There's something about the way Rachel says her name that terrifies her, in a deliciously good way. She thinks it might have to do with the fact that she's completely tethered to the diva's will and want, something she's slowly getting used to. "Your song was great," she manages to say, wringing her hands as Rachel walks around the stage of the auditorium. They're in the same spot as they were the last time they were in there.

"It was for you," the brunette girl says firmly, coming to sit next to Quinn on the piano bench. "I sang it for you. That's why I brought you in here." She takes a breath and rests her hands on the keys of the piano. "And I wanted to try something." Quinn's head jerks and she swears her heart is going to beat right out of her chest. "I had a talk with Mike and he said some things that you'll need to explain to me if this is going to work, but I had something I wanted to clear up before I go any further."

"Okay."

"Given the condition of past amorous experiences, forgive me if I'm wary that all of a sudden the 'stud' suddenly makes flirtatious advances towards me and would like to pursue me as a girlfriend."

"Stud?" Quinn can't help but grin, butterflies fluttering up a storm in her stomach.

"Yes, stud, which you are the female equivalent of. Now, according to Mike, you're in love with me."

Her mouth goes dry and somehow, she manages a nod. "Completely."

"Is there any way you could possibly hold off on those feelings so we can attempt a stronger friendship before jumping into something that may or may not result in my heart being broken?"

The blonde gapes at her, struck speechless. "Rachel, I wouldn't-"

"Yes you would, as you have demonstrated in the past. I have had my feelings hurt by you many a time, Quinn and I believe that in order for my feelings to further develop for you, I would require at least a healthy ring of trust."

"I'm sorry," Quinn murmurs, reaching out and taking the diva's hand. "I don't... I don't want to hurt you anymore and I'll prove it to you. I'll do whatever it takes, Rach."

"You called me Rach," the diva says, an exuberant smile playing at her lips. "Best nickname you've ever called me."

"Only nickname I'll ever call you," the blonde vows, running her thumb over the brunette's knuckles.

"We'll see." Quinn blanches and let's go of the diva's hand quickly. "No, no, I mean, what if one day, in a further stage of our relationship, you wanted to call me by an endearing pet name?"

"You're getting my hopes up," she says, letting the diva reclaim her hand. They're closer than they've ever been and it's scaring her. She wants time to freeze, just so that she can drink in this moment for the rest of her life. It could possibly be the farthest her relationship with Rachel will go, and she's doesn't want to lose this one moment to the endless others that swirl around in her head, forever taunting her with the roads she didn't take, the roads she should've taken. "So, we're friends?"

"For now," Rachel says. "I also would like to perform an experiment to see whether or not we have chemistry."

"W-what?" Quinn curses in her head, knowing that it's the first time she's stuttered since, well, she's pretty sure she's never stuttered in front of anyone before. "Come again?"

Rachel leans forward, one hand still holding Quinn's. Her other hand rises, cupping the taller girl's cheek. "Is this okay?"

It's more than okay, Quinn wants to say, but the proximity to Rachel is limiting all brain activity. She relaxes her muscles and lets out a sound that apparently passes for a sign of approval because before she can register what's happening, Rachel's lips are pressed firmly against her.

"You kissed?" Mike exclaims, taking his eyes off the screen and getting killed fairly quickly. "Hey, no screen picking!"

"It's not screen picking, if you're not paying attention," Quinn replies, picking up the Asian boy's weapon and firing a few test shots. "And yes, she kissed me."

"You waited all day to tell me? Details broski!" He pauses the game, tossing his controller onto his bed. "No distractions when it's something like this."

She rolls her eyes, shaking her head. "She wanted to see if we had chemistry, so she kissed me." She stops short of saying that she has this image of Rachel in her head, taking down notes and making observations based off of the 'experiment' and condensing it into a PowerPoint presentation.

"And?"

"It made me feel like I have a reason to be here, you know? It's like glee club. She just...I don't know, fills me with this sense of belonging." She pauses, fiddling with the Pikachu plush on his bed. "She makes me feel special, MC. I haven't felt like this since-"

She breaks off and he doesn't push her. It's another one of their unspoken pacts, and it just hurts for her to think about the beautiful baby that she called hers for nine months, the baby that lingers in her dreams and memories, only to never return. That's what scares her about Rachel. Rachel brings the same feeling that Beth used to and she's not sure if she can handle that sort of feeling being taken away again.

"It's okay, Q," he says, wishing he could offer her a more tangible form of reassurance. "If she kissed you, I think you're in a good place. Just gotta stick through your friendship thing, but don't hold back being yourself."

"You're the best, you know?" She tosses the plush at him before folding into his taller frame for a hug. "Tina's lucky to have you."

