Title: Better Where It's Wetter (9/9)
Author: recall_the_love
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Rachel/Quinn
Word Count: 9567
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the characters from the show - but I do own the original characters featured in this. Atlantis is a geniune company for gay cruises, but I've never been on one so most of the details are made up.
Summary: rq_meme prompt: Rachel and her dads are going on a LGBT family-friendly cruise for the summer and Rachel's told she's can bring a friend. Who else to bring but Quinn?
Notes: Final chapter! Make sure you read the long authors note at the end. (Don't skip to it. It won't be worth it unless you read the chapter first, trust me!) Hope you've enjoyed the story 'til now and you like this final installment. =)

The knock on the door was what woke Quinn. It was still quite early in the morning although the sun light was making a feeble attempt to break through the heavy curtains of the windows. As she sat up, the sheet slid off her bare chest and she realised she was, in fact, rather naked and probably shouldn't go to the door in her current state of dress.

She shrugged on the first items of clothing she pulled from the drawer - which happened to be a skirt of hers and an argyle sweater of Rachel's. Quinn was pulled from wondering why the brunette's clothes were mixed in with hers at all by a second knock at the door. She glanced at Rachel, making sure the covers were pulled up over her nude body before going over to see who the hell had decided to wake her up from her peaceful slumber.

Thomas was on the other side, a small bag hanging from his shoulder. The man raised his eyebrows as he took in Quinn's attire. 'So now you're dressing like Rachel as well?' Looking over her shoulder, he caught sight of the pyjamas dumped messily on the floor of the cabin - quickly putting two and two together. 'I see.'

Mortified, Quinn stepped outside the door and quickly shut it behind her. 'Thomas, I -'

He held a hand out to stop her with a strained smile. 'If it's all the same to you, Quinn, I'd rather not hear it.' He jerked his head up the hallway. 'Come on, I was going to see if you wanted breakfast with me a final time, since it's our last day on the ship and all. We can… talk.'

Quinn wished she could've run back into the cabin and hidden from the chewing out she was sure to get from Rachel's dad. Instead she had to reluctantly follow Thomas up to the breakfast room, dragging her feet as she dreaded what was about to happen.

Thomas sat her down and told her curtly that he would return with her food. Quinn bowed her head, trying in vain to rehearse what she wanted to say. But what on earth could she say? Sorry I've slept with your daughter? Multiple times in the past few days? Sorry I had to cover her mouth with my hand because she moaned so loudly when she came?

Quinn thought she probably shouldn't say any of that.

Thomas came back and placed a bowl of cereal in front of her and some fruit salad in front of himself.

'Thanks,' she whispered.

Although she was hungry, she couldn't quite bring herself to eat - her stomach was jumbled with nerves. Thomas wasn't eating either.

Eventually, he sighed. 'Quinn, don't tell me you're still scared of me.'

The blonde was startled. 'What?'

'I've known you a little while now. I'd like to say we've bonded. So it totally confuses me as to why you're sitting there like I'm about to beat you over the head with Barbra Streisand.'

'But you were all, "we can talk!"' Quinn cried. 'You sounded threatening and I thought you were going to yell at me, or something.'

'Why would I yell?' he asked curiously.

'Because I'm…' She gestured, unable to say the words. 'You know. With Rachel. I thought you'd be mad…'

'No!' Thomas cleared his throat, looking embarrassed with the way the conversation was going. He pressed on regardless. 'Listen, Quinn. The only thing that concerns me is how quickly the two of you are moving. I know you two can't get each other pregnant but it would be the same if Rachel were dating a boy.

'The two of you need to respect each other and obviously - although James would like to disagree, I'm sure - we can't really impose on you in your cabins here. However, I think we're going to need some boundaries when you're in our house.'

Quinn nodded. 'That's fair,' she mumbled.

Thomas leaned back in his chair with a wry smile. 'Then again, the two of you are teenagers. It's likely you'll find a way around whatever rules we set up… I'm assuming last night wasn't the first time?' he asked bluntly.

She shook her head in response, her cheeks flooded scarlet. She barely talked about sex with anyone and could hardly believe she was being so direct to her girlfriend's father. 'N - no. Um. Thursday was… After the dance…'

'I thought Rachel seemed a little too happy for my liking the next day…' Thomas shrugged. 'I think we need to have this talk as family. Don't you?' He reached out and touched Quinn's hand. 'But just remember, I'm not mad. In fact…' Thomas bent down and opened the bag he'd been carrying and pulled out a book. He handed it to Quinn. 'I want you to have this.'

Quinn frowned slightly, taking hold of it. She flipped through the book, seeing all the blank pages with literally nothing on them. She said politely, 'Uh... it's lovely?'

Thomas laughed at her. 'Quinn, there's nothing in it for a reason. But I appreciate you trying to spare my feelings,' he teased. Thomas drew from the bag a digital camera with navy blue casing. Quinn had seen this camera a few times over the course of the holiday. He flicked a button, turning it on. 'As you know, photography is kind of my hobby. I don't have a flashy camera and I'm not that skilled at it yet. Even so, I like taking photos… candid shots are my favourite.' He moved into the seat next to Quinn and showed her the camera's display.

Quinn gasped slightly. 'This is from the journey up here! When did you take that?'

The photo was of Quinn - clearly asleep and her head lolling on her shoulder towards Rachel. From the angle of the shot she surmised that it must've been taken when James was driving, so he and his daughter weren't playing I Spy anymore. Rachel's body was turned towards Quinn and she was watching her sleep, a tender smile playing on her lips. 'She watched me sleep?'

'Any moment she could.'

'Kinda creepy.'

Thomas raised his eyebrows and "hmm"ed in thought. 'Is it just me, or do I remember a certain blonde teenager telling me she thought Rachel was cute while she slept on her very first day here?' When Quinn went pink he said, 'That's what I thought.' He turned over to the next photo.

