Glee 1. Chapter 1

**Set during 3x01 after the **_**We Got the Beat **_**glee performance.**

**(Btw for anyone following my Twilight stories, I am not neglecting those stories for Glee fics. Don't worry I got an update for the others coming so soon!)**

**The Restroom**

I didn't plan it, at least not this time, certainly not while I was still covered in greasy spaghetti sauce and rancid cheese dip from our latest Glee recruitment failure in the cafeteria. I was convinced the stains would never come out and the image of food hurling towards my face was a grim reminder of how easy it would've been to wind up with another broken nose situation. Was it so much to ask that my fellow schoolmates adore and respect me unconditionally while occasionally showering me with compliments of how talented I am? Apparently it was at this school.

I made my way hurriedly to the restroom, more than prepared to handle any wardrobe faux pas with practiced ease, after years of slushie facials. I pushed the door open quickly but froze when I saw the familiar crowd of skanks grouped around an open stall. A soaking wet freshman student trembled at their feet as she handed over a stack of bills to a very displeased Quinn.

"Now, get out of here before we decide you're still too dry." Quinn rasped lowly, stepping aside to allow the frightened girl to pass by them. The student rushed out the door clutching her books to her chest, looking as if she'd just escaped a mauling by a pack of wild dingoes. The skanks all watched her leave the restroom, their eyes coming to rest on me as she passed by realizing for the first time that I was there. The logical part of my brain told me to turn around and go running for the nearest classroom, yet the illogical, prideful part of my mind refused to be intimidated by the surly gang of girls.

"Well, looks like we've got another volunteer for our next swirly." Mac threatened amusedly, confirming my fears as she walked up beside me and pushed the door I was still holding open shut. My eyes darted pass her to the other three girls who -with the exception of Quinn- were all wearing the same devious smiles. I ignored everyone else, suddenly more interested in studying Quinn's apparent ambivalence than with the inevitability of my swirly.

My earlier encounter with the strawberry-haired ex-Cheerio was still fresh on my mind and had continued to permeate my thoughts throughout the day. I'd meant what I'd said under the bleachers, I did miss seeing her in Glee but even more I missed spending time with Quinn. Quinn and I had a very unconventional friendship that, while meaningful, offered little opportunity for socialization outside of school. Simply said, Glee was the only place where Quinn and I really interacted and it saddened me that she could so easily give up on it…give up on me.

"Hey dwarf, I'm talking to you!" Mac yelled jerking my attention back to her.

I huffed, growing annoyed with the girl towering over me and with the overuse of that particular insult. I've been going to this school for over three years now, you'd think they'd expand their list of criticisms.

"I'm not interested in being one of your targets of underserved aggression in an attempt to assert your dominance or alleviate your feelings of insecurity. So, if you would kindly step aside and allow me use of the facilities I would greatly appreciate it." I finished calmly, satisfied by the stunned expression on Mac's face as I walked around her to the sinks. I caught Quinns' eye in the mirror and she smiled briefly despite an obvious effort to keep her mask of impassivity up. Unfortunately for me the other three skank members were less than amused by my retort. Mac immediately grabbed my shoulder spinning me around to face her as Shelia and Ronnie closed in around me.

"You know, I've knocked girls' teeth out for less than what you just said. Let's see how smart you are with your head underwater." She gripped my arm yanking me towards the stall, but before we could move any further there was another (equally forceful) tug pulling Mac's hand off of me.

"Enough." Quinns voice was firm, and the stiff set of her lips and narrowed glare told us all that she wasn't interested in playing games.

"Are you honestly taking up for _her_." Ronnie said pointing at me like I was an exhibit at the Smithsonian she didn't understand. "She's wearing a plaid skirt and she looks like she showers at least twice a day." Ronnie accused, as if those were things to be embarrassed of, and the other two girls grunted in agreement. Quinn stared at me as if she wasn't sure why she intervened either and I stared back pleadingly hoping she wouldn't allow them to go through with their plan. Her mouth opened to speak but closed again before she shook her head and sighed, releasing her hold on Mac.

"I couldn't care less about who you swirly." She said slowly, unable to keep eye contact with me as the jagged words left her pink-stained lips. I frowned, of course she wouldn't care. Why would I think anything otherwise?

The skanks all grinned and continued dragging me toward the stall when Quinn suddenly spoke up again.

"I just hope we don't get caught in Sue's hall sweeps. I heard she's cracking down on truancy and the last student that got caught hasn't been seen since Monday." Quinn said nonchalantly pulling a cigarette from her jacket pocket and lighting it, looking as if she didn't care either way. All three girls stopped in their movements as they considered Quinn's statement. Even the toughest kids at this school hesitated in going head-to-head with Sue Sylvester; everyone knew she was unpredictable and likely insane.

