A/N: G!P Faberry story, if you don't like it don't read it.

CHAPTER 1

She was tired. She had spent the past 9 hours sitting behind the wheel, stuck behind snails and avoiding the crazy drivers, while mentally listing the reasons why she chose to go back to her hometown instead of spending it in the City or abroad with her friends.

Money was not a problem, both her parents and he personal trust fund granted her a good lifestyle, but the divorce between her mother and father was still too fresh not to play a good kindred daughter, who juggled her time between them.

She did not know what had happened but she was not naïve enough to think her parents would have lasted forever. They were too different and love was definitely not enough to overcome the miles between them; maybe it was just for the best.

She sighed at the sight of the Welcome sign, marking the entrance to the city that slept even too much for her own liking; maybe the years spent at Yale and then in New York had gotten her used to pretentious rhythms, but Lima – Ohio – was really too small to even fulfill her dreams and her adventures. A house with a white picket fence? Not her cup of tea.

She took her time to look around herself, crossing some families with kids or elders sitting on the park benches, as she took turns and familiar streets before stopping in front of her childhood home. The house was probably the biggest in the neighborhood, if not even in the whole damn town. "When Fabrays play, they play big". She could almost hear her Grandfather's words in her ears, reminding her of the wealth and the power they carried, it was part of her heritage.

Stopping the car, she took in a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel one more time before slipping out of the driver seat, stretching her sore limbs. She tapped her fingers on the roof of the car, looking around for familiar faces but no one was apparently there, probably too busy lurking in the shadows of their homes, taking a peak from behind the curtains. Chuckling softly, she shut the door closed and locked the car.

The path to the main door hadn't changed much, but the garden was blossoming with renewed colors and flowers, probably another outcome of the divorce. She stood in the doorway, running a hand through her hair and went to put her key into the lock, when the doorknob turned and the mahogany door was pulled open from the inside.

"See you tomorrow, Mrs. Fabray." A slightly familiar brunette was on the other side of the doorway, still not having noticed the blonde frozen in her spot. "Oh hello?" The brunette was slightly shorter than her, wearing a red sundress and low strapless sandals, matching her outfit. Everything was completed by a small headband, with the same color.

"Hello?" Quinn's hand was still suspended mid-air, with her key between her fingers. Who was this stranger in her house? Had her mother sold the house without telling her?

"Who are you?" The brunette stood rooted in the doorway, with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I should be asking you that question, since this is my house or at least, I hope it still is." Quinn tried to take a peek inside, catching some familiar pictures and furniture pieces.

"Oh, you are Mrs. Fabray's daughter. I apology for my inquiry, I am-"

"QUINNIE!" Mrs. Fabray's loud voice startled both girls. The elder woman walked through the doorway and engulfed her youngest daughter in a tight embrace, kissing her face wherever she could reach, despite the embrace.

"Mom!" Quinn tried to pull back from the death grip, mostly after hearing a soft giggle coming from the brunette standing there, who was enjoying the scene too much for her own liking. "Mom, we have guests." She whispered loudly and pulled out from those arms, fixing her oxford shirt and her hair.

"Oh dear, Rachel is not a guest. She is my vocal coach!" Judy turned towards the brunette, smiling brightly at her before turning back to her puzzled daughter. "I am entering a musical contest in Cleveland and Rachel was kind enough to give me lessons. She was on Broadway, right dear?"

"Broadway? Very nice. Maybe I saw some of your plays." Quinn looked over the brunette, who had visibly saddened. "I am Quinn, nice to meet you."

"Rachel, very pleased to make your acquaintance." Rachel shook the blonde's outstretched hand, meeting her gaze briefly. "I really should let you get some rest, the trip must have been long. I will see you soon, both."

"Oh dear, do you need a lift? Quinn can take you home, right Quinnie?" Judy looked between the two, who were still engaging a weird staring contest.

"Sure, no problem." Quinn nodded sincerely.

