A/N.: many many things happened i got really demotivated about writing, i'm still a little actually, but i've been staying with my grams at the hospital and ended up finishing this chapter... so surprise surprise!

until next time and enjoy!

Chapter 22 - Good ideas should be put at work

Quinn stayed practically glued to Rachel's side for the rest of the day, snarling to anyone who came too close and showed signals of interest in the kitty girl, and although Rachel usually disapproved such behavior, because they were most likely mates and she was close to her heat cycle she was more understanding of it.

It didn't take much for coach Sylvester to send Rachel home. The blonde woman said she would send the medicine through one of the cheerios as soon as she got it and that for now she should stay home.

By the end of the school day Quinn was at her door with the homework of the day and a couple of coffee and bagels she picked up on the way.

"Can we talk about the mate thing now?" The lioness begged.

"Of course." Rachel answered apprehensively, she knew that for someone who wasn't used to the idea of it finding a mate could be rather scary. Principally at such a young age.

"Why do you sound scared?" Quinn asked worried, touching her forehead with the brunette's.

"Because you might not like the idea of being mated to me." Rachel mumbled.

"How could I?" the blonde whispered back, kissing the girl in the tip of her nose. "What I feel for you… nothing would scare me away from that. I love you, Rachel, more than I ever thought I would and I'm happy with that." Quinn noticed Rachel's speechless expression and grinned to herself. "I tried to research a little about mating these days, but I don't remember really well what I found about it. It's like the information is there in my mind, but I can't reach it. I guess that's the curse in action eh… I wonder how I never noticed it…"

"I love you too, Quinn." Rachel interrupted, gaining once again the ability to talk.

It was in Rachel's room that the short brunette explained what she could about mating.

"It's hard to explain because it can be different for everyone. It varies species to species and all that. Mating is mostly found on animal folks, such as ourselves, and sometimes in mythical ones, like Santana and Britt. It's a great kinship and it can be scary at times." Rachel was saying in her kitty form and snuggling close to Quinn, who kept in her half-animal form.

"Why is it scary?" the blond asked caressing Rachel lazily.

"Because most people take mating to extreme situations. It's like a soul mate deal. Destined lovers… like you wouldn't be able to love without your mate. None of these are truth. It's rare, but it can be one sided, if you lose one another it's harder for you to get back onto your feet, but it's not necessarily impossible to live on without your mate. When you have a mate it's also really hard nearly impossible for you to find interest in another person and others hardly turn you on as your mate do. Other thing that's rare but happens is when someone met two potential mates at the same time. But although mating does have a supernatural feeling it's also something that is influenced by your interactions. You can lose interest in a mate, but it's rare. Mates most of the times are for life. You're more deeply connected than when having a normal relationship, but nothing too absurd I'd say…" the kitty explained the best way she could. "There are a lot of factors and people are still studying it."

"There are studies about it!? Wow!" Quinn chuckles "And what makes you think we're mates? Because we got really close so fast?"

"That would explain that a little yes, but what made me really think about that was when you were wired with pheromones and instead of going after the closest wailing partner you went straight after me." Rachel told remembering with a slight annoyance of the incident. "That's common in mating, even when sexually stimulated by other things, for you to desire and only want your mate."

A moment of silence passed between them and unconsciously Rachel started to worry. And as if reading her mind, Quinn was quick to reassure:

"I don't mind it. It's kind of overwhelming sure, mostly because we're so young and this for life likeness of the thing. But I believe that I lucked out and found myself the best mate someone would ask for. I love you, and I'm glad we have this as proof."

"I love you too, Quinn." Rachel said climbing on the blond and transforming before going after a kiss.

Rachel stayed for over a week at home. Even with the medicine it wasn't so safe for Rachel to go outside, mostly due to the fact that Quinn still felt affected by Rachel's heat cycle. The lion girl was also very thankful of the fact that the kitty's parents were very understanding and had no open door policy in their home.

By the time she went back to school she was promptly called to Coach Sylvester's office. The older woman couldn't put to rest what the words the girl had said, before her leave from school, meant.

"I think it's about time we have a conversation… don't you, Kitty Cat?" Sue asked as soon as Rachel entered her office.

"I do have classes you know?" Rachel answered, frowning at the way the older woman called her.

"You also have to answer to your coach… I'll give you a pass later. Now, enough mingling… let's go directly to the point of our meeting." Coach said sternly. "What do you know?"

"You're the core of the curse aren't you?" Rachel said, doing exactly what the woman asked of her. "That's why it doesn't affect you… That's why you're human. A human is the thing most ignorant of magic and the most against it in the stories and legends. That's why everyone here is like that… you, or more precisely, what you are is what sets their behavior."

