vi. you could put an ocean between our love. it won't keep us apart.

Rachel doesn't hear from Lucy.

Days turn into weeks that turn into months, and still nothing.

It's just dead silence, their connection blown apart by whatever happened that fateful day in August.

Though, sometimes, Rachel hears… something.

A whisper.

Barely there, but present.

Sometimes, Rachel feels… things.

They come in flashes, just bursts of emotion that she can't quite decipher in the moment. It's only later, when she lies in bed and tries not to lose herself in the memories of a girl she's unsure she'll ever hear from again, that Rachel recognises the emotions.

Fear, which has been a constant friend of hers.

Helplessness.

Anger.

Despair.

Sometimes, hope.

But, most importantly, determination.

.

Rachel finds it difficult to adjust to the silence, and she compensates by throwing herself into her studies and her music. With majority of her grade having already turned sixteen, a lot of them are already acquainted with their own soulmates, which makes going to school especially difficult for her.

Still, Rachel tries her level best not to dwell on her own situation, but she can't help it.

She misses Lucy.

She misses her friend, and she can't help her worry. It eats away at her, because she knows that whatever she's feeling is nothing compared to what Lucy must be going through.

There are groups at school for students who are going through something similar to her. As tempted as Rachel is to join and maybe share her experience, she doesn't want to give the other students even more ammunition to use against her. It's already hard enough without them knowing that even her soulmate - who is literally destined to be with her - doesn't want her.

.

It's late on Christmas Day when Rachel feels something different. It's something lighter, and she recognises it almost immediately as something like disbelief.

And then earth-shattering relief.

Then she hears it.

It's said softly, scratchily almost, as if the voice is rough from disuse. Rachel thinks she imagines it at first, but then it comes again, clearer this time, and she bolts upright, startling the unsuspecting kitten in her lap.

'Rachel?'

She sucks in a breath, tears springing to her eyes.

'Rachel, are you there?'

And, Rachel bursts into tears, now properly scaring the poor kitten her fathers adopted for her, thinking it would help with her depression over the sudden loss of Lucy.

'Lucy,' she cries. 'Oh, Lucy.'

'Hi.'

'I don't even know what to say to you right now,' she says through her tears, feeling the relief rolling off Lucy in waves. She's sure she's not faring much better.

'I thought it was broken,' Lucy says, almost in wonder.

'What?'

'The connection.'

Rachel straightens, wiping her eyes. 'Are you okay? What happened?'

Lucy waits a moment, as if she's gathering herself. 'I'm okay,' she says, and Rachel can't feel any hint of an untruth. 'I arrived at the group home yesterday.'

'What!'

'Ouch,' Lucy complains about the volume. 'Easy there, Rachel. You're going to give us both a headache.'

'I've been so worried.'

'I know.'

'You could feel it?'

'Some of it, yes,' she says. 'I'm so sorry.'

'Sweetheart, what happened?' Rachel asks, and she can practically feel Lucy warm at the sound of the term of endearment.

'My family found out, she says. 'They didn't… take it… well, and I was sent to this kind of facility where they, essentially, try to force the connection to sever.'

Rachel gasps, tears returning to her eyes. Her fathers mentioned that such places exist, and the horrors of them are almost too much to bear. People wish for death when they're there, and some of them even take it into their own hands.

That loss of connection ends up being permanent.

'But I'm talking to you,' Rachel points out.

'It didn't work,' Lucy says. 'They tried. They tried so hard, but it didn't work.'

'Oh.'

'It's rare, but it happens,' she explains. 'Apparently, our connection is too strong.' She sounds slightly amused by this, and Rachel isn't sure how she's supposed to feel about that. 'I'm sorry. I had to keep the connection closed, so whatever was happening to me wouldn't get to you. It's how they do it, you know? Make you both suffer through the connection, so that you're both pushed far enough to destroy both doors, essentially.'

Rachel actually shudders.

'But, if you can keep it closed, then, I guess it doesn't work.'

'So, they just let you go?' Rachel asks.

'Well, no,' Lucy says, somewhat sheepishly. 'I kind of ran away.'

'What!'

'Rachel, please watch the volume,' Lucy pleads.

'Sorry.'

'I ran away, and then they found me again. They had to tell my family it wasn't working, and then, well, when it was decided it probably wouldn't ever work, I was disowned.'

Rachel holds her breath, trying and failing to hold back her own devastation.

'Which makes me a ward of the state at the moment,' Lucy continues to explain. 'I arrived at a female group home yesterday, and it's the first time in such a long time that I feel I can breathe. My social worker, Holly, thinks I'll probably be here over the holidays, but she thinks she might be able to find a family for me in the new year.'

Rachel closes her eyes. 'I'm sorry,' she whispers. 'I'm so sorry any of this happened to you.'

Lucy doesn't say it's okay, because it honestly isn't, but she does say, 'I missed you.'

Suppressed tears seep through. 'Oh, Lucy, I missed you too.'

.

Despite her assurances to Rachel, Quinn isn't holding her breath for anything about her life to get… better. She's just been through the toughest, most painful few months of her entire life, and any sort of respite is welcomed wholeheartedly.

The group home is… nice.

It's definitely better than where she was before, so she'll take it. She isn't eagerly awaiting something else, and she's willing to suck it up and just live, if it means she never has to go back to the place that worked so very hard not only to strip her of her soulmate, but also of her identity.

The other girls her own age ignore her, and she ignores them right back. It's the younger ones that she converses with, trying and probably failing to make this holiday season a good one for the children who are so clearly unwanted.

She reads them stories and draws them pictures and she even tries to play on the wildly out-of-tune piano, just to get them to smile. She leads them through baking some cookies that they make a mess of decorating, and Quinn is just able to distract herself from the very idea that none of them has a family.

'You have me.'

Quinn can barely get over how amazing it feels to have Rachel back in her head. She's always been in her heart, but she's missed this. She's never going to take it for granted again that she can have access to Rachel just by thinking about - to - her.

'I do have you, don't I?'

'You always will.'

Quinn smiles to herself. 'So, do you have any New Year resolutions?'

'I do.'

'Care to share with the class?'

Rachel giggles. 'Well, for starters, I'm probably going to have to decide on an actual name for this kitten.'

'I still think you should go with Roosevelt.'

'I'm still waiting for you to tell me why.'

Quinn shrugs slightly, as she shifts in her single bed to get more comfortable. She can hear all the other girls breathing and, as wary as she is about sleeping in a room full of other girls, she much prefers it to the crippling isolation and abject silence of the facility she was previously in.

'You'll be waiting a long time,' Quinn says, sounding amused.

'I'm very patient.'