"I'd like to take a walk, I'll drop by the tire shop and have Finn take me home. It was a pleasure, really. See you tomorrow, Mrs. Fabray." Rachel smiled lightly and then walked down the driveway, before crossing the street and taking the first road on the right, disappearing from their sight.

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"Thanks for the exquisite dinner, Mom. We could have ordered take out." Quinn pushed her plate to the side, finishing the last sip of her wine and wiping her mouth with the napkin. Her mother had definitely gone out of her way to make her favorite meal, from scratch.

"Oh don't be silly. Take out is for emergency, I hope I taught you better than relying on junk food, Lucy." Judy pushed her napkin aside and poured herself another glass of wine, relaxing back in her chair.

"Yes, Mother." Quinn chuckled and reached forward, covering her mother's hand with her own. "How are you doing? Is the divorce going smoothly or should I kick some sense into Dad?"

"I never met someone as stubborn as your Father, but if you can manage to put some sense into him, you might be the only one meant to succeed." Judy squeezed her daughter's fingers.

"Is he being an asshole? Do you have a good lawyer? I can call some friend of mine and-"

"Oh shush, we are not even reaching that point, Lucy, and don't badmouth your father. He is just being petty on some things." The elder woman stood up, grabbing the dirty dishes and walking to the kitchen, followed by her daughter carrying the glasses and the remaining items.

"Such as? You have somewhere to stay, right?" Quinn started loading the dishwasher and looked up at her mother, who nodded softly.

"He is not going to touch this house; it belongs to both of us. He just doesn't want to be reasonable about the lake house and the boat."

"Well, you have the house at the Hamptons right? The lake house could be his?" The blonde student leaned against the counter, watching her mother put the coffee pot on. "You never liked the boat, anyway."

"Oh gosh, I feel like talking to your father." Judy scoffed and wiped her hands on the kitchen towel. "The boat is named after me, ergo it should be mine!"

"I am sorry, Mom. It's just that you never learnt how to take the boat out. I'd tell you to leave it to him and you get the Harley?" Quinn hugged her mother from behind, kissing her cheek apologetically.

"Oh yes! I forgot about the Harley. Good idea, Quinnie." Judy clapped her hands in joy and poured some coffee in two mugs, missing her daughter's scowl at the nickname.

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Quinn followed her best friend inside the crowded house.

The party was definitely at its peak. People were doing cannon balls in the pool, some other were dancing wherever they found enough space to do so and alcohol was flowing like the worst fraternity and sorority parties she had ever attended, in her college years. She had just gotten back from New York and was happy enough to sit by her own pool, drinking a beer and reading her favorite book when Dave had asked her to meet him at his house and follow him to this party, not to miss out on the fun.

Almost two hours later, the fun was supposedly still there but she was bored as fuck. Her ears ached from the music blasting from everywhere and her thirst for alcoholic beverages had become less alluring as the hours went by. She stood by the furthest corner of the backyard, staring up at the sky when she heard the distinct voices of two people arguing, not too far from where stood.

Looking back, she spotted Rachel – visibly soaked to the bones – moving her hands and yelling back into some guy's face. She had seen him around, for sure, but wasn't able to place the name, not that she even cared about it. Turning slightly, she managed to catch the heated exchange, without making it too obvious she was staring. She kept on sipping from her beer bottle, enjoying the small show within the party from an external and outside perspective. She knew she had very good observation skills and this was another chance to put them to good use.

Rachel was barely catching a breath between words, making sure to prove her point across. She was too angry to even notice the colder breeze blowing from the North, making Quinn shiver herself. She was pointing to the crowd and the pool and then back at herself, reviewing the events that had led to her current state. What really amused Quinn, though, was the way the tall guy was taking everything in, frowning and even appearing lost. Maybe he was too inebriated to follow her or maybe – Quinn's personal favorite – just too slow. He didn't look like the brightest crayon of the box.

