And here it comes the end...

CHAPTER 12
Just say the word

They never really talked, not when they were teenagers, and certainly not during their claim together. It was the up and down of their relationship. They seemed to understand each other better when they interpreted body language or when they felt each other's mood like they were their own. But it didn't always work and, since this time could be their last time, Rachel didn't want to risk anything. That was the reason she told Quinn her whole story: from the beginning, from her childhood, to the first time she realized she was in love with her, through the bad and the good times, all the life they spent together.

Rachel knew she hurt Quinn telling her all those things, she knew that the other woman felt guilty more than ever but that wasn't really the point of it, just an unfortunate side effect. She just needed Quinn to know that in hindsight it didn't change things. She had been a teenager crazy in love, who would have done almost anything for her, and to the present day, she never regretted it or thought it had been wrong. Quinn tried to protect her, back in the day, but she needed no protection. Not then, not now. It was time for Quinn to undress her shiny armor and just be herself, like Rachel told her so many years ago.

"Don't pretend, don't act, just be yourself."

She took Quinn's hand. "Come."

They walked up the stairs leading her to the bedroom. As soon as she saw it, Quinn's body tensed, but Rachel moved her arm across Quinn's waist and, pulling her a little closer, she whispered into her ear.

"If you want I will stop. Immediately." She tugged some loose hair behind Quinn's ear and then walked into the room.

Quinn could see the difference in her body language. If a moment ago Rachel was her Rachel, the grown up version of the girl she fell in love with, now she was someone else, she was the dominant who drove her crazy with desire during their first claim, the one who punished her harshly for her lack of respect when she left her room without permission.

She extended a hand inviting Quinn in the room and when the blonde took it she stepped closer. She slowly raised Quinn's hands above her head and lifted up the gray sweater taking it off, letting it fall on the floor. She lowered her arms stroking them and pulling closer at the same time.

"You are beautiful Quinn." Rachel whispered as she lay the first of many kisses on her naked skin, her exposed neck and collarbone. Quinn's head bent backwards as Rachel moved along, fighting the urge to grab her and pull her closer. She sure learned a lot of things since she had been a clumsy teenager girl and some part of Quinn wanted to show her the things that she, herself, learned in their period apart. But as much as she liked to think that ten years as a slave didn't influence her, they did. They trained her to obey, to respond to orders, and she trained herself to defy orders, to make fools of them. In that moment, though, there were no orders to follow or defy, and her body was clueless in trying to remember how she was supposed to act.

Rachel kneeled and slid down Quinn's loose pants, then she took the other woman's hand making her step out of them. Quinn was standing completely naked in front of Rachel who couldn't help but lick her lips in anticipation.

It was their first time after so many years and it had to be done right: as much as Rachel wanted nothing more than just grab her and fuck her till they were both senseless, she knew that it had to be about Quinn: she would be the one in control, even if Rachel's job was not to let her know that.

"Lay down Quinn." She pointed at the bed, her voice soft but demanding. No objections were going to be tolerated and Quinn complied crawling to the bed, somehow happy to be again in a known territory; the one with order to follow or challenge. "Face up." The blonde turned around and saw Rachel follow her on the bed and come sit on her stomach. "I won't tie you but I expect you to behave."

Quinn didn't answer. She was confused, to say the least. She couldn't put things in the right order, she couldn't analyze it and that was exactly what Rachel wanted: she wanted Quinn to react with her body and guts more than with her mind, she wanted her to trust her feelings and instincts more than the fears that lived in her head.

Lying on her back wasn't comfortable, for Quinn, but it wasn't painful either. The cream Rachel put on her the previous day and the pill she took just after dinner helped her a lot, and then, of course, there was the kissing, the light brushing of Rachel's lips all over her naked body, that turned her skin on fire making her forget everything else.

Rachel pecked at her lip once, her brown hair falling down covering them both from invisible, non-existent eyes. It gave Quinn a weird feeling of privacy.

When Rachel moved back to lock gaze with Quinn she saw an uncertain look in her eyes. The blonde didn't know what to expect and that was a good thing: Rachel started to talk alternating words with soft kisses.

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Quinn, you're stunning, and stubborn, and smart, and amazing, and..." she kissed Quinn's neck making her moan involuntary "...provocative, thoughtful, sensitive..." her hands moved down her chest, brushing lightly Quinn's nipples "...gorgeous, playful, funny, creative..." her mouth followed her hands and her tongue circled Quinn's nipple "...stupid, courageous, inspiring, scary, deep..." a hand fondled her right breast, while her voice dropped down, lower than before "...fragile, sassy, curious..." her tongue traced a wet line traced towards the other nipple "...strong, talented..."

"Rachel!" Quinn called out in a whisper, eyes closed.

The brunette stopped, waiting for the other woman to open her eyes, but Quinn didn't. Instead she pushed her fists into Rachel's shoulders moving her away. Rachel let her do it. She stood for a while, Quinn's breathing was shallow and irregular.