'Well, you kind of have to be if you're going to be involved with me,' Quinn mutters darkly.

Rachel sighs. 'Lucy, what did I say to you about saying things like that?'

'I don't know, you've said many things, Rach.'

Rachel is silent for a moment, marvelling over the sound of the nickname. 'I sincerely hope that wasn't a dig at my tendency to talk too much.'

'Never. '

Rachel huffs, but refuses to comment. 'Another one of my resolutions is to learn how to knit.'

'It is?'

'Why do you sound so surprised?'

'I'm not,' Quinn insists, even though a part of her actually is. 'Is there any specific reason why?'

'Well, I've been thinking about what you said about the situation at the group home,' she explains carefully. 'Short of giving away my own clothes or possibly draining my meagre savings account, I can't do much about helping out with warm clothes, save for learning how to knit. I've actually already started gathering supplies. I'm thinking of starting with scarves and then seeing how - '

'I love you.'

Rachel's ramble grinds to a halt, and Quinn holds her breath. 'Do - do you mean that?'

'Of course.'

'Still?'

'I've never stopped, Rachel,' Quinn confesses. 'We're made of strong stuff. We have to be for our connection to have withstood all that I…' she trails off. She doesn't like to talk about her time at the facility, and she's not about to start now.

'Do you want to hear my next, and most important, resolution?' Rachel asks, her voice barely a whisper.

'Tell me,' Quinn replies equally as softly.

'I want to meet you.'

Quinn's breath catches.

'I want to tell you how much I love you in person.'

.

Lucy tells Rachel about the family her social worker finds for her at the end of January. By then, Lucy is so sick of the other, older, girls at the group home, and she's definitely ready to be anywhere else.

'It's strange,' Lucy confesses the night before she's scheduled to leave. 'I've never actually lived with a family that isn't my own. I'm worried about how I'm supposed to act and what I'm about to say. The other girls are claiming I'll be back before the end of the week.'

Rachel bristles at the sound of that. 'Don't worry about them, Lucy,' she assures her. 'Just be yourself, and this family will be insane not to love you. You have nothing to worry about.'

.

It turns out that Rachel is wrong.

It's not that Quinn does anything wrong, herself. It's just that the social worker failed to mention to all parties involved that Quinn's soulmate happens to be a girl before making the placement and, instead of being sent to another facility, the family has the luxury of just sending Quinn back to the home.

Quinn isn't heartbroken.

She's not.

When she tells Rachel about it, the girl is irate enough for the both of them, muttering obscenities that make Quinn blush and swearing six ways to Sunday she's going to find that family and give them a piece of her mind.

'I'm fine; I promise,' Quinn tries to reassure her. 'A little disappointed that I'm back with these insufferable idiots, but I'm fine. I would much rather be here than with people who…' she trails off, still grappling with the feeling of being so 'unwanted.' As a teenager, finding placements is increasingly difficult, but Quinn won't let her unknown situation get to her. 'It's just better here, Rach.'

'I really love it when you call me that.'

'What?'

'Rach.'

'You're totally weird.'

'And yet, you totally love me.'

Quinn is quiet for a moment. 'What if I end up stuck here until I'm finally old enough to leave?'

'You won't.'

'How can you be so sure?'

'Didn't you say your social worker already found you a new home?'

'Why would this one be any different?'

'You have to have hope, Lucy,' Rachel says. 'It's all going to work itself out, you'll see.'

While Quinn isn't optimistic by nature, she appreciates that Rachel is. One of them has to be in this relationship, and Quinn has found that she's just not cut out for hoping. It's just not who she is.

'And, if that doesn't work out,' Rachel adds, 'you're going to have to give in and come and live with me.'

'Rachel,' Quinn says with a sigh. 'We've discussed this.'

'I know,' Rachel says, 'but it's not a topic of conversation that's just going to go away, okay? Just know that you have a safe place here with me. Always.'

Quinn sighs. 'You're too good to me.'

'I'm your soulmate, Lucy,' Rachel says, and she sounds very serious. 'There's no other way for me to be.'

.

When Lucy tells her about the second family sending her back, she and Rachel both cry. Lucy claims she's fine, but Rachel knows better, and it burns being unable to do anything to make her feel better.

.

The third time, Quinn barely says more than a sentence.

.

Lucy stops talking about it altogether after the fourth family.

vii. i don't want you leaving me now.

"Quinn, do you have any plans for the day?"

It takes Quinn a moment to register the woman has actually spoken to her, because she's been a little lost in thought with ideas about what now. She's in her latest foster home, staying with a woman that her social worker assured her had no problems with same-sex soulmates.

Regardless, Quinn's not holding her breath.

"Not really," Quinn says flatly, absently shifting her scrambled eggs across her plate. "I still have to get some things for school, so I might go to the mall, if that's all right."

"Of course," she says, her smile warm.

It's different here, Quinn knows. She has her own room, and there are no other children. Shelby Corcoran is a first time foster parent, which is really obvious. But, so is the fact that she's clearly trying.

Still, Quinn can't help but be apprehensive.

"Would you like to use the car?" Shelby asks.

Quinn's eyes snap towards her. "Would you actually let me?"

Shelby nods with a knowing smile. "I know we're both still getting used to this, but I want you to be comfortable here. I read a book that said showing a bit of trust goes a long way with teenagers, and I really want this to work out for both of us."

Despite herself, Quinn smiles. Shelby really is trying, and Quinn appreciates that more than she can say. "You said you're going out this afternoon, right?"

Shelby nods.

Quinn has the urge to ask her where she's going, but she kind of likes it here and she doesn't want to do anything to get sent back. "Maybe you can just drop me off when you're headed out, and then I'll find my way back when I'm done."

Shelby seems agreeable. "But, I think it's best that you call me when you're done," she says. "You're still new to Lima, and I don't want you to get lost, okay? I'll pick you up, wherever and whenever."

Quinn told herself she would be the least burdensome she could be, but there's a certain tone - maybe it's care, but it brokers no argument - to Shelby's voice, and Quinn just nods.

Quinn does have a few things to get for her new start in Lima. She'll be attending a new school, starting as a senior, and she's equal parts nervous about, irritated by and relieved because of it.

"Do you have a list?" Shelby asks.

Quinn nods.

"Do you need money?"

Quinn snorts delicately, and Shelby raises her eyebrows in surprise at how graceful she makes the normally graceless action. The girl is a bit of an enigma to her, but she's ready and willing to figure her out. "I think I'll manage," Quinn says.

"Don't hesitate to ask me for anything, Quinn," Shelby says. "I'm not saying I'll always say yes, but we can talk about things, okay? I think you're old enough to be mature about this kind of thing."