There were several more candid shots - ones where she definitely hadn't realised the camera was on her, and a few where she'd seen Thomas taking photos of her and been posing with Rachel, their arms around each other and looking… deliriously happy. In the candid photos they were nearly always looking at each other, with the same fond smile in each.

'Is this how we look to other people?' said Quinn uncomfortably, unsure how she felt about having looked at Rachel like that in full view of… everyone. She knew they couldn't help it, but she felt a little exposed knowing she'd been doing that in public without even realising.

'It is indeed.' Thomas' voice was guarded, as though worried Quinn would be upset. Quinn tilted the display towards her so it was closer, zooming in until the screen showed just their faces, turned towards each other. She knew their fingers were linked together and they were inches from kissing. They looked completely in love.

With a sigh, Quinn let go of the camera and laughed. 'How did I not realise I had feelings for Rachel sooner?'

Thomas grinned. 'Beats me.' He scrolled to the next photo. 'And this... Ah. I think James took this.'

It was of Rachel during the time Quinn and Thomas sang It's Raining Men during karaoke. Rachel was watching the stage open mouthed, her eyes half closed. Although she couldn't see in the bad lighting in the photo (clearly James didn't have as much experience as Thomas) she already knew those eyes were dark.

Quinn blushed, glancing at Thomas. He looked extremely amused. 'Move on?' Quinn nodded. Thomas scrolled on.

This one was of the two of them kissing in their cabin, just before they'd set off to the dance. She gaped at the photo, stunned. 'How did you - I don't even remember you taking that. You're some kind of ninja camera man…'

'I'm well practised.' He pulled the camera back towards him and shut it off. 'There's loads more on my laptop but those are the cutest ones, so I put them on the memory card to show you.'

'What does it have to do with this book?' asked Quinn, pointing at it.

'Ah, well - here's the thing. James is into scrapbooking.'

She blinked. 'Really? Um… that's nice for him, I suppose.'

Thomas rolled his eyes. 'Quinn, you should really wait until you have the whole story before reacting.'

'Right, sorry. Go on.'

'James likes scrapbooking, and he already wants to make one from this trip. Like a photo album, using my own mostly. We wondered whether you would want your own… with those pictures of you and Rachel.'

Quinn felt her mouth suddenly dry up. 'Oh…'

'It was just an idea,' he said hastily. 'I understand if you don't want it. Scrapbooking isn't for everyone.'

Quinn felt she knew what Thomas was trying to get at. This scrapbook would always hold the memories of her time on the cruise ship - she would always look back and remember, seeing those photos with Rachel and remember how free she felt. How much she learned. She could either accept it and try and live with this new part of herself she'd found, or forget it entirely.

Even though Quinn was certain of her answer, her voice still shook as she said, 'Y-yes. Sure, I'll take one.'

Thomas looked far happier than he should've been if it had just been about a scrapbook. Quinn knew she'd made the right choice.

It was getting rather late when Quinn got back to the cabin. Considering that she knew the brunette had a constant routine of getting up at 6am every morning to use the elliptical, it was startling how much Rachel slept in during this holiday. She rather thought the girl was enjoying her break from all her carefully placed regimes, although she did still sing a lot. Even in the shower, and when she was getting changed. When Quinn got annoyed, Rachel would simply claim she couldn't let her voice go to waste, even on her break.

She set a small plastic case on the bedside table. Stepping over the piles of clothes on the floor, Quinn leaned over her bed to look at the still sleeping girl inside. For the past few days she'd gotten used to waking up beside Rachel snoring softly next to her, normally with their legs entwined and limbs flung all over each other.

It didn't hurt that Rachel didn't seem averse to sleeping naked as well too…

Pulling back the covers, she exposed the tanned skin of Rachel's neck to the air and began to place kisses along the girl's collarbone and further down. She felt Rachel shift underneath her but she didn't respond much until Quinn tugged the sheets below her waist and started to run her tongue along the place where her hip met thigh.

'Mornin',' said Rachel sleepily, her hand coming down to tangle into the blonde's hair. 'What time is it?'

'Nearly 9 o'clock,' replied Quinn. She was now leaving small hickeys over the other girl's hipbone. Rachel didn't bruise easily anyway so she was free to indulge.

'Mm.' Rachel groaned slightly, arching into Quinn's mouth. 'And what time is it we get off the boat?' Quinn was too preoccupied with what she was doing to Rachel to reply. 'Quinn?'

The blonde disengaged her mouth reluctantly. 'About half ten.'

Rachel shrieked and shot up, nearly breaking Quinn's nose with the sudden movement of her pelvis. 'Why didn't you wake me? An hour and a half is not adequate time for me to get ready to leave!'

She rolled her eyes. 'Rach, you're not going to a red carpet event, you're sitting in a car for most of the day. Just shower and put your clothes on.'

Rachel grumbled, 'What about breakfast?' Quinn leaned over to pick up the plastic case on the table, opening it and handing it to her girlfriend.

'Got you some fruit. Your favourites.'

The frown Rachel was wearing split into a huge smile. 'Aw, Quinn! You know me so well.'

'You told me all your favourite fruits in huge detail last week,' Quinn pointed out. 'And you never eat anything else for breakfast.'

'It's the thought that counts.'

Quinn picked a slice of apple up and held it to Rachel's lips, sighing when Rachel's lips grazed her fingers. 'Three weeks ago, if you'd told me I'd be feeding a naked Rachel Berry fruit I'd have said your brain was smaller than Finn's.'

'Really? Because I always knew one day you'd be doing this.' She smirked while Quinn scoffed but held another slice up anyway. The juice dribbled down Rachel's chin; she leaned forward, catching the droplets on her tongue. She heard Rachel gasp, and when she pulled back the brunette's eyes were darkened slightly. It didn't take much to work her up lately.

'I think I've found a better use for my time than getting ready,' said Rachel huskily. She launched forward, knocking Quinn onto her back on the floor. She started to smother her with kisses; Quinn couldn't really complain when Rachel's tongue was in her mouth like that.