"Maybe Quinn's right. I heard Sue takes power naps on a bed of nails in the boiler room…just for fun." Ronnie said looking to Shelia and Mac for confirmation. Mac faltered for a few seconds before letting me go roughly.

"You got lucky this time. You better not let us catch you around here again." I bit my tongue to stop myself from explaining that the likelihood of us not seeing each other again at a school this size was highly improbable. I didn't want to test "my luck" and wind up getting swirled anyways. The four girls filed out of the restroom one by one, but it was only when I heard Mac's voice call out to Quinn that I noticed Quinn hadn't moved at all.

"Aren't you coming?" Mac asked holding the door open for Quinn.

"After I finish." Quinn said holding the cigarette between her fingers up in the air. Mac nodded letting the door drift shut as she walked away, leaving Quinn and I alone in the restroom. Quinn turned to me after a few seconds, confident that the three girls weren't going to barge in any moment, she pulled several paper towels from the dispenser over the sink and began to wet them under the faucet. Once they were moistened she moved towards me with the towels. Instinctively I stiffened taking a small step away from her helpful hands.

"I don't need your help. I'm perfectly capable of cleaning myself. You don't have to-"

"Rachel? Shut up." There was no malice at all in her tone and despite my protesting I found myself relenting to her command as she brought the towel to my face. A tense silence settled between us as Quinn continued. I was surprised by how gentle she was being, but part of me was buzzing with excitement at how close she was. Images of prom night flashed in my mind as Quinn's fingers lingered on my cheek softly caressing the skin she'd cleaned there. Her hazel eyes met mine for the first time and I could practically read the uncertainty in them.

I didn't know what to say, yet my compulsive need to fill every moment of silence with sound caused me to blurt the first thing that came to mind. "I really wish you'd reconsider re-joining glee club." Quinn paused, staring at me with an "are-you-serious" sort of expression that made me wish I'd kept my big mouth shut. She retracted her hand and took a step away from me and I immediately missed the closeness of her.

"Everything is about Glee club with you Rachel. Is that the only thing you think about? Is that the only thing you care about? It's pathetic. I'm never going back to that stupid club."

"It's just…not the same without you." I stumbled trying to remember what I'd really wanted to say before I ruined the moment with my verbal eruption. "Look I know you're different now. I get it, people change but I just don't want you to forget the people who care about you. I-_we_ all miss you Quinn." I said taking a tentative step closer to her, relieved when she didn't back away.

"How can you guys care about me? You don't even know me." Quinn huffed, throwing the wet paper towel she was still holding in the garbage.

"I know you." I whispered receiving a disbelieving glare from Quinn, who still didn't seem to mind the fact that I'd moved in even closer to her and we were almost touching again. "At least…I thought I did. Especially after last Summer. I mean, when you kissed me-" Quinn barked a hollow laugh cutting me off as she moved away to sit on the ledge of the windowsill.

"It was just a stupid, impulsive kiss. I got caught up in the moment. It wasn't some grand romantic gesture or some proclamation of my undying affection, and it doesn't give you license to invade my life and assume that you know _anything_ about me." Her tone was laced with misplaced anger and her words froze me completely as I stared in stunned silence. I could feel the tears stinging the edges of my eyes and I did my best to swallow the hurt I was feeling. She was right I _was_ overly romantic and I did invest too much into often trivial, insignificant things but I felt something real when we kissed. Something that I'd never felt when I kissed Finn, or Puck or even Jessie. As talented as they all were in the art of female seductions, none of them had been able to make me feel that borderline painful sensation of pure want that the brief touch of Quinn's lips had inspired. I thought that it meant something to her too, but once again I was setting myself up for disappointment. Groundhogs day all over again.

I couldn't let her see me cry. I couldn't let her see it mattered to me.

"It's good to know where we stand. Maybe now I can stop wasting my time trying to convince you to return to glee when clearly you don't care about any of us. I could use the time to practice for the numerous solos I'm sure I'll be receiving with you out of the way." I tried my best to put the same edge to my tone as Quinn had seconds ago, but the expression on her face told me I was less than convincing.

I needed to get out of here. I'd had enough of Quinn Fabray for one afternoon. I didn't care that I still hadn't changed clothes or that I could still feel the uncomfortable squish of spaghetti sauce in my shirt, I was leaving. I hurried out of the bathroom without a second look at Quinn. I was halfway down the empty hall before I felt fingers wrap around my wrist stopping me. Why was everyone grabbing me today? I spun around ready to verbally assault whoever had chosen to lay hands on me but all my protests ceased when I came face-to-face with Quinn.