Quinn waits a beat, and then blurts out. "Where are you going today?"

Shelby seems surprised by the question, but her answering smile is genuine. "I have to visit someone," she says carefully. "I want to tell you about them, and I will, but I think we have to get to know each other a bit better before I do. Is that okay?"

Quinn regards her for a moment, not sensing any lies. "Okay," she finally says.

"Thank you."

.

'Hey, Rachel?'

Rachel automatically perks up at the sound of Lucy's voice. It's been a rough summer for the both of them, but she gets the feeling Lucy's in a better place, even though the blonde won't talk about it any more. She's decided not to push, because she doesn't think either of them can handle it.

'Hey, you.'

'I have a quick question.'

'Shoot.'

'What are your three favourite colours?'

Rachel doesn't even have to think about it. 'Yellow, pink and green, and in that order.'

'Okay. Thank you.'

'Wait,' Rachel says, sensing that Lucy's about to fade away. 'What's that about? Stay and talk to me.'

Lucy chuckles, and Rachel almost melts at the sound. 'I can't,' she says. 'I'm shopping, and I have to pay attention.'

'What are you shopping for?'

'I promise I'll tell you later.'

'Lucy,' she whines, and then startles at the sound of the doorbell, a smile spreading across her face. 'Actually, you're in luck. Someone's at the door.'

'Saved by the bell.'

'At least someone wants to spend time with me.'

'I love you.'

And, so help her if she doesn't just swoon.

.

'Why does it feel as if you're down?' Quinn asks Rachel as she's putting the finishing touches on her new hair.

Shelby almost had a heart attack when Quinn headed downstairs for dinner with drastically shorter hair, and now the woman is definitely going to keel over and die when she sees what Quinn's done to the colour.

Her thinking is that, if they're already going to stare at her for being the new kid, she may as well give them a reason.

'I'm not,' is Rachel's reply.

'Try again,' Quinn says, frowning at the fact that Rachel just lied to her. 'What's wrong?'

'It's not that anything is actually wrong,' she starts. 'It's just that I was told something today that I'm still processing, and it's not really working.'

'Do you want to talk about it?'

'Not particularly.'

'Well, I'm here if you change your mind,' Quinn offers.

Rachel sighs, almost dreamily. 'Thank you,' she whispers. Then, a little louder, she says, 'So, tell me about this elusive shopping.'

Quinn laughs, running a casual hand through her choppy hair. She really likes it, and she wishes Rachel could see it. 'Just some stuff for school,' she says. 'Nothing exciting, I promise.'

'No contraband, huh?'

'I'm a good girl.'

'That's what you want them all to think,' Rachel jokes. 'But I know you, Lucy.'

'Sometimes, it feels as if you're the only one who does.'

.

Rachel notices her the moment she enters the corridor, and she's definitely not the only one. It isn't even the hair - which is awesome, by the way - but it's her, and Rachel has never really reacted to the sight of a single person the way she's responding to this unknown girl.

It's almost physical, and she forcibly has to stop her feet from moving towards the stranger.

It's completely terrifying, and she feels both panicked and exhilarated by it.

'Rachel? Are you okay?'

Rachel practically jerks at the sound of Lucy's voice, and she drags her eyes away from the girl who is basically floating along, oozing confidence and looking entirely disinterested in anything and everything.

Rachel returns her attention to her locker, her heart thumping in her chest, and she tries to get a handle on her breathing. It's not normal to have such a physical reaction, surely.

'Baby?'

'I'm okay,' Rachel hastily says. 'Just saw something that…' she trails off, because she's unsure how to explain to her literal soulmate that she had such a strong reaction to someone else.

'That what?' Lucy asks, and Rachel can hear the confused frown in her voice.

'Scared me.'

'I can deal with anything but spiders.'

Rachel smiles, despite herself. 'I'm a vegan. I love animals, but even I won't advocate for the continued existence of those eight-legged demons.'

Lucy laughs softly. 'You sure you're okay?'

Rachel doesn't respond to the question, because she's not sure, and she doesn't want to lie, even unintentionally. 'I'm sure I will be.'

Which is a sentence that actually turns out to be untrue.

Rachel keeps seeing that mop of bright pink hair, and her heart keeps reacting traitorously. She thinks she's going to get through all her classes without sharing one with the new girl, but she gets the shock of her life when she walks into her last period of the day and the girl is sitting in the second row.

Rachel's steps falter, but the girl doesn't notice. Her eyes are focused on her notebook, where she's scribbling something earnestly. Rachel manages to walk past without her noticing, and she feels something settle in her stomach when she finds a seat somewhere behind her.

'Okay, seriously, what's going on with you today?'

Rachel sighs. It's not as if she hasn't been anticipating this. She's been all over the place the entire day, and it would be futile not to expect Lucy to notice.

'Something is definitely bothering you,' Lucy says. 'But, it's different.'

'Lucy.'

'Rachel.'

'Have you ever found someone like really attractive?'

Lucy is silent for a moment. 'Like, Ashton Kutcher?'

'Lucy.'

'Another girl?'

'Yes.'

'Like, insanely attractive?'

'You have no idea.'

Again, Lucy doesn't respond for a while. 'I think it's perfectly okay to find other people attractive, Rach,' she eventually says. 'Just, you know, umm… what does that mean for - '

'I love you,' Rachel interrupts, automatically reassuring her. 'This changes nothing, I promise. It's you, Lucy. Only you.'

'Well, I wasn't worrying about that until you brought it up.'

'Sorry.'

'It's okay.'

'Is it?'

'I don't know, Rach,' she says, sighing. 'Is it?'

Rachel sighs as well, her eyes flicking up to look at the girl again. She's stopped writing, and her shoulders look tense. She's almost… pensive, and Rachel can't control her curiosity. It roars to life inside of her, and she wants nothing more than to say something.

But, this girl isn't Lucy.

And, Lucy is her soulmate.

That's a connection one simply cannot and should not fight.

viii. you've been on my mind, from time to time.

As far as first days, and then weeks, go, Quinn thinks she does quite well.

People stare at her, because they were always going to stare. She tries not to pay too much attention to it, and just goes about her days as quietly as possible.

She's shiny and new, so she predictably attracts attention, and she gets asked out seven times by the end of her first week. She declines politely because that's a part of her upbringing her hair will never be able to change.

"You should just tell them you're gay," a voice says when Quinn lets yet another boy down easy, and her head snaps towards a Latina girl dressed in a cheerleading uniform leaning against a set of lockers. "I did."

Quinn regards her for a moment. "And how did that work out for you?"

She snorts. "It didn't."

Quinn finds herself smiling. "Fishing for information, are you?"