"I'd say Rachel's luckier; she already has you and she has no clue just how much."

The next day at glee, Quinn waits until everyone is seated before standing up to address the class. "I have a song I'd like to sing," she says, almost shyly. "I know I don't usually do much besides sway in the background, but this is something special."

"What's going on?" asks Mr. Schue as he walks in, late again.

"Mr. Schuester, Quinn is about to sing a solo, and it is extremely rude to barge in and then continue on to question the nature of one's solo. Perhaps you could be an example and sit down." Rachel fires out, her anxiety getting the better of her. She didn't know Quinn had a solo planned, well she did, but she hadn't expected the blonde girl to actually go through with it.

"Thanks Rachel," Quinn smiles, adjusting the microphone so that it rests perfectly before her lips. She takes a breath, summons up every single feeling that's there for Rachel and sings. "Stay with me, baby stay with me. Tonight, don't leave me alone. Walk with me," she croons, seeking out Rachel's eyes. "Come and walk with me to the edge of all we've ever known."

She catches Mike's thumbs up and begins to turn this song into a performance. She's rocking her hips gently to the music, one hand gripping the microphone tightly. She needs Rachel to understand that this is just a small amount of what she feels. "Don't run away, and it's hard to love again, when the only way it's been, when the only love you knew just walked away. It get something that you want. Darling, you don't have to run, you don't have to go."

The music kicks up a notch and so does her confidence. She's never put this much emotional investment into a song for glee before, even counting the song she sang while she was pregnant the previous year. "Hold my breath as you're moving in, taste your lips and feel your skin. When the time comes, baby don't run, just kiss me slowly." She finishes the song with her eyes locked on brown and the thing that matters is that Rachel's looking back at her, a smile on her face.

She's still staring when Schuester says something about passion and calls on Rachel, who has her hand raised high in the air. "Quinn, I think you did a great job expressing your emotions using the song. That is all."

Quinn smiles brightly, and returns to her seat in front of Rachel. A few moments later, when Schuester's writing a word on the board, her cell phone vibrates. She slides it out of her pocket and slides it open. Can I take you somewhere after glee? I would like to discuss your song selection with you :) -R.

Quickly sending back an affirmative response, the smile on the blonde's face grows wider and she tucks her phone back in her pocket.

For some reason, they end up in a park that only dog walkers frequent and there aren't that many at dusk. They've been sitting on the swings silently, swaying back and forth, waiting for the other to say something. Quinn suddenly stands, her swing bucking violently at the sudden loss of pressure. She extends her hand out to Rachel and helps her off the swing. "Let's take a walk."

"That sounds perfect," the diva agrees, interlacing her fingers with the taller girl's. She doesn't miss the grin that Quinn gets when she tugs her a little bit closer. "You did really well today."

"Did you like it?"

"Honestly," Rachel murmurs, halting in her tracks. "I loved it." She moves closer to Quinn, her chin rising briefly so that they meet eyes. "No one's ever sang like that to me before." She squeezes the taller girl's hand as their noses brush. "Our kiss has made me do a lot of thinking. I nearly messed up my evening schedule."

"What have you been thinking about?" Quinn says, her voice low and heartbeat racing. Their foreheads are pressed together and she's got an arm wrapped around Rachel's waist, pulling her snug to her body.

"You, silly. What else?" The diva brings her hand up to Quinn's cheek, her thumb running over the blonde's cheekbones. Brown eyes take in every feature of her face, moving fast in order to take in every aspect of the beauty in front of her; from her hazel eyes flecked with gold to her pink lips. "Our kiss changed things for me. It's the first time I've kissed someone and felt something more heartfelt than fireworks. I felt like I was coming home after a really long journey. But I'm still scared, Quinn. Not of you, not anymore, but of everything that will happen."

"What's going to happen?" the blonde asks, her thumb rubbing circles on Rachel's hip.

"I'm going to tell you that I like you, and I'm going to kiss you, but those are the good things. They won't even compare to the bad things."

"I can handle bad things," Quinn offers, squeezing the diva's hip. "as long as you're by my side."

Rachel beams, leaning in to press her lips to Quinn's, her hand moving from the blonde's cheek to the back of her neck. "I really like you," she murmurs against the taller girl's lips. She pulls back with a giggle, her grin growing impossibly wider. "I can't believe this is happening."

Quinn chuckles, pressing her forehead against Rachel's. "You and me both," she says, a tear slipping down her cheek. "But you have to know, Rach, this isn't going to be easy. I- I can't promise to be perfect. There's parts of me, parts of my past that you don't know and it's not like I can just walk away from them. It's going to be hard and I'll understand if it's too much for you to handle."