Fortunately the brunette was still naked, which sped up the process a little bit: however, Quinn had just slid her hand up Rachel's thigh when there was a sharp knock on the door.

'Get ready, you two!' James hollered from outside.

'We are!' Rachel yelled back.

Thomas' voice came through the door this time. 'Can we come in then?'

'No!'

'I thought not. Get dressed.'

Saying goodbye to everyone on the ship was a lot harder than Quinn ever would've thought. Three weeks ago she never would've expected that she would end up making friends with anyone on the cruise ship, let alone coming away with more than a few phone numbers, email addresses and promises to stay in touch. Rachel had just as many, although she teased that Quinn had obviously charmed her way around the female staff with her feminine quirks.

'Are you kidding me?' Erin had said, flicking Quinn on the forehead. 'With that scowl the only person she could charm was a baboon.'

'Are you calling Rachel a baboon?' Rachel wrapped her arm around Quinn's waist and pulled her close, pleased with her girlfriend coming to her defence. 'Because I'd say she's more of a chimp,' she added. Quinn earned herself a painful bump from Rachel's hip and a reproachful smack on the arm.

'Young love,' Erin said dramatically, placing her hand on her heart and pretending to wipe a tear. 'Tammy, remember the days when we insulted each other for affection?'

'That was yesterday, loser.'

'Oh yeah. Bitch.'

Tammy laughed and wrapped her arms around Erin from behind, resting her chin on the lifeguard's shoulder. She reached over and ruffled both Quinn's and Rachel's hair.

'I'll miss you guys and your drama.'

'They have our email addresses,' pointed out Erin, 'I'm sure we'll get updates.'

'True.' Tammy kissed Erin's cheek. 'I'm just going to find Rob, okay?'

'Alright.' The redheaded waitress left to go find the bartender; Erin watched her go with a goofy smile.

Quinn coughed into her fist. 'Whipped.' Erin narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips and was about to retort when Rachel nudged her.

'Quinn! That wasn't very nice. You should apologise to Erin.'

'Rach -' But Rachel gave her a very stern look and Quinn found herself weakening, turning to Erin and saying meekly, 'Sorry.'

Erin burst out laughing. 'Yeah, 'cause I'm the whipped one around here.' She reached out and pinched Quinn's cheek. 'Never change, Quinn, you're way too cute.'

The blonde slapped her hands away. 'Just because you're older doesn't mean you can pinch my cheeks,' said Quinn irritably. The smile trying to form on her lips betrayed her amusement however. Tammy darted back into the group.

'Rob says we'll be disembarking in about five minutes, so we should start moving out soon.' She said this while shooting a meaningful look at Erin, who nodded fervently. Tammy began gather their luggage; the others followed suit. Thomas and James came over soon after from where they'd been sitting in the small seating area of the cruise ship's lobby a little way away.

Quinn was about to march after the rest of the passengers when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. It was Erin. 'Quinn, can I have a word? It'll take two secs.'

She looked doubtfully at the retreating backs of the cruise members. 'I dunno, I think we need to be going…'

'I promise, you'll be back in a jiffy.'

Rachel glanced over her shoulder, frowning when she saw her girlfriend being dragged away by Erin.

'Quinn, where are you going? We need to leave!'

'Just give me a minute!' she yelled back. Erin pulled her around the corner, hidden from view. She folded her arms and looked up at the taller woman, who seemed uncharacteristically nervous. 'What's this about then?'

Erin took a deep breath, twisting her hands together anxiously. Quinn frowned at her moving hands and then raised her eyebrow at the lifeguard.

'Erin, seriously, what? You're starting to worry me.'

The lifeguard looked around furtively, and then said in a lowered voice, 'I'm just going to do it.'

Instantly Quinn found herself an armful of Erin, the girl's long hair almost suffocating her since it was down rather than up as it usually was when she was on duty. The other woman was squeezing her tight, practically lifting her off the ground. She placed a messy kiss on Quinn's cheek. 'I'll miss you, baby gay.'

'Can't - breathe -' Quinn wheezed, and Erin immediately loosened her grip.

'Sorry!' she said, laughing a little. 'I guess I can be a little … rough with my hugs.'

Quinn coughed a little, trying to regain the oxygen lost from her lungs. 'Never pegged you as a sappy one, Erin,' she said, once she'd gotten her breath back.

'Shh!' She lifted her finger to her lips. 'That's a secret. Basically… Quinn, don't let this go to your head… but you are a cool little kid. It was nice getting to look after you and help you out. Whether you wanted it or not.'

Quinn nodded. 'Same to you. I liked having a big sister again, seeing as mine is significantly absent.'

'Yeah. Like a big sister.' Something dark flashed across Erin's face for the briefest of seconds, and then it was gone, to be replaced by her usual cheery face. 'Anyway, I wanted you to have this.'

She took out a crumpled piece of paper from her shorts and handed it to Quinn who took it gingerly. 'It's not a bomb - just a letter. Read it when you need me, 'kay? Which'll probably be as soon as you get off the boat,' she joked. Quinn scoffed playfully, placing the letter in the pocket of her jacket. 'But really. If you need me, just email or call,' she said earnestly.

Quinn considered making light of the situation but thought better of it, since Erin seemed off; though she was smiling it didn't quite meet her eyes. Therefore Quinn simply nodded and allowed Erin to hug her once more and to tug her back around the corner. Rachel and her family were waiting while Tammy stood by the doorway, separated from the group.

The brunette took Quinn's hand. 'What was that all about?' she asked.

Quinn looked over at Erin. She'd made a bee-line straight for Tammy and was currently wrapped up tightly in her girlfriend's arms, face buried in her neck.

'I don't know,' she replied honestly.