She shrugs noncommittally. "You intrigue me."

"Do I?"

"Maybe it's the hair."

Quinn grins. "It's new."

"I can tell."

Quinn puts her Physics textbook into her locker, and shifts aside the books she'll need for after lunch is over. She's always been a good student and, as difficult as the last year has been, she's determined not to let her grades slip.

When the girl doesn't move away, Quinn glances at her, feeling slightly exposed. "Is there something specific you want to know?"

"Your name, for starters."

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out already."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Are you?"

"Santana Lopez."

"Quinn Fabray."

Santana smiles, and Quinn can't tell if she should be worried or not. It makes her feel uneasy, and she feels the need to say something to make sure this girl knows where she stands.

"I'm taken," Quinn says.

"I got that," Santana says, smiling sadly. "I am, too. Sort of. I don't know. It's complicated."

Quinn's shoulders sag slightly, and she can feel the lingering pain practically radiating off of the other girl. "Bad experience?"

"Aren't they all?"

Quinn definitely has her own 'bad experiences,' but she barely knows this girl, and she's not going to reveal her secrets when she can barely bring herself to talk to Rachel about any of it.

"Why don't you sit with us for lunch?"

"Us?"

"Me and my… person," she says uncomfortably. "She's been asking about you."

Quinn considers the offer carefully, and then eventually agrees. She sees something in this girl that she can't explain, but she knows it's important, whatever it is. "Sure," she eventually says, and then dutifully follows Santana to the cafeteria.

"I should warn you," Santana says, glancing over her shoulder. "Brittany is kind of… touchy."

"Touchy?"

"You'll see."

.

It's the sound of a squeal that gets Rachel's attention, and she lifts her head to see Brittany Pierce practically leap onto… Quinn.

Quinn.

Rachel learned her name the second day of school, and she's been unable to think about anything else. It's a problem, and it's not exactly something she can talk to Lucy about.

"Poor girl," Mercedes says from Rachel's left side. "Someone should have warned her to steer clear of the Cheerios. They're just going to corrupt her, and she's far too nice."

Rachel raises her eyebrows. "You've spoken to her?"

Mercedes nods. "Oh, yeah, we have Lit. together," she says. "The girl's pretty smart. Quiet, observant, but quite friendly once you get her talking."

"Yeah?"

Mercedes frowns. "Don't you have Government with her?"

"I do," Rachel says, "but she doesn't really talk in class. Mr Harris is kind of strict, and nobody bothers to ask questions when all the information's in the notes, anyway."

Mercedes hums. "You seem awfully interested in our new girl, Rachel," she says with a smile. "Something you'd like to tell me?"

Rachel shakes her head, flushing slightly. "No," she says unnecessarily, and Mercedes definitely doesn't believe her. "I'm sorted," she adds a moment later. "It's just that she's…"

"I know," Mercedes says, smiling knowingly. Then, as carefully as she can, she says, "You don't really talk about your soulmate."

Rachel nods almost numbly, because she really doesn't. She and Mercedes aren't exactly… friends. They clash a little too much for that, but Rachel knows it's more than that. She doesn't talk about Lucy for very specific reasons.

Sometimes, she's convinced Lucy is going to disappear again, and she's terrified she'll have made this person real, just to have her ripped away again.

Rachel's unsure she'll survive such a thing.

.

'I'm making friends.'

Quinn sounds exceptionally childish as she directs the words at Rachel, but she can't help it. She is making friends.

Sort of.

At least, she thinks Brittany and Santana are her friends. They eat lunch together almost every day, and Quinn feels settled for the first time in a long time. Things with Shelby are going well, and there's a certain ease about Quinn's life that she's desperate to hold onto.

'That's good, Luce,' Rachel says. 'You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that.'

'They're a little bit crazy, though.'

'The best ones generally are.'

Quinn laughs to herself, even as she tries to work on her Physics homework. 'So, how's your crush?'

Rachel predictably groans, and Quinn giggles softly. 'You're never going to let me live this down, are you?'

'Nope. Definitely not.'

'She's fine,' Rachel says, somewhat dismissively. 'I've never actually spoken to her, and I doubt I ever will. She's fallen into a crowd that… doesn't really like me.'

'Nonsense,' Quinn immediately says. 'Who wouldn't like you?'

'You'd be surprised.'

'Then, they're clearly delusional.'

'I'm pretty sure you didn't like me when we first made the connection,' Rachel points out.

Quinn sighs, deep regret fuelling the action. 'It wasn't because of you, and you know that,' she says. 'But, once I got to know you, I realised the error of my ways. I was hooked. You caught me, Rachel, and I'm willingly staying.'

'You always say the right things,' Rachel says. 'You're also such a dork.'

Before Quinn can reply, there's a knock on her bedroom door, and Shelby immediately pokes her head inside, smiling warmly. "Dinner's ready."

Quinn easily returns her smile, because she's allowing herself to do that now. "I'll be right down," she says.

"It's your favourite," Shelby adds, knowing it'll hurry the teenager along, before she disappears from sight. She knows it'll do the trick.

Quinn knows what Shelby's up to, but she plays into her hands, anyway. 'Hey, Rach?'

'Hmm?'

'I have to head down to have dinner with my foster mother,' she says. 'Talk to you later?'

Rachel clearly can't resist, and Quinn chuckles at how predictable she is. 'You're somewhere safe, right?'

'I am,' Quinn assures her as she rises to her feet, dutifully abandoning her unproductive attempt at her homework. 'She's really nice, and we actually get along. She kind of reminds me of you in a few ways, you know?'

'I'm one of a kind, Lucy.'

'Don't I know it?'

'I love you.'

'I love you, too.'

.

Lucy always manages to settle the endless motion of Rachel's head and heart whenever they speak.

Rachel can't be sure if it's actually some soulmate power - she's yet to learn about it, if it is, and she makes a mental note to ask her father about it - or if it's just something unique to the two of them, but it constantly amazes her.

She settles on her bed when Lucy disappears, lying on her back and staring at the ceiling, and tries desperately to still her mind. She's thinking about Lucy and about Quinn and about the cheerleaders who have taken Quinn in and about her Calculus homework and about her next Glee performance.

It isn't long before she falls into a restless sleep, the spontaneous nap catching her by surprise, even as her brain refuses to calm.

.

Quinn is still smiling when she gets to the dinner table, and Shelby raises her eyebrows in question.

It's almost unprecedented that the teenager actually blushes under the scrutiny. "Soulmate," is all she offers, because she hasn't yet told Shelby much of anything about Rachel.

