl, she thinks.

Her solo and the group song go by in a blur. She nails it, of course, hitting all the right notes at the right time and leaving the public wanting more of her. But that is just a side effect of her voice, Rachel knows it. They rush off the stage, jumping up and down, squealing, smiles so big that hurt. They're going to win; there's no doubt now.

"That. Was. Amazing," Tina says punctuating each word as she jumps down the stairs at the backstage, two steps at a time. "Amazing."

"I know, right? We so got this," Brittany agrees. She pulls Santana's hand and twirls her around, the adrenaline from the performance still buzzing in her body. Santana laughs and lets her twirl her around, finally falling back into her arms. The blonde wraps her arms around her waist, front to back and rests her head on the Latina's shoulder. They look ecstatic.

"Dude, that was awesome. Didn't know you could hit those notes," Puck says impressed as he puts her arm over Sam's shoulder and squeezes. Rachel holds back an embarrassing giggle when she sees the blond blush.

"Thanks man."

"Rach! I did it!" Quinn cries and throws herself into Rachel's arms. No one even bats an eye at them, each of them immersed in their own celebratory haze.

Rachel pulls her tighter, inhaling the still lingering sweet scent of Quinn's shampoo and just Quinn herself.

"You did, baby. You did." Both Quinn and Rachel fail to notice the term of endearment that escapes Rachel's mouth but it's still there and it still warms their hearts.

Detaching herself from the girl, Rachel gently cups her cheeks. "See? I told you, you'd be amazing." Quinn grabs her hands with her still shaking ones and brings her to her chest, nodding gratefully. Rachel smiles cheekily. "So… how was I?"

Quinn laughs. "As if I need to tell you." Still Rachel looks expectantly. "You were flawless, like always. I'm actually jealous. You got the crowd in the bag as soon as you opened your mouth."

The brunette shrugs and flips her hair over her shoulder flippantly making Quinn laugh again. Moments later, Mr. Schue comes into the room, shiny eyed and looking like a proud father, giving out hugs to anyone at an arms-reach.

When they are called back on stage to hear the results, Quinn grabs Rachel's hand for support. Sam stands behind them, head bent and his hands on their shoulders. Puck is beside him, looking surprisingly serious. Rachel looks around at her friends while they wait for their name to be called and she realizes.

She knows- they all know- they are going to win. They were simply the best tonight. But looking at their tightly shut eyes and vice grips on each others hands she realizes how much this means for all. Even if this is Sectionals and it's only the first step, they need this. They need to keep fighting for Regionals and then New York. They need to have a second chance after last year. They just need each other.

And when the winner is announced and their name is called, it all seems possible again.

…

Just as Rachel expected, there's a party in the bus during the drive back to Lima. The excitement of their win is still there, floating in the air, and she can see it in her peer's giddy smiles and animated conversations. They can barely sit still; everyone is congregating at the back around Puck who's holding the trophy. But after a day like this, they're all drained, so as soon as they hit the road, the Glee Club members start going back to their seats to watch the landscape pass by or even take a well deserved nap.

Rachel sighs in relieve when the excitement dies down, leaving an aura of utter contentment. They are enjoying the metaphorical cloud nine.

Quinn, who was one of the firsts to go back to her seat, rests her head on Rachel's shoulder as soon as the girl plops down next to her and snuggles a little into her side, leaving Rachel staring at the mess of golden locks with a goofy smile. She pops in her earphones and rests her head atop of Quinn's. The faint lavender scent and the slow beat of the songs on her playlist soon lull her to sleep.

She's awakened forty minutes later by the honk of a distant truck. She blinks blearily and yawns and then looks down at the sleeping beauty who's tucked into her neck. She brushes some wild locks back and watches Quinn's button nose scrunch up when some of the hairs tickle her. Rachel holds in a giggle.

The sign that welcomes them to Lima, Ohio is already in sight. Rachel hears some movement behind them and suddenly a tan hand comes from out of nowhere and smacks Quinn in the head, waking her up with a start.

"Wha'?" Quinn mumbles straightening her posture and trying to blink away the sleep. Rachel almost drools at the adorable sight.