They were three quarters of the way through the car journey. Rachel had her head resting on Quinn's shoulder; the girl was fast asleep, which was surprising considering the amount of energy she'd had on the first day of their journey. The blonde was gazing out of the window, close to dozing off herself when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She fumbled to get her phone out and check the display.

She had a text from Mercedes: you coming home to Rachels when you get back?

Quinn texted back: Yeah. Why?

Cuz we've got a surprise

She frowned slightly, not liking the sound of that. Should I be worried?

nah. just a little home coming party for you! Ask the berrys if they'd mind the glee club crashing at their place this evening for a bit

I'll ask. No promises.

Rachel stirred next to Quinn, lifting her head and peering at the screen. 'What's up?'

'Mercedes. She said they're planning some home coming party thing.' She leaned forward in her seat towards the two men in the front. 'And she wants to know if the glee club can come over to your house tonight…'

'Hmm,' said James doubtfully from the driver's seat. 'I'm not so certain that's a good idea. We're going to be tired enough as it is once we get back. I'm not sure if I could handle a whole group of kids tonight.'

'That's fine,' said Quinn, already starting to compose a reply. 'I'll tell her no and -'

'Wait!' Rachel interrupted. 'Quinn, is this party for you or both of us?'

Quinn stared at her. 'Rachel, you are coming home as well. Of course it's for you too.'

'Just ask her.'

The blonde sighed and deleted her original text.

The party's for Rachel as well, right?

Yep

Rachel read it over her shoulder and then spoke to her dads excitedly. 'We have to have this party!'

Thomas turned in his seat, his stern-yet-firm parent face fully on. 'Rachel, we really don't think it'd be a good idea. You're obviously exhausted and Quinn is as well.'

'Daddy!' Rachel pleaded. 'For once, please listen to me. I really want this to happen.'

'Why are you so eager for it?'

'Because they included me,' replied Rachel simply.

Quinn and Thomas' mouths opened in surprise. The brunette said the sentence with the widest smile they'd ever seen, her eyes bright with the knowledge that she'd finally been accepted enough for something like this to happen.

Neither Quinn, nor Rachel's dads had the heart to turn the girl down after that.

When they pulled into Rachel's drive they found every single member of the glee club lounging on the lawn outside their house, chatting quietly. When they saw the car pull up they jumped to their feet, cheering and hooting while they waited for the Berry family and Quinn to get out.

As soon as Quinn exited the vehicle she found herself swamped with hugs; she kept a firm grip on Rachel's hand while she was passed around like a ragdoll. Rachel herself looked ridiculously pleased as she received her own hugs, albeit slightly less enthusiastic ones. She seem to mind, but that may have been because Quinn was still holding her hand when Thomas let everyone in and the kids all piled after him into the house.

The blonde noticed the absence of their tallest member first. 'Where's Finn?' she asked Mercedes.

'He's coming later,' the other girl answered. The others set up camp in the living room; Quinn and Rachel sat on the loveseat while the others sat on the armchairs, balanced on the arms or spread out on the floor. Puck balanced his acoustic guitar against one of the chairs. When questioned as to why he'd brought it, he just shrugged helplessly.

'Thought I might need it,' he mumbled. It wasn't hard for Quinn to put two and two together - honestly, these guys were awful at planning surprises. Finn was coming later. Puck had his guitar.

Obviously, Finn was going to be singing. And if he was playing, then he was almost certainly going to be singing to Rachel. Rolling her eyes, Quinn leaned towards the brunette and whispered in her ear. 'Ready to be serenaded?'

'What do you mean?' Rachel whispered back.

'Think about it, Rach. If Puck has his guitar then clearly Finn is going to be singing to you when he gets here.'

'Ohhhh.' Rachel nodded in agreement. 'That does seem plausible. Do you think he'll do "It's Raining Men"?'

They both giggled at the image; suddenly remembering where they were, they noticed everyone staring at them.

'Someone pinch me,' said Kurt, 'I think I just saw Quinn Fabray and Rachel Berry actually getting along.'

'They must've come to some compromise over the holiday, since Rachel is in one piece,' pointed out Artie.

'Maybe Quinn did throw her overboard, and this Rachel is really a far less annoying clone.'

'With marginally better dress sense,' said Kurt. He eyed Rachel's clothes: she was wearing a shirt that belonged to Quinn, with no trace of argyle in sight since Quinn had discarded the one she'd stolen this morning. She'd made a promise with Quinn she wouldn't wear any for at least a week, if Rachel could borrow her clothes. Apparently they smelled of Quinn, and the blonde couldn't really argue with that. She rather enjoyed seeing the diva in her clothes anyway.

Rachel interjected, sounding exasperated, 'Why must you assume I would be the annoying one?' Everyone gave her a look that said, 'You even need to ask?' The brunette sighed, looking mildly irritated.

'Knock it off, guys,' Quinn said sharply. 'Yeah, Rachel and I have come to an understanding. You can't spend three weeks with someone - civilly - without finding some sort of balance. And FYI, she wasn't as annoying as you seem to think.'

To her satisfaction, most of the glee club seemed at least vaguely guilty at her calling them out. Except Santana, who just rolled her eyes and shot Quinn a very pointed look that she didn't quite understand.

'Thanks, Quinn,' said Rachel quietly, so only she could hear. She shot Quinn that one smile which seemed meant for her. The blonde covered her sudden urge to kiss it away with a cough and an aversion of her eyes.

'Yeah. Whatever.'

'So what'd you guys actually do on the cruise?' asked Mercedes, changing the subject quickly. Rachel's face lit up and she jumped into the topic enthusiastically.

Quinn found herself tuning out as the brunette talked, knowing she didn't really need to listen. Instead she found her eyes travelling over the features she'd come to know so well recently - not for the first time, she was staring blatantly at Rachel while she talked. It was pretty entertaining to watch her use her hands so expressively and the change of her facial expressions as she regaled the others with stories.

When Rachel turned to her and beamed, she returned it. The other girl's smile slipped when Quinn said nothing however, and Quinn realised she'd been asked a question.