Shelby just shoots her a knowing smile, and then invites her to sit. "I thought that maybe we could talk," she says; "about that thing I said we would talk about when we got to get to know each other better."

Quinn can sense the severity in her tone, so she straightens her spine, and gives Shelby her full attention.

"Firstly," Shelby starts. "This changes nothing about you and me. Our relationship. Your place here will never be in jeopardy, unless you want it to, okay, Quinn? Do I make myself clear?"

Quinn just nods, instantly tense.

Rachel is silent in her head, and she's thankful for it.

"I have a daughter," Shelby says, and Quinn isn't sure how she's supposed to react. "We don't live together. I had her when I was very young, and I was in no place to raise her after…. I lost my soulmate."

Quinn's eyes widen, but she doesn't speak.

"She lives with her adoptive parents in another suburb. She's the reason I even live in Lima, and we've been trying to build a relationship since she was sixteen years old."

Quinn waits in silence.

"I don't really talk about her, because I don't want her to become this… thing." She takes in a breath. "I'm not ashamed of her, but I've been letting her dictate how things go between us. I missed out on a lot with her, and I feel it every day, Quinn. My experience with her is one of the reasons I wanted to become a foster parent."

Quinn nods, understanding that much. "Does she know about me?"

Shelby nods. "I told her as soon as you were settled," she says. "I was a little scared you wouldn't want to stay, so I waited until the first time you rolled your eyes at me to know we had a fighting chance."

Quinn laughs lightly, and then sobers slightly. "Was she mad?"

Shelby sighs, setting her fork on the edge of her plate. She hasn't even eaten a bite yet. "She didn't understand at first. I think it was linked to the belief that she thinks I might have been 'replacing' her, which is just ridiculous. You look nothing alike."

Quinn appreciates the way she's adding humour to ease the intensity of this conversation.

"But we've been talking about it, and she's come around to the idea," she says. "And, if ever you're ready and willing, I'd really like it if the two of you could meet."

Quinn suddenly feels nervous, and it must show on her face, because Shelby reaches across the table and squeezes her hand.

"You don't have to decide now, okay?" she says. "Just, please think about it. You're in my life, and you're important to me. I'd like for her to know you."

Quinn considers that, and then nods. "Okay. I think I can handle that."

The smile Shelby sends her way is blinding, and Quinn knows she's done something right. It's odd for her, because she can't really remember making someone other than Rachel smile simply for the act of smiling.

"Shelby?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I, um, can I tell you about my soulmate?" she asks tentatively. "I don't have to, if it's too hard for you or something, because I can't even imagine what it must have been like to lose your - "

"Quinn," Shelby gently interrupts. "It's okay, Sweetie. You can tell me anything you want to."

Quinn doesn't even bother with her food at this point, even though it's technically her favourite: lasagna. "I - I was terrified of her when we first made the connection," she starts. "I tried to close it myself, because I knew what my family would do if ever they found out she was a girl. It was harder than I expected."

Shelby has heard that much.

"I fell for her pretty quickly, once I gave in," Quinn explains. "I don't know if that's normal, but I was pretty powerless to her charms, and it was difficult to keep it to myself. I was kind of forced into mentioning my soulmate 'R' to my… best friend."

If Shelby notices the trip over the words, she doesn't mention it.

"I knew what would happen if my family ever found out about her," Quinn says. "I mean, I had an idea, but I honestly didn't think it would be like… that." She falls silent, unsure if she wants to dive into the various ways the facility attempted to torture the connection to sever. Still, Quinn kept it closed with every fibre of her being to protect Rachel from any of it. It was her sheer stubbornness that kept the connection from being severed.

And love.

Love, Quinn didn't even know she was capable of.

"I think I'd like to meet her soon," Quinn softly. "If that's okay, I mean. It's just, you know. This is the first time in more than a year that I've actually been settled and stable, and I think this is the me I'd want her to know."

"She's going to love you," Shelby says, smiling warmly. She has her own feelings towards Quinn's family, but she'll never tell them to the teenager in front of her.

One day, maybe.

"You think so?" Quinn asks, suddenly shy.

"She might have a few questions about the hair, but she definitely will," Shelby teases, thoroughly enjoying this side of Quinn.

Quinn just laughs. "I don't know, Shelby, she might actually like it."

ix. some things so sentimental, you make so detrimental.

'I have a question.'

'Shoot.'

Rachel smiles to herself at Lucy's immediate response. 'Wait. Aren't you in school?'

'Aren't you?'

Rachel huffs, rolling her eyes when the boy beside her looks at her. 'That's kind of what I wanted to ask about. I don't even know why I haven't thought of it before, but how do teachers ensure that we're not getting help from our soulmates during tests and exams?'

Lucy doesn't respond immediately, as if she's truly considering it. 'Isn't it some kind of Soulmate Code that you can't use the connection for personal gain or something like that?'

'Are there Soulmate Police?'

Lucy laughs, and Rachel sighs dreamily. God, she's so stupidly in love. 'I love you.'

Apparently, so is Lucy.

'So, I told my foster mother about you,' Lucy says, and Rachel's breath catches. 'And I'm still living with her, so there's that.'

'Lucy,' Rachel lightly reprimands.

'She's pretty great,' Lucy continues. 'I think the chances of staying with her at least until I graduate are high.'

'That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you.'

'We also may or may not have started talking about plans for me to meet you.'

This time, Rachel gasps loudly, and several heads turn her way.

Including Quinn's, clear surprise and something else entirely on her face.

Rachel's eyes meet hers for the first time, and it's as if she's frozen in place. Quinn's gaze is practically pinning her in place, and it feels as if she didn't even exist in the great big world until this very moment.

Quinn is looking at her, and it's as if the girl is seeing everything she has on offer.

"Miss Berry?" Mr Harris says, looking unimpressed with her interruption.

Rachel clears her throat. "Sorry," she murmurs, and then drops her gaze in utter embarrassment. What is wrong with her?

'Hey, Rachel?'

'Hmm?'

'Do you remember when you asked me if I ever found someone really attractive?'

Rachel's heart hasn't managed to slow. 'Yes…?'

'I think I get it now.'

.

"Quinn, you have a visitor."

Shelby's voice startles Quinn from her homework, and a frown slips onto her face. A visitor? She checks her phone to make sure she hasn't missed any texts from Santana or Brittany. It isn't like either one of them just to show up unannounced.

Maybe it's an emergency.

With that thought in mind, Quinn shoots out of her desk chair and practically flies down the stairs. She's sure her mad dash has alerted Rachel to her state of being, and she's unsurprised when she hears a panicked 'Lucy' ring through her head.

'I'm okay,' Quinn says, even though it's possible she's lying.