"Quinn, look at me." The woman didn't move. Rachel grabbed her hand holding it until the fist loosened up and she was able to hold her hand. She kissed her bruised wrist. "Look at me, baby." She repeated,

Quinn opened her eyes. Rachel was on top of her, those deep brown eyes on hers, a world she could lose herself in. There was so much in those eyes: there were her dreams and hopes, her past and maybe her future. Rachel slowly leaned over closing the distance between them, but she didn't touch her, instead she stopped a few inches away, waiting.

It was Quinn's choice, then and always.

The blonde moved toward her and stopped, fighting a battle with herself, Rachel's scent impregnating the air. She tried again and again stopped, a breath away from those soft lips. Rachel was still immobile. Rachel's breath on her skin, hot and regular, those brown eyes locked onto hers. She raised a hand to touch Rachel's side and as soon as her hand touched the other woman, something clicked inside her: the curve or her hips, her back, her ass... Quinn threw herself forward, like she was jumping over a cliff, fast, with closed eyes. Their lips collided and it was hungry and desperate. Quinn clung to Rachel, with something between wild passion and angry regret, and she pulled the other woman to her, moving her hands up her back, but Quinn's impetus broke on Rachel's sweetness. The other woman didn't stop her but didn't respond to her passion either. She knew Quinn had to let it out before anything else could take the place of her anger and regret, and every time Quinn kissed her hungrily she met her with a slow and delicate kiss in return, and every time the blonde tried to speed things up Rachel slowed them down. Rachel wanted things to be slow, so the feelings could really sink into Quinn, and their first time, after almost ten years, could be something remarkable and not just some quickie out of memories, passion and regret.

When finally Quinn let it all out and abandoned herself to the slow pace the other woman set, Rachel stepped back looking at her: Quinn was so lost and hurt. For too many years she let the pain take over, she thought her life was over and there was nothing left for her but the pride of being herself till the very end. It was a mistake, the world had still a lot to offer to her. The world could still offer her Rachel Berry.

Quinn frowned. Rachel could see that, despite her passion and excitement, she was still fighting. She didn't think it was true, or maybe she didn't think she deserve anything more than she always got from dominants, and it was Rachel's job to convince her otherwise. She sat up and unbuttoned her shirt. At every loose button exposing more of Rachel's skin, Quinn's breathing quickened. She rose up on her elbows to get closer but Rachel pressed just a finger to her shoulder pushing her back down.

She opened the upper button, exposing the curve of her breast, then the last one, shoving her navel; then again the button on top, making it obvious she was not wearing a bra; then the bottom one, giving Quinn a glimpse of her perfect abs. There was just one button left. She took Quinn's hands, inviting her to open it.

Quinn licked her lips, following the silent order, she unbuttoned her shirt then helped her take it off. Rachel stood for a moment, letting Quinn stare at her with a lustful glare she couldn't hide, and then bent to kiss her again. It was the first time their naked skin made contact and it felt weird. Rachel's cold skin against her hot one made her moan.

Rachel lowered herself even more, fingertips on Quinn's side moving lightly, like she was playing a harp over her body. Quinn arched forward pressing even more into Rachel as her hands clasped Rachel's hips, closing her eyes.

She was in her teenager room, they were making love like always, it was all a dream, Santana would enter through her door soon, yelling something about Britt being too touchy even for her, and she would get up embarrassed, trying to cover herself with the sheets, while Santana would say not to be embarrassed cause she has beautiful tits but you, dwarf, you should think about getting a boob job.

Yes, it was a dream, a memory too vivid in her mind, nothing more, she wasn't with Rachel, the only person she ever loved, she wasn't making love to her, she would wake up in some black room, tied, too hurt to even think to move, wishing she could just go on dreaming for the rest of her life. Or death. It was too much, she needed to escape. Her safe place. Flowers singing. Nothing could hurt her.

"Quinn, stay with me." Rachel called her back, worried she was slipping away.

"I can't." She murmured. "This is..." unreal, scary, terrifying, too good to be true, undeserved... there were many things she could say to end that sentence, instead she left it hanging on the edge of unspoken feelings.

"Don't do this, please, Quinn." It was the first time she heard a dominant pronounce those words to her "Please, you knew it all along, you knew it was me, from the beginning, you recognized my body, my touch, as I would recognize yours among millions of others. You didn't resist back then, don't do it now."

"Rach..." The voice trailed off, her eyes getting watery.

"Why are you so scared to be happy?" Rachel asked in a whisper to her ear.

"It never lasts." she murmured back, almost talking to herself.

Rachel sighed "Happiness is not something you're given, Quinn." she slid down kissing Quinn's right breast "It's something you take for yourself."

