Author's note: I had fun writing this chapter and I hope parts of it make you guys smile like it made me smile.

-S

faberry69: thank you, that's very sweet of you. Also, your username.. wanky. ;) lol.

Iza.G: updating now. :) thanks for the review.

babyblue2189: thanks again. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the characters, and I'm broke so please don't sue.

The next few hours of the drive passed fairly quickly. Quinn basically inhaled her breakfast sandwich once she was out on the highway while Rachel took her time savoring her blueberry bagel. After she had finished eating, Rachel plugged her phone into the auxiliary jack in Quinn's car and sang along to her favorite songs, which was practically every one considering it was her phone. Quinn joined her in singing along with some of the songs, and since she had hung out with Rachel every weekend for the past year or so she was familiar with most of them, but she preferred to listen. Listening to Rachel sing made Quinn's heart warm and feel like anything was possible. She had heard her sing many times over the past six years, and somehow it still elicited the same familiar slow and gentle warmth to spread through her every time. The only difference was that now she admitted how it made her feel, at least to herself. She had been admitting a lot of things to herself lately. Eventually Rachel turned off her music and turned to face Quinn.

"Thank you, for earlier. I'm sorry I broke down like that. I guess I've just been a little stressed lately, what with finals and anticipating this trip. It wasn't my intention to become such a mess, so I'm sorry." Rachel looked over at her with sad brown eyes, and Quinn wished she could wipe the sadness away.

"It's ok, Rach. It's been a stressful time for both of us, and it was a good nap. I needed it too." Quinn said with a straight face, trying to not let her emotions play across her features. A moment of silence passed between them, and Rachel spoke up again with a smile.

"I have an idea. Want to play a game?" "What type of game?" Quinn asked.

"A road trip game, like license plate lingo, or something."

"What's that?" Quinn asked and furrowed her mock gasped, and Quinn couldn't help but laugh at her dramatics.

"You've never played road trip games?"

"The Fabrays aren't really ones to take road trips. We did once for a family reunion and we didn't talk to each other the whole time. My sister and I had gotten in a fight before we left over something stupid, and my father slapped us both. That, of course, pissed off my mom, so she and my dad didn't talk the whole time either. It was a long, miserable car ride. Anyway, you should teach me how to play. What do I have to do?" She said and smiled.

Rachel had looked sad while Quinn recounted her road trip experience, but she perked up a little when Quinn showed an interest in playing the game she suggested. Sitting up in her seat, she turned a little towards Quinn and smiled.

"Ok. So we have to look at the license plates on cars that pass by, and the first person to come up with a phrase that the letters could stand for earns a point."

"That could be fun. Can you do one first though so I can make sure I've got the rules right?" Quinn suggested.

"Sure. Ok, so that plate says RTB 827. Oh, and the phrase has to make sense or you don't get the point, even if you say your phrase first. So for this one, I'd say rock the boat."

Rachel bounced a little in her seat, and Quinn smiled at her.

"Now that song is going to be stuck in my head. Thanks." Quinn jokingly squinted her eyes at Rachel.

"What? Oh.. 'Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat'..? God, that brings back memories."

Quinn laughed. "I didn't mean to make you all nostalgic."

"It's ok. Alright, ready to play?"

"You're on, Berry."

"Bring it, Fabray."

Rachel tapped Quinn's knee and turned to look at the license plate on the car that sped past them. It read STM 192, and Quinn was the first to blurt out her answer.

"Speeds too much." she said with a smile.

"Or you drive too slow.." Rachel said with a wink as she burst into unbridled laughter. Quinn couldn't help but laugh with her even though Rachel had technically made fun of her, because it was the kind of laugh that made her insides want to burst from happiness.

"Hey! I do not!" She said between laughter, and reached over to tickle Rachel's side. "For your information I'm already ten over!"

"Quinn, no, stop! No tickles! I was just kidding!"

"Say you're sorry."

"What? No, it was a joke!" Rachel gasped out as she tried to squirm away from Quinn's hand.

"Say you're sorry." She tickled and squeezed her gently.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry! Watch the road, crazy girl." The two girls shared a smile, and Quinn turned her gaze back to the road. Rachel took a minute to catch her breath before speaking.

"Alright, one point for you. What about this one in front of us?"

Quinn glanced at it and saw that it read FAF 720 and she and Rachel sat there in thought for a moment.

"Fierce and Femme!" Rachel shouted and Quinn jumped a little, then laughed after getting over the shock.