'I'm sorry, what?' she asked, shaking her head. 'I was zoning out…'

'You weren't the only one,' said Kurt with a smirk. Quinn shut him up with a glare and faced Rachel again.

'What were you saying, ba - Rachel?'

'I asked if you'd had a good time on the trip as well.'

'Of course.' Their gazes met and stayed that way until someone cleared their throat awkwardly, at which point Rachel and Quinn quickly averted their eyes and looked away. The tension was broken by the doorbell ringing and one of Rachel's fathers yelling that he would answer it.

'Must be Finn,' said Santana idly, the first thing she'd said since greeting Quinn originally. 'You two better enjoy your surprise. I didn't haul my ass all the way to Berry's house for nothing.'

Quinn had no time to dwell on the fact Santana had said "you two" because the door suddenly banged open and Finn lumbered in, followed by Thomas. The wood of the door smacked against the wall as it opened (Thomas winced, knowing he'd have to check the paintwork later).

The boy stood there, grinning widely and searching the room until his eyes fell on Rachel.

Quinn hated the way Rachel's face lit up seeing her ex-boyfriend. She was perfectly aware that Rachel was hers now, and that Finn and Rachel's relationship had gone cold after only a few weeks after they'd gotten back together and they'd broken up shortly before the summer had started. The fact that she knew that didn't matter, because there was no way Finn deserved to see that smile from Rachel.

Finn came over and lifted Rachel to her feet, swallowing her up in a hug. 'I missed you,' he said softly. It was intended for just the two of them, but Quinn heard it. She had to dig her nails into the skin of her palm to stop herself getting up to punch him out there and then.

Rachel leaned back, looking up at Finn with an inordinately happy expression. 'I missed you too.'

Quinn forced her eyes away from them, feeling ill just watching. Santana was the only one looking at her instead of the sickeningly cute scene of reunion in front of them. The Latina had an eyebrow raised.

She mouthed, 'What?' to her, but Santana simply shook her head.

'Hey, man,' said Puck, raising his fist lazily for Finn to bump against when he let go of Rachel. The brunette sat back down next to Quinn, reassuringly close with their arms pressed together. 'You ready to play?' Finn grunted in answer and Puck grabbed his guitar.

'We gonna do this standing then?' he asked, slipping the strap over his head to hold the guitar up.

'I'll get some chairs,' said James, who had been standing nosily at the door to the kitchen. He left the room and returned a minute later with two dining room chairs, which he placed in the centre - facing Rachel and Quinn.

Both boys looked uncharacteristically serious as they sat down across from the two girls. Quinn felt a twinge of foreboding which told her this probably wasn't going to go well.

With a gesture from Finn, they began.

Puck started the intro with a few strums of his guitar. Finn cut in too with the vocals, crooning softly, 'Oh woah oh oh…'

Finn started to sing, his eyes soft and affectionate and unmoving from Rachel. Quinn glowered at him - her expression quickly morphed into one of horror as she realised what song they were singing.

'You know you love me, I know you care. Just shout whenever, and I'll be there.'

She saw the recognition form at the same time as hers on Rachel's face and her mouth shape the incredulous words, 'Bieber?'

'You want my love, you want my heart, and we will never, ever, ever be apart.'

Rachel was bright pink in the face, looking embarrassed but - horrifyingly - a little flattered. However, if Quinn thought the worst part was Finn trying to woo Rachel with the song, "Baby", then she were delusional. Mainly because Finn had finished his verse, and now Puck was beginning to sing as well.

Looking right at Quinn.

'Are we an item? Girl quit playing. We're just friends, what are you saying? Said there's another, look right in my eyes, my first love broke my heart for the first time…'

It would've been hilarious if the two boys had been joking. But no - rather like James and Rachel singing Grease at karaoke (with less incest and more cheesy romance) they seemed to have no idea what how idiotic they looked singing this song so seriously.

They were breaking into the chorus now, complete with heavily enthusiastic guitar strumming. And even the other glee club members were getting into it and joining in, clapping along and adding in their own background flourishes. If Mr Shuester had been there, Quinn was sure he'd have added a rap on top.

She let the performance go on as long as she could handle. It was only when Finn got up and began to stride towards Rachel - the better to sing in her face and make her uncomfortable, undoubtedly - that she broke.

'That's enough!' Quinn bellowed, jumping to her feet in front of Rachel. Puck startled and nearly dropped his guitar. Finn's eyes widened at the presence of the very angry blonde in front of him. He backed off a little, looking completely baffled. 'What the hell are you guys playing at?'

'Duh, baby mama,' said Puck. He rolled his eyes. 'We're trying to get you back. Since you turned me down a while ago, I wanted to see if that changed over your holiday and you wanted another ride on Puckzilla.' He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

'One, don't call me that anymore. Two, don't do that with your eyebrows, it's creepy. Three... you were trying to get me back with a Justin Beiber song?'

Puck looked shifty. 'It was Finn's idea.'

'Hey, don't blame this on me!' Finn protested. 'You're the one who told me chicks dig him.'

'Twelve year old chicks dig him.'

'Did it work anyway?' asked Puck, looking at the blonde eagerly. His face fell as Quinn shook her head. 'Damn. Well, worth a try.' He leaned back in his chair and began to play improvised riffs on his guitar, not looking all that disappointed with Quinn's decision. The blonde stared at him, a little weirded out by his lack of reaction. He merely shrugged at her. 'Like I said, I tried. Loads of times. If you don't wanna, then there's no point pushing it. You'll find out what you missed soon.'

He leered at her - Quinn ignored him and directed her attention to the other members of the club. 'Why did you let them do this?'

They all looked guilty. However, Brittany piped up, 'We thought it'd be funny.'

'Of course.' Quinn slapped her forehead, turning to look at Rachel who simply looked rather bemused. 'What're you thoughts on this?'