As soon as Rachel had let everything out, she had inwardly stepped closer. She knew the other guy had too many inches on her, but she knew how things could go, she had seen it too many times. Her feet hadn't carried her too close and her front was still facing away from them, but she could hear his words and detect the angry tone, as he tried to defend himself and, apparently, his circle of friends who had thrown the petite brunette in the pool just because it was "funny". He took advantage of their height difference, towering over the brunette and reminding her that his friends were the only friends they had. Each word was more spiteful and harder to digest. Each tone was darker and more slurred. He was drunk and mean enough to shut her, before walking away without a glance back.

"Here, take this. You are going to catch a cold." Quinn draped her jacket over the brunette's trembling shoulders. She couldn't really tell if she was crying or just feeling cold, but she couldn't really ignore that ache in her stomach, after what she had witnessed.

"I will ruin it; I can't take it." Rachel wiped her eyes with her hands, trying to look less miserable as she faced the kind stranger. "Quinn?"

"Funny to meet you here, guess we have more acquaintances in common than we thought so." The blonde helped her in her jacket, zipping it up and rubbing her arms and shoulders gently, trying to provide some warmth. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"No. No. Finn…he means well. It was my fault." Rachel whispered softly, sobbing lightly. "I should go find him and apologize."

"Let him calm down, he is too mad to even accept your apology. Take this." Quinn grabbed her handkerchief from the pocket of her jacket and wiped her cheeks and eyes gently. "There, all better. No one should dare to make someone as beautiful as you cry." She whispered softly, retreating her hand from the girl's face.

"I am not beautiful." Rachel whispered, mostly to herself, looking down at their feet.

"You are very beautiful. I am surprised you don't hear that enough." The blonde lifted the collar of her jacket and looked around to spot Dave or even the tall guy from before. "Do you need a lift home? You should get out of these clothes and jump in a hot shower."

"I came with Finn. I should go find him." Rachel pulled from the blonde's tender touch, ready to unzip her jacket and give it back to her. "Please take this and I am sorry for having caused you so much trouble."

"Don't worry about that, let me help you find him." Quinn took the jacket back, despite the protests and looked around in the crowd, trying to spot someone as tall as the guy in question.

"It's something I should do on my own, please. Thank you again." With that said, the brunette slipped out of her grasp and walked back in the house, disappearing from her sight. The blonde stayed rooted there, holding onto the jacket and her handkerchief.

"Quinn! Where have you been? I was looking for you!" Dave wrapped her in a side hug, kissing her cheek sloppily. He reeked of alcohol and cigarettes.

"Dave, do you know who is the guy with Rachel?" She spotted the couple in the crowd, pointing at them with her finger.

"Berry? Oh yes, that's Finn Hudson. He was the quarterback at McKinley High, don't you remember him?" Dave hiccupped and leaned heavily on his friend, whose gaze was fixed on the couple visibly making up on by the window that led to the backyard.

"No. Why does she sound familiar?" She looked over to him, who was grinning like a fool and stared between the kissing couple and her interested friend.

"She led McKinley to win the Glee National Championship and took off to New York. You would have known that if you had joined Vocal Adrenaline, we beat them every year until our senior year." Dave rested his head against his friend's shoulder, closing his eyes not to see the backyard spin around him.

"Have they been together for long?" Quinn slipped her arm around her friend's waist, holding him up and moving to the closest lawn chair for them to sit on. Her eyes couldn't help but go back to the brunette leaning against the guy's arm, as he played beer pong with his friends.

"Very long, Hudson popped Berry's cherry despite the rumors of many girls behind Berry's back, she left New York for him. They got married 4 years ago." Dave breathed in deeply, burping lightly. "Q-ball, I don't feel very well."

"Let me take you home, big guy." Quinn stood up, holding Dave against her as she walked toward her parked car. As she walked away, she turned to stare back inside, catching Rachel's eyes with hers for one last gaze.