I'm not sure whether it was shock or curiosity that I let her tug me down the hall and back into the bathroom. Once the door was pushed closed Quinn stepped back, staring at me. Several wordless seconds passed before she finally spoke, her voice hesitant and low.

"Do you have to be so dramatic about everything?" She erupted. I couldn't believe she was actually angry with _me_. We both knew she had no right to be yelling and I gave her a disbelieving look as I crossed my arms over my chest. Once she saw I wasn't going to be intimidated into relinquishing whatever leverage I had in this situation she deflated, her shoulders slumping as she leaned against the sinks.

"Maybe you're not wasting your time." She whispered reluctantly, as if she didn't want me to hear her at all. I remained quiet hoping she would continue.

"No one tries as hard as you do. No one. I've gotten used to you being-" She paused, collecting her thoughts. "All I know is that when you're around I feel like I'm close to finding whatever it is I'm looking for. So just because I say I don't want you around doesn't mean I actually mean it." Quinn was gripping the sink tightly and it looked as if she was struggling to speak. I could tell that this was hard for her to admit, yet this kind of sporadic honesty was not uncommon between Quinn and I. There was an energy between us -some unnamable force- that made it easy to speak to Quinn. To be around each other. To trust each other. That force was what kept me coming back despite the insults and hurt feelings; that force is what made Quinn so unlike anyone else.

I moved in closer prying her hand from the edge of the sink and taking it in my own. Quinn was so warm and soft for a moment I was distracted by the feeling of her skin touching mine. I brushed my thumb slowly along the back of her palm relishing in the contact. Her grip tightened on my hand drawing my eyes to hers. She was staring at me with an intensity I didn't understand -like she was trying to read my mind or something- then she suddenly leaned in pressing her lips to mine. Once the initial shock of what was happening wore off I was able to respond to her actions. It was just as I remembered from last Summer. Quinns lips moved meticulously against mine as if searching for answers in me that only her lips and tongue could define. We stayed exploring each other mouths with increasing desperation, until finally Quinn pulled back. I missed the contact immediately and resisted the impulse to groan my disappointment. Quinn rested her hand softly on my cheek, stroking it tenderly before she let her hand fall back at her side.

I had no words to describe what my body was doing to me right now. It was as if my entire brain was on sensory overload. I felt like the feeling couldn't be contained, like I was bound to explode any moment with too much excitement and pent up sexual frustration. I wanted to touch her again. And again, and again. As many times and as often as should we let me, because somehow touching Quinn (being with Quinn) made everything else in the world fade to black.

As Quinn stared down at me the silence quickly became too overwhelming and once again my lack of impulse control led me to blurt the first thing on my mind.

"You…taste like pink." I whispered, staring at her lips shamelessly. Any embarrassment I was starting to feel after what I'd said was quickly extinguished when Quinn started smiling.

"You always surprise me Rachel." She said, her smile broadening even more. She began to lean back in and I closed my eyes anticipating the touch when suddenly the bathroom door flew open slamming into the wall and startling us both.

"Well if it isn't the brown noser and cigarette ash Barbie. What do you two think you're doing out of class?" Sue marched into the bathroom her eyes scanning over both of us suspiciously. "The only thing that annoys me more that truant students is that tap-dancing squirrel in the faculty parking lot and trust me I have no problem throwing jagged spear-shaped rocks at you two just like I did with him." I looked at Quinn to see if she had any idea what Sue was on about but she just rolled her eyes.

"We were just leaving." Quinn said sounding both bored and annoyed with the interruption. She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bathroom quickly before Sue could deliver another one of her confusing anecdotes. Once we were around the hall corner Quinn turned to me. I could tell she wasn't sure what to say next and since I couldn't seem to _stop _talking I took the lead.

"Meet me after school?" I asked hopefully, praying that she wouldn't withdraw again and disregard everything that had just happened. She stared at me for a while and for a moment I was starting to think she wouldn't answer at all when she suddenly spoke up.

"I'll walk you home after glee practice." She said and I breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't retreating. "There are a lot of 'bad girls' around here in case you haven't heard." She said smirking as she turned away and leisurely made her way down to the opposite end of the hall.

As I watched Quinn walk away I couldn't help thinking that maybe that happy ending was possible after all. And something told me Quinn would make a lovely Pink Prince.