"I trust you." Rachel kisses the tear that trickles down her cheek, which is joined by more at the diva's words. "Just...talk to me, okay? When something comes up and it's hard, talk to me Quinn."

"Okay," the blonde whispers, closing her eyes at the feel of Rachel's lips upon her skin. "You're perfect.

"Hardly."

They make plans for the following night as Quinn drops Rachel off at the Berry abode. "I'll be here at 7," Quinn promises, a goofy smile plastered on her face.

"Are you sure you don't want a buffer period of time? I do consider tardiness to be exceptionally rude, especially on a date."

She rolls her eyes, and presses a kiss to Rachel's cheek. "I'll be here at 7 o'clock sharp. Nothing is going to stop me from being on time, or even early."

"Maybe we should synchronize watche-" The diva gets cut off by Quinn kissing her firmly, the taller girl's arms encircling her. "7, right," she says, as the blonde pulls away.

"Goodnight," Quinn whispers, before letting Rachel go. She waits until the diva enters the house before walking back towards her car, the urge to skip becoming more and more prominent. She settles in the driver's seat, sighs happily before driving towards Mike's house.

"I thought all Cheerios could dance!"

"Ex-Cheerio, buddy." She stomps angrily on the 'up' arrow and lets out a groan of frustration as she times it wrong. "This game is so old!"

"And you still suck at it," Mike laughs, seeing his new high score. "You'd think that you'd improve over time, but I guess not."

"Maybe I'm just distracted."

"Oh, I know you're distracted, Fabray," he says, remembering how wide her grin was when she first walked in. "Why else would I challenge you to a game that always results in you pouting and demanding that I cheated?"

"Shut up," she retorts, collapsing onto his bed. "I have good news."

"I have bad news."

"You go first."

"Wendy's stopped selling bacon," he deadpans, before getting hit with his pillow. "Hey! Watch it, Fabray. You know the rules, good news first."

"I have a date with Rachel tomorrow night," she says, unable to hide her grin. "Our first date."

"I'm surprised you didn't tell me the second you walked in," he laughed, enveloping her in a hug. "Good job."

"Your turn."

"Eh, don't go all scary Quinn on me, but Finn's trying to come up with this plan to ask Rachel to prom and he wants all the guys in glee to help." At her raised eyebrow, he hastily adds, "I said no, and I convinced Sam and Artie too."

A low fire starts flickering in the pit of her stomach, growing bigger with each breath she takes. Quinn Fabray doesn't wear jealousy well. "You any good at digging holes?"

"Q," he says slowly, whacking her lightly with a pillow. "I'm still in football. Finn's the quarterback. As much as he pisses me off, we need him. And we need him for Nationals!"

"He can still sing if I maim him."

"Can I tell you something?" Rachel asks, her fingers dancing over the piano keys in the choir room. They're spending their lunch in there, using the time to get to know each other better.

"Sure," Quinn says, taking a sip from her water bottle.

"I've been thinking about you, me and this piano," she says, running a hand along the side. "You sitting right here and teaching me the proper fingering. "

A spray of water shoots from Quinn's mouth, nearly spraying Rachel. "What?" she coughs, sure that she's trapped in some aching, teasing dream.

"Well, I haven't played piano in the longest time and I need a refresher course, so that my talents don't fall to shambles. After all, it would be greatly beneficial if I knew how to play the piano properly, in case I needed to for a role on Broadway."

"Oh," the blonde murmurs, her cheeks blushing red. "Right." She caps her bottle of water and sets it down, forcing herself to calm down.

"You okay?"

"Just...nervous."

"About our date?" At Quinn's nod, Rachel continues, a speech semi-prepared. "Well, you have nothing to worry about, Quinn. If you are half as serious as you say you are about courting me, then I have no worries. After all, from what I've gathered from past observations, you are extremely thoughtful and lately, it seems to that you will go to any length to impress me."

"You're cute when you talk in paragraphs," Quinn blurts out, her cheeks turning redder still. "I'm sorry, I'm just-" She cuts herself off, before she starts to ramble. She's never been like this around anyone before and it's slightly troubling, in a good way. She likes how Rachel makes feel, how there's something so tangible there that the only fear she has is messing up or doing something stupid to lose the reciprocation of her feelings.

"You're adorable, you know that?" Rachel gets up and sits next to Quinn, their shoulders brushing. "Stop worrying about tonight, I'm not."

"Okay." She finds herself leaning in, her lips mere inches away from the diva's when the bell rings. Slightly frustrated, she goes and pecks Rachel's cheek anyway. "I'll see you tonight," she whispers, pulling the brunette into a hug. "Dress warm."

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