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Quinn was sorting through her old things, in her bedroom, when the doorbell rang. She wasn't really expecting anyone and her mother had gone out in the early morning, to run few errands around town. She dusted her hands on her shorts, making sure they covered her fully and let the hem of the shirt run a bit longer over her front, before walking barefoot downstairs. The summer heat was not that unbearable, but it still got her sweaty enough to feel the clothes stick to her body in an uncomfortable way and her cheeks flush, on their own accord.

"Rachel? What are you doing here?" Quinn was surprised to find the brunette standing there, with her hands clasped together and a messenger bag draped over her shoulder.

"I am here for my 10 AM lesson with Mrs. Fabray, is it a bad moment?" Rachel took a second look at her outfit, taking mental note of her appearance. "I didn't mean to wake you up, you must be trying to get some rest here."

"I was just moving things around and getting rid of the old stuff. My mom must have forgotten about her lesson; do you want me to call her quickly? Maybe she is on her way back." The blonde reached for her phone, starting to dial the familiar number.

"Don't worry about that, we can reschedule at a better time. Thanks for the offer, have a good rest of the day, Quinn." Rachel turned on her heels, ready to walk away from the blonde and go back to that empty house and wait for Finn to get back.

"Wait. Do you want a cup of coffee? I could use a break, plus I'd like to know more about this contest in Cleveland." The blonde stepped aside and welcomed the brunette in, who silently accepted her offer. Quinn mentally patted herself on the back, for having found such a quick way to get the other girl to stay. "How do you like your coffee?"

"1 sugar and a bit of soy milk, but I assume your mother only has dairy. So black with sugar will be fine as well." Rachel sat at the kitchen table, watching the blonde move around the kitchen to retrieve the mugs and the sugar.

"Ha! My mom stocked on soy milk for you, then." Quinn smiled triumphantly and sat the soy milk on the table, beside her own regular milk. "How long have you been giving my mom lessons, Rachel?" She still faced the coffee pot, waiting for it to be ready.

"Not really for long. I think one of my Daddies recommended me to her and it was just 3 months ago." Rachel thanked her for the cup and stirred it slowly, blowing some cold air on the hot beverage.

"One of your Daddies? As in you have more than one?" Quinn raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

"Yes, I have two fathers. Is there a problem with that?" Rachel knew that Lima was still a too small place to be that understanding, but she still held hope for the youngest generations to be more open and accepting towards another kind of love.

"Of course not, I'd be pretty hypocrite if I had issues. I was just surprised, that's all." The blonde smiled and walked to the kitchen cabinets, retrieving the cookie jar only to find it empty. "Oh darn it. Where are my cookies?" She pouted down at the empty box and sighed in defeat.

"Oh gosh, are you serious?" Rachel couldn't help but giggle. The young woman in front of her was probably her age, but could revert in a cute and younger version of herself so quickly.

"I am very serious. My mom knows not to mess with my breakfast cookies." Quinn sighed and leaned back into the seat, sipping her coffee with a pout.

"Well, I make terrific chocolate chips cookies. Maybe I could make some for you?" Rachel stood up and walked to the cabinets, checking around for the ingredients but some were clearly missing. "I am afraid they have to wait, you lack some of the ingredients."

"What about running to the store quickly? I really wanna taste those cookies of yours, now that you mention it." The blonde jumped to her feet and grabbed a notepad and a pen, handing it to the brunette. "Write down a list and I'll go change quickly!" With that said, she ran all the way upstairs and into the shower, to wash the dirt off herself, unaware of the silent but smiling brunette standing in her kitchen.

Half an hour later, Quinn was pushing the shopping cart along the store aisles. Her eyes were scanning each shelf and fridge for something delicious to buy and, whenever she found something, she didn't even think twice before adding it to the cart, that was now filled with more items than those on Rachel's list. The brunette, on the other end, couldn't help but chuckle at the pile of unlisted food filling the cart. Getting groceries had always been a quick and boring task for her, trying to keep it within their limited budget and sacrificing most of her more expensive vegan food.

"Could you make vegan cookies too?" Quinn stopped the cart, staring up at the brunette who was lost in her own thoughts and just snapped out of it.