**Sorry for any typos and grammar errors. I can't be bothered to proof right now. :/**


	2. Chapter 2

**Apparently the word "one-shot" means nothing to me. :/ A few of you expressed interest in continuing so I caved. I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoyed bad ass Quinn Fabray and thinks she ended way too soon. This story will continue as a romance between Quinn and Rachel Berry. I don't know how long it will be but probably not very long, just enough to tell the story I have planned. I hope you all enjoy! And thank you so much for reading!**

**Speechless**

**4:45pm**

For the first time in my life I was actually excited to be dismissed from Glee practice. The one hour lesson seemed to drag on endlessly and I found myself fidgeting with nervous energy the entire time. I barely understood one word of the assignment Mr. Schue had issued and my inattentiveness had cost me at least two performance opportunities, which were gladly swooped up by Blaine and Kurt. Yet, somehow I couldn't bring myself to be upset because I knew that in exactly three minutes Glee practice would be over and I could see Quinn again. That is of course if she hadn't changed her mind about meeting me. The strawberry-haired girl wasn't exactly known for her consistency when it came to what she wanted.

"If no one has anything more to add..." Mr. Schue, along with several of the glee club members, paused sparing a quick glance in my direction as if anticipating my customary interjection, but I shook my head much to their relief. "Okay then, I guess that's all for today. See you all tomorrow." Without wasting any time I quickly collected my belongings and made a beeline for the door, ignoring the odd looks I was getting in my rush and Finn's attempt at talking to me. It wasn't until I made it out of the building and into the parking lot that I realized I had no idea where I was supposed to meet Quinn. After all I couldn't just saunter into the skank bleacher hangout after what had happened earlier -that really would be pushing my luck- and I wasn't even sure if Quinn still drove her car to school, so I couldn't wait for her there. Given the options I choose to camp on the school steps, hoping she would be looking for me as she exited the building and keeping my eyes open for any flashes of strawberry pink hair in the crowd of students.

X/X/X/X/X

It was nearly six o'clock when reality set in that Quinn wasn't coming. I might have been angrier if it wasn't for the fact that my disappointment far outweighed any of my other emotions. I held back my tears the entire drive home, fearful that my watery vision would jeopardize my driving ability, but as I entered my bedroom there was little I could do to keep from crying freely into my pillow. Once I'd regained control over myself I lifted my head from the cold, dampness of my now ruined pink lace pillowcase. Maybe I was being overly dramatic, but I was never one to hold back my emotions when I was upset and unfortunately for me Quinn was an expert at holding back.

I startled when I heard the doorbell sound, distracting me from my thoughts. I tossed my legs over the edge of the bed wondering who would disturb our home at such a late hour. Granted, 7:30pm wasn't very late but it was well pass dinner time and certainly not the prime hour for entertaining impromptu guests. I slipped out of my room, brushing my fingertips gently under my eyelids to erase any evidence of my previous hysterics, before walking lightly downstairs to the front door. I stood up on my toes to peek out the peephole and I immediately recognized the pink head of hair bowed under the porch light. My stomach fluttered with excitement but I was still bitter over earlier so I was reluctant to open the door.

"What do you want Quinn?" I spoke through the wooden door, my ear pressed lightly to it as I waited for a response.

"Rachel, open up so I can talk to you." She said sighing in frustration and twisting the handle of the locked door.

"Stop that!" I shouted causing the twisting on the other side to cease. "You can't just come to my house at seven o'clock at night making demands Quinn. I waited for over an hour like an idiot, you could at least take two minutes to explain why you would leave me there." It was silent on the other side for a while and I nervously peeked back out, relieved when I saw she hadn't left. Even though I was upset, I'd rather be upset with Quinn that upset alone in my room.

"I saw Shelby." Quinn said so quietly I had to strain to hear her through the barrier between us. "She's teaching at McKinley now. It shocked me and I needed some time to myself to think about some stuff. I didn't mean to keep you waiting. I looked for you but…" She paused, I could hear in her voice how uncomfortable she was admitting this to me. "Ugghhh, just forget it." Quinn said dismissively. I heard shuffling outside the door and I looked out again to see Quinn leaving down the walkway. I yanked the door back hurriedly, running to catch up with Quinn who, in her haste, had already made it passed two houses.

"Wait!" She stopped when she heard my voice, inclining her head to the right so that she could see me. Though I was unnerved by the idea of Shelby being a constant presence at my high school and the thought of her approaching me made me feel ill, at the moment I cared more about Quinn's feelings than my own. Quinn hadn't seen Shelby since she gave Beth away and despite her recent tough girl routine I knew the memory was still quite raw for her.

"Let me drive you home." I offered, biting my lip nervously and hoping she would accept my offer. She didn't say anything, just turned around and headed back for my house. We walked side by side to the car and Quinn silently slipped into the passenger seat as I stepped inside to get my keys and then returned to the car.