Quinn makes her way into the living room, expecting to see one of her cheerleader friends, but instead comes face to face with none other than Sadie Michaels.

The breath literally leaves her body and she stumbles to a stop.

Shelby senses the change immediately, and she gets to her feet, moving to Quinn's side. "Quinn, Sweetheart?"

Quinn can barely breathe. "What is she doing here?" she whispers.

Shelby looks nonplussed. "Isn't she a friend from school?" she asks. "She said you go to school together."

Quinn blinks. "Went," she says. "We went to school together."

It takes a moment for the meaning to click, and Shelby's features harden as she shifts into Protective-Mama mode, which actually makes Quinn smile.

Quinn's hand touches her forearm. "It's okay," she says. "I'm - I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

"No."

"Should I give you two a moment?"

Quinn nods.

Shelby looks a bit uncertain, but she eventually relents. "I'll just be in the kitchen," she says, loud enough for Sadie to hear, and Quinn rolls her eyes. She's really starting to love this woman.

When Shelby is gone, Quinn turns her attention to Sadie, though she doesn't move any closer to where the other girl is seated on the couch. Quinn isn't going to be the one to speak first.

When Sadie realises that, she blurts out, "I like your hair."

Quinn's eyes narrow. "What are you doing here?" she asks, and her voice is cold, unfeeling. "Better yet, how did you even find me?"

Sadie keeps her eyes on Quinn. "I, uh, I wanted to apologise," she says. "I had no idea they would - " she stops.

"They would what?" Quinn snaps, suddenly angry. "Send me away? Try to torture the connection out of me? Make me wish for death? Yeah, I bet you had no idea they'd do any of that."

Sadie drops her gaze. "I'm sorry," she says, her voice cracking. "I didn't think they would do… that, Quinn. You have to believe me. I just - they were talking about Ryan like he was nothing, and I couldn't take it, and I knew if I shifted the attention, they would - "

"Ryan?"

Sadie blinks. "My soulmate," she says, her lips curving into a small, involuntary smile. "He's not exactly what my parents envisioned, and we've had… words."

Quinn clenches her jaw. "Are you… with him?"

Sadie nods. "He's the reason I'm here, actually," she says. "He's a bit of a hacker, and he found your records, and I had to come and see you. I tried to find you after… you first disappeared, but nobody would tell me anything. Just that the soulmate problem was getting taken care of. Honestly, I didn't think they would react that way to R."

Quinn's shoulders sag. "R's real name is Rachel, Sadie," she says.

"Oh."

Quinn presses her lips together. "I'm gay, and her name is Rachel. I had… an idea of what would happen if they ever found out, but even I was shocked by what that truly entailed," she says. "They - they strip you of everything. The only thing I had left in the end was her."

Sadie swallows. "I'm sure she's wonderful, Quinn."

"You're not… disgusted?"

"No," Sadie says. "I told you. Ryan has - "

"Been good for you," she finishes for her. "I'm glad."

They descend into silence that is neither awkward nor comfortable, and it takes Shelby bringing in two glasses of lemonade and a plate of cookies to ease the heavy atmosphere.

"How's Declan?" Quinn eventually asks when Shelby leaves again.

Sadie smiles warmly. "He's good," she says. "He and Rebecca are going strong, but I know he misses you. He… wasn't very happy with me when I told him what I knew of what happened."

Quinn just hums, unsure what to say in response.

"Will I be able to tell him I've seen you?" Sadie asks. "Do you still have his number? I'm sure he'd love to hear from you."

Quinn resists the urge to remind her that she lost everything, and she just shakes her head and finds a piece of paper, on which Sadie writes both her number and Declan's.

It's when Sadie's leaving that Quinn cracks her first genuine smile.

"What?" Sadie asks, slightly bemused.

Quinn shakes her head. "I just realised that all three of us have soulmates whose names start with R."

Sadie snorts. "Well, would you look at that."

Quinn pokes her bicep as they stand at the front door. "I didn't know I needed to see you until I saw you."

"I really am sorry," Sadie says, and she sounds so deeply apologetic that Quinn can barely look at her. "I would take it back if I could."

"I know."

"I'll make it up to you, somehow."

Quinn raises her eyebrows. "A part of me knows to be worried," she says.

Sadie smiles innocently. "I really do like your hair," she says, and then she leaves.

Quinn watches her car disappear from sight, and then closes the front door. She's not entirely sure what she's feeling about the entire situation, and she remains standing there, lost in thought, until Shelby comes to find her.

"Are you okay?"

Quinn turns to face her. "I think so," she says. "I'm still processing the entire thing, to be honest."

"I didn't mean to listen in," Shelby starts; "I just wanted to make sure she didn't say anything to upset you."

"It's okay," Quinn assures her. "Thank you, for the refreshments and the subtle support. I really do appreciate it."

"Always, Quinn," Shelby says, her hands twitching at her sides, as if she wants to draw the teenager into a hug, but she's unsure if Quinn will appreciate the gesture. "I, um, also happened to hear your soulmate's name."

Quinn smiles to herself. "You did, did you?"

"Rachel is a wonderful name."

Quinn gives her a questioning look, hearing something specific in her voice.

"It's my daughter's name."

.

Rachel can sense that there's something Lucy wants to talk to her about. It's this nervousness that she gives off, which makes Rachel antsy, but she's unsure if it's a good idea to push her.

'Are you busy?'

Rachel almost breathes a sigh of relief. 'Nope. I'm just working on an English essay that just isn't working.'

'What's it about?'

'We have to write about Time, and I've been toying with the idea of personifying it, him… her?'

'Hmm,' Lucy sounds. 'I like that idea. You can do a lot with that.'

Rachel clears her throat, deftly bringing them back to the topic at hand. 'But, I'm all yours if you want to talk.'

'Are you sure?'

'I'm sure,' Rachel assures her. 'What's on your mind, baby?'

'I - I think I'm finally okay,' Lucy says. 'Like, actually okay. Not in a "maybe okay," but an actual "I'm-not-falling-apart okay." I know I still have a lot of demons, and I'm probably going to have to be in therapy for the rest of my life, but I'm as sure and settled with myself as I've ever been.'

Rachel smiles to herself, sure that Lucy can feel how proud she is through their connection. 'Did something happen?'

'You could say that, yeah,' Lucy says. 'I think I've finally received some form of closure about what happened to me with - with my family, and how I ended up at the facility.'

'Baby, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?'

'I know.'

Rachel shakes her head in amusement. 'I, for one, am glad that you're in the best place you can possibly be.'

'Because it means you're one step closer to meeting me?'