"Why would you like to go vegan?" Rachel raised an eyebrow, challenging the blonde's dietary habits.

"I am open to the experience of veganism, but I'd really like for you to have some food around the house when you come visit." The blonde walked to the snacks section, going through some vegan friendly foods as the brunette stayed behind, taken aback by her comment.

"You shouldn't go through that much trouble for me, Quinn. I barely stay for a couple of hours." Rachel tried to put the snacks back, but the blonde held them high above their heads.

"Nonsense. I'd really like if you stopped by even past the business hours with my mom." The taller girl threw some packages back into the cart, not even checking if they had made or missed it. "I don't have many friends in this town, Rachel, and I would like to get to know you better." She smiled softly and walked back to the cart, pushing it forward towards the dessert aisle.

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True to her statement, Quinn was really interested in getting to know Rachel better. Besides Dave, she couldn't really say she had too many friends left in Lima; most of her tight friends were either from Yale or back in New York. Rachel was the first person that actually spiked her interest. Maybe it was just because of her obvious talented nature, her passion or maybe it was because she had gotten strangely attracted by her and by her challenging background, that made her even more interesting to Quinn's eyes.

Friday's lesson was usually a bit shorter than usual, because Judy had her weekly book meeting with her neighbors that started in the late afternoon and usually lasted until after dinner, making it a hell of a long meeting. Quinn was sprawled on the couch, nose buried in one of her favorite novels, when Judy had left with the explicit order to take care of their guests. The blonde had rolled her eyes at that order, but she couldn't really complain of the company she had been left with.

"So, what are your usual plans for Friday's nights? Does Finn take you out for dinner?" Quinn sat up on the couch, patting the space beside herself for the brunette to take.

"It used to be like that, but lately I just head to my Daddies' while Finn goes out with his co-workers. He says he needs some time for himself, from time to time." Rachel sighed and leaned back into the seat, closing her eyes temporarily.

"That just happens to be on weekly basis, huh?" The blonde already disliked this Finn guy and she didn't even have the displeasure to speak with him. "Do your Daddies expect you for dinner or do you think I can borrow you for one night?"

"What do you have in mind?" Rachel looked at the blonde, who wore a knowing smile. She couldn't really stop staring at the way those lips had twisted, revealing a string of pearly white and perfect teeth that could make dentists proud of their job.

"You will see. Let me grab my keys and we can go." Quinn bolted out of her seat and slipped a pair of flats on, before retrieving her set of keys and her wallet. She waited by the door, keeping it open for Rachel before following her out to her car.

"Can you give me a hint about where we are going? I didn't even bring a spare change of clothes, what if my outfit is inadequate?" The brunette fastened her seatbelt, looking over at her companion who had still that same smile plastered on her face.

"Inadequate? You could wear a mail sack and you'd still look great." Quinn winked at her, smirking proudly at the soft blush tinting the brunette's cheeks. "Your outfit is very appropriate for where I'm taking you, plus there's no one else I'd bring with me, to test this experience out."

"Oh geez, should I feel flattered or scared? What about your best friend?" Rachel looked even more worried, at that revelation.

"He is not really into this kind of stuff, he has trust issues with food." The blonde shrugged as she sat the destination on her iPhone, before connecting it to the Bluetooth of the car. "I am sure you'll like it, just trust me on this." With that said, she started the car and pulled out of her house's driveway.

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"Quinn, I am not totally comfortable with this. Quinn?" Rachel reached forward, trying to make any contact with the girl sitting across from her, who was silently smiling and avoiding the touch, just to see the brunette squirm some more. "Quinn? Are you there? This is not funny!" She tried to peek under the blindfold, but a pair of gentle hands kept it in place.

"I am here, sorry." The blonde scooted closer to the table and covered the girl's hands with hers, smiling when she felt her relax under her touch.