Quinn's house actually wasn't that far from mine, by car it was only 10mins and on foot maybe twice as long. We both knew it wasn't really about the distance of her house, it was about the company we had during the ride. As we pulled into Quinn's driveway I found myself disappointed that our time had been cut so short. Quinn must have had the same idea because we'd been sitting in her driveway for roughly 3 minutes and she hadn't even bothered to undo her seatbelt.

"I'm sorry about Shelby-"

"It's fine." She interrupted. "You don't have to apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. It's probably just as uncomfortable for you as it is for me…maybe even more." Quinn's voice was soft as she stared blankly through my front windshield. "I guess today is just full of surprises, huh?" She smiled tossing a quick glance my way.

"Yeah." I answered lamely retuning her smile. It was quiet for a while before anyone spoke again.

"Do you have any idea what we're doing?" Her voice was careful and low and her expression had darkened to a somber one. She was watching me with hopeful eyes that told me she was relying on me to know the answer.

"I wish I could say I do." I answered honestly, watching the flash of fear that briefly occupied Quinn's expression. As a person who prided myself on preemptive measures and planning it was unsettling to realize I had absolutely no clue what was going to happen with me an Quinn. Were we going to be a couple now, should we go on a date, did she care if I told people about us now that she clearly didn't care about reputation? I didn't have the answers but lucky for me Quinn resolved one of my questions with her next words.

"I like spending time with you Rachel and I don't mean just in school or at practice, I want us to see each other when, you know, no one else is around."

"You mean like…a date?" My voice was hopeful and I could feel the smile tugging at my lips, threatening to spread across my face.

"Not exactly…" I frowned but Quinn smiled reassuringly. "More like two friends hanging out and talking with their tongues super close." Immediately after the words left her lips Quinn winced as if she couldn't believe she'd just made that joke. Despite my best efforts to suppress my amusement I couldn't help the giggling that fit that erupted from me. I clutched at the steering wheel to steady myself, trying to regain my composure.

"Where did you get that from? Brittany or Santana?" I asked still grinning like a madwoman.

"Brittany." Quinn groaned, shaking her head in disbelief of herself, her cheeks blushing a pink that could rival the vibrancy of her hair.

I watched her fondly for a few seconds before reaching across the gear shift and touching her hand. She flinched instinctively at the sudden contact but allowed me to take her hand in mine.

"I don't mind." I whispered, noticing my voice had unintentionally dropped to a huskier tone. My eyes lingered on her pale green ones but I couldn't stop them from dropping to her lips a second later. I wanted to kiss her so badly it seemed physically impossible to restrain myself from doing so. Ordinarily I would have waited for Quinn to make the first move but given our past encounters I was certain she wouldn't reject my advances, especially since she had been staring at me with the same intensity. I leaned onto the center console for leverage as I moved in closer to Quinn. I heard her breath shudder just as my eyes slipped shut an my lips finally made contact with the soft, cherry sweetness of Quinn's. Her mouth moved against mine tediously at first, like she was trying to remember what it felt like to kiss another person…to kiss me. However, after a few moments I felt her hand slip behind my neck gently pulling me forward as she kissed more firmly. Her tongue carefully peeked out a second later, grazing my bottom lip and I eagerly allowed entrance, groaning at the sensation of her touch. She pulled back after several seconds, much to my disappointment, offering me a dazed smile.

"I think I could get used to this." She whispered and I smiled, loving the effect Quinn's touch had on me. "But not in my parent's driveway, they're not even over the whole 16 and pregnant thing yet." She joked mildly, peering over the dash to see the massive, lit up house.

"Oh, I wasn't thinking! I'm sorry Quinn, I'm sure they didn't…at least I hope they didn't see...maybe they could...I don't know-" I rambled feeling terrible for putting Quinn in a situation where she might be in even more trouble with her family, but Quinn quickly silenced me with another kiss, proving that it wasn't a problem. She ruffled my hair as she pulled back and I was surprised that I actually liked the gesture when it was Quinn doing it. Puck had done the same thing when we used to date, yet with him it only annoyed me and prompted an entire routine of hair re-styling. Quinn somehow made it adorable, it was as if any physical contact from her was a good thing.

"I'll see you at school." She smiled before sliding out of the car and closing the door behind her, leaving me in a rare state…speechless.

**Let me know what you think. Anything you want to see happen in the story? Anything you think I can improve on? I'm open to suggestions! Just a heads up, update might be slow for this one. I have a bad habit of starting incomplete stories without finishing the ones I'm already working on. :/ If you guise give me ideas to work with I can write a lot quicker...**

**Stay classy.**


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