Despite herself, Rachel blushes at the teasing in Lucy's voice. 'No,' she says; 'because you're one step closer to being the happiest you've ever been.'

x. i don't need a whole lot of anything; i just want a little bit of everything.

Quinn isn't sure what she's supposed to feel when Shelby brings up meeting her daughter again. It's been a few weeks since they first discussed it, and Quinn has, admittedly given it quite a bit of thought.

Too much thought, really.

It's also not something she's actively discussed with Rachel. While Quinn tells her soulmate everything, this feels like a Shelby thing, and Quinn doesn't feel it's her place to divulge her foster mother's secrets.

So, when Shelby brings it up again, Quinn doesn't let Rachel feel any of what she's feeling.

And what Quinn is feeling is fear.

What if Shelby's daughter doesn't like her? What if she asks Shelby to send Quinn away? What happens then? What if they meet and they don't get along? What if these are Quinn's last few days in this wonderful home?

"Quinn?"

The blonde snaps to attention, her heart jumping into her throat.

Shelby smiles softly. "Is everything okay?" she asks. "I might not be privy to your inner thoughts like your soulmate, but you're obviously anxious about something, and I would be a terrible parent if I didn't at least try to coax you into talking about it."

Quinn isn't sure what to say. She doesn't want to say anything to jeopardise her position here.

Shelby seems to sense that. "It's okay, Quinn. You can talk to me. I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you." Then: "Is it about meeting my daughter?"

Quinn audibly swallows, but says nothing.

Shelby sighs. "I told you that you have nothing to worry about," she tries to reassure, again. "She's very open to the idea of you, and she's very friendly. If both of you weren't so committed to your own soulmates, I might even consider setting you up."

And, for whatever reason, Quinn blushes. "She - she likes girls?" she asks, frowning slightly.

Shelby nods.

"Is that one of the reasons you're so okay with me?"

"One of, yes," Shelby says, smiling slightly. There's more to it, Quinn can tell, but she's not going to ask. "It helps that you're also rather lovely."

"And she's okay that you just told me that?" Quinn asks, ignoring Shelby's comment.

Shelby nods again. "She's had a difficult experience with her soulmate, but Rachel has never been shy about the fact that her soulmate is a girl, at least with her family, which is what you are. I can't speak for how she is in public, or just at school. She's given me permission to tell you, just in case you are uncomfortable with it."

Quinn blinks. "You didn't tell her about me?"

"She knows you exist, but I wouldn't reveal something like that without speaking with you first, Quinn."

Quinn's throat closes up, an emotional lump forming out of nowhere.

"I told you that you're safe here, and I intend to prove it to you." Shelby's features soften considerably when she notices the wet sheen to Quinn's eyes. "I know we've known each other only a few short months, but you're very important to me, Quinn. We're family now, okay?"

Quinn attempts to swallow the lump in her throat, and then nods.

Shelby smiles widely. "So, can I invite her over this weekend?" she questions. "She's quite curious about you."

Quinn takes a deep breath, settling herself, and then agrees. She has two days to deal with her conflicting feelings, and figure out what she's going to do if Shelby ends up going back on her word.

Because, Quinn is not going back to the group home.

.

'All I'm saying is that you don't have to shut me out when you're in emotional situations,' Rachel says, sounding slightly exasperated. 'I'm here. We're in this together. Baby, you don't have to hide from me.'

Lucy, almost predictably, doesn't answer immediately. And, when she does, she sounds contrite and particularly defeated. 'I'm sorry.'

Rachel sighs. 'Why don't you want to talk to me about whatever you don't want to talk to me about?' She asks the question, knowing that Lucy probably won't give her a straight answer.

'I love you.'

Or, an answer at all.

'Lucy,' Rachel says. 'Please, baby, just talk to me. I thought we were getting better at this. I mean, you even told me about your new friends and about contacting your old ones. Why does it feel as if we're taking steps back now?'

Silence.

Rachel can feel Lucy there, so she waits patiently, splitting her attention between her soulmate and her Statistics homework. She's tempted to ask Lucy for help with it, but that would just offer her a distraction, and Rachel is trying to have a serious conversation.

It takes three full minutes for Lucy to start speaking again.

'Something's happening this weekend,' she eventually says. 'If - if it doesn't go well, then I may or may not be out of another placement.'

'Oh.'

'And then I don't know what happens after that,' she says. 'I don't want to go back to the group home. It's unlikely they'll find some other place for me to go, given that I'm so close to ageing out.' Lucy sounds so defeated. 'I told myself I wasn't going to get attached, but I actually really like it here. I like her, and - '

'And?' Rachel presses gently.

'And I don't know how I'm supposed to meet you without her help.'

'Oh, Lucy.'

'It's okay,' she says. 'I just, well, I'm scared of what happens when I have to leave, and I thought I would have more time to prepare, you know? I want to see you, and I - '

'Lucy.'

'You know, Rachel, that isn't even my name.'

Rachel immediately sits up, launching the kitten that's really a cat now - okay, she ended up calling him Roosevelt - off her chest. 'What?'

Lucy chuckles. 'I mean, it is my first name, but it's not what I call myself. I gave you the name because, at the time, who I was in real life and who I was with you were two entirely different people. Now, I'm trying to be one person, and I'm actually starting to like myself.'

'Your name isn't Lucy?' Rachel repeats, clearly stuck on that.

'It is.'

'But?'

'But not really. I actually go by my second name.'

Rachel isn't sure what to do with this information. In her head, her soulmates's name is Lucy. She can't picture her as anything else.

Well.

Wait.

Unwittingly, a mop of bright pink hair works into her consciousness, and she has to force it out. There isn't enough time in the day to unpack what that could possibly mean.

'Lucy,' Rachel starts, because she has to know; 'what is your name?'

Lucy - or whatever she calls herself - doesn't immediately respond and, when she does, Rachel has the sudden urge to throttle her. 'Tell you what,' she says lowly; 'how about I tell you when I see you in person?'

'No.'

'Yes,' Lucy declares. 'That's exactly what we'll do. It'll be incentive.'

'Believe me, I don't need any further incentive to meet you,' she says in response, grumbling under her breath. 'I would come to wherever you are, right now.'

Lucy sucks in a breath. 'You would?'

'Of course.'

Lucy's smile is practically audible when she says, 'Soon, then.'

'Soon,' Rachel agrees.

.

Quinn, admittedly, is a nervous wreck.

In less than half an hour, Shelby's daughter is going to be here, and Quinn is going to have to face the music. She can only hope, if this girl, Rachel, is anything like Shelby, then she'll be okay.

But, until then, she's stuck in a guessing game.

Quinn preemptively packs her few possessions, expecting the worst because her life experiences have forced her to consider all possibilities. It's terrifying, and Quinn almost wishes it wasn't happening.