"Hey, it's okay. Santana was just being a jerk," she explains to the disgruntled girl. The contained laugh of the Latina who's sitting with Brittany behind them stop.

'I should've smacked you too, Smurfette,' Santana thinks loud and clear for Rachel to hear.

"'m just so tired," the blonde yawns. Rachel can only imagine how exhausted the girl must feel after today's roller-coaster of emotions. "We there yet?"

"Almost." Rachel smiles softly before giving into the urge to kiss Quinn's cheek, which is warm and soft and wrinkled after being resting against Rachel's shoulder the whole drive. Her lips stay there for a few seconds, getting a small smile and a sigh out of Quinn.

'Disgusting,' Santana thinks and Rachel can hear her faking gagging noises.

When they reach the school grounds, Puck announces that he's having a party the next day at his place. The whole Glee Club is invited of course, because they are going to celebrate the first win of the year- and not the last- properly.

Once out of the bus, Mr. Schue says he will take care of the trophy and put it in a place they can all admire it. They say their goodbyes, promising to attend to tomorrow's party and Rachel and Quinn walk together to where their parents are going to pick them up.

"Are you going to Puck's party?" Quinn asks quietly.

"Are you?"

Quinn's mom's car is turning the corner and she waves, gesturing for her to wait. She turns to Rachel and shrugs. "I don't know. I don't really feel like partying." 'I'd prefer to spend the weekend with her.'

"Me either, honestly," Rachel says realizing she likes Quinn's plan better. "Oh, I know! Do you want to hang out tomorrow? My dads are going to be out of town for the weekend," Rachel hurries to continue talking before the blonde can read more into the simple statement. "We could watch a movie, spend the- the day together and then see if we want to show up at the party."

Quinn nods, "That sounds good. At what time do you want me?"

"Well… you can come as soon as you're done with your jog." Rachel has been joining Quinn in her morning jogs a couple more times, but she's mostly still looking for a good replacement of her elliptical. It's not like she doesn't like running with Quinn through the park, is that there are too many distractions for them both. Namely, each other.

Quinn beams at her. There's a honk and Rachel sees her Dad's car in the opposite direction. They both start walking away, eyes still locked on each other.

"I'll brink breakfast," Quinn calls.

"Deal."

…

The next morning, Rachel's neighbour, Mrs. Matthews, stops watering her geraniums to watch curiously at the young blonde in jeans and a pink sweatshirt parking in front of the Berry's and walking up the path to the house with a paper bag and two cups of coffee. The girl looks like a modern version of Grace Kelly and her smile threatens to split her face in half.

The old woman cocks her eyebrow amused when this stunning young lady stops at the Berry's door and starts fumbling, clearly not daring to knock. Mrs. Matthews shakes her head and sighs, resuming her daily gardening routine.

Kids these days. So brazen for some things and so shy for others.

…

Quinn stands with her gaze fixed on the wood of Rachel's front door and takes a breath. Then another. She balances the bag and the coffees in her right hand to knock but then decides her left hand is not that good at knocking. When she finally frees her good hand and raises it, she stops to ponder if maybe it would be best to ring the bell. Or maybe she should call Rachel and make sure she's awake first; she did came a little early after all.

This is hard.

"Quinn Fabray." Rachel's Daddy, Leroy, opens the door and greets her with an amused smirk. Her face burns at the thought that he had been watching her all along.

"Good morning, sir, " she says firmly and then frowns, "I thought Rachel said you were out for the weekend."

"Mhm," he nods, "we were just leaving. Actually… Hiram, honey! You have five minutes or I'm leaving without you!" He calls into the house and then turns to her with a confident smile. "He's just like Rachel, you know. Always thinks he's going to forget something and starts freaking out at the last minute."

Quinn chuckles at the mental image. "Where are you going?"

"Dayton. My high-school friend lives there and she just had a baby. We're going to visit and meet the new member of the family. I've seen pictures, he's adorable."

Quinn gulps hard at the mention of a baby, but manages to hide her apprehension. "That's great." Hiram finally appears with a bag slung across his chest a carry on in his hand. He notices her and sends her an unsure look.