Rachel blushed slightly, ducking her head. 'I quite liked it,' she admitted sheepishly.

'See!' said Finn triumphantly. He scuttled over to Rachel, picking up her hand in his huge one. 'I know you only heard half of it, but did the message get across?'

Rachel looked uncomfortable, trying to manoeuvre her hand out of his paw. 'Yes, Finn. I hear you loud and clear…'

Finn practically glowed, seemingly not noticing the way the brunette was trying to disengage herself. 'So?'

'So what?'

'What do you say? Do you want to give us another try?'

Despite knowing what Rachel's answer should and probably would be, she still held her breath.

The brunette shot Quinn the quickest of glances, but it was enough to see the stony expression on the blonde's face and the clenching of her jaw. It was also enough for Quinn to see that Rachel was pleading for help from her.

Quinn pushed herself in between Finn and Rachel, trying to put as much space between the two of them as she could. 'You can't have her, Finn,' she said coldly. 'She's with someone else.'

Gasps resounded around the room.

'The plot thickens!' said Kurt dramatically. Mercedes poked him to shut up.

Finn's usually friendly face creased in confusion. 'Who?' He peered around the room as if expecting Rachel's secret lover to pop out at any moment.

'I - you -' Quinn's eyes darted around the room, seeing everyone's gaze on her. All were frowning slightly - all except Santana, who was smirking, and Finn, who simply looked upset.

Her mouth became dry with nerves. 'A girl.'

The room erupted with noise: some were incredulous, some shouting, 'I knew it!' Finn seemed lost. But at the very least he seemed to realised he'd been rejected so he retreated, standing over where Artie's chair was instead.

'Wow, Berry,' said Puck, when there was a lull in the uproar, 'didn't know you had it in you.' He held out his hand for Rachel to high-five him. 'She hot?'

Finn was giving Rachel upset puppy dog eyes but Rachel wasn't looking in his direction at all. Her eyes were on Quinn.

'She's beautiful,' said Rachel. 'The most beautiful girl in the world.' She licked her lips, sighing slightly. 'And she's very brave, even if sometimes her fear gets the better of her. She always does the right thing in the end.'

Quinn started to feel slightly nauseous.

'Always,' Rachel added.

She raised a shaky hand, rubbing her forehead. She shut her eyes, blocking out the people around her.

'What's her name?' she heard Mercedes ask.

'Ask Quinn.'

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as a shiver of dread passed through her body. Rachel was looking at her still, she knew, imploring her to "do the right thing" and tell everyone about their relationship.

She wanted to - she really did. But like so many times before, the words fell short of actually being spoken.

A hand touched her back gently and she turned to see Thomas looking down at her. 'You look a little flushed. I think you need some water… Rachel, give me a hand please?'

He slipped his arm around Quinn's shoulders and steered her towards the kitchen. Quinn sank against him gratefully, thankful to be out of that room.

He sat her down in a chair, placing a glass in front of her. Rachel hovered nearby. The brunette shrank back when Thomas rounded on her, hands on his hips.

'Rachel, why are you doing this?' he hissed. 'This is not the time for a coming out party and to pressure Quinn into telling everyone about your relationship.'

'I wasn't trying to put pressure on her. I simply think it'd be easier if we got this conversation out of the way now.'

'Easier for who, Rachel? You or Quinn? Did you even ask her?' The brunette couldn't answer that one. 'Quinn needs time to think. For the last three weeks she's been in a bubble. I know you're intent to shout it from the rooftops, but sometimes that isn't the best idea.'

'But why shouldn't we let people know?' Rachel raised her chin defiantly. 'I'm not going to compromise myself for anyone, dad. I don't want to live in secret.'

'I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to postpone this conversation with the other glee club members for another time, after you and Quinn have spoken about and decided what to do. Together.' He emphasised the last word.

Rachel's gaze shifted to Quinn's face. The blonde looked back tiredly, reading the indecision battling on Rachel's face. Quinn sighed and reached out to take Rachel's hand. She squeezed it gently.

'Another day, please, Rach. I promise, we'll tackle it another day.'

The brunette nodded silently before spinning on her heel and marching back out into the room with the other glee club members.

Thomas exhaled slowly, reaching over to pat her shoulder. 'She'll get over it,' he said quietly. Quinn groaned, laying her head down on the table.

'It's not even that I don't want to tell them. It just surprised me, and I don't want them to find out this way.'

'I know. That's why I took you away.'

Quinn rolled her head so she was facing Thomas. 'Thank you,' she whispered. Thomas just smiled at her.

When Quinn was about to make her way back into the room, she found herself dragged bodily into the hallway instead. She protested and tried to get out of the person's grip, but whoever it was, they were strong and managed to haul her out despite her fighting.

The door to the living room was shut and she came face to face with Santana, with Brittany just behind, smiling serenely.

'Hey, Juno,' said Santana with a slight sneer. Which was her usual expression really, so Quinn didn't react much.

'Santana, I'm not even pregnant anymore, so the jokes fall rather flat.'

'I can call you "dyke" then, if you want. Or "Berry's bitch."' At Quinn's look of surprise, Santana rolled her eyes. 'God, did you really think you were being subtle? Could you and Berry be any more obvious?' Her hand shot out and she tugged at Quinn's collar. 'So are you gonna tell me what the fuck is that on your neck?'

Quinn jerked back, hand darting to cover the offending area of skin that she knew was dark and bruised. 'It's nothing,' she snapped. 'I got hurt on board the ship.'

'You tripped and fell onto RuPaul's mouth? Yeah, sure that was real painful for you when you got that.'

The blonde narrowed her eyes at Santana. 'You don't know what you're talking about.'

Santana rolled her eyes. 'Tell her what you told me, Brit.'

Brittany jumped right in, looking excited to be involved in the conversation. 'You and Rachel were making love eyes at each other,' she told Quinn happily. 'You were giving her the looks Santana does when she looks at me. And sometimes the looks she gives me when I'm naked.' The Latina blushed slightly, touching Brittany's hand.