But, if she intends to spend as long as she possibly can here with Shelby, then she's going to have to learn to spend time with her daughter.

'I'm nervous,' comes Rachel's voice, and Quinn startles at the interruption to her own thoughts.

'Why?' Quinn asks.

Rachel is quiet for a moment. 'Did I ever tell you that I know my birth mother?'

Quinn frowns, a lingering thought niggling at the back of her mind. 'No,' she says; 'I don't think you've mentioned it.'

'Well, I do,' Rachel says. 'We're not that close. I didn't know her for the first sixteen years of my life, but we've been getting to know each other over the years. I still don't know how I feel about the entire thing, but I try not to think about it too much. Especially now that she's become an actual parent to someone else.'

For a brief, inexcusable moment, Quinn allows herself to entertain the possibility that the Universe is trying to tell her something very important.

But, no.

There's no way.

It's impossible.

'Rachel,' Quinn starts, and her voice sounds shaky even in her own head.

"Quinn!" Shelby yells from downstairs, just as the doorbell rings. "She's here!"

Quinn is frozen in place.

She can't possibly bring herself to move.

'Wish me luck,' Rachel says, and Quinn's heart jumps up into her throat.

'Why?' Quinn asks, even though she's suddenly certain she knows the answer to the question.

'I'm visiting my mother,' Rachel says, her answer coming out far too easily, even though Quinn can hear the nerves in her voice.

'You're visiting your mother,' Quinn echoes, her voice laced with sudden wonder.

'I am,' Rachel confirms; 'So, I should probably go. It's an important day for both of us.' She pauses. 'Well, for all three of us, I suppose.'

'Right,' Quinn says, and then allows the connection to fall silent.

Rachel is here.

It's undeniable.

Rachel, her soulmate, is literally downstairs.

What the fuck are you still doing up here? Quinn asks herself, and then she's running.

And then stopping abruptly.

She glances down at what she's wearing: dark blue jeans and a green sweater Shelby bought for her because she claimed it brought out the colour in Quinn's eyes, and shakes her head in disgust.

"Fuck," she murmurs to herself. Then, just before she turns around to change into something more appropriate for meeting her soulmate, Quinn suddenly doesn't care.

How can she?

Rachel is literally down those stairs.

Without another thought, Quinn goes flying, taking the steps three at time, because they've waited long enough for this moment. She can feel Rachel's worry through their connection, but she's clearly distracted.

By the sound of Quinn.

Who comes barrelling into the kitchen, where Shelby and… oh-my-God-I-know-you are standing around waiting for the kettle to boil.

Quinn's mouth moves before her brain can catch up. "You," she says, and the word comes out muffled, because she almost took a dive to the floor when she entered the kitchen.

Shelby looks at her, worried. "Are you okay?" she asks.

Both teenagers ignore her, eyes and ears for only each other.

Rachel steps forward, a slight frown on her face. "You," is what she says.

Quinn can't help it - honestly, she can't. She starts to smile, which turns into a full-blown laugh… that eventually graduates into sobs of utter disbelief.

Now, Shelby looks distressed, and she steps towards Quinn, as if being closer to her will somehow help her figure everything out.

Quinn sucks in a shaky breath, and then says, "Rachel," in as clear a voice as she can manage. And, then, in her head, she says, 'My God, you're even more beautiful than I imagined.'

It takes a moment, but then Rachel is gasping and then laughing and crying and saying Lucy Lucy Lucy.

And then she's crossing the space between her and Quinn, and it feels so much like coming home once Quinn has this lovely, amazing stranger in her arms.

Still, Shelby watches them, totally lost. "Wait," she says; "From what I'm witnessing, I'm going to guess you two know each other."

Neither teenager says a word.

"But - how?" Shelby questions the silence. "Just, how?"

Eventually, Quinn does break away from the embrace, her eyes filled with happy, unshed tears. "The Universe," she offers. "The Powers That Be. Who knows?"

"I don't even care," Rachel says, her focus on Quinn's face - Lucy's face. "It's you."

"It's me," Quinn echoes.

"It's actually you."

Shelby shakes her head. "I don't even know what's happening right now," she says. "But, I don't even care, either, because I don't think I've ever seen either of you smile this widely." She lets out a laugh. "Quinn, I didn't know you had so many teeth."

Quinn blushes, as if on command, and Rachel reaches out to touch her red cheek in wonder. She's really just checking to make sure the girl is real, which she is.

"I've imagined what you look like so many times," Rachel says, almost reverently. "I was expecting a blonde, to be honest."

Shelby frowns, hating that something seems to be going on that she doesn't understand. "Please can somebody tell me what's going on here."

Rachel, taking mercy on her mother, turns her head to look at her. "This is Lucy," she says, and the fascination is clear to hear in her voice. "She's Lucy, Shelby. You've - you've had her with you this entire time."

Shelby steps back, dazed. "Lucy," she echoes; "as in Lucy Lucy?"

Quinn raises a hand. "Hello," she says; "I actually go by Quinn now, so can we maybe stop with the whole Lucy thing."

"You have pink hair," Rachel says at the same time Shelby says, "You're soulmates."

Quinn grins, and says, "Hi," to them both.

Rachel reaches up to touch Quinn's hair. "Do you want to know something funny?"

"Funnier than this situation we find ourselves in right now?"

"Much funnier."

"You know you can tell me anything."

Rachel sucks in a breath, and then confesses, "You're my crush."

If Quinn's grin could get any wider, it does. "So, you find me insanely attractive, huh?"

Rachel blushes brightly. "And you find someone else also ins - "

"You," Quinn says. "You, Rachel."

Rachel cocks her head to the side, her heart thumping in her chest. "God, I really want to kiss you, right now."

"Uh, hello," Shelby says with a wave of her hand. "Your mother is standing right here."

Quinn winces at the sound of that. "That could get awkward really quickly," she comments. "Shelby, please don't say anything like that ever again."

Shelby lets out a nervous laugh. "Noted."

Rachel turns Quinn's head to look at her, and says in her head, 'Actually, I want to do more than kiss you.'

Quinn lets out a surprised squeak at the sound of those words, her eyes widening.

"What?" Shelby immediately asks, looking between the two teenagers.

"Oh, it's nothing," Quinn rushes to say, her eyes never drifting away from Rachel's face. "Rachel was just telling me something."

Rachel blushes, because that something is definitely not for her mother's ears.

Quinn smiles unabashedly at being able to see Rachel's flushed cheeks - instead of just having to imagine them - and then turns her gaze on Shelby for only a moment. "This is just my soul responding."

Fin