"It reminds me of the Troubletones. I really miss Santana and Brittany; Hopefully I'll be able to catch up with them this week." Quinn said as she kept her gaze on the highway.

"I'm sure they miss you too. Do they know you'll be back in Lima?"

"Yeah, I talked to Britt yesterday on the phone, and I heard Santana yelling in the background that we all need to hang out."

"Santana always did yell a lot." Rachel said as she laughed.

"Yeah, that hasn't changed, it seems, but she's definitely come to terms with her sexuality and her feelings for Britt, so she's less of a bitch now. I'm pretty sure she'll always be a little loud though."

Quinn looked down and noticed she would need to stop for gas soon, so she switched lanes over to the right.

"I'm going to take the next exit to fill up the gas tank; Would it be ok if we switched? I'm starting to feel a bit tired."

"Sure, that's ok, if you don't mind me driving your car." Rachel said.

"No, I don't mind. I trust you." Quinn replied with a smile.

"At least someone does." Rachel said softly.

"Hey, what do you mean? Who doesn't trust you?"

"In case you forgot, I was a little manipulative in glee club when it came to solos. That, and I don't think Finn ever really trusted me to be able to make my own decisions. I feel awful that I went along with him for so long." Rachel answered.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Life is about making mistakes and learning from them, and in case you forgot, I was a complete bitch to you in high school. I still don't know why you were always nice to me. It's strange how the biggest issue between us, for me at least, was Finn and he isn't really part of either of our lives anymore. What's even more strange is that after how I treated you, you still wanted to be my friend."

"Of course I wanted to be your friend. I knew that underneath your façade, the Quinn I know now was lurking just under the surface." Rachel smiled softly at Quinn.

"I guess I have you to thank for that. Being your friend changed me for the better. I'm just sorry it's taken us so long to get to this point."

"Everything happens for a reason, right? Anyway, we're here now, so let's try not to dwell on the past too much. It doesn't do anyone any good to get stuck there."

Rachel reached out and quickly squeezed Quinn's hand, bringing her own hand back to rest in her lap and acting like the simple touch didn't set her heart aflame with longing.

Quinn switched over to the exit lane and took it, driving about a mile before coming up on a gas station. It was around 1:45 pm when she pulled in and filled up the car while Rachel got out to stretch her legs. Thankfully the gas station had a convenience store, so Rachel headed inside to pick up a couple of snacks. She bought some peanut butter crackers, a cherry pie for Quinn, and two more bottled waters. As soon as she purchased the items, she dropped the bag off in the car before turning around and going to use the restroom. Quinn finished pumping the gas and followed suit; She had to pee really bad, so she wasn't paying attention when she opened the bathroom door and ended up bumping straight into Rachel as she walked in, accidentally hitting her on the cheek when she threw her hands up in alarm.

"Oh my god, Rach, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. It wasn't a very hard hit."

Quinn took a few seconds to assess Rachel's cheek, and decided she seemed ok for the moment.

"Okay. Don't go anywhere, I just really have to pee."

Quinn rushed into the stall and when she finished she walked out and washed her hands. She turned to Rachel who was leaning against the wall and stepped up close as she took her chin in between her thumb and forefinger, turning Rachel's head to the side so she could see her cheek. Rachel just tried to keep her heartbeat and breathing in check, because Quinn's body was almost leaning against hers. Just a few more inches would have Quinn pressing Rachel against the wall.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay Quinn. It doesn't hurt that badly."

"But it does hurt?" Quinn's eyes trailed over the red mark on Rachel's cheek.

"Just a little but the pain is already fading." She said as she stared into Quinn's hazel-green eyes.

"Brings back memories of prom during our junior year, huh?" Quinn said and let out a choked laugh as a tear fell from her eye. She placed her palm softly on Rachel's red cheek, and it didn't slip by her that it was the same cheek that she had slapped in the bathroom. She and Rachel locked eyes as they mentally relived the moment, and Rachel covered Quinn's hand with her own as she wiped the tears from Quinn's cheek with her other hand.

"I'm so sorry I slapped you." Quinn whispered as she looked down and away from Rachel, praying for forgiveness even after all this time.

"It's in the past, Quinn. Please stop crying, because I forgive you."

"You do?"

"Of course. I forgave you a long time ago."

Quinn met Rachel's eyes again for a moment, searching them as if she was deciding on something; She removed her hand and replaced it with her lips, giving her a quick kiss on the fading red mark on her cheek before turning and walking through the bathroom door and back out to the car. Rachel leaned back against the wall and took a moment to slow her heart down and compose herself before exiting the bathroom and following Quinn.