"Don't do that again, Quinn Fabray." Rachel knew she was pouting. She had wanted to try this kind of "dark dining" restaurants for a while, but Finn had never liked the idea, also given to the expensive food they served there.

"Sorry, it was just too hard to resist the chance of teasing you." The blonde reached for the food in the middle of the table and scooped some with the fork, moving it to the other girl's mouth. "Open up."

"Is there any trace of meat or dairy?" Rachel pulled back, closing her mouth. She had limited her vegan habits, because of their limited budget, but she tried to honor it if she could.

"This is a vegan friendly restaurant and personally picked the vegan items, so that you wouldn't have to worry about being fed, without inspecting the food yourself." Quinn moved the fork closer to the girl's mouth, who finally gave in and opened it, welcoming the small piece of lasagna in.

"Oh my gosh, this is so good. Is it vegetarian lasagna with zucchini and artichokes?" The brunette savored the small portion, chewing on it slowly before swallowing it down.

"Bingo. You are very good at this." The blonde smiled and moved the straw to Rachel's lips, letting her take a sip from her soda glass. "Do you still regret having followed me here?"

"Never regretted, just being doubtful Quinn." The shorter girl, tugged the blindfold off her eyes and got another piece of lasagna, gently moaning in appreciation. "When is my turn to test your trust?" She smirked with mirth and dug into her plate, almost finishing it.

"Go ahead. I am quite famished myself, after that small appetizer we shared." The blonde called the waiter over and placed the blindfold over her eyes, reclining back into the seat, with her arms crossed over her chest.

The brunette looked down through the menu, scanning the different choices and pointing to the waiter silently, not to give the blonde any hint about it. As soon as she was done, she took a moment to observe the girl across from her. She was undoubtedly beautiful, she couldn't really deny that. She looked like one of those popular girls that used to walk down her high school hallways, showing off their perfect bodies in those tight Cheerio outfits and making her feel unsure of herself. How could she really compete with that? How could she still do that, when someone like Quinn sat across from her? What was she even doing there? What did she even see in her?

"Rachel? Is everything okay?" Quinn voice broke her out of her daze, almost as if she could read through that uncomfortable silence.

"Why did you bring me here, Quinn? I have a husband, I shouldn't be here." Rachel shook her head and reached for her purse, searching for enough money to pay for her half.

"Hey, what's wrong?" The blonde lowered her blindfold down around her neck. She could read the worry and the panic in the girl's eyes, but still couldn't understand what had triggered that.

"I shouldn't be here, I am sorry but I have to go." The shorter girl stood up and gathered her things, walking towards the main exit with the blonde hot on her heels.

"Rachel, wait up." Years of gymnastics and her running habits were helpful to catch up with the girl, just outside the restaurant, before she started dialing for a taxi. "Hey, what happened? Did I do or say something that offended you? You could have just kicked me under the table." Quinn stood in front of Rachel, lowering herself to meet her eyes with hers.

"You don't get it, Quinn. Girls like you shouldn't waste their time with someone like me." Rachel looked away from the blonde, shivering lightly.

"Girls like me? What does that even mean?" Quinn scratched the back of her head, confused about that statement. "I told you that I would like to be your friend, nothing else. I like you, Rachel, why should there be something wrong with it?"

"You are a successful college student, for God's sake, you went to Yale and you live in NY. I am just a small town girl who got left behind and dreamt too big." Rachel raised her hands and ran her fingers through her hair. "You and I come from different worlds. You are going to forget about Lima, as soon as summer is over."

"Do you believe I am that shallow? Lima is my hometown, of course I will always think about it. I have friends left in New Haven, but just because I moved to New York it doesn't mean I don't keep in touch nor care about them." Quinn huffed and sighed in deeply. "Look, I don't know who you think I am or what kind of strange stereotype I remind you of, but I am nothing like those girls. Up to you whether you want to trust me on this." The blonde shook her head in disappointment. "I'll go pay and I'll take you home." With that said, she walked back inside to retrieve her things and pay the bill, leaving Rachel to her thoughts outside.

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