"Hi sir, I'm Quinn," she says extending her free hand, happy with her decision of carrying the stuff with the left one because awkward handshakes are the worst introductions ever. Hiram still stares at her like she's not trustworthy and she shifts nervously. "I brought breakfast for Rachel," she shows him the bag and the coffees.

"She's vegan," he snaps eyeing the bag of what he guesses are donuts and the coffee that surely contains milk in his mind.

"Soy latte and a hazelnut vegan cookie."

Hiram raises his eyebrows impressed, meanwhile Leroy watches the stare match awkwardly. "Okay…" he mumbles, "time to go. Quinn, you and Rachel have fun and keep an eye on her, alright?"

"Sure, sir. Drive safe and have fun in Dayton."

Leroy pulls Hiram to the car, sending Quinn an apologetic smile back. She finally breathes out a long sigh and makes her way to Rachel's bedroom. She knocks on the door and waits. When there's no answer she pushes the door ajar and peeks inside. Rachel is on the floor doing sit ups with her earphones on.

Quinn lets her hazel eyes roam freely over Rachel's taut body. 'And I'm gonna have this girl all by myself this weekend. How did I get so lucky?'

Rachel suddenly stops and jumps into a sitting position, her head snapping to the girl standing ogling her from the door.

"Quinn! Good moring! Is it nine already?" Rachel stands in a rush and checks her phone. Surely she didn't notice the time what with the new exercising regime she's trying and all. If it wasn't for Quinn's thought that resounded loud and clear through her head and over the music from her i-pod, she wouldn't have noticed the blonde had arrived.

"Yeah, I came a little early," Quinn stammers, forcing her eyes to stay above Rachel's neck. "I just met your dads, by the way."

"Oh my God, you did?" Rachel's eyes widen comically. "Did Hiram say something mean? Oh he's in so much trouble if he did."

Quinn laughs. "No, they were fine."

"Oh, okay." Rachel finally looks down at herself, realizing she's wearing the tiniest shorts and sports bra she owns and her skin is wet from the sweat. "Uh, I'm gross. I'm going to go shower real quick. You can wait in kitchen; I'll be downstairs in a minute."

Quinn does just that. She sits on a stool and sips on her coffee, her fingers tapping on the marble table and her ears catching the muffled song Rachel is belting out in her shower over the sound of splashing water.

Rachel in the shower. Uh oh.

She quickly forces her mind to stop going in that direction.

Minutes later a fresh and clean Rachel runs down the stairs. She takes her seat in front of Quinn and the blonde passes her her coffee and her cookie.

"It's all vegan," she explains when she sees Rachel eyeing the coffee. The shorter girl flashes her a grin. Rachel reaches over the table and pecks her on the lips, murmuring a quick "thank you," before digging into her food.

When they finish their breakfast, they move to the living room to watch some TV. At this time in the day it's all mostly talk shows and cartoons, so Rachel switches to the cutest looking ones and diverts her attention to the blonde.

There's a question in Rachel's eyes and it's the same Quinn had that day in her bedroom. The blonde catches on it quickly and smiles sheepishly before leaning in and kissing her. And so they kiss and kiss and kiss.

They stop eventually, of course. Rachel suggests that they play Scrabble. She finds a tough opponent in Quinn because, contrary to popular belief, Quinn is one of the smartest girls in school. But Rachel's vast vocabulary ends up winning. Rachel claims that Quinn must be her perfect adversary in Scrabble, that even her dads make it too easy for her to win. Quinn almost bursts with pride.

And then they kiss again.

They have lunch, watch a movie, talk to Brittany and Santana on Facebook and listen to music. They also kiss on the couch, on the bed and on the kitchen counter. They just can't seem to be able to take their hands off of each other.

It's all still pretty tame. They've gone under the shirt but never got close enough to second base. They're only feather-like touches, brushing skin, tickling sides, only fuelling the coiling desire inside them. But it's much too soon for that, so they keep kissing. Innocent and not so innocent kisses, interrupted by giggles and breathy sighs and sometimes a good placed hickey in that spot that turns Rachel into a poodle of goo.

They lay on Rachel's bed, this time talking. They are learning about each other, sharing secrets and embarrassing stories and dreams. Rachel just told Quinn that she keeps a neatly folded paper with her Tony Award acceptance speech on her dresser along with her favourite brush that she uses as a microphone when she practices in front of the mirror.