When they were both back in the car, neither of them spoke for a few minutes as Rachel settled into the driver's seat, adjusting the seat and mirrors before turning the gps back on and heading out on the highway. The silence was easy, and despite the slight excited tension they had both felt in the bathroom, they were still comfortable with each other. Quinn tried to stay awake, but her eyes fluttered closed of their own accord and she slept easily through the next two hours.

Rachel quietly sang along to the radio when a song came on that she knew and tried not to wake Quinn up. She let her mind get lost in the music and the memory of Quinn's lips on her cheek, and the two hours that Quinn was asleep flew by.

4:05 pm

Quinn shifted in the passenger seat, trying desperately to go back to sleep. She was so tired of being in the car and sleeping the rest of the time sounded like a good option, but mostly she wanted to get back to the dream she'd been having. She and Rachel were back in her dorm room and her dream self had straddled Rachel's lap and kissed her, laying her down on her bed. She kept her eyes closed to try to relive the image, but dreams were fickle things. Once they were gone, all that was left was the memory and the longing. Quinn gave up and adjusted the seat back to its normal position with a frustrated huff.

"Hey, sleepyhead. Good nap?" Rachel asked with a smile, and Quinn thought to herself that as good as her dream was, waking up to the real Rachel next to her was better than the intangibility of her dream.

"Yeah, it was good." Quinn said as she stifled a yawn. "Are you ok? Do you need me to drive for a little?"

She reached for the water bottle in the cup holder and took a sip to clear the dryness of her throat.

"No, I'm doing ok for now. I like driving your car, she handles well."

Quinn coughed as her mind dove into the gutter at Rachel's comment, and the water in her mouth quickly went down the wrong pipe.

"You ok? Do you need the Heimlich? Don't die on me, Quinn Fabray."

Quinn coughed a few more times and took another sip of water before responding.

"I'm fine. It just went down the wrong pipe. I'm not dying."

"Good." Rachel smiled.

Quinn reached into the backseat and pulled her cd case on her lap and put in another mix cd, then pulled her camera out of her bag. She spent the next half hour or so looking over the pictures she had taken when she visited Rachel a couple of weeks before finals. They had gone wandering around New York acting like silly tourists, and Quinn took pictures in Times Square and Central Park like it was the first time they had ever been there. They had come across the fountain that the glee club had sung and danced on while they explored the city before nationals their junior year, and they both jumped up on it for old times' sake. She remembered how Rachel had skipped by her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Tag. You're it!"

Quinn shot to her feet and chased Rachel around the fountain, quickly catching up to her and tagging her back.

"Tag." Quinn smiled widely at her, feeling happy and slightly breathless, and Rachel smiled back before jumping back up on the edge of the fountain.

Quinn came across a couple candid pictures she had taken of Rachel during that visit, and they always made her smile. The first one she took was of Rachel skipping around the fountain with a big grin on her face. Of course, her smile had turned into a playful pout when Quinn splashed her with water as she ran past. Rachel continued around the fountain, politely waiting until Quinn put away her camera and then splashing her back, starting an all out splash war between the two.

The other candid picture she had taken was in Central Park. She and Rachel were walking along the path in comfortable silence when Rachel suddenly veered off into a copse of trees, disappearing from Quinn's view. Quinn had no idea what Rachel was doing, but she followed her silently into the trees. She walked around a couple of trees with thick trunks as she looked for her, and stopped suddenly when she spotted her. Her heart seemed to expand at the sight before her; Rachel had crouched down in front of a baby maple tree and seemed to be whispering to it softly as she gently caressed its small leaves.

Quinn remembered raising her camera and moving off to the side to get a clear shot of Rachel and the small tree, thanking God for her zoom lens as she zoomed in and focused the shot. Quinn smiled as she looked at the picture now on her camera; Rachel was face level with the top of the small tree and she had her hand outstretched. She held a small leaf in between her thumb and forefinger, and Quinn remembered how Rachel had gently rubbed it as she whispered to it. Rachel and the baby tree were in focus and the scenery behind her was blurred out, and Quinn thought, not for the first time, how it was her favorite picture that she had taken since she started taking the photography classes at Yale.

Sorry to end it there, but I wrote this, and the next part I have written is the two of them arriving in Lima, so I have a small chunk of time missing that I need to write. Anything you guys want to see happen in the last couple hours of the drive? Don't say a kiss! That will come later, promise. You can review with your thoughts or pm me, or hit up my ask on tumblr. I'm over there at magicluckycharm. :)