Rachel's tongue flickered over her sensitive nipple making Quinn groan as her hand moved down between the blonde's legs. She could feel her wetness but she teasingly moved just over her, tracing her way around her entrance, near her clit but never touching it. She heard Quinn calling her name in a whisper but she couldn't tell if she was begging to stop or go further. Probably not even Quinn could tell. But her body did know what it wanted, as it began rocking looking for Rachel's touch. Responding to her request the brunette easily slip two fingers inside Quinn and she arched forward panting harder.

Rachel slowly built the rythm from there, fingers going in and out so teasingly it almost drove Quinn crazy with need and desire.

"Please." she moaned, but Rachel didn't seem to notice, her mouth busy on her breast and down, on her side, her hip, moving slowly close to Quinn's center. She felt the blonde getting closer and closer and she moved back to kiss her as her fingers slipped out and brushed against her clit in circular motions.

"Fuck!" Quinn was on edge now, but Rachel wasn't ready to let her come yet. She trapped the other woman in a long kiss and felt Quinn's finger dig into her back, scratching her skin. That was her cue. She inserted again the fingers hooking them to touch her G spot, and as Quinn's clenched around her and her muscle tensed in a powerful orgasm, she said into her ear what she held back for so many years.

"I love you!"

Quinn has never felt like that. Coming down to earth she started crying silently. She couldn't open her eyes, she just couldn't force herself to look at Rachel in that moment because if she did the brunette would have seen right through her, all her fears, and needs, and scars. But Rachel already saw that.

She kissed every single tear away, while gently moving her fingers through the blond hair, soothing her, and when finally Quinn's sobs quieted enough, she rolled over to the side, taking the blonde in her arms.

Quinn's head naturally rested on Rachel's shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, Quinn's head dizzy with thoughts and feelings she never faced before. She had lived as a slave for almost ten years now and never, ever, she though she could submit to someone; she was a free woman misplaced on the wrong group; she was a stubborn girl who made up her own mind; she was Quinn fucking Fabray and nobody could tame her. Except that now Quinn fucking Fabray wanted nothing more than to lose herself in Rachel and tell to her the words that were trapped deep inside her for so long. She wanted to tell her she loved her back but couldn't find the strength to voice her desire. Instead what came out of her mouth was a soft whisper.

"I'm the only thing I've left, and you're asking me to give it up."

"I'm asking you to trust your instincts when they tell you I feel the same way you do."

"You don't know me, you have no idea how I turned out to be."

"I think I know you better than you know yourself. I always did and I always will."

She took Quinn's chin and turned her head so they could look at each other. For a moment she just lay there looking into those hazel eyes and then she leaned closer to capture Quinn's upper lip between her own.

"Did you love me? Back then, when we were just dreaming kids, did you love me?" Rachel asked, staring directly at her.

Quinn bit her inner cheek. She never said it out loud back then, not to Rachel, and she never openly admitted it, not even to herself.

"Yes. But..."

Rachel placed a finger on her lips silencing her. Rachel kissed her cheek reassuringly, close to her ear. "From the moment we parted I wanted nothing more than to be with you again." She whispered.

"Why?" Her voice was low and uncertain "Like you said you don't want damaged property. And I'm damaged, Rach. I really am."

Rachel lifted her chin up so they could look each other in the eyes.

"You were listening."

"I was."

"Then you should know I said something else too: I said, I love you!"

She sealed her words with a sweet kiss on the lips and then reached for the drawer taking a simple gold ring. Rachel held it in mid air, looking at Quinn. It was their last day, and the first time she formally proposed: it was now or never, but Rachel didn't say a world, wanting Quinn to make the decision on her own.

The blonde bit her lip, her heart racing, pounding in her chest like never before. She was crazy, absolutely crazy, out of her mind, like San always said, she was throwing away everything. Everything. She lifted a trembling hand in the air, sliding her finger through the ring.

"I'm yours."

Quinn Fabray had been broken and claimed.

That's all folks!

To the ones who left along the way... I'm sorry, but to each its own. To the ones who stick around every week till the end: thank you very much for reading! And to the ones who commented: YOU ROCK! Ahaha, no seriously, thank you, I really appriciate all your feedback.

I don't know if I'll write a sequel to this. I'm kind of curious to see what Rachel and Quinn's life would be now because, like most of you said, Quinn was meant to be a dominant, how could she be herself, be in love with Rachel and be a slave? There is even a way to do that? Now that she took the decision will be able to live with that? And Brittana? I think Santana needs to be contolled in her impetus, from time to time, but how exactly Britt manage to do that being the sub? And Raphael? I'd love to hate him a little more. Mmm... lot of questions, and in my mind some of them have answers and some of them don't. Yet.

I'm not sure there's enough material for a whole story though, but if you have suggestions, request, questions, or just want to talk, you can find me on twitter eleonorambaldi! Who knows, maybesooner or later it will all merge down into a new plot.

EXTRA NOTE: this story has now a sequel. It's called RAISED and you will find it among my stories. I hope you'll want to read that too ;)