"Oh my God," Quinn doubles over laughing, "you are such a diva." Rachel pouts, not happy with how her routine is amusing Quinn. The cheerleader sees it and she stops laughing immediately but the smile still remains. "But you are my diva."

A shy smile tugs on Rachel's lips. "Am I?"

"Yeah," Quinn frowns, "unless that was too soon. In which case, I'm sorry. I just thought that after these past weeks, maybe-"

"No, no! I like it. I like the idea of me being yours." This earns Rachel a dazzling smile from the blonde. "Just like I like the idea of you being mine."

"Yeah?"

Rachel nods.

"Wait, did we just…" Quinn gestures between the two of them, "you know, make it official?"

Rachel taps her chin with her finger. "I think we did."

"Well, this deserves a celebration," Quinn purrs inching closer with a sly smirk.

"I concur."

And Rachel and Quinn becoming RachelandQuinn happens as easy as that.

When the night falls, they grab a quick dinner and make their way to Puck's party. At first they thought of not attending, but after a long Facebook conversation consisted of Brittany's begging and Santana's pressuring, they finally gave in and decided to stop by just for an hour or so.

They stay for two. When Santana, who ended up promising she'd be the designated driver for them four, leaves them in Rachel's driveway, they stumble out of the car giggling. The couple- maybe three?- wine coolers they've had are kicking full swing right now and the pair manages to drunkenly open Rachel's front door and climb the stairs.

They collapse into the bed dissolving into a fit of giggles. Quinn, who's a little more sober than the brunette, tries to compose herself for a moment.

"We should ch-change. I don't wanna fall sleep with my jeans on."

Rachel looks over at the mentioned garment with half-lidded eyes and nods once. She sits up and pulls her sweater over her head, soon followed by her shirt. She goes for the skirt but Quinn stops her.

"Woah, woah. I think you should- maybe- just- if you keep taking clothes off I might do something."

Rachel looks down at herself. She's wearing her pale blue lace bra and her skirt. The concept of what Quinn is implying makes its way through her foggy mind. "Oooh…"

"Yeah…"

"I'm gonna- I'm gonna change in the bathroom then." She grabs a pair of shorts and a t-shirt on the way and another pair for Quinn before throwing them in the blonde's general direction and disappearing into the bathroom.

Quinn blows out a long breath, trying to cool down her body and then quickly changes into the borrowed pajamas. When Rachel appears into the room, she's looking refreshed and her hair is up in a ponytail. She turns off the light and crawls into the bed next to the blonde.

Quinn immediately turns on her side and pulls Rachel into her. There's not a lot of resistance on Rachel's part when she finds Quinn's lips and tongue massaging hers.

It has been growing all day, this warmth at the pit of her stomach. But she knows is way too soon and this is definitely not the moment because both of them are still a little intoxicated and they just made it official today. However, when Quinn's cool hand which is resting on her stomach under her shirt, starts making its way up, Rachel doesn't stop it. Instead she encourages it with a little breathy whimper.

Quinn's hand reaches her breast and at first it just lays there, like Quinn is waiting for her reaction, for her to flinch away and slap her or let her know that is okay. The blonde even slows her kissing to a gentle push and pull of lips and mumbles between her lips, "is this okay?"

Rachel nods, arching her back ever so slightly so Quinn would take the hint and do something, anything with that hand.

The blonde starts a gentle massage, followed by her thumb brushing over Rachel's hard nub. Rachel's breath grows heavier and she moves even closer to Quinn, her legs tangling with the blonde's.

Quinn moans deep in her throat at the feel of Rachel's body pressing into her from every side. They fit, but not in that clichéd pieces-of-puzzles thing, it's more like they melt into each other. Like their bodies is made of the same matter that adjusts itself to the other and it is never uncomfortable. Quinn squeezes Rachel's breast and breathes deep through her nose before detaching herself from her girl.

Rachel understands that they need to stop or this is going to take a very different path soon. Quinn slips her hand out and rests it over Rachel's shirt on her stomach, smoothing down the fabric and giving them some time to calm their ragging hormones.