'Q doesn't need to know that bit, Brit.'

Quinn scowled. 'In that case, I don't see why you're giving me a hard time about this when you and Brittany are doing the exact same thing.'

'Sex isn't dating,' Brittany chirruped. Santana nodded in agreement. 'You and Rachel are dating.'

'And it's disgusting,' added Santana. 'Seriously, I don't wanna see you two crawling over each other like a box of puppies all the time now. But Berry's in there crying like a bitch 'cause you were all in denial that you two are together, and now she feels bad for wanting you to grow a pair and come out.'

'She's crying?' asked Quinn softly, feeling a twist of guilt in her stomach.

'S doesn't like it when Rachel is sad,' said Brittany.

'I love when Man Hands is sad. It's one of my favourite forms of entertainment, actually.'

'She doesn't like it,' Brittany insisted.

Santana simply shrugged, unwilling to snap a retort at Brittany like she would with anyone else. 'The only thing I can say about her being sad is that it makes you all mopy and miserable. I had enough of that when you were pregnant, thanks. I'd rather not feel like choking you to death now there isn't an unborn child to nag at my conscience.'

Brittany grinned at Quinn, translating for the other blonde. 'She doesn't like seeing you sad either.'

'I didn't say that,' Santana growled. 'What I mean is, obviously you two need to sort your shit out.' Seeing Quinn about to protest, Santana cut in. 'What, are you worried the glee club is going to disown you or something? Please, they probably already know judging by the way you two were acting. It was gayer than Melissa Etheridge and Ellen DeGeneres on a girl's night out.'

'You know who they are?'

'Not the point! Look, Q, just get your ass back in there and tell everyone you and Berry are doing the nasty before I do it for you. No one's gonna say anything - except maybe Finn. But he'll get over it once he can stop thinking of the mailman.'

Quinn laughed. Some of the tension she'd been carrying on her shoulders, wondering whether the glee club would accept her relationship with Rachel had been lifted thanks to this - rather disjointed - conversation with Santana. She reckoned she knew what Santana was really trying to say underneath the bitchy comments, but knew she should check first.

She directed her attention to Brittany. 'Is this Santana's roundabout way of telling me she's okay with this and that everyone else will be too?'

'No,' Santana snapped.

'Brittany?'

Brittany nodded. 'Yeah.'

A slow spreading smile crossed Quinn's face. 'Well, thanks, S. That means a lot to me.'

The other girl grunted and reached for the door handle. 'Don't mention it. Really. Don't.' She paused, and smirked at Quinn. 'Actually, this might have some benefits for me after all. At least you can probably shut her up if she's busy making out with you.'

Santana stepped into the room before Quinn could give a rebuttal; upon opening the door they immediately became aware of the tension in the room. The source was immediately obvious. Finn was sat next to Rachel, his arm around her shoulder.

Quinn's brow knitted and she glared at the boy. 'Finn…'

'She was upset,' he protested, 'I was trying to comfort her.'

Her face softened as she realised that Rachel was indeed upset, and as Santana had said - she was crying. She was at her side in a second, making Finn get up and leave his seat with only a look. She slipped her arms around Rachel, pulling her close and letting the brunette bury her face in her shoulder - glee club be damned. She was comforting her girlfriend, and according to Santana she really shouldn't have a care in the world about what the others in the club thought about them.

Rachel seemed surprised at the contact but melted into it gratefully. 'What's the matter?' Quinn asked, rubbing her hands up and down Rachel's back soothingly. The girl sniffled and curled up closer to Quinn.

'I'm sorry I put pressure on you,' she whispered, clinging tight.

'Oh, baby,' said Quinn, pulling back but keeping her voice as low as she could. 'Don't worry about it. It's okay, I swear.' She reached up and wiped away the tears with her thumb. 'No need for tears, it's all okay now.'

'Really?' asked Rachel tearfully.

'Really.' Quinn smiled at her, barely resisting the urge to kiss her on the nose.

To her right, Artie said, 'I win. They are together. Pay up, guys.' Glumly, Mike, Matt and Tina reached into their pockets, wallets and purses and pulled out five dollars each, handing it to a gleeful Artie.

Rachel's mouth dropped open. 'You know?' She tried to pull away from Quinn but the blonde held fast.

'We were suspicious,' said Kurt. 'Especially after you did that whole jealous walk out thing a minute ago, coupled with the looks you two have been giving each other all night. Top that off with when you said Rachel was dating a girl and your disturbingly cute display just now. Yes, it was rather obvious.'

Feeling Rachel's rigid body, Quinn murmured, 'It's okay, Rach.'

'It is?'

'Of course.' She lowered her voice. 'I already spoke to Santana, and she said she was okay with it.'

'Seriously?'

'Well, not quite like that. I don't know if I want everyone to know yet, but…' She glanced at the others, seeing smiling faces all round, without a judgemental look from any of them. Finn looked a little put out, but that was to be expected. 'As long as it's okay with you guys?'

There was a chorus of 'yes's. Puck opened his mouth, leering at them both. 'Shut it, Puckerman,' interrupted Rachel, before he could say anything.

'You don't even know what I was about to say!'

'You were probably going to ask for a threesome. That's such a cliché, Puck, and isn't it obvious that two girls in an exclusive relationship probably wouldn't want a third party intruding, particularly a man?'

'Worked for Santana,' said Puck, earning a punch to the arm from said girl. 'Ow!'

Rachel rolled her eyes. 'Well, be that as it may, Quinn and I are definitely exclusive. And if you'll excuse me, I'd quite enjoy kissing my girlfriend.'

Rachel darted forward to capture Quinn's lips firmly, provoking hollers and cheers, Kurt to cover his eyes and Finn to have to run out of the room. Santana just rolled her eyes and muttered, 'Gross,' but couldn't quite hide her smile.