"So you're going to kill me?" Sylvester asks harshly, her expressions impassive

"What!?" Rachel almost shrieks "No! Heavens! Why would I?" she looks horrified at her coach.

"It would be the easiest way… why not?" the blonde asks, nonchalantly leaning back in her imposing chair but her tension still showed in her hardened eyes.

"Yes, only in theory though. For all we know it could cause for the city to collapse. Still, it didn't even pass through my head of actually doing it." The girl sighed. "I did consider, however, that when the curse is broken you might cease to exist. I don't know what it would mean though. If it would be like you never existed or if you would just disappear." Rachel pondered sincerely.

"I, myself, don't know what would happen..." Sue admitted her posture and voice different from her usual abrasive self. "In the end I care less about what happens with the city, I want to remain existing. And believe me, kitten, it won't be you who will change that!"

"Coach... I don't want for you to be the cost of breaking the curse, but I won't let it stand. It harms more than you'd think!" Rachel said with conviction. "I won't leave you in the dark and I will find a way to do it!"

"If I anything that sounds or looks like I might die…" the blond woman snarled.

"Coach, if I didn't worry about your safety I'd just have called the authorities. They have a division specialized in curses you, know?" Rachel scoffed, for some reason, even though Sue looked like she could and would rip her head off, she wasn't scared. Maybe because she could see and sense the fear coming from the woman.

After she leaves the coach's office she goes after her girlfriend thinking that maybe she would be able to spare her some ideas. She finds Quinn exiting her classroom after some other students leave.

"What happened to the class?" Rachel asks confused. Did her talk with Sue take that long?

"Fogg blew up a fuse or something." The blonde girl said approaching her.

"What!?"

"Fogg, the robot geek goblin, was making some sort of mine bot? Or was it a mini bot? I don't now… it just blew up there was smoke everywhere and the teacher went with him and class was dismissed. So I chose to go after you instead of staying in the class and smell burn plastic and smoke." The lioness explained nudging her girlfriend left ear with her nose.

"Quinn…" The little brunette warned, she just got off the strongest heat she ever had, she didn't need Quinn urging her needs. "Not here not now… I wanted to talk to you. Good thing you got released from class earlier. We've got a few moments before the next one."

"We so could spend these moments in better way than talking about our cheer coach…" Quinn complained softly, but went with her girlfriend

"How could you know I wanted to talk about her?" Rachel asked surprised

The blond looked at her with a reserved smile and poked the girl sides making her squeal.

"You just came from a meeting with her doffus!" she laughed at her girlfriend vexed glare.

"Don't call me that! You're the doffus!" Rachel ruffed "Now let's go to somewhere more private."

After the De ser magic lesson from that day. Rachel and her group of friends met in Tina's house. The little sorceress lived a little out of the way, closer to the border of the city than anything else. The house seemed to be spacious and had a lot of plants on it and around it, as if the house was a mere part of the grove behind it instead of a construction, made by the rational species.

"Why did you want to meet?" the girl asked after showing everyone around.

The inside of the house had as many plants as the outside and they carefully found somewhere to sit on the living room. Brittany seemed to be completely elated with the house and was still making their way to them, she'd been talking with almost every plant they passed by.

"So we can discuss how we can actually go about breaking the curse since Sue was a dead end." Rachel sighed. "She doesn't really know how the curse works and says that if we're thinking about making it quick and kill her she sure wasn't going to make it easy on us."

"Even though I pretty much hate her I would never think of doing such thing." Santana grunted trying to find her girlfriend behind a bunch of foliage. "Why the hell your house looks like it was taken by the forest, Asian A?"

"Santana!" Rachel reprimanded but Tine truly didn't seem to care that much even though she looked slightly taken back.

"Mom is an excellent potion brewer and a herbalist." the sorceress answered griping her boyfriend hand a little more firmly. "But Rachel, what do you mean?"

"She knows she is the core to the curse and she very much appreciate her own existence. She won't sacrifice herself for the city. Simple as that. But she truly didn't seem to know how the curse actually works and it is just a theory that breaking it would cause her death and vice & versa." The kitty girl explained.

"So you don't have anything new to tell us…" Mike said dejected.

"There must be a way anyway, there is no unbreakable curse." Tina said surprisingly forcefully.

"True Love Kiss!" Brittany said falling out of a plant and surprising everyone but Santana and Rachel.

"You were able to keep your clothes congratulations Britt!" Rachel squealed hugging the tall nymph, making the blonde squeal too.

"But who would have to give the true love kiss?" Santana asked after the hug feast was done. "I mean my papa and mama kissed plenty of times after he was cursed…"

"Maybe Coach Sylvester?" Sam offered making everyone cringe.

"If that's the case we will never break this curse…" Quinn added blankly.