"We should sleep," Rachel says softly.

"Mkay."

They don't move an inch apart, too comfortable in their warm cocoon to even think about moving. And as the arousal gives way to the tiredness and sleepiness caused by the alcohol, the two girls fall sleep into each others arms.

…

Of course when Rachel's alarm clock starts beeping the next morning, Quinn who's closer to it, just grunts and slams her hand on it, effectively shutting it up for the rest of the day and snuggles into the delicious warmth the body next to hers is providing.

Rachel just sighs and mumbles something incoherent in her sleep before they both fall into a deep slumber again.

Hours later Rachel is awakened by the sound of a car door closing and blinks her eyes slowly, trying to locate herself into a concrete time and space. She looks at the clock and realizes she and Quinn had slept in most of the day. She then realizes the car door was probably her dads arriving home.

With a dull thumping in her head that she mentally notes to take care later, she gently shakes the blonde awake.

"Quinn." The front door opens. "Quinn, wake up."

"Mhmm, Rach…" Quinn mumbles, "you're my girlfriend now…"

Rachel indulges a second to giggle at that. "Yes, indeed I am. However that has nothing to with the fact that you must wake up immediately if you don't want to explain my dads why you're sleeping in my bed."

"Wha…" Quinn blinks her eyes open and the sound of the door closing and the Berry men carrying their stuff into the house reaches the room. "Oh fuck. Oh shit."

"Quinn language," Rachel chastises as Quinn jumps from the bed and holds her head for a minute before turning to change and get out of there before Hiram sees her. 'If he sees me I'm dead. I'm dead. He will kill me with his laser glare.'

Rachel rolls her eyes at her girlfriend's antics. And she's supposed to be the diva here.

Quinn strips in front of her, but so fast that Rachel barely has a nano-second to enjoy her body in underwear. She slips the jeans and sweater she wore yesterday and smoothes her hair in front of the mirror and rubs the sleep off of her face. Rachel sits cross-legged on her bed watching Quinn look for her purse, spinning around like a dog chasing its tale in the middle of her room, when her Daddy opens the door and her girlfriend freezes.

"Hi, Daddy."

Leroy eyes Quinn mildly surprised. 'I knew that she was going to call her. Huge possibility of her spending the night but I thought they'd be a little more subtle and she would have left already.'

"Quinn is just leaving, Daddy." Rachel explains. "She just came by to spend the day with me."

"Right," Leroy says, "and she's wearing the same clothes as yesterday because?"

"Damn gay men and their observant skills," Rachel curses under her breath. "Okay, she stayed the night, but we just slept. In the same bed. But slept."

"Rachel!" Quinn hisses. 'Was that last remark really necessary? Oh God this is mortifying.'

"Oh well, that's good to know," Leroy says awkwardly. "And it's nice to see you again, Quinn, but you might want to leave before my husband sees you. He has nothing against you, trust me. We've talked. But he's just as observant as I am, if only not as understanding."

"Got it," Quinn nods.

"Oh and don't use the stairs. He's in the kitchen."

"Then how-"

"You figure it out," and with that he winks and leaves.

"I hate your Dad."

"He likes you, tough," Rachel says with a pout. Quinn sighs.

"I'm kidding. I just don't know how am I supposed to leave without…" Quinn's eyes stop on the window. "Oh."

Rachel catches it. "You are crazy."

"It's the first floor and there's a tree right there."

Rachel stands and makes her way next to the blonde at the window. "Still crazy."

"Maybe, but I'm your crazy," Quinn says cheekily. Rachel shakes her head with a smile and Quinn opens the window and throws a leg over the ledge. She turns to give her girl a goodbye kiss and Rachel watches her with her lip between her teeth as she makes her way down the tree. When the athletic cheerleader has proved that is just that easy to climb down a tree and is standing safely on the ground, she waves back at Rachel and runs to her car. Rachel watches her until the vehicle disappears around the corner.

She sighs against the cold glass of the window. Suddenly her Dad bursts into the room, looking suspicious.

"Was that Quinn's car that just left out driveway?"

Rachel opens her mouth and then closes it again. She guesses it's time to update her Dad on the last events.

"Dad, you might want to sit down for this."