The other glee club members left about an hour later, mainly because Thomas and James were getting irritated and cranky due to lack of sleep already. The appearance of so many teenagers in their house, loudly talking and laughing and occasionally singing was the last straw for them.

Rachel received real hugs this time on everyone's way out, most of them accompanied by either a "Congratulations" or something similar. Kurt seemed pleased he wasn't the only gay teenager in Lima (apparently Santana and Brittany didn't count, or so they said). Puck had muttered that the offer for a threesome was still open (and gotten another punch from both Quinn and Santana again). Finn had looked awkward, but still gave Rachel a hug.

'This is real, right?' he said, looking worried. 'You're not just like… trying to get back at me or something like that, 'cause I messed up with the Bieber song?'

Rachel smiled, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. 'I'm afraid not, Finn.'

He still looked extremely confused about the whole thing, but seemed to have recovered enough to say to Quinn, 'Don't hurt her. I know you're a girl and all, so I can't hit you, but I can get Santana to hit you.'

Quinn rolled her eyes. 'I'm not going to hurt her, Finn. But thank you for the warning.'

Finally, once the last glee member was out of the house, Rachel and Quinn were left alone in the hallway. Thomas and James had gone to bed; Quinn had already texted her mother earlier in the day to tell her she was staying at the Berry's to make things easier. Rachel took Quinn's hand and led her into Rachel's bedroom.

Upstairs they performed the routine they'd gotten used to doing every night while they were on the cruise ship: Quinn would shower first, and then she would wait while Rachel went. She usually ended up reading a sizeable portion of a book in the time it took for Rachel to get out of the shower.

Quinn was going through the same motions but instead of reading she found herself laying on Rachel's bed, staring up at the various musical posters on the walls. She rolled until her nose was buried in the pillow, inhaling the scent of freshly laundered pillow cases. She much preferred how her pillow at the cabin had smelt of Rachel's shampoo - she honestly thought she was addicted - and it was strange to lie on a bed that didn't have the same odour.

As she rolled onto her back she felt a lump beneath her head. There was something under the pillow. Curiously she reached under it and retrieved a leather bound book (although she knew now the actual material was fake).

Rachel's notebook. This wasn't the first time since she'd originally read it that she'd seen it around but Rachel had been a little more careful about where she put now. It stung a little - however, Quinn couldn't really complain. She'd been the one to breach Rachel's privacy in the first place.

Now, though, she had the book back in her possession and it was practically screaming at her again to open it, to see Rachel's inner thoughts musically displayed for her from the past few weeks and how she'd been feeling about the way her relationship was developing with Quinn. She was naturally a pretty curious person and this was pushing her restraints to the limits.

Quinn glanced at the door. Rachel would undoubtedly be in the shower for at least ten minutes more. If she looked and replaced it, the brunette would never know.

On the other hand… she always knew when something was wrong. Apparently the guilt showed up on Quinn's face, or something.

'You can look, you know,' said a gentle voice. Startled, Quinn dropped the book - Rachel was standing in the doorway, clad only in a towel.

'I - I didn't look,' she stammered, kicking the notebook away from her. 'I found it, but I didn't look. I swear.'

Rachel simply smiled. 'It's okay, Quinn. I have nothing to hide from you now. So, if you want, you're welcome to look.'

She crossed the room, pulling out pyjamas from her drawer. She dropped her towel and started to dress.

Rachel ignored the spluttering blonde from the bed who was watching openly as she pulled on clothes. Turning to Quinn once she was fully clothed, she raised an eyebrow. The blonde's mouth was open. 'As I said, Quinn. I have nothing to hide.'

'I'm not complaining.'

Rachel nodded to the book. 'Go on. Look. You know you want to.'

She did. She really did.

But something about it just didn't feel right, even though she had Rachel's permission now. It was Rachel's personal property, a place where she was meant to get all her thoughts out in one place and feel free to express herself. Even though Rachel said she had nothing to hide, that didn't really mean Quinn had the right to go snooping.

So she shook her head. 'No. It's okay.'

Rachel shot her a smile, now fully dressed. 'Thank you. You ready for bed?' At Quinn's nod, she turned off the light and slid into the bed next to the blonde, wrapping her arms around her. They curled up together, Quinn's back to Rachel's front.

'It's weird being home… here. With you,' said Quinn, squeezing the brunette's fingers on her stomach.

'A good weird?'

'The best weird. Like you.'

'I'm not weird.'

'You kinda are. But it's a dorky, cute weird. I like it.'

'Mm.' Rachel kissed her shoulder. 'No more lockable cabin rooms… My dads are probably going to impose some ban on the door being closed or something.'

'At least we made good use of the last few days.'

'I'll say,' said Rachel, her voice suddenly sultry. She sang a verse from the old song from The Little Mermaid, her voice quiet yet still clear. 'Darling, it's better, down where it's wetter, take it from me...'

'Rach, we were on a cruise. Not exactly under the sea.'

She heard the brunette giggle. She rolled Quinn over, slipping her thigh in between Quinn's legs and pressing upwards - making her gasp sharply.

Rachel said mischievously, 'No one said I was talking about the sea…'

She leaned down to capture Quinn's lips, sliding over on top of her. 'Rach,' Quinn exclaimed, breaking away, 'your dads are asleep next door!'

Another giggle.

'Then you'll just have to be quiet.'

Quinn couldn't argue with that.

EDIT: 24/04/2013:

I'm sad to say there was never a sequel for this fic (even though I planed it and started it, even began uploading it) and I will never finish it. I'm so sorry guys. I know there were a couple of loose ends and just plain shoddy writing which I probably would've tried to retrospectively fix (xD) but that's the way life goes. Feel free to message me if you want to hear what I had planned, although don't expect anything particularly coherent.

In case the rest of you just skipped over the above text:

BWIW WILL NOT HAVE A SEQUEL. I AM SORRY.